Forums » General Roleplay » ❄️ Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow ❄️

The air was cold, with a faint smell of burned wood and pine tree and that crisp fragrance of snow that she knew so well.

Cris stirred softly under the heavy wool blankets. Yawning, she pulled herself up and fumbled for her visor while blinking in the dark. At lenght her fingers found the familiar glass frame, and stretching her fingers just a little bit to the right she found her communicator. She almost dropped it before she could switch on the torchlight; it wouldn't even be the weirdest thing that happened with her bad luck with electronics, anyhow.

The comm threw a cone of bluish-white light on the bare, coarse wooden walls. Gone were the burn marks and blast holes that had once made her flinch; she could turn her gaze aroubd now without flinching, without recoiling.

It had taken time, and work, and her heart healing from its wounds - but now the cabin finally felt like home again, an unsought gift she had no longer hoped for.

Smiling, she turned to the two smallish shapes nested against her. Two vulpine heads, one so white it seemed to glow in the dark, the other dark gray eith blue fringes and touches of brown, peeked soundly asleep from under the heavy blankets. Cris pressed a kiss on both her kids heads, tucked in the blankets better so they wouldn't get cold without her, and finally put on her reindeeer slippers and got up, pausing briefly near the crib if her youngest, a tiny baby marble fox.

Then, on tiptoes to not wake them up, she headed in the adjoining room. The wood stove needed to be put back into business; she needeed a strong black coffee before taking on the day, and all it would bring.

"Come on, Asa, come ooonnn!" Saying this for probably the fifth time that morning, Chiharu gave a light tug on the hand of the man who was following just behind them. They looked eager as they traversed the snowy landscape. Him... Not so much. Asahi was not one for frivolous adventures and pointless excursions, especially when they ran the risk of running into strangers who, in his opinion, were always dangerous and never to be trusted. No, he would much rather be at home, curled up with a warm blanket and watching TV. But Chiharu really, really wanted to go outside, and he had a soft spot for them; they were his little sibling in all but blood. When they looked at him with big pleading eyes, and said they really, really wanted to go explore outside, when they said "Look how pretty the snow is!" and "Don't you think it would be nice to go on an adventure?" ...Well, how could he say no? In any case, on the off chance things did become dangerous, he knew he was perfectly capable of defending them, and himself, so he decided it was fine. They were both safely disguised as human... So it would be fine.

On the other hand, when Chiharu said: "Look! Is that a house? Do you think we should-" Asahi didn't even need to wait for them to finish the sentence, because he could absolutely say no to that no problem.
"Why in the world..." He said, slowly and deliberately, "Would we approach a random house, Chiharu? If anyone is inside, it is entirely possible that they are dangerous... And even if they are not, do you think they want to be disturbed?"
Chiharu deflated a little, knowing he had a point, but still not very happy about it. "...Right... You're right..." They sighed, looking at the cabin with lingering curiosity.
Now Asahi tugged on their hand and stepped forward once more. "Come on, let's keep moving. It's freezing out here."
"I bet it's not freezing in there." They quipped, earning an eye roll from their big brother. He was seriously considering just picking them up and carrying them so they couldn't scamper off and make any poor decisions. He was considering it so deeply, in fact, that he failed to notice them rolling up a snowball until it was hitting him in the back of the head with a poof and a shower of chilly crystals.
"What?" He spluttered. "You little- You can't just do that." Now it was on. The serious, stern big brother had disappeared, replaced by someone who only wanted revenge. ...Playful revenge, of course. Yes... It was time for a snowball fight, probably very much in view of whoever might be in the cabin, if they happened to look out a window...

God, it was freezing out here.

Hugging themself and shaking like a leaf in a feeble attempt to warm themself up, poor Cedar had found themself in yet another new dimension. At least, they think they're in a new dimension; it was very earthlike, thus making it tricky to tell the difference. Regardless, they knew that they were very, VERY far from home. And they needed to find shelter, fast.

Their magic broom hovered over the fresh snow blanketing the ground, which was the only thing keeping Cee from having to try and march through it. Evidently, they were not dressed for the weather, as they had neither a jacket nor a long-sleeved shirt to speak of.

Luckily for them, salvation awaited them by a cozy-looking lakeside cabin. There was a light on! Someone must be home!

Cedar tapped their shoe against the broomstick handle, causing the magical cleaning tool to pick up its speed. They steered it towards the cabin, in the hopes that they could ask this homeowner for directions to the nearest town. Maybe even see if they could buy a jacket or a sweater off of whoever was inside.

Already feeling marginally better as they stepped off of their broom and onto the dry front doorstep, they gently knocked on the door, before hugging themself once more.

Some chunky logs of chopped wood were stocked in a basket near the stove. Cris picked up two and gingerly pushed them onto the still-lukewarm ashes. Then she lit up the fire and stepped back, watching the embers sizzle to life. In a little bit, the warmth would bubble up, dispelling the cold first to the corners of the rooms and then directly outside.

(And the best part? Organic fuel meant she didn't run the risk of destroying an electric central heating system! Part of why she loved this place so much!)

She had just reached for the jar of coffee powder she kept on one of the stacked-full, carved woiden shelves when-

knock, knock

Cris didn't so mych as have time to wonder who it might be; the knocking was all it took for Joy, her little Animatronic border collie puppy who had been peacefully recharging in her basket-shaped dockstation, to activate at once. "ERF!!! ERFERFERFERFERFERFERFERFERFFF?" Barking chipperly, Joy bounced out of the dockstation and to the door, tail wagging like a miniature fan. People!!! People meant friends!!! Friends who must be welconed into the circle of happiness so they'll be safe like sheep even if she never saw a sheep but it didn't matter, mom mom mom open uo there's friends outside, friebds friends friends who maybe have treats, oh!!! Maybe they'll have a ball too? Open up open up open upppp--

Cris laughed seeing Joy bounce and hopp eagerly around the door. "Okay, okay - calm down, hurricane, don't scare them off", she chuckled, motioning to the doorway and instinctively picking up her kitsune mask from the wall-mounted clothes rack. The next thing she picked up after slipping the mask over her face, was Joy herself; she had long learned having a hyperactive little dog who was actually made of metal try to jump up in people's arms to lick their faces was not a good idea for people who didn't fancy getting their nose broken, esoecially if they so much as bent to pet Joy while she was jumping in their arms. "No diplomatic incidents, young lady", she chuckled as Joy squirmed happily in her grasp, torn between wanting to wriggle free _and_ trying to lick Cris's own face _and_ wagging her tail at the same time.

Almost out if habit, Cris craned her neck to throw a glance out of the snowflakes-pattered windows to see who the surprise guest was - and then she froze.

Someone was standing on the doorway almost doubled over with cold, for they were most definitely not dressed up for such a weather and such a place! Her first thought was instantly of dome kind if accident, maybe a car had run overboard or someone fell in the lake?

She opened the door in a rush and gusts of icy wind and whirling snow broke into the cabin as she reached out to usher Cedar in. "Oh stars, are you alright??" she asked anxiously. "Come inside, you'll freeze to death out there dressed like that..." She was so concerned about their conditions she didn't even pause to look them properly in the face, and so, she didn't recognize them outright as the young dimension-hopper she had met in one dreamworld turn of the Multiverse. She didn't even realuze they were hovering on a broom. Nor would Cedar be likely to recognuze her either; for once, she wasn't dressed in one of her usual kimonos, but wore a heavy bluish-gray wool sweater and black thermal leggings. For twice, her face was now covered by the fox like mask that she hadn't had with her back then in their first meeting. Only the voice might have something familiar to it...

Joy barked happily at Cedar's way and finally managed to wriggle free of Crus's arms as she grabbed a blanket folded near the window and hastily gave it to Cee to pull around themselves. "Erferferferferf?" The border-collie who looked like an aninated, living realistic plush pupply circled around Cedar happily - then she turned as something small and white darted off in the distance. What was that??? More people!!! And they were playing with a snowball! Ball! Ball ball ball balk ball ball... Barking on top of her lungs, she bolted out and down the wooden steps, then hurled herself off into the distance, bouncing and hopping happily toward Chiharu and Asahi.

"Joy, no!! Come back here!" Cris called after her - but it was too late. Noticing the snowballers who had caught Joy's attention, she raised an arm to wave at them in greeting.

"H-Hey there, I- Oh, I'm b-being kidnapped. Okay."

The second the door had been answered, the woman in the cabin didn't waste any time to greet them, but instead began to immediately usher them inside. Really, Cedar didn't feel like imposing, but the warmth of the cabin's interior was so intoxicating that they couldn't bring themself to resist the aid. Pocketing their magic broom, an act that shouldn't have been realistically possible, they enter the cabin.

Something about this woman seemed a little familiar. It was something about her voice, but for some reason, it did not ring any bells. Though, was it the sudden change in outfit throwing them off? Or, was it something else? A haze, draped over their mind, one that they don't really notice until someone kindly points it out, one that obstructs crucial information...

Perhaps Cedar should have recognized Cris... but they don't remember meeting her before.

Oh well. Even if this is a stranger, Cedar was very grateful as she brought them a blanket to wrap themself up in. They do so as soon as its in their hands, smiling serenely as they let warmth engulf them. The happiness was only furthered by the presence of an energetic little puppy circling them. "Awww, hi doggo! Good doggy."

Then something outside grabbed the puppy's attention, and then she bolted outside! Cris tried to stop her, but the dog was already outside to investigate. Cee wanted to check it out, too, but they weren't too eager to poke their head outside yet. They just sigh, in resignation and in comfort.

"Man, thanks a bunch," Cedar said to Cris, who was waving down what they could only assume was another visitor outside. "You didn't have to do that, but hey, I'm not gonna complain. You stopped me from turning into a Ceecicle! I owe you one."

Chiharu was in the middle of flopping dramatically into the snow, making a show of being utterly defeated by the latest snowball that had bopped them on the head. "Oh, oh no! I have been so gravely wounded!" They feigned despair, squirming feebly while Asahi stood over them, relishing in his victory. "Asahi! I'm dying! You've killed me... To death!"
"You deserved it." He deadpanned. "For being a little menace."
"That's so mean! I'm dying to death and you don't even ca-" They cut themself off as something caught their attention. They sat up quickly, all pretences of being a corpse immediately forgotten as they caught sight of a robot puppy (not that they realized this was what they were looking at yet) running towards them from inside the cabin.
Asahi took a single step back, startled by his sibling's sudden movement. So much for being dead, he thought... But before he could make a sarcastic comment about this, he spotted it too. "Is that a-"
"Puppy! I think it's a puppy!" Chiharu grinned, squealing excitedly and holding out a hand for the approaching puppy to sniff. Only then did they realize this one did not quite seem to be your average animal... Not that this bothered them.
It bothered Asahi, though, because the guy was constantly suspicious. He eyed the animatronic warily. "Chiharu..." He spoke in a clear warning tone, his gaze flicking between the dog, Chiharu, and the door to the cabin. "Don't touch that thing. Wait for its human to come retrieve it."
In response, Chiharu pouted and kept their hand extended, though they, too, spared another glance towards the cabin. They waved their free hand at Cris, suddenly a bit shy now that they realized a stranger had seen them. With the snow in the air obstructing their vision, and the very brief glance they had given her, they did not yet really take in the woman's appearance... If they had, they would certainly have reacted to her mask. As for Asahi, it was not clear whether or not he had given her a close look, either. He was too preoccupied with eyeing the robot dog like he thought it might be an explosive, and either did not notice or did not care to comment on the woman's appearance.

"What? No, I'm not- I just was...you need something warmer to wear, a coat or something, if you gonna wander outside" Cris explained to Cee's kidnap comment. "You can literally freeze to death if you don't cover up, winter is no joke around here..."

Yes! I'm a good doggy and I've only just met you and I love you and those people have a ball ww must bring them in the circle of friendship too... Joy's tail wagged faster and faster by the minute following the restless trail of her thoughts as she hopped on the white snow, half-sinking at every step on her stuffed toy-like paws - not that it seemedto bother her any. When she reached Chiharu, she went straight to lick their extended hand and then tried to jump toward their face. "Erferferferferferferf!!!" she barked and yipped excitedly. Hi hi hi hi friend! I've really only just met you and I love you! What are you called? I'm called JOY NO and Im a good doggy andI want to keep you in the circle if happiness so you'all all be safe like sheep, have you ever seen a sheep? I think they must be white as snow, and look HOW MUCH SNOW there is here! I like snow, do you like snow? You're no longer playing with the ball? Why? it was fir the best that she could really only bark, or she'd have drowned poor Chiharu with chatters by now! After a last happy wqg of her tail she began to circle around both them and Asahi, tilting her head curioysly when he said don't touch that thing. "Erf???" What thing? A ball? A frisbee? I must retrieve it FOR hunan, where is it? Is it a sheep?... hi! I've only just met you and I love you-- Tail was wagging away quicker. Oh no! Asahi was this close to get a Joy welcome too, unless--

Realizing by the stiffness of one of the two people that they were unconfortable with Joy's antics, Cris huffed through her teeth. Why she doesn't get... "JOY!!" she called again, louder. And fortunately, that _partly_ did the trick; because Joy's attention was momentarily swayed from Asahi; she turned toward the cabin with her tongue drooping sideway and wagged her tail toward Cris, happy to hear her name called. She didn't come back - but it was something. "Silly dog..." Cris muttered, before turning back to Cee who had just thanked her for the help. She waved a hand dismissively, eyes smiling behind the mask, even if her mind was still half on her dog's antics so she didn't pay enough attention just yet to notice anything familiar. "Don't mention it, least I can do. I'm gonna make some coffee too, do you want some...? Or I have genepy somewhere if you need something stronger. How did you get _thus_ far on the lake without a coat?" Turning another concerned look to Joy outside, she added: "Feel free to make yourself comfortable near the stove, I've gotta get the dog back, be right back... JOY!" she called again, grabbing a white longcoat with silver snowflakes motif before she stepped out onto the porch, reindeer slippers and kitsune mask and all-- "JOY, HERE!" And she whistled through her teeth. To Chiharu and Asahi she calked out: "Don't worry, she doesn't bite! She's just very very... hyperactive!" Her voice carried outover the cold air, her breath turning in puffs of smoke as she talked.

"See, Asa? She's a nice puppy! Nothing to worry about!" Chiharu was still grinning as they started to gently pet Joy's fur. Asahi continued to watch with disapproval, though seeing as there was no immediate danger, he didn't interfere just yet. He merely stood by with his arms folded over his chest, eyes fixed on the scene before him.
"Uh-huh... You're a very nice puppy." Chiharu continued, now talking directly to Joy. They reached to scritch behind her ears. Most cats and dogs would agree that they gave very good scritches. "Oh, but... I think your human wants you to go back inside... It is pretty cold out here." As much as they wanted to continue petting and playing with the dog, they knew it would be better for her to go back inside. At least with them keeping her busy now, there was less chance of her running off and getting completely lost... So they were content to continue until Cris arrived to retrieve the puppy. Speaking of which, they looked up again as the woman started to come closer, their brows furrowing slightly as they actually took in her appearance this time. The slippers were cute. The coat was nice. And the mask... Well, that was what really had them curious. "Asa... Do you see that?" They asked in a hushed voice.
He shrugged, a slight narrowing of his eyes suggesting that he had thoughts on the matter, but was trying to seem indifferent. "Of course I see it."
"Do you think-"
"I think..." He deliberately raised his voice, giving them a pointed look that told them to be careful what they said when others could hear them. "...This nice lady will be pleased to have her... Pet... Back." He waved at Cris; it might be interpreted as a friendly gesture, though a more observant soul would probably realize he just really wanted to get this over with.

When Chiharu scritched her ears, Joy tilted her head and wagged her little tail even faster, yipping with enthusiasm. Oh, she knew these people were nice! Leaping on her hind paws to let Chiharu reach her ears better, she cast a sideway look at Cris when she heard the whistle, and barked back softly. Thats mom, she's nice too, it's her who taught me I'm called JOY NO, and she got me a lot of chew toys and a frisbee and my favorite ball! You have a ball too? You were playing with one before, where is it? Oh!! You can't find it anymore in all this snow because it was white too? Do you want me to go look for it? I'll find it because I'm a good puppy yes! Poor puppy just didn't get that snowballs were short-lived!

Seeing that Joy was no longer bounding around but happily taking cuddles, Cris sighed with relief. She quickly removed the slippers, put on a pair of boots that hang by the doorway, and marched out, climbing swiftly the steps of the cabin and then springing in a short run on the freshly fallen snow. "Joy, how many times - don't jump at people like that!" she called once she was closer to the pair. Seeing her approach, Joy barked happily and resumed her bouncing, this time circling all three of them just as a sheepdog would. Well, she was a border collie, after all.

Mom look these people are friends, they can be in the circle of happiness too, they are nice, they gave me scritchy-scritches! Have you brought the frisbee? Throw it so then they see what a good girl I am! Did this puppy ever calm down???

"Thank you for not letting her run off", Cris said, nodding gratefully at Chiharu and Asahi. Noticing that they seemed to be of Japanese descent, she added: "Domo arigato...?" She wasn't sure if they did speak Japanese, so she figured thanking in both languages wouldn't hurt. "You've just met Joy.... she's a real hurricane bot totally harmless." Intentionally, at least.. "I'm sorry if she startled you, she's always excited to meet new people."

The two exchanged looks, coming to an unspoken decision. Both spoke Japanese fluently, but they almost never spoke it around other people after having spent so much time out of the country. Asahi used it, sometimes, when he thought it meant he could say things to Chiharu without others understanding him... But now did not seem to be one of those times. Well, no matter.

"Oh, it's okay!" Chiharu said, offering Cris a shy smile. As they spoke, they stood up and brushed some of the snow from their pants, then began to fidget with the sleeves of their winter jacket, which was one of those big, puffy ones, in a vibrant evergreen colour. "She's a sweet pup, and... I'm glad she didn't run too far off and get lost or something..."
Asahi nodded in some vague semblance of agreement. Even with Chiharu standing, he was significantly taller than them, by at least a foot, and his own jacket was a rich navy blue, contrasting with his deep orange hair and amber eyes. "Yes, that is fortunate, but, now that that is settled... I think we should continue our walk. Don't you agree, Chiharu?" He asked, in a way that clearly suggested the correct answer was yes. But they looked a little reluctant. After a moment of them failing to respond, he let out a sigh. "It would be impolite to intrude upon this nice lady's morning." (Translation: We shouldn't be hanging around a strange human and her robot dog for no reason.)
"Right, but, but... I want to know... Um..." Chiharu fidgeted with their coat sleeve some more. "...Where did you get a dog like that?" They tilted their head slightly to one side as they looked up at Cris with inquisitive eyes. One could swear the expression made them look just a bit like a puppy themself.

Behind the mask, Cris's eyes smiled; and alongside her voice, they conveyed that she was smiling.

"Yes, she is.... but also very easily distracted so it's not the first time I have to run after her. She's so quick in everything she does, and I suspect everything she thinks too, sometimes it's not easy to keep up with her... is it, you lil dynamo machine?" she chuckled, picking up the Border Collie animatronic in her arms.

Joy's response to that? Why, mom was talking to her, it was her second favorite thing after playing with the ball... well maybe third favorite after playing with the ball and getting cuddles. So she happily threw her head back to lick Cris's mask... and, at the same time, wriggled like a little eel on Energizer batteries to try to lick Chiharu's hand at the same time. If her neck controls had so much as allowed that, her head would have turned a full 380 degrees like a spinning wheel! But even so, that didn't keep her from trying to spread her fawning over one and all at once!

"And don't you worry", Cris hastened to assure Asahi, "you weren't intruding. We had just got a surprise visit at the cabin and then Joy saw you two playing with snowballs and she wanted to join in. If anything, I should apologize, we didn't mean to interrupt..." But next, Chiharu asked where she got Joy, and she turned with a polite nodd, still smiling. "Ah, you see - in the corner of the Multiverse where I'm from, dogs like her are made to train people into taking care of their pets. For some it's a sort of crash course before they move on to get real, living dogs... others find out they just prefer to stick with their animatronics." She tickled Joy's head gently. "They come in different lines too... there's puppies, adults and senior. But each line is specific to that age range, so for example Joy here? She's always staying a pup no matter how much time passes since the day I got her." She beamed. "I got her some years ago as a gift from my - er, you could say my old workplace", it'd be all kind of difficult to explain that it meant the pirate crew she had worked for, "and we've been together ever since. And I have another one at home," she nodded toward the cabin. "Nano is a chihuahua... but unlike Joy, he's an adult. Or senior, it's kinda difficult to say. Him, I had since my childhood."

Both siblings listened attentively to Cris' explanation. Even Asahi looked a little more curious than suspicious now, though he wasn't completely done being wary just yet, and didn't take his gaze off of Cris' face... Or, well, her mask. Chiharu, on the other hand, was intently watching Joy the entire time; she was the most adorable thing they had seen in a while... And everything Cris was saying was, in their opinion, quite interesting. Sure, they had seen robotic animals before, but those had all been fairly simplistic toys meant for children, and seemed nowhere near as advanced as what they were looking at now. This sounded like something from the future... Or maybe Chiharu just hadn't been keeping up with modern happenings as well as they had thought...?
Then again, Cris did just mention something about the multiverse... The use of that word had Asahi's eyebrows raising and Chiharu probably about to say something regarding this, or otherwise to comment on something else, but before they could, Asahi interjected to ask a question of his own, inquiring rather abruptly: "And that mask? Does it serve a purpose, or is it simply an aesthetic piece?"
His curt tone and the bluntness of the question made Chiharu wince; maybe their brother wasn't trying to be rude, but he could certainly come across that way sometimes, and they were really hoping he hadn't just offended Cris. Hoping to soften things a bit, they spoke up as well. "It is a pretty cool mask... Reminds me of home." In more ways than one, though they were wise enough not to say so aloud.

At the mention of her mask, Cris's eyes turned toward Asahi with an expression that definitely wasn't offended, but rather seemed amused - and possibly with a light of dawning understanding. Of course a

"It's kinda both", she assured, still smiling at him and Chiharu. Without the Clan or - thanks goodness - the press around to snoop for gossip, she didn't feel the need to go into details with her usual covert story for it. "But for the most part it's a custom... you might say an acquired one. Though none of us were born in your home, my husband had embraced Japanese culture as his own, you see,. Over time, so did I." The amusement didn't leave her eyes as she continued: "And as we both happened to have an affinity with foxes, kitsune masks became... emblematic, at least for me. He wore his from long before, for... health reasons."

Tilting her head on one side, she added: "Also it seems I completely forgot my manners? You might call me Cris. Nice to meet you both."

The landscape, beaten up by grown mountains, rugged hilly landscape sliced by huge rocks seemingly risen from underneath. This is the idyllic view that is offered to its visitor, steep and sheer cliffs followed by precipices and in-between a waving forest with lakes. All is covered by a thick coat of snow, wind flares up twirling ice crystals defining glittering rainbows to attentional eyes. Not much, if none, modern technology, this is one of the last wildernesses. Nature in its pure state.

But the nature is disturbed by a strange sound, rhythmic jingle bells are approaching. Then it appears, a sleigh, a one horse open sleigh searching its way through the white cold. A feral horse is trotting, almost looking like a steam train as his warm breath dissipates as fume through the winter air. On the sleigh no coachman, no lines, nothing seems to guide the horse. But in the back a tender figure, hidden under a blanket, only can be seen the head of a deer, but not a normal deer...

This deer is Lizbeth, Lizbeth Redwood, anthropomorphic deer with a very heavy past. the horse is Max, Max Force her soulmate and confident. Lizbeth has been doing a lot of volunteering work lately and seems exhausted, so her friend Max organized a little holiday for the doe. He made it clear that she had to relax at that lake, in a small idyllic village, in the middle of nowhere. Lizbeth adores snow, she handles cold very well as she has still her fur. Max even found this trip with sleigh and made an honor out of pulling it himself. Lizbeth dreams in the backseat, watching the landscape, trying to detect wildlife. Yes she's tired, exhausted, she needs a rest. So this trip into the mountains, into the unknown is very welcomed, even if she still bothers about home and her volunteering. Her little Eden and her flowers are asleep, there is nothing to be cared about. Max will see after her hut the next few days.

So the sleigh arrives at destination, well at least the destination planned by the horse, it was said to him a cabin at that lake, further the hotel would do the rest. They are both not aware, but it doesn't sound very convincing that 'hotel service', nevertheless they arrive happily at the place. Lizbeth even sees more presumed guests talking next to the cabin.

"Hey my Lizbeth" says Max, normally an anthropomorphic horse but now in his feral form, "This is the place I will leave you, this is it, a far seclude lovely place, the way you like it. These are your three next days, do whatever you like and don't do some volunteering. Just rest, this is an order my deer." The horse chuckles and makes the collar jingle more. The doe descends of the sleigh, almost looking like a spoiled princess, she keeps the blanket wrapped around her, takes her rather small pouch and thanks the horse.
"You made me this surprise, I reluctantly agreed. But I'm happy to be here, far away from everything, I will rest. You come and pick me up within a few days?"
Max turns around and the sleigh leaves the place again, leaving behind a lonely doe. "See you in a few days..." can be heard echoing through the valley. The deer looks like if she didn't want to be here, that she was forced to be here, her face seems closed and dark. But it's the fatigue that makes this normally joyful doe look so negatively, she really needs a rest. She keeps looking at the sleigh disappearing into the distance, waiting for that ominous 'hotel service'. She has no idea of time or whenever this service ought to be coming. So she waits, too shy to demand those around the cabin. A lovely puppy makes a faint of a smile appear on her lips.
"Where am I?" she mumbles.

Still held between Cris's arms, Joy's ears perked up when she heard the distant jingling of bells. What is it? Oh!! Maybe it's a squeaky toy? I love squeaky toys, I love them, mom mom mom let's go get the squeaky toys! Her tail immediately started waving as she wriggled trying to see where the sound came from. Little beady dark eyes peered in the distance, and she started barking excitedly when she was able to make out the faint outline of the sleigh. Oh look! Look! More people! I must bring them in the circle of happiness toooooooo! To make clear how badly she wanted to go befriend the newcomers, she even threw her head back and attempted a little howl.

'Lots of people this time of the year', Cris thought, glancing in that direction and noticing how the little sleigh came to a halt to let a single lean figure descend. She was too far to distinguish details just yet, but even from there she could say the newcomer looked like some kind of anthro herbivore, and she raised an arm in greeting to Lizbeth. The sleigh had departed meanwhile, so she guessed they must be waiting for someone or taking a stroll near the lake. After all, a lot of people enjoyed hiking in the woods; seeing visitors was as familiar as the fallen snow itself.

"Oh no you don't", she protested when Joy tried to squirm free. "You're so not tackling every person who walks by, young lady!" She chuckled, ruffling the border collie's ears. Turning back to Chiharu and Asahi, she explained: "Joy only wants to play, but not all people appreciate having a dog they've never seen before try to jump in their arms for cuddles... and she's also heavier than the average dog, being animatronic and all."

But mom look there's a new friend I must bring in the circle of happiness and maybe they have a ball or a frisbee or they'll throw me a stick to fetch... None of Cris's explanations would have made the slightest sense to Joy; there was only one word in her electronic brain right now, and that word was PLAY.

As the two took in Cris' explanation regarding the mask, Asahi nodded and murmured, "I see..." (he wasn't sure what to make of all that), while Chiharu repeated the phrase "an affinity" in a barely-audible mumble. They had questions about that, certainly. But they weren't really sure what to ask, or how, without raising suspicion. If Asahi had taught them anything, it was to always, always be careful what they said, even when things seemed fairly safe.
Fortunately, Cris introducing herself gave them both a good opportunity to change the subject, though Asahi, in typical Asahi fashion, spoke up before Chiharu could. "It is nice to meet you." He said, because that was the polite thing to say, while Chiharu nodded and actually seemed to mean it. "I am Asahi," He continued, "And this is my sibling, Chiharu."
Then the subject was extra changed by the distant jingling of bells and the arrival of somebody new.
"This certainly seems to be a popular spot..." Asahi noted wryly. "You said you had a surprise visitor earlier, and then us... So this is`..`. What, the fourth?" He looked towards Lizbeth, and then let out a surprised "Oh" upon realizing with some surprise that she was easily the most visibly non-human person he had seen in a long while. Chiharu seemed to share the sentiment, but also, their shyness had once more returned; they stepped closer to Asahi while casting sidelong glances at the deer, and became very silent.

Cris nodded as the pair introduced themselves by name. "Asahi-san, Chiharu-san", she greeted, shifting to the suffix out of respect and habit. "You are both from Japan, yes? My husband and I were wed in Tokyo.... well, it's 'New Tokyo' in our corner of the 'verse", she explained sheepishly. "We couldn't stay for long..." She didn't go into details; instinctively, her mind pushed aside the memories of the bounty, the escape on the lake, and their desperate haste to get married so they could invoke the Clan's protection on their family. It had ben the right choice at the time, but it had costed them both so much... and she didn't want those memories to resurface and haunt her again. Not now.

When Asahi also turned toward Lizbeth and commented on how popular the place was, Cris nodded. "Oh, you can say that. The lake itself is a bit of an attraction for tourists, even if no one else lives here permanently, the closest settlements is the village and that's a bit of a walk by foot. But people often come here to see the lake, or go hiking higher up in the mountains. There's some chalets scattered all over", she gestured toward the mountain path all around, "but only a few are inhabited." One of which happened to be the same where Burt's old packmates lived. Observing the deer curiously, Cris wondered if she might be one of them too? "Some are rented in summer, but most are left to themselves. So we get a lot of people passing by, just not a lot of visitors to the cabin... at least not usually."

Lizbeth waits patiently in the middle of nowhere, instead of heading towards those people having a conversation. Even if she must admit that squirming puppy being an attraction.
No, she has to ask those people, they will not harm her in any kind. Max told her that inhabitants of the place were very kind people. The service was playing hard to get, little did she know there were no such service.
So the doe decides to approach those three and the puppy.
She takes her pouch and slowly walks towards the three. Her hooves sink into the snow, she tries vainly to walk with a hint of dignity. Her glance seems a bit empty and her eyes slightly drooping, which doesn’t help to give her that normally friendly look, no, it aggravates the false impression of annoyance.
Getting closer she recognizes the two siblings to be of Asian culture, seemingly human, still the deer senses something else, something known to her but she can’t say what.
The woman with the puppy was in fact wearing a mask, she didn’t realize this earlier and she’ll respectfully not ask why this woman wears a mask of… a kitsune!
Of course, kitsune, Lizbeth senses a kitsune, same as her friend, Alteras, from whom she got the bracelet she wears.
But quickly the doe’s attention turns towards that puppy, her advanced state of exhaustion makes her forget the whole kitsune affair.
“Please excuse me, does anyone know where the hotel service halts to go to the village? I am supposed to have a reservation.” She asks with her soft voice, but her fatigue makes it sound more like a complaint.
Lizbeth can’t just call anyone, she doesn’t even own the slightest technology, she hasn’t even electricity in her home.

Fully wrapped up in the blanket, Cee shrugs. "I woke up out there. Not sure what to tell you, lady."

It wouldn't have been the first time that Cedar had awoken in a new place, completely unprepared for the weather. Though, in cases like these, they really only had themself to blame for not being dressed appropriately. It was wintertime! It was getting cold! They really needed to start considering wearing hoodies more often. The multiverse wasn't the type to wait for you to put on a coat, but at least it was kind enough to make sure you weren't going to warp when you weren't wearing anything.

Just as they were about to ask for a coffee, Cris looks outside again. Of course, the little dog still hadn't come running back and was greeting people outside. Cris ran off to go get her, leaving Cee alone in the cabin for the time being.

And then they got bored.

They were almost ready to fall asleep, but once their body was at a stable, warm temperature, Cedar felt ready to face the cold and see what was going on out there. Still wrapped up in a blanket for protection from the elements, they retrieved the magic broom from their pocket and rode it down the stairs, levitating over the snow to keep their shoes nice and dry.

Wow, there was quite a few people out here! The dog, Cris trying to get her dog, two other people, and an... anthropomorphic deer? Okay, so they could definitely rule out this being their home dimension. Anthros, while a welcome sight as far as non-humans go, were non-existent in the realm they originated from. Though, maybe they should have figured this wasn't their home anyway. This place wasn't... falling apart at the metaphysical seams.

"Hey! Did I miss something here?" Cee comes to a halt in front of the group, casually butting into the conversation. "What's this about a village...?"

"We are, yes." Asahi agreed when Cris inquired if he and his sibling were from Japan. "We have not been back home for... Well... Quite some time, however." Like Cris, he kept things vague, though of course his reasons were quite different from hers; he couldn't give any exact numbers, because talking in terms of centuries was really not something normal humans did and he needed to keep playing normal human right now.
Okay, so he still didn't like humans much, but at least this Cris seemed polite and friendly. That certainly made it easier for him to deal with this interaction in a respectful manner. That being said, the more people that showed up, the more Asahi was starting to think this was all too much, and it really would be better to get out of here while things still seemed to be fine. He glanced down at Chiharu to see if they were on the same page, but it was hard to tell. They looked anxious at the slowly increasing size of the group, especially since the deer had gotten closer, and now another human had come out from inside the cabin... (Wait, was this human riding on a broom...?) ...But at least Chiharu didn't look on the verge of panicking or anything like that. They were just quietly observing. Asahi put a hand on their shoulder to keep them grounded in the moment, and kept his silence. After all, he didn't have an answer to Lizbeth's question, while he figured Cris probably would... And... Wait, no, scratch that... He needed to know. He pointed at Cedar's broom and asked in his usual blunt way: "Is that a magic broom, or another bit of technological advancement we didn't hear about?"
"All this coolness... I'm starting to think we're kind of boring, being, like, super normal humans here..." Chiharu mumbled, earning a surprised laugh from Asahi. He hadn't expected them to speak, but especially not to make a tongue-in-cheek reference to their anything-but-human nature. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his stoic composure.
"Yes, well, boring is safe, Chi."