Description: Sakura and Rock meet up at Strolheim Castle and talk about teams, the upcoming tournament, and stage fright.
Strolheim Castle
Home to the family Krauser for generations, the castle sits upon a mammoth plinth of stone rising out of the water, inaccessible except by water or air. A stairway carved from the rock circles the pillar, connecting the front gates with a small dock at water level. The gates are tall but narrow, carved with designs of thorned vines, wrapping around the names 'Krauser' and 'Strolheim'. The castle itself is medieval bordering on gothic, with tall, dark spires jutting up from the grounds. Broad windows overlook the water, the impossibility of a land assault allowing the designers to create huge picture windows, catching the light and reflecting it in a myriad of mosaics. It is a castle straight out of fantasy, and it stands stoic and impassive, much like its inhabitants.
Rock
There might just be something about the blonde teenager before you now -- Something that looks vaguely familiar, something reminiscent of a far more well-known face than his own. Rock Howard looks like a fighter; or at the very least, an athlete of some sort. Though he looks to be no further than his mid-to-late teens, Rock's a bit tall for his age, only an inch or two shy of six feet. His physique is also abnormal for a teenager his age. Though thin, his musculature is clearly visible, especially in his torso, well-built but not bulky. Though his height and build might not betray his age, his facial features certainly do. He's obviously not an adult, probably no older than eighteen, and almost certainly less. His face is mostly rectangular, narrow cheeks and a pronounced but not pointed chin. He's rather clearly a Westerner, from the light tanned shade of his skin to his blonde hair, cut mid-length and more or less allowed to go in whatever direction it pleases, generally obediently save for one large lock on the right side of his head that sticks up and runs towards the left, furthering the "messy windblown" look he seems to be going for. His nose is a little large and clearly not Asian, pointed as opposed to flat. His most distinguishing feature, however, are his eyes -- The irises are bright red, a most unusual color.
His clothing, at the moment, is typical of him; it's about all he's ever seen in. Black leather boots and leather pants that are just barely loose enough to allow for movement and a tight black t-shirt are almost always worn, along with a thick black leather belt with a large square silver buckle. He's also almost always seen with his favorite jacket -- white, and black leather on the torso, and red across the back and arms, with no button or zipper in the middle. The garment is also cut short, barely making it down to his waist. Most distinct, however, is the solid white five-pointed star on his back -- A star with wings on either side of the two upper-middle points, more like a bird's wings than an angel's. Finally, when he needs to, Rock favors a pair of black leather fingerless gloves, though he might not always wear them 24/7.
Sakura
There's nothing really remarkable about the Japanese schoolgirl in front of you. Average height, dark brown hair, markedly Japanese features, and a slight build -- pretty ordinary, really. If it weren't for the passion evident in her bright brown eyes, or the long white headband forever trailing along behind her every movement, she'd pretty much blend into whatever crowd was available.
You can easily tell she's a schoolgirl because of the school uniform she's wearing. The uniform basically consists of a white, short-sleeved shirt, with a blue collar and trim, and and a matching blue pleated skirt. The distinctive sailor-style collar is held in check by the knot of a pale pink-colored scarf. The skirt is pretty much nondescript, as are the red canvas shoes and white athletic socks she wears. In fact, the two main departures from uniform code would be the red shirt visible beneath the uniform, which bears a turtleneck collar, and the red hand-guards donned upon the girl's hands.
Come to think of it, the headband and the hand-guards alone make it seem like their wearer's ready for a fist-fight, any time and any place. She really doesn't look like the fighting type, though, does she?
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Fiiiinally, the Strolheim doctors gave their permission for Sakura to walk around without assistance. She kept telling them she was 'fine', but doctors are typically skeptical of such assurances -- especially when they come from stubborn fighters like Sakura. But, long story short, the Taiyo schoolgirl's out and about, a few white bandages still wrapped about her just in case. She'd spent most of the day exercising on her own, not -quite- being up to combat practice with the Strolheim students, but now... now it's about time for a walk. She ambles around the courtyard of the castle, glancing around to see who -else- might be sparring nearby.
Strolheim has many skilled fighters among its ranks. Rock Howard, however, is distinctly better than the vast majority. That's where he's spent most of the day, in the courtyard, taking on all comers. And there have, indeed, been plenty of challengers -- His relation to the Lord and to a man like Geese Howard have made him a desireable target for many of the aspiring fighters who have been admitted to Strolheim. It's been a bit of an endurance contest -- and Rock has had to take more than a few breaks to catch his breath and regain his strength, but he's gone through several fighters so far, today.
He's also no teacher. But, perhaps, his latest opponent might learn something as he finds himself deposited onto the ground by an abrupt Shinkuu Nage. Rock and his nondescript opponent are, currently, surrounded by a circle of young Strolheim students... a circle which scatters to get out of the way of their falling cohort. "No, no, no! C'mon, most of you guys are barely half of the kinds of people I fight in Southtown. You wouldn't last very long on Saturday Night Fight, none of you."
Sakura works herself through the crowd. Sure, there's a few female fighters among the students, but... none with the reputation Sakura has gained over the past few days. She was merely tolerated before, but after she showed she could kick a little ass, well, she went up a notch on the respect meter. After she showed she could put down Benimaru Nikaido and Kyo Kusanagi, though? Rumors spread. FAST. Even if she does look like she's stealing a certain Evangelion character's schtick, from how her right eye and nose are covered with bandages. She still ought to be more than recognizable with that long white headband and her red handguards, though, even if she is wearing a blue gi.
"Yeah, that's the way to win friends, Rock! Go ahead and kick 'em s'more, huh?" She winks back at the blonde, holding her elbow as she slips into closer range. "Don't you get tired of this? I mean, you've practically been at it all day!"
Rock grunts a little as the last student rises, bows, and heads off to practice harder than he was prior. Rock bows, too, though his is... a little shallow. He's hasn't taken any big hits, so it's mostly just a burnout of stamina... but he certainly won't mind a generous night's sleep after this. Huffing a little bit and wiping sweat from his brow -- for, despite the cold weather, his gloves and jacket have been removed and remain somewhere inside -- the blonde strides over to Sakura. If by 'stride' I mean 'stagger'. "... tch. Sure, I get tired of it. But I can't afford to get tired of it. I don't know if you were here when that guy showed up, the other day. Oro."
It's a name Rock doesn't have much difficulty remembering. "I've never been up against someone so overpowering. That thing he hit me with... not even Geese's Raging Storm measures up to that. If someone can do something like that to me, I haven't been training hard enough."
Sure, Sakura was there -- but she didn't want to bring it up unless Rock did. ".... Yeah, that guy was -freaky-. I think I'd heard some of the other guys talking about him... Oro. Yeah, that sounds about right. Didn't sound like they knew a whole lot though..." Kasugano smiles, rubbing her elbow lightly. She knows about one other individual who might be even -more- fearsome, but refrains from speaking his name lest she jinx him into coming out of the woodworks also. "... Well, I'd normally be more than happy to give you a tougher challenge, but... doctor's orders and all! I should be off 'probation' tomorrow though, if I'm lucky. ... I still think it's gonna take a loooooot of training before either of us is ready to take that guy on, just the same!"
Rock wipes his brow one more time. "Yeah. Lots of training. But I figure... If I can beat Oro, then I can definitely beat Geese. Hell. If I can /hold my own/ against that guy... I can take Geese. Tch. I never figured I'd find someone stronger than that bastard. I don't even think Terry or my Uncle are stronger than he is. Not that either of them couldn't put up a helluva fight." Rock shrugs his shoulders, clearly tired by his endurance festival. "Anyways. I saw the tournament listings. You're set up with Sagat, huh? That'll be good. I think just about anybody under the sun could learn soemthing from that guy. I didn't realize it until I fought him, but... For a guy to be that big and that skilled at the same time is just wrong. There are only two other people who pull off the same thing."
Sakura doesn't really know which two people Rock had in mind, but she's already mentally filled 'Ryu' into one of those blanks. It goes without saying, really. Even still, Ryu's not 'big' -- even if he is within his most passionate fangirl's mind. "Krauser's your uncle, right? He's... he's pretty tough, yeah!" She points at her nose when she says that -- it ought to be obvious who inflicted the wounds upon her, if it wasn't before. "And yeah... I was worried at first, but think about it! It's an opportunity to learn from my teacher's greatest rival! See the coin from the other side, and maybe learn something about each other in the process. Maybe it won't be such a big rivalry afterwards... I mean, Sagat -scares- me, but if we -have- to work together, then... I dunno! I think it'll be interesting!" Her bandages stretch from the sheer intensity of her smile -- clearly, they're of diminishing usefulness now. "Heh... and you've got Chun-Li, right? That'll be fun, I'm sure! I wanted to take lessons from her, a few months back, but our schedules never really overlapped. You gotta tell me how it goes! That's gotta be the coolest thing ever, learning Wu Shu from the World's Strongest Woman!"
Rock crosses his arms. Adrenaline is wearing off, and the cold air is starting to get to him, at this point. "Yeah. Chun-Li. Strongest Woman in the World, huh? Well... I dunno. I'm not exactly a Wu Shu user, you know? But maybe I'll learn something. Maybe. I'm already using a style that's mix and match. Maybe I'll just mix and match a little bit of something else." Terry and Geese's fighting styles, namely, with, at times, a barely distinguishable dash of Saikyo-ryu. Yes, Saikyo-ryu. "Should be, uh, interesting. I've never fought Chun-Li. Or seen her fight, really. I've never caught her on television or anything." Which is probably why Rock doesn't seem the least bit nervous.
Sakura shakes her head, twining her fingers through her unkempt hair. "You gotta be -kidding- me! She's world-famous and everything! How could you call yourself a fighter and not be familiar with her style?" Laughing a bit, she shrugs... "I guess you only pay attention to people who take the time out to fight you, huh?" Laughing lightly, she takes a couple steps back, slipping into a blatant imitation -- some might say 'mockery' -- of Chun-Li's typical fighting stance. "Wu Shu is like... a form of kung fu. The way she fights is pretty heavy on kicks and acrobatics... kinda like kempo, in a sense. But she also knows a few tricks that go way beyond that." Lifting one leg to deliver a series of quick, rapid-fire kicks, she then pauses, holding that leg aloft in imitation of another one of Chun-Li's trademark poses. "I fought her once, it was pretty humbling! I'm sure you'll pick up a bunch from her!"
"Well, it's not so much that..." Rock rubs the back of his head. "See, for a long time... up until recently, really... I hated fighting. I was trained in an odd sort of way, you could say. You trained yourself, right? Some people have senseis. I learned how to fight in what you could call a 'crash course' type of fashion." Rock doesn't go into detail. "So, I didn't really have much of an opinion of fighting. I didn't want to be a fighter. The only thing I wanted to use fighting for was... very specific. After that, I didn't really care about much of anything." Someone who is slightly more friendly with Rock is kind enough to hand the blond a bottle of water, which he practically chokes down in one gulp. Ah, sweet lifeblood. "It wasn't until I met Terry that all of that really... I dunno. Turned around? Anyways, it wasn't until after I started studying with him that I started to see that there was more to fighting than just what I had in mind. So I guess you could say... I've only really been a fighter for five months, or so."
"... Only five months? Wow!" That's a lot less time than Sakura's been fighting -- and only a little bit longer than her 'debut' in the fighting scene! "I'd never have known it just from sparring with you, that's awesome!" She passes a brief smile of thanks at the waterboy, before turning back to Rock. She'd picked up on his hesitation to elaborate, and makes a point of avoiding that -- though she can probably guess from his last name. "Terry's a pretty awesome fighter too... I just wish I'd gotten more of a chance to fight with him, myself. Maybe some day!" She laughs lightly, scratching the back of her head. "Oh, that reminds me. ... Well, not really, it just happened to come to mind." She'd started to go a bit ditzy there for a moment, but her expression turns to one of impish curiosity. "...What was up with that Seijyun uniform, huh?"
Rock flops down on the ground. As the adrenaline starts to leave, he's beginning to realize just how tired he really is. More water goes down the hole. "Well... I saw five months, but I made my debut... I dunno. Earlier last year? Fighting Seishirou, no less. But I haven't really been into it until recently. That might sound weird, but, eh." Rock pauses for a bit, glad to get some weight off of his heels. "And that? Tch. That was Geese. It probably amused him to forge my sign-in under Seijyun. I was supposed to fight in the skirt. Can you believe that?! Anyways. I worked out a deal with Hyo. I couldn't pull out and change schools at the last second, because otherwise, Seijyun would have been underrepresented... but he let me wear a custom uniform. Let me save some pride. You know, that tournament technically isn't over, yet?! I've still got to go up against Daigo."
Sakura scratches the bridge of her nose with her thumb, nodding. "Yeah, I -thought- you were in fights way longer than five months ago..." she nods -- it sounded a little funny the way she first heard it, after all. She takes a seat too, though it's at a decidedly -slower- pace, thanks to her injuries. Sitting cross-legged -- which really isn't that much of a scene now that she's not in a skirt -- she nods back to Rock. "Oh! Yeah, that's pretty funny! I can only imagine! I mean, heck, I fight in a skirt all the time, but I can see where it'd be uncomfortable for a guy!" Laughing, she shakes her head. "Man, Geese is such a dick, too! I feel sorry for ya, but I kinda feel even -more- sorry for Terry, after how he got played in Seattle. =Man=." Shaking her head, she queries, "Oh... yeah, I totally forgot about that tournament since someone beat my ass so bad. Heh-heh..." Winking back at Rock, she seems to be taking it well. "Daigo's pretty tough, but I'm pretty sure you'll win anyway." Pause. "... Oh. That's something else I wanted to talk to you about." Glancing away for a moment, she seems to be getting a bit quieter, and slower-paced. "How long were you talking with Megumi about teaming up, anyway? She didn't ... tell Athena and I she was leaving our team till just the other day..."
"Huh? ... Whoa, really?" Rock seems a little aghast. "It's something she brought up... not too long ago. After a Saturday Night Fight awhile back. Seishirou, Megumi and I are friends, so it didn't seem so unusual..." Rock pauses to think for awhile. "Whoa. So, she didn't tell you anything? Are you sure? It doesn't really seem much like Megumi." He's genuinely perturbed, but he's considering this for awhile. "I think it was the two on two. I can't remember. But I'm pretty sure I lost."
Sakura shrugs, turning back to Rock. "Yeah, that's what I thought too. Nah, she didn't mention it till I asked. But I guess that's what I get for teaming up with someone I barely know. She said there were no hard feelings, though." Smiling -- she seems to be glossing over the fact that there -are- hard feelings, on Sakura's side. "I'm sure she'll be a great teammate for you, though! She's pretty wicked powerful and all." She nods amiably, before staring off into space as she tries to think of another topic.
"Yeah." Rock cringes. He's probably seen just how powerful she is, firsthand. "She's tough. I'm sorry, though. I didn't know it was like that. I would have said something to her if I did." Rock does seem... a little put-out, by all of this. "I'm sure you'll find a replacement. Maybe someone you know a little better, right?"
Sakura turns back to Rock, shrugging. "No, if anything, I'm grateful, actually. It kinda pisses me off when people can't just say what's on their mind. I'd rather have people I can trust on my team, people who can speak up and -say- things." Shrugging gently, she finds herself to be smiling... and yet, it's fake. She quickly drops the facade. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just that it... it hurt me a lot more than I like to let on. I just... I guess I'm just trying to warn you, really. She gets bored easily, maybe even faster'n I do, so... just watch out, okay? You're probably the closest thing I have to a real 'rival', in a sense, but I'd like to consider you a good friend just the same." Smiling weakly, she gives Rock a light shove on the shoulder. "Ryouhara-san didn't seem to know what I was talking about either, so... if you get a chance, could you let him know that she ditched our team too? Just... like, so that we're all kosher and above the table and full disclo... er... whatever the words for that kinda thing are."
Rock nods, still seated on the ground as he finds himself shoved to the side, just lightly. "Heh. Yeah, sure. I'll keep an eye on her. She's strange, I'll grant you that... but I don't think she's that bad. But I'll keep an eye out for anything, okay? And I'm sorry it happened the way it did." Rock grins, albeit somewhat forcefully, before flopping further, into a prone position on the cold stone ground. I'll tell Seishirou. But... just, know that I'm doing it as a favor to you. I don't want to sew dischord in my own team. But if you feel it's important, I'll do it."
Ryu leaves the castle grounds.
Sakura blinks. "... That... does sound pretty rotten of me. Sorry. ... Look, don't worry about it, but like, if Seishirou asks what's up with me, like, feel free to tell him more. I just don't figure he'd be of the type to just come out and ask me. Honestly, the guy kinda creeps me out, really." Laughing gently, she seems to be returning to more of her normal mood, at least. "I hope we get a rematch in the tournament, though, really. It'd be pretty fun, I'm sure of it! I just hope I put up a more interesting fight for you next time we meet."
Rock laughs, too -- a little bit more strongly than Sakura does. "Yeah. Seishirou is... a unique guy, to say the least. But he's not really as bad as he might seem. Just a little weird. Really, I seem to have picked out a pretty weird team..." Rock seems to trail off, for a second or so. "And, heh. Keep winning. I'll keep winning, too, and if we both keep winning, we'll run into each other sooner or later."
Sakura snickers a bit, and seems content to sit upright -- if only because it'd hurt her more to lie back down at this point in her recovery. "Yeah... I think I'd formed too much of a bad opinion about him. He really did embarass the mess out of me in that two-on-two. And Vice too, I'm sure. So... yeah. I've been training a bunch to deal with his particular bag of tricks, cuz... wow. He's got a lot, I'm sure."
"I think he's got some kind of black hole in his backpack, and he just pulls whatever he needs out of it. 'Cause, man. I've never seem some of the gadgets he has in there. It's like... It's like fighting Batman, or something." Rock smirks, almost to himself more than anything else. "I still owe him a rematch, sometime. I should probably get to that sometime."
Sakura laughs! "Batman? Seriously? I always thought Batman would be a little taller, and not scowl so much though." Covering her mouth, she giggles cheerfully. "Yeah, I hope I get to rematch him too. That's... well, it's part of what drives me. I can't live it down until I at least put up a good showing against you and Seishirou, really. I think I finally made up the slack I'd been letting Megumi have in that last fight against her, but still, I'd rather beat her on my own terms. ... Sometimes? I think I do a lot better when the crowd's not watching, or something."
Rock nods, as well. "Yeah. I don't really like the crowds. I mean, I don't really do this for fame. I don't even -want- to be famous. It's bad enough being related to famous people. It'll be even worse if I have to be famous myself. I'd rather just fight for the sake of fighting. See, Terry has this thing... he doesn't care. When he's fighting, he just sort of mentally edits the crowd out."
"I... can't say I don't do it for the fame, but... I really -do- get more of a kick out of fighting people solo. Like... it's closer to the origins of the fight. It's more pure, more focused, less showy. Not trying to -impress- anyone, just to give the best possible fight without worrying how it looks." Sakura nods quietly... "I... should probably work on that, editing out the crowd, but all I can manage is ignoring announcers. Man, that schpiel can get -embarassing- at times!"
Rock grins. "Well, it's not easy. It's sort of like envisioning everyone watching your fight as being in their underwear, or something. I think it's less a skill and more... Terry just doesn't get bothered. Or maybe he just doesn't mind. I dunno. I've never really asked him about it."
Sakura's cheeks redden, at that. "I... I think I'd have -more- trouble imagining that, really..." Laughing nervously, she scratches the back of her head. "It's... it's like... I dunno. I can tune them out if I'm -really- serious. Like in my tournament fight against K-Dash, I didn't... really care about anything else. I was so dead set on beating him, nothing else mattered. Didn't beat him, of course, but still, it's the whole idea."
Rock cringes. "K'... K' is a strange guy, too. But I don't think he's as bad as he might seem at first glance. He's just been through alot. More than me, I think. Maybe more than anybody you or I have ever met." But he lets that topic die out, there.
Sakura hehs lightly, though... from the sound of it, the topics are about exhausted. "... Yeah. I think I finally made peace with him though." She shrugs lightly, grinning. "Got him off my case, anyway. But yeah... I didn't mean to drag you away from your adoring public so long. I gotta go get my evening jog in before it gets to be too late, so... take care, okay? Good luck in the tournament, Rock!" She pushes herself back to her feet, then passes a friendly wave back to him.
"Okay." Rock waves back, but he's staying on the ground until the coldness from the stones leaks into his body and makes him feel less exhausted. "See you later, Sakura. Hope you're in fighting shape soon -- I'll be looking forward to it."
Log created by Rock, and last modified on 18:22:21 01/05/2005.