22, Winter, 519
Snow fell in lazy spirals as Zach walked, delicate flakes of white drifting through the air in random patterns. It was some chimes after the noon rest, the afternoon sun reflecting brightly off the snow-covered skyglass. The Drykas was wandering somewhat aimlessly. He had made a quick and successful foray into the forest in the morning, and that left his afternoon wide open.
The fluffy snow was still somewhat of a novelty to Zach. The arid grasslands never used to get much of the stuff, definitely not on the level Lhavit was currently experiencing anyway. The hunter turned to make his way through the Surya Plaza, reaching to flick up the collar of his coat against the frigid air. Ahead of him he could hear sounds not unlike those you might hear at a festival. Laughter was punctuated by the chinking of cups, and there was the hum of constant chatter beneath it all.
As he stepped into the Plaza, Zach was greeting with a curious sight. A large area of the Plaza had been roped off and within the boundary people of all ages were gliding around on a shining surface. He squinted at it, eyes narrowed against the reflections being thrown off of it. Was that a sheet of ice? He had never seen so much of it before, and he certainly had never seen people running around on it quite like this. No, they weren’t running at all. Looking closer, he could see knife-like contraptions strapped to their shoes. The most proficient of the ice-runners sped across the ice in complicated loops, while others slowly inched themselves around the edges.
Around the ice firepits were burning, the scents of mulled wine and cocoa drifting through the air from those clustered around them. Zach took in the scenes before him, eyeing the ice warily before someone approached him, a pair of the knife-shoes in their hands.
“Want to skate?” The man pointed at the ice with the shoes. Zach smiled and shook his head. He wouldn’t even know how to stand upright on those things. He did however know someone he thought might very much want to try it.
He made his way through the groups of people, stopping to grab a couple of cups of mulled wine as he did so. Zach then headed for the bridge that led to the Shinimaya Peak, weaving around the steady streams of people heading in each direction. Soon enough, he stepped off the other end of the bridge and headed up the small rise to the Nine Lives.
Shouldering the door open, hands still wrapped around the still-steaming drinks, he ducked inside. The shop appeared empty without Ember in her usual spot, and he made his way over to the counter and placed the cups down, the smell of the mulled wine gradually filling the little space. Zach listened for a moment, trying to hear if Dev had a customer with her out in the back. Only when he was certain that she didn’t, he called out.
“Dev?” Zach kept his eyes on the doorway that separated her shop, waiting for her to appear. He would smile when she did, holding out one of the cups to her.
“Can I convince you to close early today?”
The fluffy snow was still somewhat of a novelty to Zach. The arid grasslands never used to get much of the stuff, definitely not on the level Lhavit was currently experiencing anyway. The hunter turned to make his way through the Surya Plaza, reaching to flick up the collar of his coat against the frigid air. Ahead of him he could hear sounds not unlike those you might hear at a festival. Laughter was punctuated by the chinking of cups, and there was the hum of constant chatter beneath it all.
As he stepped into the Plaza, Zach was greeting with a curious sight. A large area of the Plaza had been roped off and within the boundary people of all ages were gliding around on a shining surface. He squinted at it, eyes narrowed against the reflections being thrown off of it. Was that a sheet of ice? He had never seen so much of it before, and he certainly had never seen people running around on it quite like this. No, they weren’t running at all. Looking closer, he could see knife-like contraptions strapped to their shoes. The most proficient of the ice-runners sped across the ice in complicated loops, while others slowly inched themselves around the edges.
Around the ice firepits were burning, the scents of mulled wine and cocoa drifting through the air from those clustered around them. Zach took in the scenes before him, eyeing the ice warily before someone approached him, a pair of the knife-shoes in their hands.
“Want to skate?” The man pointed at the ice with the shoes. Zach smiled and shook his head. He wouldn’t even know how to stand upright on those things. He did however know someone he thought might very much want to try it.
He made his way through the groups of people, stopping to grab a couple of cups of mulled wine as he did so. Zach then headed for the bridge that led to the Shinimaya Peak, weaving around the steady streams of people heading in each direction. Soon enough, he stepped off the other end of the bridge and headed up the small rise to the Nine Lives.
Shouldering the door open, hands still wrapped around the still-steaming drinks, he ducked inside. The shop appeared empty without Ember in her usual spot, and he made his way over to the counter and placed the cups down, the smell of the mulled wine gradually filling the little space. Zach listened for a moment, trying to hear if Dev had a customer with her out in the back. Only when he was certain that she didn’t, he called out.
“Dev?” Zach kept his eyes on the doorway that separated her shop, waiting for her to appear. He would smile when she did, holding out one of the cups to her.
“Can I convince you to close early today?”
