Sam's quiet reflection brought a smile to Jigano's lips and he nodded his head, hoping that, given time and patience, things would work out between the two young men. He couldn't know how wrong he would be, and for the moment ignorance was bliss.
"I agree," Jigano said with a wry smile. "And while I know we've arrived in unprecedented numbers, there still aren't that many of us compared to those who were born here." Fewer of both communities since Long Night... "And some will probably stay, regardless. Vai is running the Infirmary now and probably won't want to be traveling with a baby on the way, and Edy has taken over the Rathskeller, for instance. Those who came with them from Northhaven who want to explore will likely be back to check on them, so even if people go out I think many will return, at least to visit."
He listened to Sam's reminiscence with a rueful smile, remembering what the bookmaker had told him in the past and nodding understanding. He had spent nearly four years wandering in something of a haze himself, though he hadn't realized it at the time. Wallowing in guilt and closing his heart off to let it soak in the pain and injuries he had taken during the journey to the Silvermount, he had been too stubborn and too blind to allow himself solace or healing. His wits had still been sharp, but he had been living only half a life, a part of him frozen in amber. In the seasons since arriving on Caido, however, it was as though the clock had begun to move again, and he was instinctively trying to make up for lost time.
"I miss the plains," he admitted softly. "The rolling tundra, stretching a hundred miles in every direction... the deep forests, greener than anything I've found here, with wonders and terrors hidden in their hearts. I miss traveling between towns and cities, never knowing what I'll find around the next bend in the road. I would like us to bring the barrier down someday, so I can know that again..." He trailed off and then shook his head with a sigh. "But not without time for people to get used to the idea. The Spire Demon only recently fell, and too many thought that it could never happen. They need time to come to terms with it, to realize that the barrier can come down, and to prepare for what that might entail." He grimaced, gesturing up towards the Atheneum and the great hole in its side. "I believe that when the barrier went up the first time, that it caused a wave of destruction that created the ruins and damaged many of the structures here. When the barrier falls... we don't know what the release of that much energy will do," he explained. "Maybe it will dissipate slowly and harmlessly... but maybe that energy will be returned to its source. And everyone is so eager to bring it down without thinking it through that no one has made any plans for protecting people if it does end destructively." He shook his head, a flicker of tension making it past his usual mask of courtesy as he tightened his fingers around his mug. "I want out as much as the next person, but I want us to do it safely and smart, not willy-nilly and damn the consequences," he growled quietly.
"I agree," Jigano said with a wry smile. "And while I know we've arrived in unprecedented numbers, there still aren't that many of us compared to those who were born here." Fewer of both communities since Long Night... "And some will probably stay, regardless. Vai is running the Infirmary now and probably won't want to be traveling with a baby on the way, and Edy has taken over the Rathskeller, for instance. Those who came with them from Northhaven who want to explore will likely be back to check on them, so even if people go out I think many will return, at least to visit."
He listened to Sam's reminiscence with a rueful smile, remembering what the bookmaker had told him in the past and nodding understanding. He had spent nearly four years wandering in something of a haze himself, though he hadn't realized it at the time. Wallowing in guilt and closing his heart off to let it soak in the pain and injuries he had taken during the journey to the Silvermount, he had been too stubborn and too blind to allow himself solace or healing. His wits had still been sharp, but he had been living only half a life, a part of him frozen in amber. In the seasons since arriving on Caido, however, it was as though the clock had begun to move again, and he was instinctively trying to make up for lost time.
"I miss the plains," he admitted softly. "The rolling tundra, stretching a hundred miles in every direction... the deep forests, greener than anything I've found here, with wonders and terrors hidden in their hearts. I miss traveling between towns and cities, never knowing what I'll find around the next bend in the road. I would like us to bring the barrier down someday, so I can know that again..." He trailed off and then shook his head with a sigh. "But not without time for people to get used to the idea. The Spire Demon only recently fell, and too many thought that it could never happen. They need time to come to terms with it, to realize that the barrier can come down, and to prepare for what that might entail." He grimaced, gesturing up towards the Atheneum and the great hole in its side. "I believe that when the barrier went up the first time, that it caused a wave of destruction that created the ruins and damaged many of the structures here. When the barrier falls... we don't know what the release of that much energy will do," he explained. "Maybe it will dissipate slowly and harmlessly... but maybe that energy will be returned to its source. And everyone is so eager to bring it down without thinking it through that no one has made any plans for protecting people if it does end destructively." He shook his head, a flicker of tension making it past his usual mask of courtesy as he tightened his fingers around his mug. "I want out as much as the next person, but I want us to do it safely and smart, not willy-nilly and damn the consequences," he growled quietly.
