[CLOSED] her cold voice sings a melody

[telewarped]

Who: Shoka Sakurane, Eleanor Lamb
What: Bounty: Frightening Freeze
When: Mid-February
Where: Icefall Lake
Warnings: Hallucinations, mention of terrain hazards (avalanches, cave-ins, etc.)



While Shoka certainly isn't expecting to receive a warm welcome from Icefall Lake, the weather is even harsher than it was the last time she was here. That time, she had remarked that she'd never seen so much snow before in her life (or afterlife), but now gives her a new record. Though she's still able to glide over the surface of the snow the same way she did then, the biting chill of the wind feels almost deliberate in its malice—like it's trying very hard to sweep at least her disguise away, if not her entire self.

Despite all of that, they're making good progress. Carving a path through the snow is almost too easy, actually. Before long, they're at the base of the mountain.

"Hey—El!" she calls out. "You still with me?"

Her Brionne partner is still with her; she knows because when her shadow-tendril reaches out into the flurry, it easily finds contact with Eleanor's flipper.

(The brief brush prompts a flash of memory—a child walking hand-in-hand with her through a sunken city—along with an eerie feeling of déjà vu, but she says nothing to acknowledge it.)

"We need to go through there!" Shoka points a claw at the mouth of a cave looming ahead, half-blocked by a pile of snow. "Think you can burn us a path?"

Comments

[telewarped]

The way Shoka moves is soundless, a gentle gliding of shadows over earth, but the sound of rocks falling somewhere deeper in the cavern breaks the silence before she can answer Eleanor's question. She pauses to listen (to the echoing tumble of the rocks, then to the distant, thready whisper that only she can hear, calling to her right on cue), waiting until all is quiet again to respond.

"Be ready to fight. And after that..."

Something pale moves in the dark. Startled, Shoka swivels around—but there's nothing there, save for a twisted, flickering reflection of her Will-O-Wisp. Despite herself, she shivers.

"After that... I guess it depends." She snickers, trying to mask her nerves. "You really didn't think this through much at all, did you? Why'd you decide to come again?"

Because Eleanor's typing and Flamethrower move (and generally chill vibe, by Shoka's standards) made her a good fit for the quest, most likely, and she just happened to be there at the Questboard at the same time Shoka was. Shoka has either forgotten—or is choosing to pretend to have forgotten—that she asked Eleanor to team up with her.

[notyourbloodymessiah]

In Eleanor's defense, she's never done anything like this before. Sure, she's gone out and collected things with Delta (why does she have the feeling Shoka already knows that?), but hunting down a target? She's seventeen, not an assassin. She can move with the skill of a highly-trained killer but that's less to do with practice. It doesn't prevent her from pulling a face in Shoka's direction at the question.

"Um, you asked me?" A bit of almost uncharacteristic sass oozes through her words, as she tilts her head to the side. Her brow knits in worry despite that. She'd only wanted to double check, give her a break. Is there a procedure? Or are they going with the flow? She isn't one to know. And besides, Shoka's been showing her a lot of the ropes since she arrived... "If you'd wanted someone with more experience you could have asked someone else." Their friendship notwithstanding.

If Eleanor's seeing something out of the corner of her eye, she doesn't comment on it. There's something there, but her focus is more on Shoka suddenly switching up on her. It's not good either way, but at least it's preventing her from being distracted.

[telewarped]

"And you said yes anyway, no questions asked," Shoka fires playfully back. Apparently, she was only pretending to have forgotten after all. "Thought you'd at least have some idea of what you'd wanna do once we catch our target! Or were you really just that desperate to impress li'l ol' me—?"

She's only just barely finished that sentence when a voice emanates from somewhere. It's soft and alluring, almost dreamlike.

"Shoka..." it calls. "Shoka, where have you gone?" Its tone is almost plaintive at first, then coaxing, beckoning. "Darling... Won't you come back to me?"

Though Shoka pretends not to hear it, she can't quite repress the shiver that skitters down her back.