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The method of beating the heat of a Solace summer said as much about a person as their fashion or their favorite foods. Some opted to lounge indoors all day, others favored the overcrowded beaches; a few might simply pack up and spend the summer at higher latitudes. Natalie was no arctic runner, and she despised the textures of the beach. And while staying in her workshop all day wasn’t the worst thing in the world, she still wanted to see the sun from time to time. Besides, cooped up in there with an arc welder didn’t solve the overheating problem. Luckily, her Papa armed her with a secret weapon: a hole in the wall ice cream shop only a few miles from their cottage.
They had a dizzying array of flavors and toppings that suited any palette, and Natalie had yet to find ice cream that rivaled the very inventively named Cold Treats . The shop for some reason shared a lot with a bottle factory and was popular with the workers there. A slightly rough and tumble crowd meant it was a perfect place for Natalie to bring her new friends for the Apex Games. Unanimously they provided glowing reviews, but were all sworn to secrecy lest the hidden gem be overrun with overzealous fans. And there was an ulterior motive as well: learn the legends favorite flavors of ice cream.
Some made plenty of sense, like Octavio and Elliot craving the most wild and exotic flavors then smothering them in toppings. Or Loba preferring a simple (but boutique) vanilla and Makoa’s taste for a hearty mocha chocolate. Then there were the surprises. Anita had a childhood nostalgia for cotton candy and would order nothing but the pink and blue marbled scoops. Meanwhile, Bloodhound frequently went for the most bizarre of flavors drowning in a sea of caramel sauce. But one legend had not yet been brought to the shop: Wraith.
It felt like too much of a date to being Wraith to Cold Treats as a duo but she was too skittish for a crowd of friends, but Natalie really wanted to bring her, she did kind of want to take her as a date and— That was the mess in Natalie’s head every time the idea orbited back around. Wraith was like a circuit breaker in Natalie’s head, she just made things shut down without even trying. Her fist hovered an inch in front of Wraith’s door, held back behind the litany of failures she envisioned. How someone so familiar became an unknowable entity still perplexed Natalie. Even more perplexing was the knocking she heard and then the realization that she’d gone through with alerting Wraith that she had a visitor.
“Hey, Nat. Is everything alright?” Renee asked slowly as she peeked from behind her door. The remnants of Void energy sizzled in her eyes. As always, Natalie was lost in those eyes and all the mysteries that they held. It was more dignified than staring at her lips, at least.
“Do you want to go to the ice cream shop with me?” Natalie’s words jumbled out in one big pile of syllables that was somehow comprehensible to Wraith. The skirmisher cracked her door a little wider and leaned on the doorframe. Her fingers wrap around her bicep and around Natalie’s nervous attention.
“Which one? If it’s the one Path used to work at, I’ll pass. He told me there’s rats in the walls.” Her matter of fact voice was a smokescreen for her subtle humor that Natalie was finally good at catching. Through the right lens Wraith was funny but she was pretty through any.
“Non, at least I do not think Pathfinder has ever worked there. It is a small place and very chill , get it?” Natalie’s giggles wrapped up in Wraith’s soft chuckle. And as if that was not a clear enough yes , Wraith assured she was interested. “Magnifique! Friday. Do you want to go Friday?” Natalie stumbled with her words again. This nervousness around Wraith was infuriating because she knew she should have been better than it. And the understanding chuckle Wraith gave in reply scrambled her head like a frag grenade.
“That sounds perfect, Natalie. Did you want to stay for a bit? I was making some salmon but I’d be happy to share.” Her voice was smooth and low, the same tone she took when she teased her prey in the Arena. And just as during the Games, Natalie was powerless against her. The apartment already smelled of good food and it was warm with the familiar comfort of Wraith’s presence, but it was the promise of Friday that had Natalie’s stomach already full of butterflies.
It took very little convincing for Wraith to serve as the transport to Cold Treats, in fact it took none at all. Natalie met her outside and climbed on to her now comfortable seat behind her driver and wrapped her arms around Wraith. So frequent were their trips that Natalie now had her own helmet and riding jacket. As she held onto wraith a little tighter than she really needed too, her mind fluctuated between the anticipation of cold ice cream and the heat that Wraith stirred in her. Calling what she felt for Wraith just friendship grew harder by the day. She hugged a little closer still and laid her head against Wraith's shoulder.
They pulled up to the shop not long after it opened. Natalie led the way inside but would let Wraith make the first choice. A cooler that stretched nearly the entire parlor held the myriad possible flavor and on a Solace Summer day like this, just standing next to it was refreshing. Natalie waved to the familiar people behind the counter as Wraith slowly perused her options. It was no surprise that she took her time to choose. Admittedly it was a lot of pressure. Natalie didn’t peek even as Wraith pointed to a flavor. After Wraith was served Natalie got her favorite cookie dough ice cream and joined her friend at the small table.
“Oooo, mint chocolate chip! What a tasty choice.” Natalie beamed. It was a sensible choice that fit Wraith’s frosty persona but still had the same sweetness she did.
“I’ve never had ice cream before, but the voices were interested in this one. Maybe it’s something I used to really love.” Wraith’s voice drifted off for a moment while she stabbed her spoon at the scoops of ice cream. The Void sizzled in her eyes then faded, the present was what she cared about now, not the past. She took a spoonful and smiled. An instant later she was grasping her head and whining.
“Cherie, cherie are you okay? What’s wrong, is it the voices?” Natalie grabbed wraiths arms. There was no energy crackling on her skin, something else was up.
“Ah, my head hurts. I think I’m allergic to this flavor.” Wraith winced but Natalie began to laugh. The skirmisher looked up at her, shocked.
“It’s a brain freeze, silly! You ate too fast and now your head is cold. Here let me help.” Natalie put her palms on the sides of Wraith’s head and held her. Seeing the skirmisher struggle with a brain freeze was downright adorable. It was so cute it overcame Natalie’s better judgment as she planted a little kiss on Wraith’s forehead. But Wraith didn’t shy away and the warmth that bloomed in her cheeks seemed to be the cure she needed.
“Thanks for that.” Wraith said and nervously brushed back an imagined strand of hair. More panicked swipes found no loose hair and only left both women giggling. Wraith tried to stifle her awkwardness with another spoonful of ice cream only to induce another brain freeze. “No, not again!” Wraith groaned but that turned to a small whine when Natalie provided the same treatment. The second kiss lingered a little longer than the first or perhaps they both willed time to move a little slower.
“You are welcome, mom amie. Now slowly enjoy your ice cream before it melts.” Natalie teased and went back to her own tasty dessert. A conversation about…something began, whatever it was, was small talk not registering over the magnitude of the fact she’d just given Wraith two kisses on the head with no protests.
Their conversation wandered as it always did. They talked about the Games and the next match where they’d be on the same squad and what tactics they’d used to secure an easy win. Over ice cream they plotted everything out but soon they drifted away from the serious things. As always Wraith asked about Natalie’s cat and slowly enjoyed her dessert (though she did contract another brain freeze) while her friend gushed about her kitty. Aside from Natalie, Wraith had become Nikola’s favorite person. She was also Natalie’s favorite person.
And when the cat catch-up was done, Wraith made sure to keep Natalie up to date on her travels looking for her past. All the while the skirmisher was a distraction. That fuzzy feeling in her chest only grew stronger and the crisp, chilled tone of wraiths voice was instead making her feel warm. The ice cream did little to cool her off and there was that teasing purr in Wraith's voice again like she knew the effect she was having. The temptation to kiss more than the top of her head grew with each word that rolled off her pretty lips. All she needed was a chance.
“Something on your mind?” Wraith’s question was overflowing with implications as the Void faded from her eyes. Her spoon clattered in her now empty bowl. How much did she know?
“I, uh…wanted you to try my ice cream too!” Nataliened hastily strung together something to distract herself with and unknowingly was about to sacrifice the last of her delicious ice cream. A smirk crossed Wraith’s face.
The skirmisher leaned in very close. Her playful eyes locked on Natalie who lifted the last spoonful of cookie dough ice cream with a shaking hand. A last moment shiver smeared some on Wraith’s lip but the other woman got her treat. She purred with satisfaction. This spoonful brought no brain freeze, much to Natalie’s dismay. But Wraith didn’t move back. She leaned over the table smiling.
“I see why you like that so much, I might have a new favorite…” Wraith’s voice again dragged low as it rumbled with teasing implication. Natalie’s eyes remained fixed on her lips, on the little dollop of ice cream left there but that was only the second most appealing thing. The skirmisher was challenging her, daring her. And just as in the Arena, Natalie chased her right into a trap.
The ice cream was even tastier on Wraith’s lips. It was a mix of mint chocolate chip, cookie dough, and strawberry chapstick that now danced on Natalie’s lips. Wraith let her guide the cautious first kiss, she let her take her time and savor the moment she’d been dreaming of for months. There were fireworks in her chest and warmth on her cheeks. What was only a few seconds felt like forever in Natalie’s memory. She sat back in her seat, head spinning but her gaze on a very self satisfied skirmisher. The pair giggled when their eyes met.
“You’ve been waiting for that, haven’t you?” Wraith purred. Natalie’s cheeks went bright pink. “I wanted you the make the first move. I had to be sure, but…I think I really like cookie dough ice cream now.” She laughed. Natalie was about to explode with happiness and excitement. She tapped her fingers together in front of her face with joy. “I’d like to come back here sometime. It can be a date.” Wraith said.
“Yes! Yes, it’s a date!” Natalie cheered. “But first, you have to try more flavors.” She pulled Wraith to her feet and back towards the freezer.
“Oh no, I think I’ll get another brain freeze with that. And I might need you to clean up again.” Wraith teased. That was exactly what Natalie was hoping for.