[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SfiukUq.png[/img][/center][hr][sub][color=lemonchiffon]Location:[/color] The Eye of the Beholder[/sub][hr][hr]
Tia rubbed her hands together and tried to breathe a warm puff of air into her palms as she made her way down the path. Her mind spun – so much to do, so many responsibilities, so many to answer to… 

The gentle crunch of snow under her feet was a welcome distraction. The novelty of it hadn’t quite worn off, that satisfying press and shift of powder giving way to her weight. Hands still clasped in front of her mouth, she set her dark gaze up – to the winter landscape that still seemed like a dream. The contrast of the dark chill of the Lunarian landscape, the soft orange glow of torches and windows filling the air with a warm, dreamy haze, the snow – it was [i]snowing[/i]. Tia smiled as she watched the snowflakes fall, staring in wonder. Her breath billowed out from the cracks between her hands and her smile grew. 

Her steps had a little extra bounce in them as she listened to that [i]crunch, crunch, crunch[/i]. There was something almost [i]giddy[/i] about how the cold seeped into her skin, brisk and biting. The way it numbed her ears, and the tip of her nose, and her skinny fingers, urging her forward towards the promise of warmth – like it was a race, and it wanted her to [i]win[/i]. She thought of throwing herself into a nearby snowbank, a soft, smooth hill of glittering white. She refrained, of course – but maybe she could convince the twins to play with her behind the temple when they were all off-duty.

Tia’s growing smile faltered as she saw two figures on the path – one of them holding a basket. 

The woman from the spring was speaking with someone else. It was another woman, beautiful and bright, with hair like a sunrise, a scarf of her own, and –

A [i]dog.[/i]

But Tia was a professional. She did not coo and hurry over to the big and bouncy dog with its warm fur and wagging tail – no, she remained composed and decorus as she neared, not allowing her steps to stray on the path. Lowering her hands from her face, Tia clasped them together in front of her, hiding them in her long sleeves. Her fingers gripped nervously at each other as she approached.

Part of her (the part that wasn’t fantasizing about the dog’s fluffy fur) wanted to veer off-course and throw herself into an alley, if only to avoid an awkward encounter with the woman from the spring. Tia’s face warmed as she remembered how she’d all but fled from the springs, leaving the woman alone with the unnerving naked man. She seemed well… and the man was nowhere to be found. And she was smiling as she spoke with the red-haired woman – at least she was still in good spirits.

And she still had the basket of Ranni’s cookies in her hand. Briefly, Tia considered asking for it back – and promptly shot that idea down. No, it was her own carelessness that had led to the loss of Ranni’s cookies. And it was no great loss – there were more at the temple, they could get a new basket, and the woman had seemed to enjoy the taste well enough. As long as the cookies were eaten and appreciated, Ranni would be pleased with any outcome. 

Tia’s heart beat just a bit harder as she neared the two women on the path, nervous about the encounter after the ordeal at the springs. But – a pass, a look, a small smile and nod, as collected and gentle as was expected of her as a High Priestess. She didn’t even stretch her hand out for the dog to sniff as she walked by the little party.

Tia released a heavy breath, a cloud billowing out of her mouth as her expression dropped. But she didn’t let herself linger in that relief – not when the raucous sounds of the inn grew louder with each step. Tia looked up at the building dominating the heart of Dawnhaven. Warmth and noise practically [i]leaked[/i] out of it, shadows flickering in the windows hinting at the bustle inside. 

She’d never been to the inn before, but it seemed as good a place as any to begin her search for Ivor. She didn’t know where he lived, but he was hard to miss. If he wasn’t here, surely [i]someone[/i] knew where he might be. Tia rubbed her cold hands together as she approached the door.

When she pulled it open, fingers flinching against the cold metal of the handle, she found herself overwhelmed – the heat and press of bodies, so many voices cluttering the air that it was like a discordant orchestra, frenetic movement and [i]life[/i]... it was a far cry from the quiet peace of the temple. It was more people than she’d seen in a single location since leaving the capital – and more [i]blight-born[/i] than she’d ever seen in her life. 

A familiar fear solidified in her heart, the scarf around her neck suddenly too heavy, too [i]sticky[/i] against her skin. Tia found herself rooted in place, standing in the open doorway as it all flooded her senses. She blinked with wide eyes, looking every which way and unable to find something to focus on – not when something else flickered to catch her attention with every heartbeat. But then, she found a hulking body curled over a table that looked tiny in comparison – [i]Ivor.[/i]

“Ey! Close the door, you’re lettin’ in the cold!”

Tia jumped, catching the eye of an annoyed man. With an apologetic bow, she hurried inside and pushed the door closed behind her. She took a moment to dust off the snow coating her hair and shoulders. Then when Tia turned around, she found Ivor once more. His back was to her, but there was no mistaking him – she let out a sigh of relief that she’d actually [i]found[/i] him so quickly. She was almost never that lucky. 

There was someone else seated across from him, with fiery hair, piercing eyes, and a flat expression – the blight-born woman from the temple yesterday. Her presence made Tia hesitate. She remembered the intense heat of her gaze, the sharp points of her teeth that she’d flashed at the nobleman when he’d accosted Sya. The memory sat heavy in her mind – another example of Tia’s failure to keep peace at the springs. 

Hesitating at the door, Tia bit her lip. The woman had been intimidating to say the least, and Tia didn’t want to [i]interrupt[/i] if she was speaking with Ivor. But the weight of Tia’s secrets pressed on her – made all the heavier by the fact that she’d failed to tell Ivor that they were secrets at all. 

If the woman was a friend to Ivor, then she couldn’t have been [i]so[/i] intimidating, right?

Well… maybe not to [i]him.[/i]

A hand absently strayed to her scarf, tugging the fabric more securely around her neck. Another breath. A little straightening of her spine.

A last moment of hesitation.

Then Tia pushed forward, navigating to the pair of blight-born. She nearly stumbled when the crowd spat her out at their table. Leaning to poke her head around Ivor’s arm, she met the woman’s eye and gave her a small, nervous smile and bow – an apology for the interruption. Then she turned her head to look up at Ivor. This smile came a little easier as she waved hello to him. 

She didn’t say anything. She doubted she’d be audible anyway, over the crowing of a man with [i]four arms[/i] dancing on a table. Somehow this establishment made perfect sense when she thought of Sya.

[hr][sub][color=lemonchiffon]Interactions:[/color] Thalia Evercrest [@Qia], Ivor [@Beard Dad], Kira Rykker, Nyla Zafira [@The Muse][/sub]