Match of the Millennium

Description: "Let's face it. Relations between humans and darkstalkers aren't doing great. Halloween is a time to remember when we used to celebrate the monstrous and macabre! After all, isn't the werewolf just a symbol of the beast lurking in all of us? The vampire, a reminder of the loneliness of an outsider? The fishman, a... well, who knows?? Well, tonight we're going to celebrate with a match between two not-so-different gals with a vested interest in closing the gap between humans and darkstalkers: Monster Girl Kelly and B B Hood!"

[KELLY]
The malaise of the entrance to the Midnight channel matches is in full swing with Kelly. She doesn't remember how she got there, just that she is here for a match with a frightening opponent, from what her research turned up.

She shivers, arms crossed and breath visible. If she'd known it was going to be this cold she would have dressed for the occasion rather than wearing normal street clothes. She stops, and takes a deep breath, muttering under her breath "I am a death knight of Acherus. I am impervious to the cold....". She opens her eyes, and while nothing looks different, she seems to kinda zone out a bit, convincing herself that she isn't as cold as she is.

Seems SOMEone has been on World of Warcraft lately!

Warily, Kelly steps through the snow and out onto one of the nearby bridges, unsure what to expect......

[BULLETA]
In the world of professional combat, 'B.B. Hood' is an emotionally unstable waif with shiny eyes and a strange fighting style based primarily on deception.

In the world of shadows where Darkstalkers dwell, 'B.B. Hood' is a paranoid whisper, a red shadow; a cautionary tale in the dangers of judging a human by her cover, bristling with terrible weapons and razor smiles.

In either case, finding much /solid/ information about the unassuming-looking young woman is a challenge.

In either case, the only real certainty is the blood she tends to trail in her wake.

In either case--

-- where she is /now/ is not where she was before. Shivering at the edge of a cliff, she holds her red, snow-kissed cloak tight around her body and concentrates on her breathing. With her hood drawn, she's little more than a rude splotch of color amidst the white, grey, and pale blue beauty of the valley, an entirely unnatural visitor huddled in the heart of a vaguely natural phenomenon. How she's here - /why/ she's here - are yet to be determined, but as long as she breathes--

-- as long as she listens--

"... is someone there??" slices through cold air as her head whips towards an approaching death knight of Acherus, brisk and fearful. One bright, blue eye and a snatch of pale skin are all that peek out from beyond the hood.

[KELLY]
Half-way across the bridge, Kelly spots the spot of red, and hears a voice. Her opponent? Must be. no one ends here by accident that she's ever heard of. She slowly draws closer, answering very briefly and simply: "Yes". Her very dark skin makes her stand out clearly in all the white of this icy environment much like BB's red hood

[BULLETA]
"Where--"

Cold smoke billows from chattering lips after a couple moments of blue eyes darting over dark skin.

"-- w-where /is/-- where /are/ we--?"

Her eyes only catch Kelly's for the split-second it takes to scream 'confusion!' and 'terror!' before she wrenches herself upright with a stuttering step, wheeling arms, and a fearful glance backwards. After managing to still herself, she pitches forward, aiming to grab onto Kelly for support -- physical and otherwise, in the mysterious depths of winter.

COMBATSYS: Bulleta has started a fight here.

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

[KELLY]
At first, Kelly is stone-cold and aware. No one arrives here at this moment by accident. That isn't how the midnight channel works!

However, when she sees that look, on someone looking like a child, Kellys natural instinct to aid and assist kicks in and she moves forwards to try to catch Bulleta as she stumbles "This is the midnight channel.... or it should be..... somehow. I don't fully understand how it works....

COMBATSYS: Kelly has joined the fight here.

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Bulleta          0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0            Kelly

[BULLETA]
"The-- the /Mid/night Channel??!"

No one arrives here at this moment by accident, least of all a child--

-- but then, B.B. Hood isn't really a child... is she? She's /small/, just under five feet; round features and large eyes give her face a distinct youthfulness; small, slender hands grip Kelly's upper arms, and--

-- well--

-- what /child/ is strong enough to tease bruising while fear ripples through her voice and tiny fingers tighten?

When she lifts onto the tips of her toes and draws herself in close, the smoky, irritated sotto rumbling into Kelly's ear is anything but child-like:

"Why the /fuck/," she whispers, "am I on the Midnight Channel?"

And yet, a second later - when she snaps back to the flats of her feet and her bottom lip begins to quiver - that rough-voiced woman's gone without a trace.

The /grip's/ not gone--

"How do we get /out/ of here??"

-- but for now, she's all wide, darting eyes and mortal terror.

COMBATSYS: Kelly dodges Bulleta's Quick Throw.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Bulleta          0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0            Kelly

[KELLY]
When Kelly hears that voice, she knows she blew it. When Bulleta tries to pull her in close, and those steely fingers start to close but before they are latched completely, Kelly pulls back and only slips the grip at the last second. This may or may not cause Bulleta to fall forwards harmlessly, as Kelly braces herself for battle "We get out when someone wins the fight".

With a quick flick of her foot, Kell sends a foot-full of ice and snow from the ground flying towards Bulletas face and eyes while back up to give herself more room to manuever if need be.

COMBATSYS: Kelly successfully hits Bulleta with Thrown Object.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Bulleta          0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0            Kelly

[BULLETA]
Open palms jut an inch forward when Kelly slips away; B.B. does not budge.

All she has to do is win, Kelly says--

The sound and the snow hit B.B. Hood at roughly the same time, staggering her back a step. Her upper body twists sharply away, then all of her lists towards her left side for the beat it takes her to bend her knees and brace her right hand against the ground.

All she has to do is win, and Kelly seems downright eager to motivate her.

She doesn't shift much from her low stance, preferring instead to let her eyes rove briskly - anxiously, one might imagine - over her opponent, trying to form a quick picture of this woman she's never seen, never met, never had an opportunity to research...

COMBATSYS: Bulleta sizes up her target.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Bulleta          0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0            Kelly

[KELLY]
Kelly takes a moment to center herself, watching Bulleta, trying to take in her movements. It isn't long before she realizes Bulleta is doing the same in return.

Well, mountain to the molehill.

With a quick step forwards, she goes for a grab of one of Bulletas hands. Pulling forwards she tries to pull the smaller woman off balance before using an arm twist to flip her on her back. If this pans out as planned, in the same motion she sweeps her leg around and up, foot glowing with pale blue fire, to bring down hard heel first on the prone Bulleta!

COMBATSYS: Bulleta full-parries Kelly's Hammer Strike!!

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Bulleta          1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0            Kelly

[BULLETA]
Kelly goes for one of her hands, and B.B. Hood responds in kind. The result:

"Hhhh-- hey-- hey, let-- let /go/--!" the girl squeals as her fingers deftly knit between Kelly's. "Let-- /look/," she huffs, "look-- we're BOTH stuck here..."

/Now/ Kelly gets a demonstration of deceptive strength as her momentum stops cold in B.B.'s grip. Pulling her forward stretches her arm all the way out, but red sneakers sliding into a wide base help ensure that she doesn't budge more than a couple steps.

"... so why /fight/ when we could work together??" she pleads. Blue eyes fix on Kelly's; the desperation's sparkling in them just as surely as it's rippling through her voice. They dart all around the other woman's face for a lingering, hopeful beat before she pulls on Kelly's arm, seeking to draw /her/ stumbling in close in a calculated mirror of the attack she managed to blunt. Instead of a twisting takedown and a flaming axe-kick, however, B.B. means to lunge forward at the last moment, driving her knee into Kelly's gut in what could readily be mistaken for the end of a clumsy, flailing fall by anyone who happens to miss the terrible, vicious surety with which she tries to bury her knee in the other woman's body.

COMBATSYS: Bulleta successfully hits Kelly with Surprise & Hop EX.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Bulleta          1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0            Kelly

[KELLY]
Once more, Kellys own nature works against her. The 'helpless' act still seems to be having an effect, making this a two-front fight for the taller woman.

One she is losing unfortunately.

Winded, Kelly drops from the hit, and clutches her abdoman in pain as the knee connects in full. Kelly is a fit of coughing and pain for a few moments....

COMBATSYS: Kelly takes no action.

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Bulleta          1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0            Kelly

[BULLETA]
The unfortunate truth is that draws in the Midnight Channel must be earned; friendship doesn't bring in the ratings, after all.

"O-oh-- oh my /god/, are-- are you /OKAY/?" B.B. sputters after windmilling her way to a stop, then rocking back onto her heels with a soft huff. "What-- here, let--"

Rather than edge forward, the tiny blonde practically /lunges/ to check on Kelly with a long stride that is - once /again/ - beset by the poor thing's clumsiness, as rather than land stably, she comes down on the point of her lead foot then pitches towards Kelly, her skull lined up for a cracking impact against the taller woman's if she doesn't manage to collect herself in time--!

COMBATSYS: Kelly fails to deflect Medium Strike from Bulleta with Repulsion.

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Bulleta          1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0            Kelly

[KELLY]
Finally catching her beath a bit, Kelly seems to start to recover.....

In truth, this was a ploy on her part, to see if another attack of some sort would follow.

When it does, she rises suddenly, glowing energy around her hands as she attempts to repel the headbutt by knocking Bulleta sideways.

Unfortunately, her timing is off, and shes a bit to late. Bulletas head collides with Kellys in a loud CRACK, and the latter is down and dazed in the snow, bright lights filling her vision.

[BULLETA]
After the CRACK, B.B. Hood's squatting in the snow, visibly catching her breath and silently counting out a couple beats to see how much stirring Kelly does.

Normally, she's masked for these fights; today, though, Kelly might get a glimpse of razor-edged mirth cutting across the smaller woman's visage, given a little focus-- albeit in triplicate or so.

"You aren't gonna surrender," rumbles /just/ loudly enough for the other woman to hear as the Huntress' eyes slowly scan her, "are you?"

And in the unlikely event that Kelly would even /consider/ such a thing, B.B. offers a little incentive by way of a box cutter from--

--

-- /somewhere/--

-- audibly clicking through each and every potentially lethal notch, hidden just behind her cloak until it's near full extension.

COMBATSYS: Bulleta takes no action.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Bulleta          1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0            Kelly

[KELLY]
Her vision may be thrown for a loop from the impact, but Kellys ears still work. The line about surrendering, and the clicking of the sharp weapon, register quite clearly to her as she pushes herself to a sitting position.

Her vision starts to clear as she zeroes in on the box cutter, a pained narrow-eyed look aimed at Bulleta. Just when you would think Kells going to say something serious in response, she gives a pained grin "Funny. i was about to ask you the same question". With a quick push shes back on her feet, albeit not entirely stable initially. This is resolved quickly however as she closes the gap with Bulleta, glawing fists and feet throwing a combination of attacks at the diminitive red-clad fighter.

COMBATSYS: Bulleta blocks Kelly's Charged Combo.

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Bulleta          1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0            Kelly

[BULLETA]
Bulleta's a woman who can respect a defiant smile in the face of danger. Kelly gets a phosphorous white flash of teeth in response, but there's no movement otherwise-- no attempt at making good on the implication of an exposed box cutter.

The Huntress has been watching, and even if she hadn't been...? Sudden movement and glowing are as good as SCREAMING trouble, even to a fighter as inexperienced as she portrays herself to be.

"You got a /real/ funny way of asking," she sneers, before--

*THMP!*

-- a glowing fist collides with her forearm, etching a grimace across her features. She manages to drive her free arm in between Kelly's blows and her own body, leaving her with an aching limb rather than cracked ribs or worse as rapid-fire defensive spearhands snake through the air. The last drives B.B. Hood several steps back and she starts to buckling towards her knees before catching herself, panting. Clutching her now sore arm with the box cutter wedge between it and her palm, she bites down /hard/ on her lip as she drags herself upright, takes a shaky step forward, then briskly shakes her head as if clearing it. Rather than advance any further, she sucks in a deep, bracing breath, then-- /drops/, allowing herself the luxury of a split-second spent kneeling, catching her breath...

... flicking a thumb switch built into the picnic basket hidden beneath her cloak...

... ducking...

... covering...

... and keeping watch out of the corner of her eye while an RPG with smiling, shark-toothed features streaks through the valley.

COMBATSYS: Bulleta successfully hits Kelly with Smiling Missile.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Bulleta          2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1            Kelly

[KELLY]
Kelly finishes her combination of strikes, breathing hard. She takes a few seconds to watch Bulleta during this time to try to find a weakness in her defens- Why is she ducking?

When the missile is fired, Kelly can only stare in suprise. That there is a missile coming at her is one thing.....

From a picnic basket?

The moment she takes to try to think through the mechanics of that dooms her, and when she finally moves to try to sidestep it, it's too late. It strikes her full on in the shoulder, spinning her around and to the ground while illiciting a scream of pain. When she shakingly pushes herself up, theres a large red scorch mark leaking blood, with traces of her shirt and the light jacket she has on both melted into the wound.

With a snarl of pain, Kelly more or less literally LAUNCHES herself from the ground on pure adrenaline, aiming a slow but powerful punch at Bulletas face coupled with a warcry!

COMBATSYS: Bulleta interrupts Fierce Punch from Kelly with Cheer of Fire.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Bulleta          1/-<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1            Kelly

[BULLETA]
From a /picnic basket/.

From a /picnic basket/ that suddenly goes *KLNG!* when Kelly THROWS herself at the tiny, deceptive blonde, giving her a free hand with which to swiftly flip the lid open and retrieve an economy-sized Everclear bottle. Sucking a sharp breath through her teeth, B.B. Hood whips her head away, thrusts the bottle as far forward as her limbs will allow, then flicks the--

-- striker wheel?

The striker wheel. She flicks the striker wheel fixed just below the bottle's lip. All at once, overproof liquor /bursts/ from the bottle, only to be transfigured into a roaring tongue of blue fire that sweeps over Kelly /just/ as that fist catches the side of B.B. Hood's head and leaves her wobbling on her feet once again-- for /real/ this time, glassy, rapidly blinking eyes and all.

[KELLY]
As out of it as Kelly is, she can only watch, almost in slow motion, as things occur. She gets a good look at that bottle and what's going on before it happens.....

When the flames come, it's all she can do to throw her arms up to take the brunt of the hit!

She screams in pain as her arms and clothes are lit on fire. The jacket minimizes the long-term damage that could occur, but it hurts nonetheless. She does the only thing one can do when on fire: stop, drop, and roll! Luckily, the ground is all snow and the fire is put out before it can eat through her jacket entirely, but all Kelly can do at that point is lie there in pain and unable to continue fighting....

COMBATSYS: Kelly takes no action.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Bulleta          1/-<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

COMBATSYS: Kelly can no longer fight.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Bulleta          1/-<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

[BULLETA]
There are no referees on the Midnight Channel, just two fighters -- one of whom will, eventually, stop moving.

B.B.'s still rubbing her head and grimacing for a few seconds as Kelly claims her place as that one, today. The screaming and flailing /say/ she's done, but the blonde's eyes are fixed upon her opponent's body well after she stops rolling and settles into simply breathing and recovering; even after /that/, she walks up to the other woman's body and roughly nudges her ribs with the toe of her sneaker a couple times before spinning back around to collect her basket.

"Shoulda taken the surrender," she softly exhales, crouching right above Kelly upon returning a few seconds later, "but at least you got lucky and dropped /here/, 'cause the box cutter...?"

Despite an exaggerated wince, the little Huntress' lips are drawn up in a vicious crescent.

"That was gonna be messyyy~yyyy..."

COMBATSYS: Bulleta has ended the fight here.

Log created on 20:13:15 03/09/2021 by Bulleta, and last modified on 20:22:51 03/22/2021.