[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She rubbed her hands over the top of her arms as she pulled on her leather trenchcoat, with its fleece lining and high-fastening collar. She felt a little better and a lot warmer, but it was as if a chill had settled into her bones and they ached in a way that reminded her of her aunt's arthritis so many years ago. She rubbed at her joints, willing the aches to fade but felt no relief.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She shook her head and as the dripping locks hit her in the face, she realised that in her haste to get changed into warm clothes she had forgotten about her hair. She groaned, realising that the towel was now also wet and cold, and wouldn't do much to dry her. She sighed, and picked it up, figuring at least an attempt was better than nothing. She rubbed at her head, feeling the ache in her joints lessen a little though she still felt weary.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Deciding that it was as good as it was going to get, she collected her clothes from the corner of the tent and pulled open the tent flap, figuring she would at least lay her wet clothes out to dry on the floor around the fire. Stepping out, she gave her hair one last futile rub with the towel, but it was no use; it was saturated, not quite dripping but certainly not absorbing water, and she shivered as an icy drip trickled its way down the back of her neck.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

At first, she thought Alistair hadn't moved from his place; he was still except for the steady rise and fall of his folded arms that rested on his chest as he sat against the wall facing the fire. She was taken aback by the rigged washing line that hung across the passage, strung between two large logs that she was sure they hadn't carried into the hallway. Surely, he hadn't dragged them in himself just so she could hang up her clothing?

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She breathed out a sigh as she spotted a similar line hanging across the opposite side of the passage from where the tent was pitched, a little farther away from the fire than the one she first noticed. A large leather jerkin hung from it, together with the leather armoured leggings she knew to belong to her companion. The startled realisation washed over her that he had probably changed while she was inside the tent.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Hang up your clothes before you get those ones wet as well" Alistair all but snarled in his gruff voice. He had been watching her since she emerged from the tent, and it niggled at him that she was so suprised that he had not only changed out of his wet clothing but had also rigged lines for them to dry on - after all, it was only practical; they couldn't risk getting ill while out in the styx.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Zora jumped, and scowled at her sardonic companion. For a moment, she had almost thought him thoughtful, but that was ruined when he opened his mouth. Nevertheless, she felt compelled to show her gratitude - he had still put up the washing lines after all.

"Thank you" she muttered in a low voice as she carefully stepped over his legs, as he had them stretched out towards the fire, and made her way to the empty line.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair snorted but didn't respond, watching out of the side of his eye as she carefully stepped over his legs and began to hang her clothes up to dry. He didn't miss how she tensed when she realised he was watching her, or how she blushed and frowned as she hung up her undergarments - though he thought it foolish, seeing as how they were travelling together and shared a tent. Clothing, after all, was just clothing.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Zora tried to ignore his watchful eye, really she did; she didn't understand why the thought of him watching her hang out her undergarments to dry struck such a chord with her but she felt extremely uncomfortable all the same. It felt as though he could see straight through her, leather trenchcoat and all, and it made her feel vulnerable and strange. It was not a feeling she was fond of, and she frowned, wondering what had caused it.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As he watched her continue to shiver - whether from discomfort or cold he wasn't sure - Alistair frowned; her face was flushed and yet pale, with high spots of colour appearing only on her cheeks. The shadows under her eyes implied exhaustion that shouldn't have been possible, despite their rush to move their camp into the ruin, and the wet, bedraggled strands of hair that hung from her head only served to increase the look of malaise she bore.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Sit down before you fall down" Alistair growled, as Zora finished hanging up the last of her garments and stood with her hands on her hips, breathing steadily. She eyed him warily, but in truth she felt too shaky and run-down to object. The aches in her joints had returned, and the shakes and shivers hadn't really stopped in the first place. She brushed her hair out of her face with her hand, and sat down cross-legged in front of the fire.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She could feel the hostility rolling off of him in waves, and Zora wrapped her arms around herself, stubbornly refusing to look at him or ask what had made him so angry. She felt cold from the inside out, and it worried her that the fire didn't seem to be doing anything to resolve that, even when she held her hands out in front of it close enough to feel the heat wafting off of the individual flames.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair growled to himself, and shrugged himself off of the floor, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck as he stood. He scowled down at his companion, and strode over to the pan he had placed on the floor at the entrance to the hallway to collect rainwater as it fell.

He picked it up carefully so as to not spill it, surprised to see it was already three quarters full; the rain really was heaving it down.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair made sure there was nothing floating in the water before he made his way back to the fire. He carefully placed the pan of water on the metal frame he had set up earlier over the centre of the fire, and strode over to where the rest of their belongins lay, intent on their rations pack, from which he took a herb cube and some dried salted meat, as well as two carrots and a piece of celery.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He grimaced as he held the food in his hands; the rations were supposed to last them a while, and they were meant to eke them out a little at a time, but perishables like the vegetables were a luxury that wouldn't last long in a place like this, though if it came to it he had no qualms either going hunting or simply packing up and leaving their camp for the nearest town altogether.

[Wild Pet Found]