#highcard

[kryomax]

Finn Oldman - High Card

[k2sumi]

♤♧♢♡ 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 ♤♡♧♢ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞! 𝐈'𝐦 𝐊𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐢, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐨𝐨! 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐎𝐂, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐂𝐃𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝.

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭. 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐈 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.

♤♧♢♡♤♧♢♡♤♧♢♡♤♧♢♡♤♧♢♡♤♧♢♡♤♧♢♡

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙣 𝙊𝙡𝙙𝙢𝙖𝙣

-Lindsey was the first to know about your relationship. Finn told him everything about you before you even started dating and about how you made him feel. How every smile made his heart fly, how every time he thought of you he smiled, and how every time he was with you, he tried to make you laugh.

-He is very protective. He loves you deeply, and the last thing he wants is to put you in danger because of his job at High Card, so he worries about you a lot.

-He loves teasing you. It’s one of his favorite things, and he loves it even more when you tease him back.

-He loves hugs, especially when he can sneak up behind you and surprise you with one.

-He also compliments you a lot. In his eyes, you’re amazing, and he wants you to think the same about yourself!

-He always thinks about you while working at Old Maid Branch, so he secretly calls you to avoid getting scolded by Leo for not being working.

-He loves listening to you talking about your day. No matter what you did, he’ll listen to you with his full attention.

-It bothers him to see you laughing with someone funnier than him. I mean, he’s already fun and entertaining, so why would you laugh at someone else’s jokes?

-He likes to take you to Sunfields often. He loves that you get along with Lindsey and the kids at the orphanage.

-He gives you random little gifts. The classic, “I saw this and immediately thought of you.”

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨!

Your phone started ringing while you were eating what you had just prepared. When you saw who was calling, you smiled, but at the same time, you felt a bit worried.

“Hello?” you answered.

“Hey!” a whispering voice replied.

“Are you slacking off at work again?” You rolled your eyes.

“Is it really considered slacking off if I just wanted to hear your voice?”

You blushed a little and smiled, though you reminded yourself you were supposed to be scolding him.

“Finn, you’re on working hours! What if your boss catches you?”

“Ah, that child. Don’t even mention him. He’s absolutely unbearable today.” He sighed.

Finn had sneaked away from his work area and was hiding in a small and dark room.

“Dear Lala. What am I going to do with you?”

Finn laughed softly so he wouldn’t be heard.

“Anyway, I didn’t call for you to get mad at me. What are you doing?” he asked cheerfully.

“Ah, I’m just having lunch. It’s almost your lunch break, right?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to wait that long to call you.”

“Aww. That’s sweet. Did you bring lunch or are you going out with Chris?”

“I’ll go out with him. There’s a new restaurant nearby. Chris says they have really good sweets, though I don’t think a chocolate cake should count as lunch.”

You laughed.

“You can come eat at my place after work. I’m planning on making lasagna for dinner.”

“That sounds goo—” Finn stopped mid-sentence and went silent.

…

“Love?” you asked, a bit puzzled.

“Shhh! I think he’s close.” He whispered. His tone changed and now it was a worried one.

“Leo must have realized I’m gone already. Meh, I’ll just tell him I was in the bathroom or something.”

You laughed softly.

“What? It’s not funny, what if I get fired?”

“That would be entirely your fault!” You burst into more laughter. You really loved when he called, but the situations he got himself into were ridiculous.

“Anyway, I’ll go for now, I’ll call you later. See you, love you!”

“I love you too!”

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚

-Oh, in all of Fourland he’s the most flirtatious man you’ve ever met. He always has a dramatic compliment or flirt to say.

-He often invites you to cafés and pastry shops so you can eat sweets with him.

-It makes him really happy that you get along with Michelle, after all, you two are very important people to Chris.

-If you ever need to go somewhere, he’ll be the first one to offer to take you with RAIKA (the car).

-He’s always talking about you with Finn. Whether it’s at Old Maid Branch, during lunch, or even in a HIGH CARD mission. He loves showing off how amazing you are.

-He loves inviting you on dates. He likes taking you to restaurants and popular, luxurious, beautiful places so that you can enjoy and have fun with his company.

-He likes holding your hand while walking together through the streets of Fourland.

-He adores when you give him compliments or flirt back with him. Chris is an expert at doing it, which is why when you do it, it makes his heart spin.

-He loves kissing you. It’s one of his many ways of showing you how much he loves you, but out of all, that one is his favorite.

-He always tries to make you laugh. He could say and do any ridiculous thing just to hear your laughter.

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

It was a starry night, the breeze was fresh, and next to you was your boyfriend driving his beloved RAIKA. The two of you had just finished your date, and now Chris was driving you back home.

Chris sighed.

"Sheesh. I don’t want to go to work tomorrow.” Chris said while keeping his eyes on the road.

“You always say that, but then you forget all about it the moment you step into Old Maid.” You teased him with a small laugh.

He laughed softly too.

“Maybe. Everything’s been more lively since Finn arrived.”

“I know. You’re always telling me about the nonsense you two do. That’s why Leo scolds you so much!”

“Sorry!” Chris said with a smile and a dramatic tone. It was clear he didn’t mean it at all.

You sighed.

The car stopped in the middle of the street. The traffic light had turned red, and for some reason, this specific one always took a while to change.

You were about to speak, but you noticed Chris staring at you. His eyes were shining, and he was looking at you with a smile.

“W-What?” You raised a brow.

“Can’t I look at you?”

“No, it’s illegal.” You teased him.

“Then I’ll be committing a crime.”

You laughed.

“It’s just that, you look stunning tonight.”

He took your hand and kissed it gently.

“Did you drink something at the restaurant? Should I be worried that my boyfriend is driving drunk?” You looked at him with a smile.

“Of course not. Forgive me for loving you this much.”

Out of nowhere, Chris leaned closer and kissed your lips slowly. He placed his hand softly on your neck, and the two of you stayed like that for a few seconds.

“Mm… You taste just like chocolate.” You broke the kiss and licked your lips.

“It’s not my fault the restaurant’s desserts were that good!” He kept looking at you with a seductive gaze.

Chris kissed you again, and just when you were about to place your hands on his face, you heard a car honking behind.

The traffic light had changed color, telling you both it was time to move.

“Ah, bad timing.” Chris glared at the light and returned his gaze to the road.

“Ah, what a shame.”

“Let’s continue this later.” Chris winked at you with a smile, and you turned your gaze back to the window.

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

𝙇𝙚𝙤 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙋𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙚

-For Leo, his father’s approval is very important, which is why he was the first person to know about your relationship. He didn’t seem to care much, but he did tell Leo to remember that he also has priorities to focus on.

-Leo loves listening to Poison Phenomenon with you. It makes him happy that you listen to his favorite music together with him.

-He enjoys ballroom dancing with you. If you don’t know how, he’ll teach you little by little so you can dance together and enjoy it as much as he does.

-It may not seem like it, but Leo is a very romantic guy. He tells you very sweet things intentionally and unintentionally.

-He’s always buying things for you. Whether it’s clothes, jewelry, chocolates, things you like, or flowers. He has too much money and loves spending it on you.

-He likes to rest on your chest while you stroke his head and play with his soft hair. Leo is a very stressed boy, so he loves when you spoil him with your affection.

-Leo likes to talk about you with Vijay. He feels safe speaking with so much love about you to him. Although once while doing so, the other members of HIGH CARD found out, so now Finn and Chris constantly tease him with comments like “What a gentleman!”, “Have you already asked them out?”, “Have you already kissed?” and things like that.

-Leo worries and stresses a lot about getting you into trouble because of his work in HIGH CARD. He fears the Klondike Family might harm you or your loved ones.

-He’s very gentle when showing his affection. He likes to kiss your hands and fingers, cheek, nose, and forehead.

-Whenever he can, he writes messsages or calls you. Because of his studies, Pinochle, and High Card, you two can hardly see each other, but even so, Leo always finds a way to talk to you.

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

It was a very beautiful afternoon. You were sitting on a bench in a lovely park with Leo. You weren’t doing much, just chatting while drinking a popular tea from a nearby shop.

“And then Mary fell down. It was pretty funny, so after laughing I helped her up.” You finished your story with a laugh.

“You’re always causing trouble with her.” Leo sighed and took a sip of his drink.

“It’s not my fault. Classes are too boring…” You took a sip of your drink as well.

“And that’s one of your brilliant reasons for skipping class?” Leo raised a brow.

“Of course! At least it’s more fun than listening to Professor Joshua talk about his boring weekend instead of actually teaching.”

Leo let out a small laugh and flicked your forehead.

“You’ll end up in detention. When you do, you’ll remember me.”

“I don’t need to be in detention to remember you.”

Leo went silent for a few seconds, and little by little, you saw his ears turn pink. Before you could say anything, Leo leaned in and stole a sip of your tea.

“Hey! What are you doing?” You said in surprise.

“Just checking if your drink didn’t have anything strange in it to make you say those things.”

“What?” You laughed softly.

“You just took advantage of the situation! I’m sure you’ve been wanting some of my drink for a while.” You said.

“Uh-huh, and what makes you think that?” He said confidently.

…

“Ah hey, let’s take a picture.”

“Don’t change the subject!”

You chuckled. You really had no proof, so you just changed the subject to save yourself.

He sighed, but you could see a small smile on his face. Then you took out your phone and opened an app to take photos with funny filters.

“Look, let’s take it with this one! It’s clowns!”

“I think I’m the least suitable person to use that filter.”

You laughed.

“Ah, then the hamster one!”

You put on the filter, and it quickly adjusted to both your faces. You burst out laughing as soon as you saw Leo’s face on the camera. He looked so funny but at the same time very adorable.

“What?”

“No, nothing. Just that you look very cute.” You hugged him softly, catching Leo off guard. He slowly hugged you back.

“I love you!” You said with a smile as you hugged him.

“I love you too.” Leo replied and kissed your head gently.

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

𝙒𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙤

-She likes going out to eat with you. It can be desserts, lunches, or snacks, but she always has fun when you two eat together.

-You met LAP by accident. It was one time you were walking calmly down the street and there was a commotion nearby. Curiosity got the better of you and you went closer and saw... Wendy? No, it wasn’t Wendy. It was LAP. The moment LAP saw you, she almost killed you… but with kisses ❤️ (lol).

-She feels very insecure about what you think of her because of LAP.

-Whenever she gets drunk, she calls you and starts blabbering about how much she misses you and loves you.

-Sometimes she gets a little distracted at work thinking about how you’re doing and if you’ve eaten yet.

-She gets a bit flustered when you call her by nicknames or pet names.

-Her father is very happy that his daughter is in a relationship with someone like you. He says that Wendy always tells him sweet things about you, so it brings him a lot of joy that she has someone who loves her so much.

-Wendy is the type of person who watches videos of creative paper romantic cards to make for you, tries, and when she fails she cries.

-She likes to windowshop with you while chatting about any silly thing.

-Wendy has nightmares, but since you’ve been together she has one that’s very recurrent. It’s about her watching you leave her because you don’t love her anymore.

-Wendy loves when you hug her. She feels very safe in your arms and would love to stay in that comfort forever.

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

It was a calm and fresh Saturday. You and Wendy had decided to go to the mall to walk around and spend some time together. You were chatting while looking at stores and watching people go by.

“And then Chris and Finn got scolded by Leo for the fifth time that day.” Wendy finished her story.

“Leo really is strict…” You said with a small chuckle.

“He is, but he’s not that bad. The guys cause a lot of trouble too, so I understand why he scolds them!” She said with an angry expression, clearly remembering some silly thing they did that annoyed her too.

“Let’s change the subject. You’ve had a stressful week and talking about work just makes it worse.”

“You’re right. I just want to relax—”

Out of nowhere, Wendy stopped both talking and walking.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” You asked.

Wendy stood still, staring in one direction. You followed her gaze and saw someone sitting at one of the outdoor tables of a pastry shop. They were eating what looked like a tart.

You turned your eyes back to Wendy and noticed how hers sparkled and her mouth was practically watering.

“Oh, you know. I’m kind of hungry. How about we stop by that shop for a bit?” You asked with a smile, holding your hand out for her to take.

Wendy looked at you and her face lit up with excitement.

“That would be great!” She said cheerfully. Like a kid seeing a gift.

Wendy took your hand and together you entered the pastry shop. There were plenty of pastries and Wendy couldn’t decide what to choose.

“Pick whatever you want. My treat.” You said.

“What? No, no, no! I can’t accept that.” Wendy shook her hands and her head.

“Please. You do so much for me and you’re always worried about me. Let me spoil you.”

Wendy blushed a little.

“Are you sure?” She asked shyly.

“Completely.”

Wendy smiled and turned her attention back to the display case. With that, she chose 5 desserts that she decided to share with you once you sat at one of the outdoor tables.

“Thank you. A lot.” Wendy said while eating a little chocolate cookie. Her cheeks were a bit red.

“No problem.” You placed your hand on hers and stroked it softly.

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

𝙑𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙮 𝙆𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙧 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙝

-He adores making chai tea for you. He prepares it with much care and gentleness for you, and he’s happy that you enjoy it as much as he does.

-Vijay always worries about you. He wonders if your day is going well, if you’ve eaten, if you got out of work safely, and if you’re feeling okay.

-He talks about you to his plants all the time. There was one time where he was talking about you with Justin, and Vijay was able to hear Justin a bit. Justin was saying that you were very cute. Vijay got surprised and could only agree with him.

-He loves cooking for you. He takes the time to make your favorite meals just to see your smile while eating them.

-He gets really happy about your achievements. He is very supportive and is always cheering for you.

-He gives you flowers often. Any beautiful and colorful flower that reminds him of you, he’ll gift it to you with lots of love.

-If you ever get sick or feel unwell, he won’t hesitate to take care of you and give you everything you need to feel better.

-He’s a very intelligent man and has had to do a lot of studies for university, so he enjoys sharing his knowledge with you.

-He probably won’t understand very well if you flirt with him. He would get confused by what you say, and you would just laugh, leaving him puzzled.

-Whenever you feel sad, he notices. Every time you feel that way, he tries to comfort you and make you feel better.

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

The scent of a familiar tea filled the room where you and your boyfriend were. It was the specialty of your beloved Vijay, chai tea.

“Be careful, it’s hot.” He said softly as he placed it delicately on the table.

“Thank you. It smells really good.”

“Right. I made it with lots of love, I hope you like it.” He smiled.

“Of course I’ll like it. Everything you make is so delicious, and I always appreciate it so much.”

“I’m glad you think that way.”

Through the window, the sunset began to beautifully light up the room.

“Ah, look how beautiful!” Your eyes sparkled as you pointed at the sky, now painted in oranges and purples.

Vijay turned to look at it in silence. He was contemplating the view and stayed quiet for a few seconds. Before you could say anything, Vijay began to speak.

“It certainly is. I’d love to see more sunsets as beautiful as this one throughout my whole life with you.”

“Vijay…” Your cheeks turned a bit rosy.

“I want the same.” You said with a smile as you looked at him.

Surprised, Vijay looked back at you and tilted his head.

“Really?” He keeped his surprised look.

“Of course! We’ll see many sunsets together, in a beautiful home full of flowers and plants we love!” You said happily.

Vijay’s expression shifted into a smile.

“That’s how it will be.”

“And we’ll drink lots of chai tea!” You said cheerfully.

“Sounds good.”

“Mhm, and our pet will be a cute tiger!”

“Yes! Wait… A tiger? How would we live with a tiger?” He tilted his head again innocently. He looked very confused.

“It’s a joke. At least the part about the tiger.” You replied with a small laugh.

“Oh. I see.” His smile returned as he saw you laugh.

You took the little cup with the tea and began to drink it slowly. It tasted very good, and with the company and the lovely view, it was even better.

-------------------♠️♥️♣️♦️--------------------

[nafi-tan]

Meaning behind the naming of the Kingdom of Fourland

As someone that is not that familiar with the topic of playing cards I got a bit confused by the names of the capitals of each country as well as of the country names itself. I did get the meaning behind Acorn City and Bell Land since I am familiar with the german suited cards but Magic Rose and Shield did confuse me. Well, it turns out these are the names for the swiss-german suits. Each capital correlates to their respective french suit.

Now to the names of each country:

Spada makes sense because of the similarity to the word spades. Additionally, Spada is italian for swords.

Lozenge is another word for a rhombus or diamond shape, therefore Diamonds.

Silphium is an ancient plant that was once highly valued in the Mediterranean region for its various uses, including medicinal and culinary applications. The seed pod of the Silphium plant, which had a heart-shaped appearance, was associated with love and sexuality in ancient cultures. Some historians believe that this heart-shaped seed pod might have influenced the modern symbol of the heart that we associate with love and affection. There also existed a currency of silver coins which was used in the city that was a major producer of Silphium. (For more detailed information you can look up 1, 2 - that‘s where I got my information from)

As for Polostick. I think think another name for a polostick that is used in the sport is a polo mallet. A mallet is used to hit something. So is a club. Simple, I know, but I really couldn‘t find or come up with another definition.

Please take these with a grain of salt, since I did not put that much time into the research. I appreciate any other input or ideas.

Still, this is an example that it’s these litte details that add to the world building of High Card. You can really see the effort that got into this project. That‘s sth I really love ♥️ ♠️ ♦️ ♣️

[ukioshi0]

not a request but you are the first person i know who does headers and reqs for small music projects (like astrodive and magatsunote), so i wanna know what other things you like

Hiii I have a lot of stuff I like, but the ones I'm currently into are UniteUp!, Break My Case, and Evil Prince and the Puppet, and I'm trying to learn more about Hanadoll, Gray sheep, and Aoppella!

[inahochi]

[junaumernasvo]

yeah that’s my favorite drama “Gay Anonymous Club” 😍😍💯💯

btw they’re besties!!!!!!

[happyinjection]

♠️♥️High Card Short Story 6 “An Afternoon with Finn and Chris” (1/3)♦️♣️

What do car dealers do on their lunch break? Finn, for one, took Chris out to the backyard of the store...

Original: https://twitter.com/highcard_pj/status/1540170704884072448

Author: https://twitter.com/poipheno

Artist: https://twitter.com/ebimoji3

Lunch break. I stuffed a sandwich into my mouth and dragged Chris out through the backdoor by his arm. 

“Finn~ I was planning to eat dessert after my lunch, you know~”

“You’ve promised to do it today, remember? Come on, let’s go.”

The backyard was bathed in soft sunlight, and purple flowers were blooming from the plants tended by Bernard-ojiichan and Vijay.

“What a pushy kid. Fine, just give a moment.”

Chris, who appeared reluctant, didn’t move from his spot as he shoved a spoonful of pudding from the jar into his mouth.

“Hurry up. We don’t have much time.”

“Okay, okay. I got it.”

Previously, I had gotten Chris to promise that he would teach me martial arts. Long story short, we had been busy with our job as car dealers, and thus our plan had been postponed several times, but today both of us could finally make it.

“I’m not a fan of getting all sweaty with men, though.”

“Stop saying disgusting stuff so often. Come on, hurry up and teach me already!”

“I don’t think it’s anything worth teaching.”

I took off my suit jacket, pulled my necktie off, then draped them over a garden bench. I also took off my watch and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt.

“I mean, Finn, you’re already pretty good at fighting. Surely you have no need for extra training?”

“No problem, just teach me what you know!”

Before I joined High Card, I used to do boxing casually with my friends. However, after going on several missions with Chris, I learned that people who have been through intense training are on an entirely different level compared to those who don’t.

According to what he told me, it seemed that Chris had been trained in martial arts by his father when he was young. His basic skills laid in muay thai and MMA—mixed martial arts. In short, he could do anything in terms of full body combat.

“Very well, for the sake of my cute junior, I guess I can afford to take off a layer or two. One thrust at a time, maybe something more would come out of this, yeah?[*]”

I had no idea what he meant by that, but Chris simply chuckled at me.

“Show me what you’ve got.”

“’Kay.”

I took a shoulder-width stance by putting my left foot forward, then held up both of my fists to the height of my cheeks.

“My style is kind of like boxing. Here it comes, shadow.”

Shadow is a term for when one attacks or dodges while imagining their opponent in their head.

One-two, hook, uppercut, body-ducking, and swayback, I alternated between hitting and dodging.

The cobblestones on the ground rubbed against my leather soles, producing a crisp sound.

“So, how was it? What should I change to improve?”

I panted heavily through my nose.

“Isn’t that already good enough the way it is?”

“What the hell, there’s no way that’s true! Tell me your actual thoughts!”

“No, no, I’m serious. You did good enough. To be fair, on our missions, we don’t usually get into situations where we must go wild in a fistfight, anyway.”

“It did happen last time, though.”

“Finn has sharp eyesight, so you’ll be just fine. Besides, this place is not ideal for training to begin with. MMA especially requires us to work as a pair and involves a lot of getting thrown down. If you’ll follow me to my bed, perhaps then I would reconsider.”

Ignoring his joke, I turned on my heels.

“Alright then! I’m just gonna ask Wendy to teach me.”

In an instant Chris was grabbing on my arm.

“Stop right there! Wendy doesn’t know how to take it easy when giving a lesson, she will definitely break you!”

“So hurry up and teach me instead.”

“Okay, okay. So eager to get back together after breaking up with me, huh.”

Chris took off his suit jacket and threw it over the garden bench. Following that he pulled his necktie off and undid his first button. He took off his dark green watch, then finally rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Due to his tall height, he might seem slender at a glance, but his arms were strong with visible blue veins running all the way down to his wrists.

“Here we go, let’s get into position one more time.”

As I was getting ready, Chris walked around behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, rubbing on them.

“Hmm, nice frame.”

“Don’t get too handsy with me.”

“No, I’m just stating the truth? Not only you have good eyesight, but you also have a strong body, and you’re surprisingly flexible. Alright, go ahead and start with another one-two.”

I gave him a one-two.

“There’s an opening on your side. Also, your left side isn’t extended wide enough. Since Finn is ambidextrous, if closely observed, your balance when throwing a hit is better than most people.”

While saying that, Chris kept his hands on my hip bones the entire time. It bugged me, but I held on.

“Leave yourself to me, and relax.”

“No need to say unnecessary stuff.”

“Now, pay attention on how you rotate your left hip.”

“Like this?”

“Pull your shoulders in a bit more. Don’t tuck your chin.”

“So, like this?”

“Don’t let your body get carried away. Plant your feet firmly on the ground.”

“Then how about this—!”

Suddenly, whoosh, a faint sound of my fist cutting through the air could be heard.

“Woah! That sound just now, did you catch that?!?! That’s one hell of a punch!”

“Well, you pretty much got it. However, sports and an actual combat are two different things. If you stick to your own rules you will lose, such is the theory of fighting. Thankfully Finn is already good at making things up on the spot, so why not trust your own eyes and intuition?”

“If you say so..... but first, get your hands off my waist.”

With a grin tugging on his lips, Chris held up both of his hands comically.

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TL notes: Chris “sexual innuendo” Redgrave, everyone. [*] This is not exactly what he says but you get the idea. Also, this is the best pun I can come up with at the moment. Once again I’m not posting this one in the correct order but I feel like this must be done before episode 9! As usual, let’s enjoy High Card together~

[just--atiger]

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