Description: Hotaru and Cherise don't let the lack of the opposing team keep them from having their fun for the weekend. When their opponents fail to show it isn't long before Cherise and Hotaru break out into a fight of their own making. Let the cameras roll! ( Winner: Hotaru )
One week Neo League puts her in a shop full of fine China to fight a human bull known as Birdie, and a few weeks later they have her in a store full of cheap, bargain furniture and ask that it not get destroyed to splinters in the course of the fight. Hotaru isn't sure where fight organizers keep finding so many stores willing to host fights, but she regards their request about as much as she did the last time. Which is to say, she doesn't really care.
What she does care about is no show cowards that have failed to appear for their match on time. Leaning idly against a bookshelf, her legs crossed at the ankles, her arms folded over her chest, the girl looks just a little different than normal. There's an impatient air about her, her mouth in a faint frown, blue eyes constantly glancing back toward the entrance of the large furniture store to see if the other two people who were supposed to factor into this match as her opponents have shown up yet. They haven't. Otherwise, she looks like the same small fighter everyone is fairly used to. Except for the missing pig-tails, her hair worn down long against her shoulders and back.
Of course the other thing that might be irking the girl is who her partner for this match is supposed to be. Cherise Bouchard and Hotaru have never met under pleasant circumstances in the past and this match seems to require that they set aside their previous history if they want to come out the victors. Of course, with no opponents appearing, it may just not really matter. Already officials over by the cameras are mumbling about calling the fight, a few of them pointing to their watches or nodding over toward the entrance expectantly.
Hotaru sighs softly, drumming her fingers along her opposite arm, leaning her head back against the fake oak wooden surface as she rolls her eyes up toward the remarkably high off ceiling. How is she going to prove that she's following her brother's footsteps if her opponents are too scared to show up? Or maybe Gato has to put up with this from time to time as well, she muses silently. It would make sense, given his frightful reputation...
Iincyo true.
Ther'es something to be said when someone like Cherise Bouchard can be... bored. Not ored like 'I'm going to start stabbing someone in the foot just because I can' bored, but bored enough to sit slumped forward in a chair in the middle of the grand Ikea store. Her elbows are on her knees, set together with her feet balanced on the balls. Her chin sits in the heels of her hands. Her eyes are half-lidded. Her silvery hair hangs in her face in a very stylized way.
And she's bored.
After a long time in this pose, Cherise starts to sit upright, hands pressing down on her thighs and shrugging up her shoulders. Breaking into a full arms-over-head stretch, she lets out a long yawn twinged with annoyance. Her frightfully light blue eyes are turned toward the SNF staff with an expectant stare, a question that hangs in the air that was probably asked ten minutes ago but never answered. Regardless of their answer, she stands up tall and arches her back a little-- a smooth popping from shoulders to hip signaling her spine loosening up while she takes to swatting her rather short skirt straight and twisting. Left, right, left, right. Facing Hotaru on the lefts, she's studying her 'partner' a little closer. Something about her is very different...
"Futaba, darling~."
The sing-song French girl with the thick accent paces around a little before she half-heartedly stomps on the side of a glass coffee table, the sides crafted of sleek black steel piping. "This is getting so very boring. Do you think they chickened out?"
When Cherise draws nearer, trying to fight off wicked doldrums, Hotaru glances toward her, her own eyes dark blue in contrast to the French girl's light blue irises. She doesn't move from leaning against that cheap shelf, however, her entire body seemingly committed to the lazy, bored slouch she's in presently, as if any enthusiasm she had for the match has been rapidly drained from her. Katelynn she's fought before - she didn't expect the girl to give her any significant trouble. Carlos, on the other hand, was some maniac with a sword. That could have gone either way if she wasn't quick enough to avoid the strikes... But it's all for nought.
As the French 'guitar player' begins to chat, however, Hotaru's expression shifts, becoming somewhat passively hostile. The last time she fought Cherise she looked a little uncertain, a tad nervous. This time she looks like she's ready to crush anyone or anything given good reason to do so. "It's possible," she finally allows reluctantly, not particularly caring to chat with Cherise about much of anything. "I suppose once they realized what they were up against..." She leaves it vague - if she's talking about just herself, or the crazy Cherise, or the dangerous combination of the two of them, she doesn't specify. "...they might have phoned it in."
Her mouth curls into a faint, narrow smile, "It's too bad. This seemed like such a great place to stage a fight too." Her right hand comes up, a flare of red-orange energy spiraling around the limb leading down to her fist, before the girl strikes backward, pounding it into the shelf. The point of impact shatters a hole through the pressed wooden surface, small splinters exploding out on the other side into a a cloud.
Store staff on hand cringe, that shelf was sure to sell for a good price any day now, and now it's been guarenteed a trip straight to the unsellable furniture outlet stores, with no attention grabbing fight to justify it! But none of them are going to address the young fighter about it. Hotaru merely shifts her lean a little, folding her arms over her chest once again as she exhales softly.
A store with so much to break and destroy... yes, that would be something rather nice. Even if it means that her opponents chickend out, and-- and...! No! She can't let such a magnificent locale go to waste. Her eyes lift as the powerful flare of energy explodes the shelf, but then Cherise's eyes narrow to a dangerous squint. Dangerous and not lazy...
"Huh."
Red's different. But now she's only more intrigued, before her head rolls back slowly and the tip of her tongue glides across her glossy lips. "In that case, I have an idea."
Turning around, the French girl stomps off toward the cameramen and the producer sitting in their chairs, grabbing the front of the camera by the glare shades around the lens and leaning to the side. "TURN IT ON!!"
With her hands firmly gripping the camera and scaring the crew into action, Cherise waits for the red light to come on before she gives her best smile for her great close-up. "Hello friends in television universe~! Our regularly scheduled broadcast will be a little different today because certain people couldn't be bothered to be making it here. But because we love you, we will give you plenty of entertainment!!"
And on that note, Cherise turns on her heel and snaps her arm around, the length of silver in her bracelet cracking like a whip as the golden weight on the end seeks to swat Hotaru across the face-- and hopefully push her into action.
"ON WITH THE SHOW!"
COMBATSYS: Cherise has started a fight here.
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Cherise 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Cherise
COMBATSYS: Cherise successfully hits Hotaru with Argent Sting.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Cherise
Cherise says she has an idea but Hotaru is only barely paying attention. As long as her idea doesn't interrupt her being lazy she doesn't really care what it is. Closing her eyes, the girl leans her head back, going back to 'staring' up at the ceiling. In the back of her head she ponders that Cherise is trying to do something with the cameras. Maybe she just wants attention, the girl muses.
Her reverie comes to a sudden stop the moment she gets remotely slapped across the cheek from Cherise's silvery wire. Stumbling to the side with wide eyed surprise, the girl glares back at the French woman, face tinting faint red at having been caught so shockingly off guard. Some partner she's turning out to-...
Realization sets in slowly but Hotaru gets it, mouth curling into a faint smile as she stands up straight, shifting into a combat stance, "This is an idea I can get behind." the girl replies. She owes Cherise something for their last encounters. And this time she's got a couple new tricks up her sleeves...
Pushing off from her stance, Hotaru darts forward with all the speed she can manage, aiming to slide in close to Cherise, her right arm trying to catch the tourist in the stomach as Hotaru attempts to slip in around her and drop backward in an attempt to drop the gray haired girl right onto the top of a flat coffee table right next to them with a vague suplex-like motion before she lets go and rolls to the side.
COMBATSYS: Cherise blocks Hotaru's Quick Throw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Cherise
She has that carving smile on her face when her wire is launched, her eyes wide and alert, her expression cheerful as every other time the two of them had ever fought. She understands now? Good! Good. Then this will be less boring, and less painful on Hotaru's end-- if Cherise is lukcy.
As her arm pulls back to reel in her weapon, Hotaru's suddenly moved in to close the gap between them. While the arm catches her in the stomach, the actual 'throwing' portion of the attack meets a bit of resistance: Gripping onto Hotaru's arms as she's thrown in that vague way, she uses the martial artist's own force and balance to correct herself inches over the surface of the table and spin horizontally, flying into a face-down landing that looks more like a pushup from hell.
Rolling onto her hands while her legs kick up, she does a rather bastardized kip-up to her feet from knuckles and chest, getting herself a little bit more room to assault the girl properly.
Properly, in this case, means an upward hooking motion with her right arm, her fingers fanning out while she continues to laugh hysterically. Blades of silver trace low and chase the tips of her fingers, the force careening over the table and toward the intended target: Hotaru. She's seen and felt these blades more than once, and knows full well that they intend on cutting, slashing, and just otherwise making her -bleed-.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Cherise's Argent Claw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Cherise
As she releases her grip on the other girl, Hotaru can tell that Cherise has corrected for the slam in such a way as to avoid much of the intended impact. Which means that she's going to be attacked right back very quickly. Recovering from the backward falling slam is a little awkward, it wasn't even a style of throwing the girl had practiced much but just felt would be viable against an opponent a bit closer to her in stature than some of the larger foes she faces.
Hands slam down against the floor, however, and Hotaru pushes herself up into a spinning motion away from Cherise, letting her feet touch down on top of a couch.
"Hey, shoes off the sofa!!" shouts one of the employees off to the side, but needless to say Hotaru isn't paying them any mind, her eyes fixated on Cherise's blades of silver energy slashing through the air. She's been struck by those before. It wasn't at all pleasant. She isn't going to take it this time, though, the girl, pushing off of the couch just in time to allow Cherise's projectile to slash into the soft fabric, stuffing pouring out of the newly created openings.
Flipping forward through the air, Hotaru shifts into a simple dive, aiming to drive her right knee into Cherise's shoulder. If she ends up in position, she'll follow up by backflipping away to put some distance between the two of them!
COMBATSYS: Cherise parries Hotaru's Light Kick!
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Cherise
The blades rip through flesh, bone, fabric, and wooden framing equally well-- and cheap cotton stuffing. The furniture explodes, rendering the entire argument of Hotaru standing on the sofa moot.
Whoops.
As Hotaru darts in and tries to plant that knee down into her shoulder, Cherise's hand is there, her knuckles lightly rapping against her kneecap while her mouth distorts into a leering grin. Darting to the right, through an open space, she drags her fingers along the inside of Hotaru's wrist, too! And she'll even let Hotaru go into her distance-gaining flip, before pulling hard on the thin air. A line of silver swishes in a loop around her wrist, hovering in the air moments before attempting to clamp down on the offending limb. The ashen-haired girl on the other end pulls -hard-, trying to get Hotaru not only a little closer, but off balanced... and most importantly, with her arm raised a bit. In that gap is where Cherise strikes-- darting back in with two swift lunging steps, her fist sweeping up to strike the girl in the ribs just below the armpit. But rather than the strike confering damage by the physical impact, a burst of silver energy -explodes- outward, looking to send the angry martial artist flying across the store-- and likely through some merchandise!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru endures Cherise's Argent Striker EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Cherise
Hotaru finds herself deflected, but she wasn't blind to Cherise's touch along her wrist and given her familiarity with the other girl's tactics, she's able to guess at what is coming... And as she goes and backflips away, the tug that comes along isn't a surprise either, Hotaru yanked right back down toward the French girl, her guard completely subverted by having her limb raised up slightly.
But when the blast comes with the intent to send the small fighter hurtling through the air, Hotaru has a surprise waiting for Cherise. She might notice the warning in the way the girl grins at first, left hand clamping down on Cherise's shoulder to keep herself from getting blasted away. But if that isn't enough of a clue that something is coming, the way the fighter's right forearm flares bright orange-red for the second time tonight might be the last warning Cherise gets.
"Your power is effective, but I have something new of my own since last time..." Hotaru murmurs. And then she slams her right hand forawrd, stopping it just shy, the spiraling, vibrant energy surging forward and attempting to spear into Cherise at nearly point blank range. Unlike Hotaru's chi from previous fights, this energy shreads, skewers, rends, and pierces. There's nothing at all 'gentle' about this attack... "HAH!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Cherise with Maou Satsujinken EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Cherise
The grasp, the sudden awareness of what's coming. Not only is this girl's energy a new color, she seems to be picking up some new tricks-- some new moves and ways to manipulate her won powers. Cherise's eyebrows lift in genuine surprise as the martial artist prevents her flight-to-pain fate, considering then her next option.
Or in this case, her next defense.
Bringing her left fist forward, Cherise moves to hook it upward like an uppercut, to literally punch the leading end of the attack and allow her own silver energy to burst along it and end the threat it poses by soaking it into her forearm. For a moment, her eyes even seem to twinge the color of silver.
But ow.
Lanced square through the core with the angry energy, Cherise can tell firsthand and most painfully that this isn't the same Hotaru Futaba that she's had the pleasure of harming on two prior occasions. With the rattle in her forearms and legs and the urge to throw up, she stumbles just a little bit before staggering herself backwards in an almost drunken fashion...
And falling into a recliner.
Sitting down for a moment, Cherise holds her stomach while a bit of blood seeps out between her fingers. It takes a moment, but her senses realign. Her eyes narrow again, and her smile slowly returns. "That -was- new."
And she's going to just sit there and catch her breath, because she -can-.
COMBATSYS: Cherise gains composure.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Cherise
As the blast is delivered, Hotaru gets sent stumbling backward as well, her arms flailing out at her sides. The strength of the assault defies her ability to stay rooted even when she knows exactly what's coming next. But the attack did its job, the diminutive fighter smirking faintly at Cherise's condition. A fair trade of attacks in /her/ mind at least.
Red-orange flames flicker along her forearm before slowly fading away, sinking back beneath her skin. There is the faintest wince, the internal knowledge of the price she pays for that forbidden technique. But to prove her worth she must press on, must not shirk from using the power that is rightfully /hers/. "I hope you appreciated it, this fight has promised to be far more entertaining than the pointless exchange of blows that was originally scheduled," the girl states, clenching her right hand into a fist.
And then she's back on the offense, charging forward, giving Cherise as little respite as possible. Ruthless, aggressive, not at all concerned about the other fighter's well being. Entirely unlike the young Kenpo artist Cherise had fought before. Another leap into the air, her right fist drawing back before she slams it forward into a simple, overhead, crushing punch, aiming to smash Cherise with her raw momentum even if the French girl doesn't get out of the chair first. And should she connect, she'll follow up with a swift but potent left hook before kicking Cherise in the stomach and backflipping away.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Cherise with Strong Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-======|=======\=====--\1 Cherise
So much more ... aggressive!
Not that Cherise is complaining, mind, she doesn't really have the time. Trying to get up from the chair she had haphazardly fallen back into, the silver-haired assassin feels the might of the fist first crashing down over her head. Her face whips angrily to the left, and the kick sends her slamming backwards into the chair, flipping it backwards while she tumbles over it and falls head over heels. Stunned, it takes her a moment to even start blinking, forcing her eyes to refocus. Her hands arch backward and slide behind her head, her body moving irregardless of the condition it's in and how much blurriness and white she's still seeing. Her back arches, her legs lift up, and she snaps like a whip to kip up to her feet in place.
She's not smiling as actively now-- it's a semi-dazed expression, the corners of her mouth quirked all the while the slick metallic taste of blood starts to trickle over her lip.
"Heheh..."
Sprinting on the spot, her muscles surve and her lithe frame springs into motion, one foot set to land on the upended seat of the chair and the other on the top of the headrest, using her momentum to ride it back into a correct position and slingshot her harder to the closer range of Hotaru. Cherise's arm launches forward at this point, thumb braced against the back of her index finger with the intent to drive it solidly into the martial artist's throat like it were a knife-- and with a burst of silver energy surging from the tip, briefly slam Hotaru's windpipe closed...
For more nefarious purposes, of course.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Cherise's Argent Rebellion.
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Hotaru 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Cherise
Normally Hotaru would slow about now - see if her opponent was finished with the fight at hand. There is no need to push the other beyond their ability to continue, after all, and attacking more than necessary just isn't in her nature. Normally. Right now Hotaru doesn't seem to care. Cherise is still moving and that means she hasn't realized that her attempts to fight back are futile. Unfortunately for her, as the small fighter clenches her fists and waits for the incoming retaliation.
Cherise's arm slams forward as she catapults herself closer to the agile fighter but the Kenpo artist is ready for the attack this time, arms coming up, bracing for the impact. The shot at her throat is never gained, the girl's windpipe left to continue functioning just fine. Stumbling backward, the girl barely manages to absorb the impact of physical contact and that deadly silver energy, her arms aching with pain as Hotaru releases a surprised gasp. Okay, that hurt!
Shaking her head, Hotaru's eyes widen slightly, the girl focusing back on Cherise with a bit of a scowl. "This has gone on long enough," she states, clenching her right fist out at her side, her forearm awash with the more familiar blue chi most have seen her utilize in the past. "You had your chance, but I'm not the girl I was when last we fought. You don't stand a chance against me... it's ridiculous to keep trying."
And then comes the forward swing of her right arm, her fist unclenching, fingers extending forward as a familiar ball of chi comes hurtling toward Cherise's chest. Only, unlike when Hotaru normally uses the attack, the projectile has a spike in the center of it - that red, piercing chi she had utilized not long ago, right in the core of the ball of energy, ready to stab its way through the other woman should she not manage to avoid the incoming impact. "HAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Cherise with Hakki Shou EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Cherise
As much as people will laugh and say that she's crazy, there really is a method to the madness that Cherise Bouchard revels in-- uses, wraps around herself like a blanket and snuggle in comfortably. She's good at working out the probability of things, good at reading the moves of her opponents. Like most people, she's gotta be "good" at at least -something-.
But she still makes mistakes.
Her thumb crashes into Hotaru's forearm, the knife-like stab missing it's target through a well-placed and well-timed defense. Light on her feet, the French girl lets a short 'tch--' cross her clenched teeth while the toe of her boot starts to press down, to give her leg the ground it needs to push off and escape.
But she doesn't.
It's one of those weird moments where time stops and everything around you comes to a grinding halt. One of those moments where for a moment, your blood runs cold and you can see through time. The spike pierces her chest a little off-critical, a choked noise caught in her throat-- and then the blue chi it's laced with impacts. Driven back, vaulting her off that spike, her right arm whips back behind her and her legs swing back wildly to find some sort of purchase and keep her upright. Blood soaks through her dress through a nasty little hole, her lips quirking while eyeballing Hotaru.
And then she brings her right arm around to point furiously, her wire screaming through the air while it tries to wrap around the now-crazed martial artist's slender throat. She's seen this before-- she knows all too well how much it can hurt, too.
COMBATSYS: Cherise can no longer fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru reflects Argent Sniper from Cherise with Kobi Kyaku.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|
The spike of chi fades eventually and the vibrant, energetic blue does likewise, and then Hotaru lowers her right arm slowly, the swirling sapphire hued chi around her forearm fading slowly. "Hopefully that makes it clear - the gap that exists between us now," the girl states grimly, eyes only glancing at the blood seeping into Cherise's dress with some amount of indifference. If she's satisfied in her little 'revenge', it certainly isn't reflected on her face.
But her attention is there to catch sight of the incoming wire and unlike previous problems the girl has had in dealing with the deadly weapon inbound for her throat, she manages to deflect it handily, left hand coming up first, a swath of red-orange energy trailing behind, right hand coming up secondly, touching the other end of the energy wake and stretching it out into a thin, translucent barrier that more than protects her throat from getting entangled as the energy imbued wire simply bounces off the barrier she's created.
Lowering her hands, the shield vanishes as Hotaru stares back at Cherise, her mouth a tight lipped line. "Don't bother making it any worse for yourself. I've barely had to try." the girl snaps, turning around, a dismissive wave of her arm out at her side. "What was it you said when we first met? If I gave you a good fight you wouldn't break my arms? I guess I'll give you the same favor this time." Oh yes, she remembers well their first encounter.
Her waving arm lowered, the girl begins to stride toward the exit from the furniture store. "Ja ne."
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
There's a gap, sure. But will that stop Cherise from fighting this girl in the future? Will it keep her from going ahead and throwing everything she's got at her in the future?
Of course not.
But there comes another moment where the smile disappears from Cherise Bouchard's face, the moment when her weapon strikes that thin barrier and rebounds-- shooting back at her and the small sharp weight blazing right beyond her face, leaving a thin red cut on her cheek.
Standing there in a degree of shock she normally doesn't show, Cherise's head tips back and her lips quiver. The corners of her mouth lift and her eyes lull closed. "Haha-- ha--"
And then her body shudders with a violent, racking cough. As she drops, a gout of blood escapes her mouth, and she falls back into the same recliner she had rested in only just before. Slumping down a bit in the seat, her hand lingers at her chest and runs through the blood like she were checking to see if it were real. The smile's gone from her face, but there's no more surprise, glaring at the slick red on her fingers like it were someone she wasn't actually glad to see for once in her life.
Her mannerisms seem almost drunken at this point, her head wobbling slightly as she turns to look at the producer off to the cameraman's side. "You know, this is never going to come out of this chair."
With a light thwap, her hand falls to her thigh and her head tilts back, finally succumbing to unconsciousness.
Log created on 23:27:42 02/26/2008 by Hotaru, and last modified on 16:02:07 02/29/2008.