Description: Two law enforcers, one gridiron enforcer, and one enforcer of goth stereotypes. Bring them together on The Rock and what you get is an amazing display of martial prowess... also, beer. (Winners: Miu, Soma, and Brian)
You can almost hear Sean Connery's voice saying "Welcome... to the Rock!" as the camera zooms over the tiny little prison island, a speck of concrete gray in the dark blue of the Bay. America's most famous prison is supposedly one of the loneliest, most forlorn places a criminal could go... yet the Embarcadero and the piers are visible from the dock.
As Soma walks up toward the main building, he wonders if, perhaps, the tantalizing closeness of San Francisco was part of the psychological warfare involved in keeping prisoners here.
Inside, the undercover agent stops to chat a moment with the US park rangers and then with the SNF crew, clearing his daggers for being brought into the battle zone and glancing up at the two-tiered rows of cells, the afternoon sunlight streaming in from impossibly high windows giving a bizarre cast to the faded green and gold paint on the walls of the now-empty cells. It's not his first visit to a prison, but some part of Soma feels... almost pity for the people who must have been trapped here, as he accepts a bottle of water from the craft service people and has a seat in a folding chair, waiting for the others to arrive.
You know? It was kinda creepy in here. Chun-Li arrives a few minutes before the fight actually begun, the Chinese woman holding her expression in a thoughtful sort of look, pursed lips, furrowed brow, and everything. She had neglected her qipao for her jumpsuit and embroidered vest, covering that with her faded leather bomber jacket that she was getting a fair bit of use out of these days. Hands tucked into the pockets of the aforementioned jacket, Chun-Li's step was tentative, as if she were expecting a ghost or somesuch to leap out and attack her.
But then she arrives at the main cell block. The creepiness of the prison seemed to be washed away by the glare of spotlights and the echoing sounds of the chattering crew. Pulling off her jacket, and handing it to the appropriate member of the crew, she lets her thoughtful frown slowly get overturned by a steady smile. Flickering her eyes towards Soma, a knowing look touching her eyes for the briefest of moments, before she decides to silently stride, and settle on a spot across from him, in the very mouth of one of the abandoned cells.
Soma is waiting for others 'to arrive?' This is, perhaps, one of the greater flaws to the character of someone such as Miu Kurosaki-- the girl that is a self-contained urban legend in her own school, and even people like Aoi Himezaki questioned the truth to her exsistance. Her height may have something to do with it. Her neutral expression, her rather plain way of dressing. It could be that she just doesn't talk all that much.
Though her presence is often forgotten or obscured to the normal range of vision, the lingering ambiance of energy may still be in the air. Standing in the open cell adjacent to Chun-Li, the girl stands alone while staring at the bed and walls with a thoughtful expression, sucking water through a bendy straw leading down to her favorite water bottle. In her other hand is a brouchure with information about the prison-- after all, she hasn't been to America all that much -and- she's in a historic site.
But then a strong sting flits from her elbow to fingertips, and the brochure is snipped in half from a feather suddenly ejecting from her thumb. Wincing, she drops the glossy packet of folded-over papers and lowers the water to stare at her hand-- something happened recently. She isn't sure what, but ... something must've happened. Leaving the brochure be, the tiny crow girl turns around and steps quietly out of the cell, crossing into the path between both Soma and Chun-Li. When was this supposed to start, again?
The billowing echo of a beer belch reports to one and all that the fourth of this little party has arrived. Called, unexpectedly, to this little shindig, the giant known as Brian Battler made a few demands that were granted... And six of them already disappeared on the helicopter ride here. The man is as crude as he is tall, his height requiring him to duck in order to step into the main cell block to avoid a concussion. Not like concussions are unfamiliar to the man, having survived many a year in the NFL, as well as in stock car racing and rodeo riding. And, of course, fighting.
It has only been a few months since the Texas Tornado stepped back into the fighting scene, but since then, he's done little to distinguish himself. He's lost every known fight he's been in, has destroyed a lot of property, and spit a lot of chaw into people's eyes. Perhaps that makes him distinctive. Anyway. As he approaches his fellow fighters, the hard clack of his leather boots are followed by the gentle jingle of the spurs hanging off the back of them. Stepping into the middle of the group of do-gooders and enigmas, Brian cracks open another can of beer and raises it to his lips.
Glug.
Glug.
Glug.
Glug.
Downing the beer in one shot, he palms the can and crushes it into a little ball before throwing it nonchalantly over his shoulder. The ball of aluminum bounces and rolls under a closed cell door. "Alright," he says finally, voice deep and raspy. "I'm here. Let's get this show on the road. I got shit to do."
Soma's violet-eyed gaze tracks Miu for a moment as she drops into the scene, but it's Chun-li who gets his attention, and he can't suppress a grimace when he does so. One of Interpol's most famous and effective inspectors, and the local expert on Shadaloo... the person he likely needs the MOST to talk to, after Thailand, right in front of him.
And he can't say a damn thing.
Getting to his feet, there's a moment as Soma's hands disappear into his sleeves, doublechecking the various things he has secreted there. As he walks into the wide hallway between the tiers of cells, he flicks his arms out, shaking his hands before nodding his head at Chun-li and Miu, the young Seijyun student vaguely familiar to him for some reason. "Good afternoon, ladies," he offers, giving a wave. "Hopefully our fourth will show up soon--"
He's cut off by the drunken entrance of Brian, and the Fighting Novelist's eyes track the rolling crushed can for a moment before he turns them on the football player with a mixture of piteous disgust and annoyance. "Too late to ask for a refund on the 'hopefully', one assumes," he mutters.
It was national television. Chun-Li couldn't quite say anything more, and to show recognition past that knowing look she shot him earlier endangered Soma's cover. In spite of no longer being an Interpol agent, the Strongest Woman in the World did keep contacts in Interpol. She just had no idea that Soma needed to talk to her so badly. We just won't get into what happened in Thailand, either. Turning her head towards Brian at his entrance, Chun-Li couldn't quite keep her expression from faltering at the belch heralding his arrival. Releasing her breath in a quiet sigh, she taps the tip of her sneaker's toe against the ground, and glances earthward herself, gaze growing distracted as she reaches behind herself to fiddle with her shoe, settling it into a more comfortable position.
"Well, then..." she says, her voice echoing in the barren prison. "I'm sure you all are just as eager to get out of jail as I am, so... shall we begin?" she says, glancing from man to man, before her eyes settle upon Miu's face. There, they linger a moment, a bit of hesitation showing in her face. Hopefully, Miu was tougher than she seemed. She didn't particularly wish to feel guilty tonight. Turning her face towards the center of the room proper, a smallish grin flickers up the corner of her lips as confidence fills her demeanor.
Twisting around now that she's out in the open, the tiny Miu is now met with a mobile wall of muscle-- was he related to Preston? No-- this man's even bigger than that, a literal giant and ... apparently on her side? For a moment, Kurosaki counts her blessings, though she does well to hide her emotions with her neutral stare. If this was Kasumi, Tenma, or Marisol, maybe she could spare a smile or more 'normal' platitudes... but clearly, this man is far from.
Bowing her head then to Soma, the crow girl of Seijyun glances the opposite direction to Chun-Li. The student's purple eyes narrow slightly, trying to size things up... from sheer build, their opponent could likely kick her hard and fold her like a kite... so perhaps it's for the best that there's more 'beef' to her side. Casting her bottle of water off toward one of the crew members, Miu walks toward Soma to stand off to one side, as if to await orders. Still, she affords the time to lift her hands and glance down to them-- and with a short snap of her wrists, cast out a small burst of glowing black and white feathers that vanish soon after they impact with the ground, walls, bars, or even someone else's body. Miu looks momentarily taken aback, fingers twitching, but... still, she shakes her head and looks toward the INTERPOL officer. "Whenever we are ready."
Though he'd been drinking, Brian is hardly drunk. It takes a lot to get a man his size blitzed, and he hasn't even scratched the surface of his tolerance. It's an unfortunate thing, in his mind. Drunken brawling is always more fun.
Okay, so. Assessing the situation, the Texan looks at the other three combatants and tries to rough out a mental picture of what they seem to be capable of. The girl looks small and fragile; she can probably throw fireballs and kick small animals into orbit. The guy looks pretty boring; he probably has some demon living inside him and he'll eat their opponent alive. Either that, or the both of them are small, fast and fragile and this chick is gonna crush them and then spend a few hours kicking him in the crotch. It's almost like foreplay. Hmm.
"Yeah, let's do this," he mutters, looking over the woman. She's got some nice musculature there. This could be slightly painful. Or fully enjoyable. These chicks all seem to be fast, which'll potentially prove to be a problem until he lays a hand on her. Meh. Forget it. Tactics suck. Just punch when it's your time, Battler, and forget the rest of the crap. Pulling a tube from his pocket, the former linebacker pops open the top and lifts it to his lips. Pulling the tube away, he tosses the plastic to the side, a half-finished cigar now caught between his teeth. A zippo is produced, and the cigar is lit and puffed on gently, his lips curling around the cigar in a sneer. "Whenever you're ready, Princess."
Although his memories of her are fleeting -- after all, it was primarily his partner at the time, Hotaru, who was doing most of the fighting with Miss Kurosaki -- Soma does seem to remember the young Seijyun student's feathers, and while the display does get him to start for a moment, it quickly passes. After all, he's experienced in fighting circuits, like the others in this battle, and pre-show displays are commonplace.
Still, Soma's purple eyes -- a shade interestingly similar to Miu's own -- flicker to her for just a moment, as if trying to focus on something that isn't there, the dark-skinned face adopting a curious expression of... concern, possibly? But again, nothing unsurprising before a fight.
Shaking his head, he turns again to Chun-li and gives her a curt nod, before shaking out his arms and getting into stance. "Only two of us allowed to fight at a time, I hear," he says, almost over his shoulder, to the others involved in the battle. "I'll volunteer to start, and you can decide amongst yourselves who wants to sit out, I suppose." A tiny part of Soma is actually... eager, excited. After all, in his profession Chun-li is something of a legend: expert marksman, peerless detective, puissant martial artist. Even through his unease at facing a much stronger opponent, there is something in the possibility of facing her that's quickening his pulse.
COMBATSYS: Soma has started a fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Brian has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brian 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Miu has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brian 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Brian 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Brian 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-------|
And to display shown by the young schoolgirl, Chun-Li reacts by arching a brow, her smile not losing any of its luster. Yes, she ~did~ look like she could break the girl in half with a single kick, but... there was evidently a lot more to her. Unless that chi of hers was pretty, and not much else. Drawing a breath and releasing it slowly, calm floods her demeanor, replacing the confidence of before, her eyes moving to Brian next, regarding the man as he regards her. She had to fight against mentally filing the man into the box of 'big, dumb bruiser', the sort that she had seen time and time and time again during her career. He was here; he could be tricky.
And then finally, her gaze alights on Soma. She knew /of/ him, but it was hard to know about him... she still knew he was talented, and wished that their meeting could be under better circumstances. Face not betraying anything, she simply regards him as she releases a slow breath, flowing into a stance with one fist held before her, one palm held rigid in the air out in front of her as well, the muscles in her legs and shoulder visibly tensing as a certain focus slips into her gaze. "I'm ready. So... which ones are first?" she says, her gaze going forward and a bit distant.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li focuses on her next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Brian 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-------|
The smallest girl there shifts her eyes to one side, looking at Soma before turning her gaze back to Chun-Li and stepping ahead. "Allow me." Brian can sit back and wait for the beer to kick in, unless he's already fairly buzzed... however high his tolerance for alcohol may be, and for however much he may've already had before this.
Stepping forward, Miu's hands lower to her sides as she walks forward-- casually, calmly, hands even at her sides. And before she can half the distance, she suddenly takes a sharp step back and spins, casting ahead a glowing black feather from her hand-- and then she turns once again, spinning around and flinging a second at a slightly different angle! Not just pretty, those feathers will burst on contact and transmit the strange force through a sharp stinging sensation... followed by a temporary numbness, not unalike a limb that's 'fallen asleep.'
Chomping on his stogie, Brian is about to step forward when the girl interrupts him. Huh. She's got spirit. That's good. Maybe the chick with the thighs like a thoroughbred won't break her immediately, then. Nodding gently, the mountain of a man takes a step back and crosses his arms. "Suit yerself," he mutters, making a motion towards one of the craft services people. It's still Miller Time, even as the fight begins. He needs another beer.
His opponent is playing it cautious, a move that Soma finds fairly prudent. Even if the people fighting her are relatively inexperiened, at least by comparison, there's still two of them and one of her... meaning she needs to split her focus and, somewhere, might make a mistake. As far as the undercover agent is concerned, he simply needs to keep himself and the others on their feet long enough to find that mistake and exploit it.
Hopefully she'll oblige by actually making said mistake.
Not wasting time, Soma hunches forward and then dashes at Chun-li at a full run, chasing behind Miu's pair of feathery projectiles, hands drawn into his sleeves as he practically skims across the floor. When he gets close enough, both arms whip around, carving an 'X' through the air... and possibly into Chun's tummy, Soma having drawn his daggers from his sleeves in a flash of silver as he attacks.
COMBATSYS: Soma successfully hits Chun-Li with Fierce Strike.
Glancing Blow
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Miu's Kakure Amagakeri.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-------|
How about her side, Soma? Leaping into action a half second too late, Chun-Li observes the oncoming projectile and agent, the woman holding her breath before stepping smoothly to one side... well, her idea works, kinda. The first projectile is avoided completely, but the secondmost shot, at the strange angle it travels at, seemed perfectly aimed for Chun-Li. Caught off guard, she lashes a hand out, over, and up, 'catching' the feather at the tail end of it.
Which does do the intended purpose of stopping it, but the numbing energy still gets to travel through her hand. The distraction that provides is /almost/ enough to cause her to be struck the double-slash at her gut... but the fellow Interpol only catches her side, cutting through jumpsuit to have the knife cut a ragged gash in her side as she spins aside. Chun-Li remain still long, however. Whipping out her left hand, the right still feeling numb from Miu's strange energy, the Chinese woman hopes to grab Soma by the lapels of his jacket, to heft him up and off of his feet, before her right hand joins her left in twisting him about a bit, and slamming him towards the ground.
Sorry, Brian! But more importantly, that catch was expertly timed-- and part of her looks nervous. Most people have simply soaked the damage or turned the pair of feathers aside, but this woman seems to have a level of dexerity that she has yet to see...
So in that moment, Miu sprints a bit to the side and hurries to circle toward Chun-Li's flanks and catch a lucky break-- even if it means letting Soma be the victim of another attack. Shifting into what could be called a bastardized sprinters stance, she takes off for the internaional police officer and reaches ahead with both hands. Feathers bleed away from her fingers and palms as she reaches, and grips for Chun-Li's leg-- and then to keep going, running with the intent to pull one leg right out from under her-- then let go and keep sprinting.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Soma with Koshuu Tou.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
Sliding to a crouch after his attack, almost as if he were heedless of whether he had hit Chun-li or not, Soma stows his daggers back in his sleeves and turns to see what's going on... to find his opponent bearing down on him with impressive speed. A little panicked, the undercover agent attempts to dodge to the side, but the Strongest Woman has crossed the gap between the two with more alacrity than Soma could ever muster. He lands on the ground with no small amount of force, sliding across the dirty floor for a few feet.
Groaning as he gets up, Soma's gaze flickers back to the fight to find Miu going in for close quarters this time, so he reaches into his jacket, determined to switch the roles from the first round. With a flick of the wrist, the Fighting Novelist hurls a throwing spike -- a tiny knife, barely enough to break the skin -- at Chun-li... but the spike glows with silver and black light, and if it connects, explodes into a burst of Psycho Power.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Miu's Quick Throw.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Soma's Nova.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
Chun-Li had no intentions of being struck again. Ducking low and to one side, the knife flickers through air in the space by her head, and above her shoulder, the knife traveling on to likely embed itself into the prison wall. Soma is treated with an odd look just then, Chun-Li being vaguely reminded of Vega's own energy as the knife flickers so close to her. All in all, it would appear that Miu's flanking manuever would be more than successful. But when Miu 'charges', so to speak, she wouldn't quite get ahold of Chun-Li's leg at all.
Leaping up into the air, Chun-Li performs a backwards flip over the sprinting girl at just the right moment to allow her to harmlessly travel beneath her, Chun-Li landing lightly on her feet before one of the dirty cell blocks, oriented towards both opponents now. Chun-Li's mind flickers with sudden thought as she tries to remember Miu's name, the woman's expression suggestion some sort of struggle. With a quick bellow of, "Here I come!", (which she hopes would be ample enough warning for the girl!), Chun-Li charges forward, exhaling her breath in a sharp shout as she lifts one of her legs, aiming a snap kick at Miu's midsection.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Miu with Medium Kick.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
Oh, she just-- oh no. The crow girl of Seijyun is introduced firsthand to the powerful kick of the infamous Chun-Li, her arms, legs, and side-set ponytail flinging forward as her eyes widen and go momentarily vacant. "Kahh--ghkkh-!!"
Using the strength of the leg plus a sharp push back with her toe, the Kurosaki girl's body veers backwards to slide hard on her heels, half-dropping to land on one knee and hold her stomach. Ow. Not just 'ow', but 'OOOOOOOOOWWWWwWwWwwwWWwWwWWWwWWwwWWwWWwwWWwwwwWwwWwwwWw.'
Lowering again, the girl tightens her jaw and furrows her brow... and takes off. Running like a shot back toward Chun-Li, Miu seems to be making a head-on assault as her left arm jerks backward as if to prepare for a massive punch-- but there's much more. Glowing black feathers begin to seep out of her forearm, the length and size larger than that of the thrown ones prior. Knuckles to elbow are engulfed in that strange energy as it seems to spike within the crow's body-- and then her fist launches forward, the feathers spiraling outward at the INTERPOL agent like a massive, energy-powered lance. Not just the stinging-to-numbness will accompany this one... this one will also carry enough force to throw most people clear off their feet-- and a mysterious gust of wind, hard enough to ripple the clothes of those that stand in the row of cells. "THERE!!"
Part of Soma hoped it might connect, but he didn't seem to have a lot of hopes that his projectile would strike home; one doesn't need to fight Chun-li very long to get a grasp on her exceptional agility. However, perhaps the distraction it offers will give him an advantage as he ducks back into the fray....
...and as he's running back in, Miu's body goes sailing by. In the other direction.
Unable to keep himself from doing so, the undercover agent turns his head, watching Miss Kurosaki's descent and wincing at her landing. However, once he's satisfied that Miu is hurt but unbroken, Soma spins around and regards Chun-li carefully. The idea of taking one of those hits isn't fun... but the idea of Miu taking a second one is even LESS fun. Thus he tries to make a target of himself, driving at his opponent and lashing out with two fingers toward a spot on her collarbone, one of the easier to access but particularly painful nerve points on the human body. "I do love a good challenge," he adds with a rueful smile.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Miu's Yomosugara.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li fails to interrupt Quick Throw from Soma with Tenshou Kyaku.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
The same concern for Miu flickers upon the expression of Chun-Li. Watching after the girl after the kick connects, and, frankly, sends her skittering a fair bit more than she would've liked, Chun-Li's expression grows a bit grim and focused as Miu begins to sprint after her once more. Seemingly ignoring Soma, although the woman was aware of his movements with everything but the confirmation of her eyes, she bites down into her upper lip, reaching out as Miu launches forward... to grab her by the elbow and guide that fist aside and past her, the shockwave and gust of energy that follows that passing reverberating inside the very guts of the woman, she felt, but the heart of the attack was bypassed.
Turning her head to the side to regard Soma, her foot whips upwards... but she misjudged something, evidently, as her foot lashes out to the spot -beside- Soma's head, the man's fingers finding their home upon her neck. She didn't cry out in pain, but her expression certainly showed that she had felt that.
And truth be told, Miu's a little tougher than she looks-- training with Kasumi could see to that pretty well. The Yomosugara's thrust may ultimately not be 100% on target, but the damage done is well enough. The end of Miu's lunge ends with a momentary pose, her left fist turned ahead while the feathers explode into a massive disc-like spray of energy, feathers, and light.
Twisting hard on her heel and opting to capitalize on Chun-Li's moment of weakness, the girl grips onto one of the bars to the cell row and hooks her feet onto the steel surface. Much to the rangers' chagrin, no doubt, the crow girl of Seijyun High uses it as a vaulting point to dive at the officer's back and look to grab on-- and if so, cock back her right fist, a white feather erupting from her knuckles. And then, well. The next part is obvious.
*PUNCH~*
If successful, she'll vault back into the air from the force of her punch-- high enough to grab onto the railings at the second level of cells, even. Either way, a glance is shot to Brian... soon, she'll take a moment to catch her breath.
Again, Soma seems to continue moving as if he doesn't care whether or not he actually *connects* with his assaults on Chun-li, but is merely content to keep the attacks coming. The part of his mind that tells him what a dangerous way of playing it that is -- how open it leaves him with every successive strike -- is pushed gently but firmly to the back. The adrenaline rush of this high-speed combat isn't hurting that effort, either.
Running past his fellow Interpol agent, Soma spins just in time to see Miu vaulting from the second rail, and his eyes widen in surprise. He knew the girl was nimble, but that particular feat is pretty impressive, from his point of view. But it also gives him an idea; slipping one dagger into his hand, Soma twists and 'throws' it out at Chun-li... the hilt remaining in his hand as the wire-blade detaches. He's not looking to cut, merely to snag Chun-li by the leg with the wire and then yank in the opposite direction, *hard*. If all goes well, it'll knock her off balance... and give Miu a slightly better opportunity to strike.
COMBATSYS: Miu successfully hits Chun-Li with Psi-Launcher.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Soma's Medium Throw.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/-======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
The ingenious plan of the other Interpol agent indeed sorta worked. Glancing towards Soma as the man whips his dagger in her direction, Chun-Li shuffles over it, akin to jumping rope... but she finds herself with a Miu on her back. And, well...
*PUNCH~* happens.
The next few moments of Chun-Li's life would be forever lost to a haze of numbness as the punch connects with her neck. The girl didn't -hurt- her so badly, but the energy she was soaking her with was starting to... well... make Chun-Li feel drowsy. Lunging to one side as her haze lifts a bit, in a move intented to shake Miu off of her... (she didn't quite take the time to check if the girl was still there or not, safe as she was upon the second line of cell blocks.) But in the midst of the roll, Chun-Li, hair coming a bit undone, snaps her gaze up towards Soma, the woman launching herself up towards him. Mid-air, she whirls upside down, her legs going out like helicopter rotors as she leaps towards him like a speeding semi-trailer. "SPINNING BIRD KICK!"
One hand swings out to grab onto the railing of the cells a row above the battle, her foot swinging out to find purchase on the steel grating ledge and get a good base to hang on from. Though it didn't work out, the sentiment is unspokenly appreciated, Soma! The small Kurosaki girl breathes hard for a moment before lunging across the gap at a bit of an angle-- over Chun-Li's kick and Soma's as-of-yet unseen reaction, angling herself to catch onto the catwalk itself and swing hard to one side. Reaching out to Brian as if to slap hands on the descent, it looks as though Miu intends to land on her feet, skid with her pent-up momentum, and stop to catch her breath.
COMBATSYS: Miu gains composure.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/-======|
Slurp.
Finishing up what looks to be a second beer during the combat in front of him, the Texas Tornado sees the girl flying at him and raises his hand. Tag. Guess someone's gotta take a break. No matter. Crushing the now-empty can and tossing it over his shoulder without a second thought, he adjusts his hat and strolls into the melee.
Despite the beer, Brian has been watching the fight thus far, and he's determined a few things. One, the woman's got skill. Two, the woman's got speed. Three, he doesn't have the speed necessary to chase her all over God's creation like these two do. So, the only thing he really can depend on is force. It's best to hit her hard if you can't hit her often, after all. It's this way of thinking that has gotten him in some trouble in the past, but certainly has also helped him end the careers of many a person whom just wasn't fast -enough-. With a steady and remarkably deliberate gait, the former linebacker just walks up to Chun-Li... and then tries to keep walking. Spurs jangling, his foot reaches out to try and step on hers, hoping to use his weight as an anchor to allow him to walk UP her... well, as much UP her as his nearly three hundred and fifty pounds will allow on her smaller frame. It'll be interesting to see how long she can stand if he actually manages to catch her.
He's betting about boob-height. She's got some good legs. They might be able to keep her up, but her back is comparatively teensy.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Soma with Spinning Bird Kick.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Knowing that he won't have many opportunities to get in close to Chun-li, Soma eyes the incoming kicks carefully, taking a deep breath. He knows that no matter what, the end result of the very dangerous thing he's about to try is going to be a lot of pain from a woman known worldwide for her absolutely lethal kicks. He's going to... take it. Ride with the attack, hopefully give him an opportunity he needs. He's done it before, on a smaller scale, after all. It should work.
And that thought is still running through his head as the first kick connects.
Even the *first* blow is almost enough to crack Soma's skull clean open; the second, third, and fourth add enough force to send the undercover ICPO agent flying down the hallway at an appreciable fraction of the speed of sound, his body slamming into a cell door like a ragdoll and then slumping to the ground bonelessly. For a good few moments he doesn't even move, causing a number of the audience to gasp, but eventually he reaches out a hand and starts to push himself up.
When he finally gets standing, Soma regards Chun-li with a ragged smile, blood streaming over one amethyst eye as he struggles to keep standing. "Next time... try... hitting me for real," he jokes, his voice ragged. But he can't stop. Chun-li showed him some of her best, so he's got to return the favor. Even if it takes a few minutes for him to get to his feet fully.
"Okay..." he murmurs, setting his foot back against the floor. "Here we go."
Then he vanishes.
Provided he does so uninterrupted, when he next appears, Soma appears to have traversed the distance between himself and Chun-li instantly, landing in a crouch just past the Strongest Woman, arms crossed in front og him and both wire-daggers looking to wrap around her waist...
COMBATSYS: Soma successfully hits Chun-Li with Orihime's Loom EX.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Brian 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li fails to interrupt Strong Kick from Brian with Tenshou Kyaku.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Brian 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
The grip is all Soma really needs, and with the last of his fading strength, he lets out a roar and swings both arms forward, using the wires like a slingshot to hurl Chun-li into the air.
Then he disappears *again*, moving faster than the eye can track to pop back up at a point along Chun's path, standing on the second tier walkway and lashing out with one wire-dagger, snagging her from midair like a whip and hurling her farther along. This cycle repeats one, two, three times before Soma appears one final time above Chun-li in midair, a double-bladed weapon of silvery light in his hands that he drives through the Strongest Woman's body in descent to the floor, where Soma lands in a crouch as the blades disappear, coughing heavily and clutching his chest.
There was a brief moment of panicked /horror/ that ran through Chun-Li's veins as she feels her kick connect. One of the problems with being the Strongest Woman in the World, and liking to fight, is... well... if you lose that single moment of control, she could just as easily kill someone. So it did lighten Chun-Li's heart to see Soma rise again. The joke even brings a smile to her lips as she inclines her head to the man again. It didn't, however, particularly thrill her when he whips out with those knives of his, and sends her upon a particularly painful ride. It wasn't the ~worst~ she had ever felt, but the series of small blows were starting to wear on her a bit.
So she made the error of lying on the floor and resting a moment longer, as Mr. Battler strides over to step on her. With a jerking moment of realization, she moves to leap up off of the floor... she certainly had enough time to, but again, something went /wrong/, and instead of beating the sports guy senseless... she gets crunched to the ground. Painfully. Now ~there~ is the cry of pain. She didn't particularly want to stay seated there, however, rolling away from him and swiveling up to a kneel, the woman's eyes closing as she tries to inject calm into her heart.
Non-committal, uninspired, bored and an rather overall bland expression rests upon Brian's face as he uses the World's Strongest Woman as a floormat. It almost could have been a surprise, but the slight buzz the multiple alcoholic beverages has caused made it seem like an inevitability. It's when he tries the things that normally shouldn't work that they do. "Huh," he says to nobody in particular as he steps off of Chun-Li's downed form. "Floor's softer there."
Turning around, Brian fully expects to see the woman getting up rapidly. Instead, the woman rolls to a kneel and closes her eyes. Closes her eyes. Closes. Her. Eyes. Her eyes, closed. Well, then, missy. Close your eyes. Feel free. Try and shut out the outside world. Oh, wait, better idea. How about Brian lets himself in, eh? Maybe a little mind-game to get her to keep her eyes open?
A scowl suddenly crossing his face, the Texan takes two solid steps to the side, and grabs ahold of one of the open cell doors. The first yank yields nothing. The second yields little more. The third, however, yields a big, heavy, metal door of bars that could easily outweigh him. Alcatraz is old and in a state of decay and disrepair, and the hinges on the door show that... and the Texas Tornado has decided to show this. Twisting the door so it sets on his back, Brian takes a few rapid steps towards the woman and, with nary a grunt of effort, attempts to bring it down upon her head. So, what happens when you extrude an Ex-Interpol operative through one-inch bars with a three-inch spacing? Shall we find out? Keep watching, dear viewers!
All things considered, Soma looks worse off from his assault on Chun-li than she does, the Other ICPO White Meat kneeling and clutching at his chest for a moment, breathing slowly. He's not thrilled at the prospect of Brian beating her up, even if they are on the same side of the fight, and his expression shows it as he looks up and sees the Texan behemoth ripping the doors of the cells of a national monument to smack Chun-li with them.
Surprisingly enough, however, he doesn't look to Miu to tag in for him; instead, he stands up -- albeit with some effort -- and flings his arms out to his sides, palms open. Two 'daggers' of silver-black light form, one in each hand, and pushing himself to keep up the pace Soma dashes at Chun-li, attempting to slice each light-dagger through her body. The weapons, formed of Psycho Power, don't leave any visible scars or physical marks... but they have a certain destructive force all the same.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Brian's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Brian 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Soma successfully hits Chun-Li with Gemini.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Brian 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
No, gentle viewers. You shant find out what happens when you slam a door into the head of an Interpol agent. What Brian did not quite understand, it seems, that Chun-Li wasn't quite trying to shut out the world. She was simply diving inwards, finding that place of peace and hope inside of herself, to the place where silly things like tiredness did not matter, where every motion was as pure an expression of herself as possible. But, she supposes, it's an easy mistake to make.
The ponderous slamming of the jailhouse door was easy enough to avoid. Chun-Li, eyes still held shut, rises up to a stand, feeling the deadly bolts of power flicker towards her... but simply letting them impact against her as they may. It reminded her of Vega, vaguely, but it was the difference between a bee's sting and a serpent's. Soma had skill, Soma indeed had power. But Chun-Li's will was strong. It stung, but it could not sear her soul like Vega's fire... and she had felt that enough before.
Rising up to that stand, her expression serene, Chun-Li cups her hands and then brings them up in front of herself as if cradling something precious, a sudden wind tossing the fringes of her torn jumpsuit and hair. The wind turns into a blue light, the focus of the rushing energy the center of the space between her palms. Suddenly, Chun-Li's eyes snap open, and focus on Brian. "KIIIIIIIIIIIIKOSHOU!" she cries as she snaps her hands forward towards Big Brian.
And the world around her explodes into searing blue light, tugging up loose bits of rubble from the floor, rattling the bolts in the walls... and perhaps searing Brian.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Brian with Kikoushou.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Brian 1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
The way that Brian lets go of the door after the woman dodges it easily is a certain statement on his assurance that it would hit. That being, none at all. It was nothing more than a wake-up call. Too many people try and "center" themselves by closing their eyes, and they can pay for it. Brian was doing Chunners a favor this time around, yeah? Yeah. So, what does he get for his troubles? The smell of ozone and burnt nosehair, an explosion of chi in the face, and having his hat knocked onto the third floor balcony. Oh, and some pain and being blown back a half-dozen feet onto his portable hatrack. That's his head, just so you know.
So, now that he's been dropped like a pedophile clown from the ticket of a children's charity event, the former linebacker picks himself up off the floor, brushing himself off while he nods thoughtfully. "Nice," he says simply, seeming to weigh his options. Nodding to himself as if he'd made a decision, he simply turns towards Chun-Li and starts stalking towards her again. This time, however, instead of just trying to walk over her, a giant hand reaches forth and attempts to palm her face. He figures the resulting distraction of being smothered and blinded by one hand at one moment in time might allow him to cause her a little extra in the pain department. But, hey, we'll see.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Brian's American Supernova.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Brian 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
But, of course, his mitt comes up empty. Meh, he thinks. "Meh," he says. Meh.
It's probably best for all involved that Chun-li turns her attention to Brian after Soma's attack, because he's just flat-out pushed himself too far. Stumbling back from her body a few steps, the blue glow of her attack flickering his eyes, he finally gives up and stumbles toward Miu, crouching on the sidelines... but watching the fight with as much precision as he can muster. "Sorry," he says to the Seijyun student, and he sincerely means it. "I don't think I'm up to keeping this up just yet."
COMBATSYS: Soma focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Brian 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
Drawing a calming breath after the massive outpouring of energy, Chun-Li releases that breath in a heavy sigh. All that inner center business was good, and did help her to carry on as she did, but it was hard to ignore that she was just plain tired. And kinda hurt, too. Sparing Soma a quick glance, she debated sending something sailing his general direction, but... there was something satisfying about beating the heck out of a big man who she had very little doubts that could take it. She'll have to think of a nobler reason when she didn't feel so tired.
Giving her head a flick, she centers her eyes on Brian, and rather ducks to the side, batting that reaching hand away with a strike of forearm on his meaty forearm. She didn't particularly want to get grabbed at this moment. Dashing forward, Chun-Li is going to try the same trick Brian did. She would run up him, Matrix style, and then leap away from him, whirling around in the air and releasing a shout as she swings her foot at him, performing a mid-air roundhousey sort of kick.
As Soma stumbles toward her, Miu wastes no time charging ahead to take advantage of the moment. Reaching out to grab onto the poor beaten young man to signal an official tag, the crow girl of Seijyun again decides to use the narrow quarters to her advantage. Lunging into the air, the small girl leaps at the wall and bars beyond Chun-Li and Brian. Her feet touch concrete and steel for a scant few seconds-- and then again makes a violent lunge, her left hand gripping her right wrist.
'What is it today...? I don't get it, I just feel...'
Stronger? The thought left unfinished, Miu's feathers again spark and sizzle to life, using the mid-air lunge to power a speedy assault. Her right arn whips around hard, even taking the girl into a complete rotation while a broad white feather emerges from her knuckles. Not stabbed this time, but used to slash-- right across the INTERPOL officer's back. "Haa!!"
COMBATSYS: Brian fails to interrupt Strong Kick from Chun-Li with Samurai Bomb.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Brian 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
Y'know, these fighters are a lot faster than football players. Not saying anything against the pro-football types, for they certainly have their speed, but... The equipment allows for only so much speed. And thus, he keeps forgetting that issue and expects people to only go a certain speed. Guess sometimes habits are hard to kill. This is the reason that, when the World's Strongest Woman runs up him, he tries to reach out and catch her. He expects her to be in a certain place, but, alas, she is not. No, instead, she is placing her foot very gently against his cheek at a rapid rate of movement that only seems to be painful. Well, okay, it is painful. Maybe it's gentle to a pump of granite. Not that this phases Brian at all. No, instead of being phased by the fact that he's just suffered some blunt force trauma to the cranium, the thing that stuns him is the fact that he has thus realized that, no, people are still faster than you remember, and yes, you fell for it again. Thus, like a broken golem, the giant just stands there. Moping.
COMBATSYS: Miu successfully hits Chun-Li with Shubatsu.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Brian 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/--=====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
The distinctive surge of energy behind her again; the onset of Miu. Landing from her roundhouse kick in a pile of rubble that was the doorway of the cell, the very same one that Brian had tried to smash her head in with, Chun-Li whirls around, and tries to leap away, only to find that her foot is caught within the confines of the bars. This, of course, leaves Miu's slashes to fall across Chun-Li's front, and also causes her to wrench her ankle something fierce. Flopping to the ground with the assault, Chun-Li unthreads her leg from the jailhouse door... draws herself up to a kneel... and decides to end things less than gracefully, succumbing to the rush of darkness and peace that unconciousness would bring. She was tired, and had a well-fought fight. Medics? Please?
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Brian 0/-------/-======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/--=====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Brian 0/-------/-======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/--=====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
Don't feel bad, Brian! Miu could even offer a hug later. But for the moment, she has more important things before her-- such as the slash to the INTERPOL agent, as quick as it can be. With Chun-Li pinned in place, it allows for the crow girl to once again breeze by and land on her feet, the smooth soles of her shoes letting out an equally smooth *kshhhhhhhhhhh* across the concrete. Controlling her slide to spin around and stand in profile to their opponent, the flitting little Miu blinks as she realizes-- did she just strike the winning blow? Arms lowering to her sides, she resumes her old neutral state, wiping a bit of sweat away from her forehead. "She was ... pretty strong."
COMBATSYS: Miu takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Brian 0/-------/-======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/--=====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
Watching on the sidelines, Soma watches with some degree of fascination the pyrotechnics of the rest of the fight... but when it's clear the entire thing is over, he breathes a sigh of relief. Muttering a quick, "Thank god..." under his breath, the ICPO agent gives a salute to his fellow teammates and then decides to go find the on-site SNF crew medic. It's not like he's really hurt; just his bones and organs.
And, as darkness comes to his opponent, Brian simply walks off. No final words of congratulation or condemnation. He doesn't care. All he needs to find his damn hat. And another beer.
COMBATSYS: Brian has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Miu 0/-------/--=====|
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Miu has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Soma 0/-------/--=====|
Log created on 17:13:39 07/28/2007 by Soma, and last modified on 06:12:22 08/03/2007.