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[With the Ice Palace finally ready for opening, Yuuri figures it's a good time to make good on the plans they'd made with Shiro and Allura before the Oros missions. Besides, with things having gone south so quickly, he hopes that spending a little time together might help lift their spirits. If anything, it'll be a good way to break in some of the rental skates he's commissioned.]

Just find a size you think will work for you. You can always swap for another pair if they don't fit. [He tells Shiro and Allura before gliding onto the ice and doing slow laps around the rink as they try the skates on.]

Edited 2017-02-09 17:47 (UTC)

[ it's been years since shiro'd last gone ice skating. almost a decade, if he remembers correctly, but it's probably like riding a bike, right? not really something you forget how to do. and he's always had decent balance, even on ice. not the same kind that yuuri displays when he starts doing laps, elegant and clearly at home on the ice even without any fancy figures, but hopefully enough that he won't fall or break anything.

that wouldn't just be embarrassing, it would be a liability.

he picks a pair of skates that he thinks will fit. ] Have you ever been ice skating before? [ he asks allura while trying them on. ]

[Mentally, Allura's thoughts are still back on Oros. Physically, however, she's putting on the skates she had picked out, and as she puts them on, she does find her attention back to the here and now of...what this is.

Once on, she remains seated on a bench overlooking the rink, distracted as she watched Yuuri glide over the ice with ease, wondering if it is as easy as he makes it appear. The mice are sitting beside her, also watching.

She blinks, distracted, looking up at Shiro.]

No. We never had such a thing on my planet. [she looks down at the blades of the skates.] Are these...weapons?

[BECAUSE. I MEAN....]

[ it feels almost monstrous to do something as ordinary and pleasant as going ice skating in the aftermath of what happened on oros, with oros, but selfishly, shiro is still glad for it. they can't linger on it too much, they can't lose themselves in the darkness of it, or they'll become paralysed.

and so when he smiles at her question, it isn't forced. ]

They could probably be used as weapons, but no.

( Victor glances over from where he stands at the side of the ring, wearing the skates Yuuri had commissioned for him and smiling somewhat absently at first, having been watching Yuuri. He straightens up, bringing his arms off the side rail and chuckling, shaking his head. )

Not generally, though you're right. They can be dangerous. You can really injure or be injured if you're not careful. So no jumps today, hm?

( He winks, stepping closer and gesturing toward their feet. )

The boots are new, so they're not going to have any give. We'll stop before you're aching too much.

( It's simply what it is. New skates, unbroken in, will lean to pressure spots and the rest. For his part, Victor steps out onto the ice, moving to the side past the entrance and waiting. )

[Though Yuuri had been finishing his lap, he comes to a stop beside Viktor just in time to hear what they're talking about.]

Oh, yeah, be careful with the blades. I saw someone cut their hand on one back home once.

[Since it looks like they won't be much longer, rather than going off on his own again, Yuuri opts to hang around, leaning on the boards as he watches them.]

[She crosses her leg over the other, to give herself a better assessment of the blade at Shiro's answer. There's a bit of a curious frown.]

They seem like weapons. [Then she looks up at Victor, again noting his confidence wearing these types of shoes as though he has little to no issue balancing on these blades.] I...will be sure to break them in. I will admit they are not the most comfortable footwear--

[AND at the mention of someone having cut their hand on their shoes, Allura draws her hand immediately away from her shoes, setting both feet firmly down on the ground.]

...noted.

[She gets ready to stand up, uncertain and careful. It does feel off to stand in these already, and she wobbles a bit.]

[ shiro moves to stand, too, a little steadier than allura is. he's done this before and knowing what to expect makes it a little easier to adapt, even if he has to spread his hands a little for balance before he manages to find his center. ]

It's been years since I've done this.

[ now that victor mentioned it, he remembers that his feet had hurt by the end of it. but it had been worth it, too. ]

Shall we?

[ he takes a few careful steps toward the ice and, holding on to the wall of the rink, steps onto the ice. ]

( cut hands versus the damage that blades could potentially do when pair skating... Victor smiles to himself, gliding a short distance away on the ice. )

Sticking to the sides until you feel confident in your balance is perfectly fine!

( Victor................ is not the best for basics. He is, in fact, the worst for them. They all come too naturally that slowing down to think about them is an actual effort other people need to remind him about, even as he's simply gliding forward, turning around, and skating backward swivels without much apparent effort. Even if this is him trying to show a fairly simple technique... it's still leapfrogging ahead of where Allura is. )

[Though Yuuri doesn't skate off on hi own, he isn't much better than Viktor when it comes to teaching the basics. He honestly can't remember how the instructor at Ice Castle had explains it to him all those years ago.]

That's it. [He tries to be encouraging, hovering near Allura and Shiro when they get on the ice.] Use the wall if you think you need it.

[By the time Allura manages to find her balance to make it onto the ice, she...realizes it might have been a mistake to agree to this. While her mind is sufficiently clear of what happened on Oros, it's only because she's trying desperately to find her balance, letting out a yelp of surprise the moment both blades come in contact with the ice...falling almost immediately.

Now she's following Shiro's lead, clinging to the wall of the ice rink, scooting slowly along it. She's staring down at her feet, glaring at the ice below, not looking to Yuuri or Victor because they make this seem far easier than it actually is.

This...is meant to be fun??]

( Victor comes to a stop with a hissing of skates over ice, smooth and sure of himself and his movements. He's been watching, but at the same time he doesn't know how to explain to do what he feels as being the way to move, to balance, to glide, on ice. Crossovers and turns and everything come to him so easily, it's hard for him to figure out how to describe it all to anyone completely blind to it.

Which he knew before he got into this. Yuuri has better patience; Nekomaru has better skill. Still. )

May I lend you an arm?

[Allura probably has a whole slew of Altean curse words running through her head when Victor does make his fast approach, and she glares at him without actually meaning to. It's only the fact that he had made this seem easier than it actually is, and the fact that her bottom is already sore from having fallen however many times before resigning herself to cling to the wall.

Also the mice are laughing at her.

But when she realizes she's glaring out of frustration, her expression smooths, looking warily at him instead.]

...I...would appreciate that. Could you come a bit closer?

[It's obvious she does not trust this ice at all.]

( he obliges, sliding closer and coming to a stop again, still offering out his arm. he's relatively immune to being glared at; hoenstly, it slides right off his back. there's no personal stakes here, and frustration is simply frustration. he's not a stranger to it, nor a stranger to seeing it in others. it's when he does or doesn't care about it that things get wonky. )

Anytime. ( he winks; considering how all eyes he is on Yuuri, his kind of charm and light flirtation shouldn't feel like a threat, but hey. who knows? )

It helps when you keep your knees bent. For balance.

( don't ask him what to do with your feet. he can't actually articulate it on a basic level. just show. )

[She takes his arm once he is within a reasonable grabbing distance, grasping his forearm with a grip that is, admittedly, probably a bit too strong from a rather average-sized woman.

In fact, the light flirtation goes right over her head, she's already concentrating on both her feet and the ice, not even looking up at him.

Taking his advice, she bends her knees nearly comically so, pointedly still not moving. Suffice to say, she feels ridiculous, and knows that she looks it if the laughter from the mice watching her didn't already make it apparent.]

And...what of the feet?

[Too bad, she's going to ask.]

... Trust in them?

( sorry, Allura, but he is Not A Teacher in any classic sense. what he is, in the end, is a man who does; he winks and pushes off, bearing with the remarkably strong grip on his arm with no comment for the time being. sometimes the best thing is to get moving, to stop overthinking. things like that can trip anyone up, on or off the ice. )

Don't worry about thinking it all through. Feel it, too! Here, I won't just let you fall.

( a pause, and a light laugh. )

If anything, maybe we'll go down together, right?

( HE WILL FIGHT TO KEEP THEM UPRIGHT IT IS NOW A PRIDE THING )

[VICTOR PLEASE.

She gives him A Look when he gives her what barely passes for substantial advice, and she's about to say something when suddenly, they're moving, and she lets out a small startled yelp. Because for the past few dobashes, each time she glided across the ice, she was doomed to fall down and bruise herself.

Her grip on him tightens, even if so far this is the farthest she's skated without falling.]

Feel it? Feel what?

[And now she's kind of just...hugging his arm, knees still bent, and just stiffly being pulled along by someone who is far more graceful and far more adept at this than she could ever hope to achieve.

If anything, she feels foolish.]

And I would rather not fall.

Do we really learn from always staying upright? Feel the way your skates glide over the ice. You can hear it too, if you listen.

( He at least knows his advice isn't that great, but it's difficult for him to articulate in the first place. Exaggerated hand motions, mentioning ways of moving and the names of what he might expect someone well versed in the basics to know won't help here. So he doesn't worry about it, keeping their pace just swift enough to be smooth, in spite of it all. )

Relax. The more stiff you are, the more likely you'll be to fall. We won't go fast enough to leave any impressive bruises!

[ shiro gets the hang of it again quickly enough. it may have been years, but once he gets used to the feel of the skates on his feet and the ice under them, his body remembers how to do this and stay balanced. he was right: it is kind of like riding the proverbial bicycle: not something you really forget how to do. he won't ever be as elegant or skilled as victor and yuuri, not by any stretch, but he can manage a circle around the ring easily enough without falling, picking up speed on his second turn.

after a little while, he stops near allura again, a smile on his face. ] How are you holding up, Princess?

[Even with the help of others, this is just one of those things Allura feels she will not get the hang of. Is this truly something Earthlings did in their free time? She just can't quite see the appeal of it. Sure, you move faster, but all this slipping and falling reminds her of--

Well. She's far too young to concern herself with thoughts of that embarrassing virus.

As Shiro approaches, visibly not as skilled as Yuuri and Victor who move effortlessly across the ice, but still, sure enough of his movements that she's seen him pass her once he found his footing, she looks at him warily, frustration clear as day on her face.

Visibly embarrassed. And annoyed. And still clinging to the wall.]

I am barely holding up. But you seem to be doing well.

[ she looks frustrated, and shiro's smile doesn't dim, exactly, but it does soften a little. ] I've done it before. It's been years, though.

[ before the galra. before the garrison, even, and there's some of the teenager he'd been in his expression when he asks: ] What if I do all the work? You'll just have to stand still, I'll do the rest. [ he holds out his hands, though he's really thinking of maybe pushing her along the ice, or pulling her. hopefully that's not overestimating his own abilities... but probably not. he thinks. ]

It's really just a question of getting used to it, I think. Finding your balance. [ and you can't do that while holding on to the wall. ]

There was never anything quite like this on my planet. Not on ice, at least.

[In fact, all this slipping and sliding has her feeling like a middle-aged Altean and that-- is certainly not fun.

She does take a moment to consider his offer though, looking at Shiro, to the wall she's holding, and then back to him.]

If you did all the work, that would not be fair to you.

I don't mind.

[ but it is fun, or it can be. his feet are already beginning to hurt a little, but it's easy to ignore for now, fading into the background when he actually moves instead of standing still. ]

Trust me, Princess.

I... [She looks at him, because it's not that she doesn't trust him, she simply does not trust the ice. Even with Victor and Yuri being helpful, she still doesn't quite get it, and she hates feeling like a burden even for something that is intended to be fun.

But she lets out a sigh, acquiescing.]

All right. But...come closer. I do not trust my own two feet at the moment.

[ she's hardly a burden. there's no obligation in this, it's just supposed to be something fun and relaxing. no one will hold it against her if she isn't good at this and no one would hold it against her if she decided to sit this one out. but shiro skates closer — close enough that he can put both hands on her waist. ]

Just relax. Even if you fall, it won't be too bad.

[ and if it is.... there's always the healing pods, right? ]

[Even with his hands at her waist, steadying her, she is still remiss to let go of the wall. But slowly, she simply accepts his offered help as is, carefully removing her hands from the wall and she carefully holds on to his forearms, remaining still.

She's not entirely willing to look up at him, still staring down at her feet and the ice. Remembering Victor's advice though, she does bend her knees a little.]

Believe me, I have fallen. Many times. It isn't so much that it's bad it's just--

[Embarrassing?? Frustrating? A healthy mix of the two, honestly.]

[ shiro isn't the greatest skater, so skating backwards is a bit of a challenge for him, but he manages it with only some minor wobbling. ] Warn me before I skate into anything? Or anyone. [ he says it with a grin, clearly not too worried about the possibility. probably because he looks over his shoulder ever so often, and because it's not like they're going fast.

but they're moving, shiro pulling allura along. maybe in a little bit, he'll change so that he's behind her and pushing instead, for some more speed, but for now, he's really just trying to get her to feel more comfortable on the ice. ]

[Once they've had their fill of skating, they relocate to the rest area, where Yuuri brings out the sandwiches, handful of fruit, and drinks he'd picked up from the Shopping Centre earlier.

As he sips at his water, he makes himself comfortable on one of the benches and looks at the other three.]

So it sounds like we were all on the Gamma missions.

[Allura is peeling what resembles an orange, skin still flush from the cool air of the rink, and likely from embarrassment of her gracelessness on the ice.

She probably clung to...various people when she wasn't falling on her rear or hugging the sides of the rink. She hands one of the slices to the mice for them to eat, not guising the look of distress on her face at the mention of the missions.]

I was. As you know, I had been researching the Trilk with a few others.

( Victor has his skate guards on, returning from fetching his kit so that when he sits down on the far side of Yuuri, he can set to work on cleaning and addressing the state of his feet. New boots means he feels all his practice that extra degree. Being fastidious about maintaining his feet is simply necessary. )

Hm. Making you one of our Trilk, ah... liaisons, while we're two of the Fek's. It's nice that now we all have an ability to communicate directly.

( A neutral statement; they'd been sent down on next to nothing, the other mission had been run, now there is a few dozen refugees on this space ship and no explanations at any point for why any of this has happened. )

[ shiro thinks about explaining why he'd chosen a gamma mission, that he hadn't wanted to steal anything from the planet without knowing why it was necessary, why they couldn't just ask for it. what's done is done, and his anger about how it happened is a low-simmering thing. victor's heard some of it already, allura even more. ]

I didn't have any contact with either Trilk or Fek while I was down there. Collecting soil samples. [ it seems so pointless now, but at the same time, he's glad. at least some knowledge about oros will be preserved now, some small part of the planet. ]

[His eyes are unusually serious as he listens to all of them chime in, before he nods.]

We couldn't really communicate with the Fek while we were down there the first time, so it was hard to get any information from them. Um... I tried talking to the Fek just yesterday, since we have their languages programmed into our communicators now.

[Yuuri bites his lip.] They weren't really willing to talk about the treaty or what started the fighting again.

[She continues to split her orange-like fruit into pieces as the others talk, as a means of giving her hands something to do.]

We should keep in touch, then. [A pause.] I wonder, with the soil samples and flora collected, perhaps we can try to sanction a part of the Atrium for the survivors. To help keep what remains of their planet alive.

[She knows she would have wanted that. But again, these creatures are not Altean, and while she may be in charge of speaking on behalf of the Trilk, she's not speaking for them.]

I have...not yet tried speaking to the Trilk. When we were planetside it was impossible to understand their language. And I want to give them time to grieve before asking.

You think that might be possible?

( he looks between allura and shiro, sitting up straight and ignoring the foot he has propped up on the bench for now. )

The Fek would love it. They had gardens — I saw a few of them — and there's... if there's something familiar we can give any of them, then we should.

( we've taken the rest away. victor doesn't feel personal responsibility for it; it's too vast, in too many ways, but he doesn't trust or accept the way this came about, or how it's been a subject of no communication past "you were requested by these people to help them interface." )

It's as Yuuri said. The Fek had nothing to offer on the subject, though they've been painting murals. Which reminds me, Yuuri, did we bring them that pinkest paint yet? ( he shakes his head. that's not important. or it is, but not to talk about right now. ) The captain and established crew have remained silent on the purpose of any of our activities that lead to the present state of affairs. Or at least that's been my experience. How about for you?

( glancing around at them all, resting his elbow on his knee and looking equally serious. )

I think that sounds like a nice idea, but we should ask them first. As for possible, I collected extra samples, and I know at least one member of my team did, too. I could ask if he's willing to donate them.

[ it would be good to do this for the fek and trilk, he thinks, if it's something that would offer them some solace.

when victor asks about the established crew, shiro's expression darkens. ] I haven't had any luck getting anything out of them. It bothered me before — [ he trails off instead of voicing just how much it bothers him now. ]

[For a moment, Yuuri looks stricken.] Oh... you're right. I should've waited longer before I tried to talk to them. [His hands twist guiltily in his lap as he glances at Viktor.] Um, no, I don't think we've brought the paint to them yet either. We can do that after this. And we'll ask them about the garden in the Atrium while we're at it, too.

[The mention of the Captain and crew makes Yuuri tense up visibly.]

Ah, about that. I haven't had luck either... he might be ignoring us. The Captain. [He picks at his sandwich, frowning.] I've tried to contact him before this, but the crew members won't give us any direct way to call him with our communicators or meet with him. They're willing to pass on messages to him, but... he hasn't responded to any of them so far.

[Closed]

ICE SKATING

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sorry for the wait!

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idk if victor is still next to her or not in this, handwaves handwavily

handwaves back handwavily

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INFO EXCHANGE

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