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The 48th day of Winter 515AV
A thick layer of white snow covered the streets of Lhavit, and just about any part of the city that did not have Skyglass to melt the flakes with its warm glow. Word had it that the ten or so centimeter sticking to the stone here on Zintia was nothing compared with what Sharai had to endure. The peak was isolated, and the thickness of the white blanket made travel to and from the Agricultural part of the city near impossible. Not that the bat came there all that often, but it was somewhat shocking that the snowfall was bad enough it actually came through the Skyglass barrier that protected Lhavit from most of the elements of Winter.
Perhaps it had something to do with Morwen’s mood, or perhaps with his absence, but Winter seemed much worse than it had last year, or the years before. Sure, they’d had snow before, and frost, but never before had a peak been cut off from the rest of the city because of it… right? Or maybe he just hadn’t noticed. However, the fact remained that the temperatures had dropped rapidly last season, at least near Wind Reach. It had gotten cold ridiculously early, and as far as he remembered it had even snowed a couple times. In Fall.
Brandon turned a corner and entered the Azure market, a burst of frigid air making him grateful for wearing his thick woolen clothes, as well as his scarf covering his neck and the bottom half of his face. He wore gloves too, though those were made out of leather, and not wool, not providing a lot of protection from the cold. A white puff of quickly dissipating breath escaped him as he stared at the almost deserted market place.
Usually crowded -perhaps even the busiest place in the whole of Lhavit- the Azure was oddly empty, most people having opted to stay inside rather than venturing outside in these unusual weather conditions. A rare vendor braved the snow and cold to try and make some profits, to sell some of their wares, but none seemed particularly successful. Remarkably, lots and lots of children were out and about, rolling snowy boulders almost as tall as they were, or engaging in an all-out war with weapons of white flakes pressed together into a ball. An endearing sight to see, and Brandon did feel the urge to join in on the fun. Not with kids, but other adults or adolescents, where he wouldn’t have to fear going overboard. Besides, it wouldn’t be quite fair even if it was just the bat versus all of the kids.
Brandon left the Azure in favor of the back alleys leading away from it, feeling more at ease traversing those still, no matter whether or not the busy parts of Lhavit were filled with people. Perhaps it was just the lack of a crowd that made him uneasy, it was unbecoming of the Diamond of Kalea; the rest period was still bells away. Still, the likeness to Midnight rest was too much for him, and maybe that was the cause for his discomfort. The Shinya still patrolled like always, and there were few people around; it all helped fortify the feeling of being out to attempt a break-in, even though that wasn’t what Brandon was planning at all.
The situation did work in on his subconscious though, and whether he liked it or not, he avoided the main streets, feeling far more at ease in the alleys were the chances of actually encountering a patrol were small, and the shadows amiably comforted him. The bat took a deep breath in, then blew it out slowly, watching the cold make it visible even against the night sky and the dark of the small streets he traversed.
A thick layer of white snow covered the streets of Lhavit, and just about any part of the city that did not have Skyglass to melt the flakes with its warm glow. Word had it that the ten or so centimeter sticking to the stone here on Zintia was nothing compared with what Sharai had to endure. The peak was isolated, and the thickness of the white blanket made travel to and from the Agricultural part of the city near impossible. Not that the bat came there all that often, but it was somewhat shocking that the snowfall was bad enough it actually came through the Skyglass barrier that protected Lhavit from most of the elements of Winter.
Perhaps it had something to do with Morwen’s mood, or perhaps with his absence, but Winter seemed much worse than it had last year, or the years before. Sure, they’d had snow before, and frost, but never before had a peak been cut off from the rest of the city because of it… right? Or maybe he just hadn’t noticed. However, the fact remained that the temperatures had dropped rapidly last season, at least near Wind Reach. It had gotten cold ridiculously early, and as far as he remembered it had even snowed a couple times. In Fall.
Brandon turned a corner and entered the Azure market, a burst of frigid air making him grateful for wearing his thick woolen clothes, as well as his scarf covering his neck and the bottom half of his face. He wore gloves too, though those were made out of leather, and not wool, not providing a lot of protection from the cold. A white puff of quickly dissipating breath escaped him as he stared at the almost deserted market place.
Usually crowded -perhaps even the busiest place in the whole of Lhavit- the Azure was oddly empty, most people having opted to stay inside rather than venturing outside in these unusual weather conditions. A rare vendor braved the snow and cold to try and make some profits, to sell some of their wares, but none seemed particularly successful. Remarkably, lots and lots of children were out and about, rolling snowy boulders almost as tall as they were, or engaging in an all-out war with weapons of white flakes pressed together into a ball. An endearing sight to see, and Brandon did feel the urge to join in on the fun. Not with kids, but other adults or adolescents, where he wouldn’t have to fear going overboard. Besides, it wouldn’t be quite fair even if it was just the bat versus all of the kids.
Brandon left the Azure in favor of the back alleys leading away from it, feeling more at ease traversing those still, no matter whether or not the busy parts of Lhavit were filled with people. Perhaps it was just the lack of a crowd that made him uneasy, it was unbecoming of the Diamond of Kalea; the rest period was still bells away. Still, the likeness to Midnight rest was too much for him, and maybe that was the cause for his discomfort. The Shinya still patrolled like always, and there were few people around; it all helped fortify the feeling of being out to attempt a break-in, even though that wasn’t what Brandon was planning at all.
The situation did work in on his subconscious though, and whether he liked it or not, he avoided the main streets, feeling far more at ease in the alleys were the chances of actually encountering a patrol were small, and the shadows amiably comforted him. The bat took a deep breath in, then blew it out slowly, watching the cold make it visible even against the night sky and the dark of the small streets he traversed.
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credit goes to Euthisa
