As the citizens of Jastrey wake to the blanket of glittering white they also find an...odd scene in front of the tavern. Sometime in the dead of night creatures made of snow have "appeared". These include assorted scenes...such as the "swimmer" trying to outrun an nest of large tentacles. One poised with a cone of snow near it's mouth and a mate on the ground with the tavern's ice cream scoop impaled in its back. Another that consists of a chicken lopping off the head of a snow man. But along with the macabre comes the fun. Snow creatures with various small features that suggest they might be particular members of town. This one missing an arm. That one with chicken feathers stuck on its back like wings. Another with a scruffy beard. Even one with bells attached to a snow hat. Along with the creations, one table has been moved outside, and piled high with stacks of snowballs just ready for an ambush.
Inside, Ripper sits in a back corner, ankles crossed and back propped against the wall, sipping a warm cup of hot chocolate and blood with a highly satisfied smile.
Rasiri sulks into town out of the forest staring at his feet and mumbling to himself. He pays little attention to everything around him and starts to head into the tavern when his right boot catches one of the smaller snow figures and sends him sprawling face-first into the snow. He angrily stands up and wipes the snow from his eyes and looks around quickly to see the scene in front of him. He then realizes that this is all Ripper's doing and remembers something he has been meaning to do for a very long time. His deamenor changes and he runs off into the tavern to see Ripper and Glimmer in the back corner. "Ripper! Can I have a moment, I have been meaning to catch you for quite some time now, and you might be interested in this as well Glimmer."
Looking up from her cocoa, the sylph smiles crookedly enough to expose one fang and turns in her seat so as to make room for her now-cousin. She pushes her own mug away, while simultaneously scooting a second, and a pot of unsullied cocoa toward the other fae.
"That sounds delightful cousin. As always, this town needs a distinct injection of...capriciousness, whimsy, foibles, follies, precocioucity, giddiness...one might even say...frivolity. Not to mention a slush orb or two might confuse the passing enemies of the town. And Bob help the imps if they choose now to lay an assault."
Turning from Glimmer toward the approach of Rasiri, both brows raise, very dark against the white paint (or was that simply her skintone now?) of her makeup.
"Of course, though I very much doubt much could be done with a mere moment...unless of course you happen to be a time lord dear friend. Perhaps I can offer instead to lend you...five minutes? Or an amount of time as-to-yet determined but stated as 'until you've said your piece but no longer than a day'?"
Taklinn walks towards the tavern after coming back from taking measurements for the coming wall project. He slips a few times, seeming to dance for a bit on the icy ground before gaining his balance once more. After taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he takes takes a step towards the tavern, once again slipping on the ice and becoming airborne, falling hard on his back. "Durned snow!" he roars as he starts to try to regain his feet, falling a couple times before getting on his hands and knees, bear walking across the icy patch until he finds a patch of softer snow. He stands up and slaps away the snow from his beard and kilt. He starts once again for the tavern and stops to look back at the patch of ice, rubbing his chin and concentrating on a memory from long ago....
Glimmer takes the mug from Ripper and teases joyfully "Rip, control your vocabulary dear. Your syntax may confuse the regular folk." She then eyes Rasiri mischeviously and says "Dear, do hold that thought for, as Ripper said, a time as yet to be determined. I do believe I hear my grumbly bumbly beau outside. I shall smash his face with a snow orbie thing. Or would the two of you care to join me as well? You are quite sneaky Ras." At that, Glimmer stands and waits to see if the other two will follow, wings flitting and her face becoming a jumbled appearance of mischief.
Rasiri smiled at Ripper, "Good to see that you are you are still the same old Ripper. What i have to talk about might just interest you very greatly. There used to be an Uordeq that would hang about with you and that other fairy that used to hang around here... I took quite a shine to him while i knew him. Have you any idea where he went? I Would like to have a talk with the both of you." He then glanced at Glimmer, "I would love to cream the old dwarf my good little Fairy but i am sure he likes me little enough already."
Glimmer looks suddenly stricken at Rasiri's mention of Wreynn. She speaks softly and says "Ras, Wreynn is gone. He disappeared 3 mests ago. We had information from Grishal that another Urodeq had attacked him. We assume it was Wreynn's brother. We have searched for him but found nothing." Glimmer looks at them both and says "I must bid you two farewell for a few moments. I have pressing business with a short bearded person outside." At that, Glimmer walks directly out the front of the tavern to the snow orb pile. She picks one up and shouts "Hello my dear sweet dwarven love. How are you this fresh snowy morn?" Glimmer winks at Taklinn, flits her wings to shake the fresh falling snow from them, and launches the snow orb directly at Taklinn's face. She giggles hardily and says "You do look precious in white dear. The color suits you." She then readies another snow orb in case Taklinn decides to rush her. "RIPPER!!!!!!!!!!!! I got him Rip! Right in the kisser!"
After placing his post on the wall Drux turns and sees Glimmer lobbing snowballs at Taklinn. He laughs quittly to heself then head in her direction. "Glimmer could I have a word with you? It will only take a minute and we dont even have to leave your battlepost." Drux asks. He then wait for an answer while he takes a snowball in his hands a lobs it at Taklinn as well.
Nodding that she concurred with Glimmer, Ripper began to rise from the bench. At first she moves as if to pat Rasiri on the shoulder, but when her hand gets within a few inches the radiance of body heat causes her to draw back without making any contact. Her lip curls, at her own inability it would seem, and she shakes off the twinge of reminder that she lives now on a razor's edge. A fox in the henhouse so to speak. Shrugging both arms into her cloak she nods toward the door and takes a few steps.
"There will be an opportune moment to apply our attentions to the vanishings of Wryenn and his most unappealing kin. But if my limits of understanding toward those of your shared genetic and regional background are to be stated as possessing correctness...He will be as a ghost in the snow. An apparition, a spectre, a shade, a wraith..."
Rolling her shoulders, she breaks herself out of the tangent of vocabulary focus and smiles slightly.
"But at this particular current conjecture...I am finding that I would be most pleased to join the frolic of my cousin and her intended victim of affections in the frozen moisture outside. Remarkable stuff...a perfect medium for sculpture both readily available and self-cleaning and the impermanence certainly makes its own statement about the fragility of...well...everything."
In stark contrast to her words, the sylph lets out a cheerful whoop of battle charge as she hops out the doorway and hunkers behind the prepared table, winding back a snowball and then loosening it toward the dwarf's exposed calves. Sharp eyes will notice that she pulls her throw at the last moment, so as not to harm him with vampiric strength.
Astrum lifts his hand and shoots the first snowball out of the air with a burst of fire. As the second hits him in the face unexpectedly, he proceeds to shoot a fireball directly at himself. It achieves the desired effect as the snow is melted.
However, his face is one of surprise and his eyebrows are singed. "Ow," is all he can manage.
Standing up in utter confusion, Astrum begins walking away from the scene, poking tenderly at his face.
Glimmer looks at Drux and says "Well of course dear. We shall chat right here then. As you can well see, I am engaged in a battle of great importance here." Glimmer launches another ball of the wet freezie stuff at Taklinn and giggles loudly. "TakiSakks, I do so love this game. We should play much more often."
Taklinn turns to face Glimmer just as the snowball crashes in his face. "Durned ye! I just got all of this stuff outta-" his statement is cut off by The barrage of Drux, and Ripper as they join in. He pulls his axe off his back and starts hitting the projectiles as they come in at him, taking more shots than deflecting them. He retreats to a sculpture to find cover, realizing that it depicts himself. He gathers up snow from the ground and makes ammunition hastily and begins returning the fire, again being pelted by the snowballs. Once he runs out of available snow he again crouches behind his own likeness. He pulls his flask out and takes a quick pull to warm his body and grips his axe. "I'm done playin' with ye now! I wont be bullied anymore!" He grips his axe tightly and steps out, taking the hits and stalking around the statue. Eyeing the conspirators he snarls and begins closing the distance. When it appears that he is about to charge, he whirls around and slices the snow sculpture's head off (30 sharp). Taklinn drops his axe and heaves the large projectile high over the groups head; only to land on the roof and cause the accumulated snow from the roof to avalanche onto his opponents! Laughing heartily he continues the snowball fight, using the remains of his likeness to add to his ammunition.
Glancing upward, Ripper hears the rumble of unsettled snow and her eyes nearly double in diameter. A moment later her spot is occupied instead by a pile of the white stuff and muffled noises that might be squeaks. The pile shivers, then shakes again. Taking advantage of the sunless cocoon of snow, she summons the strength inherent to her disease [Strength 2] and bursts out. As soon as the sun strikes her form she cringes, feeling the additional power drain instantly. The fae shakes herself like a dog; first scarlet hair sending flakes flying, then shoulders and arms, then hips, and finally each foot shakes loose powder.
Her head cocks appraisingly toward the dwarf, and then she nods.
"I am inclined to believe that the event we just witnessed may in fact be perhaps just possibly a prime example of brilliance."
Glimmer stands up and begins shaking the snow off her wings. "Brilliance my foot Rip!" At that she charges Taklinn carrying fresh snowy things in her hands. She squeals rather loudly for her usually quiet self as she gains her speed. Glimmer stops just short of knocking Taklinn to the ground and says "Well now love. It seems you have two options here. Say you're sorry for ruining my fun or I shall smash your fuzzy face with these freezy things." At that, Glimmer readies her pitch the same as she would her bow, preparing to launch two snowballs at point blank range directly onto Taklinn's face.
Taklinn, holding his own snow orb throw in check, smiles at Glimmer and says; "Awww come now love, it werent to make ye mad, but with a three to one advantage I had to do somethin' ta even the odds a bit!" He winks at her and continues,"And why must I apologize fer ruining YER fun? Twas a good tactic and we would do well to remember such things. In fact I'm thinkin' that we could use this encounter as a good trainin' tool fer our upcoming defense. Ta be able to rain down on our enemies and bury them with earth and stone could be a powerful tool. Shaping our battlefield is the only advantage we have over Fredrick Douglas' army coming! But if it will make you feel better fer feelin' tricked, then I apologize!" He then gives her a smile and a wink before taking the initiative and throwing another orb at his companion.
Glimmer looks at Taklinn in awe as she shakes the snow yet again from her wings. "YOU BIG OAF!" She launches two orbs at Taklinn then runs and tackles him to the ground, smashing his fuzzy face in the snowy ground. "At least you called me love. For that you can breathe for two seconds before I pummel you again."
Glimmer, walkin back to the tavern from her visit with Garith and Astrum, sees the table of snowballs piled high. She immeadiately looks around, wings flitting rapidly and a twinkle in her eye. She gives a crooked smile and goes into the tavern, dearly hoping Ripper is behind all this. Upon seeing Rip in the back, she approaches her calmly and says "Well dear cousin, it appears someone has set there own battlestation outside our tavern. Might I assume it was you? And do let your cousin in on the fun. It's been a while since we've done something truly mischevious. And you and I both know, Bumble Beard could use a good smack in the beard every now and again." She waggles her eyebrows and twitches her nose quickly, anxiously awaiting Ripper's response.