Description: The heated rivalry between Gedo's Guardian Kings and Pacific's Pacific Resistance is nothing new to the world of SNF. This time, however, Marisol comes bearing grudge against the Guardian Kings' leader for his past SNF antics, leaving what ought be a fun and light-hearted fight anything but, no thanks to mutual stubbornness. But what about Pás..? (Winner: ???)
It's been a while since Tenma Kiryuu has shown his face on the professional fighting circuit. Not since that 'disastrous' match on the reconstructed pirate ship, where he turned on and absolutely demolished his partner for the evening, in fact; since then, the Gedo swordsman has been hardly seen much of anywhere, with little in the way of explanation as to why.
Maybe it's shame over what he did? Maybe it's something more sinister?
Whatever his reasons, the leader of the Guardian Kings has finally made his return to Saturday Night Fight, and naturally this means he has to fight two girls on top of the World's Largest See-Saw!
It /is/ pretty big, too.
In the middle of the park, the immense see-saw waits for its prey, like some kind of macabre death trap... Well, not really, it's just a terribly oversized childrens' toy. Directed by the Saturday Night Fight staff, Tenma settles himself casually by sitting on the middle of the see-saw, right where it sees and saws, his bokken already alight with that smoky red aura of blood and chi. Sitting there like that, with one leg dangling and the other resting on the corner of the see-saw, bent at the knee so he can support his free arm and thusly cradle his cheek boredly, Tenma waits for his opponents.
Something about him seems a little... Off.
Whatever must have happened in Tenma's life, there's one minute aspect of it that remains defiantly unchanged.
"Pescador! Hallo!" calls up one genuinely happy voice, sounding very pleased to see him there. Just like always, that voice belongs to a certain Brazilian, with the same grin, the same sleepy, wily eyes, the same furiously-waving hand, and the same penchant for the immodest.
Wearing belted cutoffs that hang low off one of her hips and a stringy halter top that loudly proclaims SHIGGITY SHIGGITY SHWA, with her hair tied back in a heavy ponytail and her feel as bare as they always will be, Pás makes her presence known.
"H-here, um, Pás," a red-faced, and so very uncertain SNF personnel is calling. "Let me get you a ladder to get up onto th--" He doesn't get to finish. In a casual display of her dexterity and upper body strength, the grinning Brazilian just charges the poor boy, leaping and getting a step up off his back. He bows under her weight with a surprised 'oof!' as she vaults off, grabbing herself up onto one side of the seesaw.
The entire contraption sways a little under her addition. Pás doesn't seem to mind. She's too busy beaming at Tenma. "Shiu! Long time, and I am not seeing you!"
"I'm going to murder him!!"
From the distance the familiar voice of Marisol breaks the peaceful springtime buzz embracing the park, her voice carrying on a passing breeze. A glance reveals the half-Spaniard girl being held back by two large-chested men in black shirts with 'SNF' emblazoned across the front in large white font. She struggles against them, flailing her arms and kicking her legs.
After about seven minutes the redhead is calmed, spoken to by a well-dressed man in glasses with a clipboard. Whatever is said between them is uncertain; what IS certain, however, is that the girl seems much less-livid toward the Guardian King perched at the center of the large see-saw.
Released thereafter, Marisol saunters over, shooting the Gedo youth a heated glare. Saying nothing whatsoever to him, the half-Spaniard girl takes to the right, waiting for a crew member to lower her half of the see-saw so she can board it. Hopping on, Marisol crouches a bit, letting her hands smooth her skirt into place before she rises to full height. Only then she shoots the Tenma a sneer.
"Well, well, WELL if it isn't TENMA Kiryuu, jackass extraordinaire."
Folding her arms, the girl's gray eyes narrow sharply, her jaw tensing as she just stares.
"I bet you feel so proud and smug, don't you? Beating up a girl so ruthlessly on television. What's the matter, huh? Did she insult your Gedo pride? Did she make fun of your silly wooden sword? Did she look at you the wrong way..?"
Inhaling deeply, the girl's tanned features twist, her expression heated and livid once more.
"How DARE you do such a thing!? I see now why you haven't shown your face on SNF for a week or so--you're too scared to fess up to the consequences of your actions, aren't you? Huh?!" With a toss of her head and a loud scoff, Marisol's arms fold over her chest, gray eyes snapping shut.
"You are the biggest asshole I've ever kn--!"
The see-saw suddenly jerks violently, Marisol's end shooting upwards as Pás leaps onto the thing and grabs her end to climb aboard. Arms swing and flail before the girl drops and just clutches with white knuckles onto the sides, desperately holding herself in place with wide gray eyes. Only when she's secure does the girl exhale in relief.
"Hello, Pás," the girl calls out, peering at the Brazilian girl with a half-hearted smile. One, she's sad she has to fight against her friend. Two...she's sad the girl still is happy to see a jerk like Tenma Kiryuu. What a cruel world.
The arrival of both girls, perhaps surprisingly, elicits the same response from Tenma: A faint sigh, stirring long wisps of his black bangs out of his face. He does feel guilty, as it happens, but probably not for the reason anyone would suspect; Marisol's accusations are largely meaningless to him, by this point. Though the way the see-saw jerks around once Pás climbs onto it is somewhat distracting, given that he's sitting right in the middle.
"At least something can shut you up, Red," Tenma grunts, starting to stand up on the middle of the see-saw, his balance somewhat precarious, under the circumstances. "How about you go nag someone who cares, instead?" Tenma glances, briefly, towards Pás, but he doesn't seem to be able to keep his dark blue eyes on the Brazilian for long, as he turns his attention away from her a heartbeat later, his expression blank.
This might prove to be a problem, given the nature of their match.
Slightly widening his stance, Tenma slips his bokken off of his shoulder, keeping his attention directly on the half-Irish street boxer. "'cause these days, I have precisely /no patience at all/." Charging directly at Marisol, Tenma thrusts his bokken forward, trying to catch the redhead in the sternum with the point of the wooden blade; if he can catch her with it, then he twists and swings his sword - and thus, presumably also /Marisol/ - up over his head, hurling her towards the other side of the see-saw. "GRAAH!!"
COMBATSYS: Tenma has started a fight here.
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Marisol has joined the fight here.
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tenma
COMBATSYS: Pas has joined the fight here.
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Pas 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tenma
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|
In the midst of Tenma's guilt and Marisol's broken sound barrier, Pás plays the role of the terminally oblivious. She seems content to half-sprawl along her side of the seesaw like someone's spoiled persian cat, content to waste the afternoon and bask in the heat. On the outside, she's zen. But, on the inside?
Pás is getting the sinking feeling that something's wrong. She watches onward through Marisol's impassioned rant, otherwise non-responsive to the redhead's angry shouts. She's habituated to those as someone is the sound of a refrigerator turning on. Marisol's yelling is a white noise.
But Tenma... something is distinctly off about him. He won't even look at her. Pás distractedly peeks down at her own chest, her hands reaching in to weigh herself in a way that makes this fight's ratings take a significant boost. No, she's still good there. That can't be the reason. This has going to be serious.
Disturbed by her thoughts by Marisol's less-than-enthusiastic greeting, the Brazilian beams back up a full hundred watts, waving happily back at her best friend. Until her view of the girl gets blocked off with Tenma makes his first attack.
When she knows neither of the two Eternal Rivals are looking her way, Pás sags a little in the shoulders, letting a weary breath go. This is going to be a long fight.
An instant later, Pás is back to her fatally cheery self, stepping forward to try to intercept Marisol's trajectory with a winning smile. "Shiiiiu, Marisolas!" she chides. The girl snaps one leg up in an attempt to catch her best friend with a round house. "Why you so angry! It give wrin-kle!"
COMBATSYS: Marisol blocks Tenma's Asura.
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Pas 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tenma
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Marisol 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Marisol endures Pas' Medium Kick.
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Pas 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tenma
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|
Poor, poor ignored little Pás! Marisol is thinking about other things right now. Namely, yelling and nagging and being a bitch to Tenma for his past antics on public television. No one said Marisol was a fair and balanced girl! Facts? What facts?!
"No, I rather like nagging YOU, Tenma Kiryuu. You wanna know why?" Pause.
"You probably don't, but that's okay, because I'm gonna tell you ANYWAY." Lifting her hands, she rests them on her curvy hips, gray eyes narrowed as she fixes her gaze entirely on Tenma. Slowly does a smirk edge its way over her full lips, a confident, cocky expression haunting her sun-kissed face.
"It's because you're YOU, and it's too damn easy. You're Tenma fuckin' Kiryuu, the biggest asshole to ever curse God's green earth. Tenma Kiryuu, the 'big man' who decides it's pretty cool to turn against his scheduled teammate and beat the shit out of her. How the HELL do you sleep at night?!"
Gray eyes narrow a touch, peering more intently at the Guardian King as he readies himself. For the now, Marisol's Brazilian comrade is forgotten in favor of Tenma. And soon enough he comes, belting out a horrible battle cry as his wooden, chi-infused blade swings. Marisol snorts.
"No patience? Is that supposed to be SCARY??"
An arm lifts up, intercepting the incoming blade by slamming her arms down onto it. When he gives a heft upwards the girl follows, forearms burning against the chi that licks along the blade's edge before she's launched upwards and over. Sailing freely, the girl just laughs.
At least until she's kicked by Pás in the ass.
"You TRAITOR!" the girl barks as she's bounced forward once more, landing a few feet shy of being right in Tenma's face. But she doesn't hesitate to capitalize on the moment; with a sharp smirk the girl swiftly retaliates, attempting to strike Tenma in the jaw with a straight punch, followed by a swift uppercut. Her body twists thereafter, a leg whipping around as she attempts to spin around and drive a spinning hook kick right for the side of his head.
"TRY HARDER!!"
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Tenma with Iron Whip.
- Power hit! -
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Pas 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Tenma
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|
Ha ha, can you blame Pás for kicking Marisol in the butt though? It's a big target!
Anyway, Tenma lets out a faint irritated noise as the redhead manages to deal with the throw, and he's already in the process of getting his footing back under him wheen the half-Irish fighter lands in front of him, the see-saw teetering precariously. When the punch is swung his way, the Kiryuu fighter tries to get his bokken in the way of it, but he can't make it in time... Instead, he gets hit rather repeatedly, culminating in the kick to the side of his head which /almost/ knocks him off of the see-saw.
He does, however, fall to the wood underfoot.
"I had my reasons. Which are none of your business, Red," Tenma grits out, swinging his bokken in a short grounded arc.
Now, he can't actually hit Marisol with that slash, it's not close enough; but the red afterimage that follows the blade's movement is somewhat more troubling, as a roiling crescent of blood is born forth from it. Surely this means bad times for Marisol?!
Not so much, because you see: The bloody crescent goes right between Marisol's legs, careening past her and /up/ the see-saw towards Pás. Oshi?!
COMBATSYS: Pas blocks Tenma's Dharmapala.
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Pas 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Tenma
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|
Every last word shouted back-and-forth between them hurts Pás in a way she'll never reveal. There's nothing quite so miserable as to watch the two people with whom you'd trust your life turn on each other with bared fangs and fists. Beneath all her lazy smiles and dismissing, the Brazilian is a hurtin' machine.
But she doesn't intervene between them. Honestly, she doesn't think she ever could. It's simply not what she does. Not who she is. Mediation is not one of her better skills. Didn't she once promise herself she wouldn't get attached? Cristo above, that was smart of her. She should've stuck with it.
Branded a TRAITOR!, the Brazilian simply responds Marisol with an innocent grin and an impish little shrug. After a pause, she entreats, a little uneasily, "Psiu, Marisolas! What else am I doing? This is called Satur-days Night Fight, yea? Not Satur-days Night Marisolas Yells A Lot And Is Very Loud. So have fight, silly!"
And, fulfilled by her own words, Pas has fight quickly come to her. Tenma's chi seems to veer on her out of nowhere, and quickly, reflexively, she reacts before she even lets herself think about it, thrusting both arms out against the onslaught. Her own chi surges from her palms, sparking energy against energy, even as the sheer power of the attack swats her back. Her heels skid down the length of the seesaw. She almost -- almost pitches off the end of it. That was close.
Catching herself into a crouch, she looks up the line of the contraption, seeing the two back to locking horns as always. Giving her head a shake, Pás tenses both her legs. She might not be good at mediating, but she's good at a little arbitration, as she swiftly forces herself to jump up and land HARD on her end of the seesaw, trying to separate the two fighters forcibly.
An instant later, she's racing up those woodplanks, choosing to try to catch Tenma, wherever he may end up, in her most favourite of introductions. A headbutt.
"Pescador, you never tell me hallo!"
He had reasons..?
Briefly the half-Spaniard's expression is puzzled, smoky gray eyes blinking slowly before peering at the Guardian King as he recovers from his near-fall off the massive see-saw. But when he tells her that it's 'none of her business' she scowls briefly, full lips pulling back over her lips. At her sides her hands curl into tightly-bound fists, knuckles white as she glares at Tenma. None of her business..?
Like poor Pás, the swing of Tenma's bokken is otherwise ignored, the girl just glares angrily at the Gedo fighter, shuddering lightly.
"F-FINE!!" she yells, even as that roiling arc of blood shoots between her legs, causing her skirt to ruffle back a bit as it sails right for poor Pás. Gritting her teeth together, her expression is livid once more, gray eyes widening fiercely as she yells,
"I wouldn't give a shit, anyway, you ASS!!"
This is to say that Marisol is probably a little disappointed that something is wrong and he won't tell her what it is. Offended? Maybe just a little; after all, Tenma went out of his way to beat the crap out of Marisol when SHE had problems. It's only fair she does the same.
"That doesn't change the fact I'm going to punch your skull in, Kiryuu," the redhead offers with a sharp smirk, gray eyes hooded sharply as she stares right at the Gedo fighter. "It's just convenient I get to do so on television, where everyone can see me do it." She pauses, a cruel sneer edging its way over her full lips as she adds,
"And I'm gonna enjoy every minute of it!!"
But this IS a three for all, and it wouldn't do for Pás to get away so easily. When the Brazilian leaps for Tenma and makes her move, Marisol comes in behind the girl and attempts to hook the girl right upside the head.
"You want fight, fine! Here's your fight, TRAITOR!" She means it endearingly. Honest.
COMBATSYS: Tenma endures Pas' Zidane's Revenge.
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Pas 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Tenma
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|
As the see-saw shifts again under Pás' harsh ministrations, Tenma finds himself jerked up into the air even as he barely manages to cling to the wooden plank. For a moment, more than anything else, he looks pretty frantic: It's not his idea of a good time over here, you know. "Yeah, you sound /just like/ somebody who doesn't care, Red," the lean boy says rather sarcastically, even as the Brazilian comes flying pell-mell towards him, and her half-Irish teammate seems intent on punching the leaping girl in the head, Tenma is in the process of standing up.
At which point, he gets headbutted.
Tenma doesn't try to avoid or deflect the blow, instead leaning /into/ it, frowning widely as the girl's hard forehead smashes into his, quite powerfully. "Dakini," Tenma says, not budging an inch under the force of the blow. "Sorry," he finishes, his hand snaking up to try and grab Pás by the hair and /yank/ her head down into his waiting knee, finishing off his intended attack with a vicious slash of his bokken against her backside.
What, that's all he can reach from here. Shut up, don't judge me!
COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Pas with Fierce Strike.
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Pas 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Tenma
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Pas counters Hook Punch from Marisol with Branded Mule.
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Pas 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/--=====|
Stepping back from her headbutt and staring inquistively forward, Pás doesn't dare ask it. But, watching Tenma, the question is scrawled across the set of her eyes: what's wrong?
Then he tells her he's sorry. Her expression changes, her head tilting the way a dog does when it's watching a puppy chow commercial on T.V. "Como--?" she starts to ask, but she never gets enough time. Her weight immediately tries to shift, grounding itself when Tenma goes on the offense, but the Brazilian just isn't quick enough. Her face mashes against his knee with a muffled grunt, and he tans her ass on national broadcast.
She's almost glad to know her father doesn't care about her enough to be watching this, half-way across the world.
"Aiii!" Pás squawks, pulling herself free with a strange look slathered across her bleeding face, which has started to match the pattern Tenma's blood chi has splattered across her SHIGGITY SHIGGITY SHWA shirt. She stares at him a moment more, before Marisol's familiar voice climbs its way back up the Brazilian's attention. Her head turns minutely. She sees the fist out the corner of her eye.
This time, the tricky Brazilian finds her quickness. Marisol's signature punch comes charging out, and by some means of luck or God's sheer grace, Pás catches the damn thing straight out of the air. Like one would snatch a housefly. Even though she can't really feel her own hand, she tightens it down around her best friend's fist. And she smiles at her.
"Pou, you silly Spanish. You got the talk and you got the passion, but in an end? You cannot dance." Her smile mutates, going vicious and serrated, as her gripping hand pulls in, trying to draw her teammate into a double-footed kick aimed straight at her gut. Chi detonates at the instant of impact with a wreath of sparks, enough power buried in the blow to try to send Marisol skidding back to the other end of the seesaw.
There, Pás stands between the two rivals, deciding to be the salami in this very angry sandwich. Her dark eyes remain fixed on Marisol, the look in them borderline taunting when framed with her smirking jaw. This is Plan B: get Marisol so pissed off at herself that she forgets Tenma is there.
"Good, I wouldn't want to give you the impression that I CARE or something," the half-Spaniard is swift to retort, gray eyes narrowed dangerously at the Gedo fighter. A smirk crosses her lips, a flash of amusement haunting her stare before she simply tosses her head to one side. Tenma is forgotten--for now, at least, especially when he's headbutted by her Brazilian (traitor) friend.
It earns him a sharp laugh from the girl behind Pás.
That's when the half-Spaniard moves, attempting to hook poor Pás upside the head and smack the daylights out of her. But just as her fist closes in, the Brazilian sporting SHIGGITY SHIGGITY SHWA proudly over her chest snaps her hand out of the air like a fly trap.
Marisol frowns. "Oh you--"
Despite the scolding, Marisol cannot quip back in time; instead she's kicked and exploded with chi, sent skidding back clumsily along the expanse of wood on the massively-sized see-saw. Idly her hand lowers, clutching at her singed midsection, fingers rubbing the spot.
"Pff, you should watch your mouth, Brasil," the girl finally replies. "And choose your words carefully. I don't dance - it's boring." Unfortunately, the other girl's plan doesn't seem to work as intended; instead, Marisol seeks to push herself past Pás and get to Tenma, where she'll attempt to lodge her fist right into his stomach before following it up with a quick set of crosses with her left and right.
"Don't THINK I forgot about you, jackass!"
COMBATSYS: Tenma fails to interrupt Medium Punch from Marisol with Dead End Breaker.
- Power fail! -
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Pas 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Tenma
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Marisol 0/-------/-======|
Apparently Pás's Plan B isn't working out too well.
Tenma is still recovering from his attack on the Brazilian when Marisol moves past Pás on their precarious perch, the end of the see-saw with all three fighters now quite securely against the ground... So Tenma has to deal with a charge downhill from a crazy half-Spanish harridan, trying to punch him right in the gut. A sensible person would probably try to avoid it.
Nobody has ever mistaken Tenma Kiryuu for someone sensible, though.
As the punch comes for him, Tenma steps into the attack, starting to swing his bokken down... But it's not fast enough, the motion leaving him open to Marisol's strike and the rest of her combination, the blows driving the Gedo swordsman back further down the slanted see-saw. "'course I didn't think that," Tenma says, around a bit of a cough. "Big fat elephants never forget, right?"
Trying to do her best to referee two hated rivals, even if it'll possibly kill her in the process, Pás only manages to remain successful a mere handful of moments. Sometimes there's no separating gasoline from fire. In the end, they've been put on the Earth to mix.
She watches Tenma steadily, confusedly out the corner of her eye, still troubled past the sleepy look on her face by the way he's acting. He looks and moves like the spirit's been pulled out of him. At the very least, Marisol's taunts and insults end up giving him some spark... but not tonight. And the Brazilian doesn't like it. Too far entrenched in her thoughts, she doesn't notice Marisol's return until the half-Spaniard is pushing her aside, with a sharp retort against dancing.
Pás reacts visibly to the remark, looking slapped, before the sudden push makes her focus on other things. Unnoticed by Marisol's furious beeline and shoved to one side, Pás teeters worriedly on one edge of the seesaw, widening her eyes and pinwheeling her arms as her balance gets upset. For a few moments, she looks close to falling. Through sheer blessing, she balances to catch herself, sinking into a deep crouch to get her bearings, looking up in time to see... Marisol and Tenma, again, locked and battle, and not in the good kind of battle either. This isn't fun. This isn't a light-hearted fight. Everything about this seems all wrong, and she doesn't like it.
Watching them warily, Pás stands anew, the traces of a very, very uncharacteristic frown beginning to threaten her lips. She parts them, as if encouraged to speak -- but doesn't. Her jaw sets, her eyelids droop farther, and she just sets a hand to her hip. For now, the Brazilian remains on the spot, not looking so inclined to join the fray.
COMBATSYS: Pas takes no action.
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Pas 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/-======|
Withdrawing briefly from Tenma, the girl's fist unfurl, long digits splayed at her sides as she watches the poor Guardian King skid back even further down the see-saw. He deserved it. He's such a jerk. He deserves all of it.
But then he has to go and live up to the expectations she has for him.
"Elephant, huh?" she replies sharply, eyes hooding dangerously as she glares toward the leader of the Guardian Kings. Her mouth opens, a breath passing over her lips. Just as she begins to speak, the half-Spaniard girl suddenly stops and just holds her breath.
"You know what, Kiryuu?" the girl ultimately decides, arms folding over her chest. "That insult was so damn poor I can't even bring myself to reply to that. Instead I'll just keep punching you while you mope and act like some super-serious sourpuss. Really. It's so unattractive."
Tilting her head to one side, her hands break from her chest, resting on her hips. "You were more fun before. Now it's just boring. It's like I'm kicking a helpless puppy." Rolling her eyes, the girl just sighs and shakes her head disappointedly. Despite her barbs, the girl knows in her gut something isn't right. If it was some vendetta against some helpless girl on television, wouldn't he be all for gloating or...something?
Clenching her teeth, the girl's gray eyes swivel back onto Tenma, even as the Brazilian stands by idly, unmoving. For such a whimsical premise, the two rivals have clearly made it anything but, brining poor Pás down unintentionally in the process.
"But you know what? You just go on and do whatever the hell it is you want. Me? I'm going to keep punching you. Maybe you'll wise up a little, huh?? Besides, like I said, you deserve it."
Jerking to life, Marisol barrels right for Tenma, her body twisting a touch as she closes in. Raising a fist the girl swings it down hard, intending to sock the guy right in the skull and drive him into the wooden beam of the see-saw with a half-hearted smirk as she absently, half-heartedly remarks, "I guess it's time to find a new rival."
COMBATSYS: Tenma dodges Marisol's Fierce Punch.
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Pas 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/-======|
Recovering from his failed attempt to power through Marisol's attack - not to mention the hurty distributed /by/ said attack - Tenma notices that, rather conspiciously, the Brazilian doesn't seem to be actually doing... Anything. Instead he's left to suffer the slings and arrows of Marisol's diatribe, right up until the redhead comes rushing at him again, swinging her fist down.
Her fist passes through empty air.
"I said it wasn't any of your business," Tenma says; somehow he is now /behind/ Marisol, right behind her, periolously close, the exact mechanism by which he accomplishes this feat likely to remain a mystery for all time. "Don't you listen? Is all that red dye coverin' up blonde hair? Just know this: Sneak Thief deserved what she got. And a whole hell of a lot more."
And then, Tenma's arms snake around Marisol's waist, as he attempts to grab on and then just German suplex her headfirst into the see-saw.
It's not very graceful, but it's liable to hurt some.
Watching possibly her two best friends lock themselves in a serious battle is killing Pás. Though it always worried her, always grated peripherally at her, she could at least trivialize their usual bickering and hostilities as something their reputations and shared rivalry needs to uphold. After all, she is aware that neither of their teams would have become as memorable as it is if not for the other. Their skills as individual fighters made them famous, but this Gedo-Pacific rivalry made them infamous.
But this isn't that. This is different. This is worse. To the Brazilian, who feels far more and far intensely than would ever let on, this feels like a frightening escalation into something dangerous. Part of her feels inclined to take sides, and the other part seethes in frustration because it doesn't know which to pick.
So she stands there. She watches them. She watches possibly the two most important people in her life beat on each other, tossing insult after fist after insult after savage brutalizing. Her dark eyes sharpen and narrow, slowly losing their perpetual sleepiness. Her jaw tightens until her teeth click together. Her hands begin to clench at her sides. And watching them pound mercilessly on each other, going so far past the good-humoured billing of the fight, of their rivalry, of the two teams' raison d'etre, of her own patience... Pás feels something snap.
A couple moments later, the giant seesaw sways suddenly, its weight suddenly upset as Pás... is no longer there. There are those who express their displeasure through violence. She is not one of those people. Jumped down off the seesaw and landing back on the ground, the Brazilian is walking furiously away, pushing aside wide-eyed, frantic fight personnel who try to desperately remind her that the cameras are still rolling, that the fight is still going on--
Pás ignores them. Ignores what she's leaving behind. Ignores what this might do to her reputation as a fighter. Ignores Marisol and Tenma both. Tossing up one hand dismissively in a silent, emphatic gesture, she's too angry to care.
COMBATSYS: Pas takes no action.
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Pas 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Marisol interrupts Strong Throw from Tenma with Snap Wind.
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Pas 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/-======|
When Tenma actually MOVES out of the way for once in all the times that she's ever fought the Gedo boy, there's a distant expression of surprise that lingers on Marisol's face. When did he start exercising common sense in the middle of a fight? The girl's surprise is replaced with a brief expression of annoyance.
It fades easily enough; that is, after all, the least of Marisol's concerns. Instead she simply withdraws, her arm swiftly coiling back at her chest before she relaxes and exhales deeply. Her lack of success simply rolls off her shoulders, gray eyes drawing to a close as he speaks. Slowly, Marisol shakes her head in response.
"You know what? Turnabout is fair play," the girl swiftly replies, those eyes slowly opening once again, peering right at Tenma. For the now, poor Pás is left to simply stare, as her two best friends just go at it with a bit more vitriol than usual. "Kind of funny, isn't it? The issue with our teammate and his father wasn't yours, but you set out to MAKE it yours."
When he weaves around, the girl just offers a sharp laugh.
"Can't take your own medicine, can you? You really DO suck, Tenma Kiryuu."
Pás is walking away...but Marisol is just too damn stubborn to notice. Instead, gray eyes are wide and fixed as a pair of arms snake around the girl's waist and grab her. A moment later she's lifted up and sent backwards, to land on her skull. But rather than meet a horrible end, the girl cushions her blow, twisting her body sharply and wriggling out of his grasp a bit.
That's when 'improvises' by kicking Tenma fiercely in the chest with one foot before she attempts to drive her heel into his ribs with the other as she scrambles to her feet. "I'm a natural redhead, you asshole."
Okay, that hurt a little bit. Tenma gets kicked rather painfully, rolling away along the wooden plank from the force of the blow, twisting to get his feet back under him. "Yeah, I bet you are," he grits, showing a bit of his usual insolence in response to Marisol's last remark. He'll believe it when he sees proof! Irrefutable proof!
Still, even Tenma does admit that the Pacific Resistance leader has a point about his making their problem his before. Of course, she shows about as much gratitude for that as he would have expected from her, considering he helped them out of a jam: Pretty much none whatsoever. "Fine, you want to know? That conniving little bitch you're busting your ass to defend so bad from big, mean ol' Tenma Kiryuu helped lure one of my friends into a trap so she could be tortured and experimented on." The two of them being rather in their own little world, Tenma hasn't even noticed that Pás has left, either. His voice is loud enough for Marisol to hear it, but anyone beyond them is unlikely to make out a word. "Then she turned to save her own pathetic hide. So me'n the boys had to go rescue Voronkova," with a little help from Adelheid, but shhh. Shhh. "And, well, Sneak Thief's boss..."
Tenma's mouth pulls into a broad grin at this point. He feels sick to his stomach. "She got exactly what was comin' to her."
COMBATSYS: Tenma gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Pas 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/-======|
"I wouldn't be caught DEAD as a blonde," the girl growls back, eyes narrowing sharply as Tenma pulls himself to his feet. She keeps back, giving the man distance after the exchange for the moment, instead opting to cautiously eye the Guardian King carefully with a certain hint of scrutiny. Really, she should have knocked his ass out of the game after that. But he's still hanging on...
Would Tenma really believe Marisol if she were to profess her undying gratitude for his help?? Of course he wouldn't. He would either say something rude, or he would punch her in the mouth to shut her up. Of course the girl is privately grateful for his aid back then - but like hell if she is going to say as much. Besides...HE offered.
Her expression falters only a fraction as the stubborn young man begins to speak. Rather than butt in or say something - anything - Marisol just eyes Tenma closely. And the more he speaks, the more the girl feels like crap, deep down inside her stomach. The Sneak Thief did what..? But she seemed so...normal.
For the longest moment the girl stands there, her sun-kissed face flush of color as gray eyes peer down at the Guardian King. Her shock masks the thoughts that race through her head at that moment; inwardly she wonders why, or how, it could happen. And why, she wonders, someone would do that to one of their teammates. Fathers coming from overseas to brutally drag sons back home is one thing, but torturing and experimenting on the Russian girl? The Guardian King Marisol actually LIKES..?
Dropping her eyes, the half-Spaniard just stares long and hard at the plank beneath her feet, long red locks spilling past her shoulders as she stands silently. Sure they did fine and well, but it obviously all bothered Tenma in some fashion. If he's anything like her...
A dark shadow edges over the girl's face as her locks cascade further past her shoulders, hands curling into fists at her side. Standing there, Marisol says nothing for the longest time, even as the Brazilian makes her way away from the massive see-saw fighting ground.
"I..." the redhead begins, an arm shaking.
"Y-you..."
Marisol's head jerks upwards, eyes wide as she glares at Tenma.
"YOU JERK!!" the girl barks, before she swings at the Gedo fighter with an open hand. She's going to slap him across the face.
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Tenma with Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Pas 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Tenma
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/=======|
Immediately after, the girl's hands curl close to her chest, hands tightly bound in a fist as she stares incredulously at the Guardian King before her.
"How DARE you not tell me, you inconsiderate bastard! How DARE you set out to make my team's business yours, but you don't dare BOTHER letting myself or even Pás - Pás!! - know about the situation!" She pauses briefly, catching her breath before her eyes narrow sharply, a scowl on her full lips.
"I swallow MY pride to let YOU come help when YOU bother me about Preston and moping like some big baby, but you don't even so much as bother giving ME or even Pás the time of day? You just keep it all to yourself? Who do you think you are, some kind of damn super HERO? You...you JERK!"
The girl pauses, her face pale before she just shakes her head.
"You inconsiderate jerk. Did you bother to think that you could have killed Voronkova AND your teammates? You guys...you're not an ARMY! It sounds like some serious shit...and you just recklessly chose to traipse off right from the frying pan into the fire..?
"Yeah," Marisol adds, glaring at Tenma.
"They may have gotten what was coming to them...but what if things had gone horribly wrong..? You could have been KILLED." Exhaling, the girl waves her arms and turns her back to Tenma.
"I am so disgusted right now." Disgusted...and hurt.
Hey, here's a riddle for you: What did the five fingers say to the face?
Yeah, that's right. They said SLAP.
Tenma's head jerks to one side from the thunderous force of Marisol's full-arm slap - seriously that girl has muscles made out of like steel cable or something - and his expression is best described as 'ow, what the hell?!', probably rather comically to anyone watching the match.
The lack of context probably makes it even funnier.
"Yeah, well." Tenma says, his ears ringing from getting smakced in the face. "You about hit the nail on the head there, didn't you? Somebody could'a gotten killed." Why didn't Tenma tell anyone else? Because he couldn't let anyone else risk themselves. Wellington... Well, that was a fun afterschool field trip. Nobody was trying to kill anybody else.
The tall, lean Japanese youth waits a few moments, before finally pushing off of the see-saw with his legs, flopping onto the ground flat on his back. He doesn't get back up to fight any further.
COMBATSYS: Tenma takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Pas
COMBATSYS: Tenma can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Pas
With her back to Tenma, Marisol just snaps her eyes shut tightly, her lips pulled into a thin line across her tanned face. Angry and obviously hurt at this revelation, she can do little more after venting than seethe in annoyance, her hands clutching furiously to her arms as they fold over her chest. What a jerk. What a JERK, for him to just ignore Pás, who actually LIKES the guy.
When he eventually speaks, however, Marisol glances over her shoulder, her smoky gaze still heated and angry. He agrees with her? He agrees that someone could have gotten killed? Frowning deeply, the girl spins around and faces the Guardian King, hands pulling into tight fists once more.
"Then why are you SO STUPID!?" she exclaims, wide-eyed and angrily bemused. "Why would you do something like that to your teammates and friends? The three of you idiots aren't Ryus or Geese Howards or Shenwoos!" Exhaling, the girl's bangs ruffle a bit, eyes suddenly half-lidded as she just glares at Tenma.
...who then pushes off the see-saw and falls off?
Immediately after the half-Spaniard girl leaps off, landing in a crouch at Tenma's side with her hands on her hips. Bending forward at the waist, the girl glares right into his face, whether he pays attention to her or not.
"You're a goddamned fool, Tenma Kiryuu, running off and risking your life, and your teammates' lives. What IF you had failed? Voronkova could have been killed, too. Or worse. You don't KNOW that. It's a goddamned miracle everything ended as I PRESUME it did."
Pausing, the girl lifts a hand from her hip, drawing back errant red locks from her face as she exhales deeply once more. Gray eyes draw to a close...and the girl offers a lopsided smirk.
"I am just glad your dumb shit luck worked in your favor," she adds quietly.
Immediately the redhead stands upright, a loud sigh escaping her as she lifts her arms in a helpless shrug. Turning her back to Tenma, she begins to pace away, hands then looping behind her back as she strides slowly away, calling to the Guardian King:
"Looks like I still have myself a rival! Ha ha ha ha! Looks like your little heroic stunt tarnished your abilities there, Kiryuu! Come back when you've gotten better. How sad. I can't have a weak rival, you know!"
Halfway she realizes, however, Pás is mysteriously vanished during the entirety of the fight, and it makes the girl uneasy but utterly confused. Why would the Brazilian shy away from a fight..?
COMBATSYS: Marisol has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Pas 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Pas has ended the fight here.
Of course, Tenma pays attention. There's a girl bending down over him.
For a moment, Tenma's dark blue eyes do in fact NOT meet Marisol's grey, instead glancing down further. THEN he meets her gaze. He doesn't say anything, though... It's not like he could actually tell Marisol the truth, about why he didn't bring anyone else in on it. Instead, he just watches her silently, without blinking.
Once the redhead straightens up and walks away, Tenma just grumbles quietly. "Who'd want to be your rival anyway, stupid harridan," the Gedo swordsman mutters. For right now though, he's just going to lie there for a while. To hell with getting up!
Log created on 18:06:10 04/04/2008 by Marisol, and last modified on 00:28:11 04/11/2008.