Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Freya)

[Rory Ashe]

The X-men's jet slowly descended from the sky in front of a small base town. Apparently there were a few mountain guides and an inn in the town, supposedly someone here had seen a mutant that fit the description of Cain somewhere on the mountain. That was where the trail started according to Xavier. Now Freya and Rory had to find this person, and likely have to climb the mountain sooner or later.

It was pitch dark outside, the lights from a few of the houses below were the only thing that illuminated the darkness. Wind and snow whipped the air outside as the jet touched down outside of town, practically invisible in the storm. The back of the jet slowly opened and eventually a person jumped out. The person was bundled up with thick white clothing, hoods, and a white mask. The only visible skin was his eyes, the eyes of Rory and if he stopped moving he almost completely blended in with the snow.

He landed in the snow and immediately sunk down to his ankles. He gave a glance toward the town that looked to be a few hundred yards away before turning back to the jet, "Are ye comin', darlin'?" The Irish voice rang at as he waited for Freya.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

Freya wasn't as bundled up as Rory was. Naturally she didn't have to worry about temperature problems as much as him, still though, she was affected more then she would have thought. Thank god she'd decided to play it safe and wear more then she'd thought she'd need. Unlike Rory though, she wasn't completely white. It made her laugh a little, just how well he blended into the falling snow.

Then, he'd turned back and called her her. She smiled softly. "Coming!" After another moment of dreading stepping out into the freezing weather, she took a deep breath, and quickly followed after. She just about yelped when she felt how harsh the weather was. Immediately she wanted to heat up all the air around herself and Rory to warm them, but had to stop herself. She had to be extremely careful in this environment. If she melted to much snow, bad things would happen. So... She'd have to endure this awful weather. "God... Why does it have to be so cold!" It wasn't a question, but her intentions were obvious. She wanted out of this weather as fast as possible.

[Rory Ashe]

Rory watch Freya with a slight smile as she got out of the jet. It was very obvious that she probably wasn't used to this kind of weather at all. Well, she may have been used to it, but not used to not being able to just heat the air around her. As she got out the first thing that caught his attention was that she wasn't wearing all white like he was. He chosen this suit for a reason, because it did make him nearly invisible if he stopped moving or laid down. He felt that if they did catch Cain, that no doubt would be extremely useful.

Wearing anything other than white on a mountain covered with snow and you stuck out like a sore thumb. Of course, that's exactly how his and Freya's styles were. She was not very subtle, and honestly didn't need to be with her power, while Rory was never seen until he wanted to be. The small snow storm made it very hard to see, but it was the frigid winds that were really bad.

As soon as she was out and in the snow with Rory the jet lifted up off the ground and disappeared into the, while Rory immediately began heading toward the small town. When Freya spoke Rory busted up laughing, "And ye know what the really ironic thing is?" He half asked, half yelled over the wailing wind, "You can control fire." Again he started laughing out loud for a few moments. It struck him as very funny.

It took forever to move anywhere in the snow, even more so when you had a head wind pushing against you. Though the entire way Rory walked slighty in front of Freya, blocking her from the icy winds. After what seemed like hours, and just might have been, they started to move onto the snow packed streets of the small town. Rory pointed to the largest building where all the lights were on, showing out like a beacon in the night, "I bet tha's the inn, and I bet our snitch'll be in there." He said, glancing back at Freya as he moved toward the building.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

There were a few reasons for Freya not wearing white like Rory, one being she just didn't want to be completely decked out in white. It would also come in handy with taking the attention off Rory. Rory needed to be invisible if things went bad, and for that she had to make sure she stood out far more then him. That way, he'd be able to take any surprises by... well, surprise! And last, she just wasn't the type to try and be subtle. Her dark brown clothing wasn't that bright or extreme, but it did draw more attention then his white. All according to the plan.

Freya rolled her eyes a little at his laughing at her. She should be used to it by now. Still, it annoyed her a little that he was making fun of her reaction to the cold. "Yeah, and if you're not careful I just might try and see if that suit of yours is flammable." The horrible weather was irking Freya a little, that much was obvious. She wouldn't really set him on fire though... But it would be interesting to see how long a fire would last in this weather. But really, she wouldn't go setting her boyfriend on fire! Maybe just burn him a little... Usually with out meaning to. After all, sometimes when they'd been extremely intimate her body temperature had started to rise, sometimes not even noticeable, sometimes she'd had to get it back down quickly before Rory got to badly burned. Either way, it was never intentional.

As they worked their way towards the small town her annoyance started to grow more with this beating they were getting from the wind and snow. Sure, Rory was taking the blunt of it for her, which she had to admit was extremely sweet, but even still, the small amount she was forced to face was more then enough.

And then, her spirits sky rocketed when she noticed it wasn't just packed snow they had just stepped onto. It was a road. Buildings were growing closer and closer, and she knew they'd be out of this weather very soon. Rory was speaking again, pointing out the largest, and brightest building in the bunch. Yeah, he was probably right. Only an Inn would be that bright at night, they wanted all the travelers to stop there. "I hope so!" She tried to laugh a little, but in this weather it was hard. If their snitch wasn't there.... Well, either way, she'd be happy. Sure it'd be a disappointment if he wasn't there, but at least it'd be warm inside! or... Warmer.

[Rory Ashe]

True, Rory hated this weather as much as anyone, who could really like it? However, the Agency camp he was trained at was a lot like this, and he was there for many years. So while he didn't like this cold weather, he was probably a lot more used to it than Freya. Not to mention the fact that this weather was obviously annoying Freya made Rory want to tease her all the more. It was always like that, for both of them it seemed. He knew that whenever she could take advantage of him with something like that, she would, so he didn't hold back either.

When she joked about setting him on fire he immediately started laughing again. "Wait a minute..." He said, glancing back at Freya as he was still walking in front of her to block the wind. "If you set me on fire... and I still want to be with you... Would that make me a hunk of burning love?" Though he didn't laugh as hard this time, he still thought that was funny. Though with Freya's mood right now, he wouldn't be surprised if it just annoyed her more.

"Me too." Rory said as he led the way to the inn. The town was bigger than he would have guessed from the air, but all of the houses were very humble. There definately wasn't a mansion anywhere around, and it looked like most just barely got by. Finally, they got the door of the Inn, the light from the windows barely piercing the darkness even when they were standing right by the building. Rory opened the door, letting Freya go first, before walking in himself.

There were only a few people inside, most were sitting at bars or tables drinking, though no one looked up as they entered. Rory pulled off his hood and mask, finally exposing his face. It was still cold in the inn, but not as bad as outside and there was no wind. On the far side of the room was a large fire, "Cozy..." Rory said as he slowly made his way toward the bar and the man behind it, who he assumed was also the Inn owner.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

Freya should have expect something like that from Rory. And yet she hadn't even realized she'd given him such a perfect chance until he'd already taken advantage of it. Great... It didn't improve her mood much, but for some reason she laughed. The wind muffled most of the sound, but he'd at least be able to catch a small snip of it. "Don't push you're luck. I may just try to find out!"

Her mood wasn't improving at all, but at least he'd gotten her to laugh, that was always an achievement when she started to get moody like this. When they finally reached the inn though, her mood skyrocketed. Yes! No more wind trying to rip them to pieces! As Rory opened the door, she was in faster then he could get it all the way open.

Slowly, Rory pushed the hood on her head off, shaking free her auburn locks. At last, no more wind! Sure, it wasn't that warm in here, but at least the wind wasn't beating against them. "better then out there, at least..." Just because she was a little happier didn't mean she was all that cheerful right now, her voice only loud enough for Rory to hear, almost sounding as if she was going to sulk as she followed his lead to the Inn keeper.

[Rory Ashe]

Rory couldn't help but laugh softly with how fast Freya had entered into the Inn. Sure, it was cold outside, but she acted as if she would die if she stayed out in it any longer. Of course, he noticed that she seemed to be sulking a bit, both in mood and temperment right now. If not sulking then something was off, but by now, Rory was very used to Freya's mood changes. Normally though, he didn't care, he was far to laid back to ever be bothered by her sudden changes in mood; or so he thought.

"Hey, ye said ye wanted to come with me, what'd ye expect?" He asked with a smirk, no doubt making her more annoyed. As he approached the bar he knocked on the wood a couple of times to get the Inn keepers attention. "Oi! Me and my..." He glanced at Freya, "Wife want to climb the mountain, do ye have a room? Oh, and uh... Seperate beds." He glanced at her again, but with a very mischevious smile, "We're fightin'." He half-whispered to the Inn keeper, but made it loud enough for Freya to here.

The Inn keeper laughed and gave a knowning nod, "I understand kid, let me just grab a key for you." He disappeared into a celler behind the bar. While waiting Rory turned around and leaned against the bar, looking over all the people in the room. They needed to find that snitch tonight, it would be much easier, to find now and he had an idea of how. "I sure hope there aren't any mutants on this mountain... They're a pain in the arse, especially the females..." He tried to hide his grin from Freya, and watched the people in the room for any reactions.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

Oh Rory's little trick did not improve her mood at all, but it certainly made his 'story' more believable. She glared a little at Rory as he added the 'we're fighting' part. If he wasn't careful that just might come true. Sadly though, when Freya was mad at Rory all he really had to do was wrap his arms around her and kiss her for that anger to vanish. It was annoying sometimes, especially when she wanted to be mad at him. Right now it was starting to be one of those times...

As soon as the Inn Keeper was gone, Freya started contemplating whether she should hit him or not. After a moment, she decided not to, the look she was giving him though was enough to says she'd been considering it.

And then, he just had to keep pushing it. She tried to reason with herself that he was just trying to figure out who their source was, but she didn't seem at all capable of it. Oh yeah, her mood was definitely getting worse. "You like putting me in a bad mood, don't you?" Today it seemed would be his victory...

[Rory Ashe]

When Rory glanced over at Freya and saw the look she was giving him, it became even hard not to just laugh. Sure Freya may have gotten Rory to get beat to a pulp in the Danger Room a few hours ago, but it was Rory who was completely in control of the situation now; and he knew Freya knew it. That made him just a bit more cheerful, a slight smile on his face.

"Maybe." Rory half admitted, "But only because I find it so darn attractive when ye give me the 'I want to kill ya' look." He said with a smirk and wink, turning back to the people in the Inn. Most were completely ignoring them, but one in the very back corner was watching them very intently. Rory had a feeling that the person staring might just be the man they were looking for.

After watching Freya and Rory for a moment, the man motioned for them to come over, apparently believing them to be the ones he was waiting for. "Let's go, my wife." He said with a slight grin, putting his arm around her slightly and motioning toward the man. He probably would have put his arm completely around her if he could have, but because they were both wearing so many layers, it made it somewhat hard.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

Oh how the tables turned. It was a shame she hadn't been able to enjoy her time in the 'spotlight' earlier. One reason for her sulky mood. Stupid Professor Xavier, ruining it all. Now she had to deal with his gloating. Not a great way to start a trip to a place that was already annoying Freya.

His words made her smirk a little. She leaned forward a bit, her voice barely more then a whisper. "Hmm... Let's just hope they stay looks." If he did ever do something to bug her bad enough for her to 'kill' him, it wouldn't be that bad, seeing as he'd just come back soon enough. But it was a bad idea either way. How would you like to say you'd killed the person you love?

Even with all the layers on, Freya enjoyed his touch. It made her forget some of her annoyance. It was a shame so many people were around though, because other wise Rory wouldn't have to be so conservative about touching her. She just kept having to tell herself that this wasn't the time for their loving exchanges. It was a mission. They shouldn't distract themselves with stuff like that.... If only she could listen to her own advice. "Yeah. Before he decides to take his business elsewhere." It was doubtful their source would leave, but there was still a chance that he'd change his mind, that it'd be better not to say anything. After all, if those he was ratting out found out... Well, he'd be dead by the end of the night.

[Rory Ashe]

Rory grinned at Freya when she threatened him to a certain extent. Now Freya knew that Rory would come back when he was killed, and Rory knew that Freya could be violent. However, he really could not imagine her actually killing him on purpose. They teased and joked around a lot, but when it came down to it, they both cared about each other far too much to truly hurt one another. At least that's how Rory felt.

"Aye, it'd be best if ye stopped giving me that look anyways... Every time I see it I want to hold ye, but I can't... yet." This wasn't spoken out loud, he leaned over to whisper it to her. Yes, they were on a mission and yes, they were supposed to focus on it. However, Freya is truly the only thing that can distract Rory, and she is able to do it on extreme levels. So, he focused on the mission as much as he could, and the rest of the time focused on Freya.

As the approached the table, Rory pulled out a chair and sat down. The man watching both of them closely, "Are you X-men?" The man just came out and said it. Rory nodded, no, neither of them were truly X-Men. Though Rory did train students for the X-Men and Freya was allied, for all intents and purposes, for now they were X-Men. "Alright... I'm not going to tell you out loud, so here... Read this in your room tonight." The man slid an envelope across the table to Rory.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

Distracting Rory at times like these wasn't the best idea, so she tried not to. The sooner the 'mission' was over with, the sooner they could go back to normal. At least they'd be able to spend some time together during this, well time that wasn't being occupied by their orders. "Maybe that's the point?" She smirked a little, a shadow of the one that always seemed to drive Rory crazy. "I'll hold you up to that, though." She almost chuckled a little. She doubted he'd forget his 'sort of' promise, especially if they kept teasing each other like this.

Taking a seat at the table as well, she decided not to interfere to much. Rory had it handled. When they were asked if they were X-men she almost smiled. It was interesting, that right now you could consider her an 'X-man', and as soon as this was over you couldn't. Professor Xavier certainly had an odd sense of humor, sending two 'sort of, but not exactly' X-men to handle this.

[Rory Ashe]

It was interesting how quickly both of their moods had changed. One moment Rory was practically insulting Freya, while she was getting angry at him. Then the next moment they were both teasing each other and whispering about what they wanted to do with one another. Which Rory wanted to do even more after seeing the smirk from Freya, he kept himself under control though, for now. "Oh, I'll keep my word... Just wait until we get to the room." He said with a slight wink.

For now, there was the mission to focus on. Rory took the envelope off the table and slipped it into his coat pocket, not taking his eyes off the man across from them. "Good luck... and I hope you aren't afraid of death." As the man got up and started to walk away Rory turned to him slightly, "Buddy, I am death." The man simply laughed, then left the Inn.

Almost immediately the Inn keeper walked up and set a key down between Freya and Rory. "Here you go, it's downstairs, room twelve... That will be thirty dollars for tonight." Rory got a shocked look on his face as he looked at the Inn keeper, "Thirty dollars for one night in a place like this?!... It's alright, my wife will pay ye." Rory said with another devious grin and glance at Freya, before he grabbed the key and began to leave the table.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

Freya didn't have anything to say or add to the conversation between their source and Rory, just smiled softly... and laughed at Rory's last comment before the man left. She shook her head, having forgotten her bad mood completely by now. "In more ways then one." She smiled a little brighter.

Rory's reaction to the price just about sent her in another fit of laughter. Thirty a night? That was cheap! He obviously didn't know how much Tari and Freya's hotel cost. She just shrugged as Rory got up to leave, looking at the Inn Keeper with a sheepish grin. "He can be such a cheapskate sometimes." She unzipped her coat, reaching into the inside pocket and pulling out her wallet. In seconds a twenty and a ten were in his hands. With another smile, she rose to her feet. Rory was already off to find the room and so Freya was left to follow, like usual.

Shaking her head, but smirking softly, she followed the directions they'd been given, catching up to Rory quickly. "You can be such a jerk sometimes." She obviously didn't mean her words, her smile giving her away. "You make me pay for a cheap Inn like this, I'd hate to show you Tari's and my hotel bill." She'd leave the price to his imagination. He'd seen the hotel once, and it was definitely high end.

[Rory Ashe]

As he walked away Rory heard Freya burst into laughter, and he glanced behind him. What was so funny? Perhaps something the Inn Keeper had said, as he could tell Freya was talking to him before getting up, but couldn't hear what she was saying. He had a feeling it was probably about him in some way, but didn't really care. He continued across the room and down the stairs to where the Inn keeper had pointed.

Underneath the Inn it was much bigger than it looked. There was a long stone hallway that branched off in several directions and amazingly, it was a bit warmer down there. Perhaps because it was underground. It only took a few moments to find the room, to which Rory quickly used the key and stepped inside. Like the hall way, it had stone walls and no windows, but was actually very warm; even warmer than the hallway.

The room was small, but comfortable with two beds seperated by a dresser and a small bathroom in the back corner. However, there was no TV, or radio, and obviously no computers as well. Not that it really mattered to him though. Rory slid the pack off his back and tossed it to the ground, then the large coat, then the coat under that revealing that he was wearing a long-sleeve white sweater and white camo pants.

"Hey, I was just staying in character of us being a married couple!... Besides, would ye have rather I made ye pay for an expensive room?" He asked with a smirk, he slowly walked closer to her, "Well, I was going to prove to ye what I said earlier about holding ye, but since I'm a jerk I guess I shouldn't." He said with a smug look, knowing that Freya had wanted it just as bad as him, but now he wasn't going to give it to her.