Snow-covered Peaks [Dale]

Mountain climbing certainly wasn't something everyone did just casually for fun... Not on Junction, and certainly not back home. It was more often than not too strenuous of a task for your average joe to do just on a whim. But... Lloyd was anything but your average joe. Seeing as the club was going to be closed for about two days straight due to it's owner being sick with what Lloyd could only describe as the ”Space Flu”, this gave him ample opportunity to do something he had been wanting to for a long time... which was trekking in the Mountain Bio Dome, you know... just for kicks. And it was going to take a good chunk of time... time he didn't have prior to today. So, with this newfound freedom, as short as it would last, Lloyd went through the necessary preparations for such a journey. Getting himself some mountain climbing gear, food, ways to keep himself warm and anything else he might need. Once all that was fixed, it was off to the mountains.

Now, a day after his departure, Lloyd had finally managed to get high enough to the point where it had started to snow... shiny, white flakes of snow covered him from top to bottom, making him look like some kind of man-sized yeti in the snow. Unbeknownst to him, Arnice's sleeping fire abilities kept him safe and warm, despite the biting cold that surrounded the young man. With every breath he took, a thin veil of mist followed, forming long lines of smoke as he climbed up. Normally, a human his size wouldn't have even made it 3/4ths of the distance he had managed to leave behind him on day 1.

Heaving himself over the edge of a cliff, Lloyd stared up into the bright blue sky above, panting heavily. Even he had his limits. Maybe it was best to take a short break. After a few minutes, the man got back up, and started working on making a small campsite for himself. He would need a bit of shelter from the biting winds of the night, and considering the vast distance he still had ahead of him, there was no point in trying to push his luck, as much as he wanted to. Arnice made sure to convince him that staying here for the rest of the day was a good move. Once the campsite had been set up, Lloyd sat down on his pack-stool, opening up his first ration for the day. Sure, they weren't exactly delicious, but they provided with much needed nutrition and energy that complaining about the poor taste wasn't something you would do in a situation like this. And all he had now was himself, and Arnice for company... or at least, that's what he thought.

Once more, curiosity about the biodome had gotten the best of Dale. The snowy surroundings, the rising peaks, the...everything about it captured his ill-felt sense of wonder. There was nothing like this where he had come from. Just the buildings...and even then, none so high as the mountaintops here.
He had to investigate. They called to him.

And thus, Dale was stuck lost and out in the cold for the SECOND time in as many visits. And somehow, he'd ended up even further afield than last time.

Dale looked down into his shirt, at the mechanical pooch nestled within. "Ch-ch-ch-ch-chIIIIIIp..." Perfect. The cold was messing with his voice again. "St-O-p me neee-eee-eee-xt time."

In the distance, he saw something set up...just shapes in the snow, admittedly, but from this angle, it didn't look like anything living. He approaches, in hopes of finding something that would help.

Being up on a snowy mountainside all alone was oddly relaxing, despite the biting cold and somewhat thin atmosphere. Maybe it was just the general lack of noise which made it feel so tranquil? The view from here was absolutely breathtaking. Clear skies, the sun shining on the white mountains giving it this shimmering glow that was gorgeous to look at from up here. Looking down the range, Lloyd realized just how far he had gotten. Taking a bite out of his ration, the adrenaline junkie's eyes scanned the surroundings, not for any threats, but rather to just behold the natural beauty of this bio dome. Whoever had made this a reality was a genius. Even Arnice didn't make much noise either. She was quiet, just enjoying the overall feel of the place just as much as Lloyd did.

"Hm?" Lloyd looked up when the silence was broken by someone moving in the distance, talking to something or someone. Due to the distance, it was a bit difficult to tell what was being said... not that it really mattered. The ex-Bishop stood up, keeping the ration clasped between his teeth as he waved in the general direction of the new arrivals. Turns out that Lloyd wasn't the only person in the subspace mad enough to make this climb. Whoever this was might need a bit of shelter from the cold.

As he approached, Dale was able to pick up on the movement as the shapes became clearer. A figure rising and waving to him, off in the distance.
So there was someone there.
It was still his best chance right now...he needed to keep going.
Dale approaches the camp, arms wrapped around his body and going under his suit jacket. It made little difference to how warm he was, but a little was more than none.
...he hated drawing attention to himself, but he didn't know how to get out.
"Who-Oooo-Oooo's theeeeRE?" Dale's voice stuttered and juddered, warping unnaturally.

"Bro. I'm not some kind of yeti. You cold or what?" Lloyd asked, gesturing the man, or whatever it was, closer. It's voice beiong some warped it was kind of hard to tell what it was. "Just get into my tent. It's warmer in there." Thanks to the technological marvels of Junction, the interior of his tent was comfortably warm... or at least, it should be in a matter of minutes. "The name's Lloyd. Lloyd Storm. I'm from the Middle Ward in town, in case ya' wondering." Some company would sure be nice. And Arnice didn't like seeing this thing struggle so in the biting cold alone.

"Whaaaa-whaaaa-whaaAAAAAAA-t's a 'yeti'?" As he came closer, it looked...like a normal person, other than the arm. "R-r-r-riiiiight."
Normally he wouldn't even consider it, but the cold really was bad for him right now. He's quick to hurry in, noticing the difference quickly enough inside the tent. "Nuu-Nuu-Not cold..." He sighs, the sound cutting out repeatedly. "Not collllld."
He doesn't respond for a while as he warms up.

"Oh, right... Uhm... a yeti is a big, hairy snow-monster." Lloyd replied, having forgotten that yetis weren't exactly common knowledge around Junction. Even now, it was easy to forget that things he took for granted might be something completely new and unknown to everyone else around him. "Not that it's really important. Just wait inside the Tent. I'll join you in a few." He replied, nodding towards the tent, giving Dale some time for himself to at least warm up, or in Dale's actual case, fix his voice box. Lloyd had to at least finish his food, and accidentally spilling some inside the very expensive tent didn't exactly seem like a good idea, especially not considering that it was a brand new purchase on his part. Once he had finished his ration, Lloyd clambered inside the tent as well, being large enough for the two of them. "So, what are you doing out here all alone?" Lloyd asked curiously. Now that the tent was fully closed, any and all sound from the harsh wind outside died out. These high-tech tents were nothing short of a technological marvel. Not only did they keep out the cold, but it was also self-generating heat as well as being completely wind-proof. If only they had tents like these back on Aurendal. "Are you just as insane as I am, hiking up this mountain just for kicks? Or do you have some buissness here? I'm just curious... Haven't seen hide nor hair of anyone capable of speech for the last 24 hours or so."

Dale looks Lloyd up and down with alarm at the explanation. "NoooOOooo...no-ot a yeee-tiiiiiii."

The android watches Lloyd warily as he enters the tent. In the enclosed space here, he could see little of his surroundings the way he usually did...an unnerving feeling for the bot, given he could probably tear through the tent easily - and other things could too. The way it cut out the sound meant he couldn't hear anything coming here either...
A fairly nightmarish scenario for him, only alleviated by the fact this place was the only warm place he could find, and that in his mind, anything out there would probably suffer as much in the cold as he did.
With little else to fixate on, Lloyd ends up taking the brunt of Dale's tense gaze, his eyes not flicking about the way they normally would. "...pretty place. One I never saw before here. Pulled me in again...got me lost again. Foot marks gone, so...can't even follow those." He really should have learned the first time...

Lloyd gave the Android a somewhat amused, yet understanding look. "Yeah, I get what you mean. The view here is quite special, and rare, considering how difficult it is to get up here. It's no easy feat, unless you get up here by flying like a cheater." The young man chuckled heartily, glad to see this man recovering from the cold outside so quickly. "Yeah... here it's quite easy to get lost. After a while, everything starts looking very samey with all the snow-covered rocks and rubble. Once the skies clear, you should be able to find your way back. I'm still aiming for the top though. I wouldn't be satisfied with just quitting here." Which was very true. The whole appeal of this idea was the endeavour, the achievement and of course the incredible view, not to mention bragging rights (that he'd never use. Not that kind of guy). "I don't think I ever caught your name... Mind sharing? Or is it a secret to everyone?"

Curiosity flashes across Dale's eyes. "What's a cheater, and how do they fly? Could I do it?" Flying seemed so good to have. He wanted it, he really did, but he just didn't know how he could. It would make getting away from things so much easier.
For a moment, Dale seems confused, before the pieces come together in his mind and the information is filed away. Snow. That's what the cold white stuff was. "Why go up there? To the top? Is it that much better?"
At his words, he looks at Lloyd again with confusion of a different kind. "How do you catch names...? What happens when you catch them? Do you just have that name now?" His head tilts to the side. "And it's not a secret to everybody...other people know I'm called Dale, so it can't be a secret to everybody."