Tears Of Themis Oneshots

Chills (Vyn Ritcher)

It might come as no surprise to you, but Vyn was a thinker. He always had been, even as a child. 

With being someone who's mind is constantly alert, analytical and learning wherever he went, it came with some difficulties. Sometimes, when he was alone in his room, or at his desk, and everything went quiet, his mind would race, going faster than he could care to admit. 

Eventually, he found that he needed a way to escape his mind, to keep it silent, if only for just a moment. That is how he got here, standing in front of the lake, which was somehow not frozen, in the middle of winter. 

Slowly, methodically, he removed his jacket, folding it and placing it on the ground. The water was cold, it had to be, it was freezing out of it. Vyn paid that no mind, and stripped completely, before quietly making his way into the water. 

The cold made him shiver, his pale skin now rosy and red as the cold nipped at him. In a way, he loved it. He had made it waist deep, now. He knew this would be the worst part, so quickly, he moved forwards, the water coming up to his shoulders. The cold at his core hit him hard, he took steady breaths, focusing on everything but the cold.

Soon, he fell into a state of relaxation, the cold didn't bother him as much, and he leaned back, letting himself float. 

He stared up, the sky was filled with dark clouds, but they were moving with the wind, dark grey and wispy. Snow cascaded from those same clouds, coating everything in a layer of white. 

It was quiet, the only sound was crickets and animals playing in the snow, almost like humans, but much more innocent, there was no war, no crime, no horrible things to ruin children's lives. No, just animals, just innocent deer playing and leaping around the snow, coyotes cuddled together for warmth. 

Vyn was slowly slipping, into that peaceful state he wanted whenever he came here, where his mind would quiet down, or at least only think about trivial things like how snowflakes melt as the hit the water. 

His hair floated behind him, the white fit in with the snow around him perfectly. Vyn continued to look up, even as he could feel his fingers going numb, the clouds were getting darker, it was already nighttime, so everything was dreary. 

Faintly, he wondered what it would be like to sink, to fall back into the water, weightless, pulled by the waves as fish and seaweed surrounded him. 

Tranquil. 

That describes it. 

He sighed, closing his eyes, only focusing on his body, the cold nipping at his skin, the snow that was falling on him and melting, the warmth fading from his body as the cutting frigidness set in. 

It was comforting. It was odd, that the cold comforted him so much, warmth was what was supposed to comfort you, safety, slow, and just overall safe. 

Not for him. 

For him, it was the chill of the night air, the shivers that wracked his body, that was home. That was comfort. 

Faintly, he could recognize his arms and legs going numb, that meant it was time to leave. To walk away from the comfort he had, to return to the real world. 

Once more, he opened his eyes, and looked up at the sky, watching as the snow fell and the clouds kept moving. 

Then, he began swimming back to shore.