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Since the moment Advisor Herei announced that the journey to the tower would commence the following day, Wynn hadn't been able to stop smiling.

In fact, he was the first student to be dismissed from his table and he rushed to his temporary room to prepare. He was stoked beyond words and he could hardly make sound, he was so excited. For the young Inuk, this...Being here in Greenland, being in the snow, the wide boundless white frost and fluff, was the closest that he could get to going back to Alaska. This area was also the home of the sprawling, nomadic Inuit and he could feel it, feel like he belonged here. His leather wrapped feet belonged on the harsh terrain as much as his eyes belonged on the wide overcast sky. So it was without saying that Wynn could very well be one of the most excited students.

As he burst into his room, Wynn made his way to his small suitcase that had been given to him to pack his things when he first made his trip to Shinkami. He kept it, just in case, and it proved its worth now. He unfastened the brass holds and lifted the lid to neatly packed clothing and supplies. It goes without saying, that Wynn was as ready as any Inuk could be for the journey ahead. He had layers of clothing ready and picked out, doubled pairings of traditional Inuit coats, trousers, and stockings that he had brought from home that he would wear in the extremely cold weather. The two coats, each lined with fur, would be worn in a special way. For the inside, the fur would be worn against his skin, and for the outside the fur would be exposed to the air, the best way to keep warm and protected. His feet, although used to the cold, would be covered with kamiks, boots made from sealskin. The Inuit used these because they could withstand the wet from the snow as well as last long. Over all this, his coats, trousers, and boots, he will wear his atiqik, a hooded parka made from goose down. Wynn was ready to face the coldest of cold.

With all that, though, there was still other things that Wynn had for the journey. One of which was his most prized, beloved possession (besides his hot coco): snow goggles. He had crafted these snow goggles from the antlers of his first caribou kill in Alaska, spent hours making them perfect for his face, to block out the cold wind, and made them his own. They were his snow goggles, a part of him and his survival on harsh icy tundra. As he made sure he had all his clothes and things ready for the journey the next day, he carefully took the snow goggles from the luggage. Wynn smiled at them, running his fingers along the smooth carved bone and weaved sinew that made up the straps. It was white, white like the snow and stormy sky. Spreading the string, Wynn pulled his head through so that the snow goggles rested on his chest like a necklace.

Other things he had were packed amounts of caribou jerky, whipped whale blubber, dried and salted fish, and of course...Hot coco. Another thing he planned on taking him with was a six inch long ivory knife that he would keep in his belt underneath his clothes. Who knew what would await them and Wynn didn't want to be caught unawares. One thing he didn't bring, though, were snowshoes. They were too cumbersome to bring on this trip.

Wynn glanced to the dark window, listening intently to the howl and scratch of the stormy wind against the building. Somewhere in the distance was the tower, the stairway to heaven. While the storm didn't intimidate him, for he was used to such weather and actually excited to experience it, something about the tower did. He had been quiet in their time in the host village, but he was all ears. He heard the rumors, the tales of the tower.

Wynn wondered, if he did make it to the top of the tower, would the marks of the spirits, the disease on his hands, be taken away? There was a part of him that longed to be rid of his constantly peeling skin and sweaty palms, but it was a part of him. It belonged to him, defined him. It was given to him by the spirits. He didn't want to lose that part of himself.

...But Wynn couldn't help but feel curious.

The White Tower. A country covered in white. A place foreign to all that he was familiar with. It was certainly an unusual place to be, and the knot in his stomach tightened slightly as he looked out the window of the room they were in for this short period of time. At the moment he was alone in the room, but he guessed that this would not be a permanent situation. Out there, with everyone else, he had put on a brave face. Although his mask had been slipping as of late, he was loathe to allow the truth of his heart to show in this state of mind. There was an appropriate measure for everything and the gravity on his face right now was not appropriate.

He let out a light sigh as he turned around and assessed the little he'd brought with him. After Adviser Herei's announcement this evening, he couldn't help but feel something was to go wrong and wondered what he was doing here anyway. At that thought, he stiffened quickly and made his face grim and serious. "What are you doing!" he asked himself gently but firmly, almost disgusted by this preaching and prattling and whining. It was a snow storm. He'd never really seen anything like it in England as a child, nor in Australia as a growing boy, and certainly not at Shinkami in his teenager youth. No. It was completely new to him and all he had with him was stuff suggested to him.

A coat, which even now he was wearing tightly about him as if he would die without it. A bag, filled with a flashlight, some batteries, his notebook, a pen, a pencil, a small pencil sharpener, bags of various granolas he'd cooked up before leaving the school, some water, matches, extra clothing, and a pair of goggles. He was already wearing most of the clothing he wanted. Fur lines everything, so much so that he was almost suffocated by it. Slumping down against the bed, he dragged the bag over to himself and double checked it. After that, he triple checked it almost out of nervous habit.

The curiosity he'd had when he signed up for the little 'field trip' was not to be seen now. However, it was slowly returning. What would happen out there? What was so important that Herei insisted on going out when all the villagers believed it to be a sign from their God? What could it be? What could it be that had them in such a rush? Was there to be another disaster here, like China? He hadn't been there for China, but he had heard a great many things. None of them pleasant. Was this similar? Was it worse? He frowned, meticulously taking out his notebook and dating it. He quickly jotted down what was going on and closed it before glancing out the window again.

He had everything now. And if he didn't... well it was too late now. It would be his own fault for lacking in research. Hopefully he could be friendly enough to obtain assistance. After all, they were Saviors. They didn't need to fight themselves, so much as whatever enemy presented itself to Earth. It would be all right. Yes. Everything would be all right.

It was difficult to guess how much stuff one person could fit into a single bag... But the avid adventurer named Rufus seemed to have reached the upper limits of the bag's capacity.

The bag sat on the bed of the lodge that he was staying in, practically bursting at the seams. The man had wrestled with the zip to close it for what must have been a good five minutes and now that it was firmly shut it looked as though everything inside was attempting to escape. Bizarre lumps and bumps were pressing at the fabric, as if whatever the hell he had crammed in there was trying to claw it's way out again. What was that? The man squinted at a shape protruding from the bag. Curiosity overwhelming him he tapped the odd protrusion, pondering what could make such a weird shape. A metal clang sounded and he thought about it... Perhaps the saucepan he had put in - a last minute addition, just in case the group needed to cook something? Or possibly it was the copper shield, finely decorated with a depiction of a local myth, that he had purchased from a local the other day...?

That was one of the problems that came with being a compulsive collector of oddities. One could never remember what one thing was, where it came from or really what it did.. To be honest if Rufus did happen to unpack the bag in an attempt to find out what the mystery object was, he would probably find something that he didn't even recall bringing with him to the ice filled place in the first place. The best course of action was to just leave it as it was - he had finally got the damned thing shut and under no circumstances would he open it again until the party reached the white tower the next day.

Smiling contently Rufus sat on the bed, next to the bag, contemplating the journey that he would be embarking on tomorrow. Apparently it was too unsafe to attempt as a single person, the blizzard was still raging and the villagers had advised everyone against visiting the tower till it subsided. However a group had formed so that they could attempt to reach the infamous tower despite the danger. Rufus, not willing to wait, had agreed to travel with this group (predominantly made up of students from a militaristic all boys school). Admittedly the trip would be harder by foot, but the man was sure that seeing the tower would make up for the hard slog through winds and snow.

Sighing he slipped off his shoes, starting to get ready to go to bed. A good nights sleep would be needed if he wanted to take part in the tough journey. As he was bending down, untying his laces, he noticed something. A pair of gloves sat innocently on the floor a few feet away. His spare pair? He winced - he would need them, just in case he lost his regular pair or they got damaged. Without a spare pair he could wind up getting frostbite and loosing his fingers. He might even need to lend them to one of the boys if they lost a pair. It was vital that he took them.

But how could he take them?

Glancing at the bulging bag he gulped. Just when he'd thought that task was over... Perhaps he wouldn't be able to get the good night of rest that he had been planning on.

Sasha was actually excited for this.

Like really excited. He couldn't remember the last time he was so gung-ho about anything. It was like a giddyness that could rival a free liquor night at the local bar. As soon as he heard the announcement, he ran to sign up and thank gosh he did cause seats were filling up fast. Not that there was a limit he didn't think but better safe than sorry!!

And now there was just one more day to wait. "Ho'god...!" He needed to pack! Bouncing off his mattress, Alexander hit the ground running, melting through the specter that haunted him and looking for his backpack. He didn't really have a suitcase since he barely had anything to pack up when he came here, which was probably for the best. He didn't need to overpack for this field trip or whatever. Just the necessities, trying to remember what Advisor Fang had recommended. He had a big reindeer fur winter coat, check. Rabbit fur hat, check. food stuffs. Hmmm.

Sasha crawled to his desk and opened a drawer, emptying it of its granola bars, chips, cookies. Check. If only he had a bottle of booze, would have made the nights a lot nicer. Uhh what else? Oh! His skinning knife. Taking it out of its sheath, Sasha ran his finger down the nicked and worn blade. Wasn't great for combat but he could stick something if needed, skin an animal if they needed food. Ohhh! The Russian shivered, every ponderment making him all the more eager to go. For once, his strengths could finally shine in the snow and in the wilderness. "Snow shoes!" Okay check. Uhh what else? Well... he didn't have much else.

"I guess that's good......" Everything else, like a tent, he assumed the school would provide. Lacing up the strings on his backpack adn ignoring the ends of his snow shoes popping out, he set it by the door and sat on his bed, wondering all about this White Tower.

God he would be getting no sleep tonight.

Finally. A chance to get out of the school and into the real world, a chance to meet new people and see new places. A chance to see snow.

Those were the real thoughts that had run through Micajah's head when Herei had announced this goose chase event with a Tower to Heaven, taking the place of anything else like how he should be writing every moment of this adventure down. He would get to see snow, walk in the snow, get covered in snow; not just from behind a window, really out in it.

That being said, he needed to pack proper wear and gear for the outing. He knew that snow only could come with cold weather, and he wasn't a big fan of the cold, so he made sure to stuff his duffel bag (sent from home from a request out) with as many sweaters or long sleeved shirts as he had. He grabbed a scarf as well, one that he'd bought instead of made, and while he wrapped it around his neck he made sure to practice how it would be tied to keep the most cold out. A student who was too busy worrying over the temperature of their body would be no use to anyone should a dangerous situation arise.

Micajah set aside the thickest jacket he had, which wasn't very thick but would serve well when combined with a scarf and several layers, and he scrounged up some thick socks and pretty waterproof shoes. He didn't have much to take with him in terms of weapons, should one be needed, but he did grab a lighter and a journal should they need to burn something for light.

"I don't have any food to take, which may hinder me, so perhaps I should try to see what I can scrounge up before I go . . ."

He peered over his baggage one last time and smiled as he thought about what was to come. Adventure, the possibility of meeting someone new.

and Snow.

........why did Scyeth decide he wanted to go?

There was snow. Snow was cold. The Australian hated the cold and the snow!

But still, a field trip was a field tip and he wouldn't be Scyeth Akazar if he passed up an adventure like such. There was a mystery to be solved, and maybe his boyfriend wasn't tagging along, but Scyeth was sure he could do this on his own. That was what a good leader did, lead. (Weird concept, right?)

But packing? The blond only wished someone else could pack for him. But into the back went a extra pair of clothing, all the warm things Scyeth could think of, water bottles, those snack bars he had hidden under his bed and a few first aid things pilfered from the physical training. There was no telling who was going to sprain an ankle first but it would be inevitable. They were hiking.

Scyeth flopped back on his bed and waited for RuiZhi to return. They needed to spend quality time before Scyeth went off on an adventure, after all.

Packing.

That was the hardest part of going on a trip. Finding the right items, clothing and equipment that would work during those long jaunts. For Nash, food was of the utmost importance and so, he spilled his small duffel bag on his bed emptying the contents so he could prioritize his things.

Food.

Never leave home without it. And as many snacks as he had brought for the ride over, he had made certain not to touch the food supply that was meant for the hike itself. Beef jerky, dried banana chips, some mini carrot sticks, bottled water, pickles, and string cheese. There were other assortment of snacks but he opted to leave them to the side for now.

It was time to pack his cloths. All of which were pretty useful in this kind of climate. Winter coat, gloves, snow boots, ski mask, and ear muffs. A scarf would come in handy and the rest was an assortment of clothing that he'd need to change into in case of an emergency. Even a small fleece blanket had been packed, you never knew when a blanket would be needed.

Looking over his things he tossed a pair of regular shoes inside and was thankful for the added room. Whatever couldn't fit was left in the room for now. Reaching in his pocket to find his beloved fob watch he grazed it with a finger smiling comfortingly.. maybe this trip was a good thing. If the tower really did grant wishes would he truly get to see his father again? Dead or alive he wanted that part of his life to end... living day to day not knowing had long since become a burden. "I wonder if he's still out there? Will I get to meet you?"

These were the thoughts that float through the youths mind as he gazed out the window. His eagerness and nervousness all smashing together into one cauldron of mixed emotions.