out of my shell

Sohalia

Soh stepped off the skyship, bundled in layers against the chill that lingered in Halo even in the height of Longheat. It was a nice day, she supposed, though her cheeks were still pink with the cold; the sun shone high overhead, and there was marginally less snow than she'd expected. She paused as she exited the ship, looking over the barren landscape with interest. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, and her fingers itched for pencil and paper with which to document it.

There would be time for that later, though. For now, it was time to find Tal. She scanned the skyport for her friend and, upon seeing him, rushed over to greet him. She hadn't seen him since that day in Stormbreak, and so it was with a bit of shyness that she approached. Her injuries had long since healed, leaving only a single scar on her left eyebrow, but there were deeper wounds that had yet to scab over. At the top of her list just now was that Tal might see her or treat her differently than before. And if there was one thing she didn't want, it was pity. Or a reminder of her recent experience.

"Hi, Tal!" she trilled, smiling shyly as she approached. "Thanks for meeting me!"

He had plenty of work to do keeping the Peregrine ship-shape and clean as a whistle, so he'd put the day to good use while waiting for Soh's ship to arrive. Inspecting the hull and sails and going over every inch of her rigging for repairs had kept him busy until he'd seen the big beauty from Stormbreak pull into the port. He finished the splice on the section of rope he'd been working on and then stowed it methodically before trotting over to the other side of the dock where the larger inter-region vehicles landed.

He grinned as her familiar trill cut through the shuffle of the disembarking passengers and stepped forward to meet her. He'd been worried about his friend but she'd been strong and brave while they'd been in the Feverlands, and the last time he'd stopped by in Stormbreak on a delivery run, she'd been out of town. He hoped that meant that she was recovering in her own way and time...

Or else doing what most good Halovians did, and repressing the trauma deep, deep down inside where it could safely fester until they died.

...Okay, so maybe his people's traditional coping mechanisms weren't the best.

"Soh! Y'made it!" He grinned and started to step forward, possibly going for a hug--

And was almost knocked on his ass as a familiar basso voice caroled her own greeting and swept down from the sky, shouldering Tal aside and catching him right behind the tender knee joint with a folding wing as the big companion trotted forward and sat herself directly in front of Soh with a cheerful rumble of greeting, scaly tail sweeping the wooden planks of the dock.

Sohalia

If repressing trauma was a Halovian trait, then Soh was living in the wrong region. That was exactly what she was doing: traveling to ignore or escape her experience without having to think too hard about it. Of course, she'd had to process some of her feelings - telling the story to Harper had required a certain analysis of her emotions, particularly given that they shared the Attuned bond - but for the most part, she was content to studiously ignore them.

It wasn't a perfect system, and her closest friends would probably notice that her good cheer was ever-so-slightly subdued, her bright gaze infinitesimally darkened. Sometimes she found herself staring off into space, lost in thought in a way that she'd never done before, and when someone roused her, she'd jump out of her skin, fear sparking in her eyes before she snuffed it out and replaced it with a forced smile. But she was also okay, most of the time, as long as she had something to do. So she flitted from place to place, staying busy and following various points of interest, all in the name of staying sane her business.

Tal's greeting brought a grin to her face, and she was just about to offer a hug of her own when Boreal swooped in for her own greeting. With a laugh, Soh knelt before the dragon, offering her horn scratches and a treat of dried jerky. "Hello, Boreal," she said before rising, beaming at Tal and reaching out for a one-armed hug, all the while keeping a hand free to offer dragon scritches.

Tal recovered his balance as Boreal stole his thunder, barely managing to keep his feet. The dragon was unrepentant as she leaned into Soh's scratches with a happy croon - and accepted the jerky tidbit with dainty good manners. Having paid the toll, the cartographer was allowed to rise while Tal finally stepped forward to return the hug, glaring fondly down at his companion.

"Brat," he informed her under his breath, reaching down to tug playfully at one of her horns that wasn't being fussed. She just curled her tail primly around her toes and leaned against Sohalia with a rumble of approval and possibly smug agreement.

"How was th'trip?" Tal gave Soh's shoulders a final squeeze and released her, nudging Boreal's haunch with his foot to get her moving. The dragon turned a look of absolute affront and wounded dignity on him before standing up sloooowly and dropping into a lazy stretch. The courier was already leading the way into the Palace tower the skyport had been built out from, and down the stairs to begin the tour. "Oh! An' hold up. I got somethin' for you," he added with a smug look of his own.

Sohalia

Having nearly had her fingers bitten off recently while feeding a dragon, Soh found Boreal's good manners to be a welcome relief. She made a face at Tal as he called her a brat, affectionately saying, "I think you mean the best dragon in Caido," while giving Boreal a final scratch and a wink.

"The trip was great!" she said as Tal released her and she shifted her very full bag on her shoulder. "There was plenty to keep me occupied. I've never been this far before, so there was a lot to take in." And her journal was all the more full as a result. Having gotten an aerial view of at least part of the region, she was eager to continue her mapping on foot. And, of course, to spend time with one of her dearest friends.

The skyport was built into a beautiful palace, and Soh drank in the sights as she followed her friend. At the news that he had something for her, she tilted her head to one side, not unlike a curious puppy. "Oh?" she asked, arching a brow at him with a smile. "And what might that be?" Could it be the idea he'd alluded to in his letter?

Boreal might not have understood the exact words, but she certainly got the intent behind Soh's correction and she gave a smoky snort of I told you so to her human as she received the last of the greeting scratches.

Tal just rolled his eyes and huffed. "You're spoilin' her," he warned his friend... as if he didn't do plenty of that himself.

He listened as he led the way, nodding along at Soh's excitement with a small, crooked grin as he was reminded of his own first long airship trip. Sah had been with him for that adventure and things had certainly come a long way since. "Glad y'finally made it," was all he said, a little gruffly to hide the pleasure he felt at being able to show off his home to one of his close friends.

And it was because of that closeness that he turned at the bottom of the stairwell and took in her cocked head with a bark of sudden laughter. "Ha! So I can surprise you," he exclaimed, wickedly gleeful as he pushed back the sleeve of his summer-weight parka to reveal a cuff around his wrist of stone and metal, lined with fur. It was one Soh would undoubtedly recognize; he almost never took it off.

But he did now, unclasping it carefully and handing it over to the young woman with nervous pride. "It's magic. From Frey," he revealed. "It'll keep the cold from gettin' t'you while you're in Halo. Just so long as y'give it back before y'leave," he added, grin going lopsided.

---

Frostbite Cuff | Light | Defensive A fur-lined cuff which protects the user from sub-zero temperatures. Does not affect the environment or any environmental issues associated with the cold (e.g. deep snow, icy ground)

Sohalia

Soh stuck out her tongue as Tal scolded her for spoiling Boreal, as if he didn't do plenty of that himself. Besides, it was practically tradition by now. Without a companion of her own yet, she was more than happy to dote on her friend's.

"Maybe a little," she conceded at his bark of laughter, hiding a smile behind a gloved hand. She could tell he was excited by whatever he had up his sleeve (pun intended), but it still surprised her when he revealed the cuff around his wrist. It was made of fur-lined stone and metal, and she'd never seen him without it. When he handed it to her, she hesitated. "Are you - are you sure?" she asked nervously. This was one of Tal's prized possessions; what if she broke it? What if she lost it? (She wasn't going to do either of those things, but it was a natural fear to have.)

She looked at him with a mockingly wounded expression at the idea that she wouldn't give it back. He knew better, of course, or he wouldn't be offering it to her, but it still went without saying that she would return it before she left. She studied the cuff in her hands, swallowing her nerves as she rolled up the sleeve of her own parka and slid the cuff gingerly onto her wrist. She was immediately warmer, and her brows raised with admiration. "That's some magic!" she exclaimed, her voice impressed.

"'Course I'm sure," he said, somewhere between smug and indignant that she even had to ask. Of course, he did ask for it back when she was done... he couldn't quite help himself. The Cuff was special to him, and it was with a great deal of trust in his friend that he offered it over for her stay in Halo. "I'm bred t'this cold. I'll be fine without it." Bluster and bragging, but not without reason. The Longheat season was quite temperate to someone raised on the Tundra and the unmelting Sea of Glass.

"An' here, now you can use this for souvenirs," he added with determined cheer, swallowing the faint sense of unease at how light his wrist suddenly felt. He offered back the envelope she'd sent him with its contents still intact - the payment she'd sent in advance for warm clothes. "Or at least pick out somethin' you know you'll like." His crooked grin held a rueful awareness of his own lack of fashion sense and he started to lead the way again. "Pick up a coat here an' you'll definitely stay warm in Stormbreak's Deepfrosts!"

Sohalia

"Thanks, Tal," she said, smiling a genuine smile without the shadow that plagued her so often these days. "I'll take good care of it." Already she was warmer and more comfortable - in fact, she was almost too hot with the parka she'd brought with her. She'd been prepared for a shopping spree while she was here, but it seemed that that would now be unnecessary - although she'd probably pick up a few things anyway, so that she could visit Tal again without having to borrow one of his most prized possessions.

She took back her envelope with another word of thanks, stuffing it into the purse she wore to deal with later. "I'm more concerned with staying warm here - that is, if you'll still have me for a visit after this trip is over," she teased. Of course, she had plenty of plans to visit the landscape surrounding the Citadel for her mapping, but she was sure that she would spend a lot of time with Tal as well - possibly too much time for the courier - and she hoped she would still be welcome after her visit was through.

"So," she said as she began to follow Tal again. "What have you been up to? How's business?"

Aw, hail. That bright smile was worth any nervousness he felt at handing over a god-given item and Tal rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck, ducking his head against the inevitable heat in his ears and hurriedly offering her envelope back as a distraction. It seemed to work, and when she mentioned wanting to come back he raised his head to flash a grin at his friend. "'Course I will! Hail, y'taught me how t'swim. Probly saved my life. You can visit whenever y'want!"

Except only after saying all that did he realize she was teasing, and his defensive scowl took over his face as he hurriedly turned away and started leading them out of the Palace and its skyport and into Snowcloak. "Um. Workin', mostly," he admitted a little gruffly to cover his embarrassment. "I've been tryin' t'cut back on what I'm acceptin' these days, 'least until I see how things work out with the new 'prentice. Oh! But I did go this real fuckin' awkward party in Torchline recently. That was, uh... definitely a thing." This time his grimace was a lot more heartfelt but he tried to shake it off and look back at Soh with surreptitious concern. "What about you? How's the mapmakin' goin'?"

Sohalia

That Soh could have done anything to save anyone's life brought a wry smile to her face; she imagined that he was just saying that, over-exagerating to make her feel better. For her part, the experience had been simultaneously awkward and fun, particularly when they had swam down into the caverns to see the giant fish. So when Tal turned on his scowl, Soh hid a smile behind her hand and followed him, unbothered by his sudden shift to grumpiness.

"Oh, you found an apprentice? That's wonderful!" she said. She'd known he was looking, but not that he'd managed to find someone. The news of a party in Torchline intrigued her, as well, given how much she frequented the beaches to see Jude. "What kind of party?" she asked curiously, wondering if it was something she'd have heard about. Probably not, given that she was not what one might call a "party person," but you never know.

When talk turned to her, she focused on her mapmaking, that being the safest topic of discussion. "Business is going well!" she gushed. "I've been traveling a lot recently, making new maps. Things have really picked up at the shop, too!" She didn't say that traveling was her way of avoiding her emotions, but that seemed neither here nor there to the young woman.

"We'll see," Tal temporized, lips quirking a little towards a crooked smile at Soh's sunny optimism in contrast to his own more pessimistic pragmatic view of things. "He's a bit too nice, but he's got potential." Of course Tal knew that Soh knew Jude, but a wicked streak of mischief - and worry that things wouldn't work out - kept his words vague enough to not name names.

"Th'party was, uh..." He wrinkled his nose, trying to remember the details. He'd had... a lot to drink that night... "For the openin' - or, reopenin'? - of Flora's new bar. Er, old bar? Anyways, she took over a bar an' invited Ru so we went down t'gether," he explained. He'd been invited, too... kind of? With Flora he never quite knew where he stood.

It was with relief that he turned the conversation back to Sohalia and he perked up to hear that things were looking up for her mapmaking business. "Hey, that's great!" he congratulated her, his grin breaking fully past his previous scowl. As a wanderer with itchy feet, it didn't even occur to him that she might be compensating for trauma by traveling like he did. "What's th'best place you've been yet?" Boreal trotted ahead of them, her scaly bulk sufficient to clear a path in spite of the occasional grumble from those she shouldered out of her way.

Sohalia

It was probably for the better that Tal didn't divulge names, given that Soh's recent interactions with Jude would have left her blushing and flustered upon hearing his name. As it was, she stuck her tongue out at her friend. "There's no such thing as 'too nice,'" she told him imperiously. After all, if anyone was too nice, it was her, and they got along just fine, thankyouverymuch.

The name Flora rang some kind of bell in the back of Soh's mind, though she couldn't quite place it, and she vaguely remembered hearing about some kind of grand opening. It wasn't the sort of thing she'd usually be interested in, though, so she remembered very little about it - and, frankly, wasn't any more interested in discussing it than Tal seemed to be.

At his enthusiasm over her cartography, though, she shot him a beaming smile. "That's tricky," she told him. "I haven't seen everywhere yet, and there's good and bad in all the places I have seen." She pondered as they walked along, pursing her lips in thought. "I think, so far, the Oerwoud is still my favorite." Ceffyl Dwr encounter and all.

"Bah, sure that's what you'd say," he 'grumped' back at her, feigning a scowl. He let the matter drop, however, letting the conversation instead flow to the party that he'd mostly stood around being awkward at. His friends could help him dress up as fancy as a they pleased, but the courier still struggled in social situations. At least he hadn't started a fight?

Changing the subject was as much a matter of self-preservation as genuine interest in what Soh had been up to. He reached out to link her arm through his if she'd let him, ambling along the snowy road with the bustle of Halovians out and about on their business or heading towards the markets for shopping. "The Oerwoud, huh? It's not the worst place on Caido," he agreed slowly, thinking about the hot, humid jungle and the Molten Tigers within it. "Why d'you like it so much?"