damned_institute | Nightshift 39: Music Room

Carefully, Depth Charge peered around the door. It didn't take long to spy the source of the noise: a young human moving furniture around. For a few moments he watched in perplexed silence- what in the Inferno was he doing?- before he remembered the notice he'd seen earlier that day.

"Boxing club, right?" he asked, stepping into the room. Just to check. It didn't look like anyone else was here yet, though.

((From here.)) (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/583393.html?view=48294113#t48294113)

This had to be the place. Adelheid saw two individuals there already, so he smiled and decided to let them converse amongst themselves for a moment. He himself had been in such a rush that he hadn't had the chance to warm up yet. That just wouldn't do, now would it?

So he put his curved sword up against the wall, put the flashlight on one of the chairs to free up his hands, and started stretching and getting warmed up. The combat uniform he wore was especially designed for freedom of movement and flexibility, and more importantly it belonged to himself, so he went at it with rather more gusto than normal.

[from here]

There were three people here already, none of whom Soma recognized. One of them was moving furniture and another appeared to be stretching; it was safe to assume she'd found the Boxing Club.

There was no sense in standing around. Nodding at the others, she quickly set the wooden rod on the floor, within easy reach, and went to help clear the room.

So they were some of the first, then. Conklin wasn't surprised at the small crowd - it was just the first night of its existence, after all. Was he going to be the oldest person here? God, that was a depressing thought.

It looked like a kindergarten in here. The spook went to move some of the grey chairs to the side. At least the carpet might serve as a passable wrestling mat so people didn't hurt each other too badly.

Akihiko waved to everyone that had entered, then finished moving the last of the furniture to the sides. He took a second to stretch and jog in place a bit, warming up his muscles a little, then clapped his hands once.

"Thanks, everyone, for helping me get stuff ready, and thanks for coming to this first Landel's Institute Boxing Club meeting." He smiled and took a bow. "I'm Akihiko. I...guess we should do a round of introductions - complete with what fighting styles we're familiar with. And then I guess a few practice rounds are in order. But first, can I borrow one of you to go a round with? I need the warmup," he said, with a grin.

In the short time since Depth Charge had arrived, three more people had arrived- a blond man (armed, he noted with some interest), a female and an older man. A couple of them had chipped in moving furniture, or, for reasons he couldn't even begin to fathom, started to stretch themselves off.

He was just about to head out again when the human he'd found here originally was introducing himself and the club. Well. He didn't have anywhere else to be that night. And if last night's embarrassing performance had been anything to go on, a little training was definitely in order before he could even consider fighting in this body. Nothing wrong with a little education.

Maintaining a healthy distance between himself and the rest of the attendees (the last thing he wanted was to look too enthusiastic...), he pressed his back to the wall and watched Akihiko with a detached curiosity.

Hm, it seemed like there were more people now... most of whom were rather reticent. Unfortunate, that; Akihiko deserved a better reception than that, considering what was going on. So, after putting his sword away, Adelheid walked towards the other boy, noticing Akihiko's size and build. Certainly not as heavily-built as he'd expect from a boxer, but still, it was clear he wasn't a novice either.

"I'm Adelheid Bernstein, and I'm familiar with quite a few different styles. But, for the purpose, I'm a kickboxer." He offered a polite bow to Akihiko, his eyes focused on him instead of the others- sometimes people preferred to be a part of the crowd, after all. "And I'd be honored to have the first round with you."

Conklin hadn't been about to volunteer - it wouldn't have been a fair fight, though unfair in whose favor, it was hard to say. Self-image dictated that he would have been the clear winner, but Akihiko was a young man, and the spook was one no longer, nor was he whole.

Still, it would be interesting to see how he, and Adelheid, fought. He leaned on his cane to watch.

Soma, too, stayed back for the moment. The truth was that she was itching to fight, but most of the people here acted as if they were more than a little proficient in various forms of martial arts. She certainly considered herself talented enough to take any of them on - why not, when she could predict their movements? - but at the same time, she was well aware that her real skill lay in piloting and not hand-to-hand combat. And there was the irritating little detail about her reflexes being dulled.

So she watched the two young men - both of whom seemed about her own age - approach each other, leaning forward slightly in interest.

Akihiko smiled, nodding to Leon as he entered and took his seat. "Adelheid-san, I would be honored," he said, taking a bow. "And I think we all have something to learn from each other. We have various styles, and I think that despite age differences, gender differences, and the like, we can all do well."

He nodded to Adel, then stepped towards the center of the room, taking a minute to warm up a little more. "I'm ready to begin when you are."

Styles... huh. Training at the Maximal military academy hadn't exactly been complicated: all martial, no art. So long as the other guy was out for long enough for you to grab your weapon again it didn't really matter.

Still, even Depth Charge had to admit that he was maybe, possibly, probably just a little interested in what these two had to show. He pushed off the wall and stepped forward, just close enough to catch whatever action was about to unfold. The holo-chips were down- and personally? His were on blondie.

"I'd be inclined to agree with that," Adelheid amicably answered. There were some formidable female fighters from his own world, after all, and some of the greatest fighters were quite young as well. Of course, he couldn't say whether that was the case or not with the present company, as he seemed the only one inclined to give his name, but that was something he was used to.

After waiting to let Akihiko finish warming up and getting into his stance, Adelheid nodded and raised his hands, shifting into a boxer's mode instead of his normal open stance. Akihiko was clearly a boxer, so why not face him as such? Adelheid's first attack was a lunging jab, just something to test the other boy's guard. Besides, he'd disgrace the Bernstein name if he didn't give a proper show to the people watching!

And there was the opening salvo. Boxers, the two of them seemed to be - while 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' was not Conklin's MO, he could certainly see the appeal. There was a kind of grace to it - not like karate or jujitsu, but a different sort of grace entirely.

It would be interesting to see these two at work...

Soma was quiet as ever, completely focused on what was going on. Learning to box had never been much of an option for her, given her slight size, but it didn't matter much. She was sure she could learn something from this.

[sorry for short faily post; I blame being sick and gMail being stupid. D:]

Akihiko grinned as he blocked the jab, following it up with a right cross and left hook. "You're good," he said, moving back into his usual stance and waiting for the next strike.

Man, it had been too long. He felt out of practice, but hopefully, he'd be back in the swing of things soon.

Depth Charge knew better than to base predictions on the beginning of a fight, but hey, he'd gone one step further and based 'em on first appearances. Whether or not they'd turn out to be right, though, was another question entirely. Akihiko was right, Blondie was good- but something told him Akihiko himself had a little more to give. Call it a hunch.

Adelheid met both punches with sweeping blocks, using his height and leverage to meet power with power. Akihiko was definitely stronger than he looked, Adelheid had to admit that. Still, while the other man was skilled, his blows were just a little slow, just a little clumsy; of course, Adelheid had the fear that his would be exactly the same way, considering how long it had been since he'd been able to trade blows like this.

He pressed the attack, deliberately pulling his punches so they were a little slower as well, using his longer legs and greater reach to keep out of Akihiko's range- most boxers were trained to go after an opponent who was backing up, wanting to close the distance to a more suitable range. That was the hope, anyway...

...because, if Akihiko did so, then Adelheid had a bit of a trick up his sleeve. That would be in the form of a side kick, aimed directly at the boxer's chest. He held the same opinion as Akihiko- his opponent was good. It would be an insult to not use a style closer to what Adelheid was used to, for the sake of a warm up.

This was a fairly basic exercise so far, but Conklin was taking care to note each move both opponents made. All what he was used to, so far - he'd seen this before, and was beginning to compile information on how they fought. He could make a plan in which everyone would be playing to their strengths, and escape. Aside from Akihiko's own admission that he was a boxer, the spook was now getting the measure of his moves. He seemed a little slow, but that could mean that he was simply rusty - or his reflexes had been dulled, like Soma had mentioned that hers had been. Adelheid was taller, but he'd seen many a small opponent take out a larger one before...interesting.

It seemed to Soma that Adelheid was, if not the better boxer, at least less out of practice than Akihiko, though in her opinion it was still far too early to tell. Besides, she knew as well as anyone that size hardly mattered.

She couldn't help but fidget slightly, though - an uncharacteristic gesture to anyone who knew her. It was no good to only watch others fight. She wanted to participate as well.

Be ready for anything. Akihiko grinned, as he thought. He'd been anticipating the blocks, but not Adel taking steps backwards. That was interesting - then, that meant there was something up the blonde's sleeve. Well, he wasn't one for letting people hold back when they had something interesting to show in a fight like this, and besides - it'd been a while since someone had challenged him like that.

He was cautious as he moved forward, matching those steps, but not getting too close. It put him at a slight disadvantage, in terms of height, but he stayed close enough to throw a straight punch aimed at Adel's chest. He was ready to throw a follow-up when needed.

Blondie wasn't just going to stand and block all night, he was just biding his time- Depth Charge was sure of that. But how sure was Akihiko? The sudden smile had certainly caught his attention, but whether or not he was just bluffing would soon be all too clear. Whatever the reason, he had to hand it to him. The kid had balls of reinforced steel.

For a moment he looked sideways to the other two who stood watching, curious. Looked as though they were drinking this in like it was pure energon- noting each step and swing with careful precision, particularly the man. The young woman seemed a little less focused, though. Depth Charge couldn't blame her; even he was starting to feel restless, and he wasn't even all that interested in this kind of thing.

Interesting... Adelheid felt a smile creeping across his own face as Akihiko responded to him, reacting and thinking through their actions. This was something he'd missed from his many long days in the Institute; a real fight, with someone who knew what he was doing and approached it with talent honed by training.

It made the blond nostalgic, in a way; remembering who he was and what he was supposed to be doing.

He let Akihiko come to him, forcing the other boy to strain himself and press the attack, keeping his eyes open and his guard up as he did so. He just needed to wait for his moment, for Akihiko to commit himself and leave just a moment's vulnerability.

That moment came with Akihiko's punch. A straight punch... strong, yes, but Adelheid had taken far worse than that. He let the punch connect, forcing down the sting of a solid blow, and feigned staggering backwards. Another punch was soon to follow... and that was what Adelheid was looking for. Suddenly his leading leg lashed out in a low arc, aiming not for Akihiko's chest or face... but rather, below his knees. With that one motion he sent Akihiko sprawling. A clear point for him...

...but even as strong as he was, it took a lifetime of training and brutal fighting to not wince at how much that punch had hurt. Rusty Akihiko might have been, but he knew how to put force behind his blows.

Opening the door carefully, Leon was glad to see others in the room. His legs then decided that, having carried him safely to their destination, their task was now finished. He slumped against the wall by the door, sliding down into a seated position. Too worn out from his alchemy attempt to actually participate, he'd figured he wouldn't be doing anything else besides watching.

Akihiko did appear to be in charge, and that won a lot of respect from the boy considering he was one of the youngest in the room, barring himself and perhaps that girl.

Now, just as long as he didn't nod off again, he might actually learn something. And, well, if he did fall asleep, he felt as if he was in safe company.

Nightshift 39: Music Room

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Aki's intro; assume he's talking to everyone.

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