[training log] december training sessions

[darkinferno]

WHO: Anybody on the Retrospec network!
WHERE: Utsuki Dojo in Tisse
WHEN: Sundays in December (12/3, 12/10, 12/17, and 12/24), 6pm - midnight
WHAT: FIGHT CLUB Weapons/self-defense training, trying new weapons out for new characters, and information sharing! ...and also a snowball fight because LOOK IT'S GOT THE WORD FIGHT IN IT IT'S LEGIT
WARNINGS: None expected; will edit as usual if necessary

HEADS UP: This will be the only fight club log posted for all of December! New threads can be started throughout the entire month (and fresh topleveling if necessary is fine; developments happen!) and everyone is encouraged to keep coming back periodically to check for new information!!

* Note: Characters can have heard about this from any source; feel free to handwave finding out about it!

training sessions - December

i. Deck the halls with boughs of holly.

6:00 PM: It's beginning to feel like clockwork, how Utsuki Dojo closes down for the night, open only to those on the Retrospec network until the clock strikes midnight. Their numbers may fluctuate week to week, but no matter who chooses to show up, they're always welcome (unless their name is Mafuyu and they're trying to sneak in!). There's plenty of time to chat and mingle before everything gets under way, to warm up or check out the weapon offerings, but at 6:15 Dante Rantanen hops up onto a chair, launching straight into it:

"Hey, guys," he says, looking out over everyone for any new faces. "Thanks for coming out tonight, especially with all the holiday stuff going on this month. Speaking of, I'm planning on probably being here Christmas Eve if anyone else wants to get some practice in; I know not everyone celebrates Christmas so we'll be business as usual. New Year's Eve, though..." A smirk cracks the serious expression on his face. "I'm canceling that one. I'm not kicking off 2018 with all of you guys in a dojo, sorry.

"Anyway, the normal rules apply: we've got people willing to teach how to use weapons if you want to learn, or you can spar if that's your thing. If you're sparring, grab someone that's refereeing spars to watch you. The point of all this is to make sure that everybody's got a place to learn without getting hurt, so if you're here because you want to beat up on everyone else, you can leave now." As usual, Dante points toward the door, underscoring his words. "Anyone that's willing to teach or to referee matches, go ahead and introduce yourselves so that people know who they can come to."

He waits as they all introduce themselves, nodding appreciatively at the number of people that have stepped up to referee. Once everyone's finished, he speaks again: "For those of you that are new here, there's a waiver on the table over there to sign in on. We're trying to keep this on the right side of the law, so be smart about what you're doing. Any questions, come and see me."


ii. Take a trip down Candy Cane Lane with me.

Once you've selected your weapon of choice, it's time to train! Are you one of the ones sparring under the careful eye of a referee? Or are you watching the fighters instead? Maybe you're teaching someone new how to use a weapon, or just taking your own first swings with a new style of fighting. For anyone not interested in weapons, there are people teaching hand-to-hand combat too, self-defense for those that just want to be able to defend themselves long enough to get away. But then again, it might take you a little longer than normal to decide what you'd like to train with, as there have been some additions to the practice weapons this month...

It seems that even their unofficial fight practice is showing the holiday spirit this year--there are the normal practice weapons to choose from, wooden swords of every type and metal rapiers with gleaming hilts and rubber tips on the ends, shields and staves and even a number of axes "graciously donated" by Eren (thanks, Eren!), Nerf guns with bags of ammunition and a sign with bold Sharpie warning "DON'T AIM AT PEOPLE'S FACES..." but that's not all that can be found this month. This month, Dante's seen fit to outfit their makeshift armory with a number of gag weapons as well: there are a number of candy cane pathway markers alongside the fencing swords, a few branches from a fake tree amongst parrying devices, and a couple of the shields have had wreaths zip-tied to their fronts. Come on, guys, it's time for a battle of winter...


iii. Let it go snow.

Speaking of winter, what better way is there to test people's newly developed skills and reflexes than with an all-out snowball battle royale? On the 17th, Dante's leading anyone who will follow out into the open space near the dojo, and it's game on! What will you do--build a wall to hide behind? Use your shield or sword to try and block the snowballs aimed your way? Maybe all that work's paid off and your aim's gotten a lot better! One thing's for sure though: there's no stopping this fight until one team comes out victorious!


iv. Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun.

After Retrospec blew the cover on their "secret" meetings, there hasn't been much of an attempt to hide their movements. Around 8:00 there's a lull in activity, a number of people gravitating toward one corner of the room. It appears there's some sort of meeting going on, and after a couple minutes Dante gives a sharp whistle to catch everyone's attention.

"Meeting time," he calls out, jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward the gathered. "For those of you new to practice, we're talking about Retrospec and pooling our information. If you're new to the network in general, it might be a good place to get some of your questions answered. If anyone's got anything new to share, or just want to rehash what we know, come on over."

Are you in or out?

[[December training logs! This log will cover Sunday, December 3, December 10, December 17, and December 24. Please use this log throughout the entire month to log anything that might happen at Sunday practices! You're encouraged to make new toplevels as necessary for any new developments that might occur throughout the month, such as new metaplot developments/reveals or character development leading to spars, or anything else you might think of! There will be a toplevel in the comments to OOCly collect all new metaplot details collected in the info-sharing meetings in one place.

Any questions, concerns, or additions can either be PM'd to me here or PP me at journeys.]]

Comments

OOC PLOT ROUNDUP

[darkinferno]

Report new metaplot details shared during info meetings here!

12/10, 12/17 OTA

[compendiem]

ii. 12/10
[ This is his first time here, so he wasn't sure if it was a "bring you own weapon" sort of deal, but he would have brought it along anyways: a bow that he keeps wrapped, a full quiver on his back, sore arms for the nights that he's tried practicing on his own with some Youtube and other verbal guidance, but he knows finding somebody who can teach him properly would be the safest and most effective way of learning.

That's why he's here tonight, taking stock of all the closer combat weapons he's surprised a dojo keeps in storage, but ultimately staying outside in the cold after he finds somebody (you?) to spot or advise him.

It's chilly out, but when he unwraps the bow, it's with a searing brightness that makes one's head want to turn away, as if staring at a lightbulb, or the sun itself. He flexes his hands— clenching and unclenching his grip over the bow— as he takes in the warm and the snow starts to soften and turn to slush under his feet. ]

Relax the elbow... [ he mutters to himself, setting an arrow against the bow string ] ...aim with the weather...

iii. 12/10
[ His stamina is abysmal, leaving him with a hand pressed hard against his chest to stop his lungs from burning inside as he takes shelter on the safe side of a makeshift wall along the outer edges of the snowball fight going on. He doubts he has the reflexes at the moment to dodge any incoming snow— doesn't trust himself not to slip on the packed snow and ice— but this is good practice too.

He waits for when nobody is in his line of fire (which wouldn't be difficult if people stayed behind their walls and threw their snowballs at a distance, but there's always that one person who wants to charge in and shove snow at someone's face at point-blank range) and takes shots at the projectiles with his bow and arrow, a surge of pride lifting his spirits every time it hits its target and leaves a shower of powdered snow in its wake.

Until he gets hit in the back of the head with one of the snowballs. ]

Ugh... [ He can't snipe like this. Partner, team, whoever is close by: ] Need cover fire here.

i/ii. 12/17
[ It's the next week that he leaves the bow and arrows behind, lamenting the cold that it leaves him in, but it's a problem that's solved by staying inside the dojo this time. Today, he specifically seeks out those who introduced themselves at the beginning of the meeting as somebody who will teach, asking for instruction to any of the following: swords, axes, or nerf guns. ]

All Weeks, OTA

[redarm]

I. Any Week, Introductions
[Noah is always there for fight club, because like hell would he pass on the chance to get some sparring in. He stands among the other referees as Dante gives his usual introduction (could he recite it himself at this point? He's pretty sure he could). But when it comes time for him to introduce himself, he'll hold up his normal arm. Timcanpy the golem sits on his shoulder.]

I'm Noah, and this is Tim. [Indicating the golem] We're open to referee any fights.

II. Any Week, Sparring
[True to his word, Noah's willing to referee any fights that need it. He'll watch mostly in silence, but he's not afraid to cut in if there's any foul-play going on. He's got superstrength and an arm that won't be cut by any weapon in this place- so he's well prepared.

Otherwise if he's not refereeing, he's getting his own practice in. He gravitates towards hand-to-hand (which he's good at, if not a little unrefined), and swordsmenship (which he's very much a rookie at). He's also more than happy to fight with a candy cane. Bring it.]

III. 12/17, Snow Battle
[Hell yes Noah is going to participate in the snowball fight. Instead of working with a group, he seems more keen on working just with Timcanpy. So while you move along, you might see a flash of gold whiz by the side of your head with the intent of distracting you]

BONUS. 12/24, Christmas Eve
[Christmas was never that big a deal to Noah. He never really believed in Santa, and his dad often had to work on the holiday. He plans to spend Christmas Day with his dad and maybe spend a little time at Fai's household- but he'll be sure to be stopping by on Christmas Eve. It completely has everything to do with having nothing better to do, and nothing to do with checking in on Dante who is basically family. No siree.

But he's not a complete Scrooge, for when he comes on Christmas Eve, he'll bring several boxes of cupcakes from the Confectionery with a variety of fruit-based flavors. He knows that tastes aren't back completely, but it's something man. It's something]

Dec 10th

[princessofheart]

I.

[Marina attempts to listen dilligently as Dante speaks, but she's slightly distracted by how familiar he looks (though she can't quite place why), to the point it was starting to kind of bother her. Ah well though, he probably looked like some anime character she'd seen somewhere along the lines, considering the silver hair and unusually colored aqua eyes. No need to worry about it too hard.

She walks over to sign the waiver (interesting, it made her feel like she was about to get her ass kicked and she'd just given them permission to do so), then looking around for some corner or coat rack to dump her many many layers of jackets and pair of snow pants in, considering she was still getting used to the whole, y'know, snow and cold thing. Underneath she's wearing a very adorable workout ensemble though (barely ever used, mostly to stand around and look cute in), because, well. When she's done folding all that up and adjusting her sneakers, she looks around a bit, unsure where to start and looking quite a bit lost and perhaps a tad bit overwhelmed. A sword, maybe...?]

II.

[Yes, she decides on a sword. Problem is, she's never held a sword in her life. At the moment, she's kind of gripping it the way you'd hold a baseball bat and staring at it quizzically, giving it an experimental swing -- ok yeah, even she could tell she was doing something wrong.

She looks around for whoever seemed to be regularly assisting helping people with their weapons and walks over, looking just a tad bit sheepish.]

How exactly do I work this thing...?

III.

[Okay, she was tired as all hell, and adding a snowball fight onto what she'd already been doing today made her wibbly arms hurt just thinking about it. So, she's deigned it appropriate to watch, especially considering she hadn't really ever experienced a snowball fight before, standing by the door once again in her layers upon layers of winter clothing (just imagine all the snowsuits kids use that make them look like little stay puft marshmallow men). She's probably just asking for a snowball to the face at this rate.]

For Sora.

[When it's finally time for a break in her new lessons, she collapses down next to Sora and dabs at her face with a towel, groaning in displeasure.]

Why did I agree to do this, Sora. Why.

II

[cattack]

[hello, marina]

... Well, first of all, you aren't playing ball with it.

[marina pls, cleo looks vaguely hurt by how she's holding that]

[princessofheart]

Do I just use like, one hand?

[Hello, Cleo. She's looking very sheepish right about now...]

[cattack]

You can.

[She takes another practice sword, and takes a ready stance.]

A longsword can be used with one or two hands. You can keep a hand free for a shield or a parrying dagger, or you can use both hands to make your strikes more powerful.

[destiny_key]

[Sora's been mostly sitting on the sidelines, only occasionally leaving his seat to help someone else out. He's not feeling quite up to sparring properly yet, but he's happy to referee or correct someone's stance.

So when Marina collapses onto the bench beside him, he looks back at her with a bemused smile, not sweaty at all.]

So you can not die the next time monsters attack?

[princessofheart]

Okay, fair point. I definitely don't want to die.

[She takes a long glug out of a water bottle, setting it down beside her.]

Cleo is a vigorous teacher, why did I have to choose the buffest cat girl of all time to help me learn how to wield a sword?

II

[heiroglyphs]

[Oh honey what is you doin'? Vera's spent much of the evening instructing people on their swordsmanship, but she has to stop in her tracks the moment she notices that death grip Marina has on her sword.]

Well first of all, you're going to shatter your wrists on the first swing if you keep holding it that tightly.

[The short blonde girl holsters her practice rapier at her side and moves to Marina's side, not quite recognizing her from their bonding over monster swans. She does seem oddly familiar, however.]

You're not hammering nails, it needs to be able to move when you move. Treat the sword as an extension of your arm.

[princessofheart]

[Luckily for Vera, Marina's only about 5'0" herself, so she's not alone in the whole short department, at least. She looks a little sheepish when Vera speaks and looks down at her hold on the sword, switching to one hand since she figured that was one of her first mistakes.]

So like... a light touch?

[She tries to hold it not so much like her life depended on it, but now it felt like it'd get knocked out of her hand at one swing.]

12/3, 12/10, 12/17

[frostythehitman]

[ II. a. ]

[ Ah yes, sparring. His favorite place to be. Even with a referee keeping an eye on the fight, this is like the only place where he can actually throw a punch and not get in trouble for it. It makes him feel light--and honestly, having the referee makes him feel better, too. Knowing that someone can step in before he flies off the handle and really gets in trouble. It's a nice safety net.

He's at the....sparring corner, I'm calling it a corner, okay, with only the one arm. Not having the prosthetic makes stretching difficult (he's resorted to just. swinging his arm around for lack of a second arm to push the first into position), but it means he won't have any dead weight getting in his way. And he waits for a sparring partner to show up. ]

[ II. b. ]

[ On other occasions, he's checking out some of the weaponry. While he knows pistols like the back of his hand (and aren't these Nerf guns just a laughable imitation), he also knows that he should be an expert with knives.

But, as he picks up one of the toy ones laid out on the table, he feels no familiarity, no connection. It's totally foreign to him. He tries tossing it at a target board, like however he remembers doing, but fails. Miserably. It spins haphazardly, misses the target, and bounces harmlessly off the wall before landing on the ground.

James walks over to pick it up, but looks over his shoulder as he does so. HE REALLY HOPES NO ONE SAW THAT EMBARRASSING DISPLAY.... ]

[ III. ]

[ A snowball fight, huh? What better opportunity to test just how far he can throw now? So for this one, James issues himself a little challenge--no close range battle. Instead, he builds up a small wall near a bush for cover and hides out. He lies in wait, watching the carnage in the field outside, and snipes people with firm, compact snowballs. His aim isn't perfect (turns out, throwing a football and throwing a snowball aren't really all that similar), but it's getting better with each shot he takes.

Are you one of the people he's gunning for? Or are you going to seek behind refuge in his makeshift shelter? ]

12/10

[standalonehuman]

I:

Togusa is in civvies, sneaking in at the last second that he can, and then instantly moving to sit on the sidelines. He is here under some extreme blackmail and duress, or at least, that's what he would call it. It's a rare sight to see him this distinctly uncomfortable. But a deal is a deal, so he's here.

He has zero intention of joining in the training. He's got nothing to prove against people who are likely now extra-naturally fast or strong or well-trained past their years. How long this lasts, will depend on everyone else.

IV:

Togusa is one of the first over to the corner, this is clearly what he really came here for. Some of the stiffness eases out of this posture when he gets more into his comfort zone.

"I'll gladly share anything I know, but my question," the price to be paid to get Togusa in this building in the first place, "had to do with the Retrospec building blueprints that one of the teams saw in August. The structure that building has is a question that keeps coming up whenever I try to look into things."

"Otherwise, ask away. I'll try to fill in the gaps wherever people have them."

12/3, 12/10, 12/17; OTA

[manufactured]

[IIa – 12/03]

[This is admittedly Wesker's first time here; this sort of thing...it'd been suggested to him by a couple people, and he isn't entirely certain that it's to his liking, but the fact of the matter is that he's here and surely that's got to count for something. The violent thoughts have quieted themselves a little lately, and it's something he's privately rather grateful for, but he knows better than to assume they're gone on any sort of permanent level; this will be good for quelling any flare-ups, at least in theory.

Or so he's been told.

For the time being, though, he's doing a lot of holding up the walls and watching the others do their thing; he's...overdressed for this, surely – the usual black suit and dark glasses are present, as opposed to anything that would be halfway appropriate for sparring, as well as a long black coat that he has draped over his arm for the time being, but that's...fine, surely that's fine.

...He's going to be weird and standoffish for pretty much this entire session unless he's dragged into something; he isn't opposed to being dragged into something, per se, but as it stands this whole process is kind of weirding him out for reasons he doesn't really understand.

...Perhaps he'll be better off next time. Who knows with him, honestly.]


[IIb – 12/10, 12/17]

[That said, the fact that there is a next time, and a time after that, is enough to demonstrate that he does see some merit to the idea. He's still overdressed but that's just going to be how he is, it seems, and once again watching the proceedings from behind those dark glasses; however, he does spend some time by the weapons, just...looking everything over for a while, picking up a few things and muttering to himself as he does so.]

I wonder if there was anything besides the guns...

[His hand will linger a bit on some of the swords before he dismisses it; it's an interesting idea, though one he doubts he has much need for. Maybe eventually, simply because god only knows what he'll be in the middle of doing when the next Retrospec-prompted disaster hits, but for the time being...

Well, for the time being he's entirely willing to focus on more hand-to-hand type things; the idea of that feels...good, it feels natural in a way that he's not quite used to, and he's entirely here for seeing exactly why things are feeling that way.

It's surreal to him still, given that he was raised entirely pacifistic – but you know what, if his past life has given him some skills maybe it's something that he can put to use eventually.]

12/10 and 12/17, ota

[matchbreaker]

[ She didn't show up to the first meeting this month and there's no way she's going to be showing up to the last... but she did tell Ann that she would be here and even if she continues to not get any memories of fighting and she's leery of learning new things, this is a good way to practice her self-defense skills and get a better grip on her powers.

... Plus I mean she did win that Ninja Warrior thing, right? She sort of privately hopes someone recognizes her from that, sue her.

And so the 5' woman with a track suit/workout attire and sunglasses is here for your needs on trying to work out some martial arts or hand-to-hand and also exploring other weapons, at least to hold them...? She doesn't want to use them-

... Oh these candy-canes are cool. ]

i'm here! 12/10!

[ladytakamaki]

Hey, Elda!

[ she's so tiny but she's so fierce and ann really likes that about her? ann's here in her exercise clothes as well for their self-defense lessons, and she starts stretching out her arms as she approaches. ]

Sorry I'm a little late, holiday traffic and stuff while I was on the bus.

[ and then she starts stretching her legs-- ] Man, I should've stretched at home, huh?

[matchbreaker]

Mmm, nah. It's better to do it once you're here. It's not like I've got anything planned, I booked out my evening.

[ Elda, for her part, has been entertaining herself by spinning one of these big candy canes. Ann might be a little late but... it's fine. Like she said, she's here the whole time. Honestly, she feels somewhat silly to be here because she's still not gotten any memories off this. But... it doesn't matter that much, right? The girl wanted her here, and if she was asked specifically, she wouldn't refuse. ]

All Weeks

[maidhem]

[Now that Felicia was encountering more strange memories, she planned to approach these fight club sessions with gusto!

Armed with a set of training daggers and the mysterious staff she had received the month before, Felicia arrived at the training grounds with an open mind and a desire to learn. Her newfound knife throwing skills coupled with her martial arts training was a good start, but she knew it wasn't enough.

After all, she still couldn't take on a dragon.

Thus, the slender blonde arrived in her work uniform from the gym and her long hair bundled up into a messy bun. The staff she carried by her side looked almost anomalous with her manner of dress, but in a place where dragons could melt forth from the fog it was hardly anything worth noting. She looked around uncertainly, not sure where to go...

But, her face lit up when she laid eyes on the festive training weapons that had been brought out for the season.]

[mincingminuet]

[Who says she needs to take on a dragon? Nobody. What she needs is someone to practice with though. And Pen has just the thing, sneaking up behind her and catching her in a two armed hug about the middle.]

Look what the cat dragged in.

[maidhem]

Ah?!

[Squeaking, Felicia jumped in her skin and almost dropped her staff with Pen's approach-- only to follow up with a sheepish giggle once she realized who it was. Felicia turned to face Pen with a luminescent blush on her cheeks and grinned.]

It was a quiet night, and I thought it might be a good chance to practice with this.

[She held out the staff, beaming proudly.]

I got it from that mailbox. Wonder why it was a staff, though?

ota

[thisloveisjustice]

i. training hall - all weeks

[Tatsuo is there in a supervisory capacity, both to keep an eye on the dojo itself and to keep an eye on the participants. You'll find him dressed in his gi, standing over by the weapons. If you are curious about some of the weapons or need help finding something the right size, Tatsuo can give you some help or try to point you in the right direction.]

iv. not so secret club - all weeks

[About the only time Tatsuo peels himself away from the training hall is when the information session starts. He mostly hangs out on the sidelines and listens.]

Can't say I know everything, but from the stuff back in August I know a little about the connection between the Founders and Retrospec. And I'm in possession of photographs of the construction of the Retrospec building, though Leo and others found them. I went poking around in said building in October before it vanished and found the bunker in the woods like a few others.

12/10

[gunsandveggies]

II. Axing for Help

[This is a part of town Haru hadn't been to before, and she even got a bit lost before finding the right place. Haru hadn't realized there was a time to meetup; she's not even sure if she really wants to be here. She lingers by the doorway, watching all the training going on with her hands holding the model axe she was given by Retrospec. It all looks very interesting, she's just... not sure if she belongs, being so new at all this, unable to even control summoning her weapon.

Eventually, though, she moves in with hesitance, unsure where to start.]

Um... excuse me, but does anyone have experience with handling a battle axe? [She says as she holds up her own axe.]


III. Get to Snow You

[Haru was absolutely not prepared for a snowball fight, but she's certainly not going to say no to it! She gets cover behind a tree, one snowball in hand and two in the crook of her arm, and quickly comes out to throw all three, careful to keep moving.

But, of course, one snowball does hit her in the back of the head, and the shock of it makes her real axe appear, comfortably snug in one of her hands. Yet it's just one hand, and it's heavy, so Haru ends up dragged down right to the snow.]

Ah! No, go away, not now! [She practically whispers to the axe, and it does vanish, as if following an order. But she does look around, a bit distracted from the snowball fight in the concern that someone might have seen that.]

ii

[tarotcards]

[ despite all the personal training that souji has been doing on his own, both with personas and weapons, he has actually never been to the dojo before. it's a mixture of conflicting schedules (he does work a lot and has his own things to do) and never getting around to it so here he is, finally going and shortly after he enters, he spots haru ]

Okumura-san?

[ souji's not one to use honorifics that much or last names since he moved to america since he was little but he feels like it's proper. plus, persona buddies ]

Is that axe yours?

[gunsandveggies]

[While Haru has Japanese blood in her, and indeed a Japanese name, she doesn't really... consider herself as particularly close to that part of her. She barely knows the language, and what does know is through being longtime friends with Yusuke. She does, at least, realize the honorifics, and how they use the family name when referring to someone. Because of that, it takes a second, but she does lift her head and look over to the familiar voice.]

Oh, Souji! [She's not really used to using honorifics herself, sorry. At his question, she lifts her axe up for him to see.]

It is. Though, really, this is just a model of it. Summoning my real axe has been... somewhat of a difficult ordeal.

II

[heiroglyphs]

[Damn Haru, that thing's almost as big as you are. Vera just sort of... stares at it for a minute.]

Okay, I have to admit, that is not the weapon I had pegged for you.