Jigano smiled at Nairi's gallantry, the expression gentling as Seiji took the cloak and wrapped it around himself. His own linen shirt's wide sleeves let the cold air in far too easily, but he tucked his hands together inside them as they walked, conserving heat against his own slender frame as best he could. At least the exercise generated some heat, even as a light evening breeze stole it away. The shadows were deepening in the twilight, the first, brightest starts becoming visible in the sky above the barrier, but the snow reflected even the faint light remaining of the day so it wasn't completely dark, and a half-moon was already partway risen in the east.
His expression turned grave at Nairi's description of her world, and though he didn't know what 'skyscrapers' were, and suspected her definition of 'modern' might be different than his own, the imagery she painted of ruins and destruction were still clear enough. "Then I think you shall find this world... not so much 'better' but perhaps less terrible than what you left," he said thoughtfully, before turning his head to hear Seiji's tale. The simple words brought one pale brow arching in surprise, however, and he hummed thoughtfully before replying.
"In the past, no. Portals that brought outlanders here were rare, at least in the records I have found. But recently... within the past few months... the portals have been appearing with greater frequency. One brought a large number of people from a place called Northaven all at once, but since then we have arrived from various worlds one at a time. Certainly this is the first time I have heard of two different portals opening so close together in time and space though..." he hesitated, glancing between his two new companions. "If you don't remember where you were from, I suppose it's possibly you come from Nairi's world, too." But their clothes were different enough that it seemed unlikely, and he didn't hide the uncertainty in his voice.
"Nairi, to answer your question from earlier a bit more, Caido is... for lack of better explanation, a world in a bubble." He frowned, tapping a finger on his forearm inside his sleeve at how insufficient the explanation was. "Rather, this is not a small area of land, but there is a barrier of sorts... magical, or force, or a combination of both, that surrounds it in a great sphere. Nothing can pass through it that we have found - living creatures that get near it grow sick, and die if they touch it. Nonliving things simply bounce off it or are repelled. There is a world beyond it, but for now... we are trapped. And the people who live here have been trapped for some time. Centuries, at least. The native population is not large, the plants and animals seem... stunted. Unhealthy. One might say the same of the local gods as well."
He slanted a glance to Seiji to make sure he was doing alright and hopefully warming a little with the cloak about him, then turned his attention to Nairi. "There are ruins here, too, though I don't think from war. From what I've discovered in journals and histories in the Atheneum - the great library here - the raising of the barrier is what caused the damage, though how or why it was raised, no one knows. Whether to keep something in or out... is a question I am trying to find an answer to. But the population that survived was small and somewhat scattered. Buildings tend to be reclaimed and rebuilt on an as-needed basis, so I'm afraid you will find at least some surface similarities to your world here."
He paused then, not only to take a breath but to let the newcomers have some time to digest all that he had said, and to ask more questions now that they had a little more information.
His expression turned grave at Nairi's description of her world, and though he didn't know what 'skyscrapers' were, and suspected her definition of 'modern' might be different than his own, the imagery she painted of ruins and destruction were still clear enough. "Then I think you shall find this world... not so much 'better' but perhaps less terrible than what you left," he said thoughtfully, before turning his head to hear Seiji's tale. The simple words brought one pale brow arching in surprise, however, and he hummed thoughtfully before replying.
"In the past, no. Portals that brought outlanders here were rare, at least in the records I have found. But recently... within the past few months... the portals have been appearing with greater frequency. One brought a large number of people from a place called Northaven all at once, but since then we have arrived from various worlds one at a time. Certainly this is the first time I have heard of two different portals opening so close together in time and space though..." he hesitated, glancing between his two new companions. "If you don't remember where you were from, I suppose it's possibly you come from Nairi's world, too." But their clothes were different enough that it seemed unlikely, and he didn't hide the uncertainty in his voice.
"Nairi, to answer your question from earlier a bit more, Caido is... for lack of better explanation, a world in a bubble." He frowned, tapping a finger on his forearm inside his sleeve at how insufficient the explanation was. "Rather, this is not a small area of land, but there is a barrier of sorts... magical, or force, or a combination of both, that surrounds it in a great sphere. Nothing can pass through it that we have found - living creatures that get near it grow sick, and die if they touch it. Nonliving things simply bounce off it or are repelled. There is a world beyond it, but for now... we are trapped. And the people who live here have been trapped for some time. Centuries, at least. The native population is not large, the plants and animals seem... stunted. Unhealthy. One might say the same of the local gods as well."
He slanted a glance to Seiji to make sure he was doing alright and hopefully warming a little with the cloak about him, then turned his attention to Nairi. "There are ruins here, too, though I don't think from war. From what I've discovered in journals and histories in the Atheneum - the great library here - the raising of the barrier is what caused the damage, though how or why it was raised, no one knows. Whether to keep something in or out... is a question I am trying to find an answer to. But the population that survived was small and somewhat scattered. Buildings tend to be reclaimed and rebuilt on an as-needed basis, so I'm afraid you will find at least some surface similarities to your world here."
He paused then, not only to take a breath but to let the newcomers have some time to digest all that he had said, and to ask more questions now that they had a little more information.
