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Jacen had wandered--with Brie's permission, to the lakeside. She had insisted on his taking at least a light jacket; the explanation that he was an ice type didn't seem to make any difference to her. The vanilite was happiest outdoors, during the winter. The indoors seemed so stifling and warm, he figured it was due to the heater. And probably because of his younger brother, James. The younger boy had grown restless with the colder seasons, and prone to pacing in front of Jacen's bedroom door. Blegh, fire pokemon. It was better outside; Jacen loved the feel of the cool air against his face. He loved looking up at the cold, chilly blue sky.

He would have preferred it if there had been a blanket of fluffy gray clouds, though. That would have meant snow, with these kind of temperatures.

The lake was beautiful in any weather, he observed. It wasn't quite iced over; pity. He could have invited Molly iceskating. He wanted to give her the best winter experience possible. He wanted to lead her around a rink. He'd have to ask Colby about that later.

Jacen was startled by the voice, which was apparent by the soft snow suddenly falling around him. He looked around, finally setting eyes on Kirsi. Another ice pokemon? What a pleasant surprise! He waved back, smiling. "Hey!" he called back in greeting. He made his way towards her, having noticed she was in a wheelchair. He wanted to make things easier for her. He had experience with this sort of thing; his trainer, after all, was blind.

"I haven't seen you before," he said, studying her. He hadn't met another ice type before, though. "Isn't it beautiful out here?" he glanced over the lake, smiling. "I bet we could freeze the whole thing, if we worked together."

Huh. Jacen thought she must not have found her star very long ago. She spoke like she was new to the language. He could understand that. He nodded, "We don't live far away from here," he said, gesturing vaguely in the direction of his home. He was excited to get to know her; the very first ice type he'd ever met.

She was a water type, too, wasn't she? He recognized that as soon as she asked about swimming. He shook his head. "Nah. Not in the winter," he said. Truthfully, he wasn't she he could swim. He'd never been taught, having been wild until his trainer had caught him. His breath was supposed to be in the extreme negatives--what if he froze the lake while he was in it? James wasn't around to melt and get him out. He'd be stuck there till summer! He'd starve! "You swim, though?" he asked. "I bet you're not bothered by the cold at all!"

It probably was the best swim, cold weather made everything better. He nodded in understanding. "I just don't want to get stuck," he said, "I can't really control my breath and whenever I go somewhere, it starts snowing..." It was hard to explain. He'd read up on it, the online pokedexes were handy. Some professor named after a tree had written it. Or maybe it was more than one professor, he wasn't sure.

He watched as she removed the blanket, blinking in surprise. Where her legs should have been, she had a tail! Like a mermaid from one of the movies Brie had made him watch once he'd told her he didn't know what Disney was. "Yes," he agreed. Cold was the best. "I do. But..." He wasn't sure about this... He removed his shirt, moving closer to the lake. "Er. You'd rescue me if I did get stuck, right?"

Jacen slid into the shallow waters, unsure if he liked the sensation of the cool waters lapping at his skin. He'd left his jeans on, he'd dry off when he got home. Ice pokemon or not, being in wet clothes wasn't a pleasant feeling. He was amazed that the water didn't immediately freeze around him. He'd taken baths before, but he'd never submerged himself into a lake. It was different. The water was probably dirty, but he didn't care. He splashed experimentally.

This was just like a bathtub, he decided. Just an outdoor one, without a facet. He didn't need a facet, or bubbles. This was fun! He grinned at Kirsi, apparently pleased.

Jacen cupped his hands, allowing them to fill with water, before mimicking the dewgong girl. He grinned as the water fell down around them, and then turned to splash at Kirsi. Yes, this was fun! He'd have to do this with Molly sometime, only, not during winter. Humans had thinner skin, he'd learned. They couldn't withstand cold weather for very long, and cold water was a definite no. They got sick. They broke easily.

"I'm Jacen," he said. "You have a pretty name, Kirsi. Let's be friends."

Jacen was having fun, even if he didn't trust himself to go further into the water. He was still frightened, but the shallows were fun! And he was delighted to have made a friend. He couldn't wait to tell Molly about his day. "Maybe we can play again tomorrow," he suggested, glancing at Kirsi. He wanted to be able to introduce Molly to her. He'd have to ask his father for permission, but he was sure that as long as they promised to be careful, Colby would agree.

"Do you want to meet here again?" he asked, hopefully. "We can play more."