june catchall (open!)

[prophylactic]

Who: Shinji! and! you!
Where: various
What: ya boy shinjiro, man about town (feat. brunch, Axe Swinging, and misc tdm-inspired loitering)
Warnings: nothing yet

cooking mama sequel

[While he doesn't actually live in the inn anymore, Shinji is here at the inn today, helping himself to the kitchen as the locals so generously allow him to. Things have been weird? He remembers passing out and waking up somewhere else entirely (or: he was kidnapped to the grove, and unconscious throughout), and while he was out, it seems like a bunch of people had a strange and uncomfortable time.

So!

Well. All Shinji knows to show empathy is making food and punching, and one of those isn't really viable, and the other one he's only doing so that he doesn't have to think about the implications of being mysteriously kidnapped. All this to say he is at the inn, in the kitchen, making Food. He's both very skilled and weirdly fast at food preparation, so there is a lot, and since he lives on a farm with a bunch of egg-laying chickens, primarily it's Brunch.

If you come in looking for a nibble, he immediately snaps:]

Don't touch that. [And then just as immediately, prepares a delightful brunch plate and slides it over a countertop.] Eat this. And don't complain about it, okay?

[Complain... about free brunch... He can't just give out food normally or someone might notice he has Human Empathy.]

axe you a question

[Or: The training arc prompt, because if sleeping with a big axe next to his bed doesn't deter magical shadow kidnappers, he'll just have to... stop sleeping and swing it around all the time?

Whatever. He's workshopping it. He's never really, um, trained before, is the thing— not formally? Not really? His bestie is the training-addicted jock, Shinji is merely a tank with a big axe. So while he is here, at the random spot he's chosen to train in (somewhere with less foot traffic, see, is the sole requirement), he has no planned routine.

Or even, like. Stretches? Do people stretch? Goddamn. It's warm out but he's dressed like it's winter and he's carrying a big axe, which might not be the most comforting of figures to be addressed by, suddenly:]

Hey. You. ....Do you know how to fight? [hm, well, no, and he frowns because now it's embarrassing-] Do you know how to train.

misc around town mini prompts

[You may run into Shinji:

A. Loitering in the statue garden, where he will be staring at his own statue with an air of obvious and grim Sulking, suspiciously fist-sized rock in hand at his side... ah jeez...!!

B. Not-quite-celebrating at ....the post-event celebration, that is to say, lurking to pick up some food and then disappearing again. He gruffly brushes off any local trying to rope him back in, using the logic that he definitely just slept through the whole thing so please leave him the hell alone this time, but as it starts to get darker he's definitely hanging around as a self-appointed Party Bouncer in case anything out there gets any ideas. Or in case someone in the party starts some shit.

C. Out in the woodsy areas that need replanting, crouched down next to a hole in the ground with a seed in hand. A magic seed. He's literally seen a fairy but he still feels the need to ask,] ....This isn't for real, right?

wildcard/etc

[wriggles back in from my hiatus, hello.... hmu via pm or at jojoveller if you would like a custom starter, we can hash something out!! or: do whatever, surprise me.]

Comments

[feintofhart]

What, this?

[ Man, Claude remembers when he thought something was seriously off with these weapons. He didn't know how to put it when everyone else just accepted it as part of typical life. These days, he's become so used to the sight of them that he forgets that others might find it a little distressing. He takes it off his back and hefts it before him. ]

Carved out of bone, yeah. Or something that looks a lot like it. [ A rock in its centre - its crest stone - emits a faint glow as his hand wraps around it. ] It's a family heirloom. It's creepy looking, I'll admit, but there's no beating it on a battlefield.

[prophylactic]

[You know, all things considered, Shinji has seen worse than a thing made of bones. The glowing stone gives it an even more unsettling air, but are Shadows not even creepier by default...

Still, he has to wonder exactly what kind of motivation there is behind an heirloom made of bones. Weird.]

Sure, I guess. One of my... [is Yukari a friend. eh.] ...teammates uses a bow, but it's...

[He gestures at the bone bow, uncertainly.] Normal.

[At least his big axe is just a big axe! Surely there isn't a bone axe out there in the world!! Aha. Anyway,]

So, what's first?

[feintofhart]

Using a normal bow is probably for the best.

[ Claude makes the active decision not to get into that whole if you use my heirloom bow you'll turn into a hideous monster detail. He will have to one day, he's sure, if only to dissuade someone from taking it and using it themselves, but Shinji here has no inclination to do so.

Claude eyes the bow, thinking back to his academy days. ]

Well... back at Garreg Mach, we'd do different types of training. First off, it's important that you're generally fit if you're gonna be swinging that thing around. Weights, running, that sort of thing. Secondly, we'd spar with each other. Normally we'd use training weapons so that we wouldn't accidentally behead each other, but we don't exactly have them handy here. And last, we'd get lectures from specialists in our chosen weapon to teach us different techniques. Different strikes to use, different ways to hold the weapon, how to avoid injury when you're fighting a long battle, that sort of thing.

Considering it's just the two of us? My vote's on sparring. Unless you really feel like running laps.

[prophylactic]

I never want to run laps.

[He's tall, is the height advantage for movement not enough to excuse him from actually having to run anywhere-- he's legitimately leaned on "big guy, scary face, mean right hook" for so long that all of this other stuff- running, weights?, training weapons- sound grim and awful by default. But damn if he'll be caught off guard and kidnapped by some freak cult again, so-- alright. Sparring.

He hefts the axe down to lean against a nearby stump for a minute while he shrugs off the big winter coat to just leave... on the ground... If he must spar, he'll do it unencumbered, at least.]

How useful is that stuff in a real fight? When you're facing something that's gonna kill you, is it really checking to see if your strikes are right?

[Revealed: Shinji's entire combat strategy really is "hit hard, hit often." There are different strikes...? With names??]

[feintofhart]

Heh. That means that you probably should be running laps. But you don't need me around to run 'em, so I think it'd be a waste of both of our time. As for what's useful in a fight? Yeah, I'd say technique is worth it. It's easy to strain yourself on the battlefield. If you pull a muscle, it only takes a moment's pause for the enemy to get a lucky shot in. And no matter how strong you are, one hit can be the difference between life and death.

[ Claude paces a little, arms tucked behind his back as he strolls, looking Shinji over. ]

Plus, learning different kinds of strikes are good underneath different conditions. Fighting a magic-user is easy enough for close-combat, but if the other guy has an axe too, you'll want to know the best way to combat it. The best way to dodge, parry, block. How to hit someone best you can with the handle, if you'd rather take them out of commission instead of just killing them outright.

I guess you really never had any formal training, huh? What're you fighting against back home, anyway? An axe that size must be for some pretty heavy-duty foes.

[ It seems like too much for just fighting against bandits. But he's obviously self-taught, right? So it can't be in an army either. Maybe his home is under siege by monsters? ]

[prophylactic]

[God, is this what people who go to school are like. Claude knows so many things about fighting, with specifics, that Shinji has never heard said out loud before? Granted, the fights they get into back home are incredibly specific every time, and so all of their techniques and team plans are about Shadow weaknesses, but wow...

He does make a face, once; "if the other guy has an axe too," huh--]

I don't hit people with the axe. Street fighting's hands-only, unless some wiseass brings a switchblade.

[And he's tall enough to break someone's nose before they can reach him with a blade, unless he suddenly has to plan for guys with swords, or something-?? Training is so detailed, the hell.]

....It's- monsters. At home. [simple enough for this; explaining a Shadow would take too long] None of us had any training before they turned up.

[feintofhart]

Ahh, I see. [ Claude's expression sobers a little. ] That's gotta be tough. I can see why you don't have any training -- or why you might think all of this stuff is besides the point when you just wanna hit 'em as hard and as fast as you can. It's true that fighting against monsters, you usually have to worry less about all that stuff. It's fighting against other people who can strategize at the same time as you that gets tricky.

[ It's the focus of Claude's combat. Not man versus monster, but man versus man. And the foes he's facing down are powerful, in manpower and strategy alike. He's used to thinking three steps ahead. In contrast, fighting against mindless beasts is almost a relief.

Not that this guy will see it the same way, not if monster infestations are new to his home. He hums thoughtfully. ]

Here... it seems like we'll do more fighting against monsters than other human beings. Maybe you have a leg up on me there. But it's always good to prepare. [ His gaze snaps back to Shinji. ] What were these monsters of yours liek?

[prophylactic]

[Ah, that's- call Shinji an "assumes the worst" kind of guy, but he nearly expected a lecture about how he should have trained anyway. As if fighting monsters requires finesse and competitive-quality moves more than hitting as hard and as fast as he can! He's gotten it before.

So, huh. Alright. Point for Claude, conveyed in a vague grunt of agreement from Shinji over it.]

People're easier to just knock out, [he grumbles, half-heartedly. He doesn't, like, think Claude is totally out for Human Enemy blood or something, but god, he never wants to be in a "kill the other guy" situation if he can help it. Monsters are easier; monsters are just monsters.

He still makes a face, because Shadows are also gross and bad to look at, but.]

....Ugly, [he says after a beat. It's true!!] There were a lot of types, but they all went down eventually. I wasn't into categorizing them, or any of that stuff. Someone else took care of all that technical shit.

[feintofhart]

Huh. Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what they are beyond ugly, but if any of your fellow monster fighters ever make their way here, I can ask them. What with that big ugly tree we had to fight, the more we know about different kinds of monsters the better.

[ He hoists his bow over his shoulder. ]

Anyway, about that whole training thing... I can collect a few branches so that I'm not just shooting arrows into you while we're training. I don't like getting healers involved when we're supposed to be sharpening up our skills.

[ Claude eyes Shinji's axe. ]

I don't know what to do about that thing, though. [ He grins. ] It doesn't look much good for just knocking people out, if you ask me. [ He touches his hand to his collarbones. ] And I like my pretty little neck right where it is. What do you say we start with some precision practice? I shoot, you see how well you can smack 'em out of mid-air.

[prophylactic]

Right... Maybe some other time.

[Technically there are, uh, Several of his fellow monster fighters around here, but they all seem to have silently agreed not to tell anyone outside the circle about each other, so he'll leave that up to them. Or maybe he'll just get over it and explain what a Shadow is, but not today. Today is for, uh...

...getting sticks thrown at him? Accuracy... hoo boy.]

I don't hit people with the axe, [he says, in the tone of someone who would like to say "what am I, a psycho killer?" but also has resigned himself to the knowledge that other people here have definitely stabbed people on purpose. It's very specific.]

Smack or cut? [It's a big axe. One of these requires much less accuracy than the other.] Try not to pick any really big sticks.

[feintofhart]

Either. Cutting would certainly be a lot more impressive, but this is a defensive maneuver, not an offensive one -- unless you get a bunch of little monsters flying in your direction. But my experience with stuff like that is that they're usually big, ugly things that just... [ He claws the air, as though miming some horrible beast, shoulders hunched and teeth bared. ] Roar.

[ Claude rolls his shoulders, a skip in his step as he begins investigating the ground for suitable sticks. ]

This place is at peacetime, so I guess you don't have to worry too much about having to deal with actual projectiles. [ He picks up a stick and spins it between his fingers, the perpetual showboat. ] Though I'm not really sure what this place's political situation looks like. You can never be too careful!