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The air, once soft and golden with the warmth of autumn had quickly sharpened. Songbirds long forgotten as thir humming got replaced by the hollow hush that precedes snow. Most of the park wasn't prepared for the snowstorm that had hit a couple of days ago, some of the installations taking damage due to the strong winds and freezing air. Posing danger to visitors and workers alike, it was best to close down the park for a couple of days.
After the ship's mast almost crushing Tick to his death, the only reasonable option was to abandon the ship, decided the trio of pirates. Not definitively of course, just until it got repaired, or the snow subsided, whichever happened second. So with not many options and most of the places not being conditioned for such temperatures, staying at the Snowtel was not only their better option, but their only one, really.
And for the night they had stayed there, it felt like paradise. The place was marvelously designed to keep out all the harsh, abrasive cold, and feel as if you were constantly wrapped in the warmest blanket. Only the soft humming of the heater and a constant mechanical whirring, imitation of a snore, echoed through the hotel room.
Penny stood in front of a slim full body mirror, dangling from one of the closet doors of their room, as she did her hair. Long magenta locks cascaded down, some strands holding onto the fuzzy fabric of her blue turtleneck as she battled to submit her hair into a braid. Behind her, on the twin sized bed to her right, lied Darryl, sleeping soundly and completely covered on layers of bedsheets.
On her left, Tick sat at the floor in front of the other bed, a less than content expression on his face as he saw his friend dressing up.
"Oh, come on, we've been over this," Penny rolled her eye as she zipped up a gray hoodie halfway up. She opened the closet doors, practically burying herself on a pile of clothes while she looked for her gloves.
"Blf zivm'g zxgfzoob tlrmt lfg orpv gszg." She did not like the snark of his voice.
"Like what exactly?" She turned around, almost knocking over an old TV on top of a drawer by the closet, while eyeing Tick up and down. She turned back to the mirror after receiving no answer, clipping the skull pin to her headband and fixing her bangs into place. "Blf'oo uivvav lfghrwv zmw Wziibo droo tvg nzw zmw-"
Penny held her hand up, "Pause," interrupting his yapping as she picked up her boot from the ground. She dropped on her bed struggling to shove it on. "The sun is out and shining, so it's not even that cold. Plus, you would rat me out for what exactly? Enjoying the outskirts? Bonding with—" She tripped, "—Nature?" And finally jammed the boot on with a triumphant stomp.
Tick did a disapproving sound as he stood up to turn on the TV. Both of them jolted by how loud it was, immediately lowering it's volume almost to zero. Darryl didn't react, too deep into sleep. Tick sat down in front of the bed crossed arm with a sigh.
"What, you won’t come with me?" Penny clasped her hands together in a mock-pleading gesture, her lips curving into a frown. The robot didn't even glance at her, his eyes glued to the TV as he simply shook his head.
"R dlfow izgsvi hgzb dsviv rg'h mrxv zmw dzin." Penny rolled her eye dramatically, squatting down to tug on her second boot. This time, it slid on without a hitch.
"Who even talked about going outside? I'll just walk around the hotel a little, see what's up, take some cutlery if it's nice enough..." She muttered that last part, as she walked away. "In fact! Ya won't even notice I'm gone, buh-bye!"
Penny closed the door behind her with a soft clic as she stepped out into the hallway, less cozy than the room was, but still holding some of its warmth.
Oh, come on, man!
Her head instinctively turned at the door next to their room, as a defeated voice yelled over what sounded to be a videogame.
She walked through the corridor, her steps muffled by the red carpet under her feet. She raised her hand around her hip's height, fingers trailing along the worn chestnut wallpaper raising up to the ceiling and blending into its paint. Above her head, a row of gold beaded chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the whole hallway. A part of her wished she could reach out to one of them and feel the crystal beads on her own hands, see if it was real gold, maybe take one of them while she was at it. And while the white lights were helping a little to not make the whole place look like a burnt clementine, she couldn't shake off the fact that the place was really orange, too much for her own liking. She imagined that she looked like the only normal thing on the hallway: blue against orange, like a hidden jewel faintly shining under the sand.
Their room was on the second floor, and Penny didn't bother to walk down the stairs, instead opting to slide down the spiral handrail all the way down, absolutely nailing the landing.
The first floor greeted her with a similar feel. Though here the vertical wooden planks that adorned most of the walls added a new texture. The space stretched above her in a small, welcoming manner, much more open than the cramped hallway, as one would expect.
There was still an hour or two left until dinner, so she wasn't surprised to see the buffet-type restaurant empty. She wandered over to the drink cart that rested near the entrance. Tea, coffee, steamed milk, hot water... all the containers laid out with meticulous care. A column of small white cups stacked on top of each other rested on a white tablecloth, tiny golden snowflakes embroidered all across the fabric. A small brown stain ruined the white fabric, sitting shamefully on one of the dangling corners as if someone had tried to cover it, pass off their clumsiness as mere neglect of the hotel. Next to the assorted packets of sugar and sweeteners, was a little glass cup with plastic straws for stirring. Penny reached out for one of them, resting it in her mouth as if it were a Pocky candy —or rather a cigarette— before walking off into the restaurant.
Her eyes drifted to the windows that stretched from floor to ceiling along the far wall, their frames glimmering with reflections of the low sun. Penny strolled over, her fingers mindlessly toying with the straw she’d slipped into her mouth as she approached the glass.
Outside, the world was stark, a blanket of white stretched out beneath a bright, clear blue sky. The late afternoon sunlight bathed everything in a soft, serene glow, the whole scene a lovely, calming blue. She leaned in, her breath fogging up the glass for a split second, and then she absentmindedly traced her fingers across the surface. Her eye locked on the distant snow-covered field, as the cold glass bit into her fingertips as she moved to one pane after the other, slipping across the pane of the window until they met the handle of the glass door that lead outside. She didn't think twice before pushing the door open.
Standing out in the cold, Penny felt the delicate cool of the breeze, so different from the brash, glacial winds of a few days ago. As her gaze followed the horizon, she caught movement in the distance. One step after the other, she wandered in the direction of two figures that walked side by side through the snow, their warm-colored clothes practically yelling against the quiet whispers of the white snow. As she got close enough to where their steps sounded clearly, she caught notice of their hair, a shade of pink she'd recognize amongst a field full of the prettiest dahlias.
Both the girls turned around as Penny's steps got closer, and there she could see both Janet and Bonnie starting to walk towards her.
"Penny!" the younger one called, sprinting the last few steps before throwing herself at Penny’s waist. The impact nearly made Penny stumble, but she laughed, steadying herself as she wrapped her arms around the little girl.
"Hey, cannonball," Penny reached up to her mouth to keep the straw stuffed on her pocket before speaking up, and she had found a grin tugging at her lips as she ruffled Bonnie’s hair beneath the beige beanie she was wearing. When they finally parted, Penny looked up to see Janet standing a few steps away, arms crossed against her chest as if trying to trap what little warmth she had left.
"Well, ahoy to you too," Penny mock-saluted, amusement threading through her voice, winning an eye roll from the older girl —and a shy “hey” that could've come across as rude or annoyed to the untrained eye (but not hers).
"Can she play with us?" Bonnie piped up immediately, bouncing on her heels as she pleaded with her sister. The inevitable string of “please”s followed in quick succession. "Sure, if she wants to," Janet glanced at her friend for confirmation. Penny just shrugged, smiling, and fell into step with them as they resumed their walk.
Janet and Penny trailed behind while Bonnie skipped ahead, each of her leaps leaving crisp little footprints that dotted the snow.
"Didn’t expect you to actually be here," Janet said after a moment, her breath puffing white in the air. The corners of her mouth tilted upward slightly. "Thought you’d still be at the ship."
"Yeah, it kinda became a safety hazard, ya know —the storm and everything, did a number on it," She shrugged, eyes following Bonnie’s skipping form as the three of them moved together through the calm, quiet afternoon. Her gaze fixated on the snow for a second, the loud bang! following the mast's fall ringing on her ears, before shaking her head and turning back to the girl besides her. "What about ya? What are you doing here?"
Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment too long, before Janet averted her gaze to Bonnie, seeming to force herself to think. "You know, I’m not entirely sure myself," she started with a soft laugh, pulling her yellow scarf tighter around her neck. "I think- I think Stu’s got a crush on Lou —you know him?" She leaned closer, covering her mouth with her hand as if the wind might steal her words away.
Penny blinked, confusion flickering across her face, but before she could ask, Janet went on, smiling. "He works here, I saw them talking earlier and, well..." Janet stopped her rambling to see Penny looking at her like she was growing a third eye, before shrugging away with her hand. "Anyway, it’s not like it matters. Bonnie wasn’t gonna miss a chance to play in the snow. And, well—where there’s Bonnie, there’s me."
Penny hummed in acknowledgement, they didn't walk long until Bonnie stopped in her track, turning to them with a triumphant grin on her face. "Here!"
"So, finally found the perfect place for your snowman?" Janet inquired, as Bonnie nodded enthusiastically. The older girl nudged Penny's shoulder before crouching to the ground, encouraging her to do the same.
"It has to be big! The biggest snowman ever!" Bonnie declared, already scooping up snow with her mittened hands.
Janet chuckled, crouching besides her sister, snow decisively clinging to her blue tights as she tried brushing it from her knees. "Well, if we’re going for the biggest, we'll be here until spring."
Penny crouched down beside them, her boots sinking slightly into the snow. "Guess we better get started, aye? Before the frostbite sets in." She pressed her palms into the snow and started shaping the first ball, humming softly as the snow stuck and packed together.
They worked in relative silence for a while —Bonnie rolling the first snowball until it was nearly half her height, Janet and Penny helping her lift it into place. The air was cold enough that their breaths puffed visibly, but not so much that it stung; the kind of cold that nipped gently at the edges of your ears.
The light hit everything soft, pale and golden, and the snow glittered like crushed glass. Penny pressed her palms to the ground, shaping the snow, her breath fogging rhythmically in front of her.
It was… peaceful. In a strange, almost idyllic way.
"You know," Janet said casually as she rolled another snowball into shape, "I ran into Edgar earlier. Down in the lobby."
Penny froze mid-roll, quickly composing back when she fell Janet's eyes looking at her from her peripheral. "Oh, yeah?" She was more curious over her reason to bring this up over whatever conversation they may have, though as their mutual friend, she couldn't help but ask, "and, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing. He just said he saw you when you checked in, but didn’t talk to you ‘cause, apparently—" Janet deepened her voice mockingly, "she looked kinda grumpy."
Penny exhaled through her nose, unimpressed. "I was tired, not grumpy."
Janet smiled, brushing snow off her boots. "Mhm. Sure."
“Don’t ‘mhm’ me, you weren’t even there!”
"I don’t need to be. You’ve got that whole ‘I bite’ aura."
Penny smirked, pretending to be offended. "I’ll have you know, I’m very approachable."
"Right. Like a feral cat."
Penny made a show of packing a snowball and tossing it threateningly into the air. "Keep talking, showgirl."
Bonnie looked up, alarmed. "Hey, no fighting!"
Penny grinned, tossing the snowball aside. "Yar lucky the kid’s here," she hissed, a playful frown in her face as she leaned towards Janet.
Janet raised an eyebrow, amused. "Hey, you sound like you’re actually considering it."
"I’m always considering it," Penny squinted in mock seriousness, which earned her a soft laugh —and that sound brought a smile to her face that she couldn't fight.
They worked in silence for a bit after that. Bonnie was muttering about proportions, Janet was steadying the middle section, and Penny was trying very hard not to stare every time Janet’s pink curls caught the sunlight. She looked stupidly good out there —cheeks red from the cold, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she focused.
It was unfair.
When they finally got the snowman stacked, Penny stepped back and blew into her gloved hands, a numbing sting crawling from her fingers all the way up to her arms. The chill had snuck up on her —biting, even through the layers—, so she zipped up her hoodie all the way up, and pulled her sleeves down further, rubbing her arms to create even the slight amount of warmth.
"Yeah, that can't be warm enough," Janet stated as she smoothed the snow, the sound of fabric against fabric reaching her ears in no time.
"I can give you my hat!" Bonnie squealed from behind the snowman.
"Ha, 'm fine, don't worry," she tried to boast, but through her teetering teeth her attempt at lying was more than obvious.
Janet turned around, disbelief evident on her face as she eyed Penny up and down, she had stopped rubbing her arms, instead crossing them tightly against her chest, as her whole body seemed to curve inwards out of reflex, trying to hold on to any warmth possible. "You’re literally shaking."
"I’m... fine."
Janet sighed, that teasing tone melting into something softer. “You’re stubborn, you know that?”
Penny was about to make a retort, but Janet was already tugging her scarf loose. “Wait- what are you-”
"Just- hold still," Janet huffed, stepping closer, whatever retort Penny could come up with died dissipated in her throat. She undid the knot on her scarf, taking it off her neck completely, Penny still shivered as Janet wrapped it around her head, doing a little loop around her neck so it wouldn't fall off easily. Her friend's fingers tapped lightly on her head as she secured the fabric, later running them swiftly through her bangs to fix them under the fabric.
"There," Janet smiled, and her eyes glimmered faintly despite her smile quite not reaching them. The yellow wool wrapped gently around Penny’s neck, soft and still warm from Janet’s own skin, contrasting with the mostly blue outfit she had on. Like sunshine peaking through the clouds in the middle of a storm.
Penny went stiff, her hands hovered midair awkwardly. "You didn’t have to—"
"I wanted to," Janet interrupted quickly, then cleared her throat. That made Penny’s brain stall. She glanced at Janet, caught the faint pink rising on her cheeks that wasn’t from the cold, and felt something spark low in her chest. "I mean, uh- it’s fine. You're rocking it either way," Janet bumped Penny's shoulder with her fist, her awkward chuckle quickly turning into an awkward smile as her eyes tried (and failed) to settle into one spot on Penny's face.
"...Thanks," Penny muttered, her voice a little quieter than usual. When she couldn't stand the feeling of her own heartbeat anymore, she turned abruptly, “I- I’m gonna... find some sticks for arms, or whatever.”
"Don’t go too far," Janet called after her, though her tone carried more warmth than concern.
Penny waved dismissively, looking around to find some lone trees on the distance. She wandered in their direction, enjoying how the snow crunched under her boots. Her breath came out steady, slower now. She could still smell the faint trace of Janet’s perfume clinging to the scarf, something soft and citrusy, like the ghost of summer caught onto the fabric.
She found two decent twigs half-buried in the snow, hurrying herself on her way back. From a distance, Janet and Bonnie looked like something out of an old postcard —pink hair, red winter coat, small giggling kid bouncing around— too bright for the frozen world around them. Penny felt a stupid smile crawl up her face before she wiped it off.
"Found ‘em," she said, sticking the twigs into the snowman’s sides.
"Nice, we're just missing some pebbles for his eyes," Janet smiled, her hand buried deep in the pockets of her coat as she looked down at her sister on the ground.
"I only found one," Bonnie came up from the snow with one smooth pebble on her hand, her face flat, "the rest are ugly," she whined.
"It's fine Bon Bon," Janet patted Bonnie in the back reassuringly, while Penny took the pebble from the kid and placed it into the snowman's face, trying to come up with a solution as she hummed in thought.
"I mean, we can leave it just like that, right?" She pressed a finger lightly into the snowball that served as a head, doing a mock eye socket for the snowman's missing eye. "I think it gives him character."
"I think he looks dumb," Janet deadpanned.
Penny fixed her headband, pulling the pin attached to it right above her scar and her right eye, or where it would be. "Damn, ouch."
"No! No like— you know what I meant, " an embarrassed blush spread across the stunt girl's cheeks as she shrank behind her crossed arms.
A disappointed pout still on her face, Bonnie's head dropped in thought, lightening up upon seeing the design on her shirt. "This! We need this!" She turned towards her sister as she pointed the scarf-wearing-snowman on her shirt. Penny's hands instinctively shot upwards, her hands hovering lightly over the scarf she was lended.
And in the same beat, Janet turned towards her, seeing how she fiddled with the fabric between her hands. "What? I'm not giving it my scarf."
"Janet! Please!" Bonnie jumped into place, tugging at the hem of her sister's coat, though not with force, but rather an insistence that was almost irresistibly adorable.
The soft friction between her gloves and the yellow wool sent a spark through Penny's fingers as they slid carefully across the fabric. Her gaze stayed glued to the little altercation between the sisters (Janet arguing how it's gonna get soaked! It'll take forever to dry), while her strengthening-but-still-soft grip on the scarf, still clinging to her, went unnoticed by the two. In a spark of clarity, her hands slid from the scarf to her face, all the way up to her forehead taking off her hairband in a swift motion and placing it on the snowman's head.
"Fine, I'll do the sacrifice," she teased, as the worn blue accessory stretched and hugged around the gelid face. "He was lacking an accessory, right? Well, there it is"
"Yeah! It's perfect!" Bonnie beamed, not being able to help running towards the snowman, but stopping right in front of Penny, as she excitedly tugged at her arm. "He looks just like you."
"Pft, he wished," a smug grin formed on Penny's face as she took a few steps away from the snowman (her chin tilted up in victor as she mentally patted herself on the back, not only for solving the conflict all by herself, but also for gracing the snowman with a taste of her immaculate style), admiring her creation.
"Two Pennys? What a nightmare," Janet picked her phone out of her pocket, holding it up towards the snowman and her sister. "Say cheese!" She beamed at her sister, as she took the pictures next to the snowman.
"More like, what a dream come true." Penny could hear her huff from behind the camera, as she stepped closer to Bonnie and striked a pose. "Ok, now a silly one," Penny instructed to the little girl, pulling a grimace.
"I fear it was silly as soon as you stepped into frame," Janet retorted, earning a giggle from her sister. Several photos were taken with loud snaps —along with a couple selfies and an accidental video— until Janet decided that it was enough. "I'm not gonna waste all my storage on you two, no matter how cute you both are!"
Penny and Bonnie discussed possible names for the snowman —while Janet stood a few feet away as she smiled to her phone screen (probably checking the pictures she just took, or talking to Stu or anyone else out of the dozens of friends she had)— until they finally settled on Brawlence.
Penny took her hairband back after Bonnie gave her the greenlight, saying that it suited her better and Brawlence wasn't gonna make it to the end of the month anyway. "I almost thought you would get crushed by that snowball, that thing is almost taller than you."
"No way! Im super strong, see?" Bonnie grinned as she flexed her non-existent muscles.
"Oh, totally. Maybe one day you'll be just as strong as me," she made a show of flexing her arms too, and both of them chuckled just loudly enough for the other to hear.
Penny glanced back at Janet's direction, her face scrunching up slightly as she saw her still glued to the phone (not that it bothered her to spend more time with the less nagging, more prone to cause an explosion sister) instead of doing literally anything else: enjoying outside, talking with her, spending time with her little sister dammit.
Logically, she knew that she shouldn't be upset about this, it's not like she was ruining some sacred hangout that they had planned for weeks. In fact, she didn't even know she was in the hotel on the first place! Still, she couldn't help but bite her lip and shake her head to force herself to stop thinking about it. There's nothing to get worked up about anyway, and if there were, she has no right to.
"Know a foolproof way to get your sister off the phone?" She sighed as she glanced back at Bonnie, only to find the little girl crouched on the ground forming a snowball on her hand. She had that particular mischievous grin and glint on her eyes, like when she would fire up Clyde in brawl-free designated areas, or take candy stolen by Penny behind Janet and Stu's back.
She didn't even have time to warn Janet about the snowball really, not that she would have if she did, but that is a hypothetical scenario, in reality it all happened too fast.
The snowball hit her square in the face ("I didn't think you'd have that bullseye precision!"), her mouth opened wide in surprise as she wiped the remanents of water from her face, as she helped "Bonnie!"
"Oh, she got you," Penny teased as she patting Bonnie in the back once, twice, as a proud smile settled in her face. Janet crouched down packing her hands with snow, but before she could even think about throwing it, Penny stood as a wall between them, shielding the giggling child behind her open arms. "I fear you're gonna have to brawl someone your own si-"
Janet's aim wasn't as good as her sister's, Penny noted, unless she specifically aimed the snowball at her pin, then it was really good she must admit.
Janet's laugh was deafening, and she could only imagine the wide smile on her face as she wiped the snow off her own. "Wow, no hesitation."
"You walked right into that one," Janet deadpanned, as she crouched down to start forming another ball on her hands.
"Yeah, and I'd do it again!"
Snow flew through the air as the girls caught themselves in a petty competition, some hitting cold, and others coming a little to close to their snowman before crumbling back against the ground. Each throw fueling another even stronger, neither of the girls wanting to be the last one hit.
The three of them were already panting, their breaths visibly puffing when Penny called for a truce.
"Yeah, easy for you to say when you had the last throw!"
"I literally didn't!" Penny went to shove Janet playfully, but the nudge made her slip, and in an attempt of gaining composure her hands lounged to Penny's arm, both collapsing into the snow with a yelp.
“Your fault,” Janet said, breathless.
“My fault?” Penny shot back in disbelief, “You started it!”
“I did not- she did!” Janet baffled pointing at Bonnie, who was already packing another snowball with suspicious focus.
“Don’t drag me into this,” she squealed, immediately throwing it.
It hit both of them.
Eventually, they slowed, breathless, collapsing into the snow near what was left of their creation. The sky turned pink above them as Janet smiled.
She turned her head to see Penny, cheeks flushed and nose scrunched up as she tugged her scarf tighter around her neck, doing a very bad job at concealing how cold she was.
"We should head back inside," Janet offered, sounding more like a question than she intended. Penny's body shot up in automatic, before embarrassedly offering a hand to help Janet up.
"Since you insist," the pirate stammered, noticing how Janet's feet slipped (who on their right mind wears heeled boots on snow???)" before finally standing up straight. "Wouldn't want ya freezing up out here."
Janet offered a smile with a hint of amusement, before calling out to Bonnie, only convincing her to go back to the hotel with a promise to drink hot chocolate.
"Bye-bye Mr. Brawlence Snowman!" she waved to snowman before running up to the girls, holding both their hands as she settled between them.
Every few steps Bonnie jumped, Penny attempting to make her hang in the air for a few seconds, Janet struggling to match her strength. Every few jumps, Janet warned Bonnie that if she fell, she would laugh sooooo hard, and take a thousand pictures of her faceplanting on the snow.
Every few warnings, Penny glanced at Janet in disbelief, finding herself staring at how Janet's face scrunched and her blue eyes caught the sunlight everytime they widened as she tried and failed to convince her sister into walking like a normal person. And every few glances, Janet found herself glancing back.