A Cold Weather Meeting [Closed]

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The list of people that she'd have willingly gone out into this cold for was limited, but her brother was definitely one of them and she really did want to see him. So Alanna bundled herself tightly in as much clothing as she could find, layering her Gift within the fabric to hold onto as much of the ship's warmth as she could, and then headed out into the cold, grumbling under her breath.

At least it wasn't as cold as at the Roof of the World. That was a positive anyway, but not much of a comfort as she paced back and forth near the ship, waiting for Thom.

All she knew is that if he didn't show up soon, they would be having this conversation on the ship whether or not he wanted to even if she had to drag him there. She hated the cold!

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[gifthasacold]

Thom hadn't lied to Alanna, precisely, when he said he was on his way back to the ship. He was in reality halfway across the dome when he'd typed that particular message, so it took him a little while to get back to the meeting point.

"Alanna, I hope you weren't waiting too long," he said. She was probably the only person on the ship who could make him smile - but this smile was entirely teasing. He had studied much farther north than she, subject to the worst of the winters in Tortall. This was nothing.

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The annoyed look on her face (No, she was not pouting, Thom.) slipped off the moment her brother came into her line of sight. She'd been so worried for him during that last... incident. At least she had still had her sword skills to fall back on when her Gift been lost, but his studies had been focused on his magic.

"No, not that long," she answered with a smile, tugging her coat closer around her. She really was not a fan of this type of climate and the fact that it was bringing back unpleasant memories of the Roof of the World wasn't helping. Stop it, she ordered herself. It's just a little bit of cold. You're a knight. Deal with it. "I'm glad to see you. Did you find the things that you were looking for here?" She ignored the teasing smile on her twin's face for now. In truth, she was just glad to see that he was well.

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"Actually I had to cut my shopping a little short in order to meet up with you - I was hoping you might accompany me while I completed it. I could use your help in some research."

He wasn't just trying to make her miserable by dragging her out in the cold. This planet's market had a great deal that interested him both on a personal and a professional level. He thought he might've made a breakthrough this time.

I'm sorry for vanishing.

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Alanna nodded agreeably, although a quick glance back in direction that she'd come from reflected some reluctance to wander too much farther from the warmth of the ship. Still, she stifled it quickly, instead trying to direct her thoughts towards more pleasant ones like the concept of exploring a whole new planet. What kind of things might be waiting on the planet's surface? What might she discover there? Already she'd seen and learned about so many new things and she was eager to learn more, homesick though she was. Besides, she had to admit that it was nice to be off the ship for even a short time, even if it was entirely too cold.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted you, Thom. I'm very happy that you came though."

Thom's mention about needing her help with his research drew her curiosity. Her twin didn't generally care to ask for help even from her. "Really? What do you need help with?"

Toying with the ember stone at her neck nervously, she wondered if this research had to do with his condition. Much to her disappointment, she'd had little success figuring out how best to help in dealing with it. It was very worrying.

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That was agreement enough for Thom. He turned away from the ship and started leading Alanna back toward the market, where he'd been when she first contacted him. "I've discovered that, much like precious gemstones can be used to focus and amplify magic, crystalline structure seems to be particularly adept at storing magic." Saying he'd discovered it made it sound like he'd come up with it on his own - Celena and Aibghalien had helped, but Thom was hardly going to admit that. As reluctant as he was to accept help from anyone, his sister would probably think he was more addled than she already did if he admitted to reaching out to others in the magical department.

"I have a theory," he continued, "that instead of using you as a receptacle for the excess power as Master Si-cham was wont to do originally, it is possible to use a collection of crystals to bleed off the excess, also using the crystal as a safe environment to separate His Grace's Gift."

It would also serve as a safe place to force Roger's Gift into on the occasions when Thom was able to untangle a piece of it in deep meditation.