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DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on November 17, 2019 at 14:42

It was utterly ridiculous he knew. Someone with the worst coordination ever, loving ice skating, or rather, loving watching competitive ice skating while tucked up in his room where the floor wasn’t slippery with flat shoes that definitely didn’t resemble blades. Okay, he had always wanted to get onto the ice but he knew exactly what would happen when he did, he was horrible at balancing, he fell when walking to class most of the time and when it was snowy he tried to stay inside because he didn’t like being cold and wet all day. So he’d been debating over signing up for the new skaters class at Evermore Ice Rink for a few days now and then one night he just went ahead and booked one lesson. Never knew if you never tried right? Maybe it wouldn’t go as horribly as he initially thought.

The morning of the lesson he got up extra early to head to the ice rink, he’d told Han about it because he didn’t want the star wondering where he had gone and Han had offered to come too but Jae had insisted he wanted to learn first so he wasn’t constantly making Han fall down with him. As funny as that might be the first few times he was sure they would get tired of it and cold fast. So that was his goal, learn to skate well and then he could bring Han and impress him. If not, then the one lesson would be enough for him to say he actually tried it. Which was something he supposed. So he dressed himself in comfortable clothes, black tracksuit and a beanie which he hoped would keep him warm on the ice. Wasn’t the best outfit ever but least he wouldn’t ruin it when he fell for the 100th time.

When his Uber arrived at the rink he wasted no time heading inside and going through the signup protocols, though it was when they handed him his receipt slip that he realized he’d accidentally signed up for couple skating. Well damn, there seemed to go his hopes of getting out on the ice today. He asked if it was possible to change to the solo skating class but they informed him that all of those classes were booked up until after Christmas. He had sighed in a frustrated manner but noted that there were a few people around who seemed to have come alone, these classes would have balanced the male to female ratio surely so maybe if he could find someone to partner up with he could at least do the one lesson.

So he had just gone into the main entrance hall where he exchanged his shoes for a pair of skates, trying on a couple of sizes before finding the ones he was most comfortable in and attempting to waddle along the floor and get a feel for them. They were heavy, that was the first thing he noticed but he didn’t have time to process that thought before he ran straight into someone and fell off his balance tumbling to the floor. The voice was familiar the moment he looked up at her and he gave a slightly awkward salute in response to her greeting “Well at least the floor seems to be more forgiving than the ice looks” he commented with a laugh and waved to her, when she commented on his outfit he laughed “Yeah, practical and warm was the goal” he commented with a chuckle as he grabbed one of the many seats around so he could use it to pull himself up “Yeah, though the website was kinda terrible at explaining the details” he commented wobbling a little and reaching for a nearby pillar “Are you?” he asked with raised brows, this was perfect if so, someone he actually knew being here would make things so much easier.

“If so you’d better get your skates quick, I think they’re planning on heading out soon” he glanced over at all the pairs who were already standing together looking a little nervously at the ice and getting ready for the lesson. Well, at least he wouldn’t be the only beginner here.

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HumanPermalink Reply by ✓ Hana Sae on November 19, 2019 at 1:50

Terrified was one way to sum up the way Hana felt. She hadn't ever done this before either, and now that Jae was here, she feared embarrassing herself even more. A small part of her began breathing heavily, but she did well to keep it hidden that she was having a minor panic attack. The ice did look pretty damn unforgiving. She was sure she'd land herself in the hospital after tonight. An ice skate to the head, yeah that was where her mind currently was. The human gazed down to the floor, and cleared her throat about how off balance she seemed, even on a flat surface "I don't know about that" she laughed, blushing a bright red. Her face likely matched the color of a fire truck.

Hana glanced to his outfit again, smirking and visibly gave him a head to toe stare down, "Well, goal definitely achieved, but you make warm and practical look pretty nice" she grinned, and gazed to the breath coming from her mouth, realizing how cold it was inside the building. She had probably went cross eyed while glancing to the air she breathed out, before averting her gaze back to Jae. 

"No kidding. I was ready to leave, but it looks like fate had something else in mind tonight" she grinned playfully and watched  him long enough to know he was equally nervous. Hana nodded, a genuine smile gracing her features when he asked if she was here for ice skating also "Yup, looks like i'm staying for it afterall" she said in response, and sat down where he'd been sitting to slip her own ice skates on as he told her she'd better get them on. Her heart began racing and she was visibly sweating and shaking, which seemed rather odd in a place as cold as this one. "Oh god" she breathed out "We're gonna die" she added, and blinked a few times after trying to stand up, only to find herself leaning sideways. 

Hana did the only thing she knew to do, to keep herself standing up straight, and looped her arm through Jae's before joining the other couples waiting at the rink to begin these lessons. She was both excited and terrified, which made her feel a little nauseated, but here she was, day dreaming of Tara Lipinski and how graceful and flawless she was on the ice. "You've got this Hana. Just breathe" she wwhispered to herself, and looked to Jae. The music started in the background, and the one responsible for teaching these lessons made a gesture for the couples to get out on the ice. "Ready?" she asked with a sheepish grin. 

Hana was terrified of putting one foot in front of the other, but her and Jae were the next to step out onto the ice, it was now or never.

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DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on November 22, 2019 at 9:12

He chuckled slightly at her compliment to his outfit and shrugged slightly “I’m just wondering if it’s going to be enough cushioning for when I hit the deck, which is definitely going to happen because I can barely walk without tripping” he shook his head in an amused fashion, well if life had taught him anything it was to fall down and get back up again so that’s exactly what he would do, besides, he was a Dhampir so he usually healed pretty fast. He laughed when she went all cross-eyed from looking at the cold air “Not a cold fan then?” she commented with a wry grin.

“Well then I guess we’ll try this together” he spoke and nodded his head slightly “Though I should warn you that I’m probably going to bring you down” he gave a slightly shifty gaze, that’s why he would have preferred to learn solo, though he imagined the first lesson was going to be learning solo anyway, just with the intention of learning how to skate together later on. He glanced over at Hana and noticed that she seemed pretty nervous about it all and then she made a panicked statement that he couldn’t help but laugh at because it was so dramatic “Somehow I don’t think a sheet for ice is going to kill us, maybe make us very cold and wet but” he laughed softly.

He glanced at the arm she had looped through his thinking she was brave to hold onto him when he was pretty sure his balance was the worst out of the two of them. Thankfully the trainer came along to give some brief instruction, everyone was to head out onto the ice and get a feel for it for a little while and then they would come together and learn how to do some pair skating. But before all of that they needed to learn to skate backward, which could take several lessons. The message was to take it slow and enjoy it for today which eased his news a little “We’ll be fine, if you fall, you get back up” motto for life really.

He watched as the others headed out onto the ice, some managed to stay standing, others went straight for the barrier and held on for dear life, a few slipped and tripped and one guy went full head over heels. He took a deep breath, letting go of Hana because he was worried he’d probably end up crushing her if he tripped, which wasn’t exactly what he did, but his legs did go into all different directions, making him slip and slide a little before he dropped down to his knees and crawled his way to the barrier at the side so he could pull himself up. Hmm, maybe this wasn’t so bad, he turned back towards Hana as she was about to step out wishing he could help but knowing he was about as good as Bambi on ice right now and just to prove it he started slipping against the side, trying to hold onto the barrier for dear life.

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HumanPermalink Reply by ✓ Hana Sae on November 27, 2019 at 22:51

Hana laughed along with him, shaking her head in an amused fashion when he said he'd definitely fall tonight. "Well, i'm kind of relieved to hear that, I thought i'd be the only one. We can fall together" she made a cheesy joke, but grinned at him sincerely. Jae definitely seemed like a sweet guy when she met him at the Spookfest, and he didn't seem any different now. To be honest, Hana could use more people like him in her life, the kind of people that just generally made you smile when they walk into the same room as you, someone that simply shaped up your day without even trying.

She noted how he caught on to her cross-eyed expression, and couldn't help but to blush heavily as she giggled "Not so much, but that statement seems so contridicting, while i'm not a fan of freezing, this is my favorite time of year, mainly for the hot chocolate and cuddling up to someone next to a fire place" she shrugged, and smiled a little. "Never cuddled someone next to a fire place however, but it is on my to-do list" she added in a playful tone. But, she definitely did want to do that, along with walks along the beach, and she was sure there was more to that list.

Hana glanced over at him when he laughed about her panicked statement about how they were going to die. She guessed it was a little over the top and extra, but she'd always been such a goodie two shoes for her father, that even ice skating lessons made her feel slightly rebellious. "I guess you're right, II need to loosen up a little. Daddy's girl and all" she chuckled, but it was a true statement. "But, at least ive got someone doing this with me. Together it is" she smiled, referring to how he'd said 'we'll try this together'. Hana breathed in and out a few times, and Jae's words seemingly calmed her "Ill hold onto that advice. It's probably the best advice you could give someone for something like this .. actually for life in general" she grinned a little more brightly, and tried to dig deep within for whatever confidence remained about this ice skating. The instructor made things easier though, by basically telling them that today was all about getting a feel of the ice and enjoying it.

However, when he let go of her, Hana felt herself starting to panic again "It's fine, i'll just watch you and follow your lead" she added, but realized that he headed straight to his knees. Hana put her hand over her mouth as she watched him crawl his way to the barrier, and pulled himself up by the railing. "Oh man.. what have you gotten yourself into Hana?" she asked herself, but it was her turn, and to avoid holding the line up, she went for it. At first she did okay with standing, but the moment she got confident enough to slide one foot out in front of her, she began slipping and sheer panic flooded through her. Given where she currently was, she had nothing / no one to grab so following Jae's lead, became the best idea after all. Hana let herself stumble forwards until she was on her knees, and decided to use his crawling technique.

When she finally made it over beside of him, she chuckled and knew she had to be blushing right now. "I'm so in over my head. But, here's to learning" she stated, chuckling, amused by the situation. "Where's your other half this evening?" she asked curiously, trying to distract herself from the fact that she was slipping, even  just standing there. Hana decided to glide outwards onto the ice, but not so far away from Jae that he couldn't try it too without having to go too far. Her feet slipped several times before her legs flew out from under her, which sent her sailing right to her ass, as roughly as she could hit.

It'd nearly knocked the wind out of her, but she wasn't gonna give up now, and if anything, she had to redeem herself from falling this hard. "Holy shit" she breathed out, and with a blushing face and widened eyes she looked to Jae, giving him a thumbs up to let him know she was okay. "Gotta let go at some point" she teased, and pulled herself up again; but this time, she took one tiny step at a time, and likely looked more like a penguin; rather than trying to gracefully glide across the ice. What she had done a minute ago, was the furthest thing from graceful. "Doesn't hurt as badly as it looked like it did" she added, so she could in hopes, convince him  to try and that her fall didn't scare him away from even letting go. She figured that at any point now, the trainer would come by and start helping them, but for now, she was trying to get a handle on her footing, to see if there was an easier way of doing this or not.

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DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on November 30, 2019 at 12:10

“Me neither” he responded when she said she had never cuddled anyone by the fireplace “Though I think that’s mostly my own fault, me and fire or anything that can cause danger really is usually best avoided” like ice skating he supposed but he had to start somewhere so he was going to start with something that he could probably only hurt himself with on this mission to fight against his own clumsiness. “I can’t promise I’m going to be much help for you, but at least we can be partners in embarrassment” he laughed changing the traditional partners in crime line to something more fitting for their situation right now. Jae was nervous but mostly he was just excited to try something new, he’d never let falling bring him down and keep him down before and he didn’t intend on it being any different this time either.

He chuckled, glancing over at Hana over his shoulder when she said she would follow his lead “Believe me if I’m the lead you’re following we aren’t getting very far” if anything he was hoping she might be better at it than him and then he could try and learn from her technique. By the time he had managed to crawl his way over to the barrier and just about get stable enough to not slip every time he moved he noticed that she had gotten the confidence to step out on the ice too. And much like him, she had used the crawling method to get herself to the point where she had something she could hold onto. At least with the barrier there was something they could go back and forth with until they figured out the whole not falling thing “I’ll give a 3 for technique, landing wasn’t quite as spectacular as the guy before you” he teased with a laugh, thankfully the whole class were pretty much in the same boat as them so it wasn’t a complete disaster.

“Well we did the scariest part, the rest is just more of that along with hopefully getting better right?” he was optimistic anyway, that he could probably at least manage to skate a lap for today, at least, that was going to be the goal he set for himself, to skate a lap without needing to hold onto the barrier for dear life. When she asked where Han was he pressed his lips together for a moment “He’s got some family stuff he’s handling right now, plus he’s good at everything so” he laughed softly “I kinda wanted to get ahead and learn before asking him to come skate with me” he shrugged, it wouldn’t exactly be romantic to ask him to come skating with him and spend the entire time sitting on the ice. She had decided to be brave and try for the off the barrier skate though and he grimaced as he saw her slip and fall, he wanted to help but he would end up in the same place at her if he did “Are you okay?” he called out to her and grinned when she gave him a thumbs up.

“Yeah you’re right, we’ll figure this out” he nodded slightly, he didn’t know why he was gripping on so tightly when he knew he was going to fall at some point, probably best just to get it out the way right? He nodded and pushed himself off the barrier a little, fumbling in steps but managing to stay upright for a few strokes before he started to stumble, thankfully he was close enough to the barrier that he could turn around and head back towards it, though the momentum made it more like crashing into it and he felt winded the moment it hit against his chest “Oof” he made a noise but laughed softly, well that could have gone way worse.

After a while the trainer made her way over to them and explained the process behind the skating, how you needed to push each blade out to the side rather than forward and suggested that they try parallel to the barrier at first so that if they felt like they were losing it then they could hold onto it for support, however, she recommended not staying reliant on the barrier for too long and to try and get further out onto the ice when they could. With a few up and downs of the length of the barrier Jae was getting to the point where he could just about stumble his way along and self-balance by putting his arms out, it was far from graceful but it kinda worked for now “What made you wanna try ice skating?” he asked Hana as he passed her going the opposite direction as they practiced.

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HumanPermalink Reply by ✓ Hana Sae on December 9, 2019 at 5:02

He was definitely a cautious guy, which kind of made her chuckle a little, especially when he commented about fire, or anything dangerous being avoided. Though, the thought of actually getting to cuddle up to someone next to a fireplace made Hana's heart race a little. She loved romantic gestures, it's just she'd never had anyone to experience them with. Hana knew what it felt like to be nervous, because she was pretty nervous herself, but just as excited as he seemed, so was she. She'd never really gotten out to do anything fun like this. If her face wasn't crammed in her studies, or working at the INN, then she was sleeping; that was unfortunately the life Hana Sae had been living until lately. She felt a little less worried about how much she'd embarrass herself when Jae said they could be partners in embarrassment, giggling as she glanced over to him.

The human shook her head amused at how he said she wouldn't get very far if it was his lead she followed "You won't be that awful" she grinned a little, plus it seemed everyone out here were beginners, so at least they weren't alone in that. As Hana made it over to him, she couldn't help but giggle at his teasing comment, and gave a playful bow which made her slip a little, but she'd managed to hold onto the railing once more "Thank you thank you. I can imagine this is gonna get worse before it gets better" she laughed, figuring that before she would master anything out here, that she'd end up having at least one big fall, which hopefully wouldn't result in any injuries. Hana nodded, gazing out to the others before looking back to Jae, "Yeah I think we will do just fine once we've gotten over the actual fear of falling. FFor me it's more so, falling in front of people.. Ive never been afraid of messing up in general, but doing it in front of people has it's own set of rules" she admitted, smiling as he explained where Han was and that he wante to do this before asking him to come skate with him.

"That sounds pretty sweet. So are you two a thing?" she asked. Maybe that was too nosey of her, and she kinda prayed now that she hadn't crossed a line. "Sorry, if that's too personal you don't have to answer. I have a tendency for putting my foot in my mouth" she chuckled, and found herself blushing, a little flustered already. Hana had found herself on her ass already, but when he grinned, it made whatever fear she'd been feeling, vanish into nothingness. This was fun, whether she'd learn anything or not, she would be grateful for the experience. "That's the spirit!" she then expressed, playfully poking her tongue out when he finally agreed that they'd figure it out. Hana was to far away to have helped him, and for a moment, she couldn't help but just watch and turn her face away from him to giggle. It was rather adorable how he had came out so far but then just turned back only to crash against the barrier. She could hear how it had winded him, and gasped in response "That sounded a little painful" she called over to him, shaking her head amused.

Hana felt like praising the heavens above for the fact that the trainer had finally come over to explain a few things. After listening, Hana made a few mental notes and stood back up, her arms outstretched in front of her, as if she were reaching for something, though nothing was there. She began sliding her skates, one at a time, and using the technique the trainer told them to use, rather than sliding her feet straight out, which seemingly helped her do a lot better. But still, she seemingly waddled across the rink like a penguin rather than actually skating. As Jae passed her, going in the opposite direction, she chuckled and changed her route, in hopes she'd be able to skate beside him and answer his question. She had made it that far, to his side, and began to lose her balance. Panicked, she began flailing a little, because her first instinct was to grab Jae's arm, "Oh no, on no" she shrieked a little but before she realized what she'd done, she had already grabbed for his arm, and prayed like hell he didn't crash because of her.

Embarrassed, she huffed a little "I'm so sorry" she laughed, clearly blushing now as she attempted to redeem herself by going back to his question "Well, there's my main reason, which is the one and only Tara Lapinski. She's a famous ice skater, and so graceful about it. She makes it look beautiful, as opposed to me" she started, and chuckled. Hana then frowned, because then there was a much more pathetic reason to admit to. "It's also because there's literally nothing I can do without feeling like i'm dying" she frowned slightly, and cleared her throat. "I have an illness that prevents me from most things. I figured ice skating wouldn't be too bad, your skates do most of the work, and it's way less tiring than cleaning my house" she chuckled, but it always put her in pain to tell people she had a psychical illness.

"What about you? Did you wanna learn for the sake of bringing Han on a romantic ice skating date?" she asked playfully, grinning cheekily. "Has ice skating always been an interest of yours?" she added, because she didn't wanna seem like she was prying to much as far as Han was concerned because that had made the second time a question of hers had his name in it.

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DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on December 10, 2019 at 8:57

Her comments about how they got started with this whole skating thing made sense to him, it was the same as most things in life, you had to get the hang of it and over the first hurdle which was usually fear if failure, Jae had fallen and gotten back up enough time in his life to know what it felt like so really it was the same thing he always knew. He reminded himself of that as they started edging towards the ice “Well like you said, everyone is going to be falling right? So they can’t really judge” and if they did then it wasn’t really going to affect his ability to skate so he was going to ignore it.

He nodded when she asked if him and Han were a thing “For about 8 months now yeah” he responded with a slightly bashful grin, he didn’t mind talking about Han with others because he was proud of what they had built and how far they had come in that time “Not really what I expected to be doing within the first months of coming here to study but I can’t complain about how things turned out” but he was still focusing on chasing his own dreams too, he wanted to be a writer of some kind and he was determined to make something of this passion he’d always had for the English language. He had to laugh when she commented on him slamming into the wall because it definitely did wind him “It was, but it’s better than falling on my ass again” he chuckled softly as he held onto the barrier for dear life.

Getting the hand of the skating was slow but steady, he focused on his feet and not stopping like he often felt like he wanted to, it wasn’t smooth and he crashed into the side whenever he wanted to stop but slowly he was getting familiar with how to balance on the ice and not panic over is. He noticed that Hana seemed to be making some headway too, though both of them were slipping and sliding rather than gliding like you see in most of the videos online. He supposed that would take a lot more practice but he did feel good about making the first step and not spending the entire time crawling along the ice. When Hana reached out to grab his arm though he was completely caught off his guard and she was already wobbly and slipping which meant his feet went out from under him and landed straight on his ass, he ended up laughing while she apologized “See! I told you not to rely on me” he teased with a shake of his head.

Hearing her answer to his question he grinned slightly, it was sweet that she had found a skating idol and wanting to learn because of them, that seemed like a well thought out reasoning and he bit his lip a little when she said she hadn’t been able to do too much without feeling like she was dying “I hate cleaning” he grumbled remembering that he had a spot check at the dorms last week and had to clear it all last minute which he definitely wasn’t happy about. “Well, you’re not letting it define you and finding ways to make the most of your life in spite of it right? I’d say you’re doing pretty well” he nodded firmly, she seemed pretty strong and determined and she didn’t let her illness stop her.

“That’s one of the motivations, another is just wanting to be good at something I guess, I don’t have many hobbies so I wanted to try something new and not long after I thought about that the advert for the classes came up on my feed” and it had felt right so he decided to go with it. He pushed off to start another lap, this time attempting to skate next to her while they talked “So do you think you’re gonna come back for another lesson?”

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HumanPermalink Reply by ✓ Hana Sae on December 20, 2019 at 5:07

"See? That's the spirit!" her voice chimed out cheerfully, when he agreed everyone else would be falling too. Hana smiled brightly when he spoke of Han, because something within him lit up, it was as though he had a small glow about him when he talked about his partner. Hana had only wondered if her life would turn out the same, especially her love life, considering how arranged it was meant to be. While she wanted to cry because of that reminder, she smiled instead, because at least someone was happy, and Jae's smile was enough to make her smile. "He seems really confined... shy and such. It's cute though" she grinned, and nodded when he mentioned that it hadn't been what he expected. 

"It's funny how life turns out sometimes, especially when it turns out to be so different than you planned, or expected for it to be." she smiled, and looked out to the people currently holding onto one another, yet slipping and falling each time they'd grab for the others hand. It was actually adorable. Hana shook her head amused, it was a sight to see, seeing Jae hold onto that barrier as if letting go would simply destroy him, rather cute if she had to admit. "Fair enough. That last one winded me" she chuckled, referring to her own fall. 

While it didn't feel great to fall and cause Jae to crash with her, she enjoyed sharing a laugh with someone, and getting to have fun for once. She'd always been so serious about her school and getting a job, and finding the perfect husband to please her father, that she'd forgotten how to live. This was pretty different than anything she was used to doing she had to admit. But, even as she now sat on her ass from falling and jerking someone else down with her, she was enjoying it. "Hey, you're doing better than me. At least you've not reach out for a person to hold onto while you're falling, like I just did" she shook her head, laughing at how this was going so far. Hana grinned slightly, when he admitted he hated cleaning "Yeah, I certainly share in your grief there" she giggled softly, and raised a brow when he complimented her. 

"I suppose you're right about that. Thank you Jae, it does a girl like me a lot of good to recieve some kind words every now and then. Most people find out I have an illness and immediately begin making a list of things they assume I can't do, or shouldn't do.. but yeah.." she shrugged "I guess I'm managing okay" she added, smiling brightly. When he explained why he'd came out here. "Yeah I get that, wanting to be good at something.. It does the ego some good" she nodded some, and thought about his question for a moment after following his lead by pushing herself off the ice as well. Hana skated slowly this time, and dared to try anything fancy, because for now, both of them seemed to be doing good enough to at least remain on their feet. "I think I will actually. I mean it's not a bad price, to learn something I may grow to love doing.. if I ever learn it that is" she chuckled, hoping that by the end of this lesson, she would have learned how to at least skate without falling. Other techniques would surely follow if she stuck with it. 

"Have you lived in the city all your life?" she asked curiously, watching others who skated in front of them, smiling at how determined they seemed. It was endearing to say the least. When a more upbeat song came on, the instructor changed their pace, and done a few twirls on their skates, causing Hana to gaze with widened eyes, impressed by their feet work. "I bet that took quite a while to learn" she laughed and shook her head, because the instructor seemed pretty flawless out here with a bunch of beginners. Upon hearing the instructor, Hana's heart raced a little, because they'd been told when they felt confident enough, to pair up, and one person skate backwards, while the other remained skating frontwards. Very few had even tried right away, and Hana knew she wouldn't be able to skate backwards for the life of her, but if Jae wanted to try, then she certainly would to. 

"If you wanna attempt it, let me know what position you wanna take" she grinned playfully, but found herself blushing a bright red, because she was sure that sounded a lot worse than she intended for it to. Her mind was in a dark place known as the gutter, more often than not. 

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DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on December 28, 2019 at 15:00

He shrugged slightly when Hana commented on Han seeming shy and confined “He’s not once you get to know him and he likes you” he responded and pursed his lips “But I’m sure you’d be the same way around strangers if you lived your entire life having to run for your own safety” it was a sad reality that Han faced in his past but Jae did everything he could to remind Han that he was safe with him and that he didn’t have to live his life in constant fear. There were still moments that Jae worried he might disappear one day and that scared him but it was a feeling he tried to push aside because he didn’t want it to get in the way of his time with the star.

“Well I never expected this whole thing to be easy” he chuckled softly as he did his best not to stumble and fall again, gripping onto the side with a grimace “That’s mostly because I’m worried that I’ll probably take them down with me” he laughed softly, he knew his own lack of coordination meant this was basically going to be a falling party for him, not that he minded the fact that she had just caused him an extra one “But hey if we’re going to be pair skating I guess we should probably get used to the whole holding on and falling together thing” he chuckled softly “Just try your best not to let me fall on you cause I’m pretty heavy” he would also do his best avoid crushing her, though he never had all that long to react when he started slipping.

“The only good thing about cleaning is when you’re going through your old things and find things you didn’t even remember you had” he laughed softly, though that was always the time when he usually stopped actually cleaning because he got so distracted by said thing. “Well only you and your doctor get to make those decisions?” he commented it like it was a no brainer but he did wonder if she had others imposing on her and telling her what she wasn’t allowed to do. Much like his father constantly told him what he was supposed to do. “Plus it’s nice to have something to look forward to” he commented and nodded “Or at least I hope I’ll look forward to it once I get past the whole learning curve” it was easier than he had painted it to be in his mind but it was still difficult nonetheless “Well we’re already just about managing to get around the rink so I think that’s actually more progress than I was expecting” sure he was wobbly and needing to reach for the side a lot but with practice, he was sure he could do better.

“I have lived in A city all my life, but not this specific one” he chuckled softly and shrugged “I’m from Seoul” he added and pursed his lips slightly “Evermore is a whole different kind of city though” especially because he had come here alone and it was the first place where he had lived alone. “What about you?” he had noticed her Korean accent so he knew she was from there already. When she commented on the instructor’s skating he looked over his shoulder to check and stumbled a little but managed to stay standing by putting his arms out to the side a little “I’ll bet, I’m struggling enough with two entire skates on the ice, one tip almost seems like insanity to me” he chuckled shaking his head slightly.

Of course, the first thing he thought when they said to try skating in pairs in both directions was that he didn’t know how to even skate forwards yet but the instructor explained that the momentum of the person skating forward should naturally show the one going backward how to place their feet and it was much simpler than skating backward solo. He nodded a few times “I’ll try backward first and then once we have it figured out we can swap” or if they couldn’t they could go back to their original penguin sliding mode, he faced her and raised his hands so he could link with hers.

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HumanPermalink Reply by ✓ Hana Sae on December 31, 2019 at 23:48

Hana smiled and felt slightly surprised at hearing Jae say that Han liked her. They had only met that one night, the night she decided to hang around he and Jae for the remainder of the event, but it had been enough for her to make it a point to get to know them the best she could. “Well, i’m happy my personality didn’t drive him bat shit crazy then. Sometimes I come off a little obnoxious I guess. I’m too bold, and sometimes too flirtacious. Both of those traits combined get me in trouble sometimes” she chuckled, shaking her head. Her eyes widened slightly though, when Jae shared a little detail about Han that she would have never guessed on her own, which made her frown in response. “I don’t know his story.. But maybe he’d find comfort in knowing we share a similar  one.. I know what it’s like to be fearful and on the run. I just refuse to run” she admitted, reflecting on how much danger she and Ha-joon were in now that they knew the Triad was tailing them. 

She could see while he spoke of it, how much it bothered Jae, and that only made her realize how much he cared for his partner, which was something she could only admire. No one ever deserved to live that way, so to have heard that Han had, really upset Hana herself. 

Hana chuckled when he said he never expected this to be easy, and then reminded her that they should get used to holding on and falling together. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. It might help if we could act like the other doesn’t bite” she quipped before reaching her hand out. “Together it is” she smiled brightly and snorted at his comment about him being heavy. “Not to worry. You owe me one anyways” she shrugged. She had just literally pulled him onto his ass after all, she was sure she could manage him doing the same at least once. “I tend to do that with my clothes. I get so exicted when i’m cleaning and find clothes I forgot I had.. Or boots.. I love boots.. I have enough to dress an entire army” she laughed, reflecting on the day she had nearly buried herself in a pile of her own clothes and shoes, and Ha-joon gave her a speech on downsizing, which only resulted in her giving just one pair away to charity. “I’m an extreme hoarder too, so that never makes the cleaning process any easier” she admitted, and slightly blushed. 

“True enough. Guess it’s just been fear keeping me confined and holding me back. I normally don’t care what others think of me. It’s just with my illness, ive always seemed to care a little too much.” she said in a soft tone, grimacing a little. She hated admitting that she cared what they thought. But she had certainly had a rough go of things as far as her psychical health went. If people didn’t feel sorry for her, then they steered clear of her, both things which she truly hated. Hana nodded in agreement when he said it gave him something to look forward to once he got past the learning process of it all “That it does. I think if I learn it well enough, ill certainly be back for more. This is something I could really get used to” she stated, loving how her feet would glide across the ice during the moments that they weren’t slipping. 

By the time they had done a full lap around the rink, they had talked enough that Hana hadn’t even realized they’d made a complete circle without falling. “Well, would you look at that?” she asked playfully, but truly, she felt proud of that full lap around the rink that they had done. “It can be hard getting used to this city. Even if you’re already from a different city, and you’re used to the city life, I agree that this is a whole completely different kind of city. I’m from Gwangjuho. My brother and I came here on an arrangement I made with my father, so that we could study here in the U.S. Talk about making a deal with the devil” she chuckled, but that was her way of playing off the misery that came from bargaining off her love life with her father the way she had. 

“Lake Eco Park was my favorite place. I miss it there so much” she frowned, and for a moment allowed herself to reflect, but not so long that she got distracted. Distractions would cause collisions that they didn’t need with as steady as they were skating now. Hana chuckled again when he said he was struggling enough with two whole skates on the ice. It was amusing to say the least. His sugestion sat just fine with her “Thank God. I’m glad you’re offering to skate backwards first. Do you think it’s more of me pushing you to start you off, while we still hold hands, or do you think you should learn how to drag yourself backwards?” she asked, making sure she knew what to do before they started. 

Hana took a deep breath before entwining her fingers through his. Her hands were shaky enough for him to have noticed, but she was sure he felt just as nervous. “Here’s to trying new things” she grinned, feeling her anxiety level rise as she waited for what she anticipated, which was them falling a few more times before they got it right. “Would you go back if you could? Home I mean.. Just leave it all behind and go back?” she asked, wondering if she was the only one who ever thought about that. The truth was, Evermore had began to feel like home, but she feared it would never replace where her true home was. And, while she no longer trusted her parents, she still hadn’t found that settling feeling in Evermore, that she’d felt in her hometown. Maybe Someday.

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DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on January 18, 2020 at 9:35

Jae shrugged slightly when she mentioned having a similar story and being on the run “I don’t think he likes to think about it too much, I wouldn’t want to be constantly reminded of the horrible things that happened in my past too much easier” he pressed his lips together, compared to Han he’d had a very easy life and that definitely put things into perspective for him. The Dhampir smiled a little when she mentioned acting like the other doesn’t bite “Speak for yourself” he teased with a smile because he was after all a Dhampir. Either way, they were going to skate together so they needed to get over their fears one way or another. “Just shove me to the side if you have to, I won’t take it personally” he commented in response shaking his head slightly, he was sure they would be fine, he’d fallen on the ice a few times now and it wasn’t as bad as his head had initially made it out to be.

He chuckled slightly when she talked about being a hoarder and having a lot of things she could wear “Oh I’m not that bad, little dorm room, little bedroom back home” he spoke softly and shrugged slightly “Though if I had the chance to expand I probably would” he chuckled, so really a small living space was doing him favors. She seemed pretty positive about the experience today so far and he agreed, it had been fun to learn a little and be pleasantly surprised by how much he could achieve along the way “It’s probably nice to get out and do something huh?” from the way she talked about her illness it sounded like she was constantly being confined to her home and told to stay indoors to be safe, so it must feel refreshing to get to do what she wanted to for once.

He chuckled when she mentioned their progress so far “Don’t jinx it, I’m still waiting for the full-on face plant which hasn’t happened yet” he commented with a laugh because knowing his luck he’d find a way to go down headfirst into the ice somehow. He smiled, glad that he’d managed to figure out she was Korea and he wasn’t surprised to hear her talking about a parent trying to control her life “I’m with you there, my father let me come here to study but it’s obvious he only did so to try and prove a point about me not being able to handle it” and there were times he wondered if he could honestly “He expects me to come crawling back soon enough, I’m sure you know the feeling” overbearing parents, check.

He chuckled at her relief when he said he would try the backward first, he was curious to see how it would go, something told him there was more tripping and falling in their future but then he was sure that would be the case with everything new they learned. He was starting to get used to falling by now and learning how to get up afterward, without slipping like crazy and ending up right where he was. “I have no idea, I was thinking go the whole try and if it goes horribly wrong try something else approach” he laughed softly linking their fingers so they had a strong grip on one another and he took a deep breath “Okay, push your way forward the way you were before and uh...tell me if we’re going to back into something” the moment she did start though he slipped a little, stumbling over his steps a little as they went the opposite direction before, he could feel himself shaking a little from the panic of the almost fall but somehow managed to stay up “No” he responded to her question “Given the choice, I don’t think I’d ever go back after seeing everything I could have here” he pressed his lips together, but it wasn’t that simple either “What about you? If it was an option would you stay?” he raised his brows.

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HumanPermalink Reply by ✓ Hana Sae on January 26, 2020 at 3:15

Hana pressed her lips together, giving Jae an understanding nod when he mentioned Han not wanting to be reminded of his past too often "That's fair. I guess it was just nice to find someone who kinda knew what that was like" she expressed truthfully and sighed to herself about her own circumstances and how truly dangerous everything had been for her and Ha-joon now that the Triad were involved. It was even more heart breaking to think her parents were the reason behind it all. 

Hana smirked in return when Jae said to speak for herself on the biting comment "As long as you leave no marks" she teased, but often found herself nerding out over how supernatural's and their abilities actually worked. More times than not, the frail human had done research either right in her own living room, or in the library, asking plenty of supernatural related questions, and writing down the answers the computers, or people she talked to, provided her with. Hana was rather embarrassed that so far, she had filled 3 of those huge five subject note books full of supernatural information. That was something she intended on keeping a secret for as long as she could.

Hana nudged against his side playfully when he told her she could just shove him to the side if she had to "I will do no such thing   mister. For today at least, you're my partner. What kind of girl would i be to just shove you aside?" she asked, but flashed him a playful grin, her  words obviously having a double meaning, but in a joking fashion nonetheless. Hana smiled faintly and continued putting one skate in front of the other, listening as he talked. So far so good, she thought silently. At least they hadn't managed to fall yet. "So you like little spaces? Or is that just how it worked out?" she asked curiously, since he had added onto that by saying he'd expand if given the chance. 

Hana grimaced before averting her gaze to look over to him as he asked his next question. "You have no idea. I wish they had a cure for it some days. Other days I lack the will power to even roll over and get out ofbed, just because life's been a burden with me having an illness, especially a burden to my brother who worries about me and what i'm doing constantly. So yeah, it's been so nice to get out and do this. Thanks for not backing out when you learned it was for couples, i mean don't get me wrong, I was ready to go back home too, but I think this has turned out surprisingly great" Hana couldn't have imagined this going any better. She'd have to thank Jae properly for sticking around later. Perhaps she'd convince him to go do something a little easier, like the cinema, or an arcade.. something they both likely knew how to do already. 

Hana laughged when he told her not to jinx it because he hadn't face planted the ice yet "Yeah we can't let that happen to that pretty face, I don't think Han would be very happy if you return with a busted head" she chuckled, and had kind of been waiting to see which of them cracked their head on the ice first as well. She was almost sure it'd be her. Like she imagined Jae had been thinking it would be him. But, they had seemingly gotten good enough to keep a steady pace now, which meant that they had officially learned to ice skate. Though, that wasn't including all the fancy tricks, and turns, and other things that this particular lesson would be teaching today. 

She couldn't help but widen her eyes when Jae spoke of how his father had been sort of the same as Hana's. It was always refreshing to find things in commoin with people, but lately.. Hana felt as if she had the most intense things in common with people. Han being on the run, Eun being the golden child, and now with Jae and his fathers situation. "I'm sorry" she frowned a little as she looked back over to him "I hope you can prove him wrong. I swear I think mine has resorted in visiting the city without me knowing, just so he can spy and see if i'm doing what I promised him I would do in order to be allowed to move and study here. The man can be a real prick sometimes" she chuckled to brush off how much it actually effected her. 

Hana nodded, "I do know that feeling. All we can do is prove them wrong" she smiled genuinely, because while parents like theirs were normally impossible to reason with, she'd be damned if her father kept controlling her. She could only hope that Jae could break free of his fathers controlling ways too. 

Hana held onto his hands tightly enough so that they could try to pull this off, and found herself full of laughter when he said to let him know if they were about to back into something. "It must feel strange, having to trust someone you barely know. But, I got you" she smirked, and began pushing forward until Jae was rolling backward, and the two of them were skating once again, though, to say this part started off flawlessly? Hana felt Jae slipping, which in turn, made her panic slightly as well, and she held onto him as tightly as she could, in hopes to be of some help in keeping him on his feet. She chuckled when she realized he hadn't fallen after all, and listened intently when he answered her question. "Sounds like you've found your place here then. It's nice to hear that Jae, its always such a huge step for those of us who aren't from here, to make a life here" she commented thoughtfully before quirking a brow when he reversed her question on her.

"Well, I do miss home, my friends, and just the familiarity there all together .. I guess ive still not found that sense of comfort here that i'm longing for is all. That's what makes me miss home the most. It's really unclear whether I'm honest when i say i miss my parents these days, specifically  my father. I think I do miss my mother a lot though" she shrugged, she probably sounded as confused as she felt on that matter. "The decision to at least go back home and visit has already been made though, so I guess that's one thing. I'm just trying to finish college first" she admitted, and smiled faintly. "I ask a lot of silly questions when i'm trying to get to know someone, or build a friendship, so bare with me on some of them.. mostly people look at me like i'm crazy, but what better way can you really get to know a person than asking what comes to mind?" she chuckled and proceeded to ask a pretty random question "What separates true friends from acquaintances in your opinion?"

They'd been doing good whenever they would get lose in conversation it seemed. It seemed as if the harder she would try and focus on the skating part, the worse she was at it. So, when they stopped talking for a few moments, Hana found herself slipping up however, and as she panicked, she lost sense of judgement, deciding to hold onto Jae rather than letting him go. After colliding with the frigid ice below them, she realized she had fucked up, and couldn't help but gasp, not because it hurt, even though it did, but because she was afraid she'd caused Jae to get hurt "Oh my god! are you okay?" she squeaked as she asked while her face blushed it's brightest tint of red yet. "I'm so sorry" she added, and gritted her teeth, as she felt angered by the fact that she had lost sense of judgement like that.

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