⊗ 2

[betrayedtwin]

[the loud crack of a bullet echoes from the coliseum, the sounds coming in groups of four before there's a break and the sound resumes. if anyone is nearby, they'll see signs and caution tape thrown up around the various entrances warning them not to come in that way. there is, however, one entrance in the south (or what seemed like the south) is still open. tacked to a pillar is a handwritten sign in block lettering that simply reads, "Interested in some sparring or target practice? Come on up!"]

[head into the coliseum itself and in the main arena, and one will see a few sets of pugil sticks leaning against one wall next to a simple metal table covered with various guns (pistols, battle rifles, and another sniper rifle) and several spare clips of ammo separated into two piles. in the middle of the grounds and scattered around the stands are various bottles of liquor--and in some cases, the shattered remains of said liquor bottles. and at the very, very top of the coliseum, situated at the top-most southern point of the coliseum is North.]

[as always, he's in his full suit of body armor and is lying down flat on top of the old stones, sniper rifle aimed at one of the many bottles he'd set up earlier, his motion tracker switched on so he can see any movement going on down below. which he does, so he quietly stands, stretches, and then jumps down from his perch, ready to greet whomever is coming to visit.]


[ooc: Hey, as North's sign says, if anyone's up for some sparring, training, or target practice with North, this is the place! He's up for any kind of sparring and has a few training weapons at the ready. (Though the live ammo is only for the target practice.) As a note, the pugil sticks can give off a small amount of electricity, but we can turn that off. There is also a special paintball scenario training that the Freelancer agents undergo, an example which can be seen here, but that particular paintball might hurt a little more than your typical one. So! Even if he hasn't met your character yet, what's a faster way of bonding than a good ol' sparring session?]

[ooc again: Sorry for the slow tags! I've been sick all week. Brain just hasn't been there to tag, but I'm feeling better! Thanks for having patience with me!]

Comments

[encourage]

[ It says something that Sakura's first reaction to loud, unfamiliar sounds is to investigate. Guns are a phenomena her world doesn't have, if there were a few techniques that could act similarly.

Nothing exact. Nothing to really explain what she saw as she edged into the arena, cautious, looking around for the source of the sound. North would see her first, ridiculous with her pink hair, barely entering the area and looking quite ready to bolt.

Survival stuff, and no familiarity with a weapon that could kill faster than she could hear it. Oh boy! ]

[betrayedtwin]

[he does indeed spot her first, a small dot appearing on his motion tracker the moment she's in range. he doesn't speak immediately, watching and observing her actions for a moment. the fact that she's cautious about entering tells him a number of things--like she might be afraid of the noise his sniper rifle made, she's not used to the sound, or she might be afraid of accidentally getting hit. plus he finds her pink hair interesting!]

[so, he starts heading down towards her, his sniper rifle slung on to his back, and waves, hoping to catch her attention before his voice surprises her]

Hey, no need to be shy! [casually gestures with his other hand, subtly showing her he isn't technically armed]

[encourage]

[ She doesn't know what it is she's looking at -- not specifically, with that gun -- but recognizes an intended weapon when she sees it. The way he presents himself, as not being immediately armed, isn't lost on Sakura.

She just doesn't trust it any further than she could throw another person's soul. Shinobi didn't need to look armed to be dangerous. ]

Cautious more than shy, I like to think.

[ She shows both hands, relaxed at her sides. Then an open palm wave with one. ]

Training with something?

[betrayedtwin]

[he chuckles, her own open gesture not lost on him either] Yeah, I had a feeling. I don't blame you either, not when the rounds from this--[points a thumb back at the rifle]--can be as loud as they are.

[when he reaches the arena wall, he casually vaults it, landing lightly on his feet, and continue walking over to his table of supplies] And yep, I am! I've got a little downtime right now and I figure why not get in a little extra training time? This way, I can see if anyone else wants to join me.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[Sherlock knows that sound, so he is extra cautious upon his entry. He takes in the sights around him and recognizes it immediately. After all, it is one he is familiar with. He doesn't pick up any of the weapons, but waits for North to approach.]

Get bored often, do you?

[betrayedtwin]

[thankfully, North is very aware of everyone who comes into the coliseum. as he heads down to the new visitor, he makes a few mental notes about the man's appearance. though he may appear friendly, it's the soldier in North that keeps him observing. never can be too careful.]

[once he's closer, he gives a small wave in greeting]

Bored? [thinks that's an odd question, but keeps that to himself] Nah, I have no time for "bored" these days. [unslings the sniper rifle on his back, setting it on the table alongside the other one.] Welcome to my impromptu training grounds. Wasn't being used.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

It's just when I'm bored...

[He shoots up walls. Never mind that, though. He extends his hand.]

Sherlock Holmes.

[most_feared]

What you got there?

[Nice load of weaponry? Hell yeah Kay's gonna stop and take a look. And all of it looks like something he could adapt to.]

Nice.

[betrayedtwin]

[North shrugs casually as he approaches the man in black, though he is, as always, cautious. the man didn't seem to blink at the small arsenal, so North figures he must have some interest in such things and knows well enough not to touch them right off the bat. makes him wonder how much training the man has--or if he's just an enthusiast.]

Think so? [sets his sniper rifle down next to the other one] I'm pretty fond of them myself. [all except for the paintball rounds, but when something like that locks down your armor, potentially leaves you in awkward positions because of said lockdown, and hurts like a bitch despite wearing armor? yeah.] You interested in giving one a spin?

[most_feared]

Sure. [And he picks one up, grabs the right clip without having to ask, slams it in, and aims at the sad little half corpses of bottles left behind.

He stops to look at the gun.] Who were the designers?

[darkercalling]

[Sparring, huh? Of course Riku's interested. He enters the coliseum - cautious, of course, but not exactly hesitant or worried. The loud shots don't even bother him.

He sees the guns first, but really, he's more interested in those long sticks leaning against the wall. He stands near them, arms crossed, considering. Of course, he's also waiting for whoever it was that set this up to make him- or herself known before he goes about picking up training weapons that aren't his. Details.]

[betrayedtwin]

[and he does make himself known, having watched the young man enter and examine the pugil sticks on his way down. his sniper rifle is slung onto his back and he doesn't appear to be armed otherwise. once he's close enough, he starts to wave, his voice congenial and warm]

Hey. Are you interested in trying those out?

[darkercalling]

[Riku smiles a bit in response, and shrugs a shoulder.]

Yeah, I don't see why not. [He's clearly amused.] Though I'm going to guess there's more to these than just weighted ends.

[spotofsunlight]

[Shiro approaches with long striding steps, though that isn't saying much, seeing as he's short and his legs are proportionate to his body and his steps aren't that large after all. Either way, his thickly gloved hands are pressed over his ears as he comes into sight. And no, unfortunately, he didn't read the signs on sparring or target practice. He's illiterate. :[ ]

What are you doing? That's loud. [He looks at the rifle in North's hands and then his gaze darts over to the bottles.] Are those 'foes'?

[betrayedtwin]

[he chuckles a bit, slinging the sniper rifle onto his back where it stays thanks to magic the magnetic system installed there] Sorry about that, little guy. [he says the nickname warmly, no malice behind his words] But good eye! They are indeed my opponents. Have a bunch more spread all throughout the stadium. [points all around, his finger pointing as low as the arena to the very top tier of the coliseum's steps]

So what's your name?

[spotofsunlight]

[He looks around, surveying the area and foe-bottles before settling his sight back on North, face as close to solemn as he can get it.] Wow, you're surrounded. You know what Grampa said? Grampa--and when I say 'Grampa', I mean the man who found me and raised me--said that you should run away when you're surrounded by foes.

[Shiro's face brightens when asked his name.] My name's Shiro! Isn't it cool? It means 'white'! Oh yeah, shouldn't you be running now?

[grip_on_reality]

[she's not particularly interested in a fight, but she is curious who might be walking about on the Plane with that sort of weaponry. she walks in cautiously, not intending to get herself caught in the crossfire, but when he stands, she raises a hand in greeting, calling to him]

Just can't stop fighting that war, can you?

[betrayedtwin]

[he gives her a wave of acknowledgement and heads down to greet her. prior to her noticing him, though, had given him a chance to observe. she acted very much how he expected a law official to react, though it was curious to see that she hadn't drawn a weapon of her own. he'd almost forgotten there was a time when it wasn't common place for all officers to carry some form of weapon.]

[casually] What can I say? Those bottles had it coming.

[grip_on_reality]

[she's just glad to see it's him making this mess and not someone else. she eyes a set of bottles that North's already gotten to and smirks] So I can see.

So I take it you're a sniper? Or... [she gestures at the table of weapons] Do you do a bit of everything and that's just for practice?

[traitortwin]

[Like she wouldn't show up to something like this...

She's not even into the arena yet when she radios North directly. Because her motion trackers are off and she doesn't know he's coming.]

Any takers yet?

[betrayedtwin]

[lucky her, her dot on his motion tracker has its own purple designation, so he does see her coming and starts heading down to meet her as he chats with her over the comm]

A few here and there. Always up for more. [casually] You interested?

[traitortwin]

Yeah, sure. [She can tell he's moving, so she'll just wait by the tables.] You pick the setup.

BELATEDLY:

[lamb_of_gold]

[The noise is more than enough to pique Mu's curiosity. The weapons are unfamiliar and somewhat worrysome, but not enough to deter him from entering further. Mu makes no attempt to be at all sneaky, so as not to startle North when he is noticed.]

Something of a collection here, hm?

[betrayedtwin]

[gives Mu a wave when he sees him (though truth be told, he saw him much sooner than that moment, but he waited until Mu was in visual range). this time, though, North has his helmet on with a long sniper rifle attached to his back]

This? Not at all. Just scraped from the surface of the real collection if you want to think of it like that. But I figure if I'm here, I might as well use some of that time to get in some more practice.

[lamb_of_gold]

A good use of time, at least. If this is only a small sampling, I imagine I'd be somewhat overwhelmed by the true arsenal.