eachdraidh | [video;]

[ Someone's chilling in boxers in a steaming hot spring he'd obviously made for himself. Problem is, everything around him is covered in an ungodly amount of snow. ]

You never actually miss the sight of hot babes in short skirts and plunging necklines until your spire gets dumped in a place so cold Satan would probably freeze his butthairs off. On the bright side, I think I might've spotted a yeti. Or that might've been someone's mother-in-law, who knows?

[ Still, Johnny looks largely unaffected by the mildly unfriendly climate. He's fishing an egg out of the hot spring, cracking it on the ice. It's hard-boiled. ]

So, anyway, Gailleann's basically stuck in Everwinter. When life gives you snowballs, make an awesome sport out of it, right? [ He bites into the egg, chews carefully, then swallows and adds: ] If you're sick of the tropical, muggy weather and want to come by, the Spire's open to you. The fires are always burning in Gaillean. Just don't try to kill anyone, and we're good.

More importantly: there's a new skating rink that my guys just worked overtime to make, and a bunch of awesome slopes I spent days creating; go nuts on it and tell me what you think! I'm always a fan of continuous improvement.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What self-control.

[She's just teasing him, though. She means no harm by it.]

Things are... well, they're what they are.

[What can she say about them?]

You look like you've made yourself comfortable.

Pretty much! [ He's very good at adapting, making things work for him -- it's a gift. ]

Things are as they are, huh? You know my spire's always open to you, too.

[Chloe is also adaptable. She doesn't have to like the situation or the circumstances she ends up in some times, but she's a survivor.]

Thanks, Johnny, I appreciate that. Maybe the crew and I will take up port there sometime. Make a couple of snow angels or something.

[A brief smile.]

But with the land so disjointed, I imagine my ship will be in more demand than ever.

Well hey, if your ship's in need of repairs, I'll be able to do something about it.

[ He used to be an astronaut, after all -- and he's very much a gearhead. ] Are you doing supply runs?

Really? I didn't know you were a shipwright.

[But maybe a gearhead can handle that.]

What I could really use is a more permanent solution to the magic that keeps it flying. I hate to rely on Rin for a recharge so often.

[Rin is typically busy enough as it is.]

And yes, I run supplies. People. Anything that needs running, for a fee, of course.

[Though really she could probably retire on an island somewhere. She had a lot of money before coming to this world. Now it's practically a fortune with how much more it's worth in this time period.]

Are you looking for goods?

I'm not. But I was in charge of piloting a spaceship. [ Johnny's talent has always been in all things engineering, and he's very sure a ship's not entirely different from all the vehicles he's used to. ]

Can't help you with the magic there, but I'm sure we can figure something out. [ It's cool, Johnny's discovered that he's way richer than he already is. ] I'm looking for supplies, actually. Food, raw materials, stone and wood. Everwinter's lacking quite a bit of that at the moment. Think we can come to some sort of arrangement?

[Piloting and building a ship are not exactly the same thing, but she won't deny him the chance to show her what he can do if the ship needs some repairs.]

Sure. There are places with those kinds of materials. Unless you're looking for handouts, though, you should figure out what Everwinter has to offer in return. Even if you've got money to pay for it, those coffers could run dry before you know it.

That's what I've been meaning to talk to you about. Think you have a market for people who're into ivory? It's hard-to-get, pretty gorgeous, and it looks like we've got an exclusive supply here at Everwinter.

I'm researching the potential of developing ice wine, too.

Edited 2015-12-06 23:55 (UTC)

Not yet, but I'm sure I can get some connections together.

[It's what she's good at.]

It sounds like you have plenty to offer though. That's good.

[And then she has to tease him again.]

I never would've pictured you as the responsible type. Look at you now.

[ Johnny laughs at that, shaking his head at her. ]

Never, huh? What did you picture me as?

Pretty much as you are right now, but all the time.

[Not a care in the world.]

Fair enough. So, we need to set up a meeting to hash out details?

If you'd like. Things could progress quickly that way once we get some deals going. I'm not otherwise occupied, so whenever is fine by me.

Cool. How about after Yule? I can have a ready stock of those ivory things for you by then, and choice cuts of meats. I'm thinking we gotta talk prices and schedules.

Yes, we'll have to talk about those things, but first we need to find you some buyers. I'll see what I can dig up.

After Yule sounds fine. Enjoy your holidays, Baron Storm.