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˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦ ˚ . ★⋆. ࿐࿔
Accompanied by the peace which morning's silence brings, Korra'ahl lay atop her bed, those eyes of hers skimming over the pages of one of Asami’s many books, one which was called ‘The Art of Space Engineering.’
Intriguingly enough, the celestial had picked it up earlier that Saturday—hoping it would give her a better understanding of what it is that Asami does but after about an hour of flip-floping through the thick object, her poor brain had almost become mushy brain matter.
Almost.
Slightly, she sighed at the mumbo jumbo of strange illustrations of various machine parts, most which she had no clue what they were for or which one went where and what does what...urrghhh Holy Raa'va even thinking about it nearly made her head explode into a bajillion tiny stardust particles!
Meanwhilst doing so, the princess bit her lip, her mind reeling through all the different things she could find nearby instead.
Perhaps she could engage Nami in a fun ball game?
Ah welp, it was better than engaging her mind in the laziness that was nothing, she mused to herself.
So, Korra'ahl got up and softly meandered towards the living room, in the hopes of finding the cutesy feline creature. Doe eyes roamed around the wide space in an esprit until they landed on Naomi who was purring up a storm while she slept on that mini-bed in the small corner ≽^-⩊-^≼ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ
Korra’ahl’s heart warmed at the adorable sight, and she silently decided not to bother the kitty-kat's serene slumber.
That being said...what in the diggity now?
Next thing to come straight to fair mind, her gaze met with the large TV device—and held that thought which lingered for a good minute or so. Then, she tapped her chin thrice just for the fun of it.
See, most of her morning had been spent sitting in front of the glowy contraption, and she truly didn’t feel like switching it on at the moment because the confuddled royale felt she’d rather be doing anything else.
As Korra'ahl pondered what to do OR not to do, her mind immediately went to Asami.
Maybe her friend would be up for some fun banter?
It was not a bad idea honestly, Korra’ahl mused to herself, but then again, she remembered that Asami had gone into her workshop after breakfast for something extremely important.
Letting out an audible, languid sigh, Korra’ahl retreated back to her room and leaned against the hardwood in dire contemplation.
Soon and such so, the feeling of distress yipped itself from her spirit whereas her sharp irises glued fast to her colossal wardrobe by the side. Seconds later, Korra'ahl drew nearer in said direction, sliding its glass doors open to reveal a vast array of shelves and compartments which were mostly empty as she had not yet attempted even in the slightest to put away her things.
Hands attached to canted hips, the princess pursed her lips as she surveyed the bags of clothes and shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe space. With nothing else reasonable coming to mind, Korra'ahl figured that she might as well get a head start on this hoopla of a mess.
Bending over with a huff, she took some of said items into a cradling hold, and placed them neatly onto the shelves up front until tan hands faintly brushed against the lacey fabric of the bra she’d tried on at the undergarment store.
An elfin grin slowly tugged at her lips as she thought back to the moment a pure expression of comically induced awkwardness dawned upon Asami’s face when she’d called her over to come see. Tsk tsk tsk, the poor woman didn’t know where to look and Korra’ahl so enjoyed...hmm howsoever do these humans call it again? Ahh yes, there was a certain terminology for this one. Vocab wheels playfully kicked in as she tilted her head in deliberative à la mode of thought, and so to speak.
˗ˏˋ Umm yeah...now she got it! Tugging at her legs — "immensely" at that𓂃⭑ˎˊ˗
Alongside the company of a bubbly chuckle, she set the undergarment fabric aside, and easily picked up the heavy bag of shoes, setting them down besides the clothes. Her eyes drifted farther to the pair of silvery sparkly heels now in her hands, and she made the decision that this one was extra special—and as a result, it deserved to be at the very top of her closet.
Reaching from her very tippity toes, Korra’ahl made a swift move to slide the gorgeous pair right onto the top shelf before stopping abruptly as a sudden thought had occurred to her.
‘It wouldn’t hurt to try again now, would it?’
Several shimmering stars that lay across them called to her as she gazed upon them in wonder. Ensuing moments after, a twinkling spark of determination filled her entire being, and at long last, she decided to give them another go.
'Walking in them before had proven to be quite the challenge, but maybe today...I’d be much better?'
So, Korra’ahl slipped them on carefully, taking a few gradual steps across the room and right towards her bed. The heels still felt a bit wobbly as she was unfamiliar with this particular nature of foot covering.
Pushing another step forward, her right foot almost curved inwards and she bit her lip in frazzled frustration. She daintily slid the silvery slippers off her feet and glanced down at them, dark brows furrowed in a scrunch.
Impossible!
How on earth is it that she, who has conquered several challenges that arose on her home planet, could surely not be wary of some little pair of shoes, right?
Most definitely not.
A teensy tiny part of her wanted to put them to the side and find something else to do but...another part of her, a small feeling in her chest told her not to give up on this. Soever then, she ventured out of her room along with a zeal in mind—heading down the hallway straight to Asami’s ‘top-secret’ workshop fired by all the speed she could so muster. Once getting there, the oh-so familiar low hum of wondrous human machinery greeted her as she stepped inside, her gaze instantly locking onto Asami.
The woman stood in front of a lit up console, her brows meeting together in concentration as she tapped away at a glowing panel in front of her. One of her robotic arm companions lay atop a workbench, gradually powering up...its battery bars stacking over the other like a glitchy tetris.
Upon inching closer, Asami's starry guest was quick to notice something else.
That delightful inventor of hers had on a pair of spectacles—clear ones this time around, which were different from the sunglasses she’d worn before. That was not all blues glimpsed at as the raven hair which adorned her lilied face was held up in a pretty ponytail, and the princess’ heart adorably did a little flip at the sight. Asami appeared poles apart from how she usually did… but the very nice kind of different, and Korra’ahl decided that she liked this look on her a whole lot.
“Hey-o, what are you working on over there?” the princess quizzed as curiously as ever.
Sparing a glance from her work, Asami smiled at the endearing sight which greeted her. “Just charging up Lefty over here,” she gestured toward the arm with an airy laugh. “And what have you been up to since breakfast?”
“Oh just looking at this book of yours," the candy lover responded in equal playfulness. "...ya' know, the space engineering one.”
Asami's eyes widened, clearly pleased. “Really? How’d you find it?”
“It left me feeling a bit confused…I have to admit,” Korra’ahl answered frankly. Then she dangled the sparkly heels up in front of the woman. “But on another note, I think I’m ready to learn how to walk around in these right about now, only if you’d teach me, pretty please...?”
“Yeah, of course I’ll teach you,” Asami replied without any form of hesitation. She reached over the top of her console, and powered it all the way down. “Why don’t you go wait for me in the corridor? I’ll be right there.”
A nod later, Korra'ahl graced the airy hallway. During the time she leaned against the wall, waiting in calm patience, the princess decided to put the heels back on, and position herself in a fashion that would help perfect her balance, even though she swayed ever this way, and that so slightly.
When Asami returned, she’d taken the glasses off and she was looking much taller than before. Korra’ahl’s eyes widened at the sight of the foot coverings on her feet. This time around, her colossal friend donned a sleek pair of the prettiest crimson red heels that made her appear so...fierce.
“Wowsers!” Korra’ahl said in awe. “How do you manage to walk so well in those? Especially down the curving steps??”
Asami chuckled. “Just a little bit of practice over the years.”
“Only practice you say? If I ever tried to practice in those, I’d probably fall over my feet and take out an entire shelf with me!”
Blinks after, the engineer’s lips curved into a playful smile. “It’s not that difficult. Besides, I figured you’d need a more...‘legs-on’ experience in this case.”
The alien giggled as she stepped a little way forward. “Okay, that was not a bad pun. Not the best—but still, I admire your effortless spirit." A cat grin appeared on her features as she nudged the woman's arm. "I see that I am rubbing off on you.”
“You could say that again,” Asami responded with a wink―☆ˎˊ˗
"Now that we are in heeled order," Korra'ahl began. "What move do I start with?"
“So, the first rule of walking in heels masterclass 101 is...tip-top posture. What you need to do foremost is stand with your back straight, and make sure to relax your shoulders. You don’t wanna look like you’re angry stomping—if that makes sense.”
Per her extremely helpful suggestions, Korra’ahl's head diligently bobbed. “Ah...I think it is clear to me now. You want me to walk with the superstellar grace of a princess, and not that of a wonky predator, yes?”
“Well...sorta kinda,” Asami said right after taking a short period to paint a mental picture. Then, she let out a snort. “Wait, how do predators walk, again?”
Mischief lit up behind Korra'ahl's eyes.
Now this, she could demonstrate with ease.
“Watch this space. Like so...”
Hunching her back over with her arms edgeways, she crossed the corridor with a lack of style thereof, comically stomping her foot from side-to-side.
Seeing such a display for free prompted Asami to grip her stomach with lighthearted laughter. "Oh goodness gracious Korra’ahl, you are absolutely hilarious! I wish I could do that, but probably not as accurately as you.”
Korra’ahl grinned from ear to ear, pleased to see the blooming joy on her companion’s face. “Amongst many other things.”
A faint blush spreads across Asami’s cheeks whilst they locked brighter eyes. “For sure.”
Straightening her posture prior to continuing, Asami cleared her throat before she could forget herself in the face of those ocean eyes. “Okay, uhh back to the lesson at hand...you'll have to begin with small steps, one leg in front of the other like this-” she demonstrated by sauntering across the corridor in a glamorous fashion that mesmerized the princess in a snap. “Arms at your sides, and ohh! Make sure to slightly bend your knees as well, keep your legs parallel but not too far apart.”
“I see. So it’s...stand straight, arms uniform, small strides, legs parallel, right?”
“Exactly. Remember, you are making a sort of fabulous statement to people around you. It's all about exuding confidence, unforgettable flair. Don't forget to feel yourself a lil' as well, sashaying in heels is meant to be a thing of fun! Now, you try your feet at it.”
To the letter, Korra’ahl gave it a go by mimicking the woman’s actions, and as she took cautionary treads forward, she swayed sprightly on her feet, almost coming in contact with a vase on a nearby table. “wHoAaaa…”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Asami reminded her. Quicker than a light switch, she rushed forward and held onto Korra'ahl's sides to keep her rock steady, the action making the alien immediately blush a furious shade of violet.
Korra’ahl squeezed her hand thankfully. “Heh heh heh...thanks once again.”
“Anytime. Would you like me to hold onto you as we walk hand-in-hand?”
If there was one thing Korra'ahl had come to realize, she never turned down Asami's offer for a hand or two. Anything possible to help her nail her goal for this morning, as it clearly came along with some conveniently more than close benefits.
“I’d really like that, mhmm.”
Littler than aeons after, the sooth saying engineer intertwined her cool fingers gently with the princess’ warm ones, and the two of them stood up straight together. As Asami put her left foot fabulously forward, so did Korra’ahl. And as expected, the twosome did vice versa for the right.
Soon, the likely pair managed to make it down the corridor without any more unfortunate...slip of feet so to speak.
Utterly beyond pleased with her well-balanced progress, the floofy curled celestial turned to Asami with a grin. “Well, that was quite the fun exercise, if I do say so myself.”
Asami spiritedly returned the gesture. “Yes indeed.”
One more giggle later, Korra'ahl looked down at their enjoined hands. “I think I’m going to try walking down on my own for a bit...although you my good friend are more than welcome to watch me work my magic, if you so desire to,” she added with a teasing smicker.
A blush did not fail to find Asami's face. “Ah—ohh yeah, I’ll be watching from over there...yup.” Awkwardly she backed away, and leaned against the wall on the other side in attentive wait.
Korra’ahl, who had been enjoying the after-effect she evidently left on the woman all that while, turned around with a teeny titter. She glanced down at her feet as she practiced her balance yet again, before looking up with a stronger sense of purpose.
Then and there, the alien was very persistent to learn how to walk gracefully in these heels, no matter how many times she might stumble off the wall in her gait like a comically induced cookie crumble.
Just like her newfound camaraderie mentioned a few days ago, all it takes for one to succeed at doing something they truly want to is to take a little step out of their comfort zone.
‘I’ll never know until I try, right?’ she mulled over yet again.
Thence, with resolution flickering in her eyes, she managed careful paces towards Asami—making sure to follow all the helpful measures the woman had taken the time to show her before.
One step
⇣Two steps
⇣Three steps
⤷ᯓUntil she successfully made it across the corridor without so much as a flouncy fumble.★ˎˊ˗
Pride shining in her eyes, Asami clapped her hands together. “Yay! I knew you could do it. All you needed was a lil' guidance in the right direction.”
“Mhmm,” Korra’ahl said, a grateful look not hidden in her eyes. “And taking it one step at a time, too. Thanks for all your help, Asami...I truly appreciate it.”
Asami linked their arms together, and gave the alien a bright grin. “Always happy to be of assistance. By the way, I recall you mentioned something about a space engineering book earlier?”
“Uh huh yep! Do tell me how exactly does this engineering of contraptions meant for the galaxies all work?”
“You see...its basically got to do with both aeronautics, and astronautics—which go hand-in-hand with designing spacecrafts.”
“Spacecrafts?” the royale echoed, before blinking in realization. “Oh, so it's kinda like a space vessel?”
Midnight waves bounced up n' down, sending her a arch grin. “Exactly. Or a space ship. What do you say we take off these high heels, and go take a look around my airfield?”
Enthusiastic beats coupled with a smile akin to a shooting star later, Korra'ahl reciprocated her colossal companion's zeal for adventure with one of her very own. “I would like that very much. Take me to this great airfield of yours, pretty please!”
“With pleasure,” Asami said with a giggle, leading the princess further into the house for a craterful exploration of sorts.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──