Isuma's pulse of happiness drew him from his notes and he looked up eagerly to see Amalia approaching. The gryphon purred happily as she was captured and cuddled, snuggling close to her big sister even as she peeped tiny, happy greetings to Jyoti. Jigano was surprised to see the baker looking so well compared to their last meeting, but he had time to study her as she approached and his smile was soft as she joined him. The starwhale calf received her own scritches as he tickled her chin and rubbed her head in glad hello.
"I've never seen anything like it," he agreed with her assessment, looking from his friend back to the colorful field of geysers and the shallow nearby river that shifted through the grey rocky land. He glanced back, blue eyes twinkling with shared curiosity and eagerness. "I don't know yet... but I was hoping we could find out together." He grinned sheepishly, holding out a hand and conjuring a flame to dance in his palm, remembering Deimos doing the same for him the previous LongNight. "I can't control the water, but I can at least make it hot enough to maybe coax any heat-loving creatures out to investigate. I think. That's one of the reasons I asked you to come. I wanted help testing this new magic out... and I was really curious about this place. But before that... how are you?" He couldn't not be curious about what had changed to get her out of the infirmary and back on her feet - though he remembered Deimos, and leaves, and a quest for Safrin that the General had mentioned. He wanted to hear it from Amalia, though. Her life and her story, in her own words, and what had actually happened rather than what he had known Deimos had planned.
"I've never seen anything like it," he agreed with her assessment, looking from his friend back to the colorful field of geysers and the shallow nearby river that shifted through the grey rocky land. He glanced back, blue eyes twinkling with shared curiosity and eagerness. "I don't know yet... but I was hoping we could find out together." He grinned sheepishly, holding out a hand and conjuring a flame to dance in his palm, remembering Deimos doing the same for him the previous LongNight. "I can't control the water, but I can at least make it hot enough to maybe coax any heat-loving creatures out to investigate. I think. That's one of the reasons I asked you to come. I wanted help testing this new magic out... and I was really curious about this place. But before that... how are you?" He couldn't not be curious about what had changed to get her out of the infirmary and back on her feet - though he remembered Deimos, and leaves, and a quest for Safrin that the General had mentioned. He wanted to hear it from Amalia, though. Her life and her story, in her own words, and what had actually happened rather than what he had known Deimos had planned.
