Match of the Millennium

Description: Two brawlers walk into a bar...

[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley has been sitting in The Dead Squirrel for the past three hours. Some may say he is a diligent competitor dedicated to his craft and that getting a feel for the venue for this evening's match is him being properly prepared. Some would be wrong. The truth is he's getting totally trollied. Some may frown upon this kind of behaviour. Surely this makes him unprofessional and untrustworthy? They'd also be wrong. The fact is, the fiery fighter believes his best brawling will come from being a little lubricated. His finest fights in pubs and bars have all been taken part in whilst he was drunk and disorderly. Besides, he doesn't believe not being on his best behaviour will bother the bake-danuki he's battling with. She seems a lively lass herself.

"So then I said to him, you were the one who wanted to fight me. Don't blame me if I fecked your face up."

The Irish Inferno is recounting one of his many tales of tussling to the barman, Johnny. He's already got his shirt off in anticipation of what's ahead and there's a fine shimmer of sweat coating his exposed skin. The bar is bouncing with boozed up customers and the temperature is close to thirty degrees celsius outside. There's a buzz in the air and The Pogues playing on the sound system. The setting couldn't be more perfect.

The Cork cruiserweight could be seen as having a home advantage for this matchup with Tamaki. It's true, it's his natural environment, the kind of place he has polished his punches and pummeled plenty of willing victims. It doesn't mean he has any presumption of winning however. He's witnessed Team Frost's new recruit in action in the Rumble, as well as on the video clips he's watched late at night. He has the utmost respect for her.

[TAMAKI]
The thing about having a fight in a bar is that, inevitably, the people who are going to do the fighting are going to be in a bar. Which has alcohol.

Tamaki has actually been here for almost as long as Hawksley is! But she hasn't bothered him, much, aside from swinging by once so that he knows she's here, because she's having much more fun hanging out with a random assortment of bar patrons. She hasn't spent twenty minutes in the same seat, and while she's told some stories she's also just absorbed the atmosphere. (Also, she played some darts. She did very badly because she didn't know the rules.)

So being a little (or a lot) drunk and disorderly is apparently not a downside for Tamaki - because she is well on her way to that, too! She also had a sandwich, which helped. Her tail and ears were hidden for about the first twenty minutes until she forgot about it; both are quite visible by now.

But it's about that time, and eventually Tamaki raises her voice: "Hawksley!" Tamaki has hopped off her seat, tail uncurling as she steps away from it. "Do you think we should get this show on the road, or at least on the floor?"

[DJAMILA]
Djamila makes her way into the crowd. She has healed herself to a point, but she still has the mark of her last match. Her staff also looks like it took a beating, but it's still in one piece.

She wanted to go to Kenzo's match to support him, but her match and the healing time she took was too long for her to make it. But now, here she is to support a friend.

People are courteous enough to let a blind girl pass. It probably helps that quite a few of them interested in NFG recognize her. She finds a spot she can 'watch' from. When it's time, when the fight is about to start, she cheers for him. "Kick ass, Hawksley. I believe in you." Now, whether he hears her or not, she at least says her piece and settles to follow the match as best.

[VEGA]
Sitting somewhere she can see is Miss September. She's dressed down to blend in a little better, wearing capri-style workout pants, sneakers and a tank top. She's seated in a place she can watch clearly. Obviously no one is going to bother her.

She still looks mad. Does she always look mad?

[HASHIM]
Hashim is not normally the kind to go bar hopping, as alcohol is a pathway to insidious behavior... and doesn't mix well with fire, besides. Not to mention he's a total lightweight. But he did hear there was scheduled to be a fight going on at this one soon, which is why the jolly pink giant strolls through the door and somewhat awkwardly takes a seat at the bar itself, balancing precariously on the stool.

"I will take, er, water. Yes, water." he orders from the bartender, before casting his gaze about the venue in search of the soon-to-be combatants. Surely it couldn't be the shirtless man and raccoon girl, though nobody else here seems like they'd throw a decent punch at a glance. Oh, except for that one girl with the strange haircut and orange clothing.

Shuffling his stool a little closer to Djamila, the magenta half-Jinn nods toward Hawksley and Tamaki. "They are the fighters, yes? I am curious how people in this country, what's the saying, throw down."

[HAWKSLEY]
"I'm ready when you are, cailin" is the dark haired man's drunken reply. He's only slurring slightly.

Right on cue, Dirty Old Town cuts out to be replaced by a song familiar to Hawksley fans, Go! Fight! Win! by another Irish band, albeit it one from North of the border.

"Oh baby no I can't take it. Oh I'm just feeling so bad. This pain is like an inferno burning. And it's driving me mad" sings Tim Wheeler and indeed Hawksley, though his own version is a lot less tuneful.

"Hold my pint, fella" he instructs the ruddy faced red haired man, who's been sitting on the stool next to him. "I've got some business to take care of."

He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and then slips off the stool, striding over to where Tamaki is standing. "I've been looking forward to this match" he informs her with a cheery grin. "If I start to see double though, I'm not sure if it will be one of your tricks or the ale kicking in."

His Metal mate's support is aknowledged with a call of "Cheers, Djamila."

"I guess she's well and truly forgiven me for setting her on fire" he remarks to his opponent.

As his eyes scan the room he recognises the familiar form off Miss September, the strange and serious sponsor from Team Blaze. He also takes a moment to stop and stare at Hashim. It seems like this Irish bar draws an interesting crowd.

COMBATSYS: Hawksley has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Hawksley         0/-------/-------|

[TAMAKI]
"It could be both," Tamaki agrees with Hawksley. "I too have been looking forward to this. I didn't think they would ever give me an interesting place to have one of these matches - so far I have mostly gotten car lots and drive-throughs. And a fruit seller's."

Where's the beach? The arcade? (Ignore the fact that there aren't as many of those anymore; in some ways Tamaki still lives in the 1990s.) The restaurants? The bar is a breath of fresh air.

"Though, your pubs are a little different than the ones I mostly have been to..." Tamaki's Japanese, but likes American style, so no points for guessing the kind she's been to in the past. "Still! I like it."

Tamaki rubs her hands together, looking over the room again. She recognizes some of the people in it, either because she's spoken to them over the last while or because she's fought them before. Miss September she doesn't, and Hashim she doesn't, but she seems unworried by either.

"Right," she says, and steps forward. It is hard to tell whether Tamaki's slightly weaving steps are a defensive maneuver or just a sign of how much she's drunk, but then again, isn't that always the way? She pivots at the last moment, planting her arm across Hawksley's shoulders and pushing, to lever him down and toss him to the ground!

COMBATSYS: Tamaki has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Hawksley         0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Tamaki

COMBATSYS: Hawksley blocks Tamaki's Everybody's Friend.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Hawksley         0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1           Tamaki

[HAWKSLEY]
"All those places can be interesting but they don't beat the pub" is Hawksley's opinion on the matter of match venues. He has to agree that this is his favourite so far too.

"We've got the finest pubs in the world" is his verdict on drinking establishments. "But I'd not turn a boozer down anywhere in the world. I found some grand little places in Sunshine City, so I did."

When Tamaki makes her move towards him, he's quick to react. He pushes back at her with his shoulders, feeling the force of her form pressuring him but managing to resist being toppled to the floor. "And we're off" he laughs.

Lurching towards her, Hawksley slips forward and twists into a left snap elbow to try and put Tamaki off-balance. If able, he will then pivot into a devastating right-handed haymaker, aiming for her centre of mass and intending to knock her backwards and into the wooden bar.

COMBATSYS: Hawksley successfully hits Tamaki with Detonator.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Hawksley         0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1           Tamaki

[TAMAKI]
"Let's go drinking sometime after this," Tamaki offers. "Perhaps not TODAY, given how battered at least one of us is likely to be - but soon!"

Does this count as fraternizing with the enemy? It doesn't bother Tamaki either way - it's just important to know these things!

Hawksley comes in fast and hard, and Tamaki is just a little too slow to get out of the way of the elbow, which makes her stagger the wrong way at the wrong time. Righting herself only means she gets the haymaker, hard enough to make her grunt as the air is knocked out of her - and she rolls with it. Well, figuratively speaking! What actually happens is that she doesn't just get slammed into the bar - she rolls on top of it, bowling over drinks and leftover debris with about the same attitude; nothing bothers her and a mess, even if she is involved in the mess, certainly won't.

Lying on top of the bar, Tamaki kicks at Hawksley's face (why not? it's conveniently not as high up as usual) before rolling to evade a counterattack... behind the bar, with a crash as she knocks over, and lands on, some other items. Hopefully NFG can pay for that!

COMBATSYS: Hawksley blocks Tamaki's Lazy Day.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Hawksley         0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1           Tamaki

[HAWKSLEY]
"Oh definitely. I'd love to go drinking with you, Tamaki" Hawksley tells her. "I've been wanting to do that since I knew you existed. I picked you for the person most likely to be my ally in my introductory interview" the Irishman reminds her. "I don't feel like we've had much time to hang out though so far." He's also not concerned about being seen to fraternize with so called foes. Some of his closest friends in the contest are on other teams.

As the drinks spill and splash over the surface of the bar and some of the customers sitting on the stools, there's a raucous roar that rises up. It seems the patrons find it all part of the fun. When the kick comes to find his face, Hawksley catches it instinctively with his hand, the force of the other fighter's foot forcing his wrist backwards. "Feck" he calls out, before throwing himself over the bar to join Tamaki in her hiding place.

Climbing on top of her, he launches a left-handed jab into a right cross to try and break open her guard and send her further off-balance. If this goes to plan, he will make a grab for her shoulders and try to pull her upwards, aiming to force her face-first into his rising knee.

COMBATSYS: Hawksley successfully hits Tamaki with Buzzkill ES.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Hawksley         0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1           Tamaki

[TAMAKI]
Having fallen behind the bar, Tamaki has taken advantage of her new position by swiping a bottle of beer and taking a swig from it!

She would have had the Harp, but somehow she thinks that sticking her head under the beer tap would get a little awkward when Hawksley inevitably hit her again. (The fact that you shouldn't do it isn't really the deciding factor here!)

She's half-rising post drink when Hawksley dives over, grabbing her and bringing her into the rising knee. Once again Tamaki overreacts, possibly on purpose; she goes backwards but she tries to grab Hawksley and bring him with her, rolling backwards with him - and turning it into a two-footed kick as she tries to launch him right back over the bar!

If she manages it, Tamaki follows, vaulting it with a booming laugh. "Ah, this is more like it!" Even though she's the one who's getting her butt kicked, for the moment.

COMBATSYS: Hawksley interrupts Hair of the Raccoon-Dog from Tamaki with Angel Interceptor.
- Power hit! -

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Hawksley         0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0           Tamaki

[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley likes Tamaki's style. There's a bit of a swagger to her (sometimes because she's drunk) and a downright cheeky attitude, not too unlike his own. The whole time he's brawling her behind the bar, he's laughing at the fun he's having. It's a right old lark, so it is.

As his rowdy rising knee finds her face, the bake-danuki's dramatic reaction only increases the Irishman's mirth. He guesses her game as she goes for the grab and curls himself up into a ball before leaping out of it, launching himself towards her to land a lairy uppercut punch to the chin.

"I'm having a grand old time. I knew you'd be fun to party with."

[TAMAKI]
Smashed backwards, Tamaki actually manages to stay up on her feet this time, though it's a near thing. That was one powerful uppercut, and despite her showing in the Rumble, even she can't stay up forever with people beating on her.

But on her feet or not, she does take the opportunity to get some distance, staggering backwards with a weaving gait. Despite the pain she gives another broad grin - she's enjoying herself, though she's going to be feeling it tomorrow even more than she's feeling it now.

Rather than anything fancy, Tamaki staggers forward again to get her hands on Hawksley. She apparently chooses to go for a hold, reaching for an arm lock - but rather than hold it indefinitely, she tries to spin with him before tossing him roughly to the side in the general direction of some chairs!

She's behaving, though. She picked unoccupied chairs.

[VEGA]
Miss September finally shows a reaction when Hawksley intercepts Tamaki's attack with one of his own. The corner of her mouth twitches upwards and her eye gits a strange gleam in it.

It was ... good-naturedly ruthless. She must encourage such things.

COMBATSYS: Hawksley blocks Tamaki's Medium Throw.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Hawksley         0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Tamaki

[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley watches Tamaki as she weaves backwards, his brow showing beads of perspiration and his body displaying some bruises. Her broad grin sees him beaming back at her. This brawl is beautiful.

When she comes after him again, Hawksley braces himself, making it awkward for her to get a grip on his arm. He stiffens so she can't manage to spin him and then steadies himself to make sure he doesn't lose his balance.

Picking up one of the unoccupied chairs Tamaki had tried to throw him into, Hawksley lifts it high above his head before attempting to bring it down to crash into his opponent's skull.

COMBATSYS: Tamaki just-defends Hawksley's Random Weapon!

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Hawksley         0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Tamaki

[TAMAKI]
When Hawksley brings a chair down on her, Tamaki is actually ready for it this time! Her unsteady-looking stance brings her back and then forward at exactly the right time to catch it on her raised arms; instead of absorbing the blow she manages to deflect it, glancing it off her lower arms with a lot less pain than she was expecting. She shoves, trying to get Hawksley to drop the chair and send it to the ground a couple steps away.

Seeing as she's already right here, Tamaki finishes her staggering step, releasing the chair even if she didn't manage to disarm Hawksley; her fists come up in a wild punch with enough force to literally spin her around, her fighting style looking as comedic as effective - but it turns out to be, under there, a surprisingly effective blow, a fist aimed right toward Hawksley's midsection!

COMBATSYS: Hawksley blocks Tamaki's Stumbling Swing.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Hawksley         1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0           Tamaki

[HAWKSLEY]
Tamaki handles Hawksley's bar brawling basics brilliantly. The fiery fighter figures she's probably had a chair brought down on her before, the way she braces herself to absorb the blow and avoid any chance of it breaking on her bonce. The chair clatters out of the Cork City lads's clutches, to be sent bouncing across the bar and bashing into the backpack of a British tourist.

The wild and whirling punch threatens to wind the topless fighter but his solid stomach muscles seem to absorb most of the damage if not all. He catches his breath briefly before going back on the attack, delivering a series of three rapid jabs with his left hand and then flowing into a right-handed cross punch and trying to finish with a flourish on a final quick left jab.

COMBATSYS: Tamaki blocks Hawksley's Cherry Bomb.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Hawksley         1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0           Tamaki

[TAMAKI]
This is not Tamaki's first bar fight, for sure. Sure, she hasn't gotten in many *lately*, but that's mostly for lack of opportunity. And she's pretty convivial when she's drinking, anyway - she's less likely to get into a fight than some people!

But, still, it happens. And it's not like she's never fought drunk. That's a completely *different* question.

Hawksley goes for the barrage, and Tamaki's response is to brace against it, letting it push her onto her back foot and abandoning the wobbling, weaving posture... for a moment, anyway, because as soon as he lets up she's on the attack again!

Going for the flourish of a cross punch is the opening she needs to spin in place - and when she does, her tail is abruptly several times its normal size, a solid mass of muscle and fluff that doesn't really smack Hawksley so much as threaten to bowl him over!

Tamaki finishes her spin and hops up, sitting on her curled-up gigantic tail like it was a beanbag chair to catch her breath.

COMBATSYS: Tamaki successfully hits Hawksley with Art of Transformation - Giant.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Hawksley         1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0           Tamaki

[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley had been having it all his own way initially but the Irishman was never stupid enough to expect this to continue. He's facing a formiddable foe and the furry fighter is forcing her way back into this fight and doing a fine job of it. The cross punch connects with the brawler's nose. sending blood flowing and trickling down his tanned cheek. As it reaches the corner of his lips, he licks it away, familiar with the metallic taste.

Next, the terrifying tail brings him down, causing him to land on his backside. From this position he looks up at Tamaki, finding the sight of her sitting on her own tail both comical and somewhat regal. "That's a fecking grand idea" he praises before forcing himself to his feet.

He might be up but he's in no position to pull off anything fancy. Instead he throws out a chaotic looking kick in the direction of Tamaki's bushy beanbag throne, hoping to send her toppling off balance!

As he launches his leg forwards, he can't help but glance towards Miss September, wondering what she's making of his performance so far. Her presence here makes him want to push himself further, which is saying something for someone who never holds back.

COMBATSYS: Tamaki dodges Hawksley's Improvised Kick.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Hawksley         1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0           Tamaki

[TAMAKI]
Tamaki grins down at Hawksley. She's...

Well, she's pretty battered, actually! But she's feeling a bit better now that she's had the moment to catch her breath. "It is one of the best parts of having a tail," she confides to Hawksley (though not so quietly that sharp-eared audience can't hear it).

Seriously, what else would she use it for? Flying? This is entirely the wrong kind of video game for that.

Hawksley tries to catch Tamaki off-balance, but she beats him to it - her tail returns to normal very suddenly, leaving her suddenly dropping to the floor! His kick passes overtop of her as she drops prone and then performs a backwards roll, ending up in a handspring position with her feet kicking out at Hawksley in turn before she finishes the cartwheel and ends up on her feet again. It's impressively acrobatic for someone of her build; she's a little pudgy and does not look like the kind of person who can do what amounts to a backwards flip kick from a prone position, except she's already demonstrated several times that she can.

COMBATSYS: Hawksley interrupts Strong Kick from Tamaki with Shining Light.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Hawksley         0/-------/<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0           Tamaki

[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley grins back up at Tamaki. He's also showing signs of taking a beating, between his bloody nose and bruised torso but like the bake-danuki he's looking pretty damn happy.

As the furry Frost fighter ducks out of the way of his reckless kick, she puts on a beautiful gymnastic display for the drinkers in The Dead Squirrel. A couple of lasses located over in the bench style seating even give her a round of applause in appreciation.

Hawksley's here to stop her impressive performance getting a perfect ten though. When her feet come flying towards him, he suddenly sets himself ablaze, bright orange flames surrounding his fists. He crouches down low, in a move not unlike his opponent's last defence, and then launches himself high up in the air before dropping down to deliver another uppercut to Tamaki's jaw, this one a lot hotter to handle! It seems like she won't get to stay on her feet for much longer.

[TAMAKI]
The power of a blazing uppercut is definitely enough for Hawksley to pull ahead!

Tamaki's erratic weaving defense might be *pretty* good at keeping her safe, but when they fail, they fail, leaving her completely open or even moving right into the way of an attack! That's what happens this time; she's going forward when Hawksley rises, and it catches her right on the chin in a picture-perfect uppercut.

She still almost manages to turn it around. Thumping her own stomach with the flat of her hands, causing a rhythm of loud thumps like a bass drum, chi blasts off her! It never gets very far away, only a couple feet, but that might be enough to catch Hawksley before he gets away.

But the rhythm ends early as Tamaki, sufficiently dazed from taking the blow right on the chin, keeps over backwards. She's still sort of awake, enough to wave her arm a little, but definitely not seeing straight or able to continue.

COMBATSYS: Tamaki can no longer fight.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Hawksley         0/-------/<<<<<<<|

COMBATSYS: Hawksley blocks Tamaki's Ponpoko Rhythm.

[                       \\\\\\\  <
Hawksley         1/-------/<<<<<<<|

[HAWKSLEY]
It seems to go in slow motion. As the uppercut connects with Tamaki's chin, Hawksley watches her start to fall backwards, surely sealing his violent victory. She's not leaving him without an encore though. As well as the waving arm, which makes the fiery fella smile, he is hit by the blasting chi, bringing the brawler down to his knees. It's not enough to knock him out though, so as the fighter in better shape of the pair, he reaches out a hand towards her, offering to help her up from the floor.

"Feck, that was fun!" the Eire man enthuses. "I reckon I owe you a pint or two. Johnny, get Tamaki whatever she's drinking."

[DJAMILA]
When the fight is over, when it's official Hawksley is the winner, she starts hitting a table and saying loudly, "Hawksley, Hawksley, Hawksley." over and over. She is trying to start a chant. Of course both fighters have given a great performance, but Hawksley won. So, a chant over that win seems right and just in good fun.

COMBATSYS: Hawksley has ended the fight here.

Log created on 13:35:12 09/09/2023 by Tamaki, and last modified on 04:26:12 09/13/2023.