Match of the Millennium

Description: Echo goes looking for leads on an old target in Southtown, the field trip heads down the rabbit hole with a surprise visit from Alice Nonomura, instead.

[ECHO]
Echo had been sidetracked a little--coming back to Southtown after the business with RISTAR had concluded in the states--she had heard a particular individual could lead her to someone she had let get away from her before--a particular someone who had been official Shadaloo business, at that--and had kept her from making money on that contract. Said contract had been to make the guy an ex-person, which she took from time to time--it cost a lot of money to fund her lifestyle here in the human world, after all.

Which leads us to this place.

A massage parlor on the outskirts of Chinatown, which is run by one of the local Tong--that is currently experiencing a bit of a bat problem. There is the sound of glass breaking here and there, and shouting from inside--from what looks like a innocuous-enough 'spa' from the outside, located in a row of shops on an otherwise populated street--that isn't populated this time of night. This is when Echo chooses to strike~

And there are what sound like a few gunshots. The thing about Japan, is that private ownership of those things are nonexistant--basically only the gangs and police have them. The former of which run the place, as been stated--but this doesn't seem to scare the intruder.

From the outside, a window blows out--and a man in streetclothes and tattoos comes flying out--flailing, tumbling to the ground and keeping on running.

[ALICE NONOMURA]
Alice had gotten a hankering for some Chinese food, and so she was sitting at a table outside a nearby restaurant, eating some Xinjiang when she heard the gunshots, dropping her chopsticks in shock as it wasn't exactly common around here. She looks in the direction of the sound of the gunshot and glass breaking to see the man fleeing the scene, and decides based on how he's running that he is not injured, just running for his life.

With a sigh, she decides to go against her better judgement and go toward danger instead of following the shop owner's lead. On her way to the smashed storefront Alice ducks into an alley and a white wererabbit emerges from the alley wearing the same outfit, a pink jacket, now stretched lavender t-shirt, her shorts appeared to be missing though. Ears perked and nose twitching as she sniffs the air, she carefully approaches the storefront, trying to figure out what she's walking into exactly.

[ECHO]
"Where is he--I know one of you has an idea--lets play a game then--to test out your memory," In one of the back halls, which had up till a few moments ago been lined with rooms with steamy spa sessions going on inside--was now a scene of bedlam. Articles of clothes and personal items now littered the hall, as guests had fled very quickly, as did the girls working there--and there were what looked like injured or trying to flee men sprawled here and there.

At the center of this madness was what looked like a humanoid white furred lady with long ribbed bat ears, wings sprouting from her back wearing a black dress and heels, and right now she seemed to be interrogating one of the tong roughs--not one of the lower rung ones, this one was wearing a kind of flashy violet silk suit, with sunglasses and slicked back hair.

Floating eerily on the other side of him was what looked like a young girl with long hair in an old-looking kind of dress, like something you'd see at a Renaissance Faire. The only problem was she was tinted purple and her skirts terminated in empty space--she was hovering a good few inches off the floor. If you stared at her long enough you might notice she's a little transparent. A ghost?? She seemed to be keeping the man from running away, at present.

"Already bored of this, you--Elsie hasn't had anyone to dance with in way too long," an almost vulpine smile of cruelty spread across the bat lady's face, her ivory fangs visible over the red lipsticked lips.

[ALICE NONOMURA]
A white bunny face with big red eyes slowly peeks around the corner as Alice tries to access the situation, not being so bold to just run in without a clue what's happening, and also not really keen on being shot either. She looks at the sprawled men and tries to access how badly they may be hurt but it's hard to really nail down what's going on with them from a distance. Her gaze soon moves to the bat-like woman and her floating transparent associate, whom she assumed was Elsie. It certainly didn't take a genius to guess that she wasn't just looking for a nice friendly dance, a metaphor perhaps? For now she continues to watch and listen.

[ECHO]
"You should know the penalty for wasting my time," Echo reached down and grabbed the man by the collar of his expensive-looking flashy jacket, lifting him up with relatively little ease--which seemed to be some kind of superhuman strength, given that Echo didn't look especially buff or muscular. Maybe her species just was stronger than humans? Perhaps.

The man tried to pull a knife from his jacket pocket with one of his free hands and Echo had to rush to grab at it--catching his wrist before it plunged into her shoulder--now struggling with the man.

With effort, she was able to twist and slam him against the nearby wall, then over and over--attempting to make him drop his weapon, or be stunned, it would appear!

[ALICE NONOMURA]
As Alice continues to watch, it doesn't seem like she's really going to find out exactly what's going on between these two anytime soon. Wasting her time in relation to what? It seemed obvious though that bat-lady was the agressor here, especially when she's got a gun and the guy has... well he has a knife, and now the woman is trying to beat him senseless till he drops it. Now she finally moves out from her spot just out of view, slowly and quietly at first, then rushes towards Echo. "That's enough!" She cries as she leaps and aims a kick at her midsection.

[ECHO]
"Hnnggghh--gah!" Echo is grunting and struggling with the man--while trying to beat him senseless so he drops the weapon, until Echo receives a kick in the side--and by a very sizeable foot indeed. The blow sends Echo sprawling onto the floor, and the man flying--Alice's body phasing right through the purple ghost maiden who temporarily dissipates--like she was a bit of fog. The man scrambles away as Echo rises, looking none too happy about getting dropkicked in the ribs just now.

Echo briefly looks up from where her pre escaped to Alice, then back down. Then she does a double take--and has to bring her hands up and rubs at her eyes with closed fists, her jaw dropping a little. Clearly, that is a big freakin' rabbit.

"Ugh, what was I into last night to make me see such things--snff snff--wait, I'm not!" Echo cringed as she rose to her feet, getting steady on her high heels and tilting her head this way and that. "I can smell you, and hear you--so that /IS/ a giant bunny rabbit that just drop kicked me out of nowhere, huh," she sounds legitimately impressed. "And one that's not wearing any pants," she gives a little snarky grin, gesturing to Alice's lower region before back to her face, apparently having forgotten about her prey for a moment now.

[ALICE NONOMURA]
Alice looks back to where the ghost maiden was after she passes through her, and blinks, so that really was a ghost? Looks like she ows a friend an apology for being adamant that they don't exist. She shakes her head and turns her ruby eyes back toward Echo, nodding as Echo comes to the realization that she is indeed real, and feeling a little embarrased at the mention that she wasn't wearing anything down below. "They uh... weren't very stretchy, so they ripped... But that's not important. Would you mind telling me why you're bashing that guy against the wall? I was having a quiet dinner before it was interrupted with gunfire, screams, and breaking glass."

[ECHO]
"Oh--him, he has information on the whereabouts of a man that I wish to meet--but that's not really your business, and I'll ask you stay out of my affairs," Echo taps her foot, as if Alice was butting in on her 'love life' or the like.

"But you're a were bunny, aren't you? you don't look like you're here just to steal my boyfriend, aheh," Echo waggles a finger in the air, the nail at the tip is tapering, and pointed. "No you look like you're more spoiling for some kind of fight, yourself," Echo smirks a little, her white fangs showing over her lower lip again, stepping closer to Alice.

"Why else would you harry a dark sorceress and necromancess such as myself?" she peered at the girl, her cat-like eyes seeming like blazing orange-yellow coals.

"Afraid I am fresh out of carrots, also."

[ALICE NONOMURA]
"I see, well you're going to have a pretty hard time extracting information out of him if he bashes his head against the wall and gets a concussion, or worse..." Alice comments, comming off as the medical professional that she is even if what she said is pretty obvious even to a child.

She shugs at being called a were bunny and spoiling for a fight. "Something like that, and I was really just hoping to make sure no one got seriously hurt, you're the one that seems to be looking for a fight if you ask me, and darn, guess I'll have to stop somewhere and pick up some carrot cake for dessert later."

[ECHO]
"He was trying to stick with me with his knife, not unreasonable behavior when confronted with me, I suppose," Echo said with a grin, fluffing her long black hair. "He was costing me a lot of time and money by keeping his mouth shut, I was going to give him to Elsie there, but.." she shrugged. "All these people are scum, they deserve it anyway--but I guess you couldn't help but get in the middle of it, are you some kind of hero?" Echo kept her cocky grin, showing those fangs off to Alice.

"Heroes don't last too long around here, in my experience."

[ALICE NONOMURA]
"Yeah, not exactly unreasonable when you're holding him up off the ground and threatening him with penalties for wasting your time..." Alice agrees, and Elsie must be the ghost. "Is she really some kind of spirit?" She can't help but ask, curiosity getting the better of her. As for the hero talk, she had never really thought of herself as a super herop or anything like that, she just likes to help people, though the parents of a couple of small children who Alice recently rescued from their swiss cheese-esque apartment building had actually called her a hero. She swallows hard at the 'not lasting long' comment. "That sounds like a threat of sorts..."

[ECHO]
"Yes, I am a necromancer, a dark sorceress of makai," Echo gestures with her long white-furred fingers, the ghost passes right through the wall again and comes to her--hovering in front of Echo and turning to face Alice.

"When she was mortal she was abused scullery maid and locked in a dungeon and forgotten about, since then I found her and made her a familiar of mine, she has a thing for the men-folk, aheh--so I doubt she'd be interested in you--" Echo snaps her fingers, and the apparition dissipates.

"It could be, if you try to get in the way of magicians, or chi-users, and the like," Echo looked back at Alice, pondering. "Good thing for you, you amuse me--hares are a strong symbol in the older magicks, they symbolize rebirth," she nods, outside, there is cherry and berry-colored light filtering in through the broken windows. The police!

[ALICE NONOMURA]
Magicians and necromancers, and chi-users oh my. "Can't say I have much experience with the supernatural... I guess I have some studying to do." Alice responds with her gaze staying on Echo's eyes, though there is a nervous twitch of her tail as she thinks about the fact that this bat lady has powers over the dead, this bunny might be having some fun nightmares later if her mind wanders too much on that front. "So you're not going to kill me and then bring me back as some kind of were bunny lich or something? That's comforting... So what ARE you planning to do now, appears we're about to have some company that is going to ask a lot of questions..."

[ECHO]
"Oh no, that wouldn't be any fun--though werewolf zombie, now that's a thought--a thought for another day, I think, aheh--" Echo raised her arms and what looked like a strange pale blue mist began to flood the area around the bat lady--which seemed to increase in volume as she raised her arm higher and higher--her wings spreading out around here.

"This should help--and I'd make yourself scarce as well, scared humans with guns don't tend to ask us very many questions when they see a 'monster', see you again, miss Hare," Echo began to laugh as she faded away into the mist--her outstretched arm faintly glowing before disappearing with her altogether, as if it was the source of the strange, supernatural mist.

Outside one could hear squawking from police radios. Probably a good time to run~

[ALICE NONOMURA]
Alice fully shudders at the thought, she didn't like the idea of being a wolf or a zombie. Might howl at the moon forever or something. As for the police coming, she could shift back, but being a girl at a crime scene with no pants might let her avoid getting shot at, but it's going to lead to having to answer some very awkward questions. She quickly slips out while the fog is covering everything and retreats to the alley she shifted in, a glance to the restaraunt and food has vanished, probably thrown away by the staff. She sighs and tries to stick to the shadows as she heads home, not that it helps much to hide a white furred rabbit lady.

Log created on 22:31:50 07/07/2022 by Echo, and last modified on 17:08:50 07/09/2022.