Loamhedge Orphanage

Raven opened the doors and walked out of the building, having just finishing her conversation with marle. Upon walking outside, she cast her gaze upwards and stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening as she saw a fill blown snow ball fight. Raven cracked half a smile, really wanting to join. However she was afraid that they wouldn't want her to join. So rather she took a seat on the steps and watched them while they proceeded to throw snowballs at one another.

Gimbold giggled a little as she caught Lin on the horns, even more when the fellow missed as he threw at the previous branch. The girl blew a raspberry at him.

"Bet you can't hit me!" She shouted loud enough for him to hear... mostly because she was excited not considerate.

Seeing someone appear at the door, she was briefly distracted and yelped when her foot felt the coldness of the snowball. Shaking the snow off her foot, she glanced towards Raven. The girl didn't know everyone yet but...

"I'll be right back," she told Lin before travelling along the tree tops, leaping from tree to tree, or tree to walk effortlessly, carrying her remaining two snowballs towards the orphanage.

As she neared Raven, she'd lob a snowball at the girl to get her into the game.

Raven chuckled as gim became distracted and was hit by a flying snowball. But then she started moving...towards hef? She raised an eyebrow, curious as to what was going on before out of nowhere a snowball came flying at her, hitting her in the face. She sat there momentarily before wiping the snow off of her face and smiling, bending over to make snowballs of her own.

"Game on!"

She says with a chuckle before lobbing one at both gim and lin, then running behind a nearby bush for cover.

Although he was a bit confused as to why Gimbold told him to wait, Lin held fire, spending a few of the valuable moments of cease fire to look for another place to stake out at before turning to see where the squirrel had gone.

It seemed that another one of the new kids had come out to join them. Raven, he recalled. Linwood was knocked back into the reality of the snowball fight as a cold chunk of snow caught the side of his leg.

"It's nice to see you too!" he laughed, making a couple more snowballs before running over to the bush she'd chosen as a hiding spot and throwing one at it.

Raven smiled, but flinched when Linwood had run over to her bush and launched a snowball at her. When it hit her in the arm, she squealed a little bit at the sudden surprise. She had never been used to having fun like this, and wasn't sure if this was how they were supposed to play. But despite she was used to, she couldn't contain her enjoyment. She bust out laughing before throwing another snowball at linwood before running to another spot and lifting her hand over her head, creating and wall of snow that was as tall as she was by using magic. She then made a bunch of snowballs and proceeded to fire and them.

Gim dodged the snowball that came her way. One more left then! She was quite the squirrely one as she scampered around. No going onto the grounds for her. Tree top to wall and tree again as she ran. Her body structure made running on fours easier.

Though she looked surprised as Raven created a wall of ice to block. She skidded to a stop on a branch she was on and stared, never having seen such a feat before.

"You can do that? That's awesome!" She shouted from her perch.

"Ooo ooo can you make an ice slide?"

The snowball fight was forgotten and she was a stationary target! But Raven's magic fascinated the little fire elemental.

Linwood paused, similarly distracted by the sudden wall of snow. He ducked out of the way of a snowball and walked over, folding his arms on top of the wall. He had yet to learn that Raven was capable of magic, much less something as fun as -- as he heard Gimbold suggest in her excitedly loud tone of voice -- an ice slide.

"Can you?" he echoed the request. An ice slide... now that would make freezing outside all the more worth it.

Ravens eyes widened as she quickly became nervous of the sudden attention. Where she was from, she was shunned and outcasted for being able to do magic. However this was different. They seemed to be...excited. and they desperately wanted her to make an ice slide. The thing was she had never even tried! She thinks for a moment before shrugging.

"U-um, I can try..."

She says nervously before looking around. She finds an empty clearing which seemed suitable enough for an ice slide. She takes an deep breath and exhales as she tries to calm her nerves. She holds her hands out in front of her, and really focuses. Moments later her palms turn white, and ice shoots out from them. The glowing white darts and the clearing and starts swirling, traveling upwards. As it traveled up, the form of a slide could be seen, until it reaches the top anndtnd disappears. The empty clearing now contained an ice slide, and raven smiled happily.

"I get first dibs since I made it!"

She says before running to the slide.

Now Gim was just an 8 year old. Everything seemed possible. If people told her pigs flew, she would accept it. Or that every few years gravity shifted or something. So seeing an ice wall excited her. Well then again she could make fire, but that was another story.

She squealed when she saw the ice slide form. It was beautiful. The girl hopped down from her perch, landing on her arms as she stood upright in a moment, examining it, laughing as she saw Raven head to it. She was excited to try... but would they be able to get up on it given how slippery ice was?

As a rather magical being himself, Linwood was always excited to see one of the other kids at the orphanage use magic, despite the warnings he got from the caretakers to be careful and the aversion he received from a certain boy with an elvish name. This was doubly so since he was sort of handicapped in ways of using his own magic.

"That looks wonderful, Raven! Very good job," he congratulated the girl, taking a spot beside the slide. He was a bit old for slides, he knew, but that wouldn't stop him from making sure no one got hurt.

"Have you been using your magic long?" Lin asked her, offering a hand just in case the rails were as slippery as they looked.

Raven looked at Lin and just smiled. Nobody had ever praised her for doing magic. She approached the slide and examined her handiwork, before taking his hand and climbing to the top.

"W-well, where I'm from, magic isn't allowed. I was the only one able to use magic, so Im teaching myself. I-i haven't really mastered the other elements yet, b-but I'm alright with snow and ice."

She says somewhat sorrowful as she remembers her hometown. She quickly shakes her head and smiles before sliding down, the ice adding acceleration before she landed in a big pile of snow on the ground. She laughed and stood up, dusting snow off herself before standing by Lin while she waited for her next turn.

Now Raven wasn't nearly as loud and rambunctious as Gimbold, and Lin had a bit of trouble making out what she was saying since she was half turned away from him, but he supposed he could fill in what he missed.

"Really? Me, I've been using magic since I was a pup. In fact, I'm part magic; you can tell by the antlers," Lin responded. Yeah, he hadn't really gotten a single word she'd said.

Seeing as Raven had taken her turn and Gimbold looked quite excited to try out the slide, he held out his hand to the squirrel. "Gim?"

Raven looks at Lin and pouts, her lower lip sticking out just slightly as her eyes also narrowed. She could tell he didn't listen just by his response, but she just sighs. It was probably better left unsaid anyway. She then looks back at him with a curious look on her face as she rubbed her arms a bit. She tilts her head, looking up at his antlers, before quickly looking down at the ground as to not be rude.

"Really? Then you must be pretty adept at using Magic then, right?"

The little squirrel girl checked the rungs, testing them to see their grip before scrambling up them. She was oblivious to the exchange between the older kids. She was 3'9" and short! But made up for it in spunk and attitude.

Accepting Lin's help, she made her way up before sliding down, screaming happily the whole time before she landed and giggled.

"This is great!" And she'd dart back to the rungs to see if she could go up again.

"Can I go again? I want to try it on my belly."

Oblivious kid was oblivious to the emotions of Raven. Bigger kids could always take care of themselves. She wanted to play.

Raven had gone quiet for a moment before looking up at gim, chuckling as he went down the slide. All though all purpose of a turn order was lost when he asked to go again. Raven had really wanted to go again, but she didn't necessarily see the harm in letting him go one more time. After all, she could always make another one!

"O-ok....fine...but I get two turns after this to make it even for you taking two turns!"

She states trying to hold her ground as she stood next to lin.

At Raven's words, Lin gave Gimbold a nod, offering his hand again even though the dexterous little squirrel hadn't needed it the first time around.

"Well, yes," Linwood responded, hoping she wouldn't ask for a demonstration. That was always a bit of a scary mess to the younger kids. He noticed Raven didn't look too happy with him. "What's the sour face for?"

Raven looks back at Lin and just shrugs, putting her hands in her pocket as attempted to ward off yhr cold. After a moment she looks back in front of her, trying to she top herself from shivering.

"Y-you didn't catch anything I she to paid earlier, did you...."

Gimbold nodded her head eagerly.

"Thank you!" She yelled before speeding up the rungs. Yep she didn't really need Lin's help. The girl was a natural at climbing.

She darted up and then slid down the slide on her belly, screaming and laughing as she did so when she went onto the floor. It was delirious and she wanted to go again. But she had agreed to it. Zipping back to Lin and Raven she looked at them.

"Your turn!"

Gim was loud.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must've not heard you," Linwood replied, a genuine frown on his face, although he did seem a bit tense. It was fairly common knowledge around the orphanage that he did not deal well with conflict. He smiled at Gimbold when she came over and ruffled her hair.

"Raven, how's about you take your turns, then we head inside? You're looking chilly," he suggested. Not to mention his hands were beginning to go a bit numb.

Raven nodded as she walked around to the ladder. She took her time going to the top as to not slip, before sliding down and laughing. She then went around again and climbed to the top, this time taking a page out of gims book and lying flat on her stomach. She propels herself forward, laughing as she lands in the snow. She stands up and dusts herself off and walks back over to Lin, nodding.

"Should we go to the dining room? They might be serving dinner right about now."