Private - The path of least assistance

A soft crunch of ice beneath light boots filled the air with the song of winter turning over into spring. A much needed respite from the bitter cold, though this far north, the bite of the frigid north was never fully staved when one was outside. Whatever dew might have clung to the grasses and trees at dawn were instead a glittering sea of ice. In short, it was very cold, and Rat did not enjoy it in the slightest.

Despite the lack of any particularly warming garments, the woman trudged through the forest with little discomfort. Though he skin was a bit more pink than it ought to be due to the chill in the air, she did not seem to shiver. In fact, her breath did not even come out in plumes as she walked along. Rather, any of the thin ice that came within a few feet of her began to glisten and melt if she lingered for longer than a moment. Unseen, but surely felt by the nature she passed, the woman had created a barrier of warmth using her magic, and with it was staving off the worst of the cold.

She sighed, hoping for some sort of mile marker or directional indicator that might point her towards the city, knowing she'd find none. Honestly, that's what they needed: proper roads, with proper traffic. Not this constant "plodding down a dirt path and getting lost in the woods" nonsense.

@Vas Schneider

 

The sweet satisfying crunch of the snow beneath one's feet, Vas could smell the chill of the air around him and it elated him. Despite barely wearing much in terms of clothing, this reminded him of the real world and the sensation of russian winter. Oh the joy to see the landscape covered in a blanket of white, nothing could replace that! It was as if the world was intended to reach a state of complete zero, of blank white that left for so much possibility!

However, Vas was not traveling by regular means, in fact he wasn't even on solid ground! Due to the forests density and strong branches, Vas was jumping from tree branch to tree branch to cover more ground. He had to be mindful of his footfalls and which had slippery snow on them but other than that it was fairly smooth sailing! His golden eyes stared up ahead, focused on the target location, the city that wasn't far from here that he was planning on visiting.

Well, he normally would've been purely focused on that objective if it wasn't for something else catching his eyes down below. Eventually stopping short on one of the trees, the tattoo adorned boy glanced down and saw a woman traveling on her lonesome. From the distance, there was hardly any tell that it was a girl or a man but Vas didn't really give a damn about gender anyway.

With a leap downwards, Vas began to land on the branches leading down towards the safety of the ground before finally landing on solid footing right in front of Rat. A grin was laced upon his lips and given his appearance he likely looked like a bandit of all things. He rose a hand and waved it from side to side before speaking up.

Heh, what are you doing all the way out here? I didn't expect to run into anyone on my way to town. Are ya lost? If you'd like we could travel together... oh, the name is Vas by the way! Don't worry I ain't here to cause you any trouble.

@Rat

 

Rat's travels came to an abrupt halt as a man leaped down before her from out of the branches of some nearby trees, blocking her path, and causing her eyes to go wide. He introduced himself with something of a flourish and inquired as to whether she were lost; promising that they could travel together as companions and that he meant her no trouble. Well that was good! Trouble was a bad thing, and if he had meant her trouble, then she'd have had to trouble him right back.

Standing upon the ice-strewn path, the woman regarded him through her one good eye, the left eye covered by an eyepatch made of bandages which wrapped about her head. Her clothing, though far from luxurious, was still of an exceptionally fine make and its rough appearance belied its true quality. But grandest of all, the staff in her hand which she used as a walking stick, was made of a fine oak, unadorned. There were no carvings or trinkets, no baubles or gems to adorn its face and impress others. But if one looked carefully, the grain of the wood almost glowed ever so dimly as it was clutched in her hand, as if magic were simply waiting to radiate from out of it at her behest. It was this stick that she pointed at Vas, tapping him in the chest with it while he stood before her.

"Boop, you're dead!" she exclaimed in a simple and matter-of-fact manner as the head of the staff thumped against his pectorals with nothing more than an annoying thud.
"Nice to meet you Vas; I could have just killed you if you were here to cause me trouble. Good thing you're not! Otherwise I'd have to make you just like that bear,"
Gesturing off to the side, she indicated the edge of the path to her left, or Vas's right, where there was no bear. In fact, there wasn't really anything at all. Either she was very peculiar, or else the implied threat was that because there was no bear, there could just as easily be no @Vas Schneider if she wanted.

"My name is Rash, I'm on my way into town same as you it seems, and yes I'm very much lost. I thought I'd find my way by using the sun to navigate, but it keeps moving in the sky the longer I travel, which really busts my chaps. Fucker just won't stay still and work as a navigation point. Is that why you were climbing trees? To stare at the sun? You can't stare too long or it'll burn your eyes out. That's not what happened to me though. I lost my eye a totally different way. Did you lose your forehead? Is that why you wear a bandanna over it? Is it like the tale of Bluebeard where if I remove the bandanna your head falls off? Or... the top half of your head? I like you, you're weird."

 

There was no reply for a few moments, the woman likely staring him over for a few seconds before then there was a bump of her staff hitting his chest before she spoke out and told him that he was now dead. A grin slipped at the corners of his mouth, definitely amused by hearing such a thing but it wasn't as if she were lying. Had she been some kind of enemy sorceress, he'd definitely be dead right now given that she could have blasted him with some kind of voodoo magic and caused him to die right then and there. Thankfully she had a sense of humor, mentioning some bear that wasn't there like it was a threat - very cute!

"Indeed, it is definitely a good thing that I mean no harm then, for I would have surely been slain by you had you wished of it! I would be naught by ashes to the air, not even my red headband left behind for anyone to know of my existence!" He played along with her, simply moving to her side with a little pep to his step, happy to meet someone so like-minded to him. Of course he was a blunt and foul-mouthed man but he liked being playful and silly too, it was an odd mash-up.

"Rash huh? I won't be getting any kind of itching if I high-five you, right?" Oh Vas, could you go five minutes without making fun of someone? Yes, yes you could but this was one of the moments you just couldn't help it huh? What a little dickhead... "Well if you're lost then I'm your man, er, Caenis! And of course the sun is going to keep moving. If you want to know where you are either have a compass or wait until night falls to travel. While the sun and moon are always constantly moving - the stars never do. They make a good way-point to keep yourself from getting lost and keep yourself going the proper direction you want to go."

She made some mention about his forehead and his bandana, just causing him to let out a hearty laugh. "What, this? Nah it's more of a fashion statement than anything practical. Does help keep the sun outta my eyes though, that's for sure! And look who's talking! You're the weird one here!" He jabs her side with an elbow gently before he begins to walk ahead of her, gesturing for her to follow him along. "Come on then, if you stick around here we'll both be lost. Let's keep moving, I know the way to the town from here, I won't get lost as fast as you."

His body was tattooed all over but the defining features about him was definitely his golden eyes, wolf ears and tail. He was like some kind of humanoid hellhound that came out of no-where, teasing the woman and offering to guide her at the same time. Whether she decided to follow him or not was completely up to her but if she didn't pick up the pace sooner or later, she'd get left behind! If there's one thing Vas wasn't, it was slow!