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Loud people in bright colours, candy necklaces, black lights, loud music. A rave? Look closer. Wheels. That's right, a skating rink. Children following an endless circle on skates or roller blades, playing 'red light green light' and killing anonymous aliens in video games. It was getting late, the crowd of younger children thinning out, and teens and preteens making up the majority.

Earako had not wanted to come at first. A skating rink sounded so undignified, especially because she'd never been on skates before. She knew she'd fall on her butt, and that wasn't something she wanted anyone else to see. But her Dad had been adament. She'd been spending too much time in the house, he said. And he'd pick her up at eight. No, Vimber could not come. As a result, she was a bit of a dejected little batling, as she sat on one of the benches and tied on her skates.

She wore one of her shorter skirts, it only reached her knees. But it had ten times the lace, as if to make up for that lack. It was a generally flouncy, puffed look she presented to the world, marred only by her frown. Well, her frown and the fact that the blacklights made her pale, pale skin glow. Yes, she was quite literally glowing in the dark. No help for that either.

Standing, she tried her first few shaky movements forward, staying on the carpet, and not even looking at the slick ground of the skating rink itself. First, she had to figure out how to move in these things. With grace, if possible.

What was-- who-- Earako attempted to turn quickly, nearly lost her balance, and found herself gripping a chair in a desperate attempt to keep her feet. As if her situation wasn't stupid looking enough. Forcing herself to release her grip, she did her best to stand straight, as one should stand, though her posture was not as good as one might usually expect.

Now, who had that been?

It wasn't difficult to spot Cleo, a girl she remembered distantly as being adorable, a fact that proved still true. The boy was less familiar, though it seemed likely that she'd seen him in the D-corp halls before. She couldn't remember everyone's name, even if it was the polite thing to do. Lifting her own hand, she gave a delicate wave, glad that her fingers were hidden beneath her gloves. Most of her skin was covered, which meant only her head was left to glow.

But it still glowed.

And there were hours yet, before Dad came back. She'd rather hoped she wouldn't see anyone who might recognize her.

"Hello, Cleo." She greeted, when the girl grew close enough. Earako, of course, did not yell. The girl did not even talk loudly, her whisper of a voice slipping low beneath the music, and carrying only to those who were willing to actually listen when she spoke. It was good, that the boy had said the bird ones name. She'd forgotten it.

There was no way she was going to curtsy in skates. Damn. She settled at last on bowing her head, the closest she could get to her usual form of greeting.

Yes, yes she did know she was glowing. And it wasn't exactly proper for a young lady to point out faults in another. Of course, it also wasn't proper for her to correct the manners of one that wasn't a close friend, so Earako kept her mouth shut. She couldn't control her skin, though, and nothing quite showed up on that albino pale flesh like the brilliant rose of an embarassed blush. Why had Dad made her come here again?

"It's Earako. And I think your wings are lovely as well." She wanted, very much, to turn the discussion away from her. If Cleo could notice the glowing of her horrid white skin, she could notice her lack of balance as well. And Earako certainly didn't want that.

At Lian's rather rough introduction, Earako lifted her eyes from Cleo and placed her fingertips lightly against the boy's paw. Her motions were careful, deliberate, intended to avoid overbalancing her. She lowered her head again, another bow where a curtsy should be, then let her hand drop back to her side.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lian. You're a friend of Cleo's? And one of D-corps as well, yes?" Her attention slid back to the bird then, knowing it was rude to let it stay with any one person for too long. "You have your dragon, now?"

Earako was... off balance. Cleo was so very bright, and Lian so very new. And the music was loud, and there were so many people. It was overwhelming. The her that she had trained to be a lady was very much at war with the her that had forgotten how to trust. She wished Vimber was around. Vimber, who she no longer trusted to be sweet and good, but still trusted to protect her. Savius wouldn't be so bad either.

It wasn't LIKE Da' to drop her off either. He was supposed to keep her safe.

But she was a lady, or wanted to be, and that meant Lian and Cleo, and not giving in to personal phobias.

"You are... both sweet." She murmured after swallowing her momentary near panic. She did not take compliments easily. She did not like them... the proof they gave, of the dishonesty of others. There was a grace to flattery but she wanted to believe that something could be both graceful and true. Even if the something was not her.

And Cleo was irresistibly bright. It made the girl smile, through shyness and discomfort and distrust. Also, she had wonderful hair. And lovely wings. Despite her own clinging to dark, the batling adored bright shining colors, when they presented themselves on the pretty, feathery birds. She liked all the things she wasn't.

"I would skate with you." Earako began, and it was true. She would rather be with Cleo than linger with Lian, who was male, and unfamiliar, and therefore not safe even if he could seem kind. "But I..."

She blushed again, and that helped some with the glowing, the albino could turn very red.

"I can't seem to skate at all, really. The wheels, they're, very round."

Yep. Bright cookie, right here. She turned even redder, blushing to the tips of her huge ears.

Earako allowed herself to take comfort from Cleo's words. It didn't fix things, not really, but it was nice to hear. She couldn't quite express how hard it was to put herself deliberately in a position where she might look stupid. But Cleo was pretty, and sweet, and to argue with her would be just as bad as to fall on her butt.

If she could not be perfect, she would at least be gracious within her imperfection.

"Alright." She murmured, in her whisper of a voice, and she moved unsteadily forward, placing her hand within Cleo's and tightening her fingers despite herself. She needed to hold onto something steady, and the yellow girl was even better than a table or chair. The girl might even catch her if she started to fall.

"But you have to not laugh at me, okay?" It was more of a hopeless request than a demand, breathless and begging for patience. She smoothed her outfit again, nervously, and tried her best to smile, summoning her most polite version of the expression.

It was easy enough to tug Earako for exactly that reason. She simply rolled in the direction that Cleo wanted her, then settled gingerly next to her on the bench. The more she studied the other girl, the more she was deciding she liked this other bright pretty bird.

It wasn't strange really. The bat was, by the very nature of what she was, drawn to things she wasn't. She wasn't a bright, pretty and confident bird, Cleo was. And that brought up that strange mix of admiration of jealousy that was now so familiar to the batling. Fascinated as she was by Cleo, she nearly missed Lian's exit.

But she was Earako, and so she didn't. She waved quickly (because there wasn't a chance of her getting up for another curtsy, and called out after him, though 'called' could hardly describe her shy whispering voice. "We will speak later, I hope."

And then to Cleo again, who chattered with the admirable and appropriate ease. "Vimber's difficult." She admitted quietly, twisting her fingers nervously in her lap. She'd feel better if the dragon was with her. "She-- she can be kinda mean some times. I try to talk with her about it..."

And then, because it would be rude to linger overlong on her own problems, "I'd like to see your Shilling. I'm sure he's pretty."