distressedude | 019 ~ [Action]

[After a certain incident resulted in Ion leaving House One for a week, it was finally fime for him to make his way back home. He'd spent more than enough time feeling guilty about what had happened, and for leaving in the first place. He couldn't just keep avoiding things forever, could he?]

[Of course, it'll take him a little while to actually get there, and not just because it's a long walk. After leaving Luke and Asch's apartment around noon, he wanders around the village in the snow for awhile before eventually returning to the plaza, finding a nice, quiet corner of the library to read. But he might seem a little more spaced out than usual today. After all, while he may have decided he's ready to return home, he knows he's going to have to talk to Anise about last week... and he's not quite sure how he's going to go about doing that just yet. Perhaps he should find someone to ask for advice...]

[Either way, he'll finally make his way back to House One shortly after sunset, still feeling more than a little nervous but glad to be home all the same.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Suddenly, a snowball. Flying right at Ion's head.

THINK FAST.]

[jhsedjfhweknfjweu...!!!]

[Oh, that is a bitter cold... and it hit right on target too, his hair now covered in snowflakes.]

[Glancing around now. Who threw that?]

[Ion might be able to glimpse someone in red ducking behind a nearby tree. Lloyd is trying not to laugh-- and failing.]

[You know, wearing red when it's snowing and you are trying to be stealthy is like the worst idea ever. He's just gonna walk right over to the giggling tree.]

Excuse me, but... were you the one who threw that?

[HE KNOWS YOU CAN HEAR HIM don't make him go back there.]

[fjkldalsfasf. He's still hiding behind the tree, though he peeks out to watch Ion for any signs of retaliation. The culprint is a taller teenager, maybe about Luke's age or older. His cheeks and nose are flushed from the cold, and his eyes are more red than brown-- curious and joyful.]

Maybe. [His lips curve into a smirk.] Aren't you going to throw one back?

Why would I throw one back? That wouldn't be a very nice thing to do...

[...forgive him for being a little slow in recognizing a snowball fight.]

[Lloyd gives Ion a look like he's got an extra arm growing out of his forehead. It doesn't stay there long, however.] Sounds like you've never been in a snowball fight.

[He stoops and gathers more snow into his hands, smushing it into a ball between his gloves.]

Here, I'll let you in on a secret. [A beat.] Promise I won't shove it in your face. This is the best way to make snowballs, especially if you can't throw very far.

Oh! A snowball fight? So that's what you were doing. [He watches as Lloyd makes the snowball before reaching down and scooping up a bit of snow himself.]

[...of course, his just crumbles in his hands. Hm. Maybe he should try again...]

Of course! You didn't think I was throwing stuff at you just to be mean, right?

[... Then again, this kid doesn't look like he gets out much. Lloyd watches Ion's snowball fall apart, frowning.]

No, you have to cradle it. Let the heat from your hands melt the outside a little bit. The snow has to stick together for this. [He packs his own snowball into a tiny, dense ball that almost looks like ice.] This is important. See how tight it is? It'll go a lot farther since it's heavier. [He gathers more snow.] Now you make a second layer, but don't pack it as much...

[He holds up his finished product.] The perfect snowball explodes on impact and feels like a light punch to the arm. Just enough to surprise someone and make them cold, not hurt them.

[What heat? His hands are practically icicles!]

[But okay, okay. Paying closer attention to how Lloyd made his, Ion tries again. Make it into a tight ball, then add a second softer layer... his expression is of the utmost seriousness right now, because clearly making the perfect snowball is serious business.]

[...that and it's a nice distraction. He holds up his own finished snowball.] Like this?

[Hahaha, awww. Lloyd compares his snowball to Ion's. It's not perfect, but it's damn good for a first try.]

Yeah, like that. Good job!

[He leans back, giving Ion an appraising look.]

Hmm... How's your throwing arm?

To be honest, I'm not very good...

[He learned that the hard way during the Lucetiland experiment... he lost count how many tries it took to even earn the bare minimum of points at that one throwing game!]

019 ~ [Action]

[action]

[action] 1/2

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]