Snowed In

The wind and snow howl unmercifully outside the shelter, and going out for firewood has been impossible for the last day or so. They had plenty of stores, for such an occasion as this, but their stores at the side of the hearth are running low. Seldan picks up one of a handful of remaining logs and adds it to the fire, without which the shelter has proven brutally cold, and looks towards the door. Fortunately, the paladin has healed well and in the last day has taken the time to clean and mend armor, weapons and gear, now all neatly stowed away in their proper places, except for Reunion, which he has left unsheathed near the hearth. He has donned two shirts, trousers, and open-front robe, and prods the dwindling fire into renewed life.

Zeke himself is bundled up a bit himself. The cold has never been a favorite thing of the sith-makar, but old memories make him like it even less. He looks at the dwindling flames intently and lets out a breath. "Perhapsss thiss one ssshould go and collect ssssome food, water, and wood for the fire." He says this not for the first time in fact, but there's no tea to be had at the moment with their water reserves being low. They will not starve or anything, Zeke can create what they need if it comes to that, but with the fire wood being low anyway, it wouldn't hurt to collect other necessities while he was out.

GAME: Seldan rolls strength: (3)+6: 9

"I can teleport you to the city, do you think it best, but this is no weather for flight. If it is water you desire, kin," Seldan's ice-blue eyes sparkle with rueful amusement, "there is plenty without, do I but open the door." Smoothly, he stands, and retrieves from the large bag of holding in the sleeping area a steel bucket such as any campsite might require.

This, he carries over to the door and sets down, then places both hands against the door and _shoves_.

The door does not budge, and his hose-clad feet slide on the smooth stone.

The lack of opening door causes Zeke to blink at Seldan. "Kin?" He inquires with some curiosity, and slowly rises to his feet. The blue-scale makes his way toward the door, and huffs a sigh. Not at Seldan, but the sound of rainfall which he can hear outside. "Thisss one wantsss water yess, but it isss wood that we need mosst. Thisss one dissslikesss the cold, and it isss not good for kin to be cold either. Are you having trouble with the door? Isss it sstuck?"

Barring anything else they are not _trapped_ per say. Seldan can teleport, but... it is still unsettling to have the door be unwilling to open.

GAME: Seldan rolls strength: (17)+6: 23

"It is likely barred by snow, and my foot slipped," Seldan answers, frowning at it. "A moment." He steps away and puts his sturdy-soled adventuring boots on, then strides purposefully back over to the door. Setting his feet against the stone and his shoulder to the door, he _shoves_ again, with all of his strength-

This time, the door resists, but in the end, the powder snow gives way, compacting as the door shoves against it, and the door _opens_ about halfway, enough for Seldan to get through it, which he does by dint of sheer momentum.

Unfortunately for him, the snow that had attached itself to the crafted rock face above the door no longer has supports, and the lot slides off the stone with the force of the motion, dumping itself on the paladin's head and leaving him standing in a knee-deep pile of fresh, powedery snow.

Zeke takes a half-step forward to help Seldan with the door, but it's clear that the other man has it when the door opens all the way suddenly. At a more relaxed pace he makes his way toward his kin and... Down comes the snow from above and Zeke is left blinking in the wake of the mess that's now covering Seldan. That has to be terribly cold. He shivers in sympathy and moves to offer Seldan a hand of aid out of the snow. "Ssaa! Are you all-right Ssseldan?"

Yes, yes it is, and Seldan holds his arms out from his body helplessly, stunned at the shock of cold down his clothing, and finally reaches up to clear his face. "Agh." He does not quite look like a snow-monster, so powdery is the snow, but it cakes clothing and hair, and he, too, shivers. "I am well," he answers. "The bucket, if you would, for tea would be most welcome, and we shall seek firewood as soon as we may."

He is left to stand there, then, and slowly shake off, even as more snow howls in through the open door and begins to blanket the warm stone floor, snowflakes melting even as they fall.

Zeke nods to Seldan's request, moving to pick up the bucket, and hands it over to Seldan. Then offers his crystal claw again just in case Seldan needs help extracting himself from his cold situation. He shivers a second time, this from the incoming chill wind that pours into their little abode. Behind Zeke their little fire also shivers, threatening to put itself out.

Quickly, Seldan shoves the bucket into the snowbank outside, filling it heaping with snow, and sets it just inside the door, then takes the claw, steps back inside, and _yanks_ it closed. More snow falls just inside the closing door, but he breathes out _hard_, giving way to a convulsive shiver. "I shall clean the snow," he offers, "and you have my thanks. If you would set that by the fire to melt? It is in my mind to use what firewood remains to us, and I shall teleport you to the city as soon as we are prepared."

Clearly, right now, he is not.

The blue-scale nods to Seldan once again, hastening his way over to the fireplace. There he kneels down, tending to the fire a little so that his efforts don't put the flickering flames out. At least with the door firmly closed, the fire is in far less danger of going out. Zeke puts a fair amount of snow into the tea pot, and settles the kettle over the flames to boil before returning his attention to the paladin who is like himself wearing several layers to keep from being _too_ cold. "Thisss one needsss to pick up a new cloak."

While Zeke sets about turning snow into water for tea and building up the fire, Seldan has some cleanup work to do. A drawn sigil and a brief word of power conjures an apprentice's trick, but a useful one, and he sets about mopping up snow from the stone, and drying himself off. By the time the fire is built up and the kettle on it, he is at least mostly dry, and shivers one more time on his way to the fire. "That was unpleasant," he admits. "A matter I had not considered in the building of this place. A woodshed is needful, and the door may be blocked by snow. I should return you to the city as soon as may be, now that I am well."

Zeke pours water from the kettle into the tea pot and lets the tea steep. "It can wait until the tea isss ready and gone." He says placidly, motioning for Seldan to sit down and warm himself by the fire. "You will catch a cold if you do not warm your-sself properly." He shifts his tail pleasantly back and forth. "There isss sstill no magic thisss one knowss to cure sssuch thingsss."

"I have not said?" Seldan obediently sits down on the rug before the hearth, allowing the fire's warmth to flood over him and dry what little is left of the water in hair and clothing. "Not for some time now have I been truly troubled by cold and snow. Unpleasant, but no worse than that. In truth did I fear for you, bringing you up here. Well do I know that the People are unaccustomed."

He is quiet for a minute while Zeke sets the tea to steeping, and pushes an unruly lock of hair from his eyes. "I had meant to ask of you a thing, when we both woke," he begins.

"You did not mention kin. Thiss one isss glad that you are untroubled." Zeke wags his tail more, pleased that Seldan is unlikely to catch a cold. After all if his body is accustomed to it, then there should be no sickness from an unexpected chill. "You are right about the People, but thisss one isss more accussstomed to the cold than mossst. Thisss one findsss it merely unpleasssant."

He like Seldan falls to silence after that for a moment, and Seldan's statement has him blinking into the broken quiet. "You may asssk thisss one any-thing Ssseldan."

"I do not doubt that the cold is most unpleasant for you." Warmth continues to flood Seldan, and he turns his back to the fire, sitting cross-legged to allow the fire to dry the back of his clothing more fully. "Last night did I dream most strangely. It was vivid, as were the dreams I had in the brief time I held one of those statues - and yet do I no longer hold one. I dreamt of Sunguard Andelena, and that I spoke to her, but I cannot say if it were real, or nay."

Zeke considers Sedlan's words a moment before pouring them both some tea. He puts a cup right in front of Seldan, and lifts his own for the smelling of the pungent pomegranate and green tea scent that rises from the cup. "Likely ssshe came to you in your dreamsss kin. Thisss one hass sshared dreamsss now, with another." He doesn't say who. "Thossse that hold the totemssss sseem able to enter the dreamsss of thossse that they know." This thought seems to trouble him somewhat.

Seldan wraps both hands around the cup gratefully. The fire helps, but tea is stilling, and he turns back around to face the fire with it in hand, assuming a meditative and thoughtful mien. "I see. Well did I know that they were quite powerful, and yet did I not realize that they could be used in that way. She sought - assistance, although I think that it was not necessarily her intent to do so. Her sword awakens, and I think her - uncertain and wary of it."

Reunion, still on the hearth, pipes up for the first time. "Being stuck in a sword isn't so bad," Kanian pipes up.

"Perhaps not for you, Kanian, and yet well do I imagine that hearing a sword speak unnerves the Sunguard," Seldan answers. "I pray that she recalls my words to her. She said that _we have locked ourselves in our room_, and did not sound in distress outside of that."

A low chuckle escapes Zeke and he shakes his head at Reunion. "Thisss one hasss to admit, that if thisss one were to waken and thisss onesss... quarter-ssstaff were sspeaking, thisss one would be very unscertain of what to do." He nods his head to Seldan. "Sssave to come to you for advisce kin. Ssshe iss then wisse to do ssso. Thisss one iss glad that they are well, but thisss one ssshould check on them sssoon. Sshe ssshould not be expected to tend the patient alone."

"Maybe if it did, you'd get some good advice out of it," Kanian sniffs. "Unless you want advice from us."

"Kanian!" That's the older female voice, both nasal and scandalized. "Be gracious!"

"Well, I'm the only one willing to tell the truth around here."

"No, you're just rude."

There's an incipient argument brewing, and Seldan is left to stare at the sword, tea in his hands and a sigh in his heart, and take a long pull of his tea. "We go, then, as soon as you are prepared. I shall go silently, and shall return with our requirements for the shelter. You have my thanks for the aid, kin."

Zeke snorts at the weapon, drinking some of his tea at last and then nodding to Seldan. "Thisss one isss grateful to you for your undersstanding." He neatly ignores the weapon. Better to let it argue with itself than to add to such with his own statements. It would serve nothing doing so. "Thisss one will finisssh tea and be ready sssoon. Thisss one isss anxiousss to give your message."

"Yes, I fear that message will not keep," Seldan agrees. He takes another sip of his tea, then sets it down on the hearth and rises to begin donning his armor. The open-front robe is left on the rug, falling in a pile of featureless violet and gold cloth, and the weapon is left to argue with itself while the process gets underway. He begins by invoking a spell from the ring on his hand, one that seems to conjure an invisible assistant.

At length, the sword quiets down, appearing to have entirely forgotten that it is being ignored.

-End