Where Am I? [open]

The man braced himself, hugging his coat closer to himself as his breath clouded in front of him. Firm brows drew together, and his eyes darted around the snow covered landscape, confusion settling over him.     Richard quickly patted his pockets with hardly contained desperation, trying to remember if he had succeeded in his last job and coming to the conclusion that he hadn’t. A groan escaped him, as he ran quickly numbing fingers through highly uncharacteristically disheveled hair.     What the name of the gods happened? How did he get here? Where was here?     His mind exploded with all kinds of conspiracies. In his world, magic had been contained to items, and nothing he had ever heard of was capable of creating new worlds. And if there had been such a thing, he would’ve absolutely made it his business. He breathed on his bare hands and rubbed them together, then checked his satchel to make sure he still had all of his tools. Thankfully everything seemed to be here.     Richard started walking through the snow, muttering curses at whatever had the balls to kidnap him and bring him here. Rick When life robs you, sometimes you have rob it back

A man literally just appeared right before her eyes. What. The. Gods. Phoebe blinked in total shock, stopping in her tracks. She had been out gathering medicinal roots and barks – she even found something new to bring to Remi to examine – and had been headed back to her shop when a dark haired fellow appeared only a few feet in front of her. At first she was stunned, but was suddenly reminded of how she and so many others found themselves in this place. It had been scary, confusing, stressful…but at least she had appeared with people she knew. This man was all alone. Her thoughts drifted to the man named Ru’in she had met in the woods. Was this how he had ended up here alone, too? The young midwife knew she had to at least offer assistance. He might end up freezing to death out here otherwise! ”Excuse me! Are you okay?” she called out to him as she hurried forward. She could only go so fast though in the snow, she had sturdy boots but it clung to the ends of her skirt and cloak. It was sort of unavoidable but she was at least tall enough to make up for it. Her oversized hat that hung loosely off the back of her head bounced as she picked her way through the snow, her long blonde hair following suit. ”Did you do that yourself, or were you brought here from somewhere else, too?” she asked, a little breathless from her quick jaunt over. The blonde looked up at him, had he turned, with wide brown eyes, snowflakes stuck to her lashes and cheeks and nose red from the cold. Richard Phoebe Be gentle to all and stern with yourself

His eyes darted up, startled by the approach of a young blonde. Was she there the whole time? Richard’s brows drew together again, and he felt completely disoriented. This wasn’t right, wasn’t his world...     He narrowed his eyes at the young woman, tilting his head as he tried to get a better look at everything around him. She walked towards him, a glow of innocence - and likely ignorance - surrounding her. If he was back home, she would’ve made for an easy target to charm, bed, and rob. Now? Now, that was the furthest thing from his mind. Now, he wanted to figure out where he was and how to get home. Surely the magic that brought him here could be reversed, right? He somehow doubted it, but hope was a dangerous thing to lose.     ”I, uh, I don’t think I did it,” he muttered, running his fingers through his hair, which was gathering snowflakes. ”Forgive me, I just...” He frowned, looking around the area. White. That was all he saw...white. He never thought a color could piss him off so much. For the sake of the strange girl, he didn’t let it show.     The man forced a crooked smirk that flickered on his lips. ”I’m Richard Brandle. Can you, can you tell me where I am?” Phoebe Rick When life robs you, sometimes you have rob it back

His confusion was evident on his features as he looked around. It was a disorienting and unnerving experience, and Phoebe's heart went out to him. She knew exactly how he felt, and yet she knew nothing she could or would say would comfort him. Brown eyes noticed the snow collecting in his hair as they stood there. She searched in her little basket of foraged goods, finding her extra hat. It might smell a bit like ginger, but at least that was a pleasant scent. "Here. You'll want to put this on." she said with a warm smile, holding out the red knit hat to him in a mittened hand. Perhaps it was strange to give away what little she had to those she did not know, but she had an altruistic heart. Helping people brought her joy, and she wished nothing in return for her kindness. "This place is called Caido." she said. Her presence might exude innocence and ignorance, but she was also warmth, brightness, and calm. Such a disposition was a boon in her line of work, and it helped her in othet social situations as well. "Myself and many others appeared here from other places like you. So...welcome I suppose." Phoebe said with a big smile. "Let me show you to town. We'll freeze out here needlessly otherwise." She briefly noted that he was awfully handsome. Not so unnervingly handsome as Bastien, which she found she actually appreciated. Maybe that meant he would also be less of a jerk. She could hope anyways. Richard Phoebe Be gentle to all and stern with yourself

The girl was charming, sweet. She seemed more innocent than most her age - or at least what he assumed her age was. She must’ve been in her late teens...     He watched her dig into her basket, pulling out a hat. When she offered it to him, Richard huffed a short laugh, momentarily not believing that she was serious. Why was she giving it to him? What did she want in exchange? He hadn’t exactly known many to simply give out of the kindness of their hearts. Because of that, he was hesitant in accepting the hat, but gave her a soft smile. ”Uh, thank you,” he muttered. ”I’m not much of a hat person, though.”     Actually, that wasn’t completely true; he was just much more of a my-hair-is-fabulous-so-I-won’t-ruin-it-with-a-hat person. He brought the hat up to his face, taking a whiff of the faint ginger smell and deciding that it smelled weirdly like what he imagined a grandmother’s home might smell like; homey, maybe like a bakery.     ”Caido,” Richard repeated, and as she offered an explanation that he could thankfully relate to, he swept his arm in a way to tell her ‘lead the way.’     The man put his arms behind his back in a formal manner and walked beside the young woman. ”I must ask,” he started, flashing an amiable smile despite the shock he was still getting over. ”Are you going to tell me your name? Or wait for me to guess? I like to consider myself intuitive, but psychic may be pushing it slightly.” Phoebe Rick When life robs you, sometimes you have rob it back

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again Phoebe didn't look...hurt, per se, when he declined taking the hat. More perplexed, as if she thought she had found the solution to the problem but had instead come to another road block. "Well keep it just in case." she said with a small smile. "I might have an extra scarf or something back at my clinic that might suit you better." she said, turning to lead him in the direction of town. Smoke rising in the distance was an indicator of the fires people had lit to fend off the cold in their shops and homes. When he mentioned that she hadn't said her name though, her entire face turned red from embarrassment. Or was it because of his smile? Maybe both. "Oh my goodness I am so sorry!" she said quickly, horrified with herself. "My name is Phoebe. Phoebe Steadman." she said, face still flushed. He had said his name and here she was forgetting her manners! "So where are you from?" she asked, to make conversation. "I'm from a place called Northwind originally." Phoebe added quickly, so she wouldn't forget to say things about herself too. "As of yet I am the only trained midwife in the settlement. Most are still setting up their formalized jobs and shops so you'll find most quite willing to pitch in." she said with a pretty smile up at him.

Phoebe told him to keep the hat, so he accepted and put it into his pocket. Whether or not he would wear it another day he didn’t know, but the sentiment was sweet, so he decided to hang onto it.     Her clinic? Did that mean she was a doctor? So many questions… about this world, about the girl who helped him, about the way he got here, about how to get back. There were so many things swirling around his mind that he couldn’t completely think straight.     He watched the girl flush with embarrassment when she realized that she hadn’t introduced, and he offered an understanding smile. It could be overwhelming when meeting new people, especially when they just materialize out of nowhere. She also introduced herself was her job as a midwife, and he nodded, realizing why she had a clinic.     She asked where he was from, and he thought for a moment, trying to remember what had happened before falling through to this world. ”I came from a place called Ardaport,” he said. ”I was a, uh, collector of unique items.” He didn’t think it was smart to tell the first person he met that he was a phenomenal thief and conman, but at least it wasn’t a complete lie! Rick When life robs you, sometimes you have rob it back

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again Phoebe looked up at him as they walked, a small smile on her face. ”A collector of things? So…like a merchant? Or did you run a gallery of some sort?” she asked innocently. She never in a million years would have guessed a conman thief because she assumed the best of people, so given his description it was the best she could come up with. ”I am certain there is a use for a merchant here. Someone with business sense is essential to a thriving economy…or so I have been told. It’s never been my thing I suppose.” she said. Not that that was much of a surprise. Phoebe was too charitable of heart to be a cutthroat entrepreneur. They would reach town soon enough, still rather ramshackle though much better than it had been. ”This place was in ruins mostly when we arrived here. Those who are native to Caido had only a few buildings maintained because they were small in number. They refer to people like us as Outlanders.” she said in casual conversation to try and get him up to speed. ”Some of the Natives are nice from what I hear, others less so. Just be careful.” she said with a grin. Upon reaching her clinic she opened the door, which had been unlocked and let him in first. It was warm and cozy, smelling of soothing herbs and spices. If ever there was a homey place in Caido, it was Phoebe’s clinic. ”You can stay here until you get yourself up on your feet. I live right upstairs personally but those little rooms back there are comfy. I don’t have any clients as of yet so you don’t have to worry about being woken in the middle of the night by a laboring woman…unless someone is pregnant and doesn’t know it yet.” she said with a light laugh. Though it was totally possible. Given the various factors in a pregnancy, women could go their entire pregnancy without knowing it until a baby came out. She had only ever seen that happen twice though.