In the meadow we can build a snowman

[avanture_time]

WHO: Avan, OTA
WHAT: Winter shenanigans
WHERE: The pond, near his cottage, and near the market
WHEN: Various points in December

SUMMARY: Avan investigates the new pond, plays in the snow, and encounters his first mistletoe.

---

[A - Early in the month]

Avan pays attention to the local environment, and consequently, it doesn't take long for him to notice when a new pond suddenly appears. They don't typically do that, in his understanding! At least, not at this time of year. If it were spring, snow runoff could easily explain it, but snow's doing the opposite of melting right now!

It's piqued his scientific curiosity, needless to say. What would his grandfather think about it, he wonders? Would he be able to explain it or would he also be mystified? Well, there's no way of knowing, so all Avan can do is his own observational research.

Which he spends some serious quality time doing, jotting down his results in a little notebook. No signs of geological upset. No other bodies of water feeding into it. No plant or animal life present, at least that makes sense. Water is as cold as one would expect from the surrounding air temperature--it takes a while for him to write that particular observation down after sticking his bare hand in the water to test it.

This sort of thing continues for a while, until eventually Avan runs out of things he can check with his current resources and he still has no explanation for how this pond suddenly appeared.

"I guess I should ask Mr. Charlie about it," he admits with a heavy sigh.

---

[B - After the snow]

It snows in Carl, but not usually this much, and apparently Avan intends to take full advantage of it. Anybody who ventures to the northwest side of Town where Avan and Popp live will find Avan out in the snow, pushing it around. Early in the morning, he's just forming a large, oblong mound, but as the day progresses, he begins adding details, and it soon becomes apparent that he's making a snow dragon. The further he gets into the process, the more frequently he pauses, head tilted as if he's listening for something, and then he nods and continues his work.

Seems like he might be getting instructions from someone.

It's especially apparent while he's working on the dragon's face, where the pauses are much more frequent, and at one point Avan even snickers to himself and says, "I see, I see, Mr. Yarrow was very, very handsome, was he?"

The end result is a snow sculpture of a dragon curled up as if for a nap, just detailed enough for it to be clear that it's intended to be a very specific dragon. One with feathered wings and an impressive array of horns, it seems.

Incidentally, Avan remains very focused throughout the entire process and it would be, just, so easy to bean him with a snowball, I'm just saying.

---

[C - The later half of the month]

As more and more seasonal decorations go up, there comes a day when Avan can be found near the market, trying to gently untangle himself from some enchanted mistletoe that has seen fit to wrap itself around one of his large, curved horns.

"No, no, you won't find any nutrients in that!"

This is not how mistletoe usually operates, he's so confused.

Comments

B

[snapp_crackle]

Avan's not paying attention to anything else, is he? Not Popp walking out to the main part of, or walking back half an hour later... It is the act of a friend to get him to take a break, maybe- no ok ok Popp has to be honest with himself he just really wants to chuck a snowball at him. It is winter and this is what winter and friends are for.

He chucks a snowball at him. Think fast, nerd! He yells a warning while it's in midair.

"Kacrackle!"

He does not know this spell. You're allowed to just yell things if you want to.

[avanture_time]

"Hu-WAAAAH--" is the elegant series of noises that escape Avan before the snowball smacks him in the face and he falls over in an awkward bend because you can't really get knocked off your feet for comedic effect when you're knee deep in snow.

"I can't possibly defend against such a high-ranked spell! How could I be vanquished so quickly?!"

What's not part of the act is that Popp managed to knock his glasses off with that one. Hopefully he can find them again before things get too rowdy.

[snapp_crackle]

Heh heh heh heh... Cackling, Popp tromps over through the snow to gloat and to give his victim a hand up out of the snow heap before he catches a cold or pneumonia or whatever it is you get from being too cold for two long.

"All are helpless before the might of the Snow Sage, you never had a chance.

[avanture_time]

"Ah, but Mr. Snow Sage, I know your weakness!" And before Popp can react, Avan reaches up and smacks him in the face with a handful of snow.

"Haven't I taught you to avoid close combat?"

[snapp_crackle]

"Ackpffgle-"

Oh, it's on. Popp Zooms out of melee range and crashes down in a deep snow angel imprint because he's still wiping snow out of his face.

"Why, you..!"

[avanture_time]

Avan laughs brightly and without remorse, already forming a proper snowball to follow up with. It gets lobbed at Popp as soon as the mage resurfaces. It might hit, it might not--Avan's not putting any actual effort into aiming one way or another. This is not an activity where the outcome is the point, after all.

[snapp_crackle]

The outcome of being hit by fewer snowballs is a little preferable?? Popp is putting considerably more effort into this, but also he has this whole complex about his own tendency towards slacking.

It is still a slightly colder and more solid (more... Umbral?) version of splashing around with your buddy in a pond. He ducks back down in his Wile E. Popp crater to make a whole bunch of ammunition for a stupid joke that only he will get.

"Five Finger Death Freeze!"

He's made five snowballs and will be throwing them all, one after the other. He's not trying that hard to aim, because he does not respect Flazzard.

[avanture_time]

None of us respect Flazzard, it's what he deserves. Avan doesn't even know the guy's going to exist.

He falls back from his position in an effort to avoid getting hit by five snowballs in quick succession, though ultimately the ones that miss him probably do so more thanks to Popp not aiming. At least the ones that do hit don't get him in the face this time.

Of course, it's not as though Avan was just waiting patiently for Popp to finish making five entire snowballs. He's got a couple of his own ready to lob right back now that his opponent has resurfaced.

"Frozen Bullets!"

[snapp_crackle]

Avan's snowballs are probably more well constructed than Popp's, but when it comes down to it, snow in the face is snow in the face. Popp flips a wing out like a shield, and yelps when he gets a snowball right in it - that's any better, it's still part of his body! Buuuut, as long as he's getting all of his scales cold and wet, he might as well double down.

"Take this! Snow Strash!"

Now that's a technique he wants to put his all into. He whips his long tail through the powdery drifts to send up an obscuring veil of snow, so he can leap around it with another snowball for a sneak attack.

B

[worthallthis]

Ivan-- yes, he has in fact chosen a name very similar to Avan, albeit without really meaning to-- watches Avan work from a little ways off for a long time. He looks completely battled. Even when it becomes obvious that Avan is making some kind of sculpture, it still doesn't make his confusion go away.

"Why are you doing that," he finally asks.

He's changed over the past two months, like they all have: his face is haloed with horns, with leathery webbing growing between them, and he has a similarly sailed tail which he keeps curled close to his legs in an attempt to keep it warm. He looks, in fact, rather miserable and cold. But he's still asking the question.

[avanture_time]

"Oh, hello, Mr. Ivan!" Avan smiles brightly, apparently unbothered by the cold. Not unaffected, his cheeks flushed as they are, but he knows the power of layering and his cloak is lined with fur.

"I'm making a snow dragon! It felt more appropriate than making a snowman. You can make one, too, if you want. There's plenty of snow to go around!" To say the least.

[worthallthis]

"Why," he says, brow furrowing with confusion. Art is not a thing he really... gets. Let alone art for fun, that will just melt before too long. Or get buried in even more snow.

[avanture_time]

"For fun!" Avan's smile shifts to take on a more mischievous quality. Ivan's definitely seen that teasing look before, but it's usually Popp on the receiving end instead. "Mr. Ivan should give it a try. It's the only way to know if you'll like it or not."

[worthallthis]

Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Ivan gives Avan a look that is actually a little skeptical. "I do not like or dislike things," he says, which is probably clearly a lie even to anyone who doesn't actually know him very well. But it's rote. He says it because he has to. "And if you want to sculpt with something, why would you use something so. Cold."

Because guess what is something he definitely doesn't like even if he won't admit it? Cold.

[avanture_time]

Avan's grin only grows more mischievous in response. He is absolutely not buying this supposed lack of preferences when one is so clearly being demonstrated.

"You kno~owwww, moving around a lot helps your body warm up, and when you're focused on doing a task, you're not thinking about how cold it is or how much you would like it to be warmer."

[worthallthis]

"That is not true," Ivan counters. "I can think about being cold and do something at the same time. That is not difficult." Also holding very still and keeping his blanket-cloak tucked tight around him seems more useful than moving around and letting out what warmth he's managed to accumulate.

He's a tough nut to crack, Avan.

[avanture_time]

"Heheheh, you really must dislike the cold a lot, if it's that hard for you to stop thinking about it." Avan scoops up some more snow to add to his sculpture. Snow dragon needs some horns.

"It'd be easier on you if you were better dressed for it. You want to wear several layers of warm fabrics. Wool and fur are best for warmth and full-grain leather is naturally water-resistant!"

He's guessing that if Ivan ever has lived somewhere cold, then he's forgotten how to deal with it.

A

[firsteditionbfs]

Avan isn't the only person taking notes of all the changes happening around this place. However, in this case, Angeal can say he knows the answer... and he also happens to be quite fortunately nearby.

This isn't too much of a surprise. His house - the house shared with many people - is the farmhouse that was clearly dedicated to the slumbering orchard which stretches around the area, and it's the orchard which is near this pond.

So even as Avan speaks up, Angeal is approaching - wearing a simple coat to combat the cold.

Considering the amount of steam which leaves his mouth when he breathes, he has some inner heating that can tackle the winter just fine.

"Talk to Charlie about what?"

[avanture_time]

"Hello, Mr. Angeal!" Avan's greeting is as cheerful as ever, despite the earlier sigh.

"I want to ask him if he knows anything about this pond and its sudden appearance. It didn't develop naturally by any means I'm familiar with, but things could work differently here!"

[firsteditionbfs]

"Oh, if that's the case, you don't need to go talking to Charlie about it, although he could definitely give you an answer." In a way, it's not as though he isn't responsible for it...

But rather, Angeal jerks his thumb in one direction. "You'd get more information from talking with lil' Seph and that friend of his, Gaia. Apparently it's an idea with them."

If he had to guess, it's probably something to do with the influences of dragons... Angeal has the life experience to pick up on weird little things like that thanks both to his general life and his time in the simulation, so he's making a fairly educated guess here.

[avanture_time]

And just like that, Avan's cheerful demeanor is replaced by a pained, exaggerated grimace.

"I'll definitely get more information from Mr. Charlie than trying to talk to those two."

Seems they're still beefing?

[firsteditionbfs]

Alright, that makes him toss his head back with a laugh. While he understands that there was some genuine beef that happened with him, well - he remembers the grumpy looks during that one broadcast with the candy.

"Yeah, they're the kinds to hold onto grievances, huh? Well, give it a bit of time. I'm sure things will work out." Crossing his arms, he leans back a bit. He's absolutely still grinning.

"Although what happened according to you? I'm curious."

[avanture_time]

Avan has... considerably less faith in the possibility of things working out with time, which Angeal might be able to guess from the way he slouches and rubs his head before answering. He clearly doesn't really want to talk about it, but he might as well present his side of things.

"I tried to force Sephiroth to eat some vegetables at the Fae Harvest Festival--he was loading up his third plate of only meat, you know, if he didn't end up feeling ill after all that, it's a miracle!" He'll concede that he might have overstepped some boundaries there, but he'll maintain that his intentions were good.

"I gave Gaia an apology gift after the candy incident, but it really didn't go over well."

[firsteditionbfs]

Even if Avan may feel uncomfortable, Angeal listens patiently and with no particular judgment present. There's just a couple of nods at different points in the telling, nothing things down to himself and making it clear he's doing so.

"Well, considering the changes we're going through, who knows exactly what that will do to our diets," he says, shrugging. "Still, I do appreciate you trying to look out for him. Sometimes even things we may be naturally craving aren't always the best... but the method might have been a little flawed, as I'm sure you could tell." He smirks a little. "Honestly, when he and I first met, he was definitely really difficult to get along with and you have to find the right sort of tactics."

Trust him, he knows.

"I'm not surprised that Gaia may even more troublesome, however. Sometimes the times we really get up in arms about aren't what happen to us, but to our friends." Angeal laughs, shaking his head. "Still, I wouldn't call it an impossible task just yet. Did she chew you out?"

[avanture_time]

"Hahaha, something like that." She accused him of being manipulative and treating people like toys, to be specific, but Avan has a feeling that if he shared those particular details, Angeal might become inclined to Meddle, and that's far more mortifying than just leaving things as they are.

"I better go ask Mr. Charlie my questions before I forget!" A blatant excuse to escape an awkward conversation? Avan? Never.