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[Location:] Market.

I had thought about the fact that clothes I was used to wouldn't work out in the world I was now in. Maybe it was warmer somewhere else, but for the time being, I was stuck in a frozen land and had to wear the clothes everyone else did. Which wasn't that big of a deal; sometimes it was just difficult to get dressed. I was fortunate my antlers were still small.

It wasn't like it didn't get cold in the plains. We had a winter as well, and it did snow, but it never got this cold, and temperature had never really bothered me before. Whatever resistance I had to the chill in my past life had not carried over to the new one. I missed not being cold all the time.

My explanation had made Jean uncomfortable, for obvious reasons, but he brushed it off as best he could and continued, asking about patterns and colors, or accessories. "Um... It really depends on where you're from. The plains take up about half the continent we're on, but most of the Beastlings live in tribes of their own kind." Because Beastlings are incredibly racist among the tribes. But that wasn't important to mention, because I wasn't particularly interested in explaining my experience with it. "Each tribe has its own style. But I think neutrals with a splash of a brighter color is common. Furs and leathers are more common for clothes, because the tribes are always moving around looking for fertile land, so plant based fabrics are hard to acquire sometimes. So not much in the way of patterns." Rubbing the back of my neck, my gaze wandered around the room. "I'm from the only city in the plains, and we were heavily influenced by the Do'Vra... our version of humans, I guess. So I'm used to clothes I've seen here so far modified to work for Beastlings."

My gaze returned to Jean, realizing that was probably more information than he wanted, so I moved onto the other part of his question. "Anyway, accessories. Jewelry is simple for the most part. Gold is common. Pieces rarely have more than one gem. Most Beastlings have their ears pierced." Including myself. "Sometimes multiples times because, well, we have bigger ears. There are two things that are very important to Beastling culture though." I lifted a hand to my neck again, gesturing to the strip of leather that hung loosely there. "A collar like this represents a trained warrior. I'm... not, but this was a gift. Anyway, in our culture only men fight, for the most part, and almost all men are trained. A boy receives a collar from his mentor once he's proven himself. Normally it would fit snug." Mine was a gift from my best friend, along with my headband. He'd hoped to inspire some courage in me, with everything I'd gone through.

I moved on to avoid questions, although I was fairly confident Jean wasn't interested in my personal life and he wouldn't pry. I lifted my left arm in front of me, tugging up the sleeve of my coat to display the bracer there. I still couldn't recall when I'd gotten this or why I was wearing it, but I assumed there was a reason and never took it back off. "The second thing is a bracer, again worn only by men. It's a symbol of status, and bears the family crest. The finer the make and the decor, the more status you had, basically. It's improper for someone of a low status to wear one that outclasses them." Unfortunately, that explanation revealed my own standing as of whenever I got this back. It was incredibly fine, intricate designs carved into the leather, and it was jeweled to boot. I didn't like the implications of that, and wished I could remember anything about it. "A man who doesn't have one is an outcast. High ranking warriors might have ones made of metal, so it doubles as armor."

I perked up slightly, ears standing straighter. "Oh, and married women usually wear a bracelet or an anklet, gifted by their husband. Almost always gold, and jeweled, but again that depends what you can afford." Satisfied getting to talk about my culture a little, I grinned sheepishly at Jean, knowing he'd probably get annoyed by my over-explaining.

[Location:] Market.

Despite my worry, I could see how intently Jean was focusing on my words. Even with his prickly exterior. I supposed when it came to culture, he had a vested interest in the details. Maybe not necessarily the significance behind the details, but if it meant he could craft something... Though, I was curious what he could possibly want to make for me, if anything, considering I wasn't exactly a favorable person to him, and hadn't really done anything for him.

He asked first for clarity about the bracer, if it was considered high quality. At first I misunderstood, assuming he was judging it, and got a bit defensive, but I managed to see past his shell to the heart of the question. "Yes. It's likely made from the leather of a rare creature. I don't really know the details of it though." If I had known anything about it in the past, that wasn't one of the memories I was readily allowed to remember. Jean moved on to ask about the collar, and why I had one. If my mentor would be angry for it. Which required delving into my history, which neither of us were interested in hearing, so I kept it simple. "I..." I found myself hesitating all of a sudden. "Let's just say people didn't care what I did."

I moved on as quickly as I could, grateful Jean started asking more questions, none of which pertained to the previous question. "Unmarried women, and married and unmarried men don't have any particular signs of status. Beastlings highly value loyalty to their partner, and being unfaithful usually leaves you an outcast. The bracelet that a woman receives when married is more a gift than anything else." I shrugged at that point, unsure really how to explain it. It wasn't exactly a subject I'd delved far into "I dunno what the significance or anything is though."

[Location:] Market.

Once I'd finished, Jean nodded in a way that suggested he had no further questions regarding the subject. I was enjoying it regardless, because it had been some time since I'd had a solid conversation with anyone, especially someone who was afraid of my existence. From what I'd learned of the world, there were techniques that could change appearance. Maybe I could find one to make myself look normal? After all, how I looked had always caused nothing but problems and if it meant making the person that was closest to a 'friend' in this world more comfortable it might be worth it.

I watched Jean's eyes flick upwards briefly and then immediately away and the idea kind of solidified itself. Obviously for the time being there was nothing I could do, but maybe down the line when I understood how things worked better.

Once he seemed to calm himself down again, he asked if I had any plans to out of town to look for materials. I grinned slightly. He was avoiding asking for help. But he, like me, didn't have much of anyone else. "I get most of my supplies from the town storage." I paused thoughtfully, looking down at the gem I'd finished just before he arrived. "But I wouldn't mind going out to see if I can find anything new. If you're asking me to tag along." My smile broadened, and I waited to see his reaction.

[Location:] Market.

Don't feel obligated? In response, I hopped from the stool I was sitting on and packed up my supplies quickly--in case someone came through and decided they wanted the gems I'd cut. I had no idea who Hono was, but I didn't mind meeting someone else if Jean chose to ask this person anyway. "I want to go," I replied cheerily, picking up my mostly emptied pack and heading for the door. "I wouldn't mind your friend coming along, too, if they want. More people means we can bring back more." Also an extra safety buffer. I felt like the things that lived in the forest were less likely to attack a larger group. I had no idea what sort of focus this third person had, but both Jean and I were pretty useless when it came to fighting.

Regardless of Jean's feelings on me accompanying him, I stepped outside and into the bitter cold and snow that I had become all too familiar with. It didn't make it any better, but at least it was more bearable after spending three months in it. Not to mention the town was kept pretty clear of snow. When it wasn't falling in swaths from the sky anyway. I looked upward, squinting somewhat into the white-gray light. "You sure it's a good idea to go out in this weather though?"

[Location:] Market.

I glanced back at Jean when he spoke, and then back up at the sky, squinting at it again. "Mm... Maybe it'll clear up soon." I fell into a brief, thoughtful silence, but it lasted no more than a heartbeat or two before I decided to just speak my thought. I turned my head slightly toward Jean, gaze still fixed upward. "Hey, do you think this cold is natural? Or maybe they just have a really long winter here?" After all, it had been about three months and no change in temperature and no sign of the snow stopping. There was only one place that I knew of from my home that was like that, and it was only because the Do'vra there had built their home around the Source of ice, Freus. They had winter and bitter temperatures all year round, and their bodies had adapted to live in such an environment. We weren't so lucky.

Pondering aside, it was mostly rhetorical anyway. I doubted he had any more of an answer than I had. Cheerily, I hopped off the small covered porch that stretched the street-facing side of the shop and into the freshly fallen snow. Some people here and there were already working on trying to clean some of it up, but they wouldn't likely be able to keep up until it stopped. A few steps forward and I paused to wait for Jean. "Any thoughts on where you want to look? Supposedly there was a cave or a tunnel that was found maybe a half mile east of town. Might be able to find something useful there. Not too sure about finding cloth though, but maybe some ore?" I perked up slightly at the though, ears following suit although they were mostly hidden by the capelet. "Oh, or maybe there'll be some gems."

[Location:] Market.

Jean didn't give any particular insight as far as where to search for materials. Was... he just planning on wandering until he found something? But then, he wasn't exactly the outdoorsy type. He'd probably been relying on whoever was with him to lead the way.

I wasn't very familiar still with the land surrounding the town. There were too many trees and it was easy to get lost unless you could see the smoke from town. And I had a terrible sense of direction. But my big ears--big compared to all the humans anyway--were good at picking up bits of information unintentionally so as long as I had someone to point me in the right direction, I could potentially lead to places others had found. In this case, apparently a cave had been reported, hidden in the snow, where someone almost tripped into it. Maybe there was something worthwhile to find there.

Now that we were on the street, I let Jean lead the way to what I assumed was the south gates so that we could head out and hopefully not run into too much trouble.

[Exit?]