Floor 32,000,201 (Winter in July) + The Abbey Of St. Phallusine

[falsicrimen]

Winter had always been his least favorite season - traveling was at its most difficult, even on foot, and harsh conditions always meant longer missions, time wasted, and frustration galore - but Abel liked to think he’d soldiered through it admirably, in spite of all its hardships, for at least half the past decade. A freak snowstorm in the dead

Comments

hiatuses are for squares :|c

[okami_shiranui]

"Where else would I be?" She cocked her head at him, the ornaments wound into her hair chiming softly at the movement. As always her voice was soft, the words just slightly off from her faint accent, yet her eyes were warm and laughter colored her words when she turned toward him and uncurled from her place on the bed. His bed, to be precise. The locals weren't the only ones who seemed to ignore personal space after all.

"Frostbite? That isn't good at all, is it? You'll be wanting to take care of that as soon as possible." Perhaps it was simply the light from the lamps, but it almost seemed like she was grinning behind the voluminous sleeve she hid her mouth behind. Once she had full control over her silent giggles, she slid off the bed in a whisper of silks. "You didn't hurt yourself on the trip, did you?"

chuuumps. B|

[falsicrimen]

Well, at least Ammy's invasions of his precious personal bubble he'd had plenty of time to get used to. (That, and always finding white fur all over his personal effects. He could only be so grateful not to be allergic.) It was a completely different matter with total strangers - that was all!

From the floor, he mumbled something that sounded a lot like "No, no. Perfectly all right," not bothering to put forth more effort than it took to simply flop over onto his side, smiling blearily. As nice as the thought of being somewhere warmer seemed to him, just then, fighting exhaustion was a losing battle. "It's only a few fingers and toes, right? Nothing too important."

What was a little amputation, anyway? As far as Abel was concerned, being half-numb all over meant he was doomed, already. No reason to waste more of the precious energy he could better spend currying favor from a pretty lady with the ever favored "Be nice to me, I'm dying" shtick.

I should also be sleeping but pshhhhh

[okami_shiranui]

The real reason behind her intrusions was the simple fact that she actually liked his smell. Curling up on his bed with her nose pressed into his pillow was quite nice and allowed her to not only take a good nap but leave everything warm just for him. Really, she was doing him a favor, and she didn't even drool that much on the bedding.

"Oh, of course, of course. Yet I like you in one piece. So! Onto the bed, it's warm now." If he didn't get on it himself she was going to scoop him up in her arms and put him there all on her own.

"Perhaps I can do something about the chill for you?" Was there too much fang in that smile, or was it the light simply playing off her gleaming fangs as she spoke. Either way, her tail wagged playfully as she offered him her hands, beckoning him let her help him onto the most comfortable spot in the room. Even if her ulterior motive involved curling up with him and snuggling whether he wanted it or not.

sleep is for the weak. ...and I am clearly weak

[falsicrimen]

"R-Really, I'm okay," Abel protested pitifully, not entirely certain how well he liked that look on her face. If she was planning a return to her roots, plotting to have him for a snack while he was stricken utterly helpless by the cold, he simply wouldn't stand for it. ...Though after pulling his stiff, frozen arms up underneath himself and failing completely to get more than a few inches off the ground before dropping uselessly back down, it seemed he simply wouldn't be standing, at all.

Maybe he'd actually underestimated just how far he'd pushed himself.

With all the reluctance of newly wounded pride, he reached up to take her hands. At least his legs still seemed to be working well enough, once he was up again, so maybe it wasn't a total embarrassment to fall directly into her trap. "Just bury me somewhere warm. That's all I ask. If I'm going to die like this, I only ask that you don't let me freeze for eternity, as well."

[lionguard]

He'd occupied the only surface desirable to sit on, which was the bed; it seemed that abbeys were, in his limited experience, austere places that didn't go for much in the way of furniture. The place was as empty as a cell, only the one bed to share and too narrow truly for two people, and the stone underfoot like ice even with a fire blazing in the small fireplace: he'd spent a good portion of the time during Abel's absence to build it and make it into something that would last them the night, a matter that might very well mean life or death in the depths of the freak chill

[falsicrimen]

He shouldn't have been nearly as comfortable being dragged up from where he'd fallen by the throat of his cassock, but in truth, this sort of thing happened to him often enough. Though usually under far less friendly circumstance. Even if he was occasionally rather intimidating, Leon generally seemed to mean well, and that was more than enough for Abel. That, and the fact that he wasn't actually being strangled, at present - not that that had once damaged his opinions of his assailants, yet

[lionguard]

"Then you should undress." Leon never had possessed much in the way of tact. Most of the time, he simply kept his mouth shut. A hand on Abel's shoulder pushed him gently towards the fireplace and he turned away, to the packs that had their spare things: only one set of spare clothes each, but one was enough, as long as one was dry. He'd lost most of his sense of modesty in the days they'd traveled together, which were opening up into weeks now: long monotonous days through cold and barren landscapes, nights spent bunking down in whatever shelter would have them, broken by scenes of desperate violence to tear apart the illusion of safety that repetition lent to their days

[falsicrimen]

Before he had even properly recollected his calm, Abel was already covering for his moment of shock, the brief but obvious pause elicited by such an abrupt order, with a faintly sarcastic huff, a matching, wan smile. "Ah, too serious! Even good advice sounds like a threat, coming from you, you know."

And then it was almost too easy to laugh his moment of awkwardness off, stepping a little farther toward the heat of the hearth as he glanced back only passingly at Leon. It was kind of him to lend a hand, but he should have known he didn't have to do that. Abel had never once asked him for a real favor (unless "Are you going to eat that?" counted), and he didn't expect anything more than token courtesy from him. That would have been completely counter to the way things actually were, anyway, with Abel in charge of Leon's safety, and completely unconcerned with his own

x: hope you don't mind!

[ostarofhope]

Esther Blanchett, the now frozen Queen of Albion shuddered underneath the layers of blankets she'd begged off a nun from the main abbey. Despite growing up in a rather cold region, she had never adjusted to it; and this was almost worse - a frigid cold that nipped through every attempt to block it out and attacked any vulnerable places. She'd ceased being able to feel her fingers about an hour ago, and her toes and feet were on their way next. Damn this place. Damn, damn, damn

[tigress_of_kiev]

Of course she would still be here. With her impractical heels it would be suicide to go out in all of the ice and try to get around. Of course she was skilled enough to not slip and fall in the ice, but that didn't matter now did it? She was here and she was warm. She wasn't wearing her usual finery from the Empire, since it wasn't the best of ideas to do so in the Vatican's territory. She was here to speak on behalf of the Empire, not start a war.

Her eyes went wide as Abel started to collapse. Quick as a flash, she was at his side, catching him before he hit the floor. Her strength made it easy for her to pick him up and move him to a bed. She couldn't blame him for collapsing, after all, he was hardly dressed for such cold. Then again, neither was she.

Once she got him to a bed, she began to take off some of the wet clothes and cover him with several blankets. She couldn't let her Tovarish freeze now could she?

[willing_sheath]

Tomoe just watched the priest flatly as he entered the room, seemingly oblivious of her presence. This was really supposed to be her escort? If he wasn't even aware that she was present how was he supposed to be aware of any potential threats?"Where else would I be, Father?" she asked in a point-blank tone that matched her expression. She crossed her arms, listening to the rest that he had to say, seemingly not empathetic to his declaration of frostbite. She remained where she was for another moment, just watching him before letting out a low sigh, moving to the adjoined wash room

[falsicrimen]

How cruel. The lady must not have been known for her benevolence, Abel decided, as he belatedly hoisted himself up onto his elbows where he was sprawled uselessly across the floor. If she thought him pathetic, she'd be far from the first - but he didn't really seem to have the self-confidence to wound with such talk, either way.

"Oh, I suppose. I heard that the rest of the guests' quarters are occupied, too, because of the storm," he said, pushing up his glasses as he listened curiously to the sound of running water in the other room. When she reappeared with a small washtub, he put on a puzzled expression, pushing himself clumsily up to sit in spite of his apparent natural aversion to exerting even minimal effort. With his arms crossed tightly over his chest, he was sure his blood would have to start flowing again, sooner or later - even if he still felt as though all his limbs had been cut from solid blocks of ice.

"Do you really think so? But I can't imagine anything less scandalous than being stuck with a bunch of priests." In

[willing_sheath]

Tomoe didn't emote much to anything he said, that seemingly cold air remaining in place around her (as if the actual air wasn't cold enough already). "I would agree if I had the room to myself," she answered in response to his comment about the scandal of staying in a monastery. "Sharing the same room is different--man of God or not, a man is still a man." Of course even though she was saying the words she maintained that coolness. The topic didn't truly seem to bother her, it almost seemed more a topic of conversation than a real issue--and that was ultimately the truth.

"Is it anywhere besides your hands?" she asked, letting the foottub rest on the floor. She didn't really ask permission before leaning up to brush his hair away to get a look at his ears like a pushy no-nonsense mother.

[ooc; ;; but I like porn LOL]

[falsicrimen]

If he hadn't been so accustomed to being as easily ignored, Abel might have been a little put-out by her emotionless responses. In all actuality, her behaviour was far kinder than that of his usual traveling companions. So long as her vague displeasure with him continued not to result in his immediate physical harm, that was.

"Ah? After all this time, you'd really still think that of me? Honestly, Miss Tomoe, I'm barely a man at all!" And he made no effort to take that back, even well after he should have realised the unfortunate implications; trying to look properly affronted by the very implication that he was anything less than perfectly chivalrous as she poked at him with that familiar brand of mechanical concern was far more important.

"Oh, I'm not really sure- I can't actually feel much of myself, at the moment."