	One morning a few weeks after my argument with Leon, I opened the door to my dwelling and was blinded by light reflecting off the surface of a layer of untouched snow. I was taken by surprise as cold hit my face and I froze for a moment. 

	It was cold, something I had found unusual in my time in Limbo. I tried to remember the last time I felt cold like this, and I felt a smile cross my face as I remembered sitting under a futon blanket that was placed under the table, Yuki across from me as we sipped tea in the palace gardens under a gazebo. It was snowing outside of our little quiet sanctuary, but the tea and the blanket kept us warm as we laughed and talked that day. 

	“Yoozooki!” A familiar voice broke me from my reverie, and I looked up to see Kora, bundled up in something that was fluffy and pink, with a hood over her head. In her hands, I saw her clutching a pair of shoes and a bundle of what looked to be clothing. I waved and waited until she reached me. “Ya know what? I woke up this morning and saw all this snow and thought to myself: I bet NO ONE has told Yoozoo about snow days. So was I right?” She asked almost breathlessly, and I grinned at her. 

	“You sure were,” I said to her, and her face lit up as she let out a happy squeal.

	“I KNEW IT! Okay. Snow days are AH-MAZE-ING! It’s the only time the temperature really changes. See, rainy days and snow days are so few and far between. And for some reason, Tisin just aren't around Snow Days.” Kora said grinning. “This is the first one in, like, fifty-seven years!” She said, hopping. “Snow days mean no Tisin... so guess what that means?” She held up the warmer-looking boots that looked lined with fur.

	“It means there will be no attacks today!” I said, feeling relief spread through me. A day where all of Limbo was safe was a day much needed by us all. The attacks were becoming more frequent, and there had been talk about evacuating all of the small villages to the smaller cities that dotted the landscape of Limbo. 

	“We have the day off!” Kora squealed, and I nodded. “Here, these clothes are for you. I figured you didn’t have any yet, since this is your first Snow Day. We’re about the same size, and I figured you’d like the purple better than the pink!” She said giggling as I took what looked like a hooded long-sleeved robe. It was a light purple, and the fuzzy lining was pure white. I smiled a bit and looked at Kora appreciatively. 

	“Thank you. I like it very much actually. I will return it to you in good condition.”

	“Oh no, honey! I’m giving these to you! Look, the boots are nice and warm too, your toes will freeze in those.” She handed me the fur-lined boots, and I nodded, turning back inside to put on the items she gave to me, leaving the door open for her to enter. 

	“Are you sure you want to give this to me? Items like this must be rare.” I asked as I put the boots on.

	“Oh! No! Honey. My family back where I’m from are big wig textile merchants. Good thing too, six children is nothing to scoff at. That’s a lot of weddings and grandbabies. Momma and Daddy send me gifts every now and then, so I have plenty. You’re my friend, I want you to be warm on the coldest day of the...well the last 6 decades almost!” She laughed, and I smiled, slipping my arms into the purple jacket tying the knots, and securing the buttons.

	“It’s so nice. I’ve never worn anything so soft- wait I’m sorry. Did you say six children?” I said, wrapping my arms around myself and snuggling into the fleece inside and Kora looked at me with wide eyes, before a smile almost split her face in half. 

	“Yeah, I have three brothers and two sisters. It looks so good! Come on! We should find everyone else!” Kora said excitedly and I nodded, my mind wandering to Alice and Malakaii. I hadn’t seen them since that day at the cabin and Leon had to come find me. 

	“Uh... do you think it’d be safe to go visit Malakaii and Alice at some point today?”

	“Of course! No Tisin today, remember! Everyone is cleared to leave the city until tonight.”

	“Why tonight?” I asked curiously and Kora nodded as we headed outside. 

	“There’s only ever one snow day at a time. When we wake up in the morning the snow will be gone and the danger will be back. And it’s usually a long time before we see one again.”

	“Ah, I hope we resolve this Tisin and Spiderbeast issue before we have a rainy day.”

	“Why? Does something happen with the Tisin on a rainy day?”

	“No. It’s just who likes to fight a war in the rain when we could be playing in it?” Kora grinned at me, and I smiled, shaking my head at her. I shook my head after laughing a bit.

	“Just normal days with rain. But they are very rare.” Kora answered and I nodded.

	“Three brothers and two sisters huh?” I asked, and Kora nodded. 

	“I’m the middle kid. Well one of them.” She answered happily. “We live on a very large farm where we grow cotton and process it into textiles. Everyone has different jobs to do, since we’re all grown now.”

	“That’s amazing. Explains why you’re so social and outgoing.” 

	“So what made you come to Warrior City and leave your family behind?”

	“Well, being a well-off merchant is great, but I wasn’t made for that I guess. One day, a big Tisin shaped like a bug came onto the farm from the forest that lay beyond. It got a hold of one of the twins- my baby brother. I ran at it screaming, and suddenly there was a huge gust of wind and my whole world felt like it tore in half. Then Shion was in my hand, and I just... I knew how to use him. I cleansed that Tisin out of pure luck, but it saved my baby brother. I told Mama and Daddy that I wanted to come here, to learn about my Soulmate better. They are my biggest supporters, really.” Kora explained to me. 

	I absorbed her story for a few seconds and smiled, looking at her with a newfound appreciation. Knowing she had awakened her Soulmate to save someone, kind of like how I did with Alice, made me feel connected to her. I respected someone who loved her family, and the adoration in her voice was unmistakable as she spoke about her siblings and parents. 

	“Hey! Hey! Wait for us!” A voice rang out from behind us as we walked toward the cafeteria. We looked back to see a blonde boy skipping toward us, waving frantically in the air. I grinned as behind Elliot were Rachel and Ivan, who were holding their hands and taking their time. Kora and I stopped and waited. Elliott reached us first and pretended to wheeze out of breath.

	“Thank goodness we found you. Those two were making me sick with all their lovey-dovey mush,” He said, wrinkling his nose and Kora laughed. 

	“What would you expect on a Snow Day? They hardly ever get to spend time together,"

	“It’s just because seeing us together makes him miss you.” Ivan teased as he and Rachel approached, and I snorted with laughter as Kora’s face turned as pink as the coat she was wearing. 

	“You are an absolute stuffed ham, Ivan.” She said in an embarrassed huff while Elliott glared at his best friend. Rachel was laughing, looking around at everyone fondly. 

	“I was going to ask you to keep an eye on my brother today, Kora. Ivan and I want to do lovey-dovey mush stuff while we have the rare opportunity to do so.” Rachel said, apologetically and Kora scowled. 

	“You owe me,” She said, and I rolled my eyes.

	“You are acting weird. You’re always in a much better mood when you get to hang out with Elliott. You like him very much,” I said to her, confused. Her face turned even more pink as she looked at me horrified.

	“Would you be quiet!” She hissed and it was Elliott’s turn for a red face. I was confused about what was happening. “You’re one to talk anyway, Miss Be-Carried-By-Leon-Everywhere!” She said, her voice a little more high-pitched than normal. I looked at Rachel, confused.

	“I do not understand what is happening,” I said and the brunette laughed merrily.

	“I’ll explain it later, after my mush.” She said, giving a little wave. Ivan himself was blushing a little, and he wrapped his arm around Rachel as they left, pulling her closer to him. 

	Elliott, Kora, and I turned back toward the cafeteria, one on each side of me, their cheeks pink. After a few moments of us walking in silence, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I cleared my throat.

	“I’m sorry if I said something wrong,” I said to them, and they both looked at me, then each other, and burst out laughing. 

	“Don’t worry Yuzuki. You’re more clueless than any of us, it’d be hard to be mad at you about anything,” Elliott grinned and my mouth fell open. 

	“Clueless?” I asked as we walked, and I felt Kora wrap her arm around mine and she snuggled closer to me.

	“Yes, my sweet and darling friend. Completely and utterly clueless. And though it is a might infuriating at times, it’s almost the most endearing thing I’ve ever seen.” Kora said, smiling over at me and I grinned. I had no idea what I was clueless about, or why it was endearing, but if it wasn’t a bad thing I wasn’t going to stress. It was a Snow Day. Entering the cafeteria we saw Claus, Leon and CiCi all standing with steaming mugs in their hands. 

	I headed towards them, Kora and Elliott following me out of curiosity. As I approached, Leon noticed me first and smiled. 

	“Hey. Purple huh? I like it,” He said as his eyes took me in.

	“Yes. Kora gave me this fleeced hooded robe. It’s very warm.” I answered, and Kora giggled behind me.

	“Coat honey. It’s a coat.” She whispered and I nodded at her, my hands stroking the soft fleece again. 

	“Coat. Yes, I came to see if there is anything you need me to do?” I turned towards CiCi now, and she shook her head. 

	“Today is everyone’s day off. Including mine. A break is exactly what we needed. Some respite and fun. So that’s the only order for the day. Have fun or relax. Do whatever it is you need to refresh yourself for the days ahead.” The red-headed woman smiled at me and looked around. “And get some hot chocolate. It’s fantastic!” She said, gesturing her mug at me before taking a sip. 

	“Okay. Well... I was hoping to see Malakaii and Alice then.” I said, and Clause grinned at me.

	“Lass, you’re in luck. They’ll be here shortly. CiCi and Malakaii never miss a chance to get together like they used to in the olden days.”

	I looked up at CiCi and she was grinning at Clause. 

	“You act as if you won’t be involved in our shenanigans.” She said, batting him gently on the arm with her free hand. 

	Leon stepped forward now and gestured to the hot chocolate. 

	“They should be here soon, let’s get cups of hot chocolate for everyone.” He said, gesturing to the line. The four of us stepped away from Claus and CiCi as they began to playfully bicker. I was excited, as I looked up at Leon and over at Kora and Elliott. 

	“So what do we do on Snow Days, other than hot chocolate?” I asked, and they looked at me for a few minutes, furrowing their eyebrows. 

	“Oh, well there’s lots to do. Whatever we want.” Elliott offered sheepishly. “I hadn’t exactly thought of what we could or should do,” 

	Leon looked away, his cheeks flushing a little in embarrassment. 

	“The last time there was a Snow Day, I wasn’t...”

	“Oh yeah! He was still a big jerk back then!” Kora piped up. “I remember!” Leon looked down, shame crossing his features, and Kora laughed. “Well! You’re way better now. Who knew under that grumpy mess was such a sweet nugget of caramel?” She said, patting his shoulder. Leon looked up at her and smiled, nodding. 

	“I don’t really remember what Snow Day fun is like. I only remember vaguely, having to chop firewood and make sure the elderly were present at the communal campfire.” Leon said, frowning. “I don’t remember a lot of my living life.” I was not at the end of the conversation yet, however. I stared at Kora, looking back and forth between Leon and her. 

	“You remember the last Snow Day? You said that was like 57 years ago?” I asked frowning.

	“Yeah!” Kora said, and I looked between her and Leon, my eyes going to Elliott.

	“What about you?” I asked, accusingly and Elliott’s eyes went wide.

	“Well yeah... that was around the time that Rachel, Nakita, and I all joined the Spirit Warriors,” he said, nodding. “We didn’t really know each other very well back then.” 

	“Just how old are all of you?” I asked incredulously. Everyone around me burst out laughing and Elliott grinned at me. 

	“Let me give you the hint. Other than you, I’m the youngest, and I’ll be 83 later this year.” He said proudly, and I felt my mouth drop open in shock. 

	“Eighty...” I said and Leon grinned. 

	“And I’ve been here in Limbo for almost three hundred years, and I am almost a century behind Clause, who is 5 decades behind Malakaii and CiCi.” Leon contributed and I felt myself go weak.

	“This must be hell. I have to live that long...?” I mumbled and again everyone started laughing around me.

	“Don’t worry sugar. It goes by fast.” Kora said, patting my arm comfortingly. 

	At this time, it was our turn to get hot chocolate, and we ordered two extra, one of Malakaii and Alice. It took a few minutes, but as our mugs were being handed to us, I heard a familiar sound of squealing laughter. Looking toward Clause, I could see he was squeezing Alice in a large hug while Malakaii shook the snow off of his robes. 

	“They’re here!” I said, hurrying back to them. 

	“Yuzuki!” Alice called as we approached, and Clause set her down gently. She came to me and carefully hugged me, eyeing the two mugs in my hand. 

	“I got you some hot chocolate,” I said happily, handing one of the mugs to her. 

	“You are the best!” She gushed, taking it and inhaling the steam from the cup deeply. “Other than lavender, chocolate is the best smell. Thank you, Yuzu!” she said and I nodded, feeling warm in my chest, though I had yet to take a drink of the warm liquid in my own mug. 

	“Hey, little Alice, we were just trying to decide what we should do today,” Leon said as he approached. He leaned forward and handed a cup to Malakaii who took it and sniffed it before he pulled his flask out and added a brown-looking liquid to his cup.

	“There now, that’ll really warm these old bones,” he said, using his finger to point and create a little whirlwind in the spiked hot chocolate to stir it. I smiled at him when he winked one of his sparkling blue eyes at me and Clause let out his booming laugh. 

	“Ever the same!” He said, clapping Malakaii on the back. 

	“CiCi and I were just about to head to her office for a game of cards... care to join us?” I watched the two talk, and I couldn’t help but compare how they could be brothers. They both had snow-white beards, though Malakaii’s was long and draped down him like a woven blanket, and Claus’s was short and bushy. They both wore round spectacles over blue eyes that held wisdom and mischief. They were both tall, though Malakaii was lanky and thin, while Claus had a strong broad build and a little bit of a belly and he wore Hawaiian shirts, while Malakaii wore a dark forest green wizard’s robe. 

	“I think I’ll take that offer up, Yuzuki care to watch over Alice and show her a good time? I have a champion title to defend!” He guffawed, brandishing his pipe and I blinked in surprise at the camaraderie between them as CiCi laughed behind the two tall men, rolling her eyes. 

	“Sure... what would you like to do Alice?” I asked, looking down at the little girl next to me. 

	“I want to see the stables and pet the horses first!” She said, and I nodded.

	“Sounds fun! I’ll tag along!” Kora piped up and Elliott grinned. 

	“Oh. I’m coming too.” He said, in a slightly ominous voice. We all looked at him and he grinned, innocently averting his eyes. Kora raised her eyebrow, then shrugged and grinned.

	“Sounds fun,” Leon said and we turned as CiCi, Claus, and Malakaii out, listening to them bicker about how Malakaii supposedly had cheated when he won. We finished our drinks as we walked and left the cups at the door of the cafeteria before exiting. Walking across the courtyard, the voices of the three older spirits reached us, the sound of laughter and vehement offense at the accusation of cheating. 

	Alice and I were looking at each other, chuckling when a loud squealching sound reached our ears and Kora squealed loudly. 

	“ELLIOTT YOUR A TURD!” She exclaimed as she shook snow from her hair and the blonde boy was standing behind her laughing loudly. She was facing us at the rear end of the group and she reached down scooping up a big handful of snow and packing it into a ball. 

	As Kora lobbed the snowball, Elliott ducked - and it sailed straight past Alice, Leon, and myself before hitting Malakaii square in the back. The trio before us stopped and turned, and my mouth fell open and I found my arm jerking up and my hand pointing at Elliott.

	“Hey! That one wasn’t me!” He exclaimed, and Kora huffed.

	“You started it!” She yelled. Malakaii turned and grinned.

	“Ah well...” He said, looking at CiCi and Claus with a sinister grin. “Doesn’t matter who it was. It was the fact that it happened.” He said as his staff began to glow and he picked it up, stepping forward and spinning it. The blue glow that came off the staff spread out into a foot-long aura and we watched as snow began drifting up from the ground and forming into balls all around him. There were at least 15, and I gasped. 

	“Uh... Malakaii?” I asked, and the old man grinned as the snowballs shot out and began pelting each one of us. I squealed at the cold hard balls of snow pounded me and I grabbed Alice and protected her with my body. Snow burst against me and went down the collar of my coat. 

	Kora, Elliott, and Leon were dodging the snowballs yelping and laughing as Malakaii cackled with delight before turning. 

	“Time to go!” He said as he began to run in the direction of CiCi’s office. 

	“Oh! Oh! Malakaii!” CiCi gasped as she laughed taking off after him and Claus following suit, waving at us. 

Vocal

Memoirs Of The In-Between Table Of Contents

Memoirs Of The In-Between - A Snow Day (8.5)

Hidden Bonus Chapter Only Available On Campfire and Vocal.

A Snow Day - Hidden Bonus Chapter

One morning a few weeks after my argument with Leon, I opened the door to my dwelling and was blinded by light reflecting off the surface of a layer of untouched snow. I was taken by surprise as cold hit my face and I froze for a moment.



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Memoirs Of The In-Between - A Snow Day (8.5)

Hidden Bonus Chapter Only Available On Campfire and Vocal.

About the Creator

Hope Martin

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