exploring the unknown world was still a bit new to indie, considering she had only been on her own for a good two months. the drive to still wander on her own kept her antsy, though. she might as well see what else the tundra had in store for her. it couldn't all just be frozen wastes, right? she was determined to find some sort of remnants of life whether it be locked up in some oversized frozen popsicle, or something actually salvageable.

she kept her thermos tightly against her side, taking sips of water every few kilometers. when she began to feel a dip in the earth, her ears perked up. ooh, i've hit something!

her pace quickened to a run as she bolted down the small hillside. she could see it like some twisted oasis. a dull building high and mighty against the strong winds. she squinted her eyes and read the faint carved words into the door aloud.

"welcomed to the cold, hungry, and sick. lay by my hearth and begin again." it was cute. she pushed the door slightly with her nose and it flung open with a gust of wind, disrupting the layer of dust and frost that had glazed over every possible surface. several windows were cracked or broken completely. the staircase leading to the second floor was broken halfway. chairs were thrown and tossed aside but... she could do something with it.

with one last glance behind her, indie would enter the inn and shut the door behind her. her gut led her to the bar, soft green eyes caught the attention of a soft glow from a cut out section in the wall above the bar.

a small candle with a light still going strong. her eyes went wide, and immediately she felt attached to the place. it could not be mere coincidence she comes across an old abandoned inn and a candle still burns at her arrival.

she quickly went to work, doing what she could to clean up. assorting the chairs that were still useful. taking out the old broken wood from the staircase and reusing wood from the broken chairs to do a semi-decent job at patching it up. she wasn't so much of a woodworker, but it would do until she had the proper tools and help. she found some wooden panels on the second floor and got to work plugging them into the cracked and broken windows. soon enough the cold drafts were no more, and her little candle still burned bright.

an old and abused fireplace was the centerpiece of the inn. it was soon ignited with the wood from the broken staircase giving the place a warm orange glow. that was definitely enough work for today. she would work on the exterior when she had the energy and her paws weren't so sore from working tirelessly.

on the bright side, she had found a nice fleece shawl along with other accessories in a chest upstairs. keeping the shawl to herself, she let the remainder of the chest as free-game. for now she rested on the countertop of the bar, listening for her tea to finish in the kettle over the fire.