#wardensweet

[Now for something sweet.]

Even seeing it everywhere, day in and day out, literally living in it, Ingo never tired of seeing snow. It still filled him a with a feeling of giddy excitement whenever he returned to the Pearl Clan settlement. He saw it on Mt. Coronet but it wasn't as nice or plentiful. Not to mention he could properly enjoy it while in the safety of the settlement.

Some of your surveys had steered you toward the Alabaster Icelands so Ingo had offered to take you with him. It was a lengthy journey, but one spent in pleasant company.

You immediately noticed the shift in Ingo's demeanor as he entered the settlement. He always carried a level of tension on him, even in Jubilife Village. That tension seemed to melt away as people greeted him cordially and children stopped their playing long enough to wave to him before returning to their activities.

Ingo was even approached by an older woman carrying a small satchel on her arm. She greeted him happily and did not hesitate to reach into her bag and produce a couple of small wrapped items for both of you. Ingo's eyes lit up as he took it graciously. You accepted yours with gratitude, not knowing the reason for Ingo's excitement. The woman continued on her way and Ingo tore into the gift like a child on Christmas. It was a small cake with berries baked into it and a crispy layer of dried glaze over the top.

Ingo bite into his and chewed slowly with a look of utter bliss on his face. You opened yours a took a curious bite. It was sweet with a hint of spice. The texture was soft with the bits of berry adding a chewiness to it. You could see why Ingo loved this so much. Ingo gushed between bites over the woman's baking skills. This turned to ramblings of other skilled people he knew within the clan and how he admired them. It was obvious he felt the settlement and the people within to be his home. He was an outsider but he was treated as family by this small congregation of people.

The treats were finished off with Ingo happily licking icing from his fingers. You thought of how it was so much like a child as you watched him. A thought began to form in your mind. He was so caught up in getting the last bits of sweetness off his fingers that he didn't notice you hanging back to grab a handful of snow and press it tightly into a ball.

Ingo stiffened at the PAFF of snow hitting his back. His head slowly turned. You could only see a silver eye peering at you from over his tall jacket collar. For a moment you feared you overstepped your bounds before seeing him bend down and gather snow into his hand. He kept his back to you as he worked. After a moment, he turned toward you with a perfectly shaped snowball in his hand. You could see the corners of his mouth twitch into a bowed smile.

Instead of pelting you immediately, he surprised you by bringing his fingers to his mouth and letting out a shrill whistle. It wasn't his usual shriek of a whistle that he used to quiet a noisy room or to get someone's attention quickly. This one wasn't nearly as harsh and carried a lilt to it.

Before long, the sounds of many feet crunching snow and lots of laughter came from all directions. The whistle had called the children of the settlement to your location. Ingo cocked his arm and pointed at you. The children began gathering snow and quickly forming their own ammunition. You spun your head, trying to find an escape route but the little ones had you surrounded. Once the children were prepared, Ingo's voice rang out loud and clear.

“ATTACK!”

You vision went white as you were bombarded. In desperation, you grabbed at handfuls of snow and tried to retaliate with crudely crafted snowballs thrown blindly. Eventually, it was discovered there were traitors among the ranks as some of the children joined your side and helped you fight back against Ingo and his army. It was all out war.

Shrieks, squeals, and laughter pierced through the snow. It echoed through the settlement, causing some of the adults to stop and watch the spectacle with grins on their faces. The noise eventually brought Irida from her own hut to witness the onslaught. She looked on until the war eventually came to an end, with adult and children alike panting and laughing. Ingo sifted through the snow around him to find his hat that had been knocked off his head. He knocked the snow out of it as Irida approached you two.

“Warden Ingo. Why does a snow war always seem to happen when you enter the settlement?” She asked with a poorly hidden smile.

“I could not tell you, Lady Irida.” Ingo put the hat of his head and adjusted it. “It seems to be just as much a mystery to me as it is to you.”

“I see.” She turned her gaze to you as you brushed the snow off of yourself. “I see he caught you up in his tomfoolery?”

“In his defense, I started it.” You admitted.

The children began to meander off to do their own thing as the three of you spoke. Irida shook her head. “I think that's enough excitement for today. Can I count on you two to behave for the remainder of the day?”

You both looked at one another. Ingo's eyes twinkled as he smiled. A genuine large smile that you rarely ever got to see.