It was a relief when the tip of her sword sagged, but Jigano didn't drop his guard. He didn't like that she'd snuck up on him, or the abilities that indicated. She'd been cocky before - likely for a reason if she'd been able to watch him unnoticed for any length of time - and her frown of disappointment didn't make her any less dangerous than the earlier smirk. He'd omitted his name deliberately, not wanting to draw further attention to himself or give her something to trace him with. Old habits, and quick reactions that had once served him well.
Less useful now, perhaps, in a land where white hair on a young person was even rarer than it had been back home, and he couldn't help but draw attention. Nor could he easily disguise himself or simply move on; he'd lost the magic that he'd once relied on for such illusions, and the disconcerting barrier locking them all in prevented escape in any longterm sense.
If only his gear had still had its enchantments he would have been more confident! Without them, though, his best defense was to retreat... but he was uncertain of his ability to do even that against someone whose skills he had yet to see in action.
”Yes?” he agreed hesitantly as the newcomer repeated his phrasing and appeared to reevaluate him – for good or ill he wasn’t sure. Had she really not heard of it? Then again, there were many for whom even normal meditation was as good as a fairy tale. ”Calming the mind while moving the body. For some, it’s easier than trying to achieve mental focus while sitting still.” More pedantic than he preferred, but in times of stress bad habits tended to surface. A patron received the information they asked for, as free from bias as he could deliver it.
He truly hadn’t been expecting the abrupt… courtesy? of her ceding the small glade to him, but when she waved the sword he tensed, bringing his own blade to a stronger guard. He might have felt embarrassed when it turned out to be not an attack, but a request for his name… but he still didn’t trust her farther than he could throw her.
And he was not a strong man, physically speaking.
”Jigano,” he granted her, managing a semblance of grace in the delivery of his name. ”And I am… not fond of being surprised, or approached by strangers with drawn steel.” Slowly, reluctantly, he let his guard drop a little, acknowledging that she’d ceased openly threatening him. ”What, may I ask, are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”
Less useful now, perhaps, in a land where white hair on a young person was even rarer than it had been back home, and he couldn't help but draw attention. Nor could he easily disguise himself or simply move on; he'd lost the magic that he'd once relied on for such illusions, and the disconcerting barrier locking them all in prevented escape in any longterm sense.
If only his gear had still had its enchantments he would have been more confident! Without them, though, his best defense was to retreat... but he was uncertain of his ability to do even that against someone whose skills he had yet to see in action.
”Yes?” he agreed hesitantly as the newcomer repeated his phrasing and appeared to reevaluate him – for good or ill he wasn’t sure. Had she really not heard of it? Then again, there were many for whom even normal meditation was as good as a fairy tale. ”Calming the mind while moving the body. For some, it’s easier than trying to achieve mental focus while sitting still.” More pedantic than he preferred, but in times of stress bad habits tended to surface. A patron received the information they asked for, as free from bias as he could deliver it.
He truly hadn’t been expecting the abrupt… courtesy? of her ceding the small glade to him, but when she waved the sword he tensed, bringing his own blade to a stronger guard. He might have felt embarrassed when it turned out to be not an attack, but a request for his name… but he still didn’t trust her farther than he could throw her.
And he was not a strong man, physically speaking.
”Jigano,” he granted her, managing a semblance of grace in the delivery of his name. ”And I am… not fond of being surprised, or approached by strangers with drawn steel.” Slowly, reluctantly, he let his guard drop a little, acknowledging that she’d ceased openly threatening him. ”What, may I ask, are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”
