Fight Club

[notapilot]

It's that time again. Sam puts up the notice on the board and leaves flyers with Bar (as well as asking her politely to translate for anyone who asks).

Fight Club Outback tonight:
Rules are simple
1-Fight friendly; this is for testing skills not grudges
2-Be honest with skills and abilities
3-Break off the fight if it's getting serious
4-Square areas are for sparing with weapons
5-Circle areas are for sparing hand to hand
6-Any area (square or circle) that also has a triangle is for teaching

There are enchanted/high tech weapons available for use that will heal when they strike. (Weird, yes, but I've tested them so I know it's true.)
Security and Infirmary staff are present, but please try not to need us. This is for fun and not grudges.

[OOC: See this backroom post for OOC rules. Feel free to contact me via DM if you have questions or concerns.]

Comments

[notapilot]

Sam has a friend with him today, Caledonia, a young pit bull wearing a blue vest and a wide smile. Since he's watching a service dog in training for a friend, he'll be sitting out sparing today. Still, it should be some good practice for things she might have to face in her life and duties.

So far she's doing pretty well, looking from Sam to the circles, but more often looking to Sam to gauge his reactions to things rather than getting excited by all the noise.

[starrydome]

"Hello," Elrond says, partly to Sam, partly to the dog.
He also offers a hand to sniff.

He's been walking in the forest and there are still a few leaves clinging to his braided hair and his tunic.

[notapilot]

Sam watches Cal's reaction, though in all fairness he should be pointing out that the dog is currently working.

Cal for her part holds herself back, though she whines in restrained enthusiasm.

"Good, Cal. Why don't we take a break," he says in reply, reaching down to unclip the vest. Taking it off, he looks up to Elrond. "Sorry, she's training to be a service dog and was on duty. This is Cal, go ahead Cal, you can play now."

Cal whines again before she enthusiastically sniffs and then licks Elrond's hand.

[starrydome]

"Oh,"Elrond replies. "Well, then you did very well, Cal. You didn't let me disturb you at all," petting the dog while he praises her.
"Is that what the vest signifies? That she is - a service dog?"

He says it carefully, the way you do when presented with an unfamiliar concept.

[notapilot]

Cal barks softly and wags her tail, loving the praise and attention. Her manner is much more open and friendly than when she was wearing the vest.

"Yes. In her case, she's learning to watch out for how the person she's caring for reacts to things. She'll be a fine therapy dog to help those who've faced traumatic events that still cause panic or the like. The idea is that she'll then be able to comfort or pulls the person to a safe place, away from what ever triggered the panic."

[starrydome]

Elrond looks up at him with a smile and then back down at the dog.
"I have known animals to do so," he says. "But I have never met one trained for it. Is it very common, in your world?"

[notapilot]

"This application is. They've been helpful to blind people or deaf people in navigating the world, but the idea use using them for comfort is more recent. It's becoming more common as people learn to accept mental difficult to the same degree as physical ones."

[starrydome]

Elrond nods slowly,still petting the dog.
"Yes," he says. "The wounds of the soul may hurt as much as those of the body, Moreso even as they are hidden and slow to heal."

[notapilot]

Cal is loving the pets and is well behaved. She doesn't crawl over Elrond as some younger dogs might and she also still keeps an eye on Sam.

"And unfortunately, at least in my world, they are not always taken as seriously. I guess if you can't see it, it isn't real to some people."

"I'm afraid I can't remember if we've met before. I'm Sam Wilson and you already know Cal, but it's short for Caledonia."

[starrydome]

"Well met then, Sam Wilson and Caledonia," Elrond says.
"My name is Elrond Half-Elven."

He looks - and sounds - as if greeting a dog the same way as he is greeting its owner is quite normal.

[notapilot]

Sam rolls with it, this is Milliways after all, though now that he's spent some time with the half-elf, he seems familiar.

"I think we met before. Well, we didn't exchange names but I ran a Happy Hour with Girl Scout cookies."

[starrydome]

"Yes, I remember those," Elrond replies.
"Very sweet, to my palate at least."

He smiles.

"Should I let you and Caledonia get back to work?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"What a cheerful dog," says the tall Viking who's been slowly walking towards the sparring areas. "Are you Sam?"

[notapilot]

Cal barks a greeting and takes a step towards Ragnar before Sam calls out softly, "Aut. You're on duty, Cal."

Looking up to Ragnar, he smiles in apology. "Sorry, she's being trained as a service dog and can't play or introduce herself while she's working."

Sam wonders if the blond man will understand what a service dog is, but he's ready to explain if need be. "And yes, I'm Sam. Can I help you with something?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

Ragnar is completely used to the idea of working dogs being trained, of course. "What is she being trained for?" he asks. "And yes, you maybe might."

[notapilot]

"In my world, some people come out of traumatic events with mental or emotional problems. They relive the events over and over, even though they are far removed from them. Cal here is being trained to recognize when one of those episodes is happening and to provide comfort when they happen, in the hopes the person she's assigned to can be pulled out before they get too deep."

"Is it safe to assume we are from different times, if not simply different worlds? I don't want to assume just because we're wearing differently styled clothes."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

Ragnar listens to that explanation with great concentration. "That only happens in your world?"

Beat.

"And yes, I'm a Viking, and Athelstan tells me it's the year 800 where we are from."

[notapilot]

"I would guess that it happens in any world that has humans. From what I know, our minds and hearts haven't changed much over time or distance. Regardless of if the society calls it as such. Let me ask this, are there any times when men, or women if I'm remembering my history right, come back from combat changed. More somber or quicker to anger? Do you have a word for that?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Not a word," Ragnar says, "but it happens. Not just after a fight, either. It happens to people that -- suffered violence, of any kind, too."

[notapilot]

"See. Things change a lot, but people are pretty consistent."

"Has something happened to you that you're having trouble adjusting to? Or maybe living with might be a better question."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Not to me," Ragnar says, quietly.

[basic_powers]

Tyler was originally going to come out here to look for someone to spar with swords, but there is a dog that he hasn't met yet so of course he's a little excited. Because smiling dog.

With his wooden practice sword and one of the troll's custom jobs clattering on his left hip, there's a ten year old boy jogging up with an obvious expression. Seeing the blue vest, he's stopping a foot or two short of the dog and immediately looking at her handler. "What's their name?"

[notapilot]

Sam turns from watching one of the rings at the question.

"Cal," he answers smiling at the boy's politeness in waiting and giving distance. Casting a quick glance at Cal, he shakes his head and unclips the vest. "And I think she could use a break. Cause she's a good girl isn't she?"

Cal, of course, takes the cue and stands, waging her tale before shaking all over and into a stretch. "She's in training and I'm just watching her a friend. Would you like to met her?"

[basic_powers]

"Yes." Tyler chirps, with the sort of restraint in his voice that hints his statement was almost a exclamation. As he's bending down to greet Cal, the kid is also moving up his ears with both hands.

Look, he's short on the appendages to speak without a stiff accent, but those lessons in Wolf and General Canine from Ray are fun to use. Milliways is the only place he really uses it these days.

Hi Cal! I'm Tyler!

[notapilot]

Cal cants her head to the side, her tail wagging double time.

You speak!

Sam for his part laughs at their enthusiasm.

[basic_powers]

I learned from my person, Ray! He taught me Wolf first, but Dog is much easier than Wolf. No tail for Wolf. He's at least got the body wriggle of a good wag down, even leaning slightly into the right-hand 'wags'.

Sometimes he makes an excellent dog.

Would you like to play Tag?

[onceholyknight]

Michael has brought Mouse out for more exercise than he can get in a suburban Chicago back yard. He pauses to look wistfully at the fighting rings.

The huge dog, on the other hand, is more interested in Caledonia, approaching to a respectful distance and waiting for acknowledgment.

[notapilot]

Cal looks up at the larger dog (assuming by picture) and then back up at Sam. Her body language clearly reads, "I have duties but I want to play."

Sam for his part is watching the rings and misses this interplay, at least until she whines. Looking down and then at the direction Cal is looking, Sam smiles. It's tempting to let her off duty, but such distractions will be part of her life and so she'd best get used to not always getting what she wants. "Not yet girl. I'll let you off soon though."

[onceholyknight]

Mouse is, in canon, sometimes described as a small dinosaur, so certainly larger than Cal.

Michael looks round at them, beckoning Mouse back to his side. "She's working?"

[notapilot]

"Yeah. Well, she's training. She's been on for a while though if you friend would like someone to play with?"

[onceholyknight]

"He's always willing to play", he says with an affectionate smile. "Except when he has to work himself. This is Mouse - yes, I know, but he was a very small puppy - and I'm Michael."

at the melee rings

[my_brothers_shadow]

Rollo saw the notice and managed to read enough of it to raise his curiosity. Given he will soon be raiding, a practice match with someone he is unfamiliar with would be a good thing.

Now he stands shirtless with a sword tucked into his belt and a large round shield on his left arm while he fingers one of the enchanted axes. Such a strange thing.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"New axe?" Ragnar asks, turning up with a shrug and looking as if he'd expected Rollo to be there all along.

[my_brothers_shadow]

"Not one that would be useful," Rollo replies, somehow not surprised to find his brother. He runs his thumb along the blade, cutting deep only to have the wound heal soon after. "These are enchanted to heal. I do not like them. They would make one lazy, even in play fighting."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Heal instead of hurt?" Ragnar asks. "Who would even make such axes?"

People from the future are so weird!

[my_brothers_shadow]

Rollo shakes his head with a laugh. "I do not know. I think there was something about it in the note for this club," Rollo says the word carefully as it is a new one for him, "But my skill in reading is not well enough to be sure."

"Would you like to spar?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"With axes that do no damage?" Ragnar says. "Well, why not."

[my_brothers_shadow]

"With shields?" Rollo asks as he pulls out the sword at his waist and thrusts it into the ground outside of the circle.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Of course," Ragnar says, looking around for a shield that would fit him.

[auxin]

Auxin has been down the gym, and lugged a lorry load of potatoes into the cellar, so he's in a circle ready for action!

[soldier_blade]

Sonya's always grateful for the chance to spar, especially in this place. At her age and the career (the life) she had back home, she couldn't allow herself to get soft.

She stood just outside the ring, dressed in track pants and t-shirt, stretching her shoulders and neck. Having participated a few times already, she could recognize more than a few faces, yet also notice even more newcomers.

Maybe one of them would like to try their hand with her.