Roll All Day [Open]

[RawkGod of Love]

Alex

Honestly, Alex had meant to head back to Minatumi months ago. It'd been a pretty long time since he'd gone back, but things sort of got in the way. First of all, pounding a foundation out on Margaritaville had taken a couple weeks, and he'd actually been genuinely angry when he realized there wasn't anything else he could do on his own. So he'd had to call up some contractors, tell them he could totally afford it (he couldn't yet, but he had a plan), and have them actually get to building everything he just didn't have the qualifications for. Plumbing, electricity, fire safety, basic shit like that.

So that had been the first few weeks, and he'd meant to just head right on over to Minatumi after that. But then he'd figured he should probably go say hey to Nel, but then he'd ended up asking her out. Then that turned into a few dates, a few real nice trysts (not that he'd ever tell you about them, that's none of your fuckin business), and then they were dating. So naturally he wasn't gonna just bounce out like that, he was a man in love now. A week or two turned into a month, a month turned into a couple months, he ended up at Hayden's bachelor party and everything, working at the Tundra once or twice (Nel was adorable in an apron). All in all, way longer trip than he meant. Not that he minded, but you know.

It was fine though, he'd finally made the walk over to Minatumi. Of course, he made sure to give Nel a call whenever he could. What was he gonna do, not talk to the love of his life? Fat fuckin' chance. But he didn't want to just obsess over her either, he was still a wanderer for the love of wandering. Walking across Asia was always nice in his eyes, it was a pretty place. Maybe one day he'd get a train built across the whole thing, that'd be fuckin beautiful. He'd have to come up with a name though for his little oriental express... Hm.

Ah well. He was here now, hands in his pockets and gait as confident as ever. Alex walked through Minatumi harbor like he owned the place, though of course he had no actual illusions that was the case. He was just a confident guy. He was looking for Ulv, of course, but he wasn't actually in any real hurry. For now he could just be some normal guy taking a look around the city...well, in his own head anyway. Truth be told, he still hadn't really figured out the sheer degree to which his own spiritual energy had skyrocketed as of late. It helped that he pretty much just hung around people who were, in turn, even more spiritually exceptional than he was. Hard to notice in that sort of situation. So while he may not have realized it...he was pretty much a walking flare of violent spiritual energy. Nobody was getting hurt, at least.

[Mirja EeolaDemon Toy]

ULV AUBER | THE BURNING HEART

Today was the day of the annual log-tossing competition! Or at least, she was going to try make it annual. There were a lot more people in this city than there had been the past couple of months, the buildings had grown, the population swelled, and Ulv grew with vibrancy as the slum became a true city. The Harbour was closed for today, to avoid any ships getting taken out by a flying log, and large, burly Norwegian men drinking mead and speaking their tongue while having a strong grasp of the competition. They were mighty beings after all.

Ulv herself had tossed a log and promised a grand fortune to any man who could toss the log as far as she had, but there was no restraint from that toss and it had soared a long distance. So nothing yet came close. She had given Elyss the choice to come down and wear her uniform, but she had refused that one, as usual. Expected, these days. But then, a man appeared who might be able to, and that was a man who she did not begrudge giving a fortune to.
"Alex! Come, drink, and toss logs!" she shouted, laughing passionately as another man stepped up to the plate.

RESOLVE FLAME | END POST

[RawkGod of Love]

Alex

Somehow, this whole setup didn't actually surprise Alex one bit. He glanced around, tried to listen in to all the chatter before realizing they were speaking some sort of eurochatter he didn't care enough to learn, then returned his attentions to ol’ teach. Seemed like he was getting invited to...hopefully this competition. What the fuck was it, anyway?

“Toss logs? That’s not some little secret code about dicks, right? I don’t really go for big burly dudes. And no offense, teach, but you’re not really my type either. Plus, I’m a taken man. Only toss my log at one lady.”

Grinning at all that, Alex naturally made his way over, taking one hand out of his pocket to grab a drink and down it rather quickly. He’d been noticing that drinks weren’t having as much effect as they used to, so he’d gotten pretty good at downing even more than normal, and as quickly as possible. If he wasn’t actually getting anything out of the drinking, it wasn’t really worth drinking, and he definitely didn’t feel like wasting all his time on said drinking. So speed was the way to go.

“Now if we’re just throwin’ shit, I’ll have you know I was a fuckin champ back in little league. Betcha my arm’s still just as good as back then.”

[Mirja EeolaDemon Toy]

ULV AUBER | THE BURNING HEART

Alex came over, quipping about tossing logs and dicks, but Ulv just pointed to the large man throwing a log into the harbour as a none-verbal explaination that she was being literal. And then, seeing him neck a whole glass of mead with barely a blink, pulled out the smaller cask. Painted black and kept away from the others with a marking of 'Mjord', it was clearly different from the regular mead. Ulv poured a glass for him and one for herself, handing it over to him.
"You've gotten a lot stronger than last time, huh? I'd need a much bigger rock for you now. Here, this is my special drink for powerful spiritual beings to get wasted. Even took down the Mighty Hayden, and that guy's got Regeneration on top of spirit powers. So pace yourself"

She then turned and looked to the men, making sure that drunken passion didn't escalate to drunken violence.
"So. I heard about Nellel. You into cougars? Like dating an older woman, huh?" She teased. "And said woman being able to turn you into a stain on the ground if you ever cheat on her must also add to the thrill"

RESOLVE FLAME | END POST

[RawkGod of Love]

Alex

"Have I? I dunno, feel the same as I always have. Maybe a little cooler. I'll push any rock you throw at me though, that's just how dope I am."

Alex took the new drink without much thought, and thankfully had the wherewithal to take a short sip rather than downing the whole thing. Mind you, that wasn't really out of fear of the alcoholic strength or anything. Alex had no real sense of caution, that was for pussies. It was more that ever since he'd been fooled twice into drinking shit made "stronger" with battery acid and jet fuel, he was a little more careful about unusual new liquor.

"Ah, you already heard? Damn, here I was hoping I could surprise you and brag about it. I guess she is a little older than me, huh? I dunno, never really thought about it."

There was a certain level of genuine...surprise, almost, in Alex's voice as he really thought about that. Like yeah, he guessed Nel was older than him. He kinda knew that in the abstract, but having it actually pointed out to him made him really think about it. That had to be like what, at least 400 years if she'd been around for all that shit with Aizen and Ichigo. Trippy. Of course, the final quip from Ulv got a small frown from him, and he cut a sideways glance at her as he took another drink of the mjord.

"I'd never cheat on her though. Only got eyes for one lady, and it's Nel. Now lemme at these logs."

[Mirja EeolaDemon Toy]

ULV AUBER | THE BURNING HEART

"Met her at Abalia's Bachelorette party and we hit it off there. Was a wild thing. Inami came down and nearly got shot by Abalia before Atlas came in. And Inami took an interest to Atlas and screwed him on a chair while the rest of us watched. Was quite the hell for me, what with all the beautiful women around and every one of them taken by people I respect too much to do anything to" She told Alex, leading him over to the logs and nodding to the man who was preparing. He tossed his lock, and then stepped aside for Alex to come in.

"Good to hear you won't cheat on her. I like you. Beating you to death with your own limbs would not be a highlight of any day" Ulv didn't threaten him or have any degree of malice, it was clear she was just telling him what she would do. Ulv dealt in absolutes, not possibilities, and maybes. "So, toss ya log and tell me about Hayden's bachelor party! Atlas was with us, so I can't imagine who else might have been there aside from you. And that, sounds proper firecrackers"

RESOLVE FLAME | END POST

[RawkGod of Love]

Alex

Seeming remarkably unperturbed by this long string of events Ulv was telling him about, Alex stretched out a bit before his throw, removing his jacket to get a more full reach. He closed his eyes as he did so, seeming surprisingly zen for someone so fundamentally anarchic (and, for that matter, just lazy).

"Yeah, I heard about all that. Nel and Abalia told it a little differently, though yours sounds about like Nel's. Doesn't surprise me too much, Abalia's too fuckin' clean to talk about the whole thing like that. I'm not gonna talk about the bachelor party, though. Nothing bad happened or anything. Just think it'd be better to let him decide how to talk about it."

Appraising the log before him carefully, Alex picked it up and judged the weight. It sort of surprised him how light it was, he'd expected something heavier. What kind of wood was this? Couldn't be good for much with that kind of weight. Regardless, he took a little longer before setting it back down, and removed his shirt as well. He was gonna win this, and if he tore his shirt throwing the damn log he'd be pissed. That was a $35 dollar shirt, after all.

"Alright fuckboys, dig on this."

Alex's whole body tensed, then, and in that moment, the sheer extent of his newfound strength really showed. He had always been on the stronger side, and definitely well built. But as he threw the log with every ounce of strength he could, it was obvious even at a glance that his every muscle was far beyond mortal limits. He was nothing short of statuesque, and as he stepped forward once and all but javelined the log forward, he took a deep breath, and watched it simply soar forward.

"God damn guys, were you just fuckin' around or something? There's no way you guys only threw yours that far."

There was not even a single ounce of mocking in the redhead's tone as he questioned his fellow competitors. It was rather abundantly clear in that moment that Alex simply did not fathom the extent of his own strength.

[Mirja EeolaDemon Toy]

ULV AUBER | THE BURNING HEART

Ulv sat back and looked to Alex, grinning softly at his claims. Ohh, Hayden was going to get a visit soon. This was juicy gossip Ulv was not going to let go of. But for now, she watched him strip down to his skin and then proper launch the log out of the harbour. Guy really had grown, his strength nearly comparable to Ulv's own these days. It was so nice to see people grow and progress. Though, she did stand up after that one and give a cute laugh.
"That's because they are none-spiritual humans, Alex. They don't have any degree of super-strength. I restrained the majority of my own, or else I wouldn't have had a log left to show where mine had landed"

Ulv would then step up and pick up a log, and hoist it onto her shoulder.
"You are a very strong guy now, Alex. You need to learn a little bit of restraint before you end up breaking The Tundra because you closed a door to hard" Ulv would then showcase the idea of restraint by throwing one log and having it splash down close to the last one. Not terribly far away from the other logs, but still uncontested. And then, taking a strange new stance and creating a reiatsu platform below her feet, she threw a second log after the first, which was to showcase the other side of restraint and control.

This second log blasted every standard person off their feet from the displaced air, and the scent of burned wood quickly filled everyone's nose as the wind resistance built up such pressure at the front of the log it caught fire, and burned the entire thing to ashes before it could touch down on the water.
"First log, happy Abalia, intact Tundra. Second log, Nelliel is giving you that stare that means you are sleeping on the couch, and the Tundra is a large pile of shattered bricks and mortar dust"

RESOLVE FLAME | END POST

[RawkGod of Love]

Alex

Seeming remarkably unperturbed by this long string of events Ulv was telling him about, Alex stretched out a bit before his throw, removing his jacket to get a more full reach. He closed his eyes as he did so, seeming surprisingly zen for someone so funThe silence was almost uncanny as Alex simply watched Ulv's actions. It hadn't ever quite struck him that he was really that strong now. In his head he was still just some schmuck that happened to know some strong people. He was just "that guy dating Nelliel," right? Then why was he apparently so head and shoulders over so many other people? It was a lot to process for Alex, and he just sort of looked out at the sea for a little bit to think.

"...You know, I guess I am pretty strong now. And yeah, maybe it'd be good to learn to hold back. But I'm not quite ready for that. I've still got a long way to go."

He turned to Ulv, and in his eyes there was an obvious fire of conviction that had, realistically, never been present in his eyes before. He'd never cared about any goal as much as this one. Nothing had ever been so unbelievably important, not since he was a kid still fighting to protect his sister. But now he had something he wanted, something he needed to do. It took priority.

"Nel could probably still kick my ass, you know. I don't really mind that itself, she's still a cutie pie no matter what. But if someone else hurt her… Well, if she couldn't beat them, then I sure as shit couldn't. And that's not gonna work for me. I gotta know I can keep her safe. So yeah, I'll learn restraint. But not yet.

I didn't just come here to party, even if this is a fun little contest. I came back to learn more, teach. I wanna get stronger. I wanna be able to look anyone on this whole fuckin planet in the eye and tell them to step the fuck off. I wanna know that no matter what the fuck is going on, I can keep Nel safe. That just isn't me yet, I'm still not even close. I've gotta do it, teach. I've just gotta."

Alex's voice almost sounded like a whole different person with such a degree of resolve. He never cared much about anything, really. He was a layabout, a vagrant, hardly a great worker. But more than anything, Alex did what he wanted, no matter what. For a long time that'd just been wandering, looking for something fun. But he'd found what he was looking for. He found what he'd needed to fulfill himself. He just had to keep it now.

"I'm not leaving until I can do that, teach, not unless I just have no choice. I'm fuckin sick of being a nobody, fuckin sick of sitting around watching shit happen and hoping it won't fuck us over. I don't wanna change the world, I don't want some stupid dream of world peace or whatever. That's not me. But I wanna give Nel everything she could ever want, and a world worth living in's gotta be a part of that."

[Mirja EeolaDemon Toy]

ULV AUBER | THE BURNING HEART

Alex was, as ever, passionate about his thoughts. He had a great love for Nelliel, and wanted to be able to protect her. Which meant being equal to her. She'd lost some power of late, not quite near where Ulv was anymore, but was still a powerful being in her own right.
"I love you because you've got such heart. You have great potential to be as strong, mentally, as I am in time. And of which, I have some powers that are excellent for that kind of furious desire for progression. At the same time, I'm not sure what you want"

Ulv looked out to the harbour, at the corpses of ships scuttled on the outcrops that ringed the harbour. From their design and their rust they must have been there a hundred years.
"It's all well and good to say 'I want to be strong' and to charge towards the horizon in pursuit of it, but how do you want to be powerful? I am mostly focused on physical power, getting in your face and turning it concave with my fists. Auxiliary powers back that up, but the main focus is hand to hand. But you have a burning energy in you that could also be another path of travel. You could use that power to truly master the Tulpa beyond what I have with my multi-track dabbling. You could learn how to use Tai Chi and learn superhuman martial arts. There are so many paths that simply 'Get Stronger' helps little"

RESOLVE FLAME | END POST