Snowstorms and matchmaking: An early Valentine's post

[shardofwinter]

Winter in the Nexus has been especially present this year. The weather has presented plenty of hardships for the past few months, something which numerous people have bemoaned. It doesn't look set to change, either. If anything, Winter seems to be going stronger than ever. There are no signs of it winding down at all.

Everything seems normal at first, the usual hustle and bustle has the Nexus thrumming now that people have adapted to the cold conditions. Then, rather suddenly, everything kicks into gear. The wind starts to howl, battering people to and fro. Not long after that, the sky becomes thick with snow, making it nearly impossible to see, the biting cold driving people back inside. It soon becomes completely inhospitable to all wandering around outside.

In the hurry to get out of the storm, people end up scurrying to the nearest available shelter. Apartment lobbies, houses, cafés, shops, restaurants, the library... Anywhere and everywhere that offers some shelter. Peculiarly, people seem to end up in pairs as they hide away from the cold. Looks like everyone is going to have to huddle close together. For... warmth... We'll say it's for warmth.

((This is entirely an excuse to shove characters together and force them to spend time with each other. Feel free to have as many threads as you like, trying as many combinations as you like, where ever you like. Brave souls can try and berate Reynard if they really want to.))

Comments

An Act of Kyne/Reynard is pretty much the only way they'll get to talk ;P

[auspex_caelo]

With the turn in the weather, the main room is already filling up. Stratos is brushing off the last snow from his shoulders and calculating his chances of getting a spot near one of the hearths when Verity makes her explosive entrance. He turns, lowering his hood after a moment and nodding to her.

"Miss Willis." His tone is polite, if surprised. He's been making a small effort to avoid her company, it's true, but not from any dislike. Courtesy and concern come first. "I hope you're all right?"

[brave_heart_verity]

That's what he considers explosive? He's not used to the local Nords yet, is he?

Someone recognizes her, which gets her to tilt her head and pull her glasses down to peer over them. Blink blink. "Oh! Hey, Stratos. You got stuck in this too?"

Whatever his reasons for avoiding her, she doesn't bear him any ill will. Besides the fact that at Felix's friend she's heard a few... jaundiced accounts of things. And the boots. On the other hand, Samus seems to like him, and Samus is a good judge of character. And boots.

[auspex_caelo]

Nords are noisy, Verity wins on vehemence. And really, he thinks of Nord shouting as background noise. It's just their way of showing affection. (Also, every other emotion.)

He inclines his head. "I prefer to be snowed in than caught out. Preferably, somewhere a good fire is kept. Would you like a drink?"

[brave_heart_verity]

Verity would like the Nords. They'd remind her of her Asgardian friends. Then she'd get sad for missing them and enjoy the ale instead.

"Yes, please. Something warm. A much better idea than being stuck outside in this. I wonder what happened?" She has a theory that Reynard is involved, but then, she's been blaming everything weather-related on him for a while now.

"I hope you're not going to have to write yourself up for being late for your next shift."

[auspex_caelo]

“Coffee, perhaps?” he guesses, heading closer to the counter and lifting a hand to catch the innkeeper’s attention. Her quip earns a slight smile from him.

“I’ll simply have to endure the humiliating apology to myself. As for the storm, all I can say is that it seemed deeply unnatural. But of course, natural laws apply so erratically here.”

[brave_heart_verity]

"Coffee sounds perfect, yes." So, the caffeine fiend is spreading through the Imperial ranks. Her plan is working!

"Ah. So long as it's properly humiliating." She'll join him at the counter, leaning back against it to survey the room while they wait. "Aren't the acts of a force of nature always, by default, natural?"

[auspex_caelo]

Not quite, alas - Stratos took note of Felix's encounters with the stuff, and he's observed that it seems to be a favorite with Nexus humans. For himself, he's going to be ordering one of the ales chalked up on the board.

"This place and its whims are entirely outside the realm of nature as my people use the term. But aside from that, I wouldn't necessarily say so. Natural forces are prone to manipulation, after all." The ward shimmering faintly on his skin might testify to his experience there.

[brave_heart_verity]

Aww. Doesn't he want to be jittery like the cool kids?

"I was talking about Reynard." Because she blames him for all the weather in winter now. "Him being a Winter Spirit and everything. He's kind of part of nature?"

Wait. Maybe he doesn't know Reynard? Hmm. Fancy Imperials and their fancy magic she needs to get Felix to teach her that spell. It's not like she can't afford the spellbook.

"So, I hear you brought Samus to a fancy party recently." Give her the deets, boy.

[auspex_caelo]

Are you kidding, Verity? Just wait and see how long he takes to finish that one ale. He’s definitely of the ‘let everyone else consume more mind-altering substances than me’ school of thought.

“So I’ve heard. His instigation would… explain this. But a type of daedra warping the seasons to his whim is as traditionally unnatural as one gets.” Stratos, how do you say these things with a straight face?

She might get Felix to admit he doesn’t do element-specific wards? Or that Stratos is far, far superior in Alteration magic? There’s a reason Felix is so good at cozying up to people… as literally as he can make it.

“Indeed?” He raises his eyebrows, opens his mouth, and- there! Five minutes in, he’s already having to refrain from the lies. “…I’m pleased she found it memorable. And I gather you’ve been striving to feed the entirety of the Nexus at once.”

[brave_heart_verity]

So responsible.

"Is it?" She hums softly, and will be thinking about it. It's not the sort of thing she's thought much about before and she doesn't know yet if she agrees or not.

Oh Felix, you're not going to make her ask Stratos for lessons, are you? Wait, no, she can ask Shade-Seeker.

"I helped with her hair," she explains. So she knew in advance, isn't Stratos just the lucky boy? "Only the nice people. You should have come, it was a lot of fun."