Jigano was thinking hard, trying to make sense of their task and the information they had. A firebird couldn't be captured with nets of rope or twine. Even leather would be liable to burn. But... this was a story... maybe. Probably. He had to hope it was just a story, but that didn't mean they were necessarily safe in it. Not all stories had happy endings, after all, and of course they still needed to get out of it by getting through it! ... He hoped.
So... what would a story require, to capture a mythical bird of flame?
"Very droll, I'm sure," the vizier spoke in a dry voice that was the very opposite of amused as he managed to look down his nose at Samuel even though the bookmaker was currently taller then him upon Jigano's back. "You haven't lost your place in the stable... yet. And you are as welcome as always to eat with the rest of the staff. As for the hunt..." he sniffed, his opinion of Samuel managing to find a new low as he folded his hands into his sleeves. "I'm sure you know your business better than I."
It was now or never, Jigano thought grimly, and opened his mouth. "A net made of silver," he demanded, raising his head proudly to stare down the vizier before him.
The vizier... continued to watch Samuel with narrowed eyes, not even glancing at the white horse. Jigano stamped a hoof in annoyance, but it was fleeting. There was an edge of panic at the back of his thoughts but no time to explore it. They had an opportunity and he wasn't of a mind to waste it. He rolled an eye back to try and catch sight of Samuel, letting out a low whicker to keep his attention. "And we'll catch it the same as we'd catch any other animal, or man for that matter. With bait. If this is a story we just need to follow the rules of such things. If our net is silver we probably need something golden for our bait... probably." Hopefully. What else did they have, at the moment?
As the man laid sarcastic obvious tones over everything he said, Sam sunk down in the saddle. He had forgotten he had a place already in this world, an established way of life as the 'huntsman'. Now certain he looked an idiot, he was content to just nod and leave when Jigano spoke. Sam frowned down at his horse friend, thinking it a stupid move.
But it seemed the man didn't hear Jigano, or didn't care. Sam cleared his throat and tried again.
"A net of silver and um..." He wasn't sure about the logic of the gold, but he didn't have enough in the way of other ideas to object. "Something golden. Whatever you can get. Cups, bowls, jewellery..." Running out of golden objects, he shrugged. "And arrows, please. A bow...and a sword. That sort of thing. Um. Weapons."
This was about all he could think of, and he pulled on Jigano's reins to make him step back. "S-so please have those ready by tomorrow morning. I am going to go and stable my horse." With this said, he hoped Jigano would get the hint and move away with him to look for the stables. What he was going to do when they arrived he wasn't sure, but just being away from the eyes of the characters around them would be a welcome retreat.
Jigano perked his ears forward eagerly, pleased to hear Samuel getting what they needed, at least until the nervous man started going on about... silverware? Or a king's ransom in actual gold, which had the horse shaking his head in desperation. "No, no, that's not--" But he wasn't fast enough, and then the list ran to weapons and Jigano stepped back, trying to interrupt the flow of words, but it was far too late. He might have tried to say something else, to salvage the situation as he watched the vizier's expression shift from annoyed to surprised to horrified, but something hard was pulling at his mouth, silencing him and pulling him further back still, hooves slipping on the hard cobbles.
"You would drain the kingdom's treasury and then kill the firebird?" The vizier was aghast, dark eyes fixed on Samuel. "Rest assured, peasant, if you kill her there will be no place on earth you could hide where the king's soldiers would not find you!" Anger blazed, burning brightly and then as quickly fading as a calculating coldness came into his gaze. "But... very well. I told you I would not question your... expertise. I shall see to it. The gold will be brought to the stables by tonight. And the weapons." As he turned his lip had started to curl in a wicked smile, but he strode away before Jigano could be sure.
The horse was too busy dealing with the unhappy realization that the reins were attached to a bit, and that Samuel had the reins in hand - and no idea what he was doing. He couldn't growl - though he tried - but only managed an explosive snort and a bunching of muscles as he gave himself a good shake at last to get his friend's attention.
Jigano said something Sam didn't quite catch, but that hardly mattered when the vizier began to yell. He had always been afraid of shouting, hated to be in trouble of any sort. His knees gripping at Jigano's side, he leaned back and blinked rapidly so he wouldn't cry.
"I-I shan't kill it! Of course n-not. It's just..the weapons are for d-defending. Defending myself. And my horse." His words growing less confident by the end of his sentence, he was glad when he was seemingly dismissed and left with Jigano - even though his friend did not seem pleased with him.
They reached a building that resembled a stable. As soon as he could, Sam twisted to one side on the saddle and using a wall to edge himself down, scrambled off Jigano. With a look around to make sure no one was watching, he walked to stand before Jigano with his hands held up and a panicked look in his eyes.
"Please don't be mad at me. I know you don't like the reins but I am panicking and I-I don't know what's happening and I can't go and hunt a bird! I barely know anything about hunting, I can't ride or fight--" Beginning to breathe out of control, quick and sucking gasps that hurt him more than helped, Sam sunk to his knees and placed his head in his hands.
By the time they reached the stable, Jigano was more than ready for Samuel to be off his back. He stood in stony silence while the bookmaker scrambled down, stamping a single hoof in impatience but otherwise holding himself still so his new friend could get safely down. It wasn't until the other man was standing in front of him that Jigano opened his horsey mouth to speak--
It was the first time he'd seen how wild his friend's expression had grown, or the terror in his eyes. He'd heard Samuel's voice shake, of course, but he'd assumed it was from nerves or the stress of facing the imposing vizier. This was far more than that, though, and the horse's jaw closed on his words as the bookmaker poured out his fear and finally sank to the ground at the bard's feet. Hooves.
Dammit.
Taking a deep breath, Jigano fought to get his temper under control. Samuel's breakdown wasn't helping them. It was a damned inconvenience, was what it was, though one they apparently had time for since the story wasn't pushing them along just yet. He shook his head, grinding the bit between his teeth as he looked down at the other man. A bookmaker and seller. A scholar. A man in a bubble, quite literally, who had never even dreamed of the choices Jigano had been forced to make in his life.
Who had never been through the crucible the bard had, or needed to learn calm in the face of the dangerously unknown.
Who was, perhaps, who the lorekeeper might have become if he hadn't wandered off one night, drawn by the light on the horizon, and fallen into an adventure so much vaster than he had been prepared for.
With a heavy sigh Jigano let his anger flow away, dropping his muzzle to nudge Samuel's shoulder gently. "I can't ride either," he admitted, finding wry humor in the situation in spite of the unhappiness of the moment. "And, to tell you the truth, I'm not much of a fighter. Not compared to many I've known. But I'm a storyteller, and you're a reader and maker and writer of books. If we really have been sucked into this tale, we can figure this out. We are the best ones to get through this. This requires wits, not strength of arms. Or hooves." Gods, he was getting tired of being trapped in this horse's form.
He took a small step back, giving Samuel a little space, but watching him carefully in case the other man needed him to stay close. "Take as long as you need to get it all out. When you're ready we'll figure out what we should do next." The gold... might be a problem. Or then again it might not. He had no idea how closely they needed to follow the tale set before them, or even if Samuel had done what he needed to and it was Jigano's guess that had been wrong. But either way they had three days to figure it out. That was plenty of time, surely.
Wasn't it?
Sam was vaguely aware of Jigano breathing above him, a sound that could both just be a natural horse noise or a sigh of annoyance. He tried to calm down his own breathing enough to listen to what Jigano had to say, but there was still a sharp thread of panic in his chest. A thought occurred to him as he recovered that he had not been hurt by the sunlight here - because it was fictional, probably.
This thought distracted him enough to calm him, Jigano's nose on his shoulder comforting too; his usual fear of horses wasn't so bad when the touch was so gentle.
"I...I suppose you're right. It could be a...thing of wits. To work out the story." He nodded, staring down at his hands and thinking of the skills Jigano had listed. It sounded like too much for him, but it was all true. Maybe he could do this.
Shifting a little (the floor was covered in hay that prickled his legs and he wished smells didn't make it through the book because there was a definite worrying aroma beneath him) he took a moment to think, pressing his lips together and staring up at Jigano. Despite his new body and their predicament, the other man seemed calm and collected. Perhaps Sam had been stupid to think them cut from the same cloth.
"...Do you know what this tale is, then?" He asked, glancing about them, past the stable where the environment faded into vague ideas. "I do not. I suppose I have read similar stories, but I do not recall a 'firebird'."
Jigano didn’t quite say “Of course I’m right” because he still wasn’t completely certain that was what they needed to do, but it was his best guess so far. And the story hadn’t given them much choice in their roles: Samuel would be the one who needed to talk to the other characters – people? – and he needed at least a little confidence in himself to manage that. Jigano, the showman, the one who enjoyed talking to people… was a horse. And the only person who could understand him was Sam. Not being able to communicate sent an unhappy shiver over his skin, and he stamped a rear hoof softly as he tried not to think about that too deeply, though the uneasiness lingered in the back of his thoughts.
It was just as well that he had given his friend the time and space he needed. The next time Samuel spoke he was thinking, not just reacting, and Jigano bobbed his head in encouragement. ”Not this one specifically, no. But I’m pretty sure I’ve read – and told – similar ones. We’ve been given a quest by a king. You’re a simple huntsman with an animal companion, not a knight in shining armor, so that’s why I don’t think we’re expected to fight our way through this…” He hesitated, then cleared his throat delicately – except, as a horse, it was more of a low rumbling that was anything but subtle. ”And if you don’t know how to use weapons, we might be better leaving them here. You’ve already got a bow and arrows on you,” he nodded to the weapons Samuel had appeared with, ”but since we’re supposed to capture the firebird, not kill it, I hope we won’t need them.”
He tilted his head – that habit, at least, translating between bodies – to consider Samuel’s predicament, then turned his body to the side to offer the stirrup and saddle as a way for the man to pull himself back up. ”A firebird, if it’s like the phoenix I’ve read about writ small, can probably burn through a rope or twine net,” he explained patiently, reminding himself that if this was Samuel’s first adventure, he probably wasn’t used to thinking fast on the fly. It was certainly an acquired skill… and they were lucky that this was, so far, a fairly harmless training ground.
So far.
”So we need something that won’t burn - like metal. But gold is too soft, and iron is too rigid. And if this is a fairy tale – with a king and a mythical creature – silver and gold usually play some sort of role in it.” He couldn’t shrug, but he gave his mane a light shake, looking back over his shoulder at Samuel with an encouraging whicker. ”Hence the silver net. So… what’s your plan for all the jewelry and flatware you ordered?”
Sam nodded along with Jigano's explanation, relieved to find a possible concrete reason why he wouldn't be expected to use the bow. He had little idea how, beyond what he'd read in books; doubted he had the strength for it anyway. The bow was heavy and awkward on his back and he wasn't even sure how to pull it out.
Jigano turned for him to get back on, but Sam hesitated. He had said he was going to go to sleep for the night, which would mean Jigano would be left, well...here. The horse seemed to not consider that though, talking on about silver and gold. Sam nodded along but wondered if the logic was really so straightforward. It did sound like a fairytale, which he supposed was fitting.
"I was thinking of things that might be gold. I'm not sure what the plan is. A-At least we'll look good?" He nervously laughed, not usually one to make jokes.
He started to step up onto Jigano, but paused halfway up, laying with his front across the saddle.
"Do you think time here passes normally? If there is to be a night then I shall go to the palace and um, you...well you would have to....Maybe we can make it the next day immediately somehow?"
Jigano hadn't turned to encourage Samuel to mount, only to give him something to hang on to while he pulled himself off the floor, but when the bookmaker seemed to have something else in mind the bard didn't argue. Using his best diplomatic tact he also didn't comment on his friend's lack of a plan, sternly reminding himself that Samuel was doing the best he could given their very unusual circumstances.
At least he'd found a sense of humor about it, and the horse snorted wryly. "I've looked better," he said, voice dry as he turned his head to watch his friend from one eye. "But the 'woods-wise hunter' look suits you! Maybe you'll take up archery after all this is over?" He was only half-joking. It wouldn't hurt the skinny man to pick up a more outdoors-y hobby, maybe get a little sun now and then.
It was a little awkward having Samuel leaning on him like that, but that rather described their friendship in a nutshell and Jigano had to restrain a chuckle at the thought. "Well, once we picked up the feather and started moving we got here rather quickly, so... probably time doesn't pass normally, no. We can try to move where we need to be for the next part of the story, though, and see if it happens again." He didn't restrain his laugh this time, though it came out more as a whicker. "And the vizier said that you, my fancy friend, have quarters here, in the stable with me. Probably a room at the end of the barn, or upstairs in the lofts." His tail swished with humor and he gave a gentle shake to disengage the other man, since it appeared Samuel didn't have a plan for riding after all.
"But first we'll need to collect our net and bait. And speaking of bait... forgive me, Samuel. I pushed in the heat of the moment and didn't explain myself clearly. I had been thinking more symbolically than the metal. Golden corn, to bait a bird to our net. If we scatter the corn around the clearing and wait for the firebird to return, you can hide in the bushes. When the bird lands and begins to eat, throw the net over it to catch it. Then we should be able to bring it back to the king. What do you think?"
Jigano reminded him of the location of his rooms and shook him off; Sam shuffled off his back embarrassed and sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Oh. Sorry." Trying to be casual, he leaned against the stable divider behind him.
He felt doubly stupid when it was explained to him what was meant by 'gold'. Of course a bird wouldn't be interested in necklaces and cups...his hand moved to his chin as he tried to look thoughtful rather than mortified while he considered it. "I suppose I shall have to go and find some corn then. We could ask the Vizier if we could find him, or...maybe..."
Sam plunged his hand into a nearby feed bag, bringing out a handful of grains and oats, with some corn mixed in. "Do you think this would do? It's hardly grand, but birds...they aren't usually picky." He collected some in his pocket, as much as he could.
Taking Jigano's reins, he began to walk back to the courtyard. "So you think if we walk back here with enough ...i-intent, I suppose, we could make it time to collect our things?"
"It's alright," Jigano said gently as embarrassment practically radiated off Samuel like heat from a stove. "You're doing fine." Not quite the truth, but not exactly a lie, either. The bard shifted his bulky body - small and graceful for a horse, but far more mass than he was used to moving around - until he could see his friend again as the bookmaker found a wall to lean against.
Samuel actually looked calmer than he had in awhile, thinking through Jigano's words and coming to his own conclusions, much to the bard's approval. He had started to nod his white head in agreement at finding the vizier when his friend surprised him by reaching for... a snack?
The other man's idea earned a snort of pleased surprise from Jigano, and an enthusiastic bob of his head. "Yes, that's perfect!" He swung his head around, checking for other bags of feed in some of the other empty stalls. "Over there - and that one too! - Go ahead and grab the bags you can find in here and tie them to the saddle." He glanced back to see a few grains tumbling from Sam's pocket and whickered his amusement. "A little snack for the road?" he teased.
But when the bookmaker reached for his reins, the horse jerked his head, ears flattening and eyes narrowing. "Wait! Before we head out, you're taking this thing off me. I don't want you panicking and jerking this damn bit around in my mouth again. And since the vizier didn't seem able to hear me last time, I can try and advise you if we run into him again."
Jigano's enthusiasm about his idea made Sam's heart swell; proud he had finally done something right in this whole adventure. He even pretended to eat a little of the corn from his pocket, playing into the joke (he dropped it to the side. Even in a book he wasn't going to eat horse oats, no matter how hungry he got). Following orders, he willingly tied several bags of the feed to Jigano's saddle.
He jumped back slightly at Jigano's objection. Fumbling with the buckles on the reins, he eventually managed to loosen and remove the bit. Making a face as he pulled it out and felt saliva on it, he dropped it to the floor. "There. Now you can talk, but...it won't look very good when I'm riding you. Oh well." Realising what he'd said he coughed awkwardly and tried to move past it.
"R-right! Should we go to the vizier, then? I think we're all ready." He walked back in the direction of the courtyard, occasionally glancing behind him to make sure Jigano was following now that he had nothing to hold onto anymore.
The place around them began to do the same thing, remaking itself and the courtyard appearing before him. He was still unnerved by the whole process but Sam tried to hold his head high and confident to meet the vizier.
"I don't think it has to look too good," Jigano mused, shaking his head gratefully - and kicking the bridle aside with a hoof. "It went alright before, when you were talking to the vizier, even when he protested." The horse followed his friend, ears perked to try and catch the sounds from outside to give them a clue what to expect, but all he could pick up was a sort of general 'bustle' - distant voices but nothing distinct, the sound of movement but not specific motions. Still, just having the bit gone and no longer a threat put him in a more amiable mood.
He watched Samuel straighten his back, amused and a little proud of his companion for gaining his confidence in the middle of an adventure. The courtyard faded into view around them as they walked to the stable door, and things had changed in their absence. The king and his entourage were gone, but a covered wagon with a pair of guards now stood beside the stable. And, almost as if on cue, the vizier came striding from the palace, followed by an armsman with a net of shining silver catching the late afternoon sunlight in his hands.
His smile was small and just a little mocking as he came to stand before Samuel, even as Jigano took up place behind his friend, ready to offer help if it became necessary. "The net you requested, master huntsman." A peremptory gesture had the armsman moving to secure the net to Jigano's saddle, the horse's skin twitching at the nearness of the strange man as he tried to hold himself still. "And the gold is in the cart. I do look forward to your success. For your sake, at least. The king is not kind to those who fail him..." With that ominous message delivered the vizier's smile widened and he made a little shooing motion with one well-manicured hand. "I shouldn't keep you, of course. I'm sure you have far to travel before the sun sets!"
Sam watched Jigano be loaded up with the net and a cart containing the gold he now had little use for. He was sure it wouldn't carry across to the real world, so he couldn't even sell it for more book supplies. Idly, not even paying attention to the vizier's biting words for a moment, he reached in and stroked his thumb across a golden cup. It was the kind of finery he was unused to seeing in his relatively plain life.
He knew when he was dismissed, moving up onto Jigano with more ease than he had before. "I will be back in time and with the b-bird." His voice, even with the stutter, was more confident than he felt. Speaking down to his horse, he looked back towards where he imagined the forest would be.
"So, should we...leave? Perhaps we will find the bird quickly and be out of here before the hour is through." He commented, the words suddenly making him wonder if time was passing as normal in the world. Depressingly, he doubted anyone would notice his absence. Jigano was an Outlander, so it was unlikely he would be greatly missed either. If they couldn't sort this out themselves, no one would come looking.
This thought sent his heart plummeting into despair while also steeling him with determination. He placed his hand on the back of Jigano's neck to balance himself and waited to see the forest fade in around them.
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