Description: Attacked--at her home, no less--by Twelve, Aislinn puts up a decent fight before the shapeshifter takes her form...
A normal afternoon at Seijyun--even on the weekends, most of the Seijyun kids stay. Some go home, some go out... neither of these is Aislinn. She stays inside... in the school grounds at least. She doesn't go out without reason, and right now, she has no reason. Thus... on school grounds.
Despite her violent business, she does like some quiet moments... thus, she's pretty much alone, sitting under a tree, relaxing with a book or two--she actually does like reading. These texts happen to be military history texts, but she does read just about everything else. Education is important.
Alone? Perhaps. Likely, in fact. This is because, moments ago, someone sent a phone call to Gedo. It told them about a ladder that'd get them to the locker rooms.
Yes, many of the girls of Seijyun are busy now. The caller was careful to ensure it was too far from this tree to hear, though. He's not stupid. Where is this caller? Why - he's right in the field. One of the benefits of being a shapeshifting, color-changing monster is camoflauge. Twelve is colored like the area around him - and so hard to spot except as a faint blur in the air. He is carefully moving towards Aislinn.
Aislinn doesn't notice much of anything... too buried in her book. And she doesn't expect attacks on-campus... perhaps her thinking has been softened too much by being around Yurika. Still... she reads. The only noise of note is the soft scraping of paper against cloth, as she turns pages. It is, for her, a remarkably quiet day... taking a day off from the Saturday Night Fights and Neo League fights that comprise most of her 'offtime' from NESTS work or schooling.
Twelve considers, stopping close to Aislinn. He /could/ just copy her and leave...no. No, his pride won't allow that. He has to be superior. Besides...what if they ask how she fights? That would be a disaster. No, the mission required it...
The air ripples. Twelve fades back into visibility, his camoflauge fading to his normal silvery skin. His voice - almost robotic and mechanical, comes from his featureless face. "Unit Aislinn-NESTS. Target acquired." The G-Project creation moves into a preparatory stance, crouching with his long arms held in front of him. "Stand."
For a long moment, again, Aislinn just reads. Is she -surprised-? In a way. This is a rather bold move, not one she generally expects of people like her--like Twelve. In fact, she even raises a hand, one finger up. She wants to finish her chapter...
... and then she does. The book is folded, and set aside, and Aislinn calmly dusts herself off as she rises. Another long look at Twelve... and she's glad she didn't end up like this one. She walks past him, casually, out to an open area. He doesn't have to say much; she knows his thoughts, in a way. There's only one reason he would show himself like this, after all.
Twelve waits. Twelve is, for all his faults, patient. An infiltration agent has to be. He is even courteous enough to allow Aislinn to finish. Or - no, not courteous. She is his /target/ - he's obsessed. If she wants to do something, he will watch and learn /why/. Turning to face Aislinn in the open area, he steps forward, remaining in his low crouch thanks to his flowing body structure. "You may begin. Unit Twelve is ready. Refusal is not an option." He wouldn't say he was bad off - Twelve /likes/ being Twelve. Twelve is /superior/.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn has started a fight here.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Twelve has joined the fight here.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Twelve
Twelve also looks like silly putty. Aislinn doesn't want to look like silly putty. Aislinn sighs, just barely. She didn't really want to fight Twelve, but she is being given no choice. Very well then; she flips her mind into 'combat mode', so to speak. What does that mean? Her hands form into fists; the fists tighten, making the leather creak. Her combat boots dig into the ground a little.
She doesn't brag, nor does she bluster; such things are only good after a fight is won, in her opinion, or against unstable opponents. Twelve is... not unstable, at least, not like that. She doesn't know his ultimate goal... but she can certainly tell his immediate one.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn focuses on her next action.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Twelve
Twelve does look like silly putty, yes. Silly putty is /superior/. Twelve rests Twelve's case. He doesn't understand 'wanting' to fight. He has orders. Twelve must obey orders. His unblinking red eyes continue to watch Aislinn, waiting for her to move. He remains perfectly still, waiting for her to make the first move. Twelve does not lie to his targets.
However, as he waits, his fingers lengthen a bit, coming to points at the ends. Twelve is not /stupid/, either.
COMBATSYS: Twelve focuses on his next action.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Twelve
So if Twelve doesn't -want- to fight, then why -- ah, orders, of course. Aislinn cricks her neck, audibly... then shrugs, a little. She finally takes up a fighting stance, left arm leading, right trailing, but not by much--a modified boxing stance. She leads with the left as well. And she... waits.
But not forever. She has as much reason for wanting this fight to be over quickly as Twelve might; being seen with Twelve, even fighting him, might raise some serious questions. So it is that she digs her feet in... then bursts forward, running with her left shoulder leading... only to, as she closes in, plant her left foot and bring her right hand around in a ridgehand chop, fingers held stiff; the chop aimed for Twelve's neck. Just before her right hand slices, a red-white aura of electrical power flares around it, cutting an arc through the air.
COMBATSYS: Twelve parries Aislinn's Medium Punch!
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Twelve
Twelve moves quickly - surprisingly quickly. His head shifts back, flowing a bit into his body - and his arms come up, shifting so that between them is a thick mass of webbing. He pushes into Aislinn's punch - and sends it rebounding off, over his shoulder. His eyes dilate a bit. It's not that he doesn't want to fight - Twelve doesn't have an /opinion/. Twelve is a tool. Tools don't ask why.
Twelve then brings his hands together again - and the shift, into long blades. Holding his arms like the handles of a pair of shears, he swings the blades together towards Aislinn.
COMBATSYS: Twelve successfully hits Aislinn with B.M.K. EX.
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Aislinn 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Twelve
... the hell. Aislinn is cut by the scissors, or shears, or whatever they are; but she'll never let on how much it hurt. She doesn't stagger away, nor does she mind whatever cuts she may have; she pays them absolutely no mind. Twelve may crush her; she isn't sure.
But she'll be damned if she doesn't go down fighting. Dropping to one knee, it may seem as if she's hurt--but really, it's just a positional choice, as she pulls her left fist back and rockets it forward, for Twelve's stomach.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn successfully hits Twelve with Medium Punch.
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Aislinn 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Twelve
Twelve attempts to flow around Aislinn /again/. However, Twelve is not /that/ superior. The girl's fist slams into his gut, which distends around it, pushing the strange inhuman creature back. His eyes widen for a moment as Twelve regains his composure, shaking himself a bit.
His arms shift, his hands shrinking into simple tentacles - which fly for Aislinn, trying to wrap around her shoulders. If Twelve gets a good grip - he'll lift her up and then slam her heavily into the ground. Those tentacles are surprisingly strong, for their slimness.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn counters S.L.M. from Twelve with Brutal Hammer.
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Aislinn 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Twelve
He has eyes? Really? ... so he does. Aislinn rises from her crouch, after the modified Tae Kwon Do punch, only to find Twelve's tentacles flying for her. Well, there is one way to deal with that; she stutter-steps forward, not seeking to get outside of Twelve's range but -inside-.
And once she is there she reaches for Twelve's head--he may be putty but she can still grip it--and swings her head forward, impacting her forehead against Twelve's uh... foreh--ah--fac--whatever's up front, before releasing it.
It's a forehead. It's a very pale forehead. Twelve reels back - while his body structure may only vaguely resemble a humans, that /still hurts/. Standing to his full height, he shakes himself, trying to recover from the blow - and...well, if he had a mouth, he'd be frowning. He lunges forward - and as he does, he shifts. His body thins, his limbs disappearing into it - Twelve is a long, silvery snake now. A snake trying to wrap itself around Aislinn, crushing her in its grip.
COMBATSYS: Twelve successfully hits Aislinn with T.W.S.T..
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Aislinn 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Twelve
Aislinn tries to brace herself against those crushing tentacles, only to find them simply too powerful; it is a bit before she can break that grip, and in the meantime she finds it quite painful. But she's not down or out yet... she's just getting hurt, fairly badly. Again... she makes no indication as to pain, though welts have certainly appeared where he gripped her bare skin.
Setting that aside, Aislinn backflips away, settling into a wide, almost horse-like stance. And then energy begins crackling up her legs, from the ground, tendrils of lightning crawling up along her legs...
Aislinn tries to brace herself against those crushing tentacles, only to find them simply too powerful; it is a bit before she can break that grip, and in the meantime she finds it quite painful. But she's not down or out yet... she's just getting hurt, fairly badly. Again... she makes no indication as to pain, though welts have certainly appeared where he gripped her bare skin.
Setting that aside, Aislinn backflips away, settling into a wide, almost horse-like stance. And she waits... watching Twelve once more...
COMBATSYS: Aislinn focuses on her next action.
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Aislinn 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Twelve
Twelve slithes off of Aislinn, shaken loose by her backflip, reforming himself into his normal, humanoid shape. While she lands some distance away, this does not bother Twelve much. She may be willing to step back for a breather, but Twelve is not so merciful. He reaches down, stabbing his fingers into the dirt - and his shape changes again, his arms becoming tentacles, held into the ground - and his body balls up, launching itself forward, spinning quickly. He is a cannonball on tentacular bungie cords.
This is a fighting style?
COMBATSYS: Aislinn counters D.R.A. from Twelve with Banishing Hammer.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Twelve
Though she has seen many, many fighting styles--on video, in person, and otherwise... this is inarguably the first time she's seen something like this. Her action is instinctive; were she more mechanical there would be a whirr, a snapping sound, something to indicate the burst of speed...
When that cannonball hits, it does not hit Aislinn head on. What it hits is her crossed forearms--and then fast as can be, she uncrosses her arms and is grabbing Twelve by the sides. Once... twice... three times her her head slams into the ball--he may be indiscriminate flesh right now, but the imapcts should still affect something--and then...
... and then she drops him to the ground and swings her right leg back, soccer-punting Twelve right at the tree she was sitting under.
Twelve is apparently not a cannonball but a /ping-pong/ ball. Those bruises /hurt/. Quite a bit, in fact. His tentacles let go of the ground as he flies for the tree, rolling to a halt beneath it, where he reforms into his normal shape. He crouches, arms held in a guarded position, as he prepares for the next assault. Twelve is now the one waiting...
COMBATSYS: Twelve gains composure.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Twelve
... and wait he will, as Aislinn takes a moment. She once again settles into the horse stance--imitating the famous karate masters, perhaps--and concentrates. Her muscles tighten, filling with energy; her stance deepens. And her eyes narrow, as she watches Twelve. Finally... she speaks.
"What is your purpose in coming here?" Even though it's a question, it's asked totally flatly--as if Aislinn weren't interested in the answer, even though she is. She and Twelve might actually get along, other than this whole business...
COMBATSYS: Aislinn gathers her will.
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Aislinn 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Twelve
Twelve watches Aislinn, carefully noting her movements, her actions...even if he loses, the mission does not /have/ to be a failure. He cannot betray his masters' intentions...but he cannot lie to a target. That would be wrong. Obsession won't allow it. "Unit Twelve is obeying orders. Unit Twelve is required to do this, Unit Aislinn-NESTS." Twelve's 'normal' manner of speaking is rather strange - and he knows it. He simply doesn't care.
Lunging forward, he holds up a hand - and fades into camoflauge. Carefully moving around Aislinn, he leaps into the air - and fades back into view behind her, shifting into...an airplane. A vaguely saurian airplane. He dives for her...
And if he strikes, flies wildly around her, slamming into her over. And over. And over.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn blocks Twelve's X.F.L.A.T..
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Aislinn 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Twelve
Each impact is met with Aislinn's arms; each one nearly blows her guard straight open again. Impact after impact slamming against her... but never quite breaking her guard. Though it certainly doesn't look pleasant, the key is Aislinn getting impacted so very hard.
It isn't fun, at all... but she's not out yet either, and that's the everlovin' truth. After the last impact, it almost seems as if she's going to just wait again... but instead she leaps forward, twisting around in midair, aiming to come down with a falling heel kick where Twelve lands... and she's silent again. Twelve won't answer satisfactorily, one way or the other.
That heel, by the way, once again displays her red-white electric aura, as it drops.
COMBATSYS: Twelve dodges Aislinn's Medium Kick.
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Aislinn 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Twelve
Twelve restores himself into human-shape in midair, landing near Aislinn - but on his hands and feet. Or is that feet and feet? As the girl slams down toward him, he scuttles, his hands shaped into the same uniform, toeless shape as his feet, scurrying under her and standing again on the other side, his limbs flowing to reverse direction and his neck turning, so that he faces her without having to turn around. As she lands, he shifts his arms into tentacles again, each tipped in a sharp, bladed lump. Then he slams them at Aislinn, flailing wildly, the blades slashing away.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn dodges Twelve's A.X.E..
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Aislinn 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Twelve
Wild flailing will do nothing. Nothing, you hear me! Aislinn lands from her own kick and immediately goes into a forward tumble; the tumble, while somewhat short, pulls her out of range for the flailing tentacles, something she is very glad for. She rises gracefully, frowning only a bit; Twelve has been quite a handful so far, though Aislinn feels she has acquitted herself well.
However, she doesn't feel she can defeat him just rushing in, again, and again; he's simply too slippery for that. So once again she waits, beckoning... this fight will be over soon, she thinks, one way or the other...
COMBATSYS: Aislinn focuses on her next action.
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Aislinn 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Twelve
Twelve's arms retract, as he carefully watches Aislinn. He waits for her - understanding how she acts and fights is the key to the mission's success. You cannot become someone without /understanding/ them. He moves into a guarded position - and does not obey her beckon. That must be a trap.
Clever. Twelve prepares himself - he will not be trapped into running into /another/ headbutt.
COMBATSYS: Twelve focuses on his next action.
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Aislinn 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Twelve
Clever, Mr. Bond. But can you defeat my army of robo-ninjas?!? ... wait, she doesn't have roboninjas. Ah well. Aislinn smirks; just the slightest upward tilt of her lips. So Twelve is cautious as well... this is good. Very well; she lunges forward again, her boots hitting the ground, and as she nears, she feints a low right shin kick... only to stomp her right foot down and spin to her left, thrusting her left foot up at Twelve's chin. Or uh... whatever passes for a chin. Damn jellyballs.
No electricity this time; she's apparently conserving her energies, to an extent, though she generally fights relatively conservatively.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn successfully hits Twelve with Medium Kick.
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Aislinn 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Twelve
The feint takes Twelve in - his careful watching backfires, as he assumes the obvious attack is the real one - and he flies backwards from the kick, rolling on the ground...and assuming his ball form, then shifting back to his normal shape, standing up. He is a cautious fighter, relying on his speed and power to handle offense, and needing to be sure they will work. As such, he steps back. Had he a mouth, he would take a deep breath, but instead only regrows some of his internal structures, knocked about by the kicks.
COMBATSYS: Twelve gains composure.
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Aislinn 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Twelve
Hnn. Well, if he doesn't want to attack, Aislinn will certainly oblige; she spins forward again, bringing her left leg down, and grounding herself for another attack.
He's hesitating now, and as they say... those who hesitate, fail. Aislinn shifts her stance once again, leading left, taking a shuffling step forward that is almost a hop; as she lands, she plants her left foot and cranks her right hand around and over in a vicious smashing punch, aimed to potentially cave Twelve's head in--a punch so hard she actually ends up changing her stance to right-lead afterwards.
COMBATSYS: Twelve dodges Aislinn's Fierce Punch.
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Aislinn 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Twelve
Twelve leaps into the air as Aislinn gets close, shifting his form - now, Twelve resembles nothing more than a parachute with a head, gliding safely over the schoolgirl-clone, landing behind her and shifting back to his humanoid form. Overextended herself - good. Twelve would smile, but Twelve has no mouth. Or expressions, really. His red eyes do narrow a bit in pleasure, though.
Then his arms turn into tentacles - and he slams them into the ground.
Wait for it...
The tentacles extend through the dirt like extra-large, albino earthworms - and then explode from the ground under Aislinn, a rain of sharp, nasty needles bursting from the earth itself.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn blocks Twelve's N.D.L..
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Aislinn 1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Twelve
It's a little hard to say how she defends; it isn't really a matter of blocking the attacks as avoiding some of the needles. Still, she's needled by some, and blood is running down her legs--ruining her boots, maybe, though they're certainly repairable... NESTS technology at work.
Aislinn crouches and leaps backwards once more, assessing her wounds, letting what self-repair technology she has go to work.. nothing visible, persay, but helpful nonetheless.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn gains composure.
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Aislinn 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Twelve
Twelve retracts his tentacles through the dirt, watching Aislinn carefully. As he does so he moves forward slowly, getting a little closer - and then planting his hands on the ground, stabbing them into the dirt. They do not become tentacles - they merely grip. Twelve shoves his legs into the air, pivoting around the arms - and his feet merge, becoming a lump...
And then a long, curving blade. A scythe. The bladed feet(?) slam towards the NESTS creation.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn fails to interrupt Light Kick from Twelve with Shining Rondo.
- Power fail! -
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Aislinn 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Twelve
Nnnh. The kick is faster than she expected--or rather, the scythe--Aislinn tried to react in a way such as to try and end the fight... and instead she nearly gets cut in half for her trouble... or so it seems. Staggering away, she tries to prepare herself for what will likely be the final exchange in this battle...
Twelve pivots around so that he faces Aislinn again, his legs unmerging and returning to normal. Rising back to his full height, the G-Project creation, looks down at Aislinn. This state of the mission is almost complete. Almost. He understands her now. She is the target. He can /be/ her. He is sure of this.
Twelve's arms extend, thinning out, becoming tentacles again. They merge together at the tips, coiling around each other and becoming a thick, heavy ball. Almost kindly, nearly mercifully, he raises the heavy ball of Twelve-matter, bringing it down towards the back of Aislinn's head, his tentacles extending towards her to make this possible. He has no desire to kill her. He only wants her out of his way until the mission is over.
He might even apologize, if the obsession lasts that long.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn fails to counter B.M.K. from Twelve with Brutal Hammer.
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Twelve 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Aislinn can no longer fight.
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Twelve 0/-------/--=====|
She whirls. And--that's all. The tentacles are upon her too fast, and her body too damaged, to continue the fight any further; she's not knocked out, precisely, but she is down on one knee. Guess she won't be getting that answer from Twelve... she can only look up at him, trying to calm the rage of pain in her body...
Twelve retracts his limbs, forming them into his standard, humanish arms again. His red eyes soften for a moment. The obsession is still in him - and Aislinn is still awake, barely. "Unit Twelve apologizes for the necessity, Unit Aislinn-NESTS."
As Twelve speaks, his form - changes. Not in the way it was before...it's far more dramatic. His skin color shifts, becoming a normal skin tone, if a bit gray. He shrinks down so that he is Aislinn's height. Hair sprouts from his head, mimicking Aislinn's, purple. His eyes, too, turn purple, with only a hint of red. His face shifts, a nose sprouting from it, and a mouth. His body becomes more feminine, his arms and legs less bulky. His? From his body, clothing forms - it /is/ his body. A copy of Aislinn's own - a collared blouse, a black leather vest, a leather skirt and black leather boots. When he speaks again, it is in a voice that is almost the twin to Aislinn's own. Almost - only a touch of mechanicality in it.
"But I will be a good you until I am done. It's necessary. You know how orders are. I've been watching you. Stay here. I'll be done soon."
Smiling, Aislinn(?) turns away, picking up the book that Aislinn had been reading. "And I'll give this back when I'm done."
COMBATSYS: Twelve has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:10:04 05/27/2007 by Aislinn, and last modified on 10:09:24 05/31/2007.