in bloom [seasonal event!]

She had been out to the market early that morning, buying up the last of the local grain to add to her collection for Deepfrost stores. There was not much, but there was never much, and every year they had gotten by - to an extent, at least. Though the influx of Outlanders had Amalia worried: the bubble could only support so many, had barely supported them. How would they fare with so many more mouths to feed, so many strangers lost upon their doorsteps? The thought had plagued the baker for some time, and so as the day grew later she found herself once more, trudging to the Temple in hopes of finding more cereal stored there. A frequent stop on her daily journeys, the notice board had once been a gathering place, an advertisement for entertainment in the interludes where someone cared enough to put on a show. These days it was fraught with warnings, memos to and from the Outlanders about goings on and disappearances, concerns and quandaries. She had not yet seen the most recent addition: evidently a particularly fatalistic warning about Deepfrost, had people chattering and twittering in the temple halls. Amalia skirted around them quietly, her footsteps soft on the familiar floor as she traced the path to the information hub. Nearing the board she drew to a stop, blinking. An unfamiliar woman sat upon the ground, wholly absorbed, it seemed, in her work. Was she writing a memo? Taking notes? "What are you doing?" From behind the stranger Amalia frowned, more curious than anything, her deep voice a quiet question lit with a suggestion of help. Another step closer; unabashed, the baker peered over the stranger's shoulder, trying to make sense of the scene. She slid the heavy sack of grain from her shoulder, letting it rest upon the ground. "Can I help you?" amalia i've been watching your kindness keep a lonely company - look at the fire and think of me