Closed A Twinkle in Their Eyes (Ardal)

[Kanri]

Timestamp
10th of Winter, 512 AV
10th Bell in the Morning
Courtyard of the Sky

Kanri had the day off but she did not really know what to do with herself on these days. Once, she would have wandered the city but recently, she had taken to working a bunch of extra hours to attempt to improve her Glassblowing skill. She had even managed to redeem herself with her father by successfully carrying his bird to the Learning Gallery, a few days after failing miserably at it. Now, since she had decided to take the day off after staying up extra late trying to make a glass cat again (and not succeeding), she did not know what to do with her time. She wandered into the Courtyard of the Sky, a place which had become a sort of sanctuary for her and her thought. She could also look up at the sky and imagine the clouds were giant birds or floating castles or dancing bears. She could imagine she was up there, flying among the clouds with a pair of white wings. Then, the Inarta would look up at her and think that she was just a cloud. And she would smile and snicker because she would have tricked them.

There was snow in the courtyard in large, dirty-white piles, shoveled by the Dek as out of the way as possible. Even though she was almost sixteen now, snow still fascinated her as a potential plaything. The only problem was very few people would appreciate a almost-sixteen-year-old randomly hurling snowballs at them. So, she simply gazed at the sky and made a compact, smooth orb of snow in her hands. It was the Right Sort of Snow for Building Things. For example, if she were to take a handful and squeeze it, it would compress, instead of "poof" away or slide from her hands, and hold the shape of her grip until it melted. If she had been younger, she would have already started on building a fortress that adults could not penetrate. Sadly, if she built a fortress for herself now, no one would really understand. A lot of adults seemed to overlook the joy of snow, especially among the Inarta were work was put over play.

Kanri felt tranquility settle through her limbs as she sat on the damp floor against a wall of snow and looked up at the sky. Her Katinu was becoming damp from melting the snow behind her but, right now, she did not really care. It was a beautiful day and something as silly as wet clothes were not going to ruin her break for her. She just could feel that something good was going to happen. All she needed to do was relax and let go of her worries…

[Ardal]

Snow is something so beautiful yet so dangerous at the same time; Ardal had always loved fresh fallen snow. He didn’t have to work until much later, he was just a Chiet, yet he still had one of the less stressful jobs of fletching. Even though he was fifteen and had a job now he still didn’t feel as if he had matured any. Not wanting to waste his free time indoors, he had decided to spend his time in the Courtyard of the Sky. He grabbed his Katinu and gloves and headed outside.

Strolling around the large open area with his hands in his pockets, he was a bit disappointed the snow had been shoveled aside so quickly. He loved to seeing untouched snow, it made him feel as if everything was tranquil and at peace. His mind began to wonder, as it usually did. He started to consider that maybe he should have left Wind Reach with his twin sister on her adventure. She had left last spring joining a merchant caravan that had passed through the city. His head soon filled with thoughts of the girl he met at the fall festival, her eyes, her smile; and thinking he may have made the right choice in staying after all. A small smile widened on his face. That’s when he noticed her sitting against the snow almost as if he wished her into existence.

Ardal’s mouth became dry and his palms started to sweat, “Would she even remember me?” He pulled the hood of his Katinu over his head to hide his now blushing face. He nearly ran off before noticing she was wearing the green scarf he had given her. His heart jumped, “She kept it after all this time!” It had been a few months or so since he gave it to her at the festival, and the fact that she still had it meant the world to him.

Ardal built up all the courage he could muster. He took a deep breath and removed his hood and approached her. “H-Hi there,” He started to fidget with his hands a little, “I don’t suppose you’d remember me do you?”

[Kanri]

Kanri looked down from the clouds when a voice addressed her. It was the boy from the Festival, Ardal, standing there with a timid look on his face. Kanri's face broke into smile, remember his indecisive walking back and forth at the festival.

"Of course I remember you!" Kanri answered warmly. "I would never forget your queer, unsure pacing in front of the Archery Range at the festival! And you gave me this nice scarf. And you helped with the search for the attacker."

Kanri set down her snowball and stood up, really noticing now how wet she was now. She had been there for a while, she realized. She brushed herself off and breathed on her cold, wet hands to warm them up. The boy was dressed very warmly. He was wearing gloves too, like any sensible person would on a snowy day, much unlike Kanri. But Kanri did not mind the cold that much or the wet. That was probably why she had not come very prepared for the weather. Except that she had worn his scarf. It was a nice, warm scarf too! They both stood there for a moment, saying nothing.

"I was just thinking about how nice the snow is!" Kanri volunteered, acting as though he had asked. "And I was realizing that it is not very useful for anyone. Not us and not the animals either. Bears and squirrels have to go about stocking up all this extra food, rabbits cannot get to their holes as well, little birds have more trouble finding seeds and berries, and predator birds cannot find rabbits as easily. Not to mention the animals have to change their fur color in order to blend in with the snow and then change the color again when it goes away! Then, the snow locks us in this giant volcano which is semi active, but you never know what it'll do. The few places we have snow, people think they need to shovel it around. That's fairly inconvenient, wouldn't you agree?"

She paused and took in the boy's reaction, then continued on with her grand, little speech. She had a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"But I did decide there is one purpose to snow, one thing that snow does that is purely beneficial to our society. That purpose, I have decided, is to bring joy to the hearts of the young and inspiration to the dreamers. See? Isn't that a great purpose?"

Kanri felt excitement bubble up inside her, clasping her hands happily. It was a nice conclusion, she thought, even if that was not really what she had been thinking about. She had just been spacing out. Thinking about snow just put a smile on her face. And thinking about hurling a snowball at him (in a moment or two, of course) sounded even more fun!

[Ardal]

He stood there in silence, as she spoke to him so kindly. He wanted so badly to have a conversation with her but couldn’t find the words. He just looked in her eyes quietly taking in the moment. As she broke the silence, he stood there listening intently to her monologue trying to take it all in. She stopped for a moment asking him a question. Caught off guard he hesitated for a moment as she continued without his answer. Once she finished her thought he finally spoke up.

“Wow, that’s beautiful, truly inspiring” he paused for a bit and looked at the clouds overhead. “I have always loved the snow too, myself. Something so delicate can be devastating to a community.” he grabbed a handful of loose snow and crunched it in his hand, “but still, when I see the world around me covered in a blanket of white I feel…happy, you know?”

He felt a bit embarrassed that his speech wasn’t nearly as impressive as her’s. After all this time building up the courage to talk to her, still he lacked the words he wanted to express.

He casually stood there not aware of what she had planned for him

[Kanri]

"...happy, you know?" Ardal answered, sheepishly.

Kanri scooped up a handful of the snow and walked carelessly away, keeping her eyes on the sky. "Yeah, it really is a happy feeling," Kanri agreed, lazily turning in circles and packing the snow into a little ball. Ardal was too tense! If he had the day off, he needed the opportunity to just let go.

So, Kanri took her own advice, tucked in her leg as she spun to gain speed, and just let go. The snowball loosed from her hand and, while missing Ardal's head, hit him squarely in the left shoulder. Kanri was close enough she would not miss anyway, no matter that her aim was not great. The snow splashed, as well as staggering him a little, and little white puffs now rest on his lower face.

His face. Kanri broke into peals of laughter and started stumbling away in her merriment. She couldn't tell if he was going to throw back or not but it still made her laugh. She had gotten the jump start! It made her feel so delightfully evil inside. She tried to calm herself down but his face… that had really gotten her. That was the selling point that made throwing a snow ball at his face, even though she had missed a little, all worth while. She tried to regain her composure and took something of a boxing stance, though her hands were more prepared to make snow balls than throw punches.

Kanri was not really well equipped for an extended snow ball fight but she would not back down to a challenge. She was not wearing gloves, so her hands were already a little stiff and cold from forming snow balls, and her Katinu had already begun to grow wet in the back. She would be soaked through by the time this was all over. How was she supposed to know she would have the perfect opportunity for a snow ball fight? She would probably even get sick the following day but, frankly, Kanri did not care.

[Ardal]

Ardal was nervous, to say the least. Conversation was never one of his strong points and she seemed to be losing interest is his rambling. He stood there a bit blankly trying to think of an interesting topic. He was brought back down to reality with a cold thud on his shoulder. It caught him off balance and he took a few steps back so not to fall.

He looked to his shoulder and noticed what was left of the projectile and the snow the rapidly melting on his cheek. She was laughing at him, was this girl just another bully all along? No, this laughter was of a playful sort. Ardal brushed off the snow from his shoulder and held it in his gloved hand and looked at it for a short moment. He then gave a rye smirk and a chuckle and flicked the snow in her direction. As he did that he turned and hurried for cover behind one of the shoveled hills nearby. He wasted no time in crafting his snowball. He took two fistfuls of snow from the pile and quickly packed them together with a crunch. He jumped out from behind the mound wound up and threw it at her. In his excitement he forgot to aim and missed wide to the right. He clenched his teeth and grimaced “uh-oh!” he jumped back behind the pile over dramatically. He then began to hastily build a stockpile behind his wall before she could return fire.

He had not had a good laugh In a while.

[Kanri]

Kanri's face was filled with a puff of snow. She had expected a more precise throw. Snow had gathered, primarily on the left side of her body, in her hair, sleeves, and some slide down the inside of her Katinu. It was cold, wet, and uncomfortable. But she was not upset, not in the slightest. She had asked for this! Besides, the fluffy mess that now coated her brown, woolen cloak was much more pleasant than a hard iceball to the face.

And while she was thinking about it, she shouted," The only rule is no 'Ice-Balls'!"

He threw another snowball at her but missed way to her left. She was not good at dodging so she just had to rely on his inability to throw. She formed two snowballs, one for each hand, stood back up and ran back to where he was hiding. She crept back around to where she saw him hide. He was prepared for her but she still managed to land her two snowballs on him before running away from his returning barrage of snow.

Kanri darted away, laughing again, and ducked down behind her own personal pile. But she was not one to sit and wait, much preferring to hunt down her opponent. She had not had a snowball fight in forever! Not since she was little and the moment snow got in someone’s face, they would start bawling. No one could have a really intense snowball fight when they were little. There was always at least one wimpy kid that started crying. And then, the adults would come. They would come and break up the group and reprimand everyone. And Kanri would feel guilty, as though it was her fault that the child was crying, even though she missed more than hit when she was younger. Adults rarely understood children but Kanri was not sure she understood children any more either. It made her a little sad.

Yet, now that she was older, she could have intense snowball fights and not get hurt and not hurt anyone! There were some advantages to growing up!

[Ardal]

He had never had a real snowball fight before. He was too introverted growing up to do many group activities. He would see the other kids play but rarely was he invited to play and never asked to join in. He was plenty excited to be able to join in a childhood pastime, even if he’s a bit older now. This activity really helped to ease the tension he was feeling earlier. Even though, he thought himself a good archer, throwing seemed to be more of a trick.

He was focused so hard on making his ammunition that he failed to see her peek over the wall until it was too late. He looked up to see her grinning face, and carrying two handfuls of snow. “OH NO!” is all he could let out with a laugh, as he was hit with the two rounds. The first hit his chest and the second soon after square on the chin.

This caused him to spit and cough, “Pbbbbpphhtt ack” he shook it off the hit and cocked his arm back to throw but she had already ran away laughing. He wiped the snow from his chin with the back of his wrist. He was losing so far. “Oh, it’s on now!” he shouted to her.

Carrying his bundle of snowballs in his arm, he ran from behind the hill and followed her. After just a couple of steps he stopped remembering how bad he missed throwing on the run before he planted his feet, picked a snowball from his collection, and got his arm in a throwing position and waited for her to pop her head out from behind her hiding spot. A devilish grin grew on his face; he felt as if he was a falcon waiting for a field mouse to eventually climb out of its hole. He was determined not to make a fool of himself and miss again.

[Kanri]

Kanri felt Ardal's snowballs exploded across her back, dashing snow across her back and in her face. So he could throw... from throw feet away... She grabbed an armful of snow and hurled it at him. Since having such a large, awkward load, she could not swing it very fast, a majority of the armful landed on his feet but a few puffs made it into his face and chest. With this brief distraction, Kanri spun and dashed behind the snow pile across the way. She reformed another pair of snowballs and, this time, just threw them at him from where she was sitting, behind her pile.

The atmosphere was electric and intense. It was exciting, like it might be an actual fight. Kanri had always enjoyed sparring when she was younger but so few people ever wanted to challenge her, mainly because she was bad at it. But she always thought it to be so thrilling.

She waited until he came close and then, once again, threw snow at the bulk of his Katinu. He backed up a little, instinctively. Kanri used the time to reform snowballs, though the hurried nature of these snowballs caused them to dissolve and shred through the air as they were thrown, potentially halting any attacks. Kanri, once again, dodged away the moment she ran out of snowballs, managing to escape most of the snowballs in the return fire.

She quickly ran out of breath from running away and ducked down behind another tall pile, promptly making more snowballs. She did not really have high endurance for running, as she spent most of her days in the Glass Reverie and Crafts Gallery. But, she thought, she would like being more active and running around more. With Winter socking them in, it would not be possible until Spring. Snowball fights would have to do until then.

[Ardal]

His shot hit! “Yeah! Whoo!” and pumped is arm in his little victory. His competitiveness was in full effect. He grabbed another for the stash he had made under his arm. He looked back up to see a large amount of snow heading his way but it fell short of its target only a few clumps managed to hit him he looked down at the large mess and looked up to see her manage to duck behind another pile. He turned to see what she’d try next; just waiting for her to make the next move to see snow balls to fly from behind her cover he’d have to move from his spot.

He cautiously approached the hill arm raised ready to pitch if she made any sudden movements. Once he came close he was assaulted by more snow right in his chest. It caused him to stagger a bit. She seemed to be outplaying and outsmarting him at every turn. He was hit by what could hardly be called snowball and more around the lines of simple handfuls of snow. He was able to easily step into her blind spot while the volley continued unsuccessfully. When she sprinted out of her hiding spot he had a hard time finding his mark and only a few hit. He had never been good at hitting a moving target. On top of that she was a lot faster than he thought she’d be. On top of that his once large clutch of snowballs was now depleted. He needed to make a new plan and fast.

He soon formed an idea that he believed would help him turn this match around. He made a ball and ran up to the new pile she hid behind as quietly as he could; hopefully she’d not run away again. He lowered his shoulders and pushed the whole mound down on top of her. It was firm and heavy any otherwise he’d just sink right though. It causes her to lose her balance and be knocked down to the ground under the mass off snow. He stood over her; his snow ball ready to strike and, added, “You said that, ‘the only rule is no ice-balls’” he said with a smile.