Description: Her curiosity piqued by their SNF bout, Chun-li seeks out Rose to get some answers about her nemesis. Rose, intrigued by Chun-li's fighting ability and resolve, is only too happy to oblige.
The afternoon air is crisp and cold, sunlight blossoming in the skies with little effect upon the wintery chill pervading the streets of Southtown. Citizens bustle around with intent to keep themselves as busy as possible, hot clouds of breath left in their wake as they move about with speedy purpose. By the same token, gone are the mooching groups of teenagers and the shop-front clusters of tables and chairs where normally might sit amiably chattering friends and couples. One figure who fits into the former is Chun-Li, moving through the Village district with a purposeful stride and a keen gaze taking full advantage of the uncrowded streets. Fending off the cold with a dark body-warmer worn over her form-hugging training outfit, the world's strongest woman is here today for a very singular purpose.
"It should be around here..." she murmurs to herself, a trail of steam drifting between her lips and curling backward as she continues past. Glancing to the side of the pavement dominated by frost-spattered buildings, she begins to slow her pace as she comes near to the reputed location of this 'House of Mysteries' where she should find the target of her attentions. Life has been eventful these past couple of days, one failed attempt already seeing the young woman gather the harsh bruises she wears today, but now she follows directions she trusts a little more implicity...
Today, answers will be obtained.
The sign gives away very little. In fact, the downstairs is a small art gallery/coffee shop combination. However, at the side of the brick and hardwood building -- in "Starbucks chic" as it were -- is a stairwell, with a sign next to it with a crystal ball, as if it were stolen right out of a Dragon Warrior game. In Rose's eyes, it's all she needs. She trusts in fate, after all. People will come to her.
The stairway leads to a door, unlocked and with a small hand-painted 'OPEN' sign hanging in the frosted window. Inside is an absolutely gorgeously appointed former second story warehouse loft, turned into a combination living space and workspace; a wooden table of the sort favored by hack gypsies at street carnivals is present, with a small group of velvet-uphoulstered chairs surrounding it and an honest to god crystal ball in the center. In deference to the country in which it sits, the rest of the area is cordoned off by paper screens and doors.
Sitting at said table, wearing a rather too formal, ruffled gown of the darkest violet, is Rose, eyes closed, her hands hovering mere centimeters from the crystal ball. A stack of tarot cards sits to her left, perfectly ordered and face down. And as Chun-li inevitably enters, the woman looks up, slowly opening her eyes, a dark, deep gaze that perfectly matches the color of her dress.
And all she offers is a simple: "Welcome."
In this area of Southtown, the quaint art-cafe would be easy to overlook and indeed the Tai Chi mistress has done so many times. Her eyes have never lingered long enough to mark that telltale sign of the fortune-teller, and why would they? Chun-Li would hardly have banked upon finding her ultimate ally, a spiritual guide, within what must surely amount to a quaint gypsy affair. The idea of such a thing leading to the power she experienced in the Howard-sponsored battle several weeks ago is absurd, unbelievable, and quite ridiculous.
It brings a smile to the young woman's lips.
Climbing the stair with her usual grace, not allowing herself to rush forth into this meeting and appear anything less than she is, Chun-Li keeps her mind occupied with focusing and preparing for whatever today may bring. How long has she attempted to gain her vengeance with little idea of how her foe's power functions? How long has she walked her path in a befuddling darkness, and found herself regularly consumed by that darkness? The flicker of displayed amusement is well vanished by the time she pushes open the door and takes her first step into Rose's domain.
Welcome.
"Thank you. I apologise if you expected me sooner." Bowing low at the waist, the Chinese woman brings her hands together briefly at her chest, holding her lowered posture for a moment before rising back to her full stature with a small smile directed toward her extravagantly-clad host. Meeting that gaze causes a momentary hesitation that belies the confidence displayed in her initial actions, and the insight shown in her choice of words. "May I take a seat?"
"The first thing one learns, in adapting to having second sight," Rose explains, waving a hand at the chair across from her idly in response to Chun-li's question, "is the old saw, 'all things in due time'." Withdrawing her hand, she lets long, slender fingers drift idly over the top of the crystal ball for a moment, the small, clear sphere reflecting the warm overhead lighting of the room... or, perhaps, glowing with its own inner light for just a moment. However, soon Rose has hustled it away into a small box at the foot of the table, and latched it shut.
The Strongest Woman in the World is favored with a rare smile from the psychic, however, as she sits. "That is my long-winded way of saying that you have caused me no undue hardship," Rose continues with a slight chuckle. "After all, if our meeting was to be preordained, then it would, in fact, be impossible for you to arrive at 'the wrong time'." Closing her eyes for a moment, the Italian woman takes a breath, and then sits back against her chair, smoothing the ruffles of her skirt.
After a pause, however, she continues. "I shall not offer you a reading of the cards, because that is not what you came here for. Instead I suggest we dispense with the pleasantries and get to the heart of the matter... an approach, in my estimation, which best suits your forthright demeanor, Inspector." Rose's tone is carefully neutral, measured, in an attempt to defuse the potential insult in that statement.
Chun-Li drifts across to the silently offered perch, lifting a hand to unzip her overgarment and draping it across the back of the chair before seating herself. Eyes just a little wide - this curious situation briefly making a youngster of the powerful martial artist - she watches the light show triggered by Rose's movements and in a nod to her training, moreso she marks the swift and dextrous movements of the other woman. So much power and grace nestled in the form of one hardly built for the way of a warrior, and yet.. this fortune teller managed to defeat the female reckoned as the strongest around.
The Italian's words do much to break the ice despite Chun-Li's quiet awe, and a warmer smile than the first curls her lips upward. Recent circumstance has certainly proved odd enough that she is beginning to believe in the concept of fate and destiny, and though not entirely ready to accept such a thing.. she will have no trouble dealing with any allusions to it throughout this meeting. She is prepared for this, and it is with good humour that she remarks, "I'm glad the fates have conspired in such a way that I not offend you... good to see them being useful for once."
The final comment, however, draws the humour away to be replaced with a serious mein, Chun-Li giving a slow nod and settling back in her chair, hands resting in her lap. "There is no need for the honorific. I walked away from that some time ago. My name alone is enough, now. But I'm grateful for your approach to this... our last meeting has left me far too curious for formalities." She draws in a breath and sighs before leaning forward with a meaningful frown on her brow, "Rose. What you said before- you hold the key to my future. Tell me of your relationship to Lord Vega."
Despite herself, Rose cannot help but chuckle when he is addressed so. "'Lord' Vega..." After a moment, the psychic composes herself, closing her eyes for just a moment. "Forgive me. I find some dry amusement in his assumption of such a ridiculous title. Yet at the same time, he may very well deserving of such pretentious things." Here, the woman's mind might seem to wander, as she folds her hands on the table and looks intently at them, for just a moment.
After a long, weighty pause, Rose stands up, moving across the room to an ice bucket on a nearby counter and drawing from it a bottle of wine and two glasses, which she carries over to the table and sets upon them, drawing the already-popped cork and pouring both herself a glass and offering one to her guest as well. "You may be sorely disappointed to hear it, but I cannot give you the exact details of my relationship to Vega. They are private to me, just as much as the grief that drives you is private to you." Sipping the wine, Rose mms faintly. "Before you ask, I do not know the nature of your pain, nor is it any of my concern. But it clings to you like a shroud, and those with the proper sight can sense such things. I can." A pause. "As can Vega."
Picking up the wine glass, Rose glances at it briefly, with an almost slat-eyed, narrow gaze, swirling the dark red liquid inside the crystal goblet like a sommelier. "I will tell you what I know of him. His motivations, his movements, his abilities. And much of even that is hidden from even me." Replacing the glass, Rose finally catches Chun-li's gaze, her face serious. "However, you must believe me when I say that he and I could not be more opposed."
The flicker in Chun-Li's eye as Rose begins to laugh at the very mention of 'that' name, is one of fleeting anger. The odd spark of indignation is unwanted and quickly dispelled, though her frown deepens a touch even when the explanation arrives. Vega's given honorific is indeed pretentious, pompous and a sign of the bloated ego that feeds his thirst for domination but the very idea that someone can manage amusement in the face of his overhanging threat? It brings forth the most defensive of emotions from the Chinese woman, not necessarily justified or remotely logical, but very much there all the same.
Sitting back with a slow nod of her head, Chun-Li watches Rose move away and manages a slight smile and a nod in response to the proferred drink. "Thank you," she murmurs quietly, not enough to disturb the flow of conversation, and draws the glass toward her before looking up into her hostess' eyes. The nature of her pain is something she feels almost willing to share, should it bring her any closer to her goal, but what she hears forces her to hold back, merely blinking with interest as some of Vega's nature is revealed. If her nemesis can truly read the emotions of his prey, it explains much, and verifies a great deal of her suspicions.
Taking a thoughtful sip of wine, the Strongest Woman in the World does not remove her gaze from Rose until she finishes her speech. It has been verified that she will receive what she came here to seek, but this last brings a conflict of emotion. Setting her glass down, Chun-Li lifts a hand to her shoulder, idly caressing the back of her neck as she keeps her gaze averted for a moment. Finally, she speaks, looking back around to the older woman. "I believe you. I wish that I could be less trusting, but you have done nothing to prove yourself like him. His agents and allies don't work subtly - if you were pitched against me, I would know by now."
Sitting back with the ghost of a smile, she nods once more to Rose, "I believe you and accept whatever advice you might offer. I believe you know my intent, also. So please... tell me what you can of his power."
"You're right to be suspicious," Rose responds, running a finger along the rim of her wineglass. "As I believe I said to you weeks ago. If you were not suspicious, you would be a fool." A pause, again, to choose her words. Rose, unlike her guest, does not have a voice telling her to divulge the truth. Indeed, were she to do so any hope of a link, in Rose's eyes, would be irrevocably lost. Instead, she makes do with what of the truth she can reveal.
"My power, and Vega's power... they are of one source. Even among those rare practitioners of our arts -- something similar to, but rather unlike the power of 'chi' used by people such as yourself -- he and I are linked. Long ago, when I was young and confused, Vega was... my mentor." Here, Rose falls silent, closing her eyes and draining the last of her wine glass. One doesn't need to be psychic to sense that her statement is not necessarily false, but simply scratching the surface. "I didn't understand my abilities. I was drawn to him -- likely of his own design -- to learn from him. Shadaloo, his nature... all were kept secret from me. But not forever. Just one glimpse inside his mind was enough."
Another long pause, as Rose pours herself more wine... which is, coincidentally, of a particularly fine vintage. The kind that makes boyfriends fall over gasping for air when they get the restuarant check. "That was when we parted, and I understood what he is: a being of pure malevolence. He has given himself totally and utterly over to depravity, the lust for power. Irredeemable and corrupt. And sadly, the deeper he falls into the darkness, the greater his power becomes."
The validation of her suspicions actually comes as welcome news to the world's strongest woman, a breathy laugh coming forth as Rose offers this small comfort. Truth be told her instincts to come here have conflicted greatly with her more logical senses, the sheer power exhibited by Rose - let alone its nature - more than enough reason to tread with caution, coupled with the Italian woman's obscurity in the world of competitive fighting. But then, she has shown herself to be less a student of the martial arts and instead, something entirely different. A fortune teller? A figure from Vega's past? These things and so much more, by everything exhibited this far.
Her revelation now only adds fuel to the fire of curiousity, Chun-Li listening with rapt interest as the story unfolds. So difficult to imagine Vega as a younger man, or of his mentoring anyone with the demeanour of Rose. She finds it hard to envision her nemesis in any way but that which he has always been to her; this monstrously powerful and cruel-hearted man. Yet Rose speaks of being drawn to the future Shadaloo dictator...
"I see." The Tai Chi mistress nods when her host pauses, thoughtfully glancing down into the deep red liquid before her. A glimpse into the mind of Vega. Something she would desire and fear in equal measure. Listening once more in silence as Rose continues, when she is finished the Chinese woman looks up to meet her gaze across the table. "You seem almost to have sympathy for him. Was there once a very different person of the same name? I can't imagine him as anything but the loathsome creature he is now..." She frowns, a thought occurring that causes a flicker of shock deep within her eyes. "Would you not see him destroyed?"
"Sympathy?" Now that comment stops Rose short, and she actually has a bit of a laugh at it, though she doesn't haul off cackling and tip over backwards in her chair or anything. "No, no..." she continues, sipping her wine carefully and then setting it down, clearing her throat as well. "I have no sympathy. He is a blight. There is no reasoning with him, no diplomacy. All that can be hoped for is his destruction. In that we are completely agreed."
Of course, there's more to it than that... much more. Those details, however, are private as far as Rose is concerned, so she merely takes a moment to consider her followup carefully. "Perhaps, before my memory, he was different. He is old, older than you may think, though I have no idea his exact age. All I know is that for my lifetime, he has been as he is now: a being of pure evil." And here she pauses, then quirks a faint, wry smile at her next words: "Soulless, if you will."
Draining the end of her second glass of wine, the psychic places the goblet on the table but does not pour herself a third; she's a conneisseur, not a lush. "Are you worried that I might find some... long-lost feeling for him, over time?" Rose asks, her voice quiet. "Don't be concerned. We can never be anything but enemies now. I know it is difficult to accept on faith alone but I must ask you to try."
This time there is no concern over Rose's laughter, that hurdle has been crossed and this time.. the reason for it comes as an immense relief. Chun-Li's shoulders lower slightly as she releases a breath. Perhaps it was to be expected that they would see eye-to-eye on this matter, but the Chinese beauty wishes to verify every detail, wants to be sure that this ally is everything she claims to be. With this point made, the meeting seems to reach an area of plainer sailing for her, a level gaze watching Rose over the table as she continues.
Evil. Lacking in soul, lacking in humanity. Everything she has led herself to believe seems to be confirmed as true - not even figuratively, something that draws a noticeable tilt of Chun-Li's head as this dawns. The addition of a modifier makes no difference to what has been said, that smile noted and returned with a slightly bemused one of the Chinawoman's own. Concealing her bemusement, she lifts her wineglass to take a slow sip, glancing down into the liquid with a frown directed at the next point.
Clink. The glass is set back down, Chun-Li giving a light laugh, "Believe me, a great deal of this is difficult to accept. But," she pauses, drawing in a deep breath, "It feels right. Everything you tell me is sounding almost too convenient, and the fact I have searched for so long without encountering you before this time.. it surprises me. However. I have no remarkable power, but I can tell your feelings are true-" Hesitation. Taking another hasty gulp of wine, hand darting out to take the glass before setting it back down just as quickly, Chun-Li seems to leave something unsaid. Her own suspicion that Rose is not telling everything quite to plain fact. She will not linger on this, though...
"Moving on, Rose, I would like to ask how you suggest we defeat Vega. Many have tried, I've fought him on level ground three times, and three times I have failed." A wry smile twitches one side of her mouth upward, though humour does not show in her eye. "Physical power alone can't stop him, can it?"
Tilting her head faintly, Rose studies Chun-li's face for a moment. "Why would you say you have 'no remarkable power'?" she asks, the question clearly rhetorical, the psychic's finger again making a ring around the rim of her empty wineglass. "Taking even modesty into account, this is not the case. Or perhaps you think solely in terms of actual, tangible physical 'power'." Closing her eyes, the psychic takes a breath. "That is certainly part of the equation. But power -- true power -- comes from the heart, from within. In the case of Vega it is a power twisted and corrupt as his very spirit. But your dedication, your grief, your sense of honor and duty... your love? Are they not a power in their own right?"
With a slight squeak, she withdraws her finger from the glass and folds her hands in front of her, looking once again at Chun-li face to face. "You are among the world's top martial artists. And, if memory serves, a dab hand with a pistol. But these are only half the equation. If you believe that force alone can defeat Vega, then you are doomed to fail." Although she is not trying to be harsh, Rose's tone is even, calm; she is not stating opinion, to her view; she is stating fact. "Think of a young child, with night terrors of monsters in her dark room. She may punch or kick the shadows, hurl a toy at them. The shadows feel nothing. She cannot defeat them with physical force... but with bravery, self-discipline. Willpower. Heart. If you wish to defeat Vega, cultivate these things within yourself, as I sense you have done all your life. Abandon anger, abandon hatred. Search out peace, search out justice."
After delivering that little didactic speech, the psychic closes her eyes again, taking a breath, then opening them again. She does not seem so much taxed as... cautious. It takes no real effort to see that she is choosing her words with the utmost care. "The time to destroy Vega -- truly destroy him -- has not yet come. As I said when you first arrived: all things in their proper times. What we must do now is prepare ourselves for that inevitable confrontation."
Chun-Li's brief smile vanishes as she listens to her simple self-admonishment torn apart. There was little modest intention in her words, but that which was there now feels such a shameful facet of emotion... why would she disclaim her abilities in such a way? Perhaps a run of constant defeat at the hands of her enemies has taken its toll, or perhaps - more likely - she has never directly considered things in the manner Rose now encourages, and it brings forth an extra gleam of hope. If this gifted woman who has displayed such knowledge of their foe, would consider her capable? Then her training under Gen, her father's instruction and the constant strive for perfection of body and soul has clearly paid off. She at last feels the belief to go with her conviction.
One thing nags at the base of her thoughts, however. Waiting is not the issue, she has waited for several years and doubtless can hold off the final confrontation longer - it even comes as small relief that this newly found ally does not expect the hand of justice to descend too soon upon the lord of Shadaloo. Leaning forward, her arms lying at the edge of the table, Chun-Li fixes Rose with a curious glance before asking, "Then you would suggest I stop searching for Vega? That I dedicate my life to other pursuits, and wait until whenever the time is deemed right? I long ago stopped believing I would destroy him in a single fell swoop, but to seek out anything beside him..."
Pause. Tailing off, the Chinese woman glances downward with a deep and sudden frown. Hasn't she spent a good deal of the last year doing exactly this? Growing stronger in spirit, keeping her physical abilities honed but spending time upon friendship and love. That brief salvation she found in the arms of Ryu before binding him to a difficult promise... was that healthier than she would have herself believe? When the pause is over, she looks up with a smile replacing that frown, giving a nod of recogntiion at the wisdom in Rose's words. "You're right. Everything I have done away from Shadaloo, since the day my father died, has only served to strengthen me. There's only one more thing I have to know."
One more pause, this time as she leans back, hands once more settling in her lap. The look in her eye is almost pleading, hopeful, and touched with a sliver of fear. "You speak of destiny, Rose, but do you believe I can achieve what I desire? I don't need to know I /will/. Maybe I can fail. But can I succeed?"
Breathing out, Rose gives Chun-li a weary smile at that question. "One does not need to be psychic to know that such a question was inevitable," she says, in a light, somewhat teasing tone... though there is a tiredness in her face at being asked it that seems almost unnatural. "Rather than answer your question directly, I shall put it thusly. When I read the tarot for others, I tell them that a deck of cards cannot see the future. Mainly because they cannot." Reaching over, Rose picks the top card off the deck -- the Ace of Swords -- and looks at it. "Rather, they are nothing more than a focus for our own perceptions. What we glean from the tarot are the facts, thoughts, observations, wishes, and fears that are inside our own minds. We give them rein by letting the cards give them a tangible form. Thus I say that it is not so much reading the 'future', as it is reading the 'moment'."
Placing the card face down on the deck once again, the psychic turns again to her guest. "If you are asking me if you have the capability to destroy Vega? I cannot say. When it comes to him my vision is clouded," and here Rose sounds far more annoyed than she ever has before, "and I frequently can see little. Then again, I am the same to him. So I cannot answer your question. I have, however, tried to share the things that you will need if you are to succeed. Rather than seek out my validation, perhaps it would be better to reflect on your own estimation. There is no place for doubt in this endeavor."
Chun-Li does not miss the tease, and favours it with a soft snorting laugh, glancing off to one side. Perhaps it was a rather obvious line of query, but one she could not have allowed herself to skip across - this one thing is more important to her life than anything else. She means to destroy someone, vows constantly that she will, deeply persuades herself into believing these vows, but ultimately remains clueless as to her true potential. There /is/ nothing special about her power; a Chinese girl who grew up training her hardest under a true master, who has accomplished many things and while undeniably talented.. is a hard worker, and a persistent one. Little else is obvious.
Nor does she find anything else here, though a brief flicker of curiousity greets that upturned card. With little familiarity of the tarot 'art form' she reads no significance into the display, looking up to Rose to have this greet her ears.. only to experience something else entirely. There is no hiding her disappointment, though it is less than crushing. It also comes clouded, as concern for the psychic springs unexpectedly forth... as though for the first time, Chun-Li is able to look on this woman as another human being. "I'm sorry if I ask too much... my master would have told me that the answer lies within, that nobody knows my limits better than myself. But your power is strange to me." A short laugh, the warmth only somewhat forced to alleviate the situation, "It's like hearing about magic all over again."
Sobering herself with an indrawn breath, the world's strongest woman sits back in her chair, considering Rose for a long moment before giving a curt nod. "As to doubt. It's something I fight against every day, and each time I face /him/ in combat it forces me to begin all over again. I've trained my entire life to keep the heart beating in my chest no matter what dangers I face, to have the ability to face down any opponent - no matter how powerful, how skilled. There is one thing I know for certain; that when the time comes, I will either destroy Vega or see him destroy everything I hold dear."
At first, Rose simply nods. Everything Chun-li has said, to use the vernacular, 'jives' with her own feelings. Only now, with a more relaxed air, does the psychic pour herself a third glass of wine, offering seconds to Chun-li if she's so inclined. "Then little more need be said. Your convinction makes me glad, for it is something all of us arrayed against Vega and his organization will need in no short supply, and likely sooner than we anticipate." A faint chuckle from Rose, now. "I have been somewhat negligent in my own preparations, wrapped up as I am in the affairs of others. I am..." And here she pauses, taking a sip from her wine glass. "...unaccustomed to working with others. It is a hard habit to break."
Setting the glass down on the table, Rose closes her eyes once again, and perhaps somewhere in the back of Chun-li's head is the tiny 'humming' feeling of Psycho Power being used, though not on her. "He is searching for something. His 'Bee'. And his exploits of late have been particularly and uncharacteristically boisterous when it comes to that pursuit. I cannot perceive his reasons beyond reclaiming what he thinks of as his, nor can I identify who or what this 'Bee' is." In truth, this is little different from what Rose told Athena Asamiya not so long ago, just in a slightly more verbose fashion. She opens her eyes. "I am afraid that is all I have to guide your investigation. But you are always welcome here."
There are many ways in which Chun-Li is different from the youthful Psycho Soldier, but one now would seem very much more important to her quest; that this 'Bee' is someone she is familiar with both in and out of Shadaloo business. Though the actual identity alludes for the moment, when she is over the nagging 'buzz' - which comes with the intrusive and uncomfortable stirring of her emotions - she gives a nod of confirmation at Rose's words, along with a deep stare. Hardly the most useful of clues at face value, the nature of what has passed convinces the Tai Chi mistress to mark this well, and search for anything alluding to it.
Belatedly, a hand is raised to decline the proferred second glass of wine, and she reaches out to pick up the first a moment later. "You've been most helpful, Rose. Thank you." Lifting the glass in a brief toast, she finishes the contents before setting it down and sliding it away. "I would like you to know that I'm not alone... I'm part of a group that combats Shadaloo covertly. There is a man I'd like you to meet who works closely with me. He is one of few I feel I can trust completely.. I hold nothing from him save that which I would share with nobody else." She smiles, reaching back for her body-warmer and laying it in her lap as she finishes speaking, "I may send him here to talk with you, soon."
Moving to stand, the Chinese beauty executes a less formal bow in partial farewell to her hostess. "For now I'll take my leave. But please," she pauses before digging into the pocket of the held garment, drawing forth a small square of card and placing it delicately on the table before Rose, "Don't hesitate to contact me if anything should come up. You may walk alone, perhaps by choice, but should the odds ever prove overwhelming..." She tails off, with a shrug that conveys a lightness of emotion certainly not felt within the woman. The psychic has kept a careful distance that she wishes not to jeopardise, but the offer is now open.
The psychic only barely acknowledges the card -- a slight flick of her gaze to see it, the barest of nods to accept it -- and does not move to take it, but she does recognize it. She also does not stand to return the bow. It's against the Wizened Old Crone Code or whatever. But as Chun-li bows, she does give a more obvious, gracious nod. "If you feel he could benefit from speaking with me, then please do. I am glad what little I had to offer helped you in some small way."
As for the rest? "I am not drowning quite yet," Rose offers with the faintest of smiles. "But I won't have it said of me that I can dispense advice, unto a fortune cookie, but not accept it, so I will bear your statement in mind." She is silent for a moment, as if something is bugging her, but she appears to shake it off. "I won't take up any more of your time... Chun-li," Rose adds, using the Chinese woman's name for the first time during the entire evening. "May we both be blessed with good fortune in the future."
Chun-Li inclines her head in satisfied acceptance of Rose's answer, favouring the analogy with what amounts to a slight grin. There is little she can say to convey the impact this meeting may well have upon her outlook in the future, little she could think to do in thanks beside offer her own assistance - and by extension, that of the Vigilante group. It seems doubtful that a small military force could ever be the manner of aid the psychic would need, but these things do not hurt. Every weapon in one's arsenal is an extra option for the fight to come.
"Good fortune, indeed," she echoes, reflecting that this would be a sizable advantage in itself. Blind luck will not take a person far, but with some form of Shadaloo constantly upon her tail, it certainly has its uses. "Until next time we meet, Rose, I wish you the best life can offer." The phrase 'all things considered' may well be applicable, though it is added neither through word or gesture, a simple ghost of the intent flickering somewhere within Chun-Li's tone. Hope though, burns fiercer than anything in her soul and determination to take Rose's advice to heart fills her eyes. The results of this meeting may not be spectacular, but they will not fall unnoticed in the long term.
"Farewell." The final word is spoken before, with another quick bow from the waist, the Strongest Woman in the World turns upon her heel and walks away, clicking the door gently shut behind her before progressing out onto the chilly streets... a subtly changed woman.
Log created by Rose, and last modified on 07:23:55 11/30/2005.