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Among the nearby winter wonderland festivities sits a natural-made skating rink, constantly covered in men and women of all ages and all range of skill - some skate like pros and some are clearly new to the sport. As you make your way onto the ice, you seem to be doing fine… that is, until a wayward snowball comes hurtling in your direction -- look out! Hands find their way around you… have you been saved by a friend, or perhaps a good Samaritan that was skating by? Do they manage to keep you standing or did you manage to take them down with you? One thing's for certain...not even the most professional of ice skaters could have prepared themselves for that!
Caleb grinned, a rare sight on his face running a hand through his freshly cropped hair as he watched his two youngest sisters, Ages six and eight respectively, put on ice skates. The youngest has never been skating before, at least not ice skating, but the older of the two was a pro. At least that is what she assured her baby sister. And he ha double checked, she had indeed taken lessons, and was apparently quite good at it. Caleb himself knew how to skate as well, from a short stint in Ice hockey that he found he enjoyed watching far more than actually playing. He liked to do things like this with them, and at least once a month he tried to pick up a few of them to go do something fun, without their parents. He loved their parents, but they were strict, and he found that often times the girls just couldn't relax around him.
Without them around, they flourished, and his feelings weren't even hurt when they seemed to completely forget he existed. He smiled, pleased by their pleasure and leaned against the little concrete wall that lead out onto the ice. Nodding when they remembered that he was indeed a living creature that was there… who had… the money… which could e exchanged for chili fries. The forbidden food of the gods. And he was the bestest brother ever so he would SURELY get them some, right?
He chuckled and ushered them onto the ice, already having accepted his fate Of course he would be providing all of the greasy not allowed forbidden foods during HIS time with them. It’s what he was for. He took to the ice and glided a respectful distance away from the two little bluenettes, listening to their pleasant chatter as the older lead the younger, holder her hands and showing her how to place her feet. Caleb circled, sometimes forwards, sometimes backwards, with the flow of people, but always watching his two little sisters. When he circled back to them he would do a little loop around them, smiling and offering words of encouragement before being shooed away, they could handle this, and truly the little one had only fallen twice, and she didn't even look that upset about it.
He turned back into the flow of traffic, following the line of other skaters and enjoying this rare moment of peace in his life. In fact everyone around was in a great mood. Usually at places like this there was always SOMEONE there to spoil the mood. A drunk husband. A catty girlfriend. A snotty child. But truly everyone around seemed to be enjoying the calm and the ice, and were behaving themselves. He did another circle, allowing himself to pick up speed. He hadnt skated in a long time, and the first lap he had taken slow, but muscle memory was a wonderful thing, and he wanted to stretch his long legs and get some wind around him. Not to fast, but enough that his skates made a satisfying sound against the ice.
