TI - Shield Men

Snow Wars

Hot chocolate in one hand and a scrumptious donut in the other, Florence lazily sprawled himself down on the soft couch, his feet propped up onto a small coffee table.  At last after an embarrassing start, fun middle, and painful finish, Florence could settle back in the Mountain Lodge and enjoy the rest of his stay in Snowspell in comfort and bliss until the next competitions for the Toy-lympics were set up somewhere else on the island.  It would have been twice as wonderful had Snowflake chosen to stay with him, but she had wanted to participate in the small, Snow Wars event set up by a bunch of toys looking for some winter fun after Snowspell’s Toy-lympics.

This was fine with Florence; it was her right to choose what to do.  He had just spent enough time in the cold and now he wanted to relax.  Besides, Rawk had planned to participate and joining in the Snow Wars would ruin Florence’s newly set up plan to once and for all keep Rawk away.

If shaming Rawk, leaving their “challenges” on a tie, and ignoring Rawk not enough to get away from the aggressive toy, then perhaps just keeping his distance and staying away from Rawk as much as possible would succeed? Sure, he would have to meet up with Rawk for the next set of games, but Florence was fine with that. Just as long as they did not have to chat in between each game, then he could deal with it until he could finally and, hopefully, permanently distance himself.

He lifted the large mug of hot cocoa to his mouth, carefully blowing to cool it off a little before sipping.  A few other toys had also chosen to stay inside, such as Lucian and Othello who happily sat by the bar, Anya who was warming herself by the fire, and others he did not recognize all too well.  The rest were outside, divided into team for their unofficial competition, with Arae as referee once more and Heaven on stand by should things escalate.

In fact, if Florence strained his ears just enough, he could likely hear the cries of the toys as they pelted snowballs at one another, each one fighting to steal a flag or destroy the other’s fort, Florence had no idea really.  He had just heard that there was going to be a “Snow Wars” game and he, for the most part, was uninterested in it.

Florence took his feet off the table and leaned forwards, taking a piece of his donut and dipping it into the hot chocolate.  With his eyes directed to the table and not the front door, he did not hear it open nor took notice of the towering figure standing before his table until a loud “hmph” emitted right before Florence.  Slowly sitting back up, chewing on the hot-chocolate dipped donut, he snarled and stayed eased up in his seat.

“… What do you want?” Florence muttered, a bit too lazy to just get up and go.  Alright, starting tomorrow I’ll start to avoid Rawk… Florence reminded himself.

“I need your help.” Rawk grumbled, lips rightly pressed together and his arms tightly crossed against his chest.

Silence quickly filled up their general location as Florence, still chewing on the donut, slowly swallowed the piece and looked up to Rawk.

“Ahh… what?”

“I need.  Your help.” Rawk repeated, articulating each work now.

Florence looked away for the moment, eyes wide and his mouth silently repeating the words.  After putting his hot chocolate down, placing his donut onto a napkin and then leaning back in his seat, he scratched the back of his head, looking around for a moment before facing Rawk again, mouth slightly agape.

“Insane, I know.” Rawk nodded.  “But our team is losing and we need your help.”

“Why?” Florence quickly butted in, calmly crossing his arms and once more lifting his feet up onto the coffee table.  “I had no interest in joining Snow Wars, and I especially see no reason why I should help you.” Florence harshly spoke, words laced with venom.

Rawk, pursing his lips, sighed and slowly dropped to his knees.  He shifted a little to kneel in a comfortable position, and then with a deep inhale he held his hands together, lifted them up just below his chin, and started to speak.

“Please help us, oh mighty Florence.  We need your special skills to save the day.” Rawk pleaded his voice rather flat and on the tip of being condescending.

Florence, with a calm shake of his head, leaned back in his seat with a smirk.  Either he’s desperate, Florence thought, or someone brought him up to this.

“No.” Florence chuckled, his laugh growing hardier when Rawk’s frustrated frown dropped into a stunned pout.

“B-but I pleaded!” He screamed, swiftly rising to his feet.  “Snowflake said pleading would get you to help us!”

“Woah wait, Snowflake got you to do that?” Florence asked.  He shimmied up and leaned forwards, looking up to Rawk.  “She’s on your team?”

Rawk nodded his head, choosing to pull up a seat across from Florence

“It’s me, Snowflake, Dunno and that chick Raph-something.” Rawk explained.  “We’re seriously being pinned down by another team, and we need someone of your… expertise to help.”

“Expertise at what?” Florence asked.  “And why me?  Why no Lucian, or Othello, or Anya?” He asked, very careful to avoid letting Rawk trick him.  For all he knew, Rawk was just making all of that up so he could pelt him with snowballs.

“Because Snowflake thinks you’ll be the perfect man for the job.  Listen, it would only be once, and it’s easy, trust me.  Then you can go back and be a little boy.” Rawk mocked.

Florence, taking his cup and sipping his cocoa, took a minute to think this through.  Rawk was promising Florence that it would only be for a very little while, and it seemed a little too elaborate of Rawk to think up of such a plan to bring Florence out.  Besides, Rawk was asking him to join his team, not join the enemy side.  If he wanted to spend the game tossing snowballs at him, he would have asked for Florence to help the other team out.

I’m going to regret this…

“Fine. But just once!” Florence demanded, sipping up the last of his drink and gobbling down his donut before standing up.  “And nothing more after this!”

Pumping his fists with excitement, Rawk moved towards the door, waiting for Florence to get his coats on before the two went outside.  It was not a particularly long walk before they reached the supposed “battle field”, careful to slip back to their side where Snowflake, Raphael and Dunno were hidden.

“Florence, yay!” Snowflake, taking a chance, moved out of her hiding spot to hug Florence, only to quickly pull him down when four snowballs were launched their way.  “Now we can get there and stop them.” Snowflake cheered.

“It’ll only be once.” Florence reminded, looking at the four toys.  “Okay, so what do I need to do?  Chuck large snowballs, smash down their wall, what?”

Raphael looked to Dunno, who looked over to Rawk who in turn looked to Snowflake, eventually all eyes on her.  She looked between the three, still smiling broadly despite her team awkwardly glancing between each other and their “captain”.

“Oh, right!  You need to be our shield.” Snowflake added in, all three nodding their heads.

“Wait, shield?  Oh no, no, no, no.  I got pelted by puck from you yesterday, I’m still feeling that!” Florence scowled, pointing a finger at Rawk.  “I’m not going to be used just to block off everyone else!”

“Don’t worry.  I’m a shield too.  You and I will block off Snowflake, Dunno and Raphael, so we can let them get to the other side to destroy their fort.” Rawk elaborated.  “With the number of Snowballs they’re tossing, no one alone won’t be bale to go by and toss snowballs back.”

“But if we’re so hearty,” Florence retorted, “then why don’t you and I go?” He demanded.

Everyone grew quiet, looking between each other again.  Eventually, Raphael peered over, ducked when a snowball came by, and said,

“Stand up and see for yourself just what’s going on.”

Florence, as asked, stood up, only to be quickly and painfully belted with twenty or so snowballs.  He dropped down, wiping snow from his face and clothes.

“Holy- what do they have, a canon!?” He demanded, keeping down now to avoid being seriously pelted once more.

“Their team consists of Ciel, Troy, Aldric and Pins.” Dunno answered.

“Pins and Troy make the snowballs, Aldric and Ciel toss them.  They’re like a well-oiled machine.” Snowflake elaborated.  “And no one can get close enough to do anything.”

Rawk continued.  “Unless two of the biggest guys take the brunt of it, and let the smaller members get close enough to toss their snowballs.”

Florence, with pursed lips and narrowed eyes, did his best to bear over to the other team. Chances are when they were not tossing snowballs; they were waiting, planning, building, and hoarding more.  At this rate they could very well have a lot of snowballs, and is so then it would be a massacre for him and Rawk.

“What about the other teams?  Won’t they get you?” Florence asked.

“Right now they’re all busy trying to defeat each other to notice us, so if we get that team out of the way, we can get the others.” Snowflake pumped her fists with excitement.

“But how’ll you destroy them?  You need to make snowballs to toss at them.” Florence argued.

“We’re already on that!” Snowflake smiled, pointing to Raphael who had some sort of large bucket tied up around his chest, with a good amount of snow put into it.  “Raphael will be our ammo, Dunno and I will be the archers, and you two are the shields!  It’s full proof!”

Florence sighed, wishing now that he had just stuck to staying inside.  That way he would not be utilized as some form of “meat-shield”.  But Rawk was being used as well, and seeing the fire in Snow’s eyes to win this “Snow War” was enough for Florence to push aside his own interests and safety to help her win.

”Ahhh, fine.” Florence groaned, though Snowflake cheered loudly.  “Let’s just get this over with…”

- - -

From the enemy’s side, everything looked quiet.  No one was popping up anymore, not even their “new recruit”.  It was a little odd to say the least, considering that the other team would have to find some way of fighting back.  But then again, Ciel’s team had pinned them down so well, maybe they were just waiting out the game so they wouldn’t be last.

“Should we go and destroy their fort?” Ciel asked her team, Troy and Pins distracted with making little snowmen and Aldric standing on guard.

“Maybe.” Pins chirped, patting down the body of the snowman to keep it together.  Troy nodded his head, continuing to build his own snowman.

“Hmmm…” Ciel, in the midst of pondering this decision, quickly stood ready to toss Snowballs when Florence and Rawk stepped out.  Side by side, despite both shooting glares at one another, they began to move forwards.  “Okay, everyone back to position.”

With a quickly poke from Aldric to get Troy and Pins back on schedule, the team returned to their little tactic, utilizing the spare snowballs and the continuously new ones to keep lobbing over attacks.  Sure enough they were hitting Florence and Rawk, who certainly from their pain grunts, yelps, and scowls were not enjoying it.  But they kept moving, refusing to stop.  Confused, Ciel and Aldric sped up their tossing, working to toss more than they earlier had.  But still that did not stop them, it only slowed them down a little.

Suddenly once halfway to the other side they stopped, keeping very still.  Ciel and Aldric tossed a few more before pausing, peering at the enemy team for a moment.  It was an odd sight, seeing two men who so obviously disliked each other, standing side by side.  In fact she was surprised that Florence had even joined at all now, considering he had earlier emphasized that he had enough of the cold and wanted to stay inside.  She guessed Snowflake had implored him to join, though to why it made no sense-

Ciel fell back when a snowball smacked her shoulder, trying to spot just who had done it.  Again another snowball flew by, nearly knocking off Aldric’s hat.  After a few more were tossed, she realized now just what was going on.  Behind Florence and Rawk stood their team, using the two men as big shields while they made and tossed snowballs.

“Move forwards!” Snowflake called, the two men moving ahead as ordered.

Ciel shook off her initial shock and moved to fight back, doing whatever she could to get them to stop.  She tried to find some way of stopping them, tossing larger snowballs and slightly wet ones. But the two were just taking the punishment, and Ciel wanted to be careful about getting her team disqualified should she actually hurt them.  Though in all honesty, she would have loved to see Rawk fall down like that time on the beach.

“Ah!  My snowman!” Pins squealed, flailing his arms before quivering his lips and pouting.  “They destroyed my snowman.” Pins wailed, looking at the remains of his little snowperson who had been quickly knocked over thanks to a faulty blow by Dunno.

Ciel ignored the smaller toys’ distress and continued to attack, aiming for their head of the two larger males though they simply lited their hands up to protect their eyes.  Frustrated, but not out yet, she reached for another snowball only to see they were gone.

“What, where are the snowballs!?” She demanded, spotting Pins and Troy attempting to repair the Snowmen together which meant no more snowballs.  “Okay, that’s fine, we go to plan B!” She gestured for Aldric to get “the snowball” and patiently waited.

By this point the opposing team was just a few meters from their location, once more pausing to lob snowballs at Ciel.  She ducked down for a bit, waiting for Aldric to roll over their secret weapon; a large, jumbo snowball which would hopefully knock them down.  Carefully picking it up, she rose to her feet, easily holding the oversized snowball above her head.  Then without a word of warning she tossed the large mass.  Initially she had aiming to hit both Rawk and Florence, perhaps Rawk a little more so.  But the toss was a tad off kilter, and much of the brunt if not all of it got Florence right in the head.  He stumbled back, just barely kept on his feet thanks to Snowflake’s bizarre strength pushing him forwards.  He flailed about soon after, screaming something about “god damn snow got down my shirt” before trying to pat it out.

For a couple of minutes the attack had stopped them, the team struggling to calm Florence down so they could move.  But rather then stall them enough to make more snowballs, or at least let someone run over to destroy Snowflake’s fort while they worked to help their new team mate Florence calmed, shot a glare at the other team, and reached around to grab Raphael.

“That looked like it hurt.” Raphael commented, being picked up by Florence and then carried over to Ciel.  Upon closer inspection, the blow had done a little more than chill Florence.

His nose was bleeding, not broken but certainly bruised by the impact.  One of his eyes was closed, stinging from the cold snow hitting his face while the other was teary from the pain.  He heaved in breaths of air, holding Raphael who waved to Ciel and waited for Florence to do something with him.

“Did you know it was frozen!?” he screamed.  “That was literally frozen ice that hit me!”

“We made it at the very start of the game, we didn’t realize it would freeze throughout the game…” Ciel retorted.

Florence, still huffing, raised Raphael into the air and proceeded to put him upside down above Ciel.  With all the snow still in the bucket tied to his chest it was dumped onto her head, nearly covering her from head to toe in snow.  Then he put Raphael down behind him, raised a foot, and kicked down a chunk of the fort.

“There, we’re done!” Florence shrieked, turning around and stomping off to go inside.  Everyone else stood there, watching him storm off to the Mountain Lodge to relax.

Eventually Rawk spoke up, raising his arms into the air.

“We win!”