Closed [ The Bronze Woods] The Chance Occurrence (Claudia)

[Holland Rolandus]

20th of Winter, 514 A.V

The Woods upon this oh so glorious day were sublime; The winds themselves practically sang to those who walked about within the Woods on such a fine day. The trees danced about as the wind whipped about throughout the lands. Small amounts of snow were carried about with each and every simplistic gust of wind. Today a quiet breeze roamed about, delivering a chilling kiss to all of the flora and fauna within the general area. A kiss that caused snow to form and fall from the skies, the beauty of the snow flakes alone was awe striking. One could practically call the idiosyncratic snow lovely. A practical unique aspect of nature, due to the fact that no two snow flakes can ever be exactly the same. Each and every little flake of snow in itself is unique; and that aspect is what makes snow so lovely. For it goes to show; That irregardless of what form something comes in it will never be the exact, same as what is near it. Rather it be Man, Beast , Plant or element.

Holland steps forth, having just exited his tent and placed a palm upon the nostrils of Declan. The moment that his warm touch came in contact with the Horse; She neighed although he knew not of how to communicate with a Horse he knew that she needed to be fed. Soon enough he would take her off into the city, so that she may feed. Not to mention so that she may be somewhat warmer then she is at this very moment. Oh how sorry did he feel for his lovely steed as she too had to endure the most wicked of cold weather. What in heavens name could he do to warm her up? Perhaps he could go about and gather sticks, and give making fire a try?

That would be precisely what he would do, and being that he resided in a heavily wooded area it wouldn't be hard to find. Today he wore no more then his typical attire; A beautiful set of royal blue clothing, A royal blue colored shirt which was long sleeved, and hugged him at the forearms; Directly below the wrists. Royal blue trousers, and a pair of black simplistic short boots. The royal blue shirt he wore was merely the secondary layer. His shirt was layered atop by his fathers old Back and Breast armor. Which was composed of steel, and provided protection to his torso, and back. Although he knew it would stick out like a sore thumb; Due to the fact that it shone a slight. Upon his right hip was a simplistic yet beautiful Rapier. One composed of lovely steel, and with plenty of hand protection. The blades length was currently hidden within it's scabbard; and was restricted of mobility as a result of being tucked away within the scabbard.

With each and every step he took mild crunching could be heard; and fairly obviously he wasn't attempting to conceal his presence. He gathered up several twigs; Approximately twelve. Before returning to his tent which was in the middle of six trees surrounding a small circular area covered with snow. Now he proceeds to grasp hold of a few more rather surprisingly dry leaves. Dropping all of the sticks and leaves upon the ground approximately five feet away from the Tent. Before he takes a seated position upon the ground, criss-crossing his legs. Meanwhile he closes his optic devices; Temporarily attempting to gain a higher state of concentration. Breathing in and out several times in order to calm himself down. Before he begins channeling his res; A lavender hue misty substance begins to exit both the males palms simultaneously. Before he raises both his palms toward the ground a mere one foot away from himself. Attempting to attract stones and bring them toward his hands. After several minutes pass he now has an ample supply of Stones. They sat directly before him, and he exhaled rather heavily. It was incredibly difficult for him to even so much as attract stone; Due to the fact that he wanted to use up as little djed as he could.

Now he grasps hold of a pair of stones, and stands erect once more before taking but two steps forth. Whilst he begins to arrange the sticks in a neat little pile; and then he throws atop the dry leaves. Grinding them up using the rocks so that they would be much more easy to burn. Now he picks up the stones once more, and begins slamming them together multiple times. In order to generate sparks. Majority of the stones broke before he so much as got even a minute spark from them. Now finally a spark erupts and that spark alone would be the spark that ignites the flame.

Several more minutes pass and he begins to blow his breath upon the now smoking bundle of tinder and wood. Before a small flame begins to erupt from it, and he has for once started his first fire! He sighs in relief and a wide smile crept across his visage; Revealing his pearly white teeth!

[Claudia Blackwood]

20th of Winter 514 AV

Claudia was not having a good day. Nope, not in the slightest. She had been wandering around the forest, with not a single soul in sight. Today was turning out to be a really bad day for hunting. Not being able to see anything was not a good sign, as you can't hunt nothing. She was about to call it a day, turned to head back to the city, when a gust of wind blew past, singing an eerie high-pitched tune, accompanied by the dancing of the leafless trees, swaying to-and-fro. Struck by a gut-feeling, she abandoned all thoughts to return, and instead moved to head deeper into the forest, intrigued by the scene.

She began to hearing several snippets of weird sounding noises, as she started to get deeper into the forest. Claudia could hear a pile of items, most probably rocks falling to the ground with a"THUD". She brushed the noise off as an act of nature, and was nothing to be worth worried about. Not long later, she heard the distinct cracking sound of stones striking each other.

Being no stranger no hunting and camping in the wilderness, now she could tell someone was attempting to start a fire by striking two hard stones together, hope to produce enough sparks to light up the dry kindling. About roughly twenty chimes later, she was proven right as a column of smoke snaked into the air.

She was dressed in a white cotton shirt which, although clean had seen considerable age. The shirt was paired with a pair of brown cotton pants, equally aged, but still relatively clean. The brown cotton cloak and leather shoes she wore were another matter altogether. Dirtied and covered in snow in most places from traversing the woods, they portrayed a dirtier appearance than her clothes appeared to be. Clipped on her belt was a sword sitting in its scabbard as it clinked softly as she moved. It was made of beautiful yet practical steel, reliable to a fault. Slung on her back was a longbow, with his accompanying quiver of arrows hanging on her back.

Claudia began to wonder who was at that campsite, if he was good or bad, a simple adventurer or a nasty bandit. Well, she would know soon enough, as she could now see the orange glow of the fire reflected around the trunks of the surrounding trees.

[Holland Rolandus]

Immediately after he finishes making the fire he proceeds to stand erect once more. Now he begins to look about the vicinity; and think to himself whilst he was alone. Yet, he could've sworn he just heard a foot step. He'd heard the crunching sound of something approaching; As if it were a reflex the digits of his right hand grasp hold of the hilt of his Rapier. His optics proceed to close and now he begins attempting to listen; Trying to locate whatever it was that made the sound. Although he begun to figure that he was just being paranoid again. Therefore he proceeds to take a seat upon the snow blanketed ground once more. Only to begin wishing to have a single companion that would be at his side. Due to the fact that he had been alone for quite a while; He'd had no friends, and no one who has so much as shown a shred of care for him in years.

Oh whatever shall he do now? Shall he simply wait for someone to arrive at his location? Surely; someone has heard him slamming rocks against each-other. Hopefully someone would arrive soon; and now from sheer boredom he draws his Rapier from it's restraint. Making usage of the tip of his weapon to draw a figure in the snow. At first he began with a basic circular shape and attempting to do something he'd never bothered doing before.

Just a few minutes had gone by and he'd finally completed a drawing of three interlocking circles. Something that was incredibly basic, but he cared not; He still couldn't take his mind off of the fact he heard a step. Although he would attempt to ignore that fact regardless of what happens. Now he stands erect; Still holding his Rapier in hand. Before he extends the full length of his right arm and aligns it with a Tree that is approximately 35 paces away from himself. Now he begins to attempt taking up a stance; He began thinking of creating his own techniques. Whilst paying attention to the cutting edge of his Rapier; He extends his right foot. Leading with it and leaving his right foot sixteen inches away from his left foot; Before he leans forward bending his right knee and extending his left leg. Into a thrust which lowered his stance and yet increased the speed at which he thrusts. Now he would practice it again; repeating his aforementioned motion at a slightly increased pace.

Alright now that I've somewhat gotten together one technique; I must make another. He thought to himself as he began to attempt doing something rather foolish. Now he would try to be more flexible with his motions and lean to the right. Before he would proceed to leap and throw his fingertips outward whilst balancing himself upon his fingertips for a mere moment. Before he manages to somewhat stick a landing as his weight falls to the right. His heels collide with the ground again; and he throws outward two strikes that are almost simultaneous. First he throws a very straight forward and direct vertical slash; Before using the momentum of the downward slash and flicking his wrist sideways. Just as he reached the height of what would be the average opponents hip. Now he leaps backward; and takes up a stance once more, and begins to breathe slightly heavily. He'd forgotten that his endurance wasn't quite up to par just yet.

He would continue to do this up until someone reveals themselves to him. Simply due to the fact that he had nothing better to do. The moment he ceased he continued to hear more footsteps. Immediately this time he drops his stance and turns about. Walking forth into the Forest, looking about at the multiple hills which resided in the area. Before he finds himself standing directly before the Woman. He speaks and immediately became both scared and excited simultaneously; Due to the fact that he didn't expect anyone to even be standing there. Not even bothering to ask her who she was; Nor would he be very typical with an introduction.

" Oh beautiful woman, with eyes that could put stars to shame; and lovely hair that could light the heart of a man aflame. You look so incredible that not even the tail of a blazing comet could compare. I apologize for being so frank and blunt; Yet, no man who stands before you could say that he was even capable of doing so either. My name is Holland, Rolandus and it is a pleasure to meet you."

He'd spoken as the brilliant brown hue of the iris of his eye met her own. He steps forth, and immediately places both his digits upon the hips of the woman. Practically unconsciously he'd done so without even noticing that he'd done it. Although in the back of his mind he felt that he would soon regret it if he'd touched her.

[Claudia Blackwood]

As she began to approach the location of the fire, the orange hues grew brighter turning them into amber coloured hues reflected on the surrounding trees. The person had chosen a great place to camp. Shielded from the elements, by the evergreen conifers, it mostly ensured that the person would at least be safe from any snowfall or direct sunlight. Her muddy leather boots trod slowly yet carefully on the snowy, muddy forest floor, keeping a watchful eye out for anything at all.

And it all happened so suddenly. One moment she was alone in the forest, keeping an eye on the unsuspecting figure that had made the fire. But, it appears that it was she was to be the unsuspecting victim. Swiveling her head around saw her inquisitive green eyes staring upon a young man directly in front of her.

Shocked by the sudden appearance of the man, she recoiled as she took a step back. Claudia was still quite taken aback by her failure in spotting her target. It appears that she still had plenty to learn.

She saw a tall guy, roughly gauging to be standing at about six feet. The shoulder-length hair that he had was as dark as night, a darkest shade of black. Adorned with a slightly tanned skin tone, one not too different from hers. He was wearing a steel breastplate over a royal blue long sleeved shirt. The sleeves of the shirt extended past the armour, hugging him at his forearms, directly below his wrists. The shirt was paired with an equally blue trousers, and the outfit was completed with a pair of black simplistic short boots. On his hip, he carried a beautifully crafted rapier, one of simple and elegant design. The thin steel blade was sheathed in a nicely shaped scabbard, a perfect complement for the blade it carried.

Claudia was taken aback once again, when the man broke out in a sing-song voice, uttering several verses of poetry at her as his form of introduction. She narrowed her eyes, as she thought what he had just said. And what an introduction that was. She had never quite met anyone like that before. Her reverie was broken as she felt his hands on her hips. Brushing them off with a swipe of her hands, she uttered

"Best keep your hands to yourself, if you still want them."

[Holland Rolandus]

He seemed not to care about the fact that she brushed off his physical contact at first. Simply due to the fact that he was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the females appearance. Oh how lovely her visage was, and her eyes could cause the heart of a man to tremble. With eyes like those surely her personality had to fit the part of her beauty. Although very often this was quite the opposite; and he was willing to take a chance. A grin crept about his visage as she'd spoken a rather minute threat.

"Best keep your hands to yourself, If you still want them." He'd heard her speak.

Although he wouldn't even be phased by such threatening words. Due to the fact that he knew that if she meant to harm him; She would've done it already without remorse. Therefore he simply gives the woman a slight nod of the head. She stood quite a bit shorter then himself; and she was dressed rather modestly. Despite her lovely bodily shape, oh how curvaceous it was. He couldn't even begin to describe how lovely her appearance is. Although he refused to be overtaken by lust. To be betrayed with a kiss was the last thing he wanted to occur; As he knew that even the most beautiful Roses have thorns that pierce skin. Regardless of rather or not the woman had the appearance akin to a goddess he wouldn't be distracted. It was incredibly cold out, so just what in the world would she be doing dressed like this? He wouldn't bother to question it, and all he could do for now was smile.

He'd never before seen a woman with such beauty; So beautiful that her wild appearance could be compared to that of a vast ocean. Which has waves that collide with the shores before transcending and becoming vapor. So idiosyncratic and wild so daunting, and lovely. Holland was awe stricken with the woman already; Yet, they'd only just so much as even saw one another. The way that her hair fluttered about in the wind. The slightly tanned tone of her skin, and her lovely shaped face. No man could even attempt to resist such a beautiful woman like this!

Yet, Holland continues to fight off the urge to continuously speak to her of his opinions. Now he simply takes a step backward, and plants both his feet upon the ground simultaneously. Although the boots the woman wore were muddy from walking about in the snow; In his eyes she was a woman that was heaven sent walking upon a cloud. Immediately he proceeds to lean forward and throw his right forearm directly above his pelvis and in the center of his core. Allowing it to come in contact with his steel armor which covered the torso. Bowing to the woman as a means of apologizing for being so rash.

"P-Perhaps you should join me at the fire side.. I'll go and gather up some logs so that we may have something to sit on. I chose this location due to the fact that it is rather well protected from the elements. F-for now that is; You never know exactly what Nature may do. She is calm one minute and the next she is ready to throw a storm at you. Such a wicked and violent witch she is.. P-please.. Join me?" He'd spoken and begun to turn about in a three hundred and sixty degree motion. Pacing back toward the Fire that he took such pride in having created. Before he'd left behind Declan the large horse which sat directly beside the dancing flame now. In order to go out and pick up large pieces of wood in order to sit upon. He wouldn't dare make a guest; Especially one as beautiful as her, sit in the snow! That is just pure and wholesome disrespect at it's finest.

[Claudia Blackwood]

The man known as "Holland" gave a slight nod of his head as his hands returned to his side. His eyes still seemed to be focused on her, staring with reckless abandon. One would wonder if he have ever seen a woman before. Claudia was intrigued by him. This Holland was an interesting character, not something she had seen before. Despite her harsh statement earlier, the man seemed to be unfazed by it all, his calm and assuring behaviour was quite peculiar indeed.

Several chimes later, when they were done staring at each other, Holland stammered as he invited her to join him by his fire. Was he nervous? she thought. Why the stammer all of a sudden? He then swivelled his head from side-to-side, looking at the bare icy frozen ground before mentioning that he was going to find logs for them to sit on. He then also explained that he chose this particular location because it was rather well-sheltered from the elements. But of course, Claudia had already come to the conclusion on that earlier on.

Her guess proved right, once again. She gave herself a quick smile, pleased with herself. He then went on about Mother Nature being unpredictable and all the jazz, but of course, she knew that already as well. She told him that there was no need, that she was fine with sitting on the floor, but Holland was adamant about his decision, and could not be persuaded otherwise. He disappeared into the woods with a hurry, quickly disappearing out of sight.

While he was gone, Claudia was left with nothing to do at the fire. It was starting to get late, night had slowly crept in as the moon and the stars emerged from the clouds. Feeling a sudden chill, as the temperature dropped, she decided to walk around to get some heat going. It was then that she thought to herself, Why not practice my footwork techniques?

Unsheathing her steel longsword, Claudia got into a basic stance, gripping the grip firmly with one hand while pretending she had a shield in her other hand. Bringing the hilt up close to her face, she gave the crossguard a quick kiss before extending it out again lowering it again and resuming back her stance. She began to work on her basic footwork.

With her feet roughly shoulder-width apart, she took a step forward with one foot, pointing forwards, and pivoting the back foot so that it pointed out forty-five degrees. This gave her sufficient balance, both forward, backward and side-to-side. Bending her knees slightly, it allowed her to move alot easier and at the same time, more fluidly. Her father had drilled into her that relaxation was very important, as being too tense usually resulted in choppy and slowed reactions.

She took a simple step forward with her front foot, pushing with the ball of the back foot, letting the back foot follow so that she finished in the same position she started in. She then proceeded to carry out the opposite, starting out with the rear foot moving back, pushing up with the ball of the front foot. This series of techniques was the first footwork she learnt, and she was rather proud of it despite it being one of the most basic.

[Holland Rolandus]

Several moments had gone by before he'd so much as appeared as if he would return. When he did return he came back with a nicely sized log that appeared to have fallen from one of the Trees. Not simply one of the small ones either; The larger ones that had been growing for years. He didn't cut it down; He simply picked them up off of the ground. The log was rather heavy and elongated; He'd carried it in his forearms. Due to the fact that he wasn't very well used to lifting and carrying large objects it was quite challenging. Incredibly challenging to say the least, due to the fact that it was already cold outside. He'd had to leave his temporal camp site to go and pick up a large log for a guest? Was Holland out of his mind or, was he simply being chivalrous again? The latter was true in this case and he'd placed it down approximately five feet away from the blazing flame. Which illuminated majority of the camp site; Although it wouldn't last for long out in the cold like this; Therefore he decided upon further feeding the flame with more small twigs he found about in the vicinity; For the sole purpose of keeping the flame ablaze a bit longer.

Though that didn't mean in the least bit that his attention would be diverted from her. Therefore he simply begins to think to himself about how much of an odd coincidence it is for a woman; One as beautiful as she is to appear out of nowhere. Although he thought of it as very rude to immediately question someone about their prior whereabouts. For now he would continue to attempt playing calm whilst the Woman is around. Now he simply parts his lips and begins to utter a few words of speech. Perhaps if he continued trying to communicate with her she would open up a bit more; Although he could only guess in this case. Making assumptions for now would probably be the safest route to go with.

He proceeds to speak and grin in the general direction of the woman. Although just before he speaks he steps forward, and offers the woman to take a seat upon the log. By simply using a bodily gesture rather then his mouth to deliver to her that unspoken message. Now he actually begins talking to the woman and what not..

" I sincerely do apologize for the rather informal introduction.. It was oh so ungentlemanly of me. I hope that you can forgive me; and if you cannot I beg of you show me no mercy. Yet, it is simply absolutely insane; What is a gorgeous woman like yourself doing out here? I'm surprised if I see anyone out here at all! It's just absolutely amazing to me, and that surely isn't the only thing that has amazed me already. I just think that you are likely to be the most beautiful woman I've ever encountered. Apologies for my honesty, but surely you should know that it cannot be helped."

He'd concluded his speech and immediately after doing so he sits upon the log. Awaiting her to sit next to him, and Declan immediately proceeds to neigh at the Woman. Perhaps it was Declans way of greeting her; Or maybe a way to notify Holland that a stranger was nearby. He shakes his cranial structure from left to right, and his locks flutter about with his movements. The flame gave him warmth; Temporarily and he knew that sooner or later it would have to die out. Declan was simply far too large to sleep in His tent. Which was a mere thirteen paces away from the log upon which he sat.

He continued to think to himself; About exactly how much of a coincidence this was. It was just insane; What woman as gorgeous as her walks about in the woods? Knowing that bandits sprawl about the area and are constantly on the look out for people just like her. Although it seemed like she could well enough defend herself. He simply sat upon the log and observed her practicing her sword techniques. Her stance wasn't half bad at all; he made a mental note that she clearly has some knowledge on footwork. The weapon she held appeared to have been much more weighted then his own. He held a simplistic thick rapier which had slashing capability. She on the other hand held a long blade with much more weight.. The weight aspect was obvious from the way she swung it; as if it were heavy.

[Claudia Blackwood]

Not long after she finished practising her basic footwork techniques, Holland reappeared with a a rather large looking log, that was actually longer than she expected. It looked really heavy as well, and she was impressed that he actually managed to carry it all the way back to camp. She gave him a welcoming smile as he set down the heavy log on the ground to thank him for his efforts. It was one of those smiles that she was so well-known for, and that had won the hearts of every recipient it had graced. The log was set at least five feet away from the fire, far enough that it wasn't too near, and near enough that they could still get ample heat. He began to feed the fire with other kindling, ensuring that the fire continued to burn. Keeping the fire alive was far more important than just keeping the elements away, it also helped set-up a warm perimeter keeping away any wary predators. It ensured their safety for the rest of the night, while they would sleep.

The neighing of Holland's horse reminded her of something that she had forgotten. Meeting him had totally let this matter slipped from her mind. She had tied her horse, Butter to a trunk of a tree not far way from her current location. Standing up, she turned to make a move, putting back on her brown cloak, her only protection from the chilly night weather before telling Holland "I'll be right back, I've got to get my horse. I've forgotten all about him." And in a couple of steps later, Claudia disappeared into the woods. Several chimes later, Claudia reappeared, a little worse for wear. In her hand was the strap leading to her stallion's bridle, pulling him into the safety of the camp. Setting Butter next to Holland's horse, she made a move to take a seat back down on the log next to Holland.

He started apologising right there and then. That surprised her, Claudia wasn't expecting any apologies from him, nor did she demanded any. He then went on about how gorgeous she was, and how he was amazed by her beauty. That did the trick. It made her blush a deep shade of crimson, absolutely taken aback by the sudden declaration. No one but her parents had ever spoken to her with words like these, and in a place like these she certainly was expecting anything like this. A sudden gust of wind, followed by a high-pitched whining wind song, brought her back to reality. She started to notice that out of her relatively sheltered campsite, snow had began to fall nearby. Grabbing her arms tightly together as she began to shiver, muttering "It's getting even colder. Brrrrr..." Stretching her hands out towards the fire, warming them from the chilling relentlessness temperatures of the night. She tossed a look at Holland, but he didn't seemed to be as affected by the cold as she was. That extra layer of armour must have helped him conserve even more body heat than she thought.

[Holland Rolandus]

"You are cold, and I am stuck attempting to pretend that I am not. We've either got to get out of here; Or we can stay in my tent for the night. In all honesty either or works, anything to get us away from the chilling winds. Trust me and I shall forever remain at your side. After all; an enchanting woman like you could win the heart of a man in the drop of a hat. For you I would willingly lay down my life and I've only just met you." He'd spoken in what was almost a whispered tone, and he'd spoken each and every word of it whilst looking her in the eyes. Before he proceeds to slide over closer to the woman, and throw his arms about her figure. Attempting to share with her some of his own body heat in an attempt to warm her up. He surely didn't want her to get sick under the elements here. Although he still gave her the choice upon rather or not they would stay here and or leave. Yet, he preferred the latter; To leave and head toward Stormhold Castle where they would be safe. Although he cared very little, for her opinion is what mattered to him most; Without it he would remain stationary and attempt to warm her up. He cared very little rather or not she wanted him to touch her; Because he was that selfless and would much rather go against her will then see her shiver.

He'd been in a situation like this before; Quite obviously a storm had to be coming within the next few hours. Therefore the best option would have been one of the two. Although the question was how would the Horses fare if they were to be left out in the cold like this? Surely they wouldn't survive and would sooner get hypothermia. Although he still considered the Woman first and foremost, and thought of her before any and all else. Never could he witness a woman lay here and become sick and or have Hypothermia. Therefore he decided upon keeping her safe at his own accord.

He'd simply held her tightly against his embodiment, and continues to share his body heat with her. All he could think about was her well being, and for some reason he found it easy to be selfless.. Yet, he did notice something quite interesting about the ground below. A mixture of the dirt from the ground and water from the snow.. Mud.. Perhaps I can make something like that at a later time.. Or is it even possible to do so? I've never quite understood the concept of using two elements together simultaneously, but we shall see what happens in this case.. Yet, I cannot simply use my Reimancy while she is present.. That is taking far too much of a risk, and of course I wouldn't want to show something like this to someone I do not quite yet know nor understand.

A thought came to mind, and immediately he tilts his head. Due to the fact that he'd thought about himself using magic before her very eyes; What could her job currently be? If she was perhaps one of the people who are part of the order of Syliras then surely; It isn't safe. Although that mattered little to him he would go ahead and save himself the trouble of having to find out at a later time.

He speaks to the woman whilst his arms are coiled about her torso; In a whispering tone. "Hey, I wanted to know.. What is your job?"

[Claudia Blackwood]

"Yes, getting shelter from the approaching snow storm seems like a great idea right about now." Claudia muttered as she began seeing the increasing amount of snow falling outside their relatively sheltered campsite. The tightly packed masses of coniferous trees have created a ring of shelter around the campsite, providing them with a shelter from the storm. The chances of wandering wildlife about in the storm would be a low possibility, so their only real enemy would be the cold. She wondered if they should get back to the city right now, but travelling in the storm right now would be tantamount to suicide. She was broken from her thoughts, when she realised a sudden burst of warmth around her.

Holland had wrapped his arms around her, sharing his body heat willingly with her. He had done so willingly and unasked, and she was abashed by the sudden close contact of someone whom she'd only just met a few bells ago. One could not tell if her face was flushed due to the cold, or due to the act itself, or perhaps even a combination of the two.

Looking towards the tent that Holland had erected, she noticed that it was one of the larger ones that had space for four. That was great, as she didn't relish the thought of setting up hers right now in the cold. Holland's arms were still wrapped around her in a hug, and while she was grateful for the warmth, she also thought that it was time for them to get indoors. Her thought to move was interrupted by a question he asked in a whispering tone. He had asked about her occupation. Claudia unwrapped herself from his arms, and made a move to get up, indicating that they should continue their chat inside the tent, where they could make themselves warmer.

Before they entered, she suggested that they heat up some of the large rocks that Holland had gathered earlier on. They could place them by the fire, heating them up for a bell or so. When the rocks have been sufficiently heated, they could pull them away from the fire, and let them cool down enough to handle,(but still being very warm) before transfering them to the tent, where they can wrap them in cloths and place them near their bedrolls, effectively keeping themselves warm for a period of time.

Her father had taught her this life-saving tip a long time ago, when she had expressed her interest in hunting and the woods. She had always thought about how lucky she was, having such a supportive father, that supported her in everything she was interested in, who always made time for his beloved daughter despite having a busy tiring day of hard labour at his forge.

As she made to move in, she answered him "I am currently without job, I help my father out at his smith, and in my free time, I practise my skills, the skills needed for me to become a knight some day. For now I aim to be a squire, and I hope to take apply for the position soon."