Frozen

[USMC GySgt Preston Davis]

Preston sneezed. Tyson barked. "Stop laughing at me, Ty," Preston said with a laugh of his own. He was trying finish screwing in the last doorknob, the one on his front door. The Alaskan cold was more than he was used to and his door was wide open. With no gloves on, his hands were freezing, and the screwdriver shook, making it harder than ever to turn the screwdriver. Tyson barked at him playfully, trying to get Preston to play with his tennis ball.

"Go away, Tyson," Preston laughed. "I can play once I'm done here. But I have to be able to lock up the house, so let me finish up. Then I can stop bringing all my stuff with me every time I leave the house, even just to walk you. We'll go hunting soon, too, then maybe see what we can pick up on the street or in the woods and sell... well, whatever we find, I guess- in the main room of the house." Preston was beginning to wonder why he was talking to his dog, but since he had no one else to talk to and the street was empty, hey, no big deal.

[Carson Lebowski]

~*~ Carson put on her big, puffy jacket and was ready to go outside. Her coat had a hole or two in it, but that's just because it was a few years old, and she didn't have enough money to buy another. She grabbed her iPod and put one headphone in her ear while the other one hung by her side. As she pressed play, she also stepped outside into the cold. The brisk air felt good on her skin since she was beginning to get used to the cold weather.

CJ made her way down different streets, waiting to see if anyone would show up outside. She doubted it though. Not many people enjoyed the cold, it seemed. As she strolled the streets, she heard a voice speaking and a dog barking. Carson rounded the corner of a street and noticed a guy outside with his dog. Seeing the animal made her remember, and miss, her dog that she lost at the beginning of the war. She was thinking of going to talk to the guy as she approached the house, but he looked pretty busy, so she wasn't too sure if she should. Plus, it wasn't really like her to start a conversation, so she wouldn't know what to say. CJ slowed down a bit as she walked in front of the house, most so she could just watch the dog. ~*~

[USMC GySgt Preston Davis]

Preston noticed the person on the street behind him right as Tyson did. Both were trained by the United States Marine Corps, so of course they could tell when someone was getting close to them. Not to mention Tyson was a dog, so that explained that. Plus, there was crunchy, fresh snow coating everything, and it was easy to hear footsteps. Preston finished with the doorknob and noticed that the person was still there. Noticing this, he opened the door and tossed the screwdriver into the house, then turned around. There was woman in the street, watching the dog. Tyson barked once at her. It wasn't friendly, nor threatening. Just a bark.

She was wearing a big puffy coat with a few holes in it, and seemed to have earbuds, meaning an iPod or other MP3 player. That was a surprise- the fact that she could charge her battery at all. Preston only kept simple, necessary items with him. He hadn't had an iPod since he'd joined the Marine Corps. Speaking of which, he was dressed in his Marine uniform, with his black hooded sweatshirt underneath. Since his hands were literally shaking cold, he rubbed them together and blew in them, eyes not leaving the girl. He lifted his head in hello.

[Carson Lebowski]

~*~ As Carson got closer, she noticed that the guy seemed to be wearing a uniform, but she couldn't really tell what the uniform was for. The dog barked at her, but she wasn't afraid. Actually, she didn't really acknowlage it at all. She put her hands in her coat pockets, using one to turn her iPod volume down so she could hear better, but she didn't turn it completely off. For once, she was going to start a conversation- or try to anyway.

CJ stopped walking in front of the other guy's house, noticing the guy nod his head as a greeting. A little, but noticeable smile appeared on her face to be friendly, and sort of her way to say hello back. "Cute dog you got there," she said, nodding her head towards the dog. She figured he didn't have him because he was cute, but that's how she saw the dog. In reality, she saw almost every animal as cute, being the big animal person that she is. Carson stayed at the end of the guy's yard. ~*~

[USMC GySgt Preston Davis]

Cute. Not exactly how he pictured his dog. But hey, she could think what she wanted about him. "He's a drug dog. German Shepherds are good for that kind of thing. And as cadaver dogs. Got him when a friend who trained him died during the war." So he's not really supposed to be cute. But whatever, she can think what she wants to think, it didn't matter too much to Preston. Unless she wanted to kill him for being in the military. Then he had a problem.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, then mentally slapped himself. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound as rude as it did. I mean, this is far from the stores and whatnot on the main road. Not many people come by here." That was one thing Preston had learned already, and he hadn't been in Alaska for more than a few days. "You want to come inside?" he asked. He was freezing. Preston opened the door and Tyson trotted into the house, then turned around in the doorway to watch the girl. Preston had not yet been able to collect any wood for a fire, but at least they'd be out of the wind, and he had a little bit of food left. He planned on hunting either that afternoon or the next day. After buying himself some gloves.

[Carson Lebowski]

~*~ "So I have heard," she said, in response to German Shepherds being good drug dogs and whatnot. Carson knew a lot about different kinds of dogs, so she already knew that before he said it. Then again, he couldn't have known that so she can't blame him for telling her. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend. At least the dog is in good hands." Or at least she hoped he was. It didn't seem as if the dog was beaten or starved, so those were good signs that he was taken care of. "I used to have a dog. Then, the war started to hit my hometown and we were forced to flee. I lost my dad and my dog while trying to get away." she added. Carson hated the war and thought that it should have never started, but she had respect for those who risked their lives to try to protect citizens.

CJ shrugged her shoulders a bit at his question. She didn't really take it offensively or anything either. "Just taking a walk around. I'm honestly not paying attention to where I'm going." she told the guy. Carson never pays attention to where she goes when she listens to her music. She wouldn't have even noticed the guy if they dog wasn't outside. After think about going inside for a moment, she nodded her head slightly and began walking towards the house. At least it would be a little warmer inside, and she wasn't plannig on staying for long anyway. ~*~

[USMC GySgt Preston Davis]

Preston followed the girl into his house, closing the door behind him. "By the way, I'm Preston Davis. The dog's name is Tyson." Tyson barked at the mention of his name, standing up on his back legs for a moment before falling heavily back to the floor. "It's not much," Preston apologized, gesturing to the room, and the entire house. "I just moved in, so even if I felt the need to decorate, I haven't really had time to do anything."

Seeing his duffel bag out of the corner of his eye, Preston limped over and sat down next to it, being unable to kneel very well. He pulled out the last strips of dried meat he had, carefully wrapped in a pouch next to his military canteen. There were six strips of deer meat- venison- so he held out three to the girl, whose name he still didn't know, and one to Tyson, his own two strips on his leg. The dog happily gobbled up his meat, licking Preston's hand, then face. "Hey, get off me," Preston protested, laughing and protecting the meat he held for girl from his dog. After a moment, Tyson backed off and Preston staggered to his feet, once again offering the meat to the girl.

[Carson Lebowski]

~*~ "I'm Carson Lebowski, but you may call me CJ if you wish. Nice to meet you, Preston." she added, then looked over at the dog. "And nice to meet you Tyson," she said, a little smile on her face. A lot of the people she knew called her CJ, but either name was fine with her. Carson took glances around the room, seeing that it wasn't the best house she had seen, but it was definitely better than her own. "It's not bad." she told, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "I just moved her too, not too long ago. Your place is actually an upgrade to what I'm living in." But those sort of houses didn't bother her.

CJ noticed a limp in Preston's walk, but decided not to comment on it. She was afraid that it might bring back bad memories for him, then she would feel horrible. She shook her head as the guy held out the meat, rejecting it. "Oh, no thank you." There was no way she could let someone else feed her when she knew how hard it was to feed just one person. And he had the dog too. Carson didn't move much but just leaned up against the wall, continueing to listen to the soft beat coming from her iPod. ~*~

[USMC GySgt Preston Davis]

"Oh come on," Preston said. "You must be hungry. And even if you aren't, this stuff will last a damn long time, you can keep it for later. I'm going out hunting later tonight anyway, I'll have fresh venison for dinner and trading. Just take it before Tyson can get his teeth on it, or it'll be gone in seconds. I swear, he could eat nonstop for days if there was enough food." He clambered awkwardly to his feet- his cane was leaning by the door and he hadn't grabbed it on the way in- and pressed the meat into her hand, then unfolded a couple of chairs by the fireplace before lighting a fire, telling CJ that she could sit down as he did so. He sat on the chair to the right, but his hands were numb, so he rubbed them together and clapped them under his arms to get some feeling back, then held them over the fire to warm them more. Tyson lay on the warm stones in front of the fireplace, head resting on his paws.

[Carson Lebowski]

~*~ CJ gave an unsure smile. "Thanks," she said softly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a few pieces of paper that were in there and wrapped up the meat. Well, that would probably be supper for later on. She felt a little bad for taking it, but he said that he was going to get more anyway. Then again, he could have been lying just so she would take the meat. Oh well. "I bet many dogs could eat without stopping," she concluded. Especially these days when there isn't really that much food around.

Seeing Preston pulling out some chairs by the fire, Carson pushed herself off of the wall and walked over to where the chairs were laid out. She nodded her head towards him in thanks, then sat down on the chair to the left. "So, how long did you fight?" she asked. He had mentioned that he fought in the war earlier, and she needed to start a conversation up somehow. CJ leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to answer. Her eyes were looking at the fire, but she was really staring at the dog that was in front. ~*~

[USMC GySgt Preston Davis]

"Pretty much the entire war," Preston said. It wasn't his favorite topic, but at least he didn't have PTSD like so many people in the world. "I joined the Corps when I turned eighteen, and my brother, Ian, did the same six years later. I was deployed just a few months into the war, and fought almost the entire time. When I got hurt, though" -Press gestured to his knee- "I was out for a few months until I recovered enough to be able to fight again. Of course, since I was sent right back into action as soon as possible, I lost most of the use of my leg."

Tyson watched CJ with one eye. Or maybe he was watching the meat Preston had just given her, which she had slid into her pocket. It was hard to tell. After a minute or so, he stood up and sniffed at her feet, then lay his head on her knee. Evidently, he had decided she could be trusted. Well, unless he was just looking for some more meat. But either way, he obviously didn't feel threatened by her.

[Carson Lebowski]

~*~ Carson listened to his story, her eyes shifting back and forth from him to the fire. "Well, thank you, and I'm sorry about your leg," she said sincerely. It took a lot of courage to enlist in the army, rather than getting drafted like a good amount of the people did. She debated on whether or not to ask this, but she was going to anyway. "Um, so, what happened to your brother?" she questioned. She was just wondering if he was still alive, or if he died in battle. It wouldn't be uncommon to hear that someone went missing, either.

CJ took her focus off of Preston when she saw some movement from in front of the fire. When the dog put his head on her lap, she couldn't help but start patting him. Tyson reminded her so much of her old dog, except that Tyson was a lot bigger. She was surprised that he was even next to her. Then again, she did have some meat in her pocket that Preston gave to her. And he did say that he could eat forever. "You're not getting the meat, if that's what you want," she joked with a little giggle. Her hand kept patting the dog's head as she awaited for an answer. ~*~

[USMC GySgt Preston Davis]

Preston was a little surprised by the question. Not many people asked about his brother, even after they figured out who he was."Well, after the war ended, we both moved to Topeka, Kansas. I lived there for a while- I just moved out here a little less than a week ago. But Ian only stayed with me for a few months, then a buddy of his showed up at our door one day, and Ian left with him. They live on Easter Island- I visited him a couple of months ago, actually."

He almost added that his brother was gay, but some people acted weird when he said that, like they were afraid that he was too, and they didn't want to be friends with a gay person. Besides, his brother's sexuality wasn't important to the story.

Tyson closed his eyes and growled, but it was a happy sound. "Sometimes I think that, in addition to being able to find bombs and drugs and whatnot, he can sense whether or not someone is a dog person."

[Carson Lebowski]

~*~ CJ was sort of shocked when he heard that his brother would prefer to live with someone else compared to living with someone from his family. "I'm surprised that he would rather live with a friend rather than his own family member, honestly. Not many people still have family members," she said. "But that's good that you still keep in touch with eachother." She was one of those people that don't have a family anymore. Well, she might, but not seeing your father for 7 plus years, you don't really know if he is still alive. She would buy a dog, but there was no way that she could afford that now.

Carson enjoyed having a dog around her again. "I do love dogs. I love animals in general. I sort of wish that I could become a vegetarian, but there is no way that that would happen," she told him. She hated the idea of eating animals, but when you need to eat, you need to eat. Happy that Tyson didn't think of her as a threat, she could pat him all day until he walked away. ~*~

[USMC GySgt Preston Davis]

Preston shrugged- he didn't really want to tell her his brother was gay, after all, and that he was in love with the guy he'd moved in with. He just pretended it was nothing. "Well, hey, maybe he just wanted to get away from people. Since the island is so much harder to get to, the population is pretty low." He realized then that he hadn't even said that his brother's friend was male, but it would be an easy assumption anyway.

"Oh, trust me, I could never go without my meat, even if it was easier to get other foods anyway. Protein shakes and such disgust me, but I need protein as a Marine. So I go for meat and peanut butter. Actually, on a dare one, I had a piece of steak covered in peanut butter, with Nerds candy stuck in the peanut butter. Weirdest meal I've ever had. 'Course, I'd gladly trade in some of the things I had to eat as a Marine for one of those steaks."