Icy Destinations (Relaunch)

[Rayleonarde]

Ray ducked into the ship and quickly doused the tiny furnace on his back. He undid his hood and dropped it, looking around the ship in awe.

[Michen_S]

The red panda continued his journey home, going on in the freeze. Thank goodness it wasn't far anymore. During his walk, he passed right by a factory of some sort. He didn't know what was going on in there, but he could almost feel the warmth of the factory, gently blowing in his direction. Whatever was going on in there, it had to be HOT there.He didn't want to bother with warming up right now though. He could do that plenty at home. With this in mind, the red panda threaded onwards, his boots leaving deep tracks in the snow.

[Aldrea945]

The copper and wood insides of the ship gleamed in the low light of the lamps.  It was a hodgepodge or materials and finishes, much like the outside, but felt warm in both the most literal and figurative ways.  A coat closet slip closed beside Ray.  They’d be going out soon anyway.

The hall turned just a few feet in, with a door on one side and a longer hall leading aft.  The door looked like a proper steel one for once, and lead to the entire back part of the ship.  A second door, less nocable as a pocket door, was right at the end before the bend.

Kikara shook her fur out.  Snow floated to the mismatched wood fur.  “Don’t believe we did.  I’m Kikara.  We can’t stay long, but get some feeling back.  We’re headed up the road,” she said, glancing out at Wilco.  Strange duck.  Hopefully he wouldn’t melt inside later on.

---

Deilori trotted out into the hall of the brownstone, heading straight up a tiny stairwell on the wall.  She much fancied not being squished under Victor’s boots when he came out.

Oh, how she’d miss this lovely little house.  It was so large and warm and her lady had been so accommodating.  Now, granted, her ability to attract help of… disreputable intent may have been to blame.  It made for cheap workers.

No matter.  Only the future to think of.

---

‘Damn this snow! Can’t see a bloody thing.’  Of course she couldn’t, not in the dark of the southern alleys.  Few lights, even street lights, had survived the feuds between the Winter Warnings and the Martielians.  She’d been hoping the moon would show for once.

The beautiful maned wolf moved fast, darting around corners, ducking fallen poles, and leaping fences as easy as breathing.  This was her rhythm.  Night only slowed her enough to catch the shape of her tail, the cloud of her breath.  No need to stay for anything else.

She had a ship captain to catch.

Her boot clad paws ghosted on thicker ice whenever it presented itself.  She’d just need to be out of the ally and onto the road for a bit.

She went so fast she didn’t see the red panda ahead of her in time to turn.

[Ara Av-Toa]

Pyro sighed. He had enough of the cold already. At least he could get his wand charged just a bit. He replied, "Aw, man... Sigh. I guess it can't be helped. Either way, name's Pyro. Nice ship you got here, Kikara."

[Inb4Cloaker]

At last, it was time to deploy. The feline nodded and gave a half thumbs up towards the smaller mouse, confirming that he understood.

“I’ll be there.” Was all he said before she left, the feline rotating his head slightly to watch her vanish down the hall.

With that, the Tabaxi slipped back and eased the door to a silent close, stepping back into the room and making any final adjustments to his gear. Biting his lip, he cautiously plucked the flag from the wall, showing respect as he folded it and slipped it into the small backpack that contained the rest of his goods. After picking up the pack, he slung his tempered machete and glanced out the window one final time.

The snow wouldn’t end, apparently. So much for rolled sleeves. Deliberately, He unrolled and cuffed the sleeves of his apparel before withdrawing a black and grey checkered cloth from his cargo pocket. For now, he wrapped the cloth around his neck like a scarf. When it came time to depart, he’d most likely have to drop the beret and wrap his head with it completely. While the beret was nice, it wasn’t practical for the cold.

Feeling as though he was ready, Victor proceed to walk out the room, striding down the hall and tapping on his machete lightly as he made way to the sitting room. He hoped dinner would be good tonight. Granted, it was usually good every night, but maybe it would be even better since they were about to leave. Something told him rations would be most of his diet while traveling.

And alcohol. He just had to keep his ordinance and booze separated this time. He wasn’t going to repeat a past incident.

Shuddering at the thought, he walked into the sitting room and took a moment to gently lower his pack. Natural intuition urged him not to be throwing his gear around all over the place like he was earlier in his private quarters. After a moment of scanning the area and adjusting the sheath for his machete, he spotted his boss and gave an enthusiastic smile. As per his nature, he gave a proud, albeit slightly sarcastic greeting.

“Well hello there, you look like a ray of sunsh-“ Just before finishing his sentence, one of the small, black powder charges fell out of an unsecured pouch on his vest. Hitting the ground with a quiet, harmless thud, Victor looked at the grey wolf, the ordinance, and back again. Frozen in place for a few moments, he smiled with a bit of guilt and hesitantly said;

“That could have been worse.” After nudging it behind his pack and out of sight with his boot, he slipped his hands in his pockets, deliberately moving past his clumsy moment as he asked.

“So what’s the plan?”

[Aldrea945]

Creya’s mousey assistant trotted along as she talked, skirts in hand.  “My lady will give you more information, but she has been tasked with moving a prisoner to Arsirian Prison.  She is… special, and you will need your… accessories,” she said, large ears and black nose twitching.  “Of course, she’s also been commissioned with finding a new spot for a city, so you will not be bored, dear.”

---

Kikara preened, puffing up a bit.  She could enjoy a nice compliment.  “Well, thank you.  She’s my baby, just without my fur,” she said.  Thunder drowned her attempt for another comment and her ears flattened.  Snowy thunderstorm tonight?  That was not something she wanted to fly in if she could help it…

The ship creaked to agree, pulling her attention to her cargo.  Maybe she could sell it at the next port.  She knew it well enough to find her usual merchants.

“We need to move.  Will any of you need more layers?  It’s close, but not fun.”

---

Whiskers slid over the ice with a yowl.  Her claws dug into the cracks and tail lashed over the snow in the street.  “S***!”  No, no, not into the-

A crack and splash sent her into the far ditch of dirty cleaning water with a howl of shock.  Why couldn’t it have frozen yet?!  It was bloody cold enough, wasn’t it?

[Ara Av-Toa]

Pyro smiled at Kikara's remark. When she told him it would be harsh, not needing more encouragement, he pulled some clothing from his suitcase and doubled on his layers. He also took out a thick winter cap and put his hat over it. "I just don't like being seen without my hat," he explained.