[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"There" she muttered to herself as she carefully tucked the wrapped knife into a pocket in the padded leather case she used for her finds. She stood back up and dusted her hands off, only to blink in surprise as a large drop of water splashed onto the tip of her nose.

"Oh, wonderful" groused Alistair as he, too was hit by a large drop. "Congratulations, it seems we'll have to move deeper into the ruins after all."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Zora looked up at the sky in puzzlement, just in time for another large raindrop to land on her cheek.

"Better get a move on before all of your precious equipment gets wet" came Alistair's sneer over her shoulder, as he stalked over to begin moving their stuff inside the remains of the hall that they could see through the open doorway. Zora jumped, and moved aside, picking up her pack and the things she had closest to hand.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

By the time they had moved the last of the equipment and firewood inside, the rain was pelting down with such force Zora felt - and looked - like she had taken a swim, and she was sure she had bruises where the last and heaviest of the drops had hit her shoulders.

Alistair said nothing, but she could almost feel the satisfaction that had been rolling off of him when he realised she was not wearing the leather jerkin he had advised she wear over everything.

[Wild Pet Found]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

They did not speak to each other as they dried off, but Zora could feel herself pouting and she hated it. she knew she wasn't great at hiding her emotions - too passionate, her father had always said - but she was cold and she was wet and she was not happy about it.

"Thanks" she muttered, realising Alistair had started a fire under the cover of the roof that still seemed to be in one piece.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Zora sighed, and began to remove her wet outer clothing, stretching it out on the chunks of wall closest to the fire. She hoped it would dry quickly; she didn't mind wearing her spare clothes, but she didn't want to be left with nothing to wear should there be another incident, though she took comfort in the knowledge that Alistair probably wouldn't even care if she were naked. She snorted at the very idea, as she pulled her shirt over her head.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair raised an eyebrow as Zora began to undress, but said nothing, assuming she was attempting to dry her clothing and avoid getting ill. He sneered at the thought; he couldn't remember the last time anyone took care of him when he was ill, and he certainly wouldn't consider doing it for anyone else. If she got ill he would pack them up and take them to the nearest town if he had to carry her there.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"We should set up the tent" Zora said, avoiding looking directly at him. She was left in her vest and trousers, and she shivered; the air was cold, even with the fire, and her trousers and vest were not quite dry - she simply didn't want to strip down completely without anything to cover her as she changed.

Alistair snorted but said nothing, only nodding when she looked at him as she waited for him to stand before moving over to the tent.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As they worked together in silence, Zora gritted her teeth to avoid them chattering; the old Cathedral ruin was draughty and cold, and even though they had a fire the wood was damp from the rain and made more smoke than heat. She wiped her brow as they placed the final pole into the hole in the ground and stood back, looking around for her pack. She shook her head and strode over to where it laid on the floor.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As Zora pulled out her dry clothes, Alistair watched with a frown on his face. Surely, she couldn't be feeling the cold that much? He sniffed, and growled as he caught the scent of damp coming from her clothes; she had gotten soaked, and hadn't changed completely because of some foolish idea of indecency, and all that made him was angry, even though rationally he couldn't care less what she did - after all, it was her choice.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Zora could feel his eyes on her, could tell the moment he smelled the wetness on her, could imagine the snarl that his stoic exterior hid. She shivered, though she firmly told herself it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the cold wind that was blowing into the hallway where they had taken refuge; it chilled her to the bone, and her wet clothes made it feel like she was wearing nothing at all.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She was glad they had chosen to move everything so far into it, as she could see trickles of water forming several feet into the passage. The wind howled outside and she could hear rattling as the heavy rain fell, splashing against the debris at the end of the hallway.

Zora gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering as she tied her pack shut and picked up her clothes. She swallowed hard, willing herself to be able to speak.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"I'll be back out in two minutes" she muttered through gritted teeth, refusing to look Alistair in the eye. The shivers were getting stronger now - being clad only in her trousers, boots and undershirt vest gave her very little warmth, and the fire simply wasn't enough to counter both the dropping temperature and the wind which blew through the passage with a whistle. She could feel her hands beginning to shake, and only her feet felt dry - even her underwear felt wet.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Alistair narrowed his eyes but said nothing as Zora made her way into the tent. His keen eyes had not missed the shivers that shook her body, and he had clearly heard the way she forcibly gritted her teeth together to avoid them chattering.

He had little patience for stubbornness, though he had plenty of it himself, and so he crossed his arms and stared at the fire, waiting for her to return from the tent.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Zora felt her lips going numb as she stripped her wet clothing off and dropped them in a corner of the tent where they wouldn't touch anything. She frantically rubbed at herself with the towel she brought with her, trying both to dry herself and work a little warmth into her muscles, which had started to ache from the cold. her fingers and toes were both going numb, and she wondered how her companion seemed unaffected by it all.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As she pulled on her clean, dry underwear she let out a sigh of relief - though it did not stop the chill, it removed the discomfort of being wet and cold from her most intimate areas. A thick flannel undershirt followed - long-sleeved this time - and a pair of thick canvas trousers, with thick woolen socks and her boots tied securely to her feet. Finally, a thick long-sleeved canvas shirt completed the outfit.