[CLOSED] far over the misty mountains cold

[telewarped]

Who: A.B.A, Shoka Sakurane, Firoza Istus
What: Exploration: Blue
When: Mid-August
Where: South of the Outpost
Warnings: Auditory hallucinations, terrain hazards (avalanches, cave-ins, etc.)



Although the quest description had specifically made mention of a notable drop in temperature, Shoka had perhaps underestimated just how sudden and jarring the terrain shifts would be. One moment they're in the deep woods, and the next they're in the mountain pass, trudging upward through piles of fallen snow. Jagged peaks loom before them, obscured by the ever increasing flurry.

"Yeesh," she remarks aloud (though she keeps her voice slightly hushed, per Firoza's helpful earlier warning about avoiding avalanches). "They weren't kidding about that 'drop in temperature'..."

She's never seen so much snow. It's beautiful, she has to admit, a seemingly endless, upward expanse of white. Luckily for her, the cold isn't much of a bother to a ghost, and her form is apparently light enough that she's able to traverse over the drifts without issue, gliding effortlessly along the surface of the snow.

Unluckily for her, the snowflakes inevitably melt upon contact with the cloth of her disguise. If the snowfall gets much worse, she's going to wind up a very soggy (and then very frozen) Mimikyu indeed.

"Maybe I should've thought about snow-proofing myself..."

Comments

[bladeofnymeia]

The cake is pleased...?

That's good for the cake, then, she supposes. Firoza keeps close to A.B.A. as they move forward - on the side opposite of where Shoka is, hence why she seems to disappear from view. Stay close to the largest amongst them, the easiest to spot even in near whiteout conditions, and squint through the snowflakes...it's not much different from her teen years, digging a path out from Mother's one room cabin so they weren't completely cut off from the outside world, even if the only people likely to come were all too eager to remind her that she didn't belong in the Magna Glacies.

Well, she'd finally left, hadn't she? And retained much and more of what she'd learned in the icy peaks of Garlemald. So bully on them.

Her ear flicks in Shoka's direction at the question. "I'm fine for a bit longer," she says, just loud enough to be heard over the wind. "Was practically born in a snow-drift. But once we reach the caves, I'll put something on." Less to stay toasty and more to keep her friend from being concerned. It's how she'd taken Tataru's gracious gift of a long, warm coat, when they'd had to head into the heart of the Empire. Even in this body, something of that hardiness remains...and maybe it was foolish to put it to the test, but it reminds Firoza that she's still herself deep down, no matter what she may be on the outside.

Still, she's also quite close to A.B.A., enough that their legs might brush...if that's not terribly annoying. If it is, there's always the easy solution of taking her by the nape of the neck like a mother cat would a kitten, or something. She won't fight it.

[quirkynote]

They're just...both by her legs. Both of them! She might as well be wearing them, like...cute little Pokémon mittens. Except not really, one of them is also covered in poisonous spikes, so A.B.A isn't sure how much she wants that brushing up against her. She groans, rolling her eyes dramatically as she plucks both of the other girls from the snow and tosses them onto her back one at a time. Plonk. Plonk.

"Is your pride really so substantial? I told the both of you I'd carry you, there's no need for...whatever that display was."

She treks on, her gaze narrowed at the cavern in the distance. If there's one thing A.B.A's good at, it's zeroing in on her goals. Even with the snow deepens, her legs are just long enough to plow through. With each step forward, she relaxes slightly, that fierceness melting away like butter. The only thing that really can melt in weather like this...

"I used to carry my husband everywhere, you know... This familiar weight on my back, it soothes me... I don't want you to think you burden me with your presence. It's quite the opposite, actually..."

[telewarped]

There's Firoza's voice, fortunately still within earshot (even if it does sound distant to Shoka still, carried away on the wind).

"But once we reach the caves," she echoes, "won't that be—?"

Basically pointless? She may not be a seasoned adventurer like Firoza, but why wait to bundle up until after they've found shelter from the elements?

She ultimately isn't able to finish that sentence, as another fierce gust whips through the pass, making her gasp and hold onto A.B.A's leg for dear life. Despite her resistance to cold, the blizzard is so intense now that even she's starting to shiver, even in her fur cloak.

Luckily for her, salvation comes a moment later; she's hoisted up into the air (for a moment, she thinks that the wind finally is carrying her off, and all she can do is squeak in alarm and let it happen) and deposited onto A.B.A's back. A.B.A's blanket-cloak and feathers are blessedly warm, and her neck and crest are tall enough to give Shoka some much-needed shelter from the blizzard.

Shoka's pride is that substantial, thank you very much... But the relief she feels is stronger in that moment. Once Firoza is up on A.B.A's back with her, she droops in place with a heavy sigh. It's a little embarrassing, but it also feels... Nice. She's safe, surrounded by friends.

"Well, good for you," she replies to A.B.A, taking hold of her feathers (securely but gently, in a way that's second nature to her now). "And thanks... It'd—really suck if you weren't here."

Both of them.

[bladeofnymeia]

The fucking squeak Firoza makes at being manhandled (Pokemon-handled?) and tossed upon A.B.A.'s back so unceremoniously...! She wanted to protest she wasn't being prideful, but there's literally no time. She lands on her tummy upon A.B.A.'s back, so no risk of being poked there - and Shoka would likely find that the thick blanket-cloak is thick enough to blunt Firoza's spikes. They're not sharp, after all, just poke-y.

Just, uh. Give her a second to respond, she's a bit dazed.

"Um...uh...well...caves are caves, aren't they? They'll still be cold." And besides, now she gets to sit on a warm and cuddly chimera friend, snuggled up to a ghost friend. Firoza is so good right now. Ideal temperature. "We don't know if the draft will whistle in, or how deeply they go - cold sinks, while heat rises, and we have no idea if they'll go up into the mountain or down, that sort of thing..."

Mm, let's just kinda get snug here, though. Now they won't be separated no matter what.

"...Aye. Thank you, both of you, from the bottom of my heart."