[ Ah, geeze, he's bad at comforting people... he wants to reassure her that she wasn't stupid, and that there probably were less reasons on that list than she thought, but the words won't come out.
At least it didn't seem to bother her too much, maybe. Those thoughts aside, he manages to return the smile. ]
Haaa, you'll be waiting a while, I bet! I actually asked a guy-friend about it, you know? When I thought you liked me, about love and dating... [ He laughs about it now that it no longer applied and thus wasn't too embarrassing to think about. ]
The shirt collar chokes him up and while still running he turns his torso to face her, hands trying to knock back hers... only that it makes for really awkward running, combined through icy snow, and it's Yata that ends up tripping.
He tries to grab the back of her dress to knock her down with him too for being a cheater cheater pumpkin eater. ]
[ He takes her hand, letting go to dust off the snow on his clothes. ]
Right!
[ A quick glance around to locate where they could pick up skates, and he's quickly leading them over to choose their pair. He can't pass up the opportunity to tease her a bit when they get around to actually putting them on, ]
Make sure you don't get your dress caught on these things.
[ Ah, right, right. Friends do this. It's not like she and Judar haven't done it before. Yet she reluctantly p...unches his arm. Wow, awkward. She'll get used to it in a while.
Once her skates are on and fastened tightly, Kougyoku stands up, using Yata's shoulder for support. ]
[ By reflex, she gasps and steps forward to avoid his hand. It wasn't that she didn't like him; it just felt weird. At least she can stand on her own? But she's wobbling... ]
Um, I want to skate in the middle, down the river! Is that okay?
Ah-- yeah! It's on your list, you can skate wherever you want.
[ He shrugs and skates on ahead a bit to give her some room (he doesn't want to be in the crossfire of any flailing arms that may happen if she lost her balance). ]
[ Yata made it weird first. :( Now she's overly conscious.
She tentatively takes a step, then when she's sure she has her balance, she puts one foot in front of another. How did Yata do it...? He just pushed and glided against the ice, it shouldn't be too hard.
The first fall is inevitable. Kougyoku doesn't exactly land—she only flails her arms and crouches down when she feels like she's about to go face first into the ice. ]
...I'm okay!
[ She gets up and tries again, successfully skating towards him when she makes it.
But she doesn't know how to stop, so she skates past him. Look at her go. ]
[ Everyone falls their first time, so she actually did incredibly well. Yata makes sure to stay fairly close and just watches her, clapping once she goes toward him.
... and laughs when she goes past him, following and skating beside her. ]
Damn, you're a natural! [ --Shit, he'd been so careful not to curse around her. At least that one wasn't too bad. ]
As soon as you master this, I'm takin' you snowboarding!
[ If Kougyoku starts swearing like a thug from the hood, we know who to blame. She's a little surprised, but it shouldn't be a shock, now that she thinks about it. Oh well. She's just happy she was praised! ]
I don't know how to stop though. [ A sheepish laugh. She planned on stopping, but once she starts slowing down, she builds up some speed so she can skate with Yata. ] What's snowboarding? Is that like skateboarding?
Stopping's not that hard, don't worry! Either you'll slow down by staying still or you can just make yourself fall down. [ That was terrible advice?!?! He keeps up with her pace, actually having fun even though he wasn't trying to pull off any insane tricks. ]
Mm! It's like skateboarding but without the wheels. I haven't done it before, but it looks pretty easy.
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At least it didn't seem to bother her too much, maybe. Those thoughts aside, he manages to return the smile. ]
Haaa, you'll be waiting a while, I bet! I actually asked a guy-friend about it, you know? When I thought you liked me, about love and dating... [ He laughs about it now that it no longer applied and thus wasn't too embarrassing to think about. ]
But okay, only if you tell me when you do too.
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Okay. [ She's never even told Alibaba that sort of thing before. She's really excited for Yata to fall in love!
... ]
Wait— [ WHAT DOES HE MEAN HE TOLD SOMEONE ABOUT HER LIKING HIM... Fortunately, she's distracted by something in the distance. ]
Ah! Isn't that the river?
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Yeah, yeah! [ How exciting! He flashes a grin her way, ] Wanna race?
[ You know, just normal adult ideas. ]
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I have a handicap, so you have to give me a headstart!
[ What handicap!?
They're so mature. ]
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[ No, really?!?!
Alas, he's running after her almost immediately after she takes off. Watch out for any elbow nudges. ]
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Yata, that's cheating!
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[ At least it made the trip to the river seem much shorter. ]
Almost there, Kou-chan!
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[ A few yards away from the river, she runs out of breath and starts falling behind. It won't be a surprise if she trips. ]
Yata!
[ To regain her balance and have a chance at winning, she does what Judar would do: grab the back of his shirt to slow him down. ]
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The shirt collar chokes him up and while still running he turns his torso to face her, hands trying to knock back hers... only that it makes for really awkward running, combined through icy snow, and it's Yata that ends up tripping.
He tries to grab the back of her dress to knock her down with him too for being a cheater cheater pumpkin eater. ]
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Kougyoku might want to get off him, though. You know, once she comes to.
Which... isn't happening yet. ]
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... You okay?
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Did I win?
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Hah. Yeah, I think you won.
[ ... because she's a girl and he doesn't wanna be mean :( ]
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They're crossing off so many things on her list today, she thinks. ]
Come on, let's go ice skating!
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Right!
[ A quick glance around to locate where they could pick up skates, and he's quickly leading them over to choose their pair. He can't pass up the opportunity to tease her a bit when they get around to actually putting them on, ]
Make sure you don't get your dress caught on these things.
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[ Ah, right, right. Friends do this. It's not like she and Judar haven't done it before. Yet she reluctantly p...unches his arm. Wow, awkward. She'll get used to it in a while.
Once her skates are on and fastened tightly, Kougyoku stands up, using Yata's shoulder for support. ]
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Yata places a hand on the middle of her back without even thinking about it, helping to keep her steady until they're on the ice. ]
Did you just wanna skate in circles like at an ice rink? ... Or by the edge, in case you fall?
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Um, I want to skate in the middle, down the river! Is that okay?
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Ah-- yeah! It's on your list, you can skate wherever you want.
[ He shrugs and skates on ahead a bit to give her some room (he doesn't want to be in the crossfire of any flailing arms that may happen if she lost her balance). ]
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She tentatively takes a step, then when she's sure she has her balance, she puts one foot in front of another. How did Yata do it...? He just pushed and glided against the ice, it shouldn't be too hard.
The first fall is inevitable. Kougyoku doesn't exactly land—she only flails her arms and crouches down when she feels like she's about to go face first into the ice. ]
...I'm okay!
[ She gets up and tries again, successfully skating towards him when she makes it.
But she doesn't know how to stop, so she skates past him. Look at her go. ]
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... and laughs when she goes past him, following and skating beside her. ]
Damn, you're a natural! [ --Shit, he'd been so careful not to curse around her. At least that one wasn't too bad. ]
As soon as you master this, I'm takin' you snowboarding!
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I don't know how to stop though. [ A sheepish laugh. She planned on stopping, but once she starts slowing down, she builds up some speed so she can skate with Yata. ] What's snowboarding? Is that like skateboarding?
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Stopping's not that hard, don't worry! Either you'll slow down by staying still or you can just make yourself fall down. [ That was terrible advice?!?! He keeps up with her pace, actually having fun even though he wasn't trying to pull off any insane tricks. ]
Mm! It's like skateboarding but without the wheels. I haven't done it before, but it looks pretty easy.
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[ Kougyoku's kind of appalled and worried at the same time. DO YOU DO THIS ALL THE TIME? YATA?!?! She sighs. ]
You sound so confident... [ With the way she says it, it doesn't sound like a bad thing. ] Okay, we'll learn it together.
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