BOND - Let's get ready to Grandstand!

[terribletwos]

Who: Roxas and fellow Grandstanders
When: Day 64, morning into afternoon since he can do this for a while...
Where: Gym

Well, someone had decided he was sick of sulking over whatever was wrong with Solar Flare and has set out to do what he should have been doing since he got here. Mainly concentrating on generating sparks so they could purify this star and get another step closer toward rescuing their friends.

So he's traded some of his recent trial sparks for a fairly sturdy ball, which he's brought into the gym. He heads for the the section of the gym where there's a good bit of wall to work with before setting the ball down. An instant later, he summons both his Keyblades and uses the tip of one to fling the ball into the air before catching its descent with the other Keyblade and knocking the ball up again. He's probably going to keep repeat this pattern until people start to enter or walk by the gym.

When they do, he'll call to them, doing his best to not lose sight of the ball and maybe even bounce it off one of the walls to buy himself some more time before giving it another hefty tap upward. He'll even offer an encouraging smile.

"Want to give it a try? It's something a friend taught me a while back. The trick is to see how long you can keep the ball from touching the ground. It's allowed to touch anything else though. Well, except for other people since that might get dangerous.

It's a lot harder than it looks, but it's fun too. So I figured it should count for the play thing Clover does. It's like... training. While bonding at the same time. "

He gestures toward the available practice weapons with his head, as he strikes the ball again. "You can probably use some of those to keep it in the air. Just make sure you don't hit it too hard or you'll lose control."

Comments

[learnedfool]

"Right. Well, might as well."

Pen has little training with melee weapons so he's... not actually that good at this.

[terribletwos]

Try to work on a control first. Like watching where the ball goes and making sure you only hit it far enough that you can still reach it. Hitting it really high helps too since you have more time to get to it.

[learnedfool]

Well, that and I have some reach. [Pen is a tall, lanky dude]

[terribletwos]

Yeah, you're lucky. I usually have to jump a bit.

[ Roxas is a shortie but has more than enough energy to keep up. ]

[learnedfool]

Lucky in grandstanding, unlucky in hand-me-down clothing.

[terribletwos]

Hand-me-down clothing?

[ Having barely any concept of siblings probably complicates Roxas' understanding of this term. ]

[learnedfool]

I was a younger child, and my older brothers outgrew clothing faster than it wore out.

[terribletwos]

Brothers?

[learnedfool]

Yes. Two of them. And older sisters.

[terribletwos]

They're... people who live with you?

[learnedfool]

Not since we were children. I...

Do you know what the words I'm using mean?

[because this doesn't sound like familial chit-chat, and Des is going to point that out.]

[terribletwos]

[ Roxas looks away, reluctant to admit it since Penric seems to comfortable in using the term. As if he expects everyone to know it. ]

... not really. The Organization didn't have anything like that.

[ And Namine hadn't included any of it in the Twilight Town simulation since Sora didn't have these "siblings" either. ]

[learnedfool]

The Organization?

[terribletwos]

Oh, uh, they're this group that I spent most of time with. Before I left.

[ A pause. ]

We were kind of on the wrong side.

[learnedfool]

But you left. Plenty of people are on the wrong side without knowing it. Worse to be on the wrong side, know it and do nothing when you know what you could do and nothing would stop you.

[terribletwos]

[ Roxas gives him an even look before shaking his head. ]

I didn't leave for anything like that. I left because I wanted to know more about myself and they wouldn't tell me.

After that... I was just tired of being controlled.

[learnedfool]

That's a reasonable thing to be tired of.

[terribletwos]

I didn't think it was a thing most humans have to worry about.

[learnedfool]

Being controlled?

[terribletwos]

It's not, right?

[bestbrotherever]

[Loki picks up a ball and a stick and starts lazily hitting his ball in the air, seemingly effortlessly controlling it.]

This is what mortals do for... training? Entertainment? How... quaint.

[terribletwos]

[ Roxas starts out looking impressed before the look shifts to mild disappointment. ]

You're supposed to have fun with it. Challenge yourself. If it's too easy for you this way, find a way to make it more interesting.

[bestbrotherever]

[Frown. What's with the disappointed look?]

More interesting, you say... [He whacks the ball at an angle, but it bounces off in a completely different direction, rebounding off the walls unpredictably.]

[terribletwos]

[ You don't look like you're having fun. 8( ]

Whoa!

[ He ducks from the sudden shift in direction from the ball and instinctively holds up his Keyblade to bounce the ball off its middle, sending it more toward the air again. ]

[bestbrotherever]

[He should look like he's having fun now. Particularly when he deflects the ball away from Roxas before the kid can get it himself.]

This is more entertaining. Why did you not suggest involving a partner?

[terribletwos]

[ Roxas blinks as the ball escapes his next swipe. A brief expression of frustration flashes over his face before he catches Loki's look. ]

I didn't think it could be played that way. It's always one person at a time. Probably to avoid anyone getting hurt.

[bestbrotherever]

[Loki gives a derisive snort.]

Humans are so concerned with not letting anyone get hurt. What is the point, without the risk?

[And how's some more complications? He whacks the ball up again, and while its path is less random, it also divides every time it hits an obstacle.]

[terribletwos]

Hey, you're not supposed to mess with the ball!

[bestbrotherever]

Why not? [He asks as he whacks at a couple balls, which both disappear.] Is this not more exciting?

[terribletwos]

It's something all right. But where's the challenge?

[bestbrotherever]

[He waves his hand and all the balls in the air freeze in place so they're not distracted while he explains.]

I should think this is more challenging, as you must prevent all of the balls from reaching the ground.

[terribletwos]

Well, if you want to play it like that... But you have to play too. That's the point of bonding, right?

[bestbrotherever]

[Loki gives a long-suffering sigh.]

That is what I was doing before you raised your objections.

[terribletwos]

[ He looks the tiniest bit guilty at that. ]

Sorry, I'm not used to people wanting to play it differently.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Dusk comes to the gym to work out a lot. It's a good way to get out any antsy energy, or when he's dealt with a truck load of feelings.]

[He sees Roxas pretty quickly, hard to miss that sound of hitting a ball.]

It does look pretty fun. [He'll go over to the wall and pick up a staff. He's good with knives, but there's more training for staff like weapons then straight up swords.]

Any other rules?

[terribletwos]

Like what kind of rules? Everyone has their own way of doing it.