[ OPEN ] Well I can't stand to be with myself, this liberation's seemingly rare

[ombranera]

WHO: Zevran and Various
WHAT: Zevran sparring and dealing
WHEN: Throughout Drakonis
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Violence, swearing, usual Zevran Content Warnings Apply. Open prompt below, poke me on plurk for a closed starter. Prose or actionspam welcome!

As much as he'd protested Alistair running off on some mission in the west- the time apart gives him that much more chance to train. He'd been doing so privately in the barn, occasionally squaring off against Settimo when they both had the time and patience for Settimo's paranoia and Zevran's over-adjustments for the blind side. Learning to fight with only one good eye is slowly driving Zevran to frustration. Settimo could not come at him hard enough to be a challenge, he could not learn his new limitations without a solid effort on both their parts.

Setting aside his vanity he takes to the training grounds- but working on stuffed dummies is only good for so much. Soon enough he is picking out soldiers and rogues to come at him in the dirt circle. Day to day it goes much the same. Zevran stands with bad eye covered and his swords, with his hands, with a single short sword and calls any that would step up to help him regain his awareness. It is, to be honest, slow going. More often than not if his opponent has any manner of skill he ends up on his ass. But he grits his teeth, stands, and goes at it again. And again. Afterward he recovers with the highlight of his training- a bucket of water to sluice off the sweat and grit of the day. Whether it's the relief the cold brings or the appreciative looks it tends to earn? He doesn't say. But thus he spends his days, training himself or wrestling with the fledglings, who will offer their own commentary and catcalling in Antivan during his other matches.

Comments

[slipshot]

Gavin is already pulling off his shirt as he approaches Zevran, the fledglings all cleaning up after their wrestling matches. He waves to them (without a single reply) as he drapes his shirt over the railing, smiling widely at Zevran. (The smile somewhat strained, but honest.)

"You up for another bout, or are you completely warn out?" He teased, stretching his arms, the long faded claw-scars up his back stretching as he did so.

[ombranera]

"For you?" Zevran crackles a soft laugh, shaking off the dust and ache from the last hard landing. He has been more careful today, taken fewer risks, bruised only a handfull of times. This, though? This should prove entertaining. "I am always ready."

[slipshot]

"Good." The trousers get rolled up as well, but the boots don't come off - mostly because he isn't wearing any, anyway. He tends to go barefoot around Skyhold.

He reaches down to rub some dirt in his hands, then takes a stance that probably is something like a wrestling stance, when given by someone who obviously has never wrestled outside of the bedroom.

"Come at me."

[ombranera]

That...gives Zevran some pause. Then, of course, it clicks. Gavin has no idea what he is doing. And it actually helps ease the tension in Zevran's stance, his own shirt long since shucked, hair bound back to prevent pulling, body coated with dust and sweat.

Curious to how it goes, he covers his own hands with dirt, readies himself- and launches full body at Gavin in a graceless tackle.

[slipshot]

Wrestling wasn't really required, for hunter training - at least not for him, sniping at targets from far away. He was never a short range fighter, and nothing has really changed.

It probably doesn't help that he isn't taking this seriously at all.

So when Zevran hits him, he's bowled right over - his stance completely wrong to keep him upright, his legs going right up from under him as the blonde elf slams him into the ground. He laughs, writhing, and tries to shove a hand in Zevran's face, because he is Totally Competent and an Excellent Wrestler.

[ombranera]

"Augh-" On his face and a finger slips past his lips to bump into his teeth, coated in dirt and sweat and whatever else Gavin has been rolling about for the day. Instead of biting (not that kind of wrestling) Zevran jerks back and squirms about for a less careful pin, something Gavin could likely writtle out of.

On the fence, the fledglings are...

Baffled.


What is this?

[slipshot]

Gavin turns into something like jelly, if jelly was alive and squirming in ways that should not be possible. He doesn't exactly completely manage to get out of the pin - despite the ease it should have been - his ankles still trapped so he can wiggle like a fish on his belly in the dirt, trying to turn around and grab Zevran's ankles as well.

"Got you-- now---" He gasped out, still laughing, while he obviously has anything but.

[ombranera]

"No you don't-" It is amazing how a lack of training makes for a half competent struggle, Zevran rolling about and snickering at the hand on his ankle, trying to pull some sort of pin out of this and failing for an inability to hold Gavin still.

[slipshot]

Training is only so neccessary when you can apparently completely de-bone yourself and turn into an eel, squirming up and over to grip around Zevran's waist in a tight hug and...

tickling.

Yes.

He was deploying the secret weapons now.

[ombranera]

Zevran crackles a laugh- but not a helpless one. Not an involuntary one. He could not offer Gavin that, alas. He did turn about to dig a hand back to return the gesture in kind- in attacking a target one might reveal their own weaknesses.

[slipshot]

It is a far more effective weapon on Gavin - his weakness broken completely open - and even the one-handed attack has him laughing helplessly and flailing to escape Zevran's grasp.

[ombranera]

"Not so clever now, are we?" On the fence the fledglings are baffled, leaning in to try and observe- whatever this is as Zevran wrangles about to tug Gavin into what is less a pin and more of a bear hug, chin hooked over his shoulder as he continued the tickling assault.

[slipshot]

"I'msorryi'msorryi'msorry," Gavin gasps in a breathless rush, laughing so hard that his sides are starting to hurt, and making it impossible to squirm free, despite his flailing. He's trying to surrender, but he's laughing to hard to do anything more than throw his arms up.

[ombranera]

Zevran pauses in his tickling long enough to bite at Gavin's ear (gently) and growl. "Do you yield?"

If so, he lets him up.


If not? More tickling.

[slipshot]

The bite makes him laugh, and he stretches his neck to plant a fond, chaste kiss on Zevran's lips. "I yield, I yield!" he says, still laughing, with his hands held up.

"You win, I have no recourse."

[ombranera]

"Good man." Zevran released Gavin's ear and ceased tickling, laughing into his hair. "You, you are a squirmy one when you wish to be. How do you do that?"

[slipshot]

"I pretend I have no bones and can vibrate through stone," Gavin grinned, lying flat in the dirt and putting a hand on Zevran's back, trying to calm his own breathless laughter.

"Or pretend I'm a worm on a hook. It's really not that difficult."

[ombranera]

"That...that should not work." Zevran rolled so they were laying side by side, staring at the sky. At least the clouds were as such so that they were not staring directly into the sun. "How do you make that work?"