Winter Storm

[Ailena]

Thunder rumbled in the distance, the music before the storm. It was winter, but the rise in temperature that had taken place over the past week melted any snow that had collected on the streets of Avaren leaving only little clumps in the shadows of the forest. It also dispersed any of the snow clouds, leaving room for rain. And those clouds provided more shadow then you could possibly have imagined. They also turned the sky a dark shade of purple, and brought the cold with them as well.

As Ailena leaned over the battlements, she could see many of the women below hurrying to get their laundry from where it hung to dry. Little children were pushed inside, should they decide to play outside were they would catch their deaths of cold or the lightning would find them. Merchants carried their wares away from the reach of the storm that could possibly bring hail along for the ride. All in all, the thunder hurried the townsfolk into action, as it did with the young woman on the battlements.

She held an open book in her lap, for she had tried to find a more efficient way to lift heavier objects off the floor for the better part of an hour. Lighting a fire had come to her slowly as did extinguishing it. But neither did she plan to use outside, for she was not strong enough for it yet. Instead, she had hoped that some quiet and fresh air would do her good, and let her get some studying done. The academy had gotten more crowded as of late, and it now seemed as though the unexpected storm was going to give her no peace either.

Suddenly a gust of wind flew over the battlements and sent the hood of Ailena's cloak off her head to let her long dark hair fly free. It also picked up the few sheets of parchment she had held carelessly in her hand, for she had taken notes on the magical ruins used to aid in spell casting, and sent them scattering along the walk way.

She'd have run after them had not the next gust of wind brought dust up from the floor and into Ailena's eyes. Stopping, she tried to blink the dirt away, and it seemed impossible at first, but her gaze cleared in a moment. And as it did, she hurried after her papers that were dancing in the breeze as if of their own accord. For the young woman knew that if she didn't get down soon, the upcoming rain would destroy them all. And, seeing how it was winter despite the odd weather, she was on doubt going to catch a cold in the process.

Sharp peals of laughter and screams from down below made her stop in her tracks. Suddenly she felt what had caused the children so much joy, for a few thick drops of water landed on her head and arms. Too late, she thought as she looked up to the sky. The rain had come.

[Riley Lambert]

Riley Had decided to take a walk when he heard the thunder. This was the one thing he always enjoyed back home, the storms. He walked with a clear mind and the desire to stay out as long as possible. He felt the wind blow and then felt something hit him. It was a piece of paper with runes on it. After the first came another and another, so he began to collect them, assuming they would not wish to be lost by the person who had first had them. Soon he felt the rain begin to fall and he scrambled to gather the remains before hiding the papers in his jacket.

The rain began to fall alittle more heavy as he walked on and soon found someone gathering the remains of papers, much like his. It was his friend Ailena from a long time ago. He smiled and walked up to her, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Lost something? " he asked, showing the papers he gathered.

[Ailena]

With the wind picking up as well as the rain falling harder, it was more then likely that the rather furious mumblings that came in half felt grunts from Ailena's scowling lips were only heard by the wind. Her hands were soaking wet by the time she had gathered all those papers she had lost. Pulling the hood of her cloak over her head, the young woman dared to look at the soaking parchment in her hand.

More incoherent words left her mouth as her blue eyes fell on the running ink on the topmost page. Perhaps it was both the anger and distress from the situation that caused heat to be emitted through her palms and onto the paper. Looking with surprise down at her papers, Ailena noted that the ink was drying instantly, although the earlier running marks stayed where they were.

And just when Ailena looked down to make sure her cloak was covering the papers and books in her hands, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Startled, she straightened instantly to meet a familiar face. And as she did, the previous scowl on her face was replaced by a welcome smile. Noting the papers he offered her, she accepted them quickly, for she did not feel like getting them wet any more then needed.

"Not anymore it seems," she replied as she straightened enough to meet his gaze. The hesitance she felt in the presence of others had diminished since they'd last met. "It's wonderful to see you again, sir Lambert, and it looks as though the weather has not tainted your spirits."

Ailena grinned at him, for he seemed quite content to be out in the rain. Figuring that she had to accept the fact that she'd be soaking sooner or later, she relaxed her shoulders, accepting the drops that landed on her nose and ran down her face from her wet hair. "It's been a long time since we last met. I do hope things have been going well with you."

[Riley Lambert]

Riley returned her smile and chuckled lightly.

"I'm not yet given the honor of the bearing of "sir" quite yet, but you may call me as you like of course. It is quite a long time since we last met, but its always a pleasure to speak once more. Things for me have been quite good and you?"

[Ailena]

"All right," she replied, her eyes gently flinching as fat drops of rain water splattered her face. Strategically, she answered both his statement and question at once. A rather broad answer, but it was one nonetheless.

"So I take it your training has been going well? Do I expect that the next time we meet you shall be held in the high respect of a knight or perhaps a King's general?" As she spoke, she periodically reached up to wipe the water off her face. Rain was usually no bother to her, but the young mage had not found the feeling of being soaked comforting. Nature, it seemed, had plans of teaching her otherwise.

"Still, I do believe it was not your training that brought you up here. Truth be told, it wasn't pouring when I came up here either."

[Riley Lambert]

Riley chuckled to bother her statements and merely smiled.

"Perhaps, I will confess, but only time and fate will tell what I become in the near future. And you are correct, I'm not here because of training. I merely took a wall and listened to the thunder. I guess you can say that I'm a storm lover. I used to watch and listen to the lightning and thunder as the rain fell back home".

[Ailena]

"Well, it's not as though I despise such weather, it's simply that I like to watch storms from the safety of a building. When I was a child, I used to sneak outside at times like this and dance in the rain. Of course, that used to scare the servants around me enough to get them to let me be. However, I fear that now I've forgotten what it feels like to be a carefree child. That might explain why I'd rather be inside right now. Yet we cannot control nature, can we?" she asked although her eyes seemed to be faraway.

Thinking of her childhood and the warm memories it held caused Ailena to perform another bit of magic. One that she had not expected to do in the least. Within seconds, her body warmed up enough that even her wet clothes didn't bother her. It was as though she was resilient to the cold wind and air around her.

Smiling with surprise, she looked back at Riley and added, "Why is it that whenever I meet you, I end up talking about my past? I've heard such talk is good for the soul, but you don't come as the figure of a doctor to me."

And as she spoke, she turned gently to get her back to the changing wind, and as she did, her arm touched Riley's gently. Perhaps she hoped that the same warmth she was now feeling would travel to her companion. It would not do to have her feel all warm and comfortable and leave him freezing in the rain. It was winter, after all.

[Riley Lambert]

Riley chuckled to her mentioning of him as a doctor. He was about to reply when he felt an immense warth go through his body. She had shared part of his warmth with him.

"Well, perhaps I am the most trustworthy that you know. You know that I will listen to whatever it is you wish to say and that I will continue to be a loyal friend to you no matter your past. Besides, I seem to say the right things to bring them up", he said with a smile.

He listened to the rolling thunder for a moment and watched the lightning fall miles away. He then turned to his friend and companion in this storm.

"And Thank you for the warmth Ailena, it is greatly appreciated".

[Ailena]

Trust is something I have long given up on, she thought as her mind settled on her father and friends who had betrayed both her and her mother. Still, Riley was a good friend to have, one she hoped she could trust. So far he had done nothing to sway her thoughts in the opposite direction.

"You're quite welcome," she told him. "Some would rather I not use my wavering magic on them, considering I've only just began to learn. Still, I figured it was worth a try, especially as the rain gives us no hope of relenting."

Looking up into the sky, and of course bathing her own face in hundreds of water droplets, the young woman's blue eyes watched the sky above through partly open eyelids. "You know, Riley," she began, not realizing that she had called him by his first name, "one thing I've missed seeing is the light that lights up the clouds just before a lightning bolt strikes. That and the colors of the sky, dark blue and purple, with a good storm."

[Riley Lambert]

Riley smiled and looked up with her.

"And I would gladly wish you to use your magic on me because I still feel that you will become great one day and I will be proud to call you friend and smile with the thought that I had helped you anyway I could. The colors of lightning always fascinates me, the way how each color blends into the storm before coming down is magnificent".

[Ailena]

ooc: Sorry I took so long to reply.

bic:

"Well that's quite a compliment, however I do appreciate it," Ailena replied with a small grin. "And the lightning is indeed a wonder of the world, although many do not see it in that way."

[Riley Lambert]

ooc: Sorry it took me soo long..lol

Riley nodded and watched the storm. He smiled warmly and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds. It gave him peace and it made him feel as if he was somewhere else, but here.

"Its a pleasure to speak with you".