``Ice Ice, Baby.

[Gretchen Fitzroy]

skates || scarf || outfit

Ah, the old clearview rink. If Gretchen could tally the amount of hours she had spent at this place, it would probably turn into days, and possibly even weeks. Although she hadn't grown up in town like allot of the kids had her school had, that didn't mean she didn't have fond memories alike theirs. Truth be it, she hadn't learned ice skate here for the first time. She couldn't claim that she memories about slipping over time after time, and had to hold her dad's hand until she could skate on her own. She hadn't met her first boyfriend here. She hadn't even taken interest in the place, until the beginning of this year. But... since then, it was probably one of her favorite places in town. Sure, there was always the lake or other stretched of water frozen over to skate on... but the rink was just so entertaining, and kind of corny and cliche; but in a cute way.

She just enjoyed bumming around there, really.

Walking into the area around the rink, Gretchen headed to wards the locker area under a shelter. She slumped down on a wooden bench, the white paint peeling back after years of use. She kicked off her converses, to revile red socks, then with her feet the girl pushed her shoes aside, dropping her skates between her legs. Slipping her feet into the skates, Gretch tightened the fraying laces, tying them into a bow before tucking away the ends into the sides of the skates. Pushing down her jeans, the teenager steadied herself to stand, before walking over to the side of the rink. She adjusted her Arafat scarf, letting her hands then fall on the cold and icy top of the barrier around the skating area.

She loved coming here at this time of night, like this evening. Not only did it suit her sleeping pattern better, but as the night grew later, less youngens were tripping around the rink making it a hazard for those who already knew how to skate. Don't get me wrong, Gretchen was amused by the little kiddies stumbling around on their own, crawling around on the barriers, before giving up and grasping onto their parents clothes for dear life. But she did also like to have some leisure to herself, and in that, not be bothered by children smashing into the back of her whom were already soaking and cold from the ice and snow. At nine, the families with young ones tended to be on their way, leaving the teenagers and youth to own the rink. On school nights it wasn't wasn't busy, but being a Saturday, there was a fair amount of teens about.

Couples who leached onto each other like it was their only sense of stability, boys in groups who spun circles around innocent girls, showing off to their mates, and both genders, like Gretch, who just came here on their own or with a friend to take up time. Originally, the girl had thought about inviting some of her own mates along... but she ditched that idea as darkness closed in, decided that she would probably end up spending the night with someone anyway. Bumping into friends, or meeting new people was fairly common for the girl, anyways. The ice was being carved up time after time, the fluff of white gathering around the outside of the rink. Lamps lined the outside of the barrier, providing a dim amount of light for those inside. The girl smiled to herself slightly, as she spotted a girl slip on the slippery surface, managing to pull her boyfriend down with her.

Stepping out carefully onto the ice, Gretch gave a small laugh. She was used to the feeling when first getting onto it, by now, so she had no trouble when gliding away from the stable barrier. Immediately, a smooth rhythm began to form. Left, right, left, right. The teen left slices in the ice where she had skated, a small breeze running over her face, brushing back her wavy hair. Leaning slightly, the girl turned the rounded-off corner, heading for another straight run. However, a few seconds into the run, she heard a yelp from behind. Out of instinct, the teenager turned her head to see two people sliding in opposite directions after having collided. Well, this action of her own wouldn't have been a problem, had she remembered to a) check where she was going, b) gotten out of the path of any others or c) stopped, but, Gretch didn't do any of the previous. And that was exactly why when she did turn her head again, the girl was heading straight for a boy; just like the scene that had just happened behind her. Whoops.


For Bobbbby (:

[/size]

[Bobby Sokolov]

Bobby had been at Clearview for a few hours. It reminded him of home, and that was one of the reasons he liked it. It wasn't nearly as cold, but it was the close as he could get until he got out of school. Most people would think he was crazy for missing Siberia, but it was all he had ever known. He pushed the thoughts of home out of his head, and let his mind wonder. He almost stuck a cigarette into his mouth, but decided not to, on the off chance that the owner was around.

He was glad that the little kids were leaving. He had never had any tolerance toward children. There was something about them that he never really liked, especially babies. He didn't like their parents either. He referred to them mostly as breeders, and thought they had ruined their lives. He took a deep breath, letting the smell of life run through his nose. That was one of the good things about children. They were always tasty.

He laughed softly to himself. He sounded like his mother. She was always telling him of her misadventures when she was younger. His father had been full of stories as well, even more entertaining than his mothers. He shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts. He didn't want to think of his father, any more than he had to.

He was here to have fun, and that was not the way to do it.

He heard a shout, and looked around, smiling as he saw the couple collapse. That had happened to him on a few occasions. He smiled, remembering how those nights had turned out. He turned his head back to the ice in front of him, and saw the girl headed toward him. Time seemed to slow down as they came closer to a collision.

Instead of slowing down, Bobby sped up. His unzipped hoodie flew off, leaving his torso bare. He relished the feel of the icy air on his chest. When he was sure that they would hit, his arms shot out, grabbing the girl's waist, and spinning both of them around. They ended up, facing each other, skating backward, his hands still on her waist.

"Sorry," he said slowly, removing his hands. He didn't want to seem forward.

[Gretchen Fitzroy]

"Shit!"

Yeah, it was the first thing that came to mind, as Gretchen's vision decided to focus on the boy speeding to wards her. She couldn't really stop herself on the spot, considering the girl was going at a reasonable speed, and bailing to the side wasn't much of an option either. That was result in her plunging into other people, or ultimately, landing on her side or butt and potentially getting hurt. So... it was safe to say that she did freeze up as time slowed down, closing her eyes to try and block out the scene before her eyes. However, after waiting to feel the impact of the body that was sure to collide with her own, she was honestly surprised to feel a pair of hands enclose around her waist, spinning her around.

Automatically, the teen slid one foot behind the other, to keep herself from tripping over, while grabbing onto the sides of the boy's torso. She even ducked her head forward, into a spot under his ear, hoping that she wasn't going to slip and fall on her arse, which was still a possibility in the air. It was only after Gretch had skated back wards for a few good seconds, that she slowly pried open one eye, followed by the other, before gingerly looking up. She heard a couple of 'whoops' of approval, obviously on the boy's behalf for not smashing head on into her. Feeling the boy remove his hands from her waist, the girl didn't take this as a relief, but more so a lack of assurance. Looking up at the guy with a sheepish smile on her face, the girl then realized what this must mean.

Well, either he was a normal human with freakish reflexes, or he was that kind of being. The later of the two seemed more probable to the vampire. She could hardly find her voice, as it felt like a lump in her throat at this point in time. "No... thanks." she finally choked, her eyes connecting with his. It was at this point in time, that Gretchen remembered her hands were still holding onto his sides. Letting go rather quickly, the teen's luck didn't seem to improve. In an attempt to free herself from him, she tried to stepped back, but rather out of rhythm to her skating. Lets just say gravity decided to lend a hand, when the teenager tripped back over her own feet, while Gretch groped the air, before landing square on the ice.

Fortunately - well, as fortunate as you could get in a situation like this - her back managed to land first, instead of her bum, which pretty much meant at least she wouldn't have a wet butt for the rest of the night, jackets could always dry easier. Her eyes had shut again rather quickly, her hands whipping up from the ice and covering her face. Ah, so she could make more of an idiot of herself than she already had. This was probably the first time... in a while, that Gretchen could remember slipping over on the ice. She was generally so smooth and calm. But throw cute guy at her, and make her skate back wards, and there could be a slight issue. She wasn't embarrassed around the guy, but she just didn't want him to think she was a total and utter klutz, but that wasn't going to well, was it? So, after spinning back on the ice a little, the teenager breathed a sigh, - actually, it was probably more of a groan - peeking open again, looking for the boy. Why, oh why couldn't she have had enhanced reflexes?

[sorry, it's pretty dreadful D:]

[/size]

[Bobby Sokolov]

"No... thanks."

"It was nothing, really," Bobby said smiling. He didn't know who the girl was, but he did know that she was very cute. He waved to the "whoops" and bowed slightly. He wasn't being a show-off, he just thought that it would be funny. The girl's hands were still on his side, and when she moved them away, Bobby found himself missing their warmth. He thought that exceedingly odd, but deep down, he knew what it probably meant. Before he could say anything else, the girl had fallen to the ice. He stifled a laugh, and bent down to pull her up.

"There you go. I can fix that you know," he said, meaning the water on her back. He knew how uncomfortable that must be for someone who didn't have an affinity for ice. He left the girl standing, making sure that she was stable, and skated over to his hoodie. He slung it on, once more neglecting the zipper. There was just something about zipping hoodies up that didn't appeal to him.

As he was skating back, he noticed something odd about the girl. She didn't have any scent of blood floating around her. His eyes lit up, knowing that she was one of his own kind. He hadn't really become affiliated with any of the other vampires on campus, and he figured that the time had come to start making friends. He skated back to her slowly, the new knowledge floating around in his mind.

"I'm Bobby," he said, coming up next to her. "I take it you go to Winterthorne?" he made the statement sound like a question. He didn't want to be dead wrong and make a complete ass of himself. He had done that many times before, but there was something about this girl. He didn't want to be seen as an idiot, though it was a possibility that she'd think he was dumb either way. It was a chance he had to take.

[It's all good. Sorry for the shortness...]

[Gretchen Fitzroy]

Now that Gretchen wasn't squeezing her eyes closed in fear, the girl was finally able to take in the boy's features. He was gorgeous; at the very least. Generally she wasn't much of a fan of boys with hair on the longer side, considering most didn't make it look all that great. But in all honesty, he did make it look good. Being pale made his bright blue eyes stand out to the girl. He was taller than her, which wasn't much of a surprise considering Gretch was a little on the short side. Her eyes glanced down to his hands, of which sported the tattoo chain 'Stay Gold' along his knuckles. Simple, but interesting all the same.

Quickly returning her gaze to him, the teenager shook her head slightly. "I owe you one." she said earnestly. If he wanted to hang out or go for a drink sometime, she would be more than willing to hit him up for the occasion. But in saying that... a guy like him would surely have a girlfriend or something? Then again, she couldn't see anyone stopping and waiting for him. Was he just being a nice guy and was comitted... or perhaps there wasn't anyone on his scene? Either way, Gretchen wasn't about to dive in and pounce. How desperate was that, right? She preferred to get to know people a bit more than the first impression reveled, before making a judgment on how she saw them in her life. Though at the same time, she couldn't get out of her mind how warm and comfortable his hands had felt around her waist.

Anyway, saving her once was better than nothing, after all. Opening her eyes to find the boy, the teenager took his hand and managed to pull herself up successfully in one swift motion. "Thanks again." she said with a smile, however a curious look crossed her face as he mentioned that he could fix, presumably, the water on her back. He could wield ice, or water perhaps? Watching him skate off to retrieve his hoodie, Gretchen was carefully when swiping through ice, directing herself to the barrier around the rink. She turned with her back leaning against it, looking over the boy as he approached her again.

Upon him arriving next to her, the girl angled her body so that it was easier to face him. An award-winning smile appeared on her youthful face, lighting up her expression and eyes. "Nice to know the name of my savior." she said with a small wink, before adding her own name. "Gretchen Fitzroy." At his mention of Winterthorne, the teen gave another nod. It was fairly obviously that he was a student at the school too, and by now, she had already gathered that he too, was a vampire. You could just tell, these days, especially if you were one of them as well. "Yeah, I'm a Sophomore there. How about you?" she asked him, whilst absently rubbing the palms of her hands down the font of her jeans. They were cold, wet, and had turned a red tinge from her fall. Ah, but it was all part of the deal wasn't it? She had lost some dignity, but gained a new face.

[S'ok ^_^]

[/blockquote]

[Bobby Sokolov]

"Yeah, I'm a Sophomore there. How about you?"

"Gretchen? I like that. It's pretty original. Yeah, I'm sophomore as well," Bobby said casually. He was usually bad at social situations like this, and he didn't want this to turn into some ungodly quagmire that he would have to extricate himself from. That just didn't seem like it would be fun. He leaned up against the wall, pretending to look across the rink, while he studied Gretchen with his peripheral vision. He didn't want her to think that he was staring.

She was very pretty, but Bobby didn't think that he'd have much of a chance. He was sure that she had a boyfriend, probably a werewolf or a demon, and that they were waiting for her somewhere around the rink. His eyes flicked around, but all he saw were couples. She was probably waiting for someone. Maybe not. Be optimistic for once, he thought to himself, smiling slightly. He turned to look at her, and his smile widened.

"This might feel strange," he said, and ice began to drop from her clothes and hands. He pulled the water out from her clothes, and let it fall gently to the ice. It was then that he decided to have a little fun with the ice. He kept his eyes on Gretchen, but slowly the ice chips began to form together. First, they became one skater, and than another. With a quick thought, he sent the skaters spinning through a complex dance.

"Literal ice-skaters," he said lamely, smiling widely. He knew that his humor was corny, and that most people didn't like it, but he thought that Gretchen might be different. She seemed the kind of person that would enjoy his brand of humor.

"So, Gretchen. How about a hot chocolate? My treat," he said.

[That was terrible. My bad, I've been kind of rushed]

[Gretchen Fitzroy]

Generally Gretchen wasn't one to blush. It was a hard thing to flatter the girl into blushing, but in saying that, she was a sucker for the charmers. Bobby wasn't necessarily a sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of guy, but he didn't have to be either. ' I like that. It's pretty original.' It was enough to make her cheeks warm a little to the compliment, widening her smile that much more. This lead her onto the thought of whether Bobby was short for anything. Like Robert. Then again, Robert could also spore the nickname Robbie, or Rob. And if Bobby was his full name, then merely Bob could come from that. Well, whatever the case, she thought his name suited him. Casual, cute and cool.

"Really? How long have you been at Winterthorne?" she asked him curiously. Granted, the girl still didn't know everyone at the school, but she liked to think she was familiar with her fellow Sophomores. He looked vaguely familiar, but Gretch could have been mistaken. All the same, she couldn't help but look at him and smile. It was nice to think that there were guys around that didn't just want to get in her pants at the first opportunity. She didn't want to think of herself as vain when pondering on that, but it was the reality. She was tired of being used like that, no matter the looks or charm of the guy. And... thats why she felt comfortable around Bobby. He just didn't seem like the kind of guy that was going to ditch her after the deed.

'This might feel strange.' She nodded, folding her arms around herself and averting her eyes from Bobby's for a moment. Not that this lasted long. Almost as soon as she had looked down, her gaze flickered back up, at the feeling of the water being drained out of her clothes. It was like... a gentle pressure that had no object to go with it. "Thanks again. It seems you've got two favors from me up your sleeve." she said in a light, flirtatious kind of tone. As the ice fell, Gretchen's smile broke into a grin, as she looked away to find two ice skaters, made of ice at that, performing a choreography. His corny joke mustered a giggle from the girl, as she gave another nod. Sure, it was corny, but she thought it was amusing all the same. "Thats radical! Makes me wish I could wield ice and whatnot." she confided with her head turning to wards him again.

"That sound wonderful. But I must insist that I pay, after all, I do owe you one." Unless you had something else in mind. Wow, was she glad she didn't say the remainder of what was in her mind. Not only could that have come across... sleazy? But there was still the 'what if' he had a girlfriend thing. But then again, the invitation of hot chocolate wasn't generally something one would do, if they already had a partner. The girl spotted an exit to the rink, while nudging her heads to wards to for Bobby's benefit. She skated to it, keeping an eye out for any on-coming skaters, however she gracefully got out safely. Taking a few steps forward, Gretchen waited for the boy to catch up before they went to get the hot drinks.

[No worries, it was fine =)]

[/blockquote]

[Bobby Sokolov]

"Really? How long have you been at Winterthorne?"

"This year is my first. My mom decided that it was definitely better than Siberia. She said that she was just thinking about my 'future'. I guess I understand that, seeing how I'm going to be around for a long time," he said. He was comfortable talking about his vampirism, knowing that she shared his species. Polyphoric Hemophilia, the vampire's curse. Couldn't they have thought up a better name? He thought to himself. He guessed that was why they had come up with vampire. It flowed much easier.

"Thats radical! Makes me wish I could wield ice and whatnot."

"It's pretty cool, but they keep a fuckin' tight watch on you. Some shit about freezing people's blood, or something like that," Bobby said. He was glad that she had enjoyed his little show, and he was even more excited when she giggled at his terribly lame joke. He hadn't even thought it terribly funny, he had just been trying to use people skills. It didn't matter, all that mattered was that it had worked. That was enough for him. As she turned toward him, Bobby stopped his facade of surveying the skating rink. To be honest, he just wanted to look at Gretchen.

"That sound wonderful. But I must insist that I pay, after all, I do owe you one."

"Bullshit. You don't pay for anything. It's all on me," Bobby said smiling. That was something that his dad had taught him when he was barely old enough to talk. His dad had told him that it wasn't right to let a girl pay. "That's what we're for" his dad had told him, laughing softly. Bobby had taken it to heart, and had never let a girl pay for anything. Even if he had, he wouldn't have thought about making Gretchen pay.

Bobby stepped off of the ice, and let the skates melt beneath him. He never used ice skates, but he always paid for the rental. He loved the place, and didn't want it going under, but he was more comfortable with something he could control.

"You ready?" he said, offering his arm. He knew that that was a bold move, but tonight he felt like he could do anything.

[Gretchen Fitzroy]

"Ah, I can understand that. So you're from Siberia? Whats it like there? My father did the same thing with me, though. It's all about 'getting an education' and 'staying on your toes' these days. I've only been here since like my Freshmen year, and I'm still not used to the weather. London was considerably warmer, and less... mountainous, you know?" Gretchen spoke with a air of lightness in her voice. She tried to, when it came to the whole 'moving countries' kind of thing. She had to, in all truth. There was nothing more the girl hated than becoming all mopey and depressed when it came to th reason they had moved, the murder of her mother. It hadn't gone down well in the past, but after coming right out and telling Dante that week or so ago... Gretchen couldn't help but feel a bit more comfortable with it.

Pushing aside such thoughts, the teenager listening to what Bobby had to say about the conditions of his ice wielding. Well, she could understand that, really. Unless it was used for killing 'bad guys' then freezing people blood kind of... sucked. "Ah, fair 'nough. That pretty heavy, freezing blood and all. 'Spose it'd be handy if you needed it, though." the vampire stated, her grin rather mischievous. Granted, it was a bit of a gruesome subject, but as long as they were just playing around with the idea, there was no harm done, right? Her eyes hadn't wandered from his face, and so when Bobby turned to face her, the girl was glad that she had done so. She couldn't fight that face, even if she wanted to. Letting him pay only meant that the girl could play the advantage to him later. Not in a bad way, of course, a benefit for him, if anything.

"Fiiiine. I'll let you pay, because that stubborn tone isn't gonna give, it is?" she grinned at him. Once having exited the ice, the girl looked down at her skates for a second. They were her own, merely because she had gotten them as a birthday present earlier this year. They were a bit scratched up here and there, eye having scuffed at the tip of the blade, as a result from skating. Gretch turned as Bobby reached her, watching his skates melt from beneath. Yeah, that was really cool, in all honesty. "You ready?" The girl was about to nod, but instead, she held up a finger. "Hold on," she said with a smile, before slumping down on a bench and prying off her skates, shoving them under the seat, before slipping on her later flats. It was probably easier t walk around, especially on any un-even surfaces, without one thin blade to keep you balanced.

Standing back up, Gretchen swiftly walked back to Bobby. She had noted on his outstretched arm before, which had been such a temptation at the time. Not wanting him to get the wrong idea about her, her girl fell in step beside the boy, gently reaching for his hand, and linking her hand with his. It wasn't as if he was the first guy she had ever simply met out of the blue, and walked out of the night holding his hand... but this one was different. She couldn't help but think of Dante, though, and what had happened between them. That, though... that was different. She had no idea what was going on there. But... as she had realized before, Bobby wasn't just in it 'to get some' and get straight back out. He wasn't full of shit. Not from what she could see yet, anyway.

Once they had reached the small cafe style, general store kind of store that was set up near the rink, the girl glanced back at the boy, smiling. Meanwhile, the drummed her free hand's fingers on the counter, peeing into the small shop, wondering where the server was.

[Bobby Sokolov]

"Ah, I can understand that. So you're from Siberia? Whats it like there? My father did the same thing with me, though. It's all about 'getting an education' and 'staying on your toes' these days. I've only been here since like my Freshmen year, and I'm still not used to the weather. London was considerably warmer, and less... mountainous, you know?"

"Yeah. It's peaceful, for lack of a better word. Nobody fucks with you but Mother Nature, and that you can usually survive. Yeah it is, and I'm way too laid back for that kind of lifestyle, but my mom forces it on me anyways. Yeah, Siberia is flat. It's like a big, freezing, sheet of paper," Bobby said. He had always wanted to go to London. There was something about England that had always fascinated him. He had decided when he was little, that he was going to retire to the town of Shrewsbury. He smiled at the thought of it.

Bobby was moderately surprised when Gretchen's hand connected with his. That was something that he was new to him. He'd never held hands in just one night. He had done other things in a night, but he'd never done something truly meaningful quite so fast. He enjoyed the feeling, immensely. It felt like their hands were puzzle pieces. like they were meant to be together. There still might be a boyfriend. I don't think so. She doesn't seem like that kind of girl, He thought, hosting his own private argument.

Bobby looked around, noticing that there wasn't a server nearby. He turned his head and noticed that there was one empty table left in the small cafe area. Keeping a grip on Gretchen's hand, he walked over to the table. He pulled out her chair, and then moved around the table, sitting down in his own.

"So much for 'please wait to be seated'," he said, letting out a small chuckle.

[Gretchen Fitzroy]

"My god... I wish life was like that here. Everything is so fuckin' busy and unpredictable here. You never know when you're gonna turn a corner and have some freaky demon jump you." Gretchen confided with a small laugh. Granted, she wasn't really scared of the demons. Nor was she all that scared of getting killed while here. It was kind of an... unlikely thing to happen, in all honesty. She didn't mind it here, but she would have just preferred to be somewhere else at times. "I've always wanted to go to Russia. But... then again, I want to go to so many other places too. Do you miss it there?" she asked him, trying to hold Bobby's gaze for as long as possible. It was... really hard not to.

All this talk of home, family and traveling had got Gretch thinking about her dad and older brothers. Yeah, so Zeke was what... three minutes older than her, but he was still her older brother. And Theodore, being several years older than herself too. As much as she hated to admit it, they were growing apart. Her being here, and the boys... not here. She was forced to concentrate on the fact that while her older brothers were hanging with normal people at some stupid high school, she was boarding here. Bloody Brilliant, wasn't it? Well... at least she could see the perks. There wasn't a shortage of, ahem, interest here. Meanwhile, holding Bobby's hand had helped to distract the teenager from her own thoughts. Gretchen couldn't help but feel a little guilty for making the fast move; she was still unsure if this was going to last more than a night. In all truth, she wanted it to, but things didn't always go to plan, did they?

The girl found no trouble when following the boy over to a spare table, that was rather suited for them, being a small round table with a seat on opposites sides. It was a bit of a cheesy romantic kind of set up, the white vintage settings, lamps lighting up the area, mellow kind of music issuing from the small portable radio on the counter. But respite the cheesy-ness of it all... Gretchen found it kind of cute, too. Her eyes hand been wandering around the scene, but when Bobby spoke, she turned back to him, leaning forward in her chair, her hands gripping each other on the table top. "I know huh. You know... in all the months of coming here, I don't think I've ever sat down and drunk or anything here. Unless you count shotting vodka at one in the morning..." she confessed with a devilish grin, her gaze not straying from the boys. At the same time though... she could help but feel... lame.

Where the hell had her smarts gotten off to?