Chapter 7: Chapter 46 – Playing in the Snow

Thanks to Rakka and Ange's help, the front of the dorm had mostly cleared of snow. Well, displaced rather. We had to stop magically melting the snow because I got another call from Professor Markel about the tenants' magic output.

For the rest of the morning, we had to shovel the snow away instead. The backyard and frontyard still had a nice layer to play on, and if they were feeling brave, there were mountains of snow to play on just beyond the dorm property.

Right now, the tenants were playing in the front of the dorm where I could keep an eye on them. They all wore their own desired layers to protect themselves from the cold. Tamara wore the least, opting only for the cloak she had first arrived here with. Apparently, it was sewn with the same material as her own fur and was able to keep her warm with just that alone.

A sudden impact struck my face and exploded in a white puff.

After brushing the snow off, I scanned the surroundings in search of the culprit.

All of them were absorbed in doing their own thing, but a pair of twitching, furry ears were sticking out of a waist-high barrier of snow.

Cresta.

I formed my own snowball and lobbed it in a wide arc. It fell directly on her head. She raised herself only enough to reveal a small pile of snow between the ears.

"You dealt the first blow!" I shrugged.

The assassin smirked. It was then that I knew… I fucked up.

"Retaliation!" she declared, and began pelting me with more snowballs than I could block.

"Oh, crap! Stop! I can't defend myself!" I screamed.

"RAPID FIRE! RATATATATATATATATATATATA!"

Her arms became a blur at the rate of which she launched snowballs at me. I couldn't even run anymore, buried up to my legs.

"Puh— Cresta, wait! It's too much, Cresta! You're going to bury me alive!"

By the time the onslaught had stopped, it was a total loss for me. Buried up to my shoulders in snow, Cresta strutted over looking all smug with one more snowball in her hand.

"I give. Get me out of here…" I pleaded.

"Tonight, I'd like a jumbo-sized hamburger meal for dinner, extra fries, chicken tendies, and a coke," she said.

"Are you extorting your dorm caretaker?" I asked, squinting my eyes at her.

"A small price to pay for freedom," she said, rubbing her thumb and index fingers together.

At some point after getting me out of the pile she put me in, Cresta had disappeared.

Tamara, Rakka, and Ines were building miniature snowmen along the path leading from the parking area to the dorm. Remmy laid in a hole she dug herself to lounge inside in, and Ange was amusing herself poking at the slime with a fallen stick.

"Where did that cat go?" I wondered aloud.

"If it's Cresta you're looking for, she went behind the dorm and past the fence," Ange answered, casting the stick away.

"What's she doing back there?

We went to the backyard, and I was greeted by a towering snowman as tall as a utility pole just beyond the fence. Cresta was sitting on top of the head, smoothing out its face.

"That's what she's been working on?!" I asked.

Ange nodded.

"When you said you wanted to build a snowman, I didn't think you meant a godzilla-sized one!" I shouted at her.

"A small one is so boring! Did you want to come up, too?" Cresta asked, waving merrily from above.

"I'm a fan of high places where I know I can come safely down from," I replied.

The others had come around back to check on Cresta's progress.

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"Oh, that looks so fun! I want to go up!" Tamara exclaimed, tugging on Ange's sleeve.

"Alright, then. Make sure to hold on tight," she said, lifting the girl to the top of the snowman to join Cresta.

A netherfolk's idea of fun was nothing short of extraordinary after all.

Ange and Rakka flew nearby to make sure the ones at the top were safe. As an extra precaution, Cresta held Tamara's hand while they were up there.

They were all bundled up, but not in as many layers as me and Ines. The two of us regular humans were in such thick layers, it looked like we had put on extra pounds.

"You don't look like you do well in cold weather," I remarked.

"Hell no! I've lived in San Diego for a good chunk of my life. It rarely gets colder than 50," she said, teeth chattering as she spoke. "Isn't this like hell freezing for you, too?"

"I'm definitely cold, but I've been through enough winters in Japan to be somewhat used to this. My family always went to hot spring inns for vacation when it got really cold."

Our eyes simultaneously fell to the hot tub sitting idle on the patio.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.

First, we peeled the plastic cover away. The tub which I had bought way back before I started working at the dorm had sat unused for ages. It was a round, cedar tub that was large enough to seat ten people side by side. Wooden steps along the outer circle led up and into it.

I had to drain the water out and wait for the insulated pipes to warm up before filling it up again. The pipes would burst otherwise from the freezing temperature. When the tub began to fill, Ines watched with eagerness as the water level rose an inch every few minutes.

Because of the contrast in temperatures between the hot water and cold air, a lot of steam was emitted from the tub. I could feel the warmth emanating from it just standing nearby.

The communal baths and my own bath could provide the same comforts, but they couldn't produce the same effects of bathing in the cold.

By the time it was half full, I noticed Ines slipping her arms out of the sleeves of her puffer jacket.

"What are you doing?" I asked, raising a brow.

"I'm taking off my clothes and going in. What's it look like?" she answered as a matter of factly.

"Naked?! What are you, a macaque? Go get a bathing suit and towel for yourself!" I gave her the boot.

Ines sighed and returned to the dorm. I went to get changed and came back out to a filled tub of hot water with Ines already in it. She wore a black two-piece string bikini and had her hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Whew… All I need is a cold beer to top this off. I'm in bliss," she said, shutting her eyes.

"As long as I'm still underage, no alcohol in the dorm." I wagged a finger in her face after climbing in.

Ines scooted closer and threw an arm around my shoulder. "Three more years? Geez. You're missing out by being a good boy. I started drinking back when I was fourteen."

She slurped loudly, and it was then that I realized she was holding a beer can up to her lips.

"You keep a stash in your room, don't you?" I asked and received a grin as an answer.

"Don't worry about me. I drink in moderation! I'd like to share one with Ange though. I wonder if she's into wine or the hard stuff," she mused to herself.

It occurred to me that Ange was in fact old enough to drink at 28 in this world. I'd never seen her drunk before, but my instincts were telling me that wouldn't turn out well.

"Are you two enjoying a soak on your own?" Ange asked, flying down and resting her arms on the edge of the hot tub.

This was a good chance to see how Ange handled her alcohol. I couldn't do it since I wasn't old enough, but a sacrifice was available.

"Perfect timing, Ange. We were just wondering if you liked drinking, because Ines wanted to take you out to a bar sometime," I said.

"Oh, will you? I would like to partake in an alcoholic beverage. It's been sometime since I had a drink." She tapped her lips eagerly.

"If Akira's okay with it, then I'll find some free time to go drinking with you!" Ines declared with the same enthusiasm.

I made a silent apology to Ines because she had no idea what she was getting herself into. This killed two birds with one stone though. Ange would get her needs sated, I'd find out exactly how Ange acts when drunk, and get some free time alone to myself.

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