Winter 11th, 514 AV
April suddenly remembered why she hated Winter.
It didn't take too much to jog her memory. Between the bitter cold and cumbersome snow, it was hard to forget. The chill of the wind was nibbling and gnawing her all over. It wasn't uncharacteristic of Winter, sure, but this year seemed to be even worse than the last. The temperature was bottoming out just a few days into the season, and the sudden snowstorms that were en route to Syliras meant nothing but bad news.
Before, the season had given her time to adapt and fully prepare for the weather ahead. It was a gentle, gradual shift. But now? Now it was like a drunk uncle who arrived 2 hours early to the family reunion, only to drink all of the wine and pass out in the back yard.
Tanned skin, blue eyes, ridiculous hair... she was Svefra through and through. Her body ached for the warmth of the sun. She was born under its rays, cradled in its illustrious embrace. It was for this reason that April took to the sea. At least, during warmer weather. The sun fueled her, gave her the strength to push on. Her life consisted of excitement. From ancient, crumbling ruins to viscous, roaring rapids, nothing was too dangerous to approach head-on. And being stuck on land wouldn't stop her.
You would think, then, that years at sea would have prepared April for her new job in Syliras, but it turns out that raising sails and dropping anchors was not quite the same as lifting boxes.
During these slower seasons April had to pick up real jobs in order to pay for her next year-long expedition. For the past two years she had worked as a cook in Alvadas, but here in Syliras she had no experience, no connections. Her cooking skills weren't awful, but they weren't enough. So she resorted to the next best thing: Laborer. At the docks, it meant carting in huge boxes off of ships. Sometimes they'd have her take a shipment further into town, but mostly she stuck by the Harbor.
And as it turns out, April was really bad at it. Like... Wow.
This particular day she was taking several boxes of fish a short ways into town. She carried it through the streets in a small wagon that saw fit to use humans rather than horses. Of course, carting around 50 pounds of smelly fish was harder than it sounds. April had to take several breaks, and it didn't take long for her arms to start going numb between the strain and temperature. Even when she got to her destination, she still had to find a way to pull the crates off without crushing herself underneath them.
She looked like a giant goofball. It was readily apparent that disaster was going to strike as she tried tugging on the boxes. She could slowly inch it farther out, but just as she was getting a rhythm down the box started to tip forward. She let out a squeal as more and more weight started to shift onto her side of the box, her arms shaking as she struggled to keep it from falling.
April suddenly remembered why she hated Winter.
It didn't take too much to jog her memory. Between the bitter cold and cumbersome snow, it was hard to forget. The chill of the wind was nibbling and gnawing her all over. It wasn't uncharacteristic of Winter, sure, but this year seemed to be even worse than the last. The temperature was bottoming out just a few days into the season, and the sudden snowstorms that were en route to Syliras meant nothing but bad news.
Before, the season had given her time to adapt and fully prepare for the weather ahead. It was a gentle, gradual shift. But now? Now it was like a drunk uncle who arrived 2 hours early to the family reunion, only to drink all of the wine and pass out in the back yard.
Tanned skin, blue eyes, ridiculous hair... she was Svefra through and through. Her body ached for the warmth of the sun. She was born under its rays, cradled in its illustrious embrace. It was for this reason that April took to the sea. At least, during warmer weather. The sun fueled her, gave her the strength to push on. Her life consisted of excitement. From ancient, crumbling ruins to viscous, roaring rapids, nothing was too dangerous to approach head-on. And being stuck on land wouldn't stop her.
You would think, then, that years at sea would have prepared April for her new job in Syliras, but it turns out that raising sails and dropping anchors was not quite the same as lifting boxes.
During these slower seasons April had to pick up real jobs in order to pay for her next year-long expedition. For the past two years she had worked as a cook in Alvadas, but here in Syliras she had no experience, no connections. Her cooking skills weren't awful, but they weren't enough. So she resorted to the next best thing: Laborer. At the docks, it meant carting in huge boxes off of ships. Sometimes they'd have her take a shipment further into town, but mostly she stuck by the Harbor.
And as it turns out, April was really bad at it. Like... Wow.
This particular day she was taking several boxes of fish a short ways into town. She carried it through the streets in a small wagon that saw fit to use humans rather than horses. Of course, carting around 50 pounds of smelly fish was harder than it sounds. April had to take several breaks, and it didn't take long for her arms to start going numb between the strain and temperature. Even when she got to her destination, she still had to find a way to pull the crates off without crushing herself underneath them.
She looked like a giant goofball. It was readily apparent that disaster was going to strike as she tried tugging on the boxes. She could slowly inch it farther out, but just as she was getting a rhythm down the box started to tip forward. She let out a squeal as more and more weight started to shift onto her side of the box, her arms shaking as she struggled to keep it from falling.
