Why people don't like spirits

[shardofwinter]

The weather has been irritatingly unpredictable this year. Sunny one day, a blizzard the next. It's almost impossible to plan for. Today Reynard has made sure the Nexus is smothered in a thick blanket of snow, and it's nearly perfectly smooth. The Nexus might as well be a different landscape. It's hard to tell what a person is stepping on until they take the chance to wade in. Bins, boulders, benches, street curbs are all probably the most normal things a traveller might find themselves cracking shins and toes against.

At a very strategically chosen point however, some poor people find themselves in a bit of a bother. After getting this far all it takes is one step and they find themselves chest deep in the snow. Struggling will only testify to how packed tight the freezing blanket is. Digging themselves out might be possible, but slow.

It doesn't take long before a sing-song voice comes through the air.

"A house for a five headed creature,
A tool that carves rock and earth,
A measure against misadventure,
A gift often owned from birth."

Reynard walks on top of the snow with his usual confident stroll. He crouches in front of his unfortunate victim, tilts his head and asks, "What am I?"

Comments

[jarheadclan]

Timing, dude. Who wants to answer riddles when you're buried chest-deep in cold fluffy stuff? Jake frowns, not exactly thrilled with that answer, not that he can even remember what the hell the riddle was in the first place.

Definitely not giving up on trying to muddle his way out of this snowbank, though. Even if he has to tunnel his way out or something.

All right, fine. He ain't getting out in a hurry, might as well humor the guy while he struggles. "What was it again? Something with five heads?"

[shardofwinter]

When he made this little trap he never expected to get such an unusual creature. While he repeats the riddle he tilts his head thoughtfully. They can both try to solve riddles. Reynard's will be: What areyou?

"A house for a five headed creature,
A tool that carves rock and earth,
A measure against misadventure,
A gift often owned from birth.
What am I?"

[jarheadclan]

Nope, it doesn't make any more sense the second time around, now that he's actually listening. Riddles are not his thing, and thank Eywa it's not a thing with the Na'vi either. Trying to figure them out in English is tough enough.

Jake's ears lay back in frustration, both at the riddle and this damn snowbank. Five headed creature, okay, maybe fingers or toes? Full-blood Na'vi only have four on each hand or foot, but Jake was raised human and his avatar body has the normal human amount. The second line loses him right away though. Who carves rock with their fingers? And how would hands or feet guard against getting into trouble? Kinda the opposite, in his experience.

"You sure don't make this easy, do you?" Right, okay, might as well take a stab at it instead of just plain giving up at the first hurdle. "I dunno, fingernails?"

[shardofwinter]

"Where would be the fun if it was easy?" Reynard almost scoffs at the idea. Really now, what's the point of a game that's too simple? He raises a critical eyebrow at the creature. "No. Hardly a house. A roof at a stretch, but not a house."

[jarheadclan]

Jake grunts, thoroughly unsurprised that his guess was wrong. Riddles are hard, man. "Well it ain't skin." Maybe tswin instead? But no, this guy isn't Pandoran, why would his riddle revolve around Pandoran biology? Nah, gotta be something else.

"I'm guessing I can't get a hint." Motherfucker, this snow is deep. Easier to take out his frustrations on trying to carve his way out though. How the heck will he know if he's getting too cold? Not like his hands will turn bluer than they are. Har har, Jake.

[shardofwinter]

While he has no issue with giving hints, the Winter spirit finds the stranger's roundabout request for one faintly lacking in manners. Not impolite, but not polite either. Reynard can't resist a grin. "Sometimes it's skin..."

[jarheadclan]

Oh really? Jake's ears perk up at that. "Sometimes, huh?"

Okay, so only sometimes means it probably isn't a body part like he'd been thinking. Five headed creature still makes him think fingers or toes though; not much else he can think of that'd fit that description. So something that covers them. Made of leather, maybe? "Gloves? Or shoes?" Not that the Na'vi tend to use either, but Jake hasn’t forgotten being human. Basic equipment is easy.

[shardofwinter]

Reynard watches with that vague grin pinned to his face while the alien fumbles through his thoughts for an answer. That is, until he decides on a guess.

His eyebrows lift in surprise and for a moment he doesn't say anything. Then a laugh breaks through his shock and he grins again. "You're... right. The answer is 'shoes'."

[jarheadclan]

It was a damn good hint, honestly. Jake's been living in a place where animal skins are one of the main ways of making what little clothing the Na'vi do wear. Good thing he's the one who had to answer the riddle though; most of the clan wouldn't know what the fuck a shoe even is.

"I am?" Jake sounds almost as surprised as Reynard is, blinking his big lantern eyes. "Cool."

[shardofwinter]

It's partly because of the other's strange appearance that this is twice as surprising, but he got the answer nevertheless. Reynard sets his hands on his hips.

"Riddles and puzzles are a good way to keep the mind sharp. Would you like to try another?"

[jarheadclan]

Jake's first instinct is to say hell no, but he stops and reconsiders, looking up at Reynard. "If I say yeah, will you give me a hand getting out of this, uh," Not mess, don't say mess, "snowbank?"

[shardofwinter]

"Ah. Well that is a rather different kind of deal." Reynard folds his arms and surveys the trap before raising an eyebrow at the stranger. "If you can't get out alone you risk losing your life in this weather. Your life is almost certainly worth more than a riddle answer, don't you think?"

[jarheadclan]

Oh so that's how it's gonna be, huh? Jake eyes him for a moment before renewing his attempts at getting out. If he can just get his feet up and get more horizontal, maybe he can army-crawl back to solid ground. Not a solution a Na'vi would probably think of; this one's all Marine. "Depends on the riddle, doesn't it?"

[shardofwinter]

"It does," Reynard concedes with a nod. "But whatever you face to save your own life will make you struggle one way or another. Are you sure you would prefer to struggle with words and meanings instead of something more... tangible?"

[jarheadclan]

All right, he's got Jake there. The Na'vi barks out a laugh. "Gotta admit, I'm not much of a words kinda guy." As if this not-elf dude hadn't already figured that out, but hey, honesty's gotta count for something, right?