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She..... noticed. Oh well. Might as well let her. Should not be so stiff around someone he knew, right? Now his hand was slightly warm.... cold. That lasted so short. He caught himself staring at his palm. Hello? Where was it supposed to go? On the fluff pile that was on his lap? The furious petting is not going to hide the blush, poor him. Or more like poor rabbits, they have to deal with the sudden appearance of tiny ice crystals in their fur. But hey, he was doing better at this 'not freezing everything in sight' thing, wasn't he?

His mind clouded over at that thought. Surely whatever entitial threats that might affect her did not apply in this sense? No, he could not afford to be so naive. "Panicking is a natural response, you can try staying as calm as possible, but it is normal to panic in that kind of situation, the focal point of that situation would be getting help as quickly as possible..." And on and on and on. Geez, there was no trouble yet and already someone had launched into panic mode. One game of eyeball pool later, if rolling eyes were visible under those heavily-lidded sockets, and he's snapped back. "I-I mean! Um, just... Just don't do anything you'd regret, okay?" Directly or indirectly. Both. Sure, there were those kinds of 'they' that she could handle without a problem, he was sure of that. He could not be so over-protective of her now, could he? He should have learnt that lesson about protectiveness.

Hey, if anything really did come after them at an amusement park, they could always lose them once they got on the roller coaster, right? "N-No. Just... Ah, hearsay and um, prior experience." And who could forget having to pull a metal bar out of a victim when a ferris wheel collapsed? Such a dangerous place, yet he was still keen on going? "But that was only once! And I didn't even go, so it doesn't count." Suddenly, he was so petulant about it. Why? "You don't have to! Um, really. We can um, enjoy it. Like any other day." Where 'any other day' meant 'any other day that was not filled with stress' maybe. But what's to say that the date would be just 'any other day' either? Well then, best not to think about that, one might think he was trying to tempt fate.

"...! Are you alright?" One bang was all it took to get the rabbits flying! In an instant he's behind her, rubbing the spot where her skull made contact with the ground. Gently. He hoped. It was not wise to freeze her scalp now. "If your definition of wrath is this, then perhaps it would be better to wait," he muttered flatly. "It's not going to do much if you hurt yourself." That was a joke, right? Right? With that kind of tone, it was so easily going to be mistaken as a lecture. "But if the both of us happen to be there and there's enough chance of us actually winning, then okay. Maybe a little wrath would be acceptable." A little? From them? Nah. More like no-holds-barred, curb-stomping beatdown! If they could, that is. Right.

Well, she got him good. Looks like even he can't be stoic all the time! "...... Yes," he conceded, after a minute of stiffly glaring at the floor. "How could you tell." If he could pout, he would. Somehow, someone was wondering if Amarante would like to keep a little something, if she was so happy at his childish behavior. Ah no, that was not going to be a good thing. No. Stick to the can, that was a lot easier. Don't get any weird ideas, now!

Or maybe he could just take her up on her suggestion and worry less, worrywart. That was going to take a little getting used to, but well. "I'll... try. Try. I'll still worry a lot, you know that." At least he conceded it! "But... Um... What do you mean by that? What about getting lucky?" Would they find a coin on the way out? Or find something nice to eat on the way back? Or get mobbed by a sudden bunch of curious people, all wanting to know how the date went? It was a private thing, correct? His colleagues are not supposed to know about it, right? Miyabi, Hyde and anyone that took up residence in Amarante's house would not turn up there suddenly, right? "....... Or did you mean unlucky." Such an excitement killer.

Sheesh, she must have accidentally fallen on something hard, if something managed to strike her neck and her head at the same time. Looking down, there seemed to be no indication of any object hard enough to do so? Strange. "No you shouldn't. It's not worth it," he snapped, examining both bruises a little more closely. What she said was true, for the head bump that is. She was not bleeding, and any possibility of lumps forming was quickly nullified with cooled vessels. There. But her neck? ".... Um, Ama? Did you fall on something? Or did something hit you on the neck?" he asked. But nope, he dare not touch it. In case she yelped due to pain or something. It's darker than her skin, so had this been here a while? Hmm.

Well, he got an answer to that rhetorical question. "Like sweets? Though I doubt you take your sugar like you're looking for Type 2." But at least he got the idea. And knew better than to immediately demolish it with his pessimism. Let her have her dreams once in a while, hmm? The worrying surely could not be helped, when both are so dedicated to each other. But okay, he was willing to accept it. Not like she was just newly getting onto his worry list anyway! "Meaning we can worry about each other all we like in the presence of either of us?" That certainly was a bit of 'being themselves'. "Or indulge in sweets. Like now." Where was that drink, anyway? Sitting on the ground a little ways away like nobody's business. Must be whatever it was that allowed it to remain standing after that little distress dash.

Did he hear the rest of her explanation? Hello? Earth to Erhard, why isn't he - whump. Oh. Well. Perhaps now he can be used as a hammer, since that block of ice that encased his head looked solid enough to do so, and all because of a simple joke. Maybe the thought of sexual activity, whether presented as a joke or not, was still going to be something he needed to get over. At least he did not fall on her! That would be quite worrisome. Though now it was his turn to be on his back.

Pop! Almost as if it were a comedy, a little hand pushed itself out of a (removable panel? What was this, a mecha cartoon?) and out hops a absolutely tiny (doll? Looks like one, or perhaps one of the cutesy people that wander this medium.), no taller than a stack of two rabbits. It might have simply been a miniature version of the doctor, but this fellow had blue hair, a scruffy grin with possibly human-sized dark red eyes, and absolutely no resemblance. Other than maybe the cute face, but that might have very well been a stylistic mistake.

"Ah! Sorry for the inconvenience, dear Amarante!" he chirps, pulling an equally tiny pickaxe out of the panel with him. Where it came from and how it managed to be there might very well be a mystery. "Erhard will be right back in a moment. You don't mind waiting for a while, do you?" Still laughing to himself, he starts hacking away at the ice, only to have it shatter and splatter against the surface like it was made of painted plasticine that looked awfully like the stuff he was seemingly made of. "Oops." he chuckles, holding up the broken 'pickaxe'. "I forgot how awful this stuff is when it comes to making pointy things."

Her petulant response only elicited an amused chuckle from him. "Oh, don't worry about it. He's just like that!" he replied so chipperly, he might as well be talking about the weather. Parents and their ability to handwave the flaws of their children! "I'm sure he doesn't blame you. Why would he, hmm?" The 'doll' threw the 'pickaxe' back into the panel and slammed it shut with cartoonish exaggeration before twirling it back to her with a huge grin. "Oh no, don't worry about that either! You two always go on your conversations without me, I don't see why this should be any different. Take it as an intermission, then! But do save your ah, declarations of love for him, okay? Even if I hear it, I'm not the intended recipient now, am I?"

He tottered over to the ice block and heaved himself onto it, frowning at the messy image that was supposed to be the doctor's head. "It's just like you to hide once your girlfriend starts with the juicy topics, eh? Well, can't put it past you!" Sure, rub it it, why not? Can the doctor even hear him? Maybe or maybe not, it seemed equally likely for both. "Wouldn't that take too long? Running the water and things. And..." To demonstrate, he hopped off the ice and started pushing against it. Push. Push. Nope, even with the ice melting just enough for it to be somewhat slippery, it was not going anywhere, much to the 'doll's frustration. "Ugh. Sometimes I wish I could carry heavy things too," he grumbled. "Then it'll take just a high - oh! Maybe you could push him off one of the shelves there?" The question would be whether Amarante could carry him all the way up there somehow, but that was not to be considered for an idea so absurd! It did not stop, however. "Or how about... Say, do you have a microwave, Amarante? It'll just be a simple matter of sticking this ice in there and waiting a few minutes, so much easier! And it minimizes the risk of him freezing himself to the bathtub!" Yep, definitely not right in the head, if that expression was still considered applicable for their unusual circumstances. Plus, who would be so amused enough to twirl around like a child if they were supposed to be an adult?

"Hmm, I'd wager more of panicked, if you know what I mean." Poor, poor Erhard. Too dense to deal with girls, and too dense to even know what to do when dealing with girls. Well, that was his problem, not the doll's. Sure, it was amusing. Who would not laugh, anyway? Though, it made it all the more funnier, considering that this person was also privy to both sides of this little rom-com. "Hmm, guess not! And as much as I'd like to suggest waking him with a true love's kiss from you, I'd also like to not be the herald of the next ice age." Did he seriously treat this as a fairytale? With that happy grin, maybe. Oh boy. Even before they properly knew each other, he was going to be such a pain. "But at least you know the way to his heart now! It's right through his chest and over the ice wall." Sparing no expense at the jokes now, huh. Too bad the flush of extreme embarrassment would not be enough to thaw his own head out.

Aww, she was so caring! Okay, he had to let her be nice. It was her romance story after all, he was not supposed to be getting in the way of today's episode! "Okay, good enough. I hope you've got a tub or something for this ice, there's going to be enough to bathe all your pets in, I think!" he laughed, tilting his head to mimic one of the rabbits. "I see you! Hello!" Hey, get back to trying to solve the cold case in the room instead of getting distracted with bunnies!

"Oh yeah.... Hey, I suppose it's kind of rude for a stranger to be saying all this." Such a sudden, perhaps not even important change of topic? "You don't know who I am, right?" he asked, stuffing his nubby hands into his pockets. "Or to rephrase it, you don't want to know?"

"Nope! It still doesn't matter. You didn't ask him either afterwards, that was what I was curious about." Sneaky sneaky, that was a test of judgement, was it not? "Which is not a bad thing, don't get me wrong. Even if I don't fancy that control of curiosity myself, it sure plays in tandem with his worries between work and you, heh." Oh yes, bring up the oh-so-dangerous work that she had to keep away from at all costs again. That would keep her curiosity at bay. Yeah. "Ah, you know what? Never mind about it, loosen up a little! The both of you are always so stiff around each other, like he froze your clothes and you strapped him to a heater." Bad choice of euphemisms to anyone else with proper knowledge of fear, but then what else was he exempt to? He seemed amused by his own choice of words, enough to start laughing hysterically. Probably hysterical too, this guy.
"Ohh.... Okay, okay. A bath would do. Just be careful to watch his mouth if you don't want frostbite." So many cringe-tastic puns. Someone stop him quick before the library freezes over and he pins the blame on the one who can do it literally!

Maybe he heard? The hand Amarante picked up would probably have crushed hers with the sudden force it clenched with, but what was the likelihood of being awake when his head was encased in ice? Or those red eyes twitching so slightly as they swivel to stare unblinkingly at her, his gaze only hindered by the light reflecting off the cracks?

But the mischievous one had other things to worry about than the stoic one's imminent rage. Now, about those woffly furballs that were peeking over the ice barricade! "Blargh. Bleebegehbloooh." He was the kind of person to use an essentially shapeshifting ability to pull goofy faces at timid bunnies instead of oh, turning into a harness to help her carry the frozen body instead of risking the library turning into the Arctic? "Gooblegooblegooble. Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked, pausing mid-contortion to watch Amarante for a while. "Waiting for hell to freeze over, perhaps?"

Well, that only made him dissolve into more laughter, enough to send him rolling on the floor for a while. "He's about as delicate as he physically is, yes! Never mind his complaining, he can totally take whatever he gets." Really, what kind of parent can say that about their child? "I know he's really going to love getting pampered by you though! It sure would be nice to get off work after a long day and go get dinner with someone so nice, eh?" And then more laughing. Was it possible for him to stop for more than a minute? The only person that might know and was readily accessible was unfortunately unable to say anything, but the sizzling glare piercing through the ice probably held all the messages that needed to be burnt into that doll's head.

"Oh, yes yes. Right away!" Surprise, for someone seemingly constructed out of the same material as the doctor, he can run. And oh dear, can he run! Run, little bunnies! Before he starts pulling faces again! Even the three-meter boundary so obstructive to the doctor was nothing compared to the tiny person's fervent tottering! Past the portal, laughing as he went, nubby hands out in front to try and catch any of those scampering furballs. Which of course, was a rather futile thing to do when one was hardly much bigger than them, so he ended up sitting on the floor of the bathroom, still laughing away so happily. "You're already so old, you still need someone to bathe you? Ahaha!"

Well, at least Erhard seemed resigned to let Amarante carry him to the bathtub. Better a nice cradle than getting hauled into a microwave, after all! But maybe he should not bring that up with Amarante. If the both of them decided that a competition, or heck, even a team effort of absurd ideas was in the works.... Okay, that would be the day he would get out the scalpels and excise those extras eyes and willingly settle for a life sentence. Even his hands, stiff as they already were, chilled at that thought. And yes, the doll would notice. And as expected, laugh. It was a wonder no one got curious enough to pop in and see what was so funny.

"Oh, that's going to take forever! Why not turn it up?" squealed the doll, sliding into the inner bathroom to join them and clumsily trying to hoist himself into the tub to do the job himself. Well, those arms were a little too small... Okay, maybe way too small. How would a small thing with a disproportionate head and arms barely long enough to touch the top of it get into a tub meant for normal-sized people? A few minutes later he gave up, settling instead for flopping face-down on the middle of the floor to wait. "Mmm.... It's so nice to be in a warmer place once in a while. You have noooo idea." Funny, he actually relished warmth, even rolling as close as he could to the heaters, even if they were too high to reach. "It's so much better than staring at blank walls and shivering! And he has the nerve to tell me he doesn't want to wake up and smell the flowers every day!"

Surprisingly, for such a large chunk of ice, it took a little over ten minutes to melt, so a little over ten minutes of the doll's complaining. Most of it was gone by then, leaving a wet trail where the excess water trickled down into the tub and a head still dripping with cold water. He lay there dazed for a few more moments, staring at the eyes that stared back at him that looked like his own but only - ah! The shock, the horror! He got sent sprawling back, still so very, very unnerved at staring at his own reflection. And of course, friction decided that today was a good day to live up to its lack thereof! Next thing he knew, his head was at the bottom of the tub with a throbbing pain stabbing into its back and his feet were in the air.

The doll had sat up at that loud thud, and the resulting sight brought that grin back to his face. Oh no, not again. That obnoxious laughter rang throughout the inner bathroom. And apparently, someone was more than annoyed by it, perhaps by his rage being bottled for the past few minutes, for with a battle cry, the newly-thawed medic gets back up, swings his legs over the edge of the bath as the doll starts trying to run away... Only to have his wet feet thwart him once more and send him crashing to the floor, striking his forehead against the tiles and leaving his feet dangling over his head.

"Hmm... That sounds like an egg on the kitchen counter. Did you forget to fill up your head today, Erhard?" sang the doll, dancing just out of reach to the tune of his frustrated moan.