The tundra is impossibly cold. Most people who have never been to the Tundra of Ursus, or the ice fields of Sami to the north, cannot comprehend the notion of how cold it gets. But this is the everyday life for those budding Reunion Members who live out here, on the Tundra, waiting for their turn to head southward.
The continental polar and arctic winds flow never ceasing from the North, bringing with them cold, dry air, that freezes those who are not expecting it. The Coriolis force of the planet keeps those winds from travelling too far south too quickly, but still, through planetary atmospheric processes, brings southerly those winds; dry air that eventually starts to be the cause for much of the arid central lands of the continent. Whereas places like Siracusa, Iberia, Victoria, and Sargon, find themselves getting much of the maritime tropical winds from the massive bays and seas of the continent that serve as hotbeds for intense convection and temperature advection, serving to temperate the arid climate that would otherwise dominate the land.
The long wavelength planetary waves that occur naturally with any spinning, unevenly heated object keep these thermal and climate zones where they are, without much difference in where they lie on a daily basis – but as with the zonal movement of them with the seasons, will bring some slight warmth to the tundra in the summer months, as the sun beats down more heavily in the north than it does in the winter months.
But for now, the long-waveform planetary waves, of which even Columbian Scientists have yet to really discover the nature of, keep the cold, continental polar air in place, sitting firmly on the Sami icefields, and the Ursus tundra. Freezing those who live there to the bone, and only finding solace in the firelight that constantly needs stoking and fuel to keep those who live there warm and well.
Many of the shelters and 'houses' – if you can call them that – of this settlement have fireplaces inside them, taking in the wood from the surrounding tundra woodland, and issuing warmth to the inside, giving those settlers on this tundra some form of solace from the cold, no matter the time of day.
This means, that in these early days of the Reunion movement – those Infected find themselves often huddled around fireplaces and bonfires, sharing in each other's company when they're not out working to collect supplies for the settlement or defending from the Infected Patrol Unit. This is how life is in this settlement. Talulah doesn't mind it at all, outside of her desire to move south, to carve out a nation, a place for all Infected to live free of oppression that comes with living anywhere else on Terra.
This is Talulah the Fighter's dream. Something that she's trying desperately, sometimes even hopelessly to fight for. Every step she takes forward, every fight she has to dance through, brings her that much closer to the realization of that dream. The idealized world where she, and all the other Infected, including the ones that she hasn't met yet, can live free – away from the worries of the States that had alienated them for something that none of them could control.
But until that time, there were duties that she would fulfill, as the tentative leader of the movement, of the settlement. Just about everyone who was here looked up to her in some way. Meaning that she would typically have things to do.
On a cold night like this, however? There wasn't much that needed doing. The tasks for the day had been completed. Training regimens run, organization figured out, and other tasks of that nature having been finished during the daylight hours. But now, as night had settled in, Talulah found herself walking about the shelters and houses, keeping an ear out for things. It wasn't even her turn to be on watch tonight – but something had driven her, had compelled her to wander between the shelters, in the cold tundra, winter air. Her breath would condense in front of her as it left her nostrils, and the cold air bit at her when she would breathe in, threatening to bring tears to her eyes. But she did her best to blink them away – not wanting her eyes to freeze in the cold night air.
Trying to keep an ear out over the whistling wind, and scanning the forest beyond the furthest shelters and houses was far more important than the blistering cold, or her breath freezing in front of her eyes.
She comes up to another house among the inner circle of houses and shelters in this settlement, and she knows whose house it is. A comfortable place, where on many restless nights like this prior, she had been welcomed in, next to the warm fire and the warm presence that was the occupant of that house.
"Talulah!" There's a hushed call from the house as she passes it, a familiar voice that has called her name perks up Talulah's ears. Out of everyone to notice that she wasn't supposed to be patrolling right now, that Alina would be one of the few to actually call her on it.
"Alina!" Talulah feigns surprised in equally hushed tones; she knows that the young woman is typically up this late anyways, often caught up in sewing or any other tasks that she can't get done during the day, due to her status as being one of the mentors and teachers for the younger Infected children in the camp – but that doesn't stop Talulah from acting surprised that she's up anyways. "I thought you'd be asleep by now!"
"Of course not!" Alina speaks through an open window on the side of her house. "Come inside silly, its too cold to be out there wearing what you're wearing."
Talulah chuckles as the window slides shut, and dutifully moves to the front of the house, where the unlocked door waits for her. She taps the toes of her boots against the stairway to that door and shakes the snow from them. It wouldn't do to get Alina's house all snowy and messy, especially with how much effort Talulah knows it takes to keep it clean, living in the Tundra. Maybe there isn't dirt and dust the way that the territories and states south of the Tundra have – but there's mud and dirt itself in this snow; dirty snow that's packed down by the flow of feet across it, thawed in the bright sunlight during the day, and refrozen at night once it mixes with the dirt and mud beneath the layers of snow.
But for now, instead, Talulah is slipping the boots off from around her feet, and stepping foot beyond the threshold, into the house of Alina. She's not thinking of the dirt of foreign lands she's never been to. She's doing her best to not think of the dirt of this land, the one that she lives on and the one that bites so frigidly at her ears and nose.
Fortunately, however, the warmth of the hearth beating throughout the house, is more than enough to warm the coldest parts of Talulah's skin. And what isn't warmed by the hearth's beaming heat – is warmed by Alina's mere presence.
Talulah has always found it hard to not find that the worries of the world seem to melt away around Alina, despite their plentiful conversations where they do nothing but talk about the world. They feel that much more tolerable, more easily tackled when in conversation with her, and the two can enjoy each other's company.
"Don't you get cold out there, wearing that same old uniform all the time?" Alina asks as Talulah shuts the door behind her, ceasing the flow of cold air into the house, and feeling the dampness of the snow still clinging to her, evaporate in the warmth of the house.
"Don't you get warm having the fire going that strong all the time?" Talulah jokes back.
"I do, that's why I had the window open."
"No other reason?" Talulah teases, and Alina blushes slightly at this.
"M-maybe I just like looking at the stars."
"I know you do. Its why your bed is beneath the window." Talulah smiles, and moves to one of the seats in front of the hearth, where Alina has sat herself, next to the fire, her seat angled in such a way that she can see her work in the firelight. Tonight, she's sewing an article of clothing. Likely changing the sizing of it, how its hemmed, so that it fits better for whichever young Infected she teaches needs it.
Talulah walks towards the vacant seat in front of the fireplace, but before she crosses the space, she makes a detour to where Alina sits, picking up her sewing needle, and getting ready to keep working on the article of clothing. As Alina does, Talulah steps just to the side of her chair, and places a kiss on the top of Alina's head.
"I've missed you, dear." Talulah whispers against her head.
"I've missed you too." Alina smiles as Talulah pulls away, and moves to sit down in the other chair. A smile on her face as well.
It was one of the better kept secrets among those who knew that Talulah had a thing for Alina. Something that had spawned from a time before Reunion, a time where there were less worries on either of their minds. But something that they both found tremendous comfort in now.
Sneaking between one another's houses in the commune, stolen looks during gatherings, and rumors between those who knew Alina and Talulah, certainly had fueled their getting together in such a way. But it wasn't just those moments by themselves, it was the summation of all the instances where Talulah couldn't keep her eyes off of Alina back in the village, and the instances of when Alina couldn't help but find herself wanting to be around Talulah, no matter what came next.
This is just the simple life that the two of them had carved out among the responsibilities of the Reunion movement. These moments where they can spend time with one another, and relish in the quiet times, like this week had brought. There hadn't been Ursus patrols, there hadn't been other Infected trying to attack the commune. There had just been the organization of newcomers, and the teaching of the young ones.
Meaning that in this moment, there was still plenty of relaxation to do.
Talulah would lie, if you asked her, if she knew that Alina would invite her inside her house at this time of night. Talulah often walks about the commune this late at night, and Alina often sits by that particular window, waiting to see if Talulah will come by on any particular night. She was right often enough that it had become a habit, just as much as Talulah's walkabouts had become.
"What did you end up doing today?" Alina asks, as Talulah slumps into her seat, basking in the warmth of the fireplace.
"Training, mostly." Talulah sighs. "A lot of the new people aren't as familiar with using blades to fight. They're used to using them for work, not combat."
"Makes sense. When you live your whole life as a farmer or a miner, I can't imagine the skills transfer that easily."
"You'd be surprised." Talulah points out. "They already have the muscle for it, it's just a matter of intentionality. Getting used to fighting. Some of the new people are surprisingly strong, they're just timid in a fight, so they don't know how to use their blades the right way."
"Do you think they'll ever figure it out?"
"They will. Everyone can use a weapon if they need to."
"Even me?" Alina giggles as she works the needle through the fabric, a skill in its own right, one that only a few of those in the commune were capable of doing. Alina had, at one point in some previous night, tried to teach Talulah how to sew, to no avail, she would get frustrated at the precision required, and needed Alina to start any of the actions required, because her hands were just not steady enough, but Alina's were.
"I'm pretty sure anyone can raise a weapon. But I'm not sure if everyone can use a weapon. If that makes sense."
"It does." Alina continues the motions of sewing, occasionally needing to stop to make sure that things are the right size. "I just don't think, that between my arts and my skill with a needle, I'm exactly suited to fighting."
"Which is fair. I wouldn't dream of forcing someone who didn't want to fight, to fight. But the world doesn't conform to my beliefs, Alina. One day you might need to, in order to protect yourself, when I can't be there."
"I know. And one day if I have to, I will. But until that time, I'd prefer not to."
"Mm, and that's fair." Talulah closes her eyes against the heat of the fireplace. "It'd just make me feel better if you knew how to use a blade, just in case."
"I'll be sure to take that into consideration," Talulah can hear the smile on Alina's face. "For now, however, I need to finish this seam, and then I'm going to go to bed… Are you going to stay here tonight?"
Talulah thinks about this for a moment, weighing the pros and cons, but it only takes that split-second moment to come to her answer. She knows what she would prefer to do, the comfort she'd prefer to have. Besides, in the mornings – Alina's house is so much warmer, that it's all the more pleasant to wake up beside her, rather than all alone in the far-colder house that she stays in alone.
"I'll stay here, if that's alright with you." Talulah says, opening her eyes to look at Alina, to discern what reaction that she may or may not have.
There's simply a pleasant smile on her face as she sets down the article of clothing and her sewing tools. Things to deal with in the morning, the return of the piece of clothing, and the start of some other sewing project. Maybe something warm for one of the newborns who the commune had welcomed in the previous days. Alina wasn't quite sure what the next project was, just that there would be another. Something more to occupy her down time, something that felt almost as much like a hobby as any other, that which kept her hands busy, and her mind occupied on something other than the biting cold outside, or the worries of attack by the Ursus forces, or hostile Infected.
She stands up, and Talulah stands up as well, stretching her arms above her head.
Alina moves across the warmed space between them and wraps her arms around Talulah's middle as she approaches her, bringing the Draco into a hug, while making sure to not poke Talulah with her own Elafian antlers. Their embrace lasts a moment or two, Alina appreciating the warmth that emanates from the Draco woman's natural warmth, and Talulah appreciating the soft scent of the closeness of the shorter woman.
Alina breaks away from the hug after the few moments pass, and then leans up to Talulah, and kisses her on the lips.
The two bask in the firelight, in this intimate moment.
"Someone missed me today." Talulah half-teases when Alina breaks away from the kiss.
"I always miss you, dummy." Alina smiles, and takes Talulah's hand, and leads her towards the modest bedroom that exists in this house. There's no need to communicate how tired she is, or how late it actually is outside, despite there not being any clocks in the house.
Talulah, with her free hand – the one that she's not being led by – is already undoing the buttons of her attire, letting them slide around her shoulders. Alina waits until she's in the room, and let go of Talulah's hand, before reaching behind herself, to undo the strings that keep her dress tied around her. Talulah sets the jacket of her attire on the bedpost, before helping Alina undo her dress.
The dress comes undone easily under the sight and fingers of Talulah, who has practiced this motion plenty of nights before. Knowing which way to pull on the knot to make it come undone, and which ways to not pull on it – lest she make the knot tighter. As the neckline of Alina's dress slides away, and the pale skin of the woman in front of her becomes more and more revealed, Talulah presses her lips against Alina's neck. Giving a gentle kiss to her, despite how one might know Talulah as being 'The Fighter', or the leader of the Reunion Movement. In moments like these, she is as caring, and as gentle as can be, with a woman who deserves that gentleness as much as Talulah wants Alina for herself.
Alina takes a breath of comfort in this motion, in this action, and lets the feeling of this wash over her. Warmth from the lips of the woman kissing her neck, runs along her spine to the base of her skull, and all the way down to her hips below. She knows this comfort comes from a woman who has taken lives, who fights daily for the comfort that they now have. A fact that brings up indescribable emotions in her stomach and warms her hands and chest at the mere thought of. She turns to face Talulah, dress now on the floor around her feet, clad only in her undergarments, and kisses her on the lips again.
"C'mon." She says, taking Talulah's hand and leading her towards the bed.
Talulah kicks off her skirt and peels off her undershirt, scattering them across the room; and slides between the sheets of the bed, laying on the side closest to the door, and giving Alina the space she likes beneath the window, where on a night like tonight – she can see the stars as she falls asleep.
Talulah takes a deep breath as she can feel the weight of the day slide away from her shoulders as she lays between the sheets of Alina's bed. For this moment, she can feel at least a little at peace, resting next to someone who she loves, and wants to take care of.
Alina sighs in comfort, her own body decompressing from the day's tasks, and the comfort of the bed that they share in this moment. There is something indescribable that Alina feels when she snuggles up next to the warmer woman's body, and in that warmth, there's security, and the washing away of all her worries. Even the immediate thoughts of how cold the room is on the skin of her face feel that much smaller next to the natural body heat of a Draco – especially one whose arts are more focused around fire and heat besides. There's a tremendous amount of comfort in this moment, in this space, as Alina rolls her leg on top of Talulah's, and half-lays on top of her, using her for warmth.
Talulah doesn't mind, in a way, Alina is Talulah's own weighted blanket.
In this space, there's no need to worry about what tomorrow might bring, there's only the promise of the here and now, and the knowledge that no matter what might happen to Alina, Talulah will be there come morning – no matter what that morning brings.
Talulah awakens in her cell. The blank, nondescript walls of her confinement never ceasing in their existence around her. Rarely does she ever notice a change in them. Or does she ever really have a change of locale here, in the depths of Rhodes Island.
She doesn't awaken the way she normally does, however. She awakens with tears threatening to form at the corner of her eyes, as she rolls onto her side and clutches at the spot on her chest where if she dug down deep enough, she'd find her aching heart.
The lights of Rhodes Island's prison block are dimmed, giving indication to the time – still before the day has crept across the lands of Terra, and given rise to a new morning. For now, she's trapped in this moment of solitude, in the dark of night, and wondering what it is about her life that has led her to this moment where she misses Her so deeply.
She knows why. She's known for a long time, known that for the longest time, but doesn't want to accept it. These memories of that night, bleeding into the present in her waking thoughts and dreams at night.
She hates this reality that she lives in now. The one where she can't bring about the world that Alina had given up everything for. The idealism that Talulah had just fallen short of having, because she was doomed from the start to never have her way of things. Maybe if she didn't kill Kashchey, maybe if she had been more careful, and heeded the words of more of those around her. Maybe if she just hadn't gone out that day, finding the corpses of those Infected who had tried to claw their way to freedom.
So many 'maybes', and not a concrete answer among the corpses of all those who had died to serve her vision, or who had died to serve Kashchey's idyllic tyranny.
There was nothing here, in this prison for her, except her own life – the fact that maybe just by living, by striving for that idealism that she had lost, she could bring about something that would make Alina proud.
But for now, there was nothing that she could do. She stares at the ceiling of the cell, never changing in its white paint and constant barring of the joined walls.
Tears well in her eyes. There's nothing she can do to change this reality, the one that she lives in, in this moment, where there is no Alina.
There is only the fire that burns in her heart, where once it burned for Alina.