pluviosa | [OPEN] fight fight fight!

It's not necessarily the poster that catches Zed's attention--it's the shiny armor. That the wearer of the shiny armor has bunny ears is a complete nonissue. "So why are we fighting, again?" Look, he can understand being bored but also fighting in and of itself can get boring.

That's very fair. He's used to being stared at, but the armor does also sometimes get the attention. "To hone our skills and also blow off steam. If we're too bored then we might do stupid things. Or at least I know that a lot of people tend towards that sort of thing."

Furina considers the rabbit man for a moment--the poster had been almost (definitely) childish, but something about it had tickled at her brain.

"To watch, if that is well with you," she says grandly. She has no real desire to fight, and what knowledge she does have of battle is mostly for the stage...so perhaps watching him fight in truth will allow her to glean some skills with which she could better defend herself?

(And...well. She is a little bored, too.)

He's only got so much skill - a lot of it is devoted to fighting. But he smiles and nods at the blue-haired girl.

"Of course, of course. As soon as I have an opponent I can show you. I'm just... not used to sitting still. I'm usually off killing monsters if there isn't anything else that I need to do at the moment." Resting? What's that?

"I see!" Furina says brightly, and nods in turn. It's to be an exhibition match, then--like dance, some things simply go better with a partner. Not everyone can be as well at ease as a soloist. "I shall look forward to seeing your match when it arrives."

"Ah, but one must also rest when they can, monsieur," she says. "I should know! I spend most of my time resting." And fretting, but he needs not know that.

"I suppose so." Ah, so she's - well, maybe not actually Ishgardian but she sounds somewhat more like them than she doesn't. "I've been called a precocious kit before, and I suppose I can't blame them. Even when I was very small I was running around the Wood more than most."

Wait, she might not know what that is - "That is, the jungle in which I spent the first half century or so of my life. I did leave it at a young age, in all fairness. And after that I spent most of my time learning about the wider world and fending for myself, so I haven't rested much outside of being forced to by injury. Or by other people."

Furina tilts her head at the information she's been given--the man before her does not look as though he has lived for over half a century, but, eyeing his ears, she supposes his species might not age like humans do.

"You have lived quite a different life to me, monsieur," she comments. "Rarely have I ever left the city I call home, and never have I left the nation it stands as the heart of. And I am much older than I look, so I can assure you that is quite a length of time to remain in place."

There might be something like both longing and fear in her voice when she asks, "what's it like? To travel so much, and fight your way through it."

"It's all right. Not everyone can or wants to be an adventurer." He discovered the love for it along the way, amidst a storm of blood and the winds of change. Though hm... she doesn't appear to have the pointed ears of the elezen... maybe a different world thing.

The tone makes his features soften. How to even explain it? "It's... freeing. The fighting I grew up learning in order to defend my home from beasts and monsters, but using it against sentient creatures is a... difficult ask. It took a while for me to become all right with it, aside from those from my bitterest enemy. But you learn a lot about yourself while traveling. What you want, where your limits are, and whom to put your trust in."

"For myself... I learned that I wanted to help people, not just the person I left to follow. My limits... are broader than they used to be out of need. But I trust in my friends - my comrades whom I have bonded with through the years. They're the reason I fight. They're the ones who give me the strength to carry on when I cannot do so on my own. And I would do anything to protect their smiles."

Furina nods slowly. "I see. I suppose that makes sense, in its own way," she says. "I can't say I've ever had...comrades, like that, but...I understand the sentiment. There are people I have a duty to as well, and while they don't require anything so direct from me as my presence on a battlefield, I would give everything for them."

Too forward, too direct? Mayhaps. But Furina is tired, and she's spoken nothing of the prophecy--her words to this stranger are perfectly poised and Archon Approved. Who is he going to be gossiping about her to, anyway? This much, and no more, is safe to share. She thinks. And it's...somehow easier to do, with him being a stranger. She doesn't know if she would have been able to be so frank to Neuvillette without more hesitation. The burden of expectation, and the weight of history...it does not exist here.

It's nice.

"Maybe, one day..." she says, gaze distant. "Maybe one day, I'll be able to travel." After all, hadn't Neuvillette promised her that her duty had reached its end? "After five hundred years spent in one place, it could be...nice, to see what the other nations have to offer."

If they ever get off this Ship, that is.

She smiles. "Of course, if that is my plan, I should probably brush up on my combat skills. Teyvat isn't the safest place out there to wander--I certainly wouldn't suggest taking to the roads unarmed if you ever happen to find yourself there."

"Five hundred years? Your people must be very different to mine, indeed." She looks so much like a hyur... but so did someone else he knows and she's been alive for possibly thousands of years. He really has no place to judge.

Still... she sounds almost... lonely. "Ah, well. Unarmed is something I rarely am, whether it's with sword and shield or staff. Even when I'm a healer I still have combat options." Enough to injure at least, if not kill. Enough to stun and get away if he must. "Maybe one day we can see it together. I'm fond of visiting other places and seeing how other people live. It does make my homeland feel... a little restrictive, but I've long since accepted that to be the case."

If nothing else, Mint can't resist a distraction. After all, she did literally try and start teaching people Triple Triad earlier this week. (Honestly, the posters are a good idea. Maybe she should make some for a Triple Triad club?)

That said, she's not sure if she's going to fight or not. Mint has spent some time at the Wolves Den in the past, but... Not much dueling. Its kind of an oddly familiar idea, one that seems to poke at her lost memories, but something about facing people in combat that isn't to the death still rubs her the wrong way.

...Maybe she can lay the blame for that on Zenos.

Still, she's here! And to her surprise, its actually someone who looks like they're from her world. "A Viera?"

He's used to people being surprised at him - Viera aren't exactly common in most places. Still, his ears twitch slightly. "Yes? Is something wrong?"

Sure, there's a lot of Hyur around but that's fine. Some places are just like that. It's odd, but it's not unknown. He grew up in a place that was exclusively Viera, after all.

Mint hesitates and then, well, decided its not that big of a deal. No need to elaborate. After all, his answer is enough to know he's from her world, she doesn't need any more info than that. And like hells Mint's going to open up the "Warrior of Light" box again. She's not here for answers, she's here to not be bored. "No, never mind me. So this is a fight club?"

She's still not sure if she wants to commit to fighting someone. She is, maybe, bored enough...

"More or less. I figured that there might be people with excess energy to burn. And there are no monsters or bandits to practice on, nor are there any large stretches of land to explore." And that's what burns off energy for him.

It's him. He's the bored one. Please help him.

"Well, I won't go first, but I'll definitely watch a match or two." Mint waves her hand in a way that's probably supposed to come off airy, but lands somewhere a bit more in the realm of nervous energy. "I'll see about fighting once I see what people are made of."

And if any of them would remind her too much of a bad 'spar.' Honestly, its too bad there aren't more people. She never had this issue with those big melees the Grand Companies sometimes held, with the great mess of a battle and people shouting instructions that didn't make sense... Getting sniped...

...in hindsight, Mint probably should find those just as stressful but somehow it still feels nostalgic.

...Maybe Mint is also terribly bored.

"That makes sense. I'm not really worried about people getting hurt too badly, since I can heal them." He doesn't mind healing - it's very important! But he prefers being a tank and taking the damage for his squishier friends.

... He's not a fan of the big melees, honestly. Too chaotic, too much going on. He also has no particular loyalty to the Maelstrom so much as he was told to join. "It's just going to be a bit until someone comes along, probably... there aren't that many people on this boat, are there?" If you can even call a ship that's not on the water a 'boat'.

'Teeny tiny toy boat' aside.

"Good to hear! Having a healer on hand makes this quite a bit simpler." Mint can heal, but well. She knows how to make potions, and how to do the magical equivalent of stitching a wound on the battlefield. She's recently been experimenting with what magic she can recall from back in Daybreak Town, but. Please don't ask her for more than 'seal a large cut' or 'voidsent siphoned aether and you need the crudest blood/aether transfusion in the world'. Mint has lots of aether. Its all she has going for her here.

Honestly, Mint can't blame Fridtjof for not liking the big melees. Its not she has much loyalty either, there was just some point where it clicked for her, and it was good afternoon's activity. Something about the lack of attention on specifically her, perhaps.

Mint nods sagely. "There really isn't many people... 'Suppose I'll just wait and watch to the side then, mm?"

Mint makes a little wave like she's ready to get out of his hair.

"If you'd like. And if you're ever bored in between matches feel free to come chat again. It's good that there's someone who actually recognizes what a viera is here." He's used to people staring at his ears but there's 'stare at a viera's ears' and 'stares at a viera's ears and doesn't know what aether is'.

He rolls his shoulders a little and taps his boot against the ground. "It's not that I'm like... bloodthirsty. Just used to more monsters, you know?"

"Sure, I might do that. Its nice, seeing someone from the same place." Its something that had itched, really, back in Eorzea, but seeing no one and nothing familiar was bad in a different way. Even not knowing this guy, he's a bit of... fresh air, Mint supposes.

Mint exhales sharply, somewhere halfway to but not quite a laugh. "You really have no need to worry my opinion on that sort of thing. I'm an adventurer. I think the only reason I'm not desperate for something to do is the... plant incident still being in recent memory."

(Mint is going to get stir crazy soon, she knows perfectly well. Mint hasn't had to stay put this long since her last ship voyage.)

Without too much showing on her face, Mint starts looking for a place to watch, hand tapping with a certain amount of energy at her side.

(Mint did come to watch the fight club, after all. No matter what hangups she has, boredom is a stronger foe, at least for now.)

Oh wow, a real proper knight! The ears don't even register, though depending on how tall this knight is for a viera, their height difference might be comical.

"To fight! When are we starting? We waiting for more people, or...?"

He is flexing his shoulder, looking raring to go. Literally, he could start Right Now, if given the OK.

Edited 2024-04-12 19:54 (UTC)

More or less. He's close to six feet tall, so he could definitely be taller... but he's still pretty tall.

"Ah, hello there." He's used to short people, it's fine. He looks down at Mario and grins. "Whenever you'd like. Would you prefer abilities or no abilities? ... And I suppose I should check if you want weapons or no weapons." He's no monk or pugilist, but he knows how to throw a punch or two.

"Oh! The sign was because you were-a looking for to duel, I understand now," Mario nods very seriously. "I was-a expecting something more organized... like-a Glitz Pit, or-a Smash..." This is not disappointment, just musing.

"In that case!!!" Mario rolls up his sleeve, and then holds his hand up to shake. "Names first. I'm Mario!"

"I don't think there's enough people for something really organized." He crouches down slightly so he can shake the other's hand. He's shaken hands of people who are three feet tall before, he knows how this goes.

But the man is right. "Fridtjof. Though you can call me most anything you want as long as it's not insulting, I know viera names are hard for some people."

Mario taps his foot. "Hmm... I guess-a not! Maybe for a small tournament... Well, let me know who all wants to duel you! We can get a list of names, and then-a see, for later."

Handshake. Mario's grin is easy and wide. "Fridtjof?" He repeats, just to make sure he got it. His consonants might not all be there, or maybe mixed up so it sounds more like "Frit-jof", but his accent doesnt mangle it, and he doesn't think it much hard to say (though he might be a little surprised to learn how to spell it!) "Is that right? Fridtjof? I do not think that's much too hard."

"Closer than most get it. It's spelled with a 'd', but it's... somewhat silent? The 'j' is more like a 'y' in most dialects." His own would sound like Icelandic if he were from Earth, but he wouldn't have a clue what that meant.

"And my surname is - you know what, it doesn't matter. The whole name together roughly translates to 'Warrior of the Heavenly Wind' or 'of the Typhoon', but I don't see much need for formalities here."

Mario nods along, though he's even more confused about the spelling now. There's a j??? Well, whatever.

"Wow! That's-a real fancy! Is there a reason you're a typhoon?"

He is genuinely intrigued, but, understandable if it comes off as making fun.

"Me? I'm-a just Mario. I don't think it really means anything."

(We're not getting into the last name thing, here. Don't worry about it.)

Edited (icon lol) 2024-04-29 19:48 (UTC)

Don't worry about it Mario, just say 'frit-yof' and you'll be close enough.

"There are twelve surnames for Rava males and -" Okay, how to explain this simply? "... Basically there are two tribes and among my tribe the males either are born into a clan or are renamed to fill the spot of a missing clan. So among the six elements there's a 'worldly' and an 'earthly' version of each, which makes twelve."

Hopefully that's simple enough. "Basically it's tradition and while I'm not attached to my name for any particular reason I never found a 'city name' I quite liked. So I kept my old name which is... a bit odd, even among we outcasts."

Mario nods along, very intently. "Ah, it's a bit like-a goombas!" he says, with complete understanding. (No, he doesn't elaborate.)

What a fascinating culture! "Do you swap clans entirely if there's a missing spot?" he asks, unable to help his intrigue. "You don't have to leave your friends behind, do you?"

Then he realizes himself and holds up his hands. "Not that-a you have to tell me! If it's a bit, uh, touchy...?" Mario doesn't know how to tactfully phrase the outcast thing. "I like to learn more, but I don't want to hurt!"

He has no idea what a goomba is but he wouldn't be horribly surprised to see them. There's mushroom creatures in the Shroud, so it's not a totally foreign concept to him.

"Yes, you do swap clans if there's enough of yours. And as for leaving your friends behind... men and women are somewhat separate. The men train to be Wood-warders, keeping the area safe from encroaching threats." They... could only do so much against Garlemald, but they did everything that they could do. "The women are the one who live in the villages and defend it against anything that slips by us. And there's a lot more women than men, so it's... we don't tend to have large friend groups. Usually the ones who train you and any fellow trainees that make it through."

There's no real sadness in that - it's just the way of his world. Or was, at least. "It doesn't bother me. Viera are somewhat rare outside of our native lands, so it's not like I haven't explained it before. But I can't go back. Those that leave the Wood aren't allowed to return."

Mario listens intently; not much of a hardship, seeing as he's listened to duller from duller people. At least Fridtjof isn't spending several hours talking about his love life, unrelatedly, (Thanks, Merluvlee).

"Huh," Mario says, appreciative. Something about it feels a little weird to him, but who is he to judge? Some places just do things way differently from what Mario's used to, and that's fine! It's none of his business!

"Well, I'a hope you at least found some friends or somewhere to call'a home outside the Wood? Though, I guess since we're on Ship now, maybe it does not matter. Hmm..."

He's derailed this so bad. well, he'll remind Fridtjof of the duel fighting thing in a second here.

It's fine, it's not like he's gotten back on track either. "I have, yes. My friends are... they're the world to me. And the person I left the Wood to follow is someone I care about deeply." He pauses and waves a hand in front of him. "N-not like that, though! I just really admire them..."

Ahem. "But I've traveled to different worlds with them, gone to the edge of existence and back... sacrificed myself for them so they can get where they need to go." That was a particularly... distressing time. Still, he doesn't regret it. "But with them, everything seems possible."

Mario is nodding along intently, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Wowie! They must'a be a real important to you, if you were willing to sacrifice yourself for them... I'ma glad you know someone like that!" The idea of love as sacrifice has made a big impression on him, after Super Paper Mario. What Tippi and Blumiere did... What his friends did for him... He's not even baffled to see Fridtjof alive and well, because for the most part, none of the sacrifices he witnessed were fully permanent, either.

"That's what being friends is about!" Er, not the sacrifice. "With'a mine, everything seems possible, too!"

"...Oh! You can ask'a me some questions, if you want. Only fair, since I asked you a lot!"

"Oh." It... it's a little overwhelming to try to figure out what he should ask. He pauses - should he try to ask about what sort of Hyur/Lalafell hybrid Mario is? No, that's probably rude. "What are your friends like? A lot of mine are just... well, they're a lot more learned than me. But a lot of them are from a place that hordes knowledge, so..."

It's fine, he doesn't really mind being the muscle most of the time.

"My friends? They're - well." He doesn't know where to start. He's grinning, ear-to-ear, but he doesn't know where to start. "They're a wide bunch, I guess! I make a lot of friends, doing what I do! But my closest, my family..."

He flaps his hands as he speaks, unable to contain his energy.

"They're all just so cool and smart and strong! Luigi is'a so brave, even if he doesn't think he is. Peach is'a so beautiful and so funny and I wish I was even'a half as collected as she is. Even'a Bowser is - he's a pain sometimes, but he always has my back when it matters, and I don't know what I'd do without him - without any of them."

"I know how that feels. I haven't known them as long as some of them have known each other, but I can't imagine anything bad happening to them without being really angry or upset. I think that just means you care about them a lot."

Which is a good thing, even if it's sometimes painful. It's also an Important thing. "It's just really hard when things keep happening. The world keeps going and it's complicated, but you do what you can where you can to keep the people you love safe."

Mario nods along, grinning. "Mm hmm! I'm normally a pretty easy going guy, but if you hurt my brother, oooh..." He pantomimes throwing fists, then laughs.

"Things never-a stop happening, do they!! It's-a liike it's just one thing after another, over and over again - I'm-a lucky enough that I can tell myself it will always be okay in the end, and know that to be true... but that doesn't-a stop it from being scary."

He gets it, is what he's trying to say. He gets it.

"My friends are basically my family now, but I get it." Gods it's tempting to ruffle this guy's hair. He's too cute. "You don't ever want anything to happen to them."

The things start coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming - "You've got that right. Things always turn out okay with enough determination... but it's still a hard road. But we'll walk that road together."

He nods firmly at Mario. This guy gets it!!!

The poster has her intrigued, she can't lie. Especially with quarters as confined as they've been, Alisaie has felt restless energy building up since she's arrived with limited outlet. Maybe she ought to get into exploring, just to see if she can help somehow.
But for now, she makes her way up to the top deck with something like excitement building in her heart. A chance to really test herself? Or maybe just to get a feel for how these strange people will react in a fight? Either way, she can't wait.
She sees a few familiar faces standing around: Mint the green-haired Miqo'te stands out, but she recognizes the others from meals. It's what looks like a new face that draws her attention. A man in paladin's armor with distinctive long ears stands at the front of the group. Another Eorzean? Hopefully not one who expects to know her, she thinks with a guilty twist in her gut.
"I hear you're looking for a contest of arms," she says as confidently as she can manage. "I'd like to join."

Unfortunately for Alisaie, Fridtjof's face lights up in a very familiar way. He considers going over and ruffling her hair, but he has the feeling she won't like that very much.

"There you are. I was worried there was going to be no one I recognized here. How long have you been here? Are you doing well? Are you eating properly?" Alphinaud would be upset if Alisaie wasn't taking care of herself. Not that she can't - and not that he doesn't trust her to - but he has to ask.

He gestures towards the area and nods. "Of course. It's been a while since the two of us have gone at it."

The poster definitely catches his attention. Childe laughs at the little drawing: whoever had put it together uh. Had certainly tried. He kept note of the time and location, and once he felt it appropriate, made his way over.

What met him was a man with rabbit ears, and shining armor. Childe's eyes lighten(as much as they can, widening with a fell look to them) as he approaches, twirling an electro blade on the tip of his finger.

"A Fight Club, eh? Count me in."

~~Please stick your fingers into the bars of his enclosure! He won't bite! He's friendly and entirely nonthreatening!~~

He did do his best! Art wasn't his skillset outside of crafting things. He could stitch up the seams of a leather jerkin, but drawing things on paper wasn't really the easiest for him.

The electro blade got his attention - someone with fine control over lightning aether, then? Maybe he would be at a bit of a disadvantage since lightning aether always reacted badly with metal, but he never really let something like that keep him out of a fight.

"I'd be glad to have you! I'm Fridtjof, by the way." He'd never seen the need to adopt a 'City' name, despite that being the usual custom... so fantasy Icelandic was what people were going to get.

Childe had his own things that he was okay at, and even enjoyed. Art in and of itself like this wasn't... wholly one of them. He knew theatre and songs and danced at times, but rarely did he have the time or patience to make something with his hands.

"Fridtjof, huh? Good to meet you. Name's Childe. Promise I'll be gentle, I'm a bit more dangerous than I look."

He offers the paladin a hand to shake.

"What's turnout been like so far?"

"Childe, huh?" Look, he'd dealt with weirder names. "I can be that way, too." Sure he was wearing armor, but he wa a fairly slight man underneath it. He shook the other's hand firmly and grinned. "Turnout's been... a little low? But I can't tell if that's lack of interest or lack of people."

He was used to big cities with a lot of adventurers - even the places he'd been with low populations almost always had people moving through. To have so few people around was... unnerving. Unnatural. "Possibly both."

"Oh! I'm in good company, then."

A good, firm handshake. Childe liked this guy already. He nods as the other says his codename-- He knows it's a little weird, but Tartaglia was a bit of a tonguetwister, and his relationship with his real name was more than a little fraught.

"Honestly? Probably both. We seem to have at least a few people that don't feel comfortable jumping into a fight on board. I'm glad it's more than just us two, though."

Childe laughs warmly. He, on the other hand, was always down for a good fight.

"I'm used to places with both - people who aren't used to fighting... but then again where I grew up everyone learns how to fight. Even the elders could kick the rears of most Garleans who come into the forest."

Would he ever resist taking a swipe at them? No. No he would not. "I tend to take the front lines in a fight at home. If I have to I'll take the healer role, but I prefer to take the damage so no one else has to."

"Me too. I come from a quiet little fishing village. There are a lot of places just like that in my world, where people don't tend to become warriors. They usually have someone that can defend them in case of an emergency, but.. Rarely is it someone who has a passion for the idea of it."

Childe nods, understanding the thought process completely. Better he than someone weaker, unprepared. And he'd have fun doing it, too.

"A man after my own heart, I see! I'm always at the front lines. Whatever the enemy can dish out, I'm more than able to handle."

Childe would offer first aid too in a pinch, but he was one of the few with a hydro vision that could never really figure out healing. His mastery of his vision, his bond with it, had been deep, almost unlike any he'd seen, until he'd reached the rank of Harbinger. And now...

Maybe it was a connection he just needed to re-establish.

"I have abilities that even let me take damage for allies or extend them a little bit more resistance to blows, as well as some other tricks up my armored sleeves." He wasn't going to reveal everything. That'd make the upcoming fight less fun, after all. "But you're able to handle everything, hm?"

He wasn't the highest damaging tank in the party, but he could keep going for a while. So such a statement... "Why don't we take a crack at it then and see just how much you can take? Don't worry. I won't make you bleed too much."

Fridtjof flashes Childe a grin, drawing his sword and shield, twirling the former in his hand with ease.

Childe laughed, grinning. A few tricks up his sleeves, huh? Childe had a few of his own, for sure. The paladin suggests a fun little spar, since he'd been a little cocky. The Harbinger near-brims with excitement, he'd barely had any real fun this whole time.

"A fight, huh? I'm ready when you are. Don't you worry about me."

Childe manifests his electro blades again, the energy thrumming in his hands. He presses them and extends them into a glaive, spinning it over his head. The redhead winks at Fridtjof, stepping closer and swinging the glaive in a wide arc towards him.

"Hit me with your best shot!"

Interesting! He hasn't seen a lot of combining weapons ~~yet~~, so he lifts his shield to take the brunt of it. The force still transfers through and into his arm, and it still is considerable.

But his 'best shot', eh? "You asked for it." Electric blue energy channels into his blade, lashing out towards Childe. Direct hit or not, it might be hard for him to avoid what comes next - giant blades that come from both the ground and the sky. They're not solid, of course - they're phantom and made of aether, but the damage they do will still bludgeon and slice well enough should he not get out of the way, and quickly.

Edited 2024-06-07 23:15 (UTC)

[OPEN] fight fight fight!

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Endwalker spoilers!!!!!!

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