Match of the Millennium

Description: Speaking of Metro City, how about their subways? If you ask any celebrity, one of the most important things is fashion. And what's the first thing you lose when you lose your house, other than your house? Fashion. We've found two fighters to battle it out in the Metro City subways. The stakes are high, though: The winner? Will get their outfit promoted through Violet Fashions International as a special line! ...too bad that one of them designed her outfit to annoy Violet Fashions and the other only cares about the fight.

[ALEXIS]
The Metro City subway system has always been a nexus of activity, a place where one could find everyone from the corporate elite to the so-called dregs of society. While the lower-class were likely once the exception to the rule in most of the hubs, the Metro of today is still a wounded beast in recovery, and though the trains are back running, the city has had more important things to do than police the graffiti and garbage that litter the walls and tunnels, and in many stations, you're probably as likely to run across thugs and the homeless as the middle-to-upper-class that run the downtown hive.

What better venue, then, to battle in for a corporate homeless fashion line?

Like any good punk artist, Alexis is into DIY fashion and creating her own aesthetic (that totally isn't stolen from another punk artist). She's done time on the street and bouncing between youth shelters. She's probably in a unique position to both understand the needs of the homeless and have the creative disposition to design an appropriately stylish, functional and affordable outfit.

The whole thing's a promotional money-making PR stunt for a corporation with a shady reputation, though, so if Alexis is making a fashion statement, it seems to be 'F*** that.'

The least offensive part of the Canadian punk's outfit is a black tuque with the words 'VioleNt Systems' on the front (the N appearing painted on in red, in contrast to the plain white font of the rest). Further down, she wears a black dog collar studded with silver spikes.

The tight white cropped tee she's sporting has the words 'Violet Systems' in black beside their official robotic arm logo in silhouette, and would likely not be enough to cause much of a stir were it not for the words 'Official Corporate Whore' in matching lettering on the back. In contrast to the too-small t-shirt, the baggy grey cargo pants she's wearing are clinging to her hips for dear life. She's also wearing a pair of fingerless leather gloves and black combat boots, because punks are always wearing combat boots.

Somewhere, a PR worker for Violet Systems is probably sweating.

Besides all that, Alexis has her red wireless electric guitar slung across her front, giving it a sound check in the resonant acoustics of the subway tunnel before the match starts. The sound of her picking echoes throughout the underground in the background as the PFW staff make last-minute preparations for the broadcast.

"...coming to you LIVE from METRO CITY SUBWAY! PROFESSIONAL FIGHTING WORLDWIDE in association with VIOLET SYSTEMS bring you ALEXIS LOVELL versus TABITHA COREN!"

[TABITHA]
After months of training and refocusing, Tabitha Coren returned to the world of active fighting by joining a match put on by PFW. That's good!

On top of that, it's for a cause she approves of. Growing up in the impoverished parts of Metro City means she has a healthy respect for plans to help the people there; though she was never quite homeless herself, there were some times she was about half a step from it. So that's even better!

But then they made it a fashion thing. Tabitha wasn't sure whether to be insulted or what. The whole concept of 'homeless fashion chic' is ludicrous. On top of that, she's spent the last while trying to get /away/ from using her appearance as a draw. It almost - /almost/ - made her walk away.

Except she isn't going to back down from a fight, no matter how ridiculous it is.

Which means that Tabitha has just decided to dress comfortably without looking like an idiot. Be something fight-able, she thought to herself, when planning. Look half-decent but don't stress it. Honestly, she's never been fantastic at designing an outfit for style anyway; even when she was being used as decoration around other fights, she had other people pick her outfit for her. That's not an option today.

Tabitha is wearing almost the same shirt as Alexis, in fact. The difference is that hers is sleeveless, isn't quite so tight and also doesn't have the ... personal addition on the back, which makes it a lot more palatable to the poor PR worker. Her pants are black, a pair of boot-cut athletic pants that she wore instead of something shorter or tighter and more prone to being ripped. Overtop of everything she has a grey hoodie. It's open and the hood is down.

Also she has handwraps on. Those are probably not part of the outfit.

Despite herself, she can't help herself from smiling as she vaults over the traffic barricade forming the edge of the 'battlefield'. Looks like her opponent has a lot of guts on tweaking the sponsors' noses. She pulls off the hoodie, tossing it onto the barricade to let it rest there. "You expecting a rock battle?" she asks. "I didn't come prepared for that."

COMBATSYS: Tabitha has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tabitha          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Alexis has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tabitha          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Alexis

[ALEXIS]
Alexis strikes a quick double-power chord in answer to Tabitha's question, letting the sound ring through the subway for a moment before muting the strings with her palm and swinging the guitar around to her back. "Don't worry, just because I rock doesn't mean I expect you to," she tells Tabitha in a Maple-syrupy sweet tone as she raises her hands to push her knuckles into th opposite palms each in turn. "I figured you'd be scissors, anyway." She winks at Tabitha while sauntering over to a spot opposite the boxer, shifting her weight and resting a hand on one hip as she pointedly turns her back toward the camera crew to make sure they get a shot of her corporate 'title.'

"...and don't forget that the WINNING CONTESTANT will have their VERY OWN CLOTHING LINE based on their outfit for this match, thanks to our sponsors!"

The announcer laughs nervously as the camera zooms in on the words on Alexis' shirt, a censorship blur quickly appearing over the offending term. A second pops up over Alexis' hand as she raises it and extends a finger at the camera.

T"Allow me to quickly remind our viewers that the views expressed by the fighters are not shared or condoned by Professional Fighting Worldwide! But without further ado, it looks like our fighters are READY to GO and SO are WE!"

A booming voice plays over the sound system as Alexis turns to face Tabitha and drops into a brawler's stance.

"THREE... TWO... ONE... FIGHT!"

Alexis lunges forward as the accompanying sound of a bell signals the match's start. Her left boot hums musically as she swings it around in a high arc, her pants barely managing to stay up as she brings her heel down toward Tabitha's head and upper body with an axe kick.

COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Tabitha with Hammer-On.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Tabitha          0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0           Alexis

[TABITHA]
Tabitha lets out a snort at Alexis' response and wink. "Maybe in your dreams," she says, as she adjusts her handwraps just a little bit. They didn't need it, but she's a perfectionist.

She lets the announcer's voice wash over her without listening very closely. She, after all, doesn't have anything objectionable. She doesn't deserve a single censor bar or blur! Tabitha figures if they start talking about the actual fight, she'll pay attention, but in the meantime she needs to get into the zone -

When Alexis rushes forward, Tabitha is almost ready for it. Her own stance is very obviously boxing or at least boxing-inspired; she raises her arms to block and sways to the side, but unfortunately chooses the wrong direction to spin her body. Alexis' boot impacts on Tabitha's shoulder with a ringing sound and a vibration she feels through her entire body, not quite causing Tabitha to crumple but definitely forcing her to turn her body with the blow to avoid a knockdown. She really felt that one, which doesn't bode well for her if the opening salvo is not in her favour.

Tabitha turns it into a rotation, sidestepping and circling around Alexis rather than fighting her straight-on. She jabs with her left hand repeatedly, a trio of fast blows, as she circles; it's as much to keep Alexis off-balance as anything else, as Tabitha figures that if she's still on one foot she might be vulnerable to being pushed over or at least rocked on her feet.

COMBATSYS: Tabitha successfully hits Alexis with Blindside Step.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tabitha          0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0           Alexis

[ALEXIS]
The successive jabs find purchase as Alexis comes out of her kick, smacking against her side before the punk rocker can get her guard back up. She growls as she tries to defy the blows and stand steady, but the combination sends her stumbling to the side. She catches herself on a support column, then quickly pushes off the faux-marble cover to avoid a potential follow-up.

"Not bad, eh," she breathes between her teeth as she swings her leg out in reverse, pivoting into a second heel kick charged with sonic energy, this time faster and aimed at Tabitha's midsection in an attempt to put her back on the defensive and create an opening. "Too bad you hit like a wuss!" she shouts, louder, her tone shifting in less than a beat as she tries to follow up quickly by grabbing Tabitha's upper body and shoving her into the column.

COMBATSYS: Tabitha blocks Alexis' Charged Combo.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tabitha          0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0           Alexis

[TABITHA]
Tabitha wasn't swinging for power. Yes, there was enough force behind the blows to keep Alexis slightly rocked back on her feet (or foot as the case may be), but she wasn't going all-out on a powerful strike - she'd use her right hand for that.

"You want more?" Despite her words, Tabitha doesn't rush in, but expects - and recieves - a counterattack. She uses her lower arms to absorb the impact, catching the foot with her open hands (the reason she's using handwraps instead of gloves) and giving it a little push, deflecting it away without giving too much of an opening. The sonic energy gives her fingers a tingling sensation she doesn't like much.

It keeps her in-balance enough that she can duck Alexis' grab, going under it. Alexis comes damn close to catching Tabitha's hair, but with a snap of her head Tabitha whips the hanging locks out of reach - she's used to boxing with long hair and some people will do anything for a win.

Tabitha turns her ducking evasion into an assault when she comes up with an uppercut, trying to drive her fist into Alexis' stomach. If she manages it she doesn't stop there but rises all the way to a standing position - and then some, as she hops slightly into the air, adding extra impulse to her fist. "Then have another! C'mon, show me what you've got!"

COMBATSYS: Alexis Toughs Out Tabitha's Bound Upper!

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

[ALEXIS]
With Tabitha ducking under her attempt at grabbing the blonde's hair, Alexis is left wide open to the uppercut that follows. Aware of this, Alexis steels herself. Tabitha's fist drills into her gut, driving air out of the Canadian singer's notoriously deep reserves. Alexis is lifted off of her feet, starting to fold inward from the blow, her hair falling around her face.

"Better," she wheezes, before grinning with clenched teeth.

Alexis hums with energy as she retakes control of her mass before she's started to drop again. Her hands swoop down to try and grab hold of Tabitha's shoulders and pull her down with her, intending to drive the boxer's face into her own knee as her boots hit the concrete on the descent. If she can manage to do so, she'll continue by grabbing for Tabitha's locks once more with the intent of pulling her head between Alexis' many-pocketed thighs, then kick out her legs to drive Tabitha face-first into the ground with her hips, releasing a deep and crunchy shockwave of distorted sound!

COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Tabitha with Drop D.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tabitha          1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1           Alexis

[TABITHA]
On one hand, Tabitha should really cut her hair to provide a less obvious target. A lot of it is bundled at the back of her head in a bun, but not all of it.

On the other hand, it looks good. Tabitha always lets some locks flow because it's pretty much the only thing she's both vain about and willing to show off. People might say she's got a figure that looks like she's more suited to be a model than a boxer, or that her face is too pretty to let get punched, but nobody ever says she can't fight because her hair is too nice.

The current effect of said hair is that Alexis does indeed manage to get ahold of it and pull her around. She grunts when her face impacts Alexis' knee despite her best attempts to stop it, and she's a little dazed to really see what happens next; the next thing she knows, her head is being squeezed between Alexis' legs and it's only a split second before she impacts the floor of the subway station. Hard.

Ouch.

Now bleeding - she must have caught her brow on some irregularities on the floor - Tabitha manages to free herself from Alexis' mighty grip, pulling her head out from between her thighs. Tabitha is at her worst in a grapple and she knows it, so she doesn't try to maintain it; she simply tries a punch as she rises, right-handed and made a little awkward by positioning but possibly effective enough to get Alexis to back off if she gets another stomach impact.

"I don't like it," she growls, "when people grab my hair. Didn't anyone ever tell you how to behave?" Not that that's a disqualification or illegal in any way, but it /is/ a dirty trick; Tabitha herself wouldn't do it.

COMBATSYS: Tabitha successfully hits Alexis with Medium Punch.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tabitha          1/----===/=======|=======\=======\1           Alexis

[ALEXIS]
Alexis snorts as she stands over Tabitha, first to her feet under the circumstances. She reaches a hand up to brush her bangs out of her face, a grin audible in her voice as she starts to reply. "Well, that makes one of u- hurgh!"

She's too slow to get her guard up and gets blasted in the gut again, sending her stumbling backward to smack spine-first against the side of a parked subway car. Her middle arches as she grunts with pain and presses a hand against her lower back. Welts can already be seen forming on her midriff as damage to her ribs and stomach has continued to mount.

"I was never really good with rules. Authority issues," she says in a faux-apologetic sing-song that doesn't manage to completely mask her pain as she straightens. "But it's not like we're playing f***ing pat-a-cake, eh?!"

And then she's charging in again, throwing herself full-on at Tabitha. Waves of sound emanate off of her form to ring through the tunnel as she flies through the air, aiming to crash body-to-body at a perpendicular angle with the blonde boxer. If she collides successfully - in which case the sound coming off of her will be channelled directly into Tabitha form a brief instant - she'll try and slip herself around her and snake an arm over her head before dropping backward, aiming to plow the punch-mistress head-first into the floor once more with another burst of sound.

COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Tabitha with Stage Dive.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tabitha          1/-======/=======|=======\=======\1           Alexis

[TABITHA]
Tabitha knows how to focus fire and Alexis' stomach is providing a decent target for the moment. She wants her battered down a little before she goes for the knockout blow.

The strike was enough to clear enough room for Tabitha to warm up a little, hopping once or twice as she switches which foot is forward while she lets Alexis come to her rather than the reverse. Possibly a mistake, but Tabitha's style tends to be more defensive - not passive, but she's good at taking a blow and coming back, and she sees no reason to not play to her strengths.

"Uh huh," she replies to Alexis. "Your authority issues are showing. Invest in a belt." Tabitha snaps the waistband of her pants with a thumb while keeping her other hand in a ready position, just in case Alexis throws a projectile instead of rushing her.

It ends up being a rush, though. Tabitha thought she was prepared for that, but as it turns out she isn't; the body-to-body crash overpowers her guard, pinning her hands against her own chest as Alexis smashes into her. She feels the sonic pulse echo through her body; her entire body feels wobbly and unsteady as she reflexively recoils from it, giving Alexis the opening she needs to go for the smash.

Tabitha won't let herself stay down. She rolls onto her back after the impact, then along again to her front so she can push up; she's battered, her forehead is still bleeding and she's aching all over, but that just means she's really /alive/. Despite everything, she grins.

And then /she/ rushes Alexis.

It might catch the musician by surprise, if nothing else. Tabitha draws her fist back as she abandons her guard, her entire body trembling with the tension as she rushes. Tabitha feels the strain, draws it back further... further -

And then strikes! Tabitha delivers a single mighty body-blow, and if she manages to hit Alexis the impact is sufficient to send a minor shockwave bursting away from the two fighters; the blow was sufficient to crack stone or batter down an opposing fighter as Tabitha finally unleashed her strength and the powerful knockout blow she's got a reputation for.

COMBATSYS: Alexis Toughs Out Tabitha's Final Impact!

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Tabitha          0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Alexis

[ALEXIS]
Alexis rolls away after delivering the wrestling move, planting her palms to the ground and pushing back to her feet before surreptitiously pulling her cargos up higher on her hips. All that kicking and throwing herself around is having /some/ effect on their positioning, though it's more a matter of practicality than modesty - it's hard to keep fighting with your pants around your knees.

"Belts are too in, eh? The more belts the better. It wouldn't be ironic enough with a belt," she says as she pants for breath, the sharp intakes of air audible and her voice rendered sabulous by her bruised ribs. "Plus, symbolism, y'know?"

She hunches forward slightly as Tabitha charges in, hands at her side as she mentally judges whether to intercept or ignore the attack (technically, one could dodge, but somebody seems to have broken Alexis' joystick at some point).

It's another blow coming in low. If she can take one more, she can use her height advantage and grappling style to try and ground Tabitha again, which would surely put the boxer out of commission.

She fails entirely to account for /just how hard and fast/ that punch is actually coming for her.

*CRACK*

Alexis' eyes go wide as the blow smashes into her ribcage loudly enough to send an echo through the platform. That punch didn't need a microphone to make itself heard. Air from the blow causes Alexis' shirt and hair to flutter up briefly and debris on the ground behind her to scatter, an empty soda can rolling away with a clattering sound. Her midriff is already a mottled mess, and that punch was harder than any before - enough to wreak untold havoc on her ribs. She's still standing, somehow, but seems like she'll surely collapse at any moment. A cough wracks her, leaving a spatter of red on her white shirt. Her body shakes with pain. She grits her teeth and seethes as she wraps her arms protectively against her ribs, but somehow forces a half-smile.

"I-I t-take it back," she manages to stammer, her voice raspy. "Y-you do hit pretty hard."

She doubles forward, looking like she's going to crumple as her eyes close. Rather than collapsing, though, she lets out an entirely ill-advised bellow - "hrrAAUUUGHHH!!" - and barrels forward, aiming to slam her head into Tabitha's body and drive her to the ground on her back beneath Alexis.

Should she succeed, she'll straddle Tabitha, pull her arms away from her ribs, and throw all sense of mercy for either party to the wind - raining down punch after punch, each blow laden with chi that would resonate through the chamber (and Tabitha) with painful power.

COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Tabitha with Beatdown in Three Four EX.

[                             \  < >  ////////                      ]
Tabitha          0/-------/=======|>>>>---\-------\0           Alexis

[TABITHA]
"No belts allowed? That explains a lot." Tabitha isn't wearing a belt either, but she's also wearing pants that fit properly and are in an appropriate location, so she can get away without.

As soon as Tabitha strikes, she knows it was a good one. She can feel it; the sweet sensation of a proper punch is unmistakable to someone who works so hard to deliver so many. She holds the punch at full extension for a moment, then returns to guard - though she does shake her hand out a little bit, because that strike was enough to make her hand sore.

"I try," she says as Alexis seems to crumple - just in time for her to rise up and barrel forward one last time.

Tabitha is taken by surprise. Her eyes widen slightly. It's more than just surprise; Alexis is /fast/ - faster than she has any right to be after a beating like that, in Tabitha's personal opinion. She's skilled, too; Tabitha knows better than to take someone lightly because they don't practice a formal combat art, and Alexis' brand of brawling is doing pretty well tonight.

It's enough that, between them, Alexis slams her head into Tabitha mid-chest before she can properly block it and /keep running/, pushing her backwards. Off-balance, Tabitha tumbles to the ground, with Alexis rising up over her.

The repeated impacts of Alexis' fists cause a downright cacophony in the subway from the resonant bursts of chi. Tabitha grunts as she tries to withstand the blows, but she's starting to flag, Alexis' berserk onslaught taking its toll. Under her, Tabitha struggles, managing to almost do a sit-up despite the battering and drive her forehead into Alexis' own (or at least at Alexis' head; she's not exactly sure she's going to hit, she's kind of seeing double), and she's still moving afterwards, but it's an open question as to whether Tabitha is going to be able to keep /fighting/...

COMBATSYS: Tabitha has reached second wind!

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Tabitha          0/-------/-======|>>>>---\-------\0           Alexis

...but apparently, judging by her revitalized movements, she's sure going to try!

COMBATSYS: Alexis endures Tabitha's Headbutt.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Tabitha          0/-------/-======|>>>>>>-\-------\0           Alexis

[ALEXIS]
Alexis starts to flag, the adrenalin still managing to dull her senses but no longer able to fuel her fists. She sits back and coughs into her hand, back arching and chest heaving as she takes a moment. Her body glistens with sweat in spite of the brevity of the fight so far. She raises her hand to wipe her brow, leaving a red streak across her forehead as she does.

A moment later, Tabitha snaps up and engages her in an intense tete-a-tete, sending her reeling.

"Bitch," the brunette growls as her eyes squeeze shut in an attempt to block out the pain. Then, lunging down at Tabitha, she reaches for her arms, trying to grab hold of them to restrain her from further aggression and roll her over. If she can manage to do so, she'll clamber over Tabitha's prone form, intent on hooking her arms around Tabitha's right arm and collar. Her chest would press into Tabitha's back as she'd pull back in a crossface, a move perhaps more technical than expected from the brawler, but no less ruthless. She's determined to elicit the boxer's submission.

And judging by the shot from the cameras behind her, she really should have worn a belt.

COMBATSYS: Tabitha dodges Alexis' Power Throw.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Tabitha          0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0           Alexis

[TABITHA]
Tabitha had already bloodied her face. Applying headbutts only makes it worse, but it /did/ free her from the battering, so she can't call it all bad... even if she currently feels like she's on her last legs.

But Tabitha decided a long time ago to never give up. She figures this is as good a time as any to apply that lesson.

She doesn't react to being called a bitch because she's too busy trying to catch her breath and get her blurred vision to resolve into proper shapes, breathing hard. If Alexis is worn out from the fight, Tabitha's not in much better shape; she's already almost passed out, she's pushing herself as far as she can go.

Alexis gets ahold of Tabitha's arms, but that's all. She twists like a fish in Alexis' grip, making it damn hard to hold on, and applying her arm strength to the act of freeing herself; meanwhile, her legs scrabble behind her as she tries to scramble to her feet, and if she catches Alexis' leg just the wrong way she might make that lack-of-belt situation a little more urgent.

It doesn't stop Tabitha from rising to her feet, whirling around so fast that her body seems to blur with the motion, and delivering a mighty hook punch at Alexis' side. This time, she's hoping it drops her.

COMBATSYS: Alexis endures Tabitha's Blue Streak.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  //                            ]
Tabitha          0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0           Alexis

[ALEXIS]
Tabitha proves more slippery than expected, leaving Alexis to fall forward onto her chest with an 'oof' of pain and frustration. She growls as she tries to push herself up and scramble after the boxer, ignorant of the peril created by Tabitha's escape, only to be made abruptly aware of the state of affairs as she ends up with her fair derriere in the air, bare save for barely-there underwear, betrayed by her own fashion sense as her trousers catch her 'round the knees and bring her down.

What happens next will likely be immortalized by the cameras and in Graphics Interchange Format for years to come: Alexis pulling her pants up over her backside, head turned over her shoulder as she rises, before turning toward Tabitha just as the blonde whirls around for the punch that finally causes Lexi to crumple.

Which of the two ladies the 'streak.gif' filename refers to will also likely be a topic of hot debate.

Nearly blacking out from the searing pain in her side as her ribs take another shot, Alexis drops forward onto her knees at Tabitha's feet. The very sound of her drawing in one more breath speaks of agony.

Being unconscious would probably be nice right now, Alexis thinks.

On the other hand, she really wanted that fashion deal.

That desire is made tangible in the form of a sound-infused fist rocketing upward before Alexis falls forward between Tabitha's legs.

COMBATSYS: Alexis has reached second wind!

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Tabitha          0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0           Alexis

COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Tabitha with Hitting the High Note EX.
- Power hit! -

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

[TABITHA]
Later, Tabitha is going to be mortified (on Alexis' behalf) and amused all at the same time. It's not like she didn't /warn/ her, and she wasn't trying to do that... She'd hate if it happened to her, though, and she's likely to feel slightly bad about it because nobody deserves that.

But only slightly.

That said, she'll have to think about it later, because right now Tabitha is so monofocused on a) the battle and b) staying upright that she doesn't have a lot of mind left for amusement. She's barely upright, and the fist in her lower gut doesn't help matters; Tabitha grunts, rocking on her feet, when Alexis plants another fist on her.

Tabitha's response is to strike back down to try to stop Alexis from rising, even though she's still conscious. She goes for a flurry of fast punches; none of them are especially powerful but there's a /lot/ of them, and she's pretty sure she can get past Alexis' guard with at least some of them and maybe take her down again.

Under some circumstances she might have offered Alexis the opportunity to give up. She's pretty sure, though, that she's not going to take it.

COMBATSYS: Alexis Toughs Out Tabitha's Rapid Combo!

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

[ALEXIS]
Alexis' palms hit the ground just before her face can, catching and steadying her. She exhales, then inhales, breath ragged. The adrenalin is pumping again, numbing her senses. Her body begs for relief, but an unmerciful union of pride and ironic fashion sense refuse the appeal.

The punches pelt her. She doesn't feel them. Not because they don't deserve to be felt - but because she's already in sensory overload. There's no room left in the inn for more noise or pain. Her body flinches, reflexively tensing, but she forces herself to get up to her knees in spite of the rapid blows. She reaches back over her shoulder.

With one swift motion and a feeble grunt as bruised ribs receive further gentle abuse, Alexis yanks the nearly-forgotten guitar on her back around to playing positon. Her eyes close and her hand sweeps up, flicking a switch. A hum and whine of feedback fill the air for a brief moment before her fingers smack the strings sharply.

The chord comes much louder than it has any right to without the aid of a sound system, threatening to knock the boxer off her feet if she's caught unawares. The tunnel reverberates with the sound of the single chord, rattling the windows of nearby subway cars.

COMBATSYS: Tabitha just-defends Alexis' Power Chord!

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

[TABITHA]
Tabitha doesn't care one bit about the fashion prospects. She just wants to /win/. It's been so long since she's done any 'official' matches that she wants to make a splash on her return, and taking someone out would be a good way to start it even if it's not the be-all and end-all of success.

Crap, Tabitha thinks, she's armed.

That /does/ penetrate the haze and focus she's in; Alexis has drawn a ... weapon? Guitars aren't normally weapons, but given what Tabitha has already seen Alexis do, she'd have to be crazy to count it out. She draws back her fist, tensing her body in a manner Alexis is likely to find familiar.

The force of the chord smashes into Tabitha but she doesn't slow down. Her free hand held in front of her, she covers her face and upper body in a cross guard as if expecting to be punched, and it's still enough to make her hair billow around her and her clothes flap wildly, as if caught in a wind. But in the center, she remains in a picture-perfect defense, but with her hand drawn back to strike.

And strike she does, though - fortunately for Alexis - it lacks the sheer power of her previous one. Tabitha lets out a wordless yell as she does, trying to crush through whatever guard the punk-ish brawler can put up at this late stage!

COMBATSYS: Alexis blocks Tabitha's Impact Knuckle.

[                          \\\\  < >  /                             ]
Tabitha          1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1           Alexis

[ALEXIS]
Alexis is open. Her bangs are in her eyes, she's on her knees, and she's got a guitar across her stomach. She's exhausted. Somewhere in her mind, though, she recognizes that something is wrong. There was no sound of collision.

By the time Tabitha yells, Alexis' arms have come up to protect her face in a desperate cross guard. The punch crashes into her arms, knocking her back on her ass. The guitar comes loose of its strap and skids across the floor.

"Why... haven't... you given up yet?" Alexis gasps as she strains to get up from her sprawled position. To do so would require her to bend at the belly, though, and her ribs refuse to allow it. Instead, she rolls to her side and cocks back a leg before hammering it toward Tabitha's knee with what little she has left. Noticeably, there's no accompanying hum of sonic energy - whatever fuels her musical power seems to be running dry.

COMBATSYS: Tabitha fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Alexis with Impact Guard.

[                             \  <
Alexis           1/-----==/=======|

COMBATSYS: Tabitha can no longer fight.

[                             \  <
Alexis           1/-----==/=======|

[TABITHA]
"I don't give up," Tabitha grunts. She's not in great shape no matter how cocky she wants to sound, and she knows it; that she's up at all is a miracle, so you can't expect her to sound or look like she's fresh.

And, indeed, she isn't. She's barely upright, slightly unsteady on her feet; her forehead isn't bleeding anymore but that doesn't mean it doesn't ache, as does most of the rest of her body. She's going to be black and blue tomorrow, if she's not already under her outfit; her arms are already pretty reddened from impact.

Tabitha comes back with an aggressive defense when Alexis kicks in one last time. She tries to catch the blow on her arms, which are held almost straight vertically in a forward guard, and then push back, repelling Alexis and leaving her open for a punch. She doesn't get to the punch, though; because of the angle and the fact that Alexis is coming in awfully low, she gets that kick in solidly.

Tabitha falls backwards, landing with a thump. For a moment it looks like she's going to rise even from that, but she smacked the back of her head when she went down; she manages to push herself up to a not-quite-sitting position, eyes unfocused, before slumping toward the side.

Tabitha might not give up, but sometimes her body knows when she can't fight better than she does.

[ALEXIS]
Alexis ends up flat on her back after she feels the kick connect and hears the 'whump' of Tabitha hitting the ground. It's at least a moment to try and take a careful breath, one that won't burn quite so badly. She pushes her elbows down, tilting her neck up to try and see if Tabitha's getting back up. That's when she hears the sound of the bell and the announcer's voice:

"And your WINNER is... ALEXIS LOVELL!"

With that, Alexis lets a sigh of relief escape her and allows her head to drop back to the ground. It's going to be a while before she gets up - maybe even longer than it takes Tabitha to recover. Still, a dumb smile manages to find its way across her lips.

"Eat shit, Violet," she breathes, before her world goes dark.

Log created on 15:20:17 06/04/2017 by Tabitha, and last modified on 11:39:02 06/05/2017.