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

[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!]

[youfallback]

[Carolina offers a wave in response, grinning as he jumps out. She figured that would be response, but it's still better to hear it than imagine. Chuckling, she waits a minute or so before doing the same, but making sure to close the window partway to keep the cold from getting in while they're at the hot springs. Honestly, the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair and the rush of the drop are both things she's missed so much and by the time she's nearing the end of the zipline, she's grinning down at him.

And soon enough she's landing, her expression bright with unbridled mirth.]

Good ride.

[encryptedlock]

[Once she's clear, he takes her in a tight embrace for a few moments before letting go, still grinning widely.] That was awesome.

[He'll keep hold of her hand and turns toward the hot springs.]

Course, now I'm a little wound up to relax.

[youfallback]

That's what the hot water is for. [There's no way she can stop grinning as she tugs on his hand to maybe hurry them along to the hot springs. She's got adrenaline pumping through her and right now that's translating into a striking urge to press him up against a wall.]

[encryptedlock]

[He just laughs, cheeks obviously flushed from the thrill of it all. If she were to want to let out a little steam before entering the steam, so to speak, he wouldn't object in the slightest. They're alone out here, as always - most of the castle forgets this place exists.]

[youfallback]

[Yeah, she'll be reaching for the zipper of his jacket, trying to push him against the nearest wall with her weight and, if she's close enough, she'll seal her lips over his in a fierce kiss.]

[encryptedlock]

[York's a little surprised - she's usually more reserved about this - but doesn't seem to object in the slightest. In fact, his grin never leaves as he kisses her back, slipping his hands up under her jacket for some nice skin-on-skin contact.]

[youfallback]

[Yeah, usually, she's much more secretive, would have double-checked the area before even thinking of holding his hand a little, but she has adrenaline coursing through her and he's, well, pretty irresistible right now. She hums lowly at that contact as she tugs his zipper down, her grin not dimming either as she tries to deepen the kiss.]

[encryptedlock]

[Oh, well, in that case! York shrugs out of his jacket as she unzips it, humming a little as she deepens the kiss to show his appreciation. They can make out a little before slipping into the pool. There's no rule against that.

He'll move one hand around to start unzipping her jacket as well, once there's no danger of tangling their limbs too much.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina briefly runs her hands up his chest, but shifts her hands to the sides of his face once he starts unzipping her jacket. Her side of the kiss is a little more urgent than usual and she does what she can to help in shrugging off her jacket while still trying to keep her weight pressing him against the wall.]