[Seasonal Event] Many Paws Make Light Work

Jigano weaves his tale and Amalia listens raptly, empathy and guilt a raging war inside her feline heart. She would not have expected this from Jigano - wise, worldly, patient, kind. To hear the depth of his mistakes, the sordid tale of youthful pride; it shakes something deep at the girl's core, leaves her in doubt of her understanding of the way of the world. Not that she blames him- she does not, cannot, never could find it in her to fault him for his sins. She knows too well the weight of guilt, how it can sit on one's shoulders and gnaw at their bones. You couldn't have known, she whispers instead, mental voice still and deep, a lifeline in the space between their minds. Standing now despite Isuma, the leopard moves to sit behind her friend, close enough to invite his touch but far enough so as not to force it. My grandmother... she used to say that mistakes are like bad food. They taste bitter and hard to swallow, and they might make you want to give up cooking, but if you're willing to taste them and see what went wrong you can improve the recipe for next time. Maybe it's true, maybe it is not. But it's the only thing she can think to give. a m a l i a You were young and you'd stare With a reverence unimpaired Searching in your dark eyes to find the stars already there