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Post by TimePuppy on May 9, 2020 22:00:03 GMT
Love smiled amusedly, first at Ariana's surprise at the talking wolf and then at her concern. "Come on, you think dad would let me ride a giant wolf if it wasn't safe? I suppose it's better to not make Eve angry though, and she does kinda have a point." She took Ariana hand and clambered on. When both girls were on him and holding on to his fur, Fang took off.
Wind rushed through their hair while Fang ran across the plain. It was a thrill Love had gotten used to by now, but she hoped Ariana was enjoying it. Then Fang turned and went into the forest. Despite his size, he proved to be quite nimble. His paws barely sounded on the forest floor and no tree branches even got close to hitting the girls despite all the trees they passed. Soon a faintly glowing see-through wall appeared in front of them.
"This is a barrier we'll be passing through to start our adventure." Love said as Fang started running alongside it. The other side seemed just as forested as this one, but there were also strange blobs moving over there.
"I apologize for not being able to come with you," Fang said. "But the zone barriers serve to keep dangerous monsters away from the populace, and I would count as a monster for them."
Before long, Fang started slowing down. They had reached a clearing with no grass and a bit later they arrived at the top of a cliff. They could look down and see rocks and trees that appeared purposefully positioned. This feeling was helped by what appeared to be manmade training dummies and a large obstacle course positioned near a river and waterfall dropping from the cliff a bit farther away.
"This is where Val and Arty train," Love explained. "Not as often since Arty moved to Earth, and not often enough if you ask Val."
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Post by HungryHunter on May 10, 2020 0:37:00 GMT
“I do, cause your dad’s cool.” Ariana nodded with all seriousness. That seriousness went in an instant when the wolf began to gallop. She screamed and laughed and cheered, whooping and hollering for the whole forest to hear. She only quieted when they came to the mysterious wall. She quietly watched as strange things rushed by, mysterious shapes. She spoke again when they reached the training area. “Oh, cool! I should do some training. I’m strong, but I don’t really know how to fight!” She threw a few sloppy punches as demonstration. “See, I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to do them.”
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Post by TimePuppy on May 10, 2020 19:55:43 GMT
Loveline watching Ariana's clumsy but powerful punches and smiled sympathetically. "Yeah... I think Arty could give you some pointers. He tried teaching me once, you know." Loveline remembered how he showed her to position her legs and hold her arms. Then she did a quick jab followed by a straight, recreating the way her body moved perfectly. "But that's all I let him teach me." She rubbed the back of her head uncomfortably. "I'm not very strong, so it's not like I should be trying to punch people. But I think Arthur wouldn't mind helping you out, especially in that form. Though if you really want to specialize in hand to hand, Dan might be better."
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Post by HungryHunter on May 11, 2020 0:03:30 GMT
Ariana watched intensely. “Uh, yeah, well maybe you can show me those basics!” She blushed immediately. There was just something about the way Love moved there. It was so cool! “I think you’re still cool. It’s like you’re shooting fireworks! And you’re still good with your scythe when they get too close to shoot!” She paused and became quiet for a second, deciding she had said a little too much and needed to tone it down. What was it that Eve said about jumping in too quick? Bed on the first date was fine but attachment wasn’t? Ariana didn’t get it, but she tried to follow the advice. “Or Arthur can, but yeah, I do best up close. Dan probably isn’t a bad choice. Haruko said he’d punch anything! Although it didn’t sound like a compliment when she said it…”
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Post by TimePuppy on May 12, 2020 21:53:57 GMT
Loveline was a bit embarrassed by all the praise Ariana was giving her. But the embarrassment was evened out by pride and happiness at the fact that Ariana was praising her. "Haha, yeah, Dan's very punchy. But if you want to combo it with your ice, Arthur might be better." Of course, Loveline wasn't going to let an opportunity to impress Ariana go. Especially if it might be useful on the adventure! "But sure, I can try to teach you the very basics! The stance, the movement, and the one-two combo. Let's go down for that!" Loveline transformed, too, and flew down into the training field.
Starting off from where Arthur thought her, Love showed Ariana the boxing stance. "Dominant side forward. Make sure your feet are about shoulder-width apart. Turn your feet so your front foot's toes are in line with the other one's heel. And be slightly turned like this so your opponent has a smaller area to aim at. Simple! Then you just raise your arms so you can guard and you're ready."
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Post by HungryHunter on May 13, 2020 5:59:03 GMT
“Both of them can train me! I’ll be like those anime punchy guys that Cosmina likes that have a bunch of teachers.” Ariana lit up when Love offered to show her the basics. “Oh, and you’re my first teacher!” She squeaked with joy. It was hard to contain her excitement at that, but it really was the cool thing about having an older girlfriend. She knew so much cool stuff that she could show Ariana! Ariana jumped off the wolf and flew down after Loveline. “Okay, so-” She put her right side forward, getting the position half-right with her arms completely turtling up her face. “Like this?” She asked, peeking around her arms.
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Post by TimePuppy on May 13, 2020 14:11:50 GMT
"Close. Like this." Love went over and helped her out, pointing out where her feet should be and positioning her arms right. She could feel Ariana's enhanced muscles under the magical sailor uniform. They were big and firm and could probably hold 20 Lovelines with ease. Realizing she was probably holding her a bit too long, Love let go. "Ahem, yes, like this you can actually see in front of you. If you turtle up too much, you can't see what your opponent is doing." She parroted Arthur. "And relax your hands. Don't make a fist until you're punching since it wastes energy and you'll get tired faster."
After making sure the rest of her stance was okay, Love gave Ariana a light shove. "See, with a stance like this you're a lot more stable, too"
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Post by HungryHunter on May 16, 2020 6:16:10 GMT
“Oh, uh, more like this?” Ariana kept her arms up, but didn’t totally blind herself any more. When Loveline held her arm, she moved on impulse, lifting her arm a touch. Easily, she pulled Love’s feet off the ground for a second. She enjoyed the momentary feeling of strength before setting her down with a grin. What was that all about? A voice of doubt spoke up. Are we just showing off? She didn’t let the doubt get her down, that was fun! “Sorry, I’m paying attention!” Ariana threw a punch like Love had showed her, only tightening the fist at the end. “Oh, I feel that! Like a snap!”
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Post by TimePuppy on May 16, 2020 21:44:51 GMT
Loveline held on and giggled while Ariana lifted her up. "Are you trying to impress me?" Love asked, brushing her hair back. She really didn't need to try hard. Love was already impressed before today. "Alright, we're gonna make you even more impressive in a second then. Now that you can stand, you'll learn to walk! Or shuffle, I guess." Loveline got into a stance next to her and showed her what to do. "You always lead with the foot closer to the direction you're going in, then bring the other foot in. Don't take big steps or you're ruining your balance." She showed her moving forward, backward, and to both sides. "Using this will make your punches stronger, too."
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Post by HungryHunter on May 17, 2020 0:28:56 GMT
“Whaaaat? No, I, ah, wouldn’t- yes.” A blushing Ariana admitted her shallow attempt to impress Love. Love was impressing her so much, she wanted a chance. “Oh, footwork… I’m not sure is that important with my movement? Or at least I’m not sure it’ll work quite like that.” She hovered off the ground, showing how her legs didn’t need to touch the ground to move her fastest. “I’m not as fast as most gem girls, but I still fly faster than I run!”
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Post by TimePuppy on May 17, 2020 20:26:55 GMT
"That is true..." Love considered what Ariana pointed out. But then it occurred to her Ariana was missing an important thing! "Flying would certainly help you, but you can't fly outside of Gem Form, can you? If you train right, you'll be knocking away bad guys even in regular form! I'm sure of it." Love gave Ariana a thumbs up. "So let's try it properly, shall we?"
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Post by HungryHunter on May 18, 2020 6:01:39 GMT
“Oh, you’re right! Yeah, gotta be tough as a normal girl too!” Ariana dropped out of the air and landed in her fighting stance. She took a few shuffling little steps, sliding across the training field. It wasn’t very graceful. She didn’t quite trip over her feet. The stance prevented that. But she felt goofy. Love and Elyssa, they moved like dancers. She moved like an elephant with three legs. An elephant in a cozy apartment at that. She was too big. “Dammit, this is hard…” Everything else came easy enough, why wouldn’t her legs work!? She tried until one foot caught the other at last and she was thrown to the ground. “Crap! Okay, that’s enough of that! We should be going, shouldn’t we?” She brushed hair out of her face, trying to hide her blush.
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Post by TimePuppy on May 18, 2020 17:07:06 GMT
Loveline nodded along with Ariana's first movements. She was doing well. But then her unpolished movements turned clumsy and rushed. Something was weighing on her mind and eventually, she tripped herself up. Love immediately rushed over and Ariana hid her face and said they should leave now anyway. "We can leave soon. But I want to teach you how to punch first. Okay?" She extended a hand to help Ariana up.
"The practice dummies are over there." She pointed. "Let's get to them together." She got into the stance she showed Ariana and, if Ariana followed suit, she'd slowly shuffle over to the dummies. "One, two. One, two." She kept the rhythm until they finally reached them. "And then, we do a jab." Love did a jab motion at the dummy's head, slow so Ariana could see everything. "And then, a straight!" She did the same thing for a straight. "The important thing here is not to only use your arm strength. That's why during the straight, you pivot on your lead leg while twisting your body." Love paused. "Okay, I'm not sure how important bodyweight is for someone with superstrength, but it can't hurt. Just don't pivot too hard or you'll leave yourself open for a counterattack. Oh, and always keep your guard up." She gave another demonstration, this time at proper speed.
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Post by HungryHunter on May 20, 2020 2:26:43 GMT
“O-okay.” Ariana just blushed more when Love rushed over. Like she was a toddler at risk of throwing a tantrum and running off. Ariana felt like she was being looked down upon, but she didn’t think Love was doing it on purpose. Maybe letting Love teach her things just wasn’t a good idea? It made the slight gap in their age feel bigger. But this part was important… “Okay, but this is the last thing here!” She nodded. She watched Love, feeling that tingle again when Love twisted her body. She would copy it perfectly! She stepped in, twisting her hip like Love did. Her fist shot out and her vision vanished in a blast of straw. “Pweh! Blah!” She spat out little bits of grass, rubbing her eyes clear of it. “What just happ-whoops.” Her punch had blown the dummy she struck apart, spreading it across most of the training grounds and especially over Ariana. “That was definitely too much hip in that punch.” She decided.
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Post by TimePuppy on May 21, 2020 19:24:29 GMT
Loveline watched the explosion of straw in astonishment. Ariana was much stronger than she expected, the enhanced training dummies stood no chance against her! "Wow, was that just from doing a proper punch? Alright Riri, I'm plenty impressed!" She hugged Ariana. For a second, she wondered if it was forward. But no. They've been friends for a while, they've hugged plenty of times, if anything, the new context should make it even more okay, no?
"Alright, now we're gonna be unstoppable on our adventure! Hopefully I can impress you back. Now..." She looked up at Fang who'd perked up when it seemed they were done with training. "Are we gonna tell Arty we're ready?"
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Post by HungryHunter on May 22, 2020 23:57:45 GMT
“Impressed? That wasn’t bad?” Ariana smiled and accepted the hug. She was worried she wasn’t supposed to do that! She squeezed Love back, maybe a little too tight. “Oop, sorry, Sapphire strength there.” She transformed back to normal, turning her hug from painful to just a little overzealous. “Yeah, let’s go! I’m excited, this is gonna be the best date ever!” She clambered back onto Fang. “Come on, hold on to me, I’m sturdy!” She reached down to help Love aboard.
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Post by TimePuppy on May 23, 2020 20:36:06 GMT
"Bad? You blew that dummy up! And if you continue practicing, especially with a proper teacher, you'll become even better, definitely!" Love said before she received her the nearly-rib-cracking hug. Being in Garnet form helped her not need to fix herself up. In the end, she couldn't mind happy Ariana's hugs. She flew them back up to Fang before turning back and gladly took Ariana's hand to climb on.
Loveline hugged Ariana tight while Fang rushed back, taking a slightly different path this time. He followed the river for a bit, then reached rocky terrain which he navigated with ease. Then they came up on a hill with more of a forest under it, one which he leaped onto and started running on top of the trees. "Haha, Fang, you show-off!" Love said. Like master, like pet, it seemed. Perhaps Ariana's impressive show made the giant wolf want to show off, too.
When they finally reached the house, Fang was panting happily. "Well done, Fang, you're a big good boy. We'll get you plenty of treats." While she praised the wolf, she could hear the sound of a piano being played inside the house.
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Post by HungryHunter on May 29, 2020 19:41:06 GMT
Ariana’s discomfort vanished when Fang took to the canopy, charging across the tops of the trees. She let out a pretty much nonstop scream of delight as the wind whipped in her hair and leaves flew like birds around her. Actual birds seemed to barely move, Fang rushing by them in his mad race. She was a giggling mess when Fang finally stopped, slipping off to fall on her rear. “You’re the best, Fang! I wanna ride you to school, the bus sucks!” She choked words out between guffaws, stumbling to her feet. When she calmed down, she stopped to listen. “Is that a piano?” She whispered to Love, not wanting to interrupt whoever was playing.
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Post by TimePuppy on May 30, 2020 21:50:46 GMT
"Yep. Val's been trying to get Arty to play for her again for ages. He must be in a good mood today." Love patted Fang on the snout and opened the door for Ariana. She took her to the living room where Arthur was intensely focusing on the piano, trying not to screw it up after a long time of no practice. Valery was sitting on the couch, eating the chocolates Arthur brought while listening to him. He finished soon after Love and Ariana showed up.
"Not bad. You're definitely rusty though." Valery tossed a chocolate at Arthur which he caught with his mouth like a puppy.
"Hey, I'd say it was pretty good. You should be glad I finally decided to play for you." He stuck out his tongue at Val, then turned to the girls. "Hey, you're back. Had fun outside?"
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Post by HungryHunter on Jun 2, 2020 5:54:10 GMT
Ariana did her best to sit quietly while Arthur finished his song. Her foot tapped and she wiggled, but she managed to not blurt anything out or run around, so she counted it as a win. “That was cool! I don’t know anybody else who plays music!” She said before Arthur asked his question. “Oh it’s so cool out there! You didn’t tell me you had a giant wolf! Oh, I, uh, broke one of the training dummies. Sorry. I can help make a new one if you want me to.” She mumbled, looking at her feet. She hoped she wouldn't get sent home for that!
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