2021-12-26 - Clearing snow

Snow snow snow~ It falls gently along Oak Avenue, adding a sense of wonder and magic to the post-Christmas day. Before it can pile up many of Oak's residents are out shoveling their walks. It's become a bit of a community affair with people calling out.

Gail isn't shoveling her own walk - she knows her physical limits - but she is bringing hot drinks about to those who are doing the manual labour.

Let's just be fair, Gabriella isn't shoveling either. She did 'happen' to 'find' someone willing. There is a change she convinced Ben down the road to do it. Or Ravn. Or really anyone on the street. She isn't sexy Santa today, although she did come home late last night as one. This time she's just fricken adorable. She has a pair of leggings on and an overly large sweater that says Meowy Christmas. She also has cookies.

Gail did not say ANYTHING when Gabriella came home like that. Instead she raied an eyebrow and said, "Well. I am glad you missed the elf. He would have been much too interested."

SIGH.

"Gabby love, over here please." She calls out to her daughter, gesturing to the eldest Jefferson boy who lives just a few doors up from them. Teenage boy, who stares at Gabby with teenage adoration.

Gabriella moves over with a bright smile for the teenager and her grandmother. "I have cookies." Also water is wet. Grass is usually green. Snow is cold. She is standing with her grandmother (who has cocoa people) and some of the others on the street. "What can I do for you, my most amazing person."

Seems the only home owner with the testicular fortitude to shovel his own driveway and walkway is Everett. Clad in inappropriate clothing for the weather, Everett pushes his spade to the end of the walkway of 6th Oak and takes a pause to exhale and braces his forearm against the shovel handle, exhaling a puff of air.
From his red nose, Everett sniffs noisily before cupping his hands over his mouth and exhaling to warm his hands again. There's a mutter under his breath before he runs his fingers around his left ear to brush his long hair back, and he starts shoveling again, glowering to himself, save the glance to the other Oak Street occupiers.

"I think Darrel here deserves some cookies, don't worry love." That last bit is for the teenage boy ogling Gabriella , and not for her cookies. "She doesn't bite. She is quite kind."

Apparently Granny Leigh is being oblivious about the boy's interest.

Gabriella looks Darrel over for a moment with the most angelic smile and then snaps her teeth at him with a wink. "I bite a little don't believe her." She does offer the cookies. Then she sees Everett and lifts a hand to wave towards him. "We have cookies." Because that is not the downfall of mankind right there. Then she winks towards Gail. "And hot cocoa." And a driveway that could probably use another quick shovel.

Poor Darrell, he can't drink his hot cocoa because he's busy staring at Gabriella's ass walking away. Poor boy.

Gail trails after Gabriella calling out to Everett. "Good evening love! Don't worry, she only bites a little apparently."

The spade scraps along the walkway as it's pushed, the metal on concrete sound stopping when he hits the buried law then pushes the minority of collected snow on to the rest blanketing his lawn. A few more passes, passes made more difficult with the gorilla using the wrong type of shovel for moving snow. With the offers to join, Everett pauses again, cupping his hands over his mouth to warm them once more while studiously regarding his neighbours.

After a couple of breaths, he picks the shovel up again, to make more progress towards connecting the walkway to the driveway.

That blonde head of Gabby's cants to one side as Everett doesn't come running over. She offers to her grandmother. "This wouldn't happen if you let me wear the really low cut shirt." She laughs before she offers, "Do we know him?" I mean maybe he can't hear them. Maybe he can. So Gabby jumps up and down. "HEEEEEY.. Hidey-Ho good neighbor."

GAIL SIGHS. "Gabriella, I've told you many times. You cannot always use your body to get what you want." Low key calling her a hooker, it's fine.

"Careful!" She calls out even as Gabby's feet go flying out from under her.

The scraping noises continue, with the thug tossing the small catches of snow in the shovel head over his shoulder with little effort. The shouting draws his attention once again as he takes the chance to pause and warm up again and shrug under his leather motorcycle rider jacket.

Schadenfreude is defined in taking pleasure in the misfortune of others and when Gail has her accident, Everett smirks softly to himself, the right side of his lips pulling to form a small smile before he chuckles twice. With a slight shake of his head, his attention returns downwards, leaving the shovel to lean against his body while he rubs his massive hands together.

It's not Gail that goes down but Gabby. Those Leigh women. They get what they want and what they don't. For a moment, the world slows down. Gail sounds like a slowed record player as Gabriella watches her feet go above her eye level. There is some thought in her brain that informs her that this is probably not where her feet should be. It's really seconds in real time, but in her brain it is a slow twist of acrobatics.

THUD!

Gabby is flat on her back as she tries to figure out how she's now seeing the world from a different perspective. "Um..." Maybe she wasn't too careful. Luckily, there is no red blood tinging the blonde hair. She just lays there for a second longer.

What is MOST tragic about this is that Gabby's cookies are all over the snow. Like the one that lands on the pristine fluff that Everett is about to scoop up. Gail totters herself to her grandaughter's side and looks down at the girl. Two fingers are lifted up and held over Gabriella's head. "How many fingers love?"

With a pause, Everett examines the cookie amid the snow. For a good bit before the shovel and snow, and cookie, are unceremoniously dumped with the other snow that blankets his lawn. That'll be a special treat for some animal to uncover, hopefully before the thaw.

Holding the shovel at hip height with both hands, Everett's attention is turned towards the direction of the cookie throwers before he tilts his head back and shakes his head to shimmy his long hair behind his shoulders. He stands, watching, while the matron attends to the granddaughter. A gentleman would go over there and help.
A gentleman he is not.

One finger. Two fingers. Ha-ha-ha.

Gabriella looks up at Gail for a moment and offers. "Fifty. When did you get fifty fingers?!" Okay, this is obviously not the truth. She rolls to sit up and groans a bit. Her young form feels all old and battered at the moment. Then she flips to her knees to get up. "I'm good. Really." The neighbor didn't even come over!!

SIGH. Gail looks to the sky and closes her eyes on a faint prayer. Yes, she does believe in Jesus and everything connected to him. "You dropped all the cookies sweetheart, we can't ask Mr. Woods for assistance without proper greeting first?"

Gail has totally snooped to find the names of all of her neighbors.

Oh god, she knows his name.
Time to move!

Throughout all of this, Everett glances towards the forgotten fourth. Darrell. Slightly, the thug shakes his head at the child, then tilts his head to indicate the two women before returning to shaking his head softly.

With effort, Everett looks away to shovel another scoop, then looks back. And actively fights the urge to take out his phone to get a picture. And loses. But thick fingers and an poor familiarity leaves Everett holding the phone aimed at an ass-print while holding his shovel with the other hand. His amusement turns to short-lived disappointment before returning the phone to his back pocket. "Nuts," he says with a deep voice, taking his disappointment out on the snow blanketing his walkway.

Gabriella lowers her brows. "Who is that?" The name used before she smiles most adorable manner. She may have cracked that shapely ass of hers. She stretches and things pop into place. Then she wraps an arm around her grandmother. "I'm sure that... HEY!" She knows the camera trick. "You trying to take a pic of my ass there?"

Darrel squeaks when Everett meets his eye and turns his FULL ATTENTION to shoveling. Scrape, push, fly snow~~ It becomes a rhythm.

"Don't worry love," Gail calls out to Everret, exasperation clear on her voice. "She likes to show off, I'm sure you'll get another chance." But Granddaughter is giving a hug and so Gail curls an arm about Gabby's waist.

"No," replies the accused amid taking another scoop with the round point shovel before he adds, quieter, though cold air carries sound better, "not anymore." With Gail's addition, Everett smirks and nods to her. "Thank you," he adds, his smirk returning while dragging his green eyes past the other woman, then to the boy before returning it to his own shoveling.

"I do sun bathe topless in the summer." Gabby offers helpfully before she rubs her butt a bit more. That ice hurt. She watches Everett for a moment and then turns to look at poor Darrel. Then back to Gail for a moment longer. "Did you have a good Christmas?" This is probably directed to everyone. "Javier bought me a chai latte."

"You need to leave that poor man alone," Gail admonishes Gabriella. "He's a sweet man who doesn't deserve your sass."

Gail's house was a hub of people coming and going the day previous, as many of the neighbors stopped by for some Christmas time visiting. "You mother called asking for you though. Mr. Woods, did you have any family over?"

To prove he's still paying attention, some, Everett nods his head a touch when he lifts his head up from shifting frozen water, and offers Gabriella with a nod, "Cool. I'll send my girlfriends over. You can make sure nobody has any tan lines." Without waiting for a reply, his head turns down with a strand of his long, black hair slipping over his jacket to dangle in his vision. With Grandma's reply, Everett aids amid a shovel toss, "No tush cents about it."

When the question is directed at him, Everett scowls while lifting his head back up, "God, no. If I ever do, get a gun." Sound advice, Everett turns his attention back down for another scoop.

Look who just got interesting. "Girlfriends? I don't suppose they want to have a sleepover. I've been /dying/ for some girlfriends to have a sleepover with." Gabriella doesn't blink at the s at the end of that. There's a feel that most things don't make her blink. There is a roll of her eyes. "I'll call the kids later." Not her mother. Then she stares at Gail. "Did you just call Javier a nice man?" She laughs really hard and starts to text. It's clear it's to Javier on this one.

"Yes, Mr. De La Vega is a nice man. He even lied to try to be kind. You could learn a bit from him." Gail replies with a DEEP SIGH.

"Please excuse her Mr. Woods. But if you'll pardon me," here, Gabriella gets the hot chocolate to keep doing the rounds. Her injured ass is capable of that. "I should get back inside before I slip and fall. Your aunt and mothers would love to yank me out of this town."

And thus Gail totters herself back towards their house at 4 Oak Avenue leaving Gabriella to roll her charm on Everett - or his girlfriends.

The big guy gives a soft shrug while he stops shoveling again. Before he answers Gabriella, he covers his mouth to warm his bare hands again a few times, then nods towards his front door while picking up his shovel again. "You'd have to ask them. I don't speak for them. They're just inside with the kids."

Everett's attention drifts to the grandmother, to whom he nods with a widened smile with her advice. "I've encountered worse," he offers, then turns his attention back down to shoveling more of that big, fluffy white stuff.