Touch down...er, Goal!

Ruby's eyes were completely lit up. She had really no idea what was taking place during the game to be honest. All she knew was the Blues had to win and in order to do that they have to score. She was on the each of her seat, Phoebe at her side. She was beyond ecstatic for Phoebe to see Rasmus play. She could still fondly remember the first game of his she came too. She sat in this very box and watched eagerly. Though she was less informed at that time and at least now she had some kind of concept of what was taking place. She looked at Phoebe softly before turning back to the game. Ruby was quite certain if she didn't look stupid she'd press herself up against the plexi-glass that separated her from getting a closer view. Not cause she was obsessed with Rasmus but because she was so excited. She wanted his team to win.

Ruby spotted Rasmus and something fluttered in her chest. A month ago she would have denied such a feeling but not now, not anymore. She just accepted all that they were even if it was hard to get the man to say his feelings, she at least felt them with each of his touches and that sufficed enough for now. A smile tugged lightly on the corners of her mouth, her blue orbs watching eagerly. She turned to Phoebe and pointed him out to her so she could get in on the excitement. She probably should have toned herself down a bit but she didn't much care. She didn't appear crazy or fanatic she felt. She was just the right degree of excited so that it wouldn't look childish and scare Phoebe at all.

She intertwined her fingers into Phoebe's but not in a sexual kind of girl on girl contact. Though she was sure any guy seeing this probably thought that. She didn't care, she did in a loving nurturing way towards Phoebe and she was sure the girl knew that. Anyone would have to be blind to not see the radiation of emotions that just pounced off of her when Rasmus was in the room. Did she care if others saw it? No, quite frankly she would scream it from the top of the mountains if she wasn't afraid she'd get tackled by him telling her to stop proclaiming such things to the world since being tied down wasn't Rasmus' nature. She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought truly.

It wasn't too much longer before being were getting edgy. The end of the game was coming, it had started as a close game the Blues following behind but they quickly made a come back. Though the away team was close behind them making it an extremely close game. The crowd roared at the end seconds when the Blues made their winning shot. Ruby jumped up excitedly not caring about the others and knew Phoebe wasn't going and she wouldn't push her. What? she seemed to say to everyone with her face.

Throughout most of the game Rasmus found himself on the bench, and he watched his team lose. Always just a bit behind, never able to overtake their opponents. It was insanely frustrating. But then the coach had put him in and the other team stood no chance. Humans simply couldn't compete against a shapeshifter in terms of the physical, and he proved that as he skated circles around them, moving at speeds they simply couldn't manage and muscling his way through the other players like a bulldozer.

The match was theirs and afterwords Rasmus found himself in a hurry for the coach to finish up the usual locker room spiel and rush through his shower. The first time he'd brought Ruby to one of his games he hadn't much cared about getting to her quickly. She'd been just another girl, a human he was sure he would dump when he got bored and who's feelings didn't really matter beyond the fact that they meant he was getting laid. Now though, she made his life frustrating and complicated.

And she'd brought Phoebe to his game. Which was great because it was a big step for their pet human whom Ruby had more or less adopted as a daughter and little sister figure all rolled into one. Neither he nor his lion liked the idea of his women alone up there where another male could approach them or talk to them. Hitting on them was out of the question. Ruby was his. Period. Anyone who tried to take her from him would be shown swiftly and brutally the error of their ways. And Phoebe was Ruby's and by extension his, like a small pride of two females with one of them being a human. How had their human weathered being around so many people and so much emotion?

Rasmus had always been able to smell the excitement from the crowd and had always enjoyed it, letting it pump him full of adrenaline. Hopefully having Ruby with her would help mitigate the whole affair for Phoebe. Would it look like a riot of colors to her eyes? Hair dripping wet from the shower, Rasmus made his way to the luxury booth they'd watched the game from, noting by the smell that they were the only two left in it. He strode through the door, chest first and grinning, partly from victory but also partly because seeing them made him want to. Which was weird, he noted, but didn't fight it.

The two were holding hands. There was no scent of genuine lust, but the intimacy didn't go unnoticed and only made him grin wider as he walked up to them, gave Phoebe a one armed hug, then took Ruby in both arms, lifting her into the air and crushing his lips to hers, not caring what Phoebe saw with her sixth sense.

Crowds crowds crowds. Phoebe did not do well in crowds. Their shopping trip proved to help her see that she could do okay in crowds. She didn't even break down or have some sort of episode, at least not as long as she was with Ruby and Rasmus. Something about each of them made her feel safe and secured, as if no one could harm her. She liked that feeling, she wasn't going to lie. When Ruby asked her if she wanted to go to one of Rasmus' games with her, Phoebe hesitated, but it wasn't a long hesitation. She had never watched sports before and she was enjoying the time she was spending with Ruby and Rasmus. She was feeling a hint of bravery that she never thought she had and she didn't want to let it go now. She was doing so well. To turn back now would be to lose all of this and never get it back. She was sure of it. Never had anyone helped her like this. Never has anyone cared this much to actually help her. Of course, she never actually made herself known to many people either. Rasmus saving her in that alleyway was turning out to be a gift. Now if only she could get down this whole social interaction stuff.

Looking around, she wasn't sure what she should be doing. Ruby was so exciting, cheering the team on. Phoebe opened her mouth to try, but couldn't. Colors sprang to life before her from time to time before disappearing and she couldn't understand why. She did know that Rasmus was the only shifter out there and she took a bit of pride being able to figure that out. Ruby jumping up beside her didn't really scare her that much. The strangers that surrounded her sort of did, though. She kept her attention on Ruby, thankful that the woman took her hand. She drunk in the comfort like a sponge, loving the feeling of the woman's presence right there with her. She wanted to huddle in slightly, but didn't so that the woman could still jump up and cheer when she wanted to. When Ruby pointed out Rasmus, Phoebe's gaze was there. She already knew it was him by the aura that was around him, but she didn't mind having Ruby point him out either. Once out there, their team, his team, started to do better and a smile even managed to grace Phoebe's lips as their team was declared the winners. She smiled widely, hugging Ruby and then stayed there with the woman as they waited for Rasmus.

Phoebe watched as people started to leave. She stayed close to Ruby, trying not to catch anyone's eye. Some of the men eyed her as if she was free game and she didn't want to be. She hoped that Rasmus wouldn't take too long. While she trust Ruby to keep her safe, something about the male's presence seemed to promise that no other males would dare come near them. Thankfully, no one bothers them and soon Rasmus comes. Phoebe's hand was still in Ruby's when he entered and she could instantly feel his presence, the colors that were Rasmus dancing around him. She had grown use to the colors from Rasmus and Ruby. What use to scare her now comforted her and she wondered what her own colors were like, but alas, was not able to see them, even when she looked in a mirror. Rasmus approached them and seemed truly happy to be there with them, which made Phoebe even happier. She had never known anyone to actually seem to be happy about her presence. Sure, Rasmus was probably more glad to see Ruby than Phoebe, but she wasn't bothered by there. There was no way she was getting between the two, not after everything they've done for her and how happy they seem together.

Rasmus gave her a one armed hugged and she leaned into him slightly. She wasn't sure why, but his presence was comforting and no longer scary and the strength that came from his body reassured her, just like with Ruby. He then moved to Ruby and Phoebe was forced to break the connection of their hands. Phoebe didn't mind and watched as Rasmus took Ruby into his arms. The lust and love, she believed it was, was clear to her and she adverted her gaze slightly, feeling as if she was invading upon their personal space by watching. Instead, she moved her gaze to the ice rink where she looked curiously down at it, wondering what it was like to ice skate out there on the ice. She had never been ice skating before. Phoebe waited for the two to finish their greeting, letting them take all of the time that they need, before she turned back to them, wondering what they were going to do now. "You played really well, Rasmus. You looked like the best player out there," Phoebe said shyly, softly. She didn't fully understood the sport, but that much was really clear to her and she felt the need to bring it up and compliment him on it.

Ruby smelled him before he made it through the door. Her own heart picking up, racing as he got closer to the door. Her face lighting up slowly as the door opened. She was quite happy that Phoebe had hugged her and a bit surprised when she did when the team had won. Her thoughts lingered on it for a moment before she saw Rasmus and all thoughts came to a halt and now circled around him. They always did no matter where they were. A healthy addiction some would say... she wasn't addicted in a bad way. She always wanted more each time they were together and when they were apart she ached. So yeah, she was in love. Her eyes moved to Phoebe, smiling sweetly at her then she moved them back to Rasmus as he closed the distance between the three of them. His one armed hug around Phoebe melted her, the girl was so sweet and cute. She squeezed her hand lightly before Rasmus turned his attention to her.

He took her in both arms, smashing his lips into hers. It was heated and passionate. She wrapped her arms around his neck lightly kissing him back mirroring his kiss. She was quite grateful Phoebe was in the room because she was quite certain more would have taken place. She pulled away slightly from the kiss feeling much like a school girl with a crush as she bit her bottom lip, pressing her forehead to his before looking over at Phoebe as she spoke. The girl was a real sport through the whole game. She was very proud of her. Maybe Ruby's excited mood helped ease the girl or maybe she was beginning to become more brave. Ruby rather enjoyed that thought. She knew Phoebe would make a great lioness she just had to make Phoebe see it on her own.

"They would have lost if it weren't for you," she murmured knowing the very words would feed his ego. She enjoyed feeding it, it made her feel quite good when she did.

Rasmus smiled, scenting Ruby's lust as they kissed and came apart, her doing that sexy thing with her lip she always did when she was excited as she pressed her forehead to his, gazing into his eyes. Not with challenge but with desire. He waited though for her to break the look first, unable to display any sign of being submissive to her. As they stood there, Phoebe quietly spoke up. “I am the best player,” he grinned, tucking Ruby under his arm and pulling her to him.

Fairly tall for a woman, her frame let her fit perfectly against him when he put his arm possessively around her, turning to face Phoebe, grin widening at Ruby's praise. The statement was true, the Blues had never been one of the better teams and this had been their greatest season in several years, but only because they'd put him in at the last minute to clean up the mess they'd made of the game. It was almost irritating, but he'd come to feel a certain sense of loyalty for the team. Were it not for them, he would be dirt poor and unable to play for a living.

Despite the amount of his attention Ruby consumed, Rasmus' heightened senses hadn't failed to notice where Phoebe's gaze had strayed while they'd made out. “You want to get a closer look at the ice?” he asked them both, gesturing with his free hand out the plexiglass at the rink below where an ice resurfacer was passing over the Blue's logo, leaving it gleaming and wet.

((sorry for the shortness following up such wonderful posts))

I am the best player. That sort of confidence baffled Phoebe. It amazed her that people had such confidence. She longed for it for herself, but found it hard to find it. Coming from Rasmus gave her a small bit of courage in her that she barely noticed. It was as if he was planting a seed and every time him and displayed such emotions, the seed grew a little bit more. Phoebe wasn't very aware of it at the moment. She wasn't aware that in her, she was starting to get a little braver. While she noticed that she was getting use to crowds a bit more, as long as they didn't crowd her too much, she still didn't think she was really all that brave. Sure, she was getting better and Ruby and Rasmus didn't scare her anymore, but she couldn't image doing that with everyone. She had a feeling that there were others out there who were strong like Rasmus but probably not as nice. What if they found her? What would they do to her? Phoebe pushed the thoughts from her mind. She tried not to think about stuff like that. The fact she found Rasmus and Ruby was truly a miracle that Phoebe no longer wanted to dwell upon and wonder why she was fortunate enough to have. This was surely a lucky break for her.

Seeing the two close together as they were made Phoebe smile softly. She didn't understand sexual desire and even love really. Even the love of a family, because hers wasn't exactly the best at showing it. She read about it, though she may have seen it from time to time, but she still couldn't wrap her mind around the concept of love. She surely was completely innocent to sex. Sure, she knew were babies came from. She wasn't that innocent, but she had never experienced it herself and never had a desire to. In fact, it scared her. Then again, what didn't? Either way, Phoebe could see from the two that they cared for each other deeply and it warmed her heart. Phoebe was fairly use to fading into the background and it didn't really bother her when it came to Ruby and Rasmus. She at least knew the two would remember her after they enjoyed each other. She didn't exactly want to get between them anyway. That would be a little awkward, that much she was sure of.

Rasmus asked them both if they wanted to get a closer look at the ice. He must have seen her gaze and it amazed her. She looked at him a bit surprised, her mouth slightly open in a 'o', the expression more cute than anything. She nodded her head, smiling softly and glanced over her shoulder at the ice for a moment. "I would love to get a closer look at the ice. I've never been this close to an ice rink before," she admited sheepishly. It was truth, but then again, there was a lot of places she has never been to before thanks to her fear. She had never bowled or played any sport outside of school, really. She had never had a girls shopping trip before she did with Ruby. She really never had friends before Rasmus and Ruby either. Thinking it over, Phoebe suddenly realized just how much she missed out on. She was aware of it before, but it never hit her as hard as it did right now, probably because she finally knew what it was like to get out and liked it, for the most part. She lingered by the glass to wait for them to lead the way out, no wanting to interfere now that Rasmus was with them with their closeness time. She couldn't believe how eager she was to do this. She briefly wondered how many people would be around, but didn't linger on it long, amazingly enough.

Ruby simply smiled at his wide grin. Yeah, her words fed him and this much she knew. Her smile only growing wider when she had noticed Phoebe's interest in the ice ring. Her own gaze moving to the ice herself. The last time she was here she was too occupied with Rasmus to even have time to think about the interest she had in it. Now, she had great interest to get a closer look at it like Phoebe did. She was interested in the sport he played if only for him. She had lived in St. Louis her whole live and this was only the second time she had been here. It didn't really bother her to be honest.

She looked softly at Phoebe when she voiced that she'd love to get a closer look at it. Ruby loved how much more stronger she was becoming. The girl didn't seem out of place at all in the box but she couldn't help wondering if her own mood kept the girl from freaking out. Her smile on her face twitched in the thought of it. Either the girl was doing great. "I'd love that as well," she said not too long after Phoebe's answer really. Her gaze falling back on Rasmus, she could never keep her eyes away from him for too long.

[sorry >.< Ruby was being stubborn and wouldn't let me write her xD]

Both of his women wanted to see it, so that was all there was to it and damn anyone who said they couldn't. In an easy movement he scooped Phoebe up under his other arm so that he had a woman on either side of him and strode purposefully through the doors to the box, proud of the women at his sides, but for reasons that would have seemed incredibly stupid to him not two months back. Both were progressing so well, Ruby in terms of power and self control, to say nothing of her nurturing, and Phoebe was growing just the hint of a spine. Just coming to an enormous event like this must have been nerve wracking yet he hadn't scented any trace of fear in the box.

Nobody was around as they made their way through the halls, devoid of life save for a few janitors who looked on enviously as they passed. They went through a pair of secure doors only the players were allowed through and moments later were passing through the Blue's empty locker room. Rasmus couldn't help but grin at the odor or so many sweaty men. He and his lion had long sense gotten used to the stench but he couldn't help but glance down to see Ruby's reaction with her heightened senses.

They didn't linger here, instead going to the bench, only a short wall between them and the ice, the resurfacer having been put up. A security guard eyed them from the stands, seeming to try and warn them away from the ice, but Rasmus ignored him. What could the rent-a-cop do to him, Rasmus Henriksen? He took his arms from the women and opened the gate, putting them mere inches from the ice. The security guard jogged down the stairs, waving at them and looking irritated, then pulled up short when he saw who it was. “Um-y-you can't bring them on the ice.”

Rasmus fixed him with a look, meeting his gaze and holding it. The man became more flustered, “Well what I mean, that is, it's against,” gulp, “against protocol.” Rasmus eyes narrowed. The man swallowed again. “I'll give you a hundred bucks to go walk around for half an hour.”

The security guard thought about it a moment, then nodded. Money quickly changed hands and Rasmus stepped out on to the ice, holding out a hand for each of the girls to take and get their balance. It was different without skates but his balance was excellent enough that he didn't need to worry. Ruby's would be pretty remarkable as well in spite of not spending much time on such a slick surface, her feline reflexes would be more than enough to compensate. It was Phoebe he was particularly worried about here.

They agreed to getting a closer view of the ice. Phoebe was rather thrilled by this, though her thrilled obviously wasn't as vocal or noticeable as Ruby's like when she was bouncing up and down during the game. The shy smile spread wider on her lips and then suddenly she was pulled into Rasmus' grasp, now upon his opposite side. The motion had caught her by surprised and her body stiffened at first, but merely from the sudden surprise of it. Remembering that it was Rasmus, she relaxed and tried to figure out where she was going to put her hands and stuff like that. She didn't want to cross any boundaries and make Ruby mad or jealous or anything like that. Of course, she hadn't seen the woman like that yet, but she didn't want to risk it either. She settled with placing the hand caught between her body and Rasmus' around his body to rest upon his opposite hip between him and Ruby, placing it high enough that it didn't seem intimate. Of course, she didn't think of it that way. It was just where she had naturally placed it. Her other arm hung loosely at her side and she walked there comfortably beside him. She was rather thankful the place seemed relatively empty and when they came across the janitors, she leaned into Rasmus slightly, merely because she felt safe with him.

The walked through the locker room and Phoebe couldn't help but curl up her nose slightly. She didn't have the senses that Ruby and Rasmus had, but it surely didn't smell good to her human nose either. Thankfully, they don't linger there long and move on to the ice. Phoebe looks at it, feeling someone nearby, strangely enough, and looks up to see the security guard. He didn't look to happy with what they seemed to be doing and Phoebe looked over at Rasmus curiously. As the guard came closer, Phoebe made her way behind him as if expected him to protect her from the 'mean guard.' She didn't want to be doing anything bad. She was merely following Rasmus and she trusted him. What he was doing surely wasn't wrong, so it was the guard in the wrong. May not have made sense, but why would they be doing this if they weren't meant to? The guard approached them, saying it was against protocol, but he didn't seem all too sure about that looking at Rasmus as he was. Rasmus ended up paying the guy to leave and Phoebe was fairly glad that he went. She wanted to see the ice and he was ruining their fun. Rasmus was obviously stronger than the man and this was clear in her mind by the way the man willingly gave up. She didn't believe the money had anything to do with it. In her mind, it was all Rasmus.

With the guard gone, Rasmus moves out to the ice and holds his hands out for the girls to take. He made it look so easy and she watched as Ruby followed him out. It didn't seem all that hard for her. She wanted to see the ice, possibly touch it, maybe get on it, but now that she was there, she was uncertain. She looked out at Rasmus' outstretched hand for a moment. She moved closer and then knelt down, running her fingers over the ice to feel its coolness. She straightens, her gaze falling upon his hand once again. It then moves to his face and she looked at him for a moment. In his eyes, she could see that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. She slowly inched out, her hand reaching for his. She slowly moved onto the ice with her hand in his and realized how quickly just how slippery it was. Her eyes widened and she suddenly felt as if her feet were not going to stay beneath her. She tried to regain her balance, but her feet moved about beneath her, threatening to give out. She had never been on something so slippery before. She typically avoided ice patches as much as possible and they were typically small than this. This was a whole rink of ice, though. "Oh," she gasped, her feet giving out from underneath of her as her butt moved to hit the ground.

Ruby had never been in the stands before. She felt less like a local in this place for never stepping foot in any of the isles as Rasmus lead them towards the ice. There were a lot of things Ruby had never done before Rasmus but those things were more personal and shouldn't be reflected upon in public. Though it didn't stop the smirk from forming on her lips. Her eyes flashed to the man who was obviously uneasy about them heading towards the ice. Of course, Rasmus took care of the situation and they were now at the ice. Her first step was a little shaky but immediately her feline senses compensated for her balance and being on ice was nothing to her. Her eyes shifted to Rasmus for a moment, smiling warmly before she looked to Phoebe. She would no doubt have trouble on the ice. Ruby couldn't help but laugh softly when Phoebe fell on her butt. It wasn't a mean laugh by any means. She stepped forward and offered her hand to Phoebe, her smile still just as warm for her as it was for Rasmus. "You'll get the hang of it," she murmured softly to her. "Until then, you can just hold my hand."

Rasmus was a blur, hands reaching under Phoebe's arms just in time to prevent her from really hurting herself, though the ice made him slip just enough so that that pert little bottom of hers just made contact with the frozen ground. He moved her so that Ruby could take one of Phoebe's hands and himself the other in order to balance the far less coordinated human between them, smiling over Phoebe's head at his lioness. Together they brought her to her feet.

“Now, one foot at a time, just slide it...”

“Shift the weight shift your weight...”

“Slow, slow easy, you got this...

“Pick it up you got this...

“You're alright, we've got you...”

And so on the coaxing went as he took the lead and with Ruby by his side began helping Phoebe find her balance and begin to walk across the ice. It didn't matter how much their human was succeeding so much as that she was trying. The shy little creature that he had rescued was slowly coming out of her shell. There was some sort of butterfly metaphor in there but for the life of him Rasmus couldn't think of the proper word for cocoon. He was proud of her, and just as proud of Ruby. H is lioness and human, they were both growing so well.

Phoebe didn't even see Rasmus move. She felt his hands on her before she even noticed he was there. He managed to keep her from landing hard on her butt, but it still managed to touch the ice and it chilled her slightly. Ruby's soft laugh didn't really bother Phoebe all that much. The almost falling kind of scared her, but it was sort of funny as well. The other woman made it look so easy, as did Rasmus. Ruby offered her hand to her as Rasmus helped her back to her feet. Phoebe too it, thankful for the hand and any support that she could get. Rasmus took her other hand and she managed to at least straighten, but the ice was so slippery beneath her that she wasn't sure how she was going to be able to move on it like them. She was afraid that if she moved, she would just fall again, even with the firm grips of Rasmus and Ruby's hands. Rasmus' words flooded into Phoebe's mind and she couldn't help but listen to them. She followed his directions carefully despite her fear and soon found that she was moving. She seemed awkward, she was pretty sure of it, but at least she was moving and didn't fall on her butt again. She repeated Rasmus' directions in her mind, the 'we've got you' sticking in her head. They have her. She wasn't sure if there was ever a time when someone had her, when someone was there to watch her back, even when she had her family. Sure, they were loving at first, but when she needed them the most, they turned their backs on her. She looked over at Ruby and then over at Rasmus and then back at Ruby. She suddenly realized just how empty her life seemed before they came along. "Th-this is kind of fun," she says, a small smile moving across her lips.

Ruby was quite happy that Phoebe was getting the hang of it - being around people. Though she seemed to be good when it was one of them with her but regardless she was still doing well. Phoebe reminded her much like a young cub learning the ropes and the thought made her purr but it also reminded her of the child she couldn't have. Ruby had known this when she asked for this life but she hadn't expected it to really weigh her like it was now. Maybe it was because Phoebe often reminds her of a child, her child. Though Phoebe was not too much younger to her Ruby felt this way towards, like a mother to her. She laughed softly when Phoebe voiced that this was kind of fun and it was. Ruby had never really been on ice like this and it was quite amusing to say the least.

One foot in front of the other. Gently repeat. Gently repeat. Rasmus wondered if Phoebe realized exactly when she started grinning as she slowly gained her confidence, and tossed a meaningful look at Ruby when their human said she was having fun. “I'm going to let you go now OK?” he said, gently releasing her from his grasp. “We're still here, and we won't let you fall.”

He stayed very close to her as he slowly pulled away so that she was standing and walking on her own. One couldn't rightly call this skating, but that'd be for another day. Chest swelling with pride, he glided across the ice to wrap an arm around Ruby, backing the pair of them up so that Phoebe would have to come to them. Like a child learning to walk. One foot in front of the other.