The Ranch

Happy Holidays (2)

The three go up and down the mountain a total of five times before taking a break in a secluded area.

Tih pokes holes in the snow while Kane chills at the side. Kai is spread across the cold snow, but instead of feeling cold, the insulated heat from the clothes makes him hot.

Kai slaps his stomach," I wish Basile was here right now." Those five trips took all his energy.

A nearby tree rustles and out appears Theodore.

"I said Basile, not you." Kai grunts.

Theodore was looking for somewhere to relax but changed his mind after hearing Kai. He picks up a handful of snow and packs it into a ball before chucking it at Kai.

The snowball slams into Kai, breaking apart in the process," That's hurt dumbass!" Kai scoops up some snow, shapes it, and throws it in retaliation.

"Haha!" Theodore laughs and they start having a snowball contest. Kane joins in the meantime. Theo throws a snowball at Tih who catches it. It's crushed accidentally. It didn't hurt. Tih copies the others and packs the snow like a mini snowman body part and throws it at the newcomers.

The snowball slams into Major Jax's face. His expression warps as a red circle appears on his skin," You bit-!" He cuts himself off when he looks in the direction of the thrower. "A snowball fight, huh? Two can play at that game. Let's go, you're teaming up with me." Major Jax and Private Scott join the fight.

Over time the fight becomes a battle with tactics and strategies. They've built their own snow bases and blockades, stored up ammunition, and have started surprise attacks from the trees or underneath the snow.

They've learned not to mess with Tih after he learned not to break the snowballs. Every time something is thrown at him, he catches it and returns it at threefold the power. Now he spends his time following the others, going into the fray to play dodge, or continue on his snowball making practice. The mountain of snowballs have become something of a coveted loot drop as no one knows when and where Tih will continue his practice.

Kai crawls through one of the many tunnels that have been dug in the snow and peeks out to spy on the enemy.

"Head southwest then route back northwest. We'll carry twenty. A hit and run, gorilla warfare style." Scott leans against a snow blockade.

"Intruder!" Major Jax points to Kai from a snow watch tower.

"Defend the base!" Private Scott commands.

The two grab ammunition and start attacking the spy. Kai swiftly turns back into the tunnels.

"Do we follow?" Private Scott asks.

"No. We need to work out a new plan."

Kai crawls his way back to their base," Urgent news! Urgent news!" He relays the information to Kane and Theodore. "...but they spotted me and I had to retreat."

"Hmm, if they know that we know, they're likely to change their plan." Theodore hums, acting stern.

"What are your thoughts?" Kai asks Kane.

"We hit em before they see what's coming." Instructor Kane's hand hits his fist into his palm.

They take as many snowballs as the can carry using the sled and run across the snow. The spot Private Scott and Major Jax in their base.

"ATTAAAAAAACK!"

"RAHHHHHH!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

It starts an all out war between the two makeshift teams.

Tih hangs upside down from a tree to spectate. They spend the rest of the day on the battle until they're all shivering in soaked clothes as the temperature drops.

They spent all their energy and most of their stomach started grumbling hours ago, but no one wanted to concede defeat.

The group heads to the cafeteria for a well-deserved(in their opinion) meal.

As the doors of the cafeteria open, the tantalizing aroma wafts through the hungry men's noses. They dash forward, leaving Tih by himself. Tih explores the altered environment by himself.

The floor is much more crowded than usual, not only because of the numerous people, but also the long banquet tables filled with dishes.

Tih watches people grab plates from a dispensing machine and grab whatever food they want. No one has their ID cards out and the only staff he can see are carrying dirty plates into the kitchen or are bringing out new dishes and setting them among the banquet of food.

Only the bottom two floors of the cafeteria are open for the week. Even the fifth, the top floor, has been closed. This is for the sake of spreading the festive atmosphere to the upper echelons. Closing off the exclusive floor for them forces them to enjoy the banquet with everyone else. There's many people who don't like crowds, but it's fine every once in a while. Once every year, yes?

Different aromas are packed into the cafeteria, giving it a warm and cozy feeling. The two tiers have turned into more of a cultural exchange of national holiday dishes.

A few examples would be Sufganiyot, jelly-filled doughnuts topped with powdered sugar, Tangyuan, sticky rice balls in sweet soup, Feast of the Seven Fishes, Puto Bumbong, a purple sticky rice cake, Gulab Jamun, fried balls soaked in rose-water syrup, and Barfi, solid squares made of condensed milk and sugar and flavored with pistachios and cardamom.

Author's note: sorry I forgot to post yesterday