2013.03.19 - A Skating Non-Date

The day after St. Patrick's Day is, perhaps not surprisingly, quiet around New York City. Either folks are at work, since it's a Monday, or they're sleeping off the green festivities. Fern happens to fall into neither category. She's not working until later, and couldn't stand being cooped up in her apartment, so decided to bundle up and head to Central Park for a while. 
 
Her wandering has taken her near the Wollman Rink, and she's standing watching the handful of ice skaters. She has on her bomber jacket and jeans, black boots on her feet. Her head is bare, and the wind is having a field day with her red hair, blowing it around like a flag. 
It's cold. The wind is whipping up, and there is talk of snow. Again. With the cold nights, the ice is remaining with little tending. 
School is in session, so there are fewer people around (family tourism is down). This gives Kurt a little more freedom, and he's on the rink!
The blue streak is skating backwards, his tail waving in the breeze, and as he passes, yellow eyes actually catch a familiar form, and he leaps into the air, does a somersault, landing easily.. 
Showing off.
There's not much that isn't eye-catching about Kurt, in all his fuzzy blue glory, and Fern spies him almost at once. A half smile tugs at her lips, broadening into a full smile as he executes a pretty perfect jump and somersault, and her hands emerge from her pockets to clap, since he's close enough to hear. 
It's true.. Kurt is showing off, and he makes one more circuit around the rink, tucking his tail up and executes a final back flip to land right in front of his appreciative audience of one. He wears a broad smile, pointed canines showing, and offers Fern a flourished bow. "Guten Tag, leibchen."
Fern's hands are back in her pockets as Kurt does another round, then another flip, and she has a bright smile and a returned greeting for him. "Guten Tag, Herr Wagner," she says, easily mimicking his accent before returning to her normal speech. "You skate very well." If she looks surprised... well, she is. She didn't know devils skated! 
Coming up from his bow, the smile remains easy on his face. "Danke.. you do know that hell does freeze over und the devils go skating, ja?" Kurt waves a hand, dismissing his words to be sure she knows he's joking. "Little pond in Germany when growing up.." Extending his hand, he offers, "Skate with me?"
Of course, Fern is ready to believe him, trusting little soul that she is, but then she laughs at his joke. "You shouldn't tease, Herr Wagner," she chides him lightly. "I'm liable to believe just about anything you say. You did help save my life, after all." The invitation gets a longing look, but Fern sighs lightly, "I would have to rent skates." And she's a little short on money to play this week. 
"Take my hand, und we will get you skates," Kurt promises. The smile turns into a laugh as she confesses a touch of gullibility. "I will remember that. I ask.. only believe me a little. I.." and here comes his confession, ".. am a little bit of an actor.. ja?" If she does take his hand, he'll bamf to the little skate kiosk for her.. causing a little consternation, even if he doesn't acknowledge it!
Her trusting nature shows again as Fern puts her hand into Kurt's, but she does know what to expect. She closes her eyes before the jump, wobbles on the other end, her hand tightening on Kurt's for support. "That is SO weird," she says simply. Once the skates are secured and they're on a bench for her to lace them up, Fern glances over at the blue elf. "How is that... your bamf? Is it all fixed now?" 
Kurt supports Fern on the other side, a strong arm to keep her from wobbling too badly. He waits for her skates, paying the rental fee before following her to the bench. Shifting his tail to the side, he leans over, his fingers entwining. "Nein.. not yet. Still.. short, but it does tire me."
Getting the laces tied up, Fern straightens, looking at Kurt with an assessing eye. "I see," she says. "Well, then no more," she snaps her fingers for emphasis with the word "bamf-ing with me in tow." She brushes quickly at the legs of her jeans, readying to stand. "I'm sure that there will be a solution for you soon. He says he's very good at things like that." There's a slight stiffening to her demeanor for a moment, then she looks to Kurt with her usual smile. "Ready?" 
"I am not going back. He has a file, but I think that it has to do with magnetic lines.." Kurt holds out his hand, "One more little bamf? Bitte?" It's towards that 'pond'again that he leads, and even without bamfing, he wants to keep a hand for balance. "Are you well, leibchen?"
Fern nods to Kurt's words, automatically reaching for his hand, but snatching it back at the last second. Her index finger comes up, then waggles back and forth in a recognizable gesture for 'no'. "No bamfing," she warns. Now her hand settles in his, the three digit grip odd but not unpleasant. She follows fairly easily, no pro on skates but it's something she's done before. Years ago. "I'm alright," she replies vaguely. 
Fern is treated to the theatric full body sulk.. the shoulders slouch a little more, and his tail droops as his blue-furred face falls. It's all an act certainly, and he makes to cross his heart when she puts her hand back in his. Her hand is soft and warm as they get back to the ice. Kurt supports her easily, and brows rise in dubious belief. "You cannot fool me.."
The sulk is entertaining, and Fern can't resist an indulgent shake of her head at such dramatics. She's a bit wobbly, although it's not a weak ankles thing, it's just a being rusty at it thing, and her hand tightens on Kurt's. She glances to him, her shoulders shrugging under the huge coat she wears. "It's nothing important. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't. No use dwelling on things." 
Kurt is skating backwards now, his other hand reaching out for her, his tail being used as that counter balance. It's a 'different' thing, really.. he almost never has that out. His hold is strong; muscles under that blue fur of his. His brows rise again, and he swings back around to skate beside her, slowly, his voice low. "Things didn't work out, then..?" He exhales softly and sets his yellow eyes to the area before them so they don't run anyone over. No danger of that, really..
"Unless you are referring to your work. Und then, I should ask, do I still get free canollis?"
This draws a soft laugh from Fern, and she lightly jabs her elbow into Kurt's ribs. "Not work, and yes, you still get all the cannoli you can eat." It's like riding a bicycle, without the pedaling; it all starts coming back to her after just a minute out on the ice. Fern pulls away from Kurt, pushing off with one blade to gain a bit of speed and get ahead of him. "Anita's just a big softie," she calls over her shoulder. "I'd make ya work for free food." Like he didn't already? With that tease there's a little hop and she's off across the ice. 
There's a somewhat theatric 'oof' that sounds from the fuzzy blue as he's elbowed, but the grin certainly doesn't disappear. Kurt extends his arm, offering a balance until the moment when he isn't as she pulls away. "Gut.. not work. Which means I can gain fifty pounds und not feell guilty." Uh huh.. like he'd eat until he's huge? There doesn't look to be an ounce of fat on the elf.
Kurt watches as Fern skates on ahead of him, and shakes his head before he, too, speeds up. Not quite like a speed skater mind.. he's got more.. flourish than that. He does some circles, and eights as he makes to cross her path. "Like what?" The heavily german accent has him pronouncing his 'w's like 'v's. "Putting your groceries away? Walking you across the street? Saving your cat from a tree?"
There aren't many people skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park on this Monday afternoon, but two on the ice are sort of eye-catching figures. Well, not the little redhead as much as the large, fuzzy, blue elf skating with her. 
 
Fern holds her course as Kurt skates around her, executing a turn at one point that only wobbles a little as she keeps him in her sights. "Yes, yes and yes," she answers cheerfully, "And don't forget taking out the garbage. Then you might get free food." 
Kurt is in his winter coat, has a scarf wrapped about his neck for the weather (which is grey and threatening to snow), but his dark, almost black-indigo closely cropped hair is free of a hat, and his face has that.. furry look. As does his tail.
Yes. Tail.
His hands are in his pockets again, and he's quite graceful on skates, as he executes his turns, in turn going forward, and then backwards. As he passes Fern, Kurt asks again, "Taking the dog out for walks?"
Ah, it's still cold out...which means that Jeremy, outside by choice but somewhat regretting his decision, is once again bundled up in a coat several sizes too big. Today, he's come out for a little stroll in the park...well, a bit more than a stroll, actually. He's jogging, passing near the ice rink, and launching jabs at the air every few steps like a little boxer. He's actually doing quite well, but it'd probably look a little more dignified if the too-long sleeves didn't flop around so much every time he threw a punch. As he passes, though, he looks aside and notices the skater...and slows, eyes widening. He actually keeps throwing punches as he slows down, though those slow down as well as he gets distracted.
Fern reaches out one hand, snagging the flapping tail of Kurt's scarf and falling easily in to pace him, facing him as they glide on the slick surface. "First, you have to buy me a dog. Then yes, the walking." 
 
It's pretty clear the pair are chummy, but Fern's attention is distracted by a movement off the ice, and her head turns to see what it was. As a result of the sudden movement, her balance is thrown off, and she teeters on the brink of a tumble, scarf still in her grasp, a surprised "Guh!" squeaking from her. 
Kurt can feel the hold taken on his scarf, and there's a moment when he pulls his hand from his pocket and makes sure that the scarf isn't 1. going to disappear into her hands, and 2. strangle him. Mind, he'll *bamf* long before there's any danger of suffocation, leaving her with said scarf, but.. he'd rather avoid it. And, while he didn't promise, he.. sort of did.
"Labrador, doberman or chihuaha? I prefer the doberman, mind.. I would look much cooler walking it."
The blue fuzzy.. mutant can feel Fern losing her balance, and a hand goes out to steady her even as he turns yellow, pupil-less eyes around, scanning to see what may have taken her attention. He's ready to catch her if need be! "Was?" Immediately, out of instinct, his first question is formed in German.
Jeremy comes to a stop, recognizing Fern as she starts to slip. "Miss Fern!" He hurridly runs to the edge of the rink, but comes to a stop as he realizes that running on ice...well, it's already gotten him in trouble once. Besides, the guy with her has her, right? The...blue guy, with the fur and the tail and the yellow eyes... "Um, um..." Yeah, he starts climbing over the barricade anyway. Not that the guy looks dangerous, but...you know, just in case.
The blue hand is grabbed like a life preserver, and the threat of a tumble turns into a stumble from which she recovers. Kurt gets a smile and a soft, "Saved me again. You're making a habit of this." 
 
Now her attention returns to the distraction, which is now attempting to clamber over the rink wall. Fern laughs, immediately placing the boy she'd met a few days before, and she gives Kurt's hand a gentle yank as she pushes toward him. "Jeremy! Didn't expect to see you here, how are ya?" Before he can answer, she makes a quick introduction, "Herr Wagner, this is a friend of mine, Jeremy. Jeremy, Herr Wagner." 
Kurt does catch the clamboring over the barricades, as others also catch it.
"Hey kid! No goin' on the ice without payin'!"
To hear that, Kurt turns around and, hopefully without Fern catching it, flashes his pointed, bared teeth at the one making the kid's life a little more difficult. Of course, the 'victim' doesn't have anyone around him to cover him, and ends up cursing.. damn muties!
His attention comes back around, and with the save, Kurt grins. "Ja.. und I am enjoying it. It isn't often I get a damsel so in distress."
Finally, he skates up, and stops with something of a slide, ice shaved from the top of the 'pond' in the action. "Jeremy, Guten Tag. How are you?"
Jeremy freezes in mid-climb as someone yells at him, and starts looking flustered...but when Kurt gets the guy to back off, he breathes a sigh of relief. He doesn't climb all the way over, though...Kurt may look a little weird, but it's pretty clear he's a good guy already. Instead, he sits on the barricade, watching Kurt and Fern come close, and smiles at them nervously. "Um, hello, Mister Wagner. It's, um, it's nice to meet you..." He looks over at Fern, checking one more time to be sure she's okay, and then back at Kurt. "Um, sorry for botherin' you...I just saw Miss Fern fallin' and I-I wanted to be sure she was okay and all." A pause, and he looks back at Fern again. "Um, you /are/ okay, right, Miss Fern?" He offers a hand to Kurt, then blinks, blushes, and pulls back the sleeve so he can actually offer a /hand/ rather than a coat. "Um, what's gluten tag?"
While Fern doesn't catch the bared teeth, she is aware that the guy seems disinclined to further pursue the matter, and he's lucky she doesn't hear any disparaging mutterings about her friend. But her attention is on thumping lightly into the wall to stop, then turning and leaning back against it. 
 
"Oh yeah, I'm good, Jeremy. I have a guardian angel." There's an amused smirk to Kurt, and she lets him field the question of translation. She knows it's a greeting, and that's about it. 
"I am as loyal as a dog," Kurt puts a three-fingered hand to his heart before he winks in Fern's direction. "Und I am not a chihuahua." So there.
Holding his right hand out now to finish the introduction and greeting, as the young man had so energetically began, he'll clasp Jeremy's hand and shake.. letting it go soon after. The blue tail flicks up casually, and Kurt cants his head, brows rising. "It means.. 'hello', or 'good day'." Even when speaking english, 'good' sounds more like 'gut'. He shrugs a little, perhaps sheepishly, "English is not my first language, und I still find it habit.. I still say things out of habit."
Jeremy shakes hands, managing to keep the eye-widening at the three-fingered hands to a minimum. Kind of. He does seem the skittish type, though it doesn't look to really be about Kurt. That's more curiosity. "Um, um...nice to...oh, I said that already. Um, um...I'm really sorry for starin' and stuff, mister Wagner. I didn't mean to be rude. And, um, I think that's kind of a cool habit." He smiles a little. "Um, it makes you sound kinda mysterious and stuff." He looks over at Fern. "Um, it's good you're okay. The ice is pretty easy to fall on!" Which he's demonstrated before and was probably going to demonstrate again if he'd made it over the wall.
Without missing a beat, Fern tosses back, "More like a labradoodle." Instead of a wink, because she can't wink, she wrinkles her nose back at Kurt. 
 
The interaction of Kurt and Jeremy is watched with a bemusement, and one hand lifts to stifle a giggle as Kurt is accurately described as 'mysterious and stuff'. Her brows lift, and she interjects a random thought, "Maybe you can teach me some German." Then she nods to Jeremy, attention settling on him for a moment. "Even when you're on ice skates, it is. Have you ever skated before, Jeremy?" 
"There is no harm at staring, mein freund. I am a little odd, ja?" Kurt smiles, giving a hint of pointed caninines, but not really showing them. He's good natured, and good humoured enough. "A face only a mother could love." He sighs a little theatrically, and looks to Fern, his brows rising in genuine question.
"A was?" Labra.. "Labradoodle? Was ist das?" See? He falls into German as he tries to work things out. Still, it sounds.. cute?
Jeremy is given a little attention again, and Kurt chuckles. "Kinda mysterious und stuff.. like a spy from the old movies?" He's naturally in something of a slouch, which means it's much more obvious when he straightens to his 5'10" height. He makes his accent thicker, if it's the least bit possible, and offers, "Ve haf der elf, und ve vill accept nossing less denn funf million vor his release.."
"I don't kn...I mean, no," Jeremy says to Fern. "I don't th...I've never skated...is it fun? It looks kind of fun..." He blinks at Kurt, and smiles and laughs a little at the act. "Yeah, like that! But, um, thanks for not getting mad, anyway. You might be okay with it but it's still pretty rude of me to do that." He shrugs. "I wouldn't want people starin' at me and all, so...I shouldn't do it to other people, right? It's just the first time I've seen someone like you, I think, so...you know. I'm not really good at hidin' stuff."
Fern grins at Kurt, "Labradoodle. Labrador and poodle mix. That's the kind I want just to hear you say it." C'mon, labradoodle with Kurt's accent is kinda priceless, further testified to by Fern's obvious amusement. "I'm gonna name him Labradoodle, too, so there's no way around it." 
 
Jeremy's apology to Kurt earns the boy a fond look. They've only met twice, but he's clearly a kid with manners and he's not afraid to use them. Fern likes that in a person. She giggles at Kurt's playing along, letting the boys talk for a minute, just watching them. 
"There are very few that look like me, ja.. so it is understandable." Kurt expects to be stared at, quite honestly. It's the fact that no one is throwing anything at him, other than 'damn muties' every time he's out, is refreshing.
Did he say 'very few'? Not 'no one'?
And again! "Lab-- why not a good, solid Doberman?" Wait! Kurt offers some genuine, good natured surprise at his new nickname. Is that going to be...? "Leibchen.. you are not.." How, again, does he get these monikers?
"Labradoodle." That sounds amusedly resigned.
"Ja.. it is fun, Jeremy." Kurt takes a seat on the baricade and begins to pull his skates off. "Here. You take these," they're his. "Und learn to skate. It's a good skill.. und builds up your ankles." And, creates lots of bruises on the butt.
"Fern, leibchen.. I need to head home. You have my number, ja? Und yours is still in service? I will give you a call.. und perhaps I will swing by.. no, no perhaps.. I will swing by for another canoli. Or.. perhaps to take out your garbage und rescue your cat from the tree."
"Labradoodle...um..." He tries to picture it, but it's a little difficult when you can't /quite/ remember what a labrador looks like anyway. Though poodles, well...those didn't leave even /his/ memory. "Um, that sounds...kinda funny..." He chuckles a bit at Kurt's repetition of the word, and then blinks, as he thinks he suddenly "gets" something. "Ohnoohno...is he your, um, your...your boyfriend? Am I interruptin' a-a-a date?" He's bright red, now. Fortunately, Kurt distracts by offering the skates, and Jeremy takes them, staring at them in a kind of stunned silence. "Um...um...but, Mister Wagner...I, um...but..."
Fern pushes off from the wall, going out for a circle on the ice and then coming back to end up near Kurt. When the skates off she steps closer on the ice to give him a hug. "Thing is, you're gonna have to get me a cat too, Doodle. Then you can rescue it." Yep, looks like she's not even gonna stick to the full nickname. And it's really less formal than Herr Wagner all the time. "Call any time." 
 
Releasing Kurt she slides backward, until she digs her toe in to stop her drift. The look she gives Jeremy holds amusement, but his words also bring a blush, and her hasty correction. "Oh no, we're not... it's not a date. We just happened across each other. That's all." 
A hug! Kurt gets a hug! He returns the hug, and lingers there a moment. "You could always call me 'Kurt', leibchen," he murmurs. He lets her go, but he doesn't really want to. That.. was nice.
"Nein.. not really a date." Though.. it'd be nice. "Perhaps next time, we could call it such, ja?" Still, Kurt has to go, and leaning over, he presses a chaste kiss to Fern's cheek. "I promised I wouldn't, but I must.."
BAMF
The blue elf was there.. and then.. gone!
"Oh, good!" Jeremy says, breathing a sigh of relief at hearing it wasn't a date after all. "I-I'm really glad I didn't mess things up, 'cause, um..." He looks over the skates, curiously, peering especially at the blade, which looks a tad...sharp...but looks up again at the "I promised I wouldn't." He blinks. "Um, promised you wouldn't wh..." And then there's the bamf, and that 'meep' sound makes a return as Jeremy swings back over the barricade and peeks out from the safety of cover. "Um...that was supposed to happen, right? Right?"
Fern tilts her head to accept the kiss automatically, but her blush deepens a shade at the suggestion they actually go out on a date. "Next time, it'll be a date," she agrees. Then he's gone, and she doesn't look the least bit surprised. 
 
She bumps into the wall lightly, leaning to look at Jeremy. "It's ok, that was supposed to happen. He promised me he wouldn't do that too much. But sometimes, ya gotta do what ya gotta do." She digs into her pocket, bringing out a small pad of paper and a pen. She's prepared now! She scribbles a number out quickly, adding her name, and hands it to Jeremy. "My number. Call me and we'll go skating. I gotta get my boots back and go get ready for work." Pushing off from the wall, she skates backward easily, perhaps knowing a bit more about skating than she was letting on with Kurt. Making the universal sign of her fist by her head, thumb and pinky each extended, she calls, "Call me!" before she smiles, waves, and skates off. 
Category:Log