Hypothermia and You: A Guide No One Ever Reads

[andrend]

WHO: Kylo Ren
WHERE: Near the fountain
WHEN: Evening, November 15th
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: Incoming angry wet former Jedi with family issues
STATUS: Closed

---

It took almost no time at all for Kylo Ren to realize he had been submerged. The unfamiliar clothes that clung to his skin were heavy with the weight and chill of the water, and stuck uncomfortably to his skin while he fought to find the right orientation to kick and push himself upward. Everything on his body fought against his upward movement from the thing strapped to his back to the heavy and unfamiliar boots on his feet. When he breached the surface, both hands gripped tightly to the edge of the fountain and he hoisted himself out of its watery depths, rolling over the edge to the hard ground on the other side with deep, gasping breaths for air.

His thoughts were spinning wildly, and a chill clung as tightly to his skin as the over-saturated cotton pressing against him so uncomfortably. His mask and uniform were gone, and although he could feel the weight of the pack resting against his back, he could not sense his weapon. The air was frigid. His wet hair, skin and the drenched cotton and fabric clinging to his body did nothing to hold back the below freezing chill in the air. Rather than sit and gather his thoughts, Ren immediately began to remove his shoes and socks and set them to the side with his backpack. The scrub shirt followed, until Ren was left barefoot with only a tank top and the trousers.

Anyone out in the cold could come across Ren carrying a dripping backpack and bundle of foreign clothes as he deliberately makes his way barefoot into the town. His primary mission: find shelter before losing any of his digits or limbs to the cold. If not encountered in that state, Ren can be found eventually breaking or pushing his way into the first building he comes across in search of shelter from the elements. Especially if the building is giving off smoke or light.

Comments

[notabirdcostume]

Sam shouldn't have been surprised, but there's still a part of him that's a little disappointed that Ren had returned with no memories. Not that they'd really been friends--but they'd gotten along all right. Still, Sam had to remember Ren wasn't at fault here and it must be pretty awkward for him to have all these people insist that they knew him. Honestly, none of them had really known Ren all that well but the point still stood that they'd learned at least a little about him before he'd disappeared and now returned.

"I see. Sorry to hear that," he finally manages to say. He then adds, "I'm Sam. Guessing you've heard the rundown on this place then..." He trails off, not sure how to ask Ren about why he was then snooping through his house. One question at a time.

[andrend]

"I had a brief run down." And got into an argument over it, as well, but that was not relevant to the conversation. Whether or not he believed what the other captives of the canyon did didn't matter.

"I found my own writing on the maps. It's harder to ignore something like that than it is distrust strangers claiming to know your name." At least they all seemed to know him by the name he went by and not the one he was born with. He forces himself to appear a little more prepared to be facing someone than he is, standing straight and stiff.

"Sam. This place is yours?" He gestures to the general area of the kitchen, shifting to one side toward thee corner of the kitchen, away from the window but also closer to the door. He isn't going to run. He's not afraid of the strangers he's stranded with. But that doesn't change the fact that Sam and the rest of them are all unfamiliar and unknown. He can't know what to expect from any of them.

[notabirdcostume]

Well, at least Sam didn't have to handle explaining this bizarre situation then. He recalled the last time Ren had been here -- he'd thought they'd be captured by slavers or something? Sam decided not to bring that up, but if that had been his reaction before chances were Ren was being skeptical of the situation if nothing else. Overly cautious and quick to find a weapon, that was the Ren he remembered encountering before.

"That must have been a little weird. Did you have anything left at the mill? I think that's where you and that guy with the red hair were staying," Sam asked. He knew some of the stuff had been reclaimed by the other villagers: rope and probably some sheets or something. Nothing went to waste around here. But he wasn't sure if Ren would have been the type to leave writing or other signs of his time here behind in the mill. Sam hadn't really gone out that way much after Ren and the other guy had left.

Ren's positioning isn't lost on Sam. He doesn't really make any moves closer or to hinder that either. After all, if Ren wants to take off running out of the house Sam isn't going to stop him. He nodded at the question though, "Yeah. I share it with one other person, but he's out for the moment." At least, he assumed Steve was out. The guy surely would have heard the racket from earlier if he was home. "It's not much, but it's better than freezing to death."

[andrend]

"I have not been out to check." Though he had made note of its approximate location on the map that bore his hand writing. It was a confirmation to learn of the location from a second source, if nothing else, and he was glad to have another piece in the puzzle a little more stable.

His opinions of the village and the situation they were in had altered slightly due to the nature of his arrival and the greeting that met him at the inn. Still, Ren's opinion of what to do next remained close to the same. He needed to arm himself and scope out the situation while he worked toward an ultimate goal of leaving the village and this planet far behind him.

"For all the people here-" Sam included, and the skepticism in Ren's steady stare is there along with a strange intensity. "Claim to have known me, I am not sure I believe most knew anything more of me than my name." And perhaps to some extent that he came from a higher understanding of technology than they did. Some did not even know his name.

"Do you think otherwise?" His question had both curiosity and an edge. He wasn't sure what to make of any of the villagers. They were unknowns and potential threats, but he had yet to receive any real threats or danger from them.

[notabirdcostume]

If Sam is bothered by Ren's stare he does a good job of not showing it. Sam can't really blame him for being suspicious or, at the very least, skeptical of the situation. He feels that he would do the same if the tables were turned. Of course, he'd probably be a little less bristled about it, but that was what he remembered about Ren anyway.

"You're probably right there," Sam admits honestly, "you were with the first group of us -- we got here back about five months ago. We were all pretty lost then and you mostly stuck to yourself at the Mill before vanishing about four months ago."

"I won't say that I knew you well, but I figured out some stuff about you. You helped me with some recon and exploring this place. You were quick to grab a weapon on the first day -- a leg from a bar stool -- and you were pretty adamant that we had been abducted by some Resistance of some kind. You struck me as pretty wound up and maybe a little paranoid, but it wasn't like we had any proof otherwise. You were also pretty confident you could take on whatever was out there all by yourself -- so you're cocky, but a fighter none-the-less. I'm pretty sure you only let me help you because I was a handy bit of manpower to have around when we still had no clue about this place."

He also remembered Ren not liking his observations too much, but to be fair he'd asked for it this time. Sam had to wonder if he'd get a similar reaction now.

[andrend]

Ren isn't a fan of being read, especially not when it's by someone who knows more about him than he knows about them, but he keeps the instinctive reaction to scowl down and tilts his head, studying Sam carefully. He doesn't sense a lie amidst the words, and if he's honest, the assessment and recount both sound like him. The mill would need to be paid a visit to look for signs of their presence or clues they might have left behind, but the recount has his interest more for now.

"You're correct in assuming I'm a fighter. An ally who is any good at defending himself would have been worth considering if I believed my enemies had captured me." He still did, though the who had shifted when he learned he was missing memories.

"I assume we disappeared in a similar fashion to how we arrive. No witnesses." He had learned of that again earlier. "I'm more than capable of defending myself, though maybe not against an army. How good are you in a fight?" It's both a question, and possibly with the edge he puts to it, a challenge.

[notabirdcostume]

Sam nodded, "There's no way of predicting when someone will arrive or leave. The arrivals we can at least pin point to the fountain, whether or not people are disappearing the same way hasn't been determined. Although, several people have tried swimming in the fountain to find a way out and no such luck. We also posted watches around the fountain when it was drained to see if we could catch an opening but, as you just said, it wouldn't let us witness it happening." Which had been BEYOND frustrating, probably more so since Sam had been the one to suggest it and then people had been attacked by animals. He still didn't have a good explanation for that one.

Sam decided he wasn't going to try to argue the fact that Ren was basically implying he could take down a lot of guys as long as it wasn't an army. He hadn't seen Ren in action much, but the guy just didn't necessarily strike him as the type to be able to defend against a large number completely by himself. But, as Ren had pointed out, Sam didn't know him all that well. "Depends on the fight. I have combat training, if that's what you are asking. I am better if I have a weapon, but I think that goes for most people and I can keep my head in a fight too, so I'm not going to lose sight of the situation or get too overwhelmed by circumstances. I'm more familiar with working together with a team than flying solo, but I can hold my own when I need to." He wasn't sure if that answered Ren's question, but it was a broad question to begin with.

[andrend]

"Have you tried filling it in or destroying it?" It had been drained. Somehow that was important, and Ren made more of a note to himself that keeping his eye on the fountain and his mind on it would have to do for a focus, at least initially.

He watched Sam as the man recounted his ability to hold his own, and at least looked slightly less like he was going to knock Sam out of the way and leave. Though he did still give cursory glances around the room.

"And do many people have weapons here?" His questions had slipped to a more dangerous territory, but not knowing what or who was around him, where he was, or how much of a threat the other people in the village were, it didn't sit well with him.

[notabirdcostume]

The topic hadn't come up actually. At least, Sam was pretty sure he hadn't heard anyone discuss the idea of doing either of those things. "No, haven't tried either of those. Destroying it might be hard since we're low on tools that would work well to destroy stone like that. It would take time to dismantle and I'm not sure we'd have any other means of destroying it." Sam figured though that attempting to fill it would probably result in animal attacks or maybe the fountain just...vanishing the debris somehow. He also wasn't even sure they had enough supplies to completely fill it. Maybe if they gathered and moved the rubble from some of the destroyed homes. That was a possibility and maybe once the weather was a little more stable they could attempt something.

Sam shrugged, "Probably depends on your definition of weapon. I'd say there are quite a few people who are probably carrying around something to defend themselves with though." After all, it was hard not to be just a little paranoid around here and wanting to make sure you could at least survive an encounter with a wild animal was a nice reassurance.

[andrend]

The response was stored away for later. Ren planned to do something about the fountain, but at the moment his knowledge of it was limited to what he had been told and his brief time submerged in it. He would need to watch and examine it further before he decided on a plan of action.

Ren leaned back into the counter, his outward appearance relaxing some small portion as he tried not to broadcast his discomfort. He was unarmed and out of his depth, but unwilling to admit to the latter or suffer the former for long.

"I can't imagine we are here for any positive reason. Being armed and ready would be the smart option." One he intended to take as soon as possible. "Are all of these buildings occupied?"

[notabirdcostume]

"On that we can definitely agree," Sam replied with a nod. Nothing here was exactly a positive or good thing to go through. People were suffering to some degree -- whether from cold or hunger. Not to mention that the manipulation and just generally being separated from everything they knew from back home without any say in the matter.

As for Ren's other question, Sam shook his head, "No, there should be some unoccupied buildings past the inn and on the outskirts of town. Just be aware that some of the houses have been...picked over for more supplies. Most of it might be at the inn though so you could always ask there if you think your house is missing some essential supplies." Assuming the curtains weren't already in use as maps or charts. That was a little more difficult to give back.

[andrend]

Ren made another face at the suggestion but merely nodded initially, looking past Sam and then back to him. He had assumed most of the buildings were unoccupied, but he had intentionally broken into an occupied building in his search for something of use.

He supposed Sam could be classified as of use. He had been acceptably forth coming at least.

"I doubt there will be anything lacking from a temporary shelter I will care about beyond solid and unbroken exterior walls." Doors and windows included, in the weather the village was experiencing. He refused the idea of referring to the buildings as houses or homes. They were temporary protection from the elements of the planet and nothing more.

At least he had not broken Sam's window.

"If you point me in the direction of one that isn't occupied I will be out of your way."

sounds like we can wrap this up soon then 8D

[notabirdcostume]

Temporary shelter was a mouth full in Sam's opinion. This was technically his second house, and while he didn't feel too attached the earthquakes from a few months back had certainly caused some trouble. "Most of the houses that are badly damaged are pretty obvious from the outside...so you probably won't have a problem telling," Sam informed him.

It certainly sounded like Ren was about to just take his leave. Sam didn't mind that so much, considering the guy had originally broken in to his "temporary shelter" in the first place. "If you head down this road there's an empty house second on the left from the Blacksmith workshop next door. And as far as I know the houses at the very end of the road are far enough out that no one has really claimed them." Sam closed his eyes, thinking of the map in the inn, "And I think a lot of the buildings directly behind the inn are free -- though those might be the ones most picked over which might be why."

He figured that was a good list to start with, though of course as he had already mentioned if Ren were to explore further out he would probably find more empty abodes. "Still, don't feel like you have to rush off just cause you broke in. I could fix you something...I've fed fugitives before so it's not like I'm going to hold the whole 'breaking and entering' thing against you."

sounds good!

[andrend]

Fugitives. Ren inwardly laughed but said nothing. In a way maybe it was true, but he saw others as the fugitives, not himself. Not that he could know, with months of his memory missing and evidence he and General Hux had been there in the past. He considered the offer, his slow escape paused for just a moment. The offer would be a smart one to take but he had much to look into and he doubted he would trust anything the man put in front of him enough to actually eat it.

"Your offer is generous, but I still have things to do." Generous was putting it eloquently, but then, Ben was raised a diplomat's son. Ren retained that knowledge, even if he had killed what was left of the foolish boy who originally learned it. "And I would prefer to get them done before the night gets much thicker."

[notabirdcostume]

"Suit yourself," Sam conceded. It made little difference to him. Still, he was raised on the rules of hospitality and even if Ren had broken into his house he hadn't harmed him. It might not make sense to most, but Sam figured it couldn't hurt to put his best foot forward -- especially if he was having to remake first impressions here.

"Well, good luck. You know where to find me if you need anything," Sam added, nodding towards the door. It was both a signal that Ren could show himself out as well as a gesture of goodbye. Hopefully Ren would at least knock next time.