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

[reunionize]

Hm.

[Well, this is possibly a problem. There's no telling if this is an old camp and its residents are long gone, or if they're going to come back sometime soon. And if they do run into possible residents, Talulah really doubts they'll be any more friendly than the ones she and Frostnova just shook off.]

I don't want to wait around to see whether or not someone comes back. Do you?

[hypothermy]

[ FrostNova's eyes take stock of what's there, the dirty mats and makeshift fire pit, and when she catches sight of a holey, child-sized sweater, her expression darkens to a pitch that Talulah's never seen from her before. ]

... waiting here isn't an option, no.

[ without elaborating, she starts moving again. stepping around the edges of the occupied space to continue on to the other end of the factory, she exits through the first door she finds with barely more than a glance to the area outside. ]

[reunionize]

[Talulah's startled by both the expression and how fast Frostnova moves after agreeing they should leave. She can keep up, easily, but that's not really what's worrying her.

The other had been out of sorts practically since they arrived, which does make complete sense, but Talulah can't seem to parse the source of it. At first, she thought it had been that Frostnova was concerned about Talulah's injury, but that's healing up just fine now. It could be the entire situation, or the role Frostnova has to play within it, but...]

Hey. Slow down. We shouldn't get split up again.

[hypothermy]

[ as far as FrostNova's concerned, she's been handling the situation as best as she can. Talulah's injury might be healing, yes, but they got lucky with the supplies in the safe house. with the cover story that she decided on, she's put Talulah right in the crosshairs of yet another group that wants to harm her.

Yelena has no illusions about what will happen if they're caught. the princess of Ursus is valuable as a bargaining chip. the leader of a rebellion, regardless of her high birth, will be neutralized. Talulah doesn't deserve that— no one deserves to be disposed of once they've outlived their use. ]

I'm not going that fast.

[ still, she slows at Talulah's request, pausing behind a rotting stack of pallets out in the yard to turn to her. ]

We shouldn't be lingering out in the open.

[reunionize]

[Having a target on her back is just part and parcel of being a rebel leader. Still, she fully understands the ramifications of their situation. If things go sideways, the entire rebellion goes up in smoke.]

No. But moving too quickly is suspicious, too.

[She pauses, not entirely sure how to bring up what she really wants to speak about.]

This isn't a great situation in general, but you've been...really on edge, recently.

[hypothermy]

[ FrostNova's never excelled at diplomacy. she can be a bully under the best of circumstances, and when it comes to navigating delicate situations, she's been told she's can be painfully blunt.

she stares at Talulah, expression devoid of all emotion for several awkwardly long seconds before she finally answers. ]

Are you stupid?

[ it's not a real question. mostly. despite her idealism, she never took Talulah for fool, though maybe she needs to reassess that opinion. ]

This situation is a nightmare. I'm not a stealth operator, Talulah. I'm not good at lying or blending into crowds. I've got one way to protect the people I'm supposed to keep safe, and I can't use it here.

[reunionize]

[She's about to say no, obviously, she knows how bad the situation is, but Frostnova's attitude had been increasingly testy despite things not really devolving all that much, until today. But part of what she says pulls Talulah up short.]

You're...that worried about me?

[Talulah is important, to the rebellion, to Ursus's success in this war. If she dies, there will be a cascade of worse and worse situations for everyone attached to her and her goals. But Frostnova doesn't sound like it's just that.]

[hypothermy]

Okay. Yeah. You're stupid.

[ FrostNova doesn't know what to say besides the obvious, one hand going to run coarsely through her hair with a groan of aggravation. she doesn't even want to look at Talulah right now, casting her gaze to the side before she says something she'll regret later. ]

We might not be friends, but do you seriously think I just see you as some kind of investment? Like I'm one of your Victorian dukes who treat people like game pieces on a board?

[ she twists a length of hair in her fist, anything to distract from the warring emotions threatening to spill out. ]

Even if you fail at taking the throne, I don't want you to die, Talulah.

[reunionize]

I didn't mean it quite like that.

[Talulah shuffles a little closer, trying to convey a sense of comfort without physically touching Frostnova.]

I've never thought for a second you were like any of the nobles here. You care about people. You care about those who follow you, you care about your father, and you care about your country. I understood that my well-being is now tied very closely to all of theirs.

[She wonders how she should phrase what she wants to say, but she's already crammed her foot in her mouth.]

Maybe you're right, and I am pretty stupid for not realizing I was also in the same category. But you're just as bad if you don't count that as being friends, Yelena.

[hypothermy]

[ Yelena's ears swivel cautiously when Talulah steps toward her, expecting Talulah to— get in her face? that's a stupid conclusion, given her temperament, but FrostNova's agitated sense fight or flight is clouding her judgment.

then she actually hears what Talulah has to say, and an unfamiliar feeling of awkwardness takes over. ]

... I didn't want to assume anything. I've basically been your sponsor through all of this, so.

[ she huffs out a breath, trying to regain some of her usual composure. ]

But I never would've stuck my neck out for you if I hadn't liked you to begin with, you know.

[reunionize]

You have a funny way of showing it. But I guess I should be used to it by now.

[Talulah laughs, quietly. She really hadn't realized that the other liked her as a person, even from the start, rather than liked her as a leader or an ally.]

Now that that's settled, if you keep being this needlessly tense all the time, you're going to burn yourself out. And you're not the only one who can get worried.

[hypothermy]

I'm not just stressed out because of you.

[ it feels a little strange to speak frankly about her emotions to Talulah, but there's no avoiding it now. they're supposed to be friends, Talulah said— the word hangs heavy in FrostNova's mind, something about it making her chest tighten for reasons she can't put a name to. ]

This is the first time I've been this far out on my own ... ever, maybe. You remember the entourage I had when we first met, right? Any time I step out of Saint Grypherburg, it's either with the Yetis or an guard squadron.

[ she frowns when she mentions the name of her own unit, another worry coming to the forefront. ]

And the Yetis ... without me, they're a lot weaker, and not because they aren't capable of commanding themselves.

[reunionize]

You're not used to being alone, is what you're saying.

[That's a concept that's a little baffling to Talulah. She'd been alone for quite a while, even if there had technically been someone around her as she was growing up.

She doesn't say anything to that effect, though, and instead puzzles over Yelena's other statement.]

Does it have something to do with your arts?

[hypothermy]

... basically.

[ it seems silly to admit. FrostNova's a commander of the greatest army on Terra, trained by some of the most revered warriors still living today, but in a sense, she's still a coddled princess. even before the meeting that saved her life and placed a crown on her head, she and the children who would come to be known as the Yetis were always together. when there was no one left to take care of them, they only had each other. ]

Yeah. I don't know what you've heard, but the Victorian military thinks my squad boosts my arts, that I'm a living conduit. They've got it wrong way around.

[ while her raw power is undeniable, her ability to funnel her arts to those fighting alongside her is one of the things that makes Yelena a truly remarkable caster. ]

... actually, I could just show you. I don't know if you'd be able to use it that well, with your arts being the opposite of mine, but it would help me out in a couple ways.

[reunionize]

[If there had ever been a point when Talulah understood that feeling, it must have been when she was separated from her sister. But that had been so long ago now.]

There's only one way to find out.

[If the other says it will help, then Talulah's more than willing to try. Frostnova's right that the chances of it being successful might be lower than normal, considering Talulah seems to be the only one capable of handling the cold, but she's never been one to give up before at least an attempt.]

What do you need me to do?

[hypothermy]

Just hold out your hand. It might feel cold for a second, but try not to pull away.

[ Yelena strips off one of her gloves, revealing her bare skin. physical contact isn't necessary to establish the link, but she finds it makes things a lot easier.

whenever Talulah complies, FrostNova will reach out to touch two fingers to her palm. there's a brief sting, the sensation of brushing against frozen metal, before Talulah can sense a tendril of power being extended to her.

as she suspected, it's more difficult than it is with the Yetis. while a few of them are casters, none are on her level or breadth of ability. funneling her arts them it's like filling a half-empty cup, but with Talulah, there's already so much energy she has trouble finding a place to slip in. ]

Hah. Let's try this.

[ normally, she pours as much as she can into whoever's closest to her. for a stronger partner she thins the connection, winnowing her ice down to whisper to curl it around Talulah's fire. it's weak, but she can feel her now— the flicker of a connection that lets her know, even without sight or touch, that Talulah is still alive and capable of drawing from her power. ]

[reunionize]

[Talulah complies and holds out her hand, palm up. She doesn't flinch at the first touch or at the first attempt Frostnova makes, but the second one finally sparks a reaction.

She has to tamp down the instinct to flinch and pull away, because even if she consciously recognizes the person in front of her absolutely does not mean harm, it still sends some primal alarm bells ringing. Someone else's arts tangling with her own could mean a dangerous influence has breached her defenses.

After a deep breath and an exhale, though, she gets a handle on her initial response.]

That's definitely something I've never experienced before. And you say this kind of connection will help?

[hypothermy]

It makes it easier for me to manage my temperature if I can offload some of my cold onto someone else, but you're not much use there.

[ Yelena says with a little shrug, clearly not all that disappointed with Talulah's incompatibility on that front. ]

But as long as we're within the same area, like a city the size of Londinum or Lungmen, I'll have an idea of where you are and if you're alive. One less thing for me to worry about.

[ it's a thin kind of comfort, but better than nothing. ]

[reunionize]

So I effectively have a tracker on me?

[Talulah twists her wrist back and forth, as if to examine her hand for a bug.]

Well, that is useful in this situation. But we don't really know if my arts are useless to control your temperature or not. We haven't tried it the other way around yet.

[The air around them both warms, faintly, a few degrees above what a deary Victorian afternoon should be.]

[hypothermy]

It goes both ways, if you can figure out how to use it.

[ just as Yelena uses the spread of her arts to track her men, they also use it to stay aware of their leader's position on the battlefield.

she pauses when Talulah mentions using her own arts to temper FrostNova's cold. usually how it works is by simply lessening the intensity of her power by letting her comrades siphon it from her. while there are skilled casters among them, no one has the ability to actively counter Yelena's condition. she's never actually considered trying to negate her condition that way. ]

I can handle it fine like this, but if you want to give it a shot, I won't stop you.

[reunionize]

Hmm.

[Talulah had never really been good at arts that need finesse, but she does try to follow the tendril of power back to Frostnova. It's very faint, but after a minute, she gets a new sense of awareness, a way she can perceive where the other is without sight or sound.

That really is an invaluable ability, especially on the battlefield.]

Tell me the next time you need to regulate your temperature because of your arts. There's no use in trying it when you're feeling fine and can't tell if it'll work.

[hypothermy]

I need it most after a fight. Let's hope that's not anytime soon.

[ exhaling, she lets some of the tension she's been clinging to ease from her shoulders. it would've been nice to have this conversation somewhere else, but there's no helping it. for whatever reason, it seems like Yelena's destined to forge all of her important bonds under dire circumstances. ]

Do you want to try circling back to the house now?

[reunionize]

I don't think waiting around here much longer is going to make much of a difference. Let's head back.

[If their attackers are that tenacious, then it wouldn't matter if they went back right now or hours later. But Talulah doesn't think they're so single-minded.

She's proven partially wrong when they do make their way back to the safehouse and there's a car parked on the street too near to be for anyone else. But, judging by the make and model, it's not the military, and certainly not something a ragtag group of Tarans could afford.]

...that's a noble's car.

[hypothermy]

Why would they be here?

[ Yelena stays close to Talulah, reminded once again of how she still has blood drying on her skin and clothes. of all the possible factions to account for, she really hasn't been giving the local noble populace much thought. even with Taran ancestry, gentry in Victoria have a reputation of ignoring anything that doesn't immediately threaten their status quo. ]

Have you run into any of them in town?

[reunionize]

I'm not sure. And I haven't run into them, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't know about us.

[Or more accurately, know about their cover. Especially nowadays, with conflict hanging over the whole country like an executioner's blade, information is better than gold. If a new person claiming to be a disgraced noble came to town, it's something worth looking into, at the very least.]

If I had to guess, they're probably scoping out if we're beholden to a bigger player. We can avoid them, but...they'll definitely come back if they're rebuffed.