<span style="font-size: 85%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #CCCCFF">Winter. A time for hot drinks, warm blankets, and activities in the snow. Family trips would be planned, trips to warmer places, trips to places with more snow. At least that's what happened with normal families this time of year. Empty houses stood dark and cold, mail piling up in the mailboxes, just waiting for their occupants to return. Those who decided to stay behind flooded the little coffee shops, huddling around fireplaces or gathered around patio heaters if the weather wasn't too bad. Anywhere they could go to stay warm with friends and a hot cup of coffee or tea while they spoke about their day.<br/><br/>But not Kai. She wasn't exactly normal even if she tried to appear so. She had friends, yes, but she didn't much care for doing trivial things such as gossip over coffee and scones. It bored her. Besides her handful of friends, Kai kept to herself. She lived alone and preferred it that way. Not that she didn't want to live with someone eventually, it's just that she liked the quiet and not having to hide who she truly was. Being a shifter, it was hard to get close to people; even her 'friends' didn't know everything about her, very few had actually been to her home. It was better to keep it that way. Not that she really seemed to mind.<br/><br/>On this particularly cold day, she set out to find something to eat. Rarely did she ever stock up on more than junk food and a few pieces of fruit. Just outside the diner (her favorite one), she cut through the parking lot, black boots kicking up fresh and dirty snow alike as she headed for the door. Under her hood, thick puffs of white breath caught hold of the light breeze, disappearing in the distance. Once inside, her gloved hands brushed the powder from her shoulders and onto the floor. Shaking her head, her thick, fur lined hood fell back, revealing her stark white hair pulled off to the side. Her skin, already pale on its own, was tinted blue from the cold outside. Nothing a little central heat wouldn't fix. Without even waiting, she made a bee line for an empty booth near the window. As she sat, a shiver ran up the length of her spine, an odd feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Sliding off her gloves and setting them aside, she shook the feeling off, attributing it to the cold and her need to eat.<br/></span></span>