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Ice Bath (2) : Rainfall is rare in Destiny City during Winter; there have been a few light showers between the occasional snow but it’s never been enough to be significant. In some places, it’s just enough for a thin layer of ice to cover the ground and make it a little slippery, but ultimately it’s not enough to worry about. In an inconspicuous place in town, you step into one of these icy puddles and the thin layer of ice shatters. The hole itself seems maybe three feet wide and if you’ve ever been in the area before you know it’s just a pothole a few inches deep at most. Except, when the ice shatters, you fall, plummeting into it as if it were a lake of icy water. It’s pitch black around you and only pale blue lights shimmer above you. The darkness is never ending and you can’t make out the details of anything except the shrinking hole above you. Maybe you remember how to swim and pull yourself out, maybe you black out and feel someone else pulling you out--either way, your frozen, soaking body is pulled from the puddle. The chill is immense, but if you look at the hole after being pulled out, all you can see is the ground below. There’s no sign that what you just experienced is real--except for the fact that you’re still soaking wet.
Was there anything better than a bring walk on a cold winter’s day during one’s lunch break, Angus thought to himself before snorting in amusement. Well. Yes. Many things were better, but in this particular moment, the walk was pretty good. Granted, he had to work at avoiding icy patches, but his boots had decent traction, so it wasn’t as if it was that big of a deal. All the same, he would have to be careful. Just one wrong slip could ******** him over and he couldn't risk missing any work at the shop.
Veering off in a different direction, Angus rather thought that he wanted to swing by the one little tea shop that Bindhi liked and pick her up some loose leaf. Or maybe those lavender honey spoons she liked so much. It wasn't that far out of his way, though the shop wasn't exactly in what he'd consider to be a prime location. Having made up his mind, the burly Scot whistled softly as he walked, careful to avoid some of the bigger ice patches. Such a nuisance though. This was the first winter in a while that he could remember actual rain. As he walked, he noted how some of the potholes were iced over. If the city had just taken care of those over the summer they wouldn't be such a bother now. Ah well. Becoming lost in thought, Angus listened to the crunch of snapping ice as he tread over some of the smaller patches.
And then, the heel of his boot crunched down on a bigger bit of ice and he felt himself stumbled and falling backwards. To his shock, he didn't land on his a** on the street. He ******** fell into a hole about as wide across as he himself was and filled with endless dark, freezing water. As he sank, he felt the cold sapping his strength and forced himself to move. He didn't have time to shed his shoes and heavier clothing... The cold was simply too much and he was afraid of turning into an icy lump if he paused for anything. Feeling his lungs burn with the desire for air, he made his arms and legs move, fighting to pull himself back to the little dot of blue above that meant the surface. It felt like an eternity and every moment that passed, he was convinced that he was going to die in this stupid puddle-but-not-really and no one would ever know what had happened. Even as his vision was beginning to blur and darken, he could tell that he was closer to the light. Putting on a last burst of strength, Angus surfaced in a hail or icy droplets and coughing gasps. Throwing himself over the edge of the hole, he rested there for a moment before dragging himself back on to the street. Laying there for a moment, he was mildly grateful that no one was around to see him. He really didn't want to deal with questions. Particularly when a glance showed him a shallow pothole where he'd just been fighting for his life.
Soaked through and shivering with cold, he thought that the tea shop would have to wait. He had to get home and get warm before he caught his death from cold.
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