Description: Guy turns a depressed, drunk, self-loathing Haggar into a sober, justice-seeking Haggar like only a ninja can. With multiple guest appearances by a fountain!
It's another very, very late night for Haggar at the office. He doesn't have much work to do, all the mayoral legislation is dealt with, he just doesn't want to go home. Going home means walking by Jessica's apartment on the way to his own, which means memories, which sometimes means hearing his little girl cry - and there's nothing he can do to help. Nothing. For a man like Haggar, being powerless is the worst feeling possible. So, he sits in his office, often sleeping here. He's grown a beard mostly just due to neglect, but he at least keeps that trimmed short. So, what does a Mayor in the throes of depression do when the sun is preparing to rise?
He drinks, more than he has since his wife died. A bottle of scotch is on the fine wood desk, a quarter full, but no glass in sight. Of course, who needs a glass when you're just drinking straight from the bottle? He sits at his desk, clothes wrinkled, eyes bleary, head in his hands. There are a few papers in the 'In' tray, most are in the 'Out' - at least he gets most of his work done before he hits the bottle.
There are benefits to being one of the best friends of the Mayor of Metro City. One of these benefits is the privilege of stopping in on the mayor for a visit whenever you damn well please. Guy exercises this ability every once in a while, for a variety of reasons. Usually it's just for a pleasant visit; today...not so much. Guy doesn't even bother giving a nod to Haggar's secretary as he stalks in, and boy does he ever look pissed.
This, of course, is absolutely normal for Guy. However, his purpose here isn't. He had a feeling something was up, when Haggar wasn't answering his home phone, and Guy doesn't like little mysteries like that. Throwing the door to the Mayor's office open, Guy takes a few steps in and just stares at Haggar for a moment. And the scotch. His frown, somehow, actually deepens.
What secretary? It's like 4 in the morning! You couldn't even get a hot dog right now if you wanted to, this is the one hour even Metro City considers ungodly. Mike Haggar barely even acknowledges Guy's entrance, his head lifting up just enough to see him, and then dropping back down heavily. The force jars a newspaper clipping loose, the headline clearly visible: Local Hero's Body Stolen!
Clearly, the lack of a secretary can only facilitate Guy's ninja prowess in ignoring her. It's one of those awesome things that only a true ninja can do; ignoring that which is not there. Guy folds his arms, noticing the newspaper clipping, before taking a step forward and looking down at the seated Haggar coldly. Reaching down for the clipping, Guy speaks simply. "Is this what this is about?"
"Hngrmp," Haggar supplies helpfully. He does move, at least, pushing up from his desk and stepping over to the window. Purely out of habit, he assumes his typical, authoritarian pose: hands clasped behind his back, heels close together, standing rigidly - almost. All of his little problems, the clothes, somewhat unkempt ponytail, the bleary eyes indicating both insomnia and the edge of inebriation, they all stand out more in this stately pose. And that beard, it just looks terrible, even though it's kept neat. Why does he have that thing? God, man, go back to the mustache.
So. Haggar's being reticent, is he? Well, Guy's supposed to be the strong, silent type here. It just won't do to have Haggar not talking. Moving closer to Haggar, Guy lets his hand rest next to the bottle of scotch. "Stop sulking. You're a grown man, and the mayor, besides. It's embarrassing." If he's thinking at all of how terrible Haggar's beard looks, Guy isn't saying anything at all about it.
Haggar initially just "Hrrmph."s again, but after a moment... "You were there, Guy. Apparently, you were right the hell there. Why didn't you do anything?" He turns toward Guy, and for a brief instant, and for the first time ever, he turns The Look on him - that burning rage he only saves for people along the vein of Katana, or Mr. Big. Only for a moment, though, and then it's as if a shutter drops down, dulling that fire. He turns back to the window, squinting a bit as the sky brightens - though the sun isn't quite out yet.
To Guy, it's a sign of how much Haggar's slipped that The Look comes out here. He's not terrible happy about it, and he returns an equally angry stare of furious indignation. Guy's not really the patient sort, and Haggar's quickly pushing him closer to doing something rash. "I was meditating. I may as well have been in a coma myself at the time." The words are clipped, as it's taking some willpower not to just yell at Haggar to clean himself up and stop worrying about things. "Now I have a question for you, Haggar. What the hell is wrong with you? This has gone on long enough. Come to your senses."
Haggar's response is grumbled, and not directly aimed at Guy, but it's still a response. "Couldn't do a damn thing. He got shot right in front of me. It's just like Jean, all over again..." He starts toward his desk, and probably the bottle, but thinks better of it as he walks - almost slumps - toward the dresser. He pulls it open, revealing a few shirts hung up, and starts pulling at his tie.
Alright, Guy can't take anymore of this well of vaguely drunk, disheveled self-pity. He's going to get Haggar to see sense, one way or another, and the talky way doesn't seem to be working. At least, Guy's unsure of what he could say to help Haggar along just yet. If he had time to think on it, maybe, but he's feeling pretty pissed off. He needs to get Haggar to clean up his act, you could say. Looking out the window, at the creeping light of the sun reflecting off teh pristine water pouring out of the fountain in the courtyard five stories below, Guy pauses, considering. And then he moves next to Haggar, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "I think that's enough of that." Moving his other hand in for the big man's already loosened tie, well. Guy swivels and tries to defenestrate Haggar.
COMBATSYS: Guy has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Guy 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Haggar has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Guy
COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Haggar with Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Haggar 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Guy
Even fighters on the order of Haggar can't do much when they're sucker punched... or sucker thrown, as the case may be. Guy easily pitches Haggar across a quarter of the room, through the glass window, and end-over-end into the surprisingly deep water. His tie comes off about halfway there, the dark striped thing fluttering down to the pavement. One guy who saw this, a stooped fellow with a long, scraggly goatee and a brown coat, says, "Daymn," and moves on as if it happened every day, which really just proves how awesome Metro City is. Water slops over the side of the fountain, and coupled with the splash a pretty big puddle has formed around the edifice. After an only slightly worrying amount of time, a beefy hand breaks the surface of the water, and Haggar pulls himself out, wet, cold, somewhat more sober, and angry.
COMBATSYS: Haggar takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Haggar 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Guy
Standing at the hole he made in the window with Haggar, Guy feels a certain amount of satisfaction. No real, lasting harm done...Haggar a bit more sober...And he got to work off a little of his own anger in regards to how Haggar is acting. Guy's frown even lightens up a bit. Why, it's almost like his version of a smile! Taking a step forward, off the precipice, Guy falls. It's a good distance down, but Guy is a ninja. Landing tucked in a ball, Guy rolls and comes to his feet by the edge of the fountain, relatively unharmed from his rapid descent. "Are you going to suck it up and cooperate, or am I going to have to forcibly shave off that horrible beard next?" Guy takes a shuriken out of his vest, brandishing it with a certain air of menace toward facial hair.
COMBATSYS: Guy takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Haggar 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Guy
Haggar first rips off his soaked shirt. The material in those things gets damned uncomfortable when wet. Then, he reaches back and seizes his ponytail, hanging onto it at the base and pulling once fist forward along it so as to force all the water out and increase the sexiness. He doesn't need to do anything to his pants - they're Dockers(tm). Before retorting, Haggar sprints at Guy, jumping leg-first at him with the hopes of catching his body, twisting around, and bringing him down to the ground. Hit or miss, either while his arms are locked on Guy or after getting back up, he brings his hand to his beard, rubbing at it. "Does it really look that bad?"
COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Haggar's Spinning Leg Takedown.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Haggar 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Guy
It's a damn good thing for Guy that he's familiar with Haggar and the way he fights, because otherwise things might already be going downhill for him. As it is, he's quicker than that, and since he has an inkling of what to expect, well. The ninja's legs flex for a moment, before propelling him with much force backward, flipping backward once or twice before landing on the steps leading up to City Hall. And there...he pauses, a very strange thing for Guy to do in a fight. He then answers, "It looks even worse than that." And then his arm blurs, his shuriken whizzing through the air right toward Haggar's beard. Because damn, that thing deserves it.
COMBATSYS: Haggar blocks Guy's Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Haggar 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Guy
Haggar lands neatly after his failed attack, and swats the shuriken out of the air as it nears, drawing some blood, but nothing particularly worrisome. What is worrisome is the Mayor's followup, as he turns with the motion of his arm and whirls toward Guy. I say whirls because Haggar keeps spinning, arms slamming out to either side, like a top made out of beef and anger. The stairs pose no problem for his advance, and he whirls up them as if they were flat ground. Though they do break the speed somewhat.
COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Haggar's Spinning Clothesline.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Guy
That is worrisome - Guy knows exactly what Haggar's big, meaty, whirling fists are capable of, and he really, really, /really/ does not want to get hit by them. Leaping up and out of the way toward one of the nearby columns of City Hall, Guy's feet touch against the side for a moment, before he leaps off again, foot outstretched. That is classic style. As he does so, Guy adds sternly, "Learn a lesson, Haggar - getting drunk in your office doesn't help anything!"
COMBATSYS: Haggar counters Medium Kick from Guy with Hammer Thru.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Guy
Haggar winds down out of his spin - he should've expected to completely fail to hit Guy like this, knowing the measure of the man's speed. Still, though, this is more words at once that he's heard out of Guy for about a year. Trouble is, he doesn't particularly want to hear them, though they're working on his subconcious. He's still just as angry, but less of that is focusing on Guy, and more of it is just building up inside, motivating him, making him want to step out there and take a bite out of crime, as if crime were a steak. Now /I'm/ hungry, and wish I had about thirty bucks to go down to the Outback and get a Melbourne. The point is, Haggar has fury, and as Guy comes at him with the kick he whips his left arm across, smacking into his foot and knocking it aside. Then the wrestler steps in, balling up both fists together, and slamming them into Guy's chest like a baseball bat. Now, it's hard to aim this, but just maybe Guy'll go hurling into the fountain.
Well, Guy was hoping to avoid this, but it seems an unavoidable fate. He goes hurtling the air, struck hard by the force of the blow, and winds up in the fountain with a large, magnificently sparkling splash. Moments later, he emerges, very much soaked, and looking every bit as pissed as before, especially since it seems that Haggar's barely paying attention to him. Well, there's nothing to do for it but kick the mayor's ass around until he listens.
Guy's leap out of the fountain is a bit sluggish, but it suffices to get him out of the water, at least. Rushing forward toward the steps, right back at Haggar, Guy lunges, his entire body straight and stiff like an arrow, from his heel to the open palm of his hand. Fire flickers forth, as a reddish orange ball of chi erupts from his palm, a little present to wear Haggar down a bit.
COMBATSYS: Haggar slows Hibashira from Guy with Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Guy
OK, what the hell is that? That's a fresh one. A few years ago, Haggar would have been caught very off guard by the projectile, but he's a bit more of a man of the world now, having traveled about and been irritated by people with projectiles all around. So, Haggar leans back, and slams his hand into a step up to City Hall, scooping out a large chunk of concrete with an ease that simply shouldn't occur. And he throws this at the fireball. An interesting thing happens when they meet - the two projectiles stop in midair, the fireball trying to blaze forward and the stairchunk whirling about in front of it. Both of them wear down a bit, but in the end the fireball is the manlier, and it smacks into Haggar's bare shoulder and drives him back a bit.
It took Guy a while to learn how to do that one, mostly driven by irritation much along the same lines as Haggar's, and if he gains a certain measure of pleasure from blasting Haggar with it, well. We won't begrudge him that today. Any feeling of that sort is fleeting, however, as Guy can see the fireball visibly weakened after contact with that concrete. And that concrete...man. Guy makes a quick mental note not to be in a position where Haggar can grab him in a similar fashion. Course, he's still got to attack, and so he wastes no time in rushing up behind the fireball and trying to deck (and deck it is, showing more measure of straight-out streetfighting than his usual disciplined martial arts) Haggar square in the face while he's still reeling.
COMBATSYS: Haggar endures Guy's Medium Punch!!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Haggar 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Guy
And deck Guy does, though perhaps it should be mentioned that Haggar sort of leaned at the fist, sort of punching him back with his face. Normally that would be a joke, but the force that Haggar put into the lean is such that it might be enough to bring Guy off balance. Not wasting a moment, Haggar hops up into the air, somersaulting. There's a blue flare of light around his hands as he comes back around, both hands clenched tight, and he drops with excessive force down toward Guy's headmeats.
COMBATSYS: Guy endures Haggar's Violent Axe.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\=====--\1 Guy
Guy's headmeats are tougher than they look. It's because of the whole 'stubborn vigilante' thing. It's well-known that Guy can take a beating oftentimes just as well as he can give them, and oh, speaking of which, here comes that side of the equation now. Bouncing down off the pavement with a crack, it seems at first that Guy's in trouble, but the fact of the matter is he knows precisely where he is, what he's doing, and more importantly, what he's about to do. Reaching out for Haggar's neck in midair, Guy's chi suddenly flares, building up to levels as great as he can possibly manage - and maybe just a little bit more than that, as a matter of fact.
COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Haggar with Bushin Musou Renge.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Guy
Twisting in midair once he grabs ahold of Haggar, Guy ends up on his feet - hurting, but on his feet. His frown lightens up just a bit. And then he's punching and kicking ungodly fast, flipping out as only a ninja can. Every punch and kick is accompanied by a blinding flash of light, a burst of chi that Guy's appendages just can't countain. After precisely eleven strikes, each one in a specific place, carefully controlled, Guy backflips away, giving Haggar one last kick on the chin, and then lands in a pose, two fingers held up in front of his face all ninja-like. "Ready to listen to reason?"
Haggar hurts. Ohh, but he hurts. It's really true what they say: once someone's hitting you rapidly enough, it's not really a bunch of hits but just one that hits your entire body. Haggar somehow manages to fall /up/ the stairs, blood dripping from his nose and the corner of his mouth, but he doesn't go down yet. He pushes up to his feet and wipes at his face with the back of his hand, and glares at Guy. "I don't need reason right now. What I need is whoever's behind this." Well, that's /progress/ at least. Haggar's shifted from being sorry for himself to something of an action mindset. The shutters are up again, and The Look is in his eyes, though not directed at Guy. It's not quite that The Look, but the other The Look. You know what I mean. Moving like he's not even asskicked, Haggar barrels his way down the stairs, running straight for Guy. He ducks at the last instant, grabbing at his ankle. (More if.)
COMBATSYS: Guy endures Haggar's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Guy
Haggar totally grabs Guy's ankle, right? Then he pulls, hopefully popping him off his feet, wraps his right leg around the pulled leg, and twists and he falls to the ground, wrenching the leg painfully. Then he rolls back to his feet, it's sweert.
Guy goes down, but he makes no move to avoid Haggar's meaty hands - rather, he lets Haggar wrench away, and it's quite wrenching, rest assured. However, as Haggar rolls back up to his feet, leaving Guy still on the ground, the ninja pushes off of his back with his hands and throws himself at Haggar, leading with his foot, in an attempt to painfully backflip off of the mayor. Or air, whatever. Guy's not picky. "Good. I trust you won't be drunk when you go looking for them."
COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Haggar with Kamaitachi.
[ \\ < > /////// ]
Haggar 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Guy
"Hmph!" Haggar staggers bagger whegger Guygger hang on a minute losing control ok trying again Haggar staggers back when Guy lands his backflip attack, almost falling on his ass which really would've been pretty funny. He's pretty sure he just has the energy for one more attack, though he's pretty sure he's not going to fall unconcious afterward, which is always good. "Wasn't drunk... just... a little damp." The wrestler lunges forward now, grabbing for Guy's arm with a flash of awesome blue light. (More if I PROMISE)
COMBATSYS: Haggar has reached second wind!
[ \\\ < > /////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Guy
COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Haggar's Power Swing.
[ \\\ < > /////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Guy
Alright, so many Haggar wasn't /drunk/ exactly, but alchohol was consumed and not in the happy hour down at the pub sort of way. Guy will accept the correction with grace and silence. Still, even if Haggar thinks he might be going down, Guy knows better than to exactly trust that he'll stay down. At least, not without a more extended beating. But before a beating can be delivered, a beating must be evaded, and Guy does, in fact, get the hell out of the way of Haggar's grasping hands. Those are dangerous hands. Hopping back several yards, Guy narrows his eyes, looking at Haggar for a second, and then he decides on a plan of action. Run up and kick Haggar in the chest. It's not fancy, but it's workable!
COMBATSYS: Haggar fails to counter Light Kick from Guy with Hammer Thru.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Guy 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Haggar can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Guy 0/-------/=======|
Haggar stumbles past Guy, a wave of fatigue hitting him as he misses his grab, and then he almost slips on the puddle of fountain water. He whirls around, arm swinging out to intercept the attack he knows is coming, but his timing is off and the kick comes a moment earlier than he had planned. Guy's foot smacks into his shoulder, causing him to stumble/slide back further. And for a brief moment, life is a sitcom, as Haggar finds the edge of the fountain with the back of his legs, and topples back into it.
That's that, then. Guy's delivered a beating unto Haggar, along the way Haggar seemed to snap out of his funk, and to top it all off Guy proved that he can beat Haggar if he gets to through the wrestler out of a window beforehand. So far? It's a good day. His message essentially stated, Guy starts walking around the fountain, intending to go on his merry way, but he pauses, and looks at Haggar on his back in the water. "Don't forget about the beard." And then he's off like a ninja. A sore, slowly walking ninja.
Haggar grunt.
Log created by Haggar, and last modified on 05:22:36 12/29/2005.