Description: Vince LaRose, wielder of the Rose Dansant style of fencing, makes his debut in Neo League against Hurricane Hime, outspoken superheroine! To make matters more interesting, Vince dedicates the match to a special girl who saved his life previously. The two fight intensely, but Vince's flashing blades and graceful finesse prove to be too much for Hime. The win is dedicated to the girl's honor as planned - none other than Yuki Kushinada! (Winner: Vince)
Some people say that when it comes to school pride, Taiyo's simply cannot be beat. In fact, many people say that, and of course other schools disagree. So needless to say, when a Neo League is happening on Taiyo turf? Oh there are a -lot- of people about. Not everyone is a fan of Hurricane Hime, of course, but the support for a Taiyo.. Heroine is always greater than some Pacific dude!
Now the area isn't completely packed, but many seats are occupied, all eyes on the massive floor below that's currently set up as a football field. At the arena's entrance, there is a large sheet of paper tied to an equally massive hoop and in just moments, there is silence as Taiyo's substitute head announcer introduces the two fighters; the short haired brunette recognized by her fellow students as Sayuri of the drama club. "All right, people, lets get this party started, ok?? Coming up first! Is our very own Hurricane Hime!" she cries, followed by cheering as the pink-clad girl in question comes tearing through the sheet with her trademark flying back kick,
"MORTALS!!" Hime cries, striking two quick poses and makes a dart toward the fifty yard line. Needless to say she's in a spectacular mood, and has been waiting for some time to have a match against her opponent. There isn't a lot of information she has on him though, but!
".. And her opponent, Vince.. Uh..." The announcer pauses, squints her eyes as she stares at the cue card. "Uhhh.. Lee.. R... Vince Leroy from Pacific High! Come on out!" :D
Oh, for crying out loud. LaRose! How hard can it be to pronounce LaRose? La - Rose! Vince fumes from his hiding spot at the mispronunciation, and the girl earns absolutely NO brownie points from the proud swordsman. He would demand a do-over, if he thought the girl competent enough to get it right on a second try. So, no. He'll just have to correct her himself. That -is- partially the whole point of why he's doing this, after all.
Vince emerges from his place of hiding amidst the audience, wearing a draping black hooded cloak. He rushes forth and suddenly leaps from his lofty position high above the stadium grounds. His hands snatch a pre-positioned rope suspended from the top of the opposite side of the arena, and he swings in towards the field, cloak billowing out behind him. As he nears the grass, he releases the rope to backflip through the air, during which the cloak is discarded, right up until he lands near Himeko gracefully, regarding her with a cool, confident look. Does he suspect he has fans here? Why, no. None at all. But they'll learn to respect his style. He'll see to it. And the first step to that is...
...Vince marches right up to the brunette and SNATCHES the microphone from her. The chilly look he gives her just screams, 'You, madame, are a moron' without using any actual words. He clears his throat politely and corrects, "LaROSE. And I would like to take this opportunity to dedicate this fight to a very special lady by the name of Yuki." Vince holds the microphone with the left hand while he lifts his right arm, revealing a strip of medical gauze bound around the bicep. "A girl I believe used to attend here, who now studies to be a nurse, and who saw fit to save my life. Yuki - this victory is for you."
And the microphone is thrust back out to the brunette, giving her a warning look. Screwing up his name is not something he can overlook, apparently.
The Pacific High fencer is not without support or fans this day. Having heard through the grapevine that two of her friends were booked for a Neo League match, Alexis couldn't help but to come and show her support!!
Since Taiyo is Hurricane Hime's turf, the young gymnast is positive that she will have a lot of people here to watch her, while Vince is likely going to have no one. She's rushed around like crazy, pulled a few strings with the people she hangs with at school. Posters had to be made, you see. Banners. Things showing support not only for Pacific High, but for their fencing captain. She may not be on the cheerleading squad yet, but she is trying her best!
While she couldn't find many of the fencing team, she did burst into the drama department and snag a few people. These, coupled with her friends from the dorm make up a pretty rowdy bunch as they make their way onto the scene.
Hurricane Hime is just going to have to forgive her.
Frowns from others in the audience go unnoticed as the group from Pacific High takes their seats. All except Alexis, who gives a shrill whistle and unfurls the banner she stayed up late making. She couldn't find the LaRose family crest, so she carefully drew a copy of one of Vince's rosettes onto the paper. She added a rapier, and the words 'Fencing Rocks!'. Others withdraw their own posters, adorned with the Pacific High crest, and a silhouette image of two fencers. Some wear little stickers that say 'I <3 Fencing'. The males in this group simply carry signs that say 'Go Vince!'.
As the fencer steps away from the microphone, the group gives a collective cheer, arms in the air, feet stomping.
"Holy crap!" Hime cries, as Vince whisks his way with an entrance much more dramatic than her own. She hated to admit it but that was very.. Very very cool. She flails her arms and falls onto her butt when he lands in front of her. @_@
Sayuri jumps slightly in suprise when she finds the microphone suddenly snatched from her grasp, and to the look she's given? She huffs, crossing her arms to look in the opposite direction. The nerve! No one gives a look like that! And then the bomb drops. The bomb DROPS.
At first it's questionable if Vince is being heard at all during his announcement over the boo'ing, but the moment Yuki's name is mentioned it is suddenly QUIET. It is so quiet you can hear the faint, uncomfortable cough of a student way at the top of the bleachers as well as the *thump* sound of the thrust microphone back to the announcer.
Hurricane Hime is standing again and she's equally slack-jawwed. So.. He.. he's -not- going out with Alexis? Then.. Then why's she fighting? Well, the reason now clearly is for Taiyo pride! But even still for YUKI? Dang the newspaper club is going to be ALL OVER THAT. Kushinada?? Who knew? There's no ill feelings for Alexis, of course, they may be friends, but their schools are rivals by nature, a forgivable affair! "Citizen LeRose.." the girl pipes, "What you have just uttered, those words.. Are complete blasphemy! However, let it be known that today I do not fight for love, or misrepresentation, or even justice, but for pride!" Himeko holds her arms out like airplane wings, then swings them above her head, and then to her side. "Do you think you can win with such a simple style? I don't think you can!"
COMBATSYS: Himeko has started a fight here.
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Himeko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Vince has joined the fight here.
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Himeko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Vince
Vince turns crisply from the sidelines and strides back to Hime, regarding her with the same aloof look he had earlier. As she accuses him of blasphemy, a blond eyebrow quirks. "You consider chivalry and respect to be a blasphemy?," he asks incredulously. "If that is the case, I am indeed born in the wrong era."
His right hand has suddenly caught hold of the polished bonehandle of his sheathed weapon, and in a flash, it's been drawn out before him, steel glinting in the arena light and narrow tip pointed at Hime's chest.
"Regardless," says the noble in a smooth, cultured and composed manner, "I've a victory to dedicate. En garde."
And the moment the call is made to fight, Vince springs into action. He nimble swordsman springs from his left foot, instantly covering the remaining distance between his opponent and himself. He lands in a deep lunge stance, rapier thrust heavily towards the center of Hime's torso.
COMBATSYS: Himeko blocks Vince's Balestra.
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Vince
Hurricane Hime gives a bit of a.. Smug grin up to her taller opponent, but she gives a little shrug as if somewhat dismissing the issue.. Somewhat, "Oh is -that- what they call it where you're from? Ancient greece was waaaaaaaay back, so you're probably right!" She reaches into her scarf to withdraw her textbook, kept carefully in her left hand, and she drops into an ansatsuken-style stance.
Fencing.. She's not too familiar with it, and on top of that scissors tends to beat paper. But that doesn't mean she isn't prepared as the rapier is thrust forward, she holds her textbook titled 'Excalibook' outward with both hands, the impact similar to thrusting a sword at a brick wall! She staggers back a couple of steps, and then lounges forward, twisting in the air to thrust a flying back-kick toward her opponents chin with a cry of, "Immortal Kick!!"
And finally the cheering starts up again, forget the confusion, it's fight time, people!
COMBATSYS: Vince blocks Himeko's Light Kick.
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Vince
Hurricane Hime's jibe, if that even is truly what it was meant to be, causes only a disdainful look to cross Vince's features. So he's fighting a savage. How... well, how predictable. Though his deep, usually decisive lunge fails to penetrate through the girl and her book, for reasons the fencer doesn't understand at this time, he's quick to recover. The shining blade whirls upright, catching Hime's boot and permitting it to glance aside. Albeit, the force does push him back a foot.
Nevertheless, Vince is quick to retort against her assault with a somewhat sneaky, personalized touch to Rose Dansant. As Vince whirls around to face his opponent again, his left hand has swiftly drawn one of the rosette stilettos from his belt. In a flash, his arm has extended to her, and the blade is sent flying in her direction, aimed again to impale her torso.
If she was hoping to learn about standardized fencing, she's truly fighting the wrong opponent.
COMBATSYS: Vince successfully hits Himeko with Sudden Fling.
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Vince
The little Hurricane clearly isn't looking to be much of a heroine to Vince, does she? Is she -trying- to make the young man mad? It's tough to say, really how can anyone take anything seriously from the girl? Well, people do eventually. That's just how she ROLLS.
Hime gets a first taste of Vince's unorthodox style, however after her somewhat clumsy stumble. The blade comes flying at her, and the girl swings her book in the attempt to knock it downward.. And she's only half successful, the impact re-directs the blade upward that causes the handle to bash her right in the forehead and send her falling flat on her back in a complete, but brief daze.
There's a collective 'ooooooooh!' from the crowd, but she sits up, in a slight crouch. There's a gleam in her eyes, "Huh, interesting! That won't slow me down though!" the girl bursts forward, mimicing Vince's left-foot spring, reaching at her holster in the process of leaping upward. She whips out a handful of paperslips while flipping over Vince the paper acting like a ribbon that she hopes to slip about the noble's neck. If she can, her back presses to his, and with a jerk downward, he'd be flipped right over her and onto the floor, "Hah!"
COMBATSYS: Vince full-parries Himeko's Quick Throw!
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Vince
Vince stands at the ready after the rosette has been tossed. Though it didn't embed in the girl as it was intended to, Vince is content enough by the hit it nailed on her. He shifts his footing over again, entering his fencing stance once more on the toes of his boots.
And then Hurricane Hime comes flying at him.
Icy blue eyes narrow.
In a blinding flash of movement, the elegant rapier's blade instead catches the 'ribbon', and spins it around a single time to redirect it completely - only to end when he drives the girl back down to the field with a slash of the blade, freeing it of the paper and rendering her attack harmless.
Simultaneous to this, the swordsman's left hand has lifted to the air, as if reaching for something. There is a glimmer of light in the air high above him, and suddenly, an image. The image comes into focus immediately as a smoky gray falcon with pitch black eyes, swooping in towards Vince's foe with a shrill avian cry. As it draws near, its clawed feet come to bear, aiming to collide with Hurricane Hime's face. Though after the swoop, it will most likely arch back up into the air and vanish from sight.
The crowd from Taiyo may be letting loose a collective 'ooooooooh!', but Alexis squeezes her eyes shut when the rosette comes into play. She knows how much those can hurt, and she doesn't want to see Hurricane Hime injured /too/ much. Hands cover her face, until she gets tapped on the shoulder by the red-head sitting next to her. Spreading her fingers to peek through, she sees the paper ribbon whip out and the blade of the rapier catch and spin it away completely from the fencer.
Alexis shoots her arms up into the air, stomping her feet and cheering. The rest of the Pacific High crowd begin to do the same thing, since he turned the attack very neatly around with his skill.
COMBATSYS: Vince successfully hits Himeko with Spirit Falcon EX.
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Himeko 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Vince
Himeko again stumbles forward a little, and quickly turns around to face Vince again. She's impressed, no other fighters have dealt with her attack that way before, but she was always a bit worried about that. ".. Shoot.. Hmn." she mumbles to herself, eyes locked on her opponent. That blade will be tough to work around.
The gray and very impressive energy comes flying toward her, and the young fighter seems again to be caught off-guard. Even she can't reach that level of chi control just yet, and it gives her a good idea of just how skilled her opponent is! The swoop looks simple enough to avoid, but it just isn't, the collision is dead on, and the small hero with a yelp araches her back and then goes sailing backward again, hitting the turf back first as she covers her face. "NNghg!"
For a moment she's overwhelmed, she needs a moment to pull herself togeather! Rolling to the side and still holding one side of her face that feels an intense sting, she strikes a hard pose the best she can in her position. "Not bad! Though room for improvement, you've got style but you don't got *style* like me! Check me out!"
COMBATSYS: Himeko gains composure.
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Himeko 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Vince
"Arrogant...," Vince comments passively with an almost bored look on his face. This Hurricane Hime isn't quite what he expected. He thought there would be more to her. More strength and skill, less.. preening. Preening is fine, so long as one has the skill to back it up. That's his philosophy.
So 'arrogant', in a way, has a different meaning for him.
Vince exhales a puff of air, tussling over the bangs hanging towards his right eye. He then moves forward swiftly to play at her again, aiming an upwards diagonal slice from her left hip to right shoulder, followed by a brisk stab for the center of the chest.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Medium Strike from Vince with Ghost Writer.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Vince
".. Arrogant?" Hime replies, with a slight quirk of her brow. Is that what he thought of her? Hime almost looks offended! She looks like she's wide open for the attack that's coming toward her! "ARROGANT??!" she yells, Vince coming toward her with grace! With honor! But the stab upward is intercepted.. Intercepted by a two foot long paper fan. The weapon swings upward with a massivly bright glow at it's very tip that trails into the air.
And then the girl rockets skyward, twirling like a top as the gathered energy slams into Vince and carries up up into the air with the unusual uppercut, "THIS! IS! TAIYOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Cheap pop!
At the apex of the momentum, she drops to the ground and strikes another pose!
Verily, Vince is taken by surprise. And the cheap pop is noted. The blow is sufficient enough to stagger him back from her and get an annoyed look, but he maintains his sure-footed, nimble balance carefully. Her antics do little to sway his opinion of her. She's just trying to get the support of spectators. That much is clear to him. It's not an insult or anything - it just seems to belittle the match a bit for him.
So he decides to try and get her head back where it belongs. On the fight.
Without a word, Vince retrieves another rosette from his belt. The long, intricate blade is spun keenly over his palm for one second before he turns a half-spin, flinging the blade at her chest underhanded.
COMBATSYS: Himeko dodges Vince's Medium Fling.
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Vince
Himeko gives a merry laugh! Obviously she is loving every bit of the hometown glamour, it's too bad her SNFs don't usually have that kind of support. It's definatly making her confidence skyrocket, and... As Vince had noticed, play further for the crowd. Her eyes never actually left the opponent, however, so she notices when the blade is brandished and readied for seeking death.
This time Hime drops to a crouch, holding the book at an angle as she swipes her weapon of choice upward, and there! that time the weapon doesn't bean her in the head! "Oh right! Well then, here I come!" She races forward after that with a left foot start and takes the air.. Her knees curl in, she rolls into a ball and is horizontally rolling toward the fencer... Intending to just bowl him over!
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Vince with Medium Punch.
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Himeko 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Vince
Vince offers a dry smile when it becomes apparent that she's paying attention. Good. He doesn't need to feel insulted, then. Her unorthodox attack gets a rather confused look from him, though. He isn't terribly accustomed to people launching a katamari assault, and he is a little too slow in how he reacts to it. He's struck, as she intended, and he's knocked down this time.
The fencer skids over the grass... and he kips up to his feet again nimbly. "Hmh." Interesting little thing, that. But not quite enough. He moves forward quickly again towards her, and once more does the blade flash. This time it whirls over in a blurred sweep, only to chamber at his side before thrusting towards her torso. He's refraining from targeting her face with blades, at least.
COMBATSYS: Vince successfully hits Himeko with Quick Strike.
- Power hit! -
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Himeko 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Vince
Himeko shakes her head a little bit, and hops lightly from foot to foot after landing. Hoyeah. Ho yeah! Getting in the zone, getting the fight fever! The young heroine is just grinning almost maniacly wide at her opponent and gestured to Vince, "Show me your moves!" And he does. With more sword action! Hime shimmies slightly, seeming to be doing her best to read the swipe as she leans forward.. It's just unfortunate that her lean into the attack didn't help her at all. With a yelp, the blade slams right into the girl, sending her staggering backward and falling onto a crouch. There's a slight, very small tear in her outfit, there seems to be a bit of white behind it, but it's also lightly tinged in red. Is she armored or something?
"Rrrgh, that hurt.. Ok! Change in plans!" Her holster is snatched, and the girl slings another handful of thin slips at Vince. The slips remain attatched, acting like a ribbon as it whips toward the students ankle. If it connects, it'd wrap about the leg, her arm snaps the weapon like a whip and it'd send him straight up into the air and slam her violently back down onto the turf. "Now take this!"
COMBATSYS: Vince blocks Himeko's Picture Pages.
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Himeko 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Vince
Seeing as there isn't more blood involved, Vince is certain that Hime is protecting herself in some way. Well, good for her. Won't do too much good, though. He's still only just warming up. Her slips-ribbon-thing takes him by surprise momentarily, and it manages to tug him off his feet. Only he acrobatically twists free of the restraints and only lands on his rear. Elegant, right? Right.
Ahem.
Vince pushes himself back up to his feet again and swipes the air the his rapier. "You do have a strange way about you, don't you?," he asks, giving the dark-skinned girl an odd look. But then he's dashing towards her again, body and movements a blur of motion. In an instant, the tip of the rapier has been plunged for Hurricane Hime's chest. Hard, with the intent to impale her. But at the same time, a swirling wreathe of gray translucent energy coils about the length of the blade. As it's thrust, it shapes into a lance with the tip stabbing for Hime not unlike a shadow, aimed to drill directly through her.
COMBATSYS: Vince successfully hits Himeko with Venteuse.
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Himeko 1/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Vince
The slips sprinkle to the floor like snowflakes, and Hime raises a hand to her mouth to fight back a snicker. Sure, it didn't land as intended, but.. That was a pretty funny fall. She gestures toward the other young fighter, nothing but utter confidence in her tone, "Well.. I don't mean to brag, but I am the student of one of the most out there, rockinest styles on this side of Southtown!" followed by a Saishu-esque, "Ha-HA!" Now then! Here comes Vince, and Hime is ready.. Right??
Her book is thrust outward again, but this time the rapier does what she didn't expect.. It tears right through it, and again ends up slamming into her chest. This probably wouldn't be so bad if the gray energy didn't just suddenly impale her, the energy seeming to rip out of her back, her eyes slightly buldged as she keels over, "Glrk!!" The energy fizzles, and weak in the knees she collapses, clutching at her chest. "U- Ugh.. Oh man..."
But she's got to get it togeather, she can't give in just yet! Trying to make use of her low position, she snakes her legs out and tries to scissor her own around his shins. If she's lucky, she'd be able to twist her hips and force him down onto the ground with her, "How about this!"
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Vince with Quick Throw.
- Power hit! -
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Himeko 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Vince
Vince withdraws his blade with a whisk, seemingly unphased by Hime's apparently bad condition. When she gets to be too bad off, she'll submit. Of this, he's certain. Either way, until then, he-
Ack!
His legs are caught, which takes Vince's grace right away. He flops over, head bonking against the field with a hiss of pain. Despite this, he twists over to get back to his feet, eyes narrowing again.
"You wish to see what Rose Dansant is about? How 'simple' the LaRose art truly is?"
And Vince's left hand suddenly shoots into the air. Beneath Hurricane Hime's feet comes a volcanic explosion of swirling smoky gray energy, a large tornado cascading high into the air with force enough to blast her up, herself.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts LaRose Storm from Vince with Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
- Power hit! -
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Vince
Thump. Yes, even if it's for a split second, Hime has managed to buy herself a little time. She may not look all that hot, but she's not slowing down very much either! She rolls backward to get to her feet, and drops into a very slight squat, her free hand resting on her knee. "Wait.. Wait wait -what-??" she asks, as a response to her opponents question.
She seems a bit perplexed, even as the ground below her starts to act unnaturally, and with a broad grin she stands up straight, "You wish to know more about -me-? In the middle of battle?? Well!" The energy, it RIPS upward, and with grit teeth, the heroine bears the assault of chi and throws her arms diagonally, hiding her presense with a wall.. Yes, a -wall- of paper that gets caught up in intense breeze, and then snows forward at her opponent. "Allow me to tell you my name! I am..."
Hime claps her hands together, and sweeps her arms out in a power rangers manner, "She whom does nnnot allow illiteracy!! That defender of knowledge!" Her knee jerks upward, taking a more vogue-like stance, "The champion of justice!" And finally, with shades of Skullomania, she holds her arms out like wings and thrusts her palms outward. "Hurricane! Himeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
There's utter silence. And then the crowd goes insane! 'Ha ha! I nailed it!' the heroine thinks to herself.
The splash of paper gets caught up in the massive tornado, before it dissipates and sends the cards flying everywhere. When all is said and done, they drift down about Vince, who has a very... well... Hell. There's no way to describe it other than it's a -_- face, complete with sweatdrop. Holy crap. She disappears behind cards and before he can see his greatest technique through, it's blindingly snowing with them.
On top of that, she's going on about herself as though she truly were superheroic. "My lord..." Is she even taking this fight seriously? He finds himself reconsidering whether or not to be insulted by her antics.
Finally, the keen blade slices through the air, cutting a swath of still-drifting cards in halves, and he proceeds forward. While the trajectory of an oncoming assault may seem perfectly predictable, the blade is suddenly whisked over his head and spun in a swift moulinet, aimed to come back down in a sudden, unpredictable stab for the girl's chest.
COMBATSYS: Himeko fails to interrupt Quick Strike from Vince with Magic School Bus.
- Power fail! -
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Vince
Yuki has been here from the start, yes she has. So at least Vince can claim having ONE fan somewhere in the public vicinity. "C'MOOOOOON LAROSE!" she hollers, hands cupped to her mouth as she lurches out of her seat. The fight seems like a close one, and, well...she's a little biased. He dedicated the fight to her, after all, not every day someone does something like that.
Dropping her hand from her mouth, she claps her hands - partly to applaud her 'champion' and partly to stay warm. How ironic for someone named Yuki.
Hurricane Hime... Is very serious about her posing. It is imperitave that what she does, looks very very cool. And she -knows- she is looking very cool right now, despite Vince's look! "Yeaaaaaaaaaaah! You're having second guesses, aren't you! But I won't let you escape!" she promises.
Despite her words, it doesn't appear Vince has the slightest interest in retreating, instead he's coming forth with the blade, and ... What exactly is he doing? Regardless, the paper slips are withdrawn again, held up like a fan and she darts right toward him as well, "Oooooooooooh here we go!"
She seems to ignore the swiping, and pays the price, when she reaches for him her reach... It's very very short. The stab lands clean, and she ran right into it, skewering herself? Well, not entirely, she kind of bounces off of it, but with the deflection, a bit of blood sprays from its piercing, and she slaps the wound over with one of the sheets instead, cringing. "Rrrghhh.. Ow ow ow ow ow, geez.."
And wait a moment.. Yuki is here? The result of her cheer for Larose should be expected-- Those closer to her give very.. Very puzzled looks.
The group from Pacific High turn toward the hollering voice as one. Huh. It would appear there is another fan in the crowd. This must be the girl that the fight was dedicated to -- or someone else. Hard to tell, but they seem happy by the fact that their fencing captain has another fan. Since none actually recognize the cheerer, they turn their collective attention back onto the fight, cheering and stomping their feet again. They are a rowdy bunch.
Except Alexis, who watches the girl curiously for a moment. The ow-ing is what pulls her own attention back to the fight, and when she spies the spray of blood she makes a face. That's her friend that just got injured! But she's right up on her feet with the rest of the group from her school. "Nice hit, Vince! Keep it up!"
Ah, there's the bloodflow. The tell-tale sign that his strokes are indeed landing true. Vince withdraws his blade and shifts back a step, studying the girl. She appears to be hurting, but not about to submit defeat just yet. As such, Vince adjusts his footing from his right foot forward to the left foot, shifting in 'retreat' from her again.
Though that truly has nothing to do with it.
Vince's left hand is extended by the time his feet have switched positions. Why may or may not be evident... but there truly is a reason behind it. The keen eye might catch a flash of green and red blur through the air towards Hurricane Hime, one of the rosettes being flung again.
COMBATSYS: Himeko blocks Vince's Sudden Fling.
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Vince
The pink-clad fighter, continues to press the paper against her, it soaking slightly in red, but afterward it stays in place without her having to touch it. This leaves her more free to fight again with her eyes locked onto her opponent. She's really falling behind here, and needs to close the gap quickly!
Another knife slung at her, she's able to get her book up in time and the weapon slams into it dead-point, and clatters (or rather just drops) onto the turf in front of her. There's kind of a shiver up her spine after that, but that's about as much pause as she's going to get. "You certainly enjoy throwing stuff don't you? Your style's pretty militant, I say switch to guns!"
Hime dashes forward, her scarf flaps wildly behind her and while she's not moving as quickly as she'd like, she's soon attempting to position herself behind the fencer and slip her arms about his waist. Should she get that hold, she'd bend at the knees, grunt and haul him into the air and onto the ground! The suplex! It's an essential hold in any schoolgirls arsenal, whether you practice Jiujitsu or Baton fighting! But assuming it lands, she kicks her legs in the air to flip over and use a second plex!
COMBATSYS: Vince dodges Himeko's Medium Throw.
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Vince
The poor girl's intentions are left wanting, however, as she closes in on him, Vince lifts his swordtip to level with Hurricane Hime's chest. Thus a direct attack would cause her to impale herself. And as she attempts to get in behind him, his masterful footwork carries him easily along with her, constantly facing her, constantly keeping the bladetip in her way. No suplexes for Hime.
Vince finally takes a brisk step forward, inching with his lead foot and whirling his blade over once in what looks like it could be a moulinet... except, no. It simply carries the blade swiftly into position before it slices at the girl, aimed to cut from her right shoulder to left hip.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Quick Strike from Vince with Magic School Bus.
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Vince 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Himeko can no longer fight.
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Vince 0/-------/---====|
Well one thing's for sure. Hurricane Hime is pretty bonkers. But then.. Is it so bonkers to not be afraid of a sword?? Maybe should wouldn't be so comfortable if she hadn't been padded up beforehand, leaves her feelin' good! She tch's as Vince manages to escape from getting grasped, and she slides back just a little in a very cool crouch. Her scarp flaps backward suddenly and she points her free hand at Vince, "Oh!! Oh! Oh!! All aboard!!"
What??
The blade constantly in her vision she simply.. Dashes forward when Vince comes at her, and now her book is abandoned in favor of having two hands full of papers folded out like fans. The girl dives at the side, right into the slash that cuts her outfit pretty cleanly and yet.. Not quite as destructive as it could have been. He finds both his wrists and his ankles suddenly wraped up in paper, like a puppet. Hime pulls her arms back, slamming the boy onto the floor and then with blurry-armed handiwork he is completely hogtied, arms forced back and tied to his ankles.
She grasps the 'rope' that ties everything togeather, and when she jerks upward, many *pops* and *cricks* of joints follow, the paper then bursting from the strain that completely undoes the binding and sends her flopping onto her back! There's a pause, she kip-ups to her feet, "mmMMORT- ... Hrkk.."
She clutches her chest, and then drops to her knee. And finally flops onto her stomach. The announcer actually gives the heroine a good eight seconds to get back up before she very begrudgingly calls the matches end.
Vince has a face that just.. it.. it just personifies 'WTF' when Hurricane Hime makes her choo-choo references. No, she's not taking this fight seriously. No way. Come on, who -does- this kind of thing?
But he follows through with the swift stroke all the same. And though it only grazes her, he feels the blade contact with a body - and blades on bodies are always a plus for a swordsman. But then immediately afterwards, he's bound. This gets a startled 'grk' from the noble.. and then? Hogtied. Icy blue eyes are huge and confused.. then PAINED! Arms and legs aren't supposed to bend that way! So there's evidence of very clear pain etched across the noble's face, and he even cries out from the strain of it all. But then.. to make matters worse? How humiliating! Really!
The moment the bindings come loose, Vince works himself back up to his feet - slower than before, now with extremely, extremely pained arms and legs, and just GLARING at the girl. How dare she try to make a fool of him!? The blade is whisked through the air quickly before the tip comes angled down towards Hurricane Hime's head, silently daring her to get back up. Ohh, how he would cut her to pieces for that! Displays like that do nothing good for the LaRose name, nor Rose Dansant as a style of swordplay!
...But the match is apparently over. Vince turns sharply away from the downed girl, attempting to force himself into his usual stride, focusing the pain out of his mind. And where does he go? Why, to the announcer girl, snatching the microphone again. He turns to face the crowd, icy blue eyes surveying it intently.
"Lady Yuki! Wherever you are, this victory is for you! For without your care, I wouldn't even be here! So atop my eternal gratitude, it's my sincerest hope that I honor you today," he calls. Mostly since he hasn't picked her out of the audience. And then the microphone is relinquished to the brunette again, this time with a softer look.
And then? Whether the crowd boos him like crazy or actually relents and gives him a cheer, he dips into an elegant bow to them. Right arm, still holding his rapier, tucks at his chest while his left arm extends out behind him, right boot's heel set to the turf with most of his weight balanced on the left leg set behind. When he raises back up to his full height, he glances over his shoulder to Hurricane Hime. Another rosette is pulled from his belt, and he tosses it over his shoulder. The stiletto spirals lazily through the air until the elegant weapon stabs into the ground beside her.
"That's for you."
COMBATSYS: Vince has ended the fight here.
Surely, the crowd of Taiyo supporters are booing like crazy, but the noise the group from Pacific makes may just drown them out. As a whole, the group leaps to their feet and begin to move down toward the fencer.
All except one small blonde, who is about to step forward, waving her handmade banner until she hears the announcement. Alexis eyes scan the crowd for the girl who was cheering earlier, and on a hunch, she stops the Pacific group from descending upon Vince with their congratulatory cheer. Making her way through the audience, she stops right before Yuki and smiles.
"You must be Lady Yuki." Her voice is hopeful, and cheerful. She offers her hand out to the other girl and smiles. "My name is Alexis, and I attend Pacific High with Vince. Please allow me to escort you to your champion so that you may congratulate him in person."
The crowd from Pacific just blinks at the blonde girl, tilting their heads slightly and shrugging. They do part a bit to allow both girls to head through if Yuki takes the gymnast up on her offer.
Take the match seriously? Well, at one point Hime -was- supposed to say 'All aboard the pain train'. She must have gotten distracted, and as such the words completely lose meaning. Shame on you, Hurricane Hime. Shame. On. You. The pink-clad girl isn't down for too much longer, she's up to a knee again, grumbling from the sting of the cuts, and with another yelp, falls onto her backside when the stiletto imbeds itself into the turf beside her. She gives a perplexed look, after she's done just -staring- at Vince's little speech. Well, a lot of Taiyo folks are booing, but the others are just completely baffled by what the relationship between the two could be. Is this a scandal or -what-? The rumor mill may be destined to blow out of proportion!
"Th- That's completely nuts.. I shoulda tried a little harder.." The small heroine wipes off her mouth with the back of her hand and picks up the weapon, there may be a use for it later, but for now she's gonna make herself scarce; she's starting to get a headache for going so long without her glasses!
Wow. Just...wow. That was quite a fight! It wasn't often that Yuki bothered to attend these things in person, but tonight's match reminds her why it's worth the trip. A professional cameraman might capture close-ups and slow-motion footage, but it just can't convey the raw emotion of a rowdy crowd, or the personal account of seeing two fighters really duke it out for all they're worth. Maybe if Kyo gives her enough advance notice, she can catch his next fight too. She wouldn't mind making a habit out of it.
Vince's announcement draws scarlet from Yuki's face. "What are you talking about?! You're loaded with honor!" she laughs, though her sentiments probably aren't heard over the noise of the crowd around her. Ah, well. It was still a good fight. Maybe she'll send him a cake and a card to let him know she'd seen it in person.
Just as she's getting ready to leave, however, she hears her name. And her name is now bearing a very strange title that she never thought she'd hear twice. Lady Yuki... She can't deny that it's kind of cute in a way, especially coming from high school students. Yuki turns to glance at Alexis curiously, then turns her gaze to where Vince proudly stands. This thing isn't being televised, is it? Oh well. He fought hard, and it's his very first time in the Neo League. She may as well do what she can to give him a publicity boost. "Yup, that's me. Nice to meet you, Alexis," she chuckles. Classmates, eh? Seems like he's definitely got a fan! She rubs the back of her neck, then inclines her head. "I'd be honored."
Alexis seems quite happy that she found the right person in the crowd. Though, she supposes it wasn't very difficult to do when most of the audience is supporting Taiyo High, and very few were cheering for Vince. "Let us be off then, as the champion awaits!" She then leads the other girl through the departing crowd, and to the front of the group from Pacific High.
When she reaches Vince, she dips her head down, the bright, cheerful smile still displayed accented by a flush of rose upon her cheeks. "Congratulations on your win, Vince!" For a moment, Alexis looks like she may just leap toward him and offer a hug, but instead she steps back. "May I present to you the Lady you claim this victory for?" She then motions behind her to where she hopes Yuki will be.
Ah, of course they'd boo him. He's the interloper from another school. But by God, has he ever struck a blow for Pacific High's reputation. He can only hope a couple people saw this event - Princibear Raizo included, as he recalls him being interested in the swordsman's progress. But as he begins to back away from the audience and sheaths his rapier, he spies.. Alexis on approach. Alexis, and a few of his fellow students. Most he recognizes, some he doesn't. But most importantly..?
Yes, most importantly, as the fight was dedicated in her honor..
..Yuki is here.
Vince beams a pleased, but strained smile at her. Strained only on account of his injuries, obviously. As ridiculous as Hime may be, some of the things she did hurt. Especially the last one. But still, he extends his right hand out gently to Yuki, palm upwards. As he does this, he glances aside to Alexis with a bright smile. Oh, she's speaking so very eloquently! And humoring his outdated flavor! He can appreciate things like that. But then his attention goes back to Yuki, awaiting her hand.
Aw, geez... Yuki's embarrassed, but deeply flattered. She drops her hand away from her neck, reaching out to accept Vince's with all the 'ladylike' grace she can muster. She's not exactly the picture of femininity what with her short boyish haircut, corduroy flairs, and baggy sweatshirt. At least her scarf is pink.
She grins, however, dark eyes twinkling as she draws a knuckle to her lip. "Nice work out there, tough guy," she murmurs to tonight's champion. She'll fuss over his injuries later once he's out of the public eye.
A smile seems to be the most Alexis can ask for right now, as the fencer's attention is elsewhere. Perhaps in the future there will be a match dedicated to her, but for now she seems to be content at holding the group from Pacific at bay.
The group from Pacific is having none of that though, and once the 'Lady' claims victory with the fencer, they descend upon him in full force. Still cheering, shouting congratulations and crowding about him.
Alexis giggles, giving her head a shake. She doesn't join the group, rather she hangs back with her banner, collecting the fallen rosettes from the ground. Hurricane Hime may have taken one, but there were at least three others thrown during the match, and it would really suck for Vince to lose one of the exquisitely designed weapons!
Before the rowdy bunch can glomp all over the place and completely demolish what refinement Vince was trying to represent for Pacific High, he takes the girl's hand gingerly. His hand curls underneath her palm, thumb setting over her fingers to taper them downwards. And unless she pulls back, the swordsman dips forward in a bow much akin to the one he performed earlier - but this time to press a soft ghost of a kiss to the back of her hand, lips barely caressing over the skin for a mere second.
And then.. he raises to his full height again and releases the hand. A bright smile is offered to the girl, and he bows his head. "I.. should probably rest myself now," he admits. "But thank you for coming." After a pause, he looks out at the small posse that showed up, Alexis included.
"All of you."
Yuki smiles, and shakes her head. "You're much too kind." And to return the favor, she bends at the knees with head inclined, offering as elegant a curtsy as she can muster. He really did her a huge favor, fighting for her honor like that. He's going to get that cake and card even if he DID win.
Yuki pauses, watching Alexis with a bemused sort of curiosity. Oh ho~~~! Another glance at Vince, then at Alexis. Is he aware? That is, if her women's intuition isn't leading her astray. She doesn't usually play matchmaker, since she doesn't approve of 'games.' But arranging for meetings under favorable circumstances, that, she can do.
"Yes, go rest," Yuki chuckles, giving her head a faint jerk back towards the school. "You certainly earned it. And thank you. I've never been so honored."
And to prove it, she stands on her toes to brush a velvet-soft kiss across his cheek.
Stepping down and crossing the field to where Alexis is keeping busy, Yuki pauses before the girl with a grin. "You'll take care of him, won't you?" she winks.
Scooping up the last rosette, she spots the approaching Yuki. "W-what? Oh, yes! Of course. I will see he gets the proper medical attention." Alexis bobs her head up and down twice, really rapidly, the shocked, jerky movements causing the rosette to tumble right out of her hand. The rosy tinge leaps back into her cheeks and she mutters an apology as she goes to lift the last blade for a second time. "It was good of you to come. I know it meant a lot to him." She could tell from the announcement he made before he even realized this girl was in the crowd.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Yuki." Giving an awkward little wave, the gymnast turns to begin making her way back to the group of Pacific students. As she walks, she pulls what looks to be a piece of material from her pocket and begins to wipe down the rosettes so that they can be returned to their owner.
Log created on 18:35:59 02/04/2008 by Vince, and last modified on 00:49:11 02/05/2008.