Welcome to Gaia! ::

Rosa blinked smiling nodding a polite thank you before looking to Tala. "We'll have to do what we have to in order to live if we want to beat the darkness, right?" Rosa asked watching him curiously. "Poriage isn't that bad if you add some milk and cream I've found out with some fresh berries." Rosa said thinking and nodding to Tala. She looked around picking up a loaf of bread then a jar of fresh peaches. "What do you think of these? Think these will last?" She asked curiously looking to Tala.

"Uh miss, um.....well we don't have a tent. I've never traveled much so I'm unsure of what is needed." Rosa said softly, not sure what to do as she watched the excited girl. She didn't want to tell her no on things and crush her happiness of thinking she was helping, which she was. She checked her money, glad she had brought a lot of her allowance with her. Looking to the girl she watched her giving a soft smile. "What all do you think we need for our travels to keep warm and survive?" She asked curiously watching Aria as she went about the shop.

Rosa nodded walking up to Aria and pulled out her money, paying for the food supplies. "Thank you so very much. This will help us greatly." Rosa said her stomach then growled again. Rosa blushed and took the bags almost dropping them from the weight. "Oh boy heavier than I imagined." She said as her stomach then rumbled again and she sighed, trying to keep it quiet.

Rosa came out catching up to him, nodding thanks to Aria then heard Tala's question and nodded. "Yes, that sounds right." She said nodding to him softly. She looked around the people, finding also the unwelcome vibe from everyone, causing goose bumps to form on her arms.

(finally got it ^^ -sigh- hoping that's alright -sweats-)

Out of the papers came up a bald head with some gray hair about on the sides around his head and down to his ears, a gray beard came from under his noise and chin, hiding his mouth some in the grayish white mess. He squinted at the pair before replacing his glasses and smiled seeing he had customers. "Well hello, how are you both? Needing a map I presume? Hm?" he asked cheerfully.

Rosa blinked seeing his round thick rimmed glasses. "Um....well we were needing a map sir." she said kindly to him, smiling gently. "Do you have a map of this area and the area surrounding here? We're sort of new to this part of the land." She said blushing a little slightly embarrassed at her lack of knowledge of the lands outside the land of ice.

The man thought tapping his chin as he pondered. "Hmmm yes I do believe I have a map that is just what you're looking for." he said rushing over to one of the several tall shelves packed with books and scrolls with loose papers, maps on the walls with graphs and even some books on the floor with papers scattered some about the desk. He wasn't quite tall but not real short. To Rosa as she watched he appeared about 5' or a little shorter. He scanned the shelves, looking through the volumes of books and different papers, climbing up a latter on wheels attached to the shelving unit, scrolling through books and papers. "So what are you both planning on doing?" he asked without looking to them as he continued his search, at times randomly tossing a book back behind himself almost haphazardly.

"Are you both sight seeing or are you suppose to be somewhere for something or are you on businesses or what is it that brought you here to our small village?" he asked curious, skipping through the page of a book he had just pulled off the shelf. Shaking his head he put it back on the shelf and pushed over, grabbing another book and began to skip through it's pages as he waited for an answer from either one of them.

The old man looked over to Tala thinking then nodded. "ah yes you are in luck. I happen to have one but weather or not it's up to date is another story. I would however give you some idea of what is out in the world in these parts. I also have one that tells of creatures that live in the other boundries of land surrounding our little mountain." he explained, sliding over then got down, moving to another latter and climbed up towards the top and pulled off a couple books tossing them over to Tala. The books would be of old, dusty leather, their titles faded some but if felt it could be made out the letters were. Leather straps kept the old books closed, one appearing newer than the other, both thick but not too thick, appearing to be about 200 or 300 so pages of information and designs of the beasts in the area and in other areas.

"as I said there could be some missing from the databanks. No one has brought in an updated book in some years so there could be some are extinct or new species have been born, who knows?" he asked before returning to finding the map of the area they were currently in along with a map of the surrounding area outside the territory they were in now. Rosa watched the man quietly before yelping and catching a book he threw to her. "Here you go. Something about your eyes tells me you love or study the winter cursed regions also the necklace is a very good copy of the one inside that book I just gave you." He said smiling.

"Thank you sir. Um yes, I think the way the sun reflects off the ice makes it look like a land of crystals." Rosa said giving a gentle smile to him.

"Well in some cases you are right but in others not. It does look like crystal but it's also not. If the ice melts then some of those alive will die and cease to exist. But the odd thing is at times those that seem to would be ones to vanish seem to become different people oddly enough." He explained bringing confusion to Rosa's face.

"Sir, I'm sorry but I don't follow. I have not heard the Ice Lands to be called cursed before. What do you mean?" Rosa asked confused and curious to what he was talking about. He paused looking to her with amused eyes through his glasses.

"Oh you'll see if you read your history books young woman. Now....what was I looking for again?" he asked pondering as Rosa looked down to the book he had tossed her, gently wiping away some layered dust to see a fading picture of an ice rose on the front. "Oh yes a map." He said and went back to his search. Rosa stared at the cover of the book, gently blowing some dust off the title area and coughed some from the dust. At the top was the tittle stating "Ice History" and had a design below the title but above the rose that resembled the ice crystal of her necklace she had around her neck.

Confusion lined her face as she stared at the book, wondering why she'd be given this or how there was a book about the Ice Lands anywhere but in the Ice Lands. Looking at the man who muttered a profanity or two under his breath as he searched she said nothing before looking to Tala to see what he had, her hold on the book firm but gentle.

Rosa looked over to Tala unsure biting her lower lip. "Well I'm not sure. I want to but not sure how much. I don't see a price." Rosa answered Tala looking her book over now for a price on the outside and then inside. She looked up in hearing a chuckle from the direction of the owner of the shop watching him a bit confused by his sudden laughter. "Did I say something funny?" She asked watching the old man who shook his head, coming down off the ladder with a book and two rolls of paper.

"No, I am sorry but I never told you, I don't normally sell items or give them away but for you two there is no charge on the books and there's no charge on the maps here or this book either. The book lays out more maps of the area and gives information on the area." He explained handing the book to Tala along with the maps. "Is it shocking that an old man like me, a simple mapmaker would be willing to just give away my hard work?" he asked when he saw the look of shock on Rosa's face. "I give them to you both as gifts because something in my bones tells me you both are very special people and that you both need some good to happen in your lives." he said smiling kindly behind his beard.

"But how did you know about....?" Rosa asked confused and he chuckled shaking his head, watching her then Tala with eyes that seemed to be filled with old wisdom left unquestioned or untold.

"Oh trust me my dear, there's some stories I could tell you about these people that would make your ears close in on themselves." He said chuckling before moving to his desk, picking the books up he'd thrown to the floor. "It's been some time but normally we don't get visitors here and so when someone new comes around some of the people get a bit annoyed and will go on edge. It's silly that they go on edge but they do anyways because they think everyone around that comes here is out to hurt them and to destroy our home. I know not everyone is out to destroy others but some can't accept that because it goes against the laws of nature." He explained putting away the books back on the right shelves.

Rosa watched the man as he put away the books and papers. "I also did distrust others but in working on maps and history, a major favorite of mine, I learned about the other lands, their residence, their life style, etc. and I came to see why they were as they were and why some would differ from what was seen as normal for that kind." He said smiling to them. "In knowing this I set up my shop here where it was nice and peaceful, not winter yet not spring, just the perfect balance." He chuckled moving to another end of the room to pick up the mess on the floor. "Just like in both your eyes I can see through my experience you both have faced pain and loss of loved ones, am I right?" he asked putting away the last book from that area and turned to face them, approaching calmly.

Rosa didn't answer looking down some which caused the old man to nod gently. "I see the young woman has had some loss of loved ones in her lifetime. What of you young man? Your eyes tell a much deeper story, yes?" he asked quietly, watching Tala's eyes with his old eyes through his glasses.