Chapter 5 - The Ice Man Cometh

[Shuu]

[ Setting ]

After a few weeks of calm, winter has set in. A light dusting of snow lines the ground, and it is cold enough for a few outdoor ice skating rings to be open for business. As it is a weekday during the afternoon, it is not overly busy at the rink, and the day is cold but there is no wind, though some large, puffy flakes of snow have been falling down from the skies. Still, it offers a quiet atmosphere for those wishing to escape from the world, even for a little bit...

((OOC: Sorry for the ka-lame title, I seriously couldn't think of anything else XD))

[tenka]

Mavros Kalloni

A sojourn to the mall, while safer where ice is concerned, had proven troublesome, so once again, Mavros found himself near his greatest adversary: ice. Specifically, he was waiting near the outdoor ice rink for the arrival of his princess. They had planned to spend the day together, though Mavros knew that he would spend most of his time watching her on the ice.

[Minxie]

[[ Alexis Caldwell-Blakeney ]]

Alexis had dressed appropriately for the weather, today choosing a heavy wool twill skirt in navy blue, a high-necked blouse in cream, and a warm, double-breasted woolen coat in navy that nipped in at the waist and came down to mid-thigh. She carried a small cream handbag, a bag with her skates in, and a little paper bag with handles on. Her timing was dead-on, as always, and Alexis smiled to herself as she saw the ice rink ahead of her. She was excited at the prospect of spending the day on the ice, not having to think of her past life, past self, other than to be overjoyed to be with Maia once more. She certainly didn't need to be thinking about a certain flame-tempered individual. Definitely not. It would be safer for her to remain as ice, as she should have done in the past.

She pushed those thoughts away once more, and instead admitted herself a wider smile as she saw Maia - Mac - waiting for her. She hurried her footsteps slightly, and wiggled her fingers in greeting, almost impatient to see him.

"Good day, Mac," she greeted him as she drew closer. Then, eager as a child, she held a paper bag to him. "I - I hope you do not think me too forward, but I made this for you..." She trailed off, pink tinting her cheeks. The scarf was one of her better pieces, if Alexis said so herself. It was of the softest wool she had, in an Aran blend of brown and cream that would (she hoped) compliment his eyes. The part of her that was Sailor Mercury, the princess, admonished her for her eagerness, but also agreed with the gesture. Maia was her most trusted, treasured friend, more than 'just' a guardian. He deserved gifts.

[Lissa]

{Misae La Fleur}

It was a yearly tradition. When the local ice skating rink would open, Misae and her family would flock there at least once to go skating. While the majority of her family was still down in Okinawa, it didn't stop her from seeking out the rink.

Lately, she'd been having weird dreams. She saw a group of nine women, princesses as well as warriors. Some of them were in full focus, some were blurry. She had a kinship with them, and fought along side of them. Three of them, though, she was especially close to. One moment, they were talking happily, next there was blood: more blood than she'd seen in even the goriest of horror movies. She remembered seeing some of the other women fall, and then she saw one of them heading towards one of the ones she was closest to. She swung...something...to take the person out...

And then she'd wake up.

She hoped the time spent on the ice would clear her mind and help her figure out just why she was having the dreams she was having. So, clad in jeans, a black and orange hockey jersey that her brother JJ had gotten her on his latest trek to the United States, and a toque that matched the jersey, she picked up her rental skates, and put them on.

[mneme]

Aikaterine Pherenike

One of her fellow faculty had recommended this place to her yesterday after a particularly scathing critique of a student’s clumsily executed sculptures that left the student in question in tears. Saying that perhaps Aikaterine needed an opportunity to decompress that didn't involve ripping apart the dreams of her students, the older professor had given her this address. Aikaterine had stared at her for a moment, then nodded and stalked off, one of Hades’ moods already blackening her outlook on the advice. However, she had enjoyed skating with her siblings and nannies as a child, and so she found herself her, gliding along, wobbling slightly, on the edge of this ice rink.

Her skates fit well, and she wore the new winter coat her mother had sent her, grey, with a slight bustle, which Zenovia claimed was the height of fashion, and Aikaterine was secretly thankful for because it provided cushioning as she was relearning to skate. She could see a few spirits lurking around the ice rink, but she ignored them for the moment, clearing her mind and pushing Hades’ ill humored mutterings aside. Peace was momentarily achieved, but she could feel that peace sing, as if it were a glass about to shatter.

[ShadowedFlames]

(Apologies in advance for lack of formatting; i have no window to work with via phone. -_-())

*Tori Montgomery*

She didn't like the ice. Never had, really. Tori was used to having her feet under her at all times, and ice tended to eliminate that as an option. She could probably skate--Tori had experimented before with rollerblades--but preferred to stick to surfaces that weren't slippery.

Yet she felt drawn here, as if she was needed by the cosmos for reasons unknown. And so Tori found herself sitting on a bench facing the rink, orange hair tied in a loose tail and eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses to reduce the glare of the sun reflecting off the rink. A casual exam of the area netted one face she thought she recognized, pulling out a fabric creation to give to someone else. Tori couldn't place ~why~ this person looked familiar, though.

No matter. After the events of several weeks ago, Tori kept herself slightly on edge, already assessing the area for battle. That rink would be a problem but as long as the fight stayed away from it, things would be fine.

Until then, it was time to people-watch. Well, that and hum the chorus to "Frozen" a couple times to take her mind off the cold air.

[tenka]

[ Mavros "Mac" Kalloni ]

Mavros was surprised as the package was handed to him. He took it from Alexis slowly, almost awkwardly, as gifts were not something he was accustomed to receiving. He held it stiffly in his hands, trying to thinks of the words. "Ah, thank you," he finally said before opening the parcel. His face lit up at the sight within, and he quickly pulled it out. This scarf, made of the softest materials that Mavros could ever recall touching, was like a piece of heaven. He was swift in stripping off his ivory and cerulean scarf, letting it cascade into the snow as he wrapped the brown and cream scarf around his neck.

"This is fantastic!" he he exclaimed. His face was now flush with excitement. "Thank you, Alexis, you are so kind." He smiled, and then remember his discarded scarf. He quickly bent down and picked it up, stuffing it into his pocked as he straightened back up. "Now I wish I had a gift for you," he said with some lament. "It doesn't feel right o get such a wonderful gift form you and not having something to give in return..."

[Minxie]

[[ Alexis Caldwell-Blakeney --- Yay!]]

The genuine delight on Mavros' face caused a smile to light Alexis' up. She shook her head slightly as he lamented he had nothing to give in reciprocation.

"A gift is not given with the expectation of one in return," she told him. "I merely felt...that is, I recalled that you have an interest in scarves, and since knitting is a hobby of mine I thought perhaps this might be something you would like," Alexis gave another smile. "I am glad to see I was not mistaken." She shifted the weight of her bags slightly. "Will you be skating today?" She asked him, noticing a lack of ice skates beside him. Alexis hoped that if Mavros were not skating, he would not be too bored.

[pysi]

((Holy crud... I has returned... someone kick me in a the butt here a few times so I don't wander awway again^^0))

(Daciana Nicolescu- food for thought)

Daci had finished her studies for the day and decided it was about time for a walk. She grabbed her heavy wool coat and her beautiful olive green silk scarf her mother made her. She looked over the scarf carefully and started to smile. Daci was really missing home, but she knew this adventure was good for her. She wrapped the scarf around her neck, grabbed her bag with her books, and went out the door.

As she walked, she started to get lost in a daydream. The lightly falling snow seemed to dance down from the sky. Before she knew it, Daci found herself at the ice rink. The many kids laughing and skating around made her smile. Daci looked around at the folks watching, when a fiery head of hair caught her attention. Just for a split second, Daci thought the girl looked familar. She soon banished the thought and found an open bench to sit down at. She pulled out one of her favorite books, Hamlet, and began to read while listening to the giggles of children around her.

[tenka]

[ Mavros "Mac" Kalloni ]

Mavros' expression dropped at the mention of skating. "Well, actually... No, I'm not," he said. "I, uh... Don't have very good fortune where ice is involved. In fact, I swear it's out to get me." Mavros laughed at his joke, personifying ice, but then remembered his princess' powers and awkwardly tapered his laughter. "But, it's ok," he said quickly. "I'd be really happy to watch you skate! Really!"

[ShadowedFlames]

[Tori Montgomery]

It appears someone is quite the bookworm, Tori thought as she noted the newest arrival pull out a book and begin to read. She didn't know how anyone could focus on reading in this cold and light snow. Shaking her head briefly to dislodge any snow that may have settled in her hair, Tori got to her feet, stretched a bit to get blood flowing into her limbs, and began to walk a few laps around the rink. If asked, she was jyst trying to get some exercise...but in the vack of her mind, she wanted to see if being closer to these faces would trigger memories or sonething else that was causing her to think they were familiar,

[mneme]

{Aikaterine Pherenike}

Focused on staying upright and practicing skating backwards, it takes Aikaterine several long minutes to notice that the rink is filling up, most notably with small children and their parents stumble-gliding along just like her. When she finally does notice, it is because she almost trips over a first grader with a chair, spinning out of the way just in time. Aikaterine scowls, muttering to herself in Greek about parents watching their children, and decides to retreat to the safety of the closest wall. Hades mumbles sleepily in the back of her mind, something about closeness and war, but Aikaterine ignores the ill tempered shade, preferring to center her attention on making it to the wall and not causing a scene.

Leaning against the weathered boards, her gaze is drawn to a flash of olive green, her sister’s favorite color. Curious, she looks a bit closer, examining the scarf’s owner. The woman in question was reading Hamlet, something Aikaterine remembered actually enjoying during one of her failed stints at boarding school. Hades grumbles again, but Aikaterine is in no mood to listen, so she focuses on the reader, calling out to her.

“Hamlet is excellent, but I think I preferred Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, to be truthful.”

[Minxie]

[[ Alexis Caldwell-Blakeney ]]

"You do not skate?" Alexis looked mildly stricken for a moment. "I should have asked, please accept my apologies!" She shifted the weight of the bags on her shoulders, feeling like an utter fool for suggesting the place without even asking Mavros if he liked skating. It honestly had not occurred to her, and she felt mortified at her lack of etiquette.

"We can always find somewhere else to visit?..." She suggested, her voice trailing off as she felt, just for a moment, the faintest hint of warmth. It was not a sun-warmth, but a fire-warmth, and it felt familiar to her in a way she rather wished she could forget.

Alexis shook herself slightly, forcing away those memories and focussing on Mavros. "If that would be acceptable?" She ended her rather abruptly cut-off sentence.

[pysi]

(Daciana Nicolescu- another lover of lit)

Daci was just getting to one of her favorite passage- the infamous monologue- when a voice out of no where snapped her back to reality. She never even noticed a figure walk up near her. She was really letting her guard down all of a sudeen, and that get her nervous.

Daci looked up at the orign of the voice and gave a weak smile. "Forgive me, but I do not believe I have read that one. I tend to stick to the classics themselves." Her accent got thicker as she spoke, her nerves getting to her a bit. She was not usually nervous around strangers, but something else was hitting her and she couldn't quite figure it out.

[Lissa]

(Misae LaFleur - Skate, Skate, Skate!)

Once she had everything set, she slowly made her way to the ice. While she did skate once a year, that didn't mean she was going to awe everyone with her skating ability. While, granted, she could at least stand up on the ice, there were a lot more people who were whizzing around her.

About part way in to her skate, she started to wonder if skating was really the best idea. There were people there. People she felt she knew intimately. But, the thing was, she'd never met most of them before. Things were starting to get weird.