It had been a week since there last meeting. Jessie had been working out more and had been practicing privately. Yet today she took a day off of her new routine. She had decided to find out how it was to be so cold as Alice. Temperature wise. This had been the only thing she could think of to do. Shed bought a few bags of ice filling her bath with them and cold water she peered at the frozen slush.

This really was the only way but , did it have to be? Sighing she slapped her cheeks . She wore only some boy boxers and a sports bra. " okay... I .. Can do this .. I can do this yes I can!"

She put her body over the tub like a cat clinging to a frame not wanting to enter it . She lowered. " holly-!!! Cold cold cold cold !!"

She finally made it in her body shivered,taking a breath she lowered even more, her face sunk into the icy water leaving only flowing pink hair to be visible.

A week had passed since the dancers had last seen each other. The spider had spent a majority of that time hiding away in the shadows of Astrea. Little time had been spent preying on others like she usually did. She'd managed to crush a random heart of some random unsuspecting girl in that time though. Earlier this morning she had even received a slap from said random girl's friend which was odd because though most threatened to report the malicious widow, they never had the courage to tell a soul ((These girls are just random NPCs)) How the other had unearthed a spider such as her had bitten her bemused the snowy widow, but only just a little. She'd received plenty of slaps before for her misbehavior though none were ever felt. It was faint, but her right cheek still possessed the faded red of the impact.

A flurry of thinking had also plagued the widow's mind during the course of the week. About that day at the lake and the storm it had stirred up. All that physical contact too... It was enough to make the spider tense automatically at the thought. That hadn't been the most comfortable situation. Yet here she found herself in her Miator uniform in front of Jessie's dorm room door in her usual analytical position. Spider's weren't ones to let go of things easily. Alice hasn't certainly forgotten, but she wasn't going to let that bind her from practice. That would make her out a fool. A child.

Raising a curious hand, she knocked on the door lightly. To her surprise it swung open. So it wasn't locked? Hesitating, she ever so silently decided to enter, slipping in like a shadow. A spider. A feline without a bell. It appeared Jessie wasn't in. Maybe she forgot to lock her door and was out? Or perhaps she was in the bathroom? Oh well. Either way, the spider thought it might be best she just take her leave.

Then suddenly a sound rose up. A repetitive shouting of the word "cold." What on earth? The spider halted in its presence. That was Jessie's voice alright. Clearly she was in the bathroom. Perhaps taking a bath? Maybe a shower? Alice didn't hear any running water, so she settled on the former answer. If that was the case, she wasn't too interested in sticking around. Yet... Why would someone shout cold that vigorously with a bath?

It wasn't like she was going to go check it out herself at the moment. Alice knew quite well modesty and mannerisms had moments that had to out way curiousity. This was one of them. But still, the spider decided to stick around for a second in her signerature pose - well, it had become more of a habit now, waiting to hear anything further. After all, "cold" was certainly not quite something one expected to hear. What was that girl doing?

She flung her body up for air her lips even tinted blue. Her hair splattered water across her bathroom. She needed to get out, standing everything felt numb,her skin was red from the cold. She stumbled out to her bed to grab her sweat shirt using the wall to guide her. So not to slip. Ice had even stuck to her hair. She hadn't meant for It to be that cold. Yet it didn't help shed turn the heat down since the weather had been so nice. But this late in the day...it was colder then she thought.

She found her sweat shirt slipping it on she didn't care if she was still dripping. Falling to the bed she hadn't noticed the figure in the door way. " 3-3-30 min and I'll try again. "

She had a tendency to speak out load when she was trying to get her self charged to do something. Not knowing others were there to hear . Usually shed never talk to her self in front of someone if it happened shed get very embarrassed.

It wasn't long until Jessie entered into the room, dripping wet and stumbling. Even from this distance, Alice noticed her lips were a little blue and her skin appeared a little red. Was that ice in her hair? The whole sight was as amusing as it was bewildering to the spider. What on earth had caused the ice?

Jessie hadn't seemed to notice the snowy widow in the doorway as she spoke to herself. Something about thirty minutes and trying something again. It stirred a mild curiosity in the albino girl. Try what again, exactly?

She could have left her presence unknown. She could've departed at that moment and pretended like she had never been there. Yes, that would have been the correct route of action. The spider was still mulling over the day at the lake. It might have been better to just have left unnoticed, but something drove the hidden, curious arachnid to speak. Pale lips parted unconsciously to project a single, soft word:

"Cold?" An amused edge slipped out with it. She'd revealed herself.

The pink haired girl certainly looked cold. the presence of the ice in her hair only augmented it so. This was truly an odd sight. One that had the snowy spider bemused.

"yes"

Wait..who..Alice, Jessie really did need a bell. Wait Alice was in her room ! She tried to get up but from the cold her legs began to tingle like a thousand pins hitting them. Which in turn caused her to fall of her bed rubbing the back of her head she looked at the girl. If it wasn't that her body was red there was sure to be a blush. " A-Alice I um how'd you... Uh hi how can I help you?"

As she finally felt relief from her legs she stood up and went to Alice.Reaching her self pasted the smaller figure she closed the door. " please stay I'll make us something to drink. "

An answer was given before the boyish girl noticed the spider's quiet presence. Alice watched as the girl attempted to get up, only to end to falling. It seemed like the girl might have been colder than she originally thought. That or her nerves had come into play.

Why was she here again? Her mind was still revolving about that day at the lake but... she didn't really want to talk about that. Not right now at least. So the snowy spider hadn't a true answer really. Though she could always just use the topic of practice as a substitute for now. Yes, that would have to do for now. Besides, it did need to be discussed.

"I came to discuss our next practice." She answered.

Next the boyish girl approached to close the door, requesting that she stay. Alice responded with a graceful flick of an ivory hand; a silent signal that she would. Even if just for a little while. Spiders weren't exactly fond of being in the presence of another's residency. They had their own web to guard after all.

Folding her arms across her chest, she let her frozen gaze flicker to the girl. She wanted to ask about the ice to satisfy her curiousity, but she decided to hold onto the inquisition for now. Maybe a little later she'd ask. That is, if Jessie wouldn't be too embarrassed to tell her.

" Alright..."

Jessie was slightly worried, last practice didn't go as planned. Yet she couldn't worry. She went to make tea as she had said she would micro waving the water she got to cups ready. She was still cold,freezing but she could deal with it. Shed forgotten,at the moment at least that she only wore a hoodie and damp boxers.

Beep beep

Ah good the water was done. Reaching in she grabbed it quickly she dropped the glass measure it hit the floor. That was hot! She never heated water that hot..she wondered was this like touch was to Alice. Bending down to clean the mess she decided to not make Alice wait. " please , tell me what you'd like to speak about..sorry I am having a rather clumsy day."

Jessie seemed worriered. She had every right to be. It was true their last practice - if you could even call that a practice - hadn't gone too well. It had brewed a bit of a storm, too. At least in the snowy spider it had.

Icy blue orbs observed the girl as she went to make tea. She still looked cold. Really cold. As if she'd contacted ice. Alice pondered over the possible causes, but her attention was soon seized by the sound of glass hitting the floor. A glass measure had been dropped. One filled with heated water.

"It's quite alright, miss McKnight." She paused in her response for a moment. Normally, the spider wouldn't really quite have cared much, but her etiquette for cleanliness drew her attention to the spilled mess. Surely, the water couldn't have been too hot just by itself. Not enough to drop it at least.

Either way, the snowy widow glided across the room to offer assistance. Lowering herself gracefully, she began collecting a few shattered shards of glass. They glittered like jewels in her palm. While the average person would get reprimanded for picking up broken glass with their bare hands she found on risk involved. For even if they did slice her hand she wouldn't feel it. Nor would she feel the burn of the water. And that wasn't always a good thing.

"About our next practice," she continued monotonously, frosted gaze trained on the glass shards, "when shall we schedule it?"

She could see the shadow of Alice's figure come closer. Bending down to help Jessie. The girl had said something that was actually surprising. She wanted to know when to have there next practice. She looked away from the mess to meet the others face. " you still want to practice with me?"

As she let her gaze leave she let her hand fall onto Alice's, though the usual storm of warm and cool had disappeared. Jessie had not really thought of it at the moment only for she was thinking how her sentence seemed like a small child finding out Santa was real. So she hadn't messed everything up. " we can do it this weekend if it works. "

She focused her attention back to the mess finding her hand on Alice's she pulled it away quickly. Picking up the rest of the mess she stood offering to help Alice up.

The question came as an interesting one to the snowy spider. Did she still want to practice with Jessie? It was an internal inquisition that lingered in her venomous mind. Despite that day last week, the boyish girl hadn't entirely chased the spider away. If she had, Alice would have simply let her fall from her web or bitten her already. And the girl had trekked dangerously close to that point too.

"Yes. That is, if that is alright." She spoke softly.

Then Jessie's hand settled atop of hers. Alice tensed slightly though managed to keep from pulling her hand away. There was no longer a stark contrast of fire and ice. It almost felt of equal temperature now. Strangely so. Just what had the boyish girl done to achieve such a frosted temperature to match that of the frigid widow? To that of ice. Of snow. Nonetheless, it had spurred Alice's curiosity again. She subdued it briefly in order to answer.

"That is fine with me."

Frozen blue orbs next shifted momentarily up to analyze the blue lips and the ice still glistening in the cherry pink hair. All the while keeping half of her attention focused on the no longer existent war between their temperatures. Jessie certainly had had to have contacted ice. Why, Alice had not a clue. It puzzled her. There was a sort of difference in the air too now that she thought about it. One might call it a sort of tension -- though tension didn't quite seem fitting. Doubting? Alice didn't know how to label it. But it was a little stormy. Perhaps even blended with an ounce of relief on the boyish girl's part. Regardless, it was still kind of unsettling to the white spider.

Shards of glass shimmered against ivory skin as she resumed collecting the broken pieces. Once or twice, a smooth, jagged-edged shard managed to ever so gently slice her palm. A small stream of crimson created an enchanting contrast against the snowfield that was her lily-white hand. Blue orbs failed to notice it. Because it neither stung nor burned.

Once the mess was cleared, though Alice managed to find more glass. She waited for the pieces to fall in the trash bin she'd grabbed as she stood. Alice had spoke a reassuring but questioning statement, she still wanted to practice,yes. Well As long as jessie was as well. " of course, i just wasn't sure if you'd want to...after.."

Her words drifted as she remembered how she'd forced their game game to turn dangerous.Placing the bin back she went back to help Alice up. Yet then noted the unusual color gracing the frosted skin of the girl. Blood? had she been cut. She had barely heard the agreement to meeting at the theater before she interrupted. " You've been hurt.  Come on"

She placed all worries of discomfort aside as she took Alice in the bathroom, forgetting the tub full of ice she rinsed the blood away from Alice's hands and opened the mirror to find a few small shelves of medical things , mostly pain reliever as most of her scars still ached as well as her recent work outs stiffened her body more. Grabbing a bandage she looked at Alice. " come now hands out.:"

Icy orbs flicked up briefly to look at Jessie when her voice trailed off. After what had happened -- what had evolved from their game. That subject seemed to be the elephant in the table as people often referred to tense subjects. Or, rather a tangle in the spider's fragile web. It created a strange atmosphere. One of almost distrust. And that discomforted Alice a little.

The next statement caught the snowy widow off guard. She'd been hurt? Looking down at her palms, she noticed the blood. Probably from a few sharp glass shards.

"So it appears." She murmured.

She found herself being guided bathroom next. Her gaze instantly fell upon the tub....full of ice? That was unusual. She assumed maybe Jessie liked to take cold baths. Though, based on what she had heard earlier, it didn't seem quite so. Soon a bandage was acquired and a command; "hands out". It made her feel like a little kid.

Both lily white hands obeyed the boyish girl. Alice's frosted gaze remained focused on them.

She wrapped each hand her focus stayed to the girl's hands , Aice hadn't noticed though? but how? Then Jessie thought about how she was when she first got out of the tub,numb. Has Alice always been so numb? The tub! She peered up to see that Alice had noticed it, she must think of me as crazy. Jessie thought with a sigh. " I..."

She took a breath and fished caring for Alice's hands she gazed at them for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle. " Silly girl..i wanted to understand you. "

Jessie's eye's shook as she smiled, a true smile but she had found out something it that moment, she cared for Alice. Gripping the medical bandage left in her hands she waited for a response. "I guess .. i guess i'll have to keep a eye out for you since you're numb to pain."

Her words were ones of pure caring. 

The snowy spider watched as each hand was wrapped in the medical bandage. Having an ability to not feel pain wasn't always a good thing. Often times things like these happened, and she wouldn't notice until she either grabbed something and left a scarlet imprint or just so happened to look down at her palms or fingers. In dance, she'd often sprain her ankles or injure a point higher on her leg; injuries that wouldn't be known until an ill-fated step forward was taken, making her collapse. Though no matter of this condition. Of the inability to feel physical pain. She could still bleed like everyone else. And that's what frustrated her.

Finally Jessie chuckled, mentioning something along the lines of having wanted to understand her. How so? With the tub of ice? Alice thought for a moment. Then she remembered the similiar temperature of Jessie's hand. Had she been perhaps trying to understand the snowy spider's icy temperature? Her frosty touch? That seemed like the most reasonable conclusion. A single chuckle traitoriously flowed past the pale lips. Seriously, this girl.

"Jeez." Yet again the sound usually bearing a negative conitation drifted out with a faint edge of playfulness. Sometimes she couldn't really understand Jessie.

Next her frozen gaze glided up from her hands to rest briefly on the girl. So her inability to feel had been noticed? That wasn't of any loss to the snowy spider. Though what she had said... Keeping an eye out for her. Did Jessie care for Alice? For a posinous spider that could bite her at any time? It seemed so. Did Alice feel the same? She wasn't sure.

The spider had never really cared for someone before. Not even her childhood rival had earned that rare spark of kindness from her. Almost everyone was just prey in the arachnid's snowy eyes. Beings to be coiled in her ensnaring web through manipulation, toyed with, then shattered at the heart. Why should she develop any care? But Jessie was different, she had to admit. Truth be told, Alice still had yet to decide on a label for the girl. Was she prey? Perhaps a predator? Or was she simply just Jessie McKnight, her dance partner?

"And I for you, miss McKnight. So as you don't freeze to death."

The last part was said almost a bit jokingly. Drawing a her hands back, she looked at the bandages and added a quiet "thank you."

She hadn't noticed the amusement from Alice. She was to busy being shocked at her own thoughts. Caring for a girl shed only met....what two? No..had to be longer..no two weeks. They had met about that length of time. Jessie hadn't the slightly clue of why she cared,she just did. What had her own sanity in question was that the first thing she thought of next was the movie James and the giant peach.

Shed only seen it once. Yet why did it come to mind now. Ugh how odd. Then she finally heard Alice's words tore from her gaze of the floor.

- I for you, miss McKnight. So as you don't freeze to death

Her heart pounded, was she joking,maybe but not fully. Jessie's warmth seemed to come back though only slightly seeing as nature has no emotion.

" What?"

What kind of answer was that? Jessie mentally hit her self for that one. As far as the whispered thank you she looked at Alice. " of course..come on..i..um.. Wanna show you something, for our dance routine,if that's okay...i just..."

Jessie really wished she stop rambling out ideas when she was nervous. Yet it had been said. Though annoyance at her self did linger,after all...she could have let this moment last longer. She didn't know why,a new question to ponder ugh.