[OPEN] Soldier On--

[bufudine]

Who: Serph and YOU
Where: The Park
When: November 14th, afternoon
Style: [brackets] preferred, but I can adjust
Status: WIDE OPEN

[It's been quite some time since Sera's departure, and since then, there have been others -- both Tribe and friends -- who have left Vatheon and not returned. Serph doesn't know if they'll return. Maybe they will. Maybe they won't. In the end, the decision isn't in his hands.

Before, there hadn't been time for these departures to affect him.

Which is why he's in the park, kicking a hacky sack. Signless had taught him the game when he'd noticed Serph watching him, so many months ago. In some ways, this is an imitation of that time; while Serph's content to play on his own, he's more than happy to play with people passing by.

Will you join in?]

Comments

[donotcomprehend]

[It's not that Gale doesn't get how it works. The time spent watching Serph kick the ball around was more than enough time for him to get it, really. He understands the point of the game easily enough.

But he might not have been expecting it to be kicked at him right now. So, it's not that he misses the ball, not when he's used to kicking as a reaction to things. The problem being, however, that his reaction is also to use the blades in his shoes...

So, in short, the hackey sack has been very quickly impaled. Oops.]

[bufudine]

[. . .

. . . . . .

Serph kind of just. Stares at the impaled hacky sack, which is now leaking beads onto the ground. Gale why. Serph reaches to get the hacky sack off Gale's blade.]

...Let's get a new one.

[donotcomprehend]

That may be best. Repairing it would not work as well.

[He'll just... shake it off the blade now.

And maybe take off his shoes once they start again.]

[bufudine]

[Yeah, no skewering next time!! Once Serph pulls the hacky sack off Gale's blade, he tosses it; what is being environmentally friendly!? He leads the way to a nearby stall that 'sells' hacky sacks.]

This game can improve your footwork and control. It is as challenging as you make it.

[donotcomprehend]

It seems appropriate.

[Footwork and control? Very much his sort of game.]

But was it intended for that purpose?

[bufudine]

[Luckily, there's a shop fairly close to the park that sells hacky sacks, each more brightly coloured than the last. There's a sign over it that says "hacky sacks," so maybe that's the name of the ball the game is played with?]

Unlikely.

[Serph gestures to one of the hacky sacks -- a rainbow coloured thing -- and the shopkeeper cheerfully hands it over.]

Signless described it as a game to play with friends.

[Friends who don't skewer the ball!!]

[donotcomprehend]

[Apparently so. Gale will take note. In the meantime, he'll just wait for Serph to get the new one.]

Perhaps it should be taught to the others, as well.

[There aren't many things they do as a whole Tribe any more, after all.

He didn't mean to okay Serph?]

[bufudine]

[Hacky sack obtained, Serph leads the way back to the park, silently considering Gale's words. He raises a good point.]

Playing a game with everyone would be fun.

[Okay, here's the park again! Are you ready for some HARDCORE HACKY SACKING, Gale!?!?]

[donotcomprehend]

I doubt the others would have protests.

[Except Heat. But that's Heat, after all.

Just give him a moment. He is going to be taking off his shoes so that he doesn't kill any more balls.

NOW HE IS READY. Come at him, Serph!]

[bufudine]

[Serph nods, agreeing. Okay sure, Heat may protest but he'll join in eventually; Serph's well aware that there's a soft inside under that growly tough guy outside attitude.

THINK FAST, Gale, hacky sack coming your way in an easy arc!!]

[donotcomprehend]

[Now that he's expecting it, it's easier. He doesn't even try to stab it. Instead, he imitates Serph's actions before, catching it with the side of his foot and bouncing it once before passing it back.]

[bufudine]

[Serph catches it easily. As expected, passing the hacky sack seems simple for Gale. So Serph shows him a simple trick, passing the hacky sack using the inside of his foot, the ball arcing over his knee, before hitting it back with the outside of his foot, arcing the ball back where it came from. He does it one more time, before passing the hacky sack back to Gale.]

[donotcomprehend]

[And when Serph does, Gale is watching like a hawk, as always. When the ball is passed to him, he catches it and attempts it himself. He manages the first time, but the second time, it goes a little wide and falls to the ground.]

[bufudine]

It's harder than it looks.

[He hadn't been able to do it the first time. It took him quite a few more tries to get it right consistently. He nods, try again! And hey maybe Gale can come up with a new trick he hasn't tried.]

[donotcomprehend]

It isn't what we're used to.

[That's an explanation for a lot of the things they do in Vatheon.

In the meantime, though, Gale will be picking up the ball and attempting the trick once more before passing it back over to Serph.]

[bufudine]

[It's true. There are many things they've done in Vatheon they wouldn't have done in the Junkyard or "Nirvana".

Serph catches the hacky sack easily and juggles it twice, before attempting the dreaded Behind the Back pass!

...he flubs it, and the ball is kicked up in a high arc, its descent falling in the direction of Gale's head.]

[donotcomprehend]

[He moves back to avoid the ball landing on his head, but he doesn't manage to catch it again and return it to Serph, so back to the ground it goes. It only takes him a few moments to return it to the air again, and he simply practices the previous move Serph had shown him a few times.]

If you are still learning, perhaps we should invite Signless to continue teaching, at some time.

[bufudine]

[Hm. Signless had seemed rather subdued, last time he heard from him. It's a little odd, actually. Serph nods, agreeing.]

He will enjoy it.

[But for now, Serph's content to spend the rest of the day playing hacky sack with Gale.]

[donotcomprehend]

[And Gale's content to spend it learning how to play. He finally passes the ball back to Serph, not attempting the behind the back pass the way Serph did. He'll work his way to it.]