”Stupid sun…” she mumbled, furrowing her brow as the frost mage fanned herself in sharp, frustrated movements.

It was hot.

Far too hot for comfort, she thought, her body driven on sheer willpower alone as she spans the streets of Astera, a particular objective in her mind having yet to be fulfilled. The expectations that she had amassed for the town prior to her arrival there were to be discarded instantly as she realized how bewildering the streets were on this land. In her hand, the map that completely rendered useless to her would crinkle as she folded the paper over its neat valleys for the last time before letting it rest in her left breast pocket, a silent sigh released from her chest as she forged forward, moving past others with a haste that would befit the situation, her hood shadowing the make-shift bravery he upheld in her eyes.

It had been nearly half an hour and her search remains fruitless, the ungodly heat tailing him the entire time. There was a reason she was there, a good reason, she’d remind herself.

”Excuse me, do you know where the nearest library is?” she approached the person that was closest to her, dabbing at the map in her hands with mild frustration. ”…Or a smithy?” the woman added, her shoulders raised slightly in accordance of her question. The only response she received was a blank stare followed by an awkward raise of an eyebrow before the person left her dumbfounded in the middle of the paved roads without uttering a single word. Did they not understand her? Or did the people of Astera speak a different language?

The sheen of sweat that lined her temple had become even more pronounced as the heat clung tightly to her thick clothes, mimicking how several strands of silver stuck to her neck in a grubby fashion. Her white cloak flowing behind her, she seated herself at a wooden bench nearby as she looked over the vast city before her eyes. With her horrible sense of direction, she was lost and clueless albeit, her journeys were very rarely mundane as she was, at best, quite gifted in assuming a stroll whenever the times were most interesting. She was a wanderer by accident—not because she wanted to, but it was almost as if her significantly awful directional sense granted her encounters by chance.

Astera was not quite like she had imagined; the labyrinth of roads as complex as the heart and the densely populated buildings that made her feel so small within the city. The paths eventually converged and unveiled the piazza where flocks of pigeons gathered everywhere. The sea of people that filled the square made her feel uncomfortable for Snowflake never was one who was familiar with crowds.

The frosty haired female heaved out a sigh as she leaned back into the bench with her slumped shoulders. She hadn’t expected her day would turn out this way. Luck, in retrospect, wasn’t included among the things she liked to consider her forte. Unsure what to do with herself when she’d fallen so far off her objective, she gazed beyond her, to the swirls and eddies of people that filled the maze of narrow winding streets. Perhaps she should’ve decided to stay in and relax with her cup of coffee, but what good would it do when she could witness all the fun as well as the simple, eventful things in this town?

The maiden observed the townsfolk that passed before her, and she fears it’s now an impulsive habit of hers to watch the people when she had nothing on her mind, yet, she enjoyed the satisfaction that the constant flicker of men and women that gives to the restless eye. But when she registered a skeptical presence that lingered within the common people, the woman kept herself guarded as she watched the unknown figure slip between the masses and approached a young girl, only to push her into the fountain that was situated in the middle of the piazza and robbed her of her basket.

”Oh, dear boy,” she breathed. The event almost came to no surprise to her due to her very common encounters of similar situations, where she, herself, has also been a victim of one. Swift on her feet, the woman did not opt to hesitate to chase for the guy and grabbed him by the collar. ”That’s not yours. Give it back.” When the thief attempted to resist, she would only tighten her grasp until he succumbed to her orders.

There were a few curious eyes in their direction, but she paid no heed to them as she leaned over to the sapphire haired maiden, her hand stretched out in an attempt to help her out from her state with the basket clung onto her other arm. ”You alright?”

The young female appeared no younger than herself, perhaps even the same age as the frost mage albeit, the way those wide cobalt blue eyes looked up to her as she reached out her hand—Snowflake was immediately reminded of the image of an adorable puppy that she’d encountered by chance not too long ago. Her icy hues glided up and down of the other female’s body, drenched in water and raised an eyebrow in disdain. ”I think you’re going to have to change yourself out of those wet clothes,” the woman shook her head discouragingly.

The blue haired female was almost a reflection of herself when she was younger; when she migrated to Fiore just so she could learn to become a mage. There was nothing she knew, nor had anyone she was familiar with in a such a populated kingdom. She was just as clumsy and when things wouldn’t go her way, she would scorn and curse at the gods above for granting her life like this. Even then, it was simply just her immature way of thinking, because after she was recruited by the first guild master of Blue Pegasus, her life just continued to thrive with those who surrounded her and she couldn’t be any more grateful for that. Snowflake wouldn’t want a poor innocent soul to feel that she was living an unfortunate life and despite their first encounter seeing the vulnerable girl before her, it almost stimulated a sense of responsibility and security within her to protect the girl.

For someone who hardly displayed any sort of emotions, it was a rather odd, yet, warm sensation inside her. It dawned upon her suddenly that the girl was speaking Icebergian to her, or perhaps it was just her accent. Growing up in the north with her Icebergian parents, she would never have mistaken her mother tongue and certainly, it was a surprise for her to meet a fellow Icebergian unexpectedly, especially not in a town like Astera. ”You must be from the north,” the woman spoke with her mother tongue in return. With her silver orbs and white hair, it was quite easy for others to assume that she’s from the northern region—not that she was hiding her nationality or her background, it was simply just that she never really bothered to tell anyone about where she really was from.

”What’s your name?” It should’ve been the first question she’d asked, but knowing her name would make it easier for her to address the young female as she continued to speak in her language. It’s been far too long since she’d spoken it and she would be more than happy to keep conversing in their language—perhaps the maiden might also feel more comfortable speaking in Icebergian. ”I saw a couple stalls nearby, you might wanna get some new clothes from there.”

”Ylva,” the woman repeated, followed by a nod, silver pools crossing over the gaze of blue as she registered the name into her brain. For a person who was such a perfectionist, Snowflake was also one with quite the forgettable memory and one of her many faults is to actually listen to the names whenever she asks for one.

”You don’t know how to speak Fiorian?” asked the female, curious. Born to the parents from two different districts, she was blessed to be bilingual, though her mother tongue was naturally Icebergian. It was also after she moved to the kingdom of Fiore, that she became more fluent in the Fiorian language, thanks to her close acquaintances. ”To be honest, you’re the first person I’ve met from Iceberg, so I think you’re lucky you ran into your own kind sooner than later.”

The woman would peel off the basket that was hooked onto her arm and returned it to its rightful owner, ”Here, I hope you didn’t lose anything precious.” Upon the blue haired girl’s request to assist her with directions, the woman briefly hesitated for a moment, for she was completely unfamiliar with the streets of Astera. Heck, in truth, she was no good in directions at all, where she would often get lost within the city. It wasn’t just Astera; it was almost every town she travelled to and eventually, she came into terms with the fact that she had a significantly awful directional sense. Yet, the beauty agreed anyways, ”Sure”, not wanting to let her down and prepared to guide herself and the younger female through the labyrinth of paved roads.

Snowflake attempted to recall how she ended up at the piazza—perhaps it might lead her back to the market and the stalls that she’d seen. ”Oh, you may call me Snow,” and she quickly added, ”Don’t worry about returning the favour, just think of it as a small act of kindness.”

”I see, that makes sense,” she nodded, her words trailing out of her mouth as her eyes were fixated on the paved roads before her. Snowflake was quite the observant person—she would watch people or her surroundings whenever she had nothing to do—but even then, she would still get lost within the streets somehow. One could say that it’s a very useless talent of hers, but her terrible sense of direction always bring her interesting encounters, which she supposedly considers it a blessing.

”You think so?” the woman turned around to face the younger girl briefly before shifting her attention back onto the roads. She felt a familiar warmth spreading onto her cheeks, perhaps it was just her being embarrassed or delighted with the flattering remark she received on her name—it certainly wasn’t a compliment she’d receive on a usual basis. ”That’s very sweet of you.” A smile curved onto the line of her lips, though very briefly and it faded as fast as it was drawn upon her lips.

As a mean to pass their time, the two females continued with their idle chat until Ylva abruptly decided that she wouldn’t be buying any new clothes after all. It seemed like the weather had already dried most parts of her outfits and truly enough, it would’ve been a waste of money if she were to buy new ones again when she could return home to change. ”Oh, that’s alright with me. Now, scuttle off quickly and go change some clothes then,” the woman produced a dismissive wave before bidding farewell. ”Pleasure meeting you as well.”