#wor.avalanche

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Ivan cursed as he stood before the metal door that sealed them in, darkness all around him. Still, he knew exactly who else was in here with him, had seen them before the avalanche had knocked out the power.

He had been at the round table with an advisor when the news broke of the approaching avalanche and it was immediately decided to try and get somewhere safer. If that advisor was here now Ivan would wring their neck. But no, he had fled the opposite way. He knew it was a useless act as he pounded his fist against the door, there was no way they were opening until the power was restored. Eventually he caved, leaning back against it instead, digging into his pocket and pulling out his lighter, flicking it into life. “Well I clearly pissed off the wrong god.” 

TW: Blood

It all happened so fast. One minute he was heading to one of the cabin’s to check in on a villager he’d helped on one of his trips into the village, the next he was being ripped into a cabin round the middle. Leaning up on his elbows from the floor as the door slammed shut, eyes scanning. “What the...” That’s when he realized that something else demanded his attention. Someone had tripped making a run for the building, a small gash to the head. While it was indeed minute, the blood flowing freely had him grabbing the nearest bit of cloth he could grab and pressing it down. “Apologies, but that might need some stitches...” He murmured. Looking around, he caught eyes with one of the other inhabitants in the suddenly very small space. “Can you find a first aid kit?”

Eamon heard the sound of the avalanche before he saw it, the low rumble catching his ear as he was headed back towards the castle from a walk outside. Automatically his head turned in its direction, trying to figure out what could be making such a sound. His first thought was some kind of attack and even as he saw the billowing white of compacted snow hurtling down the mountain it took him a few moments to register what it was. 

Then he was diving into the castle, his feet pumping and carrying him faster than he thought he’d ever run before. His initial destination had been Niamh’s room, but as the roar grew louder he knew there wouldn’t be time. Instead he slipped into the nearest room, subconsciously tucking himself behind a couch.

It felt like the castle itself moved as the avalanche connected and it was only once everything settled that he re-emerged, nothing finally that he wasn’t alone. “Are... are you guys okay?” 

His days off were usually spent at home or doing random things around the village for some of the others who couldn’t do the chores themselves, but that morning had been a little different. Extra cash had been needed and Lexi would much rather work a shift at the Lilac than at the castle, so he’d been grateful when the owner had agreed to let him get a few hours in. What he hadn’t counted on was the raging snow barreling down towards the village just as he was getting ready to have a beer and leave for the day.

Being underground and without power was harder than it sounded. The room was pitch black for a moment until others started to take out their cell phones to illuminate the place and his mind once again started to work properly. There had to be a kit in here, right? The Lilac wasn’t as new as some of the other places around here, so they surely had to be prepared for something like this. “Anyone have a lighter on them? We’ll need it once we find some candles. They have a ton around here somewhere.”

A bit of time had passed since the doors of the ballroom and locked and the shaking of the castle had calmed down. Rosa was attempting to keep her mind off the people in her life whom she had no clue whether they were okay or not, but it kept drifting. Not to mention the warmth was quickly fading the longer that the power was out. Even with a few people who had clear heads unlike her the situation seemed to be hopeless. How long would they be stuck there? Surely, they were working on the power already or were they busy trying to dig people out of worse situations? “I was not aware that snow could be so powerful. I thought it was just pretty…” Now she wasn’t so sure she even liked it. “How long do you think it will take to rescue everyone?” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked towards the double doors that usually lead to a balcony, wondering if she even wanted to attempt overlooking the grounds.

At first Pim had let the weather keep her mostly castle bound, still not used to the intense cold Russia brought with it. What was more, this time last year she was finally seeing spring, but this year... of course there would be a snow storm in March. Eventually she had caved and donned her winter gear, making her way down to the village. She thought that perhaps she could get some chocolates from Zucker Lugt, and maybe pop by to say hello to Lilliana. 

She was trying to put off going back up to the castle for as long as possible and had decided to wander the streets of the village when it all started. Pim wasn’t the only one to stop in the street and stare at the mass of white headed straight towards them. She was almost spellbound, until a voice from behind cut through her.

“Get in here, quickly!” There was a figure stood in the door of cottage behind her and she swung her head around, noticing the others on the street.

“This way!” she cried, before zipping into the cottage. Immediately she moved to press her face against a window, watching the event unfold. “It seems so nice when you’re out playing in it...” 

Aside from the weather warnings the beginning of the day had actually been rather peaceful. Spending the bulk of her time with Katrien instead of Matthias wasn’t nearly the same, but she’d adjusted over the last few months. Of course all of that went out the window when the alarms blared and on instinct she’d pushed the princess into the nearest room before following her in.  As bad as that alone was, it seemed to only get worse. 

Arms around herself she stood off to the side, watching the others curse and snap at each other. It was almost ironic that there was a time when they would have taken solace in each other’s company. Now, even though she was glad to know that three of the four people she cared about most in Russia were safe, she couldn’t imagine a more stressful place to be. With a sigh though she cleared her throat, there was no point in hiding from it. “It is going to likely get cold quickly, and depending on how long until power is restored we may need food.” Though at this point, Solveig would be happy just finding a whiskey bottle in one of the doctor’s drawers. “We should plan for the worst.”

“Oh thank fuck,” Lilli wrapped the blanket given to her around her body, after she did the same to her dog. She was cold, trying not to shiver but she was, and also she was trying to stop her chattering. Leaning back and taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and felt the heat chill her bones before she opened her eyes and saw some food. She slowly got up and went over to grab some food, frowning as she looked over at her dog. “I think he’s more glad that he’s in a building,” she mused as she looked at her now sleeping dog, a little smile appearing on her face.