westwhere | the snow falls down, it's a magnificent signt

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the snow falls down, it's a magnificent signt

WHO: Clara and you + any closed starters as requested
WHEN: December
WHERE: Around the inn and the grounds
WHAT: Shenanigans, direwolves, bathhouses, and more
WARNINGS: Will change if needed, but for now none

❅ 𝐵𝑢𝑠𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠

Once Clara finds a routine at the inn, a fair amount of time is spent in the kitchen. It's the warmest there, and she promises to go out and gather things for their meals. A sudden influx of people is no small thing, and Clara's nothing if not helpful. Keeping busy helps her thoughts stay focused instead of wandering toward feelings about her time with the Doctor. She never wanted him to know how he died, but at least Red's assured her that he shouldn't remember. That's enough to keep Clara from worrying the Doctor might try and do something to stop her from saving his life, because she knows he would if he could.

In the kitchen most mornings because it's easiest to gauge what might be needed, she's glancing over the list and hums, calling out to the last person to add something.

"I don't see a number on the black trumpet mushrooms. How many, or should I forage with my heart?"

❅ 𝐵𝑢𝑠𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝐼𝐼

Red-cheeked from being outside, Clara bounds into the kitchen with her basket overflowing, setting it on the counter to let the cooks pick through. There's a hearth with a fire and a stool which seems quite cozy, so she helps herself. A bucket of beans is thrust at her and she's asked to shell, so she does, happily. Some of her favorite memories with her mum were in their kitchen, and Clara starts humming a tune to herself from home, a random one she used to sing to Artie to help him sleep.

There's a second stool for company and she doesn't hesitate to smile softly when someone drops by.

"Feel sort of like a happier, better-taken care of Cinderella, sitting here." She knows it's 50-50 on if the story is known or not, but she's happy to tell it.

❅ 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑠

Clara's found the wooliest of scarves and borrowed it for her trips out during the day. She's vaguely aware of the danger of wolves, but she has her new sword with her—not that she knows how to use it properly—and it's tucked in her pocket. She didn't understand at first, but it's convenient that it's only large when she puts the hilt of it in her hand. The rest of the time, it's pocket-sized.

When she hears the crunch of snow behind her, Clara stops and turns her head to the side, listening.

"Hello?"

If it's wolves, her plan is to just sort of...run, but she's also betting wolves aren't so loud if hunting. Fingers crossed.

❅ 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒

Quietly thanking the ancient Romans and Greeks for this idea, Clara sinks into the warmer waters of the bathhouse after taking a quick dip in the cold. It's the first time she's truly relaxed since before she was even pulled into this place. She'd begged for the Doctor's life, been granted her wish for him to live, and after a few minutes of relief, the man she knew was gone. A new face, a new set of rules that included pushing her as far away as possible without actually telling her to go. Then Clara was here, no time to breathe in between. River's assured her it gets better in time, but if people really don't remember anything about this world when they go back to their own, then what? She'll lose the hope she has now.

It's much easier not to think about it, though her aura's a little more hued toward a pastel blue, just the slightest tinge of sadness. So much happened in Serthica that her mind wants to shut it all out, box it up and ignore it.

Hair messily pulled up in a ponytail, she's up to her neck in the water when she hears footsteps and opens her eyes. Finally, her chance.

"Do you know they charge an insane amount of money to use the bathhouse in Lancashire? Of course, they call it a 'spa' and offer massages, but still. It's water. No need to try and make it something fancier than it is."

❅ 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑙𝑎𝑘𝑒

Has she ever been great at skating? No. Is she attempting it anyway? Yes. She's not wobbly, but she isn't that fast either, taking her time making loops around the hard ice. The last time she'd skated was with an ex who'd literally skated away after she'd dumped Clara. It's funny now, in hindsight—she can't even remember why they broke up it was so long ago.

She's smiling at the memory when she's suddenly knocked off her feet, not by someone bumping into her, but because something hit her feet from below. Struggling to get up, her eyes widen in alarm as through the opaque ice she just barely sees a shadow.

"No, not today."

She absolutely is not getting involved with anything terrifying, but she can't quite get her feet under her again. Managing to make it to her hands and knees, she doesn't look up; instead, she's still staring at the ice as the shadow continues, making her wonder how big, exactly, it is.

❅ 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒

Clara didn't even have a chance to register what was happening before it was, pulled in by a group she doesn't know and given very loose rules for a drinking game. 'Where's the water?' is new to her, shot glasses full of clear spirits, and some with water. It takes her a few tries to pull out a convincing lie, but by then her throat is numb anyway. After four shots, she's pleasantly warm, and her laughter cuts through the air. Her eyes light up and she reaches out to pull in someone simply walking by, a light touch on a wrist, dimpled smile beaming upward.

"Can you bluff, and can you bluff well?"

❅ 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑑

[ ooc: hmu with anything your heart desires. CR comment is here. I'll match prose or brackets, whatever you're comfortable with. Reach out on discord @ lifewasawillow#5524 or PM! Quite willing to do a ton more, but if I keep writing prompts you'll all have a novel to pick through, whoops. ]

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Anduin has been spending -- a great deal of time in the hot springs, if he's being honest with himself. He supposes it isn't a bad thing. He is supposed to be relaxing here, and he's promised himself that he will actually relax.

It's just something about the heat of the water on the aches of his body. Discomforts he has gotten used to healing away with the power of the Light, or simply just ignoring. They had said that these springs have healing properties though. And while he knows that there are some things that they will not be able to do in the way of fixing him -- it certainly is nice to just feel better, for a time.

Understandably, he is not the only one who shares such sentiments about the springs. It takes him a moment to recognize Clara, given these circumstances are quite different from their last encounter. He offers her a smile in return to the words, hugging his robe more tightly around himself in a vaguely self-conscious gesture.

"I cannot say I know of this place you speak of, but I am familiar with such business practices," he offers. "Trade Prince Gallywix is rumored to have a 'Pleasure Palace', in western Azshara, in the world where I am from. Though I have never been there, I have heard there is a luxury pool, a sauna, and... A golf course?" He raises his eyebrows at the thought.

((ooc: let me know if this is okay or if you want me to change anything! i didn't get to toss a comment at you on the cr meme but i loved their earlier thread and i'd love more cr between them ;3; ))

Allison isn't necessarily in the mood to play a game, but feeling sorry for herself twenty-four/seven isn't really going to get her anywhere, so when Clara pulls her aside with that very specific question.

"I used to be an actress?"

Also she spends so much of her time lying to herself about how she feels and her priorities, does that count?

Clara recognizes his voice before she recognizes him, but once she does she smiles warmly before sighing and closing her eyes to give him whatever privacy he might need to get into the water. She's comfortable and respectful, and wants the company.

"'Pleasure Palace' means something very different in my world. I'm assuming. Still relaxing, though, I bet." She snorts a little in laughter, opening one eye to look at him again before closing them.

"You lost me at golf. That's any world's most boring sport. I would, however, happily swim in the pool and sweat in the sauna." Pausing, she thinks back, trying to remember his name.

"...Andowin?" she asks, not quite right, but maybe close, opening both eyes in hopeful confirmation as she looks up at him.

[ ooc: absolute perfection! ]

Caitlyn's not entirely sure how she ended up here or why people keep shoving drinks into her hands. A couple of the drinks have smelled decent, but they all taste like fruit or the aftermath of a fire. Neither is to her taste. Nor is a room full of loud, excitable, drunken people. She's trying to extricate herself from the party when she feels someone grab her wrist.

"I. Um."

No. The answer is no.

"Yes. Amazing, we're teaming up. Dunno how teams work in this game, but if you can convince this lot you're drinking water—" Clara grabs a shot in the round and shoves it at her new friend. "—then they all have to take a shot."

Giving her a one dimpled grin, she pushes hair back behind her ear. "I'm Clara, and I'm only semi-loosing this game."

"Caitlyn!" Clara recognizes her and grins, letting go of her. "That's alright, probably a good thing, right?" Addressing the rest of the group, she waves them all off, deciding this is as good a time as any to cut herself off. She feels the right amount of drunk and happy without being worried someone might call the Doctor and tell on her.

"Let's go then, can I walk with you?" she leans in and whispers with a small grin. "They keep pulling me back in. I'm too small for this."

"Yes, of course. I--"

Someone else comes up to her and holds out yet more drinks, insisting that they're playing something called 'never have I ever' and that Caitlyn and Clara simply must join.

Caitlyn begins to say, "Oh, no thank you," but she's already being dragged along towards the frivolity.

Kanesada hadn't jumped at the opportunity to go out and forage, but at the same time, he knows the inn needs to keep its business running. And everyone is worried about wolves being out and about, so he has gotten his rear in gear to go out and, if not find some of the necessities, at least make sure no one gets eaten by wild animals or something.

So, no, he's not being particularly quiet as he makes his way out in the woods, but even though he's by himself, he knows how to use the sword at his waist. If he runs into any wolves, he should be fine. He's tough. Swords have to be.

Still, Kanesada doesn't want to startle the woman he sees up ahead. Does she have a weapon? He doesn't want to find out in any nasty way. He lifts a gloved hand and calls out to her, his light blue mantle and bright red kimono top easily distinguishable against the snowy backdrop. "Yo!" It doesn't take too long for him to catch up to the woman. "You out here on your own?"

Clara can't say she's disappointed, but she was fine with leaving, too. Still, they've been dragged in and once they're settled, she leans over to Caitlyn. "Sorry, I didn't realize they'd be this insistent. I'm gonna stumble out of here at this rate. They can't physically keep us here, right?"

Right?

But then the first prompt comes: Never have I ever climbed a tree—nude!

"Who has?"

It likely means something very similar to the goblins, but Anduin is not of the Horde and therefore has never been invited and will never know.

He's grateful for the privacy offered to him. Not because he's particularly ashamed of himself. He is... Physically fit. He has to be, to wear the decorative plate armor required of his position. And to wield Shalamayne. It was his father's sword, but since the throne is his now... So is Shalamayne, and the expectation that he know how to fight with it.

No, it's the scars that trouble him the most. And there are quite a few of them. Injuries that even the Prophet Velen could not heal away entirely. Setting his towel aside, Anduin sheds his robe and uses the moment she has given him to slide into the water himself. The heat of it shocking against the cold, but forcing himself to submerge chest-deep even so. Concealing the worst of it.

"Ah, Anduin," he corrects gently, with a smile. "But you were close. It is good to meet you again under much more pleasant circumstances than before."

Clara's just reaching for her sword, pulling it out of her pocket when she finally hears the yo. Turning her head, the red becomes visible just as the small sword turns into a large one in her hand.

"Oh, hi. And yeah, just doing my part to help with keeping everyone fed." She has no clue how to use the sword, but it seemed like a good idea to have. And the fact that it shrinks down for her to store it, well, that's perfect.

Okay, that weird sword gets almost all of Kanesada's attention because...what? He rushes over to close the distance between them, not caring as he clomps through the snow that has managed to fall past the treetops.

"Woah, what kind of sword is that?" He's seen some cool swords, including his own katana at his waist, but nothing that retracts like hers does!

"Damn. I won't forget again," she promises, though she's smiling in good humor. She's glad to know, and considering their last meeting was stressful, she appreciates his correction. How embarrassing if she'd gone on forever saying his name wrong.

"And likewise. Here's hoping all of this is a good sign of less chaotic times to come. Less dead things and more solving things, please. Could do with less mental manipulation while we're at it."

Serthica had been an intense experience, to say the very least. "We've all earned this."

Clara looks at it in her hand and shrugs. "I dunno what you'd call it. But I picked it out where all the others and the shields were. As soon as I picked it up it sort of shrank down like this. Am I offended that somehow a sword is just sentient enough to know I can't carry around a heavy weapon, or am I impressed?"

She hasn't decided yet.

"Anyway, I still need to find someone who knows anything about sword fighting to teach me." Future Clara would know that person is the Doctor, but she hasn't seen him sword fight yet.

"Well, a sword isn't useful if the wielder can't properly handle it. I'd say you're lucky to find something that works for you in that sense." A sword, or any weapon, he supposes, would be more of a hindrance in that situation, possibly even a danger to the one in control of it. Then again, if she doesn't know how to use this new blade she's acquired, that isn't much better.

So Kanesada stands up straight and proud and gives this woman a confident smile. "Also lucky that I ran into you, seeing as I'm a swordsman, and a pretty damn good one if I say so myself."

Well, talk about timing. Clara grins a little. "Really? Like, a for real, that's your thing, swordsman?" In her time, that's not really a thing except for fun. She thinks the Olympics still has fencing?

"I mean, if you don't think it'd be a hassle, and if you'd be willing to teach me, I feel like that'd be a good idea. I get the sense 'swinging blindly' isn't the preferred method of sword fighting."

[It's definitely a man, not a wolf, that comes out from behind a tree, warmly bundled in a fur cape over his robes and also carrying a sword - although this one Moran has carried since the beginning since it was brought here with him.

There are wolves about, though, as the howling attests. For a second, he looks around, and then his eyes suddenly take on a silvery purple glow, and a wavy symbol appears on his forehead as is made of silver light. It only lasts a few seconds.]

Do not worry. They are hunting rabbits. They won't have any interest in bigger prey that can defend itself.

Anduin waves off her mistake with a gesture of his hand. It's really no bother to him, and honestly she was close! He appreciates that she made any effort at all to remember him, really.

Sinking back into the water, he offers her a smile.

"We have earned this," he agrees. "Though I'm a little surprised that the Merchant has recognized as much. Given previous experiences..." He winces slightly, supposing he may be saying too much. Maybe one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth as they say. All the same. "If I'm honest, it's a little too good to be true, winding up here. Maybe that's why I'm having such a hard time relaxing here. Or... Maybe I just don't know how to relax anymore."

Either could be a possibility really.

[ Clara doesn't move, trying to decide whether or not she believes that. But she decides she will, because what the hell does she know about wolves? Exhaling and trying to relax, she looks over at her new company. ]

That's good to know. I still think I need to get closer to the inn. I didn't realize how deep I'd gotten.

[ She gestures toward the basket on her arm. ] I came to forage and pickings were really good.

Clara thinks about his words and sighs in acknowledgment. Looking down at the water, she trails her fingers through it before looking at Anduin again.

"I'm glad you said it. I'm normally a pretty optimistic person, I'd say. I try to find the bright side to most everything." She went through a period of time when she forgot that, but the Doctor made her remember again.

"But when I first got here, I went down that rabbit hole and nothing was calm again. Until now, I mean. And there's something under the ice, there are ghosts. I'm letting myself take advantage while I can because I don't feel like it will last. I hope that's different from being negative in general, but I dunno for sure."

Clara's rambling and heaves out a breath. "Anyway. It's like you said. The past sort of sets a precedent. But I'll take enjoy seeing people smile again as long as I can."

Anduin shakes his head, offering a gentle smile as he does.

"I think it is possible to be wary of your surroundings while still seeing the good in them," he replies. "You can still have hope for the future, even if you find yourself uncertain of the present. I have not found the two to be mutually exclusive myself, at any rate."

He offers her a somewhat self-conscious smile, before glancing out across the springs. "I spent some time at a place not unlike this, back where I am from. I think that is also making me more homesick than I realized I was."

"Certainly not," Caitlyn responds with a level affronted indignation that only someone with an absurdly posh accent could manage.

But before she can think about trying to leave again, a drunk girl drapes her arm around Caitlyn's shoulders and pushes yet another drink towards her, insisting that the game will be oh so much fun, and Caitlyn's not entirely immune to the charms of pretty girls. So she sits there while the stranger idly brushes some of Caitlyn's hair behind her ear.

"I certainly haven't," is her response to Clara. But a surprising number of people around the table take a drink, including the girl who's wrapped herself around Caitlyn.

The next prompt: Never have I ever said the wrong name during sex!

"Who would do such a thing?" She glances over at Clara again. "Perhaps you won't leave here stumbling after all."

"I like your way of thinking, I'm sticking with that," Clara says with a soft smile in return, but then her features soften at his mention of homesickness.

"I can't say I've ever been in a bathhouse, but I do know about missing home. Good or bad in the end, this inn is the first place we've had to really think; all I could do before was try to survive and make sure my friends were alright."

If she knew him better, she might reach out, but instead, she offers another smile. "Tell me about home?"

Well...

Clara at least has the capacity to look sheepish before taking her shot. "In my defense, I'd been running on no sleep for two days, caffeine, and not much else. Finals week doesn't count. It was just a fling anyway, if that makes it better?"

She looks at Caitlyn, cringing a little even while she laughs in slight embarrassment. "I promise, I'm less of an arse than that. Most of the time."

It might be best, especially if you don't have a weapon on you.

[And, just as he mentioned, the next howl seems to come from farther away.]

I am quite sure we have spoken before, but I don't think we've had much face-to-face time. I'm Beitang Moran.

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the snow falls down, it's a magnificent signt

❅ 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒

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