Baby It's Cold Out Here

Cassidy couldn't stand the cold. Ever since she was a hatchling the cold stung her nostrils and made her sneeze, froze her feathers together until they either dropped out or she held them close to her chest to heat up. Not to mention the way her toes and fingers blistered against the touch of the ice, turning cold and dry in an instant, making the skin crack and bleed in some cases. She hated the cold and everything that came with it, the snow, the ice, the hibernation of their food, the reduced traffic through just about every area of the island. There were only a few places on the islands that escaped the winter hellscape; the area directly around an active volcano and her home, the outlook ridge. While the nights were chilling year round, it never took long for the sun to bake the stones back to their usual dusty selves. The ridge hadn't always been home, but once she had discovered its mild winters she could hardly imagine herself leaving the area once the cold months rolled around. Sometimes though, she didn't have a choice and either gang business or a threat from outside caused her to venture further afield than she would like. Cath couldn't do it, her wings would turn to icicles, Piper and Sparrow in their bizarre twin synchronisation had both contracted the same flu and Wisteria had left for the Dead City museum weeks ago. She hated the cold, but Cassidy was nothing if not resourceful. When she found herself caught in the dead of winter, making her way through the frozen city streets and teeth chattering with the cold, she knew there was one refuge for her within the iced-over stone walls.

Kaiwi didn't mind the cold, as long as he had somewhere to escape from it. His apartment spent the winter smelling musty from keeping the window on the balcony closed but he was determined to preserve the heat his nest built up over time. The mattress that he had shaped into his nest required thorough cleaning but he found it retained heat nicely even over the winter and allowed him to warm up after a long day patrolling the city. Though he supposed none of the days were long anymore, they seemed to shrink under the weight of the advancing dark that swallowed the city every night. The lights across the city always tended to blink out around this time of year too, only kicking back on once spring was nearly here. He had heard the sun powered them and that was the reason for their winter malfunction, but that seemed too farfetched to him. There was a sick satisfaction he felt when those that crowded around human constructs were left just as cold as he was at this time of year, left without their gizmos and gadgets. He was ruminating on these smug thoughts when a loud noise from outside caused his head to shoot up from his cozy mattress pile. He tilted his head to the side, listening carefully as the silent night air began to settle again. Then, quieter this time, he heard the door at the back of his building rattle. He was on his feet before his brain even had time to catch up, stumbling over to the balcony and opening the door to the cold blast of air that shocked him to full wakefullness. He looked down over the railing where he would have the best chance at seeing someone at the door, and his thoughts shuddered to a halt as he saw a familiar pale pink figure. 

Cassidy was picking at the door, trying to figure out the lock that would let her into the stairwell. Kaiwi watched in surprise for a moment, not expecting her to be here at this time of year, or this time of night. She was clearly cold, a sensitive hothouse flower that shrivelled the second snow hit the ground. He decided to make the journey down the stairs, opening his door to the frigid air in the hallway and fluffing up his feathers to resist the cold as he did so. The stairs were just wide enough with few corners to allow him to turn through them with care, and by the time he reached the rattling door he could hear the lock beginning to loosen. It was a rusted padlock he used to give the impression of security, but in the cold the rust almost froze closed, actually securing the back door to his home. He twisted the loop of the padlock and pushed the door open, finding himself staring into Cassidy's startled rosy eyes. 

"Oh, uh, hey. I didn't mean to wake you," Cassidy spoke haltingly, cursing herself internally for not preparing to be caught.

"Not like you to be out here this time of year, is everything okay?" Kaiwi asked, his feathers still fluffed against the wind that pushed its way into the open door. The pink raptor tried to not snap at him, irritated by his concern instead of being suspicious about someone trying to break into his house. One day she knew she'd come back to the city to find someone had just waltzed in and taken the whole building from him, the guy was such a pushover.

"Wisteria went on an overnight trip to the museum, a few weeks back," she clarified, watching Kaiwi's brow furrow in concern, "I couldn't make it all the way there before nightfall so I figured I'd just wait out the night in here. Didn't want to bother you, still don't actually so I can just sleep down here.

"Don't be a dumbass," Kaiwi rolled his eyes, "Come up to my place, you need to warm up." He gestured over his shoulder to the stairs and didn't wait for a reply, just ascended the stairs with the ease of routine. Cassidy had no choice but to follow. "And close the door before you do or you'll let all the heat out."