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+--- Thread: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow (/showthread.php?tid=4807)
742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Zelana - 23.Jan.21
Another snowball caught Zelana in the face, stinging her already bright red and cold sore cheeks for a brief moment as she squealed and tried to duck back down into her little snow fort before another snowball from a different angle caught her in the hat, nearly knocking it off. This was of course, all her own fault. She'd tried to pick sides in the snow battle at first, tried to use her charms to get first A'tay and then Lazerat to help her as she very poorly threw snow at the other. Her poor aim meant that it was much easier to get the drop and actually hit someone when they were close by... and that meant a lot of treachery on her part.
So of course both boys had eventually turned on her and turned the battle into a lawless free for all. Zelly collapsed, laughing as she heard the crunch of snow as one or both of them approached her little fort. She threw up a hand and frantically started waving it. "I give! I give!"
She giggled as she was lifted back up to her feet. "Well, I guess we learned that Laz is a much better snow fighter than I am. And that I am definitely not good enough to be able to go rogue. Hot cocoa? I need something warm after all of that." It took a bit of effort to not suggest a different activity to warm up, but with her brother and her boyfriend there, it was better to play it safe for now.
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Lazerat - 23.Jan.21
Lazerat had been having a blast. Even with everything he had heard, he wasn’t prepared to finally see snow for himself. It was damned cold, though! That was something he wasn’t too fond of but A’tay had been right—once they started moving around, they would warm up. But they had also been playing too long or perhaps too hard with how snow was getting in everywhere and he was starting to feel the chill. So it was with great relief when Zelly gave up as he tried to sneak up on her—as much as one could sneak with how noisy snow could be.
He dropped the snowball instead of still smashing it on her head like he intended and scooped her up under the arms to bring her back to her feet. A’tay was only just emerging from behind his wall so Lazerat took the chance to tease his sister as he whispered, “a sailor told me that sleeping naked together shares body heat and is quite effective.”
When A’tay was close enough, he shot the bronzerider a grin and playfully pinned Zelana’s arms to her side. “Now’s your chance if you want to give her the killing blow!” Lazerat laughed and let go when A’tay laughed and shook his head. “Looks like you live to fight another day, Zelly Bean. But what’s this about hot chocolate? I’ll take anything hot right now. I’m starting to forget what warmth feels like.”
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - A'tay - 23.Jan.21
A’tay laughed and reached out to brush some snow from Zelly’s coat and offered his arm for her to take. Memories of their first trip came back to him and their walk to the house. That had been a fun day and he was glad Zelly still seemed to enjoy it and that her brother had as well. It would have been horrible if Lazerat hated it and complained the whole time or had to hide somewhere warm while they tried to have fun without him.
Not wanting to impose directly on his family, A’tay figured the little warming area his aunt and uncle kept maintained in a barn would do for them and mentioned that idea. “That barn over there has a couple of fires going and some hot drinks that we can help ourselves to, especially if you want to head back out for some more after. Or, I suppose we could go to the tavern for a bit.” He was fine with either option and left it up to the siblings to decide since this was all so new to them and A’tay was just delighted to be able to give them a chance to enjoy it.
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Zelana - 23.Jan.21
Spending time with sailors eh? Zelly resisted the urge to comment on that aloud as A'tay walked over. At least the cold was doing a good job of disguising her blush as she thought about the teasing. She laughed as she was freed. "Oh good, I do like living. Though I still need to practice that fighting part."
"Hot chocolate is the best for the snow! It's delicious and warm but you have to be careful not to let it burn your tongue." Zelly reached over to pull A'tay to one side so that she could have one man on each arm as she tried to decide how best to handle the cold. A tavern would be fun and full of people, but the barn would let them get back out to play a bit more. "Hm. Maybe the barn for now so that after we get warmed back up we can try to make some sculptures! If we decide it's too cold and we realize we're too tired we can go to the tavern from there."
That and the barn would probably mean they warmed up a bit faster. Zelana practically skipped as they made their way, enjoying the feel and sound of the snow crunching under their boots. It wasn't until they were by a warm fire that she turned to grin at her brother. "So now that you've survived and we're warming back up, how did you like it? It's so cold! Last time I came I ended up with a runny nose because I had too much fun. It gave me an excuse to make some good soup when we got back though. A'tay even helped. Maybe we can try to come back at least one more time before it all starts to melt."
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Lazerat - 24.Jan.21
A’tay had managed to convince him to remove his hat and gloves and place them near the fire to dry out but Lazerat clung to his mug of hot chocolate with both hands, huddling into it as much as he was the fire. Now that they were inside, he was very aware of how cold he had been underneath all of that fun. It was easy to imagine kids needing an adult to drag them back inside after a certain length of time or they’d become ice statues. That did not sound enjoyable and Lazerat held the mug closer to his chest and catching another whiff of it.
The drink smelled amazing and Lazerat finally gave in and took a sip. It was still a bit hot on his tongue but he took a swallow all the same and hummed his appreciation as the warmth worked down and through his body. This was the way to warm up! “It is damn cold! But having this drink and some soup waiting for me afterward would definitely make spending any time out there all the more tolerable.” Would he want to live up here full time? Probably not but if he had to visit for a period, good and hot food would help make the time a bit easier.
“Sculptures? You can do more than just build little walls to hide behind when your sister starts a snowfight?” Lazerat grinned at Zelly and took another sip of cocoa. He was curious about all the things you could do with snow and if there was anything functional it was good for. He could see it being good for gathering and having cold drinking water or storing the water if the region had dry summers but it didn’t seem to have any other purpose that he could identify beyond that and playing in.
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Zelana - 24.Jan.21
Zelly had her own hat, gloves, and scarf drying by the fire as she relished in the toasty warmth of the barn and her beverage. She grinned up at her brother, amused by how it seemed like the cold had finally started to sink in. "It's fun enough that you don't realize how cold you are. But it makes you appreciate being warm at least."
She leaned in to give her brother a gentle bump with her shoulder. "Maybe the tavern will have some soup if you wanted some now. But I have some soup ready to heat up when we get back to the Weyr if you're patient." If he wasn't patient enough that was fine, it just meant there was more for her and A'tay and whichever friends or siblings he wanted to invite.
"And yes! Sculptures! Last time A'tay and I made chess pieces, but you can make people or dragons, or whatever you want if you're good enough. And I didn't start it, I just knew it was going to start so I decided to be prepared." Zelly stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides, you had fun and got your revenge. Maybe we can make a ship out of snow. Or maybe some snow fish."
After a few more sips of her hot cocoa she turned to A'tay, giving him a grin and a wink as she added, "You'll have to help me make sure I don't accidentally sculpt any embarrassing chess pieces again."
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - A'tay - 25.Jan.21
A’tay spit his sip of cocoa back into his mug thanks to Zelly’s casually mentioned chess pieces. “Since we already made chess pieces last time, we don’t need to make them again,” he replied, thinking that was a safe enough answer, especially with her brother there. Lazerat didn’t need to know about how phallic that piece had looked or that A’tay still wondered if she had done it purposely just to make him blush because she was so very good at achieving that.
“You can make pretty much anything from what I can gather. Just depends on your skill and having some tools. My aunt mentioned they had a little competition every year for building castles and sculptures. Zelly, if you want to take your brother out on the ice today, I can go say hello to the family. It’s probably polite I do so and I can ask if it has happened or will soon.” He originally didn’t want to bother them but the more he thought about it and how they were taking advantage of his family’s kindness, A’tay realised he should at least go in and say thank you. But he didn’t want to impose so letting the siblings skate while he peeked in for a quick chat seemed okay. He wished T’ryn was with them—his brother was so much better at blending in with Holders and their customs.
“And we can head back to Ista at any time. Don’t push yourselves because fatigue likes to sneak up on you.” Several of them had learned that the first time they played in the snow. Their muscles turned to jelly and exhaustion struck out of nowhere. Thankfully they were close to a Hold and had dragons to swoop in. It wasn’t like they were way up in the mountains and alone. A’tay didn’t want to think about why he would be up there alone in the first place but could imagine how scary it would be as the cold consumed him. He shivered and drank some of his hot chocolate.
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Zelana - 28.Jan.21
"Oh! Skating might be nice! Even if he doesn't want to try it we can watch everyone else. I am pretty sure I remember where to go to borrow blades. Tell your family I said hello and thank you!" Zelana made sure to slide up to A'tay to get one more quick hug out of him before she let him head off towards his family.
Once her boyfriend had left she turned to her brother, grinning in excitement. Too bad they were in such a public place where his family could accidentally spot them together, or she could have suggested a more intimate sort of fun. Instead she gave him a quick hug too as she excitedly babbled about everything she knew about ice skating. "You put blades on your shoes! And then you just... glide around on the ice! It's both harder than it looks but easier than you think. I'm not very good at stopping though. It's fun to watch too if you don't want to risk falling down so much that your clothes freeze to the ice."
She went to check on their hats and gloves to make sure they'd dried before she pulled hers back on to brave the cold outside. "Come on. We can watch for a bit, and if you want to try I'll help you. I don't know if I can skate backwards as well as A'tay can, but if you start to fall I can at least shove you into the snow on the edge for a softer landing."
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Lazerat - 01.Feb.21
"I think I'd be happier staying next to this fire for the rest of my life," Lazerat grumbled though he was smiling. He'd been having a good time in the snow and he was curious about the skating he'd only heard about but couldn't quite imagine. Did the whole thing freeze? Would he fall through? It was so weird and he had to know more!
But it was also cold and Lazerat made sure he was properly bundled back up again while his sister babbled about how it was done and did her best to answer his questions. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they headed back out, taking a moment to enjoy how beautiful the scenery was. It was so different to their usual sight of beach and water but just as alluring.
He followed Zelly's directions for tying the blades on but frowned at them once finished. These were supposed to support him? Clearly they did from what he could see of other people gliding on the ice. Maybe it was like rock climbing. You just had to find the right footing and trust your balance. His balance was something that was lacking when he stood, wobbling about with his arms flailing to catch himself. Once he did, Lazerat laughed and took cautious steps to the ice.
He stepped sideways onto the ice, somehow staying upright though his initial testing of the ice showed how slippery it was. "I'm not sure how much I trust you, Zelly Bean. You're devious enough to push me and watch me sail away forever. Or until I hit land and fall." Her idea of stopping in that manner loomed over him and Lazerat suspected falling on any surface would be how he stopped for a while.
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Zelana - 03.Feb.21
It was hard to not outright laugh at her brother as he wobbled around on his feet, but Zelana at least managed to keep it to a soft giggle. He looked so uncomfortable and confused about the whole thing, especially at first, but he seemed to be warming up to the idea quickly enough. Once she double checked her own blades she carefully stepped out onto the ice as well and made sure she was steady on her own skates before she held out a hand for Lazerat.
"Oh, I could watch you slide away, but probably not forever. The pond isn't that big, you'll hit the other side eventually," she said with a giggle. "Oh! watch what I do with my skates and I'll show you how to stop. Or at least the proper way." Zelly pulled away to slowly skate out, proud of herself for keeping her balance at the low speed. It was harder to stay upright when going so slow, but it was much easier to stop the way that A'tay showed her. She demonstrated a few times before carefully returning to her brother. "Okay, so that's how you stop, but I'm not that good at it when I'm going fast. Snow is usually soft though, so just keep that in mind, now let's go!"
Zelana grabbed onto his hand and started to glide one foot and then another, half pulling him along while she demonstrated, trying to alternate between watching him and watching ahead to keep them from crashing into anyone or anything. She tried to spin about to skate backwards like A'tay had, but quickly lost control, arms spinning about as she managed to steer herself back to the edge to fall harmlessly onto the snow. She held up a hand. "Okay... so now you know how to fall. Help."
RE: 742.01.04 | Sharing some Snow - Lazerat - 05.Feb.21
Lazerat took the lesson seriously, far too interested in this new thing he’d never done before to do anything less. It was new and shiny and seemed like fun so of course he had to know everything there was about it so he could come back to it later on. If he ever wanted to seriously consider leaving Ista for good, going further north suddenly had a new appeal to it. He loved cliff diving into the ocean but he could probably still do that in the warmer months and skate in the colder ones.
But he had to master the skating first and it wasn’t going that well. He wasn’t that steady at first, constantly flailing his arms for balance or grabbing onto his sister’s shoulders for support. His confidence rose bit by bit when he was able to move a bit faster or go a bit further without as much wobbling and it did him well to see Zelly take an eventual tumble. He gasped, worried for her, and then chuckled when it was obvious she was fine. Still, he didn’t want to copy her and did his best to stop but it only ended up in his toes pointing inward as he slowly came to a stop—a stop that had him leaning forward and placing his hands on the ice to help with the balance. But he stopped! By sheer luck, it seemed, as he was inches from the edge.
“Always leading by example, dear sister,” Lazerat grinned down at Zelly, tempted to leave her where she was. He still didn’t trust her and saw it as the perfect chance to yank him down. Then again, they were in public, at her boyfriend’s family’s Hold, and they had blades on their feet. None of that really made it smart to goof around on any level. He still left her hanging with her hand extended for help but stepped off of the ice so he was on stable land again and moved behind her to lift her back to her feet. How many times had he done something similar when they were kids?
“Maybe another couple of laps before we call it quits? I’m having a lot of fun but I’m also freezing my bits off and I happen to like all of my bits right where they are.” He may keep entertaining the idea of living further north but he was such an Ista baby and needed warmth to properly function.