"Ah, of course! Nation versus world. Forgive my slip," he apologized with a charming smile for the young man. "I'll add both to the records, just to be on the safe side." Arriving in a new land could be incredibly difficult, the bard knew. Some, like himself and the ex-demigod Caiside, came from magic-rich worlds where portals were not unheard of, at least, and they regained their feet fairly swiftly. Others, like Seiji and Are, didn't seem to have anything to compare their transit to Caido to, and it took them longer to come to terms with what had happened to them.
He nodded acknowledgment of Killian's thanks, not minding in the least. It was part of being a lorekeeper, and a Loreseeker, to answer questions, after all. He smiled over his shoulder as he led the newcomer towards shelves which might prove more fruitful for what he wanted to find.
The name of Phoebe earned an arch of a single pale eyebrow, and he stifled a sigh at the thought of the tempestuous young woman. "She has a good heart," he agreed, adding a silent when she isn't lashing out with cruel insults... to himself, remembering their last meeting - and unfortunate parting. "Now that you've been here for a few days, do you have any questions about Caido, or the Hollowed Grounds, that I might be able to answer?" he asked, pausing suddenly to pluck a slim volume from the shelf he was passing before heading for a nearby table. He grinned at his companion, tapping a round piece of metal pinned to his tunic - an open book in silver with thin rays of gold extending from the book's open pages against a round copper background - "If you see someone wearing one of these pins, they will generally be glad to help you with answers," he explained with a smile. "We're a guild of scholars - and adventurers - who seek knowledge for the sake of helping others. The Atheneum makes for an excellent headquarters, with all the books stored here, written by naturals and outlanders alike on countless topics - if you can decipher the outlander languages," he qualified with a wry quirk of his lips. "But we seek answers in other ways too. Recording oral histories, songs, legends... and exploring new places, or very old ones."
He set the book gently down and began to carefully flip through the pages in search of the map he recalled in it, listening for whatever Killian might say in the meantime.
He nodded acknowledgment of Killian's thanks, not minding in the least. It was part of being a lorekeeper, and a Loreseeker, to answer questions, after all. He smiled over his shoulder as he led the newcomer towards shelves which might prove more fruitful for what he wanted to find.
The name of Phoebe earned an arch of a single pale eyebrow, and he stifled a sigh at the thought of the tempestuous young woman. "She has a good heart," he agreed, adding a silent when she isn't lashing out with cruel insults... to himself, remembering their last meeting - and unfortunate parting. "Now that you've been here for a few days, do you have any questions about Caido, or the Hollowed Grounds, that I might be able to answer?" he asked, pausing suddenly to pluck a slim volume from the shelf he was passing before heading for a nearby table. He grinned at his companion, tapping a round piece of metal pinned to his tunic - an open book in silver with thin rays of gold extending from the book's open pages against a round copper background - "If you see someone wearing one of these pins, they will generally be glad to help you with answers," he explained with a smile. "We're a guild of scholars - and adventurers - who seek knowledge for the sake of helping others. The Atheneum makes for an excellent headquarters, with all the books stored here, written by naturals and outlanders alike on countless topics - if you can decipher the outlander languages," he qualified with a wry quirk of his lips. "But we seek answers in other ways too. Recording oral histories, songs, legends... and exploring new places, or very old ones."
He set the book gently down and began to carefully flip through the pages in search of the map he recalled in it, listening for whatever Killian might say in the meantime.
