[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/KuIZYZy.gif[/img][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/376878751075794944/399977137999708160/New_Alice.gif[/img][/center]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYZIaizIWxk]Some say[/url] when you sleep after a nice cry, you sleep better, but that didn't seem to be the case as far as Ice was concerned. The amount of responsibility he had purposefully amounted on himself felt heavy on his chest and made his sides uncomfortable as he tossed and turned all night. His feelings of comradeship with the rest of the Infinites would have terrified him when Ice had first arrived in his hellish place and it still did, but it also felt warm and earnest, not like the shell of a human he was before this. After finally giving up on sleep after getting maybe an hour or two of shut-eye, Ice got up and dressed himself. While he still wasn't the best when it came to wrapping his bandages, Ice did the best he could. Once finished, he scavenged one of his suitcases for candies and filled up his pockets before leaving his room.

It must have been rather early in the day, because no one seemed to be around. They may have already gone up to investigate the third floor, but Ice had a plan first. Moving up to the second floor, the hole in the wall seemed to be gone along with most of the wreckage. Chills slipped over the Blood Donor's spine at the reality of how efficient the sisters could really be. But just as Ice was grasping onto the handle of the Diner's door, he heard the sound of a [url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DIcBw3sda2c]piano.[/url]

While Alice originally wanted to spend the day in the theatre, wanting some time alone after all that had happened the night before, the recon thought that Mercy would drag her out against her will. So she instead went to the music plaza, not hesitating to approach and play the piano there and then. The song Alice decided to play was actually one of her brother's pieces, an old favorite that always seemed to lift her spirits up.

Turning the corner, Ice moved out into the open plaza to see the back of Alice's head, her hands pouring over the keyboard. The smaller girl's hands worked wonders as on an instrument Ice himself had never really seen played properly before. The Blood Donor leaned against the side of the Diner listening, his eyes half-lidded and a small smile quirking up his lips. He let out a soft sigh and continued to listen, not wanting to interrupt his companion. Honestly, he might have cried if he hadn't dried his eyes out earlier.

Once the recon had finished the song, a genuine grin had crept onto her face as she stood up from her seat and looked over to Ice, quickly doing a double take. [Color=red]"B-Bloody hell- H-How long have y-you been standing t-there?!"[/color] Alice asked nervously, having not noticed the blood donor till then.

If anyone [url=https://imgur.com/a/XDKAY]looked[/url] over at Ice's face for that small second, they would have seen his mouth quirk up higher, but alas, his face soon fell down to it's ever annoying expressionless mask. He bounced off of the wall and walked up to Alice, standing before her, he brought his hand up and ruffled her hair. [color=orange]"Long enough."[/color]

The recon looked up at Ice for a moment, then sighed in defeat, flustered from embarrassment. [Color=red]"S-sorry. I just don't do well with an audience. Stage fright tends to get to me alot..."[/color] Alice explained, hugging herself. [Color=red]"I mean, now you're kinda the only here that actually watched me play. Bliss did, but only in the middle of the song, eheheh..."[/color]

[color=orange]"Then I'll make sure to sneak up on you again so you can play in peace. I wouldn't want to hold you back,"[/color] He moved to stand to her side, his fingers floating over the keys.

[Color=red]"Eh?! W-Well, I don't mind playing the piano for a single person, it's just when there's a group of people watching that I start to freak out."[/color] Alice told Ice, scratching the back of her head.

[color=orange]"Shame you can't jam in somewhere more obscure, it's a bit too open here."[/color] He started to press down on one of the C keys, but didn't press hard enough to produce any sound. His hand flinched slightly before he slipped the piano closed, [color=orange]"Hungry?"[/color]

[Color=red]"Actually yeah! I haven't really got breakfast yet."[/color] Alice nodded.

Ice started for the Diner, holding the door open a second longer than necessary for Alice to grab onto it. Once he got to the kitchen, he started checking the shelves for ingredients. While he may not have been the Infinite Chef, he had been a cook for his family and he made some mean pancakes. The Blood Donor got to work, but had a bit of a problem when he had to mix everything together with only one hand. After a few useless attempts, he glanced over at the smaller Infinite.

[Color=red]"...Oh! Um, need some help there?"[/color] The recon asked Ice, walking up next to him.

The man sighed and looked away, [color=orange]"I can make something else..."[/color] He went to the fridge to look for eggs. Squatting down he cursed at himself, why the hell was it so uncomfortable to ask for help? When it had been him and the kids, he was always needed that helping hand but they would be running amok until Ice gave Jeremy the look. But thinking of that reminded him of Jeremy which reminded him of... [url=https://imgur.com/a/q0GCJ]Aleecia.[/url] Stabbed through by someone she trusted so much, someone she had fought so vehemently for. Ice braced himself against the fridge, his right knuckle turning white from the strain.

Noticing how the blood donor seemed stressed, the recon walked over and sat down besides him. [Color=red]"Hey, are you alright...?"[/color] She gently asked, concerned for her friend.

Ice took a second before turning his head to glance at her. He rested his head on his elbow before ruffling her hair again, [color=orange]"Stop worrying and.... help."[/color] He quirked his head towards the bowl before grabbing for another egg carton and standing up. What else was he supposed to do in this situation? She was dead and his attitude wouldn't help save anyone.

[Color=red]"Right, sorry..."[/color] Alice apologized, before standing herself up and walking over to grab the bowl.

And he did it again, went ahead and screwed everything over. Ice beat the eggs with a mechanical whisk before taking the pancake mix and starting out on the pancakes, not knowing what to say to make things better.