◎ Bout 1: Impromptu walkabout [action]

[thunderfists]

[arrival]

[...The TV world was very strange.

Akihiko found himself waking up on the forest floor, stripped of his normal clothes and garbed in ... white pants. Fortunately, his pants, red cape, and boots were nearby, and he found himself a bush to discreetly change in -- just in case Mitsuru or Aigis showed up somewhere close. Calling out for them was out of the question; they were on a mission after all, and he didn't want to cause a ruckus if he didn't have to.

There was a book beside him when he woke up, and he blearily looked it over before snapping it shut and concentrating on the odd feeling of pain and strange sounds around him. No time to read.

The fully-functional wings were a surprise. The talking animals were even more of a surprise. But they were easy enough to dismiss as parts of the TV world, and he pushed them to the back of his mind as he started to explore. Forest, forest, forest... Were those mountains in the distance?

It was like globetrotting all over again. Before heading out, he ripped up the white pants he had woken up in, using the shredded parts to bind the book to his side; unfortunately, his pockets weren't big enough for a book. He also wrapped up his knuckles, since his gloves were missing.

And off he went in search of Mitsuru, Aigis, and Labrys. Never mind that he had no idea what the latter looked like.]

[/arrival]


[For the entire week of September 9 through 15, a young man in odd clothes can be found traveling out in the forests and as far as the foothills due east of the village. He gets his water from the rivers and carries whatever food he comes across (such as apples and mikans) in a shredded white sack that once was a pair of pants. When he's not traveling, he does some shadowboxing in the occasional clearing while it's light out.

Nothing serious, though; he wasn't getting enough protein to repair his muscles if he did any serious training.

The most rigorous of his training he'll allow of himself happens late at night in the forest behind house 21. While he tries to avoid the TV world village and its inhabitants, he can't resist the temptation of an outdoor training space complete with training dummies. He uses his Persona to charge his punches with electricity, leaving marks on the some of the dummies before he heads off again.

He may even be caught napping in a tree once in awhile. Or listening to talking bears from a distance.]

Comments

September 9!

[the_tv_is_a_lie]

[Souji always loved afternoons--they were the time he could really get things done, and generally be awake. It was the time of day that he could cover any and all bases he'd left over from the last, and surely have time to spare for whatever else he wanted to do.

It was also a time for him to contemplate what else he needed to do to contribute to Luceti, but that was beyond the point for now. He needed rest from whatever he was doing. Of course, it wouldn't be long before his need for that was stuffed by the sudden glimpse of a gray-haired, shirtless man lying under a tree, fast asleep. Judging from the clothes, he looked like he could've been in an accident of some sort...but there were no bruises anywhere on him.

...Why is he not wearing a shirt in the first place, anyway? He doesn't know. For now, he stares at him from a distance.]

[emp3thy]

[Minato has a mystery on his hands.

The woods behind the house are technically inside the village and so not part of the area patrolled by Moro, but thick enough to hide questionable things from view. It makes it the perfect place to practice Persona-summoning, and so for a long time, he's used the clearing for such. He even set up a row of dummies to use as target practice. Occasionally these get incinerated, but he tries to keep Agi use to a minimum.

That's why he is so confused to see several of the dummies sporting burnt patches when he visits Tuesday morning. They actually look more like lightning marks than pure fire... but there had been no storm the night before.

He might have dismissed it as a fluke he'd forgotten about, but the next day, there's even more marks. And the next. By Friday Minato is determined to discover who the dummy-mauler is and... well, not bring him to justice, but at least ask him to stop destroying the dummies so quickly. At this rate he's going to have to replace them all.

Friday night he's ready. With a book, a flashlight, and a bag of potato chips and some cans of Mad Bull, he sets out to the clearing to find the culprit.

...By an hour after midnight, he's dozing peacefully against a tree.]

[dogboy]

[Clearings in the forest are the perfect place to train for Chien and Soren, so they're a little surprised when there's someone in their usual spot Training Tuesday. Not that they'll disturb him, but the two pairs of eyes and inquisitive trill of the Swellow would be enough to catch the guy's attention. It's kind of hypnotizing to watch a boxer.

But hey, it's a kid and a bird that goes up to his waist. What's so dangerous about this? Him and Akihiko even share being shirtless together.]

[theogre]

[Akihiko might notice that there are signs of someone else being out that far, except there's never anyone around. There are fires that have been properly put out, a few trees that look they accidentally received a punch...

Sakura's been coming out far in the forest each day, only to retreat before nightfall. It's all part of her training. Of course, she can't avoid Akihiko forever...but he'll find Sakura training hard. She's attached a tire to a tall tree branch, and she's hitting it with gloves on to exercise her arms. She hardly looks human when she fights, though. Her arms are fast, and the rope threatens to snap with each punch. Good thing she came prepared for that, right?

Clearly, she needs to be interrupted.]

[merelychewed]

[Akihiko will soon discover he is not alone out in those there foothills. If he wanders far enough east towards the mountains, he might hear or even smell where Draco is before he actually sees him. There's the metallic smell of blood and fresh meat in the air and a deep, rumbling humming or muttering. Further investigation would reveal a large beast lounging in a small valley between hills, a half-eaten cow keeping him company. Now that the enclosure is refugee free, there was absolutely nothing to keep him from resuming thinning that herd down a bit...

Horns, scales, wings (including a useless feathery pair); it'd be hard to mistake Draco for anything other than a dragon. A dragon enjoying his meal, slowly, picking at it, while humming a tune, something more modern and jazzy that he's picked up from the village since his own arrival.

The hum stops momentarily while he pulls a leg off the cow and sticks it in his toothy maw, though he'll resume humming around that after a moment.]