Skating Around [For Splotch, but also open]

Staring across the frozen lake, Devin shifted nervously from the safety of the shore. He had never gone ice skating before, but he figured that was no surprise seeing how he had barely been out of his house before he came to Beata. Then why was he here? ...That was a very good question. He thought it would be fun but now he was having doubts. Mainly because he didn't know how to skate. It seemed like an issue now that he thought about it. The ice didn't look comfortable to land on if he did fall, and he was sure he had heard something about somebody almost falling into the lake. But he was here and had already gotten skates from the shack... With a defeated sigh, he plopped down onto the ground and started to switch into the black skates he had gotten. He was sure he was going to hurt himself doing this, but oh well. Hopefully his wings and tail would help him balance enough so he wouldn't fall to much.

Another student was at the lake. She hadn't been there for too long. Just long enough for her confidence to return. The familiar feel of the ice beneath her skates. Aleta wore a similar outfit to the one she had worn her first time back on the ice. A heavy winter jacket, beanie and a scarf. Her hands were covered in wool mittens with the removable flap for the finger tips. Her movements consisted largely of leaps, twirls and sharp turns. As gracefully as she could, her arms were held outwards. Bending and folding with each turn and glide. At one point she stopped in the middle of the ice hands on her hips. The girl's deep breaths casting a fog into the air.

In the distance she saw a figure. Whoever it was sat at shore, and put on their skates. Unsure who it was against the forest background, the girl stood. Waiting for the person to come closer.

Devin sighed as he finished putting on his skates, his eyes scanning the ice. He could spot someone else on the ice - someone who had paused. His eyes remained fixed on that single person for a few moments, wondering what they were doing before he pushed himself up and onto the ice. His first few steps were shaky, his wings flapping wildly to keep him balanced as he attempted to learn the basics. He came to a stop not far from where he had started, fidgting as he stood there. He could do this...His eyes flickered up toward the person, deciding that was his goal - to reach whomever it was. He pushed off, doing well for a bit before he suddenly lost his balance. "Gah!" he gasped as he fell butt-first onto the ice, quickly grimacing from the pain that shot up his body - at least he had barely missed landing on his tail. He stared down at his feet, wondering how he was going to stand back up as he feared that any attempts would end the same - in failure.

Occ: Posting from my phone so no dialog colors for this post.

Once Aleta could see the shape of the dark figure against the light colored ice, it was obvious who it was. "Devin!" She called out, a smile gracing her lips. The Spring student rushed over towards him, leaving behind deep scores in the ice. She slowed to a stop just in front of the boy and held out a hand for him to take. "Can't you balance with those wings of your's?" Aleta joked, her smile widening for a moment.

Devin gazed lifted from his skates when Aleta's voice broke the silence, startling him. He blinked when he realized that she was the figure he had been trying to reach, watching as she easily skated over to him and held out her hand. He responded by pouting at her as he took it, slowly getting to his feet as he attempted to balance himself. "Yeah, I can balance a bit with them," he muttered softly as he steadied himself, look at her with a soft, non-serious frown. "But ice is kinda slippery...And I've never skated before in my life so I'm new at this."

Aleta brightened up, beginning to pull in out into the ice. It was a slow glide, and once she reached a reasonable distance away from the shore the girl spoke. "I can teach you!" She told him enthusiastically. Then without waiting for his response, Aleta put on a serious face. "Try not to make any sudden movements, and bend your knees. Let's just keep your balance first." She hadn't let go of his hand yet.

"Eep!" Devin gasped in surprise as Aleta suddenly pulled him further out onto the ice, causing him to waver in balance even at the slow glide they were in but soon caught it enough as not to fall. He blinked as she spoke up, offering to teach him before giving him instructions. He nodded sheepishly, doing as she ordered and bent his knees, using his wings as well as a backup. "Like this?" he asked, a bit relieved that she was willing to teach him the basics. Otherwise, he just would of been a mess on the ice.

She took a careful look at his stance and gave him a nod of approval. Aleta then reached down and took his other hand so he had both to hang on to. "Okay! Now. Lean on your weak foot, then, with your strong foot, push out in a diagonal direction. That's how you move forwards." She advised, gently pulling him along. quickly she added, "Don't use your toe pick, put your blade on the ice first. Otherwise you'll trip." And while she was there to pull him back up, it was a helpful tip. That and it was one of Leo's problems when he first started. The memory of him repeatedly falling face first made her giggle. Finally something that he wasn't good at.

Progress! Yes! Devin grinned happily at Aleta's approval nod, his tail flicking. He listened intently to her instructions as she grabbed his other hand, repeating everything in his head to make sure he got it. Left foot, right foot, push. Got it. As she started to pull him along, he did his best to comply. His first push forward was a bit shaky, almost tripping but a flare of his wings kept him in balance. His next try went a bit better off but he spared a glance up at Aleta when she giggled. She better not be laughing at him...Then again, if she was then he couldn't blame her. This had to be a funny sight, an fallen angel helping a demon learn how to skate. And you know, skating did seem like a lot of fun when you weren't falling.

Once he began to pick up the pace, Aleta gave him an encouraging smile. He was learning pretty fast, and Aleta was hopeful that she would have a skating partner in no time. The thought made her giddy. She hadn't gone skating with friends since a day or two before she had to leave for Beata. The only thing that she had enjoyed doing back at home. Aleta really was thankful that the school had set up the lake, and was certain that she was going to get a lot of use out of the lake before it melted.

"Okay! This is how you turn, take a look at my skates. It's pretty simple." She told him, beginning to pull both of them into a curve. A slight movement of Devin's wing caught her attention. Just beyond that in her sight was yet another lone figure standing at the edge of the lake. The bright blond hair was easy to identify whom it belonged to. Her brother. The sister pursed her lips as she watched him continue to stand at the edge. Had he not brought his skates? "Did you notice Leo standing over there? I don't see skates. What do you think he wants?" She asked in a low voice, ducking her head a fraction.

Once more following as Aleta commanded, his eyes flickered down toward her skates to watch her. But when she spoke up again, his eyes returned to her in surprise. Leo? He glanced over his shoulder, shifting one of his wings around slightly until he could peak over it to see the Autumn Perfect standing on the shore. "I don't know," Devin admitted in the same low voice, wondering why they where whispering when it was clear he was out of hearing range. "Maybe we should go check?"

The blond had avoided his friends for the majority of the past few days, and only gave passive greetings to those who talked to him. Leo had not come to he and Devin's usual workout since he had learned of Keirsta's pregnancy. He had found himself unable to face his friends. Along with his sister. Yet after the meeting with the headmaster, Leo had felt more hopeful. Having a plan or at least something to do shook away the fear at least a bit. Sure he was a bit nervous about working in the daycare, the blond wanted to do his best to be a good father. That meant practicing, right?

The social aspect about the whole event was what brought his anxiety. Gossip Girl's article set him on edge. It seems that she knew all about it, and planned on telling the school about the child. Although Keirsta had lied and said that she was just working for the nurse, the angel doubted that it shook off whoever Gossip Girl was. He couldn't do anything either. Leo's lips made a frown as he thought the social media bully. There was no way anyone that wasn't close to him would know anything about it. Sure maybe someone caught him looking at baby books, but that's hardly enough evidence for what happened. Right?

Heads turned in his direction. Aleta and Devin had seen him. 'Can't turn back now.' He thought with a glance down at the ground below him. Next to him was a bare birch tree, its leaves had long since fallen. The blond rested a gloved hand on it's bark.

Then there was his closest friends. Most of whom thought highly of him, and saw him as something of a role model. Sure he could just tell them that the prefect duties were getting the best of him, but that would be lying, and eventually the news would get out. Gossip Girl or not. So Leo new he had to tell him and didn't want someone else doing it for him. That being said, he still didn't know how to go about it. That was one thing that the meeting had not changed; His anxiety with other people learning about the child.

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Aleta nodded and turned in her brother's direction, keeping one hand in Devin's. She didn't know why she didn't pull her hand away, he was doing fine so far. The dark haired girl didn't put much thought in it and instead spoke to her friend. "Has he been acting weird to you at all? I mean, he has been demoted from being prefect. Maybe that's it? He didn't tell me why though." Her voice stayed slow as they slowly glided over, keeping at a pace Devin could handle. That day a few sunrises ago when he brushed passed her and ignored her was still present in her mind. Normally, had it been anyone else she would have been agitated. But Leo always seemed eager to talk when she started the conversations. What had changed?

Devin eyes didn't move from Leo as Aleta started to lead him forward, being thankful for the fact that they kept holding hands. Even when she spoke, his gaze remained fixed as he frowned slightly. Had Leo been acting weird? Well, the simple answer to that was yes. The older boy had stopped appearing at their workout sessions and it confused the young Autumn. Leo always seemed so eager to help him, it struck him at odd. He had also heard a bit about Leo being demoted, but...He doubted losing a position of power meant much to the angel. "He hasn't been at our workout sessions," he finally said, his eyes brows furrowing in worry. "I haven't seen him otherwise lately."

So it wasn't just her. Was that good or bad news? Not wanting to spend too much time on it, she put on a false cheery smile and approached her brother. A gloved hand was kept around Devin's as she slowed to a stop at the edge of the lake. Her dark eyes looked up at her brother, who had adopted a similar look to his face. A false smile. Although Aleta's own was much more believable than her brother's.

There was a long silence between the group, waiting for the other to speak. After no one said anything, Leo's smile flattered and died. Blue eyes looked off to the side, as if suddenly finding the bark of the tree very interesting. His mouth seemed to be clamped shut. 'Where do I start?' The blond's tongue felt like cotton. If he spoke nothing would come out but nonsense. 'Start small...'

Leo glanced at Devin for a millisecond than back at the tree. "I-" He bit down down on his tongue for a moment before finishing his sentence. As if it would help his speech. "-am sorry I haven't been able to make it to the gym recently, Devin. I've been busy."

Aleta didn't seem convinced.

As they reached the angel, Devin frowned slightly as he came to a stop, wondering what Leo had to say. His tail flickered, and his frown only deeped when Leo claimed that he had been busy. Busy? Was that what Leo wanted him to believe? Something about that claim seemed odd - maybe that it was that he swallowed before speaking, maybe because he felt that Leo would of told him or at least Aleta something if he was busy. 'Busy' seemed like a cover, but for what? His heart sank as his tail drooped, wondering what was on the ex-Prefect's mind. "Its fine," he finally said, letting a soft smile replace the frown. It was a honest smile -
truthfully happy to see his workout buddy once more. "What's been keeping you busy?" he found himself asking, the words just slipping out of his mouth. He quickly frowned at his own words. "Ah, you don't need to say if you don't want to." But Devin was rather interested to know what was up.