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❉━━━━━━❈✾❈━━━━━━❉
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 this crowded before, let alone with shivering people. The crackling of the flames and wood sounded through the chamber and although an occasional clattering of teeth added to it, there also hung an anticipation in the air. Both parties wanted to know more about the other.
Elodie warmed her hands around the cup filled with a steaming hot dark liquid, given to her by Noelle, and the scent that swirled up from it reminded Elodie of hot chocolate but less sweet. She didn't like chocolate all too much, but the smell made her stomach rumble and she took a careful sip.
A pleasant warmth spread through her body and she sighed as the cold seemed to leave her bones. However, she knew she would need a warm bath before she could leave the ghost of the freezing ache actually behind her. She took another sip, observing her friends over the edge of the mug.
Most seemed to recover from the cold, though they had given Elodie a heart attack as soon as they had been brought inside. Their faces white as snow, their lips blue as ice, and their bodies stiff as corpses. It would haunt her forever.
Elodie moved her gaze from Ella and Oliver ─ who shared the same blanket and sat shivering in front of the hearth ─ to their rescuers by the door. They talked softly to one another, but when one of them noticed her stare, he nodded in her direction and their whispering stopped.
Elodie crossed eyes with the young man in whose arms she had collapsed and she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. She quickly tried to hide it by shaking some of her auburn hair in front of her face as she blew over the hot drink and averted her eyes. Though she should be happy her blood circulation was up and running again, she also tried to reason with herself. She would be lying if she didn't think he was handsome with his strong jawline and well-toned body, but she didn't know anything about him. Or even where they were.
Still, Elodie's heart skipped a beat when he walked towards her and sat down in front of her with crossed legs. His blue eyes traveled over the others in a relaxed manner, not afraid to meet their gaze as they curiously observed him as well.
'Your friends seem to be recovering well,' he said, his look now solely on her, and Elodie nodded as she set down the cup in front of her on the floor.
'They are. Thank you again, for helping,' she said.
A small smile played around his lips. 'It is not in our nature to turn our backs on those who need our help.' He paused for a moment, before speaking again. 'Noelle told us your name is Elodie?'
Elodie looked at the red-haired young woman who handed Vittoria a mug of the hot liquid as well now that her hands were no longer too shaky to hold something.
