CHAMPION !

isola radiale affiliated warrior of light (ffxiv)

[innerbeast]

( Warrior of Light ∙ Final Fantasy XIV ) Dar'khol Moshantu

❝ i come alive when it's do or die, bravery's my instinct to run into the face of the fire. a sacrifice, to save a life. ❞

you won't find your rumored ' silent protagonist ' in this rowdy adventurer. he's far too loud — too expressive! you'll know when he's around, and who he is, within a seconds time.

a warrior, a champion, a god slayer; he wears these titles and then some. pride is held within a handful while others he strongly discourages ( he's certainly no hero in his own eyes )

painted in battle lust and over-excitement, a heart of gold lays beneath the surface. radiating with enough light & warmth it could make you sick. when he cares, he cares — he cares too much.

an adventurer through and through! if there's danger? he's there. exploration? there also. the possibility for thrilling discovery, mystery and friendship? guess who! he'll be anywhere, everywhere, doing any thing!

& hope you enjoy the term 'dancing' packing several meanings at once! a fight, a conversation, an actual flow of entertaining movement; it's all of that and more! he lives by it, even. he'll rarely ever say no.

𖤓 APP. 𖤓 STATS. 𖤓 RULES.

[mr-lightningbolt]

The sudden physical proximity-- the eye contact, everything-- is overwhelming. He can feel the other man's pulse in his own hand.

"I don't need your money." Raiden hisses. Thinking he was that desperate for cash was probably the biggest insult this guy had thrown at him yet.

It isn't a no, though, even though that's what he should say. There was nothing in it for him. He'd be giving the other man exactly what he wanted. It would be a fight like in his arena, a sterile show with both parties holding back just enough to-- wait.

He never did specify anything about needing to hold back this time, did he? Raiden's about to dismiss the idea of trying to kill a man for nothing other than being irritating, but he can't help the fact worming in his head that it wouldn't actually be killing anyone. If things went that far, it would just be an inconvenience for one of them at worst, right? But it would feel the same. The thought makes his artificial heart race.

"Fine. If you can beat me, I'll do whatever you want. If you can't... no hard feelings, right?"

[innerbeast]

fine. a singular word so simple in delivery, yet bursting in a wave of delight against a set of ears begging to hear approval. it sparks life into the furred limb behind him, allowing it to thrash to and fro. even eyes once fiercely set ignite, burning with newfound excitement.

"no hard feelin's." dar'khol repeats, hand detaching from the others as he grants him a few inches of space again. the grin worn only seems to spread as he straightens, fingers eagerly curling into an awaiting palm.

there's a quickening thrum within his breast; heart set on a quickening rhythm from the mere thought of what awaits him. a simple pleasure in finding what strengths sat out there, undiscovered. what might rival his own or overcome it entirely. victory or no -- he just wanted a chance. a moment to experience!

"i wanna see everythin' you've got!" final word is accompanied by dar'khol pulling back, a leg raised to snap his heel forward. kicking things off quite literally with a heel set for the other mans core. he seemed a sturdy sort, dar'khol wasn't expecting much. just a test, to see what came his way.

he wanted to feel the first real strike, anyway.

[redhorseman]

@innerbeast

"What is it about Aurelius that brings forth such anger inside you?"

No one could blame War for not having the entire story. He had a tendency to not only mind his own business, but keep away from people for months at a time. It was simply in his nature to do so.

He offers Dar a bowl of some kind of meat soup as a courtesy. Who knows what's in it besides random meat though, but at least it's been boiled?

[innerbeast]

what a loaded question that was.

name alone was enough to darken the warrior's previously cheerful expression, brows knitting together while the corners of lips sank. an unfortunate curiosity for many to hold, given the angels variety of standings with so many. plenty were oblivious to the other side of him; to the atrocities that followed his name. there were also those that shared a distaste for him, for a handful of reasons.

even fewer, still, that would agree with dar'khol's volatile behavior towards him. that brought with it a new wave of frustration, one he opts to take out on the soup handed to him in the form of using his spoon to prod at it. lifting and dunking various chunks of meat as he stewed over an answer.

"where do ya even want me to start, red? 'cause i could be here all night with a question like that." another prodding of his soup, eventually taking to stirring it idly as a cheek comes to rest against his opposite hand.

"... i've been in that bastards head, i've seen what he's done. secrets kept and spilt. even the lives he's chosen to take here, on this island. keeps my fur standin' on end." nose crinkles with a huff, eyes staring daggers into his bowl. he's practically stabbing at its contents. "and he smiles... through all of it." like someone familiar; someone better left to memory.

[innerbeast]

[farcadekitty]

@innerbeast

🎮👾 Guy with cat ears that wasn't actually a cat. Each game world Kit had visited had been populated by an entirely different looking people, so she usually didn't think too much about it. But aside from her time with Farcade, she hadn't seen so many different people from so many worlds shoved together like this. It was kind of cool in a way.

"I mean I get the gist. We're kidnapped, nerfed down to our starting stats and equipment, gotta beat some challenges to get back up to full strength... but do you have any idea what their end goal is? I've never been in a world where I've had my stats reset like this! Usually I can just keep what I have on me."

The poor guy had only talked to her for a moment and Kit was already rambling his ear off.

[innerbeast]

fully intent on getting a word of his own in again, dar'khol's lips part. only to fall shut again as the other carried on. it was well that she had the right of things -- what with the understanding of their abduction and loss of strengths. she was, however, losing him with every mention made of 'stats', even baiting his curiosity with implications other worlds had been previously visited.

there was almost something to relate with on that front, but he's not even sure if he should comment on it. at least not yet.

"ya hold an understandin' for all o' this a bit more than most would. one would think ya've been through this before." yet she's as fresh a face as any when it came down to it. ah, but -- right -- she had a question in the midst of all that.

"can't say much for what the bastards have planned for us at the end o' all this, we've just been left to live under their watchful eyes. they get a good laugh out of our misery, i know that much."

a pause, tail bouncing with idle curiosity.

"... the hells' did ya mean by your 'stats' a couple beats back? before ya go losin' me further!"

[innerbeast]

[hollowfaith]

The screech of the desk coincides with its edge digging into the angel’s arm; he lifts his sleeve to avoid further prodding.

“I don’t think I’ve been particularly pushy,” Aurelius points out. “Haven’t we kept our distance all these months?”

“If I knew a little gift of feathers was enough to send you running to my doorstep, I’d have gifted you a pillowcase’s worth.”

Still, a gift returned was one rejected. With a wave of his fingers, the golden feathers on the desk are lifted airborne before finding their places back on his wings. Aurelius himself rises to his feet, facing the hissing cat before him with a smile.

“But you are starting to know me despite all else? Then our connection wasn’t for naught.”

He leans forward—but it’s just to grab the miqo’te’s left wrist and pull it towards himself. Gloved fingers press in firmly to test the connections of bone and sinew beneath skin.

“I won’t break what Klaus healed,” Aurelius states. “All his gifts are precious, even when given to someone else. Still—”

There’s a flutter of feathers as his wings curve around them both, half enveloping the miqo’te and blocking the windows from his sight.

“—if you’re already here, you should stay awhile. I fear I’m starting to forgot your scowls.”

[innerbeast]

aurelius' words earn him a growl that simmers in the back of the warrior's throat. the feathers, themselves, were not what set his anger boiling over. oh, no. it was the fact they appeared around his home, that they sat as evidence for what had spooked his companion a few nights back. proof that the angel crept over him despite this distance they were to keep from one another.

an entire island to soar over! yet, he chose to stick close to where he didn't belong, upset those that did not deserve it.

dar'khol made clear to steer away from this clinic for months, making sure to avoid any chance of crossing aurelius' path just for the sake of saving himself the fury that was sparked with that putrid smile of his.

'not particularly pushy' he claims, yet he's infested dar's space one time too many, by now. no matter how subtle. his nerves were worn thin.

"knowin' you wasn't a choice i made freely," dar'khol snarls, lingering rumble hitching into another low hiss once a hand meets his wrist.

having the angel pull him forward does little to lessen the tension between. it stokes the flames already burning within. memory allows these flames to spread, starting from the pressure of aurelius' touch and licking its way up passed dar'khol's elbow. what he can remember so, too, does his flesh -- how it was torn; peeled away.

he remembers, clearly, the sight of bone. it was agonizing.

fluttering feathers prove worthwhile in pulling dar'khol from his own mind, reality clawing its way back to the forefront. the sight of his arm still held and being slowly encased in gold is enough for his jaw to clench, teeth grinding. within aurelius' hold, dar's hand turns to return a similar grasp and pull back. leaning forward much as the other had, yet far quicker... and with his free arm pulled to his side.

"if you're only startin' to forget, allow me to help quicken the process!" without any remaining restraint, a fist flies forward. nails digging crescents into his palm, knuckles growing pale. if he could break that bastards jaw, shut him up for even a minute -- !!

he wanted him to stay? fine.

...

he's made his choice.

[poolentity]

❛ don’t be alarmed—... there’s something behind you. ❜

lev took a long pause before it spoke up again although with the difference of a slighter lower tone of voice and slow with it's enunciation of each word.

❛ it's me— i'm that something, @innerbeast. ❜

[innerbeast]

swiftly do his ears perk and rotate, their focus drawn to the voice behind him. somehow he'd not felt a presence behind him before it had spoken. that alone left him uneasy, but painfully curious.

"ya can't go sneakin' up on a guy like that! some o' us like to swing first and question later." luckily, in this instance, he'd been reasonable. "... do i get a name for this somethin' i'm lookin' at?"

[anttennatime]

"Hold on there, partner! PAUSE [⏸︎] for a sec! Miss Aerith's the one who sent you over to me?? Why didn't you say so!"

Because you pulled him into a dance number, Tenna.

"I LOVE that Lightner! Any friend of Aerith is a friend of mine! That settles it: we're gonna put some pen to paper and get things rolling! Pick a place, my friend--dinner's on me."

("Just don't break the bank, got it? Gotta use these Points on the contestants, too!")

...................

He's attracting about as much attention as one expects when he sits across from the other. It's hard not to; he's tall, gaudy, and his head is a television. Even the notebook and pen he brings out of his pocket are comically large.

"Well, y'know, you're already breaking the first rule about your fight club, but hey! It's your movie, not mine. You wanna get more eyes on it, is what I'm gathering?"

[innerbeast]

would have helped him to have mentioned her sooner, huh? suppose it was better late than never, the reception still seemed positive enough. he'll roll with it.

after all, it's earned him a free meal! or, well, drink in this case. appreciated as the offer was he was more set on this business proposition than sitting down to eat over it. a sweet treat littered with kiwi jelly worked just fine in its place -- gained attention towards the big guy, aside.

"the first rule? can't recall one that goes against any o' this." might be a tad unfamiliar with the implied rule, but that wasn't what he was here for.

"well, it's less 'bout the club itself. more for its affiliated predecessor -- a place i call bravura ultima! more eyes on it would be ideal, aye, gettin' any and all interested in experiencin' it to see."

there's a quick pause to sip through his straw, giving the ice a shake once he pulls away.

"got the idea from back home. usin' a place like this as a means of entertainin'; bringin' people together, y'know? it's a show, in simple terms. though the fightin' involved lacks a pretendin' element.

considerin' your twisted approach of throwin' a man into the depths for a rise, surely some high-stakes roughhousin' can't be too off th' rocker, eh?"

[thiefandlyre]

"I am choosing to embrace it lest I fall into existential terror. Can't possibly be worse than that nonsense with the Inn, can it."

[innerbeast]

"few years under my belt here haven't done much to have me enjoyin' any of their 'bo shite, but i've yet to go down without a fight." head tilts slightly at that last remark, "i've no recollection of an Inn, however..."

[thiefandlyre]

"What is it the kids say? Bring it on."

[innerbeast]

"simply th' words to live by in this shitehole! yet i've an unease settlin' with this recent glimpse."

[innerbeast]

"... we've a new game to play, is that it?" it makes his skin crawl.

[hollowfaith]

“Your boots,” Aurelius begins, “made an atrocious racket coming up the stairs.”

“But I suppose it’s one of the many allowances I’ll have to make to garner your attention.”

The angel sits behind the desk of his private office, for once looking up at the furious eyes of his one and only cat. Not that Dar would ever accept such a label, of course, but Aurelius was content to keep it for himself to use as he used.

His eyes trailed down to the small collection of feathers on the table; then without fanfare, four brilliant golden wings unfurled into sight behind his back. It’s a rare sight to reveal them, but between them both Dar’khol has already seen more than anyone else on the island, Klaus excepted—this form of familiarity is less intimacy as it is par for their course.

“I am pleased,” he continues. “I asked for results, and you delivered as always. Don’t you find this exchange of ours almost nostalgic?”

[innerbeast]

one rare sight is rewarded with another; the miqo'te's lips pulling back into a fang-bared hiss. deep, airy. ears folding back and pressing into ruffled strands as fur stands on end at the sight of those warden-esque wings. fight of flight activated just by them being made visible, and it was no mystery which choice dar'khol would make.

he's had the choice of flight before -- countless times. had it beaten into him, even, to remember it existed, and yet...

"don't test me, aurelius." the name is practically spat, first syllable pushed through gritted teeth that wished to bite down on the very name. break it down and tear it from his vocabulary. "i've done us both a favor by ignorin' your uptight arse up until this point, yet you can't leave things well enough alone."

claiming this as nostalgic was certainly a way to put it. that delivery of his alone had memory revisiting that day at skullrender. staring down his own perturbed face as his back met the wall, office set aglow by those same wings as he fought back. or how they've graced his vision a time long after, both caught in a heated frenzy of conflict that set an unfortunate fire betwixt his ribcage.

even now, a ghosting pain lingered in his arm. causing fingers to curl against the wooden desk beneath them, nails threatening to gouge grooves into it.

"so, what, then? ya claim my arm a second time, rewrite what klaus' fixed? try and convince me i'm some sort of pet to you!?" the longer he had to look at that smug face, the quicker rational thought cowered away. he wanted it gone, that smile wiped clean off. he's barely aware of the shove forward he gives the desk, its scraping just barely catching in his ears.

"i know damn well tellin' ya to back off doesn't mean shite to you."

[innerbeast]

⚾️+ water balloon, water balloon, water balloon- (she has a bucket of them)

Send a  ⚾️ + item to throw that item at my muse!

splat! square in the face the balloon pops, dar's surprise garbled by the sudden burst of water. refreshing as it may be given the spike in temperature lately, being unexpectedly wet wasn't all that comfortable.

ears flick to shake themselves dry, along with the rest of his head. he stands more akin to a dog fresh out of a pool with the display he's given, and its all for naught the moment his head is lifted,

...and he's struck with another balloon.

"oh, c'mon! what did i do to deserve this!?"

no answers. just another splat as he's dowsed with more water.

"kay!!"

[innerbeast]

"-- 'scuse me. would aurelius happen to be present?"

'yes, mr vane-tempest should still be in his office. did you have an appointment? i can let him know you're... sir? sir!'

the receptionists calls to him had become nothing more than white noise once he proceeded passed the desk. he'd received the information desired, they didn't need to be involved any more than that. his irritation was better reserved for the man in question, anyhow. the entire reason he bothered to walk through sanctus clinic's doors.

...

finding the office in question was fairly straightforward, everything being labeled as it were, but all he needed was that light-infused stench to follow. boots dug heavily into floorboards beneath them, each stride seemingly heavier than the last until dar'khol reached his mark. every muscle and nerve begged him to snap -- to kick down the barricade standing between himself and the vexing bastard he knew sat behind it.

to say he strained himself in order to resist such urges would be an understatement.

once fingers coiled around the doors handle, he paused. gracing himself with but a few seconds to inhale, to feel tension drown in his swelling lungs. but, as air was expelled it all came rushing back, and the moment the door was unlatched it swung open with one, harsh shove.

eyes shifted to a familiar head of blond, locking onto that seated form with a sharpened glare as nostrils flared.

"ya must be so damn pleased with yourself." hissed through gritting teeth, dar'khol's tone sits low. once again, he sets himself forward with deliberate steps, a thrashing tail following behind him. approaching the angels desk, he barely leaves room for the man to respond to him before a fist is slammed down, fingers spreading to dispense a handful of stray, golden feathers.

"involvin' yourself wherever ya see fit, beatin' those wretched wings o' yours over my roof -- it's no mere accident! don't think me a fool."

there's a rumble in the back of his throat as he speaks, a growl he tries to swallow down in order to get his words across.

"ya want my attention that badly? fine. here i am, then! with an ilm of patience restin' between my restraint and th' want to clip your damn wings." ( @hollowfaith )

[innerbeast]

⚾️ + bag of chips!

Send a  ⚾️ + item to throw that item at my muse!

well, certainly something easier to catch instead of the weight of a full grown man. a pleasant change! ... at least until the squeaky crinkle of the plastic in his hands.

"oy, frye! think fast!"

--and they're tossed back her way! he wasn't much of a junk food person. but! couldn't let them go to waste.

[innerbeast]

you go nine months without a strong forty-five percent of your impulse control and suddenly the promise of having strangely intimate fights with some blond dickhead becomes overly tempting ( again ).

"... they've a thing with throwin' themselves at me. am i cursed? i've gotta be, this blessin' ain't holdin' up anymore."