[Almund] Braving the Elements

[Delta]

3rd Day of Cylus
717th Arc

Having sailed around the Hollow Sea for the majority of her childhood, Delta was no stranger to cold weather, and all of the precipitation and high winds that came with it. The night of snowfall that came mere trials after her arrival onto this newly established island, however, was not like anything she had ever seen before.

Over night, at least a foot of snow now covered the ground and rooftops. Over the period of the day - it was now about the 15th bell, and growing dark - another foot at least had fallen. Carts were left buried under layers of snow, any perishables left in them would be destroyed by now. the girl did not want to leave the warmth and comfort of the small room she was sharing with her Mistress. Alas, she had no leverage, not when Lakia kept tight grip of the secret ingredient which gave Delta the much-needed rush when she was given Psinia. The woman had tasked her with acquiring food and, despite not having appropriate clothing to go out in this disastrous weather, she had no choice but to go out.

Ill-fitting boots sank into the snow, which crunched beneath her feet, with each step she took. The redhead could feel the snow entering her boots. At first, the snow was icy, shocking her nerves. But then the warmth radiating from her feet melted the snow, which was soaked into the material. Now, there was no warmth in her toes, only cold, and she tried to move a little faster.

“…I don’t know!” Blue orbs were drawn to to the origin of a high-pitched voice. A woman was waving wildly, gesturing to a group. All were more appropriately dressed but none looked like they wanted to be outside. “They were over by O’Rourke’s! That’s where they told me they would be!”

“Calm down, Madam,” a man spoke, “We’ll find the children. Go inside, see if you can get some more to help us. C’mon gents, let’s go have a look.” Despite her shivering, curiosity piqued. From the short snippet of conversation, Delta had heard enough. Whatever parent left children alone in such weather probably deserved to go through a bit of fear. But they didn’t deserve to lose the children, nor should the children suffer their own childish folly. Expression set, she veered slightly off her original course and started to follow behind the trail of the men.

Off Topic

Open for anyone to join in, this is an event from the Seasonal Events.

[Anos]

What was supposed to be a quick, overnight stop by the boat had quickly turned into a several trial delay. Anos didn't mind, in truth. He was in no rush to get to Scalvoris Town, and the charms of Almund had won him over- not that that took much.

The heavy snow was like nothing he had ever seen. Rynmere had snow, that was for sure, but never did it fall so fast or so thick. There looked to be almost two feet, by Anos' guess, that had fallen since that time yestertrial. It blanketed the town, thick white pillows of snow covering the rooftops.

Anos was in O'Rourke's when he heard the commotion. It had been highly acclaimed by various citizens of the town and Anos had quickly found his way here. The roaring fires had met his arrival, the smell of food and drink making his mouth water. A cheerful staff had quickly fetched him a drink, and he had enjoyed listening to the bard.

He wasn't dressed for the weather, that much was for sure. His boots had become soaked, and his thin shirt might as well not have been there for all the protection it offered. Thankfully his feet were finally dry by the time the men showed up. The sound of the door banging open caught his attention, and he shamelessly eavesdropped as the man asked about missing children.

Missing children?

It reminded him of all the kids at the orphanage- lost and alone without anyone to care for them. Well not if he could help it- he was going to be the one to bring them back safely, that was for sure.

Anos jumped to his feet, gathering up his staff and few belongings. A mouse skittered off from beneath his boots, and he furrowed his brow. This had seemed like a cleaner spot than that.

His thicker chainmail coat and tabard provided quite a bit more protection and Anos wasted no time finding the men who had entered. They were easy to spot- they were dressed for the weather, fur lined coats and hats adorning all of them.

"Did I hear you right? You're looking for missing kids?"

When they responded in the affirmative, Anos smiled and held out his hand. "Anos. You need some help?"

SOURCE

[Delta]

A small part of Delta regretted deciding to follow the men and women who had decided to find the lost children. She was cold, and it was a cold that seeped through to her very core. Her boots were not designed for this kind of weather - they were leather, yes, but they were old: second or even third-hand boots. They were long past being functional boots, and while they did her okay when she was in Etzos, the freezing temperatures of Cylus in Scalvoris easily won out against her footwear, as well as the rest of her clothing.

A few more joined the group, and they now numbered about eight in total. Most seemed to know each other, though there was another straggler who did not seem to be familiar with anyone here. Unconsciously, Delta’s path veered so that they were walking side by side. She did not speak to him, but smiled briefly, though it was more of a grimace, given the amount of effort it took to move her frozen muscles into an expression of greeting.

Bright cerulean eyes then returned to scanning the site ground, searching for any type of clues that might alert the group to where the missing children could be. As the searchers trudged through the snow, Delta struggled to keep up, and it was pure chance that had her looking right, as she stumbled in the thick snow. “There!” She shouted, attempting to gain the attention of the group in front. When they stopped and turned, she pointed over to the right, “Over there, I see footprints!”

Without waiting, she walked over, halting just beside where the footprints began, tracking away from more sets. “They’re small, be children’s prints,” the slave asserted to the group. One of the men bent down and inspected them closer. Delta found herself almost holding her breath; she wanted to do right by this town… but she also wanted to get into the warmth as soon as possible.

“You’re right, young miss,” the man said ruffly, standing up again, “The tracks will undoubtedly lead us to a small hill - perfect for sledding down. These could well be the prints of Mrs Barker’s children.” The man smiled at Delta, who blushed and smiled shyly back, “Well spotted.”

Delta opened her mouth to say that it was nothing, that she was just trying to help, but she thought that would be redundant. False modesty was not needed in such a dangerous situation. Pulling her tattered cloak tighter around her shoulders, she glanced up at the sky, “Snow falls fast,” she said in her less-than-perfect Common, “Snow will cover footprints soon, yes? We must hurry to follow footprints.”

Off Topic

Still open for more people to join if they wish to!

[Anos]

They men had shook his hand, Anos quickly forgetting their names as they turned and led him outside. A small group of them had gathered, and the men at the front headed out without pausing to explain.

Anos soon found himself beside a good looking young woman and he felt his face begin to flush despite the weather. He noticed all the small things he did- By the seven, what did he normally do with his hands when he walked? He held them at his sides, then realized that that felt awkward. He swung them in time with his feet, trudging through the snow, but that felt forced and made him feel slightly ridiculous.

He shot a glance over to her, just in time to see her smile at him awkwardly. His gaze snapped back to the ground, determined to avoid future eye contact. She had been watching him, and the forced smile said it all- she found him weird.

His feet were cold in the boots, though the leather was holding up fairly well against the wet thus far. The twilight was becoming slightly brighter, though Anos was thankful for the numerous lanterns the other rescuers held. They would definitely help.

Anos was looking the other way when the woman at his side stumbled and fell, shouting out. He was at her side in moments, staring at the set, his eyes quickly picking out the other sets of tracks.

He noticed how every stood back from the tracks, carful not to mar any sign of the children's passing. He followed suit, stepping carefully in the footsteps of another man. Plus, this had the added benefit of keeping his feet drier, he thought with a smile.

The group set off quickly at the woman's mention of snow, and Anos was soon starting to warm up. He kept a careful eye on those around him- sweating was bad in cold weather, and if he was warm right now, odds were others would be too hot. Everyone seemed to be moving at a good pace, however, and they were soon on top of the large hill the man had spoken of.

Multiple smooth patches were seen on the hill, as was an obvious track that the children had used to trudge back up to the top of the hill.

"Spread out," one of the men said. "Look for any tracks that lead away, but be careful where you step! We don't need you to cover it up accidentally."

Anos nodded, keeping that mind, and began to fan out. It didn't take long- the hill wasn't that large, and the smooth snow was obvious where it had been disturbed.

It was off to his right, half a dozen paces away. The man to that side was the one to see it first and called out to the rest of them. Anos hurried over, his feet swishing through the snow. The tracks were there, but something was wrong with them. He couldn't tell what, but his eyes narrowed as he stared. What was it?

After some discussion, which Anos missed, they agreed to follow the tracks. The children couldn't be far, they argued. They just hoped they'd be alive.

It was while they were walking, half a dozen bits later, that Anos noticed what was wrong. It was while watching the woman ahead of him step, the way her boot dragged on the way down, making an elliptical shape.

"Wait!" He called out. "I... I think that the kids were going the other way."

SOURCE

[Delta]

More and more, Delta wished that she could turn around and head back towards the main town of Almund… and warmth. Since summoning people towards the sight of footprints in the snow, she had made them aware of her presence, and the last thing she wanted was to slip off and be hailed as the weakling who couldn’t stomach a bit of snow. She was a biqaj, for Cassion’s sake! She was used to fighting against wayward sails on the stormy oceans, she could climb the rigging when grown men were frightened to be thrown into the unruly seas. She could do this.

Steeling herself, her eyes shifter from periwinkle to their natural cerulean state. She heaved the old coat tighter about her (as if that would make the slightest difference - it was hardly waterproof, and drenched right through) and surged forwards, eyes glaring determinedly down at the floor, following the footprints.

“I think the kids were going the other way.” …What? Delta threw her head back, an involuntary groan escaping her lips. She, and everyone else, stopped walking. They all stared down at the ground. The footprints were harder to see now, with the falling snow. “You’re right, mate,” one of the men called over, “But the girl is right too, by the time we double back, the footprints may not be visible. We’re going to have to hurry, lads!” The men wasted no time in turning and starting away at a slow jog.

She remained beside the man who kept throwing her glances. He was staring at her neck, where her slave mark had been visible, she was sure. He must be disgusted; what use was some waif of a slave, improperly dressed and stumbling at every turn, on a mission such as this one. A furtive glance left showed him to be ducking his head once more, his cheeks flushing. Was he embarrassed? Or was the cold getting to him too? “You-” she cleared her throat, “you are okay?” she asked as she diverted her path to be closer.

Delta was unlikely to be able to help him. But maybe if he was unwell she would have a reason to go back to her rooms… or at least somewhere warm. “It is cold. Sometimes people don’t feel the cold until it is too late.” Hah! How much of a hypocrite could Delta be right now?

Off Topic

Sorry for the delay D: and for the crappy post, I just wanted to get something out fast, and I'm not sure where to go with it atm!! xD