Description: Searching for her brother, Hokuto stops in at the YFCC to drop off some flyers, as silly as it seems, and meets one Frei Tsukitomi-Renard...
Paris!
We're not *in* Paris, but until just recently that's where Frei Renard was, indulging in filming for Saturday Night Fights. His battle there was interesting, to say the least, but it also took its toll... spiritually AND physically. For just a second, he needs somewhere to go to relax and bandage some of his wounds, sit down and have a drink of water. Why? Mostly because he was assaulted by three single French doyennes after the match who insisted on taking him on a whirlwind tour of Paris' nightlife.
At this hour of the early evening, the Young Fighter's Community Center isn't particularly crowded, though there are some dedicated types doing workouts. And it's easy to get to from the airport, and it's got a good infirmary and Frei's stash of iced cappucino in the staff fridge. Thus, that's where he goes, and it proves to be a wise decision.
Easing onto a large chair in the seating area near the door, he dips into a package of bandages, salve, and medical tape he borrowed from the infirmary and, sipping from a bottle of iced coffee intermittently, gets to work dressing his wounds for longterm care. You'd be amazed how effective a simple tube of Neosporin can be.
Speaking of recent arrivals...
Mizugami Hokuto is one such recent arrival. Rather literally, she arrived in the last day or so, stopping only long enough to ensure that the apartment she'd arranged to rent was in good shape and that everything she needed to live would be there.
She's treating it more as a base of operations than a 'home', persay, but that's just the way she is. Dedicated to her cause, she's left most personal issues behind. At the moment, she's feeling somewhat silly; having traveled the world in search of her brother, applying her martial arts skills in numerous tournaments just to see if seh can find him... a fellow fighter asked, brightly and innocently, "Have you tried flyers?"
... so here she is, having heard of the YFCC during her daily errands, with... a stack of flyers on hand. Sure, she's dressed oddly, like she's decked out for battle, but she's comfortable.
There's no receptionist on duty, not at this hour and on a weekend. The handful of young women and men who volunteer for that job, combined with the one full-time paid one, are usually not needed, and at least two of the instructors live no more than a few miles from the center in case from emergency. Still, someone wanders by and blinks at Hokuto more than a few times. The first is simply at her presence; the second and third are for the clothes and the flyers. While her choice in clothing is probably a little unusual, many of the YFCC's regulars are Taiyo students... and they're used to far stranger. She's not carrying a giant red baseball bat, for example.
Frei is making a face of intense concentration as he tightly wraps a bandage around his exposed calf, the leg of his nearly bell-bottomed jeans pulled up and one of the wooden sandals he favors dangling on its strap from his big toe, as he wobbles his foot back and forth with nervous energy. Despite his keen perception the monk becomes amazingly maladroit when small, precise tasks are involved, but he finally lays pieces of medical tape along the bandage and yanks his pant leg down.
Turning to pick up the bottle of cappucino, he brings it to his lips and then blinks as he catches sight of Hokuto. That's... weird. But the flyers aren't uncommon. After all, this IS a community center. With a bright smile, the monk waves at the young woman, raising his voice slightly to be heard. "Advertising for Taiyo's archery club?" he ventures.
... "No." Hokuto fixes Frei with a stare so cool it turns that cappucino to ice--or it would, if she had that power. The cool brown of her eyes seems to look almost -through- the monk, and it's only with an effort of will that she relaxes and tries to look neutral, if not exactly open and friendly.
"I am..." She hesitates, not out of nervousness, but while she considers the situation. But... her quest isn't really a secret, and the particulars are not to be revealed at this time.
"... I am looking for someone. A man," she adds, while handing over one of the flyers--or at least revealing the image on it. It isn't hand-drawn, but the picture is obviously a bit old, showing a dark-haired young man, one eye closed by a long, violent scar reaching from forehead to cheek. "It is important that I find him."
It's important because time feels like it's running out for her... but anyways. "... and I do not practice kyudo, nor do I attend Taiyo High School." Too old for it. "I practice.. kobujutsu. Mizugami-ryuu Kobujutsu."
Perhaps it's fortunate for Hokuto (in a roundabout way) that Frei's default reaction to anything is to smile (up to and including having the barrel of a massive nuclear-powered tank pointed at his face by a distance of a few inches). It might put her at ease. Well... that or convince her the monk is out of his mind. He continues the interrupted sip of coffee as the woman presents her Have You Seen This Man flyer for his inspection. His head tilts a little in curiosity, but there's no spark of recognition there.
Looking up at Hokuto's face, he caps the bottle and sets it down, then rubs the back of his head in embarassment. "Sorry... he doesn't look familiar to me, and I think I'd recognize that scar. But, you're welcome to tack it up on the bulletin board by the door. You never know. Lately..." he says, voice suddenly becoming contemplative as he muses aloud, "we've had all sorts of strange visitors here."
There's a pause as his hand reaches for another bandage, and then Frei stops moving. She said 'Mizugami-ryuu kobujutsu', and the part of his mind that's been preoccupied with a particular topic lately suddenly flashes a fin of interest, and he stops, getting to his feet and extending a hand. "My name's Frei Renard... I'm one of the instructors here. Sorry about the archery club thing, but... the chestguard and the hakama. You're talking to someone who grew up with a mother that flower arranges and does tea ceremony, after all." With his red hair, green eyes, and distinctly un-Asian features? How likely is *that*?
Put her at ease? There is only one time she is at ease. When she's dead. And when she's sleeping. Alright, there are -two- times she's at ease, when she's dead or when she's sleeping. ... and when she's knocked out. ... wait, let me start again.
She can tell immediately that Frei hasn't seen Kairi's face before, and though it is disappointing, as it always is, it has the tang of something familiar to her... so her expression, carefully controlled, never changes.
"Thank you. I'd like to leave a stack, as well, if I may," she says, her voice low, melodic, absolutely controlled. She glances at Frei's hand for a moment, then sets the flyers down on the table, and takes the hand, her grip firm, confident, the handshake almost manly in its quick up and down motion, grasp, jerk, release.
"This is my traditional fighting wear... I -have- done kyudo but I only practice it as a meditative art... but I suppose I've alwasy felt comfortable wearing it." As a reminder of days gone by, perhaps...
"Days gone by, huh..." Frei murmurs carefully, as he takes the flyers and walks them over to the empty reception desk. Producing a keyring from his pants pocket, he unlocks a desk drawer and puts them somewhere safe for the time being. And as he walks across the floor, Hokuto may notice that he's given up on the sandals and is simply wandering around barefoot... and, once he's not scrunched in a chair, may notice the red marks on his neck left over from being nearly strangled the day before.
Throwing the keys up in the air, the monk snatches them and thrusts them in his pants pocket before walking back to Hokuto and giving her an appraising glance, of sorts. Frei's mother is pretty damned Japanese, and while the two haven't kept in touch since he all but abandoned his family ties, he knows a traditional Japanese woman when he sees one. "Cotton's comfortable wear, so I guess I can't blame you. This is silk with a cotton lining, after all," he notes, pulling on the edge of his gold-brown qipao-like top.
Turning slightly, Frei bends down to pick up his drink, then sits on the arm of the chair he was in a moment and takes a sip before addressing the woman. "Hey, can I ask... well, I don't know if it's a *personal* question, but it's certainly not an *icebreaker*. It's..." He pauses, then 'argh!'s quietly under his breath and knits his brow. "Okay, I'm just going to ask it anyway after all that buildup. Kobujutsu is mixed-method hand to hand fighting, isn't it? Is... Mizugami an inherited style? I mean, you don't need to answer if you don't want to. I just... I come from a family with an inherited style, myself, but... I didn't exactly inherit it..."
There's a beat, and Frei realizes he just said all that without stopping for breath. He pauses, then murmurs, "It's complicated."
Something like that, yes. Hokuto remains where she is, still as night, not even her hair moving--just her eyes, tracking Frei as he locks the flyers away. He is certainly doing his best to hold up a conversation; Hokuto is just somewhat stunted, socially, though not as much as some others. She relaxes, infintesimally, and considers her words. "The comfort is not in the wearing," she replies, and just leaves it at that. Fortunately, there is another topic to go to, one she seizes on more readily.
"It is a family style... there are few who know it, so I would not be surprised if you have never heard of it." She smiles, though it doesn't reach her eyes. "I suppose you might say that it is special--it is certainly special to me." Her eyes turn thoughtful and she regards the monk.
"Is there a reason you did not inherit?"
It's very difficult for Frei to look sad. His facial features and his mental disposition are just naturally tuned to the :) wavelength. But there are a few topics that... if they cannot eliminate his natural joviality, they at least can suppress it. The result isn't so much a sad look as it is... bittersweet, like an old person suddenly having a nice memory of their youth while being struck at the same time how they can never return to those days again. It's... a downturn of the eyes, a genuine but mirthless smile.
"Because I wasn't hardcore enough," Frei responds glibly, before clearing his throat and glancing at Hokuto with that same faint smile. "Alright, that's not really true. It was a difference of philosophy, I guess, between the..." Here he pauses, and makes a conscious decision not to bring the names of the individuals into play. Hokuto has her reasons for not sharing, after all... so does he. "...the current successor and myself. In fact I left, and learned an entirely different way of fighting, one I was comfortable with. But..." And here he shrugs, staring at his bottle of iced coffee. "I don't have any regrets. I did the right thing. I just wish... I wish I could have understood the mentality a little better. I wish it hadn't ended the way it had. And I think it being a family style, an inherited style... I think that was to blame."
Hokuto, gracefully, ignores the downturn of Frei's emotions. Not out of disgust, or anything like that--she simply considers it polite. After all, the man is an acquiantance, not a friend, and so a gesture of consolation or understanding would mean little.
"Family is... important." Hokuto considers her words for a moment, her gaze going distant for that time. "I am not the only... successor... to my style but perhaps I am the only successor to my variant. To that end, someday, it will be important for me to pass on what I know. But..."
Hokuto shakes her head. "As long as the style has a successor, then I see no problem. You are who you are, and only you, ultimately, can change, if you desire."
"That," Frei says firmly, giving Hokuto an honest smile rather than one masking some sort of inner conflict, "was exactly my standpoint. I didn't understand the... the mindset. That it had to be a Tsukitomi that inherited it, that it had to be the first born, all of that nonsense... it's a bit like saying that there's a grand destiny you can't do anything about, right? I don't believe in that." There's a pause, as Frei seems to build up to it, and then he simply repeats himself. "I don't. You're in charge of what you do."
After a brief pause, Frei's cheeks suddenly color, highlighting the very faint freckling he's been developing of late. "You must think I am grade-A certifiable to dump all this on you. I'm sorry, especially when you came in here asking for our help. I'll put your flyers out on Monday once I've talked to the other instructors." There's a beat, and then Frei adds, by way of answering a question Hokuto never asked: "I just hoped you might have some insight. People with... hereditary styles, they're rare nowadays. I had to take the opportunity when it presented itself."
According to some, Hokuto -does- have a grand destiny--though it's really Kairi who's been marked... and not by the scar. She doesn't comment on it, though she does think that Frei is trying to convince himself. In fact, he probably knows it, too. Hokuto shakes her head. "No, I do not. However," she says, with a faint smile, "I do find that a good sparring match helps me clear my head..." Always worked when she was annoyed by Hayate, or Kairi, or both...
"... and I think perhaps both you and I could use that." She muses. "The inherited style of Tsukitomi... I've heard of it. Battoujutsu..." Giving Frei another appraising glance, she nods. "A killing style. I can see that you would not want it." Still, killing styles can be made non-killing. Just look at Ansatsuken. The very -name- means murder, and yet the most famous practitioners do not.
Not that Frei has the world's most amazing poker face to begin with, but Hokuto's actually knowing something about his family history catches him completely flat-footed, emotionally-speaking. The bottle of iced coffee stops halfway to his lips, and he's kind of frozen for a bit, staring blankly, before he gives an embarassed laugh and sets the bottle down on the chair. "So you know it, huh... I guess that's not too surprising, since you're from a family with a martial tradition yourself."
Gripping his right elbow with his left hand, Frei looks away for a moment as he talks. "You're right. 'Ittou ryoudan'... one blade that cleaves all. That's Musou Tenkei-ryuu, alright. It's made for killing, like you said. And I don't... like, I know there's a certain beauty to it, but I was always told if you pick up a weapon you should be prepared to kill with it. And even if I would never have to, I rejected that with all my heart." He lets it go at that.
The suggestion of a spar is a convenient enough excuse to change the subject, too. "Hm. Well, if you're feeling in need I can oblige. There's a sparring area downstairs. Just... do me the favor of not trying to wring my neck." He pulls back his collar, revealing the rope burn he still bears from Sergio's techniques. "I fought someone yesterday who... well, let's just say he made up for lack of finesse with other things."
Hokuto -is- knowledgeable. History is part of her training, too, after all, and though she might not look it she was quite the studious girl. So she nods. "I know of it, yes. I would not claim to be a true historian of the subject. Perhaps Hayate would--" ... yeah, that was almost a mistake. Hokuto shakes her head.
"...nevermind. I would be interested in seeing what attracted you more than your family's style, yes, Tsukitomi-san." Yeah yeah. He introduced himself with Renard. But Hokuto can be slightly stubborn that way.
A light, and not all too reassuring smile, as Hokuto turns and walks to one of the unused practice mats. "I make no promises." But she will try to avoid wringing his neck.
That actually startles the monk a bit, but at least his back is turned to Hokuto, heading away, as he does so. "I'm not..." he starts, and then decides it's not worth it. He's done enough dumping on the poor woman for one evening, after all. And besides... however much he may LOOK like his father, and however much distance there may be between Frei and his remaining family, there's still Tsukitomi blood in his veins... the bond that is considered unbreakable by many.
It doesn't take long to get to the mats, which are all but empty right now. Most of the current users of the YFCC are either working on gym equipment or just hanging out in the cafeteria. In a way, that seems to relieve Frei. "At least there's no 'madames' watching this time," he says cryptically, with a smile. Apparently, if he heard Hokuto mention her brother's name, then he certainly isn't showing any signs of it.
His stance is... non-specific, when he gets into it. An experienced fighter might regard it as a mulligan stew of random fighting techniques: the relaxed upper carriage of tai chi, the set legs of kempo, the holding of the arms in front a bit like karate. "I guess I can accept that," Frei says, getting ready for his second battle in as many days. Hopefully this one won't require an ark to be built.
COMBATSYS: Frei has started a fight here.
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Frei 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hokuto has joined the fight here.
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Frei 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hokuto
Hokuto raises her hands--not fists--and sets herself, leading with her left. The stance is actually somewhat reminiscent of Aikido, which may help explain the chestguard... and then Hokuto settles into her stance, her center of gravity dropping infintesimally. She just looks 'ready'.
And if there's any -one- thing she might scold Frei about, it would be trying to sever or ignore his blood ties. Simply because he doesn't want the family fighting style doesn't mean he isn't part of the family.
And family is very important to Hokuto. She inclines her head to Frei, with a faint smile again.
"You may start us off," she says, and while it's conversational it actually sounds a little like an order--not an order persay, but like she expects for it to be followed.
Well, she gave him the go-ahead... the patient type, Frei typically lets the other person make the first move. But, he reasons, she did ask to see the style he created in place of his 'inheritance'... so it's only natural she'd ask him to go first. "Alright," he says evenly, flexing his fingers a little bit. "If that's your wish."
Taking a deep breath, the monk judges the distance between himself and Hokuto, then sinks his bare left foot into the mat before driving forward. Closing the gap, he stops just short of Hokuto and swings his entire body around, his leg whipping through the air in a shoulder-height circle kick, the path of the monk's blow trailing a crescent of scarlet flame as he does so. He's not aiming for the woman's head; rather, it's a demonstration kick, more to set her on her guard than anything else. Of course, that doesn't mean it can't hurt if it connects.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Hokuto with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Frei 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Hokuto
... and hit it does, impacting powerfully against Hokuto's head, forcing her to stagger to the side. Nnh. That aura... it's very powerful, and if that was a demonstration... still, Hokuto hardly seems fazed by the strike. "A very good kick," she murmurs, as she lunges forward despite the impact, drawing her left arm back, left hand in right to reinforce.
As she lands, she thrusts her elbow forward, the 'sharp' point aimed for Frei's chest--actually, a rather simple technique, if not one of her favorites, the Chuugeki Hou. Hokuto's voice comes sharp and strong as she kiai's during her swift forward lunge.
COMBATSYS: Frei interrupts Chuugeki Hou from Hokuto with Fast Throw.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hokuto
Hokuto has the brief satisfaction of seeing the monk's eyes widen in surprise. He hadn't been expecting her to move onto the counteroffensive quite so fast. IN a weird way, though, it's his sudden surprise that proves to be to his benefit. "Whoa!" he says sharply, throwing a hand up and grabbing Hokuto's outstretched arm. Her physical strength and skill are too great to be contained by such a slipshod defense; all it does is slow the inevitable impact of her elbow with Frei's sternum, making him wince.
However, as long as he has the grip, the monk decides to use it to his advantage. Concentrating quickly, he lets a very brief pulse of purple-blue lightning course through his hand and into her body. The jolt isn't much; just enough to perhaps keep Hokuto off her guard long enough for the monk to flip her to the mat Aikido-style.
... -that-... was annoying. Hokuto rises to her feet after she is neatly reversed, the faintest traces of a frown curving her lips downward. To have her attack so easily diverted... even in sparring, she's serious, if not quite 'deadly' serious. So she sets herself, once again, beckoning to the monk. She has confidence in her skills, of course, like any fighter--but that confidence is backed by wariness.
She's fought too many fighters of all sorts to underestimate anyone. So she spends the next few minutes analyzing Frei's movements, gazing over his body, seeking the littlest tells...
COMBATSYS: Hokuto focuses on her next action.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hokuto
Hopping on his feet for a second as Hokuto takes the time to collect herself, the monk takes a few deep breaths. He's in fighting condition, but... you can't do two battles, two days in a row without being a little drained by it. Plus, that was an intense few moments. "Haaaa... haaa... well... you can probably tell which way I went," he says carefully. "I learned how to manage my chi, started to study it."
Cupping his hands to his side, Frei begins gathering a swirling sphere of energy, white at the core but with tendrils of many different colors spiralling around it. If Hokuto's familiar with Ansatsuken, the *stance* is familiar even if the energy is not... and Frei makes it 'official' by throwing both hands forward and unleashing a person-high shockwave of multicolored chi at the Mizugami fighter. "Like so! Hadoooooukeeeeen!"
COMBATSYS: Hokuto dodges Frei's Hadou Souran.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hokuto
She's familiar in a clinical sense; Ansatsuken was part of her studies in history and in modern martial arts, but she's never faced -against- it... at least, not in the form practiced by Ken and Ryu. Some say that Shotokan Karate is an offshoot of Ansatsuken, and there was a fighter named Allen Snider that she fought previously...
... but that powerful shockwave is slow, or relatively so, and Hokuto nimble, despite her heavy clothing. She twists around the projectile, moving forward in the same motion--her body describes a neat curving arc around it, like a cueball shot with English.
And, utilizing that spin, Hokuto twists around, aiming to cut Frei's legs from underneath him with a sweeping kick--the 'inferior' version of her Shinkyaku Geki.
COMBATSYS: Frei just-defends Hokuto's Heavy Kick!
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hokuto
As Hokuto quite handily evades his Hadouken, Frei actually gives a whistle of impressed respect. Speed is one thing; speed and precision together is a really nasty combo. And as the kick swirls in to give him a right smack in the shin, he realizes that it's going to be a very long fall indeed unless he does something about it right quick. Dropping into a sudden crouch, he appears to try and position himself in *front* of Hokuto's leg, so that it would impact the back of his shin... what it actually hits is his hand, and with an agility he had not displayed in the fight so far, Frei does a sudden handstand on Hokuto's foot, then vaults backwards to land in a crouch a few feet away.
As he gets up, taking a second to collect himself too, he realizes he's going to need to reevaluate his tactics if he wants to keep this pace up. It's taking all the energy he has now to keep the defense going. "You've got such good form," he breathes. "I'm jealous. I learned a lot about chi... but not a lot about martial arts. I always feel like I'm just sort of... flailing around in the dark, sometimes."
COMBATSYS: Frei focuses on his next action.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hokuto
Dryly: "You seem to be doing just fine," replies Hokuto, a trace of sardonic amusement in her voice. So far he's almost completely denied her attacks. It's enough to dishearten a girl. Instead, Hokuto moves forward. Always forward, as much as she can--closing with the monk, swiftly. "I wouldn't complain about your skills, if I were you," she remarks.
As she closes in, she draws her arms back--perhaps making a feint as if she were going to attempt to use Chuugeki Hou again--but instead she just strikes forward with a swift open-handed strike to Frei's chest. Sometimes the basics work best, after all. And sometimes they're denied, just like her kick was... but she won't give up.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto successfully hits Frei with Quick Punch.
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Frei 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Hokuto
"It's not a..." Frei begins, intending to drive forward into the punch and hopefully use the resulting clinch to keep in close with the woman... instead he misjudges her speed and gets a fist in the chest for his trouble, 'oof!'ing in pain. Stepping back from the blow, he shakes his head out, smiling sheepishly at Hokuto. "It's not a complaint. Just an observation." That stung a little bit, but it's at least not his stomach or neck... the places Sergio was most keen to abuse and which are still a little tender.
But the monk is not about to be send back on the defensive; he weaves to the left and then simply drives at Hokuto, intending to get her in a tackle-like shoulder throw toward the ground... but if he can pull it off, there's a sudden burst of wind erupting from the ground behind her at an angle; the two forces hopefully meet in the middle and make a Hokuto sandwich, but the complexity of the maneuver makes it just a little bit telegraphed...
COMBATSYS: Hokuto fails to counter Medium Throw from Frei with Goukyaku Kou.
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Frei 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hokuto
Yes... Frei is doing just fine. Hokuto intended to use Frei's momentum against him--instead, she's sandwiched and hurled into the ground, the burst of wind chi doing little to make things feel any better. Hokuto rolls hard, and when she comes to a stop, she rises and looks... a little miffed. Or annoyed. Maybe both. She could blame the lateness of the hour, a day spent doing little, lack of recent practice... but pure pride, what she has left of it, just makes her honest--she's just getting worked here, and hard.
On his own side of the mat, Frei crouches forward, taking a few deep breaths. As annoyed as Hokuto seems to be, the monk is perhaps somewhat uneasy, full of the knowledge that half of his successes in this fight have been pure, stupid luck. Not because he resents that -- luck happens -- but more because he knows that it's a weighty pendulum... and as last night showed him, is more than happy to swing the other way, wide.
Straightening, he closes his eyes for a moment and pushes his hands out of in front of him, tai chi style. This is the 'quiet' way of doing this: centering himself, gathering chi, opening his awareness. The flashy version is mostly to impress people, or to make a good show... the quiet version is for when he's taking a fight seriously. "I'm sorry," he says, with a sheepish look. "I'm... a talkative fighter. I don't mean to be, it's just sort of in my nature." A beat. "You can see why I probably would have made a miserable battou swordsman..."
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
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Frei 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hokuto
A little frown from Hokuto, as she rises to her feet. The annoyance doesn't come from any dislike of Frei--only dislike of her performance, which is only natural in the face of such a skillful defense and her own lack of ability to score successes. Truly, it's nothing personal. How can it be? She barely knows this man.
"... I'm sure you would be a fine battoujutsuka," she replies, sincerely. And even if Frei is unsure of himself, she's pretty sure about him... Once again, she finds herself rushing at Frei, her legs moving quickly and smoothly through the motions of a running charge, both arms drawing back as she thrusts them forward in a dual palm strike.
COMBATSYS: Frei endures Hokuto's Strong Punch.
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Frei 1/----===/=======|======-\-------\0 Hokuto
This is the second time Frei has thrown himself in front of Hokuto's attacks like a kamikaze in order to better his position, but this time it actually appears to *work*, rather than him simply getting smacked in the breastbone (which is quite painful). There's a loud 'oof!' of expelled air as the twin palm strike hits him in the gut with crushing force, but perhaps to Hokuto's surprise, Frei *doesn't move*. He doesn't seem to have the build for this sort of thing, but he's actually quite adept at handling physical punishment... well, on a temporary scale, at least.
"You're very kind," is the only response he can make, his voice a little wheezy from his now-empty lungs. Her faith is either very polite, or she's seeing something Frei himself certainly does not. However, any further commentary is cut off by the monk suddenly attempting to snag Hokuto's arm before she can retract it from her punch. If he can get a grip, he leaps up and forward, carrying her into the air and, at the apex of the jump, swinging her around and blasting the Mizugami fighter back down to the mats with a concentrated burst of wind.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Hokuto with Ame no Murakumo.
- Power hit! -
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Frei 1/--=====/=======|=======\=------\1 Hokuto
... and once again Frei delivers a crushing blow. Hokuto leaned back, attempting to pull her arms free from Frei's grasp--and she was just too slow. Or Frei just had the right angle. Something. Whatever it is, it results in Hokuto's back striking the canvas and her breath just -exploding- out of her with a powerful hiss. If she has more practical experience than Frei, it isn't showing; she's done little to turn the 'tide' of the fight, and frankly, she's close to what might be considered 'despair'.
"I seem to have bitten off more than I can chew," she murmurs, to herself, and she genuinely seems angry--but the hot emotion is directed inward. If she can't handle herself in -this- kind of fight, there's no way she'll be able to defeat Kairi--who is a thousand times more skilled than she... no. No, she has to keep pushing forward, or she'll never have the opportunity to bring her brother back...
COMBATSYS: Hokuto gains composure.
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Frei 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Hokuto
Frei himself lands from the complex aerial maneuver in a crouch, taking a minute to stand up and focus on his opponent. Blinking a few times, he suddenly is reminded of so many people he knows who fight... and another one of those bittersweet smiles drifts across his face for a moment. "No... I don't think so. Because I think... you're serious about fighting. And I'm..." He pauses, looking at his open palm for a moment. "It's something I learned by habit. Because I wanted to learn more about chi, and fighting was the best way. If... if you succeed, you know it was because of your skill. And I'm left wondering how long my damned stupid luck is going to hold out."
However, when his face lifts from toward the ground, all traces of that moody introspection are gone, or at least carefully suppressed. "But... it might be strange to hear a philosopher say this, but in the heat of the moment maybe that's irrelevant. I don't know. Like I said. I'm very chatty... mostly 'cause I think aloud." And with that, he returns to the offensive, cocking one fist back, a burst of red-orange flame leaping into place around it... and he simply charges Hokuto, driving his fist forward toward her stomach. It's uncomplicated, but sometimes that's best.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto counters Fierce Punch from Frei with Goukyaku Nage.
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Frei 1/=======/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hokuto
Ah. A simple punch. Something Hokuto -can- deal with... and something she fully intends to do, in fact. Having caught her breath, she finds herself in the unenviable position of dealing with a monk's flaming fist. Once leading with her left side, she drops her left back, presenting her right--and concentrating as she reaches out to snag Frei's arm by the forearm.
She grabs, and turns to her left, pulling Frei with her, twisting his arm around a nearly full circle before using it as a lever to simply dump him on his back by the expedient of hurling him downwards, altering his momentum.
The poor guy isn't very heavy; when Hokuto finishes her quite effective counter-maneuver, the monk lands on his back and actually *bounces* off the mat once before coming to a stop on his back again, staring at the ceiling. While that wasn't a crippling blow, it certainly stung quite a lot... and leaves Frei himself kind of dazed for a moment, eyes dull with the shock. Eventually, he reaches both hands up and past his head and pushes himself up in a backward kippup, grinning faintly at his opponent. "At least you didn't go for the neck," he says with a smile.
However, the Mizugami fighter hasn't taken the monk out of the fight just yet. Deciding he doesn't want to get in close and risk another return trip to the mat, he instead takes a deep breath and pulls his hands to his sides, a blue-white orb of chi gathering in each. Whipping his arms forward so they cross in front of his upper torso, he slings both orbs toward Hokuto. When they close, they hit not her, but each other, the collision creating a massive burst of ice crystals in the air all around where the woman was standing. Of course, if she REMAINS there is another thing entirely.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto blocks Frei's Hyoushou Rengeki.
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Frei 1/-======/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hokuto
Oh, she remains standing. The curving arcs of those ice-balls discourage evasive manuevers, and so Hokuto simply covers up, her arms used to absorb most of the impact and ice. "Brr," she comments, as she shakes her arms out a little--and she looks suitably impressed. Fire, ice, wind... the man's mastery of chi is impressive as hell. She herself generally cannot employ elemental facets of chi...
... and she's not about to now. Shaking her arms out again, she nods to her opponent, with a faint smile. Perhaps that counter was what she needed to feel better--the fight is far from over, of course, but she seems to have her confidence back. Or maybe she's just turning back to her ability to focus...
COMBATSYS: Hokuto focuses on her next action.
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Frei 1/-======/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hokuto
She's quick on her feet, that's for sure. And she thinks things through. If he were the type to be so, Frei might actually be a little jealous of Hokuto. She's pacing the fight the way she wants to now, trying to keep it in her control. Good fighters do that, in Frei's experience. "But that's just not me," he suddenly adds, aloud. "They say 'hit the guy', so I hits 'em." He grins faintly at Hokuto. "You still sure I'd make a good swordsman?"
If he's going to walk right into the woman's arms, however, he's not going to do it with some wimpy show of force. Standing straight upright, his eyes closed, the monk holds his right hand out to his side, a swirl of multicolored energy gathering there, crackling around his hand in great helixes of light. "Maybe I was too hard on that guy last night... he probably thought I was making fun of him. And I guess I had to fight you to see that," he says to Hokuto with a smile, his eyes still closed. "So thanks. I might not have noticed otherwise." There's a beat, and then his eyes open. "Ready or not... here I come."
And then he's off like a shot, covering the distance toward the Mizugami fighter with a speed he has yet to show in other parts of this fight, right hand held back... and when he gets close he simply swings it forward, clamping his left hand down on his right forearm, and opens his palm. The glow becomes a spiral of rainbow motes of light... and then in one silent burst, the light becomes an invisible shockwave of force, the air rippling like a stream that's had a pebble thrown in.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto fails to interrupt Fukami Reikai from Frei with Shinkyaku Geki.
- Power fail! -
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1 Hokuto
She had a plan. It was going to hurt, but she would be giving some back to Frei in the process. Perhaps even more than she would take herself. So she withdraws as Frei lunges forward. And it seems she should have kept going--maybe even out the door of the YFCC. Because what happens instead is that she just runs face-first into the wall of chi and she's blown almost to the wall, barely left standing by Frei's ultimate technique. It's a good thing Kairi isn't here to see this--she'd die of embarassment at being so thoroughly pounded even in this sparring match...
Like an anime character, Frei is left standing there in the aftermath, still 'in pose' and breathing heavily. That move is always a gambit because it's just so damned *exhausting*; afterwards he's usually lucky if he can walk into a punch, let alone defend against one. Eventually his arms drop to his sides, and then to his knees. He watches Hokuto carefully; he hadn't intended to hurt her, but in a fight, well... as in all things, in a fight sometimes actions have unintended consequences.
In fact... sometimes it's better to know when to act and when not to. The monk doesn't attack, he just watches carefully. If she's really hurt, the fight ends here and now; if she needs help, he rushes to give it. Otherwise he pauses, trying to think of something to say and failing. "I, uh..." He shakes his head. "I'll shut up. Just let me know you're okay."
COMBATSYS: Frei takes no action.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1 Hokuto
Hokuto looks up. Frei didn't attack... even in a sparring match, Hokuto believes in no quarter. It doesn't injure her pride--she's simply curious as to why he didn't finish it. There's a moment where she's thinking--remembering, perhaps, similar sparring matches with her brother. Frei gave her his all, she will do the same; despite the shakiness of her arms and legs, she simply shakes her head.
And then she's running forward, for Frei... charging forward with a single sense of purpose. For now, that purpose... is to finally, and maybe, land another clean hit on Frei.
COMBATSYS: Frei endures Hokuto's Renbu.
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Frei 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Hokuto
The first strike is a palm strike to Frei's shoulder--a series of strikes follow, a quick combination of palmstrikes and kicks, striking various points on Frei's body--in fact, striking some pressure points, relying on accuracy rather than strength to do damage. It's a quick combination of nine strikes, the final strike coming from her right hand--she steps to her left, wide, then thrusts her right hand forward in a final palm strike, her arm glowing with a purple-laced aura of chifire that will briefly engulf Frei...
His teeth are already gritted when Hokuto gets back up from the ground. He knows she's about to come at him with everything she has. And part of him needs to know if he can weather that storm... so he tries. The result is perhaps a qualified success; the palm strike to the shoulder hits the monk with so much speed and force that his attempt to build up resistance almost doesn't even work, and the savage pummeling that Hokuto pours on once she has a grip makes the monk's entire body alive with pain. The only thing keeping him going at the end is sheer, stupid willpower...
...but it just be enough. The final palm strike carries a burst of Hokuto's chi into his body, Frei's eyes widening in surprise. In fact, his body is still licked with purple-red flame as he suddenly snaps out a hand and 'catches' himself on the mat, landing in a crouch much closer to Hokuto than the last strike would have otherwise sent him... and it's then that he strikes.
He shouts, inarticulately, as he suddenly pushes forward, reaching out to grab her arm before she can pull it back. If he can manage it, the monk yanks Hokuto's entire body down toward the ground, like before... but instead of greeting her with elemental chi, he leaps *up* as she goes down, and then kicks off her body in a surprisingly acrobatic backflip, his feet coursing with purple-blue lightning that arcs up and out like a thunderbolt from the kickoff point. Of course, that's if the adroit Ms. Mizugami doesn't find some way to defend herself...
COMBATSYS: Hokuto counters Tenrai Enbu from Frei with Goukyaku Nage.
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Frei 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Hokuto
... ah, here we go again. Frei is an odd mix of up-close and distance fighting--more well-rounded than Hokuto's style, which is all about being up-close until the time comes to duck back and let the opponent whiff. However, that focus does let her find a way to counter Frei's grab--the grasp takes place, of course, but with a wrist-twist like those seen in Chinese kung fu movies, suddenly it's Hokuto who has the controlling grip.
This time, it's less fancy; she grasps Frei by the wrist, turns, and simply pulls him down, forcing his shoulder to overotate, briefly, and his body to fall in a more ungainly manner than he might employ normally. She is -tired-, and she hurts... and so she adjusts accordingly.
Frei is able to recover... somewhat... but by the time he's rolled back into a crouch, the damage has been done. Muscles and joints already aching from the previous day's combat don't have the energy to resist anymore. He's not on the verge of unconsciousness; indeed, the sudden wrenching pain of being effectively bounced off the mat again is enough to sap the fight from the monk, but not enough to knock him out. Still, rather than make one last desperate stand, he takes a deep breath, then falls backwards onto his back, arms and legs splayed.
At the very least, though, he has a smile on his face.
COMBATSYS: Frei takes no action.
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Hokuto 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Frei can no longer fight.
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Hokuto 0/-------/------=|
Almost immediately, Hokuto goes to help Frei up, should he desire it; her eyes are unreadable, but she looks like she's wondering about some of the man's tactical choices... still, she won't question them. The man fights how he fights. If the offer of assistance up is refused, then Hokuto will settle to the mat in seiza position, sitting on her feet.
"You are quite a fighter, Tsukitomi-san," she says, and her tone makes it clear that she wholeheartedly believes this--why shouldn't she? She 'won', though she wouldn't put it that way, as it was a sparring fight, not a 'real' one... but she had a good measure of her skill and some idea of what she needs to improve on. And hopefully Frei is feeling less doubtful about himself.
Although he gives Hokuto a brief smile of thanks for the offer of her hand, he does wave it off, preferring to stay on his back. In a weird way it looks as if someone picked him up from a great height and sort of... dropped him on the mat. But if he's uncomfortable, he doesn't say anything about it.
Instead, he responds to Hokuto's compliment. "You too. Although we're nothing alike... you're so precise and focused." What he does not say, but does think, is: exactly like my mother. The thought does cloud his eyes for a moment, but he can't keep himself from following the line of logic in a more abstract way. "...and I'm not. It's why I'm not a Tsukitomi anymore, see," he says quietly. In her own way, Hokuto has given Frei so much to think about. Not a lot of it is pleasant, either. "I'm just a Renard, now... have been for years. Though unlike my father, I don't play the cello," he adds, with a wry smile, almost as an afterthought.
"What I learned--how I learned to fight--the methods I employ. They're all very different from yours, yes." Sitting seiza doesn't seem to bother Hokuto at all--iron will, and all. She muses softly.
"I was brought up to believe that Mizugami-ryuu kobujutsu was the ultimate form of martial arts. But after having fought so many times in so many places... against so many different people and styles..."
"... what I do are not the things you should do, that is clear. I could no more fight like you than you like me. But that is for the best."
On the subject of being a Renard and not a Tsukitomi, she merely glances at him. "Did your family disinherit you? Put a contract out on your life? If not, then I surmise that you are still a Tsukitomi--and not only by blood. Perhaps you simply don't want to think of yourself as such."
A moment after Hokuto stops talking, Frei sits up, draping his arms across his knees. He brings one hand up quickly to brush under his nose, being a little sniffly simply from having had the snot beat out of him (metaphorically speaking) not too long ago. "No, you're right. You're you, and I'm me. It's certainly possible to change the self, but... I think it's more adaptation than it is change. A part of you wants to be some other way, and you shift ever so slightly. You don't become something new, you incorporate the new into what's already there." He pauses, then smiles a little, seeming pleased with that explanation.
But as for his family... "I want to say they don't have it in them to have me killed," Frei says, perhaps too jovially. "But disinherited... in my family, not being part of the swordsman tradition is as much as not being a member of the family. Only the spouses get the exemptions, and even that's sort of new. But you're right. I'm not going to blame them for how things turned out. It was as much me as it was... anyone else," he says after a short pause. "I guess that's selfish of me, but I was 19. I think you're allowed some selfish at that age."
Hokuto nods slowly, listening to Frei expound upon his thoughts. They're good thoughts, for sure. However... the time soon comes to return to her life, as nice as this interlude was. So thinking, Hokuto rises to her feet.
"I know most wouldn't think it, and perhaps many fighters do not... but family is important." Dusting herself off, she grimaces. "It's going to be a day or so before I'm ready to fight again... but you gave me a lot to think about. Thank you, Renard-san. And I hope that you'll think about what I've said, as well. I'll stop by every once in a while to see if anyone's seen the man I was looking for."
The use of his father's last name doesn't escape Frei's notice, and he pulls himself standing to give Hokuto a little bow. Perhaps there's some Japanese in him after all. "You gave a total stranger the benefit of listening to his babbling. Not many people would do that." There's a pause, and then he puts on his official-ish hat. "I'll show the flyers to the other staff on Monday, but I don't think there'll be a problem. Of course, I can't guarantee results. If you're looking for someone, though, you could always try the Neo League, or signing up for Saturday Night Fights... I think with your skill, it might do your efforts some good."
Having said all that, the monk pauses... then flops back down on the mat, staring at the ceiling. "And if you ever need the favor returned, well... you know where to find me."
Log created on 20:08:52 08/25/2007 by Hokuto, and last modified on 02:39:20 08/26/2007.