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.

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Corbie laughed as she followed the little girl. "We gonna be able to reach that high?" Thor was a foot and some taller than Corbie. But no, if she thought about it for a second, she was sure she could use magic to help move the snow if they needed that. It wasn't impossible. "Yes," she said. "Absolutely."

Annie began to build the base of the snowman. She gathered snow enthusiastically.

"Do you have superheroes back home?" She asked as she built.

Corbie joined her, going down on her knees to pile snow up and pack it down. "Nope. Got wizards, but that's about it. Why?"

"Just wondering," She said. "But Wizards are kind of like superheroes."

She patted some more snow.

"Are there any wizards who help other people and stuff?" She asked.

"Some," Corbie assented, nodding. "A lot of wizards go into healing and medicine. Some have roles in government. Some are in the military. Some teach. Some sell their services, making charms or potions for people. Some go into engineering. That's what I wanted to do."

Her eyes sparkled with fascination.

"Is everyone a wizard?" She said. "It sounds like there's so many people there who can do magic!"

Corbie shook her head. "I'm not sure how many people are wizards exactly. Most people know one, though, if they ain't it. But no, not everybody. Mildmay's annemer. That's what we call people who don't have magic."

"I think I'd like to be able to do magic," She said. "But only if I could keep the powers I have already."

"Magic's pretty neat," Corbie agreed, taking her hands from the snow, but (slowly and a little clumsily) continuing to shape it with her power. "You can do just about anything with it, if you got the imagination and you're willing to experiment some."

Granted, that could also be the worst thing about it. Magic had turned many people into monsters.

She sucked in an excited breath as she watched Corbie shape the snow with magic. Her eyes were wide as she watched.

"That's so cool!" She said. "And probably feels less cold too, huh?"

Corbie laughed at that, more at the sound than the look on Annie's face. Even a motion this simple required a lot of her concentration. "Less cold, more work. Least it is now, I'm getting less bad a little at a time."

"Only the things you need to work hard for are worthwhile." She repeated something her mother said to her sometimes. "I think you're doing a good job!"

Corbie smiled at her, and the break in concentration was enough for the spell to nearly fall apart. "Thanks, sweetheart." She giggled at her own magical lapse before adding, "I think I'm gonna switch back to my hands, though."

"That's okay," She said truthfully. "I think you're good at building a snowman with your hands too."

Annie thought they were almost done with the bases and just needed a head now.

"Probably sometimes it feels good to do things by hand anyways, right?" She asked.

"It's how I've done things most of my life," Corbie said as she considered their work before smiling down at Annie. "So, how d'you wanna get a head on this thing?" Annie was stronger, but Corbie was taller. And there was always magic if they had to. But this was Annie's snowgirl, so she didn't want to just take over.

She hummed and tilted her head as she regarded the snowman. She thought about seriously as she weighed the pros and cons.

"I think... I think we could make the ball first," She said seriously. "And then we could decide on how to make the face. And how we're going to give her hair. I think she should have hair."

How did you do hair? Twigs were too stiff and brittle, that wasn't going to work. Corbie put that question to the side, scooping up snow to make a ball in her hands. A seed for them to then roll along the ground until they got the size the needed. "You wanna do the honors?" she offered the ball to Annie.

Grinning, Annie walked up to the ball. She had to use her legs, but her super strength made it easier than someone her age might normally have. She carefully put them on the base of the snow woman and tried to make it as centered as possible.

She stepped back and looked at it with her head tilted.

"Do... you think we could use a mop?" She asked.

[GP] SNOW DAY

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