Description: Continuing the mission to ensure the safety of the fleeing refugees, the Shooting Stars brace for the next assault. When it comes from above, and the Shadaloo agent brings a 'friend', the group needs to work as a team to survive... but are they about to lose a member?
It's been a good three or four days of sea crossing, if the Shooting Stars are not compeletely sick and tired of water at this point, it would be a complete and utter miracle. The good news is during all of the travels save the first, there hasn't been any intervention that the Thailand military forces couldn't handle, and not only that, this is the very last tow of the city escapee population.
In normal circumstances that'd mean it'd be the easiest ride of them all, but the Governor was rather stubborn and insisted that he be the last to leave. And as long as there are bigwig figureheads, there's a chance there will be a threat.
It's been about six hours into the trip across the Thailand gulf, the air is thickly clouded and it looks like it's going to downpour any moment now. It's really astonishing how the ships have held up in these conditions and it does feel like it can go for another trip or two without a long rest time.
While there's been some mild mistrust in the beginning by the escapee's on board, the Shooting Stars have become increasingly popular over time, so the've had a chance to meet some people and talk about what they do. However now that it looks like a storm is coming, everyone has been ordered to go below deck again, leaving the trio to hang out either on deck or in the steering quarters- Whatever that part of the boat is called!
The deck! That's all the Shooting Stars leader has come to refer to it as. He's spent some time on boats before - yachts, a couple cruise liners, and a few simple little fishing boats, primarily - but this has been quite different. Not because the boat is made or designed in a different way. Not because it's old or rickety.
It's the circumstance surrounding the boat trip.
Drake "Domino" Vyril is a socialite. He lives in the spotlight, loves chatting up complete strangers, flourishes in the public eye... but some things can really rock a guy. Even despite the days that have passed since the attack, Drake still seems a little rattled. Detached, perhaps, is the best word for it. He's socialized with the passengers and put on a good show for them with conversation. But his fire has been dimmed a little. And though this may not be obvious to those who don't know him, the other Stars have likely caught hint of this.
With everyone else below deck, Drake has come to lean against the railing of the ship, gazing down into the water. Elbows and arms are folded to prop himself, the forewarning breeze of an oncoming rainfall playing with his hair. He's become fairly quiet, save for when spoken to. Much more reserved. But be that as it may, he's not forgotten the method of entry for the Shadaloo agent last time. It was by water. So the water he shall watch.
Storms on the open water are very rarely a good thing. They tend to whip things up and cause boats to rock in non-subtle manners. Surprising really, that the poor punk rock princess hasn't lost the meager amounts of rations she's been forcing herself to eat while they've been in Thailand so far. Both hands clench into the nearest railing as she attempts once more to recover her sea legs in order to be of some use should the spy return.
Satisfied that she's found them once more, she releases one hand from the railing and reaches into her pack nearby. A small piece of ginger candy is extracted and she pops it into her mouth in the hopes of relieving her stomach a little more before she makes her rounds and checks on Drake again. Taking a few deep breaths, she forces herself to smile and relinquishes her hold on the railing entirely as she draws herself up to her feet.
One tentative step is taken.
Then another.
So far so good.
Then the boat rocks again, sending her careening toward the railing on which Drake appears to be resting.
"You seem more quiet than usual today," Arika remarks softly after catching herself from actually going -over- the rail.
Eva has been good for PR. Many of the young refugees flock to her to watch her draw or show her what they scribbled on the deck with the kid's colored chalk she brought along. Thankfully for the boat's staff, the chalk washes off easily with some water, and as long as the kids are happy, it makes things go more smoothly for the adults aboard. All in all, she's become a bit of a babysitter, showing a rather maternal side that doesn't shrink back to demands and lack of communication.
However, it's not been all fun and games for the girl; Eva's lost some weight. But it's not out of fear, nervousness, or being picky about what she eats. If anything, she's been gracious about eating the rations to her, eating them with the gusto of someone truly thinking about those starving children in whatever part of the world she's eating for. Can't be Thailand; she's already here. But yes. The mysterious weight loss? Like Arika, Eva's been slow to develop proper sea legs. This has made the girl seek refuge by the railing of the boat many times whenever she's convinced her teammembers aren't near (a rare occasion) and... well, whatever business she does there has made the fish swimming below very, very happy. She's also managed to get a horrible sunburn despite being attentive to po, making that fair skin go completely red and blotchy under the assault of the sun's rays in any areas she's left uncovered. Thankfully, it's mostly been her face, chest, and arms Still, she doesn't take the time to ever complain, dealing with her problems with as much grace and dignity as she can muster.
The clouds offer more relief, as does the breeze. Watching the clouds from at the other side of the boat in this rare quiet moment, Eva looks over her shoulder towards the far corner as someone speaks, watching Arika and Drake from the corner of her eye. Ryuujin *did* say that Arika had a thing for Drake, which was something that surprised the girl. Wanting to afford them the space to talk privately, she tries to move herself from eyesight, and, if possible, from earshot as well.
Douyoubi clicks her stopwatch, "A major part of a battle involves psychology, the superior once said. It's not really something I enjoy since I'm not a very patient person, but.. I think this time the wait will be well worth it."
The black haired Sadoko-wannabe has always been a woman big on fear and terror to others in exchange for pain upon herself. "At this point, from waiting they should be emotionally exhausted or so anxious mistakes will be made. There's absolutly no room for failure at this point, this is our last chance. Katelynn. Got it?"
Douyoubi isn't below, where she's more than certain her opponents will be focusing, but rather above in one of Shadaloo's dark helicopters that's coming forward in earshot even through the warning thunder. Who knows if the Shooting Stars are aware they have complete control over the skies in this area. She currently sits on the benchside, staring out at the window at the ship from afar. Her 'back-up' is apparently Katelynn, fully clad in black Shadaloo get-up instead of her usual red attire (arguably it doesn't appear to be much different at all save for color). She'd personally given Katelynn some some training involving attacking from the skies. Which is good because the way they were going to drop in, it'd be bad if she fell to her death face-first.
The woman gives a soft sigh, "It looks like it's going to pour.. I do love rain." <3
Now this is the kind of stuff that real fighters should know what to do. Forget kicking and punching and knowing how to utilize one's chi, being able to attack from the air is what being a real fighter is all about! And riding in a helicopter, just like the movie stars do. That's kind of like what Katelynn is feeling like right now, except for one thing. The spunky teenage attitude is no longer within her. Or rather, it's changed quite a bit. Instead of being cocky and silly, she's got a more sarcastic wit around her.
"I fail to see why people dislike rain. It's such a great situation for a fight. Especially when there's thunder and lightning to complete the whole thing," Katelynn says in response to the other woman, an evil smirk forming on her face as she says that.
"More quiet than usual?," Drake asks, whisked from his reverie by the sudden (or at least, sudden to -him-) appearance of Arika. "Eh.. I guess. I've just been thinking a lot lately. I mean, this whole thing... it's precisely what I wanted to do. It's just a lot to take in as rapidly as it's coming, you know?" He pauses a moment, then shrugs his shoulders and sighs. "I'm probably just over-thinking things."
The celebrity reaches a hand out to nudge the princess's shoulder gently. "I'm holding up fine, before you even ask. No lasting damage. Just adjusting. So don't go worrying about me." Drake turns from the railing to pace a few steps away from it, then turns to face Arika. "What about you? How're you doing on our fantastical little venture?"
As he says this, Drake catches sight of Eva off to the side. Curious girl, seems like she's trying to maintain a distance. Not unlike just after the attack. But even this far away, he can see the trip hasn't been entirely merciful to her. At least, not to her skin. But just as he starts to consider bringing her over into the conversation, the sounds of rotor blades cuts through the air.
Helicopter noises.
Obvious enough.
But all the same, this should be regarded warily. Like more or less everything else they've come across so far. "Arika? Sounds like we've got some flies buzzing around." Question is, are they friendly or oppressors? "Hey, Eva!," the model calls. "Heads up! We might have some company soon!"
A 'thing' for Drake? One could easily assume that, yes. Given how the punk rock princess acts around him. It's a little more than just a 'thing' though, as anyone that's really observant can likely see. Arika may still be looking out for number one and refuses to rely on anyone else for emotional support, but she's been wearing her heart on her sleeve quite a bit lately; especially since people she doesn't even know can tell that something is going on betwixt the model and the diva.
"Mm. I think we've all been over-thinking things lately, and don't you tell me not to worry." Because it's quite obvious that she -is- worried. Not just for the simple fact that he's supposed to be leading them either. Pushing off the railing as he starts to pace, the diva slips behind him and rests a gentle hand on his shoulder in an affectionate manner. "I'll be fine once we're done with all the sea travel. Can't say I'm very fond of it, darling."
Hearing the chopper at the same time Drake does, deep blue eyes thin to slits and she looks skyward. Change of tactics? Looks like it might be, since there hasn't been another 'copter out here before. Doubtful they'd send reinforcements this way, right?
Untrusting as ever, Arika begins to loosen up her muscles and move out to the only area they could possibly hope to descend onto. Wanted or not, the incoming company is about to get a welcoming committee.
Dressed in army cargo pants, a black tanktop, a faded green army jacket, and a green hankerchief to protect her head, Eva could have done a lot worse, all things considered. However, if she had a choice between types of weather, she'd definitely make a leap for rain as opposed to sun. After all, the newest member of the Shooting Stars never claimed she disliked rain in any fashion. Besides, her first SNF fight was in a storm, and she did well. However, the ground she was on showed no signs of moving then.
It's definitely more than a 'thing', and Eva's not going to place herself in the middle of that, especially during such a stressful time. If anything, Eva wants Arika to realize that she means well, but that may not be able to be established until she has a one-on-one chat with the young woman.
But all of that will have to wait, much like it has had to lately with all the false alarms and the exhaustive precautions to make sure everyone is safe. Hearing Drake's voice ring out as the noise from the helicopter creeps into her field of hearing, Eva tucks a tendril of hair back underneath the border of her hankerchief. "Wish me luck," she mumbles quietly underneath her breath, though it seems to be to no one in particular.
She runs ahead to Drake and Arika, and possibly to her next battle.
"... That is cute," Douyoubi murmurs with a light chuckle. This is particularly why she enjoyed new recruits, none of her other teammates agreed with her thoughts often. And she never had to do training from scratch, which was another plus. "Well then, now's your chance to show me what you really have. Remember, after we defeat them, throw them overboard. I'll enjoy hearing about them washing up on shore to report their failure."
The heli-door is drawn open from the side, she lazily kicking two cords outside, and picks up one of them, gripping a metal clasp attatched to it, "See you there!" and with a hop back the maroon-clad soldier slides down, carefully wrapping her leg about the cord as she zips, the wind whipping back her hair, and still somehow hides most of her face. The trio waiting on deck won't have to take long to figure out it's a hostile team, only one person they know wears that kind of outfit and hey, she's brought a friend!
Naturally she drops from above, releasing the clasp, and with some dramatic flips and twirls, she slams down hard onto the main decks front on all fours, causing the old wood to crack.
"o/~ Hi honey, I'm hooooooooooome.."
Yep, Douyoubi brought a friend with her. A friend known as Katelynn, who's here for a little fighting fun, and as soon as the helicopter door is opened, the adrenaline within Katelynn's body starts to surge up. Her eyes go wide and her sarcastic smirk turns into a grin as she grabs hold of the remaining cord. As she slides down, she says to herself, "This is where things are really gonna get good!"
Whether or not anyone recognizes her doesn't matter, as she's here to kick ass on behalf of Shadaloo, and if they don't know her then it's all the better for her. Those that do know her, however, are going to be in for a rather unpleasant surprise. But who cares, since it's all the more fun for Katelynn when she gets to rub in unpleasant surprises!
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi has started a fight here.
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Douyoubi 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
COMBATSYS: Drake has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Eva has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Katelynn has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Katelynn
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
When Eva joins with the other two - albeit Arika's taking off to fan out, apparently - Drake begins to roll his shoulders to limber up. Hey, it's a pretty sound precaution to take, if nothing else.
When the helicopter is overhead and cables descend, it becomes pretty obvious what's going on; yet another invasion. So Drake shifts into his stance, right foot slipping forward, weight balancing on the left in a shallow backstance. His right arm angles forward before his body, hand tapered flat. Left hand chambers at chest level, fingers splayed at the ready.
It must be that Douyoubi chick again. While she might've gotten a good hit on Drake earlier, he doesn't have much lack for faith that they can repell another attack from her. But the second cable does merit a bit of consideration.
"Let's keep watch of emo-chick here," Drake - or as Douyoubi might remember him better, Domino - says to his teammate(s) in earshot. "But don't ignore-"
And who should descend the second cord, but Katelynn.
Domino's expression shifts from mild surprise to outright disgust. He really can't be entirely surprised, all things considered. She failed to impress him in the Neo League - why shouldn't she fail outside of professionalism? But seeing her aligned with an organization like Shadaloo does push his loathe for her to an even deeper level. "Oh, interesting," he says to Katelynn, voice bordering on a seethe. "I knew you were an insult to real fighters everywhere, but I didn't guess you were sadistic on top of that. Don't expect to be walking away from this fight!"
And in an instant, Domino is rushing for the female swiftly, hands chambering at his sides. The moment he closes the distance, his fists launch out in a double cross punch aimed for her shoulders, snap back into their chambered position, then jolt forward in a double uppercut strike aimed for her face.
Interesting how something like domination of a country can really make someone's true colors shine through. Arika had thought there was something off about the girl during the League fight she had with her and couldn't really place it. Seeing Katelynn here -now- though, with the spy isn't even really much of an eye opener.
It was expected.
Easy to figure Douyoubi wouldn't be returning alone this time, considering how she seemed to flee when things didn't seem to be going her way. Easy to figure she wouldn't be given someone big and nasty to lug around with her. As interesting as it is that the 'back up' turned out to be Katelynn, the diva finds herself in a realm beyond caring.
Mentally psyching herself up for the fight, she pops her neck both left and right. -Highly- unladylike, but a civilized demeanor is hardly what's required at the moment. Expression turning flat, she mutters, "Let's do this."
Looks like Drake had the same idea, since he's already making his way toward Katelynn. Quickly weighing the options, Arika twists her attention from Douyoubi momentarily to spring into action. Her right fist is sent in a quick jab to the side of Katelynn's face. Nice way to say 'Hello' really. This is immediately followed by a palmheel strike that will hopefully push her into Drake's uppercut. Funny thing about the palmheel strike that's aimed for Katelynn's back is that the hand that's pushing forward with it is imbued with a bright violet energy. Just a little something to add some 'oomph' to the attack should it hit.
As rain begins to dot the wooden surface, Eva's eyes seem to almost glow as the amount of light in the area is blocked by the overhanging storm clouds, wide and attentive. While Drake and Arika are facing off Katelynn, Eva takes it upon herself, seemingly, to go after Douyoubi, positioning herself between the long-haired Shadaloo agent and her companion.
Except, Eva isn't attacking at all. In fact, she's guarding and focusing her attention on keeping up with Douyoubi in whatever way the maroon-suited woman tries to get past her, yet keeping out of immediate reach of a hand her foot. In other words, Eva's attempting to keep Douyoubi from joining in immediately.
COMBATSYS: Eva assists Drake.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Katelynn
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Katelynn with Strong Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Katelynn
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Katelynn with Diva Allegro.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/------=|
Just because she's with Shadaloo doesn't mean that Katelynn's exactly an elite fighter yet. And that fact shows through when Katelynn raises her guard to Drake's punch too little too late, and finds herself getting hit rather hard, and in a vain effort to avoid Arika's attack, she ends up getting hit hard as well. Talk about double teaming and double trouble.
"Owww... Lucky bastards!" She hisses through clenched teeth, feeling like the world just shook around her briefly. She looks back and forth at her prospective targets, and then pauses as her eyes gaze upon Arika. She's the one who landed that cheap shot on Katelynn, and decides that it's only fair that she return the favor.
"Not bad, but let's see how good you are on defense," She says with a sly smirk as she brings her right foot up quickly towards Arika's stomach.
"Eh?" as Douyoubi stands up in her slouched fighting stance, her arms dangling loosely as she watches two of the Shooting Stars make a beeline toward the new recruit. It would seem they recognized the woman, but since neither of them seemed shocked, she could only think Katelynn didn't have a very good reputation in the fighting world just yet. It was amusing in it's own little way, but she wasn't just here to be amused, entertainment was on the menu as well!
Katelynn was new, yes, and while Douyoubi was not one to enjoy babysitting, she was one to look out for her comrades. "Tch, I thought you'd be more happy to see me, it's been a while, boys and girls." she murmurs to no one in particular. Her bloodshot eye glances to Eva, slowly swaying back and forth, ".. I guess I'll have to tear up the little sweetheart this time, she missed out last episode."
Eva seems to be in her way, but it didn't matter. She becomes a blurr, the trio should be familiar with this technique, as one Shadaloo fighter becomes four. One lags back. One slowly creeps toward Drake, the other toward Eva, and the real one is closing in on Arika, waiting for Kate's attack to hit. She would then slip in to set up and hoist the Diva into the air for a suplex, "... Oopsie," but instead of compeleting the slam, her arms swing outward which would drop Arika onto the ground instead.
Domino's fists ring true in that fairly disused hand kata, but he's not satisfied. That imputent peon calls -them- lucky? Outrageous. This warrants further beating. Besides, she's still standing, and she's still in sore need of a lesson on what diligent training can provide.
Arika is given a brief, but appreciative smile aside upon seeing her strike as well. Then Eva is noted, with her attempts at keeping Douyoubi at bay. Lovely teamwork. This is the kind of thing that benefits a team with a good cause. How he savors it.
But there is still pressing matters at hand. Domino catches sight of Katelynn's focus moving onto the punk beauty, and he weaves around to get in behind her back whilest she's distracted. His arms lash out and attempt to hook around Katelynn's stomach, suddenly jerking back to restrain her. If caught, the streamlined toning along his arms flex and begin to crush the woman's midsection into a very deep dent, aiming to squeeze consciousness right out of her in a punishing bearhug.
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Katelynn's Light Kick.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi successfully hits Arika with Broken Plate.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Oh, yes, yes. Take out the big bad threat of the tiny looking diva. It amuses Arika that Katelynn spins to kick her and she easily steps back and brings her knee up in time to block the kick from actually making its mark. Unfortunately for the punk rock princess, her attention is focused on the 'fate-ist' in front of her and while she can see that Douyoubi is up to something, she doesn't think to dive away from the image that's making it's way toward her.
Her own bloody fault for allowing her guard to drop.
Crashing down onto the deck, her elbow splinters the wood. Unfortunate though it is that she's damaged the ship, the semi-rotten wood is now lodged into her arm. Yanking it out, a trickle of blood appears and begins to drip down her arm. The wood piece is tossed over the side of the boat so that no one can utilize it as a weapon.
Then she's on the move again.
Twirling herself past Douyoubi and sets herself in front of Katelynn again. Domino's hold gets a slight grin as the punk rock princess' right hand is thrust toward Katelynn's throat in an open-palmed throat thrust. Considering that this isn't exactly a -legal- fight, Arika jabs her thumb out at the last second; hoping to press it into the girl's jugular.
"Nn..." Eva's teeth grit together as Douyoubi bypasses her with ease... or does she? Remembering this attack from earlier, she shouts, "Look out, everyone!" ... Like it really'd help. If Eva's own personal Douyoubi isn't the one they're watching out for, one of the other teammembers will figure out which one of the illusions *is*.
Time to make her move.
Taking off her jacket and dedicating a hand to each sleeve, Eva uses her vantage point to try to hook her green military jacket around Douyoubi's face from behind. Replying softly in the minute space of time before Douyoubi dodges or is enared by her attack, she replies, "Please stand aside. You're interfering."
If the jacket hits, Eva will jerk the henchwoman backwards with a sharp tug, adding momentum to the woman's journey away from the battle with a reverse roundhouse kick, pointing the ball of her foot into the agent's abdomen.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn endures Drake's Blackout.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Katelynn fails to counter Quick Punch from Arika with Palm Blaster.
- Power fail! -
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Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Trying to keep herself going as best as she can, Katelynn, sees Drake's attack coming at her and rather than try to move out of the way, she braces herself for the throw, so when she's thrown, she rolls briefly and lands on her feet again. Of course, that puts her in the path of Arika's punch, which gives her an opportune moment to show off her Palm Blaster attack.
Unfortunately, Katelynn's effort backfires, meaning her special attack is stopped by a simple swift punch. This leaves Katelynn dazed and feeling a tad bit humiliated as well.
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi dodges Eva's Black Hook.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Drake 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
".... Mmnnn.." Douyoubi chuckles lightly, slouching forward once more and again seems to have her guard completely down. But at this point everyone knows better, right? But just a quick eye on the situation shows her that things are not going too well for Shadaloo's side, Arika and Drake work like a well oiled machine. Perhaps not just for personal satisfaction, it'd be good strategy to seperate them for a moment.
It would seem for a moment that Eva would have the upper hand, since Douyoubi seems distracted but that just isn't true- The jacket snaps forward and she drops to the ground in a crouch, wiping at her eyes so the apparel just snaps at nothing, "Interesting style, too bad it won't save your friends."
The woman slowly draws her tongue along her lips, it seems Arika's back is to her, and so it makes it easy to reach out and slap her hands down onto her shoulders. The woman would hop up, drive her knees into Arika's shoulder blades and drop to the floor with a back-cracker.
Assuming she even gets that far, the moment she hits the ships deck, energy explodes from her knees with an electric BANG!!!
Domino loses his grip on Katelynn when she tumbles, quite understandably perplexed. Nevertheless, he just sneers at the her. Though Douyoubi is unaccounted for at this juncture, the fight seems to be going in favor of the Stars. The heros. The goodguys. And the model has no intention of letting up on Katelynn. She chose the wrong side of this war.
Domino's prey seems stunned for the moment, and he closes in on her quickly to capitalize on this. He moves in at her left side and attempts to hook his right arm over her torso, under her arms. His left arm ducks beneath her legs to sweep her off her feet. The motions themselves are a well-practiced blurr of precision, but once the woman is cradled in his arms, he holds her there for just a second to line things up properly. And once done, he drops a knelt position, aiming to smash her back over his upturned knee in a brisk backbreaker. Only his backbreaking attack isn't alight with energy, sadly.
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Douyoubi's Black Cat.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
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Drake 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Though she might not be able to -see- Douyoubi while she's in the midst of trying to -kill- Katelynn, she can damned well -hear- the woman. As soon as there is movement behind her, Arika drops to the deck of the ship and tosses herself out of the way. "Nice try," she mutters as she pulls herself up at the railing, eyes alert to what's going on around her.
Focusing in on Drake and Katelynn, she winds her way around the others and situates herself near to Drake. If he manages to catch the girl in the backbreaker attack, she'll wait her turn and send her elbow upward in a forceful motion to Katelynn's face. If not, she'll just slam her elbow toward Katelynn's nose -anyhow-, trying to keep her from attempting to attack Drake at all.
Those wide blue eyes widen even further as Douyoubi escapes Eva's assault. "... Mmn..." An annoyed sound passes her lips as she falls back, tying the coat back around her waist. "My friends are better fighters than I," Eva says. "Also, the ones who need saving are you and your companion. Once the storm hits, you are trapped on here. Your helicopter can't save you, and, even if you jumped into the water like last time, you will be at the mercy of the waves. I'd say staying on the boat is your past option. The information we get from you will be helpful."
"So. You'll be on here a while. Please make the best of your time spent here." Raising her right knee up in a hook, she shoots her foot outward towards Douyoubi's knees, upper torso turned back away from Douyoubi to steady the forceful motion of boot tip aiming against clothed flesh.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Katelynn with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Drake 0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Katelynn endures Arika's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Drake 0/-------/-----==|=======\======-\1 Katelynn
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/=======|
Between the back breaker attack from Drake and the fact that Arika's coming at the girl right after that with an elbow to the nose, it's obvious that Katelynn's not likely to be holding out for much longer. In fact, after all is said and done, she finds herself struggling to keep herself on both feet. The view is blurring for her, and she looks like she's going to pass out at any moment. It seems being a black belt doesn't mean you're going to always win, even with Shadaloo.
At that very moment, however, another generic thug from Shadaloo emerges from a nearby helicopter hovering above to recover Katelynn just as she falls unconscious. They may have beaten her, but they won't get her back that easily...
COMBATSYS: Katelynn takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Katelynn can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi parries Eva's Medium Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/=======|
".. Well now that's curious," Douyoubi murmurs upon hearing Eva's words. And that's a real pain that Arika managed to slip away from the woman, her fingers tightening in grip for a moment, and then settles as she slouches forward once more, "You make it sound like there -will- be a boat left if I fail."
As Eva sends a kick toward her, well.. Again it seems Douyoubi is wide open, but by the time she's to her feet, her boot snaps behind her and kicks the other womans kick, completely throwing off the momentum, ".. Waste of time."
"In war, things don't end like fairy-tales, children." She'd have to ignore the fact her comrade was down for now, her body taking a light, violet glow. She was outnumbered again- Chances are history was going to repeat itself if she didn't plan everything out CAREFULLY. Not long after Arika's nose attack, the Seventh day reaches forward and tries to grip the punk rock diva by the back of her head. Should she succeed she'd then leap up into the air, and set the girl ablaze with her mysterious, emotionally draining energy, then finally whip the girl back down at the deck below her, "There will be no happy endings!"
Domino's backbreaker hitting and Arika's follow-through nailing Katelynn, the woman seems finished. The model raises to his full height and sets his piercing amethyst gaze on the female, burning intensely. "You parody of a fighter. First you insult the Neo League and its true fighters with your lazy ideology, and now you're trying to help destroy a country's livelihood. -You sicken me.-"
But alas. Katelynn is spared anything further by the random thug rescue.
Domino turns curtly to regard the remaining threat, and a smirk touches to his pleasant features. "Well, 'allo poppet...," he remarks, in a very Pirates of the Caribbean way. "So nice of your to drop in. But this here's the floating Hotel California. You checked in, but you're not getting out."
Those amethyst eyes shift from Eva to Arika. Eva in particular is given an appreciative look and smile, regarding her for trying to keep Douyoubi at bay while they dealt with the other troublemaker. "You ladies doing okay? Let's clean deck!"
And just like that, Domino is rushing for Douyoubi. This time however, he leaps into the air and pivots his body over, aiming a flying sidekick square for her face. Indeed, a professional wrestler throwing a flying sidekick. This is where Domino-Style Wrestling really stands out - it's unpredictable.
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi successfully hits Arika with Shattered Mirror EX.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/--=====/=======|
Clean the deck? Looks like Arika is a less than willing participant in doing -exactly- that. Though she makes another attempt to get the HELL out of Douyoubi's way, she's yanked roughly by the head and encased in an odd energy. Fighting still, she tries to pull away and drop herself to the deck but instead she's whipped toward it with alarming force.
There's a sickening crack as the wood splits open and the ship seems to swallow the diva.
The worse sound though?
A very loud **THUD** as she hits the bottom of the ship down in the cargo hold and the sounds of frantic 'passengers' as they swarm in around the punk rock princess as they try to determine what's happening up above.
Things are looking pretty grim for Arika at the moment, so forgive her for not responding to Drake's question just yet. Doing okay? Maybe. After she manages to catch her breath and crawl out from the berth of the ship.
Then again, they might not quite be alright for some time. Whatever that energy was that hit her was pretty powerful, and it's left the -already- emotional girl even more so.
COMBATSYS: Arika gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/---====/=======|
"Arika!" Mouth hanging agape, Eva's momentairely taken back by the violent display of power on the part of Douyoubi, slamming her teammate with raw force through the floor of the boat. Scrambling over to the hole as Drake runs over to take on Douyoubi, Eva fishes a hand over to help Arika up, her voice a short bark to the passengers. "Clear away from this hole. Get children and the elderly as far away. All able-bodied people, stand guard in front of them and protect them." An excited man hurriedly translates, sending people following the instructions as Arika, whether with or without Eva's help, gets up back onto the deck.
"Arika." Laying a hand on each of the punk rocker's shoulders, Eva says, "Breathe. Focus on me. Everything will be alright. We're a team here, so... even if you can't get up immediately, one of us will guard your back." If that energy effected Arika like it did Drake... perhaps words of comfort can help soothe the weary nerves. Or whatever is rubbed raw by that energy the woman yields.
Giving a shoulder a final squeeze, she then says, "Stand up if you've got it within you. It's three against one now. She can't win against us."
COMBATSYS: Eva assists Arika.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi dodges Drake's Heavy Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/---====/=======|
"Hmn.. Hmm hmm.. Ha ha!!" Douyoubi's shoulders buckle once she lands on deck again, "HAaa ha ha ha haaaaa!!" It wasn't just Drake's disgust with Katelynn that amused her, but Arika's fate was rather amusing to her as well. She kind of missed the days where people tried to put her through walls. .. Oh Yamazaki, where art thou?
But she didn't have time to go misty-eyed, she was too busy being very very amused, and it didn't seem like she was interested in jumping down that hole. Her laughing stops to look to Drake, "Hmph.. I'm not the one who won't be checking out today, dear.. All of you have been sentanced to pure terror." His side-kick looks like it's going to hit dead on, but again at the very last moment she shifts, bending at the knees and leans while arching her back. Whoosh.
Chances are at this point Drake was going to be pretty angry. That should be interesting. She twists her hips to turn around and face Drake once more, tearing off a bit of the loosened wood, and as she takes a couple of steps backward, hurls it like a small spear at Drakes chest.
COMBATSYS: Drake overcomes Thrown Object from Douyoubi with Domino Helix.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/---====/=======|
Quite the capable martial artist though Domino may be, his form -is- a bit less refined than others who've dedicated themselves solely to that style. When his boot strikes only air though, he has the presence of mind to twist over mid-flight to land back on the now drizzle-damp deck in a sliding crouch, left hand set to the wooden boards, right arm out behind his body.
This chick just put Arika... no... -Erica-... through the ship's hull. She ain't getting any brownie points for this. It pushes the professional wrestler a bit further into his Dark Side persona, growing more cold and calculating. Mercilessly efficient, some might say. Regardless, he can't give attention to his errant teammate. He's noticed Eva doing that, and if he were to follow suit, it would leave them fully open and vulnerable. So instead, he's decidedly squaring off with her.
"Look at you. Like a little yorkshire. All I'm hearin' out of you is yap-yap-yap." Despite the dry humor in his tone, Domino's expression is stoically set in stone. "Let's teach you a different tune!"
Energy begins to gather and amass around his hands as he flexes his fingers slowly. The energy forming around his right hand is a shimmering white, while the energy encasing the left is a sparkling black. He raises up to his full height.
The plank is sent sailing dead-on towards him.
Eyes narrow. Hands pull back.
"Domino..."
Both palms are thrust forward.
"HELIX!"
The white energy from his right hand and the black energy from his left are discharged in a pair of wide, streaming beams. The moment they leave his hands, the beams begin entwining with each other to form a two-toned double helix roughly four to five feet in diameter. The spiraling double helix meets with the plank and shreds it into splinters in an instance, the forceful concussive energy racing across the deck for Douyoubi.
People moving about. A child touching her shoulder. No. Something else.
Hard to tell -where- she is after a hit like that, only that the boat is rocking a Hell of a lot more than it was moments ago, and there is a constant dull throbbing in her head as well as the occasional jolt of pain shooting through her body.
Everything seems to be intact.
Wrenching her shoulder away from the hands she grits her teeth and winces painfully. Shoulder might be dislocated.
Finally dawning on her who the voice belongs to, she stops just short of slamming a fist up into Eva's almost worried looking face. Lids fall closed over her deep blue eyes and the diva attempts to focus on her surroundings. Gaze shifts sideways and she motions for two men to help hoist her up out of the hole.
Once out, she's trying to find Drake. Emotions bubble through her again, and she's left feeling uncertain whether she should be hurt that he didn't come to her aid (leaving that task for Eva) or she should be happy that he's remained focused on the fight despite her being hurt.
Finally, the punk rock princess settles on anger.
Anger at the boy who broke her heart originally.
Anger at her mother for her involvement.
Anger at her father for forcing her from her home.
Anger for the bloody woman that's intent on wrecking this vessel.
Channeling the anger as well as she can, Arika begins to advance on Douyoubi. When Drake's attack shatters the plank, the diva keeps her focus on the woman. Slipping behind her, she attempts to lock the woman up in a half-nelson hold. Managing success on -that-, she's every intention of yanking Douyoubi off of her feet and lifting her up over her head while she spins around in a circle. Speed increasing exponentially as she goes, Arika would eventually come to a full stop and then **SLAM** Douyoubi to the deck with as much force as she can muster, hoping to return the favor of a journey through splintering wood.
Eva's quick to get out of Arika's way as the woman rises to her feet like someone possessed, and indeed, from this angle, it *does* look like Arika is possessed. By something like anger.
She won't get in the middle of it immediately, not when Arika and Drake advancing like so. Instead, she'll make use of what she can grab onto, taking a page from Douyoubi's own book of tricks. Grabbing ahold of a splintered plank of wood and yanking it the rest of the way free, Eva steadies her feet on the wood boards of the shifting boat. Then, waiting for Arika and Drake's attacks to be over, she brings the plank back with her hand like a spearthrower, pointy sharp edge first.
Can't think about whether or not this may *kill* someone, just *do* it. For your team's sake. Besides, she's not that good of a thrower; it'll probably just wear down Douyoubi's defenses. Mumbling an apology to whatever supernatural forces that could be listening, Eva heaves the wooden spear with all her might at the Shadaloo agent. "Hnn-augh!"
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Douyoubi with Domino Helix.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi blocks Arika's Punk Rock Breakdown.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi parries Eva's Thrown Object!
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
Douyoubi is suprised.. Not by the rather promo-like words of Drake, but more of his control over chi? That wasn't something she had expected from him, and her visable eye raises its brow, "Is that so.." as she stares at the inky black energy flying her way. She seems to have a suprisingly long amount of time to do so, long enough to spot Arika having made her way back on deck and is looking to give her the most emo beatdown she can muster.
Clearly her only option is to try to make them all feel as helpless as possible.
As the energy screams at her, it eventually ends up slamming her in the chest, denying her attempt to slip out of the way from it. This knocks her back a couple of steps, giving her the precious few seconds she needs to mix-up grapples with Arika. She's caught in the nelson hold, hefted upward and spun like crazy, and she somehow gains enough sense through it all to snap out the flat of her foot, catch the very side of the make-shift spear and send it off on another direction, "Hyaaah!!"
Arika seems to be in favor of returning Douyoubi's favor, but before she can slam the woman, she twists her shoulderjoints and slips free just seconds before Arika's release, perfect control over her own momentum so that when she hits the floor she rolls almost like a ball, causing the wood to crack and rolls backward to get behind the punk rock Diva, "... Someone should have stayed down there, o/~"
She draws back her fist and burst forward in an attempt to slam it into Arika's spine. She'd then grip the girl by her hair and hoist her up onto her shoulders like a torture-rack hold. Finally she would hop, and fall backward, ideally using the girl on her shoulders as a cushion before rolling off.
Blam. The forceful double-beam of black and white energy has met its mark, and Domino gives a self-satifsactory smile. The smile even widens a little as Arika seems to heft the woman up and prepare to give her the em-, err, punk rock beatdown.
But then things awry. He watches the problems unfold for his team, and waits for the opportune time to make his move. Lo and behold, it comes as Douyoubi makes her attempt to grab ahold of Arika. The wrestler attempts to intervene by slipping around behind Douyoubi and reaching for her arms in yet another hold. A full nelson, this is, hoping to allow Arika a chance to get away and get in a good shot. "Watch it, Arika!," he warns.
COMBATSYS: Drake assists Arika.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi successfully hits Arika with Under the Ladder EX.
- Power hit! -
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
It's great that people are trying to help. But maybe they should be less concerned about Arika's fate and more concerned about kicking the bitch's ass. The warning is heard and though the diva attempts to stop Douyoubi from taking hold of her, something inside of her stops her from doing it.
Emotions roil up again and she's got to try and force them from her mind so she can focus on the fight at hand.
Just as she's got her attention back on things, there's a fist cracking against her spine and making a sickening pop sound. The only -good- part about all of this is that her shoulder has now slid back into place. The hold gets a little bit of a wince, but as her body hits the deck once more, the diva groans.
There she lays for a moment. Wasting time to catch her breath now would be illogical, as the spy will likely just move in to finish her off. Grunting quietly, she uses both hands to push herself up to her feet.
Building up a quick rhythm with her feet, the punk rock princess begins to hop from her right foot to her left and back again. Throwing all of her weight into a whirlwind pirouette, she stops just before Douyoubi and draws her right leg up in a near vertical movement. Twisting her hip, she rotates the leg and then snaps her foot in toward the woman's nose.
"...!" Biting back her rage, Eva's hand curls into a fist. However, she pushes these emotions back for the moment, focusing her concentration on the fight at hand. After all, she can't let Douyoubi get the upper hand emotionally, and rage only proves to entertain the Shadaloo agent.
But damn it, that woman can at least focus her attention on someone else at the very least! By gaining up on one person.... even if they fully defeat Douyoubi, what will become of Arika's mental and physical health afterwards? Time to take her out while Arika's still standing. Running forward, Eva unties the coat from around her waist and, when she gets within range, flicks it in Douyoubi's face. In the motion of flicking the coat around, Eva continues that revolving motion to aim a fist towards Douyoubi's chin.
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi dodges Arika's Rhythmic Roundhouse.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Douyoubi with Sfumato Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/---====|
Oh well damn. Douyoubi didn't really intend on fixing Arika's arm there, but what's done is done. It would have made her punches a little too uninteresting anyway! "Tch, Katelynn, if only you could have held on a little longer. This is becoming a real pain..."
While she's been focusing on Arika, yes, it has been very difficult for her to seperate her concentration of the other Stars as well; her rather astonishing techniques all came at a mild price.
Though she doesn't have much room to complain, does she? When Drake slips up behind her, and locks in that hold, her shoulders jerk inward, there's a light pop, and she collapses to the floor like a dead body, timed just right so that she isn't fooled by the feint- He's lucky he doesn't get pelted instead by the Punk girls furious swinging kick. But what of Eve's coat? The woman snaps her hand up and actually seems to be making an effort to catch it into her palm, but it's not quite as easy as she originally thought-
"OW!!" it flicked her right in the eye! For crying out lou- "Mmnngh!" the revolving punch after meets its mark, forcing her to stagger back a step. It seems for a moment Eva's got her annoyed now, "You broke my streak!" she yells, reaching out for the girls throat with both hands. She'd squeeze, hold her up into the air and then fling her at the ships stairwell.
Well, the attempts Domino made to aid his senior teammate seems to've done very little good. In fact, Douyoubi's escape from his hold is actually a little gross. It has the model cringing back a step. And it's by that alone that Domino manages to not get hit by Arika's roundhouse, himself.
Though he's not swift enough to halt Douyoubi's attack on Eva, Domino moves in to intervene the very moment he has a chance. He attempts to move in behind her and to her left side. Not unlike how he scooped up Katelynn, Domino's right arm goes to hook over Douyoubi's torso, left arm slipping behind her legs to hoist her up. If caught, a backbreaker isn't what he goes with. Instead, he hops into the air with her and turns over onto his side, smashing her flat against the deck and landing his weight across her torso in a sidewalk slam.
Of course, if it hits, Domino is quick to raise back to his feet to warrant enough room for further assault.
Mumbling something about wanting to break more than the Shadaloo spy's streak, the diva holds back.
Though it's not very team-worthy, Arika is looking out for number one at the moment and that means pulling her head back down from the cloud of emotions and getting it back into the fight. On the surface this doesn't look like it takes long, but in her poor ravaged mind it feels like an eternity. Coming out of it just in time to see the attacker focusing her attention on Eva, the punk rock princess sighs and hurries forward.
No time to waste catching her breath.
Holding back just long enough to see what it is Domino is intending, Arika tries to limber her body up a little more and fight off the pain and fatigue she's feeling now. Listening to Douyoubi speaking, she makes a 'blah blah blah' motion with her hand and then suddenly slams it back in a quick backhand toward the spy's mouth; obviously crouching down should she wind up on the deck. "Do be quiet," she says in an almost elegant British accent (seems the fatigue is seeing her slip out of the one she normally uses), "You are starting to remind me of the noise adults make in Charlie Brown."
COMBATSYS: Eva endures Douyoubi's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/---====|
All in all, Eva would probably say that Arika has every right to feel at least a little selfish. She got pummeled through a wood floor, after all, not to mention a whole host of other weird and vicious attacks. Meanwhile, Eva's gotten..... nothing in terms of pain and suffering.
This will change really soon. But not by much, considering Arika's condition.
"Ghkt!" Eva struggles as those hands clasp around her throat, clawing at them with her fingernails as she's lifted cleanly off the ground. She finally finds relief when Douyoubi lets go, but, unfortunately, that's exactly the same time the henchwoman is throwing her into the air, sending Eva on a journey that ends against the stairwell's door, leaving a nice dent in the metal as Eva slides down onto the floor. ".... Nn...."
Okay, that's all she needed from Douyoubi. It's not that Eva's masochistic or anything, but her true abilities usually don't come forth until she's gotten a little roughed up. Slowly getting back onto her feet and grimacing as a reddened hand touches the ground zero of impact on her back. Her jacket dangles in the other hand as she speaks, an occasional grunt of pain interweaving between her words. "It's three against one, Madam. *nnn*... Sooner or later, you *will* lose. ... It's up to you how you'll do it." With a yell, Eva charges, seeming to attempt that same attack again, only to swing to another side to deftly attempt to hook the jacket around the woman's head once more.
If it hits, Eva will tug the encasing garment downward, then slam her knee forcefully into the woman's face three times. Then, she yanks the jacket back with a forceful jerk, leaving Douyoubi to spin or fall back from the motion.
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi dodges Drake's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Douyoubi with Camera Obscura.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Douyoubi with Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\====---\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/---====|
There's another warning sound of thunber, and Douyoubi glances upward as the rain comes down a little harder at this point.. It was annoying but Eva -was- right, it would actually be a serious pain once the storm started, and it looks like the chopper isn't going to be hanging around much longer.. Which was fine, it was more important that Katelynn has been taken away anyway.
The woman grumbles a bit, having thought that Eva would be out of her hair for amoment so that she could deal with Drake's assault; the moment she's scooped up by him, she shifts momentum and flips right out of the hold, shoving him aside to deal with Arika who.. Seems to have become Posh Spice for a moment. Her attempt to slip by as little as possible backfires, her head turning to the side a moment, and then she slowly turns her head back, bloodshot eye narrow in annoyance, "... Careful, Princess, you'll chip a nail."
Eva's clawing had gone ignored simply because her bodysuit pretty much was protective of such things; and of course she figured Eva was done for the moment. She was very wrong. She only looks to the side in time to see the jacket wrap around her face, and the rest of the assault is easy, grunts escaping from the knees and swirling swing.
Like a top in the air she spins and slams onto the deck, and then springs up once more to her feet, blood dripping from her nose, ".. That's true, I suppose maybe I need to prune down the numbers a bit.."
She looks to the three fighters, then sprints forward once more, clearly eyeing the wounded animal of the three. She leaps into the air, flips forward and seeks to slam both of her feet into the girls chest, and sandwich her between the deck and the flat of her feet.
That Douyoubi is a slippery girl, it seems. The rain is likely aiding her in this, Domino figure. But he can't very well just let her pummel on his teammates. Especially with Arika looking to be as hurt as she is.
So Domino takes a page out of everyone else's book when she escapes his grasp. He ducks near the shredded hole in the deck created by Arika, and he grips a long, jagged plank. After a moment of fierce yanking, he rips the board off the ship's hull, and sets his sights on Douyoubi.
A hint of a smile touches to his lips upon seeing Eva commence with her smackdown. But before he can move in, Douyoubi is airborne... and aimed right at Arika. Though it isn't necessarily surprising, it -is- disconcerting. Though with her in the middle of her flight, there's little Domino can do to stop it. So instead, he positions himself alongside her expected 'landing zone', as it were, and waits for her to touch down, wooden plank hefted overhead.
"HEY!"
The plank is swung downwards, and HARD, aimed to smash over Douyoubi's head.
"Back off!"
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Douyoubi's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
Going after the graceful gazelle like a starving lion? The poor, poor Shadaloo agent. Even after the beating she's been receiving, Arika almost feels pity for the woman.
Almost....
... but not quite.
Feet are quickly descending upon her; not a chance she can tumble out of the way before impact. So the diva does the only other viable thing she can at the moment. Hands shoot out to make a grab for ankles and stop the full weight of the Shadaloo spy from crashing into her chest.
Releasing the feet before she can be squished onto the deck, Arika staggers back a few feet. Leaning forward, she places her hands upon her knees and doubles over slightly. Breathing is labored, but it looks like she's still standing. Not -quite- out yet.
Straightening herself, she slides along the rain soaked deck a fair ways; past Douyoubi, past Drake, until she's standing next to Eva. Using the momentum from this, she launches herself forward again until she stops the slide about two feet away from Douyoubi, where she springs herself into the air and aims a flying front kick for the woman's already bloody nose.
Rain begins to spill on the boat as a gale of wind whips dark curly tendrils of hair that peek from underneath Eva's hankerchief. As Arika slides back to Eva's side, the other girl's blue gaze scans to lock onto Arika's own, a darker shake of blue, and Eva nods. Whether or not Arika nods back before she attacks, Eva runs in after Arika, waiting to time her attack to come after the punk rock princess's own.
Lightning strikes in the background. Flash. Then a rumble. Eva joins in as Arika's attack hits or misses, wheeling her right foot around to hook around Douyoubi's ankle from the side. If it connects, she'll viciously jerk back, then attempt to steal another kick in as the agent falls.
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi dodges Drake's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi blocks Arika's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi interrupts Medium Throw from Eva with Seven Days.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Eva 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
The Seventh Day rolls her shoulders, and then quickly tilts her neck from side to side, her smile growing gradually more smug. This was going to be either extremely interesting, or very difficult at this point. With her focus on the other girls, Drake's plan goes unnoticed at first, but that doesn't last too long, given the situation, ".. I do love the rain," she murmurs under her breath, seeming to be, at least, in a more serene mood than before. She's looking at Arika first, she's the primary target after all, or that what she wants the others to think for a moment, and when she raises her left hand, her pointer finger glowing psycho-power points threateningly at the girl; a scare tactic. However it straightens into a flat palm, she catching Arika by the foot, slouches slightly, then stands up again to force Arika to backflip away from her. She jerks quickly to the left then, hopping off her left foot to evade Drakes swing ay the near exact moment, and that's when its trouble for Eva. She seems to have lept right into Eva's attack, however the moment the leg hook, her neck cranes, and with a vicious, snake-like his she bites down on the girls neck, snaps back and bites down a second time, forcing her psycho energy into the girls body; her experience isn't as bad as Drakes, or even arguable Arikas. There's no vision, but the wear as all the same. She manages to complete her kick on pure instinct, but Douyoubi's already in position to block it with her knee and then slip back, blood dripping from her mouth. It probably isn't Eva's though.
The force of Domino's swing sees the plank of wood snapping and splitting apart when it collides with the deck instead of Douyoubi. He growls softly in frustration and straightens his back again. Pheh, he's not the sort to attempt -goring- people with sharp objects, so he tosses the plank aside.
He's quickly regretting this when he ses what the agent is doing to his teammate. "EVA!," he cries out in both startlement and concern. Holy crap, he knew Douyoubi was crazy, but not -insane-. It's almost like she's trying to rip out the girl's jugular!
He begins to rush Douyoubi, with every intention to rip her limb from limb just to cease the brutalization she's doing to his girls. But then something catches Domino's eye, and that old pro wrestler knack for resourcefulness kicks in. An impish smile touches to his lips just briefly before he's skirting aside, snatching a lifesaver, and rushing in towards Douyoubi's back. The sturdy tubular device is raised, and in one smooth motion, Domino attempts to force it over Douyoubi's head to restrain her movements and - more importantly - restrain her arms for the time being.
"C'mon, Eva!," Domino calls. "I've got'er!"
COMBATSYS: Drake assists Eva.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Eva 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
Physical attacks, the diva can handle. Hell. Even -blood- the diva can handle. Vampiric tendencies though?
"Bloody wankers and their bloody gothic romance trash." Arika mutters this under her breath as she scans Eva with a careful eye to ensure the girl is still breathing and then turns away from the battle.
That's right. The punk rock princess appears to be -leaving-.
Dashing to the opposite side of the ship, she reaches over the side and into one of the lifeboats. Seconds later, she's drawing up a rope. Nice, thick, rope. Attached to which is a small metal anchor. Whipping the rope around her body a few times to gather it in a rather girlish spinning rope trick, she smirks. Something to all those days spent in the stables at home after all! The rope is suddenly lashed out toward Douyoubi's legs in further hopes of holding the woman in place so that her teammate can extract revenge.
"Go for it," Arika says with a small nod of her head as she twists behind Douyoubi to begin anchoring the anchor in place.
COMBATSYS: Arika assists Eva.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Eva 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
Eva stumbled across this with Marise. The forbidden arts Marise used to harm Eva brought out a violent, angry side within the girl, especially she went so far as to kiss the young girl. The very act siphoned out Eva's life force, quite literally, and the girl completely lose it.
Here, it has the same effect. Blue eyes go blank and unseeing like that of a fish as Douyoubi clamps her mouth on Eva neck, but the rest of the tall girl's body goes rigid and then spastic, flailing at Douyoubi as the agent pulls back. Limply, like a stiff-jointed doll, Eva sags, shoulders shaking, mouth panting.
How *dare* she! Eva's head snaps up and barely takes notice of her two teammates, jacket trailing from one hand as she walks, then leaps into a sprint towards the dark-haired woman they try to trap. Blue tendrils of chi encrust the jacket as she whips it out into the Seventh Day's face, the extra charge making cloth seem made of something so much more hot and painful. One word. "Chiaroscuro."
If it hits? Whack, whack. Eva will fling the coat up, then down, left, then right. The fist holding the coat may only brush Douyoubi's face at most, and, really, in this attack, a fist would have made much less of an impact than this gauntlet of hits. Eventually, after nine furious flings of her jacket, the chi fades, and Eva falls back, panting, eyes wild with anger.
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Douyoubi with Chiaroscuro.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
"Oh god..." Douyoubi murmurs.. She seems to be in a good mood still of course, but when she licks her lower lip, she cringes, "..This is my own blood. That's disapointing." However the SUPER teamwork is happening now, which catches Douyoubi a little off-guard. She feels the lifesaver slip about her neck, and then the rope that follows keeps her seemingly tightly into place. It looks like it's time for Eva to open a can of whupass.
It's suprising how much damage a jacket can do, she not realizing there's chi behind the technique until after the assault. She sways from left to right with each blow and slumps forward a moment, her body taking that violet glow again. There's a grumble from her throat, and then the aura about her explodes, throwing her arm out and tears apart her bindings with her psycho energy, "That is IT!!" she cries, "I have had enough games, it's time to end this!"
She slouches forward and.. For some reason seems even faster than before! She floats like a ghost toward Arika, both hands reaching out to grasp the punk rocker by her shoulders, "Today is your unlucky day.."
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi successfully hits Arika with Buried in Black.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
[ <
Arika 1/---====/=======|
Douyoubi waits until just the right moment then swipes upward toward Arika, her fingers curled in like claws to catch the Diva under the chin and throw her up into the air, "Very unlucky!" she leaps up after the girl, to catch her in mid-air and then come crashing back down onto the deck with a boat-rattling powerbomb, the floor underneath the victim practically exploding. But she doesn't let her go, her back arches, and with a dash she runs toward the railing, leaps onto it and into the air and chucks her back down toward the waters below, her visable eye widened maniacly, "Farewell, my dear!"
Keeping her balance, she hops and turns to face the other two, still standing on the rail and becons them forth.
Domino smiles, satisfied that their teamwork pays off as well as it has. Sweet, sweet teamwork. And as far as he's concerned, the new Star has certainly justified her presence on the team. In short: he's proud.
But then all Hell breaks loose, like all Hell has a tendency to do. The psi blast that destroys the bindings around Douyoubi also knocks Domino back a few steps, left arm lifting to shield himself.
When the arm is lowered, he sees... nothing? Just Eva standing there, and no sign of the other two females. Then his gaze turns skywards, and Domino spies them in the air. "A-Arika!"
SMASH.
Domino winces, and rushes for Douyoubi's back to save his powerbombed teammate... but Douyoubi is making off with her like a late Christmas shopper with a Furby. And the next thing he knows, Arika is being flung down into the water.
The model skids to a stop and glares fiercely at the Shadaloo agent. "Eva! Make sure Arika's okay! I've got this," he calls, eyes remaining locked onto Douyoubi.
And without further warning and in complete faith that Eva will make sure Arika's not... well... he won't think about anything of that sort right now. Anyway, without delay, Domino rushes for Douyoubi, hands lashing out to make a grab for her ankles. If caught, he turns to whip her into the air and slam her down soundly face-first against the deck.
End this?
Arika is already attempting to get out of the way as hands reach down to grasp her shoulders. Fatigued as she is from the earlier beating, the quick movements of the Shadaloo spy are too much for her to avoid. The clawed hit to her chin takes her by surprise, but the diva does brace herself to go through the deck once more.
Only, she's not falling through.
Barely conscious as she's tossed to the dark and stormy waters below, Arika manages to holler, "It's 'Bon Voyage', wench." Doubtful that anyone will hear her through the wind and the rain, but it needed to be said.
Midway to the waters, she closes her eyes.
Is this the end for the punk rock princess?
Weakly drawing her hands up as though holding a guitar, she focuses the remainder of her energy onto one last attempt at destroying the Shadaloo spy. No time for fancy playing this time though; as her descent is continuing.
From the side of the ship where Arika was dropped, an explosion occurs. Multi-hued chi bursts up from beneath the diva, though it's not meant to cushion the blow in any manner. After a moment it suddenly arcs upward toward Douyoubi. A final attempt to help her teammates out by knocking the woman right back into the fray.
COMBATSYS: Arika can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
Despite the dark waves whipping against the side of the boat... despite the wind howling and the spattering of rain... a distinctive splash can be heard as the diva falls unconscious and her body crashes against the surface of the water.
***SPLASH***
Blonde hair disappears into the darkness, and Arika seems to be no more.
Eva's already running to go after the flung Arika, grabbing a stray life preserver as she speeds over to the railing, ducking over to peer into the dark waters churning below. ... But all she seems is just a whisp of blonde hair. Then, nothing.
Eva's blood runs cold. 'Make sure Arika's okay.'
The young Star won't say anything to Drake, instead setting a foot on the middle rail, her face turned so that neither opponent or companion can see her mouth mumbling something silently into the wind. A prayer.
*SPLASH* Eva hits the cold waters, life preserver in tow. Holding onto the long rope leading off from the preserver, she breathes in a long gulp of air and forces herself underneath the waves. Salt water stings her eyes as she opens her eyes, trying to scan the depths for a descending body.
Well, hell. Any sign of Arika at all. God... please. Please, don't let her die.
COMBATSYS: Eva assists Drake.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi parries Drake's Strong Throw!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi dodges Arika's Siren Song.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
Douyoubi chuckles lightly, crossing her arms as she looks to Drake, "Oh well now that's interesting.." she murmurs, and her grin becomes just a little bit wider, "You're all very interesting little puppets, but I'm sure you remember the nightmare that you had the last time we met?"
As well he should. The ship was nearly ripped in half and ablaze, with Arika and Eva nowhere to be seen.
Arika's chi zooms toward her, and she drops to a crouch, that energy just barely grazing her on the way up and she slips off the rail and onto the deck. And then Drake comes in, and reaches for her ankles? She slaps her hands onto his shoulders and uses him as a vault to flip over him, then backflip a step further as she reaches into the carrying case on her thigh, drawing out a grenade. She rips the key out with her teeth and lets the item roll into the hole she had made long before, "You have yourself ten seconds, hero. Come after me, or relive your nightmare. In real life!"
Just for fun she even sticks around. But rest assured if Drake goes after the grenade, Douyoubi is going to be long gone.
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
Domino stumbles forward a step, ending in a crouch when she uses him to vault over. Hmph. Escaped his clutches this time. He raises back to his full height and spins around to face her... in time to see the grenade in hand.
Indeed, images of her previous attack flash in his mind. A well-placed grenade in a ship like this? It probably -could- cause a world of trouble for the passengers. Especially so, now that it's been tossed into the hole.
"D-dammit! You'll get yours soon enough!"
What choice does Domino even have? Pursue the agent, or save the lives of everyone on board? "HURRY, EVA!," he calls just before leaping down into the hole after the grenade.
The passengers by this juncture are panicking. And rightfully so, at that. Some have identified the explosive, and their panic has raced through to most everyone else. Augmented only by the sudden appearance of the Star leader, landing in a crouch. Spotting the grenade isn't difficult work, since logic says that the further you are from an explosive, the better off you are.
Well, screw logic.
Domino grabs up the grenade, and he holds it on high. "GANG WAY! BOMB! MOVE IT!," he shouts. No time for pleasantries. He's just intent on rushing through the passengers to get back on deck and chuck the explosive away from the boat.
COMBATSYS: Drake takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
Any sign at all of the punk rock princess?
Dark as the waters are, Eva can likely spy strands of blonde hair just before they start to descend out of sight again. Unfortunately, Arika is not going to be much help at all in getting herself back up to the surface. There's this whole lack of consciousness thing, coupled with the fact that she's swallowed a lot of water as she's been plummeting further and further beneath the waves.
Outstretched fingers eventually clasp around Arika's, and Eva ushers the unconscious young woman to the surface, gasping for air as she breaks the top canopy of water. Fumbling, then clasping an arm around the life preserver as she hoists her fellow Star to the surface, Eva's eyes sting with sea water and tears as she makes her way over to the side, grasping onto the rope hanging along the side of the boat as she clasps with her other hand onto Arika.
Eva's upper arm strength isn't all that great, but adrenaline and fear provide a nice boost as she slowly tries to skimmy up, all while ignorant of Drake's current dilemma.
COMBATSYS: Eva takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Douyoubi
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
"Tch, I'm a little disappointed.. But I can't saw it wasn't expected," Douyoubi murmurs. She does a couple of backflips and hops onto the opposite rail, ".. Lord Vega is going to be very displeased. Ah well, I'm sure I haven't seen the last of them.." she looks over her shoulder, and her hair blows backward from the explosion of the grenade that lights up the darkening sky.
Seems she should be more worried about herself. It's going to be a very annoying trip back, and so she leaps off the deck, very quite possibly to her very doom. What a witch!
COMBATSYS: Douyoubi has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/------=|
Domino runs - with composure, thank you - through the crowd of civilians and to the stairs leading back on deck. Bounding three steps at a time, he makes it to the deck at impressive time. But all the same, only a few seconds left on the mental timer.
The moment he sees sky and feels rainfall, Domino pulls back his arm and lobs the grenade with full force over the edge of the boat. This is done with every hope that it'll detonate in the water harmlessly... but not quite the case. The grenade errupts mid-flight, thankfully far enough from the boat to prevent damage, but close enough to forcefully knock the Star leader back against the wooden planks.
Pulling himself to hands and knees, Domino gives his head a quick shake to focus out the ringing in his ears. He then pushes himself back to his feet and rushes back to where he left Douyoubi. ...And he doesn't see her. Just as he expected. He goes for the grenade, she makes a getaway.
But that isn't the end-all of this situation. There's still the matter of Eva and the possibly... ...injured... Arika. Domino turns on heel and dashes to the edge of the boat, peering down to find the new teammate climbing her way up its side. He leans over the edge and extends both arms, fingers outstretched to offer help and relief to Eva. Either by manually hauling her up over the edge of the ship, or by taking Arika for her. "Here, Eva. Lemme help," he says, voice raised only enough to be heard over the winds. The rain has a two-edged effect on him, at that. Though it makes him rather slippery and slick, which could present a potential problem in pulling someone aboard, it also has a way of enhancing his looks rather than detracting from them. Being a model does have its advantages.
COMBATSYS: Drake has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
The explosion grabs Eva's attention, almost surprising her enough to lose hold of Arika. Gritting her teeth, she clamps onto her companion's body with as much grip as she can muster and continues to climb up that rope. While the rain may be an advantage for Drake, Eva, by comparison, looks like a wet rat. Arika? Well. Probably not any better, considering she's in worse shape.
Fingers gladly clasp around Drake's, but Eva's face is a look of panick. "She needs CPR!" Eva shouts hoarsely to Drake above the wind. Not only does she look like a wet rat, she's much more direct and demanding. "Get her off me and make sure she's breathing; I'll take care of that agent while you do that!" Assuming Drake does as he is bid, Eva will scramble ungracefully over the railing onto the ship's railing, fumbling to make her feet gain purchase on the slippy wooden floor. "....?" Where... where did that woman go?
COMBATSYS: Eva has ended the fight here.
The call for CPR is all Domino really needed to hear to know what's in order. No, it's not because he wants to mack on Arika. Geeze. It's because Arika's actually in -danger- here, and she's an important person to him!
So down the wrestler reaches, grabbing Arika under the arms to haul her onboard, and he lays her down on the deck on her back. "Don't worry about Douyoubi. Think she took off," he says offhandedly to Eva as he preps for the CPR.
And thus, Domino proceeds with attempts to breathe life back into Arika's lungs. Pumping against her chest to clear her internal workings of water first, then trying to recuperate her with his breath. He says nothing in the midst of this. He just has a determined, if not slightly -desperate- look on his face. That should really do all the talking for him.
The first couple of pumps get absolutely no result; considering the unconscious state of the diva. After the third and fourth though, there is a slight sputtering, then a cough as water is expelled from her lungs. Consciousness is still wavering, but at least the danger of drowning is over.
Life giving air breathed into her lungs; and while Arika isn't quick to come to, it's not long before a sound can be heard and she's breathing on her own. Struggling to open her eyes she groans and then tries to lift her hands to push the 'assailant' off of her, but the hands fall back against the deck and she just lays still in an attempt to get her bearings.
".... Thank goodness," Eva says, squeezing her eyes shut. With Arika in this state, and the boat sustaining damages, even if they did defeat Douyoubi, the boat's ability to float would become increasingly compromised, and the passengers would have to deal with wet musty conditions.
For now, however, Eva's mind is blank. She can't think of anything. Instead, Eva just watches Drake numbly, then, slowly, walks over, collapsing by Arika's body. When the punk rocker begins to breathe, Eva answers with a cry and sobs in gratitude, hunched over her with tearing eyes. "Arika... It's okay, it's okay now..."
Bear with the girl; she's rather emotional right now.
And the CPR continues, increasing the pressure as time goes on without response. And when the water is finally coughed out and she's breathing, Domino's amethyst eyes widen. "Arika!," cries the indescribably relieved Star. He leans down a little to slip one arm behind her neck, the other arm settling more around her waist to draw her in close, cradling her securely, but gently against him.
The dark eyes lift to Eva, and the model smiles softly. He then looks back to Arika and tilts his head a little. "The boat's safe, beautiful," he offers in a quiet, soothing voice, carefully composed to keep from gushing again. "You did great. And you'll be okay now." Pause. "Saved a lott'a lives today," he adds. His eyes then lift to Eva again. "Both of you."
Despite being able to breathe once more, the diva is fairly unresponsive. Body is in shock in a serious way from the beating she received at the hands of the Shadaloo spy; but it's not just that. Emotionally, she feels empty. That particular attack took quite a bit out of her.
Even so, as she's drawn toward Drake she attempts to offer a reassuring smile to Eva; only it comes out a little skewed. Arika closes her eyes to hide the haunted look, burying her face in against Drake's body. Time enough to talk later. For now, she just feels like clinging on to the life that's closest to her to ensure she's not just living this scenario in her mind as she drowns.
Eva's all smiles now, even as tears continue to run down her cheeks admist the rain. The heady satisfaction that Arika's alive, alongside saving the passengers? If her heart was filled with anymore joy, it'd explode. ".... We'd.... better get inside," she finally says, managing to regain her composure.
The skewed smile is seen for what it is, and Eva carefully considers the way Arika clings to Drake. ".... Actually," she quietly considers. "Drake.... I think you need to be with her a while. I'll try to gather some of the passengers to try to patch up the hole so we can lessen the amount of rain that comes in. Considering what we've seen of what that Shadaloo woman is capable of when it comes to the mind... I'd like to make sure Arika recovers mentally as well as physically. Does this sound good to you? I don't mind taking care of things from here, and the staff here probably knows a lot more about how to deal with this than any of us."
Drake shakes his head to her initial suggestion. "Crowding her around other passengers wouldn't be goo-.." But she rights things. "Yeah. But on your way down, see if they can spare a man or two to help keep watch over things up here. I can't really see everything from this vantage point," he notes.
Amethyst eyes lower back to Arika, and he removes his arm from her waist to brush a few fingers over her cheek softly in what he hopes is a comforting manner. "You just relax, beautiful," he murmers. "..At least you're dressed for getting soaked in the rain, anyway." Odd how a second intense fight seems to put Drake right back to his old, mildly playful self.
Verbally, Arika doesn't respond to anything. Deep blue eyes open wide though and she turns her head back to give Eva a thankful look. Looks like the diva knows what the girl is up to, or at least knows that the girl knows something is up. Afterward, attention is given back to Drake and he's graced with a soft 'heh' and the makings of a smile. No matter how that attack affected her emotions, it would seem that the punk rock princess still appreciates a little bit of humor.
Hopefully, the rain will end soon, and with it will come repairs and the ability to dry out the ship's bottom. Thankfully for the crew, the official stowed away would probably be more than happy to supply money for repairs once he's in a position to do so. But, for now... "I'm sure I can find one or two," the girl says, finally standing up. "I'm not as charismatic as you, but... I think people will listen to me."
Eva is good with puppy-dog eyes.
Log created on 20:28:53 06/15/2007 by Arika, and last modified on 22:28:26 06/18/2007.