[ Root accepts that without second guessing it, smoothly taking Shaw's hand and lacing their fingers together fully. They keep walking, Bear padding along beside them, this time heading toward the outskirts of town. She purposefully goes for the breezy dramatic version of the rest of the story. ]
There was an ex NSA staffer who figured out Harry built the Machine, so I killed her. Then I lured the staffer's supervisor to the love cabin he kept for his mistress and tried to torture him for the Machine's location, but Harold had some issues with my methods. He got him free and I had to kill him, too.
[Shaw exhales at Root's Okay, giving her fingers a grateful squeeze. It's not like she'd been expecting an argument, or wheedling, or any kind of pressure - but good god, it's nice when things are just that easy.]
The five shades of green he turned when I told him I'd met you are starting to make a lot more sense now. I figured you'd just out-hacked him or something.
[ Not everything needs to be dealt with; not everything can be solved, or fixed, or made better. Root trusts Shaw to know herself well enough to take her up on the invitation when and where and how it would help. If that's not right now, that's not right now.
Cheerfully: ] Oh, I did that, too. His systems were so interesting I had to dig further-- that's how I found her.
[ Root brings them to a stop in front of a convenience store. ]
[Shaw drawls, with offense that's both exaggerated and also entirely feigned. She gives Bear's ears a rub, tells him to stay ("Blijf"), and then disappears into the store. Ten minutes later, she comes back out with a bag: large, paper, and with a folded-down opening that she has no plans to let Root peek into just yet.]
So how many errands are we running on the way to this mystery spot?
That's the last one. I thought romancing you required sandwiches and beer. Should I do it differently next time?
[ This is absolutely Root making fun of her. She has an exaggerated imploring expression, almost a pout, as she sets off again, looking at Shaw over her shoulder. ]
Wine and candles for my girl? Romcom at the theater?
Nah, it doesn't need to be a total surprise. Just looking to have some fun -- and be smug.
[ They're heading steadily toward the edge of town and then outside of it toward the woods. There's a small wooden hut set a ways back into the forest that Root's angling them to... ]
[ Root lets her go with a roll of her eyes, letting her have this one and noting for later that she should apparently be blindfolding Shaw sometime.
The cabin is indeed their final destination, and as Shaw comes up on it she'll realize it's a traditional free-standing Finnish sauna. The coal stove is already fired up and warm, a nice contrast to the thin layer of snow scattered around the area. ]
[Shaw isn't overly familiar with saunas, rare as they are in all of the places she's ever lived - but she's been to Scandinavia a time or two for jobs, and when she's close enough to get an inkling, she stops and half-turns to look back over her shoulder, arching an amused brow at Root.]
That's up to you. The extent of my planning was to leave the beer in the snow, leave Bear on watch, and cuddle up with my hot partner in a hot place.
[ In their underwear, of course, hence Root's earlier instructions. And you're definitely not supposed to eat in saunas, but if they clean up after themselves, who really cares? ]
Food first; these sandwiches deserve to be eaten by people who aren't sweaty.
[But she can eat while standing, so after setting the bag from the liquor store down on the ground outside the cabin, she proceeds to do just that - still watching Root with a little grin on her face.]
How'd you find this? You don't go walking around in the woods much, do you?
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expiationnet
no subject
[ Root accepts that without second guessing it, smoothly taking Shaw's hand and lacing their fingers together fully. They keep walking, Bear padding along beside them, this time heading toward the outskirts of town. She purposefully goes for the breezy dramatic version of the rest of the story. ]
There was an ex NSA staffer who figured out Harry built the Machine, so I killed her. Then I lured the staffer's supervisor to the love cabin he kept for his mistress and tried to torture him for the Machine's location, but Harold had some issues with my methods. He got him free and I had to kill him, too.
The whole thing is kind of a long story.
no subject
The five shades of green he turned when I told him I'd met you are starting to make a lot more sense now. I figured you'd just out-hacked him or something.
no subject
Cheerfully: ] Oh, I did that, too. His systems were so interesting I had to dig further-- that's how I found her.
[ Root brings them to a stop in front of a convenience store. ]
Your turn. Beer and whiskey, please. Chop chop.
no subject
[Shaw drawls, with offense that's both exaggerated and also entirely feigned. She gives Bear's ears a rub, tells him to stay ("Blijf"), and then disappears into the store. Ten minutes later, she comes back out with a bag: large, paper, and with a folded-down opening that she has no plans to let Root peek into just yet.]
So how many errands are we running on the way to this mystery spot?
no subject
[ This is absolutely Root making fun of her. She has an exaggerated imploring expression, almost a pout, as she sets off again, looking at Shaw over her shoulder. ]
Wine and candles for my girl? Romcom at the theater?
no subject
[Which is to say that, yes, Shaw is relaxed and pleased and Root is doing a very good job so far. Adjusting her grip on the paper bag, she adds:]
You gonna have me close my eyes at some point here? Can't let me ruin the surprise of where we're headed.
no subject
[ They're heading steadily toward the edge of town and then outside of it toward the woods. There's a small wooden hut set a ways back into the forest that Root's angling them to... ]
no subject
I would have let you.
[But then she's immediately charging ahead and down the path, powerwalking towards that cabin that she's betting is their final destination.]
no subject
The cabin is indeed their final destination, and as Shaw comes up on it she'll realize it's a traditional free-standing Finnish sauna. The coal stove is already fired up and warm, a nice contrast to the thin layer of snow scattered around the area. ]
no subject
Are we gonna eat in there?
no subject
[ In their underwear, of course, hence Root's earlier instructions. And you're definitely not supposed to eat in saunas, but if they clean up after themselves, who really cares? ]
no subject
[But she can eat while standing, so after setting the bag from the liquor store down on the ground outside the cabin, she proceeds to do just that - still watching Root with a little grin on her face.]
How'd you find this? You don't go walking around in the woods much, do you?