[R] It's all downhill from here (Caitlin, Gansey)

[Tolin Kalin]

Caitlin Higgins had a lot of things on her mind these days, and resolved to stop moping about it. Therefore she decided, 'screw everything,' and set off for the closest ski slopes around. It didn't really matter if it had been snowing or not, after all...it was still mostly cold enough, and the place would have their own.

She got out her nicest ski jacket--an expensive one with a nice variety of colors, and brought her new winter accessories: hat, goggles, gloves, and of course the ski equipment, and went.

It wasn't a friends outing (a rare thing for her. Most of the time the thought was, 'why look fancy if nobody I know sees it?' even if she would never intentionally look a mess), it was strictly the Business Of Fun.

Maybe she'd make a new friend along the way. Who knew?

Either way, she made her way to the ski lifts, equipment in arm, and waited somewhat impatiently to get on--still standing in a way that said she wanted to be seen, regardless.

Nuxaz

Sorry about dropping the ball on starting there, I'm back in business! Gansey could be next to her in ski lift line or something. smile

 

[Nuxaz]

Winter break meant that Gansey was taking full advantage of the freedom from his university classes. It was also the perfect excuse to avoid family-related obligations by attending ski trips with his friends.

He was well dressed, gear in arm, waiting for the next lift to come around after his buddies had hopped onto the one before. They had an uneven number due to poor planning (which Gansey knew he should have been in charge of organizing in hindsight) and that meant that one of them had to go alone or sit with a stranger.

Gansey had opted to go for it, not wanting to listen to Colin's latest attempt at getting Rebecca to go home with him.

When someone came up behind him, or rather beside him with how she held herself, he put on his best schmoozing grin. "Looks like we'll be riding together, Miss...?"

tolin kalin

 

[Tolin Kalin]

Caitlin eyed the guy who ended up next to her with a calm smile. A quick decision: Worth talking to. A nice chat with someone who looked like they were down for a good...schmooze and run would be just the trick.

Plus the skiing, of course, but that would still be a while yet. At least there wasn't too much of a line for the ski lift.

"It would seem so," she replied, her smile broadening some. "I'm Caitlin," she offered, simultaneously lifting a hand in a rather stereotypical 'socialite lady hand shake' manner. "And you are?"

Nuxaz

Dropped the ball there, woops

 

[Nuxaz]

"Miss Caitlin," he repeated, making sure to say her name just slowly enough that it was almost in a dreamy sort of way. "A lovely name for a lovely lady." Perhaps she'd see it as over the top or she'd take it as friendly, charming.

It didn't matter, they'd be sitting next to each other for the fifteen minutes it took for the lift to get to the top.

"Gansey," he introduced himself, offering her his hand if she felt inclined to take it.

"The snow seems perfect for skiing, don't you think?"

tolin kalin

 

[Tolin Kalin]

It was a bit over the top, but Caitlin was in the mood for needless flattery, so she smiled winningly and replied, “Why, thank you. A pleasure to meet you, Gansey.”

“The weather is just perfect,” she agreed with a nod. “I haven’t had a chance to come out and ski for a while, so I’m glad the weather’s cooperating.”

“You ski often?”

Nuxaz

 

[Nuxaz]

Caitlin's smile proved that she was easily flattered and while Gansey knew how to pointlessly do so, he opted to refrain from too much past the cheesy compliment of her name.

"The snow hasn't been quite nice enough until recently for skiing," he commented, glancing at the mostly fresh snow around them. Soon it would be their turn for the lift and he looked forward to going down the mountain side.

"Not in some time, between school and travel, among other things, timing hasn't been quite right for it," he told her with a bit of a sigh.

"I do have to say that I find skiing more charming than snowboarding, though boards are nice when you're feeling a little reckless."

tolin kalin

 

[Tolin Kalin]

Caitlin nodded her understanding. "Yeah, life can get quite busy at times, can't it?" she said somewhat wistfully. "It has a strange tendency to go completely crazy for a while, so a chance to get away from it is wonderful." She, of course, was thinking about Powered insanities, but that was decidedly not something to talk about with a stranger.

On the topic of snowboarding, she nodded. "Truthfully, I haven't tried snowboarding much. Did it once and it was...an experience, but there's something to be said about having your feet able to move independently, I think." She shrugged lightly. "Still. Might have to try it again, if I'm feeling particularly...reckless one day."

Nuxaz

 

[Nuxaz]

"No rest for the wicked," he replied, flashing her a smirk before it became their turn for the lift. Getting on was as smooth as he suspected and he shifted his grip on his poles as he regarded his temporary companion.

"We're at that age, aren't we, where we should be 'living things up' and have no time to sleep?" Between college, expectations from his mother, his new duties, and his conquests, Gansey felt that he was truly living the life they expected people in their early twenties to live.

"It can be enjoyable," he offered, regarding snowboarding, "once you learn how to balance."

Starting out on two skis vs one board had certainly made learning easier when he was young.

tolin kalin

 

[Tolin Kalin]

Climbing onto the lift was a single smooth motion for Caitlin that almost didn't require focus, though she did at least give the effort to not look useless at it.

She let out a small laugh with a shake of her head. "We are certainly that age. A perfect time to have a grand ol' time, all the parties, travel...And yet, I find myself much too busy so often." She shook her head once more. "It's a wonder most people have time for anything at all." She left out, because I'm not even that worried about money. Instead of money, she had life stealing monsters and interstellar teleportion to consider... Though that second one wasn't all bad.

"Perhaps I'll try it some time," she mused. "Though I think maybe next winter. Might give wake boarding a try this summer, though."

"So what do you do normally, mister Gansey?" she asked lightly, emphasizing the 'mister' playfully.

Nuxaz

 

[Nuxaz]

Caitlin talked like a woman older than herself when Gansey cared to pay actual attention to the things she was saying. It was easy to half listen, a skill he picked up from having to stand next to his mother's side and smile or respond to things as necessary. Some people gleaned when reading, Gansey did it with everything.

"If you treat time like a concept instead of an actuality, it's easy." He did (most) things when he cared to and they weren't always the 'responsible' thing.

"Classes, dates, hang with the boys," he answered in a breezy sort of way. "The typical things you'd expect from a man going to a private university in a fraternity."

tolin kalin

 

[Tolin Kalin]

Stress and weird occurrences certainly made her feel much older than she was, and that may have reflected in what she said about things, but that was life sometimes... She just nodded at her lift companion's suggestion.

What he claimed to do, though, made her smile, and she responded, "That so? And what do you study in between dates and hanging with the boys?" Her smile broke into a good humored grin, "Or are they your major?"

Nuxaz

 

[Nuxaz]

Dark brows lifted and Gansey looked amused.

"If you're wondering about my major, it's politics," he answered breezily, looking utterly comfortable in his own skin with confidence dripping from every pore. He was born and bred for the world of politicians, dancing around the law, and the like.

The man looked contemplative for a moment as if he was deciding what he wanted to share before he leaned towards Caitlin.

"What do you do Miss Caitlin?"

tolin kalin

 

[Tolin Kalin]

"Ah, so I'm riding with a future Senator, then," she replied, in a similarly breezy tone. "Or President, perhaps. I feel honored!" Whether or not she really did was hard to say, but she certainly went with it well enough.

"I admit, I am somewhat...between interests, at the moment," she offered with a dismissive wave of one glove. "Taking mostly Gen Ed courses at the moment, though I've found recently my interests drifting more toward the sciences than I'd have believed when I finished high school."

It wasn't as if she really needed to worry about a job. She could easily work for her parents, breeze through life...But it turned out when presented with incredible, world-changing magics and abilities, she found herself considerably more interested in the world around her than she had been previously.

Nuxaz

 

[Nuxaz]

When he flashed his smile at her once more there was something slightly sharper to it. "Something like that." The sharpness settled after a moment, the end of their lift ride up ahead and Gansey started mentally preparing himself for it.

"If there's any time to be in between it's now." His entire life was planned out, because that's how things were.

They reached the end and he offered her a two fingered wave.

"Best of luck to you Ms. Caitlin."

tolin kalin

 

[Tolin Kalin]

Caitlin knew it was probably not the best idea to lightly rib someone she didn't really know, but it came so very easily at times. And maybe Gansey assumed he'd just had a light chat with a wishy-washy plebe. That was (weirdly) fine by her right in that moment.

"It's true," she agreed with a nod, and hopped lightly off the ski lift. "And good luck to you, too! I'm sure we'll cross paths again some time." She gave a full hand wave, just one single motion, accompanied by a winning smile.

Doing what, she did not know. Why say that? ...Why not?

Either way, she pushed off from there, and worried about it no more.

Nuxaz

I think we can call this a Fin. Thanks for playing! smile