Taking off the veil was probably not a good idea in retrospect.
Not only was everything brighter, but there was something else that Yuki was privy to that she wished she hadn't been. No one stopped her from taking off her veil, however. It was almost as if this was some form of initiation, perhaps… or maybe they just didn't see what she saw.
The top of the freshly fallen snow was pristine and unbroken, smoothed over and reflective. Although the top of the snow reflected mostly light and sparkles, she clearly saw forms and figures as well. They were of the people who were attending, stretching close to the booted feet of the household that whispered and smiled among themselves, danced with the other children that spun in the falling flakes and tasted the sky's frozen tears.
They weren't just any reflections, however. They were strange, terrifying shapes -- shadows of beasts or creatures far too large to be within the skin of those before her. Inevitably, Yuki drew her golden eyes upward toward the people in attendance, wondering if any were familiar to her from her time here so far. Unfortunately for her, several of them were.
One of them was even Miss Genes standing beside her, a soft look of wonderment across her features. Her left hand played with the silver band on her finger, spinning it around and around. She wore a veil, like most every woman in attendance save for a few. Was the veil a shield?
Before Yuki could ask the elder if she saw anything like she did, a hand clapped over her eyes and drew her back. The poor girl let out a noise of startle, gasping in the worst of the volume before she became quite un-Princesslike, and spun around in the grasp. "Oh dear- Your Highness, relax, it's only His Highness." And when Yuki was able to look up, it was through the veil that Mirai had draped back over her eyes.
"It's harsh on your eyes if you've never seen snow before, my dear," he said softly. "They fixed that into place for a reason, after all." To this, Yuki wondered if Mirai knew that she saw what she saw. Wait, of course he had to -- why else would he be acting like this? Did he have the shadow of a beast or creature as well?
Before she could even start to publicly interrogate him, Dresden melted into her view. It startled her just the same as Mirai snatching her did, and with the hunch of her shoulders, Yuki ducked her head. She clenched her gloved hands and bit back the sting of tears in her eyes, swearing she heard everyone else murmuring about her. About the princess from the south, startled about snow, perhaps even chilled by it.
Well, they weren't wrong. But it was less the snow that chilled her, and more what she saw in the snow.
"My apologies, dear husband," she said, burying her hands gratefully in her bulbous skirts and bobbing an uneasy curtsy. "It seems I do not know the traditions very well yet." She could feel his darker eyes on her, watching her, before he chuckled.
"Well, it's a learning curve. Straighten up, dear one, we've got an image to upkeep, don't we?"
Yuki let out a shaky, vaporous breath. "...yes," she said, lifting her head and peering up at Mirai through the veil. "Erm… is there anything special… we do?"
To which Mirai glanced up at Miss Genes, who Yuki had momentarily forgotten about. "Ah, you didn't teach her about the first snow day… before the first snow day?" Yuki liked to imagine that she looked embarrassed, but there was no way to confirm that without being obvious about it. Still, Mirai did not really admonish Miss Genes, being as they were in public, and perhaps he was wanting to be peaceful even at home, to produce the image that they were neutral on a larger scale.
Or maybe she was just trying to distract herself from these thoughts.
"Come along you two." Mirai placed his hands on Dresden and Yuki's backs -- though from behind her veil, Yuki saw the way he had to grip onto Dresden's shoulder first before pulling him closer. Dresden really didn't seem to be very fond of people. Maybe he was scared. She would have to ask at some point. What she did ask, allowing Mirai to guide her and her friend along the shoveled pathway, was:
"Was Yuri not invited?"
She hadn't seen him in the crowd… and perhaps that was for the better. If her own brother had a shadow like that… she didn't want to think about it. She didn't even know what to think about it.
"Oh, I invited him… but once he found out this was publicized, he declined." Mirai tilted his head. "I know our East and West neighbors take note of the first snow day… is it because it never snows in the south that he did not know…?"
A curious thing. Perhaps Yuri just didn't want his dead wife's family to know he was here… she'd have to ask him later. Gosh, Yuki had a lot of questions to ask didn't she? Turning her head to look up at Mirai more closely, she wondered if he would even answer her questions… then glanced to Dresden. He might be a safer bet.
Thus, after the small speech that Mirai had for the home gathering, the poise of pictures taken as celebratory cards -- an extra one to send south, now -- she shuffled over to Dresden and stamped her feet on the stone floor. He huddled by the fire in the corner of the courtyard as others began to disperse and Mirai pulled Miss Genes back for what Yuki assumed was a proper tongue lashing.
"Hey, Dresden." Shivering in spite of her layers, Yuki splayed her hands out to the warmth given off by the flames. "So, about what I was asking you before…"
Quietly, Dresden glanced to her before he shuffled a bit closer to the fire and a bit more out of Yuki's sight. Puckering her lips, she shuffled to see him, grumbling as she nearly caught her foot on her sodden skirts. "Oh come on, it's not that bad a question! Or are your urban legends a secret?"
"Our… what?" The boy could barely be heard over the crackle of flame in Yuki's right ear. She frowned, trying to step closer.
"Urban legends! You know, like stories… you tell… to scare… are you okay?" She could see now why Dresden was trying to edge away from her. Yuki was cold, but Dresden looked like a walking corpse straight out of the cemetery. His lips were pale with a bluish tint, as was the skin on his fingers held close to the fire. His chest rose and fell with shallow gasps, gasps that puffed into the air visibly before they suddenly didn't, and Dresden tumbled to the stony floor.
The only thing that stopped him from cracking his head open like an egg on it was the swift actions of one of the attendees close by. With her long hair flowing in a halo around her pale face, Annette cradled Dresden's head on her lap as personnel rushed into action all around them.
Yuki stepped back, finding herself at a loss. She nearly moved to the snow to look for Annette's shadow, but realized that would be in bad taste to the onlookers. Instead she waited until the guard came to escort her inside, her mind abuzz and empty at the same time. As the warmth of the inside brushed against her and immediately made her cold skin perspire, she looked around wildly for her husband and found him coming in from another door. Her guard didn't stop her as she turned to rush over to him, only springing into action when she tripped on her sodden skirt and toppled over herself.
Luckily, Mirai was quick on his feet. Although he seemed to not mind Yuri taking tumbles around him, he was quick to catch her…. She laid in his arms as she began to breathe more rapidly, the weight of the frightening things she'd seen in the last hour really hitting her.
"I'm sorry, little Yuki." Mirai stood, scooping her and her shivering self up effortlessly. "I'm sure you have quite a few questions for me… I'll be happy to answer."