Description: Objective: Jewels stolen by a group of thugs. Obstacle: Super Cop Soma. Alias: None. Summary: Ayame had a pretty good plan going in. Why rob the shop when she can let a bunch of fools do it for her then take their stuff? But the perfect plan hits a snag when Soma happens on the scene as well. The operation looks like a complete wash until she notices the fancy daggers the law enforcer is using and decides she wants to take a crack at getting them for herself!
COMBATSYS: Shihong has left the fight here.
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|=======\=------\1 Cherise
Most criminals in the world don't exist in the sort of 'God, I'm so evil!' sceanrio that's popular in the media. In fact most feel they're not doing anything wrong at all; that they're taking what society -- or the universe -- owes them, or that if people can't protect their belongings (or lives) then they had no purpose keeping them in the first place. And of course, there's no such thing as a supercop, a grim vigilante with powers beyond mortal ken who keeps watch over a city, or country, or even the world, to protect the innocent and helpless from the predations of said criminals.
Right?
Unfortunately, that's not true in Southtown. Already in a bad mood thanks to the spectacular failure of the Jinchuu investigation, Soma Travedi needed perhaps half an excuse to step up his occasional patrols of Japan's largest city and his new home. He *already* has issues with petty thuggery, but seeing four guys in black ski masks try to knock over a jewelery store... that sort of stereotyped situation just sets his blood boiling. Normally he might let it go -- after all, that sort of case is actually best handled by Southtown's police, who are more than capable and likely wouldn't have any trouble with these jokers -- but right now, putting the hurt on a few jewel thieves is just the thing to assuage his bad mood.
The first one didn't even know what hit him, the black-clad shape dropping off a fire escape and kicking him in the face. Cue a fast and furious wire-fu-style battle between the remaining three and Soma, the nimble detective dancing through the strikes of totally untrained fighters with determined, even languid, ease. Another thief goes down to a chop to the back of the neck, a third to a pressure point jab just inside the collarbone. The fourth, freaked out, pulls a gun... and then it's all over.
The warning shot rings through the air but it doesn't matter much, as Soma himself is already inside the man's guard, rising upward and, with a flick of the wrist, dropping an unusual yet still determinedly dagger-like dagger into his hand, the silver blade pressed to the suddenly panicking thug's neck. "You ever hear that stupid line, don't bring a gun to a sword fight? This is sort of the opposite."
As is standard for this sort of situation, the guy then passes out. Thankfully, he falls backwards into unconscious and not forward into a beheading.
The super-cop has an audience. Quite by accident, really. She had been following the hapless thieves. Rumors, word of mouth, and an intercepted text message clued the girl in on the robbery happening and she sensed opportunity. A chance to let a couple of thugs get their ski-mask covered mugs on camera and make off with some valuables... before she ambushes them after the fact to steal what they rightfully stole! All the profit, much less risk.
She had followed them via rooftop hopping until they made their smash and grab attempt. A glance up and down the street didn't show any signs of likely interference. The thieves made their move and it looked like they were going to get off pretty much without any trouble at all. Ayame knew where their safehouse was. As soon as they got back in their car she would have been on her way back to it. Catch them in the midst of divying up the jewels. Tonight was going to be a good night.
It was, anyway, until someone else beats her to the punch. Crouching atop a squat building just opposite the jewelry store, she watches the entire spectacle go down. Drat. Who is that guy? A random do-gooder? A competing bandit? Ayame lifts her hand, rubbing her temple thoughtfully as she begins to recalculate her options. This guy seems not at all bad. He just ruined her plans for the night, but the girl is used to switching gears when one track doesn't work out too hot. Win some, lose some. Gotta be careful either way.
As Soma moves in on the last 'resister', the girl rises to her feet, ready to turn away, only to pause, waiting to see how the interloper handles the gun toting thug. It's then that her eyes catch the glint of something metallic slipping into Soma's hands, held close to the robber's neck. Squinting at first, her own eyes light up after a moment. Now that's a really fancy dagger! She hasn't seen one like it before. The prospects of making off with a trophy like that as WELL as some jewelry is worth the gamble in her mind.
Soma might hear the sound of Ayame's thick soled Doc Martins hitting the concrete across the street as she hops down off the building. Her approach after that is calm as she crosses the street, both of her hands raised up to rest behind her head as she takes in the scene. Shattered windows, sparkling glass across the ground. Four unconscious thugs. And Soma. "What happened here? You and your buddies disagree about how to split it up?" comes the offish observation, sounding very much like any other delinquent teen who thinks she knows what she's talking about.
Ayame actually surprises Soma, which is pretty difficult, all things considered. Trained fighters already have good senses for their surroundings... add on top of that police training, and then add on top of *that* empathic abilities, and typically speaking Soma is hard to get behind, as it were. To his credit, however, he doesn't let it show as he ducks back and spins on one heel, a slight flicker of silver at his wrist the only indicator that there was ever something in his right hand at all, the dagger stowed expertly back where it came from.
The dress is certainly... unique, and not something he recognizes. She might be a schoolgirl, or she might not. The curiosity Ayame radiates is sort of understandable given the circumstances, too. Plus there's the fact that Soma is just one of nature's suspicious people... it's probably how he ended up in the police business in the first place. One dark eyebrow goes up as he carefully observes this newcomer to the situation... even if he blew his cover a little bit at Jinchuu, it's probably not best to bust out the badge just yet. Besides, even if it's not wailing like a banshee that store had an alarm; Southtown PD is going to be here any minute.
"Ideological differences," Soma says guardedly. And that's not even a lie. He puts one hand on his hip, arm making a sideways V-shape in the darkess with elbow extended. "Not that it's any business of yours."
By the time he turns to face her the knife is gone. A detail that doesn't go missed by the girl. Yeah, it's what she thought when she saw him jump down in the first place. He didn't start out with a dagger in his hand. He's able to conceal it. Excellent. Maybe he has even more weapons on him that will be of interest, making this even MORE worth her time.
Speaking of time, that's a limited quantity here and Ayame knows it. Ideally she should've traced Soma until he was in a less public, conspicious location, away from a site that is going to be swarming with interference soon. He's vague as to whether he's just another opportunistic scoundrel or if he's some kind of vigilante. She hates those kinds, they're always getting in the way.
Her own demeanor seems curious but guarded, the vibes she's giving off might come across as a mixed bag. A degree of uncertainty and a little bit of stress that doesn't quite match the calm, faintly smiling exterior to go with it. "No, I suppose it isn't," she remarks, getting closer, stopping just a couple feet outside of what most people consider to be their 'personal space.' While she's been fairly careful about it, one as observant as he is would easily pick up that she is sizing him up, quick glances over his body, analysing his musculature... She saw him take down four punks, which means he knows something about what he's doing.
"I can't help but wonder more about those differences, but..." Those hands resting against the back of her head lower, her arms now down at her sides. "The window of opportunity here is brief, and-" His senses might give him a split second of warning as curiosity is replaced with hostile intent in an instant for Ayame is darting forward then, closing the distance between him and her, "...you have something I want."
Both hands snap out in an attempt to grab hold of the arm she saw him hold that dagger in moments ago. The intent is to clamp down tightly at his wrist, squeezing that sleeve against the young man's arm as if intending to prevent him from equipping that weapon of his easily. She knows about concealed weapons. But she only knows of the one. If she gets the grip she seeks, the girl is swift to twist around behind him, one hand releasing a hold of that wrist in order to slip underneath his opposite arm at the shoulder in an attempt to lock herself in right behind him, her face just to the side and behind his head.
COMBATSYS: Ayame has started a fight here.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Soma has joined the fight here.
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Soma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
COMBATSYS: Soma dodges Ayame's Medium Throw.
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Soma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
The fact that Ayame is sizing him up doesn't seem too unusual to Soma, at least not at first. She could be any of a number of things: a street tough, a mugger, or just someone with a lot of time on her hands. Either way, giving someone the rundown when you just saw him knock out four full-grown men without breaking a sweat isn't too uncommon. However, as the gaze goes on increasingly longer, the detective becomes more and more wary. The effect goes from observer to something akin to a shark or hyena circling potential prey. But still... it could just be idle curiosity. Suspicious as he is, the ICPO detective actually is quite willing to give people the benefit of the doubt until they do something stupid...
Then that moment passes and every sense he has screams that he needs to get out of the way, and out of the way he gets: before Ayame can get a grip on his arm, Soma does a standing fall backwards, pressing his hand against the ground as he inverts himself and then pushing off to flip through the air a decent enough distance away from Ayame, landing in a crouch. He slowly stands up, shaking out his hands, and regards the girl with a much colder look in his violet eyes than before.
She went and did something stupid.
"Not on the first date," the detective says dryly, not making any offensive move for now and instead taking stock of the situation. She MIGHT still just be a joy girl out to have a good time... but very few of such types show a knowledge of leverage and holds like Ayame just did. "I don't think either of us is going to want to be here in 10 minutes or so. And I'm feeling generous, so you *can* turn around and leave right now if you want." His voice, however, implies that there'll be consequences if she doesn't...
COMBATSYS: Soma focuses on his next action.
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Soma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
She should have just ambushed him from the get go, Ayame muses as Soma manages to slip out of her attack with remarkable alacrity. She had hoped to scope him out a little before attacking, but he provied somewhat inscrutable in nature, which meant those precious moments talking were lost. Still, he seems to possess good instincts and reflexes. As he mentions not wanting to be around when the authorities arrive, the girl decides he's just another miscreant. A nice looking foreigner. Maybe he's not too different from her.
"Nice one," she remarks, sounding impressed at his evasion. She holds her ground for a moment just as he does his, as if weighing the invitation to leave. "But you're right about one thing. There's not a lot of time. Give me that nice knife of yours and I might think about letting you go before the cops get here." It doesn't look like she's going to leave right away as the girl leans forward, charging a second time, though she has more distance to close now. Her right hand cocks back as if preparing to strike, and when she gets in closer it almost seems like what he has to expect is a quick sock to the face if he's not fast enough.
But it's her left hand that he needs to watch out for. From a thin, horizontal sheath in a tighter belt around her waist she withdraws a metal object. He might hear the distinctive clacking of a butterfly knife being flicked open as the girl twists in the opposite direction at the last moment, a flicker of sharp metal being brought in to slash across Soma at the mid-torso level. After seeing him in action, this attack would be more akin to a sharp edged warning shot than anything intended to take him down quite yet.
COMBATSYS: Soma interrupts Quick Strike from Ayame with Quick Throw.
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Soma 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Ayame
His opponent can quite likely hear Soma groan to himself once she says what it is she wants. Apparently it's his fate to run into people in this town that want to steal things from him. Brushing off his sleeves, Soma curiously doesn't rearm himself with said knife or its counterpart when he's back in fighting form. In fact, he doesn't even seem to be in a fighting stance. "You know, is Japan in some sort of economic recession?" he asks Ayame conversationally. Banter has its place on the battlefield as a distraction tactic, after all. Plus it's now in his *benefit* to keep this going until the cops can arrive. "Jackets, knives... seriously, hit a K-Mart."
Of course, then he has the strike to worry about. Soma's brow knits as the girl cocks her fist back. At first it looks like he's going to bite, pivoting on one foot, as if about to dive out of the way. However, at the last second he changes direction and drives *forward* at Ayame. True, the butterfly knife does come out, and it slices a line of red across his stomach... but the agent's position reduces the amount of surface area to cut in the first place, making the damage a little less severe than it could have been.
On the other hand, it also puts him very much inside Ayame's guard, a fact he takes full advantage of. In a near-parody of the fight's start, he slams down one arm on her knife-wielding elbow and proceeds to trip the poor girl, shoving her off-balance. Of course, the technique lacks power because of its swiftness, but it might be enough to disengage the two fighters for a second more. "As for the 'knife', you can take it over my dead body... which is a lot harder to do than you might think."
She was lining up to follow up the first strike with another, too, her body in constant motion from the moment she tried to advance on him again. Already Ayame had begun to spin around, right hand reaching for a second sheath - a knife to match the first, only to find herself stopped short by Soma's arm against her elbow. It sets her up poorly for when the trip comes out and Ayame takes a fall to the pavement.
She recovers well, practically catching herself mid-fall to come up in a crouch at Soma's side, but just not in a position to lunge right back at him as she would normally be inclined. Pushing herself to a standing position with one step back in the process to avoid a follow up hit if any were to be incoming. But he seems to be holding back a little - the fact that the knife remains concealed is evidence of that in her eyes. "Jackets? Are you offering that as well? All right, I accept," she replies with a faint trance of amusement in her lips.
"I'm not going to be talked out of this, if that's what you're hoping." Ah, yes, stubborn girl. Sees a shiney she wants and then it's just no getting through to her. The knife in her left hand is flicked open and closed with ease as if an idle habit while she reconsiders just a little. And then she's back on the offense, attacking not with the knife but with her right leg as Ayame tries to get in close enough to lean in and drive her knee up into the young man's stomach.
The point is to bend him forward from the hit - and if successful, she'll attempt to grab a tight grip on his ear with her right hand. There's nothing about how this girl fights that suggests she's anything more than a street thug, to say the least.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Soma with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Soma 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Ayame
A little telegraphed, Soma makes the mistake of thinking a petty thug who's basically out to steal his stuff is fighting a little clumsly because she wants this over with. Thus he doesn't take his defensive effort as seriously as he needs to... and positions himself, attempting to duck out of the way, in a very bad spot for Ayame's knee to smack into his diaphragm. What would have been just a somewhat painful blow to the gut ends up knocking the wind from the agent's proverbial sails. Doubled forward, the ear grab is easy to get, too.
However, it doesn't take nearly as long as one might expect for him to gather himself... and even though he's 'locked' in Ayame's grip, he's grinning. Why? Because silvery light is flickering into being in his palms... formless at first, and then taking the shape of a dagger. Clearly not real, but the crackling black edges suggest that they're probably pretty dangerous. Wrenching back from Ayame with all the strength he has, Soma simultaneously slices upward and out with both energy daggers. They don't actually cut skin or make marks if they hit... but the jolt of Psycho Power they deliver could really ruin Ayame's day, if she's not quick...
COMBATSYS: Ayame dodges Soma's Gemini.
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Soma 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Ayame
Her right hand tightly gripping his ear, the girl is about to pull Soma forward into a much harsher stab - one aimed for his stomach, not to slash, but to gouge. Maybe he'll soften up that attitude of his with a little blood shed... But there's a flash of something near his hands, more obvious in the dark than it would've been in daylight, and the girl hops back, releasing her hold. Sacrificing ground for distant, she slips out of the close proximity that she prefers to be when trying to overwhelm an opponent quickly rather than drawing out a fight.
Brown eyes gaze back at Soma as she regards him coolly, her demeanor still calm even though this little assault is running into complications. "Cute." she remarks, sounding not amused. She's annoyed - she should have been able to sense something of the use of chi. A tingling warning that an attack drawn from the breath of life is incoming. But from him there was nothing. She almost half wonders if the light display is somehow faked. All show, no bite. One could get a long ways finding a way to /fake/ being able to manipulate chi, after all.
Spared the jolt of the dagger shaped attack, she shakes her head, long hair falling against her shoulder. "Sorry, wrong dagger." comes her assessment. "Missed me by five point four centimeters." she grins as if amused at her narrow escape from what might have been a real dosage of pain.
Her hands aren't idle, however, her right hand slipping out a twin butterfly knife to the one her left hand has been holding. Flicked open with the same speed that he's probably come to expect from his attacker by now, Ayame charges forward before hopping into a spin from a yard out, aiming to slash Soma twice across the chest with one knife then the other. And if left unabated, she'll follow up with a second spin once on the ground, flipping the knives over into more traditional stabbing positions, attempting to drive them both into his side.
COMBATSYS: Soma interrupts Assault and Battery from Ayame with Ashvinau.
- Power hit! -
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Soma 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Ayame
Normally, when Soma uses those psychic daggers, they dissipate quickly once he's done. It takes concentration just to summon Psycho Power in the first place, not to mention to form it into semi-coherent shapes. However, even as Ayame deftly steps back from his attack and stands back up, they *don't* disappear. Normally a less aggressive fighter, Soma is choosing to play it a little aggressive in the face of an opponent determined to simply beat him senseless.
Of course, then Ayame is coming right back at him, and there's very little time to judge an accurate defense... so instead he doesn't make one. The silver-black daggers give his black and grey-clad body a strange glow in the darkness even as he faces the girl down, and takes a step forward... crossing the Rubicon, as it were, into the path of her strike. The two butterfly knives make their twin cuts along his chest, ripping open the top button of his jacket and flipping the neck-high collar open, revealing the grey shirt underneath. The detective hisses in pain...
...but doesn't go down. Rather, he turns his gaze up to Ayame and grins, almost ferally. Even as she's descending from that spinning attack, the detective has both arms up over his head. "Then I guess I can overshoot by 5.4 this time," he snarls. Ramming both daggers together at the hilts, he suddenly swings downward with a shining silver polearm of psychic energy, cleaving straight through the girl's body in one mighty overhead swing. Luckily it doesn't have quite the same effect as a halberd to the face might... but like the knives it's made from, that polearm has its own ways of dealing harm.
The follow up stabs never reach their mark as Soma retaliates, this time with aggression rather than evasion. She doesn't even realize she's over committed until the lance of power is brought slicing down right through the middle of her. It stops the girl short, the pain it inflicts impossible to miss in her shocked expression, the two knives dropped to the ground with a metallic rattle as she stumbles back a couple of steps.
There's a confused, distant look for a long moment as if she's trying to figure out what just happened, knowing what her eyes saw but not being able to collaborate it with what she just /felt/. His chi manipulation is so very much unlike others she's seen. Nothing witty, nothing scathing to say in return, Ayame quickly begins to reconsider this little assault in progress.
"Okay, a little tougher than I thought," she remarks reluctantly, her right hand slipping to a small black pouch affixed to the tighter of the two belts she has on, fishing out a half foot long metal tube. Her weapon against others that really seem to know how to use the tools at their disposal... her chance to show that she does too.
With a press the ends of the tube jet outward with an accompanying hydraulic hiss. From small tube to a full six-foot long hollow pole of titanium, Ayame whips the much longer weapon over her head before bringing it down at her side with a resonsating clang agianst the concrete. She's regained her composure, focusing back on Soma, putting the thought of that last attack of his out of her mind for the moment. After all, now she can attack with a bit more range...
There's a quirk of her mouth and a slight nod of her head, as if the girl is giving him a hint of acknowledgement in her own flippant way. Yeah, he's not bad. But then she's on the offense, lifting that long weapon over her head and spinning it around as she steps forward, twirling it twice then spinning her whole body around as she attempts to deliver him a stunning smack to the side of his head.
COMBATSYS: Soma dodges Ayame's Fierce Strike.
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Soma 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Ayame
Soma has no intention of following on with Ayame's moment of pain, and instead steps back. The glittering blade vanishes as his concentration breaks... and he leans forward, hands on knees, taking a few deep breaths. That's hard work, though it appears, in the case of Ayame, to have paid off. He can sense the young lady's sudden confusion, though this isn't too unusual... not many people have experience first-hand dealing with psychic powers. Even those who have them suffer as children from that unfamiliarity...
However, as Ayame recovers and suddenly brings an interesting weapon to bear, the ghost of a smile quirks at Soma's lips. A quarterstaff hidden in something that fits in the palm of the hand... concealed and quite effective. As a user of hidden weapons himself, he appreciates that, even as he notes that this woman is attempting to beat him up and take his stuff. "Not bad yourself," he throws back, and it's true. He's effectively had to walk into Ayame's attacks to actually hit her in this fight... not a smart tactical move, even if it does work now and then.
As the staff suddenly comes in for a baseball-like swing at his jaw, Soma drops downward, bending his knees and tucking in on himself. The pole whistles harmlessly overhead... and with a snap of the wrist, one of the daggers Ayame covets drops into Soma's hand. "I don't like using these on young women," he mutters as he rises from that defensive crouch, dagger cutting a silver arc through the air as he effectively uppercuts with the blade. She wanted to push it this far, well... we're going all the way.
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Fierce Strike from Soma with Bright Renewal.
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Soma 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Ayame
With one swing the polearm flies over his head... But Ayame keeps moving, constantly in motion whenever she's on the offense, handling the long weapon almost as if a baton dancer performing for an audience. His blades are produced after all. Not one, but two. Twice as nice the girl will muse in a moment - when she has time.
Right now there is no such time, however, as on the second swing around the lower part of the shaft collides sideways across his arms to knock the incoming blades aside... and then one MORE final spin as she brings the upper portion of the weapon colliding against his side, giving it everything she's got.
Only then does her momentum slow, having given the three swing assault a lot of her strength. Completing the turn, she ends up in a defensive position, staff raised at an angle in front of her. "Holding back isn't going to get you out of this," she states warningly, as if really wanting him to go all out. As if just seeing a weapon user in action makes this entire operation worth the effort.
"Unless of course you're finished," she continues, her mouth smiling a little. There's nothing friendly about that expression though. A predator grinning at its soon to be prey might be a more accurate comparison.
With a *crack* the staff slams into Soma's side. Since he doesn't weigh much, the blow -- despite not having the concussive force of Ayame's first swing -- lifts him up and off the ground; only some very quick reflexes on his part lets Soma right himself in midair in a tucking roll, landing on the ground in a cat-like crouch. That stung a little bit... physically, as well as his pride. But the fight's not over just yet.
He remains crouching for a moment, taking a deep breath, centering himself. "I believe my stipulation was 'dead body', not 'bruised body'," Soma throws back. However, depending on how perceptive Ayame is, she might notice his free hand inching toward his jacket. Tough to see, with the dark shade of Soma's skin and the black clothing... but Ayame's just proven she's a fairly sharp-eyed fighter. You have to be, to pull off counterattack moves like the one she just did. Somewhere under that black fabric, concealed from view, is a building glow of silver-black.
Suddenly standing, Soma's hand whips out in an arc just as he unbends his knees to get back on his feet. A tiny black shape -- a throwing spike, barely the size of a pencil -- whips out through the darkness at Ayame... but fortunately for her (perhaps), it's also surrounded by a halo of silver-black light. "Don't think a few fancy moves are enough to get me to give up." The spike itself feels no worse than a bug bite if it connects... but it *also* explodes in a burst of Psycho Power, and that has slightly more bite.
COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Soma's Nova.
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Soma 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Ayame
"Hn," Ayame replies as he reiterates that he isn't going down that easy. A challenge then. He's not afraid of pain, that much was demonstrated by the way he lunged into her attack to bisect her with that energy lance from before. Someone less experienced with have simply gone with avoiding getting struck in the first place if at all possible, even if that might not have been doable given the speed of her assault...
Her eyes are spot on when it comes to tracking his movements. Comfortable fighting in less lit environments and considering her own style of fighting, she knows all about misdirection and concealing the direction of attacks. Her eyes narrow as the small spike is hurled her way and she shifts that staff of hers, confident that she can intersect the projectile and render it harmless.
Intersect it, she does, rendering it harmless, on the other hand, not quite so much. The explosion upon impact ends up striking the girl, washing around the polearm to impact her torso, eliciting a hiss of pain as she staggers back from surprise. The look she gives him next is a wary one. His energy is distressing because she doesn't understand it and the raw frustration of that mystery surrounding something she was sure she understood so well is starting to get to her. "Neat tricks." It isn't exactly a compliment so much as an expression of the trouble she's having with him.
But she isn't going to stop just yet, certain that with a little bit more pressure she can get this enigma fighter down and take what she wants for her trouble. Tightening her hold on her staff, she charges forward, whirling it around at her side then around her back before leaping up into the air and swinging it down from above almost like an axe-chop aimed for Soma's shoulder. She'd go for his head, but sometimes taking shots at disabling a limb are worth it.
COMBATSYS: Soma dodges Ayame's Medium Strike.
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Soma 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Ayame
Although he hadn't planned it that way, Ayame's frustration with the effect of his powers is certainly working in Soma's favor. After all, a frustrated opponent occasionally makes mistakes or sloppy moves. Lord knows anyone watching the Jinchuu DVDs will see Soma himself, in anger, make mistakes of that kind. However, today he's apparently mastering his emotions... or maybe it's seeing what her emotions are doing to Ayame that's giving him incentive to keep his own in check. Annoyance is fine... but not if it forces you to make a critical error.
His own experience with weapons suggests that if Ayame's overhead chop actually *connects* it's going to do considerably more damage than the slightly-built ICPO agent feels like taking at the moment, and so he puts extra effort into making sure that he can get out of the way with no problems whatsoever. The staff swings downward and slams into the concrete as Soma pivots out of the way on one heel, the blow barely missing him by inches. Capitalizing on that, he plays it somewhat safe, snapping his free leg up in a kick to Ayame's shoulder, tit for tat... it's weak, but hopefully that will keep the thief from doing anything too fancy in response. As annoyed as Ayame is with Soma's weird moves, the detective is equally cautious about opening himself up to any more of Ayame's precise countermoves.
COMBATSYS: Soma successfully hits Ayame with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Soma 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
His timing proves to be fortuitous for as Ayame's staff clangs against the ground the girl brings it back up quickly on the rebound, already attempting to engage an a swift horizontal follow up strike to dish out a weaker, albeit potentially effective hit to make up for the miss.
And that's when his foot comes in, cracking right up under her shoulder right as the girl turns into her swing. It wedges in with a meaty smack, stopping her staff swing well before it had any danger of hitting him and sending Ayame stumbling backward, her left arm hurting something fierce now. Holding her staff in her right hand only, she rotates her left arm around a little, testing to make sure it isn't dislocated. Yeah... seems to be okay.
The girl squints at Soma the whole time, her mouth tight lipped as if she's trying to choke back that frustration he's seen in her. For the first time she has to weigh whether or not she can do this, and the clock is still ticking down fast. "Che," she snaps, sprinting forward at him again, tightening her hold on the bo length weapon. An early swing is made, aiming high as if to drive him low. A feint for the follow up, a sweep for his ankles as she tries to stab the weapon in between his planted feet then step quickly to the side to take him down by tripping him up quickly.
If she gets him to the ground, he'll find the polearm pressed against him as she maintains her distance. Not hard enough to inflict damage, but just to position him as if lining him up for something else...
COMBATSYS: Soma interrupts Quick Throw from Ayame with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Soma 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Ayame
Apparently luck is on Soma's side today... or perhaps Ayame would have better luck if she just tried to steal his jacket like everyone else, rather than going for the unique knives he created. Either way, the undercover detective intuits the purpose of her sweep... perhaps because she's using the bo, a weapon that's practically intended for attacks just like that. Deciding that risking an evasive maneuver might not be worth his time, and fearing reprisal if he misjudges, Soma lets himself go slack and really does fall over backwards, as intended.
However, he never makes contact with the ground... or perhaps, not in the way Ayame might have hoped. Even as he's dropping, one arm shoots down toward the ground to break his fall, but also to steady himself for an impromptu handstand. Rather than spring out of the way, the detective shifts his weight in midair as he pushes back off the ground with that hand, driving both legs up into a handstand. Of course, the issue is that at such close range, Ayame herself is between those legs and their intended 180 degree arc; the result is the most unorthodox backwards flip kick in history.
In a bit of uncharacteristic showmanship, Soma holds the one-handed handstand for a moment, then pushes off the ground a second time and flips to his feet, dusting his palms off on his slacks. "You're letting your focus slip," he says, almost sounding surprised that he let the words come out of his mouth. "And the worst you've done is make me sew up a button. You've still got a chance to leave."
The knock to the ground successful, Ayame thinks she has him lined up for the follow up, and with that the girl takes one step forward, ready to position that staff... only to take one, or rather two, to the chin. She's knocked back far enough that he has plenty of time to get to his feet before she can retaliate. Her left hand comes up to brush against her mouth, scowling back at the young man that's proven to be quite difficult to handle.
"Feh," is the reply he gets back as Ayame glowers, quickly losing that composure she sought moments ago. "So nice of you to care." she snaps, sounding more irate than calm. The staff is held up in an angle in front of her again and with a twist of something near the middle the weapon suddenly gets a lot more imposing.
The sound of metal being unsheathed is unmistakeable as on the top end of the weapon a spear-like blade sticks out before unfolding into three blades, each at a right angle to each other, forming almost a strange, bladed cross in the girl's hands. "When I'm done, the button will be the least of your concerns!" the girl yells back, hands tightening, gripping the weapon with white knuckles. In the next moment, the entire weapon is bathed in a bright, violent aura as Ayame smirks at the cop she's targeted for victimizing.
And with that, she charges him again, whirling the weapon over her head like a helicopter blade gone AWOL, forming a churning, red wheel of chi as she advances in a dead sprint. And then comes the vicious swings aimed for Soma, one after another. High, low, middle, with the bladed end of that weapon, the girl turning and spinning in order to lend momentum to the strikes, filling the dark street with quite the light show as she tries to take Soma down. Again and again the swings come, one after another she continues relentlessly until her own strength fails her and she is forced to stop or risk passing out from fatigue.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Soma with Final Solstice.
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Soma 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Ayame
...okay then.
Not that Soma wasn't taking Ayame seriously, but he wasn't exactly prepared for this at all. His dark violet eyes go wide at the sudden inclusion of energy -- not something Ayame had included in her repertoire up to now -- to the attack, and also to the sudden shift toward lethal damage (as it were) again. This is definitely not how he was expecting this to work out... and while it's certainly in his best interest to get the hell out of the way, Ayame's sudden burst of speed and unpredictable range of strikes makes evasion damned near impossible.
Again and again the twin-bladed weapon slashes across the detective's body, slicing through clothing and skin in a whirlwind of metal and red, both energy and the lines of blood across the man's body. The effect is pronounced; the final strike knocks Soma off his feet and onto the ground, sprawled. It's a good few minutes until he gets back up, and when he does it's through gritted teeth and a hiss of pain, clutching his left elbow with his right hand. Perhaps unnervingly, however, is that enough of his jacket has been sliced through to make clear the shoulder holster he has on underneath it, complete with his service handgun snugly inside.
He doesn't attack, not just yet. He watches. That was strike two. "You came at me serious. So this is your last chance. Walk away now... or I *end* it serious." Has he not been serious until now? Well, that's a bluff... he's been considering Ayame a serious opponent ever since the knives came out to play. But if he can convince her otherwise, well...
COMBATSYS: Soma focuses on his next action.
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Soma 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Ayame
After her last swing, the girl presses the un-bladed end of the long weapon back against the concrete, both of her arms wrapping around it as she leans into it, using it for support. She's barely staying standing, herself. Catching her breath. Winded. She has a lot of time to observe him. He looks like he might be down. But walking up to him with such an assumption might leave her open for a surprise attack. And so she waits...
And her suspicions are proved correct as he manages to get back up after all that. Eyes narrow. She noticed something. He'll see it readily enough. The way the observant girl focuses on his sidearm. The style is distinctive. It speaks of law enforcement. That... changes things. Ayame pauses then, standing up straight, her grip shifting as the blades at the top of the staff retract slowly back into the pole.
She continues to hold her ground as with another press the entire length of the weapon collapses back down to a small object that fits neatly back into the pouch at her side. She takes a few steps backward now that her hands are freed, feeling the aches of the hits he managed to land. The stakes have changed a lot now and the blonde seems to be more swayed by that than anything he's said.
"All right," comes the voice of surrender as another backward step is taken. "I'll let you go this time. But just to make sure..." Her right hand slips beneath the wrist guard at her left wrist, withdrawing a small, ordinary kunai. A tiny blade, sharpened by hand to be remarkably dangerous for its size. The motion is swift - the instant the kunai is produced it's sent hurtling toward the air toward Soma. A stall tactic, it would seem, as Ayame turns on her heels and runs over to scoop the two knives she dropped earlier off of the ground.
COMBATSYS: Soma overcomes Sudden Fling from Ayame with Supernova.
Glancing Hit
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Soma 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Ayame
She'll 'let him go'. As an experienced policeman, Soma knows the last refuge of the damned when he hears it, and thus his expression changes into a faint smirk. It's not as if he's in a dominant position here -- far from it, in fact -- but he knows someone who's about to get while the getting is good when he sees one. But while Ayame certainly just attacked him on the street with intent to steal, Soma's not actually interested in picking her up for anything. It may be that she's only used her skills to prey on the incompetent... and maybe this will teach her to think twice before threatening people who look harmless.
Not likely. But there's a chance.
Of course, that doesn't mean he has to let her go as easily as all that. A hand reaches inside the ruins of the jacket, grabbing a few small items even as Ayame is delivering her speech and reaching for that kunai. "Pretty gracious," Soma respond in a dry tone. Whatever it is in his hand starts glowing with that silvery light once again. And sure enough, he suddenly flicks out his hand, hurling throwing spikes one after the other, each glowing silver with that same stored psychic energy as the last... only this time there's a couple more than just the one.
He doesn't get to throw them all, however; before the last few can leave his hand, he suddenly snaps up his left hand and snatches the incoming kunai out of the air approximately 3cm from his face. He didn't flinch... but that doesn't mean that somewhere inside, he's preparing to change his underwear when he gets home. A little closer than he'd like.
COMBATSYS: Soma successfully hits Ayame with Supernova.
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Soma 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ayame
The two knives are pulled off the ground and flicked closed, Ayame slipping them into their sheaths without even having to slow down. She's not hanging around get busted by the fuzz!
But Soma has a little present for her, it seems, in the form of a whole lot of pain coming her way. The girl is vaguely aware of the attack, hopping forward and spinning around while in mid air to avoid two of them, then to land on her two feet and take two to one thigh before they ignite with the Psycho Power he poured into them, staggering her a little.
Leaning to the side, she avoids the next couple only to take one in the stomach, provoking a shocked gasp from the girl. Okay, ow. Sharp objects ow. One hand reaches down to pluck the one out of her stomach, but rather than fling it to the ground she merely palms it. Well, she didn't get the knives she wanted, but this little souvenir will have to do! "Nice meeting you!" she waves back before turning to make a break for the nearest alley, now with a very noticeable limp however. The wail of sirens in the distance help put a little kick in her step though. Figures. All that work on her part and the law ends up with the stolen property in the end. Grr!
COMBATSYS: Ayame takes no action.
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Soma 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ayame
Log created on 12:01:37 11/10/2007 by Ayame, and last modified on 23:58:58 11/11/2007.