Chapter Text
Several Miles outside of Ice Paradise, Moutainsides Village - Saturday
10:33am - The sounds of Roman snoring down on the couch awaken Aurora from her slumber on the upper floor. The white-ish grey arctic fox rubs her eyes with black paws, rolling out of the bed. She runs her hands through her grey hair, ruffling it softly. Her ponytail had stayed still in the night, but she still pulls the scrunchie from it, letting it spill down around her shoulders in messy waves.
Blackpawed footfalls find her way downstairs after freshening up, golden yellow eyes still sleepy. Set the kettle on to boil, grind her fresh coffee beans and startle Roman awake. Pull the decanter out of the cabinet above, and then rinse the paper filter out with the now hot-ish water.
Roman stumbles off the couch, his dreads falling around his shoulders. ”Mornin' Aurora!“ He says, his West Side Island accent strong.
”Good morning Roman." He settles onto the barstools, he crosses his legs over one and sits on the other. Arms rest on the counter, the beaded bracelets that rest on his arms settle onto the linoleum top. ”Did you sleep well on my couch?“ She smiles softly, her one floppy ear twitching a little bit as the kettle starts to scream.
”Couse I did, thanks for letting me crash by the way.“ He flashes the peace sign, and Aurora just nods.
”Anytime. Now-“ She takes what has been ground and dumps it into the rinsed filter, and begins to brew. It takes a minute, but eventually there's a pair of coffee cups ready to be downed. The fox girl hands the sea turtle his cup, as he wraps his one finger around the tiny handle for him. Her hands hold her own cup, as she puts two spoonfuls of sugar and a healthy pour of gently microwaved milk. ”Here's your coffee, man.”
He smiles softly, before taking that entirely black coffee and knocking it back. Aurora just sighs, slowly sipping her own cup. She walks around the counter and pushes his legs down. She sets up on the chair, tilting her head slightly to the side.
“Thanks.” He says with a gasp, setting the mug on the countertop. It's empty, and he's making a conscious effort to not break the mug.
”Yeah, don't worries... You ready for the slopes today?” Aurora lets out a sigh- pointing her golden eyes out of the window. The snow glistens, and it beckons her.
“Now that I've got a nice warm coat, totally.” Roman nods, following her gaze as she sips.
Taking in the view, the trees rustle with the soft whisper of the breeze. Of course, they can't hear it from within the log cabin that Aurora called her home, but- ... the blue sky beckons. Roman's lip curls into a dangerous grin, the only kind that he got when he was preparing to shred, in his own words, the gnarliest waves.
Her mind flashes back, a day at the beach near his home town instead of hers. She had been pen pals with him for a while, as they chatted over direct messages over Concord, in a boarding forum. How long had it been since their first meeting? At least, it was before one of the wars that broke out across the entire world.
They said it was Dr. Eggman's fault. Roman had immediately signed up- or well, he fell in with the resistance immediately, while she had urged him not to. It would be dangerous... She can still see the scars that bore across his chest, but he plays them off. They're mostly faded now anyway.
Right, the memory? It's a sunny day on West Side Island, and she's baking in the heat. Her fur coat hadn't come off from the winter yet, so she was hot. Wayyyy past hot. But the way Roman looked at her as the waves built up high. He had such passion as he waved his hand for her to come with, she couldn't help but feel exhilarated. She's swept up in the emotion of the moment, the charm of his smile wins her over. She grins back and nods, she rushes forwards.
The pressure builds up in her chest, as she nods. She sets her drink down on the sand and hefts up her board as the two of them run into the surf. Aurora lets out a whoop, springing off the sand. Paws splash into the surf as she races after Roman. When she's halfway into the ocean, she hops on her board and starts to paddle.
The sea turtle is, of course, faster in the water than her. He catches the wave faster than her, to be fair, he's been at this for far longer than she has. Roman takes ahold of the wave and starts to shred it... The memory fades out.
Aurora comes back to Roman waving his massive hand in front of her face. “Hey, Ice queen, you havin' fun off in dreamland?” Concern plays across his face, brow furrowed.
“Ah- Sorry. Just remembering when we first met.” The fox smiles, her hand moving to tossle with her slightly more than shoulder length hair.
“When you totally wiped out on the first wave?”
“Uggghh- Right but- Okay, but you remember your first time taking the slopes, right?”
“HEY-! That tree jumped into MY WAY.“ The defensiveness in his voice is only playful in nature, and they both burst into laughter. His shakes the house, and hers slips in and out and around his. They're a match.
After they've finally calmed down, and Aurora's finally finished her coffee. They nod to each other, and step off their respective stools.
Preparations to be made and things to get ready for, and a breakfast to be had as well. They strap into their gear, and head off for the lift ride up. Finally, it's time to hit the slopes!