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WHO: Jean-Luc Picard
WHERE: throughout the village; House 20
WHEN: various points throughout the month
OPEN TO: First part OTA; others locked as marked
WARNINGS: None at the moment

More Trick than Treat {Oct. 23; ota}

For all that the recent cold snap had come on unexpectedly, with the worst of it past Jean-Luc has decided that it's a good time to make certain that everything is ready for winter proper. Whether that be making sure there's wood for fires, getting the last of the harvest in, or simply making certain that everyone knows what to expect out of a long, cold, winter. And if he figures that he might as well stop to see if he can find a few decent winter hats besides, he figures that's not unreasonable, given that he doesn't exactly have any hair to serve as insulation.

Finding a pumpkin sitting almost dead in his path comes as something of a surprise - especially when there isn't a pumpkin patch to be seen nearby. But regardless of its origins, it certainly can't hurt to bring to the Inn to be added to whatever happens to be planned for the next communal meal. Or perhaps turned into a pie, but he's hardly aware of what the people who actually cook the meals in question happen to be willing to do, cooking-wise. Still, a windfall is a windfall, and he reaches down to pick up the pumpkin without a second thought.

...Only for it to vanish in a puff of smoke, leaving him empty-handed and blinking.

Anyone who happens to be passing by just at that moment will catch him muttering something that sounds suspiciously like 'Q', but that's the only outburst he offers, and once he recovers from his surprise he heads off to see if he can find anything else he can help with, and preferably something that will remain solid, entirely unaware of the fact that he's acquired a spectral follower.

Roasting Chestnuts On an Open Fire {Oct. 19; closed to House 20}

The arrival of snow is, all things consider, not entirely surprising. Not when there'd already been a brief dusting of it earlier in the month, at any rate. What is surprising is how suddenly it arrives - and how much of it there happens to be. And while he's not unused to winter, he's not entirely used to the idea of houses that don't at least have some modicum of heating. Still, he's managed to get a fire going at the very least, and between that and a blanket - and a cup of tea to help keep his hands warm - it's at least not too bad.

A little lonely, perhaps, with no one to talk to, but it would hardly be the first time that he's sat alone and it's unlikely to be the last either. Plus he imagines that sooner or later someone else will come to enjoy the fire, if nothing else.

Of Ships and Shoes and Sealing Wax {Oct. 15; closed to Sam}

With things settling into what at least seems to be something closer to a normal pattern - here mostly read one where things don't appear to be particularly inconvenient - Picard figures it's time that he had a conversation that's fairly well overdue at this point. Not that there hadn't been good reason for him to not bring it up the last time that he and Sam had spoken, but even so, it's been on his mind for quite some time.

Admittedly, he's not particularly certain about where he might happen to find Sam, but he figures that if he sets about making the rounds through the village, he ought to manage sooner or later. Especially if he looks up every now and again. The weather might be getting colder overall, but there's not yet been any significant snowfall. Not to a point where trees might become somewhat less than appealing as perches, anyway. And if it should happen to take him a while to find her, he's not in any real hurry either.

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For all that he certainly wouldn't have minded if no one decided to join him, he's hardly about to turn down a bit of company. Especially when that company happens to be his best friend, and he turns at the sound of Beverly's voice without so much as missing a beat. Nor does he say anything about the fact that she takes a seat a little closer than she might have done otherwise. It's certainly not anything that he'd consider usual, but it is distinctly chilly outside. And while the fire is nice, if Beverly should want to seek out a little more warmth besides, far be it for him to stop her.

"Not in the least. In fact, I'd been hoping that someone else might find it welcome."

It's perhaps a shame that it might not be enough to warm the whole of the house, but at the very least it can provide some counter to the chill outside, and that's enough for him.

"You're welcome to some of the blanket as well, if you'd like."

Beverly tucks her feet up under her, hesitating visibly at the offer of the blanket. Not because she's uncomfortable being this close to Jean-Luc. Well, a part of her is for a variety of reasons ranging from their feelings for each other to their shared history. This time, her hesitation is more because she feels a little too comfortable around him in such a personal and intimate position. It would be far too easy to simply lean against him for warmth and ignore all of their previous difficulties. In the end, the temperature of the house proves far too low for her reservations to hold out and so she scoots closer, slipping the blanket over herself as she does so.

"I'd share my scarf, but it doesn't have the same sort of reach," she teases. Still, she unwraps it from her neck and drapes it around both of them so that one end hangs over her outside shoulder and the other over his. With that done, she shivers and buries her hands back under the blanket, unintentionally leaning a little more towards his body heat.

"I missed last year's winter and I wouldn't have minded missing this one. I'm not exactly looking forward to all this cold, if right now is any indication of how bad it'll be."

They have had their share of difficulties, it's true. For good reason, yes, and he's not about to push her for anything more than she feels up to. But even so he'd like to think that it being more than a little cold would be more than enough to loosen the boundaries of what is and isn't acceptable. Not that he wouldn't have accepted her decision if she'd chosen to not take him up on the offer of the blanket, but he can't deny that he doesn't enjoy the comfort of shared body heat when she slides in next to him under the blanket.

"Surely it's the thought that counts?"

And he's not about to complain in the slightest at her draping the other end of her scarf around his shoulder. It's not likely to make a significant difference in their endeavors to stay warm, but that doesn't mean it isn't a touching gesture all the same.

"And I would agree with that sentiment. Hopefully things won't be particularly dire, but either way this doesn't bode well."

If anything, her scarf will probably end up around his head rather than both of their necks, but for now, around their necks it is. If he gets too cold, she might have to root around for some hats in the Inn storage supply. Or if she gets too cold.

"No, it really doesn't. I think Wanda said there was snow last year, so I guess we should expect something similar this year."

A shiver courses violently down her spine and she curls up further into the blanket. With the temperature so cold, she decides to give up on propriety and whatever else. Wrapping the blanket more fully around herself, with her legs curled up under her, she tucks herself up against Jean-Luc, her head resting on his shoulder. Her heart beats wildly in her chest, but she does her best to ignore it. They are friends, best friends, who are desperately cold. Nothing more.

It's fine.

Hats are definitely going to be in his future, at least. And quite likely some gloves besides at the very least. But for the moment, the tea is doing an adequate job of keeping his hands warm, and he doesn't want to move, besides. Even if there is a part of him that can't help but feel that he should offer Beverly a cup of tea.

"Assuming that there aren't... extenuating circumstances, yes."

Extenuating circumstances here including the Observers deciding to shake things up a bit for one reason or another, but he figures that isn't something he needs to actually address. If the thought has crossed his mind surely it's crossed Beverly's, and in either case he doesn't much want to speak of the possibility. Not when they have no way of knowing whether or not the Observers are actively listening to their conversations.

"Although I have to admit it's been... some time since I last experienced a winter like this."

He says nothing about her burrowing closer, either. It's still perfectly reasonable given the weather. And if he should put his arm around her shoulders after a moment of consideration (and he does), it's nothing more than an effort to make sure they manage to conserve as much body heat as possible. Plus it's almost natural given the way her head his resting against his shoulder, and he doesn't think she'd have any objections.

Even if it is a more familiar gesture than is common between the two of them.

While they were on leave in various places waiting for the Enterprise-E to be built, they'd still had better heat and insulation than this. The village really is like being thrown into the past. Way back into the past and Beverly doesn't entirely think she likes it.

What she does like, all too well in fact, is being snuggled up so close to Jean-Luc. Everything about their current positions is far too familiar for their normal situations, but she can't bring herself to care too much. A part of her worries and wonders, of course, curious about whether their relationship will, or even can, change. Most of her wants to keep what they have and not risk changing anything. She's turned him down once before. So really, they have to remain friends. Nothing more. She doubts they can manage more, even now.

When he wraps his arm around her, that's when she knows they're in trouble. More specifically, that's when she knows she is in trouble. Mostly because she can't find the energy or desire to move or even to protest. Not at first, anyway. It takes a few seconds for her to register everything that accompanies that simple gesture and all the feelings involved, but eventually, she finally shifts her head to look at him, her expression a mixture of concern, hesitation, and nerves.

"Jean-Luc..."

Her voice, when she finally does speak, echoes the look on her face and she thinks it would be just their luck that when she's finally decided that they should probably talk about certain things, someone will choose to interrupt them.

Wanda didn't mind the cold. She was born and raised in a climate that was cold all year around and so, the cold didn't affect her the way it did others. In contrast, it made her hate the heatwave that had swept through the village a few months before.

She spent a large portion of the days collecting firewood. With the temperatures dropping they'd have to keep a fire running constantly in the house to keep the bed rooms bearable. She wanted to collect extra blankets for the two new additions to the house but there were only so many resources available to them.

As she walked inside and paused at the sight of the pair snuggling by the fire. She didn't want to interrupt but she had to get to the kitchen, which was on the other side of the room. Wanda didn't say anything but she did walk behind them towards the kitchen.

Like being thrown way back into the past or marooned on a pre-warp planet without any of the technology they're used to. Still, he has to admit that it's not a situation he's terribly fond of either. Especially not when it's not something that they've had any real choice in. And something with no immediately visible way out. But he has patience enough to spare, and sooner or later the Observers have to either make a mistake or otherwise tip their hands.

For the time being, however, those thoughts take a dim second place to the way he and Bev are cuddled up together. And the fact that it is as enjoyable as it is, even discounting the warmth they're sharing.

It isn't until she turns to look at him that it occurs to him that perhaps they actually should consider talking about certain things. Things that have perhaps been a long time coming, yes, but things that are suddenly proving to be surprisingly relevant, and he's just about to begin to answer the concern in her voice when all of a sudden they find themselves no longer precisely alone. Not that he pulls away from Beverly entirely - the fact that they're both curled up under the same blanket makes that a little awkward - but his posture tenses, almost, arm retreating a little bit from where it had been wrapped around Beverly's shoulder.

And for a moment, there's simply silence, as he's torn between doing the polite and saying hello to Wanda and simply pretending that nothing has happened.

She almost wishes he wouldn't pull away so suddenly, even though she feels more than a little awkward being caught like this. Almost like they're cadets being caught at the Academy doing something they likely shouldn't or one of Jean-Luc's cadet flings coming back to haunt both of them. A part of her wonders what it would be like if they were on the Enterprise, but then she remembers that they wouldn't need to be cuddled up like this. Not unless something very bad had happened to the ship and her crew.

Given the fact that she's got her legs curled up under her and a blanket tucked around both of them, she's hard-pressed to disentangle herself quickly. So she does her best to straighten up next to him without tugging the blanket off or overturning the cup in his other hand. She doesn't exactly uncurl or pull away; she just stops leaning so much on him.

For now.

Deciding to act as normally as possible and ignore the rather large elephant in the room, she offers a smile over her shoulder. "Hello, Wanda."

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