The Mountains -- Eve and Akira

## Transcript

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PANDOR.

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EXPLORATION COMMENCED.

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Eve

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You run on ahead, turning around to make sure Akira can keep up alright. It feels great to be properly out of that packed city for once, instead of only hanging out on the nearby outskirts. You really should’ve come up with this idea earlier. Oh, how much doing nothing it would’ve saved you... The city having long since disappeared from view, your intended target so close you can taste it, so close you can see it, you pick up your pace a little, put some pep in your step, get there as fast as you can. Several miles westward of the city is the fastest way to the mountain range, you were told. Several miles westward is where you’ll go. After quite a while, you turn around again to glance over at him, and this time, stop as well, as you look around, looking over the mountains off in the distance, not too far away, answering your questions (Are we there yet? Hey, is it much longer? Can’t we go any faster?) before you’ve even asked them. You take a moment to stretch, give the other a smile. “Are you ready, Akira?” It’s mischievous, snarky, maybe a little caring underneath it all. “You can turn back if you’re worried! I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Who knows what we’ll find out there. ~” Snow, you hope. Everything else is added extras.

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Akira

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He asks if you're ready, and you nod with a grin of your own. Eve seems particularly excited, you notice; and you can't help but find his enthusiasm infectious. You've found that it's been particularly hard to pinpoint what he feels to be exciting, and, exploration seems to be just the ticket. Trying not to be dead weight, you follow along as quickly as you can, heavy backpack filled to the brim with things to keep you alive on the off chance you both get lost. You didn't manage to steal a real weapon, but you have some kitchen knives if you need something sharp. "I'm not worried," you say, stretching your legs to keep up with him. "You promised to catch me if I fall, and I've gotten more durable." The cool thing about Fenix is, there are a lot of good places to speed train, and do pull ups. You bet climbing this mountain will toughen you up, too, and help you become closer with Eve. You're also excited to see if you can find anything of note up there. "Let's go," you say, pooling what energy you have to break into a sprint to get started on your journey upwards a bit faster. Your backpack jangles a bit, but not as much as usual. There's fluffy blankets to pad everything, and an usual lack of lock-picks.

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PANDOR.

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As the two of you already suspect, upon passing through the forests and making it to the mountain, the first thing you are met with is a frigid breeze. The air is cooler than before, and you find yourself stepping in residue of snow-- realizing that some spots in the snow are completely frozen. Heed caution as you proceed upward.

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Eve

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"I did! Don't worry, I will!" You did promise him, after all. And you're not one to break your promises. That's one of the worst things someone could do. You step into snow, and when you hear it crunch under your boot, you look down, your eyes sparkling for a moment. Ah, finally! You reach down, grab a handful of snow, mess with it and let it sift through your fingers. It's soft, cold; you quietly whisper a "whoa..." as you let go of all of it and move on forward. There'll be more up ahead, so you don't feel the need to linger too long. Feeling the ice, you slow down your pace, focusing more on staying upright than hurriedly making progress. A quiet whirr rings through your head as your body's temperature regulation systems shift in response to the icy wind, starting to focus more on keeping you warm as your skin starts to heat up. Oh, you're so ready for this. You wonder how much snow there'll be all the way up there - is it going to be so much you can sink right into it? Oh, that'd be so cool... (you also can't help but wonder about all the animals there. They said they're dangerous, but when did you ever let danger stop your curiosity?)

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Akira

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Eve stops to grab the snow and examine it, and you smile as you watch him. It doesn't take too long for you to start feeling the cold, either. You did your best to find suitable clothes, but it's going to be uncomfortable, at least. Eve seems to be doing alright though, so you're not too worried. "It's cool, isn't it?" You ask. It's mostly a lie. You don't like being cold, or uncomfortable. Both of which snowfall brings. But you like that he's enjoying it. You make a snowball quickly, handing it over to him with careful hands before carrying onward. "Snow can become a lot of things. Some humans lived in homes built with it," you explain, hoping he finds it interesting. As you walk ahead you find a patch of ice with your front foot, and stumble forward. You land on all fours and slide for a bit, gritting your teeth as you scrape your knee on the way down. But you get back up. You always do. "I'm okay," you state as you find your balance. "Don't worry. Let's just keep going."

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PANDOR.

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Thankfully, nothing but the terrain so far has presented itself as an impending danger to the two of you. It only gets colder as you continue, although you already find yourself stumbling on some of the snow. Getting up, slipping a bit, and regaining your balance again... it's a repetitive cycle, and it doesn't change. Your persistence pays off, and you both manage to get through the worst of the rough terrain.

Now the two of you find yourselves at a spot in the mountain that is less dangerous, and even maybe a spot where others have rested before proceeding. However, if you do choose to stay.... nothing can tell what dangers await, considering that it's a completely open space.

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Eve

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You hold the snowball in your hand, look it over from every angle, then look back at Akira and nod. "It is great! But... humans really lived in homes made with snow? How does that even work...?" Akira walks on ahead, and he stumbles and falls over, and you run over to try and help him up but before you can crouch down and offer your hand, he gets back up. "If you're sure..." you respond, not entirely convinced. With every step, the chilly air gets even more frigid, but you don't let it get to you as you quickly adapt to your surroundings. You stop trying to keep your skin heated to an organic temperature as your internal and external temperature quickly drops, but it's fine, you're doing so on purpose. Hypothermia is much less of a problem than you than overheating. As long as nothing freezes solid, you'll be fine, and you're certainly not going to let that happen. Though, were Akira to touch your skin in this state, it might not be the most pleasant thing... But it's for the best. Upkeep requires a lot less energy this way. Running dry was never an issue, but you can't be too safe. After a while of climbing, nothing you're not used to (well, aside from the occasional slip and sliding, especially in the beginning) you reach the softer, open space, and you look around for a moment, scanning the area. "Oh, hey, look! We got somewhere!" ... "I think..." you trail off. You look at Akira, tilt your head slightly. "Do you need to take a break? Is there anything you want to do? I can wait for a bit if you need to recover."

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Akira

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At some point your walking gets slower, because unlike your companion, you are quite affected by the drop in temperature. While you dressed knowing that it would be cold, you maybe underestimated how cold it would be. You look to Eve as he asks if you need to take a break, and truthfully, you should probably take him up on that offer. You nod. "Just for a minute," you say, pulling out one of the blankets you brought with you, and wrapping up in it momentarily. You look to note the fact there are dents in the snow, uneven patches in a pattern. You're not the first to have made it this far, so that's a good indication that if you're going to find anything of note up here you're going to need to keep going. "How are you feeling?" you ask him. He doesn't look bothered to you, but there's also the question of if Eve can really feel the cold at all. "You look a little frosty." You point to the top of his head, where snow dust has started to collect in his hair, smiling before you look out at the view. You try to see if you can make out the clock tower from here still, or any other details of Epoche.

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PANDOR.

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Opting to take a moment to catch your breath, the two of you attempt to peer over what's below, but it seems like there's not much of a view from here. The view becomes much too obscured as the snow continues to pile on harshly, relentless in its toll. Because of the snow constantly being in your vision, the rest of Epoche is left unseen.

The blanket provides you with some warmth, but the snow's pelting of it might make this counterproductive. The extra weight doesn't help, either.

Regardless, the two of you might consider getting a move on. While this "rest stop" is less dangerous than other areas, it's not totally safe.

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Eve

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"Okay." Akira pulls out his blanket, and he wraps up snugly. He seems to enjoy the moment of respite, but you wonder how much of a respite it actually is. You smile. Then he asks how you're feeling. "Me? I'm more than fine! I haven't felt this great in... however long it's been!" It's not a lie, not at all. You feel amazing. Seeing the snow, getting to run outside and do whatever you want, being with someone you like-- It's great! Life is great. He points out your hair, and you seem a little confused before you ruffle your hair with your hand and that's when you feel the snow all over your hair. Ohh. So that's why you're frosty. "Maybe I am... this is secretly how snowmen are really made..." You look around, and this feeling stirs inside of you. "Let's not stay here for too long, though. I don't know what we'll find out here, and we should be ready for it." It would be a shame if one of you died. Well, not entirely, because you'll just be brought back to life, and from what you've heard, Akira should too. But it'll still suck, because then you'll have to climb all the way up the mountain again. Well, okay, maybe doing this a second time isn't that bad. This is fun.(edited)

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Akira

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You laugh a tiny bit at his comment about snowmen, despite your chattering teeth. It's actually pretty endearing to hear the theories of someone who didn't grow up as a human. You figure he's right though. You should get moving. You follow after Eve, legs a bit numb from the cold.

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PANDOR.

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Exploration ended.