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 Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:14 pm
[1/10]
Aurick had always loved seeing the traveling troupes that passed through the Capital ever since he was a kid. That general sense of wonder didn’t diminish as he aged; rather it grew when he was able to bring his younger siblings along and watch their eyes glow bright with excitement. Over the years he’d seen a variety of sword swallowers, fire breathers, illusionists and his favorite; contortionists. As a larger boy himself he was absolutely mesmerized by how seemingly average people could twist their bodies around in order to fit in some of the smallest of spaces.
So, it was little wonder that when the show was over he went in search of the wonderful lightning woman who’d, in his eyes, stole the show, only to find something nearly as great. There, at the back of the big tent, was a younger boy trying his hand at the act. “Oh wow, so you work here too?”
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:14 pm
Selim had watched the entire performance, much like he usually did, and kept his eyes trained on his mother. All of her moves he’d watched with a critical eye ever since he was younger and in quieter moments he tried to emulate her. Even at the tender age of sixteen he was able to do most of her routine; the simpler stuff, anyway. Like twisting his body around to fit into a small ring, but it was getting harder as he aged and filled out. His shoulders were broadening, arms thickening...and he hated everything about it!
With one arm and his head already through the ring, Selim jumped and turned towards the voice with a frown. “Yeah, maybe, what’s it to you?”
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:15 pm
[2/10]
Aurick held up his hands in surrender. “No need to get defensive; I was just asking. It just looked like you were bent on success so I figured you must be a performer.” He grinned, his eyes a little too bright for such a bad joke. When it seemed like he wasn’t going to be attacked he lowered his arms, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. “Actually I was hoping to talk to the contortionist tonight; she was just so amazing that I wanted to tell her.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:16 pm
Selim was so caught off guard that he actually laughed. The act of undulating his chest as he chuckled actually caused the ring to slip over his other shoulder and with a little maneuvering he was able to get it down onto his rib cage. “You sound like an old man.” He snorted, passively twisting the ring around just above his narrow hip bones. “Well, you’re out of luck; she’s probably winding down for the evening and won’t be talking with the public….but I can tell her you said it, though.” She is my mother, after all.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:17 pm
[3/10]
“Winding down or unwinding? Get it, because she got all knotted up.” Aurick couldn’t help but to laugh at his own joke. He had a million of them stashed away, just waiting to pop out! “It got you to laugh so it doesn’t really matter if they’re stupid or not; a smile’s a smile.” His eyes couldn’t stay away from the ring if he tried; watching the way it easily rocked back and forth on Selim’s hips was almost hypnotic, especially once he started noticing the way it started to go down. “You’re pretty amazing yourself! I wasn’t kidding when I said you looked like a professional; I don’t know how you’re getting that thing to move!”
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:18 pm
“Lot’s of practice.” Selim cocked his right hip, slid the ring down and did the same on the other side. Once he’d accomplished that much he held it in place so that he could slowly pull his leg up. “My brother and I have grown up with the troupe; when I’m not doing chores I’m practicing so now it’s pretty much second nature.” Within a matter of moments he’d slipped his way out and held the ring up with a smirk. “Want to try?”
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:19 pm
[4/10]
“And get my head stuck? I’ll pass.” Still, Aurick did step forward and take the offered ring to inspect it. Honestly, he had no idea how this kid had pulled it off! The ring was just big enough to fit his head through so the fact he’d managed to get his shoulders through such a space was a marvel! “Doesn’t it hurt? To bend around like that? It just seems like you’d get so stiff after a while.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:20 pm
“Actually if you do it right it won’t hurt. Keep your thighs, abs, and shoulders engaged in a deep backbend to keep the pressure off your spine. So long as it’s supported then you can do just about any pose.” It all sounded a lot more professional than he’d ever said it before, but that was because he’d heard his mother say it before. “Just make sure to do your warmups before and you should be good to go.” Shrugging his shoulders, Selim pulled them back just a little more than normal, just to show off.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:21 pm
[5/10]
“Still don’t think I’ll be getting through this-” Aurick held up the ring, “-anytime soon.” As if to prove his point he sat it on top of his head like a fine headpiece before removing it completely. Even if he could manage to find one large enough to fit his fat head Aurick wasn’t so sure he’d want to try; part of him was just too worried that he would get stuck! “So, does your brother do it too?” He held the ring back to Selim, only passively wondering how he’d even got those hair sticks through the hoop.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:21 pm
“He can, but he’s not as good as me.” At least, so far as Selim knew. The pair had been trained by their mother to do the basics, but most of Selim’s lessons these days were solo affairs. Was he planning on following in the family business? Or did he have other ideas? “So, what about you? What’s a guy like you do to get muscles like that?” It was almost impossible to ignore just how beefy the other boy was.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:22 pm
[6/10]
“Oh, these? Yeah, I bake.” When Selim tossed him an incredulous look Aurick just laughed. “I’m serious! My family owns Flour Shower, two blocks down. You should come visit tomorrow if you don’t believe me. I make a mean strawberry tart.” Of course he worked out in his down time, which was so infrequent that he couldn’t even begin to schedule it. Most of his girth had come about just by lugging things around the bakery and by keeping up with his siblings!
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:23 pm
“There’s no way you’re serious. I would have thought you were some kind of brawler or...well, something else. Anything else!” Someone practicing sports? A loggers son? Selim just couldn’t see a baker’s son being that thick! It might have been embarrassing, given his more slender frame, had Selim not been actively trying not to look that way. “What kind of pies are you making that makes you look like that? Steel flavor?”
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:24 pm
[7/10]
“Oh, you’ve got jokes too! Mine sounded a lot funnier.” He elbowed Selim with enough force to make the other teenager stumble. “Sorry - didn’t mean to be so rough! It’s hard keeping them under control, you know? But, yeah, I dunno. I guess studies were just never my thing and since you can’t bake all the time I just started lifting stuff. And sometimes I get in fights with my cousins. It’s all in good fun, you know, but they’re from the country and things get rough.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:25 pm
“Yeah, I can imagine,” Selim’s voice was a small murmur. What kind of cousins did he have that he needed to be that big just to compete? Cyril and I would never have survived. They may have been able to pull a few pranks, sure, and if they could outrun them then it would be okay, but a straight on match...this guy would break him like stale bread!
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:26 pm
[8/10]
Seeing how the street torches were already lit Aurick curled his lip. His mothers were going to kill him for being gone this long, especially since he hadn’t even found Astra or the others yet. “I should probably get going. You’ve got a thousand other things going on besides talking to me.” As interesting as it was getting another's perspective on things Aurick knew this kid was only talking to him because he’d been spotted. “It was nice talking to you, though; I really appreciate it.”
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