winter vacation [travel]

[Y]

Ayumu had been rather depressed lately. The Manor had brought him stability, but it had not launched him into the spiritual growth his forefathers had prayed. They had figured he would sprint to work, building a nerw place for another generation. No doubt they had figured he would find a wife and continue the bloodline, et cetera. But he hadn't. Instead, he lay in bed, day after day. Occasionally he would get out for some adventure, but mostly he would just exist.

Over time though, like the slow trickle of ice melting in the spring, discontent began to stir into him. More and more of his apathy had melted, until the trickle became a stream, and the stream became the roaring torrent of a springtime
river.

As he lay there in bed, he realized he needed to go somewhere, see something. Check out a new scene. It was 'winter' in Hitofuki, or what passed for winter. But there was no snow. No romance of lights and darkness. Nothing to mark the passing of time. If I'm going to get a vacation, maybe it should be somewhere with snow. Snow. Think about how wonderful it would be to see it. Winter sport, even. That'll clear the head.

So, with a sigh, he began to stir, and he packed up all his worldly possessions into a bag. Leaving the dishes in the sink, he just left the manor. It would be there when he returned. No squatter could stand up to him, anyway.

Once he had made some progress on his journey down the road, he realized he hadn't chosen a destination definitively. Someplace with snow... with snow... Snow! He realized there was only one way to go. He would make his way to the
land of Yuki no Kuni. He had never been there, since it was so desolate and remote and whatnot.

He made his way down to the market, where he found some traders who seemed to be of Nix descent. After talking with them for a while, he was impressed by their hardy spirit. Normally, he would have used trickery, or illusions, to gain his
way aboard their caravan. But they told him they valued the presence of a noted warrior, and if Ayumu could just put off the leisurely part of his vacation for until he landed on that snowy shore, he would be welcome with them.

So he boarded a wagon, and later a ship. And, as a silent member of a gang of warriors, made his way to the Land of Snow.


-To Snow Please

[ᖫᖭØMNÏᖫᖭ]

Congratulations! You joined a gang, did some stuffs, and it wasn't a set up! Now you are free to see and frolic in all the snow you can possibly want. Enjoy your time in well...the snow!

[Moved to Yuki no Luni]

[Y]

Arriving on the Nix coast, Ayumu would shiver. He had worn his coat, but had underestimated just how frigid this place would be. Damn. What have I gotten myself into. He leaned over to take a rip of one of the crewmen's flask, but got his hand slapped away. Nothing to drink. He would need to fix that. His body shivered, and he knew that he was going to be in for a rough first couple days here. On the other hand, as he walked the gangplank and set foot on terra firma, he was stricken by an odd sort of beauty.

There were huge, mountains of snow everywhere! The path before him was merely packed down, but still covered in a formidable amount of snow. In the distance he could see white mountaintops, far off, over the tundra. He could see his own breath if he glanced down, like he was constantly exhaling the smoke of a half-lit cigarette. Yeah, it's cold. But it's a place to clear your head. There was a part of Ayumu that wanted to get out there, climb one of those mountains and see what revelations awaited him at the top. But he knew he was far from ready for that. He would hardly survive a night in a hut in these conditions. Daring the peaks of one of those massive mountains with his shitty equipment and lack of knowledge was likely to be disastrous.

So he followed the road, and the signage. He had to go to Yozamu, the capital of it all. There he would meet folks who could teach him a little bit of the local geography. Which mountains were climbable this time of year. Plus, maybe somebody would be selling warmer fucking clothes.