Closed Search Party [Meville]

[Una Tanta]

3rd Day of Summer, 513 AV The announcement had gone out and all able bodied Vantha were gathering in the Crystal Hall. Morwen and the Iceguard and sent out a party to search the caves created by the djed storm, when the party hadn't returned Morwen had sent out orders that search parties be sent out to find and recover the party. The Iceguard had immediately sent out messengers to gather the Vantha for the announcement. The city was suddenly full of men frantically paving the way through the snow to the hall, and groups chattering about the sudden call to action. Tight-lipped, the Iceguards herded people into the grand building the three stories teeming with people, everyone's eyes whirring with colour. Una had just slipped out of the ocean and had dressed when Coren gently caught her arm, "Everyone is gathering at the Crystal Hall, you should go." Before he moved towards the sailors herding them into the city. Swimming through the crowd Una fell into the hall with the rest of the teeming city. Looking around her she tried to find Jack, the crowd making her heart race, panicking she moved towards a corner when she couldn't spot him. Keeping an eye on the people around her Una gazed at the empty podium expectantly. Coren had never spoken with her beyond the morning pleasantries and she was curious why he had encouraged her to attend a meeting obviously meant for only the members of the city. "Attention!" The voice that echoed through the hall was feminine and demanding, hardly raising her voice she commanded the silence of hundreds of boisterous men and women. "The brave explorers sent to explore the djed caves have not returned." Silence responded to her words, no one daring to interrupt Jedara. "The Iceguard has decided to arrange search parties. We will be pairing experienced individuals with an Iceguard member. Other search parties will be placed at various points within the caves. Names and groups are posted on both walls. We will be leaving tonight with further instructions." Stepping off the podium Jedara disappeared behind the crowd. Not known for their patience, Jedara wisely kept the announcement short. Springing into action the body of Vantha moved like a tumultuous sea, searching for their names on the parchment posted to the walls. Pressing herself into the corner Una didn't move, waiting for the crowd to dissipate. Meanwhile she wondered why Coren had encouraged her to be present, she wasn't a citizen of Avanthal. After an hour the crowd had excused itself. Anyone who hadn't been recruited had gone home to share the exciting news with their families and the rest had presumably left to pack. The Vantha were a people of Duty, each hold dedicated to furthering the city and the worship of Morwen. Morwen was the center of their world, and each civilian of Avanthal was precious to her, and thus they were precious to each other. No other city had ballads that so emphatically stated the importance of neighbors and friendship as this northern city. Wandering the gorgeous hall, suddenly vast in its near emptiness she understood why it was a crowning jewel to the Vantha. It's large windows and exquisite architecture was only rivaled by Morwens palace. Glancing at the lists of unfamiliar names Una played with her hands, the search would likely be dangerous and many of these people may be injured in the search or in the frigid waters. "They could use you..." She heard Jacks voice at her back, "They can't require guests to help...but..." She nodded, he didn't have to say anymore, she knew that being able to swim gave her an unusual advantage if any water had accumulated anywhere or as a faster messenger between the groups should something happen. "I have to get back.." But Una had already turned away thoughts and eyes roaming the building. Turning away from her Jack left to huddle in the library. Still exploring each floor of the building the sun began to set and the people on the list began to arrive at the hall laden with supplies. This place had been Cys home, and he wasn't here to defend its people. If she wanted to be close to his life, if she was a good wife, then she was a Vantha by marriage and had a duty to this city and its people. Slipping down among their ranks silently Una gazed at them, her people. Not used to spending her nights above the water she hadn't prepared much supplies and stood out among the rugged Vantha who gathered. Carrying only a bag with the minimum wilderness supplies she naively followed them. Members of the Icewatch appeared gathering their groups and the others they would bring with them and leave behind as a string of contacts to the entrance of the cave, Morwen wasn't going to allow anymore of her faithful Vantha to become lost in its depths. As each string began to set out Una joined up with one. The Iceguard spotted her but stayed silent for the moment, she hoped it would remain this way. As they exited the city the Iceguard turned to her, "You aren't on the list." "Yes...but if there is water in the caves you can't deny I would be an asset, and I would be a much faster messenger than anyone on foot." She reasoned. As the group continued to follow the deep footprints of the previous groups he walked beside her, "Why? Avanthal isn't your home." "No. But it was Cys and the Vantha were his people." "Cy?" "My husband. He passed away." Blinking sympathetically the Iceguard left her to move to the front of the group. She smiled proudly at the brave and generous people around her. Adjusting her bag she tucked her coat in tighter around her as he paused to give them directions. "You three will be with me," He said gathering the more heavily laden and prepared bunch around him. "You three will follow us, and be the midway knot." He nodded toward another group before glancing uneasily at Una, "You three can remain at the entrance as the anchor, and will be responsible for reporting to Jedara." He added wisely. All the Icewatch were a clever group and he had gauged her wilderness skills accurately, by placing her near the entrance of the cave, near the ocean, he was making use of her skills while keeping her out of harms way. It would lay heavy on his shoulders if anyone under his command came to harm. Neither of her companions were familiar, one was pale haired and wiry he stood out among the Vantha and instantly reminded her of Cy, "Hi. Una." She introduced, gripping his forearm in a welcoming gesture akin to shaking his hand. The other was out of reach to immediately greet. Setting out across the snowy Tundra, leaving the excited farewell cheers of the rest of the city, Una was almost brought to a halt by the sting of the cold outside the gates. It was easy to be brave in the comfort of the city but armed with only a backpack full of meager supplies and the company of strangers Una began to wonder if she was swimming in water far to deep. OOCplease feel free to thread your interaction with the messenger, your travel to the Crystal hall, and etc.

[Meville Brightshade]

Meville had started the morning with a familiar sluggishness that tended to follow his more spry days. His body was weaker than most other humans, thus it was not uncommon for him to have days during which his frailty presented itself as the more prominent of his features. Today, he had a slight headache accompanied by a weak grip and shaky stability. These were not unwonted developments, and though they were not Meville's most beloved aspects of himself, he had learned to deal with them. What had made his morning eventful, however, was the knocking at his door so early in the morning. It was enough to rouse him from his fitted slumber, but strange enough that the noise had to be repeated several times before he was able to register it for what it was: a request for entrance to his abode. He had then stumbled out of bed, patting the front of his hips to make sure he was at least wearing his undergarments, before pushing open his bedroom door and knocking twice once he'd shut it. The knocking had continued, but Meville had been able to silence it then by shouting out he was on his way to let the voice inside. Once the messenger was inside, Meville had motioned to the ice box as a place the other man could have a seat. There wasn't a whole lot of anything else in the sparsely furnished room, so the man had obliged the invitation, taking care to avoid lingering his focus upon Meville's mostly naked body. Once Meville had given the man some chilled tea (he still hadn't had the time to buy any firewood), he was told there was to be a meeting in a short while to discuss what Avanthal was to do regarding the lost search party that had been sent to investigate after the Dhjed storm. Once the man had left, Meville had dressed and groomed himself, deciding he would get some breakfast after the meeting, as the vast majority of able bodied citizens had been given the message. He doubted many shops would be open before everything was sorted out, so despite his hunger, he had headed off towards the meeting place on an empty stomach. The hustle and bustle of the city grew with a surprising exponential quality as he made his way through the unusually wide paths leading up to the Crystal Hall. There were so many people, it made Meville feel a bit claustrophobic as everyone shifted and seethed like some living, breathing ocean of flesh pouring into the impressive cavity of the Hall. He manged to break from the mass by breaking out towards a relatively deserted corner. Once everyone had arrived, or at least most of those who had been summoned, Jedara, the Vantiguida of the Icewatch, explained the situation and what was to be done about it. Though the address was brief and succinct, Meville didn't really pay it much attention. The messenger had given him the gist of things, and Meville doubted anything Jedara had to say to the general public was much different from what he already knew. Once she had finished, the citizens of Avanthal once more sprung into action. They poured over the lists, each having different reactions to their presence or lack-there-of upon them. Eventually, the room cleared out enough for Meville to amble over to one of the pieces of parchment and peruse the scrawled names. A section of the paper had been slightly torn, rending a name in half. That particular name had been his own. "Interesting." The names of the other people in his group weren't very familiar. A "Veisor Clearwater" caught his attention, and he tried to remember why exactly that was. Nothing special came to mind, so he decided to just drop it. If he did have a connection with that man, it was more than likely to present itself once he was in his physical presence. A few stragglers like Meville had remained, but he was a bit too preoccupied by his stomach to pay any of them more attention than objects needed to be avoided in order to reach the door. Once outside, Meville headed to the Winterflame hold to get some breakfast. The entire city was abuzz with who was going where with what groups and who had been chosen to do what with which groups. In fact, the chattering was fairly incohesive as everyone was speaking about the same thing but all of it was slightly different from the other. Meville spent most of his breakfast time staring at a large group of boisterous young Vantha who seemed to be under the impression they had been called to a very important, honorable quest. It was a bit ironic, really, that they should feel so very excited about what was surely to be a fairly drab, potentially morbid quest. It was more than likely the party was dead, though Meville had little reason to back his theory up other than the fact Taldera wasn't the most hospitable of environments. Once he'd filled his belly, Meville had busied himself with the mundane practices of his every day life until the appointed time for him to return to the Hall. He'd packed several essential items into a small rucksack, but as he wasn't in his tip-top physical state, he'd kept it light to refrain from overexerting himself. The bag held a meal and a half's worth of dried fish and seaweed flakes, as well as a change of socks, an extra shirt, and broken stick he had tossed in on a whim. Though not much, it was enough for the young man as he once more entered into the Crystal Hall to join the much more manageable group of Vantha who had gathered there under the same pretense. Meville joined his group after a few friendly inquires as to the names of the people around him. The guard explained something to them Meville couldn't quite hear, and the ten of them set out. He noticed a very strange looking young... woman? follow behind them, slipping into their little formation next to a vaguely familiar young man. Seeing no reason to point out the intruder, as he was fairly certain everyone in the company was aware of the foreign presence, Meville chose instead to count the number of hairs upon the head of the man in front of him. He had reached seven hundred fifty-two when they passed under the gates. That was when the Iceguard had decided it was time address their guest. Though the group continued on after the guard had moved to the back, Meville decided to lag behind enough to catch wind of the conversation. The Charoda, for that was her species - he'd finally realized just what she was -, had decided to join them out of duty to her deceased husband. A quaint enough reason the Iceguard seemed to accept. Meville raised his brows at the man has he hurried back to the lead of their group, receiving a shrug in return. The Charoda had had a point. Swimming would make communication between the various checkpoints much faster than having to traverse between the groups on foot. Once they were a good distance from the gates, the guard stopped to explain the specifics of what was happening. Those who appeared to be the most heavily laden were to follow the guard as the actual search party. The remainders were divided into two groups to serve as relays for whatever the advanced party discovered. Fortunately enough, Meville had been assigned to wait at the entrance with the Charoda and one other. He was entirely useless in any sort of strenuous physical situation in which he couldn't use his magic, so he exceptionally grateful to have been given the opportunity to wait where it was relatively safer. The touch of the Charoda startled Meville who had been too distracted by his own thoughts to realize she had drawn near. Turning a startled face to the woman, Meville coughed out a "Meville!" Before he was able to return the grip with one of his own followed by a friendly grin. He felt as though he should say more, but the group had decided to head out once more. The Charoda moved with them, apparently not too concerned about conversation at that point. After all, they would spending plenty of time together once they arrived at their destination.

[Una Tanta]

3rdnd Day of Summer, 513 AV, Morning There footsteps made a million different noises as they squeaked across the snow. Every little snowflake and crystal crunched and flexed beneath their feet, resisting or giving way to their weight making Una ungainly. The Vantha were familiar with the snow, knees bent and chins tucked into their chests they waded through. Though Una could hardly describe it as gracefully she certainly thought they looked much sturdier than her own wobbling path. After several hours she was panting and her skin was itchy from the warm dry fabric, out of her element Una was faltering. She dare not stop to wet herself or rest for fear of falling behind. She assured herself this was the reason though a nagging voice in the back of her mind told her it was because she feared that they would stop for her. She didn't want to hold anyone back. Finally, none too soon for Una they reached the cliffs overlooking the ocean. As Una lightened with relief the groups energy suddenly dwindled. They had realized before her that a cliff meant they would have to climb. Staring at them dumbly Una was transported back to Wind Reach and the path along the river she could hardly handle. All but Meville and Una had begun lowering themselves over the edge. Swallowing hard to stop her shaking Una followed them. Waist deep in the air fingers dug into the snow and ice she felt the nausea swallow her. Like a black trench it swallowed her and she stared at the snow before her willing herself to move. "COME ON UNA! MOVE!" She begged and pleaded with herself. Everyone else were several meters down and approaching the cave entrance but all Una knew and felt was distinct loneliness and fear. Something wrapped around her ankle. Heart stopping she shut her eyes and hugged the wall tighter. "You alright ma'am?" The voice was light and young. It was one of the mid-way points, a young boy who had nimbly scaled the wall down and seeing her trouble had slipped back up it. She didn't move, didn't speak, terrified that anything that broke her concentration would loosen her grip. Gritting his teeth knowingly, the boy crawled up over the edge and grabbing her forearms pulled her up. Like pulling dead weight he grunted and panted. With the ringing in her ears from the vertigo Una was unable to help him her entire body became unrelenting fossilized bone. "Come on! Help me!" The boy demanded staring at Meville as his feet started to slip through the snow.

[Meville Brightshade]

Trekking through the snow wasn't particularly difficult for Meville, as he'd been doing it his entire life without a mark of Morwen to make the whole thing that much easier, but that didn't mean it was a breeze. He was a simple human, after all, and while he certainly had the experience, his body just wasn't cut out for sojourns into the icy tundra laden with supplies. Well, perhaps "laden" was a bit enthusiastic. He'd packed lightly specifically so he would have a slightly easier time traversing the expanse of drifting white, rather than burdening himself with unnecessary weight as many of the others had done. Meville rolled his eyes at that thought as his labored breaths moved from his "o" shaped lips in a slight whistle. The Vantha were completely fine carrying those heavy packs. The only people who were struggling at all were Meville and the Charoda. In fact, it seemed as though the amphibious woman was having a rougher time than even Meville, which was almost surprising. Her resolve, however, was much stronger than Meville's. It was really the only thing keeping him from sidling over to her in an attempt to ease the strain of their little exercise. She seemed so focused, Meville thought it best to just leave her be. When the reached the cliff, Meville was filled with a conflicting sense of relief at no longer having to march in a straight line along an even straighter surface and remorse at having to scale down the face of a cliff that now stood between them and their destination. The only person in the group who seemed to find the cliff to be something not to be hated was the Charoda, who, apparently, only seemed that way due to not realizing the cliff was just another step in their rather arduous journey. He casually meandered over to her as the others began descending. Not only was he already feeling especially impotent from the very beginning of his day, Meville was rather exhausted from the several bells it had taken to get to their current position. He was going to say something to the woman before she decided she was ready to scale down the wall. Meville couldn't help be feel a bit impressed as he watched her start down the cliff, but the feeling was quickly replaced with concern when she suddenly stopped moving to freeze against the ice like a large, strange tumor on the otherwise flat-like surface. For a few agonizing chimes, Meville struggled with what to do. He knew he wasn't strong enough to just pull the Charoda back up. He wasn't even certain he had the strength to support himself on the climb down. There weren't really a whole bunch of options. At one point, he considered just tossing a snowball down to maybe scare her back into her wits, but the plan seemed to be a little more detrimental to her predicament than helpful. When the voice of the younger boy reached Meville's ears, he was filled with relief for a few moments before he was called to come to the boy's aid. Meville let out a slight noise of protest before rushing over to keep the boy from tumbling over the wall. The Charoda was deceptively heavy, made all the more cumbersome with her sudden decision to become dead weight. The two grunted and gritted their teeth in an effort to get the woman up over the lip of the cliff to safety. Some headway was made, but Meville could feel his grip slipping with each tug they made. Seeing as there wasn't anything else he could do but start shouting, Meville opened his mouth and, instead of his planned shouts, started to sing a lullaby his mother had often repeated over and over. When his mother had said the words, they had just been words. She had forgotten the melody, so a young Meville had decided to make one up. It was a rocking tune, like something one sang to a child in hopes that it might stop crying or go to sleep or some other peaceful activity. "Listen up, tiny one, I will keep you safe, you'll see. Don't you fret, tiny one, You can always count on me." Meville bit his lower lip when the boy gave him an incredulous look of frustration. Fortunately, they managed to get the woman back to safety despite their struggles, and Meville plopped down beside her. The little lullaby rocked about in his head as he regained his breath and composure before tentatively placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

[Una Tanta]

"Listen up, tiny one, I will keep you safe, you'll see. Don't you fret, tiny one, You can always count on me." The soft words loosened her grip. Char being so similar to human music made the words, for just a moment, familiar. Having been pulled up Una leaned back between the two men chest heaving. Slowly the two caught their breath from the struggle and Una, far from fright now, also relaxed. Resting a hand on either of her shoulders the boys asked. "Are you all right?" It was the nature of the Vantha, and though she fumed at their reckless childishness their willingness to band together and help others astounded her. Charodae were peaceful and certainly friendly and helpful but you wouldn't often find them putting themselves at risk to help another unless it be another Charoda. "T-thank you. I'm sorry.", "No need to be sorry, lets just get you down okay?" She nodded mutely flicking her gaze at Meville. This man was certainly in charge despite being younger than she imagined she or Meville were and she wasn't about to challenge him, was Meville? Reaching into his backpack the man pulled out a rope. Reaching forward he tied it snugly around Unas waist. "Can you make it down on your own?" The man questioned Meville. Using an icepick he drove it into the top of the embankment half a meter from the edge and tied the end of the rope around it. "You wont fall now okay?" He explained calmly. Una only nodded dumbly. There was no way he was...Shove. Falling over the edge of the cliff Una screamed reaching frantically for the rope. Jerked to a halt that bruised her hip bones she glared up at him from the bottom of the rope. "Stupid Vantha..." She muttered under her breath, in all appearances seething, but secretly happy. He had taken it out of her control. The terror would have been much more fierce and long lasting if he had made her climb down of her own accord. "UNA!" The others called, attracting her attention. "Catch!" They explained as they hefted a bundled coat to her. It was tied into a bundle with another rope that strung across the gap between her and the landing. Hugging it tight to her chest they hauled on the other end of the rope bringing her closer. One of the large men, who would trek deep into the cave, held her tight against him, notably making her blush, as another untied the rope from her waist. All this was done so effortlessly and a great cheer went up once she was standing safely on the edge. It was a well practiced motion among the experienced Vantha when stuck with a less than experienced tag-along. Una was touched. Their speechless camaraderie and deep silent understanding of each other made Una proud to know her husband had been one. Maybe she could become part of that same silent network one day and find her place? She had drifted so long purposeless in the ocean, living on bubbles and happiness she acted on whims rather than carving out a plan for herself. She couldn't decide if the idea was attractive or smothering. She could see the dark grey silhouette against the lighter grey sky fastening Meville into the same harness he had for her and she bit her lip. It was a scary fall, and doubtless it had looked almost as scary as it had felt. Would he LET the man do that to him, or would he beg to climb down himself?

[Meville Brightshade]

The Charoda, Una, seemed well enough, so Meville happily allowed the younger man to take the lead. As it was one of his worse days, Meville had little problem with others heading the point as he just followed along. After all, he'd exerted a bit more energy than he'd meant to in the rescue and was now feeling the effects of his already weakened state. When the Charoda's gaze switched between the two faces before her, Meville just gave her a nonchalant shrug. She had to get down the wall somehow, and if their younger and wiser companion had a plan, Meville would follow through.

His eyebrows rose slightly with suspicion as the boy wrapped a rope he had taken from his pack around the Charoda's waist. It looked anything but comfortable. Meville gave the boy a tired smile and nodded that he could indeed make his way down the cliff, though still short on breath, Meville kept his communication strictly non-verbal. It would seem much less believable if he panted out that scaling down the cliff with tired limbs was something well within his capabilities at the moment.

What happened next was surprising to say the least. Meville had been carefully watching what the boy was doing, tilting his head slightly when he reassured the Charoda she wouldn't fall. A safety line? Not quite. With a quick motion and a muffled scream, there were suddenly only two left at the top. For a moment, Meville stared blankly at the place the Charoda had previously stood, his eyes flicking quickly back and fourth between where she had stood and the now tense rope. Once the initial shock had passed, Meville couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing as he approached the ledge to peer down at the hanging figure a good distance below.

As was the way of the Vantha, they scurried about to get the woman to safety with relative ease. It was always something that managed to surprise Meville no matter how many times he saw it. They moved quickly, so much so it was difficult to make out exactly what they were doing until Una was safely on the ground below and everyone was cheering her on and up.

He was so distracted that he hadn't noticed the boy fastening the rope around him until it was cinched tight. With a start, Meville sung around to stare wide-eyed at the boy. "Ah, w-wait... You are not to go to..." The boy grinned. Meville shook his head, becoming slightly frantic. "Ah, no no. I can climb! Climb good, no worrying!" All the while, he was shuffling slightly back as the boy advanced. Meville was making several different gestures to express how very little he wanted to descend like his watery companion, but they were to no avail. With a breathless, final step backwards, Meville found himself hurtling towards the surface beneath as his gaze turned skyward.

Having made it to the bottom with only bruised hips and a good knock to the head where he'd bounced off the cliff, Meville found his grip upon the man who'd help lower him down a bit tighter than he probably needed. Again, there was a cheer, though this time it was a little more mischievous than before. He couldn't help but think there must have been several people he'd caused some trouble for over the years, and they were now getting back at him a little bit. Still, he was down and safe, so his grin was one of genuine relief. He shot the Charoda a sheepish curve of his lips before they started off again.

This time, however, it was more relaxed. Those who were to go deeper into the caves were taking the lead, and Meville and his Charoda partner were well towards the back as they weren't allowed within the caverns per protocol and unspoken knowledge that neither of them would survive very well should something happen. Falling into pace alongside her, Meville sighed out a bit of his relief and let his shoulders relax some. "That was... Er... Exciting." A toothy grin followed as he chuckled to himself. Fairly at ease on the outside, his stomach still had a few butterflies left from the plummet. He certainly wasn't planning on doing that again any time soon, and the quickly forming bruise on the upper part of his forehead wasn't going to let him forget his pact for a good while.

Common | Vani

[Una Tanta]

Una met the boys sheepish grin with one of her own and nodded, "That's one word for it. Now the real question is, How do they plan on getting us back UP!" She shook her head at the thought her stomach spinning as she remembered her climb up to WindReach. As the others tread further into the cavern Una stopped and slung her backpack off. Kneeling she pulled out her makeshift tent. At first glance it certainly didn't look like a tent as it was at first appearance two short sticks and several layers of folded fur. The sticks were actually hollow rods and when one pulled on the end it lengthened. Flexible they could be bent in a cross, the ends plunged into the snow. Doing this she unfolded the lighter of the two fur bundles. "Care to help?" She tilted her head when she glanced at Meville who was not setting up a tent. Draping the large piece over the bars it was slightly longer than the frame preventing a draft. It was light and didn't keep a lot of heat in but it stayed the deadly Avanthal wind. Unrolling a heavier fur layer onto the ground inside the tent she smiled to herself. It certainly wasn't perfect, the ground beneath the bottom layer eventually melted soaking the fur and damaging it as well as leaving her incredibly chilly despite the waterproof protective layer on the other side but it served a purpose. Once that was set up she glanced at Meville, "Unless you know how to start a fire I suggest we go inside, once we stop moving we'll get cold very fast and they may be gone for quite a while?" She suggested this tentatively. She had only been beyond the walls of Avanthal for a night once before and it had been a very precarious and chilly event. She hoped desperately he would know how to make a fire or that the tent would hold up for the night. What hadn't come to her attention yet was the possibility that the tent would not be necessary. They were on a rescue mission. Anything could happen.

[Meville Brightshade]

Up was going to be by Meville's own questionable strength. There was no way he was going to allow the others to hoist him up the face of the cliff like a bucket in a well. First of all, he was certain they weren't going to go about it gently. Second of all, his lighter frame was better suited for climbing anyway. Despite this, the Charoda was not alone in nervous pondering. Meville just hoped it would go according to his wishes and not those of their Vantha companions.

As he watched the others head into the gaping maw of the caves, Una began to set about rummaging through her pack. He found himself gazing into the cavern a good while after the figures had disappeared when the woman's voice pulled him back into the present. Help? With what. All he really saw was the remains of an animal and two sticks. Meville gave Una a rather perplexed tilt of the head as she began extending the sticks and shoving them into the snow. It was... A tent? He'd never actually used a tent before, but he was fairly certain Una's contraption was more a "tent-like shelter" than an actual tent. Either way, once he figured out what she was doing, Meville gladly assisted with laying out the blanked beneath the make-shift windbreaker.

While it was a nice gesture, Meville wasn't entirely convinced of the thing's usefulness. After all, he lacked the mark of Morwen to keep him safe against the biting cold of the tundra. The little tent didn't really seem all that cozy. He smiled politely as Una reclined upon the blanked, sinking slightly into the snow beneath. Interesting.

At Una's behest, Meville wrinkled his brown and bit his lower lip. Fire required... "Well, we'd need wood at the very least." He slung his bag down over his shoulder and pulled out the broken stick he'd tossed in last minute. "I... Don't think this measly wisp of a branch is going to be very helpful in regards to any sort of heat source, unfortunately." He flicked it around as he scanned the snowy landscape void of anything to be used as fuel for a fire. "I remember one traveler said you vigorously chafe together two sticks? It supposedly makes fire, but I haven't the foggiest idea why."

He sighed, realizing that Una had made a fair point. The tent really didn't look all that appealing, so Meville decided to combat the latter portion of her statement regarding the cold. "You're quite right about the cold though. Jumping jacks, Una. They're better than fire." And so he jumped up and down, swinging his arms about, until he was out of breath, which only took about a chime. Panting, he offered her a grin. "It's... Much more... Exciting than... Huddling." Gods. Today was not the day to be jumping in front of a potentially dangerous ice cave. Or any day, for that matter.

Common | Vani

[Una Tanta]

Una watched him look her tent up and down perplexed making her raise her chin defensively. Sure it wasn't perfect but he certainly hadn't look like he had prepared at all. At least she had THOUGHT about the night and shelter. "Well, we'd need wood at the very least." This awarded him a look from Una that could only be interpreted as 'duh.' Raising an eyebrow as he tossed away a broken stick she watched it fall to the ground dumbfounded, "You lugged a broken stick...out here...why?" She stared at him like one stares at the insane. "I remember one traveler said you vigorously chafe together two sticks? It supposedly makes fire, but I haven't the foggiest idea why." This guy was decidedly nuts. Crazy. Off his crest. She withdrew further into her tent. "You're quite right about the cold though. Jumping jacks, Una. They're better than fire." And so he jumped up and down, swinging his arms about, until he was out of breath, which only took about a chime. Panting, he offered her a grin. "It's... Much more... Exciting than... Huddling." She stared at him unblinking in return. "I-I..." She didn't know what to say to the insane... Would he hurt himself if she ignored him? Had he brought himself food? At the thought of food she heard her stomach rumble and reaching into her bag pulled out some dried seaweed. Nibble on the end she gazed at the springy blonde boy watching him jump around like a fool. "If you sweat you freeze too you know." She informed him drawly wondering at the same time she said it whether someone insane would understand. Looking away from him she scanned their surroundings. The cliff to her left would prove to be insurmountable should a message need to go back to Avanthal, but the cliff overlooked the ocean in the other direction. If there were no ice or sharpened rocks beneath their outlook she could easily make the jump and head for the city. Glancing back into the darkened tunnel she hoped they would find the missing explorers. Struck dumb she turned back to Meville, "Why you aren't an idiot at all! I saw you amongst a group that night in the tavern. Talking about the very expedition we are here to rescue now! Why in god's name are you acting a fool?!" She exclaimed so perplexed she ended up being more insulting than she intended.

[Meville Brightshade]

Meville gave the Charoda a confused stare as his brain processed the information he'd just received. When the realization finally hit, Meville rolled his eyes at himself and laughed. "Ah... It would evaporate or freeze at worst! Never stopped to consider that really..." His words were muttered quickly and under his breath, more to himself than the poor, confused woman seated before him. Surely she thought him quite the fool then with his single stick and foolish antics to fight back the cold. However, Meville had never been entirely concerned with other's opinions. If anything, he smiled at them with a knowing, devilish grin.

He decided any actions that might draw perspiration were to be placed at the bottom of his list of things to do to survive. Instead, Meville pulled his rucksack back over his shoulders and paced around, pulling the stick from the ground and swinging it about as he whistled to himself a shaky tune from his childhood. During the course of the slightly off-key diddy, Una seemed drawn to action after contemplating the entrance where their companions had disappeared a short while before. He stared at her blankly once more, for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Tavern? Idiot? What in the world was she talking about?

"Er... Acting the fool?" Whatever had been rushing through her head the moment before her epiphany seemed to be a bit far from whatever truth she believed it to be. "Certainly, I apologize if my quixotic propensities have lead you to your current state of opinions regarding my character, though I can't say I have any sort of inkling regarding the tavern scene you seem to recall my presence at!" Of course, he could be completely wrong. Meville was rather fond of his particular memory. Many things he found important and embedded into his mind weren't quite what others chose to focus their mental recall upon. As far as he was concerned, he couldn't remember ever having spoke up about their current excursion. He certainly had a bit to say about it, but that didn't mean he'd gone out of his way to share.

Still... "Of course, I may have just forgotten. I tend to do that on a regular occasion." Meville shrugged, letting out a little huff of air as he dug into the snow with his stick, chattering on. "I'm not very fond of taverns to begin with, mind you. They're such noisy, dirty places. It's not so much the squalor as the clientele, actually. Drunkards and loose-lipped people are entertaining enough, but they dull faster than a sword of ice in a pit of fire. Really, they're completely and effortlessly impressionable! Not a challenge at all. Alcohol, Una, is the destroyer of puzzles." He nodded, cracking the stick in half as if for emphasis. The sound startled him so that he scooted back slightly and glanced between the piece in his hand and the one stuck in the snowy embankment a few times before tentatively grinning at himself.

Tilting his head back to Una, Meville frowned slightly. "Hold on... Are you saying we've met before?" The frown deepened as he crossed his arms, twig still in hand. "Because I highly doubt I would forget meeting a Charoda."

Common | Vani