Takeshi Kurotsuki, Crystal Steel, Alimah Raneem

Takeshi lugged his equipment on his back, trailing behind the rest of the team as they were led by Leniro to the North. Not a single word left his lips since they left the tower, not even to comment on the decreasing temperatures. It seemed inevitable that everyone would be shivering in several layers of warm clothes by the time they arrived, and Takeshi was not one to show weakness.

Alimah was having a rather difficult time in the cold. Never-the-less, she tried her best not to show it, just wrapping her arms around herself and continued walking.

Crystal padded along in the snow beside Alimah, staring around in wonder at the scene before her. She had never seen snow before and was marvelling at the pure whiteness of it. And the cold! It didn't seem to bother her at all. Her breath came out in mists before her face as she breathed deeply, the cold stinging her nose and lungs. The blue eyes shone happily but the girl didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the moment. She just stared at the footprints in the snow in front of them, a small smile on her face.

He had to clamp down on his teeth to keep them from clattering. It has been a while since Takeshi has felt extreme cold, but even Hokkaidou was not this cold. He trudged through the snow, thinking little of anything other than placing one foot before the other and listening for what other people said. Frost was beginning to cling to his brow, and the finder pulled his scarf closer around his mouth and cheeks.

Alimah looked up when their guide spoke, breaking the silence. Her attention turned to what he was referring to. "I see. What is the first thing we will be doing when we get there?" With that said she quickly closed her mouth as the cold air seeped in.

Crystal just puffed out a breath of air before speaking, her eyes still alight.

"That's true. Innocence does cause strange things to happen..or that's what I've heard and read."

She turned her head to look at Takeshi shyly, a light blush crossing her face.

"But that person who's with us doesn't look accustomed to the cold. We should get him inside first."

The finder then shut her mouth to turn even redder at her words, turning back to bow her head.

"Worry about yourself. I'll worry about mine," Takeshi answered through the thick scarf. In all honesty, the igloo didn't seem like it would provide any sort of warmth in this freezing atmosphere. Brushing the frost from his brow, the finder continued to trudge through the snow, continuing his position as a rear guard.

Assuming that the others entered the igloo, he followed in after them, and was mentally surprised at how much warmer it was inside than out. The wind chill factor really made a difference.

The other finder said nothing, just standing at Alimah's side to look at the ground with a crimson tinge staining her cheeks. It was odd that she wasn't cold at all. Was she used to it in some way?

Alimah let out a sigh as they got into the igloo. It was so much more warmer now. She was also glad no one noticed the cold gave her trouble. As time passed she was sure she would get used to it.

"I'll take some of that hot chocolate please" Alimah replied when she heard Leniro speak, and she went to sit down in a corner.

Crystal went into a different corner to lay down and give a small sigh. What she wouldn't give for a nap right about now....was it ok for her to do that though? The finder had read that if you fell asleep in very cold weather, sometimes you wouldn't wake up at all. She suppressed a shiver of fear, the blush fading as she went pale. Great...now she wouldn't sleep at all and become cranky.

She snuggled up underneath the thick blanket, surprised at how tired she was. Using part of the blanket as a pillow, Crystal gave a sleepy chuckle before falling asleep, wondering before the darkness took her if they would figure out what was happening around here.

Takeshi propped his talisman against the wall of the igloo, close to the exit, and sat down next to his equipment. He laid the blanket over most of his body, pulling up his scarf to cover his face. The sun rarely sets at the pole, he heard. But when it does, it takes a long time to rise again. The finder slowly drifted off to sleep.

Alimah, saw Crystal and Takeshi fall asleep and thought it best to do the same. Her eyes wouldn't stay open much longer anyway.

She wrapped the blanket around herself and placed her head in her folded arms; falling asleep in a sitting position.

Crystal stirred slightly in her sleep to turn over, the blanket still wrapped tightly around her body. She still slept on, her breathing soft while strange dreams filtered into her mind, causing her to curl up tighter into a ball.

Takeshi slowly eased into wakefulness. It was still early, but the cold bothered him. Rubbing warmth into his exposed face, the finder slowly got to his feet, as well as he could in the small haven, and stretched. The cold definitely locked his joints: a sign that he grew too comfortable with the warm climates. He looked around the small igloo, to check up on the status of the others.

The new finder sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she deeply inhaled the cold air, inflating her lungs. Her hands reached upwards to tease her hair down, ruffled from sleep.

"Hnnnn...."

Takeshi gave a mental sigh to himself, and gathered his things. He pulled the straps to his pack back over his back, and trudged into the snowy desert outside. It seemed peaceful enough, though those polar bears are probably somewhere close by.