Immortal Guide

She couldn’t justify buying it, leaving his threat to fall on deaf ears. With a somewhat glum expression, she went back to perusing other stalls, finding nothing else of interest. The one place she did stop was a small cafe, grabbing two hot drinks for them; she opted for two mochas, as she wasn’t entirely sure how he liked his coffee, but she was sure he could at least enjoy it mixed with some hot chocolate. With the two warm drinks in hand, she made her way to a bench near where she’d told him to meet her.

It was barely early morning, but already she felt exhausted. She could’ve easily taken a nap and slept for a few more hours; she had a feeling it had something to do with the difficult sleep she’d had the night before. Hopefully the coffee in the drink would wake her up a little. As he approached, she could see the notable spring in his step, surprised at how jovial he was.

"I usually take it *black*, since I might as well fit the theme, but I guess some hot chocolate does help it match my own sweetness." With a flash of an annoyingly charming smirk, Mercury took that moment in which she was a bit too distracted with his expression, to use one of the simpler tricks his partner-in-crime had taught him when it came to pickpocketing. With a swift, but imperceptible use of his hand, he sneaked away some of the lien in her bag, shoving it inside his pocket with the rest of his own.

He'd give it back later, but first...

"Give me just a minute, there was something I wanted to check in that place before we go.." Not even giving her the chance to protest about this last-minute endeavor, he quickly proceeded to the store which had displayed that certain red scarf in it's stall. The one Weiss had been eyeing before he first left. But minutes later, he came out from inside with the scarlet piece of clothing in one of his hands, and his empty cup in the other, looking quite pleased with himself, obviously not for the best reasons.

“I am not a masochist,” she said with a laugh, poking him in the chest. “Although I can see where you’d get the idea, given how much I let you torment me.” She drew in a deep breath, wishing her eyes didn’t feel so damn heavy. With one last calming breath, she was at least able to focus her Aura enough to make it dissipate. No one out there needed to see that she’d been crying, even if it had been for good reasons.

“We… should probably get back,” she admitted with a reluctant expression. “As much as I think I would much rather spend the rest of the evening with just you, I will be in so, so much trouble with everyone if I don’t at least stay for the party.” She carefully lowered herself down from the balcony, the soft click of her heels audible on the floor as she was back on her feet, a hand reaching for his to intertwine their fingers.

She made a beeline for the dance floor, practically dragging him along with her. A few of their friends joined, one by one, even the least sociable of them coming to have a little fun. After a few hours of fun and dancing, Weiss could feel her legs starting to give out, and she was almost wobbling her way back to one of the chairs, half-leaning on Mercury in the process.

“I… hate… that you are… still standing right now,” she said through heavy breaths, plopping down into a chair as she reached for her water glass, downing it quickly.

“Well, not being able to feel my legs comes with a few advantages - I’m unbeatable in terms of endurance.” Flashing her a confident grin once she was settled down on one of the chairs, the assassin kneeled down in front of her, giving her a look as to ask for permission, before removing her heels. It was not hard to guess, that after hours of spinning around in the dance floor, her feet would not be in the best condition. Sometimes a massage was needed.

It was not like her friends would judge her for not having her shoes on either. “And yeah, you ain’t goin’ nowhere like this, I’ll just carry you back to the apartment, Em’s probably already asleep there anyway.”

Weiss: But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again.

Mercury: O-oh. Well. Are you trying to seduce me into healthy sleeping patterns??

And he didn't. Just a few feet away from it, he forgot his balance, and Weiss watched as he comically fell right on his rear, hearing his complaint. Were it anyone else, she would've rushed over to make sure he was okay, but... they were combatants. Physically, she was sure he was fine; his Aura would've easily absorbed an impact like that.

His ego, on the other hand, appeared to be mortally wounded.

Hands slapped up to her face as she stared, little snorts and giggles escaping her as she watched the scene before her. She could see his dignity slowly whittling away as he sat there, his eyes staring at her and practically begging her to help.

Lowering her hands and pursing her lips, she glided over to him, unable to wipe the smile from her features. As she got closer, she squatted down, putting herself more at eye level as she couldn't resist a little ribbing.

"How's it feel being a little closer to the ground?" She ribbed, letting out a little snort. "Weather's kind of different down here, isn't it?" She touched two fingers to the ice, a glyph appearing underneath the both of them as she took his hand, bracing herself. The glyph would at least prevent either of them from slipping on the ice, and she didn't trust that he wouldn't pull her down with him on purpose after her little quip.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind, eyes glinting wickedly. Mercury liked a challenge, and he liked being the underdog. She'd given him the basics he needed to know, so what else was there to lose? Her smile widened, and she chuckled.

"Bet you can't do half the laps around the rink that I can," she goaded. "But if you can, lunch is on me, so better get up and moving there, or I tell everyone about your footwear obsession!" With an expert push, Weiss was already skating backwards, whipping into a turn and continuing her momentum forward as she glided around the rink.

It was almost as if the heiress had read his mind, when he felt her create a glyph just under them, to better assist lifting him back up. She was lucky he found her damn smile stupidly adorable, he wouldn't have hesitated on pulling her down otherwise, even if the effort would probably amount to nothing due to her semblance.

"Ha ha, Snowflake, you are so incredibly funny." Sarcasm was dripping from his tone when he finally got himself up from that humiliating position, though there still remained a faint mix of amusement somewhere beneath his voice. "It really is.. Now I can see why you're so grumpy all the time." A scoff fell from his lips at that, when he settled down on the ice. This time learning from past mistakes, and keeping his attention on his balance, and not on the annoyingly attractive girl by his side.

Her next sentence did manage to catch his attention, (but he made sure not to let himself fall again because of it), and his eyebrow raised in both curiosity and excitement. A challenge, huh? Now that was something interesting. Mercury had a feeling he was playing a losing game against the huntress by accepting, but not like that ever stopped him before. He liked when the odds were tipped against his favor. Sure, she was fast, agile, and graceful, all the necessary characteristics to be perfect at this kind of sport. But he had incredible endurance, as well as willpower to not give up.

Mercury would never underestimate her, so she better not do so against him.

"Fine... you're on, Schnee."

And, with that, he skated forward, following her pattern around the rink. Much slower, and in a lot less graceful manner, but he carried on. If only he could go a little faster... but doing so would risk his balance, and falling again in front of her wasn't something he wanted to do. Steel grey eyes continuously shifted from her movement to his own as they continued around the rink. Not only keeping tabs on her movement, and watching out for any tricks, but also comparing, and learning from her motions and form, hoping to use any hints to adapt.

It was impossible for someone like him to match her speed and form, especially with little to none experience, but he was a fast learner, and a resourceful fighter, one that searched in every nook and cranny for a chance at improvement. As the laps went on, and as Weiss' petite figure passed by him many, many times, his skating got more and more balanced, even if slow. The assassin would need years of pratice to match her skill, but every bit of development was appreciated.

Yang: *crouches down*

Emerald: *kneels down*

Mercury: *sits on the floor*

Weiss:

She could handle annoying. She became innately aware of the contact between them, an odd sensation running through her chest as she felt his hand reaching around her, rubbing her shoulder with a gentle touch. They stayed therein silence, Weiss uncertain about how to continue, but letting herself soak in the moment. There was no denying that she liked it. Something about it was warm and comforting, and she had a feeling he felt the same way. His silence told her that much.

He was right, though. They needed to get back to the blacksmith, and they needed to get moving. She slowly broke away, the barest hint of disappointment in her eyes as she did. That smile stayed on her face, though, even letting out another tiny giggle as he mentioned his tough guy persona.

“I don’t know about that,” she quipped back, her smile widening. “You still seem pretty tough to me.” She nodded her head in the direction of the blacksmith. “Go get what you need. I’m going to go check out some of the stalls.” She shrugged. “Have to save money for essentials, but it’s not a crime to do a little window shopping.” Reaching a hand up to rub his arm reassuringly, she let him get what he needed, sauntering off in the direction of a few of the stalls.

"Don't just stare at the thing - it's only gonna get colder the more we travel, so, if ya want it, buy it."

It was only fair that she could get herself something as well. They were using her money after all, as stolen as it might be. Mercury would certainly feel quite awful if the heiress was afraid of wasting money, especially for something she wanted, and probably would need.

"If you don't have it when I get back, I'll just steal your money and buy it for you, so get going!"

With only a wave of goodbye, he took the necessary lien given to him for the acquirement of new tools for his prosthetics, substitutes for the ones he'd lost during the Grimm attack, and walked away with that warning.

-----------

His legs were still in a fairly good condition, but one could never know the road ahead of them. If the calibration of his prosthetics wasn't in tip-top shape, it could very well mean the difference between life and death in some situations.

The path to the designated place wasn't a long one, only passing by a couple of other stores on the way. There were leatherworkers, weavers, crafters of all other sorts, and all kinds of artisans mastered in their own specialty. Business didn't seem to be booming, but not all bad as well.

A tiny bell rang once he entered the blacksmith's abode, who quickly welcomed the assassin with a warm smile upon arrival. It bothered him a bit, but he made no extra comments on the subject, getting straight to business.

About thirty to forty minutes later, he walked out of that store with a small smirk of his own, satisfied with his brand new purchase. The tools he had gotten were perfect for his model, and it would very much facilitate whatever work needed to be done to his metallic legs on the road. He always liked to give those some daily checks whenever he could, almost kind of a habit of his. Tinkering with something surely helped at deviating his mind from whatever troubles could be plaguing it. But, now, with such a task taken care of, he decided to meet the heiress at their agreed rendezvous point, where the two had first separated.

There was a very faint spring in his step as he walked away, almost cheerful, while steel grey eyes searched around for a familiar blur of snow-white. They would need to get themselves on the road soon, as to avoid wasting anymore time.

Of course, she let out a laugh at his comment about the tree. In fact, she started giggling so hard a little snort escaped, though she did her best to mask it. She was already imagining it, and the visual was almost comical in nature. But all in all, she knew he was right; they couldn’t waste any more time talking about her arrogant father. Even if she wanted to vent about it, she knew there was no point. Sure, it might’ve been cathartic in the moment, but it wasn’t worth the energy it took.

Letting out a soft hum of appreciation as their lips met, Weiss felt herself melt into the kiss, leaning into his palm as she felt it resting on her face. She was disappointed when he broke away, but the action alone sparked something in her, making her tear up and lean forward, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

“Damn it,” she choked out, feeling tears welling as she let out a laugh, her grip on him tightening. “You’re gonna have to stop doing that, or I’m just going to feel like I want to cry every time.” Of course, it was more like earlier, when she’d been crying out of sheer happiness.

Mercury wasn't startled when she leaned against him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. The hand previously on her cheek simply adopted it's new place on top of her head, gently petting her, as to bring sense of comfort to her being. He wouldn't lie and say that he hadn't been worried when the sound of her crying reached his ears, but, thankfully, her words quickly relieved whatever anxiety could be growing inside him.

"What?" A chuckle only sounded in response. "Would you prefer if I made fun of you instead? Didn't take you for a masochist, but oh well..."

However, a breath hitched in his throat at her unexpected confession. Weiss had already told him indirectly about her feelings for him, just as he had said his own... but something about hearing those precise words still left a mark in him. A good one at that, making his arm gently tighten it's hold on her waist.

At that moment, Mercury was glad she wasn't looking at his face, because he couldn't stop himself from smiling wide like a goddamned fool.

So, this is what love was, huh? What a lucky bastard he was.

He’ll inevitably turn it into a game of strip poker.

He’ll lose until his shirt is off, then cheat to win with his stupid charming face.

It was about to be one of those moments, she suspected, as they were incredibly close again, Weiss feeling her face heating up exponentially. She could always blame her flushed face on the cold, but she wasn't sure she could explain the rest.

She could see he was looking down at her, and as she glanced upward, she could see his face was flushed, too. Maybe it was the cold for him; he was usually unflappable, and she was certain he was more frustrated with trying to learn than he was wanting... well, anything out of their current predicament.

She couldn't ignore the look in his eyes, her gaze shyly tearing away as she could feel her heart racing. Her head imagined him kissing her, imagined him pulling her in, imagined the way it would feel; she'd never been kissed before, but she could damn well imagine what it would be like.

Just do it, she thought. She knew she didn't have the guts, but she hoped he might, if that was what he wanted.

Too long passed. Weiss felt a wave of disappointment wash over her, though she did her best to mask it, clearing her throat awkwardly. "So, um, I should show you how to actually move on them," she started, slipping out past one of his arms and effortlessly gliding on her skates to face him.

"So, if you want you can get used to it by just pushing off the boards with your arms, but, uh, moving's a lot simpler. So you get into position, and then you use the inner edge of the blade to push off. You don't push backward, though, kind of to the side, so you angle like this," she demonstrated, angling one of her toes outward before pushing off, balancing on one skate for a brief second.

"Moving and turning should be easier for you. Most of the movement and turning, to maintain your balance, is all in your hips." She skated backwards to the opposite boards, then pushed off, making an S-pattern back in his direction solely by leaning her weight from one leg to the other.

"Normally, your pivot point would be higher, but, uh... well, the weight difference with your legs means you have a lower center of gravity. Men usually have a higher center of gravity, closer to the chest; yours is closer to your hips, like mine." She gave him an encouraging smile.

That word echoed in his head, when the heiress had decided to break away from their current closeless, immediately followed by many curses directed at himself. The disappointment expressed in her eyes, the way her she looked away in a certain awkwardness was all too easy for him to pick up. However, it was a bit too confusing. As much as he enjoyed bragging about his 'handsome face', simply to annoy the heiress, or when he used to poke fun at his partner-in-crime, his experience in this kind of thing wasn't enough for his own comfort.

It was his first time being romantically infatuated by someone. The feelings he caught were something he never sensed before, and sometimes led to him become almost paralyzed, like a deer in headlights. All of it frustrated him to a certain degree, and Mercury had no idea how long he would be able to last if it continued.

The assassin attempted a distraction from those irritating thoughts, by listening to Weiss' explaination on skating. From the way she demonstrated it, the sport seemed a lot like a martial art. One would need to use their momentum, along with their weight, to balance themselves during their movements. With a hesitant nod, he started, very slowly, making his way torwards the heiress.

"I think I get it.."

Taking into account the variants introduced earlier by the heiress, he was able to slide for a bit without losing his balance, trying to get further knowledge into the physics of it. While the basis was the same for martial arts, the exact way in which he had to pratice the use of his weight was very different. Though, his natural reflexes did give him a semblance of an advantage during the learning curve.

"But I'd prefer not to try any stunts that will most likely get me to fall on my ass.."

His eyes looked ahead to meet hers, trying to concentrate on keeping his 'footing'.. or, well, as much as he could using those prosthetics. He felt himself slide with a designated momentum, millions of years away from her level.. but still, a bit better than his previous attempt.

"I can see you, Weiss.. I know you're enjoying this.. "

There was no level of annoyance in his voice anymore, already accepting that this was her turn to watch him mess up for a change. He too was busy finding his own balance to even attempt chastising her for it, sliding away towards the boarding... That is, before spending a second too long looking at the huntress, and not realizing his feet were getting way ahead of his upper half.

"Fuck- !"

His ass quickly ended up on the ice, and a groan of complaint left him at the impact, as well as most of whatever dignity he had left. It was definitely a blow to his self-esteem. Steel grey met up with icy blue, when he looked at Weiss for some sort of help in getting up.