"I did try some when I was young, but as with many sports, body type is a factor. Just as not anyone can be a prima ballerina if they just wish it and try hard. Of course I can still skate and I know everything I taught myself back then. I'm very happy to coach young skaters to be like I once was." Coaching in itself had its own appeal though it had not been his original dream. He didn't think too hard on it and accepted that sometimes life changed. He used to be so happy just watching Natalia skate.

Alfred personally felt that body type didn't really matter when someone worked hard enough. But he wasn't going to start an argument over this. It just didn't seem worth it. "If you say so, dude." he told him. His stomach growled lightly and he began looking around, wondering if they sold any type of food here. He was more than ready for something to eat.

Ivan sighed and stood up to stretch. "I'm going to get some snacks from the vending machine and take a little break. There's a couple tables in the corner. Why don't you wait for me there?" He heard Alfred's stomach and he felt a little hungry himself. Food, and perhaps a bathroom break. It sounded nice and Ivan set off in that direction, trying to regain the good mood he had while on the ice.

Alfred watched him walk away, wondering if he should follow him. It was his job after all. And while he was sure nothing would happen here, with all these people, he knew it was better to be safe than sorry. He stood and stretched after a moment while he was contemplating this before following after Ivan.

Ivan had just finished buying two bags of pretzels from the vending machine when he caught a flash of silver hair out of the corner of his eye. He whipped his head around, but didn't see any pretty, white-haired girls wandering around. He noted Alfred walking toward him and though a part of him wanted to run over to the bodyguard, he also felt pathetic in a place like there where people used to respect him. Since he probably just imagined it, Ivan forced himself to relax and headed into the bathroom, forgetting that he still carried his food.

He went to the sinks first, throwing some water on his face. The door slammed closed at some point, but he paid it no attention until he looked up and caught his reflection in the mirror. Right behind his own figure, Natalia's face smiled. "Hello brother."

Alfred noticed Ivan was heading towards the bathroom, so he stopped nearby to wait to give him some privacy. He looked around while he waited and noticed when a girl went into the men's room. He recognized her from the photo of Natalia. He instantly followed her in to intervene.

Ivan dropped the pretzel bags he'd just picked up from the sink edge. "Natalia?! W-what are you doing here?" he asked, edging away from her. Of course, the young girl just stood there, smiling like she wasn't the least bit threatening. He wasn't fooled though. He continued inching, trying to get to the door despite the fact that his sister stood between him and it.

"Do you remember when we used to skate here? We-" Her words were cut off when the door opened again. Natalia turned to see the blonde boy she watched skate with her brother earlier. "Oh...it's you," she said, her voice dropping low with venom dripping off that one word. Her eyes had narrowed at Alfred and it was enough to spurn Ivan into action. He grabbed Alfred with one arm and dashed out of the bathroom, dragging him behind.

"Run!"

Alfred had entered the bathroom, fully prepared for a fight. What he wasn't prepared for was for Ivan to pull him out of the room with him. He stumbled slightly before getting his feet back under himself. When he did, he grabbed the other and forced him to stop. "Dude. You shouldn't just run away from her. That doesn't fix anything." he told him.

Ivan did his best to run as far and as fast as he could until Alfred stopped him. When he did stumble to a stop, he just stared at the other for a second with his heart beating still way too fast. Then he dropped his head onto Alfred's shoulder with a noise of distress. "I'm sorry. I couldn't even think. She looked at you like that and I just ran on instinct. I'm sorry..." he whined. They were safe though and all he wanted to do was hide, even if that was hiding his face like this.

Alfred reached out and lightly patted Ivan on the back. "It's alright.. I understand. Though isn't that why you hired me? To protect you so you wouldn't have to run and hide?" He asked. "Kinda hard to do my job when you won't let me. There isn't anything she could do that I haven't seen before. I can more than handle her, if given the chance."

Ivan let out a sigh and finally lifted his head. Hands tangled in his scarf, he nodded once. "I'll try next time. But can we please just go home now!" he exclaimed. Since Alfred asked it, he would try to rely on him more, but another time. He had no intentions of going back to the bathroom to let Alfred talk with his sister. Instead, he slunk back toward the rink where he'd left his skates, making sure not to leave Alfred's side by much.

"Fine... We can go now.." Alfred told him. He followed after Ivan, not really ready to leave yet. He didn't want to go back to be stuck in that house! But, the Russian was the client after all. He had to do what he wanted. No matter how boring that was. He would just have to see if any of his friends were available to play an online game with him to pass the time instead.

When Ivan reached the benches though, he just looked around. After a few seconds, he voiced his concern. "Where are my skates?" He knew he left them by the second bench because he did plan to come back. It never seemed believable that someone would steal a pair of skates here although they were nice. He'd had them for years already, making them a little special, but also worn and uninteresting to others. He glared toward the bathroom with a little huff of indignation. "She stole my skates!"

Alfred also looked around for a moment for the skates. If he had known someone would take them, he would have brought them with him when he went after Ivan. "Do you want me to go after them?" he asked. He was sure he would be able to retrieve them from Natalia. It would be easy to do; all the other had to do was give the word and he'd go.

Ivan hesitated for another minute. They were just skates, but they were also all he had left of the skating world. Finally he hung his head after a brief nod. "Yes, but please be careful..." he whispered. He himself stayed rooted to his spot by the benches. Even if Alfred went after the skates, he'd just stay here.

Natalia herself knew how important the skates were. She hoped beyond hope that he would come for them, that's why she took them after all. After leaving the bathroom, she made it most of the way to the front door but lingered there. He would come, wouldn't he? If not, she had a quick escape out the door.

"Of course I will be." Alfred reassured him, giving him a smile and a thumbs up before going off in search of Natalia. He moved carefully, so that she wouldn't spot him before he found her. It took a couple of minutes, but he finally found her near the doors. He carefully crept on her so she wouldn't bolt, and grabbed her by the arm tightly.

Natalia was too busy scanning for Ivan to notice Alfred's approach. When he grabbed her arm, she started, her eyes going wide. "What? Hey! Let go of me!" she exclaimed and tried to free herself. Why was it this guy and not her brother. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but I'm waiting for my brother so you have to leave!"

"Sure, I'll do that. Just after you return what you stole from your brother." Alfred said, his tone both sweet and cold at the same time. "You see, Ivan asked me to retrieve his skates, which we both know you took. Now, you can return them without a fuss. Or I can call the cops and have you arrested for theft." he told her.

Natalia frowned. She held the skates in the hand that Alfred didn't grab and she had no intention of giving them over. "I have a better idea." For a second, a smile flashed over her face before it twisted into one of distress. "Let go of me!" she wailed in a voice loud enough to get others looking at them. She pulled feebly against Alfred's grip, knowing full well what it looked like to outsiders. Here she was, a young innocent girl, being grabbed by a stranger. "Please, just let me go! Someone help!"

Two men from a nearby table came running to her aid and Natalia used the distraction to twist away. Just before the two men reached her, she gave Alfred a parting message. "You tell Ivan that if he wants his skates, he'll have to come get them himself. And you, never skate with him again!" With that, she took off running out the door. That guy could call the cops, but she would be gone long before then.

Alfred contemplated whether or not it would be worth chasing after her. But by the time he had explained the situation to the guys who had come to 'save' her, she had already gone and couldn't tell which way she went. With a dejected sigh, he returned to Ivan empty handed, feeling like a failure. He was going to be filing a police report for the theft though. Whether the Russian wanted him to or not.

Ivan heard the commotion and came closer to watch the end of the scene. When he was sure that Natalia had gone, he walked up to Alfred, looking nervous. "What happened? There was yelling and she sounded in distress. You didn't do anything to Natalia did you?" he asked. A quick glance told him Alfred was okay and that he didn't have the skates. Not that this really surprised him. She was so much more wily and tough than people gave her cute face. "My skates?"

"She's fine. I didn't do anything to her. And she took off with the skates." Alfred said, scratching his head for a moment. "I'm going to have to file a police report for the theft, you know. There is nothing you can say that will stop me from doing it." he added. He was sure that Ivan was going to protest against this. But he knew it had to be done.

Ivan whined in the back of his throat, but he didn't openly tell Alfred no. The man was probably right. They were just skates. Just skates and yet, he couldn't believe Natalia would take them from him. "I will agree if you wait until tomorrow," he said eventually. "Maybe she will regret such a mean thing and bring them back with a little time?" He couldn't really hope on such a thing, but he did want to give his sister one last chance.

"No can do. The police won't act on it if we wait." Alfred said. He knew it was best to immediately report any crime that occurs. Hesitating over matters like theft left the police hardly reacted. Sure, they'd investigate. But Natalia would probably get away with it. "Besides, she made it clear she'd only give them back if you went and got them personally. And as your bodyguard, I can't advise that."

Ivan made a face. He didn't like that Alfred opposed him on this and for a second, he considered refusing flat out and dragging his bodyguard back home where he couldn't do any harm. But then, no progress would be made. "Only the theft right?" he said with a sigh. "You can't tell them the whole story. I just want my skates back."