The whispers started low. Small murmurs of disgust and seeds of rumours, circling around to avoid the man in the town square, the traffic around the fountain flowing around like a whirlpool. Compared to the rest of the town, which was loud, friendly and full of life, the circle in the middle of town seemed almost like a funeral in how grim it was, even children hushing their voices as they passed. Like the snow, the words of the townsfolk were light and meaningless.
Once they came to the third day, people began to worry. It wasn't unusual for beggars to set up camp around a part of town, especially considering how well off they were. What was more confusing was that the man hadn't moved an inch outside of a slight shiver here or there. He simply stared forward blankly, his eyes devoid of life. The whispers started to escalate and the guards, doing their best to prove their worth, attempted to communicate with the man. Despite their best efforts, it seemed to be no use; words and sign language seemed to go out one ear and out the other. His coat was identified as one that was mysteriously foreign; the furs that lined the top were the bright grey of the Winter Wolf, a species of canine that had collectively migrated further south from Leoteca after almost going extinct from over hunting. That left the question; was the strange man from Kinvep, or had they somehow gotten their hands on a coat from over three hundred years ago?
+++
"Tea?"
"Yes, thank you dearie."
The secretary nodded, pouring a steady stream of light brown liquid from the elegant china into the mayor's special tea cup, an item that only came out during the particularly stressful times of year. The mayor picked up her cup carefully, lifting it to her lips gracefully before swallowing the cup whole, seemingly immune to the scalding liquid that had vanished into her throat.
"How do you…"
"It comes with experience. Pour me another, won't you?"
The secretary nodded, pouring out another cup nervously. It was rare to see the mayor not take her time with her favourite flavours, which meant…
"I really don't want to deal with this, you know? Why did a wacko have to come NOW, of all times. We've already got our hands full with Sarabatori coming up, plus there's the influx of new residents constantly flowing in and I…"
"Just really need a break? I think we all need that, ma'am."
The mayor nodded solemnly, taking a slow, long sip of her tea before placing her cup back on the table and standing back up with a new wave of conviction. She marched over to the window to glance towards the fountain, immediately irritated to see that the figure was still simply sitting there.
"I was honestly hoping he would have disappeared by now. Or died."
The secretary walked to the window next to the mayors, pressing her forehead against the glass while still holding the teapot with both hands. She couldn't help but find that she pitied the stranger, feeling distraught when she thought of how lonely he must be. He was completely alone, his only companion the biting cold and the mist that came from each breath.
"There are a lot of rumours going around about him, you know. A lot of the kids think he's part of the Sarabatori celebration."
The mayor turned towards the secretary and raised a doubting eyebrow, before turning back towards the stranger.
"I could see children making something like that up and finding it believable. Tell me, what rumours are the adults spreading. I might need to address them in a speech later on."
"Some people think that he's a spy."
"That's absurd. What sort of spy sits in the middle of town and puts three hundred pairs of eyes on themselves every hour?"
"A lot of the women believe that they're an outcast noble, or maybe even a prince."
"They think babyface over there is a noble? If he was a pampered child, he would have definitely cracked by now, pride be dammed. Next."
"There's a dedicated few that think he's some sort of magic user. Can't say what though."
"Magic? Are you joking?"
Seeing the mayor turn towards her, the secretary stood up straight and shook her head. For a moment the mayor's stern expression remained still, but eventually she burst out into laughter, wheezing energetically despite her old age.
"Ah, I bet you're talking about Elvan, right? He's an absolute nut, I'll tell you. I can't wait to talk to Yan about this, it's absolute gold.
The secretary looked on somewhat shocked, but as the laughter faded, one large question circled around in her mind, screaming for an answer. As the mayor began to recover, the secretary blurted it out, skipping straight past the social cues that would normally silence her while the mayor had her moment of fun
"Ma'am? How do you plan on dealing with this stranger?"
The mayor immediately stopped laughing, before looking back out the window. Taking a glance at the evening sun slowly beginning its process of sinking into the horizon, she took hold of both sides of the curtain and sighed.
"We do this."
The mayor closed the curtains in one swift motion, before making her way back to her desk. She sat back down onto her chair, stretching out her legs for a moment before looking back towards the secretary.
"That can wait for tomorrow. Grab the list of citizens, would you? I need a woodworker."
The mayor stretched her arms as the secretary began to leave the room, before calling out to her once more.
"Oh, could I get another cup please?"
+++
The secretary, now wearing a coat and boots, opened the door to the mayor's office only to be blasted by cold air, the winter night not being cold to anyone who dressed lightly like herself. Jumping backwards slightly out of shock, she hesitated for a moment before leaping forward, forcing herself into starting her trek back home through the ankle high snow. At her first intersection, she quickly looked towards the right and left, debating to herself whether or not to talk the short or longer way back home. However, on that day the cold nipped at her just enough to convince her that a shorter trek would be worth it. Lengthening her stride to make up for lost time, she headed towards the town centre.
As she entered the open area, her eyes immediately latched onto the man, who was now covered in at least a centimetre of snow which covered his shoulders and head. Despite his face almost being a pale blue, his lifeless gaze seemed like it wasn't going anywhere. She immediately looked away, doing her best to ignore him as she passed by, leaving the town square and towards her home.
That is what she would have done, but something in her decided that today was a little different.
After passing him, she slowed down, turning around and stopping directly in front of him. Placing two hands on his face, she looked into his hollow eyes and spoke.
"Would you like to come to my place and have some tea?"
Surprisingly, the man nodded.
+++
"I hope this suits your tastes. If I half dragged you out in the cold for you to not like it, I'm going to be moderately disappointed."
The man sipped in silence, finishing his cup before smiling weakly. Some of the life in his eyes had returned and the colour in his face wasn't the pale ghostly white that it had been before. He sat with his feet up on the seat, his arms poking in between his legs in an uncomfortable looking position.
"Why were you out there, anyway?"
"I ran away from home. I wasn't sure where else to go, so I went to the fountain."
"Why did you go to the fountain?"
"I don't know."
The secretary frowned for a moment as she rummaged through her cupboard, finding a stack of plain biscuits wrapped in a slightly fancy paper. She tore the wrapping open neatly, offering a few to the stranger who gobbled them down quickly and messily.
"Why did you run away from home?"
"I felt lonely, even when there were people there."
"Is there a reason for that?��
The stranger shrugged, his attention focused more on the snacks than the conversation. For a few seconds, the secretary looked on in silence, not sure where to go with her impromptu interrogation.
"There are some people who think you're a spy. Is that true?"
The stranger shook his head childishly, continuing to nibble on his biscuits.
"Are you some sort of noble? There are rumours saying that you're an exile."
"Bleh, I hate nobles. They're mean and icky."
The secretary silently agreed to the statement, although the wording choice was much milder than the way she would personally put it.
"Then how about ma…"
"You've asked me so many questions. Now it's my turn."
The secretary paused, completely shocked by the sudden turn that their talk had taken, but she felt like she understood enough of the strangers mannerisms to make the right choice.
"Sure. The floor is yours."
The stranger suddenly seemed to get shy, his eyes pointed towards the ground and his body shrinking inwards, still nibbling away at his final biscuit.
"Why did you bring me here and treat me nicely?"
"Well, that's because you looked lonely. I can't leave someone like that alone, can I?"
The stranger smiled and the tension seemed to leave his body, now finally sinking into his seat instead of having his knees up as some sort of protection. He stopped nibbling onto the biscuit like it was his only means of survival and finally spoke without his mouth partially full for the first time since he had gotten his hands onto her hospitality.
"May I have another cup of tea please?"
The secretary smiled, standing up and turning around to retrieve her kettle. When she turn around, her front door was wide open and the stranger was gone, only leaving a slightly nibbled biscuit in his wake.