crying out loud (open)

The white sheep of the family

Loren had been more than a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of preparations necessary for Fiat Lux. While he was happy to help, he also found himself incredibly drained. So, as he often did when he needed to recover, he sought out one of the wild and out of the way places of the Hollowed Grounds.

The Labyrinth came into being soon enough. However, almost immediately after stepping foot in the place, a squirrel poked its head over one of the hedges. It chattered at him for a moment, before words fell from its lips. "Follow me!" His eyes widened at this latest bit of Caido weirdness, before shrugging and heading deeper into the maze. Unfortunately, the squirrel decided to follow, apparently delighted at his intrusion.

"Follow me! Follow me! Follow me!" It kept up the pestering. Worse, though, was that its cries attracted more of its kind. He could feel a headache building as "Yes!" and "No!" and more "Follow me!" got added to the chorus. Finally, his headache got so bad that he halted. Spinning, he watched as one of the fat squirrels, bolder than its compatriots, hopped forward to meet him. Kneeling, he held out his hand. "Yes! It hopped onto his palm.

Then he shifted into a honey badger and lunged, sinking his teeth into it. "Yes!" It came out as a scream of pain this time, and its fellows scattered at this shocking display of violence.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

It was the scream that drew his attention down as the white raven winged his way over the ruins. There was more to do than time to do it, as always, and when he didn't have any heavy parcels to bring along he found it swifter to fly on feathered wings from place to place. He had gone to tend the monument he had built with the help of his friends at the Bone Bridge, the one dedicated to Ludo and Mort, and now he was on his way back to the settlement to finish some last minute Fiat Lux preparations.

But when had he ever not responded to a scream, however shrill and tiny? Even as he turned on a wingtip and dove to arrow between the overarching boughs of the Labyrinth below he suspected it was a squirrel doing the shrieking, but the real question was: what was bothering one of the squirrels? Was it a Boggart, or some other predator? Or was someone in trouble--

He pulled up at the sight of the honey badger, then flapped just out of sight around the nearest corner of the maze before shifting back. His soulcatching lantern was still at his hip (a new and still-fascinating development), though he was otherwise weaponless.

Not that he needed his steel much these days. An arrogance he really needed to start addressing and getting back into shape with, before the oversight got him killed. But today was not yet that day (he hoped), as he arched a brow at the bloody sight of Loren's badger form mangling a squirrel. Loren? he called. Are you in there? Or had the badger overwhelmed his friend's consciousness again, as it had with the ningo?

loren

At Jigano’s appearance, Loren released the squirrel. He sent a pulse of reassurance towards the other man. Don’t worry. It’s me in here. Conscious thought is at the helm. Snarling at the injured squirrel, he backed away from it. And don't worry about the biting. I just had a veritable horde of the squirrels following me, and this seemed the quickest way to get them to back off. Perhaps there was more than a bit of a thrill in the depths of his mind then he cared to admit.

He began to pace in front of the bard, the summoner needing to burn off some excess energy. What brings you to the Labyrinth? Although he knew better than to trigger the white-haired man's instincts, the Launceleyn nevertheless stared at Jigano, Loren's eyes slightly wild.

Never judge a book by its cover.

"Glad to hear it," he murmured fervently to Loren being in control of his animal instincts. "And they do that, here. To be fair, you've stepped into their territory." He gave his friend a lopsided grin and a shrug, gesturing to where beady black eyes were watching them from a safe distance and within the safety of the hedge-walls of the labyrinth. "The little bastards have made me bleed more than once when I've been in here. And the screaming brought me, today," he explained. "I heard it overhead and figured either someone had gotten themselves in trouble, or there was a new predator in the Labyrinth it was worth investigating." And he was right on at least one of those counts.

He stayed back, not pressing the honey badger's white-rimmed glare as he held his hands loosely at his sides, peaceable and non-threatening, just in case. "What about you? It's not usually wise to press in here alone unless you have wings to get out again with quickly. Even then, there are areas so overgrown overhead they can stop a swift exit." His grin was one of rueful experience. "Though, since I'm here now... I have some paying back to do further in, if you wouldn't mind some company?" Not the violent kind, luckily, but the healing and helping kind, giving back some of what he had been given by the Labyrinth in seasons past.

loren

Letting out the mental equivalent of a shrug, Loren glared at the squirrel he’d mangled. And if there’d only been a few, I would’ve ignored them, and respected their territory. There were dozens, though, and that number was creeping upwards. The exasperation in the summoner's mind was evident.

However, he settled somewhat as Jigano explained his presence. Nothing worth investigating. Thanks for checking, though. There might have been a rueful embarrassment in the Launceleyn's thoughts. It swiftly turned into amusement and pride at the bard's next comment. Loren shifted into a goose, preening a bit, running a feather through his beak. Kind of like these? With that, he took a running start, then pumped his wings, lifting into the air for a lazy circle before settling onto the ground again.

Shifting into human, he gave the white-haired man a pleased smile. "Wouldn't mind company. Might help, actually." Then, however, the summoner tilted his head and gave Jigano a curious look. "What sort of paying back?" The Launceleyn fell in at the bard's side with an easy familiarity. As they walked through the Labyrinth, the hedges almost seemed to part before them, a far cry from the maze's usual antics.

Never judge a book by its cover.

"And it will again the longer we're in here," the bard agreed, oddly cheerful despite the warning. The Labyrinth was always a place of challenge and danger, but it was honest about it. True, the squirrels tried to mislead you and the hedges moved to hide the exit, but nowadays he knew that's what they were doing. He had no false expectations or notions of trust here. It was clean, clear, and simple: him against anything and everything within the thorny hedge walls. No politics, no bargains, no secrets, no lies. Every once in a while that sort of simplicity was worth its weight in gold.

Er, potatoes. Gold wasn't worth much here, after all.

The shift from badger to goose was unexpected enough to catch the bard off guard, and he blinked in astonishment before bursting out laughing at the clever twist Loren had pulled on him. "Exactly like that!" he agreed with a chuckle. "When and how did you manage this?" It was no longer quite so shocking when a person he knew was Attuned gained a new form, but it was always fascinating to see what shape that form would take!

He nodded as Loren changed back and accepted his company, grinning at the question as they began to walk. Heading in was always so much easier than getting out again after... though for once, he wasn't planning to take anything with him when he went. "There's an herb that grows near the center of the maze," he explained as they went along. A soft susurrus around them warned of the squirrels that continued to follow, but the hedge rats had grown mostly silent after the mangling of their kin. "Called 'Efas herb.' It has some mild magical properties, near as I can tell, that helps it work as a cure-all for most minor ailments. It's particularly good for arthritis and swelling and fevers, but also scrapes and bruises, stomachaches, headaches... you name it. I've collected it a number of times, but now that my magic is strong enough I'd like to see if I can help encourage the patches of it that I can find to grow back, bigger and healthier, to help make up for what I've taken before."

loren

Letting out the mental equivalent of a sigh, Loren turned to snarl at a hedge. Lovely. The sarcasm was impossible to miss. At least he had an escape route in the form of a goose. Jigano’s reaction to that revelation was definitely enough to cheer the summoner up. Got startled by something falling down and grew feathers instead of fur. Still, the slightly self-deprecating thought couldn’t hide the sheer joy and pride he felt in his new form.

For now, though, his original human form would do. As the bard spoke, the Launceleyn nodded. ”Have you tried planting it outside the Labyrinth? So that you don’t have to trek all the way out here. I'm sure the Medical College would love to get its hands on such a panacea.” He eyed the hedges warily, as well as the squirrels, though at least they followed at a safe distance.

Then though, he turned to grin at the bard ”At least your healing magic means you don’t really need the herb anymore. So worst case you won’t be picking more of it.” There was a gentle tone to Loren’s voice, unsure how the white-haired man would react to magic.

Then, however, the summoner sighed. ”While we’re walking, can I get your advice on something?” He shot a glance at Jigano, the Launceleyn clearing wondering if the bard could help with this task.

Never judge a book by its cover.

"Isn't it?" Jigano chuckled at the badger's snarl, amused at the sarcasm. "Hopefully we don't run into any boggarts, though. The squirrels are bad enough, especially once we start heading back." When they went from squeaking their 'directions' and encouragement, leading their potential prey deeper into the Labyrinth to preventing that prey from escaping the Labyrinth's grasp.

"Oh dear," he murmured, eyes twinkling at the story of Loren getting goosed, glad that the mage found such joy in his new form. It was always nice to discover a new one when it wasn't a life-or-death emergency.

He shook his head at the question, a light shrug lifting his shoulders. "It only seems to grow in the Labyrinth, unfortunately. Something about the magic here, perhaps, seeping into the roots?" A wild guess, but with magical plants all bets were off when it came to sense and the natural order. He also scanned around them, trying to make sure they weren't cut off in an area where the branches of the Labyrinth arched overhead.

"Oh, I'm not so selfish as that," he chuckled, waving off Loren's gentleness with a smile and a pulse of gratitude for the other man's delicacy with a topic that was more than a little fraught in the Hollowed Grounds. "I can only Heal myself or those I can touch. The Efas herb can be made into a paste or a tincture and used by those who don't wish to be Healed by a mage, or who need regular treatment for something like arthritis. I pick some regularly for an old smith who does work for me. He... was teaching Caiside," he finished, voice dropping only a little on the name this time.

His smile didn't fade entirely, however, the sadness quickly dropping away as he turned his attention from the squirrels to his friend, head cocked in wry agreement. "Remi would probably tell you the trick is to get me to stop giving advice," he said with a self-deprecating grin. "But I'm honored that you'd ask for it. What is it?"

loren

Although Loren was troubled and annoyed by what Jigano had said, there was one thing the summoner was incredibly curious about. What in the world is a boggart? He wasn’t particularly worried about the bard’s warning. The Launceleyn simply resolved to blast his way out if absolutely necessary.

In response to the white-haired man’s news about the herb’s preferred environment, Loren simply sighed. ”That’s too bad.” Then, however, he gave Jigano an appraising look. ”Have we tried transplanting the Labyrinth, then? Soil, hedges, and all?” The summoner’s voice wasn’t at all certain, merely voicing an idea.

Nodding along to the bard’s explanation about the uses of the herb, the Launceleyn glanced up at the sky, expression thoughtful. However, he shot the white-haired man a sympathetic look at the mention of the fallen Caiside. ”Oh. I see." Taking a deep shuddering breath, Loren forced himself to continue. "Well, I’m perfectly willing to try curing arthritis, if the blacksmith is willing to be healed by me.” His voice came out quietly and hesitantly.

Waving away Jigano’s self-deprecation, the summoner huffed out a laugh. ”Well. I’m planning to ask Remi for advice, though he gets...understandably upset when I talk to him. Especially about something like this.” Still, he couldn’t help the sorrow from touching his eyes at how poorly he’d screwed that particular relationship up.

Shaking his head, he gave the bard a rueful look. ”I asked Frey for something to protect my mind from tampering. They asked me for a few things before they could help me. The first is kind of personal task, but I can handle it. The last two are something fake that people think is real, and something real that people think is fake.” Loren paused to let that sink in. ”I think illusion magic should suffice for the fake thing. It’s the real thing I’m stumped on.” He shrugged.

Never judge a book by its cover.

"I really need to pull the Flora and Fauna book for you to read," he murmured with a grin. Safrin had given he and Amalia knowledge of the Hollowed Grounds' animals and plants before the barrier had fallen last year, and he had recorded them all in the Guild Chronicle, but Loren had yet to fully explore the Hall. Something they really needed to rectify soon, this accidental adventure brought home. "It's a nasty thing. Remi and I ran into one once... they live in the Labyrinth and are shapeshifting predators. They take the form of something dear to you, but... nightmarish." He paused, feet almost stumbling as he looked at Loren's features more closely, then shook his head in bemusement. "This was actually the first place I saw you. Or at least, something that wore your face... more or less." The last time it had been a Loren risen from the grave to taunt and haunt Remi and try to scare the alchemist into running. Hopefully Jigano could be forgiven for not making the connection with a healthy and living Loren.

"Transplanting the Labyrinth seems unlikely," he chuckled, "but no, I haven't tried, so perhaps it's possible? Given how it moves around it's as much as animal as plant, I sometimes think. But I'll give you a hand if you'd like to give it a shot." They wouldn't be able to know for sure until they did. Just as long as the squirrels and boggarts didn't come along for the ride!

Jigano smiled wryly at his friend, but gave a slight shake of his head. "He's an old natural, and set in his ways. Magic from plants is one thing, but to be honest I'm a bit afraid of suggesting Abandoned magic as a cure to him. And besides, with his age there's no guarantee it won't be back within weeks or even days of being treated. Unless you've had better luck treating chronic recurring ailments?" he asked curiously. Jigano hadn't tried pushing his own Healing beyond immediate needs, so perhaps it was more effective than he thought?

Jigano said nothing to the mention of Remi but a quiet pulse of support. He'd caught the tail-end of Remi's mourning for his lost relationship with Loren when he'd arrived, but had little knowledge of what had passed between the two men since then. He only knew that exes could be awkward, and he hoped the two men had found a peace between them now that Remi was married to Ronin. The riddle that came a moment later was worthy of the Guild's Fiat Lux game, and Jigano blinked as they walked, turning it over in his mind. "Hmmm. On my world I would have suggested a large diamond or piece of jewelry that looked so gaudy you would assume it was naught but glass and paste - except, of course, that it was true. Here though... let me think as we walk," he mused, shooting an irate glance at the hedge nearest to him, where soft chitterings of "Yes!" emerged.

With a flick of his magic he boosted the growth of the thorns within the hedge wall, and was rewarded with a few loud shrieks of protest as scraped squirrels retreated again on his side of the path. "What illusion will you craft for the first thing?" he asked curiously.

loren

Loren shot Jigano a surprised look. ”You have a book on Flora and Fauna and you didn’t tell me?” Then, however, the summoner laughed, the sound bright. ”I guess I really only have myself to blame. Still, I would love to take a look.”

His expression grew more serious, and definitely troubled, as the bard described boggarts, and his and Remi’s encounter with one. ”Well. That is truly awful. Maybe I should pay them back for stealing my face.” The anger in the Launceleyn’s voice was shocking, even to him. He closed his eyes and took a deep and calming breath.

Opening them, much more in control, he shook his head. ”Nah, was mostly just idle speculation. Maybe something to think about for another day.” He shot the white-haired man a rueful look. ”I haven’t actually tried to cure anything chronic, but it’s worth a shot.” Still, Loren’s voice came out hesitantly, seeing as the old blacksmith probably wasn’t the best person to experiment on.

Shrugging at Jigano’s suggestion, the summoner’s brow furrowed as he considered it. ”I’ll think about it too, I guess.” At the flick of the bard’s hand, the Launceleyn’s followed its movement, snorting to see the hedge suddenly grow thorns. Hybrids: 2, Squirrels: 0.

However, Loren sighed again. ”Not sure it matters. Probably something sexual, which might make the difference between them accepting it and not.” There was a slightly exasperated tone at the mental difficulty of this task, but he’d figure it out.

Never judge a book by its cover.

"I just did!" Jigano pointed out with a laugh. "And of course. Anyone can read it - we just keep it in the Hall since it's useful enough we want anyone who comes by to be able to access it. People are free to copy the information down for themselves though, if they wish." There was too great a chance of the book never coming back if they let it walk out with someone who might lose it or forget it somewhere else, leaving it years or decades before it was found again.

Boggarts were a more serious matter, alas, and he looked over to his friend with concern at the anger in Loren's voice. "We killed the one who did it, if it's any consolation," he said quietly. "If we run into one today it'll take the face of someone you love, most likely, or perhaps someone you've lost. Or me," he added with a brief nod of acknowledgment that he was just as likely to have his memories robbed as the the mage beside him.

They turned and twisted, following the broad, easy paths through the Flowerbirth-ful hedges. The leaves were glossy and bright green with new growth, the grass soft and plush beneath their feet and the squirrels murmured softly around them - but not too close. Jigano glared at one that had hopped into the path about twenty feet ahead of them, the cheeky rodent stopping to watch them get closer before it bounded ahead a little ways, stopping again at the next split in the path before chirping a bright: "Follow me!" and heading to the right.

"One of these days an Outlander over the age of thirty will come through," Jigano said with a grin. "Maybe they'll let us test our magic on them then." He paused thoughtfully, then arched a brow. "Or perhaps we can set up a traveling healing stall in Snowcloak? They seem far less biased against magic there. It might be something to consider, especially for building goodwill between our regions."

The squirrel ahead of them might have been just far enough to avoid his ire, but the ones nearest him in the hedge weren't so lucky, and he grinned wryly at Loren's snort. "I know I shouldn't... but I have no doubt the little bastards would be just as happy to eat me if they could get me down, so I don't feel too bad about it." The circle of life, and all that. Live by the thorn, die by the thorn. Though the weight of beady black eyes on them as they continued further and further in the maze's depths was beginning to grow concerning.

Loren's divine conundrum had a smile quirking at Jigano's lips again at the mention of 'something sexual.' "Using illusion to enhance your... appearance," he said delicately, but with a wicked grin revealing that he was thinking of something more specific, "would certainly count, I'd think?"

loren

Loren gave Jigano a grateful smile. ”Might be worth reiterating that fact, since I think very few people know or remember that. I can make an announcement at Fiat Lux?” Although the summoner wasn’t sure if it was actually a problem, and his voice was hesitant, it probably couldn’t hurt.

Then, though, the Launceleyn’s expression hardened. ”Well. Let’s just hope we don’t encounter one, then. Because I’ve lost a lot of people.” Again, there was a darkness in his voice and his eyes, and this time he didn’t bother trying to banish it.

However, the beautiful day and the pleasant walk (despite the squirrels and the hedges) chipped away at it. So by the time the bard called out, Loren was almost back to normal. He followed the white-haired man down the path easily enough. The summoner stirred when Jigano mused about healing. ”Snowcloak is probably the more reliable option. In the meantime, I can ask the demi-gods if they know how healing works. And encourage them to join the Loreseekers.” Smiling briefly, the Launceleyn turned his eyes to the squirrels that seemed to surround them on all sides.

Halting, he reached deep down into his magic. Two wolves appeared, and they instantly raised their heads to the skies and let out a haunting and threatening call. It was enough to scatter some of the less stubborn squirrels, at least. ”The feeling might be mutual at this point.” There was a fierce grin on Loren’s face.

It took him an embarrassingly long time to figure out what the bard meant, both because the summoner’s thoughts rarely trended in that direction, and because it was so unexpected to hear from the white-haired man, of all people. When understanding finally dawned, the Launceleyn flushed a furious crimson. ”Yeah. That would certainly do it. Thanks for the suggestion.” His voice came out awkwardly strangled.

Never judge a book by its cover.

"Absolutely," he agreed fervently to Loren's suggestion. "The Guild had a bad couple of seasons there, between Zariah and the blight. It's past time to put ourselves a bit more forward with what we offer and what we do." And it was nice to have someone who wanted to advertise the Guild to help, too. Sam and Amalia had always been more on the quiet side - though that was changing for both of them - and Isla and Caiside and Maea, who might have also helped to spread the word, were gone beyond his reach. He was looking forward to Loren's assistance with things in the weeks and months ahead.

He nodded grimly in agreement to the hope that no boggarts would appear today. They seemed a rare breed, for which he was grateful given his own previous encounter with them.

It wasn't the bard who had called out, but one of the squirrels. At least Jigano didn't realize that Loren had confused the two, so his ego was unbruised as they continued to talk about magic. "Let's try it in Longheat," he suggested to their talk of setting up a healing stall in Snowcloak. "And I'd appreciate if you could. You seem to see them more often than I do." Possibly for the best, he admitted wryly to himself. Kai was very child-like in his outlook, which made sense given his lack of memories, but Jigano had never done well with children. "I'll work at it, too, if I run into them again. As curious as Kai is I think he'd be a good fit, and his sister sounds perfect for us." He wouldn't know until he met her, of course, but he was optimistic for once. Perhaps Remi was rubbing off on him a bit after all this time.

The path curled to another split, and again Jigano took the right before the wolves appeared and frightened their guide into running. He glanced ruefully over at the summoner with a raised brow. "They're just sentient enough to use weapons and tools, so I don't know how I feel about eating them," he admitted with a chuckle. "Though I have no problem at all defending myself against them." When they turned to leave, now, that would be the real test.

It wasn't often that Jigano was able to hand the role of 'straight man' in an innuendo exchange to someone else, and he let out a genuine laugh when he saw Loren's blush, amused camaraderie warming the Attuned bond between them. "Oh, you're very welcome! That new arrival, Abasi... you seemed quite cozy when we were working on the fields?" he teased gently, fishing for more information.