The brightest light casts the darkest shadows

Knowing now that Maea's vision pained her, Jigano no longer wondered why she looked away, even if she couldn't see the sympathy on his face. "I am sorry," he said softly as she explained her symptoms. "I cannot imagine how frightening that must be." On his world there had been ways to compensate for such a lack, but Caido was more primitive in a great many ways. Catching the solemnity of the moment, Isuma stopped her hunt-and-pounce of his lace and sat back, looking up at the two tall humans with confused, slightly worried golden eyes.

He hadn't expected Maea to be so blunt, but in some ways it was a little refreshing, even if her opinion made him wince a little. Then again, was it really Isla who had come back to them? Or had the change in her body done something to her mind as well? "I don't... entirely disagree with you," he admitted cautiously. "Making deals with the gods is a dangerous game at the best of times." As he well knew. 'Dreamless one,' Ludo had called him, a reminder of his own transaction with the masked god. "And the one who did so has a history of trading pieces of himself to Ludo in exchange for gifts and favors. I have no idea what he could have given away this time, though." He didn't bother hiding his frown, a mix of exasperation, frustration, and genuine worry for Remi simmering uncomfortably in his stomach. The boy had gotten himself in too deep this time, Jigano knew, and he didn't know how to save him from the consequences of his decisions. Damn the young fool anyways for making the bard care in spite of himself.

"But I suppose... if you had something you were willing to trade... perhaps one of the gods might be willing to answer you?" he suggested hesitantly. "Though, I'm not sure which of the four would be ideal for you to pray to. I've only had dealings with Ludo, and I've witnessed others meeting with the Voice, but Frey and Safrin are largely unknown to me." Gods of sex and hedonism, from what he'd been told, and seen of Safrin's priest. He couldn't help but doubt their ability to help much, but even a small hope was better than none.

To her surprise, the comment was not met with either anger nor hard words in return. Looking back up, the slender girl blinked at Jigano and relaxed visibly, so taken aback by the unusual response that she didn't know what to say.

"I hope they will be alright" she said lamely. "Both of them..."

While indeed glad that the Isla person was alive, and equally troubled by what might be in store for the person who called her back, Maea was too far removed from the people they spoke of to feel much of anything. It was different when the person in question was standing right in front of her though. She might not be able to see him all that well, but like any timid person Maea was good at picking up the general mood in others, and she sensed that the conversations did little to cheer Jigano up. He was so kind, and full of good service, and it was hard to beat them down with the reality of things.

Of course he had no way of knowing that the gods were not likely to ever respons to her prayers, or that paying even for spectacles might be more than she could afford. So she swallowed the objections and merely smiled instead, nodding with the same enthusiams she had always given talk of the Spark Bird and breaking the barrier and other equally impossible things.

"That is a good idea. I will definitely try. And... do you think maybe there could be anything written down somewhere? Maybe there is a herb or potion that could help, only people have forgotten about it..."

It could not hurt, could it? After all... looking at the radiant bird above them and feeling its warmth blossom against the skin made it that much harder to speak of impossibilities.

Taking in the light, Maea suddenly smiled as a thought came to her. "Has anyone told you of the Fiat Lux?" she asked. Maybe that was something she could contribute with, small though it might be.

He inclined his head graciously at her well-wishes for his friend - and Remi. There was nothing he could do for either of them at the moment, however, but perhaps he could offer Maea a little hope - that snake-oil drug of the weak-minded, as 108 might have called it. Perhaps the pale Ascended didn't need it, confident and content in their purpose, serving their god as required of them, but lesser mortals, even himself, found it a comfort in times of darkness.

"There could indeed," he agreed, approval warming his voice at her train of thought. That Maea was willing to take steps to pursue a solution rather than sitting back and waiting for fate to take its course impressed the lorekeeper, and he bent to scoop his gryphlet back into his hand as she sat back on her hand legs, wings fluttering for attention. "A request that the Loreseekers would be happy to assist you with. Though... that would have been Isla's specialty, once..." He hesitated, the complicated feelings of loss - but not quite, but near enough - causing a slight drop in his tone. He shook it off, focusing on his current companion with a renewed smile. "And we don't simply look things up in dusty old books! Knowledge can come from many places - and many people. Much knowledge has never been written down, but passed from person to person, only ever spoken. Even if it becomes difficult to read the books in the Atheneum, you can still seek out those who follow an oral tradition. But whichever path you chose, you would be welcome in our Hall," he offered, juggling his companion in one hand and fiery feather in the other to manage a graceful half-bow.

Her sudden smile caught him by surprise at its sweetness and he perked forward immediately at the new term, some of his weariness fading at the scent of new information to be learned. "Fiat Lux? Some sort of... light party?" he hazarded. "No, I've never heard of it. What is it?"

There were many firsts for Maea this LongNight. The first away from home and family, the first time she ever saw the Spark Bird, the first time she spoke to an outlander at length and indeed the first time she took a step towards bettering herself. Now she was well on the way towards making a new friend, and maybe even set foot in the Atheneum. It was rather a lot to take in, but though she had that dizzying sensation of unreal reality where everything felt too bright and close and a little misaligned, the giddy elation it brought was welcome.

"Thank you" she said, and meant it. "I would love to see your hall, and the others you spoke of. It would be nice to actually do something instead of brooding."

And sharing something was a nice feeling too. The fair-haired girl inched just a little closer so she could pet Isuma, her hand almost as white as the fur and feathers of the griffin in the firelight. It intrigued her how Jigano could figure out so much from a mere few words; to Maea the name was just a name, the meaning lost and largely ignored, imbued with the memory of tradition instead.

"Close! It is a festival to celebrate Flowerbirth. The.. ah,  the season that comes next. Everyone helps to repair the buildings that were damaged this week, clean out LongNight and prepair for sowing, and then we gather food and hang banners everywhere and have a day of feasting and dancing. It really is the best time of the year!" The more the spoke the brighter her face grew, downcast features brightening with animation as she described the event.

"There has been enough of darkness this week," he agreed gently. "Perhaps the Spark Bird's arrival can herald hope for your quest, as well. I hope you will come join us there, once things return to normal." Brooding had its place, he thought with a wry inward smile, and he was more guilty than most of wallowing in it. He just had the training to hide it better... usually. But between Rory and Amalia and Ludo and now the Spark Bird, well, perhaps he could yet find his way back towards the light. At least a little ways...

Jigano smiled as Maea reached out to pet Isuma again, the cheerful gryphlet Reep!ing approval and nestling her head into the touch, wings fluttering as she was firmly held in the lorekeeper's steady hand.

He nodded in satisfaction at having been fairly close to the proper meaning of the name, the language similar to one he'd found in the Atheneum before. "A festival of spring cleaning? Er, Flowerbirth cleaning? That sounds like a wonderful idea!" He was glad to see the pale girl looking so excited and happy as she described it, her ethereal features taking on quite a pretty cast with the spark of animation lighting them. "Is there much music during the celebrations? I might be able to contribute something to them, if so. What's your favorite part of them?" He asked, trying to coax out more happy memories to banish the shadows of Long Night that still lay cold and deep on the snow around them.

An invitation to visit was amazing enough. One that sounded like an almost invite to join the guild was a whole other kind of remarkable, and the ghostly girl added that to her list of firsts. It was strange how so many things could change in the space of a few days. It was as if she'd entered a process of rebirth, like the ungainly larvae that cocooned itself in, and now slowly had to break free from the confinement of its own making. She was overwhelmed with the possibilities that lined up in front of her, the sensation that whatever road she chose from now would go on to determine how the rest of her life would be.

A ridiculous notion of course, but with a delightful sense of adventure and whimsy that Maea approved of. She nodded her acceptance - to come visit, to start changing her fate, to whatever else he thought she might be worthy of - and couldn't help the happy grin that took over her lips, spreading light to pale eyes and a flush to pale cheeks so rarely troubled by color.

"Well, the actual festival is only a day and a night" she went on to explain. "Before that is the cleaning and preparations, but people are generally so happy about Deepfrost being over that the whole time feels like a feast." She thought back to past years and tried to recall the details of it. "There is plenty of music, and games and dancing, We gather food and build a bonfire in the fields, and for the whole day people can eat and drink as much as they like..." A remarkable thing really, in a place where nothing came in plenty.

"The chorus bees are everywhere - you'll like them if you like music, they make melodies when they swarm - and the flowers grow enormous, and..." She actually laughed. There was no way she could describe it all, the Fiat Lux was better experienced really.

"You'll see, it's going to be amazing!"

Jigano was pleased at Maea's acceptance of his invitation, and didn't bother to hide it. Whether she ultimately chose to join the guild, or simply to avail herself of their services, he would be glad to be able to help someone in his capacity as lorekeeper - now Provost of the Loreseekers - again.

It was hard not to get caught up in the pale woman's excitement, and the promise of a celebration in the sun and under the stars sounded almost dreamlike after the terrors of the Long Night that still wasn't over yet. It was hard to tell time with the supernatural darkness pressing in and pressing down on them, making it feel like it had been far longer than it had. It made the Spark Bird's light all the more precious, and Jigano closed his fingers more firmly around the fiery feather he still held, even as he brought Isuma back to his chest to cuddle the little gryphlet close. She caught his mood - his interest, his cautious hope - as he listened to Maea's recitation, and peeped happily as she gathered herself and managed the half-leap, half-climb back up to his shoulder.

"It sounds marvelous," he agreed warmly. "Especially the music and dancing! But can you tell me more about these 'chorus bees'? They sound positively enchanting!" Unless they were prone to stinging people to death. With Caido, you never could tell.

Basking in the light of his approval, the girl readily shared what she knew about the subject. Unaccustomed to praise or the attention of others, she positively bloomed, so happy to have made Jigano smile in ernest that it was almost ridiculous. Maybe it was the Sparkbird's doing, or the light in midst of the darkest night, or simply the fact that she rather liked this person she spoke with. It didn't really matter; Maea was happy, and that was the only important thing.

"They're regular bees for the most part" she told him, "except that they've learned to make sound when they fly. They swarm during Flowerbirth, and when they do it sounds like a song drifting on the wind. Quite gentle really, so long as they aren't disturbed, but if they are they will band together and attack."

Tilting her head, the short young woman considered the lorekeeper with some curiosity. "How come you like music so much?" she asked. "I mean, it's nice and fun but... there's not really anything you can learn from a song, is there?"

One of the pleasures of being a loreseeker was seeing the way people could light up when someone just listened to them, and gave them the respect and focus of an interested audience. Maea seemed to shed a weight of worries as she related the events to come, cheering them both up with the promise of springtime renewal after the ravages of Long Night. They weren't there yet... but it helped to know that it was coming, in a way Jigano hadn't really appreciated before. All during Deepfrost all the worry had been over Long Night preparations, as if the world ended then. Not one person had mentioned what came after, and Maea's tales of feasting and dancing and joy was a balm the bard hadn't even realized he'd needed until she had him smiling along with her.

"Do you know if they mind being accompanied?" he asked, smile still hovering at the corners of his lips. "On, say, a flute?" What a fascinating opportunity that would be! Perhaps they could teach him a few new songs while they were at it!

The pale girl's question earned a chuckle, and he reached up to tickle Isuma. "Music can stir people's emotions - or calm them," he explained. "But quite a few songs are teaching songs - from the nursery rhymes you learn as a child to recitations of herbal remedies your grandparents might have recited to you, even if they focused more on meter and rhyme than notes. And when you come to a new place, their songs can help to guide you on what things are acceptable and what are not - love songs can reveal how courtships go, historical ballads can teach you of, well, the local history. Even comic ditties can give insight to behaviors with are greeted with scorn or embarrassment." He chuckled, nodding in the direction of the Atheneum. "When I was growing up my town was better off than most, but we didn't have a true library, open to everyone. I studied at the temple of Brigh with the other village children, but much of the initial lore I sought out came from learning songs and speaking to people wiser than I - oral, rather than written knowledge."

"Maybe, I've never tried! You should give it a shot and see what happens."

Maea laughed along with him, marveling at how good it felt. When had she done that last? It felt like a long time, and it dawned on her just how tense she had become. Not only this Deepfrost, but... probably ever since her father died. That was almost two years ago. Things at home were alright, but there was always work to be done and no time for laughter or games, no one to sing or tell stories, and learning? Oh Caido, what she wouldn't give to have the chance to spend her life in pursuit of knowledge. His description of his early life, the potentials hidden away in the most innocent of places... it was as fascinating as it was alien to her ears.

"There are no real schools here" she said, still smiling but sobering somewhat as the topic became more serious. "Some learn to read from their parents, others have their children learn from the elders who can't really work anymore... But there are many who can't read or figure at all. Music is a luxury, something to do in your spare time - as if there was such a thing!"

Work never ended on a farm, and with the responsibility of providing food for the whole community the farmers and hunters carried a heavy load on their shoulders. Everyone did what they could of course, but there were always those who could not pull their weight, or who had other tasks just as important. It was a fragile system, easily broken and under severe strain with the influx of more people who did not always contribute in a tangible way...

"Learning would be wonderful, but you can't really eat books. So far, that has always been the priority. Farm to eat, eat to work, work to live."

Gods, how dull it sounded, even to her ears. How empty.

"Jigano... What does this place look like, in your eyes? From the outside?"

He chuckled at her cheeky dare, tilting a wry glance to Isuma. "If we show up covered in beestings, you'll know that they don't!"

He wasn't surprised to hear that there were no schools on Caido. They were rare enough in his own world, which didn't have a barrier to destroy trade and throttle growth. He tilted his head in consideration, though, the seed of an idea beginning to form. "That might be a task for the Loreseekers as well, once we're better established," he mused, thoughtful. "A school for those that wish to send their children to learn at least the basics, before they head off to begin learning their trades. Maths, at least, and basic reading and writing. Perhaps some history. And a chance to meet other children here, to foster friendships between the townsfolk and those who work the outskirts."Unspoken but also considered was that, when the barrier came down - as it would, sooner or later, with the weight of the Outlanders' courage and determination stretching it thin, to the breaking point - the people within might find it in their interest to be able to read and write when trade once more began to trickle in from the outside world.

Her comments in the simple, harsh realities of Caido life gave Jigano a moment's pause, though he didn't take it personally. He mostly fed himself from his own hunting in foxform, trading his songs and stories for better food at the Rathskeller - which in turn received food from those of the local populace who came for a drink and entertainment and companionship. It was a system that had held steady for two seasons, but it might not be sustainable in the long run, as he and 108 had noted.

Before he could decide how to answer that, another question caught him by surprise. He looked at her soberly, his good humor subsiding as he considered what she asked. "It is... dying," he said at last, softly, his mien gone solemn with the weight of his words. "Not in my lifetime, nor in the next but... the barrier blocks more than just the passage of people. It blocks renewal of the animals, the soil, the plants themselves. There is no new blood to liven up the stock animals - or the wild ones of the woods and fields. Animals and plants alike are... stunted. Smaller than their counterparts on my world. The colors are washed out of things, and the flavors, too. Whichever gods are opening the portals to bring outlanders in are, I think, trying to force a confrontation." Escape, or die trying - that was the ultimatum they were being given. It had not escaped the lorekeeper's attention, how the influx of outlanders strained the resources of the barrier. The ancient Ascended, 108, had agreed with him when he'd brought that very point up with them. One last roll of the mortal dice, double or nothing.

And, very possibly, a godwar waiting them in the other side of the cast.

Dying.

It was a difficult thing to hear, hard to process and even harder to accept. Maea closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as her mind sped with the implications, leaping with unschooled but keen agility from matter to matter that she had taken for granted, but which now suddenly had to be questioned. The low number of humans dwelling within the barrier, dwindling a bit more as every Longnight took its toll. People being born, people dying, yet the population never grew and was constantly set back to the most basic of levels, hampered by lack of fertile ground and hands to work it. The gods, who appeared before some and never before others, who granted small miracles but never did anything to help those who sought a way out.

Unless... the Outlanders were the miracle. The key, the trigger, the way out. Yes. He was right. She could see it, like pieces of a puzzle suddenly forming a picture that made sense. Had it been easier because he had not been blinded by preconceived notions of how things were? Or was there some other reason whyno one, in the hundreds of years since the forming of the barrier, no one had ever thought thus far?

Yet the part Maea had difficulty accepting was the idea of the gods simply leaving them there to perish. It did not matter what seasons they might have, such a thing was cruel and  remorseless, and it made a lie of everything she had ever believed. The girl wouldn't, couldn't simply accept that. If true, why did the old gods answer anyone at all, if they were destined to die out anyway? Why bother?

Head spinning, the girl opened her eyes again and gaze at Jigano, dizzy from too many
questions, and possible answers to questions she never wanted to ask. Not ready for it, not prepared for the consequences of the answer she had received, Maea felt a sudden urge to run away. Just turn and leave, and let this silver-haired stranger stay here with his theories and guesses that made too much sense and turned her world on its head as though it was the easiest thing. What did be even know about Caido!? What did be know about this place, about anything!?

What did she even know herself?

Nothing.

"The school sounds like a wonderful idea" she said, very quietly. "Do you think..." It was a bold thing to ask, especially after they just met, but... something about Jigano made her feel as though asking things would never be wrong. "Could you teach me? How to see things clearly, how to find truths... A lifetime of clinging to this world, and I have really learned nothing about it. Then I talk to you for a few minutes and... Please? I don't want to stay ignorant."

He didn't rush Maea, letting her think things through while he kept Isuma distracted from the heavy turn of the conversation. The gryphlet was a good distraction for him, too, though he kept a covert eye on the pale woman, concerned for her reaction. She had asked for truth and he had given it, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. Though... the way she'd spoken before, the look on her face as she'd realized the naturals had no time for music or learning or fun made him think that she knew. She'd needed to hear it from someone else, but his words were less shock than avowal of what she already suspected.

Jigano offered a small smile when she spoke, mentioning the school. It would take time to get it started, something for down the road. The Loreseekers were down to three, after all, and all of them busy as bees with chasing down tales of the spire, its guardian, the barrier, the gods and half a dozen other, more personal projects. The influx of outlanders made surmounting the challenge of the spire their priority. Improving the lives of the people trapped within was threaded through and around that goal, but they needed more of the two most precious resources: time and manpower.

Her request had his smile widening, and he balanced Isuma as he swept her a full and gracious bow. "My lady Maea, that is the heart of what being a Loreseeker is. To learn, to face knowledge head on - and to find ways to turn it to help others. It would be my honor to teach you - and to learn from you, in turn. This is your world, after all, and I have no doubt you have your own lessons to give to outlanders such as myself."

A thrill of excitement went through her at his response, and she beamed at him, the exuberant bow returned with a rather less elegant curtsy and a cheerful laugh at her own clumsiness.

"I'm already looking forward to it" she admitted. "I'll have to go back home and look in on my family once the sun returns, but I'll come find you as soon as I can after that."

Rubbing her hands together, she found that she was starting to shiver. Though the light of the bird made it bearable to stand around and talk like this, the night was still cold and the was not really dressed for this adventure. What she had intended as a short walk had turned into so much more, from her talk with Phoebe and now this...

Gazing at Jigano, she marveled at how quickly they had gone from complete strangers to friends, and more. Should she call him 'teacher' now?

Perhaps it would be better to wait until they'd actually sat down for a lesson. After all, Longnight was not over yet. Who knew what else might be in store for them before the dawn broke.