Everyone's having a good time in town and Sriina decides to find a good time of her own with Onora. [Finished]
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 2:54 pm
Winter Is Coming World Event
Winter Is Coming Prompt 1
Solo or RP Format Can be used toward Solo or RP req
The settlements of Tendaji all knew how to take care of themselves during the winter. Zena and Sauti received their usual snow fall, for Zena it was nearly year round and didn't faze them much at all; Tale and Jauhar seemed to retain most of their heat, dropping to milder temperatures; Matori and Oba seemed to flux between mild during the day and a sharp chill in the evenings. But usually it was all under control.
Word had passed through the elders and oracles and mystics that this winter was going to be a hard winter. The air would be sharp with cold and snow would fall in all areas of the world, something that had never happened before in Jauhar.
It came as a shock when the temperatures began to drop rapidly through the night. Most had thought that it was just a joke. There couldn't possibly be enough cold air to send snow to Jauhar. It was absurd. But it happened, and most of Tendaji wasn't prepared.
In the morning everything was frosted over, those in Zena and most of Sauti were barely able to open their doors the snow had risen so high overnight, and those in warmer climates could see the sheet of frost on the ground and the plants around them.
If the winter was going to be a long one, they would have to salvage what they could and come up with a plan...
Sriina grabbed her coat and wrapped her dress around her legs in makeshift pants. The wind was sharp today and she could barely stand it. It seemed that it really wasn’t just her though, as her parents came down the stairs with their own version of warm clothing and turned to look at Sriina. ”Help us close up the house. We need to get this place warm before we freeze to death.” As if for the added effect the wind blew through the house and right through their bones, sending Sriina’s mother into visibly shivering.
It was still morning, and they had woken up to the biting cold. They couldn’t say where it came from, and didn’t know it was coming. Word apperently hadn’t spread as well in this part of Matori that the winter was going to be a harsh one. Sriina helped her parents pull down the wooden awnings that kept the house cool and breezy during the day and lined all the gaps with blankets, hoping to keep out some of the chill. The house instantly felt at least ten degrees warmer, and Sriina rubbed her cold nose with her coat sleeve. ”Where did that even come from?” she questioned out to no one in particular.
Her father didn’t stop there. There was more work to be done. The empty fireplace that hadn’t been used since they had moved into the house after the war needed to be prepped with wood and a fire started. They would have to keep it running until this chill, where ever it decided to have come from, was subdued and had passed. Sriina left the house, orders from her parens, to go get the firewood while they continued sealing the house. She stepped out onto the ground with a crunch and winced. There was frost everywhere. Sriina had only known what it was from the snowball fight she had gone out to see, but still was not happy to have stepped her bare feet into it. She could feel her toes getting colder by the second. She would have turn to go back inside for her boots if she hadn’t realized that she had given her boots to a shifter on her way back home. She rolled her eyes at her own stupid confidence. When would she have ever needed boots in Matori?
She crunched grudgingly through the town to the supply building with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, keeping in all warmth that she could. Thankfully the supply building would have wood already chopped and prepped. But her face twisted in anxiety when her frozen toes finally reached their destination. There was a line clear out the door and down the road. And all of the Matori people were bundled in their clothing with bare feet just as Sriina. She would never get wood at this point. Even if she reached the front of the line, they would clearly be out by the time she got there.
Sriina took a sharp breath in and let the cold air fill her lungs. She would have to get wood another way. She jogged back to the house, feeling warmer by the time she was there. Her body was moving and it was a good sign. She wouldn’t freeze by the time she got back with the wood if all went like she planned. She didn’t have to go in, her father’s axe was by the back door already, covered in frost as well. He couldn’t have touched it in days at least. She lifted the heavy axe and jogged in the opposite direction of town, heading toward the trees that she could reach on the island and looking for the smallest one. Something she could conquer herself. She found it thankfully, and began to hack and thump away at the wood, breaking down into ugly uneven pieces. But it would do. She hooked the axe in her belt, careful to point the blade out, and gathered all of the wood in her arms. Even with the smallest tree, she would have to make two trips at least.
With her final trip complete she brought the last bit of wood inside the house and sighed in contentment. Her father had gotten the fire going and the house was warm and toasty, though a little smoky from the barely dead wood. She shrugged off her coat and untied her dress from her legs, reaching into her room to grab actual pants. She would just wait out the winter indoors, one of the few times she wouldn’t mind her parents keeping her cooped up.
Sriina left the market without a second look behind her and with a bounce in her step. She had just finished catching up with Amari and it was decided: she would travel. She would finally be leaving Matori and would be able to experience the world with her best friend at her side. She thought of Onora, stuck in Matori waiting on her parents. Parents that might not even be coming back. That might not even be alive at this point and she felt a shudder. She had to push those thoughts back out of her head. Onora was a big girl; she could take care of herself. She had to get out. She even told Onora that herself the last time they had seen each other. She shook her head, her braids bouncing against her head and shoulder before she stopped. Amari was leaving, and Sriina was going to go with her – erm… him. But her thoughts had already spun out of control to planning and packing and telling her mother: oh her mother would be a headache for sure. She could already see her trying to stop Sriina from going anywhere. It would be an argument and Sriina would really have to weigh how much she needed to travel versus her mother’s overprotectiveness.
But she already knew what the scale would tip towards. There was no way she was going to be stuck in Matori for the rest of her life. She might come back eventually, but she wouldn’t have the choice to come back if she never left.
She was still standing in the town square, stock-still and thinking to herself when she realized she wasn’t moving. Wasn’t moving and eyeing a building she hadn’t even realized she was looking at. The weapon smith’s. She could see the array of sharp, piercing, or clubbing weapons lining the inside of the partially open building and it didn’t take her long to realize something. They were going out into a world they knew nothing about. They were going to be traveling by themselves… well sort of. But they would need protection. They would need to be able to defend themselves if something were to happen. She thought to all the angry Obans that would probably love to start up slavery again, whether their king approved of it or not. And even if they didn’t want to keep the Matori as slaves, who could say that they wouldn’t decide they would be happier if there were a few less Matori in the world? She couldn’t see why the Obans would just suddenly have a change of heart and think that the Matori weren’t scum. Sriina looked at the weapons in new light now. She would need one if they were to travel. She already knew that Amari wasn’t one to use a weapon. Not in the least, but Sriina could. Sriina had no qualms about using force if necessary and training to be able to use her weapon with skill.
Making up her mind she climbed the small steps into the building and watched the walls glint and shimmer with well-crafted weapons. Most of them were beautiful she supposed from a smith’s perspective. But she hadn’t really put much thought into what she would use for a weapon before now, or even if she would be a fighter. She touched one of the bows gingerly and saw the shop owner move from his seat. ”Now you actually looking to buy somethin’, or are you just wasting my time?” He was surly, but he looked like he had dealt with kids Sriina’s age before. Not many had the coin necessary to buy something this important. She withdrew her hand from the bow and he seemed to nod like he knew he was right. ”I intend to make a purchase.” Sriina looked over the walls and back to the bows. ”Can I hold them?” She looked steadily at the shop keep. He would either believe her or not, but she wasn’t going to beg him to let her touch the weapons. He looked her down, trying to see into her soul almost before shrugging his shoulders and sitting back at his stool with his arms crossed. ”Suit yourself, but if you break it you buy it.” He made a sound with the back of his throat and then went back to his own business.
Sriina lifted the bow off of the wall and pull on the string, holding it against her. It felt weak. What was she to do if they were attacked? She wouldn’t be able to back away from the encounter just to shoot an arrow. She needed something close range. She touched her hand across all the weapons along the wall until she reached the gauntlets. That was too close range. She wasn’t opposed to physical violence, but she couldn’t very well see herself putting on enough muscle to take opponents down almost bare handed. She put the gauntlets back and turned on her heel. Along the back wall were the swords. Swords that came in pairs and swords that were larger than her own body. Who would be able to wield those, she had no idea, but her brain started to process. Swords were perfect weapons to defend themselves. She lifted one of the dual blades and felt the weight of having one in each hand. It was smart, to be able to use both arms independently… but she needed to learn fast, and two weapons to control didn’t sound like something you learned quickly. She swung one downwards and grunted in agreement. She didn’t like that at all. She quickly put the blades back and lifted a two-handed sword. It was slim, but long. Long was good, it meant a better reach. She put both hands around the base and felt it out. It was well balanced, and she knew of a favor a swordsman owed her parents. She put the pieces into place and turned to the shop owner with a steady gaze. ”I’ll take this one.”
