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Post by Iryla on Sept 3, 2023 15:52:27 GMT -5
Her heartbeat ran a low, slow rhythm in her own ears.
Da-dum… Da-dum…… Da-Dum.……… Da-Dum……………
It was all that she could hear. All around her was a vast, stifling silence.
Da-Dum……………… Da-Dum…………………… Da-Dum…………………………
There was snow, and ice, so much of it that in the light of day leaked through into her silent space her eyes burned painfully, blinded by a million tiny, star bright reflections.
She was…. She was…? What had she been doing here, in this desolate place? She couldn’t even remember. Surely there had been something important- There had to have been to drag her somewhere so cold- So unfamiliar. But whatever it was was lost with the painful and sticky feeling on the side of her head.
There was a… A cave. Barely large enough for her to stand and turn around in, but deep, deep. She might have been able to climb out of it but her hands- They hurt, and there was so much snow flooded into the mouth of the cave, leaving only the smallest, barest of openings for light and air to flow through.
Da-Dum………………………… Da-Dum……………………………… Da-Dum…………………………………
Why? Why had she been here? What had happened to her?
Why was she alone?
No, being alone… That… That part made sense. She was used to being alone, even after being taken in by the faces swimming in her vision and given a place to call home. Often, she spent her time sneaking around- Here and there- or keeping a silent vigil in the nighttime when she was unable to bring herself to relax enough to sleep.
Now, she couldn’t stop sleeping. It felt that every time she let her eyes close for more than a moment she would wake up and the light would have shifted so much in her tiny space it left her more and more disoriented.
Consciousness, in general, was leaving her disoriented.
Da-Dum…………………………………… Da-Dum……………………………………… Da-Dum…………………………………………
It was dark now, only the light of a small, flickering star above the window of her prison giving light to it’s depths. The icey walls sparkled with it, and she shivered. Cold. It was colder when it was darker but she was already cold down to her bones. In a way, it was numbing, and she would take the chill freezing the breath in her lungs over the painful light of day.
She hardly understood how she was even still alive at this point. Sure, she had survived a lot in her short life, but this was different than darting around the streets of the Ashen City with quick feet and quicker fingers. There was nothing here, no one but herself and the star above her head. She knew she had supplies, at one point, but had she… lost them? Used them in the previous days? She couldn’t even remember any longer. All she knew was the cold. The pain in her hands. And that small, flickering light.
Da-Dum.
‘Don’t sleep’
There was a voice, whispering to her. Her own? It was quiet, so quiet against the snow's silence. It sounded familiar.
'Don't sleep, little star'
"Wh...o...?"
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Sept 6, 2023 21:16:23 GMT -5
Whoosh.....
Whoosh.....Whoosh.....Whoosh "Check down there!"A voice, it's familiar but distant and muffled. Whoosh.....Whoosh.....Whoosh.....Whoosh The rhythmic sound of whooshing air gets closer and louder. Th-thump......thump thump..... Something heavy sends a few vibrations through the snow. "The snow is deep here."Another voice, clearer this time. "Careful, it's unstable.""Hey! Indra's got a whiff of something!"Who was that? The sound of crunching snow gets closer. "Dig here, someone keep watch for any shifting in the snow."Things are shifting, and slowly but surely, light starts to peek through the thick layer of snow. "Hey! There's a person here! Don't just stand there, blondie. Help dig them out!"More sounds of shuffling and a few hands pull her free from the snow. "Miss Iryla! Miss Iryla, can you hear me?"Arms wrap around Iryla's body, lifting her from the snow and a hand brushes against the side of her face. Their touch is warm like a blazing fire. "She is freezing," Zarius says before looking at the others with him.
Shael stands near her silver drake, knee-deep in the snow while she blows on her finger tips to warm them up. Snow is nearby, ears perked and eyes keenly surveying their surroundings for any trouble or signs of another avalanche. Then there's Askr, ever at the ready for any instructions the fellblood may have. "We need to get her out of this weather."The dark elf drake rider stomps her foot before tucking her hands under her arms. "We're really pushing it here with the weight. Indra isn't meant to carry so many people.""Maybe we should find a place to make camp then," Snow suggests, not daring to take their attention off the treacherous wilds all around them. Bleak mountain tops are barely visible through the flurries of falling snow all around them. Zarius uncorks the vial around his neck and carefully pours the contents into Iryla's mouth while supporting her head. The liquid is a potent healing potion that acts fast to heal any wounds she may have. He wraps his cloak around her tighter to protect her from the cold before lifting her up in his arms. "I do not want to risk being exposed out here with her in this condition."Shael sighs and waves Indra over. "Fine. Fine. But you all owe Indra a barrel of fish each after this."The silver drake tromps over before laying down on the snowy slope and unfurling a wing to act as a ramp so Zarius can carry Iryla onto its back without jostling her.
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Post by Askr Mimameith on Sept 9, 2023 23:58:59 GMT -5
It has been some time since Askr last stepped foot into the Frost Gale.
It seems each time he wanders here, whether carelessly or with intent, he finds a new person of significance that somehow fits into his life; first it had been Nyr all that time ago, when shadows still lurked beneath his dark eyes and his skin clung to his bones because it had nothing else to cling to, back before he found his home in sand and sunlight– then it had been Mister Caedes, who wore a different face, spoken with a different voice, used a different name but been Caedes all the same, back when his eyes and tone were still sharp and immovable when they were turned toward Askr. Askr is not sure how much time has passed since either occasion. He, admittedly, has a terrible concept of time– as far as he knows, it could be eternity.
However, regardless of how much time has passed since that mission in the cold with Nyr all that time ago, how much time has passed since he and Caedes traversed the unrelenting blizzard, one thing apparently remains true; he is about to, or has already discovered, a New Person of Significance.
For a moment, all Askr can do as the form beneath the snow becomes slightly clearer is stare; he tilts his head, expression as blank as always, snow-dusted lashes brushing against his cheeks as he slowly blinks, observing the girl in the snow with what could be confusion, curiosity, or some fusion of both. Her hair is pale, like Mister Caedes’s– her eye color is indiscernible. She has a slight point to her ears, and she should probably not be alive. Sleeping underneath all of that snow for even a short amount of time, as far as Askr is aware, should be lethal to an average person, but it is not as though he can claim to be any kind of expert in the fields of life and death, even if he was sculpted to defy it.
But in the midst of his staring, there’s a voice– Miss Shael, he thinks– snapping at him, telling him to contribute. He pauses, thinking about it for a second, before nodding and kneeling beside the girl in the snow.
“Understood.”
He is hardly proficient in digging through snow, but Askr does his best in clearing it away from the young lady, further doing his best to not allow himself to be distracted by the fact that Mister Zarius recognizes this girl. Knows her by name. Iryla. I-ry-la. Strange. He has never heard such a name.
“...is she your friend?” he asks, looking up at Zarius with that same subdued expression. “...if she is cold, she could hold Yggdrasil. It is warm.”
He holds up one of his many swords in a quiet offer, the gentle heat emanating from the golden blade through its sheath sure to be tempting to anyone. This is prime sword-holding weather, as long as your sword is warm, and Yggdrasil is very, very warm– though… he imagines having the young lady be awake would likely be advantageous in aiding such a thing, and it quickly proves not to be a problem as Zarius wraps her in his cloak, anyway.
Ah. He supposes that is easier.
Askr remains quiet as he follows along behind Zarius, very gently tapping Iryla’s shoulder as the fellblood sets her down on the drake’s back.
“...do you think she will wake up soon? She may have been here for a while. That is... not good.”
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Post by Iryla on Jan 9, 2024 14:38:34 GMT -5
There are voices in the outside world. They dance along the edges of what she knows and does not know, fuzzy and indistinct but warm… Oh, she is warm, or there is something warm around her. There is a hand on her head and liquid sliding down her throat that blooms in her chest, easing some of the ache of days in the snow. She felt solid- frozen through- but beginning to thaw with the barest hints of fire like skin rousing her.
The voices she could hear now weren’t like the voice from before. Had there been a voice at all? She wasn’t sure now. She couldn’t even recall what the voice had said to her as the cacophony of new voices drowns out the silence of the mountain, washing it away.
“Za… Zarius...?” She manages a hoarse whisper, though even that much takes a herculean effort to achieve.
Realistically, a girl of her stature trapped in the snow as she was should not be awake right now. Even more realistically, she should be dead. But even as the light of day risks blinding her, blue eyes begin to flutter open with a wince. She could only barely see the vaguest shapes and colors above her, but she could feel the warmth of thick, dry fabric and bodies pressed close to her so scorching compared to the snow and the ice she knew she wasn’t dreaming.
Though the potion had done wonders to ease the surface of her aches and pains, it still felt like a gargantuan task to open her mouth again to speak. It was like she was jostling a fine coating of frost coating the pathways of her lungs, as if they were frozen corridors just now creaking to life.
“I… a-m… I… a-alive…?”
There is a tapping at her shoulder as she is settled on some surface she can’t distinguish. Iryla tries to look up for the source of the tapping, but the light leaves her eyes tearing beyond any capability to discern one face from another.
The voice, however… The voice she’s sure she doesn’t recognize. She wants to ask, Iryla is sure she should ask, but it seems her stammering earlier has already exhausted her beyond her limits. With a sigh her eyes slip shut again, though it’s clear she’s still more awake and aware than she had been when she was first pulled from the snow.
She shouldn’t be alive right now. She can’t escape the feeling of it, the certainty of her own macabre thoughts. Human, elf, tiefling, it didn’t matter, a mortal shouldn’t have survived at all. And yet, she feels as if she has merely begun to arise from a strange and shivering dream.
How… odd.
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Jan 11, 2024 20:11:28 GMT -5
"She is a bit like you," he replies to Askr. "Someone brought into the family."
Zarius keeps Iryla wrapped up in the cloak and pulled close to his body. "I do not know. She is very cold and I do not know how long she has been out here." The heat coming off of him should warm her up slowly enough to avoid causing her any shock. At least he hopes so. Cyran would have his head if the young girl died on his watch.
As he gathers her into his arms and picks her up out of the snow, he leans in to hear her whisper his name.
"Yes, I am here. Conserve your strength, we will get you somewhere safe. Try to stay awake."
"Less talking! More getting out of this storm!" Shael shouts over the wind.
Once everyone is secure on Indra's back, the drake takes off into the air. The wind buffets the drake and makes it hard to fly straight with so many riders on its back. After a few stressful minutes, Shael wipes the snow from her face and looks back at the others.
"This isn't going well! We're going to get blown off the mountainside at this rate!"
"Tch," Zarius clicks his tongue. "Find a safe place to land then."
Snow points down the slope from where they're flying. "There! I think that's a cave!"
The drake swoops down towards the shadow of an opening in the snow. It's a tight crevice but they manage to get out of the wind at least and then Indra squeezes herself in to block the entrance.
Snow quickly scours the cave for anything they can use but doesn't manage to find any wood or hide to start a fire with. "We won't be able to stay here for long, but maybe we can wait out the storm."
"It will have to do," Zarius says as he sits down, still holding Iryla close as he rummages around in his bag with his free hand. He throws Snow a small wrapped-up candy. "Use that if it gets too cold, it doesn't last long so try to ration it."
The catfolk nods and hunkers down to conserve heat and energy. Shael sticks close to Indra's side and rubs her hands together to keep warm.
Zarius looks at Askr. "How are you holding up?"
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Post by Askr Mimameith on Jan 20, 2024 21:28:23 GMT -5
“She is a bit like you.”
At that, Askr blinks, tilting his head and leaning in a little more to get a better look at the girl in Zarius’s arms– her cheeks are flushed from the bite of the cold, stung by the wind whirling around them, only shielded just so from the cold by the combined efforts of the cloak wrapped around her and the warmth of Zarius’s arms. Even so, in her seeming fragility, there is a quiet strength; she seems like the kind of person who is more than capable. Like the kind of person Zarius would want around.
He gives a little nod at that, perhaps staring at her a moment longer than he should before finally glancing away, turning his focus to the whirl of the wind, the bitterness of the blizzard tangling around them as Indra takes flight. The snowfall is brutal– Askr squeezes his eyes shut just to keep the flurries out of his eyes, shying away beneath his hood for some semblance of sanctuary–, and he can feel the way the drake’s wings tremble beneath the weight of wind and expectations, the urgency of the moment not enough to carry her through the Frost Gale’s perpetual, bitter winter. At this point, falling is not a possibility– it is an inevitability.
Askr can distantly hear voices echo over the howl of the wind, can hear the sharp edge of Shael’s voice melt into the barbs of Zarius’s, but he cannot discern the words. It is fine– they are not meant for him, and so he can focus on clinging to Indra with all the strength his form can muster, feeling more than seeing the motion as the drake sweeps down, down, out of the heart of the cold.
He does not move until he is certain they are on solid ground– he says nothing, merely waiting until he is guided along toward the opening of the tiny cave they’ve stopped in front of, opting to make himself as small as he can in one of the corners, not wanting to take up space anyone else could occupy. There are many of them, after all, and one of them is not well. She takes precedence.
Askr remains silent in his corner, clinging to Yggdrasil for some faint trace of warmth until he is addressed– then he glances up, blinking at Zarius’s question, before giving a little nod.
“...I am well, sir,” he says softly, his gaze dropping to the girl still held close against Zarius’s side. “...You do not need to worry about me. Are you well? Is… I-ry-la?”
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Post by Iryla on Mar 23, 2024 18:23:52 GMT -5
"Ir-y-la?"
Perhaps it’s a silly thing for her addled mind to latch onto, after having barely survived an impossible situation. But that unfamiliar voice saying her name like the vowels don’t quite make sense on his lips cuts through the haze of her mind, rousing her just that much more from her half-living state.
“I…. Ir-ee-la…” Her lips still feel stiff and frozen, but she manages to move them into the shape of her own name.
She feels warmer now, or perhaps it is the lack of stinging cold wind on her cheeks that makes her feel warmer. It takes a few more wandering moments before she begins to realize there are arms around her, and when she manages to blink open her eyes again, she recognizes the man holding her instantly.
“Z-Zarius… Zarius, where…?”
She couldn’t remember what she had been doing before the cold had swallowed her. She wasn’t even sure where they were at all. Yet, she did not panic. She probably should all things considered, but.. Zarius was here, wasn’t he..? And though she hadn’t trusted him when they first met, he had proven himself reliable… More than that. Zarius had given her a home in the rookery, provided her a chance for an education she never could have hoped for on the streets. He… Looked out for her, in his own way. It was certainly a strange feeling, to realize how much she truly trusted him. Had this been even a few short months ago, she would rather have died than admit she trusted anyone at all.
But right now, in this moment, she trusted him. She felt safe, she felt warm. She didn’t even care that there were others near by as he let her head rest against Zarius’ chest.
“How’d… How did you.. F-find me…?”
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Mar 24, 2024 10:05:35 GMT -5
Zarius' eyes linger on Askr while he answers. He doesn't expect the young man to lie to him necessarily, but he also knows that he isn't the type to admit discomfort during a mission unless directly asked.
Satisfied with the answer, his eyes drop back down to Iryla. Being the one in the most critical condition, he doesn't want to neglect observing her closely until he's sure she'll pull through. It's already a miracle enough that she's held on for this long under these circumstances.
"I am fine," he replies as he gently adjusts his hold on Iryla and bundles her up even more in his cloak. "It is hard to say...hopefully we were not too late."
The young half-elf's voice creeps out from between her lips as she corrects Askr's pronunciation of her name.
Zarius gently presses the palm of his hand against the side of her face, alternating between sides to try and take the edge off the cold air.
"Frost Gale, deep in the mountains of the World Crown."
"Might as well be the ass crack of a frost giant," Shael comments between her chattering teeth. The teen is much more used to hot and dry climates than that deep cold of the north.
Zarius ignores her complaints. While they have been caught in the brunt of the blizzard, they did not come ill-prepared for a long search of the snow-covered region. Despite what Shael may think, the fellblood isn't one to recklessly risk the lives of many for the life of one. Hells, he'd even considered coming alone, but searching a mountain range on foot would have been futile and more likely result in complete and utter failure. Having Shael's drake and Snow and Askr's familiarity with the area were key factors to even having the slightest chance at success, even if that meant having to put up with the moody teenager tagging along.
"Luck mostly," he had to admit as finding someone lost in the mountains during a blizzard mostly buried in snow was a near-impossible feat.
Had they not run across a mountain-dwelling hermit who just so happened to have a lead on the girl's whereabouts - who happened to not be as crazy as they seemed despite offering them a sample of ale they brewed in the head of a goat before giving them the time-sensitive directions - and had Indra not been able to get them close enough to pick an odd scent on the wind amidst all the blowing snow, they very likely would have never found her. For all Snow's skills in tracking, for all Askr's knowledge of the area from their time spent there before, and for all of Zarius' experience in gathering information, finding Iryla would not have been possible without a sheer mountain's worth of luck. Or perhaps - though doubtful - some sort of divine intervention.
He wouldn't complain. Skill and preparation only go so far in life. All that matters is that they found her. Now it's just a matter of getting her home safely.
"Hey, fuzz face," Shael barks at Snow. "Come here."
"What-?" Before the catfolk can argue, Shael drags them over and buries her face in their thick coat of fur.
"My nose is fucking cold." Her explanation comes out muffled and to the mild dismay of the archer now reduced to being cuddled like some oversized teddy bear.
"Bear with it," Zarius shoots the two a look. "Our priority is staying warm until we can get down the mountain safely."
"Easy for you to say, poor Indra isn't made for this weather. What was she even doing all the way out here anyway?" Shael gestures to Iryla before tucking her hands between herself and Snow.
"Questions can wait until we are safe. Conserve your energy."
Zarius glances back towards Askr. "You can come closer if you need to." Gods know the fellblood has more than enough body heat to spare.[1] It's not something he particularly thought would come in handy, but he's grateful for it in this one situation.
[1] Heat Gland (was in inventory at the time of this thread)
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Post by Askr Mimameith on Apr 9, 2024 19:48:29 GMT -5
Askr likes to think of himself as someone who is largely unflappable.
It would be a lie to say that nothing can faze him, of course– he’s easily startled by the strangenesses of social interaction, unsettled by too-close spaces, subject to the same weaknesses any other being on this earth is, but when it comes to surprises in combat, he’s usually tricky to catch off guard. Violence is a language he’s mastered, after all, and so he’s prepared for most surprises in any tense situation–
Which makes it doubly surprising– and perhaps a bit embarrassing– when Iryla opens her lips once more solely to correct his pronunciation of her name.
He jumps a little, almost indistinguishably, blinking uselessly as he listens to Iryla’s weary voice form the syllables of her name; he remains still for a while longer, opting to merely watch as Iryla steadily starts to properly awaken, seeming to gain proper awareness of where she is and who she’s with, settling comfortably against Zarius’s form as she makes sense of everything. It is… good to see. As far as Askr knows, extended exposure to the cold like what she’d experienced could be extremely dangerous, bordering on lethal– the fact that she seems largely alright is comforting.
He opts not to speak, either, as Zarius and Iryla speak, no matter how sparse their conversation. It is not his place to interrupt, not his place to intrude– he has his questions, but it is not his place to ask them. He’s perfectly content just to sit and hold Yggdrasil close, all settled in his bubble of silence–
But then Zarius invites him over, invites him to come closer, and…
…it’s hard to say no to.
Iryla needs it more. She clearly needs it more, and Askr should not intrude, no matter how much comfort he takes in being close to Zarius’s side, so though while Askr nods and shuffles a little closer, he is careful not to encroach upon Iryla’s space, careful not to be a burden where he is not welcome to be one. Even the slight movement brings him closer to the heat radiating off of Zarius’s skin, though, and that… is comforting.
“...thank you, sir,” he says, shuffling until he gets settled properly, muscles stiff as he keeps himself curled up close. “I appreciate it.”
Still, though, he doesn’t stop looking at where Iryla remains cradled close against Zarius’s chest– doesn’t stop studying her snow-white hair and sleepy blue eyes and her un-frostbitten features. It’s hard to help; she is a completely new person, after all, and he’s… curious about her. Curious about her affiliation with Zarius.
“...Iryla,” he repeats, careful with the pronunciation this time. “...hi. You… know Mister Zarius?”
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