[Training] if you catch my drift

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

The path in New Haven gleams golden in the sunlight, the way it reflects and casts a certain sparkle along the houses and businesses that dot the path leading through it. The grass is green, bordering on yellow from the incessant heat of Longheat, and while a storm had just blown through days ago, the Flood still sprinkles a bit of water as he goes just to help keep them as vibrant.

Stopping just after the little courtyard portion, the Flood dips into a fence of a business currently focusing on selling wraps and fighting instruments for hand to hand practice, though Sunjata isn’t aiming for that. He nods a smile and a greeting to the merchant before he dips along the side of the building toward the back, to the training grounds that had been put up, and heads toward a target in the distance that’s been left alone from the rest. It makes it more private, easier to unleash what he could without hurting anyone around him.

So, shaking out his limbs and stretching a bit, the Flood takes a deep breath to settle himself, and he throws the first punch at the target, injecting it with a stream of water.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

"Hey, Sunjata!"

The voice that echoed across the small training ground belonged to none other than Caido's finest courier as he poked his head out from the back of the store and spied his Archon a little distance away. He exited from the building and trotted towards where the Flood was practicing, whistling with admiration as his leader's punch hit with the extra oomph of his water magic. His own hands bore a set of fresh wraps, picked up from the store just a few minutes prior.

"Didn't expect t'run into y'here, but I guess it's my lucky day. I've been meanin' t'ask for a spar with you." He hesitated then shrugged ruefully. "If y'don't mind, that is." He gave a sheepish grin and reached up to rub the back of his neck self-consciously at interrupting his leader.
"I've been tryin' not t'rely on my Dagger so much. So, uh... whaddya say? Got time for a few rounds?"

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

Having not heard the voice that calls out to him since flying alongside the ship, the punch to the target immediately gets waterlogged with the hit. But Sunjata withdraws, back into a normal position as he looks over to Tal with a wave and a lopsided smile. “Hey Tal.” He says by greeting, pausing so that he can regard the courier as he continues, giving him his full attention.

“Don’t mind at all. I’m actually supposed to try some stuff out for Frey.. If you don’t mind getting hurt after. I’ll heal ya, promise.” It’s said with a crooked smile and a soft laugh, though he’d understand if Tal didn’t want to give it a go. But if he’s not relying on his dagger, then something else might be equally as potentially damaging, so Sunjata figures it’s worth a shot to ask.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

"I mean, I'm not crazy about gettin' hurt," the courier admitted ruefully. "But betwixt us I figure we can heal anythin' th'other does." His grin kicked up a little and he actually chuckled. "I'm workin' on somethin' for Frey, too, but I'm just gettin' everythin' they asked for wrapped up, so today's just for practice." He held up his wrapped hands and flexed his fingers before balling them up into fists. "I need t'learn how t'punch better now that I've got some muscle to get behind 'em."

He glanced at the waterlogged target and gave an indelicate snort, then shifted to take its place, lifting his hands to protect his face. His feet moved into something that was more or less workable, given that he was used to fighting with a knife rather than anything longer or heavier enough to require a broader stance. "So whatcha workin' on for Frey?" His question was followed a moment later by a jab towards his Archon's chest; more of a warmup than anything he expected to land, but there was enough force behind it to bruise if it somehow did.

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

“Well yeah,” Sunjata starts off with an accented laugh, his lopsided smile blooming on his face. “Nobody likes getting hurt.” But it was a necessary and vital part of life, as the scars that litter his body have clearly shown.

Sunjata straightens up and steps away from the target as Tal begins to square up, taking note of his wrapped hands that curl into fists. “I make a good punching bag, at least.” It’s a playful boast, one that has Sunjata mirroring Tal’s movements, squaring up against the courier. “I’m working on upgrading my healing magic, but it’s kind of a combo. It damages enemies and heals allies, so.. I gotta hurt someone with the rain.” Someone or something, but if the opportunity was here, might as well take it.

And opportunity comes while he’s talking, a twist of his body that has the jab glancing off the edge of his shoulder with how he curls, and it’s here that Sunjata decides to unleash the rain now that the explanation is here. His stance remains defensive, but the rain that suddenly appears is wet and cold for Tal, pelting like little slivers through the air that fall upon the courier.

---

Let it Rain usage (1/2)

Magic: Let it Rain | Can cause rain to fall in a 30 ft radius that heals allies while damaging enemies. May be used two times per thread, with a two post cooldown.
Type: Grey | Rank: Upgraded

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

"Ludo thinks I make a good one, too," Tal admitted ruefully. Given that several of his scars came from quests for the masked god, he could hopefully be forgiven a little dark humor. At least Sunjata was getting some healing out of this quest, though the courier wrinkled his nose in surprise at hearing that he could heal and harm with the same magic.

Which didn't stop him from moving in to attack. His blow might have been a glancing one, but Tal was still pleased that he'd hit, even if he hadn't done any damage. Continuing the conversation, he asked: "Wait, y'can do that? Healin' an' harmin' at th'same time?"

...Which was when the hail started and the courier yelped and danced back. And then kept dancing as he couldn't seem to get out of range of the horrible slicing rain. "Hey! That stings!" Well, if he couldn't get out of it, might as well go through it! With a little growl of frustration he put his head down and charged back into the fray, swinging a haymaker towards Sunjata with more enthusiasm than technique in hopes of disrupting the magic.

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

Snorting a touch - because gods, did he get that with his time with Safrin (while the punches hadn’t been so physical as mental), he can relate. But as they get into position and Tal’s punch glances off of the Flood, Sunjata unleashes his magic and lets the rain turn both healing and piercing, and watches as the courier jumps back after his question, as if experiencing that he could - in fact - do that. “Yeah. Kind of neat, right?” He says with a smidge more of an arrogant smile as Tal pushes through it and charges toward him.

The punch that’s thrown is a wide one, one that Sunjata can tell has force behind it. And his rain fades away into nothing but the warm sky of Longheat as he starts to move, hesitating last second to let the courier land the punch. It pushes him a bit off to the side, feeling the force behind it as he immediately stabilizes his feet and makes a fist, aiming it back toward Tal hopefully before he has a chance to regain his balance. “You are getting stronger, huh?” It’s been awhile at least since he’d been hit that hard on purpose.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

"Not right now it ain't! Ask me again later," Tal retorted - though hopefully Sunjata could forgive him seeing as the courier was now liberally covered in small cuts and bruises across his exposed skin. Thankfully the downpour let up as he charged, giving him the warm glow of misconception amid the satisfaction of having startled Sunjata out of his magic.

Luckily for him the Flood was a benevolent Archon and Tal was allowed to keep on thinking that as his punch landed - somewhat to his surprise. He actually hesitated afterwards, so shocked at feeling the solid impact and the slight give of Sunjata's roll with the hit, and if he wasn't wide open for the retaliatory blow, well...

He didn't have to let down his guard much for the more experienced brawler to slip in through the cracks.

An undignified yelp filled the air as a punch like an avalanche landed on his cheek and sent him staggering, but not so hard that he didn't hear the compliment. As dozy as he suddenly found himself, he still managed to ride the wave, planting his foot solidly as his weight came back down and twisting his hips to come back low and hard with a punch towards Sunjata's stomach. "Yeah? But not that strong!" Not as strong as a demigod, at least. Though he was certainly tougher than he used to be!

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

Tal’s retort earns a deep accented chuckle from the Flood, Sunjata definitely forgiving him for the brash response. It isn’t a weak magic, but it isn’t the strongest it could be which is why he’s here. At least he has the ability to heal him after, and for that Sunjata doesn’t feel quite as bad as he might have otherwise.

So he takes the hit that Tal throws his way, without realizing it might shock the Messenger from responding with a duck to the punch he throws his way. So he feels a bit worse when his punch lands against the courier, right smack in the cheek. “Sorry!” He calls out with a breathy huff, sucking in a breath as Tal sinks low and twists to aim for his stomach.

Sunjata is very experienced when it comes to brawling and boxing. So he hops back when Tal’s punch comes his way, avoiding it but not without the brush of the punch trailing along the linen of his shirt, before he surges forward, aiming to tackle the courier.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

Tal accepted the apology with a grunt that was vague but not mad as he pulled his marbles back together. He got himself sorted out in short order and tried to respond in kind with another punch, but the wily demigod proved his experience and speed by fading back out of reach. And while the Flood was still a little blurry around the edges, Tal knew he couldn't blame the head trauma for the miss; Sunjata was just that much better than him at this sort of fight.

Which was why he was learning from him. If, y'know, he could remember the details later.

He had definitely been expecting retribution, but he'd been watching Jata's chest for a punch of some kind. A jab or a hook or maybe even an uppercut. A hug, though? Pale eyes widened and Tal flung himself back but not fast enough. The air was knocked from his lungs as the courier started to go down beneath his Archon's weight--

But not before aiming a short hook towards the other man's head on the way. "Gerrof!" he hollered wheezed right before his impact with the grassy ground of King's End.

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

He does catch him off guard enough that the tackle goes pretty close to how he thinks it will. His arms wrap around the other man’s middle and down they go - but it doesn’t block the punch that comes at the last second, nailing him in the side of the head, right against his temple that he recoils from with a laugh as they go down.

Landing in a way that he doesn’t completely crush the courier, the Flood shuffles a bit to try and snag Talyson’s arms, trying to pin the younger man down to the ground. “Yield yet?” He asks with another chuckle, warmth blooming through his voice despite the hit to the head.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

Having the wind knocked out of him made it real hard to fight back. Tal tried for a fierce flex to shove the other man off but ended up with a noodly wiggle instead as he wheezed for air. Thankfully (though he didn't realize it enough to appreciate it just yet) Sunjata wasn't fully flattening him so at least he could pull some air back in to shocked lungs.

Of course, by the time he got enough oxygen to protest the manhandling he was well and truly pinned, like one of those butterflies some weirdos stuck to boards. Tal tried a few jerks and twists, but let's be honest - his ground game wasn't great, this up close and personal. And Sunjata definitely had the advantage in experience and technique on him. With a huff of resignation Tal finally flopped back with a grumbled: "Yeah, alright, uncle!"

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

Hearing Tal wheeze despite the Flood not putting all of his weight into the courier has him remaining as still as he can while he waits for Tal to yield, a grin blooming crookedly on his face. It’s after a few attempts to break out of his hold that he feels the Messenger go limp, a soft laugh escaping him as he releases the other man almost immediately. “Not bad, Tal.” He hums as he withdraws, sinking back onto his knees to let the other man get up.

Noticing the cuts and nicks of his rain magic, the Flood’s smile softens a touch as he summons the rain again, letting it fall to heal the other man’s wounds that the very same rain had harmed before. “This should fix ya up.” He flashes a wink before he finally gets back to his feet and extends a hand to Tal to help him up.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

He wasn't happy that he'd gotten his ass kicked, but if it had to be by anyone, at least it was by a demigod. Tal grumbled under his breath a bit but it was mostly for show, without any real heat behind it. "Yeah, guess I might've learned a few things," he allowed, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a rueful little grin in spite of his best efforts to not let it. He managed to push himself up onto his elbows as the Flood backed off, wincing a bit as he felt his head spin a little--

And then the rain was back, but this time it fell gently on him, soothing away his cuts and bruises and even easing the headache from getting clocked in the face. He let out a big sigh of relief and there was no hesitation when he grabbed Sunjata's hand to pull himself up then. "Thanks! Guess that rain is kinda neat," he admitted, tilting his face up to enjoy the last refreshing droplets. "An' now Alys an' Boreal won't get mad at me for gettin' in a fight without 'em!" He winked slyly at his leader and flexed his wrapped hands in satisfaction. "Speakin' of, I gotta get home for dinner, but thanks, Sunjata! I'll catch y'around!"

~Fin