Arriving to a Blizzard

The road was long and tiring; Ari switched the lights on for the dashboard since it was slowly getting darker and darker with each ten miles, switching radio stations and eventually seeing the rather daunting snow cloud floating towards the town's position.

"Cheese sarnies for my dinner, with a main course of a piece of pickle gala pie and to finish it off, a boiled sweet and a fairy cake. I hate gala pie, but the pickle improved it a little." I said since Ari and I changed to who was driving midway through the trip.

"Why does it genuinely freak you out, Joe? I think they're great!" Ari says.

"The jelly bits on the edge of the crust when they get in my mouth make me freak out and taste awful. I think the taste of plain, cold, slightly herby pork tastes even more dreadful," I reply to her while reading through a book on Elderanian legends and heroes.

Irene then brings up "A trip to the underworld is better than having that shite, dried, ration pack tuna paste that you have to add water to,"

"That stuff is bloody vile. The rations have changed during the three months we retired from the army," I mention, looking up from my book.

"Grimmest ration pack I had was the canned beef gravy Menu C ration because there was none of the good ones left," Ari said with a disgusted grunt and Irene laughed.

"That's the best ration pack though, what are you talking about~?" Irene teased Ari.

"If you think cheap dog food in gravy and tuna that tastes like it was chewed by someone, dried out and then spat onto a plate is the best one, then you are screwed in the head, Aunty," Ari answered firmly, as she has had too many a time of having to accept the C Ration with me.

Irene laughed, then asked, "Why did they carry on producing that ration then?"

"Cheap, lazy and easy to make and put into cans and those foil bags and because they're so unpopular they're abundant as well." Harold said from personal knowledge and then, adding, "it's dog and cat food essentially, since all the pet food factories got converted, the abundance of scraps made for easy frontline dinners."

"Cheers, Harry, thanks for now making me want to regurgitate my lunch." Ari mentions with a scornful reply.

"No problem." Harry replied.

It didn't help that my stomach started to stir to the idea that we were essentially eating dog food when we were on duty with those ration packs but I calmed my stomach down when I went back to relaxing with my book and discovering the history and the heroes behind these mythical weapons and idly listening to the radio.

It was only a few more miles before the sun was three-quarters of the way down before that got blocked by the immensely thick cloud and the sudden snowfall. Ari switched the fog lights on and then kept driving forward on the road, switching on that massive angled plow to move the snow out the way.

"Blizzard," I remarked quietly and then, asking Aunty Irene, "How are the injuries, Aunty Irene?"

"Better, much better still got that pain from the fractured rib, but the healing concentrate is patching it up alright. Why do you ask?"

"Just a little concerned is all. It's only been a few days, and you suddenly wanted to just go with us when we were willing to stay behind and let you heal."

"I'll be alright, Joe, honestly. Stop concerning yourself too much: A cracked rib is not slowing me down from what we really need to do," Irene responded staunchly.

"If you say so, Aunt. I won't argue."

"We're coming up to Kjelensberg, so get ready to get off, get our stuff and then get somewhere to stay. I ain't driving through a blizzard like this during the night."

"Fair enough."

"Very well."

"Fine with me." We all replied differently before finally arriving at the blizzard-stricken town and trying to spy somewhere where we can retire for the night but falling upon hard luck as nothing at all was clear.

It was then Harold's sharp eye spots, a well-crafted wooden lodge. Maybe our luck is in finally, hopefully. We were swift to park in what we could assume was a parking spot before disembarking and then getting our things from the back and leaving the storm and into the warm lobby of the hotel, shocking some staff as we looked about and walked to the front desk to a rather intimidated-looking average elf woman.

I walked up to the desk with a jovial smile and then asked, "How much for rooms for four individuals for about a night or two?"

"Ah... eh... sorry I-I'm just a little shaken by visitors that look a bit bandit-y if you understand."

"My humblest apologies, they are former military and I'm an archaeologist and archaeological executive. I am Harol-"

Aunt Irene cuts in and simplifies it "Irene Harriet, four rooms, how much for a night, maybe two?"

She nods and then says, "roughly 144 gold Eztens. Two nights, 288."

Irene then throws a bag of coin on the counter — not a word left her lips and simply nods to the bag of money and looks at the girl "So?"

After that, she nods and gets the keys from the sectioned boxes and then handing them over to us and then I nodded with an apologetic smile but shaking my head to my Aunt and then saying, as we went up the stairs, "Did you have to intimidate the poor girl and those security guards?"

"No, but I just want this night to be over quick." Aunt Irene said firmly as she was making a light jog with all her equipment.

Harry then coughs before remarking, "She makes a point, Joe. We needed to be out of that storm quickly."

I gave a sigh of defeat because I was too tired to argue between them and I needed sleep. It was a fair effort to get to our room from being sat in that truck for so long.

I opened my door and finally entered, putting my pack and luggage down and then getting out of my clothes, leaving the jacket and pants on a radiator as I slipped into bed and rested for the night.