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Season of Winter, Day 60, 513 AV
Winter had come to Riverfall. Well, that wasn't quite right. Winter had long since come to Riverfall; Jorin and his wife Rinya had definitely felt the bite of the cold that came with it many days ago. As it stood, the worst of the winter storms were over - at least that was what it felt like. But still, for the first time in a long time Jorin truly noticed that Winter had come to Riverfall.
It wasn't just the snow that was piling up on the ground, or the small puffs of breath that seemed to solidify in the air when he breathed. Everything seemed colder. Crisper. And for his own part, Jorin really, really would rather be inside the warm walls of the Kendoka than marching down the streets of Riverfall, freezing his butt off. He mused that, much like his wife, he should probably consider an investment in some warmer clothes. A pity that Rosela still hated his guts.
As it turned out, Jorin was not to make it to the Kendoka that day. Or at the very least he would be much delayed. He'd received a rather... cryptic message a few days ago, a message he wasn't really sure how to decipher. It had implied that someone was in trouble, but hadn't specified who. Well alright - the note hadn't specifically stated that person was in trouble, merely that Jorin should help said person, which to him meant pretty much the same thing.
The note left no address or meeting location, which Jorin found suspicious and odd. In fact the whole thing felt suspicious and odd, and if he didn't know any better, Jorin would've thought he'd been set up in some fashion. The only reason he didn't was because he was relatively certain he wasn't important enough to be set up. Regardless, the note indicated he was supposed to 'make himself available' today. He wasn't entirely certain what that was supposed to mean, but he decided to humor the note-sender and kept his schedule deliberately light in hopes of meeting this mystery person.
As he walked to the Kendoka, Jorin heard a faint whispering to his left, and it sounded suspiciously like his name. Or at least the first half of it - Jori. If there was an 'n', it was either missing or else swallowed up by the sounds of the city and the fact that whoever was saying it was whispering. Regardless, Jorin glanced over, but didn't notice anything particularly out of the ordinary. Just a bush devoid of all foliage, nestled between two large structures that did not appear open for business this early in the morning.
Jorin was about to continue moving when he heard his name again. He was certain it was his name and not the wind or his imagination. There were a few things that was unmistakable to Jorin when spoken, and his name or that of his wife were two such things. Someone was definitely whispering 'Jori' at the very least. He took a closer look at the foliage-poor shrub and only then did he notice that standing to the side of it was a person.
Whoever it was, he or she was wearing a very heavy cloak over their shoulders. It had a large hood that was drawn over the head so as to cover nearly everything, except for the mouth and chin which jutted out delicately. Jorin approached somewhat cautiously - though he couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the sheer drama of this meeting. Whoever this mysterious cloaked person was, they certainly had a flair for the melodramatic.
"Took you long enough to get here," came a strained, but unmistakable voice from the cloaked figure. Jorin froze instantly, the blood in his veins running cold as he stood rooted to the ground. There were only a few voices he'd recognize instantly. His father's, his mother's, Rinya's, Eric's. However there was one other, though he was certain he'd never, ever have to hear it again.
"Farline?!"
What the petch was she still doing here?
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