(Oh whoa! That's actually exactly how I imagined him, if it's any consolation. How long did you work on that?) "But that's the proper food you prefer to marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. I get it, really I do." Poppy grinned, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I don't know why I didn't see it before."
He glared at her, his brows furrowing. "Hmph. You know, you really are a piece of work. I don't know why they decided for us to work together." (It took an hour or so, and I also had other things to do within the time frame. That's why the face looks all wonky and off.)
She noticed his frustration, but it only seemed to make her more amused. "You know, I've been thinking the same thing," she said, nodding. She adopted a cheeky smile. "But since we're now obviously best friends, I think it's safe to say that they made the right decision, yes?" The fire sputtered, and she looked down at it, her eyebrow raised. It was almost out of kindling, and she stood up. "My turn to get get some wood. I'll be back." (That's crazy good Stuffs. Wow.)
She left the circle of light that surrounded their campsite and entered the dark woods. The pine needles muffled her footsteps, and she walked through the silent trees, the snow falling gently around her, illuminated by the moonlight. It was quite beautiful, and she smiled to herself, watching her breath make clouds in the air. She began to gather the fallen branches that she found as she walked, but she soon came upon a tree, perfect for climbing. She hesitated, looked back in the direction that she had come, and then placed the branches by the foot of the tree and hoisted herself up. The pine needles scratched her as she climbed, but she had grown up playing in the woods, and she pulled herself up without a second thought. She got close to the top and looked out across the landscape. She took a moment to look around, admiring the scenery, but then she looked out and saw a shimmering in the sky that she had only seen in pictures. She quickly scaled down the tree, reclaimed her branches and ran to the campsite. "Francis," she said breathlessly when she returned. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, but her eyes were bright and awake. "Want to see something really cool?"
She grinned when he accepted. She'd expected him to say no. "Come on," she said, turning back into the woods. "Can you climb trees well?"
"Well, you are wearing a suit in the woods," she said, following the same path she took only ten minutes prior. "So forgive me if I jump to any false conclusions."
"My apologies for wanting to look nice at all times." He pushed away a branch and stepped over a rock. "I also didn't expect to crash land in a forest, so you can't blame me."
She chuckled. "I value looking nice as well, and yet, I am not stuck wearing a ball gown in the middle of nowhere." She arrived at the base of the tree, and pulled herself up.
"Now, a ball gown isn't professional." He raised an eyebrow, following her. "A suit is. And it looks nice at the same time."
"Hm. Right. You make a very compelling argument." They hadn't been conversing for very long, but already Francis would be able to recognize the smile in her voice. "Maybe I should switch into a pantsuit instead of these comfortable jeans. Y'know, for the sake of professionalism."
"Oh god. Those are so ugly, but you do you, I suppose." He shook his head, stopping a moment to find his footing.
She laughed but was quiet for the rest of the way as she ascended the tree. When they finally got to the top, she looked out, grinned, and then glanced down at him. "Pretty cool, huh?" she said quietly. The sky was painted by green, pink and blue lights that streaked across the sky. They hung like a fog and every once in a while, a new color would ripple through, like ribbons connected to a kite. The air was cold and crisp, but Poppy barely noticed. "I never thought I would get to see the Northern lights in person."
He squinted, crouching on a branch below her. "Aurora Borealis. I've seen it once. It was my first mission. It's... nice."
She laughed breathily, shivering in the cold but delighted. "All you can say is that it's nice? Good Lord, Francis. That stuff right there is enough to make you believe in a God."
"I believe the universe is powered by science, not a magical being. And 'that stuff right there' is collisions between electrically charged particles." He stood, hand holding steadily to the tree.
She frowned, and swung down to face him. "You're kind of a cynic, you know that?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"And you're kind of quixotic. I like fact rather than feeling. Divine beings are more feeling." He raised his hands, shrugging.
