Baby, it's cold outside

[lucetimods]

Who: Everyone not on the draft
What: Let it snow, let it snow let it-- okay, too much snow.
When: 15th through the 18th
Where: All around the village
Summary: A blizzard strikes Luceti, keeping the villages snowed in. Woe be to anyone caught outside in the storm, or anyone without food and electricity.
Rating: Varies

Comments

Let it snow let it snow let it snow~

[offallingsnow]

[They wake on the fifteenth to a draft, and some gentle snowfall. On that day, Nephry will try to occupy her mind by shoveling. There's something in the air that tells her doing so will be futile, but...at least she'll try.

Once the real and serious snow begins, she'll have given up on the shoveling. Nephry's been through more than enough blizzards. When it seems finally, truly clear that no one should be outside for any reason, she'll go around turning on lights. Even in the empty rooms. And a message is left, written and voiced, on the journals:]

Everyone please stay inside. If you're out, you need to find somewhere to go for shelter. Anyone near the northern part of the village is welcome to stay here in house one, out of the storm.

[And on the other days? ...Well they'll all be stuck inside! Fortunately, the house isn't expected to lose power...

So do come in out of the cold that can kill you. Please?]

Re: Let it snow let it snow let it snow~

[cakeblocked]

[It's evening, and the storm has gotten bad by the time Luke decides it's time to leave. Probably not the best of ideas, but he knows he can't stay in the apartment when the weather is like this. So, with a sweater, a jacket, and a coat on as well as a cat and a cheagle stuffed beneath the coat and held under his arms, he pushes the door open with his foot and heads out.

He's been out in the snow before, and even in something he thought was a blizzard while heading to Mt. Roneal. The snow and winds bite at whatever skin is exposed, which is his face, and threatens to bowl him over quite a few times. But when the winds got strong, he just shut his eyes, planted his feet and fought against it. He has a couple of little lives to look after.

It takes a lot longer for him to reach House 1 than he thought, and by the time he does, he's freezing, with red cheeks and nose and his body shivering violently. But he's made it, and he immediately knocks on the door with his foot.]

[offallingsnow]

[Once it becomes apparent that the thudding against the door isn't just noise, Nephry unlocks it. At first she opens it just a crack. Luke's frozen face startles her, but she wastes no time in pulling the door open all the way and getting him inside.]

What are you doing out in this weather, Luke? [it's more worry than scolding. She pulls off his wet and icy winter clothes, blinking in surprise at cat and cheagle. All three of them are made to sit in front of the fire immediately. That shivering isn't a good sign.]

[cakeblocked]

[Tsuae and Star are okay: They were under Luke's coat and have furs of their own. They're more impatient, as they've been held in the same spot for a while now. Once they're by the fire and Luke finally loosens his grip on them, they jump out of his arms with the cat running off into the house and the cheagle getting right by the fire.

Luke himself lets Nephry do whatever she wants, and once he's in front of the fire and is free of the cat and cheagle, he wraps his arms around himself, ducks his head and shivers, just taking in the warmth of the fire. He'll uncurl himself once he doesn't feel like he has to stay like this or freeze to death.]

I couldn't st-stay there... s-so...

[offallingsnow]

[So he came here. ...Asch was drafted, wasn't he? Nephry picks up her thickest blanket from its spot by the fire. It's been sitting there to warm up; it should feel nice and toasty wrapped around Luke, as she does now.]

Didn't you have enough food? [she tries to keep from sounding sharp with him. She just wants him to keep talking.]

[cakeblocked]

[He lets out a long sigh as the blanket gets wrapped around him, and he immediately wraps it further around him and burrows slightly in it. Yes, that feels much better... but it's hard to get the cold out of one's bones, and so he remains curled up.]

N-No. I was about t-to go get more tonight, b-but...

[offallingsnow]

It's all right. We have enough here. [You're not going back out in that. ...It seems he knows, though, since he brought the pets with him.] Let me see your hands.

[cakeblocked]

My hands...?

[Nevertheless, he pulls one out to hold up for Nephry to see. It's red too, though not as bad as his cheeks, since they were in gloves and held close to his body the whole time.]

[offallingsnow]

[She looks at his hand first - it's cold to the touch, but not dangerously so - then takes his chin in her hand and turns his face to the side, gently, so she can see it in a better light. ...It doesn't look like anything too serious. Time will tell.]

Well, I'm glad you're in here now. I'll get you something warm to drink.

[And she bends down and offers the cheagle the chance to come and help her, smiling and holding out a hand]

[cakeblocked]

Thanks.

[He pulls his hand into the blanket again, and stays bundled up while Star happily takes her offer. He's not as cold as Luke, after all. Instead of leaping to her hand, though, he instead jumps to the floor and follows her. Luke himself just stays where he is, and eventually Tsuae will join him.]

[offallingsnow]

[It takes hardly five minutes to heat up some hot cocoa for him and bring it out in a big mug, on a tray. Leaving the tray on the end table beside Luke, Nephry also sets down a smaller, shallower cup of cocoa for Star. None for the cat, though.]

Did you see anyone else outside?

[cakeblocked]

Just a talking skull.

[You know you've been in Luceti too long when you can put a "just" in front of that. Luke feels warm enough to reach out and take the mug with both hands, while Star tips the smaller cup back with both arms. Before Luke drinks, though, he glances at Tsuae, then up at Nephry.]

Oh, hey, could you feed Tsuae? He likes meat and cheese. [Since he's pretty sure Nephry doesn't have any cat food.]

[offallingsnow]

Yes. ...You'll need to do your best to keep him out of Saphir's things, by the way.

[Now let her go to the kitchen and come back again, with a dish of water and one with some chicken on it. Cooked chicken, because that's all they had ready at the moment. Here you are, kitten.]

Coming all this way was still dangerous. Especially with your face exposed.

[cakeblocked]

[Yeah yeah... Let's not talk about Dist, okay. :|

Tsuae happily eats the chicken and laps the water, and he even makes a growling noise at Star when the cheagle comes close. No one comes between a cat and their chicken, okay.

Luke watches the kitty for a moment before the question comes to him, and he glances up at Nephry again before he looks away with a slight pout of indignation.]

What was I supposed to do? Put a coat over my face?

[offallingsnow]

A scarf would do. You're lucky you don't have serious frostbite. [In her opinion he does have mild frostbite though. Just the beginnings of it.]

How do you feel right now? Other than cold. [The last time this happened to Luke - granted, it was before he left and returned - the trip through the snow made him sick. If it happens again she wants to be prepared.]

[cakeblocked]

Just cold. [He wasn't outside long enough to catch any illnesses. He finally does sip at his drink, though, now that he's satisfied that his pets have a warm meal and are good to go.]

Thanks for all this, Nephry. I wasn't sure where else to go...