Surtr

'Sami blesses and protects us all. It is everywhere, and ever watchful over Its children.

'Every tree, every blade of grass in this tundra is part of It, and through them It guides us. Even in distant lands, It reaches through these mediums to aid us in troubled times.

'So what do you say? A handcrafted Sami spirit stone? Even the great Arges bought one, you know.', A certain incorrigible Sami peddler

As Surtr, amidst the heart of the blizzard, prepared to leave the icefields' depths, Sami gave her a gift.

Slowly, the sheaves of frozen runes revealed to her melted, crumbled, and a stone of crystal ice fell at her feet.

As if compelled, Surtr picked it up, and found it not nearly as bone-chilling as its looks suggested. Even as the blizzard bathed it, it pulsed with a warmer rhythm. Almost a familiar one. The rhythm of life.

Such a familiar feeling. She looked at the sword in her hand, staring at the molten core within it.

Bringing the crystal to her sword, Surtr could feel... another self stirring, a voice crying out, 'Damn you, take that thing away! Get it out of my sight!'

So, Surtr bought one of those locally handcrafted Sami pendants, discarded its useless rock, and replaced it with the crystal. She wound the rope around the sword's hilt.

With every step forward, the pendant and hilt would knock together in rhythm, clank, clank. This annoyed her other self greatly, haughty yet powerless to resist.

In the back of her mind, Surtr couldn't help but laugh at it.

She knew it was a seething, scorching sort, easy to irritate, hated cold things the way one might hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

It was why she'd always loved ice cream, and all cold refreshments alike.

Clank, clank, Surtr knocked the pendant on the blade a few times, and it gave a few violent shakes in response, before settling down once more. The crystal's blue light bathed the blade's flame red, smothering it somewhat.

Thank you, Sami.

She could feel its blaze becoming wrath, increasingly unable to bear being slighted so, as if saying, 'You fool! You would choose this most pathetic, most damnable of means to get back at me!'

Nonsense.

She'd never considered its minor griping a threat, with or without Sami's help.

She's never seen her fiery powers as a blessing, nor has she ever felt restricted by the chaos that is her memory. Headstrong and self-centered, she disregards and cherishes as she sees fit.

Feranmut fragment? Big deal. Just shut it in front of me.

As she visited the new dormitory in Victoria, Surtr knew much had happened to Rhodes Island while she was away.

Her new room was clean and tidy. Just as the message she received on her return journey had said, there were no decorations other than the personal belongings she had kept in her old room. It was so simple it felt almost cold.

Her personal belongings were few: a few health monitoring instruments, some clothing, and everyday items.

But there was also a strange box on a table in the middle of the room, looking decidedly out of place.

She opened the box and read the letter inside. Apparently, it contained gifts that the other operators had left her.

You're going to Sami? Then take this self-heating travel mug. I also included the recipes for a few hot drinks you can make on your own to keep yourself warm out there!, Hibiscus

'...But I just got back from Sami.'

I heard you can't remember your past either. This is my old recording terminal. Maybe you can use it to keep a log of important memories while you're traveling., Rosmontis

'She must have misunderstood my memory disorder. But sure, I could use it to record sights and sounds on my travels.'

Thank you for helping out with the combat simulations. This is a Blacksteel custom-made battery-powered portable ice-maker, so that you can have cold drinks even while you're traveling!, Jessica

'But it doesn't come with any batteries... Although I suppose this chunk of ice from Sami will fit in it.'

There was also a camping stove from Meteorite, a travel bag from another operator, and various other items she sorted through one by one.

Surtr found herself rather pleased at the sight of a whole table covered with things that seemed useful, but really weren't.

She was never a talkative person, nor particularly eager to help others. She disliked trouble and never used to go out of her way for strangers, not when she had plenty on her plate already.

But now, as part of Rhodes Island, she realized that she had so many people around her who cared about her.

This sort of relationship was unfamiliar, but not unwelcome.

She put her usual terminal, clothes, and other travel items in the storage cabinet, and set aside space in her backpack for the recording terminal she had never used before, the ice-maker she was not sure would work, the unfamiliar camping stove, the self-heating mug... She wanted to bring them with her, rather than leave them in her room.

She picked up the backpack with a frown. It was rather heavy.

But this way, she would certainly remember the ones who gave these to her, no matter where she went.