New Year's Snow * 2026
Summary
Belle and Thomas spend time together.
This work touches upon mild mature topics, viewer discretion advised.
content warnings
- Mentions of character death
- Casual mentions and downplaying of familial abuse
Ms. Dama’s apartment is modestly decorated, hints of a bygone era remain uniformly with the modern spectacles and touches compulsory with building complex upgrades, provided and subsidized for and by C.O.G.S INK. Ms. Dama however will be the first to inform you what original still remains to her house, what upgrades she refused to get cause of quality and taste (or lack there of).
When Thomas arrives, she’s already left the gate to her apartments door unlocked and open for a visitor. Multiple fans spin idly in different rooms, it relieves Thomas’s cooling system even if just a little. Belle wastes no time requesting Saggs to invite himself into the kitchen, she’s finished preparing a boiling pot of water for her tea accompanying her breakfast meal. It is 5:30 pm on the clock.
Belle and Thomas catch up with each other, their ordeals within and out of work from the last time they’ve met up like this. Belle insists that Thomas indulge in some spare biscuit packets she has left in the cupboard, barely touched. Belle thinks her home cooked cookies are better, but it doesn’t hurt to have spare snacks around.
Thomas tells her that they’re apparently much lighter in flavor than her tried and true crude oil recipe, maybe some day she’ll finish those boxes of this brand. It truly delights her to have somecog around, a cog she held dearly to her heart.
Saggs may be a few years younger than her, but Belle still can’t help but envision him as a young boy no older than twelve, scrafing down biscuits in one go and leaving crumbs behind. Belle can hardly contain her giggling at Thomas’s bashful demeanor once she calls his behaviour out and calls him cute. He really does remind Dama of her children once upon a time, he ought to stop apologizing for her teasing, can’t Thomas see she’s enjoying herself with his presence?
Despite their friendliness, the dining room slash kitchen becomes very quiet very soon, with the occasional silence broken up between them by some small talk, the questions you ask to seem polite and break any tension. Belle expects this to some degree, not everyone is a chitty-chatty as her, not every meeting can be as colorful and lively as the knitting club. Years of family reunions and get togethers that slowly devolved into glorified sitting and waiting to leave events prepared her for the silence. That’s just how people are, that happened to be how Thomas is, as hard as he strains to be social and active for Belle.
She appreciates the effort, it’s more than her families interactions with her she’s gotten as of recent.
But Belle and Thomas can’t just dillydally the remainder of the day, Saggs finishes up the biscuits he was given and Belle finishes her late meal of porridge and tea, Belle instructs Saggs to wait for her in the master bedroom while she cleans up.
Thomas is a sweetheart for offering to help with what little he can, but Dama dissuades him. A Dama’s got to do her part, whether with living or at her job. She knows she’s getting too old to still be as active as she is, most cogs wouldn’t even be working in her position! But the retirement money doesn’t last forever, Belle needs something to do that makes her useful, to her family, to C.O.G.S INK even god himself. She’s been an independent lady for decades, Dama will manage it.
Once the dishes are rinsed and settled, the table wiped and clean of any pests and the stove dials and electric switches are appropriately turned off, thus preventing the percentage chance of a fire occurring, Belle slips into her bedroom.
Thomas Saggs sits at the foot of her king sized bed, anticipating her arrival since he entered, Belle shuts the door for some privacy.
“You know, I oughta renovate this house if I had the money” she’s mentioned this desire of hers to Thomas, this isn’t the first time she’s said it.
“I hope you get to. It’d certainly be pleasant.” Thomas knows Belle well, well enough to not bring up the previous options of a remodeling from C.O.G.S INK itself, she definitely qualified. Saggs may be her superior but she can’t help but criticize any building upgrades the company offers, even as a loyal employee of many years. No hard feelings.
If Belle had it her way, she would love to hire whichever company her late mother employed to design her home back in Suitopia, she remembers it clear as day. Still as beautifully and thoughtfully decorated in it’s hay days before her mother’s passing, before the eventual clearing and sale of that house.
Thomas mumbles out replies of agreement to her story regarding her mother’s design taste and following in her footsteps, even as a lawbot. Belle enjoys talking about the past, before C.O.G.S INK started up, before Thomas was even created.
Belle fires up story after story of her younger years as Thomas listens, he multitasks between helping wipe her back of dust and gunk built up on her shell, all the parts that she can’t quite reach anymore. She recounts her days as a young boy, way before Suitopia became the monopoly it is. The growing pains of the ever evolving city and her broken family, she knew her mother and father loved her dearly but they were far from perfect.
Belle can’t help but wonder about Thomas’s home life as a young boy himself, of course she knows his journey through boyhood was different from hers, she wasn’t born yesterday. But her mind wanders on his childhood, especially after the responses he left of Dama’s family story.
Dama tells him that he shouldn’t feel too bad for her, she’d gotten the short end of the stick when her parents separated, being forgotten in the split down the middle out of her siblings. The most attention her father gave her before that was through harsh beatings, but she knows he loved her, even if he knew her by another name.
She forgives her parents, she forgives her children and her grandchildren. She does so cause she recognizes the faint look of concern and horror Thomas gives her whenever she finishes her stories. Belle lets Thomas know that it wasn’t all bad, that’s just how family is.
Belle wanders if Thomas’s home was much like hers, but she pre-emptively forgives his parents, Thomas doesn’t seem to enjoy talking about his homelife but Dama hopes he can bring himself to forgive them too.
Thomas and Belle remain silent yet again, Belle uses this time in between them to take a quick smoke out of a cigarette she had left out. Poor habit passed from her parents and her late husband to her, she swears she’ll quit one day.
Finally, Thomas finishes wiping Dama’s back, discarding the wipes used in the nearest bag disposable. Belle fishes out a ten dollar note and coupon for him, relenting with his obligations against taking what’s rightfully hers. Belle laughs it off and insists that he use it better than her, she’ll manage.
Walking into the living room, Belle makes note of how much time has passed and allows for Thomas to leave, making vague arrangements for their next meet up whenever, Belle smiles and thanks Thomas for being such a gentleman as usual, he’s really a sweet boy.
They wave and bid each other goodbye with messages of luck and wellness trailing the further Thomas walks away from her apartment door, Belle sighs and settles back on her bed. She can’t wait for the next knitting club session, maybe she should call Cassie or any of her family soon.
.
.
.
She hopes they respond.