”Of course,” Jigano agreed easily. ”I would like that.” Running tests to determine the properties of a magical item? That was practically a holiday compared to his frantic searching for answers and information about the barrier, Spire, and Voice… and now that those questions had been, in large part, answered there was the mystery, excitement, and danger of what lay beyond the barrier that he needed to seek out and understand, for his own curiosity and the sake of those who lived within the Hollowed Grounds who might be affected by it all. Testing the feather would be a pleasant interlude in comparison, even if it was with Remi… well. They were on better terms now than when they had parted before Long Night, at least, and their last and current conversations seemed proof that they could interact civilly, so long as they took a bit more care with their words.
At first the bard thought that Remi’s touch to the table was an idle gesture, nothing more, but as rings of gold spread out a pale brow arched in surprise at the casual display of power that slid a sharp blade of jealousy between his ribs. He quashed it firmly – or at least, tried to ignore it for the moment – and hid his wince at the alchemist’s casual defacing of the Guild’s main table without so much as a warning or request for permission. Showing off again… and leaving his mark in the Loreseeker Hall for all to see. Jigano stifled a sigh as he wondered mournfully if Rexanna might be able to fix it later, but Remi’s boyish grin showed only youthful innocence and no ill intent, and so he forced a smile and nodded. ”I didn’t realize your talents included that as well,” he admitted. ”Though that makes it easier. Can your magic reshape something of the same substance? The geodes, for example… do you know if it would be possible to transmute the shape of the inner crystals into something easier to work with?” He paused, remembering what he had seen Rexanna do. ”Or increase the size of the crystals, so that fewer crystals can be stretched to do more?”
Jigano dipped his head in grateful acknowledgment that he had offered to heal their mutual friend, and nodded soberly in agreement with Remi’s opinion on scars. Vai was someone they both admired, though Jigano from far more of a distance, but it was something that brought them back into synch again. He almost regretted the question that he asked next, but it wasn’t just for his personal curiosity this time. Isla was – had been – a dear friend and he needed to know. Remi was the only person who could tell him, really, in words he could understand for concepts too complex for simple yes or no questions that the unicorn’s form required now.
And, oh, it was not what he wanted to hear, but it was what he had achingly suspected since he had heard of her return. There was still no warmth in the blue eyes that met Remi’s briefly before the bard bowed his head, but that was because they were filled with pain he could not entirely hide. The alchemist only confirmed what he had feared, and it was not Remi’s fault… but still…
”You did what you thought was right,” he said quietly. ”I cannot say I would have done differently in that place, at that time… and now it is done and we cannot change it. I am… glad… that she says she is fine. It feels wrong to mourn her when she is still among us but…” He sighed, cuddling Isuma closer as she clicked her beak softly and stretched up to butt her head against his chin. ”If she is happy as she is, then that is all I can ask of the gods.”
At first the bard thought that Remi’s touch to the table was an idle gesture, nothing more, but as rings of gold spread out a pale brow arched in surprise at the casual display of power that slid a sharp blade of jealousy between his ribs. He quashed it firmly – or at least, tried to ignore it for the moment – and hid his wince at the alchemist’s casual defacing of the Guild’s main table without so much as a warning or request for permission. Showing off again… and leaving his mark in the Loreseeker Hall for all to see. Jigano stifled a sigh as he wondered mournfully if Rexanna might be able to fix it later, but Remi’s boyish grin showed only youthful innocence and no ill intent, and so he forced a smile and nodded. ”I didn’t realize your talents included that as well,” he admitted. ”Though that makes it easier. Can your magic reshape something of the same substance? The geodes, for example… do you know if it would be possible to transmute the shape of the inner crystals into something easier to work with?” He paused, remembering what he had seen Rexanna do. ”Or increase the size of the crystals, so that fewer crystals can be stretched to do more?”
Jigano dipped his head in grateful acknowledgment that he had offered to heal their mutual friend, and nodded soberly in agreement with Remi’s opinion on scars. Vai was someone they both admired, though Jigano from far more of a distance, but it was something that brought them back into synch again. He almost regretted the question that he asked next, but it wasn’t just for his personal curiosity this time. Isla was – had been – a dear friend and he needed to know. Remi was the only person who could tell him, really, in words he could understand for concepts too complex for simple yes or no questions that the unicorn’s form required now.
And, oh, it was not what he wanted to hear, but it was what he had achingly suspected since he had heard of her return. There was still no warmth in the blue eyes that met Remi’s briefly before the bard bowed his head, but that was because they were filled with pain he could not entirely hide. The alchemist only confirmed what he had feared, and it was not Remi’s fault… but still…
”You did what you thought was right,” he said quietly. ”I cannot say I would have done differently in that place, at that time… and now it is done and we cannot change it. I am… glad… that she says she is fine. It feels wrong to mourn her when she is still among us but…” He sighed, cuddling Isuma closer as she clicked her beak softly and stretched up to butt her head against his chin. ”If she is happy as she is, then that is all I can ask of the gods.”
