Author Topic: On the Ice  (Read 1746 times)

Wolfsbane706

  • Knight of the Accursed Order
  • Boredom is contagious.
On the Ice
« on: May 19, 2014, 11:35:38 PM »
Right.  This is a series of (hopefully) interconnected oneshots concerning various Touhou pairings in ice skating situations.  I'm starting off with a few well-recognized pairings, but as the universe (and series) progresses, I'll be delving into more crack-ish pairings.  As an opener, I'll use the Christmas special I did last year starring Kaguya and Mokou.  Enjoy!

"Uwah!"  When Fujiwara no Mokou bolted upright in what amounted to a bed in her rundown little shack, the first thing she noticed was the thick white clouds her heavy breaths were coming out in.  The second thing she noticed was how absolutely freezing it was in said shack.  The third thing she noticed was that her body was completely bare, something she noticed because instead of just the extremities, she felt the cold all over her body.
While her home may not have had any insulation (being a shack), was it really that cold outside?  Mokou's teeth started chattering and she hugged herself not out of any long-since-forgotten sense of modesty, but in a desperate attempt to keep warm.  She had no intention of freezing to death twice in one day, much less inside her own home.  While some small part of her mind chastised herself over not doing any cold training during her unnaturally-extended life, Mokou knew from experience that her resistances reset every time she died.  Try though she might to get used to the freezing Gensokyo winters, every time she and Kaguya killed each other would just lead to Mokou feeling the cold full-force the next time she resurrected.
As she hunted down a blanket, a coat, anything to help keep warm, Mokou recalled the first time she'd frozen to death that evening.  She'd been hit in the back of the head by someone wielding a frying pan, knocked out, and left in the snowfall while the weather worsened.  Now that she thought about it, though, it seemed a little embarrassing to have died that way.  It was even more embarrassing when she realized that someone had carried her back to her shack.
Imagine her rage when that person came back and was revealed to be none other than Kaguya Houraisan, Mokou's mortal enemy for all eternity.
Something was off, though, and that something was the only thing that kept Mokou from flying into a blind rage and burning her shack down with Kaguya in it.  Kaguya was holding, in her hands, two pairs of what looked like ice skates.  While Mokou was familiar with ice skating, she'd never actually worn a pair of ice skates, much less been ice skating.
Although Kaguya kept silent, Mokou still fumed.  And shook.  And rubbed her arms.  Just like Kaguya, she opted not to say anything, although probably for a different reason: her chattering teeth would make her stutter, and Mokou did not like to stutter.
After about a minute of silence, Kaguya finally rolled her eyes.  "Look, I know you're probably mad at me, but at least put something on before you freeze.  Again."  She tossed one pair of skates down onto the floor, set the other on Mokou's lap (enduring much furious glaring), took off her outer robe, and wrapped it around Mokou.  "I don't normally do this, but it's almost Christmas, and that means Truce."
As Mokou wrapped Kaguya's robe over her body and as warmth returned to her body, she deliberated over what Kaguya had said.  Truce . . . . she thought softly.  About a hundred years ago, Kaguya decided that the month of December would be our "Truce Month".  One month of not killing each other.  Recently, she's "expanded" it to helping me out if I'm close to death, like just now.  And now that I think about it, "What's with the ice skates?!"  She almost screamed her question, surprising Kaguya out of her own thoughtful trance.  Mokou's voice was still a little shaky, just like her breathing, but at least she wasn't stuttering.
"It's part of our Truce.  You're going to teach me how to ice skate."  Typical Kaguya, jumping the gun and assuming Mokou would go along with it despite not actually knowing how to skate.
"Why me?  I mean, forgetting that I've actually never been ice skating, why me?"
Kaguya faltered for a moment then rubbed the back of her head.  "It was Reisen's idea.  She said that if I wanted to 'mend our relationship' that I should take you to do something romantic.  First thing to come to mind was, well, ice skating."  Kaguya leaned back against the "doorway" to Mokou's shack and crossed her arms.  "Quite frankly, I'm beginning to regret that idea.  Now get dressed before I take my robe back and go home."
Mokou blushed in anger but kept her mouth shut, opting to look for her usual suspenders, pants, and shirt.  "I assume you're the one who carried me home, so where are my clothes?" she asked after a moment of searching.
"Frozen solid by now, probably.  I suppose if you don't have anything else, I'll take you to get something.  Eirin's actually a pretty good seamstress."  She pushed herself off of the wall and collected the pair of skates she'd tossed onto the floor.  "If you're worried about shoes, just wear the skates.  Shouldn't be too hard to walk in them."  Mokou's expression of anger had turned into one of surprise, by this point, mostly because Kaguya was actually being a lot nicer than usual.
"You really think I'm gonna follow you to Eientei in knee-deep snow?" she asked incredulously. "You're nuts! What's gonna stop you from stealing your robe back once we're in some desolate clearing?  If I'm gonna freeze, it's gonna be on my own terms!"
Kaguya just brought her free mitten-covered hand to her face and sighed in exasperation.  "The fact that you're even saying that is just . . . .   Anyway, if you're unwilling to go, I'll just let you freeze and take your corpse."  Mokou flinched upon hearing that comment.  As much as she was used to dying, it admittedly scared her to resurrect in a location that wasn't where she died.  After all, if someone moved her corpse, it was likely that person would be waiting to kill her again.
"Fine," Mokou said, getting up off of her "bed" and picking up the skates that Kaguya had left on her lap.  "I'll come. Lead the way."
Kaguya grinned mischievously. "Of course," was all she said before exiting Mokou's shack and heading for Eientei.

When Kaguya arrived at Eientei, Mokou wasn't far behind.  "Not far" as in about 50 feet behind, so as to easily spot any potential treachery.  When the Lunar princess looked at the front porch, she noticed Reisen sitting there in much the same condition Mokou had been in when Kaguya had given the phoenix girl her robe: naked, shivering, and, unlike the phoenix girl, sniffling.  "So I take it Eirin has you out here for another cure?" Kaguya asked of the half-frozen rabbit.
The only response was a nod and a sneeze, but Kaguya got the message.
"She must really be bored if she's got you trying to catch a cold."
Reisen's only response again was just a nod and a sneeze.
"I mean, there are so many variations, it might be impossible for Eirin to make one that cures all of them, so you'll probably be out here for days."
The look on Reisen's face quickly turned from miserable to horrified while Kaguya smiled on.
"Keep up the good work," she teased.
That was the last straw for Reisen, who quickly bolted inside, probably to dive under the nearest set of blankets.
"Princess," called Eirin's voice as Mokou caught up.  "Would you kindly not terrify my assistant like that?  It took three days to convince her to do that, and now it's going to take three additional days just to pry her from beneath her covers."
"It's just good fun," Kaguya countered as she led Mokou into the clinic.  "Besides, watching Mokou and I try and skate should cure your boredom."
Eirin eyed Mokou suspiciously.  "Why is the Phoenix in my clinic?" she asked of Kaguya.
"She's going to teach me how to ice skate," Kaguya said matter-of-factly, taking a seat in a spare rotating chair floating around Eirin's office.  "Or at least, that was the plan. Turns out, she can't skate, same as me."  Kaguya gripped the sides of the chair with her mittened hands and spun.  "Still, after some 'convincing', she's agreed to skate with me anyway."  Kaguya stopped spinning long enough to watch Mokou blush a deep scarlet before standing up to stretch.
Eirin turned back to her desk. "Very well," she conceded.  "But any sign of trouble, and out she goes.  I don't wish to rebuild the clinic.  Again."
Kaguya nodded.  "Alright, no trouble," she confirmed.  "Come along, Mokou."  Mokou grumbled softly about being ordered around like a common servant, but followed Kaguya to the Lunar princess' room.  "First off, give me back my robe," said Kaguya as she started to sift through her closet.
"What, why?!" exclaimed Mokou.
Kaguya sighed, pulled out a plastic baseball bat and lightly thwacked Mokou over the head.  "Calm down, phoenix girl," she scolded.  "You're not going to be naked for very long."  She pulled out a soft red jacket and a pair of snow pants.  "In fact, consider these Christmas gifts, if you behave!"
Mokou's panicked expression softened into a gentle scowl while she slowly took off Kaguya's robe.  "Do you have anything warmer?" she asked softly.  "I don't, I don't like the cold . . . ."
Kaguya, in a not-so-rare stroke of kindness considering the time of year, gently placed the coat around Mokou's shoulders, only for the phoenix immortal to quickly slip her arms through the sleeves before the Lunar princess could let go of it.  "Still cold?" she asked while Mokou rubbed her arms and nodded in response.  "Next are the pants, then the skates."
"Shouldn't I have socks on under the skates, though?" Mokou asked.  "I mean, that's what I do with normal shoes."
"Well, yes," Kaguya responded.  "Common sense dictates, after all."  She held up an accusing finger before Mokou could say anything.  "And if you quote the Green-White, so help me, I'll thwack you again, and harder this time!"
Mokou couldn't help but break into a giggling fit at Kaguya's desire to avoid quotes from the not-wholly-sane Moriya Shrine Maiden.  "You don't have to worry about that," she said after her giggling fit was done.  "I've never met her."
"Good," was all Kaguya said.  "Now finish getting dressed and I'll meet you at the pond in the middle of the complex."  She slipped out as Mokou nodded and started putting the clothes on.  I have to admit, those violet locks look, well, pretty with frost in them, Kaguya mused as she watched Mokou dress.
"You know, she's gonna burn the whole friggin' place down in embarrassment if she catches you peeping," a small alto voice interrupted Kaguya's musing and actually managed to startle the Lunatic Princess into nearly hitting the voice's owner: a one Tewi Inaba.
"Don't do that, you pesky rabbit!" Kaguya responded, none too quietly.  Mokou had probably heard, but judging from the lack of commotion, the phoenix girl probably didn't care.
"Don't do what?" Tewi asked, the smirk on her face and in her eyes showing she already knew the answer to her question.
"Don't sneak up on me, that's what!"
"Oh, that," Tewi intoned as if she was just learning it now.  "Well, don't peep on your girlfriend, and I won't sneak up on you."
This time, Kaguya really did hit Tewi, and hard, too.

Mokou wobbled from side to side as she tried to stay upright on the skates.  "You're sure about this?" she asked Kaguya, who was having much less of a hard time staying still.
"Yes, I'm sure," Kaguya sighed, shifting her weight from one skate to the other.  "Look, worry once we're on the ice, not before."
"Okay," Mokou said, not without worry in her voice.  With a gentle nudge from Kaguya, the phoenix girl stepped onto the ice and was a little surprised when she slid forward, slowly, without much effort.  Still wobbling, Mokou didn't make it very far before her skates slid out from under her and she fell flat on her butt.  "Ow!"
Kaguya followed Mokou onto the ice, albeit without too much more in the way of luck.  "Hey, get up!" she teased.  "You're supposed to be teaching me how to ice skate, not the other way around."  The lunar princess smirked softly as Mokou struggled to get back to her feet.
"Oh, shut up!" she snapped, fixing the borrowed earmuffs so the headband wasn't in her eyes.  She also checked the mittens Kaguya had loaned her, making sure they hadn't come loose.  She'd probably have to fix the earmuffs each time she fell, but the mittens would probably be fine.  Speaking of falling, standing still seemed to prevent that, though it didn't stop Mokou's skates from wobbling.
Unfortunately for Mokou, Kaguya had other ideas than just "standing still so she wouldn't fall".  With another gentle push from Kaguya, Mokou found herself moving again, but instead of panicking, she laughed when she heard Kaguya scramble to keep her balance and fail, only to follow suit immediately after.  "This is tougher than any Danmaku battle," she said, turning to face Kaguya.  She tried getting up, but her skates wouldn't stay put long enough and she found herself flat on her chest.
"I suppose you can say that," Kaguya said as she also tried to get up and failed.  "Why don't we just sit here for a while, then, since it's so difficult getting back up?"
Mokou sighed.  "I thought the idea here was to learn how to skate without falling?"
"Oh hush!" retorted Kaguya.  "There's a few questions I want to ask, and sitting here on the ice away from prying ears seems the best place to do so."
"I guess," Mokou said in defeat.  "Well, ask away before we freeze out here."  She collected her arms and legs into a tight huddle, already trembling slightly.
"Actually, that goes along with the first question I want to ask you," Kaguya mentioned, crawling around to Mokou's back on her hands and knees.  The phoenix girl tensed, but relaxed when all Kaguya did was run play with Mokou's hair.  "What's it like, freezing to death?"
Mokou would have jumped in surprise, had she been able to.  Instead, she just flinched.  "What kind of question is that?!" she asked loudly enough to cause Eirin to pop her head into view to find out what the ruckus was about.
"It's a perfectly valid question!" Kaguya countered as she briefly stopped playing with Mokou's hair.  "We're both immortal, but our death experiences are, well, vastly different.  Don't you agree?"
"I guess," Mokou admitted.  "But really, what kind of question is 'what's it like to freeze to death'?"
"It's one born out of curiosity, that's what kind of question it is," Kaguya countered.  "Please answer?" she added sweetly and resumed playing with Mokou's hair.
"It's . . peaceful," Mokou said quietly.  "I mean, yeah, it's really, really cold, but at the end, you hardly feel a thing, and you just wanna lay down and sleep. By the time you die, you don't even know that it's happened."
When Mokou didn't say anything else, Kaguya butted in.  "Was that so hard?" she asked teasingly.
"Yes!" replied Mokou heatedly.  "It feels wrong to talk about our deaths so casually, but we've been around for almost fifteen-hundred years.  It's like there's nothing else to talk about."
"Well," Kaguya intoned, crawling around to Mokou's side.  "Look on the bright side."  She gave the phoenix girl a light nudge in the shoulder.  "We'll never die of old age."
"That's about the only bright side," Mokou commented.  Then she thought of something else.  "Do you think if we die, we'll forget how to ice skate?"
"Well," Kaguya said uncertainly.  "I'd have to ask Eirin, but since it's kind of a muscle memory thing, I'd say 'yes'.  I really can't say for certain, though."
"Mm," Mokou acknowledged.  "Let's skate some more, then."  She pulled away from Kaguya and tried to shift onto her feet.  Surprisingly, she actually managed to stand without falling, though like before, standing was about the extent of what she could do.
"You know," Kaguya said as she stood up. "Reisen once told me she used to be really good at ice skating."  She latched onto Mokou so that if one of them fell, the other would too.  "Maybe if we pamper her a lot, we can convince her to teach us?"
"Fat chance," Mokou said with a dry laugh.  "After that stunt you pulled when we got here, I really don't think she'll even want to talk to us until next winter, much less agree to teach us how to ice skate."  Mokou moved Kaguya's hand so it was latched onto her own and they started to slide across the ice slowly.  "I mean, yeah, that's not very long for the three of us, but still, a lot can happen in a year."
"Well, I did say she told me 'used to'," Kaguya corrected as they slid.  "For all I know, these days, she's just like us: she can't skate at all."  She tried to make a turn, but her skates had other ideas.  One went one way while Kaguya and the other skate went another direction.  She latched tightly onto Mokou's arm in hopes that she could pull herself back up, but Mokou, unprepared for Kaguya's weight pulling her down, simply fell down with her.
"Can we go back inside yet?" Mokou asked, her back flat against the ice.  "I'm tired of falling."
"Let's just lay here for a few minutes," Kaguya replied.  "The stars look beautiful tonight."  She stayed latched onto Mokou's hand, and when she felt the cold of the ice start seeping through her clothes, she slid a little closer and huddled up to the phoenix girl.  Mokou flinched, but didn't make any effort to move away from Kaguya.
"Do you think Eirin would let me stay here?" she asked quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think Eirin would let me live here for the winter?" She gave a dry laugh.  "I mean, you've seen my 'home', if it can even be called that.  I'm surprised I don't freeze to death every night."
"Well," Kaguya began slowly.  "While you do have a reputation for trying to kill me at any given opportunity, I'm sure that if you signed a contract with Eirin agreeing not to do anything violent, if you begged, and if you paid her enough, she would let you live here for the winter, but not a day longer."
"I don't like the idea of having to beg," Mokou commented.  "But I guess if it gets me a warm place to live, I'll do it."
Kaguya stood up.  "Alright, then," she said with a smile, holding out her hand for Mokou to pull herself up (or Kaguya down, whichever happened first).  "Let's go."
[15:30] * Wolfsbane706 pitfalls Roukan.
[15:30] <Roukan> WHAT WHY
[15:31] * Roukan aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa*splat*
[15:32] <Wolfsbane706> That's the funniest reaction I've seen yet.
[15:34] * Roukan thumbs-up from beyond the grave.

Wolfsbane706

  • Knight of the Accursed Order
  • Boredom is contagious.
Re: On the Ice
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2014, 07:45:21 PM »

This is the second installment of the series, starring Alice and Marisa.  I wanted this one to have a less fluffy feel than the first one, as a way of setting up future installments.  I'll probably do the same with others in the future.

   While sleeping in her armchair wasn't exactly what Alice would call a pastime, it was still something she enjoyed doing after a long day's work.  She wasn't a heavy sleeper, though, so all it took to wake her up was a light knocking on her door.  She pretended to be asleep, despite being awake, to see who it was.  If it was one of the fairies (or the whole group) then shouting would happen.  If it was Marisa, she'd just knock until Alice came to the door, getting louder with each successive knock.
   When the knocking turned into pounding, Alice simply opened her eyes and sighed.  Marisa was at the door, which meant the witch wanted something.  She was the type of neighbor who just wouldn't go away until she was welcomed or until she was blasted with danmaku.  Alice didn't particularly feel like picking up debris, so she chose the former.  Sighing again, she got up and walked to her door, undoing the locks and opening it, letting in not only Marisa, but a hefty flurry of snow.  ?Hurry up before you let all the heat out,? she ordered, stepping aside as Marisa rushed through the door.
   ?Thanks Alice.  Letty must be working overtime, today,? she quipped about the weather as Alice shut the door.  ?It's freezing out there!?
   Alice gave a light chuckle and smirked.  ?Rumor has it she's been more active than usual because of a crush,? she claimed.  ?At least, that's what Cirno says.?
   ?And you really trust what that little ice cube says?? Marisa asked with no small amount of skepticism in her voice.
   ?Well despite her reputation, she's actually a fairly decent house-guest.?  Alice slipped off to her kitchen to set up a pot of tea.  ?And Letty is like a mother to her.  There's no reason she would lie.?
   ?Yeah, well, I don't like her,? Marisa retorted before flopping down in one of the few padded armchairs Alice didn't favor.  ?I mean, after she beat me, even though I told everyone I was going easy on her, I still had lines of weak youkai challengers going around my house from my door, probably because of that idiot fairy going around spreading rumors.?
   Alice shrugged as she brought out the freshly-brewed tea.  ?At least when she visits, I know I'll have all of my books when she leaves,? the puppeteer countered.  ?Speaking of, please put down that tome on pocket dimensions.  That's  my only one, seeing as the others are either collecting dust in your house or being put to use by Patchouli.?
   Marisa grinned sheepishly and put the book in question back on Alice's bookshelf.  ?I was only gonna borrow--?
   ?Borrow it, yes, I know,? Alice cut in, giving a teacup and saucer to Marisa before grabbing a teacup and saucer for herself and going to her chair.  ?Only, with you, 'borrowing' means 'stealing'.?  She took a gentle sip of the tea.  ?Maybe if you returned the other ones, I'd let you take that one.  But not before.?
   Marisa took a sip of her own tea and shrugged off Alice's remark and offer.  ?Well anyway, that's not what I came here for,? she explained.  The black-white witch shifted in her chair and reached into a knapsack that Alice was sure hadn't been there when she'd gone into the kitchen.  From it, Marisa pulled a pair of white boots with thin steel blades attached.  ?I, um, got these off of Kourin,? she explained.  ?I've seen some of the shows Letty puts on, and I wanted to try it for myself, so he gave me these.?
   ?So you want to try ice skating,? Alice summarized.  ?What's that got to do with me??  She finished up her tea and set it aside, waiting for Marisa's response.
   The witch took her time in replying, trying to keep from blushing.  ?I don't really wanna ice skate alone, you know?? Marisa explained.  ?You were the first person to come to mind.?
   Alice breathed out softly through her nose and closed her eyes to think.  ?Do your skates fit?? she asked after a minute of silence.
   ?Huh??
   ?The ice skates you got from Kourindo.  Do they fit??
   ?Well, uh, I think they do,? Marisa stammered out.  ?I mean, they look like they fit.?
   Alice just sighed.  ?Alright, then,? she said.  ?Take off your boots.  I'm going to fit you for these skates.?
   Marisa blushed and did as she was told while Alice got up and arranged the skates to match the witch's feet.  ?They do fit, right?? she asked, unusually uncertain.
   Alice slipped one of the skates onto the witch's left foot.  ?A little bit snug, but that's how it should be,? the puppeteer confirmed, slipping the other skate onto Marisa's right foot.  ?You lucked out.  They fit rather nicely.?
   ?So will you skate with me?? Marisa asked excitedly.
   Alice looked up into her friend's eyes.  With a blush, she realized that the way she was kneeling was very resembling of a marriage proposal, something Marisa had joked about and seriously considered more than once in the time they'd known each other.  ?I suppose,? she said, hastily standing and brushing herself off.  ?I'll need to dig out my own skates, though.?
   Alice tried to remember the last time she'd actually spent time on the ice.  It had, of course, been with Mai, who could put any skater to shame with her skill and artistry.  It had been just before she'd left Makai for Gensokyo with her mother's blessing.  Mai had roped her into one last skating duet, using the excuse that she'd never be able to get anyone to skate with her after Alice left.  Typically, Mai had shown off her skating technique while Alice had been content to just glide around the ice surrounding the ice witch's home.  Despite her own artistry, Alice had never had the desire to apply it to the ice, unlike Mai, whose every other move was practically an axel or a lutz.
   Snapping back to reality, Alice quietly wandered to her room while Marisa looked on, perplexed.  Apparently Alice had been standing there, blankly reminiscing for more than just a couple seconds.  ?I'm going to look around my room for my skates,? she explained, pausing in the hallway.
   Marisa nodded and slipped her skates off for her boots as Alice disappeared into her bedroom.  The witch considered the shyness she'd displayed in front of her puppeteer friend.  It wasn't like her at all to be like that.  Normally, she was confident to the point of arrogance as a front, but in her efforts to get Alice to be her skating partner, Marisa had slipped into her genuine personality.  She was sure of herself, yes, but she was also very insecure when it came to her inexperience in things.  It tended to make for awkward conversations whenever the witch wanted to try something new.  She wanted to fix it, somehow, but Reimu often remarked that it was Marisa's cutest feature, so she didn't make as much effort as she would on something else.
   A loud clattering from Alice's room brought Marisa out of her introspection.  She got up out of the chair and rushed back to her friend's bedroom, where she found the puppeteer scolding one of her Shanghai dolls.  The skates Alice had gone after were on the floor, laces splayed in every direction.  ?Something up?? Marisa asked, alerting Alice, and by extension the doll, to her presence in the doorway.
   ?Ah, no,? Alice replied, brushing some hair behind her ear.  ?It's just been a while since I've had my dolls carry something so heavy and I forgot about the weight of the skates.?
   Marisa nodded softly.  ?So, are we ready?? she asked just as softly, leaning on the door-frame.
   ?Almost,? Alice remarked, picking up her skates.  ?I just need to change into my winter dress, and we can head to Misty Lake.?  She halfheartedly shooed Marisa out of the doorway and shut the door so she could change in private, still reminiscing slightly on Mai.  The ice witch was best described as socially awkward with her cold personality and general mistrust of others.  It had taken most of Alice's life to get Mai to open up to her, but they quickly became fast friends once it happened.  Yuki, in particular, was glad Mai was able to find a skating partner who could actually skate.  Alice recalled Yuki as enjoying skating, but lacking anything resembling grace or ability on the ice despite being a competent dancer.
   Finishing up her changing with a yank on the laces of one of her boots, Alice simultaneously finished her reminiscing with a memory of herself, Yuki, and Mai all skating together.  Alice and Mai had taken turns picking Yuki up off the ice, much like Alice figured she'd have to do with Marisa.  With everything finished and prepared, Alice picked up her skates, slung them over her shoulder, and stepped out into the hall, where Marisa had plopped down against the wall.  ?Let's go,? she said with a smile.


   Marisa finished tying up the laces on her new skates (with Alice's help) and stood awkwardly.  The packed snow helped support her somewhat, but she still wobbled in all directions, trying to stand.  Alice, on the other hand, was walking as if she was wearing normal shoes.  ?I'll hold your hand as we step onto the ice, and I'll help you up if you fall, but that's it,? she said.
   ?Alright,? Marisa replied shakily.  She briefly wondered why she'd have this much trouble staying upright on two narrow blades when she had almost no trouble standing on her broom like a skateboard.  After a few wobbly steps towards the ice of Misty Lake, she figured it out.  At least with her broom, she had room to spread her legs without any part of her body hanging over either end of it, and she could hook the heels of her boots around it so her feet didn't slip.  With the skates, her weight was balanced on two much narrower blades that made the witch feel like she'd fall over if she even shifted her weight.
   Alice lightly took hold of Marisa's hand to steady her and stepped onto the ice.  ?Your turn,? she said, shifting her skates back and forth.  She had to admit, she'd missed the scraping sound her skate blades made on the ice.  She quickly shifted as Marisa slipped and fell, taking the opportunity to wrap her arms around Alice's waist to keep off the ice.  ?Careful,? Alice warned gently while pulling Marisa back to her feet.  ?Are you alright??
   ?Yeah,? Marisa said, letting go of Alice's waist.
   Alice moved to start skating away, but stopped to tell Marisa how to skate.  ?Push off with one foot and glide with the other,? she said.  ?Does that make sense??
   Marisa hesitated, but nodded.  ?Yeah, it does,? she said.  ?Go on ahead, I'll catch up.?
   Alice nodded and skated off, leaving Marisa to stand awkwardly at the edge of the lake.  It took a minute, but Marisa finally worked up the courage to try and go forward, doing exactly what Alice had said to do.  She'd later claim it wasn't her best move.  She hadn't even mastered standing on two skate blades yet, so why had she thought she could glide on just one?  The fact that until she'd tried to bring her free skate down, she'd been doing fairly well, for one.
   When bringing her skate down to push off again, the toe pick got caught in the ice, stopping that foot's progress and forcing Marisa to let herself fall forward unless she wanted to do the splits.  Having experienced crashes and hits from danmaku before, it wasn't painful for Marisa so much as it was cold and wet.  Irritated and almost shivering, Marisa pushed herself onto her knees and stayed kneeling for a moment so she could gather herself.  Alice was off in the middle of the lake, skating quickly and far more gracefully than Marisa had ever seen.  She wagered the puppeteer hadn't seen her fall, so she felt she didn't have to worry about her pride being injured by someone seeing her fall.
   Finally deciding to get up, Marisa tried to push herself back onto her feet by planting one skate firmly on the ice and trying to stand up on it.  Unfortunately, the skate had other ideas.  Marisa had shifted her weight while standing, sliding the skate forward and landing Marisa in an awkward half-split.  She wasn't usually the type to give up, but in this case, she felt like trying to get up without help would be a futile effort, so she shifted her legs around so she was sitting cross-legged on the ice.  ?Hey, Alice?? she called, hoping to get her friend's attention and help.
   Having seen Marisa fall the first time, Alice was already on her way by the time Marisa had called for help.  Instead of helping, though, she just stopped in front of the witch for a moment and crossed her arms.  ?I thought you'd have tried a few more times before asking for help,? she teased.  ?That's usually the case, anyways.?
   ?The more I fail to get up, the wetter I get,? Marisa explained.  ?I don't feel like going home with a cold.?
   Alice rolled her eyes and smiled, despite knowing that Marisa wasn't joking.  ?Alright,? she said, holding out her hand.  ?Come on, up you go.?
   Marisa took Alice's hand and awkwardly stood up on her skates, refusing to let go to avoid falling again.  ?Can I make a confession?? she asked as Alice led her along the ice.
   ?Go ahead.?
   ?I wanted to make this a date,? Marisa said.  ?That's why I got the skates from Kourin.  So we could skate together in a romantic sense.?  She chuckled softly under her breath.  ?I should've learned to skate first.?
   Alice chose to ignore what Marisa said about a date and addressed Marisa's lack of skating skills instead.  ?You'll learn if you keep at it,? she encouraged.
   ?Yeah, well, I wanted it to mean something,? Marisa huffed, letting go of Alice's hand to cross her arms.  She regretted that decision instantly, her skates sliding out from under her, dropping the poor witch onto her butt.  ?I wanted it to be romantic, you know?  It's not romantic if I'm always being picked up and carried around.?
   Alice scoffed and skated around Marisa in a tight circle.  ?Is that to say you don't want my help??  She stopped behind the witch.  ?I can always leave you here.  Is that what you want??
   ?No!? Marisa whined.  ?I didn't mean it like that!?
   ?Then what, pray tell, did you mean??
   ?I meant I'm not good enough for you!?  Marisa opened and closed her mouth wordlessly, somewhat shocked at the words that had come out of her mouth.  What she had said was, in a way, true, but at the same time, a lie.  Marisa did feel she wasn't good enough for Alice, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to fix that.  At the same time, though, Marisa looked up to Alice, privately.  She'd never admit it to anyone, especially not to Alice herself, but it was true.  Setting all that aside, though, she looked to see Alice's reaction only to find the puppeteer was no longer on the ice with her.
   Alice was nowhere to be found.
   Marisa reached up to her face where something wet was rolling down her cheek.  Was she crying?  A short sniffle confirmed that she was.  Sighing shakily, Marisa pulled her legs up under her chin and wrapped her arms around them, deciding to just sit there in case Alice ever came back.
   She didn't.
[15:30] * Wolfsbane706 pitfalls Roukan.
[15:30] <Roukan> WHAT WHY
[15:31] * Roukan aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa*splat*
[15:32] <Wolfsbane706> That's the funniest reaction I've seen yet.
[15:34] * Roukan thumbs-up from beyond the grave.