[RP Log] Festival Night

The bell of a small tailor shop tinkled above its entrance door as a young fire codeling walked into the establishment, careful to shut the door behind them. Winter was coming in late this year, but there was still a little bit of a chill to the air, and they didn't want to freeze the ones inside. Fenrissa had told them they didn't need to wait outside and that they could just come in multiple times- the place was a shop, after all, customers did that all the time!- but it still made Rhyse hesitant, like they might be intruding. They did walk in anyways, though. The deer girl's grandmother was nestled onto a comfy looking chair not too far off, and they could see a whirlwind of blonde hair whisking through the back- probably Clarisse. "Hi Mrs. Foster, hi Miss Clarisse. Um... is Rissa here?"

--

Mrs. Foster sat in her cozy looking rocking chair, doing the most grandmotherly thing imaginable... she was knitting. Her eyes lit up when she saw Rhyse though, smiling warmly. "Hello Rhyse!" She greeted, and there was a small gasp from the back. "Ah, Rissa didn't mention you were coming by today, hang on sweetie!" Clarisse's voice rang out like a bell.

After about a moment, she appeared from the back, small, flat clothing box in hand. "I helped Rissa make these for you, she thought you might like them! Happy Holidays!" She said excitedly as Rissa descended the stairs, having seen Rhyse coming from the upstairs window and rushing to get her shoes on and hair combed. It had been about a year since the duo had met, and not much had changed. Rissa's growth seemed to be stunted and she was thinner than ever, but not terribly unhealthy looking. Maybe it was the glow in her eyes that lit up when she saw them that brought life to her entire face.

If Rhyse were to open the box, they would find a scarf and specially tailored gloves to be buckled around their claws, with a tag inside stating that "This shirt is 100% Guaranteed fireproof," but it could be assumed that the shirt became the accessories they were gifting to the codeling. A second small tag read "Love, Mrs. Foster, Clarisse and Rissa," though Rissa's small but neat script made it clear that she had decided to write everyone else's names in, a small heart punctuating the sentiment.

--

Though it was hard to see with their collar covering a good portion of their face, Rhyse smiled back at the old codeling woman before their attention switched to Clarisse. Rhyse was about to stammer out that they were sorry for coming in, and that they could come back another day, but the woman was already gone.

They gave a sheepish wave to Fenrissa from just inside the entrance of the shop, though they had stepped aside a couple feet in case a customer came in. What they hadn't expected, however, was a gift, even though they had little ones stashed in their pockets, one of which was stabbing them in the thigh a little bit. "I didn't wrap them because... umm... but..." Fishing them out of their pockets, Rhyse set a pair of metal knitting needles that were striped like candy canes on the table next to Mrs. Foster, silently hoping the metal wasn't too warm. They also gave Clarisse a pair of oven mitts decorated with little reindeer for the holidays, and gave Fenrissa a little clay rabbit figurine with a bow on one ear.

They were almost afraid to open their gift, but did so after a moment of hesitation. What was inside left them speechless, especially once they saw that they were fireproof. "I..." Rhyse clutched the gift to their chest, wanting to hug something but afraid to really hug anyone who was actually a person. Their voice got a little misty as they said, "Th-thank you. I really, really like it."

--

Mrs. Foster and Clarisse were elated, tears even swelling to Clarisse's eyes at the sentiment. They were just too sweet. They thanked the codeling extensively, waiting excitedly for them to open theirs.

Rissa didn't know what to say, a smile so wide it looked like her cheeks were getting a real workout. She was not only elated about her gift, which she placed gingerly on the counter as not to drop it, but boy was she excited to watch Rhyse open theirs. That material was hard to sew! So you could only imagine her face when they said they liked it... and then realized their voice was getting misty. She couldn't resist herself. She flung herself to hug them. After a year of knowing them, she felt confident in knowing that they could control themselves, even if they didn't believe it. But boy was she red when she realized she just threw herself into their arms. She went to pull away "I-I'm sorry!" she said quickly. But gosh were they warm.

--

Luckily or unluckily for Rhyse, their skin was warm enough to evaporate the water welling in their eyes before they spilled. They still weren't used to the family's kindness, of anyone's kindness, but they enjoyed it while they could.

To their surprise, Fenrissa ran up to hug them, and their face grew hot. Almost instinctively, their eyes snapped shut and they tensed up, not because they disliked being hugged, but because they were afraid. There was always this fear lurking in the back of their mind that they might burn someone else, especially with how many close calls they had. It was only a matter of time, but they weren't ready to say good-bye to anyone yet, so they fought the fire as much as they could. "I-It's okay!" They half-squeaked, trying not to think too hard about the fact that she smelled like clean clothes and vanilla.

--

Rissa smiled apologetically as a shiver ran up her spine, the cold hitting her harder now that there was a contrast between Rhyse and the temperature. She moved back around the counter where she generally kept herself a spare sweater in case she was working and it got too cold.

Slipping on the over-sized sweater over her long sleeved shirt, it really started to show how thin she had gotten, hip bones almost jutting to catch the bottom of the sweater, the only thing giving her any sort of shape. Her skirt draped down to right above her knees, tall socks underneath reaching to her mid thigh. It wasn't that cold for winter, but it was cold enough. She kissed her grandmother on the cheek and gave Clarisse a quick hug before throwing on a hat and starting out the door, Rhyse in tow. "I kind of forget... did we have plans to do anything specific?" she glanced sheepishly, already looking a little too chilly.

--

A pang of guilt hit Rhyse almost immediately after Fenrissa left their side, the feeling only deepening as they noticed that, health wise, it looked like she was getting worse. Rhyse had found out about it a few months into their friendship, and while they knew their wasn't anything they could do about it, they still felt awful about her deterioration. Clutching their gift tighter, they silently vowed they'd find something to help.

Without a word, they followed her, waving quietly at Clarisse and Mrs. Foster in farewell. Beside them, Fenrissa already looked like the cold was getting to her, and another pang prodded at them. Rhyse moved just the tiniest bit closer to her and offered an arm for her to link up with if she so chose to- that, at least, they believed they could stay cool about. "I don't think so- why, did you think of something?"

--

Rissa gingerly took their arm, moving her other hand to rest on their arm as well. Her hands were already like ice, but she smiled up at them nonetheless, seeming unbothered by the chill clearly hitting her through her clothing. "They're holding a winter carnival on the outskirts of town not too far away. We're celebrating a neighborhood being put up," she said brightly. Slowly but surely Shatterglass was being built back up, and recently the outskirts were becoming safer and safer to inhabit. "They finished, i think... two? Apartment buildings and a few streets of houses," she commented.

--

Fenrissa's fingers felt like ice against Rhyse's skin, which for most people would be a shock. For Rhyse, however, who reveled in the cold, it came as a bit of a relief, although they felt awful that she was that cold in the first place. If they could just control it better...

"Really?" Rhyse sounded surprised- they hadn't heard anything about new apartment buildings specifically, just that they were trying to rejuvenate the city... on the outskirts, at least. It was exciting, to say the least, although they weren't sure if anyone would actually live there. "Has anyone moved in yet?"

--

"I think they're trying to make it, like, government housing," she shrugged. smiling tiredly as they walked towards the location, carnival coming into their view. "I've never been to one of these! AND there's going to be fireworks! I've never seen those!"

Rissa was prattling on about how excited she was as the attraction drew nearer. She didn't even notice herself moving closer and closer to Rhyse.

--

Rhyse's mouth made a small 'o,' though the expression wasn't really caught due to the fact that the lower half of their face was always covered. Their visage turned visibly incredulous, however, at Fenrissa's mention of fireworks. "Really? Never?" Granted, fireworks were a bit uncommon in Shatterglass- its sister city, Prismshard, was much more famous for those- but even the cursed city had its sky light up with the explosives from time to time.

Still, they didn't press any further, not wanting to upset her- if this was her first time seeing fireworks, then, well, it would be an exciting first for her! At least, they hoped so. The metallic din of the city was traded for the hubbub of the festival- people's voices drifted from booths, beckoning those on the street to take a closer look at wares, to sample a specialty food, to try their hand at a carnival game. A tight knot formed in the pit of Rhyse's stomach as both people clustering together and Fenrissa herself subconsciously getting closer to them became apparent. Was it getting warmer? It had to be, the air seemed thinner and something uncomfortable flickered in Rhyse's core, whispering of being free. Straightening their back, they did their best to ignore it and instead tried to focus on Rissa's rambling. "What do you want to look at first?"

--

Rissa nodded. She didn't mind sharing. "I was always a little sick when I was growing up," she admitted. "I wasn't supposed to make it to 8 years old, but here I am! So I've really never been able to leave the house to see them, and I didn't have the best view from my window," she said simply. "But it's okay, because now I get to see them for the first time with my best friend," she grinned widely.

But she had known Rhyse long enough now. She could feel their heat getting a little hotter and them getting slightly more nervous, so she pointed out a booth kind of out of the way, which was pretty empty. "There! They're doing fortune telling!" and boy you could swear she'd never been more excited in her entire life. Then again, everything she said sounded like that.

--

"Oh." Right- Rhyse kept forgetting that Fenrissa's health kept her from experiencing a lot in life. It didn't sound like it bothered her much based on the tone of her voice, but something told Rhyse there was more to it than that. It must be terribly boring to be cooped up in the house all the time. At least for Rhyse, they were able to run around the outskirts, even if they had no one to talk to for a while. Just as they were about to apologize, Fenrissa's words struck them hard as a much more comfortable warmth spread through their chest. Best friend? Was that even possible? They must have heard her wrong, but they were silently grinning from ear to ear all the same, hiding their face in their scarf.

The salamander codeling followed Fenrissa's gaze out from the folds of their scarf to the divination booth. How could they say no when she sounded so happy? "Okay, let's go!" So they headed over to the booth, a chill running down Rhyse's spine as they stepped into the tent. Maybe it was the large eye motif that was on the sign, or perhaps the fact that the lighting on the inside was so much dimmer than out on the street, but something gave Rhyse pause, made them wary. Suddenly, they weren't really sure if this was such a great idea anymore, but they didn't dare ask to leave and disappoint Fenrissa.

--

Fenrissa pulled them in and the atmosphere was suddenly different. It was cool, as if the teller had been expecting Rhyse's arrival, but not too cold for Fenrissa. A woman with beautiful silver hair and matching eyes with light brown skin sat behind a table. There were a few chairs laid out before it, and the woman gave a warm welcome and gestured them to sit down, and so they did.

The woman's eyes focused in on Fenrissa first. "I'm going to do a palm reading for you," she stated, not asking what Fenrissa would like, as if knowing already what was best for her. "Tarot may be better for you, if you would like." She didn't talk like any sort of mystic, but her eyes did flash between them for a moment, looking at Rhyse. "Would you like?"

--

The atmosphere of the booth made their grip on the girl's arm tighten ever so slightly out of apprehension, though they tried not to cling too closely. Nothing in particular stuck out as out of the ordinary or downright terrifying, but the feeling wouldn't leave the codeling all the same.

Why did this woman assume so much? Rhyse supposed it was because she claimed to see the future, but it still made them nervous. Would Fenrissa really want the palm reading? Was a tarot reading really best? Rhyse didn't really have much of a palm, their claws were... weird, but Rhyse wasn't familiar with any of this stuff. "I, umm," their eyes darted around the room, flickering to Fenrissa before reluctantly settling on the woman. "I.. I guess so."

--

And so she began. It was a longer reading than Fenrissa had expected, the woman starting first with Rhyse, promising a future full of happiness, safety, and, obviously, warmth. Fenrissa's palm reading was similar, with the comment that her life would be "short but great," a comment which made her normal smile falter.

Before they left, the woman took Fenrissa's other hand in her's, looking at her with a serious intensity. "You two are fated to help each other. Make sure you do it well," with that comment, she looked at Rhyse. "She can help you control it. So can I, if you'd like," she said, sliding a mysterious looking card across the table. With an unnecessary flair, she lifted up her hand and blew into it like something was resting on her palm. Snow blinded the pair for a second and when it cleared up, she was gone. Sure, she had just crawled away into the back of her booth, but hey... she had to drum up business somehow.

Fenrissa, snow resting on her eyelashes and in her hair, looked absolutely astounded by the magic trick. "You pick next!!"

--

A feeling of dread worried its way into the pit of Rhyse's stomach and demanded their attention, writhing frantically. There was no way the woman was telling the truth about them- there would be no such future for them. The dismal thoughts managed to wrench away from fixating on that, however, moving instead to Fenrissa. Short...? What did that mean? Fenrissa was sick, sure, but surely she couldn't mean...?

Rhyse shook their head. No. Fenrissa was alright, this lady didn't know what she was talking about. She couldn't, if she got both their futures wrong. Just as Rhyse was about to accept that as fact and move on, the woman threw one more curve ball. "I-I don't know w-what you mean." But they couldn't meet the woman's eyes, not looking up until the woman disappeared in a small, white flurry.

The breath of cold air was refreshing to the codeling, but they didn't process their friend's words right away. Rhyse could feel a small bloom of hope in their chest and was trying desperately to kill it before it was too late. The last time they trusted in something like this, they, they... no, Rhyse couldn't go back to that. They couldn't go back to the loneliness, not like that. They wouldn't. And they couldn't hurt Fenrissa. They wouldn't... right?

Rhyse could not answer with certainty.

--

Rissa looked a little worried, biting on her lip lightly as she placed a hand on their arm. "Hey, It's ok, it's ok!" she assured quietly but calmly. A man appeared before the two, tall and intimidating, something was tucked behind his back, but it wasn't clear what quite yet. He attempted a smile, "You, uh, gotta go kids," he suggested.

Rissa stood, pulling Rhyse along with her as they stepped back into the cold. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want," she left it at that, worry and concern dancing across her green eyes and matching the small unsure frown on her lips.

--

Rhyse snapped out of their thoughts with a start, wriggling uncomfortably as they felt a trail of invisible fire spike up their spine. They followed Fenrissa out of the booth numbly, trying to shove their worry down. Talking about it terrified the codeling, despite the amount of trust they had in the girl. What if she left when she found out how out of control they could be? Sure, they've warned her before, but it never seemed like she fully grasped the gravity of the situation.

The amount of concern in the girl's eyes shot a pang of guilt through Rhyse's chest. She didn't need to worry about them so much. Taking a shaky breath, they forced a smile onto their face, although with the scarf wound tight around them, it was hard to tell. "Sorry, I'm alright, I'm fine. Um..." Trying to redirect her attention, Rhyse pointed out the first booth they could find: one of those games where you squirt water into a button to make the horse, or rabbit, or whatever move in a race. "There's a game over there! We could, uh, try it!"

--

Rissa didn't seem faked out by the smile, or the diversion, though it would have been hard for anyone to believe that. But she let it go, diverting her attention because that's what the codeling wanted, and she didn't want to make them uncomfortable or anything. She risked a quick hand squeeze before letting go, afraid of upsetting them.

Rissa was terrible at this game. The person working the booth had never gotten so wet on accident before, and Rissa felt so badly for him, but i'ts who she was. She was all bad aim and clumsy moves and big smiles. But at the moment, she was too worried to be that last part.

--

The knot in Rhyse's stomach only got worse as Fenrissa failed to be convinced by Rhyse's... admittedly not so convincing words. Honestly they wished she hadn't let go of their claw- the touch was really comforting, but their fear bogged it down, so instead of reaching out, they simply tried to drown their worries in a cutesy racing game.

Rhyse was only marginally better at it than Fenrissa was- though they didn't soak the man, they weren't exactly great at getting the water into the little hole either. The horse teetered along with sporadic, jerky movements, leagues behind the three other players save for Fenrissa. They played a couple rounds regardless, despite no real improvement, before moving on. "Your turn." They piped up, albeit quietly, afraid now that Fenrissa might be upset. She was usually so smile-y, after all: but now her lips were pressed in a worried line and her face looked far too serious to fit her. It was strange, and they didn't like it, didn't like that they might be the reason why she looked that way, but they didn't know how to fix it.

--

A few more booths, some games, etc. went by, and then the sun began to set. Rissa's smile had returned throughout the day and she stood now before Rhyse with a smile, far more cotton candy than anyone could really ever eat, and a teddy bear that she won... from the duck pond. She was so happy when she flipped over the small duck to reveal the "lg" on the bottom, gaining her an overstuffed teddy bear.

There was an announcement for the fireworks beginning soon. "Oh! I looked yesterday! There's a really good place for this!!!" and boy, was she excited. She led the two of them out of the way to a small park, which looked like it had been restored to make the area more appealing and child-friendly. There was even a small pond, and right beside it, a blanket was set up. "I uh... I set it up before you came to get me! I just thought, uh..." She blushed lightly. She had developed a little flame for the little flame over the past year, even if she wasn't so ready to admit it.

"Just because then I can see the fireworks on the water, so I can see them twice, and it'll be really cool, and there wont be so many people so you wont have to be worried, and we can just relax and watch the fireworks!" she blurted out, speaking quickly without pausing. She was beaming and blushing, sticky cotton candy residue on and in the general vicinity of her lips.

--

Rhyse didn't know how to feel; all day they fluctuated between forgetting about everything and actually being happy, and the worry sneaking up and settling in again, watching, waiting. But it was alright, they tried to tell themselves; they couldn't ignore the flares of heat that danced along their spine or across their face and shoulders, or the one that burned in their chest and threatened to erupt outwards, but they weren't bad. They would just hold out long enough for the fireworks show, make sure Fenrissa got home alright, and then figure out how to deal with it afterwards. Probably.

The knot in the pit of their stomach didn't reassure them all that much, though.

They followed Fenrissa to this place that they spoke of regardless, eyes widening as they tried to make sense of it. She did all this and wanted them to be a part of it? It didn't make sense, no matter what way they sliced it. Fenrissa was too sweet to be doing this as a joke, but...

Her smile was back in full swing, sending butterflies to try and ease the knot. They were glad for the darkness, because they were almost positive they were blushing, as well. They couldn't leave, not yet, they wanted to see her smile for as long as they were able. "No no, it's a good spot! You can see the sky clearly here," they replied, not able to help the fact that they were smiling, too. Maybe everything would be alright, after all.

--

They watched the fireworks, and wonder and amazement glistened in Rissa's eyes. The cold air caused her to slowly, almost noticeably move towards Rhyse, until they were sitting with their arms brushing. In an ironic twist of fate, Rhyse seemed to be frozen, but Rissa didn't notice. As the fireworks show ended, the fawn girl made a very important and slightly impulsive decision.

She couldn't bring herself to look at them, so she kept her eyes on the pond, watching the reflection of the smoke dissipating from the sky. "I, uh, want to tell you something...." she began, mumbling slightly. Her stomach was in a knot, her chest felt shallow, oh god why did she make the decision to do this tonight? "This past year has been.... awesome, really. I've never had a better friend than you, you know? But, uh... I don't want this to ruin our friendship...." she got quieter and quieter as she went on. Her face was beet red. Jesus christ did movies romanticize this shit. There was a lengthy pause.

--

Frozen was a pretty good word to describe them in that moment. They hardly dared to move for fear of messing up somehow, trying so very hard to focus on the fireworks. They were gorgeous, they really were, but slowly traces of heat started flickering across their skin, boiling their blood like fire in their veins. Their nerves were not helping the matter; they were supposed to wait, couldn't they chill out for just a half hour more? Not to mention Fenrissa kept getting closer to them and her skin was so cold, why was she so cold? And then she started talking and she sounded so... so put off. Like she couldn't get the words out. And- oh.

Oh.

Rhyse's heart missed a beat. Was she... trying not to be friends anymore? Had they done something wrong? They risked the briefest of glances to look at her and what they saw was not reassuring- Fenrissa looked nervous. Really nervous. Their stomach dropped to their feet. They should have known, how could they have been so stupid?

"N-no, I get it." Rhyse muttered, withdrawing from the girl. A harsh mix of hot and cold collided in their chest, an unsettling feeling that caused Rhyse to clutch the fabric over their heart with a claw. It was getting worse, smoke was starting to leak from the patches of salamander skin on their face and shoulders, but Rhyse couldn't deal with that right now. "It's not your fault, I... I should have known earlier," Their voice was no long nervous but dejected, not finding in themselves to even look at the girl.

--

Rissa's eyes widened. Rejection. She should have known. She should have known she should have known oh god and now she ruined their friendship. This was her best friend, and she had ruined it. Rissa shivered, the loss of heat at her side and the tears that felt like they might turn to ice leaking from her eyes. She finally spared a look at Rhyse.

"F-forget it! Pretend I didn't say anything!" she squeaked nervously, but reached out, unsure but not wanting to touch the codeling in fear of them becoming more upset with her. "I don't want to lose you as a friend," her voice was shaking now, and she stood up abruptly- too abruptly. She slipped and slid through the mud and up to her knees in the pond, this was the most embarrassing moment of her entire life.

So she stood there, tears in her eyes, mud on her knit sweater and in her hair, shivering and shaking. "I'm sorry, I thought.... I didn't...."

--

The fire codeling's eyes squeezed shut as Fenrissa squeaked, tears welling at the base of their eyes. Until- what? She didn't want to lose them? Rhyse slowly, slowly opened their eyes, just in time to see Fenrissa slide knees-first into the pond. Only then did they realize she was crying, the shake of her shoulders apparent even with the distance and dim lighting.

Oh no. They messed up big time, but they were struggling to calm down enough to actually do anything to fix it. Their heart felt weird and it was hot, it was way too hot, but they had to make sure she was okay. Getting to their feet, they took a couple steps forward but made absolutely sure not to step into the pond. The cold mud felt nice against the soles of their feet, but it wasn't enough to keep anything at bay, not anymore. Still, they remained. "You... don't want to not be friends?" Their voice was hesitant and shaky, afraid that they might have misheard.

--

"What? No! Well, yes! I mean.... wait..." she tried to catch her breath, but her breaths were short from the cold, chest tight for more than one reason now as she looked up at Rhyse, something she really never had to do. "I just...." the red across her cheeks contrasted her blue lips and chattering teeth, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

"I wanted to know..." she took a deep, shaky breath as she looked down. "I just wanted to know if you.... wanted to.... go on a date...." by the end of the statement she was practically whispering. She felt like just going right under the water and dying on the spot, she was so ashamed.

--

Rhyse's expression became muddled as Fenrissa tried to get the words out. They noticed the blue lips and she looked so cold, but they were burning and they wished it was as easy as evening things out, but they didn't dare reach out to touch her- they would burn her if they did and they couldn't- they wouldn't- "I-"

"I can't, I can't I can't I can't-" They sunk down into the mud, claws covering their face and gripping their hair as the smoke got worse. "I don't wanna hurt you, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I can't hurt you, I- I-" their voice fell silent as a lump in their throat formed. Finally the tears began to fall, causing vapor on their skin.

--

Rissa was worried. She didn't really care about how dumb she looked, Rhyse needed her, And so with a little bit of a struggle she trudged back up through the mud until she was kneeling right before them. "Hey, hey," she whispered, voice more confident now. She placed one hand on their upper arm, on a patch-less piece of skin. She knew well enough not to touch where it was steaming.

"Its going to be okay, it might not feel like it right now, but it's going to be," her voice was gentle as her other hand mimicked the first.

--

Rhyse jumped as a cold hand brushed against their skin, their first instinct to pull away conflicting with the relief that she was still here. They still couldn't find any words, so their head merely shook from side to side, keeping their claws clutched against their head, the edges digging into their scalp. If their claws didn't move, they couldn't burn her, right? They ignored the weird jittery sensation in the tips of their fingers, and the fact that it felt like the world was spinning, despite being rooted to the spot.

Slowly, their breathing stilled, and although the heat was still there and the world still didn't want to hold still, they at least found their voice enough to croak out: "I-It's not safe. I'm not safe, I might hurt you o-or,-" they cut themselves off suddenly, standing up. Without a word, they hurried over to the edge of the pond and submerged their head and shoulders into the water, immediately regretting it. The air rushed from their lungs, traveling surfacebound in the form of bubbles before they yanked their head out again. For once, they were the ones shivering, both relieved and disturbed by the fact that they felt... cold? Was this what it felt like? They struggled to comprehend it, sitting numbly on the bank as they tried to refocus on the world around them.

--

Rissa's eyes widened and she rushed forward, worried was an understatement. "Oh no, oh no..." she said quickly. From behind them, she pushed them up into a sitting position, feeling how cold they were. So she did for them what she did for herself when she felt cold.

Tugging her sweater over her head and maneuvering it around her antlers, she pulled it over Rhyse's head, not worrying about arm holes. She added her hat to top it off, which left her sitting there in her long sleeve shirt, skirt socks and shoes as she sat behind them, holding them and hoping to help warm them up. "Why would you do that? Are you going to be okay? You're ice cold," she panicked quietly, squeezing tighter. All she knew was that Rhyse was not meant to to be cold. And right now, she herself couldn't even feel it.

--

For the first time in their friendship, Rhyse did not shy away from Fenrissa's touch but actively clung to her- they knew it was strange that she was warmer than them for once, but they were shivering so badly that they just curled into her, glad for any source of warmth. "I-I-I-'m ok-k-k-kay." they replied, teeth chattering. The world was weird and slowed down now, though they were glad it finally stopped moving so much.

Still, it wasn't enough, and they were vaguely aware that Fenrissa being warmer was wrong. With shaky hands they moved their scarf away from their face and let out a puff of air, frowning when it was only that- air. They didn't have any fire. "W-w-we gotta-" they looked around, trying to find any place that they could both warm up. In the distance, they could see the lights of the festival again. Wordlessly, they tried pointing towards it before struggling to stand, trying to pull Fenrissa up with them and failing miserably. They were too wobbly, their limbs too shaky.

--

And for the first time in their friendship, Rissa was completely sure and calculated in her movements. Pulling them upwards with Rhyse's help, they made their way towards the lights, Rissa's socks hardening and freezing as they moved forward, her knees almost locking up as the pair walked on. When they got there, many of the booths were closing down and people were leaving. But Rissa saw a light out of the corner of her eyes, and pulled them in that direction.

Entering the small, warm tent, the codelings were met with a pair of supervised silver eyes. "I didn't mean that short," she said, any sense of wonder or mystic that was in her voice while she was giving the reading gone. She just sounded... normal, and startled. In a moment, the two were wrapped in something dark and warm and... feathery? A tall man stood besides them, a long wing extended and wrapped around them. "Come, come," the not-so-mysterious woman said as they were led through and out the back end of the tent, where a van was parked. The back doors were opened and a makeshift fire pit was set up with two camping chairs around it.

The woman revved up the fire as the man sat the two down, moving the chairs closer together and throwing a large blanket over the two of them. Storm leaned down and looked at Rhyse, feeling their head. "What do you need?" she asked, her voice anything but gentle. It appeared the odd couple were camped out there for the night, in the outskirts of Shatterglass.

--

Rhyse stumbled along with her, clinging to her like the water droplets that clung to their hair. They were too out of it to notice anything amiss with Fenrissa, or else they would not be as stupidly calm as they were now. They barely registered that they had entered a tent- let alone the same tent that they had visited earlier in the day- until dark feathers draped across them.

Only then did Rhyse move slightly closer to Fenrissa, not out of fear but of worry. Neither of these people were hurting her- that thought persisted even through the grogginess in their mind as they were led over to a-

Fire. Fire! Never in their life had Rhyse been so excited to see flames before, or glad to be quickly settled down in front of it. Something warm- a blanket, maybe?- fell in bundles around them and Fenrissa, and although they curled it around themselves happily, they still kept Fenrissa close, eyeing the others warily. It wasn't until the silver-haired woman asked them a question that a flicker of recognition passed across their face. Slowly, they relaxed, their shivering easing slightly. They struggled to come up with a reply, though, their brain still foggy as their gaze slid to their friend. "I'm ok-kay, but Rissa, s-s-s-she-" they paused, realizing they still had her sweater and hat. They hurriedly took off the hat and carefully placed it back on her head, but they couldn't yet remove the sweater without sacrificing the blanket and exposing them both to the cold, so they reluctantly hung onto that.

--

Rissa, now knowing they were safe and warming up, slowly froze up, eyes glazing over slightly. Her ears and nose were red and shiny, but her fingers were pale, cold and shaking. She didn't even want to know what her toes looked like. Safiya wasn't sure what to do, but she knew she had to do something, so she tried to lead Rissa over to the open van, where it looked as if piles of clothes were sitting inside.

But upon standing, Rissa just fell forward, body having cut off circulation to parts off her body that she wasn't using right away. So Itsuki scooped her up easily and placed her gently in the back of the van, where Safiya joined and pulled a curtain shut, but left the doors open. When the curtain was opened again, she was in fluffy, dry and oversized clothes but Safiya looked shaken.

Itsuki cradled the small fawn girl in his arms, sitting in front of the fire with her as she shivered and shook as Safiya looked at Rhyse. "Do you know where she lives? She's not so well," she said quietly. Rissa still didn't look quite there, but Itsuki was rubbing her hands between his, trying to stimulate circulation again.

It reminded him of when he first met Safiya. He was quiet, but his presence felt warm and safe there. "R-r-r-rhyse.... Wheres Rhyse, is Rhyse ok?" she mumbled quietly, not even opening her eyes.

--

Rhyse blanched as it slowly dawned on them that Fenrissa was not, in fact, alright. They weren't sure whether to try and keep her steady or to retract their hands, as they've clearly done enough damage. In the end, they let the winged man bring her to the van, drawing the blanket tighter around them as their heart hurt at the sight of her. They had tried to prevent her from getting hurt and yet they still managed to mess everything up. Couldn't they do anything right?

Upon being asked if they knew where she lived, they nodded, shakily getting to their feet. "509 Beacon Street." they managed to say. "Clarisse is there, she might- ...might know what to do."

Despite her calling out for them, Rhyse dared not approach at first, head tucked nervously into their scarf and drawing the blanket close around them. They couldn't, they'd just hurt her again and- 

...they had to stop doing this. They had to stop thinking they could never have friends like this- it wasn't fair to people like Fenrissa. She deserved so much more than this.

It was only once they realized they were starting to feel hot, did they realize that writhing in self-hatred might not be the most productive thing to do. Fenrissa needed help, they couldn't sit here and be useless. If they were hot again... then so was the blanket. Taking a deep breath, they walked over to where Itsuki and Fenrissa, giving it one last squeeze before draping the blanket back over her, hoping it would help. They weren't quite as warm as they normally were, but they were warm- at least maybe for once in Rhyse's life it could be of some use instead of a nuisance. "I'm here Rissa, I'm okay."

--

In the time it took Rhyse to feel confident enough to come over, Rissa started to warm up and become her old self. And gosh was that blanket warm, but she could think of something warmer. Leaning awkwardly so she was still sitting in Itsuki's lap, Rissa wrapped her arms around Rhyse's mid drift, head resting against her soft sweater which they still wore. "I think I'm okay... can you take me home?" she said quietly.

Safiya saw the look in Rhyse's eyes and slowly gestured, doing an exaggerated breath in, then out. Then in, them out. She had been through this enough that she knew a thing or two.

--

Rhyse didn't have a chance to back up in time. To be fair, they hadn't been expecting Fenrissa to reach out for them like that, and a panic set in their eyes. By sheer luck, their gaze met Safiya and decided to mimic her, taking a deep breath in, letting the air rush back out of their lungs.

It might have been the breathing, or it might have been the fact that they themselves were not fully warmed up either, but their temperature remained comfortable, no scorching at all. As dangerous as it was for them to douse themselves with cold water, not being able to regenerate fire right away was probably for the best right now. They moved the blanket back over the girl's shoulders before resting their arms as best as they could around her, given the awkward position. Even the points on Fenrissa's antlers that lightly dug into their side didn't cause them to move. All the while, their gaze kept darting to Safiya and Itsuki. Were they doing this right?

Only once they received some sort of reassurance that this wasn't a terrible idea did they look back to their friend- in the firelight, they could probably count the freckles on her face, but they had more important things to worry about. "Mhmm, we'll get you home." 

As much as they hated to ask for any more assistance from the two psychic folk- they'd done so much already- Rhyse didn't want to risk having them walk home again and her temperature drop once more. "I'm sorry, but umm... would you be able to drive us back? She only lives a couple blocks away, but..." they looked down at her again, saw the blue tinge to her lips and felt the tremors that still ran down her arms.

--

In the middle of Rhyse speaking, the sound of a van engine starting up pierced the night air. Storm was behind the wheel, gesturing for Itsuki to hurry up. Itsuki picked up Rissa once again, who whined in protest but reached out and managed to grab one of Rhyse's claws, and the three of them climbed into the back of the van.

A lot happened: most of the night would be a blur for Rissa and possibly Rhyse. It ended with Rissa having to go to the hospital when Clarisse revealed that her toes were a deep blue, gradienting back to nearly normal skin color up her legs. Rissa refused to let go of the other codeling's hand until they arrived at the hospital and were forced to separate- family only. Frostbite, Hypothermia, but nothing she wouldn't recover from. Clarisse approached Rhyse, smiling lightly.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

--

Rhyse remained put all the while Fenrissa held onto their claw, worry clearly on their face as they were rushed back. The van ride was certainly a blur, the van lurching and screeching uncomfortably and more than once the codeling thought they would vomit. Somehow, though, they managed to hold it in and keep Fenrissa from banging her head or get tossed around like a ragdoll. It wasn't until Clarisse took over back at home and they were rushed to the hospital that Rhyse dared to leave the girl's side, and that was only because the hospital forbade it.

Sitting out in the waiting room, however, Rhyse had time to reflect and make a decision. So once Clarisse came out of the hospital room and let Rhyse know what the prognosis was, they got to their feet and shuffled nervously. "Thank you, Miss Clarisse, but umm... I-I think I should be able to walk back home okay. I know the way from here." they replied quietly, afraid to meet the woman's eyes. "Can you just tell Rissa I said I'm sorry? I'm really, really sorry." Before Clarisse had a chance to reply, they spun around and left, hoping she wouldn't try to pursue them at all. They knew Fenrissa would be upset at first but it was for the best that they not see her, ever- they couldn't let her get hurt like this ever again.

They shoved their claws into their pockest, shocked to feel a small slip of paper in there. Pulling it out, they saw the silver-haired woman's card that they didn't remember putting in there in the first place. Apparently, they had a shop in Sapphiir. "So can I, if you'd like," rang in their head. Perhaps they would take that woman up on her offer.