&. let's do it

sitting on the chair she was doodling at the view of the mountains. salem looked up at the voice and her eyebrows scrunched together, “i…” she starts before shaking her head, “i really should get to work, so i should probably pass on the mulled wine and hot chocolate. though the food is a bit harder to pass up on,” she admitted, as she stood up hand resting on her bare hip where hr crop top rested. “though i would recommend the spiked hot chocolate if you’re in the mood for something really tasty.” 

“come on, why do work when you could be indulging in a hot chocolate,” wren grins, as if it’s that simple. to him, it really is — though he knows not everyone has the luxury of coming and going as they please. some people have to work. “spiked hot chocolate? why have i not been told about this before?” he pouts playfully. “you gonna join me for food? snowboarding always gets me hungry enough to eat a horse, so... i understand if you don’t want to witness that.”

“Something tells me you don’t really care much for peace,” she retorted, an eyebrow quirking up in challenge. Her eyes lingered for a bit, trailing over what little of his body she could make out through the water. “I don’t hate it. I’d probably really like it under different circumstances. It just… kind of feels like some sort of high end rehab or something. Except, you know, with drugs and alcohol.” 

his trademark smirk appeared on his lips as she spoke, and he shrugged, nonchalant. “i like peace and excitement, depends on my mood,” he responded, noticing her eyes moving over him. he sat up a little more, allowing more of his chest to be exposed, out of the water. “how many rehabs have you been to?” he joked. “i think it’s meant to be an escape. plus, with the fake names, you can be whoever you want with different people. kind of freeing, i think.”

“I never tried .. maybe the fall would’ve been more graceful if I did,” she claimed jokingly, although in disbelief since she had seen some pretty rough tumbling whenever she zapped through tv and there were some snowboarding competitions. “I’ll probably have a huge bruise by tomorrow but at least I’m done with that now,” she responded while pointing towards the garland above them. “No, no .. this pretty much already counts as slacking at my job even if I broke my arm,” she pointed out, giving him a dismissive wave of her hands which quickly made her realize that she did scratch herself up a little when trying to soften the landing with her hands. “Gloves would’ve been smart.”

“it’s fun, i mean, you’ll spend your first day out on your ass more than your feet, but you’ll love it,” wren grinned. “or at least, i hope so.” he glanced up at the garland she pointed out to him. “well, it looks good, at least, so the bruise will be worth it. or something. at the very least, angle for a raise because you really put your body on the line there.” he returned his attention to her, seeing the scratches as well, and he frowned a little. “alright, that i can’t ignore, come on, let’s go get a first aid kit and i’ll patch you up.”

Bel air sighed, letting the hot water soothe her muscles and calm her mind. She needed to leave the hotel, that much was obvious. It had been two weeks and she’d scarcely set foot outside the resort. But she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to be in Iceland. Didn’t want to sightsee or experience the culture or any of it. She’d been all but forced on this “vacation” and some petty part of her was holding out hope that if she proved everyone wrong and didn’t enjoy her stay like they promised she would, they might let her leave early. So she’d spent another morning at the spa letting the master estheticians pamper her skin and treat her hair before sinking into the jacuzzi for the 10th day in a row. “God, could this be any worse?” 

laguna had been enjoying the jacuzzi in peace, listening to the steady hum of the bubbles. relaxing after another day of snowboarding ( he missed surfing, and this was the next best thing ). well, he was, until a woman situated herself across from him. he opened one eye, appraising the new arrival. “could be, someone could be disturbing the peace,” he commented dryly. not that he cared, really, but teasing was always his go-to move. “what about this do you hate, exactly?”

“  CAN  I  SIT  HERE  ?  just  for  like  ,  five  minutes  and  i’ll  be  out  of  your  hair  ,  i  promise  .  ”  the  blonde  asked  quickly  ,  not  waiting  for  a  response  as  she  situated  herself  into  what  appeared  to  be  a  vacant  chair  .  “  you  see  that  slob  over  there  ?  blue  shirt  ,  dark  hair  that  looks  like  it  hasn’t  been  washed  in  weeks  ?  he  can’t  take  the  hint  that  i’m  not  interested  .  by  hint  ,  of  course  ,  i  mean  me  FLAT  OUT  telling  him  that  i’m  not  interested  .  anyways  ,  he  sat  himself  next  to  me  and  has  been  pestering  me  for  the  last  –  god  only  knows  how  long  .  i  saw  an  open  seat  and  well  ,  you  know  the  rest  .  ”  samara’s  icy  blue  hues  had  been  fixated  on  the  man  as  she  explained  herself  before  she  finally  adverted  her  gaze  to  see  who  she’d  sat  herself  across  from  .  “  sorry  ,  HI  !  “

wren looked up the moment the woman started talking — he opened his mouth to say sure, but the sound never came out as he waited for her to finish explaining what was happening. he laughed a little, then nodded. “ah us men, we can’t always take a hint, even when we get slapped over the head with it. but sure, sit here as long as you need.” he paused, then pushed the plate with the muffin so it was sitting in the middle of the table — like they were old friends, just sharing a muffin together. “i’m laguna, by the way,” he murmured. 

a  chuckle  fell  from  her  lips  at  his  comment  ,  before  she  could  even  express  her  concern  .  “  what  chocolate  milk  and  hot  chocolate  have  in  common  ,  however  ,  is  that  they  are  not  tequila  based  ,  so  that  would  be  a  no  from  me  .  ”  the  blonde  fired  back  ,  shooting  a  wink  along  with  her  response  .  “  however  intriguing  it  may  sound  ,  i’d  suggest  not  giving  up  the  goods  within  the  first  twenty  minutes  of  a  conversation  ,  takes  all  the  fun  away  .  ”  she  added  ,  lips  curling  up  to  form  a  cheeky  grin  as  she  hopped  on  the  nearest  sofa  she  could  spot  .  “  i’ll  sit  here  waiting  to  be  swooned  .  ”  the  girl  mused  ,  a  gentle  shrug  following  her  words  .

“i mean, we could spike them with tequila if you want,” laguna hedged, grinning. “or we can get margaritas. or something. tequila sunrise?” he winked back, shrugging. “oh, believe me, there are more goods that you won’t even see coming.” his eyes followed her movements, watching as she perched herself down on the sofa. “wow, alright, i’ll be back in ten. i’ll cut my beauty routine down just for you,” he joked. “try not to hit your head when you swoon.”

“Was the snowboarding that good? I might have to go out next time I’m off.” Nome didn’t get the chance to snowboard often, it was something he knew how to do - but it wasn’t something he sought out as much as his telescope or anything like that. A thing he enjoyed, but not something he missed. But if the powder was that sick, well, it might be time to dust off his equipment. He just had to hope it was still good powder on his next full day off. “I could go for some mulled wine, need help carrying that up?”

“it was...” instead of finishing his sentence, wren punctuated his words with a chef’s kiss. “tis the season for it, you know? and if i can’t surf, snowboarding’s the next best thing.” he hated sitting around in a hotel doing nothing, loved heading out snowboarding until his body felt as if it was going to collapse from exhaustion. “nah, i got it, but you can keep me company because i know you missed me today,” he teased. though he hadn’t been at du lac for very long, he and nome had somehow become fast friends, and it was nice to have company for a beer ( or mulled wine ) when he wasn’t working. “you finished up now or do i have to wait for you, my darrrrrling?”

She had no idea why she had been out of the loop this much recently, a loud sigh passing by her lips. This didn’t even remotely happen in the last five years she had worked here, causing her to shake her head once she was in a sitting position. Truly, she must have reached the end of her abilities – no, that was just dramatic. However, she wasn’t lost in her thoughts for long when a unfamiliar voice interrupted her, causing her to look up at him with a faint smile. “It’s not every day you get your ass covered in snow, that’s for sure,” she pointed out playfully, taking his hand to get up eventually. “No, I’m fine. Snow apparently makes for great cushions.”

he couldn’t help but laugh at the scene in front of him. it was almost absurd, a girl falling from a ladder, almost into his arms ( isn’t that the way some romcoms start? ). he took her hand and helped her up, brushing the snow off her arms gently. “oh, try snowboarding, then it happens pretty regularly,” he grinned. “well, it’s very pillowy. you sure you’re good?” he didn’t want to leave her alone, just in case she had injured herself somehow in the fall. “do i need to call anyone? manager, hr, ambulance?” the last one was mostly a joke, but he knew concussions could take awhile to take effect.

“what does that even mean?” rosario asked the other as she listened to what he had to say before he offered her a drink, she didn’t think making a couple of friends could hurt even if it meant exposing her real name to them once she had had one too many to drink. “i mean, i could go for both and food, but i don’t know.”

wren couldn’t help but laugh, he had heard from people that snowboarders tended to speak their own language at times. “fresh powdered snow. untouched. was the first one down to muck it up,” he explained. “it’s like the holy grail. to me, anyway.” he adjusted the snowboard bag in his hand, shifting it to the other. “you don’t know? we can definitely do drinks, food and then hot chocolate, if you like?”

mykonos was definitely not the type to be out on the slopes, so she’d told laguna that she’d meet him when he was done, glad that he didn’t really go over when he said he’d be done. “mulled wine? of course. you’re so the mulled wine type. i’m more of a moscow mule, myself, but… i can work with that. the food is not up for discussion, though. that’s definitely happening.”

“it’s the weather for mulled wine, c’mon, myk, don’t be a hater,” wren said, pouting for effect. he didn’t really mean it, he knew she would come keep him company for food and a drink, just as they’d planned — despite him wanting mulled wine or not. “alright, food is a definite, i’m starved. what do you feel like, sticking around here or heading into town?”

having  started  off  as  a  maid  at  this  very  hotel  ,  the  urge  to  clean  up  after  kids  who  had  just  flooded  in  after  playing  in  the  snow  was  irresistible  .  housekeeping  in  stiletto  heels  wasn’t  a  thing  she’d  been  used  to  ,  but  it  sufficed  for  the  time  being  .  surprisingly  enough  ,  once  the  dirt  was  carefully  cleaned  off  the  long  red  carpet  ,  the  blonde  noticed  yet  another  familiar  figure  enter  .  eyes  were  glued  to  his  shoes  ,  hoping  that  he’d  notice  she  had  just  wiped  the  floor  clean  a  couple  of  minutes  ago  .  “  i'll  even  drink  a  chocolate  milk  if  you  are  paying  .  ”  the  girl  fired  back  ,  her  voice  sharp as  she  hopped  to  her  feet  yet  again  .  “  i  hope  you  did  understand  the  sarcasm  intended  ,  i’d  rather  have  something  stronger  than  wine  ,  if  you’d  be  willing  to  join  me  .  ”  she  added  ,  arms  crossing  over  her  chest  as  her  lips  curled  up  into  a  cheeky  grin  .

laguna managed a sheepish smile ( a change from his usual smirk ) as he noticed her eyes move to his feet. “i wiped them on the mat at the door, i’m not an animal,” he assured her, holding his hands up in defense of his actions. “ok, firstly chocolate milk and hot chocolate are different despite appearing very similar,” he grinned. “and second, we could ask them to spike it with whisky — but since you insist on stronger, then i think i can be persuaded.” he reached out to playfully poke at her arm. “let me dump this and change into something to make you swoon and then i’ll be good to go. unless you want to watch me change?”

Housekeeping was definitely the favorite part of Verona’s job, especially around Christmas time where everything had to be decorated as perfectly as possible. She was pretty sure she had an eye for these things, just having everything be symmetric and draw all the attention to the entrance – however almost a little too focused on the task at hand, humming some Christmas carol on top of the ladder as she arranged a garland around the top. It was when she reached up to attach it, she tipped over – a high pitched scream passing by her lips on her way down into luckily tall snow. “Fucking shit .. ” she breathed out quietly, eyes looking up at anyone who may have witnessed the entirety of it. “I’ve always wanted to do snow angels.”

a loud, high pitched screech caught laguna’s attention, as he was coming back in from taking aesthetic photos of the christmas decorations that were slowly going up around the hotel. he liked it, back home, they didn’t have white christmases ( unless you counted the white sand, which he didn’t ), so it was a nice change of pace. even if he wouldn’t be with his family for the holidays. looking to see the cause of the scream, he noticed a woman laying on her back in the snow. not entirely dressed for the occasion. “they’re fun, sure, but i think if you stay like that for much longer, you’re going to get frostbite.” he offered his hand to her to help her up. “you alright? didn’t hurt yourself?”

heY it’s me your local trashcan back at it with another muse because our lovely admins don’t have a character cap and i don’t have any self control !!