Let it Rain

"Perhaps," Jigano said, but he didn't hide the dubious tone of his voice or the brow that he arched. "And I hope I'm wrong, but... she has reasons to lie, and we have no way of knowing if she's telling the truth. I've found her to be... well. All of the gods seem to have a soft spot for Remi, at least until recently, so I don't know if acceptance of him is a good weathervane." And Ludo had favored him greatly before the boy had lost an item of great power and value to the god. But Sam didn't seem in any mood to hear Jigano's suspicions and so the bard sighed. Remi would say he was being controlling if he forced his opinion on others...

So he didn't. The cube, at least, provided ample distraction and Jigano examined it as Sam held it closer, though he refrained from touching it. "So. An Abandoned and a hybrid... but no Accepted or other Ascended," he confirmed, muttering the information to himself to settle it more firmly in his mind. "Perhaps 108 could help... they had said they would come visit our Hall when we met, but perhaps they have been busy. They are Ascended, though, and... well, I don't think they like anyone," he admitted wryly. "But they don't dislike anyone, either. Their emotions run deep and slow, I think, but then they are very old. I believe they would help you test it, if you asked it of them." Knowing who was Accepted was a far more interesting question, since it was impossible to know just by looking at someone.

He had reached out finally to touch the cube when Sam's question caught him short. He froze for a moment, and then retracted his hand with a sigh, curling his fingers back around his mug as he looked up to meet his friend's eyes. "I've come to understand that such a question can be considered quite rude here," he said, and though he kept his voice gentle for Sam he felt invisible hackles rise at the bold and prying question he had spent his life avoiding answering. "Especially for Abandoned who are trying to pass as Accepted. On my own world it was also considered discourteous. Though many of the races looked wildly different from each other and you could usually tell from a glance, others were more... subtle. And for them, it was information that was offered as a gift, not taken for granted." He gave a slight shake of his head as he sipped his tea, eyes on the cube but attention turning inwards as he contemplated the difference in his reaction to Edy's knowledge of what he was, or Amalia's, versus Sam's.

In the end, he hadn't told them. They had found out in extreme circumstances, and had put information together on their own. Rory had already known that he had to be an Attuned, but telling him in words had been... an experience. One that had shaken Jigano to his core, and the repercussions of that night were still reverberating through his heart and soul. On the one hand, Sam deserved to know as much as Edy did...

But on the other, being asked it so blatantly, so casually, felt wrong, like Magna Vermis slime working its way under his fur.

"I am sorry, Sam," he said quietly. "I would like to be open with you about it someday but... not like this. Not when it does not hold the same gravity or meaning for both of us, for me to say it so... baldly," he finished, hiding a grimace behind another sip of calming tea.

Everyone had reasons to lie, didn't they? Especially with an issue like the Spire and Barrier, Outlanders and Naturals...it was all complex and confusing and involved, something everyone had a hand or at least a finger in. Sam shrugged at Jigano's assessment of The Voice's motives. He only had an indirect knowledge of who 108 was, but he was honestly a bit nervous to let any other Ascendeds know of his found technology. What if they decided he wasn't good enough for it? That he was unworthy? They could easily take it from him by force, make him give it up to the 'proper' bright ones. Jigano informed him the question was quite rude and he felt the familiar sickly panic in his chest for just a moment until he reasoned with himself that actually, he had had good reason to ask, and they had been friends for a good time now. "I'm sorry." He said from habit, but secretly thought the offence Jigano took has slightly unnecessary. Besides...really, the answer was in Jigano's reaction. He clearly wasn't Ascended. If he was Abandoned he was having a lot of good luck at shrines, for the amount of times he mentioned having spoken to Ludo...Accepteds were rarely cagey about admitting their race. That left one thing. Sam had never seen him shift, but...he chewed his lip and considered Jigano, wondered if he were a cat or a horse or...perhaps something wild, like a peacock or elephant. "I didn't mean it to be rude. I just wanted to discover more of the cube...though, honestly, in my experience at lot of people here often give their race easily. I'm not saying you have to, but...I've never found anyone who was upset to be asked. Perhaps I have not spoken to enough people." It was an odd issue but it bristled something in him about Jigano assuming he knew the culture here when it did not match up with Sam's experience of years. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"It's alright," he murmured, feeling tired but offering his friend a wan smile. "I know you meant no harm by it. And if you've been around Remi and the Northhaveners much, they are far more relaxed about such things as a whole, I've noticed." It was hard to stay angry at Sam when the bookmaker generally meant so well, even if he sometimes stumbled over social niceties.

Given that Maea had had as many encounters with Ludo as he had, it didn't seem strange to him at all for an Abandoned to receive as many answers to their prayers as anyone else, though some of what he had read had certainly indicated it was rare for mages to be visited in such a way. Since he had only spoken with the god twice at a shrine - and only once, when he had prayed alone and without the presence of the pious Amalia - he felt no luckier than those who had experienced far more. For that matter, he'd met the Voice as many times as he'd met Ludo, as Sam had just heard!

"Ascended can't always help it, what with the hiding from the sun and the fangs," Jigano chuckled. "But perhaps it's just who I've spoken to, then. After I made Maea uncomfortable by asking her abilities when we were cleaning up the windows I've made more of an effort to not ask so specifically. And I've another Abandoned friend who is... very touchy about their race, and prefers not to talk about it," he admitted. "An Attuned friend, as well. A few of the personal journals I've found in here seem to back that up, but perhaps times have changed..." Though, perhaps not. "And it's not usually something I've seen come up in conversations, except among 'rude and prying' Outlanders like myself," he concluded with a wry smile.

"Either way, the cube is certainly curious. My guess is that it is something for Ascended hands, though what purpose it serves I cannot guess. Have you tried to open it? Are there any seams along the edges, perhaps, that you can pry open?"

Sam smiled at Jigano's acceptance of his apology, any bitterness washing away in an instant. Jigano was so kind, understanding, good about his stumbles into the world of conversation. He could not properly stay mad at him for something so small. "Hm. ..Well, I suppose I haven't spoken to a lot of people until recently." He concluded with a shrug. That much was true. Until the last few months his social interaction had been limited to his family (if being yelled at counted) and the odd customer at his stall whom he had stuttered and pushed books at. Glad of the change of topic he ran his fingers over the edges of the cube. Partially just to please Jigano, though admittedly out of a curiosity of his own too. He had hoped there might be something more to the device, but..no. "I don't think so. I was thinking it might...be useful to keep a secret book locked down, something like that? I don't mind giving it to the guild if there is a use to it....perhaps in a while, after I've made sure it doesn't do anything else. I wouldn't want it to jump up in the middle of the night and scare everyone." The faintest smile on his face indicated this as a joke. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

Sam had his good days and his bad ones, but that he tried to reach out and learn and grow had earned Jigano's respect and his patience with the bookmaker's occasional stumbles into territory the bard wasn't comfortable sharing just yet. He had demons that Sam didn't need to face - and sins that no one else deserved to bear. Someday, he hoped, his friend would be strong enough to hear more of his secrets, but while Sam was wrestling with so many new things and problems of his own, Jigano was disinclined to add his own burdens to his friend's loyal shoulders.

He chuckled at the joke, a small one but a good one, and winked at Sam. "I appreciate that! I've been napping in here whenever I can catch a few hours of sleep in between research, and I'd hate to have that interrupted by a mystery cube that's decided it wants to land on my foot!" He peered again at the cube, expression turning thoughtful. "Though I appreciate your offer for the guild. Setting it on one of the more dangerous sentient books wouldn't be a bad idea, to keep it from escaping. Still, having weight be its only ability seems a little strange. I wonder..." He sat back, brow furrowed on thought as he abandoned his tea mug to steeple his fingers, staring at the cube intently. "I wonder... if there is any writing on it that might be revealed under specific conditions?" he hazarded a guess. "Script that can only be read under moonlight - maybe only a full moon - or starlight during a new moon? Or in total darkness, by Ascended eyes only? Or perhaps that is revealed by fire or lightning?" He grimaced slightly, offering Sam an apologetic shrug. "It's a long shot, I know. There might not be any script at all. And I can understand if you don't want to expose it to fire or lightning to prevent damage to it. But..." he hesitated, then sighed, giving a rueful shake of his head. "I suppose you can always ask the Voice if she recognizes it?"

"You..have? Jigano, you should really make sure you're getting sleep..." Sleep was something Sam had been able to live without for many years yet had still guarded ferociously, loving nothing more than the chance to shut off the world for a while warm and comforted in his bed. Likely because of his own great love for it he was always concerned when he learned of others forgoing their rest. Jigano's flurry of questions reflected a desperate curiosity he had had too, a need for the device to be something more than heavy, but...the tests were sounding more and more out there, and eventually it seemed the simplest answer was true: He could lift it, that was that. "I...may ask the Voice about it. But...perhaps if these items are chosen for the finder, I was not destined to find anything more exciting. I am the kind of person who needs a paperweight, after all." He said, with a little chuckle and a shrug. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"I can sleep when things settle down," he reassured his friend. "There's too much spinning in my head right now to rest well, though. We need every spare moment to read through the books Safrin led Amalia to, and to find any scrap of information on the Spire, for what comes next. Naturals, Outlanders, everyone has something to contribute. Even if it's just your great, great, great-grandparents' stories or journals tucked away in attics for the past century... Every prayer to the gods for a few more drips and drabs of clues for how to enter it and what we'll face inside..." For a moment there was a fierce gleam in his eye, a warrior squaring up to do battle with a nemesis he had no intention of backing down from.

But the cube provided a distraction that had the guild's provost changing topics and tactics both, trying to discern a clue to help them learn more about it. "The items are chosen for the finder?" Jigano questioned absently, still staring intently at the cube. "If that's the case then I'd expect a... hmm, what would you call it here?" he mused, remembering some of the starfallen technology he had come across on his own world. "A... an automated recorder, of sorts. One that would let you say what you wanted to record so you could write your stories faster." He blinked, breaking his concentration and looking up to Sam with a wry smile. "But a fancy paperweight? That is far too plain for you, my friend. I'm sure there's more to this secret, if we can only solve the puzzle."

"Safrin gave Amalia books...? Hm." Sam considered this, seemed a little anxious about it. He inherently distrusted anything to do with the Old Gods, especially after his experience at the Shrine. While he was sure looking at a book would not result in his skin being so horribly burnt, it was still an unnerving prospect to do anything related to the Gods. The look in Jigano's eyes, something steely and harder than Sam had come to expect, did not go unnoticed. It did two things: make him fear the other man just a little, and make him feel safe. Sam had just...assumed the item had been chosen for him. Jigano's question brought up the possibility it may not have been, and he frowned. "...I...felt a great pull towards it, so I assumed it was for me. Perhaps...other people felt it too. I do not know." His idea was a nice one, either way, but Sam really didn't think himself deserving of something like that. "I'm just a bookmaker. A paperweight is quite useful. Besides, maybe it will prove itself useful for it's heaviness in another way." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"Damn useful ones, too" Jigano agreed cheerfully. "I shared much of what we found at the meeting..." The one that had gone so poorly overall. But Samuel had been there, even if he'd been distracted by Remi at the time. "It's how we learned of what to expect outside the barrier, and a bit more of the gods themselves, as well." And the Voice, as Safrin had revealed some of that young god's history in a way that left Jigano cold. But there was no guarantee that what he had learned was the whole truth - or even mostly truth. It was the information Safrin had wanted he and Amalia to have, and he was not so innocently naive as his dear friend in her piety.

Gods could still lie, after all. Both the Voice and the old gods. They each had a narrative to sell, and mortal pawns they needed to be their hands upon the chessboard.

"Even more reason to try and find out if other Ascended were drawn to it, and if they can hold it," Jigano mused thoughtfully at this new information. "Perhaps it is, ah, 'keyed' only to you? And even if it is not... if it is, as you think, nothing more than a 'fancy paperweight' then they shouldn't have much interest in it." He offered the last kindly, a reassuring smile on his lips. "Though you aren't just' a bookmaker!" He reached across the broad table as far as he could, extending a finger to point at the pin on Samuel's collar that matched his own. "You are a Loreseeker, after all, and our Chronicler. And you've already thought of one thing that cube could be used for - pinning down something you don't want stolen. If you find yourself in a tight spot you can also toss it onto the foot of whatever is threatening you and it won't be able to reach or chase you." He tilted his head thoughtfully at his friend, glancing to the cube again.

"I don't suppose it can transfer its properties to you while you're holding it?"

"Oh, I see. Could Safrin not just have...told Amalia?" But that was unimportant, really, as long as they had the information at all. "I'm sorry. I get...nervous, about the Old Gods, because they don't really like people like me." As if it wasn't obvious what it meant, Sam tapped his lips with his finger to indicate his fangs within. Jigano immediately jumped to Sam's own defence (was it bad, he wondered, that he never did it for himself, always was the attacker on his own ego) and he smiled. "Well...regardless, it doesn't necessarily have to be very exciting." "Ah. Well...I thought so, but then when I was holding it Remi was able to beat me in an arm wrestle." He paused, unsure if this would come off as a joke; he was aware he was hardly the rowdy arm-wrestling type. "So I think maybe only in the hand I hold it in? Or...only in certain conditions? Or perhaps Remi is just very, very strong." Sam laughed. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"She did that, too," Jigano chuckled. "Some things... could not be adequately explained in text alone. But for most of the less, ah, volatile knowledge there are books. And since it is written down that means others can read it, too." Mostly things about the geography, flora, fauna, and early history of the Hollowed Grounds. There had been mention of creatures in there that Jigano had not encountered before or found listed in any other books he'd read in the Atheneum so far, though, and knowing what to expect from banshees and wicker women was damned important.

His expression softened in understanding as Sam tapped at his hidden fangs and he nodded. "That's alright. I understand. And it's why the loreseekers welcome everyone. People like Amalia and Maea can learn things from the old gods, and you can bring us knowledge from the Voice and together we can hopefully gain a better, fuller picture of what has happened here, and what to expect from the future."

Talk of the cube and the thought of Remi and Sam arm-wrestling had him laughing, a quiet chuckle of amusement as he leaned back. "Well, it doesn't make you stronger," he conceded. "But does it make you heavier, perhaps? Or immovable? Did Remi try to push you back or pick you up while you were holding the cube?"

Jigano's understanding, easy acceptance of everyone's individual abilities...Sam thought it made him a good leader, but also considered it optimistic, perhaps foolishly so. Maybe it was his paranoid brain making up hostility that wasn't there, but he knew he was disliked from his fellow Ascended and from those who worshipped the Old Gods, that as tensions at the Spire grew that divide may well grow larger. Perhaps, he considered selfishly, it was good the Outlanders and Naturals had the fight instead. So the focus was taken off those following The Voice. "Oh..um. Remi doesn't really like...touching me, anymore." Sam admitted softly, quietly, going to hug himself and bring his knees up. "He seemed hesitant about touching my hand, so I don't think he'd pick me up. Maybe I can try that with someone else." He flicked his eyes up to Jigano, though he doubted the other man would be able to lift him with or without the cube. "I suppose if it is so heavy to everyone but me, it could be a good weapon. Not that I have many people to fight." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"That's right, I'm sorry," Jigano spoke softly, voice gentling from its academic excitement at pursuing the cube's hidden qualities. Sam had just told him about Remi's memory loss and what it entailed, but if the two had arm-wrestled he had thought that surely they could have also...

Well. He had thought wrong, and Sam was curling in on himself like a snail pulling back into its shell. The glance the Ascended bookmaker shot him - dubious if ever he'd seen one - brought a wry smile to Jigano's lips, and a nod of acknowledgment. "I could try, but I doubt it would be very effective," he admitted honestly. "I have never been particularly physically strong, I'm afraid. I was too used to relying on my magic to need much in the way of muscles... something I regret now, I assure you!" But it wasn't something he would be able to change anytime soon. He spent too much time reading or walking the woodlands. Since he had lost his dreams he had slept less, but in some ways his body had compensated in other ways... though not an increase in bicep size, more was the pity.

"And let's try to keep it that way!" the lorekeeper prayed fervently, not liking to think of the timid Chronicler being forced into combat. "Or at least, let's try and find ways for it to be used defensively. What happens if you try to hand me the cube, I wonder? Did you try that with Remi? Did it just fall through his hands to the ground, or pull his hands to the ground?"

Sam nodded to Jigano's apology, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. He knew he would never be touched again by a lover, could not imagine it possible in the doomed future he now imagined for himself. Remi's hands were cold to him now, only for touching him when necessary. No more lazy fingers tracing over his shoulders on a warm morning, no more stroking of his hair. "That's fine. I'm not expecting you to do that." He assured him with a smile, wondering if Jigano's magic had really made up for a lack of physical strength before. Had it allowed him to lift a man where he couldn't now? Sam very much didn't want to use the cube as a weapon himself so he nodded, then considered the question. "Hm. I...I'm not sure. We can try that, if you'd like?" He held out the cube in his hands, intending to gently lower it into Jigano's above the table. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child