Match of the Millennium

Description: La Huesuda finds Velvet skulking around Celle Ligure, the site of Jedah's previous atrocity. But why is he drawn there?

[VELVET BLUE]
To say that Jedah Dohma had left his mark on this city would be an understatement. Velvet had seen footage of the place from an aerial view, and the strange circular pattern that had been burned into it made some sense from a Makai sorcery point of view. He'd heard stories of an entire city that had been built to resemble a magic circle before, though he was foggy on the reason /why/ after all these years. It was easier for the performer to focus on that and matters at hand however than to let his mind wander too far back.

As the half-darkstalker picked through the rubble and utter devestation that the city now called home, it wasn't difficult to become a bit disenchanted with the task. Footage of disasters like the huge hurricane that hit the southern US a decade or so came close, maybe even worse than this--but it was also hard to remember this was caused by more or less one guy. One guy and likely followers of his, though. The danger was immense.

Velvet Blue had dressed appropriately and practically for this spelunking into a major disaster area--heavy suede trousers and jacket over street clothes warn beneath. Currently he was perched atop a high wall or rubble which had been created by the upper floors of some business toppling over. Old light poles and street signs were bent and curled around like fingers erupting from the broken streets. He sighed as a turned what looked like a children's stuffed rabbit over in one hand, feet perched at the end of the broken wall. He stared at it intently as he turned it this way and that, one long fabric rabbit ear torn and issuing dirty nylon fuzz stuffing from inside. The dark bead eyes stared back at him, espousing a story all their own.

[LA HUESUDA]
La Huesuda walks through the rubble, wearing her tassled vaquero jacket. As usual, she is masked; when out on her work, it serves as her face. Hearing that this scarred city was the reward for the King of Fighters tournament spurred her to come here and try to figure out why. The damage dealt by the infamous demon was palpable up close. The luchadora paused to look at a pipe still spewing water, thinking to herself that dangerous creatures indeed threatened the Earth. Ones that needed to be beaten in the name of justice.

She doesn't see Velvet Blue, instead continuing to wander in an attempt to find anything unusual here.

[VELVET BLUE]
There was the sound of boots slapping against sandy pavement, somewhere far off--and Velvet would almost walk right into La Huesuda as they turned a corner, blinking a little bit and brushing their hair out of their eyes. The stuffed rabbit remained atop the broken building. He'd decided it could rest up there.
5r"Who the--" Velvet started, before realization set in of just who he was looking at. The luchador girl from the comedy club in Texas! Right. Wait, what the heck were they doing here?? At least that was the look on their face at the moment.

"Pretty dangerous place here, senorita--you just doing some disaster sight seeing or what?" their blue spaded tail flicked behind them.

[LA HUESUDA]
Huesuda is momentarily startled by Velvet's sudden appearance. She stares at him, striking a defensive posture, before remembering him from the comedy club too. She relaxes. "That is my business; why are you here? Scavenging?" she asks, not quite sure if she should trust his presence. Though she sensed no malice or animalistic tendencies from him the last time they fought, his being here still sets some alarms off.

[VELVET BLUE]
Velvet just gives her a long look for a moment, before their wits return.

"Oh yeah, you know--I heard there was a fire sale down here at the local JC Penny, everything must go," Velvet sighed and rolled their eyes at her, still, keeping their place for a moment. Suda was a wily critter, at least they were regarding them as such.

"The big man was here a while ago, think you're a little late, probably had to get his nails done somewhere, you know how it is," Velvet grinned, apparently referring to Dohma.

"Fascinating conversation here, I'm sure, but..." Velvet made a move like they were going to try and go around La Huesuda.

[LA HUESUDA]
"Drop the attitude. I don't like your face and I don't like your jokey shit," Huesuda says in a cold tone, not helped by the fact her English is a little stiff. "I come here, I see you, I start to wonder if something funny is going on." She lets him move past, turning slightly. "If you must know, I am trying to figure out why a big name tournament is giving people vacations here." She gestures around. "Why? I had a gut feeling something is going on. That Santa Muerte guides me to look into this."

[VELVET BLUE]
Velvet stops at the cold utterance of the Lucha's voice.

"Sure is something funny," his eyes grew a little wider, as if excited. "If they're trying to send people here, they're probably not going to come back," he raised a clawed finger to point at her.

"Looks like someone wanted you to take a walk, maybe right off this plane and into Makai," he grinned.

"Oof, I know, that's cold," he stepped back, giving her a more sterner look now.

[LA HUESUDA]
Huesuda kneels and starts to examine the remains of something - she can't tell if its human or not. "A portal to Makai? If so...that would mean sinister forces are running this tournament. But I have yet to see evidence of any such portal." She points at Velvet. "Have you found anything unusual here? I am now thinking you are here for the same reason."

[VELVET BLUE]
"I've been there before, it's hard to get to the human world from the demon world--there might not be a portal active here /now/, but this was the last place Jedah came through, so why not?" Velvet shrugged. "He's got a spire in Japan, just sitting there, but this place is still hot with energy," Velvet gestured around.

"There's a circle carved into the town, if that's not a sign of some magical fuckery I don't know what is. It's very likely he wants this to march an army of his demon goons through," Velvet looked upwards and around at the twisted wreckage. "Or maybe to pull people from here to there, instead of just kill them this time."

[LA HUESUDA]
"So...it's likely Jedah is behind the latest King of Fighters tournament?" Huesuda asks, folding her arms and focusing her piercing gray eyes on Velvet. "What you say all makes sense. Sending people here to be...taken to his realm. Perhaps he is looking for strong warriors. None of this bodes well."

[VELVET BLUE]
"Something's going on, I can tell you that much," he sucks in a deep breath, looking around with his arms folded over his chest.

"Strong warriors, probably--maybe not even to fight for his amusement, though, he probably needs you guys for some reason," Velvet looks a little dour at this, but almost as if insulted. "I figure types like me that have already been messed with aren't on the menu, humans with strong chi like you, though," he gestured to Huesuda, "Would make more sense, strong, and uncorrupted," Velvet shakes his head.

"I've seen it all before, and right now this place is a downer--Italy has the best Italian food in the world, and I'm gonna go get myself some," he begins to slowly walk off, tail lashing behind him.

[LA HUESUDA]
"Then I must help put a stop to this plan. It is what the Lady would want me to do, I think," Huesuda says with quiet resolution. She turns around and starts walking. "You have been helpful with your information. I thank you. As for what comes next, I must take a moment to think my next move."

Log created on 21:43:11 06/08/2019 by Velvet Blue, and last modified on 23:41:00 06/08/2019.