forum Fight, because you don’t know how to die quietly // private

Started September 08, 2019 by @croccin-champagne

tune

@Dances_with_Shadows-needs-sleep here we go, our beloved modern take and shameless aftg fanfiction

@Dances_with_Shadows-will-be-very-spotty the @ didn't work rip

Oh, i never saw this

Shall we put up temps for our four (five for you) characters?

That's 'cause the @ didn't work lmao. That's my bad. I was like 'I wonder if I forgot to click create or something' and figured I'd better check it

The *sleep* part made it impossible to @ me, i think

Prob lmao

"Alright assholes, listen up." The coach's voice rang across the stadium, practice coming to a lazy halt as he spoke. The term assholes had very quickly become a semi-fond name for Kevin's team, because that's what they were. Assholes. "Ya remember that whole talk about new teammates?" He didn't wait for a response. "And specifically, ya remember how I told ya not to scare them off? I'm serious about that. If I get wind any of you was being an even bigger ass than normal…" He continued to make fairly empty threats, though with Kevin, it wasn't always obvious if he was being serious or not, because he always looked serious.

The small girl beside him(though admittedly sort of behind him as well, as though hiding), managed to not draw attention to herself and do just the opposite at the exact same time, which didn't make a lot of sense. It was in the way she held herself, tucked in like she was trying to hide, paired with her looks and just something about her. A paradox.

This stadium is four times the size of the one at my high school. Lily thought to herself, not really paying much attention to what the coach-Donnovan, that's what he had said to call him-was saying as she took in the large Ende stadium. She'd only ever seen a stadium this big on television, when she caught the odd bit of a televised game. Somehow, it was even more awe-inspiring in person. It almost feels like a dream…

Nikolas sat in the bleachers, watching and listening while keeping his lips sealed. The coach was clearly a tough man, and the fact that he had sought out him, a nobody street rat. There was the slim chance of the coach knowing about his nightly adventures, so maybe that was what caught the coach's eye.

His calm demeanor, however, cracked as his lips split into a beaming grin when he spotted a familiar golden head. Fate always has its way to shove us together, he thought with a slightly nostalgic smile.

Ronan, on the other hand, lounged on the floor, back against the bleachers and arms crossed behind his head. Hee had no clue why the coach had selected him, a New-York-born, possible future medical student from Hawaii. He smirked when he caught sight of his half-sister, the expression mirrored by the younger, almost twin-like sibling.

"Skullcats, meet your new teammates." Kevin pointed to each new player as he introduced them, the coffee mug in his other hand not steaming, likely because it had something other than coffee in it. "Nicholas Ficher. Ronan Kalei. And-where'd she-oh." He glanced around, turning only to find Lily behind him and lost in her own thoughts. "Lilith Song."

Lily blinked as she heard her name, heat rising to her cheeks as she realized there were eyes on her and the other new picks, and that she'd been spacing out. "I-uh, prefer Lily." She said quietly, shrugging a shoulder and not letting it drop.

"What is it about Ende that attracts so many good looking people?" A voice purred, as it's owner removed her helmet. Average height and platinum blonde, Eris was drop dead gorgeous in every way, and knew it. "Minus Cain over there, of course. He's our exception."

Tessa snickered and leaned on her stick, one foot hooking over the opposite ankle. "I'll say. Though I can't exactly say the brunette is very attractive," she said, referring to Ronan. He put a hand to his chest with mock hurt, which prompted a snort from Nikolas.

The two siblings couldn't be more different. While both with seemingly built-in muscles and angular features, Ronan and Tessa were on two different spectrums.

Large, dark gold eyes with little flecks of yellow that looked like sparkles; naturally thick and long lashes framing them. Hair a bright gold that isn't quite blonde, but isn't brunette either—similar to the color of a gold ingot—and long, wavy, and full of volume. Muscular body with a perfect mixture of curves and slimness that just enhanced the natural beauty. High and prominent cheekbones, full and soft looking lips, sharp and defined jawline. Faint scars that marred seemingly flawless, naturally light tan skin. One cheekbone is slightly caved in. Standing tall and proud at 5'8.

That would be Theresa, the younger half-sibling of Ronan.

Slim eyes the color of dried dirt with flecks of green and gray, like fields of grass and patches of stone. Short-medium-length, mud-brown hair reaching up to the heavens, denying gravity's laws in its fluffy nature. Incredibly muscular body with broad shoulders, a big chest, and more rigid angles and features. High cheekbones that complement a square jawline. Calloused fingers and ever-so-slightly tanned skin, though reaching more pale than anything. A towering height of 6'5.

That would be the older sibling, Ronan.

The third of the trio was also vastly different from the other two, but on a more darker tone.

Deep-set, slightly mono lidded eyes the color of a full moon during a cloudy night; blackish haze seemingly drifting over the irises at random times. Surprisingly pretty and long eyelashes. Wavy and medium-length hair that falls into the eyes at almost all times dyed a starlight silver with the natural black roots. Lean muscle roped through a thinner body, though strength is clear in the solid torso. Rather sharp, narrow, and prominent features, such as jawline and cheekbones. Pale skin littered with both faint and raised scars. A height of exactly 6 foot.

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, Nikolas.

A tall boy, though admittedly not as tall as Ronan, straightened with a scowl. Aiming the withering look at Eris, Tess, and then each of the newcomers, he spoke, voice a deep timbre with a southern twang highlighting certain letters and words. "Sure, if you're blind or a fucking dyke." He practically spat, either ignoring or completely missing the way Lily visibly shrunk under his gaze.

"Remember the list, Cain. Dyke's on that list." Removing her helmet, Osora untied her hair, the shocking white ending in black falling to brush the tips of her shoulders. Though her words and face carried no expression, something about them almost seemed like a threat. Short or not, the woman carried herself like a threat.

"Jesus Christ." Kevin muttered, pointing at Markus. "Language, like Tokino said. Now. Practice ain't cut short just for this, but I want you taking a break while I go over this year's dorm arrangements. Then you get five minutes. After that, you're practicing till your legs give out, got it? Now. Eris and Karma, you girls'll be rooming together. Gryffard and Tokino, try not to destroy anyone or anything, even though I'm sure that's exactly what you're going to do. Kalei, Ficher, and Cain, play nice. Hunt, do me a favor and don't scare way your roommate." He gestured to Lily, who had her hands tucked into the pockets of her shorts, shifting the bag on her shoulders occasionally as she watched the team interact with curiosity and wariness.

Karma took off her helmet, the ashen looking girl turning her gaze onto Markus with narrowed eyes. Rhydar made a slight step away from the short but scary girl, instead opting for raising his brows as Osora—who was just assigned to be his new roommate. "This should be interesting," he commented.

Ronan and Nikolas reached over to each other to high five, each with a grin. They only knew each other from stories told by Tess, but now they had an opportunity to really get to know each other. "Hells yes," Nikolas said, which elicited a bark of laughter from Ronan.

Tess leaned forward on her stick, a slow grin creeping up her lips as she eyed Lily. "No promises, coach. This one looks skittish." Unlike the rest of the team, Tessa refused to wear a helmet. She felt trapped behind the protective grate, imagined it as a cage holding her prisoner. The arena was bad enough when shut and locked during legit games.

Lily, despite staying pulled into herself, met Tess's eyes. Though her demeanor didn't change, her eyes glinted with a more steely look, just for a moment, as though showing that there was more underneath the skittish and sweet looking exterior. The streets she'd worked had made a fool of her a few times, but she was a quick learner, and the blood staining her hands just added to her knowledge that she wasn't something to be underestimated. And then the look was gone, as she pulled her eyes away to watch the possible kerfuffle between Karma and Markus.

Osora let her attention drop from Markus, who looked rightfully just a bit scared of Karma's focus on him, to instead look at Rhydar. "Interesting is better than boring." She stated emotionlessly, giving him a two fingered salute. "Just don't touch my boxes."

"Oooh, this'll all be fun. Switching things up." Eris purred, which seemed to be just her normal tone of voice. "Donny, when do we get our keys? My things need moved as soon as possible, because I've got a hunch they'll take a while to do so."

Tessa had caught the look, and grinned like a wild-cat when she did. She could recognize a fellow street-walker, and she already felt a sort of kinship with this small girl, even if they haven't officially met just yet. That doesn't mean she wouldn't leave her alone or refrain from making Tess's presence as inconvenient as possible in the dorms, but she had a small bit of respect for this girl. "There she is," she purred before straightening and turning her gaze onto the other two dragons, who were now chatting with each other.

"Then don't touch my stuff," Rhydar retorted, giving Osora a two-fingered salute in return, though his was more sarcastic when paired with his signature smirk. Karma didn't let her gaze drop from Markus, the warning in her yellow eyes clear—if he didn't watch what he said, he'd get more than he bargained for.

"Seems we've reached an agreement of sorts then." Osora said with a nod, the severely emotionless expression softening slightly into something more like cool appreciation. Markus, meanwhile, dropped his gaze from Karma, his scowl deepening as he kept his mouth shut.

"Truly incredible. I'm going to go get coffee. Tyr, you'll get your keys after practice, but you are not hiring movers again. Assholes scratched the pain along the wall in the hallway and I had to pay for it." Ignoring Eris's disappointed huff, Kevin turned, shooting Lily a sympathetic look before leaving the main stadium. It had taken a bit more convincing to get her to leave her family for school, and in that time, the two had struck up a sort-of friendship.

Karma smirked in satisfaction. Through her time with the team, she had developed probably the worst combination of traits for her "personality." Cocky, stoic, quiet, and, of course, exceedingly violent. That was the way most of the old team members knew about Karma, and almost none of them were willing to get to know her any further.

Tessa looked at Eris with a smug smirk. "Ha," she taunted, which caused Rhydar to roll his eyes with a slight laugh. She then looked at the newbies and waved them over. "Let's go, you bunch of newbies. Let's see what you've got."

"Oh, fuck off." Eris said, flipping Tess off while tossing her hair over her shoulder. The words had no bite to them, making it obvious she wasn't that peeved about the orders from Kevin or Tess's taunts.

Lily's eyes flickered to where Kevin had disappeared to, before refocusing on the girl who'd been assigned as her roommate. Jumping right in on the first day. Good. It's better than prolonging the 'starting period'. Setting her bag out of the way, she slipped off her sweater, tracing the rose on the back of her neck for a moment before sort of shyly making her way out, standing next to Eris after being waved over by the woman.

"Love you too, babe!" Tessa called to Eris with a shit-eating grin, backing away while summoning Nikolas to her side. "Nico! Get your ass over here so I can beat it!"

Nikolas sighed and rolled his eyes, making a show of stretching before standing and grabbing one of the extra sticks. "Just like old times. Already loving it," he said with a shake of his head, smile on his lips despite his sarcasm. Ronan did the same as Nikolas, though he headed over to Karma with a raised brow. The tiny psycho mirrored his expression while twirling her stick through her fingers.

"Gryffard, you're with me." Osora stated, stepping a decent ways away from the other to give every group the space they needed for sparring. She tossed her stick hand to hand, eyes sparking slightly as she looked over at Markus, debating how to work him in. "Rotate in five, Hunt?"

Lily glanced around at the team, before looking to Eris, hoping the woman would explain something. She was in luck, it seemed.

"Welcome to sparring." Eris purred, grinning wickedly as she grabbed an extra stick for Lily. "How good is your pain tolerance, Song? 'Cause you're about to find out."

Rhydar turned towards Osora when he heard his name, keeping a loose and almost lazy grip on his stick. "Am I now?" he asked with a raised brow, though he got into position without further comment.

Tessa waved off Osora as she regarded Nikolas. "Works for me. We'll all switch after you three all have a shot at each other." She never took her gaze off of the other dragon, both lightly smirking at each other as they thought of ways to destroy one another.

Ronan and Karma were getting into position, both of them quietly sizing each other up. Ronan figured he'd go easy on the frail-looking girl—poor thing didn't look like she could handle much. Oh, how wrong would he soon be.

"Got it, cap." The nickname was slightly sarcastic, had been fully sarcastic when they'd first met, but now it was almost a bit more fond. Osora liked the girl, for sure. She could hold her own on the court, more than hold her own, actually, and after watching Tess punch a guy, had decided she for sure liked her. Anyone with intensity like that in a punch was good in her book. "You are. Nothing you can do about it, Gryffard. Now, hit me."

"Hope you can take a hit. I'd really hate to put eye candy as good as you out of commission this early." Eris commented, slightly surprised when Lily wasn't phased by the flirting. Most people at least got mad, or flustered, when the lines weren't as negative. But Lily had heard plenty worse, and was a bit more preoccupied with tying her hair up quickly.

Rhydar stuck his tongue out at Osora, then spun the wooden stick in his hand in his usual dramatics, circling the short girl. "If you say so, but this is gonna hurt." Without further ado, he halted and darted towards her, sweeping low and aiming at the side of her calf.

Tessa and Nikolas were going at it full-on. The crack of wood against wood and the groan of the poor makeshift weapons echoed from their side of the court. They charged each other again and again, blocking each other's attempts at getting a hit, jumping away, and doing it all over again. They each had a certain gleam in their eyes showing just how much they enjoyed it.

Ronan and Karma were now going at it as well, and Ronan was quickly learning that being the bigger of the two would be his downfall. Karma was fast, and a vicious little bugger. She could turn on a dime, her bare feet sticking to the floor and giving her leverage as she lashed out at him, aiming in all the soft and vulnerable spots. Ronan took a few nasty hits, but quickly picked up her tells and started to block her swings. Some were blocked, some hit, but he was working on it.

TIME SKIP CAUSE I SUCK

Lily really didn't have many bags. In fact, she had exactly two bags. An old duffel and an even older suitcase, the former for her personal things and the latter for her clothes. The only other things she had brought were two potted plants, both named after goddesses her mother used to tell her stories about. Another taste of home. And that was good, as long as they were the good parts of home, because being this far away…wasn't something she'd ever done before.

She placed the pots in the windowsill in the living area, to get sun until she talked to her roommate about limits and things in the room. Some people weren't fond of plants, she'd found. And then, instead of unpacking, she slid her suitcase into the closet. It seemed she had a bit of time until she had to meet her roommate, so she sat down on the floor by the bunk bed, pulling her duffel onto her lap to go through it.

Meanwhile, Markus was all settled in, it seemed. A little too settled. The loud hip hop music being blared from the bedroom of the dorm he shared with Nikolas and Ronan made that obvious, the music itself so loud that it could be heard by the people upstairs as well. A menace to society, who was having one hell of a time listening to his music and knocking back a beer.

Nikolas heard the music as he carried his bags, Ronan right behind him, and sighed. He was plenty used to loud music—he was a drummer, after all, and he lived with Tess more often than not, but he was really needing a nap right about now. He dropped a bag and pounded on the door. "Turn it down, asshole!" he shouted over the music, then huffed and grabbed his bag to shoulder his way through the door with Ronan's help. The future medical student only rolled his eyes and followed behind the shorter man.

Rhydar was settling in quite nicely, keeping mostly to himself on his side of the room with minimal items, besides the large stash of jewelry in a particular box tucked beneath his bed. Karma was also settling in, but that was because she never left in the first place. She had almost no personal belongings beyond some hidden weapons, blanket, pillow, and clothes. She didn't care much for knick-knacks or the sort.

Tessa strolled into her room to find Lily already there. "Hey roomie," she chirped, stepping onto her bed to put up the large piece of poster paper she had in her hands. She stuck the edge of it between her teeth to grab the roll of tape around her wrist, then created some tape doughnuts to stick the poster up onto the wall.