#yinuo

i havent introduced him yet because i havent finalized his design but i really like this doodle so (´＿｀。)ﾞ

Each small clumping of snowflakes is loosely held together, giving them the appearance of cotton tufts that are swept and carried by the light wind.  

“Can we go play in the snow?” Yinuo asks. They’re standing in front of the window, gazing out at the pale sky. The distant mountains are covered in snow and their outlines are indiscernible against the equally white sky. The occasional gathering of trees on rocky protrusions appear as floating, mystical islands in the sky. But the wet branches of the bare trees show starkly dark and thin, like cracks forming on the frosted silvery shell of the world.

Chi Zhen smooths down Yinuo’s soft straight hair, “Sure—when the snow stops.”

Yinuo looks a bit disappointed, but she doesn’t object.

“Don’t stand too close to the window. It’s cold,” Lu Li reprimands them.

The affected look of petulance that Yinuo gives Lu Li is clearly one that she learned from Chi Zhen. And suddenly, an idea strikes him. “Do you want to build a blanket fort?”

Yinuo’s eyes widen in excitement and she nods happily. They make a few trips from the bedrooms to gather as many pillows and blankets as possible, and soon, they have a very large pile in the living room.

Lu Li is convinced to give up looking at the case files and he joins them to move the kitchen chairs over. The blankets are draped over the backs of the chairs and pillows and even more blankets are strategically placed for maximum comfort. Many of Yinuo’s fluffy stuffed animals make their way into the fort as well.

When they’re finally done, the three of them crawl into the fort and spread out comfortably around the small lamp that is placed in the middle. It’s warm and the soft glow of the lamp is pleasant.

Lu Li’s voice is tender and gentle as he reads a chapter from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Chi Zhen’s almost asleep by the time Yinuo crawls out of the fort and announces enthusiastically, “The snow stopped!”

So, the two of them crawl out as well and check to see that yes, the snow has truly stopped. And they all bundle up in warm coats, gloves, scarves and boots before heading outside.

The few inches of snow aren’t quite enough to make a snowman, but Yinuo has better ideas anyway. A challenge is posed, and Chi Zhen and Lu Li have no choice but to accept.

They build two makeshift barriers in the middle of the yard and the teams are decided by a game of rock-paper-scissors.

Chi Zhen loses and frantically clumps snow together to compensate for his lack of partner before Lu Li and Yinuo open fire on his snow fence.

“How is this fair?” Chi Zhen complains as snow slides down his neck.

“You suggested rock-paper-scissors,” Lu Li yells unsympathetically as he continues to throw snowballs at Chi Zhen’s sad little barrier. Yinuo and Lu Li are much more efficient on top of having two people and it’s not long before Chi Zhen’s fence topples over.

The wind is gone but the snow has started again, falling in straight lines in a single-filed fashion. It almost looks fictitious in its perfect beauty.  

Yinuo speaks up when Chi Zhen sneezes, “Let’s go back inside?”

They head back inside, and Chi Zhen teaches Yinuo how to make hot chocolate, and it’s not long before they’re back inside the blanket fort with steaming cups of hot cocoa with small marshmallows floating in them.

It’s as though each snowflake that fell today was a memory. Whispers of happiness, delicate and beautiful in their intricacy while unbelievably soft and gentle.