Frozen

[Willow]

ooc- OPEN.

Sebastian wondered, for perhaps the upteenth time, why he was in this frozen hovel of a town. Scarlet eyes gleamed in the dim light of the nearest streetlamp, turning his pale skin a shade of light gold. Scowling into his reflection in the nearest shop window, Sebastian kept moving, frost crunching under his boots.

Why, he wondered, had their fearless leader not sent one of the shifters to this frozen hellhole? Because Sebastian had nothing better to do, and he'd come from far north. The whole thing was silly, looking for tip-offs of anything in a town this far away.

The sorceror pulled up the hood of his cloak, disappearing into the wolf fur-rimmed hood. Black mink gloves were warm, almost stuffy, on his hands, and hard to work with. He wouldn't be using any magic while he was wandering around, and he'd be lucky if his sword handle didn't freeze to his hand.

His breath formed a fine mist infront of him, and he kept waiting for his eyelashes to stick together. A soft sigh sent a small cloud into the air. He'd heard absolutely nothing. Sure, Sebastian had come from the north, but not this far north. He stomped his feet, trying to get them warm again, and made for the nearest building. A creaking, hand-carved, wooden sign hung overhead, giving the name of the tavern. Sebastian didn't bother to read it, he just stepped inside.

Ohgood, it was warm. Sebastian tipped his head back enough to throw the hood down, dark locks framing his pale face. His lips formed a thin line, scarlet eyes roving over the room. The place was packed. Sebastian supposed this was the life center of this frigid little civilization, Ta'Dao. He found a empty table in the back corner, letting his gloves drop on the table, curled as compact as he could get into the chair.

Hands cupped infront of him, he focused the bit of magii he could drum up to make a small cup of sorceror's fire. The warmth flooded him, and Sebastian let out a relieved sigh. Now he just had to chat some people up, find out what the talk of the town was.

Easier said than done. Sebastian, his feminine build, long hair and scarlet eyes, always drew the wrong kind of attention. People didn't like him, because of his eyes. Red, like the vampires of old, the vampires who'd been wiped out some fifeteen years ago.

Still. People were nervous. People worried, and they left Sebastian alone. Usually, that was a good thing.

Today, it frustrated Sebastian to all ends.

[Gwydion Nefarine]

Zaknafein's attention became deviated for a moment to the tavern door, from which a strange man entered. The man had red eyes, and was obviously not suited to cold weather, a foreigner.

Zaknafein scratched the black stubble on his chin that could almost be called a beard as he had not shaved for some time now. His hair was longer and shaggier. And his cloak was tattered and had more than a few holes. He always kept his hood on, since he had escaped from the empire. The last thing he wanted was to be discovered, so he simply disappeared. He had tried to make it so that people could not so easily notice him, but he was still in that process.

Zaknafein had worked as an assassin for years, and he could tell by now when someone needed some dirty work done. This red-eyed man obviously did.

For a while, Zaknafein's hands both idled on his scimitar hilts. He thought about all he had done with them. He thought about the life he had made for himself, such as it was. A withdrawn life, living as a hermit, and going out to local taverns every now and then to scout for work.

Finally, he approached the man. "Good day, sir. You look like a man who is looking for something."

[Aeric Ecrai]

((That is the most creative name ever. Zaknafein. Why didn't R.A Salvatore think of that one?))

[Willow]

Sebastian had been brooding at the tabletop, listening to meaningless tavern chatter influenced by rowdy deeds and too many drinks. Just the fumes were enough to make one's head buzz.

He'd ordered a small, non-alchoholic drink earlier, and was starting to wish he'd ordered something else, something warmer. Or at least, something to make him think he was warmer. Even the sorceror's fire wasn't helping, not very much, and it was drawing uneasy eyes. Some people were certainly skittish about magic.

So, scowling at nothing, he took another drink, the fire disappearing from his fingertips.

"Good day, sir. You look like a man who is looking for something."

He glanced up, scarlet eyes more than a little irritable in gleam. Sebastian wasn't in a social mood, but he supposed he would get over it. This man. He had a certain look about him, as if he'd done things, seen things, that would chill Sebastian to the bone if he could see inside his head.

Hmm.

"More than one man can give, I'm sure," Sebastian grumbled, easing a chair out with his foot. "Take a seat, stranger. I won't ask your name, and mine will offer you nothing. Names aren't very useful."

The cold made him a little chatty, unusual for the crimson-eyed man. "Big things are happening, further south. Interested in being involved?"

His gold was starting to feel heavier than ever, reminding him he was well-equiped to pay for anything he could find, need or want. Or whatever found him. The druidoks were rebels, and criminals, but they certainly weren't poor.

[Gwydion Nefarine]

((lol, Hudson, that's why I officially changed it to Eithusela, well, at least, in my story that's about "Zaknafein"))

Zaknafein took the seat. "I agree," he said when the stranger said, "I won't ask your name, and mine will offer you nothing. Names aren't very useful." Zaknafein wasn't too keen on giving his name out freely either.

When the man made the offer, he thought for a moment. He had mostly ignored happenings in the outside world before he had come to Gortek. That is, he ignored events irrelevant to him. He could spot a wanted poster with his own portrait from a mile away. So, what was happening in the south? After he concluded that he truly did not know, he looked at the man, studying him. Had they come all the way to Gortek to try and capture him? And if so, how did they find him? He eventually concluded that there would be no way that they could find him in Gortek.

Finally, he said. "Very well. I'll join you, if you offer me enough." He really yearned for a job. He had been bored the last few months, having to stay in the shadows, stay hidden. Now, he would have something to do.

Zaknafein noted the stranger's discomfort in the cold weather. "You get used to it after a while," he commented. Even so, he wore a long-sleeve woolshirt istea of his cotton shirt with no sleeves. He had tried to insulate is cothes as well, to keep him warm. Even with all this, he used to be cold. Now, he felt fine.

[Willow]

Oh good, they agreed on something. Sebastian watched, waited. He felt like the king on one side of the chess board, unable to do anything but wait, watch, and direct. The red-eyed mage propped his chin on clasped hands. It was true. His name was nothing.

No one knew who Sebastian was. He was just the strange fellow with a bit of magii knowledge. He'd been seen in Seadale, and other places were rebellion knowledge was up. There were rumors he was a spy for the monarchs, or something more. He was just normal though, no one believed he had anything to do with the druidoks.

How wrong they all were.

Sebastian let one hand drop to his coat pocket, pulling out one of the bags of gold in his pocket. With a audible clink, he dropped it on the table. Several heads turned, watched, and looked back away.

This was why he'd sat down in a corner table. Less people.

"I don't plan sticking around long enough to get used to it," Sebastian said, crossing his arms and waiting. More waiting. Yay.

[Gwydion Nefarine]

Zaknafein took the bag of coin and weighed it carefully. It would have to be a very large amount to get him to come back to a place where there was a huge price on his head. He would have to take painstaking precautions, but he was very good at disguising himself.

He thought for a moment. "I'll join you then. When do we leave?" Truthfully, he did not care so much for money, as he did getting out of that forsaken place. The cold did not bther him that much now, but he hated sitting around in gloomy taverns all day. He wondered why he had not decided to leave sooner.