[SE] [Training] a skip in the right direction

Nova

Skipping her way along the beach and through the forest, Nova stumbled upon a gorgeous pool of crystal-clear water: the Miana Pool. It made her giggle with delight, flicking the single strand of blue dyed hair out of her eyes to see the glittering water better. "How pretty!" She'd been searching for it on her nightly stroll around Torchline and was not disappointed with its deep blue color. What she hasn't expected was just how still the surface was. It caught the starlight in a way that had her thinking of her mother and the similar coloring of her own eyes. 

Another giggle erupted as her orange dress rustled in the Leafchange breeze, forcing her to pull the large purple jacket tight around her shoulders. The wind also sent a ripple across the water. Stars twinkled in a way that made her gasp, eager to see the effect again. Picking up a stone next to her, she skipped it across the water, watching as it further disrupted the tranquil glassiness of the pool. Nova much preferred the splash of water and glittering reflection, like a supernova bursting in the sky. It had her picking up another rock and another, seeing how far she could spread the ripples, all the while giggling with unbridled enjoyment of the shattered image.

Life is nothing
without a little chaos to make it interesting

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

And I came to, walking on the train tracks
How did I get here? And how do I get back?

Alys had never been to the Miana Pool, but after her visit with Evie, she was inclined to check out some of the more natural places in Torchline. Normally, she stuck to the civilized areas - the better to practice her tarot and gain new clients - especially with the Void a forever threat in the wilder regions. Still, Torchline was safe, or so she had been told, and so she felt more free to wander.

Today, she sat by the trees, listening to the crash of the nearby surf and admiring the stillness of the Miana Pool as she shuffled her favorite tarot deck. She'd dressed for the season's chill in dark leggings and a cream sweater, and her dark, wild curls cascaded across her shoulders, picked up every now and again by the chilly breeze.

When the stranger arrived, Alys was at first inclined to ignore her, but as the girl began skipping rocks and giggling with reckless abandon, Alys began to quietly gather her things. She slipped her deck into a silk pouch that she kept in her pocket at all times and stood, dusting sand from her leggings, before making to slip away so that she didn't ruin the stranger's fun.

I've been up all night, let's stay awake
Push it further, you know I'll never break

Alys

Nova

Too enamored with the shiny pool of rippling water, the young hybrid hadn't noticed Alys sitting nearby. She hadn't even considered that her echoing laughter might disrupt any peaceful musings. Her only fascination was with the starlight before her. However, the shifting of a figure caught her blue eyes as she spun in a victory twirl at a particularly long skip. 

Seeing that it wasn't anything to be threatened by (let's be honest, nothing scares her), she lifted an arm to wave exuberantly. "Oh hi! Would you like to play with me? I'm trying to see how far I can skip these rocks!" Perhaps to prove her own skill or entice the woman, Nova threw the rock in her hand, watching it skip over the water before turning back to the woman with a beaming smile on her face. "See?!" Without her siblings nearby, her face practically begged for the company, eyes twinkling brilliantly.

Life is nothing
without a little chaos to make it interesting

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

And I came to, walking on the train tracks
How did I get here? And how do I get back?

Alys was not the sneakiest of sorts, if we're being honest, and it was to no one's surprise that her quiet exit was seen and halted by the exuberant young woman skipping rocks. For a moment, the seer was caught between the desire for a peaceful, quiet evening and not wanting to be rude; after briefly contemplating, she placed her belongings back under the trees, where they would hopefully avoid being splashed, and approached the stranger with a smile. "Hi," she said. "I'm afraid I'm not very good at skipping rocks, but I can try."

With that, she knelt to gather up a rock that was all wrong for skipping: too rough and round, not smooth and flat as the game required. When she threw the stone into the pool, it landed with a plunk and rapidly sank. Alys made a face, turning sheepishly back to the stranger. "Any tips?" she asked. If she was going to play, she might as well learn something from it.

I've been up all night, let's stay awake
Push it further, you know I'll never break

Alys

Nova

More than a little excited for the stranger to join her, Nova bounced on her toes over the larger stones completely unbothered by the reluctance. "That's okay! It's just for fun anyways!" A game was a game for a reason. It was purely for fun and entertainment! So with that in mind, she tilted her head, dazzling the woman with her bright smile. "I'm Nova by the way!"

The following display of 'skill' was certainly underwhelming, but her smile didn't faulter for even a moment. "I noticed choosing flatter rocks helps!" Finding one instantly among the others, she offered it as evidence before she threw it across the water. It skipped three times, rippling the surface of the water like shooting stars. Nova spun proudly at the display, her blue tie-dye dress twirling to match the brilliant pool. "See! Now you try!" Her sparkling blue eyes waited expectantly for the woman to follow her lead, eager to see what she'd be able to accomplish with the new advice.

Life is nothing
without a little chaos to make it interesting

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

And I came to, walking on the train tracks
How did I get here? And how do I get back?

Perhaps the game was just a game, but Alys preferred to be successful all the same. Things were far more fun when she was good at them, and she was decidedly not good at skipping rocks. Still, the young woman was so excited that the seer couldn't help but smile, and her reluctance abated somewhat as she replied to the infectious joy in kind. "I'm Alys. It's nice to meet you."

She watched as her new companion selected a flatter rock and skipped it merrily across the water, observing with envy as it bounced three times before sinking to the bottom. With a mental shrug, Alys stooped to pick up a flatter, smoother stone of her own. She turned it over in her hands as she prepared herself, then tried to copy Nova's movement as she flung the rock out over the water. This time, it managed a shaky skip before splashing into the pool, and Alys grinned at even this small improvement, looking to Nova as though for praise or perhaps more advice.

I've been up all night, let's stay awake
Push it further, you know I'll never break

Alys

Nova

"I like your acquaintance, Alys!" Hopefully, her butchering of the phrasing was more charming than annoying, not that Nova cared. She was too focused blatantly watching the woman attempt to skip her rock again. The moment it didn't immediately sink into the water, Nova was bouncing again, nodding enthusiastically at the improvement. "See! So much better!" She picked up her own stone, spinning around before launching it at the water again. It skipped four times before plonking into the still water. A loud hoot and a fist pump accompanied her excited jump. "New record!" Up to that point, three had been the limit, but now she wondered if she might be able to get five!

Nova spun to look at Alys again, smiling brightly. "Give it another try!" Her own optimism should be more than enough to fuel the belief that things can only go up from here. Drawing on her illusion magic, she made a part of the water glow with a slight pink hue. "And aim about here." The farther distance would help put the stone at a lower angle, propelling it farther.

Life is nothing
without a little chaos to make it interesting

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

And I came to, walking on the train tracks
How did I get here? And how do I get back?

Alys smiled warmly at the girl as she butchered the phrasing, charmed in spite of herself. Nova's joy was infectious, and it was easy to settle into a rhythm of selecting stones and casting them into the water whilst guided by such unbridled optimism. As Nova's rock skipped one, two, three, four times, Alys's grin widened. "Nice one!" she said as she stooped to select a new stone. This time, she hunted more carefully for a smooth, flat rock, rising once she'd found it to see a pink tinge in the water.

"Oh, thanks!" She aimed the rock, again trying to mimic Nova's motions, and watched as her rock skipped twice. "Yes!" she cried, caught up in the fun. "Okay, your turn! Can you skip yours this far?" she asked, and a yellow line appeared across the water, just a hair farther than the last rock Nova had thrown.

I've been up all night, let's stay awake
Push it further, you know I'll never break

Alys

Nova

Nova celebrated just as much, if not more than Alys, when the woman's rock skipped over the water twice. Jumping up, she clapped her hands excitedly. "Good job!" Although she would have kept up the compliments and positive vibes, she was suddenly faced with a challenge. The farther yellow line was beyond any distance she'd hit before, not that it stopped her from confidently selecting and projecting a new pebble over the pool of water as if it wasn't more than a single skip away.

Unsurprisingly (to all except Nova), her stone plunked into the water just shy of the yellow line, causing her face to fall into a focused pout of disappointment. She wouldn't be easily discouraged, but that didn't mean she enjoyed missing the mark (literally). Nova didn't hesitate to try again, adding some extra force to her throw (possibly fueled by frustration). And it was exactly what was needed, propelling it past Alys's line on four skips. The young hybrid sent out another shout as she twirled around. Her feet even shuffled in a little dance of victory for the overcome obstacle. 

Once her excitement had died down enough, she focused her attention back on the water, sweeping her pink marker back over the dying ripples. "Go here next!" It wasn't out that much farther, but Nova wanted to give Alys something attainable.

Life is nothing
without a little chaos to make it interesting

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

And I came to, walking on the train tracks
How did I get here? And how do I get back?

Nova was a bright spot in Alys's night, and she didn't mind a bit as her inhibitions loosened of their own accord as they continued their game. As Nova skipped her rock, it came impressively close (in Alys's opinion) to hitting the illusory line. "Oh, that was so close!" she exclaimed, and briefly considered scooting her line a little closer before deciding not to. Nova seemed like the kind of person who might find that insulting. And indeed, it proved unnecessary; the next stone sailed past the line with flying colors, earning a delighted laugh from the seer.

With her own challenge firmly in place and the pink marker in her sights, Alys stooped to select her next stone. This one was a little lighter; Alys hoped that less weight might equate to an easier throw. The motion was becoming a bit easier now, and the seer skipped the rock towards the pink marker. It still only skipped twice, but she managed to hit the marker all the same, clapping her hands with pleasure as she did so.

I've been up all night, let's stay awake
Push it further, you know I'll never break

Alys

Nova

Laughing along, Nova took a moment to admire the way the illusion magic and star reflections looked even cooler rippling across the water's surface. It gave her even more satisfaction when her stones made their leaps and skips. When she danced around, it gave the impression of a disco ball twinkling around her vision, making her giggle even more with unbridled delight. 

When the seer managed to get two skips again, Nova hooted, stopping her spinning to clap and jump up. "That's great! You'll be a pro in no time!" She had no doubt this was the start of an incredible career in rock skipping for the woman, and she was determined to help her achieve her hidden potential. Wielding her magic once more, she sent out another spot of pink, however, this time she made it wiggle and move around the pool. "See if you can hit this!"

Life is nothing
without a little chaos to make it interesting

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

And I came to, walking on the train tracks
How did I get here? And how do I get back?

Nova arguably celebrated even more than Alys when the seer managed two skips again, drawing a laugh as the girl hooted and clapped. While she was more than content in her chosen career path, she had to admit that it was satisfying to watch her stones skim over the surface of the water, defying gravity for a few brief moments before plopping into the depths. There was probably some kind of metaphor there, if Alys chose to look deeper, but for now, she was content to simply enjoy the game.

She selected a stone and tossed it, trying to predict where Nova's orb of pink would go next. Unfortunately, she missed the colored target by a hair, although her stone did manage to skip once before plunking into the water. "Oops," she said with a grimace, then reached with her magic to create several yellow targets in a line. "Now see if you can skip through these!"

I've been up all night, let's stay awake
Push it further, you know I'll never break

Alys

Nova

Although Alys barely missed the moving target, Nova didn't let it diminish her positive atmosphere. Bouncing lightly on her toes, she gave her an encouraging smile. "So close! That was a hard one, but you'll get it next time!" After all, practice was the key to everything, right?

Picking up a stone for her own turn, she spotted the new targets with glee. "Oooh! Okay!" Her eyes narrowed to concentrate, measuring the distance between each line and what angle would allow her to hit every mark. If Vesper was there, he'd quickly see the tell-tale signs of her brain starting to overheat, smoke pluming through her thoughts to obscure any logical reasoning. She was more of the creative than the analytical, and so it wouldn't have surprised her siblings when she gave up the process in lieu of pure instinct. Biting her lip, she let the rock fly from her fingers. It skipped over the water, hitting three out of four marks before sinking into the water. It was still enough for Nova to feel proud of her achievement, smiling widely at Alys while doing a little shuffle of her feet. 

She called on her own magic once more, letting the pink shift gently across the rippling water. "Okay. You got this! Give it one more try."

Life is nothing
without a little chaos to make it interesting

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

And I came to, walking on the train tracks
How did I get here? And how do I get back?

The seer smiled at Nova's positivity, completely won over by her bubbly personality. Perhaps, not so very long ago, Alys would have brushed her off as too cheerful, but time and friendships had worn away the seer's sharp edges in favor of something softer and more prone to kindness. It took no effort at all to call up a whoop of success as Nova hit three of the four markers, and Alys had to admit that this was better by far than a life of grumpiness and solitude.

"That was great!" she told Nova, before lining up her own shot. This time when she cast the stone, she not only hit her target, but she also managed three skips before her rock sank beneath the surface. "Oh!" Alys clapped her hands with glee. "That was so much better!" Perhaps she had a career ahead of her in rock skipping after all.

Realizing how much time had passed as the two women played their game, Alys blinked in the direction of Haulani. "Thank you so much for this," Alys said. "I've had a lot of fun! Do you want to try the four targets one more time?" They still floated upon the still waters of the pool, waiting for one more chance. "I'm afraid I'll have to get going after that."

I've been up all night, let's stay awake
Push it further, you know I'll never break

Alys