Description: Tora comes across Acacia working out stress in a way not compatible with public safety. A semi-friendly sparring match ensues.
It's not a nice night. Cold, frosty, firmly in the grip of winter. Not the kind of weather suited to be out in. There still are pedestrians wandering the streets, and of course cars on the roads - but traffic's fairly light for this time of evening.
The temperature doesn't seem to affect Acacia, though. She stands in an alley off a side street, oblivious to the cold. She isn't really dressed that warmly, a sweater's her sole concession to the weather. But she doesn't shiver, doesn't flinch. She just stands there, feet spread, the soles of her battered sneakers planted firmly on the grimy alley floor.
Her eyes narrow, fractionally, the fingers of her right fist curling tighter.
Then she -moves-, throwing a punch forward. It stops, an inch from a brick wall. Despite the distance, the alley still echoes with the sound of an impact, dust and plaster flaking from the side of the old building. Reaching out, Acacia runs her fingertips over the spiderweb of cracks created by the move. And frowns. "Hmph."
It's a pretty good night. A little cold, yeah, and for some reason a lot of people are inside hiding, but at least there's some folks wandering around. It's a good night for a hot meal, that's for sure.
Tora is strolling down the sidewalk, a large carry-out box cradled in his arms. Despite the chill, Tora seems to have opted to wear a normal thickness white cotton t-shirt -- not even a long sleeve t-shirt -- and his normal orange pants. Nevertheless, he's not shivering, and his only concession to the cold is holding his arms against the warm box that has a label proclaiming to be takeout ramen. The steam rising from it suggests it's quite warm indeed.
Just as everything's looking like it's going to remain quiet, Tora pauses as he hears a resounding impact.. Something nearby is getting busted up. Curious, Tora turns towards the sound -- an alley? -- and heads for it, the most curious of expressions on his face.
The only precaution Tora takes towards the possibility of danger is to adjust his grip on his box of ramen, to be sure not to drop it if startled.
While Tora's clearly a man with his priorities straight, Acacia's...well, not. She isn't male, for one thing. And while the ninja has the good sense to find warm food, Acacia's standing in an alley beating up inanimate objects.
Stepping back from the wall, Acacia draws her arm back again, before twisting to the side and unloading a backfist into the side of a building. Breath hisses through her teeth as her hand slams into the wall, with another resounding crash of bone against brick.
Of course, when she withdraws, it's clear that the wall got the worst of the encounter - plaster and paint flaking off from the distinctly abused surface.
Leaning around the corner, still more curious than cautious, Tora blinks at the sight of a chick beating the crap out of a building. That's new. He'd heard about some tournament things having people beat up .. like.. cars and stuff. But this doesn't look like it's a tournament, unless it's some secret televised thing, and buildings don't really fit the same profile as a car.
Taking the briefest of moments to glance upwards and behind him to look for hidden cameras, Tora then steps into the alley, looking over the girl in front of him. Nodding approvingly at the sweater, Tora finally speaks up. "Hey, hey, yo.. That, uh.. That doesn't look like it's a good idea. For your hand, or for the dude that owns that wall there."
Acacia doesn't reply to Tora. At least, not immediately. Instead, she takes a step back, moving away from the wall she was subjecting to intense physical trauma. She dusts her hands off on her pants legs, brushing them against the faded blue denim. Then, finally, she acknowledges Tora's arrival, turning her head just enough to looking at him.
Her face is impassive, unsmiling, narrowed eyes staring at the ninja. For a moment or two, she says nothing. Finally, Acacia speaks, her voice just barely audible.
"Maybe. I didn't really think of that."
Initially, Tora offers a vaguely friendly smile when Acacia turns to him, then he gets a good look at her expression, and the smile falters. Taking on a puzzled frown instead, Tora watches, remaining silent up until Acacia replies to him. "Yeah, yeah.. I sometimes forget that sort of thing, too. Sometimes you just get caught up in the moment, right?" Despite Acacia's expression, he grins slightly at his last statement, then goes back to looking at the girl with that puzzled expression. "So, uh.. Can I ask why you were beating up the wall? I mean, I'm sure there's a reason, I just, you know, can't figure it out."
"I'm sure," Acacia answers, laconically, turning fully to face Tora. She studies him with a faintly suspicious eye, before her expression softens, losing a touch of its overt hostility. Acacia slides her hands - apparently no worse for wear - into her pockets. She slouches slightly, as the tension drains from her muscles.
After a second, she shrugs. "Someone suggested I work out some issues this way."
Well, that's not exactly true. The hint of dry sarcasm in her voice might be a clue to that. But it's close enough for government work.
Deciding that this might be interesting enough to delay dinner a little while, Tora crouches a moment to set down his box at the corner of the building, at the entrance of the alley. Turning back to Acacia, Tora looks a mix of doubtful and amused. "Heh.. Work out some issues, yeah? Well, you know. You could, like, beat up on something that doesn't belong to someone else, or somethin' that'd probably take it okay." He pauses a moment, considering, then looks at the wall. "... well, okay, maybe that's kinda hard for ya. But you know.. I don't think that wall was a good pick." Looking back to Acacia, "So what, 'xactly, was the suggestion, if you don't mind? Maybe I could help you out."
Acacia arches an eyebrow, giving Tora a speculative look. "Really," she says. Acacia laughs, once, quietly, little more than a faint sound from her throat. It isn't mocking, though - it seems to be one of genuine amusement. "I doubt it."
Hooking a leg out, she kicks over an old packing crate lying to the side of the alley dumpster, overturning it. Then she sits down, and spreads her hands. "He suggested I fight someone. Clear my mind. Said it's what fighters do."
Acacia snorts. "I figured a wall would protest less."
Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Tora considers this. Finally, he remarks, "Well... beating the crap out of something that doesn't complain is a good way to get some stress out, yeah.. But.. Fighting is different. That's, like.. an exercise. A -fight-, tho.. In a real fight, you have to .. well, concentrate on what's there. Or get your ass kicked. So you get where you kinda have to focus.. You just don't really have much of a choice, you know? I think that's what your friend was trying to get you to do. An all-out fight might just be whatcha need." He nods solemnly, quite certain of the truth of his words.
"Is it?"
Regarding Tora with doubting incredulity, Acacia crosses her arms and stares up at the ninja. Then, after a heartbeat or two, her expression grows thoughtful. "Hm. Maybe. I've never considered it that way."
Looking away from Tora, she looks off into the distance, before finally returning her gaze to him. "That's what you think, hm?"
The corner of Acacia's mouth twitches up into the ghost of a smile. "So was that a suggestion, or an offer?"
Tora grins as Acacia considers his statements, then finally seems to be accepting them. He nods, noting, "Both, really.. I mean, I haven't had much in the way of sparring lately, been busy with my training.. But sometimes, just sometimes, you gotta get out and mix it up. Test yourself, see if you're getting anywhere.. and sometimes, it's fun."
Stepping forward, Tora offers his hand to her, clearly meant as a handshake, and announces, "I'm Tora, and I'm willing to kick your ass if you wanna try your luck." Even as he says this, he's still grinning.
Instead of grasping the hand like a normal person, Acacia just sits where she is. She regards the outstretched limb like some kind of alien artifact, doing nothing. Then, as if remembering, she gets to her feet and extends her own, tentatively.
But as she moves to shake Tora's hand, her sweater sleeve slips back a little, exposing her slender wrist - and a network of pale scars on her forearm. With a look of annoyance, she yanks the sleeve back down.
"Acacia," she mutters, "Gillespie."
Releasing Tora's hand, she steps backward and inhales sharply, holds the breath for a moment before letting it go. Her composure regained, Acacia murmurs, "I've never found this to be particularly...fun...."
COMBATSYS: Acacia has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Acacia 0/-------/-------|
Tora frowns a bit, picking up on the annoyance and apparent reluctance Acacia is showing. "Well, you don't have to enjoy it, if it's not whatcha wanna do for fun. But you hafta go at it with all you got, you know? If you can't do that, you're not gonna get much'f anywhere fightin'." Stepping backwards, Tora slips into a position that's clearly a stance of some sort, but there's no obvious style to it.. But it doesn't look like a brawling position, either.
"Hey, hey.. You have any rules you wanna lay down? 'Cuz if not, it's anythin'-goes. I'm not gonna put you in the hospital or anythin', but I'm not holdin' back."
COMBATSYS: Tora has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Acacia 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tora
"Much'f anywhere fightin'?"
Acacia cocks her head to the side, repeating Tora's words. She even manages to capture the distinct sound of his voice and his intonation, almost eerie in the accuracy of the mimicry. Acacia's faint little smile crosses her face again.
"That's it, you see...I'm not sure I want to."
The fingers of Acacia's left hand remain open, but her right curls into a fist. "But I'm not holding back, either..."
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Tora with Strong Punch.
- Power hit! -
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Tora
Shifting slightly as he sees the punch coming, Tora has a bit of a smirk. That's easy enough to.. At this point, Tora's own thoughts are cut off by Acacia slipping in slightly faster than he expected, lodging the fist in his gut. There's a short moment where Tora looks surprised and a bit hurt before he disappears in a cloud of odorless white smoke.
A shadow passes over Acacia, granting her possible warning if she's aware enough that Tora is dropping from above, a Kunai gripped in both hands. His intent is to bring the pommel down on her collar, smashing her with the blunt portion, rather than ripping a hole in her.
COMBATSYS: Acacia blocks Tora's Kunai Crush.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Tora
Something flickers in Acacia's eyes. She's taken by surprise as Tora vanishes, seemingly evaporating into smoke. Clearly, she didn't expect that. Nor was she expecting him to come dropping down from above. But the shadow does give her a split-second of warning. The girl spins round, snapping her head up to look - and her eyes go wide, as she sees Tora coming at her, a weapon in his hands. Reacting on instinct, she blocks, catching the heavy pommel of his kunai on her raised right forearm instead of her neck.
The impact drives her down, her knees giving way from the shock. But as she falls, Acacia grits her teeth. Her right arm is still in contact with the kunai, still in the blocking position. But her other arm is free. Acacia brings her left fist up in a powerful uppercut, aiming to clock Tora in the jaw before either of them reach the ground.
COMBATSYS: Tora endures Acacia's Icon of Stone.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Tora
This time, it's Tora's turn to be a little surprised. That Acacia had the presence of mind to notice him, and shift into a blocking stance, that was expected. He wasn't in a good position for a good surprise, and most people are alert enough to pick up on that. So that's not the problem. The fact that Acacia was able to hold back his double-grip smash, that's a bit of an issue. Not part of the script, one could say. So with his eyes wide, Tora doesn't even move as the fist comes up, hits his chin, and sends him flying backwards, sailing several meters to land on the alley floor in a bit of a heap.
This time, however, there are no shadows to let Acacia know that two more of Tora are rushing her from behind, diving at her from two angles. One moves to knock her legs out from under her, the other moves to shove her square in the back, with the intent of slamming her face into the ground.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Acacia with Bunshin Pileup.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Tora
As Tora goes down, Acacia releases her breath, gasping for air. He's better than she expected. Fast. And what's with that teleportation trick? But now he's down, she's got a moment to collect her wits...
...or maybe not. Acacia isn't expecting -two more- of Tora to rush her from behind. Her legs crumple as the first clone sweeps them out from under her - and then her face meets the grimy asphault floor of the alley, courtesy of the second.
Breaking free of the tangle, Acacia rolls sideways and rises in a crouch, eyes flashing dangerously. Her normal mask of impassiveness cracks, anger shining through. In a snarl, she yells, "WHAT THE HE---"
Then she stops. Dead. She assumed someone else had attacked her, from behind. Which is true, to a degree...but she wasn't expecting them to look just like Tora. "---wha? What are you, triplets?"
COMBATSYS: Acacia focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Tora
The first Tora pulls himself to his feet, getting his bearings back as the two other of Tora -- the ones that jumped Acacia -- take a step back, then vanish in small puffs of white smoke. Rubbing his jaw, Tora remarks, "Damn. You're pretty good. Tough." Nodding to himself, he comments -- although it's not clear if this is directed to Acacia or not -- "Yeah, you're good enough to try it on.." Nodding again, as if from a decision made, Tora steps back into a combat stance.
This time, however, there's a pretty notable difference.. There's a thin layer of orange chi-flame lining both of his hands. Grinning, Tora gives Acacia a short moment to see him, then charges forward. Lunging at her, Tora throws a simple but fast straight punch at Acacia's own jaw, the flame on his fist increasing in intensity just before he strikes.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Acacia with Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
As the two other Tora vanish, dissipating in clouds of smoke, Acacia's attention returns to the sole remaining one. "I'm flattered," she says dryly.
Then Tora attacks. Acacia doesn't flinch - but that's possibly because she doesn't have time to. She takes the chi-laced blow firmly across the jaw, reeling backward. Her eyes flicker shut for a second, as she stumbles up against the alley wall. That -hurt-. More than it should.
"Not triplets. What are you," she murmurs, "some kind of ninja?"
Then her eyes snap open. Her jaw hurts, sure. But Acacia ignores it. She's got more important things on her mind - like dealing with Tora and his strange techniques.
COMBATSYS: Tora dodges Acacia's Bonebreaker.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
Tora only replies to Acacia's question with, ".. Yeah, something like that." but he says it with great cheer. It's a multi-level joke, for him. Then he takes on a more serious expression, focusing back on the fight. He does not intend to make light of Acacia, nor does he want her to think he is, so he keeps his attention on what she's doing now.
And that, as it happens to be, is a rather remarkable and painful-looking technique. Shifting his stance even before she starts moving, Tora quickly throws himself to one side, slipping out of Acacia's path, but looking vaguely concerned with the nearness of it. Even then, however, Tora does not stop to consider the situation, preparing his next action even as he is getting up from his quick dodge.
Clapping his hands together, holding them in a double-fist, Tora increases the intensity of the flame around his hands and arms, so instead of a thin lining, there's an intense aura of orange flame, although only around his arms and hands. Moving quickly, he pushes himself forward again, hoping to catch Acacia in the back with the hammer fist before she recovers from her technique.
COMBATSYS: Acacia endures Tora's Burnt Offering.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Acacia 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Tora
Too slow to halt her forward charge, Acacia slams into the alley wall, shoulder-first, like a human piledriver. The brick surface isn't up to the challenge, and it shatters, showering Acacia in flecks of paint, plaster, and broken masonry.
And then the wall craters -again-, as Tora's flaming hammerfist scorches into Acacia.
A moment passes, before Acacia pulls herself back to her feet. Blood trickles down the side of her face, flowing from the corner of her mouth. She it wipes away with the back of her hand, as she turns to face Tora. Her sweater is faintly charred, soot staining her features. But she doesn't show any obvious sign of pain, despite her obvious injury.
Instead, she just regards Tora. Warily. A little indecisive. As if not too sure what to make of the energy manifestation.
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Tora with Bonecrusher.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Acacia 1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1 Tora
Realizing there's something about that technique that Acacia is working on that he -really- doesn't like, Tora takes half a step back, then moves as if about to leap aside, to get out of the way of the energized blow that he knows is coming. .. but he doesn't move fast enough. Not nearly fast enough. The punch sails in, impacts with his nose, and shatters it. But that's not actually the entire effect it has on him. Just as the air seemed to shimmer around Acacia's fist as prepared her strike.. So now does Tora's entire outline, looking as if the edges of him are out of focus. This only lasts a moment, and then Tora is stumbling back, one hand to his face while he tries to keep his eyes on the one who hurt him through the tears.
"Oh, OW, man, freaking --" He trails off, still watching Acacia, then stands up, removing his hand from his crushed nose. He's still clearly in pain, but he shoves that aside for now; the fight isn't over. Readying himself to fight again, he shifts his combat stance to something that looks a little more focused on speed, and the firey aura around his hands lessens, to the point that it isn't obvious anymore. Still there, if you're looking, but not clear.
Rushing forward, Tora claps his hands again, but this time pulls them apart, shoving one hand forward towards Acacia in a clear palm strike aimed for her chest. There's a small ball of chi nestled just in his palm, right at the center of the striking area.
COMBATSYS: Acacia interrupts Wisp's Touch from Tora with Unyielding Stance.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Acacia 1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0 Tora
Refusing to give way in the face of Tora's assault, Acacia stands her ground. She doesn't make any attempt to dodge. She simply sets herself, squares her shoulders, and brings her arms across her front, crossed in a simple X-block. She meets Tora's attack, unflinching, the sphere of flame licking at her sweater sleeves.
Wisps of flame swirl off into the air, dissipating harmlessly into the air. Over her crossed arms, Acacia smiles, a grin crossing her battered visage. "Never seen anything like you."
Pulling back his hand when it's clear he's not getting anywhere, he takes a moment to consider. He's still grimacing from pain; his nose is still shattered, and while he's otherwise doing fine, that put a little damper on his spirits. So for now, he thinks.
".. probably not. I like t'think I'm one'f a kind, you know? And you're th'first person I've seen around my age -- 'specially for girls, since most'f'em focus on getting out of the way of hits -- that could take one's good as you." His voice is even rougher now, although that's partially because his nose is complaining about its wrecked state, and partially because his nose is wrecked. So, for now, Tora take a moment to think, and plan.
COMBATSYS: Tora focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Acacia 1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0 Tora
"That's how my father taught me," Acacia replies, narrowing her eyes, "and for what it's worth, you're the best I've fought...besides him."
As she says the last two words, Acacia takes a single step, moving closer to Tora. Then she stops. For a moment, it seems like she's doing nothing, just like him. Studying her opponent from up close, sizing him up. An old-fashioned staring match.
It -looks- like that, anyway.
Until you notice the faint network of cracks beginning to appear beneath Acacia, radiating out from where's she's standing.
COMBATSYS: Tora dodges Acacia's Irresistible Force.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Tora
Tora is still watching Acacia with a contemplative expression when suddenly he realizes something isn't right. Just as the asphalt begins to crack, Tora's eyes widen, and he takes half a step backwards. He's already tensing himself for movement when he sees the round wall of pain begin to manifest. Leaping backwards, Tora pulls out a couple of kunai, flinging them towards Acacia mid-flight. He doesn't spend any more attention on them, instead putting his focus on the back-flip and landing down the alley, away from all that energy. He's not funning, just.. keeping distance. Until that mess stops.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Acacia with Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Acacia 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Tora
Acacia breathes, heavily, as the shockwave dissipates, drawing in air with ragged gasps. She looks up, searching for Tora...just in time to see the flung kunai. She sees them coming, but there simply isn't enough time to react. The first blade takes her in the shoulder, spinning her to the ground. Though, mercifully, the second narrowly misses Acacia as she falls.
Wincing, the girl stumbles back to her feet, using the metal ruins of a dumpster for support. The garbage collection box is wrecked and twisted from Acacia's release of power, but it's still solid enough to help her back to her feet.
Pulling the kunai free from where it's embedded in her left shoulder, Acacia lets it fall to the alley floor, trailing blood.
And that's all the recovery time she needs. Acacia breaks into a run. Unsteady, at first, though she becomes more surefooted as she gains speed, crossing the battleground in a direct path to Tora. As she closes in on him, she makes a strange dance-like side-step, turning suddenly sideways - snapping an arm forward, elbow raised parallel to her body. Driving it toward Tora's collarbone.
COMBATSYS: Tora endures Acacia's Mass Driver.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Acacia 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Tora
Tora watches Acacia deal with the kunai, and nods. Tough one, like he said before. He has to respect that. That last display of power, tho.. That's not respect Tora had for it. That was pretty much terror.. But it seems to have passed, and so Tora is ready to continue where he left off, taking up a ready stance even at this distance from Acacia, looking more sure of himself. He has one more thing he needs to test, to see if it works the way it's supposed to..
Tora waits for Acacia to close in on him, watching for tell-tales of whether there will be manifest energy in whatever technique she uses next. Without any obvious use of chi, Tora sets up the nex -- oh, hello.
This new surprise being the turn Acacia made just before meeting with him, and .. Well, that doesn't matter. Quickly adjusting his plan, Tora makes absolutely no attempt to avoid the strike now heading for his shoulder, instead using the very brief moment that he has to form a simple and crude circle with his fingers, angling the ring so that it is aimed towards Acacia's face. Just before Acacia's strike, a bright flash of orange chi is visible within his hands, and then a burst of orange flame leaps out of the ring.
At this point, Acacia's strike hits Tora's shoulder, and he's sent flying backwards. But before he gets far, he raises his hands, trying to slam the burst of chi flame into Acacia's face. Whether that hits or not, he lands in a backwards tumble, coming to a stop in a crouch. He looks worn, but still quite ready to fight.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Acacia with Flame's Fury.
[ \\\ < > //////// ]
Acacia 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Tora
The flame does indeed hit. Oh yes, it hits, very much so.
Acacia isn't one to react, audibly, to an attack. This time, though, for the first time in the fight...she hisses in pain, biting back a scream. But any sound she makes is drowned out by the roar of Tora's flame searing her body. She tries to interpose an arm in the path of the fire, to block, to do -something-...but there's not much she can do.
Thrown backwards by the blast, trailing flames like a human comet, Acacia makes painful contact with the ground. She bounces a couple of times before coming to a halt, some distance from Tora.
Then, amazingly, she gets up. Not quickly, certainly not easily. But she does rise, forcing herself to stand, forcing the pain from her conscious mind with an effort of will. She's in bad shape, obviously. A nasty burn across her right cheek, some of her hair singed, the right sleeve of her sweater charred and reduced to rags. But she's standing. Just.
"Alright," Acacia whispers, her voice hoarse, "alright."
Once again, she breaks into one of her trademark charges, breezing forward like a sprinter at the starter's gun. Her sneaker soles pound against the alley floor - before she leaps off the ground, pushing off. Arms braced in a cross before her lowered head, flying towards Tora like a human missile.
She hisses one word: "Hammerfall."
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Tora with Mass Driver.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\ < > // ]
Acacia 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
Tora stands up from his crouch, watching Acacia deal with the chi trick. "... heh. Worked better than I hoped. Bet Shade'll love that." He's talking to himself, and it's quite probable that as busy as she is, Acacia won't even notice it. Then Acacia gets back up, and appears to get ready to fight. Nodding in respect of her will, he simply says, "Spirit." Then he shifts back to a ready stance. As Acacia barrels in, he shifts his stance slightly, almost imperceptibly.. But what Acacia may or may not notice is that the flames have vanished from his hands and arms. As Acacia gets in close, he moves to step to the si--
Ow. Wait. That wasn't..
Tora finds himself impacted with, and it hurts a whole hell of a lot more than he was even vaguely prepared to deal with in that instant. Thinking fast, looking for something, anything, grasping for -- grasping. Before he might lose consciousness, Tora quickly reaches to grab at Acacia, and tries to use what leverage he can to redirect her, hopefully straight into the alley wall.
He isn't really aware of what happens next.
COMBATSYS: Tora has reached second wind!
[ \\ < > /////// ]
Acacia 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
COMBATSYS: Acacia counters Quick Throw from Tora with Immovable Object.
[ \\ < > //// ]
Acacia 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Tora
Acacia's slender frame doesn't look like it weighs much. And it doesn't. Yet when Tora moves to throw her...he completely fails to budge the girl. It's like trying to sling half a ton of metal. No momentum imparted, nothing. His hands grab her, yes, but it's like pushing off something anchored in mid-air.
In response, Acacia allows herself a tight little grin, in spite of her pain and physical condition. Before twisting round and driving her knee into Tora as he breaks off. Dropping to the ground herself, she lands heavily, in a crouch. Then stays there, watching if he gets up.
In a bit of irony, Tora had just begun to regain awareness of what's going on around him just as a knee finds its way into his midsection. Remaining a dead weight a moment longer as the shock of more pain on top of waking up keeps him from doing anything productive, Tora falls to the ground, coughing once. He lays there a moment, then slowly starts pushing himself to his feet. He pauses a moment to note, "Damn, girl.. you're -tough-." He coughs again, a small bit of blood spattering the asphalt -- but not quite as much as one might expect given the punishment he's been through. ".. but I don't think I'm ready to stop yet."
Standing up fully, Tora sets up his combat stance, looking hurt, but somehow just as ready to fight as when he started. And, at that moment, two more kunai come flying by towards Acacia, thrown by two of Tora standing in the shadows behind some boxes in the alley. As the blades fly by him towards his opponent, Tora only notes, "But I hope you're about done, 'cuz my food's gettin' cold."
COMBATSYS: Acacia blocks Tora's Thrown Object.
[ \ < > //// ]
Acacia 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Tora
The sound of blades slamming into flesh and bone isn't very loud. But it's distinct, to the trained ear. And two of those sounds echo across the alley, coming so close as to almost be one.
Then, Acacia lowers her arms. There's a kunai embedded in each, sticking out of her forearms, left and right. She's seen Tora's duplication trick once, and was half-expecting it again. Blood trickles down her arms, flowing in rivulets from the blades still embedded there. But Acacia ignores them.
This isn't the worst Acacia's been beaten. She's suffered far heavier injuries in her life. But this is the first real no-holds-barred combat she's had against a fighter of equal calibre. Honestly, if she let herself think about it, she'd be surprised she's still standing. But Acacia isn't thinking. Not really.
Her mind isn't terribly coherent at present. While she usually approaches combat with detatched aloofness...she's different now. Focused, driven, unlike her normal self. Or perhaps truer to who she really is. "Damn right, I'm tough."
Again, she charges Tora. But not the first. One of the clones, the one on her right. Snaking her hands out, ignoring the burning from the kunai wounds, she attempts to grab the Tora-Bunshin's arm, lifting him bodily in a judo throw - sending him spinning towards the -original- Tora.
COMBATSYS: Tora dodges Acacia's Negative Torque.
[ < > //// ]
Acacia 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Tora
Sighing a bit at the rather little effect his blades have on Acacia, he stands there, waiting to see what she does next. When she grabs another of Tora, he blinks, looking puzzled. What is she... oh.
Tora can't quite keep himself from laughing as he's thrown at himself. The other Tora disappears in a cloud of smoke, the remaining momentum carrying the smoke past him, leaving Tora entirely unaffected. Shrugging slightly, Tora notes, "I kinda think you shoulda seen that one comin', y'know." He doesn't otherwise make any moves, instead just stands there, as does the other Tora standing on the other side of Acacia.
COMBATSYS: Tora focuses on his next action.
[ < > //// ]
Acacia 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Tora
Acacia mutters something vague, and likely uncomplimentary. She says it mostly to herself, though, instead of voicing it to Tora. Her eyes flicker, shifting between the two remaining ninja. She's pretty sure she knows which is the real deal - the one to her side, the one that threw a kunai...that the clone, right? Right?
Acacia narrows her eyes, brow furrowing. Okay. So she's not -that- sure. The guy's sneaky, and he's already demonstrated how he can virtually teleport. She breathes, air rasping harshly through her lungs, and rubs her head, blood and sweat plastering her hair to her skull. The kunai are -still- embedded in her arms, though she makes no move to withdraw them.
"Fine," she says, swaying slightly, finding it hard to stay upright. Then she lunges toward Tora, in the same breath. Virtually falls forward, really - except she leads with her fist, the tightly-clenched hand shooting out as she topples. Acacia being shorter than Tora, it'll probably contact his midriff. If it does.
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Tora with Strong Punch.
[ \ < > / ]
Acacia 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Tora
Tora starts to move out of the way, even wearing a bit of a smug expression, when he gets nailed right in the gut. Again. Blinking with a little surprise. Tora falls to one knee, and lets out a pained sigh. Closing his eyes, he wobbles once, then finds he has to prop himseful up with one hand to keep from falling altogether. For the briefest of moments, the firey aura begins to build around his hands, and then.. it just fades out. Shaking his head, Tora announces in a weak voice, "Damn, girl, you're good. You win." Left unspoken is that he underestimated her on more than one count, but she can probably catch that. "Hope you got somethin' out of it aside from those cuts and burns." At this point, Tora puts what remaining effort he can into scooting back against the wall to lean against it as he looks up to Acacia.
COMBATSYS: Tora takes no action.
[ \ <
Acacia 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Tora can no longer fight.
[ \ <
Acacia 0/-------/----===|
Landing on the ground, after her last-ditch punch at Tora, Acacia doesn't move. For a moment, it seems like Acacia doesn't hear what Tora says - it isn't clear if she's even conscious. Then she slowly gets back up, on her hands and knees. Flopping over, she draws her battered body into a sort of sitting position, and looks over at Tora.
She eyes him, her mouth twitching. Then she forces a smile. "Yeah," she says, "maybe."
Finally pulling the kunai from her forearms, she sets the blades on the ground and shoves them in Tora's direction, sending them sliding across the alley floor. Wincing, she studies her own injuries...then reaches into a jeans pocket, pulling out a small green package. Bringing it to her face, she bites the packet open, and deftly withdraws what looks like white bandage, with a vaguely medicinal scent. Military field dressings, actually. Slowly, she begins winding it over her arms, and her wounded shoulder.
"You okay...Tora...was it?"
Grin.
COMBATSYS: Acacia has ended the fight here.
Tora lets out a pained chuckle, and nods to confirm the name. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine.. been through worse. That mayor dude from America.. What's his name.. No offense, but he hits harder'n you. Was fine then, 'll be fine now." Then, at that point, Acacia brings up a very important point. "... hey, yeah. um, can you do me a favor, and bring over my dinner? I'll just eat it here, then head home .. uh.. later." Probably a bit later. But the food'll make a difference.
Acacia laughs, a dry chuckle. It isn't an unpleasant sound, though her normal mid-alto voice is a little cracked and hoarse from the experience of combat. Tossing the remains of her field dressing away, Acacia gets to her feet. She's quite a sight, what with her tattered sweater and its rags bound by makeshift bandages. But she doesn't seem to care. "No offense taken. I'm -from- Metro City," she murmurs, "I'm familiar with Mister Haggar."
Stumbling over to the alley mouth, she picks up Tora's packaged food, and brings it over to him. Not very fast, mind you, given that each of her steps are so slow and deliberate. Setting it down in front of Tora, she turns and heads out of the alley. She starts to wave, once on the street - and then winces. Stops. Thinks better of it, because clearly, it hurts.
Log created by Tora, and last modified on 20:56:53 01/09/2005.