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

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[Oh? What was that in the distance? He could have sworn he'd seen something small and black peeking out over the top of the snow and--]

C-c-c-c-caaat?!

[Is of course his first thought. Hesitantly, he leans in to try and get a better look...!]

[acemedium]

[If Maya weren't frozen solid right now she would be making commentary about that.]

[Fortunately all that happens is another little wiggle. Maya herself might be hallucinating burgers right now, though]

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[Another closer glance at it and he finally realizes that no, it's not a cat. It's not an animal at all, but it is moving. Shoving snow out of the way as he moves in closer, it becomes apparent very quickly that it's a person beneath all that snow. And there's only one person that he knows of with a hairdo like that.]

M-Maya?! [BRB SHOVELING SNOW OUT OF THE WAY FRANTICALLY WITH BOTH HANDS.]

[acemedium]

[GOODBYE, CRUEL WORLD...]

[Maya moans at the sound of her voice, pale and otherwise half-frozen. Of course, she's only got one thing on her mind...]

I wanna samurai dog...

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[Heavy as the snow is, he's still chipping away slowly but surely.]

Maya - say something else! Are you okay?!

[acemedium]

[You're a bro, Gilbert.

Maya moans quietly]

F-Five more minutes...

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Five more minutes of what?! Five minutes until you freeze to death?!

[CHIPPING ICE OFF OF HER FEET?!]

[acemedium]

[MAYA DOES NOT DEIGN THIS WITH AN ANSWER she is too busy being a tiny frozen bitty]

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[As soon as her feet are free, he reaches to pick her up and remove her from the block of snow/ice that she's found herself trapped in.]

Maya?! Say something else! Are you all right?!

[acemedium]

[She's limp as he does, looking weaker by the second. She mumbles something, too quiet to make out - he'll have to lean in closer to hear it....]

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What was that...?

[He leans in, heart on tenterhooks...!]

[acemedium]

[Closer, Gilbert. These are her last words after all, the dying wish of a bitty....]

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[WHAT IS IT MAYA...HE'LL TAKE YOUR WORDS INTO THE DEPTHS OF HIS SOUL.]

1/2

[acemedium]

M-Mr. Nightray...... [Her voice is weak, going fast, and she's using the last of her strength to convey this message....]

[acemedium]

.....

G-Get over... the scone complex. [And with that, her eyes close, her body slackens, and she goes still in his arms]

1/2

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[CRYING AND WEEPING ETERNALLY.






For his scones, may they rest in peace.]

2/2

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[Maya however is not allowed to die. Because they haven't finished this damned conversation yet! He removes his jacket quickly and wraps it around her shoulders, rubbing his hands up and down her arms to try and warm her up a little more.]

Maya open your eyes and I'll...I'll...

[Think Gilbert, think.]

I'll buy you burgers! Lots of them!

[acemedium]

[It's over, Gilbert Nightray. She's finally kicked the bucket. Met her maker. Bit the dust (dust tastes weird, she'd prefer a burger). Bought the farm (maybe she could make her own burgers now?) Gone to the big Steel Samurai convention in the sky.]

[.... Of course, miracles are known to happen. Perhaps if you specified just how many burgers you'd buy for her....]

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[Crap crap crap. Okay, thinking. They need to get out of here and somewhere warm. Preferably somewhere with burgers.

Bitty is getting gathered up into his arms now as he snow-shoes his way back to the street. Or...what's supposed to be the street.]

Maya, wake up! You were coming to my house for food, so you must be hungry, right?!

[GET HUNGRY.]

[acemedium]

[She's not hearing any promising of eternal burgers, Gilbert.]

[Her stomach does growl very slightly, but.... How many burgers? How many?!]

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[...Her stomach is growling. He knew that even close to death she'd be hungry.]

If you don't wake up then you'll never be able to eat all of the lunch that I made for you! Do you know how many burgers I cooked?! Hundreds!

[IS THAT NUMBER HIGH ENOUGH.]

Are you going to be rude and not eat them?! Wake up!

1/2

[acemedium]

[R U D E]

[However, despite his terrible and unjust accusations and assaults on her honor, the promise of hundreds of burgers means she's suddenly jolting upright in his arms as if nothing happened]

Why didn't you just say so in the first place?! Geez, Mr. Nightray!

[acemedium]

[.... And then wincing in pain and holding her head]

Oooh.... I don't feel so good.

1/2

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[Why did this method actually work...]

2/2

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[He holds on a little tighter, trying to keep her steady as he moves as quickly as he can through the wind and snow clouding his vision.]

Hey - don't move too fast, you'll make yourself dizzy.