Elfa - Elfa: Pawn

Description: Pushed around to machinations of other's plans, Elfa finds herself a tool in another group's plans.



Out of the frying pan, and into the fire? The timeline, as Adelheid has been briefed, goes something like this: Blackjack retrieves an 'experiment' from Shadaloo's mostly-vacated laboratories, Rugal purchases said experiment, said experiment is shipped here. Of course, the devil is in the details, and rather than a mysterious compound or schematics for the Death Star, the not-Bothan spies who didn't have to give their lives deliver... a girl.
Sigh. Rather than accelerating the process of bonding father and son inseperably, being put in 'charge' of R has left Adel with more and more reasons to shake his head and wonder what his psychopathic progenitor's frickin' problem is. The dossier on Elfa is dropped smoothly on the control panel before Adelheid, though he looks not at any of the monitors, but instead out the viewport, over the deck of the monolithic battleship, "Leave the bridge." he offers with dismissive detachment, sending the skeleton crew of R soldiers filing quickly out of command and control, and leaving the platinum blonde alone in the dark chamber, the nighttime seas leaving it lit only by the glow of control panels and those monitors still lit.
Two other soldiers will be bringing the new 'acquisition' here, with similar instructions to depart afterwards. No restraints, no instructions, Elfa will simply be brought here, released, and abandoned. In the room with a lithe, one might say effeminate boy, if not for the powerfully muscled arms, who appears to be a number of years her junior. Adelheid will not initially turn, merely ponder. Sense. Wait. A decent way to suss out this experimental 'soldier'.

No restraints? No instructions? Elfa's never had a better chance to escape. She'd taken on three people before, only stopping when she blacked out in the fight, coming to to a broken nose and battered and bashed face. It's healing amazingly well for not being treated, another possible oddity to the girl, were the injuries passed around as common knowledge. She looks bruised, battered - and really, she's not one for fighting when the odds are against her.

She doesn't really know /where/ she is, other than the fact that there are controls and lights and instrumentation, the single person before her obviously well-aware of what she can do, if he's so confident to put his back to her. She drags herself to her feet, rubbing at sore wrists, voice quiet, thickly accented in Russian. "... Who are you? Where am I?"

Never had a better chance, perhaps. But then again, what's the old saying? Nothing is ever quite what it appears to be. It's certainly true of the teenage son of Rugal Bernstein, and the overall security of the Black Noah, despite its lingering malaise from the thrashing delivered to it by the Suiryuu's kamikaze finish. The water's been pumped out, the hull patched - at least temporarily - so from the vantage point of the bridge? Everything is business as usual. Aside from the current commander of the vessel - this lithe youth himself. He's dressed the part, a Captain's dress uniform, complete with double-breasted military jacket and silver ornamentation, polished and pressed from boots to collar. His blonde mane shifts as he gracefully turns to look back over one shoulder towards the girl the soldiers have brought here, before the door slides shut behind them.
Crimson eyes are coached impassive, neutral, analytical. He knows virtually nothing about her, aside from what he's been told, and assumption can be a dangerous game in this business, "You are aboard the Black Noah." He helpfully offers, "And at sea, as you can likely tell." He pauses, resting the fingers of his left hand forward on the console before him, a pensive look on his face as he stares back out over the deck, and water beyond, "You were taken from your laboratory 'home', and subsequently sold... to us. Rather inspiring, isn't it?" Is he being serious? It's hard to tell, but the tone certainly rings caustic. He can feel... raw power within this girl, but she seems more confused than empowered, by any measure.
"What do you remember? Who are /you/?" Quid pro quo.

Someone who gives her answers? She could be in love. Or else, well - stockholm syndrome. Elfa doesn't know what the 'Black Noah' is, but assumes it's a boat, from his description of being at sea. It's as likely as she's going to be able to figure without looking about, at least. She stays well away from the man and his console, though - there's no temptation to become anything close to 'a threat'. After all, someone in his position on the boat probably can handle anything she might throw out, though something in the back of her head keeps suggesting ways to attack.

Shaking her head, she offers up those answers that he's asked for, her own limited information given out freely, willingly. After all, the more she gives, maybe she'll be able to catch a break. "My name.. is Elfa Bykova. I live in Chelyabinsk in the summers, in Moscow in the winters. My father trains the Olympic hockey team..." See, she's normal, just a girl with a life and a home, please let her go.. "I remember.. a masked man with knives, and then being .. found in a tube of some sort. Two women, many men dragging me out, and then putting me in a box. Then... this."

As useful as those answers are, at any rate. It's not as if Elfa's information winds up more valuable. Barring a couple not-really-informative hints as to the turn of events, it's mostly stuff the 'R' officer already realized. Or was told. Adelheid draws a deep breath, fingers flexing momentarily as he considers, "In other words, you don't really know anything beyond your life before being taken, and what happened when you were brought here." He doesn't sound pleased, but neither is the ire directed towards Elfa herself. One might call Adelheid a scholar of the fighting world, however, and its seedier side is well laid out in the investigations of R and the files kept aboard this floating fortress. It's kind of amusing, in a disturbing and sigh-worthy way, that the Bernstein heir may actually know more about Elfa's condition than she herself does.
"Your 'tube' was in a laboratory of an organization called Shadaloo. An organization known for occult science, manipulation of minds and bodies. I daresay you are no longer 'normal', whatever you yourself think." Harmless little girl. Right, "And I expect that is why you've suddenly become a valued commodity among those who knew the missing overlord of your... project." Maybe he's dead, maybe not. Adelheid doesn't take anything for granted when it comes to men like Vega... or Rugal.
"From where I'm standing, you're a danger to yourself, and perhaps those around you. Even if your programming has failed, who knows what triggers or intents are left? Bringing you here as if you're a weapon... it's not only inhuman, it's idiotic. There's too much grey area." He's not the power-mad megalomaniac everyone else in this line of 'work' seems to be, no. Pragmatism goes a long way, sometimes, "If I let you go, and something goes wrong, or you're found and recaptured by someone once more - likely, if you're as clueless as you say - it will come back on me, and you'll be no better for it, either. If I keep you here, fulfill the wishes of those who 'purchased' you, we're leaving ourselves open, similarly cluelessly, to whatever intent Shadaloo had in containing and modifying you."
Adel turns fully, leaning his back against the console and lifting one gloved hand to stroke thoughtfully at his smooth chin, "One might say we are at an impasse, but I think I know people who might be able to help you get to the bottom of this. More subtly than simply shipping you off might do. So tell me, do you want help, chaotic freedom, or slavery?" It's not like she really has a /choice/ in the situation, but he's curious.

For Elfa, it's a frustration as well. Here she was, stuck in a tube, and now people are fighting over her, beating the hell out of her when she's unconcious, and then selling her off like she were a piece of meat. Expecting her to work for someone after being shipped off, well - that's just not going to happen, the set of her strong jaw very determined indeed. "That'd expl..." She starts, then stops - she didn't want to let that out, but it is. With Adelheid continuing, she can't help but offer it up in full - after all, he's the only one who's listened and spoke back ot her this far. It's a chance she'll simply have to take, if her freedom to be home again with her father is to be given. "I.. You're right. I hear things, sometimes. When I'm afraid, there's things telling me what to do, how to move. When I was with them before, with the people who sold me... I was pushed into trying to escape. It said I could win." And she would have too, perhaps. But in the end, she doesn't believe it now - after all, that voice is still telling her to attack now - and she's certain it's just some psychotic episode waiting to happen.

"I just want to go home. I don'... I don't care what people want with me, they can't have it. I'm not a 'weapon', and if I were, I wouldn't work for anyone that tried to hold me like this." Oh, how naive... "If they could do this to me, though - don't you have to worry about them doing it to you, too? I just.. If I'm away, everyone's safe but me. That sounds the best for you." She's trying, at least - and it's true to a point. Depending entirely on the wishes of Shadaloo, keeping Elfa may be the best thing in the world - or the worst!

The reaction is actually one that serves Elfa, in the end... since it confirms the girl's ignorance, at least in part. Part of what Adelheid had hoped to prompt, since it's an important piece in deciding his own movements in this particular endeavor. The further confirmation, the voices, the unnatural 'training'... these things cement his own conclusions regarding some of Shadaloo's actions, and perhaps intents. Austere features crease into a contemplative frown, and he shakes his head, "I know you're afraid, but don't be naive. You should be working against that voice, and the one who did this to you, and I assure you, if I know /anything/ about him, letting you loose and unguided is just what he would want. The man thrives on chaos, indeed - seeks to create it everywhere. Brutality, experimentation, he has not the faintest scruples and if you think you are not already a tool, well. You're not even listening to yourself."
Blunt, direct, with little acceptance but apparently enough patience in response to the assertions Elfa makes. The stakes are high, in the platinum blonde's estimation, both for Elfa and for whoever else may be involved in Vega's machinitions, beyond the grave or no, "I'm sure you do want to go home. But doing so endangers you, your family, and who knows how many others. Neither will I have you kept and used by others who would abuse such acts." It's a quandary, but one that Adelheid already has figured out, at least in his own mind, "You will resist, your programming will kick in, and I will be forced to use my own power to destroy you. Dead, they will not look, and you will be able to escape to those who can help you, and make sure you /can/ return to your life without eradicating it. Do you understand?" A light brow arches slightly, her part in the ploy is fairly essential. The other arrangements he already has in place.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Adelheid         0/-------/-------|


It's obvious, of course. Her in public, where whoever did this to her could find her. He's right, she wasn't thinking things through - making assumptions that once she got free, she'd be safe. But that's far from the possibility, far from what could happen. Instead, those that took her the first time, this 'Shadaloo', would probably just find her again. She'll need protection, hiding and possibly so much more. Her eyes widen as she worries about her father - at least he's a public enough figure that he'll have slight protection. Right?

"I ... I don't want to put him at risk. I..." It takes a moment to get into the idea, understanding just what Adelheid proposes. He speaks like it's already happened, like wheels are in motion, planning and plotting before she was ever asked. And then it falls into place, what he wants her to do. And with that, it's an easy decision.

Her feet settle on the cabin's floor, her voice rising up with something akin to real anger. Whether it's the voice that controls her, or just her assent, one may never know. She has to make this good - certainly, if he is being watched, this should be proof of her idiocy, to attack him. She launches herself forwards, body swinging in a wide, wild swing - both arms coming up and around at his chin. Defy him? She'll do that and more. "I'm not a tool! I won't work for you!"

COMBATSYS: Elfa has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Adelheid         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Elfa


COMBATSYS: Adelheid blocks Elfa's Quick Punch.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Adelheid         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Elfa


Unlike Elfa, the young Bernstein has thought this through. Run through any number of possible courses after being informed of the operation itself. Human weapons trade is really not a business he intends to participate in, and if he can kill three birds with one stone, well... all the better to disarm Rugal, Vega, and help Elfa in one fell swoop. At least, that's the conclusion he finally reached in what can only be described as RAW INSPIRATION. Calm, focused, he shoves off the console as Elfa rockets in, and as her fists swing forward, it's a single, dense forearm that snaps in a reversing rotation downward, deflecting the blow low and wide, before it can come to fruition. The stinging impact does little to deter the platinum blonde, and in the same motion he steps forward, in on Elfa's guard, unhesitating.
It seems he was prepared for this, and rather than being taken by surprise, the Bernstein heir snaps out a hand for Elfa's already-bruised face. Those gloved fingers seek to find a painful grip around her skull, and with a flex of that singular, powerful arm, loft her off her feet with a jerk, and shove forward. The shove would be timed with a point-blank explosion of rampant silver chi, a torrential column of windshear threatening to rip her head clean off, and send her exploding backwards across the fine carpet of the Black Noah's CnC.

COMBATSYS: Elfa endures Adelheid's Scorpion Deathlock.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Adelheid         0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0             Elfa


Elfa has to take this - she has to make this look good. Instinctively, she knows that she'll lose this fight - Adelheid planned it out far too well for him to fail. She only hopes to make it look worthwhile. She cries out as the hand grips her face, legs flailing as she's lifted up and off the ground. She manages to attempt an ineffectual kick, knowing that the pain that is threatened is certainly something she'll remember. In her head, her mind screams with evasive options, and she ignores them, focused on what will happen next...

And then, things go black. The explosive wave of chi washes over her as she's released, and the impact of the energy sends her spiraling along the ground, tumbling and crashing into the far wall. As she eventually gets back to her feet she's standing just a little different, more deliberate as she holds herself there. Silver energy still hovers around her, Adelheid's chi not washing away just yet, held against her as if she were trying to internalize it, focus it into her being. Finally, she speaks, voice cold, emotionless. "You are not the Father - your one warning is now. Disengage." With that, she rockets in, sliding low as her body spins - the silvery chi whipping away from her just before impact, given up and discarded as something she cannot use.

COMBATSYS: Elfa successfully hits Adelheid with Power Drill.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Adelheid         0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0             Elfa


The strange fluctuation of his energy around her body brings a narrowing to Adelheid's eyes, the rebound with which the silver-haired girl launches herself back in is quickly analyzed... but not quickly enough. He waves aside, and the spinning torpedo of Shadaloo weaponry crashes hard into him, dropping his feet out from under him and sending him crashing to the hard ground, the carpetting doing little to dull the harsh fall. Interesting. Both the attack, and the words uttered... yes, he's surer still of his course of action.
Rolling up into a crouch, Adelheid does nothing to seek distance, instead seeking to come up just where Elfa regains her footing, that gloved hand again thrusting in, seeking to clench around her throat as one foot slams home behind her ankle. The idea is simple: trip her backwards over her own leg, using the leverage and force of that singular arm to violently chokeslam her back-first into the deck, "What else do you have?!?"

COMBATSYS: Elfa dodges Adelheid's Medium Throw.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Adelheid         0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0             Elfa


What else does Elfa have? Years and years of simulated combat training, Doll combat strategies filled into her head until it was bursting. It's enough here to get her out of the attack, the close-in combat a Doll specialty. It leaves her with a hand at her throat, Elfa's fingers grabbing the wrist of Adelheid as she has her feet swept. In a motion of dexterity, she flips around his wrist, using the arm as a pivot point, landing in front of him on the balls of her feet.

"Warnings ignored - secondary protocols engaged." With that, Elfa spins and starts towards the exit, attempting to make her way out of the 'arena', as it were. Escape in the face of danger, what what. After all, if she's defeated, how will she find Father again? At least, that's what she wants Adelheid to think. As she closes in on the door, she shifts her balance just a bit, hitting the wall and leaping off of it, aiming her feet at Adelheid's neck. If she can hit, Elfa will flip him around using her momentum, an attempt to take him down and out of the fight. If she just runs now, she'll never really escape - in the middle of the sea, it's almost impossible..

COMBATSYS: Adelheid fails to interrupt Medium Throw from Elfa with Reppukyaku.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Adelheid         0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0             Elfa


Years and years of simulated training vs. years and years of actual training. The difference being, perhaps... Adelheid was staging a conflict to get Elfa off this boat, while Elfa... seems to have the idea of defeating him and escaping in her head, instead. It's quite agitating! Not that he gets overly flustered. Secondary protocols indeed. She comes in high, and Adel shifts back on one foot, preparing to whip it about and...
... hrk! His neck is caught between powerful legs, and he's flipped over, once more landing hard on the deck, though his resilient frame absorbs much of the expected impact. Taken down? He's just getting warmed up! A deep, slightly unsteady breath is taken as he steadies his focus, and attempts to roll back out of the flip, coming up in a three point crouch, "Well. Looks like you're planning to make this interesting. Very well." It should look good, after all. Like he was pressed. This is all... according to plan. Yes.

To be fair, Elfa would be more than willing to have let things go the way they had planned. Something inside her, however, has claimed hold of what she wants, tossing it aside for what it needs. It's not situational, sadly - if she knew about it, could control it, maybe she would be able to survive. In this instance, she would really have preferred to be under complete control. Let Adelheid beat the snot out of her, then get shipped off somewhere else. Instead, she gets to throw herself at the superior fighter, and push her body to the limit without any thought of self preservation.

"..." Without saying anything futher, she follows up on the advantage she perceives that she has - her body twisting into a spin, knuckles aimed for Adelheid's temple in a backfist. If she can contact once, she'll offer two more up, a rapid spin each time as she continues through. She's got to escape - and if he's completely unconcious, it should be easy. Getting him there, well - that'll be the difficult part!

COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Elfa's Triple Knuckle.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Adelheid         0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0             Elfa


It's a transformation that Adelheid can both see, and sense in the ebb and flow of the strength within Elfa. Telling in and of itself, indeed. ... what was Vega's plan for this girl? She's not the same as the others, not precisely, he's seen enough information on the operations of Cammy and the other Dolls to be confident of that hunch. Perhaps it was fortunate she wound up in R's clutches now, however distasteful it initially seemed. Unsurprisingly, Elfa hurls herself right back in, and Adelheid? He's in motion the same instant.
This time, his graceful evasion is perfectly timed, his bent legs propelling him out of his crouch, up and over the attacking Elfa in a fluid front-flip. It nearly brings his boots to grazing the ceiling, but the forward distance gained is just enough to surmount his hurdle, leaving the unusual woman to hurtle underneath, as he lands behind her. The flung knuckles crash through nothing but air, and as Adelheid touches down, he abruptly twists himself, mirroring the assault with his own clenched fist. Throwing the weight of his body, and the sudden spin behind it, the platinum blonde seeks to wordlessly hammer a backfist home into the side of Elfa's head. Or her face, if she's lucky(?) enough to come about in time.

COMBATSYS: Elfa interrupts Fierce Punch from Adelheid with Takedown Spear.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Adelheid         0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0             Elfa


Elfa would love to know the answers to this as well. If she knew who 'Vega' was! After all, she has now heard of 'Shadaloo', but next to nothing about what they are, who they are. If she lives, escapes, she'll have something to ask people about. eventually, someone will know - and who knows, maybe she'll eventually share those answers with Adelheid! They can keep in touch through email or something!

As if.

As Adelheid circles the girl, she starts to readjust, to take her position back and recollect the momentum. She catches the backfist on her forearm, the more delicate limb shuffling her to the side, but not staggering her further than that. At the same time, she twists, and her hand catches Adelheid's throat with a spear-strike, an attempt to knock him off balance and down. Much like he did to her at first - just without the wave of chi surrounding him. "Abilities assesed - your performance is faltering."

Answers can be a good thing... usually. Sometimes, knowledge is better off not had. But in this case? it seems necessary to move forward without surrendering the entire affair to chaos theory. There's that damn robotic efficiency again, coming from the confused woman he was speaking to on a rather different note a few moments before. It's not unlike what he's seen of Cammy's battles, when she was still working with Vega... clearly, going where Adelheid wants is not part of her programming. His strike is dulled against Elfa's defenses, and her own strike lashes harshly into his throat.
His neck tenses, his breath catches, but it brings little more than a single, backwards staggered step, and that satisfying grunt of pain. It will take more than that to put him down again, much less permanently, and Adel's legs flex as the platinum blonde propels himself forward, right back in on the strange young woman.
His hand snaps in for her chest, seeking to yank her off her feet by her uniform, as a sudden upsurge of his own chi would carry them both forward, ignoring all laws of gravity. The breakneck flight would then only end with a sudden, lunging slam of the 'warhead' of this little missile, Elfa, against the reinforced glass of the fore viewport of the Black Noah's bridge. The idea is, quite simply, to smash her /through/ the pane of glass, and send her crashing to the deck below... before following with a deft, graceful leap.

COMBATSYS: Elfa blocks Adelheid's God Press.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Adelheid         1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1             Elfa


She's not fast enough to dodge his grab. She knows this, 'limited capabilities' or not, he's still stronger than she is. Those motions, those moves, they're designed to take her down with the minimum of fuss, and she's determined to not allow it. No matter what deal Elfa may have had before, whatever Adelheid unlocked, it's not taking part of it. As his hands push her, throw her towards the wall, she tries to squirm out of the grip. She's unable to, the impact sending her /through/ and onto the deck of the Noah, just as he planned. She lands well, though - the impact seeming to have been blunted by a slight midair adjustment.

She stands up, cut glass dug into her back seeming not to bother her in the slightest. And as he launches in with that leap of his, she's there to meet him. She hops upwards, trying to catch him around the waists, to flip and throw him down, to turn gracefulness into sharp pain, to give him a taste of what she was given, pain and ugly sensation. Her breathing is raspy, her body aching - but with her mind in this state, she has no chance but to push past it. It's Father's will.

COMBATSYS: Elfa successfully hits Adelheid with Combo Throw.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Adelheid         1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1             Elfa


Elfa's agile realignment was not part of the plan. Getting out onto the deck, sure... but she was supposed to be nearly incapacitated in the process! Instead, Adelheid finds himself descending into a midair interception, snagged and re-launched, with far more force than he had intended, back down at the Noah's flight deck. Crashing hard against the reinforced hull, Adelheid slides, then rolls, once more forced to play catchup and regain his footing in light of Elfa's passionate resistance, "Powerful..." He murmurs softly. More strength at her disposal than he had anticipated, even without the full font of infused strength he senses clawing towards the surface. Her will may not be her own, but whatever is there - it is potent.
But then, this is the son of Rugal Bernstein we're talking about. A prodigal talent honed throughout his own, albeit short, life. He may not be brainwashed, or programmed to kill, but he's certainly been trained remarkably well, and his own power is forced to the fore without hesitation, both hands sweeping forward and seeking to put a rather abrupt end to Elfa's resistance. The deck before him roils, reaved by a sudden coalescence of vibrant, silvery chi, the roaring hurricane blasting forth with height that nearly dwarfs the remarkable girl, threatening to simply overwhelm her in mighty, rampant wind-chi. His muscles tense, his crimson eyes narrow once more, the sheer force focused into the tidal wave sends his hair reeling backwards away from his face, whipping in the artificial wind more than the sea breeze, the heir apparent's strength focused on that sole attempt.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Elfa with Crown Prince.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >                                ]
Adelheid         0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2             Elfa


So much power.

Elfa's body can't hope to process it all - she knows this instinctively - it's not 'Father's Touch', and so she attempts to recoil from it, to keep herself from being overwhelmed by the power within Adelheid. But with her fists thrown up in front of her, the energy simply washes through her, over her, and batters her from all sides. The size of the attack leaves nowhere to run, no way to keep safe as she's slammed against the deck from the powerful attack. Coughing up blood, Elfa's out of this fight. Out of it completely - but luckliy, she's relased from her last interlocks.

"Tetriary defenses... online." With that, pale grey eyes crane to the side, tring to find Adelheid. Where is he? What has the young man done with himself? Oh, there he is - standing tall in the last washes of his powerful attack. The chi around Elfa's body finally fades in much the same way it did before, taking its time to be rejected. And with her eyes on Adelheid, she attempts to give him something - a last gasp of her own power. Eyes spark, and she lets loose the power deep inside her, sharing Father's Dream with the youth. After all, if he can't stop doing anything but screaming for an hour, she might be able to drag her battered and bashed body over the edge of the boat, and float towards shore.

COMBATSYS: Elfa can no longer fight.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Adelheid         0/-------/------=|


COMBATSYS: Adelheid just-defends Elfa's Your Worst Nightmare'!

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Adelheid         0/-------/------=|


The end result of the Crown Prince, Adelheid's ultimate technique and a deadly tribute to the potential this young man wields, emulating the power of such titans as his father and Krauser, is to be expected. Elfa cannot stand up to it, cannot resist it, cannot continue to fight after being buffetted by the sheer gale-force intensity of that much focused energy. The ominous final words set Adelheid's defenses on the edge... but in the end, the attack that comes is nothing that his existing techniques know a defense for. His eyes widen as he feels the sudden, malicious intrusion into his mind, coming on the tail of that upsurge of Elfa's power.
His body tenses, he drops to his knees, and one hand rises to his temples. Succumbing to the nightmare? Oh no. Not this boy. The young platinum blonde has spent the better part of his years learning to survive in a nightmare. One worse than Rugal's parentage and tutelage is difficult for him to even fathom. His sister would have to... no. He resists. White teeth clench, inner chi skyrockets once more, and he focuses right past the intrusion for a lingering, intense moment. Were it truly Elfa's 'father' projecting this power... perhaps things would be different. Perhaps. In that moment, the Bernstein heir finds not only his will, but he focuses it. He fights in ways he'd never learned to fight. Perhaps it's recent events, recent encouragement, perhaps just his defiance and determination sparking through.
Whatever the case, the assault cannot find a foothold, and after those passing, arduous moments of mental conflict, there's a surge of transparent power that blasts in a shockwave about Adelheid, and he shoves back to his feet with one fluid moment, seemingly invigorated, intense... prepared, "No!" He shouts, banishing the last vestiges of dark presence from his mind, "That is... not how... it ends!" The glimpse is enough. Enough to know it is not his world, and he will brook none of it!

With the realization of Adelheid's ignoring her Father's power, Elfa's body switches modes once again. Eyes roll back in her head as he stands, shouts down the presence and power, her head hitting the deck with a sickening 'crunch'. She's unconcious at least now, certainly unable to fight. Her breathing is steady and slow, and the hunks of glass in her back bleed slow and steady. Maybe the other piece of Elfa did hear what the promise was - and perhaps, just perhaps, Adelheid will hold his part of the bargain.

Log created on 14:31:50 11/25/2007 by Elfa, and last modified on 20:40:12 11/25/2007.