Such a quiet joy, knowing I'm your pick-up fix.

[youfallback]

Who: Carolina and York
What: Their final date Just a totally normal night followed by not-normal angst.
When: Night of the 19th into the morning of the 20th
Where: Carolina and York's room
Rating: PG-13 to start


[Carolina's not been planning this date night for too long, but it's nice to have these little breaks from the drama that comes standard with the Castle. She's glad to see more of her team here, but there's always that slight shift in the dynamic that requires work to juggle. The date night is welcome by the time the week wraps up and as she starts tugging her dress on. Mostly everything is already set up, her quarters decked out in fancier trimmings than usual. Candles lend their soft glow to the ambiance and the low tinklings of music drifting from her stereo are light enough to easily be talked over.

Overall, though, she would consider the whole week to have been productive, considering they finally got the chip in her helmet to hopefully jog her memories if she ever disappeared. And tonight is a way to celebrate everything that's been slowly going right since the mess that was the season before. Well, that and an excuse to get all dressed up and eat fantastic food, which is what she'd told York that morning.

It's just a minute before 1800 that things finally get set all in place and she sits on the couch to wait.]

Comments

[encryptedlock]

[Oh now he's going to love that, if all goes as planned. But for the moment he feeds her a little cracker-salami combo and just looks pleased with himself. He's already looking at his plate and trying to decide what to feed her next - smoked oysters? Apples and cheese?]

[youfallback]

[If nothing else, she's absolutely enjoying the intimacy of their dinner. It's one thing to have a one-on-one dinner across a table with someone, it's different to be feeding it to them while cuddled up. She quickly grabs the smoked oysters from his plate and holds it up with a raised eyebrow.]

[encryptedlock]

[And he'll hold out his tongue for her in a "yes please" kind of way. As much as he really does love the sex in their relationship, it's moments of pure intimacy like this that really make him the happiest boyfriend he could be. The finger foods with just a little flirty teasing as they eat is just perfect.]

[youfallback]

[Chuckling, Carolina feeds him the oysters, pleased that he seems to be really enjoying this meal so far.]

Good?

[encryptedlock]

Very.

[He's sure to lick all the crumbs and oil off her fingers when she feeds it to him, since after all while the food is good it's the company that really makes it special. York continues to carefully pick and choose what to feed her, taking breaks from time to time to sip on his champagne.]

[youfallback]

[Grinning the whole time, Carolina does the same and between the two of them they whittle down both trays of food and the bottle of champagne. Soon enough, though, she's full and ready to take a few minutes to digest.

And by "take a few minutes to digest," she of course will mean getting ready for the zipline, but she will at least take 30 seconds to sit next to him. She settles back against the pillows, curling a hand along his arm.] Mmm.

[encryptedlock]

I really liked that soft cheese that went with the square crackers.

[And he leans against her, letting out a contented sigh like he does after any good meal.]

So should I put on anything special to go up high? Parachute?

[youfallback]

[She curls an arm around his shoulder and lazily runs her fingers through his hair.]

Swim trunks and a jacket. [And then she smirks brightly at him.]

[encryptedlock]

[His eyes widen and he smiles happily. Swim trunks + somewhere warm means either a sauna (unlikely) or the hot springs (his favorite place to spend with her).]

I'll be ready in two minutes. But only after I sit here with you for a minute.

[youfallback]

[His expression makes it all worth it. Grinning, she starts to slowly attempt to get up, despite his mention of wanting to sit there. After all, she's got a bikini to put on and something to keep her warm on the way down.] I need a few more minutes.

[encryptedlock]

Okay, okay.

[He'll get up with her for closeness and then give her one more kiss before breaking away.]

Regular swim trunks or Speedo?

[youfallback]

[Chuckling, Carolina grabs his hand and will try to tug him along to their bedroom. After all, she figures he's got some of both in one of the dressers.]

I'm leaving that up to you this time. [Meaning, she won't be threatening with a wet-suit this time.]

[encryptedlock]

Bright green Speedo it is. [What can he say, Delta's tickled by the swimsuit. And York has to admit, the idea of a jacket over a Speedo is pretty amusing. He follows her to the bedroom and digs around in his drawers until he finds it, waving the tiny piece of swimwear triumphantly.]

Okay. Just this and a jacket, right?

[youfallback]

[Carolina snorts at him as she starts tugging her dress off.]

You might want pants to go over that.

[encryptedlock]

Only if I get to take them off later.

[He'll grab a pair of sweatpants and start stripping down, only pausing to admire her at key moments. It's hard to ignore Carolina undressing, of course, even if she's only going to be putting clothes right back on.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina shimmies out of her dress and does take occasional moments to bend in specific ways when she knows he's looking over at her. Still, soon enough, she's tugging her bathing suit on, the usual green fabric hugging her frame as neatly as ever.]

You do.

[encryptedlock]

Sounds like a plan.

[And he'll change pretty quickly as well, then finally chooses a jacket and zips it up.]

Okay. Where do we go from here?

[youfallback]

[She follows suit and quickly pulls on a pair of tight military-grade trousers and a jacket.]

We head out the window.

[Now, she knows the windows don't line up, but when she was setting up earlier, they somehow ended up closer to the hot springs than she initially expected them to be.] Grab a towel and put on some gloves.

[Because she's heading over to the closet to grab the two harnesses and clips for the zipline.]

[encryptedlock]

Out the--oh, nice.

[He'll take a towel and tie it securely around his waist then pull on some gloves.]

I think I see where this is going. How long did it take you to get this set up?

[youfallback]

[Carolina grins as he seems to figure out what's going on and holds out a harness for him.]

Most of the day yesterday and today.

[encryptedlock]

This is awesome. [He hooks up the harness quickly and professionally, testing it a few times with hard jerks to make sure it's right.] Ready when you are, I think.

Bed!

[youfallback]

[She's absolutely beaming as she first slides her own harness on and then reaches out for his hand to lead him to the window in the living room.] Then c'mon.

kk!

[encryptedlock]

[He'll reach her hand up for a quick kiss then follow her out, looking for the zipline now that he knows it's there.]

Should I go first and then you follow?

[youfallback]

[It's hooked into the Castle wall outside, or at least she hopes it still is, and so she opens the window to double-check. Yes, it's still there and she quickly finishes pulling the rest of her harness on.]

Go ahead. [Usually, she would be all over heading down first but she still has to make sure her harness is secure.] I'll meet you down there.

[encryptedlock]

All right. Here goes nothing.

[York doublechecks his harness, attaches it to the line, and waves before jumping out with an excited yell. The ride down is fast but still long, considering how far away the hot springs are. Delta complains a little about non-Euclidian geometry and how it shouldn't be a straight line, but York cheerfully tells him to shut up.

Once he lands, he quickly clears the area so Carolina can land and just starts laughing. What a trip!]