jingle bell jingle bell jingle bell

[mansionstaff]

Who: YOU
What: SNOW
When: DECEMBER 6th
Where: EVERYWHERE
WHAT: SNOW (BONUS TREE DECORATING)

As a quiet Friday dawned on the school's campus, one could perhaps...feel it in the air. A creeping chill, a silent, barely-detectable indication that yes. Tonight would be the night.



By Saturday morning, the entire academy would be covered in snow.

BUT WAIT



That wasn't all--a large pine tree had made an appearance on the main quad, in desperate need of decoration.

Comments

[butterbelieveamanspromise]

The last Mondo had seen of Chiyo had been months ago, near the middle of August, to be precise. He'd picked a fight for her sake and made a huge ass of himself in some people's eyes, but he felt like he did what he had to do when confronted with that kind of circumstance. His regrets were few in that sense, but of the ones that lingered, the big one might be after not seeing Chiyo around since the day at the pool party, wondering whether he was partially to blame for her disappearance or not. He'd been pretty abrasive toward her and she was the sensitive and shy type. She'd seemed horrified when she saw the violence he had started, so he wasn't sure what kind of an affect his actions had on her. Considering he'd been in similar situations before with girls who detested his lifestyle, he could surmise that he put her off and scared her away for good. It stung to think about, but he was over it for the most part.

His thoughts weren't on her as he crunched through the snow, but they were now. Over there in the clearing was a girl with fins and a blue tail, quite amused by her own footprints as her voice rose into the clear wintry air. He froze where he stood, close to the copse of trees that did not immediately make his presence stand out to her just yet. He already accepted that she had probably gone away, but now that she was here so suddenly, all the feelings he'd tried to bury with her memory clawed out of their graves to play with his heart and mind. He wanted to call out to her, but hesitation buckled him back- who said he should? If he pulled her out of her carefree spell, he might make her upset and uncomfortable. He was good at wrecking shit, but this wasn't something he wanted to break.

"..." He chose instead to remain subdued, and walk along on his way. If she noticed him there, she could do whatever she liked, but he wasn't going to force her into his company.

[lovesclearlakes]

Being part animal (Pokemon, to be specific), Chiyo could vaguely sense the presence of another within the vicinity, as well as catch onto the faint sounds of snow crunching beneath a heavy weight. It caused her curiosity to rise, and with it, she turned to see who may be around.

The person she saw was not one she expected, but not one she didn't welcome either. She paused her dancing and stood still in the blanket of snow to watch the retreating figure.

What should she say? Chiyo couldn't push herself to move forward. There were a lot of things she would love to say, but they were all surfacing together so quickly, her mind began to feel like a mess. Truthfully, she came to really appreciate what Mondo had done for her in the past (as violent as it was) and she really did want to relay that appreciation. Her time away from the school made it clear to her who exactly she missed and why. She made a point that she'd try harder to change now that she returned and, if she didn't take that chance now, then when would she?

"Uh...." Not quite loud enough, Chiyo. "UM."

A deep breath and a couple coughs (because she sucked in the air too quickly and choked).

"M..." Oh god, why did it have to be so terrifying to call out to others to express your feelings? "MONDO?"

Phew. Okay. She did it. She said his name. Now to anxiously wonder if he heard her or not. She'd run after him, but at this point, her knees would quit and give up on her.

[butterbelieveamanspromise]

He stopped, unmoving at first. One last rush of mental preparation. Then, he slowly turned his head first, before propelling his whole body to face her.

The look he wore was remarkably austere, a rare sight for Chiyo's eyes. Calm, undisturbed. His mind was set on a wavelength that drove his behavior away from fumbling. There was quite a bit of distance between them still, but Mondo remained where he stood, hands in his pockets.

"Hey. ...It's been a while."

[lovesclearlakes]

Chiyo wasn't sure what sort of reaction she expected to receive from Mondo, but his calm austereness was a surprise nonetheless. She fed off of it and managed to calm her unsettled nerves.

"Hi...." she responded quietly but loud enough to be heard. "It has been a while, hasn't it? Have you been doing well?"

She vaguely wondered if he was alright, considering he was strangely calm.

[butterbelieveamanspromise]

He lost some of that composure, but only in the form of unease in the face of making conversation with her and hoping he didn't blow it somehow. "I s'pose so..." he replied, looking away. "Where've you been? It kinda... seemed like you disappeared completely."