Description: Arika, just off the plane, is handed a challenge from the Silent Assassin... can she take the NESTS agent down? (Winner: Aislinn)
This has been one helluva week for debuts! First Neo League match went smashingly. First SNF fight went brilliantly with the help of that little poppet! Arika couldn't be happier and as such, she's caught the red-eye back to Southtown. As much as she'd love to stay in France and pull the tourist thing, she's been promised roses for winning and there's no better time to collect them like the present!
As the plane was landing and cellular phones were allowed to be turned on again, she checked her voice mail. Four o'clock in the morning on an empty runway. A challenge. Neo League. Camera crews, dim lights giving a bit of a glow to the edges. A ring set up right around the large white number 42.
When the plane begins to disembark, Arika motions for one of the crew members to take her luggage to a predetermined area. She's barely had sleep, hardly had a chance to change into her fighting gear in the tiny bathroom the airplane afforded and yet? She bounces down the steps of the plane and right up to the ring, a broad smile on her face. Win or lose? Her debuts were the best she could ever have hoped for. Both hands ball up into fists that she shoots over her head as she faces the camera and winks.
COMBATSYS: Arika has started a fight here.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Aislinn has joined the fight here.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Arika
Yes... a challenge. Aislinn has been caught up in schoolwork and dealing with Yurika's oddities lately; she's been neglecting her Neo League duties. Maybe that's why she lost to Drake. Still... she felt like another challenge, and this weekend was perfect for it. Arika Fade. Only recently debuted but already quite popular... possibly a very good challenge. So the League officials were contacted and the challenge was issued.
Aislinn waits at the far end of the ring from Arika; despite the time, despite the place, she seems utterly unconcerned, the harsh lighting not terribly flattering to her skin... not that she cares. She is just... waiting, her arms crossed behind her back.
Tarmac lighting is usually not flattering to anyone, so Aislinn really shouldn't care. It just tends to give an eerie glow to the fighters in the still dark morning sky.
What is it with all these night time fights anyhow?
No matter! Spying her opponent, Arika attempts to give her a look across the darkness. This fails, but not because it's not a good look but because it's lost in the dim light. Stretching her arms up above her head and trying to work out kinks from the flight, she gives a nod to one of the officials standing nearby.
Immediately afterward, the announcer calls, "Aislinn Doyle! Challenging Arika Fade - fresh from France!"
Hah! Fresh? Maybe. If the punk rock princess has managed a small nap on the way back.
The announcer cuts through her thoughts and yells, "FIGHT!"
Intending to do just that, Arika moves across the ring with an alarming speed for someone just coming off a long flight and after a fight like she had. Beckoning Aislinn out, she grins. "Let's do this, mate!" With that said, she tries to circle around the girl and get behind her so that both arms can wrap about her throat and squeeze tightly. Managing this, she'll continue the stranglehold but apply further pressure by jamming her knee into the lower back of her opponent and stretching the body backward.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Aislinn with Diva Attaca.
Glancing Blow
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Aislinn 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Arika
Aislinn doesn't attempt to move out of the way 'til just a moment to
Aislinn doesn't attempt to move out of the way 'til just a moment tooo late; Arika gets her grip, but the grasp is broken quickly, before much can happen, and that knee finds no grip. Aislinn tumbles forward, having not expected the girl to move so fast... spinning about as she comes out of the tumble, she returns to facing Arika.
"Fast," she comments, then explodes out of her crouch with a rising left knee aimed for Arika's chin; if she connects she'll follow through with a snapping front kick.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn successfully hits Arika with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Aislinn 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Arika
Knee coming toward her face? Foot to likely follow? Not bloody likely! Jet-lagged though she may be, Arika spies it coming toward her and shoots her hands up in front of her face to keep the foot from doing any damage.
Not when she's got roses waiting for her!
Arms taking the brunt of the hit, she staggers back a few steps and glares at the girl before her. "Watch the face!" The words are just about spit out at the opponent before she steadies herself and then contemplates a retaliation.
After a very brief contemplation she pops a shoulder back and swings her left leg out toward the girl, thrusting the heel at the stomach and attempting to knock Aislinn back a little.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn endures Arika's Heavy Kick.
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Aislinn 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Arika
Not the face? Sounds like Balrog. That really just kind of makes her want to hit Arika in the face again. However... that will wait. Arika's kick comes sailing in and don't think Aislinn missed it; the hit should crumple her. But it doesn't. Instead she staggers--but wraps her left arm around the kicked leg.
Then her eyes flash and she brings her right hand back... and then thrusts it forward, just as a blazing flare of chi resolves and expresses itself into a literal 'blade' of electrical chi now seeking to stab Arika right through the stomach.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn successfully hits Arika with Lightning Blade.
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Aislinn 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Arika
Crumple? Well, maybe not. Just double her over a little. At least that's the hope. When Aislinn -doesn't- double over, Arika is a little surprised. A -lot- more so when her leg gets caught up. Geeze. The girl is fast. Either that, or the jetlag is catching up to her.
While struggling to get free, the punk rock princess just happens to miss the flash in her opponents eyes and instead focuses on the hand that's thrusting toward her. As she tries to wrench her leg free and pull herself out of the way of the strike, the chi flare catches her eye and she squeezes her eyes shut. With the electrical energy stabbing into her midsection she winces with the jolt. Body trembling with the effects of the sheer amount of energy coursing through her body at that hit, she mumbles a string of curses to herself and continues to push on.
Without pulling herself free from the other girl's grasp, Arika begins to thrash her head about to a rhythm that only she can hear. The move is wholly untactical, and she's hoping to throw Aislinn off with it. Adding in a circular swing, she continues with the thrashing. Another circular swing in the opposite direction and then she slams her head toward the other's face, aiming dead center for the nose as she finally pulls her leg free and sets it on the ground.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Aislinn with Harmonic Headbang.
- Power hit! -
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Aislinn 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Arika
For someone who says 'watch the face', a headbutt is unexpected... thus explaining why Aislinn gets flattened by the headbutt, despite her best efforts to interpose her forearms.
~Broken nose. Will set it later.~
Aislinn pushes back to her feet, her eyes alight with emotion... and yet she doesn't attack--she stands there.
Then the energy begins building, a red-white glow flaring around her feet and rising up along her body....
COMBATSYS: Aislinn gathers her will.
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Aislinn 1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1 Arika
Obviously Arika doesn't consider her forehead to be an area of the face that needs to be watched. It -does- get the other girl down though, which causes her to smirk a little. Seems the punk rocker isn't quite out of the fight yet!
Shaking her head and bringing a hand up to her forehead, she spies a little white and blue flag off to the side out of the corner of her eye. At the same time, she notices the glow around the feet of her opponent and groans. Time to prepare for another jolt of energy blasting toward her, but at the same time she can't just stand there and wait for it.
Semi-diving into a barrelroll, she grabs for the semaphore flag. Grasping it firmly, Arika comes out of the roll and lunges toward the lavender-haired girl using the flag as a bludgeoning weapon of sorts as it's aimed toward the top of the Aislinn's head. One hit, and the hits will continue as she tries to whap the smooth material in her opponents face.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn blocks Arika's Random Weapon.
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Aislinn 1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Arika
She could interrupt her charge-up to retaliate--but that isn't necessary yet. Aislinn's arms find their way in front of each of those strikes as she breaks away to back up, step by step.
"Admirable effort, but it is wasted," she replies, flatly... the last impact throws her arms back--or does it? Aislinn seems to be reeling back but then her right foot plants back and pushes forward; her right fist, flaring with electrical power, arcs overhead for Arika's face.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Aislinn's Fierce Punch.
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Aislinn 1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Arika
When will people learn?
NOT
THE
FACE!
Is it such a hard concept to follow? The insult goes ignored as Arika chooses to side-step and pirouette around the oncoming punch. Instead of retaliating with a simple attack, the punk rock princess steps out a few feet and then swings back in front of Aislinn. A taunting wink is offered as she drops her left shoulder backward and up on a slight angle. The arm is held out about three inches to her side, elbow bent as though she's holding the neck of a guitar. Her right arm is bent in toward her stomach so that she can pluck the invisible strings. Fingers set to a powerchord and when she 'hits' it, a burst of multi-colored energy explodes behind her causing a bright flash for both the cameras and her opponent. That energy then arcs off in a beam toward Aislinn, aiming for her center.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn slows Siren Song from Arika with Large Thrown Object.
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Aislinn 1/=======/=======|==-----\-------\0 Arika
Apparently Aislinn is just weak versus people who prize their face; she backsteps once, twice, then grabs a nearby audiocart and slings it into the way of the beam of energy--which gets partially dissipated, but still impacts pretty hard.
The NESTS agent staggers, and her eyes continue to blaze... swearing to herself that she will NOT lose to this pretty-face nobody. She -swears- it. It's something she hasn't cared about in quite some time... but she's caring now.
"That wasn't sufficient either," she rasps, straightening her spine.
A loud curse rings out from the audio tech as his cart goes into the heart of the beam. Thankfully with the audiocart becoming part of the fray, his curse goes unheard by the general public.
"Nothing is sufficient to you, is it?" Arika mutters this as she begins to circle around Aislinn again. "Wot are ya? Some kind'a robot?" An amusing thought, but she's somewhat irritated that this girl thinks she's not got what it takes. Who's she to judge?
As soon as she sees an opening, she reaches out toward Aislinn and grabs for her arm in an attempt to yank her forward as a knee is brought up in what she hopes will be a relatively hard hit to the other girls abdomen.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn counters Femme Fatale from Arika with Banishing Hammer.
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Aislinn 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Arika
No. Not this time. Aislinn's temper flares even more, and suddenly it is -expressed-. Both verbally, and physically.
"I am not a ROBOT," she hisses, only low enough for Arika to hear--if she -can- hear past what Aislinn is doing.
What is she doing? She's parrying that grab and then her hands are slamming onto Arika's head, gripping tight--
'Not the face'. Not this time. This time, Arika is taking three headbutts, each to the face, slamming hard, the hardest, thickest part of her foreskull impacting against Arika's face.
Then she releases the other fighter and finishes with a slamming right knee to Arika's chest--that is then finished with the twist of her hip and a snapping kick from the same knee to Arika's abdomen.
"Bloody BI--"
The cry is cut off -just- as the audio tech gets the soundcart back up and in working order. A high pitched BLEEEP can be heard and he grins from ear to ear. Just in time to catch the nasty curse from the little Brit.
To say that Arika is now extremely upset would be a grave understatement. Hands set to her face to check for blood and eyes shoot tiny daggers at her opponent now. What -was- a friendly little fight has just gone horribly wrong. No blood, so that means her nose can't be broken... right? Definitely bruised though, and she can already feel the swelling on either side of it. Tenderness around her left eye tells her that it's likely going to be black by the morning if she doesn't get ice on it shortly.
All of that checking is done as she staggers backward from the kick and trips over a wire to land on her rear end on the tarmac. A deep breath is taken and she pushes herself up to her feet, staggering slightly while she tries to focus once more on her opponent.
Lunging once more, Arika tries to force Aislinn down and hook the girl's arms behind her back. With an attempt to link her hands together in the same area, the punk rock princess goes to lift Aislinn up spin her in front of her own body.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn counters Strong Throw from Arika with Brutal Hammer.
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Aislinn 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Arika
Apparently Arika didn't learn. Or she wants -more-. Has this fight gone from friendly to deadly? It may have. One more time, then, if she wants to do this dance once more.
"I told you that was insufficient!" she says, sharply, as she once again catches Arika before she can get a good grip--and once again headbutts. Why yes, Aislinn is a vicious little fighter when she wants to be. She isn't even feeling the throb of pain from the reddened area on her forehead.
Oh, Arika learnt the first time. But there's not a chance she's going to let that little witch get away with breaking her nose. -Thankfully- Aislinn's rather fierce forehead smacks her directly in the eye, causing it to become nearly instantly bloodshot before it starts to swell shut.
Been in worse scrapes before, but she's going to play this out to the last. Without another word, Arika shakes her head to clear the chirping birds from it. Bad enough that she's going to have to forgo her roses now (as -if- she's going to let the bearer of said roses see her face in this manner), but she's going to have to miss at least one gig and disappoint fans.
Circling the other fighter again, she sends a leg to reach around Aislinn's body and settle between her legs. Raising her arm up, she slides it up and tries to wrap it around Aislinn's throat to squeeze it. With her free hand, she makes a claw and attempts to clench it into the other girl's stomach thereby applying pressure and trying to force her down on her side.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn just-defends Arika's Dominant Diva!
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Aislinn 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Arika
Although throwing-based techniques are not her forte, Aislinn is not unfamiliar with them; however, she had found, the best -defense- is, for her, to avoid the attack if she cannot counter it. In this case, that's exactly what she does; the leg that shoots out for her side never finds purchase, because she traps it and deflects it away, at the same time taking a large backstep to avoid the girl.
No taunting words this time; the anger is cooling, and internally Aislinn is disciplining herself, strictly, for letting her emotions get out of hand. Her hard-won control is fading, in some aspects.
Having separated herself from her opponent, Aislinn leaps to the attack--in a metaphysical sense. Her eyes focusing on Arika, the NESTS agent points at her with her right hand--then lifts the hand up. A signal that something is coming--and it most certainly is.
In this case, it is a slashing blade of that electrical energy, double-edged, slicing up out of the ground, nearly the size of a man, and aimed to 'cut' right through Arika vertically.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Aislinn's Shining Edge.
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Aislinn 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Arika
Even with one eye swollen shut, Arika can tell something is up. Oh, it's nothing like a sixth sense. It's more just noticing certain things about her opponent, and having seen a blade of electrical energy not that long ago she's easily able to dodge this one. With the jetlag hitting her hard now, she simply drops to the side and rolls directly toward Aislinn. Stopping at what she hopes is the side of her opponent, she pushes herself up to her feet and then clenches her fists. In unison they slam toward the temples of the other girl, and while not quite the flurry they would normally be thanks to the beating she's just taken, the punk rock princess begins to hammer her fists in as many repetitions as she can manage.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Aislinn with Drum Solo.
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Aislinn 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Arika
The flurry is still more than enough to do some damage; Aislinn falls back, having taken the pounding none to well, and shakes her head. Nngh... not good. She may still fall, but she finds this, frankly, unacceptable. -Unacceptable-. She will never find her path to greater skill like this.
Aislinn fades back from the pummeling and grimaces--her own face is bruised, although she's thankfully avoided any truly disabling hits... she wants to just end this, as best as she can, and so she shifts into a Muay Thai stance, snapping out a series of low kicks to Arika's shin, maybe three in all, all from the right leg.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn successfully hits Arika with Light Kick.
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Aislinn 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Arika
-GOD-! Does this girl never go down? She really -is- a robot! Though the kicks are light, Arika goes sprawling backward. The migraine she's experiencing from all those hits to the face probably aren't helping at all either.
But! Tired and breathing heavy as she is at this point, she's not about to give up. Closing her good eye, she takes a deep breath and tries to reach out toward Aislinn and pull her down toward the knee that's jutting out. This will hopefully result in a hard hit to the abdomen, but at this point? She's not really counting on it.
COMBATSYS: Arika has reached second wind!
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Aislinn 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Aislinn dodges Arika's Femme Fatale.
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Aislinn 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Arika
... the first interesting thing Arika has done, as far as Aislinn has been concerned, all night, is not going down when Ais thought she would. It means she has to afford the punkrocker a little bit of grudging respect. Still, it doesn't mean she wants to get grabbed; she ducks back, letting Arika's grab whiff.
As she fades back, her stance shifts again, fluidly, into a karate stance, deep in the legs, her left arm bent at the elbow, right cocked back at her hip. And then -she's- lunging forward, throwing her right fist forward in a classic reverse thrust punch, aimed for Arika's chest. No need to try for the face anymore; pretty got banged up good and that's all she needs.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn successfully hits Arika with Medium Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Aislinn 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Arika
Thrown back against the audiocart, Arika grasps onto it and takes a deep breath. That's right, you can knock her down but she'll keep bouncing back!
At least she tries to keep bouncing back.
Several more deep breaths are taken, and with wobbly movements, she steps in front of Aislinn. Tired to the core, from both the jetlag and the subsequent fight, the punk rock diva tries to settle the score. Popping her left shoulder up again, she tries to wink at her opponent but fails miserably due to the swollen eye. Like before her left arm is held out to the side, elbow bent and her fingers curved inward as though they're ready to set to a chord. Her right hand hovers above her midsection and this time she begins to hum. All of the remaining energy she has within her is channeled into the faux guitar as she hits the powerchord.
A resounding explosion of multi-hued energy bursts forth behind her. Jubilee has -nothing- on her with this dazzling attack. Once again, the chi is arced into a beam directed at Aislinn.
COMBATSYS: Arika can no longer fight.
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Aislinn 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Aislinn negates Siren Song from Arika with Shining Edge.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-======|
Aislinn actually has some respect for Arika now and--well, now is as good a time as any to test her chi against Arika's. The beam of energy makes it about halfway to Aislinn; while Arika was focusing herself enough to make this final attack, Ais was considering and preparing, as she is wont to do... as was drilled into her. If you're not attacking and not defending, be -planning-.
Thus, abruptly, the blade of energy that Arika dodged earlier slices up out of the ground, clashing with the beam--a brilliant explosion of light bathes the area, but when it fades...
Aislinn is still standing. Hurt, of course--one leg bent inwards involuntarily, an arm hanging at an odd angle--not broken, but not right either--and bruised and scraped. But still up.
Her lavender gaze rests on Arika for a long moment... the girl almost did for Aislinn. Then she turns and starts limping off. The medics? They get a hard glare for their efforts, from the Silent Assassin, as she makes her way into the night...
In much worse fare, Arika crumples to her knees. Cameras are still on her though, so the diva forces herself to her feet. Exhausted. Hurt. Extremely upset over her injuries.
Still.
It's all for the fans.
So while Aislinn stalks off, she uses the audiocart to hold herself up and offers a nod and a brief wave while the announcer calls,
"Ladies and gentlemen! We have a winner! Aislinn DOY-EL!"
There's a bit of ruckus as they can't find Aislinn for a victory close up. Instead the crew snaps the cameras toward the gathering airline attendants and medics and then turns them off.
Once the cameras are off, the medics move in toward Arika. The punk rock diva just groans and waves them away. "Ice, ibuprofen and a taxi," are the words she utters through her fatigue as she steps out of the 'ring' and toward the area where they've stored her things.
Log created by Aislinn, and last modified on 15:38:22 04/22/2007.