A Roller Skating Rink, Baltimore, Late Sunday Afternoon

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie needed to be doing something. Yeah, she'd done laundry earlier but she needed to be doing something else. Something productive in another way. She'd been stuck in a gloomy rut for a while now and especially after some of the things she'd voiced to Peter earlier, she seriously needed a change. She wanted to do something that would net her a bunch of points. A challenge.

And why had she picked going out to try roller skating? Pretty much by chance. Just because she'd watched some bit of anime recently where people were skating and it seemed like a thing to do. It was a great excuse to go off the island, too. Maybe she needed that, and couldn't wait until next week.

As for her companion, no, she hadn't actually asked Jim to come with her. But she'd run into him as she'd been leaving, and hadn't told him he couldn't come when he'd decided to alleviate his boredom by tagging along.

So here they were, entering an establishment that looked a little bit like it had fallen straight out of the eighties. "Well, so far this is exactly what I expected."

[ooc: NFB, and for the future captain mentioned above!]

Comments

[pursuedthestars]

"Welcome back," Jim said, raising his voice so he could be heard over the music. He smiled at her. "Feeling good?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Yes." Look at that honesty right there. "Good points."

It was not just about getting experience points. That was just an added plus.

[pursuedthestars]

"Gonna keep going or gonna do something else to keep up the feeling?" Jim asked her.

[whenshewasnice]

"I think I'm done with this for now."

Even if that probably meant collecting a mess of wet clothes from the staff.

[pursuedthestars]

"I don't think you should give the outfit back," Jim told her, nodding. "It's way too good to give up. Way too good. Keep it."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie gave him a mildly amused look. "I don't think they're expecting it back," she replied. "Also, I'm not putting my own clothes back on. If they're not still covered in snacks, they're wet by now."

So, he'd probably get to continue enjoying this outfit for a while still. Surely he was devastated.

[pursuedthestars]

"What are we gonna do now if you're done skating?" Jim asked, offering her his hand to help her get off the rink.

[whenshewasnice]

"I did not plan that far ahead," she replied as she took his hand to do exactly that. A little less Bambi-ish this time. "Something to eat?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Didn't plan that far ahead? What good are you?" he joked, sort of pulling her towards the snack bar with him since she still had skates on and it was amusing.

[whenshewasnice]

And she had the hang of moving with the skates on now, so things went smoothly instead of turning into embarrassing flailing.

"You know what good I am."

And she was relaxed enough to say things like that.

[pursuedthestars]

"Oh, I know," Jim said, still pulling her along. "But maybe you'll remind me in a way that might net you a few more points tonight."

He didn't elaborate because the snack bar was pretty much right in front of them now.

[whenshewasnice]

"Tease," Natalie accused lightly, before turning her attention on the snack bar, since it was close now and everything. "No salsa."

She had a trauma now.

[pursuedthestars]

"I'll buy if you wanna find a table and take your skates off," Jim offered. "No salsa, I promise."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie nodded. "Okay." Just as long as there was no salsa. She let go of his hand to go on her way, both to find a table and to inquire after her clothes.

[pursuedthestars]

Jim ended up getting two grilled cheese sandwiches, a basket of fries and some drinks. It was a bit of a juggle to carry once the few minutes to cook the order ended so he really hoped she hadn't found a table far away.

[whenshewasnice]

It was a little off to the side because even in a fairly crowded space, Natalie tried to get away from the main crowd, but it wasn't too far away.

And she even gave him a little wave to catch his attention once she spotted him moving.

[pursuedthestars]

Jim wove his way over to the table and settled the food down before he dropped into the seat and stretched his legs out.

"No salsa, as promised," he said, gesturing to their spread.

[whenshewasnice]

"Good boy," Natalie replied, reaching out to snag a fry or two. "Looks like we both held up our ends of the deal."

Of course, hers hadn't been hard.

[pursuedthestars]

"You seem to enjoy calling me a 'good boy'," Jim pointed out with a laugh. "I keep expecting you to maybe pat my head or give me a treat after one of the times."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie bit off a part of a fry and cocked her head thoughtfully. "Maybe I'm trying to imply you're kind of like a pet to me."

Nah.

[pursuedthestars]

"A pet?" Jim made a face. "You certainly do some dirty things with your pet, then."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie made a face right back at him, if only slightly. "Most metaphors can't withstand being examined too closely."

[pursuedthestars]

"Your own fault for starting it," Jim told her, shrugging and leaning back in his chair. "I just followed your lead."

[whenshewasnice]

"In the wrong direction," Natalie retorted, reaching for a drink. "Mine would have involved less zoophiliac overtones."

[pursuedthestars]

"Unpredictable, remember?" Jim smirked and made no apologies for it. "And I don't wanna be a pet to anyone. I'm a lot more than that."