Twisted Wonderland 2

Welcoming Guests

With everyone ready in their new outfits, you feel ready to tackle the cold.

Epel perks up with an idea. "We should take a picture now that we're in our applepoms!"

Idia's eyes widens as he steps back. "Wut. Why are we bustin' out the cameras just 'cause we changed clothes?"

"I bet Ortho would get a real kick out of seeing you dressed like that!" Epel says as he takes out his phone.

Idia holds his arm. "Oh, that's the rationale? Okay, I GUESS if it'll make Ortho happy, I'm down."

"Good idea." Sebek agrees. "I'd like to show Malleus and Lilia as well."

"Dibs on the center spot!" Grim leaps forward.

Jade chuckles. "It's all yours. Idia, Sebek, and I can stand in the back."

Epel looks to you with a bright smile. "Then you can stand next to me, Y/N. C'mon, we gotta squish in close so we're all in the frame. Okay, now I'll just set the timer on my phone and... cheese!"

The phone flashes as it takes the picture.

Epel smiles. "It came out great! There, I've sent it to all of you."

Jade folds his arms in front of him. "Much obliged, Epel. Taking a photo was a great idea."

Sebek nods. "Yes, you have my gratitude. Now I can show it off to Silver."

"I'll be sharing it with Azul and Floyd as well." Jade says.

"Man..." Idia holds his arm. "Never thought I'd take a selfie with a buncha randos... Much less a group of normies on a friendly trip together. Actually, I'm not sure this would make Ortho happy at all. Did I just get hoodwinked?"

"Hey, I resent that!" Epel says indignantly.

"I'm hungry." Grim states. "When do we get to the apple eatin'?"

"Oh, right. Hold on a sec." Epel rushes to the stable and returns with an apple. "Here you go! An apple, just like I promised."

"Aw yeah, it's about time!" Grim munches into his apple. "AMAZIN'! This is the sweetest apple I've ever had!"

Epel smiles. "Glad you like it. That's a snow aged apple."

Grim tilts his head. "Snow aged? What's that?"

"It's where we pack harvested fruits and veggies in snow to keep 'em preserved."

"Do you leave them outdoors?" Sebek asks.

"They used to build barns out of snow right over the harvest in the old days, but now we just shovel snow into a barn that's already there." Epel explains. "When you pack the snow densely in the winter, it doesn't thaw 'til summer. So it's basically a natural fridhe that doesn't need electricity. Preserving produce that way helps prevent evaporation. It keeps things fresh while making them sweeter and more nutritious."

Jade hums. "What a remarkable bit of ingenuity."

"Who cares about all the technical stuff?" Grim messily finishes his apple.

Epel points to the stables. "See the barn behind our house? We keep the snow in there. I used to play in there all the time when I was a kid."

Idia quirks an eye. "You played in the barn? Are you the indoorsy type?"

Epel shakes his head with a laugh. "Nah. Most days I'd play outside, but I couldn't do that when it stormed. Still got restless, though. So I'd play in the barn, since it was bigger and less messy than my room. I'd play around with all the farming equipment, or bring in treasures like it was a secret base. One time, the snow started coming down real hard when I was in there. It piled up so high, I couldn't open the barn doors."