2025-01-28 - My Valentine

Theo had some time on his hands. Surprise. Surprise. He thinks Esme is easy to find, but she can surprise him. Regardless, he enters the ice rink after hours to see if he spies the Ice Princess.

He's in a dark blue sweater, jeans, and boots. He went ahead and rented ice skates for wherever they could be found. He scanned the area to see if Esme was still there or gasp she went home. He pulls his phone out just in case.

Tonight was yet another performance of Swan Lake and it went over swimmingly. And far better than the first time, though it lacked all of that excitement.

Esme was still here, but she had changed out of her Queen Odette attire and changed back into her normal ice skater chic attire as if to normalize cute little ice skating dresses as proper clothing. This time it's a little black asymmetrical number where there's a silver lightning bolt shape across her chest at an angle at on one side of that bolt she has a black sleeve and other side, she's bare shouldered and bare armed. The rest of her dress is more symmetrical despite the bolt cut going through it, with a flowing short silver skirt. There's ankle high silver boots on her feet, but her hair is loose rather than in a bun.

When she spots a figure on the ice, she just assumes it's one of the other employees who tend to like to skate after hours, but she notices it's Theo and skates on over.

"Hey Theo! What brings you to the Ice Palace at this late and lonesome hour?" She says all cheery smiles.

Theo was sorry to have missed this performance. He likely would have snuck in to watch if he had not been busy earlier. He likes watching Esme perform. She does make a pretty Queen Odette, all regal and the like. Even if the first performance had held surprises.

As Esme comes closer, he watches as she skates in his direction. Those multicolored eyes start looking more like his hazel eyes as he takes in what she's wearing. When she gets closer, he smiles at her and compliments her. "You look pretty tonight. I don't think I have ever seen you in black. I think this is my first time seeing that. It suits you and brings out your coloring and your features." Because it does, since black can be dramatic at times.

He holds in his hands the skates he is borrowing-renting. "It has been a very long time since I have ice skated. What better teacher do I know than the Ice Princess herself? Are you game to make sure I don't fall and bump my head or break a leg? If Huck really does put an ice hockey team together, I don't want to embarrass myself out there." He then works on putting his phone back in his pocket. "I wasn't sure if you were going to be here and was going to text you if I did not see you here."

Esme does a little twirl on the ice when Theo compliments her little black dress, allowing her loose locks to dance with the momentum. "Thank you! I was just packing up and I don't know. Maybe skate around for a bit or text you! But here you are!"

And that's when she notices the rented ice skate reveal and she leans over to get a better look at them. Not to inspect them really, but more out of curiosity. Then she straightens, looking all the more excited, "You want to learn to ice skate! Wonderful! And of course, you can't play ice hockey if you don't know how to skate, though I wonder if they frown upon people holding onto the walls or people holding onto other players?" And with this she rests a finger at her chin, her gaze looking thoughtful as she tilts her head to the side. "Imagine if Hockey were like um... what was that sport again? On roller skates?" She's trying to think, "Where you would bash into each other and you would swing your teammates forward to ram into your opponents? In the circle?"

There is light applause from Theo when Esme does that little twirl. He grins as she does this.

"Here I am." He says this to her with warmth in his voice. He will step in to hug her before breaking the embrace and being mindful of the skates. They at least still have their blade covers on.

"Does this mean I can hold onto you in this practice?" A brow raised as he says this. A mischievous look in his eye.

"I think I know what you are talking about." It will take him a few minutes to remember the name himself. "Uhhh..." He then points in her direction. "Roller Derby, I think that is what it is called. Yeah, looks pretty rough." He laughs.

Esme is appreciative of the hug and even stands on her tiptoes, in her skates, to warmly accept the hug, leaning in and against Theo and his own unworn skates!

"Of course you can!" Esme says on whether he could hold onto her while they practiced. "Or I'd assume!" She then pauses with a tilt of her head, "We're talking about hockey right, because, OF COURSE, you can while we're skating skating, and I'll just assume that you can while we're playing hockey. I mean, what's the worse they can do but blow that whistle and throw down a colored card, right?"

She the NODS her head firmly, "Yes, Roller Derby! Now, if hockey were like Roller Derby, it seems like it would be easy enough to learn. No pucks! No goals! Just goooooo! And try to knocks some people out or back in the process."

Esme gives Theo a look over then asks, "Did you want your first lesson to be tonight?"

Theo lingers in the hug for a few more minutes and smiles at Esme before letting her go. "I might have to." Looking at the skates he rented as if they had horns on them. "I have no idea what my balance will be like once I get on these skates, truth be told." He moves off the ice momentarily to change out of his boots. He's still within hearing distance.

"I was hoping you would do the first lesson tonight." He unlaces his boots and asks, "Did you ever find out who sent you that bouquet? I saw your post on the employee form. "

He nods his head when Esme explains what can happen in ice skating and ice hockey. "I have done roller skates, but like I said, it's been a long time since I put these on. You and Lucien make it look easy and elegant."

Esme will wait and flitter around on the ice nearby as Theo switches shoes, though when the bouquet is asked about, she excitedly skates right up to him again to chit-chat, "Oh right! It was the Dread Pirate Angelo. He'd seen my post and decided to end the mystery. I knew it wasn't Peyton or Layla!" She hmphs at the thought that they both responded! "He even saw the show, which is wonderful! More people should!"

She then waves a dismissive hand, "Oh, it's like riding a bike! Once you've skated, you'll always remember how!"

It takes only a few minutes before Theo has his borrowed skates on. His regular boots go under the bench that he was sitting on to make sure any others would not trip over them and for safekeeping.

He tries to rise up from his seat. Okay. So far, so good. Only when he goes to step and join Esme on the ice and answers her simultaneously do things not go well. He looks like a toddler reaching for his Mom as his hands go before him, and he falls right to the wall that separates the ice and the carpet of the rink. Catching himself at the last minute. His cheeks flush, and he can't even look at Esme as he tries to scramble up and straighten and get on the ice properly. Trying to give off the image of, Nothing to see here, carry on. Everything is fine.

When he finds his balance and is a little closer to Esme, he says, "Hi." Maybe she didn't see his mess. And then he continues, "That was nice of Angelo. I wonder why he didn't sign the card. At least now you know what is up."

Esme watches Theo attentively once he steps foot onto the ice, though she expects him to skate like a pro! Who is she kidding...

"Okay!" She calls out, before extending her hands out to him, though in truth, holding onto the side of a wall probably looks far more secure than a little girl on skates herself, when you feel like you might go slip and sliding. "Remember when they used to give you those um... skating helpers, those metal contraptions to help you skate upright on the ice, welllll pretend that I'm one of those! It's like a walker! But for ice skating!"

Though now that Theo asks why Angelo didn't sign the card, she has to think. Did she ask him that???? "Um... I'll have to check to see if he said why. I don't remember."

When Esme extends her hands toward Theo, he grasps them for dear life. At least this time, he's not falling and somehow found his way in this balance game. He has now focused on her words and what he should be doing. "A walker. Oh, joy." He mutters, but there is a grin after the mutter. "I will try not to push you onto the ice, and if I do, I apologize in advance!" He knows he is no athlete and a better performer than anything else.

"Yes, when you find out why he didn't, let me know. I am invested in this story and want all the details." Grinning at her once again.

"You're doing great so far!" Esme says enthusiastically as Theo takes both of her hands. For now, she'll stick close to the walls when possible as she leads him around the rink this way. She'll skate backwards, with ease, of course, as she leads the way, looking behind her from time to time.

"If I feel you start to wobble, I'll what I can to try and get you rebalance yourself. And if I feel that's not happening, I will kindly skate us over towards the wall~"

She hums a little tune as she goes along and every so often their pace might pick up a little without her even noticing.

"You are my biggest cheerleader, Ice Princess." Theo is aware he has shortcomings when it comes to a professional like Esme. He will not do anything fancy and lets Esme lead the way. She's done this her whole life. He has not, and he's leaning toward her expertise. Besides, he likes holding her hands. Cheeks are flushed, probably because of the hand-holding and the exertion of going around the rink.

"Thank you, Esme. I appreciate you." Because he does. So far, so good. Theo has not fallen as he listens to her little tune as they go along. If he's aware that they are going faster, he has not noticed. It's likely because he has his hands in Esme's and is using her as a walker as she mentioned earlier.

Esme swerves when she skates in this short back and forth maneuver. There's one more glance over her shoulder, before she's smiling brightly at Theo again, "Alright, do you feel your body remembering how to remain upright on skates so that you're no longer leaning forward and relying on your skate assist?" Since they started, she kept a decent distance from Theo, which may have made him need to lean forward just a little, but now she starts to move in closer so that he can stand with a more proper posture, while she's still skating backwards and a decent pace.

"Just let me know~" She starts to sing, "If you're feeling uncertain or unsure~" She then states in a more talkie voice, "Soon you'll be doing spins in no time!"

As Esme asks him questions, Theo can feel himself wanting to do what she is asking. "Yes, yes, I can." He starts straightening into his full position instead of looking like a tree bent and holding onto Esme for dear life. Her fingers probably thank him too as he starts to let go of her help, and he's not pulled around as if he was a sled. He believes in Esme and her words, and if he fell even in this, he would like to think she'd be there to help him. They have known each other long enough to garner that trust, that bond between them.

"I think I got it, Esme!" His eyes widened, and there was enthusiasm heard in his voice. "I am not certain about doing spins, but I no longer feel like I am going to fall on my butt or hit my head if I fall!"

"It usually takes a while for people to get comfortable on the ice, so I won't let go of your hand until you reach that point." Esme says as she continues to hold onto the both of Theo's hands as she skates backwards, "But I do want you to tell me when you'd like to take the next step and I'll let go of one of your hands and skate beside your rather than in front of you! So I won't be your support anymore, at least, not in that way. And I'll try not to weave around too much or do anything fancy. Promise!"

Esme is the teacher in this. Theo is only her student in this. "Thank you, Esme." His voice is quiet as he continues straightening and trying to skate simultaneously. It takes focus, and he is quiet for a few minutes as he figures this out.

"I don't know how you do this every day. It is difficult to remember everything." He admits when he says that. "Let's try the one-hand thing. I would like it if you skated beside me." A little tease as he catches his breath, "Could call this an ice skating date." He seems pleased when he says that as he tries to look at Esme. All the focus.

"I have a question for you." He waits to see if she's open to him asking that question as they skate.

"What are you talking about!" Esme practically chirps up, "This is like walking or running or doing anything normal. It's second nature to me. And what would you need to remember? Just move those legs!" And she says that like a wee little drill sergeant for some reason.

Hearing that he's willing to do the single-handed thing, Esme nods firmly making a sound of confirmation in the process. Obviously, she isn't going to just let go of one hand right away, but gradually she does. She releases his right hand, then falls into place holding onto his left hand as she begins to skate beside him. "An ice skating date... Isn't it taboo for a teacher to date their students?" Here her brow lifts, but she's teasing him!

"Ask away!" She lets him know when this question is mentioned.

"That is what I am talking about. It is second nature to you. Not second nature to me." Theo tells Esme. But he's smiling at her as he says this. He doesn't even try to look at his legs because he is afraid he might lose his balance. Instead, he will look at Esme as they move along. He keeps Esme's hand close to his when she lets go of his right and holds his left.

"I don't mind breaking the rules. I kind of like the teacher." Yes, he is teasing her back! So there! At the permission to ask away, he asks, "I know we are supposed to go a potluck or something the night before Valentine's...." He probably should have stopped skating, but the skating is making it easier for him to do the asking. "Will you be my Valentine and go out to dinner with me on the actual date?" He's going to keep where he would take her a secret. There are only so many places here, but still, he doesn't share that information.

Esme would've told him not to look at his legs anyway! It's like when you first start our riding a bike. It's easier when you're not thinking about it and when you start to, you get all janky. So she beams brightly and tries to make him forget that he's even on the ice, wearing ice skates....

The asking while skating miiiiiiiiight help him forget that he's skating. Unless he's nervous about asking. But he's doing fine on both counts. As she awaits the question, Esme waits in excited anticipation and then he brings up the potluck, which makes her all the more... VALENTINES DAY! Here her face brightens up all the more and she lifts the arm that she's holding onto, foolishly really... as she forces him to spin her, in a playful manner. Hopefully, his balance is good! "Of course, I will be your Valentine! And I am soooo happy that you asked." That person is spoken in a melodic tone.

It is easy for Theo to get distracted when Esme is around him. His focus stays on her as he takes in how she beams so brightly, and he can't help but smile at her. He really is comfortable around her. When it comes to asking things, Theo has now taken the attitude that he has nothing to lose and the worst thing that might happen is a no, and then he will learn to move on from it.

He straddles the ice when Esme leads him to twirl her. He doesn't want to fall, and he doesn't want her to fall, even though he has a feeling she would have still saved herself even if his butt had hit the ice. Thank goodness, all is well! Especially when she says that she will be his Valentine. This night can't get any better than that answer.

When the spin is done, he pulls her close and warns her in case she is not ready for it and wants to escape. "I am going to kiss you now." His tone is much quieter as he comes in and comes closer to her in an embrace; his lips find hers as if to seal the idea that, yes, she is his Valentine. The kiss is tender. Hopefully, there will be other times when there could be more exploring, but this is a public place, even after hours. He pulls back from her and smiles when the kiss breaks. "I am glad you will be my Valentine." This said much quieter.

Esme could go crazy with the skating. She forgets herself sometimes, because this is easy for her. She can also, definitely, sense when her partner is about to lose their balance, but from what she can tell, so far, Theo is doing just fine.

What she doesn't expect after her spin is to be drawn in close in such a dramatic fashion. It feels so... oddly natural for her, maybe because she's had a lot of dance practice and, since she's been here, skating pairs practice, that this sort of thing has become more common. So while her eyes might open wide for a brief second, she's incredibly graceful in the process and lifts her chin up towards Theo... just as he presses a kiss gently against her lips. Again, something which she wasn't expecting, but in a dance such as this one, she was merely play posing for the audience.

The kiss takes her by surprise even more than the embrace and he might feel that in how her body stiffens in her surprise, before she practically melts against him, a bright flush coming over her cheeks now. For a moment, she is left stunned. Graceful, still, but stunned.

She then blinks a few times, "... I'm sorry, what did you say again? It's as if I'd just been awaken by a kiss from a prince." She very well may be teasing, but she's her head is still in the clouds for the moment.

Theo is doing just fine because he has a good teacher, and he doesn't take her for granted. He smiles at her when she looks at him, even if she is used to skating pair practice. He's not an ice skater. He can dance, but he's not going to try it on ice. They can dance on a regular dance floor.

If there was an audience here tonight, they would have caught the Ice Princess and Prince Theo in a kiss. He's not embarrassed by it at all. He is used to being in the spotlight. She probably, too, especially after her Swan Lake role.

He does feel Esme stiffen against him and is ready to step away if need be. But then she is melting into him and that makes him smile under that kiss. When he sees her cheeks flush hands cradle her face and he leaves a kiss to one cheek and then to the other as he speaks. "Hello, My Valentine. That is what I said. You said yes." Unless he completely misunderstood. Chuckling, "I would very much like to be your Prince if you will have me."

Esme tends to hum or sing when she's nervous, so that's what she's doing now. A little bit anyway. The melody is an uplifting one, very much like birdsong on an early spring morning. "Oh, of course, I would have you..."

"Because, I feel as if I had just awoken from a dreaaam~" Okay, this moment had just turned into a Disney animated movie musical... and as she skates, she sings, "The world looks brighter now! Everthing's so much clearer~ Is this how it was always supposed to beeeeeee~?"

No, she doesn't expect him to sing back to her. It a spur of the moment thing! But her skating does become much bolder, almost as if they were putting on an ice show right about now...

It really is feeling like it will not be named musical right now. It seems fitting with Esme being a Princess and Theo being a Prince. Of course, there would be performing and singing to go along with this. If Esme is showing nerves, Theo has not picked up on it and has taken it as an impromptu act and tries to join along with the singing and the performing. At least he does well in that, even if he might stumble in his words.

He sings in her direction, "You have made me the happiest man that ever could be. Never in my life did I think I'd find thissssss." Theo and Esme have been friends since she got here. She's heard of his uncertainties, but now he is sounding very confident. He might even try to ice dance or whatever it is called. So far? No falling on the butt.

Again, he sings back another line, "If this is a dreaaaam, I never want to wakkkeee from it!" Theo grins as he gets closer to her, and as it has become their thing, he tries to dip her and is mindful of Lucien's words not to get so low that she would get injured. "Yes, I believeee." Imaginary audience? Eat your heart out.

Esme is dance-skating right now and perhaps Theo had forgotten that he was skating on actual ice, because he was taking this performance like a pro. There are even times when she lets go of her hold on him to do a spin or axel and a little twirl before being reunited with the Prince once more. There was even a moment, when she danced circles around him, very similarly to what she had done for Prince Siegfried or Prince Layla during their performances of Swan Lake as part of Queen Odette's solo.

And then Theo goes for the dip, while skating, mind you, and here Esme allows her body to stretch and elongate so while he might not dip her super low, her hair still brushes against the ice as they move along, with one of her arms outstretched as well, so that her hand grazes against the icy surface along with her locks. She also keeps one skate on the ice, as her other leg lifts at an angle, a position which she holds for a moment, before she bends it at the knee.

After a moment of this, her chin lifts and she makes eye contact with Theo once more, before she says, "You're doing wonderful!" Perhaps, she shouldn't have said anything. Especially in this dipped position. Hopefully, it didn't make him realize that they were skating and he had mostly taken the lead.

Yes, Theo had forgotten that they were on ice. Maybe he thought he was on stage, but this time, he had someone sharing the stage with him. Or he's finally finding the confidence just to let go and be. To truly enjoy this moment and this fun and the fact that he kissed Esme. That is a big deal to him because he's been really careful with who he shares his affection.

When Esme does those little solo acts, Theo will sort of stand on the ice and might look awkward, but he's just trying to figure out what he is to do next. He grinned when he noticed that some of her little dances were what she had done on Swan Lake. Eyes tracking her as she moves, watching her shine in her own spotlight. He loves it personally.

He is very careful in this dipping business, even when Esme makes it look so pretty and elegant. It is something to be entranced by, and Theo is not immune to it. "Thank you." He answers her. "There is this girl I know? Maybe you know her? She's a really excellent teacher. I'll need more lessons from her." His eyes shine as he looks at her; he carefully pulls her back to a more skate-pair position because the last thing he wants to do is drop her. Don't ask him to lift her or do fancy axel moves with her. Not yet, at least. Dipping is as fancy as he will get on the ice with her because, yes, she might be the Ice Princess, but it doesn't mean he wants to break her.

"I'm having a good time, Esme." It said a bit breathlessly as he stared at her once they were upright.

Esme gives Theo this suspicious look when he asks her if he knows this girl who is also an excellent teacher. Was she really mad? Really she really jealous? Did she really not know he was talking about her?? She then can't help but laugh sweetly at the joke, "Silly! But thank you! Maybe one day, I will become a figure skating coach..." She ponders this for a moment, before she says more firmly, "But not until I've taken gold at least once!" She is so... determined about that.

"I am having a wonderful time as well!" She says singing like a song bird again, and this time, she takes both of Theo's hands again and starts to skate with him around the rink this way, but also having them rotate as they go along.

And her cheeks are still flushed with color, most likely from the kiss, but also from all of that exertion now too. "I also saw you skating by yourself, without any accompaniment! So you are a fast learner."

Theo looks relieved when Esme understands his humor. Even if she gives him looks at first. "I think you will be good at it. The coaching thing. But yes, I hope to be there when you take your gold." He really has only seen ice skating on TV, never having gone outside of a live event save for the Swan Lake performance that was done here. That in itself was a sight to behold.

As Esme takes both of his hands, he smiles at her. He lets her take the lead because even if he's a fast learner, this is all still very new to him, and he has no shame in that if anyone were to ask him that. "Thank you, Esme." He leans to kiss her forehead. Kiss a girl, and now he can't keep his lips off of her. Whoops.

"Would you like to get some hot chocolate? I am not sure what is actually open at this hour." He laughs, and now it's his turn to be embarrassed when he admits that.

To get a gold medal was just a dream for Esme. Many of her competitors were far younger and what was she doing? She was here. As Queen Odette, dancing alongside her arch-nemesis the Evil Ice Queen.

Well, not at this very moment, but in their Swan Lake production.

And yet, she couldn't be happier. Her eyes even close when Theo draws near enough to place a kiss atop her forehead and she's all giddy smiles.

Then they open wide and she nods quickly, "I. would love some hot chocolate. And I'm sure we'll find something. Crescent Island shops are often open 24 hours to accommodate us, the park employees." She recites all of this as if she were on some Spellbound Orientation Video. With that in mind, she'll skate back towards where Theo had left his shoes. "Give me a moment to change." Shoes most likely... "And we'll get that hot chocolate!"

When Esme agrees to do hot chocolate after this, Theo does not relinquish her hand as they skate towards the exit. He only lets her hand go when she says she needs a moment.

"Sure, I will wait right here on the bench for you." He smiles at her as he then bends down to unlace the ice skates. He doesn't know if he will end up with blisters on his feet from their little adventure, but it was worth it. It was worth giving Esme their first kiss in the middle of the ice rink. This place is Esme's lifeblood. It only seemed fitting that his intentions with her would be known here. He wears a goofy smile as he finishes unlacing the skates and puts on the boots that he came in with.

If Esme is not back before he is done doing that, he goes back to where he got the skates from before returning to the bench he said he'd be at. Still wearing the goofy smile. These months have been weird and confusing as he tried to sort things out. But right now? He's happy, as evidenced by his smile as he waits for the Ice Princess to enter again.

Not only did Esme change out of her skates to boots, but she's also tossed on a cute and shimmery pink shawl with white fur trim, along with rose brooches to add to its elegance and one rose enclosure to keep it all closed.

Theo might probably hear her coming before spotting her, because she's humming merrily as he goes to meet with him again. "I'm here! Sorry to keep you waiting!" It wasn't all that long. Esme doesn't need to put that much effort into her appearance to look good. She just wakes up like that! Probably!

"We can check the fancier places first. Usually the shop at Mystic Mountain has excellent hot chocolate." As it should because it's located in the icy mountain portion of the park. She clings onto one of Theo's arms with the both of hers and peers up at him, "Shall we?"

Theo rises from the bench when he hears Esme. He had not been waiting terribly long. A brow raised when he noted how the pink shawl brought out even more of the elegance of what she was wearing when he saw her at the ice rink.

"Sure, any time with you is good for me." He assures her as she wraps her arms around his. He did not bring any outerwear since the temperatures around here tend to be mild. "Yes, we shall!" He grins at her as he makes his way out of the Ice Palace and towards one of the fancier places that Esme spoke about. Even though he has been here a while, he's still getting his bearings on where everything is. Once he figures out where to go, he leads them both in that direction.