Warm Hearts in a Snowy Town
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Ah... Ahhh... AH-CHOO!
Noelle: (Eep!) A-are you, um... Are you okay? Our next observation site isn't much farther, so, um... Yeah.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: *sniff* Thanks, Noelle. It's so cold up here, I think I'm already coming down with something... WAH-CHOO!
Luca: This? This right here? This is why I told you not to come. C'mon, let's pick up the pace before you freeze into a Sarisse-sicle.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Wow... So this is a human city on the northern continent!
Noelle: Er, yes. Mora. Th-that's its name, I mean. They're one of Svenitla's trading partners.
Noelle: It's prosperous by Northern standards, but that also makes it a frequent target for its jealous neighbors. So, um...
Moran 1: (Where're they from?) (How should I know?) (Never seen garb like that before.)
Noelle: *fidget* Urgh... As you can see, they're not the biggest fans of outsiders around here.
Noelle: My country, Svenitla, has struggled to forge a lasting connection here as well.
Luca: Gotcha. But if they're that well-off, it's in our interest to figure out a way of making friends here.
Luca: The question is how. Got any bright ideas, Sar—
Luca: ...Huh? Where's Sarisse?!
Noelle: Oh gosh! You're right! Sh-she's not here... Do you, um... Do you think she got lost?
Luca: Ugh, it never ends with her! C'mon, let's go find her, Noelle.
Moran 2: ...Here. One dried fermented fish.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Thank you much! Y'know, I hear this is a local delicacy.
Moran 3: Hmph. Just do us both a favor and leave it in the bag. I don't need some gawky tourist hurling her guts out after one whiff.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Whoaaa, is it really that pungent?
Moran 4: Enough to send every tourist I ever met running. Fools can't appreciate the subtlety of Moran cuisine.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Gosh. When you talk it up like that, it just makes me even more curious to try it! Here we go. Baaag... OPEN!
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Gah! *cough* Ugh, it smells like Luca's socks after a full day of target practice!
Moran 2: See? That's why we all tell you people to leave well enough alone.
Moran 4: Look, I'll let you return it. Just gimme the bag, girl.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Hey now! The smell may be a little... okay, a LOT bad, but I still haven't tasted it.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: So down the hatch it goes! *NOMF* ...Mm? Mmmmmm?!
Moran 4: Yeah, yeah. You hate it. No accounting for taste with you outsiders. Just don't gag on me. I'm not looking to mop the—
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Stars above and earth below... This. Is. AMAZING!!!
Moran 2: ...Huh?
Sharpshooter Sarisse: I've never had anything like it! It's salty, it's sour, it's all over the place!
Sharpshooter Sarisse: I'm going back for another bite! *HOMF*
Moran 3: Whoa, ease up. If you wolf it down like that, the smell'll wreck your nose.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Aaaah, it stings! Sinuses...burning!
Moran 3: *sigh* I tried to warn ya.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: I couldn't help myself! And the weird thing is, I kinda...like how it feels? *CHOMP* Ha ha, it smells SO BAD! But it's so good!
Moran 2: ...Heh. You're a funny one, kid.
Luca: *huff* *pant* Dang it, Sarisse. Where the heck did you run off to this time?
Noelle: L-Luca! Over there!
Luca: What's with the crowd? Sounds like they're having a party.
Moran 4: Not bad, girly! Here, have another round, on me.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: I've never eaten crushed ice before! It's so cold, I... Oh... Oh no... BRAIN FREEZE! Owww...
Luca: Noelle. Please tell me why my sister is sitting under a snow dome eating ice with the locals.
Noelle: Th-that's, um...a local tradition here. The people of Mora do that to, er... To ward off bad luck.
Noelle: But as for why Sarisse is blending right in with them, uh... I really don't, er...
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Ah! Luca! Noelle! Check this snow dome out!
Sharpshooter Sarisse: It looks super cold, but it's actually surprisingly warm inside.
Luca: Uh... Neat? But wait, weren't you getting sick from the cold just a minute ago?
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Hm? Was I? Now that you mention it, I do vaguely...remember...
Sharpshooter Sarisse: ...that...
Luca: Sarisse?!
Luca: *sigh* What kind of genius comes to the frozen North and eats a giant bowl of ice?
Noelle: Aha ha ha... Oh, b-but she's awake now, and her, um... Her fever's broken.
Luca: That's good, at least. Once she's back on her feet, we can move on to the next spot. Hey, Sarisse? Big bro's coming in.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Aha ha ha! Look, you guys! Isn't this embroidery cute?
Moran 2: Wow, you're so good at that, Sarisse. And I've never seen knitting like that before!
Sharpshooter Sarisse: Isn't it neat? That's how we do it back in the village where I grew up.
Sharpshooter Sarisse: It's an extra-tight weave, so I bet you could use it in your windows to block the snow and wind.
Moran 3: Hey, that's not a bad idea. We don't have enough glass to set in every window, so this'll be a big help.
Moran 2: And if you used sheep's wool, I bet it'd make a nice, warm rug!
Everyone: Ha ha ha ha haaa!
Luca: She really didn't waste any time making friends here in Mora, did she?
Noelle: It's...r-really impressive. I could never pull that off.
Luca: Don't beat yourself up. She's just freakish that way. Always has been.
Noelle: Still... Being able to laugh with people as notoriously gruff as the Morans is honestly very impressive!
Luca: Can't argue with that. I'm an affable guy, sure, but Sarisse is, like...magnetic.
Luca: She's a weird little dork of a sister, but I guess she IS pretty amazing.
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