While he had come fully prepared with an arsenal of protein bars and an entire cannister of raw oatmeal, Leon was grateful that Ada had better plans for dinner. The smell of a rustic sort of beef and vegetable stew had smacked him in the face when he stepped back inside. Maybe she wasn't just lounging with a martini while he worked out there after all.

"So…is this the end of your running around in the shadows? You're just going to live up here and call me every year to chop firewood?" he asked over his bowl of stew. Ada smiled wryly.

"No, I intend to keep slinking around, seeing what trouble I can get into for a while yet. I just needed a little break is all." Her smile fell a bit, and she got a more contemplative look. "I'm pretty used to the messes we get into where Umbrella is involved, but… China was different. It was personal, a little too close." She distractedly moved a short lock of hair from her face.

Leon had a snarky comment about her waiting for the BSAA to clean up the mess pre-loaded in his head, but he bit his tongue. If she had even an ounce more honesty and sincerity with him than usual, he wasn't about to ruin it.

"I didn't take you for the log-cabin-on-a-mountain type, you know. I thought you'd have a fancy apartment in the city."

"Where anyone can find me? Hardly." She sat back in the chair in a lazy way. "Even if I did stay in the city, it would be in little inns where you can buy a room with cash. Like you said, in the shadows."

They both looked up when the door creaked, only to realize the wind had just picked up outside.

"Oh yeah, it does that when the wind blows. You don't need to shoot anything, I promise." He hadn't even realized his hand was tucked into his jacket, halfway to his pistol. He cleared his throat and pulled it back, grabbing the spoon instead…only to realize his bowl was empty.

"Guess you were right about the weather… and sorry. I'm just a little jumpy lately."

"I can't imagine why," she said, smirking, then stood up with a stretch. Leon collected the two empty bowls and moved them to the sink. The sky out the window had gotten darker quickly once the sun set below the mountains. "I'll show you your room and you can go put your cute jammies on."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but she was already heading for the back of the cabin. He jogged to keep up.

The room was small, but the cabin itself wasn't very big to begin with. The bed took up most of the room, with a closet for his things. A quaint, colorful quilt covered the bed and a simple lamp sat on a nearby nightstand. He started to wonder if she had moved in right after an old couple died or something; it sure didn't seem like her style. But then, neither did shabby little hotel rooms.

"It gets a little cold, so you'll want to bundle up." She ambled back out of the room, presumably to put on her own 'jammies' which Leon was now accepting might just be a big T shirt and sweatpants at this rate.

He grabbed his gear from where he'd set it in the living room before going back to the tiny guest room. He then pulled on a thermal shirt and sweatpants of his own, which happened to be the nicest ones he had. He hadn't exactly been invited to a sleepover before, and definitely not one with a lady, and absolutely not one with just him and Ada Wong, even if she was sleeping in a completely separate room.

He walked back out into the living room to find her already there, lounging by the fire, in an unexpectedly fancy set of velvet pajama pants and tank top, with a slinky satin robe on top of it. It was much more in line with her over-the-top style he remembered in past adventures.

He could have sat anywhere, in one of the chairs, or at the other end of the couch, on the floor even, but he chose to ease himself right down onto the couch next to her. She smiled lightly, and they both watched the flames crackle and flicker for a while to the tune of wind whipping outside.

For just a few moments, more so than the last decade, Leon felt like he knew her, like they'd been friends long enough that they could sit quietly without needing to talk.

And then he figured it was probably because neither of them could think of anything to say. He mused while he glanced outside, snowflakes flicking past the glass briefly.

"How long have you been up here?" He asked quietly.

She hummed, never looking away from the flames.

"About two months."

There was another long pause before Leon managed to ask what was on his mind.

"Does it get lonely?"

Ada glanced sidelong at him, finally tearing her gaze from the fire, but didn't quite meet his eyes.

"I'm used to hiding around other people. Familiar strangers I see around town. There's no one up here but me, the trees, and my thoughts…it does get lonely."

He started putting two and two together, and smiled faintly. His arm conveniently fell across the back of the couch behind her.

"So I'm the familiar stranger you have on speed dial. Or…in your address book I guess."

She smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I just called you up here to chop firewood."

The two glanced at each other with a smile, eyes meeting. They both seemed like they expected the other to look away first, and held their quiet exchange until Leon snickered, going back to watching the fire for a few more minutes.

Then Ada finally shifted, slowly standing up with an exaggerated yawn.

"Well, I recommend you get plenty of sleep. You look like you need it."

And with that, she disappeared into the hallway.

Leon huffed, but he was still smiling. He got up as well and made his way to his room to bundle up for the night.