It felt strange to be making a memorial for a friend who wasn't really gone, and yet had been changed almost beyond recognition. She had died, though, according to everyone he had talked to who had been there, and what had been reborn from that fallen body was... different.
She had been one of his anchors when he had arrived, though, a friend and an equal - in many ways his better - in a way that he had felt with only a few others. They would never again dance in the glade or hold hands under the moonlight or sing to the luxere. A unicorn's horn could cure burns and close wounds, but she would never set another broken bone or suture closed a gash, skills she had spent her life honing. It was a bittersweet realization, and made it all the more difficult to come to terms with what had happened.
Still, Jigano had walked their old paths, gathering seeds and cuttings from medicinal plants, and from several of the trees in the Glade. He had gathered good, black dirt into a waxed bag as well, enough to give his collection of seeds and seedlings a good start in life. He wished he could have found a volcanette to transplant, but the fiery flowers had proved elusive since their first meeting, and he reluctantly gave up on the idea.
Loaded down with his preparations, he waited for his guide at the edge of town around midmorning, watching the clouds clearing away after an early-morning shower, shepherded by a brisk spring breeze. Isuma balanced on his shoulder, letting the wind ruffle her feathers as thicker vanes began to replace downy baby-fuzz, the pale gryphlet beginning to show hints of a rosette pattern on her back and hindquarters. The pair were outwardly patient, but Jigano would smile with relief when Caiside arrived, greeting his friend with a wave of welcome. "Ready to lead the way?"
The morning had started off so appropriate for the task Caiside had ahead of him. He hadn’t known Isla, had only seen her die, and somehow it felt wrong to be shepherding someone who has been a friend to her to the place he had had his only meeting with her. It hadn’t felt appropriate to come empty handed, and he knew the bard was planning on planting things, so Caiside borrowed an old trowel, not really knowing what else was needed.
He had made every effort to be on time, and still managed to find Jigano waiting for him, just as the last few clouds cleared away from the sky. Caiside mirroed the smile on his friends face, though he was definitely distracted by the creature clinging to the silver haired mans shoulder. He had never seen anything like it, and was quiet for a few moments after Jigano spoke, trying to work out more about it without asking.
”I’m ready.” Caiside had walked the route once since they had set up this meeting, just to make sure he could find the spot again. There wasn’t much evidence, but he knew it was right, and he knew he could get back to it again.
He was content to let the silence be, for a while. This was a somber event after all. But Caiside had never been one to let silence sit, and had to interrupt it. ”What did you bring to plant?” It seemed an innocent enough line of questioning, and satisifoesnhis need for conversation.
Isuma was also distracted by Caiside, watching him with her wide owlette eyes, and flexing her foretalons on the padding Jigano had sewn into the shoulders of his overtunic for her. She was roughly the size of a large kitten, which seemed appropriate given the snow leopard conformation of her body and rear half, and had a kitten's plumpness still, as well as a hatchling's downy feathers on her wings - though that was starting to change as fledgling feathers began to sprout. Jigano's lips curved into a small smile as he felt her intense curiosity towards this new person her companion called 'friend' but she sensed her human's mischief, too, as he waited for Caiside to be the one to put words to his distracted curiosity.
Nodding at his friend's readiness, the two men set off, Jigano following Caiside's lead and letting the silence stretch - not out of a desire for it, but simply because it was easy to do so. Long Night had left him a little quieter than he had been, though between the Spark Bird, Ludo, Rory, and Amalia he was recovering much of his sense of balance of the world, healing the internal wounds that he had hidden from most in that dark time. He didn't mind when Caiside spoke up, sensing a little of the restlessness of the other man, and his lips curved into a fond smile of rememberance as he shifted the satchel at his side to ease the strap on his shoulder, as Isuma scampered across the pack on his back to see what was happening on his other side.
"Medicinal plants and herbs, mostly," he explained. "Snow moss, for cooling fevers and swelling, and feverfew and chamomile as well. Marigolds and meadowsweet, for digestion and ulcers, and motherwort for headaches and strains. Coneflowers for warding off sickness, white basil for coughs, and stinging nettles for arthritis. Wild bergamot and mint, too. And I brought seeds from the trees in the Glade, to see if I could get them to grow..." Many of the plants he'd learned from Isla herself, though others he'd read about in the books she had pulled for her research area in the guild hall, and made an effort to seek out. He gave Caiside a smile in spite of the confusingly painful tug of the memories, gently patting the satchel with its seeds, bulbs, root cuttings, and young plants. "A fitting memorial to the finest healer I suspect this place has ever known, I hope."
”You came prepared.” Caiside whistled lowly, truly impressed by the work Jigano had put into his memorial thoughts. It was more than he himself would have, or had ever, put into a grave. ”I’m sure it will be lovely. And useful too. I can’t think of any better way to honour a healer than making their...” Grave wasn’t quite appropriate, and felt to grim for the light tone he was trying to keep. ”It’s well suited to her memory.” He finished, ignoring how he had trailed off.
Catching sight of Isuma again out of the corner of his eye, Caiside turned, regarding her carefully before asking. ”What is that... creature? I haven’t seen it with you before.” It had been his hope that the subject would come up a little more naturally, and not so close on the heels of something serious, but Caiside couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. He had never seen anything like the little hybrid before, not in his own world and not here.
It wasn’t a long walk to get to where they were going, and before too long Caisides steps slowed, his arms opening to gesture at the area before them. In the light of day, and with all the snow melted, it was a nice spot. Jiganos memorial would be a good addition to the landscape here.
Jigano nodded appreciation of the compliment, lips quirking a little in spite of the solemnity of the occasion. He gave a gracious nod as Caiside trailed of, knowing just what he meant and how he felt about the phrasing of things when the world had gone sideways. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I hope to eventually have a plaque with her name and a few words made as well but... well." His grin came a little more easily as he gestured towards the once-and-future smith. "Perhaps I can impose upon you for help with that. Something in bronze might be nice, here." Set onto a short stone pedestal, perhaps, to let it stand out, so those who passed this way would know in whose honor the garden was being grown.
The bard chuckled at the question that finally escaped, reaching up to tickle the gryphlet's chin. "She'll play with you once she's down," he admitted, expression softening. "Her name is Isuma, and she's a gryphon. Well. Gryphlet," he corrected, grinning as she purred and fluttered her downy wings, catching his ear with a flutter of soft feathers. "She hatched during Deepfrost and has a bit of growing to do. Though... I don't actually know how big she'll get," he admitted ruefully, glancing back at his friend. "They existed on my world, though somewhat... bigger. More like part eagle, part lion." Rather than owl and snow leopard as the winter princess was. "But she's a... well. A companion. Bonded, heart and mind and soul to me." he shrugged a little self-consciously and the gryphon peeped as she went up and down. "It's something that happens on Caido sometimes, from what I've read. That some people attract and form a bond with specific creatures."
It was an explanation that filled much of their journey, and when Caiside came to a stop Jigano drew a breath, looking around as if he would see the ghosts of that terrible night reenacting the moment of his friend's bloody demise. Bowing his head, he said a prayer - of sorrow and of thanks to Ludo - before kneeling to sink his hand into the dirt, getting a feel for the spring-damp soil. There were no crops planted there, simply the young wild grasses of a rolling meadow and flowers beginning to bloom. With a wry smile the bard looked up to Caiside as he let his satchel and the pack on his back slide to the ground. "Well. Shall we get to turning some of this earth over and digging some holes?" he suggested, managing to be both solemn and smiling at the work ahead of them to honor a treasured friend.
”I would be happy to make something like that for you.” A plaque was simple, and literally the least Caiside could do for his friend, especially after the kindness Jigano had shown him. He was never one to leave a debt unpaid, whether the other man even saw it as something that needed to be repaid or not.
Try as he might, Caiside couldn’t completely hide his excitement at the prospect of playing with the little gryphlet. It wasn’t the most appropriate time, he knew, but the creature was cute. ”There’s nothing quite like her where I’m from. At least not that I ever saw.” He’d have to ask how Jigano had acquired her afterwards, when when their task was completed.
Caiside looked out over the landscape, and gave Jigano his moment. This was a strange experience for him. Somehow both more and less solemn than what he expected, but he tried to be as respectful of Jigano’s moment as he could. If he was quiet, he could pretend like he had a right to be here, instead of simply being a man who had watched a stranger die. His own grin was somewhat distant when he looked back at Jigano, for the first moment. It grew more genuine when he produced his trowel, and knelt down next to his friend.
”You know, this will be my first time planting anything. At least intentionally.” Caiside chuckled, spearing the little blade into the earth at random.
Jigano flashed his friend a grateful smile at Caiside's willingness to help with the plaque, glad to have such a skilled companion as they reached their destination and began unpacking. As Jigano bent to set his satchel carefully down and withdraw a small, collapsible shovel Isuma hopped from his shoulder, fluttering her wings to slow her descent - though not by much - and then bounding cheerfully over to Caiside's boot, stretching up to rest gentle talons on his leg and Reep?ing a curious greeting to the long-haired human so like and yet unlike her own.
"She's the only one I've seen here so far," Jigano admitted, lips quirking at the sense of joy he felt from the little creature at getting to meet a new friend. "Though I've seen dragons, unicorns, and even a bobcat kitten in similar bonds with people." There was a book in his office in the Atheneum that had a bit more to say on the matter, and plenty of naturals seemed to recognize the connection... which didn't make him particularly eager to blast it about, either. His old secret might be slipping out but it still wasn't a comfortable thing for him to have known by all and sundry.
Jigano smiled as Caiside joined him, nodding in appreciation at the ex-demigod learning a new skill. "My mother had a garden," he said, beginning to pull the grasses and turn the earth over in the area around them. "I helped her in it when I was very small. She grew herbs and vegetables for the kitchen as well as for medicines to assist in her healing magics. It's been a long time since I did anything like this but... the memories are still there." For a lorekeeper, the memories were always there. "First we need to clear away what's currently growing, or it will strangle and outgrow the new seeds and seedlings," he explained. "Once we've got a good area of black earth turned over we can start digging holes for the seeds and seedlings. I brought some dirt from the Glade, richer stuff, that should help the young plants get a good, sturdy start so by the time the grasses grow back in they'll be strong enough to hold their own."
Isuma took the opportunity to pounce on crickets and small bugs disturbed by their industry, a mighty hunter indeed... about half the time.
Caiside smiled down at the little creature pawing at his leg, leaning down to run his fingers along the length of her body, feeling fur and feathers alike. "I believe I met the kitten, over Longnight. But.. unicorns and dragons, that is impressive." Impressive wasn't the only word Caiside had for it, foolhardy also came to mind. He had heard horror stories of dragons, though he had never seen one up close, he had seen the devastation they could cause. Unicorns were less dangerous, though they were also not something he would ever consider keeping as a companion.
Jigano was the perfect teacher, his instructions clear and his motions easy to follow. In no time at all, Caiside was clearing the area, shooing the bugs that he disturbed towards Isuma and turning the earth as the other man did. "My mother never taught me things like this. She was sickly when I was young." Caiside shared while they worked, trying to keep a silence from growing now that they were in the thick of their task. "Her husband is the one who taught me to work a forge though." His lips quirked a little as the memories came back to him, feeling like a lifetime ago when compared to the here and now.
Once the plot was clear, and the earth in it turned, Caiside turned back to Jigano, watching expectantly for what he was to do next. He was aware that each plant grew differently, needed different things, so it seemed like a better idea to wait for his blue eyed companion to take the lead. It would be a lacklustre memorial if nothing grew due to his ignorance.
Isuma stretched like a happy cat beneath Caiside's petting, eyes squeezing closed in feathery rapture at the attention. "Well, the dragon we met was only a little bigger than Isuma," Jigano reassured his friend with a chuckle. "I think the lack of resources in the barrier keeps most things a bit smaller than usual," he paused, remembering the Land Shark with a shiver, "...for the most part," he amended. "But companions like these tend towards the small side, from what I've discovered. They're smarter than normal animals, although..." he hesitated, then shrugged. "When it comes to gryphons, dragons, and unicorns I'm not sure what 'normal' sizes or intelligence are here. Gryphons and dragons on my world tended towards being quite large, especially dragons, and at least as smart as humans. Though the two unicorns I've seen were the size of fairly normal horses - large enough to ride, at least." Kalt's had been big and strong enough to carry two adult humans, even.
As they set to clearing the earth while Isuma played her games, one of her pounces took her almost into the way of Jigano's shovel. He stopped quickly, especially when the little gryphon made a soft peeping noise and raised her head, something shiny held in her beak. His heart seemed to clutch in his chest at the gleam of copper and gold, and he held out an unsteady hand to the little creature, who obediently dropped the elegantly-crafted charm into his hand. He set his shovel down to brush the dirt off of it with gentle fingers, using a corner of his sleeve to burnish the little luxere charm to brightness in the spring sunshine. He bowed his head for a moment, the corners of his eyes tightening against the unexpected pressure behind them as he tucked the gift into a pocket of his wide sleeve.
When Caiside spoke, the bard turned back to his work with gratitude for the distraction, though Isuma's hunting remained subdued even with the red-haired smith's assistance. "Did they know?" he asked curiously. "That you were the child of a god? It sounds as though your stepfather was human, at least... and your mother, too." He might have wanted to ask more, but family matters could be tricky things and he didn't want to bring up bad memories with a verbal misstep.
Surveying their work, the lorekeeper nodded and gave his friend a smile of approval and thanks. He turned to his satchel and began pulling out the contents. The seeds were in twists of paper tied by colored threads that he used to recognize the contents of each packet. The bulbs were a bit more haphazardly marked with dabs of paint, while the seedling plants and cuttings had been carefully wrapped in damp rags for the trip. "The acorns should go in holes around 2 inches deep," he explained as Caiside seemed to wait for instruction. "Around the outside of the area we cleared, at the cardinal points. The bulbs can go around the perimeter between them - try to keep the ones of the same color close together so they'll be easy to mark and harvest from next year. They'll go in holes a little over twice as deep as the bulbs are tall. I'll get these seedlings settled near the center and then we can fill in with the smaller seeds in between," he suggested, giving Caiside the easier task of digging holes and dropping things in, rather than messing with the more delicate roots and cuttings. "Try to give each one a handful of soil from the Glade - from the bag here - before you cover it over again."
Isuma had settled outside of the broad patch of fresh earth to watch them, tail flicking occasionally as a breeze ruffled across the meadow. Jigano grinned at her, then glanced to Caiside with a smile. "So what have you been up to since last we met? Did you make it out to the Shrine?" Obviously the gods hadn't agreed to send him home... or perhaps he'd been given a quest that the bard could help him with, to achieve that goal?
Caiside smiled sideways at Jigano, digesting the ways their worlds were similar, and different. "Dragons grew to be larger, especially the further south you went in my world. They were revered there, and offered tributes that kept them fat and happy." Caiside chuckled a little at the memory of the great fat creature he'd seen, then continued. "Unicorns were always small... though." He trailed off as Isuma presented Jigano with something metallic. It wasn't exactly difficult to assume what it was based solely on the silver haired man's reaction to finding it. The only question was how much comfort Caiside was meant to offer. He finally decided on reaching out, and squeezing the other man's shoulder, realising" belatedly he wasn't sure how tactile a person Jigano was. Hopefully this small touch wouldn't offend him at all.
"My mother never told me anything, but she must have known. Things like... like me don't happen accidentally." Caiside chuckled softly, then sniffed, disdain dripping off his words as he continued. "Him on the other hand... I think the only thing he knew was that I wasn't his blood. And thank the mother for that." Ordinarily, the circumstances of his upbringing was something Caiside would never bring up, let alone share willingly, but it felt safer here. He wasn't on his plane, and he was in the company of a friend. There was no reason to be wary.
The instructions Jigano imparted on him were dutifully listened to, Caiside nodding his understanding once before going to work. There was a brief moment of hesitation, after the first hole was dug but before the bulb had been planted, before he actually grabbed a handful of dirt, but once Caiside had gotten over his initial wariness, he was fine, working diligently to get the seeds in the ground. It felt good to be doing such simple work in the company of a friend. This had to be one of the first times he had truly relaxed since he'd arrived.
When the shrine was first mentioned, Caiside didn't return Jigano's smile, instead turning to stare at him with a look of surprise. An awkward huff of laughter escaped him, the missing smile spreading over his face like there had been no hesitation. "I did. I even got an answer, though... you were right. It is not what I expected." The faintest hint of a blush coloured Caiside's cheeks, memories of near impossible sensation rushing over him. "It was an unsatisfying experience, all things considered. I'll have t try again after some research."
Lost in his own recollection of the charm and the woman he'd given it to, Jigano didn't realize Caiside had stopped working and reached towards him until the hand came to rest on his shoulder. He started, tensing for an instant, but a glance at his friend's concerned expression had him relaxing and offering a wan smile and nod of gratitude for the sympathy.
"Did you ever discover who your real father is?" Jigano asked softly, glad for the distraction but not wanting to trade his discomfort for his friend's, if the topic was too delicate. "Demigods are... a curious mix, on my world. Some have been sired by gods but others achieved that state of being through their own power, and many have gained followers of their own." He tilted his head with a wry smile. "Some believe that the powers of Oracles like myse-- like I once held," he amended, with only a slight hitch in his voice, "came from them, rather than the full gods." He didn't, but it was still an interesting hypothesis.
As Caiside handled the hardier bulbs and nuts, Jigano gently laid out some of the seedlings, choosing their positions with care and delicately teasing the roots free of their mudballs to set them into their new homes. Sometimes he dug deeply with his little shovel, while others he used his hands to scrape a shallower indentation for them, nearer to the surface. Between the two of them the work proceeded quickly, and the few times the bard checked on his friend the ex-demigod was doing just fine. Talk of the shrine, however, had Jigano's brow starting to rise at the faint blush that colored Caiside's cheeks. He smoothed it down quickly, considering. Not Ludo, then. Safrin or Frey... but since the other man didn't volunteer the information, the loreseeker nodded graciously instead. "If it's research you seek, you'd be welcome in Loreseeker Hall," he invited again, lips quirking. "As a client, if you're still feeling the waters out in the rest of the settlement. I know a bit, and our Librarian Amalia knows quite a lot more, being native-born. We can try and answer your questions, or point you towards some books that might help, if you'd prefer to look things up on your own."
”I did discover who he was, though I never got the chance to meet him. He was... destroyed, shortly before I learned who he was.” There was a part of Caiaide that thought he should be more emotional about that, that he should feel something, but he never did. His father may have given him divinity, but everything else Caiaide has done on his own. ”There are many like me on my world, though few choose to pursue the path I have. And fewer still are considered for ascension. Most wish to live simply.” Caiaide turned to look smile at Jigano, the look on his face clearly showing how ridiculous he found the idea.”You know, I nearly thought I had ruined my chance for consideration.”
Caiaide considered a moment, wondering if he should comment on Jigano’s past, or keep the conversation a little impersonal for him, to distract him better. He couldn’t resist though, especially considering this was the first solid thing the other man had offered. ”I didn’t know you were an oracle. Did you see the visions, or was it something else?” It seemed naive to assume oracle meant the same thing to Jigano as it did him, but still, Caiaide hoped the question didn’t come across as pure ignorance.
Meeting the bards eyes seemed impossible given the subject, and the swirl of emotions and memories that surrounded it. It was all Caiaide could do to nod, looking over the freshly turned earth of the plot they were working on instead of at his friend. ”I had considered asking at the library, though I think I would have difficulties finding the answers to the questions I have.” There was a lot of vitriol he didn’t want to expose the other man to, as well as plans he couldn’t help but think Jigano would disapprove of. “It’s one of those things that perhaps requires more... introspection.” Caiaide shrugged, as casually as he could. He even managed to force his eyes over to Jigano, a reassuring smile on his face. ”It must seem like I’m trying to avoid your guildhall, though I assure you that’s not the case. I was actually reconsidering your offer, about joining the loreseekers?” The subject change was smooth, and hopefully enough of a distraction from their previous topic that Jigano would leave it.
"I am sorry to hear that," Jigano said quietly, though Caiside didn't seem particularly upset about relating the memory. "Though I would like to hear what happened at some point, if it is not too personal." The destruction of a god was never a feat undertaken lightly. Indeed, even the fall of a demigod was a monumental task for mortals... with repercussions across time and space, as Jigano well knew. Caiside continued, though, and the Lorekeeper arched a pale brow as he continued his careful tending of the more delicate plants and smaller seeds.
"Living simply isn't all bad," he murmured, with a smile that held a painful twist to it. He had left his followers and chosen such a life for himself for the past three years, after all, hiding his power and his past behind the mandolin of a simple traveling bard. He had learned the price of power, and found it a heavy load to bear... though every choice along the path to it had been his own. "But that sounds like a good tale, if you'd care to share it? A story of risk that ends with the promise of great reward?" Assuming Caiside could return to his world in time, which... well. "Only if you're in the mood, of course."
He chuckled at the mention of visions, an odd twist to the sound that wasn't entirely humor, but the smile he gave his friend was sincere enough. "I did see visions of a sort, though not because I was an Oracle," he explained. "Oracles on my world are born with a connection to the divine, though not necessarily a specific god. More like... a divine ideal. But that connection comes with a price, perhaps because it isn't moderated by a god. Still, we have access to divine magic, like healing spells, and our Mysteries - the ideal we were born into - guide our steps in life and aid us in mediating between the mortal and divine." He grinned at the ex-demigod, shaking dirt from his hands as he finished patting another seedling into place. "You would be shocked, I know, to hear that my Mystery was Lore - the seeking of knowledge in all its forms." He was joking, of course, and it was a pity the conversation couldn't stay so light.
Caiside's interaction with whichever god they met clearly hadn't been a comfortable one. Jigano's first meeting with Ludo hadn't gone well, either, though from what he'd heard it could have gone much worse. Jigano meant his invitation sincerely though, in an attempt to distract the other man from his memories. He simply nodded acceptance that the smith wouldn't be able to find his answers in books though - which begged the question of just what he wanted to know - but the bard acceded that he had pried enough into his friend's past without pulling at this particular thread as well. At the mention of joining the Loreseeker's, though, the bard's brows rose in delight and he chuckled, sitting back on his haunches. "The offer still stands, of course. In truth, the more people we have, the more effective we are. Do you have any new questions about us, that I could help to answer?"
"I'd be happy to share, though I fear it may not be as exciting as whatever you are imagining. My world was at war for a very long time, and even gods could not escape the casualties." It was a sobering statement, but one that Caiside had come to terms with. He himself had not escaped completely unscathed, though his scars were easy to hide and not physical. It was perhaps the one kindness of being in a new world, there were none who knew him, and none who remembered him. It almost felt like a rebirth, he mused as he placed a bulb in the earth, staring down at it before covering it with soil.
Somehow, it wasn't surprising that Jigano had been the type to prefer a simple life, despite the grandeur of his former title. The more the other man explained it, the more Caiside found himself intrigued. It was so different from anything he had ever had any experience with. Yes, there were those chosen by deities, and those like himself, but there was always a god involved. It nearly reminded him of some fringe gods, believed in only in the far corners of the world, but even that wasn't the same. "Why don't we make a deal?" He suggested, patting down another seed. "I'll tell you more of my story if you tell me more of yours?" It sounded like a fair enough deal to him, and gave him a chance to pick the parts of his story appropriate to share, based on Jigano's own.
Caiside hummed, glad Jigano had left the topic of his shrine visit behind, but unsure how to answer the new question. He had a handful of questions, but no real idea how to ask them without making himself vulnerable. The patch of dirt he was tamping down absorbed his focus, until the other man's words shook a proper question loose. Looking up, Caiside offered a bright smile back to his friend, and straightened up himself, though he was still a good deal shorter than the loreseeker.
"I suppose that the... effectiveness is what I'm wondering about?" Caiside ventured, knowing his wording wasn't the best to begin with. "Is it simply knowledge for the sake of it, or is there some kind of goal?" It hadn't been a lie before when he'd said he'd never been a part of any similar organisation, though it was difficult to tell if he was worried about losing his autonomy, or about joining something purposeless.
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