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

[nastyboy]

Oh boy. Dimitri sighs, shaking his head. It's not really surprising, but still.

"Was there truly a reason to threaten them, Felix?"

[bestswordmaster]

"Yes." He frowns. "They were invading our space. That tent was crowded enough, we didn't need unwelcome guests on top of it. And their coming and going kept opening the flap while Sylvain was trying to avoid the snow."

[nastyboy]

Dimitri is about to mention that some idly nosy Pokemon aren't cause for threats.... but then Felix says that last part, and he pauses.

"Well, I can understand keeping Sylvain safe," he says after a moment. "But threatening them personally wasn't the way to go. We need a more preventative measure."

[bestswordmaster]

Felix huffs with a scowl. "Well, we didn't have one, and I wasn't willing to let some meddling little pests compromise Sylvain's state of mind for the sake of being polite. I stand by what I did."

[nastyboy]

"I have a large pig that continuously burns fire," Dimtiri points out quietly. "We can exploit type advantages the next time this kind of thing happens. We don't have to be aggressive or insulting about it, merely keep it in view."

And hopefully that. will be enough. or something.

[bestswordmaster]

Felix rolls his eyes. "Fine. Next time, we'll try it your way. But if it doesn't work, I'll battle as many of them as I must to get rid of them."

[nastyboy]

Gently, Dimitri slides his hand out of his pocket and tries to entangle their arms together as they walk. "We'll keep Sylvain safe," he reassures Felix softly. No matter what, they'll keep him safe.

[bestswordmaster]

Felix half turns to glance down at where Dimitri's linked their arms together and allows it, even drawing a bit closer to make it easier.

"Yes. We will. At any cost."

And sure, they're just talking about a few stray wild Pokemon--for now. But there will still be a war on when they get back, and Felix will never let anything happen to Sylvain ever again. Never.

[nastyboy]

"Not any cost," Dimitri says, suddenly firm. "If the cost is your life - I could not bear it, Felix. Sylvain would not be able to either."

This is an important sticking point for him. He already thought, once, that he had lost Dedue. And Felix has said - Well.

Dimitri doesn't think he can manage if he keeps losing so many people important to him.

[bestswordmaster]

Felix blinks up at him briefly before looking forward again. "No, you're right. I didn't--" A pause. "That goes without saying, considering what Sylvain and I have promised each other. Did he ever tell you?"

Felix never did, at first because he thought it might upset the prince to think of them both dying at all, and then because he had no reason to. And Dimitri's never mentioned it even in passing, so perhaps Sylvain's never told him, either.

[nastyboy]

"A promise..." Dimitri tilts his head to the side, thinking carefully. A promise between Felix and Sylvain... That sounds familiar, but he can't quite recall it. At least, not from their year in Garreg Mach.

"It's slipping my mind. Did you make it during the war?"

[bestswordmaster]

Felix almost chuckles at the question. "No. It was...long ago. When we were children." When Miklan had almost killed Sylvain. The first time of far too many that I was terrified I would lose him.

"We...promised that we would stay together until we died together. We couldn't accept the idea that one of us might die and leave the other behind." His cheeks flush a little; saying it out loud like this makes it sound like...like something Felix didn't even comprehend at the time.

"We still intend to keep it."

[nastyboy]

Ah. Dimitri has to glance away, because the first thing that comes to his mind is the idea of losing Felix and Sylvain at once. If that were to happen...

...But at least this way, Felix and Sylvain won't do anything stupid in defense of the other. That's what he has to hope.

"So you two were far ahead of the rest of us all along," he says softly. "That is not particularly surprising."

[bestswordmaster]

"I...suppose so."

Getting Sylvain to stop doing stupid things in his defense has been an uphill battle, but now at least Felix thinks he's convinced him. Hopefully.

"And since you're the one who will have to deal with the margrave, I should probably also tell you that Sylvain doesn't plan to go back to Gautier after the war. He's coming with me. To Fraldarius."

[nastyboy]

"Oh, so you have both finally made that decision official," Dimitri says mildly, smiling. This is the exact opposite of a surprise, frankly.

Certainly, it will no doubt get him involved if the Margrave seeks to make a complaint about it all... but hopefully, if there is one good decision that man makes, it's realizing the foolishness of appealing to Dimitri of all people in regards to some of his dearest friends.

[bestswordmaster]

Felix splutters a little, reddening. "What's that supposed to mean? We never discussed it before Violet."

[nastyboy]

Dimitri raises an eyebrow. "I always thought it would be assumed that the sun chases after the moon, no discussion necessary," he comments.

[bestswordmaster]

"Are you calling me the moon?"

Because there's no question that Sylvain's the sun.

But when Felix thinks back to all the times he tried to push his best friend away, Sylvain always came after him, no matter how harshly he spoke or how often he did it. And Felix isn't sure he's ever properly thanked Sylvain for that (though the idea of thanking him for being a persistent thorn in his side is both funny and embarrassing).

"...no, it wasn't assumed."

Because Sylvain didn't expect--and, to some extent, Felix believes, didn't want--to come out of the war alive. Because he thought he was doomed to the same fate as every Gautier before him, beholden to his scum of a father, and only when they had enough distance from all of that was Felix able to convince him otherwise.

[nastyboy]

"Perhaps not by the two of you." Smiling, Dimitri leans a little more against Felix, and rests his head against his. "But I doubt any of us were going to let Sylvain stay alone, there." Not only him, and Ingrid, but the rest of the Blue Lion house as well. Those who've known and cared for Sylvain.

"It was really only a matter of who acted first on this, I think... and so of course it would be you."

[bestswordmaster]

"Good." Felix allows this, too. "If his father ever tries to set foot in my territory while Sylvain is there, I'm going to drive him out by any means necessary. Even if that means picking up a sword myself."

It's not even really a threat. He's just informing Dimitri that this is the case.

All this talk is putting Felix's mind on the ring again, and he considers for a moment telling Dimitri about it, but there's no way it wouldn't reach Sylvain's ears soon after if he did. So instead, after a minute or two of silence, he abruptly announces, "I want to combine our territories. Fraldarius and Gautier."

Is he getting ahead of himself? Yes, definitely. Does he care? Not at all.

[nastyboy]

Faintly, Dimitri wonders if a sword will ever have to be raised. The Fraldarius family is that of dukes and, while strategically important in terms of physical placement, the Gautiers are only a family of Margraves. That is frankly nothing more than a military commander, with some embellishments. For better or worse, the power difference is nothing to sneeze at.

...And Felix brings up something else of note, as well. Dimiti frowns slightly, watching his breath fog again. "That means taking responsibility for our border with Sreng."

[bestswordmaster]

"It does." Felix doesn't sound perturbed. "And Sylvain will do a better job of handling it than his old man ever did."

Which...sort of does imply that they'd be married, doesn't it? Whoops. Oh well.

[nastyboy]

It certainly does imply they'll be married. Dimitri keeps that to himself, however. Instead, he just looks up towards the sky. At least the moon isn't obscured.

"...If we can all make it through this war... I think - perhaps this is rash of me, as I have not given it any deep thought, but I am considering giving Sreng the land we took from them, in our fathers' time."

[bestswordmaster]

"When." This first reaction is immediate. "When we make it through the war." Then he's quiet for a moment. "That's not rash. Or surprising. You've said much the same of Duscur. What's left of it, anyway. If you do negotiate for the return of Sreng land, no one would be better spearheading those talks than Sylvain."

[nastyboy]

"When we make it through the war," Dimitri echoes quietly and obediently. Of course. When they all make it through the war. He will have to remember to say that in the future. Perhaps if he says it enough times, it will come true.

Felix's additions at least help him smile slightly. "If we manage to negotiate for peace along those borders as well, it would further help establish a case against the Margrave. The Gautier family's pride is being the barrier against the tribes there. With no conflict, there will be no need to bring out the Lance of Ruin."