Event | Landfall | Bresilyk | Countryside

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and all!
Date: December 3 - 11, 2013
Location: Bresilyk countryside (landfall)
Situation: Tu Vishan makes landfall at the winterbound republic of Bresilyk!
Warnings/Rating: Please include warnings in comment subject lines

OOC Post | Approved Items | Special Gifts
Aihsohlow | Phorezton | Markutte | Countryside

The countryside is layered with snow that is up to four meters deep, all fallen within the past two months as a cold season falls upon the country. There are numerous roads in between towns and small, domed minesteads and each road is oddly clear of snow and ice. Closer inspection reveals that the surfaces are heated by some technology buried beneath the black surfaces. Occasional construction crews can be seen tearing up or laying down new surfacing over a web of thick, coated wires that presumably provide the heat. Snow is often found sculpted near crossroads, taking artistic shape in anything from beautifully arched sculptures to recreations of local fauna.

Wildlife can be spotted here and there, with a large herd of antlered beasts making their way across the snowy grounds. Webbing between their toes (yes, toes) allows each of the large, white animals to traverse upon the snow-tops with barely a print left in their wake. Hunting parties can be seen chasing after the fringes of this herd while wearing some sort of hovering harness and it is evident that the beasts are a primary source of meat for the people. Birds flit back and forth, a few predatory mammals can be spied at the edges of the icebound forests, and there are a variety of serpentine pets kept by residents fortunate to live in the warmer domed towns.

Speaking of towns, the three within the barrier's reach are spaced roughly twenty kilometres away from one another, forming a triangle of commerce that sustains each. Aihsohlow represents the southernmost town, Phorezton the northernmost, and Markutte the northeastern one. There are a variety of small minesteads in between that would greet travellers, but only reluctantly allow them into their homes. Stories abound of troubles outside the domes and they are not apt to invite said troubles inside.

Roadways | Minesteads | Other

Comments

[baniichan]

Muted surprise crossed Barnaby's features once he saw the treat being presented to him. A bit wary of food prepared in some street stall, he slowly took the candied fruit from his partner. After watching Kotetsu take a small bite, Barnaby finally tasted his own. He allowed the flavors to mingle in mouth as he decided what he thought of it.

"I almost expected it to be overly sweet," he admitted once he'd reached his verdict. "It's not bad, though." Looking at Kotetsu, he gave him a rare, quiet smile. "Thank you."

[oyaji]

"Ahh, don't mention it!" His satisfied smile was all for his own pleasure: Happy to have bought something good for once and happy that Barnaby approved of it as well. That was something to be proud of, seriously.

Wrapped in their winter clothes, the both of them took their time walking through the wintry landscape as their breath mingled with the crisp air. Kotetsu took another chunk of fruit off his stick and chewed exuberantly with plenty of groans and happy noises. "So how long d'you think it had ta snow to make this much?" It was impressive, and most of it was untouched by native and foreigner alike. For now, at least. The more he stared at it, the more he knew that untouched beauty would be defiled shortly. Probably by him.

[baniichan]

"I don't know," Barnaby thoughtfully answered, taking his time with his own treat. "It probably had to have snowed a lot in a relatively short amount of time for there to be so much untouched snow. Maybe it happened overnight."

Unless it was related to work somehow, Barnaby usually didn't give such things much thought. Even as a kid, snow had never been much for him to get excited about. Maybe that would have been different if winter wasn't such a depressing time of year for him, but that was neither here nor there.

[oyaji]

"Huh..." After a beat of silence, he walks to the edge of the street. There was plenty of dirt kicked up by travelers and animals on the edges of the large drifts. But as he walked on, ignoring the fact that his shoes were soaking up the icy snow voraciously, and found himself plenty that was clean and unbroken. So what did he do? He broke through it.

Taking a large handful, the Hero brought it to his mouth and took a large chunk out of it. There was a zing of shock when the cold hit his hot mouth, but the texture of it crunching between his teeth was too fun to let a little cold stop this. "Ohh man, it is really clean!"

[baniichan]

Eating snow? Was this a thing now? The idea was so foreign to him that all Barnaby could do was look at Kotetsu as if he'd sprouted a second head.

"You could have made sure it was clean before taking a big bite of it, you know," he pointed out. Having lived in Stern Bild his whole life, Barnaby found it difficult to fathom snow clean enough to willingly stick into his mouth.

[oyaji]

"I knew it was clean before that! I'm just saying it tastes as clean as it looks! This place has no pollution and no, uh, pesticides and stuff. You can't get much cleaner snow anywhere!" He finished what he had in his hand and scooped up another pile.

Then he almost lost it as Kotetsu practically tripped over his own feet on his way back to the road.

"Here, non-believer. Have some!" Just like the candied fruit, he thrust his hand out to his partner again with confidence.

[baniichan]

"Gee, I didn't know you were such an authority figure when it came to the snow of this region," Barnaby deadpanned. The way Kotetsu nearly tripped over his own feet sure lent him a lot of credibility, too.

Still, for some reason, his first impulse wasn't to turn away from the snowy, white "feast". Instead, an abnormal bout of curiosity got the better of him. "Fine, I'll be the judge," he said, and he leaned in to take a bite.

[oyaji]

That abnormal bout of curiosity was apparently contagious, because Kotetsu suddenly wondered if he could get away with the cheeky plan that just finished developing in his mind. Once Barnaby was bent over his offered hand, his pleasant face darkened with lines of mischief. In an instant, he brought his hand up and smushed the rest of the snow into his partner's face until the man was covered in melting snow.

[baniichan]

That earned Kotetsu a rather undignified shriek, the cold robbing Barnaby of his breath as he abruptly pulled back.

"What was that for?!" he demanded. "I wanted to taste some, not have it shoved up my nose!" His sharp gaze dulled somewhat when he pulled off his glasses and tried to wipe some of the snow off the lenses.

[oyaji]

"Ha! Hahaha ha ha haaa!" Oh man, he knew this was going to be funny, but the noises his partner had made! They were priceless. He would keep them locked away until he needed them for a rainy day. To think Barnaby could actually look and sound undignified for even the briefest of moments.

"I'm.. I'm s-sorry!" Of course, Kotetsu didn't sound anywhere near apologetic. The older man could barely keep himself upright as he slapped his knees over and over. "It was a perfect setup, how could I not?"

[baniichan]

"Don't say you're sorry when you're obviously not," Barnaby huffed. With that, he placed his glasses back onto his face, still not looking the least bit amused.

"At any rate," he continued, growing dead serious, "I hope you're prepared to receive your punishment."

[oyaji]

"D'oh ho hoo!" Now this was starting to get good. He still had no idea why he wanted to push his partner over the edge, but it still got him what he wanted. Kotetsu just hoped he didn't regret waking up a sleeping best. Still, he wasn't going to let Barnaby notice any trepidation from him. he would meet this challenge head on and then some!

"So the cute lil' Bunny's gonna come play in the snow with the big ol' Tiger, huh?" Just to rub it in further, the Hero brough his hands up to his head like a pair of floppy bunny ears.

[baniichan]

"Is that what you want?" he asked, crouching down low enough to start packing a ball of snow between his gloved hands. As Barnaby moved, his eyes remained pinned on Kotetsu, not willing to let his partner out of his sight for even a second.

"This is your last chance to bow out, old man. I won't go easy on you."

[oyaji]

"Tche! I've a whole lifetime's worth of experience on you. Do your worst, lil' Bunny!" Hell, he would even give the guy the first shot! The first one to throw was usually the one who lost. If you fired too soon, you left yourself vulnerable to attack later. He'd have Barnaby pinned on the ground, face buried in the snow in no time.

[baniichan]

Lifetime of "experience" or no, Barnaby was a fast learner, and the better tactician to boot. At least no one could say he didn't warn the poor fool.

Without another word, he hurled the freshly-made snowball at an alarming speed, making sure to aim right for his partner's stupidly smug face.

[oyaji]

Psht amateur move. Kotetsu squatted down and out of the trajectory zone before scrambling to the edge of the road for his own pile of snow. It wasn't perfectly round--He didn't have the time for that--but as long as it was packed densely it would do the job.

Still perched on the balls of his feet, the older man hurled the glob of snow like a pitcher on the mound. Unlike his poor partner, he aimed for the torso. It was a bigger target and more likely to take the hit. Sure, it didn't sting as much, but you had to work the body some, get the guy to slow down before walloping him with the finisher. It was boxing 101!

[baniichan]

The moment the malformed snowball struck his torso, sending bits of snow everywhere, Barnaby realized that Kotetsu likely aimed to make this a long fight. There was no way he wouldn't have at least tried to make a more deadly shot, otherwise.

The strategy wasn't necessarily a bad one, although he wasn't sure how his partner intended to win when Barnaby was also considerably younger. After all, even with endurance being Kotetsu's only strong point, Barnaby's stamina wasn't anything to sneeze at.

Well, no matter. Barnaby intended to finish as quick as possible anyway. After scooping up another ball of snow, Barnaby began to quickly move toward Kotetsu -- not quite a run, but faster than a normal walk -- as he packed it between his hands.

[oyaji]

"Uh oh..." Kotetsu immediately took to moving away from Barnaby's advancements. He wouldn't let himself become a bumbling target for his partner to hit! After a few quick strides in another direction, he began putting his bobbing and weaving skills to good use. If you didn't have a good target, then you didn't have a good shot. Kotetsu's head waggled back and forth, up and down, as he serpentined across the road to keep out of Barnaby's line of fire.

Ha, he'd love to see the man just try and catch him.

[baniichan]

Unfortunately for Kotetsu, Barnaby was a patient man. As soon as his partner bobbed across the road like a drunken chicken, the blond stopped on his side of the road to kneel down. With one snowball already made, he carefully placed that one down in order to quickly make another one, and then another.

[oyaji]

"D'ah! You cheater!" That was not how this worked! Kotetsu stopped for a second to swipe a long leg through the snow, flinging it toward Barnaby. All he could hope for was the destruction or loss of snowballs in the slight downpour.

Then, he rushed forward toward his partner, ready to tackle him to the ground or dodge a new flurry of attacks. Barnaby may be all legs, but Kotetsu was all shoulders and arms. If he could get in the blond's personal space quick enough, he could pick him up and take him down to the ground into a snow drift behind them.

[baniichan]

It was only cheating because Kotetsu hadn't thought of it first. Thankfully, the snowballs were packed tightly enough that a little extra wasn't going to ruin their shape.

Of course, Kotetsu's sudden dash threw a wrench in his plans, but it wasn't anything Barnaby hadn't considered. As things stood now, he had a few options. Abandon his ammo and retreat, take his ammo while retreating in the hopes that he'd find a suitable opening, or stand his ground and try to dissuade Kotetsu with a few choice snowballs. None of those scenarios sounded ideal. Kotetsu had picked up enough speed that he wasn't going to be knocked off course by some snow. Moreover, retreating would only make aiming more difficult.

So, Barnaby did the next best thing. With one snowball in each hand, he sprinted toward Kotetsu, intent on bringing the fight straight to his partner.

[oyaji]

Oh shit, he really hadn't thought this one out very well. As his partner came toward him, Kotetsu had the instinctive twinge to halt his forward momentum, and that's all it took to bring him tumbling down. His foot twisted reflexively to stall him, which only served to slip him up over the packed snow.

"Wh-Whoa whoa whoa--! D'ah!" The older man went down like a bag of dirt, not but a few feet away from Barnaby. His only saving grace would be if the sudden drop tripped up the blond's own momentum.

[baniichan]

Well, that hadn't taken long. Inwardly pleased at how quickly he'd been able to grab the upper hand, he didn't back down. Of course, the sudden pile of old man on the snow was a surprise, but anyone in his line of work had to have fast reflexes. He managed to slow down enough to stop himself from trampling Kotetsu, and though he could have launched into an attack from where he stood, Barnaby wasn't satisfied with that.

He'd said he'd punish Kotetsu, after all, and he still meant it.

Without another word, Barnaby suddenly dropped to his knees and moved to shove one of his snowballs into his partner's face.

[oyaji]

"Hey, what're you--D'ah!" All of a sudden there was a shock of freezing wet ice all over his face and up his nose. This wasn't how this was supposed to end! He was the one that's been in snowball fights, not his partner! Lying on his back, unable to open his eyes, and just taking it was not his style! He had to do something.

One of his hands that wasn't trying to bat the blond back stretched out behind him to grab a fistful of his own ammunition. Then with a fury, the older man unleashed it across Barnaby in the hopes it would blind him just as spectacularly! If he got him distracted enough to get the man to shift his weight back, he could totally flip him.

[baniichan]

"Nnn--!" The onslaught skewed Barnaby's glasses, dousing his face in another batch of cold snow. Of course, if Kotetsu thought he could win with that, he was sorely mistaken.

Instead, Barnaby reached for Kotetsu's arms in an attempt to thoroughly pin him to the ground. "Hold still, old man!"