text: [Themes: Romance, conversation]
  
  > describe your surroundings
  Forest Clearing (lying on the ground)
  Snow-coated evergreen trees surround you on all sides, their roots tangling into rugged black rocks. Snow falls from the bright white sky above.
  
  The canopy of your parachute is suspended in the branches of a tree, like a giant, tattered spider's web.
  
  A dead icekin lies in the snow, steam rising from its pooling blood.
  
  Imelda watches you intently.
  
  Imelda looks down at your leg. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"
  
  "I think it's broken."
  
  She kneels down by your side. "Let me take a look."
  
  "Be sure to look twice as long," you advise her, "since you just have the one eye."
  
  She purses her lips. "You're right. I'll do that."
  
  "Ow!"
  
  "Yeah, it's broken alright."
  
  "Thanks, doctor."
  
  "I'll have to see about making a splint. And then I guess you'll have to lean on me, if you don't mind."
  
  "Anything to help you feel useful."
  
  Downed Triplane (lying on the ground)
  A scarlet triplane lies half-buried in the snow, leaning to one side. You're huddled beneath its slanting wing, mostly sheltered from the freezing wind and falling snow.
  
  Imelda is huddled close by your side.
  
  "It's getting dark," Imelda says. "We'll have to stay here at least for tonight, and then move on tomorrow morning if the weather lets up."
  
  > About yourself
  You're Lucas Thane: daredevil fighter ace, knight of the air.
  
  "By the way," Imelda says, "why exactly did you feel the need to fly into me?"
  
  "That's funny," you reply. "I thought that you were the one who flew into me."
  
  The triplane rocks slightly in the wind.
  
  > Kiss imelda
  You're not about to kiss the enemy without at least a hint that she'd like you to.
  
  Imelda sighs, her breath hanging in front of her like a delicate cloud.
  
  > ask Imelda about the splint
  You meet Imelda's eye and she looks at you expectantly.
  
  You chat briefly with Imelda, but find out nothing important.
  
  > ask Imelda about the leg
  "Is my leg going to be okay, do you think?"
  
  Imelda affects nervousness. "Well, I was trying not to let you know, but I think it's going to be fatal. If you have any last minute confessions of love to tell to someone, you should probably do it sooner rather than later."
  
  You shrug. "No, nothing like that."
  
  She folds her arms. "Oh. I see."
  
  Your breath leaves little clouds in the air.
  
  > ask Imelda about the love
  You clear your throat. "So, Imelda, how are things with the men in your life?"
  
  "Do you mean my male friends among the Sky Mercenaries? Or are you sneakily trying to ask about us?"
  
  Snow continues to drift down from above.
  
  > ask Imelda about us
  "Imelda, about us..."
  
  She looks down at her feet. "What about us?"
  
  "Well, what's your take on it? Why do we keep circling around one another? In the air or otherwise."
  
  Still without looking at you, she says, "I can't really remember how we first met, except that I suddenly realised this plane from the 5th Imperial Air Squadron kept seeking me out to duel with me, probably because I'm an obvious target in my scarlet plane. I usually brought down every enemy plane I came across, but you always managed to escape. I only shot you down that once. I started to research you, found out who you were, started to learn your flying style, had a chance to kill you, but didn't take it, and then flew into you in the middle of a snowstorm. And now here we are."
  
  There's a pause, and then she adds, "But that's not what you asked, really, is it? That's just the story of us - I didn't mention my feelings at all." She smiles apologetically.
  
  A chill wind passes under the wing, making you both shiver.
  
  > ask Imelda about the feelings
  "So what are your feelings for me?"
  
  Imelda remains strangely silent, just looks at you with an ambiguous expression. If you want to press the matter, perhaps you should tell her about your feelings.
  
  > tell Imelda about your feelings
  You cough. "Imelda, I just wanted to say that..."
  
  (You could tell her you're in love with her, or tell her she's like your best friend.)
  
  > tell Imelda about the feelings
  You cough. "Imelda, I just wanted to say that..."
  
  > tell Imelda about the love
  You chat briefly with Imelda, but find out nothing important.
  
  You rub your hands together to try to keep them warm.
  
  > tell Imelda you're in the love
  The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT TOPIC (or just A TOPIC).
  
  "By the way," Imelda says, "you're not really dying."
  
  "I know," you reply.
  
  "Just thought I'd check."
  
  A chill wind passes under the wing, making you both shiver.
  
  > tell Imelda you're in the love with her
  The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT TOPIC (or just A TOPIC).
  
  > ask Imelda about the love
  You clear your throat. "So, Imelda, how are things with the men in your life?"
  
  "Do you mean my male friends among the Sky Mercenaries? Or are you sneakily trying to ask about us?"
  
  > tell Imelda about your feelings
  You cough. "Imelda, I just wanted to say that..."
  
  The triplane rocks slightly in the wind.
  
  (You could tell her you're in love with her, or tell her she's like your best friend.)
  
  > tell Imelda you're in love with her
  The story doesn't understand that command. Please use ASK ACTOR ABOUT TOPIC (or just A TOPIC).
  
  You rub your hands together to try to keep them warm.
  
  > ask Imelda about the icekin
  "You know, I'd never seen an icekin up close before today."
  
  Imelda laughs. "Count yourself lucky. Icekin come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have pointy teeth and empty stomachs. Just be glad this was a feral with a blunt knife. It'd gut you and eat you, and that's it. The Ice Queen's trained icekin soldiers, on the other hand, now you really don't want them to take you prisoner."
  
  Your breath leaves little clouds in the air.
  
  > tell Imelda about the feelings
  You cough. "Imelda, I just wanted to say that..."
  
  (You could tell her you're in love with her, or tell her she's like your best friend.)
  
  > tell her you're in the love with her
  You decide to just say it. You don't even look at her. "Imelda, I'm in love with you."
  
  She refrains from looking at you either. "I'm in love with you too," she states, matter-of-factly. "It makes perfect sense, I think. We're young, we're forced to deal with one another repeatedly in intense, passionate, but graceful and playful circumstances, we understand the stresses, the fears we each experience, we both love flying... and so we grow attracted to one another."
  
  The two of you lean closer as she speaks, your lips brushing together. "My lips are numb," you complain.
  
  She shushes you. "Let me warm them up."
  
  After a while, you lean back, faces flushed, sitting perhaps a little closer than before.
  
  Imelda straightens her hair and exhales slowly. "That was almost as satisfying as shooting you down."
  
  > Kiss imelda
  You lean over to Imelda and kiss her on the lips. She kisses you back, forcefully.
  
  > Inventory
  You are carrying a revolver, and you're wearing a pair of goggles, a white scarf, a fur-lined jacket, some breeches, some sheepskin boots, and a makeshift splint.
  
  > remove the jacket
  The risk of hypothermia is too great.
  
  > remove breeches
  It's extremely cold. You don't really have much to show off right now.
  
  > screw imelda
  You see no way to screw Imelda.
  
  Imelda's attention drifts away from you.
  
  > Shoot jacket
  It doesn't look like that would achieve much.
  
  Imelda meets your eye briefly.
  
  > ask Imelda about the eyepatch
  You meet Imelda's eye and she looks at you expectantly.
  
  You meet Imelda's single eye. "Um..." you say, "so how did you...?"
  
  "How did I what, Lucas?" she replies innocently.
  
  You clear your throat. "You know... the eye patch..."
  
  "What about it, Lucas?"
  
  "Well, I was just wondering what happened to your eye."
  
  "I was shot," she says simply. "It's an occupational hazard when you're around planes with machineguns strapped to them."
  
  "Yes, I've noticed."
  
  > ask Imelda about the ice queen
  "So, as the Ice Queen's pet fighter pilot I bet you've had tea with her and everything?"
  
  Imelda raises her chin. "She did personally present a medal to me.
  Her hands were really cold... But I'm hardly her pet. The Sky Mercenaries always retain full autonomy. We're merely under contract to her and the Northern Territories."
  
  > ask Imelda about Sky Mercenaries
  "What exactly are you Sky Pirates all about then?"
  
  Imelda looks at you with her good eye and sighs theatrically.
  
  "Sky Mercenaries," you correct yourself, "whatever."
  
  "We're the children of Aerocity, born in the skies, at home there, understanding wind, gravity and inertia the way most people understand walking."
  
  "You're not afraid of heights then?"
  
  She smiles. "No, Lucas, not really." After a moment she adds, "Look, I know we get a bad rap in the southern newspapers, but we're people just like anyone else. I couldn't wish for better friends than those I have on the zeppelin."
  
  > ask Imelda about the predicament
  "This is quite a situation we're in," you say.
  
  "Yep," Imelda agrees.
  
  "Any idea what to do?"
  
  Imelda tips her head to one side. "Maybe."
  
  "Care to share?"
  
  "Well, as I see it, we have two main problems. We need to get to safety tomorrow, and we need to keep warm."
  
  Snow continues to drift down from above.
  
  > ask Imelda about the zeppelin
  "So you guys are based on a zeppelin?" you ask Imelda.
  
  "Of course," she says smugly. "There's no quicker way to get your planes in the air than to have them in the air already."
  
  > get the eyepatch
  Taken.
  
  > ask Imelda about the safety
  "I was thinking," you tell Imelda.
  
  "Did it hurt?" she asks.
  
  "A little. Mostly it was just an unfamiliar sensation. What I was thinking was that we should head south from here. We'll probably reach the Imperial lines in no time. After that, a hot bath, some steaming soup..."
  
  Imelda seems unconvinced. "Or we could head north. We'll probably reach the Northern lines in no time, after which etcetera, etcetera."
  
  "Hang on," you say, "Weren't you telling me I didn't ever want to end up a prisoner of the Ice Queen's icekin soldiers?"
  
  "You won't be a prisoner of the icekin soldiers. You'll be my prisoner."
  
  "Sounds a bit kinky for my tastes."
  
  Imelda smiles slyly. "You have no idea."
  
  "Maybe we should just split up," you suggest. "I bet we could both make it by ourselves. Then no-one has to be anyone's prisoner."
  
  Imelda shrugs. "Look, I'm heading north. I'd love it if you'd come with me, but..."
  
  (You could agree to go north with her, ask her to go south with you, tell her you should split up, or tell her you can't decide.)
  
  > wear the eyepatch
  Okay, you're now wearing the eye patch.
  
  You rub your hands together to try to keep them warm.
  
  > ask Imelda about Ice Queen
  "So, as the Ice Queen's pet fighter pilot I bet you've had tea with her and everything?"
  
  Imelda raises her chin. "She did personally present a medal to me.
  Her hands were really cold... But I'm hardly her pet. The Sky Mercenaries always retain full autonomy. We're merely under contract to her and the Northern Territories."
  
  > ask Imelda about keeping warm
  "I've got an idea to keep us warm," you tell Imelda.
  
  She takes a break from breathing into her hands. "Sounds great to me. What is it?"
  
  (You could suggest thinking warm thoughts, suggest sharing body heat, or suggest making a fire.)
  
  > suggest thinking the warm thoughts
  "Well," you begin uncertainly, "we could think warm thoughts."
  
  Imelda offers you a very condescending look. "So even as our bodies freeze to death, we'll be warm in our minds?"
  
  "Exactly. We just need to picture ourselves sitting in front of a roaring fire, or lying on a sunny beach, or... uh, inside the stomach of a feral icekin..."
  
  Imelda pats you on your unbroken leg. "It's a good thing you have looks," is all she says.
  
  > suggest sharing body heat
  "I was just thinking how we're both so cold, and yet we're both full of red hot blood..."
  
  Imelda raises an eyebrow. "Cannibalism?"
  
  You grimace. "Hugging?"
  
  Imelda smiles evilly. "Oh, I see. Can't bear to keep your hands to yourself for much longer?"
  
  "It would take an iron will."
  
  She slips her arms around your waist and presses herself against you. "Still, it's a small price to pay to avoid freezing to death."
  
  You wrap your arms around her in turn. "Yes," you say austerely, "we must be brave."
  
  > ask Imelda about keeping warm
  "I've got an idea to keep us warm," you tell Imelda.
  
  She takes a break from breathing into her hands. "Sounds great to me. What is it?"
  
  The triplane rocks slightly in the wind.
  
  (You could suggest thinking warm thoughts, suggest sharing body heat, or suggest making a fire.)
  
  > ask Imelda to go south
  Imelda refuses your request.
  
  > ask Imelda about the safety
  "About where we're headed..." you begin.
  
  "Have you reached a decision yet?" Imelda asks you.
  
  (You could agree to go north with her, ask her to go south with you, tell her you should split up, or tell her you can't decide.)
  
  > Agree to go north
  "Okay," you say. "I'll go north with you."
  
  > tell the imedla about the empire
  Imelda squeezes you around the waist. "I'm glad. And... I know what a sacrifice this must be for you. Thank you."
  
  The word "imedla" is not necessary in this story.
  
  > ask Imelda about newspapers
  "Have you read any newspapers recently?" you ask Imelda.
  
  "You mean like the Northern Financial Times?"
  
  "I mean like the Weekly Mirror or the Mail News."
  
  "I thought as much. A shocking amount of those papers is about us, isn't it? According to one, I'm irresponsible for continuing to fly into combat while blatantly pregnant with your love child."
  
  "I wonder what they'd make of all this..." You wave your hand around at your cosy little love nest in the freezing snow.
  
  "If we don't make it," Imelda says, "they'll turn it into our lovers' suicide pact."
  
  "Headline: They couldn't bring themselves to fight any more!"