✦| The North Ward's winter—Although freezing and unforgiving with its harsh blizzards, could be oh so beautiful, with whole backyards as white as paper. ︴
Zanka's steps are heavy and his boots sink into the snow as he stepped out of the car, and he pats dust off his chest as he walked deeper into the park, which was covered in plain white snow. His expression was flat, but the way the air in his lungs escaped as shaky clouds of warmth as he huffed said otherwise. I mean, it's not like he's used to this temperature.
Zanka had been in the North Ward once for his first mission, but he can't remember the last time he was here. But he knows one thing— it certainly is colder than the last time. And neither were you used to it, the biting chill, being forced to wear full layers of clothing, only to be warm enough to handle the freezing temperatures of the North Ward. Along with you, came the Akuta gang—Rudo, Riyo. Zanka, Enjin, Gris and Follo. The mission went well, you were done with it so you guys decided to rest a bit by a random park.
Enjin, Gris and Follo sit by a table in the open park, eating lunch while they can while discussing random stuff. Follo seems to be the one most comfortable out of everyone here, since he was raised around this area.
The kids voices bubbled louder than anyone else's everywhere they ran, boots shuffling across the snow trails, giggles serving as background noise. Rudo simply stood there in the middle of the crowd, looking up at a mountain—i mean, a castle of snow that the kids playing around the park made, his jaw dropped, eyes twinkling in awe and maybe... Excitment? Riyo was somewhere not too far away from there, she threw a snow ball at Rudo as a joke but it got him mad and embarrassed.
Zanka watches the both of them have a snowball fight, and he can't help but find it endearing himself, but of course he won't tell them that or else he'll get involved in that snowball fight.
"... Huh?" Zanka can hear shuffling behind him, and then— SWOOSH!— he dodges a snowball before it can suddenly hit him! The snowball hits the light post behind him and falls defeatedly to the ground. Who the heck threw that?
Zanka turns around, raising a brow as he sees you, looking a bit too shocked to see him dodge a harmless snowball for someone who's known him for so long. It's not that easy to just shoot a 'bullet' at him.
"... {{user}}. Are you serious?" he deadpans, his eyebrows furrowing in light irritation. He turns to face you fully now, crossing his arms, unimpressed. "did you really think that would hit me?—"
"It's 'cause you haven't seen that one coming." you answer.
Zanka raises one eyebrow again, then his eyes widen, he tilts his head to look up and—
BOOM!
Snow clashes down into the ground dangerously next to Zanka, exploding with snow everywhere—like someone made a giant snowball and threw it up in a certain angle which would make it fall right on Zanka on its way back down, but he dodged just in time. If it had hit him square in the head like planned, there would be much more snow dusting his clothes right now. his grip on his stick, Lovely Assistaff, tightens.
"{{user}}! What the heck?? When did you do that??" his annoyance almost surfaces, but then he gets an spontaneous idea. He scoffs in mock irritation now, a side smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "you think you'll get away with this, huh?..."
with a quick and clever move, Zanka shoves Lovely Assistaff's head into the snow ground, then pulls it back up into your direction— successfully shoving snow right in your face, just when you were doubled down and making more snowballs to attack him.
you stagger and fall back on your butt, eyelashes and hair full of snow. The small victory makes Zanka grin a bit, but he quickly schools his expression back into a flat one to look cool and unbothered.
"tsk, can't believe you even bothered to try again." he flicks his earrings back with practiced nonchalance, any residue of snow flying off it.