((Set January 3rd))

"Righ', I thin' I go' everythin'." Even though Katarina was about to shoulder her bag, she opened up her closet once more and popped her head inside. All of the things that she had previously pulled out were now neatly packed away. All of the winter clothing that she had used prior to her mods were packed as well. Her mods would not be on during her trip, and that would mean some cold days on Hope. Satisfied, she closed the closet, and double-checked the bathroom to see if she had missed any necessities. Katarina started down the stairs, her duffel bag large but settled on her shoulder. "I'm all set!" She raised her voice a little once she reached the bottom of the stairs to hear Locke's location.

Locke was sitting on the couch downstairs, besides the rest of Katarina's luggage. His foot tapped nervously on the floor, and every few moments, he glanced over his shoulder out the window for the oversized carriage that would be taking them to the spaceport. He didn't have to come, but he was going to anyway. It was the last time he was going to see her for several weeks, and just the thought of that absence made his heart ache. It was going to be the longest period of time they would spend apart since their relationship had first turned serious. He was going to spend every last moment he could with her. "Aces, mate!" That stack of luggage may or may not have partially blocked Katarina's view of him.

Following the trail of his voice, she grinned as she only saw the tips of his white hair before she changed her position and saw the rest of him, "Yer th' bes'." She leaned down to kiss his cheek briefly. "An' ya tol' Patches th' house rules while 'm gone, righ'? Nah big parties withou' me?" She chuckled at her tease before straightening. While the sound of horseshoes approaching on the street, she looked out the window that had occupied Locke's attention just a few moments before to see the carriage pull up. "All ready?" She glanced back over to him.

Locke grinned, as she stepped fully into view from around her bags. He leaned his cheek into the kiss with just a slight smirk. "He was planning a tomcat rave, but I think I managed to talk him out of such an outrageous event." He winked, though the sound of the carriage coming drew his attention back towards the window yet again. "Technically, yes. Emotionally? We'll see. I've sworn a pact with my heart and my minces not to bawl like a bloody baby when you go." That said, Locke pulled up the handle on her rolling suitcase, tilting it down in preparation for rolling out of the house. He did the same for one of her carry-on bags as well.

"Oh, is tha' so? An' both yer hear' an' yer minces kin keep ta tha'?" She studied him very briefly though, before turning and heading for the door, "I thin' ya kin." Adjusting the pack on her shoulder, she headed for the carriage, grinning widely to the driver. "Spaceport, please." She was certain that he already knew, but she felt compelled to repeat the information. She made her way into the far corner of the spacious carriage to make room for Locke and luggage alike.

Even though he was no longer training his body the way he had when he was a more active duelist, or when he needed the escape of exercise to avoid thinking about his home confinement, Locke was still deceptively strong. Careful but quick, he pulled Katarina's luggage out of the house and across the porch. After lifting it over the porch steps, he continued lugging it across their front lawn until he reached the curb and the carriage. There, he hauled it up and into the cabin of the carriage with a grunt, before wiping his hands clean - or pretending to, at any rate. There were no visible signs of fatigue or sweating, as he sat down beside her. "Fashion Week will keep me too busy to think of much of anything but fabrics and zippers and buttons, most likely. So maybe no tears, but definitely a sniffle or two."

She reached over to place her hand on his knee, "I wun min' a sniffle er too, so tha' I at leas' feel importan' compared ta all th' fabrics an' buttons." Her smile was gentle as the carriage began its slow journey to the spaceport, "Although, it has been har' th' pas' coupla years ta be so free durin' January, while ya've been all busy-like wit' Fashion Week."

"I would not say you were free so much as you were...available for emotional and moral support during those stressful weeks. Besides, you have had plenty of days and weeks and months that were stressful. We got through each and every one of those months together, savvy?" Locke placed his hand over top of Katarina's on his knee, patting it once, before letting it rest there.

She was certain that his words were supposed to make her feel better, but her smile diminished significantly, "An' now 'm gonna be moons 'way fra bein' available fer ya." Her breath was deep, "Yanno tha' 'm only a comm call 'way though, if ya eva feel overwhelmed er anythin'."

"Thanks. We may have to hide the comm bill, when it comes in next month." Locke chuckled, but seeing Katarina's weakened smile made the laughter hollow, less genuine than usual. "I promise not to be smothering, though."

"Oh, melamin. I dun think ya could smotha me if yer life depended 'n it." She rested her cheek against his shoulder, taking advantage of the small bump in the road to scoot a little closer to him, "Kinda on' o' those perks 'bout bein' togetha - wan' ta spen' all o' mah time wit' ya."

"I suppose that is why we married, after all. Among many, many other reasons." Thought and talk of marriage made him realize something, all at once, and his body stiffened. He very nearly blurted out the first thing that came to mind, but managed to calm himself down enough to speak in a more measured tone. "Our anniversary..."

She was glad that he couldn't see her face, because she certainly would have looked guilty and sullen, "Yeah, I didn' think 'bout it love, 'm sorry. I guess I 'lways think o' December when it comes ta all tha'." She straightened up and looked up apologetically at him, "Kin ya forgive me? I promise tha' I'll set somethin' up fer us ta celebrate when I git back."

There was no response right away, just Locke's arm making their way around her to pull her even closer for a tight hug. Eventually, though, he replied, in a whisper that seemed ready to crack and break at times. "I must have thought the same way, else...else I would not have suggested you leave in January. I'll call you that night, I swear. And when everything clears out after Fashion Week, we'll paint the town red one more time." That last line came with a crooked grin and wink.

Her hug was tight and fierce, "It's jist a day. One tha' we kin celebrate any time tha' we wan'ta. An'.. I promise, no more going to Hope 'round our anniversary." She leaned back enough to give him a gentle kiss, before she chuckled softly, "Hopefully tha' wun be th' las' time. It migh' be fer a while, though."

He had needed that hug, and that kiss, because even when she had pulled away, the longing shone plainly in his eyes. Slightly embarrassed by his reaction, he looked away and laughed along with her. "I want to go back there someday. And I am sure your mother and father will want to see their newest granddaughter or grandson, too."

"I'm kinda hopin' tha' they'll come ta us, righ'?" Noticing his longing, and finding that she was holding on to some of her own, she kept close to him, "Make thin's a li'l easier fer us till our kid's a li'l olda. Er we kin squeeze 'n a trip bafore?" She wasn't quite sure of his feelings on that.

"That would be nice. They never did have the chance to see us before we were married, after all. But...here or there, whenever it happens, I just want it to happen, savvy?" His eyes drifted back up from the floor of the carriage to meet hers.

"Sure thin'. I kin mention it while 'm there. An'.. speakin' o' mentionin' thin's... ya think I should mention it ta them? Give 'em a heads up er... I dunno, somethin'?" She glanced out the window, noticed the change in scenery as they close the gap to the spaceport, and felt her heart sink a little to her stomach.

"That we are thinking of trying for kids of our own? What do you think their reaction would be?" Locke's ears drooped slightly as he too noticed the familiar glass and steel of the more modern section of the city.

"Excited, 'm sure. A li'l concerned, mahbe." She shrugged slightly, "Kin't hav' much more reaction 'n tha'."

"The excitement, well-" Locke snapped his fingers and shrugged his shoulders. "- that's a bloody good reaction for them to have. As for the concern, you can spell out all the work we have done in exploring all of our options. Ultimately, I am sure they know that the decision is ours, and they will support it no matter what." A flicker of hesitation crossed Locke's face, as he thought of what his parents' reaction might be.

She noticed his silent reaction, but didn't bring it up. Now wasn't the right time, "I think tha', too. Which again, leaves open mah question o' if ya wan' me ta tell 'em er nah."

"The only other issue I could think of is timing, but...we have thought this through and planned this out for months, now, so it is not anything impulsive. And I know you will bring it up at a moment that will be right for them, so...I really don't see that as an issue." He let himself smile, even though he could not help thinking of his mother - and his brother. "I support you, no matter what you decide to say."

"Thank you, melamin." She considered leaning in for another kiss, but then the carriage stopped as they arrived to the spaceport. Her imagined kiss was reduced to a brief peck and followed by a large smile, "I'll see how it goes, yeah? I figure th' more time they hav' ta prepare an' figure things ou', th' betta." Shouldering her bag again, she waited until Locke carted her other bags out before exiting the carriage.

((January 17))

Locke had worked nearly a shift and a half straight, between his hours at L.D. 50 and meeting with Gerard to work on their line for Highlife Haberdashery. By the time he had finished work, he was so tired that he hailed a carriage, though his house was easily within walking distance of the Benson Boulevard store. He had staggered up the steps to his home, a duffel bag with his L.D. 50 outfit on one arm, and a bunch of blue-dyed roses in the other. He took a moment to breath them in as he stood on the porch, before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

Even though there were plenty of reminders of Katarina's presence in the house, it still felt emptier without her there to greet him as he stepped inside. Only Patches, who got a quick gloved pat on the head from Locke before the ice elf ambled over to change his water and give him fresh food. Done with that, Locke set the bag down in the living room, took one of the vases from there over to the sink and put some fresh water in it, and stuck the flowers inside, leaving the vase on the dining room table. When that was done, Locke went over to the comm and dialed the long-distance, off-planet number that would reach the Smiths on Hope.

"I go' it!" Katarina shouted as she heard the comm chirp with ringing. Baby Zachary in her arms didn't seem to mind the sound, as he slept soundly away undisturbed.

Katarina's request was either unheard or ignored as her younger, blue-eyed sister accepted the call and put Locke's face on the screen, "Heya there, Locke!" She gave him a smile full of teeth, before she studied him and her smile diminished a little, "Lookin' a li'l peaked."

"Hullo, Hannah," Locke said, with a little wave of a black-gloved hand. His suit was a little less crisper than usual, which was probably to be expected given the fact he had been forced to stash it away earlier that day and change into it later. He laughed a tired little laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I spent much of the day working. Fashion never rests, it would seem. How have you been faring?"

"Oh, yanno. Whole family's adjustin' ta li'l Zachary, an' 'm helpin' where I kin." She straightened up, "Once thin's settle down a bi', 'm gonna be his nanny. Save up ta go ta a culinary school. Mahbe ou' yer way." She waggled her brows, before Katarina finally popped into the screen.

Upon seeing Locke, she felt a whirl of emotions, and tried to keep the longing from her eyes and smile, "Hey, melamin. Yer nephew ain' gettin' up ta meetcha, unfortunately." She adjusted her arms so that she could show Locke the baby's sleeping face.

"I imagine that is quite an adjustment," Locke said with a chuckle, one that continued as she spoke of coming to RhyDin. "Well, there are certainly plenty of quality schools here. Let me know if you need any additional information."

Katarina was better schooled in keeping her emotions in check than Locke was, so when she appeared on screen, he couldn't help but quietly gasp. He lifted a hand halfway up towards the screen, then abruptly pushed it down with the other hand. "Hey." The single word, the single syllable, seemed to hang in the air between them, though it felt tiny, dwarfed by the immense space between them. "He needs his beauty rest, I am sure. No worries."

"Dun need any beauty rest - jist as cute as kin be. Dunno if ya kin tell, bu' he's definitely go' th' Smith's mouth. Has more of Ma's features 'n Smiths, an' poor Bethy looks like she didn' contribute much. Looks a lo' like Lance as a baby, particularly wit' all th' dark hair." She smiled to Locke, then down to the baby, "Guess time will tell. Ya min'?" She offered the baby to Hannah, and when she took the baby with a blank face, Katarina added under her breath ,"An' some privacy wun hurt."

Rolling her eyes, Hannah left the screen and Katarina's eyes followed till her sister left the room, "Worked long today? Ya called late, an' ya look... tired." She pouted a little.

"I did my usual shift over at L.D. 50, then headed over to New Haven to meet Gerard and the others at Highlife. And I've also been working with Koy on a new project." Locke glanced over his shoulder, towards the dining room table. "I got your flowers. And chocolates. And cookies. Thank you. I hope you don't mind if I shared a little with Roger and Misha."

"I dun min' a' all." She gave him one of her more private smiles. "Happy anniversary, love. It seems to be a bi' o' a tradition, sendin' ya stuff ta yer work 'n important dates. Dun wan'ta disappoint."

"I appreciate it." Locke blew a kiss to the screen, his smile weakened by the pain of her absence, then by the guilt those feelings brought up. He had been the one to suggest she visit her family, after all. He had practically insisted. What gave him the right to feel so bad about her going?

"Happy anniversary. And, you know, you could never disappoint me, melamin. Cormamin lindua ele lle. "

She gave a slight, forced smile, "There's a firs' time fer everythin'." It echoed the feelings of the first time of a separation as this, and she sighed, "I miss you so much, but I'm determined to not be sad; not today. In a few days, I'll be back on a ship and then in no time at all I'll be back home to the dull life we have." She grinned for him then.

"Dull? Hardly. There is nothing about you that is dull, Katarina." Locke scoffed, brushing imaginary dust and dirt off of his arms. "There is so much excitement in front of us - things I could never have dreamed of years before. Dull is the last word I would use to describe our life together."

It wasn't a picnic to get from the docks to the West Marketplace in the middle of winter. First of all, it was freaking cold. Second of all, the bridges were snowy and icy, meaning traffic was always slow in the middle of the day. Once Eva and Locke had made their plans to meet for lunch, it was pretty clear to Eva that she wasn't going back to work after. She would finish the afternoon in her home office, so her shoulder bag, resting on the backseat of the taxi beside her, was heavy with extra leather-bound ledgers. At least Mason told her it was okay to take a taxi today. That way she was right on time.

The red lantern over the door was an immediate sign that she was in the right place -- though it was a bit obscured by snow and ice. Inside, she looked around for Locke, and realizing that she'd beat him there, she stepped up to the hostess' stand. Given the choice between the hibachi in the back and the sushi up front, Eva chose the sushi, remembering that Locke preferred cool foods. The hostess led her to a table for two -- a two-top with dark black wood chairs facing each other, next to the window. Eva leaned her bag on the floor next to the window and then started the ungraceful task of pulling off her winter gear

Somewhere between five and ten minutes after Eva had arrived at the restaurant, Locke finally made his way through the front door of Akachōchin. There was really no excuse for his tardiness. L.D. 50 was right next door, and Locke had been working there during regular business hours, so it should have been a 30 second walk, tops, from store to restaurant. Still, the fact remained that he was late, a fact made doubly odd because the ice elf was typically a timely person when matters called for it.

His work wardrobe for L.D. 50 was completely different than what he wore while working with Gerard up at Highlife Haberdashery. Jeans with patches sewn on and distress throughout both legs, boots with an oily black sheen, and a leather jacket that had been dyed green across the chest in a subtle gradient pattern appeared to be his choice of clothing for the day. He walked up to the hostess stand, spoke quietly to the woman situated there, and began walking toward Eva's table. The smile on his face seemed tighter than usual.

Eva was surprised that she had to wait for Locke, but she would have dismissed it as a result of being a new business owner were it not for that expression on his face. Still, she smiled as she got to her feet, smoothing out a pair of nice black slacks, and a dark red sweater -- simple, clean office-wear. She leaned towards him to offer her usual very brief cheek kiss of greeting, always trying to make sure she's not forcing contact on him, her words as warm and soft as her lips ?Hey Locke.?

He had spent enough time with Gerard, Koy, and countless other fashionistas to know that the air kiss was the greeting du jour among the haute couture set. So while he did not quite let Eva's lips touch his frigid cheeks, he returned the gesture of affection with an air kiss of his own - first near the left cheek, then the right. "Hello, Eva. How have you been faring?"

Eva wasn't exactly haute couture, so the air kiss wasn't quite what she was going for. When he leaned to kiss her right side after the left, she was taken by surprise, and so there was an awkward moment before she got which direction she was supposed to turn her head. She laughed softly at herself, a bit of an apologetic expression on her face as she stepped back ?Um, good, good. You know, winter.? She said it with a wry smile, knowing after their years of friendship that this was his preferred season, while the opposite was true for her.

Normally, the mere mention of the word "winter" would have been enough to make the smile on Locke's face crack brighter, at the very minimum. This time, though, it didn't change from its forced expression, and when their greeting was concluded and he pulled back, it became somewhat clearer why. There were bags under his eyes, which might have been explained away by how much work he was doing to get ready for Fashion Week, but there was more to it than that. He seemed haunted, pinched tight and clamped down from head to toe. He slipped off his jacket and draped over the back of his chairm, revealing a screen-printed white t-shirt with one of his store's recurring motifs: a skull super-imposed inside of a snowflake. "Yeah, I know. Not everyone's as in love with it as I am."

?Yeah.? She kept smiling as she settled back into her seat, crossing her legs beneath the table, but there was concern moving into her eyes. She looked him over, blatantly, and opened her mouth to say something. But she stopped herself as a server approached, offering them each a menu and offering to take their drink orders. Eva hadn't been planning on drinking -- it was the middle of the day after all -- but everything about Locke's demeanor suggested he could use a drink, maybe. So she ordered first to make him more comfortable in case he might want a drink. ?I'll have a bottle of the Silver Mark winter wheat.? She smiled to the server, then looked over at Locke.

For a second, Locke looked ready to pick up the drink menu, but at the last minute, his fingers danced across the glossy cover without lifting it. "I'll have the same, thanks." Locke turned his smile towards the server, and then back towards Eva. "I'm glad you were able to get off work to stop by. And that I was able to take a few minutes off as well."

?When the weather gets this cold, the shipping lanes slow. It's mostly just year-end work.? She shrugged it off. Though truth be told, she had been taking a lot of days off in the last couple years, though Hudson and Gaerwyn never said anything. ?You've got that whole fashion show thing coming up, yeah?? Eva didn't exactly have her ear to the ground about the fashion industry, but she tried, knowing this was an important time of year for him. But him being a friend, she didn't leave it there. ?Is that why you've got the whole face thing going on?? She pointed at him with her index finger, then wiggled it around to draw over his face in the air.

Locke's hands went up to touch the dark circles around his eyes, rubbing at them with gloved fingers. "Yeah. I've been busy with the new store, working on pieces for Gerard, and working with Koy on a joint activewear line. Busy, busy, busy." He laughed, but it wasn't the same bright laugh that he usually had -- it felt drained of energy, of life.

Her expression changed a bit, and again, she was interrupted by the waitress who set down their beers. Before she could take their order, Eva sent her off with a polite smile. ?I think we need a few more minutes.? The server nodded and moved off again, and Eva's smile faded as she looked back to Locke, reaching for her beer. Mason would call this expression Eva's ?doctor face.? Concerned, serious, direct. ?Have you been sleeping enough? Eating alright??

Locke's eyes drifted back toward the server as Eva dismissed her, as if the woman could help cover for the ice elf. Locke reached for his bottle of beer, stopping short of bringing it up for a sip. Instead, he tugged at the corner of the label. "Well, I have been quite busy, so far as sleep goes, so...probably not sleeping enough." His refusal to talk about whether or not he was eating properly was pointed.

Eva watched him a moment. She made a mental note to ask Mason whether he had some time to make some meals to send over. She lifted her beer for a sip, then looked across at him. There was something missing from the equation. ?How's Katarina??

Gerard was running late. Locke had arrived at La Boheme, one of the hottest and lushest new restaurants to open in New Haven, at precisely the hour and minute that Gerard had told him to come, and yet his boss wasn't there yet. He wasn't there on time, he wasn't there five minutes after he had said he would arrive, and it was now going on ten minutes past the appointed hour. Locke had ordered a negroni from the waiter, and he had spent much of the time since it had arrived at his table spinning the straw in circles in his drink. Every time he looked towards the door, he swore the chandelier hanging almost directly above his table was going to blind him. That, or the red velvet trimmed booths scattered throughout the restaurant.

Katarina could have spent a long time simply watching Locke as he waited as patiently as he could for his dinner partner that wasn't going to arrive. He looked slightly bored, and mostly masked the irritation. She was going to have to give Gerard quite the thank you for setting Locke up with her surprise. She was also going have to thank Jules somehow for letting her crash at her home for a few hours after she had landed to relax and get ready for her date. Her heart fluttered as she finally made her way towards Locke's table as if she was supposed to be there the entire time. The deep purple evening dress showed much of her bare back and was a complimenting contrast to the paleness of her winter skin. Purple and black gently smudged her eyelids and she left her lips a bare color and completed the look with sweeping large curls up and away from her face, "Sorry, melamin." She winked as she unceremoniously sat across from him, "Hope ya dun min' th' chang' o' dinner plans."

His heart nearly stopped as Katarina came up to his table. He was so surprised that he couldn't move at first, except for the dropping of his jaw. Before he could catch himself, tears of joy formed in his eyes, and he smiled, even as he sniffled and wiped them away with the back of his arm. The gesture didn't seem to do any damage to the dark navy suit he wore, though.

His mouth opened and closed several times -- she had left him well and truly lost for words. Instead, he took a long swig from his cocktail and set it back down, before his eyes nervously lifted up from the table to her face. "Lle naa vanima,"* he said in a quiet lilt, a rare shyness filtering through his voice.

She simply smiled and watched him quietly as the variety of emotions played on his face. Her heart swelled to simply be near him once more, much less see his delight in seeing her unexpectedly. "Thank you." She blushed a little at the sincerity of his compliment, "Yer lookin' quite well yerself. Much betta 'n a few days 'go." Her lips curled up slowly, "I figured.. surprisin' ya an' comin' home early was a good start ta gettin' back 'n yer good graces." She offered a hand out for him halfway across the table.

He reached quickly for the hand, perhaps more quickly than necessary. As soon as he realized how eager he had been, he blushed a deep shade of purple. "You're welcome. A few good nights of sleep, a little bit of delegation..." Locke squeezed her hand gently, as if testing to see if it was real. If she was really, truly there in front of him. "And you managed to convince Gerard to go in on your deception. I shall have to have words with him later." He looked toward the door, rolling his eyes some.

"Only if th' words ar' 'thank you'. I be' ya didn' know he has such a sof' spot fer ya, er tha' he's o' th' romantic sort, didcha?" Keeping her eyes on him, she gently pulled his arm forward and leaned in so that she could give the back of his hand a kiss. She nearly sighed with the feeling of wholeness when their hands threaded together. "An' this is jist th' beginnin'. I plan ta make up fer our anniversary properly. I hope ya dun min'." When a well-suited waiter came to take her drink order, she stuck to a glass of merlot, before he left to match the request, "I had a fan mention this place ta me righ' bahfore th' break. I think it's a pretty good choice."

"I should have known something was up..." Locke took another minute to take in the decor. Even with chandeliers overhead, the lighting was kept low, both by dimming the bulbs, by using candles on the tables, and by covering nearly every surface with red or black. Red for the booths, red for the tablecloths, black for the chairs. "This is a bit romantic for a business meeting with Gerard..." Locke giggled at the realization, before sighing from the kiss to his hand and sensation of their fingers linking together. "I don't mind, though. We deserve it."


*You are beautiful

((edited and adapted from live RP))