Ashima woke with a start as she heard voices speaking near her bed. She timidly brought her head out from under the blankets and looked to see the same woman, speaking to a man. She noticed he was bald as well and as she watched them talk she noticed neither of them had eyebrows or eyelashes either.r
He seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure why. Even his voice sounded somewhat familiar as he spoke and, although she didn't know the meaning of the words he was speaking, she felt safe with him for some reason.
The man's words stopped when the woman cut him off with a short burst of words and his head turned toward Ashima, his light blue gray eyes meeting hers. His eyes rounded and he opened his mouth but didn't say anything, his head tilting slightly in curiosity.
Something in his eyes... oh!
Recognition hit her like a brick and words flew from her mouth.
"Thank you so much for helping me! I can't tell you how grateful I am. I'm not sure how to say thank you in your culture, and now I also remember that you have no idea what I'm saying... ". disappointment and embarrassment showed on her face.
The pair spoke again in their native tongue for several minutes, practically acting like she didn't exist, other than the looks that she received from them occasionally. They seemed to be arguing.
The man sighed loudly and just looked at her for a long moment. He eventually nodded his head and did a motion that made her think she was supposed to follow him. She looked at the woman and raised her brows in question.
The woman did a motion with her face that Ashima assumed was the equivalent of rolling her eyes. She went to the bed and pulled the blankets off Ashima, before pulling on her hand to get her to step off the bed. Ashima did as instructed, just now noticing how tall the woman was. She was likely over six feet tall while the man was probably seven feet tall.
She followed them obediently but before they reached the door, she winced and shivered at the cold, her feet prickling like she was walking on needles. The man stopped and leaned down slightly toward Ashima's level, looking at her face before looking down at her body and then her feet.
He practically growled words at the woman as he pointed down at Ashima's feet. But before Ashima could try to decipher the woman's response, the man picked her up, one forearm behind her knees and the other arm wrapped around her back. She placed her hands on his chest to steady herself at the surprise of the motion. The woman appeared beside her, laying one of the blankets over Ashimas body and draping the end over her feet.
The hallway was considerably colder than the room and Ashima clung to the warmth radiating from the man, burying her face against his chest and pulling the blanket over everything but her eyeballs. He tensed and paused for a brief moment before he continued walking.
Ashima wondered how the man and woman were so comfortable in the thin shirt and pants they wore that matched her own. She wondered what they had done with her thick body suit, along with her sweater, pants, tank top, socks, and boots. But she supposed she should be thankful they'd left her underwear and bra in place.
They entered a smaller room with a table in the center and several cabinets along the walls where the woman pulled a key from her pocket and opened one of the cabinets to reveal Ashima's belongings. She laid out each item along the table and the man that was carrying her set her down on it, immediately stepping back and straightening his top where she had clung to it.
She quickly reached and put on her thick socks, followed by her black sweater, relishing in the protection from the cold air in the room. "Thank you for washing and drying my clothes." She smiled awkwardly as they stared at her.
This time when they motioned her out of the room she walked out on her own two feet. When they reached what she was guessing was a reception area or lobby, she looked out of the semi-transparent material on the door to see the snow and ice covered lake nearby and she shivered. She turned to see the woman was no longer with them, and the man motioned towards the door as he put on a thin jacket.
"Right... outside." Ashima sighed and began the process of putting on her thick outer layer suit. She put her hood up and placed her gloves and goggles on before he opened the door. Bracing herself for the weather, she followed the man out the door.
Once outside she immediately wished she had her balaclava style face covering she'd lost during her fall. She stopped and gasped as soon as the wind hit her face, using her hands in an attempt to shield her skin. Once somewhat adjusted, she looked around to scan the area. There were people and tents everywhere. She watched for a moment, taking it in and looking for any sign of what she should do next.
Ashima's head turned quickly at the sound of a growl. The man who had carried her twice now was standing nearby, glaring at her in frustration. He pointed at her and then at the ground beside him. She stared for a short moment before slowly making her way over to him. He was muscular but slender like he was very strong but also fit to run a marathon. His large stature caused her a small amount of fear but he'd helped her twice now so she decided to comply. What else did she have going for her, anyway?
He didn't wait until she was next to him before he took off at what was probably a normal pace to him, yet her 5,6" height had her almost jogging to keep up. A glance behind him making sure she was following was enough to encourage her to continue.
Eventually the tents and crowds thinned slightly, the tents became smaller but more uniform in size and shape. He stopped in front of one of the many tents she was assuming were dwellings but instead of entering he stood still, closed his eyes and drew in a long deep breath before releasing it slowly. He abruptly opened the door and stood back, motioning for her to enter.
She looked up at him, feeling nervous to go inside with the tall, seemingly angry man. But perhaps he was simply dropping her off in a dwelling of her own?
Seeing no other options, she held her breath and walked in. As her eyes adjusted to the drastic difference in light, she heard him enter behind her and shut the door. The head of a large bed was against the back left wall of the pentagon shaped tent, with a bedside table to the right. The wall to the right of it had a desk and to the right of that, next to the door was a small dining table with two chairs, behind which was a row of cabinets and stacks of crates. The wall with the door had an entry table and a long board for hanging coats, while the final wall, to her left, had a dresser and more cabinets, she assumed was for clothing. This left enough room in the center of the tent for a wood stove to stand, warming the tent. The pipe of the stove rose tall to the very center, flanked on all five sides by skylights.
She took in the tent silently as he removed his thin jacket and shoes, depositing them in their place neatly. He glanced at her and scowled before walking to the desk and sitting behind it. As he began going through neatly organized stacks of papers Ashima took another look around the tent and her stomach knotted. This was definitely his tent. Not one he was simply escorting her to.
After she stood there motionless and silent for several minutes he let out a growl as he stood abruptly from behind the desk, walking across the tent. She tensed as he stood right in front of her and stared at her for a moment with his hands clenching beside him. Eventually his face softened and he sighed. He took a step back and pointed at the dining area.
She looked up at him with her brows scrunched in confusion. "Do you want to eat?" She mumbled. He huffed, not understanding her, and pointed again. So she walked over to the table and sat down. She watched him as he nodded, seemingly satisfied, and went back to his desk where he appeared to be reading.
"So I guess we're not eating, then." She mumbled. "I guess it was weird for you with me just standing there," she let out a chuckle in a sad attempt to ease the awkward situation. He glanced up at her from his desk, although she wasn't sure what emotion was on his face. It could have been frustration, annoyance, confusion, take your pick. Ashima felt all of those too.
She put her elbow on the table and leaned her chin onto her hand. "So are you my babysitter now, or what?" She mused, knowing he wouldn't understand anything she was saying. He simply began reading again.
While it didn't seem like he was thrilled to have her here, it didn't seem like he was going to hurt her either. So when she decided she couldn't sit still any longer, she got up and walked around to explore the tent, careful to not touch anything.
While he occasionally glanced at her, he didn't seem upset by her exploration so she decided to take it a step further. She began looking through the cabinets and crates next to the dining table. She first found some dried herbs and vegetables but felt those were too risky. Moving on, she found sealed glasses of various colored liquids. One by one she pulled out the glasses onto the table but didn't see any clear glasses that might hold water. As she put them back gently, an arm reached around her and sat down a glass with a loud thud in front of her. The action frightened her and she jumped back, her foot catching on a rug.
Before she could hit the floor, large lavender arms circled her waist and back, pulling her body up against a firm abdomen and her face to a hard chest. Before she could register what happened, a few of the glasses were knocked onto the floor, shattering, and causing dark liquids to stain the rug.