[SE] on this harvest moon

SUNJATA

He is surprised at the answer he gets from Jigano, but pulls out another glass and nods, pouring the whiskey of sorts he has of his own. The question however, has him tilt his head up curiously. “Haven’t made any yet. This is what’s left over from Ezra’s stash when he ran the Rathskeller.” A small smile that fades. “Seeing as he is gone too, I decided to take it and put it to good use.” But he imagines once things settle he’ll chat with Remi about what he should do, what things he should look for, how to go about it on his own.

Sunjata doesn’t comment on how he starts to drink it, but he does notice the glance to his tattoos, something he’s absolutely willing to talk about should the bard grow curious. But he mentions they’re all good reasons, and Sunjata lifts his own glass to his lips with a nod of agreement. “A tea house seems far more fitting to be attached to a Temple.” He agrees quietly. “I always wondered why they attached a bar of all things to it.” It didn’t seem like religion and alcohol should mix too much, but hey. He came from a godless world, he had nothing to really back it up other than preconceived notions he’d gathered from here. “But ah, I agree with not having enough time.” Gods knew he was busy enough himself.

“I did visit the Atheneum, once I got better to read up on LongNight before it happened.” He offers quietly, absent mindedly reaching up to run a hand along the compass to his neck. “You’ve turned it into a nice place for getting information.” A quiet compliment, but Sunjata had spent plenty of time in libraries back in Korofi and the likes. He’d always appreciated it, even if he didn’t want to get involved much with it.

come home. don't die so far from the sea—

Jigano's expression tightened at Ezra's name, the memory of another life lost to LongNight. He hadn't known the flamboyant beauty well, but then he hadn't been given much time to between the scourge of the blight and then LongNight's descent. He toasted the memory of the briefly-invested last barkeep of the Rathskeller before giving the whiskey a taste, and deciding that he'd live if he drank it.

"I'm not sure it initially was a bar," Jigano admitted thoughtfully. "The Northhaveners who came here in numbers first only arrived last Leafchange. Barely a year and a half ago, now. As I understood it, they took a mostly-abandoned space and spruced it up, turning it into a bar because the Temple was as much a town meeting place as a place of worship and the location was convenient. Their world didn't have gods either, from what I've heard, so I'm not sure it really bothered them they way it might a more pious bunch."

At the agreement of not enough time - never enough time - Jigano nodded and shot the whiskey back, swallowing past the burn. "Thanks," he said, setting the glass gently back on the table with a crooked smile. "It hasn't been easy. But... it's been worth it, if it can help." Sunjata's compliment warmed him far more than the alcohol. He'd been feeling the futility of his guild lately as he let it fall to pieces around him, losing members due to his own attitude problems and the natural predations of Caido as sickness or disappearance stole his guildmates as surely as Lusea had been taken. Even such a small note of recognition meant a great deal to the provost, and he tilted his head at Sunjata, nodding to his bracelet in return. "Speaking of that... have the Advocates had much work lately?" Adam had come to make overtures and they'd struck up an improbable friendship over LongNight, but he hadn't seen the guildmaster since. "Adam hasn't been by in a while and I wasn't sure what more he really wanted of the Loreseekers."

SUNJATA

He lets his eyes scan Jigano briefly as he informs him how the Rathskeller initially came about, standing up a bit fuller before he reaches for a stool, pulling it to the opposite side of the table from Jigano to sit and settle in, bringing his glass and the bottle with him while he listened. “Makes sense.” He rumbles in agreement. “I wasn’t much of a god person either before I met Frey and kissed Safrin.” A shrug, reaching for the glass to lift to his lips again.

Still, as Jigano takes a shot of the whiskey, he places the bottle between them to share should the bard want more. Steel eyes lift to scan Jigano’s crooked smile, a faltered one reflected on his face. “It did help.” He shrugs easily. “I only did two stupid things on LongNight.” He sits up, running a hand through his hair as though it was some sort of accomplishment for him to not do more than five stupid things in any given event.

Perhaps in some ways it was an accomplishment.

The slight smile falters as Jigano questions him, however, eyes narrowing slightly on the bard until he explains of Adam and Sunjata snorts lightly. “We haven’t done much since Lucas died.” An admission. “Of course Adam told you about us. What had he arranged? It’s news to me.” But he thinks it over briefly, reaching for the glass to run his fingers along the rim. Perhaps it should have been news to him, that he should have found out since he was the one that kept track of what they’d done, what deals they had made. A light frown reaches his lips.

“I’m not sure what Adam’s plans are. I’m not sure even if they remain with the Advocates.” Steel eyes lift to Jigano’s with a slight shake to his head. Because Adam had stepped down, and he hadn't heard from the man since. And Sunjata had been left to figure out what to do with a band of misfits whose members continued to disappear more and more as the seasons progressed.

come home. don't die so far from the sea—

Jigano's brows rose at the casual name-dropping of the gods, a spark of curiosity lighting in his blue eyes in spite of the slight flinch Safrin's name caused. The pain of that goddess's claws in his heart was still too fresh to brush off so easily. "I'd dearly like to hear about those meetings, if you don't mind sharing," he asked quietly. "I've never met Frey, so I'm always curious to hear from those who have. And kissing a goddess sounds like a bold tale in its own right."

The mention of LongNight had the bard pouring himself a second shot and lifting it to check the clarity of the moonshine with a practiced eye. "Only two?" he asked dryly, before tossing back his shot. "Better than most did, including me. What were they, out of curiosity?" He was nothing if not curious, and Sunjata was an easy man to talk to once the booze began to flow.

Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut about the bracelet, but keeping an eye on such a shady group seemed like a good idea. Even if he didn't have a use for them at the moment that didn't mean he wouldn't eventually... and he was just as intent that they not be used against him and his guild. Besides, Sunjata seemed willing to talk and Jigano nodded understanding as his mention of Lucas coincided with what Adam had said. "I haven't seen him since LongNight ended," he agreed with a faintly concerned frown. "But I'm not sure he really had plans so much as an interest in striking up friendly relations with the Loreseekers. Our two guilds sound like they might be in position to... exchange information," he said delicately. "As we may have access to records the Advocates would find useful in their activities, while you might hear things in the course of your work that would interest us." However personally distasteful he might once have found such deals, and however much he recognized that he shouldn't be involved in them now, it wouldn't be the first time he had compromised himself to save those he cared for.

But that was before he had begun to think that they wouldn't want him to. It did put an uncomfortable twist on the transactions Adam had suggested, and the bard considered how carefully he would have to walk this tightrope this time if he agreed to pursue it.

SUNJATA

He questions the meetings he’s had with the gods, and he nods quietly in thought, pouring more of the whiskey into his glass as he settles and look back up to Jigano’s face. “Meeting Frey was easy enough, I was with Phoebe at the time when she was researching the blight and she had collapsed. So I went to Frey to see if I could help her.” He shrugs, having left unharmed with only the words of ‘fixing her trembling by causing another sort’. He lifts the glass to his lips, then set it along the table once more as he considers his interaction with Safrin.

“I went to the same shrine I had seen Frey at, after chatting with Remi and a newcomer named Oliver. I’d spent my seasons here around attuned and abandoned and ascended, and tried to see if I had any of those kinds of powers. Knew I wasn’t Ascended, but abandoned and attuned? No clue.” There’s a break in the cloudiness of his face as he smiles. “It took Lusea awhile before she realized she had magic.” It’s not surprising to think they had nothing when they came from a world without all of it.

“And so I asked to become Attuned at the shrine, and Safrin appeared. Told me it could be done, held my head in her hands and she kissed me.” That wasn’t all of course. “She reached into me then, like into me, my soul it felt like. And when she pulled back, I was a bird.” Both interactions had been great for him, but he still favored Safrin just a bit more.

But talk of LongNight creeps over and he takes another sip from the whiskey as he tries to pace himself and does a terrible job at it. “Helped burn down the Rathskeller to get the monsters out. Then went to check on the Luxere.” He shrugs. “Also probably pissed off our queen, but if there’s one thing I’m used to it’s pissing off the monarchy.” Another fading smile at that.

But the agreement they had struck, Adam and Jigano did intrigue him to an extent. He didn’t know how what they did could benefit, but the information from the Loreseekers could be helpful for the Advocates at the very least. He mulls it over before his steel gaze rises to Jigano with a tilt to his head. “I will think on it, let you know what I’ve decided.” A pause in case it isn’t clear enough. “Adam gave the Guild to me, so anything involving us can be directed to me in the future.” He offers, easily.

come home. don't die so far from the sea—

The visit to Frey sounded straightforward enough, though given the usual stories Jigano heard of the god of fertility, he suspected that Sunjata might be leaving some bits out. Given the rather personal nature of such visits he chose discretion over curiosity for a change, simply nodding as he took mental notes on the exchange. The visit to Safrin, though, had his fingers tightening slightly on his glass before he forced them to relax. He kept his expression politely interested, but there was a shadow in his blue eyes as he considered how differently the goddess treated so many others. How others could be forgiven so many faults but he could not. He felt the magic in his soul itch at the thought, a reminder of her punishment, the curse she had laid into his soul as she had blessed Sunjata's, and he poured himself another shot, taking it faster than the previous one before he nodded to the other man. "Thank you for sharing them both," he said quietly. "I appreciate it. What kind of bird did you become?"

He was already feeling subdued after the talk of Safrin, so it was no great jump to bring up LongNight and the tragedies that had happened. He raised a brow at hearing that Sunjata had been one of the arsonists, lips quirking a little at the mention of pissing off Wessex. "Cheers to that," he murmured, pouring the other man a shot if Sunjata would let him. "You and me both, friend." Perhaps not friends in the classic sense, but when it came to yanking the chains of the monarchy? He'd take all the allies he could get.

Their Guilds were a more delicate subject, but it didn't sound like the Advocates would be doing much in the near future, given Lucas's loss and now Lusea's. He nodded acknowledgment of the news that they were under Sunjata's care, giving the tall man a considering look. "Of course. Take what time you need. Especially since you have other priorities at the moment," he acknowledged with an empathetic tilt of his head. "There's no rush on my end." Indeed, the longer he could put off making a few such decisions himself, the better, at least for the moment.

SUNJATA

He nods to Jigano as he thanks him for the stories of his events, listening while he asks what kind of bird he became. This lights up a somewhat crooked smile across his face, loosening up with the alcohol quite a bit. “A macaw of some sort.” He says, gesturing to the navy tattoos along his shoulders that creep partially beneath the compass tattoos on both sides of his neck. “It was like she took my tattoos and turned them to life.” But no, that’s not a good enough explanation. And so he stands briefly from the stool he’s fetched, shifting into the macaw and landing along the edge of the bar — wings a deep navy, same as his eyes, ringed with a brilliant yellow.

He shifts back then before they talk of LongNight, as though his explanation of his shift is good enough, with a demonstration. He accepts the shit from Jigano with a quiet hum of agreement, knocking it back and sighing quietly. “I’m quite good at it.” And Jigano should know, based off of what the taller man had told him while they both were blighted and sick.

The mention of their own guilds however, has him nodding again. “I am looking for new members so if you know anyone, send them my way and we can figure it out.” A light shrug at that, unsure if Jigano would know anyone like that. But their ranks are incredibly small and he can feel it suffocating any chances at trying to make a name for themselves.

come home. don't die so far from the sea—

"A macaw?" he repeated, a flicker of bemused delight taking some of the weight from his own shoulders for a moment. He'd read of such birds, seen illustrations, but he'd never seen one. Not until now, at least, when Sunjata casually transformed into a brilliantly-colored, beautiful bird that was quite large, and possessed of a beak that looked quite business-like to boot. He grinned and toasted the bird before it became a man again, and took a closer look at the tattoos Sunjata mentioned, admiring the artistry in them.

"I've a little experience in that department, myself. I don't suppose you were around when Zariah was going around trying to convince everyone that she was a Queen?" he asked with a wry smile. "Could have used you with the rebels, if I'd known. So what did you do to piss off our current sharp-toothed tyrant?" An interesting conundrum. Wessex hadn't tried to curtail freedoms and force the barrierfolk to march in lockstep as Zariah had, but she had been going around murdering neighbors and allies and turning them into enemies and getting everyone kicked out of the Greatwood.

The mention of recruiting had the Provost sighing and nodding, toying with his glass as he felt the pleasant warmth of the whiskey stealing through him, loosening some of his control. "I'll ask the same of you, if you run across anyone asking a lot of questions and looking curious as ten cats. The Loreseekers are a shadow of what we once were," he admitted morosely. "There's only three of us left, after LongNight... and I'm afraid we'll be down to two before much longer." They desperately needed more members to keep afloat, but his reputation had turned in the past half year, and he was beginning to worry that he was becoming a detriment to his own guild.

SUNJATA

A macaw indeed, as he shows to Jigano, a wing outstretched mimicking a bow at the toast the bars gives him before he becomes himself again, tall and well muscled, settling in his seat. He leans forward a bit at Jigano’s inspection of the tattoos, a nostalgic smile crossing his face. “The Wings were the first ones I got in Korofi. My father had a rule for the nobility that the only marks one should have were scars fought in your battles.” It had been his first act of rebellion. “I added the compasses later after I self-exiled when Lusea died.” He reaches up to tap at the northern point of the compass, arranged to point at whomever he’s opposite of. “Put the north where Lusea always had been.” Always in front of him because he couldn’t keep his eyes from her, couldn’t keep his distance, he’d always arranged himself to her like moons around a planet.

But that’s not all of them. He unbuttons his shirt a bit more, pulling the fabric to the side to reveal the flaming arrow over his heart. “This one I got here, actually. After the blight and everything.” Satisfied, he settles back in his stool to focus on Jigano again. The question of Zariah does manage to get his lip to curl slightly, gaze drifting back down to the whiskey between them. “I was actually. But I arrived right after she announced the draft. Didn’t have to write my name since nobody knew I existed.” And therefore no threat of being arrested.

He takes what Jigano says next as a bit of a compliment, lip quirking in a light smirk. “Mostly ignoring her when she ordered us to back away from the entrance of the Rathskeller. She ended up leaving and we set it on fire.” A shrug, another sip of the liquor.

But the mention of members has him nodding along. “We have around three as well.” A casual shrug. “Perhaps that’s what we can do for one another for starters.” He rumbles, lifting his glass to Jigano.

come home. don't die so far from the sea—

Wings and compasses, rebellions and love. Jigano nodded, expression softening as he realized the compasses were a reminder of a once-lost love... now lost again. "What's the significance of the flaming arrow?" He asked, curious as to what it had to do with the blight. Burning it away, perhaps? There were so many ways it could be interpreted, but he was curious about which had motivated Sunjata to get it tattooed onto his skin. "And Lusea's wave tattoo... did she get that here as well, then?" He wondered what Rory would think if he should get something on his golden skin, but the idea of permanently marking himself in such a way, even for art, held little appeal. His appearance was striking enough as it was, though he was still able to disguise himsef - largely because his white hair was so distinctive. Hide it with dye or a hat and smudge his golden skin to a darker brown and he could pass as 'Smith' with few the wiser. A tattoo would be a permanent marker that would take far more work to hide or change enough to pass without notice.

"Damn. Consider me jealous," the bard joked as the conversation turned back to Queens and their egos, though his humor had a sharp-toothed edge to it. "Not writing my name turned into the biggest pain in the ass... she went after Amalia, did you know? Threatened her if I didn't turn myself in," he said mildly, but there was a dangerous growl behind the otherwise-mild words. "Be glad she didn't know about you and Lusea at the time. She'd leverage her against you just as fast if she could get her claws on her." Given the shadiness of the Advocates that Adam had hinted at, Jigano didn't like to think of them as a tool in the Tyrant's hand.

"Ahhh, ignoring the local royalty is becoming a time-honored Hollowed Grounds tradition," he agreed, his grin relaxing a bit as he offered Sunjata another toast, but didn't toss his booze back quite so fast this time. Gods least fortunate, it had been ages since he'd had a proper drink or four, hadn't it? He deserved to unwind a bit for once. "Becoming a king or queen doesn't seem to mean much here. Not like you can enforce anything." No wonder Ronin had walked away from the job, after judging Jigano for doing the same.

He returned Sunjata's toast, finishing his glass off with a nod. "If I come across anyone who seems interested in walking a more subtle path, I'll send them your way," he agreed, though such individuals rarely advertised themselves - not if they were any good at what they did, at least. Still, it was an easy promise to make with the whiskey sitting warm in his belly.

SUNJATA

Ah, the arrow. A brighter grin sparks and chases away some of the shadows as he regards Jigano, listening to the question of the wave with a quiet nod. “We both did.” They had gotten them together, in the end. A symbol for one another, and now he remained a missing puzzle piece once more. “They called her the Flame of Korofi.” It goes unsaid that he had called her his own flame. The arrow was a fact that he’d always find his way to her, one way or another.

As for the wave? Well, that’s a far more fun tale. “Likewise, they called me the Flood of Korofi.” Perhaps the alcohol has made him far bolder than he would be with this information, but it wasn’t much of a secret. She’d called him her Flood time and time again. And he had always embodied it, more so in Korofi than here so far. But the wave was to be him, the flame is hers. And where they met, smoke always rose in their wakes.

He mentions he’s jealous at the fact Sunjata didn’t have to write his name, and he joins Jigano with a quiet snort of response. “Don’t be.” It still hadn’t helped much in the end, and he had holed himself away with Phoebe not long after the Queen had departed. “I’ve never met Amalia, though. I don’t think so anyway?” A casual shrug. Would he have noticed if he had?

As for Lusea, he shrugs. “She arrived long after I did, after all of that.” Only to be gone again, but part of him can’t help but wonder if she had been taken, taken by someone who had an affinity for those with magic, and his thoughts churn slowly with the alcohol. “I’m used to doing it, though.” He offers, responding to Jigano’s comment of ignoring monarchs. It’s just how it was. And he nods at Jigano’s next comment, shrugging his tattooed shoulders lightly.

“There’s a certain balance to hold. You need those willing to uphold it, without you being there constantly, but it also needs to be reasonable.” Which would vary vastly from person to person, leadership to leadership. At the end of the day, he wanted absolutely no part.

They toast one another and Sunjata sits back somewhat from finishing his glass and corking the bottle, running a hand through his hair before his steel eyes find Jigano again. “You’ve got a deal, then.”

come home. don't die so far from the sea—

"The Flame and the Flood?" he checked with a lopsided grin for the delightful poetry of it. Gods most fortunate but he could have a field day with names like that to work with in a good ballad. All the more reason to hope that Lusea was found soon - and in one piece - so he could see about putting the pair's romance to a bit of music.

"You'd probably know her by her starwhale companion," Jigano said with a softer smile. A tilt of his head and a brush of his mind reaching out to Isuma and discovering her cheerful mind sound asleep, curled up with her new friend on the roof above them. "Or her wonderful baking. She's called the Shield of Safrin, but for such a mighty title she's quite humble and earnest." And as anxious and judgmental in her own way as he could be, truth to tell, but for all the pain she caused him he still loved her dearly.

"I'm glad she missed it," he murmured fervently, wishing he had been lucky enough to have nothing to do with the mess that had been Zariah's attempted reign of terror. "But it's good that you brought a useful skill with you," he teased with a crooked grin at the habit of ignoring such monarchs.

He nodded solemnly at Sunjata's description of rulership. "We haven't really... had a ruler who trusted the people around them to help hold things up," he decided slowly, feeling a pleasant tingle in the tips of his fingers. "Zariah had Edy but that was it. Ronin never got around to asking anyone to help out before he get hit with the blight, he just relied on Wessex," he said the name with a bit of a growl as the alcohol loosened his tongue. "And she doesn't seem to trust anyone besides her fellow Ascended. And she probably knows that if she makes a ruling party all of them, the Naturals would revolt." And wouldn't that be a gods-awful mess?

The bard nodded in satisfaction at the deal they struck, though he wondered if either of them would have much luck. Still, every bit helped, and wheels were starting to turn in that white head, pondering names and skills and talents that could come in useful... if the right words were dropped in the right ear.

SUNJATA

A brighter grin is sent Jigano’s way as he picks up the pieces, a tilt to his head. “die Vlam en die Vloed.” He recites in a way that almost sounds like the beginning of an anthem – of course, if the scene had been rainy nights, streetlights flickering in and out, smoke pouring from rooftops and police shields held by the rebels to antagonize, to fight their own system, it might have been a bit more of a beautiful sight. But here? A quiet, haphazard put together bar with him being the only one who knows the language of his home in this room? Well, he finds it falls a little flat.

He supposes it’s perfect for reminiscing, in the end.

Jigano mentions some other clues that might hone him in on Amalia, the Shield of Safrin, and his head tilts with recollection of who he’d met here on Caido. In the end, he comes up short, shaking his head with a light snort. “Doesn’t ring a bell.” A light shrug. It doesn’t bother him, he’s sure he’ll meet her eventually – perhaps even because of their aligned goddess of choice. One day, maybe.

Still, a nod is given to Jigano in agreement to the fact that Lusea had missed Zariah, having not arrived when he had. Another snort is given to him about the monarchy comments. “Well, you know, gotta start somewhere.” His accent has grown a bit thicker with the alcohol burning in his gut, and instead he focuses on Jigano’s words, nodding.

“I mean, there wasn’t one before Zariah, right? That’s what I heard?” A thoughtful hum. “And after that since the precedent was set that you could just… Do it, someone has to take up the reins.” His brows furrow lightly in his thought, listening as he mentions the Ascended – and honestly, Sunjata doesn’t have a problem with them. Sam seemed nice enough, Lucas had given him the opportunity of this, and Rexanna had been willing to help with a sample for Phoebe’s research (even though she saw right through him).

“I suppose we’ll see. Maybe everyone will disperse with the portals.” A shrug as he lifts the drink to his lips, finishing it off and leaning back, quiet acceptance of Jigano’s thought process. Perhaps Oliver might be interested, willing to learn more about the life he found himself in since he couldn’t remember nearly anything of his past. Ah well, a thought for another day – for now, his focus was keeping his mind off of most things and embracing the numbness and nostalgia.

come home. don't die so far from the sea—

"Ah, well, you'll know her when you see her, if Jyoti is with her." Jigano shrugged lightly against the wounded heart that still ached from LongNight. If Sunjata was one of Safrin's followers now he'd surely find his way to Amalia's doorstep eventually - and if he didn't, fate would guide his steps to her one way or another.

His crooked grin widened at the comment about starting somewhere. Zariah was practically training wheels compared to what they'd experienced on their respective homeworlds, but she'd been annoying enough given the limited space within the Hollowed Grounds at the time. Better for them all that she was gone - and better for her that it had happened before it had turned to a civil war.

A history question was right up the bard's alley, though, and he chuckled as he leaned against the table. "There actually was one, or at least a prototype of one. A Natural mage named Maea tried to set one up, while the barrier still stood. It wasn't very popular though, and she got sick before she could finish putting the framework into place." He sighed, glancing down as he toyed with his glass. "She was a member of my guild... but no one has seen her in seasons now." Another vanished soul within the Hollowed Grounds to who-knew-where. "After that no one really wanted to deal with it until Zariah started calling herself Queen. Then she named Edy, Edy named ... Ronin and Wessex... and then Ronin abdicated so it's just that--" he stopped himself at the last moment, before murderous bitch could escape, teeth clicking shut on the alcohol-loosened truth that almost slipped out. "That bloody-handed blond," he finished instead a moment later, wrestling his scowl back into a semblance of neutrality.

"Perhaps... the Portals are an interesting conundrum," Jigano agreed with a sigh. "Though the only place they currently go is the Greatwood - which the Fae have forbidden us from entering - and the Fangs; a place of icy mountains and snow and... not much else, actually, that I was able to see. Adam might know more, since he made it through with Loren," he added helpfully.