Stu had his fill of snow back home. There had been snow before his pneumonia cleared up and snow over the pass and snow in Boulder. There had been snow in Maine, too.
Texas didn't have this sort of problem. Not usually. Sure, there was the freak storm every now and again, but it never lasted, and it sure as hell didn't change the houses and trees.
His leg hurt and he was as cranky as he ever got as he tromped through the white shit to get to the compound. Looked as if work would be on hold for the month, and Stu never had done well on unemployment. He'd have to think up something, or he'd drive Janie to drink...that much he knew. Her, or himself.
None of that meant he couldn't give Delirium a perfunctory "Howdy," as he passed, glaring at the slick staircase up to the door.
"i woULDn't evEN TRy, it'S AN eviL staiRCAse yOU'LL FaLL on yOUR ASS. iT wiLL be a hiLariOUSLy comicAL MoMENt bUT you'LL PRobabLY BrEAK a LEg aND thEN i'LL havE TO go iNSide taKE OFF my tWEnty GAZiLLion LAYers and THen Get hELP, thEN put thEM ALL back on AGain anD thE PokEAGE oUT of the skiN Makes mE NAUseous." Delirium said, rambling away quite happily. Turning her head to stare at the evil staircase, she had already fallen up and down the wretched thing four times that day. She really couldn't get the hang of the whole balance thing.
"mayBe, if it'S ianto that mADe it bUT if abbY MAde it oR any oF THE scientiSTS 'Cept Greg thEN it's going to TASte Like roOFing tar. whiCH i've tasted and iT Doesn't tASTE THat greAT evEN AS AN icE Cream." Delirium said, remaining sitting. She didn't want to get up again, getting up would mean falling down again and that hurt. She was going to be black and blue all over and she hadn't even done anything fun or unusual to look that particular shade of bruise. "wANT to GO seE?"
"Hello, Delirium," Bob says as he walks up toward the Compound, Gamelon just on his heels, prancing happily through the snow. His voice sounds a little congested from the cold and he sniffs a bit before he gives her a smile, bundled in a large orange coat, a deerstalker with the flaps drawn down and a large, warmer hat over that one and bright purple mittens.
His lips tug into a slight frown when he notices the look on her face and his head cocks to one side. "What's wrong?" he asks her and Gamelon snuffles her own question, her cold nose pressing to Delirium's cheek.
"sNow," Delirium said, her own hands encased in bright pink mittens attached with string to the other. She felt like she was suffocating, being eaten alive by the sheer amount of clothing she was being forced to wear. Delirium glared at the white stuff, wishing it to melt but instead it just stayed there all happy and untouched and white. "iT's cOLD."
Delirium smiles a little at the familiar feeling of a wet nose pressing up against her cheek. She didn't like the snow; it was unfamiliar, cold and wet. It was horrible. "i Don'T LikE it, i'VE nEver- mY CLothES ARE tryinG TO Eat me BoB!" Delirium said in frustration, lifting her arms in a strange waddling motion. She was wearing about six layers underneath the jacket and she still felt cold.
"Oh, but it's wonderful," Bob says in reply, sounding somehow sympathetic and baffled at the same time. There's a small smile of wonderment curving his lips and his nose is red from the cold, but he feels like a child almost. Maybe he has Pearl to thank for that.
He steps closer and offers a mittened hand to Delirium. "We should go for a walk," he offers and Gamelon immediately gives a quick bark of agreement. "You can see how pretty everything looks and it'll help warm you up."
"oKies bUT i'm WarniNG You i'M LikE A Living fALLing doWN pERSon." Delirium said with a doubtful smile. Pink mittens taking purple ones as she eased herself up on to her feet. She'd only fallen down four times before she'd finally given up on attempting to go back into the Compound and it didn't help that she did everything with exhuberant bounciness. "aND i'm Going to taKE You doWN if i gO, Just so You know."
Ruth-Anne, on the other hand, was quite pleased with her new circumstances. Oh, the cold could be hard on her old bones, and while she lived in Alaska she always talked about vacationing someplace warm, but after so many months on the island it was nice to get a little taste of home.
"Now what's the matter?" she said when she found Delirium scowling outside the compound. "Is everything all right, dear?"
"iT'S SNowing and i kEEP faLLing oVer anD i doN'T LikE it." Delirium said, firmly. Not that she'd ever really experienced snow before; she'd seen it, had mortals go mad from it but it wasn't the same as being human in it. She really didn't see the attraction of it. "hOW aRe YOU evEN MANaginG TO be aLL uPRight-y? i thiNK thE isLand is UNDER an eviL FLuENCE."
"I guess I just have a lot of experience getting around in the snow and ice," says Ruth-Anne. "You haven't hurt yourself, have you? It can be a little treacherous if you're not used to it."
"No bUT my buM hurts SomEThing CrazYLike." Delirium said, getting up onto her feet unsteadily. She was half expecting herself to fall again and it wasn't like the multiple layers of clothing were doing her bottom half any good anyway. "wHAT's it Like in ciceLY?"
It wasn't so hard to get used to this place, all in all. The chalet, which the local folks seemed to call the compound, was a well-appointed and comfortable building and Nick wasn't displeased to be spending some time there. Truth be told, it was nice to take a little vacation from time to time.
When he found a young woman looking unhappy just outside, his first instinct was to pull a paper-wrapped mint from his pocket.
Delirium pulled off a pink mitten to take the sweet from the man and popped it into her mouth. Delirium looked up to thank him and stared, her mouth opening until the sweet dropped onto her knee. That was Santa, Nicholas, the man who should in theory being whipped and beaten by creepy little blue dwarves. "yOU'RE WearinG CLothes," Delirium said, her face a picture of puzzlement. "You'RE WeariNG CLothes and... do THey knOW You SneAKED awaY?"
"Well, I'm not sure I'd call it sneaked as much as was snatched up," said Nick, a bit perplexed, "but I'm sure I'll be back before they notice. Time's funny that way."
"yes iT is," Delirium said, picking the sweet off her knee and popping it into her mouth. Delirium couldn't help but stare at the man. "yoU Better mAKe suRE YOU're bACK, theY aLways knOW WheN YOu've beEN Naughty or nice. theN again so did i buT i don'T GO arouND KidnapPing fat meN... oNE of them Bit me once, i had An owie for weeKS."
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Texas didn't have this sort of problem. Not usually. Sure, there was the freak storm every now and again, but it never lasted, and it sure as hell didn't change the houses and trees.
His leg hurt and he was as cranky as he ever got as he tromped through the white shit to get to the compound. Looked as if work would be on hold for the month, and Stu never had done well on unemployment. He'd have to think up something, or he'd drive Janie to drink...that much he knew. Her, or himself.
None of that meant he couldn't give Delirium a perfunctory "Howdy," as he passed, glaring at the slick staircase up to the door.
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His lips tug into a slight frown when he notices the look on her face and his head cocks to one side. "What's wrong?" he asks her and Gamelon snuffles her own question, her cold nose pressing to Delirium's cheek.
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Delirium smiles a little at the familiar feeling of a wet nose pressing up against her cheek. She didn't like the snow; it was unfamiliar, cold and wet. It was horrible. "i Don'T LikE it, i'VE nEver- mY CLothES ARE tryinG TO Eat me BoB!" Delirium said in frustration, lifting her arms in a strange waddling motion. She was wearing about six layers underneath the jacket and she still felt cold.
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He steps closer and offers a mittened hand to Delirium. "We should go for a walk," he offers and Gamelon immediately gives a quick bark of agreement. "You can see how pretty everything looks and it'll help warm you up."
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"Now what's the matter?" she said when she found Delirium scowling outside the compound. "Is everything all right, dear?"
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When he found a young woman looking unhappy just outside, his first instinct was to pull a paper-wrapped mint from his pocket.
"Maybe this would cheer you up?" he offered.
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