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Jesse came to pick up Ivory and Risa shortly before nightfall, asking if they were ready to go. Much to the Slayer's surprise, Risa raised quite a fuss at Jesse's signing her up against her wishes or knowledge, but decided to go along with it anyway. "I can always hang out in the cafe or play the arcade games there, I suppose," she said with a sigh.
They walked calmly down the street the entire way. Or at least, that's how Ivory allowed herself to appear outwardly. Inside, she was more or less a nervous wreck, her trepidation growing with each step.
Ironically, her greatest chance at distraction was waiting for her outside the roller rink. She was surprised to see Chase standing in line and went to talk to him without a second thought. "It's invitation only, you know," she said in a slightly condescending tone. "I don't think they're going to let you in."
Startled, Chase turned to look at her, remaining silent while her words sunk in. He bit his lip, then quietly said, "Would it be too much at this point to ask you to hear me out?"
Ivory glared at him. "Don't push your luck, Chase," she warned through gritted teeth.
He ignored her, moving ahead with the line to continue the conversation. "Look, I'm sorry about the whole I-have-a-girlfriend thing. I know you have every right to be angry with me, but there's a lot you don't understand. And, God help me, I want to be honest with you!" He paused, his eyes searching her for any sign of submission. "If we could just go somewhere to talk..."
Ivory growled, fixing him with a furious stare. "There is nothing you could say to make this up to me! Face it, Chase! In this scenario, honesty will get you nowhere!" She turned away, facing the doorman and giving him her name. While he was scanning the list, she added, in a low voice, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am ready for a night of fun without you."
Ivory was waved in a second later, leaving Chase in the dust. She got rental skates immediately, lacing them up at one of the benches. Then, once she was done with this task, she looked up with a sigh, scanning the interior for Cordelia and confirming that her partner was at that moment walking in.
Before she could get up to head to the cafe, Ivory was surprised when a shadow fell over her. Without even looking up, she knew who the person hovering over her was. "I'd back off if I were you, Kenyon," she said, loud enough for him to hear. "I'm not in the mood for this right now... Think of what I could do to someone who's wearing wheels on the soles of their feet..."
Kenyon groaned, settling into the seat next to her. "Look, Summers, you've already made your point," he said to her. "I got the message in between the many hits you landed on me. However, since we're about to spend another few months of seeing each other on a daily basis..." He sighed, rubbing at his face with his hands. "How about a truce?" he said reluctantly.
Ivory looked up at him with a start, then began to laugh. "Oh, this is rich! Kenyon Jenkins, superjock and sexhound of Sunnydale High, wants to call a truce with little old me!" She paused a moment. "Nice try, but I'm not biting."
Kenyon reddened considerably. "Name calling. How mature of you... Oh, wait, how about this one? Ivory Summers, Miss High and Mighty Prude. The girl who's so adverse to the subject, she'd resort to violence as an alternative to getting some. Well, the act is getting old. You continue on this way, nobody's gonna want you!"
Ivory scowled. "Where do you get off?!" she challenged. "You, who only views women as sex symbols, are criticizing me for not responding! You could stand a little growing up, Kenyon, cause your act... Not many girls find it appealing!"
He frowned. "In that case, why don't you tell me how I should behave?" he replied angrily. "What do I have to do to get you to look my way, to even have you grasp how I feel about you?" Kenyon's words spilled out in a rush, and when he finished, he instantly got the look that he wanted to take them back.
He had Ivory's full attention now, as she stared up at him, completely speechless. "That's what this is about?" she asked, a part of her mind nagging that she should be monitoring for vampire activity. "All this time, you've been harassing me because... because you're attracted to me?!"
Kenyon sighed, then chose to go ahead with this, knowing the damage had already been done. "You have no idea how long I've kept that in," he admitted. "I think it started the beginning of junior year when we were taking electronics together. That's when I first noticed you. You're bright, beautiful, dedicated, intellectual... And it infuriated me to no end that you were too blind to take a good look at me. You were so wrapped up in your own world that you couldn't see I'm head over heels for you!"
Ivory remained silent, allowing Kenyon to ramble on. "And now, I've blown it with you, haven't I?" he blurted out. "I waited too long, and now you're fawning all over that other guy. And why wouldn't you? I mean, he's..."
Ivory interrupted quite suddenly. "If you start listing his good attributes, I'll kill you," she said, half joking. Then, more seriously, she added, "Look, Kenyon... I can't promise anything. You and me, I don't know if it will work or... I need time to figure things out."
Kenyon nodded. "I understand," he allowed. "Take all the time you need. I won't push you."
Ivory stared at him strangely a moment, not used to this serious, sincere side of him. "Thank you," she told him, reaching over a giving his hand a quick squeeze. "It means a lot to..." The Slayer cut off then as her gaze wandered to the cafe. Much to her horror, she saw Nick and Risa of all people sitting together, appearing engaged in a deep pleasant conversation.
When Ivory remained silent, Kenyon followed her gaze. "What is it?" he asked in confusion. "Who's the guy with your stepsister?"
"Bad news," Ivory said vaguely, rising from the bench and making her way over to the wall around the rink, searching for Cordelia. A moment later, she dug a scrap of paper and pen from her purse, wrote a brief message disclosing Nick's whereabouts, then slipped the note to Cordy as the other girl skated by.
With that accomplished, Ivory did a quick sweep of the interior with her eyes, keeping a smile plastered on her face to keep up appearances. Besides the hundred students from school, there were at least thirteen other people, employees most likely. And of those thirteen, only eleven, Nick included, were paired off with one of the customers.
*My God,* Ivory murmured to herself. *This isn't a bloodbath. It's a full-blown recruitment!* Panicked, the Slayer made a beeline for the restroom, but not before making a quick gesture to Cordelia to follow. Like it or not, their strategy (to strike if the situtaion turned bad) was going to have to change, and fast...