Description: At the Kamigawa clan's compound, Alma tests Mizuki for suitability for the Glory Hounds... and the clan tests Alma, as well.
He can still hardly believe it.
Alma Towazu has not led a simple life per se, but he is a man with simple desires, albeit ones he expresses with unusual frequency and a unique philosophical terminology. Sure, he's a renowned model and martial artist and now an admired public figure, and his winning mellow personality makes it easy for him to prevent himself from seeming too good to be true to others who might be naturally suspicious of his intentions. His past and his present are a far cry from normal, and his future probably will be too-- unless of course fighting falls through, in which case he'll probably end up as a stellar househusband to some lucky lady. But it is in Alma's nature to create routines for himself, to create private spaces, his own foundation from which he can feel comfortable sallying forth; he creates boundaries so he can break them, crafts a norm so that the other comes all the more thrilling and meaningful. This is partially because he is an easily satisfied guy, and /that/ is mostly because he has learned to satisfy himself. As long as he's expressing his passions and fulfilling what he considers to be his duties, everything is chill. It can get more complicated in practice but at its core it's just that, and everything else is just decoration. But as he has been discovering recently, being easily satisfied has its downsides; feeling your friends' presence in spirit means it becomes easy, perhaps too easy, to let them go. And he has the feeling that if he really wants to live passionately, to continue to challenge himself, this is just not enough. Alma is good at seeing opportunity and good at giving up what he's gained. His passion makes him strive. He's never afraid to lose.
But... rarely does he /demand/ much from life.
Alma's self-contained world, though he often ventures out of it, helps him avoid perhaps one of the few things he stil fears in some fashion-- burdening others without their consent. And so he does the same old things day after day. Those things may be 'being a stylish successful model' and 'blasting Tran into trashcans', but they are routine for him all the time. He takes what's coming, and doesn't ask for much more.
He never saw /this/ coming, though.
~ This place... it's so beautiful. ~
Partially coicidentally, things started to change after he met Mizuki. Partially because at the time he was both reconciling with Jiro and becoming acting head of the YFCC, two events that are sure to be milestones in his life-- but the constant surprises this girl has had in store for him have had more of an effect than anyone might have anticipated. It would not be fair to say he initially dismissed her or underestimates her, but-- well, Alma doesn't feel like he's been doing her right, which to him only makes it the more startling that she continues to like him. But then, he /is/ profoundly in her debt, so.
~ It's just, on the surface at least, she's... normal. ~
That's the thing. Alma has an easy time expressing himself around eccentric women. Around people who speak their own language, he feels comfortable speaking his own language, more certain that he won't disturb them. But around people who strike him as having a more conventional approach to life, he generally chooses to politely hold them at arm's length, which he can get away with usually because he's such a sincere and upstanding fellow. It's for their own good, anyway; at least, that's what he always thought. But first this 'normal' girl saved his life and now she wants to be on his team, and if she gets any closer to him and he's ever to be himself around her there'll be talk of passion and auras and goodness knows what. Can she handle that? Does she deserve all of his nonsense? He wants to be honest around her, but he still flinches at the thought.
~ ...she may have secrets, but still... her personality is... ~
As lovely as her village, really. A normal girl with startling maturity-- and she, of all people, invites /him/, of all people, to come and visit again for a weekend. Talk about
As lovely as her village, really. A normal girl with startling maturity-- and she, of all people, invites /him/, of all people, to come and visit again for a weekend. Talk about a well-deserved break. But how can he really explain how touched he is without telling her everything? And how could he allow himself to do that? Yet though these questions press at him at night, during the day he hardly remembers them, so breathtaking does he find this place. Never has Alma imagined himself somewhere so, well, quaint. And everyone is so nice! He feels at home, which confuses him profoundly, but in a more interesting than disorienting way. He's been enjoying himself immensely.
It's like the place where he ought to have been born.
After a wonderful brunch and another small tour of a section of the rustic village, and Alma Towazu, extraordinary young gentleman and psychic champion of virtue, is being led to see the dojo facilities. In excellent spirits, the good-natured and mild-mannered youth smiles amiably, knowing he'll soon be able to test this girl's abilities for the first time.
~ I wonder how... I'll be able to express myself... for her. ~
The Kamigawa dojo--part of the compound--is perhaps so stereotypical as to be laughable, save for the sober, somber air it has, an air of solidity that comes from literal years, decades even, of martial arts practice by a single family. It would not be too far off to say that there is an aura of history that permeates the place; nothing too supernatural, but almost tangible all the same.
The dojo is huge, a hall perhaps all of two hundred feet on a side, with a high roof to allow for large jumps and the like. The walls are cedar paneling, carefully burnished and polished, almost aglow of their own selves; the dojo is lit by regularly placed lamps, modern electrical but housed in a facade of paper.
On the walls are large lithographs--the Kamigawa name, of course, over the front of the hall, most prominently, and the motto of the school underneath. It reads "Strength comes from the fusion of body and soul, the harmony of mind and spirit."
Mounted at regular intervals are weapons racks--filled with martial weapons, everyting from hard oak staves and leaf blade-tipped spears to traditional Japanese karate weapons like the nunchaku and tonfa. Also mounted on the walls are other zen lithographs, often just a single character. The floor is perfectly and meticulously joined hardwood, traditional tatami mats laid out to mark off 'arenas' of different sizes--the largest 50' by 50', the smallest barely 10' by 10'.
And, as Alma enters the dojo, he will see Mizuki seated seiza--sitting on her feet--at the far end of the largest arena. She is wearing a dark blue hakama, a 'short' one that would, were it the only thing she were wearing, be almost indecent, the kind of garment often seen in ninja anime worn by female ninja. Her concession to modern times and necessity are black spandex biker shorts that actually come down a bit farther, and will keep her decent. The hakama is belted with a simple black belt around her waist; her legs are bare save for her feet, fitted into white socks and snug-fitting 'tabi' sandals.
And, she is not alone; silently, her teachers are arrayed on either side of the arena square, sitting just like she is.
If Alma watched more anime, not only would he know that little fact, he'd also probably be realizing that this whole place seems straight out of an anime. How many secluded martial arts villages are there, anyway? As it is, it just seems surreal, but as long as there are attractive young women with bare legs he really has no reason to complain. Besides, Alma is good with surreal. He dabbles in it all the time.
As such, there is little overt reaction from him as he enters and takes off his dark loafers, looking rather anachronistic in his caramel courderoys and dark brown shirt, the long sleeves of his white thermal offsetting their tones and hinting at the muscle underneath. Calm and composed, still smiling mildly -- placidly, even -- Alma looks as though he is confronted by forbidding arrays of martial arts masters every day. But it's hard to be unnerved in a place like this, anyway; it's hard to imagine anything bad happening here.
Besides... he came looking for a fight anyway.
"Good afternoon."
Alma bows low to each of the masters in turn and then bows to Mizuki, flashing her a warm little smile as he does so before, though it's unusual for him, lowering himself into the seiza position as well, seated below the rest of them. He doesn't /quite/ know how this is going to work, but it wouldn't feel right to remain standing, and anyway doing these sorts of things with his quiet unassuming confidence tends to work out alright no matter how foreign the environment.
You don't really get stuff like this in the big city.
He'll wait for them to speak. He is in no rush. He remains at peace.
Besides, this way he can check out her legs for a while.
~ Nice. ~
He'll probably get away with it. He's pretty subtle.
There is a clearing of throat from one of the elders. He sounds pretty wizened, but his voice is still strong, still resonant; it practically echoes in the hall. "As we all know, Towazu-san has been invited here for a match against Mizuki." No -chan, no -san for her; it's very strict.
"However, the purpose of this match is two-fold." The elder turns to look at Alma, his blue-grey eyes steely and not altogether friendly. "Of course, Towazu-san wishes to test Mizuki's skills. But -we-," and the stress on the we is defined further by the gesture he makes towards the other teachers, "intend to evaluate whether you, Towazu-san, as a representative of your team, are worthy of Mizuki's presence on your team."
Mizuki looks only faintly embarrassed by this, but it's clear that if there was any arguing it before, that's over now. "Alma-san," she says, her voice clear, as she rises from her seated position, the elders going silent, "I'm sure you didn't expect this. They will not interfere, one way or the other... they will only be watching you." And their eyes are -sharp-.
"So if you please, we can begin at any time..." From her back she draws her weapon, holding it lightly in her right hand; her right foot slides back, forcing her body to turn, and her left hand comes up, open-faced, bent upwards at the elbow. And she waits.
Oho! Well, that solves one problem.
Now he'll have no trouble getting passionate about the fight.
"I see."
Alma sounds thoughtful, but inside his spirit swells with a glorious ecstasy. In this context, the act of making himself known through battle will surely be more understandable. As far as he is concerned, he /always/ is representing his team; he represents all those who have changed him and are a part of his life, his family and his friends, and thus they are always with him. That's what duty and responsibility mean to him; that's the heart of why he feels his loved ones are always near. Here, that will make more sense to the casual eye. He really is representing his team in a quite real sense.
"Allow me to demonstrate..."
Pushing with his toes he rises to his feet in a single smooth motion.
"...my abilities."
~ Let me shw you how far I've come. ~
His eyes glitter with his resolve; his inner fire kindled, the joy he takes in the clash of souls surges up within him all at once. When he turns to Mizuki, stepping away from the elders to give himself and his opponent more room to maneuver, he smiles again-- but the reassuring warmth is now tempered by a new respect and intensity. Now that he's going to fight her, it all comes together. She's not a 'normal girl'. She's a fighter. And everything and all she is will come together in that...
"Alma Amavela Towazu," he announces quietly, "Hiten-ryu Kung Fu, adapted."
...when she brings the fullness of her being to bear against him!
"Let us begin!"
He lunges.
Red-tinged blond locks rippling as he closes in, the calm brightness of his eyes provides a solid centerpiece for the smoothly and spontaneously shifting movements of his limbs, making it difficult to determine exactly how quickly he is moving or how long his reach is. In fact, he doesn't close in all that quickly, but his reach /is/ quite long, and he makes the most of it by feinting into several snapping kicks, legs carving confusingly through the air like ribbons blown by the wind, feet striking out like serpents. As his spirit continues to build his limbs become faintly suffused by a white light that fades to pale blue as he leaves afterimges in his wake, further obscuring the location of his strikes and possibly aiding him in drawing into the technical combination strike.
"Hmn!"
In his eyes there is humanity-- but no mercy.
With him comes the scent of autumn rain.
COMBATSYS: Alma has started a fight here.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mizuki has joined the fight here.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Mizuki with Autumn Rain.
Glancing Blow
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Alma 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Mizuki
What the elders are here to see of Alma, ironically enough, are not his abilities. That sort of data is easy to obtain, even if in-person observation always beats out video and second-hand observation--and it isn't as if they aren't studying his every movement. But they are here to see something -else-, and Alma may not realize it--though none of them are psi, all of them are practically unreadable, their decades of rigorous training allowing them to be blanks as far as their aura goes.
Mizuki, for her part--well, she's a little worried. After all, Alma is a much more advanced fighter than she is. The glowy stuff--well, she senses somehow that it's juts a natural buildup... but the afterimages are a problem. Still, she mostly avoids the flying kicks--ducking backwards from the first, but not anticipating the second, and being clipped by it.
The damage isn't terribly bad, however, and so Mizuki straightens, setting herself--physically -and- mentally--and she steps in. Her baton style--her short-staff style--is a combination of jojutsu, and kenjutsu, and other weapon-based styles, so it doesn't look like anything normal--but as she steps, she cranks the baton around in a shoulder-level bash, using both hands, rotating firmly from the waist, adding snap to the strike.
COMBATSYS: Alma fails to interrupt Fierce Strike from Mizuki with Rising Fury.
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Alma 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
Sensing contact, Alma throws himself more vigorously into his kicks, the gathering intensity finally triggering a burst of soulfire that flares around his leg as he attempts to lash out with a far more potent kick, the added force of his Psycho Power enough to pop her into the air. But he misjudged the effect of his previous strike, not fully aware of how glancing his blow truly was, and the girl recovers much quicker than he anticipates. Though the fire is impressive, the attack is stuffed before it can even reach her as her baton sneaks in and impacts resoundingly with his abdomen.
But though Alma skids back balanced on one foot he is not staggered, and only the faintest of flinches accompanies the solid thump of rod against muscle. Unpreturbed, the young man straightens and tries to relax again.
~ I can't let myself get carried away. ~
Being passionate is one thing, being overeager is another. Keep it together, Alma!
A near thing, perhaps--fights are often a matter of inches and centimeters. Mizuki draws back from the strike, and seems to consider what she should do; she hasn't yet reached for the power of her birthright, the power she has spent years--over a decade--polishing and perfecting. She could. Here, it would be even easier than normal.
But she doesn't--not yet. Instead, she studies Alma--her blue eyes searching, watching. The baton is drawn back, held in a reverse grip, the body of it laid along her right forearm... in case she should need to block a particularly damaging strike...
The elders have not moved since the one spoke--they are like statues, their breathing even mostly undetectable. Quite a feat it is.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki focuses on her next action.
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Alma 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
Alma doesn't feel hesitant despite his mistake, but he does attempt to take a more reserved approach this round. He wants to see what /she/ can do. Understanding her nature and her style will facilitate his capacity to express himself in a way that will be meaningful to the others watching; perceiving her rhythm will allow him to adapt his own for maximum effect.
He may not know what the elders are looking for, but he knows what he wants-- and he can only find it if he's truly able to access the passion brimming within him.
So with a deep, soulful breath, Alma too awaits his fate.
COMBATSYS: Alma gathers his will.
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Alma 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
It's almost hard for Mizuki to decide what to do; she, after all, hasn't fought Alma before. She doesn't know what he has planned. Or what his gameplan is. She can only think of what she would do... and so she draws back, as if to prepare a slashing baton attack. Her charge forward is accompanied by a sharp kiai, and then Mizuki twists towards her right...
... only to twist back not with a baton attack, but a short hop and a spinning roundhouse kick. Fortunately, this is why she wore the bike shorts; the kick is approximately head level, and she actually has enough momentum to not only revolve through one kick, in mid-air, but to revolve through another kick, before putting her feet down.
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Mizuki's Strong Kick.
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Alma 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
This time, Alma steps in with more success.
Defense is never passive. Nothing is ever passive in Hiten-Ryu; Alma just makes it look far more passive than Fei Long does, with his quiet poise and elegant stance. But that's how Alma functions. Though his mellow expression may make it look like his world is calm and predictable, in fact his senses burn with the vibrant colors of the many auras sworling about his perceptions. And thus just standing a taking a deep breath is a far more potent form of preparation than it appears-- as is revealed when he pre-emptively steps forward and brings up his forearm to forcibly redirect the roundhouse kick.
So far so good, but here is where things get a little fancier. As Mizuki spins from her kick attempt, Alma brings up his own foot and lashes out, only attempting to tag her with it but in essence making an effort to control her fall. Making contact should knock her askew and distract her, and the moment of her realizing she'll need to put in extra work to land properly may be just the time he needs to sneak in his true assault, a fierce straight punch to the girl's abdomen.
"Hyah!"
A full impact may send her right back on her biker short clad behind.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki fails to interrupt Strong Punch from Alma with Kouryuu no Renda.
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Alma 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Mizuki
She thought she had a response ready--but she didn't. The kick threw her off enough that she took that fierce punch right into her midsection--it threw her back onto the mat with the loud 'whouff!' of air leaving her body, and it leaves her feeling not-so-fresh... well, at least, not-so-unhurt. But she's far from down, just yet...
And so a moment later, she's rising to her feet, though much more carefully than she might've before, taking a moment to retrieve her baton and bring it back to guard position. Point to Alma... for now.
It's time to go for broke.
Alma cannot but seize the moment. With his careful and artful technique clearly succeeding this time around, his passion for the fight demands that he reach out for that blaze of glory. As she is rising he is rushing, then coiling up like a pouncing hunting cat and launching himself at her, right leg leaving heat ripples through the air in the moments before it bursts again into flame, white fire traces with bright veins of pink and purple.
The hooking flying kick threatens to crush Mizuki's defenses before she can properly erect them, while the full force of that flame, exuding a palpable psychic force, aims to strike directly at the girl's will, what Alma perceives as her aura. If he succeeds, she will feel the measure of his strength...
"Uurrryahhh!"
...and he will have a feel of her power as well, gauging the nature of her soul-self in the manner that one can see the consistency of dough by leaving a handprint.
In his voice there is fury but no anger, sincere intensity with a personal source.
Succeed or fail, he cannot put give his all-- for her, for them, and for himself!
COMBATSYS: Mizuki reflects Shooting Star from Alma with Suishou no Kagami.
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Alma 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Mizuki
Fortunately for Mizuki, that hooking kick will never contact her. Her eyes widen and she half-steps back--just to give herself that extra half-half-second to react--and she finds her baton tracing a circle through the air before she can even think about it.
"Suishou no..." comes her cry, clear as a bell, the baton swiftly moving through a second circle, the tip of it glowing blue-white, that circle clearly delineated...
"KAGAMI!!!" is the cry that finishes it and just as Alma's soulfire-powered leg cuts the plane of that circle suddenly it flares to life. Alma's leg is caught in a glistening, shining, -mirror- of ice, nearly six inches in depth, and composed of pure icy chi--it remains for a half-second before bursting outwards, blasting Alma away from the girl.
The elders nod--or do they--it seems as though there is approval on both sides...
"Nngh!"
Alma is startled to find his kick incased in ice, needless to say, but neither that nor the resulting blast prevents him from turning his abruptly reversed momentum into a graceful flip that lands him in a neat crouch. Yet besides being far from flummoxed, he also seems far from injured, and when he looks up at his young opponent, the fiery glint in his eye has if anything only brightened. Flecks of pink and purple are now visible within the hazel; the smile he offers is as warm-hearted as ever.
"Interesting," he remarks softly, in the tone of a great compliment.
Alma loves to be interested, after all.
Keeping himself interested keeps him undaunted, and undaunted he remains as he flows again into another sally forth. He weaves his way in toward the no doubt far more prepared girl, but a few errant feinting jabs lead only to a sweep with both strong arms, a sudden and fierce effort to bat her baton and defenses aside as he rears back-- and thrusts out with a mighty forward again, another harsh blow to the hakama-clad girl's lower torso, again potentially with enough strength to knock her off her feet.
"Hiyaah!"
Come on, Mizuki, what else ya got?
COMBATSYS: Mizuki dodges Alma's Heavy Kick.
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Alma 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Mizuki
Interesting? Most usually say 'ouch'. Doesn't look like it harmed Alma too badly, though... Mizuki's just relieved that it worked. However, since he complimented her, she smiles and replies, "Thank you. Actually, I--" And well, she cuts off there, mainly because Alma is incoming again--the jabs she's wary of, and the sweep of the arms to open her defenses... well, perhaps it's a little -too- good, because it forces her to stumble.
And that stumble is what saves her, as she stumbles towards her left, she pinwheels rather neatly out of the way of the thrusting kick. As if she intended it, she turns the pinwheel into a low hop backwards; ending up at the far edge of the marked out area from where she was, she suddenly stands tall, her hands clasped... and her eyes almost closed.
It's as if she were praying, and then suddenly, blue-white energy swirls around her, rising from the floor, trapping her in a double helix, a triple helix, blue and white and silver...
COMBATSYS: Mizuki gathers her will.
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Alma 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
Excellent.
She's giving Alma a run for his money so far, and he is finding himself more than pleased with that, actually grinning slightly once he realizes she's escaped the full force of his kick. Bringing his foot down and twisting to face her, the sensation of her power building stirs his blood irresistably in a way no bare legs, no matter how shapely, ever could. /This/ is what he lives for. She may be summoning up her strength but as far as he is considered that too only makes her more of a target; the brighter her aura shines, the more he'll be able to discover about her.
The easier it will become to share a piece of himself.
"Prepare!"
No word he's spoken so far, no sound he's made, has yet been infused with such passion as that. Rationally speaking she would already of course be prepared, considering how long they've been fighting already; what he really intends is to call her attention to the power he is about to reveal. This is his essence, his soul he is offering up. His duty to challenge her and himself demands it. His passion for the fight and for life will not be denied.
"Witness my hand--!"
See how it bursts into beautiful flame, the fire reflected for so long in the depths of his eyes, as he thrusts it forward and then brings it back, clenching it into a fist, a motion apparently akin to pushing a bellows.
"Feel my power!!"
Here comes Alma, in energy form.
It has not the sharp elegance and secret eloquence of his ultimate technique but it has all the force, and it comes as a huge geyser of voracious flame for the modern-day water priestess as Alma plunges his fist toward the mats, his eyes literally flashing with the light of his determination.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki blocks Alma's Full Confession.
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Alma 0/-------/------=|=======\======-\1 Mizuki
She... doesn't even have time to move. The flow of energy is cut off abruptly as Mizuki is engulfed in soulfire, flaring around her, like a geyser of energy she's almost not prepared to deal with. But when the storm clears... there she stands... and other than the steaming wisps of residual energy coming off her body, she seems... serene. Then she stumbles, and that serenity cracks like an egg.
"... o--ow..." she murmurs, staggered by the blow, even having defended against it somehow... she glances up at Alma. "Forgive me," she says, and... instead of attacking, she resumes her prayer position. And once again energy builds... though it does not swirl up around her.
No, this time it builds with invisible pressure around her, a pressure which 'breaks'--and then her energies coalesce into visible form, blue-green 'water' which pours over her, like a waterfall, disappearing a scant few inches from the mat.
Now this really /is/ interesting.
Of course, he knew that she had this ability, but he's never had the chance to see it in action so fully articulated. No apology is necessary; Alma is fascinated. But it's a fascination that draws him in with a need to engage her-- and besides, he can't just let her get away with that!
But feeling somehow fulfilled that he shared his power with her, despite that with a non-psychic such an attack is far less effective than a simple conversation for explaining oneself, Alma can only be pleased she maintains the resolve to continue the fighting. Indeed, that she bears no resentment against /him/ for such a relentless assault on her sense of self... well, she has a good attitude. That's true, if nothing else.
Alma closes in, apparently only heartened and not fatigued by that immense release of his fighting spirit. As long as the fight continues, it is as though life continues to offer him endless opportunity to reveal his passion to the world, and as long as he can manage it he will continue to strive to do so. But he'll stick to the inner fire this time as his depleted psyche gathers itself again; Alma's straying jabs are again only feints meant to distract the girl and lead to a low snap kick against one shin. If he can knock one leg out from under her, he'll deftly hook that foot around the other leg and quickly shove out, aiming to take her to the ground and perhaps foul her concentration for her technique.
"Hmn!"
The pressure is still on!
He's still smiling slightly, though.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Mizuki with Iki no Nagare.
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Alma 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Mizuki
COMBATSYS: Mizuki interrupts Light Kick from Alma with Medium Strike.
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Alma 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Mizuki
The energy's effects are sometimes more subtle than others. It depends on the nature of her injuries. Physical injuries knit together--cuts seal, bones mend, bruises fade as if run in reverse, or as if they were a stain being washed away. Sometimes the soothing is more spiritual. In this case, it's a bit of both; refreshing and also tending to some of the bruises she's taken.
The fact that Alma is once again coming at her is not lost upon the miko; once again, she ignores the feints, having seen them before, and when Alma's foot strikes her shin--as it most assuredly will--he will find that he, too, is being struck.
In this particular case it is Mizuki thrusting her short-staff forward, at the same instant, the metal-capped end striking Alma right in the sternum.
"Hrrn--"
That one stings for sure, but Alma is too much in the moment to start giving up now. He may not have unbalanced her but he can take advantage of the fact that he too remains in control of his momentum, and though her attack struck home he yet appears decidedly unfazed. Handsome face calm by sheer dint of his intense focus, eyes burning with the heat of his inspirations, the tall young man reaches out to lightly brush the short-staff aside and grasp the front of that cute little outfit, roughly attempting to pull the girl forward and into a quick knee strike to force the wind from her lungs.
If this succeeds, Alma will take advantage of the close proximity to bring his elbows up, fists angled toward himself, and slam them together like two wings flapping, aiming for the poor girl's ears in what could be a painfully stunning maneuver if nothing goes wrong-- like, as long as the elders don't misinterpret his grab for her chest.
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Mizuki with Strong Punch.
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Alma 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Mizuki
Fortunately there's enough give in the outfit to leave Alma free from grabbing Mizuki's chest. The combination, however, also leaves her free of breath; she gasps when it impacts, then the 'chickenwing' stuns her for sure, leaving her stumbling back. Though certainly painful, she wonders if she might still have some outside shot at doing more than just pecking away at Alma... this fight has, like many of her fights, brought home just how much training she still needs.
"ow..." Shaking her head to clear it, she finds her baton in hand once more... and with Alma this close, the rush isn't even all that far to go, as she lunges forward, the baton held like sword... and then she's on Alma's position. The baton glows with that blue-green energy, but it isn't benevolent, as Alma may find out while he is under attack by a storm of slashing baton attacks, Mizuki striking out rapidly, repeatdly, and somewhat haphazardly, perhaps sixteen times in all, before stepping forward and cranking the weapon around in a hard uppercut...
COMBATSYS: Alma interrupts Kouryuu no Ranbu from Mizuki with Divine Intervention EX.
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Alma 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Mizuki
His eyes, how they burn.
Alma's fierce elbow strikes put him in an excellent position to attack again as he brings his fists forward, but the girl's glow of power reveals what she is bringing may be more than a few punches can handle. Yet he is in no mood to fall back. Now his momentum has peaked; now is the time for true tenacity. He moves forward; he continues on, directly into the attack.
Though his presence is formidible, Alma's mild manners make him something of a 'gentle giant'; it is easy to consider the fact that he towers over most of his peers as simply one aspect of his, well, largeness as a person. But it is in moments like this that it becomes abundantly clear that, all else aside, however lean his muscle or slender his powerful build, Alma is a big guy. He takes those hits. He plows through the spinning baton strikes, the blows raining down on him; he moves like a swimmer in slow motion, fighting a cresting wave, as he brings his right hand back and studiously ignores whatever pain he must be feeling. He just takes it like a man, pushing at her, overwhelming her assault, forcing her back.
Then he strikes.
With a single jab of his fingertips a lance of pure white light pierces through her, a honed and efficient short blast of psychic fire, his patented rhythm-breaker. It's like flipping over the table during a card game; it's a sign from above, a symbol of the purity of his passion for the fight, his struggle for self-actualization.
"Hah!!"
Whatever damage his arms sustained from those blows is invisible under his thermal, but for the first time Alma's chest is heaving as he straightens, face still calm and eyes smoldering from his latent ardor.
An ardor that, unfortunately for Alma, Mizuki is finding it hard to share. After all, she just had her ultimate technique brushed aside rather effortlessly by the tall model and, to boot, she's in a great deal of pain. She lays on her back, for a long moment; deciding whether she wants to get up again, whether it's worth it. Even her unexperienced eyes can tell that Alma is at a point where she can't beat him. She's too tired and broken down and he's barely been touched, or so it seems to her.
And then she finds herself rising anyways. She lacks words--in truth, it hurts to -breathe-, so she's taking short, shallow breaths--but at least she wasn't nearly cut open as Soma did to her... though it hurts just as much and perhaps even more. She can't raise her arms--they're almost dead still. But she finds that she won't give up.
So, she uses what she has left to her--she has her legs, and they're still working, weak as they are. Once again she goes on the offensive, knowing its futility... dragging her right toe as she lunges forward, then brings the leg up and down, a slow axe kick for Alma's shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Mizuki's Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Mizuki
Feilong heads to Asia Major.
He moves like fire.
Rippling away from her kick just enough without losing too much forward momentum, Alma evades her attack and takes the initiate to close in for what may be the last time, eyes still smoldering with the still-hot embers of his spent energy. He /does/ seem unstoppable. It's mostly an illusion, the presence exuded by his fully-engaged spirit overwhelming, his mastery over his own movement intimidating; he's far more fatigued than he seems. But it's not a show and it's not a trick, at least not an intentional one. Alma will burn until he burns out. That's how he does it. He'll wring every last drop of power out of his self-- because the next one might be the one that gives his opponent what they need.
Again, as in the beginning, the influence of his power is subtle, the fire now only in his gaze. Leaving faint light blue afterimages again, a serpentine twist of his hands morphs into a single abrupt palm strike to the girls abdomen, with just enough calculated force to, if it hits fully, knock the wind out of her again in one decisive move and send her to her knees.
It smells refreshing in here again, too.
He's just a delight for all the senses, aren't you Alma.
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Mizuki with Spring Shower.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Alma 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
Refreshing? Not to Mizuki. But then, that's because she just got struck in the abdomen -again- and she doesn't like it, one bit. Abruptly, she's on her knees... wondering that she wasn't downed even further. Soma really put the hit on her, and Alma too... this strange energy she's encountered twice now really takes its toll on her. But this one is purely an impact of physical proportion.
It still takes her down, though; she seems stunned, perhaps not because she was hit, but because of another 'loss'... she didn't use to think this way, really, and now she is, somehow. Something she'll have to work on, probably. She doesn't even have the strength--the willpower--to mount a final assault, but that's alright, as the eldest of the elders raises his hand.
"Enough," he says, and it certainly seems to be. Mizuki just... well, she feels kind of lost, really, though she'd never admit it; even for the most carefree type of fighter, continually losing in fights becomes a somewhat crushing proposition.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Alma 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Mizuki can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Alma 0/-------/=======|
(repose)
Refreshing? Not to Mizuki. But then, that's because she just got struck in the abdomen -again- and she doesn't like it, one bit. Abruptly, she's on her knees... wondering that she wasn't downed even further. Soma really put the hit on her, and Alma too... this strange energy she's encountered twice now really takes its toll on her. But this one is purely an impact of physical proportion.
It still takes her down, though; she seems stunned, perhaps not because she was hit, but because of another 'loss'... she didn't use to think this way, really, and now she is, somehow. Something she'll have to work on, probably. She doesn't even have the strength--the willpower--to mount a final assault, but that's alright, as the eldest of the elders raises his hand.
"Enough," he says, and it certainly seems to be. Mizuki just... well, she feels kind of lost, really, though she'd never admit it; even for the most carefree type of fighter, continually losing in fights becomes a somewhat crushing proposition.
(repose)
He is the team leader, after all.
Alma doesn't think about it that way himself; he thinks of it as a group of his friends, and if pressed to create a hierarchy he'd probably say that he and Jiro are equal players as the founders. But he is a guardian at heart, a pursuer and protector of the precious, and he has found something precious here. He thus acts on instinct, unthinkingly. When Mizuki falls to her knees, he reaches out, leaning down to follow her, and catches her. Or at least steadies her-- whatever the effect, his hands end up at her sides, supporting her as she recovers her wind and composure, a reassuring presence. Crouched as he is before her, he seems eminently solid; she may have seen him defeated before and most violently at that, but in this moment of self-fulfillment he looks indestructible, his confidence in his actions unshakable.
"You did well."
Looking down at the girl, Alma smiles, and adds in another murmur:
"Thank you, Mizuki."
Somehow he feels more comfortable by her side just knowing she's felt his strength-- and his spirit continues to swell within him even as he feels that the match is over. He /has/ found something precious, and this time, it's nothing to do with him. It is she. She is precious; a strange, kind girl with great composure for one so young, with a resolve all her own. Alma, hovering over her like this, may seem something of an angel with the charisma he radiates, but it is she who seems the angel to him. His attitude was forged through tragedy; as far as he knows, she is simply determined and good-natured, as though she arose naturally, a miracle.
It is thoughts like these that make it so natural for him to just take hold of her; it is the sudden voice of the elder that reminds him that he exists in the real world, and such thoughts, while perhaps touchingly sentimental in their own right, are quite strange if nothing else, and that he's got his arms around their student.
Having the good grace to blush slightly, Alma still takes the time to make sure Mizuki is steady before rising, taking a step away, and bowing low to her, before turning and bowing again to the elders.
"Her potential now is clear to me," he states confidently as he rises, eyes calm and clear, facing the elders, his profile facing Mizuki. "I would be honored to have her join my team."
COMBATSYS: Alma has ended the fight here.
"... I could have done better..." No, it's bad thinking and she knows it. She was always taught to be confident in her decisions, whether they worked out or not--but applying it in a controlled situation is far different from applying it to a real fight. But she's learning, and perhaps even learning well.
Mizuki shakes her head, and looks up at Alma with--not a smile, but an appreciative gaze. "Thank you. I learned a lot from fighting you." The Elders nod--the Kamigawa family sure is odd in some ways, that's for sure. And they hear him out.
"Alma Towazu," intones the elder, softly, and his piercingly grey eyes meet Alma's for a long, long moment. Impenetrable is his gaze, unfathomable his thoughts.
"We, too, have seen your potential." Mizuki smiles--because she thinks she knows what the answer will be.
And she is right. "We will allow her to join your team if it is what she wishes." Careful note how they won't force the decision. Mizuki just smiles, and nods, and the elders relax--getting up, stretching. Unsurprisingly, most of them are somewhere around the four foot to four and a half foot mark in height.
"Come, we will celebrate with a feast."
Mizuki woos. full team. :)
Log created on 04:05:02 06/16/2007 by Mizuki, and last modified on 04:45:53 07/08/2007.