Open Snow, Snow, and More Snow

[Sarina]

Timestamp: 20th Winter 514A.V.
The door was jammed. Sarina pressed her body against the wooden door of her house but to no avail. Piled several inches high outside her door was the fluffy white expanse of snow that had fallen the night before and it wasn’t letting her door open more than a crack at the top. Sarina usually didn’t mind snow. The way it crunched under her feet when she walked on it was actually rather pleasant but when something got in her way, snow or otherwise, she didn’t like it. Angrily she shoved her body into the door one last time. Nothing. The door stayed as closed as ever. Sighing she realized she would need another way out of her home.

The immediate answer that came to mind was her nearby window. Striding over to it she glanced at the snow covered world before pulling it opened, allowing in a cold gust of wind. The window opened just big enough that she hoped she would be able to get out. The air was colder than it had ever been yet that season and though Sarina was wrapped in her thin black cloak she doubted it would be enough to keep her warm in the frigid air. Not having anything warmer to wear, Sarina pulled herself out of the opened window. It was a tight fit but years of being a thief had taught her how to get through tight spaces.

As she had come out of the window head first her hands ended up sinking into the freezing snow as she pulled the rest of her body out. Standing up, she brushed her hands on the outside of her cloak leaving little flakes of snow that almost immediately melted. After locking her window from the inside she shut it, hoping she would find some way to get the snow off her door step to allow her back in. She suddenly remembered she had forgotten to lock her door when she had gone to climb out the window. Leaving a door unlocked in Sunberth was never a good idea with all the thieves that ran around the place but Sarina knew from experience that no thief would spend time digging out her door unless they were positive they had something to gain by getting her house.

The sky was over cast, hiding the morning sunlight that usually covered the early mornings of the city. There was still a bit of snow falling from the clouds but nothing like the previous evenings blizzards. The sight of her breath crystallizing in the cold air prompted Sarina to get on with what she was doing. Her purpose for being out that morning was to get some clothing that would keep her warm aside from her usually thin cloak. She regretted having to get something thicker to wear because it would limit her mobility but as her limbs started to grow uncomfortably cold she started to look forward to some warm new clothing more and more.

[Sarina]

By the time Sarina made it to a stall that sold any article of clothing at all, she was freezing. She attempted to pull her cloak around her more but it didn’t provide nearly enough protection from the freezing temperature. It didn’t help that every time she stepped her foot sunk a bit into the snow covered ground making walking hard. She had crossed paths with very few people that morning. Everyone else was likely still stuck in their homes. She had passed some houses with roofs that had been caved in by the snow storm. Making a mental note that she would get the snow off of her own roof as soon as possible

Walking up to the stall Sarina tried to not look like she was freezing. It might make her seem weak and that wasn’t something she wanted. Taking a deep breath she exhaled creating a cloud of water vapor out of her mouth.

“Have you got any warm cloaks?” Sarina asked. It took all her will power to keep her teeth from chattering together. The man sitting behind the stall looked plenty warm, wrapped up in a fur coat.

“Sure do.” The man used his hand to indicate the cloaks sprawled out on the table in front of him. There were a large variety of colors and materials. “If ya want something warm I suggest the fur-lined ones.” Sarina looked at the cloaks that were lined with fur. They looked inconvenient. Being lined with fur made them thick and thus they looked as though they would inhibit her movement. The warmth might be worth the inconvenience. The other factor was price. Sarina didn’t have enough money to go buying expensive thing that had large down sides.

“How much would that cost me?” The question was a lot simpler than Sarina liked to keep her conversations. If she hadn’t been freezing she would have liked to think of a way to state the question that made him say a lower price. Ordinarily Sarina would have just stolen the garment and been done with it but that would be difficult to do seeing as she could barely feel her fingers. Another inhibitor was the size of the clothing. She didn’t usually steal large things unless she was to significantly benefit from getting them.

“5 gold 7 silver and 5 copper.” He paused looking through is round blue eyes at Sarina, trying to see what reaction she would have to the price. She didn’t allow any emotions to pass over her face, so as not to tip off the vendor. “It’s well worth the money. Sure to keep you plenty warm.”

Sarina pondered for a second. It she was cold but that was quite a lot of money. Quite a lot of money that she wasn’t willing to spend. Shifting her feet to keep them from sinking into the snow to far she said. “I don’t need to be plenty warm. I just need to be warm.” She paused, a smug look passing over her face. “I’ll take the woolen cloak.” She pointed at a dark green thick woolen cloak that sat on the table. “Yes, without any fur-lining.” She said before the merchant could ask.

“Alright.” The man sighed. He obviously looked like he had been hoping to sell her the far more expensive garment. “That’ll be 15 silver, then.” He held out his hand as Sarina dug in her pocket for the money. Carefully counting out the amount with stiff fingers she placed the coins in his hand. “Your hands look cold. I’ll be you could do with some nice leather gloves as well.” Grabbing a pair he waved them in front her with a bright smile.

“Sure I’ll take them.” Sarina sighed. There was more money she was spending but if seemed worth it. She had wanted some gloves for a while.

“And 10 silver for the gloves.” He dropped the leather gloves on top of the cloak that Sarina had just bought. Reluctantly Sarina handed over the money. “You know, a nice scarf would look good with-“

Sarina cut him off. “Thank you for your services. That will be all.” Taking the cloak off the table Sarina pulled it on over the cloak she was currently wearing. It was actually a good bit warmer than the cloak Sarina had on under it. She was glad it would be warm enough even though it didn’t have fur in it. Pulling the hood up over her other cloak’s hood she felt her body starting to warm up. Sliding on her new leather gloves she walked away from the stall.

[Sarina]

Even as Sarina was buying her clothes the snowfall had been getting heavier and heavier. The wind had also picked up, whipping the snow up in the air. There was so much snow flying around that Sarina couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her as she made her way back towards her house. She had to squint against the winds as the cold air and snow stung her eyes. Silently she cursed herself for not having noticed before that she was just in a clearing of the storm. It was far from over. When she had left her house it hadn’t been snowing much but if wasn’t uncommon for small snow storms to become bigger ones, especially if they had been as huge as the one from the night before. Luckily, it wasn’t the first time that Sarina had been through this stretch of town. If it had been, Sarina would have undoubtedly gotten lost.

Carefully, she made her way through the snow, pulling her cloak tighter around her as the frigid wind tried to grab it from her. She knew she had to be getting close to a building. Hoping the building would help to block some of the snow she pressed forward. Her face stung from the freezing wind as it swept snow into her eyes and constantly blew her hair around. Sarina could imagine how hard it would be to get all the knots out of her hair as she brush a few strands behind her ear, only to have then blown out again. As she walked she clung to her cloak savoring the little warmth it gave her as it blew all over the place. She was very glad the first thing she had chosen to do this morning was get something warm to wear. If she didn’t have the cloak she would have been far colder.

After she had been walking for a few chimes Sarina came to realize she wasn’t where she thought she was as not buildings presented themselves to her. A small whelm of panic began to rise in her throat. She didn’t know where she was. She could be anywhere; a stone’s throw from her house half way out of Sunberth. Someone could easily attack her like. At that thought she glanced around, but when she didn’t see anyone her gloved hand made it way to where her Tamo Daggers were hidden in a pocket of her cloak. Tracing the outline of the weapon she felt at least a bit better but a gust of wind forced her to grab for her cloak with both hands, trying to keep it securely wrapped around her cold body. She forced the overpowering fear down with a deep breath. Its going to be fine. I’ll have to eventually get somewhere and it’s not like I’m going to get mugged. I’m the only one crazy enough to go out here! Sarina’s foot falls became more hesitant as she hoped she was walking in a good direction. Mentally, Sarina went through different locations in the city where she could be but it didn’t matter because there was no way for her to tell if she was in that location any way.

Before too long she began to see a large dark shape rising in front of her through the snow. It didn’t take much for her to come to the realization that the shape was a building. The building was fairly tall; at least two stories and had another building on either side of it. It seemed rather familiar but Sarina couldn’t quite put her finger on where she had seen it before. She tried to put her finger on it as she continued to approach the looming shape. As she got closer the details of the building got more in focus and clearer until she could make out the entire building, at least the bottom half. The snow made it impossible to make out any details on the top part of the building now it was obvious what the place was. Its old familiar wooden sign swung violently in the wind making it impossible to read but it didn’t matter. She recognized the building immediately as soon as she got close enough to the building that she could clearly make it out. It was The Pig’s Foot; a common place she would go if she needed a drink.

It wasn’t long before Sarina had made it to the door of The Pig’s Foot. Having no better plans for what she was going to do, she decided to try to hang out in the tavern for a while. It had always been a favor it spots of for her. As taverns in Sunberth go, the Pig’s Foot was about as safe as one could get, but not being one to seek out safety, that wasn’t what attracted Sarina to the place. She wasn’t exactly sure what attacked her to the tavern but she enjoyed it none the less. Walking up to the door, she questioned whether the tavern would even be opened. With all the snow and wind she wouldn’t have been surprising if Merv: the man, who owned the place, had just decided to have it closed for the day. Tugging on the rugged metal door handle Sarina found it to be opened. Pulling the door opened against the wind, she entered The Pig’s Foot.