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Outside the cabin, the wind howled, the snow so thick that outside the windows it was almost pure white. The shutters rattled and even with the door closed, the cold air blew in underneath bringing snowflakes that melted almost immediately on the blue rug. As cold as it was outside, in the middle of winter, deep in arctic, the cabin was warm.
The fire filled the room with soft light, casting dancing shadows that almost seemed to move in time with the quiet murmur of conversation. Quiet enough that Techno had nodded off in the rocking chair, too quiet to allow him to stay asleep.
He jerked upright, causing the chair to move and he stopped it with a firmly planted hoof. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around the room and then got to his feet.
“It’s suspiciously quiet,” he said as he approached the kitchen and poked his head around the corner. “What’s goin’ on in here?”
Phil and Niki looked up.
“Nothing, mate,” said Phil, shaking his head a little and glancing over at Niki.
Techno narrowed his eyes even further.
“Uh huh.”
“Oh, no, really. Phil said a hot drink would good and I thought, hey, why don’t I make some cookies to go with it! I have a sugar cookie recipe that’s just to die for,” Niki said.
“Is that what smells so delicious?” Taking a deep breath, Techno stepped into the kitchen. He could smell apple cider and cinnamon and something sweet. He put his hand on Niki’s shoulder as he sat down next to her at the table. “In that case, I’ve decided to let you live.”
Niki laughed and nudged him with her shoulder.
“So gracious,” Phil snorted. “Figured since we’re snowed in here, might as well have some fun with it.”
“It could be like our little tradition!”
The excitement in Niki’s voice was clear and any reservations that Techno had about starting a tradition where he’d have to be social one more time a year disappeared. He looped an arm around her shoulder, giving her a brief side hug, the action tilting her chair slightly.
“Alright, alright, you wore me down,” he said. Techno’s voice became sing-song. “We can have cookies and cider and tell stories.”
With a snort, Phil turned to grab mugs from the cabinet.
“Oh, don’t be mean,” said Niki, giving Techno a playful slap on his leg.
“No, no, no, I’m agreein’ with you. I think it’s a great idea.”
“Oh!” This time the vague admonishment in the exclamation had vanished, replaced not-so vague embarrassment. “Sorry, I couldn’t really tell.”
“I get that a lot,” he said, patting her on the back then stretching out with a groan. “It’s my stoic personality and grim, manly vibes.”
“Sure, mate, you keep telling yourself that,” Phil said. He rolled his eyes pointedly before filling up three mugs with apple cider. “I think those cookies are about done, Niki, mate.”
At Phil’s words, Niki got to her feet and opened the oven, just slightly. The scent of freshly baked cookies filled the small kitchen. Once she was certain they were ready, she opened the oven all the way, grabbed an oven mitt, and pulled the tray out.
“Now that you’re awake, Techno, you can help me decorate these,” she said as she set the tray down near the window above the sink, knowing the slight draft would cool them off quicker. “I even brought sprinkles! I had some left from the bakery…”
She trailed off, a distantly sad look on her face and Techno nudged her a little, the voices in his head giving a quiet hum of concern. But she smiled.
“They’re still good, though, don’t worry. I wouldn’t feed you bad sprinkles.”
Techno snorted.
“I was about to say, I can’t believe I’m gettin’ the old, stale sprinkles,” he said.
“I would never.” Niki carefully touched the baking tray. The metal had cooled enough and the sugar cookies were the same. She began piling them onto a plate. “Could you two clear off the table a little bit more, please?”
“Oh, right, right,” said Techno, thoroughly chided.
With Phil’s help, clearing the cluttered kitchen table went quicker than Techno had thought it would and he made a mental note to do some spring cleaning when things got a bit warmer. He had emptied the basket full of decorating supplies, placing them haphazardly while Phil tried to organize them by color before giving up.
“How about I make some more cider?” he offered. “I could use a hot drink right now.”
“He’s just tryin’ to get out of decoratin’ cookies.” Techno grinned in Phil’s direction, laughing under his breath when Phil rolled his eyes, and then leaned back in his chair.
“Oh, that’s fine, let him,” said Niki as she placed the cookies on the table. She gave Techno a quick wink. “Besides, I made these for you, really. There’s even a bell, look.”
Techno grinned.
“Now we’re talkin’,” he said. “Give me those gold sprinkles.”
Despite his protests, Niki had insisted on sitting on the floor even when Techno mentioned how easy it would be to drag in another chair or put a cushion on top of one of the chests or barrels. She had accepted the cushion only to carefully position it on the floor between his chair and the fireplace. Then she had pulled out one of the many blankets he had shoved into a chest and settled down.
It took all of Techno’s self control not to reach out and pat her head the same way he would with any of the animals that would sit within petting range. The slight grin on her face told him that Niki knew as much and was waiting for him to slip up so she could tease him for it.
He shoved another cookie into his mouth.
“Alright, mate,” said Phil, “it’s your turn to tell a story.”
Techno almost choked on the cookie.
“Heh?” Coughing, he attempted to clear his throat and reached for his mug, washing down the crumbs that had stuck. With his free hand, he pounded on his chest. “Oh, no. See, I’m not one for tellin’ stories, alright?”
Phil gave a loud bark of laughter.
“That’s a damn lie.”
“Listen, Phil—”
“Oh, please, Techno,” said Niki, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “It would be so good to hear a story from you as well.”
“You know I’m weak to mild amounts of peer pressure,” he said with a sigh. “Alright, alright. I’ll tell you the story of the Blood God and the Night of Misgivin’. When the Blood God travels across the snowy plains to give judgement to those souls that have denied the spirit of hospitality and givin’.”
“Oh, scary…”
“He’s making it up,” Phil said, laughter still present in his voice.
Techno shook a finger in his direction.
“You better be careful, Phil. Every winter, on the darkest, coldest night when the wind is howlin’, the Blood God comes to visit. He goes to each house, disguised as an old man wearin’ red and green, carryin’ a large sack that’s empty. He’s got holly berries in his beard and his boots are splattered with blood, eyes as cold as the winter night.”
Giving an involuntary shudder, Niki scooted closer to Techno, almost pressed against his leg, reaching out for another cookie without taking her eyes off him. Even Phil had gone quiet.
“See, the Blood God has a code, alright? He comes knockin’ at your door, askin’ for a warm drink and a place to rest and maybe a cookie or two. It’s a test,” said Techno in a hushed voice. The fire crackled and popped and when it made Niki jump slightly he grinned.
“What happens if you fail it?” she asked.
Still grinning, Techno leaned back in his chair, giving Niki a slight squeeze on her shoulder before he did so.
“If you fail, if you break the blood oath of hospitality, then the Blood God snatches you up and shoves you into his sack and mashes you like potatoes,” he said and then paused. “Or grapes. Point is, he puts anyone who fails into his sack and feasts on their blood.”
Phil shifted in his seat, about to say something, when there was a knock on the door. Everyone jumped, including Techno, staring at the door.
“Heh??” Techno tensed in his chair, eyes on the door and making no move to answer it. There shouldn’t be anyone stopping by to visit, not at this hour, not in this weather. “What the heck…”
The knock sounded again, a little more impatient and insistent, and Techno got to his feet, hand hovering near his hip where his sword would be if he had been armed. Part of him thought to get it, it was the near the door, but he felt foolish, having scared himself. He pulled the door open and at first the only thing he could see was a tattered green cloak.
Behind him, Niki gasped.
Techno began laughing, the sound loud and booming in the quiet winter night.
At the door, the figure shifted uncomfortably, snow already piling at the black boot and crutch.
“What—What the hell are you laughing about?” asked Dream, voice slightly muffled by the mask. His green eyes were visible, full of confusion and a faint bit of fear.
“It’s alright,” Techno said as he turned back to the other two. “It’s alright, it’s just the weird homeless man we broke out of prison awhile back.”
“W-who else would it be?”
A gust of wind picked up and Dream shivered, his teeth chattering as he spoke. The cloak was thin and Techno could tell he was cold, despite the gloves. A sudden regret made Techno’s chest tightened. Even if it had been safest for all involved, sending Dream away had never sit right. He stepped back and pulled the door open wider, gesturing towards Dream.
“It’s a long story, Dream,” he said. “Now would you get in here before you freeze to death on my porch, man.”
Dream hesitated. His head didn’t move, tilted slightly down, but Techno could see his eyes move over Phil and Niki. The way the corners of his eyes tugged downward told Techno he was frowning.
“I mean, I—”
“Would you just get inside, mate,” said Phil, finally. “You’re letting all the damn cold air in, mate.”
“Oh.” Immediately he stepped inside and then muttered, “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Dream, it’s fine.” Techno stretched a little before walking back to his chair and sitting down. Niki glanced at him. She was clearly tense and he put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing a little. “But what the heck are you doin’ out here?”
Dream took an awkward step forward, the crutch thumping on the wooden floor, and shifted to reveal the package he was holding under his arm. It was something long and thin and wrapped in leather that Techno recognized as most likely being a weapon.
“I wanted to give this to you,” he said, inclining his head in Techno’s direction.
“You couldn’t have said that before I sat down?”
Even with the mask, Dream exuded incredulity. His shoulder dropped.
“Oh, I’ll get it,” said Niki, using Techno’s knee as leverage to get to her feet. She stopped in front of Dream and when he didn’t hand it over right away, she continued, “I’ll give it to him.”
He released the package and took a step back.
The package was heavier than Techno had expected and as soon as he held it, he had a feeling that he knew exactly what it was. He undid the leather straps and smiled when the light from the fireplace reflected off the enchanted netherite. A wide smile crossed his face.
“Man, I thought I’d never see this again.” He turned the Axe of Peace over in his hand; the weight was still perfectly balanced. “Thanks, man, I mean it. You didn’t have to do this.”
Dream cleared his throat quietly.
“Well, to—to be fair, it belongs to you,” he said and looked back towards the door and sighed. “Alright. I should get going.”
He had started towards the door when Techno echoed his sigh.
“Gonna be honest, Dream, I’d actually feel bad if I made you walk—Heh. I was gonna say I’d feel bad makin’ you walk home in this weather but you’re homeless.”
“What is wrong with you?” asked Dream, voice rising a bit as he stopped.
Snorting, Techno gestured to the chair that Niki had declined.
“Sit, man.”
This time when Dream looked from Phil to Niki, the motion was clear.
“Are—Are you sure?” he asked and the fact he wasn’t speaking to Techno was just as clear.
“Doesn’t bother me, mate,” said Phil, tone reassuring though not particularly nice, and shrugged before looking at Niki.
There was a mix of emotions on her face and Techno kept his hand close to her, attempting to give her some bit of comfort. She noticed and put her hand over his, patting it.
“I think that would be fine,” she said with a smile. “Oh, do you want something warm to drink? You look awful.”
Phil snickered a little.
“Uh—”
“I mean, you do. You look awfully cold.” She got to her feet. “I’ll get you something.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it, man, they’re just teasin’ you,” said Techno, watching Dream slowly make his way to sit on the chair. He finally pulled the hood down and then hesitated before removing the mask. “You don’t happen to have a big empty sack on you, do you, Dream?”
“What?”
Laughter rung out through the small cabin, almost sounding like bells, and it felt warmer, despite the wind howling outside. Techno smiled.