"True," Jigano agreed about the barrier separating the gods and demigods. "Though, since we don't have any local records from before the barrier was raised, I don't actually know if the Labyrinth and the Squirrels predate it or not," he mused thoughtfully. "They might have both been here before the Barrier and the Ascended." Or, they might have both arisen after. There was still so much they didn't know...
Which was precisely why the Loreseekers existed to try and find the answers to such things, among others.
At the mention of Remi Jigano only gave a wry shake of his head, crooked smile returning. "Ah. Well, too late now. And I know he didn't mean any harm by it." Once, he knew, he might have been far more frustrated with the alchemist, but time and shared traumas had mellowed him towards the optimistic young man. It simply wasn't Remi's way to think in convoluted plans and wheels within wheels... and the bard could now acknowledge that that was something to be protected, not 'grown past.' It might have been wise not to reveal the names of all the Guardians in case they were called to step in, and there was something to be said for being underestimated, either in numbers or abilities, but not everything needed to be cloaks and daggers.
Hopefully, at least.
Loren repeated his question, but Jigano didn't have a new answer for him in the past few seconds. "I don't know," he repeated, a bubble of frustration putting an edge on his voice. "I might not trust the Voice, but I have friends among the Ascended, and I've learned enough of the old gods to know that they aren't bound by human morality. I have no easy answer to this." He sighed and looked over at his friend. "What would you do?" he asked, just as quietly, eyes searching Loren's face for a hint.
"And the portals are wielded by the Voice," he finished softly, but then the hedges were moving and one of Loren's bears (why was it always bears?) appeared to leap into action. As Jigano had been trying to warn his companion, however, this was no normal hedge maze. As the bear tried to tear into it the hedge fought back, vines and tendrils whipping out to wrap around its paws. It would find little resistance to being drawn in towards the former opening, but the vegetation writhed and twisted back into place behind it, around it - and through it, sharpened thorns and branches alike snaking through fur and stabbing through skin as it was incorporated into the wall of the maze, swallowed up and pinned in place to decompose at the Labyrinth's leisureor least, until it was un-summoned.
Which was precisely why the Loreseekers existed to try and find the answers to such things, among others.
At the mention of Remi Jigano only gave a wry shake of his head, crooked smile returning. "Ah. Well, too late now. And I know he didn't mean any harm by it." Once, he knew, he might have been far more frustrated with the alchemist, but time and shared traumas had mellowed him towards the optimistic young man. It simply wasn't Remi's way to think in convoluted plans and wheels within wheels... and the bard could now acknowledge that that was something to be protected, not 'grown past.' It might have been wise not to reveal the names of all the Guardians in case they were called to step in, and there was something to be said for being underestimated, either in numbers or abilities, but not everything needed to be cloaks and daggers.
Hopefully, at least.
Loren repeated his question, but Jigano didn't have a new answer for him in the past few seconds. "I don't know," he repeated, a bubble of frustration putting an edge on his voice. "I might not trust the Voice, but I have friends among the Ascended, and I've learned enough of the old gods to know that they aren't bound by human morality. I have no easy answer to this." He sighed and looked over at his friend. "What would you do?" he asked, just as quietly, eyes searching Loren's face for a hint.
"And the portals are wielded by the Voice," he finished softly, but then the hedges were moving and one of Loren's bears (why was it always bears?) appeared to leap into action. As Jigano had been trying to warn his companion, however, this was no normal hedge maze. As the bear tried to tear into it the hedge fought back, vines and tendrils whipping out to wrap around its paws. It would find little resistance to being drawn in towards the former opening, but the vegetation writhed and twisted back into place behind it, around it - and through it, sharpened thorns and branches alike snaking through fur and stabbing through skin as it was incorporated into the wall of the maze, swallowed up and pinned in place to decompose at the Labyrinth's leisure
