The morning snow had softened into a gentle flurry, dusting the evergreen branches like powdered sugar. Rose wrapped herself tightly in the inn owner's coat, its warmth still clinging to her from yesterday, and stepped outside.
The main lodge was already bustling. Chloe was busy "helping" the inn staff hang tiny wooden ornaments on the lobby tree, though most of them ended up on the floor.
"Don't even look at me," Chloe muttered when Rose smiled. "I'm the chaos in human form."
Rose chuckled. "You call that helping?"
Chloe rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "Technically, yes. And we're going to the market later. You, me, and..." she glanced at the inn owner, who was calmly stacking firewood, perfectly unbothered by the mess. ".....Mr. Mysterious Snowstorm himself."
Rose nearly laughed out loud at the nickname.
The inn owner, Leonard, glanced up. "I'm not a snowstorm."
"Sure," Rose said, smirking. "You're the human embodiment of a blizzard with good posture."
