keep your halo [seasonal event]

Jigano commented about Remi, and Rexanna thought nothing of the statement. She didn’t know about Jigano and Remi’s relationship, and honestly it wasn’t really any of her business. She had… dealt enough with being in the middle of two people that genuinely disliked one another but had her in common. And she didn’t particularly care to continue the streak. So she paid little mind to the opinions others had of each other, instead finding it easier to talk about the ice faerie and the chase.

Rexanna flashed him a roguish grin when he chuckled in response. “That’s wonderful though. I’m glad you have her!” She said, and she genuinely meant it. But as Isuma sat in her lap, she could remember vaguely, in that strange second life that brought returning memories to her, how she too had a creature like it once upon a time in a different life. A companion of sorts. “I had a polecat once, his name was Marembo. He used to sit on my shoulders like a scarf.” She recalled, as if she could see the spotted gold and brown marbled polecat in her lap instead of Isuma. “Ah, but that was another life, a different time.” She mused – and it was. It wasn’t even her direct life. A separate life that slipped dreams and memories now and then. It was how she knew Deimos, before, and remembered the Aurora Basin and her jobs there. And the living breathing children she had.

Definitely a separate life.

Luckily for Rexanna, Isuma was able to also balm her worries, as she picked up the little scraps in her lap and shook them vigorously. Rexanna in turn, laughed, reaching up with a free hand to pull her hair away and to one side to give Isuma more room. “Thank you Isuma, I was worried about that one!” She said in earnest, looking back to Jigano with a small smirk. He began to continue cutting, mentioning a rainbow of colors in the shape of a gryphon would be great to see. And she nodded, finishing that flower to begin on the bigger pieces – taking the small bits and pieces from Isuma as soon as she made sure they were ‘dead’ before beginning to map out where to put them.

She inspected Isuma briefly before turning to the fabric and taking a small piece of charcoal that could be easily washed away and outlining a larger version of Isuma, complete with sharp edges of feathered wingtips and the bits and parts of fur and claws. Looking back over to Jigano she beamed a grin toward him. “After Fiat Lux, you can have this banner if you’d like?” She tilted her head as she asked. She’d have no need of it, after all.

Jigano's smile warmed at Rexanna's genuine joy in his good fortune, and he turned back to his task with a bit of distraction as Isuma proceeded to play on her lap. "Thank you," he murmured. "I can't imagine not having her by my side anymore. She's such a ray of sunshine for me..." As the gryphlet went on to prove with her happy squeaks and 'defeat' of the cloth creatures she let Rexanna have without a fight when the woman reached for them. Fierce though she could be in her play, the gryphon was also gentle, and not particularly possessive.

He listened curiously to her description of her pet - companion? - and tilted his head as she tried to dismiss it. "When you were with the Asciend?" he hazarded, based on the bits of her history that she had shared. It had certainly been a different life and place, before Caido and while she had still been royalty, at least of a sort.

He chuckled at his companion's antics, Isuma quite happy with Rexanna's attention and Reep!ing proud agreement to what the woman said - or at least, making a sound because Rexanna had made some, and it was only polite to continue a conversation, even if the other person was speaking gibberish. "You've already charmed her," he teased his friend fondly. "Even faster than you did with me!" He collected the finished flower banner and set it aside where it wouldn't get dirty, then handed Isuma a fresh pile of cut cloth to investigate. He whistled, impressed as Rexanna sketched out a fair outline of a (small, still slightly chubby) gryphon cub. He met her grin with a moment of surprise and then a bright smile, looking like he wanted to bow and not quite able to manage it without upending the fabric he was cutting.

"I would very much like!" he assured her delightedly. "I can hang it in the Guildhall, in fact! At least in my office, as a reminder of springtimes past and future, and good friends they've been spent with. Thank you, Rexanna, you are truly a gem."

Listening to Jigano speak of Isuma warmed her heart, and she couldn’t help the gentle grin that formed on her face with the idea of it. It also didn’t help to assuage it as the gryphon squeaked and attacked with a prideful gleam to her eyes. Regardless of her feisty attitude, she was gentle and intelligent, and Rexanna was happy to have been there, experiencing it all. But as she told Jigano of Marembo, and he questioned if it were from the people of Asciend she shook her head – glancing back to him with a small sad smile.

“It feels like a dream sometimes. It was neither here, nor there, nor my own country. But I have memories, of a different me, as though theyre from the past and the present.” She begins, shaking her head again abruptly. “I sound like I’m losing my mind, but it’s true. There, I was the lead Thief of a place called the Basin. I’m not sure if you’ve met Deimos here, but he was there too. I remember serving him for a time. He was my Lord – in those dreams, different universes. I can remember arriving there to that place the same I arrived here. Sometimes the memories or dreams just snap back into place. Marembo is one of them, marbled coat with flecks of brown and gold.” She shrugs, as if it’s nothing and she doesn’t sound as though she’s losing her mind.

“Things were good there, for a time I think. I had many children. I had a set of twins, one had a vulture and the other a hyena of all things that were like Isuma here.” She tried to laugh, but the words somewhat died on her throat before she cleared it and reached for another soft cloth of fabric. Children, an extremely sore spot for Rexanna, and in those dreams of a different world, time, and place – she had birthed many healthy ones and yet in this version of the world, she had nothing but memories she wasn’t certain were true.  She was lucky for Isuma, however, as the gryphon reeped in pride and Jigano mentioned she had charmed her. She felt the smile grow on her face again as she laughed in response – pushing aside the sadness for now.

When Jigano whistled at her impression of Isuma with the charcoal, she hummed a bit of a laugh as he contemplated where to put it best. “Consider it yours, then!” She offered with a wide grin. “I have transmutation magic, so if the colors fade over time I can fix that.” She informed him as she began to lay out the colors – a solid, dark blue for the body. The wings, a lighter blue, and the feather tips the array of a rainbow as it cascaded down from feather to feather. All the while, pausing to eye Isuma and her own wings and fluffiness. “She’s a spitfire, isn’t she?” She questioned with a quiet chuckle.

He listened curiously to her description of a life from a dream. It made more sense than he wanted to admit at first, his lips quirking wryly as he tilted his head to the side in silent understanding. He gave a slight shake of his head at the name 'Deimos', unfamiliar with it - though he would have recognized the face it went with, had she been able to show him a picture. "No, I don't think it sounds like you're losing your mind. But then... my own experiences are hardly typical," he admitted with a dry chuckle. "Memories of another self... or perhaps of someone else, some other spirit your own soul connected with in the portal between worlds, so that your memories mingled..."

He wrinkled his nose as she compared Isuma to vultures and hyenas, known scavengers, though he had never seen a hyena in his northern plains. Useful animals to be sure, but still nothing compared to the fluffy sweetness and perfection that was his gryphlet. Perhaps Rexanna realized her mistake, or perhaps there was something more there... the regret for a dream-life she could remember but not reclaim. He cleared his throat gently to provide her with time to settle her emotions, and for Isuma to distract them both with her antics as they turned their attention back to the crafting of banners.

"Ah, a woman of many talents," he approved, delighted with such a useful magic. He had once been able to do something similar with a cantrip, but... ah, speaking of dreamworlds lost...

Isuma sensed that she was being admired in some way, for she subsided from her playing to sit as prim and well-behaved as a little princess as Rexanna chose her colors. Jigano chuckled, adjusting his cutting to match the pattern that his friend was laying out so the pieces would be ready when she reached for them. "I am helpless against her," he cheerfully admitted. "She would be spoiled rotten, I suspect, if her temperament wasn't so sweet." He tilted his head thoughtfully at Rexanna, his smile quirking a little slyer. "If you could have a pet, my friend, what would you chose for yourself? Or do you not want the responsibility right now?"

Luckily for her, Jigano wasn’t about to wheel her away to some place to examine her mind. And as he spoke, she chuckled too with him as she continued to sew in the bits and pieces. “It’s strange, really. But that’s exactly it.” She offered quietly. “Sometimes just standing there and the wind hits just right, reminds you of another time and place with experiences you’ve never had or never will. I don’t believe nostalgia is the correct word for it but, it’s something like that.” With this, she laughed at the idea – pushing aside everything else that came barreling down. The sadness that billowed in her chest at the idea of children, thankful that Jigano’s praise of her magic brought her back to the reality she was in.

“It’s quite handy.” She added with a wink and a quiet laugh. But she settled as soon as Isuma did too, allowing Rexanna to figure out just where to put the colors and lay them out in a way that would still be legible, without turning into a blob of color that blended too alike. When he spoke, she let her gaze slip to him with a grin. “With a face like that, how could you not be helpless?” She questioned him with a giggle. “Oh I would spoil her plenty.” She informed him with a crooked smile as she looked back down to her work and contemplated his question.

What would she choose for herself if she could? Would it be a bird? A creature like Marembo? A snake? A dragon? There were far too many options, and she contemplated it for a few minutes longer before exhaling and laughing quietly at the sudden pause in their conversation. “That’s a hard question. I’m not sure what I would like?” She paused. It wasn’t the responsibility per say that she was worried about. It was the idea of having someone bonded to you in soul. She had a hard enough time letting anyone in too close let alone a small creature that would depend on her.

“I love dogs, though.” She replied as she finished adding in the feathers to the wing and looked back to Jigano. “Did you get to pick what she was? Or did she come to you as what she is?” She asked, tilting her head and completely intrigued by the answer. Perhaps it was best to not know and be surprised.

Jigano appreciated Rexanna's courage in talking about her other-self's memories, but they seemed to bring her a sort of wistful sadness that he lacked the ability to alleviate, and so he simply offered her a sympathetic smile and let the topic of conversation shift to something brighter, that they could both enjoy. Showering his friend with sincerely-meant compliments was an easy way to do that, and he was always happy to talk about Isuma!

She knew very well that she was the topic of discussion, and she tilted her head up at Rexanna with the biggest golden eyes, reep?ing quietly and reaching out one small taloned forelimb to rest it on the woman's wrist. Jigano snorted, finishing another wingtip in yellow and shot his friend a grin. "That means she wants you to pet her," he translated, before making at least an attempt to be stern as he turned to the gryphlet. "Isuma, she's working right now. You have to let her be. Or you can get down and play on the ground." The gryphon blinked at him, tilting her head to the side as if in consideration of his words before slowly retracting her leg and tucking it back under tail as if she had just done no such begging as he was accusing her of. She fluffed her wings and started to preen them in all innocence as she looked to Rexanna with a large-eyed appeal instead.

"Dogs are loyal and loving," Jigano agreed easily, though he wasn't quite as fond of the fox-chasing kind. "A small companion breed, do you think? Or do you prefer the big hunters and working hounds?" At the return question he chuckled and shook his head. "I was handed an egg and left to care for it and see what hatched! I had no idea what to expect. I didn't even know there were gryphons on Caido yet! It was quite a surprise! But a wonderful one," he added fondly, smiling at his young companion as she purred in Rexanna's lap and nosed at the banner with her little beak.

Rexanna had no idea what the small reeping meant. All she knew was that the sound was positively heartwarming, and with Isuma’s big eyes Rexanna would melt if the gryphon wanted or needed anything from her. Certainly, if Isuma was hers the chick would be incredibly spoiled. Jigano was quick, however, to explain what it meant. That Isuma wanted petting, and Rexanna was happy to oblige in between thread changes. Switching from one color to another, she set the banner down to pet the companion gently and spending a few moments to scratch her on the back of her head. “She’s delightful.” Rexanna responded as she picked up the banner and Jigano gave his instruction to the gryphon and she tried to play it off.

Rexanna laughed at this, eyeing Jigano suspiciously with a rogue grin. “How could you accuse her of such a thing?” She asked in mock astonishment, but her grin gave her away from any true feelings. Rex continued to sew in the pieces of cloth, pausing now and then to give Isuma attention, while Jigano began to speak of dogs and she nodded. “I’m a fan of large dogs too, but I’ve spent far too much on the other end of tracking dogs that I can’t say it wouldn’t… bring back strange memories. So a small companion one would be good.” She pondered thoughtfully, glancing to Jigano briefly. “Maybe something like that fox I saw. He looked incredibly soft.”

But he shook his head and spoke of the egg, to see what it became, and she was wondering if the anticipation made it all the better when Isuma hatched. He spoke of knowing what gryphons were before, and she tilted her head curiously at the small creature as she finished up adding the final feet onto the banner. “I never knew there even was such a thing.” She admitted with a quiet, awkward laugh. “I learned of dragons and unicorns, but nothing like my new best friend here.” She glanced back to Jigano with another chimed chuckle.

Rexanna, Isuma thought, was wonderful. She couldn't say it in so many words, but the jumble of emotions that filled the bond between companions conveyed a sense of approval/delight/joy as she was petted and scratched. Rexanna's laughing admonition earned a chuckle from the bard, and a roguish grin. "Of course you're right, dear ladies," he agreed, placing a dramatic hand to his chest. "I must have been mistaken! Surely it was some other adorable gryphlet who was begging when she wasn't supposed to be!" Isuma might not have understood the words, but she knew her companion was making fun of her and she fluffed her wings and refused to look at him, instead turning her considerable charm on Rexanna with utter shamelessness.

Jigano chuckled again more quietly as he went back to work, considering the next banner they might make and beginning to cut rough pieces accordingly. "I prefer smaller dogs myself," he admitted, but Rexanna's comment on the fox had him smiling, even as Isuma reep!ed agreement with her statement. "The only Attuned I've seen shift is Remi," he said lightly. "But I don't know if he's, ah, typical of the type. Between being an Outlander from a place where shifters are normal and... everything else associated with his shifts. He doesn't seem to mind being petted in his animal form or his human one," he finished wryly. "But perhaps there are some Attuned, just like some humans, who don't like being touched so casually?" Especially not when they were soaking wet, covered in worm-slime, and as far from their best as they could possibly be!

"Everyone's worlds are so different," he murmured when the talk switched to eggs and dragons and gryphons. "Myths on one world are real on others, and vice versa. Gryphons are real on my world, though I never saw one... but the descriptions of them are quite a bit different than Isuma," he added with a fond smile for the gryphlet, who had settled finally into a curled position on Rexanna's lap and purred quietly when she was petted. "They were hybrids of lions and eagles, large enough for an armored man to ride but fiercely intelligent and proud. Isuma is... much, much smaller than what I would have expected," he admitted, though if anything he seemed pleased at her diminutive size that allowed him to cuddle her and let her ride on his shoulder. "And far cuter than the sleek predators I saw illustrated in the bestiaries!"

To be fair, Rexanna thought Isuma was wonderful too. And she found that the small gryphon’s company – including Jigano – were welcome at any time. At her accusing tone that broke into a laugh, she heard Jigano chuckle and glanced over to see him return a grin. She nodded at that, a sharp toss of her head with a wicked smile. “Of course we’re right.” She teased, continuing to scratch Isuma gently as she chuckled in response to Jigano’s continuation. “That’s exactly what happened, how did you know?” She laughed yet again, the sound a chimed laugh as it left her lips.

And as Rexanna continued to finish up the banner, she listened while Jigano spoke of preferring smaller dogs too. And mentioned that the only one he’d seen was Remi, to which Rexanna considered it as well. That was the only person she’d seen shift. And it had been a lion of all things! A soft, wonderful lion of all things. Her brow lifted slightly, but she nodded, wondering how many Attuned were out there that were more conservative about their shifts. She could understand to an extent, though, as well and the point that he brought out.

But Jigano had begun to speak about worlds being different, how he had read descriptions of them but never actually seen them. And she absentmindedly pet Isuma while he described giant gryphons, as she surveyed her banner to see how it ended up. When Jigano had finished she offered a quiet laugh in response. “I can’t imagine her being someone to ride into battle!” She said, grinning as she snipped the thread and put away the needle. “I suppose if she were that size, though, I’d prefer to not be on the opposing end.” She snickered, looking back to Jigano as she picked up the banner and held it out for him to view now that she had finished.

He joined in the laughter with his friend, and even Isuma made little chirruping sounds to join in with them, not understanding the humor but hearing the happiness in their voices and sharing it. With her gentle admonition to behave still so recent she was better about begging for attention, but the fact that Rexanna often did reach down to pet her or scratch at her ears had her purring contentedly and settling into a ball of feathery fluff in the woman's lap.

"This little one, I'll have you know, is a mighty hunter of beetles!" Jigano informed Rexanna with a sly wink. "Don't let her size fool you. She is, indeed, a fearsome foe... if you're small enough!" He reached over to pat the little gryphlet, scritching a spot between her wings where, she informed him in a short series of sensations, it was starting to get itchy. "Though if she were as big as the ones of my world, I'd be more concerned with her accidentally mauling us with love, rather than any, ah, martial effort on her end!"

He whistled in appreciation as Rexanna lifted the banner, and Isuma raised her head to Reep! her approval of her rainbow-feathered twin. "Good lady, you've outdone yourself!" he complimented, every word sincere and heartfelt. "That's going to look beautiful at the Fiat Lux celebration!"

The purring that Isuma was doing, was a soothing beat to Rexanna while she worked. And she found herself quite fond of the small gryphon despite the small amount of time she had known her. But she listened and watched as Jigano reached over to scratch the purring creature in her lap, and informed her of what a mighty huntress she was despite her stature. Rexanna laughed quietly in response, shooting a glance to Jigano with a wink. “Surprises sometimes come in small packages!” She offered, gesturing to herself with another fit of giggles.

But she took it seriously, understanding that Isuma could certainly be a formidable foe if you were the size of a toothpick. And at Jigano’s illustrated tale of Isuma over compensating her love rather than eating them alive, she laughed brightly at that too. “Oh, could you imagine? Sitting on a chair, reading late at night and she barges in to sleep on your lap?” She questioned, tilting her head to Jigano as humor lit up her pale face. “Except you wouldn’t want to move her, and instead both legs would fall asleep!” She grinned – it was, after all, an extremely entertaining thought in her mind.

But as she lifted the banner and showed it to Jigano and listened to the praise from the small gryphon, she spared a hand to scratch gently again. And she was happy that Jigano liked it, feeling some kind of pride deep down within her as she looked at it again. “I think it will. And already it has a home!” She chimed with a small grin, looking to Jigano with a brilliant smile and pleased air about her. “I am excited for the festival. If only to see how happy people are.” She said, contemplating.

"I'm not sure the chair would survive!" Jigano exclaimed with a laugh at the image Rexanna painted. "You'd end up on the floor in a pile of kindling, and there she would be, purring on your lap - you wouldn't be able to move her if you tried!" He'd initially been afraid that she might try to knead like a kitten might - a daunting prospect since her forelegs ended in talons that couldn't retract and were needle-sharp. Luckily that was one aspect of her that was more birdlike than catlike, and her talons had grown duller over time as she walked on them and wore down the points with the daily wear and tear of playing and pouncing.

He gave her a nod - he would have bowed, if he hadn't been sitting, with his hands full of scissors and cloth - of gratitude for her beautiful gift, and chuckled at the welcome light of her smile. "I am, as well," he admitted. "After Long Night..." And Rexanna knew better than most what he had looked like, dragging Rory in out of the dark. "Thank you again, for that," he said quietly, his expression sobering. "You saved our lives, and I am grateful beyond words." His lips quirked wryly, remembering their earlier conversation about Rory. "I... don't think Rory knows it was you who let us in. He wasn't conscious, then. But..." he hesitated, then shook his head, trying to dispel the shadows that still lingered from that night. "But we could all do with something to celebrate," he finished softly. "A day of feasting, and dancing, and games, and a celebration of life, in all its myriad forms. Gods most fortunate, but we've earned it. And maybe it will inspire people to start coming together again, after the fractures from the Spire Assault."

She laughed at the return image that Jigano gave her, surrounded with a halo of broken chair parts and a giant gryphon purring on you fast asleep. “Oh gods, the splinters would be awful” She whined with another chuckle. But as she showed him the banner and received his praise, and she returned that it already had a buyer, she watched him nod his head toward her. But the conversation shifted, about Longnight once again. And Jigano thanked her for opening the door. She nodded, smile fading toward a tiny one as she eyed him with her sapphire gaze. “Of course, Jigano. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” She said. And she meant it, too. Even if she had silently prayed to the gods those few valuable minutes before actually forcing herself to open the door.

But she was glad she did, even if Rory had targeted her out of the group. Rexanna, back in Halyven, hadn’t done enough to save her people — hadn’t done anything really other than saving herself — at least now it made her feel better, that she was capable of such a thing. That she had the ability to help rather than continually harm. And perhaps that, mixed in with a few other things, helped with her understanding of Frey’s suggestion. She didn’t need to sacrifice herself to atone for the things in her past. She just needed to be better.

So she gave Jigano a wider smile and pet Isuma in the meantime. “I hold nothing against Rory for it all. I can understand where he’s coming from. I want to go and speak with him when everything calms down, perhaps for the festival.” She said thoughtfully, likely reiterating what she’d said before. It just made it all the more truthful. “Besides, you and Rory and the others managed to get the Sparkbird to come! That in itself sounds like quite the feat. You all deserve to have something good.” She said softly.

But then an idea struck her.

“I met a Natural named Nathaniel and he spoke of Rory having horses. Perhaps I could make him a banner too? You’re closer to him than I, what do you think he’d like?” She questioned, folding and setting aside the gryphon banner and looking to Jigano as her eyes dropped to the colored cloth and scissors he still had.

A smile returned to his face at her gracious reassurance, and he tilted his head in acknowledgment of her sincerity - and her bravery that night, and in the future. "I hope you and he can find peace," he said earnestly. "Truly, I think it was just bad timing. He might even have yelled at me, had I arrived earlier and been the one to speak up," he added with a touch of wry humor. "But yes, I have hope for the festival to be a time of healing." Or one of further schisms... but there were enough people on both sides, he thought, who would be more willing to reach across the lines that divided them, once the heat of the moment had passed and rational thought returned.

Isuma purred louder as the petting resumed, arching her little back up into Rexanna's hand. Her tail twitched happily, long and soft as it brushed against the woman's arm and than switched to bat against her thigh. She let out a sigh that might have been a pout as the gryphon banner was set aside, but she was too pleased by the attention to mind too much, and her golden eyes soon drifted closed again as her rumbling contentment continued.

Jigano's expression had sobered at the mention of the Sparkbird, and he nodded slowly. "It was..." He hesitated, and then shrugged. "Terrifying," he finished succinctly. "We heard something in town break. I thought it might have been a house or building, but Amalia recognized it was the perch so many had worked so hard to build together. So she and Rory ran to get the horses and I... well. I couldn't let them go alone." He offered Rexanna a wry, sad smile, knowing that she would understand that impulse. "I still don't know what did the actual damage. We never saw anything, there in the darkness. Rather, the monsters in the dark worked their way into our minds, sparked our darkest thoughts and emotions..." he hesitated, shadows falling over his eyes as he looked away, his fingers tightening in his lap. It was the first time he had tried to speak of it, and still the memories were sharp-edged and burned at him. "If anything, I think, that drove us harder. It might have been a trap to lure out the foolish but... why would they try so hard to ruin the perch and stop us from fixing it, except that it was a weapon that could be used against them?"  He sighed and shook his head, tucking the painful memories away to look back up at his friend with a well-practiced smile. "It's kind of you to suggest a banner for Rory. He and Amalia were so badly hurt that night... I think it's a lovely idea. He has three ponies, two dogs, and more goats than I can keep straight." He chuckled, glad to have a path back towards the sunlight, and a topic that warmed the chill from his heart. "He might not know what to do with it, but I hope that he would appreciate the gesture for the kindness it's meant as."

He began sorting through the colored scraps in his hands thoughtfully, picking out colors with deft hands. A royal purple, for the body, with hooves of pale blue... "A dark mare at gallop with streaming rainbow mane and tail," he murmured, glancing up to Rexanna with a twinkle in his eyes. "Think you're up for the challenge, o Sultana of Stitching?"