[training log] july training sessions

[darkinferno]

WHO: Anybody and everybody! (Except for Jim. He's not invited. Maurice can come, though.)
WHERE: Utsuki Dojo in Tisse
WHEN: Sundays in July (7/2, 7/9, 7/16, and 7/23), 6pm - midnight
WHAT: FIGHT CLUB Weapon/self-defense training sessions and secret society Retrospec information sharing (plus some bingo spar threads maybe?)
WARNINGS: None expected; will edit if they become necessary

HEADS UP: This will be the only fight club/secret society log posted for all of July! 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!!

training sessions - July

i. They say we are what we are.

Just after 6:00, the dojo is theirs. By this point, some people who have been coming regularly might be starting to get into a sort of a habit, whether that's warming up or stretching out, alone or with others, testing out a new weapon and trying to decide what to focus on for the night, or just mingling around--it's your choice what you do, because things won't really start until about 6:15, when Dante Rantanen hops up on a chair to officially start the meeting.

"Good to see everybody," he says, scanning the group as always for any new faces. "For some of you guys this is old news, but humor me anyways, got it? I know we've got a bunch of newbies this month, so encourage people to come out here if you can. If people keep remembering how to fight but not how to control their instincts, we run the risk of running into some serious problems, especially if Retrospec keeps sending people weapons in the mail. It doesn't matter if you believe they're memories or hallucinations or visions of the future--they're real enough to trick your body into muscle memory.

"Some of you here already know how to fight, whether that's because you've been practicing here or knew how to already, or remembered how to. Some of you might be completely clueless. Maybe you don't know if you want to learn how to fight, or you just want to know if you did know how to fight--all of it's valid. These meetings are for practicing only. It's not a chance to punch each other as hard as you can and beat the other guy into the ground, so don't try. If that's what you're looking for, the door's right there." As always, Dante points toward the door.

"Before we get started, make sure you sign in on the waiver over there. We want to keep this legal so that people can keep making use of these sessions. We've got a lot of training weapons available, and people here who know how to use them. Go ahead and introduce yourselves."

Some of these names are probably getting familiar, but there's no way to be sure that everybody attending already knows what everybody else can do. So the introductions go around again, and at the end of it, Dante nods. "That should be it. If you've got questions or need anything, come and see me; otherwise, don't be stupid."


ii. But we don't have to be.

Has the number and variety of training weapons grown since June? It certainly looks like it. There are plenty of practice weapons available for people to use, including wooden swords (with or without crossguards) in various styles as might be found around the world, fencing foils all tipped with practice buttons so they can't do any damage to an opponent (again in a variety of styles: with quillions, without, bell guards or swept iron knuckle-guards, and so on...), staves and polearms and spears and shields, and even a handful of Nerf guns near the end for the more modern-inclined. (Sitting behind those is a sign: "DON'T AIM FOR PEOPLE'S HEADS")

Once you've made your pick, it's time to get practicing! There are a number of people offering help or instruction, but perhaps you're a trial-by-fire sort of person? Or are you one of those offering your skills to the other "students?" There's plenty of time to practice, so make the most of it!

What will you try out tonight?


iii. I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way.

On July 9th, Dante jumps back up onto the chair just a couple minutes after stepping down from it. "I almost forgot," he says, giving a sharp whistle to try and get everybody's attention. "I think most all of us got those bingo cards sent out by the network, right? I don't know if everybody's got it, but there's a square for sparring with someone. So I'm going to set up a list over there--" he gestures toward one corner of the room, "--where people can sign up to do spars to get that square checked off. That way there's no confusion what people are looking for."


iv. I'll be the watcher of the eternal flame.

A couple hours into the night, you might notice a number of people putting their weapons down to take a break. There's no specific structure to the evening, so perhaps you've already taken a break or two yourself? At any rate, if you haven't found out about it yet, you will soon... there are papers being passed around the dojo, faintly numbered if anyone cares to look hard enough. Someone might hand it to you with a motion to keep quiet (or maybe you're the one doing the handing!), or use it as an explanation for why they're choosing to leave now. Whatever the case, the message on each paper is the same:

Don't talk about this on the Retrospec network
(or anywhere else their "surveillance" might overhear)

Sundays, Utsuki Dojo, 8:00pm
Retrospec info briefings

Learning how to fight is a useful skill, given everything that's been going on the past few months. Figuring out what Retrospec's really up to and pooling our information might be even more important. We know they're keeping tabs on us through our electronics, so the next thing to try is meeting in private without giving them any way to find out about it.

It's doing what Jim wanted us to do, but at this point it's more important to start working together to figure out what's going on.

No cell phones. Leave them with your stuff and come join us outside if you want in.

Will you go? Or will you choose to stay inside and keep fighting? Someone's gotta keep up the illusion that they're still training, after all...

[[July training logs! This log will cover Sunday, July 2, July 9, July 16, and July 23! 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 two toplevels in the comments: one OOC for metaplot details shared at society meetings, and one for bingo threads to try and make life easy.

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

Comments

METAPLOT

[darkinferno]

From last month:

• Dante, Leo, Prompto, Malik, Ari, Arlene, Pen, Aria, and Alison went into the tunnels beneath the city, specifically to check out the binary in the tunnel between Apprassage and Enprise. Film photos taken of the binary show that the numbers seem to be blurred, as though they were caught while changing faster than the eye can see. (Digital photos taken on phones appear clear and crisp!)
  
• Chloe began telling PCs of the trip she and Leo took to the Recollé history museum. More can be revealed by Leo's player in discussions!

Comment here if there's anything that should be added from last month and/or as new information is brought up this month!

[livingdeadgirl]

On July 9, Ami volunteers some information about an overnight forest hike last month that she was a part of. Notable events include:

• Unseasonably cold temperatures after dark.
• Getting stuck in a Lost-Woods-esque infinite loop until morning. Could be due to navigation errors, but Ami is inclined to believe it was supernatural. They lost all cell service during this time, but Retrospec still worked.
• There were a lot of ghosts. (Ami was one of a handful of people who could see/hear them, but says Tatsuma can back her up on their presence.) They were friendly if a little pushy, and tried to help lead the group out of the forest (unsuccessfully).
• She also adds that the spirits seemed upset about something, but she couldn't understand much beyond "the city is wrong" and "it grew too fast."

BINGO SPARS

[darkinferno]

As promised, there's a small area of the room that's been sectioned off to create a sort of specialized field. It's here that spars specifically to satisfy bingo conditions are being held, with someone at all times keeping watch to make sure that things don't go too far one way or another. There's a sign-up list for any characters who might want to get things taken care of, and names are being called out as the person in charge of the list tries to match people up.

Care to test your luck? Whether you're brand new at fighting or seasoned, there won't be any fighting without a quick discussion of both parties' skill levels so that a seasoned fighter won't immediately wipe the floor with somebody new.

Play nicely, now!

7/9 and/or 7/16

[frostythehitman]

[ Okay so he's still kind of licking his wounds (metaphorically at this point, although it was literal for a few weeks there) from that fight with the mysterious school hallway menace. He managed to hold his own okay, but he definitely got his ass kicked way too easily for him to be okay with it. He knows he needs some training--someone to teach him how to fight in a manner more intentional and elegant than simply throwing his weight around.

So he stands by the sparring area and waits for people to show up. Sure, his name's on the sign up list, but he's not gonna just wait around. ]

Alright, who knows their way around a fight and wants to demo some moves?

[ So maybe he's a bit too proud to admit he actually needs the help out loud. He's still asking here, okay!!! ]

7/9; for Emil

[livingdeadgirl]

[Once she's had a little time to practice - at least to the point where she's fairly confident of not smacking herself with the whip - Ami decides to go ahead and sign up. This is, after all, the whole reason she came!

And wouldn't you know it, she gets matched up with one Emil Vasterstrom (or however you umlaut it). It's basically a mirror match.]

Ready? Remember, it's just for bingo, so it doesn't matter who wins.

[But then she cracks her whip once anyway, for dramatic effect. Ami are you trying to intimidate him or not]

7/29 [With Mohammed]

[megabond]

[As a college professor, Augustine tends to rely on his knowledge than his fists. But it's really ironic since he has to spar with Mohammed just to obtain his next bingo tile. Then again, this would be a good experience to what he learned so far from previous self-defense classes.

Then if he sees Mohammed, he slightly waves at him before approaching him.]

Bonjour. You're just in time.

OTA

[strawberrypunch]

II.

[Here's a new face, fresh from signing the waiver. As he looks over the weapons, he flexes his right hand a bit, looking somewhat indecisive.

The reason for that becomes clear if approached, though, because he'll go ahead and give a smile and a greeting, followed by:]

I remember... the other me used martial arts, but...

[How do you even begin to get that back.]

IV.

[And then there's the note passing game, which catches his attention sooner rather than later. He goes ahead and reads through the paper fairly quickly, passing it along to the next person before removing his cellphone and putting it aside. Once he's out, he'll glance about, curious to see who all is in attendance and what exactly is going to be brought up.]

II, after a million years

[loudmouths]

[ to put it simply, keigo wasn't a fighter. he was the farthest from one, actually. even if he had memories of attempting to fight someone, it didn't mean he regained the skills to go with it. the thing of it was, however, that after regaining that memory (or vision, as he liked to call it), it was difficult to get it out of his head. maybe if he released some of that pent-up anxiety, he'd feel better?

right.

his entire existence was a mantra of "what am I doing here" as he stood by the assortment of weapons, lips thinned into a tense line. a sword would probably be best, right? jesus... he turned his head to look at the guy nearby, hearing a murmuring of something... ah, maybe he was in the same boat? ]

Oi, you're tryna work through one of those visions, too, eh?

7/09

[livingdeadgirl]

I. 90-pound schoolgirls anonymous

[It's Ami's first time attending a training session, and she's a little more nervous than excited. At 13, she's one of the younger people in attendance - a skinny middle-school girl in pigtails, black makeup and a Metallica t-shirt.

And also, out of nowhere, a white fedora. And what's that she's holding in her lap? Is... is that a bullwhip?

She waves when it's her turn.]

Hi. My name's Ami, and I know literally nothing about fighting.

II. a whip crack went his whippy tail

[Ami gets paired up with a training dummy, at least at first, since she has no idea how to use that whip yet. So for a while, it's just gonna be her ineffectually flopping those black inches in the general direction the dummy's red cheeks.

But there's a moment, at last, where she finally manages to make it CRACK - and it's loud, in case the <big> tags didn't tip you off. Like, it's audible from across the room. If she gets any odd looks from that, Ami laughs it off and holds the whip up in explanation.]

Haha! That was me, sorry.

IV. don't talk about retrospec club

[What's this? An actual secret society, completely off the record? Don't mind if I do. Ami leaves her phone with her backpack and scampers outside to join the others.

Idk I guess this is kind of a wildcard. Unless you're Dante, in which case she's gonna come up to you before the secret meeting properly starts, a conspiratorial smile on her face.] Are you sure Skyler Murden didn't inspire any of this?

1

[heiroglyphs]

[Conversely, here is Vera, wearing an all-white button-up shirt and slacks, while being quite similar in stature to Ami despite being nearly ten years her senior. The heiress cocks her head, giving the girl a confused look that asks "are you sure you want to be here?"]

Really? Like, none at all? Not even a memory?

[frisyr]

If you don't know anything about fighting I hope that whip's for a dummy...

u know what i'm doing

[darkinferno]

[In response, Ami will get a quiet snort of laughter. What the hell, he didn't realize she was so young or tiny...?]

I've been advised by my lawyers not to answer that question.

[He'll let that lie for a second, but then a smirk splits his face as he gives a half-shrug.]

Yeah, I'm sure. I'd already had the idea for a practice session, but this girl, Chloe, was trying to figure out how a bunch of us could meet in secret to discuss everything. It just made sense to roll them into one.

7/2 Onwards

[heiroglyphs]

I.
[The short blonde girl standing next to Dante might draw some heads from those not familiar with her. Standing barely at 5'0" in her cushioned athletic shoes, she makes a statement in her all-white ensemble, including a button-up shirt and slacks with matching white leather belt. On her left breast are her initials, V.C.W. embroidered in dark blue. She waits patiently for her friend to finish his introductions before piping in herself, with one hand on her hip and the other holding a platinum-white metal suitcase.]

My name is Vera Weisz, and I've been asked to instruct you all in the art of swordsmanship. I specialize in fencing, but the basics can translate into nearly any style. But I will warn you, I expect you to pay attention and take notes, because I don't have time for people who won't take this seriously.

II.
[Vera will be spending most of her time teaching, working with the newer students in groups while giving the more advanced more personal instruction. She fights with a heavily-customized fencing saber, with a golden hand guard and a brilliant white blade sparkling with a crushed-gold inlay. This trophy sword would likely be illegal in an actual competition, but it's enough to show off how invested she is in the sport.

Feel free to attend her lessons, or grab her on a break.]

IV.
[The heiress has never liked these meetings. They're closed off, quiet, and involve too many people. You can never know if you can trust people. Still, it's important to be in the know when it comes to this city, especially if it involves Retrospec. You'll find her quietly tucked away in the corner, scribbling into a notebook all the while.]

Wildcard.
[Come at me with whatever you like!]

II.

[megabond]

[While he does learn a few hand-to-hand self-defense from his last visit, he still needs to learn the art of swordsmanship. And thankfully, the young woman in white is offering that said art as he approaches her slowly before tapping her shoulder.]

Bonjour, Ms. Weisz may I take a few fencing lessons from you?

II

[rebellions]

[So with some recent developments, including but not limited to remembering being a (fairly capable, he assumes?) fighter and finally accepting there may be a little more to this hallucinomemories bullshit that him going crazy, Ragna did give in and decided to visit this... fight club or whatever it's called that gets advertised over the network. What he expected was to see a bunch of buff, tough guys working out and punching each other and whatnot.

How wrong he was.

Perhaps if it was any other little girl teaching sword fighting he wouldn't judge the situation nearly that much, but her? That haughty, spoiled little princess with insufferable personality is supposed to teach him anything? This isn't what he signed up for and he's about to make his displeasure known.]

What, you're supposed to be the instructor? Don't they have anyone else?

[Looks like the first thing he needs to be taught is some goddamn respect.]

iv

[commandertoolbelt]

[ hahaha no there’s no way Leo is actually here to fight. He is well aware he’d get his ass kicked and honestly, no thank you.

But this secret sharing thing? That he is definitely on board with, because somebody has to talk about what they found in the history museum. Chloe falling out of Retrospec’s influence means it’s probably his job now, so there is one very reluctant teenager standing outside as people start to head out. ]

So, uh. I don’t know what Chloe’s told you guys already, but we found some stuff in the history museum. It was mostly a bunch of old pictures and some dried leaves.

[ Don’t ask him about that, he has no clue. ]

I don’t have the photos with me right now, but it was mostly a bunch of stuff about the city being developed. Like, when the Towers first opened, and some housing developments and stuff… and the Retrospec building.

[ Photos or no photos, Leo does produce some dried palm leaves from his bag, protected in a small padded envelope. ]

I don’t know what the leaves have to do with anything, but they were in the same drawer as the pictures.

Re: iv

[frisyr]

I don't think palm trees grow around here...

But. Can I see the photos sometime? Maybe we'll learn something...

[livingdeadgirl]

When were the photos taken, do you know?

sorry, meant to hit this up earlier

[thisloveisjustice]

[Tatsuo stops at the mention of Chloe]

Yeah, Chloe showed me those photos just before Retrospec wiped her. I offered to take a closer look at them for her since I had access to a lab.

[But when he'd dropped by to ask Chloe a few more questions... she hadn't known him anymore. It had been highly unsettling and Tatsuo had quickly backed out of the conversation.]

ota;

[heroforall]

II;

[Izuku stays away from the weapons for the most part; wanting instead to focus on training his body and improving his hand-to-hand skills. There's also the fact that he doesn't quite trust himself not to get too nervous or clumsy and accidentally poke his own eye out or someone else's. At least there are no sharp edges...

He divides his attention between sparring with the punching bags and sparring with actual people. He's even willing to test his abilities against different fighting styles, including the use of weapons. He's very thorough.

The odd Nerf gun battle is also accepted enthusiastically.]

IV;

[Since discovering the strange maps in the Retrospect offices and finding out about the strange flowers in the woods, Izuku has grown more and more wary about the goals of the company. He knows that others have been conducting their own investigations as well, so the best chance he has of getting answers is to pool all the available information they have. So, deciding to attend the meeting is a no-brainer for him.

He mostly keeps to himself, listening to others as they speak and writing notes down in his notebook.]

wildcard;

[Have another idea? Hit me up!]

II

[redarm]

[After spending most of last month using swords (and getting his ass kicked by swords), Noah's decided to go back to the old favorite of hand to hand. When he sees someone around his age also hitting up the punching bags, he decides to approach.

Noah looks normal enough, aside from the left arm that's definitely red in coloring with the hand covered up by gloves. There's a chance maybe Izuku recognizes him from school, you know, that sullen British transfer student in the back that looks like he escaped from a Hot Topic catalog]

Oy. You wanna spar?

ii

[me_matey]

-While Izuku was hitting up the heavy bag, May made her way and sauntered over, getting a nice close look at his technique...-

Not bad, not bad... Keeping your wrist steady, that's the key. Follow through with the shoulder to put more weight behind it. You're a little scrawny, so...

-Thanks for the uninvited critique, May.-

7/9 and/or 7/16

[frostythehitman]

[ 2 ]

[ The Nerf guns catch his eye. It's no real gun, and it won't be anything like using a real one, but...well, sharpshooting is about all he's got right now. And besides, he knows it works with real guns--but what about non-lethal ones? Nerf guns and water guns and the like.

He doesn't see it being really helpful, but. It'd be interesting to find out, at least.

He gravitates towards them and lifts one of the Nerf guns, making sure it's fully loaded with foam darts. ]

Alright. Nerf war, here and now. Who wants in?

[ Plus, it'll be interesting to see how he does against moving targets. ]

7/9

[livingdeadgirl]

[Of course, somehow, this event is the first time Ami's actually seen James in his stupid blue getup. And I mean, it's a nice blue in a blue-starved world, but...

were the daisy dukes really necessary.

She does raise her hand, though. A Nerf war sounds fun! She'll just have to... carefully not look at dat ass.]

I'll play!

7/16, for Ardyn

[darkinferno]

[The fight club's been going on for a little over a month now, and all in all things seem to be going pretty well. Dante's feeling comfortable enough with the way everything's going to take a break from his eagle-eyed observation of the room, picking out a wooden sword from the practice weapons and striding up to where Ardyn's sitting.]

All right, prof, enough's enough.

[And he's pushing that practice sword at Ardyn, letting go so that his only two choices are to catch it or let it clatter to the floor.]

You've been sitting here watching--it's time you learned a thing or two, too. Just in case.

[Just in case one of them isn't around the next time he runs into trouble. Because with Ardyn, it's a matter of when, not if.]

[daemonized]

[Every once in a while, Ardyn visits out of nothing more than curiosity. He has no interest in sparring or practicing, as he has no memories that would even remotely suggest that he knew how to do such a thing -- he had been, apparently, a wandering healer. Unless he were a healer that also got into swordfights, the point of trying to learn was moot.

Of course, Dante has other ideas. He catches the wooden sword before it can clatter to the ground, out of instinct alone. Already, it feels unwieldy in his hands.

He just looks up at his student, the most skeptical sort of expression etched into his face.]

In case of what? If I'm challenged to a duel?

July 16 and 23 [OTA]

[megabond]

II.

[Ever since the last time he visits in this dojo, his hand-to-hand combat is improving very slightly. While Chloe isn't here anymore, he does remember her advice about some self-defense moves he learned from her.

But even though he's improved on his self-defense doesn't mean he can hold a fight on his own just yet. In fact, if you pass him by, you may see that his moves are still a little bit rusty.]

(OOC: You can even ask the professor for a spar, though I feel he won't able to last in a battle.)

IV. [July 23]

[While he surrenders his phone as he enters the meeting, Augustine still feels unsure about it. Ever since that Retrospec post informed them that they knew the secret meetings, he isn't so sure if this isn't working anymore. Still, the decision to come here is his own and he feels that he needs to share some alternate means to contact others without Retrospec's knowledge.

Right now during the meeting, you can see him reading his journal while sitting near the wall.]

WILDCARD

[You know the drill. Whether it's for a bingo game or not, Augustine is available around the dojo!]