"This is not okay." Seraphina mutters, rubbing her arms to try and keep warm. She may have power over fire, but she wasn't immune to the cold. Adarla was nothing but snow and cold. She had been wandering the city for hours, trying to gather information on the rebels, but to avail.

"-Can anyone guide me?" she heard a voice say. She lazily glanced to where the voice came from, watching the crowd ignore the poor man. She was in a similar boat at one point, and decided she could take pity on the guy. She walks over, the snow on the ground melting with each step.

"I heard you needed a guide?"

Just as all was seeming hopeless and he would have to scrounge for hours in this damnable cold, seeking his forge, a voice called to him.
He took off his hood to seem more friendly to the newcomer. Her hair matched the snow around her and her eyes reminded him of the embers of his forge. She seemed to have something more interesting then just another adventurer... He smiled wide and spoke to her.

"Oh yes! Thank you so much. I am looking for the old smith shop. I am the new owner and I have no clue where it is. Mind assisting me?"

He kept his smile small as to not scare her, but after the lonely week long journey he was happy to find a friendly face.

"Well, I don't know a smith shop in particular." Seraphina puts a finger to her lip in a thoughtful manner. The area around her seemed to slightly glow. Not even she really understood why, for her dragon mentors said that it wasn't a perk of pyromancy. However, they conveniently left out WHAT it actually was, though this didn't surprise her.

"However, the industrial district is somewhere over that way, if you haven't looked that way already." She points off to an edge of town, a cloud of smoke visible in the air above it.

As she pointed she realized he probably should have looked for the smoke before hand. He was honestly hoping she would accompany him there, but he wouldn't flat out say it unless she seemed interested. Yet that glow... She had to be able to do something with fire or he had no clue what magic was. He chuckled to himself a little.

"Oh? I had no clue. Thank you so much. My name's Harvey by the way. Harvey Svarr Thess. If you ever need a blade or armor forged, feel free to stop by. Might I ask for yours?"

He did a little bow and looked up with a smile.

Phina raised an eyebrow, confused at why he slightly bent over. Bowing wasn't commonplace in her homeland, hence the expression being lost on her. Nonetheless, she returns the bow, not wanting to offend the man. Harvey he says.

"I am called Seraphina here," was her simple answer, her red eyes looking at Harvey intently. She was told she had a stare that could gaze into peoples souls, figuratively speaking. "In my homeland I am known as Blaise. You can call me whichever you like, I suppose." She rubbed her hands together as she spoke, the heat from even such a small action able to be felt by both of them. She often wondered why she still felt cold, given her immense body heat.

"Ah, Seraphina you say. That's a lovely name", Harvey smiled and looked into her stare. Her red eyes were certainly piercing but he had seen the piercing gaze of many people and things, so it didn't bother him, "though Blaise seems to fit with your warming aura. Perhaps you would accompany me to my new forge? I still do not know the town and could use a hand getting around."

He was honest with that and not meaning to sound flirty... This town looked all the same to him in all this snow. Old buildings covered in white, Signs coated in frost, streets and alleys all the same to newcomers... Harvey totally didn't get lost in this place 4 times now... No, not at all. He shifted his bag under the cloak after the bow to steady the weight of his personal belongings.

Phina simply nods, taking the compliment at face value. "I suppose I can follow along... I'm sure a forge is warmer than outside at least."

Her true intentions remained to herself however. Making friends also made connections within Adarla, which in turn makes gathering information about the Resistance much easier. And given she had been here for a month, and still had zero leads, she was open to any help she could get. On top of that, it could potentially give her a place to stay. And at the very least, she would have some company.

She hadn't felt this lonely in such a long time, not since her childhood abandonment. Her mentors had been distant, but at least they were there. And now there was Harvey, who she could only assume was a blacksmith of some sort, and a fellow traveler.

Natsuki

Natsuki walked passed the two conversing individuals hearing the proposal of accompaniment.
Intrigued Natsuki walked closer and looked up at the man's face.

"Hello sir, I couldn't help but overhear that you were going to your new forge. If it would strike you as a good deal, I'm in need of some form of employment and can keep your forges going longer and better if I Enchanted your fuel. I don't ask for much, just enough to get me a room and food for my work".

Natsuki looked warm, due to a spell she concentrates on while walking these damn snowy Streets.

The captain had scarcely gotten the chance to dismiss Shinji from his tent before he was unnerved by an odd sight. From beneath the edges of the tent, billowing, dark blue smoke rolled in, obscuring the light of the moon. From the smoke, a figure materialized. They stood a full head taller than the captain, body trailing off into a long, sinuous tail where the legs should be.

The captain opened his mouth to utter a shocked exclamation, but was interrupted abruptly.

"Before you ask, I'm not really here." the naga exposited, pinching the bridge of his nose with frustration. "This is a sending. A magical means of communication. Understand?"

"Y- Yes. Of course." the captain stammered "Why are you using this? Are you not set to arrive in a matter of days?"

"Ah, see. That's just the thing. My contingent is running slightly ahead of schedule. I would recommend that you prepare your men, as at the moment, we appear to be set to arrive around sunrise."

A cruel smile played across the naga's lipless face.

"And when we arrive, we have a battle to plan for."

Without so much as another word, the naga disappeared back into the receding smoke, leaving the captain stressed and exhausted.

@Flightless_Soul

There was no harm in another drink. Being a dwarf of his physical state he'd need at least a barrel to be drunk, but he was hoping that the seductress didn't know this.
Ok, one more, but then we go to my room. There's a barrel of beer there already waiting for us," he said to her smiling. He knew that if he acted drunk after another tankard she be happy enough to go to his room.
Two tankards of beer please, my darling," he said to the barmaid. As she handed him to tankards of warm dark beer he took a few mouthfuls from one and sat the other down in front of the young women.
For you, Miss..." he left it hanging as he had yet to learn the beautiful maiden's name.

"Ashana." The red haired woman introduced herself, a sly, cheshire grin. Carefully she took the tankard of warm beer. Not her first choice of drink, but at least it tasted better than that piss poor ale. Besides, a drink was the least of her concerns at the pressing moment.

To her left, the dwarf, not yet drunk but getting there she figured. There was still beer to be downed in the bedroom as well. Perhaps...though she grimaced on the inside at the idea...she could fool around a little with Buz to get his guard down, and then...

But alas, to her right, the Yazarian man, that musket an ever clear and present warning she should not cause a ruckus. Smooth and silent, that was the way to play this, the way she's always played it.

Taking a few more sips of beer, she patiently, albeit not without a tiny hint of apprehension in her mind, waited for the dwarf to be done with his beer.

@percius388 @BrightSteel

"You seem awfully small to be an enchantress." Phina says, her gaze studying the smaller girl in the methodical, completely objective way that only a dragon can master. Dragons have a logical way of thinking, rarely taking emotion into account of their decisions. Seraphina was no different, having fully embraced her draconic upbringing.

"Perhaps you are an apprentice of some sort? Or maybe intense training from a young age?"

Natsuki smiles and gives an animated fist pump with her response.

"Determination miss! If i practice every day hopefully someday I'll be a legendary wizard".

Natsuki's smile breaks as she realizes she got pretty excited about her future goals.

Natsuki hoped they didn't think she was some confused kid with stars in her eyes.

"I have a old teacher who recently passed on, he left me his teachings". She clutches her book to her chest as she admits to it existence. Trying Ito down play it's value to her wizard studies.

@percius388@Avali

He was a little startled by another person approaching him but he wouldn't say no. These were the first two to offer help, and two guides are better then one.

"Hmmm Enchanted fuel... Sounds promising. I wouldn't mind the extra hand, especially if the enchanted fuel saves me some time and money. Once we get there and look around I will ask you a few more questions then we can make a deal, okay miss?"

He smiled widely, He hasn't seen a friendly face in a while and here are two of them! Harvey agreed with Seraphina on how she seemed young to be a skilled enchantress, but some of life's best things come in small packages. Maybe if these two are the adventurous sorts he could send them to retrieve the rarer materials he enjoyed smithing with. His magic allowed him to do some cool and weird things after all. One time he made a sword and cooled it in slime jelly and inlaid dust from a timberwolf's bone. The sword had the oddest magical properity of an acidic cut that attracted beasts... Usefulness questionable... But a neat thing none the less.

@BrightSteel @Avali

"If you trust her, then I suppose I will too," Seraphina says bluntly, finally lifting her gaze from the small girl. "We best be going however."

With that, and a small "hmph" to boot, she turns on her heel and makes way for the industrial sector. The snow melted around her as she walked, making a "parting of the red sea" sort of effect.

Where would this Resistance be? She had to give them credit: they were very good at remaining incognito. She had expected a much easier time finding them, maybe seeing a large banner with RESISTANCE written on it. For all intents and purposes, they were hidden.

Is that a sign of them losing the war? Or perhaps a lack of public support?

@Avali@percius388

Natsuki

"Of course sir, I wouldn't expect anything else. Who could possibly make a deal in this distracting weather".

Natsuki gave an innocent smile and short laugh. Shifting her weight onto her staff, leaning on it for a short rest.

Natsuki had been walking for a while and her feet hurt. Then they we're off to the forge. And Natsuki's feet started yelling at her again.

@Avali@BrightSteel

Harvey chuckled as he saw the snow melting under her and her bluntness, reminded him of a friend from his earlier years, but that's the past. He was excited beyond reason to get to his new forge. He had never owned his own place before and saved up by helping on guy here, another there, fix this guys armor, make this girl a sword, and so on. He was excited to start working and be of use to the locals and too whoever paid him.

He knew there was something to do with the rebellion here, and if they needed a smith he would gladly help. He wasn't too fond of war, let alone helping either side, but money is money... And he has taxes to pay. He followed the leader to the industrial zone with a small grin.

"So how long have you two been in town?"

"A day or two," Phina lied, not wishing to tell too much about herself. Her entire mission relied on being secretive, and she couldn't mention just anything about herself. For all intents and purposes, she needed to be incognito herself. Seraphina sighed, a massive cloud of steam being produced from her ridiculously warm breath. She was already beginning to hate Adarla.

"We should hurry. I believe the local fortune tellers or something foretold a snowstorm." Dragons were of the belief that fortune tellers/prophets were all superstition, so Seraphina truly took that forecast for a grain of salt.

NATSUKI

Natsuki walked with the two new faces, idly letting them lead her to the forge and hopefully a job. She couldn't help but notice the s ow melting as the girl walked. It reminded her of story's she'd heard about dragons and Thier fiery souls.

"I've recently arrived, my companion was recently married and I attended as his wifes bridesmaid. I stayed here in search of new means to feed myself".

Natsuki sounded sad at the mention of her old partner, but perked back up at her mention of the wedding.

@percius388@Avali

It seemed a bit odd that she had been here only a few days but knew the streets already, but hey, can't say no to knowing where the heck you're going. He looked up at the sky and sure enough it was starting to fill up with light grey clouds and the scent of impending snowfall. He looked over to the young mage girl.

"Well at least you had a part in their wedding. I'm sure you'll see him around again my friend."

He kept walking foreward, excited to see the place. He knew it would need some repair work, but nothing major. Supposedly the previous smith left him all the remaining supplies he had rather then sell them to other vendors. Wood and leather for handles, Ingots of various metals, coals for the force, and a few jars of various oils. Surely he could start cleaning and working as soon as he got there, supposedly there was already an order on the front desk for him to fill as well.

Natsuki

Natsuki walked while looking from one side of the street to the other. She'd only remembered seeing this place once before on her city travels, so she wanted to make sure she didn't miss it. After a few minutes Natsuki pointed at a building a couple blocks down.

"Is that the building there? The one with the tall chimney that emits no smoke"?

Natsuki hoped she didn't sound useless, after all she volunteered to help find the place. Not ask if she found it when she saw something promising. However she kept her smile and continued.

"It doesn't look like any fires are burning so I would imagine its your new shop right"?

@percius388@Avali