Description: "Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe." -- Napoleon Dynamite. Oh wait. No, that'd be the wrong Napoleon. Or is it the right one? It's hard to tell, when we're dealing with a Saturday Night Fight on a giant map fashioned after a certain classic board game, complete with oversized pieces and fighters in period costume. All's fair in love and war, though Marisol might be taking the 'love' bit a bit too far in her idol-worship of Shenwoo. Acacia and Ingrid don't seem impressed. But can't we make love, not war? (Winner: Acacia/Ingrid)
Southtown Village is buzzing with activity today - for good reason!
The majority of what vast open space of the Village is currently transformed, and what was once smooth pavement and walkway now serves as a massive representation of the world - complete with color-coded continents!
All around people watch and stare as SNF crew and officials make the last of the preparations, lining off the gigantic map and soon-to-be fighting arena, making sure to keep observers well out of harm's way. It's a part of their job, after all, however disappointing it may be to the little children that want to run around on the massive map.
While the last of the necessary preparations are being made, Marisol O'Connell stands off to the side of the giant map-arena, looking particularly nervous and uneasy. Rather than stuffed comfortably into whatever choice attire she decided to wear to the SNF, Marisol is instead stuffed into a rather fancy-looking red coat uniform, lacking only in the dress sword and bayonet. Thankfully.
Rocking back and forth on her boot heels, the girl just watches the crews finish up their last-minute preparations, readying the field for the massive Risk! battle-to-be. Frowning lightly, the girl's eyes nervously flitter to the ground as she gnaws absently on her bottom lip. While she should be having fun here, she's just so nervous, and for good reason!
She's paired up with her idol, the great Shenwoo, God of Battle.
The very idea of it makes the girl's face turn red, her cheeks daring to rival the scarlet of her costume uniform. Lifting her hands to her face, the half-Spaniard girl just shies away, gloved hands pressing gently to her face as she glows. How lucky she is! To fight again with Shenwoo??
What a great honor..!
Yeah, what's up with stereotypical garb for fighters? I'll tell you what. Saturday Night Fight is RACIST.
The self-styled 'God of Battle' might not even actually be /Chinese/ for all anyone knows, but the tall, compactly muscled fighter is nevertheless clad in somebody's idea of traditional Chinese wear, though it certainly doesn't seem like anything a soldier would wear. Loose, black silk slacks cover his legs, quite a contrast from his usual choice of tight black leather, soft 'kung fu' shoes on his feet instead of the regular people shoes he prefers. And, for once, the berserker's torso isn't on display for the whole wide world, as he wears a knee-length, mandarin collared silk jacket in his usual royal purple, decorated with a gold embroidered Chinese dragon, large on the back and secured at the waist by a plain black sash. The sleeves are rolled up, showing off the black lining and the tattoos on his forearms, but otherwise Shen looks like he stepped out of some period drama.
He also looks unhappy.
"What the hell, making me dress up like it's Halloween or something!" the berserker mutters to himself, standing on the map's marked-out area of China. He couldn't even wear his gloves, or his rings! What a bunch of BS! Looking around, he spies Marisol also on the map, his teammate for the fight. Well, he knows she's got good spirit, so maybe that will be enough? He cannot, of course, fail to offer some encouragement, so he points right at the redhead. What was her name again?
Oh well, doesn't matter.
"Hey!!" Shen bellows at the Pacific Resistance leader. "You remember what I taught you! Hit 'em where it hurts, I don't care if it's some old dude or whatever! Even if it's a girl, you kick them right in the--" at this point, Shenwoo's 'advice' is mercifully cut off by the hubbub of SNF costumers coming up to make sure he hasn't forgotten any part of his costume, swarming the blond like locusts. LOCUSTS.
"Stop it! Leave me alone! I'm just here to fight!!"
And even as the hordes of barbarians descend upon the great Middle Kingdom of China, there's motion from across the world. In the West, a new threat arises. Well. The global East, actually, given the way the map of the world is laid out, but really, who's counting. All the fight fans surrounding the playing field, cheering and hollering - well, they're not exactly here for a Geography lesson, are they?
Opposite the board from Shenwoo and Marisol, Acacia steps out from behind the cover of an oversized territory card...one emblazoned with a chunk of the United States. She emerges from the shadows behind the large rectangle of renforced cardboard, stepping into view amidst a small assembled legion of human-sized playing pieces. With mighty steps, she passes by them, each of her strides taking her over the blue waters of the ocean.
She's dressed in a fitting fashion for a light spot of world conquest, a green camouflage jacket thrown over her lean frame, the mottled fabric bearing a few worn US Army patches. The heavy tread of sturdy combat boots thumps against the playing board as Acacia marches forward. All very militant. But also somewhat disappointing, really, because it's a decidedly modern Army jacket and boots. Really, her clothes don't -really- constitute a nod to the occasion. The Army jacket and leather boots are Acacia's usual fighting gear, a familiar sight on SNF. And the expression on her face makes it clear she's having none of this theatrical dress-up nonsense. This is battle. This is serious business.
The fact she's /also/ got a ridiculously tall tarbucket hat sitting on her head is entirely besides the point.
Beneath the gleaming black brim, Acacia studies Shenwoo as he gets buried beneath the horde of SNF staff. Then she arches an eyebrow at Marisol, silently, as if to say 'this guy is teaching /you/'?
Standing in the grand old tile of Scandinavia is a blonde haired young woman in the traditional garb of her home nation. Ingrid seems to be rather enjoying the little dress up included this week, standing proud. She's wearing an old style maroon-colored dress with brighter red patterns framing the front of the skirt, the heavy material wrapping around and overlapping rather than using a true seam. A fancy waist tie binds the dress securely to her waist, giving away to a connected bodice of the same material as the heavy skirt, thick shoulder straps holding the entire ensemble up while a low diving U neckline exposes the puffy white blouse that keeps the dress from being very risqué indeed. Heavy shoes and black stockings peek out just barely from the ankle low skirt-hem. The piece-de-resistance sits atop her head, an elaborately decorated 5 pointed hat with low hanging ear covers that would almost look like a symbolic crown, were it made of precious metals.
She stands between the Imperial Marisol and the Mandarin Shenwoo, her smile anything but faint as they each go through their own trials and tribulations of the current wardrobe. And off in the distance is her partner, Acacia, standing there with casual American arrogance- exactly as she should be. "It's very lovely to see you all," She says to the small grouping of well-distanced fighters, her voice artificially enhanced by a thick lilting accent stereotypical to the people of her nation. "I hope you're all well prepared- this war is about to go global."
The moment Shenwoo arrives into view, Marisol's face flushes clean of all color.
Staring at the silk-clad Berserker, the girl lightly gawks, her mouth gently agape as she watches the fighter arrive onto the scene. Sure, Shenwoo looks a bit unhappy with the situation he finds himself in, and the costume he's been stuffed into, but to Marisol...it's all perfect! She couldn't ask for anything more.
However, her demeanor shifts as he points her out and calls out to her, her once-pale face suddenly red hot as she's singled out. Briefly her gray eyes dart to the side, hands absently fidgeting with the fancy trim of her red coat. "Er...I-I...w-well," the girl stammers lightly, hesitating to lift her eyes and look to the man she's been matched up with. But, soon enough, she finds her courage and nods her head firmly, hands pulling into fists.
"OF COURSE I D-DO!" she blurts, pointing a finger at the brawler. "No quarter! I'm gonna--"
And then Shenwoo is devoured by white people. Out of respect or...something Marisol's eyes shift, glancing toward the approaching Acacia. The look she is given is returned, though the redhead is more confused than anything. Just when the girl begins to speak, Ingrid in all her red Scandinavian glory cuts her off, her friendly greeting earning her a curious expression from the redhead.
"Er, the same..?" Obviously, Marisol sounds uncertain, a hand absently rubbing at her neck.
At least until a gloved hand curls into a fist before punching into the open palm of her other. Full lips pull into a swift smirk, smoky gray eyes narrowing as she lets her gaze shift between the two scheduled opponents before her. This will be fun, she decides. Especially since she gets to fight along side the God of Battle...
She begins to blush again - but a swift shake of her head dismisses it.
"All RIGHT!" the girl barks, shooting a glance to her Chinese compatriot. "Let's do this, then! Ready?!"
Immediately her eyes snap back onto the two opponents before her, gray eyes shifting from Acacia to Ingrid. For a brief moment, the redhead looks puzzled and conflicted; but with a light laugh the redhead just pushes off her booted heels and charges right for Scandinavia.
"Here I COME!" the girl barks, a hand curling into a fist as she intends to slam it into Ingrid's stomach. Should it connect, the girl will lash her hands out, grabbing the blonde by her head and driving her face into Marisol's knee before shoving backwards, to disorient the girl. To brutally conclude, a leg will swing up and attempt to slam her boot's heel into Ingrid's jaw with a swift vertical kick.
"HRAAAH!!"
COMBATSYS: Marisol has started a fight here.
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ingrid has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Acacia has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
"Go away, dammit! Argh!" Shenwoo bellows, finally getting himself freed from the clutches of THE MAN, who was clearly trying to keep him down. The SNF staffers scatter, apparently satisfied that the brawler is properly costumed, and the tall blond man lets out a faint 'tch' of annoyance as they scurry off of the map. Which is good, because it seems the fighting has started already. That, at least, improves his mood a little bit.
Straightening up, Shen cracks his knuckles as he looks towards Acacia; it seems Marisol has the other girl occupied anyway, and he's never been a big fan of sharing when he doesn't have to. "Nice hat," he says to Acacia, about as dryly as a berserker can, before immediately going from 'standing still' to 'rushing forward extremely quickly', throwing his left fist forward in a rushing punch aimed directly at the American representative, the sash and lower part of his coat trailing behind him as he tears forwards. "GRAAAAH!!"
COMBATSYS: Acacia blocks Shenwoo's Gekiken.
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
And the clash of bone against bone rings out like a cannon shot across the playing field. The charge of the Shenwoo cavalry striking with the force of artillery. Napoleon would be proud - a bold opening move, worthy of a conqueror. The Risk board is, after all, a stylized representation of the /Napoleonic/ world. A game of Napoleonic dominance. For this was game invented by a Frenchman, following the French tradition of random urges to conquer large swathes of territory and establish mighty military dominance upon the world. Such is the mighty martial culture of France.
No, really.
Of course, Acacia's an American citizen, by upbringing and adoption, if not birth. And we know what to say about /that/...
Shenwoo's knuckles CRACK against Acacia's upraised forearm as she meets the blow, stopping it before it reaches her body. She rocks back an inch, but doesn't give any ground. The tall hat sitting atop Acacia's head sways slightly...but remains in place, held by the strap buckled across her chin.
"Thanks," Acacia replies, laconically.
She curls her own fist.
"But," she continues, "the coat isn't you."
Then she swings it, fast, returning the favour with a punch of her own.
As she strikes, she keeps an eye on Ingrid and Marisol in her peripheral vision. Hopefully her European ally has things handled on that front...
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Ingrid with Chain Reaction.
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Marisol 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
Everything seems to be getting under way now as the two pairs of fighters seem to prepare themselves in their own ways. For the paring of Shenwoo and Marisol, that way seems to be streaking forward and attacking head on with no excuses. The God of War meets the guard of Acacia, but Marisol has quite a bit more luck.
Seeing the redhead coming, Ingrid attempts to duck the fist when it's thrown at her, only to find it heading for her midsection rather than her head. The maneuver proves to be quite ineffective, and the first doubles her over just in time to meet a raising knee. Barely staying on her feet she staggers backwards, a powerful kick coming up to smack her in the chin snapping her head backwards and sending her falling onto her behind.
Dazed by the powerful onslaught that she should have been a bit more cautious of, the young woman rolls backwards and up to her feet once she has a moment to recover. "Oh, dear. It looks like I should have been making sure I was prepared rather than you." Scandinavia is taken as quickly as that, forcing a retreat into mainland Europe. But just because one army is crushed doesn't mean the rest will not seek to regain land!
Ingrid seeks to reciprocate powerfully, leaping forward towards Marisol with elbows extended, spinning about in the air as seems to crash directly into the young woman while her body sparkles with energy. Regardless of whether she makes contact with that she leaps into a high flashkick the moment she lands, legs kicking out to try and smash the redhead in the jaw with her heels in return for the kick just delivered to her, the primary difference being the long stream of gold that exits her heels as she flips into the air. It's a much more elegant and flashy maneuver than the brutal beatdown she'd just received- time to find out if it's equally effective.
COMBATSYS: Marisol blocks Ingrid's Sunrise.
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
After delivering the swift vertical kick Marisol withdraws, her leg setting down before she paces back a few steps, grinning like a cat at a canary's cage as Ingrid comments. "Well," the girl begins, shrugging her shoulders casually before she draws her eyes shut. "What can you do?" It's not as if the girl waited for the SNF officials to declare the fight as started!
"Whoa, what--??" As Ingrid suddenly moves and glows with weird energy, Marisol staggers back a few steps, sure to try and distance herself as safely as possible. As Ingrid crashes all glow-y-like into the redhead the girl's arms lift up and shield her, absorbing the brunt of the initial attack. When the Scandinavian representative flashkicks the girl's arm twists, redirecting the glowing strike to the side and avoiding her jaw with a small cry of surprise.
Recoiling swiftly backwards, the girl's eyes hood sharply, her face seized in a brief expression of pain as she softly 'ow ow ow''s in response. The red of her coat is singed, the golden...whatever of Ingrid's kick having left its mark on the English uniform. Somewhere, a costume designer is crying.
Shaking her forearms out, he girl frowns slightly and winces, eyes darting aside toward Shenwoo. He can hold his own, she wagers. He's Shenwoo, after all! Her hero!
"All right then!" the girl exclaims, before she swiftly darts forward, attempting to punch the poor blonde right in the center of her face with a quick, fleeting punch to disorient and a too-enthusiastic grin.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo blocks Acacia's Strong Punch.
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Acacia
Oh, it's true, Acacia's guard is pretty mighty; Shenwoo has, in fact, had some experience with it before. A long time ago, it seems. On a turtle far, far away. Whether he actually REMEMBERS or not, well, that's an open question at this point. Acacia's hard swung fist meets with Shen's open palm, a hard slap of fist against bare flesh, though it's somewhat unusual to see the brawler actually make a concerted defensive effort like that. "Yeah well, I'm not here to play Happy Dress Up Time with you girls," the Chinese representative says. "Compare outfits and braid each other's hair later--"
What's next? That was a strong, fast attack that Acacia successfully dealt with... What could Shenwoo have in his repertoire to deal with her now? Well, he pulls his hand back from blocking Acacia's fist, then laces the fingers of both hands together in a double axehandle position, swinging it down like a vicious hammer at the top of the girl's behatted head, aiming to simply power through any further attempts to stop his attacks by main strength. "--I'M JUST HERE TO KNOCK YOUR ASS OUT!!"
COMBATSYS: Acacia Toughs Out Shenwoo's Fukuko-Geki!
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
"Wonderful," Acacia replies, dryly, just as the hammer blow smashes the top of her hat in. She doesn't seem overly concerned at the sartorial abuse, though somewhere off the stage a hatmaker is probably adding more tears to the flood right around now. The tall military hat gets quite firmly squashed beneath the mighty fists of Shenwoo. And the blow reaches Acacia's skull, rocking her entire body down with the force. Her spine arches...but her legs bend, muscles tensing to absorb the force. Both her feet remain planted securely on good solid North American soil, or at least the painted depiction thereof.
"Good luck," Acacia replies, as she swings out from under Shenwoo's abortive fist strike, lashing out with her own arm. Her sleeve whips in the wind as her hand races upwards to slam into his throat, a rigid palm and questing fingers going up for his neck in a move somewhere between a punch and a chokehold.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid blocks Marisol's Light Punch.
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Acacia
Marisols staunch defense doesn't keep Ingrid from shooting up into the air, her dress billowing out as she floats back down to the ground, hat only just staying on her head, it's ear covers flapping in the wind. It's lightly that her feet tap back down upon the ground, and she turns to Marisol with a smile. It seems she's made an impression, even if her attacks were handled gracefully.
A look is given over to Acacia- who seems to take a punch that would nearly cave in Ingrid's skull and shrug it off like it was a love tap. Yep, she can rely on her partner for this one- time to make sure the same can be said for her! Returning her gaze to her red haired opponent just in time to see the fist heading towards her, she raises her arms up protectively and catches the fist with one of them, her weight shifting backwards as she absorbs the blow.
A little smile is given then, as her other arm draws backwards and up before swinging down and around to make nearly a full circle. Shining energy trails after her palm in a motion that might make it seem that she's going to slap the young Irish and Spanish woman, only to have a large ball of energy leap from the limb while she remains at close range, the orb raising forward and up, the aim seeming to be right in the center of her face. "Catch!"
COMBATSYS: Ingrid successfully hits Marisol with Sun Shot.
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Marisol 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Acacia
Charging Ingrid, the half-Spaniard is obviously a little disappointed when her knuckles don't plant into the center of the girl's waiting face. Aww; she was really looking forward to a face-punch, too. At least it might have impressed Shenwoo - not that he's really paying much attention to her, anyway. Regardless, the girl just recoils a fist tightly to her chest and steps back, eyes half-lidded as she sizes Ingrid up.
The girl's smile is unnoticed; Marisol's gray eyes drift unconsciously aside, peering at the Shanghai brawler as he dukes it out with Acacia. He's so great, she privately pines. So strong and amazing, and..!
Catch?
"Huh?"
Here comes a glob of energy, the girl notes. Frowning, the half-Spaniard girl in her redcoat attempts to weave aside, but her timing fails her. Struck in the face, hard, the girl goes flying back, hitting the ground with a heavy, meaty thud. A groan follows as the redhead picks herself up, a hand pressing firm against her forehead, slowly drawing down her face.
"Ugh...sorry mister Shenwoo," the girl offers, her words barely carrying toward the brawler as she bides her time for the moment. She's going to NEED a moment after that.
COMBATSYS: Marisol gains composure.
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Marisol 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Acacia
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Shenwoo with Stronghold.
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Marisol 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Acacia
You know, Shenwoo has an attack that's very similar to the one he gets hit with right about now... So it's an interesting reversal for him; lets him know what it feels like for everyone else. THIS is what he's been doing to people? He's a monster.
Actually, nah, the crazy bastard doesn't regret it even a little bit.
The tall fighter doesn't even try to avoid Acacia's attack, getting caught by the throat, and it hurts, sure... But the pain just sets a glint in those black eyes of his, and rather than gasp for air, his broad slash of a mouth pulls into a wide, wild grin. Oh yeah, that's the stuff.
Finally breaking the girl's grip, Shen skirts back a bit. "Managed it before," he replies, with a slight shrug. He's just about to go after Acacia again when... Marisol calls a time out?! What kind of a team is this, anyway? Sighing a bit, and rolling his eyes, he looks to Acacia. "Hey, sorry, we'll have to finish this in a minute," he tells the American... And then he takes off like a shot, right at Ingrid.
Grinning that feral grin, his dark eyes glinting madly, the God of Battle bears down on the Norwegian with all due speed, and once he finally gets close enough to strike, his fist lashes out, blurring-fast, in a simple right cross at the girl who's proving to be such a thorn in his teammate's side. "Heads up, Smallfry!!"
Acacia tilts her head, the squashed hat shifting amidst stray locks of silver hair as it hangs awkwardly off the chinstrap. Shenwoo's sudden shift in targets seems to catch her by surprise, momentarily, her eyes widening - before, in a flash, she discerns his intent.
"/Team/ battle, hm?"
She says it out loud. Situational awareness is important...no. Critical.
Shenwoo's certainly learnt -that- lesson. Looks like he's moving to cover his protege as she catches her breath. Acacia snaps her gaze round, taking everything in, studying the situation. Acacia shoots a glance at Ingrid before she makes her own move, trying to communicate her intent through body language and facial expression alone. They're at a disadvantage here, Acacia and Ingrid - Shenwoo and Marisol have experience working together. The two girls don't.
And tactical coordination is important here. Can't forget that, not here and now - not while fighting on a giant map from a strategy board game. The whole thing might be silly, but there's a lesson there. One Acacia intends to take to heart.
And apply directly to Marisol's face.
Because that's where Acacia's heading now, even as Shenwoo breaks towards Ingrid...Acacia charges towards /Marisol/, her footsteps taking her quickly across the broad expanse of ocean to the other continent. Acacia's gloved fist blasts forward, knuckles clad in taut leather...and wreathed in chi, the energy spilling from Acacia's hand in a pure kinetic shockwave, distorting and rippling the air with a rising roar.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid counters Quick Punch from Shenwoo with Sun Upper.
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Marisol 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
Ingrid has a front row seat to see what happens when someone isn't paying attention and suddenly gets a face full of psi when they're not expecting it. The reaction seems to be a powerful one, enough that rather than getting pissed and trying to bash her head in for such a thing Marisol pulls back and takes a moment to recover. Well, that's certainly an ego boost for the blonde.
There's very little time to relish that boost, though, because the God of War is suddenly shooting towards her with intent to maim. It's not a viscous slaughter of an attack he sends her way though, but a single fast cross punch towards her cheek. No, Ingrid decides, she doesn't feel like dealing with that just yet, so it's time to try and pull off something crazy.
As the fist begins to strike Ingrid leans towards it and lifts her right hand to tap at the air in front of herself, a disk of swirling golden energy forming in front of her. The timing is perfect, and the fist impacts it just as it fully forms. The pointing hand is flung skyward, and Shenwoo follows suit, the energy of the disk latching onto him and flinging him high up into the air.
Ingrid takes a few steps backwards, turning her eyes over towards her teammate to see her charging at Marisol to try and assault the other fighter with a chi enveloped fist. That should turn out well. An amused smile plays on her lips as she looks to Shenwoo, who should be hitting the ground about now. "Smallfry, is it? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Shouldn't you know not to underestimate an opponent, Mr. God of War?"
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Marisol with Mass Driver.
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Marisol 1/----===/=======|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
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Shenwoo 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Acacia
Meanwhile, Marisol sits off to the side, her duff positioned precariously over North Korea as she tries to catch her breath. Inwardly the half-Spaniard is cursing herself for not jumping back into the game - Shenwoo needs her! It's a team battle, isn't it? Frowning, gray eyes hesitantly lift up, just in time to see the brawler's attack get stuffed. The girl's full lips pull into a sharp frown of annoyance.
With a sigh and a grunt, Marisol pulls herself up off Korea and dusts her posterior off, hands curling swiftly into fists shortly thereafter. When the girl's eyes finally lift to catch sight of the goings-on at this point, there's a silver-haired girl barreling for her. Marisol doesn't move; instead she just stares.
And then she's punched, a shockwave of energy launching the girl back, causing her to stick like a human piece of putty to the storefront of a creamery. A few parents look on, horrified, as a few children squeal with delight. A mother covers her daughter's eyes.
"Ugh," Pulling herself from the wall, Marisol stumbles forward with a hand pressed to the back of her head. A light shake of her red mane staves off the fuzziness and ringing in her ears, and soon enough gray eyes are moving up and fixing back on miss Scandinavia herself. Is she chiding him? The girl's expression darkens a touch.
"It's GOD OF BATTLE!" the girl cries, defending her idol's self-proclaimed namesake prodly before she bursts into action. Closing in on the blonde, she swings her fists swiftly, four relentless hook punches aimed for poor Ingrid's face to stun the girl. Only then and thereafter will Marisol recoil from her, her right arm tensing painfully-tight, muscles straining as she draws back...
And then throws herself forward, releasing like a coiled spring at the blonde with every intention of driving her fist into the center of Ingrid's chest - HARD.
Well, that was not at all what Shenwoo was expecting. The berserker gets knocked into the air through pure /energy/, which sears most uncomfortably, and he does indeed land a bit poorly, rolling to his feet in a low crouch in time to meet Ingrid's amused smile with that feral grin of his. "A smallfry is a smallfry," he says, shrugging his shoulders a little. And with Marisol attacking in offended outrage at the sake of her idol, the brawler decides... Well, might as well help her out a little bit.
"Tell you what, since you're so pleased with yourself," Shen says, straightening up. "I'll show you something good." Once again, he moves with terrifying suddenness... But this time, his speed is exponentially greater than it was before. Blurring, Shenwoo is difficult to focus on at all through mere human eyesight, his long jacket and sash once again trailing behind him as he seems to /skid/ along the ground without any visible means of locomotion, a raging bullet of pure concentrated fury bearing down on Ingrid at the exact same time, through sheer overwhelming velocity, as Marisol's own strike - despite having started /after/ her.
Being the God of Battle has its advantages.
Of course, as he throws himself into that rushing punch, he's enveloped by a shockwave of pure force, riding right on his extended left fist, aiming to take that amused look right off of the girl's face. "SHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!"
"Forget about me?"
Acacia's voice is low, almost casual. It's just loud enough to be picked up by the gun microphones directed at the fighters, pointed by the crews standing along the sidelines. Her lips barely move as he says it, her face an almost expressionless mask. As Marisol and Shenwoo converge on Ingrid, Acacia draws a hand across her face, ripping off the strap holding the battered remains of the costume hat on her head. The abused military hat bounces across the ground, falling over lovingly detailed topographical features - before being further squashed by Acacia's foot.
What she says...it's not exactly a damning statement, not exactly a harsh condemnation. Just an rhethorical question, a calm matter-of-fact observation. But it's evident Acacia isn't terribly impressed by their tunnel vision. Shenwoo's is understandable, but Marisol's...there's no place here for distractions caused by ... idol worship or lovestruck mooning, whatever it may be.
Another surge of chi builds around Acacia, the air distorting as if under immense pressure, a shimmer at the edge of vision. And then it releases in the pure CRACK of a shockwave, the surface of the giant playing board exploding outward. Nearby, oversized playing pieces topple, horsemen and cannons falling over from the wash of energy. But the brunt of it heads towards the turned backs of the attackers.
It'll reach Marisol first.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits Ingrid with Zetsu! Gekiken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1 Ingrid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
COMBATSYS: Ingrid counters Atom Smasher from Marisol with Sun Delta.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Marisol 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
And suddenly Ingrid is in a /world/ of trouble. Marisol is coming towards her with great indignation at the mistitling of her idol, and then the idol himself is rushing at her with a crazy powerful fist filled with pure energy. As predicted, Shenwoo strikes first his attack hitting her and... well, wiping that look right off her face. There's not really any look on her face afterwards except a sold mask of pain, this coming from someone who's usually able enough to keep such things from showing. It rockets her away and towards Marisol, leaving her in a distinctly horrible situation.
There's only one thing she can do- summon as much of her power as she can and pray. She begins to twist in the air as she sails towards the redhead, and a brilliant flash of energy surrounds her and she holds her arm out towards Marisol. A triangle of energy forms in front of her, moving along as she does, and directly- /directly/ in front of it is a huge disk of energy... and she lucks out. The attacker who flung herself at Ingrid hits the disk and sticks in it, held rigid, only to have Ingrid crash into her and bounce off lamely, a mass of limbs laying on the ground. But for Marisol, the damage is done. The disk raises up into the air and sears her as it goes, Ingrid laying on the ground filled with pain and slowly picking herself up off of it. As the disk disappears Ingrid's only just up to her feet, and has to scramble to summon up the energy for the final hurrah, a blazing symbol of pure energy that flares into the air as the Pacific student falls through it.
A gasp escapes from Ingrid, along with a little laugh- at her own expense. "I think that's the closest I've come to being completely destroyed in quite a long time." And her new dress is a complete mess, her hat now laying somewhere in the Atlantic ocean.
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Marisol with Ground Breaker.
[ < > ////////// ]
Marisol 1/-======/=======|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
Frankly, Acacia is the last thing on Marisol's mind, as she and her idol slash God of Battle converge on Ingrid with the intention of punching the crap out of her. Shenwoo barrels past the girl, drawing a bemused look over her face as he speeds in and punches the hell out of her. Yeah - that had to hurt. She knows it did; she's felt it numerous times herself. A smirk edges over her features as she swings..!
The next few moments are a serious blur. Seriously. First she's being exploded by more of that gold wanna-be chi crap she has grown to dislike immensely over the past year, sent flying up before she falls through some weird triangle of gold. Really; Marisol is hardly paying attention. She's in pain, and a lot of it, evident by the muted look of grief on her face. And it only gets worse as a wash of energy comes barreling forward swiftly afterwards, crashing painfully into the half-Spaniard girl JUST as she begins to get up.
The girl falls again, sent spilling forward as she's defeated by more energy, a loud groan slipping past her lips as she's forced to fall. Hitting face-first, the girl grits her teeth, hands twitching as she struggles desperately to pull to her feet. It takes considerable effort, evident by the strain on Marisol's bloodied face as she rises. Shivering like some lost traveler in the harsh cold, the girl forces herself to her feet, casting a glance aside toward Shenwoo...before she offers a lopsided smile.
"S-sorry," she apologizes to her teammate. But she's not down for the count entirely.
Not yet, by any means.
Snapping her eyes shut, the girl's hands clench into tight fists as she bites her bottom lip hard. Around her a haze of chi erupts, dandelion-yellow flames erupting around her body as she holds her ground, struggling to fight off the urge to just fall down and catch some sleep. But she can't! She has to give her best for Shenwoo..!
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"
Gray eyes shoot open wide as the girl yells, the flames around her growing intense before she shoots forward, right at Ingrid. With no mercy does the girl close in and, clenching a fist tightly, attempts to hook the girl savagely across the face three times before she pauses briefly, to duck low and deliver a swift, flaming uppercut. She'll shoot up again, grabbing the girl by her collar to headbutt her fiercely before she shoves back and, ducking deeply again, swings up fiercely, to uppercut the Scandinavian girl in the jaw once more.
...and after that, the girl will stagger back, regardless of her success, before she hits the ground. She's out.
COMBATSYS: Marisol can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
For all his talk of smallfries and whatnot, that attack took a fair bit out of Shenwoo. As Ingrid is blasted away by the force of his Zetsu! Gekiken, the berserker takes a turning step to bleed off what's left of his momentum, and then backs up a little bit... As it seems the other team had pretty much the same idea he did: Focus on the more easily defeated opponent. "Hmph," he mutters towards Ingrid, getting his fists up... Even as Marisol is struck by that weird shockwave of Acacia's, leaving her with just enough gas in the tank to make one last attack.
Okay, so, this leaves Shenwoo in a bit of a pickle, perhaps. But that just makes it more fun.
Straightening up, the berserker drops his fists again, dusting off the front of his long mandarin-collared jacket in a reflexive movement. "Let's see if you've got enough left to measure up against me," Shen says, confident as always; he means the opposing team as a /whole/, of course, which may or may not included Ingrid in a moment or two. Either way, Shenwoo himself is taking advantage of the lull... If he's going to close the deal here, he needs all the strength he can get.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
Acacia eyes Shenwoo. She stands amidst a crater of torn up terrain, a good chunk of Eurasia obliterated by her low-travelling chi attack on Marisol, a moment ago. She flicks her eyes to the side, where Ingrid and Marisol are clashing - far as Acacia can tell, that's all Marisol's got left. But her own partner isn't looking altogether healthy either.
So.
Acacia inhales, drawing a fresh breath through her lungs.
"Maybe," Acacia says, mildly, "should ask yourself that."
There's no ire in the words, no accusation. It's barely a retort, phrased in a quiet soprano voice little above a whisper.
Then heavy rubber treads of her boots scrape against the surface of the map. Acacia lunges at Shenwoo, thrusting a forearm, aiming the length of it square to his chest - in an attempt to send him flying backwards and into the array of colourful fiberglass shapes lined up at the edge of the battlefield, oversized playing pieces with matching giant dice.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid dodges Marisol's Cloud Nine.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
A moment ago Ingrid had a team barreling down on her trying to crush her out of the fight, and then suddenly it was Marisol's turn. Ingrid's reversal maneuver was nasty and painful in it's own right, and then Acacia followed it up with a huge shockwave of energy. She definitely got a raw deal with that one. Ingrid can't rest though, as much as she'd like to, because even if she's down and out the taller young woman is going to do her best to take her with.
Powerful chi flames surround her as she rushes at Ingrid and attacks. This time there's no fancy reversals from Ingrid. There's only dancing around and weaving from side to side as the fists come for her. When it's time for the first uppercut she doesn't risk staying close any longer, and leaps sideways, allowing herself to hit the ground shoulder first and roll away, letting Marisol work herself dry until she falls unconscious.
The last few moments of the fight have been completely harried and haggard for the Norwegian- but the fact of the matter is that there's still a whole lot of fight left, with Shenwoo standing there defiantly. She's not going to let Acacia go in alone. She charges in immediately now that she's sure there's no lingering threat in Marisol. While Acacia attacks him from one side she'll come from the other, trying to flank him and summon up a large amount of pure psychic energy that is released in a fast upward stroke large enough to completely bath him in the pretty gold sparkles if he doesn't manage to stave it off.
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Shenwoo with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
COMBATSYS: Ingrid successfully hits Shenwoo with Sunburn.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
The point of smack talk isn't to be realistic; in fact, realism doesn't enter into it at all. Shenwoo /named himself/ the God of Battle, that doesn't suggest a healthy sense of self-importance, does it? Still, as Acacia comes at him, Shenwoo doesn't even attempt to avoid the strike, letting it hit home and drive him backwards... He just hadn't quite guessed right just how /much/ it was going to drive him back. Luckily, the extra momentum is just what he needs to get partially out of the way of Ingrid's attack, the 'gold sparkles' just barely grazing him.
"You're annoying," Shenwoo directs at the white-haired girl, as he rebounds off of one of those giant RISK pieces. He doesn't miss a step, doesn't waste a moment contemplating that it hurt. Of course it hurt, pain is expected as a fighter; pain is irrelevant, except inasmuch as it adds to the rush of fighting. What is, however, relevant - at least to Shen himself - is that he's going to try and lunge knee-first at Ingrid, trying to hit her right in the jaw. "GET OUT OF MY FACE!!"
The geopolitical situation might not be bright for the People's Republic of Shenwoo... but, yes, it doesn't look like /he/ knows that. Looks like the embassy hasn't gotten the memo. Realism? What realism?
Sure, the alliance of Scandinavia and North America might look like an incredibly powerful one, but it still seems like China's willing to flat out nuke everybody into little glowing cinders.
Even as Shenwoo bounces off the oversized playing pieces, sending infantry and cavalry scattering hither and yon, Acacia attacks him again. She's not quite fast enough to intercept him as he heads for Ingrid...he's one of /those/ fighters, after all, with an unrelenting offense based on raw explosive power. Acacia knows from experience she's not as quick as the man. Not as strong.
Still, she's gone toe to toe with him before. She can do it again.
Especially if she can keep him from caving Ingrid's face in.
Grounding one boot on the floor, letting it support her weight, Acacia whips her other leg around in an abbreviated arc, slamming the heavy weighted heel towards Shenwoo's back and spine.
"Hey," Acacia calls, "over here."
COMBATSYS: Ingrid dodges Shenwoo's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Acacia
Sometimes teamwork is awesome- sometimes teamwork backfires. This is one of those 'middle of the road' examples between the two. Sure, Shenwoo was pushed partially out of the way, but on the other hand he might have been slammed right into Ingrid herself, and who knows what might have happened then.
But now the Norwegian has Shenwoo telling her she's annoying. And that? That actually gets a brilliant smile from the young woman, who then curtsies to him elegantly taking it as a compliment, "Why thank you."
That would end up looking very silly indeed, had he then managed to slam his knee into her jaw, but she hops away deftly to the side, letting him pass without harming her. Now Acacia is going to attack Shenwoo from behind, and Ingrid decides to follow suite. If she's going to cram her boot into his back, she's going to wait until that's done with and then attempt to latch onto Shenwoo like a leech, gripping onto him as hard as she can.
Into her hand energy flows, a great upwelling that focuses into a single spot on her palm, which she then attempts to shove directly into Shenwoo's back, chaotic lances of energy jolting this way and that out of the charged area. Once done she'll shove him forward, hopefully toppling him to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Shenwoo with Heavy Kick.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Acacia
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo fails to interrupt Sunspot from Ingrid with Tenrenshou.
> ////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Acacia
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo can no longer fight.
> ////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Ingrid
> //////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Acacia
Today is apparently not Shenwoo's day. The brawler huffs in faint irritation as Ingrid avoids his knee, but he has other things to worry about as, well, Acacia is trying to kick him in the spine. Seeing it coming, Shen tries to dodge out of the way, but his current position - sandwiched between Ingrid and Acacia - doesn't leave him with much room to maneuver. Worse still, the unfamiliar footing of the kung fu shoes causes him to skid, leaving him wide open to take the hit about as wrong as he possibly could, the blow driving him forward...
Right at Ingrid.
This all seems to bother Shenwoo a lot less than it should, as he twists and starts to bring up one leg... But it's too late. He's caught by the weird girl, and then he gets zapped all to hell, and then pushed away... Whereupon he lands right on his duff, breathing raggedly.
For a moment, he stares at Ingrid, completely unreadable... Before his attention turns to Acacia. He seems to be picking himself up off of the map, and as he does so he unbuttons that ridiculous jacket, so he can toss it aside. "Looks like you win, this time," he tells the American, though there's no acrimony or resentment in his voice. If anything, he's just disappointed in himself.
And with those words, the now shirtless God of Battle turns and stalks off of the map, rubbing his back with one hand. Ow, that kind of hurt!
Acacia plants both her feet firmly back on solid ground, restablishing her footing. She remains in a ready stance for another few moments...before she blinks, once, at Shenwoo's turned back. She stares at him for a heartbeat, before shifting her gaze to where Marisol is. Yes, the other girl's still unconscious.
She straightens, then, lifting a hand to her head, running fingers through messy locks of silver hair. Acacia turns to survey the oversized RISK playing board, now left in considerable disarray - painted continents broken as if shattered by awesome earthquakes, playing pieces scattered like so many bodies.
"Huh," Acacia says, finally.
She lifts her head, looking at Ingrid. Then she shrugs.
In the background, the announcer's voice booms over the cheering crowd, declaring the US-Scandinavian alliance the winner of this game of global domination.
So you've taken over the world.
What now?
Acacia thinks for a moment, then waves vaguely in the direction of the nearby Southtown Village shops.
She says to Ingrid, "Coffee?"
Log created on 21:04:05 04/12/2008 by Acacia, and last modified on 18:37:30 04/14/2008.