Unlit Candles in the Dark

Prayers had flown like migrating birds during the eruption, but now that it was over Jigano made time to gave thanks properly for the saving of the town. Bowing his head he knelt before the sailor, placing a green candle in the shape of a cat before it. It had taken several tries to get it right after learning the recipe from an old farmer woman he occasionally brought books to, but he'd finally learned how to make candles from bayberry fruit in the oasis, harvesting the berries and simmering the wax from them, then having Rory help him carve a mold and placing a wick. His gaze flickered to the memorials he and Deimos had left for Adam and Peter a few short weeks before, the small dragon with its serpent adornment and the skeletal luxere with its bat reminders of those whose time had come too soon.

But a great many others recently had survived, able to live longer, fuller lives before they were brought to Mort's halls, hopefully happier and content with what they had accomplished in the extra span of days, weeks years, decades that they had pulled from the volcano's grasp. There was reason to give thanks, and plans to lay for the coming Night, and the fox in man's shape closed his eyes as Isuma explored the statue beneath the moonlight, finding the words as best he could.

"Ludo, Mort, thank you for your patience in waiting to collect the souls of Haulani. Thank you for the strength of purpose you've given me, that gave me the courage to try to help when I might otherwise have faltered." Not a hero Safrin had said, and so perhaps he was just a fool, but hers was not the opinion that mattered most to him among the gods. "But Deepfrost fast approaches, and LongNight with it. Torchline will recover, but the Hollowed Grounds are still at risk. I would ask for your guidance on the challenges to come within the barrierlands, if you would grant me your advice."

Ludo There is laughter like a child's, and the soul guide appears swathed around the statue that makes up the shrine. "Sweetling, I recall you asking for advice about Longnight previously," it said warmly. "I cannot say that my advice is any different than it has been. Monsters will come, gods will flee. Keep inside, sing to your luxere, collect wayward souls." Its ragged shoulders seem to shrug, as if to wonder what further advice it might offer for the Hollowed Grounds. "Your intentions are pure, soul shepherd. But I cannot do the work for you."

Familiar laughter, sweet and dark as fine chocolate, marked the answer to Jigano's prayers and the fox raised his head, furred ears shifting through white hair as he looked up to the soul guide with a glad smile for the god's presence. Isuma reeped! happily and pounced towards a wayward flicker of dark rags, a sound halfway between a purr and a play-growl rumbling her small chest.

"The world has changed," the bard said, though even those simple directives seemed to lift a weight of uncertainty from him. "At least, the Hollowed Grounds have, and I as well, and I needed to know if your expectations of me had changed with it. That I was still doing the 'hard grift' you told me of before." His smile was lighter with the masked god's approval and a direction to go in confirmed once more. His pride all too often caused problems for himself and others, but with Ludo he could let it go and trust in the guidance and purpose the soul guide had given him. "I'll do the work and gladly," he agreed, as Isuma squeaked her own concord with her companion's calm determination.

"But I'm not always alone, nor are those at my side and guarding my back always Attuned." Accepted, demigods, Fae, and even Abandoned had stood by him before. "It can be dangerous to coordinate efforts in shapes that don't speak as clearly as this one." He hesitated a moment before taking a breath and shifting fully into his fox shape, tilting his head up and up to look at the Ludo-draped statue and the god he prayed to. I had hoped to gain your advice in asking if there's a way to talk to others without the Attuned link while in my animal shapes. Especially my dragon shape... that one tends to cause the most distress if people aren't expecting it," he admitted a little ruefully.

Ludo Ludo watched distractedly as Isuma pounced and reep!ed and chased after its rags, tuning back into Jigano and somehow hearing everything he had to say and more. As the soul shepherd became a fox in earnest, the ragged god drifted down to pat at the silken fur, happy enough with the simple interaction. "It has been accomplished before, by those who possess the correct magic," it remarked - though the Abandoned were having trouble with their magics of late, it appeared. "The Alchemist created a ring, in the past, which allowed him to communicate through his Attuned bond with whoever wore it. Is this akin to what you ask? Of course, this would only work on a single person." It gazed down at the fox.

Jigano tilted his head up into the pats, a familiar touch he accepted from few, and only those who held a portion of his heart. He couldn't hum in his fox form, but his white tail thumped lightly against the sand in pleasure at the attention, at least until Ludo startled him with information he hadn't known before.

That it had been done perhaps should not have been a surprise, but he had heard nothing of such an item, and he tilted his head curiously at the information. He could certainly imagine the use of it for Ronin or Aoife - a quiet prayer for the lost child - but somehow doubted the embittered alchemist would share his thoughts with any others these days.

No... Or at least... not so limited by mortal magic, he said, his thoughts shifting and settling as the new information melded with what he had come to ask. I was thinking something that would let me speak to anyone, not just a single person I had to know and arrange with in advance. A necklace, perhaps, that shifts with me... set with a stone or symbol that would let me focus my Attuned thoughts to sound and words when I'm shifted, if I wished to 'speak' aloud to non-Attuned? He tilted his head up at the masked god, ears perked with interest at what Ludo thought of such a thing.

Isuma was just happy to have one of her playmates back, her talons and beak as gentle as if she were playing with Jigano if her pounces connected, but otherwise happy to hop and make grabs at the fluttering black scraps, radiating the simple joy of a cheerful heart that lived in the moment.

Ludo Whilst its rags continued to play independently with Isuma, Ludo tilted its mask this way and that to consider the soul guide's remarks. "Hmm..." it said helpfully, considering his points and seeming to come to a decision. "I might make something like this. An amulet, perhaps, which you may activate to project your thoughts to speech for a small distance. It would only be a small distance, however, and it would not last for long. Such things are complicated to create, but they may be improved upon later." These types of things were more Frey and Rae's domain, in truth, but that didn't mean that Ludo was incapable. "Does that sound more to what you were thinking? I may be able to craft such an item."

Furred ears perked forward as Ludo seemed to come to a decision, and though its limitations were less than Jigano had envisioned, that the item could be made at all was still more than he had had before. And that it might be improved later...

Yes, that would help immensely, he agreed, tail thumping against the sand with hopeful anticipation. How can I help? For such things, he had learned, never came for free. And when the hunt and trials of gathering their components made each item more dear, he found himself in agreement with the gods' decisions to make mortals such as himself do their share of the work.

Isuma reeped happy counterpoint to Jigano's excitement, abandoning the rags for the moment to bound to her companion's side and purr happily up at the raggedy playmate that made her Jigano cheer up.

Ludo The rags wiggled a wave after Isuma, before Ludo drew them back to itself to listen as Jigano spoke. "First you will need to procure the item you wish to use for the task," it explained, patting the fox once more upon the head before surging up again to drape around the statue. "Then you must keep it with you, and speak with it in each of your shifts. I understand this may be difficult given that it does not yet shift with you, but it is important to expose it to those shapes and your mental connection." It nodded. "Then return to me. Do you understand?"

Jigano accepted the pats with a thump his white tail, head raising so blue eyes could follow the masked god as Ludo rose again. The fox nodded understanding and acceptance of his need to find the right item for the job, and the tricky task to come. Figuring out how to do so as a horse and a snake was going to be particularly tricky...

But the challenge was part of the price, and he rose to it eagerly as he stood and then dropped his forequarters in a vulpine bow. I do, he agreed eagerly, Isuma wriggling with excitement to be off on their new adventure. Thank you, Ludo, for hearing me out and giving me this chance. I will see you again - soon, I hope! With bright eyes and a decided spring in his paws, he would wait for Ludo's permission before departing to find an item worthy of the god's blessing.

{Fin}