these violent delights [have violent ends]

[Frenzi™]

Her eyes glittered at his comment about telling her about Russia, but she let it off for the moment, hoping he would be okay. She glanced towards the bench as they neared it, and it seemed so very far away. Ana's eyes turned cloudy for a moment while she stared at it, making sure they were getting closer and closer. Without even trying to, she noticed the pain in his voice, and it was obviously clear. "But?" she asked, not really knowing why he broke off, though she guessed it was from the pain in his leg. "You must be very happy then. You haven't really stopped smiling this whole time," Ana offered, hoping to cheer him up a bit, or maybe play tricks with his mind to make him think he was happy, even through the obvious pain.

She just simply nodded her head about giving him a minute, though she desperately wanted to be some more help. Seeing him, anyone for that matter, in this much pain, was tearing at her heart-strings. She carefully guided him onto the bench, and then when he had gotten settled, she sat down, giving him plenty of room, for she didn't take up that much space to begin with. "So, tell me about Russia?" she offered, giving him a smile.

- >.> Fine... tis finsihed, so it be small and crappity. -

[Forte!]

He looked up at her as she asked him why he had cut off, and shook his head in silence. "I don't really want to talk about it," he said, "you met the man, you know what he is like." He looked up at the ceiling for a long moment, still grinding his teeth together to distract himself from his leg. He gave her an odd look at her next comment, but didn't choose to answer. It had been more like grimacing... not smiling, but, whatever. She made him smile. He leaned back even further, closing his eyes and trying to feel out his leg and why it was suddenly hurting so badly, when it had only been that average pain - which he could barely live without, it seemed - before. He opened on blue eye and gave her a smile as she sat down next to him, glad for her presence. Somehow, he did not feel so bad about the car breaking down. It had turned out to be, actually, a good thing, perhaps. If this had happened while he was driving... he shuddered at the thought. He closed the eye again, content to just listen to her voice, for now.

Her demand didn't surprise him - he had caught just how interested she was about his home country. Too bad he didn't have much to tell her - he did not want to touch on the subject of his family, by any means. It had always been a tender subject, for him, one that he didn't particularly like to speak of. "Russia... What can I say? I love Russia," he murmured, opening his eyes again and staring at the far wall. "It's cold... and there aren't enough of anything, and Rotterdam is sad place for a kid, but I love it anyway. People... are different. Even in this weather, women don't go around wearing pants ,and even in the rare sunlight men do not ever wear shorts..." he paused for a moment, as if recalling, and looked back at her, "the babushkas... the elders... are fierce old ladies who are more scrappy than you, and if you do something the slightest bit wrong, they will let you know. And men walk around everywhere with flowers, we like to give people flowers... a lot..." He tapered off, suddenly at a loss for what to say next.

[Frenzi™]

She caught the lack of interest, even before he started talking. "Okay, that's fine," Ana said, nodding her head, "you need not say more." Her head tilted to the side as he closed his eyes and leaned back, and then, the little peek of the bright blue eye, and the smile. Ana's own smile lit up her face, though it was much smaller than a grin. Who couldn't smile at Dmitri? He was clearly trying so much, possibly to keep the pain away, or just to be happy, Illiana wasn't sure, but he was. When he shuddered, she looked at him curiously, but decided against asking him if he was okay. That could easily get old. Then the bright blue eye closed, and she sat, listening to her voice echo and then die out in the barn.

She sat in silence as he spoke, marveling at everything he said, and quite grateful as he explained the different terms that he used. Ana continued to sit as he spoke, his voice weaving the picture right before her eyes, as if she was there. Cranky old ladies walking around, ladies in skirts, and the like. "No pants? What did girls wear? Dresses and skirts all the time?" she asked, disliking the idea immediately. She felt most comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt, unless it was warmer weather, then jean shorts and possibly a tank top. "And no guys wearing shorts? Huh..." Russia started to sound like one of those places that was beyond interesting to learn about, but honestly the customs were very different from those in Australia or the United States.

"Awwww. Guys with flowers! Who do they give the flowers to?" she asked, quite curious, her eyes bright. "Are there certain foods there? Or certain like... places of worship? Do they have horse stables?" Ana asked, tossing questions at him randomly, and then remembering to slow down. "Sorry," she giggled, her cheeks still slightly flushed from the outside cold. "Wait, what do you mean by, more scrappy than you?" Ana asked curiously, turning her head slightly to the side and narrowing her eyes. She really wasn't sure whether if that was a compliment to her, or not, so she asked, hoping she'd get an answer.

[Forte!]

He gave her a grateful nod at the dismissal of the subject of Ivan. Then, with a sigh, he looked down at his leg, hanging limply by the other one now. The muscle, or whatever had been wound so tight, seemed to have loosened considerably now, in the warmth, and the worry lines creasing his brow disappeared as he leaned back, relieved. He didn't speak for a while, listening as she raved, obviously enjoying his company and his stories about Russia. Clearly, this girl hadn't lived in Australia long - she seemed thoroughly American, as far as he could tell. Except for the accent, that was, bu Dmitri liked the accent. It sounded like birds in the wood... flitting, running together in strange places and flowing as happily as a stream through the air, winding warmly through the already warmed barn.

He hadn't looked at her much as he spoke, but when he did he was enraptured by the strict attention she was paying his words. He wasn't sure why - perhaps she was just untangling his strange accent. But she had liked the accent, so he wouldn't endeavor to do anything about it. "Yes. And most men walk around in something that you might wear to work... not at a barn, of course," he said with a half-grin. He was surprised at how strange the idea was for an American, almost every European culture was similar in that way, "It's always cold, anyway. no one would ever want to wear shorts." He said, eyes now fixed on her face as she spoke, lines of amusement crinkling his blue eyes. Ana was a funny girl - he liked her.

"Anytime a girl invites you anywhere, you bring flowers," he said in earnest. the Russian were extremely fond of flowers - it was considered common courtesy between men and women. "Only odd numbers, though. Even numbers mean you are going to a funeral." He chuckled as she bombarded him with questions, which he would have answered then except for her next question, "Oh, they are more scrappy than anyone. And they don't fight fair," he replied jovially, quite enjoying talking to her at this point. Though he felt like he was doing most of the talking, which made him slightly uncomfortable, "As for food... we like beet soup, borshch, and caviar... We call it ikra. People go crazy about caviar. And mostly everyone is Russian Orthodox, so a lot of churches. Yes, we have horse stables. If not, I would not be here."

[Frenzi™]

Illiana listened as he sighed, but her mind had now traveled elsewhere for the moment. She honestly wanted to know more about Ivan, and how Bartok came to be hurt with such a serious injury, but she knew from the way he wanted to brush off the subject before that it wasn't a good idea to touch on it again. From somewhere, possibly from the silence and the swift glance at the massive stallion, she could somehow picture the scene. The thundering hooves, the thrill of the chase, though she wasn't sure who was actually radiating the excitement, and then the soft whoosh as the ground flew by. Ana glanced again at Bartok, but didn't seem to actually see him. Then, the frightened scream, and a large thump, that made her literally jump a bit from the bench. It was obvious she was shaken, but Ana said nothing, just turned back to Dmitri and tried to listen again.

"Like, fancy work? Or... just normal clothes?" she asked, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. "Hm." was all Ana said to no one really wanting to wear shorts because of the cold. If this was about how cold it always was in Russia, she would heartily agree. No shorts. But not wearing shorts at all would get kind of annoying. "Awww, flowers? Thats so sweet!" she said, still trying to dismiss the scene she had witnessed and the shakiness that continued to creep into her voice. "So, who died?" Ana asked, trying to smile again. His comment was just so wide open for the corny joke she couldn't help herself. Besides, it was funny, in a lightly-twisted sort of way.

"Dmitri!" she exclaimed, "You fought an old lady? Thats messed up!" Ana laughed, really enjoying talking to Dmitri. Never, ever in her life, had learning about a new country been this fun. Of course she had tried to learn about the United States, but since they weren't really that different from Australia, and she was only about two or three when she moved, Ana didn't really learn anything or notice. "Caviar!" Ana exclaimed, looking at him again, "Oh... I guess Caviar is Russian... though I thought it was Sweedish or something like that? That makes sence." Illiana finished, replying to the comment about the barns. She looked up for a brief moment and a single speck of a snowflake was floating down from the top of the barn, but she dismissed it, until the roaring came. "What the?"

[Forte!]

Dmitri jumped a little when she did, stunned by the sudden break of calm. His eyes were wide, worried, wondering why she had suddenly freaked out like that. "What is wrong?" he asked, concern showing through his normally stonewalled face. But, he soon dismissed it as he saw her face brighten again. That brief moment of terror had seized his heartstrings, as it would have done with probably anyone, he thought. Then, he turned his attention back to her words, listening intently to her questions and still reveling in her curiosity. He was glad to have someone just sit and listen, and talk in a quiet voice that sounded of music. It made him happy, and he was, despite becoming rather gloomy sometimes, generally a man who liked to be happy. He grinned again, though not so wide this time, focused rather than nervous in her presence. It took him a little while to get like this.

"Eh... A bit fancy? I do not know, I am no American," he was honestly clueless about what people here wore to work and the varying degrees of formality of their outfit. It had been easier in Russia, where he had learned them as a rote, though now he was severely reframing his mind, trying to catch up to the extraordinarily fast culture of America. "I will bring you some, some time," he said with a chuckle as she raved about the flowers. Few Russian women would have called it 'sweet', it was considered so commonplace that it was hardly a romantic act. Confusion seeped across his brow at her joke, not at all understanding what she meant. His head went to one side slowly, like a pendulum, and stayed there. He looked rather like a confused puppy, although telling him so probably would have made him turn as red as a beet. "What?"

He cringed when she shouted her name, reeling away from a blow that never came. Loud voices were always angry ones, in Russia. But he sat back up as soon as she finished her question, looking sheepish. "It would be more appropriate to say that an old lady fought me. Honestly, the one time I neglect to wear a hat in Winter..." He grinned at her comment about caviar, "it is Swedish. We just stole it from them." He watched the snowflake as it floated to the ground, light as a feather, and was thus even more stunned when the roaring noise began. He sprang up quicker than would have been thought possible, cursing - rather loudly - in Russian. He knew that noise! And it shouldn't be here, now... A blizzard at this time? "Blizzard," he said, sitting back down, every nerve on edge.

[Frenzi™]

She blushed a little bit when he jumped, knowing it was because of her. "Um... nothing's wrong..." Ana trailed off, really not wanting to bring up the subject. She would leave that question for later, so she pushed it out of her mind for the moment. Illiana let out a soft sigh, just wondering. She had so many questions that were left unanswered, but not being the one to push on touchy subjects, she had to let them off to the wind. She felt the corners of her own mouth twitch upwards when Dmitri grinned. It was just so funny to compare the different Dmitri's as they showed up. And, what was even better, it was entertaining in the little silence moments. As long as Ana didn't burst out in random laughter, there was nothing the matter.

"Well, fancy like... a dress, or just normal working clothes? Jeans and a shirt, and in their case I guess a jacket?" Ana tried to explain, but was afraid her words were lost in another howl of wind. Now her eyes turned back up towards the top of the barn, but no more snowflakes were drifting down, just the normal top. "Really?" she asked, though her attention was still caught slightly on the howling wind outside. Even Impulse had started to shuffle around in her stall. "Oh. You said if there were an even number it meant they were going to a funeral. So I asked who died." Ana answered, averting her gaze back towards Dmitri, with some effort. The wind was really starting to worry her. Her eyes danced again at his completely confused expression, but she didn't say anything about it, afraid that if she opened her mouth too soon she would burst out in laughter.

"So, let me get this straight," Ana said, taking a deep breath and regaining her composure. "An old lady beat you up because you didn't wear a hat?" And then there was that awesome grin again that would lift anyone's mood. "It's a blizzard?" she asked, confused. She had really only lived out here for no more than a year or two, and in this particular part, less than a year. The only blizzard she had ever seen was on the news or on TV. Or a couple of the movies she had watched with her aunt, but those were mostly with animals who had thick winter coats. "Is this... a bad thing?" she asked, quite worried at his startled reaction.

[Frenzi™]

She blushed a little bit when he jumped, knowing it was because of her. "Um... nothing's wrong..." Ana trailed off, really not wanting to bring up the subject. She would leave that question for later, so she pushed it out of her mind for the moment. Illiana let out a soft sigh, just wondering. She had so many questions that were left unanswered, but not being the one to push on touchy subjects, she had to let them off to the wind. She felt the corners of her own mouth twitch upwards when Dmitri grinned. It was just so funny to compare the different Dmitri's as they showed up. And, what was even better, it was entertaining in the little silence moments. As long as Ana didn't burst out in random laughter, there was nothing the matter.

"Well, fancy like... a dress, or just normal working clothes? Jeans and a shirt, and in their case I guess a jacket?" Ana tried to explain, but was afraid her words were lost in another howl of wind. Now her eyes turned back up towards the top of the barn, but no more snowflakes were drifting down, just the normal top. "Really?" she asked, though her attention was still caught slightly on the howling wind outside. Even Impulse had started to shuffle around in her stall. "Oh. You said if there were an even number it meant they were going to a funeral. So I asked who died." Ana answered, averting her gaze back towards Dmitri, with some effort. The wind was really starting to worry her. Her eyes danced again at his completely confused expression, but she didn't say anything about it, afraid that if she opened her mouth too soon she would burst out in laughter.

"So, let me get this straight," Ana said, taking a deep breath and regaining her composure. "An old lady beat you up because you didn't wear a hat?" And then there was that awesome grin again that would lift anyone's mood. "It's a blizzard?" she asked, confused. She had really only lived out here for no more than a year or two, and in this particular part, less than a year. The only blizzard she had ever seen was on the news or on TV. Or a couple of the movies she had watched with her aunt, but those were mostly with animals who had thick winter coats. "Is this... a bad thing?" she asked, quite worried at his startled reaction.

[Forte!]

He rose an eyebrow, curious, but dropped the subject when she didn't want to talk about it. He understood that, he knew that, and he would leave it be despite the red tint creeping up her face. Besides, he was preoccupied by the worrying howl of the wind. The truck was out there - surely going to be battered by snow and whatever else was going on. Ivan was going to kill him when he got back, but that wasn't even what Dmitri was focused on. No - the main problem was if he was going to get out of here at all, and if so, when. He had known blizzards to last days, though sometimes barely an hour. All the same, it would take a while to get out of the barn, much less off of the property. Sometimes it took a week for snow to be cleared in rural areas, at least in Russia. But, nonetheless, Dmitri was happy to let fate play out, and learn these things later.

"Oh... Well, girls always wear dresses or skirts. But men usually wear... I don't know how you would say it, but shirts with buttons," he hoped that he had understood well enough to explain, usually he was really bad about that. Particularly when he was so worried in general. He was still on the jump - if hail was to come with the blizzard it could have disastrous results to the barn, and even the wind might rip at the tiles. But... so far it seemed like it was merely snow and wind, not anything fierce or destructive. "Yes," he replied to her question, but her explanation of the joke confused him even further, and he decided to simply drop it with a sigh and a shake of the head. He probably wouldn't ever stand things like that - like an English-speaker wouldn't understand the small jokes of Russia.

"I think that you think that it was more dramatic than it was," Dmitri said, stumbling over the sentence as he always did when he was worried, his English getting progressively sluggish with his rising heartbeat. He looked back at her grimly, nodding in silence, "Yes, a blizzard," he paused, looking up carefully at the ceiling of the barn. Luckily, no wayward snowdrift had managed to fall through the roof and freeze them to death. He looked around in silence, as if checking. Bartok was restless, nickering quietly. He, too, knew of blizzards, though only by the strange danger, the terror that came with this horrible wind. Dmitri looked away at him, before turning back to look at Ana again, "Bad? Sometimes." he murmured. And that was true.

[Frenzi™]

She was quite grateful that Dmitri dropped the subject, yet the sigh still escaped from her lips. Ana knew close to nothing about blizzards... though if they were anything like tornadoes, she would probably freak. Tornadoes were on the top of the 'most-hated-weather-list' of hers, right above the always-frightening thunder storms. At least neither of those were occuring, though the howling wind was roaring like a train that was headed straight for the barn. The worry was quite clear in her eyes, and she didn't even bother to try and cover it up. They could be in here for a while, that much she knew, or the wind could just be tossing the snow flakes around, and not leaving any time between the roaring gusts for them to settle. It was that case, she hoped, just because the fact of getting stuck in a barn wasn't on her to-do list.

When Dmitri started talking again, Illiana let out a sigh of relief, happy to be distracted. "Well... that wouldn't be absolutely horrible, though here I think it would get old. You can't do much in a dress... here anyway. Oh, for the men, do you mean polo shirts? The ones with the collars?" she asked, not really caring if she was rambling on or not. When he didn't reply to the explanation of her corny joke, she too, let it drop, even though his face before had beens so funny. No need to annoy him at this point in time. Ana's eyes slid over to Impulse and then Bartok, but they didn't seem too freaked out. Possibly a little bit worried, as Bartok kept shuffling around, but Impulse was just watching him and listening with a flick of her auds.

She furrowed her brow when he tried to speak out the sentence, though it took her a little while to figure it out. Though she let it drop, not really wanting to put him on the hot seat for getting beat up by an old lady, no matter how hilarious it might be. Ana continued to listen as he answered her questions about the blizzard, and her suspicions were confirmed. "Um... are we going to be able to get out of here? Will your truck be okay?" she added as an after-thought, the concern on her face quite clear.

- >.> Sorry! Just woke up. =D -

[Forte!]

"I hate blizzards," he murmured suddenly, under his breath. He hated the cold - and long days shoveling snow were not exactly his favorite things. "But at least I don't hate being trapped here with you." He genuinely preferred her company to Ivan's - though he preferred most anyone to him, but nonetheless the statement just kind of slipped out. It was a lot less guarded than anything else he was likely to say, honestly. And he did like Ana - she was extremely easy to get along with. Plus, she didn't seem to be bad at deciphering his occasionally mixed up sentences, which made him a whole lot more comfortable. They could be trapped in here for hours, so he was glad to be with someone who he could stand. Again, he shuddered as he thought what would have happened if he had been driving back to Bar None during this whole ordeal. Likely he wouldn't have lasted long. "I guess it is good that I am here instead of out there." He said, distracted.

He shook his head silently at her statement, still watching the roof. But the horses seemed to be calm, at least. Someone had told him that horses could sense when the weather was going to be bad for them, and that when they did they would do anything to escape it. But Impulse and Bartok didn't seem to be freaking out, and that was a comfort, if a small one. "Not polos. Shirts with... collars... Sometimes stripes? They are cotton, I think, usually. Or... polyester?" His English was still deteriorating, but he relaxed a little bit. Nothing had ripped through the roof yet, and none of the shingles seemed to be ripping off. There was a very distinct sound when they did so. Dmitri turned his eyes to the black form of the mare in the stall opposite Bartok's. He recognized the Arabian dished face immediately. "Is she yours?" He asked, curious, gesturing with his hand at the mare.

He chuckled a little bit when he looked over at her face, painted over with such an overwhelming amount of concern that it was almost worrying. "We will get out of here eventually, at least... Do not fret too much, I' m good at tunneling through snow," he assured her, "as for the truck, the only problem is that its not really mine, but I will live." He shrugged a bit, belying his nervousness about the weather. Then, he looked thoughtful for a moment. "You would not happen to have a weather radio in here, by chance?" he asked. Most barns had some emergency supplies in the office or a tack room, at least in Russia. He didn't know about America, but it seemed a sensible enough question to ask.

[Frenzi™]

"Hm?" Ana asked, not catching what he muttered, but knowing he had said something. "But at least I don't hate being trapped here with you." Those words took a moment to sink in, but when they did, a blush crept into her cheeks, and with an absent-minded gesture, she pushed a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her face. "Thanks." she said, biting her bottom lip afterwards, afraid she would smile way too broadly. As an after-thought Ana turned her face away, giving herself the time for the blush to creep away from her face, though no doubt there was still a faint pink-ness to her cheeks. That was true, she was quite glad to be stuck in the barn with Dmitri. For all she knew, they might not even be stuck, but risking opening the doors wasn't really a good idea. The frigid air would suck up the warm air immediately, and how much the cold pained Dmitri, it wasn't a good idea. "Yeah... that would've been bad." Ana agreed, turning back towards him again.

Illiana listened again as he started talking again, and she rose an eyebrow. "I'm not quite sure what that would be like here then, sorry." Ana said. The closest thing she could think of would be the polo shirts. The ones with the three or four buttons down the front, but the opening, and then the collar that could flip up or down, but that's all that she could remember. Ana followed Dmitri's hand as he gestured towards Impulse and asked the question. "Impulse? Yeah, she's mine." Ana said, though there was a hint of almost familiarity in the way Dmitri spoke. "Do you know her from somewhere?" she asked curiously. "I wouldn't want you tunneling through snow! It'd be freezing, besides, can it really get that bad? Piling up behind the door that high, I mean?" Ana asked, though the worry was seeping into her voice again.

When he answered her question about the truck, she asked, "Oh... are you sure the owner'll be fine?" The joke was in her voice, but after she said it, she flung her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. If Ivan was the owner of it... and it got damaged... the question was simply ironic... "Sorry!" she said through her hands, still over her mouth. Weather radio... weather radio... Her hands dropped from her mouth back onto the bench as she looked around, trying to remember if Roxy even owner a weather radio. Though, she must.... AH! Her gaze averted immediately to the other end of the barn, where a small box sat on a shelf. "There!" she exclaimed, and in a fluid movement she rose from the bench and ran to the other side of the barn, opened the box, snatched the radio and ran back, holding it out with a bright smile on her face. "Is this a weather radio?" she asked hopefully.

[Forte!]

Dmitri looked back at her as she spoke, head going to the side as he caught a glimpse of the pinkish tint that was eking its way up her cheeks. What had he said? He was honestly confused, so he wrote it off as her being lost in her own little world again when she turned her face away. With a shrug, he didn't press the matter, and began eying the roof again warily. He was reasonably satisfied that it wasn't about to come down in his head, so he looked back at her as she spoke again, his eyes glittering with sincere interest. "Yes," he agreed again, not having much to say and distracted on top of it. He was still not quite liking this weather, the roaring wind, that chill that could be felt even barely above the heated barn. He folded his arms across his chest, like a child hiding away from the harsh world. "But I suppose it would have been better had there been no blizzard in the first place."

"I think you do. I must not be explaining it right..." he murmured. His English was improving again as his heart rate slowed, and for once he felt relatively intelligible. Suddenly, he seemed to decide on the appropriate way to say what he'd been trying to say, "like the ones in showjumping, but no second collar." he explained hastily, hoping to salvage his sinking ship of grammar and fluency. His worry lines creased again at Ana's next question, and he looked back at Impulse. Of course he didn't know the mare - what did he say this time? He rose an eyebrow. "No..." he replied simply, "she is very beautiful, though." He admired the dark dished face, drowned out by the shadows cast by the stall, for a bit longer, listening to Ana as she spoke again. "I will if we need to, though. I hope it will not be that bad." He was almost playing with her now, she seemed so worked up about the whole thing.

He sat up, looking stunned, at her joke and subsequent reaction to that joke. He'd gotten it this time, amazingly, and even if it wasn't that funny the fact that he understood was pretty good. He chuckled in response to her reaction, raising an eyebrow again. "Even if he is not, there is nothing he can do about it." he replied jovially enough, sensing that she was actually really worried now instead of just joking. Dmitri had long ago stopped being so afraid of Ivan that he could barely move in his presence or even out of it, now only the former haunted him. Ivan was the sort of man who would knock him off his feet or make him strip stalls regardless of how much trouble he had with it. He watched with a slightly amused smile as she rushed around looking for a weather radio, and took it from her when she came back, still grinning rather broadly. "Yes, it is." he murmured, turning it on and waiting for a few moments as it came to life...

[Frenzi™]

- Sorry for any typos. Not really able to see -

Before Ana had completely turned her head away, out of the corner of her eye she saw Dmitri tilt his head to the side, as if confused, though there was a sort of knowing-look to his face. Ana was quite horrified for a moment that he knew why she was blushing, but then after a moment, her thoughts cleared, and she realized that he wouldn't have noticed the blush... or so she told herself. She turned back and he was staring up at the roof intently, as if trying to convince himself of something... perhaps no more snow was going to come through? Or... the truck wasn't damaged? Or the barn wasn't going to collapse? Ana could only guess. His soft yes was drowned out by the howling wind, so she didn't hear that, but his sentence she did hear. "Yah... but maybe it's a blizzard that comes at the end of winter? And Spring's coming soon?" she replied hopefully, really starting not to like the Winter anymore.

"I think you're explaining it fine... I think we just have different ideas." Ana said, shrugging lightly, seriously trying to picture the shirt in some other way than a polo. Everything he said pretty much matched up to what the polo looked like, but when his next comment about the riding shirt, she exclaimed. "OH! I know what you're talking about!" Ana said, not mentioning that she had seen it on the internet. "Thank you," she replied. "I have no clue why I asked you if you knew her from somewhere," Ana commented, just now realizing the questioning in his tone. "You wouldn't be tunneling out in the snow, even if we did get stuck in here. If anything, I would." she said, quite firmly. The pain in Dmtiri's face when he was simply walking through the cold was easily seen, to imagine him surrounded by the mounds of snow, it was unbearable.

Ana smiled as he didn't take offense or get guarded on her comment about Ivan. The one where she didn' t think at all. "Oh? Is that so Mr. Dmitri?" Ana joked, "You have the big bad wolf all scared of you? Or possibly because he just wants to bow down to your surperiority? Or because he knows you could take him down in one hit?" All of these she said loud enough to be heard over the roaring wind, though the just kidding tone was still there, hiding in plain sight. She brought him back the radio, and he then took it. There was a harsh silence as the signal died in and out, and then, with a loud crackling sound that earned a sharp whinny from Impulse, it sprang to life, the voices a little hazy, but still able to be made out.

[/blockquote]

[Forte!]

Dmitri bit his tongue to keep from laughing at the look that Ana had on her face when she turned back towards him. Nonetheless, the edges of his mouth curled slightly, and he ended up looking rather like a toad as he tried not to look overly amused. He listened to her words in silence, with a nod, "It does not sound like it wants to kill us. It might die down soon." Even as he said it the wind seemed to stop roaring some and fade into a rumbling growl, punctuated by a small flurry of hailstones hitting the gutter. Dmitri winced at the sound, but they didn't sound huge, and weren't crashing through anything, which was terribly reassuring. Then, the hail stopped, as well, and the only thing that was left was the growling wind and, no doubt, blinding snow. Dmitri sighed, relieved, and looked over at Bartok. The stallion, who had been snorting restlessly and moving about for the past two minutes, halted suddenly and poked a massive muzzle above the stall door, wide blaze showing as he let out a long whinny.

Dmitri looked over at the stallion and murmured something incomprehensible, although it sounded like English. Bartok swung his wide head around to stare at the humans, snorting loudly and tossing his mane. He seemed to think that he'd been left alone too long at this point. "Hey, buddy," Dmitri murmured, listening to Ana even as he spoke, before hobbling over to the stallion and scratching him behind a gargantuan ear. "Good. You know what I am talking about, then. It is like that," he said with a grin in her direction, as Bartok began nuzzling around in his pockets for treats, which Dmitri had fed him all earlier. Dmitri shrugged off the whole Impulse thing, looking at the mare over his shoulder, which was currently occupied by Bartok's chin. The draft was nipping at his shirt and managing to get drool all over his shoulder at the same time. "You could try," Dmitri said with a quiet chuckle, "but I would do it anyway." He was just that sort of person, honestly.

He left Bartok to go back and listen to the radio, his paces still slow but considerably more loose and less tense now that he was warm. Sitting back down, he fiddled with the dials of the radio until the faint voices became loud enough to hear, chuckling at Ana's comments, "No. I figure that if it is done, it is done. The worst he can do is fire me, after all." Not like that would be taken lightly, of course. If Dmitri got fired from Bar None, he would have absolutely nowhere to go. He turned back to the radio again, which had come to life fully now, probably never having been used before. 'There is still a blizzard advisory for the following counties..." here it listed several areas, including the one that they were in, 'we advise that everyone get inside immediately... This will last until 5 o' clock, stay tuned for further updates...' after that it began listing blizzard precautions, as Dmitri looked around for a clock, finally spotting one. It read 4:32, so they had almost half an hour to go, which wasn't bad at all.