World Tree MUSH

     Things have mostly been fairly quiet as of late, so in an effort to keep herself sharp, and also as an idea for something to do with Fox besides going on another not-date to have dinner, she invites him to meet her at an empty park on the outskirts of Corneria City for a spar. She is wearing a blush pink and maroon body suit with white boots, belt, and cropped jacket. She sits and waits on a small boulder, her staff in hand, though it's pointed end is blunted by a foam covering. It's a great day to be out, with the overcast sky keeping the glare down, and a cool breeze putting the warm weather in check.

Fox is wearing his standard outfit, though once he arrives at the designated area. It's a nice park, he came here once as a kid, that much he remembers. He saunters over towards Krystal, calling out to her with a wave, "Hey!" He calls out. He stops near a bench and removes his jacket, draping it over the back of the bench.

     Krystal waves back as she sees Fox enter the park, and also pulls off her jacket as she moves over toward the same bench, following his example and draping it over the back of the bench as well. "Hey Fox. How are you feeling today?" She asks while greeting Fox with a warm smile.

"Pretty good, pretty good. Just coming off of a small protection job, but it was pretty quiet." He grins, "How about you? Things going well I trust?" He asks. All the talk about Wolf from their last meeting is all but forgotten about.

"Just so you know, I'm not gonna go easy on you. From what you told me, though, you're more than capable of holding your own." He says, as he takes a few moments to stretch.

     Krystal nods, happy to hear things were fine and his last job was a quiet one. "That's good to hear. As for me, been pretty quiet too, haven't really had a whole lot going on lately, though I did meet a mouse yesterday back in the same market where I met you, by the name of Martin. Seemed a bit wary of foxes, that may even be an understatement, but I think he eventually started warming up to me. As for going easy on me, I wouldn't want you to. Even if you end up kicking my tail, at least I'll know what I need to work on." Krystal responds with a bit of a grin at the end. "But I do hope I live up to your expectations."

"Well I mean...From my understanding back in the day, foxes used to prey on stuff like rabbits and mice, so that's not super surprising I guess.." He muses. He takes another moment to stretch, and then takes a few steps back from her, "Okay. Give me your best shot.."

     Krystal chuckles a bit at Fox's answer about the mouse. "That was my first thought too, but he told me that was rare where he comes from, it was more that, foxes in his world are almost universally evil." She offers further, then puts her staff down on the bench, deciding to start out with unarmed sparring, since Fox didn't really have a comparable weapon to use against her. 

     She turns back to Fox and nods, then stretches as well before taking a moment to look him over, examining his stance. Finally, she begins to move toward him slowly, before suddenly lunging forward and aiming a feint of a kick toward Fox's legs, before adjusting her aim at the last moment and kicking at the right side of his lower abdomen instead.

Fox goes to block the lower shot, and aims a little too low, but he ends up taking the blow in his arm instead of his side because of leaning into it. Starting off with a kick isn't always the best idea though, because he moves to step into the blow nad sweep her other leg out from under her.

The idea is to use her already off-balance stance to knock her to the ground while she's only on one leg.

     Fox's tactic to counter her kick works as Krystal is not able to avoid his sweep of her other leg and she ends up falling and landing on her back. She quickly returns the favor by throwing a kick toward his feet and using the momentum from that to roll to the side before attempting to get back up.

The strike to his leg knocks Fox back, he stumbles but manages to retain his balance well enough, but it gives Krystal more than enough time to get back up to her feet, "Better watch yourself." He offers, before he takes two quick steps in and then throws several kicks at her, trying to overwhelm her defenses with the flurry of blows.

     Krystal grins as Fox warns her to watch herself, and as he quickly moves toward her, she quickly sidesteps and while he's busy with the flurry of kicks, quickly jabs at his side, aiming for a kidney shot. Why defend when you can avoid.

Fox lets out a grunt as he feels the sharp jab to his lower side. He pulls away, twisting around to face her, one hand rubbing where she hit, "Ow." He grins, "Good work. If you can't take the blows, don't get hit by them in the first place. Very clever." He moves towards her again, this time with no warning, and tries to grab hold of her arm and throw her over his shoulder.

     As Fox grabs her arm, Krystal quickly steps back in an attempt to steady herself and make it more difficult for Fox to throw her. She then weaves her free arm between his two arms to spoil his leverage, then rotates her wrist toward Fox's thumb before firmly trying to pull her arm from his grasp. If able to pull free, she would follow up by trying to grab his arm instead and pull him toward her as she aims her knee toward his stomach. Otherwise, she would resort to stomping on his foot in a further attempt to make him let go.

She's a slippery one that's for sure. Fox lets go before she can break free, however, allowing himself a moment of surprise. He shifts around behind her, lowering his hands around her waist to try to grab hold and lock his hands.

Not planning to give her a chance to react he bends backwards and moves to haul her through the air and to the ground. Not full force, he doesn't REALLY want to hurt her, but still to bring her down.,

     Fox was proving to be rather unpredictable as well, though Krystal isn't trying to cheat and read his mind of course. Still, as he goes to grab her waist, she lowers her stance, almost a half crouch, to lower her center of gravity, then finally tries to grab Fox around the neck, but rather than try to choke him, she would just hold him and aim a knee strike to his stomach like she had originally planned.

Fox brings his hands down once he feels her stance change, and then feels the knee strike his absomen. He lets out loud 'oof' and then pushes her knee away, moving to strike her with both hands in a downward motion while they're close together, to make it harder for her to dodge.

     There's a slow derisive clap coming from the side. It seems somebody is in attendance to the sparring match and is all too happy to critique the turn of events. Large heavy boots, hanging chains, spikes and studs -- the biker theme compliments the scars the individual wears. A few chunks are missing from the edge of an ear and, if the scar and shaped black cloth are any indication, an entire eye is missing, as well. 

     One hand meets the other in a lazy show of applause. Rugged gray and white fur, the wild natural mohawk, and a sharp toothy grin help to better identify the one all too amused. If that isn't enough, a chameleon wearing punk-styled shredded clothing sits in the branch of a nearby tree and a panther wearing a pressed shirt and vest leans against the bark-covered trunk below. 

     The wolf's one eye that is visible clearly darts between both foxes. The reptile in the tree plays with a knife for a moment before stabbing the branch to carve something into it if not for the sake of just stabbing it. The cat just plays it cool with folded arms and a wandering gaze around the park. 

     "Not bad. Not good, but not bad." That's absolutely the same voice. The almost playfully mocking edge disappears completely, suddenly. "I can't decide if your father would be proud of the effort or disappointed that you're being sloppy for the sake of a pretty face." A nod is given in greeting to Krystal, but that cyclopean gaze doesn't leave Fox. Careful. Distractions in combat can be disastrous. "Does that mean you'll be sloppy with me?"

     After Fox pushes her knee away, she firmly plants her feet on the ground and pushes right back with both hands aimed at Fox's chest, attempting to put some distance between them just as he strikes downward at her, wincing a bit as the strike scores a glancing blow to the end of her chest. Of course, right around this moment, she also hears a familiar voice, and briefly glances toward Wolf and the others, before turning her gaze back toward Fox and only aiming her ears toward Wolf. "It seems we have an audience."

It's hard to ignore the clapping. But it's even harder to ignore the voice. Fox breaks contact with Krystal after Wolf begins to taunt him.

"I hear him." He replies to Krystal, before turning to look directly at Wolf. His eyes narrow, and he snorts derisively, "Isn't that your team's job?" He asks, looking to the reptile and the panther, "Seems you're missing one. Finally decide to eat Pigma?"

     The wolf scoffs at the break-up because of his intrusion. No holding back, right? Trained fighters would keep pushing through it or risk getting grounded. He shakes his head twice in disapproval. However, the notion is quickly released in favor of the other more important subject of conversation. While the predatory edge never fades, there is a distinct fascination that plays across his face where few emotions truly register. His unbeatable poker face is, currently, not. A heavy boot rises and falls atop the grass, followed by another, as the aging lupine closes the distance casually. The grizzled appearance shows how the years have been so unkind; gracefully growing older he is not. 

     "So you're the flyboy from a parallel dimension," rumbles that voice while disregarding the question about Pigma altogether for the time being. Of note, Andrew isn't present, either. "Come on over here and let me have a look at you, pup." Wolf stops after getting so close, apparently close enough, or perhaps just to have a reason to bark a command, instead. There is a forced disconnect being made here and the observant, especially the mentally observant like Krystal, may be able to immediately tell. The disassociation is what keeps Wolf's emotions in check at the expense of viewing Fox as a true anomaly. 

     Wolf tucks his hands into his pockets and...waits. His pendant glints in the light and the breeze tussles his untamed headmane. The Cornerian badge on his vest, though, was also once the property of somebody both he and Fox knew well. His gunknife, surprisingly, is not in his holster. He's both unarmed and disarmed. For now.

     Sure, Fox and Krystal had both agreed not to hold back as they fought, but Krystal wasn't about to take a cheap shot while Fox was distracted, this was a friendly spar, not something serious enough to warrant exploiting every advantage whether it would appear 'sporting' or not. Krystal watches closely as Wolf approaches fox, closely examining every nuance of the meeting between the two. So far, this seemed to be going well, and she felt that Wolf was restraining himself, seemingly due to the fact that this was not the same Fox he knows. Still, she was not about to relax, knowing this was still a very volatile situation. For now though, she was quiet, letting the two talk.

"That's the one." Fox replies. He has to take a moment to remind himself that this Wolf is not the one he knows. Though the two of them are remarkably similar, this one and his don't necessarily share the same history.

"I don't take orders from you, no matter what dimension we're in, Wolf." Fox replies to the command to move closer. He's not going to give Wolf any kind of edge if he can avoid it. Not when they're only just meeting for the first time, even if he is somewhat on a back foot because of the unexpected intrusion.

     "Good," praises Wolf, but his posture doesn't change at all. "As well you shouldn't." Not everything the mercenary wolf says is a test, but he's happy to use the results as if they were. "Though," adds he with an accompanying awkwardly-twisted smile. "I'd really like to have a better look at you." 

     In fact, awkward probably fits better than any other word at present with how Wolf is dealing with the situation. From what he's heard and what he hears before him, histories certainly vary greatly between them both. Leon, the knife-happy chameleon in the tree, snickers at what his boss says as if to nonverbally twist it further into some altered meaning. One of Wolf's ears flicks twice at this in frustration, but, surprisingly, he somehow manages to ignore it.

     The awkwardness between the two was palpable, but at least they weren't trying to kill each other, yet. Krystal remains quiet, but moves to stand near Wolf and Fox where she can maybe try to do something if things do go south, though it does occur to her that getting between these two is going to be rough if things go bad.

Still a bit wary, Fox none the less does take a few steps towards Wolf. He keeps ready, the fact that he's a bit tense is pretty obvious. He stops a few paces from Wolf, and holds his arms out to his side, "Close enough for you? I know your depth perception needs work but I don't think you're totally blind, right?"

Their history may be different but this is still a Wolf O'Donnell and from what Krystal has told him, he's still a mercenary, and as far as Fox knows, still working for Andross.

     Leaning ever so slightly to his right with a tip of his head and then to his left with a tip of his head that way, as well, Wolf seems to appraise Fox McCloud as if he were a sculpture in an art exhibit. In this he only mumbles a 'hmmm' as he examines for any particular tell-tale signs of difference that he might be able to use in the future to help identify one over the other. "You really are the spitting image of him," Wolf remarks. He's not talking about the other Fox, though. 

     O'Donnell pulls a hand from his pocket and casually holds it up, palm down, with his pointer finger extended and aiming at the ground. He then slowly stirs the air with it in a slow circular motion. He's...trying to get Fox to do a little turn about? He knows full well it won't happen. "No? Oh well. Okay, pup. I have a good idea of what's on your mind. You've humored me and I'm sure you have a thousand questions, but I don't have the time or the patience for all of them, so let's do the short short version." He shifts that pointing finger to sharply poke the air in Fox's direction. 

     Krystal is absolutely not forgotten in this. Part of Wolf can appreciate the gesture of what she intends, but he also finds it somewhat foolish. Still, it's her choice. Wolf, though? He stands exactly where he is without otherwise moving and remains visibly 'relaxed' amidst the awkwardness caking all sides of this meeting and, in so doing, aims to hold the most dominance over this encounter. "You first. I'll ask you something afterward."

     Was it foolish to get between Wolf and Fox if this turned into a fight? Sure it was, Krystal would have a hard time denying that fact, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time she did something foolish to defend someone. She tries not to laugh as Wolf motions for Fox to do a little turn like a fashion model, though there is still a glimmer of a grin flashed before she manages to hide it. She looks to Fox as Wolf lets him begin the questioning, wondering what he would ask first.

    Yeah, Fox definitely isn't going to do that. He folds his arms across his chest, looking Wolf over, "What's the deal with the Fox in this world?" He asks, plainly. He had heard part of it from Krystal, and he gives a glance towards her after saying it.

    Truth be told he wants to hear it from the proverbial horse's mouth, though. If Krystal wants to jump in, he won't be opposed. But he's not going to attack Wolf...He's outumbered and he knows it.

     There are many questions that Wolf would have figured would be asked, but out of all of them, "What?" The middle-aged merc is a bit surprised, actually, and for a split-moment it shows on his face. The wolf furrows his brow. "What's the deal? What, you want a history lesson? You have access to the Cornerian Extranet; use it. Go visit your dad's old place on Papetoon." Sure, there are details that are absolutely not going to translate well or even be remotely similar, but they get said anyway. "Better yet, pup, why not have a look around the city -- any city, on any planet -- and observe the destruction still being cleared and rebuilt well over a year since those damn bugs nearly mind-controlled us all." 

     That hand not in his pocket gestures wildly off in a random side direction. "That. We stopped that. And I saved your counterpart's tail at least twice in the matter...after he stormed into my home and shot up my family looking for Pigma." Wolf emphasizes the name extra hard because he knows it seems to be really important and he knows precisely why. And, like a real jerk, he doesn't explain past that. No, there's a fire in his eye glimmering with strong raging emotion just behind a chipped-apart dam at having to talk about that Fox. Out of any question, that's what gets asked. 

     "No, but see, Fox McCloud is a naive brat that threw away the gifts his father laid out for him, became the very thing his father hated himself for, became what he created the first time around, and then had the audacity to pretend what he was doing was to help people." It doesn't matter that, for the most part, both the native Fox and Wolf have moved beyond the strains of those earlier years and have each gained grudging respect for the other. It doesn't matter because the consequences still hang over the aging wolf's head like a sword suspended by a string. "So now /I/ get to ask a question, -pup-. Did you also make the same foolish choices in the Academy? Because from what /I've/ heard you at least believe you're a hero. Justify yourself to me and make me believe it," he snaps. Really bad first question.

     Krystal winces at what Fox chooses as a question, instantly realizing how much of a loaded question that was against Wolf. She looks from Fox to Wolf as he responds to the question, and is actually rather surprised. She knows Wolf is no fan of the Fox of his world, and the response paints the same picture, and while Wolf doesn't mince words, particularly toward the end, she's relieved that they are still having a relatively civil conversation. Not really knowing either Fox or Wolf from either universe though, at least up until recently, she doesn't really feel she has anything to add to the conversation, so still, she keeps quiet, though she is very curious to see where this leads.

    "I do nothing but help people!" Fox snaps back, the insinuation enough to get his ire up. He drops his hands from across his chest, fists staying balled up, "Everything I do is to help protect the Lylatt system and its people from threats. Threats like you and your cronies and your boss."

    "I ask for compensation, absolutely. But I am the BEST at what I do, bar none, and I put that skill towards protecting the people who aren't capable of protecting themselves. If that's not good enough to convince you, then I don't know what to tell you, Wolf. Maybe this world's Fox screwed up, but I am not him, and I never will be him."

     Wolf's lips lift in a silent snarl as the reply is spit back at him and the hair on the back of his neck begins to stand up while his ragged ears begin to dip back flat. It's like watching somebody in a canoe about to go over the edge of a waterfall when there's nothing you can do to stop it. The tension is palpable and the fires burn hot as the same self-justified crap from years past is tossed back into his face. Wolf also balls up a fist and starts to draw his arm back. It's like staring down an echo from a time that makes the blood boil and teeth grind. And, just like that, the bubble pops. 

     But not in the way one might expect. 

     "I knew it," O'Donnell voices with confirmed suspicion as the entire built up pile of explosives ready to detonate simply ceases to be. His ears lift, his arm lowers, and he turns his head to the side to exhale a puff of warmth. "Fox, you idiot." It's not said so much as an insult, but more as a disappointed exasperation. "I don't have a boss." He lifts that free hand to thumb at his chest in gesture. "I'm the boss." 

     "You want to know about helping people? How about single-handedly rounding up the worst of the worst under a single banner? A lot of the people that work for me would gladly hurt or kill -- or worse -- as much as steal if left to their own whims. You can't get rid of the element they represent, but a little order goes a long way. And if you can't understand why that is then you still need more time to grow up." He punctuates his statements with a stern voice while leaning in toward Fox's direction. "I don't work for Andross, dummy. Even when I did, I was never his pet. It was a job. He was self-justified. He felt he was truly in the right. Reflect on that. You don't have to agree with it. But that's war, kiddo. And it's not the only one I've been through."

     Krystal continues to watch and listen, and she can feel the tensions rising, and is sure things are about to boil over. However just when it seems certain that Wolf is about to take a swing at Fox, he doesn't, and just explains how Andross is out of the picture now, and how Wolf had worked to unite the worst of the galaxy under a single banner where he called the shots. She had to admit, while that certainly could cause even greater harm if Wolf wanted it to, the sense of order rather than chaos made sense to her, and finally she would speak. 

     "I may still not know a lot about what is going on now, and what happened in the past, or, in this case, seems like our future when considering Wolf's version of Lylat, but I'm reminded of what a wise man I met back on Cerenia told me when I was young. You cannot have light without darkness, and the reverse is also true. Try all you want to champion for good, there will always be evil lurking in the shadows. If Wolf really is keeping most of the criminal underworld of the galaxy from doing the worst sorts of things they might do if left to do as they please, then well, it's still crime, but it's better than the alternative..." Krystal says before glancing between Wolf and Fox for a reaction, wondering how they both would feel about what she just said.

    Fox honestly didn't think about it, really. Not the way Wolf described it. He always just thought of Wolf as one of Andross' minions...Maybe a bit higher ranked, but still. Fox grunts softly when Krystal does finally interject.

    He seems a bit deflated once he thinks about what the two of them are saying, however. Has he really been going about it all wrong this whole time? "I...Suppose I may have jumped to conclusions." Fox says, frowning a bit at the fact that he's admitting that he's wrong.

     The Wolf O'Donnell from ten years ago would easily take the chance to rub Fox's nose in it and, from the sound of it, the Wolf from this other reality would, too. It makes for a very complicated mess of things. Wolf inhales deeply for speaking, "It takes a lot to admit that, and not just because it's me standing here." Truth be told, even Wolf is impressed. His voice shifts tone, as well, and while it doesn't resemble anything even remotely /loving/ it is notably more...gentle. This is completely untouched and unexplored territory, preconceptions aside. It's foolish to think this could be anything friendly. Wolf and Fox, no matter the reality, have far too much bad blood to be friends. 

     "Okay, pal," he starts, the word choice likely getting lost with the rest of the dialogue. "I answered one of your questions that you indirectly asked, so let me have a turn. How are your finances? It can't be easy being being cut off from everything you know. I consider myself lucky to have the familiarity of my world, my crew, and my assets while exploring these other dimensions. Are you two finding enough work to keep you going?" Wolf is almost...cordial. Scared yet? "If you need access to contracts to help build your liquid assets, there's always room for a scrapper in Star Wolf." 

     Leon immediately interjects with a cold, "WHAT?!" from his perch in the tree while Panther starts choking on the hard mint candy he only just popped into his mouth. "You can't be serious, Cap'n!" Wolf means the organization as a whole and not just the squadron Fox may know him by, which may alter the perception of what is offered.

     As Fox admits he may have made some wrong assumptions about this alternate universe Wolf, and Wolf himself seems rather impressed that Fox was able to admit that while looking upon a man who looks exactly like one of his worst enemies, Krystal relaxes some. This meeting seems to have taken a turn toward being even more... well not exactly friendly, but at least tolerant, with a hint of mutual respect. But then Wolf offers that Fox could join his empire to help him build up some funds, and Krystal just blinks, her mouth hanging open in shock a bit. She doesn't expect Fox will accept, but she can't believe that Wolf even offered that, and part of her wonders, as the rest of his crew does, if Wolf is really serious about the offer.

    The offer is heard...Not believed, but heard. Fox stands there, in shock, as Wolf's crew reacts in a very similar way to how Fox wants to react. Sure, his finances are not doing well, he hasn't been able to take his Arwing out in a while because there's no good way to refuel it, but he hasn't really needed it.

    "Thanks...For the offer, but I think I'll be okay for now.." He glances over at Krystal. If she takes him up on the offer, well...That's her business, after all.

     The biker-styled mercenary leans forward to all-too-casually lift up a stone from the ground. It has an irregular shape, but there are no jagged edges. Exposure to the elements has softened its details and allows the wolf to cradle it in his palm while running a thumb over it. The objections pour forth from the chameleon's maw unabated with the potential for some particularly colorful words amongst the lines of Cap'n this and Cap'n that spewed in complaint. 

     Quickly twisting at the waist, even with a patch over one eye, the launched rock is unerring and quick. The impact elicits a crack upon impact, along with a yelp in pain from the sting, and the punk-dressed reptile flips backwards off of the branch. 

     Panther, meanwhile, finally manages to cough the candy back up of which he spits out with a look of distress (more over the matter of choking than of the offer so made), and begins to look back over toward his boss when Leon tumbles and lands right atop him resulting in a tangled heap and a lot of shoving. 

     Turning back to face Fox and Krystal, Wolf shrugs. "Don't be so quick to turn me down before you hear the details. You know better than that. Understand, Fox, that I don't like everybody I hire. But if people do the contracts they accept and do their jobs well -- which I know you can do if you're even a fraction of what your father was-" He certainly seems to speak like he knows a lot about James. "-they get paid just like everybody else." 

     Wolf is left standing there in relative silence after he says as much. He just stares. The day may be warm, but the breeze feels a lot more cold than it did a moment ago. It continues to tussle the wolf's mohawk and there's something almost solemn about the way he suddenly just seems to take in the situation. His nostrils flare slightly as the smell of blooms and pollen drift through the air, carried by the wind, and serve as a minor distraction to what would otherwise be a very solid focus. Somber, it's almost like he expects something. Or nothing. Or everything. The faintest motion of a reflexive swallowing of excess saliva plays across Wolf's throat. For the moment -- for just this very moment -- there seems to be some ache of a connection silently screaming in his ear for more words, more action, more explanation. 

     ...then it's gone. Wolf looks away.

     Well, it would appear that Wolf is serious, and those who worked for him got to choose their contracts? That does surprise her a bit. She guesses that you wouldn't have to do anything you didn't feel comfortable with, but wonders how many jobs would come down the pipe of the Star Wolf group which Fox would find acceptable considering how he has spoke of what he does thus far. Once again, she falls quiet and lets the wolf and the fox talk without her getting in the way.

He has to take a moment consider that this isn't the Wolf he knows. This isn't the Lylat he knows. Things are different here...Time is further along, perhaps. He'll look up the exact date later. "If I do, I pick my own contracts. And I still operate under the Star Fox name." He says. He is, very begrudgingly, going to at least LOOK at the contracts that will be offered. He doesn't have to take any...But he can only work as a highly trained babysitter sso many times before he goes crazy. He needs something with more action, and Wolf may be offering that..

     Relenting and not even remotely daring to push the matter further, "Fine. You do you, Fox. You won't be the only independent affiliate. There's...one more thing. Something really important," says O'Donnell while still looking off to the side. "Come over here," he says, although, unlike before, it's much more a preferred suggestion than a command. "I want you to step up to me," he continues while turning his gaze back over upon the only other pilot he knows that can best him in a dogfight, save for James. 

     "You come here, look me right in the eye, take a good long look, and then I want you to draw back and punch me as hard as you can. Don't you /dare/ hold back. Make it count." This isn't a matter of a free shot to have a manly test of strength. This is something very very different Wolf's suggesting. "Anywhere you want, but I'd prefer you not go below the belt." Sniffing the air beforehand, the veteran merc widens his stance and opens up his arms to reveal total vulnerability. But why? 

     Leon and Panther finally begin to rise and only now are able to look over at what is going on. Amazingly, they simply whisper amongst themselves; lesson learned: Do NOT interfere with Wolf when Wolf is confronting Fox McCloud over anything. "Don't hesitate, Fox. Do it. Remember what James used to say. Just act." His inner emotional turmoil is off the charts; Krystal had better be careful even being so close. Spittle flies from his mouth as he barks a sharp, "Just HIT me, damn you!" His good eye, a brilliant purple in the light of day so shining upon him, quivers just a bit.

     By now Krystal has backed away a bit and is sitting down. She was no longer tensely watching the scene before her, but she was no less interested in the outcome, and quite happy to see that they were possibly all getting along, even if Fox and Wolf may never be truly friendly toward each other. She knew at least that together, they could accomplish more, and certainly had a better chance of finding how to return to their original universe.

    Hit him? Wolf really wants Fox to hit him as hard as he can, with presumably no reprecussions? Fox normally wouldn't pass up the opporitunity, but Wolf's words, echoing his father's, gets through to him.

    He'll need to find out how this version of Wolf knows his father so well...Later. For now, he takes a few steps forward, balls up his right fist, and launches an uppercut towards the lupine's abdomen. He doesn't want to hit Wolf in the face, might break his hand doing that. A gut shot should get the point across.

     "Glrk!" The strike meets soft meat through the open vest where only his muscle shirt protects him. He could have braced and soaked that blow easily. He didn't. With a flash of teeth, the wolf first doubles over, then the world turns sideways, and the grassy ground meets his fall. Rolling over onto his knees, one arm moving to his gut, Wolf grasps at the ground with claws that dig deep into the soil. His breathing is fast, short, sharp; his muzzle opens into an tongue-lolled panting. A few seconds pass. 

     "GrrrrrAAAAAAAGH!! Gah!" he yells loudly leaving even his trusted allies nearby stunned into silence. At first one might think such a vocalization from pain, but it's not. It's anger. It's frustration. It's sadness. It's everything. He pulls his arm from his abdomen to dig those claws into the ground and, in a moment of pure unbridled rage, he tears at the grass and soil before growling another howl at the nonexistent corpse beneath him. 

     Ribbons of saliva hanging from his jaw, the cyclopean Wolf pushes himself up onto his feet. A hand lifts to brush the saliva away, his back to everyone but his wingmen, as he takes a moment to recover and recompose. "My gift to you, McCloud. Next time your anger gets the better of you, remember this moment and clear your head. You can't see the world around you if you don't keep your eyes open." 

     Wolf does not turn back around. His jaw remains clenched when not talking and he clearly favors the spot where the blow connected. His eye glimmers, just a bit, but no tears form. He ran out of tears to shed decades ago. "You're no good to-" but he interrupts himself and corrects, "anybody dead." Step by step, the gray and white lupine wanders off past Leon and Panther in the way the first came. Those two hesitate, first looking between Fox and Krystal, before turning to fall in line.

     Krystal was almost as shocked at Wolf giving Fox a free hit as she was when he offered to let him join Star Wolf, and Fox certainly doesn't waste the chance. Krystal winces in sympathy as Wolf doubles over and winds up clawing at the grass and dirt for a few lengthy moments before getting back to his feet and eventually regaining his composure, though she had a feeling he was still in a fair bit of pain. 

     Then with one parting remark, Wolf and crew are gone, leaving her with Fox in an otherwise empty park once more. She stands up and walks over to Fox. "Did that all really just happen?" She asks with a knowing grin. Then in a more serious tone, she continues. "You alright? I'm sure this has been a lot to absorb..."

    "Truth be told I keep expecting to wake up in my quarters on the Great Fox any minute now." He replies to Krystal, as he watches Wolf disappear into the distance with his crew, "But...Since that hasn't happened yet I doubt it will." He muses quietly to himself for a moment, "It's not the Wolf I know. This one...Has had a lot more time to grow and change. Something I'm starting to think I need, myself.."

     Krystal nods. "It has been a pretty surprising turn of events, and I'm sure even moreso for you. I'm certainly not looking to continue our spar at this point. What do you say we grab some lunch, my treat." She offers with a smile as she moves to grab her jacket and staff from the bench.