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The glistening snow crunched underneath your feet as you trudged toward Pelican Square, watching your icy breath wisp out in a swirling cloud ahead of you. The path from your farm to the square was still untouched, you noticed, with everyone having been too busy with the Holiday aftermath to shovel up the latest snowfall. Not that you minded—on the contrary, it was nice. The sparkling snow made winters a little less bleak in the Valley, and you enjoyed the therapeutic sound it made when your heavy boots hit the ground.
As usual during this time of year, everything was still and silent when you finally stepped into the town. Although the sun was still out, everyone seemed to be encased back in their homes, protecting themselves from the dry chill you stood in now. But through the backdrop of white and grey, a familiar flash of violet met your eye. Standing near Pierre’s shop, you saw Abigail balancing herself on a rickety ladder, wobbling slightly as she tried to unhook the last of their Christmas lights. Only one gloved hand was keeping her steady on a wooden rung, and both her and the ladder looked dangerously on the brink of falling. Heart leaping to your chest, you quickly jogged over and gripped the base of the ladder to keep it from collapsing. When Abigail didn’t notice you, you called up to her, keeping a hand on the ladder while cupping your mouth with the other.
“Hey! Need a hand?”
Startled by your sudden appearance, Abigail looked down and lost her balance in the process. She teetered a bit, and quickly hugged the ladder with both arms to keep herself stable—all the while, you kept wide eyes on her, preparing to catch her if she falls. Luckily, Abby was quick to steady herself and once she did, she flashed you a huge smile.
“Hey (y/n)! Just give me a sec…”
She turned back to the lights and finally unhooked the last part, letting the long strand fall to the ground. You grunted as some colorful bulbs landed on your head.
“Sorry about that,” Abby laughed and hopped down beside you. “But let’s just call it even for giving me that scare.”
You laughed and peeled the lights off your head. “Sounds fair.”
She turned to the bright string of lights nestling in the snow and hummed while clumsily gathering them up in her arms. You watched as she dumped them in an old cardboard box placed near the shop door, faintly labeled Christmas Decorations. All the while, you were contemplating.
Up until now, you’ve noticed something off about Abigail’s appearance, but couldn’t quite figure out what. She was bundled up in a thick black coat, with a long scarf matching the blue ribbon tying up her hair. Her dark boots and gloves were also keeping her insulated from the cold, and her nose and cheeks were muddled red from the frigid air. Despite all the normal wear for the season, there was something not-quite-like-the-others. It took you another second to finally pinpoint what it was.
“Hey, Abby?”
“Hm?”
“Are you wearing sunglasses?”
“Yeah.”
“In winter?”
She turned to you, pushing the glasses down to peer over them. “They’re to keep the sunlight out of my eyes. Smart, right?” With a grin, she nudged them back up. “You wouldn’t think there’d be so much sun in winter, but a couple years back I even got a sunburn. I’ve had to use sunscreen ever since.”
You hummed thoughtfully and turned toward the barren square. Although daylight was slowly starting to slip away, Abigail was right—every surface covered in snow reflected off bright light, making the town look silvery and vast. Having to squint a bit as you took this in, you saw her point. You turned to her with resolve.
“I want a pair.”
~~
A few a minutes later, both of you donned dark sunglasses while taking down decorations. It was slow work, for most of your energy was spent throwing sneak-attack snowballs at each other and complaining about the cold. You were dumping some shimmery tinsel into the near-empty box when Abigail pulled out a large candy cane from the snow. Although it was almost as tall as she was, she held onto it, quietly taking it into consideration. You recognized it as one of the inflatable candy canes from the Night Market, and was about to ask her if she needed help deflating it when—using both arms—she suddenly swung the straight end of the decor and pointed it at you.
“En garde!”
Surprised by the sudden move, you took a step back, nearly tripping over the crunchy snow. Abigail watched you expectantly and curled her lip up in challenge. Although you couldn’t see her eyes, you could tell they’ve ignited with a mischievous spark. “You’ve been fighting a lot in the mines, haven’t you? Think you can take me on?”
In the corner of your eyes, you spotted a second candy cane just a few feet away. You looked back at Abby and smirked. Before she could do anything, you leaped forward and grabbed hold of it, pulling it from the ground. Although it was light, the candy cane was far too wide for it to be held like a proper sword. So, like Abigail, you wrapped both arms around the hook and hugged it close as you aimed it at her.
“You’re on.”
With a laugh, she swung first, and you blocked the blow, causing her to bounce back. Taking this as your chance, you tried to land a strike, which she narrowly dodged. This went on for a while, both of you laughing with flushed cheeks from all the movement and cold. Although her “weapon” was questionable, you weren’t surprised to see that Abigail was pretty good at swordplay. Where you bested her in force and defense, she made up for in speed and technique. This made for a fair fight, albeit a silly one—at this point, your sunglasses were nearly blinding you with the sun setting, and you were both struggling not to topple in the snow as you swung at each other.
Right as you were both starting to fall out of breath, your boot caught under a small pile of snow near the Saloon, where you fell on your back with a grunt. The plastic end of a candy cane immediately met your chest, and Abigail peered down at you with an impish grin on her face. “I win.”
Laughing, you grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at her. She gasped, immediately drawing back from the cold. “Hey, cheap move!” Without getting up, you stuck your tongue out at her before removing your glasses. As your breathing steadied, you noticed for the first time that the setting sky had shifted from a pale blue to a soft, wintry ombré of purple and pinks. You watched your breath escape to the sky as you took it in, and Abigail did the same. She moved to lay near you, and without a word, grabbed your gloved hand. You both stayed like that for a while, silently staring up at the sky while ignoring the biting cold. Soon, Abby turned to you.
“Hey (y/n)?”
“Hm?”
“We’re never gonna get the decorations down by dark, are we?”
You shifted your gaze to the shop, where most of the decorations were still up. You laughed, shaking your head as you turned back to the sky.
“Not a chance.”
Both of you ended up sick the next day, but neither of you minded.