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section7mfu “This is the greatest feeling in the world!”
The icy wind blew in Illya’s face as he removed his goggles and glanced around at the brilliant whiteness. The sky was a brilliant blue, the sun shone down bright and yellow on Illya’s bare head, and the icy snow beneath his skis excited him in a way he hadn’t felt for a long time.
“Aren’t you cold, Illya?”
Illya glanced at his friend, the excitement and exuberance making him grin broadly, in a way he never did at work. Napoleon was thickly covered in thick layers of clothing, without a hint of pink skin to be seen anywhere. Illya shook his head.
“You must be melting under all that clothing, my friend.”
Napoleon’s only concession was raising his goggles on to his forehead, showing his eyes peering at Illya and squinting as the sun reflected harshly off the white snow.
“Rather too warm than too cold. Do you really come out here and do this for fun?”
Illya laughed.
“I take it you have never been skiing before?”
“Never by choice.”
“Have you been on skis before?”
“Why would I want to do this Illya? Come to a place where the wind chill is thirty degrees below, and launch myself down a hill on two metal prongs?”
Illya clapped him on the shoulder.
“You’ve never been skiing before. You have no idea what you have been missing, my friend, and Lake Louise is one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever visited. I don’t understand why you don’t come here every February!”
“Illya, when I am up to my knees in snow in New York City, why on earth would I choose to come here where the snow is up to my armpits, and the cold is even colder? I would rather soak up some sun somewhere warm...nice beach, golden sun, pretty girl…”
Illya clapped him on the shoulder.
“Have no fear Napoleon. I will make a skier of you yet. You know how to ski on a flat surface, but going downhill is different…”
Napoleon turned worried eyes on his partner.
“You actually expect me to launch myself down this slope? It looks like a sheer drop!”
Illya shook his head, laughing.
“Napoleon what are you most afraid of?”
“What the hell do you think Illya? Falling on my backside and getting hurt!”
“Would you like me to give you the trick of not doing that?”
“I already know it, Illya. Stay at home.”
Illya smiled.
“The only way back down is on skis.”
“But we’re higher than the treetops!”
“Napoleon, Do you trust me?”
“With my life Illya, you know that.”
“And would it be in my own interest to get you killed or injured up here?”
Napoleon saw his point, but it did not help his rising feeling of dread. He looked at Illya’s face. Illya had removed his hat completely, along with his goggles, his blond hair blowing in the wind. Illya was completely sincere, Napoleon had no doubt of that; and he knew that skiing would likely have been a given where he came from, given the amount of snow they endured every winter. Illya definitely knew what he was doing, Napoleon had already seen that for himself. He really did trust his partner, and who knew when being able to ski downhill might be needed on a mission?
“Okay partner, I’m in your hands. What do I do?”
Illya smiled and demonstrated.
“Point the tips of your skis towards each other...no, more than that…too much…perfect! Now you bend your knees and lean forward…crouch slightly lower than that. If you are going downhill, you have to put yourself at the same angle as the hill, but still bending forward…”
“But it feels like I am going to do a forward roll!”
Illya smiled.
“I know, but you won’t. If you try and stand vertically, your skis will shoot off down the hill without you attached, you really will land on your backside and probably get hurt, and even if you don’t hurt yourself, you will have to walk all the way back down the hill to retrieve your skis. Trust me my friend, keep yourself at this angle in relation to your skis when you are going downhill. If you want to stop, push out with your heels. Try it…”
He watched his partner push himself off down the slope, crouching forward over his skis, his poles behind him racing style. Illya covered his face with his hands. He had known his partner would be a natural at this as he seemed to be at everything else. Napoleon moved slowly down the hill, his skis angled to keep him moving slowly, until he came to a halt at the foot of the initial slope. He raised his ski pole and waved triumphantly at Illya.
“I did it!”
Illya pushed off and was beside him in a second. Napoleon stared at him.
“Can you teach me how to do those turns you were doing? That looks like fun!”
“Would you not rather practice what you are doing first? Get comfortable first going downhill before you progress further?”
Napoleon nodded.
“Lifts again?”
“Yes.”
They made their way to the small mini lifts, and each caught the bar easily and let it drag them up the slope. As they reached the top, just as he had done the first time, Napoleon let go of the bar and allowed his momentum to carry him out of the way. Illya caught his right ski on a stone which brought him to an abrupt halt. The moving lift clouted him on the back of the head and the next thing he knew, he was face down in the snow. He groaned and rolled over. Napoleon was grinning at him.
“I see what you mean partner mine. Your skis have gone down without you. Do you want to walk, or shall I go down and carry them up for you?”
The icy wind blew in Illya’s face as he removed his goggles and glanced around at the brilliant whiteness. The sky was a brilliant blue, the sun shone down bright and yellow on Illya’s bare head, and the icy snow beneath his skis excited him in a way he hadn’t felt for a long time.
“Aren’t you cold, Illya?”
Illya glanced at his friend, the excitement and exuberance making him grin broadly, in a way he never did at work. Napoleon was thickly covered in thick layers of clothing, without a hint of pink skin to be seen anywhere. Illya shook his head.
“You must be melting under all that clothing, my friend.”
Napoleon’s only concession was raising his goggles on to his forehead, showing his eyes peering at Illya and squinting as the sun reflected harshly off the white snow.
“Rather too warm than too cold. Do you really come out here and do this for fun?”
Illya laughed.
“I take it you have never been skiing before?”
“Never by choice.”
“Have you been on skis before?”
“Why would I want to do this Illya? Come to a place where the wind chill is thirty degrees below, and launch myself down a hill on two metal prongs?”
Illya clapped him on the shoulder.
“You’ve never been skiing before. You have no idea what you have been missing, my friend, and Lake Louise is one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever visited. I don’t understand why you don’t come here every February!”
“Illya, when I am up to my knees in snow in New York City, why on earth would I choose to come here where the snow is up to my armpits, and the cold is even colder? I would rather soak up some sun somewhere warm...nice beach, golden sun, pretty girl…”
Illya clapped him on the shoulder.
“Have no fear Napoleon. I will make a skier of you yet. You know how to ski on a flat surface, but going downhill is different…”
Napoleon turned worried eyes on his partner.
“You actually expect me to launch myself down this slope? It looks like a sheer drop!”
Illya shook his head, laughing.
“Napoleon what are you most afraid of?”
“What the hell do you think Illya? Falling on my backside and getting hurt!”
“Would you like me to give you the trick of not doing that?”
“I already know it, Illya. Stay at home.”
Illya smiled.
“The only way back down is on skis.”
“But we’re higher than the treetops!”
“Napoleon, Do you trust me?”
“With my life Illya, you know that.”
“And would it be in my own interest to get you killed or injured up here?”
Napoleon saw his point, but it did not help his rising feeling of dread. He looked at Illya’s face. Illya had removed his hat completely, along with his goggles, his blond hair blowing in the wind. Illya was completely sincere, Napoleon had no doubt of that; and he knew that skiing would likely have been a given where he came from, given the amount of snow they endured every winter. Illya definitely knew what he was doing, Napoleon had already seen that for himself. He really did trust his partner, and who knew when being able to ski downhill might be needed on a mission?
“Okay partner, I’m in your hands. What do I do?”
Illya smiled and demonstrated.
“Point the tips of your skis towards each other...no, more than that…too much…perfect! Now you bend your knees and lean forward…crouch slightly lower than that. If you are going downhill, you have to put yourself at the same angle as the hill, but still bending forward…”
“But it feels like I am going to do a forward roll!”
Illya smiled.
“I know, but you won’t. If you try and stand vertically, your skis will shoot off down the hill without you attached, you really will land on your backside and probably get hurt, and even if you don’t hurt yourself, you will have to walk all the way back down the hill to retrieve your skis. Trust me my friend, keep yourself at this angle in relation to your skis when you are going downhill. If you want to stop, push out with your heels. Try it…”
He watched his partner push himself off down the slope, crouching forward over his skis, his poles behind him racing style. Illya covered his face with his hands. He had known his partner would be a natural at this as he seemed to be at everything else. Napoleon moved slowly down the hill, his skis angled to keep him moving slowly, until he came to a halt at the foot of the initial slope. He raised his ski pole and waved triumphantly at Illya.
“I did it!”
Illya pushed off and was beside him in a second. Napoleon stared at him.
“Can you teach me how to do those turns you were doing? That looks like fun!”
“Would you not rather practice what you are doing first? Get comfortable first going downhill before you progress further?”
Napoleon nodded.
“Lifts again?”
“Yes.”
They made their way to the small mini lifts, and each caught the bar easily and let it drag them up the slope. As they reached the top, just as he had done the first time, Napoleon let go of the bar and allowed his momentum to carry him out of the way. Illya caught his right ski on a stone which brought him to an abrupt halt. The moving lift clouted him on the back of the head and the next thing he knew, he was face down in the snow. He groaned and rolled over. Napoleon was grinning at him.
“I see what you mean partner mine. Your skis have gone down without you. Do you want to walk, or shall I go down and carry them up for you?”
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Date: 2016-08-08 11:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-08 11:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-08 06:03 pm (UTC)Pleasant and realistic twist at the end.
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Date: 2016-08-08 08:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-08 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-08 08:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-08 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-08 08:15 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2016-08-08 08:51 pm (UTC)