I Told You So...[Rhys/Adeen]

[safetypinalert3]

Carpet wasn't too excited about being around tons of ice. Or the cold. Then again--it didn't like fire much either--it seemed extremes, it didn't like too much. And currently, the miniature, palm-sized Magic Carpet, was hiding in Adeen's Hello Kitty backpack. And once in a while--it would startle the very pink girl with a shiver, and a mental image of itself cased in ice.

Adeen would only roll her brown eyes in response, and send a mental murmur, 'You're being dramatic.' She leaned over, tightening her skates around her ankles, before standing. She was already a relatively tall girl, the tall blades on the skates didn't do much to help her height much either. Adeen looked at her skates--there was only one thing wrong with them. They were white. Not black, or pink, but white. How could you even match white skates? Especially when her legs were incased in black, fluffy black skirt on her hips, and a pink hoodie around her torso. She did her best to cover up the horrific white skates by draping pink legwarmers around the skates. It looked a little better, at least.

Adeen wobbled towards the rink entrance, holding onto the wall for a moment. It had been so long since she was on ice. When she looked down at the frosted floor--she was suddenly....intimidated. And Carpet didn't seem to be helping--it was currently sending her mental images of her falling straight on her barely clad ass. In which her response was to adjust the straps of her backpack, causing the plush kitten to shake--effectively jumbling the Magic Carpet inside.

Adeen took a deep breath, and stepped onto the ice carefully, still clinging to the wall like a very frightened, very pink cat. Her long, heavily decorated nails would have dug into the walls, had she had the grip of claws. And she stepped clumsily. Did she even skate as a kid? Or had that been a dream. Her legs wobbled, as she took another awkward step. Something between an actual step, and a scoot. Her nearly chest heaved, suddenly regretting coming to the rink.

'Oh, it'll be fun!', she had thought, 'And you can wear that darling skirt. Oh joy, oh glorious day. While attempting another step, she made a mental note to never, ever listen to herself again.

Notes/Tags: Ryhs/Trey, Adeen/Olley. YAY ICE!
Outfit:Dawww.

[RHYS SPRINTER]

There was something to be said about ice.

Well, ice that he could walk on. Or skate on.

The ice rink had never been one of Rhys' favorite places. He'd never been to one before he left Florida, and so had never learned how to skate. Not that it mattered. Turns out he was a natural. It was this discovery that led him to spend large amounts of time at the ice rink in Rockefeller center. He would usually be at home, baking, or catching up on Glee episodes, but there was something about the ice that just drew him to it.

He stood leaning against the railing, watching the other, hapless skaters do their worse to damage the ice. Just because the ice called, to him, didn't mean he would actually put himself out there to be crashed into, or worse, fall on his tush. No, Rhys preferred to stay out of harms way until the mood hit him just right.

Or someone else was in danger of falling. Someone else in a skirt.

As old fashioned or stereotypical as it may be, Rhys was a sucker for a woman in a skirt. It didn't matter what kind of skirt, or how long said skirt was, just as long as the skirt was a skirt, Rhys was hopeless. Nowadays most women were so taken with wearing skin-tight jeans or super short trousers that could pass for underwear, or else were covered in so much fabric they could only hope to be called frumpy that it was refreshing to see a girl in a skirt, just enjoying the femininity of it. Plus, it didn't hurt to show all that wonderful leg skin at the same time....

Rhys was not completely incapable of keeping track of his thoughts, and so was headed directly to the girl who sent him off on skirt-thoughts in the first place. She gripped at the wall with the kind of desperation only seen in a cat facing an imminent bath. He comparison made him grin, despite himself. he slid across the ice, feeling the cool air waft across his skin. The ice really was wonderful...
"helloe there," he greeted her. The fact that her hair was pink didn't even faze him. Women of this day and age did remarkable things to themselves. "Need some help?"

[safetypinalert3]

Adeen had been so focused on keeping her legs from splitting in the opposite direction, that the man that spoke to her caught her completely off guard. "WAHH!" She squawked, completely caught off guard. Her already pink cheeks, flushed again. She wasn't typically very loud, and she tended to be a gentle giant sort, so that sound that came out of her mouth not only startled her, but also startled the strange being inside of her bag, which caused her to cling to the wall a little tighter.

"I...well..uhm." Adeen blinked, all but hugging the wall now. Just because she had been to the rink a few times as a child, did not mean she was as graceful on ice, as she was on land. Sadly, only now was she figuring that out. "I think I got it." Came the quiet, quite embarassed reply. Now that she was actually being watched, she dared not to move another step. She chuckled nervously, the tall girl beginning to wish that Carpet was large enough to fly her straight out of here.

"I'm not even sure...I think I had a lapse in judgement." Slowly, she tried to straighten out of legs, instead of beind in an awkward phase of standing/crouching. She was tall enough to stare him right in the eyes, given the addition of the blades, to her already tall height. Large brown eyes, framed by meticulously curled eyelashes, scanned the rink. Some of the newer skaters wore shorts, with built-in foam pads, making them look horribly disfigured. And others used walker type things, adapted for the ice. "Just whatever you do, don't suggest one of those to me." She jerked her pointed nose towards the people she had just been looking at.

Best way to keep from looking like a fool--act like you had ment to do that. Though her legs were shaking, she shifted, to point her toes inwards, hoping that would stop her legs from taking off in the opposite direction. One hand gripped the wall, white knuckled, while the other reached out to Rhys, in an offering to shake hands. "Adeen-Not-So-Good-On-Ice." She introduced, only to have a mental image of Carpet clapping his tassles together, and a very strong sense, and feeling of sarcasm.

((Oops. Don't have the forum updated on Adeen's account, so I forgot the background is pink. D: I'll type in black to prevent eyes from popping out of ya'lls head.))

[RHYS SPRINTER]

"WAHH!"
Rhys snorted, backing up a bit as the girl swayed. As adorable as she looked, hanging onto the wall that way, he didn't think it was safe. Sooner or later, she would fall. But he'd like to prevent that.

"I...well..uhm."

"I'm not even sure...I think I had a lapse in judgment."

Rhys wasn't sure what to think, but found himself grinning all the while. This girl was funny. "That happens sometimes, lapses in judgment. I had one the other day, when I thought peanut butter would be a good addition to my regular, perfectly fine ginger snap recipe."

He took the offered hand, pleased for some reason to see that it wasn't dainty and miniature like so many he'd seen. Her hand wasn't huge, or nearly as big as his, but it had a solid size to it. "I'm Rhys-very-good-on-ice, pleased to meet you." He slid closer, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I don't suppose you want to let go of that wall, do you?"

Rhys wasn't exactly sure where this was going, but something about this woman made him want to stick around. Maybe it was just to keep her from falling, but he didn't think so. Not that he had much experience with talking to women. But women liked sweets, right? He owned a whole business devoted to various forms of baked sugar. This could go well, if he played it right.

"Do you like ginger snaps? I prefer chocolate muffins, myself."

[safetypinalert3]

“Ginger snaps?” Adeen was very soft spoken, she moved with a bizarre grace. She seemed to move slow, and her touch was typically light—except her grip on the wall. The image of Carpet flashed in her mind again—only he was hovering in place. Oh, riiight. As long as he didn’t look at her feet, she should be okay.

Adeen drew in a breath, and let it out carefully, hovering just above the ice. It would appear that she was simply standing, but if someone looked down too closely, someone may just notice her skates were millimeters off of the ice. “Aren’t…peanut butter ginger snaps just…snicker-doodles?” She did like sweets, probably a little more than she should.

“Ginger snaps are nice,” She said dreamily, pressing her pink lips in a thin line, trying to ignore the rumble that was starting in her stomach. “I think, though, my favorites are those fancy s’mores?” She released the wall, putting her fingers together to make a circle, “They’re on the big, pretty graham crackers, and there’s marshmallow on top, but with that chocolate shell on it.” She smiled, and tucked her arms behind her back. “Chocolate muffins are really good with a little bit of peppermint in them. Then you get this yummy dark chocolate, peppermint muffin…thing.”

Was she boring him? Going on about sweets? She tugged at her hair, which had been pulled up into a side ponytail, and cascaded past her shoulders. Her shoulders seemed to be a little tight. She had lowered back onto the ice, and she had her balance. As long as she didn’t have to move for now, she’d be alright. Then again, she could always hover skate. The thought of that caused a smile to cross over her lips, internally laughing at her dreadful little joke.

[RHYS SPRINTER]

Rhys grinned, and slid closer. She liked sweets! She liked sweets! He felt a rush of pleasure course through him and struggled not to bounce in his skates.

"I've never had a snickerdoodle, but the recipe i tried didn't taste very well." He smiled wolfishly, relaxing as he idly spun in a lazy circle in front of her. "And I don't mean to brag, but I make a mean ginger snap biscuit. Ginger in kind of a specialty of mine." He didn't even try to sound modest. he knew he was good at baking and he wasn't afraid to flaunt it. And if he could get her to come a little closer with the temptation of tasting his goodies, then so be it.

His mind turned to his downtown store, that he was actually supposed to be manning this week, because he needed to find another manager, and most of the workers in that store made him want to blow things up. His present manager, Squire, whose real name he didn't ever bother to find out, was out on two weeks vacation, because Rhys felt that if he had to deal with the young man for much longer he would choke him. But all that was well and good, he'd figure it out sooner or later.

"S'mores are delicious!" he chirped, meeting her large brown eyes. "I have a few of them in my store, though I make them a bit different. The graham cracker's in the middle, followed by this layer of marshmallow goodness, and they're sold with a little cup of melted chocolate that you can dip it into and have a blast. It's not the traditional way, but I think its better than going out and setting up a campfire, don't you think?"

He really wanted to hold her hand again, which was odd for him, sice he generally didn't like people that much. He pushed this thought away, and again started talking about the thing he did best. Bake.

"Have you ever tried a white and chocolate chocolate chip muffin with brownie bits? It's become a staple at my place, because I can't live without them. I think if I introduced them to my stores I'd cause a chocolate pandemic, what do you think? Would you like to try one?" Was he asking her out? That was pretty forward of him. Still, he didn't regret it, or at least he wouldn't, till she rebuffed him......

But he didn't want to think about that.

[safetypinalert3]

“Snickerdoodles are very tricky little things. I usually just get mine from Walmart, but they’re very, very delicious.” Adeen nodded her head gently, and tucked a strand of pink hair behind her heavily pierced ear. “Oh, ginger is quite lovely. Sometimes I’ll cut up pieces of ginger-root and place it around my house. A pleasant smell it has.” She sighed wistfully. She had to pick up more of it—she’d been avoiding home lately.

“Store?” This brought Adeen’s attention back to him, and her brows lifted, “You have a store? What’s it called? Maybe I’ve been there?” Her entire body straightened. New bakery and sweets stores were something she was always on the lookout for. She cleared her throat, and relaxed, lowering her eyes to the moment, embarrassed by yet another burst of excitement. She lifted her head back up once she composed herself, and tucked her hands into the pockets in the front of her hoodie.

“That sounds absolutely messy.” She grinned, “I think treats should be just that—treats. Something fun to play with, and enjoy, and get messy with. And, I would absolutely like to try one, though…” She puckered her lips for a moment, and focused. She pretended to move her legs like everyone else had been, though she was once again, just barely hovering over the ice, and skated in a single circle around Rhys. “I don’t go out with strangers.” She dipped her head in for a moment, coming to a stop in front of him again.

“So…why don’t you tell me your name, then ask for mine. Then offer me one of those amazing sounding muffins again.” What the hell was this? Adeen was talking a lot. Even Carpet was seeming to press a giant ? at her. Adeen was the gentle giant, quiet, stoic, rarely flirted. Reserved, but mostly quiet. And here she was, chattering away. Nerves, perhaps?

[RHYS SPRINTER]

Rhys didn't know whether to jump around and scream or dance in place. She liked ginger! she liked how it smelled! She put it all around her house! Rhys hadn't a clue just why he was so excited, but the idea that this beautiful tall creature in this wonderful skirt with some much leg...was fond of ginger made his head spin.

He grinned stupidly, moving his hands from where he had had them stuffed into his pockets to running them through his hair, to back to his pockets. Suddenly this was much more than just a random meeting. It was vitally important to his well-being that he make this go well...

“Store?” This brought Adeen’s attention back to him, and her brows lifted, “You have a store? What’s it called? Maybe I’ve been there?”

Rhys grinned, idly wondering when his face was going to start hurting. "Uhm, maybe you have. Gingey's? Mostly people call it 'The Butcher, The Baker, and the Pastry-Maker', for some reason."

“That sounds absolutely messy.” She grinned, “I think treats should be just that—treats. Something fun to play with, and enjoy, and get messy with."

Rhys pinked, and hurried to fight it down. For some reason that sentence sounded incredibly...kinky, spoken in that soft voice, with those eyes looking at him all innocent like. What made it worse, was he wasn't sure if she had intentionally meant in that way, or if his brain was just feeling particular dirty today. She seemed to be flirting though, circling him like she did. He grinned again, rubbing at the faint layer of stubble on his cheek.

“I don’t go out with strangers. So…why don’t you tell me your name, then ask for mine. Then offer me one of those amazing sounding muffins again.”

That was definitely flirting. Those eyes were going to torture him into insanity, he was sure. He offered his hand again, which he was pleased to note wasn't shaking. "Rhys Sprinter, local businessman. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss...?"

He met her eyes, taking in the seeming innocence peeking out at him. He would really like to know this woman. "I do hope you take me up on that offer for muffins... its a treat I'd love to share with you."

[safetypinalert3]

“Gingey’s?” Adeen wasn’t familiar. But…She recognized the other name, and she nearly fell straight onto the ice. “Rhys Sprinter!” She said with him, when he introduced himself, her brown eyes opening wide, her jaw nearly hitting the ground. “Dude, you’re only like…the greatest treat-maker like…ever.” There was that embarrassing excitement again.

Then it clicked. Her hands clamped over her face, “Oh goooddddd.” She groaned, “I was flirting with Rhys Sprinter. Oh god.” She mumbled over and over into her hands. She lowered her hands over her mouth, staring at Rhys with her wide eyes. Now she remembered his face. Jesus Christ. She’d seen his name in the papers, when his father passed and he took over the business, and it exploded.

“Oh my god, I just made myself look like a total moron, didn’t I?” She said behind her hands, her voice sounding like it was in pain, her eyes narrowed, and her brows furrowed, wincing. She moved one hand from her face, taking his hand, and shaking it. Her fingers were long, slender, definitely girl hands, but not dainty and absurdly feminine. Her long nails were intricately painted. Pink, with little Hello Kitty faces painted on them, and a teeny tiny little actual ribbon glued patiently onto the head. Yeah. Adeen needed to pass time somehow.

“I-I’m Adeen Auer.” She responded quietly, pressing her lips in a thin line, smiling meekly. “As long as you aren’t pissing yourself laughing at me yet, it could be a second chance for me to completely embarrass myself.” She nodded, scratching the back of her neck. “But, I’d love to.”

[RHYS SPRINTER]

“Gingey’s?”

He watched the way her forehead crinkled slightly as she tried to register the name. Then, recognition like her eyes from within, and then the fireworks started.

“Rhys Sprinter!”

“Dude, you’re only like…the greatest treat-maker like…ever.”

Her hands clamped over her face, “Oh goooddddd.” She groaned, “I was flirting with Rhys Sprinter. Oh god.” She mumbled over and over into her hands. She lowered her hands over her mouth, staring at Rhys with her wide eyes.[/]

It was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. He just wanted to cuddle - Whoa... ok, that was getting waaaaay ahead of himself. Focus, Sprinter, focus.

"It's alright, really. I don't mind at all. Liked it, actually," he mumbled, blushing. This reaction was what he usually got when he approached anyone, men or women, in any way outside of his office. Customers would give him gooey eyed looks of adoration, and any women he spoke to, who didn't recognize him on the spot, gave him similar looks of hero-worship when he introduced himself. He didn't mind it on this pink haired stranger. It was actually, dare he say it, cute.

“Oh my god, I just made myself look like a total moron, didn’t I?”

"No way, promise." He shifted his feet, working some circulation into them. As nice as the ice was, he'd rather be at home now, whipping up some muffins for his new ...friend.

“I-I’m Adeen Auer.” She responded quietly, pressing her lips in a thin line, smiling meekly. “As long as you aren’t pissing yourself laughing at me yet, it could be a second chance for me to completely embarrass myself.” She nodded, scratching the back of her neck. “But, I’d love to.”

Adeen... He liked it. And told her so. "And if you get to embarrass yourself, then I get to do the same. It's only fair."

He looked around him, mainly to keep from looking like a complete fool as he gazed into her eyes. Because he could really do that all night. Probably would, but that would be creepy. The ice had become quite crowded in the time they'd become all entranced in their little corner. More shrieking teenagers had found their way onto the ice, and the amount of skin exposed to him had Rhys spinning right back around. Adeen was safer to look at.

"You want to get out of here?" Maybe that was a bit too fast, but if he stayed here for much longer, Rhys would turn into Coach Sprinter, and that wasn't pretty. "We could go to my downtown location, or I could show you how to make those muffins, if you want?"

[safetypinalert3]

She smiled behind her hand. He liked it. Well…that was..unexpected. She lowered her hand, and grinned. She did her best to think that she was special, that he didn’t flirt with every girl that was impressed by him, or invited them over for muffins all the time. “Yeah, unless you burn down the kitchen, I don’t think you’d be able to embarrass yourself.”

She looked up, and away from him looking at the crowd on the skates. She pressed her lips in a thin line. Kids. She shook her head, and smiled back at him with a laugh, when he looked back too. It seems he had seen the same thing.

“That sounds pretty good. And either one is good, but I’m completely interested in learning a new recipie. But…” She held a finger up, then touched her lips for a moment, “Would it be a problem if I met you there? I’m uh…” She tugged at the black tutu, “I’m not really dressed for baking. So, would you mind if maybe I met you where ever this baking will take place? That way I can go ahead and change?” Was that shallow of her? But she didn’t really want to get her outfit covered in batter. And knowing her, and her clumsy self. It was bound to happen.

[RHYS SPRINTER]

He blinked, taking in her outfit once more. "You look fine though, really." He'd wanted to say more than fine, that she almost looked edible, but thought that was coming on too strong. Things were good just how they were. No need to rush, just take it niiice and slow.

"But changing is probably a good idea."

Thinking fast, Rhys ran through his options. You didn't take a girl you just met for the first time into your Sanctum of Sanctums, it just wasn't right. No matter how adorable she was. He scratched at the inside of his pocket idly. Of course, his kitchen was an entire floor of his loft, but that was besides the point. That kitchen was the product of hundreds of hours of painstaking work. He'd put his blood, sweat and tears into making it just right, and that was after hours of throwing his everything into the business to make it to where it was now. As innocent-sexy as Adeen was, she wasn't setting foot in that place till he knew who she was for sure.

The only other available option was the downtown store. It was working with a small staff as it was, and had, int he past few weeks, lost more than seventy percent of its normal customers. Now people only came in to grab a quick cup of coffee, and then they bolted, if they came in at all.

He was going to kill Squire.

And, it was four thirty now, anyway. In an hour the place would be closed, since he'd reduced the number of hours it stood open. Business was that bad.

"Uh, we could meet up in an hour or so?" 'Or so' because he knew women were insane when it came to dressing, and could take up to half an hour to do something as simple as change a shirt. He didn't want to guess at how long changing an entire outfit would take, and so left it open. "At "The Butcher'? It'll be closed then, and we'll have the place free. Plus, all the ingredients are there, so i don't have to go pick any up." He gave her a stern look then, though his eyes were laughing. "But you have to promise to show up. It's no fun getting me all hyped up for the chance to make a fool of myself if you're going to chicken out, alright?"

Rhys smiled again, excited about something other than business for the first in a long time.

[safetypinalert3]

“That sounds good, that way people won’t be able to testify when I accidentally burn the place down.” Then she remembered he owned it, and it wasn’t a good idea to make a joke about burning the whole thing down. “I’m completely joking, I’m not a hopeless mess. I swear.” She said wide eyed, then scratched the back of her head, and smiled sheepishly. “And I promise to show up, and just to prove my point…” She tilted her shoulder, sliding her Hello Kitty bag off of her shoulder, and reaching in. Carpet fluttered against her fingers, rolling a pen into her hand.

Adeen zipped up the bag after drawing out her pen. She shook it at him playfully, then did a bold move. She tugged at his hand, and wrote a line of numbers on his hand. “There, that’s my number. If I’m not there within an hour, you go ahead and blow up my phone.” Smooth, real smooth. Only not really. She tucked the pen into her hoodie pocket. “I’ll see you soon.” She scooted backwards on her skates, and nodded, then finally turned her back to him, and slid out of the rink. She slowly started to walk away after undoing her skates. She looked over her shoulder, at Rhys. She waved her fingers at him through the glass, before leaving the area to get back to her car. As soon as she was out of sight though—she all but ran for her car.