.001 ♛ [ACTION/OPEN]

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ Garden was huge. That was the first thing he noticed. Big, but easy to navigate, something that could be appreciated. But it wasn't the size that really interested him, but what they did with all that space. The second he heard about the "Training Center" Akihiko knew where he had to go, even if it was only his second night.

The halls were growing quieter as the more studious when to study and the tired went to sleep. But Akihiko? He felt like he was ten years old again. Cracking his knuckles, he walked the route he had memorized earlier; green signs, he noted that. A few people were leaving, but he paid them no mind.

Needless to say, he was expecting something more like a gym, something he was used to, but...the scene looked more like it came straight out of an action movie. Tall, metal gates were only hinting at what it had to keep behind them. He could faintly hear the scuffle of wildlife off in the distance, something that definitely wasn't human.

Was this even a good idea...?

He pushed the button that unlocked the door. A gust of air met him in the face. Akihiko blinked, brows furrowing slightly as he stepped through the gateway.

And was met with a weird...plant-like creature, waving its arms in the air wildly.

He cracked his knuckles again.

Oh hell yeah, this was a good idea. ]


(( OOC; So, open to anyone! He...will want to be running around punching things, so any enemies are open game. ))

Comments

T-REXAUR! T-REXAUR!

[willnotsubmit.livejournal.com]

[It was fully possible to study and get some combat practice in at the same time, as needed. And after meeting Iori, and another day of classes, Mitsuru finally felt ready to give her body a little bit of practice while training her mind as well.

Which was why she was in a deeper section of the training center, testing out the idea of drawn magic as much as possible, and just starting to feel the tips of her fingers and the edges of her thoughts hum a little from all the power that was cycling through them. Artemisia was stirring again in the back of her mind, but at least wasn't trying to force her way out into a full manifestation; apparently, her Persona appreciated the fine distinction between a precision strike, and complete overkill.

She'd still been managing to stack up an impressive number of plant creatures, however. One by fire. (Technically, a thin string of fire that almost burned her fingers when it left her skin and reminded Mitsuru why she did not work with that element) One by thunder (which explained the peculiar buzzing in the back of her throat and mind) and two by ice, which still felt the most natural, and easiest. That spell practically flew off her finger tips with a satisfying amount of grace and damage.

She felt ready to try for five, though. And when Mitsuru heard something moving further down the path, she drew her shoulders up, and made certain that her sword was on hand before picking her way towards it.

No rushing, though; she'd take a good look at her next enemy before picking something out to throw at it.]

RAAAAAAWR

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ Stepping over another fallen Grat, Akihiko rolled his shoulders with a satisfied grin. He had a few bruises and tears in his shirt to show for his efforts, but overall he was satisfied with what the Training Center had to offer. Some of the abilities that the monsters used were definitely new--and let's face it, he did not appreciate being put to sleep in the middle of battle--but he was only too happy to return the favor by knocking the bugs out permanently. ]

That all you got? [ He asked the foliage, half-expecting a monster to pop out like before. ] I'm just getting war--[ And he was decidedly interrupted...by something much bigger.

If he hadn't already been making due in an alternate reality where you went to a military academy and learned magic like it was normal, the fact that he now found himself staring up at a two-story tall dinosaur would have seemed a little strange. All the logic centers in his brain were telling him to get the hell out of there, but this was Akihiko we're talking about. He doesn't run from a fight, even an impossible one. ]

Heh. [ But...what kind of school kept dinosaurs, anyway? ] Guess that'll do it. [ He did what he had to do right then.

...He ran up and punched the T-Rexaur. ]

/insert Jurassic Park SFX here

[willnotsubmit.livejournal.com]

[Whatever she was approaching, it definitely sounded gigantic...And possibly angry. Mitsuru could distantly remember hearing about, and occasionally glimpsing fights with some of the giant creatures kept here, which was enough to make her cautious. As she got closer, she started sorting through the spells tucked in the back of her mind, trying to pick out something that she'd be able to use quickly if needed.

Which quickly narrowed the selection to ice again. She let the spell build up energy, letting the power flow down to her wrists, and-]

"GRAOWWWWWWWR!"*

*Loosely translated, could possibly mean 'What the hell is this punching!? You're supposed to run away-OWWW!'

[And then had that cut into her concentration, right as she turned the corner and saw a very large, very furious looking dinosaur-

And one familiar figure who was intent on using it for a punching bag. Even with Iori's (accidental) warning, that sight was enough to knock the spell out of Mitsuru's head and let it fizzle out into nothing.]

"Dieu!"

[She muttered that under her breath as Mitsuru tried to call something else up before the dinosaur decided to stop reacting to getting punched, and attacked. In the mean time she desperately hoped that Akihiko wasn't about to do something reckless.

...At least, nothing more reckless then running up and picking fights with two story reptiles.]

...did you know there's a musical?

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ It wasn't the same as fighting Shadows, that was for sure. Some part of him was still waiting for Fuuka to announce the enemy's weakness, and honestly, it would have been appreciated. There was only so much damage he could do as a human being against, well, a T-Rex.

Akihiko hopped backwards, taking a defensive stance as he weighed his options. His left hand almost instinctively went to his side, but he paused mid-motion; no, he did not have his Evoker. How else was he supposed to--

It was then that it seemed Mr. Dinosaur was done playing punching bag. While Akihiko was unable to do much damage to the beast, he was rather successful in getting on its bad side. The T-Rexaur lunged forward, large jaws snapping with equally large teeth showing just how much damage they could do. Akihiko jumped back just a second too late, getting half of his sleeve caught on the beast's teeth. Just as the dinosaur yanked forward, Akihiko pulled back, ripping his shirt but freeing himself as he fell backwards onto the ground. ]

Unf!

[ This was not good. ]

"Holy ****ing **** it's a dinosaur, Oh my go~d, what the ****~"

[willnotsubmit.livejournal.com]

[What happened next wasn't something Mitsuru felt all that proud of. With the last of that ice spell sputtering out in the back of her mind, and the front of her thoughts occupied with the fact that Akihiko was not moving away from the T-Rexaur-

When the dinosaur lunged forward, she lost her focus, and her mind went startling blank when she saw it grab Akihiko by the arm. She thought she saw teeth sinking into him, and then the dinosaur's head and neck were between Mitsuru and Akihiko, leaving her to just hear a tearing noise. Those spells waiting on her were wiped out of her head, leaving Mitsuru grasping at nothing.

But once her thoughts went silent, she was acutely aware of how Artemisia was pressing against her consciousness, waiting for permission to come out and cause some damage.]

"Artemisia!"

[Mitsuru didn't hesitate to grant it, and felt the Persona almost burst out of her head with a wave of cold air. The temperature around her plummeted, and she could hear a high, thin noise right before several shards of ice lanced down from the air, and thudded into the T-Rexaur's side with a loud shckTHUNK.]

if Mitsuru wants to still be afoot that is also fine. :D

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

[Junpei hadn't had a curfew in ages. Living at home with a deadbeat father meant he'd spent many a night out until all hours, waiting until the old man had fallen asleep on the couch before returning home and slinking back to his bedroom, and when he had joined SEES, of course curfew really hadn't meant anything anymore. So when he discovered that there was a curfew in the Garden, he was a bit unsure what to do with himself. Months of training in Tartarus had only enforced his night owl tendencies, and so the idea of hitting the sack early just hadn't seemed to be an option.

But there was one place that he was allowed to be after hours: the training center. ... Well, he wasn't sure what sort of company he would find there, but he supposed there was only one way to find out.

He hadn't been assigned a weapon for class yet, but he'd managed to procure a baseball bat--going to the training center unarmed would have just been plain stupid. One of the kids in the library had been kind enough to point him in the direction of an upperclassman who had a stash of bludgeons, and so Junpei had his very own (slightly dented and a little old and worn) metal baseball bat with which to combat whatever was waiting for him in the training center. Oh yeah, he so had this.

Stepping through the doors, he found the area to be pleasantly green and lush. Interesting.

He discovered a club house of sorts in the middle of the area, across a few plank bridges, but one could only watch cute girls make out with other guys for so long before it got old. And, well... the girl HE wanted to kiss wasn't here either way, so the whole thing was kind of depressing.

Venturing back out into the lush forested area, Junpei rounded a tree and happened upon something that... actually shouldn't have surprised him at all. There was a silver-haired man in a nearby clearing, engaged in an awkward-looking battle with a pair of things that looked like giant pears crossed with daddy-longlegs. What the hell kind of monsters were these crazy Garden people breeding??]

Akihiko-senpai? [Welp. At least this was something he was used to. Jogging up behind his friend, Junpei rested the bat on his shoulder and gave him a sidelong glance.] Well this feels kinda familiar, huh.

where mah bitches at

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ He had encountered quite a few of these annoying bug things throughout the night. In fact, if it hadn't been for the random dinosaur deciding to make an appearance earlier, he would have believed the training center was full of nothing but Grats. Grats, Grats, and more Grats.

He needed something a little different.

A smack to one of its arms when he heard his name called, Akihiko blinked, looking over his shoulder. Thankfully for Junpei, this time he was not met with a fist to the face. ]

Junpei. [ He straightened his stance. ] What're you doing here? [ And a half-hearted punch to its face when one of the creatures lunged forward. ] I thought you'd be sleeping.

bitches dunno shit about Final Fantasy status effects >:|

[no-sausage-fest.livejournal.com]

Pff, I can sleep when I'm de-- [Oh. Okay, that's not quite a joke he gets to make anymore. Okay, regroup. He twisted and slapped one of the creature's arms away with his bat, then grinned at Akihiko.] I couldn't sleep, actually--too much on my mind. Besides, [Another whack with the bat, and the nearest Grat crumpled to the ground.] this is what I'm used to doing around this time of night anyway.

So what ah... What are these things? Pear-spiders? [Whack! Another one bites the dust!] They don't seem real strong--is this all that's here?

[He was about to suggest maybe checking one of the more wooded areas for something that might pose a bit more of a challenge when one of the last two Grats standing waved its tentacly arms above its head and then sort of undulated them in Junpei's direction.]

What the hell is it... doing...? Whoa... I feel... weird...

[Junpei staggered to one side, half a step, then another, and before he could really move to catch himself, he crumpled bonelessly to the ground. Congratulations, Junpei--you've just had your first encounter with a Sleep status effect. Good luck with that.]

...for reals, yo

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ They were still on the old schedule, huh? That made sense. It took one's body a while to get accustomed to a new daily rhythm. They say it takes 21 days to make it a habit. Would they still be at Garden that long? ]

Beats me. They're not very strong, though. [ As much as he enjoyed punching things, this was starting to get a little old.

Along a similar vein, Akihiko scanned the area for anything with a little more kick to it. Less kick than the T-Rexaur, though. (HIs sleeves were rolled up only because he was missing most of one, thanks to the scaley friend). A thin brow raised to Junpei's failing sentence. ]

What? [ Turning to his side, however, he found his teammate in a lump on the ground. ]

...

[ Who falls asleep in the middle of the battlefield? So much for not being able to sleep. Akihiko groaned and shook his head. ]

Hey. [ Nothing. He leaned down, shaking Junpei's shoulder instead. ]

What do you think you're doing? [ Still nothing. It didn't take him long to try something else. Akihiko prepared a fist and sent a heavy punch to Junpei's shoulder instead. ]

Quit playing around!

[fierybluebird]

[While he should be doing disciplinary committee rounds, Marco is working out some kinks by kicking things in the head and keeping an eye on the stragglers so he can make sure they're vaguely headed back to their dorms.]

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ What is this curfew? It's something Akihiko is ignoring in favor of punching things. No matter where you are, he can at least rely on this for some level of normalcy. Or, at least as close to normal as he could ever get.

One Grat body flies down just a foot away from Marco as Akihiko knocks it out. ]

Ah... So-ri. [ He tries some mangeled English. ]

[fierybluebird]

[Waves a hand, hardly minding.]

No problem.

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ Akihiko gives him an awkward nod, having a vague idea of what the other man said to him. ]

...OK. [ And have a dorky thumbs up. Is it clear that he doesn't speak the language, yet? ]

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

[Some habits are hard to break, and in Minato's case, the habit he got of visiting Tartarus twice a week remains even a world apart. Of course, in this case, replace 'Tartarus' with the Training Center - which, he has to admit, is considerably easier, though just as risky.

Training with paramagic this night, Minato is scorching a particuarly persistent Grat when he hears nearby sounds of a scuffle. Finishing off his opponent quickly, he heads off to the noise, hoping he can get to practice with a teammate tonight.]

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ One last punch drives the last Grat into the ground. It twitches for a moment, then goes limp. Akihiko stands back up to his full height, rolling his shoulders and getting the kinks out. These monsters aren't so tough--well, no, the dinosaur was definitely a surprise. But these bug things were nothing.

The soft crack of grass and twigs alerts him to another enemy's presence, but upon turning around, he's met with something else entirely. ]

!...Minato?

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

Senpai?

[Minato's silent for a moment, as he registers the person in front of him, yet sure enough, that looks and sounds like Akihiko, and Forneus confirms Caesar's presence, too.]

...Wow, you're here too?

[He doesn't say "again", since his meeting Minako and that post about alternate versions from last month taught him better, but he's definitely thinking it.]

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

Guess so. [ First Mitsuru, then Minato? The Training Center was certainly the place to be if you were a member of S.E.E.S. Still, it's good to see another familiar face. ]

Just got here. [ He cracks the knuckles on his left hand, then his right. ] No reason to start slacking off with my training. How long have you been here?

Your choice? :D

[dragon-savior.livejournal.com]

[While he was involved in his own practice, he stopped when he came across Akihiko. He quietly observed the other person go about his work. Truth be told, the hand to hand style is fascinating to him. Ryu hadn't seen anyone fight like that since Peco's weird shape shifting trick.]

Well we have GRATS AND GRATS AND the occasional dino

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ He was used to people watching him, but not in this sort of situation. Being in the ring was one thing, this was training. One last punch delivered to the monster in front of him and Akihiko glanced over his shoulder, a little surprised to see someone standing there.

...And he still didn't have his translator. ]

Uh...he-lo? [ Bad English pronunciation. He didn't expect to have to actually communicate in the training center... ]

...I'm so indecisive. ;;

[dragon-savior.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen anyone fight with their bare hands in a long time. I'm impressed.

[Of course, Ryu didn't go unarmed. He still had his sword and armor with him.]

GRATS it is! \o/ It's what's for breakfast.

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ The other man certainly had an interesting ensemble. Akihiko wasn't entirely sure he understood it, but he was clearly a fighter of sorts. That was something the understood, at least...if the language wasn't.

He gave Ryu an apologetic look, a little uncomfortable. Damn, if he had known going to the Training Center meant a crash course in communication... ]

A-ah...ano... [ How did it go...a phrase that you learned even if you didn't know anything else. ] Ai dontu...supeeku...

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ The Training Center, as Minako had eventually realised, was a great place to sit and think in silence as well as battle the occasional passing monster. For the moment, she's staring at her GJ Junction device and her list of Personas-turned-GFs with a thinking face. Using Orpheus Telos seemed out of the question, so...

When she hears footsteps near her 'hiding place', Minako tucks the device away and makes to stand while grabbing her naginata. She peers out curiously, intending to greet the other person but stops and stares when she spots Akihiko. ]

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ He's had quite an interesting night. Besides fighting a dinosaur--yes, a dinosaur--and owning numerous weird bug creatures, Akihiko has had the pleasure of running into a few friends from home, as well as butchering English to a few new ones. But who says that the night can get anymore interesting?

Hearing a rustling to his left, Akihiko turns with his hands poised and ready for action. But instead of another Grat, there's a girl peaking out. He lowers his fists. ]

Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there.

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ Her grip on her naginata tightens as he apologises. ] Ah, no, it's alright! I shouldn't have startled you...

[ Trailing off, Minako's unsure of how to explain herself. With the rest, she had accidentally called their names and revealed herself. Junpei had already heard of her, from the others. But, this situation, with Akihiko was... ]

Um... You don't know who I am, right?

aoigj why is she so cute

[the-right-moves.livejournal.com]

[ Oh good, she spoke Japanese, too. Next time he came to the Training Center he would remember to bring the translator. Akihiko visible relaxes a bit more with the knowledge that he won't have to play charades.

But...her question puts him a little off right away. He frowns slightly. ]

Uh...should I?