Description: A walk in the park affords Chizuru a most curious opportunity and provides her with new insight. A man, Krizalid, wields a power very similar to the crimson Kusanagi flames challenges her to a fight in exchange for information in regards to his origins and his employer--NESTS. The result? A none-too-pleased Yata priestess.
Night has long since fallen across the city, blanketing the horizon in a veil of darkness, a dull glow of city lights illuminating otherwise inky-black skies. Unlike the inner city, the park is all but devoid of people, hauntingly empty as the witching hour slowly draws near.
Perhaps foolish, in this dark of night a solitary woman, clad in casual garments, seems to make the most of the otherwise empty park. Here she strolls quietly, her steps casual but her poise graceful; almost ghost-like, the Yata heiress stands out against the canvas of darkness, her pressed whites all but glowing.
Her steps do, however, slowly come to a pause, her heels ceasing to click against the paved path that winds through the park. Thoughtful, warm eyes turn to the cloudy skies above, lips pulled into a thin line across her gentle face. Just where her thoughts go? Why, that's a woman's secret!
Everyone knows how dangerous public parks can be late at night like this, so yes, perhaps it's foolish for a woman bedecked in so much white to be out for a casual stroll. But the danger lurking in the shadows here tonight isn't one so obvious as that of a mugger or killer, something that right off the bat tells a person to start running in the other direction. There's just a dark, silent figure standing off to one side of the path, near a wastebasket, holding some kind of drink in his hand. From the shape of the bottle, it's pretty obvious it's not liquor of any kind, but...
Danger clearly lacks in Chizuru's vocabulary. Standing out against the night, there's no real, evident concern written on her face; instead she looks to the sky, thoughtful and seemingly oblivious to her environs as she ponders. Only after a few minutes the tiny woman exhales, shoulders sagging gently beneath the soft white of her sleeves. With that she resumes her stroll with a tiny smile perched on her lips.
However, the further she wanders the more uncertain her steps become. Where once her steps were assured they become less, her pace slowing before she very well nears a slow crawl, a snail's pace. Eventually her feet come to pause entirely, and with a slow turn of her head the woman's gaze peers through the night, staring right at the man near the wastebasket. That silent figure has her undivided attention, and she makes no hesitations to just stand and stare at him.
Something is clearly bothering her, and the source of it is without a doubt that young man with the peculiar bottle in hand. However, the Yata priestess isn't too brazen as to directly approach him. Not yet, anyway.
Closer inspection of course reveals that the bottle isn't really anything to be suspicious of. Not like the man himself. It's just a simple Gatorade. And in that same vein, even closer inspection would reveal that said 'young' man doesn't exactly look all that young. His hair is a silvery gray, for starters, and the lines on his face say he's probably had to deal with a lot more stress than the average young buck. But that's really probably not so important as the way he's dressed. A person in a long trenchcoat like that probably has something to hide, no? And thankfully in this case, that doesn't happen to be that he isn't wearing any clothes under it. The bottom of the jacket stops high enough that one can see, even in dim lighting, that he's at -least- got some pants on.
"Well well... I was hoping I'd run into /someone/ out here who might prove useful, but this is quite unexpected. I'd always heard you didn't get out much." There's a brief flash as the bottle in his hand becomes engulfed in flames of an all-too-familiar hue, melting into a malleable mass which he then balls up and tosses into the wastebasket. "You seem a bit... confused. I'd figure that boy would have bitched and moaned about it to someone like you by now. Lord knows how he does around every other stinking person."
Auburn eyes remain intent, her gaze scrutinizing of every last visible detail she can make out in that darkness of this strange fellow. He doesn't seem immediately threatening--in fact, he's just strangely dressed, but the same could quite possibly be said of Chizuru herself. The coat is eyed closely, but more attention is paid to his overall person. There's something definitely 'off' about him, something she's not particularly feeling comfortable about.
Her silence pays off, in a sense. He makes initiative, speaking up with words that are otherwise gruff. And in response the Yata blinks once, slowly in mild disbelief. She's not familiar with him, yet he knows of her? How unsettling.
"Things change," the woman replies coolly, fair features stern as she meets his gaze. Yet for all the confidence she wields then, it falters once more as his hand erupts with fire, a familiar air about those crimson flames he chooses to show off to the Yata heiress. Confused? Boy is she ever.
"Who are you?" she asks, lifting a hand and ultimately pointing a finger square at his chest. "And how are you able to wield flames such as those?" The hairs on her neck all but stand on end--she doesn't like where this is headed.
Krizalid closes his fingers around the flickering flame to snuff it back out, and then takes a brief moment to wipe his glove against the front of his coat, nodding his head thoughtfully. "It's kind of insulting to think that Kusanagi could forget us so quickly... Or perhaps it's just me he's chosen to forget. You have to have heard him say it at least once by now, truly. It seems he blames us for everything bad that happens to him these days." The dark-skinned man then just gives a little shrug, "Well whatever. I'll tell you what it is you want to know, provided that you do one thing for me..." He thumbs at himself then, indicating the same spot where Chizuru is now pointing. "Hit me. As hard as you can."
COMBATSYS: Krizalid has started a fight here.
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Krizalid 0/-------/-------|
The moment he mentions 'Kusanagi' he then and there truly has her entire, undivided attention. Warm eyes narrow a touch, lips pulling into an obvious frown as she peers at the distance that lay between herself and this very odd stranger. Still, she remains tight-lipped about the Kusanagi youth and her interactions with him. If he's assuming things, the likely he knows little on just how much has been divulged to one another on matters concerning...well, everything.
"'Us?'" she asks, blinking slowly before her head tilts to one side. "And just who do you speak of?" Not that she necessarily expects him to shed light to any questions she has about his person. He's yet to actually explain just who he is and why he's got those frighteningly familiar flames. Something is definitely amiss here, and Chizuru doesn't necessarily like the feeling she's got in her gut.
"You...want me to hit you?" she asks again, clearly bemused. If she hits him, he'll tell her what she wants to know. But does she really want to lift a hand against someone who hasn't really given her more than peculiar feelings? He's not necessarily threatened her...
Furrowing her black brows, the Yata's lips pucker lightly before she bows her head, a breath passing over her lips. "Very well," she states calmly, hands clenching briefly at her sides before she looks up suddenly--
--and covering the distance that lay between them in impressive time the young woman heeds his wish by attempting to deliver a sudden and harsh thrust of her palm's heel against his sternum.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru has joined the fight here.
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Chizuru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Krizalid
COMBATSYS: Krizalid endures Chizuru's Strong Punch.
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Chizuru 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Krizalid
Krizalid doesn't raise his guard, or even flinch for that matter. He just stands there, waiting to be struck. And when he is ultimately met with that considerable impact to his chest, there's no question about whether he felt it or not. It can be both seen and heard, in the way his upper body is pushed back momentarily, and the small grunt it causes him to make. The distressing part lies with the sound that accompanies said grunt, however. There's a low hum now coming from within his coat, akin to the sound of computers and other sophisticated machinery.
"Thank you. That was very... enlightening." says the Irishman, clearing his throat a bit. "Now, as for your questions... You should have heard Kyo shouting out the word 'NESTS' in anger before. Whether or not you have is I suppose irrelevant at this point, but the only signifigance that word has is in regards to my company. We... in a sense, manufacture fighters. Now, having said that, I believe you can probably draw some of your own conclusions as to what it is we've done that upsets a hothead like him..."
Now, did he fail to mention he was going to try his damndest to hit back when he was through speaking? It looks like it, since the first move me makes isn't exactly telegraphed. It's really sudden, kind of like, he's trying to impale the woman on the end of his foot... by planting it in her midsection.
COMBATSYS: Krizalid successfully hits Chizuru with Lethal Impact.
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Chizuru 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Krizalid
It's really not a fun ride at all. When his boot finds home in her abdomen, she's quickly lifted up into the air, suspended seemingly effortlessly by his outstretched leg for a long moment while he looks up at her, eyes narrowing just before he violently jerks that leg back down and slams her into the earth with it. "There. I think that about evens things up. If you'd like your remaining questions answered, I'm afraid the exchange is going to have to continue on in this manner... "
The moment Chizuru's palms strike and make impact there's a curious expression on her face. The result is as expected, yes...but the peculiar hum that ensues from said blow does well to draw her brows up, her eyes briefly widening before they softly hood in uneasiness. This is definitely a first.
Enlightening? There's precious little time to consider; instead she narrows her eyes as he mentions the Kusanagi heir, Chizuru's features darkening a scant touch. What does he want with the Kusanagi kid anyway? "Company...NESTS?" She's definitely heard the name, but it remains entirely unfamiliar to her, evident by the slight expression of bewilderment that haunts her face. Far be it for Krizalid to keep the Yata priestess in the dark, however...
"Manufacture fighters? What have you--" Without warning he jerks forward and slams his foot against her gut, even as she tries to move out of the way, drawing a loud and unladylike grunt from her. Hefted high and above, the woman's features draw in a harsh wince of discomfort, however brief the ride may be. Without hesitation he viciously slams her against the earth, her entire body seizing in discomfort before she goes slack for a moment's time.
Down but most definitely not out, Chizuru rolls aside and rises to her feet, a hand gently rubbing at her wounded midsection, the pain there result of miscalculation on her part. "Very well, then," she replies, features stern. Seeing this as her chance to retaliate, the woman's features harden briefly before she suddenly leaps forward, an arm rising overhead, and in one fluid, circular motion she draws it down harshly, to deliver a knifehand at the man before she merely vanishes. It wasn't the real Chizuru. It was a chi-created clone.
COMBATSYS: Krizalid blocks Chizuru's Choumon no Isshin.
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Chizuru 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Krizalid
Krizalid is, let us say, experienced in dealing with such attacks. Knifehands, that is. The tangible kind of afterimage that can do your hitting for you, that's still a new one on him, and this is made apparent when, immediately after staving off said attack with a well-placed guard, he tries to grab hold of her wrist and finds nothing but air as the image in front of him flickers out.
"Huh. Interesting." He doesn't sound very dismayed by it. The dusky Irishman's tone is more one of intrigue, as with each strike, successful or not, he gleans more and more insight into the workings of the Yata descendent's techniques, and probably even her power itself. "Ah, another question. I suppose we ought to save my name for last. That sits well with me. You want to know what we've done? I can even illustrate it for you. We found a way to harness the Kusanagi flames. Or as Kyo likes to say, we 'stole' them." And as he speaks, that same stolen flame begins to dance within his upturned palm. And what he would like for Chizuru to believe, is that he intends to use that fire against her, thrusting his hand out toward her face, only to switch things up by kicking toward her weakened midsection once more.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru blocks Krizalid's Light Kick.
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Chizuru 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
The doppelganger leaps forward from its source--the last of the Yata--and makes its move, lashing out against the man with a solid strike toward his upper body. Yet as he attempts to actually grab hold and seize her in his hand she simply winks out of sight, the real Chizuru standing a short distance away, features still as stern and serious as ever. Clearly she cannot take chances. He doubtlessly refuses to do the same himself.
"Yes," Her words are stern, unwavering and assured as she looks his way. She has numerous questions for him, but it's likely she won't receive ALL the answers she has. Not tonight, at least. And when she gets her answers...
"How??" With a look of utter disbelief, Chizuru's expression gets grave. "How is such a feat even possible? Those flames...they're not some ...'thing' you can wield inconsequentially." Those flames have a reason and purpose, and her suspicions swiftly mount. She likely agrees with Kyo's assumption: those flames are stolen, indeed.
"How disgusting," she replies as he wields the flames, her fingers curling into tiny fists. Yet as he moves, this time she is ready; not fooled by his feint, Chizuru's hands move- -one coming up to prepare for that hand while the other moves out, to shrug off any potential follow up. Thus as he kicks at her she jerks a hand, letting her palm slap his foot away by the ankle to avoid his strike to her tender midsection. That's when the other hand moves inwardly again, to attempt to snag him by the collar of his coat and turn, to attempt to harshly toss him to the ground at her feet. "And what other travesties have you and your cohorts committed??"
COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Krizalid with Strong Throw.
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Chizuru 0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1 Krizalid
Well, the answers to some of those questions may come in ways other than the spoken word. Which, in the end, is probably better. How does she know he isn't skewing things to better suit his own twisted perspective as to the subjects at hand? Anything out of his mouth could be a lie or half-truth at this point. And all the while, the information he's getting out of her, without even having to coax her into saying it out loud, is the cold hard truth. Combat data, fed directly into his suit. Statistics for how she moves, the strength of each type of attack... Granted, it can at times become a liablity, as it distracts him at inopportune moments. Like now, where he fails to react in time to the way his coat is grabbed, and he's inverted by it and thrown in the dirt.
"Nngh. It's called Science. You old-fashioned types are always questioning how possible these things are. When we want it bad enough, we find a way. And it isn't disgusting. It's human nature." the man drones on, his speech somewhat halfhearted, as if he doesn't expect her to undestand. And he's soon dusting himself off and rising to his feet, pulling at his coat... and then with a loud roar it bursts into flame and slowly burns to ashes, revealing the shining metallic suit beneath, laced as it is with wires and cabling That in itself should tell the woman quite a lot. "You still don't quite believe, do you? I suppose you'll need a physical demonstration. You tell me if I feel any silly 'consquence' or not."
The Fallen Angel then takes takes a few careful steps, tensing his muscles and then rearing back, calling up a pillar of hot red flame around his feet, and then lashing out in front of him, carving a bright X out of the flames with his clawed fingertips and propelling it all right at her.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru reflects End of Heaven from Krizalid with Tamayura no Shitsune.
- Power hit! -
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Chizuru 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Krizalid
Lashing out without hesitations once he's successfully shrugged off, the last of the Yata does well to snag his coat's collar and send him unceremoniously falling against the ground, into the dirt at her feet. All the while she remains entirely unaware of the truth behind his peculiar jacket and the strange humming that emanates from within it. In due time, perhaps, she'll learn the truth behind it. For now? For now Chizuru continues to fight seriously, for good reason.
She's none too pleased he's taken the Kusanagi flames and defiled them in such a bold, brazen fashion. Is he that ignorant of the importance the real crimson flames have to this world?
Stepping back in three graceful steps, the woman lifts an arm up, extending it out before her in a delicate motion. He calls it science? "I call it greed," she states coldly, eyes yet again narrowing. "And greed will only get you so far in this world." Of course an 'old-fashioned' woman such as Chizuru cannot understand. The meaning behind those flames is more than just power to her--this much is more than clearly written across her face. She's truly upset and offended by his boldness now.
Much to her dismay he still insists on showing her just how far he's come with his 'science' and those stolen flames. An impressive display, the coat he wears is burnt away, mere ash on the wind as he reveals the suit--the source behind the curious hum that's haunted her since she first hit him. Will he feel any consequence? There's no immediate reply; instead she watches and patiently waits.
Flames come roaring into existence around him, and in response she lifts a shielding forearm. However fearsome, the woman is anything but worried; instead she drops her arms to her sides, anticipating his attack--and when it comes screaming toward her she lifts an arm up quickly, fingertips glowing with brilliantly gold chi energy. "I will not be humiliated!" Her hand cuts down swiftly, a trail of energy following her fingertips as she brings them to the earth, an explosion erupting before her--sending those flames right back at him.
COMBATSYS: Krizalid slows Reflected End of Heaven from Chizuru with Thrown Object.
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Chizuru 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Krizalid
While that's not quite the sort of consequence Krizalid imagined Chizuru was talking about, it certainly does seem like a pretty hefty price to pay. Not only is it humilating to have one of his best attacks turned around on him like that... he knows from experience that this is going to hurt. If he were actually part of the bloodline like Kyo or Saishu, it wouldn't be such a big deal. It wouldn't burn him quite so much, then. But the reality is that he's not. He stole them, and while he can dish them out almost as well as a Kusanagi, albeit a bit more sparingly, he can't by any means take it anywhere near as a true scion could. And, because he spend half of the time that's allowed for him to react wiping a hand down his face in frustration and utter disbelief, the only option left to him is to take the lid from the wastebasket and toss it into the flame, disappating as much of it as he can before it reaches him and then getting buffeted by the rest. It looks really painful, and it almost glitches his suit for a moment because of the fact it's downloading his own regurgitated combat data, but it resumes its usual humming soon enough. "I suppose you're going to tell me I deserved that. Anymore questions aside from my name?"
For more than obvious reasons, the woman makes her move when he lashes out, sending that X of fire barreling right back at him. When the motions are said and done she swiftly rises from her crouch, assuming her usual stance once more. For all intents and purposes it's a relatively passive one--her face, however, remains ever so stern and gravely serious, even as he attempts to disperse the flames with the trashcan's lid. He's successful to an extent, but still the remainder leaves its mark.
"I won't say anything of the sort," she modestly retorts, her words calm and cold. She won't deny it, either. Those flames aren't meant for him--she can't get THAT point across enough. Still, she doesn't immediately retaliate; instead she listens, bowing her head slightly at his inquiry before she's found a question for him. "How'd you accomplish this?" she asks, eyes lifting, resting on the man before her--right before she rushes in and executes a low kick, intent on sweeping his feet out from beneath him.
"How did you make those flames your own, however inferior they may be??"
COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Krizalid with Heavy Kick.
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Chizuru 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
Krizalid can see that the flames are probably the least of his worries now. He's really slipping here. While at first he was just playing around and gathering his data, it's gone well beyond that now. He no longer needs anymore data from her, and it's likely that if he allows the Yata woman to continue she may just overload the suit. He clearly underestimated the power of this so-called Guardian, and even the readings his suit has been feeding him aren't entirely accurate. There's quite a bit that statistics and readouts from a machine can't account for, after all.
Right now, for instance, his suit is telling him she's about to sweep him, and the correct trajectory for hopping out of her range. But it's off slightly, and because he trusts the numbers so completely, he loses his footing and ends up falling pretty hard anyway. Perhaps even harder than he would have if he had moved on his own instinct. The man is left reeling, regardless, and when he kicks back to his feet, his eyes start to get shifty. He's obviously starting to think of how best to get himself out of this mess... But, he's gotta keep talking, he figures, at least until he decides on what he's going to do. "It's in their DNA. All it took was a tiny sample. I was only the first to be infused with the DNA that made those flames possible. There have been, oh... some 9999 more since." Oh yeah, get her more angry. That's going to help.
COMBATSYS: Krizalid focuses on his next action.
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Chizuru 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
She moves swiftly, and despite all the data his suit feeds him, it fails to properly prepare him for her attack. Thus are his legs struck, and he as result is sent spilling to the ground in a mess of high-tech suit and flesh. Chizuru, on the other hand, takes a patient step back and away, to reassess her opponent and attempt to predict his next attack, if any.
The shiftiness is noted, but far be her to make note of it verbally. Instead she stands her ground, one hand held out before her, idly rolling at the wrist as she maintains that peculiar fighting stance she's known for. Her questions answered--to an extent, at least--she furrows her brows as he speaks. Yet the more he speaks, the darker her expression becomes. There are nearly ten-thousand clones? How is such a travesty possible?
Oh, she's mad. "And what do you and your people--these 'NESTS' folk--plan on doing with those inferior flames?" Her question comes in a low murmur, her jaw squaring. A hiss of breath follows afterwards, eyes drawing shut as she focuses...before she charges forward and slides in close, lashing out at him yet again, executing a knifehand strike toward him from overhead.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Krizalid with Strong Punch.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Chizuru 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Krizalid
What was it we said before about Krizalid and knifehand attacks? That he knew how to deal with them because he's had to fend them off from the likes of Iori and people like that? Looks like we can scratch that. He just caught one in the eye. And thankfully, his eyes are already scarred. Or tattooed, or whatever. He's still /bleeding/, and he has to put a hand over his eye and get some pressure on it, at least for a moment or two just because of how surprised he is she was able to wound him like this.
"Grah! My /eye/! What the hell is wrong with you people? You all go for the eyes, don't you!? I was aware of it with Rugal and Heidern but you too? You're all psychopaths!" Granted, you should see the people he works for, but that's the furthest thing from his own mind right now. And it looks like Chizuru can forget about grilling him for more answers. He's injured and panicked and well... desperate to get himself as far away from her as he can. And if takes going through her to get accomplish that, he's all too willing. Letting off on his wound, the dark-skinned Irishman let's loose with a yell and surges forward, as if the wind itself were at his back and giving him this inhuman burst of speed. And as he closes the distance, part of him is actually hopeful she'll dodge. Because then he won't have to stop. But if she doesn't, well, that could be quite a satisfying beating for what it's worth...
COMBATSYS: Krizalid can no longer fight.
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Chizuru 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Krizalid's Desperate Overdrive.
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Chizuru 1/-------/=======|
With a sudden motion her strike lands true, and as result the man is sent otherwise reeling back in disbelief and frustration. Yet for all the surprise he expresses she maintains that calm, save for the way her jaw remains tense, squared in irritation. The information divulged on matters concerning foolish scientists tampering with that Kusanagi flame does not make her a happy Yata.
--but what's this? "Rugal? You know Rugal??" Startled by this, the woman's eyes go wide before she curls her hands into small fists at her side. If Rugal attacked him, it's very likely these 'NESTS' folk and Rugal's little group don't get along well. That's comforting in some fashion. But the small comforts don't last long--he lunges forward, bursting at her with considerable speed. ..but not enough for her to be taken aback. Instead she blinks once and gracefully pivots on her heel, practically (or quite literally) going THROUGH Krizalid as he barrels at her.
But when she turns to face him he's not stopped--instead he continues forward without hesitation, leaving her to look on with a mix of confusion and disbelief. Avoiding further questions? Perhaps. But still, there's now a lot more for the Yata priestess to consider. First Rugal, then the threat of Orochi, now NESTS? Clearly her work is far from over.
Log created by Chizuru, and last modified on 08:19:38 08/18/2006.