'Pretty? What on earth could be so pretty about frozen death?' He asked himself upon hearing the girl speak. Perhaps the weather would be pretty if he had shoes or trousers? He shuddered "Err, I don't find the weather that appealing in all honesty..." he started, smiling patiently. "In fact, I'd much rather it was Saun!" he chuckled Even the hottest day of Saun would appeal to him more than the first day of Zi'da. The cold did not, a happy snake, make - there was a good reason for there being no such thing as serpents in the tundras.
Sensing discomfort in her tone, Atashi spoke "All right, but I promise you that Lash is a good horse, an easy ride for someone’s first time." struggling with the 'good horse' part, he grit his teeth, he ought to slap the horse half the time. He wouldn't push the subject further however, her discomfort already more than apparent. He'd just have to walk her home if not on Lash - he prayed that she didn't live too far from the Inn. His prayers were answered as Symbri revealed that she was staying at the Inn, so they were going the same direction. Strange, were her parents also at the Inn? The young Symbri can't be by herself, surely. Pushing his thoughts into the back of his head, he decided it best not to ask as to not appear as some sort of creep.
Approaching the door, he spoke "I live in Venora, a good three days ride from here..." sounding rather unhappy about the ordeal. "Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to survive the journey without proper winter clothes, I'm kinda stuck in Andaris 'till I find some..." He spoke, as if confessing. Suddenly realising that Symbri had named the Inn he was staying at, he spoke "Ye old Inn is actually the inn i stayed in last time I was here some forty trials ago, what a coincidence!" in an enthusiastic tone. Opening the front door as he 'walked' with Symbri, he immediately shivered, tremors dancing through his body. 'You haven't even left the building yet!' - Yes, thanks for reminding me. "W-w-well... as I s-s-said! I'd much rather s-s-Saun!" Dammit, he'd gone and hissed multiple times in one sentence. 'Nice one, ssssnake boy.' mocked the voice in his head. His face turned red with embarrassment as he faced front, hoping she hadn't noticed. He delved into the biting cold winds, gasping as the cold air filled his lungs.
Hang on a second, hadn't Symbri said earlier that she has another Ithecal friend? His jaw dropped as he looked to her in awe. If another Ithecal were truly living in Andaris, they'd surely know where to find clothes suited for their race, right!? 'Thats the ticket, now you're using your head' - yes, and if they make normal Ithecal clothes, who's to say that they won't make clothing suited for Zi'da? Hope and excitement bubbling through his body, he re-emerged from his thoughts, finding that he'd been staring at the poor girl and that his tail was flicking to and fro’ behind him. It was probably just that he was trying to stay warm, but made him feel like some sort of mutt so stopped immediately. "I think I've found a way for you to help me, that is if you still want to." he spoke, looking to the girl with the pup in her arms.
"But first, let's get moving before we freeze to death?" he wasn't so certain about the human freezing, but he certainly was. He turned to face Lash, or rather - where Lash should have been. No horse stood in his gaze, only hoof-prints in the fresh snow. He stayed there smiling for a moment, unable to comprehend what he was looking at. Maintaining his expression, he slowly looked to the hoof-prints and which direction they were headed, of course, they were headed to the inn he'd stayed at before going to Welles. 'That's what you get for not feeding her forty trials ago!' laughed the voice in his head, maniacally. He stood there, completely dumbfounded for a moment. Lash had left him here for the Inn.
Closing his mouth but maintaining his smile, he looked to Symbri and spoke very calmly "Right... Looks-s-s like we're w-w-walking." he shivered some more. He didn't doubt that they would have been walking regardless, but now he was without choice - He had to drag his tail across the frozen, snowy, blizzarding streets of Andaris.
Sometime later, during their 'walk'. Atashi turned to Symbri, having completely forgot the favour he was to ask her before, he would ask it now. "S-s-so yes, if you'd-d-d still like to help me, do you think you could as-s-sk your Ithecal friend where she buys-s-s her clothes?" he realised shortly after speaking just how weird that sounded and felt he should elaborate. "It's jus-s-st that I can't go home with-th-thout proper clothes-s-s. And Ithecal cloth-th-thes are hard to come by in this-s-s city." He looked to her expectantly, no longer worried about his hissing. She'd already heard it after all. He felt this was the best way she could repay him for the puppy if he truly did deserve repayment at all.
"Also, s-s-since we're staying at th-th-the same Inn, would you like to meet t-t-tomorrow?" Again, not wanting to sound creepy he built on it. "We c-c-can look into training the little mons-s-ster you've got th-th-there. What do you s-s-say?" he continued in a kind tone, despite shivering every few words.
Sensing discomfort in her tone, Atashi spoke "All right, but I promise you that Lash is a good horse, an easy ride for someone’s first time." struggling with the 'good horse' part, he grit his teeth, he ought to slap the horse half the time. He wouldn't push the subject further however, her discomfort already more than apparent. He'd just have to walk her home if not on Lash - he prayed that she didn't live too far from the Inn. His prayers were answered as Symbri revealed that she was staying at the Inn, so they were going the same direction. Strange, were her parents also at the Inn? The young Symbri can't be by herself, surely. Pushing his thoughts into the back of his head, he decided it best not to ask as to not appear as some sort of creep.
Approaching the door, he spoke "I live in Venora, a good three days ride from here..." sounding rather unhappy about the ordeal. "Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to survive the journey without proper winter clothes, I'm kinda stuck in Andaris 'till I find some..." He spoke, as if confessing. Suddenly realising that Symbri had named the Inn he was staying at, he spoke "Ye old Inn is actually the inn i stayed in last time I was here some forty trials ago, what a coincidence!" in an enthusiastic tone. Opening the front door as he 'walked' with Symbri, he immediately shivered, tremors dancing through his body. 'You haven't even left the building yet!' - Yes, thanks for reminding me. "W-w-well... as I s-s-said! I'd much rather s-s-Saun!" Dammit, he'd gone and hissed multiple times in one sentence. 'Nice one, ssssnake boy.' mocked the voice in his head. His face turned red with embarrassment as he faced front, hoping she hadn't noticed. He delved into the biting cold winds, gasping as the cold air filled his lungs.
Hang on a second, hadn't Symbri said earlier that she has another Ithecal friend? His jaw dropped as he looked to her in awe. If another Ithecal were truly living in Andaris, they'd surely know where to find clothes suited for their race, right!? 'Thats the ticket, now you're using your head' - yes, and if they make normal Ithecal clothes, who's to say that they won't make clothing suited for Zi'da? Hope and excitement bubbling through his body, he re-emerged from his thoughts, finding that he'd been staring at the poor girl and that his tail was flicking to and fro’ behind him. It was probably just that he was trying to stay warm, but made him feel like some sort of mutt so stopped immediately. "I think I've found a way for you to help me, that is if you still want to." he spoke, looking to the girl with the pup in her arms.
"But first, let's get moving before we freeze to death?" he wasn't so certain about the human freezing, but he certainly was. He turned to face Lash, or rather - where Lash should have been. No horse stood in his gaze, only hoof-prints in the fresh snow. He stayed there smiling for a moment, unable to comprehend what he was looking at. Maintaining his expression, he slowly looked to the hoof-prints and which direction they were headed, of course, they were headed to the inn he'd stayed at before going to Welles. 'That's what you get for not feeding her forty trials ago!' laughed the voice in his head, maniacally. He stood there, completely dumbfounded for a moment. Lash had left him here for the Inn.
Closing his mouth but maintaining his smile, he looked to Symbri and spoke very calmly "Right... Looks-s-s like we're w-w-walking." he shivered some more. He didn't doubt that they would have been walking regardless, but now he was without choice - He had to drag his tail across the frozen, snowy, blizzarding streets of Andaris.
Sometime later, during their 'walk'. Atashi turned to Symbri, having completely forgot the favour he was to ask her before, he would ask it now. "S-s-so yes, if you'd-d-d still like to help me, do you think you could as-s-sk your Ithecal friend where she buys-s-s her clothes?" he realised shortly after speaking just how weird that sounded and felt he should elaborate. "It's jus-s-st that I can't go home with-th-thout proper clothes-s-s. And Ithecal cloth-th-thes are hard to come by in this-s-s city." He looked to her expectantly, no longer worried about his hissing. She'd already heard it after all. He felt this was the best way she could repay him for the puppy if he truly did deserve repayment at all.
"Also, s-s-since we're staying at th-th-the same Inn, would you like to meet t-t-tomorrow?" Again, not wanting to sound creepy he built on it. "We c-c-can look into training the little mons-s-ster you've got th-th-there. What do you s-s-say?" he continued in a kind tone, despite shivering every few words.
