Snowhead (Tsuill RP)

Kasumi gasped for air hard, the icy winds stinging her sore lungs. She slowed her run to a light jog, then a powerwalk. The snow fell gently upon her cloaked figure, but the burning feeling throughout the rest of her body countered the cold. When she tried to resume running, her leg suddenly erupted in pain. The zora hunched over, letting herself fall to the snow below her. She was still so weak... She'd come to Snowhead to become stronger... To become something Zora's domain can truly use, beyond a form of entertainment. She'd been attacked by thugs and stalkers... People she knew attacked more than just her.

With these people in her homecity, she couldn't rest knowing that they weren't being caught by the guards. She had to become strong... like her stage persona. The Aqua Knight. Bethany Whyne is a brave, powerful woman, capable of taking up sword and armor, setting off into the night, and defending her home. Kasumi? She felt the back of her head, the massive scar still there, despite Scyllis' healing magic. Finally steeling herself, on wobbling legs she rose, starting back towards Snowhead village. She'd come out quite a ways too... It'd take about an hour to get there.

At the end of her trek, she arrived at Snowhead village. The exhausted and broken zora stumbled to her inn room, which was more or less just the guest room of a goron's house. She hadn't noticed many people being very busy, but for all her tired mind knew, the people were everywhere, she just wasn't noticing them. She took off her cloak, brushing the snow off of herself, putting on her nightgown, and slipping into bed. It took her no time at all to fall asleep.

Marcus howled, stomping through the snow away from a blonde-haired boy. "No! Not again!"

"Aw, don't cry, Marcus," Loft said, skipping forwards and hugging Marcus. He didn't seem to care that Marcus was attempting to throw the boy off. "At least we get to travel together more, right?"

Marcus groaned, and slumped to the ground. "Yeah. What a silver lining." He looked up into the howling blizzards, squinting in a vain attempt to keep the powdery white stuff out of his eyes. Marcus had been on his way to the apothecary to pick up some medicinal herbs when it had happened. He had opened the door of the shop and, after closing the door behind him, turned to realize that he was standing face to face with a startled Loft, set against a backdrop of flurrying white crystal. He had been yanked out of his own natural place in space and time, again, to do the Goddesses' work in some random corner of Hyrule. The worst part of it was that each and every time this happened, Loft was always brought along too. Every. Single. Time.

"Marcus," Loft said from behind him.

Marcus groaned again. "Yes, Loft?" He asked.

"I'm cold."

Marcus looked up. Loft was clearly freezing. His tunic was far too thin for this weather, and Marcus could see that his extremities were beginning to turn an unpleasant shade of pale white. Snow was stuck in his face and was matted all through his hair, and his nose was running down his face. Marcus felt another stab of annoyance. If they were going to be transported, couldn't they at least be provided proper dress? It wouldn't do the Goddesses any good if they died right after landing.

"I know, Loft," Marcus said, standing up and pulling a shivering Loft in close, "me too." He looked around, trying to make out any form of shelter, but he couldn't see anything. "Don't worry," he said encouragingly, "there must be shelter around here somewhere. The Goddesses wouldn't just drop us here to kill us." They wouldn't do that to them. Farore, please let there be shelter!

"Uh," Marcus said, "we'll go that way," he said, pointing in a random direction. Everywhere looked exactly the same- flurrying snow and howling gale.

"No," Loft said weakly, "that way." He pointed to their left, and Marcus frowned.

"Why?" He asked. Loft mumbled something, and shivered, huddling in closer for warmth. "Alright," Marcus said quickly, "that way." They shuffled forward as best they could in the blizzard, and after a minute they saw a dark shape looming through the snow. "Yes!" Marcus said, supporting the majority of Loft's weight. "Shelter!" They double-timed to the darkness, which eventually proved to be a small cave in the mountainside.

"Thank Farore," Marcus breathed, sliding Loft off of him and propping up the partially frozen boy against some rocks. "We'll stay here for a bit, then when the storm lets up we'll go exploring. If the Goddesses have sent us here, then there's definitely something terrible going on nearby, and we're the only ones who can help." Loft mumbled something, and shifted slightly, searching for a more comfortable position. "Already asleep, huh?" Marcus asked. "Good." He reached into Loft's pack and withdrew his Red Candle, setting it on a rock beside Loft. Its flame, so much hotter than an ordinary candle's, would slowly warm the boy's partially frozen features. "Well, it's not much," he said, "but we're out of the wind, and it's better than nothing." He cast a sideways, longing glance at the floor, then stood up. "I'll take first watch, shall I? If there's something sinister going on here, then we need a guard. I'll wake you up when it's your turn."

Kasumi awoke groggily; still sore from when she’d gone to sleep a few hours ago. Regardless, she couldn’t stop. She had to push her body to the limit. She got up and got dressed, her raining clothes consisting of a thick shirt and pants for surviving the cold. She put her Aquarang in a side pouch, having a strange feeling. She walked into the kitchen, where usually the one whose house she was using laid out some food for her. Today? Nothing. She looked around a bit confusedly before quickly prepping herself something, along with a snack for later.

So now, it was pretty usual for the streets to be dead, with maybe a person or two as she left, but this time not a single person. ‘No matter.’ She thought, not realizing exactly what had happened the last time she’d left. As she made it out to the cold snow once more, she started running, her bones aching. It was a pretty bad blizzard out there that day, so Kasumi had trouble seeing where she was going. It didn’t take her long to get lost, searching around for where to go. Her cloak was defending her for the most part, but in her face, the snow was stinging her eyes.

The Zora looked around briefly, seeing a cave in the distance. Thinking she’d stop in there to rest for a bit until the blizzards died down, Kasumi started towards it. As she walked into the cave she saw two boys, one of which awake and… “A-Ah!” People out here? That was certainly uncommon… Her hands went up, but before that, she shot her aquarang up her sleeve, should an attack come. “I don’t mean any harm. I’m Kasumi. Kasumi Gallota.” She questioned whether or not these people would have heard of her, but she figured she’d find out soon.

Marcus shivered. He shoved his numb fingers into his armpits, and the dead feeling in his fingertips was replaced by a harsh burning. They were sheltered from the wind, thankfully, but the cave itself was still freezing. Three hours he had been standing watch, give or take a few minutes, and the blizzard hadn't begun to show any signs of relenting. Somewhere around hour two, he had begun to pace the front of the cave, his gaze flicking between Loft's still form and the flurrying flakes of pure-white snow blowing through the violent winds. The blizzard howled and roared, and Marcus found it taxing on his nerves, the ever present screams just ten feet away. If he hadn't been standing guard, deprived of sleep and feeling rather tired, he would have sat down and cleared his mind. But, Marcus was sure that if he did that, he'd fall asleep, and if he was going to fall asleep, then he should have done it hours ago.

Marcus stopped his pacing. There was something strange in the snow, a dark shape that broke the colourless void of the blizzard. Marcus stood in front of Loft, raising his hand, ready to cast a protective spell. A woman stood in the blizzard, clothed in only thick pants and a shirt. This in itself was strange enough, but the fact that this woman was unmistakably a Zora made Marcus question his own sanity. Perhaps he was hallucinating from the cold?

"I don't mean any harm," she said, clearly just as startled by him as he was of her, "I'm Kasumi. Kasumi Gallota."

"Marcus," he said, concentrating his magic into his hand, ready to cast a spell in an instant's notice. "That's Loft," he said, nodding behind him to the sleeping boy. "Taking shelter from the storm? I can understand why- cold weather can easily be fatal to a Zora." He paused, wondering how much to tell the woman. Finally, he decided that the question had to be asked eventually. Why not now? "We're lost," he said, "where are we?"

Kasumi looked at Marcus, looking over the two boys until he deemed that they weren't a threat. The Aquarang would stay in her sleeve though. She wasn't fully ready to blindly trust him yet. Besides, she saw a pause in his speech. That was something that couldn't be overlooked. The Zora glanced over the two and heard their strange question.

"I hope you don't mean that in the wide range of things. I barely ever leave Zora's domain and I know this is Snowhead... Where are you two from? Castle Town?"

So, they were on Snowhead Mountain. They really were being sent all over Hyrule, weren't they? Marcus made a mental note to carry around an extra change of clothes with him at all times, as well as such essentials as food and water, no matter where he was or what he was doing. If the Goddesses had seen fit to pluck him out of his mid-day shopping, then they were obviously not going to wait for his go-ahead. The only problem with this idea was how to carry everything... Marcus made a mental note to obtain a Compaction Pouch for himself in the near future.

He grinned wryly. "I'm from Southern Hyrule. My sleeping friend over there is from the Lost Woods. So, if you barely ever leave Zora's Domain, why are you here?"

Kasumi looked confusedly at Marcus again. “Southern Hyrule? You’re quite a ways away from home, aren’t you?” She then looked out to the snow and thought. ‘How much to tell him?’ Eventually she looked back at Marcus and bit her lip. “Let’s say… There’s a part of myself out here… and I need to find it. Until then, my home doesn’t need me.”

Kasumi smirked. Oh, how funny becoming the Aqua Knight would be. She found herself using lines from the script of Aqua Knight 2, and chuckled at the references to her upcoming play. “Now then… Snowhead village isn’t too far off. If you’d like to rest up first, that’s fine. It’s warm there. In comparison, at least.” She said with a smirk.

((THE REFERENCES Just imagining the "I AM BATMAN" gravelly voice in the Zora actress ))

Marcus shrugged. "Neither of us are exactly at home here on Snowhead." He scowled a little at her cryptic answer, but there wasn't much point to being upset. He was keeping secrets from her, too, it was only to be expected that she do the same. He grinned. "I guess we're both rather mysterious, huh?"

Rest up... sleep... it sounded so wonderfully appealing. Marcus longed for a warm bed, and he glanced worriedly at Loft, who was still shivering on the rock by the Red Candle. "Well, if it's not too far off, then yes. It would be best if we go. I don't think we should be out here any longer than we have to be, and if a Zora could make the trip on her own, I think we can manage."

He gave the Zora one final, appraising look, and walked over to Loft. He made sure not to turn his back on her (he wasn't ready for that yet), and he hoped that she wouldn't be offended. If she was at all experienced in the world, she wouldn't be, but still... he stood beside Loft's sleeping form, watching him breathe slowly in, and out. He looked so peaceful, lying there- his eyes were closed, and his face didn't radiate insanity like it normally did. While he slept, he appeared to be just a normal boy, a boy unencumbered by an incurable madness, a madness that ripped him permanently out of synch with the rest of the world. Even though he was shivering from the cold, he looked so calm- at peace, even. Untroubled and serene.

Marcus promptly kicked him in the shin. "Wake up." Loft stirred, mumbled a bit, but didn't wake up. So, Marcus kicked him again. "Wake up," he repeated. When Loft still didn't stir, he knelt down, pinched a bit of snow from the ground, and sprinkled it into Loft's ear.

If you've never had freezing, slightly melted water dribbled down your ear, then congratulations. You are officially boring, as you've plainly never had a sleep-over outside in a snowstorm. If you're stupidly curious as to what this sensation feels like, just ask a younger sibling. They'll be more than happy to help you in your search for one of the worst possible ways to wake up in the morning.

Loft screamed, spasming up and smacking his hand against his ear. "Cold! Cold!" He yelped. "Get it out, get it out!"

"Good, you're awake," Marcus said, standing up again. "Pack your stuff- we're leaving for Snowhead Village." He looked at the Zora. "Lead the way, Ma'am."

Kasumi merely watched Marcus wake Loft, as she’d heard the boy call him, with snow to the ears. Given his reaction, this made Kasumi glad she didn’t actually have ears. Once the boy was up, Kasumi nodded, turning back towards the dread snow. She set out into it, putting the hood of her cloak back up to prevent being frozen solid. She kept a decent pace, but made sure the two boys could keep up well.

Speaking was pointless in this blizzard, so she kept her mouth shut, trudging through the snow and wind. The sides of her face were stinging at this point, but she knew it wasn’t TOO far back to the village. After about an hour, the snow started to let off a little, and into view came the buildings. Kasumi let out a sigh, glad she didn’t accidentally get lost and get all three of them killed. “And here we are.” Now with a mind capable of decent thought, she looked around. “Where the hell IS everyone?”

Ever since she’d left this morning, she hadn’t seen anyone. “Oh well… Priority one…” The zora woman led the two Hylians to the house she was staying at, immediately starting a fire in the fireplace using her spell. “You were right, Marcus. We are both mysterious. We’ve got secrets that we don’t want eachother to know, but in a place like this, trust in those around you is all you’ve got. I promise my secrets won’t afftect you in any way. Get comfortable and toasty, if you’d like.” Kasumi said, throwing off her boots and cloak, sitting next to the fire, sighing in delight.

Marcus watched as Kasumi lowered down next to the fire, and he felt his shoulders relax as the tension left them. His brain was telling him to remain constantly suspicious of this stranger, but his instincts were telling him that she meant them no harm. She had done what he wouldn't- she had turned her back to him, and made herself completely vulnerable to an attack. That, and the rest of her manner, all conveyed an image of trust and a genuinely benign interest. Yes, she held back, but in Marcus' experience, everyone had secrets they wanted to remain hidden from the world.

"We will, thank you," Marcus said. Loft had no trouble plopping down, kicking his feet in the air and warming his face by the flickering flames.

"So, do you live here?" He asked Kasumi brightly. "I've never lived on a mountain before- does your house ever get, like, completely buried in snow? Do you have to dig your way out? Is there a magical golem that goes onto the streets every night, clearing the roads of snow and ice?"

While Loft jabbered on, Marcus walked over to the window. He was surprised, and really quite disappointed, to see that the sun had risen over the grey horizon. "No sleep for me, then," he thought wryly. He allowed himself a self-pitying smile, then stared at the surrounding village. While Loft kept their host busy, he would look around. There must be a reason why they were here, and Marcus would find it.

"I'm going to take a look around," he said to Kasumi. "I've never been to Snowhead, and I think I'd like a quiet walk around it." Then, remembering his manners, "you don't mind, do you?"

Kasumi shrugged, her arms still rather stiff and cold. "I don't mind. Just make sure you don't bug anyone." Her body's attention was then brou)ht back to the fire as she heard Loft's questions. 

A whole lot of them. "No, I don't live here, this is just a house I'm borrowing, though I haven't seen the owner in a while... The snow hasn't really gotten that high before, and I haven't seen any giant golems, no." She said with a chuckle, respecting the boy's creativity. "I haven't even been here very long. Maybe two weeks? Anyway... Maybe you'll be willing to tell me why you two are on Snowhead? Your friend Marcus wasn't too chatty on the topic."

Marcus nodded and swept out of the inn. For a moment, snow whirled into the room, and the temperature dropped several noticeable degrees. Then he shut the door, and the winds were left to fruitlessly pound against the wooden walls of the house.

Loft waved his hand dismissively. "I don't know, some weird thing we have to do. I never know why we're anywhere, I just sorta go with it." He glanced around to make sure the furniture wasn't listening in, and leaned in, whispering, "thinking is Marcus' job. I'm just here for the ride."

He stretched, trying to see how close he could get his foot to the fire before it became too hot to handle. He looked sideways at the Zora. "You're a fish. Fish hate cold. Why didn't Blizzie kill you?"

Kasumi watched Loft put his feet towards the fire, then he asked her how she’d survived the cold. He spoke strangely… Like he wasn’t all there. Poor kid probably had some event in his past that made him like this. She looked out the window at the snow that very well could have killed her.

“That’s part of why I’m here. What do I fear? I’m an actress, Loft. Daresay the best in Zora’s domain. So crowds don’t scare me. Nor does being in front of everyone who have high expectations. So… Death. You have to think about not dying itself to find out if you’re afraid of it, but more what you’re leaving behind. And that’s when I realized that I do, in fact, fear death. So here I am. I could die in this snow, and… That scares me. So I have to face it. That make sense Loft?”

Loft nodded, his eyes following a bug on the far wall. "Yeah, I guess." It curled up into a ball and plopped off the wooden wall, landing with an inaudible plump on the carpeted floor. It slowly began to roll away through the tangles of thread and coloured yarn, and Loft wondered what it must be like, to be lost in a sea of waving red grass.

"That's awesome!" Loft said, grinning and looking at her in awe. "Facing your fears like that. I want to face my fears too!" He glanced around conspiratorially, to make sure that the bug wasn't listening in. He leaned in close to the Zora, and whispered, "I'm afraid... of fire." He reached into the fire and pulled out a protruding log. The flames danced across its wooden surface, red embers flitting up into the air and lighting his face with a flickering glow. "So, I need to face my fears." He glared at the crackling fire, and tossed it into the side of the wooden room.

Kasumi looked casually at the fire when he said he feared fire. Strange, considering how close he’d put his foot before. She immediately snapped to attention when he said he had to face his fears. “Wha- Wait, Loft! Don’t!” He threw the wood to a corner of the room, but before anything could catch, her arm lashed out, sending her Aquarang spinning towards it. She was now glad she’d kept the weapon there.

The bladed boomerang slammed into the log, and in true boomerang fashion, returned the flaming log to Kasumi’s hands. By now more of the log had caught fire, and Kasumi’s hand was on a part that was burning. She quickly threw it into the fire, yelping in pain. The zora clutched her hand and looked down at it, seeing the flesh more red than her usual pink. “Wh-why would you do that, Loft?! When I said you have to face your fears, never, ever do it in a way that could hurt others!” She showed him her hand, clearly hurt. “Look at what happened!”

((Kasumi's like, NO FIRE FOR YOU *snatch* BAD LOFT! ))

Before Loft could answer, the door opened. Marcus stepped in, white flakes swirling around his body as he quickly closed the door behind him. He was shivering, and he swept towards the fire, sitting between Loft and Kasumi. Loft immediately squirmed to one side to make room for him, not wanting to respond to Kasumi's reprimand. Marcus took few moments to warm his face, wishing again that he had a scarf or some kind of head covering. He'd thought about ripping some of his clothes to fashion one, but decided that it wasn't worth it. Not at all.

After a few seconds of rubbing his biting hands together, Marcus said quietly, "this town is cursed."

Loft tensed, his fingers digging into the carpet strands. "A curse?" He whispered. "Like, from the stories?" His mind glanced upon tales of evil wizards, zombie apocalypses, horrible dragons, and mandatory 24 hour marathons of the Swamp People, and he shivered in the suddenly darker room.

Marcus stared into the fire's flickering flames, his face half hidden in shadow as he brought up his hands to blow warm air onto their frozen fingertips. "Yes," he said quietly, "just like the stories." He paused, collecting his thoughts, and continued slowly.

"I was walking down the street, looking at all the homes and shops. The snow was starting to lighten up, and I could see the sun coming out from behind the clouds. Walking through the streets, there was this nagging feeling in the back at my skull, keeping me tight and on edge. At first, I didn't notice what it was. What it meant. Not until I had reached their Shrine did I finally realize what was wrong with this village. The streets were completely deserted. No-one was manning the shops. or haggling with merchants, or complaining to each other about the unfair prices on goods.... In every settlement I have ever visited, there are always people in the marketplace."

He looked at Kasumi, his face illuminated by the orange light of the flames. "They're asleep. All of them. They're just lying there- in their homes, in the Shrine... all of them. Asleep. I tried waking them, but they wouldn't even stir. Something has this a grip on this town, and we need to find out what it is. Do you know anything about Snowhead- is there anything special about it? Anything nearby?"

Kasumi stood up shocked when Marcus said the town was cursed, almost forgetting the foolish mishap with the fire. “What? Cursed? That can’t be true… “ She thought through it in her head. When was the last time she had actually seen anyone? “Okay… maybe it could be… I suppose my training had me out of the village when it happened…”

She walked over to the window, looking out at all the homes, people in them, yet the place empty. Without so much as a second thought, she grabbed her cloak, heading out towards the mayor’s house. After a minute or two of trudging through the snow, she found the home and briefly considered knocking until she realized there wouldn’t be any answer. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. With a slight sigh, Kasumi reached into her bag and pulled out a hairpin, kneeling in front of the door.

Her freezing fingers meant it took much longer than it should have, but eventually the door was unlocked and she went inside, seeing the embers of a flame recently dead. “So that means… a day or two ago…” She muttered to nobody in particular. She walked to his living room, not even bothering to check on him. On the wall was the thing she wanted. There was the mural.

“Okay… Goht… Is a creature that has terrorized this village in the past…” She dragged her hand along the picture of him on the mural. “Up in the Snowhead temple… That’s where it was sealed.” She looked outside, seeing the blizzard still harsh. “So… we’ll go there… but should we leave now, or wait until the blizzard dies down?”

"Aw, geez, another Temple?" Loft asked, flopping down onto the carpeted floor of the mayor's house. It was a luxurious place, and he propped his feet against the fallen body of a large Goron. "Can't the guy live in a candy shop once in a while?" Marcus glared at him. "What?" Loft asked, crossing his legs and leaning his head against the wall. "I'm hungry!"

"Get your legs off the Goron, Loft," Marcus said. Loft whined, but lifted his legs off of the sleeping Goron, crossing them underneath him. "Thank you," Marcus said. "Now, don't touch the Goron." Loft pouted, and Marcus yawned widely. He was so tired... his body ached, and he was thinking longingly of just collapsing on the carpeted floor. To just curl up on its soft surface, and allow his heavy eyelids to close shut... to just drift away into blissful unconsciousness... before being hurled through time and space into a freezing blizzard, he had been researching the differences between the Northern and Southern styles of healing. He had been sitting in the local library, ready to turn in for the night, when he had stumbled across a fascinating recent Northern theory in relation to poisonous plants and the treatment thereof. He had been so drawn into the pages that he had neglected to sleep, and now this?

Kasumi spoke up, and Marcus blinked, looking up at her. "No," he said, collecting his thoughts, "we should go now. If the monster has managed to put the whole village to sleep, it could also be the source of the storm. Waiting here could only exacerbate the situation. Unless, of course, you think that a hike to Snowhead is absolutely impossible in these conditions?"

Kasumi shook her head. "N-no... It should be possible now. Snowhead temple isn't TOO far off, from what I know." The Zora's heart thumped nervously in her chest. 'No, I have to endure it.' she thought. 'Face whatever's in front of me. Like... The Aqua knight. And... Thria too...' 

Wrapping her cloak around herself carefully, the girl made sure to cover herself as best as possible. "Let's go then. We won't make any progress sitting around like this."

She set out, leaving the mayor's house and beginning to ascend the mountain. She barely payed attention to the two Hylians, as they had better odds of living than she did. Eventually though, she tripped over something and was sent sprawling to the snow. 

With a yelp, she turned around, brushing the snow off of whatever she'd tripped over. As it do turned out... It was a leg. Kasumi gasped slightly as she further brushed it off, revealing an armed Goron. With a glance around, she could see about seven more Gorons, all motionless in the snow. "If they were sleeping before... They aren't now..."

Marcus knelt down in the snow, his glowing hands poised over the Goron's rock skin. He licked his cracked lips. He had never done an actual healing on a Goron before, although he had studied their physiology during his time at school. His hand roamed across the Goron's still form, until they found its heart. He lowered it down onto the freezing rock, and sent the magic streaming into its body. The light cast the nearby areas of the Goron into sharp relief, and illuminated parts of Marcus' chest, kneeling down in the snow over its body. Loft sat nearby, watching as the pretty lights flowed over its body. His hand rested on another fallen Goron's head, searching idly for earholes.

Marcus sighed, leaning back in the snow. "It's no use," he said, wincing as his lips split open and filled his mouth with blood. "He's dead. The magic won't take hold. If the spell hit several days ago, and they've been out here all this time," he waved a hand at the others, almost completely concealed under the blizzard's snows, "they never stood a chance," he said. He stood, looking at the fallen warriors, almost completely buried in the white blanket of frozen water. The wind picked up again, blowing his tunic around himself. He shivered, wrapping his clothes tighter around himself. "For a warrior, this must be the worst way to go." He sighed, and looked at Kasumi. "You know what this means, right? They knew. They knew that it was back, Goht. They must have come up here to kill it... and this is what happened to them."

The snow underneath his feet changed to hard rock. The wind buffeting his face smoothed to a subtle breeze. He was crying, as the casket was brought past him. He struggled free of his Uncle's grasp, and ran towards the silent procession. He was screaming, sobbing, freezing tears dripping down his nose and falling down onto his feet. His sister... that was his sister in there... why wouldn't they let him see her? Why wouldn't they...

Marcus shook his head violently, ripping himself out of himself. This was neither the time nor the place, he admonished himself. Not in front of Loft, and certainly not in front of Kasumi. "We have to finish it," he said. "What they started." It was always their intention to do so, but seeing these Gorons lying unprotected in the snow finalized it for him. It was too late to prevent the pain and anguish of their loved ones, but he could still take it upon himself to do what they could never again do- protect Snowhead. He gripped Farore's Emblem, praying and gathering his thoughts, wandering across his mindscape and picking up the pieces of his scattered emotions.

While Marcus stood there silently, gripping something underneath his shirt, Loft shifted in the snow. He tapped Kasumi on the shoulder. He offered her a large flag. He had ripped it from the flagpole, and he must have tried to brush the snow off of it for her, because it was only slightly dotted with white crystals. "Fish lady don't like cold," he muttered to the snow covering his shoes.