Description: Hotaru finishes off this string of assaults.. and it seems the doll is in .. captivity!? Oh now, what will become of her?!
There are many other schools. And this one .. IS NO DIFFERENT!
Seijyun is locked from the front. The gatehouse closed and kept under watch, there is only one way into Seijyun at this hour. It's late out. The different street lights, and perhaps lights around the campus, are lit fully at this hour, however the late evening is waning into complete darkness at this time. With the fading evening, it seems it just might be abused, as well.
Skulking near the edge of the wall, near the forest, Aprile is crouched nearby, looking against the gate, gazing in and over/through the walls towards the architecture. It's rather amazing. But at the same point, the doll had not came to simply look at all of the buildings and students. She came here for a much more sinister purpose. Not ALL of the students are capable of fighting, and defending themselves. It's those that she's preying upon.
Footsteps are heard after a door opens, one of the students within Seijyun going out to get a breath of fresh air and to water the flowers before the waning light vanishes. A night drink for them, or something.
Throwing herself over the gate, the doll whips about to land on her feet after flipping over it, heads over heels. Coming to a rest nearby the girl, the doll smiles to her, decked out completely in her Shadaloo outfit. It's .. a bit stunning, perhaps, because the girl drops the container, water spilling about as Aprile hefts up the weight filled bag. "Oh that's so nice!" She exclaims.
"Say .. do you have an apple?" She asks the girl as well, before she shakes her head. "Aw poor thing. Guess you get me!" She responds, slamming the bag inches from her into the pavement. It's cracks it, just a bit.
"Better find one then!"
It's not usual for Hotaru to be around campus late at night. One of the students that is able to live away from the cloistered all-girls school, she's only around during the day most of the time, then leaving in the afternoon. But when there's tests to cram for and study groups to attend, that changes things around some! At last it's getting late though and the girls in her group have need to retire for the night, leaving young Hotaru Futaba walking across the large expanse all alone with only lamps atop poles to light the way.
She doesn't mind, really. Alone in the darkness - what does a girl as capable as her need fear in the night? Dressed in her school attire, the uniformed girl shuffles along, a heavy backpack over her shoulders. Her hands rest in the outer pockets of her blue blazer as she makes her way toward the gate, trying to think over the things she's studied in order to keep the information from spilling out of her head BEFORE she needs it on a test. After the test it's anyone's game.
Surrounded by a city park on one side and a forest on the other, the campus is peacefully quiet at night with only the crickets and rustle of leaves to give it the sound of being alive at all. Slowly the tired school girl pulls her hands out of her pockets and draws her arms up to rest at the back of her neck, leaning her head back slightly to gaze up at the sky, obscurred as it is by the lamps.
She's almost to the gate when she hears the sound of a loud thud, the chirp of a voice that seems at once slightly familiar to her. Not that that should be unusual - of course she should recognize the voices of other girls around the school. But she can't help but be curious as to who is out and about this late and slowly she scoots over toward the source of it, chosing not to say anything to mark her presence, just in case she's about to intrude on something that's none of her business.
Getting closer, she rounds the corner of the building where the late-night-gardener resides, only to come to a quick stop, eyes widening slightly, mouth just a little agape in surprise. She just barely manages to stifle the quick intake of breath at the sight of the other present.
Raising the bag once more, the doll steps forwards. In the already dark sky, the girl may only see a quick white blur as she goes to bring it down... but she stops. The doll has noticed something in the dark light. The girl is glancing .. away from her? Is it a trick? If it is, it's a poor once, but she looks quickly anyways.
Looks like it's no trick.
What Aprile sees causes her to smile rather wide, the small smile suddenly blossoming. Little miss liar. Yes.. she remembers her alright! How could she not? Aprile more than remembers the girl from her last Neo League, and the gardener is completely ignored as the doll finds more interesting 'prey'.. as well as aims for a .. new goal as it were. You see, she just detests liars. They always keep lying and you can never tell about them! And they always manage to squeeze between the cracks!
"Oooh .. it's you! Hotarurururu!" She says. It should probably tell Hotaru just who she is rather quickly, the doll's smile still dancing on her face as she twists around completely. "I'm so happy to run into you!" She exclaims, clad in the blue shadaloo outfit and the Shadaloo mark on her medkit.. well, even those red arm bands are there. If she ever saw them, she'll know.
"You see I was JUST dealing with these little problems. You have to stop them before they become a threat.. so I'm taking care of that now. You can help me if you want! Doctor's orders!" She exclaims happily.
But then it dawns on Aprile. "Oh no..." The Gardener breaks for it. "You're ONE of them, aren't you?" She asks, shaking her head, stepping towards Hotaru. "You're one of those nasty ones .. who hurt Master... and you're so strong .. Oh no that's no good at all! Here.. let me examine you .. MAYBE we can still fix things!" She insists, growing closer, step by step.
Standing behind Aprile, staring at the Shadaloo doll, it doesn't register with her instantly just who it is she's looking at. But that voice sets it apart as Aprile takes a chance to glance over in her direction. The smile that crosses her lips is unsettling, leaving the pig-tailed fighter to frown just a little in return. "Hello, Aprile," the girl states quietly, trying to make sense of the distinct outfit. She should know what that is, she tells herself, but why is it she...
Then it dawns on her. That's the uniform of Shadaloo itself. Hands come up, palms forward, the uniformed girl's eyes widening slightly. She doesn't even correct Aprile on her name, she's so caught off guard! "What are you doing here?" she asks, doing her best to try and present a calm front, best to not look distressed just because... just because there's a Shadaloo agent right here on Seijyun!
She takes a step backward as Aprile advances, "You don't belong here. This place..." her voice fades out, eyes searching Aprile's as the other girl mentions that she hurt her Master. Hotaru was there. She fought in the war against Shadaloo. "So that's... who you meant when you kept saying 'him'... Vega... I- I never saw him," the pig-tailed fighter continues, trying to calm the other girl down.
"I'm not being examined," Hotaru protests, "Don't get near me. You should leave now, before it's too late." Her hands close into fists as she takes another step backward. "Just because we had a league fight doesn't mean you have to pursue this. The war is in the past, I was just there to help my friends..."
Another step towards Hotaru, Aprile smiling as if she was just moving in close to give a friendly hug.
"I'm here to cut off the problem at the root, silly Hotaruuuu!" She exclaims, playfully mixing up Hotaru's name once more, as Hotaru keeps moving away. "Oh I'm sure I do." She responds once again, as Hotaru keeps putting distance between the two, Aprile moving in closer to attempt to remove that very same distance! It's well enough. She knows! Hotaru isn't going anywhere but backwards, after all.
But then Hotaru keeps going on, talking about how she never saw him. Aprile.. is a bit curious about that. Of course she wouldn't. She didn't go there, did she? Aprile is here to send a message to never interrupt again! Over. And over again. She doesn't remember seeing any of them!
Except Hotaru protests, mentioning about her friends. And that she was THERE. Aprile DOES stop moving completely, blinking towards Hotaru, tilting her head as her motion ceases. "You ... were there?" She asks, already knowing the answer. ".. W... We'll skip the examination. IT'S NOT NECESSARY!" She suddenly cries, pointing at Hotaru.
"Because .. Because I already know just what you need!" Pointing towards the girl, Aprile grins, smiling ceasing. It's just a grin. A wide, not very nice grin.
"You .. need MORE than that. You need an OPERATION! So you'll never .. never harm him again! EVER!" She cries, before bounding towards Hotaru. She just sprints, running towards Hotaru, a blind fury to a point. The medkit is grasped hard enough to bend it a bit. "I already got one of your friends! That stupid .. soccer player.. he was there too .. so I'll give you .. the same message Never.. Go. BACK!"
The psycho energy is mostly red this time, the light white glimmer on edge mostly replaced with the burning red psycho energy, perhaps from her anger. Either way.. Aprile is just swinging, throwing herself towards Hotaru in a flat out assault!
She doesn't control herself very well at these times.
COMBATSYS: Aprile has started a fight here.
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Aprile 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Aprile
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Aprile's Peleative Care.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Aprile
Aprile continues to advance, pressuring in on the equally young Futaba girl. It would seem her protests triggered a response, however, as the doll exclaims that an examination isn't going to be needed now that she admitted to actually being THERE in Thailand. Eyes widen as she takes another step backward. She speaks of an operation and the girl pales a little, her cheeks losing their color in the dim lamp light out by the side of the building. Okay... apparently that was the WRONG thing to say!
And then the upset doll charges and Hotaru continues to stagger backward. "Wait!" She knows she doesn't want to get hit by that med kit OR that ominous energy coursing over it. But the girl is here with a vendetta it seems. And suddenly it clicks. THIS is who Roberto had been warning her about. A Shadaloo operative, red-orange hair... A medic or nurse or something, he had stated. "Y-you're the one that's been attacking the schools as of late," she realizes. Finding those who interferred, delivering PAINFUL messages if Roberto's experience was any indication.
And then she comes a swing'n and the martial artist hops back. Or at least, tries to. Her movements are a little clumsy and while she manages to avoid the assault, that backpack on her back is weighing her down, drawing her off balance. A flail of her arms out at her side makes it obvious that she's losing control as she at last falls backward completely, landing in the grass with a gasp.
Arms struggle to pry the backpack from off her shoulders quickly, the girl rolling onto her side on the ground to make it easier. Slipping out of the heavy bookbag she... gets the idea of stalling with it, picking it up, laying flat on her back, and HURLING it back at Aprile. Normally this might not be TOO scary. A bag full of books. Big deal. But Hotaru's bookbag? It's lined with lead weights on the bottom. Part of the strength training Ryo Sakazaki has always put her through. Which means that bulky mass flying toward Aprile just now stands a chance of packing a nasty punch.
COMBATSYS: Aprile blocks Hotaru's Large Thrown Object.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Aprile
Unfortunately, while the doll may say whatever she wishes.. Hotaru in the end has the upper hand. She is faster, stronger, and downright may be able to more than push around the doll.
This much is obvious as Hotaru avoids the assault, even while she is weighted down. It is not a very good sight to see, when your 'quickest' assault is faulted by a hampered, already off-balance and flustered other. Simply put, things are not looking quite peachy for the blue clad warrior of Shadaloo.
Things then grow worse as Hotaru hurls the bag towards Aprile. Arms come up as the bag comes forwards, and the doll is pushed backwards, her assault halting for the moment. Arms tingle as the strike still wears on her. But reason is not something that Aprile is generally good at, to a point. Not when she's angry like this.
"Oh .. yes that's right!" The Italian pipes up. "But attack is such an ugly word." She adds in. "I like operation better!"
Already slowed down, Aprile runs towards Hotaru, trying to get in closer and make up some distance. It's .. rather impossible, to a point, but she intends to simply bury her fist into the girls stomach.
"You CAN'T wait it's already too late, we have to operate NOW!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru parries Aprile's Power Strike!
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Aprile
Aprile confirms the young fighter's suspicions. She IS the one Roberto warned about, now having come to Seijyun to stir up trouble with the students on campus. Her heavy bag slows the other girl down before crashing to the ground with a hefty thud and metallic clank, perhaps giving Aprile an idea of where the small fighter has gotten her strength from. A year of toting that thing around from class to class has made a difference, to be sure!
Still lying on her back for a moment, the uniform clad girl narrows her sapphire blue eyes back toward Aprile, scrambling onto her side and then a low crouch, "What did you come /here/ for. It wasn't to find me." she realizes, judging by Aprile's reaction. But the doll is interested in shoving her fist into Hotaru's stomach. Something that isn't going to feel nice at all for the girl that's not all that great at taking a punch. Her reaction is swift, the girl moving at full speed once her backpack has been discarded. Not dressed for the occasion, and caught by surprise, she's not at her utmost best, but she's no slouch in a pinch either.
"If you attack our schools, we're going to stop you. Southtown schools protect their own," she retorts, sounding just a little annoyed now, some of the initial fright melting away. Aprile sends her fist slamming forward and Hotaru chops down with her left to smack it aside as quickly as possible before the moment of impact. Her legs tense, her torso tightening, her arms flexing, her entire body tightening up like a spring in that crouch - and then she lunges for Aprile, rising shoulder first, aiming to plant that shoulder right into the other girl's chest with enough force to possibly bowl her over. Hit or miss, she ascends into a spin herself with a twirl of skirt, before her arms extend out to her sides and she drops back down to a graceful landing in the grass.
COMBATSYS: Aprile dodges Hotaru's Tenshin Shou EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Aprile
As the fist comes forwards, it's not hard for Aprile to realize what happens. Such as when the fist is simply smacked aside, opening her up for the next assault. Hotaru's body tenses, that's what Aprile can see, before attempting to simply bowl into her, twirling about. It's the doll's turn, this time, to not take the strike head on.
Kicking backwards as Hotaru lunges, kicking off one of the poles as she backed up, leaving Hotaru to drop down onto the grass in a three point ( or greater ) landing. Perhaps it truly would be better if it was judging on style and not accuracy, in this case. Hotaru ends up leaving herself open for a moment.. or if not that, at least giving Aprile a chance to assault her.
"Oh I came here... to take care of the root of the problem!" She explains, simply, Hotaru talking about how they'll stop her. "Oh it's happened before. Infact it happened just yesterday!" She adds on. "But I'm still here." She also adds.
She flips forwards, into the air, grasping the pole as she swings around it once. "You know how grass grows backkkkkkk-" It's lengthened because she doesn't know if Hotaru is hearing her or not. "I'm just ripping out the roots so it doesn't!"
Whatever that means. Hotaru might understand it, but would understanding cost a foot in the face as Aprile launches off the pole and straight towards Hotaru.. legs leading!?
As the fist comes forwards, it's not hard for Aprile to realize what happens. Such as when the fist is simply smacked aside, opening her up for the next assault. Hotaru's body tenses, that's what Aprile can see, before attempting to simply bowl into her, twirling about. It's the doll's turn, this time, to not take the strike head on.
Kicking backwards as Hotaru lunges, kicking off one of the poles as she backed up, leaving Hotaru to drop down onto the grass in a three point ( or greater ) landing. Perhaps it truly would be better if it was judging on style and not accuracy, in this case. Hotaru ends up leaving herself open for a moment.. or if not that, at least giving Aprile a chance to assault her.
"Oh I came here... to take care of the root of the problem!" She explains, simply, Hotaru talking about how they'll stop her. "Oh it's happened before. Infact it happened just yesterday!" She adds on. "But I'm still here." She also adds.
She flips forwards, into the air, grasping the pole as she swings around it once. "You know how grass grows backkkkkkk-" It's lengthened because she doesn't know if Hotaru is hearing her or not. "I'm just ripping out the roots so it doesn't!"
Whatever that means. Hotaru might understand it, but would understanding cost a foot in the face as Aprile launches off the pole and straight towards Hotaru.. legs leading!?
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Aprile's Heavy Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Aprile
Hotaru tries to lunge into the girl but Aprile isn't going to have any of that, springing out of the way of the shoulder tackle, leaving the pig-tailed fighter to spin up into the air harmlessly. It might look neat, but it sure isn't doing her any good with regards to contending with the doll! Dropping back down into her landing, one hand pressed on the grass, the girl is vulnerable for a moment for quick retaliation. But Aprile goes for something bigger, leaping up onto the pole, spinning around as she continues to speak.
Turning around to face her, she tracks the other girl's movements carefully. She speaks of ripping the roots out to keep the grass from growing. "You mean the students?" she asks back. "You want to stop them from growing into threats against your precious Master, is that it?" Her hands tighten, her mouth tightening into a tight lip, neutral expression. But she needs to pay attention to the attack coming her way as well, Aprile flipping off into a brutal, painful kick for her head. But Hotaru corrects, perhaps overly so, scrambling desperately to the side to avoid getting struck hard, pressing her back against the wall as she flattens up against it, arms out at her sides.
Peeling herself off the brick wall, she turns to face Aprile wherever it is she might have landed, hands tightening into small fists as she growls softly. "There must be something that can be done to stop you for good. I'm going to take you to the authorities and let them figure it out!" she exclaims, raising her voice as she pushes off from the wall, charging toward Aprile.
She draws her hands in tightly, looking ready to smash her palms into the doll's stomach, only to shift goals at the last instant, going instead for Aprile's wrists. If she manages to twist her guard open, she'll continue into a rapid series of rising, stomping kicks, the distance she can manage between each stomp limited just a little by the blue Seijyun skirt, but she'll manage - flipping off of Aprile's shoulders into a backflip if successful, to land roughly back where she started by the wall. "Ya, ya, ya!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Aprile with Shin-Jou Tai.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Aprile
As Hotaru once again moves to the side, the doll looks as the girl manages to avoid something once more, pulling herself out of the way. Hotaru seems to be faster than she expected! It's sort of unexpected, but Aprile couldn't see anything than 'Hotaru is really fast' from what she sees. The girl is quite a quick one. That's about all she can note at this point, but as Hotaru draws in close, Aprile ..
Doesn't move. She doesn't make a motion, the palms slamming into her stomach, her wrists then twisted, and then rising and stomping kicks assault her, before the doll is flipped off of. Witht he force, she hits the ground rather hard. It certainly hurt, but the doll rises a moment later.
"I gave you that." She exclaims, smiling. "So if that is all you can do, please lie back and accept that I have to do this for his good. And for your good." She's rather hurt, it's true, but Aprile doesn't seem to focus on what she had allowed herself to be assaulted by.
She would rather achieve something.
Grasping for Hotaru's leg, Aprile attempts to simply pull the girl in and smash her against the ground, before the psycho energy numbs her hands.. while her body is bent in ways it shouldn't be.
Chances are, however, this rather slow grasp .. might not get around anything.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Aprile's Code Azure.
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Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Aprile
Landing after her series of stomping attacks, Hotaru is back over by the wall, rising up to standing slowly, evaluating the impact she had on Aprile. She remembers well that the girl was able to weather many of her attacks in a match where she did nothing but run into them one after another. What, then, is her real capacity when she's not taking that approach?
The pig-tailed Southtown girl stares batk at her grimly, "I'm not going to accept anything you're trying to do," she snaps back, sounding a bit tense. Those who seek to harm students who can't even defend themselves are the among the worst evils she knows of, and right now all that righteous indignation is directed forcefully back at Aprile.
The doll slips closer to Hotaru, reaching for her bare leg. With the wall behind her, she isn't going anywhere, which means her leg is grasped and the next thing she knows she's being slammed down to the ground hard, provoking a pained wince. The doll tries to assault her with that psycho energy she weilds but Hotaru catches her just in time, both of her hands coming up to meet Aprile's gripping her hands tightly before she can touch her more directly.
The pain is intense all the same, the girl finding the nerves in her arms crying out in pain just from gripping Aprile's hands as she strains to hold the nurse at bay. Gritting her teeth, fearing even worse pain to come, she draws her leg up, bending it at the knee, and then kicks out hard for Aprile's stomach, attempting to smash her back in order to save herself. "YAA!"
COMBATSYS: Aprile blocks Hotaru's Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Aprile
With Hotaru against the wall, it's hard for Aprile to do anything but keep trying to smash her against the ground. It doesn't really work that well, however, and the counter attack is swift. The girl crying out in .. pain? She doesn't believe it for a moment. What a drama queen, Aprile thinks, shaking her head.
She should just accept that fighting equals pain, or perhaps move on. She has felt this before. Far worse. And she chooses to yell now? How ... Aprile just wishes to be done with her. It doesn't look, however, like she will have that chance. The leg shoots out towards her stomach, but instead the doll takes the blow in the gauntlets once more, shaking her head. "You aren't the first to say that. You're perhaps the hundreth." She adds in. "Not the first, of course, to mean it."
The doll sometimes fails to smile, like she is doing now. Which is not smiling.
Running herself ragged, she attempts to use Hotaru's close proximity to the wall to her advantage, suddenly shooting upwards, legs spinning around in an attempt to catch Hotaru, pull her into the spiralling psycho energy upwards, and then spike her against the wall before kicking off it herself.
Run herself ragged? She doesn't care about herself.
Or how weak her body becomes.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru reflects Cannon Spike from Aprile with Kobi Kyaku.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1 Aprile
Her foot is stopped by the protective gauntlet, leaving Hotaru unable to kick Aprile hard enough to simply send her back some distance and buy herself some space to get a break. She does, however, get just enough room to push up into a kneeling position, forcing herself to rise little by little. The window of opportunity in which to act is precious little, those Psycho Power infused legs threatening to inflict significant harm should they connect.
It is in that moment, however, that the girl manages to put her chi manipulation to use for her own defense, using it as a barrier against which the psionic energy Aprile bears cannot pass. Finally standing enough to kick out, the girl manages a swift reverse roundhouse, a swath of powerful blue chi left in the wake of her kick. "KYA!"
It seems at first a sapphire field of energy through which Aprile will smash easily, but at the last moment, it shimmers, becoming as reflective as a mirror, deflecting the Psycho Power and stopping Aprile short before exploding back against the doll to give her a taste of Hotaru's chi useage up close.
At last she gets the break she needs, snapping her foot down, scooting off to the side swiftly to avoid remaining trapped against the wall. "Your master drives you to keep charging into harm's way. Someone like him can't possibly care what happens to you. Why do you keep doing what he bids?!" she yells back, remembering the one other time she had ever seen a Doll in her life. "I've seen another like you before. Cammy... she-... she came to realize that Vega was just using her like he is you. There are people out there that can help you!" she clamors, hoping her pleas don't fall on deaf ears.
Really. She's completely outclassed within this. Aprile is just not strong enough to deal with such a warrior that Hotaru is. The doll is just that. a tool. And sometimes they break.
As Hotaru easily redirects the assault, the swift roundhouse following the swatch of powerful blue chi, Apilr is slammed backwards, launching her against the ground. Ragged. Weak. Out of options, perhaps Aprile should give up. But she doesn't, pulling herself to her feet weakly. There isn't a single grunt out of her.
The doll knows her place. It is to be used and just thrown around. This is no different than her talk with M.Bison will be. Perhaps less brutal.
As Hotaru snaps her foot down, scooting off to the side, Hotaru tries to reason with her. Her eyes lazily look at the girl, the wounded nurse taking a labored step forwards. "Shut. Up." She commands more to Hotaru. No smile. No actual emotion. "She is a traitor and my life is all justified for Master. If I die serving him then I will die happy." She exclaims.
And then picks up that bag that she has, before swinging it around a bit wildly towards Hotaru.
She doesn't assume it will really work, but it will get her to move.
They may as well be going to Santa Claus, her pleas.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru interrupts Random Strike from Aprile with Tanshou Shin.
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Hotaru 1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1 Aprile
"Please stop," Hotaru asks when Aprile speaks about dying happy simply serving Vega. If he commands her to do something suicidal, it seems she would simply charge right into it without even thinking twice about it. "I-... I knew someone in your situation once before," she continues trying to speak to the aggressing doll. But she isn't standing still, either, now that she has a moment of time to adjust, shifting so that her back is partially toward Aprile, her right hand resting on her left knee, her eyes peering at the nurse over her left shoulder.
"Sakura was not unlike you last year, during the war. She is a dear friend of mine. But subjected to the same things you have been, she was doing whatever your Master asked as well. He tried to erase her as a person, to destroy the personality she had, to make him her powerful servant."
She grits her teeth, Aprile coming in charging in spite her attempts to slow her with words. Forced to defend herself decisively, Hotaru lunges into her shoulder first, powering through the striking bag with a soft grunt. The initial lunge is to buy her space with which to hop forward, slamming her hand out toward the other girl's stomach sideways and the instant her feet touch the ground, she hops forward into one last spin, slamming out with her opposite hand to drive Aprile back, landing with a soft exhale after the effort spent.
"But she was rescued as well, just like you can be! She is once again the girl she was before, she once again has control!" Hotaru continues as she stops and holds back after the powerful assault. "I know that she knows people that can help - that can open your eyes to the truth, who can try to find the girl that you were before he made you into this! Don't you want to know? About who you were before? I bet he doesn't let you even remember, does he - the personality you used to have!" she continues, holding her hands up in front of her, "Please just listen..."
Lectured to. Aprile knows of Sakura. At least, in passing. She had heard of such a few things, about how she was being used to attempt to replace some of them. "She would have made a fine servant to Master Vega." She exclaims, before Hotaru lunges through the assault like it was childsplay, the doll being beaten rather painfully. Both strikes finish with Aprile being driven back. She's tossed away, but landing on the ground once again, bleeding, she does not prefer to STAY down, even if she looks rather terrible.
For all she has tried, she merely seems to be able to barely tap this school kid.
But the girl insists on talking with her man. "There was never anyone before me. Whatever you're saying about control... I'm in control. I think. I'm allowed to do what I want. Isn't that enough to be someone." She does not ask but states. Hotaru keeps pleading, hands in front of her.. but Aprile seems to ignore most of such things.
Infact, she attempt to grasp Hotaru's hand and wrench her around to the ground. So much for listening. She doesn't seem to really intend to.
"I will not be a traitor like Cammy. It is against orders."
COMBATSYS: Hotaru counters Strong Throw from Aprile with En Bi Kyaku.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Aprile
Aprile responds, clearly understanding the girl, but not believing a word she says it would seem. The Asian teen stares back at the Italian, face a little pale as she finds herself unable to comprehend just how brainwashed Vega's girls are. There's nothing there, it seems, but the drive to do whatever it is he commands her to do. Her brow furrows slightly as she speaks fo the girls that were saved from Vega as traitors. Of course he would control their thoughts to think that way... of course...
"I'm sorry," murmurs the Kenpo artist, "But you are not in control... You probably don't even remember who you were... your family, your life. You look like you're my age... And, well... I may have lost my family too, but I can at least remember them." She isn't sure if the doll's memories are erased or not. In fact, she remembers well that Sakura's memories weren't erased at all, but merely her perspective on reality fundamentally altered...
Aprile reaches for the girl's hand, but Hotaru draws deeply on her experience of using another person's attack against them. Shifting her hand around to grip Aprile's wrist instead, able to move faster than the poorly battered doll, Hotaru pulls her forward before spinning her entire body around into one single, solid kick intended to drive Aprile back one more time. Releasing her wrist, Hotaru completes her turn, ending in a paused ready stance, staring back at Aprile, her expression somber, sad, her heart heavy with regret at not being able to do someting more for the poor girl.
She grapples towards Hotaru, but Hotaru shifts her hand around, the grip about the doll's wrist proving true. She's suddenly greeted with a kick, driving Aprile back alright, and releasing her, the doll staggering as Hotaru releases her from the assault. And as Hotaru looks at her sad and with regret, Aprile staggers backwards once more.. before psycho energy begins to burn off of her.
"You're a liar .. I remember everything .. I need to liar.... you .. liar..." She tries to respond to Hotaru, but instead fails to do so, the psycho energy just burning off as she collapses to her knees.. and then finally collapses completely, crashing to the ground.
She really doesn't actually escape this time. She doesn't move. The doll just lays on the ground, wounded, conscious. All of that energy is a waste, unfortunately, as she seems to only lay there infront of Hotaru. There's nothing she can do or say. Not that she has much to say to Hotaru.
She keeps preaching to her about nonsense, in her eyes.
COMBATSYS: Aprile takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Aprile can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|
Energy churns around Aprile as the girl seems to be getting ready to unleash all that pent up frustration with the girl in one larger attack. Hotaru braces herself, arms raised, attention focused, trying to predict what would be coming next so that she can avoid getting caught off guard by anything the doll throws out in the end. She calls her a liar, time and time again, and Hotaru shakes her head slowly. There's no way she can help her understand. She needs to find out who helped Sakura out so that they can help Aprile as well. She can't do this on her own.
But the attack never comes, the girl dropping to her knees then slumping to the ground entirely, and Hotaru relaxes her guard, lowering her hands and standing up straight, releasing her breath that she had been holding during those final moments. She's still conscious however, which leaves the young fighter looking quite conflicted. Ah ha, she decides, slipping over to her backpack that she had thrown earlier and turning it rightside up, reaching in to draw out her cell phone.
Only the device was crushed in the landing, the Seijyun girl wincing as she looks at the smashed, non-resposive screen. "...of all the..." she murmurs, dropping the broken phone back into her bag. Good thing it's insured! A glance over her shoulder toward the fallen Aprile has her looking torn. She'll need to go find a phone if she wants to call for someone to come help take Aprile in where she might be able to get some much needed help.
But to do that, she has to leave her behind for a moment. Gritting her teeth, Hotaru rises to her feet, "If you get away... I... don't know if I'll ever see you again. But I think you should find Sakura Kasugano and get her version of things... it can't hurt to find out another side, Aprile... And if you believe her, she can introduce you to the ones who helped her too. I hope you do this." Turning away, hefting her bag to her shoulder, the girl heads back to the school's dorm building, exhaling a winded sigh as she goes.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
It seems that luck is on Aprile's side, perhaps, in that.
As Hotaru speaks of these things, that if she gets away she should seek out Sakura .. well, she doesn't intend to focus on remembering. Instead, the doll can only listen as Hotaru moves towards the school's dorm building, perhaps to call.
But Aprile never ends up able to get up. Enhanced as her healing is, it is still yet limited, and she had ran herself perhaps a bit too ragged. Even if mostly it was taken care of in the end, the doll .. doesn't end up being able to move, passing out on the pavement, bleeding, in Seijyun High.
If Hotaru calls or not, it's obvious that she .. won't be getting out of there in time.
What will happen to her then? That's .. something else entirely.
Hotaru makes good on her promise, borrowing the phone of a fellow student and returning to the scene of the incident to wait for authorities to show up. She finds Aprile unconcious, but keeps her distance all the same, wary of the doll. It isn't long before police come, responding quickly to the call about an intruder at the prestigious all girl's school. Hotaru gives them her statement and advises them to speak to one Roberto Miura as well...
And that's all she can do at that point. Maybe Aprile will find Sakura eventually. Or maybe Hotaru will talk to the Taiyo grad herself and find a lead about how to help a doll like the brainwashed Italian. But she isn't sure where things will go from there. After all, the crime of starting a fight on a campus isn't really that big a deal, so it becomes a question of whether or not the law has any bigger crimes to charge Aprile with.
Of course, Hotaru muses as she finally goes home for the night, her attempts to help the combat medic might result in having simply made more enemies for herself. Oh well, she sighs softly, staring up into the night sky. At least Vega is no more, right? Or so the rumors circulating around after the war in Thailand said!
Log created on 23:47:15 06/13/2008 by Aprile, and last modified on 04:46:44 06/14/2008.