. dial tone.

[zealouspeter]

[not even two rings.]
Hello. This is Shiroe speaking-- if you were trying to reach me, leave a message. If not, I won't begrudge you.

Thanks![end.]

Comments

[Voice...]

[gaveherwings]

[Pick up pick up pick up...

Hushed awe, from a doctor who usually doesn't betray such emotion.]

Shiroe! Are you near a window?!

voice.

[zealouspeter]

[-- picking up somewhere in the middle of that sentence.]

Daedalus?

Voice.

[gaveherwings]

Outside!

Voice.

[zealouspeter]

[a pause -- shuffling.]

[...]

... "Snow?"

Re: Voice.

[gaveherwings]

Yes!

[Just a little bit excitable]

Voice.

[zealouspeter]

Why is it...

[pause, creak of metal hinges -- he's opening a window to actually -]

-- It's freezing! [not-so-surprised surprised voice. sounds as if he might actually laugh,] It's all- every one of the flakes are supposed to be different, right? So -- did you go outside yourself yet, Daedalus?

Re: Voice.

[gaveherwings]

Theoretically, I've read. They're patterned on crystallized fractals, but from here I can't quite see-

Only from the balcony.

I'm waiting for Re-l to come home on her lunch break. We're going to have a walk in it together.

Voice.

[zealouspeter]

[another tiny pause--] Do you think it'll keep coming down?

Re: Voice.

[gaveherwings]

If the news is accurate? It will give pause for a little while, and start up again near sunset.

Voice.

[zealouspeter]

[further silence.]

[then a creak of a floorboard and sudden sounds of outside: wind, footsteps on tile and something like a laugh.]

You'd better hurry, Daedalus. There's barely any.

Voice.

[gaveherwings]

That's alright. It doesn't need to overdo itself all at once-

The nurses say it's miserable to get around the city, with too much snow.

[A brief-exhale- yep, from the sudden white noise, he's back out on the balcony too.]

So cold! Did you know Re-l once spent a whole two weeks stranded in the snow? Well- in an ship, in the snow, but-

I'm surprised she hasn't had enough of it.

...This is better weather than the thunderstorms, though.

Voice.

[zealouspeter]

Everyone else talks about sledding. Some kids use public stairs for it, when the snow piles on enough--

[an abrupt stop, with him sitting on down where he is.]

- It's better than the heat, too.

Maybe it'll even become as extreme as it did during the winter.

Re: Voice.

[gaveherwings]

How was it last winter?

Voice.

[zealouspeter]

Hm? [distracted --] Summer. Last summer.

I only saw the end of the winter here.

Voice.

[gaveherwings]

Ah...colder or warmer than now?

Voice.

[zealouspeter]

Colder. I think.

[shifting.]

But there wasn't snow, really. Just a lot of... water. Water and mud. Slush.