[Training] say it with your fists

is there a price to burn this paradise?

”It has been far too long.”

Ronin needs therapy. Take that however you like - it’s still true. His kind of therapy involves a lot more beating the fuck out of stuff than talking through his problems, though, and it’s not something he’s been in any sort of state to do since Longnight. But courtesy of Safrin, he’s now ready and raring to go.

Already leaning against the ropes of the boxing ring, he wraps his hands carefully and precisely, his shirt folded over one of the chairs. There’s a bottle of whiskey next to said chair for when this is over - only seems polite, you know?

”How’ve you been keeping?” he asks as he ducks under the ropes and into the sand. They both look a lot different; both healed, both scarred anew, and Ronin has the still-fresh ink of a hawk tattoo spanning his chest, along with tell-tale bruising on his neck from an entirely different type of fighting.

so is there any treason in the tricky little price I pay?

i can't open up to you

“It really has.” Sunjata agrees with a quiet huff of a laugh, running a hand through his dark hair before he takes a bit of his own wrapping, working on fitting it onto his hands before ducking under the boxing ring ropes into the sand. The question of how he’s been, has him shrugging his shoulders – a bit here and there, to be honest, good and bad and bad and good.

His gaze flickers along Ronin’s tattoo once more, Sunjata’s own have been both completed and destroyed in part, but it doesn’t stop the grin from spreading along his face. “All things considered, not bad.” He offers – not like Ronin had been. “Better now, glad you’re better. How’re you holding up?” A dark raise of his brow as he stretches his arms a bit – getting the muscles he’d so carefully kept from pulling while the burns still affected him loosened up so the spar might go a bit easier.

Hopefully he doesn’t break a hand this time.

me and my friends are lonely

i always figured i'd be the one to die alone

SUNJATA

is there a price to burn this paradise?

Jata warms up and Ronin joins him, rolling shoulders and wrists, stretching so that he might get out of this without necessarily pulling or breaking anything. “Glad to hear it,” He advises the other man with a nod and a smirk, remembering too well a time not so long ago when they’d both been down for the count, snoozing away the hours in a blanket fort in his home. It had seemed like a good idea at the time - still did, in fact.

“Me? I’m good as new - on the outside, at least.” He can joke about it now, at least, marking the sand with his feet in a few places to make sure he can get a grip on it properly. “How are the preparations for your coming nuptials? Since you’re getting married, you can have the honour of throwing the first punch, I think.” He grins. Ronin gives the best wedding gift, in his opinion.

so is there any treason in the tricky little price I pay?

i can't open up to you

It felt good to be better, both physically and mentally, and Sunjata positively runs through his warmup with little to no fuss — no growls or hisses of pain, no tenderness as he rolls the unused muscles to loosen them up. His gaze finds Ronin then at the posed question, a wicked grin spreading along his face.

“Good.” He agrees, having naught much to say more about it. He’s done the same time and time again. The next comment has him smirking a bit though, dark brows raising in feigned surprise. “Oh what a perfect gift. Don’t mind if I do.” He murmurs, a huff of a laugh leaving him. “Prep is going well, though. Rings are almost ready, just need to get the stones. Need Hotaru to get back from Halo as well.” A small consideration as he figures out his stance, readying his fists and letting his gaze flicker along Ronin to determine where to hit. Clenching his wrapped fists, he shifts his weight quickly and strikes out with his left fist, aiming for Ronin’s shoulder. “How are things with you and Remi?”

me and my friends are lonely

i always figured i'd be the one to die alone

SUNJATA

is there a price to burn this paradise?

Ronin is similarly warmed up in no time at all - something he’s pleased to note in his counterpart as well. This should be a good sparring match, given that they’re both in decent form again. Thanks, Star-Mom. ”I thought so too,” he says of his gift with a grin, raising his fists ready for Sunjata to take his shot, where and when he pleases. ”Ah, yes. Can’t really have a wedding without your bride.” He chuckles.

As for how he was with Remi? So good, apparently, that he absolutely does not manage to dodge Jata’s blow, and a grunt of pain leaves him as he staggers to the side, laughing. ”We... we couldn’t be better,” he admits, and a faint pulse of starlight emanates out of him, as if to confirm that fact. The love bites on his neck probably help illustrate the point too.

Darting forward, Ronin tries to connect a punch at Jata’s ribs in retaliation. ”I let you have that first one. It’s part of the present.” Definitely wasn’t because Honey rolled a 5.

so is there any treason in the tricky little price I pay?

i can't open up to you

“Makes it a bit hard.” Sunjata agrees with a huff before his question is aired and he’s throwing his fist, toward Ronin’s shoulder, colliding easily as the grin grows a bit brighter on Sunjata’s face. “Good. I’m glad.” He comments about how he and Remi are doing. He hasn’t seen Remi in a while, a bit in passing, but overall he hasn’t had the time to meet Ludo’s Demigod for a chat in a long while.

That thought, however, gets cut short as Ronin throws his own punch and Sunjata’s focusing hard again, steel gaze following the trail of Ronin’s fist – managing to readjust his stance, to step out of the way so Ronin’s fist hits nothing but air. Was it luck? Or the fact Sky rolled a 17? Hard to say. Instead, the grin remains as he settles, shifting and twisting a bit in the sand. “Are you feeling generous today, Ronin?” He rumbles with that very same almost shit-eating grin, throwing his punch back at Ronin’s side.

me and my friends are lonely

i always figured i'd be the one to die alone

SUNJATA

is there a price to burn this paradise?

The time for small talk has obviously come to an end, given that they’re now properly sparring; and hells, maybe it’s because of Ronin’s over extending on his last punch, but it puts him in a prime position to get hammered by Jata’s next one. Grunting in pain, obviously winded, he dashes back and rubs at his ribs where the Flood has caught him. His laugh is breathless and he flashes a rueful look at the other man, reconsidering his next move.

”I must be, given my performance so far,” he wheezes, looking him up and down and pacing in a slow semicircle (buying time, obviously). Once he’s got enough of his breath back, Ronin darts forward again, trying for a flurry of blows this time, going for Jata’s head and torso in one.

so is there any treason in the tricky little price I pay?

i can't open up to you

He’s on his game today, apparently. The grin flares wide again across his face as his fist connects and Ronin darts back – settling in and bouncing on his feet as if he has years of energy to burn and nowhere else to spin it, watching as Ronin rubs his ribs and wheezes, circling and pacing in an attempt to get breath. Sunjata knows this, and his muscles flex as he focuses on whether or not Ronin’s attack will hit him on the side where he’s less prepared. “I must be real lucky, then.”

Turns out Ronin faces him, Sunjata turning just enough to watch as the Star darts forward, fists raised for both his head and his torso – and while Sunjata’s tall enough that the blows would have landed for sure – he dodges, dropping down to shrink himself and sweeps a leg out to try and take Ronin down.

me and my friends are lonely

i always figured i'd be the one to die alone

SUNJATA

is there a price to burn this paradise?

Jata was on his game and Ronin apparently had his head in the clouds; it wouldn’t be enough for them to both be evenly matched, would it? No, in their sparring matches, one of them had to fail just as hard as the other succeeded. ”Fuck sake, Jata,” Ronin says, laughing and backing up a bit as the other man successfully dodges his flurry of blows. ”I guess this is payback for our last round?”

It certainly seems to be, for out comes the Flood’s leg, sweeping his own from under him. Ronin goes down, but he’s a bit more prepared this time, and he manages to roll into it. Springing back up only a moment later, still crouched, he sweeps his own leg in return to try and get Jata on his level. Bigger they are, and all that.

so is there any treason in the tricky little price I pay?

i can't open up to you

“Don’t worry, Ster, I’ll clean ya up after.” He offers with a chuckle, dropping and sweeping his leg out to try and take Ronin down. He connects, some small amount, before he’s hopping back up on both feet now, steel gaze watching as Ronin bounds back from it. The leg lashes out at him, connecting and Sunjata does stumble back but keeps his footing for the most part — even if he’s a smidge off balance.

And so he faces Ronin again, trying to recapture the balance he’d lost while fixing his footing — and lashing out with his good leg toward Ronin’s size again. Somewhere deep down he’s pleased with the results of this fight, feeling a bit euphoric and back in shape despite everything. He just imagines he’ll have to give Ronin quite the apology after.

me and my friends are lonely

i always figured i'd be the one to die alone

SUNJATA

is there a price to burn this paradise?

”How very generous of you,” Ronin grumbles, though he does laugh a bit as he makes Sunjata stumble back. He’s absolutely losing this fight and he’s resigned to it, but it’s nice to know he’s managed to at least topple the other man off balance. Raising an eyebrow at what he thinks is a pet name, but sounds more like Jata just doesn’t know the moniker the people call him by, his eyes wide at the leg that comes for him again.

And wouldn’t you know - the Star catches it. ”Oho, the tables are turning!” He grins, doing little with his sudden minor advantage. Indeed, he does little more than hold the other man’s leg to keep him hopping, walking in a casual circle around the ring. ”I might keep this, y’know. Longer than my legs.”

may we dance until it rains, may we drink to hide our shame. we're all pretty when we die

A grin is sent Ronin’s way as his leg snaps out, aimed at getting the Star in the side. And for a split moment, he thinks it might work, the grin remaining for the moment until Ronin’s hand latches around the leg and Sunjata can feel himself stumbling, tilting with the force of it and everything else. So what else is there to do?

Oh is that so? He laughs down the bond toward Ronin — shifting to where man becomes snake — his foot shifting and melding into that of his tail that remains in Ronin’s hand, but the force of the spin has the rest of him wrapping around Ronin like a wet noodle. Of course it doesn’t last, though, not as the Korofian attempts to clamor up Ronin’s shoulder. Still wanna keep it? He alas, forked tongue flicking out by Ronin’s temple.

SUNJATA

is there a price to burn this paradise?

Well that’s a nifty little trick. Ronin yelps as Sunjata’s leg starts to wrap around his gods damned arm, the Star actually trying to shake him off for a second or two before realising what’s going on. ”You son of a bitch,” he laughs, relaxing now at least and letting the cobra worm his way up his arm and shoulder.

”Yes, actually. Even more than I did before.” Grinning and assuming their sparring match to be over, Ronin is already ducking under the ropes, assuming Jata will go wherever his snake-fuckery tells him to go. Still, he lets out a gasp at the forked tongue that flicks against his temple, Ronin already moving to sit on a crate and unwrap his hands. ”Kisses, Jata? You’re engaged and I am married,” he informs him, scandalised by the whole ordeal.

”No no. I’m afraid our forbidden love must remain just that. I’m crushed too, I know.”

may we dance until it rains, may we drink to hide our shame. we're all pretty when we die

Of course, the yelp causes some pride to settle in his chest — but he wraps and makes his way up, sticking to Ronin as he ducks under the ropes. Remind me to get you something with snakeskin then. He snorts mentally, before the forked tongue flickers along Ronin’s temple. And of course, he knows the next statement is a joke, and Sunjata can’t help but to add to his own jesting.

Has that ever stopped me from trying, Ronin? He chuckles through the bond, lifting his head up to pull a bit away from Ronin’s face, hood flaring as he cocks his head. I suppose you’re right though. Such a shame. He teases, forked tongue flicking back out as he makes the mental equivalent of the sound of clicking his tongue.

SUNJATA