(SE) left my home on hollow bones

gently she leads you out into the darkness //

Perhaps she should have decided to stay at the VlamVloed longer – but she’d ran out of things she could do to provide for the room that was offered to her, especially after ruining that particular barkeep’s night. So here she is, grumbling and annoyed, cold and sluggish enough that she can’t quite hunt in weather like this, and it leaves her stomach growling as she wears that jacket Deimos has made her to survive the coldest of colds, bundled up as much as she could be.

At least, until she gets the little bonfire growing – lengthy and long, enough to fit her body in the hopes that it might just do well to keep her appendages useful so that she might be able to grab a bite to eat. The fire crackles and she shivers as she sits on the flat rock beside it, waiting until it seems well enough alive before she shrugs out of the jacket, folds it up nicely (if not terribly slow), and promptly plants herself in the middle of the fire, letting the flames lick up her legs and arms.

KIADA

\\ and makes you drink rain

totally sniped from odd ilu

Deepfrost is rough for those who find themselves under Dygra's care, but this isn't Fox's first rodeo, and as long as he keeps moving and keeps warm and isn't stupid, he'll get through it. Indeed, rather than seeking out hunting jobs, it feels as though he spends the rest of the year stockpiling precisely for this season. The only reason for him to venture out is to get more firewood, food, or other supplies - especially with Longnight looming.

Even so, as he pulls his sled full of kindling through the woodland, he can't help but be inexorably drawn by the ripple of heat in the air and the smell of smoke. Having been less attentive than usual - and he absolutely blames the cold for that - Fox finds himself before the bonfire and the gorgeous woman within it before he even realises he's been following the trail.

"Oh - sorry," he begins, his voice muffled behind his scarf. "I didn't mean to in-- Kiada?" Hazel eyes fly wide at the sight of her (hot, she's hot, literally and figuratively very hot) before quickly dropping somewhere to the trees. "What are you doing?"

welcome to the desecration, baby

we built you up and we'll tear you right down

gently she leads you out into the darkness //

See, she’s made the mistake of slowing down and hasn’t kept moving, and that’s what makes her sluggish and stuck; to the point where she’s had to go through these drastic measures. And of course, when Fox finds her, it’s with her curled up on the bonfire, knees up to her chest, legs crossed, arms wrapped around them simply soaking. She doesn’t notice his approach until the snow cracks beneath his feet and that deep muffled voice reaches her ears, causing her to lift her head.

And what a sight it must be, the young woman curled up on the bonfire, flames licking at the swirls of burn scars from a life lived previously, iceberg eyes at odds with the reds and oranges and yellows that paint colors across her skin. And of course, if he can find it in him to look a little bit longer, he’ll certainly find the bruised bite mark opposite of the X scar on her neck that’s courtesy of, well, him.

“Hi Fox.” She says, flashing him an amused smile at his shift of attention to the trees. Don’t worry, she’s hiding the majority of her body with her arms and legs. “I’m too cold to hunt, so, I had to warm up.” She says a bit indifferently, not without the hint of annoyance from her own stupidity. It’s her first year as an Ancient, though, she hadn’t realized it would be like this. “What are you doing?”

KIADA

\\ and makes you drink rain

totally sniped from odd ilu

Oh, he absolutely notices the bruising on her neck in the shape of his teeth, and it's one of several reasons he doesn't think he can properly look her in the eye right now, the hunter clearing his throat and forcing his gaze to the flames licking at her toes. "There are better ways of warming up," he ventures, "though I have to admire your efficiency."

Taking in the whole scene properly now and realising Kiada has made camp here, his brows flinch together in concern. "You aren't staying outside, are you? I thought you were in the Vlamvloed." Glancing at the sled as she asks, he gestures to the small amount of firewood he's collected so far. "Supplies, ready for Longnight," he explains. "I live fairly close by, so..." Well, hopefully that explains it.

welcome to the desecration, baby

we built you up and we'll tear you right down

gently she leads you out into the darkness //

“Like what?” She asks, because she’s tried basically everything she could do on her own that she could think of, aside from this. It does help, though, her body warming up and drifting heat from it like removing a pan from the oven.

As for where she’s staying? Well… yeah, this is it. “Yeah. Someone that had more to offer got my room, so I found someplace else. Just.. forgot it was Deepfrost and It’s my first one as an Ancient so… It’s a learning curve.” She shrugs, indifferent to it as she stands, nude thanks to the fire burning away her under clothes, but while she reflects heat she melts the snow as she steps over to grab the jacket Deimos had made her, wrapping herself up in it to reflect the heat back into herself.

It gives her time to look toward the sled, gaze lifting to meet Fox’s face as he answers her previous question. “Ah, good idea. I think I saw some snow moss back there,” she nods her head toward the direction behind them and to the left before drawing the coat tighter around her neck and body, essentially wrapping herself up in it.

KIADA

\\ and makes you drink rain

totally sniped from odd ilu

"I mean - and hear me out, because I know this is going to sound crazy," and here Fox holds up a hand as if to politely ask Kiada to reserve her judgement, "but have you considered going inside somewhere?" Radical, he knows. Granted, as she explains about the VlamVloed (he winces and blushes under his scarf, because he knows exactly what part he had to play in that) it does make a little more sense. A little - not much, though.

"Your first season in the cold, huh? It's... yeah. A learning curve, for sure." He smiles sympathetically, only to abruptly turn his eyes elsewhere to see her striding from the fire like some Tanau-touched nymph. Only once the coat is safely around her shoulders does he look at her properly, letting out a sigh and stamping his feet in the snow to keep his toes warm enough.

"Snow moss? You... know that keeps things cold, right?" Fox gestures at the actual snow around them. Anyway. "Do you have any other clothes, or...?" Because gods, if now she's left just in a coat, the situation just became even more dire.

welcome to the desecration, baby

we built you up and we'll tear you right down

gently she leads you out into the darkness //

She raises a brow toward him, otherwise likely charmed by his question and sassiness, but right now she’s much too cold to give into it. “I said I came out here to hunt. It’s just… taking longer.” She murmurs, shrugging lightly before exhaling a clouded breath, thick due to how warm she is and how cold it is outside.

“Maybe I should’ve stayed in Torchline.” She complains wistfully, looking back to Fix as he stamps his feet and he can finally look at her in her eyes. To this, she offers him a small smile, passing through her annoyance in the face of the handsome man before her, even if he annoyingly poked holes into her thought process. “It dampens sound, too, doesn’t it?” She’d always thought that was why they collected it; but she supposes with no fear of LongNight monsters there was little to no use for it.

The question of clothes seems to snap her back but it’s clear she starts to grow sluggish again as she nods her head. “Oh, right.. I do.” She steps over toward the bag by the little cover she’s made, pulling out fur lined pants and a shirt, alongside a couple of lacy things she’s sure that he won’t be able to look at. “A little help, if you’re so inclined?” She says, asking him with a saccharine smile over her shoulder.

KIADA

\\ and makes you drink rain

totally sniped from odd ilu

"I see," Fox drawls, though in truth they're both as bad as each other right now. He might be faring better than Kiada, it's true, but it doesn't at all mean that he's functioning at full brainpower. Thanks, Deepfrost. "Oh, that's true, I suppose. But wh... oh, the monsters." His voice grows a touch quieter with understanding, Fox's eyes creasing with his soft smile. "You know, it's nice to forget what we used to have to do each year to survive." The snow moss, the firelight, the locks.

And he absolutely can look at her lacy things, thank you very much; he just remembers all to well how they looked on the floor of the room she'd been staying in, or how they hugged her curves. Swallowing hard and approaching her with a nod, the hunter will be whatever Kiada needs, whether it's somewhere to balance, someone to hold the coat while she dresses, or someone to do the dressing.

It's her body that makes him blush, though, and it's guaranteed to do so when he's so close.

welcome to the desecration, baby

we built you up and we'll tear you right down

gently she leads you out into the darkness //

Half power it is. She does manage a soft snort when he mentions the monsters as she brings up the dampening of sound, giving him a knowing look before it flattens into something gentler, calmer, hackles smoothing despite the cold keeping her on edge. “I still do it… I went to Halo once to avoid the Grounds for it and that’s when the cultists attacked, so. I don’t think I’ve ever really had a calm LongNight.” She sighs wistfully, as if daydreaming of such a thing.

It doesn’t last when she pulls out her clothes and asks for his help, turning to him as she hears his boots crunch the snow closer to her. One hand lifts to rest on his shoulder for balance as she slips her underwear on, before she slips the bra on, hooking it in the front. Then, she slips out of the jacket momentarily to slip on a shirt before following it up with her pants, returning to him to slip back into the jacket with a soft smile. “Thanks.” Now that she’s fully clothed, the heat soaking into her bones and reflected within the jacket back to her, she slips on her boots. “Do you want any help with the prep? I’m not doing anything else.” Obviously.

KIADA

\\ and makes you drink rain

totally sniped from odd ilu

Wincing, because Fox knows well the feeling of having to look over his shoulder, especially when it comes to a certain time of the year, he nods to Kiada. Before he can make a further comment on it, however, he's helping to keep her steady while she dresses herself; and although he might be flustered when it comes to her beauty, he can't help the small smile he shoots her way.

"To think I would be helping you dress, this time," he remarks, releasing her once she's able to pull on her boots. It isn't much, but it's better than standing barefoot and mostly naked in the snow. "And I couldn't say no to such good company. Do you want to pack your things first, and we can head back to my place to warm up properly? I'll even let you ride on the sled, if you're good."

welcome to the desecration, baby

we built you up and we'll tear you right down

gently she leads you out into the darkness //

His voice rumbles nearer to her ear, sparking a hum of a laugh that leaves her lips. She flashes him a crooked smile as she gets dressed and situated, before she speaks. “Well I won’t say no to help undressing me again.” She teases before she’s tightening the jacket around her to trap in the heat. “Not here, obviously.” But then he gives her, quite possibly, the best option she could have taken, and he will see as she visually perks up to hear it.

“If I’m good, huh?” Her smile turns mischievous as she already gets to work slipping her things into her bag, plucking the tarp from the makeshift camp to roll up before she smothers the fire and turns to him with her bag along her back, beaming. “Lead the way, oh savior.” She chimes, stepping over to the sled.

KIADA

\\ and makes you drink rain

totally sniped from odd ilu

"Kiada," Fox drawls, a hint of amused admonishment in his voice as he waits for her to get her things together; in the meantime, he moves to the sled to clear away the (very small amount, honestly) kindling he'd collected. Once they're warm enough, he tells himself, they'll come back out again and collect more. Twice as much, even.

"If you're good," he repeats with a raise of his eyebrows that suggests he's unsure of her ability to be good for longer than a minute or two. Regardless, until then, the sled is hers, and he beckons to it in a way that's meant to be chivalrous, but ends up roguish. "Alright, hold on tight," he tells her once she's comfortable, before setting off across the snow at an admittedly plodding pace.

They've been standing around for a bit, okay? He's cold.

welcome to the desecration, baby

we built you up and we'll tear you right down

gently she leads you out into the darkness //

Her smile only grows to hear the way her name falls from his lips, charmed as ever as she packs her things and gets situated. Warming up first and then getting more LongNight supplies sounded like a better way to spend the day, given that her original plan was entirely shit to begin with.

She sets the bag next to her among the kindling at best, humming a laugh as she settles onto the sled. “I’ll be good.” She purrs in a way that suggests she won’t be, but the second that it starts moving she draws quiet again, holding on tight as he’s said, watching the snowy landscape pass by as he walks. “How far away do you live?” She asks in a way that suggests she can walk if he grows too cold from the added weight of carrying her around.

She has two perfectly working feet, at the very least.

KIADA

\\ and makes you drink rain

totally sniped from odd ilu

"Hmm," Fox says, smiling over his shoulder even if his tone is skeptical. Listen, if Kiada was always good then they almost certainly wouldn't have ended up in the situation they'd been in previously, and the hunter turns away again before thoughts of that time become all consuming. Plodding across the snow and doing his best to navigate any roots or drifts, soon enough they do find the trail again, and the going is a lot smoother.

"Not too far," he assures her, glancing over his shoulder, eyes creasing with a smile that's hidden beneath his scarf. And true to his word, it's less than five minutes later when the thicket of trees clear and a thin plume of smoke can be seen wheedling up from a chimney. It's little more than a cottage, in truth, though it looks as though it was once part of a larger farmhouse, one that's little more than broken walls and snowed-in ruins.

"Home sweet home." He shrugs.

welcome to the desecration, baby

we built you up and we'll tear you right down