fight club time! | OTA | January 14

[bestswordmaster]

Who: Felix and whoever

Where: Goldenrod

When: Jan 14

Summary: Claude and Dimitri tell Felix there's a place where he can hone his unarmed skills to his heart's content and he's So Happy.

Rating: T for some violence
Notes: no need to match the prose if you don't wanna

 

When Claude and Dimitri first talked about going out somewhere tonight, he was not expecting this. But hell if he's going to pass up an opportunity to hone his unarmed combat skills for real in a place where there's otherwise no combat at all.

So anyone at the Fight Club tonight may notice a wiry, somewhat petite, dark-haired guy with a decent number of scars doing extensive, shirtless stretches before he enters the ring. He's kept his eyes on the various potential competition most of the time since they arrived, and most of it doesn't even seem worth taking on, frankly.

So Felix has waited until someone who looks halfway decent steps up to fight before he accepts a challenge. Unfortunately for this person, who is but a local and has not been through five years of war and a lifetime of soldiery, Felix doesn't believe in going easy on people. He's quick and agile and never lets up, has more arm strength than it looks like he should, and he doesn't care to avoid playing dirty within the limitations of whatever rules the Fight Club enforces. There's no showmanship here, no need to try to impress anyone. He just goes straight for the win, as always.

That first match doesn't last long.

Anyone who wants to interact with him here can find him at any point before or after his first fight! He'll be continuing to accept challenges if he thinks they're worthwhile throughout the night. (But very pointedly not fighting Dimitri, despite clearly having arrived with him.)

Comments

[fingersandteeth]

"Oh, our bookie is going to have a lot of fun setting the odds for you now," a pleasant tenor voice murmurs nearby, as Felix is cooling down from his first match. If he looks up to follow the voice, he'll see it belongs to a tall, broad man of middling years, with a similarly pleasant air to him, dark and bespectacled.

The man smiles at him if he sees that Felix is looking at him and approaches him for real. "Steven Durante," he says, holding out a hand to shake. "And I believe our announcer said you were Felix?"

[bestswordmaster]

Felix is sitting nearby to Dimitri, but clearly the first match has only whetted his appetite, because he's leaning forward and scanning the crowd for potentially better opponents with plenty of energy. He barely took a hit in that last one--it was a warmup, pretty much, and that's fine.

He glances over at the murmuring and stands when the man approaches, though he only makes eye contact for a few seconds to assess before he's looking out at the crowd again; he spares the offered hand a glance, too, but ignores it.

"I am. I suppose this is your place."

[fingersandteeth]

"It is," Steven says, pulling his hand back when it seems like Felix isn't going to shake it--but if he's offended, his voice does't betray it. "I saw your match. You were quite good."

[bestswordmaster]

Felix scoffs. "That was barely a match at all. I should have known better than to accept a challenge from a local." He takes a large sip from his water bottle.

[fingersandteeth]

"Well," Steven says, mildly. "I'm not a local."

FIGHT ME ANIME BOY

[lovelybottom]

It's rare to find anyone here who actually seems to know how to handle themselves in a fight. Most of them are amateur boxers, men-- and women, too, this place is remarkably progressive like that-- with little to no formal training who seem to just want to try their luck in the pit. Geralt could fight them, but what's the point? There's no use to it in terms of maintaining his skills and the odds ratios aren't decent enough to even make much coin off of betting.

Geralt has seen both Claude and Dimitri fight, though Claude has the spectacular ability to avoid the witcher when he's actively looking for an opponent, and they both seem skilled enough. He hadn't watched Felix yet, and as he gets in, well. Dimitri is more physically impressive, Claude more of a showman. Felix has decent muscle on him, and if he's part of that whole cadre, he must be trained; Dimitri had called him a swordsman.

He alters his assessment after seeing the outcome of the fight. Felix is quick and moves confidently, with little flair and great efficiency. Whoever taught him, Geralt approves, and wishes they had taken a firmer hand with Claude.

He lets Felix cool down after his match before approaching him; it's only courteous.

"You're decent." Wow, don't damn him with faint praise, Geralt. "Time for one more?"

BRING IT OLD MAN

[bestswordmaster]

Geralt finds him sitting down and sipping from his water bottle intermittently, still watching the other matches, although in most cases he looks bored. When there aren't trained fighters in the pit, there's really not much to see.

So when someone approaches, Felix is almost glad for the interruption--especially after seeing who it is. "You." His tone is intrigued, his gaze evaluative, as he stands. "I have time."

It isn't that Felix doesn't bristle at being called 'decent.' He knows he's good. But fighting unarmed isn't his forte, and Geralt is clearly an extremely experienced warrior. This promises to be a very instructive fight, if he's right.

...Geralt is also extremely shirtless, and while Felix hasn't paid much attention to anyone in that way tonight other than Dimitri, well. How could he not pay attention to Geralt's...everything?

Including many scars. Felix tilts his head a little. "You've clearly seen a lot of combat. The bard calls you a 'witcher.' What does that mean?"

[lovelybottom]

There is a lot of everything to see on Geralt, and while he's been shirtless-- under the impression that this is the customary way that one fights in these sorts of clubs-- Felix isn't the only one who's noticed him. He takes little pleasure in the attention, in part because he dislikes drawing undue attention to himself to begin with, and also in part because he knows already that his scars are unsightly. He'd thought that such a thing wouldn't be as noteworthy amongst other fighters, but no luck.

Even Felix, who isn't without scars of his own, stares for a few long moments. Geralt's face remains neutral as he makes his assessment. As someone who's seen plenty of war and battle wounds, it's likely apparent to him that many of Geralt's scars don't look like they were made by blades-- too jagged and uneven. And that some of them seem as though they had been stitched and well cared for while others had simply been left to heal as they were, leaving ugly, raised scarring behind.

"Witchers are mutants who were made to hunt monsters for coin," he says. "Don't listen too much to what Jaskier says about it. He takes a romantic view of everything."

Including witchers, and a witcher's work. Spouts off unending drivel about nobility and heroism when there's little about Geralt or the process of killing monsters that's either of those things.

Geralt tilts his head towards the water that Felix is still drinking. "Do you need more time?"

It would be unsporting to fight the man before he'd had time to adequately recover from his last fight.

[bestswordmaster]

"Bold of you to assume I listen to anything Jaskier says at all." Felix rolls his eyes. "But those in my world are no better, believing battle to be some heroic ideal that glorifies death." He shakes his head. "I've considered the mercenary life a few times. When the war was at its most grim. It's unlikely now, I suppose. But I know no trade other than the sword."

Felix sets the water bottle down. "No. I'm ready."

[nastyboy]

Needless to say, Dimitri has already had his first round in the pit, and he's still deciding if that's enough or not. Really, everything went better than he thought it would. Nothing terrible happened, and, honestly.... that's the most important thing. It's why he told Felix that this was the kind of sparring he wouldn't indulge him in just yet. To know those fears are unfounded, and that he was able to let out some of his energy decently enough...

Still. He wants to adjust a little more. A part of that, he thinks, means watching the other matches.

He was always going to watch Felix's anyway, after all.

When Felix finishes up his round, Dimitri meets him with a glass of water and a slight smile. "Still as good as ever. Was that match satisfying?"

[bestswordmaster]

Felix makes his way out of the pit after his bout with Steven and takes the water with a grateful nod, downing the whole glass in one go. When he looks back up at Dimitri, stray strands of hair plastered to his face with sweat and eyes bright with the familiar spark of a thrilling spar, he's practically grinning by Felix standards.

"It was. I can see why he owns the place."

[nastyboy]

Of course Felix would be happy here. Dimitri is glad to see it, honestly. He knows he can give Felix a lot when it comes to sparring, with the two of them doing their best to keep up with sword against lance... but once can only spar against a single partner for so long before it starts getting repetitive. For someone who takes to combat like Felix does... that won't do at all.

"He seems rather nice," Dimitri comments, holding his hand out for the glass. "I spoke to him before my own match."

[bestswordmaster]

Felix hands the glass back and wipes sweat from his brow with the back of one hand idly. "Is that so? About what?"

[strings_theory]

Hell, there's probably way more men than there are women who are actually interested in fighting this place. Not that it's ever really bothered Jolyne, she's done her fair share of fighting both and when you pretty much have to fight to stay alive? It doesn't really matter who is or isn't in front of her, only that she's gotta find a way to win.

Which might be why she's been keeping an eye on people who clearly aren't locals and raising a brow slowly after a poor local gets their butt handed to them. This guy seems like he knows what he's doing and is no-nonsense in style. Perfect, she'd never been terribly interested in the peacocks out there.

A small hint of a smirk plays on her lips as she moves towards him, at least letting the guy get a drink and a bit of rest before doing as such. Gotta make sure to not be rude about things, right? Just ignore she's pretty unassuming at 5'8" and some change and just wearing shorts and a sports bra. Slim but pretty clearly got some lean muscle to her.

"Not a whole lot of good options out there tonight, huh? The natives always fuckin' disappoint."

[bestswordmaster]

Felix glances up and responds with a slight smirk of his own. "Not surprising, in a place like this. It's a good thing the natives aren't the only ones here. You're a regular in the pit, I take it."

[strings_theory]

"Regular" would probably be the term for it, she tilts her head to regard him for a minute before shifting to turn her attention to the pit itself. Easier to focus on something else, that's just how she rolls.

"There's a few regulars 'round here and I ain't as regular as I'd like. Not when you gotta fly from Whirl to the mainland and teleport to get here." She pauses a brief moment, good grief. "'Sides, I think my fiance might get a little jealous if I spent all my time here without her."

[bestswordmaster]

Felix can't help hearing Sylvain's voice in his mind's ear, saying something like Aww, come on, Fe. If you wanted to get physical with sweaty, shirtless guys, all you had to do was ask. And then he'd wink like the obnoxious, wonderful idiot that he is.

What? Stop it.

"Fair enough. My...boyfriend brought me here." (One of them. Well, two of them. Still weird.) "We're staying in town for now, but I'm sure I'll warp back after we move on, as well."

[braveloyalhugs]

Later on in the evening, a very tall and buff woman strolls down the stairs, all smiles. In spite of the genial smile, the way she holds herself is tall and centered, as if ready to act at the slightest hint of trouble. She shares a hug with one of the Bewear bouncers, and greets some of the obvious regulars with familiar ease. After the boisterous hellos and fist bumps and back slaps, she makes her way to the sign ups and turns to look at the crowd, hands on her hips. "Anybody want to challenge me tonight? I'm ready and rarin' to go!"

Her eyes slide over the cloud and land on Felix. "Oh hi! You're new, aren't you? I'm Scorpia! Wanna go for a round?"

[bestswordmaster]

Felix looks up from where he's leaning idly on a table watching the current match--and then looks up some more because damn, this woman is tall. Immediately, she reminds him of Catherine.

"I am. Scorpia...that's familiar. Oh, you're the one who gave Dimitri the egg for my Hawlucha. He gave it to me. So thanks." He stands up from where he's leaning and nods. "I'll accept that challenge. I'm Felix."

[braveloyalhugs]

Scorpia just lights up. There would probably be literal sparkles if this world allowed such things. "Oh, you're his friend who got little Lonnie's baby! How are they doing? What's their name? Do you have them with you? Can I see?"

When she's done gushing over the mention of the Hawlucha, she straightens up and smacks her fist in her palm. "All right! I'll talk to Alice 'bout getting us set up."

She bounces off and is back in short order. "Someone else already claimed next spot but we'll have the one after that!"

[bestswordmaster]

Wow, she is very excited. Felix's lips quirk up into a small smile. "I do, and you can." He opens his bag and pulls out a pokeball, then releases the bird, who perches on the table with its wing cape outstretched and puffs out its chest proudly.

"This is Seteth. He does very well in training. Good drive. He's stubborn--" He gives the Hawlucha a Look, and the Hawlucha folds its wing-arms and gives him one right back-- "But so am I. Seteth, this is Scorpia. She's...sort of your grandmother, I suppose."

Seteth takes a few steps toward Scorpia along the bench and bows, flaring one wing out as though it really were a cape. Felix rolls his eyes a little at the theatrics.

[insidegalra]

Not too long after the fight with Steven, a very tall and fit man walks over. He's got the top of the black belt gi untied, and his neck and shoulders and chest are littered with bruises up close. Just... none of them look like bruises from a fight. In fact quite a few have a clear impression of teeth left behind.

"Steven had high praise for you. If you're feeling up to another match, I would certainly enjoy a test of my skills against yours." Then he extends his hand. "I'm Thace."

[bestswordmaster]

Felix glances up...a lot. Oh, it's the guy who's bigger than Dedue. And he wants to fight Felix? Intriguing.

"I don't do this for praise. But testing our skills in the pit, that does sound interesting." For once, he actually does shake the man's hand, as he nods. "Felix. Steven spoke about you briefly. I understand that you own this place together."

[insidegalra]

"Steven is the owner, but we are partners, yes." Thace shakes Felix's hand briefly. "This is one of the most secure places to practice. Fewer chances of the locals who disapprove wandering in on us. But I had signed up for a fight next, with whoever was interested, so we can step in and begin whenever you're ready.”

[bestswordmaster]

"This place was a good idea. Perhaps it sounds strange, but being in a world where even training to fight is frowned upon makes me itch. I feel...out of place." He hums. "I don't suppose you would consider hosting bouts with training weapons, as well?"

Then he nods. "I'm ready."