There were snowdrifts up to his a--, no sign of anything like a plow, nothing like a weather channel to warn him it was coming and Ray was wearing long-johns and jeans.
And he was okay with that.
Life here was the funniest kinda mix between hyper-rustic and ultra-modern, but it beat the tropics. At least here, it did snow, which made Ray homesick for Chicago even at the same time it made Chicago feel closer. And if that meant he had to wear boots and thermal underwear and jeans, instead of finely tailored suits... well, hey, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
Especially since he was being stalked.
See, Ray hadn't been a detective for years, but he was still pretty good at being aware of where people were in relation to himself, and given how frontier this place was, he had no trouble honing those instincts, and that was how he knew he was being followed, even though the guy doing the following was pretty good at being invisible, especially with the buildings and alleys of the marketplace to dash between.
Okay. He could play this game. A slow smirk crossed his face and he took the lapels of his coat in hand, straightening them out, rolling his head and cracking his neck, and glanced sidelong at a storefront window across the marketplace.
Only a vague shadow-blur of motion, but it was enough. Ray knew better than to slow his pace down, that would give him away, but he could calculate in his head and if he timed it just...
...right...
...now...
There was a sudden flurry of motion as snow and limbs went flying, and Ray mock-growled for all he was worth, which was really damn hard when you were trying not to laugh. They grappled, hands grabbing and legs flailing, but finally Ray managed to catch the upper hand -- as it were -- and slammed a pair of wrists down into the snow.
Ren beamed up at him, that pleased look he got whenever Ray managed to actually succeed in turning this little game of his around on him. Made that not-laughing thing harder. "Good afternoon, Ray."
"Afternoon, honey," Ray replied, grinning back. "Out for a walk?"
"In a manner of speaking." Ren tried to pick his head up to steal a kiss, and then growled when Ray pulled his own head back.
"Hey, you know, I haven't figured out what I wanna do yet, and you're pushin' me, and pushin' me, and maybe I just wanted a nice walk home..."
That eyebrow went up, and the expression Ray got back could only be described as disbelief.
"What, you think just 'cause I wore these silly jeans--"
"--they are emphatically not silly--"
"--that I'm advertisin' for a Mountie-pounce?"
Ren seemed to think about it, then beamed that big smile back up at Ray again. "Yes."
"You're impossible," Ray sighed, shaking his head.
And then he mock-growled again and dove down to take a kiss, knowing full well he was giving his 'stalker' exactly what he wanted.
And he was okay with that.
Life here was the funniest kinda mix between hyper-rustic and ultra-modern, but it beat the tropics. At least here, it did snow, which made Ray homesick for Chicago even at the same time it made Chicago feel closer. And if that meant he had to wear boots and thermal underwear and jeans, instead of finely tailored suits... well, hey, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
Especially since he was being stalked.
See, Ray hadn't been a detective for years, but he was still pretty good at being aware of where people were in relation to himself, and given how frontier this place was, he had no trouble honing those instincts, and that was how he knew he was being followed, even though the guy doing the following was pretty good at being invisible, especially with the buildings and alleys of the marketplace to dash between.
Okay. He could play this game. A slow smirk crossed his face and he took the lapels of his coat in hand, straightening them out, rolling his head and cracking his neck, and glanced sidelong at a storefront window across the marketplace.
Only a vague shadow-blur of motion, but it was enough. Ray knew better than to slow his pace down, that would give him away, but he could calculate in his head and if he timed it just...
...right...
...now...
There was a sudden flurry of motion as snow and limbs went flying, and Ray mock-growled for all he was worth, which was really damn hard when you were trying not to laugh. They grappled, hands grabbing and legs flailing, but finally Ray managed to catch the upper hand -- as it were -- and slammed a pair of wrists down into the snow.
Ren beamed up at him, that pleased look he got whenever Ray managed to actually succeed in turning this little game of his around on him. Made that not-laughing thing harder. "Good afternoon, Ray."
"Afternoon, honey," Ray replied, grinning back. "Out for a walk?"
"In a manner of speaking." Ren tried to pick his head up to steal a kiss, and then growled when Ray pulled his own head back.
"Hey, you know, I haven't figured out what I wanna do yet, and you're pushin' me, and pushin' me, and maybe I just wanted a nice walk home..."
That eyebrow went up, and the expression Ray got back could only be described as disbelief.
"What, you think just 'cause I wore these silly jeans--"
"--they are emphatically not silly--"
"--that I'm advertisin' for a Mountie-pounce?"
Ren seemed to think about it, then beamed that big smile back up at Ray again. "Yes."
"You're impossible," Ray sighed, shaking his head.
And then he mock-growled again and dove down to take a kiss, knowing full well he was giving his 'stalker' exactly what he wanted.