[attr="class","illie i"]the smirk that rises in the face of his statement is overly confident, perhaps too smug to be considered an expression she would even use. and yet, it settles with ease. there's not many things she's actually proud of but snowball fights are worth gloating about. "it's a good thing you won't, then," she chimes.

a giggle escapes because really, she should be the one warning him. while her childhood might have been sheltered, she has experience in the art of snow shaping. enough to ready a ball with a few swipes of hands into snow, molding and crafting it into a round circle. except... before she can lob it toward him, she's been smacked in the shoulder by his snowball. it breaks apart into pieces, some falling back to the ground and some clinging to her winter coat. an eyebrow raises as if challenging him in some way before she's shifting forward.

where he stays on his side of the field, she doesn't. he might be stronger than her but she's using tricks up her sleeve to her advantage. speed isn't a strong suit of hers, however, so her approach is slower than she would like. the snowball that she yeets at him isn't, however, and she's scrunching her nose as it flies. illeana doesn't bother to check if it connects, instead already scrambling to make another before he tries to advance toward her.

[attr="class","illie i"]childish glee overtakes her, fueled by just the simple art of hitting a target. she's all giggles and grins, regardless of the snowball that's lobbed back in retaliation. even when the ball makes contact with her forehead it does little to quell her excitement... and her sense of competition.

she's chucking another snowball his way but moving targets are a little harder to hit. her tongue sticks out for a moment, concentration settling across her face. is there a way to gain the upper hand? or should she simply dart around in an attempt to make it harder for him? hm... options. another ball is already quickly forming in her hands, snow palmed until it's round enough for her standards. his advancing movements are met with her own and there's a moment where she stills, flashes a cheeky grin, and darts to his left. closer but just out of reach. the ball in her hands is yeeted back in his direction and this time she watches, waits for a connection.

and only when it hits does she pounce. a snicker escapes and maybe the entire point of this little snowball fight was to make some flashy display of dominance, of hidden strength. what's flashier than an attempted tackle?

meanwhile, flammae isn't fairing as well as her trainer. being on the receiving side of a snowball doesn't sit right with the ninetales. a growl of annoyance escapes the fox and she's letting out a puff of hot air, not quite giving in to smoke and flames but tempted by the idea. instead, she'll swat a paw at the ground, sending snow flying at sir diggersby. and while she won't craft the snow into a ball, nix will aid her in this regard and begin bundling up snow with his snout. only when he's satisfied with the size and shape of the snowball does he roll it in flammae's direction.

[attr="class","illie i"]a squeal of excitement escapes her as they fall. she actually managed to do it, managed to catch him off guard and take him down. something about it has her grin shifting and curling into something else. and where he expects a cute grin lies a satisfied smirk. she's trying to not apply too much pressure as her legs settle on either side of his but it's difficult to gauge just how much force she's putting out. definitely not enough to keep him pinned but she likes to think she has the upper hand anyway.

"is that such a bad thing, stone?" she laughs, an eyebrow raising. his own words from earlier are repeated back to him as the snow resettles in the aftermath of their impact. her eyes flicker for a moment with something she can't fully describe, darting around his face as if searching for something. and then he's taking advantage of this search, this distraction, and using it to gain some ground. snow is flung into her face and she's letting out a soft squeak at the sudden movement, cheeks already stinging from the cold. her eyes narrow. challenge accepted. his chuckle is met with another giggle and then she's flinging snow right back, small hands scooping up enough snow to douse him. "that was rude," she pouts.

another growl escapes flammae as more snow connects with her fur. great, she's gonna smell like a wet dog... her paws are quick to retaliate, quick to fling more snow in sir diggersby's direction just as her trainer had done. but instead of tackling, the ninetales simply swishes her tails from side to side. she knows nix will be more willing to go all in, to fling himself at their opponent with excited yips and snowy fur. it's just a matter of when... and it seems as though the time is now. the alolan ninetales pounces soon after flammae flings her own snow, putting just enough force into it to catch the bunny off guard but not enough to actually harm.

[attr="class","illie i"]she opens her mouth to give him a retort, a quip, anything. instead, all that comes out is a squeal as the tables are literally turned. fighting fire with fire until her upper hand is lost, effectively pinned the moment her back hits the snow. hair sprawls out behind her, slightly damp pieces clinging to the skin of her face.

and yet, the smirk never leaves. if anything, it solidifies further when he matches the expression with one of his own.

"no," comes as a challenge, defiant and even a little stubborn. as if to further her point, she squirms beneath the cage of his body. her arms flail for snow to fling at him. would a distraction be enough? or does she need more than a glimpse of opportunity and brute strength? well... there's always one other thing to fall back on but that's definitely playing dirty.

in the end, she merely hopes for chances, for a moment where her squirming is too much for him to keep control over. perhaps he'll shift or ease up enough for her to roll them over. probably not, though. she's all but caught. the snow never stops flying, however.

flammae is able to breathe out a soft huff of relief. her alolan counterpart is effective in distracting sir diggersby, enough for her to slink away from the chaos and settle into the snow once more. while nix tries to initiate a wrestling match in the snow, she is content with simply watching again. at some point she settles around pyu-pyu, curling her tails in a way that almost looks protective. as if she's shielding the little sea urchin from getting dragged into the fray.

[attr="class","illie i"]being pinned by a stone is never easy, especially when said stone refuses to get up or lose. her eyes narrow as he matches her movements with his own. a wiggle for a wiggle, squirm for a squirm. frustrating. how's she supposed to get out now? an annoyed sigh escapes and her body all but gives up, stilling beneath him. the smirk he wears shifts something in her, however, and she's left looking up at him, mind already jotting down the next steps.

"last chance," she repeats back to him, an echo of his own sentiments. "or what?" and then, slowly, her lips spread. a cheshire cat grin, one that only means trouble.

her arms abandon the endeavor of flinging snow up at him, instead, they snake up and loop around his neck. the grin widens and with it, she's tugging him down to meet her. lips pressing into his for a moment and then retreating, grip loosening. her arms abandon their post once more and another swipe of snow comes soon after. fighting dirty isn't something she does often but when she does, she uses every weapon in her arsenal. hopefully it's enough to distract him, to free herself from the cage he's providing.

nix yips happily when sir diggersby retaliates, the rabbit's body rolling and rolling away until he's pouncing back into the ninetales and snow goes flying once more. a swipe of snow showers the pale fox and where his counterpart despises the way snow clings to her fur, he relishes in it. another yip follows, a little more high pitched and overwhelmed with joy. he wiggles beneath the rabbit and tries to push more snow back into sir diggersby. it seems, however, that nix has met his match. flammae lets out a soft coo as she watches, more for pyu-pyu than her struggling partner. her tails swish slightly against the sea urchin's body, almost as if she's petting the skin between spikes.

[attr="class","illie i"]laughter escapes her as the weapons in her arsenal prove effective. or well, in this case, exceptionally effective. somehow, she knew that would be the case but it's always a little thrilling to be able to bring someone to their knees. her grin widens even as she settles back into the snow a good foot or two away, propping her head up on one hand with her elbow supporting her weight. an eyebrow rises, almost taunting but not quite. playful, perhaps.

"why not?" she inquires, even when knowing the answer. she took advantage of the situation at hand and turned the tables in her favor. something she didn't quite know she was capable of but now that she knows, it's tucked away for later use. or, better yet, more situations where she feels the need to gain some semblance of control. "did you expect me to play by the rules?" anyone that's ever met her only expects her to play nice. but perhaps the pokemon she keeps are telling, brief reflections of who she is. crafty as a fox, elusive as a ghost, fierce as a dragon. well, at least in snow ball fights anyway.

her free hand extends toward him, half inviting and half provoking. as if she wants to further cement her victory. "what're you gonna do about it?" and maybe she's egging him on or maybe she's genuinely curious but something makes her want to know. will he retaliate? or are they just going to lay in the snow together, snowball fight long forgotten.

nix and sir diggersby dissolve into their own little wrestling match. where sir diggersby uses four hands to his advantage, nix simply rolls into the challenge. he's showered with snow once more, the resulting wave of a rolling movement over his body. and then, another tackle and they're half clouded by another plume of white powder. yips escape the alolan ninetales and really, he tries to be competitive but this is fun and flammae doesn't play like this. it's nice to have someone around to match his level of chaotic energy. nix retaliates with a little tackle of his own, tails swishing violently with the overwhelming joy of a fox who really just loves a good wrestle around the snow. flammae offers her own coo in response to pyu-pyu. her body relaxes a little further, ignoring the way snow continues to melt into her fur and instead curling closer to the sea urchin. her tails stay rather still, even if they might be swallowing pyu-pyu in a little makeshift blanket of silky yet damp fur.

[attr="class","illie i"]she pairs laughter with laughter, a mirror of amusement between them. the grin never falters, however, and she's dipping her toes into flirtatious as if it might become a better fit the more she toys with the concept. "a cute fool," she remarks, even daring to go so far as to wink at him. sure, she has more facets than most understand, than most even see but if anyone deserves to wrap their mind around them, it's him. besides, he might be a fool but he's her fool.

and then he's using her extended hand to pull himself closer and even if it's embellished with dramatic air, she finds the action blissful. warmth spreads from intertwined fingers until it's overtaking her body. by the time he presses a kiss to her cheek, she's already flushed a rosy pink and incredibly certain that if she isn't careful, her cheek could burn his lips. "yeah," she meekly offers, pulled into an odd realm lying somewhere between blissful and hungry. and perhaps she didn't even need to give him an answer as he draws circles into her skin and her heart manages to stutter over sensations alone. the pull of closeness draws them further into each other like distance is something that holds no power over them. where he peers up at the sky and the clouds and the way blue seems endless, she turns her head to look at him. fondness and affection mix themselves into her features and perhaps that's what prompts her to lean in, to pepper skin with kisses.

a burst of snow sent flying in different directions proves to be an effective distraction. it catches the alolan ninetales off guard, allowing nix to fall prey once again to another tackle. an even match, perhaps. or simply nothing more than neither side willing to give the other a leg up on the competition. tackle for tackle, pounce for pounce. two halves of a whole chaotic mess wrestling for victory in the snow. and eventually it fades into white noise around flammae and pyu-pyu. she doesn't mind the quiet, even finds it peaceful. and maybe she's taking a page from her new friend's book, slipping into enough of a soothed state to feel the beginnings of slumber creeping in. or maybe it's just nap time and they're comfortable in their little cuddle puddle. either works, really.