Description: ...A Little Dream? On her way back with tools to help remove the final portion of the EMP netting, Arika pauses for a cheerful moment of reflection. Big mistake. Set upon by another (slightly more insane) intruder calling herself Miss Mature, the diva decides to hold ground and fight by herself. With a little luck, she might actually survive! Luck (and help) come in the form of the pigtailed Hotaru, but then something rather unexpected happens. The punk princess gets a 'first class' flight over to the Black Noah, at no extra charge!
Midnight. Suiryuu. The new moon means that there's nothing in the sky save the stars.
After the powerful fracas on board, it's clear that the defenders have far more to them than Rugal had surmised. The deck is war-torn now, the smoking ruin and rubble from the furious battle's ravages beginning to show, even on the stately Suiryuu's deck.
These young fighters, these relatively untested combatants, all of them have strong hearts, powerful fists. Filled with promise and potential, they're fresh, green, like the new grass budding in the srping.
Or weeds.
The flutter of cloth is gentle, barely heard over the sound of the sea breeze as a shape descends from the sky. Having dropped at an altitude high enough to allow her to avoid the sounds of the transport helicopter, the newest R invader touches ground with the lightest of sounds. All that announces her presence is the gentle tap of shoes on the metal deck.
Contact.
Mature stands from her crouch, not a hair out of place, not a single pleat on her skirt askew. This is new. This is different. It's been quite a while since she's been able to pull herself from her work. Secretary is no misnomer. Her job is the arrangement of R's logistics, arranging the massive war machine as casually as one would jot down a luncheon date in a day planner. She does it effortlessly, and with an ever-present enigmatic smile.
She moves across the deck, like a visiting dignitary. There's no reason to hide, because her mission is simple. The net has been brought down, and a point must be made.
Rugal favors messages. The bloodier the better. While Vice is suited to such things, Mature tends to place a more elegant spin on things. Though less widespread and carnage filled, Mature prefers her actions to be more poignant.
Someone tonight is going to be left a carcass tonight. Just so that the agents of Jinchuu understand that Rugal means business. Mature brushes her hair from her face idly, peering across the deck as she makes her rounds. As she moves, her clear, contralto voice rings out over the empty deck.
"Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singing in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me...o/`"
Funny how life works, really.
Known primarily for singing punk rock music with her band, the diva has been humming to herself the entire way back to the main deck.
A familiar song. One of longing, hope and promised tomorrows.
Things are looking up for her, and despite the fact that baby Bernstein got away, she knows once the netting is down completely she and Eva can find a way over to the Black Noah and find Hime, and then head home. So far as she's aware, she's out of the tournament anyhow.
Pausing by the railing, she gazes out at the night sky and drops a bag of tools to the deck. She knows she told them five minutes, and it's already been a slight bit longer than that, but surely they can wait just a few more. It won't be the end of the world if the netting isn't down immediately.
Her humming continues while she gazes out, eyes closing slowly as she loses herself in the moment. The song that has been in her head since she originally left the deck to gather what she promised is heard, but she passes it off as hearing it within her own mind. In fact, she goes so far as to add her own soft, clear voice to it.
"Say nighty-night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me,
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me...o/`"
Hearing the contrast between her 'mind' voice and the one she sings, she blinks and spins around. Eyes narrow into slits as she peers at the intruder and calls out in an accent that completely clashes with the soft voice that was just singing, "Just wot the bloody 'ell do you think you're doin'?"
The too-perfect face smiles. A perfect row of white teeth. Mature has a face that should be gracing fashion magaines or the silver screen, not wandering on the deck of a ninja ship somewhere in the Pacific ocean. Not strolling across the deck, danger lurking everywhere. Not seeking to complete an assassination job at the command of one of the most ruthless, deadly tyrants in existance.
But here she is.
"Irony," she says, the single word being spoken with enough weight to warrant a pause. "Irony that a ship such as this, filled with so many mechanical wonders is protected by the people that understand it the least." The tone is conversational and gentle, with just a tinge of condescencion. Her voice speaks of an American upbringing, one where money and power flow like water. Mature has never been in want for anything, and it shows quite clearly.
"Oh, but if I could muse eternally," she says with a laugh, bringing a hand to her mouth to muffle it, as if sharing a secret joke. "It's wonderful, you know. Ninjas. A beautiful people. Almost a seperate species. Layer upon layer of... well, not quite deceit, you see. Just carefully placed truths."
Her hands move with a sinuous grace, too smooth to be practiced, too precise to be impromptu. "Serendipty. Yes. Planned serendipty. contradiction in terms, I know, but yet," the woman spreads her arms, gesturing to the ship. "Here we are. Here it is. Power. Power beyond comprehension. Power beyond the hopes and dreams of not just you, but all of you. Aggregate. But not for simple bludgeoning force, no. Power for /precision/. A purpose."
Mature paces back once, doubling back to twirl across the deck. "Tell me, do you know the tarentella?" The woman immediately kicks her feet up, dancing nimbly to a tune only she can hear. "It's a dance that was once done to remove the body poison fromt he bite of the tarantula."
As she twirls about, she laughs once again. "Apropos, yes? Because the poison of this ship is upon you. The energy seeps in, it seeps out. You /are/ agents of Jinchuu. And this ship is the ship of the people. You are it. It is you. And as you wish to be rid of the poison, you dance. Dance because there's scant little else you /can/ do, my dear."
She stops, and bows deeply, scraping. "Do me the honors, my dear. Do me the honors and dance with me."
Then suddenly, she snaps upright, her voice growing more aggressive, shatting the still night with her almost crazed laughter. As she does so, she reaches out with her infamously clawed hands, twirling at Arika, seeking to rip her to shreds, tear her apart.
COMBATSYS: Mature has started a fight here.
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Mature 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here.
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Mature 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Mature's Sacrilege.
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Mature 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Arika
Normally, in a situation like this all the diva would hear are noises similar to those the adults in Charlie Brown make.
This translates into English roughly as: "Blahblahblahblah... blahblahblah."
For some odd reason, this one actually gets her attention.
For some odd reason, -this- one seems to be giving her the information she's been seeking since setting foot aboard.
Whether or not it can be believed is another matter entirely.
"Well if you ain't givin' me a choice..."
Still pumped from the encounter earlier, Arika grins. "You ain't exactly my type though, so try not to take offens--" A clawed hand seeks to tear into her. Instinctively, the punk princess raises her arm up to keep those claws from coming anywhere near her throat or face.
"Right then. If that's the way you want to be..."
Dance was requested, and so dance is what the female intruder is about to receive. Boots slide gracefully along the deck as she slips herself under the arm, twisting about smoothly in order to face her 'partner'. Deep blue eyes narrow into thin slits once more and she spins herself into a pirouette only to lash out of it with a roundhouse kick to the woman's torso.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Mature with Rhythmic Roundhouse.
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Mature 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Arika
And Arika's hit lands cleanly. The Orochi woman is battered backwards by the attack, although it only makes her smile flicker for a moment. The force of the impact pushes her about, focring her to spin lightly on her feet to keep standing isntead of being sent unceremoneously to the ground.
"A solid hit! Good show, good show!" Mature's smile breaks into a full grin as she stops to clap twice, like a flamenco dancer. "But you'll have to try a little harder. A little stronger. A little faster. I am no ameture, my dear. Not at all. I fight to live. I live to fight."
"But enough of my proclivities, yes? Enough of my silly chatter. I see you wish to know. Eyes never lie, my dear. Never. And I see in you so much longing. not just for ansers mind you, but a need for... oh what is it?"
She clucks her tongue as she steps lightly, taking one step in one direction, then two steps in another as if feinting, but not quite. "Listen to your heart. That's what they always say, yes?" And with a rapid motion, Mature's fingernails glint in the very dim light of the ship's ambeint lamps. "I shall have to listen to yours to find out what it is you truly desire. Oh yes. But oh. There's so much /pain/ in the way."
And with a burst of impossible speed, the woman is once again upon Arika, her fingers slashing a bright line of chi as she tries to rip the girl asunder. "Let Miss Mature cut it away. And make. It. All. Better."
COMBATSYS: Mature successfully hits Arika with Metal Massacre.
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Mature 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Arika
Boots continue to glide along the deck of the Suiryuu, and it takes just a moment longer for the diva to realize something.
Whoever this 'Mature' person is, she seems a little off her rocker. Oddly enough, it reminds her of a fight a few months ago aboard another ship. So much so, in fact, that she's got to really focus on what's being said now so that memories of near drowning don't suffocate her.
"Don't they? Beg to differ, mate." Arika's eyes lie so very well, usually. Rare for anyone to see something in her that she doesn't want to be seen -- something that's come from many years of practice. "'ell, lady, if I listened to my -'eart- you wouldn't be enjoyin' this bloody fight so much, would ya?" This stranger wants to presume to know her, let the woman mull over that one a little.
Moving her body in tandem with that of the apparent foe, she frowns. Only one way anyone will get to actually listen to her heart and that's over her cold dead...
... distracted by these thoughts, she attempts to maneuver herself to the side away from the strike but her footing isn't choreographed properly. Meaning to move right, her foot slides to the back and lines her up for the slash of chi and nails ripping across her midsection. In a move that is so very unlike the punk princess, there is a gasp of pain and surprise before she gets the inner turmoil under control and clenches her teeth together to keep from crying out. Subconsciously, she slides a hand down to her stomach to check the injury for blood and to see how deep it is.
Never once does she stop moving though. Despite the pain, she pushes forward with the little 'dance' and quietly says, "Only one person can 'eal the pain I've got, and you ain't it." Flowing forward left hand still clenched about her stomach, her right hand shoots forward to crack the smile off of the intruder's face.
The dance of the poisoned or the entrancing dialog means nothing to the young Kenpo artist making her way cautiously out to the deck of the Suiryuu. Having been caught up in the initial invasion and wounded severely for her interference, she was already getting medical attention when Arika and others bravely stood before Rugal and his son's assault on the bridge of the besieged yacht.
It took some effort to get back on her feet to see if she could still be of any help in the fray. But the girl had a feeling the stakes on the line were far more ominous than many of the passangers seemed to believe. After all, not ALL of the fighters on board were taking a stand. Many seemed content to be idly conquored, indifferent as to which flag flew over the People's Suiryuu.
But Hotaru was not among those. Capable of walking again, though mindful of a series of stitches in her stomach, the girl slips out from the medical bay into the night. The lights are dim - until those nets are finally off, the only source of light aboard the boat tends to be those chi sensitive runes in the walls or the spotlights of helicopters overhead.
The massive carrier off to the side of the comperatively diminunitive boat is a dreadful sight to behold and for a moment Hotaru simply stops, hand clamped against the railing as she looks upon the face of the enemy and realizes just how hopeless the proletariat's attempts to fight the invaders back may truly be.
She should find Elle, she muses. If the well connected guild leader is even still /on/ the boat after all this. Maybe she knew the stakes and bolted at the outset. But that's for later. Right now Hotaru needs to figure out what she can do to maybe sway the outcome if but in just some small way. It's hard to pick out any one set of noises apart from the choppers near the edges of the boat, but an encounter of the sort Arika is engaged in stands out, as does her voice. Arika tends to know what's going on... After all, she has the Shooting Stars to work with, right?
"Arika?" comes the teen's voice as Hotaru slides out from the corner leading toward the cabins just in time to see the diva swing for Mature's face. The well dressed blond is someone she's never seen before and that Arika is fighting her means she /must/ be with the invasion the girl concludes. Asking for directions can wait for later. Right now it's pretty clear what she needs to do.
Sprinting forward, the girl leaps, attempting to strike Mature from the side with a swift jump kick. If she hadn't called out toward Arika at first, the attack might seem to have come from out of no where.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Arika 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mature dodges Hotaru's Light Kick.
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Arika 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Mature with Jab Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Arika 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
With a sharp smack, Arika's punch strikes home, and mature stumbles backward just in time to hear the shout of another voice. Interesting. The girl has allies. new playmates to play with, it would seem as the young Kenpo expert seems to burst from the darkness, an avenging angel in pigtails. In an instant, the lilting voice is gone as Mature is forced to leap backwards in a picture perfect backflip, landing nimbly on her feet as she steps back into the shadows.
"Ahh," Mature exhales, the question posed. "Would I enjoy this or not? Is the pain I see running deep? Or is it merely on the surface, oozing like an open wound?" Her voice grows darker and macabre in a moment as she tilts her head, her long bangs on one side of her head hooding her features, one ice blue eye visible from the shadows.
"No, no, no," a finger is waggled, seemingly disappointed. "The game is played differently. The question is not 'what does Mature see', but 'what doesn't she'? The answer is always in the things forgotten. After all, if you remembered or knew, you wouldn't have any questions, would you?"
And then, the smile crosses her lips again. "Ah, the cavalry. Now, the dance quickens," Mature's head tils again and she considers Hotaru's arrival with some interest. "The picture of youth. Tick tock. A child and time are mortal enemies, for as each day passes, the child dies and the adult grows. But as the child forever seeks to escape the innocence that is gifted to them, does she ever take heed to the stampede of adults, rushing back to embrace that which the child has tossed away so callously?"
%Mature shrugs. "Food for thought. Nothing that I can do, except adapt, yes? And perhaps I shall see you as I pass you by, going sideways across that track, yes? For me, time is nothing but eternal. But here you are. And here I am. On a ship that robs people of things like innocence."
And with that said, the R agent's lunging forward, her fingers locked into a claw position. Light steps almost make no noise as she jolts across the deck again before she comes around with a sideswipe, fingers seeking to rake across Hotaru's face and neck.
"That'd be me, who's aski--" Tilting her head to the side, twisting it just enough to see the pigtailed girl in the darkness, the diva nods. "Hotaru," she decides, with a small grin. "Care to join the dance?"
Arika is truly not as mad as she seems to sound. She's merely adapting herself to the situation at hand, trying to make heads or tails of this chatty invader. Definitely not like anyone that she's run into while trying to keep people safe, that's for certain. While she -is- taking the attack seriously, it feels almost a relief that the foe can distracting herself with idle chatter.
"Believe me, lady, it runs deep." Whisking a hand up through her hair to brush it off of her face, she glances at the older woman and frowns. "Wotever you see or don't see ain't really all that important to me, to be 'onest. People come to their own conclusions even if they see nothin'." Lifting her shoulders up in a small shrug, she actually -waits- while Mature assesses Hotaru. The words amuse her somewhat, because unlike others that were rushing to get out of their childhood, she would have loved to keep hers for a few years longer. Alas, one cannot go back and change the past.
"'least that's one thing we seem to agree on. Adaptability is key."
Speaking of stampeding adults, the punk princess rushes by the intruder booted feet stomping upon the deck. Passing by the woman, she lashes her arms out in a sideways sweep in order to grab her and yank her around. Should she latch onto what she seeks, it is no light embrace she offers, but instead a steady squeezing grip in order to choke off any words that might be lingering.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Mature's Quick Punch.
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Arika 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
Perhaps the best Hotaru can ever hope for is to distract people while Arika beats them up. Sliding to a stop after her failed jump kick, the small guest of the Ryouhara spins back around to face Mature, hands raised in a defensive posture as if prepared for whatever might come next.
What she wasn't prepared for was the stream of thoughts expressed, coherent yet confusing at the same time. A questioning glance is cast toward Arika then as if hoping to follow her lead or hang back based on what the diva seemed to think was best. After all, maybe that smack against Mature has brought this fight to a close and it's time to just chat now... But it seems that it was merely a pause in the hostilities, the two discussing things Hotaru is too frazzled to try and digest. "Some of us are just fine how we are," is all she remarks concerning the struggle of youth.
But her reflexes keep her going when the unwelcome visitor tries to dig into her with her nails. "Ah!" gasps the younger fighter as she over reacts and backs up substantially, losing ground on Mature a bit. Arika had called it a 'dance', but based on the injuries she can see on the Shooting Star, this exchange is far from courteous.
Compared to Arika's boots, Hotaru's own foot steps against the deck are light pads before she attempts to catch up with Mature at the same time Arika reaches for the woman. If the 'R' representative's guard is down, the girl will unleash a sequence of rapid kicks culminating with a backflipping kick that packs a bit of a punch, trying to land herself a little bit away afterward.
COMBATSYS: Mature blocks Arika's Quick Throw.
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Arika 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Mature with Shin-Jou Tai.
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Arika 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
Mature's eyes track Arika's hand impassively, and the woman bats the incoming assault with a disturbing ease. She appears to almost stifle a yawn, until Hotaru appears on the scene. The swift Kenpo artist threads the needle of the R agent's blind spot and Hotaru's strikes true, the young girl landing her kicks firmly, the final strike causing Mature to pinwheel back. The woman's grace saves her, however; she quickly turns it into a piroutte, leaping upward with impossible speed to a low hanging part of the ship's rigging.
"Well played, Miss Futaba," she says, rolling her neck. "A far more powerful blow, and artfully landed. Yes, your skill is respectable. I suspect that you are the lynchpin here." Blue eyes then cast down to Arika.
"As for you... I don't suppose you could actually battle with gusto? I do understand that you're young and inexperienced, but there's simply no excuse for this," Mature says, her dark attitude quickly shed for one of complete derision. "I suppose I should expect no better from /Eurotrash/, but perhaps I'm an optimist, yes?"
The woman brushes hair away from her face again with a sigh, and she shakes her head, the gentle smile on her face shifting from one of bemusement to murderous intent in a heartbeat. Her cold blue eyes gorw even icier, her pupils narrowing to pinpricks as she whips aside once again, her light footed gait giving her ample balance to maneuver on the rigging. "What I see, do not see, matters little to those that don't concern themselves with the caltrops left in the road of life," she replies. "Each step is therefore filled with regret and pain. But I shant bore you with the details, yes? Instead, I shall concern you with more corporeal things."
With an almost impossible motion, Mature leaps in a seemingly boneless fashion, her body cracking the whip in midair as she swipes downward across Arika's face, the streak of Chi ripping downward to cut a bloody swath across the younger woman. "I'll make sure you become concerned with the things I observe, because my dearest, I am about to see your brain."
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Mature's Despair.
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Arika 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
Ah, there it is. The part of the chatter where the opponent is starting to feel the fight and resorts to verbal barbs instead of physical ones. Where most would likely lash out in kind, the diva just shoots a scathing glare. Really, she cant rebuttal the Eurotrash comment as it is all part and parcel of the image she has been creating of herself for the past five years.
"Could fight with a little more gusto," she replies as she pops her neck left and right. "But that'd mean I actually think you're a serious threat." Words spill out easily, steadily and without any sign of fear. Could be she believes them. Could be just a bluff. Hard to discern something like that with Arika.
As she begins to shake her body out and limber up, she catches movement from the corner of her eye. Almost immediately her arms swing up and her head ducks in, in order to keep her face looking perfectly pristine. Arms are a different matter now, as ruby red droplets well up from the cuts leaving streaks of crimson on her tanned skin.
"First me 'eart, then me brain? Wot's good ol' papa bear Bernstein runnin' over there? Black market body parts?"
Jabbing her right fist in the direction of Mature's mouth in order to stop the conversation cold, she smirks. As her right hand is drawn back, the left slams forward with a whoosh of force. Upon reaching full extension, the hand flares up with a bright violet energy that blasts with a small concussive force should it impact.
The flip through the air to land back on the deck is one of graceful control as Hotaru is immediately once again ready to watch Arika for a lead in how this very strange encounter should play out.
That the blond woman knows that she is a young Futaba is somewhat unsettling, even if she should be used to it by now. There's probably a few million people out there that could pick her out of a crowd just from her steady appearances in the broadcast media. But somehow it seems creepier coming from someone who came from that monsterous carrier blocking out the horizon in the darkness. As if those who came from that boat know everyone's secrets here. Nothing is hidden.
The girl takes a split moment to assess the situation. When she first saw Arika's scratches she thought Mature was bearing a weapon of some sort, but now she's come to realize she can do that damage with her /hands/. That makes the idea of getting in close rather unpleasant. But that isn't keeping Arika from going for it. Frowning a little at the taunting the blond uses to provoke the diva the girl tries her best to tune Mature out. Words, random as they may seem, are weapons when spilling from her tongue. And if she's going to back Arika up here she can't lose her own focus.
When the singer goes back for Mature to deliver that chi laden punch, Hotaru attempts to slip in from the side and dish out a rapid sequence of palm strikes, from low to high, "Don't let her get inside your head," the girl states between clenched teeth as if hoping Arika isn't getting too provoked by Mature's words. That remark about taking a look at her brain may have had layered implications.
COMBATSYS: Mature dodges Hotaru's Strong Punch.
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Arika 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Mature dodges Arika's Diva Allegro.
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Arika 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Mature
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
The woman moves swiftly, her hair waving slightly as she closes her eyes, head jerking to the side as the chi laden punch shoots by her face. Then a series of ducks, bobs, and weaves as Hotaru's rapid punches burst forth. Powerful little fists whip by her body as it arches, bends, and shifts with every punch.
She cracks an eye open, the startling blue shifting once to Hotaru, and the other to Arika.
"I see."
The chatty woman falls eerily silent for a second, her eye closing again.
She wraps her arms about her body, and shudders. This always takes a lot of effort. She speaks again, this time her voice seeming to come in stereo. "Appearances deceive. A ninja would know," she says, both eyes suddenly flying open. "And so many seem ignorant of the things that truly matter. Love and friendship. Hatred and betrayal. All so finely intertwined that only a fool beleives that there's a line where one starts ant the others begin."
She breaks into a radiant smile, beaming as if she had reached some ephiphany. "I, alone, am no threat? Perhaps." And then it happens. Mature's body seems to phase, splitting into twin images. "But how about two of me?" The images ask in unison, and then leap at both woman, mirror images of one another. The rapid attacks come in an eyeblink as the Mature clones rip away with chi laden talons at both her assailants, attempting to grind into them like a drill.
COMBATSYS: Arika fails to counter Eternal Illusion from Mature with Diva Allegro.
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Arika 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Mature
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru fails to reflect Eternal Illusion from Mature with Kobi Kyaku EX.
- Power fail! -
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Arika 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Mature
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|
And grind they do. Mature's deadly double images laugh. Not a gentle laugh. Not a triumphant shout or a cry of surprise. No. it's a demonic one. A haughty laugh that boils up from her, as if she was part of something greater. Something unfathomable only using her lithe body as a conduit for it's power.
Maybe because that's the case.
The Orochi woman's attacks are deadly in nature. A cross slash, then another. A spin strike, a goucing maneuver across the chest streaking upwards across the face, and then a short, low striking claw before the clones leap back, and blow a kiss.
With that motion, the clouds themselves seem to speak, belching forth an ethereal chi lightning blast that bursts from the heavens, striking the ship and their targets. The Suiryuu lights up like a candle, flashing it's eerie bluish hue.
The clones sudden;y shudder, and merge. Mature takes a breath, eyes closed. And then she opens one. "So. Are we taking me seriously yet, my dears?"
"Hotaru? It's gonna take more than a few poisonous words to get inside -my- 'ead." This is something the punk princess seems so certain about, there is a calmness in her voice as she speaks those words. Whatever is on the surface is fair game, and why not? That is -precisely- how Arika likes it. What lurks beneath though... that's hers and hers alone, to share with those she trusts implicitly. Those numbers are few and far between, totalling exactly... one.
The Mature speaks, and the diva stops moving altogether. "Do I -look- ignorant to you?" Words waver and all hint of the Cockney is gone. There before the world is the girl she once was duly terrified because she, more than most, understands how all four of those things intertwine. Love and hatred, friendship and betrayal. All so very different and yet all thin threads woven together in life. "Do I look so young and so innocent to you that I know these things cannot be separated?"
And yet... she loves. She loves, knowing full well that betrayal is certainly just around the corner. She loves, willing to trust someone again. Willing to live life to its fullest knowing at any moment she will be crushed once more by the one thing that can hurt her worse than any physical pain ever could.
The distraction works to the intruder's advantage. The one thing she was so certain would not and -could- not happen did. Someone got inside her head. Someone saw a little something beneath the surface. It causes her to see double, and figuring it for the tears that are surely welling in her eyes she lifts a hand to wipe them away.
Demonic laughter snaps her head up, and in that moment she attempts lash out at the Orochi woman. A fist balls up and she strikes forward, only to be literally torn apart by the energy that accompanies the attack. Gashes appear upon her collarbone, and leave gouges in the leather shirt she wears. Lines of red streak like comets down her cheeks, bloody droplets forging a path and leaving a trail behind them in their wake.
In the end, this leaves the diva on the deck. Crumpled, head in hands.
"Maybe we are," comes the weak reply, "maybe we aren't. But it seems to me, that really isn't the question you want to ask, is it?" Pausing to take a deep, raspy breath, she continues, "What you really want to know is why we're bothering to waste our time and energy defending a ship like this. What you really want to know is where the people of importance are... so tell me, Mature, why don't you ask the questions that want to know the answers to instead of the rhetorical meant only to make you feel better about yourself?"
It's an illusion. Both can't be real, can they? A person can't be in both places at once. Hotaru's eyes widen with startled fright as Mature's attention isn't simply on Arika /or/ her individually any longer. Best to play it safe and create a barrier all the same- Too late! Feeble attempt at a desperate energy defense is shattered swiftly when the first slash connects.
Unfortunately, the small fighter discovers all too painfully that the copy of the blond assaulting her is no illusion. She can only wish it was. Oh how she wishes. The slashes and strikes tear into the girl, reopening injuries that were hidden beneath her clothing. Gashes tear through vest and blouse, reminding the girl of the vicious strikes she had taken from the unpleasant gentleman with the cane sword. One thing's for sure. Taking 'R' representatives lightly is one way to end up in a world of hurt.
The final blast of chi from above staggers Hotaru, dropping her to her hands and knees, her pig-tails dropping over her shoulders as she struggles to push herself back up. Considering what Arika has been through, she can't leave the other girl on her own... Even if her torso is covered with bloody smears as new wounds bleed alongside old ones. She really is about ready for this boat ride from hell to be over with...
Tight lipped with pain, she is silent as Arika challenges the woman back with the questions that so many on the boat have got to be wondering by now. What are they fighting for exactly? Left hand rising off the deck to press against her stomach, Hotaru slowly rises, leaving spattered droplets to mar the surface where she was kneeling.
Her face takes on an unhealthy palor as she tries to keep going inspite what are beginning to become a severe collection of wounds to move against. "We might need help," is all she murmurs, quite willing to admit that against what this woman can dish out they might be in over their heads. After all, there's gotta be SOME fighters to spare on this floating arena, right?
Another laugh, and Mature tosses her head back this time, the sound warm and heartfelt as if Mature had just heard a very funny story at a cocktail party. "Because, my dear. I have all the answers I want, or ever will need. Arrogant? Self absorbed? Oh certainly, I've heard those before. Perhaps it's true. But there's always that narrow, narrow chance," she says with a hand lifted, thumb and forefinger an inch apart, "that i'm telling the truth."
She spins around once with a flourish. "After all, why should I lie? I have everything I need. Money, power, myself. There is no void to fill, you see. Because when you look into these eyes," she smiles widely, "these eyes that never lie, you'll see nothing. Nothing at all. And then you'll realize that there is no void because /I/ am that void."
"All good things come to an end," she says, her attention shifting to Hotaru, "the end of childhood, the end of love and laughter, but also sorrow and tears. When you embrace the world, and all it's nothings, as I do, you learn to love that nothing. The taking, the breaking, the joy that springs from the sorrow that dies or the dying gasp of a love that was never fated to leave. The end."
The twirling stops.
"I am the end, or a part of it. And that, my dear, is why I need no answers: because I am the answer. If I can help you realize the answers to the questions inside you, then I merely hasten the end of something. And that pleases me. But then, consider this."
"Maybe all those emotions I've just made you felt are merely the mad babblings of a madwoman." Eyes gleam as she shows teeth, the too-perfect rows flashing at Arika and Hotaru. "Maybe," she murmurs, the low tune coming from her lips. "You'll think of me... when you are all alone...o/`"
And with that, she snaps out a rapid fist to clock Arika in the face as an afterthought, turning to Hotaru. "Well then, my dear. Let's you and I talk now."
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Mature's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Arika 1/=======/=======|-------\-------\0 Mature
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|
Arika is a right mess, and it's got nothing to do with the bloody wounds all over her body. Physical pain heals. It goes away, and sure it might leave scarring, but none so deep as emotional turmoil is wont to do.
"Please. I've met people that are far more self-absorbed than you are, Lady R... but do you -really- have all the answers?"
Chancing a glance at Hotaru, the diva mouths the words, 'I'm sorry', and then turns back to Mature.
"Money. Power. Yourself. Seems like a fairly lonely life. Then again when you -are- the void, I suppose there is no room for friendship or love, only the bitter coldness of hatred and betrayal."
Oh, yes. All good things come to an end and it looks like the punk princess is just barely clinging onto the end of her rope now. Weakly, she lifts her hand to stop the fist from spreading the blood around her cheeks, and for all accounts she really does look like she's done. Body dropping with a soft thump to the deck, she feigns losing consciousness. Lashes and eyelids flutter as her deep blue eyes roll upward, though they finally do manage to fall closed as her head slips from her arm and just hangs there.
A slow, steady breathing is coming from her though. Careful is she not to take gasping breaths or force herself to get up right away. All she needs is a moment. A precious little moment in which to regain her composure so that she may continue the dance.
COMBATSYS: Arika gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Arika 1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0 Mature
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|
Back on her feet finally, Hotaru glances between Arika and Mature. There's more being exchanged than simply words. The diva scoffed at the idea of someone getting beneath her skin, into her head, but from what the twice wounded Kenpo artist can see, the time for playing the tough girl act is probably over. As is standing, for that matter, as Arika slumps to the ground. Too focused on Mature as the blond's attention turns her way, she's unable to perceive that there is still some fight left to the Shooting Star.
Now she definitely can't go for help. She can't leave Arika with this lunatic. Exported insanity seems to be 'R' Organization's line of business and the entire boat is awash in it. But right here and now, there are only two people that she need think about. The one that has fallen and the one that remains standing.
The darkness conceals somewhat the condition Hotaru is in, but the eye of an assassin would be able to tell that she has already been through a brutal fight before this encounter, her body protesting what she's putting it through as she continues to fight anyway. "What do you want from us anyway? What is this all about?" How did all these people end up drawing the attention of that frightening aircraft carrier loaded with criminal soldiers in the first place? But it isn't about the fighters, is it. It's about the boat. The boat just happens to have a lot of fighters on it...
She doesn't stay rooted though, finally breaking through the daze in her mind after the punishment she's been through. A forward charge is followed by a leap into the air and a knee dive back down toward Mature. The angle is sharp and the girl's movements swift. If that dive connects, the swift kick that will follow will add to the impact before Hotaru backflips away once again.
COMBATSYS: Mature blocks Hotaru's Rengeki Shuu.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Arika 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Mature
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|
The woman exhales. One of the fighters appears mentally broken. The other has been worried from the start. "Where to begin?" Mature asks to herself. "Where? The beginning? But that's no fun," she says more to herself. "Hmm. Well, first off," I'd have to say I lead a fairly active social life. I have all the things you enjoy, although perhaps not to the same extent. Granted, all that emotional claptrap gets in the way of a good conversation and caviar, so I tend not to get too involved." She waves a hand dismissively.
With an almost casual grace, Mature raises a hand to block the incoming attack, her hand catching the foot. The impact itself pushes her back, but Mature is able to push the young Kenpo master away before any greater damage than muscle strain can be done.
Her tone shifts back to the more conversational. "Don't be stupid. Of course I don't have all the answers. Don't you understand everything? It's a rhetorical, philosophical bent, rather like an inverse Zen. Know ye, that ye know nothing. Sort of a Socratic stint on an Eastern philosophy. For the love of all that is decent, read a book."
Then Hotaru's question. "Simply speaking? Rugal sees the boat. Rugal wants the boat. Rugal gets the boat. Mine is not to question why. Only that to fight and die. Your guess as to why he wants yet another fantastic amalgam of thaumaturgical power and nigh unfathomable technology is anyone's guess... although when you think about it, doesn't that sort of make sense? After all, what do you do when you already have everything else, hmm?"
Soft footsteps have her away from Hotaru in what seems like an eyeblink as she gives a little wave to the kenpo master. "But it seems my time here is short. So, adieu, non? We'll speak again, Miss Futaba," she says as the helicopter descends, dropping a tow line. A clawlike hand roughly grabs Arika by the collar. "Scruffy, and you smell like cheap beer, but I suppose you'll have to do. Up you go, you glorified hooligan," Mature says offhandedly as she heaves the girl almost effortlessly into the awaiting helicopter before Hotaru can shout out the call to arms.
Strong but delicate hands grab the tow line as it lifts up into the air.
"Au revoir! Remember, when pondering the mysteries of life..."
"Beg the question. Rue the answer."
Seems her ruse worked all to well. This time, the diva ignores the words. What she shot back to Mature, the idiocy of her questions... it was all just a ploy to attempt to draw the attention away from Hotaru.
Arika very rarely will admit when she needs help with something, but now is not the time to attempt to do -everything- on her own. Especially since as she is about to get up to her feet, she's being grabbed by the very small collar of her shirt. Exhaling a heavy, almost defeated sigh, she mutters, "Can't smell like something I never bother with so that must be you..." Odd, how she sounds less and less like a 'glorified hooligan' with every passing moment and more like a well-bred young woman.
Mustering her remaining strength, she hollers down to the girl left on the deck. "Hotaru! Make sure those tools get to Eva and Marisol..." A small inhale so that she can shout a little louder. "The EMP netting is down. Tell Eva to call -him- and tell him I'm sorry... she'll know what you mean...."
She hopes.
Looks like someone just found her way onto the Black Noah a little prematurely, but at least this way maybe she can find out what's happened to Hime before all Hell breaks loose.
COMBATSYS: Mature has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|=======\=====--\1 Arika
COMBATSYS: Arika has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|
Backflipping away, Hotaru lands again, not having managed to score the solid hit she had hoped for. Still, even small hits over time can add up. But the downside to her hit and run style of fighting is that in backing off to prepare for her next attack she gives Mature the time she needs to make a graceful exit.
It's her reach for Arika that spurs the teen fighter to action, charging forward again, small feet pressing against the deck as she tries to close the distance in time... But by then the diva has been chucked easily up into the waiting doors of the chopper. Hotaru glances at Mature taking her leave courtesy of the tow line and then up toward the chopper itself. She could make the jump, she tells herself. It's not too late. Grab hold of a landing strut at the last moment... But then what? That's insane! But Arika...!
Torn by indecision, the girl is stuck on the deck with the chopper moving out of range of even the most miraculous of jumps.
The captured Shooting Star is heard, Hotaru's brow furrowing, her hands clenched tightly with frustration. How could she let this happen? She should have done something! The sound of the aircraft diminishes as it makes its way back toward the floating host of this invasion. "Eva and Marisol," the girl repeats to herself. She needs to go find them!
She turns to start searching, only to pause, remembering another part of Arika's request. Hefting the tools needed for ridding the Suiryuu of the net, Hotaru hurries to find the two girls, her mind reeling at everything that just happened, /almost/ allowing her to forget the excrutiating pain she's trying to function with.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
Log created on 01:07:57 10/17/2007 by Arika, and last modified on 06:17:21 10/20/2007.