strangetrip | [GP] SNOW DAY

Thor and Loki got an early start, because there was a lot to do. Almost two weeks to the day since their first small-but-successful experiment with snow, Loki was confident that he'd improved enough for a bigger experiment. Still snow, because Thor wanted it and it did seem like a decent way to try something big-ish without causing Loki unnecessary grief with the other residents. (It was an arrival day, so there would perhaps be some grief with any new arrivals, but that was entirely acceptable.)

It was before dawn when they went out into the grounds. Thor called up clouds and loaded them with water so they hung low and heavy, covering the sky so that the sun, when it rose, wouldn't ruin the event. Loki took his frost giant shape and staff (now very familiar to his hand) and concentrated on dropping the temperature. Just around the Inn and grounds, but that was enough to be serious effort.

When the snow first started, the flakes were big and wet, and melted as soon as they hit the ground, which was still on the warm side. As they melted, they cooled the ground. After an hour or so, the flakes were smaller and more powdery - real snow, not glorified slush - and they were starting to stick to the ground.

By mid-morning, the Inn and grounds were covered with a thick layer of snow, and it continued to fall.

***

Meanwhile, indoors and inspired by the snow, Hurley and Xavin decided to try and make cookies. Cooking together was fun, since neither of them exactly knew what they were doing apart from 'follow the recipe', but since the point was 'try to make cookies' they ended up with a lot of cookies. Sugar cookies, gingerbread, all kinds.

There was no way they'd be able to eat all of them.

Instead, they loaded them onto trays and hauled them to the cafe, then brought out various frostings and candies for decorating. This had been completely intentional. Completely.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

“This is technically how I really look. Sort of.” Loki tilted one hand, balancing. It was complicated. “Don’t touch, though. I’m very cold.” Not as snow-covered as Annie, though, but she seemed happy, which was more than a little bit pleasing.

"I think it's neat." She answered, smiling. "And even cooler that you're cold. Sometimes I wish I can change the way I look with my powers."

"Why, what do you not like?" She seemed fairly standard, nothing to obviously complain of. But Loki was a shapeshifter, he was used to looking however he wanted at all times, his perspective was probably skewed. "For me, I don't actually like this very much," he gestured at his face, "but I'm... working on it. Since it isn't going anywhere."

"I just think it'd be neat to actually change when you do something," She replied. "Like, you're doing cold right now and blue is a cold color. I think it makes you look more like a superhero."

Annie looked him over assesingly and then she noded.

Loki chuckled. "In fact, I may actually be less like a superhero. I'm a frost giant. A Jotun. My people tried to conquer Midgard before I was even born. One could say I come by my own villainy honestly." One could, but hardly anyone had.

She hummed like she normally did when Loki countered her comments about him being good. Annie looked to him quietly.

"But you were raised by someone else," She said. "So you've learned a different way."

"Odin was more subtle about it, but no less terrible." Frigga had been an excellent parent, and Loki had loved here even while insisting he didn't anymore, but... even she was somewhat complicated. She had, after all, been complicit in a lot of Odin's mess. "But as you like. I've never been terribly interested in blaming me on my birth world."

Annie took his reply as a win for her own and she smiled. She wanted Loki to be able to see how nice he really was. She wondered if Santa could make something like that possible.

"Can you do other things like the weather?" She asked.

"No. I can only do this because frost giant. I've never had any particular elemental talent." He'd tried a few times in his youth. Mostly he'd tried fire, which seemed utterly ridiculous now. "Illusions, yes. Mental magic. Shapeshifting. A few other things."

"I think all of those are cool," She said honesty. "But if you can do cold, you can do fog too. I learned about it in school once."

"It's magic, it doesn't necessarily have to obey the same rules." Jotunheim, for all its freezing cold temperatures, had clear air. Niflheim was the realm for fog. "But I've only been able to do it for a week or two. No doubt there are things I still have to work out."

"So you're practicing you powers like me," she said with a smile.

Annie liked that they seemed to have something in common now.

"We could train together," Annie offered. "Help each other get stronger."

"Why not?" Any excuse to practice was a good one, and he was very fond of Annie. "You'd have to dress warmly, though."

Annie beamed at Loki's agreement. She jumped up and down a little. Annie went to hug him, then remembered what he said about touch and paused. Not being able to hug would be very sad

"When you're not blue anymore, I owe you a hug," She declared happily.

"I'll remember." Whether or not he reminded her was another matter, but Loki was fairly sure Annie would remember on her own. She was persistent in that way as well as others.

"Thank you for the snow, Loki." She said. "It's really a lot of fun."

"You're welcome." It was intensely odd to be thanked, but snow was harmless enough. "I'm glad you like it."

[GP] SNOW DAY

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