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

After last year's snowday, Regina and Vax and Piotr had installed smudgepots in the orchard and around the garden. Fortunately.

Because apparently two of the Inn's colossal idiots had decided on a snowstorm without warning her.

As soon as she felt the temperature drop, she'd snapped her fingers to change into jeans and a heavy sweater, thick socks and boots, and gone out to start lighting them. She hadn't been out but fifteen minutes when Vax and Stephanie came out to help.

Once they took over lighting the smudgepots, she divided her focus between providing a magical heat shield for the most susceptible plants, explaining to Apple that this wasn't natural and she shouldn't go to sleep but help her protect the plants, and cursing snow-making idiots who apparently didn't care if they continued to have fresh fruit and vegetables if their resupply suddenly stopped.

Loki sent an illusion to investigate the doings in the garden, mostly because he knew for a fact that if he left an illusion where he was, Thor would start throwing pebbles. “My. Having a bad day, I see.”

"My. Having a bad face, I see."

She'd not spent any time with the godling since he arrived but she knew who he was, because of Bo's Dawning. It was easy enough to recognize him, even in blue, and she was in no mood to play nice.

Far from being insulted or upset, Loki grinned at the petty response. Did she think he was unused to having his appearance insulted? Nearly everyone he'd ever known had constantly managed worse than a snippy obvious little thing his whole life, and they'd done it without having the deep wells that were blue skin, scar-like geometric lines, and red eyes.

But if she wanted to equate his face with her day, he could work with that. "Oh, I don't know, it could be worse. My species is generally bald and horned, and I'm neither. I am glad to hear your day isn't so bad, though."

"Having a bad hearing day, too, apparently." Regina returned to her spellcasting. "I said nothing about my day, good or bad."

Although she'd be loathe to admit it, even to a friend, the excuse to use large amounts of magic and vent her anger was welcome.

"It's called an inference, dear. You implied that your day was as bad as my face, but my face is nowhere near as bad as it could be. Therefore, your day isn't as bad as it could be." Yes, the pedantry was intended to be annoying.

"It was mimicry, not inference." Which was pointlessly punctilious but that was what she did, wasn't it?

"I bet you don't use turn signals either."

She had felt the 'different' almost immediately and went outside to see the snow falling. Ororo knew that it wasn't natural but she couldn't feel if it was magical or something else. She also noticed Regina in the orchard. While they hadn't spoken much, Storm had seen her from time to time when Ororo had made a light drizzle rain to help the orchard and garden.

It didn't take long to approach her and without asking first, Storm's eyes turned white and the temperature began to rise around the small orchard. "Does the garden require it as well?" Storm was a city girl. Despite stealing fresh vegetables from the farmer's stalls, she actually had no idea what was involved in growing them.

"Thank you," Regina replied to Ororo. The rising temperature would make Vax and Stephanie's labor pointless but it would also save the trees, regardless.

As for the garden, though... "Not immediately. The ground needs warming first." She returned to speaking with the elemental, Apple, and then knelt, setting her palms against the ground.

Ororo nodded and concentrated on the trees while Regina worked the earth. "Is this the work of the inn?" She asked more curious than wary.

"I don't think so." She didn't recognize the magic but she did know magic had been used. "Last year one of the cleric's made it snow for a day to celebrate. She's gone, but I suspect this is similar."

[GP] SNOW DAY

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Regina & Storm

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