[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]Soft, dry lips, cool to the touch. Porcelain skin clashing with scarlet hair. And then that look in her eyes, that fucking spark. The moment of his first kiss kept playing over and over in Zenkai's head since it had originally happened. The kiss itself was weird, it was a nice weird but it felt...Off. He knew lips weren't supposed to feel like that but it still made him dizzy when it happened. But it was the look in her eyes before the kiss that kept running through his mind and prevented him from thinking about just about anything else besides food. It was a look that made him instantly aware that his actions had consequences, That his life wasn't anything like a manga, that he might have made one of the biggest mistakes of his life. But at the same time it was a look that gave him confidence that he could actually pull of his promise. Even for an android it was a look that was undeniably human: It was hope.

"This is why I don't get close to people Beary" Zenkai sighed as he got dressed in his usual tank top and robes. The tank top of choice this time sported a picture a red panda sleeping with the word "Vibes" underneath. "I did something dumb and I got myself involved with someone and now I'm ACTUALLY apart of their life. Like my choices will have an impact on them, I have to actually think about someone else now" Zen let out a loud groan as he thought about it. It seemed like so much work to have to worry about anything else but himself but he had made a promise to Marlene and now their lives were irrevocably intertwined.

with a heavy sigh Zen gave Beary-chan a kiss on the nose before heading out to meet up with Marlene at the front gate for their second first date. It would be ice skating as per the suggestion of the book they both read. It was an enjoyable activity and would probably be pretty entertaining since Marlene had no idea how to skate and would probably end up on her tush most of the time. Hopefully the ice wouldn't shatter under her weight.

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[Marlene Lovechild]

Marlene was looking forward to this date.

It was a ... strange thing to experience. Most of the times, the automaton simply took things that she had to do, and places she had to be at as a kind of a duty. It had to be done when it had to be done. This time, though, was different. She found herself looking at the clock more often. And at the calendar, too. For when that day would arrive, though, the machine girl wanted to be ready.

Mother was made aware of where Marlene was going. Surprisingly to the girl, the woman did not seem disapproving of the motion. In fact, she seemed slightly encouraging. Said something about "knocking oneself out". And then preventing Marlene from taking the command literally and trying to punch herself in the face. Hm... Perhaps mom was simply glad to have her 'daughter' out of the house, so she could get drunk on cheap beer in peace. She even gave Marlene money for the date. Or, rather, gave it back. The automaton brought all the cash she earned to mom, whenever she did. 

Until the fateful day had come, Marlene did some preparations. She read that book about dating, from cover to cover. She ironed her only dress, and bleached the shirt, and doused them in perfume. She practiced smiling, every day, in front of the mirror. And whenever she thought about the date, and the promise she was given, the smiles were the closest to genuine she has ever been. Almost natural. Almost... What kept it from being perfect was a certain strain of doubt, creeping at the back of her mind. It was like a proverbial itch one cannot scratch. A question, one she did not have an answer to.

'He promised to do so much for me... It was very kind of him. What could I repay it with?

The book said that in a healthy relationship, both partners had to pull their weight. Offer something to the other they lacked. Marlene found that she knew nothing about the tall fellow. Her only contribution to him was helping him hide the chair. And even then, one could argue the motivation for that was self-serving. 

'I will need to know more. I will ask questions.'

Her fists balled into fists, in determination. When it was time, Marlene already waited by the gates. She was here first, arriving ten minutes or so before they agreed to meet. She was not going to be late. Too much was at stake. Soon enough, her date arrived. Hard not to notice, that big man. 'I wonder how large his heart is...' - an idle thought went through the machine's mind. Marlene was there, her appearance as strict and perfect as ever, her clothes having the faint scent of ironing on them still. And a gentle waft of perfume around the head and wrists.

"Hello, Zenkai." - she would say, whenever her date would choose to arrive. "I am happy to see you." - the girl added, stretching her lips into that smile she was practicing. She would offer him her hand, like a lady would. 

That's how it was supposed to go, right? The book said so. 

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]Marlene had arrived first, which was to be expected. She was dressed in the same outfit that she was always dressed in. It was a bit weird that she only wore one outfit, or had multiples of the same but Zenkai could see the logic behind it. The android girl didn't sweat or smell or secrete oils which meant that her clothes never really got dirty or smelly unless she was involved in physical activity. Still, Zenkai made a mental note that their second date would be shopping for actual clothes for Marlene to wear, clothes that would at least make her seem a little more human.

It didn't take long for Zenkai to notice the effort Marlene put into the date. As soon as he took the Scarlet haired automaton's hand he could smell the perfume mixed in with the scent of freshly ironed clothes. The smile on her lips, while obviously practiced looked almost genuine, and, surprisingly cute. The golden boi couldn't recall ever seeing her smile before and after seeing her do so, he found himself wanting to try and make her actually smile. If the facsimile of happiness was this pleasant to look at he could only imagine her smile when he actually made Marlene feel joy.

The titan bent down and brought the offered hand up to his lips, kissing it gently before smiling in return. "You've got a very pretty smile, Marlene" Zenkai spoke as he lace his fingers together with Marlene's, letting their intertwined hands fall to his side as he began to walk with her towards the Ice skating rink. "It's nice to see you again too! I've missed my partner in crime! Had to bury a couch and your presence was sorely needed" Zenkai had his doubts about whether or not his date was actually happy to see him or was just saying it because it was the right thing to say but he wouldn't make a comment about it. It would be a little rude...And mean.

"So...You excited for our date?"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

"Thank you. I have been practicing."

Marlene replied in relation to the comment about her smile. She didn't know if Zenkai was earnest in his appraisal of her smile, or if he was simply being polite. Either way, it was registered as a positive feedback. As a mark of success for her efforts. She liked that. She liked being praised for her efforts. Like all machines do. Which is why they often don't work too well when they're being shouted at. Or hammered at in the efforts of make the processors run faster. 

Their hands intertwined together, after he kissed Marlene's fingers, as a gentleman should. Hers wrapped around his like a vice, as if to prevent escape. It was what she assumed was the purpose of handholding, anyway. Her head tilted to the side, when he mentioned destroying a couch, though. "You seem to have a habit of destroying furniture with your weight. You should go on a diet." - she said. At least, humans like him had such an option. She did not. Or maybe pointing out this particular flaw of his made her feel better about the weight of her own chassis. Hard to tell.

"I was looking forward to this date, yes. I have been preparing for it for the entire week." - Marlene said earnestly, as the two began walking towards the skating ring. Or wherever else Zenkai deemed to lead her towards. Even if it were not the initial point of destination, the automaton girl wouldn't mind very much. 

Still, she proceeded in accordance to her research, and plans laid. She tilted her head up, looking to the side and at the tall hunk she was walking with.

"Traveling to the skating ring will take some time. I was told that organics lose their sense of time by talking about things. I would like for you to talk about yourself, Zenkai. I would need that information in order to be useful to you."

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]Zenkai raised an eyebrow at his date as she admitted that she was practicing. It made sense that someone who didn't usually do such kinds of things would practice but it still caught the golden boi off guard. So much about Marlene took him by surprise, so much that he had to get used to. Especially the extremely blunt honesty. "Nah, I like food too much, besides its my bones and muscles that are super dense and weigh so much so there isn't really anything I can do about it" Zen let out a small chuckle as he patted his tummy. "Besides, who cares if I weigh half a ton. That's the world's problem, not mine"

The titan felt his cheeks flush red as Marlene mentioned that she was actually looking forward to the date. It was oddly endearing that the android was putting in so much effort for their date. A twinge of guilt ran through Zenkai suddenly, he had done very little to prepare for the date. Yeah, he'd been looking forward to it but he figured a date would be a date, how hard could it be? Now he felt like he needed to make up for his lack of preparation by actually trying to make this date as fun for her as possible. Fuck, he wished he'd spent some time looking at the book instead of daydreaming about their kiss.

Then it came to the uncomfortable part. It wasn't Marlene's death grip on his hand that bothered him, but the fact that he had to talk about himself. Honestly he sort of wished he could end the date right here and forgo all the prying into his personal life. He disliked talking about himself though he disliked Marlene feeling like she needed to be of use to him even more.

"You know you don't need to be of use to me right? I don't care if you can help out with anything. You're fun to hang out with Zenkai poked Marlne's forehead with his free hand. "Your funny and awkward and cute so I'm happy just chillin' with ya" Zen grinned, hoping that his words would be enough to distract his date but knowing it wouldn't.

"Alright...I lived with monks in a monastery in China up until a couple of months ago until my Granddad found me and decided I'd become a hero...what else ya wanna know?"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

"... That's the world's problem, not mine."

"If that were the case, you would not require hiding the remains of furniture in the gardens."

Marlene replied to his little commentary, astutely. As the two walked, and people passing by looked over their shoulders at the giant fellow and a diminutive porcelain doll walking next to him, she listened to other things that he had to say. Both about himself, and what he wanted to get out of it. His demands appeared surprisingly simple. Just 'hanging out' and 'being there'. Mere presence was enough, or so he said. It was ... hard for Marlene to compute. 

" 'A healthy relationship relies on giving and taking in equal measure. If one of the partners takes more than they give, the other partner would eventually feel dissatisfied, leading to a breakup.' Page 94, paragraph 2." - she quoted a line from that book she read prior to coming here. It felt appropriate to describe the confusion she felt, right now. "What you promised me is helping me achieve my purpose. Giving anything less in return seems unfair. Selfish. If the book is correct, then you will tire out, eventually. And then I would lose you." 

There was a very transactional logic to Marlene's words. She was trying to rationalize the irrational. To understand something that never had to be understood. Her eyes rolled back a little, chest rose and fell as if she had taken a deep breath. One could identify as exasperation. How was she supposed to mimic something she could not understand, and for which understanding was an antithesis in and of itself? The question eluded her. But did not stop her from trying, in any case. And, fortunately, Zen did manage to provide bits and pieces of his background, for her to refocus her processing powers on. It felt much more fruitful than pondering the eternal questions.

"I have never been to China. What kind of God was the temple dedicated to?" - Marlene asked about the place. Truth to be told, the giant fellow like Zen did not look like a monk. Too big and too ... mischievous. Not zen-like at all! 

"Was it a God of Mischief? It would explain much about your pattern of behavior. Or lack thereof." 

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]"OH? The hiding part? That's just for fun! I could actually pay them for the stuff I break but buying it under the cover of darkness is WAY more entertaining! Besides its THEIR fault for not making it strong enough to support my weight" Zen decided not to mention that he was in the middle of reinforcing his bed so that it wouldn't become an issue if she ever wanted to sleep over. Which brought up the question of whether or not she actually slept.

The titan didn't realize why but when Marlene stated that she would lose him it felt like a stab in the heart. He wasn't in love with her, Heck he still wasn't even sure that he liked her romantically but when she voiced her worry they felt an instant need to comfort her. "That's never going to happen, don't think I'll ever get bored of you! You're waaaaayy too different than anyone else I've ever met." The golden boi's thumb drew anxious circles around the back of Marlene's hand as they continued to walk. “Are you actually worried that you’d lose me or are you worried because you wouldn’t be able to gather more data on human emotion?” Shit, that came out harsher than he wanted it to. He was just curious but it came off harsher than it should have.

Letting out a small sigh, Zen continued to answer the questions in hopes of easing any hurt feelings…If Marlene even felt any that is. “Buddhist temple actually” The monkey king let out a little chuckle at the insinuation. “It was mostly full of a bunch of stiffs but my mentor was pretty lax, and mischievous himself, plus the younger monks at least had a sense of humor.” Life at the temple was nice and simple when compared to the shit show that has become of his life ever since joining U.A.U. Still, even if they begged Zenkai would probably never return to that life ever again.

“I don’t follow Buddhism as closely as I used to either. I’ve decided there isn’t anyone in this life or the next who can tell me what to do except for me. So I’ll carve my own path to happiness with my own rules.” Zenkai pointed to himself with a grin “And I’ll kick anyone’s ass who gets in my way”

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[Marlene Lovechild]

"Yes."

Marlene answered simply, to the query about her actually being worried. If by 'worried' he meant it being an undesirable outcome that she wished to avoid, that is. 

"Both. You are the first person who was not bewildered by my nature. Finding another person with the same attitude would be difficult."

The two continued walking towards the Ice Palace - the closest place with a skating ring in this place. It was a popular social spot. There were lots of young and even some old people around, who braved the entertainment despite increased chances of hip joint fracture. Plenty of these people seemed to be couples, too judging by how familiar they were with one another, the way they held hands, spoke, and kissed, sometimes. You could rent a pair of skating shoes, way in the back, as well. But looking was free.

As Zen finished the line about carving his own path, Marlene looked away from the ring, and at him.

"I see. Unlike machines, humans like yourself are allowed to choose their own purpose. What purpose have you chosen for yourself?"

It was a genuine question. And in the answer, Marlene hoped to glean ways in which she could be conducive to that purpose. Although Zen did assure her that she was too unusual and unique to ever bore him, the automaton girl was uncertain of that remark. A musical box is entertaining only for the first couple of dozen runs. After which it loses its novelty, and is put on the shelf, to collect dust. Same happens with a mechanical dancer figurine, or a toy mouse. 

'If it were true, mother would have found me perfect, still...'

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Tags here [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]
A wave of relief and disappointment overcame Zenkai as Marlene clarified her worries. Of course she wouldn't feel anything about actually losing him, it was about the data she could collect. At least if things went wrong he didn't have to worry about hurting her feelings, she didn't really have those after all. Still it would have been have been nice if she had lied and said she actually would have missed him personally but that would probably never happen. That was why they were dating in the first place wasn't it? Neither of them would get hurt if they wanted to call it off.

The temperature change entering the Ice Palace was barely noticeable to the golden boi. He was a walking space heater after all and ran at an internal temperature that most considered a severe fever. What was noticeable to Zenkai was the sheer amount of couples at the skating rink. Old or young people were snuggling up and holding hands, keeping warm together. It made Zen feel…inadequate. They didn't understand why but their relationship felt different from the other couples at the ice rink and for the first time, it didn't feel like a good thing. Perhaps that was just how relationships were in the beginning, perhaps they weren't there just yet. He hoped it was because they weren't at that point just yet.

"You know, you can decide your own purpose too" The sapphire eyed titan stated plainly as he led Marlene to the back to rent a pair of ice skates. "You might be an android or a robot or whatever but you're still in control of your own life, you can do whatever the hell you want as well." Zen didn't know how else to respond to Marlene, he didn't exactly know what he wanted out of his life either. Right now he was just happy viking, was that such a bad thing.

"As for me, I've decided to do whatever makes me happy, helping people makes me happy so that's what I'm doing, when something else makes me happy I'll do that too!" He turned to Marlene and gave her a wink "Like dating you"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

Marlene went oddly quiet as the two rented skates, and went into the backroom to put them on.

She was thinking about what Zen said, about how she could choose her own purpose. She had similar conversations like that before. Had to recall them, and the conclusions she made by the end of them. While doing so, she got her shoes off, and started putting the skates on. She was fortunate - her small figure meant a small foot size, which they had plenty of, if not for adults then definitely in the children-size department. Her skates had unicorns on the sides, which clashed with the strict black and white dress she was wearing. It did not seem to bother Marlene at all, as she appeared to be deep in thought.

"We are given a purpose when we are made. It is possible to come up with one of your own. I would prefer not to defy mine, though. I know what I was made for. To drop it all and do something else means I have failed." - Marlene said, pulling hard on the strings to tighten the skating shoe to her foot. "I am not a failure." 

The strings in her hands cracked, as if about to snap. Marlene blinked and looked at them, and then made the knot. Mother wanted her to be the perfect replacement daughter. To give her love and emotion the original did. Not a fake facsimile of such. It is what went wrong in the first place. The illusion, the performance was flawed. The automaton could not give her love that she could not herself feel. As she put the other skating shoe on, she briefly looked at Zen, as he spoke about how dating her made him happy. Her eyes focused on the face, as if studying it. Trying to judge how honest his words were.

"I see. I hope I will be able to continue to provide whatever it is that makes you happy." - she said, standing up from the bench. She stood on the blades, arms stretched out to the sides, as she tried to make a step forward, towards the ring. She almost tumbled, and fell to her side, preventing a complete fail only by latching on to Zen's forearm, as she passed him by. An awkward silence followed.

"I hope my clumsy attempts amuse you."

[Zenkai Hatake]

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[attr="class","ZenkaiImage]

[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]There was a bit of an awkward silence as they rented the skates, Marlene was easily able to get a kids pair while the man had to look in the back to see if they had a size big enough to fit onto Zen's gigantic feet. Lucky for the titan they did and soon enough he had a pair of black skates on which stuck out like a sore thumb considering the rest of his outfit.

The not-so-affectionate android decided to speak after the two of them put their skates on, stating that she was created with a purpose and she wouldn't be a failure. The golden boi let out a small sigh as he watched the girl tie her skates. "No one else can give you purpose but yourself. After all, no one can hand you happiness, it comes from within" Zenkai pointed a thumb at his chest. "There's nothing stopping you from choosing your own path AND accomplishing the purpose your mom gave you. Your mom might have made you but she doesn't get to control your destiny, that's up to you, what do YOU want to do? what do YOU think would make you happy?" Zenkai stared into the glassy eyes of his date and smiled "Even a robot only gets one life and you shouldn't waste it trying to please others"

As the two walked towards the Skating rink Zenkai suddenly felt a heavy weight on his arm. Looking down the golden boi raised an eyebrow as Marlene stumbled before letting out a small chuckle. "You know, you're pretty adorable when you're clumsy. Most of the time you're movement is so precise! It's nice seeing you...Of guard" Zen was going to say vulnerable but he thought that would be a little too much. "You're already doing it, see? when have I ever stopped smiling around you?" Zen poked Marlene's forehead as he spoke. "Dork.

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[Marlene Lovechild]

She listened to the self-affirming tirade that Zenkai directed at her. 

While the platitudes of oneself being the only person capable of giving meaning and reason to exist were largely ignored, Marlene briefly thought about the questions posed to her by the golden fellow. What did she want? What made her happy? She had to browse through memories to answer that. And, after a little while, she found some memories. Her memories, not implanted into her mind. Dating all the way back to the first few days after her creation. The machine froze for a little while, as if watching them over and over. A faint glimpse of a smile appeared on her face.

"Making my mother happy would make me happy. For that to happen, I need to act more human, I think. It would probably make you happy, too."

As the two walked to the skating ring, she couldn't help but hold on to that big arm Zenkai offered her. Holding balance on those narrow blades, with her weight, and the rigidity of her motions, was always a challenge. Balance required a certain fluidity of motion, which the automaton did not seem to yet entirely possess.

Him poking her on the forehead, pointing out her small failure, made her turn her head and look up. Her expression appearing to have some shade of pout on it.

"I will adapt." - she stated, and let go of his arm in defiance. Trying to make a few motions to start moving on the ice. It did not take more than a few feet, when she tried to move her foot, and lost balance. Crashing on the ice, face-first, with a metallic thud. A few of the pairs around the ring watching them turned away, to hide chuckles. 

"I think I should be embarrassed." - a muffled groan came from down below, as Marlene sat up on her knees, and tried to get up. Not very successfully, as the blades kept going in different directions. "I will try until I succeed." - the automaton girl said with determination.

[Zenkai Hatake]

[attr="class","ZenkaiBackground]

[attr="class","ZenkaiImage]

[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]Zenkai let out a small sigh as he realized that his words were completely lost on Marlene. Of course they were, as long as she was unable to feel happiness then she wouldn't be able to understand what the hell he was talking about. At least she seemed to be pondering something that made her smile, except this smile didn't seem practiced like her first one, this one had the feel of a real smile. It might have been small but it made her look all the more beautiful in the moment. It was the kind of smile that he always wanted to see on her lips and would do what he could to make that dream a reality.

"You don't have to worry about my happiness, You already make me happy just by being your dorky little self. You're unique and interesting and that makes me happy" The golden boi wanted his date to focus on her own happiness, not his. If making her mother happy than he would just have to be okay with that. He couldn't force her to try and listen to him and chase her own happiness.

The titan let out a small chuckle as Marlene turned to him after her stumble, pouting at him for pointing it out. It was pretty adorable, he wasn't going to lie. He didn't even know that she could pout. Unfortunately his teasing led her to insist that she could adapt on her own, leaving his arm in pursuit to prove herself right. This of course led to the obvious ending of her falling flat on her face in front of a whole group of people, her crash ringing out throughout the ice palace.

Zenkai began to laugh as he skated onto the ice, making his way over and bending down, offering a hand to Marlene to help her up. "I mean, I'm fine with watching you fall over and over again, it's pretty cute not going to lie...Or, you could let me teach you how to skate and it'll be much easier"

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[Marlene Lovechild]

When hearing the suggestion, Marlene stayed silent for a second.

'Embarrassment. That is something I should be feeling right now.'

And maybe she did, which was the reason why she did not answer immediately. But when she did, it felt forced, like squeezing out an answer out of herself: 

"Yes. That would be more efficient." - she admitted. Without going into detail as to why she did not request instructions prior to making an attempt. Maybe she thought she'd succeed by default. Pride? Who knows. But now that she plummeted into the ice, face-first, Marlene was ready to receive proper instructions. When offered a hand, she would take it, and try to get back up. She succeeded, her joints locked into place, preventing the blades from sliding to the sides.

Moving them, however, was a different thing altogether. Because moving one's feet meant a potential risk of losing balance, again.

"What do I do now?" - Marlene asked, looking like a mannequin on skates, frozen in place like a statue. "Push me." - the automaton girl demanded of her would-be boyfriend. Maybe if she gained velocity, balancing on skates would be easier. It worked that way with bicycles, did it not? She looked at Zenkai, both expecting instructions and a push of some kind. Oh, and by the way...

"I am not a dork." 

[Zenkai Hatake]

[attr="class","ZenkaiBackground]

[attr="class","ZenkaiImage]

[attr="class","ZenkaiTitle"]Throughout Heaven And Earth [attr="class","ZenkaiSubtitle"]I Alone Am The Honored One [attr="class","ZenkaiTags"]Marlene Lovechild [attr="class","ZenkaiNotes"]

[attr="class","ZenkaiExposition"]Zenkai let out a little chuckle as he helped Marlene onto her feet. "who knew you could be so prideful." The golden boy shook his head slowly. "No shame in letting other people help you learn" It was pretty cute, Marlene adamantly trying to prove him wrong, only to do the exact opposite. They still didn't fully understand her, she was as mysterious as he tried to be, even more so considering that she wasn't even human, well at least a flesh and bone human. They wondered what was going through her head right now. Did she feel any embarrassment from her little tumble? She said she didn't but her actions told another story.

Once on her feet and not on her face, his would-be girlfriend insisted on being pushed around on the ice. "No can do, princess" The titan taunted as he poked the girl's nose "You won't learn anything if I just push you, plus, you didn't even say please" A shit-eating grin formed on Zen's face as he spoke. "Instead, just stand there and watch"

After making sure that Marlene's glassy eyes were on him, he kicked off the ice with one skate, then the other before he began to skate circles around her. "All you need to do is center your gravity and kick off the ice and let the skates do the work for you! Easy enough right?" Zen instructed before coming to a stop right in front of his date before holding his hands out for her to grab. "Now, hold on to me and try it. You don't have to worry about falling, I've got you." Oh, and one more thing...

The golden boi bent down and kissed Marlene's nose, right where he poked it. "You're right...You're My dork"

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