Helplessness, and at the moment she was most defiantly helpless. She was lost, stranded in an alien world, cut off from her magic, and placed in an environment totally hostile to human life.
As Lina trudged through the blasting wind and deepening snow, shivering and drenched to the bone in her light traveling clothes, she derailed herself for her over dependence on her magic. She was powerful, very powerful, but she knew damned well that there had been times in her past when she'd been unable to use her magic due to outside interference.
She cursed herself. Forget that. She was liked this ever 28 days, and then, usually for two maybe three days on a heavy flow month. Except for that one time Zel captured her, she tended to cover her ass during that time of the month. She's just stay in an inn and have some 'down time' while she dealt with female problems... but she didn't always have that fall back, now did she?
Lina liked to be prepared for anything, but all this did was show her how unprepared she really was. She could kick herself round about now. No winter clothes, minimal supplies, nothing to keep her along 'just incase'
With a curse, Lina slipped and fell face first into the snow. With a sad, pathetic whimper she curled up into a ball. She was cold, wet, she was afraid that her feet were going numb, the blasting wind burned like cold fire, she was hungry, she was tired, oh, she was oh so very tired.
For a moment, a split second she considered just giving up, staying in place. She wrenched in disgust and slowly stood to her feet. She'd faced down Mazoku lords and won though sheer tenacity. She'd be damned if some inclement weather was going to kill her! Oh no! She was going to die, rich, old, in her castle, and surrounded by friends and loved ones.
Lina Inverse was not going to die in some fucking storm, and if she did, they'd find her frozen solid on her feet with a look of determination on her feet! She'd not give up until every ounce of life had left her body!
Lina glanced into the sky, her eyes squinted to protect them from the snow. For a moment, she thought she saw a shape in the blizzard. A building, or something of the sense. She pause for a moment and looked again.
Yes! It was a building.
Drawing on her last reserves of energy Lina began to run forward. As she approached, she saw clearly that this was not just a building, but an entire town.
Lina laughed gleefully.
A town! A nice warm happy town with an inn, with warm food and warm beds!
"Who goes there!" exclaimed a man in thick winter clothing as she entered the gates.
Slowly Lina turned around, ever the pitiful sight.
"Cole!" exclaimed the man's partner, "Look at her, poor girl's half-frozen to death!"
"Listen, Franklin," the other said with a growl, "You know the Empire's going to come running! Just look at her... expensive exotic clothing, too light for this weather, why she could be a spy!"
"If she's a spy, then she's the worst spy I've ever seen... spy's are supposed to blend in!"
"Or she could just be a clever spy! Make us think she's too dumb to be a spy!"
Lina growled. She was cold, she was hungry, and if she could call upon her magic, even if just for a second, she'd do it to blow up these morons!
"Excuse me!" she exclaimed with all her remaining strength. "I am kind of freezing to death here!"
"Just hold on a second, will ya!" Cole cut in.
Oh she really wanted to kill this person.
Here she was, in the middle of a town, and she's die of exposure because some idiot guard though she was a spy!
"Excuse me," a kindly old voice interrupted, "but the young lady is in dire need of assistance."
Lina and the two guards turned. Standing in a nearby door way was a kindly looking old man with a gentle smile.
He walked down the steps and looked at Lina with a mixture of sympathy and paternal concern.
Holding out his hand he said, "Come, lets get you out of the cold and get something warm in your belly."
"Finally, someone with sense," Frankling muttered to himself.
"What the hell are you doing, old man!" growled Cole.
He looked at the guard coolly, dangerously even. "I will be allowing to her recover in my home. If you have a problem with that you may arrest me, and then you can explain to your superiors why you let a innocent girl die. Is that acceptable?"
"Just let him go!" Franklin growled in annoyance.
"Fine, go ahead you old fruit, but if she's a spy, its your head."
----------
Fifteen minutes later, Lina found herself sitting on a bed, dressed only in a blanket. Her feet were sitting in near boiling hot water and her hair was wrapped in a towel while her clothes lay stretched out over the mantel of the fireplace, drying.
Lina looked to the door of the main room with a smile on her face. She was alive! She did not know who the hell that old many was, but he saved her life, and Lina Inverse repays debts.
With a creak, the door opened, and Lina pulled her blanket tightly around herself to protect her modesty.
The old man walked in with a large bowl of steaming soup in his hand and a smile on his face.
"Here you go, young lady," he stated as he held it forward.
Lina allowed the blanket to slip just enough that she could reach her arms out and grabbed the bowl, greedily drinking the contents. It was chicken, and if was good, but at the moment, all she cared about was that it was hot and that it was food.
After she had consumed the bowl she looked up to the man.
"Why?" she asked, "Why are you doing this for me?"
"You needed help, and up this north it's a cold, cruel man that doesn't have the hospitality to shelter someone who's in need."
"I can repay you."
"No need, if I took your money then I'd just be a poor host!" he exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"There is something you must want in exchange," she began.
"Well..." the old man replied with a naughty twinkle in his eye.
Lina blushed a brilliant crimson, and pulled the blanket as tight as possible. Oh no, he couldn't be thinking...
"I'd like to know your name," he finish after his dramatic pause.
Lina glared at him. Dirty old man, with a dirty old sense of humor.
"Okay," she replied crossly, "But only it you tell me yours, you old ding-bat"
"Old ding-bat, am I?" he laughed, "My name is Arvis Pick, Miss..."
"Lina, Lina Inverse."
"Lina... my daughter was named Lina?"
The sorceress blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Nope, not really."
Lina glowered. Dirty old man.
He laughed. "Come on, I'll get you another bowl of soup."
Lina paused for a moment. "Arvis, why did they think I'm a spy?"
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(Posted Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:06)
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