Match of the Millennium

Description: Hoping to embrace truth in advertising, two posh heiresses are chosen to show off the affordable urban outfits of Drippin' Style as they engage in their first Metro City Match.

[GENIE]
Between her sound thrashing in the Rumble and Coco's high-standings, one might expect Genie to be relucant, even tardy to the fight. One might suspect she'd skip, if the opportunity presented itself, because Genie has been on the receiving end of a few beatings lately.

Instead, Genie is here early, and even dressed for the occasion.

The Swiss heiress is pushed out of a dressing room by a couple of staff who have "tricked her out" with "some new digs." The phrasings stick carefully in Genie's mind even if the meanings do not. The pink-haired girl is glad in a baggy, blue and white hoodie with "KNOCKOUT" emblazoned on the shoulder, the back, and the matching cap and all in stylized, logo-type lettering. (It looks a bit like graffiti.) The cap is perched jauntily on her head.

"Now that," one of the attendees snaps her fingers, "is some drip!"

"You think Mister Bison will really pay that commission in the brochure?" the other clerk blurts out.

"Shut up, Tyrone," the first clerk laughs awkwardly. "We're picking something just because it makes Miss Bouvier look fly. How do you feel?"

Genie looks at herself in the mirror. She turns around once, twice, lifting the baggy hoodie a bit to see how the matching joggers fit. She considers, then speaks up.

"Are you sure this is good to fight in...?"

"Guaranteed! Now get out there and punch someone in the mouth!"

And so, Genie is shoved out into the front of the store, which is decorated like a boxing ring (and just about as big).

COMBATSYS: Genie has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Genie            0/-------/-------|

[COCO]
Meanwhile, Coco has spent the last hour or so desperately trying to pull together an outfit from the merchandise available at Drippin' Style that won't completely destroy her personal aesthetic. Any attempts by the staff to coerce her into a certain outfit for promotional purposes has been met with a death smile that instantly crushes all hope.

"Thanks, but I can dress myself."

She is confident that she can make whatever she scavenges from the racks look its best, even if she doesn't have the same confidence in aesthetic reciprocation.

"Why do they have so many waistcoats, anyway? I thought this was going to be more - oh, here we go."

A few minutes later, she emerges from the dressing room looking almost like an entirely different person. The most prominent change of pace is a pair of baggy-legged blue cargo jeans that hang from her waist. Pockets of all shapes and sizes cover the garments, some zippered and others buttoned with silver buttons, the design symmetrical across both sides. It's not a particularly gauche look, but it's a far cry from Coco's usual wardrobe of designer hotpants and mini-dresses. And the cropped pink halter top with floral print that shows off her bust and midriff is actually on-brand (if significantly underpriced) for Coco. The white and pink baseball cap with 'Rockstar Original' in black scrawl on the front sits atop her purple hair, which has been pulled into a low ponytail through the gap, a few stray strands dangling loose. What really turns the outfit into a statement, though, is the large pair of soft, featureless pink boots over which her jeans are worn.

"Alright. I'll settle for it. I probably needed something warmer for Metro City anyway. I'll pay by card," Coco says to the clerk as she approaches. Once her card's been accepted, she glances at the price appearing on the register.

"Oh, sorry, I meant I want the whole outfit."

"That is for the whole outfit, sweetie," the clerk replies, raising an eyebrow.

"Seriously? Well, um, go ahead and add a gratuity, will you? One fifty will be fine," Coco says.

"Um, we don't usually take tips," the clerk says dubiously.

"Well, make an exception, will you? I can't have people thinking I'm cheap." Coco waits for the order to process again before frowning. "No, no, I meant one hundred and fifty."

"That's more than I earn on a shift," the clerk gapes.

"Really? You must be starving. Alright, go ahead and make it two hundred."

Clearly, this struggling business will need more support, Coco decides as she looks around at the racks one more time. When a clearing of the throat from the clerk indicates that the payment is ready again, she beeps it off with her card and puts it away before sauntering off, followed by her binturong, who's presently sporting an identical ballcap in black. Wandering up to the ring ropes, she initially tries to swing her lead leg up over them - only to find that her boot, and the baggy jean leg covering it, struggles to clear the top rope, getting hooked in it.

"Seriously?!" she bellows as she bounces her leg on the rope, unable to progress or retract it, until she finally, with a mighty effort, swings the opposite leg up and over, rolling across the rope to land unsteadily on her feet. She's mentally committed herself to the look now, though, and so she pushes away any consideration of how impractical trying to kick in these boots is going to be and instead focuses on Genie.

"Oh, Genie! Is that you? You're looking very... cozy," she settles on, offering a smile. "So, we've really got to sell it today, haven't we?" she adds with a wink as she brings her fists up, her dangling bangles jingling.

Then, as the buzzer announcing the fight start goes, she starts to circle in on Genie, then throws a quick pair of left-handed jabs out as she gets near. If she can manage it, she'll use the opening created to clinch with Genie, getting up close and murmuring, "Don't worry, I'll make sure not to let you look too good."

With that reassurance (?) given, she'd then try and overpower Genie and trap the back of her neck with her right hand before sweeping her toward the floor headfirst.

COMBATSYS: Coco has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Genie            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Coco

COMBATSYS: Coco successfully hits Genie with Singapore Sling.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Genie            0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0             Coco

[GENIE]
"It is kind of cozy," Genie says, "but I am not sure this style is quite right for m--" The buzzer sounds, and the Swiss girl has bigger things to worry about than wardrobes. There's a tinge, a hint of the other thoughts that may be crossing Coco's mind, but Genie soldiers on. There's a fight to be had here.

When Coco circles, Genie turns on her heels only to immediately get tangled in the baggy mess of clothes herself. Her attempts at a block are unsuccessful as Coco's jabs sneak through holes in her guard and catch her in the chin and chest, staggering her back before setting up the grab and clinch. Genie hits the floor hard enough to make her head spin, in that moment she flashes back to the nasty spills she's taken thus far.

Especially the Rumble.

Unlike before, Genie, her ego bruised and her eyes watery, bounces back with much more grit and determination. The cap comes off as she rises, pulling up into a crouch and then kicking out sharply at Coco's middle. Rather than a clean kick, however, Genie's psychic power manifests in a sharp, piercing thrust from her foot that punches out to deliver the actual threat.

"Oh, that was a good feint," Genie says, jaw tight.

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Genie's Par-Lui-Fet.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Genie            0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0             Coco

[COCO]
When Genie hits the floor, Coco immediately backs off, brushing several stray purple strands back between her ear and her ballcap.

"I do think it looks pretty good on you, actually," Coco comments, looking down at her fallen opponent with a smile. As a psionic, the pink-haired Swiss fighter would be capable of perceiving the faint presence of Coco's cobra-like Individuation slithering across her shoulders on low alert. She might also detect the hubris that hangs about her like a smell - although one doesn't necessarily have to be psychic to recognize Coco's pride.

In fact, several of her fans in the audience are celebrating it on their own terms.

"LET'S GO, CO-CO! PURPLE PRIDE!"

The group of muscular men that have travelled cross-country to watch their favourite NFG fighter start to chant as the fight gets underway.

As Genie swings out her kick toward Coco's midsection, Coco goes for a basic block, hands moving to intercept - but the psychic blade that punches out from her foot is unexpected, causing Coco to wince as it collides with her psyche before Coco pushes it away. The Individuation hisses in response, and a jealous green tinge taints her aura for a moment.

"That's so cool," she grunts out through pain-clenched teeth, before adding in a low murmur, "I thought you weren't supposed to be acting flashy, though?"

Coco retaliates by pushing a heavy left straight kick at Genie before following up with a left jab into a right cross, keeping her guard up as she executes the maneuver.

COMBATSYS: Genie deflects Bloody Mary from Coco with Bouclier De Galahad EX.
- Power hit! -

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Genie            0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0             Coco

[GENIE]
Genie watches Coco, watches her Individuation with a focus and a poise she lacked earlier in the NFG. Something, at least, seems to have stuck with her. The Swiss brushes her hair back and pushes up to her feet. As fans cheer Coco on, Genie scrunches her nose, trying to block out the stray background emotion that comes with it.

"I cannot help it," Genie protests quietly as she rises. "I do not hit very hard without it. It just ... comes out?" The heavy kick is coming straight out at Genie in the next moment, and Guinevere's brow furrows. Unlike last time, she seems to be expecting a combo. Coco is not the type to leave an engagement without bringing the (pain) party.

And Genie looks ready to spring into action herself, bouncing on her foot in a TKD stance...until she instead thrusts both palms forward and generates a solid pink shield of energy between herself and Coco. It springs to life with such force and intensity that it threatens not only to block but to forcefully interpose itself hard enough to drive Coco back off the Swiss entirely!

[COCO]
It's true that anyone who's seen Coco fight is right to expect her attacks to come in packs. The muscle memory is so ingrained in Coco at this point that even when her oversized boot collides painfully with the pink shield, her upper body is already twisting into the follow-up combination. Both fists smack into the same shield, the right-handed cross (the real payoff of the assault) causing her to recoil with a yelp as its force is turned back on her knuckles and pain shoots up her arm. She hits the ropes and leans into them, her left hand wrapping around her right wrist as she hisses and sucks air through clenched teeth.

"Bugger! I forgot you could do that," she says with irritation rising in her tone. Then again, what could she have done differently to avoid that kind of retaliation? With a new respect for her opponent, she pushes off of the ropes and starts to circle inward again. Rather than diving like a falcon, though, she hovers, snake-like, feinting left and right before swinging out in a quick, low snap kick, probing at Genie's defenses more carefully than before.

COMBATSYS: Genie blocks Coco's Light Kick.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Genie            0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1             Coco

[GENIE]
At one point, Genie might have dropped her guard as soon as she found a bit of success, but today, the Swiss heiress shows a bit more promise. She keeps up the barrier even as Coco wails on it, pushing back until Genie has a breather.

When the Purple Princess comes in with a testing kick, Genie is more ready, drawing up her own leg to block the incoming.

And while Genie is wobbly on the impact, she turns that momentum to her advantage. She hops on one foot, keeping her balance, then launches up and backtoward Coco with a sharp spin kick aimed at the other woman's chest.

"I just hope," Genie breathes, "I can put up a good fight this time!"

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Genie's Spin Kick.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Genie            0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1             Coco

[COCO]
Rocking back from her snap kick to a ready stance, Coco gets her fists up fast to intercept the oncoming kick before it can collide with nicely-presented (courtesy of Drippin' Style) bust. She's not wearing her usual gloves to this particular dance, and it shows on her face as she pushes Genie's foot away and shakes her hands out.

"To be fair, you put up a good fight last time," she points out as her breathing starts to become more noticeable with the exertion of the opening salvo. "I just put up an even better one. I'm pretty sure you were this close to taking me out," she admits, making a tiny space between her finger and her thumb. "I just have a bit of a knack for protecting myself."

Considering internally for a moment how she might bring the attack back to Genie without opening herself up to the kinds of counter-attack that have been her bane in her battles thus far, Coco finally settles on something - though, unfortunately, she might not be the most skilled at concealing her attentions from the more natural psion. Running at Genie in a sudden dash, she leaps in her direction - but aims to jump past her instead of into her. Then, using her momentum, she'd jump into the ropes, then rebound off of them and extending her leg into a flying roundhouse, hoping to catch her opponent out with the sudden change of course!

COMBATSYS: Genie dodges Coco's Diving Kick.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Genie            0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1             Coco

[GENIE]
Riding the momentum from her kick, Genie briefly leans against Coco's guard in a testament to the latter's stalwart defense. Gloves or not, she stops Genie in her tracks, and it's only by a careful deployment of (somewhat) subtle telekinesis that Genie rights herself and sticks the landing. After making it, or at least faking it until she does, Genie returns to a one-legged stance like Juri taught her. Is it polished? Hardly? Does it show more discipline than Genie had prior? Certainly.

And it's this discipline that's on full display when Coco moves for the dive kick. Genie sidesteps when the initial fly comes, but the wide miss is not, well, missed on Genie. Even as Coco makes the rebound, Genie shorthops away and pushes herself just a bit extra with dirty tricks to land free and clear.

And once she does, Genie is gathering power in her palm, shaping it into another hastily constructed spear. She winds back up.

"Your defense is really tight," Genie concedes, "I honestly think you have a much better knack at this than me ..." This doesn't stop Genie from lobbing the psychic spear back at the other girl.

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Genie's Lance Du Lac.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Genie            0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1             Coco

[COCO]
Coco lands on the mat with her shapely legs spread apart, propping herself up on her palms as she sweeps them around to get back underneath herself. To their credit, the cargo jeans she's wearing stand up admirably to the punishment, remaining intact despite being pulled tantalizingly taut against her posterior and thighs, to much celebration from the Purple Pride Posse. She's too focused on the fight at hand to pay much heed to the whistles and hollering, her silver eyes turning over her shoulder toward the spot that Genie has just hopped to.

"Well, I do yoga," she points out, as if that explains everything. It does, at least, explain how she manages to bend her leg up to kick the psychic spear that's flying at her face away, the impact only grazing her consciousness faintly as she hugs her arm around her extended leg and hides her head behind it. "And I'm double-jointed," she tilts her head out from behind her knee to add as the Pride Posse clap and cat-call.

"Work it, honey!" one of them calls.

Feeling a bit of self-assurance, Coco smirks and slithers her way up to one knee. Then, she quickly lunges, like a sprinter out the gate, taking two steps before aiming her arms to capture Genie once more in a clinch. She'll aim a knee toward Genie's midsection as she comes in - once again showing off the flexibility of her trousers - but it's only a feint meant to get Genie's guard low enough for her to hook one of her arms over Genie's, pivot around and drill an elbow over her arm and into her face, hopefully knocking her off-balance. If she succeeds, she'll then show off her hypermobility further by cocking her hips before swinging them violently sideways into Genie's center, aiming to knock her to the ground!

COMBATSYS: Genie blocks Coco's Tiki Bongo.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Genie            1/------=/=======|=======\===----\1             Coco

[GENIE]
When Coco lands to a chorus of catcalls, Genie makes a face. The rationale behind this face is cloudy, at best, but her displeasure certainly seems apparent. Without skipping a beat, she moves back into the rhythm of the fight.

"Maybe I should do yoga," Genie laughs awkwardly. It gets stopped short, however, by the swift kick Coco delivers to her lance that sends it careening off into nowhere. Genie is backstepping and pulling up her arms and legs to guard, but in doing so she falls for the feint. Genie's defense is slipped past and Coco is going for the face with a swift elbow in the next movement. Even as it goes for her face though, Genie furrows her brow and Coco seems to smack against a bit of air resistance before clocking Genie in the nose. Either way, Genie goes off balance, and then Coco moves for the follow-up--

Only for Genie to retailiate with a hip of her own. The two clash, but Genie winds up the loser, taking a step back but not being completely bowled over. She seems determined.

In fact, Genie steps back out of the stagger and into a straight-forward kick, stepping with perhaps a bit too much force and a bit too little finesse.

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Genie's Thrust Kick.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Genie            1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2             Coco

[COCO]
"Probably," Coco agrees.

As hips collide, Coco bumbles backward in her awkwardly-oversized boots, nearly taking a fall as a result of their lack of support. Scowling, the English girl steadies herself against the top rope and kicks her legs out one at a time, sending the boots each flying off into the audience in turn. The first is caught by a delighted Purple Pridesman; the second crowns the head of a confused binturong, who quickly starts scampering around and chittering his discontent.

Coco barely has enough time to rid herself of the footwear before bringing her elbows together, covering up to protect her tummy from the foot being thrust into it. The ropes sway slightly as they catch the kicked Coco, holding her up by the hips and shoulders before rebounding her to an upright stance and pushing Genie slightly back from her personal space.

With that momentary opening, Coco suddenly gets a glint in her silver irises. In a moment, she twists on one foot and snaps out a high kick toward Genie's head, her now bare and unencumbered feet using their newfound freedom to show off their full capacity for swiftness. Her left foot whips out repeatedly, alternating between low, mid-height and headward roundhouse and snap kicks thrown much faster than her usual rate of foot-fire. If she's allowed to deliver her full salvo, she'll finish off by spinning into a finishing back kick aimed at Genie's stomach!

"Maybe we can go together sometime!~"

COMBATSYS: Genie blocks Coco's L.I.T..

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Genie            1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1             Coco

[GENIE]
Genie smiles, subtly, when she almost puts Coco off balance with the hip on hip block. Where Genie is a bit more modest in her clothing that Coco's often ... crowd-stirring... fashion sense, it's hard to tell whether she had it in her to block the move, so to speak. The fact that she did means Genie is trying her best to not giggle. It is, however, a short-lived victory.

When Coco is back on the offensive with a furious volley, Genie has to struggle to keep up. The up in speed pushes the Swiss miss to her absolute limit as she awkwardly catches the kick to the head with her forearm (which produces a wince), then has to pull back and try to keep her shoulders and middle guarded. Each hit is a heavy thump, and some of them could only technically be called a block. By the time the salvo is done, Genie is staggering back shaking the soreness from her arms and rubbing her middle.

"Ow...s-sure?"" Genie suggests. She seems more confused than anything. Perhaps in the chaos she forgot what she even asked. Even so, she tries to shake the lingering discomfort and go back on the offense with new resolve. She lifts one leg with flexibility she hardly had in earlier rounds--and almost falls over from the bulky pants tossed on her by the store staff. With a faint aura of pink she becomes more stable, then tries again. The kick is pulled tight. Barely a nudge, really, compared to Coco's furious barrage, but at least the form is strong enough to produce power compared to Genie's earlier attempts in the tourney.

COMBATSYS: Genie successfully hits Coco with Change-Up Kick.
- Power hit! -

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Genie            1/---====/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>---\1             Coco

[COCO]
Somehow, having delivered her barrage, Coco fails to respect the retaliatory kick coming her way. She's posing on one leg in the aftermath, arms raised and knee held high as she makes the suggestion. The foot flying at her is an afterthought; Coco is feeling on form, in spite of the state of play, and with her seemingly-indestructible defenses, there's no need to commit more than a slight turn at the waist to catch the kick with her hip -

- but Genie's unintentional feint and follow-up actually serve to throw Coco's instincts off, and the tight kick slips under Coco's lifted leg to strike her foundational leg above the knee, causing the posh purple-haired pugilist's eyes to go wide as she finds herself falling hard on her ass.

"Ow!" she complains, propping herself up and rubbing the seat of her Rockstar Originals as she hops back up to her feet, then lurches forward at Genie, aiming to get into the grapple with her. "Right, then, Miss Shifty-Knickers. Let's get sexy!"

The comment may well serve as a warning for what's about to come, at this point, as the branding decision for her upcoming intent serves as a called shot for the familiar. Aiming to grip Genie by the shoulders, Coco will then try and swing her legs up to hook over Genie's hips and encircle the Swiss fighter's waist. Then, throwing herself violently backward, she would slam Genie onto the mat on her back, establishing a dominant position from which Coco would be free, if all goes according to plan, to rain punches and elbows down on Genie's upper body with vicious abandon!

COMBATSYS: Genie fails to deflect S.O.T.B. from Coco with Joyeuse Garde EX.
- Power fail! -

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Genie            1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0             Coco

[GENIE]
Genie has a brief moment to gloat, to bask in her own cleverness in her (accidental) feint slipping through Coco's guard to deliver a swift, punishing kick to the Brit. In this moment, Genie's eyes widen with excitement. She gets that rush of adrenaline from a success, and from that success Genie decides she wants MORE.

***

In the back of her mind, Genie can recall a birthday party. She could not have been very old then. Mama and Papa had went all out on celebration, having booked a private venue and had their personal chef fix only the best cake. Genie loved that cake. It was divine. And that is where she made her mistake.

"Can I have another piece, Mama?"

Her mother paused, wiped her mouth, and smiled politely.

"Oh, not today, Genie, that would be unladylike. You had such a large piece. Tomorrow would be best."

"But I would really like another piece, Mama."

Genie's father looked up from his a twisted knot of charts and graphs displayed on his personal assistant. His brow furrowed.

"You are a Bouvier, Genie. Don't be greedy. You are better than that."

Genie really wanted that cake. Genie still wants that cake.

***

And here the same mistake is made, perhaps, in its own way. Genie bites her lip, waiting for Coco's inevitably retort. Her tongue runs across the edge of her mouth. She has a plan. She has a goal in mind. She can visualize it, like Juri taught her. Power starts to build up in her mind, in her body. Coco will go in, and Genie will drop her barrier and then she'll knock Coco right on her big r--

"S-sexy?" Genie's concentration is broken all in that one instance. The barrier never manifests as Coco gets her round the waist, flips her, and then starts to wail on her with a flurry of punches.

Between the ringing in her ears, Genie thinks maybe her Papa was right.

[COCO]
Eventually, Coco seems to run herself out of energy, sitting back astride Genie and wiping the back of an arm across her forehead. Her own ears are ringing from the sound of the Purple Pride Posse chanting and cheering in the background for the display of dominance and comeback against her female foe. Some of the crowd are cooking up a rival chant in rebuttal.

"CO-CO! CO-CO!" "LET'S GO, GE-NIE!"
"CO-CO! CO-CO!" "LET'S GO, GE-NIE!"

Realising that her opponent isn't down for the count, Coco cocks back a fist, then grimaces.

"Why do I suddenly fancy cake?" she wonders aloud.

Then, abruptly, she slams the fist down - aiming to try and put Genie's lights out with a shot straight to the face.

COMBATSYS: Genie dodges Coco's Medium Punch.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Genie            1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0             Coco

[GENIE]
Pinned and pressed, Genie sort of resorts to a helpless wiggle, like a fish or maybe a worm, as Coco wails on her.

Maybe that's accurate, Genie thinks to herself, I feel like a worm down here. Squirming in the sun. She remembers finding worms with her friend, in Japan, when they were going fishing with her friend's cousin in the private pond.

Genie refuses to be a worm.

In that instant, he Swiss miss closes her eyes and sees things as they are about to happen. Coco driving her fist down for the finishing blow. She can feel it rattle her cranium before everything goes dark and the count starts. Genie doesn't want that, she doesn't want to get punched out just like that and, and and.

Genie opens her eyes and Coco's fist is still drawn back and ready. Genie suddenly moves her head to the side and Coco's fist impacts with a tuft of pink hair that unpins her pun and leaves the Swiss heiress's hair in an unfurled mess. She blinks twice, but does not dwell on it, instead raising her hands up in front of her in a diamond shape. Pink power gathers in the gap, collaescing into a sharp shape and finally launching as a mighty greatsword of raw psionic power aimed to thump into Coco's middle and launch her back in the process.

Genie blinks again. Is she getting a black-eye? TWO black-eyes? Oh no.

COMBATSYS: Coco just-defends Genie's Courechouse!!

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Genie            0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0             Coco

[COCO]
Coco flinches slightly as her fist impacts with Genie's hair, because on the other side of Genie's hair, there is a solid mat. There's a shout out from the crowd as Genie eludes the could-have-been finishing blow from Coco, causing Coco's expression to sour at the increase in pressure.

"Oh, come on! Just -"

Coco senses the surge of psionic energy as Genie prepares her Tribeam attack - I mean, Courechouse - and instinctively leans back, forming a diamond with her own hands just in time to trap the blade of the greatsword between them. A purple flash appears between her fingers as the greatsword pushes forward slowly against her restraint, aimed directly at her chest. In the mind's eye, visible only to the psychically attuned, the cobra-like manifestation of Coco's Individuation slithers from her shoulder, wrapping itself end over end around the blade, hissing and flaring as it tightens and tightens, constricting the projection until, with a pink and purple flash, it snaps in half, collapsing into harmless motes, soon gobbled up by the snake before it returns to its place.

To the untrained eye, it simply appears that Coco held the greatsword back so forcefully that it broke before disappearing.

The truly trained eye will wonder why Coco's cobra consciousness is acting like a boa constrictor. The answer, of course, is that she is Coco F. Coalbridge, and her cobra can identify as a boa if it wants.

The force of the exchange does cause Coco to fall backward off of Genie, though. She's quick to roll up to her feet, looking vaguely revitalized, a smile on her face.

"Gosh, Genie. You're dead unlucky when it comes to trying to get fancy on me."

She winks at her fellow (slummed-down) posho, then rushes forward, swinging around at the waist to try and deliver a rather un-fancy hip check to Genie's face before she can get back to her feet!

COMBATSYS: Coco successfully hits Genie with Aggressive Strike.

[                          \\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Genie            0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0             Coco

[GENIE]
Genie grits and pushes against the psychic manifestation of Coco. Last time, she was completely caught off-guard by Coco's own psionic potential. This time, by contrast, Genie is ready to buckle-down and push back against Coco's defense. While the outside observers might notice little, an unseen mental struggle goes on between Genie and Coco as the latter's manifestation curls around Genie's sword and the Swiss attempts to reinforce it. Despite her best efforts, however, Coco's resilence and Genie's still-pounding head give Ms. Coalbridge the edge she needs to harmlessly break the blade and avoid the worst of the strike.

Genie exhales deeply, trying to catch her breath when Coco speaks up.

"I keep trying," Genie says through heavy breaths, "but I don't know how you do it! I--"

Genie is mid-rise when her vision is blocked by Genie's slummed-down style, specifically the tight fit of those trousers. The Swiss barely has a time to wince before she gets a face-full of Coco's rear-end and gets clocked right back down onto her back.

"Wugh," It's not really a word as much as a noise that Genie makes, her head still spinning. At least Coco didn't pin her this time, she thinks, before staggering, struggling to get back on her feet. She pushes up to her feet, struggling, then lunges toward Coco. Forcing a psychic "sword" into shape (it's really more of a club, at this point, Genie tries to give Coco one more good wallop with it before giving out and collapsing with a bloody nose and a black eye.

COMBATSYS: Genie can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Coco blocks Genie's Coup Douloureux.

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

[COCO]
Coco feels the connection as her hip impacts solidly with Genie's face - both the physical sensation and the faltering of consciousness that results. It brings a self-satisfied smile to her lips that she makes a point of sharing with the nearest camera, taking a moment to blow a kiss in the direction of the operator. Her showboating nearly costs her again as Genie stabs from Hell's heart at Coco, but the purple-haired pugilist turns the other cheek against the walloping - only grimacing faintly as the club impacts against the least critical point in her psychic network before smirking again, this time down at her collapsing opponent.

"You're loads tougher than I gave you credit for, darling," she tells the fallen psychic. Then, apparently full of mischief, she steps easily over next to Genie, looks to the crowd with a vicious smirk, then bends her foot back behind her at the knee like a footballer lining up a kick. Gasps erupt from the crowd and members of security start to clamber through the ropes as the buzzer signals the match's conclusion. The moment they do, Coco takes hold of the raised foot with both hands behind her back, balancing on one leg as she grasps her ankle and stretches her leg, her expression innocent as the driven snow as she turns it toward the approaching NFG staff.

"What? I've got a bit of cramp in my calf," she says coquettishly before releasing the foot and leaning down to offer Genie a hand up.

"Good match, babes. Hey, what do you say we go get some cake after you've got cleaned up?"

COMBATSYS: Coco takes no action.

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

COMBATSYS: Coco has ended the fight here.


[GENIE]
Genie flops practically on her face after the club fails to find substantial purchase--or at least gets soaked adequately by Coco's defense, orthodox or not. She is mostly out of it for the follow-up, barely managing to open one eye by the time Coco offers her a hand to her feet.

"Cake is good," Genie manages. "I--" For an instant, Genie thinks about about what the ladylike thing to do is. What's the prim and proper response? What would Papa say she should do?

"Let us eat cake." Yes, very proper, Genie. She hefts herself up, wipes her nose, and may lean on Coco slightly as they make their way out of the arena.

Log created on 10:43:15 09/09/2023 by Coco, and last modified on 10:49:54 09/17/2023.