28 Blind Dates: After the Costumes (Part 32)

The Business Trip – Day 1 (2)

Merlin and the triplets gear up for cold weather and prepare to attend the Festival of Snow. The triplets are excited to see the ice sculptures, including a playground that looks completely covered in ice. Merlin is more eager to challenge the triplets to a Snowpal building challenge. He and Me-Me get together to compete against Jay and Lia, although they don’t feel the need to declare a winner.

The day gets even better when the triplets discover that Yamachan is giving out free Simmi Capsules. They each take a turn getting their gift and opening the box. They end up with an uncommon Mayor Whiskers, an uncommon Madame Zoe, and a common Princess Cordelia. It’s a great start to their collection.

Now it’s time for Merlin to introduce the triplets to some of the more active snow activities. He decides to start them out with something that he feels will be the safest – sledding. They race over to the bunny slopes.

Melisa: Can I go first, daddy? Please!

Merlin: Sure, since you asked so nicely.

Merlin and Me-Me make their way to the sled. What seems like a harmless slide down the slope appears to be a bit scarier than either of them anticipated. The sled sails high in the air after the first bump.

Melisa: *terrified* I want my MOMMYYYYYY!

The sled lands hard, and they practically fall out.

Merlin: Hold on tight, Me-Me!

They manage to stay in the sled and slide the rest of the way without incident.

Jay is up next, and despite seeing his sister and dad almost fall out – he’s still incredibly enthusiastic about sledding with his dad.

Merlin and Jay enter the sled, and then Merlin slowly pushes them closer to the slope. They hit the edge just right, and the sled slides down fast. Unlike his sister, Jay is pumped up the whole way down.

Jalin: *hands up* Wheeee!

Merlin: Maybe you should hold on just in case.

It’s too late, and holding on wouldn’t have helped anyway. The sled reaches the bottom of the hill, then it suddenly tilts, spilling Merlin and Jay out onto the snow. Merlin and Jay land hard. Once the momentum slows and they finally stop sliding, they lay where they are for a few minutes to ensure they’re not hurt. Merlin immediately feels some pain in his butt and lower back, but Jay jumps up as if nothing has happened.

Jalin: That. Was. AWESOME!

Merlin is glad that Jay’s not hurt, but he definitely wouldn’t classify their spill as “awesome.”

Merlin hesitates as he makes his way over to Lia. After that last fall, he realizes he’s not as young and adventurous as he once was.  He’s ready to go home, drink some hot tea, and snuggle with his wife. He’s beginning to think Jalisa had the right idea when she decided not to join them at the festival. But he can’t let Lia down. He has to brave this one final ride down the hill.

Luckily, they make it down the hill without incident. Merlin thinks that Lia may be his lucky charm, and his back thanks her for that. The Festival is all lit up, and the kids are not ready to leave, but Merlin is – so he leads them away as quickly as he can.

They arrive at the rental. Merlin finds Jalisa in the pool. He guesses that it must be heated because he knows Jalisa would never get in if it were cold.

He and the triplets change out of their winter wear. Jalisa showers and joins them in the kitchen. The kids entertain her with excitement about the festival while Merlin prepares a simple dinner of Tofu Chicken Saltimbocca.

Jalisa checks in with Merlin as they all sit down to eat.

Jalisa: Are you okay?

Merlin: I’m still trying to decide. Jay and I fell pretty hard while sledding.

Jalisa: Yeah, he told me.

Merlin: I could maybe use a massage later.

Jalisa: Glass doors and nosey children, remember?

Merlin: Right

Jalisa: But maybe we can soak the pain away at the bathhouse tomorrow.

The triplets are exhausted after their full day of fun. They eat silently and head to bed without argument, which seldom happens.

Jalisa is sure they will sleep soundly. Maybe she can give Merlin that massage after all.

BDC: After the Costumes Summaries | read from the beginning

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