- Andromeda -

hearing the werewolf speak calmed her down and she let out a soft sigh of relief, even if their situation had yet to improve. she quietly watched as the werewolf pulled in the branches and seemed to be setting something up on the other side of the firs but she couldn't quite make out what. Then Rain was in front of her and Andro realized she'd zoned out for a minute or two.

it took her a second to register Rain question, then another second to think of an answer "fuzzy... r-really cold... I think I... I got a touch of f-frostbite... I'm mainly j-just really tired..." she shivered and groaned a little "I don't really remember... t-the warming up p-process of last time, I was p-pretty... out of it..." she could tell her heart beat was faster though, not by much but enough to show improvement. "w-warmer though... t-then earlier..."

Andro watched Rain as she ran her fingers through her hair and she let out a tiny wistful sigh. She'd had a crush on Rain for awhile, Andro was just exceptionally socially inept. it wasn't her fault, the only people she ever talked to were her servants or her parents. Andro was glad of one thing in this mess, at least she was with Rain, she'd rather be with her then anyone else.

when Rain mentioned getting off the floor Andro was confused for a minute, until her addled brain supplied Rain's earlier comment of making her a bed of sticks. she nodded slightly and shifted, trying to get up but not quite finding the strength. she chuckled a little when Rain asked if she could walk "I uh... I'm n-not sure... I don't... t-think I can..." the gorgon smiled a little at Rain's slightly awkward motion "I may... n-need some help"

As Andro spoke, Rain tuned in on her heartbeat, noting it sounded better than before but not enough to make her feel anymore at ease. The werewolf wasn't as aware of Andro's crush as she probably should have been. Most people displayed subtle signs of their feelings around others, an increase of pulse or a change in their scent. The werewolf for the most part was only just starting to understand humans in this way and Andro's unique biology was still somewhat of a mystery to her. Any clues left in speech or otherwise, completely escaped her. It couldn't be said that Rain gave any clue to feeling the same way about Andro, yet again...she was there, that in itself should have spoken volumes.

"Hmm" Rain hummed thoughtfully having listened to Andro's answer and fussed about with her appearance as she thought over what to say in response.

"I may have been the err-" Rain stopped to clear her throat "-warming process last time"

"Where have you been bitten...by the frost?" She asked, rubbing her forehead as she realised the way her words had come out "I can help with that. At least take away some of the pain if it's bothering you"

The werewolf couldn't help but wish her kind could transfer over their ability to heal as well. She'd seen mated werewolves go to great lengths to help their partners in times of illness or injury, one even bringing his mate back from the brink of death with his alpha power. But such a thing was between her people, she hadn't a clue whether her transference ability would or even could have such a drastic effect on someone from another species.

Rain watched Andro as she started to shift about, she wasn't surprised when the gorgon was unable to get herself up, though her eyebrow twitched up as her question caused Andro to chuckle and her lips curved into an amused smile at what was said next.

"May need help?" She repeated, blowing a sharp puff of air through her nose. "Roll onto your back, I'll just lift you over" She told her.

Shuffling closer she reached out to either gently push Andro onto her back if she hadn't managed to shuffle round or to simple rest a hand on her shoulder. In the next instance, Rain wriggled an arm in behind Andro's shoulders and under the backs of her knees, carefully sitting her up before getting to her feet.

"You need to conserve your strength anyway" Rain murmured, as she pulled Andro in towards her chest, holding her bridal style.

The fact Andro was light anyway, meant Rain had deliberately taken more time to lift her up, for fear of over doing it. Turning around Rain took the few steps over to the other side of the cave and bent back down to place Andro on the bed of branches, making sure her back was to the mouth of the cave. The branches probably weren't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was clear they'd been preened so that there were no unruly twigs sticking up. The wind swept through the mouth of the cave, crawling up towards Andro's unprotected side, whilst the other was welcoming close to the warm luna fire burning at the center of the cave. Withdrawing her arms, Rain took a step back and rested in a crouch, resting her arms over her thighs as she watched Andro expectantly.

"Well? How does that feel?" She asked.

_{(Sorry for delay!)}

- Andromeda -

"I may have been the err- warming process last time" that made Andro chuckle a little but then her addled brain seemed to register the actual words. 'she's dealt with hypothermia before? with who? can werewolves get hypothermia? you'd think the fur would stop that, and besides, Rain always felt like she was super warm.' Andro had to admit, though only to herself, that she always thought it was a bit like fate that she was always a bit colder then your average human and Rain was warmer, they balanced each other out. she forced herself back to the topic as Rain spoke again, asking about her frostbite "j-just my hands... I think..." she shivered.

Rain seemed to be thinking about something. she had to admit, Rain was even cuter when she was concentrating on something, but that shouldn't be the main thing on her mind as she tried to get up. she found her mind going more and more often to the werewolf the longer they were trapped out here. it was probably just because she was the only one there and she'd already had a massive crush on the werewolf, had since the first academy honestly. she'd considered telling her a few times but she could never find the courage or the right time. now it would probably just be unfair to the werewolf.

then said werewolf offered her help. Andro did the best she could and got most the way onto her back before Rain knelt down. she let the other woman pull her up into her arms and nestled close to her chest. God she was warm, it was great. she let out a tiny sound of contentment, despite knowing full well she'd have to leave that warmth again soon.

she was settled back down, the branches weren't comfortable by a long shot but it was better then the floor, warmer at least, even minorly. she shivered and shifted, trying to get off a particularly uncomfortable branch. she watched as Rain crouched beside her. the fire was warm and she welcomed it. she listened to her friend speak and said "b-better... Kinda un-uncomfortable but n-not as bad..." she shivered again "T-thank you..." she glanced up at Rain then down at the fire "h-how... how long has i-it been?"

"Okay...hopefully it's nothing too bad, I'll take a look for you in a minute" Rain decided on saying, already thinking ahead to getting Andro moved to a somewhat warmer location.

As she lifted the gorgon into her arms, she heard the small content sigh escape her, it caused a ripple of heat to pass through her chest as she walked over to the branches. She hesitated for the briefest of moments when it came to putting Andro down again, wrestling against a surprise impulse to simply keep her in her arms.

She was able to fight it off fairly quickly though it confused her to say the least, her brow ended up creasing and a tightness appeared around her eyes. 'What was that all about?' She'd encountered impulses like it before, usually they were small things, things that reminded her that she was a werewolf. Like the impulse to submit to an alpha or the impulse to chase fast moving objects...she tried not to tell people about that one. This one had been...different and quite frankly unlike anything she'd felt before. She'd never felt the need to keep anyone close to her like that, even Piper.

Rain nodded her head, clearly content with the gorgon's answer. The edges of her mouth turning up as Andro glanced at her, she inhaled before letting out a long sigh. Her mind abuzz with thoughts and unanswered questions, they seemed to endlessly swim from one side of her mind to the other, leaving a trail of pain in their wake.

"A few hours maybe...the storm's making it hard to tell what time it is" She answered as she stood up, wandering over to the fire so she could slide her feet back into her boots.

"Waking up early has completely thrown me out of sync as well" She added with a shake of her head as she turned and walked back towards Andro.

Skirting around her head, Rain carefully lowered herself down onto the branches, though she was sat upright and mostly facing the caves entrance, she shifted closer so that the side of her leg was pressed up against Andro's back, offering her a little more warmth and blocking off the draft coming in from the front of the cave. Picking something up off of the floor, Rain fiddled with it as she contemplated what to say next.

Since hearing about Andro's mother, her own had returned to her mind, pushing everything else aside and clouding her judgment. She'd even considered mentioning Kelda to Andro but it didn't seem like the time or place to talk about her. In truth, the werewolf wasn't sure she was ready to admit how Andro's story had changed her perspective of her mother.

"I've dealt with hypothermia before" She announced.

Instead she found herself blurting out something completely different from what she had been thinking, a fact that had probably been evident in the way she'd treated Andro so far.

"Back home...it happened to another werewolf. She was from another pack that lived close by our territory, we used to meet between the two, place called No-man's land" She explained, all the while fixating on whatever was in her hands, a faint scraping could be heard.

"It was winter, we'd met in our usual place but she was feeling adventurous...so we ended up heading further out. We found this valley...it was beautiful, the way the mountains curved into it, it had this river running through it, trees pretty much covering the rest of it" She stopped fiddling to press a hand to her forehead.

"We'd been told to stay inside our territories, this kind of thing was against the rules. Dangerous. She didn't care" Rain blew a short puff of air through her nose and smiled "She never did follow the rules"

"Anyway that, we ended up running into some monster hunters...and she got shot. Arrow straight through the shoulder" She continued, returning her attention to the object in her hands.

"I managed to get her away from them, but a storm came in. We ended up in this old shack, probably belonged to game hunters in the past...the temperature dropped outside and hers did as well" She turned her head to look down at Andro "They'd tipped the arrow with wolfsbane...which is a sure way to mess up our systems"

"She didn't die but she came pretty close...I managed to keep her warm enough through the worst of it. Luckily for us a friend of mine had come out to look for me when I didn't come back..." Rain trailed off and looked away.

"I don't get scared easily...but when she was lying there in that shack, shivering, barely conscious. I was terrified" She admitted stiffly, her shoulders tensing up.

"Whilst we were out there in that storm, you weren't looking good at all...I went straight back to that shack. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like...to fear losing someone" Rain shifted uncomfortably on the branches.

"It's unnerving...how much I'm afraid of losing you...which is why I couldn't make that promise earlier"

- Andromeda -

She nodded and smiled lightly when Rain said she'd help with the frostbite, then she just muttered "Thanks..."

she listened carefully as Rain told her how long it had been. she thought about that, as much as her addled brain would let her. for how much of that was she conscious? she wondered, she certainly didn't remember several hours worth of time, not that that's surprising, she wouldn't be surprised if she couldn't remember this when she finally recovered from this, her head still swam and she felt very fuzzy, though she was slowly regaining her senses. she chuckled a little when Rain mentioned waking up early "yeah... I-I've probably slept... more in the l-last couple hours then... T-then I do most nights... certainly confusing my h-head... though the cold's def...d-definitely doing that too..." she realized she was shivering again, full-on shivers, though still weak. that was a good thing, her brain supplied, it meant she was warm enough her body didn't feel the need to conserve energy, she was still hypothermic and not out of the woods, she chuckled again at her internal pun, it probably came out a little hysterical but she didn't really notice.

Andro was actually confused and scared a little when she felt something warm touch her back, but she bit down her temporary panic and let her brain figure it out. it was pretty obvious, it was just Rain, Rain wasn't going to hurt her. This also told Andro that she had clearly zoned out for at least a little while as the last thing she remembered Rain was kneeling in front of her, by the fire, but now the werewolf was behind her, some part of the woman (Likely a leg) was pressed along her back. the next thing that occurred to Andro's muddled frazzled brain was that she had tensed up considerably and she forced herself to relax. 'Calm down Andro, you're fine' she chastised herself.

Then Rain started talking, answering Andro's previous thoughts on how she knew what to do for someone with hypothermia. she couldn't imagine just how awful Rain must have felt. Andro had never really gotten close to losing someone she loved... well that's not true, she wasn't sure if her parents were alive, and if they were alive, where they were. she mainly tried not to think about it, especially when it came to her mother. she was getting distracted and Rain deserved her attention so she dragged it back to the werewolf's words and listened. she felt like her heart skipped a beat when Rain said she was afraid of losing her. "Rain..." she said, her voice quiet but her own feelings working their way out. she forced her arm up and reached slightly back to put a hand on the werewolf's shoulder "I-I'm sorry..."

her brain, rather suddenly, decided 'it's now or never' she tried to turn her upper body so she could actually look at her companion, it was difficult and she couldn't turn all the way but she hoped it was enough for Rain to see her face "Rain I... I care a-about you... a lot" she chuckled a little sheepishly, her brain wandering a little again, to her first meeting with the werewolf "I have f-for a really... really long time... When... When we g-get out of here... I-I'll promise to... to tell you again... when you'll b-believe me..." she smiled warmly, her hand squeezing slightly on the werewolf's arm "I'm n-not going anywhere... not anywhere you can't follow... if you want to..." she didn't really have the strength yet to keep her arm there though and let it slide away. she wasn't sure if Rain really cared about her, maybe this was just leftover feelings from memories of someone she actually cared about almost dying, but she didn't really care right now, if Rain rejected her then that was it, if not then... well that made things interesting and gave her a rather compelling reason to get better sooner. she hoped this wouldn't hurt Rain though.

Rain smiled a little as Andro admitted her sleeping patterns weren't particularly good normally. "Ah...are you a fellow night owl or is sleeping just not easy for you?" She asked. It was an absent minded question, the werewolf wasn't necessarily expecting an answer, though she was also aware that keeping Andro talking wasn't a bad thing. Coherent sentences were a good sign, even if they were disturbed by shivers...though they were annoying, Rain considered them to be a good sign as well. Concern flickered across her face as Andro chuckled at her internal pun, it had sounded a little off...but she decided to pretend she hadn't noticed.

Feeling Andro tense as she settled behind her, Rain instinctively responded by allowing a soft rumbling growl to vibrate through her chest. To another of her species the softness of the tone would have been a comfort, though it didn't cross her mind that it might effect Andro differently otherwise she might have backed it up with words. It was another one of those instincts that kept springing themselves on Rain whilst she was around Andro, ones she hadn't even realised she possessed.

With her story told and feelings admitted, Rain tried to turn her attention elsewhere. She lifted one of her hands and watched her nails elongate into claws at the tips of her fingers, her eyes had just dropped back to object resting beside her when she felt Andro's hand rest on her shoulder. She twitched in surprise and turned her head to look down at the gorgon. Her eyebrow raised questioningly as she watched Andro turn over, for a moment she considered asking her what she was up to but the words couldn't push past her lips. Instead she simply watched, only averting her eyes when her reflection caught on Andro's sunglasses, thanks to Glitch's light above her head.

'I care a-about you...a lot'

Well this comment alone, made Rain realise an assortment of things at that moment in time. First of all, despite everything she had believed before, her heart was still in her chest and it was still capable of being knocked out of rhythm. A strange fluttering feeling worked it's way through her chest, twisting between her organs with an almost nauseating effect as anxiety-stricken happiness bubbled up to meet it. She looked back at Andro, looking helplessly at her sunglasses her eyes wide and lips parted as if she were going to speak. That warm smile, which she had seen many times before had the uncanny ability to cast out every thought in her mind, if only for the briefest of moments. Coupled with the gorgon's confession, it was able to pull the breath from her lungs and the sudden onslaught left Rain feeling a little dizzy.

She instinctively reached out to catch Andro's hand as it fell away from her shoulder, in a flash of movement her heated fingers danced across the back the gorgon's hand and curled around the side of it, attempting to keep it suspended in the air. As soon as their skin met, Rain absorbed any and as much pain as she could, black lines tracked their way up the back of her palm and along her wrist. Her eyes focused on Andro's fingers, recalling her previous comment on frostbite. Her expression was thoughtful, no doubt digesting everything that she'd just been told.

"What makes you think I wouldn't believe you now?" She asked, hoping that her pain transference was enough to keep Andro from pulling her hand away. She liked the feel of it in her palm but her grip was loose enough that the gorgon could retract her hand if it was too painful to endure or uncomfortable.

"If anything, it's times like these that the truth comes out..." She murmured, her eyes narrowing as she added "I wouldn't have believed you if you told me after"

If Andro hadn't pulled her hand away, Rain ran her thumb across her palm. Still drawing out as much discomfort as she could whilst ignoring the black lines tracking their way up her arms, there was just enough adrenaline in her system to make short work of what she was doing. She was quiet after that, giving Andro a chance to say something before she spoke again.

"I guess I should tell you how I feel as well, hmm?" She asked, her eyes brightened as she stared at either Andro's hand tucked in hers or the clawed fingertips of her empty hand. There was conflict in her voice, just as there was in her thoughts.

"...if you want to know how I feel in return, you're going to have to get through this" Rain finished looking at the tips of Andro's fingers. She lifted her free hand up to the side of her own head and knowing that Andro couldn't see, her fingers sought out the braid hidden beneath the blue layers of her hair. Her brow creased into a frown as she silently chastised herself for getting carried away. "As soon as you're safe, I'll tell you everything" Rain felt a twinge of anxiety as she laid out her promise, the idea of exposing her secrets was far more unnerving than she thought it would be. Dropping her hand to the floor she turned her focus elsewhere.

"For now, how are your hands...the frostbite?"

The logical side of her brain kicked in, reminding her that the gorgon could still be suffering whilst she toyed with the idea of confessing and that the chances were...Andro wouldn't remember this anyway. Whether it was true or not was debatable but logic was adamant in it's decision and Rain trusted it.

- Andromeda -

oh she knew the answer to Rain's rather innocent question, and it wasn't an innocent answer. her brain wasn't working well enough to tell her it might not be a good idea to give her companion the actual answer so it slipped out of her mouth, with a humorless chuckle "nightmares" she said "I get... awful n-nightmares..." then was when her brain caught up with her mouth and told her that might not have been the right thing to say, she would have sighed but she kept it in, and waited for how Rain would react to that.

the growl did not help, Andro managed to stop herself from jumping, partially because moving was difficult still, because she knew it was Rain making the sound. she had a feeling Rain hadn't meant to scare her, which is what the growl had actually done. Andro knew a little about actual wolves, who communicated almost solely through growls, so Rain's growl had likely been meant as some kind of reassurance, Andro could understand it, to a degree, her snakes hissed when she was upset to try and calm her, and the familiarity of it actually did, perhaps if she had spent more time with Rain the growl would have had the intended response. Andro didn't feel the need to tell the werewolf it hadn't.

she watched Rain's reaction and couldn't quite judge what it was, shock? she wasn't sure, the girl certainly looked surprised, maybe a little confused, but when the werewolf grabbed her hand the gorgon's heart fluttered, maybe the werewolf did care about her. she let out a little gasp as the heat of Rain's hand hit hers but almost immediately the pain melted away and she realized Rain was taking the pain away, it helped to clear her head a little, which was still fuzzy from the hypothermia. she was recovering, she could feel it but it was slow, the heat of the werewolf and the fire was speeding the process, giving her some sense of self back, and of course, her heart refused to sit still as long as she was in contact with the woman, Rain's very presence made her heart beat just a little faster. she didn't pull her hand away.
"What makes you think I wouldn't believe you now?"
that comment made her laugh a little "I will... a-admit... I may not... b-be in t-the best... state of m-mind right now... so, I thought... y-you may not... think I was t-telling... the truth." she agreed with Rain next statement but talking was hard, so she just nodded a little and smiled. she wished she could take the glasses off, she hated seeing the world through this black tint, but if she took them off, she'd kill Rain, and that would kill her. that thought made her smile fade a little as she thought. she looked at her pale marble hand in Rain's and moved a finger to rub the back of Rain's hand.

"I guess I should tell you how I feel as well, hmm?" that comment made Andro's heart skip a beat for a second and she looked up at the Werewolf, waiting for her to continue. "...if you want to know how I feel in return, you're going to have to get through this" Andro chuckled a little and thought 'tease' before nodding. at the girl's next comment her heart skipped a beat again but she smiled "I'm... g-gonna hold you... t-to that" she shivered bodily again and her back was starting to complain about the rather odd position she'd managed to work herself into but she wanted to look at Rain, so she didn't move just yet.

she got a little sad when Rain dropped her hand, the gorgon pulled it back into the comfort and warmth of her coat. the question about the frostbite confused her for a second, she'd honestly forgotten about it, and now that she was thinking about it she realized the frostbite seemed to be almost entirely gone now "b-better" she replied, smiling "almost gone... t-thanks"
however, at that moment her back decided it would no longer take the abuse and with a groan she had to turn herself back over onto her side. she figured that sound would probably have worried Rain, considering how bad of shape the Gorgon had been in so she said "t-that wasn't... exactly a-a comfortable... position..."

"Nightmares..." Rain repeated, narrowing her eyes as she thought on it. She was aware of what a nightmare was, rather she was debating whether asking Andromeda more about them would be a good idea or not. For the time being she opted to keep her questions to herself and continue what she was doing. Whilst remaining unaware that her attempt at calming Andro had, had the opposite effect.

Rain appreciated the fact Andro didn't pull her hand away, it fit nicely in hers. Though it highlighted the difference between them, the gorgon's hand was soft against the roughness of her own, against her claws she was sure Andro's marble skin would tear like paper so she gingerly kept them angled away. A tingle dashed up her wrist as Andro moved a finger. '...you thought you weren't going to make it. It's natural to confess' She thought as she spoke again, her words different from the ones in her mind. Another skill Athalia had taught her, language was an art, one that was often appreciated more if it was elaborate.

Amusement danced across Rain's eyes as Andro chuckled, it was nice to hear even if it was lacking it's usual warmth. 'You may regret that...' Rain thought "As you should...I never go back against my word" She assured her, before moving on to the next matter. Frostbite wasn't something she was overly familiar with, so drawing it out had been a bit of a gamble. Her ability to transfer pain could only heal minor injuries and alleviate the discomfort from more serious things for a short period time.

"Good" She exhaled, with a satisfied look on her face as she dipped her head in a swift nod and rubbed her hands together. "It'll be one less thing for your body to worry about"

As expected Rain flinched forward as Andro rolled back onto her side with a groan, she leant over her allowing her hand to hover over the gorgon's side. "Hmm...you should have said sooner" Rain chastised, sighing in relief despite herself. She'd have let Andro's hand go sooner if she'd known she was that uncomfortable.

"Sirius preserve us...this storm doesn't look like it's ever going to let up" She grumbled, lifting her hand up to her head, she pushed her hair back from her face and clicked her tongue. Rain's virtue was patience but she was struggling with it after everything that had happened that day. Donning ski's, sitting in a mechanical monster, getting stuck in said monster, Andro in danger, getting slapped in the face by a snow storm...Andro confessing...it was a lot to take in. Even more so with the current cycle of the moon. Wriggling her foot back and forth, Rain leant back on her hands and focused on the white cloud covering the entrance to the cave.

"Tell me about your nightmares" She requested out of the blue "I'd like to..." She paused as if she was deciding what word to use next, in her mind the sentence finished with a 'understand you better...' but she ultimately decided that "...help, or at least try" was a better fit. She cleared her throat, still unhappy with her delivery she quickly added.

"My...mother told me that our dreams are one of two things, a message or a lesson. Sometimes they're recycled memories of key points in our lives and other times they're an unfamiliar structure full of hidden meanings" The pause was unintentional, Rain hadn't spoken about her mother before, in fact she often went out of her way to simply brush such a subject aside...in this situation she was more worried mentioning that word might make Andro uncomfortable.

"You don't have to...it was just a thought"

- Andromeda -

Andro smiled when Rain chastised her. "sorry, what can... I say? I-I just love... looking at you" she shifted slightly as she'd managed to get into a position where the sticks she was laying on were poking into her sides. she shivered again and a thought occurred to her "Rain? d-do you... think I'm... I'm pretty? I... I don't... I'm too p-pale and... short, and t-thin..." Andro was aware she had major self-confidence issues and this probably wasn't the time to be asking a question like that, but her brain wasn't exactly thinking logically. but it occured to her that Rain had said she wouldn't say what she felt. so the Gorgon shook her head lightly "S-sorry, nevermind... you d-don't have to answer... t-that"

"Sirius preserve us...this storm doesn't look like it's ever going to let up"
as Andro wasn't entirely sure who 'Sirius' was she assumed it was some form of deity or ancestor to the werewolves but she didn't feel like questioning the werewolf at that moment. she wasn't too keen on staying in that cave much longer, she was really hoping for the benefits of a nice hot ski lodge right about now. And... well she was eager to hear Rain's feelings, even if they weren't what she wanted. she twisted just a little so she could peek over her shoulder to look out at the snow "N-no... doesn't look l-like it..."

Rain's next question took her by surprise. her nightmares? Rain wanted to know about her nightmares? why? she wasn't sure if Rain could help and she knew exactly why she had her nightmares. she listened to the next sentence with a slightly morbid smile. when Rain then added that she didn't have to answer she decided she would "I k-know why... I have nightmares... i-it's rather... simple, if you... you think about it..." she chuckled humoressly "I... I was b-born a monster... I killed s-someone.. the... the first t-time I opened... my eyes..." part of the shudder and shake of her voice was from the cold, but a part of it was also emotion. "I d-dream about... that, about h-hurting people..." she threw a glance up at the werewolf "P-people I care... about"

Rain's eyebrows rose at that comment, her mouth curving up into a small smile "Nice save" She murmured, as she settled herself back down. Her ears pricked at the mention of her name and she looked back at Andromeda, curiosity present in her expression. She was taken aback by the question that followed it, she tilted her head to the side, her purple eyes flashed brightly. "I do" The werewolf answered watching the gorgon's reaction "It seemed too important not to answer" She told her, her eyes flashed again as a smile lit up her face "but that's as much detail as you'll get now…ask me again later"

In truth she hadn't expected Andro to comment on her statement at all, she exhaled an audible sigh and silently wished Sirius had heard as well. Not that she believed the wolf star would be much help in their situation.

Rain turned her head as Andro spoke, just enough that she could see her out of the corner of her eye. Adopting a…troubled expression she forced herself to remain silent, she briefly looked at Andro as she glanced at her before turning her attention back to the front of the cave. Parting her lips, Rain ran her tongue under the tip of her canine as she thought over what she'd heard.

"It doesn't sound simple…it's deep seated" Rain murmured after a moment "Fear and guilt make a strong toxin" She turned her head back to look at Andromeda.

She was struggling to understand the weight of Andro's confession, she didn't feel the same guilt towards killing. Rain herself had killed before, animals, people, magical beings…it was something her culture had only recently started to condone, in order to keep their new allies happy. It did occur to her that Andro wasn't aware of this side of her…a sudden twinge of anxiety worked it's way into her chest.

"The first time you opened your eyes, you must have been a baby then or a really small child. Want to know what I think? Whoever was responsible for you then, they killed that person. How could you have known what would happen if you opened your eyes?" Her voice had an angry edge to it, some of the words came out gruff as if she were saying them through clenched teeth.

Rain was aware that picking apart Andro's memory wouldn't help, but she couldn't help but respond angrily to it. Anger was a safe emotion, one she understood. The negligence in particular got to her, she wasn't a fan of motherly figures anyway, now she hoped to high hell and back that she'd never cross paths with the gorgon's mother.

"It's…" She audibly took a deep breath to calm herself "Never mind. I'm probably the wrong person to talk to about this" She decided with a sigh.

"Do you really think you're a monster?" She queried, narrowing her eyes "I'm not even convinced you can be born a monster…you can only become one" Rain shuffled uncomfortably "I mean, what do you think a monster is?"

- Andromeda -

Andro smiled at Rain's answer. "ok, I'll... ask you when we...we're warm in t-the... ski lodge again" she shivered "hopefully it... isn't t-too long until... then" she shifted and shivered again but was comforted by the heat she still got from the werewolf at her back.

"Fear and guilt make a strong toxin"
"I suppose... you...you're right" Andro said "I think... it might have hel...helped some too... I'm a good... person, I try hard... to be one... anyway, because I'm... so... so scared of what being... a b-bad person would mean..." she thought for a second, her thoughts still a bit scattered by the cold "does that... make it fake? I... care about every...one and I try my...my best to make good... decisions and be a g-good... person but if it's... motivated by fear... an-and guilt, is it... real?" she was lost in her own thoughts now "who am I... really, if I've... I've been faking... all of this? I d-didn't... feel like I've... been faking it..." she went silent as she lost her train of thought and tried to figure out what she'd been saying.

"How could you have known what would happen if you opened your eyes?"
Andro thought about it for a second "I suppose... you may be... right..." she glanced up at Rain, not realizing she'd said almost the exact same thing as before "I loved... my mother, despite... h-how horrible of a...a person she was... and how little I... wanted to... love her, I did... she was my... mother... I'm not sure... w-where she is... I suppose... I could blame her, she... she was the only one... who may have known I...I would kill someone... with my eyes, her mother... was a gorgon it just... skipped a generation... and l-landed on me instead... of my mom..." she tried remembering a time when her mother didn't hate her, she always thought that maybe her mother hadn't hated her at first, maybe she'd just been scared, but her mother was the kind of woman who didn't like being scared and so every time she looked at her daughter and got scared, she also got angry, and eventually all that anger and fear just turned into hate and her mother avoided her whenever possible. her father always loved her, she could remember him fondly, he always made sure that she felt loved whenever he was home... but he wasn't really home that often. she let out a soft sigh at the thought.

Andro was quiet as Rain said she was wrong person to talk to about this. the gorgon wasn't so sure but she didn't feel like arguing with her. she listened to the werewolf's quiet breathing for a couple seconds until Rain spoke again. Andro stilled before shifting and twisting slightly again to look back up at the other girl "yes... I r-really do" she replied sadly "my people... were c-created to be... monsters, our entire... existence i-is meant... to kill people, the... the meaning of my existence... is to kill people... I just choose... not to. Choosing not... t-to act like the... the monster I am, doesn't... change the fact... t-that I am one" she shifted back into her original position, curling in just a little tighter on herself. "I don't want... to be a-a monster... but I can't... change what I am"

The werewolf felt uneasy about Andro's response to her statement as the gorgon spoke of good and bad, it was obvious how much the hypothermia was affecting her but still. "It isn't fake" Rain told her, sighing through her nose "It just means…it's complicated" She rubbed her forehead "If you're being who you want to be, I guess it doesn't matter what motivates you…as long as it doesn't consume you"

"This is a bad subject to talk about right now…" She decided, shaking her head before focusing on the object in her hand.

Andro's repetition didn't go unnoticed, if anything it added to the frustration threatening to bubble free of Rain. It was unnecessary on Rain's part but her wits were frayed, her emotions unsettled by their predicament, she couldn't recall the last time she'd felt so...unpredictable.

"I thought your mother was a gorgon as well?" The anger ebbed away as she thought over what Andromeda was saying "I didn't realise…" She trailed off, her thoughts weren't nearly as muddled as Andro's in this moment but their situation was starting to take it's toll on her.

"And I thought my life was complicated" She murmured, shifting uncomfortably. "I'm…sorry for jumping to conclusions" She added 'I keep forgetting how little I know about you'

There it was, the answer she'd already reached. People was a broad word though, Rain imagined Andro meant all sentient beings. A monster killed others. Andro feared she was a monster because she had the capacity to kill people and because her 'kind' were supposedly bred for such a purpose. 'We're similar in some ways but different in so many others' Rain thought to herself, as a layer of guilt settled over her mind.

Andromeda clearly fought hard to deny what she was, to be what she called a good person...Rain was her polar opposite. She was a monster and until this point she'd never been guilty or ashamed to admit it. There were signs of confliction on her expression, her brow furrowed, lines pinched the edges of her eyes with uncertainty present within their purple depths. She was aware Andro was looking at her, though she refused to lift her eyes to the sunglasses and pretended to be focusing on her hand.

As Andro shifted back and curled in tightly on herself, Rain felt a sudden shift within her. In response she did something rather uncharacteristic, with minimal shuffling the werewolf lowered herself down and wrapped her arm around Andromeda. Tentatively but -hopefully- reassuringly curling around her, she sighed deeply, buffeting the back of Andro's hood with warm air.

"You're right that you can't change what you are, but you control who you are. I can assure you, by no definition of the word are you a monster" There was a forceful edge to Rain's tone that Andro probably hadn't heard before, it was actually rare of her to even attempt to comfort someone, yet it was obvious that's what she was trying to do now...her reasons for doing so were however, complicated.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought this up now...you should be resting" She murmured after a moment, loosening her embrace and either moving back hesitantly or hastily if it was clear Andro wasn't happy with what she'd done.

- Andromeda -

"I guess it doesn't matter what motivates you…as long as it doesn't consume you"
Andro listened as well as she could while Rain spoke, and it was a little comforting, that Rain didn't think she was fake "That's... a-a good point..." she murmured "I don't t-think it... consumes me... it's hard to... focus t-though so I'm not... sure... do I seem consumed? I don't... think I'm consumed..." she paused when she realized she was repeating herself again "Sorry, I'm r-rambling... again"

"And I thought my life was complicated, I'm…sorry for jumping to conclusions"
Andro laughed a little "It's ok... I-I never tell any...one about my mom... I don't t-think anyone at... Athalia knows... M-maybe Edric... but I think t-that's it... I don't have... a whole lot of friends... side-effect of a... l-less then stel...stellar childhood, I... have no s-social skills" she laughed again and heard a tiny hiss, that brought a little smile to her lips, her snakes were generally very expressive, normally when something was wrong they were very vocal about it but cold was different, they fell asleep in the cold, she didn't like it, it made her feel very alone, even if Rain was there, it was like a part of her was missing. now they were waking back up as she started to warm up. that was a good sign, her brain was just a bit too fuzzy to point that out to Rain.

then Rain was curling around her and for a moment Andro froze. then she relaxed back into the werewolf. 'this is nice...' she thought her mind was clearing, slowly and she was becoming slightly more aware of what was actually happening, that would have made her blush in a normal situation, Rain cuddling with her, but she supposed it was probably just Rain trying to warm her up, they did need to leave and until Andro was warm enough to move they couldn't go anywhere. at that thought she tried a mental catalog, she was still fuzzy but she wasn't nearly as cold as she had been, still not necessarily in the safe areas for a cold-blooded creature but she might actually be able to move, if she tried. she didn't want to, she liked this, being with Rain.
it took her a second to realize Rain was talking. she listened and smiled warmly, relaxing a bit more into the werewolf's chest "I'd like to... b-believe you... I'm not s-sure if I can... but I'll try... I don't want to...to be a m-monster..." another tiny hiss came from her hood.

Rain took Andro's answer in silence, it was interesting to hear to say the least. The difference in their point of view was obvious, Rain felt the gorgon would allow herself to be consumed by fear. She wondered whether the answer would be different if she asked it when they were somewhere warm, still now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

"Heh." She exhaled "Well…if it makes you feel any better, you're social skills are about eight five percent better than mine" She told her, ignoring the hiss for now though acknowledging that it was a good thing. They had been quiet for far too long, it was odd how comforting a little hiss like that could be. "Oh…thank you…for telling me all of this" She added before tackling the monster question.

Rain's lip twitched up, a fond smile resting on her face as Andro stuttered out her answer to that. "Pretty sure trying is the first step" She responded, her ears pricking at the hissing coming from Andro's hood.

"Do you think you'll be able to move yet?" She asked as she drew back from Andro and glanced over her shoulder. "The storm's letting up…if we can get back to the ski lift, it'll make it easier for them to find us"

By the time she'd finished talking, she had shuffled back from Andro and was getting to her feet. With a shuddering breath she walked around the gorgon and crouched next to the cool flame of the fire. She reached for the tips of the flame, encouraging it to hungrily reach for her fingertips. "If…we can make it back to the lift I might be able to send something into the sky to let the others know where we are" She said quietly as she looked at Andro, her gaze searching the gorgon's sunglasses for a sign of the eyes behind them.

"Ah! Son of a…" Rain cursed as the flame licked at her fingertips, leaving a series of small burns behind. She waved her hand and blew on the sores, mumbling something under her breath as she waited for them to melt away. If anyone had seen her healing abilities before they'd have known that in most cases, she'd barely felt the wound before it was closed. This was different, there was a noticeable delay.

"Sorry, careless. So, are you up for this?" She asked Andro, resting her burnt hand over her thigh so that the gorgon couldn't see it anymore.

Andro couldn’t help but chuckle a little at Rain’s comment on their social skills. She had to admit the woman had never seemed especially sociable to her, though that hadn’t made the shy gorgon any less attracted, had just made the object of her affection even less approachable. she smiled when Rain thanked her, Andro wasn’t entirely sure she would have said any of this is they weren’t trapped in a snow storm with hypothermia looming. “no… problem…” she mumbled in response.

Andro had to think about, feeling had returned in part to her frozen limbs, she wasn’t sure but it was certainly worth a try. She shivered when Rain moved away and instantly missed the heat the woman’s body had been giving her but she continued her mental inventory, wiggling her fingers and being glad they did in fact move, which was nice. Several tiny hisses informed her that her snakes had woken up enough to be annoyed. She shifted, trying to get a hand under her to see if she could push herself up but she was slow.

She been so distracted trying to figure out if she could move that Rain’s cry of pain made her jump, and her eyes flashed to the werewolf as she froze where she was. "Sorry, careless. So, are you up for this?" Andro nodded and carefully propping herself up on an elbow “I… I t-think so… Still freezing but… but I think… I can move… now, help me?” she managed to get her other hand planted and started pushing herself up, trying to get to her knees, though it was taking effort. She wished she was warm-blooded, not only would this not be happening right now, but even if it was the act of moving would help, stir her blood and get heat rushing through her veins, but as it was it just pushed cold blood through her and frustrated her still addled mind.

Regardless, she was proud of herself when she got to her knees (with or without Rain’s help) “I can… Can do this…” she said, probably more to convince herself then Rain “Let’s… go…”

When she wasn't looking directly at Andromeda, she kept her in her peripheral vision, monitoring her movements and resisting the urge to intervene. It was probably half of the reason she burnt herself, noticing she'd made Andro jump brought a flush of embarrassment to her cheeks.

The incident pricked her pride, so she kept her gaze focused on the floor in front of her as she watched Andro prop herself up.

", help me?" She stiffened at the request, finally turning her head to look directly at Andromeda. Her fingers curled into her palms as the gorgon started to shuffle herself into a better position. It wasn't in her nature to…surely she should leave Andro to…if she couldn't how would they make it…

As those questions reeled through her mind, Andro had started to push herself up. Half the battle was won by the time Rain slid an arm around her waist to help her with the last bit. Rain's brow was furrowed and she felt unnaturally tense against Andro. In this instant, every rational thought in her head, had told her not to help but a different instinct had taken presidency over them.

"You can do this" Rain murmured, looking away so she couldn't catch her eye. "You have to"

'What am I doing…?' She gave Andro a second to recover before she encouraged her to loop an arm around her neck, whether she did or didn't in the next instant her grip tightened around Andro's waist and she lifted her onto her feet. The experience might have been a little disconcerting, she didn't seem to put much effort into the action at all.

"Because I'm not carrying you anymore…" Once she was sure Andro was steady enough, she loosened her grip on the gorgon, giving her the option to break away from her.

"…unless you pay me" She finished, glancing at Andro as a smile lifted the corner of her mouth "It's pack rules, only the first one is free"

She was trying to be funny, lighten the mood, keep the other woman thinking and focused. She started out of the cave either helping Andro or walking a few steps in front of her. Her purple eyes scanning the white landscape in front of them, flurries of snow still danced across the sky but it wasn't as bad as it had been earlier.

Clenching her jaw, Rain shifted her shoulders as a chill ran down her spine and a knot of worry settled in her stomach. 'Sirius, please get us through this…I don’t want to lose her' The thought brought more of a chill to her body than the icy air around them.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

- Andromeda -

the gorgon was paying only minute attention to her nocturnal companion as she worked her way up, however she appreciated it when Rain's arm finally wrapped around her and helped her the rest of the way up. she took a couple of deep breaths as her body wasn't appreciating the change of position, her snakes hissed out their annoyance louder then before and she couldn't help smiling just a little. she nodded her thanks to Rain, she could feel how tense the werewolf was.

"You can do this. You have to"
Rain held back a bit of a laugh, the hysteria of hypothermia still lingering "Of Course I... Can" she replied, smiling warmly. she took a second to catch her breath, dreading the next part, trying to get to her feet. But Andro was nothing if not stubborn, and carefully worked to get her feet all the way under her as Rain encouraged her to wrap an arm around her neck. then rather suddenly, Rain lifted her and she let out a tiny gasp, the snakes hissing. she swayed but managed to steady herself a second later and smiled at Rain. "Thank you..."

when Rain loosened her grip Andro decided to try standing on her own. she was still shivering and felt off-balance, she also just honestly wanted to sleep, but Rain's anxiety was getting through to her still foggy mind and she was forcing herself to stay standing. she wasn't quite as stable as she'd like, but she was stable enough she didn't feel the need to go back to Rain for support. it took her a second to realize Rain had said anything and another second to realize what she had actually said. a slightly hysterical giggle made it past her lips before she could stop it. it only lasted a couple of seconds and she said "I'll... keep that in... in mind..."

when Rain started moving, Andro followed, slowly but managing to keep herself up, and pulling her coat close. there were many things Andro hated about being a gorgon, the death stare, obviously, the snakes could get awfully annoying sometimes and so ridiculously tangled if they were riled up, but probably the worst was the fact she was cold-blooded, she had to be so careful, she honestly just wished she would get a wish from a God and become a real girl some day. her brain wandered for a second, she'd always liked Pinocchio as a kid, her mother would let her watch anything if it got her out of her hair. Disney movies were always her favorite-

Andro got rather abruptly knocked from her thoughts as she stepped out and the chill wind hit her. she shivered and curled up a little but forced herself to straighten back up. Rain's expectant look made Andro realize she must have said something. crap. "What?" she said, shaking her head slightly to try and clear the fog "I... I'm fine... I'll be fine..." she looked out and around "Where... do we g-go?"