Description: Stuck on a boat in the ocean, it's a merry pirating fun filled time for Tenma, Ayame, and Adelheid. A fun filled time that goes south real fast when the Gedo student takes the opportunity to get some much sought answers from the young mercenary when she has no chance to escape. While Adelheid stays out of the fued at first, when the truth comes to light, the Guardian Kings may have found themselves a new ally? ( Winner: ??? )
Lately, the whole 'piracy' thing has become kind of commercialised, you know? Movies and video games and who knows what else, so naturally it's something that's going to be capitalised on by Saturday Night Fight... Whenever they feel they can get away with it. There's a certain poetry to Tenma's presence here, given that his own friend and teammate, one Kenji Ashima, became the first ever SNF Junior League champion in pirate costume, on a pirate ship.
And now, Tenma is here... But pretty much just to beat up Adelheid.
So it comes to pass that the Guardian King leader is sitting on a barrel on the deck of the reconstructed pirate ship, and he is indeed dressed in a manner most piratical - and he doesn't look too pleased about it. Pirate-shirted, with an unbuttoned naval coat over it, his pants are a bit too baggy and tucked into knee-high boots with turned-down tops... Yeah, he feels like an idiot.
Especially with the parrot on his shoulder, which might seem fake at first glance... But, oh no, it's a real one, and it's hanging on for dear life.
A faint sneer crosses the Gedo swordsman's face as he sits there, both hands balanced on the butt end of his bokken, which is resting point-down against the deck. If he is a pirate, well, he looks like he's about ready to keel-haul somebody. Arr, indeed.
"I can't imagine why this ever went out of style," Ayame remarks, hopping down to the central deck of the boat intended to be the setting for this weekend's fight. With brown knee high boots with the tops folded down just like Tenma's, the girl is definitely dressed the part. It was fairly non-negotiable for participating in the fight after all. Tight black pant sworn under an oversized, long, baggy tan blouse with a broad black leather belt around her waist is topped finally by the pirate hat resting at a bit of an angle atop her head.
Her left hand grips a long, metal staff that she prompty props against the ground and leans against somewhat lazily. Her right hand is occupied by twirling a real rapier around idly. "So are we supposed to be good pirates or bad pirates?" she asks Tenma, easily picking up on the young man's irritation with the entire setup and more than happy to push the buttons of even her intended teammate.
"I guess bad pirates, since that other guy has to fight by himself and that tends to make him the hero..." She looks a bit disappointed, "Oh well, I suppose it's okay to be the villain for once." Standing up straight, she tosses the sword into the air and catches it on its way back down, slipping it into the sheath attached to her belt. "Doesn't mean we can't win. Just means the odds are against us."
The staff is shifted up to rest against her shoulder, the girl tapping it idly, studying Tenma to see if she's annoyed him enough yet or not. "Oh, yeah, my name's Ayame by the way. Hope you're any good, I don't want to have to do all the work."
"But I'm already dressed like a pirate." The young Bernstein informs the fight staff, rather all-too-seriously. It's an uphill battle any time Howard's corporate types try to get Adelheid in a costume, but that only seems to redouble their efforts. He eventually accepts the hat, and swaps out his t-shirt for the swashbuckler's vest. It'll show off the lithe Bernstein's muscles well, says the one wardrobe agent. Adelheid tries not to roll his eyes. The boots are just plain cool, all black leather as is his general style, and let's face it... his black fatigue pants were already pretty damn baggy.
A swordbelt or parrot is just overboard though, it'd get in the way! He does thoughtfully tuck the antique, single-shot pistol into his boot, however. Then: the platinum blonde is sent forth to 'capture' the vessel. A small longboat brings him up alongside the vessel, and with Tenma and Ayame milling about amidships, it's a relatively simple thing to grapple up a secreted rope ladder, and into the ship's rigging. He does what he can to keep mast or folded sail between himself and his opponents, apparently planning to simply creep upwards and lurk... passing the moments until the signal to begin. He's seen the pair he's up against tonight in other matches... they're good, but the more challenging the odds the more interesting the fight.
Compared to some of the legends SNF has placed him up against, these two may not be the most weathered teachers, but as the Bernstein heir himself proves, it's not always the number of seasons. The wind shifts, the boat rocks, ocean lapping at its sides. The sea breeze is strong out here, somewhere between warm and cool, the fresh spray carrying into every clear breath. Breathe deep, focus... it's time to send a couple of scurvy pirates right overboard.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid has started a fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
COMBATSYS: Ayame has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
COMBATSYS: Tenma has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|
As Ayame speaks, something strange happens. Something... Almost unheard of in the history of the universe.
Tenma Kiryuu remains silent.
Indeed, it's not until the diminutive thief introduces herself that the Gedo swordsman reacts at all, his dark blue eyes turning towards Ayame. "Oh, really? You're Ayame, huh?" The thing is: He already knew that. The name, the general appearance... Uh, minus the pirate costume. Tenma's moments haven't been idle since that phone call, oh no.
Straightening up from his seat, the lean youth lifts his left hand to his face, biting into the flesh of his thumb, drawing blood. With that blood, of course, Tenma paints a red stripe down the blade of his everpresent bokken, forging the chi link between himself and his weapon; a single swipe through the air sets the wooden blade alight with a misty, smoky aura of mingled blood and chi, the two so closely intertwined as to be the same thing.
Watching Ayame sidelong, the taller fighter rolls his neck and shoulders, without seeming to much disturb the /very/ complacent parrot on his shoulder. "Just don't get in my way, trash." Tenma says finally, towards the blonde. He doesn't introduce himself. He's kind of a jerk.
Ayame doesn't know the first thing about Tenma, which is why when he says nothing at first, she makes nothing of it. He looks about as unhappy to be here as anyone might, feathered shoulder blingage aside. He reacts to her name though and the teen fighter nods, responding with a broad grin. She finds the antics Howard's people put fighters through each week fairly amusing even if it's happening to her, which is why she doesn't seem the least bit put out by the venue.
As Tenma gets up and draws his bokken, Ayame squints, opens her mouth, intent on making some snide remark about the weapon like no doubt countless fighters have done before her, when the Gedo student goes and paints his blood along its surface with his thumb, causing the girl to button back up, skepticism replaced with a slight show of curiosity. "Is that just for show, because I don't think pira-" He swipes it through the air and it seems to come alive with energy, an unmistakeable aura coursing over its surface, and she falls quiet again. That's a unique bond with a weapon right there if she's ever seen one, and she's not about to make fun of that. "...oh."
He tells her to not get in his way and Ayame shrugs, not seeming to be offended by the remark. She was, after all, trying to pass the time by getting him riled up, so the insult hardly comes as a surprise. "That would imply I had any intention of taking your hits for you, and that's not gonna happen." The staff resting against her shoulder is twirled off, Ayame jabbing it out in the direction Adelheid has come to lurk.
"I think our company has arrived." she remarks, staring intently toward a sail flapping in the wind. "Time to make him walk the plank!"
An interesting ritual indeed... Adelheid may not have any sort of clear view of Tenma's little exchange with his weapon, but the platinum blonde can certainly feel the thrumming power created subsequently. Instincts prickle just that much further when Ayame senses the hunter, and the corsair wraps a length of rope about his hand twice, and leaps outward over the ship. Cameras swap and pan to catch the Berinstein prodigy's daring descent, arcing around and down, finally launching himself right in on the ornery pirates. Avast! Have at ye, knave.
One heavy, swashbuckling bootheel leads the driven offensive, seeking to plow the observant blonde with a full-on flying kick. The idea is to land smoothly, and pivot about to axe a second strike around and down into her temple, "The right idea would be to surrender, unless you really prefer the plank to the brig." Adelheid observes regardless, an entertained smirk on his features as he throws himself into the proverbial fray.
Two armed, and rather odd warriors arrayed against him, tonight.... it's unconventional, to be sure, and not in the least what the Bernstein heir is used to. It doesn't seem he's losing sleep over that little fact, however. Wildcards are his bread and butter, and learning to deal with these two, well. That should be an adventure in and of itself.
For a moment, just a moment, Tenma is conflicted. While he's usually more prone to outbursts of loud, sudden fury, at the moment the Gedo swordsman's anger is cold, razor-sharp. So, for a moment, even as Ayame makes her declaration about their 'company', Tenma has to choose between biding his time, or...
...But Adelheid's appearance almost forces him to put off the decision for now. The Bernstein heir is probably too likely to remain a nuisance, so as Adel attacks Ayame with his paired kicks, Tenma moves. Lunging at their landed opponent, the bokken-wielding pirate actually tries to move /past/ Adelheid, aiming a slash from the elbow across the back of the other young man's neck. "I bet blondie over there knows loads 'bout brigs," Tenma sneers as he strikes, apparently talking /to/ Adel!
COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Adelheid's Double Tomahawk.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|
Oh hell that's fast. Ayame's eye widen as Adelheid leaps to the offensive, shifting the titanium staff up into the path of his incoming kick. The boot heel drives into the weapon, sending the girl sliding backward with a quiet grunt. That /hurt/. But Adelheid isn't finished, his axe kick coming down for a follow up, leaving the girl forced to spin around and catch his foot by the ankle, bracing her staff with both her hands against the force the Bernstein heir can strike with.
Muscles bracing against the crushing force, Ayame spins sideways, lowering her staff to let Adelheid's foot slide down the length of it if he doesn't recover from the kick in a cleaner fashion, all leading up to a swift sweep of the low end of the weapon toward his other ankle, aiming to upset his balance and leave him easy pickings for Tenma's incoming strike!
COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Tenma's Medium Strike.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid blocks Ayame's Medium Strike.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|
Lashing out against resilient stave and ready guard wasn't really the ideal plan, but it's nothing that throws the Bernstein heir off his game. As quickly as Ayame reacts, she strikes back. Unfortunately for Ayame, Adelheid recovers his momentum and drops low even as he pushes off her defense, a braced hand slamming down atop the sweeping staff. It stings, but it also forestalls the strike, and in the next blink of an eye, the Bernstein prodigy vaults away. Flexing both bent legs, Adel launches himself into an abrupt and rather gracefully fluid backflip. Rather than being off-balance for Tenma's assault, the corsair is airborne, landing with a thump as his boots touch down on the wooden deck a moderate span away, closer to the fore mast.
"More than I'd care to." Adelheid responds calmly, "So I take it you're picking the plank, then?"
Grinning slightly, rather than charging, Adelheid drops low and in one sudden movement, draws and fires the single-shot hammer and black-powder sidearm right at Tenma. Tiny cannonballs hurt, however old-fashioned.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Tenma with Thrown Object.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 0/-------/-----==|
"Tch," mutters Tenma as Adelheid avoids his slash, tensing slightly before suddenly moving to the side. Not quite quickly enough, unfortunately, as the shot from the black-powder pistol grazes his side, laying open shirt and adding more blood to what he drew intentionally before, but... Well, it probably could've been worse, right?
Gritting his teeth through the pain, the Gedo swordsman decides to just keep on keeping on - at least for the moment - and rushes forward along the deck, charging headlong directly at Adelheid. Since the other young man is obligingly crouching to fire his pistol, Tenma, though off-balance because of the whole 'just got shot' issue, tries to drive his knee right into Adel's face.
Adelheid's banter brings a faint grin to Ayame's lips. She likes a good dialogue when engaged in fights, and but for the swift pressure he had brought to bear right on the outset she would have likely had something to say by now. But once Adelheid turns his focus to Tenma with that old fashioned gun, the girl gets a second to catch her breath, pulling her staff back, her arms aching just a little from the effort of having stopped his kick. She's already learned by now that when she's tossed into these two verses one matches, the solo fighter packs a serious punch.
Tenma gets shot and Ayame casts a sideglance his way. Doesn't look too bad. He'll be all right. Just more blood for his bokken, right? "Try hitting him next time," she remarks as Tenma goes on the offense again. Full of useful advice, this one is. As for her? She simply hangs back, leaving Tenma to fend for himself against the handicapped pirate hero of this episode. There's some kind of history between the two, but she has no information with which to put together the bigger picture.
"You two make smashing pirates. Though mind the bird," she remarks. From a distance, the girl takes time to get a better feel for Adelheid's style of fighting, cross referencing his stance, his speed, the direction of his attacks with as many styles she can think of to try and pin it down. The more you know... 'n all that.
COMBATSYS: Ayame focuses on her next action.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid interrupts Random Weapon from Tenma with Genocide Cutter.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 1/-------/=======|
It looks like Ayame gets her wishes, not that Tenma's likely to be pleased by that. Not only does he hit, but the armed blonde girl gets a perfect picture of Bernstein in motion. Unfortunately for the bokken-wielding warrior, the crouch, pistol-aiming and all... was little more than bait. The firearm, spent, is dropped to the deck, even as Adelheid shifts his weight, and launches himself directly into Tenma's charging leap. The knee grazes painfully into his chest, but the Bernstein prodigy's upwards momentum proves mightier...
... and then some, as it redoubles, his right leg axeing upwards in a rising, reaving kick that rends the air about his swashbuckler boot with a cleaving edge of luminescent, silvery chi. The sudden, intensive windshear couples with the deadly path of his booted foot to make Adelheid's attempt to tear Tenma in two a terrible reality.
The young Bernstein twists once, coming about in midair, already preparing his momentum for the landing, as the Guardian King heads to his likely less graceful reunion with the ship.
This proves to be... Somewhat unfortunate for Tenma, you know? The Guardian King meets one hell of a kick for his trouble, Adelheid's variaton on that painful technique turning out to be plenty enough for the likes of the Gedo High student.
Flung back by the power of the Genocide Cutter, Tenma does indeed crash rather painfully into the deck; it should be noted that throughout, the parrot - demonstrating a keen sense of self-preservation - actually /left/ Tenma's shoulder. Only now, as he slowly pushes himself back up, does it choose to resettle, fluttering its wings placidly.
Tenma, meanwhile, spits up a big gob of blood onto the deck.
It seems that the incident has taught Tenma to be a bit more cautious though, as he hangs back and keeps his eyes open, bokken held up and generally crosswise in front of him, defensively. Maybe he just really needs a moment or two, after that crushing kick?
COMBATSYS: Tenma focuses on his next action.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 1/-------/=======|
That was a bit more of a show than Ayame was hoping for as Tenma gets introduced to a very distinct combination of painful, chi laced kicks that send him collapsing back to the deck from out of the air. She opens her mouth, looking like she's about to give Tenma another bit of sage advice, before clamping it closed without saying a word. No, right now she's going to need to do /her/ part.
Reaching up to her throat, she pulls open the blouse just enough to get her hands on a set of chains drapped loosely over her shoulders. Pulling them out quickly, the girl begins to spin them at her side. A set of bolas, chains linked by a ring at the center, and three decently heavy, condensed weights at the ends of them. "Let's slow this guy down a bit," she mutters, whipping her arm up and to the side, sending the spinning projectile Adelheid's way.
The target is his shins. Tangle him up a bit and the two might be able to land a couple choice strikes after all!
COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Ayame's Hijacked.
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Ayame 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tenma 1/-------/=======|
Adelheid's footing is regained almost immediately as he touches down out of the legendary - some would say infamous - Bernstein technique. The brutally efficient hybrid martial art is difficult to pin down, bearing resemblance to and influences from so many styles, both Eastern and Western in flavor. A sudden shift in momentum sees Adelheid moving faster than his vest does, were he to wear a duster the effect would be quite dramatic: he all but glides aside, with blurring, singular suddenness. A fighter's eyes may track a little better, and Ayame had better hope so. Tenma may be momentarily floored, but the cagey little blonde girl just sent nasty looking chain bolas hurtling through the space he very consciously /no longer occupies/. Eyes narrow, a wolfish half-grin creeps onto his lips, but that's all the time there is in the instant it takes him to realign, and focus a similar burst of chi-fueled momentum in a graceful rush targeted to disrupt Ayame's offensive rather abruptly.
Coming up short, arm's length, Adelheid's weight shifts, feet plant, and his right fist all but -shoots- out in a vicious, face-level straight, "We'll confiscate all those nasty toys with this ship, I think!"
There's no doubt about it: Adelheid is strong. On another day, Tenma would probably be getting quite into this little fracas, whatever the outcome. But today... Today there's a funny confluence of events, and it's possible that the Guardian King might be able to make good use of it. Today, this isn't about fun, or testing skills. This is personal.
"Oh, hey, Ayame," Tenma says, suddenly, his tone elaborately casual, like the setup for a taunt. "I was wonderin' somethin', maybe you can help me out here." The Gedo swordsman starts moving then, perhaps while Ayame is dealing with Adelheid's attack, or maybe just before; either way, Tenma is rushing forward, holding his distinctive weapon up with both hands on the hilt, the red aura raging violently. This is the moment, perhaps, when everything turns around.
This is the moment where Tenma Kiryuu turns on Ayame.
That chi-emanating bokken slashes down at the petite blonde, a vicious strike with both solid, blessed wood and raging blood-chi behind it, a diagonal slash aimed to disable; at the 'bottom' of the slash, Tenma reverses the blade, slashing back /upwards/ to create a shallow V-shape in a blood-red afterimage, and as he strikes he gets to the point, his tightly contained, razor sharp fury bursting into flame: "WHERE IS STASYA VORONKOVA?!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame endures Tenma's Ungyou!
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Ayame 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 1/----===/=======|
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Medium Punch from Adelheid with Requiem For Fallen Blossoms.
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Ayame 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 1/----===/=======|
Rugal's boy proves his speed as he manages to be out of the path of the whirling bolas, leaving the weighted chains impacting against the side of the boat and falling uselessly to the deck. But he isn't so fast that the experienced young fighter can't track him, turning swiftly, her metal staff igniting with a flare of vibrant red energy.
It's in that moment she realizes that Tenma's words a split second before weren't just idle, useless banter, his shout punctuating an attack sent her way from behind. Already committed to trying to contend with Adelheid's strike, it's all the girl can do to brace forself for the V-shaped slashes into her back, elicting a painful gasp as she pushes on with her retaliation against Adelheid all the same.
Catching his fist with an upward swing of her staff, the girl spins into a followup combination of strikes, left and right, aiming at about the level of his torso, her own speed and momentum significantly increased by the impact from Tenma.
Spinning out of her last strike, stumbling backward as she recovers from having to deal with both of the fighters at once, she manages to catch herself just before she would have fallen over by propping her staff against the ground behind her. Brown eyes widened as she regards Tenma like he's completely lost his mind.
"The Russian girl? I haven't seen her in months!" Ayame snaps back, her mind quickly trying to make sense of who Tenma really is and what he has to do with the captured Gedo student. A quick glance is cast Adelheid's way, the girl rather certain he's not likely to stand still while the two supposed partners tear into each other.
Any other day, this one included, Adelheid would be glad to test his mettle against a capable duo... but it seems that in this instance, the duo has other plans. Adelheid sees Tenma's intended target a moment before Ayame feels the impact, but it's too late to abort his ill-fated charge. The girl goes with the momentum, and the energized staff batters Adelheid backwards, his footing struggling to keep up with his suddenly reversed velocity. He staggers clear, managing to avoid ending up flat on his rear, his crimson eyes scanning from Ayame to Tenma, and back, "Stasya Voronkova. Well. Women are always inspiring mutinies." Adel observes, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice. Just what are these two involved in?
He fights here to get away from ridiculous stakes like this, "And it's not like it's difficult to get pirates to mutiny." At which point he's more mulling, than anything. He doesn't know any of the fighters involved well... which makes it hard to throw down his proverbial chips, just this moment.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid takes no action.
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Ayame 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 1/----===/=======|
At the moment, Tenma probably couldn't care less what Adelheid does or doesn't do; he's focused, almost completely, on his 'prey' at the moment. The match is a very distant secondary concern at /best/, because even for someone like Tenma, there are more important things than fights, or win/loss records.
"Liar," Tenma spits in reply to Ayame, advancing on the petite blonde. "I know she was goin' t' meet up with ya, said you had somebody you wanted her to see." That chi-emanating bokken swings forward, the point thrust out directly at Ayame as the Guardian King gets closer. "An' I know you were involved in kidnappin' her." One of his teammates. One of his friends.
In the past, Tenma has been angry, and he's been furious. He's felt betrayed, repeatedly during the Jinchuu tournament, he's been filled with fury at opponents, at enemies, at his rivals among the Pacific Resistance. But this is completely different. One of the people he's responsible for is gone, and he knows Ayame is responsible for it. So, what's he going to do about it?
"So let's make a deal, Ayame." It's unusual for Tenma to use a person's actual name - or at least the one they choose to go by. Usually, if he does so, it's an acknowledgement of respect; in this case, it's an assertion that he can 'get at' her. He knows something about her. "You tell me where Voronkova is, an' you don't interfere with me gettin' her back... An' in return, I /don't/ break every bone in your body an' leave your ass in a ditch somewhere."
Regardless of what else Ayame says or not, Tenma lunges forward again... But he sweeps his bokken back, out of the way, striking with his left fist in a quick series of carefully placed, controlled punches, each one designed to disrupt the flow of chi through the other fighter's body, as he tries to force her back with the flurry of strikes, to put her off-balance... "Sounds like a deal to me!!"
COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Ayame with Flow Breaker.
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Ayame 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Adelheid
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Tenma 1/---====/=======|
Adelheid holds his ground, which gives Ayame time to focus on Tenma, starting off with bold faced denial only to find out that the young man knows a lot more than she had anticipated him knowing. He knows about the meeting... Stasya must have texted him more than the girl realized if he even knew she was off to introduce him to someone...
He advances and Ayame backs up, matching his steps with her own backstepping until she finds her shoulders up against the wooden wall seperating the deck from the captain's quarters. She doesn't seem to have an answer to the very clear, unambiguous accusation. "Look," she starts to reply, right hand coming up, left hand keeping a grip on her staff.
A deal is offered but she isn't interested, the girl attempting to slip to the side only to get smacked by Tenma's series of rapid strikes and knocked back against the wall for her trouble. The nature of his attack registers to her quickly as she realizes he's just targetted her chi control as well. Tightening her hold on the staff, the girl grits her teeth. Point blank denial seems ineffective off hand. He isn't going to be convinced by words.
"How about this deal," she snaps back, pressing herself against the wall, "You take your futilie inquisition elsewhere and I won't make a call that would undoubtedly shave precious years off your dear friend's life span. Capiche?" Accompanying the 'offer' is a quick attempt to grab Tenma's boken weilding arm with her right hand, slamming her staff down to the deck in order to try and provide an easy means of pulling him forward and tripping him over it, making it easy for her to slip out of being cornered for the moment if successful.
Kidnapping. Adelheid's features lose the entertained light, sobering dramatically. He's brushed up against human trafficking more than once... and it's bred a rather keen distaste for all associated artforms. The young Bernstein's teeth grit as we watches Tenma and Ayame clash at the edge of the ship, still holding his ground. But holding his ground becomes somewhat more appearance than reality, as more and more of the Bernstein prodigy's inner strength flows to the fore, the wind shifting about him, a tremendous spray of ocean blasting up behind him, on the opposite edge of the ship, "If you're involved in kidnapping other children..." Yes, the younger boy seems to be talking down to Ayame, "The last thing you should be doing is compounding the mistake with further threats."
Nope, it's not something he enjoys hearing... and the interloper on this pirate voyage faces down the crew with renewed fervor, his ire settling on Ayame as well. It may not match Tenma's fury, by any means... but what the Bernstein prodigy lacks in personal involvement, he more than makes up for in sheer fighting talent, the threat hanging heavy in the air by force of gathered chi, whether Ayame buys it or not, "Looks like you walked right into it, time to own up and deal with it." Not that an adversary that's kidnapping and threatening is liable to listen to such urgings.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid assists Tenma.
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Ayame 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Adelheid
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Tenma 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Tenma interrupts Quick Throw from Ayame with Dead End Breaker.
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|=======\=------\1 Adelheid
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Tenma 0/-------/-----==|
It's a bit vexing to Tenma, when his swordarm is caught by Ayame. The vexation shows in the young pirate-costumed man's expression, and well, it's not like he can say that Ayame's counter-offer doesn't have a certain visceral impact.
Unfortunately for Ayame, that impact is 'making Tenma angrier'.
The threat of Adelheid's increased presence is also noted by Tenma, his own rather well-honed sense of chi intruding on his otherwise singleminded focus, but he doesn't let it distract him too much. When Ayame starts to guide him into a trip with her grip on his right arm, Tenma's response is immediate.
He knees her, full force, right in the stomach.
"You little bitch, you wanna mess around with me?!" Tenma demands, wrenching his arm free of Ayame's grip painfully, following his attack up with a ferocious slash from his chi-emanating bokken. "Threaten my friends on top a' kidnappin' 'em for your sex pervert pals?!" Wait, what? Ahh, whatever, Tenma's on a roll. "HOW ABOUT--" Another slash, and then another. "--YOU JUST--" His free fist slugs Ayame right across the face, before he rears back, and lunges headfirst at the blonde girl, smashing his forehead right into her poor, poor face. "--DIE!!!"
Wherever Ayame ends up, fallen on her back or pressed against the wall, Tenma is there, looming over her. That chi-emanating bokken slams down one last time, but not to strike her, no; it drives point-first into the wood beside her head, be it the deck or the wall, and Tenma stares down at the other fighter, dark blue eyes without mercy or pity. "/WHERE IS STASYA VORONKOVA?!/"
Uh oh, the third party is not so neutral in this matter. There's a decisive weight bearing down on the girl, almost to the point of it being hard for her to find her breath. Not that that's going to keep her from twisting Tenma to the deck if she can help it... Of course he has other plans.
The knee to her stomach puts a decisive stop to Ayame's antics, the girl gasping with pain, mouth agape as he twists his arm free. Stunned, she's an easy target for the subsequent slash that sends her stumbling back against the wall again. Slashed again, the following blow takes her clean off her feet, sending her reeling sideways with a stumble before his fist knocks her right back the other way before she gets too far, lining her up perfectly for the headbutt to the face that finally sends her collapsing to her knees, her staff flat against the deck at her side.
Head bowed, hair having fallen forward over her shoulders, the young bandit gasps for breath, blood dripping to the wooden deck beneath her head, a gash on her temple, a bleeding nose, and a busted lip all contributing to a rather gastly mess when coupled with the marks left by Tenma's own unique brand of chi binding.
For the longest moment it seems she has no intention of moving, the gears in her mind spinning as she tries to figure out her options only to find everything coming up blank. Even the threat to make a call was merely a bluff, and not a very good one, seeing as how they're in the middle of the ocean and she didn't bring her phone anyway...
When she finally moves it is with pressing her hands against the deck, staggering backward, propping herself up with her staff, both hands gripping it tightly for support as she glares back at Tenma with a certain intensity rare for the girl that never takes other people seriously.
One hand drops down to the center of her staff and applies pressure to a hidden button. From the top end of the weapon three blades extend, forming ninety degree angles from each other, forming a sort of bladed cross, turning the weapon from a bludgeoning sort into a lethal spear. Around her feet energy begins to build up, forming a spiral of chi. Hot, red, angry, the tight lipped girl glares back at Tenma, the spear in her hand collecting much of the chi she gathers around her.
"If you're lucky, you'll never know," she speaks up at last, her voice somewhat marred by her likely broken nose, her normally pretty face a complete wreck. "No one should have to know what she's going to go through; maybe already experiencing right now. You should just give up the search. If you ever see her again... she probably won't even be the girl you know anymore. There's no way she could come out of this unchanged..."
Picking her spear up off the deck, she holds it at an angle in front of her, the energy build up slowing down a little, becoming more controlled as the girl braces herself. "Just go home, Tenma. There's nothing you can do."
COMBATSYS: Ayame gathers her will.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=------\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tenma 0/-------/----===|
Well then. It looks as if Tenma is making his point plenty clear all by his lonesome. Adelheid bears mute witness to the severe beating that's levelled on Ayame after she attempts to retort through her actions. ... and pays a rather hefty price. The boat shifts forward, lurching mildly on the current of a stronger wave, the fight bringing no small portion of rampant chi to a setting naturally suited for it. The ocean all but brims with raw power. Adelheid senses it, channels it... Ayame and Tenma seem to be doing similarly, willingly or not. As the blonde girl picks herself back up off the deck, he observes calmly, "And this is just a ship drifting in international waters, without the cameras." And the crew on another vessel not so far away, but hey. That doesn't sound nearly as ominous. The point is: Ayame is pretty much stuck here, at the moment.
He follows her following of his lead, summoning still more power to himself, the current of the ocean roaring through him, as surely as the crashing waves sound in his ears. Crimson eyes flare, Ayame's words getting a rise even out of Adelheid: He doesn't envy the girl's proximity to Tenma, just now, "If others are acting with your facilitation, it's only fair you pay the consequences, no?" A harsh lesson he's had to learn himself any number of times. Certain actions preclude the option to object later. The wind surges about Adelheid, visible torrents circling, then shockwaving outward. It's an entirely excessive coalescense of power, but then....
Kidnapping and pirates call for extreme measures.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid gathers his will.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tenma 0/-------/----===|
"Anythin' that happens to her, you'll get twice as bad." Tenma promises, meeting Ayame glare for glare. "You think I won't go through with it? You don't even know me, Ayame. You ain't got the foggiest clue what I'm capable of." The bladed protrusions on Ayame's staff are noted with a derisive snort, and as the girl's own chi gathers around her weapon, the bloody chi around Tenma's bokken seems to... Sharpen, is probably the word for it. Casually, almost lazily, he slices through the deck in a shallow line, straight and scalpel-fine. "That worth it, huh? You that loyal to your boss? 'cause..."
Tenma's expression changes now, finally, his mouth pulling into a vicious cheshire grin. "I'm gonna find that bitch too, an' when I do there won't be enough left of her t' wipe your drippy ass with. So c'mon, you pathetic little loser, bring whatever sad shit you've got left t' bring. I'll find Voronkova. I'll find your boss. An' I won't be alone. Think about it, just me was enough to wreck that face of yours bad enough you won't be able to turn any more tricks for your boss... Think 'bout how bad you're gonna get it when I show up with a whole goddamn /army/."
COMBATSYS: Tenma gains composure.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tenma 0/-------/-----==|
Adelheid speaks up and Ayame glances toward him, eyes narrowing, "This is none of your business," she spits, speckles of blood expelled from her mouth as she raises her right arm and rubs it across her face, uselessly smearing the blood present in no particularly helpful way. Looking back toward Tenma, the warning from Adelheid sinks in gradually. She really has no way out of this. Bernstein's boy makes a pretty formidable problem, and she can't help but feel the weight of his presence, his build up of chi, crushing down on the boat. Even if she beat Tenma, then what?
Loyal to her boss? Hn... no, no she really isn't. She practically guided Stasya into having a fighting chance of taking Marise down with her final, destructive explosion of psycho power... And right now it seems her options have run out completely.
"Fine..." she grunts, collasping to her knees, the chi build up around her fading away, collapsing back into the world from which she tore it as she no longer channels it through her body and her weapon. "She's in Metro city. The Capital Seven Casino..." Spitting a mouthful of blood to the deck, she silently curses and thanks the lack of any in close audio feeds for this fight. Marise... will hopefully not find out about this.
"She's not the only one, you know... there's others too. Another from your school even..." She reaches to her side, hand touching the center of her staff, the blades folding back into the end of it. "So now you know... not that it will do you any good... What do you think is going to happen if you show up with an army? Do you think /she/ is going to leave your friends unharmed? SHE has the power in this situation, not you. If you try to storm the place, I... well, you were warned."
The girl coughs, her right hand coming up to cover her mouth, before she finally looks up, glaring toward Tenma and Adelheid alike.
COMBATSYS: Ayame takes no action.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tenma 0/-------/-----==|
Ayame's surrender, answering the heavy questions posed by Tenma... albeit at the point of the proverbial gun... takes some of the wind out of Adelheid's sails. His arm relaxes, dropping to his side, some measure of his gathered chi ebbing back into the world around him, "Some crazy tied up with the casino is holding kids, and what, everyone is supposed to just stand down? Your little friends better hope they have some big guns paid off this time, though I'm willing to bet there's at least four others who'd love to help Tenma's head hunt." Adelheid smiles darkly. He's... rather personally acquainted with Blackjack and their business, and given the 'pit' arena in the Casino, it doesn't take much for him to conclude 2 and 2.
".. including myself. Who exactly do you think you are?" The hostility bubbles up again, and hey... there's a bit of built up agitation with such things, given his own situation. He's managed to keep his hands remarkably clean while still doing his 'job', and this is one area where it shows plain as day. The 'R' heir is hardly an up and coming, ruthless crimelord, "If an army would endanger the innocent, then it will have to be a more subtle strike: like a poisoned arrow straight to the heart." Hypothetically spoken, but still.
The dark gaze of the platinum blonde turns back to Tenma, then, "Think she'll run and warn them?" The implication is simple. Is Ayame still a threat? .... some aspects of Bernstein thought process are not so easily avoided.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid takes no action.
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Ayame 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tenma 0/-------/-----==|
Honestly, Tenma doesn't know Blackjack from Jack in the Box. He remained largely oblivious to their very existence during the events on the Suiryuu and Blacknoah - though, at least, not to a lot of the stuff they /did/ - which perhaps prevents him from being properly wary. The fact that he might be a little bit crazy right now isn't helping, either.
"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Tenma wonders of Ayame, tilting his head to regard her. When Adelheid speaks to him, the Guardian King looks over at the son of Rugal, and shrugs his shoulders a little - somehow, that goddamn parrot is still there - turning to face Adel more. "'course if she goes and warns 'em, then they'll know she's likely t' fold an' give 'em up when she thinks the chips are down for her. Guess that's what happens when you're a double-crossin' little rat, eh?" the latter is directed straight at Ayame, who Tenma's dark blue eyes turn to again. "Guess I should thank you proper for the help though," he muses.
And then suddenly explodes into a forward lunge at Ayame, aiming to catch her right in the throat with a vicious stab of his chi-emanating bokken; he at least 'blunts' the force, rather than trying for an explictly killing stroke... "...THIS ONE'S FOR VORONKOVA!!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame fails to counter Initial Breaker from Tenma with Final Solstice.
[ \ < > /////////////////////// ]
Ayame 0/-------/-======|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
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Tenma 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Ayame can no longer fight.
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Tenma 0/-------/-----==|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
Still kneeling, Ayame glances toward Adelheid as he speaks. She... came to this fight woefully uninformed, her knowledge about who the solo fighter was and what his connections were hadn't so much as crossed her mind. She hadn't done her homework. Which is obvious in that she showed up expecting to fight at Tenma's side. Had she looked into things ahead of time she'd have been rather scarce this weekend.
But she's starting to realize Adelheid is someone important. And he's taken interest in the entire mess. That... doesn't bode well. Brown eyes look away as he speaks, one eye squinted closed due to the blood from her head wound. "Whatever, it's not my problem," she grunts, only to look up as Tenma approaches. He's on the money with regards to her issuing a warning. The last she wants is for her employer to know about what she's done here and there's no way she could sound an alarm without giving it away. Marise would know. Secrets are hard to keep from her, even for the girl who tends to go to great lengths to keep her secrets.
"Oh shut up. I don't want your-!" she starts to retort as Tenma lunges forward with his chi laced bokken. Her hand lashes out, taking hold of her staff, and the girl rises up, intending to clash weapons with the Gedo student, the sheathed blades already extending from the top end of her polearm in mid-motion.
But Tenma has the advantage, striking from above, and she isn't seeing particularly clearly due to the lack of depth perception either. Thus Ayame's retaliation comes up shy, the spear-end of the staff stabbing out through empty air right past Tenma's head at the same time his blow finds hits its mark in her throat.
It's all she can take, the girl collapsing with a pained choking noise, her staff dropped to the ground with a metallic rattle as her hands come up to clutch at her throat. Back on her knees, her forehead rests against the deck as she gags, eyes shimmering against her will. She knew this day was coming from the moment Marise sent her on that damned mission to round up poor kids, but now that it's drawing nearer, the lack of control she has over the entire situation weighs heavily on the girl's mind.
Ohhhh. That's going to leave a mark, and probably hurt like hell in the morning. Adelheid watches with vague satisfaction as Tenma drops Ayame rather literally. For all her notable skill... here on this nefariously themed ship, the blonde girl was quite cornered. The coverage of the fight will have little trouble spinning it as dissent among OBVIOUS pirates, "True enough." Adelheid murmurs, accepting Tenma's words with simply a nod, and a mildly wolfish smirk, "Guess she's trapped, as certain as beaten. The people holding your friends... they're unpredictable, and heartless. You're on the money with the backstabbing part." Adelheid punctuates it with a displeased grunt. No honour amongst thieves makes the Bernstein prodigy a sad panda.
"Any other time I'd invite you to finish what we came here to do... but I think you have other priorities, here. If you need help..." Adelheid trails off, but the implications are clear. This is one of those situations where it's hard -not- to act... and one of those things that might confuse Rugal, when and if he heard about it. But that's another riddle, for another time.
And then there's the other question that should hang heavy in the night air to any with the sense to ponder it: Did Ayame bumble into her situation blindly, or was she consciously led?
That was probably totally unnecessary, but you know what? It made Tenma feel better. All warm and fuzzy inside. For a moment, he regards the blonde on the deck, before Adelheid's speaking reminds the Gedo swordsman that he's /still there/. Oh, right. The fight. Dark blue eyes swing back to Adelheid, and for a moment surprise registers on Tenma's face; surprise, perhaps, that Adel isn't going to take the obvious opportunity to win the match right there.
When he /doesn't/, though, and instead chooses to offer his help instead, Tenma's posture relaxes by a hair. His bokken rests against the shoulder that /doesn't/ have that surprisingly completely unruffled parrot still perched on it, and he visibly considers the other young man's words. Does he trust Adelheid? At the moment, Tenma has precious little trust to go around. "It's our problem," Tenma says, his first instinct to yield to his distrust of outsiders. But, if Ayame is right... For a moment, he regards the fallen girl, thoughtfully. "...But, can you help get three people into that casino or whatever? Subtle-like. We ain't exactly the sort they'd probably like wanderin' around."
Tenma Kiryuu, master of understatement.
Log created on 20:36:21 03/16/2008 by Ayame, and last modified on 14:58:00 03/19/2008.