It wasn't the sort of situation one rushed, this finding of lost siblings, but deep in his heart Jigano felt a small curl of jealousy, petty and bitter, that the family he'd sought so hard to build - that had fallen apart around him, a castle built of cards - had fallen so easily into the laps of two of the three people he had tried to build his foundations on. It was foolish, he knew, but it still felt like doors, opportunities, bonds, were opening for others... At the expense of closing on him, so that he found himself tied less and less to the people he had once tried so hard to protect.
Tried, and failed, time and time again.
And, as Amalia so disliked about him, he blamed himself for not being good enough to fix it... to fix any of it. Perhaps Rory and Loren had the right idea.
But Sam had other drama to impart, and Jigano swallowed his jagged envy down deep, away from the light of introspection so he could focus on his friend. He nodded solemnly at hearing again how fast things had gone downhill, but he remembered, too, that Sam had tried to weaponize Aoife's memory. He didn't know what else to say, other than: "I'm glad you made it back safe." Simple, heartfelt, and grateful to Ronin for being the voice of reason when Remi had fallen into a rage that could have cost the alchemist whatever he had left of a soul after his daughter's demise.
After how vociferously Sam had defended Nate to him before, he was surprised at the sudden reaction to the name. His first thought was that the doctor had died, too, and he drew in a ragged breath at the toll this year had already taken on their little community, but then Sam explained in full and...
"Cheated?" It was the second time he'd repeated one of Sam's statements tonight, but the bookmaker kept throwing him curveballs. "But... why? With... with who?" Bewilderment furrowed his brow as he considered what he knew of Ascended and just what 'cheating' might entail for a people with, ah, limited blood (fluid?) flow to certain important areas.
Tried, and failed, time and time again.
And, as Amalia so disliked about him, he blamed himself for not being good enough to fix it... to fix any of it. Perhaps Rory and Loren had the right idea.
But Sam had other drama to impart, and Jigano swallowed his jagged envy down deep, away from the light of introspection so he could focus on his friend. He nodded solemnly at hearing again how fast things had gone downhill, but he remembered, too, that Sam had tried to weaponize Aoife's memory. He didn't know what else to say, other than: "I'm glad you made it back safe." Simple, heartfelt, and grateful to Ronin for being the voice of reason when Remi had fallen into a rage that could have cost the alchemist whatever he had left of a soul after his daughter's demise.
After how vociferously Sam had defended Nate to him before, he was surprised at the sudden reaction to the name. His first thought was that the doctor had died, too, and he drew in a ragged breath at the toll this year had already taken on their little community, but then Sam explained in full and...
"Cheated?" It was the second time he'd repeated one of Sam's statements tonight, but the bookmaker kept throwing him curveballs. "But... why? With... with who?" Bewilderment furrowed his brow as he considered what he knew of Ascended and just what 'cheating' might entail for a people with, ah, limited blood (fluid?) flow to certain important areas.
