Description: Eva Manzetti, a new face to street fighting, bumps into Drake again by chance. This time they get to talk at length, and a common desire is revealed. In the end, Eva finds that she may have a place with the Shooting Stars.
What an odd string of days it's been! First, Drake goes to Korea to train with Chae Lim. Then, he goes to China to take on - and DEFEAT (inset: omg) - Geese Howard. Next thing he knows, Thailand is all under Shadaloo rule. And now he's back home in Southtown, briefly treated to a picnic, and.. he wants to sprawl. He's -still- sore from that energy geyser Geese threw into him. Dang, he's lucky to have his acrobatic training. That might've killed anyone less skilled.
So, here Drake is, sprawled back on a blue beach towel, letting the cool breeze on this warm, summer night relax his muscles. His arms are folded behind his head to form a makeshift pillow, amethyst eyes affixed to the clear sky and half-moon overhead. It's favorably quiet tonight. No huge crowds.
No huge crowds except.... Eva. Dressed in capris and a sleeveless white shirt, Eva's not wearing her uniform for once. However, as her flip-flops trudgd in the sand along the surf's edge, the girl seems locked firmly within the walls of her thoughts on this quiet night, with nary a person about.
Eva's been thinking about Thailand too. About Shadaloo, and what it means to her. It's easy to dismiss it as something that has nothing to do with her, but, talking to her mother, Sophie, on the phone, it's made the matter seem all the more personal. Her dad, Luca, had a good buddy from his fighting days that lives in Thailand; ever since the news hit, he's been glued to the screen. It wasn't as if they were blood brothers or something especially close, Sophie said, but they'd chat on the phone from time to time. Reminiscence about the 'good ol' days' and about how fighting's so flashy nowadays. It was then confirmed by Luca in the background that he had succeeded in reaching his friend via cell phone; his buddy was safe, having managed to sneak he and his family to safety.
Sighting Drake from afar as she looks up, Eva blinks and shuffles over, calling his name as she does so. "Drake? I didn't expect you to be out here tonight."
Drake blinks his eyes once and continues staring up at the sky. The voice is somewhat familiar. Sounds like that one girl he met earlier. But what was her name...?
"Eva?" Yeah, that sounds about right. His head turns to finally look towards the female. "Hey. Howdy. Hola." He gives a mirthful little grin. "Hiya. You doing okay?" If his mood seems elated, it's because it really is. "Come over, have a seat, relax for a bit."
Eva it is, and the fact that she responds to the name adds further proof that Drake guessed right. "Ciao. Come stai?" After a second or two, she stiffles a chuckle and asks, this time in English, "How are you doing?" Walking over to sit next to the wrestler, she stretches her legs in front of her and props her torso up with the palms of her hands.
".... Yeah. Mostly. Been really worried about the situation in Thailand. I mean, what is this Shadaloo group? What do they want? It kind of... makes me feel restless really. But, I guess, other than that, I'm fine." If Drake looks closely at the girl's legs, he may notice blotchy bits of color all over them- bruises, though most of them are faded. They don't seem to bug Eva all that much however, and, if her kicks were of any indication, they probably stem from the same cause as Drake's own aches and pains: matches. "Oh- I won my first SNL fight. Speaking of that... did you manage to raise enough money in that fundraiser?"
"I know. I've been thinking about seeing if there's anything my group can do about that..." Drake's apprehensive, though. He knows at least one member of the team is grossly lacking in her training. If not becoming downright unreliable. But then his gaze returns to Eva, and he quirks an obsidian eyebrow. "Yeeaahh, your first match was against my teammate, Arika Fade. She got paired up with a schmuck, from what I could tell." He pauses a moment before smirking and moving one arm from behind his head to bump her side with an elbow. "Good win for you, though. You seem the decent sort."
The arm folds back behind his head again, and Drake relaxes once more. "Things have been hectic for me, anyway. Defeated Geese Howard with Arika and a couple children. No offense to you or anything, but their total lack of maturity and focus didn't reflect well on their age or school." Sure, Drake's just one or two years older, but 'children' seems the proper term for Marisol, Tenma, and Luc. "Anyway, what about you? 'Sup?"
".... Well." Eva looks up at the half-moon, her lips pursed in thought. And, perhaps, a little hesitation. ".... I'd be willing to help you, Drake. I don't know if you'd trust me as far as my fighting ability, but, if not that, I can help in other ways as well. ... If you don't feel well with me along, I understand, but... if you do decide to go, I would be glad to assist you." The look on the girl's face is very solemn, an odd expression for someone her age to have. "It scares me, but, it would be even scarier if..."
Let's not dwell on that. As the topic shifts and Eva is nudged with an elbow, she looks bashful as she rubs the area, a slight smile on her lips. "It got a little unfair at the end. Arika had to hold up against me and my partner, Sada at the end. I wouldn't discredit her partner, either; Sada seemed to be especially.... feisty in that battle. When the battle was spilt up, I believe Arika had gotten a fairer hand when she ended up with me." A small tinge of red rushes to her cheeks in addition to her bashful expression at the compliment. "T-thank you. I try my best. I have a ways to go, but... I think I'm getting ther-"
Shocked silence. Then- "You defeated Geese?!" Those ice blue eyes are on him now, wide in amazement as she leans over. "That is *amazing*! Even if you had help, that had to have been an uphill battle." Settling back, letting out a long sigh, she collapses backwards, head hitting the soft ground. "I don't take it personally at all. Everyone is different. Though...." She leans back up, peering at Drake's face. "You don't look to be much older, you realize..."
Drake studies Eva in silence at first. Just a quiet sort of scrutiny. It's a tense look on the model's face at this time. Her, willing to put herself in that kind of danger? How... interesting.
That thought is allowed to slip past when the subject shifts. "From what I could tell about that guy? Neh. A complete lack of teamwork." But that's really all he has to say on that part. When the subject shifts yet again to the victory over Geese, Drake can't help but beam a bright, radiant smile. "I know!," he chirps, mood sky-rocketing again. "It -was- tough. He kept trying to turn my attacks around on me, but I was a bit more nimble than he apparently expected. The one hit he -did- manage to get in on me, though? Good gravy. I'm still sore from that! He hits like a tank, point-blank!" Pause. Breathe. "Anyway... there's more to being a child than just age," he notes. "I don't consider -you- a child, after all. But.. well.. wait 'til it airs. They turned what -should- have been a flawless victory into an internal conflict." Idiots.
Drake rolls over onto his side, then raises up to his full height. "I have a question for you, Eva. How serious are you about wanting to go with me and mine to Thailand? And why?"
The tense study seems to be welcomed by the normally bashful Eva; she looks at him directly.
The topic changes, and she changes back to her usual self, matching that bright smile on Drake's face with one of her own. "Think of it this way- by that punch, you know he wasn't simply being easy on you. You won fair and square. How many can say they could even *get through* something like that without falling over instantly?" At the other comment, Eva chuckles. "Dad says I'm far too serious for someone my age. I'm still a child in some ways, I guess. But anyway. I'll definitely watch it. Or, at least, I'll tape it to make sure I don't miss it."
Looking over as Drake rolls over to stand up, she in turn does the same, somewhat startled. This changes when he asks his two questions, and the girl realizes the reason. .... Why? Because... "Because what if it comes over here? This Shadaloo group. That leader- Vega. He implied that he wasn't going to stop with just Thailand." Her voice begins to break as rawer emotions show through, like fear. Things usually kept underneath that calm veneer. "I'm scared of dying, yes. I'm scared of what I'll see there. But I feel so helpless, just standing here, and I bet, if this group isn't stopped, it'll just get stronger. And it'll come here, or to America. I can't do anything by myself, but, in a group, I can at least help out." A pause. "Besides, you're my friend, right? It's only right that I support you when you need it most. Though, if you don't feel good about me being there, it's alright. .... Really, if you go to Thailand.... I want you to make it through in one piece. Though, I guess, if you can best Geese... This Vega person should be a piece of cake, correct?" A small, shaky smile peeks out at that rare piece of humor. Quietly, she looks down. "... Though.... What about you? What's your reason, Drake?"
Drake continues to study the female intently as she speaks, amethyst gaze intense, scrutinizing her response. When all's said and done, the humor seems to drift right past him unnoticed. "I see..." He considers pressing the question a little further, but then she asks her own.
"What's my reason? Beyond common decency?," Drake asks rhetorically. "I strongly feel that if someone has the ability to do something to help others, they should. That's been my philosophy since childhood, and I don't see it changing any time soon. People who have the ability to do things and serve only themselves turn into people like Vega. Megalomaniacs, murderers, thieves... and if the people who can do something about it don't, what's left in the world? It'd be overrun by warring factions like the one occupying Thailand, people would live in fear everywhere, and justice would be a thing found only in history books. I can fight better than a lot of people - so I use that to defend the people who can't. That's my responsibility and -pleasure- as a fighter." Pause. "No... as a Shooting Star."
He hesitates a moment longer, then cants his head. "I want you to fight me, Eva. I know you're a little banged up right now, and so am I, but I want you to give it your all. Can you do that?" Drake's voice carries a certain heaviness of sincerity and resolve, eyes now burning on her.
"Common decency has nothing to do with it, here. Common decency would be doing fundraisers or bake sales. Sparring matches. What we want to do... it's not an obligation, it's a decision. To help others, correct?" Eva's cool eyes regard Drake with the utmost seriousness. Then, she pauses, her eyebrow raising. ".... A Shooting Star?"
Where has she heard that name?
No matter. Eva'll ask later, when there's space for such questions. "If you wish, I will." Flip-flops, no gloves, no coat, no padding? Can she really do this? Eva could always ask to grab her things, but, in the heat of the moment, it seems more right to fight him directly. Opponents not as kind as Drake will face her in the future, and she has to show him her true strength. The fact that she can keep on going. She says nothing about this, only stepping out of her flip-flops. Looking up at the half moon, she says, "It's a perfect night for a match, don't you think?"
Even if Eva loses here, he'll know her determination. And, sometimes, that's what you need to survive.
COMBATSYS: Eva has started a fight here.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Drake has joined the fight here.
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Eva
"It's both," Drake replies neutrally. "A responsibility and a decision."
But he just leaves it at that. Her comment on the evening falls on deaf ears. Drake sweeps his foot across the sand to kick his towel out of the way, and he tugs on the collar of his open overshirt to pull it crisply over him. But with that, there is no further warning. He launches an attack, dipping into a low forward stance and chambering his hands at his sides. The hands then launch out in a double palmheel strike aimed for her torso, hands igniting in a bright white flash of concussive energy the moment his arms are fully extended.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Eva with Whiteout.
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Drake 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Eva
It's not as if Eva was caught off guard. She had looked down from the moon by the time Drake had prepared, and was shifting into her battle stance, a foot placed towards and away from him, her upper arms hooked towards her face with the poise of a boxer.
Eva has never fought barefoot in the sand. Her body makes a motion to dodge, but the sand shifts underneath her feet, making something that would be a straight jump back turn into a spilt-second of misery. She tumbles backwards in the sand, but quickly gets up. There's no words; Eva allows her next strike to speak for her. Running towards him in order to close in the distance his attack made, Eva jumps into the air, extending her legs as she spins once. This time, however, she's spinning the opposite direction so that her feet, normally turned toes first, are instead pointed heel first.
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Drake with Flying Crescent.
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Drake 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Eva
Drake is struck squarely on the chin by this manuever, and he staggers back a step. His right hand lifts to his jaw briefly, but then lowers again. He closes the distance once more, body hunkered down a bit more low than usual, and he makes an attempt to weave to her side, then shift smoothly behind her back. If successful, he raises and slips his arms beneath her arms, and locks his hands together behind her neck. Once caught up, the arms flex back and his hands push forward, steadily cutting off her air supply in a sleeper hold.
COMBATSYS: Eva blocks Drake's Quick Throw.
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Drake 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Eva
Drake succeeds initially, but his hold on Eva isn't perfect. As soon as the girl realizes what is happening, she throws her upper arms up, which in turn get caught in Drake's embrace. Pushing, Eva manages to somehow break free of Drake's grasp, temporarily putting herself at the mercy of the wrestler's sleeper hold as she squeezes out. Coughing as she backs away, Eva takes a few deep breaths, then attacks once more.
Hooking her leg upwards, she hops over and swings the attack foot's heel forwards, swiping it against Drake's face like a pale hammer.
COMBATSYS: Drake fails to counter Medium Kick from Eva with Solar Eclipse.
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Drake 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Eva
Drake loses his grip on the girl, and.. it doesn't seem to really bother him. The fight's only just beginning, after all. So when she moves in and starts the kick, he prepares to simply catch her right out of it. But it comes at something of an odd angle, and nails him square in the face. It's forceful enough to knock him aside in another stagger, hand lifting to set to his cheek again. Ergh.
It occurs to Eva just then: he's a model. She's attacking his face. Damn it, what if this ruins a photo shoot?! She gives him an apologetic glance as she backs off to prepare for her next attack, but doesn't spare much time to do anything else. That is, except go in to.....
... Kick sand up. Not directly into his eyes, of course; she seems to be attempting to miss that particular target. It's more to make him focus on her rising foot, so when she goes for that uppercut, it'll be similiar enough to fool him. "... It's either this or the towel," she offers just nanoseconds before her fist rises up to meet the underside of his chin.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Eva's Sfumato Punch.
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Drake 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Eva
Drake continues rubbing over his cheek for a few seconds, even as the female closes in on him again. Though the moment she starts to scuff sand, he's gone, backtracking a bit to evade the attack entirely. Though after the moment he's done that, he's rushing at her again...
...and he leaps clean over her, pulling into a forward flip. While upside-down, Drake makes a grab for her head, fingers locking under her chin. If caught, he drops to the sand in a knelt position, arching her back to collide her head with his right shoulder in a stunner.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Eva with Strong Throw.
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Drake 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Eva
"Ght!" Eva makes a pained sound as her head collides with Drake's shoulder, her face screwed tightly in a wince. She breaks away from him forcefully the moment his grasp is lessened, rolling over in the sand until she's able to safely stand up.
Eva's mouth hangs slightly open in a pant, but she shows no signs of letting up. Drake wanted her best, and she'll give him her best, even if she's currently doing so with a disadvantage. However, to her own surprise, she doesn't feel bothered by this; in fact, she feels glad. She's gotten this far, and she's lasting much longer than her last fight with him. Hopefully, she'll keep it up. With a few short hops, she's at it again, this time, curling her knee back towards her opposite shoulder and shooting it straight out, torso leaning back as she aims the outward-facing side of her right foot at Drake's midsection.
COMBATSYS: Drake fails to counter Strong Kick from Eva with Blackout.
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Drake 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Eva
The sand seems to be disagreeable for the both of them. Though Drake sees the kick coming clear as day, has become very well-versed in reversing this type of attack, and is quite ready to do so... the sand shifts beneath his foot, bogging his movements down.
Strike.
The model is knocked back into the sand, rolling over once, arms looped around his midsection. He remains as this for several seconds, eyes squeezing shut from the force of the hit. It was apparently heavy enough to wind him.
The sand shifts into the air, with Eva pulling back and Drake falling back. Taking a moment to wipe a few dark trendils of hair from her face, she simply circles him with the utmost caution.
"...." Eva will wait for him to rise at least, because she's not willing to hit the wrestler while he's down. Yes, the girl is willing to fight at a disadvantage in order to prove her willingness, but she won't show eagerness to be unfair to someone who deserves a good match. When he rises, or indicates for her to do otherwise, that's when she goes to launch her next attack.
Allowing her arms to become coated with blue chi, a technique that has been absent from this match up until now, Eva crosses them in front of her face and runs towards the wrestler at full speed.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Eva's Cerulean Bullet.
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Drake 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Eva
Drake does take a good few seconds to actually catch his breath, but when he does, he lifts a bit groggily to his full height. And almost instantly, the female is charging for him. The agile wrestler drops aside, tumbling out of the way and cleanly raising back to his full height. He begins to edge back a bit from her, fists lifting to set up a guard about his face. Not unlike the stance of your typical Tae Kwan Do fighter. But he launches no attack at this time. He simply relaxes his body, attempting to catch his breath in full again.
COMBATSYS: Drake gains composure.
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Drake 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Eva
No words are spoken. Eva misses, slowing down as momentum spent in vain is allowed to lessen. When she is able to, she pivots back around, bare feet hitting the sand with barely any sound. Crossing her feet over one another as she moves within range, Eva goes to release yet another kick, but but it's more lighter than the ones used before. Swinging her right foot around, she aims for the wrestler's ankle, but this time, those toes are pointed outwards, but not with as much brutual force like that last time. In fact, she's moving to hook that foot around the man's ankle, pulling her foot back like a crochet hook over a piece of thread, hopefully sending him to the ground once more.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Eva's Quick Throw.
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Drake 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Eva
Drake slips back from the trip attack easily, a faint smirk touching to his lips briefly. It quickly disappears however, and he's closing in once more. Though this time, he aims a simply left punch for her cheek, followed by a brisk elbowsmash from the right coming in towards her collar. Indeed, the wrestler -is- capable of martial arts.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Eva with Quick Punch.
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Drake 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Eva
Oh, Eva never doubted it. No wrestler could move like that without *some* training. But allow the girl to express a touch of surprise as Drake elludes her, then comes back with a punch combo that forces her to dig her feet into the sand to keep from falling over.
Man, that hurt. She'll be feeling this tomorrow morning.... alongside everything else she endured tonight.
But Eva keeps going, with yet another kick. While it could seem boring, the girl is not directly attacking a certain spot, or even keeping her range to three distinct areas. Instead, she uses her foot like a knife, albiet one that's currently blunt one, aiming it at any nook and cranny Drake's defense does not cover at that exact moment. And she's doing it here, moving her upper torso back to balance herself as she extends her foot towards Drake's knees, hunching herself downward.
COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Eva's Medium Kick.
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Drake 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Eva
Immediately after the punch and elbowsmash has made contact, Drake is moving back at a brisk pace to gain some ground again. When he leg lashes out, his shoulder shrugs back and his body follows suit in whole, pulling into a graceful and precise spin out of the way.
This lands him at an angle just to her left side, whereupon Drake reaches out with his right arm to hook her legs, and his left arm to grab ahold of her neck. He attempts to yank her over his shoulders, propping her in a quick sideways stretch. He then simply drops back, landing the back of his head against her stomach and slamming her back against the sand.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Eva with Quick Throw.
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Drake 1/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Eva
The damage is beginning to effect Eva's ability to dodge, even if the look in her ice blue eyes shows no chance of relenting while the fight's still on. "Uuf!" Eva exhales as she's slammed into the sand, grimancing as her body begins to complain underneath the stress she's putting it through. Wrestling herself free from his grasp, Eva stumbles away, regarding the wrestler with caution as she breathes quickly.
Let's get this finished while she can still stand.
"Ha!" Channeling all the will power she's got at her disposal, Eva launches forward, drawing her foot back as blue chi curls along her lower calf and onto her bare foot. She then proceeds to perform a series of three sharply delivered kicks to the feet, midsection, and chin of her opponent, eyes shining with determination.
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Drake with Red Piston.
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Drake 1/--=====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Eva
Drake permits that she wriggle free without hinderance. He simply curls back and kips up to his feet again. But this time as he turns to face her, she's on him in an instance. The first kick gets him to stumble, the second kick doubles him over, and the last kick gets a yelp from him.
Drake lands splayed in the sand, facedown for a few long seconds. He pushes himself up onto his arms and elbows, coughing a couple times. Ow. That... really hurt. She's likely marred him with bruises from that. Large bruises. He gives his head a quick shake, then quickly springs back to his feet and rushes for her, attempting to grab her by the shoulders firmly...
COMBATSYS: Eva blocks Drake's Total Eclipse.
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Drake 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Eva
Once finding a solid grip on the girl's shoulders, Drake yanks her forward to lock her neck between his legs. His arms then loop around her stomach to hoist her body up into the air. The moment she's inverted in piledrive position, his arms tighten substantially and grind into her abdomen. After a few seconds of this wrenching, he leaps high into the air, pulling into a series of forward flips. On the descent, the flips become fast enough to blurr their bodies together into an opaque swirl of motion. This ends only when the full momentum of the flips and their combined bodyweight comes crashing down against her head in the sand.
Somehow, in midst of all that spinning, Drake finds his quarry escaping from his grasp, flung away from the sheer momentum he and Eva built while in orbit. And so Eva flies, blue eyes wide open as she sails through the air backwards like a torpedo, steeling herself for the inevitable landing.
*THUD*
Landing on her back in the sand a ways away from where Drake lands, Eva coughs painfully and staggers to her feet. It was around this time that she would have been unable to even stand, allowing the fight to end with Drake the victor, but here, she simply stands up, her breathing ragged and pained. And yet, she makes a point of shifting back into her fighting stance as Drake moves to look at her. She'll see this fight through, all the way.
COMBATSYS: Eva focuses on her next action.
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Drake 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Eva
And just just like, Drake loses his grip on the girl. Did he spin too fast? Did she wriggle free? He isn't sure. He just knows that he's now just flipping without prey. So when he lands, it isn't in the typical seated position - it's in a neat, composed crouch. He pushes himself weakly to his feet again and turns to face the girl. He looks like he's hurting, indeed. That fight with Mr. Howard not long ago has his performance lacking and pain on the rise, that's for certain. But nevertheless, he has every intention to not go easy on her. He asked for her to fight her hardest, after all.
Seeing her standing not unlike himself, Drake rushes in towards her swiftly. Clouds of sand are kicked into the air behind his sandalled feet, leaving a wake behind him. The moment he closes in on her, he attempts to slip in at her left side again. His right arm attempts to hook around her torso just under her chest, left arm going to hook between her legs to hoist her body into the air in something akin to a cradle. He then drops to a knelt position, smashing the girl's back upon his upturned knee in a backbreaker.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Eva with Strong Throw.
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Drake 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Eva
In preparing her body to go all out on Drake, Eva had let her guard down. Slamming against Drake's knee, Eva lets out a rare cry of pain, which is immediately followed by her teeth clamping together like steel in order to swallow whatever was to follow.
With one last bit of strength, she pushes Drake away, limply scrambling aside. She looks like she's about to fall over then and there, but that's when she locks her eyes on Drake's own, blue meeting violet.
The way those eyes glint, Eva looks like a woman possessed. But it's not by spite, anger, or insanity. Just... determination. She's unable to tell when her body's going to fail on her, and she needs to put in whatever strength she has left behind her next move. It's not to win, no. It's to show Drake what she's made out of. Hopping back a distance away, she races ahead with surprising speed, leaping up and allowing her body to spin a total of three times in the air, feet held outward and her toes pointed forward. She's too beyond pain to care what happens; Eva's not sure when her body's going to fail her, but it'll be soon.
COMBATSYS: Eva has reached second wind!
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Drake 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Eva
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Drake with Spinning Crescent.
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Drake 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Eva
Drake hears the cry of pain, and he suspects that to be the end of the fight. So when she springs back to her feet, he's very duely surprised. That intense look notwithstanding. her attack lands squarely, bashing the surprised model off his feet to land squarely on his back. He writhes a moment on his back in the sand and lets out a soft groan of pain... but he rolls over and picks himself up into a crouch all the same.
"..Ow.."
He hesitates a moment, considering whether to continue this or not. Mmh. He wanted her best, so he should give her his as well. Drake raises to his full height again and rushes over the short distance to close in on the girl, right arm extending to hook around her neck. If caught, he simply leaps into the air and drives her down against the sand on her head and back. Nothing fancy about the slam really, but quick and efficient.
COMBATSYS: Drake can no longer fight.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Eva with Quick Throw.
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Eva 0/-------/-----==|
Eva hits. Her body even finds the resolve to keep standing after that attack, as pained as her body is. And yet, she's easy pickings for Drake's last attack, her body limply resisting Drake's hold as he slams her a final time into the cool sand.
And Eva stays heres, lying down in the sand, but, slowly, she gets back up. Her panting come out in hoarse bursts as she turns to face Drake, arms drawn limply into her stance. ".... I'll keep going..."
".... If you want."
Drake lands in a seated position for the full delivery of the slam, and he takes a bit longer to raise back to his feet. By this juncture, his breathing is coming out as a labored panting, looking rather beaten and worn. Moreso than he did from just fighting Geese. Once at his full height, he hunkers forward and sets his hands to his knees, amethyst eyes affixed to the female.
"You're more resilient than you look." Pause. Smile. "That's good." Drake then shakes his head. "Not necessary. I've seen enough." His right hand lifts from his knee to touch to his cheek gingerly, smile turning into a slight frown. "Mmh. There goes a day of working..."
"........ oh, good." Like a puppet cut free of its strings, Eva's body hangs down until she rests the palms of her hands against her knees, electing a string of deep coughs. Damn. She wants to throw up. Or fall down. Something. Now that the adrenaline's slowing down in her veins, everything is masked by the poundpoundpound of her heart, which has somehow traveled to her head because that's all Eva's hearing.
So, she collapses, face-first, into the sand. "Mmmh." It was either that or throw up in front of Drake. Slowly, she turns over until her back hits the sand, looking up at the wrestler from a very interesting upsidedown ant's eye viewpoint. ".....?"
Then, Drake's words finally hit her. Eva's face falls into a look of dismay. "... Oh no.... S-so sorry! That was really horrible of me to do that!"
COMBATSYS: Eva has ended the fight here.
Drake tilts his head a little and dons a puzzled look on his fetching features. Well, normally fetching features. Now they're going to be bruised. "Hey, no. It's fair. I told you to fight your hardest, and you apparently did. I'm satisfied." His brow furrows a little. "But are you okay? You didn't push yourself -too- hard, did you?" His head tilts in the other direction, bangs drifting with the movement. "Do you need water or anything? I can run.. or.. hobble, rather.. inside, and get you some..." Make sure the girl's not overdone it first, then get to the point.
"No. Just dizzy. I do think I sorta overdid it, though. .... I usually don't fight without boots and padding on my legs and hands, but... you know...." Eva laughs. "I'm glad I didn't. I know I didn't go easy on myself. It really wouldn't feel right to just ask you if I could run home and then come back all prepared." Looking up at at the sky, she lets out a steady sigh, oblivious to whatever else Drake wants to speak about.... for the moment. ".... I'll be fine. The sand feels good. ... Are you doing alright?"
Drake quirks a smile at the upside-down girl. "Good. I'd hate for you to've gone and messed yourself up. And as for me? I'm well enough. I'll, uh.. not be modelling tomorrow for anything, but I'll be good enough."
Drake ponders his position in relation to hers, and he decidedly plops down in the sand beside her head. It gives him a chance to relax his muscles and steady his breathing again. "Anyway... the reason I wanted you to fight me was to make sure that - if I take you with me to Thailand - I wouldn't be delivering a nice girl to'er grave. I'm satisfied that that wouldn't be the case. You've got talent."
".... My dad's done worse." Eva cracks a small smile. "Though.... by proxy, does that mean I defeated Geese as well? If I defeated the person who defeated Geese, then..." Eva lets herself trail off, distracted by the sound of Drake's body hitting the sand aside her head.
Things turn to more solemn subjects.
"... I'm not sure if talent would be enough to keep me from my grave, but... maybe, if we stick together, we'll keep anyone from reaching their grave." Eva closes her eyes, allowing her body to fully rest. "It's really scary, but... what you said makes sense. Those who can protect others, should. .... For the longest time, I was that person. Someone who needed to be protected. It's not right for me to be like that anymore. There's so many who don't have what I have. They don't even feel secure. I'm... not wanting to be some superhero or something, but... I just want to help people."
"Hey, hey, hey!," says Drake, turning terse suddenly. "Don't go getting an ego. Stuff happens. If we're in an official match against each other, expect to get taken down. For that matter, don't make me second-guess what happened out here tonight and consider the distinct and highly plausible likelihood that my fight with Geese has me slowed down severely and all you did was cash in on it." She stepped a bit too far, apparently. Taking down Geese -is- so far one of his biggest crowning achievements. Anyone who tries to take that away can go straight to Hell, for all he's concerned.
He gives her a pointed, irritated look for a long moment still, then snorts and peers towards the ocean. He -did- have a follow-up question to present her, though now it seems as though it would be feeding a blooming ego. And he's not too keen on that. Especially when that ego is based on stepping all over his accomplishments. "Uh-huh."
Sensing the tenseness in Drake's voice, Eva sits up, blinking. "No, no, no! Really, I was joking! You know I wouldn't last against Geese, even with help." Her eyebrows furrow worriedly. "I'm sorry, Drake; that was inappropriate of me to say that, whether it was a joke or not." Shifting her body into a kneel and placing the palms of her hands on her knees, she bows her head. "First I hit you in the face, and now this! I'm so sorry! That was horrible of me!"
If Drake's objection was actually in jest, it would have sailed straight over the girl's head. But, perhaps, since it isn't, Eva's inability to catch onto jokes other than the rare quips she makes, works in her favor.
In this case, it works in her favor. Drake's a proud person. Vaine, in fact. Some might say that goes right along with being a model. It can be construed as shallow perhaps, but nevertheless. Drake takes his victories and career every bit as seriously as he does his image. So when the whole apology is issued, he exhales a sigh and peers aside. "Alriiight."
The amethyst eyes return to her, gaze a bit more softened. "Alright. Anyway.." He takes a moment to re-compose himself, which involves fussing with his hair for a moment to ensure it's -just- -right- with the bangs and whatnot. He then focuses on her. "If helping people is that important to you, and I've seen you're capable of it... I'm inviting you to join the Shooting Stars. If you join my team, I'll expect to see you around a good amount, be reliable, and be willing to do anything to protect innocents." He pauses a moment. The girl's still highschool-aged, so.. that might be a bit much. Sure, Sarah is highschool-aged as well, but he's scarcely seen her about, and she's a little... unique... in her own rights. "You don't have to answer right away, though. I'm not about pressure."
Vain, Eva is not. Or... well, perhaps, once upon a time, she was. But that was before she decided to cast it all away with the cutting of her long, well-kept hair. Said hair hasn't recovered from it since. Eva slowly tilts her head upwards as Drake reluctantly accepts the apology, looking bashful. "I still think it's amazing that you defeated him, Drake. No matter what I say, please remember that."
Drake's vain, Eva's noticed, but his heart is in the right place. Defeating someone like Geese *is* something that you would talk about with your childkids, after all.
Staying quiet as Drake fusses with his hair, Eva's curiosity is certainly piqued. It seems like something important, to have him fuss over himself like that. And even with her spectulation, Eva finds herself surprised at Drake's proposal. "You want me to join your team?" That, right there, is the voice of complete and utter amazement. Still, instead of stammering an immediate reply like someone completely star-struck, Eva ponders over this. ".... I will do whatever is within my capacity. Even at my age and position, there are still things I can do. Will that be enough?"
Drake tilts his head slightly at her response, obsidian bangs drifting over his right eye. "Hrm. I... yeah. I'm not completely sure how to take that. I mean, school still held in consideration, I wouldn't ask you to do something I myself wouldn't. Besides... you're about the same age as Sarah Holland, aren't you? She's a member." Pause. "Not seen much of her lately, but still. I've got a pretty good feeling about you." He hesitates again, fidgeting enough to face her fully in the sand. "That is, if what you said means you're accepting the invitation."
"... Sorry- I should have been more direct," Eva says awkwardly. The girl lets out a sigh, then straightens, gathering her composure. "Yes, I do want to join your team. I want to help people, and there are some things that one person can't do by themselves." Is she getting in over her head...? ..... Then again, Drake is pretty trustworthy, from what she's witnessed, and she doesn't feel any bad vibes about him.
Eva would like to think she's a good judge of people's character. Hopefully, Drake won't prove her wrong.
"I guess... first, I really should lighten up, right? I sound so awkward when I get nervous." The girl lets out a quick giggle, then winces. ".... Maybe I did overdo it. A little. I should be fine, however. Whatever does not kill me makes me stronger."
Drake beams a smile at her. A smile of unquestionable approval. "Good. I can tell you're the good sort. Especially knowing what I do about where you're coming from and all." He extends his right hand to very gently set to her cheek briefly. "If you need to rest, that's okay. We can talk more about stuff later, and I can introduce you more fully to Arika. And Sarah, if she shows up." He then pushes himself up to his feet and offers a hand out to her in offer to help her up as well.
"... Thank you. I hope I can measure up." Still, it shouldn't be too much of a change, Eva suspects. Simply helping other students and create a good name for a school that seems to have a reputation for being standoffish and preppy was something that Eva tends to do on her own, though the latter seemed to pop into her lap when she least expected it.
No really. Eva was clueless when she came here in regards to Pacific High's reputation.
What she can do beyond this... Eva will quickly find out. A hint of red shows up on her face when Drake's hand touches her cheeks. "I'd love to meet everyone." Taking the graciously offered hand, Eva lifts herself up. ".... That was a good match."
Log created on 20:43:04 06/04/2007 by Drake, and last modified on 22:02:56 06/12/2007.