ROLEPLAY HQ - ice-breaker

In a small town in southern Seattle, there is a ice rink. The outside of it doesnt look fancy or new. It is dirty and even has spray paint on the sides. Inside the faint noises of ice being skated on can be heard. Light music can be heard from the main rink. The rink is big. It has new ice that is now being skated on by a young male. Eli hums as he skates. He does a flip and then a toe loop. ’ almost done. Triple toe then the finale.’ he thinks to himself. His coach was watching him. Studying him. Eli was a high standing competing ice figure skater. He is from Seattle and so he chose to train here. The figure skater stood only 5’5”. He looked like the typical partner. The one that would be lifted and thrown in a partnership of figure skating. He has light brown hair and light skin. His face and body has soft features. Once Eli comes to the finally, the doors to the rink are thrown open. This makes sam fall due to losing concentration. He looks up as he slides on the ice and sighs. His couch turns around and says to the group “what is going on?” A couch come up and says “we are the new hockey team for the state of Seattle. We want to use this rink. This is going to be our summer practice rink.” He hands Sam’s couch a peice of paperwork. His couch looks at the paper and shakes his head “Eli has to practice. We have this rink for the whole summer!” Elistands and skates over. “What’s going on?” His voice was soft. It had a soft English accent. Eli’s couch, William, says “they are going to use this rink…i guess we have to find a new space..” the couch looks at the male. Eli looks at the hockey coach and says “can we make a deal? How about i use just half of the rink…this rink is big enough for that…” he says. The hockey coach nods and says “ok..deal.” He says.

@Deleted User

James dragged himself through the heavy metal doors of the ice rink. Another day, another skate. His joints were getting tired. However, he powered through. It was the one aspect to his day, and week, that took his thoughts away from the dread of working. The team had practice to do for trophies to win. He sat on a creaky plastic bench and yanked his outdoors shoes off to jam his feet into his skates. The laces were navy blue and shredding from years of use. He slipped a chest pad over his head and fastened it from the sides of his waist, and pulled the uniform’s jersey on top. He was ready. The coach was negotiating time on the ice, however it seemed to be more of an argument than anything. Not his problem - he stepped onto the ice with his stick and charged towards the net, making a quick sweep behind it while their goalie slid towards him. It was going to be a great day. He glanced at some individuals who appeared to be figure skating. That never really crossed James’ mind. He hadn’t been interested in it, even the craze during the Winter Olympics. A cold breeze swept across his face and it felt like home. The coach steps off to the side and walks along the dusty concrete to one of the walls where a stereo was. The simple tune of a piano was switched to a classic 80’s rock tune. @Blue Beetle

Eli looks at the team and sighs as they turn the music. He grabs his headphones and turns on his music. He turns on the noise canceling to hopefully help him concentrate. He scans the ice rink as he stays on one side of the rink. He hums to his music. Hs eyes look and landed on James. Eli tries to not let his feelings start as he turns away and starts to do his show. He wore a long pair of black sleeves, black pants, and gloves. He does his toe loops and flips. His eyes were concentrated on the ice. He bites his lip as he goes for a triple loop. He barely lands it. He groans softly as he just goes in circle. Sam’s coach was watching him. They would look at each other and Eli would push over and talk with his coach. Eli was a fit young man. He wasnt muscular but he still took care of himself. Once the coach and him were done talking Eli went back to practicing his loops and other tricks. He didnt really pay attention to the hockey team. He just wanted to shake

8:26 AM

@Deleted User

James glided freely across the ice. His stick was wooden but painted black with blue detailing and he had it engraved with his last name. Coach blew the whistle, and James skated towards the center circle for a face off. Sweat beads dripped down his forehead as he stared at his teammate, they were at eye level together. As the whistle blew one more time James swept the puck away and began to plummet towards the opposing net. Before he could get too carried away he saw the blur of a figure standing on the ice and he screeched to a sudden stop, snow flying off the bottom of his blades. “What the fuck!” James’ eyebrows furrowed and he looked displeased. The small group of figure skaters were covering the net, and put a halt to the practice run. If he hadn’t stopped, he would have ran everyone over. “James.. it’s okay.” The coach called from a distance, however he was still annoyed. How was this supposed to work? He sighed and scooped up the puck with his glove and skated back towards their end of the rink. The stranger who met his gaze was undoubtedly attractive, and James tried to get it off his mind to focus on what he was there for. @Blue Beetle

Eli looks at James and shakes his head softly as he starts to do circles. The other shakers hated this situation. He bites his lip as he looks at James. Some of the hockey players line up to do shooting but facing the ice shakers. Eli doesnt see what is about to happen. One of the hockey players hit a slap shot towards Eli. The puck hits his skate. The younger male cries out and lands hard on the ice. His eyes were seeing stars, his chest hurts. His couch jumps the shoulder and rushes to Eli. He looks at the male and tries to calm him down. The hockey player chuckles as if they had planned that. Eli was sat up and his chest wasn’t letting air. He got the air knocked out of him. He whimpers as the coach was trying to help the male calm down and start to breath. Eli didnt know what had happened. The puck moving on the ice. He was shivers from the cold as he starts to take slow deep breathes.

@Deleted User

James and the rest of the crew skated towards the east end of the ice, where their bench was. They all took a seat and the room was quiet with the exception of low music bumbling in the background. As much as James didn’t like figure skating, it was still painful to watch someone get hurt- no matter what. He grimaced as he imagined how badly it must have hurt. The coach knelt beside the crouching skater, and offers a hand to help them safely off the ice. The team’s coach barked at the men, going on about how they all needed to be mindful of space. James couldn’t help but feel bad. He was seeing red with anger, he got up and while ignoring the questions of his teammates, followed the two. He inhaled deeply and took a few breaths to calm himself before peeking around the corner and gathered his composure before approaching. The locker room area was painted and carpeted pleasantly, with rubber mats to stomp off any remaining ice. The benches were wooden with a smooth glazed finish. These rooms were recently renovated to give anyone a nice place to change and relax. To the left were freshly installed showers that were pristine- hadn’t even been used yet. The lockers each came with a keypad to securely close belongings and were lined up in a row. “Um,” James broke the silence, feeling awkward as he did so. “Just wanted to see if you’re okay.. I mean, I can get the guy in here to apologize, if you want.” Warmth flooded over his face as it began to thaw. The room had heat. Why was he, a man of usual confidence, stumbling upon his words? James pulled off his black helmet that had a cage over it, revealing his full face. @Blue Beetle

Eli was sat in the locker room to breath and to change to go home and rest. He stands and pulls off his shirt. A red mark was starting to appear. He groans softly before jumping and looking at the older man. He hides his body and blushes “um…i am fine…really…i understand…i wil be ok…i…i dont need anyone coming to apologize..” he says softly as he looks at her. He bites his lip and says “i am sorry this situation is…weird..maybe we can come up with a schedule…where we can have days were it is just one team…then days were it is both..” he groans softly as he sits and holds his side. He was hurting. He takes a deep breath before grabbing some ice packs from his bag. He cracks the auto ice pack and holds it on his side. “I am..am Eli…so…fi you need anything..i am here..” he says softly. He smiles and blushes at the handsome man. Eli looks down and tries to get rid of the blush. This is stupid. He…he coudlnt let this man…no. He wouldn’t. He takes a deep breath and stands. “I am going to get a shower..um…here..” he writes something down. It was his number “just in case you need something…i have a extra key to the rink so..if you need a late night skate i can let you in..” he hands the note to the man before moving to the showers and disappears. He hides in the shower and groans softly. He was awkward

12:43 PM

@Deleted User

James had an expression of disbelief. “That.. doesn’t look like it’ll be okay. Are you sure?” He inched a couple steps closer to better examine the wound. He then took a step back, crossing his arms. “No. It’s fine, really. Just uh, tell me what your schedule is and we’ll work around it. You were there first.” James didn’t want to play jackass- he felt bad for what happened. Even though it wasn’t his fault. “Nice to meet you, I’m James.” He gladly accepted the small piece of paper, “Man. Are you sure you didn’t break a rib or something? Can we at least go get you checked out?” The redness was concerning, and it was very likely that it would turn to a bruise. He wanted nothing more than to go and chew out the man who ran into this innocent skater. Chances are, he would anyway. James watched as the man disappeared to the showers, and he called out so it was audible from there, “I guess I’ll be going then. Uh, if you need help later, feel free to call me.” He quickly scrambled for his cell phone that was tucked away into the pair of water-resistant shorts he wore under his heavy gear pants. He sent out a quick, ’Hello’ to the number that he was given and awkwardly rushed out of the locker room. By this time, everyone was gathering their belongings to leave. He missed out. And for some reason, he didn’t seem to mind when normally this would anger him. @Blue Beetle

Eli groans softly and hides his face. he rubs his neck before wahsing himself. his mind was racing. that man...he was so..nice? handsome?...eli groans before washing up and dries himself off. the smaller male moves to get dressed and ready to head home. he looks at his phone and smiles softly before texting 'hi, this is eli.' he grabs his things and moves to leave. the team was gone by the time that eli was out. he sighs softly lockign up and turning everything off. he hums lightly before putting into his headphone and turning on his music. he moves to a small scooter and starts to head home to his apartment. he gets to his apartment and lets himself in. he hums lightly getting his things set down. he pull sout his phone and texts james 'hey, thank you for coming to check on me...sorry if i was awakard..'

12:52 PM

@Deleted User

The lights were off. Everyone was gone. James grumbled to himself as he kicked the heavy glass door shut, which echoed. He fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone and was met with a frosty breeze once he stepped outside. James had a decent apartment in the city. It had one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen and common area- that’s all he really seemed to need for living by himself. It had the pleasant feature of being in a location where most things were walking distance. A couple restaurants, a market and a pharmacy. Upon arriving at home, James spotted his dog lying on the couch. He gently shut the door behind him and sat down to reply to the messages he had gotten before. *’Hi Eli. Don’t worry about it. Get well soon’ he quickly typed out and pressed send. A part of him was still worried. But why? Normally events of this nature were nothing to remember. People got hurt every day on the ice. It was something he always witnessed. James turned on the television to try to take his mind off of it. @Blue Beetle

eli looks at his phone and smiles. he goes to type something else but hovers over the keyboard. he sets down the phone before hiding his face into his pillow. he didnt know what his midn was doing! he screams like a little boy into the pillow before pickig up his phone. if you need anything just let me know :) he pretty much throws his phone before getting up and getting ready for bed. he rubs his eyes while moving and getting ready. he coudlnt stop thinking about the man who had came into the locker room. he takes a deep breath curling up on the couch, turning on the tv and curling up.

3:04 PM

@Deleted User

James settled into bed and pulled the plush quilted blanket up to his shoulders. The lamp light was dim and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. The following morning, sunlight flickered into the room and the space heater buzzed. James felt comfort in living alone. It was part of his daily routine to brew hot coffee and sit on the cushioned chair on his balcony while catching up on emails he may have missed. Upon powering his phone on, James saw the message he missed. He wished he had seen it earlier. He wrote and sent, ’Thanks, you too.’ After finishing the steaming drink James set the mug on the countertop and started a warm shower. Today there would be a meeting amongst himself and other members of the local men’s hockey league. They would be discussing a possible travel plan for the season, or having opponents travel to them. He dressed himself in a sleek grey button up with black jeans and his nicest pair of boots. He slipped on his smartwatch and stuck his wallet in his pocket before leaving the apartment and leaving for the rink. *At the back of his mind, James wondered if Eli would answer his text. He kept peeking at the screen, waiting for a response. It wasn’t owed. It wouldn’t leave his thoughts. @Blue Beetle

eli eneded up fallin asleep on his couch. he would wake up early and move to get up and moving. he was a early riser and mover. he was dressed and ready for the rink within a few mintues. he grabbed a quick breakfast before grabbing his bag and phone. he didnt see a repsonse and sighs. it was ok...james didnt owe him a repsonse. he moves to his scooter and gets to the rink. he drives along the road as he listens to msuic. he parks his scooter before he moves to unlock the door to the rink. he was there before everyone else. perfect. he quickly gets changed into his practice outfit and skates. he turns on the music to play in the whole rink and starts to warm up

6:59 AM

@Deleted User

The meeting lasted for approximately an hour. James was exhausted and the only thing on his mind was the ice. He stood from the crooked leather stool and shook hands with the director of the club before finding his way to the locker room. It was warm and humid as if someone had just shut off the showers. He quickly peeled off his attire and began to layer on the gear. Lights overhead felt brighter this particular afternoon and the reflection off the freshly prepped ice surface made James’ eyes water. He took a deep, drawn out breath and stepped around the outside of the glass board to find his stick. He was hoping to see Eli again.

7:58 PM

@Blue Beetle

eli was doing his show. he was doing flips and turns. he was being watched by the workers of the rink. he turns and flips.. the music moving him along. his show was one that had his body moving and twisting. he doesnt look around as he focuses on his turns. his feet having to do so much to keep him on the ice and safe. some of the other hockey players were watching and just waiting. their pactice was starting for a couple more minesutes. eli finihses and pants softly. he takes a deep breath as he looks around. he looks and sees james. his eyes widen softly as he smiles and waves. the hockey players moved onto the ice ands tarted to get set up

12:30 PM

@Deleted User

@Deleted User take your time