[PP|FL6] Training your Friend

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He pondered for a moment as to what the two could do to make this go faster. In actuality, all they could do was wait and see. The results of the training hung in the balance on whether the two familiars wanted to do so or not. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked over at Haine. “Yeah. Practice makes perfect unless they go smashing through the maze.” He scratched his head sitting down.

Eyes glanced over at the set he had made. Was it too difficult? Or was it not straight forward? Those thoughts crossed his mind as he looked over at her. She was not wrong. The mention of them being burned out sounded like something he would do when he was in school and did not want to listen to a lecture. He propped his chin on his knees looking up at her. “If they don’t start shaping up, we can try again another day.”

[Haine 0]

“Yeah, but we just barely started!” She interjected, with a wave of her finger. “We can stop after couple tries, just hold out some more.” She slouched in her lawn chair, knees bent and heels resting on the edge of her seat. She wrapped her arms around her legs, keeping them secure. The weather outside, for the most part, was always pleasant. The perimeters were set to emulate a consistent temperature, a gentle breeze enveloping the garden.

 

She set her sights on the pond, catching glimpse of a little frog that had mysteriously weaseled into the property. It was hopping from flower to flower, croaking. The noise was enough to alert the fighter penguin. She squawked at the sight of the interloper, waddling we fast as she possibly could to try and attack the poor thing. Haine shook her head and sighed. The little thing, light as ever, had hopped every which way to avoid the penguin’s lunges.

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Just as he was about to give up, Pingu started moving through the maze. Now, it was not as graceful as a swan swimming, but it would do. If there was anything that Haine and Pingu had in common was their appetite for certain foods. In this case, the fish was her primary target. The inside of the fish was stuffed with a sweeter scent that would attract Pingu.

It was only moments later that the penguin popped out at the end to eat the baked fish. It squawked in happiness. Kiluia stared at the creature wide eyed. Apparently changing the food was the key. For now, at least. He cheered for her. “Good job Pingu.” He praised her. He stood up and walked over to the penguin only to pat her on the head for a job well done. “Perhaps we can get cubbo to do the same thing.” He commented on the hibernating polar cub. Perhaps it was too warm for it.

Spoiler

Success 1/3

Edited July 11, 2020 by Kiluia Seiko

[Haine 0]

Seeing Pingu move through the maze was motivating. The penguin, after a while of struggling to comprehend her owner’s instruction, had tunneled through the path. She was clumsy and unrefined, but for a beginner and for someone as stubborn as her, it was an impressive feat. She clapped her hands, giddy. “That’s how you do it, Ping!” She shot Kil a thumbs up. A little patience, as it turned out, went a long way. That was the push that gave her incentive to keep trying.

Haine shook the bear awake, not without a struggle. The cub sat upright, however this time when she tried to get the little one onto his legs, his fluffy rear fell flat against the grass. He refused to stand up, groaning at the disruption. It was all but embarrassing. Just how stubborn could he be? “Fine.” She let go of him and pressed her lips into a thin line, agitation evident in her expression.

CD: 6 [ FAIL ]

Spoiler

 

Edited July 13, 2020 by Haine

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

The day was still young. Their training methods were crude but it was doing the job for the two. Well, for the most part. The penguin chattered happily getting praise from  the two while the bear was… not. Head pats from her master proved  to be a vital sign for rewards for her as well. Eyes shot to the cub almost signifying  What do you think of that? type of look. Kiluia gave her another piece of baked sweet bread before walking over to the bear.

 

"You doin okay cubbo?" He checked the bear and patted its head. " It is a baby love. Both our familiars are very young but I know it is frustrating." He gave a sigh. Hand reached over and cupped her cheek."We are in the same boat but at least we are in good company." He gave her a half smile. "Let's be patient like we have been, okay?"

[Haine 0]

The cub noticed the penguin receiving extra rewards for a job well done. He whined, beginning to feel salty about the ordeal. The cub, having not known better, felt that it was unfair. He leaned into Kiluia's touch, disregarding the woman as she'd been mean to him for some inexplicable reason. The bluenette massaged her temple and paced around on the grass. "Yeah... I get that they're babies but I can't stand this right now." She marched over to the patio and settled into her seat.

She folded her arms and reached for her glass, taking a sip of the dilluted, lukewarm coffee that was sitting out in the sun. She didn't care at the moment, chugging the rest of it like water. She looked up the sun, puffy clouds of cotton floating over the horizon. It blocked out a bit more of the sunlight, providing reprieve from the heat.

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He looked at her and nodded. “I get it. I really do since you and I are in the same boat.” He stoked the side of Haine’s face and spoke. “Listen. How about we do it one more time… and if it fails or works, we can get some rest and start fresh tomorrow?” The hard part was just keeping motivated to get this done. He was not going to pressure her into continuing the training if this was going to keep her on edge. He would have trained her cub had he the ability to. Unfortunately, this was a master/familiar thing and that would be against the rules.

He sighed a bit and then smiled. “How about I also treat you to some ice cream or crepes with strawberries?” He looked at her and smiled. He was doing everything in his own power to keep her from losing her actual shit since he was about to lose his own shit really.

[Haine 0]

She was slumped over the patio table, cheek pressed against the glass. She idly swirled the glass around, akin to a lazy kitten swatting at a ball of yarn in boredom. She didn't reply in return, only audible noises to show she was listening. She was losing her patience, but she was not one to give up so easily. She just had to sit down and collect herself. Ripping her hair out could only get her so far, and it would scare off their familiars. Them being in fear would only set them back even further, both of them knew that. She tried to think of it as parenting. How had her mother raised such a foolhardy child for all these years? Haine couldn't stand an hour with these two.

The prospect of delicious crepes, however, piqued her interest. She scooted up in her chair, turning to face Kil. "Yummyyy. I would really enjoy that. But you know what else is delicious?" She jested with him to pass time by. "Youuu." She waggled her eyebrows playfully and motioned him over to the empty seat. "Why are you all the way over there?" She dropped the facade with a childish chortle. She anticipated his reaction to her blatantly cheesy flirting. "Come on, I'm boreed."

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He took a swallow. Her words struck a cord with him causing him to turn red. He tried to speak words but nothing came out as he squeaked? She knew what buttons to press as he looked down. His eyes disappeared behind his white hair while he sat down beside her. He was extremely close to her as he spoke. “Pe..Pe..Perhaps we could just sit and…” What in the hell do they do in SAO for entertainment in a house? No TV. No Movies. Just stare at each other? Oh if he did that, he would melt.

While his brain was short circuiting with all sorts of thoughts, Pingu picked up her little wooden toy sword and SMACK! The stuffed dummy was hit. This startled him as he looked up at the penguin. He clapped for her, momentarily distracted. “Good job!” He cheered but the reality was that she was flirting. “Maybe… after this training…we go out for a date.” Boy, he was no Casanova but he had an innocent charm

 

Spoiler

2/3 Training

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Kiluia Seiko

[Haine 0]

His reaction was expected. She enjoyed the occasional liberty of flustering him, just cause' she could. His face lit up like a bright red light on a christmas tree, his words just barely coherent through his stuttering. She tilted her head. He moved to sit beside her, and then he pondered. She pondered too, what much was there to do around here for entertainment? The game made a point out of productivity, traditional entertainment was sparse. All they really had was each other's company.

"Sure-"

Her train of thought was halted when a loud smack reverbated off the dummy. She straightened her posture, gaze fixed upon Pingu. Finally, after a short break, she took the initiative to train by herself. It was cute and comical to see a penguin making a warrior screech, slapping a dummy with a wooden toy sword.

Miska surveyed the other as she went at the dummy. He noticed a suddenly enthusiastic Haine, who had gushed over the bird. Jealousy coursed through him. Fine, he'd attack that thing too! All eyes on him now. The bear backed up and then charged across the field. He headbutted the fat penguin out of his path, arriving to the dummy. He stood on his hind legs, and then with a mighty slash, bopped the dummy back a little.

Haine sprung out of her seat at that and clapped. "Yes, baby! That's how you do it!" She paced over to the cub and grabbed a fish from the bucket, tossing it to him. She knelt down and skimmed her fingers through his soft fur.

 

ID: #159015

CD: 10 [ Success 2/3 ]

Edited July 14, 2020 by Haine

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

The poor man was still mentally a teenager who experienced his first kiss not to long ago. That would be a secret that he would tell her when they were grey and old though. Just as he was about to be lost in his own thoughts again the cub scored his own hit. The excitement was on. He clapped his hands and cheered for the two of them. It seemed the two would be their own source of success with their constant source of competitiveness.

“Good job you two. Double the reward for dinner tonight if we can wrap this up soon.” He didn’t hesitate to reward them with food. After all, they were both familiars. He watched his beloved play with the cub and he couldn’t help but smile. This was their present and future. He was ecstatic with their life. The poor man started to think about things about how she called him delicious. Oh boy. He was getting hot from the sun. Or at least he had hoped it was the sun.

[Haine 0]

It was envigorating, watching the two familiars fight in tandem for a moment. She had an inkling of a feeling that they were bonding together, slowly yet surely. The competitiveness and jealousy was still ever prevalent, but a bit of the aversion had worn off. They'd come to tolerate each other's presence a bit better. She knew it could only get better from there, with how much they'd yet to grow still. She fought the urge to tear up, all sentimental. Typical Haine.

She made her way over to Kiluia, admiring him in his element. From the distance, she could really admire him. She all but choked on her saliva after she'd caught herself spacing out on his figure. Her eyes trailed back up and met his for a moment. It was her turn to be flustered, caught red-handed. She averted her gaze, slowly and awkwardly. She cleared her throat and made a beeline for the screen door.

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

This time he caught her. He looked at her eyes and it was over. He had been sweating and looking at her in the sun. This was a bad thing for two teenagers who were smitten over each other. He was hot. Too hot. He started to fan himself slightly despite the weather hadn’t changed to any hotter. If anything, it had gotten cooler. The poor man was afflicted by Haine.

He sat there a moment and composed himself. He had to figure something out. This angst business was something too foreign that turned him into every natural bumbling idiot whose pheromones were skyrocketing. He slowly walked back into the house and wanting to speak to her. He left the familiars to their own devices until he was able to get back out. He then saw her standing in the kitchen. He spoke to her. “Ya..ya..yanno.. I think… You..look like…you need a snack!” He chickened out. He was going to call her a snack.. Yeah. Chicken.

[Haine 0]

Kiluia was acting odd. She had attempted a slick evasion from a confrontation, humiliated to be caught red-handed. She was just near the kitchen when he stepped close. Like a scene in a horror movie, she slowly, slowly turned back around to face him. She had awaited some sort of remark or for him to yell about her being a pervert- but this. This was better. He stuttered like his soul had left his body. She peered at him, trying to make sense of his mumbling. What he'd given her was out of left field. Her anxiety evaporated into a fit of giggles.

So it appeared he was flustered somehow. "I-I-" she all but wheezed, clutching the counter. She covered her mouth for a moment and let out a sigh of relief. He was in fact not here to call her out. Was he trying to say something else, though...? "Why are you like this?" she choked out, through another soft giggle. She moved closer, leaning her hip against the counter as she looked up at him. The angle made it much more apparent how tall he was in comparison. She felt like a dwarf. 

Haine stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around him. Her cheek was buried on his chest. "It's kinda cute. What were you really gonna say, though?" She looked up at him, her lips curved into a soft smirk. Her hair had tousled out of the loose braid from chasing the cub, little strands falling over her shoulders and eyes. "Hmm?" She searched his gaze with her soft brown eyes.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Haine

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

She called him out. He had come in here to call her out and it completely backfired. A groan was heard as she laid her head on his chest. She could hear the beats in his heart physically at a frantic pace. She managed to beat him to the punch. “….You look…like…a……sna…ck” He said in a soft slow tone to her. It was barely audible but since she was that close there was no mistaking his words. “And what about you? You lookin at me and runnin away like that?” His accent slipped and he covered his mouth. It was the way he spoke sometimes and it would slip occasionally.

While the two were speaking, the penguin challenged the cub by swinging the sword against the dummy breaking the arm off. It seemed that it was beginning to understand why this was built here. With a triumphant smile, it waddled away to get its fish.

Spoiler

3/3 Training Familiar success!

Edited July 14, 2020 by Kiluia Seiko

[Haine 0]

She looked like a snack? It was an odd compliment, but a cute one. She giggled a little more at his shyness, it was a little bit endearing. His remark that came afterwards, however, that threw her in for another loop. There was an accent to his tone that she couldn't put a finger on. The culmination of it all caused her cheeks to flush a bright red. "Wh-what are you talkin' about?" She puffed her cheeks out and pushed him away in all her awkward glory. If she was trying to be discreet, she was doing a pretty shit job at it. She clasped her hands together and twiddled her thumbs. "I-I was just... Looking at the door! You were in front of it." She blew him a raspberry.

Outside, the cub was trying to teach himself. The animal duo were reflecting on their previous commands from their owners. The bear, however, couldn't seem to get his fat butt through the tunnel to reach the end of the obstacle course. An impatient Pingu tunneled her way through the tunnel, headbutting the bear out the other end of the tube. He slid out with a shriek and missed an aim at the dummy. A big, epic fail.

 

ID: #159020

CD: 5 [ FAILED ATTEMPT ]

 

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Haine

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

The game of cat and mouse was entertaining to him. The way she avoided him gave him a little bit of a strange boost in confidence. Hands slipped around her tiny waist and frame was against hers. He had his body against her back as he spoke softly. “Then… how about our date?” He had seen this move from his father. Go dad! His mom reacted in a good way so he hoped this was something that was common.

They both could see the cub working its way but it was hard for him. The penguin was taunting him or encouraging him? He had no clue as he watched their match continue despite the penguin being the winner. Perhaps it was because the penguin was older. Glance was given to her as he spoke. “Mm….moonlit picnic? I’m sure we can figure out which floor.” Casanova eat your heart out. Well.. he was still in training.

[Haine 0]

He was one-upping her, and he was doing a damn good job at it too. She couldn't have a chance to recover when he embraced her from behind, arms draped around the small of her waist. She gulped, beet red. She didn't mind it, but she just. Forgot. How to breathe? Her breath was a strange kind of uneven, but it helped that he wasn't looking straight at her. The question pulled her away from her train of thought, for the better perhaps. A moonlit picnic sounded like a dream. She loved being out at night among the stars, basking in the cool night breeze. There was something magical about stargazing at night, inducing a feeling of floating in space. What better time to that than with her love?

She spun around so that he was leaning on the counter instead. She put a finger to her chin and hummed. "Picnics and rock skipping at the lake? That sounds amazing." She stood on her tip toes, draping her arms around his shoulders. She leaned in for a chaste kiss, her lips soft against his. 

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He couldn’t help but smile into that kiss. It was one that sent waves through his mind as he felt this was his first lesson his father taught him. To be a gentleman, to be composed, and above all to treat her well. One hand would go for her waist but soon the kiss would be broken. Despite winning this battle between the two, he had forgotten the two familiars. The penguin was trying to push the cub through the little tunnel but somehow the cub had gotten stuck in the middle.

The sad cries of the cub were heard and he took her by the hand to go help the cub. They would have to finish their first solid kiss another time. He had every good intention in mind but he stumbled feeling light headed from her knock out kiss. Maybe she did win this round as he fumbled to get the cub out. Without another second, he had gotten the cub out by taking the top of the maze off. “Sorry cubbo. Your mom and I were getting to know each other better.” He spoke thinking that the cub could understand what that meant.

[Haine 0]

The kiss felt electric in a way she couldn't describe. The butterflies in her stomach surged forth, invoking this feeling she couldn't describe. A stir of emotions, a feeling of... euphoria? She had never been in love before, it was as if she were traversing rapids. It was the exciting, unpredictable kind. They had not a clue where they were going together, but as time went on, she felt that they were understanding each other more. She couldn't have it any other way.

The sounds of squawking alerted her of the two others yet again. They both left in concern for them. Kiluia unscrewed the top of the tunnel and released the cub. It came running to Haine, trembling. "There, there, Mees." She knelt down and swooped the trembling cub into her embrace. "Ssh..." she cuddled the cub, burying her face into his soft white fur. "You did good." He had gotten a considerable amount of training done, altogether.