Starleaper

[The Kingdom:Fort Bael] ·:*¨❆༺ ❅ 𝔄 𝔅𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔈𝔫𝔳𝔶 ❅ ༻❆¨*:·

Character: Rachel Backe
Status: Warming up, feeling fine.

Rachel took note of the footsteps approaching her, snapping out of her short moment of calm and shifted her body ever so slightly to face Andrea, "...O-Oh. Of course." Her voice raised to a more regular volume, although still maintaining a tone of reluctance to them. Having relaxed and opened her coat a bit more, the color on her person had flourished into more than just white now with her blonde hair and amber eyes illuminating the soft light of the flame.

Her thumbs fiddled for a long minute before she finally took a long breath and opened her mouth to speak.

"I... apologize for my silence earlier. I was lost in my own thoughts back there. I found a basket of bread and thought the rest of us would like them for the night, it should be on the table if you need one." She gestured towards the table behind them where the aforementioned basket was before catching a glance at the quarters for a second where she saw Axol lumbering about, a glint of suspicion in her eyes.

All these people she'd just moved in with, she'd never seen their likeness before and never with such differences. Even with Andrea, she's keeping her at an arm's length. Back home---or at least what used to be home---she'd wake up to white garments and lilies, walk down the hill by the ranch of sheep grazing under the radiance of sunlight, and her neighbors would greet her every morning with the same big smiles and bouts of cheerful laughter that lasted until bedtime.

In stark contrast, she had just got out of the freezing temperatures in the fog---she never thought she'd hate snow so much in her first time seeing it in person---and finally finding some semblance of a shelter only to be met with weathered stoic faces that intimidated her to no end, her nose to be assaulted with a completely foreign smell of molten metal and not to mention the signs of danger to come. She was well aware that it wouldn't be long before she'd be forced to defend herself, after all a soothing voice she could never see but always hear in moments of fear always reassured her that his (if it even was a he) fire could protect her somehow.

But she also knew better than to simply stay on her lonesome from her own experience, safety in numbers, so she simply kept the same stiff smile on display and turned back.

"In my family, whenever we have new neighbors, we'd gift them with a basket of newly baked bread buns as our way of welcoming them," She stared into the fireplace in reminiscence, "Often we'd tie it up with a white bow as symbol of our community. It wasn't the same here, but I'd hope the message got across anyway, haha." Despite her attempts at a more lighthearted chat, it's clear that she's still recovering from the cold that wore her down exponentially throughout the journey.

She bit down on her own bread again, chewing and taking in the dough's dense texture. Her favorite food, as plain as it was, it's about the only thing that brings her comfort in this place that was so far away from whence she came. It, along with the fire keeping her warm, was the only reason she was even able to push past her own nervousness to talk to anyone.

"You've been quite kind to me. My name's Rachel." She looked at Andrea.

[The Kingdom:Fort Bael] ·:*¨❆༺ ❅ 𝔄 𝔅𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔈𝔫𝔳𝔶 ❅ ༻❆¨*:·

"...I don't drink alcohol."

For the very first time since you've seen her at the wagon, Rachel spoke up. Her voice was soft and low, but just loud enough to reach Axol's ears as they moved.

"I don't partake in such things that lead to sin."

Nothing more, nothing less. She gave him a glance as she said this, the emotions from her face were unreadable, whether she was being judgmental or otherwise. But one thing to take from this brief exchange, she was serious.

Upon entering the premises, Rachel let down the hood of her coat and immediately began to hustle on no command, looking around her surroundings with a pointed gaze. The difference in the heat was small, barely noticeable especially due to her own bodily heat that felt like a faint ember beating in her chest, but the moment she stopped freezing, her stance changed completely as though the new warmth had reinvigorated her. She started her routine by tidying up what would be her own lodging first, picking up certain objects and placing them in strangely specific spots.

Should she be able to find the food she needed and take them, she would do so. Wherever the others would be hanging around, Rachel would have walked in with the food she brought and provided them to the table, her selection of which mostly being bread. An act of courtesy, perhaps a small open invitation to share at least something between her and the rest of them. Regardless of what it was, it was one done on her own terms. Otherwise, she did not pay much mind to whatever they could be saying, her eyes always drifting, barely making contact.

Once she was done, she then sought out the warmest spot to rest momentarily while still maintaining a close distance with the group, sitting closest to a nearby fireplace where she could hear the crackling of the wood burning and watch as she ate the bread she'd saved for herself.

Hidden from sight, her free hand patted at her waist where her belt was fastened on her body, feeling around and making sure that she hadn't lost anything important in her travel. Once she felt the wooden hilt of her precious tool, she stopped and her eyes returned to the flame in front of her.

[The Kingdom:Fort Bael] ·:*¨❆༺ ❅ 𝔄 𝔅𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔈𝔫𝔳𝔶 ❅ ༻❆¨*:·

Rachel quickly nodded her head to Andrea, flashing another smile at her, stiffer this time. With a clear look at her face, one can see she's trying to hide her expression of uncertainty in an attempt to fit in as she continued to stick close to the group, hands fidgeting.

She looked to the heart of the settlement where the apparent noble stood the moment others turned their attention to it, her eyes no longer looking somewhere else entirely for once. The noble, the man who'd been watching them, seemed important and of power as far as she could tell, and she's never felt quite right with gaining attention from someone of authority for whatever reason it may be. Her first thought would be to wonder what she did wrong this time, for all she knew, she was somewhere she shouldn't be---something she knew very well the moment she found herself on this cold land but can't control.

Her mouth opened, perhaps to form a hasty apology, only to be interrupted by her more lively companions. She seemed a bit relieved however, it looked like her work was cut out for her.

[The Kingdom:Fort Bael] ·:*¨❆༺ ❅ 𝔄 𝔅𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔈𝔫𝔳𝔶 ❅ ༻❆¨*:·

Character: Rachel Backe
Status: Weak

The girl who sat alone in the farthest corner of the wagon had been silent the entire ride, quieter than the silence of conversations ended. Her hands were held together in a prayer but her lips read no word, only the shuddering of her breath being her only obvious sign of life. She'd thought the coat that covered her entire top half in thick white fur or even the strange new warmth inside her body would be able to protect her from the cold, but the road was nothing but rocks and snow for hours and her body was exceptionally weak. Still, her hands tightened around each other to stop the shivering, not quite sure what she was praying to but her hope focused nonetheless.

It was not until the rocking stopped that she finally lifted her head, a glimpse of her soft pale face flashing from under her hood. Rachel wasn't aware there was progress to begin with, but before she knew it, they'd already arrived at a destination and the wagon renewed with life. She overheard the talk spurred by the two other passengers beside her but remained hesitant to chime in, merely clinging her coat closer to herself and following their footsteps without so much of a hum.

The size of everything intimidated her without a doubt, her slight dizziness not helping her case. She wasn't much shorter than the rest, but nothing here was familiar to her. Her eyes drifted warily from one direction to another, scanning each person with a hint of anxiety.

Her ears then picked up the noise around her, prompting her to look at Bromann, someone even less equipped for the climate they were in, as he was talking with Andrea. At first, she didn't really think much of his sense of humor, but seeing how it had persevered past the cold and still remains visible now, somehow, it helped her feel a bit better--made her seemingly permanent frown crack into a brief smile of her own even.

Hello, guild!!

I just came to this site in search of roleplaying after having not done so for many, many years and struggling to get back into it with no success. I decided to simply seek to forums despite not having done so in my memory since they seem much more structured, so I am just excited to be here!

I am an artist who loves character work and story building but I have been struggling to do anything meaningful with them for the longest time and I want an output for both writing and social interaction. I mostly enjoy medieval fantasy and horror, particularly the kind that tests the mettle of my characters.

Happy to meet you all!