[PRP/BATT] Downtime Bouts (Ganyma + Luxara)

[Sypon]

9/20
Def style A power 1/3
Off style B trinket
+1 DMG

Ganyma had Luxara right where he wanted her. This would be the perfect time to flex his muscles and do a bit of grappling. Slinging the small greenblood back, he twisted her leg behind her and braced himself around her other leg. Ganyma tried to position himself away from her flailing. He wasn't entirely out of range, but anything he could do in this hold was better than nothing while he waited. The submission hold, he knew, was deadly effective!

Ganyma does 4 damage!  

[Gl!tch~]

Legs were not supposed to bend this way! Screaming with a renewed vigor, she wiggled with great gusto. Ganyma was heavy, but Luxara's entire life was framed around being able to slip in and out of all kinds of situations. He didn't sit hard enough, and she noticed that in the middle of her pained fighting. With her arms, she pushed herself a little, enough to get her one leg some space to slide out some, and her other leg out of Ganyma's grip. Given the opening, she launched herself out and free, grabbed her gun, took a couple of shots at his knees, and bolted.

HP: 2/20
Agility trinket
+1 damage

Luxara did 4 damage!  

[Sypon]

7/20
Def style A power 0/3
Off style B trinket
+1 DMG

Ganyma did 0 damage!

Luxara was a slippery sort. In no time she made her mistake, and with impressive accuracy nailed him right in the kneecaps. He yelped with pain and limped after her. Damn it all, Luxara was quick and he was... Well, very far away now. Ganyma darted behind a tree for cover while trying to keep his eye on the greenblood, shaking out his legs from their sudden pangs.  

[Gl!tch~]

She lost sight of him. She doubted he was in the trees, and if looking around a full 360 degrees led to nothing, especially for someone so bulky...he must be hiding somewhere back where she left him. Okay. She could work with that. Luxara, in turn, slipped behind a tree to catch her breath as well. This was intense. Wrestlers fought like this all the time? With limited space? What a life! She wouldn't be able to handle it, that was for sure. Luxara took a moment to reload, for whenever she needed it.

It was hard to tell if he could sneak up on her. They were both rather winded, so she figured she'd hear him breathe if nothing else. But she didn't have those fancypants healing powers, and she was definitely aching after being sat on and having her leg bent at an unnatural angle.

HP: 2/20
Agility trinket
+1 damage

Luxara did 0 damage!  

[Sypon]

7/20
Def style A power 0/3
Off style B trinket
+1 DMG

Luxara had thought wrong. The bulky tealblood hopped onto a low-hanging branch as soon as he could, swinging over to a high overhang on its trunk. His gloves allowed him surprising traction on the bark - his huge arms able to nearly touch each other. Ganyma got his footing on a branch and climbed up. The distance, he estimated, was likely the same as the top-rope of a classic Alternian sparring ring to the floor beyond the stage. He hoped his form would be decent enough not to crush Luxara under his weight. Still, Ganyma couldn't help but smile. He had her in his sights.

"FROG SPLASH!" Ganyma roared. He lept, tucked, and spread to slam Luxara onto the forest ground.

Ganyma did 7 damage!  

[Gl!tch~]

Hearing him yell from above froze her up in shock. "How the hell-" But that was the wrong reaction. Ganyma came down, and came down hard. Luxara was, for all intents and purposes, squashed.

This must be how it felt to get hit by a meteor. Good news is, he didn't crush her crossbow.

The rest of her however...was not much in fighting shape after this. "Okay, okay, you win, just get off so I can feel literally any of my body again."

Getting up was going to be harder than she expected. Ganyma packed a wallop, for sure. She wondered if she could coerce him into carrying her. Luxara wasn't above pity if it was private and useful.

...Even though she shot him in the kneecaps.  

[Sypon]

Ganyma chuckled. "I've picked up some moves, eh?" He goaded. The big tealblood rolled off of Luxara and laid flat against the ground, making sure he didn't bring any (undue) harm to Luxara or her weapon. "Good match! You'da got me for sure if that thing was loaded, ya know."

I was a morbid thought that Ganyma didn't seem to pick up on him. He rubbed at his knees and where the other bolts had hit him. They had a very plastick-y smell -- certainly an improvement over other Alternian grub-based paints. Grubs of all kinds could be very unpredictable in odor. Ganyma wrinkled his nose as he wiped off some of the residual yellow off of his face.

"I didn't break anythin', did I?" He mumbled. Since he had uncovered his powers, Ganyma had struggled to gauge what kind of damage would end up being permanent to his opponents. Just the other week, he -- well... That was an accident, and not really his fault. But, he couldn't be too careful.

Gl!tch~

 

[Gl!tch~]

"Yeah, I didn't know fighting in the ring included learning how to climb trees. I've lost the title as best squirrel in the forest," Luxara said, flat on the ground herself and staring up at the sky with a dazed look. "What will I do with myself now after such a crushing loss?" She was obviously teasing him, but it was hard to keep it up when she honestly wanted to cringe a little from how much everything was smarting.

Luxara had learned a lot that night, and she was satisfied. Well, when not thinking about the comments about how she could've taken him out. But if he was joking about it...then it was okay? Luxara groaned and rolled over. "I...think I'm still in one piece? Maybe? All I know is my back is telling me gravity was definitely on your side." She wobbled onto her feet. "Yup! Made it!" A grin spread over her face for a moment, then soured. She had raised her arms and that just...was not a good idea at the moment. "Haha, ow." It was hard to imagine this was what his life was like. Always getting stomped and stuff.
As well as others who couldn't regen. Wild.

"W-wanna go get cleaned up?" It was really on her to offer considering she was why he was covered in paint.

Sypon

:0

 

[Sypon]

“Gotta be prepared,” Ganyma laughed. He cleaned out the cranny of his spongeclot with a pinky and wiped the yellow paint on his shirt. The tealblood grunted. He rolled up into a sitting position and twisted to look at her as she got up, making sure she was alright. No punctures, probably no internal bleeding – good! She tested out her own range of motion as he did his. His dodging abilities could certainly use some work. He kneaded his bruises and rose to his feet, knees popping. “Oohf!”

She’d gotten him good. Luxara was, without a doubt, a hunter of Four Fronds. Not the troll-hunting kind who shot with wild abandon, of course, but the distinguished and precise kind. Every shot counted. And, of course, every shot smarted. He rubbed his hands together to work away some of the dirt, bark and paint. Luxara’s suggestion sounded excellent.

“Sure thing,” he grinned. “You got a creek or a basin or somethin’ for gettin’ washed? We’ve got plenty of time to talk,” Frankly, it hadn’t occurred to Ganyma that Luxara ever… Cleaned up. She certainly had a rustic aroma, though whether it was a result of the forest and her own intentions he couldn’t be sure. Ganyma zoned out thinking about it.

Gl!tch~

wowie zowie! i dont mind wrapping up when they go to clean up OR continuing and having them chat and catch up! whatever you wanna do.

 

[Gl!tch~]

"Yeah! Both! There are creeks that run through the forest from the lake, though they're not as popular because they're, well, here. But running water is a cleaner source than standing water so they're missing out I think," Luxara said, looking around and mentally mapping the area. "I've also got running water in my hive. Since there's no door or anything, I climb in and out from the top, but I dunno know if you'd be up for that. I might have it in me to grab whatever you need though if you wanted to use nature's running water. Towel, a pot, the works. I've even got soap!" Believe it or not, the kid did wash. A couple of times a week, anyway. As she spoke, she figured out her plan of action, and started heading back towards her hive, sure to keep up a pace with Ganyma once he'd start following.

"So is the coliseum a full-time gig? I didn't see you at Bloodfest. I was hoping you'd show up! A lot of fun stuff happened." Judging by her tone and how her talking speed as starting to ramp up, the greenblood had plenty to say about the event.

Sypon

 

[Sypon]

Another hearty laugh from Ganyma and Luxara was met with a soft slap on the back. “I think I made it clear that I can climb a tree, Lux,” he teased. “It’ll be the first time I’ve been able to enjoy your hive.”

It was a rather dry statement. Ganyma’s experience with Kursha ended with him assisting Luxara in hauling the unconscious troll back to her hive. His lip twitched, but other than the vague expression his countenance was calm. He looked up into the canopy to try and find Luxara’s typical entry spot. It was hard to imagine anyone entering such an inconvenient hive… But then again… Ganyma hadn’t entered through the front door of his hive for a good deal of his childhood. There were dangers on the ground floor, and shoddy hive construction meant that Ganyma’s trek to his own respite block meant scaling dangling, rusty ladders from the dump, moving aside a corrugated metal sheet and entering through the carved out hole he called a window. Trees were safer, and less likely to cause tetanus.

He came back to attention when Luxara began to speak again and nodded. “Almost. Been spendin’ a lot of time in the arena, clearin’ my head. Couldn’t find the time to stop by.”

It was true. After his forest hunt, there was very little time for recuperation before the festival. He had to rebuild himself from scratch. While Ganyma’s core was still fractured, his confidence in the ring had bolstered his own self-esteem. It was the least he could do to get his mind off of the rebellion. Bloodfest had come and gone and it had barely passed on his radar.

“You win any trophies?” He fished. Bloodfest brought back good memories. Ganyma smiled warmly at Luxara, and for a moment she looked as though she was young again – his age when he’d placed gold, a time when things were simple. Ganyma had done much more reminiscing than he’d planned already. Perhaps it was his exhaustion from the fight, but the weary mind of the troll drifted carelessly from memory to memory. Luxara seemed to bring that out of him.  

[Gl!tch~]

"Well, gee, sorry for worrying about your old man knees." Luxara only slightly winced at her sore back being touched. At least he was being gentle. "Ummmm, you could probably climb up the hive, but it might startle the gerbils. I usually go up other trees, hop over, then climb on down."

With that, she demonstrated while Ganyma talked some. Crouching on a branch above, she smiled. "I did get a trophy! For the weirdest thing. They had a diving contest to get pull up junk from the ocean floor, but I didn't even swim. I pulled stuff up onto a boat, and I placed third. I think that one cute greenblood placed, too. But I dunno. I didn't talk to her much anyway." She kept moving about in the trees, edging closer and closer to home while still mostly in view. "There was a lot of fun stuff! Booths with prizes, a cooking contest where people were burning things and setting fires all the time. The kind of stuff that gets your blood pumping!"

It was like fake danger, versus real danger. Hilarious since the events happened in the same place as mass trauma. Once she was up in the branches of her own tree, Luxara switched gears some. "Up here there's a real good view of the stars! I wonder if the trolls in town ever get to sit and just look up at the natural light in the sky, or if they're more interested in all of the stuff going on."

Sypon

 

[Sypon]

Ganyma couldn’t stop smiling. He watched Luxara in front of him, listening to her go on about Bloodfest. “Good to hear!” He interjected. With an arm wrapped around a low bough, he hefted himself up a ways onto the tree and got a strong foothold on a jutting knot. Ganyma shuffled his way up while Luxara went on. A cute greenblood? Ganyma knew a few of those, he supposed. Luxara was cute; Rasali was cute, Didero was cute. Unfamiliar greenblood notwithstanding, he imagined the strange treasure hunt with a grin. He followed along closely.

“Sounds like a lot of fun, Lux.” Ganyma mumbled. He wiped his forehead and tried to reposition, snapping a branch that Luxara had just stood on with his weight. She was light as a feather, he fondly thought. The tealblood bit his lip and refocused. There was a better hand-hold above him that would require a leap. He backed against the trunk of the tree and got a couple steps of a start, launching himself into the next tree with a heavy “THWACK”. Less graceful than Luxara, but no less impressive. His high-flying skills were improving every night.

The two had finally reached Luxara’s tree. Ganyma looked out into the sky. “Ohh… Yeah, y’know, there ain’t a lot of stars above New Hemisect or Civisect like there are here. Lucky coincidence, that.” He scratched his head and took in the moment for what it was. This was peaceful. Coming off of physical activity and feeling the cool breeze of the night air and seeing the sparkling sky was a chemical concoction for joyfulness. He put his arm around Luxara’s shoulders and gave her a fond squeeze.

Gl!tch~

SURPRISE

 

[Gl!tch~]

He was being smart about this, she could tell. Even when branches were less than agreeable, Ganyma handled it well. "Are you a secret tree-climbing pro but haven't told me yet?" she asked with a laugh while he made his way over.

But it was nice to breathe. Just stop and let time pass for a bit. Ganyma put his arm around her, and in turn she put a smol hand on his big hand and squeezed it. After listening to what he had to say, she commented, "Is it luck or does it just make sense? Things get all muddled in the cities, you know? Even the sky. But in the forest, it's, I dunno. Everything falls into place, and you can explain why everything living here does what it does. The food chain and all that. It's not complicated or cheeky or underhanded. I can't imagine living anywhere else, even if I didn't have to worry about something trying to kill me everyday. At least I'd know why it does it; either it's hungry or I'm in its territory, or it thinks I'm trying to flirt with its girl." She shrugged.

"Speaking of predictable animals, you gotta meet my gerbils! I got, maybe..." Luxara paused to count on her fingers, "...A lot. They had us roll gerbils at each other! It was really cute! Then everyone got to take their whole teams home. I took Pennii and Li'l Cap with me! They did well. Li'l Cap was the bowling ball. Fitting, right?"

She circumvented some of the more obstructive branches but pressed on until she came upon the large hole in the base of the tree. Luxara slipped down to the first notch, then went down one by one like it was a ladder. At the floor level, the immediate block was a cozy kitchen and dining area, with some gerbils waddling about and squeaking. "Look out for the little squeakers when you come down!" she called up. Luxara didn't believe in caging animals, or even keeping them in one part of the hive. They were free-range, free-roam, and under foot at all times. She draped her coat over a chair, and one of the gerbs immediately crawled onto the coat tails while another tucked itself under and looked like a lump.

Luxara slipped into the ablution block quick and returned with towels. "So what kind of place have you got with your ALG gig?"

Sypon

If anything's already been covered REMIND ME because I might not REMEMBER and I'll have to fix :0 Luxara's memory should be better than mine orz

 

[Sypon]

“Yeah…” Ganyma mumbled. He let his breathing fall in line with Luxara’s. As poorly as the forest had treated him, he still felt warmth towards it. Strochio’s trials, his execution… Maybe it was cheesy, but they paled in light of his fondness towards his friends. Perhaps Ganyma didn’t know how to quit when he was ahead. He wrapped his fingers around Luxara’s hand. “Guess that’s just how Alternia works.”

After a while, Luxara brightened up the conversation. “Gerbils? Oh gosh, that sounds fun. I think I’d probably make a good bowling ball.” Ganyma grinned. He got up and followed the greenblood down into the dining block, suddenly becoming aware of the familiar wiggling forms in front of him. Seeing them immediately made him laugh. He was sure there would be a few in his clothes before he left – there always were. He ran his hand over the chair to peek at the creatures hiding inside of Luxara’s coat before graciously accepting a towel from Luxara.

“It’s a pretty small block, but nice and cozy. I’m actually lucky, most F-Ranks have to board together. I managed to squeeze into one of those too-small for two blocks, so I get a bit of extra room. Still gotta shower with everyone else, though.” He laughed. “But! The facility’s nice. Government funds a lot of it so everything’s always in good shape. I’m pretty damn lucky. Really, you gotta visit. I’ll fight better with you in the audience. Lucky Luxxy.”

After a thoughtful pause, Ganyma carefully sat down to recover his aching muscles and wiped down his face. Immediately a gerbil wormed under his leg. “Well… Okay, little guy.” Ganyma mumbled. He grimaced with good humor. “This has been nice.” He stated idly. The thought had just slipped out of his mouth.

Gl!tch~

Bing Bam Boom