Description: Guns n' Roses (1987). Elle ties up a loose thread by testing Aranha out of candidacy for Blackjack membership... whether Aranha likes it or not. After beating the boy senseless, Elle discovers that Aranha wants out of the business without fully understanding just how deep in it he is. She gives him a little advice before he goes on his way.
Aranha's fighting career has been looking up when he figured out how to ditch the witch. Or was it witch decided to ditch him? He didn't care. He's free, dammit. He had a win in his most recent SNF, and a Neo League tie against Momoko who in spite of her age, was favored to win on paper and today managing a tie against Soma in a Neo League fight. While it wasn't a win it was atleast a sign that things were looking up.
Aranha took his winnings from that fight and now planned on celebrating it alone eating some gourmet Chinese food and is carrying his bag as he makes his way back to his apartment.
Aranha was freed the second the order was issued from Elle's lips to Naerose's ears. Her orders were clear, and even the spastic witch knew that following them was her best bet. Naerose has moved on to bigger and better things, and Elle's left with the task of cleaning up the loose threads that she's created. The boy theif's prognosis from Naerose seemed rather bleak, and Elle is here now to see if Naerose's observations are correct or if the witch simply just jinxed the boy.
So when Aranha arrives at his apartment, Elle is standing at his door, dressed in military boots, camo pants, and a black tank top, her signature weapon strapped to her back with the peculiar holster. A long gold cord is wound around her left arm, making her look all the world like some odd commando.
"Looks like my girl gave you a thumbs down," Elle says as she sees the boy, her voice flat, emotionless, with a dry rasp to it that gives her a certain sense of finality. "I don't like leaving things to chance." The woman falls into a combat stance easily. "Let me see for myself, and I'll leave you alonge for good."
COMBATSYS: Elle has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Elle 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Aranha has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Elle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Aranha
Aranha didn't expect for Elle to show up. He just assumed that when he heard nothing from them, that he was off the hook and everything would return to what passes for status quo. Make some money at dice games, make some money in the fight circuit and possibly get a real job with 'acquisitions' job offers coming in here and there from people.
"Well now," Aranha says with a smile as he pulls his Oakley Thumps out of his pocket and slides them onto his face. "If you provide the music I can dance to it." With a click his sunglasses pump his actual music into his ears as he begins to sway with the music as he goes into ginga.
The movements are relaxed until he suddenly swings a foot for Elle's right ribs to get some information about her.
COMBATSYS: Elle endures Aranha's Short Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Elle 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Aranha
Elle doesn't move. In fact, she doesn't even flinch as the leg crashes into her side, solidly connecting with her ribcage. The woman is soldily build, and while the attack staggers her, it doesn't seem to partcularly bother her all that much that she's been kicked. Certainly it hurts, but she's learned to just not display the pain in exhcange for being able to use that moment between the feeling of triumph and the planning of the next action to react.
And react she does.
In that thin instant between thinking and doing, Elle whirls around, pivoting on her foot as she simultaneously unwinds part of the cord from her arm. The thin line is stretched taut, and Elle swoops behind Aranha, attempting to strangle the boy with the improvised weapon. She sends a powerful jolt of electricity down the length for good measure, should she manage to hit.
COMBATSYS: Elle successfully hits Aranha with Powerslave.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Elle 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Aranha
Aranha didn't expect a lot of what just happened. One he didn't expect for her to just take it. He didn't expect for her to get around him as quickly as she did and especially didn't expect that getting strangled would hurt that freakin much. To his credit he doesn't scream out in pain but he also doesn't look very well.
Eventually Aranha uses his leg strength to push his way out of the strangle hold before leaping up off the wall kicking himself off the wall and right at Elle with a foot extended as he tries to pass by her.
COMBATSYS: Elle blocks Aranha's Sky's the Limit.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Elle 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Aranha
An impassive eye watches as the parkour expert goes airborne. The wheels in her head turn quickly, and as he comes in to crush her with a powerful kick she steadies herself and raises a forearm. Though she shakes under the impact, the woman looks none worse for the wear, the damage received being relatively minimal despite for force with which it hit.
She doesn't waste any time with recovery, though, as she feints forward, her hand outstretched. Her fingers grasp at the air in front of him just shy of his collar to disguise her real assault. As one hand snatches at his neck, the other is swooping in low to lift the boy up by the front of his shirt.
If she succeeds, she'll fling the boy aside like a rag doll, hurling him into the door of his apartment and possibly smashing it open and ruining his chances of getting his safety deposit.
COMBATSYS: Elle successfully hits Aranha with Medium Throw.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Elle 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Aranha
He seems to see everything coming. He sees the feint for what it truly is however for some reason he just can't seem to get moving. He leaps up and back as he tries to perform a back handspring to pull his leg out of the way. It's a logical response considering his chosen martial art but it just seems to make Elle's job easier and he is flung through the door creating a hole in it the size of his head.
With a groan, the capoeirista pulls his head out and turns towards and mutters. At this point he shakes his head and then dives down the steps landing right next to Elle in a handstand as he begins to whirl rapidly with his feet. He's not liking his inability to make an impression on anything more than the sidewalk and the apartment door.
COMBATSYS: Elle blocks Aranha's Inverted Tornado.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Elle 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Aranha
The mercenary's head turns rapidly, her eyes flicking back and forth as she tracks the ballistic young man. He's got speed and balance on his side definitely. Elle's a slow moving slug compared to Aranha's acrobatic displays. In fact, she's barely moved from her original spot on the ground as she pivots on her heel again as the boy's rapidly spinning feet crash against her heavy defenses.
This time, the boy's shoes batter against her upraised arm entwined in the metal wire, causing less damage than usual. It's just not enough to do much in the way of damage to the heavily armored rocker chick. Still, there's no sense giving him any quarter. Elle just doesn't seem to have anything approaching mercy or a sense of fair play.
With the crack of what sounds like thunder, Elle switches her posture. Instead of leaning back to keep on the defensive, she immediately lunges forward at the first opening she sees, and moves her right palm so that it's inches away from the spinning boy's stomach. With an ear splitting screech of a heavy metal chord, she unleashes a massive sonic chi blast, designed to rip away at the ear drums and rupture blood vessels.
COMBATSYS: Aranha blocks Elle's Metal Health.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Elle 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Aranha
When something like that comes along, there's no blocking it. It's just too expansive. Instead he immediately drops out of the handstand and into a crouch with his fingers curled around the shades to keep them from shattering in his eyes. He's also lucky the earbuds in his ear offer at least a small amount of protection from it. "Hmmm... You have an interesting sound."
After that he, goes silent as he leaps high into the air as he brings his legs together, straight and tucks them towards his chest as he twists around in the air and brings his feet down on top of the Blackjack leader.
COMBATSYS: Elle endures Aranha's Armada Dupla.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Elle 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Aranha
The boy's feet crash into the mercenary without much issue, and she's tossed back by the impact. However, she rolls with the hit, and doesn't go down like a ton of bricks. Instead, she rolls once before springing back up again in a three-point brace along the ground, her boots kicking up dirt behind her as she slows her involuntary movement.
With the distance opened up between her and her opponent, Elle takes a moment to fire up her alternative aura. The sonic chi is soon replaced by the sharp crack of electrical power arcing through her frame, and the blue arcs lick across her body
The nergy signature builds up along her frame, and soon starts to dance around her arm, roiling with impressive fury as she raises the hand covered with the wire. The blue sparks shift to while, coiling and writhing along her limb as she points her hand at the boy and lets loose with a powerful electrical blast, the coalesced blast of power winding towards Aranha like a incandescent serpent as she tries to blow the lad apart with her chi.
COMBATSYS: Elle successfully hits Aranha with Whitesnake.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Elle 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Aranha
Once again the analytical capoeirista looks for way out. Unfortunately he can't see it. Accepting his limitations he knows he can't dodge it and can't block it because it's coming too quickly at him. So what does he do when he has no options left? He tries to charge through. Unfortunately he doesn't really have that option either.
He is thrown backwards tossed aside like a rag doll once again though this time from a distance as he hits the door once again. This time it's ass planted through that previously made hole.
It takes a bit of effort but eventually he gets himself out of the hole in the door and dashes towards the rocker/mastermind before he unleashes a torrent of attacks. A series of blue glowing kicks flying at Elle before he finishes with a rapid series of spinning handstand kicks all glowing with blue chi as well.
COMBATSYS: Aranha can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Elle 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Elle with Royal Flush EX.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Elle 0/-------/----===|
And after the kicks make contact, he falls over not able to keep himself balanced any longer. He lays on the ground desperately gasping for air as he looks up at the other fighter. And laughs loudly. Probably louder than he probably should but he doesn't care. "At this point, I'm pretty sure I've justified her thumbs down after that performance. Eh, sometimes you just draw dead."
Elle made the decision to try to move out of the way instead of straight blocking like she usually does, and ends up paying for it. The feet smash against her in rapid succession, kicking her body about like a sack of potatoes. However when the blows subside, Elle's still standing there, bruised but unbowed. It would seem that she managed to steel herself against the attacks just in time, shunting the damage and pain from her hits by angling her body and simply sucking it up.
The durable mercenary rocker pauses for a moment before listening to the boy. She gives him a shrug. "You have a lot of physical power... but that's it," she replies bluntly. "Paired up with the fact that you're just a dumb kid, you're going to get your face caved in more than a few times." She tosses a packet of something onto the fallen boy's chest. "Here. Painkillers and some bandages for the burns."
"More importantly," she continues, "You still have a conscience. I don't need that in a person, especially not a thief. You don't know what you're doing. My suggestion is to get out of the business before someone like me, except worse, rips off your head and uses it as a bedpan." She turns about, heading away. "If you're lucky, you'll never see me again. Then again, this is a small town sometimes."
"You know, I have been trying to get out. And some people still are trying to drag me back in. Convinced that eventually get an itch again. Someone with quite a rep in the city wanted me to pay my respects to him even if I hadn't pulling jobs in a while. Same might be going on for the other guy." He sits up again and coughs a bit. Deep inside though he knows that there's more to him than physical power. He sure as hell didn't show it in this fight but it's more apparent in his better fights in the Neo League and SNF.
Of course he doesn't give a damn about that. Who knows? Failing the test might have freed him from the criminal life forever. Only time will tell. He'll pick up that Chinese food that he had before. If Elle has anything else to say she better say before he enters the door.
"You're an amature. And I don't mean in fighting. If something as small as what you say is worrying you? You'd better go. Find a school, and hide in it. Find another career path. Because if you don't have the stones for this life, it'll kill you," Elle says as she saunters away, her hands in her pockets.
"Some slightly more useful advice, though. Don't worry about people with reputations." The words are spoken with a certain sort of bemusement, even though Elle's not really one to place a lot of emotion into her words. "They think that all they need to do is toss their name around and that it'll get results. Nobody second guesses them anymore. That's how they win"
"The business is a game, and you only know half the rules. If you want to stop playing, you have to know all of them. Otherwise, any attempt to get out of the game without losing is going to end in a lot of heartache and frustration." She pauses. "Good luck, kiddo." And with that, she's out.
Log created on 00:52:24 07/11/2007 by Elle, and last modified on 11:13:31 07/11/2007.