Hunting Beasties (Private - Xald and Bey - M-GLEc(?))

She groaned, dropping the deer by the fire, "Hot springs put off nitrogen and methane, Max. You go back there and you starve of oxygen and suffocate."

He waved her off, standing and pulling his shirt off, the firelight flickering across his toned body. "I'll be fine, Tsarina. You could even join me if you stopped vorrying for two seconds."

"Fine, but if you kill yourself, I'm not burying you." she rolled her eyes, working to skin the deer.

He scoffed, undoing his belt and sliding his pants off. "Once your done here, you should join me. It would do you good to loosen up before ze hunt."

"Only if I vant to get killed. You are weapon. You can relax. Ze most vork you have vill be resonating. I'm ze one who has to sling your ass around."

He turned towards the springs, starting to head into the back of the cave. "Very vell. If you change your mind, feel free to join me." He reached the cavern where the spring rested, sliding his underwear off and slipping into the pool, letting out a sigh and for the first time truly looking at the cavern. It was taller than he had thought on first look, the steam rising as much as it spread out into the cave.

Natalie grumbled to herself, muttering and cursing as she skinned and filleted the deer.

Max let out a relieved sigh, splashing the water gently and chuckling. "Oooh Tsarina, you have no idea what you're missing."

She flipped him the bird and kept skinning.

He laughed at the gesture, starting to swim around in the pool. 'So you really von't help me if I started asphyxiating? How harsh, Tsarina?"

"No, I would not. I would hunt beasty on my own because you were stupid Mandavoshka and were warned not to go back there, and did it anyvay." She grumbled.

"You are much to harsh on me." He laughed, splashing some water out towards her, the drops not even growing close due to their distance. "I still say you should join me. Ze water is heavenly, and the air is not nearly as thick as you suggested it would be."

"I vill do my vork, as ve are vorking and not on the vacationing." She insisted sharply.

Outside, the wind seemed to be picking up, and the valley below was growing dark as the sun began to set behind the craggy peaks of the Rocky Mountains. In minutes, the weather outside had grown, for lack of a better word, vicious, snow whipping into the cave, a full blown blizzard quickly whipping up outside. Max once again leaned back against the craggy wall, looking out at the moving wall of white, eyes darkening along with his mood. "It vould appear that we are, for lack of a better word, trapped until the storm subsides. Or at least until morning."

"Ve still must eat." she insisted.

"Ja, good zing I got ze fire going." He said, slowly rising out of the pool. He ignored his clothes, sitting down, naked and dripping wet, beside the fireplace, though careful to keep enough distance in case of a wayward burst of sparks.

"Unt good thing I got ze food." she sighed, handing him the knife, "Here. You finish, lazy bones. I'm going to relax for a bit and try to warm up."

"Very vell." He said, continuing to skin the beast and cut off long slices of meat. "If you vant to warm up, I suggest taking ein dip, Tsarina."

She flicked him the bird, but started undressing regardless.

He chuckled at her response, pulling from his pack a metal roasting spit and fitting some of the cut pieces onto it, putting the others into a large Ziploc bag for travel. "Vhat, don't I get to see you naked?" He teased, starting to spin the spit.

"No, you haven't earned zat yet." she quipped, sliding into the water.

"Ah, you continue to wound me Tsarina." He sighed out, still turning the spit at a slow, even pace. "How long does raw meat take to cook? And I mean raw meat. I've prepared my share of store-bought meat before, nothing fresh."

"As long as you keep ze fire nice and hot, and the meat is not cut too thick, it should be done in half an hour. If you want to check it, cut into it and make sure it's not still bleeding." She explained, dipping her hair back in the warm spring.

Max nodded, still winding the spit. He glanced over his back at her, smiling just a bit. "Enjoying ze vaters, Tsarina?"

"You focus on the deer and nevermind vhat I'm doing." she quipped, letting the water warm her fingers and toes from the cold outside.