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Avery's wings twitched. It seemed they were as ticklish as the rest of him, and his mouth twitched to keep from laughing in her face as she almost-hugged him.

"Really? Sybil's wings are soft, too, I wonder why Sere's aren't?" he asked, then shrugged. It wasn't really that important.

But, he was getting goosebumps, and the dampness from the melted snow was making him shiver.

"Uhm... can I put my coat back on?" he asked, grinning.

(( nothing for Zuko? sad ))

Ritsu's expression grew dismayed. He didn't want to do the decorating! He'd surely mess it up! He was clumsy, and uncoordinated, and altogether incompetent at any task but the simplest. But, if Zuko-san wanted him to do the decorating, he wouldn't refuse. He didn't want to upset the older demon, or make him mad.

So he offered the stones to Zuko, keeping a few for himself to start with, and turned to the snowman with a look of apprehension on his face.

Sybil meanwhile, had cheerfully let the rest stay where they had fallen. She wanted to see what her Ri could come up with! But she was also curious...

"Crooked?" she asked, trying to peer up into Zuko's face, taking him literally.


Alida was dismayed. Well, with a reception like that, Sere certainly wouldn't find out that Alida liked Classical. No, if there was a choice, Alida didn't want to be on the wrong end of a cynical, biting remark. But, what if the angel asked what Alida did like? She didn't expect it would come up, but if it did... She thought for a moment. Rime had had some music she'd played the other day, it sounded tribal: wild and exotic. She would say that, instead.

With that decided, Alida took another sip from her mug, now about half-empty, and wrote, I care, it's interesting. I would like to see or hear some it, if you want to share...

The husband of the couple noticed Sere's glare, and with a nudge of his foot under the table, alerted his wife. They both went rather busily back to their own drinks, and he shook out the paper he'd been neglecting, as if he'd found an article of particular interest.


Avery did laugh as she moved away, shaking his wings out so they'd stop itching. "I dunno, I don't really brush my wings. I didn't think you needed to. I just sorta... push the feathers back if they get outta place."

When his coat was back in place, he spent a few seconds wiggling his wings about, making sure they were comfortable in the confinement.

"It's just a whole lot of bother to hafta put all this stuff on. I'm gonna move somewhere warm when I grow up, so I don't have to wear as much!" he declared.

Ritsu obeyed the directive, and while Sybil and Zuko talked, he tried his best to make it look nice. His tongue poked cutely out the side of his mouth as he concentrated, a small crease appearing between his eyebrows.

He made a smiling face out of some of the smaller rocks, and then gave him buttons and a belt with the rest of the bigger ones. He stepped back when he was done, looking at it critically, berating every part of it in his mind.

But he had to show the others, so he said, "I... I finished... I'm sorry it's so bad..."

Sybil, meanwhile, had gone back to looking for the remaining rocks, simply as something to do. As she found them, she deposited them into Zuko's hands, replenishing the ones Ritsu took.

"I think I got them all!" she said.


Alida brightened, looking genuinely happy that Sere would let her listen. When do you think I could come listen? or would we go somewhere else? she wondered. She ignored the couple completely. Sere's glares hadn't gone unnoticed by her.

Ritsu nodded, surprised and a bit pleased at the compliment. "But.. where else would they go?" he asked.

Alida finished her mug as well, and nodded.

She wrote, I'm free in the afternoon the day after tomorrow. Would that be okay?

Ritsu smiled a bit, but still ducked his head slightly. He nodded. "I think I can do so, Zuko-san..." he said, and looked over at the snowman, wondering what he could do with it... maybe some stripes on the base? or maybe on the torso, so it looked like a coat?

Sybil giggled, pleased to have her hair ruffled, but she shook a finger. "I'll have hat hair now!" she exclaimed.

Alida nodded. The address would be helpful. And she wrote, Yes, please, though I suppose I could look it up, too. And I'm pretty good at not being seen when I don't want to be, she added.

Alida looked at the address and nodded. That didn't seem too hard to find. She had a better sense of direction than some people she knew, anyway.

Okay! I'll come over sometime. When is Niko usually not around? she wrote, remembering that Sere had told her not to let Niko see her.


Avery stuck out his tongue. "What? You don't think I could do it? Gambino's not so far away, and they're warm almost all the time! I bet I could move there, easy" He put his hands on his hips and mock glared at Aqua. He didn't like being told he didn't have the ability to do something.


Ritsu worked diligently at putting the rocks on the snowman, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth. He was making stripes on the torso, and it looked like the snowman was getting a sports coat.

Sybil's eyes widened, then her expression turned into a scowl, and she stomped her foot. "You're being mean, Zuko!" she exclaimed. Her tail was lashing behind her, and her wings were spread out wide as she frowned.

Ritsu looked up at Zuko from behind the snowmand with a look of worry. He didn't want Sybil to be mad, but Zuko was exactly the sort Ritsu looked up to. He simply didn't have the confidence of his own to contradict someone who seemed to ooze confidence the way Zuko did.