Azura watches the oncoming scrum with wide eyes.
Ryn taps a finger against her lip as she considers, studying the skinny man carefully, noting his almost serpentine fluidity.
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"All right, I'll go to the edge of the Pit in case anything goes wrong," says Azura. She dabs her lips with a kerchief and stands, then squeezes past Ryn.
"Excuse me... sorry... there, sorry about that, bit of a squeeze," she says apologetically to Ryn as she makes her way past.
She moves at a fast walk to the edge of the Pit in case Ulfr and Ada have a bad time of things.
Ada steps back, and turns to Ulfr. Waving him to join her in the pit. I hope he has a good plan. That little one looks rough.
Not complaining in the least Ryn smiles as she watches Azura wend her way through the crowd, keeping a sharp eye out to make sure she wasn't harassed by any of the drunker or rowdier patrons.
It's not entirely clear who exactly she's motioning to at first. The front row is standing room only. One of the younger over-eagre gladiators tries to answer the call first, but he only gets half way over the wall before Ulfr's huge hands pluck him off the rail and reposit him seat-side.
Ulfr springs over the wall on one hand and you can hear a gasp from several in the audience as he hits the sand. Ulfr is retired after all!
It takes all of two seconds for everyone to process what exactly just happened, but when they do money starts hitting the tables in earnest and a roast erupts. It's not every day a retired fighter takes up a fight. This isn't even a David and Goliath match anymore. It's Goliath vs Goliath.
Ulfr stretches his shoulders. Both men have him in their sighs, leaving Ada all but forgotten. She's a healer, after all. Ulfr once shouted down a giant scorpion and, another time, took out a full sized bear in one punch. Ulfr speaks quietly, firmly holding the attention of everyone around.
As she reaches the rail, Azura slaps away a wandering hand and pushes into the crowd that's formed all along the front row. She shouts to Ada, "You got this, girl! Give 'em double vision!" She claps her hands a few times, then clasps them together, looks back over her shoulder at Ryn and Andrezi with an anxious smile, then finally turns back to the ring and leans with her hands on the rail to watch the battle unfold.
Smiling back at Azura, Ryn nods to Andrezi, tilting her head towards the ring. "I'm gonna go enjoy things ringside."
Getting up, the gladiatrix strides her way towards the railing, occasionally drawing eyes of a few of her fans or others that recognized her from the arena, for a moment wondering if another if their greats was stepping out of retirement.
Grinning, she leans against the railing beside Azura, looking at the opponents squaring off. "Hand 'em their asses!" she cheers.
As Ryn descends to the railing at the edge of the pit, a tipsy patron who just doesn't know any better pushes up next to Azura and slides his arm around her waist and says, "Hey, nice lady, you like the action?". With a look of annoyance, she turns slightly and jabs two fingers into his ribs. He lets out a gasp of pain and her expression returns to one of sweetness as she says convivially, "It looks like you don't like being touched without being asked; I don't either. So let's both be nice to each other." He withdraws his arm and his expression turns to a scowl as Ryn arrives to tower behind him without his notice. Looking past the man's shoulder, Azura says, "Ryn, would you mind...?"
"With pleasure." Ryn responds in a low menacing tone, leaning in to whisper in the drunk's ear.
"I'm sure you came here for a good time....And I doubt never lifting your arm above your waist again is your idea of fun...but that's exactly where you'll find yourself if you so much as lay a finger on her....or any other woman in here who doesn't invite you to. Understand?" she asks, straightening up do her full height and looking down on him with an expression one would expect of someone about to step on a particularly distasteful bug.
"See? That's why we don't want to be touched without permission," says Azura without a hint of remonstrance. She smiles sweetly and the man slowly backs away, muttering under his breath.
"Thank you so much, Ryn. Kind of a constant nuisance. C'mon, squeeze in here and let's see how our lady and our lacerator do in the pit!"
She looks up at Ryn, flashes a grin, and says, "But you have to explain to me what's going on. I'm a bit of a stranger to the fight shows, I don't really know what's performance and what the strategies are."
** spoiler omitted **
He paused tilting his head looking you up and down as if weighing something then slightly nodded to himself.
"You seem ..eager though to delve in . . . to this realm of the magics. I like that. Is this enchant...ment for personal usage or do you... intend to sell it?"
He added leaning over placing his elbows on the counter his hands meeting in front of him mouth half steepling. It was certainly obvious how tall he was even more so now that he leaned over and was head height with you. His purple solid hued eyes almost seemed to sparkle.
"I can... show you ways to enhance your . . . personal creations if you would like, but it would.... only work for personal items."
Ada exhales silently as she sidles around behind the big guy. I hope this works.
She hauls back and punches him in the kidney as hard as she can. She doesn't manage to make it through his armor. The big guy doens't even spare a glance at her more worried about Ulfr than a smaller thinner half-orc.
She hears from the crowd Ada! What are you doing! Have you lost your mind? The ring is no place for you." Her family tries to rush the ring to pull her out. Pushing and shoving spectators out of the way. Unfortunately they pick the part of the ring that has her friends along the edge.
Ada rolls her eyes as she hears them yelling. Just like them not letting me try to have fun. She doesn't spare them a glance though. She's got her eye on the skinny guy.
Her first cousin a big gladiator himself tries to push past Azura and Ren not even noticing the famous gladiatrix is standing right in front of him. Another cousin tries to vault into the ring right next to Zev.
”Hey, um, wait!” Zev calls out as he steps in front of the family member that tried to jump in, hesitating since he didn’t want Ada get hurt, but she looked interested in being there. He thinks.
Just as action outside the ring begins with a rush of bodies, the action in the ring begins with a mighty charge! The Giant takes two steps to get up to full speed and attempts to bowl Ulfr over. Ulfr is too fast for that though and easily side steps the charge. The little man is right behind with a quick jab and a dance back, which Ulfr barely manages to deflect. The crowd roars!
The fight turns into a kind of dance with occasional dramatic interruptions via living wrecking ball.
[spoiler=Ada]Ulfr is holding their attention rather effectively, giving you a few good opportunities to strike if you time it right.
Azura leans forward against the railing and shouts at Ada's cousin - the one who already made it into the ring - "What are you doing? This'll turn into a general brawl! Where are you going..."
Her voice trails off oddly into a weird note, which then twists into a song, a strange, hypnotic melody directed at the half-orc.
Ada slips around behind the giant. She appears to trip and fall as she takes a step stumbling into the little one as he steps back. She's tangled up with him for a moment, before managing to untangle herself.
She finishes her move and hits the giant in the ribs from the side. "Get out of the ring cousin. I've got this." She yells at the half-orc that managed to get over the edge.
As the bigger one tries to push past her and Azura, Ryn places a hand on his chest. "I wouldn't...." she trails off as he sends a punch hurtling towards her face. Exactly as she expected.
Her hand instantly shifts to catch his wrist, her body moving in a fluid dance, stepping inside his guard in an effortless hip throw, taking him to the ground and applying insistent pressure to his wrist."As I was saying, Ada's a big girl, she can handle herself don't you think?"
[/dice=Knowledge (arcana)]1d20+10[/dice]
"There are ways to cheapen the ...material cost of some regeants if...its a personal thing. Both in time and...effort though the side effects of such...enchantsments can be costly in other ways."
His eyes glimmered even more as his lips upcurved just slightly into a knowing smirk.
"Costly the teaching of those ways can be as well. What... what can you trade for such things?"
He said placing his hands flat on the counter before him standing up fully again. He was easily midway between six and seven feet tall.
"Think about it please I'll ...go get the regeants i have."
He added leaning forward in a half bow and turning to go into the back.
When Bariel left to get the reagents Saersha went to the door and deftly locked it. She knew they wouldn't want to be interrupted and it was something she knew her Mother did when visiting most any shopkeeper she had dealings with. The place secure, and any blinds pulled, Saersha went back to the counter and managed to pull herself up onto it, watching the door for the aasimar to return while she made herself...presentable.
The little one limps a little as Ada hits him. The hit comes just in time as the Giant charges again just after and Ulfr has to turn his attention to evading. The Wimp pivots to Ada and attacks!
Ulfr takes the opportunity to engage the giant. He moves quickly to get inside the giant's reach, but such a thing is dangerous as just one hit is likely to be a KO. Ulfr dances back, baits the punch, then darts forward! The giant adjusts and Ulfr tries to duck under his arm. The giant counters and a series of desperate grapples and counters ends with Ulfr blocking the Giant's knee and the two hitting the dirt together.
Meanwhile, the Wimp has Ada in his sights...
Ada looks nervous as the little one goes after her. She puts her hands up to block the attack in a slightly awkward position.
He takes the bait and fires off a hard right. She ducks, and gives him a quick punch as his guard is open. Pivoting with her hips she drives a hard punch into his left kidney causing him to double over. She then gets him in the chin with her right. His head snaps back.
Growing up in the arena wasn't all bad.
Meanwhile the cousins are still trying to get into the ring to stop the fight.
”See, she’s got this!” Zev calls out as he wraps his arms around Ada’s cousin to keep him back.
Azura continues focusing her song to keep one of Ada's cousins occupied. She watches worriedly as the struggle ensues, but of course she can say nothing!
With his opinion of Ada promptly and forcefully corrected Wimp comes in more carefully the next time, but not at all slowly. Jabs and the occasional swing batter Ada's arms and shoulders as he tests where she's weak. It doesn't take long for him to analyze her. Just a few series later his feet join the fray, adding a whole new level to his tactics.
Across the ring the wrestling match slowed down the action for anyone not trained to spot the small yet critical motions. Ulfr is matching the Giant strength for strength, canceling most movement as it happens. A tiny shift here or there and the straining muscles on both men is all the evidence you get of the titanic forces being poured into the struggle.
Suddenly, the Giant shifts his hips hooks under Ulfr's arm and sends him flying clear across the ring! Ulfr slams into the wood on the other side and splintering planks is all anyone hears for a moment.
A heartbeat later, the Giant charges!
"You know that feeling....when you test yourself and prove you can handle more than you thought? Doesn't she deserve the chance to experience that? Trust her, she wouldn't have gone in there if she couldn't handle it." Ryn says calmly, gradually easing the pressure on Ada's cousin's shoulder.
Looking up and seeing Ad a holding her own, he nods begrudgingly, trying not to massage his aching arm as Ryn let's him up. "Do me a favor and talk to that one." she says, pointing to the one currently fascinated with Azura.
Azura nods slightly as if to say Please, I can only keep this up for so long.
As the heavily built warrior goes over to discourage his kin, Ryn walks back over to Azura, grinning. "So where were we....oh right betting..."
"See the key to placing a good bet is to try and pick out the things that hint who's likely to be the winner. Things like a limp or a glaring weakness decrease a fighter's odds, where things that look like obvious advantages increase them." Ryn says as they watch the exchange, sucking in a deep breath as the giant of a man charges. "Like the way you could tell from the way the skinny guy moved that he was dangerous.....if you've got a good read on rhythm, or how bodies move, you can see more than most."
"What if they're faking before the fight starts?" Zev asks after throwing Ada's cousin over his shoulder.
"That definitely happens at times, deception is often used to trick your opponent into overcommitting or mask a strength as a weakness." Ryn replies with a nod. "But once a fight really gets going, when the thinking takes a back seat and instinct has the reins, it's hard to remember to keep up the act, when every fiber of your being wants to react in the most natural way you know how."
Zev nods, then tilts his head, curious. "How long can you hold on, before the beast in the back of your head takes over?"
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"Hunh....that's an interesting way of putting it. It's not really so much of a beast taking over for me, though I've seen people fight like that. Ulfr, does that....in fact he kind of brings that out in other people with his drumming, the wild animal passion that lets people fight uninhibited." Ryn says, cocking her head to the side and thinking for a bit.
"For me it's more that I've trained enough that my body knows what it wants to do, sometimes without me having to thinks about it, in in those truly fluid moments I stop letting thoughts about exactly what I'm going to do next get in the way, and let my body take charge. Even then, my mind is still present, focused on winning, or keeping people safe or whatever the reason I'm fighting. Is it more like a beast taking over for you?"
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"Yes." he bluntly admits. "I don't think, I don't act, I react. I can still focus, I guess? On keeping people safe. But the control you speak of, letting your body and mind work together, like that, I don't have that. That's why," he says motioning to the pit where Ada and Ulfr were pummeling their opponents. "This, fighting for fun, they're not trying to kill each other, is fascinating to me. That amount of control, assuredness over your actions when your blood is flowing..."
Still singing, Azura does her best to listen in on the conversation, but obviously can't contribute.
Ada reels back as her wiry opponent starts to use his feet. That's my trick. She growls and shows her teeth the orc part of her coming to the fore.
She sends punches and kicks at him trying to get him in line of the giants charge. Her foot slashes out and she trips the little one. Hoping to get him tangled up with the giant.
She succeeds! The wiry little bugger stumbles directly into the Giant's line of charge and they both go tumbling! The crowd cheers! The two slide into the wall just as Ulfr stands from his small crater. He roars, snatches Wimp by the scruff of his neck and tosses him toward Ada!
The giant is stuck to his feet, but this time he's on his heels and Ulfr attacks with mighty blows that force him to step back every time. Ulfr works him across the Pit, each blow accompanied by a cheer from the crowd.
As the massive gladiator shakes his cousin, breaking the hold of Azura's powerful music, and pulls him aside, pointing to Ad a just as she trips Wimp, "There you go, you should be able to take a breath now." Ryn says to Azura. "It was pretty amazing how you just....held him there."
Azura lets her song trail off and says, "You know how it is, a little music, a little magic."
After she takes a deep, slow breath to center herself again while letting the magical song fade away, Azura glances back toward the table with Andrezi, then says, "Oh! We should probably finish dinner, unless there's some kind of denoument or something?" She looks questioningly to Ryn.