"I'm not nearly as good as people seem to think I am," he said softly, in a voice that was meant to be joking but came out a little too honest for his own peace of mind. He ducked his head, hiding the shadows in his eyes as he made it easier for Rory to tuck his hair back in place. When he looked up again there were different shadows, more recent ones, and the weight of knowledge that he wasn't sure Rory wanted to hear. At least, not in his current state and situation. He couldn't blame his friend's temper, but he was still relieved when it burned itself out quickly and the gentleness returned to the hunter's voice as he corrected the lorekeeper.
Jigano listened intently, eyes widening at the unexpected idea that the Abandoned of the time had all been gathered together and put in the cage. He had been assuming that the races of this world passed along traits like magic from parents to children, even though becoming Attuned or Ascended was a choice. But hearing that it wasn't the case opened an entirely new set of possibilities before him and his ears perked forward sharply as he drank in the new information.
"No," he admitted softly. "I... have spoken with Ludo. Once." He winced ears canting swiftly back at a guilty angle as he focused intently on Rory's hands for a few moments. "He... liked my music. But he is not a... comfortable god to... bargain with."
He tried to move past the moment quickly, a flicker of anxiety in his chest at whether Rory would be angry at him, for what he had done in a moment of impulse and emotion and good intentions gone astray.
The road to Hell, indeed...
He missed his magic, deeply. He had been born with it, gift and curse alike, and learned more when he was old enough and found he had the knack for songs and spells as well as prayers and meditations. He tried not to wince at the mention of Remi and the silent unfairness that the boy with no sense of his own power understood how lucky he was, to have what others - like Jigano and Caiside - had lost. "I was born an Oracle," he said slowly, raising his eyes to meet Rory's again, seeking signs of understanding - or confusion. "From a long line of them, on my mother's side. I had a connection to the divine, which is how I could heal, and also a deeper sense of the world. I wasn't bound to a single deity but rather more of a... a divine ideal." His lips quirked a little and he flicked his ear, wishing Rory's hand still stroked it. "My mother was an Oracle of Life, but I was an Oracle of Lore... of knowledge and answers and questions in all their forms." He gave a soft shake of his head, extending a finger free of where they held hands to tickle one of Isuma's twitching paws. "But that doesn't put food on the table, so as I grew older I also picked up the skills of a bard. Instruments, songs, stories... a way to pass on what I learned, and to learn even more in turn. And more magic sparked in my blood when I sang and told the old tales. Spells to inspire my allies to greater strength and courage, to speed our steps, or strike fear into enemies, or turn sound itself into a weapon..." He trailed off, shaking his head and looking up to Rory again with drooping ears. "And becoming human for real instead of as a disguise has been... taking some time to get used to," he admitted, very quietly, as much to himself as to the man who held his hand and gave him strength even while laying wounded in the dark.
Jigano listened intently, eyes widening at the unexpected idea that the Abandoned of the time had all been gathered together and put in the cage. He had been assuming that the races of this world passed along traits like magic from parents to children, even though becoming Attuned or Ascended was a choice. But hearing that it wasn't the case opened an entirely new set of possibilities before him and his ears perked forward sharply as he drank in the new information.
"No," he admitted softly. "I... have spoken with Ludo. Once." He winced ears canting swiftly back at a guilty angle as he focused intently on Rory's hands for a few moments. "He... liked my music. But he is not a... comfortable god to... bargain with."
He tried to move past the moment quickly, a flicker of anxiety in his chest at whether Rory would be angry at him, for what he had done in a moment of impulse and emotion and good intentions gone astray.
The road to Hell, indeed...
He missed his magic, deeply. He had been born with it, gift and curse alike, and learned more when he was old enough and found he had the knack for songs and spells as well as prayers and meditations. He tried not to wince at the mention of Remi and the silent unfairness that the boy with no sense of his own power understood how lucky he was, to have what others - like Jigano and Caiside - had lost. "I was born an Oracle," he said slowly, raising his eyes to meet Rory's again, seeking signs of understanding - or confusion. "From a long line of them, on my mother's side. I had a connection to the divine, which is how I could heal, and also a deeper sense of the world. I wasn't bound to a single deity but rather more of a... a divine ideal." His lips quirked a little and he flicked his ear, wishing Rory's hand still stroked it. "My mother was an Oracle of Life, but I was an Oracle of Lore... of knowledge and answers and questions in all their forms." He gave a soft shake of his head, extending a finger free of where they held hands to tickle one of Isuma's twitching paws. "But that doesn't put food on the table, so as I grew older I also picked up the skills of a bard. Instruments, songs, stories... a way to pass on what I learned, and to learn even more in turn. And more magic sparked in my blood when I sang and told the old tales. Spells to inspire my allies to greater strength and courage, to speed our steps, or strike fear into enemies, or turn sound itself into a weapon..." He trailed off, shaking his head and looking up to Rory again with drooping ears. "And becoming human for real instead of as a disguise has been... taking some time to get used to," he admitted, very quietly, as much to himself as to the man who held his hand and gave him strength even while laying wounded in the dark.
