Match of the Millennium

Description: For our next stop on the tour, we'll be travelling all the way to China, where our brave American representative EAGLE LASS will face off against the fearless fighter TAO TSINGHUA! As the birthplace of fireworks (at least, we're pretty sure it is), we figured this would be a great opportunity to celebrate both cultures with a special patriotic fireworks showcase above the wall!

[TSINGHUA]
It was a busy few days. The messenger just came back from Japan and his sweet, turned bitter meeting with the Tanuki. While Tsinghua isn't especially known for being chipper, he does seem a bit colder then usual from the outset. Even when he got to visit arguably the most Iconic locale of his homeland, the great wall- Shanhai Pass.

For those with a penchant for history or architecture, it would be equally stunning and incredibly impressive. Today's exhibition would take place at the very edge of the wall, where it juts and stops into the ocean. The small Laolongtou tower providing a vantage point for the sections of wall that lay adjacent to it. And indeed, a majority of the lucky live spectators would be residing on that tower, while the fight would take place a bit further below, on a section of the wall itself that had been cordoned off. On the opposite side, of the tower, the wall was a bit raised as well- more spectators making it their stand. All in all, the part that was actually used for the fight was only just about 4 meters wide, 15 meters long. Fairly limited, for an arena.

Obviously, this is a very celebratory appearence. Both chinese and American flags had been propped up all over, with boxes and boxes of fireworks (In a nice shade of red, white, and blue!) where standing at the ready all around... some of which are obviously dangerously close to the wall. Especially to the fighter's section... strange. There are about as many people looking on as the wall could fit, from all around.

And to finally return to our messenger, he was hating it, as he stood right in the middle of all the commotion, shouts, and loud music played over speakers. Naturally, he did not show much of these negative feelings- he looked as composed as normal. What was different about him, was his garb. It is a lot more colorful then his usual beiges or whites. It was composed of a light green dress, underclothing. Over that wearing robes shaded a eye-catching turquoise. It has a gradient dye, the bottom being the darkest and transitoning into a lighter color as it goes up. Either sides of the robe comes together at the chest, where they meet in a cross-section binded together by a thick white band. The Hanfu was decorated with white wyverns and dragons, to fulfill his role of 'Dragon' the SNF shoveled onto him. His long-ish hair was tied into a topnot, a silver ornament holding it together.

Undoubtedly a stunning way to represent his country, even if his motivation for doing so is, at best, hesitant.

[DIZZY]
The lights go out.

Everything is cast in darkness for a second, before a spotlight turns on. Aimed at the top of the wall, away from spectators, is a single young lady. She is dressed in a miniskirt one-piece, constraining tight to her figure in a bodycon style with a red, white, and blue style like an American flag. She wears a great cloak behind her shaped like the wings of an eagle. The cloak seems to be doubled up in layers; the outer layer is red, white, and blue feathers. The inside layer is different, one side having what looks like white feathers, the other one having black feathers. Behind her, is a writhing tail covered in white feathers, that almost seems like a streamer probably? Upon her face is a mask in the shape of an eagle mask, stylized white. Her blue hair is barely poking out in pigtails behind it, the hood covers move of it. She has knee-high blue boots that are spangled with white stars. "I'm Eagle Lass! The High Flying, High Kicking Slam Mistress of the Air!" She calls out, her voice amplified over the crowd, before gasping quietly. She suddenly makes a pose with her fingers, and then stretches her cloak out while making a t shape. "And I will be your opponent in this fight between America and China! Yee Haw!" Her cloak extends out, as does the under wings, and she drops down from the wall. The spotlight follows her as she falls, descending into a glide as she swoops down to the ring. Stalling out, she lifts up slightly, before landing cleanly on her feet. Her presence radiates, as there is this profound sense of awe and power within her outfit. And yet, as her trail of feathers wiggle behind her, she brings her cloak back behind her. smoothing out her miniskirt as she looks at Tsinghua.

She giggles a bit, trying hard to suppress it.

"Hi!" She whispers out to Tsinghua finally, covering her mouth on her mask. "I'm not really Eagle Lass, but it is a costume!" She explains, her knees rubbing together timidly. "But you can call me Eagle Lass! I'm supposed to be very big about a place called America, which is a land of the free and home of the brave! Your costume is much better than mine, I think. I feel this one is too tight on my chest, and these boots are too tight around my thighs!" She takes a moment to show Tsinghua what she is talking about, first the chest, and then the poor thighs that seemed to almost be popping out from the top of the boots. After demonstrating the evidence of it, she wraps her cloak around her concealing them, and she bows. "I hope we can have a good fight!" She looks over to the large battery of fireworks that were being set up. "They will even have fireworks! I haven't seen fireworks before." She looks back over to Tsinghua.

"They are supposed to be fun, right?"

[TSINGHUA]
The boy raises his voice, understanding that he should partake in atleast some of the theatrics. Bowing deeply, he begins. "Welcome to our beloved lands, Eagle Lass. It is an honor that we stand here to celebrate this union, on our very own great wall! I humbly accept your challenge- For I am the.." His voice softens, as his cheeks redden with embarrassment- Apparently having trouble finishing the reading of his script! "..the Emerald dragon- M-My domain being the forests." Phew, he got through that. Embellishing his display, he stretches out his arm as he focused his energy. Palm facing upward, wood beings to sprout out vertically as his hand glows a dark lime green. Quickly shaping itself into a moderately long branch. A replacement weapon for his lost walking stick. It is obviously a bit less refined, somewhat gnarled- But it does it's job.

"Is that... so?" Finally Tsinghua responds in a whisper, a bit curious at this downright strange lady. Though when Dizzy uh, demonstrates her costume, the boy looks away almost right away, yelping out softly as his face reddens "Ah-! Uhm, that is- Not.." The boy begins, before his words fade out as he diverts attention from her tight apparel. He gives a quick bow, making a more formal introduction- Taking a step back as to not invade Dizzy's personal space. "Thank you, ms. Eagle Lass. I am sorry your own apparel lacks comfort. My name is Tsinghua Tao. Apperentice Envoy-Messenger of the Honorable Gong Estate. It is a pleasure."

"That was quite the entrance, ms. Eagle Lass. I do suppose that the country you represent likes showing off.." His brow raises, with a polite smile when the subject of fireworks come up. "You have not? Fireworks are very pretty, ms. Eagle Lass. But they make a lot of noise- A bit too much, for my liking." Interestingly enough, this odd conversation seems to slightly cheer the boy up. In all likelyhood, it will not last too long however- Since everyone is eager for them- and the fireworks to get started! And indeed, over the speakers, the voice of the announcer rings out.

"There we have it, fine people! These two regional icons will clash in this Saturday Night Special. Will the dragon swallow the eagle whole, or will it's sharp beak peck away at the scales to reveal the vunerability within?! Find out.. right now!"

Leaving enough time for Eagle Lass to respond, Tsinghua would afterward take a few steps back to his starting position. Flourishing the branch before entering a high, light stance- His back foot facing sideward while his stands on the toes of his front foot, pointing toward Dizzy. What's also pointing toward his opponent, is the branch. Held in front, in a stance not unlike a fencer's. "The best of luck, Eagle Lass."

[DIZZY]
She seemed nice.

And yet, when he describes it, when he gets in position to fight, it becomes noticable that... she didn't have a fighting stance. She didn't even seem ready to fight yet, in terms of her body language. As the announcement rings out, she keeps her voice low, looking to the fireworks stand. "Oh I don't like loud noises." Eagle Lass admits quietly. "Especially ones that have bright lights too! They make me feel scared, and I sometimes have... accidents." She blushes under the mask, bright crimson. She shakes her head, regaining her composure as the fireworks are lined up. Tightening her hands into fists, she bounces a bit, shaking them.

"But I am confident I won't mess up!"

She lowers her voice again to Tsinghua, especially she -notices- when he gets all embarrassed. It's just like how Leo and Ky Kiske get; he must be a very experienced fighter like them! "I don't like fighting, but I must prove that I can do it. My friends are counting on me." Her resolve tightens, as she sticks out her chest defiantly. "So if I must swallow you whole, I must swallow you whole! Oh, but you are the one supposed to be swallowing me." She deflates a bit, before redoubling. "Then I! Eagle Lass! Will peck you to pieces!" And then, she makes a gentle chirping sound, trilling lightly almost as a seagull. She nods knowingly at Tsinghua. "That's the cry of a Bald Eagle!" She whispers.

"I learned a lot about eagles before our fight too!"

COMBATSYS: Tsinghua has started a fight here.

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

COMBATSYS: Dizzy has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Dizzy            0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0         Tsinghua

[TSINGHUA]
"O-Oh, I am sorry to hear so. Fireworks do have both. But I believe in you..?" Accidents? Huh?! Tsinghua prefers not to think about that. "Truth be told, ms. Eagle- I do not like fighting either. I am here at the behest of my master, Gong Shuren. It is worth it, for that purpose.." He admits, with a touch of hesitation in his voice. "Oh, uhm- That's just weird announcer talk. I won't be doing any swallowing..." Tsinghua explains in a whisper, while the crowd watches on in confusion- where is the fighting? Why are the two opponents whispering amongst themselves?! Noticing this fact, Tsinghua scrapes his throat- becoming distracted as he gets back into his role, yelling out.

"Your words are as sharp as your talons, Lady Eagle- Prepare yourself!" Is Tsinghua supposed to roar like a dragon now? He seems to think so! And as such, he roars.. It ends up sounding adorable, rather then intimidating!

"R-Rooooaaaaaar.."

A few members in the audience chuckle audibly, accompanied by a handful of oooh's and aaaaw's. Tsinghua's blush becomes even fiercer, as he looks down at the ancient tiles that make up the wall! Obviously rather flustered.

COMBATSYS: Fireworks Display has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Fireworks Display0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0         Tsinghua
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/-------|

[DIZZY]
When she hears they have both, she gets nervous.

But when the roar comes, Eagle Lass claps her hands once, encouragingly. "Oh! You sound exactly like the fiercest dragons as he have in Ill- Illinois!" She quickly adds, covering up her secret origins. She moves back a bit in the area, keeping her distance as the fireworks get set up. "Okay! I am going to start here, because it looks like you can attack pretty far away! I am going to jump at you now, and wrestle!" She climbs up on a parapet, telegraphing what she's doing. The bell rings, the fireworks launch out, and she leaps.

A moonsault!

Cape billowing around her, feathers scattering around in red, white, blue, and black, she launches off in a long arc. She doesn't quite get the angle right, and the cape starts flapping a bit, adjusting. The tail swings around to, spiraling, as the comes descending down for Tsinghua in a great big bodyslam, chest first, to knock him down into the floor with a press! She would chirp again as she descends, and bring her hands around to clasp him like talons! It was a clumsy, slow ascent. But if it hit?

As it turns out, she hits a LOT harder than she looks.

COMBATSYS: Tsinghua blocks Dizzy's Improvised Slam.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0         Tsinghua
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/-------|

[TSINGHUA]
"Illinois, huh?" He responds, confused. The name is only very very vaguely familiar to the boy. "A-Ah! Certainly!" As it finally starts, he watches Dizzy dash at him, nervously attempting to read and defend against her 'style'. Her leap was quite the sight, with the cape and all. Tsinghua holds up his branch at both ends, using it as a makeshift shield! It halts Dizzy's approach when Tsinghua pushes it vertically right under her chest- He struggles to contain that weight and momentum, but finally manages to stave it off as he twists the staff sideward, while dipping in the opposite direction!

But.. But why do his arms hurt so much?!

They feel utterly numb- Even with his block. "Aii-Aii." He groans, shaking his arms. "You- seem very strong!" The boy admits, before he attempts to capitalize on her splash- He decides on putting his best leg forward from the start, tossing the Branch right toward Eagle Lass- It flies for but a second, before.. it's motion is halted! It just seems to lock itself into the air. Growing outward, transparent roots emerge from it- before fading into the air. While this is going on, Tsinghua is not idle. He breaks into a run, before leaping up high in a flip over Dizzy, aiming to get behind her. Right when he lands, he turns straight into a palm strike, his torso turning into the attack. From the opposite side, the effect on his stick breaks, as it begins to fly straight for Eagle Lass once more! A tricky attack coming from two sides.

COMBATSYS: Dizzy blocks Tsinghua's Yanchi Gun.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0         Tsinghua
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Dizzy blocks Fireworks Display's Bombs Bursting in Air.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0         Tsinghua
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/------=|

[DIZZY]
"Yes! Illinois!"

"It's well known for it's mountain valleys!" Eagle Lass explains, as she makes the impact. When she connects with Tsinghua, the boy might feel the sensation of being hit with a human-shaped brick of depleted uranium. It's deceptive on heavy she could be, with her wings making her so light- wings? That's ridiculous, it's just a costume with a cape. As she rolls off, she comes into a stand just in time for Tsinghua to throw the stick at her. She looks confused a moment, tilting her head. And then, a big smile comes over her face, as she watches him run at her with the stick stuck in the air. She claps her hands, and steadies her feet as he leaps over her. As she turns to Tsinghua, she gives the most pathetic example of a block you could imagine. She kind of shakes her arms at the boy, and he ends up hitting her arms. Those were -rock- solid arms though. Like concrete. As the stick comes back, it somehow gets... deflected? It is knocked a bit into her shoulder by her cape coming up. She winces, rubbing her shoulder as she nods her head. THere is a popping sound, as a firework is shot out. "Wow! I've never seen an attack like that be-"

And she takes a fireworks burst to her back.

Exploding point blank, she gasps out as she falls over past Tsinghua. It -looks- like it hit her in the back cleanly. Everything should have showed her taking it to the back. But for some reason, the cape seemed to have stretched out and hit the firework early, in the microseconds between the mortar shot connecting and the actual explosion; at the very least she ended up protecting Tsinghua from most of the blast as well. She rolls clear, gasping, as two more mortar shots come around, barraging around her in great explosions. She curls up in a ball instictively, taking cover as she gasps. The explosions come around her, as the cape envelopes her. She shuts her eyes under the mask, as the loud noises explode around her. And the fire, the fire all around, with the lights, and-

And she stands up. %R
"Hey!" She says, brushing her chest a bit. "That was an accident! They should be careful with the fireworks!" THe men at the side, working the fireworks, give strange smiles that seemed a bit mean. They wave at Eagle Lass, and she waves back in a dazed manner, confused, as she taking a deep breath, and exhales. Her cape seemed stuck over her front. She stumbles a bit, trying to steady her feet. Approaching Tsinghua, she runs at him, her hips rocking awkwardly as she tries to fix her stubborn cape. "I'm okay! I'm- please! I'm okay!" It's not quite clear who she's talking to. But as she closes in at Tsinghua, she extends her arm out. "I'm doing a lariat!" She calls out, explaining as she attempts to connect with Tsinghua's chest. Should she connect? She try and smack him as hard as she could, to knock him to the ground like as she saw when researching wrestlers! "Oh!" She would suddenly exclaim before she forget. ANd she would extend her other arm out too late.

And spin around, like a real wrestler!

COMBATSYS: Dizzy successfully hits Tsinghua with Improvised Punch.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0         Tsinghua
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/-----==|

[TSINGHUA]
"Uwaah!!" Tsinghua yelps out, as the fireworks go off. Quickly, he joins Dizzy in her complaints as he rubs his own eyes, still blinded by the light. "Y-Yes! That's quite right, sirs- Those are dangerous! Please be careful!"

But more then that, with every passing second, Tsinghua feels his own discomfort grow- His own attack, the fireworks, she barely seemed fazed by it- On a physical level, that is. And the sheer weight that is behind her..

Well, it scares the boy.

For now, it doesn't scare him enough to do anything about it- But he was still distracted! "A-Are you okay, ms. Dizzy?" And as he looks up, finally being able to see again, he hears her callout, only to see the Lariat coming straight his way! He did a desperate attempt to duck under, but moved too late: Dizzy's arm smashing not into his chest, but into his neck. "Kgae--" He doubles over, being carried with her weight before slammed into the hard rocks. Leaving him to whimper and cough. "Ow-- Aii. *cough, cough*" Once again, he finds himself entirely outmatched. In the fear of being hurt again, he picks his stick from the floor before stumbling to his feet, still bent forward in pain. "W-Well done... That really hurt.." He compliments, looking at his opponent, analyzing her wrestler-imitating style. The strange, invisible force that surrounds her is not lost to Tsinghua, yet he is unsure what to think of it. Some sort of psychokinesis?

COMBATSYS: Tsinghua calculates his next move.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0         Tsinghua
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/-----==|

Though then, he takes a quick glance to the firework staff.. wait, are they.. aiming for Dizzy? It sure seems that way- Half a second more passes, before the boy makes up his mind. "Look out, the fireworks!"

COMBATSYS: Fireworks Display successfully hits Dizzy with O Say Can You See.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0         Tsinghua
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/---====|

[DIZZY]
Eagle Lass was having fun.

She is a little too rough with Tsinghua, even as she plays. The spinning lariat comes like a truck, almost blowing him down. As she finishes, she steadies out, a big smile on her face as the audience cheers. "I am okay, are you-" That smile fades, as she looks at the -damage- the boy was recovering from. As he whimpers and coughs, she drops her guard again. WAlking towards him, she reaches out to help him up. "Are you okay? I'm not hitting you too hard, am I?" Why would she ask that? But then the warning comes. She gasps, as those sneering men take aim. A barrage of six rockets shoot out. Dizzy starts to dodge, she seems... is she about to use her cape to fly? No, that's silly. And she stops herself, falling back down as she stands fast, turning her back again as she looks at Tsinghua.

And the fireworks -bombard- her aggressively.

She lets out a scream of pain, the blasts exploding around her. Falling to her knees, she bows over, only a little away from Tsinghua. The men at the fireworks stand keep up that smile that's a little mean. She holds herself; her costume was a little burnt through, showing more and more of the skin, especially around the thighs. The outer cape was burnt too, but the inner cape, with the white and black feathers, were okay. She opens her eyes, every movement coming with tender pain. ANd what she says is more hurt than anything else on her now. "They are... they are trying to hit me?" She asks with a small, sad voice. She sniffles, as that awful presence... magnifies. There is an incredible pressure in around her now, as tears builds in her eyes. She sniffles again, swallowing her tears. She digs her nails into the stone work on the ground... crushing it like sand. "No. I'll do this." She says. "It's just a game."

And she makes herself stand up.

She isn't looking at Tsinghua now. "That's not." Eagle Lass begins, as she comes to the fireworks display. "That's not nice." She repeats again, both of her hands in fists. Staring at the fireworks stand, she leaps, clearing dozens of feet in a single bound as she lands outside the boundaries, landing right by the fireworks stands. The men aren't smiling anymore. She lifts up both of her hands, and hops up. When she brings them down, her cape flashes, and her tail of feathers, the bird tail, seems to wiggle too. She attempts to -smash- the display, crush it into pieces.

As -another- fireworks display begins to turn its way to her, as she tries to destroy it.

[TSINGHUA]
"Aaaah!" He yells in tandem, as she gets blasted. "No, stop!" He screams out, angrily, looking toward the displays coming from either sides. "I will take no part in this! Doing so would be an insult to the strength of the Noble Family of Gong! The SNF would break such common conduct, such common -decency-?! Everyone, let it be known that this goes against everything that this competiton should be." He grits his teeth- All of this is well, most upsetting. The spectators mumble amongst themselves, unsure if this is all planned, or if it's truly a unexpected development.

Tsinghua's biggest strength, are his quick eyes and wit. While he lacks some capacity to truly hit hard, or get hit hard- It is a skill of it's own. And that awareness comes in handy, as he spots that second display being turned toward the girl. With a pained groan, he jumps after, placing himself inbetween the second display and Dizzy, so that it's line of fire is blocked. "I will not accept this so-called 'aid'! Is this because I'm weak, is that it?!" He picks up a piece of rubble from the ground, flinging it up and locking it in the air- before /wacking/ it toward the second display. It's flight is delayed by about a second, as it shakes and trembles with force, growing those spectral roots. But once that second was over, it barrels toward the wooden display- Not the men, but the display. The boy doesn't actually want to hurt anyone.

It is rather odd, the boy has never really been this spirited. He is obviously letting out a lot of anger, possibly anger that has been building up for a while. The action is not as much 'heroic' as it is personal. "I implore you to end this farce, or I will refuse to take any further part- End this now, and the fight will continue!" Tsinghua actually wanting a fight to continue?

Now that is even more unusual.

COMBATSYS: Tsinghua successfully hits Fireworks Display with Guding Gen (Hu Qi).

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0         Tsinghua
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/-----==|

COMBATSYS: Dizzy knocks away Fireworks Display with Fierce Punch.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Fireworks Display1/-======/=======|=======\-------\0         Tsinghua
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/---====|

COMBATSYS: Tsinghua blocks Fireworks Display's Home of the Brave.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1         Tsinghua
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/---====|

[DIZZY]
Eagle Lass didn't understand.

Tsinghua did seem like a nice boy. As she breaks apart the fireworks stand, it flies into flinders. And yet, a second thing comes- that's a cannon. That's a dragon-mouthed cannon. Was this the 'theme' of the help? The presence of 'dragons' to breath fire for him? As they level at Dizzy, the heroic Tsinghua was moving in the way, was demanding it to be equal. And the man at the cannon, well.

Anyways, they start blasting.

As Tsinghua moves to intervene, however, Eagle Lass looks up at him, eyes watering timidly. "No!" She gasps out. "Stop it! Please! I don't-" She watches as he is -blasted- down, the barrage consuming him with a fierce fireball. She recoils away. There was a voice inside her telling her to run away. That she shouldn't be here. That it was wrong. And it was her fault he was getting hurt. It was a mean, poisonous voice.

She refuses to let it stop her from helping her friends!

There is that building pressure once more, as the energy builds and builds. "Please don't let yourself get hurt for me!" She pleads with Tsinghua, as she throws herself past him. She starts kicking at the fireworks displays, trying to kick them to pieces with incredible strength. To stomp on them, to break them apart before they hurt anything else. And yet, what about the audience? Were they cheering now?

Or were they booing?

[TSINGHUA]
Truth be told, it might have been a mix of both responses from the crowd. It tends to be complicated like that- A few might see it as as a planned show, a Union. Others as a genuine upset, for better or for worse. Others?

Well, others might see it as their show being ruined, a destruction of the spirit of independence day. The crowd's voices mix together..

But at some point, one sentiment is bound to overtake the other- Crowds like to do that, it brings safety to all share the same opinion. And the Boo's seem to slightly outnumber the cheers, unfortunately- It might only be a matter of time before this gets even worse.

Nontheless, no matter what the audience would think, Tsinghua had to deal with these fireworks. In his anger, his rush of adrenaline, the boy had made a wrong assessment.

'I have faced many types of different energy, normal human explosives can't be as bad as those.'

Turns out though, that there's a very good reason for the extreme emphasis on firework safety. The barrage of fireworks slams into his guard, that he reinforced with his own bodily chi. His eyes are closed, attempting to shield himself from the blinding flashes this would create- But the pain penetrates. The flames and sparks lick at his clothes, his skin, explosions battering his body with their sheer force. "Ah-Gaaah!" When the the final sparks erupt, sear his skin and burn through his clothes- The damage is revealed. His sleeves had all but burned off, the skin below being red and blue, burn marks and bruises respectively. It had even penetrated to certain parts of his torso.

And he falls to a knee, whimpering, his arms hurting too much to really move. "Darn it.." Tears from the pain begin to make their way out. It had hurt before, but it is hurting much more now. "I did it for... me.." Was the only explanation he could muster, before the wrecking thoughts of his actions begin to overtake his mind.

Why did he do this? He ruined it, he ruined everything again- Just like at the Podiebrads. He should have just sucked it up, accept the unfairness- But no. Now everyone will be upset at him again- The Gong Estate, the organizers, -Lyraelle-.

It was not worth it, how could it be? A knee turns into a sit, as he looks downward, depressed.

COMBATSYS: Tsinghua gains composure.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Fireworks Display0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/---====|

COMBATSYS: Dizzy successfully hits Fireworks Display with Improvised Kick.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Fireworks Display1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Dizzy endures Fireworks Display's O Say Can You See.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Fireworks Display1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/-======|

[DIZZY]
The girl could see Tsinghua's pain and sadness, and she hated it.

She could feel that pain too. And it ran deep in her heart. It made her hurt, and scared, and angry. It made her want to scour the entire place, leave it nothing more than a burnt out crater as justice against the worst of humanity. All those horrible humans, all those horrible people would be gone forever. But that would make him more sad. That would make Ky Kiske and Leo sad. And in the end, it would make herself feel sad. No. As the fireworks fly into flinders around, the cannon is leveled once more at the eagle-clad girl. Looking down at the remains, she looks back at the cannon. She takes in a deep breath.

And she walks directly into the cannon fire.

It blows over her, blasting across her body as she strides through it. She doesn't flinch, though she does slow down. Eyes narrowed behind her mask, the man handling the cannon starts to sweat nervously. "Enough!" Eagle Lass scolds, as she goes to lift up an -entire- cart of fireworks, and moves to hurl it at the cannon. "You are all so mean! How dare you hurt and bully this nice boy like this!" Eagle Lass declares. "How dare you all! This is not fair!" After she hurls away the cart, she turns her back, looking gently towards Tsinghua. She clasps her hands over he heart, looking sadly at Tsinghua. "Please, don't be sad. You are a good fighter!"

"It's those other humans who made it bad!"

[TSINGHUA]
Atleast they are sad together.

Tsinghua is less sad about the current events, he is to some degree- but more angry, rather then sad. The part that makes him sad, afraid, and oh-so-small, are the repercussions this will have on himself- It is an important, yet ultimately somewhat selfish reason. Nontheless, he looks up as Eagle Lass talks in his place- Braves the explosive assault without so much as flinching.

It's quite.. inspiring. It makes him want to keep fighting back against the injustice, consequences be damned.

Some feeling is returning to his arms, and the natural work of his chi seems to soothe the pain- it is something he noticed he was able to do. Maybe with enough practice, he could even heal people on demand- If he could, he would help his so-called 'opponent' right about now. "I.. I got myself hurt, ms. Eagle Lass- It was my own fault." Tsinghua admits. "But it is not fair- It is both insulting, and utterly foul." The boy looks at one of the camera's, betting on the fact that this is a live broadcast- Doubling down on his earlier claims. "I do not know who orchestrated this little 'joke'- Yet whoever did, I call them a fraud. A utter sham that would dare step on honor." He looks away, planning on finishing this- Back at Dizzy, and the displays. He is fairly confident that with Dizzy's assault will make short work of the final cannon.. But his eyes widen, as he spots a spark.. coming out of the dragon-mouthed cannon.

A spark that he expects will set all the other fireworks alight. As in, the entire -bloody- cart. Just a second before the collison would occur, he yells out. "RUN- GET DOWN, IT'S ABOUT TO EXPLODE!!"

A desperate warning to both Dizzy, as well as the poor (yet equally mean) men that were handling the cannon. He himself dashes a few feet away before throwing himself on the ground, belly-down!

Hoping that everyone will get out of this safely.

COMBATSYS: Tsinghua assists Dizzy.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Fireworks Display1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Dizzy successfully hits Fireworks Display with Huge Thrown Object.

[                                < >  //////////////                ]
Fireworks Display2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dizzy            0/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Fireworks Display can no longer fight.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Dizzy            0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua

COMBATSYS: Dizzy dodges Fireworks Display's Home of the Brave.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Dizzy            0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua

[DIZZY]
She didn't think it was true.

She could understand how Tsinghua could, would feel. How when you hurt people. Like how she had made everyone in the village... die. How she was the one who ended up making Heihachi come with those soldiers. How she felt responsible. She understand that feeling. How it wasn't fair. How angry it made you. How it made you want to destroy all those wicked, evil people. As she smashes the firework cart into the cannon, the spark spreads to the fireworks. Tsinghua gives her the warning, as she looks back. Her eyes go wide. As he hits the ground, she seems to be frozen in fear.

The blast consumes where she stands.

For a moment, there is just smoke; coughing and cries from the audience. The blast clears, the remains of the fireworks scattering around. High above, was the Eagle Lass. She was falling, slowly. Somehow, she must have had leapt over the final parting explosion. And yet, she was falling so slow. She floats downward.

It must be a special effect.

Landing on her feet, she stands over Tsinghua, looking down at him. "It's not your fault." She says softly, reaching out to help Tsinghua to his feet. "It's wrong for you to blame yourself, that's not your fault." She would then try to embrace himself, to wrap him in her cloak as she would bring her arms around. "Please. Don't be angry. It's not fair to yourself." She sniffles. It looked like the fight had gone... had gone away. Eagle Lass felt like she didn't fight in quite the right way. But she also felt that she proved herself enough. That she could keep herself from hurting... everyone. She sniffles a bit.

"Please."

COMBATSYS: Dizzy takes no action.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Dizzy            0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua

[TSINGHUA]
The sparks pass, and Tsinghua remained on the floor for a solid few seconds- really wanting to make sure all of it had passed. He did not see Dizzy approach then, and when he finally turn around, he promptly got helped up and pulled into an embrace, protected from the spectator's burning, angry gazes by her cloak. "Miss..?" He is not sure why she is doing this, as she speaks those soothing, re-assuring words- Yet he does relax in the embrace, he is tired- This was tiring. Not just fighting itself, but also the emotional wait of his actions. But for a moment, that was able to fade away.

For a moment, I thought entered his head- The fight technically isn't over yet, right? What if he just... makes a strike? There's a certain, weird urge to that action--

Yet, he shakes it away: Quite literally shaking his head out of nowhere. That would be most unjust, he would be doing what he was reprimanding earlier. Instead, as he was protected from the world, he began to sob- silently, as his eyes became wet. "T-Thank you.. Thank you." Her words had been taken to heart, but this had gone on for too long for the audience- Some of the earlier Boo-ers begin booing again, quickly joined by a majority of the crowd. "This is not what we came here for, lovebirds!" Yet, certain induviduals look unto the scene with a warm smile, an appreciation. Mothers, Fathers, older Siblings- Or just those with a lot of empathy.

The Grating- but muffled sounds reach Tsinghua, as he was pulled back to reality- The crying stops rather abruptly, steeling himself, as he whispers to his new friend- under the cloak he was still enveloped by. "I don't understand why they have to be like this- Don't they see how unfair this was?" Followed by a deep sigh. "Do we give them what they want? Finishing the battle might ultimately save us some trouble..." While he agrees with his statment on a logical level, it just feels so... wrong right now, he stifles a final sob, while speaking out.

"But I'm not sure I want to do that.."

COMBATSYS: Tsinghua takes no action.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Dizzy            0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1         Tsinghua

[DIZZY]
Eagle Lass purses her lips, as she realizes... maybe this was to make things more fair?

"... It... it might not have been so unfair." Eagle Lass admits, gingerly. Tsinghua might notice how... how few injuries are on her. Only very faint burns. Minor bruises. And the strength she had, with how hard she hit him... "It doesn't matter though." The girl states though, releasing the boy. "If you don't want to fight, then we don't have to fight. People shouldn't have to be made to fight. THey should only fight because they want to!" Eagle Lass looks over, and waves to the audience. "We are done fighting!"

And some of the audience begins to boo harder.

EAgle Lass walks away from Tsinghua, walks away from the fighting. She didn't like the boos. But she didn't feel like she had to fight. She only fought because she wanted to. ANd so did Tsinghua. The audience grumbles and argues. But the girl walks away. Just walks away, to change, and then leave. She would be argued with, scolded. Fought with. But she wouldn't mind. THis was a learning experience! And she did learn a lot. But there was something more. She liked to meet Tsinghua. She hoped she would meet again. There was just something that felt strange.

A strange lump, somewhere in the middle of her back.

COMBATSYS: Dizzy has left the fight here.

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

[TSINGHUA]
"If only it was so simple.." Tsinghua comments. Because unfortunately, for him, it was not that simple. Not fighting because 'he didn't want to' is a reason that the Estate would not take kindly too. But Dizzy made it that simple, and Dizzy made the hard decision for him. "Do not blame us, blame the organizers that refused to divulge their plans--" He finally comments, before beginning a shameful walk away, only seeing the girl off with a final bow and courteous; "It was a pleasure, Eagle Lass. May we meet again- Ow!" A burst of pain hit him, an obvious contrast as his burned and bruised body protests. The attempt to handicap Dizzy, well- It was understandable. She braved multiple barrages of fireworks, and now she is walking off with nary as much as visible strain.

Yet, Tsinghua's argument remained. It was unfair, and dishonorable. And even though he wouldn't fast admit it, there was a level of empathy when Eagle Lass found herself saddened at the fireworks blasting into her- He knew that sadness.

Nontheless, he bows to the crowd. "Yet, I apologize for wasting your time." It doesn't do all too much to stow the booing. Another burst of pain, the dragon falling to a knee before asking, shamefully-

"Could- I receive some medical assistance?"

Log created on 09:43:17 07/06/2021 by Dizzy, and last modified on 13:23:47 07/09/2021.