strangetrip | [GP] SNOW DAY

Entry tags:

[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

Coby had jumped a little when Mildmay's snowball hit, snapped out his wings to shake off some of the snow – as long as he was outside, there wasn't any getting rid of it completely – and the laughed when he turned and saw the two redheads in conference over their snowballs. Nobody in their right mind would entrust Coby with the care or feeding of a kid, but he could totally play along. So he continued on his walk, ignoring any danger of snowy attack from that direction.

Besides, all the more reason to warm up with Jag and fire afterwards, right?

Mildmay nodded. "Yeah. He won't mind." And Mildmay would focus on how he was helping a kid play in the snow, and not teaching ways to throw more dangerous things.

Annie peered at Coby again. If he says it's okay, then it's probably okay

She reshaped the snowball a little as she got used to its size and weight and then aimed for where Coby seemed to be walking.

The wings, big and black against the snow, made a really good target, and an oversized shiver ran down their lengths when Annie's snowball hit.

"See? That was better. And with food in his hand, he can't exactly fight back easy." Not with snowballs. They took two hands to make 'em any good.

"Else, you wanna throw and move, all in one go. To get cover."

Annie took in the advice with a serious nod. Even if this was just snowballs, she decided it could be useful when she was a superhero one day. She looked around.

"Where would the best cover be?" She asked him.

Mildmay shook his head a short side to side. "You tell me. Look around. Think about how far you'll have to go to get to it. How much of you can hide behind it. How easy it'll be to keep an eye on your target. How easily it'll be to move out of."

There was one of those long chairs from the pool that had been dragged out by somebody. A low trench somebody'd dug in the snow. Another place where snow'd drifted into a deeper pile. All scattered around, and none of 'em too close, but none of 'em as far as the poolside bar or any of the buildings neither. All those he'd picked up in a glance even before he'd spoken to Annie in the first place, but he was hoping she never needed to look at the world the same as he did.

Annie looked around as she considered her options.

"I'm pretty fast," She said to him as she continued to scan.

She pointed to the snow trench.

"I would go there," He stated. "Because maybe they wouldn't see me if I ducked low. Because my hair against snow is really bright."

She got a nod of approval for that, although his face remained as stony and expressionless as usual. The trench was a good choice. And unlike Mildmay, she could move quickly through the snow if she was heading for it.

Then he tugged a lock of the fox-red hair hanging around his face. "I know." A beat, then he added, "When I was your age, younger even, Kee- uh, the woman who raised me, she started dying my hair. Black, like hers. Wasn't almost nobody in all of Mélusine had red hair. Folks thought you were cursed or a spy or a blood-witch or something. I had two septads and four, maybe five 'fore I stopped." And he'd had plenty of reason to regret it since, but he hadn't never gone back to doing it.

"I like my hair," She said. "It's the same as my mom and it's part of what makes me special.... even if sometimes kids make fun of me for it."

She shrugged. Anna had decided that she loved her hair no matter what.

"Makes it hard to sneak though." Mildmay'd mostly gotten used to remembering what color his hair was, but he'd probably never feel good about it.

"M'brother wouldn't change his for nothin. He likes the attention."

"But you don't." She semi-asked and semi-stated.

She tilted her head and peered at him. Annie then smiled.

"I think it's very pretty," She said.

He didn't say how drawing attention was a good way for a thief and assassin to get caught by the Dogs, or worse and more likely, wind up dead. He didn't do none of that no more, and she never would. Her copper penny hair wasn't the same kind of hindrance as his. And he plain ignored her saying it was pretty, 'cause... Well, 'cause.

"Okay. So you figured out your cover. You throw the snowball and head for it, keeping an eye on the guy you threw at, and the other out for who else might try to tag you as you move. Can't trust your safe 'til you are."

"And what if someone else has their eye on you while you're trying to hide?" She asked seriously.

Even though they were talking about snowballs, Annie was smart enough to know this could apply to her learning to be a superhero.

"What do you think?" It was better if she worked it out on her own. Mildmay'd seen that shadowing Felix when he taught those kids back at the Mirador, and listening to his early lessons with Corbie. He'd guide her through it, give her hints if she was going wrong, but what he'd seen of Annie, she was smart enough to have some ideas.

"Remember, though. Cover ain't always about 'em not knowing where you are. Lotta times they will."

She hummed thoughtfully while her eyes scanned the area. She pictured what she would do if it happened.

"I guess.. if they knew I was there," She said. "Then I might try to pick something that has more cover. That, like, if they tried to throw something at me it would make it harder on them."

Mildmay thought for a moment. Kids didn't see the world same as adults did, and kids that'd had easy lives not the same as kept-thieves and pack kids. When he'd been Annie's age... He wasn't gonna think about that, never mind it was when he'd learned some of the things he was teaching her for play.

"Let's try it the other way round. My hair's gonna make me easy to see same as yours. And long as it'll take me, you'll sure as... you'll know where I am, even if I wasn't telling you I'm gonna take cover in the trench, let you try to snowball me." Compact for a grown man, he was still a bigger target than she would be. It'd show off better what he meant about taking cover not being the same as hiding.

"You want me to to try to hit you?" She asked thoughtfully.

She didn't think it was much different from when they were trying to hit the other man with wings, so she nodded.

"Okay!" She said, wanting to learn.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[GP] SNOW DAY

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay

Re: Annie & Mildmay