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 Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:58 pm
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Knowing she had plans in the evening, Erica had spoken with a fellow officer to switch shifts so she could work 4:00 AM - 1:00 PM which would allow her enough time to double check the gear she was bringing, get a short 3-hour nap in, and swing by Subway on her way to the trailhead.
Luck had been on her side as she’d arrived about nine minutes early, which was surprising since usually the line getting sandwiches was long this time of day on a Friday. While there, Erica had sent Ilya a quick message to make sure she got something he’d like. It was wrapped, condiments in small little plastic containers on the side since those could be added later and wouldn’t make the bread all soggy.
While waiting, she worked to get things sorted and situated. The duffel bag was unzipped and left on the hood of her car just to do a quick comparison to see if they doubled up on something they might not necessarily need. Not that it mattered since the weight of their backpacks would be negligible once they were stowed away in their subspace pocket when they got to her world.
“I think that’s it-” Erica stood, twisted her torso from side to side to loosen up her back a bit, and did a few hamstring and calf stretches while she waited for Ilya to arrive.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:59 pm
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When Ilya arrived, he didn’t look like he was ready for much of anything. He seemed like he was dressed professionally–probably just came from work–but he hadn’t brought any of his other necessities.
He could see Erica before he arrived, and her stretching brought an unintended smile to his face. If he hadn’t been running around all day already, he might have thought he should do the same. He doubted his body was going to get any more limber than this.
“Should I be worried about how high intensity this is going to be?” he asked as he approached; he spoke before he could get too close and spook her. Something gave him the distinct impression that she didn’t startle well, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of any defensive measures.
Ilya raised a hand in greeting, and smiled. He seemed rather mellow, but that was his usual disposition. He always seemed a bit reserved, but it didn’t seem unfriendly, just something he’d grown into.
“I packed everything I needed up last night,” he said, but only because he’d already loaded everything into subspace so he had less to carry once they got there. “I’ll unpack when we get there. Thank you, again, for the invitation.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:59 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:00 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:01 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:05 pm
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Ilya clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I don’t envy you. I’m glad I do what I do instead. I promised my brothers I wouldn’t get into anything too dangerous, we’ve had enough to worry about in our family without me getting into the mix, too.”
He powered up between sentences; Ilya disappeared and Beira replaced him. There was a very brief second when he hesitated, like he had to work himself up to take her hand.
In this form, he smelled less of hand sanitizer and soap but he still needed a moment to pull himself together. He straightened his back, rolled his shoulders, and then offered a quick, apologetic smile as he pulled out a pair of fur lined gloves from subspace. The rest of his supplies weren’t as important, but there was a practicality in the gloves aside from just protecting against the cold. “But I suppose I have enough proclivities for them to worry about, already.”
Destiny City was too hot to worry about the jacket or scarf he’d also packed, but this was a good start. When the gloves were on, he took her hand.
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