Tale as Old as Time

"We're going to need to find you a separate office upstairs at this rate," the bard mused fondly. "Perhaps a separate building!" He chuckled, taking the offered excuse to return to their earlier teasing and let memories of loss fade back into the snow for a bit.

He was a bit surprised to hear that Sam had never been sledding, but he nodded contented agreement that it could be tried this year. "Back in the Grounds, perhaps. The hills there are a little more forgiving for novice sledders," he suggested ruefully, glancing towards the aptly-named Fangs with a theatrical shudder. "I'm sure there are some wonderful areas here for it, but the chance of sliding over the edge of a cliff or getting caught in chasm takes some of the carefree fun out of it." He could understand being scared to do it in Halo for exactly those reasons.

Jigano sighed in contentment as they entered the small hall and he finally felt warm enough to unwrap his scarf, much to Isuma's relief. "Well, then come home," the bard suggested warmly as he followed his friend inside. "And bring Loren with you for a visit, if he's feeling up to it. I know the Grounds don't look like much yet, but in a few years with normal weather patterns and some care of the fields, it will hopefully start brightening up again. Besides," he added gently, "don't you have family there to visit? How are things going with... your sister?" He hesitated briefly, unsure whether Sam wanted names being used in Halo, and leaving it up to the bookmaker which sister he wanted to talk about. Or both.

"I think I might go insane left with a whole other building. You'd find me buried in a million projects." His home and store were already bad enough for scraps of paper and leather one every surface. Jigano certainly had a point about Halo being more dangerous to go sledding in; the image of even trying to safely sail down one of the mountains in the snowy valley made Sam cringe. "Mhm. Maybe we could organise a Deepfrost outing for the Loreseekers in the Grounds, at some point. Then you could show me how it's done." At least with several magic users around, they would be able to save anyone careening wildly off into the distance. They went up and got seated, Sam asking for two teas and a plate of biscuits and selecting a seat by a small round window, two well-cushioned chairs either side. "Oh, I was intending to return at the end of the week anyway; this was only a quick visit." He had recently begun to take a reinvigorated interest in his business after all, and he could hardly sell books in his store here. As for his sister...Sam gritted his teeth just a little and sighed before answering. "...Well, um. With Evie, it's the same as always, I suppose. We don't speak much, but when we do it's...fine? We aren't close, but we don't hate each other anymore." He shrugged. "With..Amalia..." It still felt weird, to associate that name with sister- "I don't know where we are, honestly. Trying our best to speak to each other, but it's hard. We come from very different places, now." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"Instead of the mere hundred you're swimming in now?" Jigano teased his friend fondly. Sam's habit of spreading over more than his fair share of table space in the Guildhall was well-known, but their active members were few enough that the bard hadn't the heart to reprimand his friend for it.

He couldn't help but grin at Sam's reaction to the thought of sledding in the Fangs. "I can think of several hills that would do for it. Perhaps you, me, Amalia, and Deimos? A small group, and Deimos and I can try and make sleds for it." Or Deimos could, while Jigano talked his ear off. It wasn't the bard's fault that any carpentry project he turned his hands to inevitably went awry and needed fixing.

Seats procured and a small, hot snack ordered, Jigano unwound his thickest outer layer with a sigh of relief at getting some freedom of motion back. Isuma hopped to the top of his chair and began to groom herself as he settled in with a sigh. "Not hating is a good start," he agreed solemnly, but mention of Amalia had him breathing a soft sigh of understanding. "Not so different," he said gently. "Even if they are different gods, you and she still know what it is to have the love and attention of one. That's something few others can claim." Even among the Ascended Sam seemed to be special.

"At least I can keep track of the ones I have at the moment...I should actually be able to finish a few next week. Finally clear off some space." Soon to be replaced he was sure, but it was still progress and more books on the shelves. The suggestion of taking Amalia with them made Sam clench his jaw for a moment but he nodded, letting the tension go. He'd been wanting to spend quality time with her after all, hadn't he? "I didn't know Deimos was much of a craftsman." He commented, wondering if the sleds would come with a danger of splinters. Isuma hopped up with Jigano and Sam smiled at the sight, watching her settle down before he responded to Jigano. "I...suppose. I keep telling her we should try and talk as people, as just me and her; not talk about the Gods...she doesn't seem to want to. I mean, she did, with me, but I feel like she's having a harder time putting it aside than me." He shrugged, turning to look out of the window with a frown. "I don't know if it's ever going to feel like family. Even my old family have never been what they're meant to be for me." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"Good, we have some histories to pull together," the bard grinned at his fellow advisor. "Most of the information I've been gathering is oral stories from the town elders, but I was hoping to find a chance to sit down and see what you'd been finding in the Atheneum books, to see how things match up." Everyone had their own view of events of the past, after all, and the truth of it would lie somewhere in between those viewpoints and recollections.

Sledding, too, was something to look forward to, and Jigano chuckled. "He actually is. Admittedly, he relied a lot on his magic before but..." He shrugged. "There's genuine skill there, too. The magic made it easier, but there's a reason he runs the Artisan's Guild now." Why Remi had entrusted it to him, when the alchemist had stepped down.

Again, the twinge of envy, but Jigano hid it well and listened to what Sam was saying about his difficulties with his newfound sister. "It would be harder for both of you, I think," he said quietly. "She's the Shield of Safrin, and that comes with a great deal of expectation and burden for her. And Sam... we, too, have a hard time putting 'it' aside when we talk. You tend to talk about the Voice even when you don't mean to or realize you're doing it." He raised a brow at the word choice. "'Old' family, though? You speak as though you have a new one."

"Oh! Yes, I've been recording the oral histories too." Sam reached in his bag to pull out his notebook, held it out towards Jigano to show the line after line of careful words, hastily written as stories were told. "So far a lot of it is particular to Halo, so our books in the Atheneum aren't hugely relevant...but there's some things about before the barrier that might be worth looking into." Sam was not aware that Deimos ran the artisans guild; possibly because he had been trying to avoid all mention or reminder of Remi for some time now. "He does? I'dve thought he'd be too busy with the barracks. An accomplished man, then, it seems." And...maybe his brother in law, soon? That was too bizarre to think about. Jigano was right, but it was hard to avoid discussing the Voice sometimes when she was such a huge part of his life; from how he survived week to week to his goals, his ever-long life...it all tied back to her. "I just meant my mother and father and Evie, when I was a child." He clarified. "That never felt like what people said family was. You know, warm and loving." Sam was about to say more but at that moment their order arrived at the table and he was cut off; when he had a mug in front of him he reached out to cup it in his hands, enjoying the heat without the bite of burning pain. "..Maybe one day, Evie, Amalia and I could achieve it." Of course, he felt he already had that with his Ascended family (at least with some of them), but he felt it best not to mention that in front of Jigano. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

The Provost reached eagerly for the notebook, scanning the neat handwriting with a delighted grin. "Even better! I've been focusing on the Hollowed Grounds, but this way we can spread out and get a better sampling of the other regions as well. Thank you, Sam." He handed the book back - a little reluctantly, the urge to curl up and start reading immediately was strong - but he nodded in agreement. "Anything we can find from before the barrier is helpful, especially from those inside it and outside it, to compare the stories." Points of similarity would hopefully be truer, while those areas where the tales differed would need more research and focus.

Sam's lack of knowledge on the Artisan's Guild had a silver brow raising a hair, but Jigano shrugged it off. The bookmaker had been quite busy with other things, and with Remi being involved, well... "I think the militia and his Guild more or less run themselves," the bard admitted ruefully. "Or at least, the militia training doesn't take up very much time. I attend it when I can." And he hadn't heard of the Artisan's Guild doing much since... well. Since Fiat Lux. That had sent most of the Guilds into a time of quiet and licking wounds as they dealt with lost members and reorganizations.

He had filled in the blanks himself already, that Sam considered the Ascended as a whole his 'new family', but he had hoped that the bookmaker would admit it out loud. As his friend danced around it, though, Jigano simply nodded and let it go for the moment, content to enjoy the tea that had arrived as he blew the steam away and inhaled the delicious scent. "Mm. Yes... have you spoken with your mother since the... elder Wordsworth died?" He delicately didn't call the man Sam's father. Wordsworth Senior certainly hadn't earned that right or honor with how horribly he'd treated his son. "I suppose I don't know if she was as bad as he was or just caught up on his cruel ways..."

"Mhm. Unfortunately, a lot of our history is shaped by opinions of Gods...on The Voice's side as well as the Old Gods. I'm not sure if we can trust anything on it's own word." Sam sighed and frowned, not sure how to get around the issue; how could you know if a source was accurate history or religious dogma, when so much of their religious belief was based on relatively recent events? He supposed it made sense their militia did not take too much upkeep given there were no wars or much need for the army at all; he had even been opposed to it's formation at one point. "What do you do, when you go for training there?" He assumed the bard was there to practice his magic or perhaps his attuned animal attacks; Jigano didn't seem like a kickboxer. Drinking a little tea he shook his head in answer to the question about his mother. "No. She...didn't really pay any attention to me and let my father do whatever he wished, so I have no desire to speak with her. Besides...she hasn't sent me anything. I don't think she wants to make amends." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"Mm. Unfortunately, so far the gods are the only eyewitnesses we have to those events," Jigano pointed out with a slight frown. "Though perhaps if we can find journals or diaries from before the Voice we'll learn more about what the world was like without her. Whether the Old Gods were as active back then." He suspected not; would she have risen to such heights if the gods had been watching over the world as closely as they seemed to do now?

And again, he noticed, Sam brought the Voice into the conversation, in ways he could only imagine raising Amalia's hackles.

The militia was an easier topic, though Jigano grinned ruefully. "I volunteered my services to Deimos as a medic," he explained. "Though technically a combat medic's job is to keep his patients alive, and that might mean protecting them from enemies. I've trained a bit of magic and weapons with him. Thanks to him I've even become a decent shot with a crossbow," he admitted with a chuckle.

He sipped his own tea, his eyes softening with sympathy at Mrs. Wordsworth's lack of empathy for her only son. "Ah. My condolences, then. Speaking of Evie, though, have you seen her recently?"

"Mmhm. What a fascinating read that would be...the Gods are so intertwined with our lives. It's hard to imagine Caido without that." Especially for his own life, which had more to do with The Voice than much else in the country. "I'll keep an eye out for any stories or accounts from before the barrier." It made sense that Jigano had joined as a medic, though Sam was well aware the bard was a powerful mage in other ways too. "I'd feel very confident indeed, if you were there to protect and cure me in a fight." He smiled, the words true; he could think of few people better suited to the job. Of course, if he was wounded there would be little Jigano would be able to do, but if there was a war, he doubted they would be on the same sides... ...a thought for another time. Probably the darkness of night. He shook his head at the question about Evie. "No. I've been meaning to go and visit her. I need to discuss some things with her...obviously our new sibling for one. I don't know if she is aware." If she wasn't, it was going to be another shock upon the other he was going to give her. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"As new as I am to this world, even I find myself becoming almost... used to having prayers answered." It was a thoughtful, bemused realization. "But perhaps back then, before the barrier and the war, it was more similar to my world. Deities you never doubted, but who rarely interacted with mortals on a personal level. Or perhaps they've always been this way." He shrugged ruefully. "I don't know that finding out would necessarily do us any good, but I admit to being terribly curious." It would be the end of him someday.

Sam's assurance was met with a small bow from his chair, and the offer of the plate of biscuits. "You're too kind," he murmured. "Though let's hope it never comes to that. At least I could splint you up like I did Rexanna during LongNight, but I'd feel terrible about not being able to Heal you immediately." There was nothing more frustrating than helplessness when a friend was hurt, though his mind, too, shied away from the painful truth that they might not be on the same side.

Damn the Voice anyways.

The bard frowned slightly, nodding at the mention of Evie and Amalia's new relationship as well. "That's a tricky situation. I wonder if it would help if you and Amalia told Evie together? Though I suppose I can't really think of a 'right' way to let her know, anymore than there seems to be a 'wrong' way... short of tacking it to the Notice Board and letting her find out that way," he joked wryly.

Sam nodded along to Jigano's speculations, chewing at his lip. "If 108 were still around, I would ask them...sadly, I don't know anyone else old enough to have an idea." Maybe some of the Fae were elderly enough to have been around before the barrier, but he doubted they'd speak to him. "And as I said, I don't think we can trust any of the Gods to give us an entirely accurate account." Taking a biscuit gladly (he'd never been able to curb that urge, not even when he didn't need to eat), Sam gave Jigano a gentle smile. "Any efforts you could give would be appreciated. But...yes, hopefully it won't happen at all." He'd managed to stay out of fights for the last couple of months and he hoped it would be a start of a longer streak. The idea of telling Evie via Notice Board made Sam cringe and laugh, shake his head. "I think I should do it alone. While...we aren't close, I know her. I know she'd want to have as little people as possible there while she processes it. Besides...there's something else." Sam chewed at his lip, wondering how much to say. "I know something about her that she's kept hidden, and I feel like I should let her know I know." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

Jigano tilted his head in surprise at the mention of the Ascended who had lived so briefly in this era before giving their life for their goddess.

Because everything with her came down to the deaths of others, in one way or another.

"108 didn't know either. I asked them a great many things when I had the opportunity, but they were born within the barrier as well, and didn't know what life was like before it. Nor did Arduinna, and I was given to understand that she was the oldest of the Fae..." They were questions Jigano had been chasing for a very long time, down every avenue he could find, but so far it had all been to no avail.

Jigano took a cookie of his own from the plate, nibbling it as he nodded firm agreement that they certainly didn't want to need to put his first aid skills to the test on Sam. Better for them both if they stayed safe and healthy in their bookish pursuits for a while to come. And then suddenly volcano.

Jigano grinned as his teasing suggestion got the reaction he'd hoped for. The twist at the end, though, had a silver brow rising and a pang of alarm twinging through his breast as he remembered his promise to the apothecary. "Ah... yes, that would be fair. If I were in that position I know I'd prefer to have my friend - well, family - tell me that they knew. How did you learn of this secret, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, they were? I only knew they were very old." Sam frowned. If there really were no living people from before the barrier and only oral, biased stories to go off now...the history really would never truly be known. He supposed the Gods would be the people to ask, but they would be the most biased of all. With a sigh, he placed the idea of writing a full history away for a while. With no volcanos in Sam's future, thoughts he might need to soon be rescued, Sam ate his own biscuit and let that topic fade away. Jigano thankfully didn't ask about what Evie's secret was, but the question he did ask still made Sam uncomfortable, because he knew the bard likely would not be fond of the answer. But well, he would give it. "Oh, um, The Voice told me. I don't think she knew I didn't know." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child