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Not at all minding Jigano's amusement—in fact, Loren was amused as well—he just smiled at the bard. "Any time. I can always promise to lend an ear." Then the healer's lips twitched in amusement. "Can't promise to always be fully listening or to lack opinions of my own, though."
Nodding at the white-haired man's words about disagreements, the Launceleyn let out a huff of laughter. "Let me know how that conversation with her goes, yeah? I could use some help navigating my relationship with her as well." There was a slightly wry tone to his voice and a slightly chagrined expression on his face.
"You will be one of the first to know." However, his easy grin slipped away. "On a more serious note, have you heard of anything strange going on with the shrines?" Loren tried not to let his concern bleed through the link, but he was only partially successful.
"As long as it isn't an ear from Phoebe's organ-plant," the bard retorted dryly. "And I might not agree with your opinions - vociferously at times," he amended with a grin, "but I do appreciate hearing them. Sometimes they spark something new I need to think about, even if I'm not ready to admit it yet, or need to let it simmer a bit longer." He could change his mind, but it was rarely a swift process.
Jigano could only shrug with rueful agreement to letting Loren know more once he did, wondering if he'd ever know enough. "Same to you, by the way. If you gain any insights that might help, I'd appreciate hearing them. I know the answer is just to talk to her more..." He sighed, taking a forkful of warm meat and enjoying the flavor. But we're always so busy it's hard to find the time. Maybe during Deepfrost we can make some time for it. Not that they wouldn't have their hands full preparing for LongNight...
He wasn't expecting the more serious switch in the conversation and paused with some vegetables halfway to his mouth. "Ahh... strange how? In Halo, or all over?" Curiousity piqued, his gaze sharpened as invisible vulpine ears pricked forward to memorize every word.
Wincing, Loren just shook his head at Jigano's comment. "Do you think she brought that with her to Torchline?" There was a sort of morbid curiosity in the healer's voice. He couldn't help but grin as well at the bard's next statement. "Right back at you, friend." Toasting, the Launceleyn took a sip from his wine, a pleased expression on his face.
Letting out a huff of laughter, he nodded in agreement. "Maybe go spend a day baking with her, then. Don't even talk that much, at least not about anything controversial." He shrugged, not having better advice for the white-haired man than that.
Loren sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "My paranoia might just be acting up." Giving Jigano a sheepish smile, the healer took a deep breath. "Someone I know got cursed simply for praying at a shrine. Twice in quick succession." Pressing his lips together, he rolled his fork across his plate. "He's an Attuned, a Natural, and a native of Halo, and it was a shrine for the old gods. It struck me as weird, so I asked around and there have been rumors of other strange happenings. Nothing definitive though."
Taking a bite of the vegetables, he chewed and swallowed as he waited for the bard's reply. Then the Launceleyn's expression grew dark again. "Also, not to put a damper on the meal but...it's looking increasingly likely we'll have to send another expedition to Whitebrim. Could you...do you mind telling me what you found there?" He sent a pulse of apology to the white-haired man for even bringing it up.
"...I hadn't thought of it," Jigano admitted, a flicker of distant horror in the back of the Attuned bond of Phoebe just wandering around with the potted plant like some kind of Audrey II. "Do you know if she planted it in the College's garden?" Unlikely, but given that the only two members of the College that he knew off the top of his head were Phoebe and Loren, he hoped to find out.
The toast was welcome, the wine washing away the taste-memory of a plant that grew human organs as its fruit. The advice that followed was even more welcome, and Jigano nodded sheepishly. "Honestly, that's the best thing I could do, you're right. Thank you." Sometimes it was the simplest answers that went overlooked until someone else pointed them out.
Conversation took a turn for the weird as Loren related the curses and Jigano hummed thoughtfully as he swirled his drink. "Hmm. Curses are nothing new, but you're right, that does sound odd. Are you sure he hadn't done anything previously to get on the bad side of one god or another?" Always a hazard on Caido. "Even Attuned can bring divine wrath down upon themselves." As he had done. "I haven't heard of anything like that in the Grounds, but I'll keep an ear out now that I know what to look for," he promised, wheels already turning in his busy brain.
Wheels that almost slipped out of gear as Loren brought up his previous expedition - ice, blood, flesh, fear - and he drew a slow breath to make sure it wasn't shaking. "I reported to Neron," he said hesitantly, a thread of curious uncertainty in the bond extended towards his friend. "Did he not pass that information along to his cabinet?"
04-28-2020, 08:51 PM (This post was last modified: 04-28-2020, 08:51 PM by Loren.)
loren
Loren shook his head. "Honestly, I haven't been back there since...the beginning of LongHeat?" Frowning, he drummed his fingers on the table as he tried to remember how long it had been since the organization became inactive. Finally he nodded. "Yeah, the beginning of LongHeat." He shook his head a bit, bemused.
Smiling, he nodded at Jigano. "Good luck. Let me know how it goes." With that, the healer began to dig into his meal in earnest, the talk of Amalia's bakery having made him suddenly hungry.
Chewing and swallowing, he let out a huff of laughter. "He's a teenager. He gets on everyone's bad side." At the mention of Attuned attracting some retribution, he gave the bard a sympathetic look. "If you could do that, I'd appreciate it. And I'll do the same."
At the mention of Neron, the younger Launceleyn sighed and rubbed his temple. "He didn't pass along anything to me personally, no, just Morgan. We did go to the mines to freeze them, in the hopes of stemming further attacks. Instead, it seems to have emboldened the...exiles." He pressed his lips together. "I know we're planning another expedition to take care of the problem, so any information you provide me could prove useful." Still, he sent a pulse of understanding towards the white-haired man, hopefully letting him know he only had to talk about it if he was comfortable.
Given how Flowerbirth's end had left so many of them, Jigano certainly didn't blame Loren for keeping his distance. He was just glad his friend had found a measure of healing and was regaining his grace and optimism again. It was good to be able to rely on him again, given how much the bard often took on his own shoulders. With a shrug he accepted the uncertainty over the macabre plant, resolutely turning his attention back to Amalia for the moment, and from there to the mystery of the shrines. "Ah, teenagers," he agreed with a chuckle, the word explaining much. "No relation to Korbin, who you mentioned in your letter, I hope? The silent one, when we were fixing up the refugee rooms?" Not that any of them had been a font of conversation in their flurry of productivity that day!
Neron often seemed to be a touchy subject with Loren, and Jigano broached it cautiously but with great curiosity. How the man ruled as the Grounds's 'neighbor' through the portals mattered to him as a member of the Council. Hearing that Loren had only heard about the expedition third-hand, though, had him resisting the urge to frown as he slowed his eating while he thought. He didn't want to waste the meal that his friend had prepared, and he knew that once he began calling up those memories he wouldn't have much appetite.
Plate cleared, he nodded, taking a composing breath. "We weren't seeking the cannibals there, initially. We were looking for mage glass," he spoke evenly, the memories grim but unfortunately no worse than ones he had brought with him from his own world. "Neron thought the mine abandoned, but given its nearness to Whitebrim we went in cautiously. There were... two paths." He pulled up the image in his mind's eye, focusing on what had been. "The main one, heading down into the mine, and a smaller one off to the side. We chose the smaller, hoping that a lesser-used tunnel might have left something for us to find. 'Lesser used' was a lie." He shook his head, sipping his wine slowly. "There was a bridge, covered in ice, that threatened to give way beneath us. Spikes at the bottom, to impale any who fell," he added with a grimace. "Beyond that, another split. One tunnel seemed to lead to light and voices... a kitchen, I think, though we avoided it once we realized someone else was down there. The other... we traveled a short ways down it and came upon a... a larder, for lack of a better word. Boxes filled with bodies that had been... rendered, like deer or hogs, but these were human." He met Loren's eyes soberly. "I almost turned us back then. Evie and Maea were with us, and I was worried about them, but they decided to press on. We went farther, deeper into the mine, and came upon a cave. There was a fire in it, and six? ...yes, six people - cannibals, I assume - around it. And two ursurs chained to the wall," he cautioned as his tale came to an end. "I wasn't going to risk a fight, so at that point we turned around and snuck out. No mage glass to be be found," he added, disappointed but not surprised.
Loren grinned a bit sheepishly at Jigano's question. "They're one and the same." Then the healer frowned a bit. "However he got...cursed with deafness and hiccups, so perhaps waiting until Flowerbirth to speak to him about his music would be best." Giving the bard an awkward smile, the Launceleyn shrugged.
As he noticed the white-haired man digging in to the food, Loren did the same. They ate in companionable silence for a while. However, as Jigano began explaining what they'd encountered in the mine, the healer set down his fork.
Frowning a bit, he sent a feeling of sympathy, understanding, and just a hint of horror towards the bard. When the white-haired man finished speaking, the Launceleyn reached out to lay a hand on top of Jigano's. "That's awful." Taking a deep breath, Loren's expression grew more serious, almost steely. "But incredibly useful. Thank you. And I'm sorry I forced you to dredge up difficult memories." Tone grateful and apologetic, he squeezed the bard's hand gently.
"Deafness and hiccups? Gods least fortunate, that would be a nightmare for a bard," Jigano agreed with a shudder. "He has my condolences in that case, no matter his age." Though being a teenager did explain the general grumpiness and swiftness to lash out. It was an unsettled time of life, even for the smoothest adolescences.
He was glad he finished dinner before he took up the tale of the cannibal lair. It wasn't the sort of thing that led to a healthy appetite, much less one for meat, and Loren's meal was too good to set aside. Once it was over, however, the story was told as clearly and simply as Jigano could manage, hoping some small detail would be of use, but mostly it had been a lot of creeping around in the dark on icy stone. He wasn't expecting the touch, but he held himself still as he accepted it. Loren was a friend and had earned the right, and he gave the other man a dark-humored smile. "It is. Unfortunately, it's far from the worst thing I've seen, so don't feel bad about it. If it will come in handy to help you, I'm glad to have told it." He tilted his head at his friend, concern flickering through the bond. "Will you be going with this new expedition?"
Though it was probably inappropriate, Loren let out a huff of laughter. He made sure to send a pulse of understanding to Jigano as well. "It's not great for anyone, I imagine. Though yes, it's probably particularly troubling to someone who wishes to make music." Smiling a bit sadly, the healer just shook his head.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "That doesn't exactly make me feel better about asking you, you know," he pointed out a bit wryly.
Grinning just as darkly as the bard had, the Launceleyn nodded "I am, yes. I will spare you the details, especially about the other members of the expedition, as I predict it will just make you try to talk me out of it." His tone was almost, but not quite, apologetic.
05-06-2020, 05:52 PM (This post was last modified: 05-06-2020, 05:53 PM by Jigano.)
"So what brought this lad to your attention? How did you meet?" His curiosity was piqued now, and surely there was something special about the young man in question for him to have earned Loren's eye.
Jigano managed a wry smile for his friend's discomfort at asking about the unsettling experience, but sent a pulse of reassurance through the bond. "I'm hardly a wilting violet when it comes to that. I appreciate your concern, and it's far from pleasant to recall - particularly over a meal," he added a touch ruefully. "But it really is alright. If you're going to be heading down there yourself, I'd rather you go as prepared as possible."
The lack of details - and the members of the expedition - earned a faint snort of amusement as he raised a brow at the words. "Very well, sir Healer, keep your secrets," he teased. "I can guess at least one of those members by their omission. Watch your back down there, since it sounds like you won't have anyone else to do it for you." His humor had faded to solemn sobriety by the end.
Letting out a huff of laughter, Loren shook his head. "He asked me how much I wanted for Astra, then proceeded to give me a hard time about being an unwanted outsider." There was a wry tone to the words.
Shrugging a bit, he spread his hands. "But I don't hold it against him. I remember what it was like to be young and angry at everything and everyone. Must've been, oh, I don't know, earlier this season? Earlier today?" Not above a bit of self-deprecation, he gave Jigano an amused and knowing look.
It shifted to a grateful expression, accompanied by a pulse of understanding. "I appreciate it." Then the healer grinned. "Don't worry about me. Strange as it might sound, I might be the least hated and most trusted member of the expedition." He was incredibly bemused by that particular outcome.
"Wanted for...?" Jigano glanced over to where the companions were, eyes wide with disbelief. "For a companion? I'd expect a Natural to know better but... perhaps not," he admitted ruefully. "I don't think I've seen many Halovians with companions, come to think of it." Though the idea of a small ursur companion was oddly adorable.
A silver brow arched at the self-deprecation, but the bard couldn't help but grin. "At least a few weeks ago. Maybe even a month or two," he teasingly agreed. His voice shifted to a querulous timbre as he hunched his shoulders and narrowed his eyes, wagging a crooked finger at the youngster across the table. "Young whippersnappers getting your dander up at every little thing. Why, when I was your age..." He paused, blinking as he let the act drop, his expression turning to slightly embarrassed bemusement. "You know, I don't actually know how old you are?"
The bemusement remained as Loren revealed himself to be the most trusted, but there was no surprise. Jigano gave his friend a solemn nod of support. "You've earned the trust. They're lucky to have you with them."
Chuckling, Loren shook his head at Jigano's misunderstanding. "No. Worse. Much worse." As Astra bleated a protest, the healer sent an apologetic look her way. Glancing back at the bard, the Launceleyn's eyes crinkled with amusement. "Korbin wanted her for meat." There was a wry tone to his voice.
Snorting, he refilled his wine glass. "Nah, couldn't be that long. I'm sure I've done something dumb this season." Clearly self-deprecating, he let out a huff of laughter at the white-haired man's antics. "Twenty-two. Soon to be twenty-three. Not that I expect an old timer like you to remember what it's like to be in your prime." This time, Loren was obvious ribbing Jigano, though in a lighthearted way.
Grinning, the healer shrugged. "Actually, it's more a function of everyone else on the expedition being far more untrustworthy than I, but I appreciate the vote of confidence." He toasted the bard, sending along a pulse of gratitude as the Launceleyn did.
Worse? A silver brow arched as he glanced back to Astra worriedly, but the reveal drew a soft gasp and an instinctive pulse of reassurance towards the little luxere. "How could anyone see her sweet face and think 'dinner'?" The question was rhetorical, the bard shaking his head even as he sat back, pushing long hair behind his ears. "No, I get that Halo is harsher, but still... after depending on the luxere during LongNight in the Grounds, the thought of eating one is..." He shivered, wrinkling his nose. Repulsive.
They owed the creatures too much to treat them with less respect than that.
He grinned, sipping his own slowly to savor it as Loren joked with him. He nodded gratefully at having an age to put with the face, mock-scowling and pulling his face back into the 'old geezer' lines of the caricature. "Now see here, Leroy. Seventy-three is a perfectly respectable prime!" Prime number, that is. On account of Jigano being a nerd.
If even Loren with his stubborn kind streak was declaring the other people on the expedition 'untrustworthy' it sounded like a proper clusterfuck, and Jigano toasted his friend back ruefully. "Then I'll repeat what I said before about watching your back. Is there anything I can make for you before you set out? Tools or knives or something like that?" Deimos was always very big on handing out knives, and maybe there was something to that.
