Description: "Dear Diary, Today I saw what happens when two people fight so hard to protect others around them even if it means risking dying to do so. I thought that this behavior only happened with family members but it seems to extend to other relationships as well. I would have let them go had they ran... anyone else would have been good enough for what I needed to do. Maybe there are just people in the world that stick up for others no matter the cost. They would rather die than let someone else be harmed due to them running away. Maybe having strong ideals helps people make these kinds of choices. Is everyone out there like this or are they special? Perhaps they are champions..."
Summer evenings at the YFCC are interesting affairs. With the day's humidity gone the A/C is abandoned and the windows thrown open, exchanging the somewhat artificial feel and smell of recycled air with the slightly cool breezes of late summer. It also brings in noise from the streets, the sound of people enjoying the weather, walking the streets of the city, a Southtown that it's easy to forget exists inside these walls. Although during the place is very busy, during the summer many would-be martial artists have other things to do, or are even seeking training outside the city when the opportunity for travel arises. Thus now there are a few students here working out or just chatting, but not that many.
As one of the only 'highly recognizable' employees of the center who's of adult age, Frei often takes these evening shifts... that, and his relatively open schedule, make him perfect for the job. People often look forward to those shifts if they have a sweet tooth, for this is often when the chi sage indulges his love of baking. Tonight is no different; feeling ambitious, the red-haired man walks out of the cafeteria kitchen with a large plate of seven-layer bars, a personal favorite of his: a layer of graham cracker-style crust with coconut, chocolate chips, nuts, and a condensed milk-based layer. They are not a snack for the faint of heart.
Plunking himself down behind the front desk with the plate -- short a few bars from students who walked by -- and a glass of milk, Frei leans back in the reception desk chair and bites into one himself, looking out the glass doors of the YFCC with a vague expression. The last few weeks have been... strange, for him. In fact, everything since the departure of his brother Kataki has been 'strange', and he is struggling to figure out why.
In their SNF a scant few days ago, one that ended with unsettled feelings all around, he considered that he and Hotaru had 'passed each other' lately. And indeed, as he slowly chews and settles in, the thoughts of competitive fighting he's engaged in lately dominate the monk's thoughts.
When the next person to arrive walks in through those glass doors Frei finds himself gazing through, it would be hard to miss the fact that she enters wearing a rather thick, long brown coat. It isn't hung open, draped over her shoulders, like some kind of curious fashion statement that kids might be prone to making either. Rather it's buckled at the waist, the child's hands stuffed into pockets, as if legitimately staving off cold weather.
That it's a girl is readily evident, as her head is uncovered, leaving long, auburn locks of hair to drape down over her shoulders and back. Calm, violet eyes take in the interior of the center as she comes to a stop just inside. The population is light this hour, leaving not much to be observed, bringing her focus directly to the on-duty monk. Or, more accurately, the bars. She entered impassive, but that image shatters in an instant as her eyes widen at the formidable treat, jaw clenching for a moment as she is forced to wrestle against her inner resolve...
In the end, she can't resist. Mouth opening, the new arrival darts over next to Frei, not even giving him so much as a second glance as she stares intensely at the remaining bars on the plate, "Are those for anyone?" she asks eagerly, bending forward further in order to get a closer look at the layers present therein as well as to enjoy the scent of the bars. Her hands remain in her coat pockets, however. "Did you make them? They look so good!" she chirps, managing to break away from ogling the treat just long enough to flash Frei a quick glance before going back to studying them with anticipation.
That Saturday Night Fight -did- end weird. Perhaps it was simply the inclusion of Mignon; while Mizuki has nothing against the girl, it was hard to fight her and Frei. To be honest, had it just been Hotaru and Frei and Mizuki, she would have felt much more comfortable with teaming up against one or the other--if it were needed. Not that Mizuki has anything against the other girl, it's just that the dynamics were weird. The threat of personal injury didn't help either, of course--that added to her hesitation. It's much easier to fight hard when you're not worried about potentially sending a friend to injury or death.
These are the thoughts of Mizuki's mind; she doesn't come into the YFCC from the front because she's already been here--in one of the back training rooms, practicing. She's been doing a fair amount of that, lately--wanting to better herself, faster. But it is a slow process, else it wouldn't be worth attaining.
However, she has now been at it for about an hour and a half, and so it's time for a break; she comes in from the back of the main center, dressed in a simple white gi top and blue hakama pants, a towel draped around her neck and her feet in durable, flexible bamboo slippers. She's just about to call out to Frei, when Kula comes in, approaching the front desk--so instead, she walks up first, to the side of the desk.
"Frei-san, good evening... and uh, hello to you, too, Miss..."
The coat is... a little unusual, to be sure. Despite his age, there are a few childish mannerisms that Frei has never quite grown out of, and being surprised while eating is one of the worst; as Kula walks in, he tilts his head to look at her for a moment, blinking. A bar hangs half out of his mouth, held in place like a piece of toast in the mouth of a Southtown student late for school, precariously balanced as the surprise keeps him from either setting it down or biting through. Combined with his expression, it's an awfully stupid-looking sight, all things considered.
That the girl appears to waver a bit when presented with baked goods does not surprise him, however, and in fact even seems to reassure him a little. In his experience teenagedom is when a girl is feeling the most vulnerable about her size, and thus he has seen that look -- the should-I-shouldn't-I look -- on the faces of many people in this center. He bites into the seven layer bar hanging half out of his mouth with a strange *hwar* sound, like an animal chowing down, and puts the rest down on a napkin before smiling at Kula genuinely. "You must be new," he says evenly, "since I think everyone here has had *something* I've made by now. Yes, they're for everyone."
He's about to pick his own cookie back up and take a bite when Mizuki rounds the proverbial bend, and the appearance of yet another participant in that fateful SNF dampens his cheerful burst just a moment, sending him briefly back into a pensive mode. But it is brief, like a cloud across the sun, and smiles at the miko wanly. "Pretty girls popping out of the woodwork. Either some of Alma is worn into the flagstones, or these are really good cookies."
As Frei indicates the bars are for the enjoyment of anyone who would like to brave such a loaded treat, the new girl beams, standing up straight. "That's very nice of you," she declares with certainty in her voice. She glances over Mizuki as the second red-head steps into view, then looks over her shoulder at those that remain within the room.
"Kula," she states, completing Mizuki's sentence. "Diamond," she adds a heartbeat later, as if to make sure to not leave off her precious last name that drives a certain NESTs escapee crazy. At last her right hand slips out of her pocket, reaching forward to pluck a bar from off the plate. The hand is covered by a yellow, insulated leather glove. The make and design of it may come off as familiar to one or other of the two staffers, as it closely resembles the red glove worn by a certain previous YFCC employee.
The bar held, the girl who has announced herself as Kula brings it up to her mouth. "There is not a lot of people here right now. When is it more crowded?" she asks, biting down on the bar before lowering the remaining half, content to merrily chew the mouthfull as she glances back and forth between the two.
It is disheartening to see Frei's expressio change like that, if even only briefly. It's so vague--and yet Mizuki has to admit that she hasn't done much to keep up with her Glory Hound colleagues. Numerous excuses could pour out of her mouth and her mind, but the truth is, it's nearly all on her. Her own expression fades, just for that moment--but she covers it up just as well.
"It's nice to meet you, Diamond-san," replies Mizuki, with a friendly smile, "Or should I call you Kula...?" Briefly, she covers her face--with the ends of the towel--scrubbing away the last of the visible sweat. Then the miko leans forward, reaching for one of the seven-layer bars. "I really shouldn't eat this... I have enough trouble staying fit as it is." That's all she says before she bites down. Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew swallow.
"They're excellent, Frei-san--ah... well, if you come during the day... the mid-afternoon maybe...?" She furrows her brow then glances at Frei. Then back to Kula.
"Why are you trying to find more people here...? Did you want to sign up for classes?"
Putting a finger in the air, Frei closes his eyes and speaks sententiously, as if reciting chapter and verse from something. "Even the sages of old who fasted chose to feed on confection from time to time," he says solemnly. Pausing, he opens his eyes and glances at the ceiling, putting a finger to his chin. "Of course, that usually meant getting roaring drunk in a local tavern and singing bawdy songs at the top of their lungs, but I think the raw *essence* of the statement remains the same." If Mizuki was worried that his mood was ruined, perhaps this typical, if strange, display from Frei will set her mind at ease.
He too blinks at Kula's request, but perhaps because he is a kind-hearted person, in general, he can think of a thousand reasons why she might want to be here when there's more people around. Thus he nods at Mizuki's statement about when people are around more often, adding for his own sake, "The weekends are a good bet too, usually." And since everyone's eating, he picks up a second bar and bites down, himself, then blinks and looks down at it afterwards, smiling sheepishly. "It's nice to know I don't need to be in the throes of major life drama to produce quality baked goods," he says, perhaps somewhat cryptically.
Taking up the glass of milk, he has a sip, glancing at Kula over the rim of the glass as he does so. She cuts a singular figure, after all, especially with that coat... and the unusual name. A very adult and unkind part of Frei's brain -- one most YFCC people wouldn't admit to thinking he possessed -- doesn't wonder about the last name 'Diamond', which suggests if she were older Kula's job was third shift and involved a pole and lots of red stage lights. "You have got to be really warm in that jacket," he observes, putting the glass down.
"Kula is fine," the young girl answers politely, taking another bite after fielding the easy question. She then nods just slightly as Mizuki mentions mid-afternoons as being a busy time around the center. At the question about classes, however, the child shakes her head, making a bit of a face, "No, no, I have enough classes already!" she protests.
Frei's addition regarding the weekends receives another nod of acknowledgement but as he hypothesizes as to whether or not she's comfortable with such a warm coat on, Kula shakes her head twice, "No, I'm not warm enough. It's-" Her voice cuts off as she suddenly turns around, her right hand, now emptied of its bar, goes up to rest against her right ear, Kula lowering her head a little as if she's listening to something. "Nn." she grunts. "B-but-" comes a stammer a moment later. "What do I get?" She's silent then for a moment, head tilted to the side slightly, seemingly listening to whoever she's in communication with. "...all right."
Turning around to face the two staff members directly, she reaches her hand up to the buckle at her waist with her right hand, undoing the clasp quickly. Her left hand comes out of her other pocket, similarly gloved, and reaches up to her neckline along with her right as she quickly sheds the coat, letting it fall to the floor. It appears she IS clothed, in spite the possibly alluring last name, but whoever picks out her wardrobe has a bit of a leather fetish. A form fitting, violet leather jacket is worn over what appears to be a black body suit. Similarly hued chaps cover most of her legs down to the boots at her feet.
"I guess I have stalled too long. It's time for me to leave a message. Igniz sends his regards." It's not the first time Frei has had to deal with a problem visitor from NESTs. Must be something about the evening shift. A shimmer of white energy courses over the girl, from toe to head, leaving in its passing a quite visible change. Her hair, previously light brown, has become a frosty shade of blue. Ice crystals swirl about her form, drifting to the floor slowly, and from her clenched right hand, a faint halo of white energy can be seen.
Her previously happy expression has fallen, the girl looking more neutral now, if perhaps a little unhappy about the destruction she knows she's about to dispense. But that's how it goes. Chores are chores, after all. "If you want to run away, it's okay." she offers simply. "But it does mean I will have to hurt someone else." Hey, fair disclosure 'n all that.
"Kula-san, then. Ah, that's right, weekends also... I've forgotten, I don't really come here as often as I used to. But Frei-san is right, weekends are..." She trails off, as Kula apparently gets a call--hell, Mizuki knows how it is. Bluetooth headsets make people sound crazy, like they're talking to themselves. But this -particular- conversation... the miko looks over at her redheaded friend, her brow furrowing. It only gets worse when she starts undressing--well, removing the coat, at least.
_Then_ Kula makes her speech, and Mizuki is at first touched by Kula's expression--this is clearly not something she -wants- to do. "Kula-san," she says, carefully... as she does her best to be unobtrusive, walking herself away from the desk, around towards a more open area, "Why do you have to hurt anyone?"
Igniz? Who is Igniz? It isn't a name Mizuki is particularly familiar with, but apparently it means bad news. Again, her blue eyes flick over to Frei, her brow still furrowed. Maybe he can explain what's going on?
"Surely, you don't -have- to... hurt anyone..." She'll try to talk her down... but she won't run.
It is amazing just how quickly things can go from bad to worse.
The monk watches Kula curiously as she starts to respond, since the emphatic 'no' to 'you are too warm in un-air-conditioned building in late summer while wearing large coat' defies basic laws of thermodynamics, as far as the monk is concerned, and he starts to wonder if there's some psychological need for the coat... such as feeling exposed or frightened, which might account for wanting a crowd here to be lost in. That much seems to make sense, right up to the part where she starts talking to voices in her head; the green-eyed gaze flickers to Mizuki, but she seems to be perfectly accepting of randomly talking to nothing, which makes one dark auburn eyebrow go up. Perhaps Mizuki is also crazy? Is this Langoliers? Are there people outside?!
The statement about hurting people, however, does not shock him nearly as much as the burst of frosty energy does, though.
Frei's reaction to that is immediate, visceral, and perhaps somewhat scary: he leaps to his feet, immediately, knocking the chair he was sitting in over and practically knocking both milk glass and cookie tray off the desk in the process. "You..." he starts, glancing at Kula carefully. It's exactly like 'that time', only not nearly so casual and ten times as threatening. He's only felt this way once, when he saw an accidental, fleeting usage of the sacred Kusanagi fire. The feeling isn't even like the strange tingle of psychic energy, which he's come to distinguish as 'not chi but something else' thanks to fighters like Alma and Zach. No, this is something entirely different, something that makes his teeth rattle.
When he seems to get his senses back, however, he edges out from behind the desk, toward a more open space like Mizuki, and tries to get some calm back into his voice. He mostly succeeds... mostly. His voice is even enough, but his body is whip-tense... perhaps some latent fighter's instinct that completely ignores actual signals from the brain. "Alright. Regards. They're given." The sentence is choppy, staccato, completely senseless. "I don't suppose you're related to the bossy lady with the rapier? It's the same modus operandi, after all... though she threw a drink in my face instead of eating my cookies."
As he speaks, it also becomes clear as to HOW he is sidling, slowly: between Kula and the rest of the center.
"It's my assigment," she answers Mizuki's question as to why she has to do what she is about to do. She speaks up without hesitation but with some reluctance in her tone. It doesn't quite come across like remorse but rather as a child explaining why it is they have to stay inside and do their math homework instead of playing outside. "I don't have a choi-" she starts, only to choke on the word 'choice'. She had used that as her excuse in the past, but after her encounter with Whip, it feels hollow now. "I just have to." she reiterates, changing her wording. After all, choice or not, not doing what she's supposed to has its consequences.
She glances toward Frei, her eyes containing a hint of crimson when contrasted agaist that pale blue hair draped over her shoulders. His reaction doesn't quite make sense to her - or, to be more accurate, is unlike any she had seen before. She takes a step forward, foot coming down in the spilled milk, only to have the white liquid freeze solid around the sole of her boot. She doesn't seem to notice, too curious at the monk's behavior, perhaps.
He brings up a prior encounter and Kula doesn't even blink, though he does buy time as she pauses. "Foxy or Diana, maybe. They're nice once you get to know them." Right. She clenches her hand, raising it in front of her, elbow bent at her side. Unfortunately, this message is more than verbal, and the purpose is more than a simple hello. Igniz wants something. The details, well... Kula isn't usually filled in on much.
The halo of white around her right hand flares suddenly before collapsing, condensing into a thin shell of ice over her clenched hand, forming a secondary glove over the first. The real threat, perhaps, is the short spike of ice that juts out over her middle knuckle. It is that Frei may find himself having to worry about moreso than the questions that fill his mind as Kula darts forward, a violet blur, her foot print left in the frozen milk.
Her left hand reaches out as she slides to an instant stop right in front of Frei, reaching to get hold of his shirt to keep him in place. Her right hand, encased with that translucent ice, slams forward next, punching directly for his chest, spiked-knuckle first!
COMBATSYS: Kula has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Frei has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
COMBATSYS: Mizuki has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Frei
"... 'assignment'? Like... uh... for school? Can't... can't you just write an essay?" asks Mizuki. If Kula isn't really showing remorse, Mizuki is--remorse for a friendship dead aborning. And once again, a friend of hers is in harm's way. That icy air, though--literally icy air--she uses ice powers... like Mizuki herself? That's... "Frei-san... -watch out-!" Apparently Frei has had dealings with these people before, judging from the conversation...
And she's -fast-, too. Mizuki is almost caught out, when Kula moves forward; the action is so sudden she isn't sure she can do anything about it. Well, no--she knows she can't do anything about Kula's headlong charge. But her attitude towards Kula changes in that fraction of a second.
"Wait a moment! You aren't hurting anyone here, I don't care what this 'Igniz' or anyone else has to say!" And, so saying, she lunges forward. She might not be as purely fast as Kula, but she'll try her best--her surging motion taking her for Kula's back. When--if--she reaches Kula, she'll snap her hands out, grabbing for Kula's shoulders, attempting to simply pull her backwards, off her feet, and down, to slam her into the flooring, applying an after-slam chop to the midsection afterwards.
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Kula's Medium Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Frei
He doesn't look like much, but when it counts, Frei can come through. Or perhaps what Kula -- and Diana before her -- failed to realize, perhaps because Frei himself does not realize it yet, is that when the innocents of the YFCC are threatened some instinct of his whips into high gear. Regardless, despite the speed and ferocity of Kula's initial attack the monk takes things in stride, his expression surprisingly calm. He can't do a lot about the punch, but the grab he can; his body twists to the side, out of reach of Kula's other, grasping hand. Sadly this means evading her punch is out of the question, and improvising, his hand suddenly bursts into flame, and he all but 'catches' Kula's punch. The fire manages to melt some of that ice, but not all of it, the spike digging painfully into the monk's palm, Frei emitting a sharp hiss at the pain.
"Really? Well, that's reassuring," he says patiently. "I didn't have much time to talk with her given she decided to mark me up like a term paper." The fight wasn't as one-sided as all that, but when he says Diana left her mark, he is not kidding; the fencer drove her point home in both literal and figurative fashions, leading him to discuss things with the message's intended recipient, K'... and leading him to the statement he's going to make.
"So, another visitor from... what did they call it?" he asks suddenly, getting back into a fighting stance. "NESTS. That's right. If you're looking for the other one, by the way -- the one with a sim--" He pauses, glancing over at Mizuki, and then back at Kula, smile gone. Something's wrong. "He's not here."
Mizuki has chosen to attack, and while the chi sage has confidence in her skills, he isn't going to let her go it alone. Without letting the fire in his hand die, he suddenly surges forward with a high kick to Kula's shoulder... or does he? There's suddenly a second Frei made of living flame, delivering a kick of its own at a completely different angle... and for a moment the mirage-like effect makes it hard to tell which is which.
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Frei's Kagerou.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Frei
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Mizuki's Hyouryuu no Koki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Frei
Now that she's moving, her course is committed. She walked in the door with the intent to lay into the first person she came across with unprovoked violence as per her instructions. That plan was diverted by treats too tempting to resist. But when she got that hidden communicator beeping at her, voices reminding her why she's there, she feels she must act. And when she does, she holds nothing back, driven by combat algorithms that have been refined day after day for the last couple of years.
The engineered fighter's hand comes in, caught by Frei's, fire contending with the ice, the spike melting before its time beneath the heat. She snaps her hand back, taking a step to retreat at the same time, watching Frei, her expression calm, composed. He speaks of Diana's visit and she stays quiet, but when he moves on to the second topic, there is a flicker of something in her eyes. "K'." she states simply, deciding that's who Frei is getting at. "Maybe he should be." she adds, readying herself for retaliation.
Mizuki makes her move, forcing Frei into action to not leave his friend alone in dealing with this violent visitor. The young man snaps out a kick and Kula raises her arm, catching it along her forearm at an angle that lets her shrug off the worst of it. She isn't exactly fragile, but that leather jacket she has on is doing a fair amount to lend to her durability; a carefully crafted body armor, another multi-million doller project from NESTs. Faced with a living flame attacking from another direction, she raises her left arm, a shimmer of white coursing over the surface of the leather, absorbing some of the heat and driving the clone back.
At last she springs to the side, letting Mizuki reach for empty air, getting a grip on nothing just yet. Kula ends up to the side of both of the YFCC members, eyes snapping back and forth between the two of them, her sub-conscious routines attempting to identify the greatest threat, pin point weaknesses, and figure out how best to contend with the two fighters at once. In the end, it seems more data is required. Mizuki is to be tested next as Kula takes a single step forward with her left foot. "You should care what Igniz has to say." she warns even as she spins on her left toe, driving her right foot out in a sideways, swift kick, the sole of her boot lined with a blade of ice that threatens to slash the other girl along with the brute force impact of a very strong strike. "He is stronger than all of you."
COMBATSYS: Mizuki blocks Kula's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Frei
Frei's had a bit more luck than Mizuki, so far--at least he made -some- sort of contact. Her grab avoided, Mizuki switches her motions from offense to defense; and just in time, too, it seems. "K'... I've seen him around here before... is he caught up in this, too..?" Oh Mizuki. If you only knew.
"Guess I need to come around here more often..." she murmurs to herself, when Kula's kick comes slashing and crashing in. She's almost ready to just take the impact, until she sees that ice-blade; her eyes wide, she adjusts quickly, deflecting the kick to her left and shifting her body right. Unfortunately, she's still tagged by the blade of ice; it slices through clothing and skin and muscle and the girl yelps, left hand going to her side.
"Itai... watch out, Frei-san... she's -cutting- me..." Grimacing, Mizuki considers her foe for a moment. Doesn't -look- like much but Mizuki well knows just how deceptive that can be. Still, she remains on the attack--once again moving forward, though not as recklessly this time, snapping out a low-high right kick combination--something she took away from a Muay Thai match she saw.
"Feel like I've had this conversation before... maybe he is able to beat me up... but I don't take that as an indicator of strength!" Protip: Yes indeed, Igniz -is- stronger...
There's a grimace on Frei's face as he sees an ice *blade* in use; he knows perhaps better than many, given his background, that a blade really only has one purpose... of course, Kula has made her determination to said purpose relatively clear, ice-bladed kick or no. Still, the idea of Mizuki cut up brings up unpleasant memories he'd rather not dwell on at the moment, and he tries to harden his expression somewhat. What he *can* do is respond to Kula's words, and they're words that concern him quite greatly, all things considered.
"There are lots of people stronger than me," he says carefully, watching Kula's movements, circling a little bit... and trying, surreptitiously, to throw glances over his back to see if the YFCC students are doing the smart thing and staying away. Either through sheer luck or the low population, they are... for now, at least. "And you'd be surprised what I'm inclined to listen to. But if he's the one who sent your friend with the sword as well, he's going about this the wrong way. That's twice he's shown up at our doorstep with a violent greeting rather than conversation. I'd listen to what he has to say," the monk concludes, almost sounding... angry, "if he'd bother to actually say anything."
Part of him wants to stop this right now, but another part of him knows that a show of force might be the best way to get the curiously violent young girl to leave this place, or at least lose interest in fighting, and so he keeps up the pressure. Driving in from the side, he makes a grab for Kula's wrist, just as Mizuki's kicks might land. If he can get a grip, he suddenly plants his foot and spins, twirling her in a horizontal circle before letting go with a blast of wind chi from his palm to speed her flight... hopefully at a wall without anything breakable on it.
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Mizuki's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Frei
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Frei's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Frei
Kula snaps her foot back after the miko fends off her kick, sparing herself the worst of it. The ice blade on the bottom of the boot shatters as Kula presses her foot to the floor, sending small shards scattering across the floor. She remains perfectly still for a moment, hearing the other two speak, eyes glancing across both Mizuki and Frei in turn. "I wouldn't tell him that when you see him again," she warns Frei, shifting her eyes toward Mizuki as the red-headed girl attempts to catch her with her foot. "You too. He can show you what real strength is."
And then the lithe child pours on the speed. Threatened with attacks coming from both directions, she ducks low, weaving under Mizuki's kick, then spinning into a pirouette that takes her out of Frei's way as well. Her movements are smooth, graceful, and would be perhaps beautiful were it not the violent intent behind every move and counter move she makes.
She lands out of her spining hop, one leg outstretched, much like an ice skater coming down out of a high velocity stunt through the air, before finally coming up to standing, facing the other two again. "I am strong too," Kula declares, sounding like a child confidently saying that they're quite sure they can beat another kid at an a rousing game of Dodge Ball without even knowing the rules of said game. "Igniz is even stronger. You shouldn't be rude to him."
Her focus shifts to Frei, the girl bringing her right hand to her mouth at the same time a shimmer of white courses over her body, from her feet up to the very arm she holds in front of her. As it reaches her hand, she exhales, blowing over the raised palm, driving gale-like winds into the air in a concentrated cone in front of her, bearing in on the monk. Carried by the wind are shards of ice, needle-sized crystals, and razor edged rings of frozen matter all swirling about, threatening to cut into the young man. Slowly, the girl lowers her right hand, the leather glove covering it encrusted with dangling icicles that shatter free and fall to the floor once she flexes her fingers a little.
Mizuki's gaze hardens. Her own natural healing abilities are at work, now; the wound's bleeding has slowed considerably, enough that Mizuki can pull away her left hand, covered in her own blood. That kind visage shows a narrow profile of eyes, her lips set in a frown. "Everyone likes to talk about 'real' strength..." The combinatio of kicks misses; however, Mizuki remains undeterred. It is perhaps suicidal to remain close with the faster girl, but she does so anyways--no one can accuse her of acting prudently in battle.
"I do it too... but in the end, I don't think anyone knows what it really is. The greatest martial artists spend their entire lives searching for the meaning of it." She straightens, then, and though her eyes still speak a tale of regret, there's determination in there too. "Maybe you are strong... maybe Igniz is strong too... but I stand by my own strength, too...!"
The miko circles around, choosing to attack on an oblique angle--as much as to not risk being caught by the edges of that blast of ice and wind. In fact, she takes a step to her left, spinning around on her left leg, adding a touch of force to the double palm strike she aims for Kula's lower hip, hoping to jolt her off-balance; she actually strikes twice, doubling up the hits in a manner similar to the way an Escrima fighter is taught.
But she's worried--the girl is pretty intense, and she's hoping the few students that are here are doing the sensible thing and -hiding-...
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Frei with Diamond Breath.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Mizuki
> ////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Frei
Something about that attack makes it hard to defend against, not that Frei doesn't give it the old college try. It's too wide in area to use a chi-based defense with, so he has to do it the old fashioned way: getting body parts that are a little less tender in the way. Sadly, he focuses the defense a little too much, and the result is barely effective, if at all; the white-blue of ice becomes lines of red as the shards slice across his body, making cuts in his shirt, his arms, even one across his face. He grimaces in pain, but holds up surprisingly well, all things considered.
Raising his head and lowering his arms, the monk fixes Kula with, pardon the pun, a cool expression in his bright green eyes. "It's interesting to hear you talk about rudeness," he says quietly, gaze flickering to Mizuki for a moment before coming back to Kula. "I mean, if this is your message, it's a rude message by conventional standards. What do you want to tell us? That you're a powerful fighter? Mission accomplished, I suppose, since that hurt quite a lot." He's surprisingly candid about how damaging Kula's attack was, but anyone who's ever tried to argue with Frei knows he adheres to strange logics.
Hearing Mizuki talk about strength, he shakes his head. "But I don't know that you're 'strong'. Walking in here, switching off a pleasant enough personality at a command from on high? I might as well be talking to an adorable, ill-mannered robot." And here, his eyes take on a sad cast, as he shakes off the frost and blood and drops back into stance. "One who's threatening something I've promised to protect."
And then he's moving. Slowed by the numbness in his limbs, perhaps, but faster than you might expect, his right hand down, fingers extended like a knife hand. A silver-gold metallic glow flares into being around that hand, and with a parabolic sweep of his arm Frei slices hand and metal chi-empowered strike upwards, the sound of a struck tuning fork ringing in the air as he does so.
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Frei's Houken EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Mizuki
> ////////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Frei
COMBATSYS: Kula fails to interrupt Strong Punch from Mizuki with Crow Bite.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Mizuki
> ////////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Frei
"It can't be that hard to figure out what being strong is," Kula retorts, mouth curled into a bit of a petulant frown. "It's simply who wins or loses. The winner is stronger than the loser. That isn't very confusing." she finishes with a quiet blink. She turns her attention from Mizuki then, spinning to face Frei, drawing her right hand up with a glimmering sheath of white chi coursing over it. It would be easy for him to tell that she's building up for something big. His condition is inspected at a glance, more data fed to the routines that run the girl through her fights, time and time again, learning and adapting.
But it's his words that draw the stronger response from the child. He admits to the power behind her attack but she doesn't really think much of it. For her it was trivial, and she has a lot more in store where that came from. It's what he covers next that causes her to pause, however. Calling her a rude automaton. The remark is met with a frown, her right hand tightening, fingers barely visible behind the shimmering sheath of brilliant white. "I am not a robot." she snaps back, the first show of anger since she arrived. He comes in to attack her, drawing elemental chi to his hands once again, striking with metal edged hands. Her left arm intersects, drawing across her form defensively, blocking each of his attacks. She doesn't get off free, however, several gouges left in the leather sleave of her armored jacket, evidence that in spite her defenses, he managed to leave a mark.
But it's Mizuki that she turns to lash into next, that white power churning over her arm solidifying into a giant, monsterous guantlet of jagged ice, spikes sticking out every which way along the arm and over the fist. A shriek of energy drawn into frozen form is the only warning of the devastation she's about to wrought upon the other girl as she turns into her punches. "I'll show you stre-" she declares.
But she's caught by the other girl first, the palm press catching her in the hip at an angle that destroys her momentum - the second impact more than strong enough to trip her up all together, sending her stumbling to the floor. The guantlet of savage ice shatters as her hands brace against the floor to catch her as she lands on hands and knees, fragments sent skidding in all directions as Kula rises back up slowly, exhaling from wasted effort, her breath visible as a frosty mist that longers a second before fading.
She spins back around then, facing both of the other two, eyes narrowed a little, focus fixated on Frei then. "I'm a real person. That you're in my way is your choice. I told you you could run."
"Strength is about more than winning and losing, Kula-san." Her voice is gentle, even if her strikes are not; this is a conversation she's had before, several times. "It's only the people who win who define strength that way. But that definition of strength isn't universal..." It was her confidence that won her that exchange--she struck without hesitation, without worry. Something to think about, for her.
But later; right now, they're fighting. "Take us. Do you think we're weak for facing you? Or are we strong for doing it? Is it weak to fight a battle you probably can't win, to try and save someone's life, or is it strong to fight against inevitability and fate?" She's still bearing down on Kula. "If something you treasured--you prized--was in danger, wouldn't you fight to protect it?"
Like, Foxy, or Diana... suddenly, Mizuki attacks again, moving in on Kula--her right leg again, it seems, as she whips it upwards, then around, in a one-two kick, high roundhouse and hooking heel kick, both aimed for Kula's head.
Perhaps the actual movement is somewhat obscured by the heavy hakama pants; regardless, she moves with all the speed she can muster.
But Frei's words apparently touched off something. "No one said you weren't a real person. We can see that. But you don't seem to have any -freedom-... if Igniz is so strong, why does he have to send you to do his work for him?" Answer? Because he's eeeeeeeeeeeeeevil.
What had Frei said to K', when the two spoke after Diana's attack? That he didn't have to get up and get involved. He could have let the kids there for the poetry slam take the brunt instead. He could have stood by. He could have not gotten involved. But he made a conscious decision not to. 'I guess you could say I paid the price for it, too,' he had said. In fact, much of his conversation with K' and even with Diana seems to be flooding back to him thanks to this Igniz feeling the Center needed a reminder.
"You're right. I decided not to let you hurt people who can't defend themselves. And I'm living with the consequences of that decision, just as Mizuki is," he adds, nodding his head to his teammate even as she recovers from delivering a strike to Kula with impressive skill. He does not, however, vocalize just how narrow an escape that was for Mizuki; as an ice user herself, the miko may have also sensed the great buildup of power that suddenly had nowhere to go. "But it was a decision I made with my own will, so I don't have any regrets about it."
Green eyes blink at Mizuki's statement, but it seems rational enough. She's terribly sorry about all this, thanks for the cookies, here's your savage beating? And suddenly it clicks in his head. Visions of a furious Ayame, needing to vent anything just to clear her head. A thought of his brother, Kataki, so enraged by the shattering of what he thought was true that he was willing to kill over it. People in conflict, perhaps invisible to those who don't know their contexts or their lives. And somehow his expression softens, just that much more. The coldness that had been slipping into his features lessens.
He does not attack, not now; instead, he tries another tactic. "You're confused, I think. You've mistaken raw power for something else. But if displaying power is what you want, then throw whatever you like at me," he says, opening his arms. Not totally defenseless; the wind around him swirls, resonating with his chi and his will, perhaps to protect him. "Blood is a renewable resource. But I warn you, even a hundred men a thousand times more powerful than me will not step a foot past to hurt innocents merely to make a point."
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Frei
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Kula with Kouryuu no Shippo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Frei
"Is it?" Kula asks back at Mizuki as she speaks of winning and losing. "Don't you feel weak when you lose? Insufficent? Incompetent?" She leans her head to the side a little, falling quiet as the red-headed girl continues to question her while drawing nearer. Faced with a less obvious question, the matter of strength in facing impossible odds or not, it isn't so clear that she can retort. Asked if she would fight to protect something important, Kula pauses, crimson eyes lose their focus for a moment that costs her the instant she needs to defend herself.
The kicks catch the girl twice in the head, the first one staggering her to the side and the second one hooking her back in the other direction, leaving her balance a lot less certain in that instant, forcing her to draw back several steps. Defensively, she draws her hands up in front of her, clenching them into fists. White energy churns down her limbs, coursing over her forearms, ice and snowflakes falling to the floor all around her, forming small piles beneath her hands as she builds up for another attack, not unlike Frei's own energy focus taking place.
The wind swirling about him draws the girl's attention next. Her jaw tightens, the young teen finding herself annoyed at both of the two that chose to stand against her, to keep others from having to take the injuries she's come to dish out. He invites her to throw whatever she'd like at him, and the girl hesitates. Why would anyone ask to be struck so hard? Is it a trap? Her sub-conscious routines try to make any sense of such a request. "What is it that you want? To become a martyr?" She draws her hands up, more drifting ice falling free. In the end it doesn't matter what he wants. It matters what Igniz wants. Pushing aside doubts, the girl charges the chi molding monk. Teeth gritting, she braces for only a moment, glaring back at Frei, his words, his routine-defying choices frustrating her more than she wants to let on. "I've heard enough of what you have to say!"
The incoming attack is two-fold, much like many of her other approaches to striking the both of them. Her right hand goes forward first, attempting to palm Frei's face, clamping down over mouth and nose, the shimmering energy coursing over her forearm congealing into a thick patch of ice as she threatens to suffocate him. It doesn't help that her left hand comes in second, going for his neck, "If this is what you want..." the young killer speaks, her voice without evidence of remorse or regret. Should she get a tight enough hold, she'll spin to the side and attempt to drive him up against the wall and hold him there. No shorter than he, her arms seem to possess remarkable strength, her own muscle power augmented by the energy she seems to have limitless quantities of.
It's a solid hit, but somehow Mizuki can't feel happy about it. It's these times that make her regret her choice to fight. The pain still radiating from her cut side is relatively little, compared to the pain of having Kula open old wounds, emotionally speaking, and the fact that she seems like she would be so nice if she weren't out to hurt people. Mizuki whips her leg down after the hooking kick, but this time she doesn't come charging in. Instead, she sets herself, sinking down onto her heels, bringing her arms up to a cross-guard position.
Then she begins drawing power, icy chi flaring up around her feet, a blue-silver, coruscating circle. The power draw is somewhat risky, as it leaves her with few options... but it's necessary, at the same time. Of course, Kula answers her. And maybe the answers -are- that simple. Still, she is compelled to reply.
"Of course I feel weak when I lose. I feel insufficient, incompetent. That doesn't make me weak, Kula-san. What would make me weak is if I let those feelings define me--if I let them stop me from picking myself up, and trying again. If you lose here, will Igniz call you weak? Will it be true? Are you weak or strong only based on how you do? What if Igniz loses? Will he be weak then?"
Again, her voice remains gentle, but relentless--she wants to break through, if she can. It takes strength to stand here, and watch Kula attack Frei--Frei, her teammate, her friend--and not do anything -right now-... to hope, pray, know, that Frei knows what he is doing and that he'll survive.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki gathers her will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
> /////////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Frei
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Kula's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\===----\1 Frei
There's a pair of sounds -- one the hard-sounding slap of two hands colliding, the other an almost effervescent crackle of energy on energy -- as Kula's hand for Frei's face meets his own, the two locked briefly in a competing grip. Just as white ice flows around Kula's body, Frei's arm glitters with a spiral of orange-red; after all, fight ice with fire. And just as Kula is stronger than her appearance suggests, Frei is too... but holding off the grip is not easy, and the grab for his throat is raggedly deflected, shoving Frei's shoulder into the wall painfully.
"Nobody wants to be a martyr," the monk says carefully, locking eyes with Kula before shoving away with his hand, hopefully preventing the damage he's taken from getting any worse. Breathing heavily from the effort, he hunches forward a bit, but he keeps his expression calm, despite being winded. "But I believe people want their suffering to have a purpose. And if you really are a human being, like you say... if you really have human feeling... then hurting me, killing me, will gnaw at you forever if it's done without purpose." He pauses, and then smiles faintly, tilting his head. "I want to believe you when you say you're not a robot. So if you can kill me without thought, if you can simply treat me like an object, and then honestly live your life as if it never happened, then... you win, I guess. But I don't think you can."
He glances at Mizuki, glad that she's safe for the time being, and stands up to his full height again, nodding with what she says. "The difference between the weak and the strong isn't power, it's 'purpose'." And with that, he closes any remaining distance to Kula and sweeps his hand around. The area between the two is suddenly alive with a massive, spherical burst of force, green-gold in color, the heavy chi of earth that hits like a brick to the face.
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Frei's Reiki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\===----\1 Frei
Her attacks are fended off, Frei contending with her chi before it has fully formed into ice, the flames flickering about her hands and forcing some of the white energy back before it can solidify. In the end she settles for shoving him at the wall, but doesn't pursue, no longer in a prime position for silencing him, perhaps for good were he unable to wrest himself free in time. She pauses, silent as he speaks, wide eyes staring back at him as he questions her humanity, her capacity for feeling what other people feel.
And when his attack comes, Kula's eyes widen, the girl drawing her arms up, seemingly getting ready to defend herself... But the energy Frei unleashes is more than she had anticipated and in the last instant the lithe girl appears to blink out of sight, deciding that she would rather not contend with such crushing force directly. At a glance it might no tbe obvious where the girl has gone... that is until one notices the drifting columns of snow flakes spiraling down from somewhere above. An inspection of the ceiling would reveal her to be there, upside down, feet and hands sealed against a cross beam by small clumps of ice that hold her in place. Her long, frosty blue hair hangs down as she looks down on the two YFCC champions.
Their arguments compelling, fighting against conditioning and programming that have brought the young girl to where she is. Her focus on her purpose is supposed to be unbreakable. But dealing with the reasoning of Frei and Mizuki combined leaves her without pithy replies, her juvenile mind having a hard time coming up with anything that sounds better than 'I don't like you and you're stupid and wrong!' And childish as she may be, she hasn't quite fallen to that level.
Her attention fixes on Mizuki then, an unmistakeable frown forming at her lips. "He won't call me weak because that wouldn't be true." she pulls one hand free of the ice that keeps her suspended. Waving her freed hand out to her side, she forces the energy flowing easily from her arms into a large chunk of jagged ice with a smooth surface on top. As all heavy objects, the block begins to fall... unfortunately its fall is directly toward where Mizuki has decided to take her stand!
Kula pries herself free of the beam, descending right along with the free falling glacier, "Killing is my job," she states softly as she drops, "It is my purpose," she continues, speaking more to herself than the other two. "You can't deny me my purpose!" Her voice raises, the girl twisting into a spin kick aimed to crush through Mizuki's defenses at the same time the block from above would be reaching her.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki blocks Kula's Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Mizuki
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\===----\1 Frei
They -are- getting through. Somehow. Sort of. Mizuki's eyes widen--her head snaps up when Kula disappears, taking a guess--and she's rewarded for that guess by seeing Kula flinging a goddamn glacier of icy chi at her, along with a crushing, spinning kick. This is the kind of assault that leads to people dying--surely even just one of the attacks would be enough to kill a 'normal' human. Mizuki -screams-, as the glacier descends--not a scream of pain, but a scream of release, of focus, a kiai gone long; she thrusts her right hand into the air, folded into a compact fist, using her left arm, folded, to absorb the simultaneous blow from Kula's leg.
And reaching into that glacier--exploding it with her own aura--still costs her, as much as blocking the kick itself does; Mizuki is driven to one knee by the first impact, and, despite the block, is thrown off her feet, arcing lazily over the floor to land, and go into a thumping roll. Yet she was able to avoid the worst of the damage--a Pyrrhic victory of sorts, as she pushes herself to her feet.
"That's... sad... Kula-san. No one should have that as a purpose. It... doesn't make sense. Your purpose should be to -live-." Ah, idealist theory. It's all well and good, but Mizuki knows she can't afford to hold back--that holding back would mean pain, injury, and possible death for her and Frei.
With her back to the wall, literally, Mizuki brings her left leg up, bracing against the wall--and she uses it to push off, yelling, bringing her arms to bear as she closes in on Kula, chopping at her with chi-gloved hands, three times.
Concerned though he is at Mizuki's weathering Kula's retributive strike, nonetheless the monk's eyes fall, hooded, at Kula's response. It's the sort of response he was afraid of hearing, one that despite all she's done to harm him and his teammate fills him with a sense of deep, unavailing regret. But, it also makes something clear to him. Diana had come to say 'she' was being 'taken care of' in NESTS, something K' vehemently denied when that message was delivered. Two people with the same mystical power, as if the heads and tails of a single coin. There's no way this was coincidence, and she already said K''s name... there's a possibility that the 'she' is someone else, but Frei doesn't buy it. "I guess..." he says, in a quiet and forlorn tone, "that K' was right."
She's not being taken care of at all.
Straightening, the monk takes in a deep breath, glancing over at the miko who's chosen to fight with him. It's obvious that Mizuki is trying hard to resolve this some other way, but also to find answers to some of the questions that Kula is proposing. It's as if the NESTS assassin is... a test board. If she can get Kula to believe, then her theories, her feelings, must be right. Green eyes widen at that thought, a bizarre realization that he, too, is doing much the same. If he can just get her to listen, if he can just find the wavelength to make her understand, then perhaps the doubt in his own heart can be quelled.
"A job isn't a purpose. A job is something you do for a reason... but a purpose is something else. What your reason for living is. Is your 'purpose' to kill?" Frei says, voice loud and sharp, cutting through the room like a knife. "Are you no better than a knife or a gun? You claim to be human, but everything you say denies it. I can see why... he's concerned," Frei adds, voice getting quieter. "I can see how you've been hurt."
Holding out his hand, palm up, Frei takes a breath, and a handful of motes of pure white radiance swirl into being, illuminating his face with a surprisingly warm and gentle glow. "If strength is the only way to show you the ways that you're being hurt, then so be it. I'm going to choose to believe in your claim that there's a human heart inside you, that you're not like a sword or a spear." Flinging out his hand, the spheres of light spiral off toward Kula in a twisting pattern, erratic, but each one carries significant force if it connects... the hot, bright light of pure yang energy.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Kula with Kouryuu no Renda.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Mizuki
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\===----\1 Frei
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Kula with Seiya.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Kula 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Mizuki
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Frei
She lands out of her falling kick in a crouch, Mizuki having managed to fend off the worst of what was meant for her. Her left hand comes up to brush her long hair back out of her face and over her shoulder, staying in place at her lengthy bangs as she rises slowly back up to standing. Mizuki seems to pity her defiant declaration of purpose, which only annoys the young girl further. "If that was /your/ purpose, you wouldn't still be fighting me," she snaps back, lowering her hand, letting her bangs fall where they may. Mizuki's charge back at her is well timed, however, catching the normally swift girl enough off guard that each chop finds its mark, battering the fighter that looks so frail even if reality doesn't seem to bear it out. Each blow drives her backward, her arms just a little too late to get in the way to knock aside the strikes, until at last she slides to a stop a few yards back from Mizuki, a soft exhale leaving frosty breath lingering in the air.
She's about to charge back, to lash out at the girl who just hit her, to make her quiet by brutal force, when Frei's words catch her attention and she pauses just shy of lunging, all that pent up energy restrained for a moment as she glances to the side to eye him. "K'. How is he right?" she insists, whirling toward Frei with fervent interest. "What did he say?" She falls quiet as he continues to speak, sounding much like Mizuki to her ears. "Who's concerned," she asks further, hands tightening, a bright swirl of pure white chi building up around her, whisps of it rising up along her back and over her shoulders. "Who are you talking about?" He asks what her purpose is and Kula buttons up.
His hand extends and from fingers spheres of light spiral toward her, twisting through the air, their pattern unpredictable, random. It throws her already pressured combat algorithms for a loop, the girl trying to step around one, only to get struck by the other and knocked back into the first, the two hitting hard enough to take her off her feet and into a column behind her back where she stops.
"That's not strength," she retorts, the white energy swirling about her stealing the heat from the air, dropping the temperature drastically, even as she stands up straight, brushing at the points of impact from Frei's heated attack, trying to ignore the pain it inflicted. "This... is..." She faces Frei directly, takes one step forward, then leans down, planting her hands against the floor of the lobby. Wind whips around her, tossing her hair about her shoulders as all that energy that was swirling about her descends down her arms and into the floor. A tremble, a presence of incredible force warns of the impending attack as she stares at Frei, "Strength is being able to never lose something important to you... as I am about to take from you!"
Her attention seems squarely fixed on Frei, but it is Mizuki that must defend herself as suddenly a spire of jagged, sharp ice thrusts out of the floor directly in front of her, sending crystals hurtling into the air as a shower of diamonds. A second spire errupts from her other side, attempting to fence the girl in, and a third from the other side. Each of them angled, each of them sharo pinnacles of steel-hard ice, each of them meant to spear, lacerate, and cut. The whole while, Kula never takes her eyes off Frei. "If you were strong enough, you wouldn't lose your friend..."
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Kula's Diamond Edge.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Mizuki
> /////////////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Frei
"Ask him yourself," Frei says to Kula. He's not trying to be tart, or flippant; rather, if the girl wants the details she can ask the NESTS fugitive herself, because Frei doesn't know them. He has guesses, and that's about it; but, there is one comment he's willing to make. "But I think he doesn't agree with... where you are," the monk says at last. If nothing else, K''s desire to leave the YFCC so that no others would be hurt in attacks -- attacks like this one, in fact -- shows to Frei without question that deep inside, he cares about the well-being of others, even if his stoic exterior doesn't show it.
He opens his mouth to say something else, and it dies on his lips, for two reasons. The first is the terrible swell of Kula's power. The second... is her challenge to him.
The mental image is too real, too vivid, too raw, too *recent*. Mizuki on the YFCC infirmary beds, bleeding profusely, surviving only by dint of her fighter's resilience and healing ability from wounds that looked like they were dealt by twenty men with blades rather than a single, sword-wielding individual. Cut to the very marrow by Frei's own brother, to make a point: I am going to hurt the people you love until you do what I want. Or maybe just because he wanted to. He did, too; not just Mizuki, but many others... Kentou, Tran, Jiro... Hotaru, perhaps, worst of all. And they didn't blame Frei, they supported him. Just as Frei told K' not to leave the center, because if it wasn't NESTS, it'd be someone else. It's not his fault. He's not to blame.
His eyes are almost entirely iris when he starts to move.
There's no time to shout a warning, no time for conversation or even subtlety; Frei crosses the distance and shoves Mizuki out of the way, roughly... just in time for the first spear of frost to stab into him from behind. Back arched, mouth open and eyes wide, Frei *hangs* there for an awful moment before his faculties seem to come to him, knowing that Kula is not spent; releasing his own chi with an inarticulate scream the spear holding him in place *shatters* in a burst of ice crystals, dropping Frei to the floor in a heap as the other two icicles stab through the air over his head... perhaps avoiding the worst of the damage, but not leaving him unscathed. Not by a longshot.
"Everything important to me will someday... be dust..." he says quietly, coughing wetly from his kneeling position, back to Kula. Thankfully the wound wasn't deep enough to hit his spine, but nonetheless blood flows down Frei's back as he fights to stand, and then turn around to face the NESTS assassin. "And I've only become the person I am by losing things that are important to me. That's how I know they have value. But..." Finally, he pulls himself standing, resilient in the face of certain doom; in his mind's eye he remembers rising before Jiro and Hotaru, alongside Acacia, to protect them from Kain and Grant for similar reasons.
"You can rend the flesh from my bones and never in a thousand years will you beat me as you are, Kula Diamond," he says, coughing again. He doesn't move, doesn't attack; as far as he's concerned he's made enough of a show of strength. "You are weak. You have the potential for strength, but it's unrealized, and it doesn't come from this strange power of yours," he says carefully, sweeping a hand toward the massive blades of ice. "It comes from the heart."
COMBATSYS: Frei takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Mizuki
> /////////////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Frei
"F--FREI!!" That is the only thing Mizuki can shout, can scream, as the monk intercepts the incoming attack. Those shards of ice... undoubtedly they would have done some major damage. The way Kula was talking, she sounded confident than they would have killed Mizuki. And she's not entirely sure that's wrong, really. It is, however, a moot point; Mizuki's been saved, by Frei, and that is... it's touching, but distressing, as well. Later, she'll think about it--whether Frei did it because he thought Mizuki wasn't strong enough to take it, or whatever factors there may have been...
"Right now, Kula-san, I have a different purpose. My purpose, right here, and right now, is to protect this place. To protect the children who come here to learn discipline, who come because they want to, or because they have no other place to go. To protect my friend here, Frei-san, and to give him aid."
Speaking of which. Frei is a tough customer--far more so than Mizuki herself--but facing down something like -that-..."Frei... Frei-san, are you alright? I-- why did you do that? I--" She seems shaken, suddenly--as if not really expecting that Frei would do that. Almost--almost, Mizuki makes a move to go around Frei. Almost. But then she -looks- at Kula. A reproving look, much like a mother might give to a petulant, misbehaving child.
And she closes her eyes, then. Closes her eyes, and starts praying, it looks like--her lips barely moving, nothing really truly audible, but suddenly there's an upwell in chi--as if enough hasn't been tossed around here, yet. The power builds, and builds, with intense pressure--until it can't hold, and it breaks. Blue-green chi pours down over Frei, like water, glowing, disappearing just moments before striking the floor.
And it is a moment that leaves Mizuki completely vulnerable, all her attention on this task. Maybe it isn't a fatal wound, or even a serious wound, but something like that, staring her in the face... how can she -not- do aomething about it?
The first spear shattered, the second two spires linger, glittering like columns of precious gems, their razor sharp edges denied the taste of promised blood. Kula rises slowly, that surge of power that had coursed around her diminished, nearly everything poured into that three pronged attack. She holds her ground, his stalwart defense leaving her at a loss for immediate response, crimson eyes blinking twice as she stares on in silence.
He denied the strike meant for Mizuki, Kula's highly honed combat senses having told her that what she had there was a potential killing shot, to remove the persistant red-headed girl from the situation. It seems Frei was determined that that didn't happen. A soft exhale, her mouth remaining close, Kula gazes back over the two of them, watching Mizuki fret over his condition, worry about the harm he took that was intended for herself. The young girl scowls, her defiant declaration denied in light of Frei's accute timing and rugged durability. She hadn't thought much of either of them at first glance, but in the end, she can't argue that their combined efforts exceeds what terror she can hope to bring to bear.
The girl springs back a few yards, landing in a half crouch, fingers pressed against the floor, small spiderwebs of thin crystaline ice spread out from beneath her touch. Her mouth is pressed tightly closed, her attention shifting from Mizuki to the green eyed young man, innate understanding telling her that the energy being bestowed upon him is restorative in nature. She wants to run. She's been battered enough - by attacks and words - enough to say she did her due dilligence, enough to get her pat on the head and soft words of praise she seeks. And she's about to, up until Frei declares her weak, unable to defeat him, lacking the strength to end him no matter what she may do.
"I was made strong," she murmurs back, "I am not weak. I am strong enough to fullfill my purpose!" She pulls her hands up, palms open, fingers splayed as she extends her arms. The two remaining spires collapse, their crystals drawn into the air, back to their creator, spanning the distance even as Kula charges Frei. Her right arm is sheathed in the material she draws back into her, forming another translucent, diamond-strong spiked arm and hand guard of dreadful design.
"I'll prove it!!" she exclaims, slamming that encased arm forward, attempting to drive it into Frei with dreadful force, threatening to break countless spines of clear needles off into hsi chest, threatening to smash him back with strength that seems so out of place on a child her age - a child imbued with power far beyond her maturity to handle with any degree of responsibility. She skids to that stop right in front of him, pouring every bit of her forward momentum into the attack as she attempts to drill the monk straight into the wall, Mizuki's healing graces be damned.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Frei with Iki no Nagare.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
> ///////////////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Frei
COMBATSYS: Frei interrupts Fierce Punch from Kula with Reiki EX.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
> ///////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Frei
Despite their being teammates, Frei has only experienced Mizuki's healing abilities once, and that was in fact when they first met. But he knows a good deal about her, and knows that her chi resonates with the power of water... something he can use to his advantages. He takes a deep breath as the watery chi rains over him, but rather than disappearing, it stays in place... not necessarily continuing to heal him, per se, but hovering there, suspended. After all, he reasons, why not use it if it's there?
He doesn't get out of the way of Kula's punch; instead he twists his body so that the spike doesn't get him full in the chest, but rather pierces his shoulder... still very painful, and undoing Mizuki's work, but also giving him the unique opportunity to strike back before Kula can avoid the return shot. The blue-green chi in the air suddenly goes blue-white, and Kula is treated to a taste of her own medicine: the water becomes crystals of frost, and then a spike of ice that looks to give her a strike just the same as the one she just pasted Frei with, stabbing forward, though perhaps with less intent to break the skin and more to simply smack into her.
"No, simply powerful enough to do your job," he says quietly to Kula, bringing a hand to his shoulder and grimacing in pain. "You're very powerful. But not strong." He closes his eyes for a moment, then adds, "And as for why I did what I did..."
Turning to Mizuki, Frei opens his eyes with a wan smile. "Do I need a reason to help a friend?"
Mizuki's eyes soften, as she gets that response from Frei--she isn't a doctor, nor does she play one on TV, but her healing abilities, and the training she's done to be able to use it, have given her some ability to judge wounds... and the wound to the shoulder isn't as bad as the one in the back ways. "No, I guess not," she says, softly. And then she steps out, from around Frei, facing Kula once more. At Frei's side.
"You aren't going to win against us, Kula-san." She sounds sure of it, confident, but not cocky. "The two of us together are stronger than you are by yourself. That isn't an assessment of your power or ours. It goes deeper than that. Neither of us would kill you... but if you insist on continuing, I can guarantee that neither of us will hold back. You are not going to hurt anyone else here."
Forward now, a little, and then off to the side a bit more. "The door is over there," she continues, gesturing towards the entrance. "We don't hold grudges in here--if you want to come back sometime and try Frei's excellent baking, I'm sure we'll welcome you. But I think for now it might be best if you leave... unless you're willing to end this right here and now..."
Eyes forward, the miko watches the icy NESTS assassin carefully--given Kula's previous responses, she is reasonably sure that her words will be met by an attack, but, maybe not...
COMBATSYS: Mizuki focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
> ///////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Frei
If she were calmer, more collected, not fighting against her combat instincts but rather letting them control her, she would have anticipated what was coming the instant Frei paused the incoming power of Mizuki's watery chi. The only reason to bring it to a stop would be if he intended to use it for a counter attack. It isn't that hard to figure out. Blinded as she is by her brief flash of temper, however, she never even thinks about it.
That icy guantlet comes slaming forward, like the armor of a devilish knight frozen for eternity. A clean hit would be savage, but Frei's defenses solidly prevent that intended strike. The spines tear into his shoulder and Kula brings up her left arm, that gloved hand going for his throat, intending to correct for this last second defense on his part. She never quite gets there as he pulls that chi out of the air, demonstrating his remarkable control over the elements around him - control enough to strike back at the girl with the self-same element she would have expected to find minimally dangerous.
It catches her squarely in the chest, her defenses non-existant, so focused on harming him as she was. The force is enough to knock the petite thing off her feet entirely, landing on the back and sliding a few yards, before twisting to get her legs beneath her and come to a stop in a low crouch, the fingers of her left hand propped against the ground. Her breaths are rougher now, her efforts pushed to the limits of her ability to continue fighting them both. She isn't out of energy, but the constant battering of body and mind are building up, leaving her muted once more, gazing back at the two of them.
Eyes narrow as Mizuki pipes up as well, declaring the undeniable truth. She's not going to get the better of the both of them. Mizuki points toward the door, but Kula doesn't look, drawing back all the shattered fragments into a point blank, small cyclone about herself as she remains crouched. "Unfortunately," she replies to the miko's invitation, "Next time I come, it won't be alone. You should know this is just a precusor of things to come." Her tone is neutral, cold even, a child's temper kept at bay just barely only by the powerful influence of her combat programming. That she broke at all, at any point, is remarkable given the conditioning she's been through.
She pushes herself slowly up to standing, taking in a deep breath, that point blank column of white chi, ice shards, and flakes of snow readied to be put to use churning about her. "You've been warned. There is something Igniz wants. I don't know what... perhaps we will find out together." She bends her legs just a little, tensing up, and then she takes to the air. Her leap is graceful, a backward flip that takes her in the direction of the door, her body encased by that energy as it collapses in around her form. But she isn't about to leave without a parting shot.
A quick flip leaves that energy ripping through the air next to her, gathered up and concentrated. Coming out of the flip her arm swings through it, driving the gathered mass down toward the two. What falls appears to be... a giant snow flake. But it is far from harmless in nature. Along its ridges, razor sharp crystals are ready to shread into anything it hits. The real threat, however, is when it lands against the floor, sending sharp spikes flying out in every direction. A literal explosion of frigid, blisteringly cold chi, icy blades thrown hard enough to imbed themselves into the walls and bodies of anyone near. Fortunately, the rest have cleared out, protected by the stalwart guardians. But that leaves two who have great cause to worry in that instant.
By the time Kula lands, there is no evidence of ice flurries or even any energy left to give. She comes down near the door, rises to standing slowly, hand coming up to rest against her side where an earlier strike still pains her. And then she turns, darting with what speed she still possesses, leaving vacating the lobby without further word.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Frei with Diamond Shoot.
[ \\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Frei
He's made it look easy so far, but the truth is that keeping up with Kula's assault -- one born from her seemingly inexhaustible level of energy and considerable skill -- has taken every last ounce of energy in Frei's body. He doesn't have any response to Kula's revelation that Igniz wants SOMETHING from the Center... perhaps K', perhaps something less tangible. Either way, it's more confirmation than surprise, though he seems somewhat gladdened that Kula is ready to leave for the time being. Thus, somewhat stupidly, he lets down his guard a little.
Big mistake.
The blast of ice blades catches him more than moments before he can erect any sort of defense, the icicle shards embedding themselves in his torso, his arms and legs, and slicing a line of red across his face. They also have the pleasant effect of, thanks to their velocity, knocking him entirely off his feet; he slams to the ground a good ten feet away, lying on his side and groaning in pain, surrounded by the devastation the fight has wrought in the lobby.
For a moment, he says nothing, does nothing, for he doesn't have the energy to do so. Eventually, however, he can get one eye open and look around.
Lying next to him is the glass of milk, spilled, and the frozen milk itself, crystallized by Kula's icy footsteps.
Unable to control himself, he gives a wet-sounding bark of laughter, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling with a glassy-eyed gaze.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Mizuki with Diamond Shoot.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1 Mizuki
> /////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Frei
Frei didn't want to see Mizuki injured again--unfortunately, he's not going to get that wish. The explosion of chi is--it's immense, an insane level of power being released. Mizuki does the sensible thing--she dives for the deck. But to no avail; the explosion of ice shards literally catches her in mid-dive. For a moment, she feels weightless, as though she were hanging in air--and then she's suddenly moving again. Her body, already somewhat abused simply by defending from Kula's attacks, is -truly- abused this time--the impact into the wall is practically nothing, compared to the ice shards ripping at her body.
When she finally collapses to the floor, she's bleeding 'like a stuck pig', so to say--in no shape to do -anything- about Kula. She isn't, however, out; after a few moments, she coughs wetly, then gets her right arm underneath her, and pushes, rolling herself onto her side. Another cough racks her, but she doesn't cry, no matter how much it hurts; rather, she's retreating inside herself, to find the necessary concentration to begin the process of healing herself. Herself, before Frei--because only healed can she help Frei.
Even as she's concentrating, focusing, Kula's words echo in her head. This is just the precursor. More is coming. 'Igniz' wants something form the YFCC. K'.
They're going to need more security, that's for sure.
Log created on 23:21:36 08/06/2008 by Kula, and last modified on 12:38:03 08/08/2008.