Cherry Blossom Snow

Friendship

After school, Nanette brought Mia, Evangeline, Iminathi, and Pwalvaserk to the parking lot to meet her nineteen year-old brother, Lloyd. He had pale skin, ash-blond hair, and blue eyes. He wore round glasses and a long white lab coat, and carried himself with a scholarly demeanor.

"Hello, dear brother," Nanette said to Lloyd. "I would like to introduce you to my new friends."

Lloyd looked at them with an analytical gaze. "What are their qualifications?"

"They're nice enough and they don't completely hate me yet."

With a hint of skepticism, Lloyd addressed the group, "Then hello, children. While I believe that you may be useful as test subjects, I am not interested in getting to know you. Nanette, are you sure it's safe to continue attending a public school?"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"What do you all normally do after school?" asked Iminathi.

"I'd ordinarily just go directly home," said Pwalvaserk. "But that was because I didn't have any friends."

"Well, now you've got us as friends," Nanette chimed in with a mischievous smile. "I've always wanted to befriend some primitive savages."

Reaching for her gun, Mia turned to Nanette. "Remind me again why I allow you to continue living."

Nanette paused to think. "So, the King put my brother in charge of the weather this morning."

Confused, Pwalvaserk asked, "What?"

"He's now officially in charge of the weather control systems," Nanette clarified.

"Weather control systems. I didn't know there were any," Evangeline admitted.

"Well, there are. There's an array of geosynchronous satellites and a fleet of drones, which together are usually just used for stabilizing conditions and rarely for anything drastic. But I'm sure if we ask nicely, we can get some snow," Nanette teased.

Mia gave Nanette a stern look. "You'd really disrupt the entire city and also cause incalculable effects on global weather patterns just to be fulfilling such a selfish desire?"

Nanette, undeterred, replied with a smirk, "Of course."

Despite her initial disapproval, Mia found the idea intriguing. "Very well. I'm in."

"I love snow," Iminathi chimed in enthusiastically.

"Sounds fun," Pwalvaserk agreed.

"If that's what everyone wants," Evangeline said, "I'll go along with it."

Nanette and her brother took residence in Clarence House, a Royal home adjacent to St. James's Palace. The entrance was protected by members of the King's Guard, who allowed the children to pass at Lloyd's direction.

"I must say, I'm not really a fan of the military," Evangeline confessed nervously. "Their presence makes me uneasy."

"Why is that?" asked Nanette.

"They're essentially just a state-sanctioned terrorist organization."

"I suppose that's an acceptable reason," Nanette acknowledged. "Mia?"

Mia didn't mince her words. "Down with the Empire and death to the King."

"I get a feeling you're not a fan of the monarchy."

"Or imperialism," Mia clarified with conviction.

"I gathered that." Nanette contemplated Mia's perspective and asked, "Well, what do you propose as an alternative?"