RP:Liberating Breakfast

It had taken longer than expected to finalize things at the shop. She was grateful for that and certainly glad to have the work to focus on but she'd been itchin' to get up to Larket since deciding she was apparently going to rope Hudson into this dangerous little game of hers. She should probably feel worse about that. Him being a father and all, with those two little girls to worry about. But whatever had happened between him and Alvina, she'd seen the same look in him that she'd come to know the last few weeks. That need for a distraction. And if Hudson was willing to grant her with that distraction then she was more than willing to oblige his need for one as well... She'd sold her horse some years back but was hoping Hudson might be willing to share. She wasn't at all sure she'd find him at the house in Larket but she'd show up anyway in the usual black sundress, this time accompanied by leather boots on her feet and a familiar baseball cap on her head, raven curls tied into a messy bun at the back of her neck. She'd lean her hip against the frame of the door and if he answered the insistent knocking she'd look up at him with a little grin. "I'm here to see a man about a horse."

Hudson doesn't live at the house in Larket right now but had figured she'd show up there, so he's just in time, swooping down on his metal-winged horse to land on the lawn behind Lita. Flashy entrance, no doubt, the equine equivalent of a burnout, which is a complicated metaphor because a burnout literally requires an engine. The point is that he's unnecessarily showy, moving on. His horse is brown and beautiful, with large metal wings that function like real ones. She eyes Lita skeptically. Hudson also is wearing a Cenril Cubbies hat. Man, he really goes through them these days. This is a new NEW one, bought to replace the one he'd gotten bloodied up when he was murdering a guy, which had been bought to replace the one he'd left on Lita's head, which had been bought to... and so on, MC Escher Cenril Cubbies hat style. If there's one thing Huds likes, it's women wearing his sports clothes. He grins at Lita, perched in the doorframe to his McMansion that he doesn't even live in right now. "Horse's over here," he calls out, waving her over. Assuming she makes her way across the lawn, he helps her up to settle in behind him. "Get your cuddle on, because we're flying," he tells her, picking up the bridle. "You think you can direct me once we're in Frostmaw?"

Lita is of the sudden opinion that Hudson is apparently a leaf on the wind. Spare a sad moment for the loss of dinosaur references. She turned at the appearance of that horse- was it a horse? More a pegasus, maybe, with those wings. She had an inkling Ranok might have had a hand in the creature's creation at some point, her right eye twitching with a bit of annoyance at the memories of the half-metal-man and his odd little creaturelings. All of that aside, Hudson's apparent familiarity with the beast was nothing short of maybe a little impressive. Not that she was admitting that. She'd have met him elsewhere had she known he wasn't staying in Larket and the thought was only further reminder that she shoulder probably get to know a little more about him. Stranger or not she'd take his hand and settled behind him on the 'horse', not at all convinced it could be called that. Lita was a little glad to be behind Hudson though and had no problems looping her arms around his middle as the horse began to move its wings again. Lita liked flying about as much as she liked boats in open waters, which was very little. She preferred her feet firmly planted on solid ground. Lita moved as close as she could into the warmth of him but her shoulders were still tense as she squeezed him. "West of the main city," she murmured against his back, vaguely aware of the fact that he probably wouldn't hear her. She drew a deep breath and it took her a moment but she lifted her head to settle her chin on his shoulder. "Past the western gates and into the hunting ground, northwest. There's a little stand of trees there in all the snow. We can touch base there."

Hudson's metal-winged pegasus tosses her head as Lita climbs aboard, complaining a little about the added weight of her, which is rude as hell because she's a slight woman. "Cleeeeoo," says Hudson, in a tone that suggests she's being a naughty creature. Satisfied that Lita's glued herself to him sufficiently -- she'll see how it is soon enough -- he has a go at the reigns and the horse takes off. "What's that?" he asks Lita, indeed he hadn't heard her. He's pinned his cap down by pulling down a set of ski-like goggles balancing on the brim. As they start to pick up speed, he frees up a hand to press against Lita a spare pair from his coat, should be obvious what to do with them. Cleopatra, in a previous life, was a thoroughbred, which means she only wants to go one speed, which is very fast. Surely at some point after acquiring her wings, she might have suffered on a learning curve, but after half a minute she's lifting them at top speed. Hudson hardly needs to direct her to Frostmaw, she knows the flight path. As they reach a cruising altitude, the sound of her metal wings gains a predictable rhythm. Lita could attempt to provide directions again, and in fact Hudson makes her do so. Cleo, of course, wants to go to her usual stable, she has friends there, and treats Hudson's directing her to a STRANGE LOCATION with attitude. They do get there, though, in great time. Cleopatra gives them a bit of a hard landing, and then requires a strong arm from Hudson to stop her from passive aggressively walking them directly into a tree branch. He guides her to a stop and lets Lita hop down first. He follows suit, setting about tying up his horse and putting a blanket on her, since she's making little neighs of complaint about the cold. "What's the plan?" he asks Lita, reaching for her goggles.

Lita was grateful for those goggles but only because she liked the hat. Even if Hudson seemed to have a never ending supply of them and had only given it to her on a whim, he had given it to her none the less. If nothing else she'd put it to good use these last few days to keep her hair pinned away from her face while working. Lita liked horses- the normal ones, without the wings. The attitude of Hudson's companion made her grin but she was more than happy to be back on solid ground. Or mostly solid, thanks to the snow. Lita let out a heavy exhale as she slid from the mare's back to the ground and it took her legs a minute to remember how to work. She handed those goggles back to Hudson once he'd finished tending to the pegasus and readjusted the ball cap on her head as he asked about the plan. Plan? Plans were generally not her forte. She was more of a wing-it-and-try-not-to-die personality. But she supposed some semblance of a plan wouldn't be a bad thing when dealing with a big bad beasty. "See the storm just north?" She nodded towards the blizzard the seemed to never cease in its place in the sky, not far from where they were. Explained the bitter bite of the cold wind here and all the snow on the ground. "A lovely dragon has made a nest just there. Its said to be magical, host to great power and if you believe the stories, it's never been bested in battle." Lita didn't always believe the stories but dragons were fickle beasts. "Last I heard half the nest had hatched, at least three young'ins. While I'm sure my interested party would love to get their hands on one of them, they'll settle for the eggs. I'm hoping to get at least two out of this little endeavor but one is a risk." By that last sentence she wasn't sure if all the explaining was for his benefit or her own. She licked her lips and turned her attention back towards him again. "Every three days she leaves the nest to hunt. She's never gone very long and so far, the few who've tried to get close have either died in the storm or-" Well, even young dragons are still dragons. She didn't figure she'd have to explain that much. "So if we can get close enough and I can distract the little ones, you can snatch the unhatched eggs for me." Of course, there'd be handsome reward in it for him too, though that much they hadn't bothered to discuss yet.

Hudson is still going through the saddlebag after he's put the goggles away. "Heads up," he says, about to throw something, but evidently thinks better of it -- literally, what if it broke? -- and hands Lita one of two small flasks containing a milky liquid. "Cheers," he says mysteriously, unstoppering his and downing its contents. He grimaces. The taste can't be improved. His voice is hoarse when he explains: "I made it, it's a fire proofing formula. Not sure how it'll do with dragon fire but it can't hurt." He emits a noise that sounds like 'yuegh.' "It also tastes disgusting," he adds, in case that hadn't been apparent. He slides the empty flask back into the saddlebag and holds out his hand for Lita's, nodding along with her anticipated reaction to the stuff. That done, he follows her lead in picking through the snowy terrain over to where the nest is. He casts a few glances her way, the plan seems... optimistic. They're not literally in front of some baby dragons right now so it's easy to express one's doubts in a relaxed manner, and he does. "Are you sure about you luring the kiddos away, I mean how fast ... I guess probably pretty fast ... I'm a wolf though," he reminds her.

Lita was pretty quick with reflexes but when she looked Hudson's way there was nothing being thrown and she narrowed her eyes at him, a bit confused when he handed her something. Whatever it was he was drinking his and she was apparently supposed to follow suit- though that grimace on his face was less than appealing. Opening the flask, she sniffed at its contents and turned her head away almost instantly. It absolutely reeked! How was she supposed to drink this stuff!? She might have waited to make sure that Hudson wouldn't spontaneously drop dead from drinking his portion and then with nose wrinkled she drained her flask, grimacing after as she handed him the empty flask. Next time she'd just risk the burns. Lita was trying not to let worry gnaw its way through her veins. She couldn't think about the what-ifs, only that she was here for a goal, for a purpose. Nevermind the fact that it would impress that damned pirate once and for all- Maybe. But it would be a distraction, something to turn her brain off for a while. She wasn't sure yet if Hudson being here was a good idea. On one hand, she couldn't do this alone, she knew. On the other hand, was she supposed to worry about him? Or feel bad about trying not to worry about him? His words cut through her thoughts and she reminded herself to focus. "There's a wolf den off to the west. Pack of at least a dozen at any given time. I figure there's a chance we get caught here, they're more likely to assume you're one o' that pack. Might give you a second to get out if you need to." Maybe she had worried about him a little. "Either way, they'll be more likely to follow me." She managed a mostly reassuring smile for him. "Hey, I've been bitten by worse." Almost true. She'd been poisoned with dragon's blood before, early in her turning and that was a hell of a thing to live through. She had no intention of repeating that adventure... The closer they got to the edge of the treeline the colder the temperature got, the storm just north of them seeming to rage on in an endless cycle of torrential snow. She squinted slightly but could barely make out even the edges of shadows through the storm, her lips already tinged in blue from the cold. Lita had no intention of killing the young dragons but the dagger sheathed at her right thigh was a comfort none the less. "Today's the third day," she murmured. "The dragon usually head's west, farther into the hunting grounds so when we see her over the storm, that'll be our cue."

The repulsive fire protection potion provides some much needed (ill advised?) levity. Hudson had brought a backpack with him and glances in the direction of the wolf pack as they walk, grunting in a muted manner. "I'm a pretty big wolf," he says, in an amused but gentle manner that's supposed to convey LOL at the idea of him casually blending in with a pack of normal wolves. "Anyway, if you insist," he continues to follow her lead through the snow. Even he's feeling the cold, what with his blood running hot, but that's Frostmaw for you. He'll be warm enough, what with the adrenaline and racing about carrying dragon eggs. He's got a pack to carry one in, the other he'll hold in his hands. This doesn't seem like a real thing they're doing, but it's getting there: he can see the distant outline of the nest and some hunched figures, likely the dragons, napping. "I wore my lucky underwear," he says, to make some levity. They stop walking. It's time to kill time and wait for the signal, i.e., the mother to take to the skies. Huds crouches, begins clearing away the snow to reveal the frozen earth beneath. He calls the alchemical name for fire and makes a disappointed sound in his throat when it immediately goes out under the wind. "Not helpful," he pronounces, going into his backpack to extract a bottle of whiskey, which he passes to Lita. "Also for good luck, and liquid courage," he notes, keeping an eye trained on the nest. "And to take away the aftertaste of the fire protection potion."

Lita had a comeback to that 'I'm a pretty big wolf complaint' that made her chuckle despite the cold but she'd keep it to herself for now. Didn't seem the kind of setting to share it. Lita wasn't worried about the cold. Despite that it affected her physically in such extreme measures, she couldn't quite feel it. She was aware that she was supposed to feel cold, remembered what cold was supposed to feel like. But it was kind of like being in a dream and watching yourself experience something. She was staring towards the storm, lost in thought, chewing absently at her lower lip when Hudson mentioned lucky underwear and it was odd enough to pierce through her thoughts, drawing a little smile across her features as she turned to look at him curiously. "What?" She reached out and shoved his shoulder playfully, watched him attempt a fire on frozen ground and probably could have told him that would happen. Shaking her head a little she'd take the offered bottle of whiskey from him, sniffing it gingerly. "I'm glad you're here," she admitted quietly, aware that he'd hear her despite the roar of the storm nearby. "Not as glad that if we die today, the last thing I will have tasted is your sub-par whiskey." She was teasing him, mostly, and she'd tilt the bottle for a drink all the same, grateful for the familiar burn of liquor through her veins as she handed the bottle back to him. In the distance, a great shadow unfurled, wings beating against the storm hard enough to make the wind stutter in its path. Lita's eyes widened a little at the sight. The dragon was a lot larger than she'd imagined. It rose into the sky and even from far away it loomed overhead, soaring off almost silently. For a moment, Lita forgot what they were supposed to be doing.

"Sub-par?" scoffs Hudson, his eyes rolling as Lita helps herself to a swig. Sub-par! He takes the bottle from her with something like a knowing grunt. Not sub par for the job at hand, it burns just right when he takes his own swig of the stuff. He leaves the bottle on the remains of the fire he'd failed to start. His eyes are likewise following the large form that had unfurled its wings and taken to the air. No joke, dragons. He feels a hardness in his throat and he swallows. "Go time," he says, his voice temporarily hoarse from the drink. He stands, straightening his posture to face the nest, which he's now studying with renewed interest. He tugs the backpack over his shoulder, and then touches Lita on the back as if to say: Lithrydel to Lita, your move. "I have mixed feelings about letting you be the bait but I'm trusting in the whole vampire thing. And my skills as an alchemist, which are not so shabby on occasion I guess," he tells her, pulling his gaze from the nest to consider her. "Break a leg! And for good luck," he says quickly, reaching to catch her chin in his hand and, drawing close, he kisses her briskly on the mouth. It's a smoothly executed move that's over in a second. He grins in a roguish manner and gestures at the nest. "Ladies first."

Lita was a little surprised that she was laughing at his apparent hurt pride at having his whiskey deemed sub-par. She'd make that up to him and maybe prove herself right, get a bottle of Simon's honeyed concoction. If they made it that far. She was vaguely aware that Hudson had said something but wasn't quite paying attention and she was grateful for that draw back to reality as he touched her back. The warmth of him was almost palpable and she turned her head to look at him, nodding slightly. It was only noticeable because of the cold, probably. Her features softened slightly, vaguely aware that there was something close to worry in his admission of having mixed feelings. "I'll live." she managed, sounding more reassuring than she felt. If there was one thing she could do, it was survive. "Once you get the eggs, make a break for your-" she didn't know what to call his horse-pegasus-creature. "If I'm not two steps behind you, head back to Larket. I'll find you there." She nodded again at his 'break a leg' comment but was surprised as his reached out to her, her instinct geared more towards pulling away but his lips brushed hers in a wildfire of warmth and she couldn't move away. She hated rogues sometimes. Chalk that one up to an 'if I die at least I got to kiss the pretty girl' move and she had half a mind to punch him in the face. Instead, "Don't die." filtered past her lips before she could stop the words and she turned away from him, sprinting from the tree line into the heart of that storm... Adrenaline coursed thick through her veins and by the time she could see the nest with those three little blue dragons inside, she wasn't sure if her hands were trembling from fear, excitement or the cold. One of the dragons noticed her first, perked up and cocked its head at her. She froze for a beat before remembering that that was the point and she stepped forward again. The dragon let out a crackled little roar, smoke in its nostrils and it was almost cute. Lita let out a low whistle and earned the attention of the other two little ones as well. She kept a wide berth from the nest as she circled towards the far side slowly, drawing the dragons' curiosity away from a lurking wolf. "We're gonna play a game." She murmured. Could dragons understand her? She couldn't remember. The smaller of the two beasties, presumably younger and perhaps not wise enough to realize she might be a threat, seemed interest as they waddled a few steps towards her. The larger of the three, not bying it, was huffing smoke from its nostrils, looking around warily. Lita had to get its attention so she used what she had. She crouched, gathered a fist full of snow packed between her fingers and hurled a snow ball at the beastie's head. For a moment, everything froze. Water dripped from the dragon's head and Lita swallowed hard as it turned to face her. She was suddenly wondering when dragons learned to fly but she wasn't sticking around to find out. The two smaller dragons were already running in her direction and the third was stretching its wings, taking to the air. She muttered a curse and she was sprinting in the opposite direction, knowing full well that in a hundred yards there was little more than a cliff face and a sheer drop that waited. She'd have to bank on the one dragon flying- albeit a bit lopsided but in the air, none the less- choosing to save the two smaller ones over capturing her. And hope Hudson had enough time to get out of there.

"Right," mutters Hudson as Lita's form goes whizzing closer to the dragon-like shapes at the nest. He jogs after her, pacing himself because he doesn't want to peel them away. Reaching the general area of the nest, he squats as close as he dares behind a large shrubbery, keeping very still, the pounding of his heart in his ears as he watches the 'little' dragons take interest in Lita. They are cute, sorta. He feels a general fondness toward progeny of any kind of late, part of the parental blind spot that entered his brain the second his daughters were born. Did Lita just pitch a snowball at one of them? (Good form, he thinks.) That'll do it, they're after her now, and he begins to creep forward before launching into an all-out race to the nest. This dangerous venture of theirs has taken on a competitive edge to it. He slides through the snow and into the center of the now-vacant nest. There are indeed two large, scaled dragon eggs, and, shrugging his backpack off of his shoulder, he loads one. Easy. Backpack over his shoulder, he's ready to pilfer the second when a harsh screech erupts at close range. There'd been another, unaccounted-for baby dragon?! Apparently it had been asleep and due to its runt-like size, disguised by the terrain. It had clearly missed the Lita party, and is pissed as hell. There's a tickle of heat against his person, and Hudson knows he's gotten blasted with fire. Thank the gods he's finally 'applied himself' as Alvina would say. He wheels around to face his assailant, which, holy s, is still about as tall as him, and without hesitation, acting on instinct alone, Huds clocks that bitch right in the nose. It's not unlike that viral video of a man punching a kangaroo in the face. Because the baby dragon reacts the same, is stunned, looks at Hudson like he's a mad man, and then turns and flaps its baby dragon wings and itself away. Hudson acts fact, he pulls the second egg against his chest and, to use a tired idiom, bolts like a bat out of hell. The baby dragon he'd sucker punched in the face is pathetically throwing itself around the nest, crying for its mother and siblings, but Huds is long gone. He books it all the way back to Cleo, who is spooked by the sight of him, slightly charred but unharmed and carrying eggs that smell like DRAGONS. He has to chase her a little, but then manages to mount up and take to the air, circling for Lita.

There wasn't really any place to hide. There was snow and snow and snow and more snow. Lita was acutely aware of the fact that she'd likely run out of ground before she out ran all three dragons but before she could make a decision on what to do next, there was screaching behind them, coming from the nest. Lita felt her heart jump into her throat, terrified for a moment that the mother had returned and Hudson might have been caught. She was almost- almost- relieved to see it was just another youngling. Did Hudson just punch it!? She was looking over her shoulder and didn't realize in that moment that her pace had slowed. It took half a second for the smallest of the three little beasties chasing her to tackle her and she fell into the snow, barely managing to lift her arms to brace her fall against her forearms instead of her face. She rolled instinctively onto her back, reaching for the dagger at her thigh as the thing unfurled its wings to beat gusts of frozen wind and snow against her. Great, thanks. A taloned foot buried her shoulder deep into the snow and the dragon leaned over her, sniffing her, its breath hot, little puffs of smoke curling from its nostrils as it tried to breathe fire. Like trying to light a wet match. No spark. But it was still damn hot and she'd have to get out from under the thing before its sibling caught up to them. The oldest (seemingly) was whirling in an awkward circle overhead, turning at the sound of that runt's cries. Damnit. Her right shoulder was pinned beneath the dragon's foot so she rolled to her right a little, reached across her body and grasped the hilt of that dagger with her left hand. Thrusting her arm upwards she slid the blade through the sinew of one of the dragon's wings, a clean slice to render the appendage mostly useless. It was enough to make the dragon stumble away from her and she rolled away from it, scrambling to get her feet beneath her as she crouched in the snow, breathing heavy. What she hadn't expected was the cry of pain that erupted from the little dragon. She almost felt bad. She flickered dark eyes towards the other dragon who'd been running after her but it had stopped, aware at least that coming closer could mean danger. The one in the air had circled back towards the nest to search for Hudson and Lita was praying that he was long gone. The one she'd cut into tucked its hurt wing against its body and focused its attention on her again before it charged towards her. And even in dragons Lita could recognize hatred, the intent for pain and vengeance. She closed her fingers tight around the hilt of her dagger and squared her footing.

Hudson is flapping about on Cleopatra for a hot second before he catches sight of Lita, facing off against a gods damn baby dragon. These little buggers. Hudson yanks on the reigns, turns his flying horse and kicks her so hard it'd be like peeling out if she were a car. Message received. She screams lower. Hudson is conscious that he's not the only one in the air. He'll have a couple seconds before the other baby dragons decide that he's Of Interest too. He's got speed on them, but Cleo isn't fireproof, and she spooks... easily. He pulls Cleo back, balancing for a second to go into a saddlebag -- whoops, wrong one, that's the with the dragon eggs -- for a metal cylinder, which he tosses between Lita and the baby dragon that's after her. It immediately begins to expel dense, blue-colored smoke. It's like an EDM smoke bomb, whatever. "Lita!" Hudson calls out, he doesn't have time to make sure his smoke bomb has sufficiently distracted the 'little guy,' he spurs Cleo downward and, gripping the reigns tightly with one arm, reaches for Lita as they brace for a hard landing and immediate takeoff. He pulls her into him with a grunt and nearly falls off of his horse himself. (He's not sure what he's grabbing, sorry, Lita, get on the horse, get on the horse, Get On. The Horse. For Sven's sake, he's pretty sure he knows that pain, must've been her inadvertently punching him in the crotch when she tried to hold on.) Cleo is spooking. She doesn't like the EDM smoke bomb, and now multiple baby dragons are zoomed in on them and all up in her business. She's neighing and taking off, she's getting the hell out of dodge, ain't nobody got time for baby dragons.

Lita is very aware of the fact that she's crossed the thin line between needing a distraction and doing something stupid as she watches a dragon eye her up like she's the main course for its next meal. She'd done a lot of stupid things in her lifetime but her fight-or-flight response had always been heavily weighted towards her own survival. Whatever this was, it was outside of her usual reality. And in that realization all she can do is smile. Alright, bring it on... Something dark fell from the sky between herself and the dragon and the beast recoiled at its presence, squawking at it as it begins to spew dark smoke between them. Lita isn't sure what to make of the thing, lifting her left arm to cover her mouth as she turns at Hudson's yelling and gods be damned if she's not happy to see that bastard. And Hudson too, he's a sight for sore eyes right about now. She turns, closes the distance between herself and that horse, reaching for Hudson's arm, having every intention of pulling herself behind him again. Instead he's pulling her in front of him and spurring the horse back into the air. Lita's not such a fan of flying in the first place and suddenly the ground is pulling away from them. She's pretty sure she feels her heart sink into her stomach and she's scrambling for a moment, sure she's about to fall off the thing and she might have accidentally slipped an elbow into Hudson's crotch. Good thing he already had kids. She'd murmur an apology and tell herself to be still, reminding herself to breathe. She was sitting sideways in front of Hudson, her left side tucked against his chest, her left leg was bent against his, her knee against his hip, her right leg hanging over his left leg. She turned enough to look over his shoulder, to see that the little dragon who'd taken flight couldn't quite clear the edge of that storm that surrounded the nest. If she was honest, she was surprised that Hudson's horse could. Dark eyes flickered towards Hudson's saddlebags, where she hoped a dragon egg or two might be nestled. She was trying to think of something to say- thank you or I owe you one (or a dozen) or something along those lines. Instead what came out was a whispered, "Don't drop me."

Cleo normally would have nothing to do with flying into snow but she is highly motivated by the involvement of dragons potentially literally lighting a fire under her ass. She flies blind - away. Hudson is white knuckling the reigns, trying to hold Lita by keeping his arms tight on either side of her. He is also trying not to throw up on her due to nausea (turbulence and also she did elbow him right in the balls, dude). Hudson responds to Lita's request by saying "YEP!" with a panicked enthusiasm. Yeah, this definitely cannot be maintained indefinitely, Hudson is pretty sure, also they look ridiculous. Huds gives it until they're out of the snow and at some distance from the scene of the crime to guide Cleo down. He points out the dragon eggs in the saddle bags and then promptly vomits into the snow. He feels much better, he's fine, and they mount back up less haphazardly on his now tired and grumpy horse, who is now starting to passive aggressively fly very close to trees and rocky outcroppings. Conversation isn't happening -- because the circumstances, they're laser focused, also exhausted. Hudson tries to guide them out of Frostmaw but his horse has become impossible. He gives up, wanting to indulge her anyway. She's been a reasonably good lass. She flies them right to the Frostmaw stable where her best friend and Alvina's winged pony, Mercedes, stays. Fine. "Her horse friend is here," he sighs to Lita, breaking the silence, like this is a Thing that she'll understand. He pulls off the saddle bags and hands them to her for safekeeping while he negotiates the board for Cleo, who is now peeking over into the next stall. Like mean girls, those two. "We're good," he says to Lita, when he catches up with her.

Lita is not a fan of Hudson's horse-pegasus-thing. Which is probably a shame since Lita tends to like horses. But like, normal ones. Without the wings. She was still surprised that these things had to be explained. All the same, she was happy to be on the ground again for a moment, sliding away from Hudson to allow him room to vomit in relative peace. That was a thing, right? She wrinkled her nose at him but kept quiet. Too much whiskey, too much adrenaline and she was smiling quietly to herself as she mounted the horse again after he'd taken a moment to catch his breath. She'd sit behind this time though, thank you very much, and keep her arms high around his chest, where she might not be able to do more damage. She really owed him one, now. But with the horse pitching them back and forth in some quiet argument with Hudson's wishes, she felt her stomach churning and she'd lean forward to press her forehead against Hudson's back. The scenery was probably pretty from up there, all snow and trees and open land and sky. Lita felt sick just thinking about it. And she was more than happy to be back on familiar ground. The saddle bags felt heavy in her arms and she winced slightly as a little pain pulsed through her right shoulder, glancing sideways to see a trio of matching claw marks turning bright red against the pale skin of her shoulder, where that dragon had pinned her shoulder. Between the adrenaline and the cold it hadn't bled much but now the skin was turning an angry red color and beginning to bruise. With a little sigh she hefted the saddle bags in the crook of her left arm and waited for Hudson, turning for the tavern once he'd caught back up to her. "I think I owe you a bottle of something." she managed with a little smile.

Hudson could use a drink, mostly because he's tasting residual vomit and fire protection potion. He grins as they leave the stable, en route through unspoken agreement toward the tavern. "Yeah? Let's grab a drink, I'll probably stay in Frostmaw for the night honestly, try to see my daughters since I'm in the area, but you should feel free to peace out with the goods. I trust you." He feels a bit beaten up himself, even though the potion had helped considerably. It had been the constant urgency that had worn him down. Lita had been in bad shape there, he doesn't want to think about what they'd be doing if he hadn't had the foresight to circle the area on Cleo. He holds the door of the pub to wave her in. They sit away from the counter, sliding into a booth that seems relatively apart from the usual fracas of watering holes everywhere. He orders them a pint of beer and some grazing food (fries), it seems right. "I think when you suggested the idea, I totally agreed without considering how dangerous it was," he comments, dryly, once they're alone. "But, you know, we DID manage... " His gaze passes over her. "You weren't waiting for me to pick you up too long?"

Lita didn't want to stick around too long. She was liable to run into people she'd rather not make small talk with in Frostmaw. At least not now, not yet, not in the company of Hudson. Not that she didn't like Hudson just that, well, things were complicated and boys are inherently stupid. But she'd stay for a drink and maybe some of those french fries Hudson was ordering. Most food usually tasted pretty bland to her anymore but damn if those things didn't look good. She was settling into their booth when the food and drinks arrived and once again she was surprised to find herself willing to enjoy a beer for the sake of Hudson's company. She picked at a few of those fries, lofting a brow at him in agreement as he mentioned how dangerous their little stunt had been. "I'm surprised you agreed. Thought you might've tried to talk me out of it instead but I wasn't about to give you a chance to change your mind." She sipped at her beer and was glad to have the taste of that fire potion replaced by something a little better. "Waiting?" she tried for a nonchalant smile. "I mean, a minute or two earlier might have been nice but it's the thought that counts." And she was alive, which she was obviously grateful for. She was still wearing the ball cap he'd given her and she leaned back in her booth, taking off the cap to comb slender fingers through a mess of raven curls before repositioning the hat backwards on her head. All the cool kids wore it that way. "How'd you make that fire potion thing anyway?"

Hudson laughs into his beer. "I was feeling like an idiot at the time I guess," he concedes, after having drank some of its contents. He eyes Lita across from him. She looks unharmed to him, maybe because he's not seeing the angry scratches she'd taken courtesy of one pissed as hell baby dragon. They're lucky. The crap beer from this place has never tasted so good. These fries, otherworldly. "What do you mean how'd I make it? I'm an alchemist," he tells her, like it's the most obvious thing. He leans back in his booth and adjusts his own hat. They're twins. He grins at her in a roguish fashion. "Made the smoke bomb too. Well, Alvina helped, also helped make my horse's wings. Once upon a time. But yeah, I make all sorts of things. I got a little business." Like a drug cartel business. "I guess it never came up when we were hanging out what it is I do for a living." He plucks loose a fry and chews on it, considering her. "I guess I give off dumb jock vibes. What did you think I did for a living? You look way cute in my hat, by the way."

Lita had never given much thought as to what Hudson did or didn't do. It never had come up in their few conversations and she was pretty sure that in half of those she'd been either drunk or high or on her way to one of those outcomes. He was a bad influence, clearly. "Alchemy, like magic and stuff?" She furrowed her brow slightly at the term. Not because she didn't understand it, more because she hadn't pegged Hudson as the magically inclined sort. More the, best friend's older brother who sometimes supplies good weed and cheap beer type. Though the more time she spent with him, the more she realized there might be more beneath that facade and she felt sort of bad falling for the dumb jock vibes- if there were any. "So like an inventor?" The Fox had been a tinkerer. Lita had spent too much time in the woman's foundry, watching over her shoulder as she worked, breaking more things than she cared to admit as her curiosity got the better of her. And the Fox would laugh and show her how the pieces all worked together. She'd been more impressed by Hudson's smoke bomb than the fire potion, honestly. But she was simple and could get more use out of a well timed diversion. "I don't know what I thought you did. I never thought about it I guess." She shrugged her left shoulder, aware of those scratches on her right. She wasn't so worried about them, they'd heal on their own after a while. She leaned forward to put her elbows on the table, trying to ignore the faint blush in her cheeks after Hudson's last comment as she sipped at her beer and buried a smile over the rim of her glass. "It's come in handy," she admitted, "looks way better on the floor though." She'd blame that on the beer and the fries and a crash-and-burn descent from an adrenaline high.

"Like magic and chemistry yeah," says Hudson, reaching for more fries because damn they're satisfying. In fairness to Lita's snap judgment, she'd been entirely correct. He is basically that guy. He also is a resourceful version of that guy, to cut a long story short the whole reason he'd gotten into alchemy from the start - before the drug cartel business - had been to make booze on the cheap. Anyway. "I guess sort of like an inventor but I'm not up on the metalworking," he explains, silently adding, 'Alvina used to do that part' and frowning as he looks over the bar, just to ride out the feeling that rises like acid in the back of his throat. He should make sure he doesn't stay late and get too drunk before heading over there. Lita's next comment - is that a pass at him? Maybe he'd started it - catches him off guard, lifting his spirits, and he raises his eyebrows and looks at her. "I'll bet it does," he agrees, in a certain tone, like they're at a poker table and he's just raised her. He thinks back to surprise smooching her for good luck and grins into his beer. He stretches his legs out beneath the table, pours them both some more beer. "As dumb as we were to do that, I'm glad we did," he comments. "Was a much needed distraction from the garbage that's happening in my life, don't know about you. Plus now I feel all heroic, swooping in on my horse and rescuing the girl."

Lita didn't know so much about magic and chemistry. She'd never dabbled in much of either, apart from hanging out with the Fox and she did mostly the metal working parts. She was vaguely aware of the fact that Hudson had Alvina on he brain in that regard, a sentiment she understood as she was darting furtive glances towards the tavern's door every time it opened. Her smile broadened at his snap back about that ball cap looking good on the floor and she felt like the ball was in her court. But all things considered, she figured she should probably let things lie. "I have a little bracelet an old friend gave me a few years back. They're not around anymore but I wonder if you might look at it sometime for me? It's got these little moving parts and I think one of 'em's broken." Even though he wasn't up on the metalworking, it might be simple enough that he could fix it. "I'd owe you one." He stretched his legs out under the table and she angled herself sideways in her seat, kicking her boots off and stretching her legs out until her feet settled on his left leg, curling her toes against his pant leg. If he was pouring her another beer, she was damn well gonna enjoy it. And he was warm. She nodded in agreement to having needed that distraction but coughed a little on a drink of her beer, laughing at his last words. "Rescuing the girl? Is that what we're calling that?" She was amused and feigning offense, which wasn't working at all. "Well, I think the girl would have been just fine, thank you very much."

"Sure, I can look at it," says Hudson, reaching for his glass and for a time giving no outward indication that he can feel her foot making itself at home against his leg. Maybe this is going a certain way. He chuckles in the face of her assertion that she'd have been fine. Maybe true, who knows. "Way to cut a guy down," he teases her, drinking from the well of his glass. He considers her, the pressure of her foot on his leg building a sort of tension that he feels the need to address. Intelligently or not. He's still a guy, on tilt, not opposed to making bad decisions. (They seem like good decisions, though.) He has plenty of time to see his kids later, Alvina doesn't sleep that early. "I think... I'm going to get us some shots," he says, sliding out from his side of the booth and leaving her to her own devices while he deals with the bar. He returns with a wooden pallet and four shots of whiskey on it. He lays it flat on the table and invites himself into her side of the booth, you know, for ease of drinking. (Obviously.) "Let's do this, two in a row, starting now," he picks up one of the tiny cups, and waits for her to mirror him.

Part of Lita was well aware of the fact that she was skirting dangerous territories. But she was all about charting new waters lately- figuratively and not so. Though her main goal in letting her feet settle against him had been warmth, she was not unaware of the fact that her actions carried other intentions in their wake. And even in knowing those intentions, obvious or not, she didn't move away from them. She lofted a brow at his mention of getting shots. She hadn't planned on making this a thing. Hudson was to go see his girls and she was to head back to warmer climates. She chewed at the inside of her lower lip, glancing again to the tavern door as he made way for the bar. The longer she stayed in Frostmaw, in such a public place, the more likely it was she might run into a past she was trying to avoid at the moment. Not that was trying to change Hudson's mind about those shots. As willing as she was to drink his preference of beer, she'd always prefer whiskey. She moved towards the wall on her side of the booth, giving Hudson some room to sit next to her and she turned at an angle to face him better, tucking her left leg beneath her, tugging the hem of her dress lower because, you know, that was proper and what not. Her smile broadened slightly at sight of those shots and it got a little easier to forget about who may or may happen through that front door. "Now you're just asking for trouble." She drawled as she reached for one of the drinks with her left hand. "To..." she lifted her glass and paused a beat, thinking, "...liberating breakfast." Stealing. Eggs. It was cheesy and she stifled a little laugh as she clinked the shot against his before lifting it to her lips to empty it in one swallow. The whiskey therein was a familiar slow burn that seeped through her veins. She turned the shot glass upside down and set it back on the wooden pallet he'd brought over, then reached for its twin, holding the shot up in her left hand and pausing, giving Hudson the chance to give a toast if he wanted.

Hudson hadn't planned on making this a Thing either but now it seems to be occurring so from his perspective it's like they've been handed a script and are just reading lines. It's easy to fall back on old socializing behaviors, more so when you're out of sorts and don't know what the heck you're doing. Which is the case. "Clever," he pronounces Lita, downing his shot and reaching for the next one. "To..." he runs dry on words for a second, "to... good friends when you need them, I'm feeling cheesy." He winces into his second shot, holding the grimace through the burn. He stacks his glass on the pallet next to Lita's. "Alright then, give that a few minutes and we'll be over our dragon stress in no time," he says, as if conclusively, and without missing a beat stretches his arm out and puts it around the back of the booth couch on her side. He picks his beer back up with his free hand, drinks from it, and then puts it back down to turn the hat on Lita's head so that it's facing the front again. "Personal preference," he tells her. "For now. You should become a real fan if you're going to wear it a lot. I'll tell you what you need to know. OK first: the Cubbies may have won it all last year but never trust them not to mess it up at the last minute. Second, don't ever insult any goats, they have magic powers over baseball that nobody understands."

Good friends when you need them. Cheesy or not, Lita could drink to that and so with a little nod of agreement she'd empty the second shot, upending the glass alongside its fallen brethren on their table. She reached past her beer for another fry, choosing not to acknowledge Hudson's arm stretched across the back of the booth to her left. She wrinkled her nose slightly as he reached for her hat and if her head wasn't swimming with two shots just then, she might have swatted his head away. Instead she just tilted her head back to narrow dark eyes at him playfully from beneath its brim. Baseball, okay. She was supposed to be learning about this. "Okay, don't insult goats?" She didn't quite understand that but she chalked it up to being one of those things you just weren't supposed to question. "And the Cubbies are liable to choke under pressure." She nodded. She leaned forward slightly, clearing a place in front of them on the table so she could rearrange their four empty shot glasses into a diamond shape. "Okay," she repeated, sounding more like she knew what she was talking about than was probably true. "So this guy-" She put a shaker of salt ('cause that's a thing here) in the middle of the diamond. "-throws the ball to this guy-" she put the pepper shaker ('cause if there's salt, there's pepper) in front of the shot glass nearst them (home plate). They're different colors so clearly they're on different teams. "-and then this guy uses his stick- his bat-" She'd glance sideways at Hudson, a quiet question as to whether or not she'd used that right. Stick made more sense to her but whatever. "-to hit the ball that way." She pointed across the table at the empty booth opposite them and then reached for another fry, which she tore a little piece from and pinched into a little ball shape between her fingers. She acted out the 'ball' being thrown from the salt shaker to the pepper shaker and then when it came time to hit it, she balanced the 'ball' atop the pepper shaker and flicked it across the table into the other booth. This version of baseball was highly amusing to her. "Okay, he hits the ball. The crowd cheers." She slid the pepper shaker towards the 'first base' shot glass. "Now how many points does he get for running there?"

Hudson angles his body on the couch to attentively watch Lita's representation of a baseball infield. Doing pretty good. He nods along, and after she simulates a hit by using a piece of fry... which she literally flicks into the next booth, he laughs so hard into his drink he nearly sprays beer on her. "Uh, well that's a home run, obviously, because nobody can catch that," he says, taking her hand with the pepper shaker and moving it from first to second, then third, then home. "You get one RUN, not a point, although technically it's the same thing," he corrects her. Releasing her hand, he reaches for some little glass jam jars and places them along the outfield. "These are outfielders, they play on the salt shaker's team, they are the people who might catch a non home run," he explains. He attempts, while LOLing at himself, to flick a piece of fry into the outfield and succeeds in inadvertently hitting a home run again. "It's usually not that easy," he makes a second attempt and achieves success. He simulates the right fielder fielding the piece of fry and throwing it to second base, where the pepper shaker is safe. "Now if the ball had been caught or beat him there, he'd be out. Right now on second he has no runs, that guy just stays on base and hopes that the next pepper shaker up to bat hits it such that he goes all the way around the bases and gets home." He simulates this. "So that's the goal on offense, the goal of the defense is to get these guys out, and when you get three outs the teams switch positions and the salt shaker gets to bat and so on. One round of salt and pepper shaker at bats is called an inning and a game is made up of nine of 'em. Whoever has the most runs wins, if there's a tie they keep playing until an inning ends without a tie." He takes his eyes off the field and looks at her. "But... I feel like you already knew all this and you just wanted me to explain it to you."

Lita couldn't help a laugh as he flicked a home run french fry across the table the same way she had and she leaned sideways enough to nudge him with her left shoulder, a playful sort of 'see it's not so easy' gesture. Lita was watching his hands moving the players around their little makeshift field and bases. She'd known the basics: hit the ball, run in a circle, don't get caught, score points, win. Everything else was fluff to her. Even now, listening to Hudson explain the game, she didn't quite have any sort of connection to it. Maybe it was more exciting when there were actual players. But listening to Hudson ramble about it all excitedly made her smile. "You think awfully highly of yourself, sir." she teased after his last comment. Though he wasn't entirely wrong, she wasn't about to admit it. She could feel his eyes on her and her smile broadened as she turned to meet his gaze. "Just seems like an awful lot of work to go through for one point." If that.

"Full of myself? I'm good for some things, baseball knowledge is one of them," jokes Hudson, holding Lita's gaze. He feels pleasantly adrift on a sea of alcohol. Not too drunk but cast away from his worldly concerns. Cast away from the constant hell / pain of losing (and trying to get back with) Alvina and their children. Lita is good company, and they're looking at each other and grinning like stupid people. Over the condiment baseball simulation. He drops his arm a bit so that it rests directly at her waist. Tentative cuddle. Let her shrug him off if she doesn't like it. She'd always come off as old hand at this as he is, so he's confident she's not going to misread it as a just-friendly gesture. He gives her plenty of opportunity in that he looks away from her and reaches for his beer, drinking. "It's kind of a ridiculous game," he concedes, looking back at her and stirring his hand at her back. Waiting for her to throw it off. "I have season tickets if you ever want to go though."

Lita was caught up in the little island they'd somehow created in this corner booth. Caught up in Hudson's enthusiasm for baseball, which was adorable. He was warm and she was leaning against him a little as his arm fell around her. He was definitely a distraction. She'd stopped making furtive glances towards the tavern door. She nodded at his offer to go to a baseball game sometime. Maybe it really was more exciting in person. "You're probably one of those annoying jock-types who paints your face and then your chest with big letters." She smiled in amusement- and the thought of Hudson covered in paints. Though she always did enjoy a good art project. She adjusted her ball cap slightly so she could see him out of the corner of her eye and when he was done sipping at his beer she reached up with her left hand for his mug. If he didn't stop her she'd take his beer, sipping at it gingerly. His was closer than hers and she was comfortable. She settled back against the warmth of him and his beer was shifted from her left hand to her right, her left hand settling lightly over his right thigh next to her. She was quiet for a beat before she'd say, "I should probably head home." It was a trek back to Rynvale but the walk would do her some good in the needing-to-sober-up department. Despite the words however, she made no movement to leave the comfort of that booth.