Welcome to Gaia! ::

On that day, Levi had snuck another note under the window pane of West's dorm room. She was feeling particularly stealthy today after having gone through a very secretive class (?) of a certain shrouded ToTer. In one arm was a folded up coat that would be familiar to the wrath demon; his coat. It was obviously washed and folded neatly with some care; Levi was not one to damage property. Unlike someone.


Arriving sneakily at the line of trees outlining the woods, Levi put two fingers to her lips and whistled. Nothing yet. Walking in and getting closer to a certain secret hideaway, she tried again. Waiting, a bush began to spastically thrash about with an octopussy popping out to greet her. There ya'are. The white-haired ghoul bent a bit with and outreached arm towards Critter, allowing the mini pet to wriggle its tentacles over, latching on and squirming up onto her shoulder with a mew. Critter nuzzled at her chin with the top of its head, rubbing affectionately after not seeing Levi for some time. Now was the octopussy's time to tell her all the happenings. Batlings trying to enter the territory and playthings she'd found... the mini continued to mew things to Levi who just smiled. Uh-huh, I see. Yep, ya'll gotta'lot ta say, eh? C'mon then. I think there's somethin' ya'can help me with today. Critter kept latched to Levi's shoulder with all tentacles, ducking against the tatzel's skin to brace for movement.

Taking off into the brush of the trees, Levi looked around the woods for a spot near Breck's shed that 1) wasn't near the treehouse, and 2) was unmoving. Tail coiling and uncoiling around the branches as the ghoul bounded from one tree to the next, the sound of lightly running water filled her ears. She turned in the direction, following the sound to what appeared to be a stream down below. This...this could work. Further observation would show there was a fallen tree trunk that ran from one side of the caved in stream to the other like a bridge. It wasn't a very large tree, but Levi knew this was perfect for what she was aiming to do. A hand reaching up to Critter's head, she crouched, settling the coat ito her lap and reached into one of its pockets.

Alright. Here's what I want ya' ta do. Ready? There was no answer from the octopussy as Levi pulled out the eyePhone West hadn't taken back with him that day. It was one thing she hadn't washed (luckily). Allowing the mini to coil its tentacles around the object, it was notable that the power in it had long since been out, leaving it as a useless brick of machinery.

Don't think you'd now 'I'm ta see 'im. But he smells like this. Kinda' metally. Levi wasn't as keen a smeller as Demi by a long shot, but she'd been close enough to West to get a scent off him before. The boil smelt of copper or a metal that had just been cut into; newly melded metal. See? Got it? Okay, Critter! Find 'im! Go on! Find! Much like a command of fetch, Levi had Critter try to find the boil, allowing the mini to take the eyePhone with it as it unwrapped from her and made off into the brush below, hopefully going in the right direction. Critter had been able to find her time and time again without any hassle; it had a skill for tracking.

Levi looked up at the sky; the shining pumpkin telling her it was nearly that time. The ghoul made herself comfortable on the branch overhead of what would be their training area, coat in her lap as she waited.

--------

Critter was on the lookout. Big glassy eyes darted around, unable to take in any sort of indication that this scent was around. Thinking, the creature darted toward the line of trees again that started where her domain began and where her master's finished; the clearing. That was where she usually was able to find the ghoul. "Mrew~?" Keeping close to a tree trunk where some shrubs offered her cover, the octopussy heard footsteps and sniffed at the air.

She jumped out, eyePhone in her frontmost tentacles. "Mrew mrew~" Eight digits wriggled with a furred tail flickering back and forth at the one who approached. Her head tilted at the figure, looking up to make a note of what the metallic-smelling one looked like.

The command was met with more blank stare. The big one was talking owo Did he want something? Oh well. Time to go back. Critter had reached her goal; the smells had matched and the big one took away the smooth stone.

All eight tentacles spiraled around as the octopussy moved on through the trees. Being the watchdogcat for the ghoul's secret treehouse, it was a regular thing for Critter to do quick scans to see if she was being followed. This was one way she tracked West's movements to make sure he was close enough behind. If he fell back at all, the boil would find the mini bellowing a long "mreeeeooowwwuuuuuoooowwwwuuuu~" to keep him in check. Why bother following after such a call? It got really annoying when done for a minute straight.

The sound of water was coming up and Critter was getting just a whee bit quicker. She was excited about something, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary in the vicinity. Ahead, the fallen tree trunk bridging over the concave banks of the river answered the question of where that sound was coming from but- where was the ghoul?

Critter turned when she got to the edge of the river, staring at West again, sitting up in attention with her tail swishing behind happily.

-------------

On closer inspection, the mini was peering even higher than West; at Levi in the tree just above where they stood. It wouldn't have been hard to tell if closely observed. Small sounds of a long tail flickering against the leaves rivaled against the sound coming from the water hitting rocks as it trickled across its path down below.

The tatzel ghoul still sat on her branch, legs crossed along the length of it comfortably and her back up against the trunk. Levi knew West had arrived, but she waited to see what he'd make of the situation before she stepped in.

A snickering at the boil's attempt to get on the log on his own sounded from the treetop. He'd made a good choice, though. Had he not removed the boots, she would have suggested he do so as well. You had to be able to learn on your feet before you could get all fancy prancy in some shoes. She had to give West that much; the boil had caught on quick enough. Shifting around to her feet, the ghoul in the jean shorts and sandals shook the bipedal slippers off so they hit the forrest floor with a slapping sound each. See ya got 'round ta that part yerself. Carefully moving as closely to the edge of the branch as she could, the tatzel bounced off the wooden perch and over onto the log West had just nearly slipped off.

To his credit, the log was a lot more springy than she'd thought. Ah! Arms out and one foot off the beam, she regained her composure quickly, but it was still a sign that Levi was not perfect herself. Alright- didn't see that comin'. All well n' good now though! Putting all her weight into the log, she bounced with her tail coiling around the diameter as a safety while she did so. It was probably a good idea to make sure it would hold them both.

No cracks or over-stressing was heard/seen. This was a lean and newly fallen tree, but it was certainly sturdy; she uncurled her safety tail. Yep- looks good ta' go. Giving West a grin, Teacher!Levi took to the lesson at hand (after briefly looking at his boots. Those were some sleek boots). Well, yer wonderin' why I brought ya'out 'ere, I reckon? Told ya I'd try n' show ya some 'a tha'ways I learned balancin'. Trees n' climbin' ... been doin' it since further back than ma noggin' can remember. That day she'd knocked him out and brought him back to her dorm to rest up again, they'd briefly discussed his training beginning at balance. Her wheels had been turning on this idea since then.

One foot placed in front of the other, Levi made her way from the center of the log toward the bank where the demon stood. She kept on the wooden beam, her tail keeping in even amounts on either side of her. It'sa perfect way ta git ya started. With any luck, ya won't need them feathers. Good ta know you got 'em though... just'in case. Tilting her body to one side, slightly bending as if she could see his back, Levi always had to wonder just where they went off to when he wasn't using them.

So- Her grin got just a bit more wide when a hand reached out to the boil. C'mon. She offered, preparing to move back slowly so that West could settle himself at the end of the log.

He hadn't had a need to hold on to her or anything; the ghoul tucked her forearms behind her back with a snort. Good. Atta boil. Levi moved a foot backwards carefully with every step West took toward her.

So, I figure this 'is tha'best way ta learn without havin' ta fall outta no trees. Their first meeting had come to mind and she certainly didn't want to find herself brushing at high flight speed through thrashing branches again.

What exactly was he going to learn? Balance, of course. How did one test their balance and learn to better it? They first needed to be taken off balance.

Her snaking tail made its way sneakily from the underside of the log over to the back of West's bare feet. Don't look down. Look right 'ere. She motioned with two fingers in a V at her eyes. I know ya'll know never ta'look 'way from yer 'pponent. Questionable, actually; but Levi sidestepped that for now. If yer too busy watchin' below, ya ain't never gonna learn ta 'void n' attack quick 'nuff. That's where we're startin'. With a sturdy smack of the end at his back-most heel, the ghoul waited to see how he'd take an element of surprise. Pending on if he still stood, she was prepared to follow up with a jab to the gut.

How hard was his focus on his current footing?

Levi let out a chuckle before sighing. With both hands on her hips, the mischievous tail returned behind her while addressing the now crouching boil. Not what 'I said though, was it, boil? If ya'll 're concentratin' on yer feet while lookin' then yer not gonna move fast 'nough if'I attack. Gotta use yer mind 'AND yer eyes. Yer feet gotta learn ta do tha'work on their own. A playful smirk appeared, knowing she didn't really have to use that method of attack but she wanted to all the same.

She did note then that no wings had come out to catch him this time. That head of his. Both a blessing and a curse as far as she could tell; actually, she leaned more towards the former. West was at least risky and adventurous enough to give something his all when he was told in an understood way. He didn't need to use his wings if it meant he'd stop his fall without them even as a safety measure; Levi admired that. West was an all-or-nothing type of boil.

Ye can watch ma'tail all ya'like but- She jumped up and down on the beam, the springy jolts forcing her to place her footing outward more so she could maximize her covered surface in case it moved slightly off of where she landed. That ain't tha'only thing I'd use ta'git ya, boil. When she stopped, her stance was one foot in front of the other with her toes on one edge of the width facing out and her heel at the other, the feet opposing this for stability.

Each attempted grab was flitted away by her evading his attempts till she got a little curious. What exactly did he even think he'd do? The demon finally did grab on, Levi's eyes keeping firmly on West with a counter glare and a coupled smirk. The boil had all but laid down on the beam moments ago yet he stood again and had gotten right into offense. Admirable.

Then the country ghoul hissed lightly at his crazy comment, simply trying to shrug it off for something a smart-mouthed boil would say in his uncontrollable piggleheadedness. West, ya seen what'I am back home. Don't got none'a these. She lifted one foot, wiggling her toes. Guess that's what made'it easier fer me. They teach ya not ta try n' go'round tha tree... As she'd done earlier to check the log for safety reasons, coiling ones tail was like safety wheels on a bicycle; you had to eventually go without it. Taking on this smaller form proved difficult at first, but it likely would've been much more so without her training.

Levi noticed his closer proximity in her peripheral vision, taking a small move forward herself, keeping that arm hold loose and the distance short in case she wanted to try an attack again. ...but ta go long-wise n keep yer tail high. It ain't so much 'bout yer own body as 'bout where ya are. Feet change. Tha'log doesn't. If ya know tha place yer steppin' yer feet can just follow n' yer eyes can keep ta their target.

Given his posture, she knew he wasn't in a very battle-ready pose. It was a light hit, but obviously she didn't consider it to be enough to cause her any strife. The tail that had gone unnoticed wasn't behind her but low again at the boil's knees. She merely brushed the back of one knee to gauge a response.

The ghoul began to step back, further away from West, retreating to the opposite end of the log. Gotta crawl 'before ya bounce. Eh- guess in yer case walk. Lemme see ya come 'reach me over 'ere.

She waved over with a wide arm and hand, keeping her feet in the same position she had them in earlier. She even then crouched down, putting all her weight into her palms to allow both legs to hang over the sides as she waited on the end.

Sitting without much care about falling, the tatzel ghoul simply watched for how West chose his movements. Or rather, how quick of a pace he could produce with what quality of movement.

It was a good start off from what Levi could tell. Feeling his movements slightly, it was an even paced three steps till- !!! The ghoul's spine up with her ears straight in alarm. She likely wasn't aware of the sly smirk on her lips the moment West raised his arms to balance himself out. As much as she liked watching his displays of determination, it was equally intriguing to see him learning something. To show a sign of weakness; he had done so before in regards to the dance competition... but this was different.

It just became too much for the tatzel to handle when he laughed and told her not to. What was a large smile turned into a blurted howl of laughter. Rolling onto her back with her legs in midair, cackling away, she rocked forward again to respond, holding her stomach.

CAN'T. Yer a HOOT!

Luckily for the wrath demon, it was loud but short lived. The laughing faded to every step he took thereafter until the ghoul decidedly tried something. Palms against the log again to bring her feet back up from dangling, she stood and made her way towards West for those last two steps. Ya did good, boil. Far as I'can tell... yer ready fer tha'next level. Ain't ya glad?

And before anything else was said or done, that tail was back again, swiping at West's feet.