Melody of Ice

he lowers his head, and his voice a little "...oh..." he then contently sits there and listens "sounds like 'no need for the weak' in your race....no offence u could probably snap me like a twig...heh...heh...."

"My culture values perfection." she explains, simply. As she gazes at her claw, and clenches it... open... and clenched... open... and clenched... the metal clinks against itself in somber rythmn as the tips meet her palm.

Kori tilts his head in suspicion, wondering what the noise is "erm....m-may i see your hand? your left one, it makes a noise i've never heard..." his curiosity running through the air

She draws it away, silently and and uneasily.

he lowers his ears shyly "o-oh sorry d-didnt mean to make you feel uncomfortable." he sits silently in his chair "anything else i should learn about your race?"

"You didn't." she says, and turns briskly to walk indoors.

Kori left in the dark for some time ponders about the race, but decides to shrug it off for now. walking up to around the corner "One of the extra rooms should be open with bedding in there, Minori should've set it up for you" he turns around and goes back to his tree, putting the ice chair back into the pond of ice

"You are extremely hospitable for an... animal... spirit..." She watches with interest.

"My fox self died in this lake, animals do have personalities too" he quickly says back

Xen backs off and raises her hands in a gesture of passivity.
"I'm aware." she pauses, considering the better response "I'm sorry, you're just very
.. human. I've not met your kind before; not properly"

"heh, i've been watching the humans of this town for 300 or so years, you tend to pick up a few things from them." he laughs a little bit

She raises an eyebrow, and remains silent. 300 years?!
Well... she supposes Spirits are long-lived.

"anyways, good night..." he closes his eyes to fall asleep for the night

Xen really isn't sure what to do with heself.

She wanders back inside, unsure where her room is... or, in fact, if she really wants to go there. The male has stated she could easily overpower him; but where is the small girl? Perhaps they plan to rob her blind as she sleeps, vulnerable?

Rubbing her temples for a moment, she gazes blearily across the relative darkness of the pleasant little room before blinking slowly and setting eyes on the small table. She returns to her earlier seat. The table is low, and she kneels at it, now gazing absent-mindedly at the cold chicken.

Should she sleep? The guest shifts her weight to each side in an unconscious show of discomfort, more so psychological than physical,  and sighs deeply.

Minori wakes up in the middle of the night, and turns to her human form, and heads to the food pantry to grab some fresh bread. Afterwards she sleeply heads to the living area to find the woman passed out at the table, the full chicken still on the table. so Minori leaves for a moment and comes back with a blanket, and places the blanket on her lightly for the nights in the mountains are quite cold. Minori heads back to the food pantry to grab some more bread and heads back to her room food in her mouth

"What use do spirits have to eat?"
Xen's question breaks the quiet as Minori passes, her head still at rest on the table with arms sprawled across it to the sides. Having blearily awoken as the other passed, she has turned to face the path the smaller girl takes.

Kori had just woken up to see Minori head back to bed, hearing a little bit of the woman speak, but unable to really hear her. so he shrugs it off and heads back to bed until morning

Ignored by the girl, Xen wonders lazily if she upset her with her previous anger as she drifts iinto the paralytic state of sleep

Early in the morning, sounds of splashing can be heard throughout the house. Outside of the house however Minori is playing in the water of the lake near the shore, with Kori watching her play on the ground since he cannot get in the water himself

Xen stirrs wearily in her sleep, waking slowly.

Kori comes back to the house for a second, only to notice the waking girl "oh good morning!"

She responds by way of a sluggish yawn, aware she ought to leave soon for the sake of good manners... but in no real hurry to do so.

"Hey if you have time, come out to the lake just outside. i suggest u have some coffee to wake up, there's some made in the kitchen. You're welcome to some if you want" giving his full hospitality to the waking girl, walking back outside to join Minori by the lake

Xen, sleepy still, doesn't stir quickly enough to respond to his offer. She smiles... she does like coffee. Her eyes trail lazily acorss the room as she reaches the doorway, spotting the coffee pot and heading for it.

-

Meanwhile, far away, past the life and energy compressed within the market village nearby, and into the trees beyond... sits a figure. It turns the next page of the book gently - right to left - thumbing the corner as it does, creasing and damaging the edge of the yellowing paper. Outside, rain slowly begins to fall; the shower itself is silent to the unobservant, gently blanketing the leaves and hard mud of the landscape, but as it gathers within the blocked drain above the house it drips in a gentle tune to the plants below it.

The sound could be an annoyance to some, but in this case it is a calming influence; a rythmic noise no distraction to the words of the page.

the Ice in the base of the tree has a formed flower arrangement, all made out of ice. Minori giggling and playing around in the shallow water, watching the fish swim around, trying to paw at it. Meanwhile Kori's up in the nearby tree that's hanging over the lake.