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She needed to get away from the island for a couple of days. Peyton had come to this decision during her run that morning. Too many familiar faces, too much of the same. She just needed a little break, something to help clear her head. Somewhere cold, perhaps. A complete change of pace.

This was her goal as headed back to the dorms from the training field. Hurried, single minded, she wasn't paying attention to who she was passing. Not until she accidentally clipped someone on their way out. "s**t- Sorry." A half turn with the apology, gaze skittering over their face without really seeing in.

She got as far as another couple steps before stopping and turning completely. "Roland." He was her friend, and he definitely deserved more than a half hearted, placating apology. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

The Sun wasn't looking her best. Thankfully the dark shadows under her eyes had faded now that she was sleeping again, but there was a certain worn look about it. Emotionally exhausted.

"I'm fine." It was automatic, clipped. Her eyes twitched away, not meeting his. There were reasons she'd been avoiding people lately, specifically those she knew that she hadn't immediately gone to after the break up. Peyton's emotions showed all to well. Or maybe the utter lack of them. She could shut down her features, pull on a mask, but at some point she'd lost the knack of shutting off her eyes. Now everything seemed to show; anger, fear, happiness, pain.

"It's okay. I was rushing, I should have been paying attention." A glance down the hall towards the stairs. "I should, um. I should go. I wanna pack." Small hands hovered sort of uselessly at her sides before creeping together. Drawing in a breath, she forced her hands apart, tried for a smile. Tried to relax, and only half managed it. "Going to get away for a couple of days. A change of pace, you know?"

Roland really needn't have worried too much about the awkwardness that had cropped up at the tail of their last spar. The pang of conscious had mostly faded away, and she was coming to terms with the source. If it had been a few weeks ago, before everything had gone weird, she'd have been the same smiling Sun he was used to, rather then what she was now.

A flicker of a smile at the attempted humor, sincere this time and not just reflexive. "Good point."

Lips pursed as he continued, a certain thoughtfulness showing, then she was glancing towards the stairs again. "You should get away more often." Distracted, though she turned back after a long few seconds to look up at him. Probably it wasn't a good idea, but Roland was her friend, and if someone else went with her maybe she wouldn't spend the entire time in her own head. This trip was supposed to be a distraction, that would be easier with company.

"Do you wanna go, maybe?" A beat, then she added. "I was going to go somewhere cold, with snow."

"No polar bears or yetis." Another small flash of a smile. "I was thinking ice skating maybe." That probably wouldn't take much more than a few hours, so she didn't have a clue what would take up the rest of the time away, but they could probably figure something out.

"You don't have to come, if you don't want." She had sort of put him on the spot, and there was a good chance he had work to do. She'd certainly under stand if he couldn't get away, or didn't want to. "But if you do, you can meet me at the portal in like an hour?" She started turning away, heading for the stair finally. "I'm going to clean up, pack."

She paused. "I'm leaving at noon, so..." Peyton left it open, not quite looking back over her shoulder at him, then disappeared up the stairs. She needed a shower, and then packing. She had to let Astrid know she was going to be gone a couple of days.

Peyton arrived a few moments later with a backpack slung over one shoulder and a jacket tucked under the opposite arm. It was too damn hot to wear it here but she knew she'd need it the second they stepped through the portal. She was also wearing jeans, for once, under the lengthy fall of the cream knit sweater she was wearing.

"Ready?" She still seemed off, not herself, and there was a slight hesitance to the question as if she still wasn't sure she really wanted the company or not, but there was an attempted smile. It was quick, only the flicker of a thing, but she tried before moving past him into the lighthouse.

A location was given to the tech manning the portal, and she pulled the jacket on as he punched in coordinates and gave the all clear.

When they stepped through it was snowing. Big fluffy flakes drifting down lazily. Pretty, in a way. Prettier when you took in the ski sloops, the lodge, the winter sports shop, and of course, the rather large skating rink set beside the hotel.

She wasn't ignoring him, at least not on purpose. Peyton was still working out whether or not she wanted him around. Not just him specifically, but anyone other then Astrid, or maybe America. Her patience and desire for company of any kind was rather limited at the moment, and she'd just impulsively invited Roland along on leave trip without really dedicating any real thought to it. It meant they'd be in fairly close proximity for the next 24 hours. That thought alone was almost panic inducing.

But the snow was nice. She blinked up at the sky as fat, lazy flakes drifted down on them, stuck to hair and lashes and clothing. Their breaths swirling through the cool air like rolling fog. Cold and cleansing.

"Let's go." Aiming a small smile at him, she started leading the way towards to the resort so they could drop their bags in a room before figuring out what to do. Luck let there be a paid of conjoined single bed rooms on the third floor, and after exchanging credit card information they were given the keys and turned loose.

She was still quiet as they went up to the rooms, but at least the change of scenery seemed to be helping her nerves. There was a murmur of 'meet you in five' as she let herself into her room, and would be right back in the hall again as promised when the allotted time was spent.

Noah's thumb hovered over the send button, hesitating. Phrasing it like that, we broke up, made it sound like it'd been more like a mutual thing. But he couldn't quite bring himself to type out anything harsher, and we're not together any more was maybe too ambiguous, and Roland would probably make him explain later anyway. He sighed and sent the text.

He felt the buzz of his phone, he didn't dare look just yet since she was smiling at him in the hall, it was a half lit smile. The kind someone gave when waking up or just after some bad news. He could only wonder what Noah's reply was but it would have to wait a bit.

"Hey this is your trip, I'm just the company you brought along, we can do whatever floats your boat." He paused, it was a long pause. "We could... even build a snowman?" He might get punched for that one. He deserved it, really, he did.

Following the little sun hunter he stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Two days and a ski resort. We can try snowboarding too, not sure if that's easier or harder then Ski's..."

The whole time they walked he couldn't help but run his fingers over the phone in his pocket, curiosity was going to get the better of him sooner or later.