Description: On soap operas, it's traditional for the wronged heroine to get her revenge on the philandering man. Luckily, Howard Enterprises knew just who to call. (Winner: Ayame)
Huh. Ayame decided to check out the league fighting stuff because someone told her you can get paid decently well doing it and while she's not someone who fights for the 'thrill' or 'fun' or whatever other lame excuses people come up with to get beat up, socked, crushed, burned, maimed and so forth, she can appreciate the need to expand her horizons a little to get better at the things she really /needs/ to be good at. Defending herself in all the messes she tends to get into.
So yeah, hey, SNF. It's cool. It's neat. It's... /what/? A Latin Soap Opera? And she's appearing on it it? Maybe she needs to rethink this. Not that she's embarrassed at the idea. The girl is practically beyond being shamed anyway. But she isn't sure hamming it up on some failing show is going to get her the training and practice? Aaah well. Have to make the best of it.
Backstage, the girl is flipping idly through the script as a makeup artist fusses over her. Perfectly fluent in Spanish and half a dozon other languages, she has no trouble making out the story line. "Hahahaha!" It's rare to hear her laugh, but they don't know that. "This is a really great comedy you've got here-" "Hey, easy on the makeup. I don't want to look like some kind of street whore-" "What do you mean this is supposed to be a drama?" Ayame and the backstage crew are /not/ getting along very well.
It's about then that she picks up the file on her opponent, flipping to the picture on the second page. Blink. Blink. This is going to be awkward.
Thus it is that minutes later, 'Senorita Auberta' takes the stage minutes before the cameras are getting ready to roll. The sound stage is a hospital. The extras dressed as medical staff or patients. Beds, gurnies, curtains, and thin fake walls abound. The stars are in place out in front.
Soma's opponent, the young Auberta-Consuelo Gonzalez, steps into the limelight, dressed in a gaudy red and white Flamenco styled dress. Form feeting on top until it reaches the draping skirts that spread out wider until they cover her feet completely. "I don't get it," she had remarked, "I'm not dancing, I'm- oooph," her complaints cut off by a helpful shove to the back to get her into the right position for the start of the scene.
Glancing over her ridiculous getup, she notices that she has a sword in a sheath affixed to a loose belt around her waist that looks frightfully out of place. "Huh. Neat!" The young lady pulls it out to admire the deadly weapon only to find that it's made of flimsy plastic. "..." This isn't going to go well at all.
Soma's reasons for participating in Saturday Night Fights, among other organized combat events, are quite different from Ayame's. It's his job, in fact: the mandate handed down from the Special Crimes Directorate was to examine, watch, and root out causes of crime and terrorism in the fighting world. One might think that public appearances aren't exactly where that sort of thing goes down... but while Soma and Ayame are here looking to revitalize 'Labyrinth of Passion', the former head of a Metro City street gang and an employee of the Southtown Syndicate are doing battle on the very same program.
Just occasionally, however, there are premises to public fighting -- gimmick fighting, really -- that get on the normally placid-if-sarcastic ICPO detective's nerves. In fact, once Howard Enterprises sent over the file folder and he glimpsed at the first page with the description of the hook and the venue, he almost declined. Then he flipped to the second page with the fighter dossier, and actually dropped the entire thing on the floor.
Maybe there'd be a reason to go after all.
Cut to the dressing rooms backstage at the studio. Of course the fighters are separated by gender as they go into makeup, but Soma, for all his annoyance, is actually quite docile around the help. It's not as if he enjoys or is playing along with them... rather, he recognizes this fight as an opportunity, and is determined to weather whatever stupidity he must in order to make it happen. Of course, this means making a few wardrobe changes, though fewer than one might think. His typical bolero jacket is exchanged for... another bolero jacket, this one sleeveless and dark crimson with gold flogging, left unbuttoned over a white shirt. The black slacks, the wardrobe lady deems, may stay, as may the black shoes. Apparently, for an Indian, Soma cultivates a Latin look.
It's not terribly dramatic when he makes his entrance, but in the interim the prop people have acceded to some requests: there's no sleeves for his daggers to hide in, so he improvises. After all, what Latin love scene is complete... without a bullwhip?
"Buenas tardes," he says to 'Auberta-Consuelo', tipping a non-existent hat. "Don Miguel Flores has arrived." Yet for all the flourish, his violet eyes are trained on Ayame, and very much read: Fancy meeting you here.
This is her second week in the SNF system and already Ayame is starting to get a sense that there's almost more to behind the scenes at these fights than the audience ever sees on film. And as her opponent joins her in front of the cameras, that's becoming more readily apparent.
Her brown eyes meet his, and there's no mistaking the signs of recognition. She remembers their fight from last time when she cut his jacket open to reveal the sidearm beneath. Law enforcement in the SNFs. Considering the system is run by one of the biggest criminals Ayame is aware of, she's rather surprised to find him here. But that doesn't change the fact that for right now, the two are to violently share this stage. Part of the job, part of the job, she tells herself over and over, though in the back of her mind she's convinced there's gotta be better ways to train than prance around in a frilly dress.
"Miguel," the girl replies, mouth tight lipped as she stands up straighter, the fake plastic sword hidden behind her back. Someone in props screwed up. The script said nothing about a sword. "And so the truth comes out at last," she continues, her tone taking on the sound of a woman offended, her right hand, free of the sword, coming up to rest against her forehead as she leans her head back a bit.
"You told me that you were away in the Estados Unidos on a business trip... but the moment my most hated rival, Senorita Anna-Ninoz Buenaventura falls ill and has to be taken to the hospital, you show up with your Good Afternoons and tips of your hat and expect that just because a woman's life is in peril that I will overlook your deception so easily!"
Yeah, this Miguel guy sounds like nothing but bad news, Ayame decides, half reciting lines from other actresses and half making things up as she goes. It sounds like a good reason to beat him up though. No good two-timing hot purple-eyed Latin playboy! "This is the end for us, Senor. Your smooth talking won't save you from my wrath!"
The hand lowered from her forehead, she whips the plastic sword forward to point toward him. "En guard!" The plastic nub on the end is well rounded, keeping the thing from even accidentally harming someone... except for the fact that it's in Ayame's hands, where nearly anything can become a weapon.
The girl in the fancy dress takes a couple steps forward, stabbing outward with the plastic weapon as if making a show to attack him with it. It's all just for fun and feints of course, because the moment she gets at all close, Ayame tries to jam the weapon sidways against Soma's throat while simultaneously slipping in behind him, her right hand coming up to grab hold of the 'pointy' end.
Yes, it appears the agent has to worry about Death By Stage Prop if he's not careful with his opponent.
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
He's in a toreador-style jacket. You'd almost EXPECT him to whip around and shout "¡Olé!" and drape a cape over Ayame as she passes. Sadly, this is a telenovela and not a bullfight... all the better for Ayame, she won't end up with barbed poles in her neck to produce blood loss and make her docile.
Well, presumably not.
Instead Soma shifts swiftly to the right, Ayame breezing past by mere inches as he appreciates, if nothing else, her inventive use of an otherwise pointless (in more ways than one) prop swords. However, she's playing the part, so he feels compelled to at least meet her halfway. "Oh yes? Amada mia, your tongue is a blade far sharper and your censure a weapon I fear more than this blade... why do you doubt my sincerity? Come, cease this foolishness and return to my arms. We will see Señora Buenaventura together, wish her well, and return home... doubt me not, for my heart cannot endure your anger much longer."
Don't forget, folks: he's a novelist.
He also decides to watch Ayame very carefully. The script demands it, for one... and for two, he knows exactly what kind of convoluted maneuvers she's capable of.
COMBATSYS: Soma focuses on his next action.
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Soma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
Dodged! Ayame, or, ah, Auberta slides to a stop as her opponent and untrustworthy but smooth talking foe slips out of her not so loving embrace! The sword is flicked out to her side, plastic end wobbling menacingly as he tries to sooth her into a more calm state of mind. Hn, the girl muses, those lines weren't in the script that she memorized in one pass beforehand. He's making them up on the fly. Not bad, not bad!
That right hand comes up against her forehead again as he pleads for her to see him for the 'decent' man he really is. "Ah, but if only this were yesteryear and I the naive young thing I was then. But now I know better. Your sincerity is dubious now that it has proven to be false to me four times over now... Once or twice, I could understand. But four times is too many!"
Swift steps forward are taken, that plastic sword still in her left hand for the moment. But its 'utility' has come to an end, and Ayame has other things in mind. Such as that tray of surgical instruments sitting on the counter at her side! Swinging out to her left with the prop sword, Ayame slams it down on the edge of the tray, launching the tray and half a dozon sharp instruments into the air in an arc over her head.
Dropping the sword, Ayame's hands lash out into the cloud of instruments and begins flinging them toward Soma one after another in rapid fire, "May these blades cut sharper than any cruel lie your tongue has ever given voice!"
COMBATSYS: Soma fails to slow Medium Fling from Ayame with Large Thrown Object.
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Soma 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Ayame
Well, if you're going to be on television, you might as well make it look flashy. Hopefully those hypodermics and scalpels are sterile, at least. Scoffing faintly, Soma turns to the side... but what he's *really* doing is putting his hand on the bullwhip. It's a prop, too, mostly... if he actually lashed Ayame the most it'd do is confuse her, the thing is probably made of nylon fibers. But Soma is an expert at working with wires and flexible weaponry, and even a fake nylon whip is no different. Suddenly turning back to Ayame, he lashes out with the whip, intending to simply snap the various items out of the air with a few quick lashes.
Sadly, Soma succeeds in proving that you shouldn't try to improvise your own stunts. The flimsy whip isn't easy to handle for someone who's used to a heavier weapon, and so instead of an elegant flapping away of the various projectiles, he simply looks like a fool while the various 'weapons' poke into his flesh. That smarts, just a tad... and he's got a tetanus shot in his future too, no offense to Mexico City. At least his 'stunt' looks totally natural on a telenovela.
Tossing the whip aside, Soma brushes a lock of silver and black hair out of his eyes, then sneers at Ayame. "Señorita, I gave you the chance to let this be... but you'd rather be a single thorned rose than a beautiful bouquet. So be it. If you wish to test the strength of the Flores family, then do so... there were many before you and there shall be many after!"
Nothing like real blood to make for a convincing act. No need to edit it in during the post-processing phase now! As the scaples and sharp scissors claim a bit of Soma's flesh, Ayame hasn't slowed down in the slightest. Whirling around, her Flamenco dress swirling about her legs, Soma's only slightly younger opponent is on the move. She needs to find more things to work with here. When she found out her own modified attire wouldn't be what she wore on stage, she was put into a bit of a panic. She feels vulnerable without all her weapons on her.
On the other hand, the challenge of making do with what's on hand appealed to her on a level she hadn't expected. It almost... makes this exchange /fun/. So far at least. Might be different if she was the one that just got hit by raining sharp objects.
She hasn't seen him produce those daggers that she wanted so bad last time. Mmm... if she could get one of those and use it back on him, that'd be, uh, dramatic, right? But until then she has to make due with what she can see. "Test?" she asks as the girl spins into closer range. "The vengeance of a woman scorned will see me through this, Senor Flores! This is no mere test!"
And maybe that foot will see her through this as Ayame spins one last time before swinging her leg up, testing the give on the long dress a bit as she attempts to sweep Soma's legs out from under him right at the ankles.
COMBATSYS: Soma fails to interrupt Light Kick from Ayame with Ashvinau.
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Soma 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Ayame
It's probably for the best that the audience expects the furious and spurned woman to make short work of the apparently philandering, cruel-minded man... because Ayame is quite frankly demolishing Soma so far. It was a difficult decision for him to consider using his powers in this fight... flashy energy attacks might be the norm for SNF, but hardly so for a telenovela. Perhaps thankfully for all involved, the young detective's Psycho Power manifests with a silver color that, for someone not looking at it carefully, could be mistaken for metal reflecting bright stage lighting. Perhaps.
Yet even as he gathers those twin daggers in his hands to make a counterstrike against Ayame's sudden sweep, that moment of hesitation and the speed of Ayame's kick make the point somewhat moot. The rug pulled out from under him, Soma's concentration breaks and the daggers wink out of existence as he goes down on his back. Rolling backwards into a crouch, he still has it in him to look at Ayame with utter disdain. "Ha! The vengeance of a woman. How many other men have you visited it on, siren? I refuse to stand blameless before the world when compared to you. I'd advise against being so rough with me, however," he adds, trying his best to produce a feral grin. "Unless you've no desire to see your precious mother again!"
Dun dun dun.
The sweeping kick hits home but Ayame knows that wasn't exactly a freebie. He could've got her if she was but a split second slower. And to say that his attacks were dramatic the last time they fought would be putting it mildly. But right now she has the upper hand as the world no doubt believes she should!
But then comes the dastardly reveal. Gaspu! Ayame manages her best mortified expression. "You bastard. What have you done with my madre dearest!?" Ah hah. The girl's hand lashes out to the side, grabbing hold of an IV stand, hefting it up in her hands. It's not quite the staff she's trained with... and it's a bit shorter, but...
"If you don't tell me this instant, I will continue to bash you with this sturdy... staff... of... revenge... what the hell is this," the girl's voice fades into a mutter as her mind finally tries to make sense of what she's hoping to accomplish here.
The makeshift bo... staff thingy... wobbles a little as she swings it over her head, empty plastic bags dangling from the hooks at the top end of it, the roller base rattling.
And then she brings it crashing down toward the young man's head, plastic bags and all.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Soma with Medium Strike.
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Soma 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Ayame
If nothing else, it's an object lesson in not threatening a Latina's mother. Probably to Ayame's benefit is that she's constantly attacking with things that no real human being wants to be touching them. Random surgical implements? No. Whatever the hell is in those bags on an IV stand? Yes, it's just saline and water, but can you be sure? You don't want that touching you either. And so while Soma is resolved to evade the strike, he's a little too focused on not getting an IV bag upside the head and not quite focused enough on getting out of the way of the actual IV stand. This has the (dubious) benefit of him swinging his face out of the way just as the bags of liquid would connect, and thus swinging it right into the path of the stand itself, which sends him stumbling backwards to slump against the reception counter.
Of course, it could just be that he's a miserably useless fighter, but if it gets ratings, then one supposes it's worth it.
There's got to be SOME sort of offense he can wage, and as Soma pulls himself standing, his fingers close over a pen attached to a check-in sheet, giving him the answer. Yes, Ayame's going to walk out of here a winner, but damned if she's going to do it untouched. "I will tell you nothing, and if you kill me you will never know... so I suppose we are at a bit of an impasse. Too bad, for I find I liked..." And here he hurls the pen forward, glowing faintly silver... an attack Ayame probably knows fairly well considering the pair's last meeting, "...your fiery personality!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame fails to slow Nova from Soma with Medium Fling.
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Soma 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Ayame
She remembers his techniques, his energy, and even a little bit about his tricks for /nailing/ her with it. But she thinks she sees a weakness in this particular delivery mechanism... While it will hurt if it hits her, the attack is, in the end, a small flying object at first. The momentum behind it should be insignificant, she figures. Knock the pen aside and the dangerous energy it's serving as the delivery mechanism for gets removed from the equation as well!
Which is why the girl's right hand slips off of the IV stand to brush along the counter at her side, coming across a second tray - this one thankfully empty for the young man's sake. Fingers tighten down before she whips it forward, attempting to knock the Psycho Power Delivery Mechanism aside at the last moment.
But the speed is too great there and her timing is off, leaving the girl struck by the pen while the tray slams harmlessly against the wall. Those observing would have no idea what she was just put through though as Ayame yelps sharply, staggering back a little. Some are wondering why she's hamming up a thrown pen so much! It's not like he did a real attack!
But the squint in the girl's eyes as she fights back the foreign energy's influence is no act. "Ah," she manages, gritting her teeth, "But by now you should have known, dear Miguel, that things just weren't going to work out between us. I think... it was more than just getting off on the wrong foot."
She still has that stand in her left hand, most of the bags having flopped off their hooks. But the girl is definitely scouting around for something better by now, risking taking her eyes off Soma for a moment as she takes in the cheezy props to pick from.
Finally, Soma gets a break from Ayame's relentless assault. It's a difficult decision, to press the attack or to take a rest, but at this point the ICPO detective values an opportunity to stay still more than he does a chance to stick it to the other fighter. As with... certain others in the past who've tried to steal things from him, Soma regrets that the girl is nothing (in his eyes) but a petty thief... she clearly has the potential for more than that. Inventive, quick on her feet. But as far as he's concerned, if she wants to live the way she does, that's just how it has to be.
Sadly, he spends so much time mulling over his disappointment and collecting himself that he gets a cough from the stage manager, and clears his own throat. At a loss, he brushes dust from his jacket and shakes his head sadly... and works a little of what he was thinking about into the dialogue. "You seem to think I couldn't love a woman who hates me. Haha, my lady, I prefer it! You could have ruled beside me, la reina de las flores, but you've chosen to punish supposed infidelity rather than embrace your destiny! A truly sad day."
COMBATSYS: Soma gains composure.
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Soma 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Ayame
"Hmph!" comes the young woman's reply, "What do you know of destiny? Our futures are what we make of them. We have to work for what we want. Even if our methods vary, the goals are often quiet similar. To live our own lives..." Her voice is thoughtful toward the end, her attention straying before she shakes her head, clearing her mind to focus back on him. Her style has always been to stay belligerently aggressive and there's no reason to change now.
Nothing better presents itself than the stupid stand in her left hand though. But first... Her right hand rips off the top rack, dropping it to the floor along with the bags that were hooked to it. Her left foot stomps off the roller bottom, kicking it aside. There, that's better. It's nothing like her ol' reliable, but it'll do.
"I'll show you how I intend to carve out /my/ destiny with a little demonstration!" Breathing in, the girl focuses, digging deep as she begins to channel energy into the long weapon. It's a bit harder than it is when she uses her real staff, but it's close enough that she can somewhat pull it off.
A vibrant yellow courses along the stand, crackling out with small forks of something that almost looks like lightning, making the weapon seem a lot wider than it was in just its base form. And then the girl is on the offense, swinging the stand over head, bringing it crashing down toward Soma from a side angle, before spinning around with it to deliver a slam to his other side. She'll finish with a final wide, two handed swing as she spins around, almost using it like a long, makeshift bat.
COMBATSYS: Soma fails to interrupt Requiem For Fallen Blossoms from Ayame with Scorpio.
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Soma 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Ayame
He had thought that the break would give him some time to assess the situation, think up a new concept, turn this thing around. Sadly, as Soma demonstrates aptly, this fight was Ayame's from minute one. He doesn't know what that yellow glow is, only that he doesn't like it; while he doesn't have the glaring weakness in his aura that many psions have, he's still not as adept as he'd like at dealing with the energy that is as mysterious to him as his powers are to many others. It's his turn to take an aggressive stance, shaking out his right hand and extending his index and middle fingers. Those who know pressure points would be able to tell that striking one is his aim, if he can just get past that swinging 'staff'...
Sadly, it's not really meant to be. Even as he pours on as much speed as he can, it's not enough to get inside Ayame's guard before the makeshift pole slams into his stomach, effectively batting him across the room to land in a crumpled heap almost entirely off the stage. Gritting his teeth as he gets up, wiping blood from his mouth, the ICPO detective does not look pleased at all... and his control on being the hammy telenovela star is surely slipping. Or is it? "Ha! Carve out your destiny as what? You walk into a hospital, beat up a man you *think* hasn't been true to you... I can afford such risks as taking your mother. I already have certain... reputations. You, on the other hand, are building a life of ill repute as we speak."
Trying to get inside Ayame's guard when she's swinging a staff around is trickier than it looks. The long weapon has the advantage of being able to both strike and defend with practically the same motions, leaving limited windows of vulnerability in which to slip a counter attack. She saw Soma's attempt to take advantage of one of those openings, but a minor adjustment allowed the assault to continue unabated...
The smack delivered, Ayame holds up the makeshift polearm only to find that it's been bent into an interesting but ultimately much less useful L shape after the chi laced assault she managed to strike her opponent with. "Che," the girl grunts, tossing it aside, accidentally knocking one of the cameras over in the process. Whoops.
"Reptuation is just what other people think of you. When you really know what you want out of life, the opinions of others become irrelevant. Reputations are made over years but destroyed in a single moment of error. Why invest so much trouble into something so easily lost?" The girl half closes her eyes as she takes rapid steps backward, hands coming to rest at her chest.
"I suppose... I suppose my dearest Miguel, that it is not unlike love in a way. So long have I struggled to earn the affections of those I held dear, but in the end loss was my only reward..." Hm, hm. What to use next- oh! Her hands near her neckline, Ayame remembers the chain necklace she was able to keep on beneath the frilly dress.
Fingers slip to the back of her neck to undo a clasp before the teen fighter slips a long, moderately strong but thin chain from out beneath her attire. "But now I'll teach you how that loss feels. Make you feel the pain you've caused who knows how many others!" And then she's back on the offense. He's seen enough of the girl's tactics to probably not be surprised as she goes for the neck again, whipping the chain out from the side at just above shoulder level.
If the chain ends ensnaring him, the starlet will yank back hard, raising her foot into his stomach as she rolls backwards to the floor in an attempt to flip him over the top of her!
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Soma with Medium Throw.
Even as Ayame's knee slams into his stomach, his attempt to twist out of the way a complete failure, it should be clear from the expression on Soma's face that he's had more than enough of this nonsense. Thankfully he's got that handy reception counter to fall back on every time he keeps getting smacked.
The expression on his face is not pleasant when he gets back up.
"Bloody good question," the undercover detective snarls. The hospital setting is all but forgotten at this point, and his future on SNF is all but a wash, but there is something about this fight that is getting on his nerves. Perhaps the ICPO chose the wrong person for this job, after all...
Planting his foot, Soma kicks off the bottom of the reception desk where it meets the floor, heading up and over Ayame, perhaps, if she doesn't interfere. Bereft of his weapons, he has to make do with his bare hands... but thanks to a lifetime of martial arts training, this is a situation he's entirely comfortable with. Once he is about to pass over the girl's body completely, he twists and inverts himself, swinging one arm out into her back at the same time. It's not so much the strength of the strike as its placement that gives it force, but such a complex maneuver Ayame can likely see coming a mile away.
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Fierce Strike from Soma with Random Weapon.
When fighting against Ayame it becomes clear that there is one constant in the girl's mind: Everything Is A Weapon. It might even begin to beg the question of whether she has any martial arts or combat training at all, or if she's wasted her youth putting her sharp mind to use making dangerous tools out of anything she can get her hands on and just makes due with that.
After all, she definitely seems wary of taking shots at Soma without /something/ to back herself up. And this moment is no different. She can see the look in the young man's eyes. He's frustrated and for once she doesn't think her opponent's anger is entirely directed at her... Maybe it's the silly fight setting. Maybe it's having to put up with the endless assortment of random weapons Ayame has chosen to attack with. Maybe it's the stress of his /real/ job that she's only vaguely aware of.
Whatever it is, the girl's mind doesn't spend too much time musing it. Emotions can be both weapons and vulnerabilities in and of themselves, which is why in spite her varied demeanor, behind those brown eyes is a mind focused only on one thing: the fight itself.
Soma is back on the offense, his swing coming in toward Ayame's back. Digging deep for a burst of speed faster than anything she's demonstrated during the fight, she spins around, intercepting the strike with an electronic heart monitor held in both of her hands, allowing the detective's arm to smash through it rather than collide with his target.
There's a cool stare back the violet-eyed agent before she finally shoves back on the now damaged monitoring device with enough force to drive Soma away from her. At least it doesn't seem to be back toward that infernal receptionist's counter this time!
There's no counter to catch himself against this time... not that it matters. The glass and plastic shards of the monitor shred the sleeve of Soma's white shirt as he stumbles backwards, flecks of the thing caught in exposed dark skin which is already stained red with blood. Well, this is probably not what is typical for Mexican daytime television, so Labyrinth of Passion might be saved for just long enough for people to realize this is the only time something like this is going to occur.
At least, on the show, anyway.
Soma returns Ayame's stare with a blank expression. Sometimes being an empath is an unfortunate scenario; he can feel Ayame's cool self-assurance, and all it does is crash against the detective's own doubt. Doubt that he's supposed to be in this job, doubt that he's bothered to accomplish anything in his role. Jinchuu, the Burn investigation, numerous other tasks... all a complete wash, thanks to his incompetence as a fighter.
Silently, he thanks soap opera convention for giving him an out.
With a flick of the arm, the undercover agent bows, injured hand folding in front of him and causing a few drops of blood to stain the perfect white floor of the set. "Until next time, señorita." Then he gets up and walks off the set. It gives Ayame a perfect killshot at his exposed back, if she feels like taking it... a fact Soma must be aware of, but doesn't particularly seem to care about.
COMBATSYS: Soma takes no action.
Interestingly enough, Ayame has no interest in taking a kill shot at the parting detective. That same confidence he sensed in her mind is also coolly detatched from any real feelings about the agent one way or another. He twarted her scheme in the past. That's just business. This fight? Business. Him leaving the set means her job is done.
A quiet release of breath as the director calls for the camera to be cut off and the fade to black to take care of ending the dramatic, hammed up, almost impossible to follow mishmash of a scene.
The two fighters are thanked for their aid. The SNF draw will get this unintelligible episode the highest ratings the series has seen in a long time. People keep their jobs. A few bored folks at home keep their entertainment. Ayame shrugs, offering a falsely benign grin to the cast and crew as she takes her leave. Everyone wins, she supposes. At least she's getting paid for this! But before she catches her ride out of here, time to see how many pesos she can make off with after slipping into the changing rooms...
COMBATSYS: Ayame takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Ayame has left the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Soma has ended the fight here.
Log created on 01:21:44 12/02/2007 by Soma, and last modified on 15:12:33 12/03/2007.