Jigano couldn't grant absolution, and he was perhaps the last person to answer questions about self-determination and selfishness when others informed him that his choices fell to the latter far too often, regardless of his intentions. It was a relief that Quanil avoided those questions, at least for now, offering information about themselves and their past that had Jigano nodding encouragingly as they filled in the blanks. His smile didn't change at the awkward pronunciation of 'linguistics', and he let the young aspiring scholar continue without interruption. His smile did broaden as Quanil waxed eloquent on the abstract nature of human thought, his expression one of agreement and shared delight.
"Well, we have storybooks, too," he murmured. "But there are other books on linguistics tucked away as well, if the subject has caught your interest." He pronounced the word casually, letting Quanil hear it without emphasizing it unduly.
Then the young person ducked their head and he raised a brow as the bright and eager mind turned suddenly self-deprecating. He arched a silver brow, waiting for them to finish and then offering a slight smile and a faint nod at the concern. "I was luckier than most," he said quietly. "Though... a dear friend of mine was badly injured in the collapse of the Temple." He was quiet for a moment, his eyes momentarily unfocused and his thoughts winging towards Amalia. He pulled himself back to the present with an effort of will, blue eyes focusing sharply once more on his enthusiastic guest. "But who ever told you that you 'aren't much'?" he asked gently, sensing much of the same fears and doubts that had plagued Sam, Maea, and Amalia as well. All of the Naturals with a scholarly bent seemed afraid that they would be thought of as 'lesser' for it - or had been treated with disdain by members of their families or peers when they were younger. It made him all the more determined to turn the Loreseekers into a group well-known and respected enough that parents would be proud to have family members who bore the badge.
Even if what they did was often dangerous. But then, what in Caido wasn't?
"Well, we have storybooks, too," he murmured. "But there are other books on linguistics tucked away as well, if the subject has caught your interest." He pronounced the word casually, letting Quanil hear it without emphasizing it unduly.
Then the young person ducked their head and he raised a brow as the bright and eager mind turned suddenly self-deprecating. He arched a silver brow, waiting for them to finish and then offering a slight smile and a faint nod at the concern. "I was luckier than most," he said quietly. "Though... a dear friend of mine was badly injured in the collapse of the Temple." He was quiet for a moment, his eyes momentarily unfocused and his thoughts winging towards Amalia. He pulled himself back to the present with an effort of will, blue eyes focusing sharply once more on his enthusiastic guest. "But who ever told you that you 'aren't much'?" he asked gently, sensing much of the same fears and doubts that had plagued Sam, Maea, and Amalia as well. All of the Naturals with a scholarly bent seemed afraid that they would be thought of as 'lesser' for it - or had been treated with disdain by members of their families or peers when they were younger. It made him all the more determined to turn the Loreseekers into a group well-known and respected enough that parents would be proud to have family members who bore the badge.
Even if what they did was often dangerous. But then, what in Caido wasn't?
