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...Homework. Bummer.

[Although in this case, it's more like after school lessons. She glides to catch up to him and as she approaches, her hands lower. "Don't rely on them too much," he says...

She stares at her feet, and while there are a couple of wobbly close calls, she seems to be...moving forward.]

Hey! This is fun.

What were you expecting it to be – boring?

[He waits for Leia, then glides another meter ahead. The true joy of skating comes from letting go and flying across the frozen surface (tumbling is optional), but it'd look stupid to do that while she's barely going anywhere.]

When was the last time you skated?

[At that, she actually looks up. On the one hand, she knows he's just teasing, but on the other--]

I- I never said that!

[Why would she have come if so?! Hmpth...]

It's been a while besides. The last time, I was in Kanbalar.

[She wasn't really good at it then, either.]

[It occurs to him then that, for how many names Leia's tossed around here and there, he still isn't too knowledgeable about her world.]

Kanbalar. Is that where you're from?

Yeah... [She answers without thinking, but corrects herself.] Well, sort of.

It's a different city than mine, and it's always snowy and cold there. Where I'm from is more of a town, but it all falls under Rieze Maxia anyway. You could say that's "my world."

[He hums. That's a roundabout way of saying that it's just another city, but he can understand the need for elaboration when they're from multiple worlds.]

And Elympios? You mentioned it when we were watching the sunrise.

Oh yeah. Elympios, too. I worked there.

[She's always wondered if that counted as her having two worlds. The two certainly have very distinct cultures.]

It's sort of a long story, but Elympios and Rieze Maxia existed completely separately until about a year ago. Now they're connected, but they're very different from each other.

[It sounds a little familiar, and so IV doesn't doubt that the story is indeed a long one.]

If they've been completely separate for that long, then of course they're different.

[He eyes the ice under them, studying the various streak marks of previous skaters in the rink.]

With a history like that, there must always be something to report about.

You can say that again.

[She smiles softly, feeling the air thicken as IV's gaze falls to the ground. Letting down her guard, she's actually gliding longer and moving a bit faster now, but she hasn't noticed yet.]

Cerealia's pretty interesting as a colony too, though. I get homesick like anyone else, but... I don't think it's all bad. [Sheepishly, she laughs.] Maybe only half bad.

[He gives a sardonic chuckle, the sound almost echoing off the ice rink walls.]

It's not bad until something happens, which is too often for anyone's liking.

That pretty much sums it up.

It'd be nice if they gave me something good to write about every once and a while, but so far, all the good stuff has been up to us.

[Sleepovers and the like, ViViD, gaming in general--even right now, ice skating. It's up to everyone to create their own fun. At least she's good at it, when it doesn't go horribly wrong.]

[He nods in agreement in spite of what he says next.]

Not all news can be good. It just so happens that CERES seems to prefer no good news at all. Must be irritating for you.

I try not to think about it.

[She shrugs, that embarrassed smile still lingering on her face as the realization dawns on her.]

...Hey. We're almost back where we started.

[She looks around. It feels a lot like a child learning how to ride a bike and wondering when they were let go.]

I made it!

[He looks up at Leia's exclamation, and a faint smirk creeps onto his face. So they talked more than actually skated, but this is progress.]

Oh? So you did. Good job. Now how about another lap, but faster this time?

[Like that's a bad thing. Talking made it go by waaay faster. And speaking of that--]

Or I could cheat and cut across to the other side.

[KIDDING

mostly]

[HOW FUNNY.

Not.]

Where's the fun in that? Rather, can you make it to the other side without the wall?

Where's the fun in clinging to the wall?

[She retorts without missing a beat, folding her arms as they come to a stop approximately where they began.]

Besides, I won't know 'til I try.

You're right about that. Well, then, let's do it.

[He glides away from the wall, edging toward the center of the ice rink.]

Are you coming?

... I'm gonna get you.

[It's a playful threat when she notices him skating away faster than she'd like. She starts after him, but of course, he'll remain painfully just out of his reach.

She's not falling, though. Her movements are almost natural, if a bit stiff.]

[IV notices this, but he says nothing. To point out her progress might make her conscious of the way she's skating, which may in turn be detrimental to her performance. So he continues to cut through the rink, looking over his shoulder now and then. About halfway there, he swerves to a stop.]

You're too slow. What was that about "getting" me? If it were just me, I'd have finished a dozen laps by now.

Yeah, right.

[At the teasing, Leia only speeds up with determination. The intent to trek across the rink is quickly forgotten, and if IV starts moving again, she'll be chasing after him wherever he goes, even if it's right into a wall.]

Don't you worry about me. Here I come!

[When she's close enough, she'll reach out her hand--!]

[At least it's not so boring anymore. Leia gains on him quickly, and IV has just reached the wall on the other side when he turns around and sees her coming at him like a speeding train. That can't be good.]

Hey, Leia –

[The warning comes too late as Leia barrels into IV, knocking the latter into the wall and bringing the former down with him in an awkward tumble.]

[Well, then.

For about half a second, she does look concerned, especially when she catches a glimpse of IV closing in against the wall. That's about all she can spare, though. The next moment, her feet fail her (also she doesn't remember how to stop???) and even though she struggles to maybe not fall, lady luck laughs in her face.

She slams against him and collapses, landing on top of him with one hand on his shoulder and the other against his chest from when she tried to brace herself (keyword: try). Her eyes are shut tight, and she feels a bit dizzy. It's warm...

Is she dreaming again?]

[People seem to be making it a habit to run into him today. Thankfully, Leia isn't heavy enough to cause him unnecessary discomfort beyond their awkward position. IV pushes his palms against the ice, ignoring the cold in favor of pushing himself upright from his slumped posture.

Knitting his brow, he looks down at the hand against his chest and then over to Leia. That's what she gets for rushing, but he can't say that he's faultless, either, considering that he failed to catch her standing.]

Are you all right?

[Her head starts to clear. She can hear his voice, and while it's mumbled and she can't exactly make out what he's saying, she can guess at the sentiment. She'd rather he not worry (honestly, this is nothing), so she opens her eyes slowly as she lifts her head.]

I'm okay. I'm--

[...

......ah. Taking in the situation, it suddenly makes sense. How warm and comfortable it had been... She's certain IV can't say the same, though, so she gasps, and after lifting herself up a bit, she rolls off to the side until she's sitting next to him. Similarly, she pushes herself up so that her back is against the wall and she's seated more properly.

It feels like the wind's been knocked out of her. She's a little out of breath from the whole thing (but not for long).]

Sorry. What about you?

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