— 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 and wild north winds , rand spotted it . JUST THERE , in the distance , cloaked in fog and nighttime shadows . a horse with eyes that burned with a smouldering light . it was WATCHING HIM . rand was certain of it . how he was so certain , rand could not be sure , and not more than once he had turned his gaze from the beast and found nothing but EMPTY SPACE in its place . the first time , he'd laughed at himself , for it was a silly thing to think of seeing a horse in the middle of a well populated town such as this . the second time , he had felt his HACKLES RAISE , and he swallowed carefully around the sudden lump caught in his throat .
this was the third time he had seen it . and now more than ever , rand was convinced it really WAS watching him , looming in the distance with a gaze that peered right into the DEPTHS OF HIM . its presence lingered like the SHARP ACHES IN HIS SIDE . it has to be real . rand rubbed his hands together , feeding warmth into his woolen gloves . i am not mad . it IS real . . . isn't it ? nobody else had seemed to see the creature , although rand could not fathom in the slightest HOW THEY COULD POSSIBLY MISS IT . as he shuffled towards a stall with warm drinks at the ready , rand let loose a slow , drawn breath , and tried not to glance over his shoulder where it was watching him . . . worried , again , that IT WASN'T . he bumped shoulders with a young man making his way to the stall just as well — and only then did rand realize there was only one drink left and ready to consume before this stall's tenders would have to make a new batch of mulled wines and . . . hot cocoa . the poor boy's teeth were chattering — and so with small smile , rand took up the cup and offered it to him . and he did not look over the boy's head . HE WOULD NOT . HE DID NOT NEED TO LOOK . it's there . i am not mad . not yet . i am not mad . ❝ here . you need this far more than i do . ❞
@liightaga / hearths rising !
Winter time... Arguably one of the worst times of year for an islander, especially in Sora's case. There was no snow where Sora called home. It was a tropical paradise that was sunny, breezy, and salt-watery all year long! So to say it was cold here in Aevum was an understatement. Even with his wintery coat and the scarf Zelda gave him, Sora still shivered. Teeth chattered like a wind up mouth chomping toy and despite his best efforts to stop it, they clacked even if his mouth was closed.
Sora was on his way back from spending time with Pit. An eventful day to be sure, but now it was time to head home and get comfortable under the thickest and largest blanket he could find. Although he was almost home, he wanted to stop by for some hot chocolate to give his tropical body a chance to survive the cold.
Once he got there, he noticed a man grab the last cup of warm, chocolatey goodness and sighed.
Looks like I gotta wait for them to make more-
Before Sora could even finish his thought, a styrofoam cup appeared a bit above his head. He was met with a kind smile and returned the smile with a little laugh. "Thank y-y-you!" Sora exclaimed between chattering teeth. He grabbed the cup and sipped on it instantly. A sigh of relief escaped as his body instantly warmed up to the beverage.
"I d-d-d-don't think I've seen you around-d-d before! Thank you f-for the drink... I didn't want to wait for the next batch!"
Sora took another sip and let out another sigh of relief. As he sighed, the heat from his breath formed steam, leading upwards then fading quickly into the evening air. "I'm Sora! It's n-n-nice to meet you!"
