these lights get bright | keoki

Snow crunched under his boots as he led the way outside and into the backyard, the November chill hitting him in the form of a frigid breeze. He pressed his lips tight and allowed his body temperature to adjust until it might as well have been a summer evening if not for the blanket of snow that covered the yard. Almost two feet, he remembered from watching the news. It wasn't much, not for a Canadian winter, but it was enough to annoy him. "I hate the snow." As one of his closest friends, Josh was sure that Keoki would be aware of this small fact. All the same, the Fire felt the need to ensure it was known as he started across one of the perfectly cleared paths from the back door of the foyer further into the yard. Being a Fire had some perks, such as eliminating the need for snow shovels. It didn't make him any more fond of the season, however, for his powers were not at their best during this time of the year and his stamina took a hit. That margin of difference became less and less noticeable as his college years had flown by but he had knowledge of its presence no matter how little it affected him and this irked him.

Despite the wintery conditions, the two friends had decided that a game of tennis sounded like a good idea. It was the only sport that Joshua was good at and so the tennis court in the backyard of the mansion was a welcome addition. Tennis was the stereotypical sport of rich white folks in country clubs and much as he fit that stereotype to a t, it wasn't the reason he enjoyed it. No, he liked tennis because it didn't involve teamwork. He'd always been better on his own than working as part of a whole, mostly because he had his own ideas and liked to have the freedom to alter things at will.

He lifted a hand to clear a new path through the snow, the white crystals seeming to shrink away from some invisible force as the concentrated heat wave snaked through the yard. It took only a few moments to assess the state of the area. There were icicles forming on the fence and snow blanketed both sides of the court, a clear sign that it had not been touched in a while. "I haven't played in a bit. Been too busy for that. Might still kick your ass, though." The confidence was real but the cocky tone in his voice was an act put on for a friend. Anyone who'd known Josh for more than a couple years learned to recognise that his too-serious sense of humour wasn't always as literal as it sounded. He had an ego but it wasn't over-inflated and he hated to brag about his skills unless he was positive he had something in the bag. He was very good at tennis, had been playing since he was a kid, but that didn't make him invincible. A flick of his wrist had another wave of heat eliminating the snow and ice and leaving the court as warm and dry as a summer afternoon. The cold would creep back in as they played but he was not as concerned over that as he had been of slipping on a hidden patch of ice and breaking his neck.

He tossed Keoki a racket, hefting his own in his left hand and then twirling it once before tightening his grip. Hopefully I'm not too rusty, thought the Fire as he strode over to his own side of the court. He rolled a tennis ball under the net toward his friend. "You can have first serve." Would that give Keoki an advantage? Depends on if I've still got it. Talent could rust over time but he believed that it was never forgotten. Still, an early lead could mean the match. "Wanna call a bet on who takes the first round?" Joshua didn't see the problem with a little harmless gamble. He didn't even necessarily need to bet anything physical, it was the thrill of chance that excited him.