[SE] dashing through the snow

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

In a dell between two sweeping hills about an hour's walk outside the Domicile, a cottage lay nestled into a winter-gray copse of trees. Bordering on overgrown, with evergreen vines snaking up the thick stone walls and a crooked chimney stack that looked about ready to fall in on itself, it was just large enough for two people - and some guests - who enjoyed their privacy. Surrounded by snow-covered fields, it looked cozy enough but came with a few drawbacks that the owners hadn't really considered when they chose to move in. One was the sheer amount of firewood it would take to keep two Ancients warm through the long winter, the other was the effort it would take to keep the road clear enough to get there and into the city. And the third was how difficult it might be for guests - or other services - to reach them, when they inevitably realized that they didn't want to do something themselves.

Maea had spent much of the day making rounds to the window to peer out through the snowfall for a sign of the firewood she had bought. The farmer had promised he'd get it delivered that day, but as the hours wound down and sunlight started to fade she was not only growing impatient, but actually worried. The kitchen table was laden with evergreens and ribbons, twigs and other fancies she had gathered, intending to decorate the common rooms to try and take her mind off the approaching LongNight. But so far only one wreath had been completed, and sat by the door, accusing her whenever she walked past for her inability to focus.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

Not knowing the area, Hadama had been unable to teleport to the secluded little cottage. It did not bother him to walk, though he felt the cold far more keenly now that he was no longer part of the Academy and had lost its blessing. Well-bundled up against the Deepfrost chill, he had embarked on a visit to the pale Ancient he called friend. There was news to share, and he was slowly gaining confidence with his new abilities even if they were different than what he'd known as a Mer.

Only being able to teleport at night, for example, was a larger drawback than he had anticipated.

He was not the only one having trouble finding Maea's residence, as it turned out. Or at least, reaching it. He had come across a farmer whose wagon had foundered in the snow and it had taken both of them to free it. With the farmer leading his horse and Hadama pushing from behind they finally made it to their destination, albeit rather later than the Tidebreaker had intended.

He stood back by the sled, a tall, silent, broad-shouldered shape bundled in furs and with his face hidden between a scarf and cap, while the farmer knocked on the door of the cottage and called out. "Maea? Y'home, gel?"

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

There came a sound like a chair falling over and the rapid thuds of approaching footsteps. When the door opened it was in a rush of warm air and the scent of wood smoke and something savory that's cooking for a long time. (Not burned, not yet at least.) The light spilled out around the figure of the petite woman, comfortably dressed in a homespun wool dress and with a look of intense relief on her face.

"Uncle Merles! It's good to see you, I was worried something had happened." Looking past the burly man, an old acquaintance of her father's, she took in the tired horses and the bundled up shape that stood half-hidden behind the heavily laden sled. "Who's your friend? That's not Stian, is it?" Hesitating, she looked between the farmer and the figure. She didn't remember any of his sons being that tall.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

"An' it did!" the farmer chuckled. "But this big'un gave me a hand an' we got the sled unstuck between us." He gave a rueful shake of his head, looking back at the horse who stamped impatiently in the snow. "Young Tess 'ere got goin' a bit fast 'round that curve in the ol' road back by the standin' stone an' took the whole sled sideways into a drift." And she didn't look like she regretted it at all, though she was impatient to get back to her warm barn and a bucket of hot mash.

"Aw, naw, Stian's home nursin' a sprained ankle," Merles snorted with a wave of his hand. Hadama, not one to let work go undone, had begun to unload the sledge, shifting bundles of firewood to pile against the wall by the front door in easy reach. He had kept his head tucked down into his scarf until Maea asked about him, and then he looked up to meet her eyes, his own emerald green ones peeking out from the dark skin of his face that was mostly muffled in warm wool. "He don't half say much, does 'e?" Merles said. "Said he's a friend of yours, though?"

One emerald eye closed in a wink as Hadama straightened fully and tugged his scarf down to reveal his face as he gave the petite woman a polite nod as if this was the most normal thing in the world. "Hello, Maea." Mischief danced in his gaze as he sniffed appreciatively at the aroma of cooking food wafting out into the cold. "May I come in?"