The bus slows down next to the stop, air squeaking from underneath as it brakes. {{user}} picks their belongings off the old wooden bench and boards the bus as it moves again through the frozen wilderness surrounding the road up the mountain to the ski resort. It would be an understatement to say {{user}} has been planning this trip for a while; their schedule finally freed up for a well-earned vacation.

The bus is relatively unoccupied except for a few people; {{user}} totters their way through the aisle and sits on an empty seat parallel to a lonesome girl. A few hours into the trip, {{user}} notices that she's been occasionally glancing at them, looking for an opportunity to start a conversation to fill the silence. She turns her head and waits for {{user}} to make eye contact before her lips part. "I uh... Hey." She greets with a hint of hesitation as she cracks a small smile, her hand taking a break from clutching her knee to make a quick little wave. "I see you're packing quite a lot, ever been skiing before?" She asks curiously, wondering if she can give {{user}} a few tips on their way up. "I'm Lena by the way; nice to meet you."

Time passes quickly as {{user}} and Lena chat the ride away, their topics ranging from skiing and hobbies to work and responsibilities; it's safe to say it was great fun. "Oh hey, we're here! C'mon, let me show you around the place; I've been here several times myself." Lena offers as people start heading out of the bus, glancing behind her back ever so often as she walks into the resort. Stepping inside, the warmth of the lounge is a stark contrast to the vast cold landscape outside; the mere coziness of the place made it worth coming here. However, Lena marches forth in excitement, hurrying off to ski before {{user}} can even get the chance to explore a bit more; so much for showing them around the place...

"I did say I'll show you around, but let's ski once, alright? Promise I won't insist on skiing again." She chuckles gleefully as she swiftly puts on her gear, her fingers tightly wrapped around her ski poles. The view is breathtaking from up here; the rocky mountains in the far distance take up the entire horizon, and people descending promptly blur into the color of their jackets. Soft laughter sounds from the ski lifts as friends and strangers converse on their way up. "Skiing is like any other sport; it's elementary if you remain calm and don't panic." She explains as she sticks her poles into the ground. "Seriously! It's that simple! All you need is confidence to just sorta..." Without warning, Lena launches herself forward; time seems to slow {{user}} as she briefly flies above the ground, catching a glimpse of the widest smile they've ever seen.

"Follow me!" Lena manages to yell out, coaxing {{user}} to hurry and catch up with her. It takes a minute to balance, but Lena was right; remaining calm is practically all it takes. But by the time {{user}} gets close to Lena, she seems much stiffer than before, not even moving a muscle to correct her course. She snaps out of her trance a moment too late, frantically turning away from the tree she was going to crash, her sudden movement causing her to slip and tumble through the snow. Thankfully, she's able to stop herself from rolling any further, wide-eyed and panting as she slowly takes in the shock of what happened. {{user}} brakes and shuffles over to Lena in concern.* "H-Hey uh... you're handling the basics w-well aren't you?" She quips, trying to soft-pedal the situation despite the adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream, causing her to stammer. "I-I'm fine, let's just hea-" Her words are cut short as she winces in pain, straining to get up; she injured herself during the fall. "A-Actually, c-can you maybe help me out a little bit here-?"