I saw rise in the heat settle soft and as pure as snow

[reunionize]

[This, honestly, took a lot of work. More work than some of the battleplans, but admittedly the machinations of the Victorian nobles are predictable. The only thing Talulah knows about the northern territories is what she's gleaned from her father's journals.

Edward Artorius apparently had a decent enough relationship with the ruler when he'd been alive, and since the wendigo race of Sarkaz live for a very, very long time, perhaps any goodwill towards her parent might be extended to her.

She has also gleaned the northerners are not unreasonable; they've crossed paths during various skirmishes at the border, and they ignore all rebel forces once their own task is complete. Talulah has made it very clear no one from her side is to engage with any other party that isn't either obviously Victorian, or strikes first, and it seems the courtesy is returned.

That said, isolationist policy is hard to overcome, and what she's asking isn't a mere favor. To be embroiled in civil war in another country is an idea most people would scoff at, but...the north has undoubtedly seen the writing on the wall for what will transpire after the dust settles. Victoria's appetite is ever unsatiable.

The Gaulish castle she walks through is a testament to that. It's nothing but ruins now, good for little else besides neutral territory. She's brought two members of the rebels with her, two with a calm rationality suited to negotiations. She'd be fine going in alone, but, well...if Talulah saw another group's leader sitting all alone during a meeting that was meant to be a peaceful talk, she'd think there was an ambush waiting.

Still, no matter how rational one is, curiosity tends to win out, and she can hear her escort party gossiping even behind their masks. They're wondering if the northern princess is as beautiful and strong as the rumors say. If she's half as strong as that Cautus she'd seen once during a border skirmish, then her alliance would be more than a boon.

By her estimation, the meeting time is near, so she supposes she'll find out soon enough.]

Comments

[hypothermy]

Let's hope someone's home.

[ the light's started to fade from the sky, and Yelena wouldn't be surprised if there's a curfew in place for the city. the few civilians they did pass seemed flighty, watching the pair with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, saying nothing to them as they hurried on their way.

she stops when they come to the house Talulah indicated. FrostNova counted more than a few homes that seemed to be abandoned, but this one seems at least somewhat better kept. ]

Is there some signal we should we using?

[reunionize]

Even if they're not, we can still use this place. It hasn't been that long since the last recon team left here.

[The windows are dark, but that doesn't mean much. Talulah steps up to the door and knocks in a pattern, and when that doesn't get a response, she simply starts walking towards the side of the house.]

Can I borrow your knife?

[hypothermy]

[ Yelena's mostly hoping that someone's currently living there so they have access to the basics— Talulah can probably generate heat for herself, but running water is hard to live without. ]

Sure.

[ she retrieves the knife from where she stashed it in her coat and hands it off to Talulah when she asks, seeing no reason to question why. ]

[reunionize]

[Talulah's hoping the comms equipment that's supposed to be in these safehouses is still functional. Both of them disappeared into practically thin air.

She takes the knife with a word of thanks before getting closer to the brick of the chimney set on the outside of the house. She observes it for a moment, as if trying to find something, before jamming the knife between two of the bricks and prying them apart. A moment later, she comes away with a key.]

Here. [She offers Frostnova her knife back and the key held in her palm.] Now we can get in.

[hypothermy]

[ key in hand, Yelena slowly unlocks the door, ears twitching as she listens for any telltale clicking of booby traps. she cracks the door open at the same measured pace, softly calling out once she's satisfied they won't set off an explosive by stepping inside. ]

We're coming in. Last chance to speak up.

[ opening the door fully, FrostNova moves across the threshold and into the small entryway. from a glance around, it doesn't look like there's been anyone staying there for a while. ]

[reunionize]

[There shouldn't be any traps, or at least any ones that hadn't been reported to the rest of the rebel groups so they knew what to avoid. The place is quiet and slightly disused, but it should be good enough for their purposes.

Except, when Talulah looks through the supplies, she finds no working comms equipment. The last group here must have taken it when they left, or they were broken in some altercation.

At least the lamps still seem to work, and she lights one with a flicker of her arts before sitting down in a nearby chair, exhaustion finally catching up to her.]

Well, we'll have to find some other way to send word back.

[hypothermy]

I have a short range communicator on me, but that's it.

[ now that they're finally somewhere defensible, the full gravity of the situation is beginning to set in for FrostNova. it's not an exaggeration to say that the Urusine-Rebel alliance losing both of them at once could have major and immediate repercussions for the conflict. if the Yetis manage to capture the Victorian squad that attacked them, they might be able to learn the nature of the arts used on them and put two and two together, but that's a big if.

at least the other supplies in the safe house weren't totally depleted. the kitchen has a good amount of dry goods, and Yelena found a first aid kit stocked with extra bandages and medicine stashed behind some sacks of flour. ]

How's your wound? Does it need to be redressed yet?

[reunionize]

[And, as Talulah thinks about it, even if anyone on their side figures out which arts had been used, there's no guarantee they'll be able to figure out where she and Frostnova were sent. She isn't even sure the Victorian casters knew that, besides possibly to send targets "as far away as possible".]

That means we need to figure out a way back ourselves.

[Which is easier said than done. Talulah is too busy thinking about which groups are closest that they could meet up with she doesn't answer Frostnova right away.]

...oh. It's started to hurt a little, but I think that's the adrenaline wearing off. I can't tell if anything's bled through or not.

[hypothermy]

I'll take a look.

[ FrostNova doesn't bother to wait for Talulah's consent before she pulls a chair over to sit next to her, balancing the first-aid kit in her lap. she strips her gloves off, calm enough now to better regulate her temperature and not inadvertently harm Talulah if she touches her with bare skin. hindering her dexterity here isn't going to do either of them any favors.

carefully, she presses her fingertips to the dark material covering Talulah's wound. Yelena keeps her hands covered most of the time, and this is likely the first time Talulah's seen them bare up close, if she bothers to look. there are a number of old, faded scars crossing her fingers and palms— and a faint trace of blood, after she retracts her hand from the makeshift bandages. ]

Guess I needed to clean it out properly anyway.

[reunionize]

[Talulah's arts keep the worst of the chill away, so even if Frostnova didn't have as good control over her temperature, it would likely be fine.

She recognizes this is one of the very rare instances she's seen Frostnova without her gloves, and she watches how her fingers come away with a smear of blood after she touches the makeshift bandages.]

Do what you need to.

[hypothermy]

[ Yelena works slowly as she unwraps the makeshift from Talulah's arm, able to take her time with it compared to the rush job she did back in the fields. in the lantern light she has a clearer view of the wound, and can better surmise the extent of the damage. ]

I think it looks worse than it is. The cut isn't that deep, just long.

[ after dabbing a generous amount of antiseptic on a gauze pad, she reaches inside one of the large pockets on her baggy jacket, pulling out a battered hip flash that she offers to Talulah. ]

It's vodka. You want any before I start?

[reunionize]

[The worst part about makeshift bandages is that they typically aren't made to come away from wounds very cleanly, and Talulah bites back a flinch as the edges of her injury are pulled.

At least the damage doesn't seem to be serious, based on Frostnova's evaluation. Talulah suspected as much when she'd been able to use her arm to get off the ground earlier, even if it hurt.

The offer of the vodka earns a smile. She won't turn down what's now a precious commodity.]

Thanks. [And as she takes the flask, she can't help but add] Do you always have this on you?

[hypothermy]

[ if talking will help distract Talulah while she disinfects her wound, FrostNova sees no reason not to indulge her. ]

When I'm out in the field, yeah. Using my arts makes my body temperature drop. I've got a tolerance for it, but after a longer fight it can get painful.

[ the length of the cut on Talulah's arm makes cleaning it fairly time intensive. Yelena finds herself readying a new disinfectant pad when she's barely finished with the part on Talulah's shoulder. ]

Liquor can remind me what warmth is supposed to feel like when it gets bad. When I'm in that state for a while, I can have trouble pulling myself out of it.

[reunionize]

[The burn of the alcohol is a decent distraction from the fresh shock of stinging pain the disinfectant causes to race down Talulah's arm. She can't suppress her wince, but she doesn't jerk away from where Frostnova is dabbing the cotton pad on her injury.]

I'm starting to see why your father brought in an arts tutor for you. That must have taken a while to figure out how to deal with.

[Especially when she'd been a child. Talulah's arts are powerful, but her heritage grants her the ability to handle it with hardly any kickback.]

[hypothermy]

He did a decent job on his own.

[ despite the vast differences between their arts, Buldrokkas'tee had still been what FrostNova needed most— a dedicated father, unafraid to nurture a child who could blacken the flesh of weaker humans with a single touch.

even if the last occupants of the safe house had taken the communications equipment, Yelena's grateful they left their medical supplies behind. after the wound is cleaned, she pulls out a box of adhesive sutures. ]

But I'll admit— as much as that lich gets on my nerves, without him, I wouldn't be able to touch another person with my bare hands.

[reunionize]

And I wouldn't be here without that curse hanging over my head. But I don't think we can ever tell him this.

[Who knows what Fremont would do with gratitude?]

Admittedly, if you hadn't told me that, I don't think I would have noticed. My own arts do a good job of mitigating any cold you put off. Unless we're sparring, that is.

[In a real fight, Talulah does have to actively concentrate to keep the other's cold at bay.]

[hypothermy]

[ with her attention focused on strategically placing the wound bandages to best cover the cut before she runs out of them, FrostNova doesn't register what Talulah says immediately. after a moment, she visibly pauses, hands stilling in the middle of ripping open another sterilely sealed pack. ]

... huh. Honestly, I just assumed you were putting on a brave face.

[ despite her improvements in regulating her temperature, Yelena doesn't remember the last time met anyone who didn't even notice how abnormally cool her body is. never, maybe? it's proving difficult to wrap her mind around. ]

You've said before that you're only half-Draco, but it still seems like you're capable of something not even my father can do.

[reunionize]

[She flinches when one of the sutures pulls over the widest part of her injury, but after a beat, she starts speaking again.]

Well, I did mention Draco's arts are more like energy manipulation. It's better against cold than normal fire would be, based on that.

[So it's not really skill or capability so much as Talulah and, perhaps, others of her race, are uniquely capable of ignoring Frostnova's cold.]

But that just means you don't have to worry about it around me.

[hypothermy]

[ FrostNova makes a quiet hum of assent to Talulah's explanation. it's still a little strange to wrap her head around, and she decides to focus on taking care of Talulah's wound rather than get too into the weeds about it. ]

Almost done here.

[ with the bandages placed as well as she can, she begins unrolling a long tube of gauze to further secure the sutures. ]

Do Draco happen to come with better than average recovery time too? If we could avoid having to find a doctor to check this out later, that would be one less thing we have to worry about.

[reunionize]

No, unfortunately not. But I think it's fine for now. You did a good job with what you had.

[It had hurt to get it treated, of course, but the pain in her arm had turned into a dull throb underneath the bandages. Her ribs, however, will inevitably be worse the following day, but there's nothing either of them could do about that with what they had on hand.]

Tomorrow...we should probably take a better stock of the town.

[hypothermy]

We'll have to, one way or another.

[ FrostNova wraps Talulah's arm without much fuss. good lighting and not having your hands slipping through blood makes the process go a lot faster.

she leans back once she's finished, rolling her head to loosen up her stiff joints. even now, the tension in her body hasn't fully dissipated— getting out of the opened help, but they're still deep in enemy territory without a clear path out. ]

I'm thinking I should probably stay up and keep watch in case the base got word that we might be in the area. You should get some rest.

[reunionize]

Hmm. Do I really look bad enough that you're coddling me?

[Frostnova's not likely to do such a thing, but Talulah also doesn't feel like sleeping until morning while th other keeps watch, even if she is the one that's injured.]

We should at least agree on lookout shifts.

[hypothermy]

Hey, I've never seen how you well you take a serious hit before, I'm just trying to be careful.

[ she shrugs noncommittally, clearly not set on the plan she's laid out. ]

I'm fine with shifts. Did you want pick a time to swap out or go by how long we sleep?

[reunionize]

Let's split it evenly. It's about eight hours to dawn? Wake me up in four, then.

[That's reasonable enough for Talulah to be satisfied, at least.]

Well, assuming nobody comes looking for us, that is.

[hypothermy]

Four works.

[ hardly a good nights sleep, but their options are limited with only two people. even if they could better secure the entrances, if the base sends a platoon out, there's limits to what booby traps in a civilian home can do.

Yelena packs up what she didn't use on Talulah into the boxes they came from, gathering the trash haphazardly in an empty one. she pauses with a sigh when she gets to their torn up clothing, now soaked with Talulah's blood— they'll need new clothes too. ]

Did you check upstairs to see what the bed situation is yet?