It's my problem, it's my problem

[tough_love]

Who: Princess Looma Red Wind and YOU!
Where: Districts 1-3
When: Midday
Summary: Looma's freezing, but decides to go exploring anyway. BECAUSE SHUT UP, SHE CAN TOUGH IT OUT.
Warnings: Once she figures out how to warm up, she probably won't bother asking for permission before just grabbing people to feel warm.

[Anyone out and about today would see the unusual spectacle of a giant four-armed woman in full battle regalia stomping around the city, silently fuming and just generally giving angry glares to the locals. Thankfully, she wasn't doing anything overtly aggressive, just making her intense hatred for her present situation as clear as possible. As if her violent outburst and forcible removal from the welcoming session for the new arrivals hadn't made it clear enough just a few days ago. Of course, something new had been added to the mix lately.

Anyone close enough would notice she was actually shivering. And all four arms were presently crossed and tucked in as close to her body as possible in an attempt to keep warm, with little success. Occasionally, when she thought no one was watching, she even began to slouch over, trying to huddle close to hold in as much heat as possible. While it might have been wiser to simply stay indoors and crank the heat up, she was stubbornly deciding to continue exploring her new surroundings. Not really for pleasure, but because she felt that if she was going to be kept prisoner in this place, she might as well learn the layout of the prison in question.

And maybe find part of it that was a little warmer than the rest. Hopefully because it was on fire, but she didn't believe herself to be that lucky.]

Comments

[dragoncrest]

[Freya went out, unaware of the few network posts people had made regarding the new temperature... problems, only to find herself the victim of a sudden wave of heat, which was... strange. She had not even so much as blinked in the desert heat of Cleyra; the summer of this city was nothing she couldn't handle. So why in the world couldn't she stand to keep her coat on? For now, the hat stayed, since it helped keep the sun out of her face, but she was thinking that it might have to go, too.

She didn't get far through her daily exploration (constantly seeking shade) before she came across the princess. Four arms? Hmm... what did that remind her of? She did remember seeing someone like that on her travels...

... This wasn't the time to drift off. Sure, she was hot, but she had to keep a clear head. There was something off in this person's posture, almost like... she was cold? That couldn't be right, could it? The Dragon Knight cautiously approached, though not without wiping her face of some sweat and taking a breath.]

Excuse me, are you alright?

[tough_love]

Fine.

[Looma's tone was probably a little harsh, but considering everything she'd had to tolerate lately, she felt it was polite enough. Even though her response was spoken largely through gritted teeth.

Frankly, the only reason she was getting a response at all from Looma was because she was very plainly not human. Which meant she also couldn't be one of those...whatever the locals were calling themselves. The ones Looma wanted to destroy so badly. She harbored no such animosity toward the offworlders who found themselves in the same position she was in (yet, anyway).]

This planet's winter is new to me, but I will survive it.

[Assuming it was the onset of winter made a lot more sense than accepting that something strange might be going on. Maybe the place just didn't get snow, it could still be freezing in winter, right?]

[dragoncrest]

[She couldn't have blamed Looma for being in a bad mood; being torn from your world in the middle of something important did that, and it tended to stay for a while.

Freya had to pause for a moment and wonder how to react. Winter? Of all things, the other young woman thought it was winter.]

I... am not certain this is their winter. I have never experienced a winter so miserably hot. [As if for effect, she took off her hat to fan herself.]

[tough_love]

This is not hot. I am surprised there is no frost around.

[And she knew what hot felt like. That tends to happen when you destroy a village heated by a giant magma pool.

But she's definitely studying Freya more closely now. Especially since it was beginning to appear as though she weren't lying. She actually did seem to be feeling a little too warm.]

...what planet do you come from where this is hot?

[That lingering hostility in her voice? It's now been replaced by a mix of skepticism and genuine interest as she peers down at Freya. Because nothing about this felt right to her. She knew she was accustomed to higher temperatures than some, but surely the difference could never be that drastic, right?]

[dragoncrest]

[Freya, too, appears to be thoroughly confused, and she sounds unsure as she replies.]

It has been summer since I arrived here nearly two months ago... But even in my travels across my own world's deserts, I don't believe I've been as exhausted from the heat as I am now.

[She examines Looma, head tilted slightly. There would be no reason for her to lie about being cold, and she certainly looked the part. Surely that couldn't have been caused by the difference in their worlds and races, could it?]

... have you been this cold since you arrived here?

[tough_love]

No. It has come about only recently.

[Normally she probably wouldn't be this cordial, but again, Freya being very clearly Not A Human has piqued her interest. She'd likely ask about it at some point, but for now, it seems as though the other woman might have some inkling about what's going on.]

When I arrived, I did not have this problem.

[She just had other problems. Like her temper.]

[dragoncrest]

[So it was something that happened all of a sudden? But why would one of them be hot and the other cold? It couldn't have been due to the actual temperature if it affected them so differently, right?]

Does this have something to do with the sickness they mentioned...?

[They didn't mention anything about temperature changes, and she thought she'd been keeping up enough with the contact quota. But it wouldn't hurt to try it out...]

Might I ask for your hand for a moment?

[tough_love]

My hand? For what purpose?

[Okay nonhuman or not, that part's a little suspicious. Not that she could think of anything at all sinister that could possibly come from such a request, especially considering she could likely hurl the smaller female down to the next city block if the need arose.

It was just such an unusual request, which caused her to be a little more wary than usual.]

[dragoncrest]

I have an idea regarding our predicament; if this relates to the illness we will supposedly feel should we avoid contact, then touching someone may help us return to normal.

[It... sounded logical enough to her. Hopefully the other young woman would agree.]

[tough_love]

[Well, Looma could find no fault with that logic. Well, beyond the usual "this place is stupid, and everything about that is stupid" angle. But if it worked, it worked.

If it didn't, she'd find someone to beat into the ground.]

Very well then. We shall see if that will actually resolve this problem.

[Considering the significant height difference between the two, she'll hold out one of her lower hands for Freya to take hold of. Despite the fact that the idea of making her jump to try and reach one of the upper ones sounded mildly amusing.

Perhaps she would save that for another time.]

[dragoncrest]

[Jumping is her specialty, but they'll just have to have fun with that later. For now, she takes the offered hand, feeling a bit surprised at the fact that it was the first cool thing she'd felt since that morning.]

Do you feel any difference?

[tough_love]

[It took a moment, but she did. Granted, she was impatient enough that after a split second of no change, she almost took to angrily informing Freya of how stupid an idea this was, but once it started working...]

...this is riduculous. Why should touching someone make the temperature change?!

[...she took to angrily informing the world at large of how stupid the idea was instead. Well. At least it wasn't Freya on the receiving end, right?]

[dragoncrest]

For the same reason it supposedly generates energy for this city, I imagine. [It was said in an exasperated tone; she sympathized with Looma's reaction. And she certainly was glad to not to have the princess's anger directed towards her.]

... Perhaps we should find somewhere to sit so we need not remain holding hands like this in the middle of the path.