You doing those? Cause uhhhhhh rythian 36. idk why but him “huddling for warmth” sounds extremely correct, tall man is cold he needs to be cuddled or curled up in a corner like a cat or something
36. Avalanche/Huddling for warmth.
Winter hit Cornerstone hard. They had to retie the ladder, the island having sunk slightly under the weight of the snow piled upon it. It was safe, as far as they could tell, but bitterly cold.
Rythian found himself retreating to the smelter more than usual (which was already often, most free nights spent in the soft warm glow.) The windows were covered, shuttered, and the fire kept going at all hours just to heat the living areas- let alone any actual smithing work.
Now, he'd faced some (light-hearted) ridicule about this behaviour, clinging to spots of warmth like a cat that suns in the windowsill, and he would refute it every time.
Nano found him napping there, a thick glove wedged between his head and the hot stone. It was a particularly biting evening, her fingers still numb and shaking despite the few minutes already spent inside. Normally she'd have nudged him, teased him about falling asleep on the job, but the little corner he'd curled up into did look inviting.
She tiptoed around his legs, cursing under her breath when his tail flicked and she almost stepped on it. It's cramped, the space between the smelter and the wall just over a metre wide, but its undeniably warm. Rythian radiates heat, too, and she tucks to her knees as quietly as she can.
He stirs anyway, blinking blearily up at her. His mask is awry, tugged to the side where it's caught against the thick hide gloves, and she can see the ghost of a smile pull at his cheek. "Nano?" "Shh," she hushes him, worming into the space against his shoulder, "You're warm, and it's bloody freezing."
He nods, adjusting the glove-pillow. The smelter continues to crackle, a burning hearth, and when Nano dozes off against his shoulder he sighs, softly, and drifts off too.
