Description: [Riko vs. Arika] Riko isn't a cultist. Seishirou isn't a cult leader. But when you kidnap people and stick them in a darkened room full of traps...well, Arika can be forgiven for getting the wrong impression.
There's method to her madness.
Things aren't as random as they seem.
Riko Koganei has met Arika Fade...once before. When Riko approached her in Southtown, during an album signing of Arika's band. Riko interrupted the proceedings, started a fight with a thinly veiled pretext.
A fight...for the sake of a fight.
But there's always reasons.
Riko's been keeping track of Arika since. Not a hard thing to do, given that the punk princess is such a public figure. In the past few weeks, Riko's built a profile of the woman, her habits, her movements. Recently, Arika and Femme Fatale have been performing a great deal in Southtown. Gigs at clubs, live performances. It's after one of these that Riko...laid in wait, perched in an alley, on a fire escape, just outside the back exit.
Arika might just remember catching sight of the girl - before everything went totally and utterly black.
So.
That brings us to the here and now, where Arika sits, propped up in a battered-looking armchair. The upholstry's somewhat worn and discoloured, but it's still reasonably servicable.
Riko sits in a matching chair across from her, waiting patiently for Arika to wake up.
Between them is a small coffee table, with two mugs of the appropriate beverage. It's a somewhat incongruously domestic scene, considering the ground is bare stone with patches of sheet metal... and from what can be made out of the surroundings, the chamber they're in looks far underground and incredibly industrial. An electric lantern hangs overhead, dangling from the cord, illuminating the two chairs and table.
A constant throbbing in her head.
A ringing in her ears.
Is there a reason for this?
Not one that the punk rock princess can come up with at the moment.
That is to say that the very last thing she remembers is exiting a concert venue and making her way back to the van to wake the lazy roadies and have them retrieve instruments and break set. The a noise in the alleyway which was easily brushed off as an overzealous fan.
A glimpse of who it really was.
A blue-red glowing upon the ground.
Then nothing. Just darkness and this constant throbbing in her skull.
Unaware until the moment of impact that she even -had- a would-be stalker, Arika Fade has been enjoying a vast amount of time in a deep, unconscious state. Now that she's coming to, she's certain she can catch the aroma of freshly brewed coffee but she's deluding herself into thinking she's still entirely out of it.
Something is off though, because the ground in an alleyway isn't half as comfortable as the item her body tells her she's sitting upon. Stirring a little, she groans and squeezes her eyes tightly as she tries to recall what's just happened (or for that matter, exactly how long she's been out) and she makes an attempt to lift her hand to her temple to rub away the intense headache that's pulsing in her skull.
"Oh good," a voice says brightly. Perhaps too brightly, in a piercingly high soprano, "you're awake."
Riko flashes a sunny smile, her hands clapsed in front of her, resting on her lap. Her feet, still clad in large chunky in-line skates, swing gently back and forth, her heels bouncing against the base of her armchair.
The ninja girl tilts her head, her bangs swaying slightly. They gleam with a faintly bluish tint under the harsh electric light from above.
"There's coffee on the table," Riko continues, conversationally, "though I'm afraid it's just the instant stuff. Seishirou-sama always buys the instant stuff."
Riko pouts.
"And he always puts too much sugar."
A voice.
It takes all of a moment for Arika to actually place a face to the voice, and then her eyes snap open to shoot a rather scathing glare at the person across from her. An action which she immediately regrets as the sudden light causes her head to throb and send a searing pain into her skull.
Running her tongue over her lips to moisten them a little before she makes the attempt to test her voice, the diva states in an oddly even tone, "I don't give a bloody rats ass 'bout the coffee, mate." A lie if there ever was one, because her throat -is- parched. "'ow 'bout you start explainin' just wot the BLOODY 'ELL you did to me and wot I'm doin'ere in this quaint lil' den."
Riko meets Arika's hostility with...a sort of placid calm. A serene equiminity.
"Ooh," she says, raising her hands. Riko pokes her index fingers together, the tips touching, forming a small raised point. "No need to be /angry/."
Riko beams, her teeth gleaming pearly white.
"Really quite unbecoming," Riko adds, glibly, "and bad for your blood pressure."
She nods to the coffee mugs on the table, faint trails of steam rising, swirling in the pool of light cast by the lantern above.
"We just wanted to get you...somewhere private."
"And wot? A lil' ring on the tele wouldn've sufficed?" Arika opens her eyes again, slower this time to allowing the light to slowly filter past her lids so that the jolt doesn't cause the headache to become any worse.
"'ere's 'ow it goes, mate. You pick up this nifty device called a telephone. You punch in some numbers, the other person picks up. You make a date to meet one another. It's a novel idea, really and truly." A small cough is made in order to clear her throat before she attempts talking any further.
Daggers are then shot toward Riko again and she adds, "We?" Curiouser and curiouser. Just like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, it likely won't be long before the diva is forgetting how to speak good English.
"Yes, 'we'," Riko confirms, still with that air of unruffled composure. She nods, once. The only expression on her face is a silly grin, her eyes wide and bright. While Arika is getting increasingly irate, Riko's quite the opposite. It's a stark contrast, and one that may well infurate Arika even more.
Maybe that's the point.
Riko leans forward, picking up the coffee mug nearest to her. She brings it to her mouth, taking a sip of the warm beverage. Cupping the mug with both hands, she smiles at Arika. "Annnnd no," Riko says, "some things just gotta happen face-to-face. Seishirou-sama wants you here, where he can properly evaluate your abilities. Take it as a compliment!"
Irate, but oddly focused. Arika cannot fathom being cheerful in a situation where it feels as though two tonnes of bricks have been crashed upon her head in order to keep her 'good' and unconscious for God knows how long.
Especially when the first thing she sees is the chirpy little girl who thrashed the record store.
"I see," the punk rock princess states, while it's quite clear that she really doesn't. "You might just best tell this Sei-shi-wotever bloke, thanks but no thanks. Got me own things to tend to." Considering the last forced 'evaluation' she went through nearly had her acting as a nicely skewered piece of meat for Balrog, it's not something she's interested in doing. Perceived compliment or not.
"Well," Riko replies, in a reasonable tone of voice, "I understand your frustration."
The girl sips from her mug, holding it carefully by the handle. She licks a few stray droplets of moisture from her lips. Then she gives Arika a piercing look, her clear brown eyes narrowing faintly, the line of her brows shifting. With her other hand, Riko gestures at their surroundings - the shadows and dark shapes outside the spot of illumination in which the two of them are sitting. Strange silhouettes against the very distant walls, outlines of obscure pieces of machinery filling the massive chamber.
"You're free to try and leave, of course."
Riko smiles.
"Try."
"Look, poppet," comes the unwavering voice of the diva, "I don't know wot cult you've gone and got yourself involved with, but I don't want any part of it." Sometimes the little act Arika puts on is to her advantage, but a careful observer may note that while she appears insanely calm (though irritated) on the exterior, her eyes are cautiously scanning the room as they become more and more adjusted to the variations in the lighting.
Each strange silhouette is given a cautious look in turn before deep blue eyes shift back toward the child-captor. "Wot? Leave after all the excruciating work you must've 'ad to do to get me 'ere? 'ow's 'bout you start levelin' with me proper-like." Narrowing her eyes to thin slits, lashes fluttering only slightly as she does so she tersely asks, "Where the bloody 'ell are we?"
"The dojo, of course," Riko answers, as if it should have been obvious to Arika. For a moment, she gives Arika a faintly patronising, chiding look. Admonishing the singer with her eyes. The moment doesn't last, however. Almost as quickly, Riko's mask of cheerful bemusement returns. She grins from ear to ear in a smug display that would make the Cheshire Cat proud.
"And Seishirou-sama isn't a cult leader or anything..."
Riko stops, mid-sentence, considering the statement. Then she amends it.
"We-eelll, I guess you're British, and I suppose the UK government still insists he has ties to terrorist organisations but there really hasn't been any conclusive evidence linking him to any Islamic extremist groups or even the more militant Catholic remnants of the Provisional Irish Republican Army."
She stops, again, solely to catch her breath. Riko takes another little sip from her coffee mug...before setting it back down on the low table between the armchairs. The ceremic mug makes a faint clink as it settles on the wooden surface.
"...he's just my sensei," she finishes.
Riko grins.
"And you -can- try to leave. You just probably won't -succeed-. But we just wanna see what you can do."
"Oh, of course, poppet. The dojo." Because that's the absolute first thing that sprang into Arika's mind upon seeing this odd little domestic scene in the midst of cryptic architecture, various shadow-shrouded machines and weapons lockers.
It all makes -perfect- sense.
In the fact that it makes absolutely no sense at all to the diva.
"Bloody lovely. Stuck 'ere," wherever here actually is, "with a wee little thing that's goin' on 'bout issues that don't really affect me one way or another," she mutters rather loudly, not caring an ounce if Riko overhears her or not. Whatever cult or extremist group this kid belongs to, she wants no part of it.
With that thought firmly in place, Arika begins to rise from the armchair. "Give my best to your sensei then. Pip-pip, cheerio and all that other tripe, but I really need to be getting back now."
"Sure," Riko says, pleasantly, "you do that."
She raises one hand, languidly, in a wave, rotating her palm, fingers spread.
Her other hand, however, rests lightly upon the left arm of her chair, fingers lightly brushing the upholstry - activating a hidden switch.
She doesn't stop Arika from getting to her feet. She doesn't want to. She doesn't need to.
Because unless the diva can fly, she isn't going to go far without walking on the floor...
...and one of the antipersonnel mines placed near the base of that armchair.
COMBATSYS: Riko has started a fight here.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Riko's Improvised Tactics.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Arika
Proven during the most recent Saturday Night Fight, the punk rock princess isn't well versed in flying, unless it's under the propulsion of someone else's energy...
... or say a certain antipersonnel mine that happens to be just under foot.
"Just wot are y--"
Narrowing her eyes upon Riko's hand as it shifts about and deciding that -something- is up with this whole deal, she's got very little time to prepare herself for what happens.
The detonation obliterates the chair she was on just moments before, but Arika manages to roll to the side and avoid being sent ceiling-ward to become a part of it.
She does not, however, come out of this wholly unscathed.
One of the arms from the armchair becomes airborne and flies overhead before suddenly dropping upon the top of the diva's skull, causing her to wince.
"Right then. You wanted a fight, poppet, all you 'ad to do was ask. I ain't big on the boomy-stuff. Just ask Nassir." Assuming, of course, this nutty little kid -knows- Nassir.
Regardless, it looks like she's going to have to fight her way out or be forced to deal with nice little presents everywhere she steps.
And this isn't a cult?
Sweeping away some of the smoldering fluff from the destroyed armchair, the blonde smirks. Doubtful that this is going to work in her favor, but she's not about to let 'them' cause her to go down so easily. Leaping up onto the little coffee table, she kicks the still full mug off and then launches herself toward Riko. Chambering her right hand into a fist, she sends an airborne jab toward the girl's nose. Using this mainly as a distractionary technique, her left hand begins with a softly glowing violet energy sheathing it before it's slammed toward Riko's breastbone in a palmheel strike. As the hand draws continually closer to the girl, the energy takes on a more and more vibrant hue.
COMBATSYS: Riko dodges Arika's Diva Allegro.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Arika
"Nassir Mahomet is on the list too," Riko says, calmly. She's remarkably unconcerned...for someone faced with a riled fighter.
She watches with bemused interest as Arika hops on the table, kicks the mug off, and tries to punch her. But she doesn't get up. She doesn't leave her chair. No, Riko remains seated. She leans to the left, moving her head just enough to evade the initial strike aimed at her face. And then, she swings her body round, such that she ends up almost sitting on one of the chair's padded arms. Arika's chi-charged hand slams into the back of the chair, smashing the hapless cushion. It doesn't touch Riko.
Smirking, she flips one of her skate-clad feet up-and-over, ramming her heel towards Arika's skull.
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Arika with Light Kick.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Arika
List.
That's a new development. At least it's a bit of information.
Trying to make sense of this new little tidbit, the diva lets her guard down and suddenly feels the heel of a skate smashing into her skull.
Apparently waking up feeling concussed, and having the arm of a blown up armchair crashing down upon her head wasn't enough damage.
Shaking it off like a good brawler or boxer might, Arika spins about. Drawing her right fist up to her nose, she thumbs it twice and tries to limber her body up from the weariness it's still feeling. The right hand is sent out toward Riko at arms length once more angled toward the girl's jaw while the left swings in with a cross-hook.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Riko with Quick Punch.
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Riko 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Arika
Riko makes a small brief squeak, as Arika nails her with a one-two punch. Badly rattled, she tumbles off the armchair, crashing to the stone floor. But she rolls with the impact, coming up with one knee pressed to the ground, her other leg tucked behind her. The ninja girl rolls her neck, stretching her muscles.
When she looks at Arika, her face is a mask of light and shadow, a pattern of high contrast - she's near the edge of the region of illumination cast by the sole electric lantern overhead. It makes her features all but unreadable.
"Not bad," Riko says, "but is that all you can do?"
COMBATSYS: Riko gathers her will.
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Riko 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Arika
Doubtful that the cross-hook did much damage. Quickly replaying their last 'fight' in her mind, the punk rock princess draws her body back slightly into a defensive stance, both arms guarding her face and head from further assault.
Paying little heed to the pattern of the lighting in the room other than ensuring Riko doesn't decide to just slip off and leave her here in the dark (both figuratively -and- literally at this point), Arika begins to carefully edge herself toward the girl.
Feet slide slowly along the ground, wary of any further antipersonnel devices that may be lurking about.
Drawing ever closer, once she's within striking range, her right leg swings up toward Riko's face in what appears to be a standard front kick. Before there's any chance of impact though, Arika pivots on her heel and turns just enough to attempt to send the sole of her heeled sandal into the girl's temple.
COMBATSYS: Riko blocks Arika's Light Kick.
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Riko 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Arika
The sound rings across the chamber, the sound of Arika's foot smashing into the flesh of Riko's palm. The girl -catches- the strike, her fingers closing round the rubber sole. The impact must sting, but she gives no sign of pain other than a faint trembling of her forearm - and a very quick grimace. It isn't long before her smile returns, her teeth visible in the partial dark.
She slings herself into the air, using Arika's foot as an improbable pivot. She arcs overhead, landing near the base of the remaining armchair. Riko's leg snakes out, her skate boot smashing into the piece of furniture.
It's large, it's bulky, and it's heavy...but Riko makes it -jump- all the same. She catches the armchair's back, snatching it out of mid-air, her fingers digging into the fabric...and she swings the /whole thing/ at Arika, a massive blunt object.
"Think fast!"
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Arika with Random Weapon.
- Power hit! -
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Riko 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Arika
[OOC] Arika punts the Power hit in the nose. "Danged thing."
[OOC] Power Hit says, "Ow!"
There's thinking fast, and then there's acting fast.
The thinking part, Arika has down pat.
Normally, the 'acting' part goes right along with the quickly thought up plan, only this time someone's gone and thrown a monkey wrench into things.
Hopping forward, she swivels about to grab the coffee table but her trajectory is slightly off. As her hands reach down to grab it, her left foot gets caught just under the lip of it and sends her sprawling forward atop it.
Trying to change her course now is entirely pointless, so she swings herself off of the table and angles her back toward the oncoming chair...
... and it mows her right down.
Flat on her stomach on the floor, a faint groaning can be heard. Bruised but not broken, she rolls over and kips up to her feet; eyes narrowing upon the chirpy little poppet.
"So wot's the point of all this again?"
Shifting from one foot to another, she steels her gaze upon Riko and then begins to advance. Suddenly, she twirls her body into a perfect pirouette and as she spins out of it, her right leg is drawn up vertically toward her chest. Rotating it at the hip, she quickly snaps the foot toward Riko's chest.
"'cause all I see is a crazy wee lil' brainwashed poppet. Your parents know you've joined a cult?"
Seishirou has disconnected.
Seishirou has connected.
COMBATSYS: Riko dodges Arika's Rhythmic Roundhouse.
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Riko 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Arika
"I think Seishirou-sama's scared of my mom, actually," Riko says, glibly. She juggles the armchair with casual ease, shifting it into the path of Arika's kick. The blow slams into the chair's cushions, muffled by the copious padding. Fabric tears and a few flecks of stuffing fly into the air, but Riko herself is unharmed.
The force does, though drive her back a little. Riko rolls rearward on the in-line skates attached to her feet, the wheels rattling loudly over the uneven flagstones.
Rattle.
Rattle.
"Sei-kun says she's scarier than -he- is."
Riko grins.
All of a sudden, her motion stops. Then the wheels of her skates begin to spin. Faster and faster, spooling up so quick that they draw sparks from the floor. Riko shoots forward like a human racecar, the armchair held in front of her like a battering ram.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Riko's One Hit Wonder EX.
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Riko 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Arika
Foot hitting the padded portion of the armchair, Arika mutters something under her breath and crouches down slightly while her eyes are kept solely upon the skater girl.
"No doubt," she remarks irritably.
And suddenly, there's an armchair barreling toward her.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Stepping to the side utilizing a 'grapevine' dance move, the diva smirks.
"Cute."
Pivoting on her heel once more, she situates herself in behind Riko and jumps in with a calf kick to the back of her leg, hoping to knock her into the chair she's still holding.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Riko with Light Kick.
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Riko 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Arika
Impact.
Arika's kick crashes into Riko's own leg, destroying the smaller girl's balance. The impact slams her into the chair, throwing her even further out-of-whack. She tumbles, entangled with the armchair, into the ground. A loud ungainly heap. Riko groans faintly.
And then she kicks herself upright. No, not just up, into the air. She flips skyward, knocking the chair away. Over Arika, towards the ceiling, to the one light fixture overhead. The electric lantern. Her feet slam into the ceiling, skate wheels digging into the panels. She stands -upside down- and grasps the power cord. There's a flicker of blue...
...before the bulb blows out in a spray of spinning glass shards. And a near-blinding release of brilliant blue lightning, shooting downward at Arika.
And after that, darkness. For that was the only real light. Leaving only the dim illumination from a few scattered LEDs on the various machines in the room, a few lit indicators. Dark shapes and shadows...
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Riko's Metamysticparallectrolysis.
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Riko 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Arika
Making no move until she determines just -what- Riko is up to, the diva waits.
A regular fight might see her snickering over the poor girl's misfortune of tangling with the armchair; but this is anything -but- a regular fight. Eyeing the girl as she flies over her head, Arika wheels around in an attempt to keep her eye upon her assailant.
But Riko isn't behind her.
Eyes dart upward and she watches as the younger girl takes hold of the power cord...
... and it's time to get the Hell out of Dodge.
Diving for the coffee table, she utilizes it as a shield and watches as it's veritably destroyed by the brilliant blue lightning that arcs toward her.
Darkness falls.
Relying primarily on sound, Arika focuses on where she last saw Riko and swivels in a circular motion before lashing out with the back of her fist.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Riko with Quick Punch.
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Riko 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Arika
"Nngh!"
Riko's cry seems all the more louder, given the sudden blackness of the chamber. She's knocked from her inverted perch on the ceiling, smashed by Arika's backhand. There's the crash of her body hitting the ground. Painfully. She's agile, but even she wasn't able to entirely recover from that.
Her skates scrape loudly against the stone floor as she regains her feet. Polyurethane wheels rattle and roll as she glides away, melting into the shadows of the room. They trace her motion as she circles, putting space between her and Arika.
Out of the darkness comes Riko's voice:
"Flexible, adaptable...not bad, Miz Fade! Not bad at all!"
COMBATSYS: Riko gains composure.
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Riko 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Arika
Feeling her fist hit something, the diva begins to back off. Narrowly avoiding the crashing girl, Arika begins to make her way to the other side of the room. Shrouded by the darkness, she begins to slide off the sandals to allow her to move all the more silently.
Unable to tell what Riko is planning, she considers allowing herself the opportunity to catch her breath.
But not yet.
Padding quietly around the perimeter of the room, she attempts to step right in front of Riko. Her hands shoot out to grab the girl's shoulders and drive her knee up into her stomach.
COMBATSYS: Riko dodges Arika's Femme Fatale.
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Riko 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Arika
But Riko isn't there. There's the dim shape of her, yes, barely visible. But she melts like smoke. Arika's hands meet only empty air.
"Took off your shoes," Riko notes, her voice an eerie whisper, drifting from over Arika's shoulder.
There's the distinct rattle of skates rolling over the floor, the uneven lines where the stone slabs fit together.
Riko's voice comes from the right: "Silent, smart."
And then, hard wheels and skate blades flash from the shadow - behind Arika, aiming for the small of her back.
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Riko's Light Kick.
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Riko 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Arika
Hands meeting the empty air as the figure dissipates, Arika blinks. Lowering her leg to the floor, she spins around to face the direction of the voice. Deep blue eyes fall closed and she attempts to keep herself focused solely on the sounds coming from the other fighter.
Body twisting to the right as she hears the voice once more, she manages to catch the skate in the forearm instead of her back. Footing shifts back a step and she makes a grab for the wheeled blade.
Whether she manages to catch the skate or not she kicks her right foot upward in the hopes of catching Riko's chin once more. At that point, if she's managed to catch the foot, she pushes it upward to create an imbalance in the girl.
COMBATSYS: Riko fails to interrupt Light Kick from Arika with Dragon Seal Blue EX.
- Power fail! -
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Riko 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Arika
Riko's head snaps back, propelled by Arika's kick. Her own leg, ensnared by the singer, means she can't get free. And that means Riko ends up tumbling to the ground, clattering painfully. She hisses loudly, breath escaping from her lungs through clenched teeth, an explosive sound of pain.
She scrabbles up on elbows and knees, flexing her fingers. There's a faint spark of blue for a moment, oddly bright in the darkness of the chamber. But it fades quickly - Riko wasn't able to complete the technique.
She got hit before she could. And hit hard.
She's good...Riko thinks, wincing. Very good. From their earlier fight, Riko already knew Arika had a high degree of skill and quick wits. But this proves it. She's reacting to the conditions of this fight with remarkable speed.
Riko smiles.
Good.
There's the sound of rolling wheels again, as Riko backs off, pumping her legs, skates running audibly over the floor. Very audibly.
It's like she -wants- Arika to know where she is.
Riko may wish the punk rock princess to know where she is, but the princess doesn't want to be likewise found.
Standing silently in the darkness, she waits until the skater-girl is making the most noise she possibly can, and then Arika backs up slowly and silently until she reaches what feels as though it could be a wall.
Only then does she allow herself let her guard down long enough to try and catch her breath.
COMBATSYS: Arika gains composure.
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Riko 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Arika
Riko watches Arika.
Somehow, she doesn't seem to have any problems sensing what the other fighter is doing. It's nearly pitch black in here, but somehow, somehow, Riko's behaving like she can see Arika.
Or at least sense her.
And so, she's well aware of what Arika's doing. The smile on Riko's face broadens. It's a pity Arika can't see it. But Riko's impressed. It seems like the singer realises that Riko's trying to lure her into a trap...intentionally giving away her position with all that noise and overt movement. Or maybe Arika's just reacting on instinct, not cold-blooded tactical calculation. Either way, it's quite remarkable.
However, this is the Ryouhara Dojo.
This entire room, this entire complex, was forged by Seishirou Ryouhara's hand
Riko's mentor.
Which means...Riko doesn't /need/ to lure Arika into a trap.
She's already in one.
The wall behind Arika glows faintly. In the space of a heartbeat, blue lines trace a sigal over the vertical surface, a complex inscription of ideograms and runes. A written seal, placed directly upon the wall itself. Activated by Riko's chi.
It releases a blast of crackling azure, a massive ruinous blaze of retina-searing thunderlight. Straight into Arika's back.
In here, there's no such thing as safe distance.
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Arika with Level 360.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Arika
Oh, the punk rock princess -knows- that this is a carefully executed trap.
She just wasn't aware of -how- carefully executed it truly was.
Her own fault for thinking that the perimeter would be any safer than the main area of the room. Lunacy, really, considering that these nutters actually had the forethought to set an explosive device under the chair of a captive.
Arika has only -one- thing going for her at the moment, and it's the fact that it's her back to the wall and not her face. The sudden blaze of light still sears her eyes, but not as badly as if she had been facing it dead on.
Momentarily blinded, the diva is sent forward by the blast. Tripping over her feet and tumbling head first to the ground; it looks as though the diva is done for.
Unmoving, she waits until the light fades and the darkness settles over the room once more. It dawns on her that her opponent can sense her somehow, since she knows she was damned quiet in her movements toward the wall.
So...
... if Riko can sense her...
... there is absolutely no point in attempting to remain silent any longer.
Rolling over, she bridges herself backward and kicks her feet up over her head until she's able to reach her full height once more. Feet carry her swiftly toward Riko, both of her hands shooting outward as she nears; neither one aiming to hit the girl. Swerving behind her, the right arm swings out to the front and attempts to lock about her neck. Concurrent to this, the left foot springs forward as it tries to push its way between Riko's legs and ensure she's caught. Curving her left hand into a pronounced claw-like shape she makes a grab for the side of Riko's stomach; meaning to apply as much pressure as she possibly can while attempting to force the girl to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Riko with Dominant Diva.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Riko 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Arika
Trapped. Locked. Caught. Riko's eyes widen in momentary surprise...before her expression is overtaken by something else entirely:
Pain.
Agony blossoms, nerves screaming white-hot messages. And Riko shrieks, her self-control only good for so much, so far. She smacks into the hard and unyielding stone floor, pinned there by rigid fingers digging into her abdomen.
She wasn't prepared for the speed and unrelenting fury of Arika's assault. She expected the singer to be stunned. She expected Arika to continue trying to be quiet. That sudden movement, that reckless abandonment of subtlity...no, that wasn't desperation. Arika /intentionally abandoned/ stealth.
Riko's estimation of Arika shoots up another notch.
But that doesn't mean, though, that Riko's just going to roll over and be beaten. No.
With an effort, Riko forces away the pain. She twists round, shoots out her own legs, scissoring them at Arika - trying to pull the diva down with her.
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Riko's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Riko 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Arika
Hands are quickly withdrawn as Riko hits the floor. Normally Arika would attempt to press this particular attack until a pin could be acquired, but again, this instance is anything -but- normal.
Catching the glow of an LED on one of the skates as the wheeled feet are scissored toward her, Arika drops to her knees and twists just enough so that being pulled down doesn't hurt half as much.
Close proximity to the girl's feet though, and the diva makes a grab for the left one and attempts to lock it beneath her arm. Her other arm makes to lock under and behind Riko's knee and then she sits back in order to try and apply a leg-scissor lock in a quick Achilles Tendon hold.
COMBATSYS: Riko endures Arika's Quick Throw!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Riko 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Arika
This time, Riko doesn't cry out. She gives a muted sound of pain - but the full volume, she bites back. She doesn't scream as Arika applies rather painful forces to her body, doesn't yelp as the lock and hold takes its toll.
No.
Because she /uses/ the pain, turning it into a driving force. Focusing her mind to a razor edge.
And she's too busy concentrating to scream.
One of her hands presses into the cool stone floor. The entire panel lights up, blue light shining round the large square flagstone, up from the lines demarcating its edges, where it meets others upon the ground. And then, spidery ideograms flare to life all over the stone.
Another electrical maelstrom erupts, a storm with Riko at its heart.
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Arika with Light Fantastic.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Riko 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Arika
Something is wrong.
While the diva isn't into making her opponents cry out as much as some might think, the lack of reaction catches her off guard. Just what -is- Riko doing that's keeping her so quiet?
Well, she's about to find out.
Unable to disentangle herself with the girl before the maelstrom of electrical energy erupts, Arika is hit.
Hit -hard-.
Relinquishing her grasp on the girl, the diva simply slumps forward, body twitching slightly from the pain that's wracking her body at the moment. Deep breaths are taken, with each exhale an attempt is made to get back up to her feet.
Finally she does it and she sends a piercing, scathing look at the girl.
"Don't think you get it, poppet. I don't give a flying f--" Pause. "BUGGER THIS!" Without another word, her right fist slams forward toward Riko's jaw with such a force that it almost seems she doesn't care if she breaks either the jaw or the fist. At the exact same moment, her left hand strikes out at the girl's torso. A faint glow of violet energy can be seen around the left hand just before the projected impact where it flares brightly.
COMBATSYS: Arika can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Riko with Diva Allegro.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-======|
Riko crashes to a halt against one of the large objects occupying a shadowed corner of the room - a painful landing, her spine and skull hitting the metal surface with a sonorous boom. Reeling, she slides down until she reaches the floor...and remains there, half-lying, half-propped up, twitching faintly.
Then she regains some measure of control over her abused form. She lifts her head, looking directly at Arika. Riko inhales, exhales. Then she composes herself, sitting upright, crossing her legs.
In a pleasant voice, Riko replies.
"I know you don't," she says, "but I do. We do. Your objection's noted, but it's...nothing personal."
Pause.
"Hope you don't take this the wrong way."
COMBATSYS: Riko has ended the fight here.
Not take it the wrong way? Nothing personal?
There's a -right- way to take being taken against one's will and set up in a trap?
Arika barely moves at all as Riko crashes against something. Muscles don't even twitch as she listens to the voice from the darkness.
The, the diva falls forward. Hands barely slam out in time to catch her as she falls. Pressing her cheek against the stone floor, she inhales deeply and exhales slowly in an attempt to hold onto the last vestiges of consciousness.
"You may 'ave won, poppet, but I..." As her voice begins to fade, she manages to get out, "... s..still ain't joining.... your cult..."
"Oh, no," Riko says, brightly, "we don't want you to join /us/. Seishirou-sama isn't extending the franchise just yet."
She remains where she is, sitting across from Arika, watching the diva. Not with sight alone.
Her voice continues, in the darkness:
"We just want you to join the big event. We'll be in touch!"
Oh, la-di-da. Not extending the franchise?
Doesn't matter. Things like this aren't going to go unnoticed.
Arika wafts her hand in a 'whatever' type of manner just seconds before she loses consciousness again.
In the darkness of the chamber, Riko carries on talking. It doesn't seem to matter that Arika's passed out.
Of course, she isn't talking for Arika's benefit. She never was. Not entirely, at least.
"So, what do you think?"
There's silence, as Riko listens to the reply. No words are spoken in the room, but she seems to hear them regardless.
"Well, yeah, actually she -is- really good. I mean, like, that's tactics right there. I mean, we stacked the deck, but she totally read the cards and had an ace up her slee---"
Riko blinks.
"Okay, okay, I'll quit with the card metaphors. You're such a -grouch-, Seishirou-sama."
Riko gets to her feet, skates over to Arika, and nudges the unconscious diva with her toe. Then she, very carefully, hauls the older girl up and heads towards the exit.
Whistling a merry tune.
When she wakes up, Arika will find herself in the forest on the outskirts of Southtown, her bruises and chi-burns smeared with medicinal ointment, and a little envelope of money labeled 'in event of extra medical bills - the management'.
No need to be rude, after all.
There's professional standards to be maintained.
[OOC] Seishirou :|
[OOC] Arika says, "Seishirou, you and your mean cult! ._.;"
[OOC] Seishirou says, "IT'S NOT A CULT"
[OOC] Riko <3
[OOC] Seishirou says, "It's a supporter for my pectoralis major muscle."
[OOC] Arika snickers. XD
Log created on 14:34:51 06/04/2007 by Riko, and last modified on 17:17:23 08/01/2007.