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Prompt 5 (Ice Bath): Rainfall is rare in Destiny City during Winter; there have been a few light showers between the occasional snow but it’s never been enough to be significant. In some places, it’s just enough for a thin layer of ice to cover the ground and make it a little slippery, but ultimately it’s not enough to worry about. In an inconspicuous place in town, you step into one of these icy puddles and the thin layer of ice shatters. The hole itself seems maybe three feet wide and if you’ve ever been in the area before you know it’s just a pothole a few inches deep at most. Except, when the ice shatters, you fall, plummeting into it as if it were a lake of icy water. It’s pitch black around you and only pale blue lights shimmer above you. The darkness is never ending and you can’t make out the details of anything except the shrinking hole above you. Maybe you remember how to swim and pull yourself out, maybe you black out and feel someone else pulling you out--either way, your frozen, soaking body is pulled from the puddle. The chill is immense, but if you look at the hole after being pulled out, all you can see is the ground below. There’s no sign that what you just experienced is real--except for the fact that you’re still soaking wet.
Usually, Anna liked to take her walks on the more busier sides of Destiny City, but she decided to branch out a bit and walk along a different path. The city was nice around this time, if only a little cold, to which she had this nice and heavy fur jacket that she just bought not too long ago. As she continued her walk, dark brown eyes took in all the new surroundings. There was a bit of icicles hanging off of the various railings that were attached to apartment buildings she walked past, a simple snap of some really pretty ones with her phone and she was continuing on. Anna had no particular destination in mind, wanting to get a bit of a workout in to take her mind off of work. It wasn't that she was stressed, but she was definitely trying to think of other things then what she was passionate about. With her phone still out, she did send a couple of the pictures she took to Quinn's phone, blushing slightly. That was one topic she could think about and it would provide that "distraction" she needed. It was strange to think of what they were doing as what? Courting? Testing the waters? Or ******** buddies? Well, that last one didn't seem accurate so she crossed it off of her mental list.
Testing the waters? Sure, but what exactly were they testing then? Quinn is a client, something that caused her to wince, not something she liked to think about. However, that is the truth and while there is an unspoken rule about clients and sex, its never been something explicitly stated in the world of business. Did she feel bad? At first she did, but then when you come to realization that chemistry is a thing, the thought didn't really seem as bad. So alternatively, if Anna chose she could end whatever this was developing into. That really didn't sit well with her so perhaps while she was testing the waters on her end, it really wouldn't apply to the situation at hand, and she wasn't about to analyze the feeling of relief that she felt at her thought process....At least not at the moment.
Courting? This seemed like the more appropriate thought to give what they were currently doing. Sure there was the amazing sex, instant chemistry, and the fact that they had a lot in common. But also, there were the dates...Something that she's never done before since highschool. As to why she stopped dating [especially at such a young age], the need to focus on education and college was the main factor. The pressure of wanting to make sure that the legacy your grandma left would not be tarnished or less than what she had envisioned was also a factor. It was only when she settled here in Destiny City, with enough profit to keep the stores in New York, Washington, and Texas running successfully without a hitch did Anna start to want a potential relationship. The whole Tinder fiasco was a blessing and a curse, one of her mistakes as well as one of the best choices she's made so far. Going on dates with Quinn never felt required or forced, in fact Anna liked to think of them as an adventure each time, where she never knew what they were actually doing or where they intended for the night [or day] to end. Thinking about the last date she went on with the undercover CEO made her smile.
Yes she would definitely have to set up another date at some point.
Anna almost didn't notice the frozen over puddle in front of her, she stopped just in time before stepping in it, frowning. There was light raining, but she didn't think it was enough for puddles to form. Either way, she wasn't sure if she felt like getting her snow boots wet [the dry cleaning bill would be something she didn't feel like handling at the moment] but neither did she want to step out in the street where the dirty sleet was either. Not really seeing a way around, Anna sighed and stepped on the frozen ice, not expecting the loud crack that followed. One moment she was on the sidewalk, the next she was submerged, air leaving her lungs in the form of tiny bubbles while continuing to sink towards the abyss. Dark brown eyes widened with panic, struggling to reach the light that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. Why was she so heavy? Why couldn't she swim faster? It was then a moment of clarity allowed her to remember the heavy winter coat that she was wearing. As much as she didn't want to, hands moved on their own, tugging feverently at the buttons that held the thing together. Vision growing dark, the last button was removed, Anna struggled out of the jacket. She rushed to the hole that was now growing bigger as the jacket started sinking behind her.
Never before has she been so grateful for oxygen.
As she pulled herself out of the hole, Anna flopped onto her back in the middle of the sidewalk, panting to get in all the oxygen she could while simultaneously fighting the immediate chill. She was completely soaked and very unhappy about it. However once she received her second wind, when she looked at what she could only assume was an underground lake, there was nothing there but the pavement. Blinking, she crawled toward where she knew she had stepped not to long ago, confusion eminent on her face.
What freaked her out even more was the fact that she could now feel the weight of her abandoned jacket, all buttoned up like she never took it off in the first place.
