[quote=Morrian]Morrian took the first few steps onto the stuttering bridge. It swayed back and forth like laundry on a clothesline during a windy day.[/quote]

Walking along the bridge proved to be a most difficult act. The well-maintained planks did not crack nor bow under his weight; the ice-sharp wind that swirled up from below was the greater threat. The bridge wobbled and shuddered, but promised a safe arrival.

[quote=Mayonaka]"You.... may wanna just throw that guy across, muscle man! Would be a lot easier!" Mayonaka spoke, before the youth ran toward the bridge, and with a stunning leap, flipped forward no more than three times before the nimble cat boy landed on the otherside of the bridge, waving his hands with a beaming grin.

"Ta-da! Throw em over!"[/quote]

Behind the Ruby Magician, the door of the house creaked open. Warm light illuminated the snow from within.

In the doorway stood a rusty little robot.

It was a bit shorter than Mayonaka, and looked to be made out of scrap metal and spare parts, with dim round lights for eyes that blinked curiously -- possibly due to a malfunction. At the center of its chest was a compass that gently pointed toward the stone in the mountain face.

The robot whirred and clicked. It stared at Mayonaka, then cast its blinking eyes across to the bridge at Morrian. With a shy shuffle, it opened the door wider and stepped aside to let them in.

Inside, the room was bare except for a wide hearth burning warmly at the far wall. A faded magic circle had been painted on the floor many years ago, and had since been worn deep into the floorboards.

Beside the hearth, a woman in green stood serenely. She had strange sweeping horns and long pointed ears, and though she smiled with a youthful face, her robes were old and frayed.

She had been expecting company.