Description: It's Date Night at the posh Eventide Restaurant and Rock Howard's been paired up with the lovely Hotaru Futaba. But the Sultan of Southtown and his enchanting 'lady', Mr. Big and Leilani, want that corner table. And the best part? The winner gets dinner on Geese! (Draw Match)
The Eventide is a pretty classy restaurant and lounge. The arrangements are as one might expect in order to accommodate a SNF fight. Tables and chairs have been cleared out of the flat surface beneath the stage on one side of the room. Lights around the dining area are dim, but the dance floor that is to be the arena for tonight's match has soft illumination punctuated by the occasional sharper light of various colors depending on the mood of the music.
The music is provided by a small group up on the slightly raised stage platform at the other side of the dance floor. The musicians will take requests, of course, but for the moment they're gracing the gathered audience with some soothing, slow, mood music. Well dressed wait-staff attend to the dining and drinking needs of those who will be viewing live tonight.
Waiting somewhat nervously for what is for her yet another 'dress up' match, Hotaru is sitting on a chair against the wall on one side of the dance floor, looking like a poor wall flower just waiting to be asked to take to the floor by some gentleman. Gone is her usual fighting attire to be replaced with a classy blue cheongsam. Her hair is done up in buns, with ribbons and bun covers that suggest she had Chun-Li's hairstyle in mind when she had her hair styled for this fight. Hands resting patiently on her lap, she keeps glancing toward the other side where her opponents are supposed to be. Just where are they?
Rock Howard is no stranger to unusual Saturday Night Fight Matches. With Geese Howard as the owner, proprieter, and arguable scheduler of all the fights that occur in his marquee brand, Rock -- his erstwhile prodigal son -- is used to finding himself in fights against genetically augmented lions, knife-wielding psychopaths, sharks with lasers, acid-spitting sumo wrestlers, and Mr. Big.
Rock is also no stranger to the Eventide Restaurant and Lounge. The last time he was here, it was to get in an awesome meal and celebrate his SNF Championship. He really felt a sense of achivement holding that title belt. He felt like he had taken, for himself, something his father felt was very very important. He paid the ultimate price for that moment of glory. He also fought Twelve, mutated into a 12 year old boy, and ended up taking the Neo League crown. Both reigns were very short-lived.
He arrives through the main entrance a few minutes after the scheduled start time, wearing a dubious expression and a black tuxedo sans the usual tuxedo jacket. Instead, he's got his usual red fighting jacket on over the penguin suit. It looks really bad. Really, really bad. Spotting Hotaru a few seconds into the cleared out restaurant, Rock gives her an uneasy smile and tugs at his bowtie.
The woman consistently seen on Mr. Big's arm has been sighted a few times within the confines of the Saturday Night Fights. As a member of Rock's father's organization, she finds herself sometimes called upon to help promote the brand. And with the upcoming end of the World Warrior tournament, and the rise of Mr. Big as Geese's main attraction within the Syndicate, she gladly took up the assignment to hang off of her "daddy" and cause a little pain in the meantime.
Like Rock, the Eventide is hardly unfamiliar. In fact, it sometimes seems pretty regular, given the amount of money that Big has been getting as of late. Walking in a good thirty minutes late, the Hawai'ian hands her invitations to the maitre'd with a smile. She looks completely natural in her black silk evening gown, which fits her almost as if she was born into it. Closed around the neck and draping down, clinging to her curves, the sleeveless dress leaves her back completely open to the air. Black, strappy heels peek out from under the long hem that nearly brushes the ground. Adjusting the slit up the side of the dress with fingers clad in full length evening gloves, she turns to look out the door, a smile growing on her face like the dawning sun. Shrugging slightly to make sure her matching shawl dowsn slip from her arms, she pulls open the door and waits for Mr. Big to enter.
Sure, they're late. They're on Hawai'ian time, which means they're actually quite punctual, being only a half late.
As the door is pulled open by the lovely Ms. Ke'ekikolani, a single bright white patent leather shoes steps through the doorframe acomponied by the tip of a shiny white cane. 'Ms. Ke'ekikolani and Mr. Big,' the Maître d' announces, barely even stumbling over Leilani's last name. He is after all, a very well paid man. Following his foremost foot and cane, the rest of the lubricious gangster known simply as Mr. Big flows into the posh restaurant.
"Thank you my dear," Mr. Big says to Leilani as he bows to her slightly, gently tapping the crown of his shiny bald head with the butt of his cane. Dressed entirely in brilliant white, from his exquisitely cut tuxedo tailcoat and bowtie, to the fine silk low-cut waistcoat underneath, and the well pressed and tailored trousers lined with a single strip of while satin, the Diamond Don is truly dressed to the nines as he makes his entrance into the Eventide.
Holding out the crook of his elbow for Leilani as he runs the index finger of his other hand over his white, stiff wing collar absently, Mr. Big briefly surveys the room as he leads his female companion towards the dance floor.
Giving Hotaru and Rock a brief appraising look as the Southtown Syndicate members take their place, Mr. Big's mouth breaks into a slight sarcastic grin as he turns his head to address Leilani. "I don't, remember King looking so feminine, do you? And where did she pick up that ugly red jacket?" he asks with faux naiveté and a meaningful nod towards Rock.
And there's her partner. Hotaru recognizes Rock immediately, even if he's wearing... one heck of a mismatching outfit. No surprise though. He's always got that jacket, it seems, in the fights she's watched him in action in before. The young man is quite a star in the various fighting circuits the girl has followed. Not that Futaba has been doing too shabby on her own. With a high rank in the Neo League and three SNF team-fight victories in a row, the girl is making a name for herself as well.
And she recognizes Leilani when the girl that's supposed to be her matching participant for this arrangement. While she dressed up for this event, the lavish beauty of the Hawai'ian accompanying Big sets a high bar for the girl to compare herself to.
When Rock makes his way over, Hotaru gets to her feet, nervously shifting her shawl. It was already in the right place, but she moves it anyway. She'll probably lose it fast anyway, with the way she tends to fight. "It's an honor to get this chance to fight at your side, Rock." Hotaru beams. To scared of stumbling around like a fool by trying to fight in heeled shoes, Hotaru takes to the dance floor in her flat-soled dress shoes to move to her young partner's side.
The girl shoots a glance toward the snazzily dressed Mr. Big, remembering him quite well from last week as the one who gave her Kyokugen instructor such a tough fight. "That guy is really strong," she warns Rock, "But I think I can handle his partner." She has once before at least. Breathing in, the girl exhales slowly, adopting her normal fighting stance as the final seconds before the fight starts begin to count down.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has started a fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Mr.Big 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Leilani has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Mr.Big 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Leilani 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
Rock's red eyes travel lavishly towards the entrance of the restaurant when Leilani arrives, just like every other male in a two mile proximity. But it's not because she's hot, it's because he wants to get his eyes onto Mr. Big. Rock knows that Big is a high ranking member in his father's criminal enterprises. He's met the man a dozen times growing up. He was the type of terrible person his mother was always trying to keep him away from. When she died? It was unavoidable that the son of Geese, being groomed as he was through his adolescence, would meet his father's favorite Generals.
Some of these men treated Rock with the respect of the name. Some of these men treated Rock with the fear of the name. Some of these men treated Rock as a future enemy.
Now, all growns up, Rock Howard intends to show them that they should respect him, fear him, and see him as /the/ enemy they should see in their sleep and around dark corners. Pulling a pair of fighting gloves out of his tuxedo vest's inside pocket, Rock carefully slides his fingers through them and stretches the leather tight. First the left and then the right.
"I think I grew another inch waiting," Rock says, once Big finally explodes through the front doors, with a defiant pair of steps into the middle of the restaurant. He makes brief eye contact with Hotaru -- she can probably see his thin grin -- before he masks and with an angry stare back towards Big and Leilani. "Or I might just be seeing the future where I smash an inch off your head and getting my perspectives messed up."
Banter thoroughly played by both sides, Howard is ready. He appraises Big with red eyes, almost like he has tunnel vision for the Man in White, and gives Hotaru a slow nod to acknowledge her sincerity. He's confident that she'll be one step behind him in the skull cracking game, but for the moment, he'll save the honorifics in favor of squinting bullets.
Satisfied with the showdown, Rock suddenly acts first. He cuts across Hotaru's plane of assault, plants his right foot, and swings his right arm outward and upward. Chi bristles down it to tear free, a shear of churning golden light escaping from Rock to sizzle across the Eventide's fourteen million dollar parquee floor. A half a second later, Howard's other foot is grinding into the wood, his other arm cutting in the same fashion, a second slice of chi burning off. He wants the Syndicate to remember who they're dealing with. He wants them to remember the name of his father. He wants them to taste the Reppuken.
A warm chuckle slips through the lips of the dark-haired beauty thanks to Big's comments about Rock. Taking the arm of her man with the grace of the flowing ocean, she quickly leans in and presses her lips to his cheek before falling casually into step with him. "I never realized she had such curvy hips," she says gently as the two of them head towards the floor.
You'd think that they'd have the decency enough to give the couple a chance to actually enter the restaurant fully. The two Syndicate members barely have a chance to really see the dance floor before the first attack begins to surge across the floor. Eyes going wide for a moment, Leilani scowls and lets go of Big's arm, ducking and rolling behind a short wall between the ballroom and bar. "Shit," she mutters as she easily regains her footing despite the thin heels of her shoes. She was almost unprepared for that. "You in one kine hurry or somet'in', lolo?" she yells out, dragging her fingertips along the polished floor. A moment later, she rockets herself standing, her hand flying high into the air... just as the floor near Rock seems to erupt in a whirling torrent of saltwater. This sudden pillar storms towards the junior Howard, threatening to pick him up bodily and dispense him hard into that multi-million dollar dance surface.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big parries Rock's Double Reppuken!
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Mr.Big 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Rock
"These kids have no manners, Ku`uipo," Mr. Big informs Leilani with a dour frown as his companion leaps away from him. "Let's do them a favor and try to teach them some." Tossing his bright white staff into the air before him, Mr. Big smoothly snatches it out of the air with his right hand and begins to spin it like a propeller in front of his chest as the two Ground Blas- err... Reppukens streak towards him.
"Tsk, tsk," Mr. Big clucks as the flares of energy draw close to the fan-like spinning of his staff. "You should know better than to try to use that attack against me, Heinlein," Mr. Big chastises Rock, the act of calling him by his mother's maiden name a cutting commentary on his thoughts on the subject of Rock carrying on his father's legacy. The Reppukens crackle and shear as the make contact with the spinning staff, briefly swirling with the momentum of the weapon before dissipating harmlessly into golden wisps around the Glittering Sultan of Southtown.
"I've been waiting a while for this, Heinlein. There's so much I could have taught you," Mr. Big says as he lurches into motion, streaking through the faint wisps of chi and rushing towards Geese's son. "...it's a pity you aren't worthy to follow in your father's footsteps." Gripping both ends of his staff as he flies towards Rock, Mr. Big snaps the weapon into two smaller batons with a loud mechanical click. Pushing the ground away from him with his strongly muscled legs, Mr. Big flies up and at Rock, swinging both batons at the kid's face in an attempt to carry the blonde into the air with him via a brutal baton-style rising uppercut.
The banter back and forth speaks of things Hotaru is either unfamiliar with or only vaguely so. Which is just as well, since she isn't really the target of the taunting from the other team anyway. A glance is cast toward Rock as if gauging just how much the jabs might be eating at him, but the girl takes him for a pro, no doubt able to do his best in spite that kind of talk. "Oh yeah, that guy likes to talk a lot..." she adds as a final note as her teammate fires up the Reppuken. Unfortunately, as she saw when he fought Ryo, he's able to back up that talk with decisive action as well.
Both of them go for Rock for now, which leaves the girl left alone on the floor for a moment. All the better to get her wits together, but she can't just stand around a passive observer either. Fixing her sights on the woman at Big's side, the youngest particpant of the match decides to test herself against Leilani once again. It might help get Rock some breathing room at the very least.
Perhaps remembering the painful ways the islander was able to stop her attacks short last time, Hotaru charges forward, only to slide to a stop a few feet away, well outside of her own limited range. It's a good thing the dress has the slits for her legs or else performing the reverse round-house that she sends Leilani's way would've been very problematic. But the kick isn't the attack - the swath of blue energy that trails behind her foot to form almost a slamming wall of force is. "Kya!"
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Leilani's Waterspout.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big successfully hits Rock with California Romance EX.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Rock
Rock can feel both Leilani and Mr. Big's focus squarely on him. He's happy with that. He can take it. He's glad to be the source of their attention. It means that Hotaru can prepare for something else that will do more damage. But Howard has to admit, watching Mr. Big use his cane to deter the Reppuken's into twin chasming explosions along the front wall of the restaurant was alarming. He knows that Big is a finalist in World Warrior, but he figured he got there through cheating and fluke.
Rock might need to reevaluate. Jaw hardening with realization of his situation, he maintains his Hakyokusaken stance and narrows his eyes. They snap first to Leilani. He feels the trickling, tingling sensation near his core. Eyes dropping down, the first glimpse of the surging spout of water brings Rock into a smoothly practiced back handspring. Landing a few feet from his initial spot, he twists around and sends his booted foot into the side of one of the overturned tables. The thing barrels forward, intercepting the geyser of water with a swirling splash that sends water cascading across the dance floor.
It also has the unfortunate effect of getting in Rock's field of vision. Bending at the waist and sending an arm slicing across his eyes, it's just then that Mr. Big strikes. Rock is decleated and send barreling back and up from the twin impacts of the split staff. Landing in a backwards roll, end over end, Rock regains his composure after the third rotation. His heels plant and he skids a hand across the wooden floor.
"Okay," he admits, shooting a brief look at across the restaurant after Hotaru. "That was a nice shot, fat-man."
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Rock
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Leilani with Kobi Kyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Rock
The fact that her Waterspout failed to meet the intended target causes the Hawai'ian to frown deeply, only to have her scowl switched immediately thanks to the amazing display of fighting prowess that Big has shown. There was a definite reason she'd fallen for this man, and it was showing in full fore right now. This is excellent.
However, her attention is yanked away as the blue-haired girl rushes in. Immediately, Leilani tries to hurdle the short wall and get away from her attacker, only to be caught broadside as she leaps. The force of the blue chi propels her further into the air, causing her to slam into a wooden chair and shatter it. Rolling twice and spinning around into a crouch, her fingertips brush against a broken leg from the chair. Without a pause, the woman takes up the leg, spinning it deftly in her fingers for a moment before flinging it hard towards Hotaru. "Good t' see you too, wahine," she says flatly, trying to keep her eyes on both the young woman in front of her, and the blond man to the side.
"Fat?!" Mr. Big exclaims in shock as Rock congratulates him on the first of many brutal attacks to come. "FAT?!" Turning sideways, Mr. Big looks into the long mirror lining one side of the dance floor, pressing a hand against his stomach as he appraises himself. "Hmft. Kid, I never looked better," he decides as he tugs on the bottom of his waistcoat and turns back to regard Rock from behind his white sunglasses.
Giving the batons in his hands a casual spin, Mr. Big points one of the weapons at the young Howard threateningly. "That was just a taste, Heinlein," he informs Rock with a sneer. "Though I gotta hand it to you, it took balls for you to even show for a fight against me with nothin backing you up except this little Chinese tramp. Speaking of that, what do you think of the girl Leilani? She's kinda cute, but maybe a little too knock-kneed. You think she'd pull in much money?" he calls over to the dark beauty.
Smirking at Leilani's inevitable reply, Mr. Big turns back to Howard and swipes his batons through the air a couple more times, even going so far as to bending down and striking the dance floor, sending a feint ring of orange energy bursting around the gangster as the restaurant management frets over whether or not Howard Enterprises is going to follow through on the tab for the damages. "I heard you were training with some bum," Big remarks to the blonde. "How's that workin' out for you?" he asks with a grin.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big gathers his will.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Rock
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Leilani's Thrown Object.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Rock
Duke ventures southwest to Gedo Street.
Her first attack ended up landing pretty solidly and Hotaru stands her ground while Leilani gets her bearings back. The girl likes fighting, but she doesn't have a history of going after people while they're recovering and she isn't about to start now. That wouldn't be classy at all!
Speaking of classy... Big's remarks don't go unheard. Glancing his way, her hands tighten a little and her brow furrows. Tramp? Knock-kneed? Grrr. While she had hoped that Rock wouldn't get riled up earlier, it seems she isn't able to summon the same restraint herself. Besides, Leilani is off to the side. She can be ignored for a second. Right?
She ends up avoiding the chair leg thrown her way simply because... she isn't there anymore! Already running toward Big, the Chinese dressed Japanese girl tries to secure a hold on the larger (But perfectly good looking) man's arm. If she's able to get the leverage she seeks, she'll end up continuing on with her momentum and just running right up the front of him with a sequence of rapid stomps, only to backflip off his shoulders once she's reached the top.
Rock isn't sure which person Big is talking about. He's been training with a lot of people lately. Then again, only one of them is homeless. Grant might be homeless but Rock isn't sure -- the dude wears a mask and teleports around town so he can never follow him home to see. But Kain has a big McMansion so Grant probably lives in the cellar where he pretends to be Bonesaw.
"Pretty good!" Rock says right back to Big about the bum comment, not letting him get any sort of satisfaction out of the barb by virtue of playing it perfectly straight. But his spine tingles and his neck feels hot. This guy is so smug and confident. He's such a crappy person, he's firing insult bombs at Hotaru -- a perfectly nice girl and great fighter -- and he's strutting around like he's the king of the world.
Rock's jaw grinds open. "I'll show you, Big, how well my /training/ has gone. I'll give you a taste of something you've wanted for so long. A taste of my /father's/ power!" Waiting until Hotaru streaks by, executes her attack, and flips out of the way -- Rock Howard suddenly explodes forward into a full run.
His feet burn across the wooden floor of the dancefloor. They dance across the carpet, stepping in long strides over the debris of his overturned table, past the remnants of drywall the exploding reppukens created, and over the still expanding puddles of waterspout. He wills himself to be fast; so fast that he's within Mr. Big's reach in a blinding fury of an instant.
Eyes locking on the much larger man, Rock's body straightens, his fists curl, and his power level spikes. Breaking into Big's arm-span threshold, Rock's boots power skate the last half a foot on pure momentum before he slams both of his arms downward. A blinding blossom of golden chi rockets outward in every direction; a radial of sudden power, the foundation of the restaurant shaking with the unmistakable cry a Raging Storm.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big endures Rock's Raging Storm'.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big interrupts Shin-Jou Tai from Hotaru with California Romance.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Mr.Big 1/------=/=======|=======\====---\1 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Rock
There's a moment where Leilani feels relief when Hotaru runs off towards Big instead of her... The blue-haired girl hits like a freight train. However, there's the realization that she's attacking -Big-... And this sets the Hawai'ian off. Not in anger, but in action. Ocean blue eyes scan the surroundings before she stands, just as Rock charges. His back is turned. There's her opening.
Like a broken field runner, she bursts into action, getting amazing speed in five-inch heels. She's used to the things, after all. Dropping onto her knees, she skids along the ground, balling her fist and sliding it along the floor... before sending it rocketing up towards the young man's tailbone. It's a point that can disrupt the entire function of the lower body, and a prime target as the kid's back is turned.
Leilani's used this attack before. She nearly handpuppedted Shermie with it in another SNF. She prays that Rock doesn't step back like the French woman did.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has saved the state of this fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Mr.Big 1/------=/=======|=======\====---\1 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/----===|
"Feh. Your father's power. Howard's real power don't have much to do with physical strength or fighting styles. It's his killer instinct that you lack. You are weak Heinlein. Weak and a disgrace to your father's-" Pausing as he notices movement in his peripheral vision, the Diamond Don lips abandon their serious frown and twitch up into the beginnings of a sly grin at the sight of the young girl running straight for him with a very angry look in her eyes. Apparently his comments weren't well taken. "A'ight. Come on then. I'll show you what I think of your attempts at emulating your father," he prods Rock, spreading his arms wide in invitation as he watches Hotaru rush towards him from behind his dark sunglasses, Mr. Big practically serves his arm to her on a platter.
Yanking his arm towards his body the moment Hotaru clutches it, Mr. Big is struck by her feet a couple of times before drawing the girl close to his chest. "Hello there you sweet little thing," he whispers to her as she is pressed close to him, his breath minty and fresh as it escapes from between his pearly white teeth. "I'll have more time for you later, the boys are playing right now," he tells her regretfully before lifting her into the air with his arm and brutally smashing the baton in his other hand into her chest and head with a short hopping baton uppercut that sends her flying.
That nasty little piece of business out of the way, Mr. Big turns back towards Rock just in time to be enveloped by a maelstrom of golden chi, an attack that he has seen a few times. Most of the unfortunate souls that the gangster witnessed on the business end of the Storm weren't in much shape to relate their experience afterwards. The pure concussive force of the chi torrent sends him skidding backwards across the restaurant floor, though he manages to keep his feet throughout the ordeal. "Not bad Heinlein. But not quite good enough I'm afraid," Big informs the kid with mock sorrow.
Getting the grip she sought on Big's arm, Hotaru thought for a moment that she was good to just keep on going with the momentum from her charge in. But the moment his arm shifts, she realizes that she hadn't caught him off guard at all. Eyes widen as for a moment she stares at her own reflection in the sunglasses of the man she saw beat her instructor in a SNF fight the week before. This isn't the kind of man you want to be caught by...
She hangs there for a moment, gritting her teeth at the brush off, "I'm not-" Hotaru begins to retort, only to be cut off by the crushing baton strikes from the Syndicate fighter. It would be easy to tell that for as damaging as Big's baton attack was against Rock, his smaller teammate is even less able to absorb the strikes. Sent flying upward at a somewhat steep arc, she ends up landing hard on her back against the smooth surface of the floor, gasping from the pain that wracks her now. She doesn't remember having someone take so much out of her in a single attack since Jiro smashed her through a bar.
Rolling onto her side, young Futaba coughs, lifting a hand to rub against the side of her head. The only way to fight against that kind of power is to give it everything she has, she decides, pushing back up to her feet slowly, eyes taking a moment to focus on Big from where he got forced in the opposite by Rock's attack.
It would be better for her to focus on an opponent closer to her in ability, but right now she's all but forgotten the Hawai'ian who seems intent on working Rock over for a bit anyway. Hands clenching, Hotaru takes a moment to breath in and out once, then she finally sprints back for Big a second time, for better or worse. Several yards out, she slides into a very low crouch at the feet of the largest fighter in this match. "Tenshou-" The attack starts with a powerful flip kick into the air, but it isn't the kick alone that she pours into this, but a sudden burst of blue energy that augments the strength of her entire attack, providing both speed and force to try and knock Big down.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Strong Punch from Leilani with Gedan Crack Counter.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Mr.Big 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Leilani 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rock
th @emit
Rock exhales and inhales several times, steadying himself after the anguish of releasing the Raging Storm. It's one of his most powerful techniques. He's used it to flatten men who were considered far greater fighters than Mr. Big. Yet, here the Southtown Enforcer still stands. Here, he barely looks winded. He's still got a mouth and he's still cutting those lines back at the younger Howard. That's annoying. That, Rock Howard, cannot abide.
"Big," he says, his eyes narrowing. He prepares to unleash one of the greatest lines in the history of our sport. "The Jerk Store called and they're--" The ultimate line is interrupted when, out of his peripheral, Rock catches wind of Leilani's surging assault. Red eyes snapping to her as he suddenly slams a pair of booted steps back, Rock brings his right arm up in an intercepting pattern for her leg.
The two connect with a snap, Rock's palm and the Hawaiian girl's heel. There is a momentary shifting of power, the momentum of the kick thundering down through Rock's body as he manipulates the forces with his chi. Then he's all speed and reaction. Twisting forward in a pivot on a heel, Howard tucks his arm towards his body and sends his elbow barreling straight in for Leilani's ribcage while his other hand releases its grip on her long leg.
Satisfied, Rock rises and straightens his bowtie, eyes drifting to track Hotaru's sudden explosion of chi. Eventide is going to need a few million dollar rennovation after this.
Sliding along the ground, the Hawai'ian finds herself instead on the wrong end of the junior Howard's offensive. Teeth gritting in pain as she is pummeled and sent flying backwards, she slams unceremoniously into the floor, her dress riding up almost indecently. In fact, the image will be posted online and drooled all over by fighting fanboys for days.
Slowly picking herself up, Leilani holds the back of her head for a long moment before trying to catch Big's eye. Thinking she has, she nods to her "daddy", and looks at the situation. "Let's do this," she says softly, rushing forward towards Rock. Instead of attacking, however, she lets out a battle cry in order to distract him... and maybe, in fact, Hotaru as well.
Perhaps it'll help out her boss. That's all she cares about. Because he seems to be the target of their opponent's hostilities, and she can't seem to divert their attentions on her own...
COMBATSYS: Leilani assists Mr.Big.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Mr.Big 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Leilani 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Mr.Big with Ten-shou Ranki EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Mr.Big 1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Leilani 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rock
The chi-torrent imbued flip kick gives Hotaru enough momentum to carry her high into the air. While the power behind that knockdown attack is enough to most of the opponents the girl has faced, she knows from experience with a particular ex-football player that she can't expect men of Big's stature to get knocked down by the flip kick alone. That's easy to correct for, however, and at the apex of her momentum through the air, she flips forward into a dive back down toward Big at an angle, knocking him the rest of the way off his feet.
When the two come sliding to a stop several yards away, young Hotaru is kneeling on top of big such that her knees dig into his stomach, a lot more of her black nylon covered legs visible now than when she was stsanding. Her hands are together, pressed against his chest as she leans forward against him. "aaaaaaAAAAH!" she kiai's, building up a tremendous amount of energy around the two, pulling from within as well as from without. It manifests in the form of a blue sphere of energy around the girl that she builds up over the matter of a second or so.
When she can push herself no further, she draws all of that pent up power back into her self, channeling it directly into Big's chest, her own body acting as a conduit. The focal point is the two palms pressed into his chest, and it is there that all her chi surges into a blue and yellow spherical explosion that literally conceals the two of them for a moment, "KYAA!"
Even as the blindingly bright light fades, Hotaru exhales tiredly, leaning forward harder now, practically propping herself up against Big with her hands as her shoulders sink a little and her eyes close, looking thoroughly spent after that effort. The collateral damage to the floor around them and the ceiling above is far from neglible, as small pieces of the roof over Big and Hotaru come raining down around them.
Quirking an eyebrow at Hotaru as she begins to rush towards him once more, Mr. Big's lips pull into a wolfish grin. "Back for more so soon girly?" he asks. "I think the little tramp has a crush on me, Leilani. She just can't get enough of Mr. Big," he calls out to his island princess. Stumbling back as step as Hotaru flips towards him, Mr. Big takes the kick on the chest with a grunt. "Nice try gir-" he begins, but is soon cut off as Futaba reverses her momentum and slams into his chest, knocking him off of his feet.
"What the hell..." Mr. Big mutters in bewilderment as the young girl ends up on top of him and a number of interesting thoughts begin to fly though his head. His mouth falling agape as the girl begins to lean into him, clenching her eyes shut as she cries out in the memorable high-pitched tone of a straining young girl. His eyes begin to roll back in his head slightly as the girl on top of him continues to build energy, he can almost feel the vigor draining out of him as she pulls greedily from her surroundings. As the blue orb of chi begins to build between the two, Mr. Big seems lost in his own mind, thoroughly caught up in the currant of Hotaru's ultimate attack. And then finally she allows herself release, channeling the enormous power of her built up energy into Mr. Big's chest. As the explosion envelopes the pair, Mr. Big's mouth can briefly be seen curling into a pained smile before he is lost from sight for a moment. The brilliant light having faded, Mr. Big's sunglasses are revealed to have become crooked on his face, one of the lenses spider-webbed with cracks.
A lit cigarette has also miraculously appeared between his lips.
"Damn girl..." Mr. Big groans as he begins to stir, Hotaru's weight, as little as it is, pressing against his chest in exhaustion. "...now WHERE did you learn a trick like that?" Mr. Big considers her drowsy form for a moment before releasing his batons and thrusting a hand up towards her throat, trying to envelop her lithe neck with his large palm as his other seeks out her upper leg at his side. "I have some tricks of my own I could teach you..." he purrs as he attempts to grasp the young girl in his clutches.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big successfully hits Hotaru with Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Mr.Big 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Leilani 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rock
His hand grasping Hotaru strongly by the throat, the Platinum Player easily cuts off her air supply with the slightest of pressure. "Mmm..." Mr. Big murmurs happily as his other hand grabs her now exposed upper leg brusquely. Bringing the hand clenched around her throat down towards his chest, Mr. Big pulls her face painfully close to his, the effects of her lack of oxygen presumably visible on her face. A sick smirk on his visage, the Pimpcane Papi Chulo stops just short of their faces making contact. "...but right now we have a fight to finish..." he informs her in a husky, sultry tone. Releasing her throat so she can gasp for breath, Mr. Big quickly disposes of the girl by flinging her off to the side by her leg. "Ahh..." Mr. Big gasps in relaxation as he pushes himself to his feet and taking a drag off of his mystery cigarette. "What?" he asks with a somewhat defensive shrug towards Leilani's direction.
She's slow to react as Big reaches up for her, perhaps counting on him being more out of it than he is at the moment. Eyes widening as she finds her ability to breath cut off, Hotaru attempts to frantically struggle free from his frim grip, but is unable to get loose. In the end, she finds herself tossed to the side, landing hard, but managing to roll up into a crouch all the same.
With one hand resting against the floor, Hotaru rests her other hand against her neck for a long moment, gasping for breath as a more natural color rapidly returns to her face. Between having poured everything she had into perhaps the world's WORST attempt at trying to get someone to take her seriously, the girl finally sets her sights on Big's partner in this fight, Leilani. Yeah... maybe she should just stick to trying to deal with /her/ instead of throwing herself at Big over and over.
But for now, she needs to get her head back in the fight, already chiding herself for having gotten baited into fighting someone well outside of her calibur in the first place. She should be better about that! Maybe it's all that machismo over at the Kyokugen dojo, she muses.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Mr.Big 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Leilani 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rock
Rock stares down at Mr. Big and Leilani, breath held tight in his chest as he waits for an opening. Eventide is in shambles; the dance floor has been devestated by multiple chi assaults, including a Raging Storm, which is never good for collateral. The Ten-shou Ranki, waterspouts, and California Dreams haven't helped things. Especially the Ten-shou Ranki. The scarred the chef, watching from behind the double-doors to the kitchen, for life. He pulled an Oedipus just thinking about poor innocent and lovable Hotaru and big, scary, mean Mr. Big in such a compromising position.
In the course of doing this, he stumbled past the Pastry station. Jarred loose, the desert cart bursts through the kitchen double doorway and out onto the dance floor -- born on four wheels and a freshly glazed heaping of delicious deserts. Picking up steam from the continued momentum, the cart comes bouncing across the broken dance floor, some of the danishes and strawberry cheesecake falling off. The plates shatter on impact.
Taking a step forward, Rock Howard casually moves a toe and stops the wheeled carts path. He looks away from Big and down to the tray. He looks up at Big; Hotaru is clear. He looks down at the tray.
Mr. Big was a finalist in the most famous tournament the fighting world has ever seen. The World Warrior. The original. Short of the King of Fighters, there is no higher esteem a professional fighter can earn than to be a finalist in the World Warrior. It's arguable amongst the fighting circuit, the message boards, the blogs, and the media just which tournament is truly the most prestigious. The fact that Big made it to the final match -- the fact that he was trading blows with Kyo Kusanagi until that final breath -- that tells you something. This is a man who knows how to knock a man unconscious. This is a man who knows how to eat a punch. This is a man who can handle himself in a fight; this a man that you don't mess with if you value your life--
Rock takes one step forward. Curled fingers. A twist at the waist and a thrust of the arm. With a whistle, an entire Quadruple Layer Double-Fudge Chocolate Cake is thrown at Mr. Big. With sprinkles.
"I can hardly blame her, baby," the Hawai'ian calls out to Big, just before Hotaru charges the Diamond Don. Suddenly, her brow furrows... What the...? Leilani has fought both with and against Hotaru, and has not yet seen her do THAT. Her jaw goes slack for a bit, watching the goings on with a confused, yet slightly amused look on her face.
A wide, knowing smile crosses the Shark's face, eyebrows flickering upwards at Big before he makes his final comment. "Nothing," she muses, turning her attentions to the slightly out-of-it Futaba. Stepping forward, she eyes her female counterpart, purring as she stalks forward, "So now you've gotten a taste of my daddy, honey." Silk-covered fingers reach out to trace along Hotaru's jaw, to pass behind her ear and grab a handful of blue hair. "Least you could've done is asked first."
If she gets that grip, it's a bad sign for the Kyokugenryuu student, as she'll be given a some head. As in trauma.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big fails to interrupt Large Thrown Object from Rock with Drum Shot Typhoon.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Leilani 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Rock
Adjusting his broken glasses so they at least sit right on his face, Mr. Big turns to face Rock as the kid whistles loudly. "What the hell..." Mr. Big mutters as the cake is launched at him. Who throws a cake? Deftly scooping his batons off of the ground, Mr. Big charges at the pastry, his batons cocked back and ready to smash the confection out of the air as he makes his way towards Geese's child. "You must be desperate kid..." the Diamond Don growls at him as he makes to dispatch the cake with a swipe of his baton... that is, until the strength suddenly leaves his legs, causing him to stumble. Hotaru's 'attack' must have taken more out of him than he though... "Nnngh..." Big groans, clutching the side of his head -just- as the cake slams into his face, knocking him backwards onto his butt and covering his once-bright white suit with frosting, cake, and sprinkles.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru fails to interrupt Diamondhead from Leilani with Tenshin Shou EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Leilani 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Leilani 1/-------/=======|
When Leilani approaches Hotaru, the girl in the blue Chinese dress is having a hard time focusing on her. It would seem that Big denied her oxygen long enough that she might have ended up being closer to blacking out than she realized when she finally stood up, thinking herself ready to fight.
When Leilani reaches out for her though, Hotaru finds her vision blurring again and she squints, "It wasn't like that," she tries to protest. When she feels the back of her hair snagged by the young woman's hands, Hotaru tries to crouch down and spring back up, perhaps thinking to butt her head right back into Leilani's, too wasted to attack with any more finese than that.
But the tight hold on her hair keeps her from getting the leverage she was hoping for and her lunge back into Leilani ends up not doing much at all to hurt the other girl. But it's finished Hotaru off completely as she stumbles backward, hands coming up to press against her forehead. When she finally backs into the wall, her feet slip out from under her and she ends up sliding to the floor into a seated position. With the way she remains still and her head hangs forward, it's clear that she won't be getting back into this fight.
Rock can't help but crack a grin at the sight of Mr. Big eating a face full of quadruple-layered double fudge cake. That's gotta be one of the best things he's ever seen. It's too bad he can't really enjoy it, though, because two seconds later his attention is forced to shift to the other side of the restaurant. Hotaru just bought it big time... And she's not getting up. That is bad. That's really bad. Suddenly, as recognition dawns on his hardening brow and frowning face, Rock isn't sure how he's going to get out of this mess.
Hoping that Hotaru will be able to haul herself up, Rock angles his attention back onto the Syndicate duo. He reminds himself that they represent his father and his father's criminal organization. Beating them down is like beating that man down. Resolve settling, Rock flexes his finger tips, making fresh fists. Tilting his neck, he clears a kink, and his jaw flattens. "Okay," he calls. "Now you guys can show me what you really can do!"
But Rock isn't going to wait, either. Suddenly breaking forward into another run, he pushes past the dessert tray and it's delicious offering of chocolate mousse and lemon sorbet, and comes barreling in towards Leilani. One toe twisting into the restaurant foundation a half a step out of the woman's armspan and Rock goes airborn. Skimming a foot off the ground forward, Rock's right fist curls back, muscles snapping tense, and then the knuckles rocket forward with a full extension as he crosses into her personal threshold.
He's gotta keep the heat on to prevent them from coordinating if he's gonna survive this.
* COMBATSYS: Leilani auto-guards Rock's Fierce Punch!
Watching the blue-haired girl stumble backwards and slump against the wall, the Hawai'ian smiles and shrugs at her unconscious form. "Oh, Hotaru, honey," she says, shaking her head with a smile. "I know it wasn't like that. You didn't grind it in, after all."
Turning towards the pair's lone opponent, she starts to dance. Not a ballroom style dance, but one of the islands of Hawai'i... the hula. As Rock takes flight, she takes a step back and puts her hand out. With a gentle slap, her palms the thrown punch and steps to the side. "Nanananana," she says, letting Howard land. "Don't t'ink so, broddah."
Immediately moving after the man after her statement, she reaches out for a handful of blonde hair. If he wants to go airborne, she can certainly provide a reason for it...
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-------|
Growling and mutters curses under his breath, Mr. Big attempts to wipe the cake and frosting off of his glasses. "Dammit," he mutters as he comes to terms with the fact that his glasses are trashed beyond repair. "Ah well. Always keep a spare." Reaching into his coat, the Platinum Player pulls out another pair of sunglasses identical to the first. Keeping his eyes clenched shut as he tosses his old pair away, the gangster sighs in relief as he places the fresh headwear on his face. "Much better."
Realising that there is still a fight going on, Mr. Big turns just in time to watch Leilani foil Rock's attack with Hotaru laying nearby. "Hah! Way to go babe!" Big cheers happily as he removes his cake covered tuxedo coat and tosses it to the ground.
Feeling a /little/ better about his appearance, though his waistcoat and pants are still stained by the chocolate, the Sultan of Southtown curls his lip in thought as he hefts one of his batons. "Commin your way babe!" Mr. Big calls out to Leilani. "GROUND BLAZER!" he intones soon after, swiping the weapon upward towards the ceiling. As the baton rises a spark of orange chi flies from it's tip and a bright orange flare of flaming chi bursts from the dance floor, sending splinters flying through the air as the Blazer travels towards the pair. If Leilani is paying attention she might be able to negotiate Rock into getting hit by the projectile as she attacks him, or failing that he could just happen to dodge into the thing as he tries to avoid her attack. Either way is fine with Big, just so long as Rock gets hit.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big successfully hits Rock with Ground Blazer.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rock interrupts Banzai Pipeline from Leilani with Rising Tackle.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-======|
Having snagged a handful of hair, the Hawai'ian stabs a finger between Rock's shoulderblades, hitting a nerve center and forcing his shoulders to instinctively shrug back in pain. Yanking that hair around, she spins on her heel, pulling out some of the boy's hair... and realizing, just moments too late, that she's about to get messed up.
Rock is surprised. The girl's defenses are good. Then again, he's not sure /why/ he's surprised. His father doesn't employ people who can't handle their own in tough situations. He holds every 'employee' to a rigorous regimen because they are out there representing him. That's why Rock is such a problem. He's undeniably linked to the man in the Tower and he is incredibly counterproductive to his goals of ruling Southtown.
Coiling his fist back after it is swallowed by her dancing defense, Rock shifts his weight just in time to see Mr. Big gearing up for a very obvious and famous Ground Blaster -- a chunk of his blond hair yanked with it. There's only about a half a second to reaction. Rocking to the balls of his other foot, Rock swings his leg back from Leilani's direction, plants both of his feet, and then launches himself straight into her; one leg and then the next corkscrewing to lead the way.
Chi bristles off his body as he buries his boot into the Hawaiian woman, lifting her a few feet off the air before he's dropping back to the ground. He lands in a croch on one knee, twists his head back to Big, and feels the burn. The wave of chi slams into him like a locomotive, knocking him straight up and back. Rock slams into the far wall of the restaurant, crumbling through a fancy mural of two Cowboys on the Range, riding their horses. It crashes down around him.
She can take comfort in the fact that she caused Rock to essentially land in front of Big's wave of chi. Even as she slowly pulls herself to her feet, she smiles at the carnage that Rock's body has caused. "Well, that worked, in an ass-backwards way," she mutters to herself. That hurt a bit.
Eyeing the downed man, she smiles gently, calling over to Rock, "Hey, kiddo... Y'know, y'can go ahead and throw in the towel, it's okay." An insult, to be sure, seeing as she's the one that's been kicked a bunch in the head recently. Dropping into a crouch, she drags her fingers across the floor before standing and raising her arm up, twisting her hand... And, once again, the swirling torrent of water cracks through the broken floor, picking up chunks of debris before twisting towards the heir of Geese. "Here, have a drink."
Ha! That couldn't have worked better! Well.. Leilani could have avoided being hurt, but hey, she's a tough girl! Glancing at his baton and pondering unleashing another Blazer at Rock, something else catches Mr. Big's eye and he gets an even better idea. "A /taste/ of your own medicine!" Mr. Big one-liners as he sends a banana cream pie, fresh off of the dessert cart flying towards Rock. "He's about to get his just desserts," he comments to the nearby chef, causing him to groan. "He can have his pie and eat it too?" Mr. Big asks pathetically. Trash talking is one thing, one-liners, unfortunately are another.
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Leilani's Waterspout.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Rock
[ \\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Rock overcomes Thrown Object from Mr.Big with Raging Storm'.
Glancing Hit
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-======|
Rock hauls himself to his feet. He rubs a hand against his head, feeling the missing spot of hair. His tuxedo is trashed but his red fighting coat is still firmly in place on his shoulders. He's going to owe the rental place an entirely new pair of slacks, shirt, cumberbund, and bow tie. But that doesn't matter here. What matters is putting his best foot forward in the face of terrible adversity.
Eyes widening when Leilani is back up and sending more geysers of water at him, Rock rips himself free of the canvas shards from the mural and dives to the side. The waterspout explodes into the wall behind him, condensed spray soldering through the outer-layers of wallpaper and drywall to reveal some of the factory lining.
Coming out of the roll, Rock is a half dozen feet from Mr. Big. There's a pie between them. It won't survive what's to come. Blitzing forward, Rock goes all supernova again. His voice calls out but it's drowned by the second experience Eventide has felt of the Raging Storm this night. Energy pools and explodes in a golden shower in every direction, the foundation of the restaurant rumbling as the chi shockwaves out.
Well, fuck, he didn't stay down. That's a shame... It'd be kinda nice to have him just give it up and pay for the Syndicate's dinner. But, such as it is. When he gets out of the way of the Waterspout, she frowns... But not nearly as much as when he starts to explode.
Eyes going wide, the woman starts rushing towards the blonde and his target. Like a crazyperson, she screams, "NO!" as the Raging Storm surges forward, stopping her forward momentum out of an instinct of self-preservation. Crap. "C'mon, baby, let's end this!" she shouts, preparing to put herself in the way of Rock's escape plans after this...
COMBATSYS: Leilani assists Mr.Big.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big dodges Rock's Raging Storm'.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-======|
"Crap," Big says plainly as he watches the pie become vaporized mid-flight by the torrent of energy. Grabbing hold of the metal dessert cart, the Diamond Don quickly flips the thing on end and ducks behind it. Gritting his teeth as the energy whips around him and turns the cart red hot, Mr. Big counts himself lucky that he was far enough away from the epicenter of the maelstrom to escape it's wrath. "Alright kid, this has gone on long enough," Mr. Big informs Rock as he smashes the cart aside with a quick baton strike. Taking a couple of steps in Rock's direction as Leilani attempts to block off his escape routes, the Chrome-Dome Don suddenly tucks and rolls on his shoulder, the maneuver quickly carrying him to striking distance. Coming out of his roll into a crouch, Mr. Big thrusts forward into Rock's gut with both of his batons, hoping to knock the wind, and not to mention the fight, right out of the blonde.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Medium Strike from Mr.Big with Gedan Crack Counter.
[ \\\ < > //// ]
Mr.Big 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-======|
Rock tracks the desert cart's disappearance with red eyes. He really wanted to eat one of those creme brulee's later, after he was done fighting these two Southsynd jackals. "I agree," he answers to Big's comment about how long it's gone on, taking a protective step back from the much larger man as the cart clatters and skids across the restaurant's destroyed marquee floor. Catching Leilani's positioning out of the corner of his eye, Rock gulps -- he only has one option left to him as Big rhino-runs at him with his batons.
Make it work for you. The minute Big tucks and rolls, Rock's toes curl and his body tenses. He waits until the absolute moment that Big's vision is blinded by the contortions of his body and then he leaps into the air. Arcing forward, Rock performs an open flip over Big as the man rolls across the ground and is forced to come out of the roll facing the broken cowboy mural wall and nothing more.
Completing three quarters of a revolution, one of Rock's booted feet pings off the back of Big's skull as he comes spinning down through the somersaulting flip. Using the impact for thrust, Rock lands on the direct opposite side of the Big. He stares right at Leilani -- rather than watch his handiwork -- and says, "You can give up, hon. Nobody will hold it against /you/."
Well, that didn't work out how she was hoping it would. As Rock smacks her man around, Leilani is caught unawares, and is forced to hop out of the way in order to not be rolled up like a katamari along with Big. Hmph.
"You're right," she coos, stepping towards the junior Howard, eyes lidding. A look of lustful hunger crosses her eyes as she approaches him, reaching out to gently place a hand on his chest. "I could give it up to you..." Dragging a finger down her own chest as she slips even closer, her tongue trailing gently across the edges of her teeth and lips. "You're strong, Rock. I like strong men..." Taking a deep, trembling breath, she attempts to place a kiss upon Rock's lips...
And if she does, he'll get a nice, long kiss... that will end with the flat of her forehead slamming hard into the blonde's nose.
Caught TOTALLY by surprise as Rock manages to counter his attack, Mr. Big sits dazed for a moment, staring at the wall. "Nnnnghh..." the gangster groans unintelligibly as he begins to snap his batons back together into one long white cane, his hands seem to work of their own accord as Big stares off into the distance. Whipping his body around to face Rock's back as he speaks to Leilani, Mr. Big simply lunges forward towards Rock, using the staff like a spear as he tries to knock the kid on the back of his head. Totally oblivious to Leilani's plans, Mr. Big simply falls on his face after his using the last of his energy, where he lays unconscious for the time being.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Big can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\ < > //// ]
Leilani 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Leilani successfully hits Rock with Diamondhead.
[ \\\\\ < > / ]
Leilani 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Mr.Big's Staff Thrust.
[ \\\\\ < > ]
Leilani 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Rock
Rock Howard is the son of Geese Howard, one of the toughest and most disciplined men on the planet. Nothing phases Geese. He could be in the arctic watching polar bears play checkers and he wouldn't break his meditations. Rock hasn't inherited this gene yet. Especially not when it comes to his achilles heel, girls! Gulping suddenly when Leilani starts being seductive and alluring, moving towards, him -- he visibly flushes to a shade of red once she crosses from 'fight fight' into 'hmmm' territory in his space bubble.
"G-give," he says, looking uncomfortable, eyes tracking her fingertip across his chest. It's still got some bandages underneath from Yamazaki, one of their 'coworkers.' "--Give what up? This is a /figh--/!?"
SMACK.
Rock gets his first kiss.
SMACK.
Rock gets his first baton lesson.
Stumbling forward from Leilani's much more favorable grip, Rock eats her headbutt a second later. It sends him tumbling back. He narrowly misses the collapsing form of Big, coming about on the edge of the dance floor. Every muscle and bone burns in his body but he wills himself to focus. The walls on his vision are closing. He can only remember one thing and will it to happen. He can only remember how to do what he watched Terry Bogard do so many times over the last ten years. "AAAAAHHHHHH!" Rock screams like a mad man, suddenly running forward. He steps on Big's back, jumps, and his right fist curls with chi. Meeting Leilani on the drop from his apogee, he power dunks his hand into an exploding half-sphere of golden chi all around them. Power dunk!
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\ <
Leilani 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Leilani fails to counter Rage Run Dunk from Rock with Counter Strike.
COMBATSYS: Leilani can no longer fight.
Mm. Soft lips. The taste of the lips of someone whom has never had this happen to them before.
Alas.
Slamming her head against the son of the man whom calls the shots, she steps back as the boy staggers... and then hops around, leaping off of her daddy and leaping at her with a glowing fist of doom.
She reaches out, trying to grab the fist as it comes out, but the burning energy of the incoming chi forces her hand back instintually, and instead she finds herself flying across the dance hall.
Oh ow.
Sliding to a stop, the hem of her dress sprawled over her waist, she brushes it down to maintain decency before the lights start to go dim.
Alas.
Log created on 21:43:18 06/25/2007 by Hotaru, and last modified on 18:58:55 07/05/2007.