Match of the Millennium

Description: For whatever reason beyond his understanding, Ragna the Bloodedge is in New Jersey. Coincidentally, so is Marduk, who has caught wind of the massive bounty The Grim Reaper has hanging over his head. Thanks to Marduk's disruption of traffic, he finds his target - or, rather, his target finds him - and the two engage in a fierce battle on the outskirts of Lincoln Tunnel. Who will reign victorious? Will Marduk realise he's actually fighting his bounty? Who knows! Featuring Major Jin Kisaragi back at NOL HQ, being a creepy Ragnerd.

[MARDUK]
"So then it turned out it was Mortal Kombat match, and also the Outworld was in there, and it was totally a trap!"

Marduk was in his purple humvee, going through the Lincoln Tunnel on his way to a big seminar at the United Nations building. He was dressed in his blue NOL uniform that never quite fitted right. He was there to assist with the reports of the Outworld invasions. Ofc course, this type of high level, highly public engagement needed the utmost collobartion and planning amongst the NOL. Marduk being invovled only increased the need. Thus, as he works through the tunnel in his oversized SUV convertible with the top down, Marduk was participating in a Zoom meeting with his fellow NOL privates. The Sergeant clears her throat as the small screen on the dashboard shows the utter strain of her patience. "Thank. You. Private Marduk." She states. "But once again, I remind you, that it's not your turn to speak." Another private pipes up.

"I really think we could do this as an email."

The Sergeant sighs. "As I mentioned, not everyone reads the emails, and it's important that we coordinate. This is a very important event, that can change the fate of the world as we know it. And what's more, we have word of Ragna operating in the area. We are coordinating with Captain Jin Kisa-" Marduk's eyes bug out. "Isn't Ragna the one with the 90 BILLION DOLLAR BOUNTY!?" Another sigh comes. "It's million, but yes. Because of his innumerable crimes against humanity, so his presence at these delicate UN meetings poses such a danger to global stability." Marduk takes his hands off the wheel and opens up the super important folder with all the documents that they talked about reviewing like weeks ago and stuff, but he was planning on cramming in the car anyways. He goes to the part that reads Ragna, reviewing the bounty poster that bore his terrifying visage. "AND HE'S HERE!?" Marduk roars out. "Well yes, somewhere in the tri-state area. We are going to plan a dragnet in lodging facilities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, and using AI driven metrics analytics we are-"

But it was too late.

It was much too late.

Marduk, in his glee and his greed, had put the car in park, opened the door to his car, and sauntered out into the tunnel. A cacophony of horns burst out as Marduk jumps up on a Honda Civic's hood. Despite the rising ire of motorists, Marduk's own bellow comes out. "RAGNA! RAAAAAAAAAGNA! RAAAAAAAAAAAAGNA ARE YOU THERE!?!" Marduk considers that maybe with so many cars in the tunnel, he could be hiding in them. So Marduk comes up with a clever scheme. "I SEE YOU RAGNA! I AM GOING TO CATCH YOU NOW BECAUSE I SEE YOU!" Marduk howls out loud as the honking grows worse. On the Zoom meeting, Marduk's sergeant turns a bright shade of red, as she buries her face in her hands. Another voice pipes up.

"See, this is why we should have done it as an email."

[RAGNA]
Ragna doesn't know how he wound up in New Jersey.

He's just in New Jersey.

Probably has something to do with a certain rabbit, no doubt. He had no say in any of this. He's just here, whether he likes it or not. What a bitch.

So, here he is, wandering about, as he normally does. Likely because he has no idea where he's going, since he doesn't read English very well. Even if he did, he's too perturbed to really pay attention to any of the words. It's not like he asks for this kind of stuff to happen to him, it just does.

Truthfully, he's kind of shite at laying low, which is probably the biggest reason why he's just casually strolling through some busy-ass tunnel, chock full of cars. With the massive sword attached to his back and a wild spike of silver hair sticking up from his head, he kind of stands out like a sore thumb among the public eye. But whatever. Just because there are probably some NOL branches in the USA doesn't mean he will be easy to track down.

Maybe being sent here is a blessing in disguise...

Except, maybe not.

Quite suddenly, the tunnel is vibrating with car honks. The sounds are loud enough to ring in his ears, and he slaps his hands over them to protect the drums from breaking. Further annoyed, the Grim Reaper turns on his heel to glance over his shoulder in an attempt to see the cause of such a disturbance. Some distance away, there's some idiot getting out of the roof of his convertible to... stand on someone else's car? The scene is occurring on the opposite side of the tunnel, facing away from him, but what's worse about all of this is that the guy is in a NOL uniform. Dammit, these bastards just can't leave him alone.

Man... NOL really just hires anybody, don't they?

Heterochromatic orbs glance across the space of the tunnel, seeing that the poor owners of the Honda are flailing and screaming inside their car, clearly distressed. Perking an eyebrow, Ragna decides to respond a little differently than by his usual verbal assault.

Stepping into the blocked traffic, he interweaves through the vehicles until he's next to this guy's parked convertible. A large hand snakes back behind him to grab the hilt of his sword, withdrawing it from its sheath. Jaw set, with his grip tight, he opens his mouth to shout, "Hey, jackass! You think standing on people's cars is fun? You should stand on your own!" And then his arm lifts, bringing the weapon down onto the side of the vehicle. The blade cleaves through glass and metal, smashing through and crunching the frame. With a deadpan stare at the NOL officer, Ragna tilts his head slightly. "Oops."

Another assault of the sword goes down on the car's windshield. It shatters, too, and sets off the airbags in the passenger's seat. Then, without another word, he turns on his heel and begins to set off in the direction he had been heading in, all while sheathing his sword against his back.

[MARDUK]
I mean, at least it wasn't Detroit.

Marduk was shouting over the sound, before he interrupts himself. "WAIT A MINUTE. MAYBE RAGNA ISN'T IN THE TUNNEL. I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS MORE." He shouts loudly, as he begins to think through his actions after he made them. But suddenly, he notices something. HIs car, the really nice one? Was suddenly -cut- in half. Sliced through neatly, he stares aghast at his car out and out being savaged, the airbags going off as the car alarms start blaring. Marduk covers his mouth, the shock being almost too much for his heart. Placing his hand on his cheek, he gasps again at the strange swordsman who just came out of nowhere while he was calling for Ragna. And then, he forces out of his shock.

"EXCUSE ME!?"

Marduk bellows as he jumps off. "EXCUSE THE FUCK ME?!" Marduk emphasizes, as he -stares- at his massive, tasteful rental get totally mangled up. "HOLY SHIT! WHAT KIND OF SALTY SACK OF NUTS just goes and BUSTS UP a CAR in the MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING LINCOLN TUNNEL!" Marduk roars, pointing at the other cars. "LOOK AT THE TRAFFIC YOU MADE!" The honking intensifies near him, before Marduk, already on edge, begins to tremble. Turning towards the Escalade besides him, he roars.

And he suddenly -slams- both his fists into a car.

Crushing the hood and engine underneath, he screams at the car. "HOLY SHIT! CAN YOU ALL! JUST! SHUT YOUR CARS UP!" The cars do not stop honking. Marduk was getting more and more furious. Hands still balled up in fists, he looks back at Ragna, eyes squinting furious at him as he shakes a fist. "BITCH! YOU BUSTED MY RIDE! HOLY SHIT! I WAS GOING TO DO A SUPER IMPORTANT THING, BUT BITCH." Marduk gives a giant clap, before strides at Ragna, face contorted into rage as he mimes out exactly what he was going to do. "I'M GONNA MAKE -YOU- MY BREAD AND BUTTER." He mimes a butter knife cutting up some butter, and spreading it on some imaginary bread. "I'M GONNA BOIL YOU LIKE A GOD DAMN SAUSAGE, AND STUFF YOU WITH GREENS AND SHIT! AND YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU KNOW WHAT?" Marduk shoves a car aside, as he approaches Ragna, face turning red as he mimes putting on a hat. "I'm gonna put on my FUCKING CHEF HAT, CAUSE I'M GONNA SLATHER YOU ALL UP FOR SECOND BREAKFAST LIKE A FUCKING HOBBIT! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!" Marduk closes in, ready to arrest the shit out of Ragna.

"What's going out there Private Marduk?" comes the Sergeant's voice from the still present Zoom meeting.

[RAGNA]
Jeeeez, this guy yells a lot. And also smashes things.

Clearly, he's upset the big brute - which, if it isn't at all obvious, has been the point.

As the servant of the Library is advancing towards him, while simultaneously taking out other cars in the vicinity, Ragna continues to walk from the scene. Normally he wouldn't care so much about being caught up in something like this, but a quick glance around the tunnel would demonstrate there to be a lot of disgruntled citizens getting out of their cars shouting their pleas at their retreating backs. That means possible casualties, and quite honestly, he doesn't need an even /bigger/ bounty sitting over his head.

Not to mention he's just not the type to get regular folk caught up in crap like this.

As always, NOL tends to make things mighty inconvenient for pretty much everyone involved in their nonsense. Especially Ragna.

Encroaching on the entrance of Lincoln Tunnel now, with shouts from the stranger reverberating behind him, The Grim Reaper's patience wears thin. Does this guy even realise he is basically lecturing the person he was shouting about down the tunnel only a few minutes prior?

People like this really grind on his nerves, and anyone who is witnessing this display can see that his entire posture as he walks is just teeming with tension. His jaw is so tightly clenched that it is a wonder he still has a fully functioning set of teeth!

Truthfully, this wanted criminal just needs some chill, and he's definitely not going to get that here.

When the two of them are finally clear of some of the environmental restraints of their location - as in, after getting out of the tunnel, over some of the cement road blocks, and onto a span of grass on the side of the highway - Ragna turns aboutface. Those heterochromatic orbs are narrowed into slits as he gazes upon the burly dude, because - oh boy! He's peeved! "Oh, for shit's sake, would you shut the hell up already? I ain't going anywhere with someone as loud and irritating as you!" A palm is gripping the hilt of the sword again, just as a precaution. "Anyway, some officer you are! You're blaming me when you're the one obstructing traffic!"

[MARDUK]
"Private Marduk, speak up now, that's an order!"

The voice continues as Marduk marches his way out of the tunnel, following and cursing at Ragna. After a moment, a voice pipes up. "Oh my god, look at the news Sergeant." There is a moment of silence, as the sound of the news channel. And then, a hushed, horrified 'No.' "NO. NO! OH that RETARD!" The Sergeant screams. "Excuse me?" Comes a new voice. "WHAT!" The Sergeant shrieks. "What, sir. I'm Lieutenant Gregor, and I'm trying to figure out why a NOL soldier in the news, and from the sounds of it, it's because their sergeant is using hurtful and bullying language on their -team meetings?-" There is a long, pained silence, before the Sergeant whispers. "Oh no." The Lieutenant continues. "I'm calling in HR, you have a lot to answer for Sergeant." Another voice pipes up.

"You know, this wouldn't have happened if we just did emails!"
%"GAH!" Marduk exclaims, gasping aloud as he catches his breath, grabbing his knees as he bends forward. He was following Ragna for a while there, at his angry but ponderous pace. When Ragna starts using his angry words, however, Marduk snaps his head up, covering his mouth in shock. "What the FUCK is that kind of LANGUAGE coming from YOUR FUCKING MOUTH! Do you KISS your MOTHER with that MOUTH!? Because if you KISS your MOTHER with that MOUTH, that means those FUCK WORDS are going into HER MOUTH and that's! THAT'S!" Marduk bellows in rage. "I'M GONNNA SLAM YOU IN THIS TUNNEL, AND BRING THE WHOLE OCEAN DOWN ON YOUR FUCKING HEAD!" Marduk looks around.

"HOLY SHIT, I LURED YOU OUTSIDE!"

Marduk nods, realizing just now how brilliant he was. "NOW WE ARE IN THE WEEHAWKEN AREA, WHICH IS NOT A BATHING SUIT AREA DESPITE THE NAME! WOW! I JUST SAVED A LOT OF PEOPLE'S LIVES! IMAGINE! IF YOU HAD DUMPED THE OCEAN ON THEM! PEOPLE COULD HAVE DIED! OKAY!" The towering titan claps his hands again. "OKAY! YEAH! SO YOU DID A LOT OF CRIMES! Like uh." He drops his voice a bit. "Like blocking traffic, and uh, breaking NOL property. YEAH!" He picks up his voice again, as he eases into his wrestling vale tudo stance. "YEAH! THOSE ARE CRIMES! YEAH! I'M GONNA SLAP YOU SO HARD, YOUR EYES WILL BE THE SAME COLOR! I HOPE THAT'S NOT RACIST, BECAUSE WE ARE HAVING SOME HUMAN RESOURCE MEETINGS TODAY AND I REALLY GET IN A LOT OF TROUBLE WITH THEM! YEAH! I'M GONNA BEAT YOUR ASS IN SUCH A FUCKING INCLUSIVE MANNER, AND THEN CUFF YOU, AND THEN WE ARE GONNA DO SOME RAGNA STUFF! THAT'S RIGHT! RAGNA STUFF!" Marduk rubs his hands together.

"CAUSE I GOTTA DO SOME BIG MONEY BOUNTY BUSINESS WITH YOU, BILBO BAGASS!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Marduk           0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Ragna has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Marduk           0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0            Ragna

[RAGNA]
Really?

/Really?/

Did this moron listen to a single word he just said?

Probably not, considering he is just blabbing and blabbing about whatever the hell seems to come to mind. Nonplussed and absolutely irritated, Ragna endures the onslaught of non-stop screaming with a rather deadpan, uninterested look. Clearly, this kind of encounter is just not in his taste.

"Uh, I think my IQ just dropped a few points listening to all of that," he grumbles mostly to himself, though he won't deny it if the officer confronts him on it. If only he could prove his statement. More than anything though, he just wants to shut this guy up or get the heck away from him.

/Desperately./

Generally, there is only one way to accomplish that, and now that they're out of range of any straggling citizen, the Grim Reaper knows just how to get it done. Slowly, he draws the Aramasa from its sheath by the hilt, lowering it to his side with the pointed tip slightly suspended over the ground. Heterochromatic orbs remain slightly narrowed, unwavering from where his newfound opponent stands.

So. The NOL bastard is going to try and arrest him, huh?

Yeah. Ragna would like to see him try.

And seriously. What the hell is /Ragna stuff?!/

"Oi! Dumbass! In case you forgot during all that bullcrap you just shouted, I already told you -" Kicking off the dirt, the tall warrior rushes forward in a great gust of speed. Fast in his approach to his enemy, he stops short of them to rotate his frame so that he may bring the sword around him. It leaves his backside exposed, but not for long. The Aramasa whips through the air, accumulating a radiant dark purple energy that engrosses yet simultaneously flakes off the blade itself like a rain of ashes. As he brings his arm back around, the intention is to uppercut the hell out of this guy straight across his massive chest, should his aim be true.

"I ain't going anywhere with you!"

COMBATSYS: Ragna successfully hits Marduk with Dark Edge.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Marduk           0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0            Ragna

[MARDUK]
"Oi?!"

Marduk thunders as Ragna interrupts his thundering. He had listened to the words Ragna said. Just in a different order. And with different words. ANd missing words. Also there may have been flirting and comments on how smart and awesome Marduk was. Marduk was actually feeling pretty good as the suspect asks him if he forgot what Ragna told him. Marduk begins politely. "As a matter of fact, I did not forget! I understand that resisting arrest is a normal and functioning process. In fact, as it might surprise you, I have resisted arrest many times bef-"

Marduk is interrupted again as a swipe of consuming energy hurls off the blade. Marduk seems to dimly register that sword = bad, so he moves to deflect away the blade. But instead of a blade, it's a PUNCH! Marduk is sent up in the air briefly, landing on his back crudely as he grunts. His uniform is fortunately not ripped up, but he touches on his chest.

And he grins.

HARD.

"Oh yeah. OH YEAH!" Marduk growls as he sits up into a stand. "That's some REAL strong stuff there. Oh, I love STRONG and STRENGTH. I'm gonna like this HARD of the RINGS! OI!" He roars back as he stamps at Ragna. Meaty paws held out, he charges at Ragna with a driving kick towards the gut. And then, with a surge of technical finesse, starts hurling out swift, savage rights and legs, jerking in with a quick stab with his other leg for a kick. The assault comes to a close as Marduk leans back a moment, and fires out a ravaging headbutt, aiming to smash his head into Ragna's own as he keeps thundering forward momentum and pressure. "COME ON! COME ON!"

"RESIST MORE FREDO BABBAGES!"

COMBATSYS: Ragna blocks Marduk's Raging Beast.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Marduk           0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0            Ragna

[RAGNA]
It is a clean hit.

Ragna guesses that it won't be enough to keep the big fella down, so he readies himself into a defensive stance. Bent at the knees, sword tilted so the point is resting in the dirt behind him, his left arm raises slightly as if that is to be his only guard.

"You had enough yet?" he shouts at Marduk, though it is a fruitless effort. His opponent rises, a deadly grin plastered to his face, and then he is advancing surprisingly quick for a man of that size. Aramasa is raised from the ground, deflecting the first kick, though the impact skids Ragna back just so. Following up is an onslaught of moves, some of which he is able to block by way of either the hilt of his weapon or an arm.

However, he is unable to avoid those meaty paws from gripping his head and, subsequently, cannot stop the incoming head smash into his forehead. Ouch!

The Grim Reaper winces as a mild headache splits across his temple, though it is only cause for a few second's worth of pause. One step back, perhaps two, and suddenly, the lean fighter leaps into the air. He soars overtop of Marduk's head until he is slightly behind the usual peripherals, and that is when he whirls his sword about. Above his own head it halts, until Ragna begins to descend as gravity yanks him toward the earth. The massive weapon strikes down, once again embued with a deep purple chi as the blade itself shifts into a form that very closely resembles that of a scythe, as it follows the momentum of his body flying down to hopefully slide into his enemy's backside.

"Quit callin' me stupid names!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk barely endures Ragna's Blood Scythe.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Marduk           0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0            Ragna

[JIN KISARAGI]
NOVUS ORBIS LIBRARIUM
BRANCH #SOMEOBNOXIOUSDESIGNATIONNUMBER
MAJOR JIN KISARAGI'S OFFICE

God, look at the time.

It's been hours.

Hours wasted.

Wasted on statements, records, and reports.

On bland, banal, insipid compositions, every one of them penned by the same damnable hand.

In Kagura Mutsuki's place, Jin Kisaragi feels like a slave.

And he wishes to find the writer of these notes and throttle them lifeless.

Gently knuckling away a dull ache at his temple, Jin selects the next loose sheet from the spread, his expression grim. Dust that had settled on its page marks the pad of his gloved thumb. All hope begins to die in brilliant green eyes. They're glazed while he pours over the drivel that's a story retold in fifty different ways. His steady draws of breath show signs of slowing.

Hibiki, just recently having let himself in, is mildly perturbed that Jin can sleep with his eyes open. Creepy.

"Major Kisaragi?" How should this be dealt with if there's no response?

"...?"

There's a voice, somewhere on the far flung fringes of the blonde's awareness...

The Major blinks. Each successive shutter of pale lids clears the fog until his emerald gaze settles sharply on the young Japanese man. It probably wasn't Hibiki's intention to get the drop on him, but Jin grows increasingly irritated with his inability to sense the stealthy right hand of the Colonel. Sigh. Nothing can be done. With cold grace, Kisaragi tips slender digits back, releasing the paper to float back to the eyesore that his mahogany desk has become. "Please file these under..."

Oh.

He only gets as far as a cursory glance for the accompanying cover letter. The detailed corner of some kind of diagram robs him of his attention like a thief in the night. It beckons him forwards. Easing it out from its entrapment, Jin doesn't know what he's looking at, not at first.

Like the tickle when you're about to sneeze...

Or a chill that pierces through to your very core...

His Ranga-senses are tingling! By some miracle does he suppress the freaky rictus of a grin that begs to split his attractive face in twain, yet verdant orbs are still lit with maniacal glee. Jin STARES down at the map of the Lincoln Tunnel as if that alone could transport him there, head lowering a fraction towards it...

Might be once he's close enough, he can even hear some fat-headed pile of excrement DARING to refer to his precious, precious, preciOUs, pReCiOUS, PRECIOUS, PRECIOUS, SO VERY PRECIOUS OLDER BROTHER BY NAME!

Jin's bent fingers lock in their crooked positions, one hand drawn to the other. Gradually, he crushes everything between them as he would this offender's skull.

Clearing his throat, Hibiki's fortunate that he only witnesses EXTREME DISLIKE FOR TUNNELS. All of the crazy hides behind a shroud of fine, fair coloured hair. "Are you sure you're quite all right, Major Kisaragi?" He asks dryly.

So the spell is broken.

"Yes." His movements are smooth and sinuous; the lithe man known as the Hero of Ikaruga resumes sitting upright in his high-backed chair, but continues to indulge in casual destruction by ripping apart the map like it had personally insulted him. Green eyes remain overbright. He eventually discards the shredded trash in a bin, and Jin takes a moment to search again for the letter. Really, it's the only way to just move this entire day along.

When he finds out later about Marduk...

BACK TO THE ACTUAL SCENE
LINCOLN TUNNEL
OR OUTSIDE OF IT, WHATEVER

[MARDUK]
"I'm gonna call you WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT!"

THat is Marduk's roar as he keeps rolling forward after the headbutt, the bloodlust flowing in. Stomping after Ragna, he tries man through whatever the guy could throw at him. "I can call you PRINCESS!" Unfortunately, Ragna was taking his blade, and turning tricks of the like that Marduk couldn't even recognize until it was tearing through. Glancing up at Ragna as he sails overhead, he shifts, turning around. "I can call you MARDUK!"

And there, he notices that -scythe- going straight for him.

It tears through the seat of his uniform, revealing the thick, sweaty, massive glutes underneath. His swollen and trembling muscles twitch and spasm, the pure power of the massive muscled titan of the man pouring into those sweaty hunks of pure man meat."NRGH! I COULD CALL YOU THE STUPIDEST NAME I HEARD TODAY!" Overpouring with the hulking, marbled clumps of swarthy strength, they tense up to the force of Ragna's blade tearing up from behind as it slides into Marduk's backside. Marduk lets out a deep, husky groan, the sheer force of his muscles just managing to catch the blade before it glides in so deep.

"RAAAAAAAGNA!"

This was a part that Marduk would be explaining in great detail to Captain Jin Kisaragi for the debriefing of the incident.

Blood pouring down his thighs, Marduk thunders back at Ragna, chasing him. "That's a pretty fucking insulting name, isn't it?" Marduk sneers as he lurches at Ragna with a hurling gut punch. Should it connect? He would scoop up the man, and promptly flip him around. ANd then, like someone in a comic book, he would bring Ragna down across his knee, slamming his back across it before tossing himself aside like a used tissue.

But only if he caught him.

COMBATSYS: Marduk successfully hits Ragna with Back Breaker.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Marduk           0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1            Ragna

[RAGNA]
With the chi-infused scythe successfully meeting its mark, there is no stopping Ragna as he creates distance from this raging beast of a man by way of aerial maneuvering. It is unfortunate that Marduk seems to think that all these barrages of insulting names would bother him - because, yeah. It does. A lot.

Specifically as his own freakin' name is thrown into the bin.

Well, that's just rude, Marduk!

"What the fuck?!" he blares out, brows lowered into such an overbearing scowl it is a wonder his bright orbs can be spotted underneath the deeply cast shadow that glowers immensely over his handsome features. "Do you have any clue who the hell you're even talking to?"

Wait. Why is he trying to reason with this oaf? Who the heck knows!

Probably best to just get right in there and punch him in the gob!

The ground begins to shake in Marduk's advance, giving warning. Casually, one could sympathize with the poor bugs being squashed under his feet, but that's kind of a moot point here. Ragna is quite aware of what approaches him and /really/ doesn't want to get in the way. A foot slides to the left in an attempt to dodge...

... and it is fruitless.

Large digits grab onto his slender frame, only to flip him through the air like he is some sort of baton. It is a whirlwind of motion that dizzies Ragna just slightly, and what sucks is he isn't about to recover from that any time soon. Strung out horizontally, the Grim Reaper's spine is assaulted by a kneecap injecting itself right into the sensitive discs. Electric shocks zap up the length of his back, bursting hot pockets of pain throughout. He's left momentarily breathless right when his body is tossed away like a wet dish rag, tumbling and rolling to an eventual stop nearby.

Ow...

"Fucking hell..." The curse is spat into the dirt. Stubborn as a mule though, this warrior refuses to stay earthward, and so he presses deft fingerpads down so that he may rise back up to his feet once more. Once there, slitted heterochromatic eyes settle back on the face of his burly opponent.

If he wasn't absolutely pissed before, he certainly is now! Way to go!

"You're gonna regret that, you bastard!" With his threat uttered, Ragna races forth, left arm retracted back with his hand drawn into a tight fist. As he encloses on Marduk's personal space, his arm snaps forward, aiming to drive a forceful punch right into that big ol' blabbing mouth!

"HYAAAAAAAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk blocks Ragna's Fierce Strike EX.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Marduk           0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1            Ragna

[MARDUK]
"NRAAAAAAGH!"

Marduk's grunt comes as he gives the backbreaker. He actually gives Ragna a moment to recover, indulging in the sheer pain he inflicted on the man. Marduk may not be the brightest bulb on Broadway. But when it came to fighting? There was no Mensa Densa than the titanic grappler. As the curse comes, Marduk actually gags a laugh, the blood finally stopping from his hindquarters. "Yeah, I BET your gonna make me regret it. NOT!" Marduk chuckles at his laugh as the punch comes out to his face. Marduk actually catches the fist at the wrist, taking a glancing blow to his face as he staggers back. He takes a few more steps back, a bruise swelling on his cheek, as he shakes his hand. "Oh, I DO have a CLUE who you ARE." He begins to flex. "YEAH HELL I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" Crunching his arms down, he seems to have stopped fighting for a moment to build himself up into a pose off. "Bitch you think I'm some kind of DUMB GUY! I have to say DUMB GUY because they were getting REALLY UPSET about ME SAYING RETARD! But MAN! I am a kind of a FUCKING GENIUS!"

"CAUSE I BET YOU ARE THINKING -RAGNA-!"

Marduk glances towards the honking din of the tunnel, nodding knowingly. "They gave a BIG ALERT about RAGNA the BLOODEDGE coming up in the GRILL to MAKE TROUBLE! And RUIN the NOLS BIG PUSH for WORLD PEACE or some shit with the MORTAL KOMBAT STUFF LEAKING IN!" Marduk explains as he steadies out. He was flexing hard now, his uniforming beginning to bust seams like nobodies business. "OH! GOD DAMN! IT FEELS AMAZING!" He moans as he continues to flex, his engorged muscles popping out of his uniform. "So here I am, out to look for Ragna and suddenly! ALL OF A SUDDEN! Some DORK with a SWORD COMES OUT with a STRANGE ENERGY SWORD THING of BIG POWER and STUFF! And it's pretty obvious. I am looking for Ragna, and his 80 Bazillion Dollar Bounty! And who else would show up?" He beckons at Ragna, nodding knowingly.

"Some NO NAME BOUNTY HUNTER LOOKING FOR RAGNA!"

Marduk grins, almost aroused at the sheer brain force of his thinking. "So there is NO FUCKING WAY I am going to let some OUTLAW BOUNTY HUNTER run off. Especially with them having the brilliant idea of looking for Ragna in the tunnel like I DID! CLEARLY, you know where RAGNA IS! Or have a fucking clue of it at least. ANd if you do, then I AM GOING TO BEAT THE INFORMATION OUT OF YOU! SO HARD!" Marduk pounds his fists together, the very earth shuddering at the pure force of the Vale Tudo grappler. "And don't try making up some shitty stories denying it. You know where RAGNA IS!" Marduk's sneer turns into a scowl.

"And I always get what I want, IDIOT!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk gathers his will.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Marduk           1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1            Ragna

[RAGNA]
As his fist is abruptly halted in it's path, only grazing the intended destination, the Azure user curses under his breath. In the moment where his wrist is released does he pace his steps back somewhat rapidly, creating another length of distance between himself and his assailant. And, as he stands there, sucking in gentle breaths of air, he listens to this moronic rambling that never seems to have an ending.

He also quickly comes to realise that this dude really has no clue who he is.

At all.

Well, ain't it a good thing that Ragna /generally/ slithers about anonymously to begin with?

I mean, all that aside, he honestly is shocked at the density of which this guy boasts simultaneously to the supposed self-assurance that he is just so damn smart. If only this Grim Reaper gave enough of a shit to actually correct him on some of the nonsense that cascades in waterfalls out of Marduk's mouth.

Oh well.

Probably should play the part so he doesn't /actually/ get caught. If he has to enact a role of some nameless bounty hunter in order to avoid revealing his true identity, then so be it.

"You really think it's that easy to get info from me? Tch," he scoffs. "Think again! I ain't gonna take a beating laying down, asshole!" Clearly, he's been demonstrating this desire to not eat shit every time he gets laid in with an attack, but, well, the verbal assault feels good. After all, he's kinda pissed, you know.

It is now that Ragna chooses to kick off from the ground at an immense speed. The space between them narrows, and during this time, his gifted arm lifts to eye level, fingers splayed around his palm in a position that appears to aim for a choke. "Eat this!" A fierce cry bellows beyond his lips as the purple aches ripple around his right arm, bleeding together to superimpose a beast-sized claw larger than half his body height. The force of which this creation appears blows silver strands away from the sides of his face, bringing to view those vivid heterochromatics.

With this beast's claw does he intend to slice right across his opponent's muscular chest, though it is also more than welcome to just tatter the hell out of his uniform.

COMBATSYS: Marduk barely endures Ragna's Hell's Fang.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Marduk           1/---====/=======|=======\====---\1            Ragna

[MARDUK]
"Oh, oh man, so you don't know who -I- am."

Marduk smugly smirks as Ragna just snaps back at him, daring Marduk to give his worst. "What kind of IDIOT doesn't know the real deal when he sees it." If there was something more that Jin and Ragna would share together, it may very well be their opinion of Marduk. The titan builds himself into a frenzy as he pours out his stupid, an overflowing fountain of dumb that only makes him stronger. Bloodied, but not close to broken, he watches Ragna begin his attack, and demands he eat it.

ANd Marduk licks his lips at the chance to eat it.

"Okay buddy guy, let me tell you something." He grunts as Ragna tears into his chest, ripping free his incredibly empowered muscles and pecs in full display. Sweat and blood mingle as he staggers back, missing a step as he tries to muscle through. Falling to a knee, he gives another grunt. Quickly, he adjusts, using his stagger for a low approach. "You know that beating? That BEATING that I'm talking about?" Marduk surges in, he going to try and scoop up Ragna by the knees, and -slam- him straight down on his back.

"It's all about you lying down, and TAKING IT!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk successfully hits Ragna with Skull Crusher.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Marduk           0/-------/---<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Ragna

And Marduk -slams- Ragna down on his back.

Marduk neatly moves to sitting on Ragna's chest, going straight for the ground and pound. The seven-foot tall 400 pound titan pins Ragna down, and then, starts alternating lefts and rights as he starts to punch the guy straight in the head and throat, again and again. That itself would be bad.

But he keeps TALKING.

"YEAH! YEAH! You think you are so SMART you DUMMY?" Marduk roars into Ragna as he punches away. "You are like that NERD I MET in the LINE for the HOBBIT MOVIE! You REALLY think RETURN OF THE KING is BETTER THAN THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES? I FUCKING CRIED when that FUCKING DWARF DIED and didn't get with the ELF!" Marduk stops his punching to grab Ragna by the head, and twists his neck and SMASHES it to the ground again and again, as he SEETHES into him. "YOU FUCKING NERDS RUINED MOVIES!" He roars as he finally rolls off Ragna, dismounting him. Looking away, he spits on the ground.

"God damn and those special hobbit breakfasts at Dennys were so good too."

[RAGNA]
Ragna really has no intentions of taking this supposed beating, like he said earlier, but luck really isn't on his side.

Aramasa is drawn up so that it may attempt to shield his knees. Guard raised, the Grim Reaper waits as the monstrous oaf storms toward him. What is amazing is how quick this fella can move. So fast is his advancement that the moment to block is lost. In fact, as Marduk grabs hold of the backs of his knees, the weapon drops earthward with a CLANG. Heterochromatics widen to the size of moons as his tall frame is outright lifted up...

... and SLAMMED right into the dirt.

CRACK!

The ground is merciless as his skull comes straight for it, smashing down and rattling him completely dizzy. Stars dot the pitch black under his eyelids. All the air shoots from his lungs with a pained grunt. He is barely able to suck in more before the weight of the brute settles evenly across his chest, effectively suspending his ability to breathe properly. Utterly paralyzed, it is not long after he gets lain in with a flurry of punches that effectively render him motionless.

Head. Throat. Head again. Honestly, none of what Marduk is saying gets into his ears. The world is spinning around him as pale skin swells crimson and bursts where cuts are forming, beaten bloody. And just when Ragna didn't think it could get any worse, his already abused neck is firmly grasped and used as leverage to further drive him back into the earth.

Fucking OW!

After what feels like an eternity, the weight pinning him down eventually subsides as Marduk easily rolls off his battered form. For a few moments, the Azure-user lays there, choking and sputtering for air. The assault certainly has done a number to his face and neck, but not so much so that he is unrecognizable. When the sky finally decides to stop swirling, he rolls to his side. Bloody saliva drips from the corner of his mouth, a gob of which actually gets spat out, as he rises slowly to his feet.

And, as his eyes settle firmly on that of Marduk, who is partially faced away from him, Ragna feels a surge of pure rage hit his chest like that of a brick wall.

Yeah. He's had enough of this shit.

If he is going to go down, he'll do it fucking his way.

Lean frame wobbling, the Shinigami stands as tall as he can, given his current state. Right hand balls tightly. Urging down the gunky phlegm that suspends at the back of his throat, he forces his voice to work. "Restriction 666 released..." Slowly does he extend his arm, cloaked in the mysterious power of the Boundary. The glistening orb sitting atop his hand sparkles with red chi as a faint glowing of purple energy begins to encircle Ragna from the ground up. "Dimensional interference field deployed!" A magical wind flows through him, surging the power of a deeper being that threatens not only his opponent, but that of himself.

Silver strands of his fringe billow across his forehead, revealing vivid orbs beneath.

"Azure Grimoire, activate!"

Ignited with a deep violet energy that surges forth from the magical arm, Ragna's raspy voice announces the arrival of an unseen hidden power.

The Awakened.

The Black Beast.

"You've pissed me off for the last time!" Enraged with this new strength, as he swoops down to grab Aramasa from where it lays abandoned, his stance stays crouched, with one hand raised and two fingers motioning for Marduk to approach. "Come at me, you bastard! I'll show you what a real beating looks like!"

COMBATSYS: Ragna returns to his normal state.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Marduk           0/-------/---<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Ragna

[MARDUK]
Marduk was getting pretty hungry now.

Thinking about Denny's and food, he brushes off his hands. When Ragna stands up, he actually is jostled out of his daze. "What the- ARE YOU STILL KICKING?" He snarls, lips curled up in disgust. "Bitch, do you want me to run you down? CAUSE THERE IS A DOWN I CAN- What the-" Marduk was eager to continue his angry shouting, but as he begins to hack up words, he turns his ear at Ragna, trying to listen. "Restriction 666? Dimensional Interference Field Deployed?" Marduk repeats back out loud, kind of shocked. "Azure Grimoire, active?" The gears in his head whirr and click, as he thinks about those words. Finally, he reaches a conclusion, as the violet energy blazes from his arm and grips his blade.

"ARE YOU SOME KIND OF BIG DUMB POWER RANGER?"

Marduk was convinced that whoever this guy was, he was even more illegal now. "As a PRIVATE of the NOL, I am gonna have to arrest you and shit." He growls, unaware of the change at all. As he is invited to approach, the titan charges. Marduk stamp stamp stamps at Ragna, his big meaty paws hurling out a duo of punches; a sweeping slam of the right, and a staggering uppercut with the left. "YEAH! YEAH! GET PISSED ON!"

"WOOOOOOOO!"

COMBATSYS: Ragna interrupts Fierce Punch from Marduk with Inferno Eradicator EX.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Marduk           1/------=/=======|>>>>>>-\-------\0            Ragna

[RAGNA]
Ew! Who the hell wants to get pissed on?

Certainly not Ragna!

Despite that, the "big dumb Power Ranger" beckons Marduk forth, daring him to invade on his personal space. It's a rather bold move on his behalf, but so swollen with rage and power, Ragna can't really seem to bring himself to care. Apparently it works though; the brute takes initiative on his invitation, stomping towards him with giant mitts aiming right at him.

Well. He definitely has no intent on receiving these incoming blows, Marduk.

As such, Aramasa tips up from the ground, the hilt properly gripped by a large palm as he readies it in an outward motion from himself. The sharp point of the blade is directed at Marduk, only moving once Ragna deems his opponent close enough to the range in which he plans to launch an attack. Though, there is a moment's pause simply due to the sheer size of the muscle man. One of the swings manages to reach close enough to graze along an already wounded cheek, disrupting his concentration a smidge. The hit does sting, thanks to his previous beatings, but it is not enough to deter the Grim Reaper from his hell-bent decision.

Even more so now that he's been just slightly touched by an attack, he plans to royally fuck up Marduk with everything he's got.

Luckily, the move he's about to do requires his opponent to be nice and close. How exciting for them!

Bringing his sword frontward, the razor-sharp blade is swung in a backwards motion. As it scrapes along the dirt, an enormous burst of energy detonates along the intended path. This dark ashy explosion transforms into something rather beast-like in nature, roaring up to engulf Marduk with a massive chomp. Unrelenting in the seconds after, Aramasa is brandished to the meaty fellow's torso, and Ragna leaps. An aerial corkscrew-type spin is what he does, while he simultaneously swirls his weapon as it smolders with black-purple chi in a wide berth, so that he may slice through whatever is nearby. Fancy!

"TAKE THIS!"

Should he be fortuitous enough, he will also use this momentum to send himself out of Marduk's grappling range and onto a nearby patch of grass to create some distance between them.

[MARDUK]
For that matter, Marduk wouldn't like it either.

Of course, there are other things Marduk would not like. One of them is having his body bisected. Marduk had fought people who were certainly capable of bisecting before. Marduk would call them bisectuals until he had a stern talking to from the NOL HR. Now, he would call them what he was calling Ragna right now.

"OH SHIT!"

When the explosion comes, it rips through Marduk like a hot knife through butter. His clothing is totally oblitered; the NOL uniform is shredded down to the skivvies. Marduk's body, rippling with muscles and strength, is sent hurtling up, wreathed in purple energy, before coming down with such a force that the very earth shudders. His massive body leaves an equally massive crater, as he lets out a deep huff. "Oh." He states.

"Shit."

Groaning, he staggers back up. There was, in fact, a lot of space between him and Ragna. That was a problem. A really big problem. Groaning in agony, the bloodied, bleeding, muscled form of Marduk oozing life and ache as he struggles to lurch. "Shit. Okay, that was- I am starting to wonder if you are one of those REAL badguys. Like the Sol Badguy, the one badguy with SOUL! I think I remember watching a powerpoint with you in it now, yeah!" Marduk did not remember that powerpoint very well. But as he surges after Ragna, he kind of... takes the momentum of a runaway train as he blisters straight for Ragna. He was going to collide with him, taking to the air as he does so. And should he connect? He was going to take Ragna straight down to the earth, get his own legs up and around to latch his full 400 lbs of force straight on that poor guy's knee. And from there?

Try to snap him right at the knee as he takes him down to a pin.

COMBATSYS: Marduk successfully hits Ragna with Knee Bar.
- Power hit! -

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Marduk           0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>----\1            Ragna

[RAGNA]
Welp. The intention was NOT to strip Marduk of his uniform, but... that kinda happened.

That'd be awkward, if Ragna wasn't so incredibly pissed that he couldn't quite see straight.

"You have got to be the biggest blathering idiot I have ever met!" comes the insult. Right in time for the bloodied muscle man to start at him once more. The distance between them gives a moment for the Shinigami to brace for impact. He'll endure it, because there really is no other way around it. There's no doubt it'll hurt, but he doesn't quite anticipate what that scenario is even going to look like.

Mainly because, as one could imagine when a 400-pound force heads straight on for a target, something normally would be bound to smashed like peanut brittle.

But this isn't like reality, so it only kinda hurts.

By way of raw weight, Ragna's leg gets lodged between Marduk and the earth with a kind of pressure that is extremely uncomfortable. There'll probably be a nice big blue-purple bruise on either side of his knee cap there tomorrow. The pain that accompanies this blow is enough to push him right toward the edges of his inhibitions, at least with regards to the Black Beast. There's only so much his human body can tolerate before it is time to call it quits, and he's pretty well near that point now.

Except, well...

The Black Beast urges him to indulge in one last hurrah, and really, Ragna kinda just wants to pass the hell out here, but... that's not gonna happen. It honestly would put him in too much jeopardy of being captured by this NOL bastard and taken in for the precious bounty that sits over his head.

Unable to sit by while this happens, he sets his focus intently on the goal of escaping the hell out of here, as soon as possible!

So, vivacious heterochromatics flash up at the brute, a dangerous glint of determination sparkling across the irises. "Get the hell OFF me!" With this shout does he raise the Aramasa, which still remains firmly gripped in his palm. More or less, the blade is meant to act as a deflective force that would hopefully push Marduk off and away from him long enough for him to crouch low. Should this be successful, he will begin sending all the power contained within the Grimoire from his core outward so that it may trickle down his arm, and by extension, into the sword. Razor-sharp metal transforms into a familiar shape that Marduk has seen not long ago, once again resembling a deadly scythe.

Using this form, the Reaper rushes forth and unleashes a series of slashes that are intent on landing across the giant oaf's upper torso. As he lands the second last blow, Ragna will suddenly become quite... different. What I mean to say is that his human body and bleeds into a pitch black mass. The figure of this mass ripples, eventually bubbling into a shape that emerges up from his core, taking shape of a crimson-eyed beast.

"I WILL END THIS!"

He tries, with a final impalement with his newly manipulated form that is aimed right for Marduk's midsection.

Of course, this is speculation. It is all up to chance whether his initial assault with even land or not.

COMBATSYS: Ragna has reached second wind!

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Marduk           0/-------/------=|>------\-------\0            Ragna

COMBATSYS: Ragna successfully hits Marduk with Black Onslaught.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Marduk           0/-------/-------|>------\-------\0            Ragna

[MARDUK]
Marduk was a hammer, looking for nails for the NOL.

If you asked someone what Marduk was useful for in the terms of the NOL, as part of the 0th Brigade, it's his Skull Crusher into a Knee Bar. In most circumstances, when he connected those two, nobody is gonna be limping away from there. Marduk was a human wrecking ball, and there were a whole lot of human buildings for him to demolish. When he gets that crunch on the knee, he actually chuckles at his own misery and wretchedness. And then, there is a flicker of power from Ragna.

It's the Black Beast.

In normal procedures with the NOL something like this would happen, would be to report to your superior, and then assume the victory position. Go to a clearing. Lay down. Face up. Feet together. It's through this not only can you hope to delay the Black Beast from destroying citizens should it notice you, but also it allows the fatal effects of seithr saturation to take place as swiftly and completely as possible. The arrival of the BLack Beast is of such a significant and apocalyptic weight, that the normal operating procedures of the NOL rank and file shifts from preventive enforcement to cannon fodder.

Marduk was looking at videos of frolicking ferrets stealing toys when they did that presentation.

Marduk's face twists into a cruel sneer as the full power of Ragna begins to become unleashed. The slashing barrage comes point blank, ripping across the taut muscles of his naked chest, flaying it apart as he keeps his grips on, refusing to break from the savage knee. As the transformation takes place, even as his ripped muscles begin to spill over his exposed ribs and rended flesh, he stares into the shape of pure destruction and evil. And he scoffs. "Oh, you think you are some kind of BEAST that's BLACK? Cause bitch."

"I'm gonna show you the REAL BLACK BEAST here!"

He levels his hand over. Evenly placing his massive mitt in place, staring into the abyss of the black mass, he unleashes a massive flick with his bulging fingers, a flick of such awe inspiring strength that it would stagger back, sending them both apart. He would be letting out a great guhaff after it, before a squeak. HE would double over, groaning as his eyes would bulge out. Gripping his mangled body, he looks down. "Oh. Oh wait."

"Shit."
And he would collapse on the ground, writhing in agony.

COMBATSYS: Marduk can no longer fight.

[                          \\\\  <
Ragna            0/-------/------<|

COMBATSYS: Marduk successfully hits Ragna with Quick Punch.
~ Cruel hit! ~

[                                <
Ragna            0/-------/---<<<<|

[RAGNA]
There are a lot of things to expect here. Maybe a jab right in the jaw, or a swift kick across his midsection.

In no way does the Shinigami expect a freakin' /flick/ to be the move Marduk chooses. And hell, even though Ragna is suspended as a bestial chi-infused entity, the bulging fingers do sting a little as they land square in the middle of his forehead.

The force that follows is actually, admittedly, a tad bit surprising. It is enough to knock him and his transformed body away, skidding him across grass that gets shamelessly uprooted by his weight. The pitch black darkness of the Grimoire ebbs away from him, power mostly spoiled by usage, and eventually the human figure of Ragna the Bloodedge seeps back into reality. Already a black eye is forming around the normally-piercing crimson orb, but now it is swollen slightly from the abuse most of his face has taken.

As Marduk dips down to the ground, massive weight shaking the ground, Ragna stands rooted at the end of deeply engraved skids in the ground. Staring, almost completely zoned out, as the high of the Black Beast's strength wears down into nothingness. His upper body sways just slightly as awareness returns to his limbs, and then he steps out of the groove, stumbling somewhat. As he regains balance, heterochromatics glaze over his opponent who lays agonized before him, and if he wasn't dealing with an angry throb beating at his temple, he'd be amused. Instead, his gaze turns up to the tunnel the two of them had emerged from. Beyond the threshold, there are disgruntled shouts and offended car honks because of course Marduk's vehicles is still parked in the same spot, obstructing traffic.

Man. Even though the guy had been a good fighter...

What an idiot.

For a long while, Ragna just... stands there. Debating whether or not he is going to toss the brute into the river or back into the tunnel, or if he is just going to leave him there. Probably five minutes pass before he is looking downward at the NOL bastard, clearly disinterested in engaging in any further effort to dispose of this guy.

Yep, not happening. Ragna doesn't care enough.

What he does decide to do is scoff, then he adds insult to injury by preparing a glob of saliva that gets spat next to where Marduk thrashes about.

With nothing to say, the Grim Reaper swivels on his foot, back facing the oaf. Right arm settles the Aramasa into it's sheath, and then he's wandering away from the scene. All while cradling a nasty migraine.

COMBATSYS: Ragna takes no action.


COMBATSYS: Ragna can no longer fight.


[MARDUK]
Marduk lets out a feeble whine, helpless outside the tunnel as Ragna ultimately abandons him to his fate. But what was his fate?

Back inside the tunnel, amongst the din of honks and evacuated people, the Zoom meeting was continuing. "Yes, hello, I am Colonel Demitri. So is this the Sergeant whose been causing all this stuff I've seen?" "It is Colonel, it all started when we came on, and she was verbally abusing one of her special needs privates." "To say the least of the innuendo she made about which privates had special needs." "And now we are having reports of a serious melee outside the tunnel with a NOL agent naked, bleeding, and very likely dying." "And all because of this sergeants pattern of abuse?" "The very same sir." "Have we reported to the Major yet?" "Not yet. But we are still gathering intel and making a rescue. There are- there are concerns." "Well this ties in nicely with the Imperator's new outreach program." "Her new outreach program?" "Yes, uh, hang on. I think she might trying to join the meeting? This is the meeting with the Sergeant who used the R word with the private, right?" There is a stunned silence amongst the meeting.

"I told you this should have stayed in emails."

Log created on 14:28:57 04/27/2021 by Ragna, and last modified on 21:57:59 05/11/2021.