Books, Brawls and the Unexpected... (Balthazar)

[Elisabeth Black]

Vhalar 26, Arc 720

Books, Brawls and the Unexpected...

It had been a brutal trial at the Institute with a million tasks to be done and only so many breaks. Regardless of the setting, academics was academics. She whole-heartedly embraced the idea of cross-training between subjects to inspire new ideas and dialogue…but to think that academics approached from a different angle would make things easier on anyone involved…was wrong. There was still research, fact-finding, discussion, tutoring, conferences – the list went on. She adored everything that came with it but from time to time, she needed a break.

Having escaped and free to spend some time on her own, Elisabeth decided to go wander the city again and see where the winds would blow her this time. Oddly enough, they seemed to blow her back in the direction of the Glass Quarter….

Again.

Elisabeth wasn’t above admiring beautiful things. She felt that being able to appreciate those types of things – which filled the Glass Quarter- made her grateful for all that she had in her own life. She had never wanted for anything, always had a roof over her head and food to eat - Vin and Rilith had made sure of that. While walking the well-manicured streets and taking in the sites, she mulled over how grateful she was to them for teaching her the difference between a want and a need. While beautiful, expensive things were often wanted, they were rarely needed. Truly, how could people buy such extravagant things knowing that there were better things that could be done with the money?

That was the problem. Most of them probably wouldn’t even consider the thought.

She wasn’t sure what made her so fascinated with the Glass Quarter, but she couldn’t deny that she was. Maybe it was simply the discussions and thoughts it prompted within her mind. Musing on that for a bit, she found herself near the Turning Wheel. It was too early to meander home and if she was being honest, she didn’t want to. Perhaps a bit of people watching would settle her mind…

As she approached the tavern, she noted that there were more people around than normal. A lot more. Elisabeth wasn’t entirely sure what that was about but maybe if she stuck around long enough, she could figure it out. Trying to see what was going on, she simply followed the flow of people into tavern…

[Balthazar Black]

26 Vhalar 720

Balthazar had never been an academic though he had always been studying. He was always looking to learn and master new skills. He'd spent a decent amount of time in Viden's Academy but never as a student. Every time he'd gone there he'd been visiting the renowned professor Doran for a brief lesson in exchange for blood. Balthazar's studying was rarely as extensive as his experimentation. When it came to Alchemy and explosives that had turned out to be a dangerous mistake and so Balthazar was avoiding academic pursuits for a little while until he could find some way to put what he knew to use. Rather than spend his time trapped in Rharne academically, Balthazar had chosen to spend it celebrating- basking in the culture that reminded him so much of Yaralon.

Balthazar still was not quite used to the elegance of Glass Quarter but he was learning to hide rather well. All he had to do was stand a little straighter and suppress pretty much everything that proved he was a mage- nice clothing was a bonus. He spent most of his time in the Glass Quarter with his Defiance and Rupturing sparks soothed to hide his mutations from the general populous. The only problem was that the great majority of his mutations were suppressed, his eyes still glowed too notably to hide from most people by simply avoiding eye contact. So he had to own it. People didn't trust mages in Rharne and with all the power at his disposal, Balthazar understood why they might not. He didn't like it, but he understood. Balthazar heard that The Turning Wheel Inn was looking great technique and fresh fighting styles. He figured he knew four fresh fighting styles. He had, after all, developed four new forms of unarmed combat. Well... "unarmed." They were meant to be used with Defiance and the might of the elements. He was good at them too given the extensive time he spent practicing- either in real combat or in training. So he decided to pay the tavern a visit.

He arrived a break or so before Elisabeth to participate in a small tournament the Turning Wheel was hosting to raise spirits and money. He heard their token was made of silver and while that didn't provide any real tangible benefit to the recently initiated transmutation mage, he still wanted the token so that he could use it to enter the Copper Prince tournament. That was where the real prizes would be... although Balthazar could enjoy a little wagering for a few nels in the meantime. He'd joined the tournament and been sitting on the sidelines while he waited for his first fight to begin. The battles in Rharne were a little more structured than some of the ones Balthazar had been in recently though in hindsight the last arena Balthazar fought in was an illegal one... disregarding the few times he'd trained since then.

After watching a few fights Balthazar realized he was a little overdressed in terms of the fighters. Everyone else had removed their shirt before their fight for the very practical reason of trying not to get blood on it so he didn't want to break the trend. He loosened and removed his sword belt with his Faldrunium katana and an embersteel dagger, hanging it over the railing of the small brawling ring in the Turning Wheel's basement. Then he slowly began untucking his black shirt from his pants before pulling it off and slipping it onto the rail as well. He had an assortment of scars across his back that looked like they'd been terribly painful at one time back Balthazar didn't seem to mind them now. He entered the pit on one side and his opponent entered on the other, the crowd gathered around cheering with the heavy scent of alcohol around them. Paradise to a person like Balthazar who enjoyed the adrenaline... especially because he was confident he could win in the fights.

The man across from him was a little smaller than Balthazar and so the mage naturally assumed that he would be more agile as well but when they were given the signal to begin and the two fighters moved in on each other, Balthazar realized he was moving much faster than the smaller man. Balthazar threw a fist and the man ducked under and struck Balthazar with a jab to the size that hardly elicited a grunt from the mage. Balthazar twisted, bringing his heel up and around at the smaller man's face. The little man ducked backwards out of the reach of Bathazar's kick then moved in for a quick combination that Balthazar hastily parried. For ever jab the smaller man threw, Balthazar's hands came around to deflect it to the side... until Balthazar decided to strike back. The smaller man threw a punch and Balthazar decided to counter with his own- right into the little one's fist.

Being a Fire Forged, a member of a secret group sworn to protect Fladrass and Scalvoris, meant two important things. The first was that Balthazar had an invisible diri (spirit friend) who looked like a little burning rock with stubby arms and legs cheering him on from atop the rail of the fighting ring. The second was that Balthazar had skin tough as leather armor (but not necessarily rough) and bones like iron rods. So when the smaller man's fist collided with Balthazar's it was like punching a padded iron rod being swung at you. Balthazar recoiled for only a few trills, shaking his own hand in pain while the smaller man groaned much more audibly and squeezed his knuckles. Then Balthazar attacked.

He came up behind the smaller man and turned him around so they'd be facing each other again before delivering two swift punches to the left side of his stomach followed by two to his right shoulder to destabilize him before Balthazar's right foot hooked in between the smaller man's legs- hooking and pulling the man's left leg out from under him. The small man fell and Balthazar moved in, pressing a knee down on the smaller man's chest to hold him down while he delivered two quick but hard punches to the side of the fighter's head. He didn't want to damage teeth or break the man's nose, but Balthazar needed him unconscious for the win so he kept swinging. It was on the fourth punch that Balthazar pushed off the man and back onto his feet to see what the little one had left in the tank. Evidently, not much. The small fighter groaned and rolled over but didn't rise until a human woman and an Ithecal man came into the ring to help drag him out.

There was a brief flutter of cheers for Balthazar before he was unceremoniously scooted aside so the next match in the tournament could begin. This was the first of three fights Balthazar would have to win for the token and he had a feeling they wouldn't all be so fast. It took a certain level of skill... or confidence to fight in the Glass Quarter. Balthazar had a bit to catch his breath between fights so he put his shirt back on and picked up his masterwork katana. Balthazar slipped the red hot blade out of the Golden Salamander hide sheath for a moment to make sure no one had tried to tamper with it while he was fighting and then he set it back down on the railing where he'd put it for his fight and then he pull out his far less remarkable and still sheathed dagger which he seemed far more interested in. Balthazar traced his fingers idly along the edge of the dagger's sheath, seemingly in deep thought while he idly watched the next round of fighting.

[Elisabeth Black]

Going with the flow of the people, she allowed herself to be gently nudged by the tide of energy to an area that seemed to be a bit under the normal tavern level. Certainly not a place she had seen on her previous visits. Glancing around, she noted that all the patrons seemed to be excited about something…although she couldn’t quite figure out what. She could have asked but that would have taken the fun out of figuring it out on her own.

Moving into the room, she noted a sparse area in the middle with the people surrounding it. The possibilities weren’t getting narrowed down very quickly. It could have been a concert of some sort…or debate? Odd things for a tavern, she thought, but possible. The one thing that did strike her as unusual was that there were far more men than women. If she were betting, she would have placed one on a sporting event of some sort. It made more sense than a concert, especially given the gender ratio of the spectators.

Feeling the need for a clue of some sort after realizing that there was nothing overt to help her out with her puzzle, she sauntered over to a pair of younger gentlemen - the irony of the term 'younger' being that they appeared to be the same age as her - nearby who were enthusiastically talking to one another. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out which people near her would give her the best information with the least amount of prodding. In her experience, younger people that were emotionally invested in an activity likely would need little purposeful nudging to give her as much information as she wanted. Tapping the nearest one on the shoulder, she gave them both an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry to bother you but can either of you tell me what’s going on here? I seem to have been swept in here by mistake and I’m not from Rharne. Is this an event of some sort?”

Smiling back at her, the one whose shoulder she had tapped nodded his head, pointing at the bare area in the middle of the room. “Just some organized brawling. They happen occasionally and usually draw some larger crowds. They are getting ready to start so if you don’t want to be here, now is probably a good time to leave. It can get brutal at times. I doubt you want to see that.”

Nodding her head gently, she gave a soft laugh. “And miss an opportunity to watch? That would be unfortunate. Thank you for the information. Have a pleasant trial.”

Oh, how she loved subverting other people’s biased and baseless assumptions.

Moving on to a better vantage point, she cast a quick gaze over to whom she assumed were the next two brawlers. Her eyes watched them as they engaged, and it was evident very quickly who would win. The smaller man was sluggish in his responses and the taller one had much better, quicker footwork. It was something Lore was working diligently with her on, so the subject was at the forefront of her mind.

Luckily, she happened to be very graceful, so her footwork was coming along swimmingly. The little man’s – not so much.

As the fight wore on, she surmised that the taller gentleman was toying with the little one. It was clear he could overpower and outmaneuver him…so why was he not just getting to it? It was a puzzling thought that continued to bother her. Perhaps there was some bonus for letting the fight go on for longer than it needed to? She had no clue but there were ways of finding out.

Watching the white-haired brawler, she tracked his movements to the edge of the pit, walking in that general direction, weaving her way through the crowd. It took a bit longer than she would have liked but as fortune would have it, he wasn’t hard to locate by the time she got there. The hair color assured that. Her feet quickly took her over to where he was…but paused briefly. Elisa certainly wasn’t shy about obtaining information, and he had something she needed…but was it right to just burst forward and pelt him with questions? It was a character flaw she had and was aware of but not necessarily something she wanted to inflict on a stranger.

Biting her lip gently, she weighed the pros and cons. He was just leaning against the rail and didn’t seem to be engaged in conversation with anyone. Certainly, he wouldn’t mind a brief inquiry. One additional fight had already concluded by the time she had made her way over and the next fight hadn’t started yet, so the crowd was still relatively subdued - just enough time to get in a few questions without having to shout.

Finally taking the last few steps forward, she leaned against the rail next to him – mindful of personal space. For some reason, tapping him on the shoulder like she had done previously with the other man didn’t seem right, so she simply began speaking. “I’m sorry to bother you…. but why didn’t you knock your opponent unconscious right away? It was apparent that you could. His footwork was sluggish, and he didn’t have the power you do. He didn't have a plan. He wasn't watching your response to his movements. There was no way he was going to win that fight. Hence, my question. What am I missing?”

That was the entirety of her curiosity. What had she missed? There was an explanation and the man had it. Hopefully, he saw fit to indulge her questions instead of sending her away.

[Balthazar Black]

26 Vhalar 720

Balthazar was taking in the sights and sounds of the basement brawling ring when something unexpected happened. Someone approached him for something other than a fight! When Elisa moved near Balthazar, he became aware of her but he didn't think anything of it. Between Rupturing and omnivision, Balthazar felt practically everything happening around him so he had become fairly use to ignoring people brushing passed- especially somewhere as crowded as the tavern was tonight. There were really only five reasons that Balthazar paid a person any attention at all these trials. Either they were attractive, he knew them, they'd addressed Balthazar first, he was working a case, or there was something about them that Balthazar found profoundly interesting. Even fulfilling three of the five reasons, Elisa might have slipped passed Balthazar's notice because he was trying to figure out who'd he'd be fighting next.

There were a lot of men around but in Rharne that didn't necessarily mean he'd be fighting a man. There were some women around who looked like they could give him somewhat of a beating. Balthazar didn't think they'd beat him, but they looked like they could take a punch and that was all it took most of the time. He ended up spending most of the time that Elisa was debating walking over to him by watching the fight occurring. He did not fight quite like the people in Rharne but he also wasn't being as acrobatic as he knew he could with his moves. Where were the spinning kicks? Where were the spins in general? As he'd traveled he'd adopted a more and more rigid, stone-like stance that focused on punches and strong defense more than relentless attack. He called it Solum. He'd used it to beat the smaller man when he turned out to be faster. For the next fight he'd have to use a different style.... if he could keep the crowd guessing he might keep them entertained a little bit longer.

Then Elisa arrived with her inquiry and Balthazar turned his head to look at her- only turning the rest of his body to face Elisa once he saw her face. Why didn't he knock the man out sooner? What was she missing? Balthazar didn't expect anyone in the crowd to want him to wrap the fight up faster and from his perspective it hadn't been as fast. In the moment it was a lot harder to make decisions for most people. Being a mage who's magic practically granted another sense made it a little easier for Balthazar but there were still doubts. After the Creep those doubts were low but there were still there.

"I didn't know." Balthazar said first before thinking of a better explanation, "The Glass Quarter is new to me, I wasn't sure what to expect from other fighters. Besides, I wasn't ever going to knock him out in one punch." Balthazar shrugged. He was thinking about attuning to Elisa but he didn't. Like most places it was probably illegal to use magic on others in Rharne and Balthazar could no longer do it discretely. He'd have to convincingly explain away the change in his eye glow and he wasn't sure he could do that every time. "I hit fast and with good form but not very hard so sometimes it takes a few more. I tried to wrap it up when I thought I had the advantage but you never know what could happen."

[Elisabeth Black]

As soon as the words had left her lips, she inwardly cursed. She sounded like a child asking why something was. It, admittedly, wasn’t very becoming…but she really wasn’t trying to impress anyone. It was the fire of curiosity that made her so driven to understand the logic and mechanics behind his fight…or anything really. She had always been that way. Every professors’ dream really. Whatever it was she had set her mind to, she needed to know everything about it as quickly as possible.

As he attempted to answer her volley of queries, she spent a moment watching him. There was something peculiar about him that she couldn’t place just yet. It was really nothing more than a passing flicker of something unusual. Her time among academics had taught her much about critical thinking and logical reasoning. He wasn’t what he appeared to be, she concluded. That wasn’t too strange though. Many people projected what they wanted others to see on the outside while being something completely different within. In most cases, she didn’t see the need herself…but never judged another for it. She was a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of girl.

Shaking the dialogue from her mind, she focused on the answers he gave her, considering each word. Leaning up against the railing so he could turn his body back towards the ring should he want to continue watching the fights while conversing with her, she replied thoughtfully.” So, you were basically trying to figure out their fighting style and how you could counter? I guess that makes sense. I didn’t realize the fighting techniques were so different from region to region…but I’m not that knowledgeable yet.”

Her eyes fell to the activity within the ring, even though her mind was still working on her thought like a chess board. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’m studying certain fighting styles myself and just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask you a question. “That was very true – but a bit of a reach. In truth, she was learning one style and while it didn’t have a lot to do with unarmed combat, some of the footwork and principals were the same. Lore was a wonderful instructor but sometimes it was a good idea to learn from multiple sources. Different teaching styles affected students in distinct ways.

Giving him a smile, she held out her hand gently in greeting. “Perhaps I should have started with this. Hello, my name is Elisabeth. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Chiding herself, she sometimes let her curiosity override social niceties…like a simple introduction. It was an occupational hazard for someone that worked in academics. It was easy to see that he was something of an intellectual himself – his words betrayed that. She understood those types, even if she didn’t consider herself one. If nothing else, maybe she could help put him at ease before his next match.

She owed him at least that.

Turning her gaze for a moment away from him, looking at the other fighters off to the side of the pit, she quickly analyzed their body types and any snippets of fighting from them she had actually seen while traveling across the room and talking to him. One stood out and she nodded her head in that fighter’s general direction. “The gentleman with the long blond hair pulled back. If I were betting, I would say that he is the one you will face at the end. His body type is like yours and none of the others seem interested in talking to him. That usually means some sort of fear or unfamiliarity. He’s the outlier, like you. The rest of them are socializing among themselves in a friendly manner. They know each other’s skills and there is no uncertainty. “

It was an educated guess at best, but maybe he would find some use in it.

[Balthazar Black]

26 Vhalar 720

"Oh don't worry, you're not bothering me." Balthazar confided before casting a glance back at the fight. "I've been doing these things for a while now and it's generally quiet between rounds." Well... when Nimue wasn't there. "I'm not used to someone asking about the fights." Then she introduced herself and Balthazar realized he had not introduced himself either. "I'm Balthazar, it is a pleasure to meet you as well." Then he remembered what she had said earlier about fighting styles differing from region to region.

"Fighting styles really differ from bar to bar." Balthazar countered, then he explained, "No two people fight the same, even when they get the same training. Some people are stronger than others, some are faster, some are both and some are neither, but everyone who is trained well enough finds a way to make what they have work. So I when I fight, I just figure out how to make what I have work better than what they have. Does that make more sense?"

Then Elisabeth delivered her assessment of the man with the long blonde hair over by the fighting pit. Balthazar had seen him a little before and come to an entirely different conclusion. He took the social ostracism as a sign that the man was nervous and unready. Where Elisabeth thought the others feared the man, Balthazar thought that the man was afraid to go to them. Balthazar looked Elisabeth over for a moment then grinned. "A bold assessment. I'll bet you he doesn't make it passed his next two rounds. Easy wager. If I win, we get a drink together after this, if you win... well- I'd do something you want." Balthazar did know something about the tournament and the man with the long blonde hair but he wasn't going to divulge that to Elisabeth before the bet was made.

[Elisabeth Black]

Listening to him describe the fundamentals about fighting styles, Elisa made a series of mental notes that she could refer to at a later point. What he was saying was rational, of course. There were hundreds of variants that could influence how a person fought and what styles they were best suited to. But without knowing what a person’s skills were, it took a bit of time at the beginning of a fight to figure out what would work best against their skills and how best to counter. Nodding her understanding, she gave him a quick smile. “That makes sense. You needed time to ascertain your opponent’s abilities. Does that process start before the fight with observations?”

As for their differing assessments of the fighter she had pointed out, she noted immediately that he gave no justification for his opinion – just a differing outcome. The bet was an interesting twist that she considered seriously. In her mind, it didn’t matter who won – winning was not the goal. Making a semi-educated guess and seeing how it played out was more interesting. But if betting was a means to that end…

“I’ll take that bet. If I win, you agree to teach me some basics of unarmed combat? I think that’s only fair. If I lose, that means that I obviously missed something in my assessment and would benefit from some experienced training. But I’m curious as to why you think he won’t last two rounds. I gave my reasons. Defend yours.” In truth, she simply wanted to see how his mind worked and how he ultimately explained said reasoning. That would tell her more about the man than his fighting abilities. Elisa was intrigued to hear the explanation and see where it diverged from her estimation.

[Balthazar Black]

26 Vhalar 720

Balthazar smiled when the woman said she'd accept the bet. He didn't mind teaching anyone a little unarmed combat so it really was a win-win situation for him. Either he got to have a drink and talk with a local, or he got to punch someone who'd been smarter than him. A Yari's favorite pastime. "It starts whenever it needs to start." Balthazar admit when Elisa asked when he began to process of assessing his opponents. He personally didn't begin until he knew who he was going to fight but the process was much more literal for him than it was for most other people. "In this case, it's easier because I know who's participating in the fights so I know who to watch but in real fights it's harder to figure out when you need to be concerned about an attack coming." Balthazar explained, his eyes locked on the fight transpiring in the ring as it drew slowly to it's conclusion.

Elisa demanded Balthazar defend his wager. "Defend it?" Balthazar repeated with a small chuckle. "Alright, well I'm a detective by profession. I deal in eye-witness accounts. For example, I witnessed his first fight." Balthazar said in a very matter-of-fact way. "Long hair, yes. Build, yes, but he doesn't have confidence in his skill. He fights with a unique style but he's holding back. I saw three occasions where he should have moved in and pressed his attack but instead he retreated and let his opponent get up. He favors his footwork, I can only assume it is because he knows his long hair is a risk. If anyone can get in close then they could grab a handful and it would give them control of his head... or maybe he just likes moving around." Balthazar grinned "And I'm pretty sure he either my next fight, or the one after that based on the bracket I saw when I signed up." And then Balthazar's name was called for his next fight and the mage turned frantically towards the person who'd call his name. He forgot he was competing. He turned back to Elisa. "Could you excuse me for a moment? I'll be right back if you wait here." Balthazar said before hopping over the railing into the ring for his next match.

The larger man across the arena from Balthazar was introduced as Clayton and he had his fists up, blocking his face. He wasn't the blonde so that meant the bet was still in play- as long as Balthazar didn't get eliminated there. The moment the signal was given, Clayton charged inwards with his fists still raised and Balthazar shifted slightly on his feet. He'd been stone last time. Solum. Waiting for an opening before striking. Yet Clayton seemed rigid as well and he had arms wider than Balthazar's. He probably punched like a canon and Balthazar wasn't sure how many punches he could take from a canon. Maybe three? He couldn't be stone, stone would break. He had to be more fluid, like water. Imber. The last form he'd developed and his least proficient... but his least proficient was better than most people's best. His arms drooped slightly down towards his waist, exposing his face as Clayton reached him and fired out with a quick jab.

Balthazar's head and torso slipped fluidly backwards, dodging the jab completely before Balthazar went upright and began moving in a slow circle around Clayton. The boxer threw another two jabs from his right fist that Balthazar slipped out of the way of before his left lashed out in a hook that caught Balthazar on the jaw. He didn't hit quite like a canon- more like a bag of sand. A dense bag of sand. Balthazar stumbled and Clayton moved in, delivering two hooks to Balthazar's abdomen before the mage gathered his baring and began fighting back again. Clayton's left fist closed in and Balthazar's shifted to the right of it, grabbing Clayton's extended hand with his own and pulling it further into the punch while Balthazar's left leg kicked Clayton's foot out from beneath him. Clayton fell onto his chest and Balthazar put a little distance between the two of them while Clayton got back onto his feet.

Then, much like last time, Clayton charged at Balthazar again. The mage took a deep breath and widened his stance a little. When Clayton reached him and threw a wild haymaker, Balthazar ducked beneath Clayton's swinging arm and drove his open hand into Clayton's throat in a strike that happened so quickly, most people were confused why Clayton had begun choking after he missed his punch. Balthazar's jaw was sore from the hit and his ribs felt a little worse for wear so he put distance between Clayton and himself again to catch his breath and to think. This time it took Clayton a little longer to recover. The bigger man was still coughing but he was trying to keep Balthazar in front of him at the least. Clayton didn't wait till he was ready and advanced towards Balthazar with one hand around his own throat, trying to rub out the pain, while his other was raised to attack.

Balthazar moved the majority of the distance between them this time but Clayton still swung first, his right hand shooting out only for Balthazar to coil his own arm around Clayton's- trapping the larger man's right arm against Balthazar's side while Balthazar's free hand began raining blows to Clayton's chest. When Clayton tried to block his chest with his free hand, Balthazar struck him in the face instead. Two to the face, five to the chest... then four to the face and ten to the chest. Clayton was much more durable than the last one had been but Balthazar had him trapped. Clayton's free hand grabbed at Balthazar's throat and the mage shifted his prisoner into a headlock, slowly trying to squeeze the consciousness out of the man. Clayton flailed and flailed, but he didn't get Balthazar to let go before slipping into an uncomfortable sleep. "Rest well, and dream of large women. Balthazar mumbled to Clayton before slipping away back to where he'd put his things on the railing to wait for his next fight. He looked for Elisabeth, "Where were we?"

[Elisabeth Black]

Elisa smiled as he accepted the bet, figuring that she couldn’t lose either way. As Balthazar launched into his explanation of his thought process, she paid close attention to what he said. Lore was a wonderful mentor when it came to her sword work, but she knew that there would be times that where it wouldn’t be practical and other, more creative means of defending herself would be necessary. It was helpful for her to understand how he evaluated his challengers, even though she grasped the fact that not every combatant had the same methodology.

It hadn’t really been a demand – asking him to defend his answer – but more of a…. habit. Scholars often tossed up theories and opinions, and it was normal to be asked to defend it. There was always a reason behind what people thought and did and, in her mind, one should always be able to verbalize it. She had to be more careful though as not everyone was used to being challenged to explain themselves.

Occupational hazard, she supposed. At least he hadn't seemed offended.

As he explained his point-of-view regarding the fighter in question, she noted that he had a very matter-of-fact style of explaining himself. Was he in academics himself? There had been mention of him being a detective by profession and many scholars claimed the same. Even Elisa considered herself something of a sleuth. It was those skills that allowed her to break down what he was saying and counter with a few points of her own. “So, you have the advantage as you’ve seen him fight and I haven’t. That I understand…but one thing. You said he was holding back. How do you know he wasn’t holding back on purpose as a tactic? It’s possibly not a lack of confidence.”

She wouldn’t hear the answer to her query as his name was called for his next fight. Nodding as he excused himself, Elisa resituated herself to face the pit and concentrate. She hadn’t thought much of it as the conversation was her focus…but it hasn’t escaped her notice that his eyes had a faint glow to them which she assumed wasn’t natural. Chalking it up to magic, which she generally lumped most things she didn’t understand, she made a mental note to ask him about it at a later point as the fight got underway.

It was apparent to Elisa that the man Balthazar was facing favored using his upper body strength. Her acquaintance employed several techniques – pulls, kicks, open-hand strikes, grapples, and traps – to counter. Despite all that, the large man continued to jab and punch. It wasn’t an effective strategy in Elisa’s eyes but perhaps that’s all he knew?

The fight continued for a few bits, but it was just a matter of time before Balthazar figured out how to maneuver the large man into a hold that rendered him unconscious. It was a done deal and soon enough, he was making his way back over to her. Giving him a smile, she didn’t miss a beat.

“ You were going to explain to me why you think the fighter in question is uncertain about his abilities as opposed to perhaps holding back on purpose. Oh...and are you okay? A few of those hits looked painful."

It was always nice to be...well....nice.

[Balthazar Black]

26 Vhalar 720

"Well I assure you that getting punched did not feel good." Balthazar replied to Elisabeth first as he hopped over the railing to the crowd side of the little brawling pit. He thought about her questions for a few trills while he rubbed his sore jaw. The big man had a solid punch and Balthazar was a little concerned that the lingering pain would hinder him in his next fight but he still had some time to recover so he tried to take his mind off the pain. "But I have felt much worse before so I'll be fine." He looked across the pit at the man with the long blonde hair again while he thought about Elisabeth's question and after a little too long of a pause, Balthazar shrugged.

"Just a feeling." Sometime that was all he really had to go on, intuition. A seasoned detective who trusted his gut. Balthazar was a simple cliche but an effective one. the man with the long blonde hair had not seemed the confident sort, he had seemed nervous but without attuning and searching through his frequency for a greater measure of the man, Balthazar would have to trust his gut. "If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but we will know soon enough." Balthazar pointed out with a slight shrug. They still had some time before his next fight though and Balthazar was curious to learn a little bit more about this mysterious woman who'd approached him with a great many questions. "So what brought you to the Turning Wheel? I'm here for the prize but as far as I can tell you're not betting with anyone and you're not one of the fighter. So what is it, do you just like to watch? I always thought the best way to study fighting styles was to try them out."