With a large bag over one shoulder and a sleeping bag tightly rolled held against her chest, Katarina didn't mind the odd looks as she walked down to Elemental Arms. With Locke spending his last night in his apartment, the opportunity to surprise him was too irresistible. It took time to find the right sleeping bag, clothing, and all other precautions to make sure she could handle the chilling temperatures of his room. She though of it as an investment however, considering that there would eventually be a similar room in their home.

Whistling off-key, her cheer only increased as she shifted the sleeping bag in her arms so that she could press the button to his apartment, "Shave an' a haircu'!"

The talkbox almost seemed to whistle and whine mechanically back at Katarina, before it settled into the usual static hum. The voice that came through on the other end sounded puzzled, and the retort back seemed to be half-question, half-reply. "Two bits?" There was a brief pause, before Locke spoke again. "What brings you by my soon-to-be former humble abode?"

She frowned at the talkbox in an automatic response, "Kin't I jist come ta see ya? I actually brough' ya a.. surprise. Ya dun even hav'ta come ou' fer it, I'll come up an' brin' it. So, lemme 'n?"

"Of course you can. Fortunately for you, I have packed the last of my boxes and am just about ready to go." The door buzzed and clicked open as the orange light flashed on the callbox. "I will see you shortly, melamin."

She grinned wickedly at her tactics, before returning to whistling off-key as she opened the door and went straight for the stairs, barely looking at the night sky and stars inside the special room. Her black coat seemed simple, but the lining was carefully crafted to withstand the chill and keep her warm. It reached her knees, and revealed black leggings that ended at cream colored ankle boots. Taking the steps one at a time to make sure she didn't trip as the sleeping bag obscured her vision, she giggled to herself as she reached his door and knocked on it with more gusto than necessary.

He opened the door, and was confronted by a sleeping bag and a pair of hands holding it. He furrowed his brows in confusion, before crouching to see if that would help him get a better view of the person at his door. It didn't. Still... "Katarina?" He paused momentarily, before continuing his thought, making it clear that he wasn't asking who the person standing there was. "What are you holding?"

"I's a sleepin' bag, silly." His confusion just made her surprise all the better, " 'm well.. yer surprise. Though' ya'd like some company 'n yer las' nigh' here, an' I go' everythin' I need fer a sleepova." She shook the sleeping bag slightly, and turned to show him the large bag over her shoulder, "Is tha' shiny fer ya?"

"You're sure you will be warm enough?" Even as he spoke, he was backpedaling towards his living room, where there were stacks of cardboard boxes. The vast majority of them seemed to be holding his clothes, if the words written on the side of them in black permanent marker were any indication. He'd covered the furniture with plastic sheets, and the fruit bowl that usually sat on top of the tall counter near the entrance, between it and the kitchen, was gone.

"I promise." She followed him in, and closed the door behind her with her back, "I could say tha' I jist wanted ta keep ya company, bu' mahbe i's betta said tha' I was jist gonna miss yers too much, yeah?" Glancing around at the boxes, she set the sleeping bag down as well as the large bag on her shoulder.

"The feeling is mutual. My neighbors are nice, but I still get quite lonely in here, when I've had to stay here." He smiled warmly at her, as she set her things down. "I...greatly appreciate you stopping by. You...are an excellent surprise to have."

"Yeah? I'd say ya've been a' 'xcellen' surprise as well." She winked for him before leaning over to rummage through the bag before producing a cream colored scarf that appeared to have the thickness of cotton, but was clearly made of something else. She wrapped it around her neck, pulled out a pair of matching gloves to slip on, and then pulled the black hood of the long coat over hear head, nearly covering her eyes, "Tada!"

He was looking at the hood of the coat, searching for drawstrings to pull the hood down further to completely obscure her eyes. He stepped up closer to where she was, less than an arm's length apart, and studied the neck and shoulders on her jacket more intently. He reached a hand toward her, letting it hover in the space between the two. He was so lost in the moment that he didn't realize he wasn't wearing his gloves, and that he was holding out his scarred right hand. When he came to both realizations, he pulled his hand back with a start, and a muttered apology. He moved quickly for the box marked "Gloves" and opened it up, removing a pair of red driving gloves. They didn't really match the black sweat pants and long-sleeved shirt he had thrown on in a haste, but he didn't seem to mind.

She hadn't flinched away from the blue hand that came into her view, but she also wasn't exactly sure just how strong the lining of her jacket was, or just how much of a chill could it keep out. Clearing her throat slightly, she pretended to have not heard any apology as he searched for a pair of gloves. She removed her boots to reveal bulky looking black socks, and then fiddled with the ends of the scarf. She could feel the warmth of the hood spread out across her face, even to the tip of her nose, "Well, I know i's kinda late, bu' 'm figurin' nah quite time ta go ta bed. Dun le' me ruin yer plans - wha' ar' we doin' nex'?" She offered a crooked smile.

"Yeah, 'm shiny." The scarf that was around her neck had shifted to cover her mouth and most of her nose. Her next retort was erased from her mind as he crouched close to her. She grasped at some words to fill the sudden silence, "Nah like I wasn' gonna share, yeah?" A quick wink.

He winked back, as acutely aware of the silence as she had been when he first knelt. Thus, his words came out slightly faster than usual. "I'm sorry. Anything I can do to make it up to you?"

He probably wouldn't be able to tell, but her lips pursed slightly, "Did.. you have something in mind?" She couldn't bring herself to move from his close proximity.

"No. Not yet. I'm sure I'll think of something soon." He lifted his hand up slowly, to touch the scarf where it covered her face. He traced the contours of her chin, first, then from cheek back to ear. He dropped out of the crouch into a seated position in front of her.

Her lashes fluttered closed at the gentle touch of his fingers against her face. She sighed softly, and watched him change his position to something she assumed was more comfortable. She grinned, though the only evidence of it was the crinkling to the corner of her eyes. "Gittin' comfy 'n th' floor?" Still, she couldn't bring herself to move, yet.

"Yes. Quite." He found his voice catching in his throat, as he threaded his fingers through locks of her hair. "Forgive me if I make a mess of your hair. I just cannot resist."

"I dun mind." She felt color rise to her cheeks, more now with the chill of the air that lingered just outside the protection of the hood that was now crooked and exposing half of her face. "I like it when ya play wit' mah hair.... Locke?" The question seemed to stem mid-sentence.

"Yes?" He paused his efforts, hand resting against the side of her face.

"Would it.." she turned her face into his hand against her cheek to partially hide her face, "would it be particularly painful for you to kiss me, with the scarf on?"

He took his hand off of her cheek, and slipped off the glove covering it. It fell between them, as he lifted blue fingers to touch the scarf, attempting to test the temperature.

She wasn't quite sure what he would feel. Like the coat, the strange fabric was keeping her heat from exiting so that it could continue to keep her warm upon contact. The prolonged pause without answer brought hasty words, "I'm.. sorry, it was just a thought. I.. I don't want to hurt you."

It was about as comfortable as it would have been to touch anything else in the room. Perhaps slightly warmer, due to the fabric's heat conduction, but not as warm as it would have been in a different environment. "I...the fabric should prevent the worst case scenario." He cringed a bit as he shut his eyes, chastising himself in his head, before his lids reopened and looked at her. "I...am willing to try if you are."

The cringe ripped open the guilty feelings more. "Perhaps if we add another layer?" She readjusted the crooked layers, feeling it tug around the back of her neck as she arranged the wraps to all align on the bottom portion of her face.

"Perhaps." He found himself smiling gently at her as she adjusted the scarf, taking the glove he had abandoned to the floor and placing it back on his hand.

She was suddenly very nervous, "If.. if you feel like it's going to hurt.. just don't, yeah?"

His head shake was slow, almost imperceptible. "Katarina...if it does hurt, it will be worth the pain." Before she could protest any further, he tilted his head and pressed his lips tenderly against the scarf.

A puzzled look crossed his face when she removed the scarf, until she placed it around his forehead and leaned against him. The sight of green eyes so close to his own caused his breath to catch in his throat, and when he felt like he could finally breath again, he inhaled sharply. "There are plenty of things we hadn't thought of, until we had reason to think of them. Love conquers all, and all that rigamorale, savvy?" He let his smile turn lopsided as well. "No thanks needed, melamin."

"All tha' rigamorale." She rolled her eyes and laughed warmly, "Ya believe 'n tha', bu' nah fate er luck er destiny." The nerves and their lasting effects finally left as she leaned back slightly and caught the falling scarf, "C'mon, tha's a bi' o' excitement fer one nigh', yeah?" However she couldn't resist quickly putting the folded scarf over his lips and giving him a quick kiss.

It happened so fast that he only half-shut his eyes before the kiss was completed. That same silly smile stayed on his face when she was done. "How can I not believe in what we have? I look at what it's given me-" He pointed at her, then continued. "And I have no choice but to believe. It is more powerful than anything that might stand in our way." He scrambled to his feet and offered a hand to her to stand.

Anythin'." Her voice was firm in agreement and her eyes determined, before the expression relaxed into a smile as she took his offered hand and stood. Sighing gently, she watched her breath in the cold air, and remembered that her head was still completely exposed. She carefully replaced the scarf around her neck, before pulling up on the hood once more, her hair still spilling out, "I should try and steal th' bed more often." Laughing warmly, she gathered her rumpled sleeping bag and returned it back onto the bed.

"You might not fare as well, next time." His dimples were out in full force, as he grinned cheekily at her. He quickly held up a finger, as he started for the bathroom. "One moment, please."

"Sure thin', an' yes I will." She winked for him, before straightening out her sleeping bag. She then moved for Locke's that remained on the floor before setting it up on the other side of the bed.

It wasn't long before he returned to the bedroom, having shed all but a pair of boxers with pink and red hearts. He headed over to retrieve his pillow and place it beside the sleeping bag she had set up. He looked to one corner of his room and smiled, though there didn't seem to be anything present there to provoke the gesture.

Locke's comfort with walking around in just his boxers brought a strained groan that ended with laughter, "Ya know, 'm gonna strut 'round 'n jist mah undawear, an' see how torturous it is fer ya." Her voice was teasing, but she still had to tear her eyes off of his chest and up to his face to catch what seemed to be a random smile, "Wha's th' smile fer?" She glanced around the floor for her bag, and pulled it up onto the bed as she started pulling out a small pillow and a flannel blanket.

"I normally sleep in less than this." He tugged on the waistband for good measure. Then, he pointed to the corner, still smiling. "That's where Morkelle sat." The elvish word tripped off his tongue effortlessly.

"Well, dun let me stop ya fra changin' yer sleepin' habits." She gave a saucy wink, before raising a brow, "Morkelle? Wha's tha'?" Placing the pillow up where her head would go, she then began to unbutton the jacket, glancing around as she realized all of his clothes, which would include hangers, were gone. Removing the jacket, she moved to hang it on the corner of the opened door, revealing a long, oversized flannel shirt that grazed her thighs and the sleeves well past her hands.

"The stuffed bear you gave me?" He smiled slyly at her, as he sat on top of his sleeping bag with his legs dangling over the edge of the bed.

She frowned slightly, trying to remember giving him a bear, before laughing fully, "Oh yeah, fer Valentine's Day." The blanket was pulled out and appeared to be rather big before she wrapped it around her since the jacket was no longer keeping her warm, "I bough' th' bigges' one I could fin'. I wish I coulda been a' yer work ta see yer face when ya go' it." Her grin was rather triumphant as she bounced down next to him on the bed.

He flopped onto his back, sprawling out over his sleeping bag. "Would you like to know what that means?"