Private Finished Creating a Cat Contortionist

If Sprinkles couldn't be human, he would be a cat. He was made to be a NEK0 in touch with his cat side. It was only natural that he pursued body modifications that enhanced the cat genes he had. Really, if he tried to keep being human, he was only insulting what his father made him be. And, if Sprinkles was going to be honest with himself, it would be much easier to become a quick and agile cat than some weightlifter.

After seeing the way Eon—the self-proclaimed "King of Cats" who could turn into a human—contorted his human body so easily, it gave Sprinkles the inspiration to pursue this path further. That was why he was in the gym after his classes, practicing stretches as simple as the warm-ups when working with the cheer squad, to as complicated as doing a backbend. Not so surprisingly, these things came easily to Sprinkles. He had already been with the cheer squad for a bit of time, and before coming to the island, he his flexibility was to be admired. That may have been the cat residing in him, or simple luck when it came to having a bendable body.

This was awful. Most of the time, stretching was no big deal. It was just a repeat of stuff he had done plenty of times before. Pushing himself to do a pose where his legs were supposed to bend far enough to reach his head, then hold that position? That wasn't very pleasant.

A nearby female voice managed to break his concentration, causing him to unravel and fall onto his side. Groaning softly, he gave Bel a small smile, followed by a pained laugh. "Thaaanks... I'm trying to get better for the squad. Gotta get..." he pushed himself up and groaned once more, "bendier for some of the more complicated routines. I'm guessing you're here for similar reasons?"

Pleased to have some company, Sprinkles mimicked Bel's sitting position as they spoke. He needed some time to relax before stretching again. He took a long drink of his water, then let out a refreshed Ah, before thinking about what he wanted to do next.

"It's just called a backbend, I think. I've done it a few, but it's... sooooo difficult. Sooooo difficult." He let himself giggle a few times. "I'm exaggerating, obviously. I just don't like how it feels. Makes me all dizzy when I stand straight up too fast."

It was a good suggestion, however. Standing up with his arms high, he went to demonstrate. Slowly, he bent backward, moving his hands like they were walking down a wall. Realizing he was losing his balance, he let himself fall back and performing a back bridge instead.

"Uh... okay, I messed up. Oops."

Sprinkles slowly pulled himself up, shrugging off any embarrassment he initially had at failing his demonstration. In fact, he chuckled with an amused expression. "Oh come on, Bel. Don't you know that cats always land on their feet?" Shame he couldn't keep that up. There were a few times during practice where he fell and ended up sore for a while.

Before she could point that out, Sprinkles went to redo his demonstration. This time, he actually succeeded, with him walking his hands down as he bent his back backward and reaching the floor smoothly. Then, he pulled himself back up, spreading his arms to show Bel that all was well with him.

"I know not what you talk about," he said with a sarcastic smirk. He knew it wasn't true, but he believed that he could someday represent that myth. It would certainly be useful for routines where he was being lifted and lost his balance.

That smirk was immediately replaced by a large smile when Bel told him she was impressed. If he was more familiar with her, he would have jokingly mocked her for doubting his amazing catlike skill. She was here to practice, however, and he had no intention of making her confidence waver.

"Using a wall is very helpful," he agreed. "That's what I was showing. I don't always pretend that my hands are walking down a wall, but it helps me keep my balance. Another way to do it without a wall is to have someone be there to give you back support as you bend. It can help you feel safe if you're worried about falling."