| open | A cold wind was blowing from the north

[readytocomply]

Who: Bucky and anyone
Where: Ski resort and mansion
When: The event and the day after
Rating: Event death
Summary: All things snowy and cold
The Story:

one: there's no such thing as too much snow

[Bucky doesn't like the cold. It's something he adjusts to, when he has to, but he's not a fan. So he stays inside for the first part of the event, rummaging through the kitchen to make his own version of hot cocoa. Cinnamon to spice it up. He'll make a couple mugs and take them with him as he curls up with Sugar by the fire. After that, he'll find his way outside, looking around to see what everyone is doing with their surprise vacation.

He can be pulled into a snowball fight or help someone who wants to ski or snowboard (though he won't actually do that himself) or can be persuaded to head inside for cards or something similar.]

two: there's too much snow

[It was the day after the event that Bucky woke up again or came back to life. He was huddled up against the wall, legs drawn up under his knees, staring at nothing. He'd died yesterday. There was a girl in the snow, lost, and he'd been out making sure nobody was hurt or caught in the storm. Steve was rubbing off on him. It hadn't been smart to go out, but he was strong and figured that if he could help people, he should.

She'd been hurt and as unpredictable as snow could be, they'd toppled over a steep incline and he'd twisted to take the brunt of it. He could tell he was injured, more than the serum could keep up with, something even it couldn't heal. Bucky had managed to get her closer to the inn before everything had gone black.

But that was yesterday and today he was trying to figure out why he wasn't relieved that he was magically alive. He didn't want to be dead, but he didn't feel good about the whole thing. Bucky lifts his head when he hears someone approaching. He's visibly upset but doesn't say anything at first.]

three: wildcard

[Bucky is available for any of the event shenanigans. If either of the options above (one is during event and one is post) don’t fit with your character, feel free to pick something. I’m super flexible and would love to get Bucky out and about. I can be messaged through my journal or through barebone.]

Comments

[readytocomply]

[Bucky'd take the lift up with Anders. He wanted to see as far as he could, get a better vantage point - just to be safe, make sure there wasn't any weird undead army coming from the north or something weird happening outside the scope of his vision.]

Alright. No funny business when we get up there.

[Don't shake the seat, Anders.

Leading the way, Bucky tries to shake his paranoia. It didn't seem so bad here and he wanted to believe that it might be okay. Every event wasn't terrible, this could be one of the easier ones. They wait their turn and then Bucky slides into the seat, waiting for Anders to sit next to him before helping the attendant lower the bar.]

You're not afraid of heights are you?

[circlejerked]

What's that supposed to mean? Have I ever been known for funny business?

<sub>[Yes. Yes, you have.

Still, Anders wears a taken aback look almost as well as he wears the heavier set of robes he shrugs into before they head out into the unseasonably cold temperatures. He brings his staff. Bucky's paranoia isn't unreasonable--they don't know what they're dealing with yet. They never know what they're dealing with until Wonderland sees fit to drop trouble on their heads.

And speaking of questionable things...]</sub>

Just how much weight do those things hold?

<sub>[The cable holding the ski lift aloft gets a meaningful look as he slides in beside Bucky. This is safe, right? People don't regularly get into horrific accidents on these, right?

... Well, it's a little late to have doubts now. The ride sets off with a lurch, lifting their feet from the ground. Oh, this is happening. This is really happening, huh.]</sub>

Not heights, no. _{[Cheerfully:]} Slamming into the ground from a great height, I have a problem with, though.

[readytocomply]

[Bucky doesn't mind it, coming from Anders. He doesn't think the guy will do anything that puts them in danger purposefully.]

I don't know.

[Until that moment, Bucky hadn't thought of it. He glances up at the cables then over at Anders with a shrug. Safe enough, he supposed, or less people would be on them.]

Can't say that's not a problem I have, too. [Yeah, Bucky'd rather not die that way or fall from a great height surrounded by snow and ice. Once was enough.] Lets talk about something else.

Sorry for not comin' around more often. Don't get out much.

[He does enjoy Anders' company when he has it.]

How's Wonderland been treatin' you?

[circlejerked]

Well, if I lose my first life today, I'm blaming you.

<sub>[Just so you're aware, Bucky. The single bar running across their midriffs seems marginally safer than the rickety wooden elevators he's seen used in the Deep Roads, he'll give it that, but once the lift rumbles up to a height where he can feel the breeze buffeting the seat, it's a teensy bit... nerve-wracking.

More noticeable is Bucky's discomfort. At the subject change, Anders looks over from where he's leaning forward to peer at the ground rolling past between his feet. Not a fan of heights, or is he simply hoping not to jinx them?]</sub>

Oh, no need for apologies. We're only a stone's throw away from each other in this little slice of the world, and some might say I'm abusing you if I beat you with a staff too often.

_{[He smiles, light and breezy. He's not one to show if Wonderland's been wearing down his edges. In the Circle, showing a flagging spirit would be tantamount to admitting defeat, and he'll cash in all five of his lives before he does that.]}

Rudely, but that's nothing new. How's Sugar? Still looking like the sky fell on its head?

[readytocomply]

You can't blame me if it happens when we're not together, pal.

[He raises a brow, teasing. If something goes down while they're on the ski lift - Bucky'll take the fault and feel damn shitty about it. If Anders slips and falls into some weird Wonderland created pool of man eating unicorns, that's not on him.]

I heal fast so you'd have to hit me pretty hard to bruise.

[But there not seeing each other was because of Bucky. He didn't get out much, though he was trying to remedy that recently.]

Wonderland has a habit of doing that.

[At the mention of his cat, Bucky perks up. He's a good cat dad.]

She's great. Still looks just as miserable, but she's used to Steve's pup and my nig- [He glances away.] She knows how to handle it when I can't sleep.

[circlejerked]

I can if you drag me to the top of some mountain and I get eaten by someone's memory of a giant monkey that walks on its knuckles. Abominable snowmen, I think you call them, yes?

<sub>[Something like that. And the abominable snow unicorns will also be your fault, Bucky Barnes, you're the one who encouraged him to go on this excursion.

So far though the beautiful view remains unmarred by great apes or unicorns; he smiles out at it, answering with a note of amusement that's spurred on by his growing good mood. He's always liked being outside, and the air is bracing but in an enlivening sort of way.]</sub>

Is that you encouraging me to try harder, or reassuring me I won't hurt that pretty face? _{[He caught that, mister. On both counts--the glow of cat ownership, and Bucky's slight course correction.]} They don't have to be handsome to make good companions, eh?

_{[Providing comfort on those sleepless nights where every shadow is a threat and every threat preys on the mind.]}

[readytocomply]

Yeah, but those aren't real.

[Well, he's never seen one, but if he's honest with himself, experience has taught him that anything is possible. Wonderland was stranger than back home, but his world wasn't without it's oddities.] I don't think.

Both. [He smiles at Anders, shrugging a shoulder.] It's been a while since anyone's told me I'm pretty, thanks.

[Bucky's enamored with Sugar. He'd never thought himself much of a pet person, but clearly, he is.]

No, they don't. She sits on my chest and does this.. thing with her paws. Massaging. It's real sweet. [They could talk about Sugar all day, but he doesn't want to lasso the conversation for himself.] How many pets do you have?

[circlejerked]

_{[You don't know that, Bucky. You don't know that. This could be the living memory of someone from the 1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special. Wouldn't they look if a stop-motion yeti appeared over the top of the rise.]}

You're very welcome.

_{[Anders has his doubts it falls within safety regulations, but he leans on the bar, looking deceptively comfortable for a man that's rarely off the ground.]}

Well, I needn't worry about you being taken care of in my absence, it sounds as though she has you well in hand. Paw. I still just have the two--still cute beyond reason, still feline terrors.