She moved fast when she was surprised, Jigano noted, glad he had kept his distance. He was dressed as he usually was, in a long, grey sleeveless overtunic over a lighter green shirt with wide sleeves sewn inside with many pockets. Close-fitting brown leather trousers and soft-soled boots protected his legs and feet, and his long white hair was pulled back in a loose tail at the nape of his neck. There were knives and a pouch at his belt, but he watched her with hands folded into his voluminous sleeves, making no movement that could be seen as hostile. Indeed, his blue eyes flickered with wry humor at her question-demands, remembering another fiery young woman with more grit than sense when she had first arrived.
”I am Jigano, and this is Caido,” he answered simply, knowing from past experience that there would be more questions to come. She proved him right a moment later, and at her demand to return home his expression shifted to sympathy as he tilted his head at her, wondering how best to inform her of the bad news without having her try to attack him.
She distracted them both a moment later as she flinched at her breath and returned to the ground, and he slowly sank to his haunches where he stood, not coming closer yet, but not wanting to loom over her, either. ”Are you hurt?” he asked gently, instead of the attack she seemed to expect. ”I don’t mean you any harm. Whatever was happening back on your world, you’re not there now. This is Caido,” he repeated again, making sure she heard the name clearly in her confusion. ”And I’m guessing you were brought here by a portal. It’s unfortunately a fairly common occurrence here,” he admitted with a faint grimace. ”I was pulled here as well, over a year ago. And no, I don’t have the power to send you back.” He sighed, wishing that he did, for this stranger was hardly the first to arrive in the midst of some trouble on their own world that they sought to return to. ”Is there a name I can call you, while we work out what can be done to help you?”
”I am Jigano, and this is Caido,” he answered simply, knowing from past experience that there would be more questions to come. She proved him right a moment later, and at her demand to return home his expression shifted to sympathy as he tilted his head at her, wondering how best to inform her of the bad news without having her try to attack him.
She distracted them both a moment later as she flinched at her breath and returned to the ground, and he slowly sank to his haunches where he stood, not coming closer yet, but not wanting to loom over her, either. ”Are you hurt?” he asked gently, instead of the attack she seemed to expect. ”I don’t mean you any harm. Whatever was happening back on your world, you’re not there now. This is Caido,” he repeated again, making sure she heard the name clearly in her confusion. ”And I’m guessing you were brought here by a portal. It’s unfortunately a fairly common occurrence here,” he admitted with a faint grimace. ”I was pulled here as well, over a year ago. And no, I don’t have the power to send you back.” He sighed, wishing that he did, for this stranger was hardly the first to arrive in the midst of some trouble on their own world that they sought to return to. ”Is there a name I can call you, while we work out what can be done to help you?”
