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 Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 2:58 pm
 Quote: Eventide's powers only work to their full potential during the winter season. They don't work at all during summer, only have half their power during the spring and fall, and take more energy to use. She is unaffected by the cold all year round; but is much more vulnerable to heat.
Survivalist's Blessing
Once per day, Eventide may bless up to a small group of soquili or familiars to help them survive cold weather. The blessing increases their luck in finding shelter from the elements, a hot meal, a healer -- whatever struggle is more pressing and life threatening at the time. It also envelopes them in an aura of temporary warmth until their bodies are no longer in danger from the cold.
Ice & Snow Manipulation
Eventide is able to manipulate snow and ice in small ways; she can do things such as freeze small amounts of water, summon a short flurry of snow, or manipulate snow and ice into shapes. However, she can't do any of these things out of thin air; the water has to exist for her to freeze, there must be clouds in the sky in order for it to snow, etc. She merely draws the elements out of their existing sources or increases their temperatures.
She trudged though the snow and tried not to worry about how her friends were managing -- Tikka and Boris were used to this, they've been doing it for far longer than she has, and they'd take care of Winter should she need it. Still, she couldn't help but think about their short legs and how much snow was on the ground already. Eventide huffed, her breath coming out in a visible puff of air in front of her face, and shook her head. They'd be fine. She was worrying for nothing! She flared out her wings, shaking off the snow before folding them up again at her sides -- and then she spotted it. A striking figure in the distance. If she squinted, she could make out splotches of deep red though the thick falling snow. Eventide's heart sunk. Could it be blood?
"Hello!" she called out loudly, hoping her voice could be heard over the wind, and picked up her pace towards the soquili in the distance.
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 5:50 pm
It was certainly not blood Eventide had spotted - It was the markings on a mare, pushing her way through the deep drifts, ears back against the cold. She'd been wandering back down from the mountains, seeking some warmer temperatures, when the snow had blown in. She could stay in one place, wait for the weather to get better and the snow to melt... But who knew how long that would last? So she'd struck out, trying to get down to the forests and plains below. A voice calling out a hello had Zhivka stop, looking around. It didn't take her long, though, to find the Angeni, her ears coming up. "Oh! Hello-- OOO!" As she placed her hoof, she found an unseen bit of ice under the snow, sending her crashing into the white powder.
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 6:04 pm
"Oh!" Eventide gasped when she saw the unicorn slip, and sped up into a trot to reach her side. Her hooves crunched through the snow, and she had to blink her eyes rapidly to get the snowflakes from her eyes, but finally she was close enough to lend a helping hoof. "Oh, oh dear, are you alright?" she asked, bending down a little beside the mare. "Here, lean on me," she offered, a steady weight to lean against to help the unicorn get herself back up again. She focused her powers on the ground beneath them, shifting the ice away from their hooves to better keep their balance. She wondered, not for the first time, if they should find a healer to join their rescue team. It was all well and good enough to warm a lost soquili up, but the unfortunate tumble this unicorn had could lead to injuries they just weren't equipped for. All the warmth in the world couldn't heal a broken bone. Thankfully, what Eventide first mistook for blood seemed to just be the lovely patterns on the unicorn's fur. That, at least, was a relief.
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 7:03 pm
Carefully, Zhivka rose back up out of the snow. She let out a relieved sound as, while leaning on the Angeni, the snow and the ice shifted. "Thank you..." She then offered the other mare a smile, tail flicking. "I'm alright. Cold and damp, but so far alright. I'm trying to get off the mountain, I was heading for warmer weather when the snow came." Her gazed out to the horizon for a moment, watching the sky to see if more snow might be dumped on the lands. She shivered, then shook herself a little. "I think stopping might be good for a bit, though... To warm up somewhere. You don't know of a cave protected from the weather, do you...?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 7:18 pm
Eventide beamed at the other mare. "You're in luck," she said, turning her head to pull off the fuzzy shawl from around her shoulders. She flipped it to drape over the unicorn's neck instead, using her wings to help settle it into place. Even though her powers would help warm the mare, she found they often found comfort in warm articles like this. "I'm an Angeni, you see, from up there," she raised her eyes heavenward and nodded up, indicating the sky. "I have powers that can help warm you up and leads us to shelter. If you don't mind..." Eventide moved to stand in front of the unicorn and lowered her head, closing her eyes. A soft glow emanated from the tip of her horn, blanketing the unicorn in a warm aura. "There! That should help. Now, look inward to your heart... your instincts will tell you which way to go next. They will lead us to the nearest shelter. That's part of my power, too," she said with a smile. "I can accompany you until the storm is over. My name is Eventide!"
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 8:01 pm
Relief flooded through Zhivka. Not a Soquili who was mixed with Angeni, but the kind who had non-vague powers. She listened, head tilting some, then looked around, feeling that pull. "My instincts are telling me this way." She glanced at Eventide, then started in the direction her instinct said. "I'm Zhivka. And I... I've been looking for someone. I'll know them when I find them, that much I know." She'd told somebody else, once before, and they'd decided to come onto her. She'd pointed her horn at them and told them off for it. Zhivka only had a vague idea, but she knew she'd know them on sight and that one hadn't been the one she was looking for.
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 9:06 pm
Eventide nodded encouragingly when Zhivka indicated which way she felt they should go, and followed along beside her. Looking for someone? Goodness, this certainly wasn't the weather to do it in. Poor thing, to get caught up in a storm like this... whoever she's looking for would be stuck in the snow too. Hopefully they were able to find shelter, or else maybe Tikka and the others found them. "Do you know their name, or what they look like?" she asked, hoping for any details so that she might help. If anything, she could pass along the message that Zhivka was looking for them if they met this stranger in the future.
The harsh winds died down, only for a moment -- but just long enough for Eventide to spot something not far from where they were. Sure enough, although much of it was covered in snow, there was a dark opening in the hills in the distance. "Ah..! Is that a cave?" she wondered aloud, glancing at her companion. "Is this where your instincts are leading us?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 9:39 pm
The pink and white mare shook her head. "I don't know their name, or what they look like. I just... I only have this feeling, that I'm missing somebody, that I need to find them." She sighed, ears going back for a moment. "I've been looking for a while, hoping to run into them. That's why I was up the mountain, seeing if maybe they were there. I'll look everywhere, if I have to."
Zhivka's gaze rose as the winds died for a moment, blinking some at Eventide's words. "Oh! That IS a cave! What luck!" She hadn't found the one she was looking for today, but she HAD found shelter! She could probably drag some branches in to make kindling to warm it up more, too.
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 10:01 pm
Encouraged, Eventide pushed ahead with her companion to reach the cave. It felt almost like breaking through a barrier to step inside, to go from heavy snow and strong winds into the sudden relief of a cave, sheltering them from the weather. She let out a relieved sigh and shook her body, trying to rid herself of any snow still clinging to her fur or feathers. "Oh, that's much better!" She looked around the place, noting gratefully that it didn't seem to be home to anything else, as far as she could tell. It would certainly do for their shelter until the storm died down and she could escort Zhivka back down the mountain.
She was sympathetic to Zhivka's quest, and counted herself lucky -- once she landed on earth after her descent, Tikka found her long before loneliness could. She hoped to one day bond with a familiar of her own, or perhaps find love -- but her friends filled the spaces in her heart, leaving no room for voids. "I hope your journey won't keep you waiting much longer. The mountains are much safer to explore in the summer time, although up here, it's always a little cold. Even so, I've not seen a snowstorm like this before." Even Tikka had agreed; this was the worst storm he'd seen since he could remember.
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 11:07 pm
Shaking snow free from her coat and going so far as to stomp her hooves against the wall to knock it out of the feathering, Zhivka could only hum a bit. She looked at Eventide, then, considering. "You've seen a lot of snow in your life?" She could really only imagine, having only seen so much of the lands so far. Of course, she'd also only seen so many Angeni, usually mixes. And a few with six wings... That had been interesting to see, how did they fly...?
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 11:28 pm
She looked out to the mouth of the cave, watching as the wind blew through the trees, making them sway and drop heavy snow from their weighted branches. She hummed thoughtfully at Zhivka's question. "Not as much as you'd think... I live here in the mountains, but truthfully, I haven't been here very long. In this realm, I mean -- I came down from the heavens not many moons ago. I'm still learning quite a lot about life down here!" she said with a delighted laugh. "But I suppose I always see a little of it; it's not easy for me to leave the cold weather. I get hot so easily, it weakens me." Eventide didn't think she'd ever be able to see the desert. It wasn't too bad elsewhere when it was winter, but it was easier just to stay where she was. "You must have seen so many interesting places during your travels! That must be at least a little exciting." It was to her, at least!
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 11:58 pm
"The desert's a lot of hot and dry, from what I hear." Zhivka hadn't been there yet, but she could imagine. "I have been down to the sea." She smiled gently at that, ears perking. "My grandmother lives there, along with her loose little herd. They like hanging around the beach and eating some of the sea grasses, and it IS very nice." She sighed a bit. "I might go back there after I get off the mountain."
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 12:37 am
Eventide's ears perked up at the mention of the beach. Their new friend Winter had tales of the beach, and it had sounded wonderful. "Oh, that sounds lovely!" she gushed with delight, wondering if it was just as wonderful as it had been described to her. Maybe she would visit one day when it was nice and chilly. "I'm sure your grandmother would be delighted to see you again. After this weather, I'm sure you'll be happy to stay in a warm place for a while," she joked with a soft laugh -- and then suddenly she froze, her eyes going wide. "Oh -- oh dear, you must still be soaking wet! I'd completely forgotten." In an instant, where once stood a winged soquili was a human, sporting the same gray eyes and the same pale purple hair. "I'll be right back!"
And then she was running right back out into the storm, bare feet sinking into the snow without so much as a flinch...
... and a few minutes later, Eventide was back hauling an armful of twigs and small branches. "Whew!" she exclaimed, dropping them down into a pile on the dry ground. With a wave of her hand, the moisture from the wood she had gathered seeped out of the wood and into a small ball of ice off to the side, and then she began arranging the sticks into a pile for a file. "Let me just..." she trailed off, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth in concentration as she squatted down, cracking two rocks together over a pile of kindling. There was no shortage of wind, so when the sparks finally took she cupped her hand over the embers and gently blew on them to make them stronger.
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 12:59 am
To say Zhivka was startled was a mild understatement. She'd never seen any horse turn into a human before, so it was surprising. She had seen humans, of course, she'd passed through the Kawani Village a few times, but never a horse into a human. She watched Eventide leave, then return, absolutely unbothered by the snow and cold. Nostrils flaring, the pink and white mare leaned in closer, eyes wide while she watched. "How did you... Do ANY of that?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 1:07 am
Only now noticing Zhivka's surprise, Eventide slapped a hand to the side of her face. "Oh, goodness, I'm sorry. I forgot that not everyone knows about... well, this," she laughed, gesturing down at herself, cheeks pinkening with embarrassment. "It's something Angeni can do. Well, some of us. It's what we looked like when we were still up in the heavens," she pointed upwards with with a finger. "We look like you when in this realm, but we keep the ability to change into this shape too. Some things are just so much easier with fingers!" she said, wiggling said appendages at Zhivka with a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Normally, I try to get a fire started right away... but the cold doesn't effect me, so sometimes I forget." She stood up, dusting her hands off on her knees, and shifted back into her soquili form, hoping it would make Zhivka more comfortable. The fire was going strong now anyway, so there was no need to remain human.
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