Stage Hands [Riven and Ndale]

[Riven Anselm]

It had been awhile since he'd done this.

His leg extending and closing on the cloth, he let go. The fabric drifted away from him as his fingers pointed towards the stage, air passing through them as the length slowly spun round. Extending them and spreading his hands out past the width of his shoulder, the two streams of fabric weaved around the tense muscles, encircling his shirt sleeves. Unlocking his ankles, he descended. The dark material ran over his knuckles, tightening and slowing his descent until he came to a stop. He held himself there for a second, a vertical body, before taking his legs from the fabric and unfurling them, spreading them and hanging in a overturned leap. An inverted perspective. Closing his eyes, he brought his legs back to the cloth, joining his ankles round it and releasing his holds on the curtain tails. He cloth unwound itself with a flourish, folding over itself just as quickly behind his back and snaking into his open palms again. His feet pointed towards the ground again as the world righted itself.

Reaching upward, the two lengths become one as the acrobat started to climb, moving further from the earth. Arriving at his zenith. He kicked his legs outward, circling round the fabric gracefully and entwining himself. He remained suspended upside-down as the cloth wound itself through and around his ankles, preparing for the culmination. His body and the cloth coiled tightly, bringing it all together. Then, he let go.

The young man became a hawk for a moment, spiraling down in a plunging dive that seemed imminent to break on the earth. The hawk caught itself at the last moment, almost hearing the rapid breaths of shock and awe from its marks. Holding itself steady, it opened it's eyes. A grin played across Riven's face.

[Ndale]

It had come to a point where Ndale didn't even know why he was awake anymore. He could fall asleep almost anywhere, and he had been simply dozing off in odd places really, but people moving about were annoying when he didn't care to annoy them. And so, that left him to wandering.

The feline found himself drifting into the theatre, a place he'd never really spent much time. Padded paws were near silent across the floor as he strolled languidly, spotted fur rolling with the movement of his joints. He didn't know what he was looking for, if he were looking for anything, and he wasn't expecting to find much if he were honest.

Rounding the corner into the back of the audience, the cheetah's ears flicked. What was that? The sound of movement. Rustling...fabric? Amber eyes scanned, but it didn't take much. A figure...in sheets, or rather, held by sheets. Entranced, the large cat stared, frozen in the center aisle with ears forward, watching how the other turned and moved. And as the other fell, his form tensed, expecting the body to hit the stage. As he was caught, though, his muscles eased and awe grew. Hesitantly, he took a few steps closer with a curious tilt of the head...he wanted a closer look...

[Riven Anselm]

The acrobat held for a brief time longer, before gathering his strength and bending at the center of his body, his hands finding the cloth again. He began to right himself, pulling himself up. His feet fully free of the fabric now, he climbed it until he was up away from the stage again. Holding firmly to the curtain, he extended a hand. The knot shifted and moved down the rigging, the aeralist gliding across the stage, shifting on the curtain and pivoting slowly around on it, appearing to ride on breeze.

As the bout drew to a close and the length slowed, his legs relaxed, extending. At the same time, his hand reached down, the curtain trailing into it. He leaned back, suspended, posed as if he was falling. His top hand let go and moved down into position, the cloth tense against his back and in his hand as they alone held him aloft. He let himself drift there for a moment, feeling the exhilaration that acrobatics brought. He was thankful he could truly perform them, with out the aid of his magic. With out the aid of his magic, it was a different experience. With out the aid of his magic, the routines always had seemed to leave the audience in awe. Coming back up, Riven wrapped his ankles around the length and held it with both hands, sliding down smoothly. He looked out at the empty seats again as he lowered. He thought he had seen something coming inside.

[Ndale]

Paws padded into a trot as the body on the stage moved, motion inspiring motion. He could feel the tied legs of his own black pants bouncing at the ankle of his hind right leg. With ears eagerly turned forward, the feline loped up the aisle, eyes locked onto the other's form as it twisted with the cloth. 

He wanted to know who this was, how he was preforming these maneuvers. And why, honestly. 

The boy was sliding down the cloth. Ndale approached the stage and wound his weight back onto rear legs just to get them spring. It was a tall jump, but he scrambled up the side to stand on the elevated platform to the side of where the other man was descending to. Eyes still wide, the cheetah just circled a little, waiting for the other to touch down.

[Riven Anselm]

Riven's breath was catching in his throat slightly. Even if if was easy it was still physically demanding. He held it for a second as he saw the cheetah jumping onto the stage. Someone had been watching him. Seeing the pants tied to his leg, he knew with near certainty it was a shape-shifter. Either that or he was very mischievous and also happened to recognize Riven from the woods awhile back too.

Riven's next thought surprised him: “I wonder what it thought.” Riven knew with near certainty that he was good at acrobatics and a good showman, but that wasn't what caught him. He had not performed for a while now, not even practiced anything with much gusto, in front of anyone. Just now, he had been enjoying that familiar rush. Seeing the cat was circling near the bottom of the curtain he'd turned into an aerial cloth, it seemed it was interested in telling him something anyway.

His bare feet touching down on the stage, Riven stood poised, as if considering to bow, before relaxing slightly, turning to look at the cheetah fulling, almost expectantly. One curious gaze had inspired another. “Hello.”

[Ndale]

The feline danced a little away as if skittish of the movement of the boy taking the stage. The acrobat speaking seemed to be taken as a sign to approach more directly. The cheetah turned inward to face the boy more and took a few curious steps with head lowered as if investigating. Muzzle pulled back in a conversational, non-hostile manner, releasing a chattering meow. Another couple cautious steps were taken, as if to test the other's friendliness.

[Riven Anselm]

Riven waited as the animal gave a non-verbal reply and turned towards him, Riven staying where he was and watching the other respond, waiting. He had not worked with a cheetah before, but he had worked with big cats. The behavior wasn't hostile – there had been an instance where a meow had been completely off-putting and dangerous from a shapeshifter. The one in question taking another few steps forward, it seemed Riven was to make another move. Stopping short of meeting him, but clearly interested, the being was still unsure about him. He was used to it and could relate. Riven decided to speak again; curious, though not so much asking as confirming it, in a conversational tone, “You were stalking in the woods awhile back during that camping trip, right? ...You're a shapeshifter?” He guessed he was speaking to another male too.

[Ndale]

Ears turned towards the other's voice.

Aw, well, there went all the fun - it was no fair if people knew he could shift. He lived to be underestimated. There always lingered the possibility of trying to convince the other they were wrong though...

The feline didn't seem to really outwardly react to the question right away, but after a moment passed of deciding - ah, decisions, decisions - he finally cracked a smirk over the side of his muzzle. Something of a cocky, caught, look was adopted on his features and a lazy shrug slide over his shoulder blades.

"Puurrhaps." He drawled the word out, sounding a bit rough on the rolling tongue.

[Riven Anselm]

Riven tilted his head slightly at the cheetah's reaction, though his next thought was he wasn't so surprised. Apparently the cheetah wasn't used to others knowing he was a shape-shifter, what he could do, when first meeting him. Riven could relate, again, further. Watching the cheetah's expression change, it appeared he'd decided to give up the masquerade.

Riven felt a twinge of remorse, though remained closed off at what accompanied it.

In fact, the cheetah seemed almost satisfied with Riven's conclusion, Riven adjusting slightly as he smirked and replied to him, Riven finding the sounds oddly familiar. He blinked and focused.

“Perhaps...” he repeated, thoughtful. Apparently talking straight wouldn't lead to much talking. After a continued pause, Riven decided to speak again. “Perhaps you are just a talking cheetah...with pants tied around your back leg...” Riven gestured to the article of clothing with his hand, those being what had really given him away to him without question. He glanced to where he'd put his cape and boots on the stage, wearing his shirt and pants, which he'd tightened a bit to practice.

[Ndale]

His smirk stretched into a grin, baring canines.

"Perhaps." He said again, though not with quite so much emphasis. He didn't look back at the pants around his leg, there was no need. "Most people don't notice those though." Rather, instead, amber eyes were unabashedly trailing over the other boy's figure. He really wasn't bad...and the clothes fit well.

When gaze left him, he ducked his head with ears falling back as if in threat of consequences of taking your eyes off the still wild animal. His tone adopted more a growl and took a step forward.

"However will you determine which it is?"

[Riven Anselm]

The cheetah being there would hold most people's attention, never mind it wearing anything. He looked pleased Riven wasn't most people. Very pleased.

Fairly non chalant about being eyed, wearing something more than what he usually had, Riven might have been slightly worried about the look being one of hunger on the big cat. However, very terrified descriptions of a shape-shifter's lustful expression were hard to forget, among other things.

Looking back to the display of aggression, he thought for an instant that perhaps he was letting himself get too comfortable, his face clearly attentive again. He did not move back though. If this was a cheetah, that wasn't a good idea.

He had no answer aside from that. He thought he had a pretty good sense for shape-shifters, but there being so many kinds with varying temperaments, Riven didn't know of any definite way, that was appropriate.

Whether he was one or not: the way this cheetah had been acting and looking at him, he wouldn't try to hurt him. The other was clearly interested in playing out this unusual round of the game, he wouldn't catch the mouse. He was making sure he kept its attention.

...Perhaps that was the answer to his question. "I think you'll tell me," he replied plainly.

[Ndale]

The feline's head tilted, giving him a crooked, sharp smirk.

"No, I don't think I will."

Amber eyes trailed over the other, how he didn't move, his passive face. Hm, this boy wasn't all that entertaining really...

"What were you doing anyway?" His eyes danced up to the roof of the theatre and back down. "...And why?"

What was the point? Why swing around on hanging fabrics -- though, yes, he had to admit it did look pretty cool... Was that the only reason?

[Riven Anselm]

And perhaps that wasn't the answer to his question, Riven not having felt he lost much as the cheetah smirked at him. He may grow tired of guessing. You risk losing my attention then. That had been Riven's logic behind his answer; the being had seemed very interested in keeping it. Though, his interest had seemed to diminish slightly, Riven not having given him much of a reaction to his actions so far. It did tend to take a bit to get a rise out of him, even if a sore subject was struck, or for him to say much at first.

The cheetah had clearly had some purpose for speaking with Riven though, jumping onto the stage and waiting for him, even if the purpose didn't seem to be much more than curiosity, and perhaps wanting to toy with him. The former was what drove Riven to speak a good amount of the time. The cheetah speaking again as he reexamined Riven, the boy meeting his bright eyes briefly, Riven's own keen eyes grew more focused as the cheetah asked him a question.

Two questions. Riven was still surprised for an instant as he thought about the answers. Those would have been loaded questions, awhile ago. He still felt the old weight and risk, as he had for an instant when he'd realized someone had been watching him, though his time here had relieved some of the old reasons. This was the first time either event had occurred since he'd came to the island.

Riven assumed that was what the cheetah had been waiting to ask. Did the other really not know what he'd been doing? That didn't happen much. He guessed he hadn't seen the small instances of magic in it either.

"Acrobatics," he replied decidedly after a pause, that being the 'what'; more specifically practicing it. That was also the why, in brief. "I was practicing," he replied, somewhat conversationally, as if unsure the cheetah had interest left beyond that after being given such a simple answer, or if Riven himself wanted to discuss it. He hadn't spoke to anyone about it, about a lot of things, in a long while. 'Why' usually wasn't so simple as Riven let on in passing, although the cat seemed to genuinely be questioning him on it.

His right shoulder raised slightly just after he answered, tensing up, Riven moving his other hand to it and pressing on the muscle to avoid discomfort. He'd have to stretch more than he had been, after that routine.

[Ndale]

One ear fell back against his head, while the other swiveled towards the boy. One brow raised, giving a slightly odd, questioning expression on the feline's face.

"You're an acrobat..." I wasn't really a question. From a circus kind of thing? Huh, He hadn't seen one in a lone time, and even then, there hadn't been an act exactly like this. Then again, that had been an interesting night in the way of work...Ah, he shouldn't let his thoughts wander so.

"Why are you here?"

Amber eyes flickered to the movement of the hand traveling to the shoulder.

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