Zevira Messina (pink_tourmaline) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2009-07-31 22:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | vinnie, zevira |
Friday 12/14/07
Who: Vinnie, Zevira
When: Evening
Where: Roller Rink
What: Their First Date!
Warnings: Fluff, like on a peanut-butter and fluff sadnwich
Zevira wasn't quite sure if she should have been anxious about this or not. It wasn't as if she'd ever gone on an actual date. Going out to the club with Vinnie had left her feeling nervous in anticipation as well, but this was a little different. This outing had a title and was not really two friends going out for fun, even though it also was. Date had a whole implication to it, but Zevira's mother had cautiously reminded her several times that "date" was different than "going steady." No matter how old the phrase was, it still was true.
They weren't really an item until it was official--not that Zevira knew how to do such a thing. Her mother wasn't quite sure how to explain, either, so they let the subject drop. The young Gemman really needed to get used to "dating" anyway. Roller skating would be perfect. Plenty of laughs, considering she'd be falling more often than standing. Maybe they wouldn't even have much to talk about other than the fact that she couldn't stand up on wheels.
But Zevira greeted Vinnie when they met at the common room on Friday. She was dressed in layers so if she got hot at the rink she could take a sweater off, but had plenty on to keep out the cold of winter. The midst of December was always cold. At the rink she took off her jacket and sweater, since the heat was up high, revealing a fitted purple t-shirt she had made over a tanktop. Comfortable. Jeans covered her legs and a yellow nearly sheer scarf was wrapped around her neck. Zevira always felt a little bit Arabic when she wore her scarves up over her nose, hiding the majority of her gemstones, but she liked it. Her hair bounced in ringles on her shoulders and over her forehead, distracting from the gem there.
"This," teased Zevira as she was given a size 8 pair of roller skates to try on. "I dunno." Looking up at Vinnie she smiled, lips visible behind the scarf. "You promise you're not going to let me fall?" It was about the fifth time she'd asked, though now she was merely teasing him. She was positive he wouldn't let her down.
---
Vinnie wasn't really anxious about this date at all, but that was just because he was already so comfortable with Zev. This date wasn't like other first dates with nerves running high and all that fun stuff. They already knew each other and enjoyed hanging out, so this was just a formality of sorts.
It was funny that the first thing that came to his mind when thinking of where to go was a skating rink. But it was still really appropriate for them. There was no way in hell Vinnie was gonna suggest something overdone like dinner and a movie. He liked to be active as much as possible, which included his dates, so skating was a natural choice. Vinnie had been skating for a long time, sometimes even using it as a means of transportation to and from school when he didn't ride his bike or get dropped off. Zevira, on the other hand, had never skated before, but Vinnie was still looking forward to at least getting to teach her.
When he met up with her in the common room, he was a little surprised to see her face all covered up too. He hadn't thought about it, but a skating rink was a super public place. This wasn't gonna be like last time when they went to a rave type club and she blended in just fine with everyone else around them. He suddenly felt dumb for suggesting the rink and hoped she wasn't gonna feel too self-conscious about going there.
Vinnie laughed and nodded yet again when she asked him to promise not to let her fall for the fifth time. "Yes, I absolutely, positively promise. Unless I react too slow for some reason in which case you might just end up bringing me down with ya." He chuckled again as he walked over to a bench and sat down, taking off his shoes and shoving his feet into his blades before latching them up. "Hop to it, Skippy. We got us some hardcore skating to do."
---
At least she was a fast learner, usually. She listened to instructions well and typically did as she was told. With luck Vinnie wouldn't have to do much explaining other than hold her hand while she got used to trying to stand up on eight little wheels under her feet. However, he shouldn't have felt bad about taking her to the rink in general. She thought it was a great idea. One day she was going to have to go outside. Her racial traits could not hold her back forever! This was good practice.
She'd only feel a little conscious about it, but Vinnie was enough of a distraction if she could focus on him and skating instead of people looking at her.
Sitting beside him, Zevira worked herself into her skates. The laces were old but strong, red, and she pulled them tight like a Converse sneaker. Her ankles could bend, but not so much that there wasn't support. Holding her feet out in front of herself she giggled. "They look ridiculous," she commented while putting her feet down and boldly attempting to stand. Instantly she sat down again, looking at Vinnie with wide, magenta eyes.
"Maybe you should go first!"
---
He had noticed that she was a fast learner. She did pretty well when he was teaching her how to play soccer. Listening to instructions helped, but if you didn't get the gist of something, it wouldn't help much. But the instant that she wanted to stop or leave or whatever, he'd do it, no questions asked. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable in anyway. It was good that she was starting to come out of her shell, though. She needed it.
The old school skates would be a lot better for Zevira because they'd give her more balance than the blades that Vinnie had. Once she got good on regular skates, then she could go ahead and upgrade to the blades. Vinnie chuckled softly as he looked over at her feet. Old school skates did look kinda ridiculous, but that was only because he'd only been used to blades his whole life.
Watching her stand, he was on guard in case she got off balance, but then just as quickly as she had stood, she was back down. Vinnie chuckled again as he stood up and did a little warm up lap around the bench they were at. "Alright.. I still got it." Coming to a stop in front of Zevira, he held his hands out to her. "Ready to try and get up?"
---
She tried to feign not being impressed, but honestly anyone who could move so fluidly on wheels like she saw on television or out on the rink was pretty amazing. At least, when you'd never done it before. Zevira watched Vinnie move around the bench before smiling and nodding at him. This was something she was going to do, fail or not. It would be an adventure, of which she needed because she rarely had any.
"Yes," replied the Gemman enthusiastically. Taking Vinnie's warm hands, she looked at her feet before getting up once again. It was harder to get up when her hands were taken instead of pushing off of the bench. But she was standing again and smiled like she was proud of being up for more than a few seconds. Still, she felt nervous now about falling rather than being with Vinnie. He was such a comfortable person, after all. But these skates and that hardwood floor? Not so comfortable.
"Okay," mused Zevira as she looked between Vinnie and the rink. "Lets go." She was adorably worried about it.
---
Vinnie didn't think what he was doing was all that impressive. He had been skating since he was little so it wasn't a big deal to him. He figured it would be a big deal to Zev, though and he was ready for the adventure that would be teaching her how to skate. It was fun getting to teach her stuff, she was always so eager to learn and so damn cute while learning.
Helping her up, he watched her tentatively again for any signs of unsteadiness. "See? Not so bad, right? It's easier to stand on regular skates." He smiled back at her, also proud that she was able to at least stand straight. She was already doing better than he thought she would.
"Alright, and we're off," he said as he held her hand and slowly skated his way over to the floor. When they got to the little doorway, he stopped and stood behind her. "You can grab onto the wall for support while you get down if you want. I'll be right behind you." As she did so, Vinnie kept his hands near her waist in case she slipped and he needed to stop her from falling.
---
Her feet automatically began to shuffle back and forth as she tried to follow after him. Part of her said "let him pull" but she wasn't going to be lazy. Still, she was already giggling as she held on tight to his hand. Left arm flung out to the side, Zevira looked at her feet instead of ahead of herself as they rolled along. She wanted to think this was sad, but was already having so much fun that there was no room left in her mind to think "you suck."
"Who thought it was a good idea to put a step in at a roller rink?" she asked over her shoulder as Vinnie moved around to behind. Her pink hair blocked most of her view so she turned frontways again. Reaching for the wall, she put her hands upon it and tentatively stepped down. Brilliant. She had managed to go ten feet without taking a tumble. Smiling to herself, Zevira pulled herself along the wall before half turning to look back at Vinnie. She had a very unstable stance, but she was standing. Then, however, she made an attempt to turn round completely to see him.
"Eee!" Hands snatching at the wall, she clung to it as though she were about to fall off of a cliff. "Someone really was not thinking when they decided to put that step in," she muttered.
---
It was cute how she was shuffling along and Vinnie was glad she was doing that instead of just letting him pull her along. That wouldn't be any fun at all. And he could tell that she was definitely already having fun by the giggles that were coming out of her mouth. He chuckled to himself as he glanced over at her, noticing her staring at her feet instead of the path ahead. Rookie mistake. She'd learn from that, though.. hopefully.
Vinnie just kinda shrugged and chuckled again at her question. "I dunno.. I never actually thought about that before. Come to think of it now, it doesn't really make that much sense, does it?" He stayed moving behind her once she stepped down onto the rink and watched her carefully as she went to move around. His hands almost shot out twice, thinking she was ready to fall, but it had been a false alarm.
But when she tried to turn and face him, she became even more unstable and he moved over closer to her, his hands shooting out this time to hold her steady. He chuckled again and nodded slightly as he looked back at the step. "Yeah, I really don't know why they put that in there." Looking back at her, he let her go once she looked steady enough again. "Wanna try letting go of the wall this time?" he said, trying to hold back a laugh. This was too amusing.
---
If he thought this was amusing, he was sadistic. But only by a little bit because Zevira was having fun. Still, she looked up at Vinnie as he caught her. She was thankful he was there for those "just in case" moments that she was sure would happen all too often this evening. Already she had learned that the wall did not have hands, it would not hold you up. Skating near the wall was just cause for disaster and pain since it had yet to help her now.
Zevira also learned that, like walking, you could not go around looking at your feet. Not even if the ground was fascinating with glow-in-the-dark shapes drawn in like at the rink. Surely the party lights would go on soon. Maybe within the hour.
"Yeah," she nodded. The stairs were in the past and she wasn't sure what to say other than to call the architect of this place a dummy. "How do you skate, anyway? Like...it's not like walking." She gathered that much. Zevira wanted to do this, she just was not sure how. Pushing off with wheels just seemed like a very difficult thing to do. "Maybe if you go try a lap I can watch?" she asked, hopeful. She wanted to see him skate.
---
He wasn't sadistic, it was just that it was kinda funny to watch her waddle around in the skates. It was always kinda funny to watch someone new try skating. No matter how much they tried to grip at the walls, Vinnie knew it would never be much help which was exactly why he was gonna be staying right next to Zev the entire time. He promised her he wouldn't let her fall and he fully intended to keep that promise.
Not looking down at your feet was pretty much the first cardinal rule of skating.. er, or something like that. That was just a recipe for disaster. If you didn't watch where you were going in a rink, you could end up colliding with someone else and breaking bones! Unfortunately, that had happened to Vinnie once when he was younger. He had been skating around, just minding his own business when a lady who hadn't been watching where she was going knocked into him, breaking his arm in the process. Luckily it wasn't that major of a break. Only a few weeks in a cast and sling and he was back to normal, even skating more than usual. He wasn't about to let some one time freak accident stop him from doing what he enjoyed.
"Yeah, it's not really like walking at all. You just kinda push off with your back foot and gain momentum.. I dunno. That was a bad explanation, wasn't it?" Explaining the mechanics of skating wasn't all that easy. Besides, Vinnie was more of a doer, so teaching by showing was better for him. "You sure you want me to leave you here? I don't want you to fall just cuz I'm off doing a lap around or something.."
---
Did he realize how hard it was to not giggle at him? Really? The Gemman smiled bright, eyes looking at his face but she was starting to let out soft breaths of air that turned into a small laugh. That really was one of the worst explanations she had ever heard for anything--though considering she hadn't heard all that many in the first place, he was forgiven. So instead of saying anything about that terrible situation, Zevira tilted her head to the side and thought.
"Hmm," she hummed. On the one hand, she was standing fine just now. If she didn't move she should have been alright, but on that same hand not moving on the rink was a bad idea. At least they were off to the side. Her only other idea was that he take her with him. Which, made quite a bit of sense in her mind. Turning her eyes away from Vinnie's face, they found his right hand. Taking it in hers, a pink gem peeking out from under her long sleeves, she shrugged.
"Well if you don't wanna leave me you'll have to take me with you," she reasoned. "I'll just....catch on from there. Or something." Smiling again, Zevira gave a small shrug and waited for Vinnie to lead the way. She'd figure it out eventually.
---
"Don't laugh at my explanation!" he said, trying to feign being upset. He didn't manage to keep that up for long though, because soon he was chuckling again. "It's kinda hard to explain. It's just something you do.. you know, you gotta feel it out." Doing was really the best way of learning, at least in Vinnie's book. It was what had worked for him before, so he figured it could work for Zevira, too.
Not moving in a rink was definitely a bad idea. That just made you a prime target for getting bumped into or knocked down, neither of which he wanted to happen to Zevira. Vinnie wondered what she was thinking about just standing there and then she suddenly slipped her hand into his. It felt so soft and cooler to the touch in his own hand. That's when he started thinking about what Starbuck had said to him before. Why wasn't he dating her? Really, the only thing holding him back was the whole 'corrupting the sweet and innocent' deal, but apparently she had no problem with that. And if she had no problem with it, then maybe Vinnie could get past it, too.
"Really?" he asked, stifling a small chuckle. "You're not gonna make me drag you behind me, are ya?" he teased. "Ok, well, if you're sure.." He started moving slowly at first, his hand holding Zevira's securely. "If you wanna stop or slow down, just tell me or squeeze the crap outta my hand if I can't hear ya over the music." Suddenly, the main lights went off and the laser lights came on, bouncing off the walls and the floors on the rink as music began booming through the speakers in the center of the floor where a DJ was stationed.
---
How was she supposed to not laugh at that face? It was too adorable for words! Zevira calmed herself as quickly as she could and nodded. Feel it out, right. In her head she should see what she had to do, but it was getting her body to actually do it. Ice skating, which she watched whenever it was on, was a lot different than roller skating, but she imagined they had the same principals. Even kids skating by them were managing perfectly fine, some looking as if they had been skating since they came out of the womb. It couldn't be that hard, could it?
Still, she held onto Vinnie's hand with a grin. "I'll try to skate!" she replied with a nod, pink curls of hair bouncing as she moved her head. Really, he shouldn't have been so worried about corrupting her. A few dates would not ruin her innocence. She already had learned to play violent games where she stole things, shot people, and the characters in the game swore! That was hardly sweet. And still, just because she played said games, she was as kind as usual. Though the other day she had said "suck" in relation to "bad" and had not been happy with herself for a few moments. Then it passed.
The sudden music was startling. "Are you psychic?" she shouted in question over the sound. She was trying to skate beside him but that ridiculous break on the front of her skate kept touching the ground and causing her to almost skip to catch up. Why was the break on the front anyway? It made so much more sense for it to be on the back where it wasn't in the way! Huffing, Zevira shook it off and watched other roller skaters pass by. They weren't skating as if they were walking, with their toes forward, but more angled out to the side.
Oh. She wiggled and wobbled as she found the right angle and position of her feet, pink eyes wide as she gasped now and then because she thought she was going to fall. Amazingly, she had great skill at flailing and staying on her feet.
Holding on tight to Vinnie's hand with one of her own, Zevira put her right palm over his forearm for extra support. She only hoped she didn't fall and pull his arm out of his socket. That would not have been good, though she could put it back in if he couldn't. Linus liked to do stupid things and hurt himself. She'd gotten pretty good at patching him up prior to his healing abilities. Jerk. Why did he have to go and get something useful while she got super strength? Like she was ever going to have to lift up a car. Well, sometimes she teased with herself she could at least vacuum under the couch with ease, thanks to Starbuck for having brought it up.
---
"You'll be fine. Just keep moving," he said, encouraging her on. Vinnie had been one of those kids that looked like he had been skating since he came out of the womb. He was just so comfortable with it after doing it for so many years. Skating was like anything else.. it took practice to get better at it and at least Zevira was giving it a try. That was probably a lot more than she would've done a couple months back before they even met.
He didn't know why it bothered him so much to possible corrupt her, but it did. Vinnie had a good conscience unlike most hormonal guys his age. His mama had raised him right; to treat women with respect and he always did so. Yeah, maybe dates like this one wouldn't ruin her innocence, but other stuff would. And he certainly wasn't talking about violent video games.
When she asked if he was psychic, he laughed and looked over at her. "Maybe.." he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "Or maybe I just have really good timing. Guess you'll never know," he added with a wink. Vinnie watched her as she adjusted to the skates and moved along slowly around the rink. He could see just fine even though the main lights were off, but he figured she couldn't especially since he caught her looking down at her skates again every now and then.
"Keep your eyes up," he reminded her as he saw her start to move her feet a little better. Vinnie hadn't thought of the possibility of possibly losing a limb due to her super strength until she put her other hand on his arm. This would definitely not be a good time for it to suddenly turn on. He'd definitely be down for the count if that ever happened. "See? You're doing better now! Wanna try speeding up a little?"
---
Well, fortunately for Vinnie, she had been focusing. It wasn't easy to skate and keep cautious about her strength, but Fenrir had taught her some tricks. Her grip on Vinnie's arm was light, really, and held more to his sleeve than actually grabbing his wrist or bicep. She had taken her own precautions about it, really not wanting to hurt him. Zevira didn't want to ever hurt anyone but it was only a matter of time before something happened. Accidents were unavoidable in some cases.
Tonight, however, they would be fine. She just had a feeling.
"Cheap!" she cried at his remark of good timing. It made sense that he knew the lights would go on if he had gone skating here before. Even if he hadn't, chances were roller rinks all did the same trick. At least that's what she thought. Laughing, the Gemman lifted her eyes again and nodded. "Do I just push harder?" she asked. Faster in her mind meant more pain when she hit the wall or fell down, but that was all circumstantial. Maybe she wouldn't fall at all!
---
He didn't really know much about Fenrir other than him being unpleasant while he was still alive, but he still wouldn't have wished him any harm, especially since he had apparently helped Zevira with her new power. Vinnie didn't know of any other staff members that could help Zev hone her super strength, but he hoped that she'd find someone who could.
It was true that accidents happened.. Vinnie was witness to that two weeks back when Zevira accidentally brushed against his.. little general when she was falling off his bed. He just remembered how incredibly thankful he was that her super strength didn't decide to turn on at that very moment. That would've been WAY painful.
Vinnie laughed when she called him out on his timing. "Ouch. You doubt my skills?" he said with a chuckle. His timing had just been a coincidence, really. He figured it was only a matter of time before the main lights went off and the music began. That's just the way it was at all these roller rinks. "Yeah, harder and try moving your feet a little faster, too." And yes, faster usually meant harder hits or falls, but he wouldn't be letting either of those happen to her. As she tried to speed up her own pace, he did so gradually as well. Vinnie was really itching to go faster, but he knew he couldn't spring that on her right away. Hopefully, she'd get the drift a little faster so they could pick up the pace.
---
"I doubt your skills!" she said with a smile. Her skating wasn't going too horribly. Zevira was glad to have Vinnie to hold on to, but slowly she let go of him with her left hand so it could help her keep her balance better. Perhaps she had always been naturally talented to be a fast learner and never knew it. She was doing pretty well! But one always spoke too soon when one thought someone else was doing well. Gasping, skate break getting caught on the ground, she took a tumble. Her knees gave out and hit the lacquered wooden rink, free hand following.
"Ow..." Her magenta eyes blinked away the brief moment of dizziness before she looked up at Vinnie. "Oops," but she smiled to show she was alright. Looking around, she then pulled a face and dropped her small grin.
"How do I get back up?"
---
"That hurts, Zev," he said, pouting slightly as he put a hand over his heart. "Really hurts." When he couldn't keep the pout up any longer, he chuckled again. He watched her intently as she let go, kinda proud at how well she was doing. "Good! That's it," he said encouragingly. And he definitely spoke too soon because right after his words of encouragement, she stuttered in her stride and fell to the floor.
Vinnie made a face as he leaned down to make sure she was ok. And apparently she was, because she gave him one of her signature smiles. "Sorry about that," he said, grinning sheepishly.
When she asked about getting up, Vinnie paused for a second before cracking up. "I don't know, I never fall." That was a lie. He had fallen plenty when he was younger, but he was just trying to figure out how she'd do it without rolling every which way. "Just kidding. I think it's just a little more complicated on those skates. Just gimmie your hands and I'll lift you up and just try to push down into the ground with your feet so you don't roll off."
---
Gosh, he was so handsome when he laughed. Maybe that was why she fell. She hadn't been picking up her feet because she was staring at him. It wasn't as if she got to look at cute boys all of the time, after all. She had about five-years to make up for, assuming she would have been attracted to boy at all when she was twelve. At least Vinnie was a prime candidate.
But she would blame him and her lack of control until she could skate properly. Then it would be all his fault. Definitely his fault.
Giggling at him, she shook her head and crawled forward a few paces as she tried to figure out how to stand up on her own. Maybe if she just got her feet under herself real quick. That only resulted in her turning over to sit on her rear with a sigh, eyes looking ahead at the wall before back at her companion. Maybe his idea was better. "Okay," Zevira agreed, holding out her hands to take his own. "If I can just do one foot at a time..."
Chuckling to herself, she watched her feet to make sure they didn't go slipping all over the place as she tried to find something that resembled balance.
---
Vinnie wouldn't have been able to help but laugh if he had heard her reasoning behind why she fell. Ok, so maybe it wasn't that funny since he had done some pretty dumb things because he was too distracted looking at some hot girl. Case in point: he had tripped over a railing once in Chicago while he was staring at one of his exes. The bruise hurt like hell, but it was all made better when she came over to him and introduced herself.
Blame him? Not nice. He was trying his best to help her and she was doing a good job so far. Actually, maybe she could blame him for that fall on some level. After all, he hadn't reacted fast enough to keep her from falling.
He tried not to crack up as he watched her crawl a bit while she was figuring stuff out. Then his eyes widened a bit as she fell onto her backside and he grimaced at the thud. Poor girl was gonna be covered in bruises tomorrow! When she finally took his hands, he tried to hold her as steady as possible as she stood. "One foot at a time is definitely good," he chuckled.
Once she was up, Vinnie kept his hands near her as she stabilized herself. "You ok now? Ready for picking up speed again or do you wanna take a break?"
---
That took far longer than she felt it should have. But she was vertical again and was doing alright once more. Adjusting her scarf as it had started to fall from her own tumble, Zevira looked over the top of the cloth at Vinnie. Definitely his fault. She really liked his eyes. He was so lucky to be attractive, some people just didn't have the genes for it.
"Lets keep going. Then we can stop and have a drink. I'm getting a little bit thirsty." Nodding, her soft hand took his again for support and she tried to lead. It was not her greatest idea thus far, but she didn't all and that was what really mattered in her opinion. Things were going relatively well now that she had felt what it was like to tip over. Sometimes you had to feel the pain and be aware of what would happen if you did fall down. Her fear of not knowing was part of what stopped her from being able to skate well in the first place.
Now she felt a little more comfortable knowing she'd gotten back on the bike--or on the skates, as it were.
"So," she said over the music to try and have a conversation. She couldn't be quiet and just focus on skating the whole night, that wouldn't be fun. "Are you going home for the holiday? Back to Chicago, I mean. Or somewhere fun? I heard some families go away on Christmas break somewhere warm, or different. Like Disney! I always wanted one of those mouse ear hats." Shrugging at her silly little confession, her fingers brushed the wall when she got too close. All in all, she was improving with each step.
---
It really did take a lot longer than it should have, but she was just learning so that was kinda to be expected. Plus, it was tougher to be helped up on skates than it was to just get up on your own. Vinnie smiled at her when she looked at him over the scarf. Her face was so pretty that he wished she hadn't covered it up to go out. He could understand her hesitation to do it though, especially since there were so many kids around.
"You're the boss," he grinned as he held her hand again before heading off around the floor. He noticed her trying to lead and let her for the most part. Zev was definitely getting the hang of this whole skating thing now. And unfortunately, falling was very much a necessary part of the learning experience when it came to skating. Vinnie fell tons of times when he was learning, but because of it, he became a better skater.
Upon hearing her speak, he turned his head to listen better. "Just going back to Chicago. My family doesn't really do the going away for Christmas thing. We just stay home and spend quality time there and such. But I might end up going to visit Starbuck in Maui over the break. That's still kinda up in the air though, but it would be totally awesome." At that moment, Vinnie wondered if the invitation still stood.. not that Starbuck would ever take it away or anything, he just might be preoccupied with his girlfriend or something.
At the mentioning of the mouse hats, Vinnie chuckled a little. She'd look cute in one of those. Hell, she looked cute in pretty much anything. "So what about you? Going home or going somewhere fun?"
---
If there weren't all of those kids, she would have put down her scarf. Children were far more cruel than any adult, as far as Zevira was concerned. They didn't understand tact or how to keep thoughts to themselves. Little snots. She didn't hate the kids for it, either, because they probably didn't know any better. Though sometimes she wished parents would learn to teach their son or daughter a little subtly.
"I like that," teased Zevira as she looked over at Vinnie. "I'm the boss. You gotta do what I say." Oh, that was amusing. She never pictured herself in any sort high-ranking position. Actually, she had never really pictured what she would do with her life after she got out of school. At least now at TJS she had oportunity to know people. That Lyle boy had been really sweet, and she would have totally worked for him if he asked her to. Maybe one of the others would have something she could do or the school would know somewhere they could put her. Zevira did not want to play "house" by herself anymore. She was tired of sitting inside all day but still a little too shy to go out.
"We'll probably stay home, too," she said by way of the holiday. "We've never gone anywhere in the past, I don't think mom or dad have plans to go somewhere this year, either." Another little shrug, her pink eyes watched a boy zoom past. He didn't have any form at all, but he was standing and speeding by, which was all he seemed to care for.
"I'd like to go traveling someday, though. It'd be fun. Maybe Vegas! All of the lights look really cool on TV."
---
When Zev said she liked the whole boss thing, Vinnie predictably let out a chuckle. "Yeah, yeah, I gotta do what you say. Don't abuse the power or I'll take it away," he said with a little wink. Vinnie didn't think he could picture Zevira in a high-ranking position either. She just didn't seem the bossy type, which was a good thing in his book. He steered clear of bossy, demanding girls. Back in high school, he had briefly dated a girl like that and it didn't end well. He needed someone who was laid-back and easy going like him.
"That should still be cool, ya know? Getting to hang out with your parents and Linus again. And this time I'm pretty sure that if you played against him in Mario Kart that you could kick his ass. I've trained you well, if I do say so myself." Vinnie grinned over at her and subconsciously picked up his speed a little after the boy bolted past them. He was itching to go faster, but he knew she wasn't ready for that yet.
Vinnie's eyebrows shot up when Zev mentioned Vegas. Letting out a little chuckle, he looked over at her, wondering what she would be like in a city like Vegas. "Sin City? Really? That's an interesting pick. Well, maybe not interesting. Maybe just a little surprising." Letting go of her for a quick second, he moved in front of her and faced her, continuing to skate on backwards as he held her hands again. It was a little harder to do that, but at least this way he couldn't go fast. "It'd be cool to go someday, though. Have you been anywhere cool like that? Like New York City?"
---
She would not have liked to be in a position of power, anyway. It was messy and required decisions that she just didn't think she could make on a good conscience. She saw how those men and women made bad choices right on television and threw away someone's livelihood for work, or their own! Zevira thought she would make a terrible manager of any sort. She really was suited for the secretarial, sale associate where she did what she was told. Nothing less, only more. Good employee's only got bonus's for going beyond expectations at all. Maybe she could be a telephone operator, then no one would ever have to look at her. Ha.
Then Vinnie could have had her gorgeous look all to himself. If he wanted it, of course! Not that these thoughts really ever occurred to Zevira. Maybe once or twice.
"I think I just might," she replied with a grin that was obvious from behind the scarf. "He'll throw a fit, though. He always does. He's not a very good sport, sometimes." Her eyes then went wide as he turned round to skate backward, oohing as he did so. That was a very impressive trick! Zevira wished she could have done that. Maybe soon!
"Well, I don't know if I'd really like the city so much as the decoration." giggling, she gave a little shrug while slipping her hands into his properly so she was more comfortable. "It always looks so nice, like I said." After a pause, eyes showing a teasing skepticism, as if she couldn't believe what he'd just asked, she shook her head. "Remember, I've never gone to a park before. How would I have managed to go to New York?"
---
Vinnie was the type that was kinda used to positions of power, but only because he had been captain of a few of the sports teams he had been on in the past. Granted, those positions weren't as involved as positions of power in the real world, but still. He was capable of leading if need be. And if he did ever become a firefighter like his dad, that would be an essential trait for him to have.
He would be disappointed to hear that Zev was pondering a job just because it meant no one had to look at her. In the short time they had been at TJS and known each other, he felt she had made great progress with coming out of her shell. Now, if the reason for that was just so Vinnie could have her looks all to himself.. well, then maybe he wouldn't complain at all. Heh.
Laughing slightly, Vinnie nodded in agreement at her response. "Yeah, he seemed a little ticked off when I kept beating him at it. He's gotta learn to be a good sport, though. And I think you're just the person to teach him that lesson." When her eyes went wide, he grinned at her as he kept his balance. This shit was tough to do!
"Yeah, the lights do look pretty awesome. I'd still wanna check out the other stuff too, though. Maybe hit up a casino or something. You gotta do that if you're in Vegas.. it'd be a crime not to!" He continued holding onto her hands securely, wondering now if the temperature of his own hands was making her uncomfortable.
When she teased him, he just grinned back at her sheepishly. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that. But who knows.. you could've managed to do that one of these days and just not have told me about it. It's entirely possible!" Letting go of her once more, he skated back to her side and led her off the rink. "Still thirsty?"
---
Well, she wasn't really considering any job at the moment. She'd have liked to have an idea, of course, but she hadn't thought hard about it. Though now that she was about to turn eighteen and seriously be an adult, Zevira would have to really get serious. But would people even hire her? Sure, there were laws against descrimination by looks. However, people didn't take kindly to workers with tattoo's or piercings in abundance. What did they think when they saw a girl with stick-on gemstones every day?
"We'll see, he's growing up fast." Linus was a good kid, really. No different than the others other than his hair and skin. He could read a little and write a little, he could follow directions pretty well and was damn good at basic video games. He was your average five-year-old boy. Zevira loved her little brother all the same.
"I don't know if I'd be much of a gambler. I'd rather watch than throw my money away on some dice. But the atmosphere seems fun!" She smiled at the thought, remembering some movie or another where people seemed to have so much fun. And yet there was so much scandal. Part of Zevira wondered if she'd end up getting married to someone random by a man dressed as Elvis, a classical point in all of the romantic comedies taking place in Vegas. Though, it would be fun, she wasn't sure that was for her, either.
Zevira then nodded at Vinnie as he asked her if she was thirsty. She wasn't sure what to say to his comment about magically having gone somewhere, so she just giggled again. She couldn't recall ever laughing so much in her life and she loved it. Vinnie was so great. "Yes! Do you think they have Sprite?"
---
"He kinda reminds me of my little brother Sal. Of course he's twelve now, but still. The little twerp just keeps growing more and more every day. Kind of a sore loser too, but Frankie and I are trying to teach him to get better." Vinnie loved his little brother too and as annoying as he was sometimes, he still missed him. It was gonna be pretty great to be around his brother and the rest of his family again for the holidays.
"Yeah, I don't like the dice games either. I'd be strictly a blackjack or poker player. Now that's where it's at." He remembered watching movies like 'Casino' or shows like 'Las Vegas' that showed all the cool and crazy parts of the Vegas nightlife. That city was definitely on his list of places to visit, but he'd be steering clear of the tacky themed wedding chapels. Those people were just crazy.
Vinnie nodded slightly as he led her over to the little doorway off the rink and stopped next to it so he could help her out first. "I'm sure they do. We can even get food too, if you want. I think I saw they had funnel cake and if they do, I'm so getting one."
---
Looking with interest at Vinnie, Zevira blinked curiously. She had not known he had a younger brother, too. That was cute. Having a nice, big family like that. She loved her family and was actually growing homesick. As much as she enjoyed being away she could not wait to go home. Christmas at the Messina homestead was always fun, her parents wanting to make it extra special because they didn't ever go out if it wasn't to the backyard. But she and Linus would surely make snowmen and snowangels as usual. "You never told me you had a brother," she said without accusation, and more like a thoughtful statement. "So there's Frankie and Sal, anyone else?" She really wanted to know. She was just curious like that.
Though she was not so sure about playing any sort of gambling game, as she had said before. Zevira was not sure she'd have any luck and would rather watch. Maybe she could hold the poker chips, instead. "Have you played either before? The only card games I've played are Go Fish or Old Maid. Our cards even have cute little cartoon faces on them." Behind her scarf she blushed, glad to be admitting something to Vinnie but embarrassed that she had never played any Big Kid card games.
As they made their way off the rink, then, Zevira clung to Vinnie's arm. Carefully she managed to get off the floor and found skating on the carpet was much easier. Still, she gave her date an inquisitive and curious look. "What's funnel cake?"
---
Vinnie loved his huge family. They were crazy, but they were his and he loved them to pieces, even when they were annoying the hell outta him. And even though he had just been home not too long ago for Thanksgiving, he was kinda homesick again, especially for his mama and nonna's coooking. He could never get enough of it. "Yep, bratty little brother. He's mostly cool though, so we get along pretty well. But he and Frankie are my only sibs. Then there's my papa and my mama and my nonna though. They're pretty awesome too."
"Yeah, I've played both before with my buddies back home. We never bet money though cuz we never had any that we could really gamble off, but it was still fun." He chuckled slightly when she admitted to playing the kiddie card games. She was just too damn cute for words sometimes. Ok, all the time.
Keeping his arm steady for her to hold on to, he watched her as she safely got up onto the carpet. When she asked what funnel cake was, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he looked at her. "What is funnel cake? Did you really just ask me that?"
---
It had never been part of Zevira's plot to be cute. She didn't even have a plot! This was just how she was and she felt lucky that Vinnie liked her for it. Very lucky, indeed. It seemed like a lot of guys, at least here, liked the other girls who were more wild and crazy. The adventurous sorts. She just couldn't do that and was so glad Vinnie didn't appear to mind. In time, when she was ready to be wild and crazy, he'd get his chance.
"You'll have to teach me how to play," she said. "So if I do ever go to Vegas I don't get jipped off!" Smiling, she turned her attention back to what she was doing and came to a stop where she could look up at the menu over the snack stand. Choices, choices.
When he stopped she looked back at him, blinking innocently. "I did. I don't think I know what it is." Of course if he had called it "fried dough" she would have understood a lot more quickly.
---
Vinnie didn't think Zevira could ever plot to do something like that. Or maybe she could. Who knows. She did suddenly become a lot forward with him when she sent him that extra picture of her in another one of Arc's designs and then went on to tell him about how she'd had sex dreams about him. Who was this new Zevira and where did she come from? Never in a million years would he have imagined that she could say or think of half of the stuff that she had told him through those emails. Vinnie wasn't put off by it, though. No way. He actually welcomed it. It made it easier to not feel bad about possibly corrupting her if they crossed the just friends line.
Nodding slightly, he smiled at her answer. "Yeah, definitely. We can add that onto the list of things you still need to learn. That list is getting big now," he said with a short chuckle. The list really was getting kinda long, but they were knocking things off the list too. Skating was off that list now and so were soccer and video games. He enjoyed getting to teach her stuff, especially since she was so eager and willing to learn. That made it that much more fun to do.
"Oh man," he said, shaking his head at her. "You're missing out. They're amazing! I'll get one so you can have some." Leaning on the counter at the snack stand, he ordered a burger, fries, a soda and a funnel cake for himself before turning back to Zev. "You know what you want?"
---
Hey, she was a normal girl just like the rest of them. She was human, more or less, and had the same thoughts as the human brain. Of course you could leave much of her last minute urging to her most recent book read or movie watching. And friends. The two would have never gotten to this point if she had not at least tried, even if it embarrassed the hell out of her. Her cheeks had been pink the entire conversation and she'd felt so uncomfortable thought part of it. But it felt amazingly relieving in the end. They were on a date, and she was damn happy about it. Even if it was the only date she ever had, it would be perfect.
"I know! It's really exciting," she smiled back brightly. A few things down, a few hundred more to go! She still needed to eat cotton candy and go to a fair, which was easily obtainable once the winter season ended. And go-karts! Zevira hoped their relationship lasted at least a little bit longer than this, if he enjoyed showing her all of these things so much then he really shouldn't leave unless he had to.
Looking up at the menu as he ordered, the Gemman wiggled her scarf down around her neck and smiled at the helper behind the counter. He blinked with shock but she didn't look concerned while ordering a slice of pizza and a Sprite. "Thanks," she then said to Vinnie, putting a hand on his shoulder before dropping it to her side.
---
It was true that they may have never gotten to where they were now if it hadn't been for her sudden bravery. Vinnie was just too hesitant to do anything or move beyond being friends because of the whole innocence thing. That could probably be attributed in part to his religious beliefs. Though sex outside of marriage was still a no-no in the Catholic church and he had clearly broken that rule before, he still had morals. He had gotten pretty hot under the collar during that conversation and he was glad now that she had pushed things past that point. Seemed like Vinnie really needed a nudge in the right direction like that.
"I guess it is pretty exciting," he added. "That's definitely the right attitude to have." Vinnie was glad that she wasn't hesitant to experience or learn new things. She needed to come out of her shell and she was definitely doing that slowly but surely. And once Spring rolled around, he would definitely be taking her to a carnival. And yes, he was still going to be around then. He wasn't planning on going anywhere because, at the very least, he still planned on being her friend.
"No problem," he said with another smile as he handed her the Sprite she had ordered. Turning around with his Coke in hand, he leaned his back against the counter as they waited for their food to be ready. "So what'd ya think of skating so far? Thumbs up? Thumbs down?"
---
And that would have been one of the sweetest things Zevira had ever heard. She saw no reason why anyone had to have a bad breakup or be mad at someone for the rest of their life--but she was an optimist at heart, despite her fear of the public. Here she was, right now, standing at the counter waiting with Vinnie with her scarf down. Though, half tempted to put it back up, she kept it around her neck where scarves were supposed to be. Taking her Sprite, one hand on the counter so she didn't start slipping away as she shifted on her feet, she nodded.
"I'm having a lot of fun," she told him, and gave a quick thumbs up with a grin before putting her hand with a light slap back on the counter. "I'm glad we came! I was afraid, honestly. I thought there'd be a lot less control." Shrugging shyly, Zevira looked around and found the boy who had been working behind the counter was staring. Turning her eyes down she put her back to the counter like Vinnie. It didn't help much, as there were children and other patrons in front of her, but at least she couldn't see that one guy staring. She only saw her skates for the time, with big, red breaks at the toes.
Didn't people know that staring was rude?
---
It sucked when people couldn't stay friends after they broke up and unfortunately, it had happened to Vinnie. He was the one that had broken things off with his first girlfriend because she was just a little too wild for Vinnie to handle and apparently she wasn't very happy with them for that. Then, with his second girlfriend Miranda, it had been her who broke things off because she became jealous and paranoid for no reason. Sure, Vinnie kinda had ADHD when it came to looking at girls, but that's all it was - just looking. He would never dream on cheating on anyone he was in a relationship with. That just wasn't the kind of guy he was. The only girl he had kinda sorted dated and managed to stay friends with was Jillian. They had met at his last supernatural school and didn't get to know each other well enough before the school was forced to shut down. Even though she was going to a supernatural school in France now, they still talked and remained friends. Though, unbeknownst to Vinnie, it was better that things turned out the way they did because she had actually been another one of Xander's conquests before she started talking to Vinnie. What was it with him to getting to all these girls first? That was just not cool.
Grinning, Vinnie nodded as he took a swig of his Coke. "Good, I'm glad you're liking it. I'm still sorry about that fall. I kinda broke my promise, didn't I?" he added a little sheepishly. "The control with skating isn't that bad, though. It feels weird at first but obviously, it gets easier the more you do it."
Because his back was to the guy behind the counter, Vinnie didn't notice that he had been staring at Zev. But when she turned around and he noticed the look on her face, he glanced over his shoulder and noticed the guy mid-stare. "Hey," Vinnie called out to him. "You wanna stop staring and get our food?" The guy immediately snapped out of it and scrambled to the back of the stand for their food. Turning his head back to Zev, his brows furrowed slightly. "Some people just don't have any manners. You ok?"
---
Not that it would make a difference, but Xander hadn't gotten to Zevira first! She thought he was nice in his own way, but really rather weird. And he still had yet to prove to her that he could make a sensical analogy. So he was just not high on her list of people to talk to often. That, and she'd been warned about him from several people. It was so nice to have friends looking out for you.
"It's okay," replied Zevira with a white smile. "A couple of falls won't kill me. I was more worried about you or the floor than me." She tried not to laugh, but a small, shy giggle worked it's way out from around her straw. "Monday I'm meeting with a girl named Ophelia. We're giong to go to the gym and lift weights. I'm gonna see what I can lift. I haven't tried yet." She said this solely to Vinnie, speaking only loud enough for him to hear over the sound. It wasn't something she wanted to announce to everyone else.
"And, I'm fine. Thank you." She thought it was very chivalrous of him to tell the man to bug off. It wasn't like it was that guy's fault that she looked the way she did, but he really needed to stop staring. Zevira felt better knowing he wasn't glaring at her, even if other people in the place were. "It was just weird. Like that 'ever get the feeling someone is watching you' weird."
---
It actually did make a world of a difference that Xander hadn't gotten to Zevira first. As great as she was, if she had done anything with Xander, Vinnie wouldn't have wanted to touch her because of the whole three degrees of separation between him and his cousin Cissy. But thank God he hadn't gotten to her! It seemed to Vinnie that the only girls left in the school that hadn't been corrupted by Xander were his sister and Zevira and he was very happy for that on both accounts. If Xander ever laid a finger on either of them, he'd torch the hell out of him.
"Worried about me?" he asked, grinning slightly. "Oh wait, yeah.. the strength thing," he added with a chuckle. "I almost forgot about that. That would've been interesting if it had kicked in mid-fall. And by interesting, I mean painful." That would not have been good at all.. she might've pulled an arm out of his socket!
When she lowered her voice, he leaned in slightly and nodded in approval. "Cool. You'll have to tell me how much you can bench, though I'm pretty sure you'll be able to beat how much I can do," he said with a wink.
Vinnie didn't like it when people pointed or stared at Zevira because she looked different. It was rude to stare so it shouldn't be done in the first place. "Yeah, I can only imagine how weird it must feel." The guy behind the counter coughing hesitantly and Vinnie turned around to receive their food. Grabbing the tray, he muttered a "thanks" at him grudgingly before balancing the tray in one hand and grabbing Zev's hand with his other.
He led her over to a table and set the tray down before taking a seat. "Ok, so I don't follow the rules of saving dessert for last, so dig into the funnel cake." Vinnie broke a piece off and dabbed some more powdered sugar on it before happily stuffing it into his mouth. "This is so good.."
---
Smiling, Zevira hummed a bit to herself. She doubted she could bench press anything substantial just yet. She didn't want to hurt herself trying something new! For all she knew her strength only turned on when it wanted to. Fortunately, she had more control over it now than she had only a week ago. Her progress was coming in leaps, which was good, until her birthday. Two months to go until she was locked in her own personal cage--not that she knew that.
"I'm sure you'll still be able to bench more than me for a while," she replied while blinking as her hand was taken. The other grabbed onto her Sprite quickly before she was dragged off.
"Do you need help with that?" she asked, watching the tray balanced precariously on his arm. Not that she trusted her skating enough to take her even across the carpet with food, but she wasn't sure he needed to drag her along. Sweet as it was, for it showed he really cared, she was worried he would drop something. Yet they made it to the table and all was well. Smiling, sitting across from Vinnie--and boy was she glad to get off those skates for a few minutes--she pulled her pizza toward her.
"Who says dessert after dinner?" teased Zevira as she carefully ripped off a piece of the fried dough. The powder got all over her fingers and after she put the dough in her mouth. Humming again, she looked at Vinnie with a bit of excitement. "That is really good!" she said, licking off her fingers one at a time. The sugary powder was good, too.
---
Vinnie laughed slightly at her comment. "I'll take what I can get for now, then." The fact that she'd soon be able to bench press more than him was an emasculating thought to most guys, but Vinnie actually found it kinda cool. Ok, so maybe a teeny part of him was a little intimidated by it, but so what? That was part of her powers. That's just the way things were in the supernatural world. It was nothing like the way it was for normal humans.
"Nah, I can handle it. It's all due to my training down at the diner I'm gonna be working at. I gotta learn to balance lots of plates and stuff." Though he had only been training for three days now, he got a hang of it pretty quickly so he wasn't worried about dropping anything.
"Um.. people?" Chuckling softly, he broke off another piece and stuffed it into his mouth. "See? I told ya it was good. You can't ever go wrong with fried dough and sugar. Best combination of food and sugar ever. Looking up at her, he chuckled again as he noticed the sugar on her lips. "You got a little sugar still on you," he said, gesturing to the spot where it was on his own face.
---
She would have felt terrible if he felt less manly just because she could pick up more weight than he could. It wasn't as if she had ever wanted it to be that way, after all. This was just Zevira's luck, she supposed. Being able to pick up heavy things. What a rip-off. Sometimes she was still upset about it. She couldn't have gotten something helpful or cool? Now she just broke stuff.
"Oh yeah! How's that going?" asked Zevira as she shook some pink hair out of her face. She was interested in what it was like to have a job out in the public, to help people. For being someone who really only wanted to aid people and be helpful, it was a shame she couldn't go out without worry. Still, she was trying!
"I didn't doubt you!" she then returned with a smile, laughing and trying to wipe away the sugar with a napkin. Managing to get most of it, she sneakily took another piece of the fried dough, not minding that her pizza was getting a little cooler by the minute. "What is this, anyway? It's like....fried dough. And that's it." She laughed at herself and ate the treat before she could say something more foolish.
---
Vinnie didn't think that being able to pick up heavy things was a rip-off. It could really come in handy in some situations. Like if, Heaven forbid, she were ever in danger. All she had to do was turn on the super strength and she'd be ok.
"It's going pretty well. My boss is a little weird, but the rest of the people there are pretty chill. The customers are pretty chill too so that helps with the learning curve. It's not like I've got people yelling at me to get their orders to them faster so it's good." It wasn't that exciting of a job, but it was a job nonetheless and it was helping him bring in money.
Grinning, Vinnie took a sip of his Coke before digging into his burger and fries. "It is fried dough and sugar on top. They call it funnel cake cuz of the shape and the way they make it. Best carnival food ever. Well, ok, tied for first with corn dogs." He couldn't help but stop and watch her when she was laughing and eating. Pink wasn't his favorite color, but she really was pretty. He was glad he finally got the courage to ask her out on a proper date.