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"You think it'll all be over then?" he asked, mild surprise in his voice. It occurred to him then that he had, for better or for worse, fairly accepted that their lives were never going to be normal -- that there was a good chance that dealing with the Otherside either would never end, or they'd die before it did. Both of them were the type to put their lives out there as lesser for the greater good; what chance did two men like that have to survive a war without answers?

Lucas huffed and trotted around the trail, stepping through the gnarls of roots and overgrowth so he could be at Rylan's side, for even a moment. His good hand lit on the firefighter's arm and slid down to his hand, partially to hold it and partially to make sure he had the man's attention. "Promise me," he said in a tone that was probably as close to serious as he could get, heavy, if not a little grave. "Promise me that after August, we're not going to put off our lives for whatever happens." Grey eyes sought his amber. "Because if it doesn't end, I still want this. For however long we've got."

That...was not the answer Lucas was hoping for. The apathy and almost flippant response made him look surprised, and then somewhat deflated. "I see." He let Rylan go and continued down the path, feeling the discomfort of a lonely silence settle in his chest. "Yeah, of course," was all he answered, and he let it go from there, focusing on the trail.

*

Lunch was had in quiet reflection on the were's part, though he'd offer a smile and warm word if anything was said - he just wasn't instigating on his end. He didn't brighten again until the sun was starting to set and they crested a small hill, laying out the final surprise - a small clearing set with a white cloth tent that was currently rolled up on both sides, revealing the sizable bed beneath. A fire pit had already been set up, ready to be lit, and not far from the intimate getup was the promised pool, a small lake that was mostly clear and shaded from the tall trees.

"We made good time," Lucas said as he made careful foot holds down the hill, feeling rather heated and worn in more ways than one. Unshouldering the pack once he was on level ground, he tossed it near the bed and started to pull off his shirt. A hot shower sounded amazing, but in the absence of plumbing, the pool would have to do.

Tossing the sweaty shirt on top of his pack, Lucas glanced over to Rylan, arching a brow. "Half calling in some favors," he said as he sat on the ground gracelessly, pulling at his shoes, "half having it in mind since our first official date. The rest was just taking my time off when I was wolfed out to scour the land. Found this place, and..." The were shrugged, putting his shoes aside and starting to unfasten his belt. "Just seemed like a nice compromise as a late birthday gift to you and for me." The jeans came next, folding those and placing them over his shoes. "There's a nicer place further out, but I know how scarce your time is."

With his underwear and socks removed, he then let his hair down, using his metallic hand to shake out his hair before he started to unfasten the brackets on his shoulder. "Take a break, if you want. There's a small river five minutes west that's clean for drinking, otherwise -- " there was a soft hiss of sound as the prosthetic arm came unhinged from his body, and carefully, he put it behind his pack - as if he didn't want it to be seen. "I am going to clean up, 'cause even the gym didn't prepare me for this amount of heat."

Standing, he smiled faintly and padded through the dirt towards the pool, apparently not worried about his leg prosthetic in the water. Some were waterproof, but he didn't want to risk his favorite arm piece.

He had a lot to think about, a proverbial black cloud threatening to loom over his head. The forest air felt great against his balmy skin, but he was acutely aware of the absence of weight against his right side. His left hand moved to rub the indents on his skin where the prosthetic attached, and for one brief moment, he actually debating going to get it --

-- and that was about the time he found himself hurtling towards the water at a speed that he most certainly had not been going mere seconds before. Lucas let out the most indignant shout of surprise, his mind telling his right arm to reach back to grab the one hauling him, but it wasn't there, putting him entirely at the mercy of the Marine that had them both in momentum. There was a giddy tilt in his stomach, a feeling that he would have grinned if he wasn't so damn shocked, and then he was airborne --

He barely managed to twist his body to land on his back as he fell into the lake without an ounce of grace, filling his lungs with air before he was enveloped by the cold embrace of the water. Squinting against being submerged, he used his legs to spin himself around, kicking off the bottom and breaking the surface, throwing his hair back like a mermaid, sending a spray of water over the lake -- and hopefully Rylan.

"You sneaky s**t!" he half gasped, half laughed with disbelief, keeping afloat with his tired legs. He treaded water long enough to splash at the other, another half barked bit of laughter escaping him before he sunk back into the depths, vaulting towards Rylan -- to do what? Hell if he knew, probably just climb on his back, but he damn well deserved a good dunking!

Surfacing, he half spat, half laughed. "I did not see it, because it was in my back, you cheating Marine!" Despite the words, they were chased with his own laughter, especially at Rylan's comment. "Football is too contact-sport for you, but I'll leave the tight end comment alone. I already had one set up, you're not getting two."

Snorting, he pushed himself through the water until he could feel the ground beneath his foot, using the traction to wade until the water was just about at his belly button. "Who, me? Why, I was just going to try and sidle up to the hottest guy here," he teased right back, wrinkling his nose and sticking out his tongue for a moment like the mature adult he was. "S'fine. You'll get payback, with interest." Lucas grinned, feeling more comfortable in his skin, even with an absent arm. "I'm a Leo, I got a long memory and grudges for days."

Muttering something in his native tongue - probably good humored - he dipped backwards so his hair was submerged, using his fingers to draw through it before standing upright again, casting Rylan a mock-mistrustful look.

Rylan was skirting that fine line that the were did not know how to deal with -- the cheeky sort of banter they'd met and dated with, the one that tended to render him speechless. One could almost see Lucas weighing the pros and cons of chasing after the teasing comment, but the Marine's decision to stay back - and heft a ball of fire - staved off any flirty comment he might have had.

"I threaten you with a good time and you make a motherflippin' fireball in a lake." He smiled a little, shaking his wet head and using his fingers to scrub through his hair as he talked. "If you're wanna spar, at least wait til the full moon and when I have all my damn pieces intact. S'the only way I could give you a decent go." Lucas wasn't magical like everyone else -- the most he could do was rely on the distant feeling of his prosthesis imitating what was lost to give him a snowball's chance in the hell Rylan would give him.

Rolling his good shoulder, he dove into the water and used his strong legs to propel him to the opposite side, closer to where he'd been unceremoniously hurled in. Surfacing, he leaned against the edge of the bank and sighed with satisfaction as his muscles finally started to relax a little. "I wish I had a fraction of your energy, Chief. I'm ready to sleep and you seem to have found your fifth wind."

The smile he wore was small, his gaze not betraying much of his thoughts as he watched Rylan. In another time, this would have been almost everything he wanted. Now...

"It's not work," Lucas reminded him with another shake of his head. Turning to the bank, he hooked his good foot into the side of the lake bed and pushed himself up, bringing a cascade of water with him. "Don't take too long. I want to catch the meteor shower with sunset."