Match of the Millennium

Description: In an old, crumbling castle overlooking Loch Ness, the disgraced boxer Steve seeks redemption in the only kind of match he can find these days - a traditional underground Scottish brawl. But why is his opponent another teenage girl for him to abuse? What drives her to such unsavoury locales? And just who is the audience for this kind of perverse battle? (Juliet vs Steve, with a special cameo appearance by a mysterious redhead.)

[STEVE]
Castle Urquhart, a once grandiose set of structures by the infamous lake of Loch Ness. Now a ruinous pile of masonry that tourists would visit by day, but by night- other happenings might occur. Every country has it's organized crime, including Scotland. A popular activity being the underground fighting scene, and a popular thing to Gamble on. It is a rainy night, and the two boxers are set to face off between the fallen structures. There might not be all that many direct spectators, but there are certainly many more that are watching from the safety of their homes- the match is being recorded and streamed to the deep web.

This match, however rough and inelegant it may be, would be Steve's return to the fighting scene after his little 'adventure' in Japan. He tried to get a match scheduled in more official, savory circuit- But unfortunately his reputation is still in the gutter. It's gonna be a tough road up for the young man. He arrived onto the scene in his white-red boxer shorts, a black elastic band that has the weathered name 'Steve Fox' written onto it in white. His hands are enveloped by the classic red boxing gloves. Currently, he'd be seen speaking to the organizer and judge- a tall, large, unsavory looking fellow in a yellow rain coat. "Oi- What the heck's a kid doing here? Blimey, this isn't what I expected or signed up for, you know?"

"Ye cannae back out now, Steve. What, ye gonna get too distracted? she seems reit up yer alley." The man laughs loudly, as he takes a few steps back. Steve punches a nearby wall "That's not true, dammit!" A few chunks of rock tumbling downward as he does so. The british boxer finally turns around, towards his opponent. He looks annoyed- Downright pissed at his current predicament.

[JULIET]
In stark contrast to Steve's shameful situation, Juliet has been something of a rising star of late. The girl might not have any titles under her belt yet, but she has a fairly significant following, and it is easy to see why. Steve might be agitated and upset, but the young woman has an almost zen-like quality to her as she mentally prepares for the fight. Her coach isn't here tonight; Gabriella would never approve of dangerous conditions like this. But dear old Mum and Dad are, and the squabbling pair of paunchy, middle-aged Scots have spent the entire time in deep discussion with the illegal bookmakers, whilst Juliet herself has kept her eyes locked on Steve.

Blood red and intense, the girl must have fantastic hearing because her expression finally turns from blank to a slow smirk when she catches the word 'kid'. She rises from her seated position, and the long white coat she had been wearing slips from her shoulders as she walks across the cobblestones towards Steve. It is difficult to tell in the dark of night, but those stones were stained with blood and dirt. This place has been a temple of violence for hundreds of years. She can practically taste it in the stones, and as she raises one boxing-glove clad fist towards Steve, she adds her own offering to the ancient rocks.

"You better not be underestimating me, Laddie." She shouts, and instantly, the murmuring crowd falls silent. There's a faint Scottish burr to the young woman's voice. Inexplicably, she is still wearing her elaborate outfit; the metal shin-guards, the shiny wings, all of it catching and glinting in the moonlight.

"I didnae come here tonight to beat the snot out of some self-pitying Sassenach, you ken? Stop your whingeing and step up. It's time we gave these people what they're paying for."

There isn't a hint of fear or doubt in her voice. Facing down a man who practically dwarfs her, she still holds herself with the kind of swagger that implies she's got every intention of being the one to walk away with the victory here. It should be hilarious - but, the crowd... aren't laughing. This isn't the first time she's bled on these stones, after all. Loch Ness is home turf for her.

[STEVE]
"Blast, what'd I miss? Ya should be boxin' in a proper ring, not a bloody backwards illegal- Whatever, I'm done arguin'. It ain't like I'm underestimating you. Just, bad experiences with places like these. Watch your back, Yeah?"

He punches his other glove, a muffled thump ringing out. "If anything, I love seein' rising talent like yours. Just not in places like these, y'know? In any case, good luck. I'm Steve fox, but I have to assume you know that already. Best of luck, yeah?" He takes his stance- Orthodox, likely the stance Juliet would be most familiar fighting. The brit gets ready for the match to start, as he peers at his oddly dressed opponent.

COMBATSYS: Steve has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Steve            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Juliet has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Steve            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Juliet

And then, a bell rings as the match is called to a start- the rain falling on Steve's exposed torso as he dashes towards the girl. Low to the ground, before erupting into a powerful hook into Juliet's stomach. He sticks close, low and close in the Peek-a-Boo stance, both arms held firmly in front of him with his forearms guarding his body.

COMBATSYS: Steve successfully hits Juliet with Fox Hunt.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Steve            0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
"Don't worry about me, Stevie. I know who you are. And I know how to handle meself, thanks."

Juliet's guard comes up as the bell rings, and she's quietly impressed at the speed with which her opponent moves. He's good. Probably better than she is; which isn't a surprise at all. He's much older, much more experienced. That's good, though. It'll give her plenty to learn from, and as he swings out and makes sharp contact with her gut right through her guard, that impression doesn't fade in the least.

She grunts with the impact and twists around with it, moving as much as she can with the hook to try and at least dampen the impact. It doesn't help much, but she at least keeps her footing. She spits briefly and a smirk pulls at her lips. "Y'know, I actually prefer fights like this." She says, conversationally. "It ain't about points in these parts. At the end of the day, the only thing they'll judge us on is which of us is left standin'."

And with that, she suddenly swings back around, body low to the ground, retracing the steps that Steve had knocked her along, to lunge suddenly up and bring her right hook smashing in for the side of Steve's head. No hesitation in her whatsoever; if she's going to make up ground here, she's going to need to give it her all right from the off!

COMBATSYS: Steve interrupts Revelation Hook EX from Juliet with Hellfire EX.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Steve            1/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1           Juliet

[STEVE]
"That so? I do suppose it's 'realer' then a offical match." Steve says as he winds up, right before Juliet launched her own strike- He turns and lowers his head, moving with the hook as he spins foward, and punches through his opponent's strike with a fierce straight punch towards the chest.

"Nice one, lass! Watch your torso there, though. T'was wide open." He compliments, as he shakes his head- trying to rid himself of the pain inflicted to his skull. Even with that grazing blow, it still hurt.

[JULIET]
OOF.

Juliet had seen that he was setting himself up for a counterattack; but she'd hoped her leap would be enough to throw it off. Apparently that's not the case. The impact slams into her heavily and the girl is sent skidding several feet backwards by the blow. There's a whistle from the crowd. This might be home turf, but that cuts both ways; they've seen her at her best, and they know when she's outmatched. She can feel the way the rhythm of this fight is going, and she doesn't like it.

"Real? Every fight is real. Rules or no."

She bounces on her heels as she considers her next approach. He's got the reach and the weight advantage on her, and those clean hits are stacking up - but she's not done. Behind Steve, she can see her parents smiling, laughing and nudging each other - and if anything, that only hardens her resolve.

Three leaping bounds, this way and that, then she's driving her fist forward, back straight, left arm still raised in guard position, her jab aiming true for Steve's stomach - maybe after the two head shots, that alone will be enough to come as a surprise...

COMBATSYS: Juliet successfully hits Steve with Wonder Jab EX.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Steve            1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1           Juliet

[STEVE]
"Wow-!" BAM

The girl's swift movement around the arena catches him off-guard- and more then that, a jab to the stomach? Highly unusual- And it connects cleanly. Steve Stumbles backwards some. "I'm impressed! You're bloody fast."

"But I can also punch fast!" He says, as he dashes forward again- The dash itself uses a similair technique to his first strike, but the follow-up is instead a rapid-fire barrage of short punches. His elbows are pushed into his sides, as he pistons both arms outwards rapidly towards Juliet's stomach.

COMBATSYS: Juliet interrupts Gatling Gun from Steve with Heavenly Cross.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Steve            1/--<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\======-\1           Juliet

[JULIET]
"Aye, that you can."

Both arms raised, Juliet's forearms take a battering as the gatling gun blows rain down on her. Some slip past the guard, catching her in the chest, the shoulder, and likely - given the height differential here - at least a couple smacking across her jaw, but as she's taking the blows, the girl's stubborn streak is showing. Her right glove begins to glow, and quite suddenly, she steps forwards into the rain of fists, cocking her fist back.

WHAM!

The brilliant white light that streaks along the path of her punch illuminates the fight beautifully for a moment; Steve and Juliet caught in shining tableau with a burst of pure, shining energy sparking at the point of impact with her fist. Bloody and bruised, the girl is still smiling as she delivers the clean punch - aimed for his jaw, but hell, she'll take wherever she can get, really!

"What do ye think, lads?!" She shouts at the crowd, voice echoing off the ancient stones, "Is it time... for a MIRACULOUS COMEBACK, EH?!"

Oh God, please, let her pull this off. Every part of her body is aching, her lungs protesting as she keeps forcing air into them. It's not even been a minute yet, and she's already nearing her limit. But she's not done. There's still a chance, and a chance is all she needs, right?!

[STEVE]
The light shimmers in Steve's eyes, as he gets socked and knocked back in a brilliant burst of white. He slides across the grassy floor with his back for a moment, looking dazed before pushing himself back to his feet. "Bloody hell, I like your attitude! *spit*" accompanying the genuine compliment is the boxer spitting out a glob of blood. "Come on then, show me that Spirit!" He weaves closer, before reaching out his gloved hands, seeking to grip the upper neck as he places a foot behind hers, attempting to make her trip over his shoes while pushing her into the ground. "Generally I'm firmly against illegal techniques, but this ain't a regular ring, lass!"

COMBATSYS: Juliet blocks Steve's Strong Throw.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Steve            1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Juliet

[JULIET]
Juliet smirks as Steve comes in for her, and there's a shine in her eyes. She isn't too surprised by the attempt to hurl her into the ground; but when he goes for it, he finds that her legs are planted solid as a rock. The girl stands utterly firm. The twisting in her knees hurts, but compared to all the other injuries she's taken it doesn't really factor in.

"The baying of the crowd, the thrill of the fight, how can we not see it, eh? In these moments, it isn't about technique or style, it doesn't matter which of us is the better boxer... it only matters, which of us wants the win more!" She's not looking at Steve as she says this; looking past him, to her adoptive parents, who now don't look nearly so smug as they did a moment ago. Are their winnings actually on the line after all? "And I'll show you, how much I want it!"

Her arms drop down to her sides, away from the grip at her neck, and he has perhaps a fraction of a second to realise that something is wrong before that light returns. Both fists, now, shining to cast the whole space with wild and wonderful shadows. Her knees dip, and then, with a wild shout, she is suddenly rising, powerful right hook leading the way as she puts everything she has into one glorious moment--!

COMBATSYS: Juliet successfully hits Steve with Miracle Uppercut.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Steve            2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>----\-------\0           Juliet

And the uppercut slams powerfully into the far taller man, lifting him bodily from his feet!

For a moment, the pair are suspended in the air together, Juliet's red eyes staring deep into Steve's own as the power she barely even understands surges within her.

"HYAAAAA!"

Her cry - the first real involuntary noise she's made throughout the fight - is backed by an inexplicable choir of angelic voices, a rising hymn that reverberates through the ancient stones, and then both fighters are swallowed by the incandenscent light, a sphere of brilliant whiteness that encompasses them fully for the space of a heartbeat, before breaking into a thousand fluttering feathers that disappear into sparkles as they touch the ground.

[STEVE]
"Aye, that's right- Show me how much you- Oh, cra-"

Juliet's uppercut connects- wonderfully so. Launching Steve into the sky. That noise, the noise filling his ears, as that radiant burst of energy envelops him- tears at his skin. "Ag-aaaah!"

And when those feathers fall, Steve falls together with them- Collapsed, limp. He remains on the ground, where the feathers vanish.

But still, he does rise. He rises up from the stone floor in a forward stumble towards Juliet. "That- *cough* Hurt." He rubs his chin, his cheek. The two places that were hit the hardest by both of those light-infused blows. That hymm, it still seems to reverberate through his head- Or perhaps it's just the ringing in the ears. Who can know. Steve similairly looks like he might fall with just another blow- But he doesn't give up. It's his first time back, he can't dissapoint himself like that. And as such, he grabs for Juliet with surprising swiftness, his arms attempting to envelop her behind the neck- before pushing, pushing her away to make her stumble as he begins to barrage- barrage as he circles around his opponent, a tenfold of hits from all sorts of angles and with all sorts of targets. "1, 2-3, 4, 5, 6-7-8, 9..."

"AND TEN!" he mumbles the numbers with each consecutive hit, the final one being a loud shout as he tries to slam his fist into her chin from below, a finishing uppercut.

COMBATSYS: Steve successfully hits Juliet with Ten Count.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Steve            1/------</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\-------\1           Juliet

[JULIET]
Juliet looks just a little surprised that Steve is getting up again. She knew how hard she hit him, and her shaking legs aren't from fear, but from the pure amount of strain she has put on her body. This has been a short but brutal bout, and as he comes at her again, the girl just does her best to fall back on the defensive.

It doesn't work. Her arms feel like lead, and one after another each of those ten blows lands home true. She coughs and chokes, spluttering as her fresh blood paints over the stains of older bouts - adding her own little testamony to the legacy of violence written into the stones of this place.

She's going to go down. Darkness is already creeping in at the edge of her vision. She knows what that means better than most.

Staggering back, her knee hits the floor first, and the dull ache of it tells her that she doesn't have long - if she's going to make her move she has to be quick. She draws in one last breath, filling her lungs as deep as she can...

And then she explodes across the distance between herself and Steve, so fast that she's a blur - and reappears behind him, fist extended forwards. She has no idea if the blow even hit home when she slumps face-first onto the cobblestones and lets unconsciousness take her whole.

COMBATSYS: Juliet can no longer fight.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Steve            1/------</<<<<<<<|

COMBATSYS: Steve just-defends Juliet's Immaculate Haymaker!

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Steve            1/------</<<<<<<<|

[STEVE]
"I'm sorry, Angel." He exclaims, when he sees that the girl starts to collapse- Yet, he does not expect her to lunge at him in such a spectacular fashion, and with such speed. But Steve's body moves on his own- And somehow, somewhere, he catches that invisible haymaker with his padded fist. "Woh- Careful there." As juliet goes limp, he supports her back with his other fist before gently lowering her onto the stones below. Letting go, he speaks to the unconscious girl for one last time. "Bravo, truly. This was a fantastic fight, and you almost got me. Let's do it again sometime, yeah? Sleep well."

And then, he raises his fist high in victory- As a bright smile can't help but form on his face. He's back.

Steve fox is back in the ring.

COMBATSYS: Steve has ended the fight here.


[LYRAELLE]
"WOooOOoOOO! o/~"

Amongst the small crowd of spectators, a voluptuous, tattooed redhead in a white tank top and tight leather pants steps forward with her arms raised in victory. Steve and Juliet almost certainly haven't seen her before - while red hair, pretty faces and bodacious bods may not be that uncommon to see in the world of fighting, the celtic knots that wind their way along both her arms almost certainly would have left an impression.

"Oh, Stevie~ You've made me a rich girl! I could almost kiss you!"

Strangely, she doesn't seem to have a local accent at all - more likely an American one. One that might seem oddly familiar to the man. She's not giving much time to consider that, though; she's already at his side, invading his personal space, just shy of leaning on him. She turns her head down to look at the fallen Angel. "It's such a shame, though, isn't it? I mean, she's so young - but then, I guess that's probably why you're taking a liking to her, hmm?"

The last part is a little more subtle, spoken a bit more softly and sultry now that she's positioned herself in close proximity. Her green eyes focus on Steve with a knowing look.

"You like the spirited ones, don't you?"

[STEVE]
Steve does not realize, at first, that is.

At first.

Initially, Steve has a somewhat uncomfortable smirk. "Uh? Thanks, miss." Why does she have to get so close? It's like.. But like that, with her next statement, his smile turns sour. "You're wrong. I have no interest in her like that, don't believe those Bloody rumors- It's wrong, all of it is wrong."

The Cogwheels turn in his head slowly, those emerald eyes seem familiar, and so does the voice. And the sour expression turns to anger.

It's reminds him of her- It can be her, it must be her. The demoness. And his fists ball up. "You wretched-. Why does it- Why does it have to be you? This crap was supposed to be over-."

[LYRAELLE]
"Oh, Stevie - don't make a scene! You know I'm just winding you up," the redheaded provocateuse says with a cheeky wink when Steve's expression starts to sour and his anger starts to slip through. She edges closer, practically whispering in his ear in honeyed tones. "You didn't really think that burying me under three tons of concrete would be the end of us, did you? Don't worry, though - we can both keep things discreet, can't we?"

She takes out a slip of paper and a pen she was concealing on her person and scrawls out a number on it before sliding it into Steve's hand. "Call me sometime - or I'll come find you again~"

Turning around, she looks thoughtfully at Juliet, then reaches into her top and pulls out a small stack of notes.

"Here, honey. Buy yourself an ice cream. It's the least I can do," the redhead says as she tosses the winnings from her bet on the match down to the youth, before turning to saunter away from the scene with her thumbs tucked in the belt loops of her trousers - casting one last look over her shoulder at Steve and making a phone sign next to her ear as she goes.

Log created on 09:30:58 04/14/2021 by Juliet, and last modified on 15:58:00 04/14/2021.