Description: Objective: Honoring a request. Obstacle: Mixed feelings. Alias: None. Summary: One of the few people on the planet of tolerating Ayame's presence has a favor to ask of the girl. Reluctantly, Ayame gives Kiyoko the serious fight she wants, helping her benchmark her progress.
It's about six in the evening today, and the overcast blocking out the sun means that it's rather cool. A lack of wind makes temperatures bearable, however. Though downtown Southtown is home to many tall buildings, there are shorter ones as well. One of these happens to have a fire escape that leads all the way to the roof, which is barren of everything save air-conditioning units and ducts. Up there is one Kiyoko Fukakami, wearing not a casual outfit or her school uniform, but instead her Tai Chi uniform. She has a thoughtful look on her face, looking out over the edge of the building down onto the streets below, lost in thought.
Earlier Kiyoko'd given Ayame a call and asked her to meet her here at this time. In her voice was a twinge of worry, nothing too alarming but something there all the same. She now is waiting for Ayame, not entirely sure of the older girl is going to show up at all, but hoping she does. Her face is set in a way that makes her seem to be in a bit of a glum mood- which she is. A sigh escapes her, "I wonder..."
Ayame shows up, all right, but not from the fire escape leading from the streets below. Instead the long haired street rogue enters the scene via one of the taller buildings alongside the one selected by Kiyoko. Leaping from off the top of the giant apartment structure, the girl twists around in mid-air in order to grab hold of a drain pipe which she clings to as she slides down several stories.
Only to kick off backward into a backflip through the air to land on the building upon reaching the appropriate altitude. Spinning around the moment her feet touch the roof, kicking aside stray pebbles, Ayame beams at Kiyoko. "Heya, Kiyoko!" the girl chirps, walking over toward the Justice High student, looking her over from head to toe as if trying to figure out if she's got anything interesting on her. Just, uh, you know, to, ah, know.
"What's up? Got your message. Was in the neighborhood." Her hands reach up to her shoulder to slip off a hand bag that looks weighed down heavily by its contents, letting the thing drop to the roof with a thud. Glancing at the bag, the girl nudges it a bit with her foot before looking back up at Kiyoko and shrugging, maintaining a teethy grin, "Uh, errands."
The first thing Kiyoko notices of Ayame is a blur of movement in her vision. Her eyes are drawn to it and she turns towards the motion. Only after a moment of watching does she realize what exactly it is that's shooting down that pipe. She blinks a couple of times, and Ayame flips off of the building and lands facing her. After a stunned moment at the theatrics Kiyoko says, "Wow, you're really turning into some kind of ninja, aren't you?"
After the comment she takes a step forward and smiles, "It's nice to see you again though, Ayame." The look makes it easy to figure out that there are no weapons concealed on Kiyoko, poorly or otherwise. A quick glance is given to the bag as it gets a nudge, and the girl doesn't say anything of it. It's probably something that's not interesting, none of her business, or that she doesn't want to know about. "I, um... I've been doing a bit of thinking lately, and I kinda wanted your opinion. I'm... not really sure if I'm cut out for the whole competitive fighting thing."
She looks rather indecisive about the issue, "I've been trying my best, but I can't seem to do much of anything other than keep people busy for a while. I don't really care very much about how much I win, but..." She lets out a little laugh, "I've actually never won at all without a teammate. I definitely have fun against some people, but sometimes..." Well, that time the chick threw melting metal on her while the other one told her how lovely her scream was? Yea, that wasn't fun. "Anyway I'm just not sure what I should do. As hard as I try I just... don't get any better. I think I'm learning, and I don't make the same mistakes as I used to, but it never seems to help." Pause. "At all."
Ayame leans her head to the side slightly at the refernece to becoming ninja-like. "Uh..." She taps her cheek thoughtfully, "Maybe," she finishes, her grin returning though fading quickly when Kiyoko requests her opinion. "Well, first off, that outfit is kind of bor- Oh!" she blinks, okay, nevermind. Not that she's really one to give fashion advice, with her weird assortment of reds and blacks and clearly modified clothing.
"Not cut out for fighting? But..." She pauses, hearing the other girl out, her hands coming down to rest at her hips for a moment. Eventually one hand comes up to brush her hair back over her ear, brown eyes blinking softly, seeming to be paying rapt attention to Kiyoko in spite their wildly different backgrounds.
"Hm. It's hard to know if you're improving if you're measuring yourself against random people with whom you have no prior experience fighting," the girl notes, hands back at her hips, right foot tapping idly. "I mean, these events, I've done them myself. They throw you at different freak shows every week, it seems like. You never really know for sure if you're getting better when you don't have a steady metric by which to gauge yourself."
Ayame shakes her head, one hand coming out in front of her in a half shrug, "I thought you said you liked fighting... Is getting better so critical to simply enjoying it?" she asks, one eyebrow raised a bit. "I mean, the purpose of getting better is to win more, I suppose if that's important to you... I mean, maybe it should be..." The girl goes back to resting her hands at her hips, her eyes rolling skyward as she lifts her face, biting her lip thoughtfully.
Snapping her attention back to Kiyoko, she raises a finger, "If you're not making the same mistakes you were before then you /are/ getting better. Results are... an ambiguous thing at best. See, like," Ayame pauses, hand coming up to tap her cheek, "Okay, see, like, there's this guy, right? And I broke into his house. I was going to rob him blind but I caught him at home on accident. You follow?" Yeah, definitely following, right Kiyoko? "Catching him by surprise I kicked his ass majorly. But then he broke all his stuff, that sucked..."
She pouts a little before perking back up, "Anyway, yeah, I met him again, fighting in an arena. I thought I was totally going to work him over, but he beat me instead. That was even more dissatisfactory!" She leaves out the results of the fight's aftermath, shaking her head a bit. "I've fought him twice more since, and one time it was with company and he knocked me out cold. The second time I rolled him." She grins faintly, shugging, "Same fighters, different circumstances, different results. Fighting... is a very hard thing to judge, maybe you're just being too hard on yourself."
Kiyoko sweatdrops as her clothing is insulted. It's a martial arts uniform, it's supposed to be simple and bland! Luckily that track of speaking is over with quickly enough and the real issue at hand is dealt with. She listens patiently and calmly as Ayame speaks to her and nods along slowly. When she's done the girl lets out a bit of a sigh. "But... I do have something to measure myself against. You. The first time we fought," aka the first time Ayame jumped her, "I held you off pretty good. We were an even match back then, or at least somewhat close to it. And the next time you were harder to deal with, but I still did okay," Until she got socked in the kidney anyway. "But..."
The girl takes a moment to think, her fists clenched a little. "The last time we sparred... you were holding back. It wasn't just that you didn't have your weapons, you weren't using your chi very much at all except maybe once. I was throwing everything I had against you and there was never really a threat of you losing. I guess maybe you're just getting better really fast, but... I think it's also that I'm /not/ getting any better. And yea, I do fight to have fun, but I can fight to have fun without fighting on TV" She sighs a little and looks up to Ayame, "Who's going to watch a fight with someone who never, ever wins in it? That's no fun. Pretty soon someone is going to look at their fight ticket, see my name on it and groan because I'm just not a challenge. Even people who were an even match for me before."
She frowns with concentration, her feelings definitely mixed up. It'd be so easy if she could just /know/ how she felt, but right now she just can't put her finger down on it. She enjoys fighting, definitely. She likes being on TV and fighting in front of crowds- that's awesome. But... is it fair for her to get into a ring when it's only farcicle as a match? Is she just too stubborn to realize that she's no good at fighting and should just focus on protecting herself, or is Ayame right and she's simply being too hard on herself? She doesn't know, and that just makes it all the harder.
Ayame's eyes widen as Kiyoko points her out as being one of the benchmarks by which she measures her progress, "What?" she blinks, pointing at herself with her thumb, "But I-" she starts to interrupt before falling quiet again, listening for the moment. "Really, Kiyoko, you shouldn't..." she starts, then falls quiet again, tapping her foot against the roof thoughtfully, hearing the rest of what Kiyoko has to say.
"Well," she remarks, holding up that finger once again, her expression friendly though far calmer now, "First off, I'm just better than you are. I'm better than a lot of people. It's not really something you should hold against yourself. I can't imagine everyone else I beat frets about how I'm better than them endlessly."
She lowers her hand, her expression becoming more serious, brown eyes narrowing a little. "Thing is, Kiyoko, if you want to fight as good as me, you can't give up. It's probably not going to come as fast. I mean... well... you really don't want to know the kinds of fights I've put myself through over the last half a year. You definitely wouldn't be cut out for them. Everyone gets better at their own pace." Her grin returns, "I can't help that I'm gifted!" And modest!
Ayame's hand draws back to rest against her chin by the knuckles, expression sobering substantially. "Uh... how've you been feeling lately, Kiyoko?" comes the question. Never afraid to approach awkward subjects, the girl continues right on, "I mean, you know," her hand lowers, gesturing toward Kiyoko's side. "You're fighting a harder fight than most." Her hand draws back, joining her other arm as she folds her arms over her chest, "If anything, the fact that you can show up at all means you're fighting a far harder battle than your opponents are, Kiyoko."
Kiyoko looks down a little, now feeling embarrassed. She doesn't know what trials Ayame has been through, but considering the sorts of things she does 'for a living' it's probably a lot harsher than anything she's been through. "I guess so... I'm not trying to compare myself to you like that, but it is a pretty good example, isn't it? It's not just that you're better, or how much better you are. It's how much better you're getting." That sounds kind of silly and hollow, now that she's said it.
At the change of subject the girl looks embarrassed, "I've been doing fine. I haven't really gotten any better, but I'm no worse off than before either. I just keep going into the hospital and meeting the schedule and everything stays the same." She looks up to Ayame now, "But, really... things staying the same are a good thing. It sounds horrible, but every time I go in and get a check up and they tell me I haven't gotten worse I feel relieved."
At the last comment her hand goes up and rubs the back of her head. It sounds great. The poor sick girl struggling against disease and doing her best to become a powerful fighter at the same time. But... "That's not true... It's not fair to say that someone who trains and practices as much as I do doesn't work as hard just because they're healthy. I'm... I'm not looking for excuses. I didn't call you here just because I wanted someone to tell me how strong I am for what I'm doing. I just want the honest truth, is all..."
She clenches her fists again. "The last time we sparred you held back. I... I want to fight you again, and I want you to do everything in your power to win." Well, except maybe /one/ thing, which Ayame knows about. "I want to see if I can even hope to stand up against you when you're trying your best."
Ayame isn't going to volunteer what she's been up to, either. Pit fighting, missions for Blackjack, kidnapping assignments from some creature that lies dead at the bottom of some giant casino in Metro for all Ayame knows now... Yeah, not really something she's going to talk about. Ayame shrugs faintly, her smile thin as Kiyoko mentions again how better she's getting.
The health update is regarded with a slight nod of her head, her expression the same as before, difficult to read, a bit mysterious, the kind of expression that seems to suggest she knows something but she isn't letting on about it. "That's good," is all she states with regards to the check ups. As Kiyoko continues, Ayame raises an eyebrow slightly, unfolding her arms to rest her hand at her hips once again. "The honest truth, eh? You sure have a way with picking where you get your information from. What makes you think I'd never tell you anything honest," she finishes, her mouth shifting into a very faint grin.
But then Kiyoko brings up fighting and Ayame's brow furrows a little. The request to fight issued, this time with no holding back. Weapons out and everything? "Kiyoko." Ayame states, her tone shifting to become rather serious, "I almost never fight for fun. My approach to combat isn't really meant to be done on someone I can tolerate." Nice way of saying she thinks a bit more highly of Kiyoko than most people she's encountered. She shakes her head, "I'm sorry. I don't think I can give you what you want."
She turns, her shoulder facing Kiyoko now, "When I fight someone... I'm trying to tear them to pieces as quickly and efficiently as possible - anything to remove an obsticle from my path or complete whatever my current goal is. I attack not just physically but psychologically as well, targetting anyone I seek to defeat on multiple levels as harshly as I can." Turning her face to the side to snap her attention back to Kiyoko, Ayame frowns, her expression markedly somber compared to her grinning bantor from before, "I-... I can't fight you in the way you want me to. I can't fight you doing anything I can to win."
The purple haired youth frowns slightly at the first statement that Ayame either can't or isn't willing to fight her at her full strength. Her arms cross over her chest, and she glowers to herself. What Ayame says makes sense. She doesn't so much fight someone as try to destroy them and get them out of her way as fast as possible. She knows- she's been on the wrong end of it twice already.
"I understand what you're saying, so no offense, but that's bullshit." Such language from the girl! One might think Ayame's been a bad influence on her, but then she never really swears herself, at least not in front of Kiyoko. "If that's the case, than what am I supposed to do when someone dangerous like you are fights me? Am I supposed to just run away? I don't even think I /could/ run away from you. I'm supposed to be able to protect myself from things like that. /Especially/ from things like that. Maybe against some street thug who doesn't know what their doing I could hit them a few times and make them rethink what their doing, but... Against someone who is an actual threat? I'm helpless. Completely helpless. You can't just fight with someone and then run away when you're going to lose, they'll grab you or throw a knife into your back."
Oookay, so where is she going with this exactly? She's not even really sure. "Look... I know you don't want to hurt me, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. If you really think about it you just don't take me seriously as any kind of real fighter. That's what I've been asking all along. You're afraid to fight me at your full strength because you're afraid of what might happen, since I'm way too weak to really do anything but stall you." She was trying to talk Ayame into fighting her when she started, but now? Now she isn't sure. "I'm not asking you to try and stab me in the kidney or anything... just fight your hardest and don't hold off until I've gone as far as I can."
Kiyoko looks away from Ayame, "But I guess I probably don't need to fight you now. Now that I know what you really think..."
As Kiyoko rejects her refusal with strong language, Ayame blinks, turning back to face the girl directly, blinking twice with surprise at the sudden... fervor that had overtaken the girl. "But-" Ayame tries to retort as the Justice student begins rattling off alternative scenarios, against other unsavory types. What would happen then? If she isn't strong enough to defend herself, then what?
She accuses the strawberry-blonde of not taking her seriously as a fighter and Ayame's expression becomes more of a glare, the shorter yet older girl clearly getting irritated based on appearances. Kiyoko looks away and Ayame is silent for a long moment, turning to the side again so that her shoulder faces the girl, her eyes gazing off into the horizon. "T-That's... that's not it at all." she protests, her voice subdued now. "It's..." She falls quiet, brown eyes shifting back and forth, the girl occasionally blinking as images flash through her mind. Images of things she had done to other fighters in recent months. "...just..." Thoughts of the girls and boys she had turned over to Marise after breaking them in the streets or leading them through careful lies to their dooms. They all could have died had rescuers not shown up at the eleventh hour...
"I've... what I've done in fights..." She looks back toward Kiyoko, her mouth drawn tight, expression hardening, brown eyes narrowed slightly, darker somehow. She pictures, for a moment, breaking a poor Gedo girl's arm as she fought desperately to save herself from capture, snapping the bone with a crushing slam of her staff, without the slightest remorse at the savage injury inflicted. "... I didn't..."
Her left hand slips down to her side, sliding within a pouch. A hydraulic hiss accompanies the expansion of her ever familiar staff out to its full six foot length, clenched in her left hand as she slowly turns toward Kiyoko directly. "Fine." Fine. She'll let the girl see that side of her one more time. It's important to Kiyoko. It's something she needs... somehow... Ayame doesn't understand, but she does understand it's important to her.
Her right hand raises, beckoning to Kiyoko, as if encouraging her to come give it her best shot. But in the next instant Ayame is stepping forward, spinning her staff out from her left side, around her back, and turnning forward into slamming the end of it toward Kiyoko's stomach. Giving her fair warning isn't how Ayame fights to win, after all. The girl's demeanor seems to have shifted, a certain clinical coolness settling in over her as she attempts to deliver the confusing and unpredictable yet strong strike against Kiyoko.
COMBATSYS: Ayame has started a fight here.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko has joined the fight here.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kiyoko
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Kiyoko with Medium Strike.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Kiyoko
Kiyoko honestly has no clue of the horrors that Ayame has committed, and even her confusing faith in the girl might be shaken if she knew the truth. But that doesn't make her words any less true. If some monster comes after her, how is she supposed to defend herself? If she had been a person Marise had an interest in, what would have happened to her? She has no powerful friends like the members of the Guardian Kings. Would the blonde fighter across from her now have stood up to her master to free her? Probably not.
She listens as Ayame speaks and breaks off several times, unsure exactly what's going through her mind or what her thought processes could be. Everything is indeterminate. The blonde seems to claim that she has it wrong, and yet...
But then suddenly things are firm and solid again. 'Fine.' A simple statement, a single word, but resolute and true. It's something Kiyoko can react to. And she starts to, "Goo-" She's cut off. Cut off by the hiss of a staff being fully extended. The suddenness of it is jarring, but appropriately so.
She's unable to avoid the blow, but at least is able to attempt to do so. A fast step to the side is attempted as the butt of the weapon is sent towards her, but the strike's just too quick, poking her hard enough to force a pained grimace and an automatic step back. And that was just a light prod.
The girl's features set. Ayame is going to attack her and she needs to defend herself. She needs to use everything she knows about the young thief to her advantage if she's going to stand a chance. She steps forward again and reaches for the weapon, trying to grab hold around the end that poked her. Her feet set on the ground and she positions herself for leverage, moving as if she's going to either rip it out of Ayame's hands or attempt to lift her up and slam he to the ground with it. But instead her feet come off the ground and she uses it as an anchor, pulling herself forward with it to get in close.
The staff /is/ Ayame's guard, so if she uses it against her she should have almost no power to stop the attack. Or such is the theory. As she moves forward her knee lifts up, trying to jam it into the fighter's stomach as a return favor for the weapon jab.
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Light Kick from Kiyoko with Bright Renewal.
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kiyoko
Grabbing hold of Ayame's staff has, on past occasions, been 'the worst thing to do' for many an unfortunate opponent, and in Kiyoko's case it's no different. The long haired street rogue is fast to react, keeping her staff in place as Kiyoko grips a hold of it yet spinning around the weapon /herself/ such that she ends up on the opposite side of it that she was when she attacked.
Coming out of the spin, she converts all of her momentum into a double handed grip on the weapon, ripping it out of Kiyoko's hold by spinning it away from the other girl... And then finishes whipping around, putting more upper body strength into the spin to crack the titanium pole against the Justice student's ribs, slipping in beneath her arms raised with the intent to hold Ayame's staff still. Like a viper striking those who would seek to hold it still, the bandit continues to move swiftly, a blur of black and red and long, trailing hair.
The second strike is lower, aiming for the back of Kiyoko's legs at the level of her knees, seeking to finish the job of tripping the girl to the ground after shattering her stance with the side-swiping strike. In the end, that blur of glinting metal comes up to rest behind Ayame's shoulder, the girl striking a very traditional staff wielder's pose, a stance learned when she was young.
Brown eyes narrow to evluate the other girl, but her expression remains cool, detatched and unpleasant. If she feels regret for the combination of three strikes she just walked Kiyoko through painfully, it would be hard to see in her eyes now.
Even if the move was a feint, Kiyoko's attempt was a terrible idea. She knew that Ayame would be quick to defend her weapon and deal with threats to it, but she didn't realize at all that she'd be able to see through how she was going to attack her. The first crack on the ribs staggers her, the hit to the knees drops her to them, and the final slap of the pole keels her over and sends her crashing to the ground. Her teeth clench both in pain and anger. She walked right into the ambush.
She presses her palms to the concrete rooftop and forcers herself back up. "Crap," she states, "So that's what you were doing. I guess I traded one mistake for another." She's observant enough to know Ayame had done something, but not enough so to know exactly what it was. She should have held back, should have done what she almost always does and stayed away and examined her movements. But she didn't, and the mistake is too late to take back.
Holding back now would be a mistake. Ayame's plans are fulfilled, and that might mean she's simply staying the course. The girl thinks to herself to try and come up with a plan, and then sets on one. Her right hand suddenly flings upward, green energy flaring a long it and cutting a circular path through the air, a green crescent of energy flaring to life and shooting towards Ayame. The girl could dodge it, definitely. It's probably what she's going to try to do. But even if that's the case she can't just hold back. Being afraid of her attacks missing means she'll never fully commit, and never, ever win. "Spring Blossom!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame dodges Kiyoko's Spring Blossom.
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kiyoko
Well, Kiyoko is figuring out where she went wrong, at least, so there is something learned... no pain, no gain, right? As she remarks, Ayame leans her head to the side slightly, long hair slipping back over her shoulder, the most miniscule of nods of acknowledegement, but her expression remains distant. There isn't anger, nor irritation... the way she regards Kiyoko is almost more like a curiosity in need of dealing with. A math problem that needs solving, a logic puzzle that merits deciphering.
The staff stance is held for a long moment. Clearly the girl is ready for Kiyoko to try and come get another attack in close... she would be walking into another trap without a doubt. But the violet haired girl attempts another path, drawing upon her reserves to create a very demanding blast of chi to send hurtling Ayame's way.
The build up of chi is easy for Ayame to sense, sensitive as she is to such things. The motion of Kiyoko's arms, the path her hands carve through the air as the grin crescent is created, is watched with accute awareness. Spinning out of the way of Kiyoko's strike comes just in time as Ayame suddenly seems to come back to life, dropping out of her staff stance to get out of the way swiftly.
The motion she brings herself out of the evasion in leaves her already moving toward Kiyoko, giving the Tai Chi student precious little time to prepare herself as the teen thief speeds toward her. Somewhere in the blur of movement Ayame has stowed her staff away for the moment, having collapsed it back down and returned it to her pouch in the blink of an eye.
It leaves her hands free now to snap out toward Kiyoko's outstretched arms, attempting to get a tight grip of her limbs near the wrists, one with each hand. If she gets the hold, she'll hop up, taking her feet off the ground, before dropping back down, the heels of her shoes aiming to collide with Kiyoko's shins as Ayame drops down into a backward fall, intending to pull the girl clean off her feet and toss her right over behind her as she lands in a strange, swift, throw that would probably leave Kiyoko lying on her back after being slammed to the roof if Ayame is successful. If she isn't so successful, well, she'll end up lying on the roof by herself, looking perhaps a bit foolish!
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko interrupts Medium Throw from Ayame with Summer Blossom.
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Ayame 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Kiyoko
Her prophesy comes true and Ayame nimbly escapes the blast of energy sent her way. The strawberry blonde is even faster than Kiyoko is herself, so it's not a horribly big surprise, just an unwelcome event. The girl is pretty good at directing her own chi about, but she doesn't have near the external sense that Ayame does. To her it almost looks like prepared to escape /before/ the attack was even sent her way, which is curious. But she has no time to think on it, not now.
The staff is gone from Ayame's hands, which is also curious. And something important to think on as the young woman suddenly rushes at her. A moment of indecision passes over Kiyoko. The fact that her energy was escaped easily puts a serious hamper in her little plan. Should she stick with it or change ideas on the fly. There's very little time to decide, as Ayame's now reaching for her arms...
She decides to go with her original plan. The hold is made, and she's grabbed onto, but when Ayame goes to hop onto her shins she hops, sprawling out so that her legs are too wide to make contact with. The force is exerted despite it, but the leverage just isn't there and she stays on her feat. Then, she pounces.
She strikes out with her left hand, swiping it inward hard and tearing it free from Ayame's grip, using an inside knifehand to smack her attackers other wrist, causing the grip to loosen. It's just enough to get that one free, and it's off to the races. In a highly practiced Tai Chi maneuver she seems to dance, backing up slowly so to get Ayame within the perfect distance for her arms and then swinging them about in fast circular motions, chopping her across her body and then giving one hard smack to the temple for good measure, assaulting the other girl until she sees she's starting to get control back and then leaping away, moving so that she can't suddenly whip out a knife and slash her while she's in range, or pull that pole back out and bean her in the head while she stands over her. It was a good maneuver, but she's still got a ways to go.
Difficult to predict, by any standard measure, Ayame is surprised to find Kiyoko reacting to her grab so effectively. Caught in a rare clumsy moment as her feet miss colliding with Kiyoko's shins, the girl is close to falling down as-is, leaving her grip easily pried with Kiyoko's practiced strikes. The violet haired girl backs up and Ayame just about barely starts to catch herself when the follow up comes, circular strikes hitting her body before smacking her on the side of the head, sending the girl stumbling to the right before catching herself.
Ayame's hand comes up to rest against her temple briefly, brown eyes snapping back to the Justice student as if to watch out for any more follow up attacks, but the other girl seems to have decided to back up instead, not taking a risk that Ayame might already be prepared to retaliate.
She shifts back onto the offense with almost a red and black blur. Her right hand slips to her belt as she pulls out something else from her arsenal - a butterfly knife, glinting in the late afternoon sun. Having gone for blunt force and swift grapples at first, Ayame has pulled out the more unpleasant force she can bring to bear - something sharp.
Her left hand comes forward first, a swift knife-like poke with her fingers, aiming to draw off Kiyoko's guard to one side... leaving her torso open to the real danger, the swift angled slash with Ayame's right hand as she aims to cut the other girl right through her uniform. The first slash is immediately followed by a second, more shallow one, horizontal in nature near Kiyoko's abdomen. The girl's approach is swift, and difficult to see through, and Ayame doesn't even stay in one place for long - if she's successful, the blade will be flipped to her other hand and she'll take a step backward, getting ready to launch another assault, no doubt.
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko just-defends Ayame's Quick Strike!
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Ayame 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Kiyoko
Good thing Kiyoko decided to get out of there- being close when Ayame pulled out that knife could have been really bad news. It's entirely possible for the redhead to draw and swipe with a single motion, and that would give the violet haired girl almost no time to respond correctly. But with a little distance comes many options that would otherwise be unavailable to her.
Ayame attacks, shooting towards her quickly and lashing out with the knife. The Justice student pays attention to the first attack, almost moving to try and intercept it... but her eyes are keen, and her mind tells her that as it is, the knife won't make contact. And so she ignores the feint, and goes for the attacks. She steps backwards and holds her arms up sinking into a low posture. The first slash comes and Kiyoko blocks it with her forearm. But it's not the blade she blocks, but Ayame's hands, reaching just past the weapon so that the contact does little more than tap her forearm. The second one gets the same treatment, the girl moving away while simultaneously stopping the swinging arm from managing to move fully, seemingly preventing the attack before it can really get a chance.
And then, suddenly, she's attacking again, her step reversing as she moves to get close to Ayame, a flaring of green chi brightening along her hands. She reaches out, trying to grab onto the weapon arm rather than just stopping it. If she makes her hold she'll twist violently, far stronger than her arms have a right to be, that chi going a long way to enhance her strength. If she pulls it off she'll twist the arm behind Ayame's back and pin it there- something that usually causes a person to bend over to relieve pressure, squeezing hard on the wrist to try and make her drop the small weapon.
COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Kiyoko's Spring Rain.
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Ayame 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Kiyoko
Kiyoko fends off Ayame's strikes rather decisively, the girl's knife swings stopped with careful blocks against her hands rather than risking contact with the sharp edged weapon itself. The girl is quick to realize that not only did she not land a hit, but she's lined herself up perfectly for retaliation from the taller girl.
And Kiyoko gets that grip, but that's all she gets. The chi laced hold clamps down on Ayame's arm but the strawberry blonde twists against the grip and pries herself free before even the chi can sink too deeply, fighting against it with her own innate energy manipulation. There's a slight shake of her head as she springs back this time, putting more distance between them.
Somewhere in the blur of motion that is Ayame, the knife disappeared, returned to its sheath hidden in one of her belts. Her hands gripped tightly in front of her, Ayame pulls off a new stunt that she's never shown Kiyoko before, drawing in heavily from the world around her. Blue energy whips up around her feet, faint trails, light whisps of power at first, but shifting to red hues as the energy whips up higher around her torso, tousling loose bits of clothing and playing with her hair.
"Normally," Ayame remarks as the power builds up around her, "I use this moment as a chance to convince someone to run before I really have to hurt them. But you're not going to do that, so..." She leans her head to the side as she breaths in deeply and some of the power around her seems to be absorbed right into the girl.
COMBATSYS: Ayame gathers her will.
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Ayame 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Kiyoko
The grip is made, but despite the extra powerful strength Ayame is still able to break free, leaving Kiyoko with glowing hands standing there in silly fashion and a lot of wasted effort. Now Ayame hops away from her and stays back, chi swirling up around her. The girls head tilts a bit as she sees this, and crosses her arms. "Yea, I can see that. And you're right, I'm not going to run. But I'm also not going to walk right into the trap your setting for me. Tell someone to run away so you can get them in close and smack them around? Pretty sneaky."
It seems Kiyoko's on to her! Well, if that's what she's trying to do. Ayame could actually be up to any number of things, with a punishing reversal or an intentional trading of blows being only one of them. Could be she just really wants to suck in chi and intimidate!
Kiyoko has a few pretty good options here. One of which is taking a quick rest, another being studying Ayame to find how she can turn the tables on the older girl. Well, she's not choosing those options. Because she has an ace up her sleeve! ...kinda. With Ayame holding back and sucking in Chi from the environment, internal energy flares up within Kiyoko. "Hmm!" She hums with a grin, "Looks like you really want some extra energy- guess I'd better help you out!
And so with that silly little 'taunt' the Justice student engulfs her hands in green energy again, slashing through the air three times so that a trio of crescents form in front of her and merge together, rocketing off towards Ayame at the moment of their completion. "Lets see ya try and absorb that!"
COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Kiyoko's Vernal Equinox.
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Ayame 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Kiyoko
Ayame stares back at Kiyoko quietly. She seems to take the banter in stride, neither provoked into attacking too early nor caused to give any sort of reply, as if her quiet words of warning were just that, a warning. There's nothing playful in the way Ayame looks back at Kiyoko, her jaw set, her hands clenched in concentration.
Kiyoko draws up a large flare of that green chi once again, sending it hurtling Ayame's way, and the street rogue merely stays put, bringing her arms up. The green crescents crash against Ayame's defense, her to slide back slowly as she struggles to keep her footing, but when the energy has been dispersed, she seems to have weathered it well enough, lowering her arms to regard Kiyoko evenly.
Breathing in, Ayame darts forward again, drawing her right hand back as if getting ready to sock the other girl. But when her right arm slams forward, it isn't with the intent to punch but to skewer, as a two foot long, narrow blade extends out suddenly from beneath the cloth covering her forearm. A strong slash directed for the poor girl with that weapon seems to be Ayame's intent as she tries to make up where her smaller butterfly knife failed.
A second spin into a follow up strike will come should Kiyoko's defenses not end up keeping Ayame at bay, before the young bandit will slide to a stop and go for a single, straight forward stab, aiming for Kiyoko's right thigh, looking to damage that may slow her down significantly if she doesn't watch out.
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko blocks Ayame's Fierce Strike.
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Ayame 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kiyoko
Kiyoko grins as the energy barrels in towards Ayame, and then suddenly stops as the redhead holds her ground. Its not so much that she was able to defend herself, but how very successful the defense was. The girls expert analysis shows her, once the energy is gone, how very little effect it really had. It almost causes her face to fall completely. Was she... really so weak?
She doesn't have long to contemplate it, as the bandit rushes at her, seeming intent to slice her with an expertly concealed blade. Kiyoko sees the flash of metal and moves to intercept, lowering back down and putting her arms forward defensively, one to each side. What she doesn't realize is just how long that blade is. It's not just a simple knife, so when she goes to deflect it's not wrists she finds but cold, sharp steel.
The sound of metal through cloth is heard and the uniform is sliced open, a bright red line of blood appearing underneath. A sharp gasp of breath is heard and Kiyoko staggers backwards, shaking slightly as she keeps her arms up in front of herself, getting slashed up twice more before the stab comes, Kiyoko twisting sideways so the blade brushes past and only lacerates instead of skewering.
She backs off for a moment. Her mind tells her that now she needs to hold back and play it safe. Make sure to follow Ayame's movements, or just take a quick breather. But she just can't do it. She's here to try and fight Ayame off, and as she already said running away just isn't the way to do that. So she steps forward into the path of danger and attacks, sending a quick strike out to try and smack Ayame across the jaw with a fast, hopefully effective punch. It almost saddens her to think that if it works it would be as harmful as the massive blast of energy had been.
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko successfully hits Ayame with Quick Punch.
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Ayame 1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kiyoko
Her sweeping strikes and subsequent stabs may not get a clean hit, but they do leave a few marks, so the effort wasn't for nothing. Of course her footwork was a bit aggressive, Ayame lunging at Kiyoko with the hidden blade in order to land a strong hit or two, figuring the girl can't possibly take too much more in the way of punishing hits.
Kiyoko swings and Ayame tries to step backward to avoid the incoming blow, only to take it across the chin. The light hit doesn't seem to slow her down too much, only seeming to irritate her a bit at best. In fact, the girl decides to spin with the momentum rather than fight it. The blade retracts as suddenly as it had appeared, the girl has found it clumsy to leave a two foot long blade sticking out past her forearm for longer than just a few swipes.
Coming out of the spin the girl aims to simply get a grip on Kiyoko's left arm, attempting to clench a tight hold. Her intent is to take her to the ground, using her opposite elbow against the taller's girl to apply a hefty amount of pressure to in order to drop Kiyoko face first to the roof. If successful, she'll roll over her back and pull her arm up harshly behind her, attempting to get her in a painful armlock.
She remains silent, not at all encouraging Kiyoko to call it quits. The girl can say when she's had enough. Until then Ayame will continue to go all out.
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko interrupts Armed and Dangerous from Ayame with Winter's End.
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Ayame 1/=======/=======|====---\-------\0 Kiyoko
The fist connects solidly with Ayame's jaw, and the young woman rolls with it, twisting all the way around. It's a tiny little victory for Kiyoko, going back on the offensive and striking a blow. But soon enough Ayame is coming back around to face her. The grab is snatched even before the girl can even realize what's going on this time. Her left arm is jerked on as the ruffian tries to pull her to the ground, and there's a loud ripping noise as the already cut up fabric gives way. The hold, however, tightens up enough to drag her down, and Kiyoko is summarily smashed down into roof face first.
This could be it, Kiyoko realizes. Right now if she doesn't do something Ayame is just going to pin her and twist that arm until she gives. The girl... she doesn't want to be that weak. Ayame is barely hurt at all and here she is down to the end. She grits her teeth, telling herself she just can't let it happen. She doesn't want to be proven right, that she's worthless as a fighter and can't even defend herself.
Face planted on the ground she rolls forward, tucks her feet in and then kicks with all her might. That's when things go bad for Ayame, who takes the double kick right in the stomach. Not content to leave at it that Kiyoko's legs reach out behind her and hook around the redhead's neck. Then she rolls the rest of the way forward and slams Ayame down to the ground back first, the force of it enough to wrench her arm free, even if it hurts her more in the process.
Then it's off to the races, the impact of girl on roof rebounding, Kiyoko using the bit of force to fling them both into the air again, flipping in the air and smashing Ayame back down, repeating the bouncing process twice more. Then she rolls to her feet and pants heavily, sweat pouring from her as she does her darndest to stay up.
There's a tiny grin on her face, knowing that she just pulled off something crazy- Even if she can't win Ayame is now at least hurting, probably close to as much as she is. She puts her hands on her hips, feeling very good about herself.
And then a wind comes along. And the grin goes away instantly. She feels it... feels it on her arm. She looks blankly down to the ground as she pants and sees it, the ripped off arm of her Tai Chi uniform. Her face both falls and turns bright red. The inside of her arm is littered with many small dots of scarring, all up and down her veins- the physical evidence and proof of IV lines repeatedly stabbed into her because of her medical condition. She looks downwards towards the ground, suddenly in a somber mood.
Ayame holds her arm there tight for a long moment. Is that it? Is that all the girl can muster? The girl seems content to just wrench harder and harder, forcing a yelp of submission if possible. It's hard to say how far she'll go if Kiyoko doesn't relent. Would she pop her arm out of its joint? Risk breaking something?
But Kiyoko has fight left in her, a sudden burst of determination that catches Ayame off guard as she twists beneath her to give her a solid strike to the stomach. The featherweight fighter is knocked clean off her, rising up to her feet in the process in an attempt to avoid falling down all together. A gasp as her breath is knocked out of her is easily heard as she tries to catch herself. And that's when Kiyoko's legs hook her neck and the next thing the girl knows, she's being tumbled across the roof with a series of slams that take her up and back down again, causing her to land hard.
It's difficult to accertain how injured Ayame is, as the girl rolls over onto her side and pushes herself back up very quickly, though one hand comes up to rest against the side of her head, the girl glaring back at Kiyoko once she's upright again. She doesn't aggress in the slightest for a moment, staring back at the Justice student. At her arm in fact. She notices before even Kiyoko does.
The Asian teen frowns faintly, brown eyes shifting to look toward Kiyoko's face. She doesn't say a word but merely sighs softly, a hint of annoyance in the sound. Standing up straight, her own hands come to rest at her hips, but it isn't in a moment of triumph or pride, but something else. Silently she simply regards the other girl. If Kiyoko wants to keep fighting, Ayame is convinced she'll dismantle anything she tries with no effort whatsoever. But she isn't going to call the fight. That's up to the violet haired girl.
COMBATSYS: Ayame gains composure.
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Kiyoko
Kiyoko is left ragged, essentially wrecked physically despite the fact she's not injured so badly that she can't fight any longer. Really, it's about all she can do to keep standing up as she is. And then there's the fact that she's mentally torn up by the missing clothing. And yet... and yet Ayame stands there looking somewhat annoyed at her. Really, that's probably the best expression she could have on, for getting Kiyoko's head back into the fight. She just flat out doesn't seem to care.
And if this were a fight for her life, or something similar, an attacker wouldn't care either. They probably wouldn't even stand back like Ayame is doing now, but instead rush in and smack her down while she's near helpless. The Justice student realizes this, and clenches her teeth somewhat. Okay, moving in now is pure suicide. That's as plain as day. But she can do what little she can to give her chance some semblance of a fighting chance. She holds herself steady and locks her eyes onto Ayame. Watching the way she stands and holds herself, seeing where her eyes are looking. There has to be /something/ she can capitalize on. Slowly she slides back into her Tai Chi stance, her muscles burning.
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko focuses on her next action.
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Kiyoko
Kiyoko doesn't call for the fight to end and Ayame shifts a little, her hand going back to her pouch to fish out her staff. The weapon is extended with a smooth hydraulic hiss and the girl braces slightly. The build up of chi is pretty clear as Ayame channels all that energy she's been holding back into the long pole.
A vibrant yellow, the energy almost seems to crackle like lightning over the weapon's surface as Ayame begins to spin it swiftly, forming a bright, yellow blur of power even in the late afternoon sunlight. It makes the girl almost impossible to approach, with the spinning chi laced metal, but she isn't just waiting for Kiyoko to come run into her attack, of course!
Stepping forward, Ayame swings the weapon out from right to left for one finishing slash through the air. And from off the end of it, all that collected energy blazes out toward Kiyoko, not unlike a brilliant crescent of yellow hued electricty. A wide swath, rendering avoidance difficult, Ayame attempts to finish her off with one final surge of power.
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko dodges Ayame's Final Sunset.
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Ayame 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Kiyoko
Ayame is 'willing' to continue fighting Kiyoko, the girl readies herself. The staff is pulled back out, and the student of Justice High stands and watches as the energy builds up along it as it spins around and around. The girl grits her teeth, knowing that whatever's coming is going to be harsh. And it is, a all that chi building up menacingly and forming into a blazing streak of energy that is flung towards her.
Kiyoko doesn't even try to hold her ground against the blast of energy. Instead she gets drastic, leaping into the air and flipping forward, raising up as the energy rushes at her, the flip pulling her legs out of the way just in time. She lands on the ground and the crescent streaks away behind her. She seems completely shocked she managed to pull that off.
But she can't just stop now- she needs to press on! She breaks into a run- greatly impeded by the burning aches in her muscles, and gets in Ayame's face. Once close she drops to the ground and lashes out with her foot, trying to jam her heel into the other girl's knee. It's not excessively forceful, and not even all that well executed- but she's not grabbing for that staff this time!
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Light Kick from Kiyoko with Weapon Jab.
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kiyoko
Kiyoko avoids the crackling yellow cresent and Ayame blinks quietly, a small measure of surprise visible but for an instant. That wasn't expected. The energy itself crashes into an air conditioning unit, putting a massive dent in its side as the energy splashes around it then fades away. Ayame doesn't watch it go like Kiyoko does, however. Her attention seems solely on the violet haired girl, brown eyes calm, her mood becoming inscrutable, some of the visible irritation from a moment ago fading for some reason.
Kiyoko comes charging at Ayame now, intent on catching her in the knee with a nice little kick, but unfortunately she doesn't get past that infernal staff as Ayame jabs it out, catching Kiyoko in the stomach, and twisting to the side, letting the girl stumble past with the help of a little forced redirection.
She should use the opportunity to follow up with another attack, no doubt, but instead the girl simply stands still, head leaning to the side as she seems content to see what Kiyoko will try next. Whatever her opinions are of the ailing girl's resolve are, she keeps them hidden from the world for the time being.
The quick kick isn't fast enough to get past Ayame's lightning reactions, and the poke is fast enough that Kiyoko just isn't able to make it to her as she moves around. She stumbles backwards, the pain of the hit radiating throughout her. The redhead has her dead to rights. There's just about nothing she can try right now that's going to come even close to working. At best it'd take wild, crazy luck for it to work. Still, she just doesn't want to give up. Even if she's done far better than she expected, she wants to do this to it's end, even if that's a bitter end.
She looks over Ayame, trying to find a way to get past that pole of hers. Can she do it? She's doesn't think so, but she has to try. She clenches her fists, and then attacks. It's nothing she'd normally try, but instead a desperation move. She lowers her shoulders and charges, running as fast as her tired legs can carry her. Rather than flinging a fist or foot at the blonde she's going to throw /everything/ at her. Maybe the added weight will make it so she can't just be knocked to the side so easily? It's worth a shot, she thinks!
COMBATSYS: Ayame interrupts Heavy Kick from Kiyoko with Harvest's Reaper.
The problem for Kiyoko is that her burst of adrenaline earlier has cost her in speed now, and Ayame is anything but deadly against anyone who can't quite keep up with a set of tactics that can prove so very difficult to get around. Having a long metal pole helps with that, of course. The girl stares at Kiyoko, her brown eyes neutral, her mouth thin lipped and also unemotional. While she isn't pressing the attack against the poor girl, she's also not just standing there waiting to get beat on.
And the poor, exhausted girl comes at her again, Ayame's staff flares to life as the strawberry-blonde decides to end this definitively. The Tai Chi student has definitely given it her all. And Ayame is reluctant to keep beating on her in spite her earlier aggression as requested. The red chi most see her use in a fight ignites along the length of the weapon. Bright, flickering, not unlike a crimson colored flame in its nature.
But there's another color as well hidden admist the energy. A dark violet chi Ayame has never used on the Justice student before this moment. The technique, on the other hand, is probably sadly familiar. The girl does manage to collide with Ayame, but the street rogue is already swinging her staff upward at the same time, driving it with enough force to knock a girl Kiyoko's size clean off the ground. The red chi explodes on impact, but the violet chi rippling through it... that seeps into the other girl, disrupting chi lines, playing havoc with her strength on entirely different level.
A second sweeping arc of the staff and Ayame rises up into the air with Kiyoko, hefting the weapon up over her head before bringing it slamming down to drive her back down to the roof. Ayame comes to land a moment later into a half crouch, her staff out at her side, the red chi flickering out, the violet chi remaining longer, hanging around the weapon like a dense cloud that dissipates far slower than the red chi.
Slowly the long haired girl rises to a full standing position, holding her staff lazily at her side. Is Kiyoko going to keep trying even after suffering a hit from Ayame's most infamous attack?
Kiyoko may have been expecting this kind of attack from Ayame, but not that nasty violet chi that came with it. The weapon catches her and tosses her upward, the energy battering her at the same time while the other portion of the chi... disrupts her energy balance? It's nothing she's ever felt before, and it's as if someone ripped the energy she needed to go on right out of her body. Then a second blow comes and she's smashed back down to the ground, hitting it hard and laying there in a heap.
The girl is down for quite a long time, and when she's picking herself up it's not into a fighting stance she stands. She's finished, and whether or not she can send one more paltry attack towards Ayame is irrelevant. "You really have gotten better," she says. Her breath is... almost completely ragged, her lungs and muscles burning from the exertion of the fight. "Thanks for taking me seriously, Ayame. I... I feel a lot better, now." She looks down rather sheepishly, feeling kinda silly for having to ask such a crazy request in the first place. The cut wounds from earlier seemed to have stopped bleeding, luckily, though there's still the issue of her torn up uniform. Well, nothing a little thread or a trip to a tailor couldn't fix, right?
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Kiyoko can no longer fight.
As Kiyoko gets up, Ayame holds her ground, mouth closed - she's been remarkably silent the last several minutes, having made only sparing comments during the exchange of attacks. But as Kiyoko seems to let down her guard, showing no intent to continue charging Ayame recklessly, the girl collapses her staff with a press of her button and slides it into her pouch.
She maintains the neutral expression for a good while, looking at Kiyoko intently yet seemingly trying to hide just how intense her study of the other girl is. "You got what you needed out of that. That's all that matters," the girl finally states, turning to the side, looking away from the Tai Chi student.
Exhaling a long sigh, the girl folds her arms over her chest, rolling her head and cracking her neck. "Didn't do bad at all. Lotta determination." she opines somewhat laconically. "More than most do." She lifts an arm to rub her shoulder, bruised from when she got slammed repeatedly against the ground. "Sucks, doesn't it," she continues, turning back to face Kiyoko at last, right hand lowering from her shoulder to gesture toward the other girl's exposed arm, a myriad of scars to remind all who look upon it about what she's going through. "Doesn't seem fair. Stupid world. Not fair at all."
She exhales softly then turns to walk over to the bag that she had deposited on the rooftop when she first arrived, hefting it up to her shoulder. Turning around to face the violet haired girl, she fires off a pointed question, "How do you pay for it all? The treatments? Are you rich? Family money? Amazing insurance that hasn't up and dropped you like most bastards would at the first legal loophole they find?"
COMBATSYS: Ayame has ended the fight here.
Kiyoko nods her head a little as Ayame comments on how the fight went. She doesn't seem uncomfortable with Ayame looking her over- she did very much the same thing in the middle of the fight, so why shouldn't the redhead do it now that the fight is over? It's not like the point of the exercise was to determine Ayame's strength.
At first Kiyoko thinks that Ayame means it sucks and isn't fair that no one seems to stand much of a chance against her, or something else of that nature. Until she makes the gesture, which has Kiyoko looking downward towards her feet, a nod issuing from her head. "It does... but at least it's not on my face. I can still cover it up, as long as I wear long sleeves." Which if Ayame thinks back to the myriad of times they've met, she always does. Even when wearing her Justice uniform the long sleeved jacket is always kept on, since the shirts only come in short sleeved versions."
The bandit snatches up her bag of who-knows-what, and to Kiyoko it appears that she's about to leave. But instead of simply hopping away she asks a question, one that gets an embarrassed laugh from the purple haired teenager. "I guess my parents have a lot more money than most families." She /does/ go to the elitist rich-kid school of Southtown, after all. "Um... thanks again, Ayame. I know you didn't want to fight me like that."
Kiyoko sees a positive side to the situation where few might not be able to. 'Not on her face.' Heh. Some great bonus that is. "Yeah," Ayame replies, a faint smile finally crossing her lips at the girl's explanation about the long sleeves, "There is that." She wasn't really talking about the scars though and the slow way her smile fades betrays briefly the poignant thoughts running through her mind.
She seems to get over it quickly though as she lifts her hand to flip her hair back over her shoulder with a practiced toss of her head, then doing a second pass to brush a lot of it behind her ear on her right side. "Nn," she grunts as Kiyoko remarks on her growth, leaning her head to the side, smiling lazily, "It's a rough world out there. Gotta be tough," she manages to grin, lifting her hand to pat her... not particularly impressive bicep. She shrugs and lowers her arms, listening to Kiyoko's explanation of how her family's getting by. "Well, if you ever need help, just let me know." Just don't ask too carefully where any said help would come from, right?
The girl thanks Ayame again for fighting her with her weapons and the bandit girl rests her hands at her hips, giving her a nod. "You have different views on fighting than I do, Kiyoko. Different reasons for it too. 's just not the same, I guess." Her smile comes back slowly now, "But if it's what you you needed... eh. You'll get better, Kiyoko. Probably already have, really. Had some new tricks there," she finishes, eyes narrowing a little as she regards the other girl as if trying to divine where she figured out some of her new uses of her chi, but it seems to be in jest because she relaxes again a moment later.
"Didn't hurt you too bad, I hope. I, uh... well... it became clear that you just weren't going to give up. Stubborn. Got a bit rough at the end because of that." she concludes, resting her hand against her cheek and rubbing it thoughtfully. Seemed that hitting deep with that strange violet chi she drew out ended up sealing the deal. "Well, after all this hassling me business, you better stick it out. You've come this far, haven't you? I'm going to be annoyed if this was just a waste of time."
Though Ayame wouldn't know it, Kiyoko has people telling her all the time just how 'lucky' she is compared to others with the same disease as her. It's not so much that they have scars on their faces, but that many weak to the point of exercise being bad for them, or... dead. Nine times out of ten hearing about it does nothing but tick her off, but taking an optimistic view /can/ make things a little bit more bearable.
"Yea, I bet. Well if being tough is the requirement I think you've got it down." It's then time for her to be shocked as Ayame offers help, seemingly in the financial area. The girls head shakes from side to side, "No, I shouldn't need any help like that, really. That's...not something you should worry about." It's actually kind of embarrassing, too.
"Yeah... It's just... it can be really hard, sometimes, seeing other people get better and stronger and then looking at yourself and not really seeing it there. I guess it could be like watching someone get older, though. You don't really notice if you see it constantly, but if you don't see 'em for a while and then meet them it seems really shocking how much they've grown." That's one explanation for it, maybe. Kiyoko's really not terribly sure though. But if nothing else she's proven that she can give Ayame /some/ bit of hassle when it comes to beating her up. And heck, if she can give Ayame trouble she should be able to flat out trounce a lot of people, right?
Kiyoko then looks down at herself as Ayame expresses concern, and then looks up shaking her head. "No, I should be fine. A bit bruised and scratched up, but... that goes with the territory, right? I'd be rather disappointed in you if I /wasn't/ scratched and bruised." She then lets out a laugh and nods her head, "Yea, you're right. I'll keep at it. I wouldn't want to be called a quitter, right?"
"Well, good," the girl remarks as Kiyoko says that she's going to stick with it. "Gotta have something important to you like that." There's a certain distance to her voice now as if her thoughts are starting to shift to other topics either not related or only tangentally related to the conversation with Kiyoko.
Her focus comes back to the girl after a moment though, "I should get back to what I was doing. I'll see you around, I bet." She shifts the bag over her shoulder and turns around, waving over her shoulder before leaping off the building to grab hold of the neighboring building's drain pipe and slide on down to the streets below, leaving as abruptly as she had arrived at the onset of this get together.
Log created on 01:11:49 04/03/2008 by Ayame, and last modified on 14:58:53 04/06/2008.