Description: Alan Parson Project (1981). Elle consolidates her decision regarding Todoh, and makes him a dubious offer. The peices move yet again and a major part of Elle's nefarious plot is revealed!
The Southtown Village. Normally, pretty quiet for a crime-ridden city. Even at its worst it tends to stay pretty quiet in comparison to the hustle and bustle of the big city. Here, people slow down, enjoy more traditional lifestyles of Southtown's past...
And also beat the crap out of one another, like pretty much anywhere else. On this front it is no different at all.
The Todoh dojo has seen better times. After the last Todoh and Elle brawl, it's been in a state of disrepair as Todoh has been trolling around for would-be students, leaving Kasumi and her mother to handle most of any real maintenance here. Enthusiasm makes a place even dirtier in a record amount of time. Believe it!
Todoh himself has gone into one of those 'I'm standing on the roof of some building' routines again. Not even his own dojo, but a nearby structure's. Why? He's Todoh, stop asking, he gets to cameo wherever he likes. The breeze is pretty stiff tonight as he overlooks the proud work of his family. As opposed to his own, that slacker bum.
Elle remains thankfully oblivious to the strangeness that is Todoh. Well. Initially. She's really here for a few reasons which has her lost in thought. With her faithful ninja in tow, she clambers up the many steps to the dojo, her feet slamming against the wooden steps laboriously. Why is it that all these goddman dojos have to have fifty thousand steps? Between mentally complaining and figuring out how this is going to work, it's pretty easy to miss the posing Todoh.
Knuckles rap on the paneling of the rice paper doors. One day, Elle is going to burst through one and scream: "OH YEAH!" just for the sheer hell of it. Not today, though. Today, she has business to disc...
And then she sees him. Posing heroically atop the building. Elle reaches to tap Marise's shoulder, and points at the posing warrior, resplendent in the evening sun. "That's Todoh. He looks like he's crackers, 'cause he is." She explains. "But, he's one hell of a fighter. Hopefully, he'll have his best game today." Then the rocker raises her voice. "YO! SENSEI! I GOT SOME STUFF I WANNA TALK ABOUT! COULD YOU GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE FOR A SEC FOR CHRISSAKE?!"
Labor never seems to touch Elle's shadow, for all her clamor and bluster.
The tall, graceful maiden that follows a few steps behind seems to glide up those stares with nary a whisper. The hem of her kimono whispering faintly over the faded stone as most of the rest of her is hidden beneath a dark parasol.
The ghost speaks no words, no need to. Elle is apt at doing all of the talking. No.. there is a singular reason for the Devil's presense.
And it rarely bodes well for anyone involved.
The quick tap is met with a shift of the dark maiden's parasol, enough to reveal the looming warrior. Though, a faint whispery hiss escapes the dark within.. perhaps recoiling from the sun in silouette.
"...So be it.." Whispers the ethereal one.
The rule of thumb: if you think Todoh might be looking at you while you're fighting, he probably is. The man can appear just about anywhere, any time. A finely honed skill that even the most dedicated of ninjas almost never master in their lifetimes. His secrets may never be known - but perhaps one day, Kasumi will too inherit this skill and terrorize people with fits of wanderlust and whimsy herself.
He is called to. His head twists towards his visitors at the place he is /supposed/ to be at with the discerning eye of... a master? A bemused bystander? Or someone who might have forgotten the face of his students. No, it's none of the above.
He's actually beginning to slip and lose his footing. Beginning? Is. His arms wave around wildly a couple times before he falls clean off the roof. It's not that high up at all, it's the kind of fall that would merely just send someone to the hospital for having broken something. Then again, Todoh is a fighter and is decidedly not an ordinary case.
He swings his arms down twice in mid-air, producing little flashes of energy waves that should be more than familiar to those involved, getting off two before he hits the ground in a neat crouch, each one slowing down his fall a little. He crosses his arms like he meant to do that and then, in a bizarrely dainty fashion, gets the hell out of the other person's yard, hiking up his trousers in both hands and leaping down over to his own dojo.
"You are just on time today!" So Todoh says. Technically he's late.
"Vamp, this is Todoh, master of the Todoh-school of martial arts," Elle says in way of introduction. "Todoh, this is my assistant. I brought her here so we could all get some practice in. I think the original signup fee covers her." She pushes open the door to the dojo and looks in, her eyes scanning the mess. Apparently Todoh women never learned the subtle art of housekeeping.
"Also, I have a little something extra for you today. A chance to prove the might of Todoh, if you will," Elle says in her usualy cool, dry, level fashion. "It'd be doing me a big favor, and there's some cash in it for the Dojo. That is, if you're interested."
He might be uninterested, but the probability of him not wanting to know more is more or less the proverbial snowball's chance. Elle knows this, but turns to face her 'Master' with a face that only hits at a mild expectance of an immediate reaction. "Vamp, go get warmed up," Elle says as an aside as she motions for the ghost of a woman to enter the dojo proper. "Keep your guard up. This guy shoots out power like snot during hay-fever season."
As the 'Master' bumbles his way down into the wrong yard then hops into the Dojo proper.. The Devil is surprised this man manages to wake up consistantly every day. Her hidden gaze slowly drifts to Elle with a lift of her eyebrow.
No. She doesn't need to say anything really. The die is cast, afterall. Too late to have reservations with the chips they hold.
The haunting woman slowly lowers her parasol to her side, revealing her arranged hair held in place with twin needles. The shadowy woman's gaze hidden within her bangs, but her attention is clearly on the old man.
Already barefoot, the graceful, pale woman enters the dojo with only the sound of her collapsing parasol. Closing with a snap and discarded with a clack of finality upon the unswept floor.
"Miss Elle." The woman's sultry voice offers, acknowledging the order as her arms slowly fall to her sides.. Shoulders of her kimono slipping from her shoulders to above her elbows. The dark one's head tilts just a fraction in acknowledgement of the master of this house.
"Your assistant, eh?" Todoh brings a hand to his chin as he tries to size her up briefly. Elle said she's bring others, and on five-hundred bucks he's not about to make any complaints against it! More students for his school is always welcome. The "Vamp" doesn't have to survey the supposed master so long before he adds his own two cents into it. "A young lady like you could afford to learn to defend themselves against the hooligans in this town. Why, hooligans like that kid in orange and his funny-talking friend with that ponytail, too!" No, he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to put down the Sakizakis and their immediate friends... a bad judge of character or quite simply crazy? They've probably already figured that one out.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" He says in what is only the most polite voice he can manage for what is a rude and hasty statement. Kasumi is the one who has proper manners down pat. Her dad is, well, her dad. There's no changing that fact as he opens on up the door (if nobody else has) and allows all of them inside. Well, rather, he lets the "Vamp" go in first.
He doesn't seem to ask anything about more cash or big favors. After all, Elle is bringing him students. That's exactly how you get to the man's heart, right there. He is unaware of any higher or lower purpose among them. They present themselves as interested students, he takes them as interested students and part of the future of the reemerging Todoh-ryuu Kobujutsu style. So how /does/ he react to Elle other than apparent full acceptance?
"I'd say we're already good and checked out here! Now let's go get on to today's lesson," he gives that ever-friendly smile and nod as he follows in after Elle. Or if Elle lets him go in first. Either way. Makes no difference. He rubs his hands together quickly as he does so, stretching his arms out nicely to crack the bones in his hands. When you're old, your joints get all stiff.
The woman shuts the door behind her with a triling foot, letting Todoh enter the room first. Alrighty then. Todoh wants t get this started with a bang? She can deal with that. "Actually this is more of a 'team exercise'," Elle clarifies. "She's sort of my partner in crime, if you will." Quite literally, in fact. Just ask Hotaru. "So we've been working on some team tactics together."
As she speaks, Elle is already making a sweeping gesture, two fingers outstretched, pointing out areas of cover and tactical vantage point "so what I'd like to do is show her what kind of power you've got, plus tighten up the old teamwork skills at the same time. Shouldn't be too hard for a Todoh-Ryuu Master, right?"
There's no hint of sarcasm. The woman's face is dead serious as she stops with her complex hand gestures to settle herself a good distance away. Hopefully, her little display has given Marise a better idea of what her playing feild is like as Elle takes a vantage point so that she can better place herself on the battlefeild. Tactics make up for half a battle, after all. "Let's go," is her terse order as she draws a thumb across her neck, the 'sign' for attack.
COMBATSYS: Elle has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Todoh has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Todoh
COMBATSYS: Marise has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Elle assists Marise.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/-------|
The Devil Ninja wastes no time. The moment Elle's hand completes the first gesture, Marise shuffles to the side. Her kimono rustling with her abrupt movements as she quickly spreads to flank where directed. Apparently, the quiet woman is very familiar with such squad-tactics; taking to their hastily rehearsed signs with adroitness.
The edges of the woman's purple lips curl upwards just as she reaches a point roughly one-twenty degrees from Elle's own position. Flanking the old man and lifting her arms slowly in a haunting stance.
As Elle's thumb slashes her neck, the ghost issues a soft breath.. Golden eyes flaring beneath parting bangs as her tendrilous locks explode behind her in an avalanche of twisting shadows. Immediately she lashes forth with an arm.. her limb elongating across the distance of the room like a javelin in a bid to strike at Todoh's calf and trip him from his feet harshly! Seeking to assail his balance so her comrade can pursue..
COMBATSYS: Marise successfully hits Todoh with Maou Tsuke.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/------=|
"Oho! You want to learn /that/, do you," Todoh says as though he knew what Elle was talking about all along. In reality it's probably his own bizarre mutation of such an idea. "Well then! You will learn plenty tonight, to be sure. Let me show you how!"
Helets both Elle and the Vamp alike take their places as he places his hands together in a sort of gesture to indicate a greeting, but, if some of his other ways of conducting himself are any indication, he himself is not quite a traditional man despite his dress! "Now! Since--"
He feels a presence towards his right. He is flanked, a perfect position in which to attack him. The other woman strikes quickly and decisively with such strength that he is lifted up off his feet and collides, roughly, on his rear end. Coincidentally this was where Elle swept the tatami mat from out under Todoh's feet the last time, so the ground's even rougher on landing! He hits the ground with a 'whump,' recovering only by throwing his own body mass forward in a forward roll. This still leaves his back to the two of them.
"My my! Eager! Spirited! Good! You have potential yet, young lady!" He gives his approval with a nod that is not even in any of their direction, even as he stretches out a leg a bit after that fall. He didn't take that one all too well at all. He clears his throat.
"Now! Since you've been here before, I suppose you won't mind helping to demonstrate some of the finest techniques of the Todoh way, yes? Hm?" Todoh does not wait for an answer. Elle probably damn well knows what's coming when he suddenly turns around with arms raised. Elle probably knows what to do, especially at this distance, but the heavens know he's going to do it anyway as he throws down his arms - and a three-segmented energy wave - towards Elle's position with just a teensy bit more spirit in it than usual, as evidenced by the energy appearing more solid than it usually does. "HEEYAH!"
COMBATSYS: Todoh successfully hits Elle with Kasane Ate.
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Elle 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/------=|
Fully expecting Todoh to deal with the immediate problem, Elle is caught off guard as he decides to focus on her instead. Trust him to do the exact opposite of what's expected. That being the case, Elle has no time to mount a proper defense. Instead, she's struck dead on by the incoming attack, and sent backard, crashing against the far wall. The building shakes with the impact as she strikes a support beam before bouncing off.
Staggering off the floor, she takes a moment to collect herself. She lifts her head and grits her teeth. For some reason, she doesn't seem particularly in the mood to deal with Todoh's overbearing cheerfulness. She lets out a huff of breath as she staggers to her feet, letting the energy flow increase across her body. If Todoh wants to force feed her that miserable crap, then Elle will be more than happy to return the favor. It'll just take a little mor effort on her part.
Electricity seems to rip from the air around her, snapping to life as it sizzles over her form. The energy seems to revitalize her, invigorating her as her dull eyes seem to grow a little clearer. After all. The fight's just started. There's still time to corect this mistake.
COMBATSYS: Elle gathers her will.
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Elle 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/------=|
The Devil succeeds in her strike, her lengthy arm whipping back within the folds of her sleeve as she continues pacing. Stalking in a semi-circle around the fallen old man, waiting for Elle to follow up on the openning she made as Todoh turns to her n-..
..Inhuman eyes widen as the man seems much more resourceful than his bafoonery would have Marise believe. Witnessing Elle being swatted away by the energetic assault, the Ninja considers her options in a brief moment. Seeing her comrade preparing for a grander assault, the shadowy one makes her decision.
Racing straight for the elderly man.. making quite a rustling production of it as she lowers her body in parallel to the mats with her dash. Arms outstretched at her sides like a diving bird of prey.. Until quickly -leaping- to the side at the last moment, aborting her attack in a feint. Trying to distract him and lure away his assault for Elle's following strike.. Will he take the bait?
COMBATSYS: Marise assists Elle.
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Elle 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/------=|
The fight has, indeed, just started. Todoh now faces the two of them, though the other lady tries to circle around him. He doesn't seem to mind any shattering building supports or anything of that sort, not at all. (His wife, a different story. Be glad she is out with her own family tonight.) Elle gathers power around her, a definite tinge of power in the air. No surprise there.
He watches the feint, both arms at his hips at the very moment she leaps back for the feint. "What? WHAT?! Where's that overflowing spirit I saw when you first came in here?!" Uh oh, master is going to lecture you now. "You approach your enemy and strike with confidence! With spirit!!" What the Vamp does is buy a little time for Elle - maybe not a whole lot, because he then leaps towards Elle... into striking range. Something people usually don't see the elder Todoh do (because they're more used to seeing him find bizarre places to sit during SNFs, that's what). Then he crouches down and goes for a by-the-book uppercut. Straight up, no real horizontal reach whatsoever. But did Marise buy Elle enough time to focus just enough to mount her great counterattack?!
COMBATSYS: Elle endures Todoh's Hakuzan Tou.
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Elle 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/------=|
Todoh's hit strikes cleanly, and Elle's head snaps back with a sickening crunch sound. That should have been enough to take off her head. Her body stiffens for a plit second... andshe slowly turns her head back, rubbing her jaw gingerly. That smarts. With a grunt, her eyes finally refocuse, staring at Todoh with a dead, decidedly unhappy expression. He wants a focused attack? Elle can do that.
The rocker woman's arm shoots out to get Todoh into a nasty chokehold. The hand is like a cold, steel claw as she applies as much force as she can to try and crush the man's trachea. As usual, there's not a hint of emotion on the woman's face, and there's no anger in the attack. The opportunity has just presented itself, and she's going to try and capitalize on it as much as possible. Should she connect, she'll continue to strangle the man mercilessly before heaving him away from her, hopefully into Marise's attack path.
Hmmmmn.
It would seem this man is not quite so easily distracted from his target. The ghostly one pauses in her flight a moment, watching the man bark in her direction then crack her compatriot upside the head.
Such single-mindedness is met with a tic of her lip and narrowing of her eyes, "..Soo.."
Deciding then to take the battle the man directly, she races forth as Elle makes her attempt at a choke. Quickly moving into position with silent resolve as she approaches the old man from behind, attempting to quickly move and secure one of his outstretched arms in a quick, if painful, wrist-lock. Attempting to limit his striking as much as she can, as well as weaken his defenses a little more. Her lithe hands gripping and clutching with careful precision.
COMBATSYS: Todoh endures Elle's Strong Throw.
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Elle 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Todoh endures Marise's Quick Throw.
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Elle 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/------=|
The crazy old Todoh man goes and does the most unexpectedly wacky and vicious things as the two ladies start to make their move. He is already fairly familiar with how Elle likes to fight, and when she goes to grab him into a chokehold, he tenses up his neck perfectly. It is her unfeeling, cold steel claw versus his soft, easily vulnerable throat. But the way he seems to take this - little more than a slight grimace and a quick thumb up - suggests he might have been expecting such as he rides through the choking with a tensed neck. Sure makes it hard to talk, though. Maybe this is for the best on both of them.
Then the other one comes in and manages to grab that arm giving the thumb up in quite a powerful wrist-lock. It hurts and stings, showing when the grabbed hand twitches a little and that grimace becomes a bit wider. But it is a grimace of happiness, a delusion in where he thinks they're actually following through with what they've learned from him so far. Finally, this has to end, probably more because he'd rather not have his wrist held sooner. The dead, emotionless look on Elle's face is passed in favor of watching the new girl's technique as he is hurled off, presumably with the other girl either holding onto him or preparing to go on a wonderful ride across the dojo.
The grabbed wrist's hand firms into a balled-up fist, suggesting that maybe her grip was not so perfectly complete as she'd think! In fact, he tries to lift her up off the ground and, quite politely, into the tatami mat in front of him. Polite? Not really. He's still trying to throw her into the mat.
She's got a good chance of letting go or otherwise taking advantage of the momentum on her own way, nonetheless - she seems to know what she's doing when it comes to holds as the other free hand rubs at his neck briefly with an exhaling whistle sound.
Women these days love to go for the throat.
With the pressure finally off her, Elle can take a moment to relax! Or not, as the case may be. As Todoh changes his target to Marise, Elle shifts into full assault overdrive. She leaps into the air in a Death From Above maneuver, a sparking contrail behind her distracting from the shimmering ball lightning she leaves in her wake. Descending from the air, she slams into the ground behind the martial arts master, and she tries to grab ahold of Todoh, bracing him with her considerable strength.
The only reason she does so is to give the spiralling electrical chi the time it needs to find it's mark. The spheres move to slam into Todoh one right after the other. If they find thier mark, they'll explode in a senses-shattering display of light and sparks, sending up smoke and occasional flames as they detonate against the man.
COMBATSYS: Marise blocks Todoh's Strong Throw.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/----===|
The Ghostly one maintains her hold for as long as she is able. Leaning against Todoh's shoulder roughly as she whispers to his ear, "...You are indeed strong.. old man.." Her voice filled with effort as her grip struggles to maintain the fellow's hand in a reversed, painful lock.
The first sign that she's lost control of her hold is that hand snapping into a fist, twisting free of her locking fingers as her golden eyes widen. With a sharp intake of breath she tries to step away, instead caught up by his mighty throw as the woman is easily hurled up and over the man's shoulder! Dark tresses and kimono trailing her in wake..
..However, not out of control. Twisting in mid-air she actually -lands- on the mat in low crouch. Touching down in a hard landing, crouching in the manner of a predator, she fixes the older man with a slow grin.
..IMMEDIATELY rolling out of the way on the floor as she absolutely does not wish to get struck by an attack that is quite familiar to her indeed.
Coming up from her roll a short distance away as she intakes a deep breath.. Sound seemingly falling away near her as the warmth of the air drains away.. sapping the vitality from around her like a chill beacon..
COMBATSYS: Marise gathers her will.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Todoh fails to counter Dire Straits from Elle with Kuzu Otoshi EX.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/=======|
Todoh's in a nice and tricky position with all the women leaping upon him in their own ways, but you know, if he were... thirty years younger? Time of his life, time of his life. Nowadays that's guaranteed death in more ways than one! The less lively-looking of the two (between her and Elle, really, it's a toss-up) whispers something into his ear that is met with a grin and a polite, quick, "and you can be too!" It's funny to make the pitch when she's already there, see.
There's nothing funny about her landing. She's not as dainty as she appears, good, but didn't she just prove that with the grip? It's good to know how to take a fall! Granted, based on his age and sometimes stiff movements, it's probably a fair bet that it's not his absolute best trait in turn.
"Very nicely done!" He compliments the quieter one as to actually communicate the above thoughts vocally rather than just internally. He hears Elle take off into a leap with those well-trained(?) Old Martial Arts Master senses and immediately hardens his stance - one foot out, one arm up high waiting, the other straight ahead. "Now watch me very closely! This is an important way of dealing with unpleasant folks!" The stance is absolutely perfect by most standards. Even Kasumi, the one he generally learned the secrets of by just watching her (you won't get him to admit this, NEVER), would be further impressed by this. Elle's friend has a front seat to what is a glorious display of mastery of his family's style.
...
She lands behind him rather than on top or in front, grabbing him where his arms aren't. He holds the stance anyway, because hey, he perfectly understands what Elle's doing, yes? Yes? IF this involves willingly allowing the so-called spiralling electrical chi to tag him in quick succession, each one battering against him in such quick succession that the last one frees him entirely from Elle's grasp as he is hurled forward into a corkscrew. How much room is there in this dojo for a corkscrew?
Plenty enough for him to dive outside and hit something /else/ with a disgustingly loud crunch sound, followed by a momentary silence. Momentary in that he stumbles back in after needlessly opening the rice paper door that he just kind of burst through, making a coughing noise that ends in a giggle not to be attributed to masculine gestures. "See! Like that."
Elle should find this whole picture veeeeeery familiar as he steps back in with a little bit of a stagger. He probably did not take that nearly as well as he appears to have.
The rocker's face is set in stone, although a part of her almost feels bad that Todoh is taking such a pounding. As stated before, she actually rather like the old guy to some extent. At least when he's not blustering and bumbling. She's actually surprised the man's not using his patented move a lot more. After all, she's seen the deadly effects of the Kasane Ate firsthand... and how efective that one miserable move can be. Nevertheless, he's only unleased the deadly attack once, and she's thankful for it.
Getting pasted with that damn thing is a pain.
As the electrical attacks strike, she leaps backward. The recoil from the blast is perfectly capable of damaging her too, if she's not careful. Opening up distance between her and her target, she raises a hand and snaps off a short, protracted bolt of chi as she re-evaluates her target, jogging around to reset the flanking maneuver that the duo opened up with.
As the rocker's assault meets its target with extravagant success, the Devil actually relaxes her guard a fraction. Straightening in her lowered position as she rises to her full height. Golden eyes fixing upon the hole in the wall as her plush lips twist upwards. Nooo.. it would seem Elle is not going easy on the man. No.
However, as the old fellow staggers back she admits she's particularly impressed. The draw damage this fellow has absorbed is not something many have walked away from.. Let alone walked away smiling.
A quick side-glance is paid to her companion and she chuckles quietly. Leaning deeply forwards again as she dashes in a perpendicular direction.. seeking to flank in the opposite direction as she similarly lobs a ranged attack of her own. Unlike the flash of her companion, her attack is very quiet and hard to see.. But no less dangerous.
The ghost's ebon locks whip forth of their own accord, a few locks snapping over her shoulder and darting several stiffened black needles at the old man. Individual empowered with a technique to disrupt the energies of whatever living thing they pierce..
COMBATSYS: Todoh dodges Elle's Pure Energy.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Marise successfully hits Todoh with Onigumo no Dokubari.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Todoh
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Marise 0/-------/=======|
If anybody ever doubts in Todoh's ability to somehow /live/ after such thorough trashings, one day they should ask Takuma. Then they should not tell the elder Todoh in turn, lest they earn some rabid raving about those 'Kyokugen kooks.' We can safely pass this up for now. He has students! He is training them! This is the secret into why he's in such a good mood despite one of his little 'lessons' exploding in his face in electrical ways. He might even develop a gray hair after that one yet, but those hairs are still batting a thousand for their current color against his age.
But when he does get back in, it does feel a little... colder, in here. Somehow. Someone must've opened a window somewhere or something, Todoh figures, as the two start to circle him again. He crosses his arms briefly. "Well! Let's see, what next? Hmmm."
The electrical chi bolt glides right by him with just a little movement of his shoulder, looking for the comical to happen when it looks to collide with whatever it is the other girl's working on over there. Don't think he hasn't noticed. He's worked with chi enough to /feel/ it.
This doesn't go exactly as planned when the hair shoots those little black needles at him. He thought the two would collide and that would be that, but instead they lodge themselves into his head briefly - like a hair ornament. Being this is a solid shot to the head, this leaves Todoh feeling just a little drowsy, if the side of his head tipping towards Elle's direction is any indication. Mmmph.
He shakes it. "Right, right, very spirited, very nice. But now!" He turns to face the ghostly one. This is Elle's cue, and the ghostly one's turn to start fretting about what Elle warned her about. "That is not how you harness chi!" So he says as he points out a finger towards her scoldingly, waving it up and down though his head still kind of tilts towards Elle's direction. It leaves a stinging feeling. Then, the rest of his body turns around to face her, and that is her cue to make use of her grace or whatever other trick she has up her sleeve.
"THIS is now!" His arms go up, and when they go down, so does yet another wave of bright, segmented chi. Three segments! Count them. If the grimace on his face is any indication, it's a bit more fierce than the regular variety.
"HEEYAAAH!" Not that it's really easy to tell when, visually, the damned things all look alike because they kind of /are/ alike.
As Todoh goes in to turn Marise into a smouldering pile of gristle, Elle takes the opportunity to rush up behind him. Marise's habit of letting loose extravegant, unusual attacks is actually a wonderful distraction. Many people are just so wrapped up in their unusual presentation that it allows Elle to get right in and do some damage. Fortunately for her, she's seen them enough times to not get distracted herself, or slse the entire effect would be wasted.
As a contrast in styles, Elle's attacks are characterized not by extreme flashiness, but just straight speed and relentlessness. She's already pulling a thin length of wire from her pocket. Her telltale guitar string wraps around her fingers, winding around and pulled taut between calloused hands. She feels no sense of hesitation. After all, Todoh's a master. She's just a thug with a few volts loose. Grimly, she tries to loop the innocuous length of wire around Todoh's neck.
With a short jerking motion, she pulls back to tighten the wire about around his windpipe. Apparently, Elle puts a lot in stock when it comes to maneuvers designed to coke the hell out of people. To compound issues, if she manages to succeed with her rather muderous assault, she'll send a short blast of electrical chi down the length of the wire, further discombobulating the man.
COMBATSYS: Todoh successfully hits Marise with Fierce Kasane Ate.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Elle 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Todoh
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marise 1/=======/=======|
As the old man wobbles with her needles firmly planted in his head in a most uncomfortable of manners, The Devil slows a moment. Straightening her stance as she offers the man a mild look and a singular 'kyeh'.
Is THIS supposed to be some kind of Master? She's fought children with greater mastery of their techniques than this buffoon. The Ninja is beginning to entertain second thoughts about Elle's selection process as she even offers the woman something of a bemused look.
One of these days, Marise is going to be more mindful of that arrogance of hers.
A spark of energy catches her attention as she quickly double-takes back to Todoh. Golden eyes widening as his arms raise, watching the lines of chi race through his body and crashing forth like a typhoon of power, focused into that triple-staged assault.
With a single breath of shock, Marise tries to begin to leap out of the way.. But isn't even a fraction successful.
A banshee's scream fills the Dojo as the woman -erupts- bodily into exploding smoke, the chi forces hurling her back against the far Dojo wall and CRACKING one of the main supports. The dark-clad woman crashes to the ground then in a steaming heap. Smoke rising from her body as if burned by the forces.. an unusual bodily response for certain. The interactions of the technique have ravanged her far more than anyone else under similar circumstances.
It takes a good moment for her hands to find purchase on the floor.. dragging herself onto all fours, as her locks and outfit trail around her in a haphazard manner.. "K..Kyeh heh.."
As the old man is assailed by Elle in a surprisingly brutal manner, the agony-wracked ghost decides to return the favor.. With a little technique any dojo is unlikely to teach anytime soon.
The woman's hands ackwardly move together, fingers forming a series of quick hand seals before CLAPPING her palms together. Unleashing a technique borne from what could only have been the pits of hell itself.
The beautiful woman reveals a fraction of the ugliness under her milk-white skin as her head suddenly -launches- from her shoulders! Extending on a serpentine neck, lashing out with all the speed of a lance as her face contorts into a monsterous, fang-filled maw. Her hair streaming about her head and flailing like a pod of tentacles, seeking to secure their prey firm as those fangs attempt to latch on and draw throat-fills of blood from her prey!
The air filling with a hellish, inhuman screech! "KYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
COMBATSYS: Elle successfully hits Todoh with Cherry Bomb.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Elle 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Todoh
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marise 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Todoh counters Rokurokubi no Mai from Marise with Kuzu Otoshi.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Elle 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Todoh
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Marise 1/----===/=======|
Elle only /thinks/ Todoh is a master. Todoh only /thinks/ he's a master. That crazy ghostly lady only /thinks/ he is a mockery of a master. Only one of them are correct! Now use process of elimination.
The needles are still planted around his head, so it is difficult to focus. Drowsy by damage, rather than actually physically tired - a strange place to be, when the body is willing but the focus is very strongly faltering. The relapse of whatever it is those needles /do/, and why it hasn't crossed his mind to pull them out is a mystery but it is clearly not the most positive.
His vision becomes hazy at around the time of the strike of a solidly performed Kasane Ate. A scream fills the dojo like an an echo among echoes, reverberating all around his skull as he misinterprets the smoke, indeed, for haze. And that loud cracking noise! It feels like something broke over him as something grabs his neck and he feels a very solid 'zap' go into him. His entire hair stands on end, creating a spiky afro for a brief period of time. 30 years ago, that would be the coolest thing ever.
His head is jerked back by Elle's maneuver, preventing him from clearly seeing the transformation of Elle's friend from sickly-looking but possibly attractive young woman into a DEMON FROM HELL HERSELF. His teeth grit, fighting for consciousness... because hey, you're teaching two kids here! They're the future! You gotta be there for them so that they will one day overwhelm Ryo and the rest with a wave of perfectly-executed Kasane Ates under a martial arts empire under Kasumi's rule, that's what!
By the time he's able to look straight ahead, the other woman's head is a blur as she strikes out and goes for the throat! All he can see when he has his act together is a head and a lot of hair. Serious time. His eyes narrow for that brief moment, as time itself allows him a single split-second to do what he only can at this range.
His hands go into that same position Elle has defeated twice by now. This works only on the virtue that Elle's friend goes for the neck. It is instead stopped short by one of the hands as he grasps at a body that actually isn't there (though, he remembers she was kind of light after the fact), the thumb of said hand dislodging the wire from his throat. It is now cutting the circulation from that thumb. It won't stay there for long, as he then tries to hurl her down at the mat closer towards Elle's direction. There is really something odd about this whole position of his opponent but his vision's too blurry to figure out what.
After the fact... he scratches at his head where those needles were, getting them out if they didn't disappear under their own power or something of the sort. "Very loud! Very strong... yeh hah!" The laugh is stopped by a cough. "There's spirit in there! You'll be one of the greats yet!"
Did he... actually notice what the hell all just happened?
Well, cognative dissonance and all that. Maybe Todoh's greatest strength comes through the fact that nothing seems to slow the man down. Whether it's due to insanity or something else entirely, Elle doesn't know. She doesn't rightfully care, either, since all she tends to look at is end results. All the madness that happens between the inception and ending is quite frankly none of her concern. If Todoh can shrug off the weird? Well, fantastic!
Elle, on the other hand, doesn't have fancy attack. Not her, no. All she has are straight brawler style moves designed to strike home and cause pain. And she's in the process of making that happen right now. Having run out of energy for the more fancy moves, Elle steps back as Marise makes her monsterous push... and she visibly winces as Marise takes the brunt of the counterattack. So that's what he's been trying to do all this time. She'll have to watch out for that.
Nevertheless, to let Todoh take a moment to breathe is suicide. They have them right where they want him, really, and Elle pushes forward with a short forward kick to his back. It's not a fancy assault, and is filled with no sense of style or finesse. Just a good old fashioned hobnailed motorcycle boot to the back.
The Devil screeches through the air as that hideous maw shoots closer and closer! ... Only to get -caught- at arm's length! The hideous thing's wail is interrupted in an audible grunt of surprise, her tendrilous locks flailing about in the manner of an octopus squirming for freedom. A moment of captivity that ends with serious finality as the old man -SPIKES- that hideous face straight into the floorboards, shattering several of the wooden planks as the whole of that serpentine neck twitches at once. The body, yet connected to it all, similarly jerks and flops in a heap on the surface yet again.
With a hidden croaking sound, the elongated neck begins to recoil back into the woman's shoulders seemlessly.. dragging her head slowly back into place as her mass of ebon locks drag along the floor behind.
That.. did not go nearly as well as Marise had forseen it. This old man has strength in him indeed.. The Devil is forced to admit. But the Ninja does not completely retreat from the fight.. As a single lock of hair silently moves to slither around Todoh's ankle as he deals with Elle's overt attack. Attempting to quickly -YANK- him off his feet and topple the man, rendering him off-balance just as that boot seeks purchase in the man's back.
COMBATSYS: Marise successfully hits Todoh with Onigumo no Agito.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Elle 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Todoh
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Marise 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Todoh fails to interrupt Light Kick from Elle with Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Elle 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Marise 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Todoh can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Elle 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Marise 1/---====/=======|
Nobody knows what goes through Todoh's head. Nobody does! This is a rule. But we'll let you in on another sneak peek.
He pulls out a fan from inside the chest guard in his gi shirt, for obviously, this is a moment to celebrate and try to fan himself a little to get some of that cool air flowing towards him. Except his weakening fighting strength proves enough that it nearly drops out of his hand. In this confusion, the victim of a successful demonstration of whatever it is Elle just keeps getting around manages to coil a part of her hair around his leg and tug him sharply enough to pull something in the leg. He goes down to a kneel with a grunt and one eye shut, because that, on top of being all punched out, kind of smarts. Should've stretched that leg going in here.
Then Elle decides to add in her own little touch when they've got the man exactly where they want him. He's about had it after his leg took it - the man is about as spry as they come, but once he's beat, he's beat. He is subdued in the most humbling of fashions after he gets the fan in position again to pontificate at length about spirit, determination, so and so, blah blah, but Elle saves the two of them another lecture as the kick not only gets the fan out of his hand, he arcs himself forward so that she nails him close to the side of his back. He exhales with a deep "ohoooogh," and flops onto his back. On a tatami mat... hm. Where'd that scent of something burning come from?
(In other words, Marise, your flesh reeks when it's burning, seriously. It's /lingering/.)
"Oooooooh," the elder Todoh exhales again as he has the hand that Elle's friend grabbed lay on top of his chest. For only mere moments, he is still. Did they rock him all the way to dreamland?
A finger quickly shoots upward as he speaks again. "That'll be all today!" Wow, he can manage an exclamation mark after all that? The arm goes limp against the ground as he has another groan for the sake of his really sore back. On top of everything else. But especially the back.
Well, that was definitely strange. Combat with Todoh always seems to be an unusual experience. Nevertheless, the man took a lot of punishment from the two 'students'. Far more than anyone has really any right to, as far as Elle is concerned. Though she's none worse for wear, she knows full well that marise took a ton of damage... not because Todoh's Kasane Ate is especially deadly, although it is quite powerful, but because Marise seems to have a distinctive allergy towards Chi.
Elle finally manages to focus, walking over to the defeated Todoh master. "Well, it might be all for today, but I might need you pretty soon," Elle says, finally speaking up after the tremendous combat that has left the room looking even worse than the last time. "There's a big throwdown that'll be happening soon, and I'm gonna need a Todoh-Ryuu master."
"I'd appreciate if you could make it, because we're not just fighting anyone. I'm trying to bring the fight to a guy named 'Rugal', and he's not exactly a pushover. I don't think that I can make it without your help," Elle admits freely. "So if you can manage to keep your schedule free for a while, I'll see what I can do about getting this dojo up to spec with the housing authority." Elle's been spending her time looking over the permits for the dojo, and knows the place isn't exactly in the best of shape.
COMBATSYS: Elle has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Marise 1/---====/=======|
After several moments more, The Devil's head finally returns to her shoulders, collapsed upon the floor. Her tresses slithering about over the mats until they similarly lay still. Tendrils of white smoke continue to rise from the woman's body, achingly pale skin burned in several large patches wherever the purity of that positively aligned energy struck.. burning her like Holy Water on a Vampire.
The fallen woman isn't in terribly much better shape than the defeated old master, but shape enough to slowly push herself to her feet. Nailed hands gripping the cracked wood of the Dojo support pillar as she drags herself up to her feet a few inches at a time.
While her face remains hidden behind the forest of her hanging locks, the sound of her bitter snicker is unmistakable. Especially at the man's final order.
Yes. Indeed it will be.
With a pained incline of her head to her compatriot and new-found Master in arms, the Devil then turns and slowly walks exaunt. One hand gently holding her head as she balances every step, a few wisps of mist trail in her path as she goes. She indeed has much healing and rest to do..
From what she has heard of this 'Rugal'.. meeting him in anything less than peak condition would be most unwise.
COMBATSYS: Marise has ended the fight here.
"Rugal? Eh." Todoh doesn't really sound like he's all there. This means he is of course easy to coerce into a variety of strange, wonderful, and altogether life-threatening decisions if he somehow remembers at a later time to honor them! How lucky does Elle feel about this?
He's pretty sure he's heard the name before! But at the moment it escapes him, probably because of that throbbing pain in her head. That snickering kind of hurts in his ears. "Why nooooooot."
Oh snap.
...Actually, 'oh snap' would be what happens when Kasumi and her mother come home to see the damage done across the entire dojo from the battle. And that /SMELL/.
Log created on 00:17:13 05/27/2007 by Elle, and last modified on 12:51:07 05/27/2007.