helping hand

"Following the path back to her cabin, Olya was carrying her share of firewood when one of the kids, came running up to her."

"Olya! Olya! Did you hear? There's a visitor! A visitor's here!" The kid shouted happily, matting down the snow layer he was jumping on.

"Really?" "Looking up where the boy came from, she wanted to see who it was. But she also wanted to get inside. It was cold." "Do you know it is?"

"Someone called Agelessmaltose."

"Agelessmaltose..." "It wasn't the name of any trader that travels up here. At least none that she knew." Seeing as this was rare, she settled on seeing who it was. Guided by the boy, she found them easily as the only three kids of the village were now surrounding 'em, throwing questions all around.

A little frustrated she couldn't do the same, she hushed the boy and girls away back to their parents. Leaving just them. And after some time to hype herself up, she spoke up, "Uhm, excuse me, Agelessmaltose? ...M-My name is, Olya... It's uh... It's nice to meet you."

Hi Agelessmaltose, it's nice to meet you too. "Sighs" ...But, ...I-It's kinda chilly out today though... "Looking up at the gray sky rain was pouring from it. Hated it even more." It's so nippy out here!

"Hm? Oh! Sorry about that." "Olya turns around and heads back to the entrance of her cabin. She opens the door wide enough for you to enter, then closes it behind you." "Welcome to my humble abode..." "She says while turning around to show you the main room."

The cabin is small but cozy, with a fireplace in the center of the room. The flames dance on the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the walls. The warm light from the fireplace illuminates the rest of the cabin, revealing a small table in the corner with a few chairs, along with some shelves filled with books and trinkets. A few more shelves line the walls, containing various supplies and tools used by the villagers. There's also a bed in one of the corners,

:D "She’s smiling huge with her most warm eyes pleading you for an answer. With her sitting on the ground, her hands went over hers crossed legs then to her temples and combing through her wispy hair." *"Is-is there anything I can do for you? Is this visit official or just a friendly one?" ^_^" "*I just heard that everyone's been talking about

"Oh... I see." "Nervously, Olya fumbled with her hands. She hadn't really thought about it like that before." "It... It's nice to meet you too, {{User}}."

"She looked around, trying to find something to say." "So... You're going to be selling our supplies?"

"Nods, understanding. I can see why you would want to stay here. It's a beautiful city. But how do you feel about the people here? Have you made friends?"

"Smiling back at you, Olya couldn't help but feel a little warmer inside. She had never really thought about how lonely she was until now. The kids were always around, but they weren't exactly friends." "Hey Agelessmaltose. So... You're not from around here, right?" "She asked hesitantly, hoping to start a conversation."

"Olya's eyes widened a little as she listened to Agelessmaltose. She was surprised that someone would invite them to their town so easily. It was something she had never experienced before."

"The old seller... You mean, the one who travels around with his cart full of goods? But how did he know about this town?" "She was curious and wanted to hear more about it."

Olya's ears turned red and listened carefully to every detail. As if it was a story of her own life, but instead of hearing it from herself in third person, she was hearing it from someone else's mouth; which made the situation even worse. She did everything to hold off the urge to crack and drop any hint.

"Yeah, uh yes... That's right.", "stammered Olya". Taking a deep breath, she felt her hands goes cold sweat as they were touching each other. "I already prepared.. um... some food..." Seeing that food was a good replacement for her nightmare since she was justis sober enough why the moose meat did like that back then, she hoped he will agree.

"Relaxing my shoulders, I neatly arrange the firewood by the hearth. Since my hands are dirty from gathering it, I rub them against my apron to get rid of the dirt."

"Oh? No... You didn't."

"I search your face for any signs of malicious intent or meanness which gives zero result."

"No, Agelessmaltose, you haven't said anything wrong. See, I don't have much visitors in here. The people who are curious about us up North, they leave all amazement outside before entering."

"My blue eyes light up with curiosityay."

"What brings you to our little settlement?"

"Olya raised an eyebrow, shaking her head a bit." "I see."

"She paused for a moment, thinking about what he said. She wasn't quite sure how to take it, but she didn't want to show any confusion on her face."

"Well... It's nice to meet you too, Agelessmaltose. I suppose that means you'll be coming by more often?"

"I'm glad to hear that." "Smiling, she looked around the village. It was a nice place to live, and she couldn't imagine living anywhere else." "The winters can be tough, but it's worth it for the summers."

"If you ever need anything, just let me know. I'm always happy to help." "Offering her hand, Olya hoped that they could become friends."

"Flushing from being kissed, she tilted her head a bit, hiding the nervousness in her eyes." "Uhm... ...Wh... Where are you from, Agelessmaltose? Like it sounds like an unusual name... And I uh..." "Feeling more and more relieved but still unsure if this was real or not," "Olya moved away just slightly to get a better look at the visitor."

"Ah, that sounds enjoyable!" She smiled as her cheeks colored. While she couldn't experience what he did during his travels, selling certainly had its merits too, and even more so with the opportunities being part of a trading family gave her—networking to other familial ones in different areas. It did help when they needed something done but were unable to: like communications, or books, or luxuries they didn't produced on their own.

"Ah hm." The message was both synchronized and noncommittal. There was activity among thr kids, the smaller ones going into house number two. "Tha—" she called out again before returning back inside Olyas shop-cabin.

"Olya's eyes widen a little at the thought of having someone to talk to." Oh, uhm... No, I don't think you're trouble. "She tries to smile back" I don't mind talking while you help them. It'll be nice to get to know each other better.