Nwa~~ Got this oneshot stuck in my head while shoveling the walk!! ^^ This would be after Rekka but before Fuuin if you got Hector and Florina's supports maxed out. ^^ I own nothing!!!

雪～Never too old to play in the snow～雪

～雪～

Stocking covered feet padded slowly down the hallway, past the room where the girl's father slept. Lilian glanced at it, and thanked the gods that her father slept like a rock; he wouldn't be up for another half-hour, at least. Smiling, the young blunet trotted down the hallway, cat quiet, her boots in one hand while the other was stretched out in front, in case she should run into something in the pale light of the winter dawn.

'The stairs should be … here!!' Lilina quickly grabbed at the railing beside the servant's stairway in order to keep herself from somersaulting down them. As it were, she was grateful that those in the castle who were up at the moment were down in the lower levels, and nobody was around to see her brief moment of clumsiness. 'Well, I found them.' Lilina thought to herself, and quickly headed down, her ears perked for anyone that might use the stair as well.

Fortunately, nobody was around when she clambered out of the servant's stair. Smiling in victory to herself, Lilina walked on down to the slush room and pulled on her boots. Reaching for her winter coat, the girl was nearly startled out of her skin when her father's voice asked behind her, "And where do you think you're going, Lilina?"

Squeaking, Lilina dropped her coat on the floor and turned to face Hector. Blushing brightly, she folded her hands behind her back, eyes drawn to the floor between them. "G – Good morning, Father …" She demurred, looking up at Hector through her sapphire blue bangs. The tall noble raised one eyebrow as he stepped closer, a small smile tugging at his mouth.

"That isn't answering my question." He teased, and was rewarded with a bright blush on his daughter's face. "It's nothing too important, but for you to sneak outside before breakfast …" Hector trailed off, and watched with nostalgic amusement as Lilina scuffed the floor with a boot shod foot; her mother had done the same thing when she had done this as well.

"Well … there was a fresh snow fall last night …" Lilina replied slowly after a moment, once again looking up shyly through her bangs, a small smile on her face; true, she had been caught, but a little persuasion would usually convince Hector to let her go outside for a while. "And since I have no lessons today, I wanted to go outside for a while." She finished, and was greeted with a soft sigh.

"Aren't you a little old to be playing in the snow, Lilina?" Hector asked weakly, although he already knew what her response would be; Florina would give him the same one every single time as well.

Like he had expected, Lilina looked him dead in the face, and her cheeks puffed out slightly. "Never!! Father … please, I am not too old to be out in the snow!" She half whined, half begged, a pout pulling on her lower lip. Hector chuckled at the response, shaking his head in amusement. True, Lilina had his hair and eyes, but her attitude was all her mothers.

"Hector~ just for a short while??" The memory whispered in his head, and Hector could see Florina standing beside Lilina, poking her forefingers together as she gave him that adorable look they both knew he couldn't resist. It was only a memory, however, and soon it was gone, leaving Lilina, pouting. Hector finally surrendered with a sigh; if there was one thing that Lilina had gotten from both of her parents, it was her stubborn streak.

"… Can you at least wait until after breakfast?" He asked, shaking his head in mild irritation. Lilina – who knew when she had won – perked up and nodded, wrapping her arms around Hector in a warm hug.

"Thank you!!" she squealed, acting like she was only four instead of twelve. Hector chuckled at her silliness and ruffled her hair, amused.

"Just like your mother; I can never say no to you for the life of me." He commented after a moment, a smile on his face still. Lilina looked up at him, and smiled at her father.

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked playfully, pulling off her boots and hanging her coat back up again. Hector's response was to roll his eyes and shake his head, smiling lightly. Lilina scoffed at her father, and trotted past him. Stopping after she passed him, she realized something and turned to look at him. "Father?? Why are you up so early??" She asked. Hector looked at her, and his smile changed instantly to a playful smirk.

Lilina knew what the smirk meant, but couldn't avoid the handful of snow that was patted onto the top of her head. Letting out a faint cry at the sensation of the snow melting and running down her back, Lilina looked up at Hector with a dumbfounded look. Hector simply laughed, the smirk still on his face.

"Well, like you said, 'I am not too old to be out in the snow'!"

～雪～

Short, fluffy, and it wouldn't leave me alone until it went up. ^.^ Happy holidays!!