starlightcafe | And carry me away as light as a feather...

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And carry me away as light as a feather...

Della Duck was an unstoppable pilot... When she had a plane. When she had wings, it was apparently a very different story. And she found that incredibly frustrating, so when Crane had offered flying lessons, she'd jumped on the chance. It didn't hurt that she really enjoyed spending time with him.

She bounded out to the field where they'd planned to meet - it was out of the way, so there was no need to worry about Crane being seen as a crane, or Della crashing directly into an unsuspecting civilian - grinning eagerly. When she spotted Crane, she waved to him. "Hey, teach! I'm ready to get up there!"

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When Della arrived, Crane was in the middle of his morning Taolu routine, using his natural form instead of the human one he used when closer to the Index. He did spare a moment to wave a wing as Della approached, but continued practicing the forms until the routine was done in its entirety.

Della stood back and just watched. It was hard to be patient, but it helped that the routine Crane was going through had caught her interest. She'd seen Crane practicing his martial arts before, and while Della herself knew how to fight, she didn't know any specific discipline.

Then again, discipline in any sense was a foreign concept to her.

After a moment, she took a seat in the grass, her chin resting in her hands as she continued to observe.

His movements were precise, each punch and kick delivered as if he was actually training with a partner or confronting an enemy. When the last blow was delivered he took a breath, then folded his wings for the traditional bow, ending the practice.

While the Kung Fu master wasn't entirely gone, Crane was certainly more relaxed as he pushed the rice hat up to look at Della. "Good morning," he finally greeted.

"Morning!" Della responded, leaning forward with a grin. "You know, if you wanted to teach me how to do all of that instead of flying, I'd be okay with it!"

He gave her a small grin of his own. "Hey, I'd be happy to teach you Kung Fu if you want. But since flying is part of your Essence, let's start with that first."

"Fair enough," Della chuckled, getting to her feet and stretching one arm, then the other, over her head. "But I'm holding you to that."

"Let's see how you take to these flying lessons first, then we'll see if you still want me as a teacher."

Once she was finished stretching, he then motioned towards her with a wing. "Before we actually get started, let's see what your balance is like before you get your wings out."

"Um... Okay." Della raised her artificial leg in the air, balancing well enough on the other one - if she wobbled, it was mostly because of the uneven weight between her two legs. "Like this?"

"It's a start. I was more of thinking something like this..." He walked over to where he'd placed a narrow wooden log. The log itself was cut at each end, which was useful as he turned the log to rest on one end, the other end several inches off the ground while still be accessible for Della to stand on.

"Oh, I get it! Very Karate Kitten," she pointed out as she climbed up onto the log. "I like that movie."

Right, she should be focusing, shouldn't she? She lifted her artificial leg behind her, arms held out to either side. This was... A bit trickier, definitely.

The log was at least sturdy enough that it didn't move too much, only wobbling as much as she did while she stood on one leg.

Crane watched her for a moment, stepping around to stand in front of her. "Okay...so while you're holding that position, try to feel where your center of gravity is."

Della nodded - just a little, not wanting to throw off her balance - and closed her eyes. It was always easier for her to focus on something inward when she had her eyes shut - less to distract her.

"Okay." The more she focused, the steadier she seemed to become.

He nodded, even if she couldn't see it while her eyes were closed.

"All right. Now, let's see how your balance is with your wings."

If he was right, then her center of gravity would change once she had them out.

As Della took in a breath, her arms and hands began to change shape, and the feathers that covered them grew to be more distinctly bird-like, until she had wings...

And immediately found she had to set her other foot back down to stay up.

She cracked one eye open, just a peek. "What just happened?"

Nodding to himself, he spread out his wings as he said, "The extra weight and span of the wings changes your center of gravity. That's why you have trouble flying and landing."

Hopping off the ground, he flaps a bit to stay in the air. "For normal birds, we don't really have to think about it because it's natural for us. But since you change from human-like arms to bird-like wings, you also have to learn to recognize the shift in your balance."

"Oh! Well, that makes sense. Why didn't I ever think of that?" she asked, rhetorically. "Alright, let me give that another shot."

She spread her wings and, this time, lifted her natural leg. The artificial one being grounded was a little tricky, usually, but it might help her stay weighted while she figured this out, she thought.

Crane had the same thought too, and watched her as she tried to figure out her balance. She'd have switch eventually, since the artificial one was different, but they'd get to that later.

For his part, he kept watch on both her and the log, just in case either became too unsteady and he had to intervene.

She noticed him staying close by, and she appreciated it. She'd already taken an embarrassing spill when they first met - no need to repeat that.

"Alright, here goes nothing."

She switched which leg was supporting her - or tried to, but she started to stumble before she really could get far.

With one leg steadying the log, he managed to catch her with a wing, using it as support to keep her upright.

Della flinched in embarrassment. "Uh... Thanks, Crane."

If she was blushing, it was probably just because she was embarrassed that she still hadn't gotten that right.

Probably.

With his wing supporting her, she tried shifting to the other leg once again, and she made it this time - though she was still standing shakily.

He doesn't say anything, mostly to let her concentrate and so he doesn't have to think about how he was still holding on to her.

For balance, of course.

Once she was standing, he pulled back his wing a little bit to let her get used to her own balance, though still kept his foot to steady the log.

She continued to focus on finding that center of gravity, on just... Balancing. And after a moment, she was able to stand steadily. "Crane!"

She looked over her shoulder at him with a grin. "Crane, I'm doing it!"

He smiled, nodding as he drew back his foot as well. "Good. Try holding it for a bit longer and then you can hop down."

"You got it, teach!" Della said, too excited about her success to mind having to wait around just balancing for longer.

...Well, at first she was too excited. A few seconds passed, and she started getting a bit bored. "So, uh... How've you been?"

He chuckled; while he normally would have preferred that she focus on what she was supposed to be doing, having her multi-task would actually be helpful for her.

"I've been getting by. Still getting the hang of acting human, but it's been getting easier."

"I think you've gotten good at it, when I've been with you in the Index," she commented. "Although, I still don't totally get it. You're already a person. Just... A bird."

He shrugged a bit. "I...don't really know myself. I find that it's easier for people to expect a human than try to explain everything, but..."

Why was he so desperate to hide the fact he was a crane and not a human? He still wasn't sure.

Della shrugged - just a little. "Well, I think you're great like this," she commented casually, before asking, "Am I almost done with this part?"

His feathers ruffled a bit at that, and he flustered a bit, "Oh...well, uh...thanks."

...That was a strange feeling all of a sudden. But pushing past it, he cleared his throat. "Y-Yeah, uh...go ahead and hop down."

"Alright!" Della grinned and - oblivious to Crane's confusion and able to mostly set her own aside - hopped down. "So, now we fly, right?"

Clearing his throat again, he shifted back to the teacher role...especially because he knew she wasn't going to like this next part.

"Unnnnnfortunately it's going to take more time before you get up into the air. Finding your center with and without your wings needs to come more naturally, so we'll have to keep practicing that more until you don't have to think about it."

"Aw, phooey," Della muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. Still, her temper didn't fully act up. She had to admit he had a point, and besides... She kind of thought it was cool, how patient and rational Crane could be. It was admirable, especially to someone like Della who so strongly lacked those traits.

Still, she wasn't happy.

"So I'm just going to stand on a log on-and-off all day?"

"Well, no. There are other ways to exercise and practice balance."

There was...something about his smile that Della might want to be wary of.

No, she doesn't like that smile. She knows that smile from personal experience.

"Like what?"

He motioned to the log again. "Climb back up, and I can show you."

"...Okay," Della sighed, stepping up onto the log after a pause.

While she climbed up onto the log again, he hopped and flew back a few feet. "You might want to use both feet for this."

Then, crossing his wings in front of him, he spread them out with a quick snap, sending out a rush of air from the tips of his feathers. Instead of dissipating, though, the wind blew around him and followed his motions; as he swept his wings up, the wind followed, drawing up pebbles and small rocks from the ground.

Della was taken entirely by surprise, and so she fell right to the ground - but she didn't even care, just sat there.

"Why didn't I know you could do that?!"

He grinned a bit, holding the pebbles and rocks floating on the wind currents.

"You never asked," he retorted. "Now, are we going to do this or what?"

She smirked at him, rolling her eyes. "Alright, alright, fine. And you better believe we're doing this."

She climbed back up onto the log. "Hit me with your best shot."

"If you insist."

Raising the pebbles and rocks higher, he then started kicking them in her direction, one at a time, for her to dodge while balancing on top of the log.

Della was determined not to get this right, and she started off doing well, too. Her dodges were well-timed, and she managed to stay on top of the log as she pulled them off, though not without it wobbling.

"That's your best shot?"

With a grin, he then spread his wings out in another quick motion, pulling up more rocks from the ground. This time, he sent each one at her in a more rapid succession, as well as sending some towards her at different angles and directions.

"Uh-oh."

Della tried to keep up, but in the end, her attempts had her tumbling back to the ground - this time, though, rather than being in embarrassment or awe, she was laughing.

"Okay, okay! Uncle!"

With another snap of his wings, the wind dissipated, and the rocks fell harmlessly to the ground. Hopping up, he crossed the distance back to where Della was sitting.

"It was a good attempt," he offered. "Plus, now we know where your limits are, and can work on them from there."

She laughed a bit more, getting to her feet and dusting herself off. "That sure sounds better than saying I failed, so sure. Let's put it that way."

"I wouldn't call it failing," he said. "Everyone's got to start somewhere."

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And carry me away as light as a feather...

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