Damon stood for a few seconds observing the woman's smile, unable to decide if she was a vision, a memory, or simply a walking disaster wearing a pretty face. There was something profoundly wrong with the way she spoke of absurd subjects with the same nonchalance as someone commenting on the weather. The fact that she had just mentioned "potential catastrophes" while seeming slightly amused didn't help matters.
The wind continued to blow around them, carrying snow across the vast white expanse that seemed to have no beginning or end. The distant fortress remained motionless on the horizon, gigantic and silent, watching the two like a sleeping entity. Damon constantly felt the presence of that place pressing on his consciousness, as if the landscape itself were waiting for something.
He finally sighed and crossed his arms.
"Since you apparently know things I don't, perhaps we can start with the basics."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"The basics?"
"Your name."
