Description: Target: A small soup stand's cash supply. Obstacle: A single brave kid. Alias: None. Summary: Ayame had it all planned out. The distraction. The grab. The escape route. The post-caper cleanup. What she didn't factor in was a determined, resolved young kid with a bit of skill, a bit of luck, and a lot of guts. Willing to be the unsung hero if it means helping his community, Kentou Ondori quickly discovers that Ayame plays for keeps.
Chinatown bears the unfortunate property of being a stone's throw from the run down, southern districts of Southtown - Ayame's haunt. The difference is, sometimes people actually have money in Chinatown. The same can't be said of most people wandering around outside the dilapidated apartment building Ayame calls home.
She tested this district during the night and found those who traversed its streets in the dark weren't the sort she needed to be messing with. Best to stick to stealing from those who venture out during the day-star's reign. They're a bit less creepy and far easier to sucker. And besides, there's food to be obtained as well!
Seated at the counter of a small soup stand, Ayame enjoys a bowl of noodles, managing to sate her killer hunger a little. A businessman at her side gets to his feet, leaving money for his bill on the counter top... It doesn't stay there for long as Ayame swipes it. "Hey," she remarks to the middle-aged woman running the stand, "That guy left without paying!" her finger pointed after the man.
The justifiably agitated proprietor tears out of the booth to go chasing after the man while Ayame finishes off her bowl of soup with a satisfied sigh and slides off the stool, wiping her mouth with her arm. The money is pocketed as she slips behind the booth to look at the cash register. "Mmn." the girl ponders, crouching down to inspect the key-hole that keeps the drawer closed.
From beneath the black wrist guard on her left arm she slides out the two components of a lock picking set and immediately sets to work on the lock. She figures she has a good thirty seconds before the owner gets back... She expects to have the drawer open in fifteen.
Kentou arrives in ten.
Meng Lo. That's the proprietor of this humble little noodle shack's name. A short, excitable fellow to be sure. But he does serve a great bowl of noodles! The reason for this neurosis? His name sounds hilariously close to Lo Mein and the local kids spare no moment to call 'Hey Lo Mein!' every time they pass the little hole-in-the-wall soup stand. He has been getting better at his ranged chop stick aim, so the kids have long-since started to begin their approach at longer range. Naturally, this means Mister Lo has been improving his sprinting as well. A skill that finds itself a new outlet on the poor unsuspecting fellow down the block and around the corner.
Of all the wily youths that pass this way, only one doesn't make it a point to make fun of the poor guy. Ondori Bait & Fish Shop happens to do a great deal of business in this particular part of town. Every morning their star--make that sole--delivery boy runs right down this very street with packages of freshly caught bass slung under either arm. The boy's pattern is as regular as clockwork. Say 'Hi' to Miss Fung at the Whaler's Cafe on the corner and drop off her package. Run two blocks. Say 'hi' to Mister Lo on the way to Mister Huang's Fisherman's Rest Restaurant at the end of the street to drop off the other. Run back to the Shop and start the next circuit.
Should Ayame have known about any of this, naturally her reaction will be less surprised as the image of a delivery boy rushes past the open window of the soup shack, free hand raised in a wave and smiling brightly, "Hey Lo!" ^_^ Zooming past with braids flailing in the breeze.
......
Moments later, the boy sloowly jogs backwards. A puzzled frown over his lips as dark eyes blink at the mostly abandoned noodle shop, "..Duah?" Kentou intelligently queries at this arrangement that seems quite out of the ordinary. Who's she? Where's Mister Lo?
The important difference of Chinatown, compared to anywhere else in Southtown. The whole district is one big extended family. Everyone knows everyone here. A community of peers, a culture within a broader melting pot of culture. Which means, there's never an end to the nosy busy-bodies who get all up in each others business. Or look askanse when something seems out of the ordinary..
It's a sense of community Ayame wouldn't understand. The idea that completely unrelated people would have any sense of investment in each other's well being is a foreign concept to the girl. Ayame only quirks an eyebrow at the sound of a kid running by and shouting hello. A glance is cast to the side but she misses the yellow blur at first. Huh. Oh well. A metal rattle as she pries at the lock a bit more... a careful twist... ah... just one pin left to- Hey, that kid's back.
Ayame freezes, sparing only a sideways glance toward Kentou as she quickly takes stock of the kid. Threat level: minimal. A ready smile crosses her lips, "Hello there. This drawer is jammed and I was asked to help fix it." she states matter of factly as she looks away, eyes focused once again on the keyhole. Twenty seconds - she's behind. Pesky kid.
The last pin slides into place and Ayame wrenches the lock to the side, allowing the cash register to slide open with the traditional ringing of a bell and the sound of the scraping of metal barings holding the drawer in place. Tadah. It takes only a split second to slide the lock picks back into place beneath her wristguard. "Whelp, job's done I guess." the girl states. "I'll just take my payment and get going!"
Rising to her feet, Ayame's hands each clasp two stacks of bills - The Tens and the Ones... And with a mischievous smirk, she literally throws the stack of Ones at Kentou, clearly under the impression that the humble looking kid will probably be to flabbergasted by the sudden rain of bills to really make much of a fuss as she slips out from behind the booth herself, clearly intent on making her get away...
What the thief was unlikely to realize at first.. Is that Kentou really is that gullible.
"Oh!" The boy's expression immediately brightens. Briefly setting his remaining white boxed package on the countertop of the small shack, grinning as he quickly adds, "I'll help!" Thinking nothing of helping out a friend of Meng Lo's as he carefully leans over the counter-top to watch her unlatch the keyhole, "A little more to the right I think.. That thing was always kinda sticky..Hm!" Kentou narrows his eyes a moment in puzzlement as he helpfully reaches out a hand to steady the register as she finally slides the tray free.
"Ah! Cool, you got it! Wow, you are pretty good with locks and--heyHey!" The boy's expression slowly grows a bit more concerned as the girl rather boldly takes hefty stacks from the register. That seems like an awful lot to just fix a lock..
At which point, the boy lets out a surprised 'erk!' at the blast of Yens! The notes slapping him in the face in a fluttering shower of paper, forcing him to hop back from the counter and wipe at his face, "Ack! H..HEY!"
Spitting out a bill from the corner of his lip, Kentou blinks as the girl has all but vanished!
A second passes as he stares at the settling bills on the countertop and ground before him.
..."...Oh no. She did not just rob Lo Mein in my face.." The boy steams, expression hardening as he yanks off his 'Ondori Fish & Bait' bib from his neck. This is a job for KENTOU, he whom legends called the toughest boy in the seventh grade!
The youth -darts- around the shack. Keeping low to the ground, knowing she's gotten a few seconds of a lead on him.. But if he can just see or hear where she went..
Ayame was definitely not the sort to stick around. If the only witness to her little crime is some boy that barely looks to be a teen then that's a crime well committed in her mind. By the time the cloud of bills settles to the ground the girl has already disappeared around the opposite corner Kentou comes around.
At first glance it may seem any hope of finding her trail is a vain one in every sense of the word. Her attire was distinctly black, with splashes of red, yet there seems to be no one in sight that would fit that description. Not even a blur of strawberry-blonde hair whipping around a building's corner. Nothing. She had already planned her escape route out before hand, after all. And then chose the moment that the shop was the least busy to order her own bowl... then consume it ever so slowly as she waited for another customer to finish so she could put her little scam in motion... It was all planned out perfectly, including her direction of vacating the scene of the crime. She even had two routes - one as a backup in case the first was blocked. Kentou is just plain out of luck it seems.
Or maybe 'luck'... or fate is on his side? His attentive eyes MAY just happen to notice a stray bill drifting to the ground outside of an old, aluminum screen door that... if he thinks back on it, he might have just heard slam shut only seconds prior. Behind the door is a set of steep stairs in a musty apartment building, leading up to the second floor's hallway. All the doors in the hall are closed except the one at the end that sits ajar - the one with a sign over it reading: Roof Access.
As the boy rounds the corner of the shack and stares, it seems there is no evidence of that girl's trespass. Not a sound, not a flicker of motion at the edge of his vision, nothing. With a deep frown the boy slowly straightens from his forward-leaning stance, readjusting his wushu jacket at his waist as the boy begrudgingly admits that girl is practically some kinda ninja! Not many people he knows have ever moved as quickly and quietly as that.
Issuing a soft grumble, the boy turns away and just begins to turn his mind towards what he should tell poor Mister Lo. At the very least he better clean up all those ones before they flutter down the street.
Just beginning to crouch down slowly as he notices another bill flutter down at the edge of his vision..
..A ten.
Mousey eyes continue to slide a little further, this time to a shoddy, dented and hole-punched screen door. Moving with a returning sense of urgency he rises quickly and moves to pull the whining aluminum door open and peer down to the end of the hall.. and the ajar door beyond.
Eyes then slowly rolling upwards along the surface of the building, ascending to the third story high above and the roof upon it.
In a heartbeat the boy makes his choice.
In an instant he closes the screen door with an off-handed toss, rushing -away- from the hallway and a little further down the street. Specifically to the adjacent alleyway as the boy turns the corner by leaping and running a few steps along the wall until his momentum is fully redirected, then running down the narrow alley.
..Okay, Okay.. She's too fast and she's had a heck of a lead up those steps already! Chasing her that way is pointless.. Gotta head her off at the pass.. Gotta get a step ahead of her.. The one thing she sure as heck didn't plan for..
The boy then skids to a halt at the brick dead end of the alleyway, coated in graffiti and half-eclipsed in trash bags and cardboard boxes.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Kentou steadies himself as he eyes the criss-crossing laundry wires, balconies and fire escapes above.
Not to worry. He saw this on Youtube once!
"HUP!" The boy takes a quick half-dozen steps before vaulting up high, grabbing the edge of the wall and -yanking- himself up in a smooth movement. Balancing on the edge as he stands, then leaps again, grabbing the edge of the second floor balcony. This kicking his feet forward to swing a bit under, then -kick- off the wall and swing outwards a good distance and releasing!
Flipping sideways in a whirling motion as he grabs the laundry wire in mid-twirl. The metal wire bends and yields to his weight a moment, before rebounding and snapping upwards like an arrow springing from the bow! Giving him juuuuuust enough momentum to barely get his fingers around the lowest rung of the third story fire-escape.
With a grunt of effort, the boy climbs half-way via arm strength alone, before managing to get footholds on the cold metal and climb the rest of the way.
Moments later, the youth -whirls- over the edge of the roof and -landing- on the gravely surface a mere dozen paces from the roof access door, gasping for air with wide eyes..
Okay.. Lets see how fast she can climb up stairs.. He hopes it'll take a second because that was friggin exausting!
"Freaking..*huff*.. Russians..*puff*..Don't need.. *huff*.. Air..*puff*" Compulsively resting his hands on his knees for just a moment..
Seconds pass and the roof access door sits idle. In fact, shy of the young kid's breath, the settling of pebbles beneath his feet, and the occasional rush of air currents that seem a bit stronger up here than they did down on the protected streets below... there doesn't seem to be anything else going on at all. Maybe he completely missed her. Or maybe she double-backed... or maybe it was all a feint to throw people off her trail...
"That was pretty impressive," comes the voice of the girl he caught in the act of burglarizing the shop down below. Only she's not at the entrance to the building below... But rather seated on a broken down air conditioning unit off to his side. Legs folded over each other at the knees, Ayame's hands seem busy fliping through the stack of bills. She's not looking at them directly, and with how fast she's thumbing through them, it doesn't seem possible that she could be counting them... could she?
"I wasn't sure anyone would've been able to follow me, but unfortunately for you, it looks like you did. I wanted to get a sense of how many witnesses I'd have to worry about on future visits here, after all." She wags the stack of bills at him from atop her little perch, "I mean, this was an easy four ninety. Wanna make sure I can do it again sometime." she smirks.
"Oh well. I guess I can let one kid slide. Now get along," she nods her head sideways toward the door leading back into the building. "There's nothing you can do here, and by the time you go tell anyone who can do anything about it, I'll be long gone." Her tone is very matter of factual. She's just telling him how it is, after all. "So you might as well go keep Lo company or something." she shrugs. Not like it matters to her what he does now.
Huff. Puff. Huff. Pu-
The boy halts in mid-gasp as a voice cuts through the windy quiet. Wide eyes blinking once before slowly rolling upwards from his bowed position. Spying this thief through his long bangs, tousling in the rooftop wind. The boy breathes through his nose now, fighting to control his respiration as he slowly straightens. Listening to this girl's nonchalant ultimatum. Not even concerned about being caught, not even trying to cover up what she did, counting the money right in front of him no less!
With every passing word the boy's lips press together firmer, the edges tweaking downwards in a pronounced disapproving frown.
In the aftermath of her dismissive declaration, the boy answers with a single harrumph. Ticking his head to the side briefly as his hands rise slowly, then weaving through a complex flourish before his gaze and ending with closed fists upraised at shoulder level. Foot rasping the pebbles of the roof audibly with his widened, securing stance.
"I don't like hurting girls... But I'm not going to let you leave here with Mister Lo's money!"
Kentou's threat is clear. His indignation at her insults barely restrained behind a mask of fierce determination. As long as she drops the money he won't hurt her.. But if she insists on this bluff the boy is certainly going to keep her from going anywhere even if he has to twist her arm real hard to do it! If this girl thinks he's just a harmless kid.. She's got another thing coming very, very shortly!
COMBATSYS: Kentou has started a fight here.
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Kentou 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ayame has joined the fight here.
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Kentou 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
Ayame remains seated as Kentou speaks. Brown eyes, soft, suggesting of innocent were it not for the cold indifference they reflect back at him, accentuate a pretty face framed by her light colored hair with hints of red. The wind blows her bangs to the side; the black ribbon that adorns the back of her head tousled lightly.
All in all she seems entirely unaffected by his insistence that she surrender the money. "Sorry. Rent." she states with the same neutral tone as before, as if that should explain it all away. She raises her hand then, finger pointing upward as her expression brightens, "I know! I can just pay it back next month." Her left hand rubs along her right wrist, rolling a rubber band out of the collection of bracelets she's wearing there. The rubber band is pulled over the stack of bills, stretched, twisted, then pulled back over the stack again, keeping them snug now.
And then she places the stack on the unit before slipping off to her feet, approaching Kentou slowly. From a black velcro pouch affixed to a loop in her red and black skirt the girl fishes a small object that she palms, clasping her hand behind her back. He may not have even noticed the movement.
"You can just tell that old man that I'll be back next month to pay him back..." she speaks, her voice soothing now, as if trying to cajole a child. "No need to make a big fus about it. It's just a little loan. I'm sure you understand the concept of borrowing money, right?"
She continues advancing on him before coming to a stop six feet away before she pulls her hand out from behind her, flicking her wrist to expose the sharp blade of a butterfly knife. "Now scram. It's not worth getting cut over other people's money," the girl states as she begins to idly flick the weapon open and closed, twirling it back and forth lazily around her hand and across her fingers with the greatest of ease.
COMBATSYS: Ayame takes no action.
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Kentou 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
Kentou is gullible, but not quite that gullible.
The boy quietly listens to the girl elaborate on the business transaction at play. His eyes following the movement of her hands as she snares the bills in an elastic band and settling them upon the aluminum unit. Attentions lingering upon the bills for a moment before quickly returning to the approaching girl.
Himself only a few inches shorter than the skinny girl. Considering her lithe, youthful features outwardly she'd seem hardly older than Kentou. If it wasn't for the cold, ruthlessness in her words dispelling the illusion of such innocent youth she could easily be a schoolmate.
As is? Clearly this girl never got enough spankings when she was little.
Although, Kentou is given pause as she brandishes that knife. Whirling the gleaming edge with some speed as his attentions sharpen in kind. Shuffling his back foot a moment, even if the boy does not stand down even in the face of that weapon.
Milk chocolate colored eyes turning from the butterfly knife then back to its owner as Kentou mentions, "Its not worth stealing in the first place.." In a low tone. Inching back yet another half-step as he tenses..
..Then -exploding- into motion. Vaulting off that leaning back-foot as he crosses the distance in less than the blink of an eye. Roof gravel kicking up in his wake as he -lunges- for the knife-bearing hand! Trying to grab her wrist and complete his forward motion and slide around her, taking her arm along with it and yanking it up and behind the small of her back tightly! "HUT!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame has started a fight here.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kentou has joined the fight here.
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Kentou 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
COMBATSYS: Ayame fails to interrupt Quick Throw from Kentou with Quick Strike.
- Power fail! -
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Kentou 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ayame
Did she not see the impressive warm up kata as Kentou slipped into a ready stance? Did she not sense his determination to right the wrongs of the world with his fists?? Did she not know just how serious the braided boy was?! Of course she did.
As Kentou lunges for her, Ayame smirks. Of course he's going to go for her knife wielding hand. It's a common opening tactic for those who think they know what to expect, after all. She'll just have to introduce him to the fact that she happens to be just shy of completely ambidextrous. With almost lazy easy she flips the clacking metal object into the air with her right hand, her left hand moving over to intercept it. Let him grab her arm. All the easier to slash him with the blade with her left once he's in close...
For the first time in over a year the girl's left glances off the knife's blade, having mistimed the transition in her cocky indifference. Nicking her hand with the sharp edge of the blade, the young bandit is so caught off guard that she failed to hand off the weapon smoothly that she doesn't even put up a fight until it's too late. The butterfly knife falls to the ground with a metallic rattle.
Her arm wrenched behind her, Ayame gasps, more from surprise at the young kid's swift motions than the actual pain itself. He's tall enough that she can't just lift him up off his toes by bending forward and his hold is strong enough to keep her from prying herself free easily. Kid is quick, she muses. But...
"Okay, okay. You got me!" the girl cries out, sounding woefully pained by having her hand bent up against the small of her back. "Don't hurt me! I didn't mean anything by it!" she goes on to plead. Calculating eyes, hidden from the boy behind her back, scan her environment quickly as Ayame seeks a quick means of dealing with Kentou.
Alas, Kentou has no idea that a simple goof-up was the only thing that kept him from getting cut seconds ago. Rather, his unsurprised expression stares dourly into her black ribbon behind her as she holds her arm firmly. Though his movement was swift and decisive, the boy doesn't want to really hurt her. And as her surprised and pained voice rings out, the youth immediately eases up on his grip. Not letting go of her.. but no longer twisting in a damaging fashion.
"Now promise you won't steal from Mister Lo ever again and return his money to him.. And I'll let you go." Kentou offers the terms of her surrender, figuring she knows better than to try to fight a boy who has clearly shown his superior fighting skills to an opponent whom had no idea it was coming. Still, the pain in her voice brings him no pleasure. Not even in his most vengeful of moments.. And she had him pretty riled up with dismissing him in such a cavalier fashion! Still, his determined anger slips into more of a patient neutral as he calmly awaits her undoubtedly tearful answer.
COMBATSYS: Kentou takes no action.
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Kentou 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ayame
She finds her arm pulled less tightly behind her now, the boy seemingly convinced of her change of heart. The girl bites her lower lip thoughtfully. This is a gambit she only gets to pull once, after all. Not even the biggest fool in the world would fall for a faux white flag waving two times in a row. The opportunity should suffice, however, so it's worth burning one effective trick to create it.
Her right foot edges forward, scraping through the pebbles. Perhaps she's just trying to shift her posture to reduce the pain in her twisted arm a little? "Yeah," she states. "You can take the money... I'll come too so I can apologize..." She sounds entirely sincere. Only someone who had ever dealt with the girl before or knew unscrupulous people like her were would know the bluff easily.
Bending her knee and ankle, she dips the toe of her shoe low, scooting it just under the handle of the fallen butterfly knife. Her left hand reaches down to her belt. A horizontal, leather sheath houses a second butterfly knife at her side, her fingers resting lightly there as she prepares for the attack to come.
The weapon is withdrawn and opened in a flash with her left hand, angled such that the blade points down with respect to the angle of her hand, and then she moves. Her right foot kicks up, sending the dropped knife twirling up into the air, its handles and blade forming a three-pronged spinning object. Her body twists at the waist, her left hand swinging around, seeking to stab Kentou in the side as she turns hard, finally wrenching her right hand free from his loosened grip.
Her right hand snatches the kicked up knife in passing and the second weapon is brought to bear as a follow up strike, aiming to slash the young hero across the chest. Nothing like a little blood letting to scare kids off after all. Now facing him, the girl reverses each of the blades in her hands a second time and swings out, aiming to deliver a second pair of stab wounds to match the first. "I'm done playing around with you." That face now revealed is far from innocent or repentant. It's cold, her mouth tight lipped, her eyes narrowed with malicious intent.
COMBATSYS: Kentou blocks Ayame's Assault and Battery.
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Kentou 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Ayame
As the girl stammers her apologetic concession, Kentou nods slowly. Grunting his acknowledgement of her surrender as he nods once then slowly releases her arm, "Alright then.. I'll also be taking this kn-"
And that is about all the warning Kentou is going to get as his eyes just happened to drift down to discard her edged implement the very moment she deftly kicked the weapon into the air. Giving him a heartbeat of warning as he sharply intakes breath and -pushes- himself back and away.. Juuuust in time for the first surprising slice to miss his side by an inch. The boy had only begun to recover from the sneak attack as she catches the first weapon out of the air and manages to slash across his chest anyway. Earning a squeak of sound as the boy hops another couple steps back and away..
Mousey eyes staring widely as the realization dawns that she just tried to play him.. Again. Fingers absently running across the warm red line growing between his parted silken Chinese vest.
Now Kentou's mad.
"Y..You.." Lips contorting into a deep scowl. Hands shaking until the clench into tight fists. Cheeks glaring red, "..You EVIL LITTLE.. UAGH!" Snapping at her in disgust at her true colors. All thought of leniency goes right out the window as even a kindly soul such as he has limits!
"HAAA-HUP!" His loud kiai echos off the rooftop as he dashes forward in another burst of speed. Closing the distance in only two fast leaping steps as his fists strike for her in a blind flurry. Each punch moving so quickly his fists become a blurring wall of knuckles, just attempting to overwhelm her defenses via a shotgun method of fisticuffs!
"FUUHAKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame dodges Kentou's Fuuhaken.
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Kentou 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Ayame
One clean hit, the other avoided, Ayame pauses, her arms crossed in front of her, each of the knives held in place, ready to deliver a painful follow up strike if he take the foolish risk of trying to grab one of her arms again. "Now you know," she replies calmly in the face of his anger. She had hoped he would be scared off - the sight of his own blood seeping onto his tunic frightening the scared child into fleeing... "What you're dealing with here. I won't show any mercy, even to a little pipsqueak like yourself."
He comes at her fast, the hands of the young boy clenched, intending to hammer into the fragile frame of the reprobate girl. But Ayame isn't waiting for him to attack this time, having already tried that approach with him. Hopping backward, the agile girl slips out of range of his strikes. She's smiling now, with an amused expression. The same way a hunter might be amused at the frantic strugglings of a speared rabbit. "Not bad. You should stick to your class. Beginner's Kung Fu seems to be doing a lot for you!" she remarks.
And then she swings her foot out, thick soled Dr. Martins aimed to plant directly into Kentou's chest to send him flying back along the roof top.
COMBATSYS: Kentou dodges Ayame's Light Kick.
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Kentou 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Ayame
Far from the intended reaction at that. Kentou's will to defeat this troublesome girl has increased exponentially! Such dishonorable, devious tactics! Using him, manipulating him like that..
Sorry Mom, but he knows he promised to be nice to girls.. But this one REALLY has it coming!
However, as his flailing fists come up empty, the boy slides to a halt before the girl as he pants for air.. Recovering from his angry rush for just a second as his eyes slowly widen. Before Kentou figured the girl was just using underhanded tactics.. a hidden knife here, a call for help there.. But as she dances away from his flood of strikes with adroit precision.. The youth is beginning to realize this girl is definitely NOT playing around as she advertised moments ago.
"..Aw Geez.." Kentou murmurs at a loss, gasping out a 'whoa!' at the sudden swinging kick. Displaying his own brand of agility yet again as he ducks and -dives- to the side, her sweeping Doc Martin missing him by an inch as he rolls towards and underneath the kick, closing the distance swiftly to keep her from adjusting course easily. Rolling to his feet in a single smooth motion, the boy tries a different tact as he lunges forth from his crouch.. Translating the entirity of his coiled mechanical energy as he thrusts his right fist forth in a single, decisive strike, "HUT!"
Lets see if brute for succeeds where blinding speed failed..
COMBATSYS: Ayame parries Kentou's Strong Punch!
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Kentou 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Ayame
Her foot wooshes through the air and has no choice but to continue its swing or Ayame would risk being knocked off balance by a well timed strike. But her hands are free, and that is where the real flurry of speed comes next. The two knifes clack closed and are returned to the twin sheaths on her belt in an instant. But her hands don't stop there, her left hand reaching out to help steady her spinning momentum while her right hand slips to the clasp of the loosely hanging second belt she has on - the one with far too much slack to be holding anything up.
A light bit of pressure and the clasp clicks undone, the belt... or rather, whip-like cable slips from off her waist as the girl swings it out, intersecting the side of Kentou's arm with a flick of her wrist, knocking the poor kid's blow aside.
"Not your fight, boy," Ayame retorts as she continues with the swift motion, spinning around a second time and lashing out with the five foot long whip, aiming to wrap it around the brave kid's neck. "We're finished here!" If she secures that hold, the agile girl will flip up into the air over Kentou to land behind him and pull hard on that whip around his neck, her booted foot planted into his lower back as she leans back /hard/ and tries to strangle the fight right out of him, the whip drawing taut.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Kentou with Blackmail EX.
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Kentou 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Ayame
Uh oh.
As Kentou's striking arm is captured by that sudden blur of black movement, the boy knew he was in trouble. His powerful strike easily diverted from its original course, missing the girl completely as he stumbles to his feet awkwardly. The boy had only begun to whirl about with wide eyes in an attempt to face her once more, before that cruel lash whips around his neck easily. Instantly silencing any retort as he can only make out a strangled cry, hands immediately gripping the taut strip .. which! Is likely the only thing keeping the girl from snapping his neck like a twig as he flops forwards only to painfully hang from her foot, heel driven into his spine as he torturously hangs. His eyes squeeze closed, one hand flailing about uselessly as the other remains at the cable at his strained throat. Flesh turning a darker crimson all over beneath the effort, errily quiet as his lungs possess nothing with which to scream.
Vision slowly beginning to fade darker and darker, with spots and swirls dancing at the edge of his vision. Until finally, pure and raw desperation forces him to flail one of his legs behind him in a sweep.. Awkward and hopeless gesture, but just trying to buy himself another moment of air..
COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Kentou's Light Kick.
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Kentou 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Ayame
She has him now. The malicious hold has brought many a pesky fighter to their knees as once Ayame locks it in it's rather difficult to seek any escape from it. "Just stop struggling..." she coos, "Then it can stop... Close your eyes..." She isn't out to kill the kid, which tempers the strength with which she shoves that foot into his lower back. She just needs him to quit giving her so much trouble so she can be on her way!
Idly, she glances over her shoulder, checking on that stack of bills she left on the rusted old AC unit, taking her eyes off Kentou all together. He's not going anywhere after all. Thus it is that she isn't even looking his way when he swings that foot out in desperation. Far from a clean hit, he does manage to bump her leg, having struck the side of her shin. Her foot slides off his back from the strike and Ayame nearly stumbles forward to correct for it, the whip around his neck slackening and slipping loose.
"Good grief, kid," she mutters, not too caught off balance and managing to ignore the future-bruise on her bare shin well enough. That whip is still in her hand though and Ayame decides to put it to vicious use, moving in close to the young man to close distance, before spinning around once and lashing out with it across his chest as she comes out of the turn, "When you're ready to run away, just say so!" she taunts, that smug smile from before having faded from her mouth now.
COMBATSYS: Kentou interrupts Medium Strike from Ayame with Tekkoudan.
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Kentou 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Ayame
No way. Not in a million years. Not like this!
The boy's eyes roll into the back of his head, eyelids fluttering as spittle drips at the corner of his lips while helpless, terrible noises continue trying to be born from his tortured throat. As seductive as that swirling oblivion is, that cooling relief from pain.. Kentou won't give up that easily. Mister Lo is counting on him now, whether that old man knows it or not. And there's one thing even the inexperience kid knows..
All Evil needs to win.. Is for Good people to do nothing.
And Kentou is about to make darn sure this wicked girl knows what 'nothing' feels like!
As his flailing foot finds a little purchase, hammering her stance just enough to slacken the whip.. The youth just flops face-first onto the ground. Collapsing prone as his lungs explode in a terrible gasp for air. His hands clutch at his throat for a second as wracking coughs are his only audible retort..
The sound of that lash whipping through the air behind him awakens his senses. His eye gleaming in the corner of his vision..
The boy then launches into motion. Striking his fist into the rooftop hard enough to bounce nearby pebbles into the air.. The rebounding impact giving him the momentum to spin about into a backward arcing crouch and -vault- forth like an uncoiling spring. Both fists parallel together as he strikes her dead-center like a human missile! The whip ending up lashing awkwardly across his back.. not her intended target but managing a glancing blow all the same! His lips forming words that go unheard beyond his yet struggling lungs-
TEKKOUDAN!
In the aftermath.. The youth simply flops back upon his stomach, crashing to the ground once more..
The double-fisted strike lands right in the girl's stomach as she leaned forward into the whip lash, her right arm stretched out, adding range to the flexible weapon that might yet find its way around the boy's neck again if Ayame has her way. She wanted to chase him right back to the stairs with whip lashes if that's what it took to be rid of the little nuisance. But right now she's finding the wind knocked out of her in return as she's sent staggering backward. "...." What was that? Did he just throw himself into the path of her whip lash just to land a hit?
Brown eyes assess the fallen boy thoughtfully. There's far more to him than she had expected, but surely that's the limit of it. Or, rather, there /was/. He looks to be done now.
Ayame turns and walks calmly back over to the stack of bills fluttering in the wind. Hefting the stack into her left hand, she weighs it idly, turning back around to face the fallen boy. Strangled, slashed, whipped... Yeah, that's probably enough. The girl coils the whip up and slides it over her shoulder where it seems to remain easily enough. Her breath having been regained, she shakes her head, one hand coming up to brush her hair back over her shoulder then idly straightens the loose tie at her neck as if it mattered which way it hung. Patting her skirt as if to brush away any unwanted dust, she finally speaks again. "Well, you can tell your teacher I gave you an A for effort. Good try, kid. Maybe your parents will give you a gold star for your forehead."
And with that, the girl starts to walk forward, literally stepping over the prone fighter as if she can't imagine there's anything to be the slightest bit worried about from the Chinatown local who gave his all for his community.
COMBATSYS: Ayame takes no action.
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Kentou 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Ayame
"..Not..."
Choked words struggle from the depths of the boy's throat. The fingers of one hand clutch uselessly at the gravel beneath him as the other continues holding his throat, fingertip gliding along the cruel indentation along his skin and painful burns..
Any other boy his age.. Heck.. most adults.. would just lay quietly and know when they're beat. There is, after all, a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Fighting on only to save one's ego and pride are unworthy traits in any fighter..
"..Done.."
The youth slowly pushes his head up from the roof. Pebbles falling from his sweat-covered cheek as blurry eyes try to zero in on the girl as she calmly inspects her ill-gotten gains. The boy isn't fighting for himself.. or his pride.. or his family name. Not this time, or so he believes.
He's fighting so Mister Lo doesn't get robbed by someone who doesn't even begin to know what community means!
"..Yet.."
Even as the girl walks over his prone form.. Moments later his hands push off the ground. Straining with obvious weakness as he pushes himself back to his feet. Blood already deeply staining his chest.. his throat baring ugly purplish marks.. eyes barely focusing..
But his fists held aloft all the same.
Remember what Hotaru said...
Kentou's eyes flutter closed. Pain is the clearest sensation on his mind.. But he doesn't let that affect him beyond the acknowledgement of its existance. Forcing his breathing under control.. Listening to the wind playing at the billowing laundry in the nearby alley. The sound of cars. The pounding of his heart. The wheezing of his throat. The stepping of Doc Martins. The clink of metal weapons..
Dark eyes open with clarity as profound as a tolling bell. Fists held in stillness against the breeze.
Fingers uncurl just enough on his leading hand to lightly wave her on.
COMBATSYS: Kentou focuses on his next action.
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Kentou 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Ayame
Ayame's mind is already elsewhere by the time she steps over him. With the money she can cover the pauper's rent she pays to keep the hole in a wall she calls home. She can pay some of her other bills that have fallen behind. She can probably even splurge on a meal. Just one. Pretty good for an early day's caper that's gone off remarkably well even with the young, unexpected distraction that served to be amusing as well.
But then there's the sound of him getting back up in spite all that. Inspite what he must be feeling. The agony that should be nearly crippling his body by now. She didn't hit him a lot, but what she did to him Was Not Kind and most of her victims would be playing dead by now out of fear that the young menace would put them in that condition for /real/ if they persisted.
Ayame stops short, her head half-bowed for a moment as if listening to the movement behind her that /shouldn't be/. Then she glances over shoulder, brown eyes focusing on his, mouth slipping into a bit of a frown. "What's it matter to you?" she asks, turning around to face him now. "Why do you care what happens to some old store keeper's money. He ever given you a dime?" she snorts, certain that couldn't be the case. Proprietors are the worst misers. Just look at how angry they get when she relieves them of some of their money!
But the challenge is made now. She could probably run for it and lose the kid. In his condition, would he be able to keep up after a few rooftops worth of jumps? She calculates a low probability of that happening. But he beckons and she pauses, finally sighing as she shakes her head. Turning her hand to the side, she lets that stack of money thunk down onto the rooftop, settling among the dust there.
"I suppose I didn't make my stance on your continued action clear." the girl replies. Her right hand slips into her hair then, tugging the end of that black ribbon he got a close look at before. The hair ornament slips free easily, curling around her hand. It looks like simple fabric... but beneath its harmless appearance are bands as tough as steel cable.
And then she's on the offense, charging toward him. Her left hand seeks to plow into his stomach and bend him over. Her right hand will seek out his arm and wrench it behind his back - payback from earlier perhaps... If she gets that far, she'll wrap the ribbon around his right wrist, then grab at his left arm to pry it behind his back as well, wrapping another loop around his left wrist... It looks like she plans on literally tying him up where he stands and leaving him on the roof just like that.
If the cruel girl gets so far as to secure his arms, she'll finish with a savage knee into his stomach to follow up from the initial strike, then drive an elbow into his back to slam him down to the roof. "Stay down," she states, sounding disturbingly calm as she tries to twist and break him.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Kentou with Savage Combo.
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Kentou 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Ayame
Alas.. It seems that Kentou's moment of defiance was indeed a bluff.
As the girl turns to him, mousey eyes begin to blur once more as the strain of being upright begins to catch up with him. The vision of her form blurring for a moment as he closes his eyes tightly, shaking his head to clear it.
By the time he looks up again.. she's already upon him!
The punch doubles the boy over with frightful ease. A hacking cough erupts from his lips.. and he would have simply collapsed to the ground yet again if it wasn't for her following nefarious efforts as his arms are wrenched behind his back. Struggling against it, but completely unable to muster the strength to defy her speed and determination. A sharp screech escapes his lips as the last of the air is blasted from his lungs with a vicious knee.. this time with blood flecking his lips and the ground beneath him. The elbow sends him -crashing- to the rooftop in a thunderous heap.
The boy is a complete wreck now. Arms bound behind him.. teeth gritting tightly as his eyes squeeze closed. The pain from the beating he's taken must be excruciating..
But he does not give up.
"..Hhn...hnk..." Breath stirring the gravel at his lips. The only action he can take? Sweeping his legs out awkwardly behind him.. hoping to catch her by surprise by his raw audacity alone and entangle her ankles and crash her to the rooftop as he rolls his entire body onto his back, "..N..never!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame parries Kentou's Strong Throw!
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Kentou 1/-======/=======|=======\=------\1 Ayame
Sadly, justice takes one on the chin as Ayame skips easily out of the way of the poor fallen boy's feet. "Hn," she muses, "Missed me by exactly four point seven centimeters. Not bad considering your condition, but you'll have to do better than that." she notes, one hand idly rubbing her stomach where he had struck her hard earlier. "Maybe with practice," she continues, shrugging a little.
"But for now? Time to send you packing with your bruises. I want my ribbon back." Up comes that heavy foot of hers... held in place for a moment, and then she brings it down toward the poor kid's chest with a nasty stomp. "You might want to bill your shop friend for what it's going to cost to patch you up, kid."
COMBATSYS: Kentou dodges Ayame's Heavy Kick EX.
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Kentou 1/-======/=======|=======\=------\1 Ayame
Kentou would love to slam her with a witty and poignant comment.. But he's having a little trouble breathing right now. Air has been a precious commodity the whole battle, and wasting it on words isn't getting him anywhere here. Instead, all he can do is just grit his teeth tightly, forcing himself to push through the pain. The tranquility of that moment before all but destroyed.. A different kind of emotion bouys him now.
Raw and complete desperation.
Proving once again the boy seems virtually incapable of staying down, that slow dramatic stomp misses with equally dramatic results as the boy forces himself to roll to his side with a jerking motion. His legs and torso jolting asside in the manner of a flopping caterpillar. Not elegant, but it buys him a few precious moments more..
As painfully flops onto his shoulders, there's a brief moment where his pained eyes meet her own. A frozen moment of time where no words escape him, but the boy communicates his position in no uncertain terms.
Kentou would go down fighting for someone in the dark.. without them, or anyone, ever even knowing he tried to help. For no better reason than because its the right thing to do..
The moment snaps away as the boy -springs- upwards! Kicking with both feet for Ayame's already injured middle in an intensely unorthadox strike as he all but stands upon his shoulders for the briefest of moments.. The effort of the attack forcing a yelp of agony from the boy for even trying..
COMBATSYS: Ayame fails to counter Heavy Kick from Kentou with Random Weapon.
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Kentou 1/=======/=======|=======\=------\1 Ayame
"Some life in you yet," Ayame remarks as Kentou caterpillars out of the way of her stomp, her foot slamming down against the roof where his chest was moments ago. "A third of a second slower and you wouldn't have been so fortunate," she continues, as if enjoying calculating the margin of error or success in the young fighter's desperate struggle against her.
Still, continued struggles are starting to be a delay to her now. She had expected to finish the whelp off already by now, but he insists in fighting onward still in spite the impossible odds she's given him to fight again. "Hmph," comes the disgruntled sound as he leaps back at her, two-feet-first.
Reaching into the top of her shirt to withdraw a folded, sturdy war fan, the girl unfolds it and swings it down, intending to cut off the attack and defend herself with a single, decisive strike. Her reaction is a little slow, however, and while she manages to get the metal fan in the way the strength of his kick is enough to shove it against her stomach, sending the girl stumbling backward rather than putting a stop to his assault as she had intended.
The failure to deal with such a clumsy attack combined with the added pain of yet another strike hitting home elicits a gasp from her, her left hand pressing against her stomach as she looks like she might be feeling a little sick, staying back from the kid for a moment as she tries to weigh how best to deal with his unexpected vigor. On the far side of the boy is the stack of bills she had so uncerimoniously dropped moments ago and she's not about to leave without them. But she also questions whether the restraints will hold much longer. In spite her skill with such things, they were applied rather hastily after all.
"Delaying the inevitable... I'm not sure if fighting on even with how outmatched you are is foolhardy or worthy of some respect..." She shrugs, shaking her head as she starts to advance on him again, "Guess it doesn't matter, does it."
His moment of resistance is just that. A singular moment.
In the aftermath of Kentou's unorthodox strike the boy collapses back to the surface of the roof. Alternating spasmodically between arching his back and bending forwards, as if trying to figure out which contortion of his body hurts less. The beating Kentou has taken at the hands of this wicked girl is severe. Torturous. Blood painting the corners of his lips as his eyes squeeze tightly closed.
A sane fighter would just stay down. Why risk serious, permanent injury over something as banal as a roll of cash?
Because. There's no way Kentou will let her get away with it as long as there's a breath in his body.
Though clouds of red swirl through his blurred, darkened vision.. the boy hangs on. Now realizing this girl is superior to him in virtually every mathematical way as she calculates the numbers so flawlessly. Undoing his defenses with the cold clinical precision of solving a Sudoku puzzle. While his surprising attack bought him a few seconds.. He's entirely too weak now to capitalize upon it. Doubting he could even manage to stand up again.
But, as his head rolls to the side while flopping over.. Bleary eyes focus upon something else entirely.
In some ways.. perhaps Ayame has fallen into HIS trap. So focused has she been on finishing him off and crushing his resistance.. Even her steel-trap intellect has lost its grip on the true objective of this battle. His mousey eyes focus upon the bound roll of pilfered cash just a pair of arm length's away, opposite from the thief.
Without a second to lose, the boy grunts in pained effort. -DRAGGING- himself across the rooftop as quickly as he can. Fingers raking through the gravel as a hand -shoots- out to grip that money swiftly.
Where can he go with it? No where.. But that's not the point..
As the boy then roll sideways over and over as fast as he can further towards the edge of the roof. Towards the sound of cards and people..
..And Mister Lo's Noodle Stand just beneath, and the sound of a swearing, confounded Shop Clerk cleaning up the mess down below..
...Almost.. there..
COMBATSYS: Kentou takes no action.
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Kentou 1/=======/=======|=======\=------\1 Ayame
Slowly she walks toward him, her shoes clomping against the pebble-laden roof with each step. His time is up, his resistance will come to an end now. There is an inevitable doom in that approach - that while he did his best, he'll just have to live with it not having been enough. Then she realizeses ... he's dragging himself away? Ah, at last he's come to his senses Ayame ponders. Finally running for it like he should've in the first place. Only... that isn't the stairwell -
She figures it out in an instant. Realizes his gambit. The question is whether there's any time to do anything about it. The boy snatches the stack of bills from the ground and makes his desperate tumbling route toward the edge. "Che," the girl snaps, that fan dropped to the roof with a clatter as it suddenly becomes remarkably irrelevant...
Her right hand slips to the wrist guard over her left forearm and withdraws a set of three kunai. Razor sharp and weilded by an expert with such things, the girl flings the trio of small blades out toward the boy, attempting to snare his Wushu tunic against the roof while also running after him swiftly so that once she's got him, she can snatch the money from him before he makes a desperate toss. "Nice try," she growls, more to herself than to him.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Kentou with Sudden Fling.
- Power hit! -
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Kentou 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=------\1 Ayame
Unfortunately for Ayame, she missed the edges of Kentou's tunic.
More unfortunately for Kentou, she did not miss him.
Hearing the thief stalking towards him quickly, the boy uses the last of his fading reserves to shove himself forth along the roof. Lunging forwards in a rush of movement quickly as he thrusts out his hand, clutching the roll of bills. Letting forth a pained shout as he juuust about makes it..
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
That is, until three kunai sink solidly into his back.
The boy immediately collapses onto the rooftop. His expression going completely blank as a halting wet sound erupts from his throat. Face pressed against the edge of the roof with his back skyward, the three daggers sprouting from him like a trio of stakes. His upraised arm dangling over the edge of the rooftop with his hand over the edge..
However, its a photo-finish as the girl easily closes the distance between them by then.. Her own hand mere inches away as he simply relaxes his grip..
Not while a breath is still left in him..
COMBATSYS: Kentou takes no action.
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Ayame 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Kentou can no longer fight.
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Ayame 1/-----==/=======|
Sometimes one's aim can be too good it would seem. The intent wasn't to skewer the kid, necessarily, but that's what she gets as each of the three razor sharp blades plunge into the boy's back. A fight-finishing blow to say the least, but not what the girl had in mind. Her speed only increases as Kentou falls forward as she lunges toward the edge of the roof with no thought of the risks there in.
Diving down alongside Kentou, she slides the last several feet on her stomach, small hand reaching out to grasp hold of the bills the instant they fall from Kentou's hand, her right hand clenching around the stack. Victory. ... except for the small matter of forward momentum and her inability to stop it in time. Perhaps the pebbles didn't quite provide her with the friction she had hoped for - or maybe the greedy girl didn't even factor into the inherent problem with lunging out for a falling object on the edge of the walkable space.
Either way she goes sliding right off, brown eyes widening as she becomes aware of her plight, body twisting around rapidly, left arm flailing out to grasp hold of the rooftop, fingers straining just to keep her from falling. And for several seconds, that's all Kentou could possibly see. That small set of white-knuckled fingers keeping the girl aloft, the sound of her breathing from just over the edge readily heard as she dangles over the disrupted market below.
And then up comes the other hand, bereft of the bills, having released them to fall right back down into robbed shop so far below so that she could climb back up onto the roof. Both hands tense as Ayame pulls herself up, her expression cold and a little pale, what should haven an easy victory stolen from her by this little local. Leaning forward once she gets up high enough, she drags herself the rest of the way up, pausing on her hands and knees right next to the small town hero. "Great. That's just great. Well, I hope you get a free bowl of soup or something for your trouble," the girl snaps as she reaches over to reclaim those three blades from his back.
Perhaps in complete defiance of everything the girl has come to understand about her fellow humanity.. As the girl skids and tumbles over the edge, the last thing she would expect to happen comes to pass.
A weak, slender hand moves to clasp over the girl's strained-white knuckles.
Astonishingly, Kentou really doesn't feel much pain. Which, of course, is a sign that he's hurt real bad. His expression contorted into more of a dumb-struck, distant look.. as if only barely managing to remain conscious at the moment.
But even through all of this, through everything that girl did to him.. said to him.. The moment she accidentally flops herself over the edge, immediately Kentou lurches up a hand.. Trying desperately to grip her own and stablize her and prevent her from slipping. He would try to pull her up if he could.. But in his condition, just hanging onto her hand is the best he can hope for.
And as she manages to clamber onto the roof itself, only then does he let go. Slumping to the rooftop in a bleeding, broken heap.
Somehow.. The boy managed to save Mister Lo's stolen money only at terrible personal cost. The shop keeper will probably never know what the kid even went through to save it. Heck.. Next time he sees the boy, he'll probably yell at him compulsively, angry at kids in general.
But that's okay.. Its alright. The important part is.. An innocent man's money was turned to him. That's all that matters.
Now, however, the boy is completely spent. The fight finally out of him completely as he helplessly lays there in a ruin at her feet. The knives pulled from his back as he jolts with every yank, a mewling squeak whimpering from his throat. Eyes distantly focused on some far off point. Ayame gets spared the heroic lecture.. as Kentou is a little too far gone for speaking.
Each of the kunai are removed, wiped against his back in the few non-bloody spots as if to clean them, before sliding them into the sheaths beneath her wrist guard. Her mouth is held in a tight lipped, neutral expression as she goes about the methodical cleanup work of an operation thwarted by the young kid. She's far from gentle with the blade extraction either, as if reclaiming her fighting implements in the most painful way possible is the least she can do to him at the moment, though his gasps don't really bring her any pleasure either.
The now silent girl gets to her feet, footsteps audible as she moves over to the fan she dropped earlier. Picking it up and folding it closed, she slips it back into the sheath hidden within her blouse, staring at Kentou over her shoulder. His behavior annoys her. She doesn't get it. What compelled him to fight so hard for that stack of money? What is the shop keeper to him? Why face her savage weaponry and cruel tactics just to return something that isn't even his? What's the reward? Where's the profit?
The whip around her shoulder is unslung then wrapped around her waist, the clasp clicked into place as it once again appears like nothing more than a harmless belt a few sizes too long.
"Fool," she mutters. There is no attempt to help him even after he aided her climb back onto the roof. No call for help to get someone to attend to the kid. Merely a cold, albeit slightly puzzled stare for a long, long moment. "Well, guess you're some kind of hero now." She shakes her head, turning on her heels to stride toward the far side of the roof. Considering the bills just fell out of the sky back into the shop she stole them from, no doubt someone'll be up this way to try and figure out what the hell happened. She has no intent on being here when they do.
One last glance over her shoulder and then the girl vanishes over the side, utilizing ledges and those same laundry lines that got Kentou up to the top in time to stop her to descend to the alley below. And with that, her mind switches gears, immediately scheming up her next machination.
COMBATSYS: Ayame has ended the fight here.
And perhaps this is the fate of all heroes in the end.
But its okay.. there are worse things to be.
Of course.. Kentou is already imagining that his Sensei isn't going to be terribly pleased when she hears about this. Goodness knows Ol' Sak has all but resigned himself to finding the boy bloodied and beaten on a ritual basis. Being crushed so soundly by the girl does sting his pride.. But the boy bitterly knows he had it coming. The youth underestimated her, as assuredly as she underestimated him. And they both paid the price. Some more severely than others.
But its okay.. He reminds himself. Eyes slowly fluttering closed as he finally allows that oblivion to overtake him. The task he set out to do accomplished.. Only then allowing himself to obey his failing body and slip away into the black.
Kentou will meet that thief again someday.. And when he does.. He'll be prepared. And Mister Lo, at least, can keep his shop running smoothly and perhaps won't yell quite so hard at the next kid he sees. One can only hope.
Log created on 00:04:00 10/30/2007 by Ayame, and last modified on 03:17:58 11/01/2007.