During his many visits to Sanctuary, Tyrael had encountered just about every kind of weather the planet could throw out. From raging storms to the sweltering heat of the desert, to the bitter cold in the North. He was aware of how volatile Sanctuary's weather was, and how its seasons and regions affected that weather.

It had seemed fitting to him that the world where angels and demons had come together had such chaotic weather. Mortals had an innate ability to change and think and feel, and Tyrael thought their world reflected that.

The majority of his weather experience had occurred when he was still an angel. Of course, he'd encountered several different biomes and weather patterns after his fall, but he'd yet to really experience a seasonal change.

This, like everything else on Sanctuary, changed.

The former angel was unprepared for how the chilling air made him shiver, and made his bones ache. How the days were damp and cool. There were some animals he started seeing less and less, for they fled to warmer grounds during this time. Tyrael did not expect the bright colors among the trees, but appreciated them nonetheless.

It seemed that this seasonal shift had come almost overnight.

The city of Westmarch seemed to alter itself with the seasonal change, and that alone was simply fascinating to witness. Being among the peoples of the city now allowed him to see so much more. Apparently, there were very specific customs tied to certain days in each month. Not every one observed them, and according to Rathma they changed regionally. But they were present, and they, too, brought Tyrael great interest.

Most of the biggest customs seemed to be celebrations of sorts. Celebrations of the changes occurring on Sanctuary...Tyrael found them to be quite charming.

Sanctuary was a world of change and growth, and its people reflected that.

Other customs were smaller. There were some things only done during specific seasons out of practicality. One could not very well pile up leaves and jump into them when there were not leaves upon the ground to make a pile with. One really should not layer themselves with blankets during summer, for they might give themselves a heat stroke.

During this time though, these things all became perfectly doable and desirable. Lorath had called it the 'Fall' season (and Tyrael had briefly been very concerned by what a name like that could mean.) Rathma called it Autumn, and Tyrael liked this name much better.

Primarily, this was a season of preparation. Once the winters hit, the available foods would change and become scarcer. People needed things to keep themselves warm. They began stockpiling wood for fires, and coats and blankets and such things. Several of the Horadrim had been puzzling over winter-proofing the complex they currently called home. Just about all of them had been harassing Tyrael about wearing something to cover his head. Apparently, one's head could easily be chilled, particularly when they did not have any hair upon it.

The weather and customs and clothing were not the only things changing though. His nephew had been making himself scarce.

When questioned about it, Rathma simply claimed he was busy, besides whatever he was doing to the old crypt-like home he'd introduced Tyrael to. Only later, after he'd hung around a little longer, did Tyrael begin to suspect he simply didn't like the cold.

More often than not he became sluggish, and did not want to venture out of the Horadric commune. He'd burrow himself up in his cloak and whatever blankets and/or pillows he'd managed to abscond with, and not move for several hours. The only time he'd willingly regain mobility was in order to slink closer to any fires that may have been lit.

Tyrael supposed he could understand. The cold was not comfortable, and if one did not have to deal with it, why bother? And he had seen the kinds of places the nephalem usually called home; Aranoch, Kehjistan, jungle and desert. He seemed to prefer the heat, if he could.

In general, Rathma had preferred not to be touched. However, now that it was the Fall season, humans made awfully good space warmers. Letting someone else use him as a living pillow was perfectly alright, so long as he could leach some heat off of them in turn.

The best place for such was in front of the fireplace. While it was a sizable hearth, Rathma was also a sizable creature. He curled himself up, yes, but between his own mass and that of all the quilts he'd dragged along with him, he covered most of the floor space. If one wanted to enjoy the fire, they had little choice but to also enjoy the nephalem's company.

The Horadrim seemed comfortable enough using him as a makeshift backrest. Between the heat of the fire and the warmth that they gave off, laying together was well worth it.

Tyrael had decided that he, too, would partake in this sharing-of-warmth.

He'd been out, experiencing Westmarch and all its strange decorations. Many seemed to be offering praise towards the harvest, and being a holy creature himself, Tyrael couldn't help but stop and pray for or with many of them. This all meant that he'd been out in the damp, chilly air of Westmarch for some time, and he was thoroughly sapped of heat.

Upon returning home, the fire was all too enticing. Where once before Rathma's presence might have been a deterrence, it was now a welcome sight.

Rathma had curled himself up in a way that might have made most people concerned, and a gymnast quite jealous. Nose tucked under his tail, hooves kicked out, he looked more to be made of rubber than flesh. But he did look warm.

Mind made up, Tyrael settled himself against the blanket-pile. Rathma did not stir, though he had to have known Tyrael was there. The silence was companionable, broken by the crackling of the fire, and the sounds of the rest of the order going about their day elsewhere in the complex.

Fall may have been a time of chill and change, but here by the fire, life was warm and cozy, and Tyrael decided that he quite liked this season indeed.

Notes:

Kinda just guessing on when seasons happen on Sanctuary. Vasan appears to be the start of Spring, with Lunasadh being the "month of Harvest". I peg Autumn as starting during the month of Ratham (eyyy) and turning to winter during Solmoneth. This chapter, and the one before it, take place during Kathon.

I could have this all totally backwards though lol.

Just about everyone I talk to is getting Fall Feels already, so that had an influence on this chapter.