Shanyume
Takes place February 1st!
Nataniel exhaled a steady breath into the pre-dawn darkness, blowing out a hazy wisp of fog as he did. He knew it was a lot to ask of anyone to meet him out here at this hour during this time of year, but early mornings were pretty much the only free time he had, now that he was a working man. It had been easy during the past few months to plan around his class schedule, but since his graduation in December, Nataniel had found time to be even more of a luxury than he previously thought.
He wanted to keep as close to the schedule he was accustomed to, if able: a 4AM workout, followed by a brief period for shower and breakfast, then work (previously school). He wanted at least an hour to himself to relax on his computer, and then after that...
Patrolling for the Negaverse, and hopefully in bed at such a time that it wouldn't ruin his strict early-morning routine.
It was likely beneficial that he didn't partake in many extracurricular activities. Or had any friends to do them with. Not partaking in "many" wasn't the same as partaking in zero, though. He did have a very small scattering of hobbies he enjoyed, particularly during the winter.
The air was crisp and the wind was brisk. The sky was a deep, dark blue-grey, still obscured mostly by the darkness of night, but heavy clouds were apparent up above. Pinpricks of light dotted the street from lit lampposts, though even those became less frequent as he neared the park. He pulled into the lot on his motorcycle, and if he hadn't been fully awake before, being whipped by the wind at 60 mph was certainly bracing enough to make him alert.
As one should be in Destiny City.
Nataniel pulled off his helmet, tucked it into the storage compartment on his bike, and coiled his striped scarf more tightly around himself. He collected his box of ice skates from the same storage area and headed for the lake. It was a little embarrassing (so maybe best that he practiced in the dark), and he didn't know exactly how he'd been wrangled into this-
Well, no, he did actually. The local ice rink, which Nataniel didn't usually frequent, despite his general enjoyment in the activity was hosting a small competition with the prize of free "season pass" vouchers for the winning pair. He did like free. And he did like winning. And much of the neglect of an activity he enjoyed stemmed from the thought that he simply didn't have the spare cash to go frequently, so... this seemed reasonable.
The most unfortunate part of the whole ordeal was that it was a pairs activity.
His least favorite thing.
Still, the girl who worked at the rink had agreed to join him. Maybe she had a friend she wanted to give her pass to, or something. Or maybe a small victory here would let her compete in some state tournament. Nataniel didn't know, and he didn't care to ask. The most important thing was that she seemed talented enough to be a suitable partner, and perhaps she would be able to help him excel for this little competition.
He just hoped she wasn't too bothered by the hour in which they had to meet.
