Flexible Thinking for a Modern Life: Chapter 4

Summary: A commission series for Alfalfa. Iris Fleurs, the stretchy daughter of a slime mother and a human father, tries to live her best life and feel comfortable in her own skin. Teenage rebellion ensues.

[Story Listing]

[First Chapter]

[Previous Chapter]

CHAPTER 4

"...Damn it."

Iris had been left to her own devices, too miffed to confront her parents right now. She hoped the isolation would help her calm down, to help her collect her thoughts. In fact, however, it had the opposite effect; she simply stewed over every minor interaction, stoking her irritation. 

It was so infuriating. Her parents coddled her to this day, treating her like a newborn infant. So what if people thought she'd be eccentric? It wouldn't change anything.

She tried to calm herself down with some exercises she picked up over the years. She tensed and relaxed the grip on her wrist; it surrendered to her hand like putty. The repeated motions gave her something to shift her attention to...

Knock knock.

"Iris? Can I come in?"

It was her dad. She looked up, ceasing her exercises, and laid back in her bed.

"Door's open." Iris sighed.

Sier peeked his head through the crack before letting himself in. He pulled up a chair to sit at Iris' side.

"How're you feeling?" Sier asked gently. 

"Crappy." Iris growled, flopping her head back against the bedrest. This elicited a frown from Sier. He glanced to the door.

"...I had a word with your mother, and, well..." Sier looked back to Iris. "...I got her a little more warmed up to the idea. We'll both be at your relay race."

"...Seriously?" Iris looked surprised, raising her head to meet Sier's warm expression. 

"Yep. She and I, we're both excited to see you out there." Sier nodded, smiling earnestly. 

"...Tch. Mom doesn't just change her mind like that." Iris rolled her eyes, rolling over to the side. She remained unconvinced; Sier looked on with cautious trepidation. 

"Mom has... complicated feelings about all this, but... you know she just wants what's best for you." Sier clasped his hands in his laps, hoping he could appeal to reason.

"Really? Cuz I reckon she'd stick me in a bottle and cork it just to keep me from going anywhere." Iris groaned.

"Oh c'mon, you know that's not true." Sier shook his head. 

"Mom treats me like I'm a loose cannon about to go off! Why can't I do the things other kids get to do?" Iris snapped, leaning up from her prone position. "She doesn't even let me stretch or anything in the house, I can't even be myself!"

Sier was silent as Iris her feelings loose, listening to everything she had to say. It was obvious she had been wound up by all this over the years. 

"...I just want Mom to be in my corner. To support the things I wanna do. But she doesn't, she never does, it's..."

"She just doesn't want people to treat you any differently. Even with your quirks." Sier explained.

"They already treat me differently. I don't get to play sports, or go to dances. Mom even took me out of gym class, and everyone thinks there's something wrong with me!" Iris stirred in her bed, folding her arms. "There's nothing wrong with me..."

"No, no, I know... we know." Sier sighed. "...I think this relay race is a good thing. If this goes well, I'll... we'll have a talk, as a family. Try to relax some of those boundaries a bit, okay?"

"...Really? You promise?" Iris looked over to Sier. 

"We want you to be comfortable in your own body. Between you and me, your mother's a little... overzealous in her policies." Sier glanced to the door. "...Don't tell her I said that."

"...Heh. Got it." Iris smirked. "Can't believe you ended up being the cool parent..."

"Huh? What's that mean??" Sier blinked. 

"Oh come on. You spend all day in a greenhouse tending to flowers, and you keep comparing people to bugs and stuff. That's like, two things that are the polar opposite of cool." Iris snickered, relaxing a bit. 

"W, whhaaat?? Etymology is super cool!" Sier stammered. "You used to love my beetle collections, they looked like jewels..."

"Huh. I remember something like that." Iris commented. Her eyes lowered. "I hope the other kids didn't make fun of you growing up..."

"Well... yeah." Sier laughed meekly. "But you kinda have to develop a thick skin for that sort of thing... like-"

"Like a beetle's shell." Iris finished his thought with a wink. 

"...Exactly." Sier smiled. "You catch on quickly!~"

Iris scoffed, leaning back against the bedrest. "...Thanks Dad."

"You need anything else? There's probably some taco stuff downstairs, I could bring some up for you." Sier offered with a tilt of his head.

"Nah, I'm good. I have to go to bed early, Sarah wants to start exercises early in the morning.

"Aaaah, I see. I think your mom would be okay with that." Sier stood up from his chair. "Get some rest, okay? We'll support you all the way through."

"I know." Iris cooed. "Thanks, Dad."

Sier let himself out, smiling to himself as he did. Iris folded her hands in her lap. 

Maybe if she did well in this competition, she'd prove herself not only to Sherry... but to her mom as well. Iris was more determined to win than ever.

But they had to prepare, and Iris had to be up early. She decided it was a good time to head to bed.

---

"Alright! We're going to start with stretches before we do anything strenuous! You guys ready?"

"Sarah, it's barely light out... c'moooon..."

Miguel was absolutely not ready to commit to healthy living, and Iris silently agreed - though she wouldn't voice her concerns in front of Sarah. The three of them gathered out by the track behind the school in the ungodly hours of the morning. 

"It's like I said; a little bit of exercise in the morning is the best way to start the day." Sarah pointed out. "It's an effective jumpstart to your metabolism, and when we're done we can all refuel."

"Oh shit, we're getting breakfast?? That's so awe-"

"A healthy breakfast." Sarah glared. "You can't live life eating a box of FlipTarts every morning."

"...That sounds like a challenge." Miguel rubbed his chin, ruminating on the possibility. 

Iris glanced over with a grimace, rubbing her arms as if to stay warm. 

"Hey, guys, isn't it a little nippy out here to you guys?" Iris wondered, her face tinged with concern. "I'm feeling a little stiff."

"...Mmmmmnot really?" Miguel wondered. "But if Iris is getting a cold, maybe we should duck inside and get a hot cup of-"

"We'll warm right up with a full-body workout, don't worry about it." Sarah nodded. This assertion was met with a heavy sigh by both Iris and Miguel. 

"Now, follow along. We're gonna work on some leg swings. Make sure you rotate your pelvis just right-"

"That's what she said!" Miguel blurted, breaking into uproarious laughter.

"...Yes. That is what I said." Sarah blinked, totally uncomprehending what Miguel was getting at. 

Iris imitated Sarah's motions, keeping her torso strong and steady as she balanced on one foot, rotating her body and kicking her leg. She closed her eyes to focus; Iris figured she could hit her limit, reverse, and repeat on the other leg...

...But she wasn't hitting her limit.

"Iris?"

Miguel asked, caution in his voice. Iris opened her eyes curiously, pausing her motion. She felt something wrapping around her leg.

She glanced down. Her left leg had went around, and around her stationary right leg, coiling around it like a cream-coloured snake. Iris yelped at the sight, trying to retract her leg... which only served to offset her balance.

She hit the dirt with a grunt, dust kicking up against her tracksuit. She exhaled loudly through her nose, clearly unimpressed with what had transpired.

"Little tied up there?" Miguel smirked.

"Shut up." Iris growled. "Just... gimme a hand here."

"...Well, there's one way to loosen up." Sarah nodded, kneeling down to help unravel Iris' leg. She offered to help Iris to her feet, but Iris simply helped herself back up on her feet.

"Hah, no biggie, no problem. Just gonna bounce back, like always." Iris told herself. 

"I mean, you're made of some kinda super rubber, so I guess that comes easy-"

"Miguel, focus." Sarah cautioned, performing some arm stretches.

The rest of the exercises went on as could be expected. The results were rather indicative. Miguel, despite being a lanky piece of meat, could barely touch his toes. 

...Of course, he was also distracted by the strange sight of Iris, effortlessly performing all the motions Sarah was putting them through. Perhaps she was succeeding too well; she would often stretch and rotate well beyond the limitations of the human body, her waist contorting as she turned more than 360 degrees. 

Iris had a satisfied smirk on her face the whole while. Stretching out all her kinks like this felt amazing. And she knew Miguel was staring; it felt good to show off a little bit. 

"Okidoke, we're ready to go. How do you guys feel?" Sarah turned to the two of them.

"...A little inadequate, not gonna lie." Miguel frowned. Iris glanced over with a sad, empathetic look. Sarah, however, was not as patient.

"If you took better care of yourself, you'd be able to keep up with the rest of the girls." Sarah explained, perking up an eyebrow. 

"..." Miguel simply gave Iris a confused look. Iris reciprocated, unsure what exactly Miguel meant. 

"...What??" Iris felt a little attacked at that particular moment. 

"...N-never mind. We going running now?" Miguel turned to Sarah.

"Mmhm. The relay race is more about speed than endurance, so we'll frame our exercises around that." Sarah nodded, rubbing her chin as if to consider her options. 

"Alright. Let's go for a jog. We'll go around the track a few times..."

Sarah led the way, and the others followed. Sarah seemed to have a knack for conditioning, and they weren't really in much of a position to question her aptitude. For now, Iris and Miguel were content to follow in her footsteps. 

Iris was getting into the routine admirably. She settled into a rhythm, enjoying the wind in her hair, the bounce in her step. In the back of her mind, she thought it was strange; she hardly exercised, but she didn't find herself short of breath. 

More astoundingly, she managed to keep up with Sarah! Of course, Sarah seemed to be using only a fraction of her true power level, her dull eyes staring straight ahead.

"Hey, Sarah, this feels great! Thanks for coaching us!" Iris smiled, huffing between paces. 

"No problem." Sarah muttered, her eyes unmoving. "It's what I'm best at. Hoping to get into a good school for sports medicine."

"Yeah, I remember! Bet you're gonna be at the games one day!" Iris cooed. 

"That's the plan." Sarah muttered. 

"I'll be rooting for y- ... oh, oh no." Iris winced. As the two of them turned the corner, they spotted Miguel sprawled out on the dirt track. 

Iris picked up her pace to reach Miguel. He was groaning, gasping for breath.

"Miguel! What're you doing down there?" Iris shouted, a panicked look in her eyes. He looked absolutely haggard!

"WE HAVE BEEN RUNNING FOR AN HOUR." Miguel uttered, totally exasperated, and also exhausted. He slumped his head back. 

"...Really??" Iris blinked, turning to Sarah. 

"Time flies when you're having fun." Sarah slowed to a stop. "Alright, take five, and then we'll get back into it."

"THERE'S MORE!?" Miguel cried, on the verge of tears. 

"Well, yeah, that was just the warm up." Sarah folded her arms. "Jogging's good for the casual health nut, but we're training for competition, so we need focused workouts targeting key areas." Sarah gestured to a far hill. "After some more stretches, we're gonna work on explosive sprints up and down that hill."

The colour drained from Iris and Miguel's faces. 

"Wait... how long are we gonna keep this up?" Iris questioned. 

"Until school starts. Don't worry though, I'll grab you guys on breaks and after school, and we'll get right back into it." Sarah stretched her arms, trying to maintain her groove. "I reckon we can keep going until nightfall, and do it all again tomorrow."

"WHAT!?" Miguel shouted so loud a flock of birds scattered from the nearby trees. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!?"

"R-really, that seems excessive..." Iris grimaced in turn. 

"We have a lot of catch-up to do if you want to even be on par with Sherry, guys." Sarah seemed unphased by their reservations. "And you haven't been keeping up with healthy lifestyles, so we gotta work overtime just to instill those good habits."

"...W, what if I get in detention, though??" Miguel inquired cautiously. 

He was met only with a glare from Sarah, stoic, unflinching, and extremely intimidating. Her red eyes almost glowed with murderous intent. 

"...Okay. I... I'll be good. I promise." Miguel squeaked, rising to his feet feebly. 

"Good. Now then, let's get right back to it..."

Sarah's business-like statement was met with a chorus of collective groans. This was gonna be a long day. 

Sarah seemed to detect the mood, smirking to herself. "Don't worry guys. The first day's always the hardest. It'll get easier." 

Miguel and Iris exchanged glances. They weren't so sure about that... 

---

Later that evening, Sier and Celes were out on a date, enjoying a meal at Tuesday's, a fine-dining establishment out in the commercial district. Having a table to themselves, they broke bread and enjoyed themselves as the dulcet tones of a young songstress carried over the air. 

Both had dressed up for the occasion, though Sier had significantly less pretty things to call his own attire. He used the same indigo tuxedo for every formal event they went to: weddings, church, PTA meetings. It was really Celes' time to unwind and to enjoy herself; she prepared a lacey, zebra-pattern dress, complete with silk gloves to hide her slick skin. 

"Ah, when was the last time we've been able to go out like this, as a couple?" Celes reached for her glass of wine.

"Not since the baby. Thank goodness Iris can take care of herself now." Sier grinned, remembering a funny story. "Remember when she was a baby? Oh, that was an experiment..."

"Oh my gosh, don't remind me. We had to toss out a perfectly good crib..." Celes sighed. "Poor thing would just slip through the bars without a second thought."

"Why would you be so upset over the crib? I'm the one who had to build it!" Sier laughed, his hands moving to butter up some of the handmade bread. 

"And you would raise such a fuss everytime she melted down when you were changing diapers. I think she did it just to get a rise out of you." Celes smirked, taking a sip.

"Hey, I don't know what kind of chemicals they put in those diapers nowadays! It... it wasn't outside the realm of possibility."

"...You assumed the chemicals in the diapers were going to melt our baby?" Celes stared across the table, a little dumbstruck at Sier's strange take.

"I-I mean, it wouldn't be the first-"

Sier cut himself off abruptly, realizing what he was saying. Celes' eyes widened, her eyes dropping to her empty plate. They were still waiting for appetizers...

"...Well, I guess that's why we don't buy stuff from BioLabs, eheh... heh." Celes chuckled to herself, a little anxious.

"Celes, sorry, I didn't mean..." Sier sighed, letting his bread rest on the small plate to his right. 

"It's fine, really, I'm used to it." Celes smiled, taking Sier's hand. "I found you, right? And... the people around here are really nice. I think they're... getting used to me too."

"...Yeah. Yeah, definitely." Sier thought that, sometimes, maybe it wasn't the right attention. Celes' portrait had cropped up in the odd travel pamphlet, distributed in towns abroad, inviting tourists to gawk at her alien visage. But she seemed to be taking her celebrity in stride; it meant she could leverage it into advertising for her boutique!

"...I'm just worried about Iris." Celes folded her arms as she leaned back into her chair. "She's still mad at me about that fight from the other night..."

"...Hey, Celes, that's not true. She's really happy that you're coming out to see her at the track meet." Sier explained with a nod. "She's really putting herself out there."

"...I'm happy for her, really." Celes nodded, though the look in her eyes reflected a degree of reservation. "But other kids, they can be... they can be pretty heartless too. I don't know if she's-"

"She's growing up, Celes. She'll figure it out." Sier nodded. "If she needs our help, she'll ask. That's how we raised her, but... you know if we dote over her too much, the kid's'll just make fun of her even more."

"...I just... don't want anyone to treat her any differently for... for her quirks, you know?" Celes glanced up from the table. "There's going to be so many people there, right? What if something goes wrong?"

"...Sometimes things just work out if you have a dream and work towards it." Sier glanced to Celes with a wink. "A little birdie told me that once."

"...Shut up." Celes scoffed, straightening herself out. "That's cheating too, using that against me."

Sier chuckled to himself, shaking his head silently. Celes wanted to stay grumpy about it, but... she ended up smiling with him in the end. 

There would be plenty of worrying at the track meet. For now, Sier and Celes would enjoy each other's company in the meantime.

---

[Next Chapter]