Winter's Crest Snow Day [GP]

[st_ockandbarrel]

The Inn was decorated in, if possible, an even more outlandish style than usual. Garlands of evergreens and bright berries competed with gold angels and cheerful small grinning creatures with pointed ears and shoes. A large fir tree had appeared seemingly from nowhere and was now draped with lights and hung with colored glass balls. At the top perched a figure in white robes with wings.

It was, Percy mused, probably for whatever the local holiday was, but it was also close enough to Winter's Crest decorations for him to feel a bit homesick for Whitestone. After all, it was only a year ago that he'd been able to celebrate Winter's Crest in his home city for the first time in years.

Something was still missing - or rather, many things were missing but one thing that he could solve for. Winter's Crest called for snow, and better snow in abundance. To solve for that last problem, he turned to a gnome of exceptional talent. While he didn't know how Sarenrae's power worked, he did have complete faith in her cleric. And thus, together, they concocted a plan: to turn the weather to a more appropriate clime.

The morning of December 20th dawned as it often did in this place - heavy with clouds that would burn off before noon. The clouds were important. They would make the spell casting easier, and Pike knew that she needed all the help she could get. Weather magic was not her forte. Like all clerics with powers as advanced as hers, she knew the right spell but when you had a druid around, there hadn't been much need for her to use it.

Dressed in a warm coat and a big floppy, knit cap, she sat on the ground with her legs crossed. Holding her holy symbol in both hands, she concentrated on the sky. As the Celestial incantation took root, golden rays of light encircled her and rose into the air. With each heartbeat, she could feel Sarenrae's power drawing warmth from the clouds above and into her body.

It took ten minutes to cast the spell and another twenty minutes for it to take effect. The spell would fade if she didn't maintain concentration all day, but it was a small price to pay.

And that's how, before the sun had completely finished rising, it was snowing on the Madonna Inn.

Comments

Re: Sunny - OTA

[st_igmatized]

"But I haven't really seen snow in over a decade, so thank you for doing this." Not that Sunny hadn't seen snow at all in London, but it didn't really snow there. Not like this.

Re: Sunny - OTA

[st_ealthless]

"You're very welcome," Pike lifted her hand to catch a few flakes on her hand. "What kind of climate did you have where you're from?"

Re: Sunny - OTA

[st_igmatized]

"Nigeria's right by the equator," Sunny explained, "so it's hot all year. There's not really seasons, the way people in temperate climates would know them. It's hot and wet, and then hot and less wet." She grinned. "The sun is absolutely murder on my skin."

Re: Sunny - OTA

[st_ealthless]

"You know, I don't know if I've ever been to somewhere that's hot and wet." Pike's head fell to the side as she tried to imagine. "Oh gosh, I have the same problem! I went to the beach with my family right before coming here and I had to heal myself every night because I always ended up looking like a lobster."

Re: Sunny - OTA

[st_igmatized]

"Yeah, but you've got some pigment to protect your skin, yes?" Truth be told, Sunny hadn't burned since she'd discovered her magic, but it was something she was never really comfortable with thinking about too hard. Her skin had been so fragile before, and she still treated it as though it were fragile to be safe. "People from that part of the world are usually very dark-skinned. The rest of my family is. I've got... practically nothing."

Re: Sunny - OTA

[st_ealthless]

"I've got some, but less than most people." Pike tucked a lock of hair back under her hat. "But I'm from a race of gnomes that evolved to live underground so our skin is often incredibly pale and sometimes a blueish-grey color."

Re: Sunny - OTA

[st_igmatized]

While Sunny would bet anything that that was not the same thing at all and she'd chewed out more than one pasty British person in the past, she let the whole thing drop with a "Hm," into her coffee cup. That, perhaps, was knowing at least that Lillith was around. And also the context was different.

"So what inspired all this?" It wasn't Christmas, that was still a few days away. "Solstice?"