Jigano claimed his own cup with slow grace, pausing to admire the antique porcelain before savoring the scent of the apples rising from it. Or... trying to. He was pretty sure he smelled apples through the congestion of his sinuses.
His own history was edited to be brief but bright, careful not to mention anything that might set Samuel too badly on edge when the evening had barely begun. But there was something he needed to know before he could relax completely, and that was how well the other man was recovering from their unexpected adventure. He watched the bookmaker pull himself up into a ball, taking up as little space as possible and tucking his limbs close as if to protect them, and the bard stifled a sigh of concern. But as the red head continued Jigano found himself smiling, giving an encouraging nod or two as his friend seemed to find a little confidence. "You were useful, and you didn't give up. You stood up to that Vizier a few times, and you were selfless at the end, when you gave me the feather. I'll tell you a secret: I didn't start out like this, either. I was nervous and scared - I still am, quite a lot. But..." he hesitated, then gave a careful shrug so as not to spill his tea as he sipped and savored the hot liquid. "But I pretended I was brave. I pretended I was who I wanted to be until, one day, I woke up and realized... I mostly was. And a lot of that was because I..." This time his hesitation was more abrupt, a shadow falling over his eyes. He sighed, looking to the fire and seeing memories dancing in its flames. "Because... I wasn't alone, back then. I had... people... with me. Who would become my friends. I had to at least pretend to be strong - for them. Though they were all braver than I in those days." His lopsided smile held an ache of old pain, and he drew in a deep breath, exhaling his ghosts with it a moment later. He took another sip of the tea to settle himself, then looked back at Samuel with a more cheerful smile. "So. Perhaps that will help you - as I think it already did, in the book, when you pretended to be the woodsman and you stood taller and spoke more firmly. And when you knew that I, stuck as a horse, had only you to depend on to speak for us both."
His own history was edited to be brief but bright, careful not to mention anything that might set Samuel too badly on edge when the evening had barely begun. But there was something he needed to know before he could relax completely, and that was how well the other man was recovering from their unexpected adventure. He watched the bookmaker pull himself up into a ball, taking up as little space as possible and tucking his limbs close as if to protect them, and the bard stifled a sigh of concern. But as the red head continued Jigano found himself smiling, giving an encouraging nod or two as his friend seemed to find a little confidence. "You were useful, and you didn't give up. You stood up to that Vizier a few times, and you were selfless at the end, when you gave me the feather. I'll tell you a secret: I didn't start out like this, either. I was nervous and scared - I still am, quite a lot. But..." he hesitated, then gave a careful shrug so as not to spill his tea as he sipped and savored the hot liquid. "But I pretended I was brave. I pretended I was who I wanted to be until, one day, I woke up and realized... I mostly was. And a lot of that was because I..." This time his hesitation was more abrupt, a shadow falling over his eyes. He sighed, looking to the fire and seeing memories dancing in its flames. "Because... I wasn't alone, back then. I had... people... with me. Who would become my friends. I had to at least pretend to be strong - for them. Though they were all braver than I in those days." His lopsided smile held an ache of old pain, and he drew in a deep breath, exhaling his ghosts with it a moment later. He took another sip of the tea to settle himself, then looked back at Samuel with a more cheerful smile. "So. Perhaps that will help you - as I think it already did, in the book, when you pretended to be the woodsman and you stood taller and spoke more firmly. And when you knew that I, stuck as a horse, had only you to depend on to speak for us both."
