To The Mountains

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric smiled, slowly moving towards her and stepping up in front of her.

"Well." He said as his arms came up and slipped around her waist. "We have to find a site, then try to discover how best to build it, then properly mark it. I figure we'll be here for at least a few hours."

There was amusement in his voice, as though he were teasing her. Of course a few hours was an exaggeration, in fact they could very likely be done within the hour. He had already taken aerial surveys so he knew a general location, but Danger didn't know that. It was better to tease and coax her a bit, get a reaction out of her. His arms pulled her close, until their respective winter clothing made a swishing noise. "Now, personally I think you should try the ski's."

An innocent smile pulled at his lips.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Hours?

There was no hiding the widening of her eyes at that. Hours? Just the thought of that alone made her body give a slight shudder. Hours in the ice? The snow? The cold?

An expression of distaste would settle over her features, her nose crinkling and eyebrows drawing together. That better be a heck of an igloo, she’d muse, already wondering why she let the scoundrel convince her of such folly. At least, until he drew her closer, prompting her to tip back her head to see him, her mouth coming out of hiding from under her jacket’s collar. She caught that little boy’s smile.

He was always taller than her, even with her heels. She was already a rather tall woman, but even then, he still loomed over her. With the snow boots lacking any real height, she felt smaller in his embrace. Vulnerable even. That was a rather odd sensation to feel for a woman who was so highly independent. For the Danger in the past, allowing any man tak her in his arms without a by your leave was unheard of. Her past self would have given a bark of laughter at that; she trusted no man.

Funny, how things could change.

“Skiis?” a small puff of warm air fogged over her mouth at the grimace. How to turn this around… “I reckon that would still take time wouldn’t it?” she would counter, adding with emphasis a slight tap of her hand over his hip. It made a slight swishing sound coming from it as her gloved hands curled around the fabric of his jacket to hold him fast. “The cost to benefit ratio is pretty low. Reckon you would spend more time trying to figure out high and low of them skis with me than actual surveyin'"

Ah logic, that would work right? Unless he had some serious benefit under his sleeve? As a businesswoman, this was key. So much she mirrored his honeyed toned, “ One always considers the cost to benefit ratio. “

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric made a loud 'hmmmm' noise, as if he were truly pondering her words. He allowed himself to rock on his heels, tipping slightly as he gripped her and held her close, almost using her as a sort of support. His face looked as though he were deep in thought, and his nose raised in the air slightly as though he were attempting of really thinking of a solution.

"Well then what about snowboarding?" He asked her in a genuine voice. "I think you might fall down a lot at first, but...well have you ever used a hoverboard?"

He was teasing of course, but eventually he would get to what he wanted.

Alric's eyes flickered over towards the pile of sports gear, as if he was thinking of exactly what size board Danger would have to use in order to carry herself effectively down the mountain. His smile was an innocent one, his eyes were as big as a doe's and his body was pressed right up against Danger.

Perhaps he was laying it on a bit too thick.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

The expression and slow blink that was cast in Alric's direction made that a clear 'no.' It was as if she was saying, do I really look like the hover board type? Even in her youth, when she ran around with Nox as a kid, she didn't use a hoverboard. Podracer, a speeder, heck even a speederbike. There was enough salvage material to tinker about and make her own.

Plus the mention of falling a lot on cold snow was not on her bucket list. Her grimace would deepen, until she caught the over exaggerated doe eyed expression. Her green eyes instantly narrowed. Danger studied Alric Kuhn long and hard and wondered if he was pulling her leg. He glanced down at her, his expression as smooth as porridge.

As was his know-it-all grin.

"I’m gonna tan your hide one of these days, Kuhn." She muttered out through her teeth, a half scowl on her face. At any other time she would have shoved him back, however, with how close he was pressing himself onto her, that would only bring her down with him. But if she managed to slip away...

She went leaning forward, pressing herself close enough to get him tipping back. All she needed was a little shove.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric was about to say something, though unfortunately he found himself tipping back a tad too far.

It was a clever plan really, or maybe it might have been clever if Alric's grip on Danger hadn't been so tight. His face shifted slightly in shock, though more than a bit of mischief crept into him as he felt the feeling of falling beginning to creep up into his stomach. He quickly realized that there was no fighting it, no stopping it, so he decided to simply take her with him.

"Promise?" Alric said as he suddenly leaned back even further.

He pulled himself back, dragging Danger down with him as he fell into the snow.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Danger gave a sudden cry of surprised that turned into protest, she had tried to wiggle free but failed. His grip tightened and before she knew it, they both went tumbling into the snow. A flurry of the soft powder exploded around them as Alric fell back first, and Danger curled herself close to avoid any of the extra bits of snow.

They landed with a soft crunch, with Danger hiding her face against his chest. Ice crystals caught on her braid, scattered over his head as they sank onto the white. The sound of her gasp erupted by his ear, and she froze a bit as if expecting freezing bits to slide down her neck.

After a couple of seconds, her shoulders began to shake.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He chuckled.

Most of the snow was being blocked by him, up here on the mountain top the snow compacted and froze quickly, giving a nice thick layer to walk and lay down on. Yet the two of them laying on the white powder and compressed it slightly, and Alric and Danger together had pushed into the white power.

"We have to be careful, very easy to lose your footing up here." Alric said with amusement in his voice.

He felt a bit of cold on his neck, snow touching his skin and beginning to melt. The sensation sent a shiver down his spine, his arms involuntarily tightening around Danger and holding her close, even if she might have been about to beat him.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]


"You don't say?!" Danger's warm breath went curling by his ear with notable sarcasm that didn't quite hide the faint humor she felt. She gave a slight wiggle, bringing up her hand to smack his shoulder. But the way he'd tightened his embrace left her little room to move. Truth be told, she wasn't quite as upset as one might believe, even if her mock glare stared down at him.

"Well good thing being on your back ain't new," she quipped back, feeling the bristle of his jaw as she gave him some sass. Normally, she'd be quick to start getting up, but there was something intimate about his nearness that made her forget for a moment she was cold.

"Let me up." she finally said, intending to draw up on her knees to slowly start getting off of him.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Can't do it." Alric said in a voice that he tried to force to be serious. "I would freeze to death."

That was of course ridiculous, he had enough clothing to insulate him for a year and still not get frostbite. He could likely be in an avalanche and still be fine, but that wasn't the point. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave."

His arms wrapped fully around her, his hands crossing themselves to hold her in place.

The snow pressed up against him, and he felt a shiver run through his entire body. The feeling seemed to clash with the almost overwhelming sense of warmth that he felt. The jacket really was rather nice, the boots and pants too. He briefly wondered who actually made them. They had been rather expensive.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]


"Don't be ridiculous!" Danger told him, a half snort laugh relaying just how aware of where his level of poodoo sat. He held her tightly by the waist, and she found that the more she struggled, the more snow would rustle in her movements. Small wisps of the powder that had scattered on her hair and her face were starting to melt, the warmth between them spreading.

Her face lifted, and her nose brushed his cheek, his beard tickling the tip. She gave a slight crinkle of her nose at the sensation. Another shift at an attempt to unlatch herself from his grasp proved futile. A frustrated half laugh came to her then, "Force, you are infuriating!"

Funny how that phrase held less and less bit to it with every utterance.

He'd feel her shake her head, as if she wasn't quite sure whether to beat him or laugh at his gimmicks. It was strange, seeing her like this. Cheeks were flushed from the cold, and while she certainly held no delight at the freezing temperatures, she found her fingers curling in her gloves to tug him closer.

Turning her face up, she met the crook of his neck, seeing how the snow settled behind it. Alright. She stopped fighting it and let her weight sink against him from breastbone to toes.

"Fine, reckon you're stuck with me."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He smiled at her.

It was all so calming, relaxing. It didn't seem like that at first, it didn't seem like today would at all be relaxing. He had meant today as a way to tease Danger, to bring her out of that comfort zone, to place her in a situation that she wasn't used to. Alric didn't want to do this to be cruel or mean, he wanted to expand her horizons. Just like when he had confronted her, when he had yelled at her. All he wanted was what was better for her, what was good for her.

For once, he was the one helping her.

"I am indeed." Alric said quietly as his hands started floating down her body. "It's absolutely terrible."

She would feel the sudden press of his fingers, and when she looked up she would see a smirk on his face.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

“Is it?” her warm breath went floating by his lower jaw, catching sight of the smirk over his face. In that moment, Danger forgot about the snow. About the cold. About the fact that they were lying prone on the ground surrounded by a valley dusted in white. Instead they would focus on the man, his hands, and what he made her feel.

It certainly wasn’t the cold.

“You’ll have your hands full,” she told him, aware of the irony. For a moment she shut her eyes. It was an indulgence really, simply enjoying the pressure of his touch through the layers of insulation. Something she would have never imagined doing years before. Their interaction then rarely provided for any real semblance of an intimate embrace that didn’t revolve around their baser nature. Pleasure was pleasure. This was comfort.

It still was hard to express herself openingly to him. At times she caught herself still holding back. It was a process, but Alric was making it easier for her. He was patient. Constant. There with that devilish smile and the encouragement in his eyes. That wasn’t to say he didn’t enjoy stirring her up, he still did, but he did so in a manner that let her know it wasn’t in malice. He may not love her, nor will she ever be a replacement for the love of his life, but he cared for her. He wanted her company. At her age, after suffering in solitude, Danger was okay with that.

True at her core, Danger responded to actions that would relay she was desired and wanted. And at his teasing touch, her gloved fingers went curling tighter against his jacket, and she went pressing onto him like a Nexu seeking affection. A light kiss went drifting over his lower jaw, the bristles of his beard tickling her lips as she murmured, “I reckon the cost to benefit ratio is good enough.”