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He had his proposals outlined and ready to present to Mr. Black at the end of the week. Desdemona walking back into his life had presented a well enjoyed distraction, but despite that he'd managed to hunker down and work through a handful of ideas for the company head, and it had taken considerably less time than he'd anticipated.

Still sore, still sporting a number of stitches along the right side of his chest and accompanying gashes chasing up his throat. He found himself with free time he was very eager to fill, but a reluctance to jump back into patrol because he knew he wasn't at his best, and he didn't want to run the risk of getting even more hurt.

Rory would kill him. Hell, Dessy too, probably.

So what to do to occupy his evenings? He considered calling Des to see what she was up to if she was free, but he found himself scrolling down to Rory's number instead. They'd both checked in, made sure the other was alright, but he'd really feel better if he saw her face to face.

And there was something he'd been meaning to do but never found a good reason, until now. Hopefully she'd be up for a little adventure.

Whoops, he hadn't meant to make her worry. "I'm fine." Well, mostly fine, all things considering.

"Are you busy tonight?" He was pulling on a loose fitted button down shirt as he made his way down the hall in his apartment, buttoning it up as he crossed the living room and kitchen to reach the door. As he opened it he adjusted his grip on the phone again, then turned to lock the door behind him.

"I was going to v-" He cut himself of before he finished that thought, rewording things a bit. "I want to show you something, if you're free."

He paused at the elevator and poked at the down button. "Maybe bring a coat." Having never been there, he couldn't have said for certain his Wonder would be cold, but he had to figure it probably was.

There were many things 'I'm fine' could potentially mean, but in this case at least there was no hidden meaning, but he could still hear the worry in her voice. Damn near feel it radiating through the phone. You'll worry your lip right off.

But she was free, and soon enough she'd be able to see for herself that he was indeed fine and she didn't have to worry about him.

"I'm on my way out the door right now, so how about we meet at that little park by your place? I can be there in ten." Maybe quicker if he powered up and raced over roof tops.

"That's fine. I'll see you in a little bit, then," he answered back with a chuckle at that almost question in her tone. He knew the request sounded strange, but it wasn't like he could safely tell her what the coat was for over the phone. She was just going to have to wait and see.

Chuckling to himself, he acknowledged that he would pay to watch her walking down the sidewalk in summer with a winter coat under her arm, and seeing people's reactions to that. This late, maybe the streets would be pretty empty.

Returning the phone to his pocket he stepped into the elevator and thumbed the lobby button and waited for the doors to close, for the elevator to descend, and then for the doors to open again. If she had to head home first then he could take his time walking to the park.

Axton had only been there a couple of minutes before he saw Rory hurrying up the path into the park, coat tucked under her arm. It made him grin, chuckling softly under his breath as he stood up and stepped away from the bench he'd taken a seat on.

"You need that because I'm betting it gets pretty chilly on Mercury," he said cryptically, holding a hand out for her to take. He was going to have to power up before they could go and he didn't want to do that here. Being forced into it by circumstances and desperation was one thing, but he was generally much less reckless. Well, about that.

He wiggled the fingers he held out to her, grin brightening. "Come on, It's too open out here."

"Oh, but we can." Well, he could, and he wasn't to take her with him. They could check it out together. How often did non-powered individuals get this sort of opportunity? Space travel? How could he not share this with her?

His hand wrapped around her's and he led her away from the open expanse of the park and towards a secluded picnic area. He could power up quickly in the bathrooms and then they could give this a shot. Having never tried anything like this, he wasn't entirely[/] certain it was going to work, but he'd heard about knights taking people to their wonders before, so why should this be different?

As they reached the picnic area he let her hand go. "Just wait here a minute, okay?" His hands came up for emphasis as he smiled reassuringly at her.

Inside the bathroom he did a quick search of the stalls before powering up, then stepped back out into the night air.

nuxaz

He could tell she was nervous, and that wasn't what he was after. Surprised, but not worried. It had him reaching for her hand as he walked back up to her, giving slender fingers a delicate squeeze. "We can't get there unless I'm powered up."

Baikal glanced around them before giving Rory a little tug so he could move them back into the dark shadows of the surrounding trees. He didn't see anyone, didn't feel anyone, but a little more cover was never a bad idea.

"Now just hang on, alright." Now was the tricky part. He had the knowledge to do this, but not the experience. Eyes closing, hands still holding her's, he recalled the pledge he knew without knowing, murmuring the words under his breath as he thought of cold, and snow, and the wide expanse of a frozen lake.

And in a flash, impossibly, they went from standing in the warmth of the park to the almost bitter chill of Mercury. "Damn, that's a temperature shock." He shivered, reaching for the coat in Rory's arms so he could hold it open for her.

Baikal, the wonder, was indeed a frozen lake, but there was also the crumbling remains of ruins made from ice. The majority had fallen into unrecognizable heaps, but a few, standing much taller than the rest, still help the shape of what they originally were. Architecture the flowed and curved, chasing up the sides of lingering spires.

[quite="nuxaz"]

He pulled the cost closed, zipped it, and then reached for the scarf around his neck so he could loop it around her shoulders before he drew up her hood. It was literally freezing here, he knew it would be, but the shift had been a shock even for him.

"Mercury," he answered, head turning to scan the wintery landscape. "Baikal, specifically. Or what's left of it." Lips pursed, he took her hand in his so he could draw her arounf, pointing up at the ruins. "It's my wonder." Not that he had the strongest connection to it. Certainly not as strong as some of the other knights he'd met.

"You know who I am, what I am." Pale eyes dipped from the ruins to her. "I thought maybe you'd like to see." It was such a rare experience, how could he not share it with her now that she'd seen him. "Didn't think it'd be this damn cold though. I would have had you bring more than a coat."

He could feel her trembling, and he frowned as he drew her in closer to his side. "We can go back if you want."