The Forgotten Man and Forgetful Person - Closed RP @foxyshade
Aran patrolled around the Riena Strait, but couldn't help but groan a bit as their muscles creaked in protest. They had come back to Rien in order to rest and recover after battling Hilla, one of the commanders of the Black Mage. She was a difficult opponent, but they, with the help of Evan and some of the others drawn to Azwan, just barely managed to bring her down and liberate the city and the spirits within. Still, they had sustained some pretty serious injuries in the fight, and while magic could ease them, only time could heal them for good. (They also learned the hard way to watch out for damage reflect; as it turns out, it's not fun to be on the receiving side of a Final Blow.)
Lillin had been happy to let them stay in Rien for a few days, but the girl was always trying to push them to train. Even when covered in scars and magic burns, Aran was asked to check Riena Strait. After the Black Wings tried to melt the glaciers there a month or so ago, lookouts were posted to make sure they didn't come back to try again. Now it was Aran's turn to patrol the area, and, as Lilin had argued when convincing him to go out into the tundra, they could easily take out a few of the Black Wing's henchmen even with their injuries. Still, their muscles were sore, making walking across the ice and snow an arduous journey.
Aran passed by the igloos of some of the penguins who lived on the strait (they were quite earnest, but a bit... overprotective of the hero at times) and decided to take a breather. They fished out both a chair made of bamboo and a thermos from their inventory. What a wondrous piece of modern technology... Aran was always impressed by this gadget and how it kept their drinks warm. They had even packed several thermoses for today, all filled to the brim with hot chocolate they had made themselves.
Sitting on the chair, they took a sip of the hot chocolate and relaxed as its warmth flowed into them. While the climate of Rien didn't bother Aran nearly as much as it did others, it still felt nice to warm up a bit. They sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the down time, until they noticed a dark figure approaching them. They frowned, put the thermos back into their bag, and sat up from their chair brandishing their polearm.
"Who are you?" Aran asked as soon as the person was within speaking distance.