This post has the following content warnings:
View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
It's cold.
It's freezing cold, cold to the bones, swimming in Arctic waters cold.
Which is, you know, exactly what he's doing, so that figures.
Choosing to live is something you have to do every day
"Just like every other night," Enthir replies dryly. He notices the human following Nelacar, then, and eyes him suspiciously. "Who's this, then?"
winter_held
And now that Ruby's mind is no longer occupied by other worries he finds himself aware that he's stark naked in the middle of a tavern, even if it seems like no one seems particularly bothered by this fact. And it's not that he dislikes this fact, but some feeling unattached to any particular individual memory finds him starting to stiffen. Enthir's gaze doesn't help matters, for all that the elf could himself as well be said to be naked.
"I'm Ruby," he says, looking for all the world like he's unbothered. "—I'm a mage," he adds, because this person is clearly also one.
"So it would seem," Enthir says. He also looks entirely unbothered, and turns to face Nelacar once more. "I know that look. You want to foist this green boy on the College?"
"So astute." Nelacar takes a seat at the table Enthir is sitting at, otherwise unoccupied. "I think you'll find his situation interesting. And to be sure, he isn't one of the four missing students?"
Enthir blinks and looks at Ruby again, more intently. "I am not the best at the faces of men but I am fairly certain I have not seen this one before. Why would you suspect this?"
"This is not a glowing recommendation of him, if the best you have to say to entice me is that I'll want to satisfy my curiosity."
"I've only met the lad today, I don't have a very good recommendation. All I can say is that the situation is interesting."
Enthir keeps his gaze on Nelacar for a few seconds before turning to Ruby once again. "Show me what you can do."
winter_held
Well he doesn't have a list handy in his brain but there are the three spells he found the muscle memory for, so he can show them: one cast gets the sheen of Oakflesh on his skin, another creates a small barrier in front of his left hand, and the final one summons a flame floating above his right palm.
"Not bad. And your casting was pretty efficient, you've clearly studied these." Back to Nelacar. "Very well, old man, I'll return in the morning and take him with me."
"And you, darlin'?" she asks Ruby. She is clearly not entirely unfazed by all the nudity she's surrounded with, but she's still the kind of unfazed of someone used to dealing with mages' strange ways.
winter_held
Nelacar isn't saying anything so he'll probably cover this too. "I'm not too picky, anything to eat is fine." But he certainly is hungry, as he notices as soon as the question comes up. "And some water, too, please."
"Spells, indeed," says Nelacar. "The 'skin' family of spells is a more narrow and specific version of basic fire which warms you. Soothe, Bask, Revel, and so on, are spells and enchantments that protect you from the elements. But you arrived here nearly dead and with frostbite I had to heal so..."