Throwing Your Weight Around {Stefan}

[Dreyfus]

♅ 34th of Searing, Year 121, A.o.S ♅
Company: N/A| Thoughts: Must get stronger| Mood: Tired, Sore

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♅ Deep within the gymnasium of Zaichaer, the sounds of light grunting and blunt contact could be heard echoing about. The reverberations of something being hit filled a section of the fitness establishment as the reconciliator was at work, fine-tuning his fighting style. Punches and kicks were thrown with adequate precision as the young man took out some aggression on the poor practice dummy. After several hits and repeated drills, Dreyfus was exhausted from his assault on the fake target.

"Damn, this is far more tiring than I remember" he exclaimed, watching as the sand within the practice dummy shifted back into place after his flurry of hits. He backed away from it for a moment to let her body cool as it was hot to the touch from all the training. Covered in sweat he stretched his body as he was doing things he hadn't had to do in years, and it was if anything a little foreign to his body, evident to the tightness and sore feeling in his muscles.

Looking around he saw the diverse groups of people of Zaichaer, mostly those within the military save for a few of the men and women who chose hard labor jobs for a living, perfecting their talents and forging their bodies. He knew if he was to compete with other warriors of the state he would need to remain in top form. "I guess I need to a quick breather huh?" he panted in his head, going to get a towel, and finding a bench near where he was working out to take a small break.

Sitting there he couldn't help but catch the eye of a few of the individuals present, which made the long-haired man smirk. He didnt like getting attention, but given his own looks, it was bound to happen no matter the venue. Done with his rest, he went back to work. He went back to coordinating his punches and kicks, coming into his own rhythm, with the martial art of his family. Dreyfus began to chain his attacks as he laid into the punching dummy, finding different ways to make combos.

It was a new learning experience for sure, as most of his training was in the bare basics of the different hand and foot styles of the Monteliyet fighting form. He went next to practicing heavily on kick techniques, going through the motions of each one he was familiar with. Kicks, heel slams, knees, all of these things made resonating thuds in the training facility as he practiced. By the time he was done, his hands and feet were throbbing, screaming with soreness.

Feeling the pain simmering under the ruse of soreness Dreyfus flopped onto the ground as he panted, taking in deep gulps of air, feeling his training trunks stick to his thighs as the sweat-soaked into the silk fabric. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Stefan Dornkirk]

This was not a place Stefan came to often, preferring the gym at his gentleman's club, but occasionally he wanted the struggle of one man against another with nothing between them but the urge to come out on top.

One of the main reasons he kept away from the larger establishment for the fighting arts was their inappropriate combination of the workout rooms of both genders. Stefan wasn't one of those old-fashioned sorts who believed women should be kept to the home, using neither mind nor body except in arts traditionally considered the feminine, but he was deeply uncomfortable being in states of undress around women.

He'd gone so far as having an outfit made for him for the days when he needed the contest of wrestling or boxing and ended up here. It covered him from ankles to neck, even had half sleeves least his exertion cause a sleeveless shirt to slip. It was loose and tight in the right places not to impede his movement and had earned him a few odd looks from his fellow men but they had learned to ignore his eccentricities once they'd seen him fight, or joined him for a few rounds themselves.

Sitting down on one of the benched to carefully wrap his knuckles he glanced around in case any of his semi-regular sparring partners was about. He did not see any of the men he threw down with normally, but he did see someone he did not expect.

Dreyfus Monteliyet was standing alone before a dummy, letting fly at it with hands and feet in a practiced but inexpert way that made Stefan cock his head in curiosity. At the end of the volley, the man collapsed, intentionally, onto the matted floor and lay, panting and sweat-slicked. Standing Stefan walked over to the dummy, glancing down at Monteliyet he said,

"May I?" Indicating the use of the practice equipment. It was the weekend and the room was relatively full. If he took the time to warm up properly, perhaps someone would challenge him, as it was known he was keen to accept, or someone he knew would show up.

[Dreyfus]

♅ 34th of Searing, Year 121, A.o.S ♅
Company: Stefan| Thoughts: Must get stronger| Mood: Tired, Sore

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♅ As he laid there on the floor of the gym, he noticed footsteps approaching where he was. His body tensed a bit as a reflex but relaxed when he realized who it was. He recognized the voice immediately as he sat up, gesturing for the other to use the practice dummy as he saw fit. He was as surprised to find Stefan in a place like this, not seeing it as his kind of establishment.

Standing to his feet he motioned for the Dornkirk to proceed. "By all means, I don't mind sharing." he acknowledged, moving off to the side as he watched the man practice. He had to say it was interesting watching him attack the fake opponent, his technique standard to what most soldiers would get.

"You come here often? I don't think I've seen you while I've trained before?" he inquired the thought of him following the wolf entering his mind. Though that wasn't an avenue he wanted to go down with this man, finding that most people, like the Dornkirks, were touchy about certain subjects and would become insulted.

Done with his rest, he went back to work. Going to grab another of the practice dummies, Dreyfus began to come into his own rhythm, with the martial art of his family. He actually found that using this fighting style was far better for close-quarter encounters. It had its advantages & disadvantages to him, but it felt right in his mind. It had a higher percentage of damage compared to most other self-defense forms shown to them by the order.

He could use it in conjunction with his Kinetics or Negation magic and it is just as useful as a weapon in his hand. Overall it had the potential to become a skill he would rely on in the coming days ahead. The downside was the number of openings it had with certain techniques, and it was apparent with every move and every technique. It was the one thing Dreyfus was trying to workaround. He didnt want it to leave him wide open in a fight. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Stefan Dornkirk]

It wasn't too unusual for two men to share a piece of equipment, even ones who didn't know each other. There were resting times between sets, and, so long as your sets matched their resting times, more or less, it didn't interrupt one's workout to share.

It had been several months, not since Forst, that Stefan had set aside time to intentionally work on his physical fighting skills. There were reasons he did so now, but none that he could inform anyone present of. Luckily, he'd done this often enough that his presence wasn't even remarked on. At least, not aloud.

Taking his place as the prone man sat up and moved to the side, Stefan nodded his gratitude. His workouts took place as much in his head as in his body and it made it difficult for him to carry useful conversations at time. Starting with his upper body he warmed up, keeping his footwork active and under control. When he was good and loose he began unleashing his strength against the one opponent that he never worried about harming with his action.

When he realized the questions were for him he lowered his hands and stepped aside, taking a seat on the bench alongside the practice dummy for a breather while allowing Dreyfus to get back to his wok out if he wanted to.

"Not too often, I have a membership at a club closer to home. Occasionally I feel the urge to test myself against others, however, and there aren't many at the gentleman's club who wish to try themselves in the ring."

That might not have been entirely true, several of the regulars at his club enjoyed a sparring bout, but Stef had learned to fight to protect himself and his brother, not to mention the fact that he was physically intimidating regardless of how he felt. He did not say these things because he respected the men from his club and it wasn't their fault their lives didn't include the need for true violence. It was proof of how well Zaichaer was doing that many of the city's men did not need to fight for their livings or their lives.

"It has been some time." He conceded as he used the towel around his neck to swab perspiration from his face. "Is this a normal haunt of your own?"

With eyes used to assessing the capabilities of others in the ring, he made note of the style Dreyfus employed, tilting his head as he noticed the oddities. Without thinking, curiosity overcoming shyness he asked,

"What is that? I haven't seen that before." It was similar to other styles but the distribution of weight was decidedly different.

[Finn]

Review

Experience: 8 xp, but not for magic.

Lore:

Dreyfus

Unarmed Combat: Practicing Your Technique
Unarmed Combat: Throwing Jabs
Unarmed Combat: Landing Kicks
Unarmed Combat: Perfecting Your Fighting Technique
Unarmed Combat: The Monteliyet Fighting Style - Vicious Wolf Fist
Unarmed Combat: Training With Others

Stefan

Unarmed Combat:
Working Out in a Gym
Designing Workout Outfits
Boxing Practice
Wrestling Practice
Wrapping Knuckles Properly
Working Out With A Punching Bag
Resting Between Muscle Groups
Visualizing a Strike

Injuries: N/A

Loot: N/A

Note: Seems like this should be a bit longer to get full XP and lores, but I double-checked the rules and I don't want to be a party pooper. Wish it hadn't fallen by the wayside, but I know how that goes. Carry on!