After the fight with Croaky and then with Rust, Bert was beginning to think that perhaps it was time to work on his scrapping skills, especially if he was going to get involved with whatever was selling the Bunyips. Sure he had always gotten in bar fights with hecklers after a show, but that was all random and chaotic, that and it was easy to bust someone's teeth by slamming their heads down into the bar after they threw back a shot.

Walking into Glissade, Bert looked around for any sign of Nightfall or anyone else. He knew they taught self defense here and so perhaps it would be as good a place as any to start.

Glissade looks as if construction has recently been done; it's a bit dusty, and carpeting rolls and sheetrock are propped against a wall. Neil sits at the front desk, doing paperwork.

Looking up as Bert walks in, he smiles.

"Hey man, what's going on?"


Bert smiles back at Nightfall when he sees him and extends a hand. "Hey, wasn't sure if you were going to be here or not. Just thought I'd stop by cause I know you mentioned having martial arts classes here so I thought I'd check it out, maybe give the old sandbag a few whacks." he says play shadow boxing in jest. "Figure it couldn't hurt to stay up on that sort of thing you know?"

 "Yeah, right?" Neil laughed, standing and taking the hand. "That part of the studio's in the back, we're sort of re-modeling."

After shaking Bert's hand, he moves across the smallish room to a switchback, which opens to a larger room with mirrors on the walls and ballet bars affixed.

"I'm combining the dancing and martial area, since the classes are always at different times," he explained. "People can still come early or stay late to practice, but that will be in the front, when that area gets sectioned off."

Pushing a large breaker-style handle up, there's a hum as a metal framework lowers, and body and speedbags descend.

"You just looking for bag time, or...?" he asked.


Bert watches as the bodies and speedbags come down wondering who he managed to get to wire this set up as well as how much money it would cost. He turns his attention back to Nightfall after he's asked a question and says "Well yeah bag time I spose. But I'm not really trained in anything..sure it looks like I can fight but I'm hoping to sort of discipline myself with boxing. I just don't really know what the hell I'm doing, just whackin at a bag seemed like the best place to start." he says shrugging. He's not concerned with sounding tough and he's okay with the idea of being inexperienced, it wasn't something he ever was apart of so it wasn't a bad thing to admit that he wasn't good at fighting.


"Well, you're certainly strong enough," Neil replied. There was a pause, and he studied Bert for a few moments.

"At the Summer ascension, in the ring... was all of that strength natural?"

Bert's ears lower slightly as he feels almost caught, like Milli Vanilli, or Ashlee Simpson or Dane Cook or Carlos Menstealia. He figured others knew but was surprised when Nightfall didn't.

"Uhh..no not natural. Back at Summer that was a Contract I had activated. Sorry, I thought others were just as capable of using it as any so that's why I did." he says with a shrug, cat was out of the bag no sense in trying to conceal it anymore. "It sort of..I dunno, makes you stronger, your muscles kinda get bigger and well bigger muscles..harder hitting."


Neil nodded; he had been pretty sure Bert had actually gotten more heavily muscled and his clothes tighter. Not that he particularly cared; anyone who did should have asked the rules before hand.

He paused as he thought. While he was certainly more a creature of finesse and grace, the ability to enhance one's brute force could be... handy. Like the next time Adin tried to kill him by jumping from building to building.

"I'll make you a deal... show me how you did that, and I'll give you boxing lessons until you know everything I know."

Bert's large jaw almost drops as Nightfall drops the proposal to him. Wow, and here he thought he was going to get a verbal lashing for relying on contracts. Should he though? Well..why not? Was it some knowledge that only Ogres would know? he wasn't much of one in his own opinion. He wasn't stoic or tough....he just got lucky. Luck...like not getting his big blue behind handed to him when he and Nightfall were in the ring at the festival... yeah that fight easily could have been Nightfall's but he didn't, he conceded.

Smiling to Nightfall he says 'Sounds good to me." and extends his hand to Nightfall. "After watchin you work in the ring I think it'll be a fair trade."

"Cool," Neil replied, smiling as he shook Bert's hand. He watched in some bemusement as his slender fingers and hand were engulfed by the blue paw, and he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Yeah... I think you're gonna be what they call a natural."


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