"Well, it is now," Jigano encouraged his friend, voice still gentle but firmer now.
Samuel's ambivalence over the Voice made sense, given the fate his family had chosen for him and the gifts he had received from her - even though his ability to feel had come from Remi, really. But she had removed his stutter, and he could understand Sam's gratitude for that. "It's not the Ascended mortals I'm worried about," Jigano explained with a slight shake of his head. "I've met some bastards who happen to be Ascended, but people like you and... and Isla. Well. You're too kind to hurt anyone deliberately. No, it's the goddess herself who concerns me. She's acted meek as milk since she was awoken, but there's something... off." He frowned slightly, remembering the day he had taken Isla to the tree that had turned out to be a Shrine. "She's hiding something... trying to drive a wedge between her Ascended and everyone else, I think..." But what could they do about it, if it was true? He chafed at the not-knowing, but before he could chase the thought further Sam had produced an odd contraption and Jigano blinked at the little metal box.
"What? But how... how does that work?" he asked curiously, leaning close to examine the side nearest to him. "Can you turn it on and off? How many people have tried to lift it - and do you know what their races were?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him as he folded his fingers around his tea mug to prevent them from reaching out to touch the mystery cube without Sam's permission.
Samuel's ambivalence over the Voice made sense, given the fate his family had chosen for him and the gifts he had received from her - even though his ability to feel had come from Remi, really. But she had removed his stutter, and he could understand Sam's gratitude for that. "It's not the Ascended mortals I'm worried about," Jigano explained with a slight shake of his head. "I've met some bastards who happen to be Ascended, but people like you and... and Isla. Well. You're too kind to hurt anyone deliberately. No, it's the goddess herself who concerns me. She's acted meek as milk since she was awoken, but there's something... off." He frowned slightly, remembering the day he had taken Isla to the tree that had turned out to be a Shrine. "She's hiding something... trying to drive a wedge between her Ascended and everyone else, I think..." But what could they do about it, if it was true? He chafed at the not-knowing, but before he could chase the thought further Sam had produced an odd contraption and Jigano blinked at the little metal box.
"What? But how... how does that work?" he asked curiously, leaning close to examine the side nearest to him. "Can you turn it on and off? How many people have tried to lift it - and do you know what their races were?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him as he folded his fingers around his tea mug to prevent them from reaching out to touch the mystery cube without Sam's permission.
