A Battle in the Snow} Todd

[/snort. that it didn't. xD]

Penelope glanced back up at Todd just in time to catch him sticking his tongue out to catch a few flakes. She smiled, laughing silently to herself. Penny blushed then, and glanced back downwards, offering a small shrug. "A little bit..." she told him. The chill was starting to settle in, but she hadn't particularly minded too much, though now she was more aware of it than she had been before. She then blinked at him, her lips parted slightly. "O-oh, no, I couldn't," she told him as he gestured towards his jacket. "Y-you'd get cold..."

Todd smiled, shaking his head as he slid off his coat put it over her shoulders like a cape. "No, ma'am, I won't. My ego keeps me perfectly warm," he told her, smirking slightly. He honestly didn't feel the least bit chilly right now - he'd always loved the cold anyway. "You've already said you're 'a little bit' cold, so I cannot resist trying to fix that. I will not quit until you are at least a little bit warm, to balance it all out." He nodded briskly in confirmation to his declaration.

Penelope opened her mouth to protest once more, but it was rather pointless as Todd draped his coat over her shoulders. She blushed madly, though was very thankful for the sudden warmth that surrounded her. The coat was just as comfortable as Todd had said it was back in the Three Broomsticks... and that scent... that was awfully familiar, yet for her to pinpoint it as Todd's (without knowing that it was Todd's jacket) would have been very difficult. "Th-thank you," she bit her lip, offering a small smile, "b-but if... if you start to get cold... just-just let me know; I-I can give it back." She told him. She didn't want him to get cold.

Penny smiled and glanced back down; her smile faltered for a moment. "T-Todd," she started quietly, her voice questioning, "you would... you would tell me the truth right? I-if... being around me... w-was too... p-painful..." it was very hard for her to speak. She seemed to be stumbling over words, unsure of the right choices. It wasn't that she didn't want to be around him; these were some of her favorite moments, but... she didn't want to hurt him at all. She reached up and covered her face with her hands. "Y-you always say it's fine... but... is it really?"

"Will do, B.G.," Todd replied with a grin, though his grin fell for a moment at her next words. Of course she'd still be worried about how this made him feel. It was interesting she phrased it like that - painful, that is. Because it wasn't painful. It was frustrating, and sometimes brought on a wave of viscous nostalgia, but he wasn't going to give up any time with her she allowed him.

"I do wish it were different," he murmured, mulling it all over. "But I would much rather be around you sans memory than without you at all." His eyes flicked around the lawn until he forced himself to meet those blue eyes again. "But any time I spend with you is a joy. You make me happy, Penelope, even when you don't feel that way about me. And that is perfectly fine." After all, he didn't need to kiss her to enjoy her company. The fact that she didn't currently love him changed nothing about the way he felt. He had a feeling that nothing could change the way he felt, actually.

Penelope looked back up at him, her blue eyes tearing up slightly. His words made her blush, and she felt slightly bad still for not being able to remember anything about him. He was by far the nicest person she had ever met and did not deserve to be in a position like this. Everything she seemed to remember about him or anything like that gave her the on-the-tip-of-the-tongue sensation, nothing ever concrete.

"You make me happy..." She had to reach up and try and wipe away her tears. She was rather glad for that... because he made her happy; perhaps not in the same way, exactly, but she enjoyed every moment spent with him. He could get her to stop stuttering for a long period of time without her even realizing it. She almost wanted to hug him, but she refrained herself. She was never straight forward enough to even attempt to do that.

Todd blinked when he realized she was tearing up. "Oh, Penny..." he said, shaking his head and gently lifting her chin with his finger. "You are aware that you are so incredibly sweet that you'd cry about hurting someone with something that is way out of your control, aren't you?" She was so much more of a victim in this than he was, and yet here she stood caring about his feelings. He was simply a bystander, really. "Such a damn angel," he muttered under his breath, letting out a slow sigh at the same time.

Penelope blinked, sniffling slightly. She blushed and her teary blue eyes studied his face. "I-I'm not trying to," she murmured, furiously wiping at her eyes. Oh Merlin, why didn't they just stop? She felt suddenly embarrassed, naive, childish. "I-I want... I want to r-remember you... s-so badly..." she took a deep breath, staring up at the darkening sky that was still dropping light snowflakes onto them. "I-I've ruined... a perfectly g-good moment... haven't I?" She sniffled, casting her gaze int he opposite direction and staring down at her feet.

ACCIDENTSHAPPENOK

Todd smiled softly. I want you to remember me, too. His heart melted as her words and he shook his head, watching her with fond eyes. "You have done nothing of the sort," he said, wanting desperately to be able to hug her. Penelope didn't cry often, from what he'd seen at least, and the two times he'd witnessed it he wanted to do something to help immediately. "It is still snowing beautifully, you are still a winner, and the moment is still perfectly good. Would you like to go inside?"

Penelope shook her head. No, she didn't particularly want to go inside, and if she hadn't exactly ruined the moment then perhaps there was no point ending it. Penny reached up and wiped away the last few remaining tears; she could only imagine how puffy and red they looked. "N-no," she said in a small voice, "I-I would like to stay..." she pulled his coat tighter around her, biting her lip. "U-unless y-you want to go in..." she glanced up at him, blinking and sniffling slightly still.

[haha, that they do. xD]

"Alrighty, then," he murmured, studying her. He quite liked how she looked in his slightly oversized jacket. "I am perfectly content outside." He turned a bit then and took a good look at their surroundings for the first time. It was all blanketed in snow, deeper now than it had been when they'd arrived and begun their battle. He looked back at her, eyebrows raised. "Would you mind going for a stroll across the lawns then?"

Penny allowed herself a small smile. Good, the castle could get too stuffy... it was much nicer out here. "S-sure," she nodded. A stroll across the lawns would be very nice... as long as maybe she didn't start crying again. Really, she couldn't help but think she should keep those thoughts to herself. Todd always told her that it was okay, that none of this was a problem. Sometimes she just worried too much about it, she supposed. She worried too much about everything, really.

"O-oh," Penny exclaimed, trying to forget about her little cry, "I... I met Jim the other day." She smiled over at Todd. She could be very good at changing the subject sometimes. "He seems very nice."

Todd began walking and blinked in surprise when she mentioned Jim. "Yeah?" he asked, grinning. He'd been hoping his friends would get a chance to meet her sometime. "He is nice. Jimbo and Eva are in the running for most adorable couple, if you didn't know. Did you also get to meet his ferocious, beastly feline?" Being Jim's roommate, he'd run across Piper quite a few times, and his mangled shoelaces were proof of that. He was fond of the cat but that didn't mean it never got on his nerves.

Penny followed, catching up and trying to stay at the same pace. She nodded, her smile still not as big as normal, but it was getting there. She giggled lightly. "Yes, they seem like it," she nodded once more. "Oh, yes, Piper. He's quite adorable. Much nicer than Sherlock, to other people that is. He's like a baby, really, it's cute." Penny let out another giggle. Piper was one of the sweetest cats she had met and Jim was very similar. She smiled softly to herself, glancing down at her gloved hands. She remembered asking whether or not Todd had found someone new... and whether or not he was happy. Jim had said he had seemed happy, and after glancing up at him once more, she didn't seem to doubt it... not much anymore. Not that it took away any sense of her guilt, but that would probably stay until the day she received her memories once more.

Todd shook his head with a smile. "Piper is pretty freakin' adorable, I'll admit. But I see the mischievous intent in those eyes and I do not trust it one bit. ," he said, dragging his feet along the ground and watching the snow build up around his shoes. "How'd you meet 'im? Jim, I mean, not my super cute and fluffy nemesis. Excuse me - one of my nemeses. Bet you didn't know I had more than one." He glanced over at her with a smirk and nudged her foot with his own.

"Aw, I think he has some potential. Maybe I can recruit him," Penny smiled. She then pouted out her bottom lip. "No, I was not aware of this... I suppose I should go find other nemeses as well?" She questioned, nudging him back with her foot. She then ran her gloved fingers through her hair, shaking some of the snow out. "He was crawling under the couch in the Common Room, trying to grab Piper. It was kind of amusing, and odd. But if he's friends with you," she teased him lightly. She was starting to get back into things... away from guilt and worry.

Todd widened his eyes, putting on a show of being flustered. "What? No, of course not! How unfaithful would that be? I didn't ask for two cute nemeses! These things just happen!" he exclaimed with a smile.

"Really?" he asked, chuckling at that image. He was actually rather surprised Jim had fit - he wasn't a big guy, but the couch wasn't huge either. It was a shame he'd missed it. "Well, yes, he's bound to be odd. I fear I may have shed on him. He does tend to get into amusing, odd situations rather frequently," he conceded. "How fortunate it is that you could have witnessed

Penelope's ears turned red and she tried to hide them behind her hair. She offered up a small smile. "Still, I only think it'd be fair," she laughed slightly. "If you have two nemeses then I should be able to as well... though... I'm not quite sure who else it would be." Penny reached up and tapped her chin lightly in thought.

Penny smiled and nodded once more, laughing. "Yes, I suppose you might have," she glanced at him from the side. "I feel very special." She let out a small sigh of content and walked forward a bit. She looked up at the falling snow and reached her hands out to catch it. She had finally calmed down enough... maybe that was another thing Todd helped her with. Calming her down. She was glad for that.

"Good luck finding someone as fabulously evil as me," Todd said, huffing and stomping his feet. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with pleading eyes. "I can set you up with a few of my villain buddies, I guess..." He made sure to keep his voice grudging. "But they're way rude, and have way more scars than me from their wicked battles. That's just because they don't have my concealer."

Todd smiled, watching as she caught a bit of falling snow in her hand. "That's because you are special, as it turns out." He sighed, tugging his beanie out of his pocket and pulling it over his hair. The chill still wasn't getting to him, something he was glad for.

Penny laughed. "Yes, I think that will be one of my problems; no one is quite as fabulously evil as you are," she teased lightly. "Oh, how very kind of you. I quite appreciate it. I'm sure I'd be able to turn them into nicer people... I was able to do that with you, wasn't I?" She questioned, a small smile upon her face.

Penelope blushed, just staring down at her hands. "Oh... I-I... don't..." Her special? No, she was just Penelope. Simple and plain Penny. She shook her head, still smiling though.

"Yeaaah, but they'll be much harder to change - take longer, too," he added, glancing sideways at her with a knowing smile. He had to wonder if perhaps she really had made him a little nicer last year, though. After all, he was way more antisocial before then. "You'll have to get to know them and learn how to laugh at their lame jokes."

He chuckled, amused at how she could rarely accept a compliment. "Whatever you say, Book Girl," he said, clasping his hands together and kicking a bit of snow forward.

"Ah, I see... so they're not a worthy investment, is what you're saying, right?" She questioned, raising one of his eyebrows. She let out a small sigh. "Too bad; I would have loved to have another nemesis." She pouted slightly. "Plus, I already have to laugh at your lame jokes." She teased lightly, flicking some snow that she had gathered in her hands at him.

Penny leaned down, picking up some snow. She brought it to her face and took a small bite, letting it melt coldly into her mouth. "Another thing I love about winter... if you get thirsty, you can just eat the snow," She smiled before blowing the rest of it out of her hands.

"Exactly!" Todd exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically. He swatted at the air when she flicked some snow his way. "Laughing at their even lamer jokes would take too much effort. And you're already so busy with your heroing schedule. What kind of nemesis would I be if I invited someone else to do my job?"

He glanced back at her and smirked, lips twitching as he watched her take a bite of snow. "The pros of winter are never-ending. We should write a report about this for some extra credit. Endless material."

[sorry for disappearing last night my internet gave out and I lost my post... and then I figured I'd just go to bed. <3]

"Well, thank you very much for looking out for me," She smiled. Though, it wasn't simply just part of their play... she meant it. "I mean, I'd end up overwhelmed with all my duties. It would be such a pain." She let out a small laugh, readjusting the coat on her shoulders and finally deciding to put her arms through the arms of the coat. It would stay on better, and she'd keep warm much better.

"Ah yes, but I don't need extra credit, or have you forgotten? But I'd be glad to help you with yours," she teased. She picked up another handful of the soft, loose snow and gently threw it towards him.

((No problem dear! Came up with a new character last night anyway.))

Todd grinned, reaching up to fiddle with the soft material of his beanie. "Well, you know me. Mr. Considerate. Secretely I just don't want you to be too worn out to do battle with me. It would be less fun that way - but let's agree that it's me looking out for you so I look a tad less villainous. Which, when I think about it, would be terrible for my reputation.

"Ooh, yes. Miss Brilliant Book Girl doesn't need extra credit. How could I forget?" He laughed and scooped up a handfull of snow himself, tossing it at her. "You already won! Why must you continue torturing me?"