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“W-Why are we here again?” Vyra asked as she followed after Helix, trudging through the deep snow that continuously fell down in Sneznhaya. She hugged her arms tightly, her body shivering from the unforgiving cold. Now she knew why they called this the nation of endless winter. “It’s so damn c-cold! And there’s一ah…ah…achoo!”
Helix laughed, looking back at her. Unlike Vyra, the Sumeran came fully prepared. She had haggled a warm cloak back at a flea market back in Fontaine. Vyra had done the same, but more for trinkets out of a starry-eyed amazement from revisiting one of her favorite nations. So she was left with little funds to prepare for the brutal weather that Sneznhaya had to offer. Did she mention it was fucking cold? Because it bears repeating.
“It’s not my fault you didn’t listen,” Helix retorted, trekking effortlessly through the snow in her new fur boots, keeping her feet nice and cozy. Unlike her companion, with the cold seeping down to her toes. “And besides, you’re Pyro. Shouldn’t you be a walking heater with all that hot air in you~?”
“ Hey 一!” Vyra yelled out, ready to give her companion a piece of her mind, but Helix quickly covered her mouth with a gloved hand.
“Keep it down,” the Sumeran lowly hissed, then looked up to the snowy peaks that they were passing by. “Starting an avalanche ain’t the best idea, firecracker.”
Vyra gave Helix a long hard stare until she finally uncovered her mouth. Her shivering had gotten worse, hugging the thin cloak she brought along in case of bad weather closer to her body. To be fair, she had expected bad weather to be a storm or a particularly windy day, not inescapable snowfall. “I hate you,” she muttered out instead of trying to come up with a clever insult. She was much too cold to use her brain.
“Love you too~” the anemo user casually said back with a smile, continuing to walk along the highly used path, stepping into the imprints of past travelers’ boots. “Come on, Sparky, we’ll get you to an inn before you turn into a Cryo pop. I think most Sneznhayan towns have a lot of torches for warmth.” As the Sumeran continued onward, she noticed that her loud companion was unusually quiet. Sure, it was best to prevent an avalanche, but Vyra could come up with a string of curse words at any volume. Turning around, she noticed the Natlandian staring off in the direction of the mountains further east. “If you stand around like that, you’ll get encased in ice a lot faster,” she commented, effectively snapping her companion out of whatever daze she was in. “And I’m not thawing you out. That’ll be for the scholars who find you years later to figure out.”
“Whatever,” the Natlandian murmured before trudging after her, occasionally sneezing and groaning in dismay. Besides the snow crunching under her steps, those were the majority of noises that came from her as they continued down the path. “Ugh. This sucks… Definitely getting new gear the first chance I get.”
Helix suddenly stopped, forcing Vyra to bump into her back when she stopped paying attention to the sights ahead of her. “Ask and you shall receive!” Pointing outward, the two stared at the small village just down the hill. With the unforgiving cold, they both saw the flickering torches burning bright and warm the same way they looked at that giant charcuterie board back in Fontaine when they came into town starving from going all day helping a merchant defend their goods from one end of the nation to the other. And that was on them for deciding to be generous that day.
“Then come on!” Vyra exclaimed, now away from avalanche territory. She didn’t hesitate to grab Helix’s hand and bound down the hill with newfound energy. It was likely the prospect of a warm meal and comfy bed. They couldn’t exactly camp out like they did before, not equipped with the proper gear to survive the bone-chilling weather.
“Okay! Okay! Slow down!” Helix laughed as she was essentially dragged toward the village, firmly gripping her hood so it wouldn’t fly off in the wind. Since Vyra had mentioned it, perhaps she should also invest in thicker clothing to wear under her coat.
Once within the town’s perimeter, the two women let out a synchronized sigh of relief. The flames from the torches methodically lining the streets to combat the Sneznhayan cold did wonders. The two likely appeared like typical tourists to the townsfolk, huddling close to the flickering fires to thaw out their freezing noses and cheeks.
“And thus the two adventurers survived yet another peril; turning into human popsicles,” Helix jokingly narrated. “But what will they face next on their long journey?” Vyra elbowed her, but she only laughed in response. “Lighten up, firecracker. We got to town, didn’t we? We just gotta find an inn for the night. I doubt either of us wanna sleep on snowy streets.”
“Well, duh,” Vyra quickly agreed, “but we’re definitely hitting the market first. I swear, my ears are gonna fall off at this rate! They already went numb a half mile back.”
“Yes, such a travesty,” the Sumeran couldn't help but mock. “Then you wouldn’t hear my beautiful voice every day.”
Vyra stared hard at her, then finally turned away to trudge her way to where the shops were located. “On second thought, let ‘em turn to ice.”
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The market was small, but that’s what gave it a humble charm. It was nothing fancy like when they went through the huge shopping district in Fontaine, or went window shopping around the cute store in Mondstadt, With Wind Comes Glory. It was a place where the people of Sneznhaya walked in and out, grabbing the essentials and not wasting their breath much. Townsfolk did greet each other and make small talk, building that sense of community. They relied on each other to get through the endless winter of their homeland.
“Oh, there,” Helix said, tugging at Vyra’s arm to drag her to the store they needed. “Looks like all the coats and stuff are there.” It was good fortune too. Helix did have to admit that her hands were getting a little cold; she could feel the front crawling up her fingertips.
“H-Hey! Don’t drag me!” Vyra yelped, picking up her feet to match Helix’s pace. But Helix ignored her pleas, pulling at her arm while her friend did her best to keep up with the pace. Both were incredibly eager to fully get out of the cold.
Helix flung the door open, a soft bell establishing their presence in the humble looking shop. Both let out sighs of relief, but for different reasons. Vyra pouted, yanking her arm back to her own side and muttering about Helix having a stronger grip than she realized. The Sumeran let out a humorous snort, beginning to peruse through the various options of winter clothing. All of it looked thick and soft, perfect for shielding their skin against the elements outdoors.
“Welcome,” the elderly shopkeeper kindly greeted. “I must say, you two don’t look like you’re from around here. Are you travelers?”
“That easy to tell?” Vyra piped up, finally moving away from the shop’s door, glancing around at the various clothing items.
The man softly chuckled. “It was the look of wonder in your eyes seeing so many pelts in one place. Sneznhaya is unlike any other nation. Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, dresses the land in freshly fallen snow nearly every day. As such, it often gets cold. And I don’t mean to poke fun, but you two don’t appear nearly as prepared as one would be for this weather. I would be happy to assist you, perhaps in exchange for some adventure stories?”
“Deal!” Vyra exclaimed before Helix could get a word out otherwise, a large grin spreading across her cheeks.
“Alright, then,” the old man said, “if you’ll follow me.”
In the time they were there, they learned that the man’s name was Vadim, a former soldier for the Sneznhayan army before he retired in peace, though he never saw the front lines. Helix shared a particularly embarrassing story about Vyra almost choking to death on a wolfhook in Mondstadt after attempting to eat it whole. But she made up for it by telling the shopkeeper about the time Helix fell into a river after being spooked by a little electro slime falling from the sky back in Inazuma.
But they didn’t just make fun of each other. They talked about the island in Liyue with a bunch of Ruin Guards and how Vyra tried to take them all on at once before Helix needed to intervene near the end. Vadim was delighted by their recollections of adventuring, especially the story about how they secretly climbed Sumeru’s tallest tree to watch the sunrise together.
“Come back any time, you too,” the shopkeeper waved to them as they headed out donning new purchases. He was kind enough to give them a little discount and let them change in the storeroom at the back of the shop as they still had to brave the cold.
“Catch ya later, Vadim,” Helix waved back, Vyra following right behind.
With new outfits, the chilly air felt much more bearable. The Pyro holder adjusted her new cozy black earmuffs atop her head, keeping the hood to her new cloak down. While Helix went with warm pants, Vyra surprisingly went for a soft fur skirt with thick leggings. And, at Vyra’s insistence, Helix wore a futrzane hat to complete her look and keep her head warm. It wasn’t what she normally thought of wearing, but even the shopkeeper commented that she had the right head shape to pull it off. Somehow, they found similar coats that still held their signature colors. There was something oddly comforting about that fact. It was already strange enough wearing a completely new wardrobe in this nation, so having the familiarity of their usual color schemes helped them feel a little less out of place.
“So where to next?” the blonde spoke up, rubbing her hands together to generate some semblance of heat. Though she now had a nice pair of gloves on, they were only so effective on their one.
“Well, firecracker,” Helix began, making Vyra glare in her direction, “I know you’re not one for the little details, but the sun is going down. And unless you really wanna sit out here in the cold dead of night while it’s already below freezing, we should really find a warm inn or something.” The young woman smirked, sliding closer to her companion with a sly grin and her usual teasing demeanor, “Unless this is your way of telling me you wanna huddle up and share body heat一ow!”
Vyra flicked at her forehead and used her hip to bump her a small distance away. “Don’t flatter yourself, love . I’m sure there’s a place around here somewhere.”
“Fine, fine,” the brunette responded with a dramatic sigh, brushing imaginary dust off pants. “I saw one a little further down from the shop, near the edge of the town. That sounds fine, right?”
Vyra shrugged, stalking off in the direction that Helix pointed out. “Better than letting my ass fall off from frostbite.”
“It’s understandable why it might,” Helix retorted, not one to let opportunity slip by, “There ain’t much junk to keep the trunk warm.”
“ Shut up! ”
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Helix stretched out her limbs after tossing her coat onto one of the beds. They had managed to get a room at the inn, though it was just about halfway decent. Even though the two had sought shelter to get away from the frigid Snezhnayan weather, the cold still lingered in the room. It was likely a draft, explaining the inexpensive price of the room.
“It isn’t much,” the Anemo holder commented, looking at the minimal furniture; two beds, a nightstand between them, a small dresser for storage, and a chair in the corner. Maybe one day, they could scrape up enough funds to get the fancy room. But their current accommodations were definitely far from the very worst. They could still be attempting to camp in these weather conditions.
“Uh-huh.”
Helix raised a brow, just a little suspicious of Vyra’s curt responses. She had always been a blunt person, saying whatever was on her mind with little regard as to how people would react. She observed Vyra take the efficient approach, kicking off her boots before slipping under the blankets then undoing her ponytail and laying her hair accessories on the nightstand. It was probably the fastest she had seen her companion move. Normally, she procrastinated getting into bed as much as possible, a bit of a night owl in that regard.
“What’s up with you?” Helix finally asked, crossing her legs up on the bed. She observed Vyra as she just laid there in the opposite bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“Nothing’s up,” the pyro holder finally responded after a moment of tense silence. “Just not feeling it much today. Must be the cold.” With those words, she turned over to face the wall, pulling the blankets up higher to cover up to her neck.
Like she’d really buy that bullshit. But Helix decided just to keep her mouth shut this time. Contrary to popular belief, she was in fact capable of doing so. She had to choose her words carefully for a long time, living within a world of pretentious snobs before she took off. She blew out the candle lighting the room, settling into bed herself. Quiet at this hour was strange. She and Vyra had fallen into a nightly routine of sorts, ever since they first met in Liyue. They would stay up late, just talking. Learning about one another.
Even without a clock in the room, Helix could hear the seconds ticking by, one by one. Frustrated, she tightly gripped the sheets and turned over onto her stomach to bury her face in the pillow. She tried to keep still, evening out her breathing, but that wasn’t working either. The silence in the night felt so suffocating, even if that was a perfect condition for falling into a sweet, dreamless sleep.
“It’s so fucking cold.”
Vyra’s sudden comment made the Sumeran turn in her direction. With the weird silence now gone, her confidence picked right back up. “If you really need the warmth, we can always cuddle to share body heat~” Helix teased, as usual. “Just don’t be too tempted, okay?”
A moment passed, then two. There was silence on her friend’s end. Helix heard a loud creak of the bed and bare footsteps loudly bounding across the wooden floor.
“Scoot over.” Vyra didn’t even wait for a reply, squishing herself into Helix’s bed and tugging the blankets over her head.
“Wait! I didn’t actually mean一” Helix was taken by surprise with Vyra’s sudden change of attitude.
The bed wasn’t too small, so they both certainly fit. But Vyra was still shivering, she could tell. Obviously, she wasn’t used to this kind of weather. That was a reasonable explanation as to why she’d been so quick to get into bed. The Natlandian was from a nation known for its boiling heat, so being in a place with a completely opposite climax without the proper clothing was taking its toll on her. Unlike Natlan, Sumeru’s nights were very much opposite of their days; unforgivingly cold. Natives knew not to get too comfortable with the days’ heat, because nights would leave them shivering much like Vyra was at the moment. This wasn’t anything big from an outsider’s perspective. But if Helix had learned something about Vyra, it’s that she never enjoyed showing weakness of any kind. So to show her this level of vulnerability, not wanting to tough out the cold alone… That said something.
“See? You’re totally helpless without me,” Helix commented, slowly laying down to not disturb Vyra while listening to her breathing even out and her shivers gradually decreasing until she was sleeping peacefully under the warm blankets. Helix doubted she even heard her commentary, but she didn’t mind this time. She could easily repeat herself in the morning when her travel companion woke up.
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When the sun rose, making the freshly fallen snow dusting the hills sparkle in the warm rays, Vyra was actually the first to wake up. She opened her mouth wide, letting out a gnarly yawn. But when she tried to sit up, she found herself unable to do so, feeling something snaking around her and keeping her down. Looking down, she realized it was a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders and middle. Following them upward, her sleep-muddled brain was finally able to process that it was indeed Helix. And she was…snuggling up to her?
It was equal parts adorable and annoying. Having grown up with a younger sister, it wasn’t something she was completely new two. But hugging a sibling who was having nightmares was a different playing field to a traveling companion latching onto her in their sleep. Vyra puffed out a breath of air, staring up at the ceiling.
“Never took you for a cuddler…”
Any kind person wouldn’t move until Helix woke up and consciously removed herself. Unlucky for the Sumeran, Vyra was not that person. Without much regard, Vyra quickly sat up, forcing Helix to break her hold. This in turn jolted her awake.
“Huh? What?” Helix looked around the room, half asleep. “Ah damn, they sold out of shawarma…”
Vyra smirked, seeing her companion in such a state. “That explains why you were drooling in your sleep.”
“I-I was?!” Helix, in a brief moment of uncharacteristic panic, rubbed her arm against her face to get rid of any possible evidence of an drool marks on her tanned skin, only for her to pause once she realized. She turned to glare at Vyra. “You little shit.”
“I could say the same.” Vyra tossed her half of the covers over Helix’s head as she finally rose out of bed. The room was still as chilly as the night before, making her shiver where she stood. She decided it was best to just dress now, and quickly at that. Even indoors, the cold was unbearable in this frozen wasteland. “Hurry your ass up. We got exploring to do. The mountains should be full of treasures, right? The guild said as much.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting up. From the way you’re acting, no one would believe that just last night you were crawling into my bed, just aching for一ah!” Before she could finish, Vyra threw Helix’s coat right at her head. “Okay, okay. I’ll get dressed. I won’t blame you if you wanted to take a peek~”
The Pyro user just rolled her eyes and turned the other way. “You just love to flatter yourself.”
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A good breakfast at the inn later, the two set out to the mountains with map in hand. Vyra relied on Helix for all the major info, seeing as she was part of the Adventurer’s Guild. Meanwhile, Vyra was just a wanderer tagging along for the ride. She really had no plan of where to go, content to just travel, look for travel, and gain new experiences. She was learning to understand the land and grow with it in her own way. And, of course, there were the many new enemies that came with new nations. And she had dedicated herself to defeating at least one of each that she encountered. The Shrooms of Sumeru were pretty easy, nothing special. Then again, pretty much everything in that nation was helpless to her Pyro energy. Mondstadt was basic. Liyue was a nice challenge with its Geovishaps. And now in Sneznhaya, it was basically a matter of Melt or die. There were one too many ice creatures. Then again, what else should she have expected to survive in this climate?
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Vyra asked for the fifth time. No matter how far she looked, there was nothing but snow and ice.
“Yes, for the twentieth time.” Helix looked behind her shoulder to regard her companion. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Yeah, and you also said you’ve never been here before.”
“It's an adventurer's instinct.”
“Okay, now that’s absolute bullshit.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Yah-huh.”
“Whatever.” The Natlandian huffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, mostly in an attempt to keep warm with her own body heat. “You clearly don’t.”
“Wait.” Helix stopped in her tracks, holding her arm out to stop Vyra from walking past her.
“What? Finally want to admit you’re wrong?”
“As if. Look.”
Vyra followed the finger that the Sumeran was pointing with, her gaze landing on a hilichurl camp guarded by one massive Frostarm Lawachurl. And looking into the camp, she could spot three lovely treasure chests, ready for the taking. “Score!”
“Shh!” Helix pressed her hand against Vyra’s mouth with a soft glare. “Remember what I said about avalanches around here? I wasn’t joking.”
Vyra pulled away from her companion’s hand, swatting it away. “You’re still worried about that? It’s totally fine. Besides, we’ve got other problems. Like that lawachurl. He’s in the way of our treasure. And I’ve been wanting to thrash something since this morning.” Summoning her claymore, Vyra showed absolutely no reservations as she rushed toward the camp. Surely a little exercise would do the trick to warm her right up.
“No, wait一! And she’s gone…” Helix groaned loudly, summoning her polearm so she could assist her companion in her stupid rush-in tactic.
“Hey, loser! Look over here!”
Vyra easily got the lawachurl’s attention, watching it let out its usual roar to generate its icy shield. But with her weapon set aflame with her Pyro energy, she knew this guy wouldn’t stand a chance. She took the lead, sprinting toward her target. She heard a faint rumble in the distance but thought nothing of it, much too engrossed in the prospect of a good fight.
“Vyra, stop!”
But she didn’t, attacking the beast with such ferocity that the only noise in her ears was her flames hitting her target. The lawachurl was an aggressive sort, however, ready to counterattack. It put its hands together and slammed them hard into the ground. Much harder than the other lawachurls that she encountered were able. The earth beneath her feet began to shake, leaving her stunned that it could cause such powerful vibrations. Wait… That wasn’t the lawachurl.
“Avalanche!” Helix yelled out, looking up to the falling snow tumbling down the mountain. She didn’t waste time to back away, running for her life. Vyra knew this was a good time to retreat, quickly backing away from the monster. It attempted to give chase, but the tumbling snow and ice caught it in its merciless grip. She tried to keep running, but slowly began to lose sight of her travel companion along the way. Within seconds, she couldn’t see Helix anymore among the white dust and crashing snow. With no other options left either, Vyra dove into the snow to cover herself, her own survival instincts just kicking in. It was all she could do, keeping her head down and covered while the snow on the mountain continued its rampage, just waiting for it to be over…
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“Shit…” Vyra shook the snow out of her blonde hair, slowly pushing herself up to her knees after the faceplant she took into the ground. She popped up from a pile of snow, which had luckily kept her safe enough to avoid any serious injuries from the rest of the avalanche. “Hey, Helix, you’re not dead, right?” She called out to the ice and snow, waiting for a response. But…she got none. “Helix, stop messing with me. I get it. I messed up. You don’t have to give me the silent treatment.” Still nothing. “I’m not kidding! Answer me!” The silence just stretched on, nothing her own voice echoing through the air.
“No… No no no!” Scrambling to her feet, Vyra looked around from any sign of life. “Helix! Helix, say something! ” A spot of color caught her eye among the piles of crisp white. Moving closer, her breath caught in her throat. Helix’s hat…
Without thinking, Vyra dashed forward, digging into the snow pile next to it. Her movements were messy and frantic, her ungloved fingertips starting to go numb, turning blue from the bitter cold. But she could only focus on the singular task of digging her friend out of the snow. And praying to every archon that she was alright. Her breath was ragged and heavy, her shivering body aching for a break, but she refused to stop. Not until she knew Helix was still of this world.
“What are you doing?”
The familiar voice gave her pause. Vyra slowly looked up, seeing Helix staring down at her from behind. No words came out, her mouth simply hanging open as she regarded the girl she thought was possibly dead and buried by the snow mere seconds ago.
When Helix noticed that her companion wasn’t speaking, she decided to continue. “Yeah, that avalanche was no joke. But I was lucky enough to find a burrow that I could duck into. I was going to pull you in but we got cut off before I could say anything.” She started to laugh, seeing Vyra’s dumbstruck expression, still saying nothing. “Aw, were you worried about me? See, you’re really just a big soft一huh?!”
Helix couldn’t even finish her jab before Vyra shot up and tackled Helix, making her fall back into the snow. Vyra gripped her tightly, arms wrapped securely around her. She clearly had no intention of letting go, holding onto her friend like she would disappear any second.
“What are you一”
“Don’t do that again,” Vyra scolded her in a low voice. Even her voice was shaking. Helix couldn’t help but fall silent hearing it. She could feel her shoulders getting a little wet too. It was then that she realized. Vyra got scared. So scared that she was crying. So her missing hat… It probably made her think the worst. Vyra had been afraid she'd lost her…
“No promises,” was all she could say at that moment, gently embracing Vyra back as they sat there in the snow. It was nice to have someone who worried about her. And she’d have to make it up to her friend somehow. Not that she’d make it easy, of course.