The Snow Thread

[fonic_chord]

Who: Anyone and everyone
Where: Blessenwood; central square and surrounding areas
When: Several days after the guild meeting's conclusion; afternoon
Why: There's about a foot of snow on the ground, so go play!

Comments

[runnyrose]

[Instead of holing himself up in his room as usual, Dist had decided to go for a walk today. He was wearing pretty much his usual attire; he scarcely noticed the cold, which had never really bothered him. Well, except that it made his nose run sometimes. Not all the time or anything, though! Just occasionally. Really. It could happen to anyone.

All this snow was making him a little nostalgic, though not all the memories it brought back were good. Actually, come to think of it, a lot of them were pretty bad and involved a fair amount of pain and/or humiliation. Funny how that worked.

But he chose to dwell on one of the less unpleasant ones as he idly watched the children playing. ...Wait. Wasn't that older girl playing with them part of Jade's gang? Ugh... He turned away and was about to make a hasty retreat, when a snowball hit him on the back of the head. He whipped back around and glared at the children, two of whom, giggling, conspicuously tried to act like they didn't even notice him at all.]

Hey! Watch where you're throwing those, you wretched little terrors!

[fonic_chord]

[Oh. That voice. Tear glanced up in time to note Dist the Runny Reaper, a member of the (she assumed) now disbanded God-Generals and Jade's childhood... friend. (Or was he merely an innocent victim?) She fixed the two problem children with a scolding look, then raised her voice so that the other Auldranti might hear.]

I'm surprised that someone like yourself isn't capable of putting up with the children's snowball fight. Considering how the Colonel left you stranded out in the cold for days...

[yaoonscritter]

[Mormo fluttered around the scene, taking a closer look at all the fun everyone was having.]

Brrr! It sure is cold out here!

[He then spotted Tear, apparently building a snowman with a little girl.]

Hey, Tear! Are you building a snowman?

[runnyrose]

[Dist indignantly brushed off the back of his head and his flower petal collar. Really, what if his poor clothes had gotten messed up? Oh, that thought was too terrible to bear. Those kids would really have been in trouble then.

And, damn, she'd noticed him. Just wonderful.]

What? Of course I can! Why, in my childhood, I excelled at snowball fights! You could even say I was the undisputed champion of Keterberg. [No need to mention that, while technically you could indeed say it, you would be very, very wrong if you did.] However, these brats ought to know better than to pick on those who are older, wiser, and better dressed!

[Then he noticed the thing (hm, was it the same sort of creature as Paneer?) that was trying to get Tear's attention - and how dare it interrupt this conversation that Dist hadn't really wanted to get into in the first place! ...Uh, wait, on second thought... no, it was still completely rude either way! Dist glared at it and huffed.]

[petapetakapu]

[Jade had also chosen to observe the white world while on a stroll. He supposed he had dressed in thinner layers than had some of the villagers--he tended to dress similarly, regardless of the heat or the cold, and he rarely showed signs of of noticing either extreme. He pocketed his hands, but then again, the cold had never prompted him to do so. But in truth, between the general lack of feeling he seemed to possess, he did notice the cold less than he did the warm. While he had seen less of it in recent years, he still recalled the Silver World in which he had grown up well enough to take the current snowfall to be somewhat mundane. Perhaps he had simply outgrown the joy of witnessing fresh snow, but then again, it had never excited him terribly during his youth.]

[But perhaps the weather had brought back memories. The same memories that might have come to Dist's mind, though they didn't seem all that unpleasant to Jade. In fact, while he paid little heed to them over the years--possibly to the point of forgetting them, as they were hardly relevant to his life. However, in looking back now, the memories seem all the more pleasant or amusing. Funny how that worked, indeed.]

[However, seeing all of the lively bustling about in the snow had caused him to stop and observe. It had paid off, actually, as he had the chance to witness some children harassing Dist. Oh, this truly did bring back memories. Really, on the occasion that he had participated in snowball fights, he had found Dist to be a good target for his ammunition...or simply for kicking into a snowdrift, whichever had been most convenient at the time.]

[He noted Tear's presence and allowed her to deal with the situation before he approached, watching the large ball of snow, identified as the base of a snowman by another of those...Natsu-Natsu, was it?]

My, enjoying the crisp winter's day, are we? Dist, you ought to be pleased to be included for once by your peers.

[fonic_chord]

[Indeed, Tear had only said anything to Dist because he was a familiar face. She didn't know him particularly well, and though she felt a few traces of pity for anyone that got on Jade's bad side, her compassion was slight. She was not, however, surprised to see Jade joining them. Apparently he had every intention of keeping Dist from causing trouble.]

If you're so skilled in the art, I would very much like to see if you can support your claims. In any case, it seems as if the children are looking for a few extra players. I don't think that they were being disrespectful as much as inviting you to join them.

[Granted, it was not the most polite invitation, but she had witnessed enough teasing here and there to come to the general conclusion that kids provoked other kids as a way to spark motivation.]

Out for a walk, Colonel?

[runnyrose]

[Oh noooo, it was his arch-nemesis, come to make his day even worse!]

Argh! Jade, you vile ogre! I am not a child! And even when I was, I was certainly far above the level of these pests!

In any case, I am far too dignified to engage in such a childish pastime - though, rest assured, if I did, these children would quickly come to rue the day that they decided to antagonize me!

[petapetakapu]

[Arch nemesis? Oh, dear, what a troubling misunderstanding. Dist hardly registered on Jade's radar. However, he had become more civil with adulthood, now knowing that he might as well show a basic level of respect and courtesy. However, he did take priorities, placing Tear at the top of his list. He nodded, both in acknowledgment and in response to her question.]

Yes. I suppose I am.

[Now to answer Dist. Really, either he or Dist had become forgetful in old age, as his memories certainly did not correspond to those that the runny-nosed God-General had blurted aloud.]

Would they, now? If what you say is true, then you must have concealed your talent quite seamlessly. I'd almost say that I am impressed, but...

[But Jade really could not bring himself to say that he was in fact truly impressed. Lying was a rather undesirable trait, no?]

[runnyrose]

[If Jade thought they were not arch-nemeses, he was clearly deluding himself! Dist was obviously the only person who could possibly match Jade. Besides, how else could one explain why Jade seemed to be constantly thwarting Dist's brilliant plans? That's definitely arch-nemesis behavior there.

Also, it was surely Jade who was forgetful. Surely.]

Wh-what are you implying?! I'm magnificent at snowball fights, and always have been!

[Asserting something loudly enough and often enough would make it true, right?]

[petapetakapu]

[Ah, but Jade had arrested common criminals in the past--he hardly could have considered them to be his arch-nemeses. And equally matched? Jade clearly recalled defeating that tacky little robot with little trouble--just a single Splash harmed it greatly. No, Dist was more of a speck of dust floating off in the wind, as far as the colonel was concerned.]

[If one could laugh with eyes alone, Jade would have been a master at the art. He probably would have invented it, actually. In any case, he never let himself get too far out of control, thus limiting his emotional range, but one could guess that he was silently laughing at the God-General. Of course, then, he brought a hand to his chin, a facade of concern or deep thought plastered across his face.]

Is that so? [He pushed up his glasses.] Hmm...you and I must have gauged skill somewhat differently.

[runnyrose]

[How dare you imply that there was anything common about Dist?! If he was a criminal (which he wasn't!) he would certainly be the most magnificent criminal genius the world had ever seen. And Jade would regret underestimating Dist's robots once Dist's bigger, better, and more waterproof Kaiser Dist was built! Or so Dist believed.]

Why, you...! Slandering me as always, I see! I'll show you skill!

[As he spoke, he leaned down, scooped up some snow, quickly packed it, and hurled it at Jade as hard as he could.]

Take that!

[petapetakapu]

[Oh, Jade was quite confident that he had little to fear when dealing with the likes of Dist.]

Don't you mean lack thereof? Unless of course you wish to demonstrate to the children your skill of swimming in snowbanks.

[Jade sidestepped the frigid projectile in an attempt to avoid contact with it. However, it managed to graze past his shoulder, leaving a cold white marking on his shirt. Oh, how careless of him. Perhaps it was due to the nippy weather, but the colonel's glasses appeared to fog up ever so slightly.]

Oh, so sorry, I see you wanted to hit a stationary target.

absurdly late reply is absurdly late

[runnyrose]

[Dist grimaced at the comment regarding snowbanks. He didn't like being forced to recall such unpleasantness, and quickly told himself that, really, that had only happened once or twice, it couldn't have been more than that, that rotten Jade always exaggerated things to make Dist look pathetic, that was all, that was all! Besides, surely things would be different now that Dist was older and more awesome.]

Grrr... that was just a warning shot! You've yet to see my true talent!

[He crouched down again and, too angry to bother making a proper snowball, picked up a chunk of ice, which he threw that at Jade. In his rage, he aimed this one even less well than he had the last one.]

[petapetakapu]

[Normal people might have been slightly alarmed or defensive when seeing another dash for a block of ice and begin to hurl it at his or her face. Jade, however, was not a normal human being. Even though he noted exactly what Dist was trying to accomplish, he remained still, smirking, even as the ever infamous Dist the Runny attempted to send a piece of ice, which could cause some damage upon contact of this sort, directly to his face. Of course, one had to emphasize the verb "to attempt." The chunk of ice veered far to the colonel's left, careening into...well, Jade hadn't actually turned his head to look, but he heard a most interesting sound upon its impact.]

[During this little spectacle, Jade's expression remained the same. Had he predicted this result? Oh, no, he lacked the sort of knowledge that encompassed premonitions--He did, however, have experience, not only with Dist, but also with testing and proving hypotheses.]

Dist, I believe the concept of a warning shot is not, in fact, a series of progressively less impressive displays.

[fonic_chord]

[Tear brightened visibly, offering a smile to the small, fluffy Natsu-Natsu. Honestly, Tear was impressed that he was able to hover in this weather that numbed exposed fingers and turned every breath to a thin fog. Her cheeks reddened slightly (not from the cold), but she otherwise remained as serious as possible given that something cute was not more than a few feet away.]

Yes, it is quite cold, although Keterburg was considerably more so the last time I visited it.

[Tear turned her attention briefly back to the beginnings of a snowman and the little girl who was now watching Mormo curiously.]

Ah... that's right. Would you like to join us?

[yaoonscritter]

Whoo-hoo! I'd be happy to! I'm not sure how much help I'd be, though...

[Mormo dipped his paws into the snow and created a snowball that was only about the size of a marble.]

Let's see, let's try putting it right...there! [He stuck the ball in a random spot on the snowman's body.]