Description: At the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, four fighters square off amidst a smorgasbord of weaponry at their disposal. Interpol's Soma Travedi and the mysterious Aislinn Doyle face off against weapons mistress Ayame and Shihong Mao in a fight of unbelievable proportions! And who are those mysterious figures?? Sadly, no yachts were used in this match. Woe. (Winners: Ayame and Shihong)
It's time for a Weekend in Greece for many of the most famous fighters in the world, courtesy of Howard Enterprises. Fights taking place in arenas, small towns of significant historical or mythological importance, palaces, temples, shrines... All of them have been leading up to this, the Main Event. An event like this could only be staged at the foot of one of the world's greatest cultural monuments, the temple of Athena, the Parthenon itself.
Weathered, worn columns of the gift from ancient Greeze rise up into the clear blue sky, elevated atop the Acropolis of Athens, dominating the horizon for miles in all directions. Surprisingly well preserved given its age, it doesn't take too much imagination to picture what this place must have looked like centuries ago - truly a tribute to the gods wrought by human hands.
Ayame isn't really musing about the past as she looks around the arena that has been set up for the team battle to come. Instead, standing in place with her hand resting against the side of her head, fingers lightly scratching through her long, strawberry-blonde hair, the girl can't help but wonder how it is her standard inventory got strewn about the wide number of weapon racks and displays all over the area. Swords, rapiers, poles that easily dwarf her trusty staff, bows, hockey sticks... headbands... meteor hammers... spears... Okay, she blinks at the yacht. That isn't part of her normal arsenal.
Well, the young weapons maven grins, she'll definitely be looking to give the audience a fight to remember. It's as if the entire event was tailored to her particular penchant for improvising weapons on the fly. Lowering her hand to her side, Ayame clenches her fist and pumps her arm once, "Yosha!"
Greece. Although it's one of the more popular tourist destinations in Europe, Soma hasn't really had much of a reason to go there. Other than rumors that a few very shadowy crime syndicates were wearing... of all things... Greek Olympian-influenced clothing, once upon a time, it hasn't really fit into his mandate to investigate the goings-on of the fighting world. Big industrialized nations with nothing better to do like the US and Japan, much more his purview. Thus the Paranoia Agent sees this week's SNF as an opportunity to get in touch with the local color and experience Greek history firsthand.
It stands to reason that the first thing he did, upon arriving Thursday evening, was to arrange for the arrest of someone who tried to pick his pocket at the airport. Some people just can't take a vacation.
Nevertheless, he's in good humor as he approaches the Acropolis high above Athens. After all, it's where the goddess of both wisdom and martial valor was worshipped, and for someone like Soma, the idea of those two things being linked appeals to him somehow. Although not a religious type himself, the novelist has the feeling that were he to pick a Greek god to worship, Athena would be high on the list. He's on site early, having spent the day wandering the venues for *other* SNFs currently going on in Greece... just to be sure. As it is now, however, he returns from the kraft service cart with a bottle of water, taking in the scenery.
The scenery which includes Ayame.
Unable to resist, he wanders in her direction, sipping from the bottle occasionally, and inclines it at her with a neutral expression on his face. "Fancy meeting you here."
Hnn. It's not to say that Aislinn did not notice the locations for all the fights--set in and around the Middle East and surrounding areas. But she considered it simply an anomaly--perhaps some tourism money was paid out in order to get the fights concentrated in the area. Still... this is quite the setup.
Aislinn is familiar with Soma, and of course with Ayame.. and yet she isn't paired with Ayame as she would like to be. Instead, she's paired with Soma... which isn't bad at all. Despite the fact that the last time she fought him she took him apart, she knows that was something of an aberration in performance. So she's expecting good things from him today. Despite the fact that it is in fact Greece and it gets warm out here, she's dressed in her traditional NESTS leathers, evident as she enters the arena.
Ayame's partner, Shihong... the records on her are relatively sparse--Aislinn doesn't know much about her. Nonetheless... Ayame gets a very blank look as the Silent Assassin approaches the site. A blank look that indicates very clearly that the nature of their relationship should be kept secret...
True to her name--her nickname, anyways--Ais just nods at both Soma and Ayame before walking past them towards 'her' side, stopping, turning...
...and waiting.
The last to arrive at the Acropolis, Shihong Mao enters in typical fashion. Clad in a long black trenchcoat, the woman seems less occupied by the breathtaking surroundings of the Parthenon and more enveloped in her cellular conversation. Grinning a toothy smile, the woman's free hand waves about in the air, eyes fixed on the blue skies stretching far above. Where some may respect the place for its lush history and its significance on culture as she knows it, Shihong could care less.
"Oh yeah, let me tell you," the woman blabs, turning her back to the gathered three as she arrives. Walking backwards, black eyes scan the vast Parthenon before, slowly, eyes wander about the various weapons racks gathered. Oh, and the yacht. What's up with that?
"I'll tell you later, that is. Ciao." Pulling the phone away, she snaps it shut, absently tucking it away into the pocket of her trenchcoat. Then, and only then, she turns sharply on a three-inch heel and faces the gathered fighters.
For a solid minute, the Chinese woman is dead silent, her features blank. Black depths first fix on Soma...before they drift to Aislinn. Then, after a cursory glance-over the young lavender haired woman, those eyes land on Ayame. Now this fighter she recognizes.
Opening her arms, pale hands draw together, clasping as she sports a too-cheerful smile on her face. "Oh, Ayame!" the woman chimes, stepping toward the weapons savant. "It seems we meet YET again in the SNF circuit. I'm pleased! It's been too long, dear!" Fortunately, the woman doesn't embarrass the girl with a hug or something equally weird. Instead she offers her hand to the girl.
"Let's do our best, okay? I'm counting on you, Ayame," she says, her cheerful expression dropping for something a touch more stern and straight-laced. "I know what you can do."
Only then does the woman regard the other fighters, a wry smile edging its way over her thin lips. "Alright then! I'm not sure what all this--" A thumb jerks to the weapons nearby. "--is all about, but, well." Shihong shrugs absently.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
Clad in her typical assortment of blacks and reds, Ayame stands out pretty clearly against the backdrop of chiseled marble, green fields, and mountains of stone set aside for various restoration projects throughout the area as the nation struggles to preserve its past as long as possible.
Soma's voice is heard and Ayame whirls around on her toes to face the Interpol agent, hands clasping behind her back, head leaning to the side, "I guess they just can't keep us apart forever, ne?" She takes a step closer, hands still behind her back as she lifts her chin to look up into the face of the darker skinned author, "Unlike last time though, it seems these swords are very much real. I do hope you've brought your fancy knives along... or do you intend to improvise?"
Out of the corner of her eyes she notices Aislinn enter the arena but she pays her other opponent no attention. The nature of their connection is something the Blackjack Lieutenant likes to keep on the down low, and Ayame is more than happy to abide by that. Being stuck fighting against her boss is a somewhat intimidating proposition, however. She knows she can hit /hard/.
She keeps her focus on Soma though, opening her mouth to add something to her inquistition, only to get distracted by her own partner stepping up to meet her. This isn't the first time she's fought alongside Shihong. It seems Geese's people enjoy tossing the two into matches a lot. Hands still clasped behind her back, the girl twirls toward Shihong, still looking rather enthusiastic about this entire venue. Familiar faces, weapons a plenty, a free vacation in Greece. A good weekend all around!
"Well, I know what to do with most of them. But I don't know what to make of the boat, I'll admit," the girl grins, hand snapping out to the side, fingers curling around a long headband hanging from one of the rack hooks. "Oh, hey, a garrote. How thoughtful of them!" Pausing to tie the black headband around her forehead, Ayame squints a little, "Sure is funny how we keep ending up in fights together. But hell, works for me. We'll make the best of it, right?"
Headband tightened, Ayame's hand snaps out to the side to grab a bow from the weapons rack next to her. Grabbing three arrows, the girl whirls around, fitting them into postion as she pulls the string tau, taking aim... at her boss, it seems! "Hey there, kiddo, catch!" Her fingers release sending the small volley of metal tipped arrows Aislinn's way to deal with! Even while they're in flight, Ayame tosses aside the bow, hand snapping out for another weapon...
COMBATSYS: Ayame has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shihong has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
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Shihong 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Soma has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Aislinn has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Aislinn
"Yes," Soma says dryly. "I guess they can't."
Not that he's one to hold a grudge or anything (oh, who are we kidding) but Soma's first impression of Ayame was of someone who not only messed up a robbery bust, but then tried to rob him. All in all, you couldn't ask for a more negative impression when it comes to the ICPO agent's personal moral lexicon. That she's young and obviously well-trained but chooses to use her abilities for nefariousness just makes him all the more annoyed. He's really good at hiding it, too.
At least he can keep it conversational. This is business, after all; no need to get too personal. Besides, the snide witty banter is part of the reason people are tuning in to see this, isn't it? "I think there's more than enough knives here for everyone," the Indian says blithely, running his finger over the edge of the table. My, there's a lot of death here. Amused, the detective picks up a slightly odd weapon -- a kukri -- and with surprising adeptness swirls it through the air a few times like a dervish in an old-time desert movie. "Better than mints on the hotel pillows."
Turning, he too seems to notice the others for the first time, and both are surprises in their own way... though one is unpleasant. He remembers Aislinn quite well from their run-in on the Suiryuu, and decides to keep his mouth shut, giving her the barest of nods to acknowledge her presence. At least his partner is a known quantity... sort of. Shihong, on the other hand...
...interesting. Very interesting.
As Ayame looks to get the archery contest underway, Soma decides to do the same, dropping the kukri on the table and, of all things, strapping a tiny buckler onto his right arm and nodding at Shihong. "I guess we're starting. Good luck." Driving forward with impressive speed, he spins and lashes out with a pair of attacks: a high kick to his upper left... and then a sudden swipe out to his right with the buckler, a sort of shield slam. He doesn't know much about Shihong, but she looks fast... hopefully the complex assault will make dodging a little harder for the woman.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Aislinn with Medium Fling.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Aislinn
Three arrows are suddenly, apparently, sticking into Aislinn's chest--just as she was moving forward, in fact.
The sound is a rapidfire series of dull thunks--Aislinn stops, as if she hadn't considered that Ayame would hit from that range. She looks down, at the three arrows. And then she rips them out, thin trails of blood hissing out with each arrowhead. Considering the weapons...
Aislinn squeezes her fist, crushing the shafts. And she looks unperturbed as she shifts her stance, calling upon chi, red-white lightning flickering as it wreathes her form, running up and down her body, the energy hissing and snapping like a livewire.
A good first hit--somewhere under that impassive, stoic mask, Aislinn is actually proud of Ayame. However, she's not going to let the girl get off quite so easy...
Soma's already going off on Shihong, so she'll let those two play, for now. Ayame... well, she may not mean to, but this may end up becoming somewhat personal.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn gathers her will.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Soma's Random Weapon.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
Grinning at the waif little weapons master, Shihong's expression seems sincerely pleased to see the girl again. They've been paired up plenty of times in the past, both with and against, and it would be hard for the woman to say she's tired of seeing the girl; quite the contrary! She's glad to be paired up with Ayame. She knows how the kid operates. They should function well together, she surmises privately.
"We'll think of something for the yacht," she assures the girl, eyes drifting back toward both Aislinn and Soma. But when Ayame suddenly fires off arrows at her colleague, the Chinese woman's attentions turn immediately onto the girl. "Oh dear," she muses. "You're so eager." Pause. "I'm glad!"
And then, from the corner of her eye, the woman in black catches sight of...something. Turning to face this mysterious incoming force, she grins as she spies Soma, assaulting with his series of kicks. A hand snaps up, intercepting the left kick, before her other arm moves, dropping forward to absorb the bulk of the buckler's slam.
"Ahh, you'll have to forgive me," she explains, shaking her arms out lightly before she smirks. "But I don't think I'm really in the mood to play with toys. I prefer using my legs. They're more reliable than anything here, I think." Pursing her lips, the woman's eyes briefly glance toward Aisilinn, before she slowly slides her gaze onto Soma. She smiles broadly.
With one light hop forward, the woman chambers her leg tightly at her hip before she snaps it outwards, a quick sidekick aimed for Soma's stomach. "Hup!"
Soma's handiness with the knife he selects doesn't go unnoticed. Ayame can appreciate that kind of confidence in handling weapons in another, after all, and she grins faintly in acknowledgement before the match is well in progress.
Her swift arrows catch Aislinn off guard and cause her to hault her advance and Ayame gives her immediate boss a bit of a grin. Does she think she might be annoying the other girl? Perhaps. But Ais does want their connection to not be obvious, and Ayame's actions certainly make it seem that way. Even if, perhaps, Shihong might know better with her ties.
The girl's hand comes down on a spear which she grips tightly, pulling it away from the rack while returning her attention to Aislinn. Shihong's comment about kicks instead of weapons is heard as well and Ayame laughs lightly, "That just means more for me. I can work with that." Twirling the spear over her head once, the girl leans forward, charging toward Aislinn next...
It's from a couple yards out that she takes a leap into the air, driving the sharp point of the weapon down toward her laconic opponent. She has no words to provoke the girl this time, her mind locked in concentration and focus as she performs the slightly risky attack!
COMBATSYS: Soma fails to interrupt Short Kick from Shihong with Light Kick.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
With a grimace, Soma realizes too late that he's made the wrong decision. Hoping that perhaps something a little showy might work in his benefit, the Indian fighter sees Shihong's incoming kick and rather than avoid it, drives TOWARD it, attempting a complex maneuver of his own. Sadly, before he can position himself to kick back at Shihong -- and deliver a pithy comment about how she's not the only one who knows how -- her foot is already in the pit of his stomach, sending him sprawling back toward the weapons table, buckler clattering onto the ground next to him.
Wincing a little, the detective nonetheless doesn't seem too bad off, considering. "Ha... I can see why," he offers, amused. Reaching behind him, Soma bravely looks to wrap his hand around the first thing he can find, without regard to the possibility of slicing his damn fingers off. What actually happens is that with a dull metal *clank* noise, the agent's hand pulls back a metallic gauntlet-like weapon, with short spikes across the knuckle guard... a cestus, more a Roman gladiator's weapon than Greek, but what the hey.
Slipping the thing onto one hand, Soma makes a beckoning motion to Shihong with the other. There's something about her, other than her beauty and poise... something that's tugging at the edge of his perception. If the only way to find out what it is, is to get her to attack him... well, hey. "You shouldn't sell toys short, though. You'd be surprised how fun they can be if you use them right."
COMBATSYS: Aislinn endures Ayame's Fierce Strike.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Aislinn
The spear strikes true--or does it? Certainly it appears to graze Aislinn's side at least, opening a long, bleeding furrow in her vest and her side. But she grips the haft of the spear, twisting her body towards it, seeking to throw Ayame off-balance. The reason is pretty simple; she wants to lunge forward, throwing her body into a flying punch guided by the shaft of the spear.
She's rather single-minded in this endeavour; her eyes fairly aglow with her intensity as she basically intends to pulp Ayame's ribs with the blow, if she can. Hold back? Aislinn? Not for an instant. Of course, the 'student' may prove the master--certainly, the Silent Assassin has taken a fair bit of punishment and Ayame's seen nothing in the way of retaliation... at least, not yet... but perhaps Aislinn intends to change that. Certainly she's going to try.
The grin on the Chinese woman's lips never once fades, even as the heel of her expensive shoe digs itself into the poor detective's stomach. Immediately her leg retracts, coiling again at her side before she plants it firmly, squaring her shoulders as she watches the man stumble back toward the table. Thin black brows furrow ever so slightly in response. Hmn.
Her smile only broadens at the man's observation, black depths hooding demurely as her gaze fixes on the Indian. "Thanks," she replies simply, eyes wandering aside. How fares the little weapons girl, she wonders, observing Ayame as she makes her move at the stoic fighter currently occupying the girl's attentions. The girl's comment earns her a chuckle.
"Take 'em," she replies. "You're better with them than I am. Be careful, kiddo!"
But, how rude of her to forget her partner here for the moment! Sliding her black eyes back onto Soma, the woman's lips twitch, another demure smirk easing its way over her pale face. "I know. It's a bad habit. But really, less is better to me." Pausing for a brief moment, the Asian woman shrugs her thin shoulders lightly before she smiles.
"We'll see. Maybe I'll change my mind..?"
Whatever the outcome, though, Shihong moves in once more, eyes locked on Soma. Six feet from the detective, however, the Chinese woman leaps up and twists her body at the hips. Rotating, one leg swings in a high arc, arms dropping as she gains momentum, that leg continuing to move, aimed for his body. The other soon follows, a smooth rotation intended to support her land, should the first leg strike its target. "HAH!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Fierce Punch from Aislinn with Bright Renewal.
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Ayame 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Aislinn
Aislinn's plan is a pretty solid one, trading defenses for a chance to get a solid hit on the leaping, spear thrusting featherweight. And if it weren't for Ayame's exceptional experience with staff weapons, it would have worked easily. But Ayame is already reacting before her feet touch the ground, shifting the long weapon to stab into the dirt at Aislinn's feet.
Shifting her grip to the high end of the staff, the long polearm's flexibility comes into play, the wood creaking as it just about snaps under Ayame's momentum... Before allowing the agile girl to spring up and out of the line of fire of Aislinn's frightening punch.
Pulling the spear with her into a foreward flip, the lavender haired girl will find herself struck in the upper back by the non-bladed end of the weapon as Ayame twirls into a landing position right behind her, feet digging into the dirt, her own back toward Aislinn for an instant before she hops and spins back around to face the girl.
She had started playful, but her expression now is nothing of the sort, eying the other girl silently. She knows the Blackjack boss plays for keeps when it comes to fighting, and she isn't going to slack in any of her skills on the battle field, herself.
COMBATSYS: Soma dodges Shihong's Medium Kick.
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Ayame 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Aislinn
To his credit, Soma makes his evasive maneuver look much easier than it is. As Shihong descends from the sky, he crouches, then ducks forward so that her first aerial strike passes within centimeters of his shoulder, the Indian twirling around to her opposite side as he moves through the attack in a more aggressive sort of way. "Something to be said for the basics, I agree," he says with a faint smile, pulling to his feet. The dodge was much closer than he'd like... a little TOO close, so the advantage of being behind Shihong is negated by her having plenty of time to turn and face him. Still, better than a boot to the head.
However, that doesn't mean the undercover detective is going to just sit and wait to get hit again. Pushing off the ground, he sails at Shihong, aiming to spin his right fist toward her neck, the cestsus giving the swing extra weight and power... the issue is, however, that the fierce swing is almost entirely a feint. At the same time, the fingers on Soma's left hand curl inward except the index and middle, which he simultaneously snaps out toward Shihong's hopefully unguarded midriff, looking to painfully jab one of the pressure points on the woman's stomach.
Hnn. Aislinn... eyes Ayame. The gaze is purely mechanical--purely calculatory. In this case, she -has- no emotion. There's nothing to read in her face that has anything to do with intent or with feeling. Her eyes flicker, slightly, back and forth, watching Ayame's movements, calculating.
Her stance is very nearly rock-solid; she's moving, barely, on the balls of her feet, poised, bouncing ever so minutely, the motion itself barely perceptible.
Go all out--never hold back. That's Aislinn's fighting philosophy, when all is said and done, the words she stakes her life by in every fight. No, she revises her thinking. This won't get personal...
Unless Ayame makes it personal. Which the girl may end up doing, all things considered--she has a knack for witty comment that Aislinn lacks, and her skills are easily the equal of her 'superior'... which may end up begging the question of whether Aislinn should retain that position... a question to be answered another day.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn focuses on her next action.
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Ayame 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Aislinn
COMBATSYS: Soma successfully hits Shihong with Medium Throw.
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Ayame 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Aislinn
Though the girl is occupied with her own fight, the Asian woman in black is keeping an eye on her. Grinning ever so slightly to herself, the woman finds some odd amusement in this all. It's her secret, though.
Nonplussed by the lack of contact, the woman simply follows the motion and lands, exhaling lightly through her nostrils in response. A pity; she'll fix that. And so she begins to turn and face the detective--
But instead gets hit in the back of her neck. It dazes her briefly, giving the man ample time to come in and strike her again. It draws a low grumble from the woman as she staggers painfully back, pale hands curling into tight fists at her sides as she bites it off. That won't do, not at all.
Another exhale, and a grin eases its way over her rouge red lips. She steps back, putting distance between herself and the Interpol agent incognito. "Cute, but..." Suddenly rushing forward, the woman leaps up again and twists her body, legs suddenly igniting with angry vermillion energy. Like some odd drill of flesh and psychic forces, the woman's body twists over and over, heels aimed for Soma's stomach and, should they both meet, erupts with a concussive burst, to send him flying back and away.
COMBATSYS: Soma blocks Shihong's Strutting Crow.
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Ayame 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Aislinn
As Aislinn turns to face her, Ayame pauses, striking a pose with the spear, angling it over her back at a strange angle that looks at first awkard if one doesn't realize how it leaves it easy for her to swing it back around for a very fast yet powerful strike if one gets reckless and charges at her while she maintains the pose...
But Aislinn holds her ground, leaving Ayame's set up not quite the bait and trap she was hoping for. She takes the opportunity to glance around at the other fighters, seeing how Shihong and Soma are doing. It's dangerous to stop paying attention to the strawberry-blonde for long, since the girl definitely thinks nothing of foul play in fights... Soma better watch his back.
With Aislinn holding her ground, Ayame has to change gears a little. That works okay for her, the girl decides, swinging the staff out and around in front of her, launching it toward Aislinn as a large, whirling heliocopter like blade for her to contend with. Ayame? She's backtracking, there's another weapon's rack nearby, and she wants to try out some other toys...
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Aislinn with Power Fling.
Glancing Blow
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Ayame 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1 Aislinn
Aislinn sidesteps--and still the sharp end of the spear tags her, right in the same spot as she was hit before... the bleeding more profuse now. Again, she ignores it, even as the hit staggers her. This battle has been largely a mockery--Ais has been slow and rusty. Even an obvious attack like that... well, she wants to redeem herself. Truly, she doesn't know much about Soma, beyond what's in his file. But, if she's feeling anything at all, it can be said to be a kind of shame that she's not lived up to her potential... or worse, that this performance is the peak of her potential.
Suddenly, she moves, darting forward as fast as she can, a lavender-haired missile intent on closing with Ayame, her gloved hands snapping out to try and get the weapons savant by the shoulders. In lieu of a nearby wall to push Ayame to, instead, she'll seek to throw the girl to the ground...
COMBATSYS: Aislinn successfully hits Ayame with Momentum Overdrive.
- Power hit! -
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Ayame 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Aislinn
... Ayame is hurled down to the ground, Aislinn taking a classic mount position, straddling the other girl's torso. There are those who might consider the position to be... well, 'inappropriate'. But that label more properly applies to what happens to Ayame next.
The movements are smooth, perfect, precise. A wonderful symphony--a symphony of pure pain, as Aislinn just starts slamming her fists into Ayame. Torso, upper chest, head, the whole of Ayame's reachable surface gets blasted by repeated, smashing blows from the girl. The whirlwind of destructive impact continues for nearly ten seconds, until Aislinn suddenly brings her forehead own upon Ayame's--once, twice, three times... and then she rolls away before standing.
Ayame hadn't ever been the victim of that particular attack before... but it's safe to say she probably didn't enjoy it.
Now that's unexpected. The cestus is already falling off Soma's hand as he pushes off the ground again and backsteps away from Shihong, having delivered his nerve strike... just in time to see the Chinese fighter drilling her way across the distance between the two. An eyebrow goes up; that sort of aerial agility is pretty impressive, even among trained fighters. Deciding to play it safe, Soma sets one foot for balance and then reaches forward into the twisting strike, trying to direct Shihong's momentum away. That much at least seems to be a success, though the detective winces as her kicks twist his wrist and thud into his palm...
...just in time for the energy to leap out across their briefly connected bodies.
Hissing as if burned, Soma suddenly yanks his arm back, a briefly visible flare of silver-black twined around the red for a moment before both disappear. There's a moment while he regards Shihong with open shock and surprise, before a faint smile creeps across his features again. "I guess we both use... a different type of toy," he offers to the woman, flares of silver-black appearing in his palms. The Psycho Power takes the form of a pair of daggers made of energy, which slash through the air twice toward Shihong as Soma dives at her aggressively. They don't really 'cut', not being entirely physical... but they can still hurt just the same.
COMBATSYS: Shihong interrupts Gemini from Soma with Savage Tiger.
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Ayame 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Aislinn
Though thwarted, the woman simply follows the motions, twisting and ultimately colliding into the detective. Granted, his hands do well to intercept the woman's glowing heels, and that fateful moment draws a clearly bemused expression over pale features. The silver-black power noted, the Chinese woman furrows her brows softly.
And then, she simply lands and picks herself back up, rising in a slow, languid fashion, long arms dangling freely at her sides. "You could say that, I suppose," she offers with a tiny smirk, black depths flickering with the tiniest hints of red. "Let's see your toy?"
He clearly has no qualms in obliging her.
That silver-black psychic energy noted, Shihong simply purses her lips, observing Soma. He closes in, and the woman holds her ground securely. Legs tense, fingers splaying like some angry bird's talons. The first slash comes, cutting a clean path across her chest, drawing a hiss from her lips. But the moment the second slash is made, her hand shoots out.
Intercepting Soma's attack, her hand twists, wrenching his arm painfully. Without missing a beat, the woman suddenly lurches forward, heels planting into his midsection as she literally scales the man's chest, all while holding securely to his wrenched arm. Reaching the apex, she hovers briefly above, before suddenly twisting her legs. Feet afire once more, she drives down--hard.
As result, the vermillion flames and force of her body drive Soma downwards. Upon hitting, another burst fires off, giving the woman the momentum she needs to leap up, off and back, landing in a deep crouch a few feet away. That's when black eyes dart aside, to Ayame.
"Are you okay, kiddo?"
It's in that moment that Ayame turns to try and find something else to pull into this battle that Aislinn catches her. She had expected the girl to be stalled by the spinning spear, but if she was, it definitely wasn't by enough. Finding herself grabbed and slammed to the ground, Ayame gasps, already starting to try and twist herself free.
Right up until Aislinn pins her effectively to the ground and begins to unload on her, strike after strike. Unarmed at the moment, the girl is unable to bring any of her normal defenses to bear, and left without something to move between her and Aislinn's fists, she proves to be a rather fragile fighter when it comes down to it. Incapable of fending off the strikes, Aislinn has a chance to practically take the teen fighter out all with a single series of strikes.
That isn't to say that she's just sitting there, by any means, and right as Aislinn finally rolls off, she'll find that she misses being slashed by a butterfly knife Ayame had slipped from her belt in the midst of the savage beating. With Aislinn off of her, the girl ends up just rolling in her attempt to get a solid stab in during the confusion.
Panting, bleeding from her mouth and nose, the girl certainly LOOKS worse for wear at the moment. "U-uh, no, heh." the girl manages a forced grin before pushing herself up onto her knees, Shihong's proximity giving her a moment to catch her breath without worrying about getting tagged again too quickly. She needs the second, that's for sure. Maybe she should've grabbed a shield while she was over at the rack, she muses.
Turning, Ayame stumbles on uncertain legs, making her way toward the nearest stand laden with fun toys and weapons, "Just buy me a second," is all she asks, her voice dulled a little from the blood welling up in the back of her throat.
COMBATSYS: Ayame focuses on her next action.
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Ayame 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Aislinn
Shihong may be pleased to note Soma's hyacinth-purple eyes widen in surprise as she intercepts one of his quicker assaults quite handily. Of course, there's not exactly a lot of time for her to notice or Soma to be surprised, as the diving finale makes the somewhat lightweight fighter actually *bounce* off the ground from the blow, dust scattering as he slides to a stop a good few yards away.
But he seems in reasonably good spirits as he gets to his feet, wiping a hand across his mouth. "Not bad at all. And so confident that you're more worried about your teammate than yourself. Interesting." Despite himself, Soma actually finds himself taking a liking to Shihong. She's all business, from his point of view, but she gets things done with confidence, rather than arrogance. The fact that she's ridiculously hot in that outfit doesn't hurt, either.
However, the fight's still on... and when he finally has the presence of mind to look at the other competitors, it becomes clear that Aislinn's made up for her early damage tenfold, when it comes to Ayame. His gaze darting to the table, Soma grins, and then snaps up a handful of throwing stars. These guys think of everything. "That second might be pretty costly," he warns, before turning and firing off a spray of the projectiles at both Shihong and Ayame. In fact, he's not trying to HIT anything; it's covering fire for Aislinn, hopefully to give her an opening to put a decisive blow on Ayame... or perhaps avoid Ayame's retribution.
COMBATSYS: Soma assists Aislinn.
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Ayame 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Aislinn
Mmm... what to do. Surely, Ayame felt that--the girl isn't superhuman and her pain mitigation can't be that good. In fact, Aislinn can feel, and hear, that Ayame might possibly have some internal injuries. This forces her to consider--did she, in fact, 'go too far'? But... it would be rude, insulting even, to not give Ayame her best. With Soma providing 'covering fire'...
Well, she's got to do -something-, right? Aislinn feints another forward move--she even takes two big steps forward, advancing on Ayame's position. But then she stops--and simply raises her right hand, her fist pointed for Ayame. A moment's concentration...
And a brilliant burst of concussive force lances out for the girl, rather like one of those sci-fi 'laser blasts'. Another one of Aislinn's cybernetic enhancements, though, one that is of 'questionable' use...
COMBATSYS: Ayame reflects Diamond Flare from Aislinn with Midsummer Fantasy.
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Ayame 1/=======/=======|=====--\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Aislinn
Limping, hobbling toward the weapons rack, Ayame seems practically out of it. And on some levels, she is. Her head is ringing, her vision iffy, her nose stuffed with her own blood after the brutal beating she got from Aislinn. But being on the verge of being out of it isn't the same as being helpless. Idly she wonders how many ribs are suffering cracks right now as she makes it to the weapon rack at about the same time Soma starts peppering her area with throwing stars.
Squinting, she does her best to ignore it as she focuses on the assortment of items right in front of her. Oh yeah, she knows /exactly/ what she needs here... Her hand snapping out, the girl whirls around with a large, ornately decorated, bronze shield. Completely round with an emblem carved in the middle, the girl pulls it up in front of her just as Aislinn's burst of force comes blasting toward the girl.
Hissing, Ayame grits her teeth and braces for impact. But she isn't counting on just simple metal to keep her safe. Not from something coming from /Aislinn/ of all people. Oh no. The surface of the shield suddenly lights up with a brilliant, shiny sheen of energy flowing over it. Like liquid mercury, the reflective looking layer of energy reinforces the shield with enough power to withstand Aislinn's blast of force.
And while Ayame's feet lose precious traction, the shield holds and in the end she pushes back out, manipulating the chi with a remarkable amount of precision as it explodes back outward in such a way as to send a portion of Aislinn's laser blast right back at the NESTs project. "Whew," Ayame gasps, lowering the shield slowly, knees bent just a little as she focuses on remaining standing after that onslaught.
As Soma speaks, the woman's black eyes slowly drift, focusing on the man as she notes his every word. And slowly but surely the woman rises up from her crouch, very much observing the detective as red lips dare to tug into the tiniest of smirks.
"It's not that I'm confident," she states. "The kid took a nasty hit. I think it's worth worrying over, to say the least." Slender shoulders shrug beneath her coat, eyes drawing shut as she stands there. The smirk only broadens a touch, a tiny grin, as a single eye opens to regard the Indian as she adds,
"But thanks for the compliment. I think." Was it even intended to be that?
No matter. Exhaling, nostrils flare as she lets the smirk fade into an amiable grin. Flickering her attentions aside, the woman gives Ayame a curt nod before she simply smiles and offers, "Do your best, kid!" So, with that out of the way...Shihong makes her move--but not for Soma. No, the woman's eyes are fixed on the silent young woman. A shimmer of red falls over her, as she gains speed before she suddenly hops up. She's distracted with (and apparently by) Ayame, right? Well.
Landing close, the woman's psychically-imbued legs thrust forward, attempting to strike the assassin in her legs from behind. She follows upwards, attempting to strike her once with her glowing heels in the back as she comes to rise in a handstand, followed by the second foot as it staggers behind...before she lets both legs drop, and she stands upright once more.
Not the response he expected, but it does bring a smile to his face. Yes... he does like Shihong. And frankly, if Ayame and Aislinn beat the hell out of each other in the meantime, the ICPO agent would not be overly concerned. Needless to say his memories of encounters with both women are less than positive. Of course, he IS Aislinn's teammate... he'd better do something about that incoming lady if he doesn't want to see her go down a little more quickly than he'd like.
"It was a compliment," Soma says, hand snaking into his jacket as he speaks, "trust me." With a smooth, quick motion, he whips his hand back out, holding one of the 'unique' daggers that Ayame mentioned previously. Yes, SNF has provided weapons... but there's probably none on that rack that work QUITE like this. "Might want to worry about yourself, though." It's probably more than you'd get from Ayame in return, he adds mentally to himself... though he's not much better at the moment.
With a slight motion, the blade on Soma's wire-dagger detaches, dropping to the ground on the hidden wire inside. Narrowing his eyes, he judges Shihong's angle of descent toward Aislinn and then, with a flick of the wrist, sends the blade and wire snaking through the air unpredictably, looking to lash it around any part of Shihong that's available. If he can get a grip, there's another slight tug, and the undercover agent all but slingshots the Chinese lady across the arena, snapping back the detached blade with another flick of the wrist. Of course, that's *if* everything goes well...
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Aislinn with Reflected Diamond Flare.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Aislinn
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Aislinn with Coiled Serpent.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
She's not -entirely- focused on Ayame, no. But she's focused enough that she's easy pickings for Shihong. The reflected blast pegs her in the shoulder; her forward advance is stalled. And then Shihong comes in from behind and basically just kicks her several times in a complex manuever. It throws Aislinn to the ground; she lays there for a moment...
And then rises again. Her motions are almost more mechanical now, less fluid; her face is bruised, she's bleeding from several cuts, and there are bruises all over her body. It's very much as though her skills have atrophied to an unacceptable level.
And once she's risen, she remains perfectly still--there is no detectable movement in any way at all, except for her lips. Those who can lip-read might, if they take the time, understand what she's murmuring to herself:<<Tactical computer reboot. ... Recalibrate. ... Reacquire target.>>
And yes, she is, apparently, completely ignoring Shihong.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn focuses on her next action.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
The deflection of Aislinn's powerful attack leaves Ayame physically unharmed, even if the effort it took to pull it off was significantly draining. Even as she exhales softly, dropping her focus over the reflective energy coating the shield's surface, the chi begins to slip off, falling as droplets at first before vanishing fast, leaving the round, Grecian styled shield restored to its normal state.
Bleeding from her mouth, the girl shifts her grip from the edges of the shield to actually position it on her arm like it's supposed to be. Shihong's attack in Aislinn's direction is going to buy her the time she needs to catch her breath, it seems, and Ayame decides to put the precious seconds to the best use she can. Falling back on some of the more defensive oriented uses of chi she's picked up from other fighters, the girl hunkers down behind the shield and begins to focus, becoming, for a moment, vastly more in tune with the monument around her.
Picturing what the site may have looked like when it was newly constructed, the girl smiles faintly, finding inspiration in the importance the temple here must have had for the people of Athens so long ago. But her mind wanders only so far as the girl begins to draw upon the spirit of the site, pulling energy into herself from all directions. Unlike her usual chi manifestations that are highly concentrated and focused, the swirl of green and blue energy that rises up around her is far less restrained. Inhaling as the chi manifestation builds, the girl feels a few of her aches diminish and some of her exhaustion slip away...
Slowly the energy begins to fade away as the girl brings her mind back on the fight and Ayame lowers the shield slowly, brown eyes focusing back on Aislinn directly. Shihong bought her a break. Now it's time for her to do something with it.
COMBATSYS: Ayame gathers her will.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Soma's Wishing Star.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
Recovering deftly from her strike against the strange lavender-haired girl, Shihong stands fully upright, pacing back a few calm steps as she observes the young woman with the tiniest of grins. What a strange one, this silent girl! How curious...
But her thoughts stir, as Soma speaks. Casting a glance toward the detective, the Chinese woman offers a light grin, black eyes half-lidded as she regards the man. "Aww, well thank you," she ultimately replies, offering a soft, subtle wink his way. "And I'll be okay," Shihong is sure to remind him. Pausing, eyes drift upwards as she reconsiders.
"Well, I believe so, anyway," she ultimately amends. A light shrug follows.
But soon enough it's back to action with the Interpol agent. The woman's eyes narrow considerably, fixed on the wire on Soma's blade as it falls. Suddenly the blade itself is sent sailing, causing the woman's black eyes to widen, a flicker of red in her depths. Twisting her body, she lets the blade careen off her forearm, an obvious gash cut through the sleeve of her coat and skin, a swell of crimson forming along the blade's former path. But she doesn't frown.
She just continues to smile.
"Interesting style," she notes. "And interesting weapons." With that, Shihong skips forward, gaining speed before she jumps. Her body twists, a leg coiled at her hip as she sails toward the detective and, upon closing in, fires it outwards with a heel swinging for his temple, followed by a second strike from the opposite as her body continues to follow the rotation. "HI-YAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Soma parries Shihong's Medium Kick!
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
Apparently compliments bring out Soma's true power. As Shihong comes diving at him, the ICPO agent's body is a blur of black and silver as he drives *right at her*. "The unexpected..." he starts, before snapping a hand around Shihong's ankle as the first kick drives for his head, "...can be the key to victory in combat." Pressing down, the Indian pulls himself into a full handstand on Shihong's leg before the second kick comes anywhere near him... but the force of her spin works in his favor. Pressing off, Shihong's rotation plus Soma's acrobatic skill suddenly gives him a quite rapid boost of mid-air speed, body tumbling upside down as he vaults through the air...
...at Ayame. Apparently there's some sort of thing going down between her and Aislinn, and he's determined to take her out of the picture in the hopes that his partner can focus, somewhat. "Lemme help you out a bit," he offers to Ais, still in midair, and with a sweep of the hand another batch of shuriken go flying through the air at Ayame. *Most* are a distraction... but one glows ever so faintly silver, if you know to look for it... and it's that one that explodes in a burst of silver-black Psycho Power if it actually connects, Soma banking on the swarm of 'decoys' to make dealing with that a little bit harder than normal...
Her body is injured; nearly, in fact, beyond the point of efficient movement. That is to say--she hurts. And yet, and yet, she's shrugged off that pain. She can't do anything about the actual injury to her body--her self-repair systems simply are not up to -that- task--but she possesses an extraordinary ability to shunt the mental effects aside. Soma switches targets--flinging a burst of energy at Ayame, in the form of a splash of shuriken.
Aislinn seems to take some sort of inspiration from that--although she isn't going to use her own chi ability in this manner. Instead, she remembers the spear that Ayame used to such effect on her... and she bends her knees, scooping the bloodied weapon up in her left hand. There's a single toss, straight up, Aislinn's eyes scanning the weapon for the best balance point for throwing, and even as it's coming down, Aislinn is stepping forward with her right foot.
*SMACK* The shaft of the spear slaps into her upraised left hand, now two feet behind her head; she plants her right foot, and begins to slingshot the spear forward, hurling it with all the speed she can muster, its point aimed quite neatly for Ayame's body--and aimed precisely, to avoid any -serious- internal organ damage... if she's spot on.
COMBATSYS: Soma successfully hits Ayame with Nova EX.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\1 Soma
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Shihong 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
COMBATSYS: Ayame reflects Large Thrown Object from Aislinn with Weapon Jab.
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Soma
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Shihong 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Aislinn
For a moment, Ayame is wishing she just kept hiding behind that shield 'cause the moment she peeks out from behind it, she's got two attacks coming her way rather quickly. There's no getting out of the way of both of them though, so the girl makes due with what she's got. That being the shield.
And while she considers Soma's particular brand of energy frightfully effective, she's more concerned about becoming a shish-ke-Ayame with that spear hurtling her way. Twisting her flank toward Aislinn's attack the weapons afficionado takes the psycho power laced shuriken to the side at the exact same time she slams her shield forward into the spears trajectory.
The metallic thunk of metal on metal resonates throughout the area as Ayame is sent staggering backward by the exchange of force. But Aislinn isn't off the hook either, as the spear, now rather awkwardly, is sent tumbling through the air back in her direction. Exhaling, Ayame grins faintly, sparing a moment to glance in Soma's attention in case he tries to come at her again.
What's this now? They're both attacking Ayame?
To Shihong's dismay, Soma changes tactics and, as result, makes his move for the young weapons master. It draws a soft frown over her red lips, but she can't really blame them. They did the same thing--sort of. Exhaling, eyes drif aside, toward the other girl present, the detective's impromptu partner. She's throwing a spear at the girl? The Chinese woman's pale features darken a bit. Well, if no one is paying attention to her...
Dashing forward, the woman maneuvers herself past Soma, ducking low as the lavender-haired fighter hurls the spear for Ayame. Like a snake she weaves for the ever-silent Aislinn, her body twisting at the last second. Planting a foot while, at the same time, lifting her right arm to cross the forearm over her forehead, Shihong thrusts a palm outward, her palm's heel aimed for her stomach..!
Well, sort of. It doesn't connect; instead, a sudden an angry burst of vermillion red energy swells to life, a burst of psychic energy sent for Aislinn's midsection.
"AIYAAH!"
As the ear-splitting yell echoes across the battlefield, a shout fueled by emotion and fury...in the background, the ancient presence of the Parthenon bears silent witness to the clash of fighters. In a country where the old gods are still worshipped, some might consider this match a desecration of sacred ground - but to others, it is only fitting that a battle be fought beside the temple of Athena, a battle watched by eyes the world over...in the shadow of the warrior goddess herself.
The gods and mortals, though, are not the only ones bearing witness to this challenge of warriors. There are other forces at play here.
Up atop the temple, there is the faint flicker of...something among the ancient stone. The frieze above the massive pillars of the monument's facade is occupied by figures of crumbling stone. Few of the decorative sculptures are intact, as is widely known. But today, a few seem remarkably complete, whole human bodies of dispassionate white...watching from above.
Landing in a crouch, Soma glances over and notices the hit Ayame took with a faint nod. Not the outcome he'd 100% hoped for, but it's better than nothing, one supposes. Slowly pulling himself standing from the effort he just expended, the ICPO agent breathes out, and then notices Shihong looking to do... the exact same thing he just did. Well, she can't be blamed for that... it's tactically sound, to some extent. However, 'tactically sound' and 'wise' aren't always coincidental.
He actually *closes his eyes* for a moment, as if concentrating. They open again soon enough, and the perceptive may notice tiny silver sparks in the dust...
Soma himself doesn't actually move. Instead he glances at Shihong's assault on Aislinn, and grins a little. "Smart move, but... it might not have been smart to take your eyes off me." Bringing up one hand dramatically, he just... snaps his fingers.
And the discarded shuriken of his past two volleys on the ground near Shihong -- seemingly thrown as distractions, or diversions -- suddenly explode in a glittering shower of silver-black light, like the bursting of some ground-bound firework. It's unorthodox, but it's also hard to avoid... and Soma's banking on getting in that last big hit before he's left alone.
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Aislinn with Swallow's Wings.
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Aislinn
COMBATSYS: Aislinn negates Reflected Large Thrown Object from Ayame with Diamond Flare.
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Aislinn can no longer fight.
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Soma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shihong 1/------=/=======|
Once again, Shihong and Ayame decide to gang up on Aislinn--apparently in payback for her successful pummelling... or maybe it's just a tactical choice. Either way, it proves effective. Shihong's blast of crimson psi strikes Aislinn dead on; she staggers a bit, raising her right hand almost at the same time and unleashing yet another burst of concussive force...
... which is only enough to splinter the returned spear. And then... she stops. Literally. As if she'd were a machine that just shut down, her body literally freezes in that last position. Her body is still breathing, and if one were to check she'd have a pulse... but otherwise it's all lights off and nobody home, at least for the moment, and certainly for the rest of the fight.
Left alone for a moment, Ayame has time to watch the events of the battle unfold before her eyes. This fight has been frightfully fun for the girl, even if her own Blackjack boss beat the snot out of her with one hell of a combo. A field laced with weapon racks loaded with toys for her sample one after the other? It's been great.
But she can't take too much more of the abuse she's been handed by Aislinn's beating an Soma's psycho powered shuriken, and she isn't going to let Shihong down if she can help it. Time to ditch the toys. The shield gets cast aside, a large dent in its surface courtesy of Aislinn's thrown spear, and Ayame reaches into a black pouch affixed to one of her belts to withdraw a weapon most who have faced her are familiar with.
The titanium tube glints in the afternoon's sun light as Ayame extends the telescoping staff out to its full six feet of length and twirls it once at her side before shifting her focus back toward Aislinn. The girl pauses for a moment, giving the NESTs project a chance to continue, but as seconds tick she begins to realize that's as far as the other girl is going to be going for now.
It's in that moment that her brown eyes come to focus back on Soma. For all the grief she's given him, she doesn't particularly bear the Interpol agent any ill will. He has yet to come across like one of those idealist sorts that infuriate her so. But right now he's standing between her and her team's victory, and when it comes to fighting, business is business.
Standing up straight as she tries to get control over her breath again, Ayame tightens her grip on the metal polearm. And then she's off, blitzing the young novelist, a blur of mostly black attire and red, flaring energy coursing along the length of the metal staff.
Unlike the last time she went after him like this, the girl leaves the blades retracted, so the worst Soma is going to have to worry about is the possiblity of a savage amount of blunt force as Ayame spins, hops, slams, jabs, and basically tries to take the fight right out of him in one long, merciless combination of strikes, intending to swing until she can't find the strength to do so any further...
COMBATSYS: Shihong auto-guards Soma's Supernova!
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Soma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shihong 1/------=/=======|
Making her move, Shihong closes in on Aislinn and, in one smooth, swift maneuver, lets her palm close in, that burst of psychic energy erupting in the gap between. It does enough to wind the poor girl, as Ayame sends the spear hurling right back for the lavender-haired girl who sent it flying at Ayame in the first place. Her work is done for the moment.
Glancing back, the woman furrows her brows slightly as Soma speaks. There's little time for her to respond; a moment later the Indian snaps his fingers. The woman is suddenly very much aware, black eyes widening, flaring to life with bright red. "Oh, shi--"
With a sudden an impressive burst of psychic silvery energy, the ground explodes beneath Shihong. But, just as the burst begins the woman springs upwards and swings both hands downwards. From her palms a vermillion red swath of energy erupts, protecting the woman from the majority of the blow, shielding the woman from what could have very well been a nasty volley of energy.
Exhaling, the woman dismisses the energy, landing in a light crouch. She doesn't hesitate; leaping up and back, the woman flips before she lands by the weapons table. Snatching an innocent-enough looking chakram, the woman winds her arm back before she sends it flying for the Interpol agent.
Well. Might as well try a weapon at least ONCE, she figures. When in Rome...er, Athens.
COMBATSYS: Soma dodges Shihong's Thrown Object.
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Soma with Final Solstice.
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Soma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shihong 1/-------/=======|
Well, things are not looking up, as it were. When Aislinn goes down, Soma tenses up expectantly, but it's not in enough time to get away from the assault Ayame suddenly levels at him... the gory details of which are best described by their originator. Suffice it to say that Soma's caught before he can make his escape, and the damage is considerable... but not quite considerable enough. The two fighters are left in close proximity even as Shihong's Xena act gets underway... though interestingly enough, Soma's reaction to the thrown chakram is almost lazy; he tilts his head slightly to the left with a bored expression, the whirling blade whizzing by and then embedding itself in a nearby column.
But Shihong isn't Soma's interest just this second. Hyacinth-purple eyes half-lidded with fatigue, he nonetheless turns to Ayame and says approximately two words: "Go away." With impressive speed he spins and brings his right leg around and then in a swift, high kick hopefully to the side of the girl's head. She's had her fun, but he'd much rather tangle with Shihong at the moment.
And as Soma rallies, spinning into motion against his surviving opponents...
...atop the Parthenon, upon the temple of Athena, the few strange figures crouched upon the stonework...move, subtly. One laughs in appreciation, a soft sound, just barely carried by the wind. A hand moves, then, a limb dusted with white to mimic the look of carved and weathered imagery - at least from a distance. The three others perched amidst the genuine sculptures turn their heads. A moment later, the first figure gestures once, simply. It then touches the side of a pale-clad head. From beneath the folds of cloth, a voice murmurs, into the ether, speaking quiet words as the battle spirals towards the climax - and the denouement.
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Light Kick from Soma with Midsummer Fantasy.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Soma
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Shihong 1/-------/=======|
Her series of strikes delivered, Ayame slows to a stop, standing pretty close to Soma, surprised to find that he's still on his feet after everything she just tried to do with him. "Tch," the girl grunts, chiding herself for underestimating what he could take and leaving herself exhausted in what she thought would be a more finalizing strike.
But then in comes his retaliation and Ayame defends herself, digging deep into her reserves to shift her staff up to her side with her right hand, stabbing one end of it into the ground to give it the right angle and leverage to catch Soma's kick in order to leave him caught just long enough...
for her to slam her right hand forward, palm out, a surge of red chi blasting out from her hand at point blank range into the author's chest. "No, you," the girl retorts, her voice winded but her irritation far from hidden.
And this is why Shihong doesn't consider herself a weapons aficionado.
Knitting her brows ever so softly as the Interpol agent simply crooks his head out of harm's way, the Chinese woman just lightly scoffs, watching the chakram as it slams into a column, embedding itself for the moment. At least it hit something, she muses to herself.
The figures hiding above in the frieze go unnoted by the woman; her interests are far more focused on the fight to be had. Breathing in deeply, the woman watches as Soma disregards her altogether once more, perhaps to the woman's dismay. Really, is she that awful to put up with?? "No matter, no matter," she chimes aloud to herself, thin shoulders rolling in a shrug as thin red lips ease into an amiable grin.
Breaking into a run, the woman gains momentum before she leaps and plants her hands. Pushing off, she leaps feet first at Soma, both toes of her shoes aimed for his chest. Should she land the blow, the Chinese woman lands in a low crouch before she leaps backwards, one leg staggering after the other as she attempts to land two blows in succession for his chest with a sharp cry of, "HIYAAAH!"
So much dislike between the agent and Ayame!
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Soma with Raiding Falcon.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Soma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shihong 0/-------/=======|
Apparently it wasn't in the cards for Soma or Aislinn today, both fighters having been... well, the kids would use the words 'totally owned' by the almost-untouchable Ayame and Shihong. The blast of red chi leaves the Interpol detective seriously winded, so when Ayame's partner comes in to make the coup de gras, he just doesn't have it in him to get out of the way. The twin strikes slam into his chest with nice, resonant *thud* sounds. The fight is clearly knocked out of him, but apparently not *all* of the fight.
He's actually grinning, which probably isn't a good sign. His hands, crossed over his injured chest as if hugging himself, suddenly start sparkling with that same black-limned silver energy that he's been using to date. "Well..." he says, opening one eye and training it on Ayame, "...I tried to warn you."
It all comes on at once: fatigue and frustration leading to a loss of control, something very atypical for the usually staid and sarcastic ICPO agent. Of course, 'loss of control' to someone who normally reigns in his psychic powers with intense focus probably isn't a good thing, and indeed this is not: Ayame and Shihong have precious few seconds to get out of the way of what is, basically, a point-blank bomb of Psycho Power centered on Soma, who they both dove at with their attempts to end things.
In the end, however, the Bao act is the last in Soma's repertoire; when the smoke clears, he's unconscious on the ground.
COMBATSYS: Soma can no longer fight.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|
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Shihong 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Ayame dodges Soma's Supernova.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Ayame 0/-------/------=|
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Shihong 0/-------/=======|
Months ago, Ayame very likely would have been caught completely off guard by what comes next. Soma says he tried to warn her, but given her propensity to toss aside anything anyone says to her that's remotely useful, that probably wouldn't have been enough to get her to actually do anything besides just shrug uselessly before being blasted by the surge of Psycho Power centered on the young man.
Now, though? She's no longer blind to the kind of energy people around her have learned to manipulate that is so different from the chi she draws upon herself. Fighting Shihong blindfolded taught the girl something - She can sense it, it just triggers different warnings, that's all. Which is why when the loss of control overcomes the Interpol agent, Ayame is already backing up, eyes widening just a little, "Look out!" she shouts a warning for her partner, an uncharacteristic show of concern for another. Maybe she just wants to make sure her partner stays standing in case Soma isn't finished with this fight yet...
Either way, a backflip through the air gives the girl the distance she needs to come down just outside the blast radius of the power Soma unleashes, landing in a pained crouch, one knee resting against one of the stone steps of the Temple to Athena, one hand gripping her staff tightly, her other hand pressed against another step as the girl struggles to stay upright.
But as seconds pass, she pushes herself back up to standing, collapsing her staff down and tucking it away. Idly, she slips off the Judo Headband +1 she had equipped at the start of the fight and spins it around her finger idly, "I dunno, I think this thing really has some bonuses to it!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame has left the fight here.
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Shihong 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Soma's Supernova.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shihong 1/------=/=======|
Well, this can't possibly be good.
The woman catches wind of Ayame's warning, lips pursing tightly in response. Left to fend for herself in that fateful moment, as the ICPO agent overwhelms and explodes with that same burst of silver and black psychic energy, Shihong reacts in the way she knows best. Lifting her arms from her sides, the Chinese woman shields her face from harm, as the energy drives at them both with every intention of taking them out.
When the dust settles, however, the woman's arms slowly fall from over her face, black eyes falling on the now-unconscious detective. A pity, she mulls. He was particularly interesting. It's not often she gets to meet others with her talents on these circuits. Maybe she'll be fortunate again?
As Ayame packs her staff away, the Chinese fighter lifts her attentions to the girl perched on the temple steps. Grinning brightly, she offers the girl a swift salute with her fingers. "Good job, Ayame!" she chimes as she wanders over. Approaching the tiny weapons master, the woman offers out her hand, a slender card held lightly between her forefinger and middle.
"Here~!" she offers with a chime. "This is for you. It's an address. My favorite bar! I owe you a meal or...something. You've been a great partner in these things, young lady!" Offering a chuckle, Shihong shakes her head softly before she leans forward. With a hand cupped over her mouth, she adds for Ayame alone to hear:
"Besides, I need to talk to you. It's nothing bad, promise. So let's meet up sometime, okay?"
Standing upright once more, the elder woman dusts her hands off, still grinning broadly before she pivots on her heels. "But, ahh~, I have so much to do now. I'll have to take my leave, miss Ayame. Again, excellent work, missy. You've definitely become stronger~!"
Lifting a hand over her shoulder, she offers the young woman a parting wave before she saunters off, absently pulling her cellular phone from her pocket. Hopefully it didn't break somewhere in the fight.
COMBATSYS: Shihong has ended the fight here.
And so the warrior falls.
So to do the watchers upon the temple of Athena depart, melting away one by one, vanishing silently as they came.
The eyes of the world turn. The battle ends.
Log created on 23:26:32 02/15/2008 by Shihong, and last modified on 16:26:39 02/19/2008.