fandomhigh | Ungulate Yoga, Tuesday, period 1

After spending pretty much all day yesterday in bed, after getting back from Ibiza, Duke was looking forward to a nice, ordinary day. Or, you know, as close to one as you could get in Fandom. So when he saw the zebras hanging out in the clearing for class, he didn't even blink.

"At least you all have hooves. Just try not to trample my students, alright?"

The zebras grazed idly, ignoring him.

"Let's get right to warming up please," Duke said when the students arrived. "Today we're going to try out some bound poses." He very specifically did not look at Danny ~~if he was there~~ when he said that. "A bound pose is any pose where your hands are connected, and you twist through your shoulders and torso. They require a fair amount of flexibility, so I don't want to see anyone pushing themselves too hard, here. You need a prop, you use it. I've got pillows, bolsters, blocks and straps up here. Remember: a good stretch means no sharp pains. If it hurts, stop."

One of the zebras came over to try to eat Duke's hair. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Also there are zebras. So . . . yeah."

At least he wasn't stoned this week.

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Karolina definitely repeated 'finrona' under her breath after he said it. She was just kind of like that.

She also definitely wasn't going to push any on private matters like that. "This is Fandom," she pointed out instead, softly. "There's always at least a little hope."

"Yeah, well. She's not exactly the first person to disappear on me." In Fandom or in life in general! "And no one else has ever come back."

He was such a ray of sunshine.

"I got dragged away to my parents' home planet when I was a student here, and I found my way back?" Karolina offered.

It really wasn't the same thing, but it was the best she had.

"By a random portal?" Duke asked, perking up a little. "How long were you gone?"

Yeah, see, Karolina instantly regretted having said that.

Because now she had to say this: "It wasn't a random portal." But a random fiancé, which was a story for another time. "I was just a really long way away, and it wasn't easy to get back."

"Ah." Duke's slump was subtle, but definitely noticeable. "Right. Yeah, this isn't quite a 'my parents decided to pull me out of school' situation."

"My parents were dead, and I was supposed to get married to stop a war."

Karolina's tone was remarkably nice as she said that. Pretty mild, too, though.

"I'm sorry," she continued, shaking her head a little. "I'm just trying to say... It might be too early to give up hope."

"Ah. Right. As you do," Duke said, rubbing the back of his neck. (That mild tone was weirdly comforting. It reminded him of Octavia.) "I'm not -- I don't want to 'give up hope' or whatever. I'm just trying to be realistic."

"I guess that's good, too," Karolina relented. "Just, I don't know. If you do want to talk about it at any point, or anything else, just know my door's always open."

". . . Aren't you a guidance counselor? Like, helping the kids get into college? I mean, I'm not trying to be rude or anything. I'm pretty sure I'm outside your job description."

Duke's entire history with school counselors involved being told he was 'wasting his potential' because he skipped French class to sell booze under the bleachers.

Ungulate Yoga, Tuesday, period 1

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