Much deserved fun

[a_time_slip]

Instead of popping up in Julian's place uninvited, Janie knocked on his door a few minutes after she got the last note from him.

She knocked, and waited for him to get to the door.

Comments

[a_time_slip]

She typed a few things in, and the boat slowed down gradually until it stopped.

"We can go back the same way if you'd like. It's up to you."

Janie grabbed a jacket, then waited for Julian to climb out of the boat.

[lostinthefog]

"Sure, I'd like to. This was amazing."

Julian put on his sweater and left the boat. He went a few steps further to make room for Janie, then stopped, taking in his surroundings, the view as well as the unfamiliar smells and sounds.

[a_time_slip]

Janie started to get out, then ducked back on the boat to put on a warmer jacket. The second time she climbed out, the boat seemed to disappear a second later.

"Oh wow, this looks amazing. I thought it would be just snow..."

[lostinthefog]

He rubbed his arms against the chilly air and turned around, a wide smile on his face.

"No, not this time of the year. Except for the tops of the mountains, I suppose." Said mountains were not too far from the water and all around, forming a quite pleasant landscape. And there was a faint shimmering on the sky, likely announcing the first polar lights.

[a_time_slip]

She took in a deep breath, and looked at the landscape and the sky, taking in every detail.

"This is picturesque. Thanks, Julian. Hey, look at the sky..."

She pointed to the shimmering.

[lostinthefog]

"Thank you for bringing me here."

He raised his gaze to see what Janie was pointing at, just in time to see the greenish shimmer getting slowly larger, constantly moving, shifting, changing.

"Wow", he muttered for the second time today, and probably not for the last.

[a_time_slip]

"You're welcome... any time." She was silent as she watched the lights, amazed at the natural phenomenon. "You'd think, with traveling all around the universe and time, that I'd take time out to see something like this and I haven't."

[lostinthefog]

Julian joined her in watching silently for a while, enjoying to see for real what he only knew from pictures.

"Hm. Too busy?"

[a_time_slip]

"No. I've got time, but I force myself to focus on things. Work, or kids or anything but spending time on stuff like this. I'm not sure why I do it."

[lostinthefog]

"Focussing is good, and surely necessary, when you have such important things to focus on. But don't you need a break sometimes? For me, doing things like this, being in such awesome places, is relaxing like little else."

[a_time_slip]

"I suppose I do. Yes, I need a break, but then I start to think of all the things that need to be done and I can't bring myself to relax."

[lostinthefog]

"Yeah, I know that feeling." He paused a moment, still staring at the sky. "Is it like that now, too?"

[a_time_slip]

"No." she smiled a bit "I think it's because I know I can go back and not lose any time."

[lostinthefog]

"Yeah? I'm glad. It'd be sad if I were the only one who's enjoying this. Sharing the experience is much better."

[a_time_slip]

"Yes. We'll have to do something else like this one day."

[lostinthefog]

"Sure! I'd love to." He gazed at the sky and the marvelous lights for a little longer, until he began to feel the cold.

"What would you say about getting some food?"

[a_time_slip]

"Yes, we should. Um, do you know where to go?" She still gazed at the sky, taking in every detail that she could and committing it to memory.

[lostinthefog]

"I have to admit I'm not quite sure where we are. Can you get us to the nearest city? There'll probably be plenty of restaurants to choose from."

He couldn't resist glancing up every now and then, the spectacle was hypnotic.

[a_time_slip]

"Yes. I will use the teleport, whenever you're ready?" She programmed it, then went back to looking at the lights.

[lostinthefog]

One last, long, wistful glance and he nodded.

"I am."

[a_time_slip]

"We can always come back." she offered, before taking his arm and teleporting them to the nearest city.

[lostinthefog]

Julian nodded when he heard Janie's offer, nevertheless the first thing he did when they arrived in the city was to look up to the sky. The lights were still there, but much harder to see from here due to all the light around.

He started looking for a restaurant instead, one that offered Norwegian cuisine.

"I think there's something, at the end of that road ..." He pointed at a sign in the distance.

[a_time_slip]

"Do you want to walk, or... get there quickly?" she asked, looking up and around. She wouldn't have minded the walk, but didn't know how hungry her friend was.

[lostinthefog]

"I'd like to walk, look around a little. What about you?"

It was a quite pretty city with a port, well worth a look. The houses were comparably small and some of them painted in bright colors. The salty smell of the sea was all around and stronger in the direction in which Julian had pointed.

[a_time_slip]

"I would, yes. It's nice here."

The houses all seemed pretty, and she hadn't been to a place where she could just look around for quite some time.