A Very Trog's Thanksmas

[Gullara]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Bastion nods. "Don't hit the snowmen, though." He warns.

"Okay! Let's do it." Cora lines herself up with one of the plain snowballs. She looks to Bastion.

Assuming Lapis is ready. "Three... two... one... Go!" With that, Cora unleashes an impressive torrent of fire that pours over the snow. It rapidly diminishes in size and in moments it'll be nothing but a puddle.

[Rebonack]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

"Oh, that makes sense, since your mom will be coming to see them," Lapis reasons.

Then?

She readies herself for action! She takes a deeeeep breath as the countdown begins and then-!

There's an electric crackling noise as she unleashes her breath. Not sheets of burning fire. More like a loop of incandescent brightness. A solar flare unleashed into the world bright enough to be uncomfortable to look at. Her breath sears straight through the snow, radiating intense heat!

While likely quite a bit hotter than Cora's breath, it doesn't cover as wide as an area. Lapis needs to swish it around a little to get to the whole snowball.

Chances are Cora is going to melt hers first.

But!

Still fun, right?

This is all progressing quite quickly. They'll probably be done before Cessie arrives. Scheme successful?

[Shadowcaller]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

We'll see about that as Cessie soon arrives with Garn and Jillian in tow. Even Zee came along it appears.

It was now snowman inspecting time!
"So which one is yours and which one is Lapis?" Cessie inquires as she arrives. She doesn't seem to have noticed the melted snow nearby.

[Gullara]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Cora quickly steps over to the snowman she made. Away from the puddle. "This one!" She replies boisterously. "Do you like it?" It's a pretty simple snowman, but they never had the full supplies to make one. The lack of a carrot nose is tragic. It's also only two balls tall.

Jillian steps out around their mom and looks at the snowmen critically!

[Rebonack]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Zee knows what they were up to.

Of coursse she knows what they were up to.

But she isn't going to rat them out, either. That look she just gave Cora and Bastion, though?

She knows.

She absolutely knows.

It is, however, up to them whether or not they decide to come clean to their mother.

"This one's mine!" Lapis declares, touching the other snowman and deftly avoiding the nearby puddle of slowly freezing water. It's composed of two decently sized snowballs and one tiny snowball for a head. It's got a pair of branches for arms and it LOOKS like some more branches where in the process of being added for wings, but there's only one so far. Everyone knows that all the coolest people have wings and so a snowman should have wings, too. Bastion has first hand experience after all.

"Wow, you both did a really great job! I can't help but notice you're missing some important parts, though. I'll be right back," Zee says as she ducks back inside and heads for the kitchen. No doubt she's going to fetch something for the all-important noses.

[Shadowcaller]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

"Yeah, you both did great. You should do more of them outside of the keep someday." Cessie praises as she takes a closer look at Cora's and then Lapis snowmen. Then she turns to her second-in-command, Jillian. "What do you think, ladybug?"

Garn will refrain from commenting but at least Lapis snowman had wings like him.

[Gullara]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Jillian looks critically at the snow-people. "I like Lapis's better." She decides.

"What? Why?" Cora demands.

"Yours is too plain. You should've gave it a tail or wings."

Cora sticker her tongue out at her sister. That sets Bastion to giggling.

[Rebonack]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

While Lapis lost the snowball melting contest she has been victorious in the snowman creating contest! She smiles proudly at the praise.

"I was going to add some more wings and a tail but I ran out of branches I could reach," Lapis explains.

That terrible tree!

Being too tall for her to cut and use as snowman limbs!

Meanwhile!

Zee returns with a pair of carrots and some little lumps of coal.

"I thought you two might need something for making faces."

Nothing like the classics.

Lapis scurries over to collect the objects from her mother and hands off half of them to Cora. "Thanks mom I love it!"

[Shadowcaller]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

"Now girls, get along." Cessie remarks neutrally before she quickly changes the subject as Zee returns. "Ah, look at what mrs Xar'Cha have brought. Why don't you help your sister adding coal to the snowman then, ladybug?" She attempts to lightly ruffle Jillian and Cora's hair. Or at least their hats.

[Gullara]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Cora grins as she accepts the face material. "Thanks!" She goes to place it immediately, but then her mom makes that most awful of suggestions. Sharing.

With her little sister.

It was her snowman, though. Totally unfair. Never mind that she had only put the minimum effort into the snowman because all she was thinking about was the melting contest. She gives Jillian a sour look, but decides to relinquish two pieces of coal. "You can do the eyes, but don't mess it up."

Jillian smiles brightly and takes either piece of coal in hand. She goes to place the eyes both at once. They're only slightly askew. She turns to see her mom's reaction while Cora grumbles a little and puts the rest of the very classic snowman face in place.

[Rebonack]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Lapis begins by sticking the carrot right in the middle of the face where a nose ought to be. Then she begins carefully settings there eyes. One in the middle, then two triangle shapes to either side. Then the rest of the coal for a much smaller mouth than Cora's snowman.

What's she up to?

Well...

That's how her eyes are arranged in her natural shape so it makes sense right?

Lapis sure thinks so.

She's never been able to figure out why humans have just two eyes.

How are they supposed to see all the other things with just two eyes?

"Mom can you reach some of the higher branches I need some more wings for my snowman?" Lapis inquires of Zee.

"Sure thing, kiddo," the barmaid replies brightly, reaching up to bend one of the higher branches down to Lapis' reach.

"Did you want some more branches too, Cora?" Lapis asks as she begins stripping the limb for limbs.

[Shadowcaller]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Cessie shakes her head at Cora as soon as she notices that look but doesn't comment on it.
Lapis creative snowman also makes her raise an eyebrow. But she had seen Lapis in all manner of forms, like a particularly odd "tree" for instance, so she supposed she wouldn't limit her snowmen to that either.
That gave her an idea though. "Yes... I think Lapis has a great idea. Why don't you add some more branches to the snowman, kids? Like wings for instance." She reaches down and picks up a stone which she hands to Jillian with a smile. "You're doing a great job already, ladybug."

[Gullara]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

"Okay!" Clora goes over and stands by Zee to get some branches as well. Bastion comes over with her, and once they're gotten their materials they set about putting on a tail and wings respectively. Jillian takes the stone from Cessie and goes over to put it on like the first button on the snowman's chest.

"And he needs horns." Bastion says. Cora nods and starts trying to break a branch into a couple smaller pieces.

"Can I put them on?" Jillian asks.

"I'm doing it." Cora rebukes.

[Rebonack]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Lapis has already finished her snowman!

With four wings on the back and two more smaller branches for...

Horns?

Ears?

Something.

"Hey mom is it okay if I go to Cora's house I've never been there before," Lapis inquires, the gears in her head turning regarding potential fire breath rematches.

"I don't have any problem with that, so long as it's okay with Cora's mother," Zee replies matter of factly.

Lapis fixes Cessie with a pleading look.

[Shadowcaller]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

"You can both do it." Cessie insists. "Cora, why don't you hand over one of those to your sister and I can give her a little boost?" She was planning to help Jillian up a bit so she could help put on the horns.

Then she turns to Zee and Lapis. "Oh, of course. Lapis would always be welcome in our home." She looks to her children. "Isn't that right?"

[Gullara]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Cora sighs dramatically, but hands over one of the sticks anyway. Jillian takes it, but when her mom motions to help her, she says, "I can do it, mommy!" The snowman isn't so big, so without assistance she carefully places the horn in place. Cora puts the other next to it. Snowman done!

Other prospects distract from the triumphant snowman completion, though. The kids all chorus their agreement; having Lapis over would be lots of fun!

[Rebonack]

[SWORDGIRL ULTIMATE THANKSMAS SHOWDOWN]

Well!

That's a pretty nice way to conclude Thanksmas, isn't it?

With a nice wonderful snowman being completed.

[Zefir]

I know just the thing then.

Santa Fel reaches into the bag and pulls out a small key fob looking thing with a button on it.

Press this little button and a protective sphere will appear around you, allowing you to roll to safety if anything tries to eat you.

"Thanks Santa. Thats nice to have. Now I can move freely and don't need to fear a cat lurcking in the dark."

He puts the present behind his collar and it disapears like in some kind of magic bag. He then gives Santa a small hug. More likly pressing himself against her and then hops of her lap to make room for others.