by crow » 01/02/2016 9:45 AM
Rhodes still didn't buy his story--- there was something about Dante that was off, the more Rhodes thought about it. However, it wasn't really any of his business what random children decided to do with their lives. He had enough problems dealing with the ones he was paid to chase after. “Very well,” he said at last, turning his attention to his own young charge. “Let us go to find Sivain. I trust you'll have plenty to tell him about tonight.”
“Oh, you bet,” said Suvi, proving that Rhodes' plan had worked after all. She had forgotten her conviction to refuse to speak to either of them completely. She was already prattling on about their adventures at the bakery as she walked with Rhodes to the bonfire area. Dante and Skitter stood there a while, watching them go, not sure what else to do with themselves. It was only when Suvi was swallowed up by the crowd that they finally shook themselves off and looked at one another.
They made a pretty comic sight, the two of them like this. The snowball fight had gotten them good. Each was covered with the stuff--- Dante's hair was dusted with snow, especially in the back where Elliot had gotten him square on with a snowball. Skitter still had globs of snow on his shoulders and torso, wedged in hard enough from their impacts not to have been shaken off by his movements. The Thorn Thief smoothed a hand over them and brushed them off. “Where we go now, Dante?” he asked.
Dante surveyed their surroundings, tousling his hair to rid himself of the melting snow. “I don't know,” he answered. “Did you see anything you wanted to check out? What were you doing while we were separated anyway?”
“Looking at pretties,” said Skitter. “Many shinies! Many-many. Skitter not remember trees being this shiny.”
“Well, let's go look at some shinies together then.” Slinging an arm around the Thorn Thief's thin shoulders, Dante walked with his companion in the direction of the big tree. They may have had a hard journey thus far, and he suspected it wasn't going to get any easier, but... just for tonight, they could enjoy themselves like everyone else.
[Christmas Tree: 142] don't count this