In which Winter has a thematically appropriate query

[shardofwinter]

Not all Nexus days can be sunshine and beautiful frost patterns. Days like this are a grim, sombre grey. The mist is so thin in places that all it does is make the distance fade away sooner than normal, but it does apply a more reserved filter on a place often filled with joyous shenanigans. No, this is unmistakeably a day which makes the multiverse feel close, secretive.

It's in this clandestine scenery that Reynard strolls about. Far from hopping or skating through the landscape, he strolls about the place, setting ice on the path and covering it with a dusting of snow. In the residential and commercial districts, he's sent ice along as many pipes as he could find. As he goes he rumbles a low slow tune. Some might recognise the sea shanty when he reaches the familiar 'Ho... Ho... and up she rises...'. He's not a bad singer, all things considered.

He looks up from his work and fixes his eyes on the nearest stranger, singing fading into a deep hum and then silence before he speaks. "What is the coldest thing you've ever done? The most cold hearted act you've ever brought yourself to commit. Go ahead. I'm not one to judge."

Just as the quiet settles back into place, he pipes up again. "Actually, you can tell me the literal coldest thing you've ever done too, if you'd prefer. I can't resist a good ice story."


((Reynard is still handing out Winter Curses & Blessings and causing trouble if you would like to avail of any. Other than that: Caution to those who talk to spirits, they are proud and fickle people.))

Comments

[juststeverogers]

"B-Being outside." Comes a wheezing, clearly not happy remark from a tiny man in a suit with a Hulk themed Coat pulled on tight over it. It doesn't matter how much Steve bundles up. The biting cold is havoc on his weak lungs, leaving him sounding like he's just had an asthma attack anytime he heads outside. He carries a grocery bag in hand.

"It's n-not as bad here as it was back home. Brooklyn got so cold with the wind blowing through the streets. Got knocked right off my feet a few times after art school got out. And we never got warm in our apartment. So...s'better here. Don' mean I have to--" Wheeze, cough. "Have to like it."

[shardofwinter]

The mist has not got to be helping. Water in the air only makes the cold feel that much more freezing, and gets into the lungs to make breathing that much harder.

Reynard tilts his head as he watches the man struggle. With a wave of his arm he gestures to a bench. "Why don't you sit down a moment, my boy? Take your time. People rush too much."

[juststeverogers]

"...Why would I do that?" Comes a very no nonsense, 'Son just don't' tone reply from the thin man. He's even got that look. Too bad he's about as intimidating as a chihuahua in a sweater right now. After a long pause Steve makes a noise of begrudging agreement before he takes a seat.

Bench is freezing cold. Steve shivers involuntarily. Why does anyone like this time of year? The cold gets into your bones and hurts, not to mention everything else. Just for a minute, he tells himself. He doesn't want to be rude.

"I'm twenty three." He mumbles quietly, as if it will stop everyone fomr acting like he's twelve.

[shardofwinter]

Looks don't bother him one bit. He's lived too long to be concerned by them. "As I said, there's no hurry. Breathing is more important than hurrying, don't you think?"

The Winter spirit briefly wonders what the topic of the young man's age has to do with anything. When he figures it out he barks out a laugh. "I call everyone 'my boy'. Or 'my dear'. Except the ladies who are 'my dear' or 'my lady' and, occasionally, 'my fair maiden'."

[brave_heart_verity]

No stranger here, however strange she might be. The answer to his question is never far from her mind, so that's not why she's taking her time in answering. It's hard to talk around the hurt, but she can only hide behind fussing with her scarf for so long.

"I walked away when a friend needed me. He'd been keeping secrets and I was so upset with him, I couldn't even see how much trouble he was in, and..." And that's enough.

There's a long pause before she asks, "Are you collecting gloomy stories for a reason?"

[shardofwinter]

"Ah." His head rises and falls in a large, slow nod. "Delivering the bitter blow of betrayal. Always a classic."

The brim of his hat emphasises the tilt of his head. It takes a moment to decide that she doesn't know the answer to her own question. "I'm doing my job, my dear." Then he shrugs and dips his head, admitting, "And I'm curious."

[brave_heart_verity]

Yeah, she's going to be trying to change the subject so much right now. Honesty is one thing, crying in public (again) is another.

Both answers seem fair to her, so she'll accept them with a little nod. She has no awesome hat to hide behind, just the slouchy one that helps keep her warm. "So being a Winter Spirit is more than ice and snowstorms?"

[hellburger]

"How many honest answers do you expect to get for that first question? Who would actually admit to doing something shitty?" Miller fires back with a puff of frozen breath.

[shardofwinter]

"As many as there are honest people. Or people unafraid. Or people afraid of denying their past. Or people who are bold, ignorant, uncaring. Take your pick." A grin spreads across his face and he twirls the edge of his moustache, frosting it over slightly. "Besides, I'm a very charming, persuasive person. People enjoy sharing their stories with me."

[hellburger]

"Last I checked, the first three are a rare breed and the others aren't worth anyone's time."

Kaz rubs his bare palms together. His light fatigues definitely aren't cutting it in this weather. He continues dodging the original questions. "So are you the one making it miserable around here?"

[gate_crasher]

"I have a recent tale, for your first question," answers a white lizard in fine robes, who shimmers with the faint glow of a ward to mitigate the cold somewhat.

"For context," he begins, "I have been in pursuit of a cell of the cultists who murdered the Emperor. Recently, I was able to decipher their rites of entry and present myself as an aspirant to their cause. Falsely, of course." How the honest-to-a-fault lizard could do that is anyone's guess.

"For further context, their order espouses the violent overthrow of order, the triumph of the strong over the weak by means fair or preferably foul, with frequent spills of blood, which their daedric patron calls 'red drink.'" He sneers a little at the quote, some of his disgust showing.

"So, into this den of traitors I went, and was required to relinquish my belongings for the rite of initiation. This I did--I had brought none of my sacred articles, only the accouterments of a common sellsword. This done, I found an opportunity to slip from my guide's attention and explore the layout of the place unnoticed. And also, to pay these cultists the wage of their treason."

"I have devised a spell, you see, which suffuses those it grips with an immediate, overwhelming lust for battle. This spell does not kindle a single heart, but strokes all near where it splashes." His tone has been growing gradually darker, angrier, as he relates this last, and it grows only moreso as he continues. "Thus did I write poetry upon the pages of their chronicle--creeping unseen, I drove treacherous souls to turn on one another, interrupted the sacrifice of another Argonian, and gave their master an abundance of the red drink he so craves. May he choke on it."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, he restores his lighter, gentler voice. "Anyway. That is my tale of an act coldly done."

[shardofwinter]

It's easy to tell that this is going to be a good story. The stranger has a good voice for it, honours it as a tale and takes time to set the scene. Reynard folds his arms tightly, leaning back on one leg as he listens. Other than the slight movement of his breathing, that isn't visible like the warmer breaths of most people, he stays statue still.

Only when the stranger finishes does Reynard smile widely. "Wonderful. Cruel, absolute, and perfectly justifiable. The hallmarks of any noble act of cold heart. It must have taken a while to prepare."

[gate_crasher]

The robed lizard makes a sound of pensive half-agreement, before admitting, "the cruelty of it troubles me. There was no trial, no finding of fact. Some may have been guilty of no more than an unwise association, yet most fell to one another's blades and spells, at my urging, and the few last I dispatched myself. I question whether the cold act was the proper one."

But there was a question asked, and he is not one to leave questions unanswered. "I was long in preparing their end, yes. I did not know what I might find, and so some preparations had to be blind guesswork. Some guesses were educated, somewhat, by the cryptic hints buried in the writing of their leader. I imagined it might make a useful distraction, to have a spell that could turn some of them upon each other, but I found greater utility for it than I anticipated."

[tsundoremi]

With his eyes down at his feet, scowling into the scarf he tries to burrow further into, it's the song that draws Shitara's attention to the more mystical show which he stops to watch.

That scowl fades but it'd be too much of a stretch to say he visibly enjoys it. He's not exactly in open awe, the multiverse is a mess of miracles so vast it might have dulled him a bit to that feeling, but he does find himself wondering if this means so much of the craziness is more orchestrated than it seems. Now in reality, his reality at any rate, the seasons are natural. Something about the tilt of the Earth's axis and atmosphere and pressurized systems makes weather and climate and all that. But if it's orchestrated, artistic, his mind takes it in in a different way, a way that takes time to really process.

More time than he's given, at any rate, blinking in surprise when spoken to, shoulders spiking up. It's almost like Reynard's gone and broke the fourth wall, talking to an audience member still reflecting like that. Which is, once he thinks about it, rude.

"That kind of wording's judgmental. If someone 'brings themselves' to do something, it's not cold. Cold's when people don't think anything at all about what they're doing to other people."

If he meant to dodge the question he still ended up giving an answer applicable to himself. True to form, he doesn't think about that.

[shardofwinter]

If asked, the Winter spirit would happily wax poetic about the artistry of his work. He does it often enough even when it isn't Winter. Not that, at this moment, he is overly concerned with appeasing other people, and right now he has a misconception to correct.

Reynard laughs, a short, snapping bark, and folds his arms. "That is more distant than cold, don't you agree? Dead like plastic. No. No..."

Those dark eyes that first fixed themselves on the young man narrow, locked onto the figure. There is a half grin pulling at his mouth that could, at any point, turn into a baring of teeth. And when he speaks it's almost a purr, low and rumbling, taking the utmost care in his description. "Cold... Cold is thinking about what you are about to do. Knowing how others will feel, how it will make you feel. Knowing exactly, in its full entirety, the consequences of your actions... and then doing it anyway. True coldness is calculating. It is aware. Coldness has total control and deems the responsibility of its actions worth the gain."

[tsundoremi]

At the prelude to the more precise definition of the word cold, Seiji's mouth tapers to a point under his nose.　More for the deliberate and piercing demeanor and delivery than the weather, he crosses his arms as if to stave off the cold.

"I guess that's not altogether a bad thing..."

In fact under other circumstances he would insist it's necessary, probably defensively. But as much as a good bit of seasonal artistry can put him off his stride, so too can the right theatrics put him off of his nerves. He makes utilitarianism sound so... well, cold.

"Anyone who isn't a complete, unthinking airhead's cold sometimes."

[fruktansvard]

Fabian had been considering a question but his whimsical need to adventure had taken his feet in another direction. He'd go on to make a question before choosing to return from whence he came, but first exploration was needed. He was far from someone who couldn't handle the overcast or cold. If anything, it was common to him and the image of a man stirring the rumbling of elements was also common to him. Although not common for his world. He would understand this being as a wizard, those capable of bending elements to their will.

"I fell in love," was his answer. His hair was somewhat sorted, and a nice but old long coat wrapped his body. His face half hidden in a warm and equally as old scarf, barely a speck of color found on him.

[shardofwinter]

What a curious answer...

The Winter spirit peers at the stranger, as though narrowing his eyes might explain the reply better. With a tilt of his head he speaks slowly. "It's not often that the act of falling in love is described as cold. The aftermath, certainly, but not the fall."

[fruktansvard]

Oh, no. Fabian was certainly sure that the coldest thing he has ever done was love that man. The fallout was certainly worse, considering how it ended, but he fully blames love for the blood on his hands. Well, that wasn't true he blamed himself but for the sake of simplicity...

"I live to surprise," he says. "The things of which love can cause us to do sometimes, in retrospect, is far worse than imaginable. Particularly if you're the kind of fool who would do anything."

[rogueinladysclothing]

This is one very angry looking rogue approaching to answer the Winter Spirit's question, but she doesn't dare shout or accuse of him anything. Not after their last interaction. Despite how awkward some of them are under her cloak, she's wearing all of her weapons this time around. Something of their last interaction must have stuck with her, because she seems as cautious as she is upset.

"I've destroyed people in exchange for money or favors. In fact, I lifted someone up from destitution, gave her my hand in what I claimed was friendship, and then turned around and tore her apart. I stood aside and watched as she cried, begged, and pleaded with all who could hear her to not believe the slander that had reached their ears about her, that they take what she said over the rumors. But I had poisoned them against her. In the end, she fled the city I lived in to escape the shame. All of this in the name of a goal that made me out to be the victim in all that I did." Despite the description of the cold-hearted act, her expression doesn't change away from the cautious anger she approached with. "I can't tell what's colder - the crime against someone who was likely innocent of whatever sleight the person who hired me accused them of or the fact that I did it while thinking I was the victim in all of it. I admit the latter makes me feel some amount of shame." Ahh, so something did stick after they last spoke.

She carefully crosses her arms in front of her chest and rests her hands on her upper arms for warmth. "As for coldest thing I've ever experienced, I believe the Winter you've provided us here in the Nexus wins that. It's something I'm not likely to forget - or mock - for the rest of my life."

[shardofwinter]

Far from making any sign of remembering how he left her last time, Reynard listens with a pleasant expression and relaxed stance. The mention of giving his Winter first place in the coldest of her experiences gets a large smile and he curls his moustache proudly. "I should hope so."

A chord of curiosity runs through him and he folds his arms, stroking his beard and frosting it over. "Do you enjoy it? Being cold. Do you find it useful? Do you value admitting to that side of you?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

Her head tilts slightly in thought as she regards him. "Given your affinity for the cold, can we expect the Nexus to get more cold and snow covered before the Winter gives way to Spring?" It's an honestly curious inquiry.

"Being cold is easier than dealing with the truth. It's also made business dealings a lot easier." She gives a small shrug of her shoulders. "It's a good skill to have, but it's something I wish I was better at turning off when it's not needed. Being this cold is a lonely thing." A frown tugs at her lips. She did this to herself and she knows it, but it doesn't ease the feeling of loneliness at all.

[bestdadinamestris]

The cold and snow and grey don't seem to bother the transient Intelligence officer as he strolls through the Nexus today. Just another part of winter, he figures - the rather warm coat and hat over his military blues definitely help, too. The sound of Reynard's singing grabs his attention, though, so he makes a detour to answer the posed questions.

"Not sure I have any good 'cold hearted' stories for you, but I've been to the North in my world and it was quite cold. The kind of cold that stays with you for days after you get back to the warm parts of the world again." He chuckles a bit at the thought. If he's lucky, he'll never have to go that far north in his world again so he can stay home and warm with his family instead.

[shardofwinter]

The Winter spirit hums and smiles fondly as he imagines the sort of place Hughes is talking about. They're the best kind of places, in his mind, but few people would agree with him. Most places are wonderfully cold the closer you get to the poles. That is half the reason he chose the name he has now.

"I know the kind of cold. Wonderful. What else is it like? Does it have mountains? Snow? Glaciers?"

[bestdadinamestris]

Hughes is definitely more of a mild-weather kind of person, but he always enjoys an afternoon of good fun in the Winter cold and snow with his daughter. Those are usually the best kinds of afternoons.

He nods in answer to Reynard's questions. "It was up in the mountains and covered in snow. Don't know about glaciers though - I truthfully didn't ask. I'm pretty sure it snowed every day while I was there, though. Those stationed on the base I was visiting seemed to think it was normal, so I didn't worry about it. I just wore a few extra layers in an attempt to stay a little warmer."