predictably, he chases after her, fresh snowball in his hand only to stop near the edge of the open doorway. he peers down at the ground, following her finger before huffing.[break][break]

"yeah? says who?"[break][break]

he takes another step forward, crossing the threshold. his hand that holds the snowball doesn't move quite yet, however.[break][break]

"i make the rules here, jessie."

[attr="class","ooc"]@jessica[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"fuck 'em. what do they know?"[break][break]

animosity flares in his voice despite the breath he takes. he moves to wrap an arm around her, holding her as he sighs.[break][break]

"i know that shit hurts, though. you don't deserve that."

[attr="class","ooc"]@jessica[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

in a swift move, she ends up on top, and he's left looking up at her as the back of his head rests against the fluffy snow.[break][break]

"yeah?"[break][break]

no, she definitely isn't, and he knows it.[break][break]

sneakily, his hand shifts snow, quickly grabbing a handful before throwing it up at her chest.[break][break]

"good. you can mess with me whenever you want."

[attr="class","ooc"]@jessica[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

accepting her invitation, he shifts up the bed, landing beside her as he briefly sinks into the mattress.[break][break]

"how so?"[break][break]

his voice is low, gentle.[break][break]

"the way she judged you? called you names?"

[attr="class","ooc"]@jessica[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"nah."[break][break]

truthfully, the only reason he was there in the first place, apart from making sure everything's in order, is so he could see jessie. whether he realizes as much isn't quite known yet, even to himself.[break][break]

"i'll stay here with you, if that's what you want."

[attr="class","ooc"]@jessica[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"mercy?"[break][break]

he scoffs, laughing as he reaches for more snow to pile onto her. but he does stop eventually, if only to catch a snowball that's thrown at him. it smacks against his palm, falling in chunks of snow.[break][break]

with no more snowballs flying his way, he sighs, then leans down closer to jessie. his voice lowers, a grin creeping.[break][break]

"remember what happens when you mess with me, jessie."

[attr="class","ooc"]@jessica[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

not perfect, but it works.

niko doesn't even bother trying to stifle his laugh. his head shakes briefly as he gestures to the dealer as well.

"hit me, bud."

and so, the dealer deals them a card each.

Rowan Wrynn
mission

☉

niko's been doing it wrong. his large hands allow for a few smaller snowballs rather than one large one. he starts splitting them up, then throws them at the kids around him, retaliating in full force.[break][break]

"now..."[break][break]

he rises, standing up straight before running over towards jessie. he slides by her side, avoiding a few snowballs that come his way.[break][break]

"your turn, jessie."[break][break]

with her on the ground, it's almost too easy for him to mount her, and it's there that he smooshes a snowball against her face.

[attr="class","ooc"]@jessica[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

that always seems to be the question: why?[break][break]

if only he knew.[break][break]

"i wouldn't blame you if you did."[break][break]

he holds her a little tighter, considering his response.[break][break]

"i don't know, jessie. you just are."

[attr="class","ooc"]@jessica[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]