Vitcity

Floyd

"OK!  Well, this is Vitcorp.  It's where my mom works!" Katie announces.  "They do a lot of stuff.  Making things... inventing things... um... other things...  They're really big and important!"

Floyd

"Y'know... Stuff."

Floyd

"OK, um... Well... There's the museum down the street! There's some cool stuff there. And... what else is on this street? Fire station way down there, police station past that... Oh, and the theater! They do plays there sometimes." She turns and looks the other way. "The hospital's not far, either. Oh, we have a bowling alley, library, and ice rink, too! All a lot of fun. Though I don't usually hang out in this part of town."

Floyd

"Oh...  I'm not very good at it..."  Katie awkwardly taps her fingers together.  "But I guess we can go?"

The two of you take a short hike to the ice rink.  Katie points out a few small stores on the way.  Restaurants, pawn shop, electronics store.

When you get to the ice rink, you find that they're not open to the public just yet.  It seems early mornings it's reserved for private lessons.

"Oh, can we watch while we wait?" Katie asks.

"Sure," the guy at the counter says.

"You don't mind waiting, right?" Katie asks you.

Floyd

"It was fun!  They painted my face like a puppy-dog and I got to play with some little kids!" Katie says.  "I hated to wash it off, but Mom made me..."

You watch the ice skaters a bit.  One of them in particular catches your eye.  A lithe young woman, probably an upperclassman in high school.  She has blonde hair worn in a tight bun and is dressed in a leotard covered in sparkling sequins.  She moves with speed and grace noticeably above the other skaters practicing, easily twirling and flipping as she skates across the ice.  Her face is an intense mask of focus.

"Wow, she's really pretty..." Katie says.  "I wish I could skate like that, but... I'm probably going to spend most of our date on my butt."

The intercom crackles to life, announcing that public hours are about to begin.  All the people skating make their way off the ice, other than that really serious one.  Looks like she intends to keep practicing no matter who's here and without music.

Floyd

Katie follows you onto the ice. "I-" She gets one foot down before twisting into the air and flopping onto her back. She grabs for the railing, getting halfway up before managing to launch herself skidding towards the center of the rink.

The only other skater is so concentrated on her routine she doesn't notice Katie until it's too late. She tries to stop, but ends up tripping over her and sliding on her stomach and nearly bowling you over, too.

"...Ow..." Katie mutters as she struggles to pick herself up.

The other girl looks annoyed, but silently picks herself up to glare at Katie.

Floyd

Katie takes your hand and pulls you over trying to get up.  After some work, she manages to get up.  She practically clings to you as you try to make your way to the relative safety of the edge.  She kind of reminds you of a terrified cat coming out of the bathtub.

"S-so how... do you not fall all the time?" she asks.