After the movies, the family reconvened in the frigid air of the park. As Noble's movie had finished first, the boys were already climbing all over the playground with their newly made friends. The professor slid over on the bench to make room for the rest of her family.
"How was the show?" Noble asked her husband and daughter.
"It is one of the best movies of our time," Honey held her hands to her chest. "I want a love like Lady Changing Star and Caster."
"You want to fight side by side and die horribly?" Fort prodded his daughter. "Are you crazy?!"
The girl rolled her eyes and looked back at her mother. "How was what you saw?"
"It was your typical remake. The toys saved the day. Everyone got what they deserved and it gave the audience a warm fuzzy feeling at the end."
"Spoilers!" Fort covered his ears.
Noble stuck out her tongue. A white ball of ice promptly hit her in the face.
"Sorry, mom!" Blaze looked horrified.
Brushing the snow from her cheek, Noble saw her husband laughing wildly at the scene. "Is that funny to you?"
Fort tried to suppress his grin but it was no use. "I love a well-timed snowball," he admitted.
Noble smirked. "Well, I hope you like...this!"
Honey ducked as a ball of frozen water came from behind them and hit Fort in his woolen cap.
"That's not fair!" the man's jaw dropped. "You can make the snow float in from any direction you like!"
"All's fair in love and war," Noble taunted.
"Which one is this?" Fort wiggled his eyebrows. His body tensed.
"Both!"
All at once the five family members were throwing snowballs at one another. They moved away from the playground and into the snow-covered ball field, pelting each other with fluffy whiteness.
When at last they had exhausted all of their pent-up aggression, they called a family truce.
Then, soggy but happy, they headed to the shop at the edge of the square. The sign had only three words.
"Oko's Ice Cream."
The new ice cream parlor took up a little corner of the shopping center where it stood. Space in the shop was scarce, as it was for most places, but thankfully no one else was inside.
'Why would they be? It is freezing outside!' Noble stomped off as much of the snow as she could on the mat to keep from tracking it inside.
"Welcome, and good afternoon!" the Awakened behind the counter greeted them with a friendly wave. His fluffy red scarf covered his chin and part of his mouth, almost meeting the wide-rimmed glasses resting on his nose. "Oh!"
He frowned and removed the glasses, clearing the condensation from them with the edge of his ruby neckwear.
Putting them back on, he smiled. His eyes shone brightly.
"There you are! Please come in!"
The family happily obliged. It was a tad too cold inside the parlor, but two standing heaters surrounded a small seating area, inviting diners to enjoy the warmth.
But first, they needed to order.
Behind the glass counter, tubs of flavors sat waiting to be chosen.
"What size can we get?" Blaze's eyes twinkled with delight.
"You know what? Any size you like." Fort pretended not to see his wife's astonished glare.
"May I make a suggestion?" the man behind the counter, who Noble assumed must be Oko, asked politely. "My favorite way to eat these delicacies is on a cone."
Oko reached behind him to a shelf and selected a crisp waffle pattern.
"Yes, please! Give me Watermelon Shortcake." Blaze rubbed his hands together greedily.
'What kind of flavor is that?' Noble peeked into the glass display case.
"Excellent choice." The Awakened ice cream churner placed the cone in a special machine.
Then he grabbed a ladle and opened the glass counter. His glasses fogging over, Oko selected the proper flavor.
Noble stared as he scooped out a swirling pink and green liquid. Her eyes widened slightly. Although the air in the display case was cold, it wasn't enough to keep the ice cream frozen.
'Surely he doesn't expect us to pay for melted cream…'
Oko did not seem surprised by the odd state of his frosty treat. After wiping his glasses clean with one hand, he flipped on the large machine next to him. The cone began to spin.
The man lifted the ladle over the cone and began to pour slowly. The fingers on his other hand twinkled. For a moment, Noble thought Oko was summoning a Memory.
But then she realized the little lights were not sparks. They were ice crystals. The ice flew from his hand and danced around the falling liquid like a hundred tiny fairies.
Instantly, the creamy liquid changed to a smooth solid, cascading into the cone in a perfect swirl. At the end, the small crystals stationed themselves on top of the treat as shimmery sprinkles.
"There you go!" Oko passed the finished product to his delighted customer.
Blaze took the pink and green concoction with eyes as big as saucers. "Amazing!"
When he stepped back, Brock eagerly took his twin's place.
"How about you, young sir?" Oko leaned on the counter.
"I want...Banana S'mores on a cone, please," Brock remembered his manners at the last moment.
"You have excellent taste. That is my absolute favorite! An underrated flavor if ever there was one." Oko repeated the process, this time adding little white marshmallows to the top of the frozen delicacy.
Honey selected Coconut Cherry and was blessed with a swath of red and white sugar with a tiny umbrella sticking out of the top.
"It's like a vacation for your mouth," Oko assured her.
With the children satisfied, Fort and Noble were the only ones left. They looked at each other, trying to decide if they should eat something cold when they were already chilled. Oko seemed to read their thoughts.
"I have just the thing for you!" He pulled out two cups and poured hot, steaming chocolate into each of them.
Then with a spin of his finger, he wrapped a coating of ice around the cup to insulate it and sprinkled icy crystals on the top.
"Cool to the touch and warm for the body. These are on the house. If you like them, I may add it to my sign out front!" Oko passed over the drinks to the couple. After paying for the cones, Fort joined the others at the table under the warmers.
"I feel better already." He basked in the warm glow.
"This is the best ice cream I have ever tasted!" Blaze exclaimed, much to the delight of the owner.
"Don't eat it too fast. You'll get a headache," Noble looked at how quickly her children were consuming their food.
"I don't think that is possible," Honey tilted her head. "This isn't like normal ice cream."
Noble picked up her cup and looked at the steaming chocolate. Somehow Oko had managed to sneak marshmallows in her cup when she wasn't looking. The sugary white pillows shimmered with ice crystals from Oko's Aspect.
Taking a small sip, the professor expected to immediately burn her lips. But the sensation was warm and soothing. Noble sighed contently.
"Mmm, that is good." She leaned back in her seat.
"Good for the body and the soul. It will heal anything that ails you," Oko nodded as he returned his clean glasses to his face. They immediately started to fog.
"Ah, so that's your trick. No wonder it tastes so good." Noble could feel the restorative power of the small ice crystals in her hot chocolate. It was strange to have both sensations in the same drink.
'He could do wonders in the army as a medic,' Noble mused.
Then she caught herself. Just because someone had a useful Aspect did not mean they needed to go into battle. There was beauty in leading a quiet life and using your gifts to bring joy in the simple things--like ice cream.
Exchanging notes on their favorite parts of the movies, the family fell into pleasant conversation. The cool comfort of Oko's creations was exactly what they all needed to make their day complete.
Noble looked at the time. "Oh! We need to get back so Honey can make it back to her training session. If we leave right now, we can get back just in time."
Honey batted her eyes innocently at her mother. "There is no need to hurry back. I won't be missing anything."
"What do you mean?" Fort narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "You should have your lesson in less than an hour."
"You are right, I should. Except I fired him," Honey winced.
"You WHAT?" Noble and Fort's voices overlapped.
"That is the third trainer you have done that to in a month!" Fort held up as many fingers on his hand.
"But they were all terrible!" The girl defended herself. "Was I supposed to let them teach me things that were stupid?"
"You cannot just fire people without our permission. We are paying them, not you." Noble paused. "And what do you mean by stupid? Those people all came highly recommended."
"The last guy told me the only way I was going to make any difference in a battle was if I gained some weight. Like I have any control over that! He also wanted to show me his signature move over and over. Not teach it to me...just show it."
Noble felt her anger rising up against the supposed trainer. She would be demanding an explanation from him by the end of the day.
Noble inhaled deeply, trying to hide the irritation from her voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You've been...a little busy." Honey looked down at her half-eaten cone.
"Oh," the professor's frustration suddenly turned to guilt. "I'm sorry for that."
Noble had been so consumed lately with saving the world and preventing teens from dying in the Dream Realm that she had missed a problem brewing in her own home. While the other causes were good and worthwhile, being a mother was also extremely important.
And she had dropped the ball in that arena.
"It's not your fault..." Honey hadn't meant to make her mother upset.
Noble shook her head. "No, it is entirely my fault. But I have a solution. One that will solve both our lack of time together and your trainer issues."
Honey paled. "You don't mean..."
Her mother nodded. "That's right. I'll train you!"