[PRP] Training Wheels (Byakko & Rasali)

[melona-pan]

Shortly after rebeldrama and Bloodfest, Byakko tries to reconnect with Rasali and show some interest in her hobbies.
Shenanigans ensue.

 

[melona-pan]

Bloodfest had proven to be a flurry of meaningless activity and wasted time, just as she had predicted. The festivities hadn't provided Byakko with any measure of relaxation, despite her friends best intentions, and the rebel leader had continuously sulked through the whole week. Her thoughts were constantly wrenched back to the Initiative's time spent in jail, Regina, Errade's betrayal... especially Errade's betrayal. How could anyone possibly expect her to just drop it and try to have some fun? Akko hadn't made a genuine attempt to enjoy Bloodfest in the slightest. On one of the rare times she opted to venture outside to explore the winding rows of booths she found herself slowing, vision globes involuntarily drawn to a certain neon-splashed stall blasting uppity pop music (which Byakko could only assume were the latest and most current hits). More specifically, her vision narrowed in on one of the trolls that seemed to be running the booth. Rasali Panaka.

As she lingered to peer at Rasali from behind a sign of a neighbouring attraction, Byakko realized how little she actually knew about the greenblood. She had been the most agreeable member of their little trio back during the rebel's investigation, and Rasali had shown nothing but support for Akko. In turn, the mutant felt as if she... owed something to the other girl for her efforts. Some sort of sign of gratitude, perhaps a more direct thank you? Something about their time spent together felt incomplete, given the abrupt nature of how events had unfolded, and Byakko wanted the opportunity to speak with her old teammate. Still, the Skate Queen booth had been far too boisterous for her tastes. While everyone's attention seemed to be locked on some commotion on the rink, Byakko took the chance to slink over to the counter undetected and snatch up one of the booth's fliers. At least she knew where she could find Rasali.

A few nights after Bloodfest wrapped up, Byakko found herself clutching to the crinkled ad, following the directions to the Skate Queen's permanent location. She had departed from the Four Fronds safehouse at the crack of dusk, hoping to show up early enough to beat whatever midnight rush they had, but it seemed to be for naught. The rink already had a steady flow of bright faced trolls trickling in to join in on the fun; a stark contrast to the mutant's own deadpan expression. For the sake of blending in Byakko had ditched her usual fraying robes and fur in favour of a pair of shorts and a puffy vest, donning a hemoanonymous version of her shirt. No one glanced her way as she slipped inside and quietly made her way towards the front desk.

Sticking to the far walls, Byakko inched through the crowd and towards the counter, stopping to squint up every now and then at the flashing neon lights. She didn't like them very much. At all. She hadn't really known what to expect, never having been to any sort of place like the Skate Queen before, although the booth's decor made much more sense to her now. She still really didn't see the appeal in something so... disorienting, but the trolls whizzing around on the rink seemed to be having a blast. Byakko frowned as a nearby display began to strobe in her face.

Breaking through the buzzing crowd that was beginning to collect, a slightly dizzied Akko approached the main counter, glancing over her shoulder to frown back at the lights one last time before dissolving her expression. Turning her attention behind the desk, she realized it was currently unattended. Maybe someone was in the back? Byakko bit the insides of her cheeks as it dawned on her that perhaps Rasali wasn't in tonight- that would have been a total waste of time. Taking note of a small desk bell, she hesitantly reached out before slapping down to ring it a few times. The ringing was nearly drowned out by the music pounding through out the rink, but it seemed to carry well enough. Byakko stood and simply waited, fixated on one of the machines sloshing around brightly dyed and flavoured slush water behind the counter. How oddly mesmerizing.

seekingCylem

AMI ART FOR POSTERITY

 

[seekingCylem]

”Hey! Hey Mer! Mer! Bell’s ringing! Merlin!?” A muffled voice rang out from behind the shelves of rental skates on display. Soon after the shouting was followed by rattling and even softer grumbling. ”Can’t even be bothered to run his own damn establishment…”

Rasali appeared from behind the shelves. Her thin look of customer-directed politeness immediately broke into one of surprise, then genuine happiness. ”Byakko! B-Byakko? Byakko!” Rasali exclaimed, reconsidered, and then disregarded any concerns regarding the sudden appearance of the rebellion leader. She glided behind the counter until she was directly facing the other girl. ”What brings you here! Do you skate!?” Rasali’s voice grew hushed and awestruck at the idea of Byakko being a skater. Like she wasn’t cool enough.

”Hey, hey! Tell me your shoe size and I’ll hook you up with a pair of skates!” Rasali leaned up on the toes of her own skates and pressed herself over the counter to see Byakko’s feet. Nodding at her findings, Rasali pirouetted back towards the racks of skates and plucked a pair off one of the lower shelves.

The skates Rasali plunked on the counter were weathered, but still functional. The wheels looked quite a bit newer than the leather. The skates looked about the same as all the other pairs lining the wall behind Rasali.

Rasali continued to lean on the counter looking a little star-struck before remembering her job. ”Right! That’ll be six beetles for the rental.” Rasali held out one hand while she continued holding her weight on her other. Her skates shuffled anxiously behind the counter.

melona-pan

Let's get this party started biggrin

 

[melona-pan]

Byakko's attention snapped to Rasali as she appeared from the back, eyes slightly widening as the shorter girl perked up and cried out in excitement. "H-hello, Rasali." She was a little taken aback by the greenblood's enthusiasm, giving her a slow, flustered nod in greeting.

"Do I... what?" Byakko furrowed her brows in mild uncertainty before it dawned upon on her what Rasali was asking. She had never even put on a pair of skates. Lightly shaking her head as Rasali bubbled forth with questions, she rose her voice over the upbeat track that had just started. "Actually, I came here to see yo-"

Before she could finish, Rasali had twirled away towards the racks behind her. Akko glanced down at her feet. She still wore her simple wooden geta- she didn't own another pair of shoes. She hadn't the faintest idea what her shoe size was. She just sort of... slapped some pieces of wood together when her old ones broke and called it a night. Thankfully, Rasali had tossed a pair on the counter before she could piece together an answer that didn't make her seem like a total idiot.

"Six beetles?" She echoed Rasali emptily. Six whole ******** beetles?! Akko stared down at the greenblood, lips pressed into a firm line as she hesitantly fished into her pocket for the small sack containing what little money she had. As one would expect, the mutantblood didn't dip into the Initiative's funds for her own use; she was pretty much always broke. Fiddling with the closure as she debated internally, she retrieved the beetles, silently thankful that she still had a couple left over. "Here," Byakko dropped them into Rasali's hand, eyes darting back to the pair of skates. There was no going back now. Not with the way Rasali kept looking at her all... starry eyed. Akko decided to try for a change of topic instead, resting one hand on the countertop to lean in as her volume dropped audibly. She gestured around loosely behind her, towards the rink. "Your establishment is... pleasant."

seekingCylem

(*´_ゝ｀*)

 

[seekingCylem]

”Ahaha, yeah, isn’t it?” Rasali answered with zero hesitation. The Skate Queen was great! This was a true and undeniable fact. It was loud and colorful and sparkly, which were all great things in a local hangout as far as Rasali was concerned. It was like if space had a catchy pop soundtrack. ”I mean I just work here part time, but trust me, this place wouldn’t be running half as smoothly if the owner were left to his own devices.” Rasali “whispered” conspiratorially as she leaned over the counter towards Byakko. She winked and leaned back. ”Speaking of, it’s about my break time right about now. Wanna go a few rounds?” Rasali shook her head as she gestured to the rink with her horn.

Rasali didn’t bother waiting for an answer. They were at a skate rink after all. What else were they going to do? Stage a rebel meeting next to the arcade games? She mashed the bell on the front desk to get the owner’s attention from the back of the skate racks and swung out from behind the counter. She stood beside Byakko perched on a pair of scuffed-up, hemotyped skates with glittery wheels.

”C’mon, there are benches you can lace up on over here,” Rasali mentioned as she drifted over to the edge of the rink near an opening in the barriers.

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[melona-pan]

Akko fidgeted with the laces of the skates between her hands, nodding simply. The mutantblood still didn't quite get the appeal of this place, but kept her reservations tucked neatly away behind her impassive stare. Turning her gaze upwards as another set of rainbow lights began to strobe on-beat with the blaring pop song, she squinted and rubbed at her eyes regretfully. "Well, it's good that he has someone reliable to count on at least." Her hands went straight back to the laces, fidgeting once more.

Akko almost let herself hope that by 'a few rounds' Rasali meant a sparring match; but she knew better. Biting the insides of her cheeks, she shrugged weakly. "Ahh- sure." Following Rasali without hesitation- it was unacceptable to show a sliver of fear in front of any Initiative members- Byakko slunk over and perched on the edge of one of the aforementioned benches. She took a pause to stare down at the wheeled shoes. The corners of her lips threatened to give way to a scowl, but she forced it down.

Instead, she firmly grabbed the edges of one shoe, and determinedly jammed her foot down into it. Almost immediately, a shiver of disgust ran up and down her spine. The insides were worn down with use, cold and slimy still from the sweat of whatever troll had used them before her. Ugh. She found herself wishing she was wearing socks. Akko shook the feeling off- not completely unlike a wet animal- before swallowing hard and repeating with the other foot. The closer she was to getting the skates on, the more Byakko was convinced this was a Bad Idea. She didn't know what she was doing and there were trolls whizzing around, smashing into one another willy-nilly. What if she bled? It was packed in here. The risk was certainly there, and more probable for her tastes, and still... her fingers continued to tighten and tie up the skates, albeit at a pace resembling that of a snail.

"Alright. Let's do this." Byakko remained seated.

seekingCylem

sorry for the wait! flails wildly

 

[seekingCylem]

If Rasali was registering Byakko's discomfort, she wasn't showing it. This was such a surreal (but exciting!) experience taking place. Rasali didn't want to ruin it by giving Byakko reason to have anymore doubts than she was already having. That much was already clear by the pace she was going while tying her skates.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you've never skated before," Rasali commented with a look of mild amusement. Her expression immediately brightened. "Lucky for you I'm an expert. Hell, since I work here you could even call me a professional skater! I'll teach you no problem."

Rasali looked Byakko up and down appraisingly. "Besides, if you're able to move comfortably in those geta, you're practically already halfway there. Here."

Rasali extended a hand to assist in pulling Byakko up off the bench.

melona-pan

no prob! >w<

 

[melona-pan]

Surreal was one way to put it. Purposely concious of every movement she took, ever wary of looming threats that could expose her mutation, putting herself so boldly in harm's way was strictly outside of Byakko's praxis.

At least she had a decent enough excuse.

"Mmm, I confess my hesitancy to admitting I've never done this... sort of activity before." No point in denying the obvious any longer after being called out on it. "Y'know. Work keeps me busy." Akko shrugged. "So that would be appreciated- I'm not sure how to operate these." How exactly her geta related to the wheeled speed devices she pointed down toward was lost to Byakko, but she trusted Rasali's professional opinion.

Taking ahold of her now-teacher's hand, Akko nodded in appreciation and swiftly yanked herself up to her feet. Immediate regret. Her heels shot off in opposite diagonal directions before she could steady herself, unprepared and overconfident in her ability to stay balanced.

Byakko fell in a magnificent display worthy of a gymnast, sprawling inelegantly onto the floor in a forced half-split. Rasali's grip had been the only thing keeping her from completely eating tile, which Akko now dangled off of uselessly.

Her head whipped up to stare at Rasali in widened alarm.

"Ahh..."

seekingCylem

 

[seekingCylem]

"Of course, of course! Obviously what you've got going on is way more important than learning to move in wheeled shoes." Rasali chuckled sheepishly. "It's important to have hobbies, though. Can't be going at a hundred percent all the time. Hope you're making time for yourself and not just coming by to say hello to lil old me!" If there was one thing Rasali felt qualified to preach, it was the importance of relaxation.

She tugged on Byakko's hand. "Once you get the hang of it you'll see it's really quite cathar--GGCK!" Rasali's torso was jerked downward as Byakko was taken by gravity. It was a testament to Rasali's own skill that she managed to stay standing in her own skates. "M- My bad..." Rasali groaned against the weight on her one arm. "I shoulda seen that coming..."

With a grunt, Rasali adjusted her grip on Byakko and set about tugging her back into an upright position. "If- hup! If you think you're in trouble, you can hop up on your toes where the brakes are. The most important bit is to keep at least one of your skates under your center of gravity at all times. That's the hard part for beginners. You never know how much you wobble around when you move forward until you try to not do it."

Rasali gave Byakko a grin so supportive it practically called for a lens flare. The last thing she wanted to do was scare Byakko off. Well, not scare her, per say. That was hard for Rasali to even imagine. More like she didn't want Byakko "Esteemed Leader of the Phoenix Initiative and Generally Badass Individual" Mawiya to think her sport of choice was dumb.

"Also! Also-also. There's no shame in just standing still and letting yourself roll to a stop at the walls. I'm pretty sure this place still has faceprints of mine from when I was just starting out. Think you can scoot yourself forward?" This time Rasali was watching Byakko like a hawk, trying not to hover-hand around her too closely.

melona-pan

 

[melona-pan]

Byakko quickly recovered from her cringe worthy fall and wheeled back upright, thanks to Rasali's iron grip. Her knees wobbled dangerously. Right- brakes were a thing on these contraptions. That's what those rubber things were. Use her center of gravity. She could remember that. She could remember that. "Yeah, I think so. I'll just try and... roll." Whatever pressure Byakko had previously felt to look experienced before Rasali all but dissolved in the greenblood's boosterish glow. It was replaced by burning determination. She would show Rasali the tenacity of the pheonix!!!

The fall had been good for one thing, at any rate. Akko was thankful that the conversation route about interests outside the Initiative had been cut short- although regardless of how casual and in passing, Rasali had pretty much pinned down Akko's objective. The only time the mutantblood could really recall 'making time for herself' was when past injuries had forced her to stay idle. Bubble baths were pretty sweet.

Scratching sheepishly at her forearm, Byakko withdrew her hand from Rasali's, ready for attempt #2. Brakes. On the toes. Center of gravity. CENTER OF GRAVITY- She lost her footing again. Immediately. Arms shot out to Akko's sides, spinning in little desperate circles. She leaned, she twisted, she remembered to use the breaks on her toes- AND SHE REMAINED STANDING. Flashing Rasali a small, triumphant glance, Byakko cleared her throat and straightened up once again.

Now she just had to... move. "Uh." With the tiniest of scooches, Akko jerked forward. She began to glide away from her teacher- once again, at a pace challenging a shellbeast's- but glide she did nonetheless. Byakko's eyes lit up. Instinctively her arms shot back up to her sides, but she kept balance. "Rasali. RASALI. Am I doing it correctly?"

seekingCylem

 

[seekingCylem]

Byakko detached from Rasali. The latter allowed herself to drift backwards a few inches to allow Byakko more room to propel herself forward. She was taking it painstakingly slow, but Rasali supposed it did give results far more dignified than her own reckless childhood practices. The sheer strength of the focus Byakko was exuding was all the more endearing.

"Excellent!" Rasali cheered, popping up on her own skates in the process. She pushed herself so she was once again next to Byakko, rolling a slow circle around her in mock appraisal.

"The definition of roller skating is successfully moving in wheeled shoes, which you most certainly did! Full marks!" Rasali aligned herself parallel to Byakko in order to demonstrate her next point. "If you really wanna go though--which, trust me, is the best part--then you gotta kind of balance on one skate, and use the other to push forward. But like, keeping the pushing skate at a little bit of an angle so it doesn't just slip out from under ya." Rasali kicked off in a straight line. She pivoted on her toes to turn back to her student. "And if you wanna turn, take it slow! Don't try and make sharp turns in the skates right off the bat--you'll break your ankles and eat floor. Just re-position the angle of your foot each time you step down. These things aren't really made for turning while on the ground like a scuttlebuggy."

Rasali allowed her skates to drift apart as she spoke, resulting in a "heroically" wide stance. One look of intense concentration later, Rasali clapped her hands together. "And that's pretty much it! Think you can make it over to the rink? You can't exactly get much momentum going out here on the sidelines." Rasali grinned and rolled herself towards the opening in the partition that separated the rink from the lobby. There she waited for Byakko to make her move.

Tutorial mode: complete!

melona-pan

 

[melona-pan]

Byakko swelled up with pride at Rasali's encouragement, rolling naturally to a stop. It was silly little thing to feel it over- she knew- but she couldn't help it nonetheless. The greenblood's enthusiastic attitude was practically contagious.

As Rasali glided off elegantly, Byakko focused intently on her feet, watching her expertly maneuver the wheeled devices. Her mouth pressed into a firm, determined line. It looked simple enough, but if Akko had gleaned anything from this encounter, was that it was far from. But her confidence was resolute!

That was, until Rasali mentioned the rink.

Tossing a glance over at the rink swarming with whizzing trolls, Byakko felt a nervous knot rise to her throat. 'Break your ankles and eat floor' was still echoing in the back of her thinkpan. As was Trolldad's voice lecturing her about avoiding any unnecessary situations that could out her blood mutation.

"Uhhh. I'll try." Nodding firmly in acceptance of the challenge, Byakko crept one skate forward. She inched. Carefully angling her skates, Akko repeated with the opposing leg. She slid forward another few feet. The third stride was a bit more confident, and the momentum sent her wheeling faster than she had expected. "AAAH--" Arms shooting out for balance, Akko wobbled towards Rasali, eyes wide and toe breaks forgotten. A passing child calmly outpaced Byakko on foot and shot her a confused look.

The resulting impact of Byakko bouncing off Rasali was nothing other than anti climactic. "S-sorry," the mutantblood muttered an apology as she scrambled against Rasali's arm, regaining balance. "I forgot about the breaks." Realizing she had stated the obvious, Akko cleared her throat. "I'm ready."

seekingCylem

 

[seekingCylem]

Rasali smiled as Byakko made her way over. Her eyes soon widened as she realized Byakko wasn't about to stop making her way over. Thankfully Byakko wasn't moving nearly fast enough to take out the larger, more experienced skater. Rasali caught her by the arms to steady Byakko as she bounced harmlessly off her torso. "You'll have to try harder than that if you want to make the derby team!" Rasali laughed.

This time Rasali didn't let go of Byakko and instead secured her grip on one of her forearms. "Here! I can pull you along while you get used to moving your feet." It was an innocent suggestion that made Rasali nostalgic for her own first skating endeavor with Aandes. If it kept Byakko from breaking her neck, well that was just a bonus.

Rasali moved forward just enough to stretch out their arms before looking back to see if Byakko was up for a chauffeured spin around the rink.

melona-pan

 

[melona-pan]

"Uuh, alright. That sounds-" Byakko stopped herself mid sentence from saying 'safer', "- wise." She couldn't mess up that badly with Rasali leading her. Latching onto Rasali's arm with her own, while keeping the other stuck straight out to her side for balance- she gave her teacher a determined nod.

Pulling herself closer to Rasali, Akko used the momentum to keep rolling, carefully placing her feet as directed. She squeezed on Rasali's arm. With each stride it became easier to move and hold her balance. This wasn't so bad once you got the hang of it! "Let's go." If Byakko smiled, she would have thrown one at Rasali. Instead she wore the same blank expression she almost always did when not explicitly on the job.

seekingCylem

 

[seekingCylem]

"Alright! Here we gooooo!" Rasali took off, very carefully. For all the enthusiasm she was showing, she should have been setting some kind of speed record. Instead she coasted gently around the outside lane of the rink. She deftly dodged the other new skaters clinging desperately to the partitions. Comparatively Byakko was doing quite well. Ergo, Rasali was also doing well! Back pats for everyone.

Feeling confident, Rasali smirked at Byakko. "Ready to go faster? Just keep a steady rhythm!" She'd already begun to tug a little bit on Byakko's arm. "If anyone gets in our way I'll hip-check 'em," she winked.

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