Silks and Satin, Azalea Training

[Kitzu]

It was a good, clear, sunny day, and it was on this day that Kitzu decided to take her first trip to the docks. Strictly speaking, she wasn't quite within reach of the actual docks, the places where ships could moor and such, no; she was simply strolling along the beach, looking at the water with a distinctly uncomfortable look on her face. It nearly resembled constipation, except that wasn't quite the type of thing that was worrying her at the moment.

A head popped up in the water some distance from where she stood on the shore, and Kitzu could tell even from the distance by the familiar green sheen that it was her own crossbreed. Azalea swam a little closer to shore, frisking about in the waves, reminding Kitzu somewhat of a Neptica- from the distance, the sleek, glossy fur of the crossbreed's hide did resemble the smooth, gray skin. When Kitzu waved, Azalea swam towards her, but stopped at a certain distance where, Kitzu assumed, the water became a little too shallow for comfort. In their time in the mines, Azalea had once waddled her way onto land out of curiosity, but it was not a feat that she would wish to repeat if given the choice. And she had all this glorious water, didn't she? More water than her own pond at home, and definitely more than that cramped underground channel.

Truth be told, Kitzu was at a bit of a loss as to how things worked here. She'd glanced over the notice-board, but was not entirely sure what to make of things, beyond following instructions as best she could. Azalea wasn't vicious, as far as she knew, and though she scanned the water for signs of an Amphadron, a slight pinch of nerves knotting her stomach, there wasn't one to be found.

Kitzu looked at the water and sighed, shaking her head, before walking out a little farther. Not yet, she thought to herself, not yet...

[Kitzu]

After a time, when Azalea came to the conclusion that Kitzu was only going to keep walking on the beach and not join her in this wonderful water, the crossbreed flipped her tail in something resembling (in spirit) a shrug and swam off into deeper waters to play once more. The outing itself was clearly a thrill for the crossbreed, and Kitzu, however much she might wish for the cheerful company that Azalea provided, would not begrudge her that.

Eventually they came to a small pier, stretching for quite a ways into the water but clearly not meant for ships, being much too thin and looking to be in a state of slight disrepair. Kitzu tested the first few boards gingerly, not quite trusting the thing, but she found that it was actually quite sound. It seemed the appearance of dilapidation was just that, and so she went happily along; the signs of disuse were assuring in that she was unlikely to encounter anyone here, and that was all the better. It would be most unpleasant to have someone find her so far out of her comfort zone.

Azalea, already busy investigating what lurked beneath the pier, darted closer once more when Kitzu got within range of deeper waters. She gave the offered headplate a pat, glad for the acknowledgement. Luckily, Azalea had a much more honestly happy nature than most of her pets, and if she didn't, well, Azalea didn't have a Ribbon yet either, so Kitzu could at least postpone that sort of discovery.

[Kitzu]

The first bit of their training, fortunately, could be done without the need for Kitzu to step into the water herself. And that was what they were here for- training. Much fun as it would be to just relax, and as much as she would enjoy not having to work, she was going to need a well-trained companion in the water with her at some point, and with that new aquatic tournament coming up, now was as good a time as any. Kitzu had no illusions about winning, and therefore was spared the brunt of extreme preparation, but it would be good for Azalea to try her hand at fighting in an enclosed environment with healers at hand before anything real and drastic happened.

"Alright, Azalea," she said, counting herself lucky that her cross was an air-breather who had to surface anyways (those whistles, she could never quite get used to them, however useful), "Let's do this." Azalea stared at her uncomprehendingly, but of course she would. Deep breath.

"Azalea," she called when the crossbreed's attention wandered. The sound of a purposeful call, rather than her usual more meandering mumblings, brought Azalea's gaze to her, and for that, the cross received a pat and a rub.

(Name: 1)

[Kitzu]

Kitzu never did have to wait long for Azalea's attention to wander. The crossbreed was turning out to be quite the sheltered child, and the wonders of being outside at last never ceased to amaze her, nor to capture her attention. If Kitzu hadn't spent so much time with Azalea herself, she might have taken her for a creature with an attention span problem. "Azalea," Kitzu said, a little uncertainly, to no avail. A firmer repetition also failed to capture her attention. Oh boy. Perhaps she ought to have waited a bit, until she'd calmed down...

Ah well, no matter. She'd already started.

"Azalea," she repeated, much louder this time. Azalea, having never heard Kitzu raise her voice so, turned to her, blinking and looking somewhat stunned. Kitzu sighed; perhaps that was not the best way to attract attention. She hadn't sounded angry, and Azalea didn't look afraid, but it had to be a bit jarring... "There, girl, I didn't mean it," she said, murmuring gently as she stroked the smooth hide. The crossbreed made a small trill of contentment.

(Name: 2)

[Kitzu]

Kitzu waited a moment for Azalea's attention to wander away again, as the crossbreed lingered a little longer this time, peering up with what Kitzu thought was maybe concern. While Azalea might seem carefree and flighty, Kitzu knew her to be empathic, or at least moreso than the usual lot she worked with. It was refreshing, but also a bit strange- she didn't ever have to be careful of how she felt, beyond curbing impatience or the urge to get annoyed, with Daimon or Grunty. Positive reinforcement would be important here.

"Azalea," she said, careful to keep her voice nice and neutual. Azalea stopped what she was doing, but hesitated, so Kitzu called to her again. This time, she turned uncertainly, probably just remembering the past two attempts. "Good girl! Yes, that's very good. You are just the smartest thing, aren't you? Oh, and you're so pretty too." She grinned at Azalea, showering her with affection, even going a little overboard with it. Daimon would have cringed at that, but Azalea basked in it, humming most contentedly.

"Alright now, go play," Kitzu said, giving her one final pat. Though Azalea couldn't comprehend her words, Kitzu wondered if she got the meaning, because the crossbreed went to do just that.

(Name: 3) <Azalea: 9/11>

[Kitzu]

"Azalea!" Kitzu called Azalea again, and this time, the crossbreed turned to her with a little more certainty. She was beginning to get the gist of this new game the human was playing with her now. If she said that particular word, Azalea was supposed to look at her, and then the girl would smile and pet her and talk to her, and she certainly did like the attention. So this time, when she was let free to go again, she looked at the girl without being asked to. She would be really happy with that, right? Then Azalea would get lots of praises for sure.

But for some reason, the girl failed to notice, even though Azalea was sure that she'd seen what she did. The crossbreed sank into the water with disappointment. Perhaps there were more rules to this new game than that; perhaps it only worked when the girl said something. So she waited until Kitzu began talking to herself, and then looked at her, tilting her head back and forth. Nothing.

Well, that was disappointing! But then... "Azalea!" That was it, that was the word she had been using! Were they still playing? Azalea paused for a moment, some of her confidence gone now that her previous attempts haveb failed, but then the word came again. "Azalea!" Azalea snapped to attention, and got a hug for her troubles. With a bit of mischief in her eyes, she raised her tail slowly, then let it slap down. The human was certainly funny when she squealed.

(Name: 4)

[Kitzu]

"Oh, why did you do that? What did I ever do to you?" Kitzu tried to wring out her clothes, even going so far as to shake herself like a dog, all to no avail. Azalea looked rather pleased with herself, and wholly remorseless. She knew Kitzu well enough to know that the girl wasn't really mad. It made her wonder whether the Lovern had been hanging around Rook; she could have sworn that she'd seen that look before, many times, on the Izer's face. All she could do was sigh and shake her head.

"Shoo, you. Go." Azalea went, but Kitzu could tell she was... well, those bubbles she made seemed an awful lot like laughter.

"Azalea," she called, again. Azalea responded much better this time, now convinced of the rules of the game. Kitzu practiced with her a couple more times just to be sure anyways, reducing the amount of praise and pets each time, slowly, so that Azalea might get used to not receiving any later. After all, she could not be congratulating the Lovern every time she responded to her name.

"Good girl, Azalea. You're getting it," she said softly, but still with affection, when Azalea responded without fault yet again."

(Name: 5)

[Kitzu]

Kitzu took a deep breath. "Azalea," she said, bracing herself a little. Azalea responded as she usually did now, this no longer being anything new; in fact, the Lovern looked a little bored with it now, which was why Kitzu decided to do this now. This time, she didn't pet the crossbreed nor praise her, and simply let her be. Sometimes creatures took a little badly to this; she tried not to use food so much anymore, if she could, as there was always disappointment when food went away.

Azalea looked a little confused, as she did before. Kitzu tried a method she knew to work, calling the crossbreed's name again (it took a repetition or two, as Azalea had been thrown off by the last time), and this time she reassured Azalea that she'd done good. Rinse and repeat, sometimes with praise, sometimes without. Admittedly, Azalea did fret a little more than was usual, but eventually she stopped caring; the whole thing had become reactionary, by this point.

"Azalea," Kitzu called softly, and Azalea turned, no longer excited or eager but polite, and Kitzu gave her a nod, nothing more. Still, she glowed inside. That was their first trick down; nothing special, but definitely a start!

(Name: 6)

[Kitzu]

The next one required her to go into the water, and she eyed it a little reluctantly, but took Luke's advice and just jumped right in. There really wasn't anything to fear, but she still hated the entire process. She shut her eyes tight, holding her breath despite not needing to against the deep blueness, feeling herself hit the surface which, despite a momentary resistance, soon pressed in all around her. Her fur immediately flattened against her, but she bobbed to the top. Luke had been right; salt water was more buoyant.

Azalea swam right up to her, looking at her curiously. Kitzu had never joined the crossbreed in the water before, and this action confused her somewhat; up until now, Azalea had always thought of Kitzu as a creature of the land, and it was something akin to looking at a creature trapped in an aquarium, except this one had no walls and Azalea could make the arduous trek landward sometimes. But she didn't like to, so seperated they stayed. Now, she swam all about Kitzu in an investigative manner, even diving under to see if Kitzu was any different. Perhaps she'd grown fins?

Alas, when Azalea saw the girl's ungainly (in her eyes, at least; humanoids would never be natural in the water) attempts at getting around, she ascertained that Kitzu was never going to belong to the water.

"Stay," Kitzu said, putting her hand in front of the crossbreed's face. Azalea moved her head back, craning her neck and making a curious trill at this new sign. It was a new word too, come to think of it. What could she possibly want now?

(Stay: 1)

[Kitzu]

Then the girl swam away, and Azalea moved to follow, because surely something so ungainly could not be left unattended here! She really did like the girl, and she didn't want to see the poor thing hurt herself. No, she must watch over Kitzu. Perhaps if she proved herself not wholly inept at keeping afloat, Azalea could cajole a game out of her too. That thought tickled her absolutely pink, and she easily matched the sad pace that the girl set, humming and blowing bubbles to show her good intentions.

But instead, the girl looked rather displeased by this, and put her hand in front of the Lovern's face again. "Stay," she repeated, and Azalea backed up a but, baffled, but she just kept her hand there and looked stern. Unpreturbed, she simply swam around it, trilling eagerly again. A game! However, Kitzu only repeated her actions each time Azalea did so, and after a while, the Lovern began to wilt slightly. Did Kitzu not like her anymore? Azalea had always thought they were friends.

So when Kitzu swam away the next time, Azalea made no move to follow, just stared after the lopsided wave of the Mammalian's tail with a glum sort of disposition. It was shocking to be abandoned so quickly, and without warning. Perhaps that word had some sort of special meaning, just like the other one.

(Stay: 2) <Azalea: 10/12>

[Kitzu]

Kitzu couldn't imagine Azalea's surprise when she swam back and gave the crossbreed a hug, showering her with praise. "Good job, Azalea! You finally got it! Good girl!" Azalea looked baffled, but Kitzu attributed it to her still trying to work out the new trick. She hadn't seen how crestfallen the Lovern had been when she thought that Kitzu was rejecting her. Most of her other pets, Malcolm being the first to come to mind, would be happy to stay away from her. In fact, having one that followed was something new. She'd even questioned as to whether she ought to have trained that first, instead.

Oh well. Again, she'd already started.

Azalea was willing enough to accept that she was, for whatever reason, back in Kitzu's good graces. Perfectly ready to pretend it never happened again, actually. But then the girl put her hand in the Lovern's face, in that same horrible motion, and uttered the word once more. "Stay." Azalea hung her head, knowing what was coming, then tried desperately to follow a moment later, only to be rebuffed once more.

"What's the matter? I thought you'd gotten it... Stay. Okay?" Then Kitzu swam off again, and once more, Azalea resigned herself to being left behind.

(Stay: 3)

[Kitzu]

Kitzu came back after swimming out a little ways, seeing that Azalea stayed properly again this time, and congratulated the Lovern on her work heartily. Azalea still had that befuddled look at her, staring at the girl as if she was trying to figure something out, but Kitzu didn't dwell too much on it. It wasn't a difficult trick, after all, and she would get it soon enough. All the other pets that she'd trained before had.

"Stay," she informed the crossbreed, and began swimming away again. Azalea tried once more to follow, but after another rebuff from Kitzu, she stopped where she was and didn't try to pursue the girl any further. Kitzu finally noticed how glum Azalea looked, but there wasn't really any way to reassure her except to praise her when she did get it right, and hope she figured out what Kitzu wanted her to do. "Good girl," Kitzu said when she deemed that Azalea had 'stayed' for long enough, and gave her a rub and a pat. But this time she didn't perk up.

Kitzu issued the order again, but this time Azalea didn't try to folow. Instead, as soon as Kitzu left, Azalea too began to swim... in the opposite direction. Kitzu hurried back, and Azalea turned to her eagerly, expecting praise and a game, which was what had always come before when Kitzu went to her, but...

(Stay: 4)

[Kitzu]

"No, Azalea. Bad girl." Kitzu was stone-faced, clearly displeased, and although her tone was not angry or frustrated it was very much devoid of warmth, and Azalea knew it. She sank even lower, blew one lonely bubble of unhappiness. Kitzu knew that Azalea did best with praise, but she had to know that she'd done wrong that time. "Stay," she said again, holding her hand in front of Azalea's face. "Stay."

Willing Azalea to understand, she swam away. Azalea first tried a desperate dash towards her, but Kitzu stared her down. The same thing happened when Azalea tried to swim away. Finally, when she decided to stay put, Kitzu waited a little and then swam back and praised her. She hoped this would send a clearer message. Actually, now that she thought about it, she could start to see Azalea looking a little less uncertain, the light of something dawning in her eyes. Perhaps she realized now what Kitzu wanted or, barring that, that the girl would come back to her if she just stayed.

Best not to get too hopeful too early though. "Stay." She swam away, tentative but hoping despite her own warning to herself. And, just as she'd hoped, this time Azalea did stay, looking at Kitzu as if she wanted this to work just as much as the girl did. When Kitzu deemed that she'd stayed away long enough, she went back to her crossbreed and hugged her, murmuring, "Good girl," over and over.

(Stay: 5)

[Kitzu]

Kitzu knew, however, that they weren't done. They were much closer, certainly, than they'd been just two repetitions ago, but this had to be reinforced with more practice. And practice they did, Kitzu drilling Azalea in this trick over and over. Once she figured that Azalea got the general idea, she began swimming out farther and farther. She wished she could maintain eye contact, as she did when she was training her landbound creatures, but swimming backwards was a far cry from walking backwards in terms of difficulty. Despite a bit of initial panic on Azalea's side, they made good progress after that.

"Stay," Kitzu commanded, this time dropping the hand signal. She'd also begun lessening the praise, and Azalea didn't miss a beat with that, probably since Kitzu at least hadn't stopped with the affection yet. The Lovern looked a bit confused at this change to their process, and tried tentatively to move, but a repeat of the command in a firmer voice stopped her dead in her tracks. That was good. She was hoping that it was the voice cue that Azalea was responding to, and not the visual...

After that, things were simple. She did as she'd done before, alternating repetitions with praise and without. Azalea did falter a bit at first, again, but then (perhaps because she remembered something similar happening last time) she simply gave into it.

(Stay: 6)

[Kitzu]

Kitzu was sure that Azalea had it now, but one more repetition couldn't hurt. One more. She knew that Azalea was beginning to tire of this too, and so she decided not to drag things out much longer. "Stay," she informed the crossbreed, and could almost imagine Azalea stifling a yawn. She swam away as far as she could after that, and when Azalea didn't budge, swam back and pronounced happily that the whole ordeal was over. It was welcome news to the both of them.

Of course, that meant they had to begin on a different trick, the opposite, in fact. Kitzu stopped a little ways away from Azalea, which confused the crossbreed some, and she tilted her head at the girl as if to ask what exactly was going on. "Come," Kitzu said in the voice that she reserved for commands, and hoped Azalea knew it well enough now to assume she wanted something. But what? Even if she inferred that much, the Lovern still had no clue what Kitzu was doing, nor what the word meant. She simply stayed in place, because that was the last thing she'd learned, and she assumed that Kitzu would want her to do so.

Instead, she only looked tired and slightly unhappier, though she did try to hide it. "Come," she said again, and stirred the water a little bit as she'd done in the pond and on their excursion to the mines. That had been her gesture to invite Azalea over, usually for mealtime, and she hoped that would help give the crossbreed a hint.

(Stay: 7; Come: 1) <Azalea: 11/13>