Description: Though it's not a league fight, Kula and Charlie decide to have a friendly rematch.
Southtown Village is entering the full holiday season, with only two real weeks left until 'the big day' struck. Decorations covered brownstones and lights illuminated windows from the inside, while people returned home from a day of picking out what was left amidst the Christmas trees. The few stores that are spread through Southtown have their usual decorations up, and 'specials' that are only available during that time of year. Of course, why anybody would want a peppermint latte or a free tree decoration any other time of the year was beyond Kula Diamond's understanding.
The poor girl is still rather clueless as to what's going on around her. All she's really been able to understand is 'people get together', 'some gifts are exchanged since for some reason, people mean more to each other that day', and 'the best cartoon she's ever seen was on last week, about that round-headed kid and dog from the comics'. Other than that, she's perplexed. Christmas was never celebrated at NESTS, and Kula's gifts were always based on performance, not on what day it was.
But holiday thoughts are for later, as the blonde-haired girl is waiting at one of the slower streets of Southtown Village, a small crowd having gathered to see what happens. It was supposed to be a League Fight, but someone overbooked Kula and Charlie, so instead the option was put forth to the fighters to simply have a 'spar' so they don't have to worry about spending too much time inactive. Kula's currently sitting on a public mailbox, legs resting down on either side, and her hands lightly drumming the metal in front of her while she waits for the 'ref' to wave her over once the traffic cones are done being set up and the audience is instructed to stay out of the way.
Ah, Christmastime. Once quite heavily celebrated by Charlie, being a midwestern American, but now often shunted aside in favor of paperwork, training, or missions. Still, he celebrates when and what he can--in this case, this year, meaning small gifts for the Vigilantes and quite probably something larger for Chun-Li--Guile, that little @#($*#(, hasn't shown his face 'round, in a while, and while Charlie's concerned for him, he doesn't want to stand on ceremony. Besides, what would he get Guile? A new comb? Brushhead's broken the last five...
While Charlie's been staying in Southtown lately, he hasn't been out of contact, and so it goes that he had been contacted for a league fight... but then was told that Kula was overbooked. But he wanted to see the young NESTS fighter again anyways, and so he cheerfully agreed to the spar.
"Kula," greets the older fighter, dressed... well... as he usually is, save for a dashing, warm woolen scarf... in military olive drab of course.
A slight pause in mid-drumming, and even though she's frustrated that she's the only one who can make it out as the 'Linus and Lucy' theme song from Peanuts, Kula still smiles at Charlie as he approaches. "Oh, hey." Kula sits back to place her hands on the mailbox, catching herself from falling backward at the same time, and then slips down off the metal container to land on her feet. She's dressed in her usual fighting leathers and gloves, and doesn't seem to feel too put off by the chillier temperatures. Funny, that. "You all set for this?"
Kula's hoping she does as well this time as she did before, though she knows there's no guarantees. And before they really have a chance to speak is when the referee waves the two over. He's bundled up in a winter coat, and still looks like he's shivering. Kula waits for a reply from Charlie, and then smiles at him before she hurries over to get to her spot, hair shifting to blue as she goes, and does a last-minute adjustment of her outfit, boots, and gloves before nodding to the ref to confirm she's ready. Chatting will have to wait until afterward, when they're both good and tired.
COMBATSYS: Kula has started a fight here.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|
Charlie shrugs, philosophically, then grins as Kula gets up and to her spot... the haircolor shift still earns a quizzical look, as that's just not normal (someday Ryu will go blonde when he's charging up and -then- all bets are off), but he shakes it off quickly.
"Guess we'll find out, huh? I hope you're not like, more powerful in winter, or something." That would be bad, as Kula's pretty strong to begin with... still. Charlie walks over to his starting spot and puts his dukes up, as it were, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, watching Kula warily. He doesn't want any surprises this time around.
COMBATSYS: Charlie has joined the fight here.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Charlie
"Winter?" The thought had never occurred to Kula. And...she doesn't think so. If anything, it would balance out since it is colder, yes, but the air is so much drier she has to work harder to get moisture to form into ice. Kula shrugs at Charlie, and the smiles and starts to skate towards him. When she crosses the distance halfway, she crouches, both to keep her speed up and to be able to turn around easier, aiming a punch at Charlie's knee. There's not enough force to do any real damage, but the speed and force would hopefully knock him off balance if it hits, and lets her slide on by.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Charlie with Medium Punch.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Charlie
Well, hmm. Kula's approach is a bit faster than Charlie expected; the crouching, skating attack strikes true, locking his knee painfully for a moment, letting Kula skate on by.
"Tch," comments the American, and uses the locked knee as a pivot, spinning around before unlocking it, with an audible *pop*. At least he's mostly got Kula's back now--or at least she's moving away from him. Rather than try and pursue, Charlie chooses to pull his right arm back, the fist glowing with concentrated energy, carving out a brief arc as he slings it at Kula, a spinning, wide projectile of white energy hurling off and towards the young woman. Charlie accompanies the attack with a shout of "SONIC BOOM!" Sure it announces the attack, but it also lets him focus some and is part of the usual routine for it.
COMBATSYS: Kula slows Sonic Boom from Charlie with Diamond Breath.
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Kula 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Charlie
Kula slowly turns around, pushing herself up as she slides, just in time to see the spinning blast come at her. The girl quickly brings a hand to her mouth and blows a stream of small ice shards at it, trying to overwhelm and send something flying back at Charlie, but really. A stream of ice versus a spinning energy attack like that? Yeah, she's lucky she's able to slow it down, stumbling back after it rams into her and knocks her down with an 'umph.' She pushes herself back up again slowly, watching Charlie to see what he does next.
Part of Charlie wants to go easy on the girl. It all comes down to that midwestern American upbringing. But he knows, from personal experience, that generally 1) Women aren't weak and 2) Women fighters in particular aren't weak and generally don't like being treated like that. So it's with a bit of a sigh (don't watch this fight ma) that Charlie tries to let go of the slight feeling of shame that comes over him as he moves now, taking three pounding steps on the pavement before leaping up and forward with a flying knee aimed for Kula's stomach.
COMBATSYS: Charlie successfully hits Kula with Knee Bazooka.
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Kula 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Charlie
Kula would much rather Charlie not hold back. She's felt a bit low as of late, having lost, at last count, she believes, the last six fights she was in (though, maybe she shouldn't include when Vega broke her arms). With her self-esteem riding a bit low, it really wouldn't help for her to realize someone wasn't doing their best, cause if she was able to win, it would feel 'cheapened'. The girl's eyes move up to Charlie's arms, her own rising up to meet them when they come down at her, and...um...they're not coming down. In fact, they don't look like they're even going to be used for the attack, now that she thinks about it. That incoming knee, on the other hand, looks like it's going to hurt. And sure enough, it does. The knee meets her stomach, and drives Kula back again as the air gets knocked out of her, and she stumbles over to land on her rear. However, all is not lost for the girl, as she places a hand on the ground, sticks one foot against the ground to brace herself, and kicks her other foot up at Charlie's stomach, giving it a bit of a boost from some ice forming over it. Just so it has some weight, of course.
COMBATSYS: Charlie interrupts Medium Kick from Kula with Step Kick.
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Kula 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Charlie
Kula's foot will strike Charlie's stomach, for sure. But it's a glancing blow, as Charlie's turned his body to the side... the kick not finding solid purchase.
And why did Charlie turn to the side? Well, it's because he was stepping into Kula--into her kick--to respond with a kick of his own, and the stepkick strikes true as well, right into Kula's upper body. Charlie doesn't go for the face. Unless it's Rugal, or Saishu.... he just can't do it. He pulls back from the kick, bouncing on his toes lightly... watching Kula with concern and curiosity. How will she react after the hit?
Mostly by falling back onto the ground and lying there for a moment as she takes in a couple breaths. "Ow." It's the only real audible sign from the girl before she rolls herself over and pushes herself back up again, doing a quick dust-off. An exhale, a grim smile, and Kula is ready to fight again. And so she does, by hoping Charlie was keeping his eyes on her upper self, and not on her left foot, which has been growing a good-sized chunk of ice over it. She steps back, and then kicks that leg up, both freeing it and sending the block into the air where she turns around, and with her other foot kicks it at Charlie.
COMBATSYS: Charlie endures Kula's Counter Shell.
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Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Charlie
Charlie's in motion almost before Kula's done kicking out that ice chunk--but she does get it thrown out there. It takes him right in the chest, splattering across vest and skin and all that. But Charlie doesn't seem to care, as he flies forward, coming down at Kula with an overhead, poleaxing punch. Charlie Otoshi, baby! Though it'll probably hit harder than Sakura's... well, one may hope.
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Charlie's Strong Punch.
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Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Charlie
Will it hit harder than Sakura's punch? One would assume so. Luckily for Kula, the question will remain unanswered for now, as the girl simply closes her eyes and falls backwards. Feeling the 'whiff' of the punch pass her nose by barely an inch, Kula sets her hands behind her to catch her, and then pushes, bringing both feet together and up to kick at Charlie's shin to knock him over as he lands.
COMBATSYS: Charlie blocks Kula's Slider Shoot.
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Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Charlie
Charlie's lands in a crouch; the nature of the overhead punch means his arms are -right there-. So he just catches Kula's feet on his forearms, getting shifted over about six inches, when she attacks. And his counterattack is immediate, almost instinctive, swinging a quick hook punch around with his left hand, aimed for Kula's calf... let's see if we can't damage her mobility some, or at least make her movements a little more awkward, shall we?
COMBATSYS: Charlie successfully hits Kula with Quick Punch.
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Kula 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Charlie
[OOC] Kula aughs.
The blow lands, and Kula grits her teeth. After all, Charlie's muscle mass vastly outnumbers hers, and she wasn't exactly built to take a punch to her joints. The girl did her best to lift her feet out of the way, but when Charlie is right /there/, it's hard to do. Kula drops back down onto the ground again, and favoring one ankle over the other, slowly gets back up. Well, she doesn't really want to do much in the way of kicks, so Kula simply balls a fist up close to her, and suddenly jabs it at Charlie's chest. NESTS taught her well from Bruce Lee movies, as the short, jerky punch has a lot more force in it than might meet the eye.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Charlie with One Inch.
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Kula 1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Charlie
Jeet Kune Do? Only so-so! Or not, in this case, as Kula's stolen technique tags Charlie in the chest--and for quite a hit. Not a bad one in this case at all; Charlie tumbles, still low, coming up from the roll with a bit of a grin.
"Nice hit," he says, as he rises from his crouch--he backsteps just a little bit, making a couple of feet's worth of distance between Kula and himself. But rather than attack, he simply focuses on Kula, studying the girl's movements, her intentions, trying to divine what's coming next.
COMBATSYS: Charlie focuses on his next action.
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Kula 1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Charlie
"Thanks." Kula takes a few deep breaths, thankful for the brief respite, and then closes her eyes and thinks for a moment. Decisions...ah. Kula's eyes open, and Charlie might notice the ground around her slicking over from the ice that suddenly spreads. With that done, Kula rushes forward, reaching to grab Charlie's arm as she steps past, kick back at his knee to loosen his footing on the ice, and then flip him forward over her shoulder. Not a bad effort for a small girl, huh?
COMBATSYS: Charlie interrupts Quick Throw from Kula with Step Kick.
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Kula 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\===----\1 Charlie
Kula's grab works, for sure--but she doesn't get to flip the man. He simply twists, kicking Kula away from him--no flip. He does step on the ice slick, though, and is forced to break his fall on his hands, leaving him in a crab-like position for a moment, probably not a good place to be all told....
Ow, okay, yeah, that kinda stings! Kula stumbles away, flails her arms, and then falls down onto the road with a thump, and just lies on her stomach for a second. "...ow." She really needs to watch out for that kick. Kula shakes her head, and then looks back at Charlie doing his crab-impression, and raises an eyebrow before she focuses, bringing one hand up with a miniature swirling model of a galaxy, only made of ice crystals and snowflakes. It spins in her hand, and then she pushes herself up to a crouch, and slams that hand down on the road. There's a brief rumble, and then the pavement cracks (your tax dollars at work!) as ice columns erupt from the ground, in all directions, in a line towards Charlie. They're blunt-tipped, so there won't be any skewering or stabbing with them, just some moderate blunt force trauma if they connect.
COMBATSYS: Charlie overcomes Diamond Edge from Kula with Sonic Break.
- Power hit! -
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Kula 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Charlie
Charlie seems to recall seeing this before. When was that? Oh yeah, medal tourney. He didn't like it then... and he doesn't like it now. As the line of icicles marches towards him he hops back about five feet, using the brief airtime to charge up. And when he lands, both hands are glowing, and he whips them forward left right left right, slinging white-green blades of spinning chi into the icicles. "SONIC... BREAK!" cries the man, sounding half-desperate, half-exhilarated by the outpouring of chi that smashes through the icicles and back at Kula.
COMBATSYS: Kula fails to reflect Sonic Break from Charlie with Diamond Shell.
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Charlie 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Kula can no longer fight.
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Charlie 0/-------/---====|
Kula's eyes narrow as Charlie's attack shatters through her ice columns and charges towards her, and for a moment NESTS' training takes over, causing the girl to suddenly almost blur as she crouches down, ice enveloping her into a miniature version of her own ice coffin, only thicker. Truly, Kula isn't even visible inside of it when it's done forming. The projectile connects, and there's an explosion of ice and dust. If it worked, there should be a blast of energy rebounding off of what's left of the defense to strike back at Charlie. If it doesn't work...well, since there's no energy, we can safely assume it didn't work. When the dust clears, Kula's sprawled on her stomach, looking lightly singed and freezer-burned from that stunt. She doesn't really seem like she's going to move any time soon, which means the medics are free to hustle in to make sure everybody's okay.
Charlie, himself, goes to his knees afterwards; the last few seconds of the match not only tense, but a drain on Charlie physically and spiritually. Still, he gets up and wobbles over to Kula's prone form, concernedly.
Kula's not unconscious, just completely drained and in a bit of pain. Nothing serious. She smiles at Charlie, and says, "Guess you won this one." She's still got that Linus and Lucy theme song stuck in her head, though, and as she lies there, she just starts humming it softly to herself, something to cheer her up.
Log created by Charlie, and last modified on 17:30:47 12/10/2005.