Bright, bright, bright; the lake glitters wide and expansive here, stretching off into the distance. Sunlight, moonlight, starlight, it catches them all. Lapping at the rocky shore, its deep waters are frigid in winter and cool even in summer. A stone pier stretches out a ways into the water, wide and smooth, though often icy in winter.
The water teems with life nevertheless, home to myriad species of fish that provide for ample fishing or just lazy watching on a slow summer day, for those who want to take a boat from the boathouse out to the center of the lake, or perhaps lounge on the pier and try their luck.
The overcast night is cold but there isn't significant wind chill; the water over to cold winter lake is serene and still for the most part, with occasional breeze. Vanessa is dressed warmly, an obvious snow white coat on her torso that stands out against the dark of the lake, and a teal and white knitted hat over most of her hair. She's out by the lake's edge, her warm breath pluming in the air, suggestive (as is her other clothing) that she was getting some brisk exercise outside.
With the very real promise of snow for tomorrow night, Martin has gone out this evening for a walk to be able to enjoy some fresh air that is neither frigid nor too damp for the lungs. Many would probably still think him a little crazy for it, but with the temperature just holding around freezing, he can dress for it and stay comfortable. Boots, jeans, his heavy tan jacket, black knit cap pulled down snugly enough to cover the tops of his ears, a plain scarf to keep the chill off the back of his neck. And the black leather gloves he always wears, though currently his hands are firmly tucked into pockets. He moves around the grounds at a brisk pace, though without any real destination in mind. He goes here and there as the mood strikes him, occasionally looking upward at what stars can be seen amongst the high clouds, and the glow of the moon. When he strays near the lake, however, he spies the white coat, and curiosity gets the better of him. And so he makes his way over to Vanessa, steps easily audible in the quiet of the winter night.
The woman in the white coat stoops briefly, looking at something she saw near her feet-- but then buts it back down again, and pulls her hands up to her face, breathing on them and hugging them quickly back into the jacket. She turns her head at the sound of Martin's boots as he approaches, and immediately removes a hand from the warm sanctuary to wave quickly, before putting it back again. She stays where she is, with a bit of a shuffle back and forth of her feet to keep moving, and waits until he gets a bit closer to greet him. "Didn't expect to see another soul out here! Hi!" Vanessa says, her voice a lot warmer than the air. Actually, upon approaching her more closely, that it's slightly warmer where she is, but not a large amount, but it takes a bit of the edge off.
When close enough to see that the white coat wearer is Vanessa, Martin's brows lift a touch in question, the expression enhanced with just a trace of amusement. "Didn't expect it, either. What are you doing out in this cold?" Really, his humor stems from the fact that he's also out in the cold, and isn't that a little funny that he's surprised to see someone else. The warmth near her isn't lost on him, but where he finds it curious, he doesn't comment on it. He's certainly seen and experienced much stranger things over the past couple of months.
"Well, pretending it wasn't so cold, mostly. Mind over matter; not letting the weather stop me from being outside in fresh air," Vanessa says, with a shrug, still shifting on her feet some. "Besides, I may as well start getting used to it being chilly," she adds, but then smiles a bit wryly, "Even if I'm cheating just a little bit to cut down the wind. That cuts right through you out here," she observes. "What's your reason?" she wonders, echoing his amusement.
Martin sniffs and looks out over the lake while listening to her explain. He doesn't quite chuckle, but one corner of his mouth turns up in a smile that has the same feeling to it, just without the sound. "From someplace warmer?" he questions, looking back to her with icy blue eyes. He gives a shrug of his shoulders after, hands still tucked away in the pockets of his jacket, where it's warm. "They're calling for snow tomorrow. We've had some pretty cold nights this winter, and tonight's not all that bad. Figured I'd get a walk in, do a little stargazing along the way before I have to shovel all the walkways clear tomorrow night."
"Yes; the opposite side of the country... and far further south down the coast," Vanessa answers, "we don't have these crazy things called 'seasons'." She smiles, relaxed, mostly paying attention to him, as opposed to the surroundings. "I'm looking forward to the snow, though. I haven't had too many chances to have it around, so it's still charming to me... and less about snow shovels," she chuckles. "I expect that to change soon enough... but I'll enjoy it for the beauty for now." She wanders along a little way, following the lake edge, but not particularly away from him.
A general sound of acknowledgment, not quite a grunt, escapes him. "Definitely not used to the cold, then, I bet," Martin says, an underlying trace of humor there in his voice. He watches her as she moves, staying stationary for now. "Snow can be beautiful. When it layers over everything and looks clean. Even the sound it makes when it crunches underfoot. It's when it takes down power lines and turns into a dirty, crusty slush that it gets old." The corner of his mouth ticks with a half-grin, knowing. "You'll get to experience both sides of it here."
"Yes, I've mostly just dealt with it for say, going skiing once or twice. Not so much the sludge and misery part. But I'm willing to come clear snowdrifts with you if you like. Should be fairly efficient at blasting the snow." She pauses, coming back around rather directly towards him, head tilting a little, some of her dark hair getting in her face, but she kind of shakes it to the side, instead of venturing to pull hands out of her jacket pockets. "Sorry, I'm open about talking about my abilities-- one of the reasons I'm here-- but I won't if it makes you uncomfortable?" she asks, with a gentle, quieter tone.
When she mentions clearing snowdrifts, Martin's eyes narrow in a shrewd, studious sort of way. "Huh," he sounds, at first. "Guess that would come in handy. Can you, uh. Do your thing in small..." he trails off, failing to grasp any fitting words, and licks his lips in thought. His gloved hands come out of his pockets to gesture with while he tries to fill it in with, "--you know, like a snowblower?" With her apology, he waves a hand dismissively and shakes his head. "No, no. Don't mind at all. If we can't be open about that kind of thing here, well. Where else can we be?"
Vanessa nods once, accepting his answer about going ahead and talking about it, it seems, because she answers the questions directly. "I'm better with smaller wind bursts if controlling the snow's important, which I expect it is. A big burst of air is more likely to throw it all over the place, which probably wouldn't really be that helpful. I haven't really used it on snow before, but it shouldn't be any harder than any other object, if I can get some air under it." She illustrates the last with a lifting gesture of hand, but puts her hands away quick. "Oof. I'm going to popsicle soon... I think I need to go inside, I can't feel my hands much," she says, as if embarrassed about it.
Martin nods along with her explanation, looking thoughtful about it. "Would be worth a shot to try. And yeah, getting it all over probably wouldn't be that helpful." The last bit he says with some amusement, showing in his icy eyes, and the crow's feet that appear at their corners. His gaze tracks after the movement of her hand. "You should get a good, warm pair of gloves," he suggests, even as he tucks his own gloved hands back into his jacket pockets. His gloves aren't exactly the kind made for warmth, though, much too thin. But then, he's probably not as bothered by the temperature as she is, being more used to it. "Get a hot mug of coffee or cocoa inside, will help you warm your hands up."
"I bought gloves, just didn't think of them inside... besides, they didn't match my outfit," Vanessa says airily in a playful offhand tone, clearly not serious about not wearing them for that reason. "See you inside, then; enjoy your snow-free walk, Martin," she bids him, "And do find me for snow-blowing experiments," she adds as she starts to head back towards the mansion past him, attempting to pat his upper arm once as she passes, an automatic friendly gesture on her part.
He finally does sound an audible chuckle at that, the idea that the gloves didn't match her outfit. "All right, I will," Martin says. Saving time on shoveling, and also maybe watching something interesting he's not seen before, sounds fairly interesting to him. At the pat, he flinches. It's very brief, like someone reacting to shock of static electricity, and he relaxes again before her hand is gone from his arm. But it still does happen. "Good night, Vanessa," he says, and turns to watch her go for a while, before moving on himself.
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