Permafrost Slumber

Chapter 9

As the man introduces himself as Otto Apocalypse and turns to face his guests, he smiles warmly and says with an apologetic note in his voice:

Otto Apocalypse: I apologize for my lack of courtesy. I'm afraid I can't see well enough, otherwise, I'd greet you properly or offer you some tea.

Otto chuckles weakly as he utters the word "tea" and a short glimpse of sadness flashes in his misty eyes before returning to his former self. Taking into consideration what Otto just said earlier, the Captain pays more attention to Otto's eyes and notes that they look rather clouded and their natural color diluted. If Otto is indeed sight impaired, then he might exhibit good hearing since he is adjusting his head in a way that he faces the direction he likely presumes his guests are standing as he carefully listens to their steps. As the Captain and Kallen step inside the room and close the door behind them, Otto waves his left hand at nothing in particular, probably mistaking the location of a chair, and says:

Otto Apocalypse: Please, sit down for a moment. I believe there should be some extra chairs here...

As Otto turns his head, he squints his eyes as if trying to focus on objects that are hardly a few steps away from him. In the meantime, the Captain and Kallen set the bags they were carrying in a far corner of the room to not cause any sort of discomfort or bother anyone that might wander around the room, or even worse, cause Otto to trip over them and fall.

Captain: It's alright, we can stand. Our legs aren't about to give in just yet.

Kallen seems to lowly mumble something and looks away with an upset look in her eyes as she tries to cover the lower part of her face with the scarf.
Otto turns his head toward the direction he heard the Captain speak and he continues saying:

Captain: If I'm not mistaken... your eyes are the result of cataracts.

Otto smiles weakly and says:

Otto Apocalypse: That is true. I was diagnosed with cataracts before the Great Frost arrived and fled north. I'm afraid there were no means to treat my condition or perform the surgery I needed in the Frostlands, and the glare of the snow put too much strain on my eyes, thus worsening my condition.

He then chuckles softly and says:

Otto Apocalypse: I'm afraid that if I don't hold something right in front of my face I can't see it or know what it is. I'm currently burdening a friend to act as my eyes. It's most fortunate that she's patient and willing to help. I believe you met her while you were sentenced to hard labor in the coal piles.

Captain: And how exactly do you know about us? I doubt a brawl in a Cookhouse was enough to get your attention and get us out of jail under the excuse of having us repent.

Otto's smile doesn't falter and maintains a calm exterior as the Captain tries to get straight to the point of their discussion and skip over the pleasantries. It is difficult to tell what Otto's thinking about, but he seems a little bit taken off guard for some reason. Likely because of the rather rude and direct questions addressed to him as if he were accused of committing a crime of sorts.

Otto Apocalypse: From a friend we likely share. I believe you know of Natasha who leads the outpost that supplies the city with wood. I've received a letter from her asking me if I could help you. The letter was slow to arrive since it was sent with the shipment of wood a day after you left the outpost and I am sorry I couldn't do anything about your predicament sooner.

Otto then motions with his left hand toward the table he is standing next to and says:

Otto Apocalypse: You are free to read it if you are curious. It contains nothing personal that I need to hide and... I'm afraid reading is something I can't do on my own anymore.