"That's only human," Jigano tried to reassure his friend, wondering if he should offer examples of his own missteps. Such as several points along their conversation already today. But... no. This moment was about Sam, not him, and the bard bit back further words until the bookmaker's wistful look out into the snowfield drew the white-haired man after him in philosophical meandering.
"Ah, yes, you said you flew with him out of the cave. I... am not so graceful in the air," the bard chuckled, remembering his own rare experiences with flight. "A mage friend of mine, back on my world, occasionally cast a spell to let me fly for short periods of time - without changing shape as happens here. I was... not well-practice at it, I'm rather embarrassed to say. Everyone else I traveled with grew quite proficient, but I never did get the hang of it." With feet on the ground he was confident and assured. Without that, well... the fewer witnesses, the better.
Sam's smile was almost painful given all that they had struggled with already. Jigano exhaled slowly, some of the tension easing from the corners of his eyes as they brightened and his own smile softened. Taking refuge in his training, he offered Sam a solemn half-bow, though the smile remained when he rose again. He might have protested but... part of him cherished the thought that Sam still saw the sparks of what he had once sought to become, in spite of all the tarnish. "Thank you, Sam. I hope you're making more, as well, for you deserve no less. You have a good heart, and a kind soul." He reached into his belt pouch to touch the edge of the grey journal, smile widening. "And a skill with paper and books I can only envy. I had meant to ask, in fact, if you would be interested in being the chronicler for our guild? To write down our stories, like how we found and readied our Hall, and about the people who join us; their specialties and interests. I think it would be good, too, to have all of the questions we research and are asked written down in one central place, along with the answers we find. With your knowledge of how to make and unmake books to add new pages, and your skill with writing, I can think of no one better able to hold the position. Would you be interested in such a thing?" His voice turned tentative, at the end, uncertain if his friend would be excited at the suggestion, or if there was, yet again, a flaw in his phrasing that would push the bookmaker further away.
"Ah, yes, you said you flew with him out of the cave. I... am not so graceful in the air," the bard chuckled, remembering his own rare experiences with flight. "A mage friend of mine, back on my world, occasionally cast a spell to let me fly for short periods of time - without changing shape as happens here. I was... not well-practice at it, I'm rather embarrassed to say. Everyone else I traveled with grew quite proficient, but I never did get the hang of it." With feet on the ground he was confident and assured. Without that, well... the fewer witnesses, the better.
Sam's smile was almost painful given all that they had struggled with already. Jigano exhaled slowly, some of the tension easing from the corners of his eyes as they brightened and his own smile softened. Taking refuge in his training, he offered Sam a solemn half-bow, though the smile remained when he rose again. He might have protested but... part of him cherished the thought that Sam still saw the sparks of what he had once sought to become, in spite of all the tarnish. "Thank you, Sam. I hope you're making more, as well, for you deserve no less. You have a good heart, and a kind soul." He reached into his belt pouch to touch the edge of the grey journal, smile widening. "And a skill with paper and books I can only envy. I had meant to ask, in fact, if you would be interested in being the chronicler for our guild? To write down our stories, like how we found and readied our Hall, and about the people who join us; their specialties and interests. I think it would be good, too, to have all of the questions we research and are asked written down in one central place, along with the answers we find. With your knowledge of how to make and unmake books to add new pages, and your skill with writing, I can think of no one better able to hold the position. Would you be interested in such a thing?" His voice turned tentative, at the end, uncertain if his friend would be excited at the suggestion, or if there was, yet again, a flaw in his phrasing that would push the bookmaker further away.
