Abyssal Light/Balthus: King of Grappling

Balthus: King of Grappling - C

Balthus	Argh! Lost again! Why can’t I win?!
It doesn’t matter how much power you’ve got; if Lady Luck isn’t on your side, you’ll never win.		Joshua
Balthus	Hah! I’ll show you! I’m gonna win this time for sure!
Baltie, you really should just call it quits at this point. How many times have you lost to him, anyway?		Hilda
Balthus	Who cares? All that matters is the next round, and I’ve got a real good feeing this time. No way I’ll lose!
That’s the spirit! After all, the real thrill in gambling comes from believing in your own luck.		Joshua
Hilda	Geez... They’re getting all fired up again. I wonder if my brother could put a stop to this... Come on, Baltie, are you really going to act like this here as well? You got a ticket to freedom from your debts back in Fódlan, but you’re not even TRYING to change your ways.
Hmm... Y’know, that’s actually a pretty good point. It’s pretty nice not having any bounty hunters out for my head. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to start all over, make a fresh start. I’ll take this chance to test myself and polish my skills, until everyone in Askr knows me as the King of Grappling!		Balthus
Joshua	I see. Well, if that’s what you’ve decided, I certainly won’t stop you. Buuut you do still need to pay up for all your losses. Oh, and don’t forget what you owe Gerik.
I know, I know! I’ll figure something out and pay it all back...someday.		Balthus

Balthus: King of Grappling - B

Hilda	By the way, Baltie, I’m all for you washing your hands of gambling, but...do you actually have a plan?
Ain’t it obvious? Whenever I see someone who looks strong, I’ll pick a fight with ‘em!		Balthus
Hilda	...What. No, seriously. THAT’S your plan?!
Oh, speak of the devil—that guy over there looks pretty tough! Hey! You! Those muscles are somethin’ else. And I bet you’ve got plenty of confidence in them, right?		Balthus
Hilda	H-hey, wait a minute, Baltie! Stop!
Huh? You trying to pick a fight with me or something?		Helbindi
Balthus	I KNEW you’d get it! Oh, this is gonna be great. How about it? Wanna see which of us is stronger?
Fine. I was getting bored anyway. I’ll make sure I only beat you half to death.		Helbindi
Balthus	Now THAT is what I’m talking about! Let’s do this! Hraah!
I’ll make you regret this, fool! Die!		Helbindi
Hilda	H-hold on, Baltie! Ah, and Helbindi, you too?!
Huff, huff, huff...		Balthus
Helbindi	Phew, phew, phew.
Heh, not bad! Those fists of yours have got some real oomph, man! Felt every punch way down in my bones!		Balthus
Helbindi	Tch... You’re not half bad yourself. Felt almost like hitting a brick wall.
Sounds like we’re too tough to settle this the easy way, then. We’d just end up with only bruises to show for it. So, how ‘bout we try settling this for real with a drinking contest?		Balthus
Helbindi	Are you serious? There’s no way I’m gonna lose against a fool like you! I’ll keep up with you, drink for drink!
Ahahaha! In that case, I found a great place the other day. Let’s go!		Balthus
Hilda	Th-they’re walking off, shoulder to shoulder. Geez, I couldn’t even...

Balthus: King of Grappling - A

Hilda	Seriously, what are you doing, Baltie?! First you got into a fistfight, and then you spent the whole night drinking!
...Easy on the shouting. My head feels like someone took a hammer to it... Hm? Hey, who is that? And is it just me, or does he look crazy strong?! All right, I’m feelin’ better already!		Balthus
Hilda	Wait a minute, you’re still not done?! Hey, I said wait!
What is it? Do you have some business with me?		Tibarn
Balthus	You look strong. Wanna trade blows with me?
(I know this is asking a lot of you, Baltie, but PLEASE try to not say anything dumb right now.) (That’s Tibarn, the king of Phoenicis and the leader of the hawk tribe!) W-we’re so sorry, Your Highness! I’ll be taking this rude, misguided man away immediately!		Hilda
Tibarn	You wish to fight me? Hmm... All right. We laguz love a good fight. Bring it on.
Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Let’s go!		Balthus
Hilda	How does this keep happening?!
Huff, huff, huff...		Balthus
Tibarn	Not bad... Tell me, what’s your name?
Balthus von Albrecht, Leicester’s King of Grappling!		Balthus
Tibarn	Oh ho... You’re a king too, huh? In that case, how about we engage in some diplomacy over in the tavern? You know, king to king.
That’s music to my ears. And since I challenged you, you’d better believe the first drinks are on me!		Balthus
Hilda	H-hey, wait you two! At least take care of your injuries first, OK? ...Aaand there they go. Ugh.

Balthus: King of Grappling - S

Balthus	This makes no sense... How am I already running out of the money I got from the Order of Heroes?
Are...are you kidding? What did you think was going to happen after buying drinks for all those people?!		Hilda
Balthus	Damn. So even in this world, you can’t survive without money... Talk about cruel. Hilda, please. This is maybe the most important request I’ve ever made. I need some cash! Just a little bit! Joshua told me there’s this huge gambling den that just opened up, so I’ll double your investment!
...You know what? Fine.		Hilda
Balthus	Aha! I knew I could count on you! This is a true testament to our many years of friendshi—
—I’ll just ask 【Summoner】 to summon my brother.		Hilda
Balthus	Wh-what? W-wait just a minute, Hilda! You’re gonna call Holst?!
If you won’t listen to me, then maybe HE can talk some sense into you.		Hilda
Balthus	W-wait! Wait, wait, wait! If he finds out that I pestered you for money, Hilda, then... No matter how many lives I’ve got, it ain’t enough!
What’s this? Is the mighty King of Grappling scared?		Hilda
Balthus	Oh, come on, that’s different! Just cut me some slack and I promise I’ll turn over a new leaf this time!
Ah, Baltie! He ran away... *sigh* I really hope that he actually mends his ways.		Hilda
Joshua	...
How about it? Want to bet whether he’ll actually turn over a new leaf?		Gerik
Joshua	I’d like to say that sounds interesting, but it’s not really much of a bet, is it?
Haha, fair enough. At any rate, I’m always glad to welcome new allies who know how to handle their drink.		Gerik
Joshua	Got that right. Much obliged to you, King of Grappling.

Scenario
← Yuri		Constance →
Abyssal Light
Constance	Yuri	Balthus	Hapi

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