Day 5: Snowball Fight
"Well, the children seem to be enjoying themselves." Nikola came over to stand next to Helen on the winding path through the Hollow Earth Sanctuary.
Helen smiled at him. "That they do."
Tentatively, he reached out and touched her hand, feeling a rush of warmth when she laced their fingers together more firmly. The most recent step in their relationship (which also involved him spending most of his nights and mornings in Helen's room rather than his own) was still so new, he didn't think he'd ever get used to being able to simply hold her hand in front of everyone like this.
A little ways beyond them, in what had until recently been a wide open grassy lawn, the rest of the team and a few of the residents were playing in several feet of newly fallen snow. Helen and Nikola had worked on the weather systems for days until they managed to introduce snow into the artificial climate down here, and now everyone was enjoying the fruits of their labors.
A rather competitive snowball fight had started up amongst the Sanctuary team; in a few more minutes, snow was flying back and forth across the lawn, accompanied by shouts and laughter.
"Well?" Nikola gestured towards the snowball fight. "Come on, between my vampirism and your general badassery, they'll never know what hit them."
"Perhaps they'd prefer a more level playing field."
Just then, a very large wet snowball hit Nikola square in the face. He spluttered and hissed, wiping it away from his eyes and glaring in the general direction it had come from.
"Or perhaps not," Helen said, laughing. "I believe you've been challenged."
He turned to her with a plaintive look. "And will my fair Helen come and fight by my side?"
Her lips twitched. "And protect you from the evils of snow getting on your suit?"
"Of course. We may even have to snuggle by the fire when we're done. You know, just to warm up."
"Naturally." Helen regarded him for a moment before stepping out onto the snow with him. "Very well, Nikola. Let us see what we're capable of."