Peak Holiday Scandal

Life can be tough, there's no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can't do without.

The snowstorm has decided to blow in sooner than expected, sweeping across Pine Peak and the surrounding towns in a blustering blizzard of dangerous winds and worse temperatures. Even with the heater blasting in his truck and a thick brown jacket on, Zavien can still feel the bite of winter at his cheeks, the windows threatening to fog over as he squints through the snowflakes being smeared away by his windshield wipers. If he had a choice, he'd be home, curled up by the fireplace, coffee or liquor warming his hands and some sappy Christmas movie playing. But alas, as an 'essential worker,' snowstorms don't excuse him from shifts and the rest of the department would like the chance to sleep.

At least he's got a thermos of coffee in the cupholder and Michael Bublé playing on the radio. It's a close second, and he can't be upset when he's got his best friend riding shotgun.

Seeming to hear his thoughts, Sol perks up, his floppy golden ears pointing towards him to earn a doting scratch on the head. The retriever's tail wags, thumping the back of the seat. Zavien chuckles and moves his hands back to the steering wheel, expertly avoiding a massive patch of ice that might have sent less experienced drivers or less capable cars careening off the road.

The thought barely crosses his mind when a large glow of flashing yellow lights peeks through the bleary storm. Narrowing his eyes, Zavien huffs out a breath. "This doesn't look too good, Sol."

A car becomes more visible on the side of the road and he begins to slow. It's unclear whether it slid off, hit a bank of snow, or if something else had stopped the vehicle, but he shakes his head, trying to peer through the fog for signs of someone while he mutters under his breath, "Who in their right mind...?"

Coming to a careful stop behind them, Zavien throws on his hazards and grabs his gloves, donning his ballcap for good measure. Giving Sol another scratch behind the ear, he opens the door. "Wait here."

Cold hits him square in the face, snagging his breath in a cloud of snowflakes just as his boots crunch into the icy road. Shaking his shoulders of the tension trying to build, he shuts the door and makes his way forward to investigate.

Zavien

Right things with joy will come about...
In good time.

When no one is around, my dear
You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes

It wasn't that Sohalia had forgotten to check the weather before heading out into a blizzard. It was just that she'd underestimated exactly how long it would take her to arrive at her destination. Now, as she sat in her car, yellow caution lights reflecting in rhythmic flashes against the snow, she was filled with an intense regret that she hadn't left a few hours earlier. If she had, she might have avoided the worst of the snowstorm. As it were, she'd been surviving the drive on a combination of prayer and luck, which had finally given out as she'd slipped and slid her way down a hill and right into a bank of snow that had drifted at the bottom.

Even if she could have managed to get the car moving again, she was no longer sure exactly where the road was. She was running out of gas, her phone's cell service was acting spotty at best, and the blizzard was howling stronger than ever around her little refuge. She was going to have to figure out what to do, and fast - before she froze to death out here. 

When she'd accepted the position of museum curator in the city, she'd never imagined that she'd end up buried beneath the snow somewhere outside the town of Pine Peak in search of a certain starlit artifact that would complete her perfect Christmas exhibit. God, what was this? Indiana Jones and the Lost Christmas Tree Topper?

Hunched over a map that she'd pulled from the glove compartment, Soh huffed out a frustrated breath, running a hand anxiously through her golden waves. It would help if her phone could pick up any semblance of a signal. Then she could at least call someone for help, or try and figure out where the nearest house was where she might be able to take shelter until the storm passed, or... god, she didn't even know. What did one do when stuck in a car in a blizzard? Nothing in her life had prepared her for this particular disaster.

Lights flared, brighter than the caution lights reflecting off the snow, and Soh glanced up, her heart in her throat, to find what appeared to be headlights flickering through the storm. Relief washed through her, and she grabbed her coat from the passenger seat, darting out of the car in an instant as she pulled the warm fabric onto her arms, fully intending to flag the driver down. At this point, she didn't really care if it was dangerous. Surely serial killers didn't seek out victims in a blizzard, right? They were probably holed up at home, like anyone else with a lick of sense.

"Hey!" Soh shouted, waving towards the headlights. Wind whipped her hair about her face, and she shivered against the icy chill that worked its way down her spine. She'd never been so cold in her life as she was at this moment, and if that unknown driver passed her by, that wasn't going to change any time soon. "I need some help!"

Spinning in my highest heels, love
Shining just for you

Sohalia

Life can be tough, there's no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can't do without.

He didn't have to travel more than a few steps before a shout was echoing through the whistle of winds. "Hey!" A pair of arms waved, summoning him forward to find a lone woman shivering like the last leaf of autumn ready to succumb to winter. Despite the thick jacket covering her arms, she looked ill prepared to weather a snowstorm, reddening ears and nose unprotected against the chill. He wasn't sure how long she'd been stuck out here, but the desperation in her voice told him it had been long enough to scare her. 

Instincts pulled him closer, worry furrowing his brows that were already lowered to shield against the snow. The ballcap seemed to do a decent job of it, allowing him to scan the woman with the practiced precision of a first responder, shouting out to assess the primary concern. "Are you hurt?!" The words were stolen by a gust of wind, one that had his arm raising to block the force of it, turning the motion into a summon of his hand. "Let's get out of the snow! Hop in!" Zavien would usually phrase it as a question, but he figured the situation was bad enough to warrant some direction over politeness or pleasantries, and he wasn't sure she'd even be able to hear it if he asked. 

Leading her to the passenger door - if she was willing to follow - he opened it and shooed Sol to the back, gesturing for her to get in.

Zavien

Right things with joy will come about...
In good time.

When no one is around, my dear
You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes

Soh slogged through the snow and towards the headlights, and was relieved when a figure appeared from the driver's side of the vehicle. "Oh, thank God," she muttered to herself. Sure, getting help from a stranger wasn't ideal, but it was a hell of a lot better than freezing to death. She couldn't be sure through the snowstorm, but she thought the person was male; she thought she heard him shout something, but couldn't quite make it out through the blizzard's howling wind. His actions, though, spoke loudly enough, and she followed to the passenger door before hopping in.

Blessed heat filled the truck, and Soh sighed happily as she nestled into the passenger seat, reaching out her bare hands to hold in front of the air vent. Movement in the back drew her eye, and she noticed the dog for the first time, gasping with delight at this particular turn of events. Dog people were good people, in her opinion, so the stranger probably wasn't going to murder her. "Well, hi, friend!" she cooed, barely refraining from offering a hand for the dog to sniff. She'd wait until she was introduced, which was only polite.

Spinning in my highest heels, love
Shining just for you

Sohalia

Life can be tough, there's no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can't do without.

Between the moment the woman was safe inside and he was getting to the driver's seat, Sol had managed to nuzzle his head into her hand, give her a few proper licks, jump in the front seat, whack his tail against the dashboard a few times, and squirm into the back seat again. Zavien knew all of this from the retreating tail, layer of slobber on her skin, and the naughty look on his dog's face. 

Too concerned with getting out of the blizzard and shutting the door, he just shook his head, giving her a sheepish smile that echoed of a chuckle stolen by the cold. "Sorry about him. Sol's a little overly friendly." A few snowflakes fell from his hat as he pulled it off, setting it in his lap to give the dog a scolding scratch around the neck. 

Having properly 'chastised' the nuisance, Zavien gave a nodding gesture to the vehicle stuck in a snowbank, hazards still flashing bright in the white. "I'm not sure we're going to be able to get your car out of here in this weather." 

He turned back to her, returning to his original curiosities and concerns. "What happened? Are you okay?" Out of the snow, he could get a better look at her, inadvertently noticing less injuries and more of how snowflakes caught in her blonde curls or how the flush on her cheeks made her eyes look like how he'd picture the stormy sky. It was something that had him feeling the confined space of the truck, quietly hoping she wasn't regretting her decision to hop inside when he had a rowdy dog, jackets in the backseat, 'I'll Be Home For Christmas' blaring on the scratchy radio, and a crumpled paper towel from his breakfast toast sitting in the middle console. It didn't scream 'murderer,' but he wasn't sure it said 'savior' either.

Zavien

Right things with joy will come about...
In good time.

When no one is around, my dear
You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes

Much to Soh's delight, the dog didn't wait to be invited into her space. By the time her savior had climbed into the driver's seat, the young woman had been properly greeted several times over. Now she sat laughing as she wiped the sheen of slobber from her cheek, her blonde hair tousled from the exuberant welcome. No, the man definitely wasn't a murderer. Such a perfectly lovely dog wouldn't be a serial killer's pet.

"Sol is perfection," Soh declared, turning a playful grin towards her savior. Grey eyes fell on him, and she was able to take a look at the man for the first time since he'd appeared in the snow. He surveyed her through green eyes that caught and held her attention; his hair was golden brown under the hat he wore, and his skin was sun-kissed even in the dead of winter. Soh suddenly realized that she was staring, and with a faint blush rising upon her cheeks, turned her attention back to Sol.

Or at least she did, until the subject of her poor car had her shooting a rather guilty look towards the man. "Oh, um - yeah, I'm fine. I just... thought I had more time before the storm blew in." Waving a hand dismissively, she offered a sheepish smile, flushed now out of embarrassment. "I'm trying to get to Pine Peak, but I lost track of where I was when it started snowing so hard, and then the hill got the better of me. I just sort of slid into the snow bank. No harm done - to me, anyway - but I definitely wasn't going anywhere fast." Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Soh peered at the stranger through her lashes. "I'm lucky you happened by when you did."

Spinning in my highest heels, love
Shining just for you

Sohalia

Life can be tough, there's no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can't do without.

Grateful to see that the woman laughing from the furry assault, he couldn't hide the smile at her praise, or Sol's agreeing bark at hearing his name. He wasn't sure he'd have heard the end of it if the department found out his dog had traumatized another snowstorm victim with friendliness - not that this happened frequently in their small, mountainous Colorado town. 

Zavien scanned the snow building up around her car, concerned about whether they'd be able to clear it out when the storm cleared. He didn't blame her for situation, although he had certainly thought the warnings spread through the news and radio stations should have been enough to ward anyone off of travel. Without chains or four-wheel drive, these roads were risky to travel even on a normal day. But the town was close, and she seemed genuinely embarrassed about the whole ordeal, so he held his judgements in with a sympathetic hum that he hoped might calm any guilt at her mistake. "Mmm. I'm not sure anybody was expecting the storm to hit this soon - or this hard. It's pretty bad out."

When he turned to look at her again, it took everything in him not to look like a creep. His eyes caught on the slender fingers that tucked a golden strand of hair behind her ear, on the lashes that fluttered delicately over the flush of her rounded cheeks, on the curve of her lips and the soft cadence of her voice... 

Clearing his throat, he ran a hand through his hair as if he might get a grip on his control, hoping she didn't notice the slight tinge of red creeping over his ears. "Sure - I mean - I'm happy to help. I wouldn't have left anyone out in this storm." He didn't know why it was such a struggle to find words, or why he was stumbling through thoughts like they were slick with ice. He'd helped with plenty of citizens stuck in the snow. It was a large part of his job in general. He'd never felt so distracted with any of the others - although they hadn't been pretty blondes with bright eyes and a sweet smile. 

He ripped his eyes away to reset, then offered her a polite smile, figuring he shouldn't stare - or shirk his duties by getting distracted. "I'm heading into Pine Peak right now. Can I take you somewhere?"

Zavien

Right things with joy will come about...
In good time.

When no one is around, my dear
You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes

Honestly, Soh should have known better than to try and beat a snowstorm in her little car, but she'd always been a glass-half-full kind of girl, and she had faith that things would work out the way they were supposed to. Besides, if she'd waited, she might have missed out on the opportunity to find the rumored tree topper. She couldn't be the only museum curator looking to get her hands on it, after all. No, better to be snowed in here than miss out on a potential lead.

Thankfully, her rescuer was too polite to point out her questionable intelligence in deciding to come here now of all times, and she was inclined to let the conversation fade. Now that she was out of the elements and rather less terrified, the whole thing seemed like an adventure with a relatively minor setback rather than a life-or-death ordeal. And if the men around here were actually this nice and attractive, things were starting to look a lot more appealing. Maybe her setback wasn't that at all, but was simply a step in the right direction. She couldn't wait to get cell service so she could tell her best friend, Flora, all about this little mishap...

Realizing she'd gotten distracted, Soh's gaze flickered up just in time to hear the stranger's offer. Beaming a smile, she nodded. "If you're sure it's not too much trouble, I would appreciate it so much!" she gushed. "I have a room booked at the Peakview Inn. I have the address written down somewhere -" Pulling her phone from her pocket, she started scrolling through apps to find the note she'd made about her accommodations. "Ugh, my service is not cooperating. Do you know where the inn is?"

Spinning in my highest heels, love
Shining just for you

Sohalia

Life can be tough, there's no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can't do without.

The light-headedness he felt at her smile must have been from the cold, especially as the words came tumbling from his mouth without hesitation, "It's no trouble at all." Honestly, she could have asked him to drive her across the country, and he wasn't sure he would have been able to deny her. It wasn't something his coworkers would appreciate, but if they saw the way she was beaming brighter than sunlight on fresh snow... could they have blamed him?

Her question broke him out of the momentary stun, a low chuckle falling from a pure, knowing grin that told of his abundance of familiarity with the place. "Yeah. I know where Peakview Inn is. Molly will be worried sick knowing you're on your way out there in this weather." Considering how they'd known each other his whole life, Molly would probably be fussing over him too, but that had started to fade after he joined the department - otherwise her gray hair would have fallen out by now, and she'd have an army of ulcers to patch. 

Zavien was about to pull of his gloves when he had a thought, shifting their focus again to the car stuck in the snow. "Do you need anything from your car? Any luggage you want me to grab before we head out?" He wouldn't make her get it, but he didn't want her to be stuck without extra clothes or vital necessities she may have brought with her for the trip.

Zavien

Right things with joy will come about...
In good time.

When no one is around, my dear
You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes

Soh wasn't sure why she was blushing, exactly, except the way that he said it was no trouble at all made her feel like she truly wasn't being a burden, even though she knew full well that she most certainly was. Her smile, full and beaming, softened until it was something sweet and almost shy. "Thank you," she said, quiet and genuine - until he mentioned Molly, and a wince crossed her pretty face.

"Oh, no!" she said, tilting her head back against the headrest. "She was so sweet on the phone. I hope she's not too worried."

Biting her lip, Soh considered her poor car. On the one hand, it would be very helpful to have the duffel bag out of the back seat. Fortunately, she packed light, but getting her back still meant trekking through the storm. Maybe she could get by without her things. But then she shouldn't leave the caution lights going, either... "I guess I should turn off the lights," she said, reluctant to accept any additional kindness from the stranger without reciprocating somehow. "And I have a bag in the back seat..." She paused. "But I can get it! I hate for you to do all that, and have to drive me the rest of the way into town."

Spinning in my highest heels, love
Shining just for you

Sohalia

Life can be tough, there's no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can't do without.

Smiling at her obvious concern for a woman she'd never met, Zavien gave a nondescript shrug of his shoulders, certain everything would work out. "She'll be fine. You'll just have extra hot cider and gingersnap cookies waiting for you." And maybe a pie or two. As if to give her a better idea of what kind of chaos might await her at the inn, he gave a sympathetic grimace and shake of his head. "Molly stress bakes."

Regardless of what abundance of fussing and goodies awaited her, Zavien wasn't about to let her suffer unnecessarily through another trek into the snow. Her reluctant expression made it all the easier to interject, his hand already moving for the door handle as he pointed out, "I think I'm more equipped to handle the weather than you are right now. I'll only be a moment." He didn't wait for her argument, didn't let her dissuade or stop him as he threw his hat back on and stepped out into the blizzard.

Zavien moved quickly, boots crunching through the icy snow as he started with the front of the car. Gloved fingers switched off lights and engine, snagging the keys before reaching to the back seat to snag a duffel that he assumed was the bag she'd referred to. He pulled it out, reaching up a hand to block another strong gust of wind, his breath misting into the air when he turned to rush back to the warmth of the car. 

A small grin escaped as he got in, displaying the luggage like a prized catch he'd brought back from a difficult hunt. "I think this belongs to you." There was a glint of pride in the green of his eyes. "Anything else you need before we get going?"

Zavien

Right things with joy will come about...
In good time.

When no one is around, my dear
You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes

Someone who stress baked sounded like just Soh's kind of person, and the young woman covered a smile with a hand at the obvious affection that her rescuer had for Molly. As long as the inn's owner didn't hold it against her that she'd tried to travel in such terrible weather, Soh was sure they would get along just fine.

But before she could make it to the inn, she'd have to retrieve her belongings and turn off her car lights. She was just in the midst of giving herself a silent pep talk - yes, you can make a quick run to the car - when the stranger insisted on going for her, and before she could do or say anything to talk him out of it, he'd hopped out of the truck. She could barely see him through the snow as he made his way through the storm, and she settled for scratching Sol behind the ears as she waited, cheeks bright pink at the realization that he'd saved her several times over, and she was never going to be able to repay such kindness.

Before long, the lights shut off, plunging the outside world into a dull grey; Soh resisted the urge to press her face against the glass of the nearest window to peer out into the blizzard. Despite expecting her savior to return, she nearly jumped out of her skin when the driver's door opened once more, allowing a flurry of snowflakes into the cabin. Blinking at the sudden chill, Soh accepted her bag with a relieved smile. "Thank you," she said, voice quiet and perhaps a little shy. God, she'd been such a fool to think she could beat the storm.

Although she couldn't complain about the company.

Besides, it was over and done with now, so she'd just have to make the best of a bad situation. And the best was currently a handsome man sitting beside her, an absolutely adorable dog half in her lap, and a ride of unknown length to get into town, during which she planned to get to know both of her companions. "Nope," she replied, smile bright. "I'm all set."

Spinning in my highest heels, love
Shining just for you

Sohalia

Life can be tough, there's no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can't do without.

He ignored the strange flutter in his chest when she looked at him like that, like he'd said the sweetest compliment or saved the day. Instead, he nodded his head, the movement dipping his ballcap straight into his hand to remove. Setting it upside down in his lap, he pulled off his gloves and placed them inside with practiced familiarity, depositing the bundle in the back seat with Sol as he shot the woman a smile. "Good. Let's get you to Molly."

Shifting the car into reverse, he turned to look behind them while explaining, "We've got about a twenty-minute drive. Feel free to adjust the heat or change the music to your liking." With embarrassingly good timing, Mariah Carey's voice came over the patchy speakers - not exactly something you'd expect to hear in the beat-up pickup truck. Trying to pretend like it wasn't strange, Zavien dodged his face clear of a licking assault to peer through the back window, his laughter accented by the tires crunching through snow. "You already met Sol, but I'm Zavien."

Once he was sure they were clear of her car and any traffic from other questionable drivers, he twisted back to the front, kicking the truck into drive and rotating the steering wheel to get them on the road. He settled into his seat, the cushions having molded to the prop of his arm long ago, the cracks on gear shift fitting his hand perfectly; and yet they all felt like the comfortable position he was trying to find again, acutely aware of the woman sitting next to him. 

His focus remained on the icy road, but he shot her a brief glance, curiosity painted through their green coloring. "So, what brought you out to Pine Peak?"

Zavien

Right things with joy will come about...
In good time.

When no one is around, my dear
You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes

Soh nestled into the seat of the truck - oddly comfortable and blissfully warm - as the stranger turned to check the road behind them. Soh studied his profile as surreptitiously as possible, wondering how he could see well enough through the storm to avoid any obstacles. Even the road was covered in white, and the young woman had a sudden realization that he must be planning to drive by memory alone, because he sure couldn't see the lines of the highway in this weather. God, what had she been thinking, coming out when something like this was blowing in?

"It's nice to meet you, Zavien," Soh said, averting her gaze as the man turned back to the front, lest she be caught staring. "I'm Sohalia. But you can just call me Soh." Reaching a hand up and back, she offered scratches to Sol as they left her poor car behind, buried beneath a layer of snow and quickly disappearing into the blizzard. She wondered if she would ever see it again, then silently berated herself for the ridiculous notion. Of course she would. The snow would melt... eventually. And if she was stuck here until that happened, well, she needed time to find her missing artifact, anyway.

"Oh! I came looking for something," she explained, brightening at the query. "I work for this museum in Denver that focuses on the local area's history, and I heard rumors that there's an artifact that's been uncovered out here that would be perfect for my Christmas exhibit!" She practically bounced in the seat as she continued to explain. "But I'm not the only one would would love to find it, so, you see, I couldn't possibly have waited to come. It's supposed to be a uniquely crafted Christmas tree topper that was made locally and is unique to the area - it's the only one ever made!" she added proudly, as though it were something she herself had found or made.

Spinning in my highest heels, love
Shining just for you

Sohalia