Ashes Look An Awful Lot Like Snow

Kole leaned against Artem and hugged him again, purely on principle. “Exactly. I certainly don’t have the energy to deal with mean people, so I avoid them.” To be honest, he was avoiding a lot of people, but that was because he didn’t want to get sick or risk someone else getting sick. He was trying to be responsible, even if it was sort of lonely. He giggled after. “I will let you know, I promise.” There was verifiable proof that Kole could take care of himself, but there was even more proof that Kole didn’t want to because he didn’t like fighting and confrontations. It was nice to know that someone had his back. He cackled after and grinned up at Artem. “Yes! So you don’t have to worry about me stealing Katya. We’ll both always be around to harass you for food.”

“Rude! I’m six- no, seventeen!” Kole paused to do some mental math. “Wait. Wait. No, that’s a lie, I just turned eighteen. I think. What day is it? What year is it? I’m pretty sure 2020 just isn’t real, so that messes everything up.” He snickered softly and then outright cackled. “Tyoma, uh, Artem is the tall guy. He’s epic. Well, he and Raena are both epic and Teren is scary. But, he doesn’t like Theios, so that puts him in my good graces.” Kole grinned blissfully.

Kole hummed a bit as Artem responded because he knew that Artem wasn’t joking all that much. If someone was bothering him, Kole knew he could ask Artem to help and Artem would take care of the problem. “Well, no one’s really been mean to me since this whole thing started. The pandemic, I mean. But that’s because I don’t really talk to anyone except the people I like, so.” So really, there wasn’t anyone being mean to him now, but he expected things to go right back to usual once this was over. Possibly worse, since the Ares campers would undoubtedly have a lot of pent up aggression to get out. He giggled after. “Okay, but consider that I love you and would never steal her. Plus, it’s not like you don’t know where I live. And you feed her. That’s very important. You also feed me, and look how well that worked out!”

“Do you think? I guess I’ll start wishing, then!” Kole laughed, perfectly content to mock his own height. He didn’t really have a problem being short, and it was fun to tease and be teased. “Which one? Tyoma or Raena? They both look very scary, but they probably won’t hurt you, especially if I ask them nicely and let them know that you’re important to me. Besides, you’re the best in a different way than either of them! You’re all the best!”

“Rude! Lots of people are mean to me!” Though none had been in recent months, so maybe Artem had a point. He grinned at the son of Hecate though and started laughing when he saw Artem’s not-quite smile. He was glad that the other camper felt safe enough around him to smile. “Nuh-uh. She won’t leave you for me, ‘cause I won’t let her. Besides, I’m too cold to have pets! I only provide cuddles and playtime. She’ll always be your little lady. I just reserve the right to spoil her like any good pet uncle.”

Kole’s eyes widened at the thought. “I love rainbows!” He cackled after, leaning into the touch. “Yes, please, make me taller! Though I dunno if I’d be able to walk on them. I think it’d be fun to try.” Even if he fell over, at least he’d be having fun with it. He grinned at Nath. “Good, good. I think you’re the best, but this is a good compromise.”

Kole gave Artem a look that was playfully offended. “Now you’re just being mean to me.” He hummed a bit after and smiled to Artem. “I’m not too sure about that. They might be too busy laughing to go around smiting.” But that was okay, Kole didn’t want anyone to smite Artem. He laughed after. “But I want to! I just want to give her all the cuddles.”

“That’d be so cool!! I’ve never had light-up shoes!” But he’d always appreciated them and it was exciting to think about having some, even though he was probably too old. Oh well, who said you had to give up life’s simple pleasures just because adulthood was a thing? Kole had no interest in abandoning his “childish” anything just because other people thought he was too old for it. He squeezed Nath in a hug, grinning. “You should believe it! I’m right. You’re absolutely the best.”

“Yeah, but I dunno how to do that on my own.” Maybe if Artem helped, but Kole didn’t want to take up all his time. That wasn’t fair to him. He did lean over to squish Artem again, gently. “I love you, so much. It’d be so much fun to go see Katya again. I love her, too. She’s adorable. She needs all the attention.”

Kole looked at Nath and then laughed. “A light up one? They have one of those?! That’s so cool!” He cackled after. “I would wear light-up shoes! Those are the best.” He grinned to Nath and leaned over to hug the hockey player. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re the best?”

Kole looked at Artem for a moment and then squinted. “Fire is scary because it’s my opposite. Hot, melts ice, fast. I like campfires, but fire can be very scary to me.” Fire had its uses, but Kole preferred those uses to be well away from him whenever possible. Unless it was Artem’s fire, which was fine because Artem wouldn’t let the fire hurt him. He hummed in thought after. “That’s fair. It might be fun to spend a day or two there, but probably not much longer than that.” He liked the energy of the Hermes cabin, but he’d always been able to retreat when it got too much. Maybe it wasn’t a solid backup plan. Oh well.

Kole stared for a moment. “That sounds dramatic. I kinda want to meet her.” If only to see if she was as impressive as Nath was making her out to be. That, and because he liked meeting new people. He cackled as Nath offered him an Elsa doll. “Okay, but it has to be from the new movie! Oh! You could send me a Nokk doll! I loved the Nokk, that was the best part. I didn’t think I’d ever get to see one on screen! It was very exciting.” He rambled happily, beaming at Nath.

Kole blinked at Nath with wide eyes. He couldn’t imagine having to listen to someone that he was scared of all the time. “Someone should give her something nice. Make her less scary.” He brightened after. “I can do that!” It was good to have a suggestion, that made things much easier. It would be exciting to mail Nath some godly food and then be mailed something back, or however it ended up working.

“That’s because fire is scary!” Kole protested. Sure, his ice abilities were fantastic at keeping the fire away from him, but as a general rule of thumb, fire was his opposite and he avoided it because it was mean. He blinked at Artem after. “My cabin is built of ice. I’d just make a new one. Or stay at the Hermes cabin and then build a new one.” It wasn’t really a scary thing, to think of his cabin melting because it was ice. He could fix it. Probably. Everything inside was more or less replaceable.

Kole lit up as Artem laughed, grinning brightly at the sound because that was a good thing. He loved making Artem laugh. “That’s fair, it’s me we’re talking about. If anyone was going to somehow have a cabin burn down, might as well be me- make it a story to be told.” He snickered softly at the thought, wondering how a cabin of solid ice would even catch fire. “But I trust you to make sure it doesn’t. Even if it’d be a funny story.”

“Okay, that sounds very scary.” Short people had tempers and while Kole didn’t consider himself temperamental, there was plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. Evidence that he was very deliberately ignoring. Because he could. He smiled sweetly to Nath, genuinely excited and happy at the thought of being visited more often. “I’d love that! I’ll try to send some stuff back.” He had no idea what he’d be able to send from Camp, but if nothing else, Nath would end up with a collection of beautifully crafted non-melting snowflakes.

Kole felt safe and comfortable curled up against Artem like this. Sure, he was probably restricting Artem’s reaction time a little by virtue of being directly in the way, but that didn’t diminish the fact that Artem had magic and was amazing with it. Kole didn’t think he could ever be safer than right here. He cackled at Artem’s statement, thoroughly delighted. “Challenge accepted!” Not that he’d actually go out of his way to genuinely bother Artem, but he’d delight in harassing the older camper now and again, just for the fun of it. “I dunno if my cabin can even burn down, it’s made of ice... But I trust you to protect it anyway.” If there ever was someone who could find a way to burn down a cabin made of ice, it was Kole.