Fourty Two

Poconos Mountains
Pennsylvania

Ninette sighed as she stood at the top of the hill, no more like mountain looking at everthing below her. For once she felt relaxed, truely so. Something the girl didn't often feel.

But the nature was just...

"Grandmama," she hummed slightly looking around her for the woman, unsure where she had disappeared to. Rolling her eyes she smirked and contiued to look at the world around her. The older woman would show up eventually. That was just how her grandmother worked.

Etta appeared beside her granddaughter, barely notincing the massive weight of the climbing backpack she had on her back. She moved her goggles from over her eyes to her forehead, looking over the landscape. "It's so beautiful up here." She mused, gazing up into the sunrise. They had left extremely early, hours before daybreak just to get here at this time. She stuck her snowboard into the snow, laying down a quilt over a tarp and sitting down on it. "Come, sit with me Ninny-dear. We have much to talk about before we hit the slopes."

Ninette nodded her head but didn't comment, there wasn't a need to. The view spoke for itself. She glanced over her shoulder as the woman spoke again. She raised her eyebrows but waltzed over to teh designated spot.

"We do, do we?"

Flopping down on the quilt she pulled her legs delicately beneath her, "And just what do we have to talk about Grandmama?"

Etta laughed. "The same thing as always, of course." She teased. "Men."

She leaned back on her hands, eying the veiw. "I've gone and fallen for one of my toys, Ninny." She said. "So, you're going to have to adapt. I don't know how far this ones gonna go." She glanced down at her bare left hand, watching it curl into a fist. "Thought you'd like to know. Might even change my last again."

Ninette listened carefully to each and every word, her face an emotionless mask as she looked at her grandmother.

Fallen.

For a toy?

But... but what about...

"Oh," Ninette said softly, turning her gaze towards the view once more and not her grandmother - who was looking so contently happy that it was just confusing her all the more. "Well then."

She was silent for a long moment before she spoke again.

"And just when do I get to meet this toy?"

Etta glanced at her ganddaughter, a slight blush flitting over her features. She looked away again, keeping her eyes on the veiw. "You already have." she murmured. "You were there when we met, and you've known him longer than I have..." Etta frowned slightly. "You see him more than I do too." Crossing her legs beneath her, Etta reached for her bag, pulling out another blanket to fight the cold. She wrapped it around herself, looking out to the horizon again, and laying a folded blanket between her and Ninny, in case the girl wanted one.

"I think... I may be in love with him, Ninny." She admitted softly. "And I fear there's nothing I can do about it."

Ninette raised her eyebrow as her stomach clenched slightly at the way her grandmother was being slightly avoidant. The woman was only ever avoidant when there was something...

Well something Nine would rather not hear.

And as she peiced together the words, her eyes widened and she figured...

"Skydancer?" she raised her eyebrow. "Professor Skydancer... you're-you're screwing my professor?"

Etta laughed. "I'm doing much more than screwing him." She teased, leaning back on her hands again. "I've fallen for him. Hard." She looked over at her granddaughter, raising an eyebrow at her. "What? You object? I distinctly remember you saying you didn't care as long as you got a good grade out of it."

She shrugged. "But who knows? I may become Lady Skydancer soon enough." She mused, looking out over the horizon again. "And if not, well, my old heart'll probably get over it." She was lying through her teeth on that one. She was slowly coming to the conclusion that a life without Basil was a life she no longer would wish to live.

"I never said I objected," the girl said primely, tilting her head - although her tone did seem to suggest just that, "I merely... Skydancer?"

She shrugged her shoulders and looked away muttering to herself, "and besides, my grade hasn't really gone anywhere."

Ninette glanced at the blanket that was set down besides her but didn't take it quite yet. Instead she wrapped her legs up into her chest, her eyes gaurded as she thought of her own memories, own feelings.

"And if you don't get over it?"

Etta raised an eyebrow in amusement, a small smile flitting across her face. "Yes. Skydancer." She said. "I think Etta Skydancer has a nice ring to it... if I get a ring, that is. Your grade will probably rise the more you grow to look like me." She flicked her hair over her shoulder, looking incredibly young in that small gesture. "Fontaine beauty is legendary you know."

She shrugged, trying to play it off as her eyes returned to the horizon. "I'm not sure." She said, the softness of her voice betraying her. "It may even go as far as... Post-Charlie." She closed her eyes briefly. That had been a dangerously reckless phase for her, after her first husband - the one her children considered their father - had passed. She'd barely stopped to breathe after that, taking every danger and challenge in stride. She had the bruises and gold metals to prove it, not to mention the crazy amount of mended bones. She was almost completely sure there were video games dedicated to breaking as many bones as she did - and those stopped dangerously short of her grand total.

"I doubt it would be worse, though." She murmured, after a time.

She knew this was a lie.

"I'm gorgeous," Ninette said with a smirk and leaned back, "The boys already fall before me... Except Marcus... or well I suppose even more so with Marcus - I just... maybe don't want to?"

She shook her head and grimaced not entirely glad that she had brought Marcus up.

"Well... I suppose I'm happy for you Grandmama," she said softly. "I don't know if I believe in.. or approve or.. what ever but... If you're happy Grandmama, I'm happy."

She nodded her head, smiling slightly at the older woman before looking away.

Etta grinned. "That's ever so good to hear, Ninny. You know I would never feel right dating someone without your approval." She stood, taking a hold of her snowboard and holding out her hand to her granddaughter.

"All my professional talk is over. Let's hit the slopes!" her face lit up with a familiar glee, and her entire person seemed younger. Slowly, she deflated slightly, looking back at Ninny. "...Unless there's something you want to talk about...?"

Ninette hesitated a moment, a question on the tip of her tongue. She could just...

No. No.

She shook the thought away and grinned, taking the hand, "When do I ever need to talk?"