Flashback [Guest ST] Jumping Snakes

[Aoren]

Fin watched Aka struggle just to keep her balance on one leg. It was a little sad if he was going to be truthful. He hadn’t realized just how off kilter she was. As he repositioned himself he nodded for her to take up a stance on her other leg.

“You are going to do the same with your other leg. Balance on it for a full chime. The key to any good acrobatic maneuver is in your balance. If you’re not centered then you’ll just end up falling all over the place.” His cheeks reddened. He pointedly didn’t look at the tree that he had collided with not but moments before. Clearing his throat he stepped to the side observing Aka’s form. It was wobbly, the stance of an obvious beginner. He almost reached out to give her a little assistance but hesitated.

“Uhh, here. You are a little wobbly. Let me show you something that will help you keep your balance. Tha-that way you don’t need my help. So that you can balance on your own, haha, see?” It was a very weak argument but he was beginning to realize that the quickest way to get through to this girl was to avoid any insults to her ego. Finnius Dink was not above kissing up to someone. Nope. He wasn’t against it at all if it meant that he could live to see another day. This girl with the red eyes and the strange hiss to her voice? He didn’t want to see why she was the way she was. He had a lingering feeling it was not something entirely pleasant.

Reaching out he gently took hold of the arm opposite of the one she would be using to keep her leg propped up. Carefully he raised her arm so that it was extended straight out from her side. When that was done he gingerly prompted her to shift her hips so that the center of her body was even between where he weight would be situated. If he was judging things right this would help her be a little more steady on her feet. He touched the upper part of her back prompting Aka to hold herself completely upright.

“You want to keep a straight back. Look forward as if you’re staring fearlessly into the eyes of an enemy. Keep your head up and don’t think about the fact that you’re standing on one foot. Let your body relax. Breathe. If you feel like you’re going to fall over, lean slightly in the opposite direction. Don’t lean too far because that will make you sway back and forth and you’ll fall.” Finnius took a step back to watch the fledgling acrobat and how she handled herself without his direct guidance. He came to stand in front of her. Placing his hands on his hips he chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before nodding.

“When you’re done balancing we’ll try something a little less…umm…” He searched for the right wording. “…less high speed.” That would work.

“Do you know how to do a hand-stand? How about a cartwheel?”
Those were both relatively simple things to do. They would also get her ready for how to set her body in motion when it came to performing a flip. The hand stand would get her accustomed to having her body still in an upside down position while the cartwheel would help her get a handle on dealing with her body in motion.

[Soshakuakamamushi]

Just when she thought it was over, he asked her to do the same thing to her other leg, the Viper groaned as she rolled her eyes then looked to the sky, she kept it like that for a couple of ticks before huffing, "F-fine..." After the poor display earlier, even she realized she would act like a jerk if she kept pushing at his 'incompetence'. Shifting her position, Aka raised her other leg to behind her back, squirming here and there to keep her balance, she made small jumps just to keep herself from falling unceremoniously to the grassy forest floor.

"..." The Viper sharply turned her head when he offered his assistance, Aka knew she needed it, but her childish pride blocked her reactions from simply saying 'yes'. the way he worded it fitted nicely with her ego though so Aka looked to the ground then slowly nodded, "Okay..." She let him touched her body and the Viper tensed, her blush showing her embarrassment at her skin being brushed by Fin. Of course, the lingering respect she had for him showed through her body, she didn't really repulse his touch, "Uh..." Aka idly murmured as she extended her arm, then followed his instructions to shift her hips.

She could feel it, the change in position made it easier for her to keep the exercise up, she straightened her back after that then listened to his instructions, "Hmph..." The small huff was all the answer given by the arrogant girl though she was clearly following it. Steadying her breath, micromanaging her balance by leaning her body to the opposite directions. When he pulled away from her, a small gasp could be heard as Aka felt he was going to leave her, but it died a tick later as she concentrated back on task.

After it was done, Aka would slowly put her leg back on the ground then faced him, she rubbed her arm with the other one as she looked diagonally down, "I... I don't know..." Usually, she performed her maneuvers in her Dhani form... which wasn't the case right now and showing him that would definitely send him scramming with his tail between his legs, "N-no..." She opted to just admit it, it was the truth, in human form.

[Aoren]

Fin nodded. He had assumed as much. The way she struggled just to find her balance told him that she wasn’t used to being light on her feet. That wasn’t a hard thing to change. It would just take time and practice. Who knew? Maybe if she managed to get the cartwheel and handstand right she would be able to do a proper flip in no time. That remained to be seen however. Fin rubbed his face taking a deep breath and sighing. He took a few steps away from Aka widening his stance.

“I’m going to show you how to do a cartwheel first. The trick to doing a cartwheel is to just let your body carry itself forward. I’ll do it slow so you can follow my movement so..uhh..just watch.” Rubbing the back of his head he puzzled out how to go about doing a cartwheel in slow motion. When he had his idea firmly in mind he cleared his throat loosening his shoulders for a brief moment.

“Okay, so, when you do a cartwheel you’re just kicking your legs up over your head. You’re then just letting them fall over to the opposite side and planting your feet on the ground. Get it?” He blinked at Aka for a moment before rocking back and forth on his heels nervously. He really did feel like a horrible teacher. It was time to stop explaining and just do the maneuver. That would be a better explanation of what it was as opposed to just throwing words out there.

“Okay. Right.” Taking a deep breath Fin bounced on the balls of his feet a few times before taking off at a slow jog. His movements were rapid like with the front flip he’d done earlier. He strode forward at a steady pace. After a few steps he tipped himself forward straightening his arms out over his head planting his hands upon the ground. Instead of trying to propel himself up off the ground he just kicked his legs up letting them lazily glide through the air. As they spun over him he tipped the weight of his body to one side until the side of one foot touched the ground. As he planted that foot he righted himself. Fin swayed a little as his head caught up to the fact that it had just been tipped in all manner of directions. When he was feeling less dizzy he raised his arms in the air giving Aka a smile.

“Ta-da! See? It’s not that hard at all. You can do a cartwheel nice and slow. There’s nothing rushed about it at all.” Giving a small chuckle he cleared his throat stepping back gesturing for Aka to give it a try. As he watched her get into position a thought occurred to him.

“The thing about being an acrobat is you aren’t rooted to the earth. You move. You soar. You aren’t afraid of seeing your feet off the ground and feeling your body move through midair. Most people spend their whole lives trying to stay upright. They are afraid of the idea of falling down. Being an acrobat means you aren’t afraid to fall because you know how to pick yourself back up.” He shrugged his shoulders. Fin wasn’t normally one for philosophical insight. Whatever Aka took from his ramblings he didn’t much care. At least…he told himself he didn’t.

[Soshakuakamamushi]

The Viper watched with interest, non-verbally showing that her arrogance and childish pride started to warm up to Fin, she now could lock her eyes on his form without some form of twitch or fidgeting. The respect she had for this 'teacher' only grew when he expertly executed the so-called 'Cart-wheel' maneuver. His body soaring through the air as if he was flying, Aka's head swiveled as she followed his motions, keeping her silence and taking in each flex of his muscles.

Aka was mesmerized on how he could slow down his acrobatic speed just to teach her, as far as she knew, one should be as fast as possible to avoid imbalance and failure, but him... he could take it slow, instead of a liability, that was a skill possessed only by experts. More and more, Aka felt like a huge jerk for shouting and berating him for... now that she thought about it, no clear reason at all. The Viper looked at him with blushing cheeks when he finished his cartwheel, slowly approaching him then fidgeted with her clothes, "I uh... okay, I'll do that..."

Before she practiced the cartwheel maneuver, Aka suddenly extended her right hand as she grabbed the hem of his shirt, "I uh... I'm... ss-sss... ssso..." She looked like a literal snake, speaking like that, but swallowing her pride, Aka plowed on, "Sssorry!!" Silence ensued as birds flew away due to panic from Aka's shrill voice, stepping back from him, the Viper looked away as she crossed her arms over her chest then focused on doing what she told him.

The Viper would seemingly ignore his reply as she prepared the balls of her feet, flexed her legs then ran forward, she then did as he do, straigthening her arms over her head, then tipped herself forward, planting her hands on the ground, "Ugh..." Aka gritted her teeth as she almost lost her balance, but she closed her eyes to concentrate, using her inherent agility to kick her legs up then tipped her weight to the side, executing a rough cartwheel, then she finished by righting herself up, inhaling and exhaling her breath.

"S-ssso..." Aka gave him a small smile, already easing up to him, "W-what'sss next?"

[Aoren]

Fin thought for a moment that Aka was going to do something violent. He stiffened as she tugged on his shirt but when the apology came out of her mouth he flinched. Swallowing slightly he gave Aka a shrug and a lopsided smile.

“It’s…it’s no big deal. After all, I did jump out of the bushes and brandish a dagger at you.” Not that he would have been able to do any harm. Fin’s skill with a dagger was practically non-existent. The reality of the fact would have been she likely could have disarmed him by just slapping his wrist. Her apology wasn’t lost on him however. He gave her a friendly smile taking a few steps back clearing his throat as he watched her get to work on performing a cartwheel. He had to admit that her form was a little wobbly but he wasn’t all that much better himself. He was just more practiced was all. He gave a light clap of his hands nodding to her as she stood upright.

“Good. See? That wasn’t so hard now was it? So, umm…I think you should practice those a few more times. They can really help get you into the feeling of putting your body in motion.” He shrugged his shoulders padding over to one of the trees.

“A cartwheel is basically just a sideways flip anyways. Sort of. Anyways, if you can get good at those you should have no problem with handling how your body flips upside down and then goes right side up.” Fin had no way of knowing if that was at all true. He could only go from what he experienced with his own body. This was the first time he had ever actually tried teaching another person how to do what he could do. Part of him was enjoying it.

As he reached the tree he turned around to brace his back up against it testing the ground for how even it was. Not satisfied with that spot he moved to another tree testing the ground there until he found what felt like the right footing. Nodding he folded his arms over his chest then watched Aka perform her cartwheels. She had a fluid grace about her that, given time, would lead her to be a very skilled and speedy individual capable of leaping great distances or performing some very complex maneuvers. Fin could see it. She just needed to get the basics out of the way.

“Come over here. I’m going to show you how to do a proper hand-stand next. If you can build yourself to the point where your arms can support the weight of your body on their own, you can do a flip.” Sitting down he plopped down onto the ground facing the tree. With a little wiggling and some scooting the tips of his shoes were touching the base of the trunk.

“Sit down facing the tree like this. Then you move yourself up so that the bottoms of your feet are flat on the trunk.” Fin planted his feet squarely on the trunk. He began slowly walking himself up scooting closer to the trunk. With a small grunt and some pushing on his part he walked himself up the trunk of the tree until his back was resting completely against it. The flat of his palms were planted on the ground while the rest of his body was supported only by his arms and the sturdiness of the tree.

“The tree will provide some balance and support until you can get comfortable doing it on your own.” Fin pushed himself off of the tree gently. His torso wobbled a bit. He gasped nearly toppling over onto his stomach. Quickly he recovered by walking forward on his hands but he was soon falling as the weight of his body carried his lower half down to the earth. He fell flat on his stomach letting out a winded breath.

“Ouch.” Not quite perfect but he supposed the general idea was easy enough to grasp. With a sigh he rolled over onto his back then sat up. Gesturing to the tree he stood up brushing off the front of his clothes.

“Now you try. I’ll help you steady yourself as you go by holding your legs.”

[Soshakuakamamushi]

"Un..." Aka answered with a small nod at Fin's instructions, she would attempt a couple more cartwheel before proceeding with the next lesson. The Viper prepared herself as she made small up and down jumps with her heels then flexed her legs as she ran forward, she repeated the experience of her first cartwheel maneuver in her mind, then integrated it into her muscles as best as she could.

Aka raised her hands then bent her body down as she placed both of her hands to the ground, "Kuh..." Grunting, she raise her waist and legs into the air and for about a tick, Aka's vision turned upside-down following her body, then a tick later, her legs fell forward, bending, then she made a rather rough landing, finished by raising her torso so now she was standing upright. The Viper repeated this maneuver a couple of times until she felt acid in her muscles, with her breath heaving, Aka walked back to Fin, "Okay, phew... I'm done."

Crossing her arms over her chest - out of habit this time, not arrogance - Aka watched as the instructor explained their next lesson, the handstand and flip as they were called. True to its name, Fin began to flip his body so he was now 'standing' with his hands. Aka tilted her head, this one looked easier than the cartwheel as she would be stationary, her lightweight and inherent Viper agility should help her, then came the hard part, it the 'handstand' also included 'handwalk' as part of the deal. Now Aka understood on why he didn't teach this first.

"A-alright." Answering with a stutter, she was rather embarrassed about the notion of Fin holding her legs, the short girl followed his directions as she plopped down in front of the tree, with her toes touching the trunk, then she tried to do as he did, 'walking' up the trunk with her palms touching the ground, "W-woah... woah..." Her movements were wobbly at best, she took it far longer than Fin did, but in the end, she managed to press her back onto the trunk... for about half a tick before she began to sway dangerously, "A-aaaaah!" She called out for help in the fastest way she could, Fin said he would hold her legs, he better did it or... or... Aka didn't know what to do anymore, hug him and ask nicely perhaps? W-wait... why am I thinking that?!

[Aoren]

Finnius watched Aka take up her stance. He had to admit that she was a very determined student. He hadn’t know the direction that these shenanigans would take but he was somewhat pleased with the outcome that was unfolding. The young woman, once her bratty attitude was put aside, possessed a keen ability to learn and to carry through with motions quite easily. Her form wasn’t as stable as his own but he guessed she would improve with time.

“You need to work on some of your strength. You can’t very well pull off the maneuvers you’re thinking of if you don’t have the strength to do them.” Fin wasn’t exactly the strongest guy on the block but he was lean and athletic from the years spent on the run. As Aka grew a bit wobbly he stepped forward the moment she cried out. Being mindful of her modesty he grasped her ankles then steadied her legs.

“Try to make the weight of your legs even with your center.” Reaching down he touched Aka’s belly lightly. “Right there. If you can make your whole body gravitate toward balancing with how you feel there you’ll have an easier time of pulling these sorts of things off.”

Gently he helped Aka press the heels of her feet up against the trunk of the tree. It was an odd position he would grant that. It had taken him some time before he got used to flipping his body this way and that. People tended to be a bit more grounded in their desire to stay upright. One of the challenges posed by becoming an effective acrobat, performer or getting really good at running away was learning how to discard that inherent notion.

When he was certain that Aka was fairly steady on her own he released his hold on her ankles. Slowly he stepped back to observe her. Folding his arms over his chest he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. Fin chewed on his bottom lip as he studied her trying to think of some way to give her a tip. He couldn’t really think of anything beyond everything that he’d already told her.

“Well, see if you can keep that balance right there for at least a chime. If you get dizzy you should right yourself so that you don’t pass out. That’s never good. I did that once.” Truth be told he’d done that a number of times but he wasn’t about to admit that to her.

“When you’re done with that I think you should try another cartwheel. If you feel a bit more comfortable with how you move then you might be ready to try flipping again.” There was no telling whether or not she would be successful. It had taken Fin many tries to get the hang of perform effective flips front or back. He still didn’t always land correctly with sometimes resulted in sprained wrists or ankles. Who knew though? Maybe Aka would prove to have a bit more beginners luck than he did.

[Soshakuakamamushi]

The Viper felt relieved when Finn grabbed her ankles then steadied her, she wasn't in a position to be replying so she merely answered with a grunt of confirmation. She listened closely to his instructions, but when he touched her belly, she blushed hard as the situation sank in, she was quite vulnerable right now and the awkward position was quite compromising, but... unlike earlier, Aka didn't found repulsed by it, this time, she simply looked away, with her cheeks flushing red.

Trying to get her mind off inappropriate thoughts, Aka focused on pressing her heels then held it right there for about a chime, like Finn said. She closed her eyes, trying to keep her muscles from failing, sweat trickled up - since she was inverted - her face, her muscle being filled with acid, but she must endure, she must not embarass the Dhani race further. After a long trial, Aka slowly shifted her position so she was now laying prone on the ground with her head near the tree's bark, "Uuungh..." She wast tired, really tired, she couldn't continue even if she wanted.

Aka flipped her body, leaning her back on a tree, "I uh... I think..." The Viper gave Finn a tired smile, "I think I'm beat for now, c-can we continue thisss tomorrow? Agh..." She closed her eyes, her breath heaving up and down, she couldn't just plow through all the lessons in one go, but she thought she had done a decent job, "Come here, Fin, I want to tell you sssomething..." Aka patted the ground beside her.

If the human obliged, the Viper would tone down her voice, just above a whisper, "Ssso, I want to sssay, t-thank..." She cleared her throat then continued, "Thank you." After that, she did something that surprised even herself, Aka leaned in to softly kiss him on the cheek, then she quickly drew back, fidgeting with her fingers, giggling like a silly girl, "Ehehe, I... I hope you like it..." With her blush still on her face, Aka prepared herself to reveal something important to him, she owed him that much, "You know, I'm uh... I'm not a human, Finn, I'm a Dhani... do you know about them?" Too tired to explain, Aka simply leaned her head back to the tree, "Let'sss jussst sssay, I am old enough to be your great grandmother... alssso, thisss isss not my only form, I can turn into a sssnake, but I think you don't want to sssee that, now then, let me nap, y-you better be here when I wake up..." After that, Aka quickly dozed off into the dreamscapes.

OOCI think Aka's too tired to continue, I admit, I really like the ending scene. Dawww~

This should be my last reply for the thread, Aoren! Thank you for honoring me with your Guest ST-ing expertise. I'd love to see Finn's final reaction along with your awesome grades!

P.S: After you grade it, I'll nominate you for the Guest ST medal.

[Aoren]

When it looked like the girl might fall flat on her stomach Fin tentatively stepped forward to help her. He gently aided her in getting safely back onto the ground before quickly stepping away once she was flat. Aka wasn’t the only one blushing. He certainly wasn’t accustomed to being so personal with another person. Unless of course he was trying to rob them blind then he was as up close and personal as he needed to be. After helping Aka throughout the afternoon though he felt…different.

As he went through the motions of everything they had covered he was mildly satisfied with what he’d managed to impart to her. Teaching. Maybe Fin had finally found his calling. He couldn’t be entirely certain but he had enjoyed instructing Aka in the nuances of acrobatics and body manipulation. It was a change of pace from his normal up and down, all over the place kind of lifestyle. Who knew? This might be something he could see himself settling into down the road. He didn’t feel he made all that bad of a teacher. When Aka gave a huff and sat up he listened to her before giving a brief nod.

“Uhh…okay. We can pick up another time. I guess.” Fin shrugged his shoulders. He blinked at Aka when she invited him to sit down with her. Plopping down on the ground next to her he found himself going red in the face as she thanked him. That redness became even more prominent when she pecked his cheek.

“Y-you’re welcome.” He fidgeted with his fingers looking down at the ground. A slight goofy smile touched his lips before he glanced up at her catching her gaze.

“I kinda figured you weren’t human.” He reached up tapping a finger just beneath one of his eyes. There was nothing remotely human about Aka’s eyes. They were a bit of a giveaway and were perhaps the reason why he’d been so hesitant to cross her this entire time. Now that she revealed to him that she was one of the snake people it all clicked together. Fin had met a Dhani once or twice. Both had been male and they had been of the Constrictor variety. He wasn’t all that familiar with the other families of Dhani but he knew what they were capable of.

“I’ve met a couple of your kin before. Huge guys that could have ripped me in half. Constrictor, I think they were called? They had really long names that I can’t pronounce.” He shrugged his shoulders. Fin wasn’t sure how he felt about witnessing Aka in her snake form. No doubt it was something to behold. He’d probably shyke himself if she ever attacked him. All the same it didn’t really matter as she began to doze off. Propping up and elbow Fin rest his chin in his hand as he stared at her dozing form. A slight smile touched his lips as he watched her.

“I’ll be here.” It was funny how Fate worked, but as hilarious as it might have been, Fin found he didn’t altogether mind.

NoteD'awww! Now I want to see more Fin/Aka shenanigans! This was quite fun. I hope you enjoyed it and please, feel free to drop another request in my Guest ST advertisement once I open it up again!

[Aoren]

Riddled With Rewards Soshakuakamamushi Experience Skill XP Earned Intimidation + 3 EXP Interrogation + 1 EXP Running + 2 EXP Endurance +4 EXP Persuasion +2 EXP Acrobatics +5 EXP Socialization +2 EXP Lores • Lore Earned • Running: Maneuvering Through the Woods • Running: Breathe In, Breathe Out • Intimidation: Domineering Threats • Persuasive Intimidation: On Pain of…something awful! • Acrobatics: The Importance of Proper Warm-Ups • Acrobatics: Warm-Up Exercises • A Lesson In Skillful Humility: A Plea to Fin • Acrobatics: Tools For Improving Balance • Acrobatics: Cartwheel • Acrobatics: Assisted Hand-Stand • Finnius: Friend, Teacher and…?? Notes : Thank you so much Aka! You’re the very first Guest ST thread I’ve ever completed! It has been a privilege and an honor. Please, if there’s anything you feel I missed in giving you your grade do not hesitate to poke me. Enjoy!