[Training] give me your fire, give me your fear

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

"You know, I don't think we've ever had a fight where we weren't intending to actually rip each other to pieces," Danta is saying conversationally as the Oasis comes into view, the water still as glass, reflecting every branch and colourful leaf overhead. They've haunted this general area enough over the past few days, it makes sense to keep digging around out here. Especially if they're going for a little playful sparring match.

The suggestion, even a month ago, would have put the Maverick on high alert, expecting an assassination attempt at best and torture at worst. But today, with the increasingly chill breeze tousling his fair hair and his hands buried in the pockets of his coat, he's actually feeling pretty good about it. If Asta is planning to turn on him, he's playing a very long game about it, put it that way.

"Come on, then. Give it your best shot," he challenges.

Dantalion

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

“It was fun even if that was the goal.” He admits with a little laugh, more put together this time (truly kind of looking like a circus ring leader though, a nice vest to wrap around his middle and a shirt with sleeves drawn up to his elbows, and otherwise put together). The cane remains as well, a potential attempt to use it within their sparring match.

For now, though, with no blood on sight there’s no worry of fire crows, and so Asta is content as he rounds to face the Maverick with a shit eating sharp edged grin. “Mm alright.” He pauses, scanning the shape of the blonde, before he lashes out immediately, swinging with one fist while his other tries to slip the cane to Danta’s side where he might try to evade.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

Danta ought to have expected as much, and yet as the other man takes him in, he's a little too busy doing the same, so when Asta lances forward he catches the Maverick off guard - despite the fact that he's literally invited him in.

Huffing out a breath and trying a quick side-step, he's caught instantly, of course, by the cane. Hissing a curse under his breath and having to contort further so as not to get hit in the face, he instead leans into the weapon striking against his ribs.

"Son of a bitch," he laughs breathlessly, grasping at the cane and trying to twist away to take the weapon with him. Whether or not he's successful is irrelevent; either way, Danta aims low and tries to tackle Asta's legs out from beneath him.

Dantalion

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

Delight breaks across Astaroth’s face the second Danta sidesteps into the cane, and he’s half expecting the Maverick to just take the hit before the blonde simply presses into the cane at his side with enough pressure that it almost pushes him off balance. “You’re predictable.” Comes Asta’s little warning that promptly has him eating his own words as Danta tries to steal away the cane.

It draws all of his focus on preventing the stronger man (he’s got some weakness from the centuries of being a gargoyle, of course) and hisses as the Maverick does aim at his feet, tackling him quite well enough that he stumbles back onto his ass, his spaded tail lashing out behind him as he starts to kick, utilizing the cane to try and push and pry the Maverick off of him.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

"And you're slow," Danta retorts, because predictable or not, it's worked, and he'll never deny himself a win. Feeling a smug sense of satisfaction at being able to knock the other man on his ass, his attempt to pin Asta down and end this early is - naturally - made a little more difficult by that fucking cane again, and the Maverick has to resist the urge to try and bite it in half.

Instead, snapping his teeth and abruptly rolling away, the taller man will only be given a second of reprieve; Danta is already scooping up a handful of dirt and dust and leaves, trying to toss it into Asta's face before bullrushing him a second time. But he's ready now, aiming to try and wrangle the cane out of the other man's hands for good if he can get him flat on the ground.

Dantalion

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

“I just woke up!” Asta crows with a laugh as if it weren’t common knowledge (though he also sounds a bit like a petulant child complaining about it). Either way, whatever he’s done works, because Danta is rolling away and Asta is quick to regain some amount of movement on his knees, half toward pushing himself up when rock and dirt comes careening and that scarred arm blocks his eyes from taking the brunt of it.

It distracts enough to let Danta rush him again, though as he goes for the cane, Asta lets him take it after a brief tug of war, utilizing the strength the Maverick pulls with to haul himself up onto his feet, immediately moving to tackle the other man with no semblance of trying to hide his delight and amusement with their tussle.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

Danta feels thoroughly victorious - for all of about two seconds. With the cane in his hands, he's about to turn and properly bonk Asta across the head with it (see how he likes it and all that) but before he can so much as level it at the other man, he finds himself careening back towards the ground. "You can't use that as an excuse forever!" he protests, wheezing as the air is knocked out of his lungs, trying to wrestle the taller man off him.

One might call it ironic that their positions are completely reversed at this point, only it's a blessing that, for as many ways as they are alike, there are also a lot of ways in which they aren't. So as Danta realises that trying to work against gravity is pointless, it's with a grin that he instead takes lurches up to try and headbutt Asta right in his smug, smiling mouth.

Dantalion

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

He wants to shout that he can and he will, because he’s absolutely acting like a child right now. But he doesn’t get the chance to with the pedantic excitement he has with getting Danta onto his back in the very dirt that he had just used to try and blind him. As it stands, his shirt has a dusting of it as he tries to pin the Maverick, succeeding in only getting head butted.

And he bites his fuckin lip with those sharp teeth, causing a hiss and a harder grip as he dives down in much a similar movement to try and bite down on that soft spot between Danta’s shoulder and neck.

Don’t worry though, Danta, it’s not like he’s taking a bite out of you. He just wants to bruise.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

The smell of blood and dirt in the air is the sort of perfume Danta can really get behind, and although he'll have a bruise on his forehead to show for it, he'll consider it more than worthwhile. Still, while he's a little dazed, he expects the other man to lurch backwards rather than in closer, and so it's with a softly confused expression that he's more or less a sitting duck as the taller Ancient fastens his teeth around him.

Swearing his surprise, the Maverick huffs out a laugh and tries to free his legs that he might fasten them tightly around Astaroth's waist. "Kinky," he quips. "Joke's on you though, I'm into that shit." Gritting his teeth, he tries to roll them over and switch their positions, though he doesn't know the other man is only aiming to bruise, so it's quite a vicious strike that he aims at Asta's temple as a result.

Dantalion

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

He’s also dazed but it’s a little bit easier to focus through the pain sparked — after all, he’s used to it. So he lurches forward, bites down, starts to withdraw when Danta’s words reach him and he barks a laugh because he finally got ya and you’re keeping your fingers, but Danta’s legs wrap around Asta’s waist and he makes a little sound of surprise.

It’s enough of one that Asta is actually quite malleable where Danta starts to shift them, even if the strike to his temple is actually quite hard. “Ow, fuck!” He snaps, suddenly rolled onto his back, antler prongs pressing into the dirt underneath them. He blinks a frog like blink and starts to squirm a little under the shorter man.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

"Fuck yourself," Danta snaps, withdrawing the second he's able and casting Asta's cane to one side, leaving him straddled over the other man, dishevelled and covered in dirt (and maybe a bit of the taller Ancient's blood). Touching a hand to his neck and shoulder, he's quietly surprised when he takes back his fingers to find not only that there isn't a sizeable hunk of flesh missing, but he hasn't even broken the skin.

With a furrowed brow and an almost suspicious look down at Asta, the Maverick has the decency to look a touch sheepish, and he gets to his feet and holds out a hand to help him up as well. "Sorry," he mutters. "I've never known you to joke around when it comes to taking a bite out of someone. Might have overreacted a little."

Dantalion

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

The cane can be heard thinking against the ground where Danta casts it aside and Asta, still dazed and somewhat bleary, blood dripping from the corner of his lip disappearing into the stubble, seems to snicker where Danta keeps him pinned for the moment.

A moment that doesn’t last as surprise casts over the Maverick’s face and Asta lays there with a goofy ass grin on his face peering up at the blonde before he shuffles off of him. He sits up, dusting himself off after a moment, and gladly takes Danta’s hand before exhaling slightly. “A little? I can restrain myself.” Most times, goes unsaid, but the sentiment remains as he reaches for his cane and straightens out his outfit, peering down at himself.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

Straightening himself out as well - and double checking again that there isn't an Asta-shaped bite missing from his shoulder - Danta snorts and rolls his eyes at the other man. "I can restrain myself," he says. "I can't have sex though, or I'll eat them, he says." The words are drawled and injected with no shortage of amusement, the Maverick brushing the dust off his clothes and his coat and from his hair, before taking a final, deep breath and letting it out in a deep sigh.

"Let's call it a draw, hey?" he offers, a sunny smile plastered back across his face as he turns his collar up. "Unless you want to go and clean up by the side of the Oasis?" The suggestion being, of course, that if such a thing were to happen, there might be a repeat of last time. Except Danta doesn't intend on being dragged into the water on this occasion.

Dantalion

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

“Most times.” He says with a roll of his eyes that’s a touch playful at Danta’s bantering. He didn’t think it needed to be said, but he should know better that the Maverick would take any chance to poke holes at what he says. But he’s standing now, collecting the cane and dusting everything off including himself, brushing his hair back as he glances over toward the shimmering Oasis.

He contemplates for a moment before he raises a brow back toward Danta, still panting a little and dazed. “Not after last time. Unless you intend to dip in first.” He cocks his head as a grin blooms across his face.

“Don’t forget it was fucking cold last time.” He shrugs casually but in an arrogant way like he knows better.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine