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“Are you kidding me?”
“Do not believe it in the slightest.”
“That’s insane.”
Skylor shrugs sheepishly, cozying up further into Karlof’s side as she kicks her legs up into Griffin's lap. “I guess when you think about it, yes. But it makes sense. And it’s not like all of Ninjago is cold enough to get snow.”
“At least I know what snow is,” Griffin sniffs. "What do you do at wintertime if there's no snow?"
“I do know what snow is,” Skylor mutters with a roll of her eyes. “I just haven’t seen it in person. Griff, come on. Don’t act like I lived under a rock my whole life until about six months ago.”
“You lived on forbidden island,” Karlof adds unhelpfully. “Is practically same thing.”
“No, it’s not!” Skylor huffs, giving both of her boyfriends a stink eye. “I know what snow is, alright? It’s not some foreign concept to me. You two are both being crazy.”
Griffin flashes her one of his signature shit-eating grins. “What about a snowman? Do you know how to build one?”
“A snowman? What’s that?”
“How about sledding?” Karlof pipes up. “In Metalonia, all children go sledding on big hills of snow. Is very fun. Practically rite of passage for Metalonian children.”
“You can do that?” Skylor hopes her mouth hasn’t dropped too far open.
Griffin shakes his head. “This is sad. How can you know what snow is but not all the fun things you can do with snow? How about ice skating?”
Skylor tries to picture what this fabled “ice skating” is. She imagines rollerblading across a sheet of ice and decides that it probably makes more sense on paper than it does in her head. Wouldn’t she just fall over if she did that? Ice is slippery. How can one just skate across it?
Griffin may not have access to any mind powers, but he’s still clued in on what occupies her. “Karlof, I think I know what we need to do next.”
“Of course,” Karlof gruffly agrees. “Is winter, after all. We must make the most of it before snow melts again.”
“Really?” Skylor straightens up. “I mean, that would be quite nice…”
It does look awfully pretty out there, with the world covered in a blanket of untouched white. Everything is serene, still. Perfect. Skylor could do without the cold, but it does give her an excuse to snuggle up next to Karlof. And Griffin makes some really awesome hot cocoa. Skylor doesn't think she’ll ever get enough of the drink.
“Okay,” she says. “Whatever you wanna do, I’m down.”
Griffin and Karlof give each other a high five.
The trio is up bright and early the next day, as Karlof cooks up a large stack of fluffy pancakes for breakfast. He coats them in sugary maple syrup and places the food in front of Skylor. “Eat up! Needs lots of energy for today!”
Griffin is already chowing down. “Yeah! You should see the itinerary Karlof and I have planned! Well, you can’t see it, because Karlof wants to keep everything a secret. But still! It’s the thought that counts, right?”
“Do not talk with mouth full, dear,” Karlof chides. “But yes. We will have fun day playing in snow.”
“That does sound fun,” Skylor agrees as she sips her coffee. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve gotten to just play.”
“That’s truly sad,” Griffin replies. Skylor kicks him under the table, and Karlof shoots them both a disapproving look. “ за то, что громко плакала. Karlof is dating such babies!”
Griffin blows him a kiss. “But you love us.”
“Unfortunately.”
After breakfast, it’s time to head outside. Karlof is beyond insistent that everyone wears enough layers, and he won’t let Skylor leave until she has both a scarf and hat on. Something about not wanting her to catch a cold. Skylor just rolls with it. It’s nice to know that Karlof cares.
When she gets outside, she’s immediately taken aback by the sensation of snowflakes drifting through the air. They land on her face and melt away almost immediately. Skylor reaches out to try and catch more in her gloves, admiring them before they become a speck of water.
Griffin approaches with a pair of sleds tucked under his arms. “Let’s go to the park!”
It’s early enough in the morning that the park is pretty much empty when the trio arrives. The snow is completely untouched, smooth and pretty as ever. Griffin leads Skylor to the top of the largest hill. Wow, walking in three feet of snow is shockingly tough.
“So what happens next?” she asks, eyeing the bottom of the hill. It’s not a large drop, although the curve of the slope isn’t exactly helping.
Griffin places the sleds down. “You get on.”
Skylor eyes the old wooden sled warily. It looks like it’s seen better days…or maybe years. “I might break it.”
“You’ll be fine,” Griffin chuckles. “I’ve crashed this thing into like twenty trees as a kid and it lived to tell the tale. I’ll even ride beside you!”
“Karlof want turn too!" Karlof insists.
“You’ll be next, hun!” Griffin laughs. “It’s extremely important that Skylor has her first sled ride of all time. You can’t miss it.”
“That is true.” Karlof crouches behind Skylor. “Put feet flat against front and lean back. Do not worry. Karlof will come down if you fall off.”
Skylor does as she’s told, feeling Karlof grip the sled tightly. He gives it a swift push, and then she’s suddenly sent sliding down the snowy hill.
It’s only about a ten second ride, but for Skylor, it’s some of the most exciting ten seconds of her life. She can’t help but squeal like a child as she zooms to the bottom of the hill. Her ponytail slips free from under her hat and whips around her face. The wind stings her eyes. The sled comes to a halt as it kicks up snow everywhere. Skylor’s heart is racing, but in a good way.
Griffin slides down next to her. “How was it?”
“That…was…AWESOME!” Skylor gasps. “It was so much fun! It’s almost like riding a dragon!”
“Yeah,” Griffin chuckles. “Sledding is the best. Now comes the annoying part. We gotta carry our sleds back up to the top. Karlof’s gonna want a turn now.”
“I wanna go again,” Skylor giggles, clutching the sled to her chest. "Can I go again?"
Ice skating is simultaneously similar and too different from rollerblading. It’s tricky to balance on a pair of thin little blades, but once Skylor finally manages to get the hang of it, it’s smooth sailing. She still lets Karlof guide her anyways, because he always looks so cute when he gets all fussy over his partners.
Skylor wedges herself between both of her boys as they skate laps around the rink. Cheesy love songs play in the background, which seems to add to the aesthetic. Griffin is nowhere near as graceful as Skylor or Karlof, clinging onto Skylor as if his life depended on it. Skylor just chuckles and presses a warm kiss to his cold cheeks.
“Are you having fun?” Karlof asks her.
“Yes,” she breathes out. “There’s so much amazing stuff we did that I never got the chance to do before. Sledding, building snowmen…it’s like giving me the childhood I never had.”
“Awwwww, Sky!” Griffin leans on her shoulder, but has to straighten back up when he nearly trips over his own legs. “Of course we’d give you whatever you want! You’re our favourite girlfriend!”
“I’m your only girlfriend.”
“Exactly.” Griffin beams, as if he’s cracked some sort of mysterious code. “Which is why you’re the favourite.”
They continue to skate until the rink is closed temporarily so the ice can be flooded. Karlof helps Skylor undo the laces on her skates. “Is getting quite cold. Maybe time to go home?”
Skylor nods. “I could use a nap. And some hot cocoa.”
“With extra marshmallows?” Griffin teases.
“With all the marshmallows we’ve got.”
“For you, I can make that work.”