[210 - It’s Cold Outside] Catch Your Death
Challenge: [210] It’s Cold Outside
Title: Catch Your Death
Wordcount: 433
Notes: These two intrigue me more and more. Set during KH1. Living on a tropical island isn't exactly great preparation for walking into a blizzard and knowing what to expect.
-
“What is it?”
The boy didn’t ask with any curiosity. Rather he eyed the mass of white with suspicion.
“Snow.”
“That’s snow?” He curled his lip, but had one of those split-second moments where he realised she was watching and what he’d done was childish. She’d come to recognise those: the slightly-too-long-to-be-a-blink, the way his gaze almost-but-not-quite flicked to gauge her reaction. Was he trying to prove something, or did he fear punishment?
More importantly, which did she want it to be?
“You’ve never seen snow before?”
Another split-second moment. “Only in pictures. I lived on a tropical island.” Was that defensiveness in his tone? It faded under her stare.
She’d lived in a temperate climate herself. They’d had sun in summer, gales in autumn, rain in spring and snow in winter. She remembered the kingdom blanketed in white, log fires burning for Yuletide and the sound of carols echoing from her crystal ball. She’d sent out her raven to check whether Stefan and Natalia brought home their daughter for the festive season. They never had. Still, their castle rang with holiday cheer - unlike her own. She used fire to get to and from places. She didn’t need it to keep warm. Her minions huddled around small blazes, muttering and scratching themselves. Imbeciles. They probably would’ve eaten any holly and used stockings to wipe their -
She shrugged off the memories. All that was finished now. The stupid sugar-pink princess was safely stored away, the log fires were out, and she had a new minion.
She stepped forward and pushed him towards the portal.
Instinctively he resisted. Then he thought better of it. Maybe he was even surprised at the contact between her hand sand the small of his back. “We’re going out in that? Don’t people die in blizzards?”
“You won’t die.”
He looked down at himself. “I’m not dressed for extreme cold.” The admission was grudging, as if he hated having to disclose any weakness in front of her.
She waved her staff. For a second he glittered. Then a thick woollen scarf erupted around his neck like a choking vine. The coat puffed up around his body, encasing his arms, torso and face as though trying to suffocate him until he pushed the oversized hood back. Startled and confused, cheeks pink and hair flopping across his forehead, he looked childish. Not at all like a warrior of the darkness, much less her champion.
Her spine stiffened.
“You won’t die because I won’t allow it,” she said tersely. “Don’t question me again.”
He stared at her before dropping his gaze. “Yes, ma’am.”
Title: Catch Your Death
Wordcount: 433
Notes: These two intrigue me more and more. Set during KH1. Living on a tropical island isn't exactly great preparation for walking into a blizzard and knowing what to expect.
-
“What is it?”
The boy didn’t ask with any curiosity. Rather he eyed the mass of white with suspicion.
“Snow.”
“That’s snow?” He curled his lip, but had one of those split-second moments where he realised she was watching and what he’d done was childish. She’d come to recognise those: the slightly-too-long-to-be-a-blink, the way his gaze almost-but-not-quite flicked to gauge her reaction. Was he trying to prove something, or did he fear punishment?
More importantly, which did she want it to be?
“You’ve never seen snow before?”
Another split-second moment. “Only in pictures. I lived on a tropical island.” Was that defensiveness in his tone? It faded under her stare.
She’d lived in a temperate climate herself. They’d had sun in summer, gales in autumn, rain in spring and snow in winter. She remembered the kingdom blanketed in white, log fires burning for Yuletide and the sound of carols echoing from her crystal ball. She’d sent out her raven to check whether Stefan and Natalia brought home their daughter for the festive season. They never had. Still, their castle rang with holiday cheer - unlike her own. She used fire to get to and from places. She didn’t need it to keep warm. Her minions huddled around small blazes, muttering and scratching themselves. Imbeciles. They probably would’ve eaten any holly and used stockings to wipe their -
She shrugged off the memories. All that was finished now. The stupid sugar-pink princess was safely stored away, the log fires were out, and she had a new minion.
She stepped forward and pushed him towards the portal.
Instinctively he resisted. Then he thought better of it. Maybe he was even surprised at the contact between her hand sand the small of his back. “We’re going out in that? Don’t people die in blizzards?”
“You won’t die.”
He looked down at himself. “I’m not dressed for extreme cold.” The admission was grudging, as if he hated having to disclose any weakness in front of her.
She waved her staff. For a second he glittered. Then a thick woollen scarf erupted around his neck like a choking vine. The coat puffed up around his body, encasing his arms, torso and face as though trying to suffocate him until he pushed the oversized hood back. Startled and confused, cheeks pink and hair flopping across his forehead, he looked childish. Not at all like a warrior of the darkness, much less her champion.
Her spine stiffened.
“You won’t die because I won’t allow it,” she said tersely. “Don’t question me again.”
He stared at her before dropping his gaze. “Yes, ma’am.”