Description: Tran: leaping from an airplane to a rumble in the jungle, wielding a guitar and clad in mud and steam. Alma: pissed off because he had to frigging walk there. Alma's battle against a tiger not included. (Winner: Alma)
He...is a man of honor.
He...is a man of dignity.
He...is a man of action.
He is...
Dr. Tran!
And he has just jumped out of an airplane thousands of miles above the jungle. With a large guitar case firmly held in one hand and his parachute's ripcord in the other, he plummets at a rate that man was simply not meant to go, his coat's flapping restricted by the bulk of his parachute. And he keeps falling. And falling. Eyes protected by goggles do not falter. He falls further. Finally, he yanks his cord and his parachute deploys, halting his downward momentum suddenly, bringing him down with far less speed. Ever descending, aiming for one, specific little spot, a splash of color against the otherwise uniform green of the trees below. He approaches and approaches, taking what feels like an eternity, before sweeping in on his parachute and landing shin-deep in a long, shallow basin of mud. Dr. Tran...has arrived.
Quickly working to take his parachute off, yelling unintelligibly with excitement, Dr. Tran takes a few steps forward through the mud, guitar case slung over his shoulder on a strap. "Now that...THAT was an entrance! Yeah!" Sufffice to say, Dr. Tran is totally pumped.
~Wooouuuooshhh~ goes the wind through the trees.
That would've been really great if Tran had an audience. Sadly, the only response to his stunt is the whisper of the breeze through the jungle leaves, the distant twittering of birds, and the heady applause of buzzing insects. Well, at least the gnats liked it, eh Tran?
An awkward silence follows.
And then suddenly, without warning, a young man bursts from the foliage, caked in sweat and dirt and mud and complete drop-dead gorgeous. There are shallow and superficial gashes along his bare muscular chest, his shirt having apparently been torn off by whatever the animal was that failed to make him bleed; he has made the ultimate sacrifice and shorn off his stylish cargo pants at the knee in order to give him shorts with greater manueverability, and his bare feet crunch through thorns and neetles with unfaltering determination. His blond hair is draped close about him, one bang hanging in front of an eye in a manner that only emphasizes the passionate (and frankly sexy -- but that's just my opinion) resolve that burns calmly and composedly within them. His copper skin, gleaming with sweat and burnished in places with a light coating of dirt, shines in the bright sunlight that breaks through the overgrowth. Emerging from nothingness, he is positively radiant, an angel of divine retribution ascending from heaven for the first time.
Alma Towazu tears the last of the leaves out of his way and steps into the mud, and looks at Tran like this:
>:|
Not a lot of people get to see that expression.
Behind him, looking bedraggled and confused but a bit relieved, come the cameramen, staggering in and glancing around in states ranging from bewildered to terrified to just downright lost. "Towazu-san," says the lead cameraman, addressing the much younger man in terms of genuine respect, "it's incredible that you found the place without a map. I can never thank you enough for protecting the team and our equipment from all the dangers we faced... we... I... I will see that you will be recompensed from the Neo League..."
"Do not be concerned."
The boy's voice is steel. His gaze does not flicker from Tran.
"It is /you/," he says softly, now clearly addressing the guitar-wearing pseudo-doctor before him, "who I will hold responsible."
Nevermind that Dr. Tran's audience is limited to himself and whatever bugs might be hanging around. What matters is that it was awesome - nothing else. In his heart, Tran knows that that was totally badass, and damn if he isn't going to brag about it every time he sets foot in a bar. But will he have more to brag about afterward? As his opponent strides onto the scene, the doctor turns to face him, thinking he's ready for the confrontation.
Tran stares at Alma for a moment, meeting the bare-chested bishounen's gaze unflinchingly for several long moments...until with a shudder he turns his head to the side, looking down at some of the mud. "I...well..." How can this be? Unnerved by a mere boy? Nevermind that Tran's not that much older, he's old enough!
Slowly, the doctor forces his gaze upward, more or less ignoring the Neo League employees. He settles for a moment, staring only at Alma's chest, wondering how he dares to respond. How can he face this new, pissed off Alma, radiant in his furious and righteous wrath?
The only way Tran knows how. With a snort, now angry himself, Dr. Tran slams his guitar case into the mud beside him, where it stands alone for a moment. He then grabs the front of his own shirt, and rips it straight off. It's there one moment, and just gone the next, a shredded mess hanging in Tran's hand. He tosses it to the side disdainfully, and then looks Alma square in the eye again. He won't look away this time.
"Alma whatever the hell your last name is, I can't be bothered to remember!" Dr. Tran rests one hand on his guitar case, and points with the other. "You're all fine...so quit complaining, and get ready for an ass-kicking!"
Alma's steely gaze /does/ let up a little, though. First it lets up when Tran starts staring at his chest. Alma's a little surprised by this, and he is temporarily distracted by new speculation as he blinks a few times.
~ Tran? I never thought he'd be the type, but I suppose... ~
However, this moment of diversion only opens Alma up to be stunned when Tran literally tears his shirt off, matching Alma-- well, okay, maybe not /exactly/ matching Alma, unless Tran also works out for hours on end as part of his profession. Though, heck, maybe he does. Who knows the habits of secret agent doctors? But anyway, it allows a few moments pause wherein Alma's face softens almost back to its usual mildness -- he doesn't evince any surprise in his eyes, which remain inscrutible if not quite as intense, though his eyebrows lift -- and the cameramen begin to set up on what solid ground exists in this godforsaken muddy insect-fraught place miles from civilization. Fortunately, a few had been recording already. And of course, the guy on the helicopter had a camera, for what that's worth.
"Towazu."
The young warrior-model's stance shifts slightly, his back straighting, limbs relaxing, eyes gleaming again in the sunlight. His gaze is steady.
"My name is Alma Towazu. You have put people through unnecessary hardship. Prepare..."
His hands raise, and with studied calm, he flexes his fingers.
"...to be punished, Doctor Tran."
COMBATSYS: Alma has started a fight here.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|
So maybe Dr. Tran isn't as finely scuplted as Alma. But there's plenty of muscle there, make no mistake. His abs aren't a six-pack or anything, but he's a far cry from having a beer belly. They may even look better than usual, as the ambient jungle heat's already created a layer of sweat on the doctor, giving him a healthy shine.
Folding his arms sternly and frowning, the doctor responds to Alma's charge. "You speak as if I've done them an ill turn. But this? This is the stuff that stories are made out of, Alma! What do you think will happen when we get out of this jungle, hm? The adventure will be over, and all of us will have one more experience to tell the guys at the bar or in the locker room. It may be unpleasant now...but you'll thank me, later!"
Reaching for the guitar case, Tran picks it up again, his hands deftly beginning to undo the clasps. He snorts again. "Now see what you've got me doing with that attitude? I'm waxing philosophical, and I'm not even drunk to make it bearable! Perhaps I should be the one punishing you, Alma Towhatsit!" At this point, the case falls into the mud with a plop, its hidden musical treasure unleashed. Wielding it aloft like a club, Tran points it at his foe. "It's time for some vengeance!"
Pushing forward through the mud, spattering gobs of it behind him, Dr. Tran charges directly at Alma, guitar held over his shoulder like some kind of greatsword, and then just brings it swinging straight around at the model's head. Something here is clearly going to have to give.
COMBATSYS: Tran has joined the fight here.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tran
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Tran's Random Weapon.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tran
As Tran speaks, Alma's eyes narrow.
Only slightly, though. Only slightly. But not in the sense that he's less irritated. More like... he'd get more irritated, only Tran isn't worth his time. In the same sense that he might conceivably debate Tran on where one can draw the line between the beauty of life's risks and, well, reckless endangerment, except that Tran isn't worth his breath.
So he simply doesn't respond.
And when Tran lunges--
--with almost insulting grace, yet with a look that says he wouldn't bother to waste time mocking Tran, Alma sidesteps the blow at just the right moment. Just the right moment... to grab the guitar at the hilt just as Tran's expended his momentum, wrench the instrument away in a sudden twisting motion, rotate full circle and arcing the guitar up beautifully as he moves... and with sunlight gleaming around the musical weapon, aiming to bring it crashing down on /Tran's/ head.
"Yes," the boy says, voice firm. "It is!"
[OOC] Dr. Tran says, "I am clearly left with no choice."
COMBATSYS: Tran interrupts Random Weapon from Alma with Random Weapon.
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Alma 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Tran
[OOC] Dr. Tran says, "HO HO HO."
[OOC] Alma says, "SWEET."
Oh, now that ain't right. Taking a man's guitar like that? Hell, that's downright unpardonable. Especially when you're dancing like some kind of damn mudfairy to do it. Stumbling only briefly in the mud, carefully righting himself, Tran just narrows his eyes and waits for the guitar to come around. He raises one arm to it, and take the impact right on the shoulder - however, at the same time, his arm twists around the neck, lessing the impact and giving him the leverage to grasp it himself. Yanking it away, Dr. Tran whirls it up and around, bringing it straight up into Alma's chin, effectively shattering the guitar into splinters as he does so. Goodbye, noble guitar. You were freakin' awesome while you lasted.
Taking a step back with the guitar's neck held loosely in one hand, Tran spits to the side. "I'm glad you agree."
Alma just got uppercutted by a guitar.
That is /sweet/.
The young man goes staggering back, blinking in stunned surprise for a split-second before his head snaps back down to stare at Tran. There is a moment of gathering tension, a dramatic pause after the explosive guitar strike. The cameramen film silently, watching this long-awaited battle, for which they had to traverse and overcome so much.
Silence.
LUNGE!
Alma soars forward -- and then bursts out of the mud suddenly, grabbing neatly at a nearby low-hanging vine and swinging right past and over Tran to flip acrobatically into the air, turning even before he's begun to really rise. Both to attack while he has the time and to give himself a little boost, Alma busts out with a flashy move: as he twists, he sweeps his arm up and unleashes a wave of white pink-tinged soulfire to blast Tran in the back. Unless Tran is fast. In which case it will blast him in the front.
Alma's good with the flashy moves, but it's unlike him to /start/ like this.
But...
...a fight that starts with a shattered guitar has a rhythm like no other.
COMBATSYS: Tran negates Sacred Wave from Alma with Real American Hero Cutter.
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Alma 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Tran
Alma wants to get flashy? Hell, flashy is practically Dr. Tran's middle name. It's not actually, but it could be if he wanted it to be. In any case, Tran isn't actually blasted at all - instead he whirls, tracking Alma's path above him, and when Alma's psycho power comes rippling at him, he sweeps an arm up and over himself, leaving a trail of faint white steam. He brings it all the way down to the ground, which actually makes him face away from Alma anyway, but oh well. The crescent of steam is there, and with little more than a thought, it goes rushing forward into the path of Alma's projectile. It doesn't get very far, but thankfully neither does its opposite - they neatly cancel out in a flashy flash of light.
Turning about slowly, Tran barks out a laugh. "Stop playing around like Tarzan! If you're not serious, then I won't be, either!"
Alma can't respond. He's still in midair.
Bringing his legs together and spreading his arms, Alma actually flips vertically several times, arching his back to soar gracefully through the air before crossing his arms to gain torque, spinning upside-down a couple times, and then twisting back so that his feet land neatly on a thick branch about twenty feet above Tran. He stands there, arms crossed, and just stares down at Tran.
Exhaling heavily, the young man lets his hands settle at his sides.
"Why don't you come up here," he suggests with infinite calm, "and find out just how serious I am?"
Hey, is the air around him... sparking?
COMBATSYS: Alma gathers his will.
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Alma 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Tran
Very fancy. As Tran turns again to watch Alma, he can't help but notice, really notice, how much better Alma's built than him. And those aerial gymnastics...it's impressive. Naturally, Tran has to frown at it lest his secret envy be discovered. "I have a better idea. I'm not a monkey, prone to jumping through the trees like I haven't got a care in the world, so I'll stay right down here and just blast the crap out of you."
Bringing one arm slashing through the air in front of him, and then the other, Dr. Tran sends two more of the thin, whirling steam boomerangs flying at Alma. Sparklies: noted. No way in hell is Tran going near that crap.
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Tran's Real American Hero Cutter.
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Alma 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Tran
"Hm...!"
Alma bunches the muscles in his legs, looking down from the branch at Tran's oncoming attack... and lets his feet shift down until he's leaning over the edge. In fact, hell, he's about to fall over it. Wait -- he /is/ falling over it! Only at the last moment, he thrusts himself off the branch and ends up hurtling through the air right towards Tran's steam cutter, reaching out with a palm to shear right through it unblinkingly and leaving the remainder of the attack to splinter the branch he was standing upon. Shooting down at Tran now, Alma leans back, flipping gracefully again in midair (he's got the time, he might as well pull some stunts), before drawing his leg back in preparation for a punishing kick, his momentum gathering... and gathering...
...he rockets down towards his standing opponent, twists his body in preparation...
...and just keeps on twisting until it's his arm, not his leg, in Tran's path, as he suddenly lashes out with his arm in an elbow drop that, if successful, will bring Tran right down into the mud. Kapow!
COMBATSYS: Tran dodges Alma's Strong Punch.
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Alma 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Tran
*kersplash*
[OOC] Dr. Tran XD
Frowning as Alma simply cuts through his cutter, Tran's nonetheless alert and ready for action. While it's not the easiest thing to manuever in this mud, when Alma comes falling down at him, Tran decides that where he's at? It's not the best place to be right now. Throwing himself to the side, he doesn't go very far - it's hard to roll through mud. However, this may actually work out to Tran's advantage. He's still right there, Alma's just landing right in the mud, flat on his face...it reeks of opportunity.
Leaping back to where he just was, onto the fallen model, Dr. Tran plants one knee solidly on either side of Alma, and then just starts jabbing the crap out of whatever he can reach. "Just give up and eat punch, prettyboy!"
COMBATSYS: Alma fails to interrupt Quick Punch from Tran with Divine Intervention EX.
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Alma 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Tran
And Alma lands in the mud. But doesn't seem to bug him too much...
...for he rears to his feet before his opponent can really begin his attacks, the mud exploding around Alma as his eyes blaze in rising fury. "Enough!" he roars, and slaps Tran's first punch aside, drawing his other hand back as it surges with gathering Psycho Power, coils of energy encircling it. Plumes of soulfire pulsating around that mighty limb, preparing to snap out like the talons of a hunting hawk and seize Tran's face for total ego destruction -- something that he feels the good doctor could use about now -- Alma focuses all of his psychic energy into this blow--
--thus failing to sense the vines right behind him.
"...eh?"
*tug* *tug*
"..."
He glances over his shoulder at his hand, stuck in the vines.
And gets punched in the back of the head.
"Ow," he mutters quietly, before glancing back at Tran. "Wait, hold on. Give me a second." *tug* *tug* "...unbelievable."
After delivering at least one successful punch, Dr. Tran looks at Alma, then looks at the vine, then looks back at Alma. "Oh, for the love of..." Pushing off of Alma's chest, he gets up onto his feet, and then looks down at Alma. "I told you to be serious! Get it through your thick HEAD!" Tran stomps angrily forward, irritation written all over his face. He's so angry he could just /step on something/. Like, say...Alma's head. It's so conveniently right there, after all. Vengeful.
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Tran's Light Kick.
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Alma 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Tran
"Uurrrr..."
And tearing himself out of the vines, Alma spins and slams Tran's kick aside with his forearm. His eyes blaze with mounting irritation; come on, Alma, where's your zen? Oh, wait, maybe you left it with that tiger seventeen miles back. He took your shirt too, after all.
"...rrrrryyyyyiiii..."
And spinning again quickly, creating greater physical momentum as he tries to sync it up again with his 'spiritual momentum', the mud-caked young bishounen ignites his right hand once again and lashes out with a lance-like spike of white soulfire, aiming to strike Tran point-blank this time. Anything to get him good.
"...YAAAAAAAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Tran blocks Alma's Self Expression.
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Alma 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tran
Stumbling a bit when Alma knocks his foot out of the way, Dr. Tran takes another step forward, already tipped off that Alma's not done right now by a long shot. Come on, Tran knows screams of frustration turning into violence, and that is a prime example of it right there. Whirling about, Tran takes on the lance of energy head-on, by hitting it directly in its center with a palm strike. In retrospect? It might not have been the best thing to do, as he immediately grimaces and staggers a few steps backward, clutching at his arm, which itself doesn't quite seem to want to follow orders right now.
"That's more like it." Forcing himself to release his arm, Dr. Tran shakes it out for a few moments, although it still hangs awkwardly when he's done. And these few moments? They are not moments wasted, as all the while he's looking Alma over, scanning the terrain, even the Neo League employees silently standing by. Anything and everything falls under scrutiny - Dr. Tran needs every advantage he can get at this point. There's no mirth in his eyes, but at the same time, there's no anger, either. He's calm, collected, and above all, prepared.
COMBATSYS: Tran focuses on his next action.
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Alma 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tran
The Psycho Power lance explodes against Tran's guard, but Alma's far from finished; in fact, he appears to still be gathering steam. Whether he's shedding his frustration through movement or simply making himself more angry isn't clear right now, but whatever he may be thinking right now, it's clear he's not thinking 'stop'. After he twists into his mental blast attack, the young blond continues to spin, rotating immediately into a series of fast, fierce jabs before lunging into the patented Hiten-Ryu double-kick, snapping out once with each leg.
Only this time, after he strikes fierce with his right foot and then with his left, rising into the air with the gathering force, he twists and kicks out a third time, sweeping out and aiming a final hooking right kick at Tran's head.
"Hou! Hou! Hyaaaaa!"
He looks as though he'll simply be able to glare any more vines that get in his way into nonexistence, at this point.
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Tran with Light Kick.
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Alma 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Tran
Grimacing, Tran tries to duck out of the way of Alma's furious assault - perhaps attempting to divert one or two of the jabs along the way. However, it's mostly for naught as Alma's first kick knocks him off-balance, and then the subsequent kicks connect cleanly. Painfully cleanly. Staggering to the side from the kick to the head, still calm, Dr. Tran notes briefly, "You seem angrier than usual, Alma! I told you to be serious, but I still don't think you're managing it!"
Twisting around, turning the act of standing up straight into an attack, itself, Dr. Tran sweeps his hand forward, bringing it up forcefully at Alma in a palm strike. The key, here, is that at some point it's aquired a small, dull mirror, attached to Tran's hand through will alone, designed to crash right through whatever defenses Alma might have in place.
COMBATSYS: Tran successfully hits Alma with Operation - Dr. Tran.
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Alma 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Tran
Alma doesn't bother to defend.
He crashes through the mirror -- though he stumbles in the mud, and doesn't really gain any initiative from the maneuver -- and continues his assault. It's worth nothing that his expression has changed considerably during the course of this combination attack. First, it was mildly bewildered; then full of mounting frustration; then that frustration turned to fury; and now he appears simply intent. Not so much /intense/, as he was before, but intent. His eyes no longer blaze. They gleam.
The effect is equally forceful.
Also forceful is his sudden barrage of punches, body literally blurring with the sudden force of his attack as Alma unleashes a fast series of jabs at Tran's body, the two fighters crashing against each other as Alma simply refuses to halt his advance, even for Tran's own attacks.
The scent of the jungle intensifies around them, growing headier as a warm, lightly sparkling mist rises around them...
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Tran with Spring Shower.
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Alma 1/-======/=======|=======\==-----\1 Tran
Driven backwards by the barrage of blows, Dr. Tran tries to shield himself, but today Alma is simply too fast for him to keep up with. Each finds its own small mark, and the overall effect is one of pain. Even after the blows have ceased, Dr. Tran continues to move backward. He reaches up to his bare chest, bruises starting to become evident, and grimaces at the pain. Well, this won't do at all. Rubbing at the spots where he's been punched, Dr. Tran starts to give himself a workover, rubbing and massaging his various wounds. Despite not being as obvious as the slashes on Alma, they nonetheless likely hurt a good deal more.
And yet even as he works on himself, Dr. Tran has enough skill to chat a bit. "Well, that's more like it, I have to say. I don't think I like you when you're angry. I hope I won't have to worry about you getting pissed off further today?"
Alma stands still for a moment, panting quietly.
"...huhh... huhh..."
The young man blinks once, flecking a bit of dried mud off of his long eyelashes, and gives Tran an almost startled look, as though for a moment he's not sure what either of them are doing there. There's a short pause as the tall youth continues to breathe while Tran talks, his chest muscles rippling slightly with every rise and fall of his broad shoulders. And Alma blinks again.
"There was this river," he finally says, a bit distantly, yet as though he's explaining something. "And a tiger. There was this spider eating a bird. All the adults were scared."
His feet shift, and his fists raise again, but his expression remains mild. But that intent brightness is beginning to rise within those clear hazel eyes once again...
"No, thank you," he says. "I feel better now."
His eyes gleam.
"...but you know... it's still your fault."
He lunges.
"Time to take responsibility, Tran--!"
And right hand exploding into white flame... he strikes once.
COMBATSYS: Tran successfully hits Tran with Dr. Tran - Hot Lovin.
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Alma 0/-------/-----==|=======\===----\1 Tran
COMBATSYS: Tran fails to reflect Absolution from Alma with Operation - Dr. Tran.
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Alma 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Tran can no longer fight.
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Alma 0/-------/-----==|
This time... he connects.
This time, the attack manifests, like his Self Expression, as a giant lance of Psycho Power, though about three times are large as the last one. Trailing a sparkling white ribbon of soul power, Alma's hand snaps out and his body blurs forward to engulf Tran in an enormous driving fireball.
The mud is blasted away from the sheer force, and for a short moment, they're actually standing on solid ground, in a deep crater that blew the slick dirt out from under their own feet.
Alma blinks-- and then grins lopsidedly.
"Oh, man," he murmurs, "I really /do/ feel better. Thanks, Tran."
A pause.
And the young bishounen reaches up to scratch the back of his head. Half-thoughtfully, half to get the chunks of quick-drying mud out.
"You know," he adds mildly, "I guess this was an adventure after all."
There's one thought racing through Dr. Tran's mind, as Alma's punch races at him.
Crap.
He can see the flame burst into life, coming toward him. He knows he has one chance to take care of it - an opportunity to head it off at the pass, if you will. Before that one little flame becomes something much, much more. Bringing his arm back, steam forming on top of it, Tran drives it forward at Alma's fist, intent on stifling the attack before it can even really start.
Tran's fist is still a good foot away when he gets psycho blasted like never before, overwhelmed in the torrent of energy. He's obscured by it, surrounded by it as, once again, it assault his very mind. It's not pleasant. When it clears, he still standing there, almost as if unaffacted, safe for a sort of blank expression on his face. His simple response to Alma's sudden talkativeness? "Shit, not again." Tran then proceeds to topple forward, eyes wide open yet pretty much unconcious all the same. And dang, the mud's not even there to cushion his fall anymore.
Sadly, it's true. So Tran lands face-first in...
...Alma's chest?
Easily hoisting his diminuitive and unconscious opponent onto his shoulders, the young man turns to the semi-stunned cameramen.
"Let's go," he says simply.
"What, right now?" is all the chief cameraman can say.
"Yes."
The young bishounen turns away.
"We've miles to go... before he wakes up and finds out I've carried him."
And once they have left, it looks as though they were never there -- until the fragments of a broken guitar bubble to the surface of the mudpit, and one unbroken string gleams brightly in the sunlight.
A little bird settles on it, and begins to chirp.
...then the string snaps, slamming the bird against a tree.
The chord struck sounds suspiciously like 'Your mother'.
Log created by Alma, and last modified on 06:36:39 02/27/2006.