paradisalogs | Eyes wide shut, unopened

Cass rolls her eyes but puts her foot in his hands anyway. She's perfectly capable of getting up on the horse herself now, she's been practicing, but if he really wants to do it this way she won't deprive him.

Hands on the saddle, she nods.

"Ready."

And up she goes!

"Do not give me that look," he says, amused.

Once she's up and seated, Cass reaches out to stroke Maximus' neck. She really is fond of him, even if she is sure not to spoil him with too much affection. He isn't hers, of course. And Ezio just gets a grin in response.

"Too late. Already did. What are you... gonna do about it?"

He mounts behind her, settling in the saddle and putting an arm around her waist.

"At this rate, we will be punishing each other all day!"

"Well... makes for interesting birthday?"

Something like that. She takes up the reins and leans back against his chest, then urges Maximus forward and in the direction she had picked earlier. They'll start off slow for now, a leisurely walk out of and away from the castle grounds.

He relaxes against her.

"It certainly does."

Unlike Ezio, Cass isn't good enough yet to do this with one hand so she can't pat his hand the way she wants to now, something quick and simple to show her affection for him. Part of her is still angry with Stephanie and she hadn't really been able to focus on just enjoying her proximity, so having Ezio close now, no lies or secrets or promises to make up for errors, it just feels nice.

She had almost left, last night. Slipped out of the window to avoid being in her home knowing eventually Tim would be back and she'd have to see him again, watch his body language tell her all these things about why it was right for him to hide her loss from her. What if she had left, where would she have spent the night? If she picked Ezio's room to sneak into, how different would this morning have been?

She can feel her cheeks getting hot now, but he's behind her, he might not see. Now that they've gotten farther from the castle and the obstacles that make galloping dangerous, it's time to go faster and concentrate on horses, not men.

"Hold on."

At least she warns him before she taps Maximus' sides with her heels and the horse surges forward.

It's strange to be riding without having control of the horse, so he appreciates the warning; he holds onto her and shifts his weight with Maximus, otherwise falling into silence.

For the most part, she lets Maximus give her the ideas of where to go. His body language tells her he'd like to return to his stable, but once they're farther from the castle it that changes. He has favorite places and he's enjoying just running, so she sees no reason not to follow his lead.

They go on like that for some time, Paradisa and less pleasant thoughts left behind her, until Cass spots what looks like a nice place to stop and eat. Ezio still hasn't had breakfast, she doesn't want him starving on his birthday, so she slows Maximus and points to a large tree that's casting a cool looking shadow over the ground.

"Is there good, to stop?"

He chuckles, free hand clapping her thigh playfully.

"You tell me, you are the one in charge of this day."

Well, she does like to be in charge. As they get closer, she spots a lake and another tree, the low-hanging branches perfect for tying Maximus to so he'll have easy access to water. Pleased with her find, she sits up a little straighter in the saddle. Ah, pride.

"Here is good. Breakfast by lake... seems like good birthday thing."

Comfortable enough at this walking pace towards the tree, Cass shifts the reins to one hand to give it a try. She has to wonder, would watching a bunch of cowboy movies help her learn this? Watching horror movies helped her improve her stalk and terrify the bad guys skills, so maybe it's worth looking into. Once they get to the tree, she gives a gentle tug to stop Maximus. She's kind of proud of herself for getting them here with no one falling off and getting hurt.

"Hungry, Ezio?"

Colour him surprised. He surveys their new picnic area with a smile and then turns in the saddle to slide down first.

"Terribly, given that you didn't give me even a taste of you," he teases.

She doesn't blush this time because really, she should have seen that coming. Instead she just grins and shakes her head at him, a very oh Ezio expression on her face.

"Did you become... a zombie, on ride here?"

"If zombies bring women great pleasure, then yes, you can certainly count me amongst them," he replies, offering a hand to help her down.

"They don't usually. Mostly just... eat them alive. You haven't seen... any zombie movies?" This is just wrong, something that will have to be fixed right away. "We'll watch some. Make popcorn, have marathon."

And she reaches for his hand even though she can get down on her own and they both know it, but it's his birthday. She's willing to allow these kinds of things today.

"I haven't the faintest idea," Ezio replies. He has to mentally remind himself what popcorn is, too.

And then, once she's safely on two feet, he asks: "So, what is for breakfast, if not you?"

"Nothing special, just stuff... that travels well." Technically she supposes she travels well too but she's just going to keep that thought to herself. "And pretty sure... I wouldn't taste good, anyway. Too much tough muscle."

She's just sticking with the zombie thing, it's less confusing than trying to figure out what it is that he actually wants to taste.

She squeezes his hand before letting go and turning toward Maximus, digging into the saddlebag and pulling the blanket out. As an afterthought, the wine she wished for comes out too and both get handed over to him.

"Go set up blanket. Will bring rest."

"Good thing I wasn't interested in muscle," he remarks, taking the blanket under one arm and the wine bottle by the neck. "But never mind. You'll find out someday, when you get a bit more adventurous."

He's teasing. Sort of.

And it works. Completely.

"Plenty adventurous. Climbed your wall, got in bed. Looked at that." She points to his crotch, because if looking at him naked doesn't count as adventurous she has no idea what does.

That gets a laugh.

"That has a name, you know! It is un pene. Cazzo. A cock. And looking doesn't matter, everyone looks if they have a chance... you'll be adventurous to me when you do more than just idly brush against it."

She can't help it, she grins when he brings that up and turns back to Maximus to unpack the rest of the things she'd brought.

"Didn't brush, grabbed you. Your cock. Besides, that day... said I was adventurous. Contradicting yourself, now."

"I know what a grab feels like," he replies, picking his way through the grass and dropping down the picnic blanket. "And my standards for adventurous have since raised!"

"That's cheating. Can't just... raise the stakes, with no warning."

After making sure Maximus is settled and can reach the water, Cass makes her way over to Ezio and the blanket, food in hand. She'd wished for breakfast that traveled well and the castle had given her little sausages wrapped in dough, various cheeses and fruits, and a small package wrapped brown paper and tied with twine. She hands that over first.

"Wished for... Ezio's favorite food. It came wrapped, so..."

So she has no idea what it actually is, but she's very curious about what the castle would have slipped him for his birthday. It's a good thing she didn't wish for his favorite thing to eat, she realizes now. A woman would have never fit in the saddlebags.

Eyes wide shut, unopened

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