love and magic

This was just what she needed. Running out of firewood in the middle of a blizzard. Lucile had been sure that she'd had enough that morning when she'd checked the pile tucked in next to the little cabin she'd inherited from her grandparents when they'd passed, but it seems it had all disappeared. Her grandmother used to talk about faeries living in the woods, that they liked to play tricks on the humans that lived near their home, and she'd believed her, up until she was about ten and realized faeries didn't exist. With a sigh she tugged on her coat, scarf, hat, boots, and gloves before making her way outside, grabbing the lantern that hung over her door and the old axe from where it leaned by the door before trudging out into the snow and wind, having to squint her eyes to see through the snow. She didn't want to spend hours out here chopping wood, she only needed an armful to get her through the night and the worst of the storm, then she could worry about finding more wood tomorrow.

"Look, brother." The fae girl whispered, snickering as they watched the human from the safety of their own realm. "I told you taking her firewood would be fun. Now she has to find more, and in this storm." Wisteria giggled, having always enjoyed tormenting the humans that lived nearby. This girl lived the closest to their realm by far, and even though she rarely did anything to upset them, Wisteria enjoyed causing her problems. Taking her firewood in the middle of a blizzard. Setting a fox loose in her chicken coop. Pulling shingles off of the roof so that it leaked when it rained.

After a while of watching the mortal chop at a dead tree, the fae girl's heliotrope eyes lit up in mischief. "What if the little girl got lost in the woods?" She suggested, already working her magic so that the forest began to close in, the wind and the snow and the branches disorienting the human girl. "It would be a shame if she were to get lost in this blizzard."

She had been sure she had been going the right way. With an armful of firewood, Lucile had begun to follow her tracks through the snow back toward her cabin. Or at least she had thought that's what she was doing. She'd been walking for ten minutes, and hadn't seen any sign of her cabin, and what was worse was that her tracks had disappeared, in all directions. She took a deep breathe to keep herself from panicking before continuing in the direction she was sure would lead her home, although she paused when she thought she heard a noise coming from somewhere in the forest. It almost sounded like laughter. Dismissing it as a trick of the wind she continued on, but didn't get three more steps before she heard a sound that concerned her far more: the creaking of ice. She knew there was a pond about a fifteen minute walk from her home in these woods, but it wasn't anywhere near where she'd been cutting wood. She began to backtrack slowly, wincing as the ice groaned, and right before the ice gave way underneath her and she plunged into the dark water, she was sure she heard that laughter again.

"Oh, this is so much more fun than just stealing firewood!" Wisteria cackled as the girl plunged into the water, her firewood scattered across the ice, the lantern tipped over and half buried in the snow. "It's a shame that she'll die, I'll have to find someone new to torment."

It had been hard for Thistle to just sit by and watch his sister so eagerly torment a human girl. Did she not have better things to do? Wisteria had always been mischievous, loving to terrorize and cause trouble not only for humans, but for her siblings sometimes, too. So it didn't shock him. He had managed to keep his mouth shut while Wisteria made the girls job of chopping wood harder, and even when she created the disorienting blizzard. Thistle believed there was nothing to worry about, his sister loved to play her little pranks and then she would usually set the human on the right path home. With nothing more than a bit of a migraine.

This time seemed different. The human girl was walking straight for an ice covered pond, unable to see it for all the snow Wisteria had piled atop it. "Sister, this isn't funny. Turn the girl around." Thistle puffed his chest out and crossed his arms over his torso, as if such a display would intimidate his sister. Instead, she only cackled and her vile tongue continued to spill how excited she was for the girl to die.

Taking another good look towards the girl, Thistle grimaced watching her slowly backtrack her steps over the cracking ice. It was inevitable, the ice would crack and the girl would plunge into a freezing grave. The curls of her hair were whipping frantically around her face, but still, he could see the look of complete distress. The fear behind her eyes knowing what was about to happen to her... It broke Thistle's heart. And then the ice cracked.

"No!" He shouted, unclear on why his emotions were getting the better of him. And for a human girl. Racing towards the edge of her wood, where there was a small opening for Fae to come and go from the human realm, Thistle found himself running to the rescue. His heart was beating wildly against his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he soared towards the frozen pond, his feet barely touching the ground as he ran. "I'm coming!" He shouted, his words only bringing himself peace. The girl wouldn't be able to hear him. The wind carried Thistle as quickly as it could, the breeze flowing through his purple hair. It was only seconds from the time he left his realm to the moment he stepped a bare foot on the cold ice. "I'm here..." He gasped, his shoulders slouching as he looked for the spot where the girl fell through the ice.

Thistle wasn't afraid of some cold, dark water, so once finding the spot where she had been, he wasted no time in thinking it over. The fae boy quickly dropped down through the hole in the ice, his arms reaching out in front of him as he sunk. Looking through the hazy dark blue water, he spotted her, dropping through the water below him. Clenching his jaw, he quickly pushed himself down with the help from the ice ceiling above him and scooped the unconscious human into his arms.

Dragging her back up towards the surface, Thistle pushed her through the crack in the ice first, until he could get out himself. Pulling her away from the pond, Thistle fell back on his bum, shivering from the cold, but only slightly. "Oh no... Was I too late?" He whined as his eyes fell to the girl next to him. Not even a stir. A frown pulled at his lips and for a second, he thought he could hear the wind carry his sister's shrill little laugh once more. "It's not funny, Wisteria!!" He screamed to the sky, before letting his attention fall back to the beauty that laid before him.

"I didn't take any time at all," he whispered gently, his hand resting on her chest. There. He could feel it. A faint heartbeat. "You're alive!" He declared, forcing the girls stiff body to sit up, pounding his hand against her back to try and wake her and get her to cough out some of the water that no doubt filled her lungs.

@ katahdin

@ dezz

Lucile had tried to find the hole in the ice she'd fallen into, but the water was dark and murky, and whenever she managed to swim up to the top she'd run into solid ice that refused to break underneath her fists. Before long the shock of the freezing water got to her, and despite her best efforts to stay conscious and find the hole again she began to black out, sinking toward the bottom of the pond. She was vaguely aware of someone grabbing her, pulling her limp body into their arms and dragging her back toward the surface but it all could have been a dream as far as she was concerned. There wouldn't have been anyone else out in the forest at this time of night, let alone in this weather. It was probably some hallucination, some last dream before she died.

She was startled awake when a hand suddenly slammed into her back, simultaneously gasping for air while she coughed up the water that had entered her lungs, retching into the snow. She coughed and coughed, shivering terribly as she forced air into her lungs, lips purple as her teeth chattered. Her hat was gone, not that it would have kept her warm now that her clothes were thoroughly soaked through, and she felt so weighted down that she wasn't even sure she'd be able to walk home.

Turning slowly she looked to see who or what had pulled her from the water, blinking in confusion at the sight of the strange man sitting in front of her. "Wh-Who...? Wh-Why..?" She couldn't really form sentences given the way her teeth were chattering, and her voice was so soft it could barely be heard above the howling wind. She suddenly felt a strong urge to go to sleep, and before she could figure out what was going on she collapsed into the snow.

Wisteria stepped out from behind a tree, glaring at her brother as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Alright, Thistle. You've had your fun. Leave the girl and come home. She'll wake up shortly, and if she makes it back to her home she makes it back." She said sternly. There were strict laws in their world about interacting with humans, and saving one's life definitely broke most of them.

Thistle was more than relieved when the girl's body jerked forward and she started to cough up the water. The sound of the young girl trying to gasp for breath while also gagging up the water in her lungs made Thistle nervous. The fae boy was on edge, one hand still holding on to her shoulder, while his other still stayed placed on her back. He could only begin to let himself relax when she began to look around, affirming her surroundings and even beginning to question him.

She would be okay, he hoped. "It's fine, I got you," but before Thistle could try to help her up and get her home, he watched how the light faded behind her eyes. They rolled back into her head and she collapsed to the side in the snow. Thistle drug in a heavy breath, feeling his chest rise and fall as he exhaled. Leaning forward, he pulled Lucile into his arms, sliding one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. Thistle didn't know why he cared so much. It would've been a lot less trouble if he would've just let his sister have her fun. There would've been no consequences for him, but he wasn't like his sister or some of the others. He didn't find joy in playing mischievous, sometimes deadly, pranks on humans.

Pulling himself to his feet, he barely looked up as he heard his sister coming towards him. "No, Wisteria." Thistle held the shivering girl to his chest, his eyes glued to her face, tracing over her purple lips. He had to make sure she made it home safe, that she would live. Ripping his eyes away from Lucile, he shifted his gaze to his sister but only as he walked by her. "I wouldn't have to be doing this if it weren't for you." The cold, biting wind only started to pick up, beginning to bother even him now. It nipped at his face, his own nose feeling chilled at the tip.

Thistle knew the trouble he was getting himself in to and still, he continued to leave his sister, heading in the direction of the human's home. He wasted no time looking over his shoulder to see if his sister was watching him, glaring him down with her violet eyes. He wouldn't dismiss her and tell her he would see her back at home, because he wasn't sure if he would. In the moment, he didn't care. Disappearing into the white, frigid winter, Thistle hurried as fast as his feet would allow while carrying the girl, back towards her home.

Finally stumbling across the little cabin, Thistle was relieved to find she hadn't locked the door. Inside was just as cold as outside, and he cursed under his breath, remembering she had left to find more firewood. Finding his way around the darkened home, the floorboards creaking under his weight, Thistle laid Lucile down on her couch and took a step back. Now should he leave? She hadn't been awake long enough to really see him and now she was safe in the comfort of her home... He could go home now.

Still, he felt like his job wasn't done. Digging his nails into the palm of his hand, he nervously looked around as he wondered if he should try getting her out of her wet clothes. The inside of her home was cold enough, keeping the soaking wet clothes on wouldn't help warm her. Taking another step closer to her, he leaned over Lucile and pulled her up gently. He worked fast, peeling off her jacket and then her shirt, letting them both crumple into a pile on the floor. Her soft skin was so pale and felt clammy to the touch. In places, like around her knees and elbows, her skin was a faint blue from the freezing water. When she was completely undressed, he kept his eyes forward, feeling a slight blush coming to his face. This definitely wasn't the time to be admiring her. He covered her back up with one of the blankets that laid over the back of the couch and then placed distance between them again.

"I'll be back," he told her, turning to the door. He knew he wouldn't receive an answer. He wondered if she could even hear him. "I'm going to go find your firewood. So I can get a fire going. I'll be back, I promise." And with that, he slipped away from her cottage, back into the snowy forest.

@ katahdin

@ dezz

Even unconscious, Lucile curled instinctively into his arms, craving the bit of warmth he provided her. She looked dreadful, and there was no doubt that she would die if he left her to fend for herself. Wisteria frowned as her brother told her no, glaring at him as he carried the human off through the snow. "Thistle, think about what you're doing. The elders won't let this go unnoticed." She warned, almost sounding worried for him for a moment, although by the time he turned to look and see if she was still there she'd vanished, returning back to their realm before her brother did something that got her into trouble as well.

When Thistle finally set her down on the couch Lucile let out a little whimper, shivering in the cold as her skin turned pale and her lips a purplish blue. She'd make the occasional noise as Thistle undressed her, and once he tucked her under the wool blanket she kept on the back of the couch and let out a whimper, her trembling fingers grabbing at the blanket to tug it around her tighter. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment as he spoke about going back outside to find her firewood, to get a fire going, and she tried to blink away the haze that clouded her eyes, but soon enough she was back to sleep. Wisteria's magic had worn off, and it was the hypothermia making her drowsy now.

Luckily for Thistle, Wisteria had returned the firewood she'd taken earlier, the large pile stacked neatly against the side of the house, and the axe and lantern that she'd brought into the forest with her had been returned as well. It would be easy for him to start a fire to warm her up and leave, and the girl likely would just think that all of this had been an odd dream.

Thistle couldn't wipe the aggravated look off of his face when he stepped out onto Lucile's porch, trudging out a few feet into the snow, before looking over his shoulder and seeing the missing firewood had magically reappeared. "Wisteria..." He grumbled underneath his breath, wondering why his mischievous sister couldn't just leave poor humans alone in the first place. It wasn't going over his head just how much trouble he would be in when he returned to his realm, he could just only hope that he'd be able to talk his way out of it.

Heading around to the side of the house, Thistle watched his frosty breath leave his lips as he grabbed an arm full of the firewood. Returning into the house, he began placing the wood in to the fireplace, meticulously stacking it. Lighting the fire, he used the poker to push the firewood around to really get it going. The flames warmed his tanned skin, and just outside the door, he could hear the howling wind over the crackling of the fire.

Pushing to his feet, he looked out one of the windows to see the sun that had been hiding behind the clouds was now falling behind the horizon. Snow was still falling and almost seemed like another blizzard was on its way. "Perfect.." he sighed, moving away from the window to return to the frozen girl. Bunkering down on the floor next to her, he gently reached up and brushed her hair from her face and made sure her blanket was still wrapped tightly around her. It seemed he might be stuck here for a bit longer than he had first anticipated.

@ katahdin

@ dezz

Maybe twenty minutes after he had gotten the fire going, Lucile's eyes fluttered open. Some color had returned to her cheeks, and her lips weren't as blue, but she still looked awful, and was shivering a bit as she tugged the blanket around her. It took her a few moments for her eyes to adjust and for her to take in where she was and who was in the room with her, a little frown forming on her lips as she looked at the man sitting in front of her.

"You.. You saved me.." she whispered softly, tentatively reaching her fingers out to brush against his damp hair, the purple locks gorgeous. When she felt that he was still cold, and that his clothes were still soaking wet her frown only deepened. "Y-You're cold.. h-here.." she started to give him her own blanket, but when she realized her clothes had been taken off she was quick to cover herself back up, blushing brightly as she looked at him. He must have undressed her to keep her warm, and while she was grateful for it, it was still a bit uncomfortable knowing a stranger had seen her naked while she was unconscious.

Clearing her throat awkwardly she forced herself to sit up, wrapping the blanket around her torso like she would a towel before standing, taking a moment to find her balance before she moved to a closet and tugged another blanket off of one of the shelves, moving back over to him to wrap it around him carefully.

"Th-There.. A-All warm.." she offered him a weak smile. She was still clearly freezing, stammering as she spoke, shivering uncontrollably. But she wanted to be kind to him, thank him for saving her, especially since she'd been sure she was going to die.

Thistle had been leaning against the couch she was resting on, his eyes lightly closed, almost in the thick of sleep. But when she spoke, no matter how quiet, he jumped, his eyes shooting open. Glancing up at her with sleepy eyes, he shook his head, batting away her thanks. Instead, he did lean in towards her touch, but abruptly began to protest when she started to pull the blanket from her body, his hand quickly moving to shield his eyes.

"No, n-no it's fine, I'm fine-" Thistle heard a quiet gasp from the girl and knew she had to realize under the blanket she was indecent. Dropping his hand from his face, he was relieved to see she had tightly wrapped the blanket around her body. "I'm sorry, your clothes.. they were completely drenched, stiff from how cold they were. You wouldn't have been able to get warm if I left you in them..." No matter his argument, he knew it wouldn't make her feel anymore comfortable. A complete stranger had undressed her, had seen her body without her knowledge. He had only been trying to help. Still embarrassed, a bright pink blush rose to his face.

Swallowing thickly as she stood, Thistle wondered if she was upset, if she was about to insist he live immediately. Relief washed over him again when instead, she rifled around inside of a closet to grab a second blanket. His wet clothes didn't bother him nearly as much, but he appreciated the blanket nonetheless as she draped it around his shoulders. "Thank you, so much." Thistle smiled up at her. "I'm sure you'd like to know your firewood has been returned to you, as well. Stacked neatly right outside. I apologize for my sister's tricks..."

@ katahdin

@ dezz

Seeing his blush and hearing his quick explanation about her missing clothes made her feel better, her own blush heating up her cheeks anyway. It was still uncomfortable to her, and if she thought she could walk upstairs to her room without falling down to get dressed she would, but she knew he'd done the right thing, that she'd be far worse if he hadn't undressed her as quickly as he did.

"I-It's fine, sir.. I understand, a-and I'm thankful for your help.. I-I don't know how I'll repay you, I-I'd be dead twice over if it wasn't for you.." she was rambling a bit, but paused when he mentioned the firewood being returned, as well as his sister. She remembered seeing him when he pulled her out of the pond, but not a woman, although, maybe she had been the one laughing..

"Your sister.. she stole my firewood?" She asked with a frown, looking at him in confusion. "Why..? H-Have I don't something wrong? Did I do something to upset her? I-I don't understand.." she shook her head a little, fighting off a headache as her eyes welled with tears. She was shivering more now, clinging to the blanket wrapped around her, although she looked like the softest wind would blow her over. She was exhausted, and likely experiencing a bit of shock, and standing mostly naked talking to the stranger in her living room wasn't helping her feel any better.

"You did nothing!" He was quick to wave that worry away. Rising to his feet, he made sure to keep the blanket from slipping off of his shoulders. How was he supposed to explain to her that his people just liked to play pranks? He didn't think she would see her near death experience as a funny joke, even if that is all it had been to Wisteria. "She's just.. not the nicest person," he decided to leave it there. Lucile didn't need to know his sister was behind the blizzard that led her to the pond in the first place.

His eyes roamed over her face, happy to see a bit of color was beginning to come back to her cheeks, even if her lips were still dark blue. "Here, let me help you to your room. Is it up the stairs?" Thistle reached an arm out, wrapping it around her shoulders to steady her. "I'm sure some clothes and your bed will do just the trick to get you in better shape!"

Thistle was trying his best to remain his usual, perky self, despite the worry that lingered over his head. The girl before him could still be in trouble, if hypothermia or shock set in. Besides that, now that he had spoken to a human, had let her on to his existence, he would be in far deeper trouble with his elders. He was trying hard to just not even think about it. Hurrying her towards the stairs, he helped her take each one in her own stride.

Glancing out the window, he couldn't even see out of it. All there was, was snow from a blinding white blizzard. Unless Lucile kicked him out, it didn't seem like he'd be going anywhere anytime soon.

@ katahdin

@ dezz

Lucile frowned a bit as he explained she'd done nothing wrong, and that his sister was just a jerk. She normally might have pushed more, but she was freezing, and all she really wanted to do was sleep. And she knew the blizzard outside was only getting worse by the way the lights were flickering ominously, which meant she needed to worry about her guest and making sure he was comfortable and had a place to stay.

She gave a little nod when he asked about her room being upstairs, finding herself leaning into his arms as one hand held her blanket around her while the other held onto him like a lifeline. She really would be dead without him.

At the top of the stairs she paused, releasing her grip on him to point out one of the three doors in the small hallway. "M-My room.." she then pointed to one across the hall. "B-Bathroom.." and finally the one next to it. "G-G-Guest r-room.. Sh-should be spare clothes f-for you to warm up in.." she explained, offering him a weak smile as she had to lean back against the wall to keep herself standing.

"I-I can make the bed once I'm dressed.." she started to offer, but was cut off when the lights flickered before shutting off completely, the storm having knocked the power out. Lucile frowned, stumbling down the hallway until she reached the little table by the window at the end, flicking on the lantern she kept there. "S-Sorry.."

Thistle jumped when the lights completely went out. In the darkness, the blizzard outside sounded much worse, the loud wind beating against the house. He hadn't needed Lucile's lantern to see in the dark, so when she began to leave his grasp, he worried, wanting her to stay close to him. Her teeth were chattering, barely able to get her words off of her tongue.

"Don't worry about helping me, please," he shook his head, knowing full well he could embark out into the blizzard in nothing but his soaked clothing and be just fine. That didn't mean he wanted to, or that it would be easy. Thistle could still feel the cold, but not to such extremes as humans. He certainly wasn't about to let her make his bed for him, in her condition.

Heading towards the door she had pointed out as her bedroom, he opened the door for her and entered the room. Only to light the lantern on her dresser for her. Thistle knew she wouldn't feel comfortable enough to get dressed in front of him, nor would he expect her to be. "Are you sure you're comfortable with me staying here?" He couldn't help but ask, not wanting to overstep her boundaries.

Turning away from the lantern, he headed back to her bedroom door, wanting to give her all the privacy she could want.

@ katahdin

@ dezz

Lucile shuffled into her room after him, following him to her dresser where she struggled a bit with opening the drawers because of her trembling fingers, but she managed to pull clean clothes out. She shook her head as he asked if she were comfortable with him staying here, not wanting to hear him protest. "Y-You saved me.. I-I-I can't send you back out there in this weather.. Y-You'd die.." she hadn't pieced together that he wasn't human, and that the cold wouldn't kill him, but even if she had she'd still insist he stay.

One he'd left the room and shut the door she tugged on her clothes, which consisted of leggings, a long sleeved t-shirt and a large sweater and warm socks, although she was still shivering as she shuffled back out into the hall to look for him. Seeing him just standing in the hall she went into the guest room, finding the extra clothes she'd been talking about and returning to pass them to him.

"H-Here.. this room gets cold, s-so you should change.. I-I can sleep on the couch downstairs if you'd rather have my room where it's warm, I don't mind.." she offered with a small smile, even though it was clear she needed to be tucked in bed and resting to ward off any sickness.

Thistle knew he was welcome to enter the guest room, but instead stayed right outside her door. He had been slightly worried she wouldn't have enough energy to change her clothes and wanted to be able to be by her side by a moment's notice. When the door to her room opened and she was completely dressed head to toe, he was relieved.

Giving her a soft smile when she returned from the guestroom, he took the extra clothes and shook his head. "The cold won't bother me," be assured her, but didn't dive into any further details. "But if it does, I'll make my way downstairs to the fire. You need to be tucked comfortably into bed if you're going to start feeling better sooner, rather than later."

He turned towards her extra room, before glancing back at her sheepishly. "If you need anything throughout the night, or if something changes... I'll... Leave the door open, so I can hear you." He didn't want to come off overbearing, but he just wanted her to know he was there if she needed him. "Goodnight."

Slipping into the spare room, he wasted no time slipping the cold, wet clothes from his body and replacing them with the fresh, warm set Lucile had gifted him. The bed in the room was large and looked comfortable and the moment he crawled under the blankets, he knew it to be true.

@ katahdin

@ dezz

Lucile blushed faintly as he promised to leave his door open in case she needed anything, giving a little nod as she watched him head into the spare bedroom. "G-Goodnight.." she murmured, turning back into her room. It was sweet of him to be so worried about her, and she hoped that he was comfortable even though he didn't seem to care about himself.

She left her door open a crack just in case, moving over to her closet to grab a few extra blankets to spread on her bed, knowing she'd be cold even with what she already had there. She put out the lantern on her dresser successfully despite the armful of blankets, although in the dark she couldn't really see where she was going, and ended up tripping over her own feet. She landed on the floor with a soft thud, the blankets cushioning her fell a bit, but as she tried to stand she realized she couldn't.

She was too tired, too cold, everything ached. And rather than bothering the kind man in the other room, whose name she realized she didn't even know, she simply tugged one of the blankets around her while using the others for a pillow, closing her eyes as she tried to go to sleep.

Thistle woke before the sun the next morning, as he often did in his own realm. Opening his violet eyes, for a moment he had to take in his surroundings and remind himself of where he was. He had almost believed the whole experience to be some strange dream, but now that he was awake, he realized it was reality.

He continued to sit in the bed for a moment, surrounded by the soft blankets and pillows, worrying about what might happen. Not only had he helped a human girl, but now he had spent a whole night away from his home. His absence surely hadn't gone unnoticed. Pulling the blankets back away from his body, he quietly willed himself to his feet. His first instinct was to instantly go to the window, peeling back the curtains to see if the storm outside had subsided.

It had not. The blizzard was still raging on.

"Great," he sighed and let his shoulders slouch. Moving out of the room, he quietly shut the bedroom door and tiptoed towards the room opposite of his. Part of him had suspected the human girl would've called for assistance at some point through out the night and the fact that she didn't had him slightly concerned. Her bedroom door was slightly open, and pushing it open further revealed that she hadn't even been able to make it into her bed. She laid motionless in a pile of blankets on the floor.

Thistle felt horrible.

Hurrying to her side, he got down on his knees and began to push the blankets away from her face. "Girl? Are you okay?" He should've thought to check on her. Sleeping on the cold hard floor couldn't have been comfortable, nor could it have helped her aching, frozen bones.

@ katahdin

@ dezz

While Lucile slept through the night, it wasn't a restful sleep, tossing and turning occasionally on the cold hard floor. When Thistle found her in the morning she was curled up as tightly as she could under the blanket she'd grabbed, shivering terribly with her face nuzzled into the blanket as she tried to keep warm. The fire had died down at some point in the night, making her room rather freezing, which didn't help when she'd already been freezing to begin with.

Her eyes fluttered open when she felt the blankets being pushed away from her face, letting out a little whimper of protest, looking up at him with a small frown. "C-C-Cold.." Was all she could really manage, and even that was stating the obvious. Her pale fingers reached out for his hand, humming a little at how warm it was, pressing it against her cheek in an attempt to warm up a little bit, her eyes closing again.

She was silent for a few moments, almost as if she'd fallen asleep again, before her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, offering a weak smile. "L-Lucile.. I-I'm Lucile.." She whispered softly, figuring it was probably best to introduce herself, so he didn't have to call her 'girl' anymore.

Thistle let a small smile warm up his face, something he hoped would bring a bit of comfort to the girl on the floor. Scooping her up in his arms, blankets and all, Thistle pulled himself back to his feet.

"Lucile?" He repeated, as he packed the small woman back towards the hallway, out of her room. Heading downstairs, he walked carefully as it was still pretty dark, the electricity still knocked out from the storm. "You can call me Thistle," he introduced himself, not entirely sure if it was smart to give his name to the girl or not.

"I will get another fire going, so we can warm you up. How does that sound?" He held her tightly as he went down the stairs, taking her back into the living room, to the couch where he had laid her down the night before. Making sure she was comfortable, Thistle stood up straight and headed for the front door. "I'm going to grab some more firewood," he told her before ducking out into the snow storm.

@ katahdin

@ dezz

"Th-Thistle.." She breathed with a little sigh, closing her eyes as he lifted her up into his arms, although a small smile spread across her lips. She curled into his arms, head tucked in against the warmth of his chest as her fingers gripped his shirt lightly as he walked downstairs. "That's a funny n-name.. I-I like it.." she murmured into his shirt, starting to doze off again. She found herself at ease in the man's arms, not at all afraid that he might try to harm her.

Once he set her down on the couch and tucked her in under all the blankets she let out a little hum of acknowledgement when he said he was going to get firewood and start a new fire, giving a little nod as she tugged the blankets over her face when he opened the door, trying to block out the cold that came in. When the door was shut and he'd returned with the firewood she watched him quietly as he started up the fire, shivering a bit even under all the blankets.

"Y-You don't live in town.." She murmured after a while. She didn't visit the town often, maybe only once or twice a week for grocery and supply shopping, but it was small, and she knew everyone in it, and she certainly would have remembered him if she'd seen him before. "H-H-How did you g-get way out h-here?"