Description: It's not Kiyoko's day. Really, it isn't. She's had to fight in an honest-to-God dunk tank, and now she has to walk home dripping wet and soaked to the skin. Which isn't a good state for any self-respecting 16-year-old girl to be in, especially around guys like, well, Ter. But it's okay, because Ter's a good man inside. Really. Yes, he's going to PROTECT his newfound princess against...well. Guys like Ter. Yes, there's something of a paradox there, but trust me, it all ends happily in the end.
It's afternoon going on evening in Southtown, and the day is being thankfully warm. It's not as nice as summer might be and still has a slight chill, but it's warm enough and the sun's out. The boardwalk was recently host to a spectacle, a Taiyo student and a Justice student fighting over a huge dunk tank, balls sold for money that would go back to the respective schools. The fight went wonderfully and much money was earned. Two schoolgirls were also unceremoniously tossed into the water several times, to the cheers of all.
But that event is over now, and it's time for those involved to go home. That leaves one Kiyoko Fukakami walking down the boardwalk towards the beach, where she'll make a turn and head back off to Justice High where a fresh change of clothes awaits.
Yes, she should have thought ahead and brought them with her. But she didn't so off she goes towards 'home', the fight freshly over so that she's absolutely soaking wet. Barefoot as she goes, a long trail of drips and drops leading back to the dunk tank, water runs off her almost constantly, the thick fabric that makes up her uniform having acted like a napkin to soak up water.
"I'm sure glad it was sunny out today. I'd be freezing to the bone if it were even a little colder." She hugs her arms around herself for a moment and then lets go, suddenly realizing that wet cloth also has the unfortunate property of sticking to flesh. That's... rather embarrassing! Especially since she's so annoyed with her thin frame. She tries to stop it from sticking with minimal successes. "Grr..."
Misery might be the order of the day for Kiyoko, and the wet clothes probably aren't doing much for her already poor health. Wet and beraggled, she's more than a little self-conscious, too.
Beauty, though, is in the eye of the beholder.
Or possibly the beer-holder.
Glass clinks against the wooden surface of the boardwalk, a few droplets of stale liquid oozing from the mouth of a limply held bottle to splatter against the ground. A voice groans, one eyelid cracking open against the sun.
With the festivities over, most of the crowd have dispersed by now. Nothing to see, they're moving along. However, there's still a few scattered souls lingering near the beach. A few kids playing in the surf, some older citizens reclining. The bored-looking guy at the snacks stand further down the waterfront.
And collapsed against one wooden beam of the boardwalk is someone who /didn't notice all the commotion in the first place/. All the sounds of the fight filtering down from far away, all that just barely woke him up.
Arthur "Ah Ter" Tian uncoils from his slumped position, spitting grit from his mouth - the fouled taste of sleep, along with literal pieces of sand blown in from the beach. He stretches woozily, muscles shifting beneath his wrinkled Hawaiian shirt, the sort of garment that looks like it's been slept in, largely because it has been. Still clutching the empty beer bottle in one hand, he rubs his wrist against his unshaven chin.
His other hand gropes vaguely for the front of his jeans, patting hither and yon but managing to completely miss the crucial release mechanism. Damn this newfangled clothing technology.
"...che," Ter mumbles, "toilet..."
He looks up, sweeping the visible boardwalk through half-lidded eyes, his finely honed radar scanning for targets.
> LOCK - TARGET ACQUIRED <
Though it's not exactly a toilet, is it?
Probably a good thing he was never able to find the front of his pants.
He lurches forward, stumbling unsteadily. In a loud voice, he calls out to Kiyoko:
"'ey, CHIO BU!"
The purple haired high school student continues on her way. She's not above talking to people- certainly some who hadn't witnessed the event are giving her odd looks, but right now she simply wants to get home. Though she isn't terribly cold now the air is going to cool off quickly as the day wears on, and she'd like to be in something nice and comfy by the time that happens.
Unfortunately for her a quick trip to the dorms is going to be interrupted in at least some small way. She hears a shout. A shout in a language she doesn't quite recognize. What she does recognize, however, is that there's a man staggering towards her. And what she sees does not impress her.
"Oh, god," she whispers to herself, and visibly speeds up by at least two steps, trying to move on by as fast as she can. What does she see in Ter? A man with extremely rumpled clothes, and a hideous demeanor who can't even seem to walk straight.
Seriously, from looks alone he's the type of guy mothers warn their daughters about. Take a picture and slap it up in a subway with 'Warning: Beware of Traingroper' beneath it and no one will miss a beat.
So what's Kiyoko's reaction to a guy like that calling out to her and walking her way? Escape. Now.
Hey, -hey- now, Ter's a young guy, your average urban twentysomething. Seriously. Well, admittedly not a male model superstar with rippling abs and glistening muscles or anything, but he's no monster to frighten small children with. He's even quite well-groomed...I mean, that is -artistic- stubble. Really.
Well. Okay, maybe, just MAYBE he might be a bogeyman...to frighten small female children with. The beer bottle dangling from his hand doesn't 'xactly add points to his Casanova Credentials. James Bond he ain't, not even the crappy George Lazenby version.
He stumbles, sneakers skidding on the wooden boards of the walkway. His fingers wrapped around the beer bottle, holding it up by the neck, Ter waves his arm frantically as his rubber soled shoes squeak into something vaguely resembling a run.
"Oi, OI," he protests, moving with surprising speed for a semi-conscious man, "whaaaaaat?! Come back, lah, I never say 'hi' you go home already?!"
Normally, this is where the encounter should end. Kiyoko simply walks along at her heightened speed, and whatever creep it is that was trying to get her attention either gives up or is outdistanced. There's nothing that indicates her that this time is going to be any different.
Of course she hears him calling out to her, but in her mind it's just a parting shot. She keeps walking. That's what you do in these situations right?
So imagine her surprise when she takes a parting glance over her shoulder and he is -right- -there-. It startles her. "Gah!" Now, were she more used to situations like this she'd probably break into a run about now, but the sheer absurdity of it all catches her completely off guard and causes perhaps the worst reaction at all. She stops, and turns around.
"W-what do you want?" she demands with forceful presence.
"Aiyah," Ter manages, as he comes to a halt, miraculously managing to do this without falling over. He bends forward, spine curved, one hand resting on his knee. His chest rises and falls as he draws a heavy breath. Then, still hunched over, he lifts his head, bringing it up at the neck. Just enough for his eyes to meet Kiyoko.
Okay. Enough for his eyes to meet Kiyoko. Not Kiyoko's eyes. Or even her face.
Well, points for effort, anyway, right?
He squints against the bright seaside sun, screwing his face up. "I see you like that.../Ah Nia/," he stresses the phrase with a hint of appreciation, "but...even -I- know something wrong, siah?"
He waves his bottle-clutching hand at the girl, sticking two fingers out past the glass neck to point at Kiyoko's sodden appearance, water soaking through her outfit and clinging to her body.
"Accident ah, melocok too much is it?"
Yep, shoulda started running. Now she's gotten herself into an entirely uncomfortable situation. The squinting really doesn't do anything to make him look any less creepy or more attractive, either. Kiyoko stands there exasperated as he talks to her.
"No," she states, feeling glad to be able to prove he's wrong and shove his wrongness in his face. "There wasn't any accident at all. I just," uh... "Went for a swim." Yea, that's probably the quickest way to cover it!
And that's when she turns around, clearly not impressed with the beer bottle holding, rumpled man who just woke up after falling asleep on the side of a public boardwalk. Certainly, she thinks, that should be that. She took his words and threw them back at him and is now thankfully on her way back to Justice. Hopefully this is the last she'll see of that man.
"Waitwaitwaitwait," Ter says hurridly, "wait lah..."
He rocks back upright, coming dangerously near to overbalancing and falling on his ass. His arms windmill briefly as he regains some vestige of balance, the sleeves and trailing edge of his rumpled shirt billowing. As he regains his balance, he starts tu shrug the unbuttoned garment off. It isn't -nearly- as bad as it sounds, mind you, considering he's wearing a perfectly servicable t-shirt beneath, protecting his dignity and sparing Kiyoko the sight of his chest hair.
A brief spasm and he's got the brightly-coloured cotton shirt mostly off. Though he appears to be having trouble getting the rolled up right sleeve past his right hand and wrist.
This may be something to do with the fact he's still holding the beer bottle in that hand.
"...oi, oi, c'mon lah, pretty girl like you can't walk around like that. Maybe you borrow my shirt, ha?"
Yes, it's an offer she CAN refuse.
Oh dear. Kiyoko turned around just in time to see him start to take off his shirt. Despite her efforts he -still- doesn't seem to be getting it. A sigh escapes her. This would be so much easier if she could just flick a switch, go crazy bitch and tell him off, and then be on her way. But she's just not like that.
So that leaves her stopping -again- turning back around, (what is she thinking?), and letting out a sigh. "No, really, I'm fine. The only real 'danger' I'm in from walking around like this is strange guys coming up and pestering me." Yes, Ter, that's you. "I'll be fine if I can just get home and change."
She really sounds more annoyed and just wanting to be on her way than anything. "And by the way? That shirt probably won't even begin to dry me off. Sorry."
Ter looks poleaxed, his head drawing back, eyes wide, mouth opening in a distinctly uncomplimentary manner, showing far too many teeth. He scratches his head - with the rim of the beer bottle, the glass rubbing against his scalp between strands of black and blond-dyed hair.
"'ey," he says, to Kiyoko, "I didn't mean as towel, lah, but..."
"...aiyah," Ter mutters, resignedly, as he blinks. Given his ineptitude in removing his outer shirt, the floral-print garment is now scrunched up and wadded in a truly odd way and dangling completely from his right forearm from wrist to elbow.
"Oi-kaaaay," he admits, "like that...hard to wear. Huh. You...quite smart, ah."
Then he puffs his chest out, standing proudly upon the boardwalk. The light from the seaside sun illuminates his figure proudly, glinting off the replacement gold tooth in his mouth with a distinctive ping. It MIGHT almost be dramatic, especially with his grand gesturing - but the effect is spoiled somewhat by his general unkempt appearance.
And the beer bottle.
"So, so," he declares, "got -brain-! And also got...ah..."
He fumbles for the word, poking his own chest with a hand, before giving up.
"So," Ter forges on, "if any funny guys come up and...pester you is it? You tell me, ah, I WHACK THEM UPSIDE DOWN THEN YOU KNOW!"
Oh, sweet oblivious irony, thy name is Ter.
[OOC] Kiyoko >_> <_<
[OOC] Ter o_o
[OOC] Ter says, "What, he's stupid. =D"
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "No no, I was just thinking we should have some random nasty looking guy around"
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "So I could go. c_c 'Uh, yea, that guy over there. He was totally bothering me.'"
[OOC] Ter says, "Hahahaha, sure!"
[OOC] Kiyoko could sent Ter to do some crimefighting without him even knowing it. :D
[OOC] Ter says, "Ter just walks over."
[OOC] Ter says, "*WHAM*"
[OOC] Ter says, "And has to make bail money 24 hours later."
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "LOL"
[OOC] Ter says, "Kiyoko IS jailbait."
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "I know D:"
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "She's also 7 years younger than him! D:"
[OOC] Ter says, "Pish, true love knows no bounds."
Kiyoko sort of stares at the man as he talks, not entirely sure what to do at this point. The guy was certainly persistent, but maybe it's just because he doesn't get that she's trying to give him the brush off. How he doesn't is beyond her, but that fact is clear as day. Especially as he ups and makes himself her protector.
Briefly, she wonders what would happen if she had a mirror to hold up and say 'him', but that probably wouldn't work, or might make him mad. So she shakes her head and holds back the groan. "Fine." Again she turns around, and simply starts walking. He'll either follow along and talk at her that way or, even better, he'll just let her leave.
As lovely and enlightening as the conversation is, she does need to get back to school before the sun goes down and she's left in soaking wet garments in the cold. If he wants to continue to annoy her he's going to have to do it at a brisk walking pace. Stockholm syndrome makes it's first bit of progress, and she looks over her shoulder, "What's your name, anyway?"
Ah, the good ol'charm. Wearing them down and eating away at the iron resolve of the ladies, tearing those walls down brick by brick. Ter kinda grows on you.
Like slime mold.
Managing to extricate the tangle of fabric from his hand, Ter peers at the badly crumpled shirt before shrugging and stuffing it under his arm, carrying it along with that empty beer bottle he -still- refuses to put down. He pads along behind Kiyoko like a stubborn stray that's doing its level best to follow you home, perhaps because you offered it food at an inopportune moment.
Or a faint glimmer of hope, anyway. For Ter, same difference.
Flexing one bare arm, he thumps a fist against his t-shirt clad sternum. Probably a bit too hard, because he almost wheezes in the process.
"Ga---wait, wait, my name ah...I...er..."
Pause.
"...ah..."
Then memory dawns.
"...ya! I am the MIGHTY GODHAND!"
He brandishes the beer bottle, sunlight gleaming off the green glass.
"I am -AH TER-!"
Actually 'Arthur', because his parents had pretentions of English literacy that their son does not, apparently, share. Or can pronounce, for that matter.
Kiyoko's face falters at the proud declaration, the green tinted light of sun on glass catching her eye. This guy... he's just too much. Her head shakes a little and she keeps on walking. "Ah Ter the mighty Godhand. I should have realized." It's spoken rather lamely.
One thing having a guy like Ter in tow is that it does, in fact, keep others from coming up to her. The problem is the others would probably leave with a simple brush-off comment while this guy hangs on like super-glued velcro.
All this walking leads them through Southtown, not all of which parts are nice. Kiyoko's path doesn't take her near many of those parts, but one of them is close on her journey. It's this part where her nose suddenly wrinkles up in disgust. There, standing on a street corner, is some jive-ass punk hustling drugs. In broad daylight. Seriously, Southtown isn't /that/ run down, is it? How can it be when so many fighters flock here. The revenue from that alone must be insane, never mind the fact that Geese Enterprises makes this city it's home. And yet, there it is.
This, however, gives Kiyoko an idea. Maybe this 'Ah Ter' can have some use after all.
She's not the greatest actress in the world, but with this guy? Maybe it's enough. She stops in her tracks. -Freezes-. "Oh no." She takes a slight step towards her follower, "That guy over there," she says to him, not willing to point, "The one in the bandana and leather jacket? That guy just won't leave me alone. Every day it's always the same! I hope he leaves me alone..."
Ok, her path wasn't supposed to touch that street corner, but it will now. When she approaches? The dude's a drug dealer. He sees a soaking wet girl, and Ter. Of course he's going to approach and try to sell them something. Kiyoko tries to hurry past, trying to keep herself from smiling.
[OOC] Kiyoko gon' get you in trouble with SS :D
[OOC] Ter says, "momma told me never to hang around girls like you!!!"
[OOC] Kiyoko laughs.
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "You'd think hitting on a soaking wet 16 year old would get you in trouble, but for entirely different reasons!"
Ter's eyes glaze over, as Kiyoko begins to shuffle away. From his right hand, the precious beer bottle slips from his fingers, shattering into glass shards all over the sidewalk. But Ter doesn't even notice the loss of his treasure. He brings a foot forward, then another, his sneaker soles crunching bits of green debris into the concrete.
And before Kiyoko's even taken a few steps, Ter's charging forward, sailing off the ground. A wave of sheer HEAT explodes from his upraised arm. No longer encumbered by the empty bottle, a blast of crimson flames erupts from his fist, wrapping round his knuckles and travelling up his wrist to the forearm and hissing in a plume from his elbow. The sudden rush of superheated air blows Ter's hair back, slams his t-shirt to his skin, and a gust racing down the sidewalk stirred by the sudden chi-forged thermal. For about half a second, the sodden Kiyoko gets treated to hairdryer-levels of warmth...
...you know, if he'd thought of doing THAT to start with, perhaps this wouldn't have gone so badly.
But, no, instead of constructive applications of chi, Ter is now heading straight for the hapless drug pusher with a flaming fist.
"OI," Ter roars, "YOU -BUAYA- THIS GIRL IS IT?!"
The dealer stops short, eyebrows arching up, his sunglasses nearly falling off his face. Cheap patent-leather shoes scrape against the sidewalk as he tries to backpedal, but the charging maniac is just too fast.
"HAAAAAA," Ter screams, "I PUNCH YOUR FACE THEN YOU KNOW!"
And he does.
With fire.
[OOC] Ter doubts Kiyoko expected him to be a /special/ drunk. =P
[OOC] Ter says, "Tho if she'd stopped she'd have realised the math."
[OOC] Ter says, "normal girls get normal drunk men hitting on them"
[OOC] Ter says, "fighter girls get SPECIAL drunks"
[OOC] Ter says, "it scales up"
[OOC] Kiyoko laughs!
[OOC] Ter says, "And then Kiyoko's like 'ohshi he just killed him @_@'"
[OOC] Ter says, "and then decides whether it's more moral to walk quickly away or ask for the dealer's wallet."
[OOC] Ter says, "claiming it's her purse"
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "Pfahahahaha"
[OOC] Ter says, "That the guy snatched."
Kiyoko realizes that Ter might not be exactly what he seems when the flames engulf his arms. The hot wind that hits her- ok that actually feels pretty nice about now, it quickly shocks into her the realization that the guy she just sent after a street hood has the strength to actually do something other than mess his face up a bit. So Ter really is mo-Well, no. He's exactly what he seems, but he also has a crazy fire covered arm.
And her words /really/ seemed to have set him off. Kiyoko's left standing there with her jaw hanging open as he shoots forward and smashes the guy's face in. C-can that guy /survive/ a punch like that? The scary thing is that that question is actually up in the air. Kiyoko, an accessory to murder at 16? Oh hell no, that can't be true! Southtown has one of the best hospitals in all the world due to all the crazy powerful types around here, right? So that means he'll be fine, right?
Kiyoko convinces herself that must be true. And if it isn't, well, he shouldn't have been pushing drugs anyway. So now it's time for her to take the route she should have in the first place and -run-. And she's pretty quick, too.
But don't worry, it's just because she didn't want that nasty drug dealer bothering her, right?
In her wake, bits of charred cloth drift merrily in the air, fluttering to the ground like hellish confetti, individual pieces still smouldering with residual flame - littering the sidewalk with embers. And a few half-melted plastic buttons. Apparently it didn't occur to Ter that he still had his wadded-up shirt under his arm when he did his usual FLAME ON trick.
The fact probably /still/ hasn't occured to him, really, considering he's now straddling the sprawled form of one Southtown drug dealer. The poor man is quite mercifully unconscious, considering the fact his nose is broken and his cheek and jaw currently have flaming knuckles pressed against them, sizzling into the cracked frames of the sunglasses and blistering the skin.
Looking up, Ter looks for Kiyoko. He blinks at her retreating back.
"'ey, 'ey, chio bu," he yells, "where you GOING?! Safe lah, I punch this guy already, see?"
Ter gives the poor splattered man a hard shake, grabbing him by the collar. The motion - with a burning hand - only serves to set fire to the dealer's jacket in a sizzle of scorched polyester.
[OOC] Kiyoko grins, "End? Kiyoko's just gonna run run run." XD
[OOC] Ter says, "RUN KIYOKO RUN"
[OOC] Ter says, "Jane sees Kiyoko run."
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "o/` And I raaaan I ran so far away. I just raaaan, I ran all night and day o/`"
[OOC] Ter says, "Proving once and for all that Kiyoko -is- a fast woman."
[OOC] Ter says, "LOOK AT THE LEGS ON THAT GIRL."
[OOC] Ter says, "(as Kiyoko becomes a small retreating dot on the horizon)"
[OOC] Kiyoko says, "\(O_O)/~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Log created on 02:19:26 03/28/2008 by Ter, and last modified on 05:46:14 03/28/2008.