He caught Killian's smile as he took the chain, and the bard stifled a chuckle. A little harmless treasure from their adventure was just the thing for both of them! A book for the scholar and a bit of flash for the not-quite-soldier. Perhaps it would serve as a reminder to bring the young man back to the Loreseekers in the future? He had courage and a bright mind, and was well worth keeping an eye on from what the bard had seen so far. Of course, he first had to sort himself out and get his bearings in what was to be his new home, but once he'd settled in, well...
Maybe. He'd learned an important lesson with Maea, after all, and he no longer issued his invitations quite so casually.
The door was a relief, though it was annoyingly stuck. Jigano stepped back to let his companion try his own luck with the old wood, but it resisted the younger man's strength just as stubbornly. It was old, though, and he had some experience with old doors. It opened inwards, and as he examined the hinges he glanced to his friend with a chuckle. "Rusted shut," he explained. "Though it probably just leads to a way upstairs. I'll take notes as we walk back to our way in and measure out where we can find the place above it on the ground floor. If there's nothing there, well, we can come back another day with some grease for the hinges. And if there's a matching door upstairs, we'll know where it leads." He pulled out the grey journal that now shared space with the two old books in his pouch and shook a writing stick from his capacious sleeve like a magic trick as he began to walk again, pacing carefully along the western wall and counting steps in his head.
"Did you get to do much exploration like this on your world?" he asked curiously.
Maybe. He'd learned an important lesson with Maea, after all, and he no longer issued his invitations quite so casually.
The door was a relief, though it was annoyingly stuck. Jigano stepped back to let his companion try his own luck with the old wood, but it resisted the younger man's strength just as stubbornly. It was old, though, and he had some experience with old doors. It opened inwards, and as he examined the hinges he glanced to his friend with a chuckle. "Rusted shut," he explained. "Though it probably just leads to a way upstairs. I'll take notes as we walk back to our way in and measure out where we can find the place above it on the ground floor. If there's nothing there, well, we can come back another day with some grease for the hinges. And if there's a matching door upstairs, we'll know where it leads." He pulled out the grey journal that now shared space with the two old books in his pouch and shook a writing stick from his capacious sleeve like a magic trick as he began to walk again, pacing carefully along the western wall and counting steps in his head.
"Did you get to do much exploration like this on your world?" he asked curiously.
