Submission (#3306) Approved

The large duvets cover his small body, nose nuzzled in the plush pillow of his temporary santuary. The chilled air clinging to his exposed ears had made the warmth that much more desirable, the rise and fall of his chest as the birds outside collectively chirped to communicate to one another -- it just sounded like music to him. Unfortunately, his rest is interrupted at the sound of a gentle knock on the doorframe, indicating that there was a presence that needed to be addressed, one that he simply couldn't ignore now that he was in a house that wasn't his own. The ones that lived here, they were early risers, and Citron could never fathom why anyone would want to be awake and mobile in the fresh snow before the sun had even risen. Basil and Eos had a routine though, they would go through the movements with no complaints... In fact, there was a delight that tightened their bond as father and daughter in the wee hours before daybreak when the two would tend to the farm animals and adjust anything that seemed off. 

Truthfully, he forgot the knock at the door and dozed off on his own once more. Rubbing both paws over his eyes in hopes of pulling the sleep from them, the kittom takes a sharp breath before exhaling and getting up to open the door. A yawn pulls at his closed maw, and Citron turns to quickly dismiss himself before regaining his composure and looking over at Eos. Compared to his own sluggish moving, the girl was so vividly animated... She honestly resembled the sun in some aspects. Too bad he prefers the moonlight. Instinctively the door begins to close as the boy yawns once more, but Eos wedges herself further inside that it would make the attempt difficult.

"Hey, so I know you're still new here and all... But I actually finished my chores for the day and wanted to know if maybe... I don't know, if you'd like to come down to the lake with me? It's frozen over, so we'll be able to skate on it!"

He wasn't even able to get a word in before she continued on her merry way to get dressed. Sparse hairs on his back stood up in annoyance, scowl forming as the door was finally shut. It had been about what, a week in his new residence? So he had to work on Basil's farm to scrounge up some money in order to afford materials to sew by hand -- his adventurer clothing of course. Every great adventurer was defined by the clothes they were wearing, right along side the action they did! It wasn't much, but... It wasn't much. He had enough for three colors only, two of which were variations of brown while the final was a rich forest green. Perhaps that'd be used as the accent, maybe some gold buttons and other necessities to bring it all together? In the end, the materials on his bed were mysteriously snatched up and the next day was he greeted with folded clothing folded neatly upon the desk. Pulling the buttoned long-sleeve over his body, Citron cuffs the edges and rolls them up to his elbows, it was just for comfort more than anything. Each leg is pulled through pantaloons and tightened around his waist with a belt, it had a cute leaf decal on the front that would clip, and the boots that he ended up buying with Basil's help fit effortlessly, it truly was his own pair.

Once he was famous, he'd be sure to up his dress-style. For now, this will do.

Shuffling past Eos' room, he stalls for a few moments until the courage to knock and alert her of his presence takes over. He was patient, but not that patient. The wooden door swings open, and the Strynhali resembles a cute little angel that one would put upon their Yuletide fir. Her outfit was far more inviting than his own, and it really was just a white poofy dress with a brown shawl over it. Still, it looked nice. Wasting no time, Eos hooks her arm within his and trails down the stairs, calling out to her father that she'd be back later and so will Citron. Like an overly-excited child with no concept of patience, the frost on the stone steps causes the duo to nearly topple over, and that's when the boy finally snatches his arm from hers. She can fall all she'd like, but she better not take him on the way down! She can only offer a snort of laughter and quick apologies, promising that she wouldn't tug him along anymore.

In all its glory, the natural-made ice rink shines a few feet away from them. There's no hesitation, Eos taking a running start to land and glide on the ice. She really was something else, did she have any other friends? Usually it was just the two of them, and someone as outgoing as her was bound to have someone, right? He sits on a wooden bench, making sure that his boots were tied correctly and that everything was accounted for. The day seemed to be looking up right about now. He'd skate with her for a while, tire her out, go back home and hopefully catch more sleep in that cloud of a bed they have at home. Green hues look up, and lock with her golden ones. All she does is turn to the side mid glide and wave to him with a cheery expression. He refused to move from his placement, though, which had the other kittom rolling her eyes. Swiping bits of snow as she skated by, paws firmly pack it together into a ball and lob the powder puff at her companion who growled in response when the cold chill hit him right on the forehead. Standing to his feet, Citron pockets numerous snowballs near the rink and scrambles to keep himself upright. She giggles, covering her mouth to hide the smile that nearly split her face in two. Rather than try and catch up, he remains in his position and opts to tossing the balls of snow from there... Missing every single one of them as Eos skates around and whistles nonchalantly. Slowing down her movement, a few more snowballs are plucked and tossed, in hopes of encouraging him to cave and spend some quality time together. The orange kittom huffs rather irate, squinting at the lake beneath them. When she's preoccupied with laughter, he takes the opportunity to enact some revenge and hit her square in the nose. His laughter echoes through the silent area, and soon she cheers that he's seeming to have a better time.

He stares at the sun setting , golden hues shimmering along the snow that dotted the tops of these great big trees.

Then the ice cracked, and the sound of splashing water finally registered in his head. Her entirety had disappeared, and a moments shock meant that he was still sitting and staring, trying to piece together the sudden and tragic events. Citron's body moves on autopilot, and in a way he feels like he's watching the entire ordeal in a third-person perspective. Him diving into the bone-chilling water, dragging her sopping wet body out and onto the snow. The bitter chill of that winter wind making it nearly impossible to move without shivering. He carries her body back into the town square, no thought in his mind that's able to keep him focused. There was no time for pleasanties either, kicking the door open the moment he arrived. Breathlessly, the young boy calls weakly for her father and Basil scrambles quickly to attend both of the adolescents. Worry crosses those kind eyes of his, the ones that Eos possessed, and a blanket is haphazardly thrown on both children and Basil is already drawing a tub full of warm water for the two of them to sit in. It wasn't good, but letting them freeze this way was far worse. Pulling both to their feet, he nudges them carefully to the saving grace of this bath and eyes them cautiously. For once, Eos looks ashamed -- she can't even look up from her spot and meet either male half way. Citron still says nothing, but his foot gives a nudge as if to wordlessly tell her it was fine. When they were better, they'd tell Basil everything that happened.