It's kind of weird to know he was missed. Okay, sure, like he knows Caboose missed him, but generally people don't give quite enough of a fuck for that to sink in. That he could be missed. But it's a nice thing to hear, and he smiles just so as he slides his arms easily around her. Woodsman warm.
"It sucked avoiding you. It sucked in general." And maybe that's why it's easy to forgive her. The thought still stings, for sure, but he also can't really blame her for her reaction. "Gimmie a couple minutes to pack this wood up and we can spend a little time warming up, yeah?"
"Yes." Her eyes lower in shame, because it was her poor reaction that caused this. She was the one who needed space to think, and he had had to steer clear of her (though perhaps part of him wished to after her words).
Seeing an opportunity to be useful, her eyes dart to the wood and back to him. "I will help you. It will go faster that way."
"Eager to make up for some lost time, huh?" Maybe that smile's gone a little cocky. He indicates a nearby cart to load up with his head, hefting up an armload of wood to stack. Just like a real burly woodsman!
"I appreciate it. Uh, not the wood. I mean, yes, the wood, thanks, but the--changing your mind about me. Not a lot of natives would, I think."
Christine takes up several pieces of wood herself, though not nearly as much as him and moves towards the cart, inclining her head a little along the way.
"Then they would be missing out, I should think. You can always lift my spirits and make me laugh. And in return, I hope I bring you happiness." He certainly smirks enough to make her think so.
"Eh, I'm used to being a giant asshole in a group. Just...y'know, they just kinda all appreciated my giant asshole role, y'know? I wonder if--" Wonder if they miss him. Besides Caboose. Wonder if there's a giant asshole hole now.
"Eh." Shake it off, Church, shake it off. "Point is, I'm glad I make you happy. And you make me happy. You definitely...definitely do that."
Setting the wood down, a quizzical look comes to her face before she guesses that perhaps he's thinking of that group of soldiers he served with; wondering what they're doing now, and wondering about him. She knows going home means his death, and knows that he knows it too. But she can understand if he's thinking about those people back there. She'll just have to make sure he continues to be happy here.
"Good." She dusts off her hands before considering their surroundings and stooping down to collect a handful of snow, which she starts forming into a ball. Her bare hands feel the sting, but she ignores it. "Do you know we met almost a year ago, here in this valley? There were stars above, a warm bonfire, and I believe I recall a snowball fight."
Better duck fast, Church. She's flinging a snowball at you now.
Hey, he made up a shanty to Araceli about those assholes back home. He can stand to miss them and wonder about them sometimes.
He sees the snowball getting made. Has it been a year, now? Yes, it must be a year. He'd spent more than that alone in that base before Wash and Caboose came along, and yet somehow being here has felt longer. Church ducks low and grabs for a handful of snow.
"That so?" Talk about your meet-cute. "I recall you looked a little damp from the snow you took." Like the snow he's gonna throw at her right back!
"Only because you cheated and threw a whole armload of snow at me!" she protests, quickly scooping up more snow and trying to kite around behind him to dump the snow down his back. That will show him! She still recalls what he did to her hair in that first snowball fight.
"I threw snow at you! That's not cheating; that's entirely within the made-up rules of snowball fiiiieeeeee that's fucking cold!" Church might be the big woodsman right now but Christine is smaller and flightier. And putting snow down his back. She'll now get to sit back, entertained by the dance of trying to get a hunk of snow out from the back of his shirt while making decidedly unmanly sounds. It's super attractive.
It's not attractive at all, but it is completely hilarious. Christine throws her cold, wet hands up over her cheeks, cackling with delight at Church's Dance of the Snowstruck. This, more than anything else, is what keeps her interested in Church. She's a practical, logical, overworked woman, and Church makes her dissolve into laughter like no other. He reminds her to not be so serious all the time. He reminds her -- now that she knows his origins, even more so -- that life has so many facets that need to be enjoyed. It isn't always just about survival.
"Here, here," she says through her laughter, rushing over to shake his shirt to help get the snow out. "You silly man." It's said fondly and she's grinning up at him when she's done helping.
Her laughter is a way to get them back to good. To where they were before she asked, and before he tried to explain. It's going to hang there out in the open between them until they might address it again, but it's not in the way right now. They can throw snow and laugh. Or yelp in an unmanly way and dance around, y'know, to each their own.
"Silly?" he huffs out more out of being able to breathe than actually huffing petulantly. "I can show you silly. C'mere." He scoops her up, and it's not the easiest move to muster, because there have ever been a total of two women in Blood Gulch like...ever, and if you think Tex would ever allow the likes of him to get swooped up bridal style, hahaha. But he manages it! Because him manly apeman, ook.
He might also be looking for the nearest snow drift. For no reason. No reason at all. Totally not to try and dump her in.
She lets out a surprised shriek when she's swept up, but throws back her head and laughs at him... until she realizes that he's not moving towards the path back to Skyhold, but into heavier snow. Then she grips tightly to his shoulder, eyes wide.
"Do not drop me, Church, or I shall never forgive you!"
"What was that?" He pretends like his grip is going, letting her slip juuust a little. "Oh, sorry, my hands are cold. Did you say drop you? Right here into this big old snowpile? Are you suuuure about that?" Yes, he is an ass, remember how your not-boyfriend is an ass?
He is losing so many points right now. She scrambles to tighten her hold, imagining how wet and freezing she'll be if she ends up dropped into a snowbank.
"No! I swear we will never have sex again and I was going to bake you a pie as a present too, but you can forget it all if you drop meeeee!" The end comes out as an uncharacteristic squeal, because she is desperate to not be covered in snow.
"Alas and alack! The lady's words wound me so." Church you have never acted in a Shakespearean play. Don't do this. "Oh, swoon! Fetch the smelling salts!" He spins ever so dramatically, and he doesn't drop her. Technically speaking. He'll take the fall for her, falling backwards as if mortally wounded, right into the bank, laughing all the way. And taking Christine with him.
Since there is no Shakespeare in Thedas, he ends up sounding like an overdramatic minstrel to her. Just as she's about to question him and why he's talking this way, her head spins and her equilibrium is thrown off kilter as they go down. She lets out a shriek of surprise on the way down before looking him over and laughing.
"Church! Now you are going to be freezing! I suppose you will have to come into my tent so I may wrap you up in furs and make you hot tea." She finishes the statement with a quick kiss, before repeating her previous statement.
It's cold, sure, but he's laughing the whole way. "I suppose that sounds like a good way to pass the time getting warm." No no come back here he's gonna pull her down for another kiss. "We could also take a dip in the hot springs and get cozy warm and then drink tea and get in your tent of furs." And another smooch for good measure. "We've got options."
"Hmm, I seem to recall you trying to get me in the hot springs before." When he was awkwardly trying to flirt and failing so very hard at it. It was their first meeting, and all he had achieved was confusing her because she thought he was telling her she smelled. How her opinion of him has changed since then.
The stillness surrounding them as snow gently drifts down isn't something she's keen to leave, but the thought of steaming water and being cozy wins out and she nods, pressing a hand to his chest in order to push herself up. "All right. Let's do that."
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"It sucked avoiding you. It sucked in general." And maybe that's why it's easy to forgive her. The thought still stings, for sure, but he also can't really blame her for her reaction. "Gimmie a couple minutes to pack this wood up and we can spend a little time warming up, yeah?"
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Seeing an opportunity to be useful, her eyes dart to the wood and back to him. "I will help you. It will go faster that way."
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"I appreciate it. Uh, not the wood. I mean, yes, the wood, thanks, but the--changing your mind about me. Not a lot of natives would, I think."
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"Then they would be missing out, I should think. You can always lift my spirits and make me laugh. And in return, I hope I bring you happiness." He certainly smirks enough to make her think so.
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"Eh." Shake it off, Church, shake it off. "Point is, I'm glad I make you happy. And you make me happy. You definitely...definitely do that."
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"Good." She dusts off her hands before considering their surroundings and stooping down to collect a handful of snow, which she starts forming into a ball. Her bare hands feel the sting, but she ignores it. "Do you know we met almost a year ago, here in this valley? There were stars above, a warm bonfire, and I believe I recall a snowball fight."
Better duck fast, Church. She's flinging a snowball at you now.
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He sees the snowball getting made. Has it been a year, now? Yes, it must be a year. He'd spent more than that alone in that base before Wash and Caboose came along, and yet somehow being here has felt longer. Church ducks low and grabs for a handful of snow.
"That so?" Talk about your meet-cute. "I recall you looked a little damp from the snow you took." Like the snow he's gonna throw at her right back!
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"Here, here," she says through her laughter, rushing over to shake his shirt to help get the snow out. "You silly man." It's said fondly and she's grinning up at him when she's done helping.
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"Silly?" he huffs out more out of being able to breathe than actually huffing petulantly. "I can show you silly. C'mere." He scoops her up, and it's not the easiest move to muster, because there have ever been a total of two women in Blood Gulch like...ever, and if you think Tex would ever allow the likes of him to get swooped up bridal style, hahaha. But he manages it! Because him manly apeman, ook.
He might also be looking for the nearest snow drift. For no reason. No reason at all. Totally not to try and dump her in.
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"Do not drop me, Church, or I shall never forgive you!"
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"No! I swear we will never have sex again and I was going to bake you a pie as a present too, but you can forget it all if you drop meeeee!" The end comes out as an uncharacteristic squeal, because she is desperate to not be covered in snow.
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"Church! Now you are going to be freezing! I suppose you will have to come into my tent so I may wrap you up in furs and make you hot tea." She finishes the statement with a quick kiss, before repeating her previous statement.
"Silly man."
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The stillness surrounding them as snow gently drifts down isn't something she's keen to leave, but the thought of steaming water and being cozy wins out and she nods, pressing a hand to his chest in order to push herself up. "All right. Let's do that."