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Trisha and Casey had spent weeks fending off the sleeping fairy, so what was a few more hours of driving and enjoying Trisha’s confident company. She’d done well enough after he got home and spilled his guts again, and this morning, he was feeling nothing if not resolute. The confidence that brought at least gave him the ability to impress calm, and even satisfaction as they rolled down the I-84 in comfort.

This new truck was very luxurious. There was a lot of room; enough for Casey to have spread the back seat flat and laid all their stuff out for Trisha to access. Co-piloting an eighteen hour drive was hard work too, after all! While he had to focus, it was her job to entertain. She could easily do it, as he was so locked in from the latest dose that there was no chance of him easing off the road even a little bit. He didn’t need a lot to be entertained. 

It’d been three hours, and snacks had been opened up. A playlist had already been washed through… And yet, they hadn’t even left Oregon. They were close to a state border, of course, but not the one they were heading to, as Washington loomed to the North while they buzzed East toward Idaho. Casey chugged down the last few sips of a sugar free energy drink, slipping the empty can into the trash bag they’d set up before leaving. At this point, he figured they were so blended into the rest of the highway traffic that he’d be able to set the car into magical autopilot. 

Trisha would be able to smell strong honey, and without saying a word, Casey slipped his hands away from the wheel to let the car steer itself. He still had to guide it visually, so it was really just a trick to drive without his hands, but that was better than not. It gave him enough agency that he could pull out one of the grocery store sandwiches they’d gotten early that morning. Steak, cheese and egg. The browned up steak in the bun, covered with cheese, wasn’t something he usually went for, but smelling it now made his mouth water, and he took a massive bite out of it without hesitation.

Finally, he looked at Trisha, then down at the sandwich before looking back at the road.
[color=577d06]”These are actually pretty good. I’m glad I bought a few. Have you looked at places along the route you may want to stop for dinner at?”[/color] he asked calmly, smiling as he took another bite.

[color=d1b300]“Mhm. I've noted down a few along the stretch we should be in over the dinner hours. I wasn't sure when we'd actually be hungry, so I figured it'd be best to find some at different spots. It's a mix too, so if we feel like something specific at the time, I should have a place written down. They all sound nice, so I'd be happy to end up in any."[/color] Trisha replied with her own smile. Choosing a dinner place wasn't the easiest for her, considering she tended not to care about what she ate when she forced herself to have something. But she'd been able to narrow it down with a set of criteria: good reviews, casual and easy to access. 

She hadn't expected them to be driving, rather than taking a plane or even teleportation. But it made sense when she thought about it. It was completely in their control- they weren't tied to specific times or dependent on other people. And if Casey could use his magic to help him drive- though it was impossible to not feel a little nervous with his hands off the wheel- then it was a little less taxing on him. Though she had offered to take at least a turn at being the driver, which he'd declined. 

So she was able to relax, outside of her navigation, music and entertainment duties. None were really a problem. Talking to Casey was easy, especially when he seemed to be in a decent mood. For her, it being just the two of them was enough for her to relax. It didn't matter the location… She loved any time they spent together. The meeting with Lynette last night, and Trisha comforting him through the aftermath, had at least seemed to resolve some things. There was no more hesitation about going away… So she really hoped they'd be able to enjoy this. If she was honest, she was really glad to be leaving the city for a while. She felt calmer already being away from it all.

She was trying to decide what music to put on now to fill the background silence. The first playlist had been easy- something she'd made in advance from songs she liked, and songs she knew Casey liked. After that was a bit more difficult. Her music taste was boring, or nonexistent maybe. She liked listening to music but had often defaulted to purely instrumental music, classical purely for its ease of listening while studying. Her horizons had only expanded in university when she listened to what her friends liked, and figured out what she liked from that. It was the same whenever Casey played music he enjoyed to her now. 

In the end, she chose a playlist Cass had sent her a while back. It'd probably be fine. Warm guitar filled the car, followed by more intense drums. 

[color=d1b300]“Cass sent this one to me. She promised there wasn't anything too heavy… Maybe you're alright with really heavy music, but I just don't enjoy when they start screaming. I don't understand it."[/color] She explained lightly, twisting around to find a sandwich she'd picked out. She wasn't actually that hungry, but if Casey was eating one she should try to as well. It was the only way she'd get back on top of actually eating proper meals. A schedule. 

She bit down on the chicken salad sandwich she'd gotten, nose wrinkling immediately. It really wasn't that good… The vegetables were watery and almost wilted. The chicken was fine, but there wasn't much flavour to it. But it was food, so she'd eat it. 

She nibbled away at it, looking over at Casey and then at the sandwich he seemed to be enjoying much more. 
[color=d1b300]“Can I try a bit of yours? Just a bite… I wouldn't be able to eat a whole sandwich like that."[/color]

Pinching the sandwich, Casey twisted his arm and held the chunk out toward Trisha with a smile. He hadn’t been looking at her face when she took a bite of her own sandwich, but he didn’t have to see her to know that she hadn’t liked it. She wouldn’t have asked for any of his if she did…

[color=577d06]”There’s like six or seven of these in the bag if you like it better. Feel free to pick at one instead; I’ll get the chicken salad if you don’t want it.”[/color]

He was at least used to eating whatever slop they could come up with in the Army. After the war, the food got a lot better, but being out in the middle of nowhere meant K-Rations. Cans, little packs of candies, cigarettes… Shit every good soldier needed, but not always what one wanted. Better than nothing for sure; a sentiment that he could feel looking down at that chicken salad with a single bite through the front.

[color=577d06]”I packed a couple books. I figured you’d pick one, and I can read it to you while we’re relaxing. I’m pretty sure the cabin’s hot tub is outside too; did you check the weather? I think we’re gonna hit snow in Idaho somewhere, or Wyoming. South of Yellowstone. I’m hoping there’s no serious issues, but I did pack up a few blankets and pillows in case we need to spend the night here in the car.”[/color] he explained, thinking about the logistical necessities ahead. 

He was looking forward to dinner, even while eating a breakfast sandwich. Surely they’d be close by the time dinner was rolling around, given they practically said “screw it” around six that morning. There was no sense sitting around, after all. Not when there was nothing left to do or say or feel. Casey had honestly felt better around the St. Portwell city border. Getting on I-84 always felt like an escape, as it was the same highway that took him north toward Oregon. If he and Trisha hadn’t been so Hellbent on getting as far as possible from St. Portwell, Oregon may’ve wound up being a choice destination.

But, it was still too close to his elder sister’s personal domain. He knew there’d be no comfort without total separation from the land. It simply had to be done; distance had to be made in order to know what that absence would really mean. He knew it well enough, because he’d made it happen. The Military had, if nothing else, allowed him to feel that separation truly. To be his own person where he’d lived so drawn to a group otherwise. Responsibility, and a sense of self worth that he didn’t get from magical people. That his Mother would never be able to give to him fully…

[color=d1b300]“I’ve been checking our route, rather than the weather specifically. Watching out for warnings and closures and the like. Bad weather's part of that… But we're looking fine for now, any snow obviously isn't heavy enough to stop travel. I'll let you know if anything changes."[/color] She responded after enjoying the bit of his sandwich he'd given her. It was much nicer than hers, but also too much this early… Hers really wasn't bad. It just barely had any flavour at all. She could force herself to eat at least half of it. 

So she kept nibbling on her own, taking a few more bites before speaking again. 
[color=d1b300]“At least we've got plenty of room in here if something happens. We could probably make a nice bed in the back if we needed to."[/color]

She didn't seem to have any problems with the idea of being stuck in a truck overnight. She didn't, really. It was better than the one time she'd ended up stuck overnight in Cass' car during a trip they'd taken with Sal one summer… At least the truck had plenty of room, and Casey had brought blankets and pillows. Cass' car was small and there'd been nothing to make it more comfortable. 

[color=d1b300]“Though getting there and sliding right into a hot tub tonight sounds much more appealing."[/color] She continued with a warm smile towards him. She really was looking forward to that… And the whole trip. Being away. She was visibly more relaxed now that they were really away from the city. The perpetual anxiety was still there, but it seemed to be more dormant than it had been the last month. Since Thanksgiving… 

[color=d1b300]“Though I imagine you'll be too tired to read then, so we can save that for another day. But that sounds really nice too…"[/color] She paused, looking over at him with curiosity. A little question blooming in her mind that she easily asked now that they were more relaxed together. 
[color=d1b300]“Why do you like reading to me so much? Not that I mind, I enjoy just listening but… I was just wondering if there's any reason for it?"[/color]

[color=577d06]”I’m a crappy reader!”[/color] he laughed, eyes staring out at the highway as they barreled on.

[color=577d06]”I always had trouble with it as a kid. Never came naturally, I don’t know why. Visual things made sense, doing things with my hands made more sense… But, books? Instructions? If they didn’t have pictures, I was always hopeless. But, I ended up getting taught to read aloud, and…-”[/color]

He paused for a moment, a memory from the past flashing his brain in a wave of heat. It was a warm spring day. Clarissa’s hair had been tightly braided then, flush to her scalp and hanging down like a bundle of cables from her head down to her waist. She had a book in her hand, but she wasn’t just reading to them. She was [i]acting.[/i] The motions in the book, the expressions, like she could see every little thing going on, and painted the world out with her words [i]and[/i] her movement.

[color=577d06]”-I guess I realized it was a lot easier to tell what was happening when I used my whole body to try and imitate. That’s why I pause so much, and we laugh so much about it… Because I’m trying to contort into the picture I see in my head. You really help me out with understanding. I mean, it would help even if you just sat and listened, but… You get into it with me. And that’s special too. So, I like reading to you for all those reasons.”[/color] he gave her another solemn, vaguely satisfied glance as he munched another bite of sandwich.

Trisha nodded, understanding dawning across her face as he explained. While she didn’t have the same experience, she got what he was saying. She liked learning something like this about him… deeper than what had just seemed like a cute, maybe goofy activity. 

[color=d1b300]“I get into it because it helps me too. I don’t have any problems with reading or understanding the words… But I can’t really visualise it. It’s why I tend to read more realistic novels, because it doesn’t seem as important. But when you’re reading and trying to act it out, and I get involved, it really helps me [i]see[/i] it. I still enjoy reading myself, but it is more fun when you do it. Like you fill in the missing piece there.”[/color] She admitted herself, with a soft smile. 

It wasn’t really on the same level as struggling to read. That was the kind of thing that got you held back in class. But she’d never really had that imagination growing up- an ability to play make believe, or picture what she was reading. That combined with learning magic was real had completely turned her off something like fantasy as a genre, and made others less interesting anyway. 

[color=d1b300]“I guess we make up for each other's weaknesses.”[/color] She continued lightly, putting what was left of her sandwich back in the box it had come in. She’d managed to eat almost half of it, at least. 
[color=d1b300]“Nobody ever really read to me growing up… The nannies used to read a book to us in groups before we were sent to bed, but I refused to join in as soon as I was old enough to say no. So it’s extra nice to have someone read to me now, especially if it helps you out. I’m basically getting my own private play from the man I love! So it’s special for me too. More special now I know why you do it.”[/color]

Casey smiled back at her, shifting his sandwich hand and wiping it off on his pant leg before reaching across and taking her hand in turn.

[color=577d06]”You’d think admitting to not being able to read well would be more embarrassing than a lot of other stuff, but… Well, I guess now I have plenty of evidence that says I [i]can[/i] read fine. It’s something I’ve basically overcome, right? I do need to hit a dictionary sometimes, but plenty of people need to do that. Not so embarrassing when I’ve done so much work to fix it.”[/color]

He could recognize the irony plenty. His earlier problems and attitudes, especially surrounding his own condition and how it affected others, was the perfect example of a problem that needed time to be worked on. Just like reading, surely he’d be able to patch things up between himself and the people surrounding him by the sheer power of will that he had. He’d find some other technique, or refine the idea of the golden chain of moments, and he’d come through for Trisha and Leon, and Cass, and his other sisters… 

[color=577d06]”Lots and lots of work. At least there won’t be anymore nights like the last couple weeks. A chance to heal instead of letting the wound get split open again and again.”[/color] he added calmly, nodding at her with solemn confidence.

[color=577d06]”We’re definitely gonna make a day of going to see one of the ranches that I’m interested in buying out in Colorado. And I did do some talking with Greyson before he passed away, about what I should invest our money into and stuff like that. He even hooked me up with another person in the Midwest who I guess worked for him. Said he’d be able to get us started with [i]moving our money around?[/i] Which, I guess just means, like, investing it into stuff?”[/color] Casey shrugged questioningly.

Trisha frowned a little bit at that. She didn’t want to immediately doubt Greyson, especially not when he was now dead… But he’d been a criminal! The way that was phrased rang too many alarm bells. She wasn’t exactly experienced in investing, but she’d suffered through enough lectures from Ezra about how to avoid getting scammed or worse. Because then it would [i]reflect on the family name[/i].

[color=d1b300]“It might be… But it sounds like something that would be offered to criminals to ‘clean’ their money. There’s a chance Greyson didn’t tell him that we’re [i]not[/i] like him, or the guy just assumed.”[/color] She said evenly, holding onto his hand a bit tighter. The more she thought about it, the more likely that seemed. 

[color=d1b300]“Unless you mean… Greyson said that? I’m not sure, but [i]moving our money around[/i] just sounds suspicious to me. Rather than investing. It doesn’t need [i]moved[/i] anywhere. Maybe we should talk to someone else as well? Who isn’t connected to a [i]mafia member[/i]. Or, I guess, maybe check with Leon first?”[/color] Trisha bit her lip, before shaking her head.
[color=d1b300]“Sorry, I don’t want to make a big deal out of it… I’ve just never invested myself. My share of dad’s money is handled for me, and I get a certain amount monthly. But I was taught a lot about scams and the risk of getting tied to criminal activity- Because, y’know, it’d affect our reputation. So I guess I’m paranoid because of that.”[/color]

She squeezed his hand, taking a deep breath. No money had been moved yet. They just needed to be cautious about it, and not just do what someone suggested. 
[color=d1b300]“I’d really like to go and see one of the ranches you’re interested in together. Even if I don’t have much to say about which is better, it’s for our future so… It’ll be really nice to see it. It’ll make that future together feel closer.”[/color]

She didn’t say it, but it would make it feel more real too. She [i]knew[/i] it would be if they survived the coming months. But it was still difficult, even with Casey saying there wouldn’t be anymore nights like there had been recently. She [i]trusted[/i] him, she really did, but it was difficult to completely believe. Not until there’d been a few weeks without any nights like those… A month or two more without him wanting to break up again. She had to see it to really be confident in it herself. She loved him enough to try her best to fight through her anxiety, and it would be easier if what he said was true. Then she could heal as well.

The grin of mischief splitting Casey’s face only started to open half way through her thoughts about using a dead mobster’s financial advisor. By the time he had a chance to concede his joke as just that, she was already onto the ranch. That, at least, was something he could feel genuine joy and excitement toward.

[color=577d06]”I have a hard time believing you won't have anything to say. Sure, not much, but I bet we’ll see some kind of vista or landscape, and it’ll take your breath away. We’ll find a place that we both connect with, even in the dead cold.”[/color] he asserted.

Without touching the wheel, the vehicle listed into the next lane in order to let an impatient person pass them by. It was a fairly nice, old style American muscle car replica that the company had recently revived and tossed into an exorbitant price bracket. It was fast, loud, and overpriced, making Casey scoff at it without even bothering to toss his hands up on the wheel. It barely mattered at that speed, as the other driver wouldn’t even have the chance to look over.

[color=577d06]”I’m amazed I never got into cars. I guess guns take up the niche. Junior wound up interested in automotive, but pivoted into computers after Dad gave him a righteous lecture about taking Temple cars apart. I can’t blame him there, since it was always so easy to miss out on Dad’s points when he got like that. Old Man’s point was just to put the cars back together correctly. Junior heard ‘Just don’t.’ I guess.”[/color]

Trisha snickered softly at that. It didn't surprise her that someone like Junior couldn't see the nuance behind being told not to do something. Even if it was obvious, she felt like he'd take the rejection and go onto do something else out of spite. 

Not that she was much different… No, it wasn't the same. She gave up because she felt like she wasn't good enough at something. 

[color=d1b300]“Probably worked out in the long run, so we don't have to worry about our cars being tampered with. At least with computers we have Cass' expertise to balance it out."[/color] Trisha commented, gaze following the car speeding away down the highway. That was the kind of driver she hated when driving herself. They acted like anyone else on the road was an inconvenience or an obstacle. 

[color=d1b300]“It’s a good thing you're not super into cars, because you probably would've gotten upset the first time you saw mine. At least me knowing nothing about guns is expected. Not that I know nothing about cars, I just don't really care beyond having one to drive."[/color] Trisha shrugged. It was part of why she'd just pestered Ezra to give her one… And her inability to save her allowance at the time. 

[color=d1b300]“I’ll need to replace it when we move, though, to something that can handle driving in the middle of nowhere. Something small but sturdy, I guess… I can't expect you to drive me about everywhere in this. What if you're off digging a hole, and I get a sudden craving for some chocolate I can only get in the nearest town? I can't really expect you to run back home and drive me.”[/color] She giggled gently, not even thinking hard about the future she was talking about as she leaned back and looked at him with warm eyes. One where they could happily spend time apart.

[color=577d06]”We’ll find something with all wheel drive for you. I can winterize vehicles pretty well; at least the tires and stuff. I’ve tried a lot of different solutions to keep wheeled stuff from getting stuck in snow or ice.”[/color]

And that wasn’t a joke either. He’d been in plenty of moments where magic could’ve helped make driving a little easier, yet it always seemed so much harder in practice. He chalked it up to his unfamiliarity with auto components, leaving him questioning the overall integrity of anything he touched while leaving behind overall underpowered spells to do jobs they weren’t capable of. At least each new instance was a little easier.

[color=577d06]”Speaking of that, we usually don’t have a lot of snow sticking in St. Portwell… Are you gonna be okay in a place where the shit turns to ice as thick as a car?”[/color] he questioned her, smirking as the crappy conditions crossed his mind.

[color=d1b300]“You don't think I'll be able to handle it?"[/color] Trisha asked back jokingly, with an exaggerated pout. 

She hadn't really thought about it that hard. It was where Casey wanted to go, so she was happy to follow. Driving in those kinds of conditions would be difficult… She probably just wouldn't. But she was sure she'd adapt to it eventually. She was more of a homebody than anything anyway, so if it was really awful she'd just stay inside. 

[color=d1b300]“I’ll be okay. It'll take some time to get used to and I probably won't want to [I]drive[/I] in that kind of weather… But otherwise I'm sure I'll be able to handle it. If I somehow can't, I'll just copy actual bee queens and hibernate for the winter."[/color] She joked again. 
[color=d1b300]“I guess we'll see how I cope this holiday. But I'm not really worried… I enjoy being inside enough that I could hibernate for a whole season. And I know you'll do everything you can to keep me comfortable anyway. You can pull me along on a sled so I don't fall on my ass constantly trying to walk on car thick ice."[/color]

Casey was eternally grateful that the bees had their own wintering system worked out. That didn’t stop him from wanting to make sure they were okay, however, so the underground winter terrariums were probably still on the menu. He only wished there were still people from EDEN to consult when the time came… But, he had all the time in the world to figure things out himself, so he was confident it’d work out.

[color=577d06]”You keep talking about hibernating, and there may be a bear onesie in your future.”[/color] he grinned at her.

Letting the back of his seat fold backward, Casey pulled himself away from the wheel and patted his lap for Trisha to crawl across the center console into.
[color=577d06]”Careful of the shifter, and my line of sight.”[/color] he instructed gently.

Trisha nodded, shifting around in her seat and carefully climbing over. The moment she was in his lap she curled up against him, making sure her head was tucked in under his- though it wasn't hard to stay out of his line of sight with how much smaller she was than him. 

[color=d1b300]“I’ve already got a bee onesie, and bees [I]do[/I] hibernate. What would I need a bear one for? [I]You[/I] should get a bear onesie and hibernate with me. Then we'll be matching."[/color] She giggled softly, cuddling into him. 
[color=d1b300]“Since bears eat honey, so bears and bees go together. Sort of. Either way, it'd be cute. Then we can cuddle up in a warm house for all of winter."[/color]

It was a cute image, even if hibernating for all of winter was unrealistic… though she wasn't being serious about that. The bear onesie, though? She was pretty serious about that bit. 

[color=d1b300]“We can definitely find one your size. They go way up, cause they’re easy to make for any size I think.”[/color] She babbled a bit, unlocking her phone in her lap. It was on the app she’d been using for music, where she was half searching for podcasts too. It wasn’t normally her thing, but there was probably something that they’d both enjoy to fill some of the time. 

But right now she seemed to be on a mission, the idea put into her head as she swapped to a web browser. She did pause, tilting her head back to look up at him. 
[color=d1b300]“Would you wear something like that? Or would it be… Too cute?”[/color] 

[color=577d06]”It’s not, Honey… I’ll be your Honeybear. You can be my Babybee. And we’ll absolutely maul anyone we don’t like together.”[/color] he grinned back down at her, rubbing her arm and shoulder as she settled in completely.

[color=577d06]”Just, y’know, make sure you get a couple of wolf ones too. We don’t want anyone feeling left out.”[/color] Casey winked. 

He was already feeling so much more relaxed. There were only a few people who could make his life Hellish right now, and a normal suspect was totally discluded because she’d never been in his car! They were [i]safe[/i] traveling. 

[color=577d06]”D’you want to travel like Leon and Cass? Like, when we’re free… We could get an RV or something, and just make this full time…”[/color]

Trisha fell into a thoughtful silence rather than immediately answering. Did she want to do something like that? She actually had to think about it, because she knew answering with ‘if you want to’ was a cop out. There’d always been a picture in her head of what she wanted eventually- the idyllic home, loving partner and children. So naturally she wanted to jump right to that. But they didn’t necessarily have to. 

[color=d1b300]“Not like them, no. I think I’d get pretty sick of living in an RV after a few weeks. I know you could magic something so we wouldn’t have to worry about storage or anything, but it doesn’t really appeal. It’d be complicated with the bees too. I can keep them happy enough through Princess, but we’d need to circle back to wherever their hive was every couple of months. It would be stressful.”[/color] She replied eventually, before smiling slightly. 

[color=d1b300]“I’d like to do something shorter. Maybe just a month or two. I’d like to go overseas too… I’ve only ever been to the Philippines once and never anywhere else . Honestly, I’ve already been mentally planning our honeymoon. I figured we could do some big overseas holiday for that. But… I’m definitely not like Cass. I don’t want to be on the road for long. I know that I want to settle down with you, and do trips around it. Though a bit of travelling before we really properly settle could be nice.”[/color] 

Casey raised an eyebrow at the concept of a Honeymoon. That was definitely something he’d been remiss in considering, since he figured they’d have a lifelong position to do things like travel to their hearts content. Even with kids, he knew they’d make it out. It took half of a village to do it with the Richoux clan when he was younger… They traveled with [i]everyone[/i] that surrounded them. Furio and Clarissa, Andrade, Andy, plenty of other Temple staff, not to mention his Father’s employees who were there to work and study under the pressure of Gravity specifically. 

He’d never seen anyone get stressed out over arrangements, and the one time he traveled with Leon recently seemed similar in vibes. Leon kept it tighter, but that still meant twelve or fifteen people spread out between a few hotel rooms. If it was [i]just[/i] Casey and Trisha, he idly wondered how many kids they could handle.

[color=577d06]”Oh, that’s a good followup question-”[/color] he praised himself before continuing. 
[color=577d06]”-Do you want the kids to grow up with the culture? Filippino, I mean… I know you said you’ve only been once, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make up for all that lost time. I’d definitely like to wait to visit France until I know the majority of the trip will stick with them meaningfully. And, well, I’m not exactly sure the tribe’ll be welcoming me with open arms after this weekend, so I’m thinking I’ll let them explore that aspect on their own.”[/color] he explained, detailing his ideals openly.

Trisha felt like Casey had maybe skipped verbalising a few thoughts, because the followup question seemed like a pretty big jump to her. Sure, she’d mentioned that she’d only been to her Mother’s home country once… But otherwise she’d been thinking about the near future. The next year, a bit beyond that with the honeymoon. How did he get to their children and how they’d bring them up culturally?!

[color=d1b300]“How soon are you planning to get me pregnant?!”[/color] She blurted out, not quite able to clamp down on her confusion over the jump to actually answer his question.

Casey frowned slightly, not knowing how to reply.
[color=577d06]”Fuck, I don’t know, how soon do you [i]want[/i] to be pregnant!? What do you mean!?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Definitely not in the next year, probably not for a few- It’s just I was talking about travelling after everything’s done, and right after our wedding, and you suddenly jumped to talking about the kids like you thought there’d be at least one there already. Like we can’t visit France [i]ever[/i] until they're old enough to decide.”[/color] She looked up at him, brow furrowing slightly. 

[color=d1b300]“I misunderstood, didn’t I?”[/color]

Casey shook his head.
[color=577d06]”N-not about that last part? I literally wouldn’t bring them. I wouldn’t go to Europe with little kids who can’t appreciate what I want to show them… At least not, y’know, [i]home.[/i] There’s a lot of significance to our family in that country, I wouldn’t waste a trip just to hang around. That’s for, like, Greece. Somewhere in the Med.”[/color]

The part he was missing was that she didn’t automatically feel the same way. Or, if she did, she didn’t immediately reciprocate. 

[color=577d06]”Unless, that’s… The wrong way to think about it? Is that too much like my Dad maybe?”[/color] he asked nervously.

[color=d1b300]“No, no.”[/color] Trisha shook her head immediately, not wanting him to think he’d said something wrong. 

She didn’t have the same connection to the Philippines, because she didn’t have the same connection to her family. She tried to stay in touch with the culture and maintain her ability to speak the language because it was important to her. She loved her Mom, but there’d been no being brought up in it. The trip only happened because it was Maria’s legally bound custody time, and she needed to go back. 

[color=d1b300]“I don’t really feel the same, but I don’t think travelling that far with little kids would make sense anyway! They won’t remember anything, and it’d be a lot of stress with the long flights when we could go somewhere closer- but I meant [i]just us[/i]. [i]Before[/i] we have any children together. We jumped from travelling next year to travelling with kids, which confused me.”[/color]

She did her best to explain where her confusion came from, and that it wasn’t his want to not bring any future children of theirs to France before they were old enough. She wouldn’t push for something like that. She probably wouldn’t want to take them to the Philippines until they were a similar age, though it was more out of practicality. 

[color=d1b300]“It made me think you wanted kids before we even got married. But I’m really fine with not bringing them somewhere so significant when they’re too young. That’s not a problem. I don’t think it’s wrong to think that way.”[/color]

His frown only grew wider.
[color=577d06]”Oh… Like, [i]you[/i] want to go places. And see things. Before… [i]I’m such an idiot.[/i]”[/color] his face turned red, and Casey tucked it into his collar before clearing his throat and popping back out to keep watching the road.

[color=577d06]”It’d be ideal if we went to places that I didn’t spend a lot of time killing people in, but that’s basically unavoidable. I kind of did that to me, huh?”[/color] he asked, frown lingering.

[color=577d06]”I guess that feeling makes me hesitant. Makes me think that I’d only want to tough it out like that for the sake of our kids, I guess… But, that’s not true ultimately. You’re worth it.”[/color]

It was harder to be transparent about [i]this[/i] kind of thing. His reluctance to go and see places that had been full of pain for him personally. Everywhere had been affected by the war… [i]But could he go back to the Pacific?[/i] Could he see the jungles, the Chinese coastline and travel down around the Korean Peninsula to see that bloody strip of sand? And, what of sand? He figured he may cry if he ever saw the Pyramids again. 
[i]The horrors…[/i]

[color=577d06]”So, I guess… Where first? Abroad, I mean.”[/color] he offered, trying to push the thoughts out of his head as the enchantment on the vehicle wavered slightly.

Trisha looked up at him with a little frown, watching him carefully. He didn’t really look like he wanted to go abroad. He had just said he was hesitant but she was worth pushing through it… But she didn’t want him to force himself through something so difficult. She probably should’ve thought about that before bringing it up. But she really hadn’t planned to talk about international travelling until they got closer to their wedding, because it was mainly on her mind for their honeymoon. 

And if he felt it would be too difficult they could go somewhere else. 

[color=d1b300]“I was mostly thinking about Europe, honestly. There are so many countries in a continent not that much bigger than here. I’d really love to travel between them… But it doesn’t have to be soon. I’m not really someone who needs to travel like that. Maybe it would be nicer to wait. We’ll have plenty of time.”[/color] She responded. 

She didn’t want to push him and ask if he was really comfortable with the possibility. Not when he was [i]driving[/i]. 

[color=d1b300]“I didn’t really have any specific countries in mind, honestly, because there’s so much to see over there. I’d like to go back to the Philippines too, and bring you with me. I’m not close to most of my family, but I’d like you to at least meet the one cousin I keep in touch with. Maybe my Grandmother too. It would be nice to go there at least once before we have children because… Like you, I wouldn’t want to bring them over when they’re small. Not really because of anything sentimental, more the opposite. Either we avoid my family completely, or we have to deal with them- and I don’t really want my children to deal with that so young. They can be… Judgmental. But avoiding them completely is difficult too. Though I’d like to bring them up with at least what connection I have, and teach them Tagalog- but going over is a completely different thing.”[/color] She rambled a bit in her attempt to direct the conversation back towards what she’d originally directed it away from. 

But it was better than focusing on any feelings Casey had over the War right now.

It was then he realized that, in spite of feeling better being [i]around[/i] her, his attitude hadn’t really improved much. His [i]mood[/i] had picked up, but beneath it, he still found himself to be the person he [i]didn’t[/i] want to be.

[color=577d06]”It’s… A damn shame we don’t live in a more innocent world. Still, I [i]did[/i] want to go back to the Philippines too. I told myself I’d try my hardest when everything was better… [i]For me.[/i] Not, like… Obviously some scars last longer than others, and they paid a heavy toll for freedom. Brave motherfuckers.”[/color]

He was doing his best to avoid Europe. Having spent so much time there, and having seen the worst of what the word Atrocity really meant, he wasn’t keen to be there. He’d done a lot of helping after, as well, with the Relief Corps. His Orange magic made him an incredible helping hand in construction and development, after all… And he found the wounds there to be equally deep. People were happy, of course, in a strange sense. Things were over. But, there was so much bitterness remaining. So many people he talked to all had the same question on their minds.

[i]All this? For what?[/i]

He couldn’t answer for the evil in man’s heart. He could only weep for the loss of life’s adolescence.

[color=577d06]”Where were you thinking for the [i]Honeymoon?[/i]”[/color] he let the question linger, seeing where the dart would land.

[color=d1b300]“Somewhere warm, and near the sea.”[/color] She replied without really giving a specific answer immediately. It had been her original plan- to start, at least. If they went overseas, they may as well visit the nearby areas of wherever they ended up. But she hadn’t really had a specific place. A favourite, maybe. But considering he’d mentioned wanting to go back to the Philippines and [i]not[/i] Europe… It probably wasn’t going to happen. Which she didn’t mind. 

[color=d1b300]“I’ve thought about a few places… Since it’s the kind of thing we’d decide together. Greece, Bali, the Maldives, New Zealand- though it’s not that warm. But there’s a lot of places I’d like to go. I guess rather than warm and near the sea, I mean somewhere scenic where we can choose to just relax or go out on adventures. I’d like to visit a few places in one area, I think. But… It’d be [i]our[/i] honeymoon. I’ve just been thinking about it because I’m excited.”[/color]

She did her best to not get more worried, hugging into him. His mood didn’t seem to be crashing or anything, even though something traumatic had been brought up. Not directly, but she was sure it’d brought up enough thoughts for him. 

[color=577d06]”D’you think it’s too cliche for us to go to, like, Mexico? Or some place down in South America? Or, is that where your family vacations usually were? I think visiting the deep south pacific would be cool. I was in Hawaii for a little bit, but New Zealand or Australia would be [i]pretty[/i] cool.”[/color] he conceded, knowing he had people he could look up in both countries.

He wasn’t sure if the fresh water in the South Pacific was different from what they got up North, but it seemed like everyone on that side of the world fought like they were entranced. There was a battle fervor among those hot blooded people born and raised down in the beating sun… He owed a couple Aussies his life, at least.

[color=577d06]”Hell, maybe one of the smaller islands? I hear they’ve been getting a lot more traffic to those old revitalized resorts and shit like that. Andrade was talking about getting down there and laying low.”[/color] he admitted, not thinking about how it may’ve turned her off that there was any chance of seeing Andrade Salamente in the near future.

Trisha bit her lip, trying to clamp down on the giggling his question about family vacations elicited. [i]What[/i] family vacations? 

[color=d1b300]“I don’t really want to bump into Andrade- or anyone we know- on our honeymoon, but that would be nice if we know he won’t be on the same one. Honestly, I’d be happy to go anywhere nice with you… I’d just prefer to go somewhere out of the country where we can do things together. So we can really celebrate our marriage and relationship.”[/color] She looked up at him with a small, soft smile. It was a romantic thought… But it was why she wanted it to be more than just going to a different state.

[color=d1b300]“New Zealand, Australia, one of the smaller south pacific Islands… They’d all be nice. [i]Even[/i] South America, if you’d really rather not cross an ocean. I’ve never been, by the way.”[/color] At that, she couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. Even if she was a bit more nervous than she had been before they talked about this, she wasn’t at all upset. He was fine with some of the places she’d suggested, and even added some of his own. 

He wanted to go on a honeymoon with her. That was what mattered most. 

[color=d1b300]“That one trip to the Philippines is actually the only time I’ve left the [i]States[/i], not just gone overseas. Mom doesn’t really do holidays, and Dad didn’t want to bother with all his children no matter how much help he could hire. He’d just throw money at one of the resorts in the state once a year, and dump us there. So even South America would be new to me.”[/color]

Casey’s face became emphatic disgust. For all his theories about old man Vanburen, nothing really redeemed that kind of behavior in his eyes. Maybe his mother had kept them all close because she was a megalomaniac, but he could still confidently say she’d been present. And, at least in his memory, definitely made it seem like she [i]wanted[/i] to be present too. She had her moods, her own distant periods, and times where she wanted to make her problems others’... But, she loved them. 

And so did his Dad. There was no question about that after last night. Elise’s new [i]condition[/i] would hopefully help her smooth the transition of things out with the actively splintering Outer Ring and Aberration factions suddenly drawing sand lines in the early hours of the dawn. 

[color=577d06]”I hate that all that was taken from you. Your whole childhood, basically. All that warmth, all those good feelings… Maybe someone would feel worse for me, that I got as much of the stick as I got the carrot… But, ultimately, I’ve got good memories that people can’t just take away from me. Your folks just… [i]God[/i], it’s really discouraging. But, y’know, it does make me want to get there with you even more. I want to make your world brighter. Brighter than I do now, even.”[/color] he rubbed around her back and shoulder before pulling her in tightly.

[color=d1b300]“I’d like that. I’d really like to see more of the world with you… Even if it sucks that I never went anywhere growing up, I’m glad you’ll be the one I get to do it with. You’ve already expanded my world a lot.”[/color] She said quietly, curling in against him. She didn’t want to get sad about her childhood, not while they were on the way to their first holiday together. But it was inevitable in a way. Especially as her birthday creeped closer, and that horrible hope that her Mom would at least acknowledge it this year. 

[color=d1b300]“I resented them a lot growing up. I resented a lot of my siblings too. The feeling was stronger towards Dad, because at least Mom was sort of there when I visited her over the summer. But whenever I went back to school after the holidays, everyone assumed I’d been on some expensive holiday abroad because of our money. I’d always lie and make something up about how we spent the whole summer in Australia, or travelling Europe, rather than admit I’d spent the whole summer on the East Coast again studying in my Mom’s house.”[/color] She continued, letting the feelings tumble out. 

[color=d1b300]“If I’d asked, Dad would’ve sent me anywhere. He sent one of my sisters to boarding school in France because she asked, and another to England. But that would’ve been going somewhere alone. It wasn’t exactly a family holiday, or because he cared emotionally. He probably thought doing stuff like that [i]was[/i] caring.”[/color]

Casey shrugged, not wanting to force his feelings and opinions back onto her. Especially when none of them were good to begin with. He could feel however he wanted forever; it wouldn’t change the reality that had been her situation then. He could only help her toward a better future. A future for them both.

[color=577d06]”I love you… We’ll do better together. I know we will.”[/color] was all he could muster in response to the unfortunate nature of the circumstance.
[hr]
Another nine hours of driving, and dinner time rolled around. 

They ended up in a small, cozy diner in a town just off the highway. It was the closest place on Trisha's list for where they were that they could actually sit in- the other place she'd noted down being a small Chinese that only did takeaway. They'd both agreed they wanted to get out of the truck and stretch their legs, so the diner it was. 

It was snowing, though not so heavily it was a problem for driving on the highway. It only became more obvious as they pulled off, streets becoming smaller until they reached the outskirts of the town. The diner clearly catered to travellers like them, being just a bit outside of the town itself with a reasonable sized parking lot. The snow was lying thicker here, resulting in Trisha bundling up before they made the short trudge from car to diner. 

The long travel had been surprisingly fun for her. She stayed engaged aside from a few hours in the middle where she fell asleep, so comfortable curled up in Casey's arms and just managing to scramble over to her own seat before drifting off. She woke up from her nap with renewed energy, chatting for a bit before finding a podcast to put on that sounded interesting. It was about ridiculous or weird stories from history, and ended up fun for both of them. 

Especially when they'd start theorising whether the weirdness of certain events was because of [I]magic[/I], and what kind of magic it would've been. 

The inside of the diner was cozy and warm, relatively quiet even at this time. There were only a few other groups inside, and they’d been shown to a quiet booth in the back corner by the friendly waitress on arrival. She took their immediate drinks order, before leaving them in peace to peruse the menu.

[color=d1b300]“This is nice. It’s quieter than I expected, but I like that.”[/color] Trisha commented, beginning to strip off the too many layers she’d put on for the brief walk in the cold. Her nose and cheeks were flushed from the frigid air suddenly turning warm, made more obviously as she pulled off her scarf and hat to reveal less red toned skin. She realised it had been overkill to put on her thick down jacket and a second jumper as she took them off… But she’d rather put on too many layers than too little. 

Removing the extra layers left her looking much more normal, with just her original navy wool jumper for warmth.

She glanced around before looking across at Casey with a smile. They were far enough away from other people that they should be out of earshot until the waitress came back with their drinks… Which meant she could ask about something that had popped into her mind as they got settled. 

[color=d1b300]“That podcast got me thinking… Well, what we were talking about did… How many historical figures [i]had[/i] magic?”[/color] 

Casey hadn’t bothered bundling up himself, the same sweater he’d worn through the whole journey still clinging to him now as they stretched themselves out in the booth seats. Though, watching her waddle around with so many layers on was cute enough that he didn’t even offer to enchant her single jumper to make it warmer. It was far more adorable to let her get all those clothes on and off… Which, he thought for a moment, made him a sick person. It was like torture, except with layers of clothes.

But she was also used to a life mostly bereft of magic. Someone doing something without the supernatural assistance of Adeptal life [i]seemed[/i] like cruel and unusual punishment probably wouldn’t think twice about just doing what needed to be done. Maybe they would, and the ensuing laziness would change their intention into something more accommodating… But, Trisha was better than that! She just did what needed to be done, and in turn, Casey got the treat of watching his beloved turn into a coat-covered marshmallow. 

And now that they were relaxed and warm inside, she was asking about magical history! He hadn’t done the best in his studying long ago, but Lynette had a wealth of knowledge that he’d been able to pull from and muckle through over the past couple of months. Not just anecdotal knowledge either; one of White Lux’s greatest tricks was the ability to read, receive, and store Recollections for later viewing. All it took was coming into contact with a willing seeder, and suddenly one could witness hundreds of years of history with incredible clarity and detail.

[color=577d06]”I’m pretty sure the number is less than you think, but still a surprising amount. My thing is: How many organizations have been run by supernatural individuals overall? Because, like, you don’t need to have a hundred thousand adepts under your thumb to feel powerful, right? You just need to know how to project your own strength as, like, [i]one[/i] Adept. Like your Brother, for instance. Not exactly a guy who will be studied in the history books, but he’s definitely an Adept, and he’s definitely influencing large groups of people, even if it’s only in an employment thing.”[/color] Casey tried to parse out the concept, floating it across to Trisha for the return examination.

Trisha frowned thoughtfully at that. Was Ezra’s success down to his magic? It had probably helped, but she couldn’t really make a judgment on that without knowing exactly what he could do. He was an Orange Adept, but there was a variety of things that could mean.

Was her [i]Father’s[/i] success also down to his access to a myriad of Artifacts? It probably didn’t help with the business running itself, but his story from what she knew wasn’t one of rags to riches. He’d turned up with plenty of money already to start the Vanburen enterprise. [i]That[/i] money was probably obtained on his magical travels. 

[color=d1b300]“You’re probably right… He probably wouldn’t be [i]so[/i] successful if he didn’t have his Adeptal magic. He took what Dad was doing and has grown it exponentially. I’m sure he would’ve done well without it, because he was basically raised to take over, but probably not to the degree he has.”[/color] Trisha admitted. 
[color=d1b300]“I can’t even say he was definitely as smart before he kindled, because I don’t know when he did! And he’s fourteen years older than me, so he probably had magic before I have solid memories. But he always seemed like he knew everything.”[/color]

She knew Ezra was just an example that Casey had brought up to explain what he meant, and she maybe focused in on that a bit much. But it was always a bit easier to focus on the example rather than the wider picture. 

[color=d1b300]“Orange magic can be used on people to do more than just boost their magic, can’t it? It can boost generally, right? Could it be used to, I don’t know, boost productivity? Could he be doing something like that?”[/color]

Shrugging in return, Casey nodded calmly and took a sip of his drink at the same time.
[color=577d06]”Well… It’s generally Abstraction boosting. But, it [i]can[/i] be used like that in strenuous circumstances, or combined with other spells. That being said, I… Don’t really think your brother’s success has anything to do with his magic… I didn’t say that. My point was more like, uh…-”[/color]

He paused, hands shuffling slightly as he tried to parse out an explanation before coming back into the conversation. Then he grabbed the salt and pepper shakers, and started to fiddle with them for another few seconds before snapping his fingers and looking up again.

[color=577d06]”-Look, I know it’ll sound crazy, but it’s the idea of the Illuminate, and shit like that, right? You’ve got a relatively small group of people at the heads of power structures. They’re making decisions, doing what they want to, and trying to manipulate the world into a direction that will benefit them! So, suddenly, normal people live in a world that favors people like us… And all it takes, well… People like your brother! Industry tycoons, Investment brokers, second or third-tier politicians who run big counties or major cities… People who won’t end up with big sections in the history books end up being the ones who make shit happen. So, rather than how many famous people- Well, I guess you said historical figures, right? Do you consider someone with minimal public presence but maximum private influence to be a historical figure?”[/color] he wound up leaving the topic open for her to return.

[color=d1b300]“Uh, well I was mostly thinking about people in history books. The kind of people I’d know the name of.”[/color] Trisha admitted, rubbing the back of her neck as she thought about it. 
[color=d1b300]“I guess people with large influence are historical figures, just hidden ones. The kind of people who changed the world without making a big name for themselves… That is part of history.”[/color]

It did sound a bit crazy, because she struggled to see how someone like Ezra had been influencing the world like that. But there had been the Elite, who’d tried their best to influence the magical landscape of St Portwell while also having enough money to affect any major city decisions. 

[color=d1b300]“It’s a bit hard to imagine because the influence is hidden. It doesn’t really feel like the world has been changed to favour people with magic, but rather they already have a natural advantage over people without it. But… I guess you’re saying the people with magic have always had influence over the world? And that it’s probably affected how things have ended up more than I’d think it has?”[/color]

Casey nodded emphatically.
[color=577d06]”That’s exactly right. How could we know a world that wasn’t made for us when it’s been that way thousands of years?”[/color] 

Shifting, he leaned forward slightly and gave a wide-eyed expression.
[color=577d06]”You have someone close to you in your life who probably remembers a time when things were better for her kind, right? I don’t see any big Apparitional kingdoms or empires being run currently. We don’t worship spirits and idols like we’re in Sumeria, or have home-team ghosts. At least… [i]Not that we hear about![/i] And, like, that’s honestly fascinating. Like, even the War… So many countries started producing supernatural task forces, you’d think they were made for the express purpose of showing up in those dire hours. Like… [i]Big coincidence![/i]”[/color] he finished with a conspiratorial laugh.

Trisha tilted her head, looking a little confused. She knew a bit about ancient history thanks to the Queen’s memory- a time before humans expanded, when she had her own kingdom. That was destroyed when she was sealed… No, she was sealed to destroy it so the people could have the land. So in her case it seemed clear cut as to why she wasn’t worshipped anymore. Strong enough Adepts took her down, and human kingdoms took her place. 

But she wasn’t entirely sure what he was getting at when speaking about the War. 
[color=d1b300]“Do you mean most countries already had… Some kind of secret supernatural task force? Like something… influencing things behind the scenes?”[/color]

He nodded again, a bit less enthusiastically now.
[color=577d06]”Really, I think that the war never ends. And that’s honestly from experience. Hell, you’ve been told: While you guys were fighting the Stygian Snake, adults in the Temple were just fighting other covens! Like, [i]killing[/i] them! If that doesn’t scream ‘endless war’, I don’t know what does. It’s… Tiring. And scary. And, honestly, thinking about stuff like that just motivates me to stay strong. To stay in practice, so that the next big flareup that the secret rulers of the world can’t hide doesn’t catch me off guard. I’ve been soft once. That changed. Now, I can be ready.”[/color]

It was a bit depressing to think about, even though Trisha tried not to show it. That even when they’d escaped the current situation and gone somewhere quiet, there was always a risk there’d be some magical war somewhere that’d reach them. She’d already known there was always a risk of something like the Stygian Snake happening again, but adding onto that humans and their petty issues… It wasn’t fun to think about. 

She reached across the table for his hands, managing a bit of a smile. 
[color=d1b300]“At least we won’t be seeking it out. Our coven isn’t going to fight others. We’ll defend if we have to, but we won’t be seeking fights out. But if there’s ever anything that threatens our home, or country, or the world… Another big flareup, I guess we won’t be able to avoid it. But it won’t just be you this time. I’ll get stronger too. I already fought a multiversal threat as a teenager, I’m sure I can stay prepared for anything else that might happen.”[/color]

She hoped it wouldn’t happen, but it was better to be realistic anyway. 
[color=d1b300]“We’ll escape the war as much as we can, at least.”[/color]

Casey took Trisha’s hands more tightly, and for a moment his gaze lingered on those hands between his. He wanted nothing more than to heal, so that he could protect her. She was everything. If nothing else, she was [i]his[/i] everything.

[color=577d06]”You’re damn right… And if push comes to shove, we’ll live so far in the wilderness, they’ll need lidar scanners on drones to find us. And then I’ll just do it [i]better.[/i] We’ll be alright. I know I keep saying it, and that we should just make it happen, but it’s such an abstract thing, y’know? I kind of have to keep saying it.”[/color]

He thought back to how they handled things when the going got tough back in the worst days. All you could really do was dream of better times when you’re covered in sand, or snow, or mud, and you can barely feel your fingers because you lost the energy to maintain your clothing’s enchantments. He wasn’t sure if the behavior made her anxious, but the way she reached out, and her affirmations, gave him good enough suspicion.

[color=577d06]”I’m… [i]Sorry[/i]. I hijacked your topic. [i]Actual[/i] historical figures who were Adepts? Genghis Khan. One hundred percent.”[/color] he nodded, trying to shift the topic for both of their benefits.

[color=577d06]”He’s responsible for the largest strain of Adepts on the planet. I think something like seventy percent of Red Adepts owe their ability to tap into magic to the great Khan. Dude was prolific.”[/color] he went on to explain.

Trisha stared at him for a moment, before giggling. It was such a tonal shift, and a crazy piece of information to drop. She wasn’t even that surprised… It kind of made sense that a guy who had so many children was an Adept. Maybe it was part of why Red Adepts were one of the most common, from what she knew… A wild thought.

[color=d1b300]“Of course he was. Does that mean most Red Adepts I know are probably his descendants?”[/color] She let out a soft laugh, wriggling her fingers in his as she easily followed his topic shift. 
[color=d1b300]“Linqian’d probably blow up if someone told her she was probably related to him… Hmm, I don’t think any of my Adeptal siblings are Red. That would’ve been kind of funny, because Dad really was copying him. He just wasn’t an Adept himself, so he didn’t pass on anything there. Probably a good thing.”[/color]

She hummed thoughtfully. 
[color=d1b300]“So if Genghis Khan hadn’t had so many children, Red Adepts would probably be super rare?”[/color]

Casey shrugged.
[color=577d06]”I don’t know, if I’m being honest. Some of the eggheads in Eden seemed to think that there was a natural way of things, and that there are checks and balances for the amount of Lux in the world. They’d probably tell you that if it wasn’t him, there’d be some other genetically prolific individual from history responsible for Red’s profusion.”[/color]

It was certainly something to think about. Not exactly an experiment that they could conduct ethically, for obvious reasons. Making new life in a permanent fashion just to take that life away was morbid and cruel, matched only in its misery by doing it the natural way and leading a child’s life to the same outcome. Others had very recently had impetus to do such things, and now they were buried in war debt, and trials were [i]still[/i] ongoing to determine culpability. 

[color=577d06]”Do you know [i]how many[/i] different Apparitions that’ve been recorded who are analogous with Santa Claus?”[/color] he giggled, offering up a new angle on the concept.

[color=d1b300]“[i]That[/i] one doesn’t surprise me.”[/color] Trisha giggled back. 
[color=d1b300]“Some of them are made from strong beliefs, aren’t they? When you have whole countries of kids believing in Santa Claus… I guess it probably makes an Apparition every few years. I’m surprised there aren’t more Jesus Apparitions kicking around- or maybe there are? That would, uh, directly conflict with the Temple’s religion, wouldn’t it?”[/color]

Casey morbidly giggled.
[color=577d06]”Why do you think hunting and eating them is such a popular idea? It’s basically free magic; the fact that they can be distilled [i]back[/i] into some kind of physical form is the miracle at that point. Y’know, eating of the flesh and blood, all that?”[/color] 

Making a playfully grossed out face, Casey shook his head and leaned back.
[color=577d06]”I think some Apparitions are probably not meant to actually exist. Accidents, I guess. That makes it difficult to consider what to do about them. Obviously, they’re dangerous in the same way that packs of stray dogs are dangerous. And, usually, the solution is the same. Except, rather than getting euthanized, an Apparition usually gets put in a cup, or a stick of metal… Something mundane. But, aren’t they wasted like that? Like, why… I don’t know, sometimes it’s easier for me to come around to my family’s way of thinking. It’s the same with my Grandparents, and their generation. The New Dawn is famous for its Hunts.”[/color]

Trisha pulled a face at that. The whole eating Apparitions thing had never sat well with her. Not because she thought most Apparitions deserved to live- dangerous ones certainly didn’t. But eating something so filled with magic just seemed [i]wrong[/i]. It made her uncomfortable even without knowing the negative side effects… And those made her feel worse about it. 

[color=d1b300]“We’re definitely not doing anything like that in the future. Well… Hunting them is fine. Sealing, even if it seems like a waste. But we’re not hunting and then [i]eating[/i] them. Especially not with everyone coming off it now- I mean, is it even possible without someone like Andrade? It must be, if your Grandparents and their generation did it, but-”[/color] She grimaced a bit, before shaking her head. She didn’t want to sound too negative and upset him, and she didn’t really think he was suggesting that they go back to some traditional Apparition eating… Hopefully. 

[color=d1b300]“I know that’s not really what you’re suggesting. Just because you can understand it doesn’t mean you want to keep doing it… I hope? The trade off for that extra magic just doesn’t seem worth it.”[/color]

[color=577d06]”My family’s had this vassal family attached to us for hundreds and hundreds of years. Gourmands. Andrade apprenticed to them in the beginning, thanks to his Blue Lux. Father sent him there before he brought him back, and that was the trade. He’d become our family’s Gourmand, and our family would make sure he became what he did. Maybe a devil’s deal, but he seems to have gotten out of it relatively scott free.”[/color]

He didn’t answer the question of eating them at first. Because, frankly, [i]he liked the boost.[/i] They didn’t have that kind of thing in the military, obviously because of how difficult it was to source. If they’d been able to make it happen easier, Casey would’ve bet dollars to donuts that they’d have made a Gourmand program of their own. They wound up with plenty of raw material after all: Plenty of sealed up Apparitions go into the United States’ war vaults, when they could’ve been eliminated entirely and served as a Platoon’s dinner in the same breath.

Deaths could’ve been avoided, had everyone been at a higher overall baseline.

[color=577d06]”My point being that, well, even if I wanted to have a stockpile of that stuff, it’d be too difficult to meet and trust someone to do all our cooking for us. It’s [i]very[/i] delicate work, and the kind of person doing it is usually not the kind of person who is easy to be around consistently. Andrade was a rare exception, where the depth of his sorrow was balanced out by the apathy of his Black Lux… He only gave a manic shit about what he was interested in, and anything else was an utterly soulcrushing facade. A true sociopath.”[/color] he giggled.

[color=577d06]”Speaking of food… [i]What are you getting?[/i]”[/color] he asked, glancing over at the menu again.

[color=d1b300]“Oh- I don’t know. I haven’t even looked at the menu!”[/color] Trisha managed a small laugh. She’d been so busy unwrapping herself then asking him questions that she’d forgotten about why they were here in the first place- to eat. 

At least she could relax again knowing it wouldn’t be easy to turn their future ranch into some Apparition processing factory. Not that she’d just sit idly by if Casey really wanted to… But he wouldn’t. Even if it was easier, she hoped he wouldn’t. Though she couldn’t control what he ate, and they’d already had plenty of fights over that, she wasn’t going to let that kind of stuff near their future children. 

[color=d1b300]“You’ve made it difficult now by mentioning Andrade… He may be a sociopath, but he was a really good cook too. Even if I don’t want to be near him because of his Dollhouse involvement, I do kind of miss being able to just go to one of his restaurants together. It’s hard to beat… I don’t normally [i]want[/i] to eat either.”[/color] She half complained with a smile, swaying her head from side to side as she actually looked down at the menu. 

[color=d1b300]“So now I have to pick something thinking about that.”[/color] She playfully pouted at him. 
[color=d1b300]“I’ll probably just get a burger. It’s easy, and I won’t have to worry about getting hungry for the rest of the journey.”[/color]

It was an incredibly practical reason to choose something to eat, but it was very her at the same time.

Casey giggled as she talked about missing Andrade’s cooking. For everything else, he’d miss that. That, and feeling like Andrade actually cared. Even if he hadn’t, they had cared about him. Andrade’s lack of connection couldn’t possibly take away the sunshine that was how Casey, Leon, and the whole batch of kids around them felt toward that guy. He was closest to them in age too, hanging low between a young teen Leon and the near-fourty year strong Gravity. 

He’d been everything you wanted in a cool Uncle, or closer still, the oldest brother. Aloof, sometimes distant, but always scheming up a way to make everyone smile. Too bad he had to live with the idea that it was all purely performative, while the rest of them got to look at the moments with genuine tenderness.

[color=577d06]”Well… You don’t mind if I chow down, do you? I’ve… Been eating those sandwiches all day, but I’m still so fucking hungry. I really didn’t think it was that bad, but I guess I dipped into the sauce a lot heavier than I was realizing. Of course, you’re right again… We’ll make sure to keep Gourmandary out of the home. Apparition friendly. I’ve got a niece who’s an Apparition. I’ve got friends who are Apparitions. I can’t be living my life like that, right?”[/color] 

He looked around rapidly before looking back at Trisha.

[color=577d06]”I haven’t even looked in a mirror. How is it?”[/color] he asked before opening his mouth wide to show off blotchy, almost mold-looking dark webs spidering across the roof of his mouth. Some were in the slow process of melding together like cow spots on a pink background.

Trisha reactively grimaced, eyes narrowing in concern. 
[color=d1b300]“I don’t know, it looks bad to me, but anything that isn’t just pink seems bad. There still is pink… I guess there’s not more black than pink yet. It’s like a smudged spider’s web.”[/color]

She gripped her menu tightly. She hadn’t realised it was that bad either. She wasn’t exactly looking in his mouth very often, and he’d said he was mostly just eating food made from otherworld grains. She didn’t realise he was using so many Apparitional products… He hadn’t told her. Probably because he knew she’d freak out and be against it. Obviously. 

[color=d1b300]“This isn’t really something I [i]want[/i] to be right about. I selfishly don’t like it because of how it affects people… You mostly. That’s why I got so upset when I first found out about it. Because it hurts you and you end up reliant on it, or hungry like this-”[/color] She cut herself off, shaking her head. 
[color=d1b300]“Sorry, you don’t need a lecture. You can eat as much as you want, I don’t mind. I just want you to be more comfortable, so get however much you think you’ll need for that. And… It’ll go away, won’t it? It isn’t as bad as when you had to get off it before?”[/color]

[color=577d06]”Definitely. If there’s pink, it’s not bad. I had a black tongue! Can you imagine doing that to a child who can’t even use magic? I was like a foie gras’d liver…”[/color] he giggled, shaking his head again and pulling away.

Casey finally picked up the menu in earnest, figuring he could probably get a lot for the road, and maybe let Trisha drive now that she’d had that nap a few hours ago. He could technically drive from any seat, but it was becoming strenuous on his brain to maintain magical control. But, he didn’t let the frenzy for food cloud what else Trisha had said.

[color=577d06]”Hey: I really love you. With you even just, like, acknowledging that it could feel like you were lecturing me, it takes a lot of the anxiety over it off of me. Because, like… You know I know you care. And you’re still willing to accommodate me. I hope I do the same for you.”[/color]

Trisha nodded, a proper smile blooming across her face. 
[color=d1b300]“You do. You do plenty to accommodate me and my anxiety and all the funny triggers I have from my upbringing.”[/color] 

She didn’t pull up a proper example, because it wasn’t really necessary. There’d been so many times… Though for her, sitting with her through any kind of panic attack was already accommodating her. So few other people would do that with her, and there were even less she’d let something like that out in front of. Maybe Cass, and Reyna once upon a time. 

[color=d1b300]“Letting you eat loads doesn’t really feel like accommodating. Even saying it’s me letting you sounds controlling… But it’s not like I hate watching you eat. I just don’t get that hungry myself, but I’m not one of those girls who sees a massive amount of food and freaks out. Well… You obviously know that.”[/color] She waved a hand in front of her. 

[color=d1b300]“I’m glad… That you noticed, though. Because it can be hard for me to… realise when worrying becomes lecturing. But I’m trying.”[/color] 

He nodded back, pushing up against the table and trying not to knock over their drinks. He let his torso crane outward, and he planted a kiss squarely on Trisha’s lips before slipping back down into his seat.

[color=577d06]”You’re doing a swell fucking job, Queen Bee. We’re definitely doing better than we were last week… That’s all that really matters.”[/color]

[hr]
By the time they were arriving in Mannard, it was well after dark. Of course, Casey’s plans had pretty much all fallen apart earlier in the week. Between when he’d booked everything and now, there’d been a crop of arctic storms sweeping down from the North and dipping well past Oklahoma. He’d booked a flight: Cancelled. The teleportation to the airport: Cancelled due to inclement intercoven warfare. A fully enchanted mobile wardrobe: Cancelled due to lack of motivation. As it turned out, not having a Purple Lux Adept to bounce spells off of made stuff like that a lot more difficult.

And the last two hours of their trip had gone from fine to Hellish in terms of the weather’s effects. The snow was coming down in whole Frosty-fulls, complete with coal eyes and carrot noses hitting the ground like paratroopers dropped into the fray. And worse, it was [i]dark.[/i] The kind of dark that you just drove off a cliff in. Thankfully, the roadway they were on was set well within a set of woodlands, and either side had ample trees to prevent vehicles from tumbling down the sheer cliffsides further back. By the time they were reaching the resort, it was almost one in the morning, and Casey took a deep breath as they pulled into the heated parking lot of their destination.

The public explanation was that they used a nearby hot spring and geyser system to pump hot water under the lot, keeping it black, dry and free of any ice buildup. In truth, it was a magically enchanted tarmac, which Casey could feel the Lux radiating off of the moment they stepped out of the truck to head toward the main building. Of course, this wasn’t where they were staying. They were staying out back, or at least that was the plan if nothing [i]else[/i] went awry. But, check-in was check-in, and Trisha had called earlier to check everything ahead of time. 

With overnight staff on hand, they offered their services freely. A friendly and chipper duo checked the two of them in as “Select” guests, and activated the roadway lights that would lead them up the hill and into the forest toward their cabin. The facility was impressive to say the least, however: The insides held everything a small town would need from a grocerette to a library, entertainment areas, and all the standard guest rooms accommodated on the second and third floors above them. While they didn’t need food, Casey did take ten or so minutes to buy a bundle of fresh fruit from the duty free grocer before they both clambered back in the car to make the ascent.

When they came in, the pathway up the mountain had been snowed over, but with magic, the snow had been cleared away in the time it took them to check in. It made it even easier to tell where to go, as the automated path-finding system cut a line straight and clear up to their destination. Which, as both would quickly find out, was more beautiful than the pictures did justice to. 

Its frosty pale roof hid black asphalt tiling that protected the sturdy, squat-bodied log stack cabin. Two floors, and a balcony opening up from the inside loft space that served as the bedroom not unlike their own at home. And it was [i]warm.[/i] Not just physically due to the heater within, but aesthetically, and somehow, emotionally. Casey radiated with a nostalgia he never had as he backed into the driveway of the cabin, being sure to pull the e-brake to prevent rolling or slipping on the hill. Thankfully, the magic extended into the driveways, clearing the path easily.

Inside was rustic Americana and cabin chic, with hidden luxury scattered across the place in some of the most unexpected corners. If one caught the eye of the furniture’s brand, or recognized it from a catalogue, they’d quickly realize that there were no expenses spared in the decoration of this place. A modern kitchenette combining the frontiersman aesthetic with modern luxury gave birth to a beautiful six-burner range atop a claw-foot design that gave it an aged and venerable feeling. A massive television, tucked into a recess in the wall that made it feel like just another window sandwiched between two massive, curtain covered standing panes. 

And the loft area was plush, soft as one would want the place they sleep. Goosedown blankets cover the magically enhanced foam mattress that actively contours to one’s body as they relax to sleep. Its shape stretches, forming its own pillows and allowing the sleeper to mold it to their needs like an amorphous sack of air. There’s plenty of room to set their clothes into drawers and cabinets, and the bathroom is located just off the stairs with a standing shower big enough to accommodate them both at once. It was actually quite like the setup in Leon’s shower, with several showerheads creating a cascade effect. 

As they entered with bags in hand, Casey set everything he could down onto the dining table, finding a large welcoming gift blocking his way.

[color=577d06]”Shit, uh-”[/color]

Rather than have Trisha move the gift, he just dumped everything he had onto the floor in a couple separate heaps.

[color=577d06]”-what’ve we got here?”[/color] he asked curiously, ushering Trisha closer to the table so they could both look at the gift basket and read the note attached.

[code]Welcome Trisha and Casey: We hope that you enjoy a truly white Christmas with our family and friends here at (insert resort name I can’t remember). These gifts aren’t from Santa: They’re from us![/code]

Inside the gift basket was more fruit (go figure) as well as some more fun items. Two santa hats, a bottle of champagne, peppermint candies, a pre-made charcuterie board wrapped up tightly, as well as an envelope reading “Plans for 12-24”. Casey grinned at the envelope.

[color=577d06]”Oh my God, they really hooked it up!”[/color] he dangled the envelope in front of Trisha.

Trisha shuffled in behind Casey, with her own suitcase in tow. They just had too much stuff for him to insist on carrying it all, and she felt that her suitcase really was her own responsibility. Sure, it was only packed so full because she'd had to panic pack when he ended up not enchanting a bag to connect to their wardrobe… But she was still the one who felt she needed to be prepared for just about every scenario. Just throwing in too much had been faster than making the decision of everything she wanted to wear at the time too. 

There was another, smaller suitcase of hers still in the truck. But this was a special one, carefully packed with hibernated bees. She wasn't so bothered about leaving it out there for a night, because they could tolerate all conditions like that as long as the suitcase wasn't crushed. Sure, she had Princess to give her direct access to any of her hives… But if something happened, the magical plush would become a chokepoint for getting as many bees through as she could. Having a whole group hibernating and ready to activate with them, mainly bombers and soldiers, made her feel more relaxed without having to deal with bees spending the whole holiday treating her like their safe spot. [I]Just in case[/I].

As she came in behind Casey, she looked around the place with wide eyes. It was perfectly cozy. Big enough they had plenty of space but not so big it felt empty, with all the amenities they'd need. The couches that she could see looked incredibly comfortable, and she only imagined the bed out of sight upstairs would be the same. She itched to explore and unpack before settling down, but Casey drew her attention to the gift basket waiting for them on the table. 

Leaving her suitcase behind near the door, she easily moved forward to slot in at Casey's side. Her lips pulled up into a smile as she read the note. If today was anything to go by, it'd definitely be a white Christmas… The snow was already lying thick. She wasn't sure if it was possible for it to get more white outside than it already was. Her smile widened as she looked over the gifts. The Santa hats were a little goofy especially if they weren't actually celebrating the day, but the rest was very nice. Especially the Champagne… She could already imagine them cracking it open and relaxing in the hot tub with a glass. Assuming Casey would have one. If not, she'd just enjoy it all herself. 

[color=d1b300]“Hooked up what?"[/color] Trisha didn't get distracted by relaxing thoughts for long, easily swept up in Casey's excitement and the letter dangled right in front of her eyes. She smiled up at him, her eyes shining with curiosity. Plans for the 24th… It was obviously something he'd organised, but [I]what[/I]? What could it be that it ended up in an envelope? Was it going to be a schedule, or tickets to something? Maybe something she wouldn't even be able to guess. 

She reached up to try snatch the envelope from him, playfully giggling. 
[color=d1b300]“Am I allowed to open it? Or do I need to wait till the day?"[/color]

Casey grinned down at her, letting the envelope drop into her hand as she reached out and nodding with enthusiasm.

[color=577d06]”Sure, go ahead. I took a chance and figured you’d be a lot happier without your own. I’ll let you figure out what you think our day consists of.”[/color]

Opening the envelope and dumping it out into her hand, Trisha would find herself in possession of a single key with a black rubber sheath covering the bow. Imprinted on the rubber was the logo for a popular racebike brand, Delta Estuary. Though, driving a motorcycle in this weather probably wasn’t what was happening…

Trisha held the key up between her fingers to let it dangle in front of her eyes, narrowing her eyes at the logo. She… Didn’t recognise it. She was sure she’d seen it somewhere, but it wasn’t bringing up any memories. Something she’d seen in passing, maybe? It was obviously for some kind of vehicle, but that wasn’t really helping. 

She furrowed her brow, trying to guess based on the tiny clues he’d given her. That she’d be a [i]lot happier without her own[/i]. Something fast? Possibly dangerous? Like a race car? That didn’t make sense, though, unless there was some kind of track nearby that miraculously escaped the snow. 

[color=d1b300]“We’re…. Going on some kind of fast vehicle?”[/color] She eventually admitted defeat, looking up at Casey with wide eyes. She didn’t look any less excited, though, even though she had no idea what the key was for.

Casey’s excitement was palpable as his nodding turned into frantic stimming. One foot to the other, the massive man bubbled with anticipation.
[color=577d06]”Yep! Fast as Hell, and they maintain the ski trails around here so there’s practically snow highways. We’re going to a picnic… At Blue Rock Ranch… The property I wanna look at. I made an appointment with the owner, and the resort agreed to set up the facility for us. There’s gonna be a warm tent, we’re gonna eat, and dance, there’s gonna be someone playing and singing live for us. A fire, hot cocoa… [i]And it’s all gonna be out on a lake.[/i]”[/color] he bent down and squeezed her tight.

[color=577d06]”And? If we get this property one day? It’ll be [i]our[/i] lake. It’s not huge, but it’s entirely encompassed by the property bounds… [i]All ours.[/i]”[/color] he repeated.

[color=d1b300]“[i]Wow[/i].”[/color] Trisha whispered. She didn’t know how to put how it made her feel into words. It was just [i]so much[/i]. Such a perfect, thoughtful date he’d organised for them. She was filled with warmth, cheeks flushing slightly, and excited giddiness had her swaying slightly in his arms. She hugged him back, looking up at him with wide, shining eyes filled with love. 

It didn’t feel possible to tell him just how happy she was about it. Maybe she should take a leaf out of Cass’ books and yell [i]’holy shit’[/i] a few times. But it wouldn’t be a very her reaction. 

[color=d1b300]“A small lake is still a lake… I’ve never owned a lake.”[/color] She giggled, lips splitting into a wide, sappy smile. She practically glowed with contentment, leaning up to kiss him gently. 

[color=d1b300]“That sounds amazing. You putting in all of that effort for me- for us- I don’t know how to describe it… It kinda makes me feel like I’m falling in love with you all over again. But I’m already so deep, I don’t think there’s any further to fall!”[/color] She grinned, wriggling with happy excitement. 
[color=d1b300]“Definitely the right decision to get only one fast moving… Snowmobile? I’d drive so slowly we’d miss everything.”[/color]

Twisting her so that she was facing forward with her back against his front, Casey threw his arms in front of her like he was holding a set of handlebars.
[color=577d06]”Instead, you’re gonna fit just like this in front of me, and you’re gonna get to watch the speedometer!”[/color] he giggled madly to himself, head tilting down to kiss the top of hers.

[color=577d06]”And you’re gonna be [i]safe.[/i] We’ll have a great time, and I think you’re really gonna enjoy it. Even if you get a little scared. I’m pretty sure they actually left it up here, like out back I’m pretty sure there’s a little shed with it and a bunch of gas. So, I’m probably gonna take it out at some point tomorrow if you wanted to see if you like it.”[/color] he added, hoping that she’d not feel like she had to. It was, after all, something he’d set up a little selfishly.

A reason to see the property [i]and[/i] ride a snowmobile after all these years made putting in the effort that much sweeter.

Trisha leaned back against him, nodding. She knew she was going to get scared- probably terrified. Considering how she’d felt about the rollercoaster… But that had them going much higher off the ground and upside down, and she just couldn’t trust it. Maybe something like this would be better? She at least trusted Casey not to do something crazy that’d get them both badly hurt. 

[color=d1b300]“I’ll try it tomorrow… You can do a short lap somewhere and drop me back off if I don’t like it. Then on the twenty fourth I’ll just close my eyes and concentrate on how great it is to be with you- But I’m sure you’re right that I’ll enjoy it, even if it’s scary. As long as there aren’t many dangerous obstacles we can crash into, and we don’t end up too high off the ground… It’s just moving really fast. It’s probably safer than driving on the highway.”[/color] Though she didn’t really want to be thinking about what was safer than what. 

[color=d1b300]“I’d like to try with you. I trust you, at least… Just don’t do anything too crazy when it’s the two of us. You can do that without me on it with you.”[/color]

Letting go of Trisha, he patted her arms and gave her one more kiss before moving to start putting stuff into the fridge.
[color=577d06]”We won’t go any faster than we would in a car.”[/color] he grinned to himself deviously, knowing how scary a hundred miles an hour on an open-topped machine roiling between your legs actually was. But, if she took it well, that was great!

[color=577d06]”Now… Hot tub? Or, do you just want to uh… Well… Are you [i]tired?[/i] I’m a little cooked, but we could probably squeeze a few more hours out of the night.”[/color] he asked, still sliding things onto shelves and into drawers in the fridge. 
[color=577d06]”I figured, if you wanted to, you could probably go see about getting it turned on and stuff. I’m honestly not sure if they’re magical, or what… But if the water’s frozen, we’re fucked.”[/color] he laughed.

[color=d1b300]“I’ll just take a big stick and chip my way through it.”[/color] Trisha giggled in return, motioning up and down with her arms like she was hitting ice with a stick. 

She honestly didn’t feel tired at all, but she knew that was because she’d had a nap earlier- and she’d been surviving on naps for the past week. She’d inadvertently trained herself to feel awake a good long while after one, even if it would be [i]healthier[/i] to just go to bed. 

But a nice soak sounded really nice. It would be relaxing too… Maybe something they both needed before trying to sleep. 

[color=d1b300]“I’m not tired, but I could sleep if you wanted to turn in. You [i]are[/i] the one who’s spent most of the day driving.”[/color] She half pushed it back to him. Not because she didn’t want to make the decision, but more that she didn’t want him ‘squeezing’ more hours out if it meant he was really pushing himself. Especially when he’d been sleeping even less than she had been. 

As she said that, she dragged her suitcase over to the bottom of the stairs, before tilting her body all around to look around the cabin. 
[color=d1b300]“Where is the hot tub? Outside? I assume I don’t have to go out the front door and around, we’d freeze before we even got there- oh!”[/color]

As she was looking near the staircase she spotted it- the back door. At least she assumed it was the back door. It was tucked away enough behind it that it wasn’t exactly obvious unless you got the right angle. 

[color=d1b300]“Found another door! So, uh, I guess I should go try turn it on?”[/color] Even though she’d said she was fine with going to bed, her excitement did get the better of her in the end.

Stepping outside, Trisha would find a spacious deck covered in string lights that fill the relatively small area with a warm glow. There are chairs and a table, a grill, and a propane fireplace ring that was begging to be lit. And as for the hot tub, which was a massive ordeal that looked to be some kind of extended model, it was built into the side of the cabin and laid flush with the deck boards so that it practically clung to its surroundings.

There was a little light next to a panel, and beside that was a remote clearly meant to be brought down into the tub in order to control it in comfort. There was also another panel on the opposite side that read “Sauna”. Wherever that was wasn’t clear, except for a little note that read “Below Deck” on the remote included with it.

And then there was the view itself… Trisha would be able to, just like Casey had told her, look out and off this mountainside they were perched atop, and naturally see the world flatten out ahead for miles and miles into the dark. Down to where one could see remnants of civilization. A highway, the road beneath, the town center with streetlights and what could [i]maybe[/i] be cars beneath them.

And the sky, thankfully for a brief moment, was completely clear. And high above her, the celestial heavens stretched into eternity as the light pollution of civilization was washed away. Nebulas crossed, and double crossed, creating wild paintbrush strokes of color in the black canvas of nothingness.

And it was beautiful…

Trisha was immediately distracted by the view, staring out at it with wide eyes and a slightly slack jaw. It was stunning. She’d never seen anything like it… While there were nice areas surrounding St Portwell, there was nowhere this high. Then the clear sky above. Having lived all her life in cities, seeing so many stars and colours that weren’t an artificial orange tinge was breathtaking. 

She was only able to drag herself away from it because she didn’t want to enjoy the view for too long [i]without[/i] Casey. She turned, shuffling towards the hot tub panel. Thankfully that was very simple, and the hot tub wasn’t frozen over, so she had it turned on in a moment. 

[color=d1b300]“We don’t need to get any ice picks out, Babe!”[/color] Trisha called as she made her way back inside, automatically searching for Casey again. 

[color=d1b300]“It’s beautiful out there. I really can’t put it into words… If I didn’t love you so much, I might’ve stayed outside and never come to get you.”[/color] She giggled softly, knowing that wasn’t an actual possibility. If she’d stayed out for too long, Casey would’ve come out by himself looking for her.

Casey had finished with the fridge between Trisha heading out and coming back in, and had proceeded to start bringing bags up the stairs to the loft. Which could’ve ended badly, as he made the mistake of laying his back flat on the magically enchanted bed. It gave him a little tinnitus, which meant he’d probably not be able to sleep with his channeler on unless he got used to the interference of another Orange Adept’s spells near him. But, right now, it didn’t even seem to matter…

So, Trisha’s voice almost didn’t find a reply. But, Casey managed to pull himself out of the mire and jolted upright.
[color=577d06]”You’d freeze to death if you didn’t come back at some point. Or, you’d boil like a lobster in the hot tub.”[/color] he laughed from upstairs.

[color=577d06]”Are we bothering with bathing suits? They left us towel sets up here… They didn’t get folded into animal shapes, but they’re pretty nice towels.”[/color] he informed.

[color=d1b300]“I feel less bad about using them if they aren’t all folded up.”[/color] Trisha giggled as she made her way up the stairs. She looked around for the towel sets, smile widening when she realised they were nice and matching… Not in the both being plain white way. One was dark blue with powder blue embroidered snowflakes along the bottom edge, while the other was powder blue with dark blue snowflakes.

Looking away from them she smiled at Casey, making her way to him with her hands outstretched for his. 
[color=d1b300]“They are nice… And I guess we don’t need to bother. Normally I wouldn’t be comfortable going naked in an outdoor hot tub, but there’s no way anyone will be able to see us. Though it’s not like my bikini covers up all that much in the first place. It’s just more socially acceptable- but it doesn’t matter when it’s just us.”[/color]

She couldn’t swim, so obviously any swimwear she had was much more geared towards looking nice rather than practicality. She only ever wore that kind of stuff on summer beach trips, or for rarer occasions she found herself in a hot tub or a sauna. 

[color=d1b300]“Are you sure you want to go sit in it? We can always save it for tomorrow, it wasn’t hard to turn on.”[/color] She looked up at him inquisitively. Though she didn’t know he’d almost fallen asleep in her absence, she was still thinking about all the driving he’d done. He hadn’t slept the last two nights either. 

[color=d1b300]“It’ll be worse if either of us falls asleep in it. Well, I guess you can carry me out… But I can’t do the same for you.”[/color]


For once, Casey even [i]looked[/i] exhausted. His eyes were creasing, and even his grip was weak. His head stared up at her for a few moments, longer than he usually would in this scenario, only to slowly look down and back. Far enough to look at the bed… His face became a grimace, a frown splitting his expression before he finally spoke.

[color=577d06]”I… Don’t want to miss a second of being here with you. I won’t sleep until you’re ready.”[/color] he explained, hoping she’d understand the sentiment. No matter how badly he wanted to sleep, it meant losing her to the milky twilight of slumber, and that alone was tragic to him…

So, he stood up, pulling his shirt off and grabbing one of the towels off the bed after releasing her hands, before completely stripping and wrapping the towel around his waist. Not like they hadn’t seen one another naked, but unlike Leon, he felt like the nudist existence was inherently lascivious in this circumstance. Like being naked was some analogous expectation for sex… But, to him, it was just a lot less energy spent than digging through the luggage, putting a new pair of shorts on, having to dry them after the fact… 

[color=577d06]”There’s bottled water in the fridge. I’ll get us both one so we don’t dehydrate like raisins.”[/color] he said, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek before hiking the towel around him and waltzing back downstairs.

[color=d1b300]“Alright! I’ll meet you down there.”[/color] She smiled at his retreating figure. 

She wasn’t going to push more if he really wanted to get in with her. She understood what he meant by it… She’d push through all manner of things for a few more seconds with him. Maybe it was unhealthy, but she really didn’t plan to stay up much later. A couple more hours, maybe. As far as she was aware there was nothing they had to wake up for tomorrow, so they could have a nice long lie in. 

It took her a little longer to get ready than he did. She decided to remove the minimal makeup she was wearing- purely because she didn’t feel comfortable without any outside- so that they could just slide into bed after. Then she stripped and carefully tied her long waves into a tight bun, not wanting to get any in the hot tub. It’d be a pain to deal with if it got wet, and she didn’t want to be fishing out her hair later. 

She came down with her own towel deftly wrapped around her chest. She wasn’t having any of the same thoughts as him- sex was far from her mind. She just didn’t want to traipse outside completely naked. 

[color=d1b300]“Have you looked outside yet? The sky’s beautiful… We could probably spend the whole time picking out stars. Not that I remember much about which constellations are what.”[/color]

Casey was hovering by the door looking out into the sky beyond. He could see edges mostly, the lights on the porch and the lights inside both washing out the fidelity of the constellations above. He’d never done a lot of stargazing… Space wasn’t exactly his thing. It was horrifying enough knowing [i]their[/i] world was filled with magic and monsters. Never mind what nightmares could be out there… But, he knew that the look of it was always going to be majestic. 

[color=577d06]”Yeah, it’s a little muddled by the light in here… And, there’s a big plume of steam constantly rising up, so that may impede. But, it’s good too; that hot tub is gonna feel [i]awesome.[/i]”[/color]
Waiting for her to get a bit closer, he nodded his head toward the door. 

[color=577d06]”Anything else before we go? You want some ice cream?”[/color] he smirked, the joke hopefully being self-evident.

[color=d1b300]“Oh yeah, it’d be [i]perfect[/i] for in the hot tub.”[/color] Trisha giggled. 
[color=d1b300]“It’d be like an extreme sport… Can we eat the ice cream before it melts?”[/color]

Squeezing past him, Trisha made her way outside and towards the hot tub. It was steaming nicely now, and she could feel the warm steam wafting over her as she got closer. It looked heavenly. 

[color=d1b300]“I’m so excited… I haven’t been in a hot tub in so [i]long[/i]. The last time was just before I graduated, after final exams. We did this celebratory trip and Cass found this cabin in some mountain in Wisconsin. It was nowhere near as nice as this one, but it did have a hot tub- except eight of us were squeezing into it. There wasn’t enough room.”[/color] She grinned at Casey, loosening her towel with one hand while picking up the remote with the other. 

[color=d1b300]“It wasn’t very relaxing… Though that’s anything involving Cass. This is much nicer.”[/color]

There was a second where the noise of Casey’s feet impacting against the deck made the entire world around them echo into the darkness. One, two, three- Then silence as Casey soared up over the bannister keeping the deck sides safe. Like a caber through the air, Casey fell the twelve or so feet into a near two-foot thick mound of snow piled up on the flat ground below the cabin’s deck. 

The cold air, and the subsequent rush as he had to dig himself up out of the pile, not only woke him up but cooled him off significantly. This was something the Richoux tribe picked up from Dad, who’d learned it spending his early winters nestled in the family compound in the French Alps. The shock of going from cold, to hot, then back and forth, was quite the rush, and always made relaxing in the end feel so much better. It was purely habitual now, though he’d made sure to ask how much accumulate snow they’d gotten when they were checking in. It was the only reason he was confident enough to blindly hop off of a second story deck.

He was a Cascicle by the time he muckled up the stairs, looking at Trisha with a huge smile.
[color=577d06]”There’s a sauna down there!”[/color] he laughed as he playfully grabbed around Trisha with his cold body before dragging her into the hot, bubbling cauldron.

On feeling the hot water, Casey didn’t say anything else… Just let Trisha drift slightly while still holding her hand, and in turn he released the longest and most exasperated sigh of his entire life.

Trisha gave a small struggle as Casey grabbed her, very much not wanting to freeze with Casey- as much as she loved him! But their destination was the hot water anyway, meaning she only felt a moment of iciness before being engulfed by the water. 

As she drifted from him, Trisha tilted her body so that her feet touched the bottom of the tub. Just to make sure it really was shallow enough to stand in… It looked it, but it could’ve been deceptively deep. She still couldn’t swim and didn’t want to be saved from nearly drowning in a hot tub. That’d be embarrassing. 

[color=d1b300]“That get it all out?”[/color] She asked quietly, turning her head towards Casey with a smile after he’d finally finished one of the longest sighs she’d ever heard. She lightly swayed their joined hands in the water, trying to decide if she wanted to sit or go back to floating. She’d already gotten her hair wet when she got in so she let her body float again with a soft sigh.

[color=d1b300]“I can’t believe you just jumped off the deck. I was too shocked to do anything… There’s going to be a Casey shaped dent in that snow now.”[/color] She managed to giggle gently about something that had initially scared her. He hadn’t given her any warning, after all. But he was fine, and she trusted he wouldn’t just throw himself off decks without knowing it was safe. 

[color=d1b300]“Did it make getting in that much nicer?”[/color]

Casey nodded calmly. He’d drifted into one of the human shaped slots, and with the exhale, depressed enough air out of himself that he settled in to anchor Trisha so that she didn’t drift too far away. With his arms up around the sides, and his head tilted back against the rim of the tub, everything felt great… Even the snow melting into his own loose bun atop his head.

[color=577d06]”It’s pretty great. One of Dad’s old workout things was to do an ice plunge, then do a session in the sauna. He’d do it probably fifteen or twenty times after an intense workout, or especially the day after a fight. Leon [i]hates[/i] it, so he refuses to do shit like that. But, me? I don’t know, maybe I’m a sicko, but I think it’s the bee’s knees. It shocks your system, internally works the muscles, gives your heart a jolt… Plus? I’m a little more awake now.”[/color]

He had enough time now to really examine the tub. He’d dipped them both into what could be considered the shallow end, with the “deep” end not looking incredibly so. It was compact, obviously, but more like a compact pool than a tight space like usual hot tubs. There was a section dedicated to massage jets, which had its own panel located in that space, while the deeper side seemed mostly devoid of bubbles and meant for doing just about what Trisha was doing. Probably the more social end of the pool, for those groups who took twenty people and all rented out the cabin piecemeal.

It had been a pretty penny… Not every vacation had to be like this, he figured, but if he’d lived like some of his cohorts in the Army lived, he [i]never[/i] would’ve been able to make this happen. 
[i]She would’ve.[/i]
It felt odd in that moment, that there could’ve been a world where he had to okay everything with her… Or, okay some kind of budget…

[color=577d06]”God… I’m glad we get to be here. And I’m grateful for everything that lets us do cool stuff like this. [i]Together.[/i]”[/color] he spoke softly, letting his extrapolated thought turn into an open reflection for Trisha to apply her own sentiment toward.

[color=d1b300]“Me too.”[/color] Trisha smiled in return, using his hand to gently tug herself over to the side beside him. She slotted in easily next to him, head lightly brushing against his arm behind her. 

There was a lot to be grateful for that had led them to this. Their meeting, the people around them, his willingness to go away for her birthday… Their ability to both afford it. While she hadn’t paid for any of it, she gladly would if he asked. But at the end of the day it would all become [i]their[/i] money. Right now they both did things for each other, and there wasn’t much need to worry about it. 

[color=d1b300]“I’d be happy anywhere with you… But the luxury really does make it extra special. Especially after everything we’ve had to deal with.”[/color] From Thanksgiving until now it really had been nonstop. Even in the leadup to Thanksgiving, with Casey having to do so much organising and her dealing with the possibility of her Mom being there. They’d barely had a break. Wouldn’t for a while after this either. 

[color=d1b300]“It’s nice for me not having to worry about something like this. The fancy vacation, that is. I haven’t had many relationships like this- I mean both friendship and romantic.”[/color] She quickly corrected, leaning a bit more towards him. 
[color=d1b300]“It always goes one way or another. People who just expect me to spend all my money on them, or refuse even a little. Like Cass- she’d absolutely refuse to let me help her pay for trips we went on. Must be difficult for Leon, since he seems the kind to throw money around…”[/color]

She trailed off, shaking her head and smiling.
[color=d1b300]“That sounds like I’m just complaining… I don’t mind it, really, but it’s nice we can both organise these things. Eventually it won’t even matter, because it’ll all be ours.”[/color]

[color=577d06]”World domination, now?”[/color] he grinned and giggled, knowing that wasn’t what she meant.

[color=577d06]”I don’t think you’re complaining. I think you’re just talking about an observation you had, and I can appreciate how it would get frustrating. I… Just had the thought, actually. About if I was broke.”[/color]

He looked up at the stars, seeing what she meant earlier. They really were beautiful out here. It reminded him of the Alps as he saw it. The same vibe. There’d been Army training done in places like this too. Alaska, or the desert down south… Places where life hadn’t the time nor need to inhabit completely with artificial light. But, looking back down at her, he found an equally beautiful picture in his view. 

He found her picturesque. The kind of beautiful you’d see in a movie, except it wasn’t artificial. Biology shaped that face, and those eyes… The nose, the ears that framed the face, her thick dark hair, or the way her skin grew so soft beneath the nape of her neck… 

[color=577d06]”It made me feel insecure for a second… I’ve had the chance now, for you to get to know me. And you genuinely love me. So, I know that if you suddenly had to pay for our lives, you still would. Because you like me like that. But, I guess we never would’ve met like we- Well, I guess we could’ve still met like that. But, if I’d taken you home to a cardboard box, y’know? Would you still have wanted to cuddle up? Or, y’know, let me decimate a group of bees?”[/color] he asked calmly, unable to hold in a giggle as he thought about the absurdity of life itself in that moment.

[color=d1b300]“Well that’s a bit of an absurd example. A cardboard box…”[/color] Trisha’s nose wrinkled, looking up at him with a small laugh. 

[color=d1b300]“But… Yes, I probably would’ve. I’d still have cuddled up to you and let you roll on my bees and become your girlfriend. I probably wouldn’t have moved into the cardboard box with me… But you took me back to it in that scenario. You didn’t realise I was rich and turn around and demand I pay for a night in a luxury hotel. We could still date… I wouldn’t need luxury dates. And I would’ve still fallen in love with you, and then I might’ve gone ‘hey, I’ve bought us an apartment, leave your cardboard box and move in with me.’ I don’t want to be taken advantage of, but I want to help the people I like… That kind of thing, I guess.”[/color]

It was difficult to explain without feeling a little bit selfish. Because why would she let a boyfriend of hers live in a cardboard box while having her own nice room in a fancy house? But there was always some nuance… A difference between her paying for an average meal for a date, and her having to bankroll someone’s entire life. 

[color=d1b300]“Reyna didn’t have a lot of money when we were together, and it wasn’t a problem. I just… have… bad taste…”[/color] She admitted quietly. 
[color=d1b300]“[i]Had[/i]. I have good friends now… And most importantly you.”[/color]

Casey nuzzled his head against hers, kissing her a couple times for good measure.

[color=577d06]”Each other. We have each other. And nothing’s gonna take that away from us. It’s fate… And it’s a good one. Even if you don’t believe in stuff like that, it’s certainly not a bad thing that we’ve been brought together like this.”[/color]

Glancing back up at the sky, he only took a moment before turning his eyes back toward her.
[color=577d06]”Everything beautiful up there, is right here. All the bright color, and the sparkling majesty… They’re all right here on your face. You wear it so well, Trisha…”[/color] he cooed, still holding her tightly as the world around them steamed away.