[Open]

[sing_for_me]

Who: Alex and you
When: September 25- September 30? (I'm always unsure of time lines..)
Where: Oshun's temple, farshore, nearshore
What: For random encounters and things to do

A. Rolling Down The River (Oshun's Temple. Can be a mingle prompt)

By the riverbank right outside of Oshun's temple, there are rafts that Alex had yet to try out. They didn't look very sturdy, and she didn't know how ti swim, so she had been very reluctant to try them. Feel free to join her on her first trip down the river! Dip your feet into the cool water as your gently drift by. Just watch out for the large fish that like to play. You might end up overboard. Or maybe you'd like to take the raft out for yourself, maybe do a raft race, take a nap, go fishing, whatever floats your boat (or raft).

B. In a Finch (Oshun's Jungle)

There are currently twelve finches that live in the temple. Alex has counted eleven since the night before, and she's getting worried. Had it flown out of the temple? Was it lost? Was it injured? ....Did it get eaten? Good luck finding it, because the jungle enjoys a good game of hide and seek.

C. Out With The Old (Farshore)
Before moving to the near shore, Alex had a handful of clothes. Now that she's out here, she figures it's about time to update her wardrobe, get some clothes for the cooler season and whatnot. Help her out or join her to buy some things for yourself as well! Can branch off to other activities.

E. Training (Nearshore)
Alex wants to learn some skills for the field so she doesn't just rely on Temeraire all the time. She might have approached you for some help on that. Can be hand-to-hand or weapons! She's still figuring out what she can use though. 

D. Wildcard!

Open to any other prompts and may just throw in any closed ones in here too. PM or message me at mightycheese

Comments

B

[priforprince]

[ The finch is not the only thing lost in the jungle.

Something is making a whirring sound down here against this tree root. A purple stuffed goat plush on a platform was trying to do surveillance, and now it's stuck. ]

Re: B

[sing_for_me]

[Alex definitely heard that noise, but wasn't sure what it was. After a bit of searching, she happens upon it, although it only confuses her more...

Why was there a purple goat toy here? It looked like it was trying to get out, so she bends down to help it out of the root and onto a flat surface.]

Where did you come from..?

[priforprince]

[ The goat cannot speak, being a toy! It can, however, rev in appreciation of this favor.

Which makes it tip over in its excitement. Should Alex get a look at the base, down by a wheel, there's a tiny emblem shaped like a little crown. ]

[sing_for_me]

Ah...

[Oh boy. This thing wasn't made for this kind of terrain, was it? She picks it up again, noticing the symbol under it. Although...she doesn't recognize it.]

Do you know your way back home?

[Maybe she should take it over to the main road. She was heading that direction anyway.]

[priforprince]

[ The goat twitches in her hold, as if it wants to show the way. It knows, all right.

Its limited AI is not quite smart enough to figure out that perhaps its owner is supposed to be a secret, but it knows which way to go. ]

Training

[declamando]

Is there anything in particular you want to start with? Even just learning how to move in a fight can be useful before learning how to punch or kick better.

[Despite her usual main appearance as an idol, Maria is extremely capable of handling herself in a fight, and as such, was quick to agree to Alex's request for help in learning to fight. She understands the desire to not want to constantly rely on others for help, even if she also knows it's necessary sometimes.

She's currently dressed in a sports bra and tights, with her hair up and a pair of fingerless gloves on to pad any impacts a bit.]

A.

[riveres]

Oscar isn't sure what's made him visit Oshun's temple. Maybe it's the fact the temple has a river and for some reason he's... attracted to it. So he's sitting near the river's edge, watching the rushing water completely in deep thought but also thinking about nothing in particular.

She probably wouldn't notice anyone coming towards him...

[sing_for_me]

A strange sensation alerted her of the presence of someone else on Oshun’s temple grounds. Alex looks out a window to look around, taking notice of the man by the river. She was about to call out to him, but his listful expression stopped her. It didn’t seem like a good idea to startle him when he was so deep in thought.

She opts to go over to him instead, grabbing his attention gently. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Oscar.”

Still fawning

[sing_for_me]

Honestly...I’ve never had any formal training. What would be considered the basics?

[Alex wasn’t even sure of her aptitude for fighting. She surely didn’t enjoy it, though she understands the necessity. She really was grateful that Maria was willing to teach a novice like herself. It was easy to tell by her build that she’s well-versed in the art of combat. Heck, she had to tell Alex what kind of clothes to wear, and of course, not having such attire, she had to head out to buy some. They were quite comfortable though. Alex picked out the first midrfift she saw at the store, which was a pretty simple one, paired up wih sweat pants. Her hair is fixed in a French braid.

Ahh, she really couldn’t help but admire how Maria looked.]

[sing_for_me]

[She’ll take that as a yes.

Looking for flatter ground, she places the robot back down. Alex will just follow it till it finds the road again. That way, she can help it if it gets stuck.]

[declamando]

[Maria counts off on her fingers as she goes, considering what would be best here.] Stance and balance, obviously. How to throw a punch or kick without damaging yourself, because a lot of people don't know how to do that. Sidestep dodges and weak points to aim for...those are probably the most basic things you need to know.

[Not much point moving on before she knows how to do the main things without leaving herself vulnerable, and knowing at least one kind of dodge is pretty necessary in any actual fight.]

Keeping a low center of gravity is always important in your stance. You don't want to get unbalanced by the force of a punch.

[priforprince]

[ The goat sets out along this terrain, with the occasional sidetrack to go look at something interesting off its route. In general, however, it's definitely hewing towards where a few purple turrets can be seen in the distance. ]

[sing_for_me]

[Alex followed along, questioning the goat's sense of direction since it would suddenly turn to lead them to random things it would spot in the jungle. Plants, mushrooms, rocks, a frog...

She follows it until they make it out of the jungle, but now she's curious to see where its final destination is. Rather than leave it as planned, she continued to follow the goat towards what started to look like a castle.]

[sing_for_me]

[That was a lot more than she anticipated, but everything Maria listed out sounded important for her to learn.]

Do you mean..being able to take a punch?

[declamando]

Kind of. Having a grounded stance takes that into consideration, but it's also so you get the full force out of your own blows, and can make movements without losing your balance. It's normally something like this.

[Maria very naturally sinks into a lower stance, her feet a little more than shoulder width apart. She shifts her weight from side to side to demonstrate.]

If you lean out to either side like this, you're still balanced, but if you do it standing more normally, you'd overbalance very easily.

[priforprince]

[ The goat is just having the best day, gosh. So much to explore!

But now it has to go home. It's definitely heading for that castle-like place - the kicker may be the real, biological goats grazing on the front lawn - but it has the common decency to wheel itself along the side of the road instead of the middle. It's so unobtrusive!

And polite. ]

E

[kokuyoyo]

[Finding Chikusa is pretty easy. He wanders the Near Shore pretty frequently for various reasons, some of them even things that Alex might be familiar with. Today, the plastic bags in his hands say "grocery shopping". (Or, possibly, theft. It's hard to tell with Chikusa.)]

[His free hand, however, has a yoyo which is constantly being sent out at a length longer than most normal toys would have... and is constantly smashing into a small ayakashi that's clearly being tormented.]

[Well. Chikusa clearly knows what to do in battle.]

[When he notices Alex nearby, he pauses for a moment and glances over at her from beneath his dark gray beanie.]

...Oh, you.

Omg I didn’t realize I forgot to fix the letters

[sing_for_me]

H-hey, Chikusa.

[She sort of felt bad for the ayakashi. She didn’t think you could actually hurt it with a yoyo.]

Um...errands?

[sing_for_me]

[Alex watches her, lowering herself and shifting her feet to try and mimic the stance, trying to lean from side to side. It did feel easier to move like that.]

Like..that?

[sing_for_me]

[Was there a farm here? She wasn’t expecting to suddenly see all these goats. Then agsin, maybe it belonged to the same owner of the robot. Similarities and all that...]

[priforprince]

[ From their behavior here, the goats appear responsible for lawn care. It's a lush, green lawn, and they're treating it as a buffet.

The wheeled goat doesn't stop to eat, though, choosing instead to keep wheeling up to the front door.

You see, it's already stuffed. ]

[declamando]

That's it, but it's best to experiment to see what works for you. [Maria heads forward to push a little at Alex's shoulders and see whether she's as balanced as she seems. Looking right isn't much use if it's not working right.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Not defeated, but certainly harassed... and it's enough to keep it at bay, which is all Chikusa needs.]

Mm. We went through too much....

[Another smack. Can one bully an ayakashi? Possibly.]

[sing_for_me]

[Alex stops at the front door, wondering lived in such a.....grand place. She knocks first to see if anyone answers, but when she doesn't get a response, Alex checks to see if the door is locked. It opens with a creak.]

I guess you made it back home then.

[She tells her temporary companion.]

[sing_for_me]

[Alex wobbles slightly, which alerts her to adjust her feet to a better position. When she feels steady, she nods at Maria.]

I think this works.