It was Sah who had taught Hadama how to make a snowball. For all his previous mastery of water manipulation the technique had not come easily to the former-Mer, but once he had practiced it a few times it had become easier. He was still not fast at it, but he could compact a handful of snow into a fluffy missile now without crushing it in his hands or packing it so loosely that it fell apart once it left them.
And while he and Noah had trained together many times to the full extent of their formidable abilities, they had already pushed themselves in the tournament earlier in the season. This, today, was simply an excuse to have fun and to put Hadama’s armor to the test for Safrin’s quest.
The downy pelage, sparkling with starlight, was at least warm in Halo’s cold climate. Hadama’s hands, hidden within a pair of large red mittens, scooped up some snow and formed it carefully as he waited for Noah to do the same. A flicker of a grin was all the warning that Vi’s champion would get before the Tidebreaker launched his attack and then shifted to the side in an attempt to dodge immediate retaliation.
Growing up in Halo gave lots of opportunity to become a master at snowball fights. While abandoned always had advantage should they hold water magic (looking at you, Deimos), other Halovians were still just as hardy and just as ready to join in on the fun. Noah had never met anyone in Halo too above a snowball fight.
It was just part of the culture.
So when Hadama brought it up, Noah smiled and said exactly that: "This will make you a more cultured demigod."
He readied himself as Hadama made his own snowballs, gloved hands packing and twisting snow. The king gave little warning, and Noah didn't need much. He easily dodged the snowball that didn't have any magic advantage, while slinging his own towards the once-mer. He then scooped up another fistful of snow and packed as fast as he could. the forsaken
Dodging was not Hadama's greatest talent. He was solid, steadfast, and strong, and for such a large man he was surprisingly light on his feet. But his reaction speed was notably less than his strength, and even with a head start he was unable to evade Noah's missile completely. The snow skimmed over the armored feathers on his shoulder, dusting them with white and catching the edge of his ear, but no true damage was taken and the starlight remained a scintillating mark of the armor's continued efficacy.
The Tidebreaker scooped up another handful of snow from the thick powder coating the Frostfields and began to pack it once more, but he was significantly slower about it than Noah was. The lack of practice was obvious in his careful movements, and he was further slowed by the need to keep moving so that he would not be a sitting target for the Forsaken as he worked. "When will you come visit Torchline again?" he called, using conversation to buy himself a few more seconds so that he could finish his ammunition and aim for Noah's shoulder.
Noah couldn’t help the childish guffaw that burst from his open mouth when his snowball hit true. He packed the snowball quickly and launched it near the same time that Hadama his own follow up assault. Noah turned and let the king’s snowball smack against his back with a dull thud.
The snowball did not wholly splatter and turn back into the powdered snow that covered the ground. Even as Noah went to brush off his Sentinel’s coat he could feel the snowball already starting to work itself back into shape. Noah’s eyes gleamed with a terrorist’s delight as the memory snow formed itself back into a ball and fell at his feet. He quickly grabbed it and launched it towards the once-mer, caring little for aim.
”I’ll come soon,” Noah said, glacier eyes watching for another assault, ”I need to collect some void creatures from other parts of Caido, Torchline being one of them.”the forsaken
Hadama was not entirely unfamiliar with snow after the visits he'd been able to pay to Halo after the War. He was, however, unfamiliar with memory snow, and a puzzled furrow appeared between his steely brows as the snowball that he had momentarily watched hit his opponent-friend with deep satisfaction reformed itself at Noah's feet.
He was entirely unprepared for how quickly his fellow demigod reacted to this new development, and shifted too late. The snowball struck him squarely in the chest, impacting the shining feathers of his unusual armor. They shone brightly as the snow struck harmlessly, its impact blocked by their divine blessing, but as the snow dropped to the ground - reforming even before it landed - their light dimmed. Hadama did not appear worried by the development, instead bending to lift the snowball and scooping up an extra handful of snow around it to make it even larger before he heaved it at his friend with something suspiciously like a grin.
"Hmm. Excellent. Our ward for the ocean has not been finished yet. Would you care to do some hunting in the deep?" An offer made in the knowledge that his ring would allow Noah to breathe in any shape he chose, but that otherwise a manta crystal - ethically harvested - could be found for one of the King's friends.
“I’ve never been to the underwater city. I would love that.” Noah agreed to Hadama’s inquiry and offer. “We could plan that for the heat of the seasons, maybe.” He added, giving a timeframe for not only him to prepare but for also the once-mer.
“Is there any where in Halo you haven’t been? I’d be honored to be a guide should you ever need one. Maybe one day we could visit the Draig together — now that your legs are here longer.” Noah knew that the stronger the two demigods got, the better odds they had against any dragons that lived in the mountains.
And his curiosity continued to grow of how much the void was touching the rest of the world.
FIN the forsaken
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