The last couple hours seemed to blur together. Mainly it was more him watching her gather her things to get ready for the trip to his cabin, as he already had everything on him. Settling into his seat in the vehicle was another matter. Mason was not used to sitting for long periods of time, and this was going to be a long ride. Knowing the general area of his cabin, he was able to give her side streets, but he was unsure just where it located on a map. However, he couldn't help but feel giddy about returning to his home in the mountains. He had gotten a late start on getting there this year, and it left him here. Summer months for him were spent high in altitude, avoiding the worst of the heat in the middle months. Late fall usually brought him back down, as the game in the area all migrate away. If there was a way he could figure out how to store meat longer without electricity, he would never show his face in the cities again. Living in solitude was his dream, but he had yet a way to accomplish that. And now here he was bringing a total stranger into his home. Glancing over at her, she seemed at ease driving for such a time, something he would never be accustom to. Driving was a skill that he never really practiced much. Sure he knew how to do it, but it made him uncomfortable that he was not every good at it.
'Hmm?' Realizing she had said something, he blinked and looked at her. 'Oh, um, maybe another hour or so...? The landscape looks familiar but I'm always on foot, hiking in. There's a dirt road, maybe 5 or 6 miles up that goes northwest, take that and we'll go as far as we can. If we are lucky it'll be clear all the way there, I don't think there were any major avalanches this last winter that would have knocked stuff down.' Rubbing the back of his neck in a relaxing manner, he realized his shoulders and lower back were feeling tight for having staying in a stationary position for so long. He hoped it wouldn't be more than what he had said. Even if he hadn't been stiff, this ride was still awkward on a personal level. There was nothing to talk about between the two of them. He couldn't even remember the last time he had to start a conversation with someone he didn't know. What was a decent question to ask in this situation? What was your childhood like? Yeah, that's a real good one. Letting a sigh out through his nose slowly, he figured silence was better than painful conversations. He propped his head on his hand, his forehead resting against the glass of the window. His eyes lazily followed trees as they passed, growing thicker the further drifted into the mountain. The road grew more less like a road and more like a game trail, his head jostling with every bump the tires hit. One hit just right and his head swung back and came forward to smack the glass with a little thud. 'Shit.' Rubbing the now red mark on his forehead, he turned his head back to the window, hoping that what just happened quickly faded from her attention. Just as he was gonna lean back in the seat, he spotted something outside against a tree. 'Hold on, stop the car!' Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Mason was already outside the door, heading toward what he had spotted.
Jogging over to the spot, a boyish grin spread across his face with what he observed. It was one of his little markers, showing him the edge of where his property was. Just a small board, nailed to a tree, with a design carved into it and painted. The paint was fading, but it was still a blue that stood out against the tree it was attached to. He looked over his shoulder while pointing to a spot and shouted at the woman still in the car. 'Swing your car between those two trees over there and park it! We're here!' With that, he disappeared through the woods, going toward what they had been searching for. Once he broke through the treeline, his eyes were met by a welcome site. There in the middle of a little meadow, was a small but sturdy cabin. The front was welcoming with a small walk around porch that housed a couple chairs. Mason went up the porch, pulling a key from a little notch in the outside wall, he popped open the door. His nose was hit with a musty scent of dust and stale air. The inside was small, but livable. In the corner there was a wood stove to provide cooking and heat when it got cooler, a small table with two chairs were set up next to it. Sweeping to the right of that was a doorway into a room that housed a cot where Mason slept and small chest for belongings and just to the right of that room was yet another room that housed a cot, however it was covered in few things Mason used regularly including a couple rifles and hides from his previous summer. He would have to clean the room for Arianna, but that could wait till a little later. Satisfied that things were still where they were supposed to be, he popped his head back out the front door. 'It's small, but it'll work for what we need. There's an outhouse around back a few yards away from here when you need it. And if you're willing to take a walk about a mile east of here, there are a few hot springs you can find for bathing and swimming... Hopefully you'll enjoy it here while you have to be here.' He gave a small smile at her, hoping she would enjoy it here as much as he did. There were many things to do to set up the place, but for now, he went and helped pull her things out of the car.
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