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He liked winter; he and winter were best friends. Snow and ice were a-okay, and that was part of the reason he rejoiced in being in the North. There was hardly anything better than being almost coated in snow and then slowly warming up or pinging another person, unsuspecting usually, with an ice ball. However, the air had a certain foul taste after the Gather, and he felt that causing mischief might give him more grief than he was worth.

The candidate shook his head, the snowflakes that had been unmelted in his hair flying out slightly. The day was still cold as he trekked through the former gardens, now devoid of their life, pondering at the lack of anything green. Winter stifled everything, it left a person alone. It broke the world down to its core, and that was when Liamarc loved everything the most.

Walking through the snow, he kept a lookout for others, but most people were inside or working, not having quite the leisure time he enjoyed. The path he knew well; the gardens were a nice place to hide in the spring and summer. However, that should not have made him as unwary as he had become. A single misstep sent him face-first into the snow and ice, and gave him a limp as he headed for the living cavern.

When he arrived, he found an empty couch and seated, trying to be surprised at the lack of people, but found himself instead cursing as he rolled up his pants leg. The ankle was a little swollen already. A drudge offered to bring him klah via yelling across the room, and Liamarc fought not to yell at them, instead choosing to ignore them. He would be fine. He would rest here for a minute and then he'd be fine - right?

[Edited to change the title to open]

There was also another candidate in the garden, though this one was currently hidden behind a bush, albeit one with more branches than leaves this time of year. It was Onie. No longer frazzled or disarrayed, Onie had wandered into the garden after sleeping for more hours than she liked to admit. Well, that's what switching time zones did to a person!

At first, Onie had been filled with excitement and the need to explore the Weyr. She had disregarded the extreme cold, only throwing a light cloak and hood over her simple -- today brown -- dress. The cold had not immediately bothered her but now, as she crouched behind the bush to hide herself from the two young men walking in the garden, she realized that it was in fact freezing.

She waiting a few more minutes, drawing on her determination not to be seen to keep from bolting out of that garden and into the warm living cavern. She watched until the others had gone inside, but had not peeked around her sparsely leafed bush in time to see Liamarc's fall.

There! They were inside, and she straightened up, stifling a groan at the fiery pain in her thighs from crouching so long. Now she could simply sashay into the living cavern, and not have to make conversation with anyone. It would hopefully be much better than her previous encounter, in which she had fallen and offered to infect another girl's cut. Onie sighed, her long legs carrying her to the cavern with minimal effort. And then she was inside, and the warm air was all over her, making her fingertips burn from the sudden shock of heat.

Onie quickly made for the fire, noting that the two young men were nearby. One had his pant leg rolled up, and Onie marveled at the lack of decorum -- until she saw his ankle. He must've really twisted it, she thought to herself, rubbing her hands together over the fire. Well, it was none of her concern. The last time she had gotten involved things had not ended well.

Rashal watched as the girl entered after him, acting as if she were trying her best to ignore the fact that he and the man existed. Ah well. Who was he to criticize the way other people acted? Besides, it was her decision, not his. She could do whatever she pleased for all he cared. As long as she didn't try to throw a punch, that was. But he doubted she would.

He shrugged at the man's statement. "There should be plenty of time between now and Hatching that you'll be able to do it without limping. As long as you don't do anything worse to it, of course. Course, if you'd be so worried about falling or something out there, I'd have no problem with helping you along." He smiled, almost teasingly. He could tell that the man didn't want to appear weak.

He looked once more at the girl. "Coincidence. Never seen her in my life," he said. Was she shy, or was she ignoring them for a reason? He grimaced a little, wondering if she was another of the many people who would hate him for his appearance. He had hoped to avoid people like that out here.