Grancrest oneshots

Cold

3rd pov

Theo had never done great during the cold seasons. Sistina is pretty warm year round, but when it did snow and get cold, it got cold, to the point that they pretty much just hibernated through the winter, storing food in their homes and keeping a fire going as often as they could, huddled under blankets, firewood stored in the house as well, windows and doors sealed off so the cold wouldn't get in as well. Most of that time, since it was warm in the house and there was nothing much to do, was spent sleeping, at least for Theo. He knows there were some kids that went outside, some who continued on through the cold, but he had always been particularly susceptible to it, having several years in a row almost lost fingers and a few other appendages due to frostbite, as well as getting a bad case of hypothermia during the later years, after he started working.

So he's used to having a month where he does nothing but sleep, so leaving Sistina is a bold move, especially as he knows the weather is different, though not how different it is. He's horrified to realize that it snows there as well, it just isn't as cold, but it lasts for longer than it does in Sistina. He enjoys the change though, once he learns to push through, since he has no home, he can't afford to sleep a month away, not really, so he gets heavier clothes, bundles up as much as possible and keeps moving, learning to use the sword as best he can, though it's different from the how, the rake, the shovel, the ax he's used to holding, the hilt almost uncomfortable, the entire thing heavier than he's used to.

Meeting Siluca, Irvin and then the rest of his friends is a stroke of good luck, but he's horrified. The cold months - months, he still has a hard time wrapping his head around that, it gets cold for months - are coming and he's not certain how well he'll handle this time. He's got a castle, his people have access to firewood and anything they might need, he has firewood, blankets and clothes that are as warm as he can get, especially since he knows Siluca has next to nothing else to wear besides what she had when he met her. He doesn't even realize he's focusing more on preparing for the cold months than anything else until his friends interrupt him while he's closing and locking windows in the room he plans on staying in, at least if it gets cold enough.

"Sir Theo, what are you doing?" He turns, blinking at Siluca, who's got her arms crossed over her chest, looking a bit angry and thoroughly exasperated. He locks the window without looking, before turning to face her entirely.

"What do you mean?"

"Lord Theo, you've been locking the windows and doors for the last few weeks, and you're hoarding blankets and firewood away too, well here. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, just preparing for the cold season." He moves to the next window and closes it, locking it smoothly, before heading for the last one. Lassic smoothly steps between him and it, staring the younger man down, assessing him.

"Why do the doors and windows need to be locked for that?"

"To keep the cold out? Why? How do you usually handle the cold season?"

"Wearing warmer clothes." Is the deadpan response from Aishela.

"But, with how cold it gets, does that- oh well, I guess it could work here." Theo frowns, he'd forgotten that the cold months last longer because they're not as cold. He's really hoping that's true, but he's still going to stay inside the castle as much as possible, if only because he refuses to get sick as he usually does.

"Lord Theo, what is the cold season like in Sistina?" Priscilla asks, because she knows it's easy to forget that while Lord Theo was a wanderer, he lived in Sistina before he came here and so he is used to a different weather and time pattern then they are. He gives a frown and then sits at the table, waiting for the others to join. Siluca and Lassic sit beside him, while the other three settle across from him.