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You decide to <span class="mu-s">wrestle</span> with Forja instead. At least it's an activity you both can do, and acts as convenient combat training. He makes sure to check with his coach if its okay, and he says that this light impact stuff on his hand will be fine. It's not the same as punching a metal plate, or your skull, so he's all good to go.
You get Forja a good few times. Unlike boxing, where his striking strength and speed were much greater then your own, this requires a bit more endurance and ground-control aspects. Your center of gravity is much closer to the ground then his, with much more of your body weight in the lower body and chest compared to his shoulders, and given you're about the same height.
<span class="mu-b">”Gahh! Alright, I give. Lemme up.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">”What's that, five me, two to you?”</span>
<span class="mu-b">”I didn't think we were keeping track...”</span>
A few other watch your wrestling with piqued interest, given it's not a super common sport practiced by the Jaxtian culture; which much prefers fast knife fighting for nobility, boxing, dancing, or climbing sports- minimal contact for risk adverse primates. But for a bovid like yourself? Who lock horns for contests between males all the time in your evolutionary history? It feels very natural. You cool off for a minute, sitting on a mat with Forja and rehydrate.
<span class="mu-b">”Hey Hoik, you play sim games, right? Tactical or strategic?”</span>
<span class="mu-g">”Tactical, of course!”</span>
<span class="mu-b">”Why haven't you played me yet?! Actually- which sim do you like?”</span>
<span class="mu-g">”Maze. Though I guess it's falling out of style.”</span>
<span class="mu-b">”Oh! I like Maze, but have you tried Caverns? You gotta manage light levels too. You can also play against the computer and it makes monsters the higher difficulty you go. I've only gotten to level eight; they start getting instant reaction time and skin as hard as bronze...“</span>
It seems both of you like tactical sims. You offer to be his co-op partner, but he's not sure you can <span class="mu-i">handle</span> it. He's so on. You are thinking about how you're gonna reach the same level after gym that when you head out into the hallway, you don't even hear someone approach you by your locker.
“Uhm... Hoik?”
It's a husky, low female voice. You actually don't recognize it. You turn in surprise-
