Chapter Text
“Sister, B-Team just reported back. The area south of the lake is secure. Didn’t find anything except a couple stray houndbeasts. Looks like they were abandoned, the poor bastards.”
“Anything else?”
“There’s also a shed but according to Young, it’s falling apart. No good trying to make use of it, ‘the boards are too wet to burn’, she says.”
“Thank you, Petrova. See to the others, we need to reach the clearing before night falls.”
“Sure, I’ll let them know to meet up with the guerillas at camp.”
FrostNova watched as Petrova quickly headed off. She and the Yetis had split off from the rest of Reunion patrols to cover more ground in securing the perimeter so that it could be turned into a campsite. They needed a place to rest for the next few nights and the decision to settle inside a clearing a little ways away from a nearby village seemed like the best option.
Talulah had initially wanted to seek refuge inside the village but Patriot had staunchly refused, citing in terse, rumbling tones that this territory was unexplored terrain and unfamiliar locals could not be trusted to leave a large group of very visibly Infected alone, especially in Ursus. As a compromise, Talulah agreed to let the group camp some distance away; close enough to be able to monitor the villagers’ movements, but not so close as to alert them to their presence. They couldn’t risk the Infected Patrol Unit discovering their whereabouts.
FrostNova coughed once, twice, then three times. She sighed and walked a little bit more, snow crunching beneath her boots until she happened upon a fallen log and sat down on top of it. Traveling for miles and immediately patrolling afterwards with no breaks in between had gotten her legs terribly sore. She idly rubbed her calves and thought briefly about the chiding she would undoubtedly receive from her father once they met up again.
Surrounded by the quiet landscape of the Northwestern Ursus tundra and without Petrova for company, FrostNova found her thoughts wandering towards the myriad of people she had interacted with throughout the course of her day.
Nesti had been in an irritable mood since morning, and not even a stern look from her had been enough to get him to open up about what the issue was. If she had to guess though, it probably had something to do with his poetry being laughed at by his fellow Yetis.
Again.
Meanwhile, Young had to be feeling down after finding those houndbeasts, despite her lively disposition earlier. FrostNova made a mental note to talk to her when she got back; knowing how Young loved animals, she was certain to try and persuade the rest of the Yetis to keep the hounds, but FrostNova had to be there to remind her that there wasn’t enough food and supplies to care for them. They had to put their people first.
During their patrol, Petrova had rambled at length about one of the past excursions Talulah and some of the Yetis had been on a couple days prior. The impassioned way in which he described how Talulah had fended off a sudden ambush headed by armed bandits gave FrostNova reason to believe that maybe it wasn’t so bad to have the Draco take a few of her siblings off her hands every now and then for a change.
She smiled; it was clear enough that her brothers and sisters had really taken a shine to Talulah, more that can be said compared to her father anyway.
Speaking of, Patriot had come to see her off right before she left with Petrova. The towering Sarkaz had grumbled his dissent over Talulah, even after she had acquiesced to his stance. Stubborn old fool. FrostNova wondered if his mind was going and thought about brewing him some tea once she returned to the campsite. Her father’s reservations toward Talulah weren’t a secret; he was even pressed to learn that she was a Draco, much less an heir of someone called Koschei? Kaschey? Something with a ‘K’. Well, whatever. As she had told him in turn, the possibility of who Talulah might be in the future was of no immediate concern for her.
As for Talulah herself, FrostNova had last seen her heading directly towards the unmarked village, ledger in hand, wearing several battle-worn rags that had been fashioned into a makeshift cloak. Thrown over her usual military outfit, the Draco could have passed for a lowly vagrant if she were aiming to be inconspicuous. But barely.
“If it’s not safe for a group, then I’ll go alone,” Talulah told her. The two of them stopped next to a stream that had frozen over; Talulah looked over her reflection in the water as she adjusted her disguise. “I need to see if there’s anyone at all who’s willing to lend us aid. Even one person is a major boon.”
“Enough to risk getting caught and reported? You don’t exactly come across like your everyday vagabond, Talulah.”
“It’s not like I’m going against your father by taking Infected with me." Talulah glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "People are less likely to pay attention to an individual than they would a crowd. We’re minimizing potential casualties. If I can convince them to join under Reunion’s banner, the better it will be.”
FrostNova crossed her arms. “Looks aside, I’d say you need to adjust your manner of talking first. No one in their right mind is going to be fooled by a beggar who carries herself like a noble.”
Talulah smiled at her. “Fortunately for you, Miss Yeti, if there’s one thing nobles have taught me, it’s how to act.” About a minute passed with neither party talking while Talulah continued to fiddle with the cloak. She then broke the silence. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“Do you?”
“About how foolhardy it is. We don’t know if they’ve got a Patrol Unit stationed there. Common folk who will turn out to be spies. I know it’s risky, that’s why I’m not risking anyone else.” Talulah then turned to depart, but not before placing a hand on FrostNova’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t be a very good fighter if I didn’t have at least some skills in planning, Yelena. But there’s a fine line between being cautious and letting opportunities slip away. If things go awry, then I’ll do everything in my power to protect us.”
FrostNova could still feel her lingering warmth long after the sound of Talulah’s footsteps disappeared.
… and… ah.
Alina... that was her name, right? FrostNova hadn’t actually spoken to her at all today, but nonetheless wondered what the teacher had been up to since the last time she saw her, before she had gone on patrol with Petrova.
The Elafia woman wasn’t anything like what FrostNova had come to expect when it came to being an Infected. Her Oripathy did not belie her softness, as strange as it seemed. FrostNova almost didn’t believe that she was even Infected at first. Most people she met wore their infection on their sleeves, the effects adorned on their faces, their words spoken with a tangible bitterness that came with living with a debilitating condition that could not be cured in any way, shape, or form.
It was almost disconcerting in a way. Or maybe even bewildering? No one living in Ursus held onto their benevolence for long. The harsh and blistering winds of the frozen north made sure to erode every trace of such forthright compassion out of warm bodies, if people’s cruelty didn’t do it first.
Perhaps Alina was just good at hiding it.
Still, this wasn’t necessarily a reason for FrostNova to avoid her. If anything, she had no real qualms about Alina’s presence. Reunion already had a few teachers even. It could’ve been just another Infected among their settlement ranks... had Talulah not peculiarly insisted that she meet Alina personally.
A few days ago…
“Right, so,” Talulah started. “FrostNova, I want you to meet Alina. Alina, this is FrostNova. She’s the leader of the Yeti Squad.”
The tawny-haired woman in front of her lowered her head in a polite bow. “It’s nice to finally meet you, FrostNova. Talulah has told me quite a lot about you. Thank you for looking out for our fellow Infected.”
FrostNova peered at Talulah, her expression inscrutable. “Is that so?” Her gaze returned to Alina. “Of course. You’re… one of the teachers here?”
The three women were standing just outside a small schoolhouse while several children played about. The building itself was, quite truthfully, somewhat shabby-looking, barely big enough to fit fifteen or so kids, but it was evident that a lot of effort was put forth trying to make it serviceable as a place of learning. Not only structurally, but domestically as well. FrostNova took note of some of the more homey touches, like the hearth, the numerous hand-drawn portraits displayed on the walls, and whatever kind of wildflower that could be found in the tundra having its own place on the windowsills.
“That’s right,” Alina replied, before hastily correcting herself. “Oh, but not exactly by trade. I’m afraid my Arts aren’t all that suitable to be of any help with fighting, so I’m doing what I can for the little ones back home.”
FrostNova nodded. “That’s fine. I heard Talulah tell my father that education is just another form of resistance.”
“Exactly. Get them while they’re young,” said Talulah, the corner of her mouth hitching upwards in a smirk.
“Not you too?” Alina laughed. “Between Talulah and now Miss FrostNova, I’m beginning to think you all just want me to pick up a rake and start swinging, you’re just too afraid to say it.”
“And I told you that ‘Infected Fighter Alina’ sounds good!”
FrostNova watched as the pair playfully bickered before her. In a sense, she could figure out why it was fitting for her to be a teacher. Alina seemed easy to get along with just from their short exchange, friendly and welcoming. It was no surprise that the kids would adore her. Look up to her, even.
But the longer she watched and noticed how Talulah looked at Alina, the unabashed warmth in her gaze, the way her shoulders visibly relaxed, she couldn’t help but feel something rising from the pit of her stomach.
“So, FrostNova, if you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been with the guerilla fighters?”
Before she could answer, a little Feline girl approached them and tugged on Alina’s skirt, her eyes shimmering.
“B-big sister,” she hiccuped. “Anton s-stole my brush an’ h-he won’t give it back...”
“Oh dear, I better go.” Alina kneeled down and patted the young girl’s head before shooting FrostNova an apologetic look. “I’m sorry our meeting was cut so short--”
“Don’t worry about it, you should take care of that.” FrostNova nodded one final time at Alina. “I should get back to my squad too.”
Talulah interjected. “FrostNova, wait! A minute before you go?”
She had barely taken several strides away from the schoolhouse before she heard Talulah jog to a stop next to her. She kept her gaze trained forward, pretending to observe Reunion members going about their responsibilities. “What is it?”
If Talulah found her refusal to look at her while talking odd, she didn’t say anything. “After we get to the mountainbase village, I was thinking about the three of us doing something together? Maybe have a turn at foraging. Your Yetis like raspberries, right?”
For some reason, the thought of having to watch them again caused FrostNova to experience that same feeling in her stomach. In an attempt to beat it down, she scoffed. “Shouldn’t the leader of Reunion be more focused on important matters rather than leisure?”
Even with her eyes still averted, FrostNova could have sworn she felt Talulah bristle beside her. “Uh, what’s with the cold shoulder all of a sudden?”
“Was that your poor attempt at a joke?”
“The first time I tried joking with you, you told your Yetis to shoot me.” Talulah moved to stand in front of FrostNova, her tail lashing about. “What’s your problem? Did I do something to offend you?”
“It’s nothing.” Nothing that she could define anyway. She wasn’t even sure if it was Talulah’s fault. But her mood had taken a sharp downward turn and there had to be a reason for it.
“Obviously it isn’t, otherwise I wouldn’t be asking.” Talulah sighed. “Yelena, I'm serious, what’s wrong? This is me asking not as your leader, but as your friend.”
It was then that FrostNova finally looked up at Talulah. The Draco wore a concerned expression and the sight of it caused FrostNova’s ears to droop. What was wrong with her? “… sorry. I’m not feeling too well.” That much was true at least. “I think I’m going to go check up on my Yetis and then rest for a bit.”
“...” Whatever sort of pathetic excuse that was, Talulah seemed to buy it. She said nothing, merely watched as FrostNova walked past her.
But before FrostNova got too far however, she stopped again and turned back. “Talulah?”
“Yeah?”
FrostNova closed her eyes and breathed in for a few seconds. “What you said, about us doing something,” she said, hesitantly. “... I’d like that.”
She looked at Talulah one last time and either her eyes were playing tricks on her, or the leader of Reunion really did look like an excited puppy at her response just now; Talulah's eyes lit up and her tail swayed back and forth.
FrostNova exhaled and stared as her breath slowly dissipated in the cold air. She then placed her hand against the spot on her shoulder where Talulah had touched her before leaving for the village. After she returned, Talulah would probably come see her, with Alina most likely in tow.
If she had to be honest with herself, she still wasn’t completely sure that the strange, uncomfortable feeling in her gut wouldn’t rear its ugly head again in the presence of the pair. But she had to deal with it. It would be absurd to avoid Talulah forever, and there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t accidentally cross paths with Alina again.
FrostNova was the Master of the Yetis. Terror of the Tundra. Wintry Death. She had faced worse things than whatever this feeling was. This was not suitable behavior.
She got up from the log and began her trek towards the rest of Reunion in silence.