it takes strength to live this way

[qunari]

WHO: Iron Bull and OPEN
WHAT: General summary of events during the end of the month. Drinking, fighting, more drinking, maybe a little flirting.
WHEN: Mid-to-late Wintermarch
WHERE: All over the damn place. Mostly the tavern and sparring ring, though.
NOTES: n/a

He was starting to feel a little restless. By now, the boss would have taken them all out on some exploit or another, and even if he was glad to be at Skyhold again? Sitting idle could grate on the nerves a bit.

The best way to counter that seemed to be throwing down in the training ring just outside the tavern, taking on all comers as well as training those that seemed of a mind to ask. Cullen had most of his people following their own regime, but if they wanted a swing at something else? He wouldn’t refuse them. Not everyone fought like a templar.

The rest of the time, Bull made himself easy to find. Easy to avoid, too, if that was the preference of some. And he knew it was, from the glimpsed he’d gotten of the Vashoth inside the keep. But it was no hardship holding court inside the comfort of the tavern, indulging heavily in drinks and working his way down the menu of available meals and snacks.

It was business as usual, for the most part. Even if he did feel a little more restless than usual. Had to find a way to get out, hit something that really had it coming.

Or find someone to pass the evening with. That might help.

Comments

[qunari]

Alright. Big guns it is.

Smirking faintly at the man's choice, Bull plucks up his own axe. He's since replaced it in the field with a better one, but the weight and balance of this one makes it perfect for smacking around new trainees...or any takers on a friendly spar in the ring.

Low stance, he notes, hefting the weapon and stepping to circle around, deliberately eyeing him up. Coming from a low point of balance is a smart move. Let's see how smart he was really planning on playing this fight.

[hlif]

The thing about Asher is that when it comes to fighting, he can be smart. Emphasis on the can part. Planning a battle goes better for him than anything else because his own plan tends to just be winging it, matching blow for blow until the red mist descends.

Suffice to say, Asher's temper and love of a fight gets the better of him far too often.

Going against someone big though, it's best to see just how much you're up again so he goes for the swing, putting most of his weight and strength into it, braced for the inevitable impact that'll go jangling up his arms and right to his teeth.

[qunari]

And it strikes solid, Bull hefting his own weapon to block, the reverb vibrating in his hands but stilling there. There's some benefit to being the bigger guy, after all.

Seconds later he pushes, angling to shove the weapon aside before sweeping in for a strike to the legs. His target is going to remain relatively low, better to keep the fight there rather than risk his kneecaps.

The metal brace on his leg says he's already learned that lesson the hard way, once.

[hlif]

So definitely up against a bloody wall then, or a mountain, mountains are less moveable than walls when it comes down to it. It puts a smile on his face though, because there won’t be a chance of going soft here and that was the main worry. Staying in the one place risks letting yourself go to shit, or to him it does, he’s watched too many friends get themselves a house and home, settling in and letting life catch up with them.

He loses his grip with his weaker left hand, the shove more than he expected before he twists, not enough time or space to roll how he’d like, not without risking smacking his head off one of the fenceposts.

It hits, but that’s what chainmail is for, though it does draw a grun and a curse out of him.

[qunari]

Bull just grins, and waits for him to pick himself up. If this was a real fight, there'd be no moment for him to pick himself up, to go again. He'd already be picking out any weakness and pushing it to full advantage.

But that's not what they're doing here. No one's life is on the line. This is for fun, to test that edge against someone who intends on giving their all.

"Come on. Again." Bull's chin lifts, inviting Asher to come at him once more.

[hlif]

Already Skyhold has felt too serious, though whether that’s because it’s apparently meant to be that which or because it’s got mages and Templars sharing the same space as well as equal freedoms, he can’t say. He’d put a decent bit of coin on the latter, if only for the sake of thumbing his nose at folk.

One day he’ll take a blow to the head that’ll knock parts of his brain together more successfully.

This time he swings up, putting his body into it, having to do a quick check to bring it as high as he wants, a disadvantage of fighting people your height or shorter so often, following through with the blow aimed to up and under the arm though usually he’d be going for a neck at that height.

[qunari]

At least he's not putting his full weight into a swing he knows won't connect. Bull actually has to move to avoid the swipe, before swinging for the inside, aiming to clip against the inside of the weapon's shaft and knock it aside.

Alright, he has some idea of how he attacks. Defense?

With a grunt the weapon turns back, raking back within inches of the man's chest. Wouldn't catch even if he connected, no desire to gut the man while simply sparring. You run out of partners, that way.

[hlif]

Defence hasn’t always been as much of a priority for Asher, it’s usually one of the points that sells well: no one pussyfoots around, they go in and get the job done, end of. Apart from friendly sparring with Avvar or dealing with Tal-Vashoth then finding people bigger than him is rare enough that he can usually just go for it, and Tal-Vashoth going mad whenever he tried to use the Wounded Coast to get in and out of Kirkwall definitely contributed to upping sticks and staying a more mobile company.

He’s slower to move but he does, weight on his back foot. With Asher the weapon comes up after, one hand near the blade, the other further down to block any further attack, keeping lower should another attack come so he can dodge under and closer

[qunari]

It's a solid block. He's got some muscle behind him, obviously relies on it. But that lack of speed's going to bite him in the ass if he's not careful.

When Bull draws back it's with purpose, and then next swing carries enough momentum to turn him about, swinging right over Asher's head and past before putting him at the man's back and ready to strike down in an overhanded swing.

Time to see how good he was at defending his flank.

[hlif]

Now that he’s got something of a rhythm going, he moves more comfortably. He isn’t afraid of drawing blood or making a mistake but sparring with the same people for years and he’s used to it, to how they move, their weaker sides and their tells when they fight. Used to getting hit with weakened spells from Amalia more often than not too. This guy would be a bad guy to be on the wrong side of.

He doesn’t want to be snapped in half like a wishbone.

Asher feints, as if he might step forward then turn but he ducks low at the last second, left foot leading to bring him in closer and under, axe out. If he’d timed it right in a battle, there would be a quiet gasp or a scream depending on where one of Liadan’s arrows ended up. If he fucks the timing up then it’s his head, his neck, his shoulder at best and he’s learned this one the hard way but he’d been caught badly in the back when he was younger and starting out; just because he can’t see the scar doesn’t mean he’s forgotten that it’s there or how he got it.

Usually he’d be cheeky with a carta brother because the swing is about their head height, a careful poke before the other one would come wading in and he’s got the worst sort of judgement: Ferelden, Avvar, Reaver, toddler with a large weapon and zero impulse control so he stops the swing short but aims for the shove instead, grin on his face the whole time.

[qunari]

Well well.

Bull breaks and falls back a few steps, grinning right back at him. Alright, color him impressed. It's obvious he's not used to training someone of Bull's size, but he's improvising. Learning. Now he wants to push him, see how far that instinct of his will take him. Call him curious.

This time he takes a charge him, setting down his shoulder and rushing back towards him, axe held low and level to push him back across the training ring.

[hlif]

A giant qunari grinning at him? Today's a good day.

Still, being charged brings back a few older memories of the Kirkwall days, prompting a bitten-off curse of 'fuck me' that's less the invitation it generally is.

The charge gets him and he goes backward before he manages to get his heels dug in because it's been a few years since he last had to fight guys this side and the Wounded Coast could be fairly forgiving when you knew it well enough. Besides, there are things you do in a fight you don't do in sparring, dirty tricks and for a change, Asher'll err on the side of caution so he doesn't get his arse kicked in completely.

So back he goes, attempting to duck out at the last second, a jump to the side but there's really not the room to do it gracefully, but still, an attempt is made.