The Old College Try

[mansbestend]

Sender: Denji
To: Everyone
Subject: i write in the book and people read this???


OK so

I had a genius idea and wanna test sumthin

someone come swing at me. one guy and one girl. kick my ass if you want.

then we go eat or whatever after. i dunno.

Comments

> action

[stillarhino]

aight be right there

[No further questions, sir.

It takes Beat only a few minutes to get there with a speed boost from soundsurf. With music playing loudly from his headphones, he approaches the guy standing by the dream board.]

Yo, you's the one askin' for a beat down?

[your_best_friend]

[Nope. What he might see is a very confusing first for him. Welcome to the battle screen where everyone is black and white!]

This here is a battle! See that little heart of yours around here? That's your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Usually, you move it around to avoid attacks, but you've said you wanted to be attacked for something. Got things straight so far?

[mansbestend]

[Man... slim pickings on the job board today. Without knowing too much about dreamotion just yet, he had to select his compensated work carefully. Maybe he could team up with someone else who knew their shit and he could watch? Maybe learn someth-

He turned, eyebrows lifted. But he soon grinned.]

Yeah, I'm Denji. Thanks for bein'... straight-forward? Havin' to explain myself is wearin' me out. They all think it's a kink thing or I'm lookin' to die or whatever.

[mansbestend]

[Oh. Ohhh this is weird, what was goin' on...!? Don't mind his SOUL kinda wiggling about a bit. It's split into two colors.

...He knew video games, this would be fine!!]

[stillarhino]

Name's Beat.

[His introduction is said with a grin, but it quickly changes to that of confusion at what Denji says. Beat didn't even take the time to read through whatever anyone else said, immediately distracted by the possibility of food.]

Why'd they think it's some kinda kink? All's you was askin' was to get your ass handed to ya.

[Said as if this request wasn't weird in the slightest!]

[your_best_friend]

[Why, yes, that double-colored SOUL is intriguing! Very, VERY intriguing! This is the first time he's ever saw a SOUL like this. But Flowey doesn't allow himself to be distracted right now.]

...I'll take that as a yes! Now... Don't move.

[Suddenly, a thin red box as tall as the movement area with a red exclamation point and a warning sound appears directly over the position of the heart. A vine shoots up and encompasses the entire area of where the warning area was a second later. It's up to Denji if he wants to dodge it or not.]

[adorabrawler]

Good idea. I'm still pretty good with my fists.

sender: link

[skyglider]

That's some hobby you've got.

[whatsamada]

That just makes me even more worried!

What did you do to get torn apart?

Sender: Shigeru Miyata

[mysophobic]

Please don't fight!!! If you get too hurt I'll have to patch you up. Whatever you're trying to test must have another method, right?!

[ Denji why you like this... ]

[mwehehe]

Why are you asking for your ass to be kicked though.

Usually it's, you know, the other way around. Not even in manga do the protags say "yes, kick my ass!" because that's weird.

Sender: Blitzø

[helluvaboss]

If ur having performance anxiety I can demote u to coffee boy instead

[mansbestend]

[Don't move? Okay, so what-

He twitched, fight or flight response kicking, but he bore down and took a smack with the vine. This was some old-timey stuff from the last decade for sure, all black and white but with vague splashes of color.]

Shit, you hit hard for a little flower! But okay, I get it... so I pick one of these options and take a turn, right? What's CHECK do...?

[Fuck it, he can take the chance. ACT, then CHECK.]

[mansbestend]

Fought devils. They eat people all the time, so they get rough.

I pay it back. They piss themselves when it comes to me.

[mansbestend]

I'm okay I guess. Devils shrug off punches so I don't get to do it much.

What do you look like? I have a place to meet up around the job board in town

[mansbestend]

[He shrugged.]

I guess some people get off on it, but that's not what I'm doin'. I just wanna see if what I do works in a fight situation, since I guess this place has different rules.

[mansbestend]

That's your angle? I get my ass kicked for fun?

I mean I guess it beats knitting and poetry club...

[mansbestend]

[Even he doesn't know.]

It's what I think will cross off a bunch of other options, but if you've got any bright ideas...

[mansbestend]

Guess I'm just a weird guy.

I've had way worse, so getting into some fights isn't a huge stretch. Just finding an on switch for my power. Or job, I guess.

[mansbestend]

If you wanna shit urself, please drink the coffee I make, I dare you

I can fight without the chainsaws, but I'm trying to be smart and learn how this place works.

sender: della duck

[sos_pilot]

So are you going to fight back? Because this feels kind of weird otherwise.

I'll still hit you, but I might feel bad doing it if you don't defend yourself or something.

[helluvaboss]

dont worry like 5 min with Moxxie and youll have encyclopedic knowledge forcibly shoved in your brain if your tinitis doesnt tune him out first

anyway idc if you have or need an excuse but if ur not feeling confident in fighting then dont worry about it, I can make sure u still have work with us

[stillarhino]

[What he can do, huh? Okay, Beat wants to see whatever this is then.]

Aight. If tha's what you wanna do, le's do this!

[And that is about all the heads up he gives, before he adjust his stance and immediately delivers a punch aimed right at Denji's gut. No dreamotion for now. This was just a test after all, right?]

[mansbestend]

Not a fight situation if I stand there and just take it.

I'm talking street fighter shit!

[mansbestend]

You mean those cappacheenos? I don't know what half the shit he said was about, but I got lost

Never said I wasn't confident. I'd patrol the streets with a fire axe and do fine if Power didn't jump the first devil she saw first.