Heavy footsteps crunched through the snow, filling the barren land with foot steps holes and a dragging trail as two women pushed through the frozen landscapes. Ice was clear in one's breath as she pushed through in rather strange clothing for the climate while the other was passed out. "It's alright," the walking woman stated the the out one, though expecting any kind of response in this respect was out the window. All the could really do was push through the thick white in her dress, eyes scanning the horizon for any kind of shelter. "The wind is starting to pick up, and I think night is quick approaching," the thought aloud before spying herself a small cave. It was not much, but shelter was shelter.

It felt like eternity, but soon the woman's feet were cleared of the snow, though some still clung to her talons and scales. Yes, despite the maid outfit she wore, Jesgil was a Draconian, and her silver blood giving her a nice advantage against such climates. Her guest, however, was not so lucky. It was some work to get her entire body into the cave , but sure enough, she was able to get it done. She certainly heard of people finding themselves "transported" here from other planes or realms, but what bad this lamia would have falling victim to such conditions, her cold blood shutting her body down in the middle of an icy field.

"Fire. We need to get a fire going." Problem: There was nothing to act as a fuel even if she had flint to spark, and even then, would it be dry enough to light because of the ice? A sigh of frustrations escaped her lips before draconian words chanted from under her breath, hands pressed upon the snake woman to apply a healing glow. While the cold made her passed out did not mean she could work on keeping her condition stable.

If she could not set up a signal, she could at least leave a marker. Maybe that can, at the very least, catch the attention of any nomads or wanderers… right? With the lamia coiled up, Jesgil took the time to step back outside, chanting under her breath once more before forging a pillar of ice, clear and shimmering in what sunlight remained. Sure, it sort of blended in, but at the very least she made sure it was unnatural enough worth investigating…

Stepping back inside, Jesgil muttered, "Now then, about that heat…"

A short figure trudged through the freezing thick snow that laid across the land. The figure had a heavy grey fur overcoat and a grey cloak wrapped around as an extra layer. None of her clothes were fancy or expensive but it was warm. Dala's hands were covered in gloves and her face was hidden behind a black scarf. It was difficult to tell that she was a child. The only clear identifier was the blonde hair that stuck out of her scarf and was covered in bits of ice. Suddenly the figure spotted a pillar of ice… Pillars of ice weren't naturally made in this land. She had traveled enough to figure that out.

The child approached the ice sculpture and inspected it. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it. A bit of light shone through the ice and reflected on the entrance to a nearby cave. Dala could only see the first figure and the outline of her pink hair. She cautiously stepped closer to the entrance of the cave, her hand reaching into her worn satchel in case she needed a weapon to defend herself. When she spotted the woman, her defenses were up but she at least knew where the lady was.

The wrapped up child moved towards the center of the cave, purposely putting distance between herself and the other two. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out three logs and a bag of twigs. They were dry and fresh, as though it just came from the forest. She had been storing it in her endless bag that remained hidden inside the satchel. Dala dumped the wood on the ground then went towards one corner of the cave to pick up some rocks. There was still a distance kept between the wrapped up figure and the two other strangers, however it was clear that she was not hostile to them. If anything, she appeared indifferent.

The child knelt to the ground and arranged the rocks in a circle, then she moved the logs over to the circle of stone. Moving the logs took effort but Dala was able to do it. Finally, she gathered the sticks and dropped them on the logs. The last thing that was needed was a matchstick. Once again she reached into her satchel and pulled out the match. Despite the cold, her hands didn't shake. In fact, she experienced very little cold. Underneath the glove on her left hand was a wyvern ring. A long long time ago, that ring belonged to a noble named Marcov. But now it belonged to her. It was one of the many things that she had stolen from him. The ring helped her bare the cold and keep herself as warm as possible. She lit the match and used it to create a fire. The fire was small, but with the wood that she placed down, it would become large and warm.

Dala plopped down on the ground and crossed her legs. Her eyes glanced up to Jesgil and then went to the snake lady. There was only one thing on Dala's mind. 

"Who's stupid idea was it to put a snake woman on a snow island?" Dala bluntly asked. 

She didn't care if her young voice was heard. All she wanted to know was why this snake woman was on land that would kill her and who was responsible for it. Her eyes glanced over to Jesgil and looked at her for an answer. 

The crunching of foot prints outside brought forth Jesgil's attention, snapping her sight to the sound, hopeful of some nomads who could help. Instead, what rested before her was either a shorter race of folk or a simple child. Whoever it was made no bother for greetings or assurance, but from what little she could see of their eyes from their thick ware were cautious eyes. After all, before them were two non-humans that would often been more entitled as "beasts" depending on the landscape. At the very least, though, it seemed she was willing to cooperate some as he made her own way inside and forging a small campfire. Probably not enough to really warm them up, but a start nonetheless.

It was only after the fire was going did the smaller of the three speak, muffled through her coat, but feminine and child-like by the sound of things. "I am sure her being here is nothing more than ill fate," Jesgil commented, slowly adding what fuel she provided slowly to the flame, a small smile coming from her as the fuel was being accepted as the blaze grew bigger. "Either she had fallen from an airship or found herself realm-jumped to these lands. Still, it is clear this is not a place her kind would typically call 'home'." Her tone altered from human to Draconian as she muttered once more before summoning to her side a blanket, a couple of buckets, and a fire pit stand. The blanket was obvious, tucking the woman in to get heated by the fire before Jesgil stepped back out into the snowy region and filling the buckets with snow. With everything set up, she hung one of them over the flame, letting it slowly melt into water and using the snow from the other to fill it up more.

"Thank you for the flame," the dragon-kin smiled, "My name is Jesgil, a wander–" Her voice was interrupted by the stirring of the snake's tail, as the lamia's head slowly lifted. "Ugh, my head," she muttered as she puled up her human half, eyes working hard to focus at the fire before her before she caught a glazed look at the others. "Who goes there?!" She remarked, trying to make back, but her movement was still sluggish as she held onto her head. "W-Who are you? W-hat have you done to me? Why does my body feel so heav–" She found herself slinking back down to the ground. "W-w-what is happening here?" She winced as her hand rolled over her face while the other pattered slowly across the ground. "Spear… spear… spear.. spear…"

"I guess that makes sense." Dala muttered. 

Just as Jesgil was introducing herself, the lamia slowly woke up. The snake woman still seemed to be moving slow and her body was moving slowly. Then she started looking for her spear. Dala didn't know what to say at first. She didn't feel that anything that they said would make her feel relieved. Especially since they were strangers and neither of them were of her kind. 

"If we were going to hurt you we would have already." The child stated, "Its snowing outside. That's why you are having a rough time. Now you can either waste your time looking for a spear that doesn't exist or you can warm up by the fire like a sensible person."

Dala wasn't wanting to go down the road of trying to convince the lamia that they weren't going to hurt her. They were all stuck in the cave together so they didn't have a choice in trusting each other. There were more important things to do than waste time trying to convince somebody that they weren't evil. If she couldn't see the facts for herself, then that was her own problem. 

"I'm going to go on a guess here and say that you found her in the snow." She said to Jesgil then looked to the lamia, " That means this lady saved you. I just got here and started a fire. Now, did you fall off a ship or did you live in a world that wasn't called Revaliir?"

She wanted to get straight to the point and figure out what was going on. Beating around the bush wouldn't help anybody. The child had her arms crossed and were looking at the two of them, as though she was the one in charge here. Even though she was just a small person who held little power in comparison to the both of them. Suddenly, Dala opened her satchel and pulled out some wrapped up food. There was dried fruit, dried vegetables, and dried meat. If she had fresh food she would have used it. But travelling with fresh food was a recipe for disaster. The child unwrapped the food and placed it on the ground and slowly pushed it to the others. 

"Eat. We will need strength for tomorrow." Dala said, "I already ate." 

Her eyes looked towards the entrance of the cave when she said that last part. 

"A-Air… ship? Rev…aler?" Another headache spike struck her as she coiled up, hand slowing down in her search. "I… I was drinking with some mates… War… our war was near its end… Then… Chalise fell… then Dreena… and… ugh!"

"Sounds to me you were assaulted when you were together. Can you recall being struck or a temperature drop?" The lamia's gears slowly turned before giving a shake of her head. "Then more than likely a spike from your enemy before an assault." Jesgil pushed herself up and pushed herself to the lamia, who again tried to scurry further away, but the cave wall was close by and the chill slowed her down even more. You seemed to have been quite bruised when I found you with blood in your hair, but by the sounds of it, you came from another realm."

The lamia groaned before reaching her arm out for one of the offered dried meals that was placed on offer. "So… how do I get back home then?"

"I am sure we can try and commune with a deity to find a way back, but for now, we need to get you more north. East-northeast of here is a fishing village that I am sure we can borrow a boat from, but dusk has been setting. Without a cart of some kind, I'm afraid you would simply pass out again from the cold."

Her eyes glanced down in shame as Jesgil wrapped the sheet around her shoulders tighter before heading back to the boiling pot and dipping in some herbs, watching the water slowly turn from the clear substance to a pale green. "Be sure to drink up as well," Jesgil stated as three cups formed in her hands.

The lamia slowly took one before dripping it into the boiling pot before she looked over the woman in the maid's dress. "How… how can you stand such frigid temperatures?"

"Oh, that?" Jesgil chuckled. "I am actually part silver dragon, so its been easy for me to adjust."

Dala silently listened to the lamia and Jesgil as they began to piece together what had happened to the snake woman. Dala looked up at Jesgil when she talked about how a deity would be able to help find a way back. The child had assumed that there wasn't a way back, otherwise why would there be so many people from that different realm still here? She didn't know much about them or their world but she did know that there were quite a few of them still in Revaliir. Was this woman lying to the lamia? Or was there really a way to get the other realmers back home?

The child didn't say anything and just watched the boiling pot's bubbling liquid. The substance had turned from clear to a pale green, which made the child slightly hesitant to eat it. She had eaten grosser things but she was hesitant to eat the food that somebody else made. However, three cups were already forming in Jesgil's hands. The lamia asked Jesgil about the temperature which reminded the child of the wyvern ring on her hand. It protected the wearer from the cold, making them not feel it. There was a chance that it would be able to help the lamia get out of the cold island. But Dala didn't know if she was willing to give it up…

The child subtly took off her glove and pulled off the ring before putting the glove back on. The world around her suddenly felt freezing, even with the warm clothes. Dala would be able to survive with her warm layers but she would be far more uncomfortable than before. Pushing herself to her feet, she walked over to the lamia and held the wyvern ring towards her. 

"Here. Its a ring that'll help with the cold. The trip will be easier if you can actually move in the cold. And I've got plenty so don't worry about it." The child claimed, "And don't get any ideas. It's just so we can move along faster. It's not like I care or anything." 

With that, Dala dropped the ring into the lamia's hands and returned to her original spot. It was obvious that the girl did care but she didn't want them to think that she was soft. She wanted to be a hardcore survivalist princess, not some lovey dovey maiden who was softer than a sheep! The child snatched a bowl and pulled off her scarf, revealing the fact that she was really a young child. She put the bowl to her mouth and poured the liquid down her throat, assuming it was food. With a big slurp, she had finished the entire bowl. 

The lamia blinked in confusion as the child dropped a ring into the palm of her hand before looking back down. If it was the coat the child offered, it would have easily made much more sense… At least if the child didn't need it herself to survive as well as the size difference of the two. Still, she was quite certain of it, and was comfortable to surrender it. If it was harmful, why would she wear it? As she stated herself, this land would not be one to hold gear specifically for her kind.

Well, she swallowed her pride as the lamia moved the finger on her digit, though a bit of a tight fit. Still, once it was in place, clutching her skin, it was like her body was wrapped in a warm shell, blocking out any of the sensation that came from the floor and wind. Sure, it did not mean her entire body was warmed up as she still only felt the heat of the flames around her front, but the fact that her tail coiled up a bit quicker than before did, at least, state it was having some kind of affect.

"Thank you, little one. I will be sure to return it to you when we are in much more comfortable terrain," the lamia spoke before a glint of a smile came on her face, her mouth moving once more for three syllables, yet no audio truly came from her lips.

Still, Jesgil gave a chuckle, stating, "Oh dear, I've never seen anyone drink an herbal tea like that." Even sake drinkers used much smaller "bowls" for their drinks. "WHy don't you two rest up, then? I will be sure to keep us safe." With her words in tow, her tongue flicked in foreign words before what seemed to have been a bottle of starlight appeared in her hands, and resting it on the floor shrouded the cave with a starry field. Next up was a small idol of a sphinx, before pausing. "Maybe when you are truly needed, Tharn, but for now, I'd rather not have you rest in the cold." Let alone the small cave which would make everything even more cramped. Still, she set it on the snowy floor as well, just in case before finally casting out her twin-headed battle axe… all while she still sported her maid's dressings….

Dala couldn't help but feel pride when the lamia thanked her. Even if it was for something as small as a ring, she was glad to hear that thank you. Her face was lowered into her coat to hide her slight smile. Once she realized that it was herbal tea she was drinking, she realized that it was not a great idea to chug it all down. But at least she didn't have to taste any of the potential bitterness. Some teas were bitter, some were sweet, and some were fine. Perhaps the herbal tea would help her strength in the morning? The child snatched a piece of dried food and nibbled on it, knowing that sleep would be difficult if she had a completely empty stomach. Her words claiming to have eaten previously were lies but she didn't care. They needed food and shouldn't feel guilty about eating. But it seemed that there was enough for herself to have a bit of. 

After her small meal was finished, Jesgil mentioned resting up. Dala reached into the bag with infinite space and pulled out two blankets. Jesgil didn't seem to be bothered by the cold so she handed the other blanket off to the lamia and kept one for herself. Then the maid mentioned something about ensuring that they were both safe. Dala, determined to be of some help, wrapped the blanket around her then walked over to Jesgil and plopped down onto the ground right next to her legs. The world outside the cave was icy and cold. A chill ran down the child's spine but she ignored it. 

"Two eyes are better than one." The child declared, "Besides, if anything happens I'll be here to protect you. I've got a dagger with me. Any assholes that attack us won't know what hit them." 

Dala's face had a determined look, as though she was taking the job of protecting people seriously. No was not an answer that she would listen to. Her eyes scanned the cold icy land in front of her, trying to find any sign of danger. The snow gently landed on the ground and the night was silent. Dala's eyes began to droop and a small yawn escaped her lips. She fought the sleepiness valiantly but in the end, she couldn't win. The child leaned against Jesgil's leg and began to drift off into sleep. Her steady breathing and closed eyes indicated that she was in a deep slumber already. The dagger that she had been holding fell to the stone ground.