Description: Shermie takes on Momoko and Arika just outside the Louvre! (Winners: Arisa and Momoko)
The Louvre Museum.
Paris, France.
The most visited and one of the oldest, largest and most -famous- art galleries in the world.
Tonight there are more people milling about outside the the Louvre Pyramid - a large glass pyramid in the central courtyard on the axis of the Champs-Elysees - than in the cafes upon the nearby streets. A glow cast from the buildings causes the nearby reflecting pools to look as though they are made of liquid gold. It is an awe inspiring sight at the best of times, but for a debut SNF match, it's even more so.
Earlier in the day, the punk rock diva toured the area trying to discern where things for tonight's match were going to be set up. Then she played tourist for a few hours, taking long moments to enjoy the art within the hallowed walls of the Louvre. A quick jaunt back to the hotel, a change of clothing and a few phone calls later she's back standing just outside the makeshift 'arena' waiting to be introduced and waiting for her 'ally' to show up. Helps that she's got a picture of the kid that's supposed to be fighting with her, but Arika wants to be certain she catches the girl before the fight begins so that they can formulate some kind of strategy.
If not?
Well then she hopes that they spin things to their favor on the fly - she's seen Shermie fight before and that's what's making her feel a wee bit nervous.
Momoko arrived here wearing a red-and-gray jacket, the oversized "PARIS IS <3" sweatshirt she'd picked up at the airport, and baggy cream-colored cargo pants. She'd wanted to put on something more stylish and less grapple-friendly than that t-shirt before the fight, as well as re-styling her hair... but it wasn't till the fight official notified her that it was time to begin that the girl realized how much time she'd lost.
It's partly because the girl was hypnotized by the promotional photos of the other fighters provided in the press kit. She had intended to familiarize herself with Arika and Shermie before their fights, learning as much as she could about their respective styles. ... But no, she spent most of her green-room time staring at the photos with a detached, hopeful smile on her face. The backwater girl is at an odd stage in her development, after all.
So when she's ushered out of her trailer, she barely has the time to tie up her shoulder-length hair in a wide pink ribbon, blinking dazedly as her eyes adjust to the lights, and the shimmering reflections from the pool. Like Arika, she's clearly played tourist to full extent; unlike Arika, she forgot to take her camera off. The disposable camera's still dangling around her neck.
Spotting her partner -- it's hard to miss someone wearing so little, after all -- the girl starts wandering over. Her eyes are lit up like stars as she gawks at Arika -- perhaps that's just reflected light! But she finally overcomes her shyness, gulping down a breath of air. "H-hi! 'Domino' said he was looking to have you fight me maybe, a few days ago..." She bows before Arika, politely enough. "H-how old are you, Miss Fade?" Or more appropriately: how much longer before Momoko can get a body like that?
Shermie is late.
It's not /really/ her fault. In fact, it's completely the fault of the taxi driver who isn't listening to her patiently tell him that the museum is where it is, and no, she doesn't really want to go back to his place to see his collection of records. She's in less than perfect mood as she arrives to the night-time location.
As she steps out and pays the taxi driver, she breathes a slight sigh of relief. It's nice that she doesn't have to fight him off and /then/ have a match, yes - the fact that he's not leaving and honking his horn in support, well ... that's just a little annoyance.
When she gets close to the two already 'preparing', she laughs - the tail end of the conversation catching her ears. "Girls never tell, you know." She chastises Momoko briefly, hands folded under her chest and a smirk on her face. She looks between the two, and then adds. "... Whenever you're ready, I'm not going anywhere." Friendly fight, if she can manage it!
COMBATSYS: Shermie has started a fight here.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|
Smashing! The girl is here! Arika is, however, turned in the opposite direction from which Momoko approaches so the shy voice hits her first. "'ello, mate. Domino said that, did 'e now?" Chuckling she shoots her hand out toward the youngster and then rolls her shoulders back in a small shrug as the girl bows instead. "I'm nineteen and you're twelve if the stat sheets are correct, right?" So that would mean she's got at least seven more years give or take depending on her own body. "Look mate, this Shermie is a wee bit tough, so we're gonna 'ave to work together to get this won."
When the latecomer appears, she raises an eyebrow and then shakes her head. "And ladies don't eavesdrop on private conversations, but let's get this done, shall we?" Friendly? That'll remain to be seen, but the punk rock princess is willing to try at any rate.
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Arika
Momoko blinks quite rapidly as Arika starts talking to her. The aforementioned stat sheet said British, didn't it? That means she speaks English, right? And Momoko knows English -- or so she thought. The accent... throws her for a bit of a loop, to say the least, until she can get adjusted to Arika's speech patterns. ... Sadly, she'd missed the opportunity for a handshake in her momentary confusion, but at least she got the answer to her question. "Right!" she assents, before glancing over to Shermie. "W-well, she didn't =have= to answer..." admits the diminutive pre-teen. But she nods her head in agreement with Arika. "Right! Momoko and Arika will do their best!" she chirps, pumping her tiny fists in pride! "Okay!"
COMBATSYS: Momoko has joined the fight here.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
Hmn, grumpy half-dressed people. Shermie gives a little sigh and a flip of her hair as she steps into the makeshift 'arena', and then just leans against a rope, waiting casually with her arms out to her side. She's taking this ... sort-of-seriously, but for all intents and purposes, well, not so much.
'... And no punching me in the rear. That's just wrong.' she muses to herself, but doesn't vocalize. Her last SNF loss ringing in her ears (and other places!) This time, she plans on being a bit more forceful on her attacks, and luck and little glowy balls of light aren't going to save her opponents this time! "So.. c'mon! There's this club I want to go to after the fight - if I don't break any nails, that is.."
COMBATSYS: Shermie takes no action.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
Deep blue eyes are rolled skyward as she glances at her opponent. "And I'm sure they're just dyin' to let'cha in, mate. If you're that interested in leaving, you can always forfeit." Whether this is said to rile Shermie up or just be impertinent is difficult to tell, as Arika says it in an extremely neutral tone.
The tone quickly shifts to amused though and the punk rock princess offers a nod and a bright smile to her ally for the evening. "Yes, Momoko and Ari--" Clearing her throat she tries that again. "You and I will do our best, mate!" The younger girls chirpy attitude seems to be spreading a little, at least. Making one of the grumpy half-dressed people a little less nervous and a little more in-tune with what's happening around her.
"Don't worry," Arika calls to Shermie as she rushes in aiming a quick right-jab to the grumpy-one's jaw, "I ain't aimin' for your nails!" As her right hand pulls back from the jab, the left is imbued with a bright violet energy which is then directed toward the heart-shaped hole in Shermie's outfit with a palm strike.
What's Momoko got to be grumpy about? She gets a really attractive partner and a really attractive opponent! Nodding cheerily, she dashes in sync with Arika, letting the punk rocker do the talking here! Instead, she... announces her intentions. "Here I come!" she cries, sliding in close, before dropping to one hand, swinging her leading foot towards Shermie's, and hoping to hook Shermie's ankle with her foot, =intending= to sweep her off her feet in an attempt to help her partner land the hit! "Haaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Shermie blocks Momoko's Medium Throw.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shermie dodges Arika's Diva Allegro.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
Shermie hates getting double-teamed. Hates it, hates it. Because it's crazy hard to deal with attacks coming in left, right and center. Or in this case, middle and low. She does, however, know how to deal with it, and attempts to do so with at least a modicrum of style.
Shermie's face slides to the side as she's jabbed at, the knuckles just barely brushing her cheek in a little caress, the left skimming along the fabric of her blouse, close enough to let Shermie feel the heat of that energetic attack. Her smirk grows just a little wider as she catches her ankle against Momoko's foot, and pushes right back into it, to keep herself from stumbling - at least for a second.
And then she goes /over/ and lets herself 'fall'. However, it's very controlled, and aimed right at Momoko, her knees going for the girl on the ground's shoulders, in an effort to 'grab' and then, well - then there may be twisty hurtyness!
To be fair, Arika would really hate getting double-teamed as well, but in this case the 'team' is going to work in her favor. She hopes. Upon seeing that the strikes didn't hit as she intended, she hops back a step being careful to avoid her ally as she does seeing as how she doesn't want to trip or distract the younger fighter.
Away from the fray, she contemplates what to do that's not going to interfere with any attempt on Momoko's part to pry herself away from Shermie's intended grasp. As such, she circles so that she's standing on an angle near the left side of her opponent and smirks. "Oh, sure! Pick on the poppet why don't you?" Her leg comes up, knee pointing away from Shermie before she whips the leg into an arc and makes an attempt to snap her foot against the ribs.
COMBATSYS: Momoko blocks Shermie's Spiral.
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Shermie 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
Momoko was fully intending to twist out of the way, but with her foot blocked like so, she's unable to! The 'poppet' does find herself able to twist backwards, making Shermie's grapple less than optimal, and allowing her to snap out of the toss before she hits the ground!
Twisting about, she catches herself upon one foot. But rather than recover, turning about to face Shermie, she instead reverses direction sharply, ramming her rear into the French fighter for a surprise attack! Should she land the first strike, more would be sure to follow! "Pii-Chi-Attaaaaaque!"
COMBATSYS: Shermie dodges Arika's Heavy Kick.
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Shermie 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shermie dodges Momoko's Peach Ataque.
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Shermie 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
"If she's here, she's fair game!"
Shermie's answer is short, blunt, and to the point. Landing a little awkwardly, Shermie's ducking motion that takes her underneath the strong kick of Arika's and keeps her from harm, while at the same time giving her a good sight of the 'Pii-Chi-Attaaaaque!'. Dropping completely flat, Shermie puts herself mostly out of the way of the leap and rear-bump!
"If you're so worried about it, though..." Shermie flips her braids back behind her as she gets to her feet, swaying a little from side to side as she starts to get into the fight. She gives Arika a smile, with just a hint of something feral at the end, and then launches herself at the other woman. ".. Maybe you and I should go around once or twice!" As she reaches out, she's already pivoting her weight - intent on twisting and sending her body weight into Arika, and then using herself as a pivot to send the other girl to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Shermie's Rebound Throw.
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Shermie 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
"Let's," Arika says as she keeps an eye on Shermie's swaying. Mm. Nice tactic, if it wasn't one the punk rock princess used herself from time to time. When the other woman launches herself and pivots, Arika sidesteps into a small pirouette and grins. "Nice try, mate, but you'll 'ave to do better than that!"
Seems that -someone- is getting a little cocky now. Likely not a good thing, but it's all for show at this point.
As Shermie passes her, the diva attempts to get behind her and wrap both arms around her throat. This done for the simple reason of trying to choke the other woman before stretching her backward while she raises a knee up to press it against her lower back to apply a steady pressure; a small deviation on a basic stranglehold.
So... Arika thinks Momoko's a kid, and Shermie wants to fight Arika for a few goes? ... Well, fine. Momoko's quite competent and can take care of herself! So her feelings might be hurt a little bit, but it's hard to tell through the big smile, practically unchanged as she recovers and steps back to a safe distance.
Besides, from here, she can get a better view of the fighters! All the better to watch the more mature women enviously. And as she does so, she cups her hands over her mouth, shouting, "Go, go, Miss Fade, goooo!"
COMBATSYS: Momoko focuses on her next action.
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Shermie 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Shermie with Diva Attaca.
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Shermie 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/------=|
Damn. Just a bit too close, and not close enough for what she needed to do. Shermie's fingers miss the punk rock diva, and instead close on empty air - speaking of air, she's all of the sudden finding out that she doesn't have any of her own. This, this is bad. Very bad. Shermie struggles with the grip for a second, finally managing to wrench the hands off of her enough so that she can take a breath of air in, feeling less energetic and more angry about being slow enough to get caught up in the attack. ".. Better. F.. fine."
With her attention totally on Arika, she flips herself upwards, and tries to bring her knees down on Arika's shoulders. If she can, well, there's a nice wrenching twist and a flip of Shermie's body to send Arika spiraling away in it for her. Yes, she uses it a lot. It's what she's known for!
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Shermie's Spiral.
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Shermie 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
The shout from the younger girl distracts Arika enough that when Shermie struggles against the grip, she releases her a little more than she would normally have intended. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it -does- make the punk rockin' Brit want to get into the fight a little more seriously now.
However, with her attention on her ally and not her opponent, Arika misses the opportunity to lunge out of the way of the knees and finds herself spiraling toward the reflecting pool. Twisting her body ever so slightly as she lands, hoping to break her fall away from the edge that juts up she lands on her side. One hand dips into the pool and she hollers, "Go for it, kiddo!" If she knew that Momoko was taking such things as insults, she'd probably stop shouting them but considering the age difference can she be blamed for thinking that?
In order to keep Shermie's attention on herself to allow the younger girl to make her move, Arika grabs a small pebble that lodged itself in the bottom of the pool and tosses it toward her opponents head. Yes, it's mean. Yes, she could've thrown it somewhere else on the body. From her position though, it's difficult to take proper aim.
Well... it's not that Momoko's so much =insulted= as continually reminded that she's not who she wants to be yet. It's already long enough of a wait to adulthood, without receiving constant reminders! ... But really she's used to it, and she doesn't take anyone off the Christmas list for the comments.
Still, with as much as the girl's staring at Shermie, she'd never once thought: how can she see? Until now, at least! "W...wow..." she comments, "Who does your hair, Miss Shermie?" It's a perfectly innocent question, that just happens to be delivered while the girl's handspringing towards Shermie, one vault after the other sending her into a flying kick. The girl's momentum is such that if she lands, she'd instantly spring into another backsault, leading to three quick aerial kicks, before the girl finally rights herself, spinning into a helicoptering kick to the torso. She's quite nimble, really! "Ya! Ya! YAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Shermie endures Arika's Thrown Object.
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Shermie 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Shermie fails to interrupt Momokonba from Momoko with Shermie Whip.
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Shermie 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
Oho, so she's being swapped out for targeting, and now she's got to take down Momoko instead? Fair enough! Shermie's all ready for this, and grins in anticipation as she starts towards the younger girl. Behind her hair, her eyes are .. well, mysterious! But quite likely ready for attack or some such.
As she ignores the question, she reaches out, to try and grab that flying kick out of the air, and to provide a fair level of smackdown on Momoko - however, it isnot meant to be. Just as she grabs, there's a *THOCK* sound, the pebble catching her on the cheek and making her flinch. Which leads her to missing the grab completely, and being mercilessly battered by Momoko's kicks. Ow.
Would you look at the legs on the kid? Arika is stunned to see such agility and momentous kicks coming from someone so young. That'll teach her though. Don't judge a book by it's cover! Without allowing Shermie time to recover, she dips her hand into the reflecting pool again and begins to grin impishly. Possibly a little menacingly. "Ohhh sheepdog~!" Voice is fairly sing-songy at this point, done in a falsetto alto. "Over 'eeere!"
Even though security checked the area several times to ensure that spectators wouldn't hurt the fighters, the forgot to check the bottom of the pool. From it's depths, the punk rocker pulls out a pair of fairly large, reflective hair scissors. "'ow's 'bout we take care of that wee problem you're 'avin' with your bangs?" All of this done to keep the woman's attention on her and not the younger girl.
COMBATSYS: Arika assists Momoko.
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Shermie 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
Sheepdog, eh? Ouch. One supposes Arika's course through life would teach her to be a bit more venomous in tone than Momoko's course would. The thought of being openly mean without provocation is just unthinkable to her!
But that's totally irrespective of her desire to put on a good show for the fans. Spectators here at the Louvre might be laughing, but Momoko's dead serious! Hands splay out to either side as the girl spins to a stop, 1but it's not long at all before the girl plants her hands on the ground, cartwheeling forward, and scythes her heels down onto Shermie with a quick flip! Should she land that, she'd leap into the air once more, twisting about to give her heels another chance to drop down onto Shermie's shoulders, bolstered by her teammate's cheering! Her camera and jacket dangle along, becoming a bit of a problem to Momoko's acrobatic attacks, but she continues on with a smile: "Hiii! HAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Momoko successfully hits Shermie with Strong Kick.
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Shermie 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
Sheepdog?! SHEEPDOG!?
Shermie is quite pleased with her hair as it is - the fact that it doesn't help her so much in fighting is just the way life works, and she has to accept and deal with that. In this case, it's not so much that she's not seeing the attacks.. it's that the attacks are very very well timed, distractions from Arika coming in at just the right time in each case. And this time is no exception. There's a glint of light and Shermie's head spins towards it, the threat implicit, and pushing her just a little too far. The surprise of getting /jumped on/ twice by Momoko knocks her down to her knees - but she doesn't quite give up - no, no, Shermie just gets /mad/.
There's almost a roar as she stands up, and behind her bangs is light - pale blue and sparking like electricity. She attempts to grab a hold of Momoko's feet before she gets a chance to get away, but she's really focused on Arika. If and when she gets a hold of either and hopefully both, she's going to grab them, throw them upwards, and give them a knee-first experience of how to deal with Lightning. She's fully intent on beating the ever-loving tar out of the girl for even /suggesting/ that she get rid of her bangs.
She loves those bangs. LOVES THEM. (Plus, they are the only thing that lock down her Orochi Power.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Shermie's Lightning Leg Lariat.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
Yes. Sheepdog. That's what bangs like that remind the British punk rocker of! And making the Sheep- er Shermie -mad- was entirely the point of bringing the scissors along.
Of course, Arika has -no- intention of actually attempting to cut the hair, but the taunting was -definitely- worth it!
That is, until she sees electricity shooting from the eyes of a very angry Sheep-- er-- Shermie! At least, she assumes it's the eyes since she can't really see behind the bangs. The electricity is a sure sign to get away though and get away she does!
Scrambling away from the grab, she begins to hop from one foot to another. Not to distract her opponent this time as much as from habit. Shermie seems fairly distracted with her movements anyhow. Arika begins to swing her body around in a complete three-hundred-and-sixty degree spin, looking as though she's putting quite a bit of force behind... well whatever it is she's about to attempt! Her left leg is drawn up nearly vertically, rotated to the side and snapped quickly toward Shermie's ribcage. Whether she hits or misses, she hops back -just- in case the Sheepd-- er Shermie! has another spooky attack like that coming at her.
COMBATSYS: Momoko blocks Shermie's Lightning Leg Lariat.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/-----==|
Wh-whoa... Momoko didn't think Shermie would get =that= ticked off! "Iyaaa!" The girl finds herself in a tough spot here -- Shermie attacks right after she'd kicked her a few times, so there's no escape! ... But, mercifully, Shermie tosses her in the air, which just so happens to be a place she's comfortable with. Kicking sharply to the side, she's able to transform her tumbling momentum into a more controllable log roll, which also brings the girl, still crackling with electricity, juuuust out of the range of Shermie's lightning-charged knee strike!
A bit numb from the strike, she's not able to do much more than that, landing a bit roughly on the stonework. At least now the girl's glad she brought her jacket!
It's not long before she's back on her feet, though, and rocketing towards Shermie! She times her attack -- a flying scissorlock with her feet! -- to land just after Arika's would have. And if successful, she'd be aiming to whip Shermie about, and into the pool! "Hyaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Shermie blocks Arika's Rhythmic Roundhouse.
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Shermie 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Shermie blocks Momoko's Medium Throw.
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Shermie 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
They're working together. For a moment, Shermie really wishes that Yashiro or Chris were around, so that she could have that same sort of teamwork that she's seeing in their work. The flurry of feet coming at her are hard to see, harder still to intercept - but she manages to get her arms up in the way of attack after attack, backing up towards the pool.
And there, well - she stops there after the exhausting effort, gulping in great breaths of air, her fce a mask of pain and frustration. She doesn't urge them on - no, she knows they'll attack when they're ready. And she's got to find a way to be prepared for them as well. Right now, she doesn't have it - will she in a few seconds?
COMBATSYS: Shermie gains composure.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
In an attempt to mock Shermie again, Arika goes to flash the scissors only to find that she's dropped him during her previous attack attempt. Too bad, because while the reaction could have had explosive repercussions it was quite amusing to her! Hopefully to the audience as well, but even if not, she got quite a mental chuckle out of it.
In either case, seeing as her opponent is trying to catch her breath the punk rock princess zooms in with a lunge and tries to take hold of Shermie. Intending on lifting the other woman up in the air in what looks like a normal backdrop throw, if she manages the grasp she'll wander to the reflecting pool and push her into the air and flip her forward into the water.
Wow. The heat of battle, the thrill of the adrenaline rush! There's nothing else like it, and brave little Momoko isn't really sure she has any way of describing it to her friends back home!
...A picture speaks a thousand words, though, doesn't it? The girl starts to pick up her camera and frame a shot... but then Arika jumps in and... well... that's cool, right? She snaps a few shots of that, the reflected light from the flash bright enough to dazzle and confuse! "Yaaaay!"
... Wasn't she supposed to be fighting? She'll get into the fight again in a moment, probably...
COMBATSYS: Momoko assists Arika.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Shermie dodges Arika's Strong Throw.
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Shermie 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/----===|
See - somethings are distractions, and some are salvations. Shermie is pretty sure that Arika's got her number, left a message at the tone, and when she checks her voice mail, it's going to be from 1-800-KNOCKOUT. In this case though, she gets a flash of inspiration, just at the second before that lunge catches her. She snakes her hand around Arika's and turns towards Momoko, smushing up against Arika in a surprise move, just as the flash goes off and the picture is taken. She's smiling for the camera, and flashing a 'V' with her fingers that are just under Arika's bust! Mweh-heh!
Skipping back a few steps right after, Shermie launches herself towards Arika, attempting to take herself /and/ the other girl into the pool through the creative use of a hip toss and bumrush. If someone is very very intent on getting soaked, well - might as well turn it into two people! Besides, 'drowned rat' is all the rage in Paris this year.
COMBATSYS: Shermie successfully hits Arika with Strong Throw.
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Shermie 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Momoko
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Arika 0/-------/=======|
Distraction, salvation... not knowing where the flash comes from, it catches Arika off-guard and makes her see stars. Not the Hollywood variety either, but those little bursts of light that are so blinding she forgets where she is momentarily.
As such! She misses Shermie's crazy photo-op antics! Too bad, because if she -had- seen them, she likely would have slammed her head backward and tried to break through the bangs to smash against her nose. She does feel the other woman behind her though and states, "Sorry, mate, I don't swing that way."
Her head is given a bit of a shake, trying to get the stars out of her eyes and allow her to focus on the fight once more. "Momo--" Before the full name is out, she's sprawling into the pool along with her opponent.
*SPLASH!*
Surfacing from the shallow water she sputters, "Told you, I don't swing that way. Don't think that because you made me wet I'll change me mind!" Indeed; the little Brit can be a tad crude when the situation warrants. Reaching for the other 'drowned rat', Arika clenches her fists and attempts to use Shermie's head as a set of drums. A series of repetitive hammerfists are aimed for each temple in an attempt to dizzy or daze, allowing the other woman a chance to see stars.
... Well, Momoko certainly didn't intend to help Shermie here -- she was just capturing a moment of this battle for the sake of posterity! And... it seems she may have helped Shermie in the process. Oh well! She snaps a few more pictures with a faint shrug. It's a Japanese tradition!
But so is martial arts, and while Momoko may not be partaking in any Japanese arts, she can still kick people! Shermie may be standing in the pool, but that won't stop the girl raised on a beach from throwing herself into a backsault, aiming to kick her one, two, three times in midair before catching herself with a hand, and springing back to the relatively dry land! ... That's the =plan= anyway...
COMBATSYS: Shermie endures Arika's Drum Solo.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Shermie 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Momoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Shermie fails to interrupt Folha from Momoko with Shermie Whip.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Momoko 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Arika
COMBATSYS: Shermie can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Momoko 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Arika
"Lighten up!"
Shermie's not planning on fighting too much longer, anyways - she's gone from serious to taking it half-serious, and well on her way to not taking things seriously at all. Instead, she just plans on getting out of this without getting too much more soaked. She laughs a bit as she looks towards Momoko, out where it's dry. And in that moment, she makes her decision.
She /ignores/ Arika's attack.
From behind she's battered, strikes to her neck and temple rocking her left and right, forwards - but she keeps her head fixed forwards, towoards Momoko in flight. And she grabs for her /again/...
And misses.
The impact from the kick knocks her down facefirst, straight into the pool.
She doesn't get up.
Ignored? -IGNORED-??!?
Okay, really? Arika doesn't mind being ignored if the attack is still hitting it's mark. She -does- back up out of the way as Momoko comes in with those wicked kicks again and can't help but grin. That kid has -great- potential. Definitely worth looking her up again afterward to see if she wants to fight; be it training or otherwise.
Stepping out of the liquid-gold-like reflecting pool, she sets herself up defensively half expecting Shermie to pull herself out for another attack. Seeing her fall forward into the pool instead, and unmoving, she blinks.
THEY WON!
Excuse her for reveling in the fact that she's now got a whole lot of white roses to look forward to when she gets home. Throwing her fists in the air, she hops up, spins, faces the camera directly....
... and the showboating doesn't end there. A shoulder is dipped back, she winks at the camera and does a brief air guitar - all in a matter of seconds.
And Shermie -still- hasn't gotten up. That's... bad. Face first in -anything- is bad. In water, it becomes a life or death situation and while she's ecstatic about their win, she's not about to let someone -die- because of it. Lunging back toward the pool she reaches to take hold of Shermie's shoulders and yank her out, one hand snaking around her neck so that she can check for a pulse. Just in case.
Momoko has... eggs and rice to look forward to when she gets home! She and her guardian don't make all that much money, after all, and she doesn't have a rich boyfriend. (Yet!)
Springing back onto the ledge, Momoko shakes her arm dry. All according to plan, so far! She passes a glance over to Arika, throwing her hands up in the air and cheering, "Yaaay! We did it!"
But even throughout that, her concern lies with the submerged Shermie. Seeing Arika continue to party, Momoko leaps into the water anyway, getting her cargo pants soaked as she wades out to Shermie. It'd just happen that she helps Ms. Fade lift Shermie out of the water, poking Shermie's cheeks with a finger. "Ne, don't die on us, okay? Ne, ne!"
COMBATSYS: Momoko takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Momoko 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Arika
Ow.
That was a lot of ow. Shermie's pretty sure that she's got a nice imprint on her forhead somewhere. She comes up sputtering, and definitely looking like a drowned rat now. But that's ok - the fight's over, so she'll just be able to catch (a different) taxi home and go dry off or something.
She gets to her knees, and then to her feet with the pair's help, and then shakes her head ruefully. "This Howard guy must really have it out for me - this is the second time in a row he's chucked me in against a pair of people." Muttering something /else/ under her breath, quite possibly about him trying to kill her or something, she shakes it off, and offers them both rueful, pained smiles. "Nice fight, you two. I'm gonna go before I get a cold."
Log created by Shermie, and last modified on 05:53:00 04/26/2007.