With Snow Brings Surprises

[Banks Gallaudet]

Fresh snow had fallen overnight covering the packed down snow from the day before. Only small footprints from small animals imprinted the snow in various places and eventually disappeared up trees or into burrows. All was quiet and peaceful outside, only sounds of snow falling every once and a while from tree branches.

It was late in the morning on a Saturday and Banks and sneaked out of he and Tamis' quarters not wanting to disturb her..yet. He knew she would be waking soon and would find the note he left for her. On it read: Tamis, when you wake up meet me outside in the courtyard. I know you don't like the cold, so dress warmly. Love, Banks.

Now, Banks stood behind one of the trees praying that the snow from the branches would not fall on him. Knowing that Tamis had been under a lot of stress and he only wanted to give her some fun. Peaking out from behind the tree he glanced toward the castle and frowned. He hoped today would not be the day Tamis chose to sleep extra late.

[Closed for Now]

[Tamis Raynor]

Meet him outside, the note her darling husband had left. Outside in this horrendous weather. Oh, he was most certainly up to something. She could almost feel it from the scrawl of his handwriting that some little scheme was turning the wheels inside his brain. Tamis knew it was something, but she did not know what, and that was what she was most paranoid about.

Surely he could not found out even before she had.... had he?

Muttering darkly to herself and wrapped in a very well-made fur-lined cloak to bare herself against the snow, Tamis trudged though the new and old snow that had claimed the cobblestone paths of the courtyard about a half an' hour later.

She stopped. No Banks. Her keen gaze scanned the proximity a second time, and then a third, with the same results. A couple of trees with a bird here or there, a fountained turned to into an ice sculpture, and the teasing sparse warmth of the sun.

Where was he?

[Banks Gallaudet]

Banks was now leaning against the tree, holding a very packed snowball in his hands. He had had plenty of time to pack it hard and add more snow, but now he figured it was a little too hard. Bending down to pick up some fresh snow, something caught his eye. Getting back closer to the tree, Banks peaked cautiously out and his gaze landed on Tamis. He couldn't help but smile to see her all wrapped up trying to keep warm. He knew she hated the snow.

But she was not in the position he wanted her in. He didn't want to hit her face or anything, just her back. Or maybe he would just miss and scare her. But no, he didn't want to do that either. Ah, his conscious was now coming into the scene. But he knew she couldn't stay mad at him for long..

[Tamis Raynor]

Still standing there, feet submerged in snow, Tamis began to loose feeling in her toes. On account of the weather, she had remembered the cloak, but had forgotten decent shoes in her haste to meet Banks in case it was urgent. The cold had seeped into her slippers, the wetness of the snow soaking them. It was freezing -- well, not freezing, one could not live in London for a grand part of their life and call this freezing, but it was on a literal level! And it was wet.

And still no sign of Banks.

Cursing under her breath, she hopped slightly and was almost tempted to return to the safety of the ground floor, but it was not like her husband to ask her somewhere and not show.

Chafing her hands, Tamis turned around so that the sun fell on her face rather than her back. If she was pressed, she would result to magic as an aid, but she was a stickler for not using such unless completely necessary.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Banks grinned, "Ha." he murmured to himself as Tamis turned around toward the sun, it seemed. She was really setting herself up for this..which would be his excuse in the end. He could not resist it.

Scooping up more snow, he hurriedly formed the snowball making it more loose on purpose. Then slowly and as quietly as he possibly could have, he stepped out from behind the tree and aimed. For only a split second he hesitated but then let it fly. The snowball hit, not too hard, Tamis square in the back. Only a tinge of guilt passed over him before he moved back behind the tree and peered around it a little bit to watch her reaction.

[Tamis Raynor]

Thud. A snowball whacked into Tamis back, not with obsessive force, but enough to have been intentional, and broke on contact, showering her in snow. More shocked than anything, the Deputy wheeled around, eyes scanning to find the culprit. She had seen too much in her years, to be truly spooked by something as mediocre as a snowball, the the way her jaw tightened suggested that she had been taken on the unawares.

Still no sight of anyone. If it had been a student, she was going to drag them back into the castle by the ear and then hang them by it. That they would even dare --

Her gaze narrowed. Banks. A student would not dare, but her beloved husband? She began scanning the area more closely, doing her best to ignore the still seeping cold.

She had no doubt it was him, but she did not want him to know that, catch him in his own game after all. Only one problem persisted; she had not seen where the snowball had come from.

Very carefully, and very obviously, the search began.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Banks could not help but chuckle as Tamis whirled around and began staking him out. He didn't even want to know what she would do to him when she found him. But of course, that was only when she found him. Scooping up some more snow, he looked around the tree again and saw her trying to figure out where the snowball had come from.

He smirked as he watched her, only an eye peeking out from behind the tree as he tried to keep himself hidden. This could take forever if she had no idea where the snowball came from. So, he threw another one, it landed on the ground near her.

[Tamis Raynor]

Another snowball came hurtling at her, landing with a small whoosh at her feet. Tamis leaped back on instinct and almost lost her footing in the snow, her only savor resting in her superb balance and a good deal of flailing her arms like an idiot. But she had seen the direction of the snowball, this time.

Not looking at the tree itself, Tam idly moved to her left, until she was quite certain that a person hiding behind it would have to lean over a fair deal to keep their gaze on her, and thus give away their position.

Despite how childish she found the actions ( or at least she told herself she thought it childish), a small simmer or irritation did bubble from within her. She had not been a half-bad snowballist in her day, and seeing as he wanted to fight, well, she would give him a battle.

Bending down, she packed snow into the form of a ball and still compressing it, stood, slowly edging her way to the tree, careful to stay dead on with it, least she reveal herself and Banks mistakenly had himself. Hopefully she could get close enough before he took the chance and peered around.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Banks leaned against the tree after he saw Tamis' little 'arm waving' dance. He would have payed to see it again, this was one of those times he wished he had a video camera. Tamis would not even know what it was, and he could have made it up to be anything. But no. He was without one. And at the worst time possible.

As he turned around, he found he could not see her from his original position. He knew it was a standstill. She had found him, but he couldn't hear anything. Drips from the ice on the trees sounded all around them, making it hard for him to hear her footsteps. So he remained where he was, looking in both directions out of the corner of his eyes to try and find her.

[Tamis Raynor]

Merlin, but the snow was cold, an obvious fact, but still a true one, her feet felt like the icicles hanging off the school. The slow and carefully placed steps she was taking were not helping that matter any, but alas, the prospect of revenge was too sweet.

How she had managed to get so close without giving herself away was beyond her, but in the passing of a few tense minutes, she had managed to come right up to the tree; blessing her petite stature and the tree's thick trunk, otherwise she would have been given away for sure.

Then, gathering herself, she leaped out to the side and threw the snowball, landing into the soft white fluff in the process. Ah well, it was worth it. Well, if it hit. The leap was cause for great inaccuracy, but with all of Banks height, she must have scored some purchase.

[Banks Gallaudet]

As he heard something from the other side of the tree, Banks whirled around. That was a mistake. Because Tamis had thrown the snowball and despite her worries about accuracy..she had suceeded in hitting him. Square in the face, in fact. If only he was a little shorter, only inches shorter. How? How had she hit him?

At least he had managed to close his eyes before the snow hit. Wiping the snow away from his face, he shivered as the cold, wetness sank in.

"Congratulations. I've been hit." he said, his eyes finally landing on Tamis.

[Tamis Raynor]

Well, it was definitely safe to say that her cloak was most certainly soaked, though thankfully not the robes underneath. But one look up at Bank's snow smothered face, and it had all been quite worth it. Tamis gave herself props, quite a good shot.

Despite all attempts, laughter escaped her lips, the first time practically since term had begun that she allowed herself to do so.

"Then we are even," she agreed with a small smile, freezing, but the cloak gave sufficient warmth, and thus she seemed content to thus smirk up at him.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Banks smiled at her laughter. That was all he had wanted. He had not heard he laugh like that in..ages it seemed. The cold and numbness of his face was forgotten, and satisfaction replaced it. Approaching his wife, he nodded to her comment. "Deal." he smirked. Holding his hand out toward her, he noticed her shoes.

"Tamis." he said, his tone serious, "Why on earth did you wear slippers?" he asked.

[Tamis Raynor]

"The thought had not crossed my mind to put on warmer shoes," she replied, of course already having scold herself for her stupidity, but felt all the more idiotic now when he pointed her quite wet fuzzy slippers. "I thought this might have been serious. I threw on something and grabbed the nearest thing that resembled shoes. I never thought I would be bombarded with snowballs," she stated ruefully.

Which had been the truth of the matter actually, though shivering, she gladly accepted his hand, but instead of taking it to haul herself up, she tugged to try and bring him down. The return fire had been to combat his own, she did still want revenge for dragging her out here in the first place.

Attempting to throw him in the snow as well would be satisfaction enough.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Banks chuckled at her explanation. He didn't think the tone in his letter was urgent, or anything near it. But he wasn't going to push it. He had gotten what he wanted out of her. Laughter. That was good enough for him.

As she took his hand, he felt the tug and tried to steady himself. Unfortunately, his leg sunk into the snow as he leaned back. To make things worse, the right in front of the other foot was a root. Yes, a root. What were the odds? And so, he tumbled down next to her.

After a moment, he remained on his back and looked over at her. "I was enjoying our jinx being nonexistant.."