A Chill in the Air

[toocoldforthis]

The Nexus may have seen a glittering and glorious ball the night before, but every party must end. Every overindulgence has its morning-after regrets. The pains of burning eyes and revolting stomachs have visited more than a few people like malevolent fairies. And then the lucky denizens of the Nexus get another treat.

Cailleach may well be the grumpiest looking grumpy old lady ever. If she'd been sucking on lemons for a thousand years she could not look more sour. White hair fragile with age is hidden beneath a scarf and within the hood of her raincoat. Her glasses are old-fashioned, her makeup is out of style, and her shoes are sensible. Do not ask her for candy. She is not your granny.

What is is watching the goings-on with increasing vexation. Something about everyone passing by seems to set her to an ever-increasing amount of angry muttering. Finally, she can't contain it anymore. "Why don't young people prepare for the lean times coming? Do you all think it'll be sunshine and flowers forever?"

It doesn't matter who answers. She's grumpy and demands an audience.

((She's going to be 100% mean to just about everyone, be warned. #sorrynotsorry))

Comments

[damn_yourself_early]

A little boy steps up next to her, imitating her posture to warn, "there's a nip in the air. Cold like this won't be good for my crops." He can't quite keep a straight face, but finishes the quote through a grin; "it never is."

:P

[toocoldforthis]

Kid Loki is no doubt familiar with this reaction: the narrowing of eyes, the folding of arms, the quick intake of breath before everything he just said is dismissed with a "hmph".

"No, it won't."

She must have left her sense of humor in her other scarf.

[damn_yourself_early]

Yes, that's a very familiar reaction. Still, most people find him charming. Or confusing. The only people who don't rise to his bait are... "Sorry, have we met before?"

[toocoldforthis]

The question is deliberated, and when she realizes she's not certain, she adjusts her glasses and leans down to peer at him.

Staaaaaring. Creepy old lady staring.

"I know the type," she determines after an uncomfortably long staring session. Is she impressed by the godling?

No. No, she is not.

[damn_yourself_early]

How can anyone not like that face? That smile? "Oh, do you? Then we'll get along famously!" he declares. "I'm Loki, what's your name?"

[toocoldforthis]

Should the list of ways be alphabetical or weight?

She hmphs at the idea of their getting along, nevermind famously. The boy's a tricky one, and she has no patience for that. "Cailleach. Loki, eh? I've heard of a Loki. He was a grown man, not a little boy."

She didn't like him.

[damn_yourself_early]

Chronological, perhaps?

"Cailleach, that's a pretty name. It sounds a little... Celtic?" He looks hopeful, as though the query will tease forth some bit of lore about the lady. Fat chance, he knows, but even a rebuff can be informative. "Ah, yes. Everyone's heard about that Loki. Good news, he's dead. Bad news if you were hoping to kill him, though, I'm afraid you missed it. Pardon me if I don't wish you better luck next time."

This kid, seriously.

[onemorebounty]

*The question catches Samus' ear. In the culture that raised her, the Elders are respected and (relevantly) heeded. She diverts from her current course to ask a question of her own.*

Are these some specific lean times you know are coming, or just lean times in general?

[toocoldforthis]

Is that how her elders raised her, to sass back? Cailleach is not impressed. Not with the sass, and not with that wardrobe. In her days...

"Both. It's near winter now, the snows will be falling soon, and what have you done to prepare? Silly girl, you don't even have a proper coat!" Cailleach shakes her head in that particularly infuriating mixture of patronization and regret.

[onemorebounty]

*Samus wasn't even trying for sass, it was a sincere question. The condescension is a little irritating, but there's still some ingrained respect of Elders keeping the Hunter's demeanor respectful.*

Ah, winter. This is a vacsuit--it can keep me at a comfortable temperature down to ten degrees below freezing. My armor can handle deeper cold, but I don't usually wear it around here because it tends to make people nervous.

[toocoldforthis]

The old woman isn't quite sure what a 'vacsuit' is, except indecent-looking, which only makes her grump about it more. Damned technology going and changing things!

"Aye, and your food stores? Your medicines? Have you put up for winter?"

[onemorebounty]

*Yes, in Samus' time, technology has changed so very much.*

On what I have stashed here and there, I could eat for years--assuming I didn't bother to hunt anything to supplement that. Where medicine is concerned, if I can stay conscious through it, I have the tools to put myself back together from it, and possibly more if I have needy guests. I like to be prepared.

[toocoldforthis]

Let's not say that Cailleach doesn't like how everything's being destroyed, poisoned by progress. It's kind of her jam. But does it have to be so noisy and stinky? Must they act so smugly superior about it? Smug superiority is her thing! She's been doing it since before forever!

And now here's a sass-backer who's prepared. What's she supposed to grump about now? Not having anything to grump about, of course! "Yes, well. Your big plans won't always work, missy."

[onemorebounty]

*Is she annoyed that the progress-poisoners eventually started trying to find ways for the progress to not be poisonous and destructive? As for preparation, well...*

Of course not. So I make more plans for the chance that they'll fail, and more for if those fail, on and on, and still keep myself as ready to improvise as I can. If something's going to kill me, it's got a long, hard fight to look forward to, and I intend to leave a crater when I go.

[mosthonest]

"And what of those born to lean times, good mother? There are plenty who have known naught but a kind of sunless wasting."

He may be questioning her, but his tone is perfectly respectful--a wise tactic, coming from a culture of indomitable nonnas who would not hesitate to slap some decency into you no matter your age if they thought you needed it. They all had a vein of iron running through them beneath a sunny and generous disposition... this one clearly just wore it on the outside.

[toocoldforthis]

He missed out on the sunny and generous half of the year. Try again in the spring.

Does he hope that being respectful is going to get his cheek pinched? Well, it's not getting him slapped, so maybe it's a successful tactic. The question gets a tired 'hmph' from her before she answers. "Better to never know what others must lose. It makes a person stronger."

[mosthonest]

((Props for the PB choice btw. I never realized before that even when Queen Elizabeth smiles, she looks so full of murder.))

He assumed there may be no spring with this lady, nor did he assume there would be much cheek pinching. You can't fight or charm your way out of winter's teeth; best hunker down and bare it out. Although actually winters were rather mild around his neck of the woods. It was the mosquito-bloated summers and their disease that was often the killer in his neck the woods. He'll still take the risk of malaria over being an Englishman or German, and having to live with their damned cold.

"Aye, there's strength in wanting. So say the hungry, when they have no bread and must live only on the virtue of their poverty."

[toocoldforthis]

[Thank you! She's very much the 'off with their heads' type and I suspect regrets she can't do that anymore.]

No, Iago isn't the sort who'd do well in the northern lands, especially not the isles where old faiths have roots too deep for the Christian god to entirely root out. Theirs are seasons that mean something.

"Life is hard." And she doesn't care. "It's not about virtue or vice, good and bad all die in their time. Everyone gets what's owing."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Lean times. He's familiar those, but he's still not the type to prepare well for what he knows is ahead of him. Somehow he seems to get by. He's not quite sure if he qualifies as a 'young person', but he could be the poster child for the attitude she's complaining about ...

"Do you got a specific young person in mind or is this a generalized complaint?"

[toocoldforthis]

He's younger than she, which means he qualifies. The attitude also qualifies him. That means double grumping. Grumping is never in short supply with her.

"Would you listen better if it were about you, or would it only stroke your ego to have so much attention?" Not. Impressed.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He can see that his title for Grumpiest Nexus Person is in serious jeopardy. He's multiplied this lady's grump by two with only one sentence.

"I'm always more inclined to listen when people are talking about me."

Should he feel guilty for admitting that? He doesn't look like he feels guilty for admitting that.

[toocoldforthis]

Is it a title he truly wishes to claim and defend? (Especially knowing to expect the seasonal assaults from someone far cheerier than this cold bitch?)

Honesty is the best policy, but it wins him no points with Cailleach. But it doesn't seem to cost him any, either, which is almost like winning with her. "Then yes, let's make it about you." Sharp eyes take him in before she shakes her head. "You've tasted the sweetness of summer, but now it's gone and are you any better off for it? Look at you. Still so aimless and soft and mortal."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Not especially. He's attracted to people with titles, but having one of his own just seems like too much work. Just like preparing for things that may or may not come to pass. That's also too much work.

The words she seems to have for him are cold and bitter, aren't they? He's had sentients say worse to him before, though, no doubt they will say worse to him again. If anything it's the proximity - the wound of losing the May Queen still feels fresh. The scoundrel seems to flinch just slightly at the message.

"Soft and mortal. Yeah, sure, I suppose I am. You forgot good looking and clever, though." Come on, he's earned those two. He's pretty sure.

"I learned things from the warm season. You can't expect anything to grow without planting a seed. Good things come to those who wait. Etcetera."

[toocoldforthis]

He shouldn't mistake any of this for his being a special snowflake. She loves all her little snowflakes the same--that is, not at all. (But she'd be especially unimpressed with him if he fell out of love in a day. That would take a special kind of cold.)

One corner of her mouth twitches like she wants to smile at his response but it's just too much work. Or maybe she forgot how. "Oh, yes, waiting is grand. What good things have come to you while you've been waiting here?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"So let's skip the part where I say something trite about personal growth. What I have done is been able to slow down long enough to get some overdue maintenance done on my ship. Something I wouldn't have been able to do at home."

Because he'd have to be lining up job after job to try to catch up on the money he's owed people. Here he's been able to take his time. When he stopped trying to do the hairbrained thing - gamble till he had enough to buy new parts - and actually, did a little work. Things came together much better for him.