In the mountain's winter halls. (open)

[Ohkara Minamaru]

For once, her teasing hadn't gone to waste. She noted the man's reactions, including the more physical ones; the same she'd gotten from Ethan. This was the first physical sign, aside from the nosebleeds, that the young Noran man was attracted to her at all. Of course, something of this nature would be noted by the green-haired woman; her eye keen, always on the lookout for such signs from her male “prey”. Smiling inwardly, the young lady skipped down the stairs, blushing lightly. Even with all the trouble she caused, it seemed Ethar couldn't hold a thing against her; it was like she could get away with murder, or at least attempted murder.

The light pink faded from her cheeks as she strode down the stairs towards the sauna-room, where she'd fought the demon-woman, and stabbed Ethar. The crimson stained floor a horrible reminder of what had happened. In the center of the stain stood her turquoise rapier, yet another reminder of the scene that had played out. Quickly grabbing the hilt, Ohkara pivoted on her heel; she wanted to spend as little time as possible dwelling on what had happened. Although that was easier said than done, and it was made apparent as she set her sights on the wrecked sauna.

A wall completely destroyed, the roof caving in; the bench to the side of where the door was was in pieces too, her cyan weights and yellow clothing scattered on the floor. Sighing, she grabbed up the yellow umbrella sheath first, skillfully tossing the turquoise blade into the air, and catching it within the umbrella. As the sword clicked into its locked position, she set her attention towards gathering the shambles of her clothing, which were mainly just her weights and pants.

Quickly siding into her loose-fitting pants, she'd pull them to her waist and tie her cyan belt back around her. Weights back in place around her waist and wrists, she let out a huff; having them off had been so nice, but now the restriction of them seemed such a burden; unfortunately for her, she had nowhere else to keep them.

Expertly twirling her umbrella around in her left hand, she'd put it back into place in her belt, just above her right hip; then slip into her black combat boots. Glancing around the room, she'd take one final look at the scene, hoping to cast the sadness such a grim sight brought away. Hastily shaking her head, she put on her best fake smile, and began her accent back up the stairs; following the delicious scent of bacon as it began to fill the house:

”Well, at least he feels good enough to cook...” she told herself, trying to keep a positive tone; of course she knew that she was to blame for everything bad that happened. He fake smile twisted to a real one as she hopped up the final stairs, catching sight of him behind the stove; ”It's amazing how forgiving he really is...” she thought, secretly admiring such a trait. She'd pissed off more than her fair share of people before, but never had she expected that she'd stab someone, threaten to kill them, then have them cook breakfast for her only moments later. That was something she couldn't help but admire; something that seemed so unreal...

[Ethar Luxun]

By the time Ohkara got up the stairs and came into the kitchen, the fire in the living room was crackling away, as the smell of bacon filled the home. Then the clinking sound of a beater in a bowl started to be heard, as Ethar started to beat up some eggs and add some milk to the mixture as he kept whipping the contents of the bowl.

If Ohkara looked closely, she would see that where her energy disc had cut him, had actually almost completely healed over now. It looked like a small cat had scratched him now. His nose had stopped bleeding, and the chest wound wasnt leaking anymore, as his shirt seemingly remained clean. It almost looked like nothing happened, but the outlines of the chest bandages she wrapped around him still were visible underneath the fabric of his shirt.

Flipping the bacon around a bit, Ethar peered back at Ohkara, who had come up from gathering her things. "You know Ohkara, if you were nothing BUT my clothes, and had that silver wig on that you had yesterday, people would easily mistake you for me. Except the whole...Womanly figure you have... Which I admit, Its the first time I have ever seen a figure, like yours I mean... And I also have to admit, It was one of the most pleasant sights I have seen since I have come to this planet a couple of years ago." He said, trying out his own go with teasing the Earthling woman. He was curious if he could get the same reaction out of her, as she did with him.

"Now, How many pieces of 'French Toast' would you like with your bacon? And would you like some apple juice?" He asked her.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Stopping in her tracks, it was obvious that the man's comment about her perfect figure threw her off. Blinking, she cocked her head to the side, silently questioning what his motives might have been to say such a thing, a light pink touching her cheeks. However, being the professional flirt she was, she was able to quickly cover her confusion; a bright smile shining through, the color fading as fast as it came; ”Thank you for the complement,” she giggled, ”but I wouldn't think you are the kinda guy that has seen many girls naked,” she teased, winking playfully.

Striding over to the counter where he was preparing the food, she took a seat at the bar, wrapping her fingers on the counter top. Raising a brow at the man's next question, she teased him again, ”How many pieces do you think I want?” Obviously, this was a loaded question, but she would be quick to dismiss it before Ethar might say something to get into trouble, ”I want a stack! It feels like its been ages since I've eaten!”

Looking the man over, she would note the he seemed to be feeling much better; the cut she made on his arm was nearly healed over, and she let out a small sigh of relief upon noticing it, ”Coffee would be great, if you have any...” she told him, her voice trailing at the end and she gazed over his chest; where she could make out the outlines of the bandages. It was still hard to shake off the guilt. Even if his Noran blood helped him heal quickly, she'd caused him pain, and that was something she couldn't forgive herself for, no matter how hard she tried, ”It's good to see you're feeling better... Does it still hurt?”

[Ethar Luxun]

Ethar gazed back at her, and gave ohkara an odd look as she commented on him not being the kinda guy to see many girls naked. His eye brow raised up, as he then replied "Truth be told, your the first woman I have ever seen naked. And I have to admit, I wouldnt mind seeing it again on a later date." He said, as he saw his first attempt to make her blush was successful. IF Ohkara liked to tease, Ethar wanted in on that game, since making her blush made him smile, so it was a win-win for both of them.

He was a bit surprised at how hungry she was though when she requested a stack of french toast. "Oh my, Your a hungry lass arent you?" He said with a grin, as he walked over to his freezer, and took out another load of bread and placed it on the counter to unthaw slowly. "Coffee? Like that bitter brew you can get from those beans? Ya, I have some but the beans would have to be brought up from the basement and crushed first. Everything tastes better when you make it yourself, I say. Once everything is going, Ill bring the bag up for ya." He said, as he cracked a few eggs into a frying pan, mixing in some of the bacon grease into the eggs themselves.

Looking out the window, which was completely white, He heard Ohkara ask about his wounds. He looked back to her a bit as he replied "The stab wound reopened itself from your kick last night, but the cut from your disk is pretty much gone. Ill be alright though. Pretty sure my own mother wouldnt mind what you did last night though. It just means that I let my guard down when I shouldnt of. Im just greatful that it was you that stabbed me, and not that other girl, or else we probably wouldnt be having this conversation.... now that I think about it, I think you might of saved my life back there."

[Ohkara Minamaru]

”Ethar!” Ohkara gasped at his comment, feigning a look of shock, her hand raising to cover her mouth. Of course, such a response was not one she expected, so she didn't have to try too hard to look genuine, ”You pervert!” giggling, she lowered her hand and rose a brow, looking the man up and down, ”You already owe me, you know?” she told him; hopefully he would be able to tell she was talking about the fact that she had yet to see him naked.

Commenting on the coffee, Ohkara would nod in response. She had no problem waiting for it, so long as it was good quality. The statement of saving his life confused her though, raising her brow again, this time less flirtingly, she scoffed, ”I think that wound rattled your brain a little there...” she commented dryly, having trouble figuring out what he meant. Sure, Adriana was out to kill him, as she'd openly admitted, but there was little was Ohkara could see her stabbing him prevented that.

”I mean, something about her seemed off to me, as soon as I met her, but something tells me that would probably could have handled yourself against her...” letting out a sigh, she ran a hand through her untidy, loose hair, in a halfassed attempt to brush it out, ”I honestly don't even know why I tried to get her alone... If I had been thinking straight, and stayed with you, all of this probably would have been prevented...” It seemed that no matter what, she couldn't escape the guilt; this was the closest she'd ever been to killing someone, and he was her friend!

”I wont make the same stupid mistakes again, though,” her tone was harsh, filled with anger towards herself, but the statement was a vow; she had learned from her own foolishness, and she'd do everything in her power to keep that vow.

[Ethar Luxun]

He had lost the game of being the biggest tease already, and he knew it. But he still had one last card up his sleeve, as after she claimed that he 'owed' her a look at his own naked body, he replied "As I told you, only on a later date... Or my mother says otherwise. Being the High priestess AND Duchess AND my mother, I cant get... How you humans say... 'Hitched', without her approval. Although, She might like you. Your a caring, honest and powerful person. She will definitely respect that. Norans are, how you say... old fashioned. Couples usually dont sleep with eachother unless they are to be married... So its a bit awkward..." as he continued to cook.

When she talked about the Delethan, he stopped for a moment. Listening to Ohkaras words, and her tone through the crackling of the frying pan. She was concerned about the other woman, so Ethar turned around to face her. He had to be honest with his new girlfriend. "That woman, is not your average fighter Ohkara. They all have some sort of dark magic about them. That makes them the perfect assassin. Im glad it was your blade, and not the Delethans. Her blade, or whatever weapon she had, might of been doused in a poison that would of killed me in minutes. Or some other dark spell to end my life in a painful way. But since it was your blade, and not hers, my life was spared. And as with ancient traditions, I owe you my life. In this world, and the next." He added, as he walked over to her, and laid his hand on her head gently.

"Dont be mad at yourself. I know not why you tried to get her alone, but Im glad you did. Thank you." He said, before he leaned over to her, and kissed Ohkara on her forehead. "Now, could you please put a log on the fire, and see what the weather is doing outside? The windows are white with snow, so I cant see what its doing otuside..."

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Ohkara's face went completely blank as she listened to the Noran's words. For a moment, she had a hard time figuring out exactly what he was saying. It wasn't that she couldn't understand his words; oh no, he'd been quite straight forwards with it all. But she'd never been propositioned in such a way; nor had she ever placed much thought into such an idea. While many young girls dreamed of weddings, and beautiful men, Ohkara was much more focused on getting stronger, causing problems, and fist fighting. She wasn't as girly as she let off.

Her face turned a bright red as realization struck, ”W-w-w...” she muttered, her words of protest caught in her throat. Her face twisted with panic, and she tried to jump off her seat, but she was unable; her body completely freezing. She wasn't sure how to react: to be flattered or offended, horrified or impressed by him; one thing was for sure, though... She was genuinely dumbfounded.

”W-wait...” she finally coughed, slapping her cheeks a few times to try and focus, ”I-I-I never said anything about getting married!” she whispered, still having a hard time getting the words to leave her throat, ”... A-and I never s-said anything about s-s-sleeping together...”

Quick to change the subject, it seemed, the Noran planted a kiss on Ohkara's forehead, yet another gesture that surprised her, this time though, her body would react with a quick jerk backwards, nearly propelling her off the chair she sat. All of the sudden it seemed like things were moving way to fast for her liking; normally she was the one to make other uncomfortable, and was not used to it being the other way around, ”Uh, yeah... Sure...” she responded, jumping at the opportunity to leave the awkward conservation.

Hopping off the chair, she headed for the fireplace, tossing a nearby log into the flames, and prodding them carefully with the fire-poker. Watching as the embers carefully drifted up the chimney, she let out a sigh, trying to regain her nerve. Ethar had thrown her off worse than anyone could understand. After satisfied with the crackling fire, she turned attention to the front door.

Grabbing the nob, she'd quickly twist it, flinging the door open with haste; unaware of the wall of snow on the other side. As quickly as it was opened, the cold, white fluff rushed in, burying the green-haired girl in the process. Thankfully, though, the sudden chill would be just what she needed to finally snap her back into reality, and clear the color from her face. After a few moments, she'd pop her head out from the snow, and shiver, ”You planned this, didn't you?” she accused him; no longer sure what the man was capable of anymore.

[Ethar Luxun]

Ethar somewhat smiled at Ohakras reaction to him talking about Marriage. His trump card had worked in the end, maybe a little too good though. "Technically, We did sleep together. We shared the same bed, but that is it. We literally, just slept together. Im not sure what you are..." He started to say, but then it hit him on what Ohkara though of by 'sleeping together'. That made him jsut as surprised as she had been, as he added "...You mean Sexual intercourse?! Good heavens Miss Ohkara! The thought never crossed my mind....Like...Ever! I mean, Ive read about 'it', but never given it any thought!" as his face turned as red as hers had.

It seemed the trump card backfired, allowing Ohkara to win this time.

The subject was quickly altered when Ohkara went to check up on the weather. She opened the door, and snow caved in on her, covering her. "Ohkara!" He yelped instinctly, before her head popped out of the snow, and she asked him if he had planned it all.

Shaking his head, he quickly set his cooking tools down, and walked over to the snow pile. "OF course not! I cant 'plan' or control the weather. I was hoping the storm would of stopped alot sooner so this WOULDNT happen. You should know, I may be intelligent, but devious is something I am not." He said, as he started to dig her out so she could atleast get her arms free.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Letting out a huff at Ethar's response, the young woman quickly shook some snow from her head. Quickly balling some snow together under the cover of the white termination dust, a devious smile crossed her face, ”Uh... Yeah...” she said with obvious skepticism, ”Not so sure I believe that...” Quickly sticking her tongue out, she would reveal she was just teasing, then quickly chuck a soft ball of snow at his face.

Luckily for them, the snow hadn't had much time to pack, so it was still light and movable, even with its enormous abundance. Crawling out of the snow pile, she would shake off the rest of her body, letting out an audible, ”Brrrrrrrr!” in the process. Quickly shoveling some loose snow from her cleavage, she'd flick it towards the young man, and smile, ”Any idea on how we clean up this mess?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she shuttered lightly; with the warm fire blazing behind them, the remaining snow on her quickly melted, leaving her clothes pretty wet, and had it not been for the freezing breeze that blew threw the door, it wouldn't be such a problem, ”He'd better think up something quick,” she silently thought, kicking her hip to the side, and tapping her right foot against the floor, ”Else, I'm gonna end up a popsicle!”

[Ethar Luxun]

Ethar saw Ohkara attempt to throw a snowball at him, but at such a close range, Ethar wasnt able to avoid it in time, so teh soft ball of snow smacked Ethar right in the face. When she took out snow out of her shirt, Ethar got smushed right in the face with it to.

"Gah!" He yelped, as he wiped the snow out of his face. When she asked him how they were going to clean up the mess, he walked over to the pile of snow.

"Closing the door with be a great first step." He said, as he shuffled through the snow, kicked some away from the door and closed it. This stopped the freezing breeze from coming in. He then scooped up some of the snow, and dumped it into the sink. "Better get out of those cold, wet clothes and sit by the fire. Dont want you to get hypothermia now." He said, as he went back to cooking up breakfast.

Starting up the french toast, Ethar looked back over to Ohkara, and said "Theres a blanked packed away in teh cabinet next to the sofa."

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Ohkara giggled as her snowy-attacks hit their target, connecting with Ethar's face. However, he was quick to brush it off. Letting out a sigh, Ohkara took a step out of his way has he passed her to push the door closed. With that done, he told her she ought to undress.

An audable scoff left her throat, and she took a small step back, placing her hand on her hip, giving him a light smirk, ”Oh yeah, I bet you'd like that, you perv,” she teased him, the stuck her tongue out playfully and turned towards the fireplace. Shuffling over, she made sure to wiggle her hips as she walked, something that Ethar would most likely miss.

Snatching up a blanket as she passed the cabinet, she draped it over her shoulder and stepped up near the blazing flames. Thankfully, the warm crackling fire would make quick work of drying out her clothing. And thankfully aside from her pants and Ethar's shirt, there was very little she had to worry about drying. Glancing back over his shoulder at the man, she let out another small giggle, ”Now, I could really go for that cup of coffee...” she hinted, with a risen brow, wondering if Ethar would wait on her.

[Ethar Luxun]

Ethar shook his head a bit as Ohkara tried to tease him again. Calling him a perv, sticking her tongue out, and wiggling her hips. He caught it all, but merely let out a sigh.

While the french toast was cooking, Ethar walked back and forth from the snow pile, scooping it up and dumping it in his sink.

After the snow had gone, Ethar went back to his stove and flipped the french toast when he heard Ohkara ask for about the Cup of coffee again. "If you will take care of the French toast, I can go grab the beans for you. I cant be in two places at once." He said as he started to heat up the bacon, and the other parts of the breakfast for serving.

"I am curious though... Why do you persist with courting me? I don't mind it, its just that... it feels.... awkward, even after all we have done together already." He asked, curious as to what Ohkara's endgame plan was with him.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Raising a brow at the man's question, Ohkara couldn't help but pivot on her heels to face him. Placing a hand on her hip, she kicked it out a bit, taking an aggressive questioning stance, ”Courting?” she echoed, her brow risen; there he went again with the weird terms for things, ”All we've done together?”

Maybe she was a little flirty from time to time, but she wasn't just like that with Ethar, she was like that with everyone. She liked to flirt for the sole reason it was fun; getting reactions from her 'prey' was a thrill most the time. That wasn't a crime, was it?

Shaking her head, she let out a scoff, dropping her stance and putting a hand to her forehead, ”Well, if you're gonna be like that, I wont anymore...” she told him, her voice trailing with a little bit of annoyance, ”I mean, you kinda just took all the fun outta it anyways...” spinning back to face the staircase, she threw a hand up into the air, ”Nevermind about the coffee; I'll go get it.” she told him, letting out yet another sigh, just before slipping out of sight and into the darkness of the stairs.

It wouldn't take her but a few moments to locate the coffee beans in the pantry, and of course, only after raiding it a little bit and stuffing her face, she'd reemerge into the living room. Snacking on a bit of candied fruit, she'd stride over to the counter, and toss the bag of beans onto it, ”Here you go. How's the food coming?” she'd ask, voicing muffled a little from the food in her mouth already; regardless of how much she'd eaten in the pantry, she still had an appetite.

[Ethar Luxun]

Without looking back, Ethar heard her asking about 'courting', so he merely replied "Um... I beleive its what you would call...seducing...flirting... I apologize, Im just not used to it yet. You could say, Im kind of.... 'old fashioned'."

He heard her say that he had taken all teh fun out of her teasing, and wont be doing it anymore. He heard her footsteps going down his stairs to get the coffee beans for him, and come back a few minutes later with them. She threw the 50 pound back up onto the counter and asked him how teh food was coming, but the way she sounded... She had a mouthful of something.

He gave her a curious look, and saw that she was chewing on some of his homemade candies. Smirking a bit, he thought he would have just a bit more fun with her, so he asked "Foods done, but I gotta ask... You love sticking my stuff in your mouth don't you?" but unlike Ohkara, he couldnt help but burst out laughing after trying to tease her. "Hahaha, Oh I apologize. I could not help myself. I am glad you like my homemade candies though." He said, as he took out two large plates, and started to serve up the french toast, Bacon, some hashbrowns and eggs.

Putting the plates on the counter/bar behind him, he opened up the bag of coffee beans, then a paper filter, and a odd looking machine that he put both the beans and the filter into. He turned a crank as a grinding sound was heard, and the filter started to fill up with the ground coffee.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Ohkara scoffed as Ethar laughed at his own joke, then gave him an innocent smile, ”I don't know what you're talking about,” she cooed.

Snatching up her food as quickly as it was served, she wasted no time in stuffing her face; her first bite off a piece of bacon was scalding, nevertheless it still proved no match for the young woman. ”Once again,” she exclaimed through a mouthful of food, ”I have to admit I am impressed... This food is perfect!” Finishing her bacon, she would wait to sample anything else from her plate until she had her coffee, slight fear of choking if she ate to much without something to wash it down with.

Scooting off her chair, she sneaked around the counter and stuck her head over the bag of coffee beans. Taking a big audible whiff of the delicious beans, she let out a pleased sigh and stepped back. ”And the beans smell so amazing... For someone that doesn't like coffee, you sure have good taste,” she giggled, reaching over to the counter and snatching a bean from near him; popping the bean in her mouth, she carefully ground it up with her teeth, and swallowed, ”Oh man...I can't wait to taste that coffee when its brewed!”