Submission (#6201) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 1
Act Type: Support
Word Count: 988
Adult Elnin Present: Neve [ELN011]
Regional Affinity: Strynhalde
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Elora [ELN737]
Adventurer Rank Unlock Mini-Requirement: Adventuring Outfit

Elora was far from her usual stomping grounds of Faerindell and beyond the door was the frigid winter wonderland of Strynhalde. Elora was bundling up to venture out into the snow. She put on a thick gray capelet with cotton trim that looked like little clouds. Wrapped around her neck was a blue knit scarf that covered her nose. She had to toss the long end of the scarf over her shoulder so it would rest on her back in order to keep it from dragging on the ground. Taking her paws she used them to pull a hat over the top of her head for the finishing touch before plodding over to the door.

Pulling it open she scampered off to the local inn where she had met a traveling elnin a few days prior. For all the time the traveling elnin had spent here though, they seldom left the inn. Today Elora was determined to share the sights to see in the region. She wasn’t in Strynhalde often but occasionally her dad took her to the area so she had been here a few times. Excited to give a tour, it didn’t take Elora long to get to the inn. She was in such a hurry she just about tripped over her own paws and slipped a little on the stairs before racing to the elnin’s room door.

“Neve! Neve! It’s the day!” She said excitedly, tiny paws clawing at the door until a faint bump or two from inside could be heard. Eventually an elnin opened the door with some similar clothing on, only the stranger’s outfit had more brown hues to it. There was a blue wrap and fluffy fringe that rested at the edges of the capelet. The elnin had been warned she couldn’t huddle up in her room the whole time she was there and Elora was such a bright-eyed and friendly kittom that Neve couldn’t reject her offer to give a tour. Neve had seen much of Strynhalde in her lifetime but she didn’t have the heart to tell that to Elora, so she closed the door to her room and plodded after the kittom.

“There’s a dryer area at the center of town where they do a bonfire at times. Let's go there first. We can have a warm drink!” Elora announced, taking twice as many steps as Neve to just stay ahead of the elnin as they walked. Ahead of them was the bonfire and some mugs at a stand where a local elnin would fill them with a hot cider beverage. Elora grabbed a small mug and Neve followed suit before they both settled in front of the bonfire on logs and watched the snow drift in the distance.

The weather was actually quite nice on this day, only a few light flurries rolling over the snow covered hills further off. Occasionally a gust of wind would shake some of the trees in the town as well, causing the snow to slide off of them but thankfully none were too close. “It’s good isn’t it?” Elora said warmly, her voice proud. For a kittom that often liked to discuss flowers she never thought she would have as much fun in a land where only certain flowers really could stand to bloom. “It is. The cider is very warm.” Neve commented a bit quietly. She wasn’t a very talkative elnin unless she had her nose in some mystery and there were questions to be asked. Elora had experienced that only once where it seemed like Neve would talk forever, and after that Elora was a bit more careful about conversation topics. Mysteries could be interesting but Neve went so in depth that most kittoms would nod off just listening to her.

Once they had finished the cider Elora’s next place to visit was the town square where they were having an ice sculpture display. She went around reading all of the signs for Neve, but occasionally had to fix her scarf when she caught it with a paw and it started dragging on the ground. Neve was quite patient, just looking around while Elora fixed her outfit. She impressed by some of the sculptures of elder trees from the different regions or some landmarks you would never see made out of ice, like volcanos sculpted as an omage to a prominent feature of Zevija.

Elora lead Neve all sorts of places, but as the light began to wane the last stop was a rather high snowy hill with a few trees on it that they could settle under to keep the snow off. As day became night, some aurora borealis appeared across the sky. Elora had only seen it once before in her lifetime but it still took her breath away. She looked excitedly at Neve whose eyes couldn’t be seen very well, but a soft smile rested on the older elnin’s face. Elora felt the day was a success, believing fully if she hadn’t gotten her adventuring outfit on and dragged Neve outside that the older elnin might have never appreciated all Strynhalde had to offer.

When their paws started to get cold, the two of them wandered back into town and Neve treated Elora to a meal at the inn. The kittom had worked hard after all, and it was the least the bookworm and mystery enthusiast, Neve, could do. As they warmed up and ate stew, Neve piped up a bit. “So what was your favorite part, the lights as they crossed the sky and the snow fell down?” She asked, to which Elora shook her head up and down vigorously. “Yes! It’s a sight you can only see here. That’s why even though there aren’t as many flowers and crops like Faerindell, I quite like this chilly region!” Elora said, her voice small but content. It was a great day for a tour after all.