It wasn't easy finding memory snow that hadn't taken a shape yet, but Tal had hunted high and low until he'd gathered enough into his Bag of Holding to suffice for his project.
There was a little park not far from the palace, ringed with evergreens to make a nice, peaceful spot within the bustling city. There were a few benches and a fountain sculpted out of ice that never melted with a few little walking paths around it.
Tal plopped down on the snow near one of the benches, setting his bag beside him and positioning the little hand-pulled sled in front. The ice-pale dragon who was often at his side had her head in the snow nearby, following the scent trail of something while her broad head worked like an impromptu shovel, leaving a furrow in her wake.
The red-furred dog who led his team was sitting prim and proper beside the sled, her head cocked curiously at Tal as he started digging snow out of the bag and piling it onto the sled, a downright gleeful smirk on his face as he began to get to work in shaping it.
@Cordelia
It was days before tragedy would strike. An event that would knock all of the wind out of her sails, leaving the Attuned nothing more than a shell. It was strange, really. Given that she had mourned Aino previously. She'd made her a lantern, thinking her cousin lost, but to be shocked to find out that she wasn't. That she came back just before the portals iced over. The days that would follow the dragon attack would be dark ones, but for now, there was still light.
Wintery and cold, filtering trough the evergreens that dotted the park near the Citadel. She likes walking through there after having lunch with Noah, always bringing him something from home when he had to work in the small office space inside the palace. It was a rare occurrence, given how he liked to be among the people, but it did happen.
Her steps slow as she spots Talyson, brows lifting in confusion as she shoves her hands into her pockets, [say]"You know, there is plenty of snow here already. Why exactly are you bringing in more?"[/say] The Attuned calls out, coming to a stop a few paces away from where the Accepted was working.
Boreal raised her head and wagged her serpentine tail in a friendly greeting before going back to hunting mice beneath the snow. Tal, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he tried to keep his mound of snow from slipping, hummed tunelessly for a moment in acknowledgment until he'd stabilized the section, and then he glanced up at the woman with a grin.
"Hey, Delia. Don't you recognize it?" Pale eyes gleamed merrily as he began the careful carving and shaping of the bottom of his snow pack. "The memory snow has been pretty thin on the ground this year. Probably because of all those lizards," he added with a groan, remembering the break-in at the Guildhall. "How've you been?" He wasn't nearly as awkward as he'd been while they'd been making lanterns for the Festival; either getting to know her better or being outside engaged in mischief had definitely had a stabilizing influence on his anxiety.
Cordelia felt her lips lift into a smile, pausing beside him with her arms crossed lightly over her chest, head cocking to the side as he tried to build up the snow further. [say]"And you're doing what with it exactly? Aside from making a mound of mush."[/say] The Attuned chuckles, nudging the mound with the toe of her boot lightly, but not enough to make it shift. She wasn't that cruel. Her smile falters a little and her shoulders lift into a slight shrug, [say]"I'm alright. Not a lot going on right now."[/say]
And there wasn't. They were snowed in. She couldn't even hunt properly. Noah was busy with his new duties and while there was plenty to do to prep for the upcoming war, Cordelia still found herself antsy. [say]"How are you? Seem to be keeping yourself busy enough."[/say]
"Hey, this is mush with a purpose!" he protested, making an instinctive little grab towards her foot which he managed to stop halfway there. "It's a present for someone!" Though the wicked grin he tilted up at her made the definition of 'present' potentially dubious.
The courier gave an understanding nod at her lack of work. Deepfrost was tough on the hunters, too...
"Busier than last year," he admitted a little sheepishly, going back to his masterpiece(??) as he spoke. "Trainin' this years pups to start pullin' sleds, as usual. But helpin' Deimos out with war prep an' tryin' to drum up courier work in town. Don't suppose you have anythin' you need delivered to anyone?" It wasn't a very hopeful question, but he had to try.
Her brow arches in disbelief, arms crossed over her chest, [say]"A present for who? Your new best friend?"[/say] This being her cousin Sah, of course. Describing them as best friends is an absolute stretch, but that wasn't the point. Examining the snow pile more closely, Cordelia made an absolute show of trying to look at it from every possible angle. [say]"What's it even supposed to be aside from mush?"[/say]
It didn't look that bad, but she wasn't going to tell him that. No way. Teasing him was half the fun as far as she was concerned. Cordelia took a few steps forward, motioning to the back portion of the mound, [say]"That's going to fall if you don't pat it down more."[/say] The trick to this was to actually melt the outside slightly so it froze again in the new shape. Didn't he know that?
"More like best pain-in-the-ass," Tal snorted but didn't deny the recipient, going back to carefully adding and scraping away the snow as he looked from Bell to his growing sculpture and back again. Pale eyes rolled and he made a show of heaving a misunderstood sigh at Delia's questions. "Everyone's a critic," he lamented to Boreal, who blithely ignored him as she continued following mouse tunnels under the snow.
"It's gonna be Lily!" he finally revealed, giving Delia the soulful look of a wounded artist. Okay, even he had to admit that it didn't look much like her yet, but it was a work in progress! He dug more snow out of the bag and began piling it higher to build up the front more. "Yeah, yeah, but it's memory snow. It holds together better'n regular snow." He threw his chin towards the precarious patch with a grin. "But hey, I guess I wouldn't mind a little help, if you want to get patting." Smooth, Tal.
"What're you doin' out here today?" he asked as they worked.
Grinning to herself, Cordelia shifts in the snow again, studying the slushy mushy pile that's meant to be a wolf. [say]"Not hard to be critical of a snow lump."[/say] She teases, head cocking to the side as he scrapes away at a bit of snow before adding more to the pile. Maybe it was meant to be Lily, but she was seriously doubting his capabilities.
[say]"Memory snow or not... There is a proper way to build things."[/say] The Attuned huffs, finally stepping closer so she might lay her own hands on the thing. [say]"Besides, your proportions are all wrong."[/say] And with that, she kind of takes over, adding bits of snow and scraping away at other places. Concentration makes her brow pinch and her tongue stick out of the corner of her mouth as she works, barely registering his question at first, [say]"Oh, I just got back from visiting Noah... Hardly see him when he's working."[/say]
Tal huffed with more sincerity at her continued criticism but kept working, certain that she'd come around once he had a finished product to show of--
"Hey!" The scowl she got at her crack at the proportions was genuine this time, but since he'd already asked for her help it was too late for regrets now. He grumbled wordlessly under his breath as they worked together to sculpt the snow. And hearing about the illustrious Noah from someone who knew him personally was a pretty interesting way to pass the time.
And for all that it had been a rough beginning, it did start looking more lupine the harder Tal and Delia worked on it. Maybe hard to tell that it was a specific wolf, but there weren't that many running around inside the Citadel and from the right angle it was actually pretty close. Eventually Tal sat back and nodded in satisfaction, nudging Delia with his shoulder.
"Right, I think it's about ready for delivery." Which was why he'd built it on top of the sled. "Hey, thanks, Del! I'll see ya around!" Harnessing up Bell to the sled, the boy and his dog and his dragon and his snow wolf headed off down the street to leave the anonymous gift on Sah's porch.
~fin~
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