[RP Log] Laundry Day

Her eyes were like a snake's; they constantly made her look critical, angry... Fenrissa was just the opposite. About 15 years old and living with her Grandmother in Shatterglass, she was out collecting laundry from her Grandmother's clientelle. "Telly's Laundry" was not a very popular business, but Telly herself couldn't do much more for a living; it was enough to pay for her one bedroom apartment, at least. She did the laundry every Sunday, and had it back to everyone by Monday morning. Fenrissa didn't mind the drop offs and pick ups, though. She had a lot of free time outside of school. In the three months she had been there, her eyes morphed into those of a snake, fangs accompanying them. Though she was a girl, antlers sprung up from her head, and white freckles had popped up over her nose and cheeks. Her strawberry blonde hair had thinned considerably but had stopped there; none had fallen out yet; and finally, the tips of her ears had begun to transform, becoming pointier, and elongated to look like those of a deer. She didn't mind this much, either. In fact, it was a nice change from her mother's teachings that animals were animals, and humans were humans; the two could never be mixed.

--

It was the middle of winter, and Rhyse was certainly an oddity, though not by Shatterglass' standards. While most people bundled up in jackets and layers to fend off the biting frost, the salamander codeling was dressed otherwise: clothed in a pair of puffy dark pants, a loose black tanktop, and little flaps over their feet that left the bottoms bare. In fact, the only thing even remotely appropriate for winter was the scarf that was wound tightly around their neck and mouth- which, although worn, was dark maroon and had a strange, fiery quality to the ends of it. Their hands were shoved into their pockets, but the faint off-white cloth of bandages could be seen trailing up the lower half of their arm. Along their skin was the occasional spot of dark red- spots that, only if one were properly looking, could be seen giving off faint wisps of steam. But this was as far as their abnormalities went, save for the claws-for-hands that were hidden from view. No animal ears protruded from their head, nor a gangly tail, or even horns. Just dark red dots, the beginnings of a galaxy blotched across their skin.

Unaware of the girl walking just a dozen or so feet behind them, Rhyse watched the people around them quietly and without consequence. Some bustled by quickly, no doubt in the midst of holiday shopping, while others strolled along as they did; but all had the same unique mutations that made Shatterglass one of a kind. Some were just.... a little less ostentatious than others.

Bored, Rhyse pulled out a bandaged hand- of which only smooth red claws could be seen peeking out from the cloth- and sparked a small flame, a pitiful little thing really: no bigger than a firefly. They let it bounce and crackle in their palm for a moment before letting it roam around their entire hand, twisting it this way and that to accommodate the thing as if it were alive. So engrossed in this little flare were they that they hardly saw where they were going, only just barely moving out of the way of people before getting bumped into in some cases.

--

Fenrissa, bulging sack of laundry dragging behind her, hurried and scuffled through the crowds, barely even noticing Rhyse as she bumped them but continued along quickly. This also meant, however, that she didn't notice whatever she had tripped on... perhaps her own two feet? As she fell forward, face-first onto the pavement, the sack of dirty clothing flew through the air, showering everyone in its path with dirty laundry. Fenrissa was mortified as tears welled up in her eyes. Oops. 

--

The tiny flame was snuffed out the moment someone- or something- bumped into Rhyse, and the salamander codeling fought back a miffed expression as they continued walking. Not even a moment later, a blur thumped against the ground and the sky rained with- was that laundry? Rhyse sidestepped as a tattered old navy shirt came down from above, landing in a heap on the ground with the rest of the girl's bundle. Yes, it was most certainly laundry- but not their problem. At least, that's what Rhyse told themself as they started walking once more. But it only took two steps to hesitate, and the sound of a sniffle- or was it the wind?- to make them sigh and stop again. The passersby moved quietly around them, looking concerned or sympathetic at the girl, but offering no means of actual help. Again Rhyse sighed.

Wordlessly, Rhyse began picking up the clothes, occasionally becoming flustered when it was someone's delicates: those they shoved quickly into the bag before continuing. They weren't very worried about accidentally burning them- there was no sweltering heat lying just beneath their skin, no painful itching that dared to be set free. Not yet, at least. It was summer that Rhyse had to worry about overheating frequently. For now, though, with the chill of winter, all was well. By the time Rhyse had gotten everything, the girl had righted herself. So, extending one arm, they presented the lumpy bag of clothing silently to her, staring off to the other side of the street.

--

The girl took the bag, tears swelling in her snake human hybrid eyes. "W-wait!" she squeaked quietly, hurrying after Rhyse. "I want to thank you! Please wait up!" she was excited; had she possibly made a friend? So the best she could do was chase behind them, hoping they would slow down and answer. 

--

Don't look back, don't look back, don't look- "Please wait up!" Rhyse cringed and instantly froze on the spot, the mantra chanted in their head forgotten. They glanced back out of the corner of their eye, only enough to barely see the girl stumble forward trying to catch up. A quiet sigh escaped their lips, but they had already stopped- so they waited awkwardly on the side of the sidewalk, looking everywhere but at her when she caught up.

"Yes...?" They were too flustered to offer a proper reply back- why would she demand they wait? She thanked Rhyse in passing, and it had seemed like she was in a hurry... Rhyse shook their head, trying not to overthink it.

--

Fenrissa suddenly felt flustered and awkward. 'Why did I ask them to stop omg they're going to hate me,' she thought to herself. "I just.... is there anything I can do? To... not repay you that sounds weird, but like... can I owe you a favor or something? Or, like... wow, this is awkward," her face flushed red and she looked at her feet. "I don't know, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take time out of your day oh god I'm sorry."

--

Rhyse blinked rapidly, a look of perplexion and surprise on their face. Repay them? But- Rhyse became flabbergasted, unable to understand why such a simple task, in this girl's eyes, deserved some kind of favor in turn, especially when they could have easily burned her clothes in the process under different circumstances. "But-" they paused, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I don't understand- I-" the words became a jumble for a moment as it was Rhyse's turn to become flustered. "Why?"

--

"Huh?" Fenrissa looked up, still blushing madly, but it toned down a tiny bit. "Well, when someone does something nice you're supposed to repay them, and well, you did something really nice for me, because it would have taken me forever to pick all that up, and someone probably would have stepped on me, or gotten my antlers caught up their skirt, or on their pantleg and.... yeah." It was clear now why she maintained her distance; if she was closer, she would have poked them in the eye with her antlers when she turned her face downwards in embarrassment. 

--

"Oh..." said Rhyse, not realizing this at all. Was it common protocol? They hadn't thought doing something nice required some sort of equivalent exchange. Poor child didn't even seem to realize that the girl was just as flustered, if not more, than they were, though they didn't flinch away from the close proximity of the antler tips. "Um... okay- are you... in a rush though?" They paused, as if trying to remember, and then quickly added, "It- it's just that you were walking pretty fast and with all the clothes..."

--

"No, no, of course not! I just was rushing to get my chores done for grams and-" she cut herself off, realizing she was speaking to them as if they were friends. "But no, I'm not busy! But if you're busy or somethin' we can call it even or I can owe you or...?" she smiled. It was a sincere smile, for she really had been getting lonely. She didn't have so many friends; except for the tailor who lived beneath her and her grandmother. But even then, she was really too old to be considered her friend. She knew she seemed overly excited about the whole ordeal, but she couldn't care less!

--

"Grams?" Rhyse muttered, not realizing they were speaking out loud. A look of confusion passed across the salamander codeling's face, thinking her words sort of contradicted themselves, but they didn't point it out. Well, they might've, except the girl's smile caught them offguard. It was so warm and genuine- so unlike what they were used to seeing, that they couldn't help but smile back, even though most of it couldn't be seen. The crinkle of their eyes were still there, though. Could this be... a possible friend?

Rhyse was almost hesitant to hope, as the fire came almost immediately after to mind. No- no, they'd be okay, for now. It was cool still, no threats of burning consumed them or anything of the sort. So they shook their head, the hope of a friend pushing away the fear of the flames. "No- I mean, I'm not busy. You don't owe me, but- " Bah, how does one ask to be friends- no, wait, asking for friendship is dumb, but- Rhyse frowned, not sure what to say.

--

She shrugged "Well if you're not busy, I'm not busy, and maybe we can find something today? It's a pretty nice day out, I think? I mean, it all depends whats nice to you, but yeah- I mean," stumbling over her words, Fenrissa blushed slightly. "I just have to bring these up that hill, but if you want, you're more than welcome to come with me and then hang around afterwards. I'm sure we could find something to do?" the words rushed from her mouth, though the nervousness was dulling down.

--

Rhyse ducked their head, hiding part of their face in the safety of their scarf as they nodded: but their smile was evident, reaching their eyes. Something in their brain clicked and registered that she seemed just as awkward as they did, which reassured the codeling. They would be fine. Just control the flames- that wouldn't be too difficult on a day like this. Not too warm, and no burning. They could do this... couldn't they? Taking a deep breath, they focused on conciseness and said, "Do you need help? ...with the clothes, I mean."

--

"Oh! No but thank you! By the way... I'm Fenrissa," she mentioned lightly as the two trekked up the hill. "It's right up here, its really not that far of a walk, I promise-" she said, though the last word broke off as she tripped up and nearly fell once again, but managed to regain her balance before that could happen.

--

"Rhyse," replied the codeling, their gaze drifting about idly. This part of Shatterglass was less familiar to them- the nicer part of it, as it were. Rhyse tried to avoid this area on bad days, for fear of accidentally stirring up trouble... or, y'know, setting something on fire. A small bout of fear rose up in them at that possibility, but they forced it away, just in time to notice Fenrissa starting to fall. Instantly they extended a claw, but she thankfully she caught herself instead of falling once more. Still, Rhyse had to ask, "Are you okay?"

--

"Of course!" she smiled. "Nice to meet you, Rhyse!" But before either of hem could continue the conversation, she stopped and turned right; not onto another street or alleyway, but to face a shop front. The word "Tailor" was displayed generically on the glass storefront window, and a young woman with short brown hair could be seen behind the counter, clearly having a slow day. There was a narrow stairway to the direct left of the storefront, a mailbox barely noticeable adorning the wall next to it. But there was no need to go up; the old women, Nana, was sitting in a rocking chair outside of the tailor storefront, underneath a green and white striped awning. She had thick glasses on and a pair of knitting needles in her hands; at first glance she seemed like any ordinary old woman. But looking a tad closer would reveal her legs were replaced with that of a deer, her feet feeble hooves that clearly could not support the older woman. The young tailor exited the store, glass of water in hand. "Good morning Fenrissa," she greeted with a grin. "Bonjour Clarisse!" she retorted, returning the grin as well. "Could you maybe do me a huge favor and help Nana take these up when she goes? Please?" she asked, eyes pleading. Her grandmother laughed. "It's not a problem, you've done enough for the day, go enjoy the rest of it," she smiled, leaning in to kiss her grandmother on the cheek. "Oh! This is Rhyse! He helped me pick up all the laundry when I dropped it!" "Again?" Her grandmother interjected. "Thank you, dear," she smiled at Rhyse. But Fenrissa was itching to leave again.

--

Rhyse's smile reached their eyes that time, quickly lost as they nearly missed the turn. Backtracking quickly, they took care not to bump into the girl as they ducked inside the shop. The place smelled of old fabrics and was filled with the soft ticking of a sewing machine. It was a small place, apparently not a very busy one from the looks of it, but it was... nice. They weren't sure how else to describe it.

Of course, they hadn't expected to be introduced, and it took a good deal of willpower not to duck behind Fenrissa. They settled instead for hiding in the folds of their scarf, surprised a second time by the warmth of the old woman's smile. "...s'nothing, ma'am." they replied quietly- unsure of how else to respond, though they saw out of the corner of their eye that Fenrissa seemed to be in a hurry to leave.

--

"Well okay thank you see you later bye!" She said, giggling as she turned and left, looking back to be sure that Rhyse was following; she didn't want to make them uncomfortable by dragging them along with her. 

"So... to be completely honest I haven't been here very long..." She started, clearly embarrassed as she stood right outside the shop, looking up and down the streets. "What is there to do?"

--

And just like that they were on the move again, leaving behind the cute little shop and stepping back out into the chilly winter industrial air. Rhyse stepped out into it unaffected, following after the codeling girl without a fuss.

"Oh- uhh..." they looked around, wracking their brain for an answer. "Shatterglass has always been rather... mechanical, I suppose, even before everything happened. But there's places like a bowling alley, and a movie theatre, and a small park, and things like that, if that's what you mean. There used to be a lot more, but... those kinds of things are only in the other cities now."

--

They were cutting through a small park as they spoke, some low hanging trees forming a pretty archway over the sidewalk; pretty, that is, until Fenrissa's left antler caught on one of the branches, snapping her back and onto her butt, right into the pavement. Her whole face lit up red as she dusted her front off before trying to right herself. a tiny bit of blood trickling down her lip, which she had bit with her fang during the fall. "I'm fine!" she said awkwardly, righting herself. "You pick, you know the city!" she said. "Everything you said sounds fun!"

--

The snap of the branches as it collided into the girl's antlers is what alerted Rhyse to her fall, and as they spun around she was already dusting herself off. But it was the blood that drew Rhyse's attention and worry, and without thinking took the edge of their scarf to wipe it away... and realized two seconds too late what they did. Feeling their face grow hot, Rhyse spun around immediately so that Fenrissa wouldn't notice, and quickly made a decision because hey convenient topic change. A very, very good one too, because heat and Rhyse did not mix well at all and any possibility of cooling down would help tremendously. "There's also an ice skating rink... would you want to try that?" All the while Rhyse was freaking out internally because they touched a girl's lips indirectly oh god oh god.

--

Rissa grinned, not even noticing the internal freak out; she was too preoccupied trying to imagine herself stumbling around on ice skates. She looked at them awkwardly. "I've never tried ice skating, have you? I'd be nervous about falling..." the fawn girl admitted sheepishly. "But don't get me wrong! Id love to do it! But believe it or not, I'm a little clumsy!"

--

Fenrissa's words tugged at Rhyse's attention, bringing them back to reality as the racing thoughts were pushed back. "Mm, Kind of." Frigid winter days of skidding across frozen ponds with their sister came to mind- a thought that caused Rhyse to frown and suppress a sigh behind their scarf. "It does take a bit of getting used to. I slid a lot when I tried it." They admitted, keeping silent on Fenrissa's own confession of clumsiness. Truth be told, Rhyse wasn't very surprised, what with the laundry and all, but they didn't want to agree and be rude- but on the other hand, they didn't want to lie, either. So they went with a middle ground of sorts. "It's okay- everyone's clumsy sometimes."

--

Rissa giggled at the remark- "No, like... really clumsy. " She couldn't help but smile, checking over herself for bumps and bruises, which she seemed to attain even from bumping into something fairly lightly. She was delicate, to say the least- but not in a cliche feminine way. In more of a sick person way- but a very happy sick person!

"So, ice skating it is- mind showing me where??" She asked, waiting for them to lead. The streets in this particular part of town were busy, and Rissa had a hard time keeping up, so she reached out lightly and pinched the fabric of Rhyse's outfit very lightly, not wanting to be impolite but also not wanting to be separated from them.

--

Rhyse saw a couple bruises already forming on the girls' skin and felt a pang of sympathy. They couldn't see any from the most recent fall, but they didn't want Fenrissa to accumulate more from ice skating. Maybe this was a bad idea? Okay, probably, but it was also definitely a good idea to turn around and start looking for the rink because they may or may not have thought the freckles on her face next to that one bruise on her cheek was really cute and oh god their face was getting hot again. "Haha yeah! Sure!"

They felt a light tug on the back of their shirt, realizing it was Fenrissa who was clinging to the fabric. Well, that certainly did not help the face situation, so they alternated between walking faster because the cold of the ice would be a blessing at this point, and slowing down because if she was clinging to them in the first place then they were probably walking too fast. After a few moments of this back and forth, they did manage to slow down enough that Fenrissa likely wouldn't have so much of a hard time keeping up. "It's not that far from here, I think it's just a couple blocks this way?" They squinted, trying to scope out the building, and noticed it- an unremarkable steel building with a sign that said "Ice Rink" and a snowflake on it down the street. Pointing to it with a claw, they added, "Over there!"

--

At the point of seeing the ice rink, Rissa's eyes lit up. "I always wanted to go! But my mom said I was too clumsy," she said sheepishly. But boy was she excited. She had just met them, but it somehow felt like they had been friends for a while... So of course without thinking, Rissa took the lead and sped towards the ice rink, grabbing Rhyse's wrist and pulling them along without thinking twice about it. It was a brief run, but then they were in the cool air.

Rissa was grinning as she turned to face Rhyse when she realized she still had a hold on their wrist. Seeing the look on their face made her feel terrible about grabbing them so unexpectedly. This caused her to redden beneath her freckles as well. "Oh! I'm sorry..." she said quietly with a bashful smile, hoping she hadn't upset her new friend. She was still getting used to the whole friendship thing in general.

--

Before Rhyse could even think to react, they were yanked forward as a cool hand grabbed their wrist, pulling them along. They almost stumbled themselves at first, just barely managing to keep up with her as they raced around crowds of people and towards the ice skating rink. Once they were safely stopped, their face was all but completely buried in their scarf, little wisps of steam coming off of their face from being so flustered. This, of course, did not help matters much, because Rhyse did not hate many things, but the steam was one of them. It was so embarrassing, and they hurriedly tried to keep it contained under their scarf, although wisps still seeped through.

"I-it's okay!" was all they could say as they moved towards the line to pay for a ticket and get skates. The cooling air of the rink was a welcome relief for Rhyse, who always seemed to love the cold in general. Though honestly, could anyone blame them? It was much easier to deal with being a literal fire codeling in such weather. Peeking out at Fenrissa through their scarf, they said, "Um, we just have to get tickets and the skates, to uh, skate with," once they were a little more composed.

--

Rissa smiled, getting in line. She had a small change purse slung across her chest, about as dainty as she was. When they got to the front of the line, Rissa got her ticket and her rental skates first. She smiled at the teenage boy who was working the ticket booth, looking bored as ever. Though the boredom changed to slight annoyance as she as she pulled out her change purse, paying in singles and the last five in quarters, exact change and all. Then Rhyse got their ticket and skates, and they stepped to the side and sat on a bench.

Rissa leaned down and put her left foot, then her right into the skates, realizing that she was going to have a bad time trying to tie these up. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try! She leaned forward to tie her skates, and as she did a child came toddling by, a little too close, and caught a belt loop on one of Rissa's antlers. While the kid did snap backwards a little, Rissa also fell on her face out of surprise as the child unhooked themselves and scurried away, leaving Rissa face down. Her face was bright red, and she definitely needed a moment to collect herself.

--

Rhyse grabbed their own skates before moving towards the bench, trying to find the best way to tie the skates with their claws. It was one of many reasons why they usually tended to avoid the whole shoe wearing thing in the first place. Shoes were already difficult to tie with claws, but the risk of frying the shoelaces in the process was especially worrying. So they usually went barefoot, but in this case the ice skates were necessary to not melt the ice, so.... they decided grappling with the laces for a solid 3 minutes was the best option here.

Or at least, they thought it would be, until a movement from the side of their eye caught their attention and saw that Fenrissa managed to fall again. They quickly forgot about their ice skates- one securely on their foot and one dangling on the other. Rhyse couldn't immediately tell if Fenrissa was hurt or not, but she certainly looked upset, which, in turn, made Rhyse panic. "Oh no oh no oh no, are you okay?" Their claws more or less flailed about as they tried to find the best way to help her without upsetting her further. Instead hey just kind of hovered worriedly after helping her at least sit up.

--

Rissa was blushing deeply- 'Oh God, distract yourself, distract yourself' she thought. "I-I'm fine!!" She giggled, definitely sounding flustered when her eyes landed on something she could distract herself with. Moving to a kneel, she tied her own skates one at a time then looked at Rhyse's own untied ones.

And then she looked at their claws. "Oh! Let me help you!" She squeaked, face less flushed but still very much so as she tied their skates on. As she tried to get up, she realized she just may fall again on the wobbly skates, so her blush deepened as she looked at Rhyse, holding out a hand. "Mind helping me up?" She just made a new friend and she was already messing things up.

--

Rhyse let out a sigh of relief as it turned out she was fine. The last thing they wanted for her to get hurt because of a stupid idea they had- or anyone to get hurt, for that matter. It temporarily quieted their fright, able to focus on their skates again. Before they could get a chance to tackle the idea of shoelaces again or really protest, Fenrissa's hands were already there, and in far quicker time than they would have made, their skates were all tied.

They quickly got up, almost stumbling on the blades of their skates before steadying themselves. "Um... yeah! Sure!" Rhyse had their face completely hidden in their scarf again and held out a hand for her to take. They were trying so hard to play it cool, but it was only half working, since they were... y'know, half-hiding.

--

Rissa gripped one of their hands, then gripped the same hand with her second, just for the extra support. She didn't expect how it would feel to actually stand on the skates, though... And she was definitely a little wobbly, hand gripping just slightly tighter then before... oh no, she hadn't let go of their hand!

And so she did, though she remained unbalanced as she tottered towards the actual ice, putting the very tip of her skate out as if to test the waters. "So, uh.... how do you do this?" she asked, slightly embarrassed at her lack of knowledge on the subject.

--

Well, if Rhyse wasn't scarlet before, they certainly were now. Not that Fenrissa could see it, really, they were buried up to their eyes in their scarf and even that wasn't enough for the fire codeling. Even after the girl's hands left theirs, they remained this way, waddling over to the wall with only somewhat more confidence than Fenrissa.

After a brief moment of hesitation, they stepped out onto the ice, spinning around slowly to face her. "Okay.... uhhhh.... so you gotta kinda balance on the skates and kinda... kinda curve your feet inwards and, um, yeah! Like that!" They nodded when Fenrissa tried to copy them. "And, uhh, you kinda have to shuffle your feet? To move forward, I mean. A lot of people hold onto the wall until they get used to it."

--

Rissa stepped out onto the ice, sliding forward... though she didn't exactly mean to. She followed their instructions to the best of her abilities, though, and seemed to be decently balanced as she tried to make her way to the wall. But her skates had another idea and as she angled them slightly the wrong way, sending her further and further away from the codeling... and closer to the traffic of other skaters. Oh no, this could be trouble.

--

"Ah!!! Wait!!" Rhyse called out once they realized where Fenrissa was headed, and skated hastily over to her, legs flailing while trying to keep balance. There wasn't really a way to stop Fenrissa aside from physically stopping her, so they grabbed her hands while repeatedly saying, "Sorry sorry sorry!" and trying to guide her away from a little boy trying his best to skate and keep up with what looks to be his older sister.

--

Rissa gripped their hands tightly. "I'm sorry, I tried to stop!" She giggled out, trying to stay sturdy to make sure Rhyse didn't fall over or lose their balance, either; but they avoided the incident, luckily! "Do... you want me to let go?" Rissa asked, clearly a little nervous that she would accidentally glide away yet again.

Rissa frowned a little, brow furrowing in concentration as she placed one hand on the wall and started inching forward. Or, she was trying to. In reality, she was moving her little skates so rapidly but not going anywhere fast, even sliding backwards at times. The only reason she continued to move forward was her pulling herself along the wall. "I... I got this!" She said quietly. People behind her seemed to think otherwise.

--

Whether it be by sheer dumb luck or some other sort of intervention, they managed to make it back to the edge of the rink without falling or crashing into anyone, despite Rhyse essentially skating backwards and Fenrissa struggling to stand. Truth be told they didn't mind holding hands, but they were afraid of accidentally burning her, so they nodded reluctantly. "Here, keep one hand on the wall to keep yourself from falling. And it's okay if you fall! It doesn't hurt so much, really."

--

Rissa looked concerned but relaxed again when the accident was avoided. And so she tried lifting up her feet. At first it seemed more like extremely clunky walking than skating, legs shaking and knees almost clanking together as she moved. Her arms instinctively reached out to keep her balance as she slowly but surely held less and less onto the wall. Fenrissa was a quick learner, just a little too clumsy for her own good. But she had a big grin on her face as she awkwardly skated forward, looking at Rhyse for some sort of confirmation that she was doing it right.

--

Despite the fact that Rhyse had their face covered by their scarf, the smile was evident in their eyes as Fenrissa looked like she was starting to get the hang of it. Sure, she still looked a bit unsteady on her feet, but no one immediately learned how to skate. It took time and practice, so for having only been on the ice for a short while, she was doing pretty great! "Yeah, like that!" They beamed eyes crinkled up from the expression. "Once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad."

--

Rissa grinned, fangs showing as she giggled slightly at their face. She was doing it! She became more and more comfortable until she was comfortable to pull off from the wall, and start skating foward hoping Reese would stand by her as she continued her successful attempts at skating.

It took her 10 minutes until she fell for the first time. She fell flat on her butt, sliding a little away from Rhyse and squeaking as she did so. She was sitting on the ice, looking a little awe stricken before she burst into laughter, unsure of how to get up

--

Rhyse followed, only a pace behind both to see how far she'd go and to be a buffer in case she fell. Just because she stopped in her tracks didn't mean the other skaters would, and the last thing that a fallen skater needed is someone crashing into them.

Which... admittedly, is what almost happened. Rhyse was so focused on making sure that there was nothing around so she could fall that when she actually fell, they weren't sure what to do- almost skated right past her, actually. Backtracking, sprays of ice flew out from their skates as they skittered to a halt and went back for her, looking incredibly worried. "Are you okay, did you fall too ha-" their voice fell silent in their throat as Fenrissa's laugh bubbled from her chest. Rhyse was certainly confused- was she actually crying and just looked like she was laughing? What was going on?

--

Rissa looked up at them, giggling a little bit as she reached out a hand asking for help. She wiped a tear from her eye as she was helped up. "No, I'm okay, I just thought it would hurt more. It was just so c-c-cold!" she was still smiling as she began skating again, or, at least, trying to.

--

Rhyse hesitantly offered her a claw to get up, honestly rather surprised that the girl not only wasn't hurt, but was, in fact, laughing and not crying. They ended up skating for a good couple hours, managing not to collide into each other at all, but each had their fair share of falls. At the end, they gave their skates back to the rental and left, both seeming to be in good spirits. "Did you have fun?" Rhyse asked, almost afraid of the answer.

--

Rissa had a smile plastered on her face, holding close a foam cup of hot chocolate that she had purchased before they left the rink. "I had SO MUCH fun!" She said honestly. If it wasn't for the excitement and sincerity in her eyes, it might sound like she was exaggerating or being sarcastic. The sun was beginning to set, and Fenrissa looked around as the crowds thinned out. "But I should probably get home soon"

--

To say that Rhyse was surprised was a bit of an understatement. Could someone really fake that much sincerity? They weren't sure- her smile looked so genuine, it made their own mouth twitch up in happiness.

But something in the back of Rhyse's mind wouldn't let the doubt settle. The thought ruminated in their brain, turning sour and ugly and soon the melancholy returned. Sure, they had fun, but it was one time, and that was only because they got lucky. It'd be best to avoid the eventual disaster. "Y-yeah! I think the shop is back over this way." Rhyse nodded, starting the small walk back.

--

The small walk passed with Rissa pointing out the places she liked best in Shatterglass. But when they got there, she turned towards them and with a smile, began speaking excitedly. "So, I work.... for the next couple of days but I'm free on Saturday... that is, if you want to do something? Maybe I can think of something this time," she giggled, grinning from ear to ear.

--

Rhyse was ready to call it quits. Today was a good day, the best they've had in a while, but they couldn't push their luck. They were ready to say good bye and then never see this girl again. It would be best that way. It was safest that way. But the words left Rhyse's mouth before they could stop themselves. "Yeah! I'm free Saturday."

On the inside, they seemed fine, maybe a little tired, but on the inside they were screaming internally. No no no! That was literally the exact opposite of what they were supposed to do, what were they thinking! They couldn't see this girl again! Even if they wanted to... it wouldn't be fair, they couldn't do this again. Unsure of what else to do, as now they were all wound up, they just threw out a quick: "Okay, see you later!" Before quickly walking away before they said anything else that would dig them into a deeper hole.

--

"Meet me here on Saturday," Fenrissa called after them. She hoped that this would be the start of a great friendship.