Settled comfortably by the fire, Beck gazed out the window into the ever-increasing blackness.  For nearly two days, she'd heard a few complaints about the snow, the incessant, unending whiteness of it, and the solitary conditions.  A slight smile teased the corner of her mouth every time she heard such comments.  After all, that was exactly the reason she'd come to this place.<br/><br/>Unlike most others in the hotel, she had specifically chosen Miner's Folly.  No one would know her here.  No one would be clamboring for her attention.  No one would be screaming at her to move this, do that or edit some new info-bit that didn't mean anything anyway.  No.  Here she could find peace.<br/><br/>As she took a sip from her lager, awaiting her thick-cut sirloin - rare - Beck returned her attention to the darkness beyond the windows.  Idly she wondered what it would be like to live within such a blackness.  Though not unduely beset with fears, she didn't like blackouts overmuch.  One could never see what was happening.  That was unsafe.  Still, the darkness fascinated her.  What would it be like to be blind?<br/><br/>Beck shook the thought from her mind and patted the pocket of her jeans, reassured by the presense of the miniature flashlight.  "You're on the verge of insanity." she whispered to herself.<br/><br/>It wasn't a comforting thought, but it was short-lived.  She shook her head at the sudden noise in the previously quiet restaurant.  Her eyes flicked toward the group of travelers, examining them from a distance.  She herself was dressed in a pair of black western boots, black jeans and a dark green button down; she looked more as if she were about to head out on a cattle drive than sit in a snowed-in hotel.<br/><br/>She ran a long-fingered hand through her hair, pulling the band that held the auburn mass captive.  She shook it free, hoping that with her ears covered, she might reduce the noise.  It didn't work.  With the ease of long practice, she quickly pulled her hair back, resecuring the pony tail.<br/><br/>Again her eyes flicked toward the group at the bar.  The two women, previously discreet and quiet, seemed to have reached some sort of impasse.  The others, though, they were... rough around the edges.  It was unseemly in her biased opinion.  Of course, they were none of her business.  She had a pleasant enough room to which she could escape; and that would definitely cut down on the noise.  Once her meal arrived, and had been consumed, she would do just that.<br/><br/>A satisfied smile graced her lips for a moment, and Beck shifted her muscular build.  Taking liberties, she propped her feet up on one of the spare chairs at her table, crossing her ankles comfortably.  Her attention returned to the blackness and in a few minutes she had succeeded in dimming the extraneous conversations.