Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful (IC)

[quotemyname]

Colt did in fact catch the bottle against his chest after it sailed through the air. He raised the bottle in her direction in a salute, then pulled the plastic cigarette from his mouth with his right hand. Holding it between two of his fingers, he grasped the bottle and unscrewed the top of the bottle with his left. He quickly took a swig straight from the bottle due to the lack of any other drinking vessels around. He noted, Grim's shot glasses had poofed out of existence, and was about to wonder if she'd done that on purpose when the taste of the whiskey hit the back of his throat.

"Hoo! That there's somethin' ya never wanna get used'ta." He grimaced slightly at the taste. Then stuck the cigarette back in his mouth, giving his head a little shake attempting to clear more of the taste.

As she sat down next to him, he smiled in spite of himself at her comment, shaking his head. He deactivated the cigarette and stowed it away. He accepted the hot dog fork with one hand and brandished the bottle with the other. "Glasses? Or bottle only?" He asked with a smile.

[Heritage]

"Glasses? Or bottle only?" He asked with a smile.

The changeling shook her head as she turned her dogs over the flames. "Nah, right from the bottle's fine; we've swapped spit before, so that's no big deal, plus then I don't have to send the table away, since I can't maintain more than three glamoured objects at a time...well, not counting my clothes, that is."

Grim snuggles up to Colt and sighs deeply. "Mmm, we should probably finish unpacking before we get too wasted on that stuff; I'll take a swig now, though." Taking the bottle from her boyfriend, she raises it too her lips and takes a lady-like sip; the resulting facial contortions are truly a sight to see, several of them quite impossible for mere mortals.

"Gyah-hah-hah! Oh Lord have mercy! That is liquid fire, alright!"

She hands the bottle back to him and shakes uncontrolably for just a second before regaining her composure.

[quotemyname]

"Gyah-hah-hah! Oh Lord have mercy! That is liquid fire, alright!"

She hands the bottle back to him and shakes uncontrolably for just a second before regaining her composure.

Colt set the bottle down in the dirt for a minute, not wanting another sip quite yet. "Reckon there never was'a more acquired taste. If'n ya c'n get past this, y'all c'n eat anythin', kosher'r not." He gave her a wink and a kiss. He looked towards the flames as he held his hot dog out over them.

Colt had never known that tidbit about her powers before. "So what happens if'n ya try'n make more? Does the oldest one poof? 'Er does't just not make the new one?"

[Heritage]

"So what happens if'n ya try'n make more? Does the oldest one poof? 'Er does't just not make the new one?"

The small fae woman frowned. "It's kinda hard to describe, really; I guess it's kinda like...trying to blow a bubble when your outta breath. Actually...here, hold this for a sec." Grim handed Colt her hot dog fork, then took a few steps away from the fire and held her hand out in front of her.

"I've never really pushed it before, to see if I could, y'know, do something more impressive. And we're not in a combat situation, so what the hell, right?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, which she slowly let out. "Got it."

Suddenly there was a massive Chippendale desk, nearly twice as tall as she was, standing at the edge of the campsite; the door panels were carved with barouque woodland scenes, vaguely reminiscent of the Pine Barrens they were currently camping in. When she opened her eyes and looked up at the huge piece of furniture that loomed over her, Grim was clealry delighted.

"Oh my God! I made a fourth thing, a big fourth thing! Check this **** out! Ha-ha!" She took a step back, and almost lost her balance. "Hoo boy, that took a little out of me!" She points at it vigorously. "Can you see this? I am the Glamour Master! Or Mistress, whatever!"

[quotemyname]

Colt clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Brava! Brava, Mistress!" Colt gave her a smile and a look. "Reckon, we c'n probably pack up our clothes in'ta that thing. If'n ya wanna keep it around, that is."

Colt continued to sit by the fire, and just look at her. The glamour mistress. HIS glamour mistress. "I reckon it looks like ya gone'n tired yerself out. Why don't'cha come'n sit by me? Hot dog're almost ready, looks like."

[Heritage]

"Reckon, we c'n probably pack up our clothes in'ta that thing. If'n ya wanna keep it around, that is."

She appraised the desk with a critical eye. "Mmm, it's a bit showy for camping, isn't it? I will make us a nice cedar chest, though. After we eat." With a wave of her hand, it was gone as soon as it arrived, the chairs melting away into mist as well.

"I reckon it looks like ya gone'n tired yerself out. Why don't'cha come'n sit by me? Hot dog're almost ready, looks like."

Grim snagged the buns and fixins off the table, which also faded into nothingness, and crunched across the snow back to Colt's side.

"There! Don't really need all that junk if we're just gonna eat by the fire, right? Yeah, these bad boys are ready."

She gingerly slid the dogs off the fork and into some buns, and set the trimmings on a nice thick blanket she created just for that purpose.

"Okay, we've got mustard, chopped onions, relish...a few hot peppers, which will make the kissing really interesting later. Oh, and also chips."

Reaching into her parka's pockets, she pulled out two Cokes; she'd sprung for imported Mexican Coke in glass bottles, made with good ol' fashioned cane sugar.

"Didn't even see me grab these, didja? Yep, I'm that good."

She snapped out two claws and popped the caps in one smooth motion; offering one to Colt, she raised her own in salute.

"To being in love and having superpowers; it don't get much better than this."

[quotemyname]

"Well, I reckon it is a bit flashy. We c'n keep it simple fer now, right?" Colt said, smiling smiling as she returned to him.

"Okay, we've got mustard, chopped onions, relish...a few hot peppers,

Colt began piling everything onto his hot dog.

which will make the kissing really interesting later. Oh, and also chips."

Then he piled even more hot peppers on, and winked at Grim.

"Didn't even see me grab these, didja? Yep, I'm that good."

She snapped out two claws and popped the caps in one smooth motion; offering one to Colt, she raised her own in salute.

"To being in love and having superpowers; it don't get much better than this."

No, it sure don't Colt thought to himself as he raised his coke to give Grim a cheers. "L'Chaim!" He said before taking a swig of the soda. He remarked how much better it tasted than the whiskey on the way down. When his teeth finally sank into the hot dog, the medley of taste buds assaulted his tongue and throat. After a swallow he found he was forced to quickly take another swig of soda. With a slight cough, he added, "Maybe too many peppers!" In a slight voice. He waved his hand in front of his mouth to try and fan the flames. Smiling at Grim, it was very clear this was one cowboy that was greatly enjoying himself.

[Heritage]

"L'Chaim!"

Sadly Grim had a mouthful of Coke when Colt made his traditional Jewish toast, which sent the highly corrosive beverage rocketing out her nose into the fire, which guttered for a few seconds before regaining its strength. She laughed hysterically as she wiped her face on her sleeve.

"Ow, God, that stings! You need to warn me next time you pull that stunt! Woo!"

"Maybe too many peppers!"

Shaking her head, the shapeshifter fished a few peppers out of the jar. "Well, if your gonna be that stupid, I can't let you suffer alone; luckily my face is still numb from the Coke explosion. Here, gimme the Jack." Snagging the bottle, she put three peppers in her mouth, then added a big swig of the liquid fire on top of it; she got it all down with a lot of effort, though her face turned bright red.

"Oh God! I can feel my blood boiling!" She grabbed a handful of snow and scarfed it down, then got a wild-eyed look about her, like a mad marooned pirate. "Oh man, I see my Grampa Lou! He's smiling and waving at me! I'm coming, Grampa Lou! I'm coming!"

Grim fell back on the snow, arms spread wide and laughing joyously. "Ah, life is good!" She raised her head, an evil glint in her eye, and crooked a finger at Colt. "C'mere, big boy! Kiss me while my lips are numb!" :twisted: :P

[quotemyname]

Colt watched her antics and couldn't stop laughing. He couldn't help it, she cracked him up. And he would be the first to tell you that Grim's sense of humor was easily one of the reasons he loved her so much. Finishing the hot dog in a few short bites, he washed it down with a swallow of whiskey.

She raised her head, an evil glint in her eye, and crooked a finger at Colt. "C'mere, big boy! Kiss me while my lips are numb!" :twisted:

"Yes, ma'am!" He replied, shoved the bottle of Jack Daniels into a snow drift, and practically fell on top of her laughing all the while. The sudden movement made some of the whiskey rush to his head. Before he knew it, his lips lost their feeling, and he was lost in her embrace once more.

[Heritage]

"Yes, ma'am!"

---

After a delightful fireside make-out session (with some nice conjured blankets), at last Grim sighed and turned her head towards the rest of their gear.

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, that stuff ain't unpacking itself; whaddya say we tidy up and move this party indoors, loverboy? Or we can still hang by the fire, I guess; I'm fine either way, as long as this crap is all squared away first."

One of the many good things about her resistance to cold was that Grim could pretty much climb right out of bed in the morning, without the usual stalling or grumbling about how chilly it was. She'd grumble if she was still sleepy and not ready to wake up, but the mad dash from bed to the shower was replaced by a leisurely stroll.

And so Grim easily slipped out from under the blankets and started tidying up their dinner, humming 'Turn Me Loose' as she did a goofy little 80s-style dance.

[quotemyname]

Taking a moment to gather himself beneath the blankets, Colt finally was able to gather the will to leave them behind. "Yea, I reckon we should be takin' care'a this before we waste any more time. Business before pleasure as they say." He followed Grim towards the stack of their things near the motorcycle.

"Ain't? Whaddaya?" He repeated her, "Reckon yer startin' ta talk like me!" He teased, as he gave her a squeeze before he went to grab one of the bundles off the top of the pile.

[Heritage]

"Ain't? Whaddaya?" He repeated her, "Reckon yer startin' ta talk like me!"

Grim snorted as she packed up the trash into a bag, wagging a finger in the air. "Hey, I will give you 'ain't' as a contribution of cowboy culture, but you keep your steer-roping hands of my 'whaddaya'; that is pure South Jersey all the way. You are, in fact, confusing it with the cowboy 'whutcha', a common mistake."

After stuffing away all the trash, she turned and made the cedar chest she'd mentioned earlier; carved on the hinged lid appears a traditional scene of cowboys and Jersey gangsta wannabes, riding off into the sunset together. She lifted the ld an started loading it up with their gear.

"So, tomorrow; what's the game plan, kemosabe?'

[quotemyname]

"Ah! Beggin' yer pardon! I reckon that's my mistake, then." Colt smiled at being chastised. He chuckled at being educated about his own accent.

"Tomorra?" Colt looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I reckon I heard'a them havin' a river nearby here." Colt rubbed the slowly forming stubble on his chin, "Ya think they got boats're somethin'? That're we could go swimmin'. Or hikin'." Colt put his arms around his fey female friend. "Whutcha say? Wanna git lost in'a woods with me?" A sly smile played across his lips as he laid a kiss gently on her forehead.

[Heritage]

Grim happily accepted the kiss, but raised an eyebrow at some of her boyfriend's suggestions.

"Swimming; you want to go swimming...in December." She reached a hand up and gently knocked Colt a few times on the forehead with her knuckles. "Is everything okay up there, or do they not have hypothermia in your dimension? I could probably do it, what with me no longer being human and all, but you would freeze to death."

She poked him in the chest a few times. "Bad. Idea. For starters, how am I gonna fly your bike back home? A hike, on the other hand, sounds awesome."

Cramming the last of the gear into the chest, she hopped up on it, crossed her legs and sighed with satisfaction of a job well done. "There, now were all set!"

[quotemyname]

Colt only smiled at the admonishment. Just as planned. He thought, as she hopped on the chest. "Well, I reckon I was just hopin' ya'd keep me warm." Colt said with a sly smile, "But if ya'd rather the woods, I'm fine with that too."

Colt walked over to the trunk where Grim was sitting and made his way behind it. "Fer now, I reckon we'd better get this here trunk inside that there tent." Grabbing the trunk by the handles on either side, Colt lifted it off the ground, Grim and all. Lacking the super strength of many of his heroic companions, the combined weight of the shape shifter and the trunk was quite the load for Colt, but he managed to carry it steadily into their tent.

Setting it down in the corner, Colt straightened up. "Remind me ta pack'a little lighter next time, 'eh honey?" He smiled.

[Heritage]

"Fer now, I reckon we'd better get this here trunk inside that there tent."

At first, Grim squealed with shock when Colt flexed his manly cowpoke muscles, but then when she saw where was going with this, she smiled, rolled her eyes and regally draped herself over the chest like a tiny Cleopatra.

"Remind me ta pack'a little lighter next time, 'eh honey?"

She stuck out her tongue and did a reverse somersault off the chest, landing softly on the floor of the tent.

"Okay, packing's done, our obligations for the evening have been met, and we are free to do as we please." Jerking an elbow back outside, she inquired, "So, in here or fireside? I am, by my very nature, pretty darn flexible." She wiggled her eyebrows coquettishly.

[quotemyname]

"Do I have'ta pick just one?" Colt sounded dejected, "I reckon we got all night. We c'n start out by the fire, an' when that dies down, we retreat ta the tent."

Colt supplanted his hat on top of Grim's head, covering her eyes with it. Then, he lifted her in his arms and stepped outside, "Looks like yer gettin' a round trip ride." He smiled.

[Heritage]

"Looks like yer gettin' a round trip ride." He smiled.

Tipping his hat back on her head, Grim smiled as she was carried back to the fire, singing the old Roy Rogers theme song.

"Happy trails to you, until we meet again.

Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.

Who cares about the clouds when we're together?

Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.

Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again..."

[quotemyname]

Colt chimed in right after Grim left off.

"Some trails are happy ones,

Others are blue.

It's the way you ride the trail that counts,

Here's a happy one for you."

At the end of the verse, he sat her down in front of him near the fire. Her back to the flames, he could see her wreathed by the firelight as the sun faded behind the horizon. With a booted foot he flipped another log onto the fire. Cinders jetted up into the air, and swirled underneath the tree cover above. He stepped closer to her and placed his arms around her waist. "Hey, just cuz I'm from outta town don't mean I don't know that one."

He smiled as he twined his fingers together behind her back and rested his forehead against hers. "An' I reckon here's another song ya might know." He spoke softly, then kissed her, softly laying his lips upon hers.

[Heritage]

"An' I reckon here's another song ya might know."

Grim smiled and kissed him right back. "Hmm, not sure I know the words to this one; I might just have to hum along..."

---

The next morning, the mildly hungover changeling was as good as her word, cooking up a mess of eggs, pancakes and turkey bacon in a stainless steel pan, with wheat toast made on a hot dog fork. She'd slithered undetected out of the tent while Colt was still asleep to get started on breakfast, as well as drink a lot of water to start clearing her fuzzy head.

In a way, camping wasn't that much different than squatting, or her time living on the rails out West; something about this simple living really appealed to her. Grim sighed happily as she fixed herself a steaming hot cup of joe, laced with lots of cream and sugar.

"Ahh, that's the good stuff..."

[quotemyname]

"Uhhnng.." Colt groaned. Light had begun seeping through the tent. He didn't want to open his eyes to it, knowing it would feel like a lance. He rolled over and attempted to put an arm around Grim and go back to sleep. It took a moment for his brain to process the fact that his arm had not touched Grim at all, but the floor of the tent instead. Face down in his pillow, he sent his arm searching once more. Padding the whole area of the tent beside him proved equally Grim-less.

Finally, he began to remember the night before. A good night full of drinking and camping and Grim. Drinkin'. Course. Must have'a hangover. He thought. He opened his mouth and discovered it incredibly dry. Yep, reckon I'm definitely hung over.

Colt sniffed at the air. He smelled food. "Standard. She must'a gotten up ta cook. But damn if'n that don't smell good."

---

A somewhat dressed Colt finally pushed himself out of the tent. Not wanting for Grim to have to do all the work, he scuffed over to the campfire in a pair of brown and blue plaid pajama pants and a ratty old grey T-Shirt. To his distress, he found that most of the cooking was in fact already done. Making sure he wouldn't disturb anything she was holding, Colt gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind. "I reckon ya didn't have ta go'n do all'a this." He leaned in an kissed her on the side of the neck. "It smells wonderful, honey. Thank ya. But I reckon ya should'a gotten me up so's I could help."

[Heritage]

"It smells wonderful, honey. Thank ya. But I reckon ya should'a gotten me up so's I could help."

The petite brunette turned her head to kiss Colt on the cheek. "Nah, it's no big deal; I prefer camp cooking to working in the kitchen, anyway. Something to do with all the smells, I think."

She reached into the small cooler at her side and handed him some bottled water. "Here, start hydrating yourself; show that hangover who's boss." She took a sip from her own water bottle, then started dishing out grub.

[quotemyname]

"Aww, well thanks, sweetie." Colt smiled and accepted the drink. He quickly poured most of it down his scratchy throat, leaving a little in the bottle. "Ya want some'a this? When ya reckon the food'll be done?" Colt looked at her and smiled, "Man, I guess I'm all questions t'day, ain't that somethin'."

[Heritage]

"Man, I guess I'm all questions t'day, ain't that somethin'."

Grim smiled as she passed Colt plate, knife and fork. "Food's done now, pardner; dig into that plate of goodness. Oh wait, almost forgot!" She fished a plastic bottle out of an aluminum pot, half-filled with water, sitting at the edge of the fire. "There ya go, hot syrup! Coffee's in the pot next to it."

Humming happily to herself, she started serving herself as well. "Another thing to remember is that breakfast is my strong suit; lunch and dinner, not so much. Man, I could eat breakfast around the clock!"

For a while, Grim was quiet as she systematically stuffed her face full of kosher breakfast goodness, though she sometimes made an appreciative murmur. When at last she took a break to come up for air, she gave Colt a sidelong look.

"Speaking of questions, she asked knowingly, you still feelin' chatty? I put a lot of truth serum in your eggs." ;)

[quotemyname]

"Another thing to remember is that breakfast is my strong suit; lunch and dinner, not so much. Man, I could eat breakfast around the clock!"

"I'm the same way." Colt smiled. "I always used ta eat breakfast. Somethin' 'bout wakin' up just makes me hungry, I guess. I reckon I ain't one fer lunch, an' I'm lucky if'n I get time ta eat dinner." Colt shrugged. "Ya don't need ta diet when yer only eatin' what yer body needs. If'n ya don't bother with too much'a that junk food, ya don't gain weight. It's cheaper this way too." Colt winked as he set upon his plate of food. He shoveled the eggs into his mouth, but hesitated for a second when he reached the bacon. Aww the hell wit it. But only for a second. Before long his plate was just as clean as Grim's. "I reckon it tasted better'n it smelled!"

"Speaking of questions, she asked knowingly, you still feelin' chatty? I put a lot of truth serum in your eggs."

Colt made a face, his eyes widened. His hand went to his throat and grasped it. "Oh no! I'm allergic ta truth serum!" Then suddenly he smiled, removing his hand. "I'm jus' yankin' yer chain," He waved dismissively. "What'cha wanna know?"