She shivered as she watched through the bitter cold of an East Saffron winter, and wondered how she’d even managed, up in the mountains, where it’d been even colder. At least she still had the jacket she’d bought for that expedition, ripped and torn as it was…
Snow crunched underfoot as she walked down the street, streetlights beaming down from overhead. It was early— though, so deep into winter, it wasn’t like there was much daylight to start off with. The refulgent glow glinted off the snow and bits of ice, off the heavey icicles gleaming sharply above and the frozen— breath of winter all surrounding her, curling around her and making her shiver beneath its empyrean chill. The stars still glittered overhead, caught in the pre-dawn, purple light bruising the far horizon… but barely, stained aglow by the city lights.
It was cold outside.
A car rushed down the road, passing by her fast enough she could feel the chill bite of its tailwind, setting her scarf aflutter. Shivering, she huddled just a little further into her cloak… she really wished she had whatever technique Ruqian had used. Or even just a warming talisman… something for next time.
Either way, she kept to the course— leaving behind a long trail of footsteps, sole amongst the smooth white of fresh snow, and all the world, alone…
Finally, she reached her destination— pretty close to the orphanage, all things considered, though it clearly wasn’t in the best location. She wouldn’t have dared come here before— especially not when it was dark outside, still— but she had a few talismans tucked away for defense just in case and… well, compared to the sort of things they’d faced up in the mountains, she found it hard to be afraid of petty bandits all that much.
It loomed up in front of her, a little dilapidated and definitely not the sort of place she’d ever describe as comfortable to live in. A single small window stared out onto the dark street, dark itself, next to a balcony that was laughably small for the place’s sole resident.
She knocked on the door, loud enough for the sound to split the strange quietude of the city at night, then stepped back, waiting. She didn’t need to wait long— only a few seconds after she knocked, a light flicked on in the house, its cheery glow spilling out onto the street. A few seconds after that, she could hear someone descending the steps— quietly, but the place was too ramshackle for them to be truly silent in their approach.
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The door creaked open, revealing a tired-looking Avyr on the other side. His tawny fur was all tousled up— more tussled up then it had been after he’d fought Ruqian, though less than some of the times he’d clawed his way out of the hot springs looking like a drowned kitten. “Oh, it’s you.” He sighed, flicking his tail and languidly turning about, nodding for her to follow him. “I didn’t think you got up this early.”
She groaned. “Don’t remind me. I had to set so many alarms, and I’m pretty sure the kids in the rooms next to mine hate me now.” The darkness overhead had just barely begun to fade, and she’d been awake for an hour and a bit prior— as the first touch of ashen brightness touched the far flung heavens, she stepped into Avyr’s house without hesitation. The warmth… well, it was his heating bill, she supposed— even if the balmy warmth was so very relaxing after trudging through the snow for so long.
Shuffling out of her coat, she hung the heavy thing up on one of Avyr’s chairs— which he must have inherited from the previous owner; she couldn’t imagine him going out and buying them— before collapsing into one with a heavy sigh. “Good morning. Good morning!” She grinned— the expression almost a liquid thing as it slid across her face. “Heavens above it is early, but we don’t have forever to work on the project, so…”
“Yippee,” responded Avyr, not looking enthused at all. “More qi theory. I just can’t wait to do more qi theory homework…”
“It’s not that bad. It’s practically just formations work but easier.”
Avyr huffed in soft amusement, grabbing a stack of books off one of the tables and loping over, holding them in paw. “Only you could say that.” And placing them— it was always a bit weird, seeing just how good at that, he was. It must have taken a great deal of effort to learn… “anyways. I put the water to boil. Tea?”
“Why do you even have that stuff?”
“Mingtian likes it.” That was answer enough, she supposed, but… she gave him a curious look, and the cat— of course— relented after only a little while. “He’s only come over the once, but I have visitors eventually. I figure that if anyone has good taste, it’d be Mingtian.” Fair enough, that. The librarian could be exceptionally refined if he wanted… “so. Qi theory?”
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