Match of the Millennium

Description: From one hellish island to the next... ROSE may have been hoping for a pleasant vacation here, maybe watch a bit of opera, soak in the luxurious baths. And truth be told, she'll probably get to take part in this at some point. But she'll ALSO be expected to take on two competitors on the grand stage of the cargo-ship-turned-cruise-liner. Gilded chandeliers, a grand piano, an orchestra pit... and a two-on-one battle?! While opponents in a prior battle, ALEXIS and MAI will be teaming up in an attempt to takedown the Genoan for the amusement of several dozens of paying customers! Cue the dramatic music! Send out the champagne!

[MAI]
Mai Shiranui deserved a vacation, or at least she did in her own mind. As a hard-working kunoichi, Mai regularly takes on various missions involving infiltration, investigation, and the like. Besides that, she also has plenty of training to do--and that's only the beginning. As such, Mai took the opportunity to get out of training for a few days and enjoy a nice, luxury cruise ship.

Except, as the visitors to the island can attest, this resort is not all its cracked up to be. At least the casino boat is nice. The orchestra is playing its third in a series of rousing numbers, and people chatter and drink on the casino floor. In the distance, the steady noise of balls rolling along roulette wheels and the distinct dinging of slot machines can be hear. As the event draws near however, people are starting to clear the large, circular catwalk that makes up the bulk of the fighting arena.

It's here that Mai appears, presently holding one of her fans in front of her face in shyly in her best attempt at being a rich socialite. Mai is also dressed for the occasion, of course. Having misunderstand the details, Mai seems to be dressed in some combination of formal wear /and/ a swimsuit. She's clad in a red with straps like a fancy cocktail dress and slits along her ribs. The dress, as with most of Mai's wardrobe, is cut low and shows a dangerous amount of cleavage besides its open back. Mai's lower half, by contrast is covered by a white sarong that's wrapped around her tastefully and tied at her hip. Her feet, meanwhile, are fit in what are best described as platform sandals in a nice, oaky color. Sphere-shaped earrings the color of brass jingle from her ears on occasion.


[ALEXIS]
This isn't the kind of place most people would expect to see Alexis Lovell. Despite the level of stardom that she's risen to in the fighting community and her general level of media infamy, the Killasaurus Queen and her entourage are still most likely to be sighted playing dive bars on tour or burning down boondock barns. Well, okay, they /have/ played the occasional arena or cathedral, but it's not really part of their image.

On the other hand, referring to Alexis and Killasaurus Orphanage as a plurality is questionable nowadays. It's so questionable that people have, in fact, been questioning it, all over the Killasaurus Orphanage forums and even on FightTube. Alexis' page on Fighterpedia has been in a constant state of edit war ever since her months-long hiatus from the fighting and music scene, right after the release party of Killasaurus Orphanage's latest album by Fang & Claw, an affiliate of Robot Buddha Records. Rumours have it that Alexis has gone solo, and Killasaurus Orphanage now has a new frontgirl...

...Any of which could explain why Alexis would be here. Getting away from it all to wane in obscurity, looking for inspiration, wanting a vacation, starting a new image... or maybe just here because, as usual, there's fighting to be done and money to be won. There is money to be won, right?

Somehow, she almost manages to be classy, too. She's sitting on a barstool in a little black brocade dress and bowler hat. The black faux-army boots and fingerless gloves that she's also wearing manage to keep her from actually passing the threshold into upper class propriety, though.

With the fight yet to kick off, the black-clad brunette is chatting with a bartender who, by most standards, is reasonably good-looking. And most strangely of all, though, she's... smiling? Is Alexis Lovell actually happy?

"No, seriously, eh! I've been to actual hell for real. And this?" She makes a vague twirling motion at the orchestral band with her finger. "Is actually worse." She then proceeds to break out in laughter.

Apparently, she's just drunk.

[ROSE]
Rose had expected a luxurious vacation where she'd have to judo-flip a couple of jobbers in order to look good and please the people of the viewing world. She deserved this, she thought, after her trip into Outworld and also being savagely beaten repeatedly in order to save the Earthrealm, maybe.

But she'd somehow managed to end up somewhere that is, by some key metrics (mosquito count, number of used condoms in the water supply) /worse/ than Outworld... Zack Island.

And yet, we prevail.

It seems that Mai's idea has been stolen to some extent, because when the stage suddenly has part of it descend downwards and then reascend, bearing a popular figure seated on a stool and holding a microphone, she is wearing strappy pumps with an open toe and a two inch platform in addition to a two inch heel, making for four inches of unneccessary addition - in addition to a purple bikini with a distinctly sling-like style. Her familiar yellow scarf is wrapped round her neck, at least, like a boa.

"Good evening, everybody," Rose says into the microphone, and her voice is of course pretty good for mic work. And she has the attitude of a lounge singer down pretty well. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long."

She gestures to the others. "So, let's come on up. Why don't you introduce yourself as you stretch? I suppose it's traditional," Rose says as she clicks her way to the far side of the stage, "to put myself over here, so you don't have me in a pincer attack - unless you'd like to hit me from both sides, perhaps?"

She hads the mic over to whichever of 'em gets to her first, saying in a low voice, "Don't be afraid to be a little flashy. These people could use some happiness." Off-mike, of course.

[MAI]
Mai puts a hand on her hip as Rose makes her appearance. Her expression is half-concealed by the steel fan she's holding in front of her face, but even so her eyes are clearly visible. They follow Rose from her appearance to her movement down the stage, but when she's called up, Mai's fan is snapped closed.

And with that, the kunoichi turns a flip from a flat-footed stance, planting a hand on a chair to change direction and land adjacent to Rose. The fan is snapped open again in a flourish, Mai's arm outstretched to hold it dramatically. Her landing, of course, is further emphasized by a bounce that's telling of her support situation.

Mai's other hand goes for the mike, open to receive it from Rose. "Good evening!!"" Mai says, perhaps a bit too loudly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mai Shiranui, master of Shiranui-ryu Ninjutsu," Mai turns sliding another fan out of her top and opening them both for a flourishing spin, the end of which is punctuated by a gout of flame as her sarong briefly bursts into flame along the end. Mai ends the spin on one knee, her fans outstretched behind her. As she rises she disposes of one, fishing the microphone out of ... convenient storage. "..and Japan's most beautiful woman!"

A bold claim, of course, but Mai is a beacon of humility.

[ALEXIS]
Alexis is writing something down on a napkin when Rose takes to the stage. She looks up over her shoulder to see what the noise is about, which serves as a reality check for the Canadian - she's supposed to be up there, too! She slides the half-scrawled whatever across the bar to the tender before scooting off her seat and onto her feet. It may be a good thing she's in army boots, given that more typical footwear would likely prove more precarious. In any case, Mai's the first for her side to make it up, because Alexis is tipsy and Mai is a ninja.

"Do ninjas usually tell everyone that they're ninjas?" Alexis wonders loud enough for everyone to hear as she steps up onto the platform. She stops to adjust the tilt of her hat to be less in her eyes and smooth down her dress before moving closer to Mai.

"Wait, are we supposed to introduce ourselves? I didn't prep anything." Before anyone can answer her, Alexis turns to the audience, who are still applauding Mai for the most part. She doesn't bother taking the microphone, and doesn't especially need one, even putting on her most sultry and sabulous tone to challenge the showmanship of the other two.

"Hey! You guys already know who I am, right? Eh?"

She gives an upnod, flirtatious wink and knowing smile to a random Dutch fellow in the audience, who looks around nervously for an answer from someone else in his vicinity and gets only shrugs.

Alexis' confident and flirty facade quickly crumbles to contempt at the lack of recognition. "Whatever! I'll give them all something to remember me by," she says, scowling as she whirls toward Rose and raises her clenched fists.

About this time, the orchestra incidentally starts up a new, more ominous tune...

COMBATSYS: Rose has started a fight here on the left meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rose             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Mai has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Rose             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Mai

COMBATSYS: Alexis has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Mai              0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Alexis
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rose             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Mai has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Rose             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                  |-------\-------\0           Alexis

[ROSE]
Rose passes Mai the mic as she busts out her fan, twists around, bounces merrily, and informs the crowd that she's Japan's most beautiful woman. As she says this, Rose gives the crowd a look which, though rather bright, may be absolutely laden with implicit shade.

Then in comes Alexis. She chuckles for a moment, before the music begins. At this point Rose raises her arms above her head, stretches, and arches her back for a moment, even as Alexis twirls around. "Well then," Rose says into the mic -

When did she get it again!?

She had palmed it off of Mai when Mai was doing her twists and flourishes, because she had to keep her hands free and Rose was, after all, just right there. Turning round to face them both, Rose raises up one manicured hand to say, "And may the odds ever be in your --"

The mic cuts out. This is because Rose is merciful.

Because with a shimmering burst of Soul Power, it's flying right towards Alexis!!

Of course, it's just turned off, not destroyed. Alexis may be able to leverage this to the benefit of her cause and the people's ovation.

COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Alexis with Small Thrown Object.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Rose             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  ///////////////////////////   ]
                                  |==-----\-------\0           Alexis

[ALEXIS]
Alexis casts a glance over her shoulder while Rose is speaking, looking around for some hint of recognition from the crowd, her expression still grumpy and petulant. She turns around when Rose cuts off mid-phrase, expecting some form of technical difficulties to be in progress. It turns out that the technical difficulty is that the microphone is flying toward her chest. Alexis does the sensible thing and ducks.

The microphone hits her in the eye.

*CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICLICK*

It turns out they do recognize her! Dozens of cameras flash to capture the moment as Alexis lurches backward, her hat flipping in the air before flopping to the ground as Lexi raises a hand to her face.

"Ow! Goddammit!"

Luckily the shape of her eye socket keeps the impact of the receiver from being more dangerous than a bruising. She stumbles back forward, lowering her hand from her eye, now squinting shut while the other glares cycloptically at Rose. "What the frick, butterfingers?!"

(She doesn't actually use the word frick.)

Stepping and spinning forward in a manner that's surprisingly graceful for a drunk girl who just got nailed in the eye by a microphone, Alexis swings her leg up, raising the humming heel of her boot to try and smash the heel into Rose's head. Luckily the tulle skirt of her dress is light and short enough to easily allow for such a range of motion!... modesty notwithstanding.

*CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK*

[MAI]
Mai frowns when she sees the microphone has been pilfered. She may take this as a challenge since, as a ninja, she is the one who should be doing the pilfering--well, that's moreso a thief, but SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS KEY.

But said microphone sails across the stage and pegs Alexis in the eye. For a moment, Mai seems concerned, though she hides it well behind a fan--concerned, that is, until Alexis lifts a leg and delivers a earth-shaking heel drop. As it collides and shakes the stage, Mai is already in the air, kicking off (despite her heels) and soaring toward Alexis. Alexis may feel a firm palm against her shoulder as Mai plants a hand on her and uses her as a mid-way point, vaulting from there onward toward Rose.

And as she goes, Mai flips forward, extending her legs toward Rose's head in an attempt to lock her ankles around the woman's head, pivot her hips, and snap Rose /back/ over her head as she falls through a combination of gravity and intense leg strength.

COMBATSYS: Rose blocks Mai's Shiranui Gourin.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Rose             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  //////////////////////////    ]
                                  |==-----\-------\0           Alexis

COMBATSYS: Rose deflects Hammer-On from Alexis with Soul Reflect.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Rose             0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  ///////////////////           ]
                                  |=======\==-----\1           Alexis

[ROSE]
Mai is throwing herself forwards and so it is her who Rose must deal with first. Both her bare arms come up in a classical cross block, and the impact against her body feels something springier and more resilient than it ought to be. However, Rose's heel does skitter for a moment as she gets Mai off and past her, even if this slightly mystifying demi-parry doesn't exactly disable the kunoichi or take her down that hard.

Rose huffs for a moment, but then she has a problem and that problem is Alexis raising her leg up high. Rose twists her scarf around in a sudden pastel-colored surge of effervescent light, and the scarf itself smacks against Alexis's calf with--

Well: Depending on how you cut it, it's astonishing that the scarf managed to deflect a kick aside sufficiently so that there isn't any actual impact on Rose...

Or it's astonishing that Alexis almost busted through the guard of Rose!

She leaps back then, landing with a firm and ostentatious jiggle. "Frick? I didn't know you were Danish," she remarks to Alexis.

[ALEXIS]
There would seem to be no impact for a moment as Alexis' heel smashes into Rose's guard(in'). A moment later, though, a deafening sonic backlash sends Alexis' foot spiralling back in the opposite direction as the destructive force of the kick is redirected back into the punk rocker's heel. The Canadian spins on one foot before losing all sense of balance and crashing into the stage floor.

"I didn't say that," Alexis seethes through chattering teeth as she places her hands against the stage and tries to push herself up off the ground, body still vibrating from the traitorous sound waves. "I said f-"

*BWAAAAAH*

"- and I'm not a damn pastry!" she finishes as her shouting is interrupted by the cargo liner-turned-cruise-ship's horn sounding for some reason or other. As the noise starts to fade, a hum starts to reverberate from where the punk rocker now stands, her fists clenching as she harnesses the power of the sound. She reaches one gloved hand around behind her, as if trying to grab something off her back that isn't there.

"Fuck," she says, finally managing to get past the censors. She snaps a finger out toward the orchestra. "Hey, you! Give me a damn instrument!"

A small piece of metal spins through the air. Alexis catches it, looks down, and scowls. It's a triangle. "Thanks a lot, smartass!"

It's a bit of an opening for Rose, but the energy around Alexis does seem to be rising...

COMBATSYS: Alexis surges with the power of rock!

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Rose             0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  ///////////////////           ]
                                  |=======\======-\1           Alexis

[MAI]
Mai's legs collide with Rose's guard, shortly before the woman's scarf intercepts Alexis' sonic kick as well. Mai's large heels rest against the block for only a moment before the ninja turns, flips off of Rose's guard, and lands with another bounce.

But even as she lands, she tries to capitalize on Alexis' unintentional diversion, like a proper ninja. Mai lands on one heel then immediately flips forward again, doing a cartwheel as she wraps herself in flames. The fan is slipped in between her teeth to hold it while Mai shifts her stance, moving from an open position to a braced (and now flaming) elbow strike as she finishes her wheeling flip!

COMBATSYS: Mai successfully hits Rose with Hissatsu Shinobibachi.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Rose             0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  ///////////////////           ]
                                  |=======\======-\1           Alexis

[ROSE]
"No, I mean, from Denmark," Rose attempts to say to Alexis through the deafening screech of horror-feedback. She purses her lips because now Alexis is vibrating, which, to Rose, is not a good thing in anyone at least in large doses. She takes a deep breath and lets it out, before a triangle is thrown at her.

Rose raises a hand to veil herself before she lets out a proper noblewoman's laugh. No, it's faint, it's soft, but it's definitely there. But she has a problem here, which is that for all of her foresight, sorcerous energy, and prodigious legs, Rose didn't calculate for the involvement of

MAI SHIRANUI!

RIGHT OUT OF NOWHERE! Flipping round and bursting into flame, rolling forwards and concluding with the Kunoichi's Elbow, the burst of flame erupting over Rose's skin with unusual vigor and force as there is in fact a lot more of that skin out there than there was previously. As a result of this, Rose goes flying into the audience, knocking six folding chairs over and ending up with her head and upper torso in the lap of an old man with glasses.

They steam up. Fortunately the rest of Rose was still attached. Stunned momentarily, Rose has to lever herself upwards, but she is only momentarily offbalance. Soon enough she's leaping upwards, and unfortunately (?) for Mai, this gives her enough of an angle to

"SOUL THROW"

Erupt upwards and try to hook her in the belly with the crook of her arm, erupting Soul Power behind her making her rise up to... Stage level, and then shoot Mai down. Probably, if she can get the angle right, to sprawl on stage, possibly right into that elevator/platform/thingy with the stool on it. Will she take the fight back stage?!

COMBATSYS: Mai interrupts Soul Throw from Rose with Benitsuru no Mai.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Rose             1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  ///////////////////           ]
                                  |=======\======-\1           Alexis

[MAI]
Mai springs backward out of the elbow strike, landing with a heavy clop of her heeled shoes against the stage. The kunoichi bobs on her heels, resuming her natural spring, ready to strike again stance--but it doesn't entirely prepare her for what comes next.

Rose rises up on the offensive, and Mai goes for the counterattack. She slides in low, kicking her sarong up behind her as she goes for a full-on slide kick into Rose's shins, then flips up for a follow-up kick. As she follow-up comes, however, she finds herself caught by the waist and the sudden surge of Soul Power! Counterattack or not, Mai is hurled with destructive might toward the stage, crashing across it and bouncing off (and onto) the platform toward the back.

"Aieee!"

[ALEXIS]
"I'm Canadian, dammit! How does anyone here not know that, eh?" Alexis continues to scowl at Rose, huffing indignantly, before her attention returns to the metal triangle that she's holding in her hand. The object is made marginally more useless by the fact that she doesn't have the accompanying rod to strike it with. She turns back toward the orchestra and holds the triangle aloft.

"Hey -"

Before her request can be verbalized, a twirling metal rod strikes her in the bust and bounces down to the stage. She sticks her tongue out in annoyance at the now-disarmed triangle player before bending down to try and snatch the metal rod, following after it as it rolls along the stage for a few feet before she manages to do so, thoroughly distracted from the exchange between Mai and Rose while she tries desperately (well, with a sort of half-assed persistence, anyway) to arm herself for musical combat.

Finally thus equipped, Alexis turns back toward the battle between Mai and Rose, holding up the triangle in an awkwardly dainty fashion and squinting with one eye as she angles the gap in the metal as if lining up a weapon's scope. The hum around her goes weirdly quiet as she focuses. Then, finally, she holds the metal rod up before striking the triangle decisively.

*TING*

A visible ripple flies through the air from the instrument as the sonic energy focused into the rod is released, hurtling toward Rose in pursuit as the battle starts to move toward the backstage!

COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Alexis' Power Chord.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Rose             1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  //////////////////            ]
                                  |=======\======-\1           Alexis

[ROSE]
The kick against Rose's shins followed by HA HA she got caught and thrown! but either way: Rose lands with a stagger that isn't purely heel-based. As she straightens up, she looks towards Alexis and replies in perfect Italian with a Genoese accent, "<It isn't as if Canada is the center of the world, you know. That's Turin.>"

Of course this moment of linguistic sass is answered with a brutal release of a chiming force. That ripple of light flows towards Rose with sufficient force for her to SEE it - and it is perhaps only its simple sonic purity that saves Rose from being extremely aggressively vibrated.

As it is, she throws herself backwards, legs splaying apart as she balances on her fingertips in an extremely precarious way. That wave of pure sound washes past her, sending visible ripples through Rose's body and hairstyle as it passes and dislodging some vital product-induced connections.

Of course there isn't a lot she can do from this kind of a position. She pulls herself forwards heavily and stays in a crouch, letting herself crab-walk forwards a step, which is itself something of a gamble in those heels. The next move is a sweep with the leg at Alexis's angle, afterwhich Rose leaps up, back, /further/ from the crowd...

And hopefully not straight into an intercepting fist!!

COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Alexis with Medium Kick.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Rose             1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  /////////////                 ]
                                  |>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Alexis

[MAI]
Those members of the audience who have been watching Mai may have seen her disappear behind the curtain after being launched across the stage by Rose's throw. For those who have not been watching her closely, Mai seems to have disappeared behind the curtain. When she reappears, it's in an almost blur as she loops around from the side. With a steady clop of her heels against the solid floor, Mai sprints at full speed, running low to the ground to minimize her wind resistance (a necessary step, certainly).

When Mai slips in she does so beneath Rose, aiming to slip in under her guard before she can recover from the kick. Mai's sarong billows behind her as she strikes out with a mighty shout, aiming a palm strike into Rose's solar plexus--if she can get through that shroud of Soul Power, that is!

[ALEXIS]
Unfortunately for the bar that had been on the other side of Rose, the wave of sonic energy continues onward in the absence of an Italian impact, smashing apart a collection of wines that are probably far less valuable than they're made out to be. Alexis sucks in a breath between her teeth and gives the bartender an apologetic look.

"Sorry about that, eh? I'll - ack!"

The angle of attack is unexpected as Rose strikes out at Lexi's leg, as is the energy accompanying the kick to make it much more painful than anticipated. As a result, a reflexive attempt to brace against the attack fails spectacularly, and Alexis flips and flops gracelessly forward, managing to smack into the stage with both her face and chest. Still reeling, she rolls backward in a blind attempt to escape further immediate harm as the triangle and rod clatter to the floor.

"Crap. I need something with strings!" she yells at the conductor, holding a hand out with a beckoning gesture. Raising his baton and nodding knowingly, the conductor turns to the orchestra and starts up a rousing rendition of Vivaldi's Spring.

"No, I meant give me a stringed instrument, dammit!" Alexis growls. The nearest string player gets bowled over, bow and instrument confiscated before either can hit the ground, and Alexis prepares to play... before realising she's holding a double bass without the slightest idea how to play it properly.

"Ugh, fuck it," she curses, tossing the bow aside before turning back toward Rose. "<I like Modica!>" she retorts in choppy Italian as she charges the Genoese fighter. The bass trembles with a deep throbbing sound as Alexis swings it with a full-body effort, attempting to club Rose with culture.

COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Mai's Medium Strike.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Rose             1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  /////////////                 ]
                                  |>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Alexis

COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Rose with Tribute to Townshend EX.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Rose             1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0              Mai
                                  >  /////////////                 ]
                                  |>>>>>>>\-------\1           Alexis

[ROSE]
As Mai loops round the stage, she leaps at Rose from her blind side. It should lead to a brutal surprise attack but -

Well -

Rose is a psychic, and so she leans forwards just as Mai swirls round to aim a palm strike right into her solar plexus. Forward? More like backwards; she draws back from the blow, even if Mai does get contact with her skin. It's brief - sharp - no harm done - and Rose is tumbling again.

She really shouldn't cartwheel in these outfits, especially at her age. It doesn't suit her. Especially when Alexis is grasping hold of a double base and suddenly swinging it forwards, Rose's head snapping up as she looks momentarily horrified - if this is getting full-range video, it will be quite memetic.

There is a massive noise, like the legendary "kabong" - a huge basso-profundo note of agony and discord as the double bass explodes on Rose, who is blindly surging forwards, her Soul Power erupting out of her in a coruscant corona that can best be described as "making a blind imitation of a wood chipper" as she reaches forth, blindly extending herself towards -

Alexis?

No, as it turns out, although the cloud of wood shards may cause her some problems. Rose has chosen instead to grasp the strings of the expiring bass and whip them forwards, aiming to lash them around Mai! She aims for the torso, in general, so this whipping and constricting may be less than comfortable. But very scenic!

Probably a greater concern for Mai will be the surge of that synaesthetic Soul Power down those strings, with a mighty THWUMM! It - it doesn't really sting so much as it blues and high-Cs, because it is /extremely/ tinglingly disruptive to the immediate awareness.

COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Mai with Strong Punch.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Rose             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1              Mai
                                  >  /////////////                 ]
                                  |>>>>>>>\-------\1           Alexis

[MAI]
Mai's reaction to the counter-movement is swift. Even as Rose withdraws from the impact of the ninja's palm strike, Mai is shifting in expectation of a counterattack. She tilts her head as Alexis comes in, her ponytail bobbing with the tilt, and Mai visibly winces when the bass rings out against the side of Rose's head. There's a bit of a relief when it seems like Alexis has put a dent in the Soul Powered fighter. It is short lived.

Rose swings the remains of the base around with a surge of Soul Power, which puts Mai on the defensive one more. The kunoichi slips a second tessen out of the center of her top, unfolding the two of them in a crossways pattern before her. The fans absorb the worst of the blow, but even then Mai is sent sliding backward. Her hip impacts with a table with enough force to send it skidding backward as Mai sprawls across the top of it. Her fans, likewise, clatter across the surface and finish removing a few glasses spared by the initial impact.

Briefly, Mai lies prone on the table catching her breath, getting a few oogles from nearby bystanders as she does. It's then, without warning, Mai erupts into a swirl of legs and cloth as she flips around back onto her feet, takes her fans once again, and kicks off the table like a diver from the board. This time she sails toward Rose in a spin, flashing grey and silver as she performs a dance-like spin of fan strikes.

"This energy," she says, "what is it?"

[ALEXIS]
The fact that Alexis is bellowing like a berserker isn't really discernible until after the boom of the exploding bass fades enough for her to be heard of it. Her shout, too, fades away as she finds herself panting for air and holding what amounts to about half a cricket bat's worth of wooden remains. She gives it a moment's thoughtful glance before tossing it back to the orchestra.

"Hope that was insured!"

With that, Alexis rushes Rose once more, this time throwing herself into the air and tilting sideways as she does in a classic wrestling cross-body. If she manages to collide, not only will she rudely interrupt Rose's ability to answer Mai's question, but she'll also try to convert the move by whipping around the Italian fighter, snaking an arm over her neck and snapping back toward the ground to drive her headfirst into it with a concussive burst of sonic chi.

COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Mai's Hakuro No Mai.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Rose             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1              Mai
                                  >  ///////////                   ]
                                  |=======\-------\0           Alexis

COMBATSYS: Rose deflects Stage Dive from Alexis with Turquoise Soul Overdrive.
- Power hit! -

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Rose             1/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1              Mai
                                  >                                ]
                                  |>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Alexis

[ROSE]
There is a certain pleasure in finding herself to be a novelty. Rose laughs at Mai even as she goes flying - or with, perhaps, is more likely. "Oh, it's simple," she says, before she throws herself up and forwards, pivoting impossibly in the air and resting a hand atop Mai's head. "It's Soul Power, that's -"

Rose was probably going to give Mai a shock to the psychic shammies that would have left her feeling quite good and tingly afterwards, and no doubt have won her whatever prize package is at stake here. And the problem with this is that she isn't just fighting Mai, she is also fighting Alexis.

Who is coming right at her. That crossbody HITS and it hits her lower down than she would have liked, and that bikini top erupts off her body as the sonic chi that Alexis commands with her fighting spirit ripples out.

It bursts off -- and for a fleeting moment there is a link between Rose and Alexis through it -- and in that moment Rose exhales sharply and a burst of Soul Power rides the blue fabric, making it glow with a turquoise luminosity that's strong enough to cast shadows into the audience, the synaesthetic eruption making the sound invert itself in a spectacular rising waveform--

Until, as it inevitably must: the bass drops.

As does Rose, who lands on her back, but much more neatly than she might have, otherwise!

[MAI]
Mai's fans dance through the air with a rush of wind, but they find no purchase against Rose. Instead, the woman's impossible movement puts a hand on Mai's head, and her eyes dart anxiously to where Rose is laughing. "Soul Power?" is what she starts to ask, at least, until Alexis interjects with a flying crossbody.

Mai takes the opportunity to break from Rose, ducking under her hand and sliding away from the coming clash. When the explosion of sonics partly disrobes Rose, Mai covers her mouth with a hand. "Oh dear," she says, "how unfortunate"

Even though she has no room to talk, Mai leaps back and pivots around with a turning kick. Her sarong billows in the wake of her kick, showing almost as much skin as Rose when her bathing suit bottom is exposed. Mai, it would seem, sees no dishonor in kicking someone when they're down--though to be fair Alexis seemed to come out of that worse than Rose did.

[ALEXIS]
Once again, Alexis is subjected to the echo of her own clothing-destroying power, even more devastating with the accompaniment of Soul that her detractors have long claimed her music lacks. The bassy eruption is enough to launch her briefly up into the air, spiralling as cameras flash all around, although this time most aren't interested in capturing the state of the Canadian, particularly with the tabloid-tier wardrobe malfunction occuring in front of them.

Then again, if the blast of sound was powerful enough to blow Rose's top, but the majority of the attack's force was redirected to the rocker herself...?

Somehow, when Alexis drops back into frame, she's down to her black skivvies and boots. Descending toward Rose, it appears that she's lost control - but at her current arc, she'd land on top of the Italian woman in a straddling position if Rose can't manage to avoid her. Though dazed to the point of fainting, if she finds herself in such a position, she'll wipe the back of her forearm across her mouth, then abruptly start trying to pound Rose into the stage with both fists, each punch expelling a burst of sonic energy.

*WOMP *WAMP* *WOMP*

COMBATSYS: Alexis has reached second wind!

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Rose             1/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1              Mai
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                  |>>>>---\-------\0           Alexis

COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Mai's Strong Kick.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Rose             1/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\===----\1              Mai
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                  |>>>>---\-------\0           Alexis

COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Rose with Beatdown in Three Four.
- Power hit! -

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Rose             1/-----<</<<<<<<<|=======\===----\1              Mai
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                  |>>>>---\-------\0           Alexis

[ROSE]
Unfortunate for Rose, but not for the viewers at home or in the audience! Rose ends up rolling aside as Mai snaps forwards, bursting ahead with great speed and then going long as Rose exploits the oft-underestimated 'third dimension'. Sadly, she's gone tits-up again by the time Alexis recovers.

Unfortunately for Rose that is also not a metaphor. Alexis lands down with great force on Rose's midsection, making her exhale with a forceful grunt and then deal with the problem of being pounded with a dual-barrel fist-pistoning in the upper body! And while she raises her arms to deal with it

"KYUH!!!" Rose screeches/grunts.

that hurt, a lot

Several more punches and Rose is able to push past the agony, her yellow scarf swirling forwards and around her arm as she lunges forwards, aiming to perform what could be called a 'Soul Rollup' -- Rose wouldn't, but the thrusting attempt at a reversal that will in turn press Alexis down without requiring Rose to try and match her in a punchdown force /does/ have that kind of shimmering flash around it.

There are limits to how effective this can be, but even if Alexis won't tap after a three-count, Rose isn't being punched any more. Not for the first time, she transiently and profoundly envies Athena.

COMBATSYS: Alexis endures Rose's Soul Fade.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Rose             1/---====/=======|=======\===----\1              Mai
                                  >                                ]
                                  |>>>>>>>\>------\1           Alexis

[MAI]
Mai's heel goes through the air before landing with a heavy clop as it doesn't find purchase. She frowns in a disappointed, almost dejected sort of way. For better or worse, Alexis crashes down on Rose shortly thereafter, making Mai suddenly glad she isn't on the receiving end of that manuever this time. In fact, she vocalizes it.

"That one is familiar," she says, "and I didn't like it either!" Mai brings her fan around, adjusts her grip on it, then tosses it in like a dart--still closed but with pinpoint precision. This, it seems, is he best attempt to peel separate Alexis and Rose without throwing herself right into the middle of a grapple.

She's doesn't know Alexis /that/ well, and that scarf looks dangerous.

[ALEXIS]
Her fury seemingly expended, Alexis starts to relent in her offense as Rose prepares to counterattack. The punk rocker's arms fall to either side of her as her bangs spill into her face, obscuring her eyes. She looks on the verge of passing out, a hiccup shaking her body as she starts to lurch forward - but the sudden feeling of Soul Power against her gut snaps the Killasaurus out of it, though the tension returning to her body doesn't prevent her from being rolled up and pinned.

"Sneaky bitch," Alexis slurs as her back arches half-heartedly from the impact. Reaching her arms out, she tries to grab hold of Rose by the hair as leverage for extricating herself, her whole body shuddering as she pushes herself up to her feet. If she can manage to keep Rose's head below her waist level, she'll proceed to try and step over and trap Rose's neck between her thighs and hook her elbows under Rose's arms, before kicking both legs out to drop to the stage floor, driving Rose's head into it with her hips and what may be the last of her energy if she's successful - accompanied by a shockwave that sounds akin to a guitar chord.

COMBATSYS: Alexis can no longer fight.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Rose             1/---====/=======|=======\===----\1              Mai

COMBATSYS: Rose endures Mai's Thrown Weapon.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Rose             1/-======/=======|=======\===----\1              Mai

COMBATSYS: Rose wards against Alexis' Drop D.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Rose             1/=======/=======|=======\===----\1              Mai

[ROSE]
Mai hurls her fan into Rose who... can't... really do anything much about it right now. "Ghhgkh!" she gasps as it digs /right/ into the meat of a space between two ribs, raising a fat red welt as she leans further forwards, raising herself upwards. She exhales with force as Alexis says such cruel things - and then grasps her hair, PULLS it forwards, and gets yanked to the ground.

Grasped in between the thighs of punk rock, Rose's brief excursion into a humid and musky hell comes to an abrupt end when she is SLAMMED into the stage, her head tilting forwards to try and maneuver with the blow. The bursting echo resonates through her head--

But she wasn't using it for anything, anyway.

A little blood oozes from Rose's nose and between her lips as she rolls to her side, swinging herself heavily upwards - with a lingering interval on hands and knees, which gets a few scattered claps from people who realize they're being weird - and exhaling. "Hah... hah...!"

That was more of a bark from heavy breathing than laughter. And then she looks at Mai.

And for a fleeting moment TWO Roses are there, snapping to either side. One is real, one is not, but only at the moment of colliding impact on either side of her head will the truth be revealed! Of course, shagged out as she is, Rose is going for a chest press here.

And so, the spirit of Zack Island prevails...

COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Mai with Illusion Spark.
~~ Alluring Hit! ~~

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Rose             0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Mai

[MAI]
Mai continues bouncing on her feet (and generally bouncing), as she often does. The fan flies in and pings Rose in the ribs. This prompts a small, unprofessional fist-pump from Mai after a drought of near-misses. Before she can spend /too/ much time celebrating, however, as shortly thereafter Alexis goes for her signature move. That one is also familiar to Mai, though she narrowly avoided it in her last match.

But it proves to not be enough. Rose tanks it, with some difficulty, and is back on her feet again. Not only that, but she's bearing down on Mai once more! The kunoichi goes on the defensive, bobbing back and forth and clutching a new fan more tightly as she waits for the coming attack.

There are suddenly two Roses who circle in and come at Mai from both sides. She shifts her footing, readies to dodge, and ducks at the last moment ... which is slightly too slow.

"Mmph!" Mai protests muffledly as her head and shoulders are sandwiched between two Soul Power-infused Roses, narrowly avoiding Mai's natural defenses against chest bumps by a slight bit of altitude. There's a heavy 'thump' as Mai gets squished in the middle, and when Rose withdraws again, she's dizzy, staggered, and on her last legs.

But the shinobi seems to be unwilling to let Rose get away /completely/ unscathed, and she works through a series of handsigns (dropping her fan to do so). The end result is an explosion of fiery chi from under Mai's feet, which bursts into a towering pillar of flame.

But will it do much more than scald Rose a little?

COMBATSYS: Mai can no longer fight.

[                       \\\\\\\  <
Rose             0/-------/-----==|

COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Mai's Houou no Mai.

[                       \\\\\\\  <
Rose             0/-------/-----==|

[ROSE]
When the flames erupt outwards, Rose twists round and does a double cartwheel away from Mai -- just in time!

And the one on the left proves to be the real one. She straightens upright, sweeps her hair back with one hand, looks out at the crowd...

"Oh!" And her scarf swirls round her, tying into a neat bow in front as she renders a bow. "Well, then: I hope you enjoyed, ladies and gentlemen, but if you will excuse me, I think that I, at least, could do with a glass of wine..."

A very big one. Like, bottle sized.

Fortunately, there are medical teams on hand for the other women. With drapes. And drink coupons!

Log created on 20:46:31 05/23/2017 by Alexis, and last modified on 14:46:11 05/30/2017.