#also gricko is um. he's just uh...

[ransomonster]

this has likely been done before, but I need ya'll to see just how tall torbek is. he's a full head taller than kremy and frost, but he probably only looks as tall as gid most of the time while he's hunched over.

[obsidiancreates]

Icewild (Part 3)

"Hey man. Yer butt flap is down."

"What?!" Taishen reaches back to feel, his golden scales turning bright molten orange as he blushes. "So indecent! Thank you for telling me! Would you like me to check your backside?"

"Nah, if mines down its just a nice fuckin' view." Gideon chuckles deeply and puffs his cigar. "Not to brag or anythin'."

"Well... alright." Taishen peeks anyway, because even if Damien ashamed there are possibly still ghosts down here who might not want to see any bare behinds. Gideon is buttoned up fine, though the overalls are clearly too small for him. Taishen would feel bad for him about that if the man's regular clothes seemed like they fit, but they also seemed a bit small.

Maybe he does that on purpose. Why he would, Taishen doesn't know. It seems very uncomfortable.

"Well, uh, let''s see. I've never really handled plumbing before..."

"Then why the hell'd you offer to check it out?"

"Well, I figured if it's just frozen I could melt it." Taishen produces a gorgeous flame in his palm, a delicate and refined dancing flame that, though it may be the same as what he uses in battle, is more settled in this peaceful context.

"Oh-ho yeah. I can help with that." Gideon grins, his beard sparking and crackling like the beginnings of a wildfire. Taishen's flame is reflected in Gideon's eyes, but the reflection seems wilder, raging, all-consuming.

"Um... well." Taishen holds his hand out in front of him to light their way. "How-how did you unlock your powers, then?"

"Fuckin' born with 'em, man."

"Oh! You didn't have an grand adventures, or... meetings with great beings?"

"I mean... my Pa was a pretty great guy."

"Oh! So you get if from him?"

"Nah, Pa was human."

"... I'm not sure we're getting anywhere with this."

"Well, why're ya askin'? Weren't you born with yours?"

"Not exactly. My niece went missing, and while searching for her I met a great ancient dragon, who awoke the powers within me."

"... Pretty fuckin' cool backstory." Gideon nods. "Hey, quick question. Does your niece bite you?"

"Not since she was a baby, I raised her not to do such things!"

"Wait, you raised her?"

"Well, yes-"

"Geez, man, you outta talk with Gricko later! Couple a single dads, he'd fuckin' love that. Unless you're not single, then maybe it wouldn't be as fun for 'im."

"Well, I am single, but I don't see how that matters."

"Matters 'cause he is too."

"I don't know if we'll really have much to talk about anyway. His... daughter, seems... seem to be a different situation."

"How?"

"Well... she's an owlbear."

"And? All kinds of different fuckin' people in the world, man."

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"Guess I found out why you're single."

"I- well it's mostly because I'm exploring the world and trying not to freeze to death-"

"And how do you keep warm to not freeze to death? Having some fun, if you know what I mean, heh-heh." Gideon elbows Taishen, knocking him into the wall of the waterways by accident. Taishen gives a little shout and rights himself, used to such things from Barnabos but still caught off guards thanks to the current subject matter.

"It's really just not the time or place for that kind of thing!" Taishen gestures around them. "My life recently has been very much a life-or-death situation!"

"And?"

"And-! And so it's just not the time for that sort of thing!"

"... We're on different fuckin' pages, man. I sleep with people in the middle of major situations all the fuckin' time."

"And that's very disturbing to know, please do not tell me these things!" Taishen prays they're close to the opening to the cave. "I spent years raising my niece, and now I'm trying to survive long enough to get back to her!"

"Alright, alright, I get it." They walk in silence for a little while.

"... But just so you know, ladies love the fire tricks." Gideon takes a swig from his flask, swishes it around, tilts his head up, and spits out a fountain of fire! The whole corridor lights up, and Taishen shouts as he ducks out of the way.

"Goodness!"

"Fuckin' cool, right?" Gideon hands the flask over. "Try it, man! Just light it in your mouth and spit it real quick!"

"Spitting it seems a little gross."

"It's fire. Fire can't be dirty."

"Well, that does make sense..."

"Yeah, man!"

"Should you step out of the way? Can you be burned?"

"Eh, barely."

"Alright then..."

Taishen takes a tentative drink.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Queenie sits on Jornir's shoulder. "Why're we watchin' this guy again?"

Torbek, but a few feet away, sits chewing on a rock. Frost uses his mind hand to remove the rock, and Torbek makes a sad noise. Frost gives Torbek a piece of soft wood, which Torbek also begins to gnaw on.

"His state... concerns me."

"Ha, no shit." Skrimm sits nearby, swirling a bottle of brandy. "That guy's life seems fucked, and that's comin' from me." He takes a big drink.

"Skrimm, didn't you say you can do that thing where you look in souls or somethin'?" Queenie sighs, leaning against Jornir's head. "I don't think he's very malicious."

"Oh, look at that! Finally someone asks about my powers!" Skrimm looks at Torbek. "I'll try it, but if I had to bet I'd bet all I'll get is sad."

Skrimm focuses on Torbek and, like how he can summon the Brutal Blade with the mere flick of a wrist, flicks something in his mind or soul to see in Torbek's.

After a moment Skrimm hears, whispered in the back of his mind and drifting to the forefront, the word content.

"He's just relaxing." Skrimm shrugs, leaning back again. "He's content. Guess the guy has some pretty low standards." Skrimm takes another drink of his cheap brandy and a bite of some definitely-gone-off cheese.

Jornir eyes Skrimm, but doesn't say anything.

Queenie hops off of Jornir's back. "Well in that case, I'm gonna go make him feel a little more welcome. Jornir's been glarin' at him all day."

"I am not glaring. I am just... looking."

"You've been glarin', Jornir, ya wear you're heart on your sleeve sometimes."

"... I do?" Jornir looks at Skrimm, who makes an exaggerated face of confusion and shrugs.

Queenie hops away without another word, right up to Torbek. Torbek startles a little when she does.

"Ah! Did Torbek do something wrong?! Torbek is only chewing on what Frost says he can chew on!"

"Why're you chewin' on anythin', honey?"

"Mmmm, Torbek is bored."

"So yer chewin' on rocks?"

"Torbek chews on rocks often."

"Well, how about we find you a game or somethin' instead, how's that sound?"

Torbek lights right up! "Torbek loves games! He helped Mr. Kremy rig them all the time!"

"Torbek!" Kremy hisses.

"He did though, Kremy," Gricko chimes in.

"We're not talkin' about the carnival with folks who didn't work the carnival!"

"Sorry, Mr. Kremy." Torbek shrinks down a bit.

"Hey, don't you be snappin' at him!" Queenie snaps back.

"Excuse you, he's my em- I mean, my friend!"

"Oooooh, Torbek doesn't want more fighting!" Torbek covers his ears. "Torbek wants to play that game, pleaseeee, Torbek will never ask for anything else!"

"Alright, alright." Queenie glares ar Kremy again while she takes Torbek's hand and leads him away. "There's some snow just over there at the edge of the clearin', you ever made a snow angel before?"

"Noooo."

"Well neither have I, but I heard they're real fun so let's try it out."

Queenie and Torbek head off, and Kremy keeps an eye on them until they're out of sight. "Gotta bad feelin' about that, fellas."

"Oh, what's the worst that could happen, Kremy?" Gricko says. "In fact, Hootsie! Why don't we go join them, ah, ah? Alright let's go!" Gricko and Hootsie race off.

"It seems like a bad idea to me as vell."

Kremy and Frost both scream and jump up, Frost's fur standing on end and Kremy's shadow wiggling like a snake in a trap.

"I am Ketrothstein, but ah, you may call me Ket." He nods at them. "And I am also stuck in this vorld vhere I do not belong, as I have heard you are, and I thinkve should vork together to all return to our homes."