02

[stubboarn]

WHO: (stubboarn) & etc.
WHAT: august catch-all log!
WHERE: [ hand gestures ]
WARNINGS: to be updated as it comes!



BLUE LIONS' APARTMENT - CLOSED THREAD.

[ obligatory tea party prompt/dinner. if you were invited to dimitri's place for tea or dinner, you go here. food is going to be passable but bland - dimitri has the palate of a child. dimitri doesn't drink, so bring your own alcohol. if you want his roommate sylvain/laidtocrest to pop in (the thread), lmk and we'll arrange something. ]


JUKEBOX.

How does it work ...?

[ he peers at the brightly-lit machine. dimitri frowns as he peers into its machinery from the glass. ]

So it's ... a music box, but bigger and more ... fulsome with its abilities to play. Interesting. It'd put the opera out of business, that's for sure.

[ if you pass by him, he hails you to ask - ] Have you a token or coin of some sort? I'd like to test the machine.


note: your character can hit him up under the effects of various ice cream flavours - i'm down to play out consequences for most things.


GYM.

[ he works out diligently. in fact you've probably seen him there every morning with the exception of fridays because he's forced, by his roommate, to take breaks. dimitri hits the weight room often.

today, he's checking out the storage room for: mats. after confirming that they did indeed have it, if your character's in the gym, dimitri will approach them with a question - ]

Would you like to spar?


WILDCARD.

ooc. all other plans, just hmu and we'll make it happen. i can put up a top level if you want.

Comments

wildcard

[laidtocrest]

[This entire two Faerghans sharing a single skateboard idea had been a better one in theory than it was in practice. In theory? Sylvain would push Dimitri along and then they'd somehow balance on this board together as they raced along. And in practice he was forced to consider the logistical problems of two guys sharing a relatively small skateboard. Fun, sure, but complicated. They fell over a few times. In hindsight, grabbing a shopping cart and forcing Dimitri to sit in it while he pushed him along like a reverse wagon would've been a better option.

Things to consider for later. ('Later' meaning the second he saw a shopping cart he'd suggest it.)

Their immensely terrible journey had taken them to one of the many barriers fencing them in, and they were taking a break from their...whatever they'd been doing.]

What do you think'll happen if I tried to jump in? [You know, bodyslammed the barrier?]

[stubboarn]

[ dimitri has found a use for the skateboard - he can put it underneath his calves and roll it around and it's kind of relaxing that way. his entire left side is still hurting from having fallen down on the concrete when he stepped on the fickle board and it ran away from him; he can't really say he's a fan? but he's determined to figure out how and why is the board classified as a sport.

a funny thing that had to happen in order for him to be able to skate is that he had to trade in his regular leather shoes for flat sneakers, making him look less 'elderly gentleman going for golf on a sunday' and more 'student from prep school having fun.' ]

... well, we can both find out, because I'm not letting you do that by yourself. [ funny, that. ]

[laidtocrest]

[He wants to say something (don't ask him what, just something) but then Sylvain takes one look at Dimitri - the jut of his jaw, the look in his eyes - and just nods. He nods.] If we seriously chance it, we go together.

[Held hands, counting down from 5, running at once, the whole nine yards.] Besides, I'd be lonely if I was stuck on one side of that thing and you're stuck on the other.

Better question: should we? Nothing'll come of it, probably, there's no way we're the first ones to be wondering what happens if we jump into that thing.

[stubboarn]

What if you were cut in half? [ he's rather amused by this thought. ] Half of your body remains here, and then the rest over the side, and since death isn't a thing here, you'll be cut down to size like a hand puppet. [ uh. ] Wouldn't that be strange?

[ anyway dimitri gives a non-committal sound to that. he pulls away his legs from the skateboard before he accidentally slips on it again, and chances upon a pebble on the ground. ]

We can try something smaller first? I didn't mean to ... [ you know. be weird. ]

[laidtocrest]

[Sylvain doesn't know how he feels about any of that besides feeling weird, and also feeling a weird pang the second Dimitri makes that non-committal sound, and generally various layers of weirdness atop each other like a weirdness cake, or a weirdness stack of pancakes. Various layers of weird, all for various reasons.

He does know what to say to that.]

Remember, we'd be jumping together, so we'd both end up as talking heads on one side of the barrier, with our legs on the other.

[Does this make things better? He doesn't know. But the non-committal sound and the way Dimitri seemed to hesitate- maybe? Best not to think about it.

What Sylvain does do instead is walk over and next to Dimitri, in prime 'tackle him to the ground and shelter Dimitri with his own body should this horribly backfire' range.]

I'm ready.

[stubboarn]

[ solemnly, ] It'd be a very difficult situation.

[ talk about being a figurehead, dimitri wants to say, but maybe that's only funny to him! which is a shame because he thinks it's funny. his uncle would find it funny. not that .... rufus is an authority of what's funny, but he's sure his uncle would find it funny.

anyway, sylvain comes over to him and he notices it this time around, so he asks him, while holding his pebble - ]

... ready for ... also, what are you doing?

[laidtocrest]

[Okay, now he's ready for them-

Oh. Dimitri asked him a question...]

Waiting for you to throw a rock?

[stubboarn]

... must you stand right next to me? I'm not a child, you know.

[ there's no reason why sylvain can't just watch from where he was sitting. it's just a rock anyway?

dimitri stares at him, waiting for him to explain. ]

[laidtocrest]

[He stares right back!]

What, do I stink or something? Is that why there's a problem with me standing next to you?

[stubboarn]

No, but .... [ how can he phrase this. what's the best way of saying "can you put the goddess in between us" but like, not in a way that suggests something else regarding his intent. something something.

anyway, dimitri is not the most eloquent, and when in doubt he can always fall back on etiquette and manners (pebble-tossing etiquette????) so he tries to move ... away from sylvain discreetly, which of course means he moves closer to the boundary .... ]

I thought you were watching comfortably where you were sitting. [ this sounds lame, he knows, but. ]

[laidtocrest]

[Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, that sideways movement towards the barrier doesn't go unnoticed, Sylvain's hand snaps out and grabs Dimitri's arm because what is he doing?]

Don't get closer to that thing! We were just making jokes about it decapitating us-

[He runs his hand through his hair and wishes Dedue was here, Dedue's great, he likes Dedue, Dedue could be standing right here and Dimitri probably wouldn't have said anything, and if Dedue was on 'tackle Dimitri to the ground should anything go horribly wrong' duty then that would free him up and...]

If you- how's this. I'll throw the rock and you can be several feet away from the barrier and me. Sound good?

[stubboarn]

... it's my rock.

[ dude. ]

I thought we were going to do this together. Why are you sending me away now?

[ but he does move back, because sylvain pulled him back and sure, he's right, they might get decapitated. maybe he shouldn't make morbid jokes around sylvain anymore? he thought he was funny ...

dimitri frowns, and then says, rather politely, ] How about we both throw rocks together? You can get a rock of your own.

[laidtocrest]

[After a moment, Sylvain walks several feet away from Dimitri, enough room so that the goddess and a saint or two are between them, and searches the ground and pats his pockets-]

Oh- [Actually. Actually, he's in the right sort of mood, so-] I'll just throw this.

[It's a chess piece! A knight.] Not like it's doing any good just sitting in my pocket.

[stubboarn]

You can't. [ he blurts it out before he could even stop himself; the distance between them no longer allows for the goddess and her cohorts. ] .... it's the only thing you have from home, and the only thing you have of your father's in this strange world.

Doesn't that mean something?

[ he's holding onto his rock like he could break it in half if he had his strength. did he misjudge his situation with his father? if it were him, he wouldn't even think about doing something like that, but then again, he's not sylvain ... ]

[laidtocrest]

[Sylvain starts, a little, blinking at Dimitri before his expression quickly smooths into something more neutral, the sort of mask he'd wear at Garreg Mach when performing to the students. That sort of thing. Unbothered.]

No? [And Sylvain laughs. It's a joke, Dimitri, laugh.] I mean, my father's definitely not a sentimental man. [He'll probably have a new baby brother or sister on the way by the time they get back, and if he doesn't it's not for a lack of trying on his father's part. Things Dimitri does not need to know.] I doubt he would want me to waste time looking for a rock when I've already got something in my pocket. And it's a thing, it's not like it has feelings.

Besides, it'll probably bounce off.

[stubboarn]

... I'm not going to make it an order - I can't tell you what you ought to do in these matters. But are you certain? Even if it'll probably bounce off, what if it gets chipped, or damaged?

[ decapitated knight. he's missing the joke here, but as a prince he'd never lacked for father figures, and all sylvain has is ... his father. so maybe he's right in that it's definitely not a matter of sentimentality. he doesn't know the margrave well. a dutiful man, sure, but duty doesn't make for a good parent. rufus made sure of that. the mask on his face doesn't do much to dissuade his worries for sylvain. ]

I don't think you're forbidden from being sentimental if you choose to feel that way, right now. It's not like these are normal circumstances for anyone to be in. [ he offers him his rock? ] You can have this, if you want, I can find another one to throw ...

gym

[xiaoxiuya]

Shen Yuan normally does all his sparring with Luo Binghe -- in fact Dimitri might have seen them together, two Chinese guys with ass length hair and a powerful friendship. He might have even "Feiyu," as Binghe prefers to be called in public, glare possessively at any man who gets too close to Shen Yuan. But today for some reason he's alone, and after doing some warm-up stretches he looks over and smiles at the invitation, clearly pleased.

"Certainly," he agrees, and takes his place on the mat. "Which rules shall we use?" he asks amiably. Cultivators could get quite rough in their training, but with his powers sealed Shen Yuan is simply a very good, but very mortal martial artist. He would prefer not to deal out or receive a serious injury, thank you!

[stubboarn]

He's seen them around, and had thought that it's nice other people have arrived in the city with someone else from their world. It would've been a lot more difficult to bear with had he been alone.

He approaches him by the mat, and says, "hand to hand is fine. Nothing below the legs. First one to hit the mat loses, or to be thrown outside of it."

[xiaoxiuya]

"Sounds good." Shen Yuan bows -- head up and eyes on his opponent, just like Bruce Lee said -- before falling into a ready stance. "Come at me then," he invites, still smiling cheerfully.

The first blow, he blocks: the back of his hand meets Dimitri's oncoming fist and pushes it almost gently to the side, turning his strike into an aimless whiff of air. And then Shen Yuan tries a strike of his own -- whether it hits or not, he follows it up with a quick step to the side, pivoting on the ball of his foot to keep Dimitri in his sights while forcing the other man to make a complete 90 degree turn. The martial arts of Qing Jing Peak rely heavily on such quick footwork; performed by a master, the movements seem as much a dance as a fight. If Shen Yuan were wearing his full regalia, he'd seem to float over the floor like an anchorless leaf on the wind -- it was honestly kind of pretentious. "Great Master" Airplane had clearly watched The Last Airbender too many times, if he thought a style like that was appropriate for his book's stallion protagonist or its scum villain...

Gym time!

[hardestbattle]

[To be honest, Senua isn't familiar at all with modern gym equipment. But she is familiar with running and lifting heavy things!]

"There's someone here!"

[A voice in her own mind whispered behind her. Causing Senua to glance over her shoulder as Dimitri approached her with his question.]

A spar?

[She thinks that over. Did she want to? Senua could certainly go for something other than a basic, physical workout. Something to help keep herself sharp while living in a place of great abundance, but also mystery and hidden things.]

...I suppose I would be interested.

[stubboarn]

There isn't an inventory to choose weapons from around here, so we'll just have to use our hands. [ dimitri stares at the storage and says rather thoughtfully, ] there might be gloves in there - they're not for fighting, more like for weights and such, but we can improvise in that, if you want to use them.

It's been a while since I trained with someone. [ he smiles a bit sheepishly. ] And I am not well-versed in hand-to-hand. But, well. I do like a bit of activity. [ he spars a lot regardless, and gestures for her to take her place on the mat if she's amenable. ]

[hardestbattle]

Gloves?

[She wasn't certain why they would want to use gloves. To protect their hands?]

I... believe I'll be fine.

[She does step onto the mat. Claps her hands together and does a few, quick hops to get the blood flowing.]

If you mean fighting with just your hands then you needent worry. There isn't much to it. If you mean fighting in general... well there isn't much to any of it all together.

[stubboarn]

Alright.

[ dimitri takes his position across her and starts stretching his legs, his arms, before they start. ]

I'm Dimitri, by the way.

I enjoy training. If you seek a partner for practice, I'm always around.

[hardestbattle]

Senua.

[A few extra shakes here. A popping of her knuckles there, and she was ready to throw hands! in truth she's always ready to throw hands.]

I wouldn't say no to that. If you feel like keeping me as a partner.

[She wasn't certain just how many others here are used to fighting.]

i was on hiatus, i now return

[stubboarn]

I don't mind at all. You can find me in the network or send me a message anytime you're up for it.

[ so they get ready across each other. dimitri isn't skilled with hand to hand, as he'd said, but he knows enough about fighting to plan on how he moves. he dashes quickly towards her and aims a punch towards her. ]