fandomhigh | Interactive Religion [Tuesday, February 19]

Biff gestured around the Danger Room. "Welcome to China," he said. Mountains could be seen all around them and it was definitely chillier than it had been in any of the other classes. "Today we begin our study of Buddhism, so you're going to need to change into these robes."

He gestured towards a rack of them and very nicely neglected to mention how his head had been shaved while he'd been a monk. He figured after the blue thing they would probably get upset about being bald, too.

Maybe for finals.

"These are called 'poles'," he continued, pointing to a seemingly endless line of wooden poles staggered in even intervals around the yard and giving Billy a sharp look. "While I was at the temple, kung-fu was a huge part of our daily lives. Well, that and Jew-do, but I'm not teaching that you--it was more Josh's thing. Being in the moment is essential to Buddhism, and it's harder to be in the moment when you're worrying about falling off a pole."

He hopped up on top of one and balanced easily. "When I tell you to, you will hop from one pole to the one in front of you. If the student in front of you doesn't hop correctly, the pole will tip over, they'll tip over and you'll have something comfortable to land on."

He grinned. "But don't think about that. Concentrate on being in the moment. Up you go."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

After you've changed into your hugely attractive orange robes, balance on poles! Or wobble on poles, or tip over on poles, or try to get your fellow classmates to fall off of poles...

Or, you know, concentrate on being one with the all-that-ness.

Ooooookay. She could do this. She could totally do this. Annnnnd ... up!

WHOA she was up! Kind of! Sort of! And wobble wobble wobble flap your arms Rikku tipppping tipppppping back this way dammit dammit dammit YEAH!

... Mostly! Ooops! Too far that way okay okay okay flapping again get low crouch crouch crouch leeeeeeeeeeeean and ... and ... whew. YES!

Still yes!

Now! To try ... sloooooowly ... caaaaaarefully ... to ... stand ... uuuuuuuuuuuup oh crap wobble wobble wobble flap the arms again faster faster faster dammit leeeeeeeeeeeean and ....

Hey! She did it! Eventually!

Which meant she probably was too busy squeeing to notice if anybody was gonna try to pick her off.

The robes were fine. Not exactly what he was used to, but comfortable and in the Sunlord's colours. The poles were...not so fine.

Karal spent a few minutes contemplating one, breathing deeply in something that was almost meditation, then carefully eased up onto the pole. Riding had given him enough of a sense of balance that he actually managed it. Thank Vkandis.

He held very still and kept breathing deliberately slow and even, just as if he was meditating. It actually wasn't at all unpleasant.

As long as he didn't think about the hopping.

Romeo had just recently outgrown tripping over his feet on a regular basis; balance was not really his thing.

He hopped onto a pole, fell off, hopped up again, fell off almost immediately, sighed, hopped up again, crouched, tilted, wobbled .... and managed to stand upright.

He was grinning like an idiot about this feat.

This would have been the point Andrew would have requested to walk laps in gym class back in Sunnydale.

There being an absence of a track here, Andrew just stood back to watch the spectacle.

See Seely.

See Seely crashing to the ground in a not-very-graceful blur of orange multiple times as he tried to balance on the pole.

Poor Seely.

Edited 2008-02-19 16:21 (UTC)

Aravis certainly didn't stifle a laugh at him from where she was gracefully perched on her own pole.

As though it was difficult.

Seely definitely didn't try to get his pole to fall in the direction of her pole in an attempt to knock it over.

Nope.

Really.

See Aravis fall. See Aravis sulk.

Sulk, Aravis, sulk.

Seely offered her a hand, giving her his best innocent look. "Are you okay?"

Aravis glared. "Brat."

Seely grinned. "I love you too."

Aravis just rolled her eyes.

"This is a hard class, isn't it? Poles falling every which way."

"I am not speaking to you," she informed him, righting her pole so she could get back on it. "You're mean to me."

"I'm not mean," Seely protested, reaching to take hold of her pole. "I'm never mean."

She just gave him a look, but let him take the pole.

Seely held the pole steady for her. "I'm not being mean now, am I?"

"No," Aravis said suspiciously. "But you'll probably knock me over again."

"Why would I ever do that?"

Aravis shot him a dirty look.

"What?" Seely asked. "I'd have to have a reason to do something like that."

Re: Balance on poles!

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Reno... actually hadn't had too difficult a time getting up onto that pole and staying put.

So there he was standing, looking ridiculously smug, just waiting for a sneeze or something to wipe that smirk off his arrogant face.

Billy had actually been itching to get back to something like this. Surely this wouldn't violate that stupid Doctor Mandated taking it easy thing.

He had no trouble with the balancing. Not even with the metal leg.

Edited 2008-02-19 22:44 (UTC)

Inara had more difficulty dealing with the robes as she climbed up onto the poles (which took four tries and something that sounded suspiciously like the dulcet tones of ripping fabric) than she did once she'd actually gotten up there.

She held her arms out and lowered herself to a sitting position, trying to find inner peace and tranquility, or maybe just not to fall off.

Once she was settled and meditating, it was as peaceful as if she'd been on the floor.