[SE] With the hate of some other man's beliefs

For Sam the change in topic was one he was very thankful for. The last few days had been nothing but talking about the likelihood he was going to die and have his soul trapped for all eternity; it was, to say the least, not his favourite topic of conversation. No one had as of yet come to a solution, not even a Goddess, and he suspected he was going to be having this talk until he died. Standing up to walk along with Jigano, he looked out to the sea and a soft smile over came his face as he thought about Zeph. "Well....he um..." Sam tried to think of the best way to work around Zeph's nebulous, definitely illegal career. "...he's a d-dock worker. He...he has a house at the end of the r..r..road into Haulani." A sigh left him and he shrugged. "I don't kno...know if he likes me. Or ever wi-will. Besides, since the Vo..Voice changed me b-back, I'm--" Sam stopped dead, realising he'd just confessed to something Jigano hadn't known; he wondered how obvious it was. "...You know...there's ss-something I should tell y-you. About...who I wa..was, before the Voice. Bu..but you have to pr..promise, you won't treat me any differently af-fff-after." 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 they started to walk Jigano led them towards the water. "Shall we test the rumors about water-walking birds out for ourselves?" he suggested, hoping to brighten Sam's mood a little. A glance back at the birds and a raised brow had two of the trio flapping up to settle on the men's shoulders, if Sam was willing to give it a try, the birds held in place by the bard's Beastmaster ability.

"An honorable profession," Jigano murmured at hearing that the apple of his friend's eye was a laborer. Perhaps not the most glamorous profession, but Sam deserved stability and reliability, and perhaps this man could provide that.

The uncertainty about being 'liked' had Jigano suppressing a soft sigh as he led the way in stepping into the waves--

And onto them, balancing on the water with open delight as he tried to pull Sam after him, the Hel on the bookmaker's shoulder chirping quietly to itself. "You're still you, Sam," he tried to reassure his friend. "She changed nothing about you that truly matters..." He hesitated, turning to look at his friend with sober concern at Sam's solemnity. Squeezing the other man's hand he nodded. "I promise," he said gently. "What is it, old friend?" There was so much mystery in that request that he couldn't even begin to guess at what was to come, so he composed himself to listen and learn.

"...Oh, y-yes, I heard ab..about that." Sam nodded, after a moment of wondering if Jigano had lost his mind then suddenly remembering some tale Zeph had mentioned some nights prior. "...Do you think it'll w..wo...work?" Not that stranger things hadn't happened in Caido, but when he looked at the dark sea before them, unknown horrors in it's depths, it was hard not to feel some apprehension. Still, he trusted Jigano enough that when he saw his friend go to walk into the surf, he approached it too, toes just close enough for the water to lap over them. Before he stepped in, he turned to make his confession, hands clasped in front of him anxiously. "Well...um..." He took a deep steadying breath. The only person he'd told this to was Zeph and even then not in so many words: he felt a block in his throat already, but tried to swallow it and keep talking. "When I was b-born, I was...wasn't Samuel. I..um...well..I..." Sam fumbled for the words, not having the right ones to say. "Me and Evie, we were...s-si-sisters, I gue..guess, but I never l..liked that. So when I we-went to the Voice, at 16...I asked her t-t-to make me a man." Nervously he stared at Jigano to see how he would react. 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

"Ronin said it would, but there's no way to know until we try," he said, optimistic but willing to trust the former captain. He had, after all, traded something extremely valuable for the information and the cloud manta crystal that came with it.

The sea was dangerous, dark, and full of mystery... but he'd met and befriended one of the merfolk, and had his dragonshift if things grew dangerous, a form to protect both himself and Sam with.

He paused at the confession, however, solemn and listening, and when it came...

Blue eyes blinked and he cocked his head to the side curiously, worry dawning. "She didn't take that back from you, too, did she?" His brow furrowed and he reached up to absently stroke the bird on his shoulder and soothe it. "Frey might be willing to intervene..." The thought of the wanton nature good sent a chill up his spine, but for Sam's sake he was willing to brave them.

"Oh." Sam frowned at the mention of Ronin, unsure quite where he stood with the man after their ups and downs surrounding Remi. Still, he was relatively confident that he wouldn't lie about the Hels. "Then, alright. L-let's try i..it." At Jigano's lead, he would willingly step out onto the water, once the birds were on their shoulders; perhaps a little adventure would be a good thing at the moment. He couldn't help the bitter laugh at Jigano's question, at the idea that the Voice would have left him with anything so important. "She d-did take that. Though..." While he didn't want to discuss the intimate details of his body with Jigano, Sam found that he felt a need to explain his thought process over the last few days. As much as there had been other terrible things, this was actually one of the better points. "...I've f...fffound I like m-myself. Like this. I'm s..still me, Samuel, a m-man..but...my b-body isn't the prob-problem I thought it was whe-when I was younger." 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

He smiled encouragingly, reaching out for his friend's hand as they walked upon the waves, the sand only a few inches beneath them in water that stayed shallow. Even if they should fall - and with his Beastmaster ability coaxing the Hels to remain firmly planted that was unlikely - they would fall into water no more than knee-deep.

The dark laugh was all the answer he needed and anger flared anew at the Voice's cruelty, the pettiness that rivaled Safrin's. He squeezed his friend's hand reassuringly, but Sam continued with more grace and self-acceptance than most could have managed in such a difficult turn of circumstance, and Jigano's anger banked beneath his respect and pride for his friend. "I'm glad," he said quietly. "That you've found a measure of peace. For what it's worth, this changes nothing of our friendship, or who you are to me. My friend, my brother." Not by blood, perhaps, but in spirit.

Sam smiled as he took Jigano's hand, glad that despite everything he had a friend he could trust. Walking on the water was a bizarre and wonderful experience, the wet on his feet but lack of give feeling delightfully wrong; he felt almost triumphant over the vastly powerful sea. Jigano's words made that smile larger and he squeezed his friends hand. "Thank you. You are m-mine, as well." Sometimes they fought, sometimes they believed differently, but he always seemed to find himself comfortable with Jigano in the end. 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 night tide was gentle, the waves low as they broke out along a distant line and lapped lightly towards the beach tonight. The moon was a sliver in the sky above, distant perhaps or simply turning its face towards some other sea. Given his relationship with the goddess of the sky, Jigano was just as happy with that state of affairs as he balanced over the water with his friend and their birds.

Seeing the smile returned to Sam's face - whether for the water-walking or the words spoken - lightened some of the weight in Jigano's own heart, and his smile warmed further at his friend's care and the bond they shared. His smile turned to a grin as he hopped over a small wavelet, setting the bird on his shoulder to squawking protest but remaining firmly perched. "So does this handsome dockworker have a name?" he teased gently, hoping to keep the conversation on something that would continue to keep Sam's spirits up.

Sam was not brave enough to attempt a hop, but he was happy to just walk along the water with Jigano, staring down at the ocean beneath his feet as if to try and convince himself of what was happening. The bird on his shoulder seemed to be similarly transfixed with what was going on, or at least content enough to stay still: Sam thought he'd have to bring some seeds down for them later. Jigano's question drew his attention away from the water. "...Hm?" He asked, until it finally sunk in and he laughed shyly, looking to the side and trying to pretend he wasn't hugely enthusiastic about this topic. "His na-name is Zeph. Do you...kn...know him?" 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

It had been some time since he'd heard that shy laugh sound so carefree, and Jigano didn't try to hide his own smile in return, glad that Sam had found a point of light in the storm his life had become. "Zeph? Not yet. But I hope you'll introduce us sometime." Or he'd bump into the man on his own at some point, but he looked forward to his friend making the official introductions, if only to see his eyes light up in the presence of one who had captured his heart.

A heart that could be changeable and easily hurt, but had grown steadily stronger in the years Jigano had known him. Perhaps this time there would be a happier ending for the gentle romantic.

"How did you two meet?" he probed gently, ever-curious and delighted to know more of this swain who had earned Sam's wounded heart. Even if the feelings weren't yet reciprocated there was a certain sweetness to being in love, and Sam had more than earned the right to it.

"Oh, um, maybe, bu...but..." Sam laughed again, now a little more embarrassed. "When I do, you c-can't mention an...anything, about me liking him." Things between Zeph and himself were still at an awkward limbo where he wasn't quite sure where it would all go and he didn't want to sabotage what they did have by sounding like he'd been weird about Zeph to his friends. How they met was something that brought a smile to his face, even if it was just as embarrassed as the laugh. Sam looked down to the ocean. "Um, I was sa-sat on the port, and he...he um, came up fff..ffrom swimming. Um. Naked." Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked away from Jigano, clearly flustered. 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

Of course Sam had been weird about Zeph to his friends. But that was part of Sam's charm, and Jigano took it in stride, offering his friend a sunny smile. "I promise," he assured him. "Would it be weirder if I said you'd never mentioned him? Or should we say you just mentioned that he was a friend you'd made in Torchline?" Ah, coming up with a cover story felt a little like cheating. Jigano usually tried to tell the truth, but for Sam's sake a little white lie surely wouldn't hurt?

The birds on their shoulders sat calmly thanks to Jigano's deft use of his Attuned ability, allowing them to wander over the shallow waves, never getting too far from shore but exploring the ocean in a most unique way beneath the moonlight. The bard listened eagerly to the tale of first meeting (and love at first sight?) and his grin grew wide enough to nearly split his face as the story unfolded. Sam's dilemma with the Voice wasn't far from his thoughts, but he wanted to give his friend the happiness of this conversation for a while, and so focused on the more interesting aspects of what the bookmaker revealed. "Ohhhh? And what did you do next?"

"...Sh-should probably say he's a f..friend. I live wi-with him, after all." Sam doubted Zeph expected him not to mention his name at all: it wasn't a secret, as far as he knew, that they were sharing a home. The ocean was still delightfully refreshing on Sam's feet even if he could not entirely feel it's cool and he found the whole experience healing, each push of the waves seeming to be a balm on his heart and fears: perhaps life was terrible, perhaps it would soon be over, but at least he would have moments like this to rest in before the dreadful day came. It was not the best comfort, but it was all he could have for the moment. He laughed awkwardly at Jigano's question and shrugged. "I um, tri-tried my best not to lo..look, even if I did wan..want to, just a bit." Hopefully Jigano wouldn't begrudge him a little bit of thirst appreciation for a naked man, but he had truthfully preserved Zeph's modesty by turning his head. "He sa..sat next to me. We tal...talked...and ne-next time I saw him, he as-asked if I wanted t-to stay there." 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

"You've already moved in together?" Jigano's grin was mischievous as he teased his friend beneath the moonlight. "That's a big first step. And an important one." It was nice to know that you could live with someone, getting all the little tweaks and quirks discovered and worked out with the buffer of friendship, before friendship turned to something more. He was impressed with how Sam was handling this new romance, even if it was unrequited so far.

The Hel's seemed comfortable enough on their shoulders, barely needing the Beastmaster ability to keep them there. Perhaps because the men weren't foolish enough to dance out over deeper and more dangerous water; there wasn't much fun in dumping humans in waves less than knee-deep, but the experience was still one that was fascinating and fun in spite of how dark their conversation had begun.

The bard didn't blame his friend for wanting to peek, flashing him a wink to reassure him that - for once - no judgment was forthcoming. "I'd be lying if I said I never stole an appreciative glance or three at Rory before we were anything like, ah, 'official,'" he reassured the bookmaker. "It sounds like a lovely way to meet someone, though. I'm glad, Sam, that there's someone like him in your life now." His voice softened at the end and he reached out to give his friend's hand a warm squeeze of support. "Do you... think you'll stay here? After LongNight ends? Move to Torchline to be with him?" For as long as the bookmaker had left... or until they could find a way to save him?