pale the winter days after dark

[retraced]

WHO: Anyone stuck in/visiting/trolling the Phancyhive house
WHEN: Backdated during Snowmageddon
SUMMARY: Snowstorm shenanigans!
WARNINGS: Snowball fights and stolen soup.

[DURING THE TIME OF THE FIRST GREAT SNOW OF 2012, THE HOUSE OF PHANCYHIVE EXPERIENCED A GOOD MANY TALES THAT WOULD BE TOLD AMONGST NEWCOMERS FOR YEARS TO COME.

HERE ARE SOME OF THEIR STORIES.]

Comments

[retraced]

[Gilbert often wonders that same thing about tea, Yosuke. It's cool. He understands.

So here, have a cup of plain British tea and marvel at how oddly sweet it is even without anything added to it.]

Mm.

[Tea successfully served, he sits down across from him.]

It's still dangerous walking out in a storm like this! You should have stayed home and called me if you needed something.

[Which he assumes he must if he's made the journey this far.]

[inthejunk]

Yeah, I guess so...

[The school bag under the table has all of his stuff in it, actually. Luckily he doesn't have very much yet, so it isn't all that heavy. Still, home isn't exactly a precise place at the moment, and he glances away a little guiltily.]

[retraced]

[He pours his own cup, sparing a short glance up at the teenager before turning to look back down at the table.]

I won't pry, but if you want to talk about...whatever happened?

[inthejunk]

Huh? W-what makes you think something happened?

[He buries his face in the teacup quickly, just in case he doesn't look convincing enough.]

[retraced]

Well...anyone caught in a storm like this wouldn't go anywhere else but home, unless they got trapped somewhere and didn't have any other choice.

[...]

That and your guilty expression...

[inthejunk]

It isn't guilty!

[retraced]

It is.

[You know it's bad if Gilbert can tell, Yosuke.]

[inthejunk]

...It's nothing.

[He sulkily pushes the untouched tea away and stands up.]

Thanks for...uh. The tea. And things.

[retraced]

Hey -

[He stands as well and raises an arm to indicate for Yosuke to stop.]

You didn't even touch it yet. Is it no good...?

[inthejunk]

[How is he supposed to know? Not like he drank it...he glances away guiltily again.]

It's good. I just need to go...uh.

[Okay, he has no idea where, actually. But, away. Definitely away, right?]

[retraced]

[As gently as he can manage:]

You shouldn't go anywhere until the storm is over.

[inthejunk]

...It's supposed to last a few days though, right?

[retraced]

We have extra rooms.

[He turns to glance back out the window, but the landscape is more or less completely whited-out.]

I could try to help you walk home through this, but it might take a while...

[inthejunk]

[Not to mention it wouldn't end well. He can just imagine struggling all that way back to Uryuu's place only to duck inside and wait for Gilbert to leave so that he can get back out. To go where? Nowhere? Yosuke shakes his head, and sinks back down into the chair with relief, finally reaching for the tea.]

No, no. Here is good. Thanks, dude. I'll really owe you for this.

[retraced]

[Oh good, crisis averted. He sits down as well.]

It's fine. No one here will mind.

Have you...er, re-met Elliot yet? You two were close before.

[inthejunk]

Hah...uh, yeah. He brought me a pizza once when I was sick.

[Which Yosuke apparently thinks is pretty funny.]

[retraced]

Eh? Pizza's not a good food to eat when you're sick.

[Damn it, little brother.]

[inthejunk]

[Yosuke laughs.]

No kidding. I definitely didn't eat it, but it was nice of him to bring it.

[retraced]

Elliot is thoughtful in his own way.

[And he sounds stupidly proud as he says this.]

[inthejunk]

Mm.

[Yosuke goes to take another sip of tea, but he sneezes again and it sloshes out on the table.]

Ah!

[And then he makes it worse by dropping it.]

[retraced]

Hey--!

[He reaches across the table to try and grab the teacup before it can land, but no such luck. He stares at the puddle of tea for a second before standing, grabbing a handful of napkins and leaning over to clean it up. Don't get up, Yosuke, you'll probably hurt yourself worse.]

Bless you...

[inthejunk]

...Thanks.

[Maybe if he holds really still he can become invisible. Too bad he's not very hood at holding still. Instead he sucks on the bit of wrist and fingers he just scalded and thumps his foot nervously. Ruining the kitchen is probably a shitty way to convince people that they want him to stay around here fir a while...]

[retraced]

[After the mess is cleaned, he picks up the teacup and refills it. Deadpanned:]

Maybe you should pinch your nose shut while you drink this time.

[inthejunk]

[Sigh.]

Alright.

[He doesn't quite get it when you're kidding yet, dude.]

[retraced]

It was a joke.

[Well, he should.]