Wan followed easily, keeping up without any trouble and practically ghosting over the snow. He barely left any prints and if any real attention was paid to him, the Brucolac might be able to notice the oddly focused breeze that surrounded, picked up, and pushed Wan along with every step.
"I can remove the water and take it back to sea if you want," he offered. "Or if you want something else done with it, made into fencing, steps or something else, I can do that, too. Have you ever built a house out of ice blocks? They can actually keep you really warm if you keep a fire going inside them. And even if they're temporary, they'll be decent roofs overhead while the winter stays."
There was a short pause before he grinned and slid himself around in front of the Brucolac as though he were on skates - which, he kind of was since his feet now had some ice wrapped around them like frozen shoes - to 'walk' backwards as they went, "You know what, I'll ask the people near the shore what they'd like done. If the road isn't that long, I'll probably be done in a half hour or so. And as long as the snow doesn't fall, the road should stay clear. But like I said before, with the lockets, I can come back every few days and make sure it stays clear so long as the winter stays around. You said something about paying people who could do that in gold, right? Don't worry about paying me until this ends."
With that said, Wan gave a wave and was off, skating on the literal ice skates down the road toward the beach. He reached out to either side as he skated past and the ice and snow melted into water that followed after him. At first they were like ribbons trailing behind and as more and more water was added to them, they grew into what seemed to be waves chasing him back toward the ocean. The road was more than clear in his wake. Clearer than even fire melting the ice could make it and no need for salt for the immediate future. When the snow fell again, that would be a problem, certainly. But there was now time for that to be done if the people of the settlement had the ability to do so.
Wan did not stop at the construction on his first pass. He could only carry so much water with him and while he was perfectly able to defrost the road, he did need to dump it before he went after more. The ocean would serve that need perfectly well and as he sent the water behind him to join the larger body, he skated over the frozen waves to unfreeze the creaking ice flows that clogged the bay. Once again he felt frustrated that he had to get as close to all that ice as he did just to connect to it with his chi and manipulate it. It really should have been easier. But it was what it was. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment and he had bigger worries.
Once the water was put into the ocean, he skated back across the softly churning waves as though it were solid ground and to the construction site. He quickly introduced himself to the people who were watching with more than a little awe at how easily he moved the water. A polite bow to those nearest and a wave to those further back. With little preamble he got to the point, finding out what was the most important things to defrost first and going from there. The effort had him sweating within twenty minutes, but he didn't stop until the whole of the port and the shelters set up on the beach and the land just beyond were cleared of frost and snow. When he was done, it looked more like the proper spring it should have than most of the land around the settlement. Wan took his leave then, walking back to the spire proper before leaving through the fairy ring at a leisurely pace that let him rest.
--
He returned as promised. Every couple days during the month (sans about a week around the middle when he wasn't close enough to a fairy ring to come through), he returned either from the La Llorona Ring or the Station Ring. Those other times he mostly checked in with the construction overseer at the port and said hello to the families he'd started to get to know. Some days the roads (and occasionally the people) were harder to defrost than others. The Roc's influence on the weather was unpredictable even day to day. But it was obvious the settlement retained a great deal of aid from others, not just Wan alone.
When the freeze finally broke, Wan returned for the last time during the very start of April. He came to settle his account. He'd been promised gold for his efforts and gold he intended to collect. Though when paid it, only one piece actually made it into his belt. The rest he took to the streets with and started handing out to the people of the small town that was well on it's way to becoming a city. He didn't have enough to give to everyone, but those families he knew had lost someone to the freeze and those who were less well off than others, they got a couple pieces. Those at the ports whose homes had been destroyed by the weight of ice and who had little in the way of shelter for themselves, they got a couple pieces. The gold went quickly and Wan left quietly when it did.
no subject
"I can remove the water and take it back to sea if you want," he offered. "Or if you want something else done with it, made into fencing, steps or something else, I can do that, too. Have you ever built a house out of ice blocks? They can actually keep you really warm if you keep a fire going inside them. And even if they're temporary, they'll be decent roofs overhead while the winter stays."
There was a short pause before he grinned and slid himself around in front of the Brucolac as though he were on skates - which, he kind of was since his feet now had some ice wrapped around them like frozen shoes - to 'walk' backwards as they went, "You know what, I'll ask the people near the shore what they'd like done. If the road isn't that long, I'll probably be done in a half hour or so. And as long as the snow doesn't fall, the road should stay clear. But like I said before, with the lockets, I can come back every few days and make sure it stays clear so long as the winter stays around. You said something about paying people who could do that in gold, right? Don't worry about paying me until this ends."
With that said, Wan gave a wave and was off, skating on the literal ice skates down the road toward the beach. He reached out to either side as he skated past and the ice and snow melted into water that followed after him. At first they were like ribbons trailing behind and as more and more water was added to them, they grew into what seemed to be waves chasing him back toward the ocean. The road was more than clear in his wake. Clearer than even fire melting the ice could make it and no need for salt for the immediate future. When the snow fell again, that would be a problem, certainly. But there was now time for that to be done if the people of the settlement had the ability to do so.
Wan did not stop at the construction on his first pass. He could only carry so much water with him and while he was perfectly able to defrost the road, he did need to dump it before he went after more. The ocean would serve that need perfectly well and as he sent the water behind him to join the larger body, he skated over the frozen waves to unfreeze the creaking ice flows that clogged the bay. Once again he felt frustrated that he had to get as close to all that ice as he did just to connect to it with his chi and manipulate it. It really should have been easier. But it was what it was. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment and he had bigger worries.
Once the water was put into the ocean, he skated back across the softly churning waves as though it were solid ground and to the construction site. He quickly introduced himself to the people who were watching with more than a little awe at how easily he moved the water. A polite bow to those nearest and a wave to those further back. With little preamble he got to the point, finding out what was the most important things to defrost first and going from there. The effort had him sweating within twenty minutes, but he didn't stop until the whole of the port and the shelters set up on the beach and the land just beyond were cleared of frost and snow. When he was done, it looked more like the proper spring it should have than most of the land around the settlement. Wan took his leave then, walking back to the spire proper before leaving through the fairy ring at a leisurely pace that let him rest.
--
He returned as promised. Every couple days during the month (sans about a week around the middle when he wasn't close enough to a fairy ring to come through), he returned either from the La Llorona Ring or the Station Ring. Those other times he mostly checked in with the construction overseer at the port and said hello to the families he'd started to get to know. Some days the roads (and occasionally the people) were harder to defrost than others. The Roc's influence on the weather was unpredictable even day to day. But it was obvious the settlement retained a great deal of aid from others, not just Wan alone.
When the freeze finally broke, Wan returned for the last time during the very start of April. He came to settle his account. He'd been promised gold for his efforts and gold he intended to collect. Though when paid it, only one piece actually made it into his belt. The rest he took to the streets with and started handing out to the people of the small town that was well on it's way to becoming a city. He didn't have enough to give to everyone, but those families he knew had lost someone to the freeze and those who were less well off than others, they got a couple pieces. Those at the ports whose homes had been destroyed by the weight of ice and who had little in the way of shelter for themselves, they got a couple pieces. The gold went quickly and Wan left quietly when it did.