ooc: oh nooo! XD
Time seemed to be swallowed in the expanse that was winter. Day faded into night, and night into day, till the sun seemed naught but a bleary eye that opened occasionally to cast a pitying glance down as the slumbering world below. She, auburn curls tousled by a dagger-sharp breeze, watched it now with fading admiration. This winter was long and brutal, and seemed to be taking it's toll on everyone.
Alaine was in the kitchen. The slats on one of the old wooden windowsills had fallen down, and through it she could see the dazzling white and slate gray that had been a world of prosperity. Now it seemed bleary, as if too tired to rouse green life from the old body of the earth. But she knew, as all knew, that the winter wouldn't last forever; Between snowfalls it was as if the entire land was holding it's breath. Just waiting, lying dormant, for the chance to live again. Hunting had been measly - Returning to the chore at hand, Alaine continued to behead the skinny white hare she'd caught earlier. It's companion, already a crownless corpse, was hung to bleed dry over an old container. There was a pleasant warmth at her back. The old stove was lit, though the larger one out in the hall remained dark and cold. Dry timber was hard to come by and the young healer tried to use it as sparingly as possible.
She hummed softly, contently, under her breath. The children were nowhere to be seen this day (the cold kept them abed, more often than not), and the pretty collie-woman found herself solemnly alone in the dismal darkness of the Chien Hotel. The wind outside rose to a howl, the bite of snow stopping her humming briefly as the lady paused to add some more fuel to the stove. Having skinned the hare, she now diced bits of the meat and added them into an old iron pot she'd found in one of the rotting cupboards. The humming started again, tune soft and mysterious. To the pot she added various herbs for health and taste, a good slosh of wine to warm the belly, and some melted snow. Then, with an artistic twist, the lithe beauty settled the pot onto the flames and allowed herself a sigh of satisfaction as they licked up it's metal sides.
She began to clean then, packing the other carcasses with snow and tucking them away where they would remain frozen for future use. The young healer scrubbed her ivory paws fastidiously in the bucket of snow she'd melted for water, till the red blood was cleansed from beneath sharp claws. By now a happy bubbling came from the pot, and a mouth-watering aroma began to waft through the room.
The soft green dress she wore was meant for summer, but asides from the thick red hooded cloak she donned outside, Alaine had nothing but rugs to keep the winter chill from her pelt. They hindered her movement, though, and as such she braved the low temperatures in only the summer gown. It swirled about her now as she hummed, hips swaying softly to the sound. Then, a sharp bang echoed through the house, and her cheerfulness died in a quick surge of surprise. A visitor, in this weather? Unaware of her disheveled, homely appearance, the collie-woman opened the kitchen door, and stepped out into the hall - Only to find a somewhat familiar face.
" Oh, its... You."
The male, though devilishly handsome with eyes the hue of shallow midnight skies, brought a quick frown to mar her pretty features. She remembered him well enough - The man whom had given her his liquor to save the life of young Sylvie, but then disappeared without a whiff of extra help. Nor had he returned to check on the health of the pup! Alaine's ivory hands lifted to fist upon the curve of her slender waist, one brow arched at the ice he scattered all over her freshly-cleaned floor. From the open door behind her wafted the scent of the brewing soup, enticing to any weary traveler. And, with her tone chilly as the weather beyond and her inverted jade eyes sharp and judging, the healer lifted her maw defiantly.
" How may I help you, sir?"
Speak think walk
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