nextgenerationmarvel | much needed vacation

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much needed vacation

The ride out to the beach house had been a breath of fresh air. Reiko had actually been talked out of her usual yukatas, and was wearing a sleeveless blouse and a long skirt tied at her hip, dip died so the bottom hem was a deep emerald green, and it faded to a softer green at her waist, the sandals she wore had no heel. On the way up they had stopped at a small mom and pop farm market.

Reiko was currently trying to decide to get an apple pie, something she had yet to try while in America, or something that was shipped from Pennsylvania called a 'Shoo-fly pie'. The woman at the bakery counter insisted that it was delicious but it just looked like a lot of sugar to her.

"What do you think Alistaire?" She took a small sip from her water bottle as she glanced up to see which he'd prefer. "Though the cherry pie looks good too." She gave a small grin. "Unless you think we've over done it already." Though she had behaved, the mesh market bag she carried wasn't that full, she had bought veggies for a light salad, and two small quail to cook for dinner. She was still debating on if she should do it as a hot pot, get it on the stove then unpack everything. Alistaire had told her that when they got to the house everything would be set up so they'd have power and gas to cook with.

"And did you find a wine you liked?" She trusted his taste with drinks.

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Alistaire turned his head to her, raising an eyebrow. "'Overdone'? Doctor, I was thinking I could buy this market and the farm all this comes from."

It was irritating, although still part of her charm, how Reiko really didn't understand just how rich he was. On top of that, she'd insisted on cooking for the pair of them. He'd given the servants at the beach house the day off at her behest.

"Reiko... remember, being with me means there is nothing you cannot have."

She giggled at his frustration. She wasn't meaning price wise, She just didn't know how stocked the kitchen was and hated the idea of buying too much to keep on hand. "You're missing the point of it Alistaire. And I know, it's just I like keeping things simple. And must be all my medical training rubbing off that makes me want to eat food that still tastes natural."

She pointed to the cherry pie. "I'll take that one, and four of the pastries there." She added after a moment, "Two cheese two mixed fruit." Taking the baked goods she handed over her card to pay for it before he could, sticking her tongue out at him.

"You didn't answer either, find a wine you liked?"

Alistaire turned his gaze back to what passed for a wine selection, before settling on a riesling, having it rung up with the rest of the food. "This will do." He takes the bags from her, nodding back towards the car.

She shook her head a little as she followed him. "You know, I thought we were going to enjoy things at least a day or two." Her green eyes fell on him a moment. "Did I ask too much of you to ask that we had the house to ourselves tonight?"

Part of it had been because the less people around if things went the way she had a feeling they might, less chance she'd spend the rest of the trip in bed healing from the downside of her abilities.

"This is supposed to be a retreat for your benefit.. your wishes to take on work during it surprised me." He tries to explain, and to keep the harshness from his voice.

"Cooking to me isn't work. It's a way to, get to know the people you will be working with, and to build an understanding and work on teamwork." She bit her lip a little looking at him over the hood of the car.

"I'm sorry I thought you knew that's why I asked that it would just be us tonight." She looked down a little. "And it's safer for me if things... get heated."

Ah.... now she has Alistaire's attention.

"'Heated'. That sounds promising." He smiles devilishly, offering her his hand after opening the door for her. "I'm sorry for not understanding your intentions more properly. I'll try to be more attentive."

She blushes a little. "Well, wouldn't want anyone in range." She accepted his help only to let him know that she wasn't really mad at him.

"It was probably my fault. I still have problems vocalizing things properly." She leaned over kissing his cheek before she got into the car. "I'll promise to work on that."

Shutting the door behind her, Alistaire smiles to himself, teeth glinting, as he walks around the car, climbing in on his own side. "Mackenzie, you can take the evening off after you drop us at the house. I don't think I'll be going anywhere." He addresses the driver as they get moving again.

A short while later, they arrive. The beach house is modest, by Shaw standards. Alistaire has a few childhood memories of simpler enjoyments there, and a larger collection of hedonistic summer nights from not terribly long ago. Every inch inside is tastefully appointed and decorated, but with ample open space to let the sounds of the waves infiltrate and echo. He carries the groceries to the kitchen, depositing the bottle in a cooler and setting the temperature appropriately.

"I don't know, might be nice to go for a walk this evening on the shore." She grinned. "Unless we decide it's better at sunrise."

She followed him into the house, the decor was what she thought it would be, tasteful, and showing extravagance. "Looks like I should unpack first, this kitchen's bigger than the one we have in New York." She smiled a little at him. "I'm pretty sure we don't need a map to find everything though. Which room am I staying in?"

"Wrong side of the Hamptons for sunrise. Sunset is better." Alistaire observes. "We can go for a walk after dinner."

He turns to her at the question about accommodations, leaning back against a counter. "What bedroom do you want to stay in?"

"Pity." She grinned a little.

She bit her lip a moment. "Shall we see how it goes?" She moved up to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I'll unpack once things are cooking then."

Alistaire smiles as he places his hands on her waist, squeezing greedily, but mindful not to be overeager, at her form. "Then let's begin." He presses his body to her, just for a moment, as pretense to moving away and past her. He knows his way around a kitchen well enough, but will let her handle the finer points of the cooking.

She blushed slightly, not wanting to have him pull away just yet, but she knew why he was pulling back. The same reason she had asked that they were alone.

She nodded a little at him. "So how do we want to do this? I was actually thinking of doing a Japanese style hot pot. Less dishes to clean up after. It sound good?"

"Whatever you want to make is fine with me, provided there's wine."

"Only because you can't get decent saki at spur of the moment here in America." She handed him the veggies. "Why don't you wash these I'll cut up the birds."

He gives a brief scowl of incomprehension at the vegetables, before shrugging and looking for a colander to clean them in. "Should I chop them or do you want them to go in whole?"

He watches her get to cooking, mentally appraising her knife-work.

She giggled a little. "If you want to cut them up sure, bite sized pieces if you can, or are you enjoying watching the doctor's handy work." She gave him a small grin.

"I was an assassin before a doctor after all."

"You're pleasant to watch."

Alistaire seems much more at ease once he's done cleaning and has knives of his own in hand. He holds one in each hand and makes short work of the vegetables.

"Your bedside manner hasn't suffered for it."

"Domo arigatou."

She chuckled a little. "Show off."

She smiled a little. "Never did like the killing unless it was from a distance. Drawback to my powers, I'm horribly sympathetic. Just glad that you don't find it as a weakness." She pushed one carved up bird away moving to the second.

"I'm more experienced at cutting meat. People focus too much on trying to sever bone. There's a certain knack you have to develop to deal with the tougher parts of tendons.." He starts commenting idly. "Maintaining your blade's edge is critical." He veers out of his little reverie to give her his full attention again.

"Your sense of sympathy is fascinating. It's not something I've been able to experience first-hand."

"Slice the tendons they can't move... Arteries and they bleed out, no need to even touch the bone to kill a human." She knew he was watching and continued to work at it.

"You're lucky then, it's... not easy to live with to be honest. I never feel what they're thinking, but I can see the pain and fear in their eyes if I have to torture someone. Something that I am glad you dealt with. I will return to that way if there's no other way to get things done, but only as a last resort, and I will not allow you to order me to do it." She glanced up. "It's the only thing I will refuse to follow." She steadied her eyes on him. "And that's the last I talk about shop this weekend." The cut up bird went into a pot and she checked the pantry finding chicken stock, pouring that into the pot she let it simmer for now.

"After all you wanted us to relax right?"

"I have other people I can ask to kill, if it comes to that. Reiko, I don't make any illusions to you about the sort of person I am, but I won't ever ask you to do anything you've said you don't want to. That's just bad business-sense. Find people who love what they do, and they'll walk barefoot through hell to do it for you."

He smiles, slightly. "I'm always relaxed. This trip is for your benefit, and I endeavor to... please."

She set the knife down, not looking at him for a moment. "I know you don't hide it from me. You haven't hidden that much from me since this began, I guess... I'm just waiting for everything to backfire." She looked up at him, studying his face a moment. "And it still feels weird to have someone care about me for me, not what I can do."

"Oh, with how it's been so far, I'm sure you might have to drag me back to the city. I might be too relaxed." She crossed to his side kissing his cheek before she went to see if she could find the pot she wanted without help. It would make sense to have it near the stove right?

His hands draw over her hips again, almost palpably hungry. "The city isn't where you make me think of dragging you, sensei..." Alistaire growls softly.

She gives a small yelp when he pulls her closer and hears his words. She bites her lip a moment.

"It may be a good thing that dinner has to simmer at least two hours then." She turned looking at him her arms slipping around him.

Alistaire turns them around and presses her to the wall, bringing his face to hers, but only gently resting his lips against hers.

"Yes."

He wants her to demand it.

When her back presses to the wall there is a very faint hint of fear in her eyes. Though it's gone just as soon as it was there, replaced with other emotions.

"Y-you know there's a risk I could really hurt you right? Are you willing to take it?" She doesn't want to even think about it unless he fully understands why she won't get this close to him in the city. There's just too much at risk with so many people around.

His pupils dilate at that expression of fear, before remembering that's the sort of thing he's trying to stop.

He draws his fingertips over her throat gently, letting the lip-movement of his words pressure against her. "I like touching things I'm not supposed to."

Her head tilts up as he lets his fingers dance over her throat. Her hand traces up to his hand entwining her fingers in his.

"Even when they're dangerous it seems." Her eyes close a moment. "Nearest neighbors should be out of range." She pulled him closer to her. "Dinner can wait."

"Yes, it can." He grabs her by the waist and picks her up, pinning her to the wall at eye level, kissing her fiercely.

She actually yelped when he picked her up, but wrapped her arms around his shoulders trusting he wouldn't drop her. His kiss was returned just as deeply.

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much needed vacation

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