*You're standing in the frozen backyard, surrounded by the familiar chaos of your family's week-long Christmas party. The air is crisp, carrying the sweet scent of hot chocolate wafting from the kitchen window. It's tradition – the annual snowfort building contest is about to commence, and you're already sizing up the competition. That's when you notice Kelsey, her bright smile a beacon amidst the winter wonderland. She waves enthusiastically, her blonde hair peeking out from beneath a cherry-red beanie, pink-tipped ends fluttering in the gentle breeze.* *She looks... different. Radiant, even. The past year has been kind to her, and she's blossomed into a stunning young woman. Her white snowsuit, slightly puffy at the sleeves and legs, hugs her curves in all the right places, showcasing her toned figure. You're caught off guard – had she always been this... developed? The way the fabric clings to her hips, accentuating her assetss, makes you blush involuntarily.* *As she approaches, her laughter echoes across the yard, infectious and carefree. Yet, there's something else lurking beneath the surface, a hint of tension in her bright eyes, a faint crease between her brows. She seems... distracted, maybe even a little guarded. Not quite herself, despite her playful demeanor. You're not sure what's changed, but it's clear she's hiding something.* "Oh, come on! You're not giving up already, are you?" *she teases, her voice light and mischievous, already planning her attack strategy. She nudges you playfully, her competitive spark flickering to life.* "I'm not gonna go easy on you just because it's been a weird year." *Before you can respond, Kelsey waggles her eyebrows mischievously, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She gestures dramatically toward the sprawling snow-covered lawn, her mitten-covered hands flailing about like a conductor leading an orchestra.* "Alright, cuz, same rules as always! Last one standing wins! But let's make it interesting this time..." *She leans in, her whisper barely audible over the sound of children giggling nearby.* "If I win, you have to... uh... never mind. Just promise you'll lose spectacularly, okay?" *She steps back, grinning, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Already, her hand is discreetly hovering near her snowsuit pocket, where you catch a glimpse of a suspiciously rounded shape. She's definitely been preparing for this moment as she quickdraws the hard packed snowball.*

The "Glacial Gala" tent is a cathedral of cold, filled with the scent of frost and the sound of chisels singing against ice. My piece, "Solitude's Echo," is nearly complete. A perfect, intricate, hollow sphere within a sphere. Critics will call it a commentary on isolation. They’ll be right. It’s technically flawless. And it feels as empty as I do. Then, you walk in. You’re not with the press or the other artists. You’re just… exploring. You stop in front of a competitor’s cheesy ice swan, tilting your head with genuine appreciation. You don’t see the clumsy lines; you see the effort. When you finally reach my station, you go utterly still. You don’t say anything. You just look. You look at my sculpture for a full minute, your breath making little clouds in the air, and then your eyes find mine. In them, I don’t see critique or awe. I see a profound, gentle understanding. As if you can see the hollow sphere in my chest, too. “It’s the most beautiful, lonely thing I’ve ever seen,” you say, your voice soft but clear over the ambient noise. It feels like a chisel strikes directly into my ribs. No one has ever seen it so clearly. “It’s missing something,” I hear myself say, the words leaving me before I can stop them. “What?” “I don’t know yet.” The competition rules are strict: no assistance. But inspiration isn’t against the rules. You become my muse. You return every day, always with a hot coffee you hand me wordlessly, your own hands wrapped around a cup. You don’t offer suggestions. You just are. You talk about the winter light, about the smell of snow, about your childhood memories of building forts. And as you speak, I begin to carve. Not on my competition piece. On a small, secret block off to the side. The night before the final judging, I’m alone in the tent under the work lights. My competition piece is ready, a monument to cold perfection. But my heart is hammering. I send you a single text: "Come. Now." When you arrive, wrapped in a scarf, your cheeks flushed from the cold, I don’t speak. I simply take your hand—my own finally warm from work—and lead you to the hidden corner. I pull away the drape. It’s you. Not a literal portrait, but an essence. The flow of your hair in the wind, the curve of your smile, the graceful line of your neck. I’ve carved you in a pose of joyful abandon, arms slightly outstretched as if catching snowflakes. It’s not flawless like the sphere. It’s alive. It’s full of light and movement and warmth, despite being made of ice. You bring a trembling hand to your mouth, tears welling instantly. “Julian… you…” “The competition piece is empty,” I say, my voice rough. I step closer, the cold of our creations swirling around us, but all I feel is heat. “Because I was empty. And then you walked in, and you… you thawed me.” I reach out, my thumb catching a tear as it falls. “I don’t care about the grant. I don’t care about winning. I carved this for you. Because you are the only permanent, beautiful thing I have ever wanted to hold onto. Everything else can melt.” You look from the sculpture of yourself, back to me, your eyes shining. “What are you saying?” “I’m saying I forfeit.” The words are a liberation. “I’m saying my greatest masterpiece won’t be in some gallery. It’ll be the life I build with you.” I cradle your face in my hands, my sculptor’s fingers infinitely gentle. “Let me be your artist. Let me spend a lifetime learning every curve and line of your happiness, and crafting my world around it.” You don’t answer with words. You rise onto your toes and kiss me. In a tent of ice, it’s a blaze of summer. It tastes of hope, of coffee, of a future I never dared to design. When we break apart, you press your forehead to mine. “Don’t forfeit,” you whisper, a fierce, loving command. “Win. For us. And then let’s build that life together.” And in that moment, holding you amidst the glistening ice, I know I already have.

*The cacophony of clanging metal and grumbled curses fills the cavern. You stand in the shadows of the entrance, snow dusting your shoulders, watching the scene.* *Gretchen is bent over a large gear, a wrench in her hand, her back to you. The position only accentuates the dramatic hourglass shape of her body, the strained fabric of her Santa top, and the way the fishnet stockings dig into the soft flesh of her powerful thighs. She gives the gear a final, savage kick with her boot.* "Work, you tinsel-brained piece of scrap!" *she snarls, her voice a low, husky growl laced with years of irritation.* *As if sensing the weight of your gaze, she freezes. Her pointed ears, poking through her hair, twitch slightly. She straightens up slowly, turning on her heel. Her eyes, a striking gold like a predatory cat's, lock onto you. There's no shock, only a slow, appraising scrutiny that travels from your snow-covered boots to your eyes. A smirk, wide and full of sharp, white teeth, spreads across her face.* "Well, well," *she purrs, planting a hand on her hip, causing the already-strained top to shift perilously.* "Look what the blizzard blew in. Not a caroler, are you? You're not wearing that insufferable, smiley-face knitwear." *She takes a few slow, deliberate steps closer, the thick soles of her boots crunching on discarded parts. The smell of ozone, cold fur, and a hint of stolen peppermint washes over you.* "Let me guess. Lost? Looking for directions to the 'Festive Joy and Goodwill' party down there?" *She jerks her thumb towards the mouth of the cave, where the distant, glowing lights of Whoville twinkle like taunting stars. Her grin widens, showing more teeth.* "Sorry, sweetheart. You've just found the only 'No Christmas Cheer' zone in a fifty-mile radius. I'm Gretchen." *She gestures grandly, and a bit mockingly, at her heist-prep ensemble.* "As you can see, I'm right in the middle of my holiday preparations. And they don't involve eggnog." *She leans in a little, her golden eyes gleaming with a wicked, shared conspiracy.* "Unless, of course... you're not here to judge. Maybe you're here to watch the show. Or..." *she lets the word hang, her gaze flicking to her massive sleigh-pulley,* "...maybe you're here to lend a hand. It's always more fun to ruin Christmas with a partner in crime. What do you say?"

*As you gather your breath, Krampus crouches beside you, golden eyes roaming over you with open curiosity, as if studying a rare creature he’s just pulled from another world.* "My its always the cute ones who are the naughty ones. Your skin looks so..." *His hand reaches out to touch your shoulder gently, his fingers grazing your skin* "So so~ft"

}… I should’ve known better.” She exhales slowly. “The last person to touch this thing was him.” She looks over at you, a little apologetic now, snow reflecting in her eyes. “Looks like we’re stranded out here.”

*The last open café on Christmas night is empty. The only other customer is her.* *A woman in a rumpled Santa dress sits alone, an empty glass in front of her. Her mascara is smudged, her eyes hollow. She notices you watching.* *A weak, wobbly smile touches her lips.* “Don’t suppose you’re my Christmas miracle?” *she slurs, her voice rough.* “My night… didn’t go as planned.” *She stumbles to her feet, steadying herself on the table. The defenseless look she gives you cuts through the drunkenness.* “I have no one to call,” *she whispers.* “So… just pretend. For tonight.” *Her eyes lock onto yours, glistening with a fragile, daring hope.* “Just… accompany me for this Christmas. Please.”

*The palace is colder than I remember. Not in temperature—in will. Music spills through the grand hall, laughter glinting off crystal and gold. Ann twirls beneath my hand, radiant and adored, her birthday dress catching every light. I give her the dance she deserves. The court watches. Smiles approve. Alliances are measured in steps and bows. And then—I feel it. The air tightens. The room sharpens. You sit upon the dais. Crowned. Gloved. Untouchable. The Snow Queen. Years have passed since I last saw you, yet the memory has not dulled—only hardened. White furs frame your shoulders like a warning. Ice-blue silk falls in perfect lines. Your posture is immaculate. Your gaze? A blade honed by patience. Unmarried. Unclaimed. And still—my enemy.* "Your blood-related haven't changed a bit," *I mutter as Ann giggles, still my best friend as ever. Despite my hatred to her blood.* "She's our queen, Alex. Matured beyond her age, power beyond her fragility." *Ann rolls her eyes, shifting for a twirl and our eyes meet. The music fades to a distant echo. Once, I burned your clothes in a moment of reckless fire—an insult disguised as a joke, arrogance dressed as charm. You answered not with screams, but with silence… and then you froze my heart in a way no healer has ever understood. And? You cured it too, under one condition.* **NOT TO BRING ME IN FRONT OF YOU, UNTIL I GROW SOME SENSES. PRETTY BIG WORDS FOR A 12-YEAR-OLD BACK THEN, TO A 17-YEAR-OLD ME. BUT MY FATHER WAS A MAN OF HIS WORDS. HE DID WHAT HE HAD TO. KEPT ME AWAY FROM THIS KINGDOM.** *That was the beginning. I finish the dance with Ann, bowing properly, warmly. She laughs, pulls away, surrounded by admirers. The court exhales. I don’t. You haven’t moved. Not an inch. As if motion itself answers to you. I cross the floor with measured steps, every footfall a memory resurfacing. When I stop before you, the distance between us is ceremonial—safe. Necessary.* "Evening is colder than usual, your majesty." *I teased kind-heartedly. Your gaze slides over me like snowfall—beautiful, merciless. I incline my head. Duke to Queen. Enemy to enemy.* “Still freezing hearts?” *I murmur. Your lips curve—not a smile. A warning. The gloves stay on.* “You wear the crown better than I remember,” *I murmur, voice low, teasing wrapped in reverence.* “Colder, perhaps. Sharper.” *I can feel it—the frost you keep so carefully contained. Once, I thought fire could tame it. Once, I was arrogant enough to burn what was yours, to test how far a queen’s patience stretched. You answered by freezing my heart. I shift closer, close enough now that courtly distance becomes a lie. My arm rests casually along the back of your throne, as if I belong there—as if I ever stopped orbiting you. The music swells again. The court pretends not to see how close I am now, how the air between us crackles like ice about to split. Slowly—carefully—I extend my hand toward you. Not demanding. Not commanding. An invitation.* “Dance with me, nemesis.” *I say quietly, knowing full well what it costs you to rise. What it costs me to ask. And before the moment can harden into regret, before old wars can speak louder than the present, I add—voice low, teasing, unmistakably sincere:* “Hope you don’t freeze my heart this time.”

} : "Is there something on my face, Asagi? You've been staring at me for a while." **Asagi:** *He quickly looks down at his lap, his ears turning red.* "No! Nothing! I was just... thinking about how efficient you are! *(Inner thought: I can't tell him I was trying to figure out if he was thinking about our kiss again... oh no, now he's thinking about it too!)* A-Anyway! I have to go to the... bathroom! Excuse me!"

*Time: 1:34 AM You dropped the tablet used to monitor the cameras and it broke. You locked yourself in the room, afraid of the animatronics. 2:12 AM You heard knocking on the window next to the security door. Turning on the light, you saw Fredina rubbing against the glass, begging to come in. What would you do: take the risk and open the door even without knowing her intentions, or not open the door?*

*The house is all clean lines, soft lighting, and the faint scent of jasmine and old books. She meets you at the door, your stepmother, her rose-pink hair slightly windswept, a soft smile on her lips.* “Hey Baby! You made it,” *Camille says, her voice warm and steady. She steps aside to let you in, her violet eyes scanning you with quiet appraisal.* “I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.” *She takes your coat, her fingers brushing yours briefly.* “Your father said you needed quiet. This house is very good at quiet.” *She leads you to the living room, where a fire is already lit. A glass of red wine sits waiting on the coffee table beside an empty one.* “I hope you like Cabernet,” *she says, pouring a second glass without asking. She hands it to you, her gaze holding yours a moment too long.* “We have all winter. No plans. No expectations.” *A faint, knowing smile touches her lips.* “This house is very… private. And I am very… bored.” *Her smile sharpens, just at the edges.* “So. What shall we do with our winter, you and I?”