Welcoming the Refugees

There was a celebration going on today, welcoming the newest arrival of refuges from the North. Any time a big group of them came, a warm feast was thrown, the South understanding the hard times people in the North were going through. Really, all of the Glacies were going through that rough time, but some of them understood better than most what they had to do in order to survive. They had to stand together, they had to support each other. They couldn't fly into a desperate rage, or a wailing sorrow. They had to persevere in the face of hardships. They would band together and do it, countrymen standing together. This particular town had become a living symbol of that, widely known as offering aid and homes to incoming refugees, at least for as long as they could. The town would find out what other areas had room for refugees, and then send them on their way. But first, there was the feast.

The town was easily seen for miles around, a large stone tower standing tall in the center, built on an ancient miniature castle of old. It could be a church as well, with a rather large steeple. No one knew. The building had long since became a landmark for the town, and had developed into a meeting hall of sorts. The tower was almost always lit, blazing torches attached to the sides and top, continuously watched by patrols. The torches served as a beacon to oncoming travelers, and when they came, they would be welcome with open arms. The great hall and its tower would be blazing bright, and inside, a feast would be prepared, along with games and dancing, and various other activities. After the long trek from the North, happiness would be in sort supply. The town wished to provide that.

There were other things in the town as well. A tavern, for those who wanted something hard to drink. An inn, various little trade stores, and tons of stone houses. The second largest building in the town was actually an orphanage.

Roaming inside the great hall, Tobias stared at ice sculptures that had been built for the event, marveling at the natural creations. How had someone managed to take a block of ice, and actually turn it into something so... pretty? He wanted to reach out a hand and trace the curves of each statue, just to make sure his eyes weren't lying to him... but he doubted that anyone would approve of that. Closing his slack-jaw, running a hand over his face to briefly hide his blushing cheeks, Tobias continued to step a little deeper into the great hall, his head whipping about like a little boy who had just walked into a new playground. This place was massive, and beautiful, and there were just so many people. And from what Tobias could tell, they were all dressed quite elegantly! Self-consciously blushing again, Tobias rose a hand to the bow-tie wrapped around his neck, adjusting it appropriately. He was dressed simply, with a white-button up shirt and gray suspenders, a striped grey and black sleeveless sweater vest pulled on over that. A matching pair of grey and blacked striped suspenders clothed his legs, and he had taken quite a bit of time to polish a new pair of black shoes, just for this event. Even so, he felt under-dressed. He had been invited by several of the townsfolk, and had just arrived at the great hall a few minutes ago. The refuges weren't here yet, so he was left to wander. And he was managing to look awkward while doing it.

He ducked his head low, suddenly feeling as if every eye was on him. The only thing really out of place about Tobias was that he was making himself look quite out of place, and that in itself was probably drawing a few glances. His cheeks on fire, his mind second-guessing why he had come here, he hurriedly made his way toward a long table filled with all sorts of meat. He paused as he approached it, noting some other rarities that didn't get feasted on much in the South. There was bread, wine, cocoa... Very nicely done He smiled to himself a bit, finding a plate and hurrying up and down the side of the table. He eyeballed the bread and butter with some hunger, but decided to wait until someone else close by decided to eat the fancy things. He just piled his plate high with meats. When a waiter tapped his shoulder and asked what he would drink, Tobias quickly asked about the options other than wine. Both cocoa and milk sounded delicious. After recieving a mix of both, he headed to a small table in the corner, setting down his food and drink.

Such a nice little event. There were waiters running around, food to be had, warm fires, and company. This was a sweet thing to do for the Northern refuges. Waiting a bit for more people to come in, Tobias merely sat there, bobbing his head back and forth to the pretty music, picking at his meat.