Scene Listing || Scene Schedule || Scene Schedule RSS
Owner Pose
Taro     It's a bright, sunny afternoon in Neo Arcadia, as it usually is this time of year. While the city's protective forcefields keep the wasteland air from encroaching, natural convection and the city's large footprint have created a gentle if erratic breeze, one that strengthens by the time one reaches the great heights of the city's tower tops.
    Not that Kari will need to worry about that today. This is an introductory lesson after all, and Taro has chosen their playing field accordingly. Or garden, in this case. About the size of a small football stadium and enclosed in plastiglass, there's plenty of room for practice without having to worry about more than the steady light airstream from the air vents.
    Taro's already kitted up in his own armor, which may bear a passing resemblence to the set he ordered for Kari. He's knelt down in the grass, ready to help her with her armor and checking it over if it's needed or wanted. "How's the fit? Comfortable? Are the drivers working properly?"
Kari Wolf     Kari checks the fit of the Eukrante armor. Taro probably didn't need to paint the armor to match her own colors, but it is appreciated by the tiny robot. "Wow! You painted it to match! Thank you Taro! It's really balanced too." The wing things flex, and other movable parts check out as well. Zarenna helped synch it to Kari's slipway as well. The extraneous weapons shimmer into the slipway since Kari knows that it's a flying lesson.
    "Okay! Everything checks out. Ready when you are!" Kari beams giddily.
Taro     The smile, as usual is more in his voice and eyes than on his lips, which barely twitch upwards. "You're welcome." He does give the Kari a quick once-over. Not that he doesn't trust her, but given how excited she is, an oversight would be understandable.
    Then he rises to his feet in one smooth motion, pausing for just a moment to brush away a few blades of glass clinging to his knee. Let the lesson begin! "I've heard flying being called the art of throwing yourself at the ground and missing," he says with humor, "but I would call it throwing yourself into the air and staying. First, let's start with hovering off the ground. Go ahead and open your wings, then activate your repulsorlifts to get some lift. Gently."
    He does the same himself, his armor's wings unfolding and extending past his shoulders.
Kari Wolf     How hard could it be?
    Kari spreads the crane-ish wings and floats slowly upwards, wobbling a bit since she's never done this before. She's holding her arms out as if trying to steady herself, though it doesn't quite work with the contra-grav. The wobble gets worse and worse and then finally Kari is pitched sideways into the dirt.
    The shinki doesn't seem too discouraged though. She pulls herself out of the ground and dusts herself off. "That could have gone better!"
Taro     Taro's brows raise beneath his headband as Kari's ungainly wobble becomes unstable and then lands her in the dirt. She seems fine though, and so he offers encouragement rather than raise concern. "It was a good first attempt." Then, "Try again, and this time keep your shoulders steady. If you extend your arms out, you need to keep both of them even. Otherwise, you'll change your center of balance and wobble."
    In the meantime, he lifts himself off the ground by just a few centimeters, his arms resting at his sides. If he tipped his toes downwards, he'd be brushing the grass.
Kari Wolf     Kari nods at Taro, listening intently. She's trying to learn, yep! Slowly she rises again, and the wobble is there again before she starts correcting. "Alright! Cool!"
    She tries to go one step more and slowly hovers in a lazy sort of line along the ground. "Not too fast, not too fast..." She gently bumps into a rock and oofs. She lets herself down the the ground and whews...
    "This is a lot harder than it looks!" She says as she turns to Taro.
Taro     "There you go...Kari, ro--" Too late. He winces a bit as Kari meets obstacle, but it was more of a bump than a crash.
    Taro leans his head down in barely more than a nod, moving forward to be closer to wear she's landed. "It is hard," he agrees, "but the greater the challenge, the greater the reward, hm? Try again..but perhaps you'd better move to the other side of the rock first."
Kari Wolf     Kari grins at the robot engineer. "Yeah! I didn't want to go too fast just in case!" She decides to climb atop the rock first, making her way up the obstruction.
    "Okay, take three!" She says as she activates the contra-grav again and swoops down from the rock, manages to skim the ground instead of crashing, and slooows herself to a stop.
Taro     Climbing the obstacle is also acceptable. Taro gives an approving nod as Kari gets off the ground, and watches her as she moves and hovers. "Better. Now stay right there, and hover without moving too much. Keep yourself upright." True, standing still is not as exciting as actual moving, but she needs to learn balance.
    He's already doing that which he's asked her to do. But then he's had years of practice...
Kari Wolf     Kari tries to do that, but ends up slowly floating upwards with her eyes closed, spinning just as slowly as she ascends. Easily distracted shinki likely wants to just zoom off into the sky. It takes a few minutes before she finally stops rising and moving.
Taro     Easily distracted shinki is easily distracted. Still, Taro likes her and so is willing to be patient.
    When she opens her eyes again, Kari will find that she's on eye level with him. More by his design than hers, really, as he's been following her during her upward spinning drift. Not that they're still all that far from the ground, relatively speaking. "Not too bad," he judges mildly. "Your balance is good, but you've been gaining altitude." Beat. More firmly, "Eyes open. Don't look down. Look straight ahead."
Kari Wolf     Heights don't bother Kari. She'd be a terrible shinki if they did, given her own size and the requirement to get into places that would look stupidly high to a person their size. She looks down in spite of Taro's advice. "Wow, that's cool!" She hasn't been 20 feet off the ground under her own power before.
Taro     Taro was expecting that, honestly, and was prepared to extend a hand just in case she surprised herself. It proves unnecessary, and so instead he tips his head down as well. "Isn't it?" He'll give her a moment to continue admiring the new perspective before continuing. "You -should- keep your eyes open, though. You need to watch where you are at all times here in the air."
Kari Wolf "I didn't think I was moving." she says simply.
    There's a pause. "Should I go flying now?"
Taro     "Even when you're not moving, keep your eyes open," Taro reiterates. "Just because you aren't moving does not mean the things around you are standing still. Above, aside, or below." Best to steer her from bad habits now if he can.
    Then, he relents, moving aside to her left and making a small shooing motion. "Go ahead. The way forward is clear, fly straight ahead."