Description: Takes place right after the loss to Ryu. Naerose catches the Dictator at a time when she probably shouldn't, asking questions that he's asked himself quite often. For once, someone gets answers.
Evening. The fight of Vega's life has just completed. Unfortuantely for Vega, he's been found to be ... wanting. Unable to match the ferocity of Ryu's intensity and power, the Dictator has been beaten. His own power took Ryu down, but not fast enough, not decisvely enough. As such, he's weak, tired and angry all together.
Helped by one of his brainwashed, psycho-powered Dolls, he makes his way towards the VTOL landing that Howard's been kind enough to leave him. Most smart people would give the battered, bruised and brewing dictator plenty of room. A smart person would realize that this might not be the time, what with Vega's aura basically reading like a 'KEEP AWAY' sign.
Then again, most people aren't Naerose.
This opportunity was considered by many to be a good time to avoid the man with the chin. The would be witch-jounralist knew she had just one chance to try and get this particular person to talk to her. That is to say.. and perhaps this one chance to get him to kill her outright. But she had to try. There was one way to get attention of the dictator. Get in his way. These dolls, probably not the high quality ones of the Zero Doll.. Probably not Juli's or Juni's.. Possibly not even Decapre's or whatever her name is. Aprile? Naerose didn't know. She didn't even know that she was one on contract with Shadaloo once. All she knew is she needed this interview.
Planted in the way, like a dear in the headlights - if deer in headlights smiled, brandished a pen and paper and well.. were Naerose. Yes she's planting herself directly in the path.
Forwards, towards the VTOL. Forwards, towards escape and time to lick his wounds, to eventually accept defeat or to lay the blame on Howard in some complex way. Forwards to... a witch? Pale white eyes narrow, and the girl at Vega's shoulder reacts quickly. Darting away from him, the girl springs forwards as if to attack - then freezes. Behind, one of Vega's hands glow, sickly purple and blue energy crawling along his fingers. The girl turns like a robot, and then returns to his side. His voice is gruff, phlemy, as if he'd taken some rather severe internal injurirues. "What.." He coughs, then straightens, choosing to speak mind-to-mind with Naerose, his 'mental' voice much the same as his real voice, just stronger, more imposing, and without the hint of injury.
<<I know you. You fight. If you've come here looking for a fight, I'd suggest turning around very quickly and leaving. I may be inclined to let you live.>>
"Huh?" Naerose asks in the clueless way someone might respond to having a voice speak into her head and at the same time being absolutely unable to comprehend the danger she's in, or who knows, maybe she CAN comprehend the danger she's in. If it's the latter, she must be really dedicated to her art. Somehow she stands her ground, but the trick wasn't at this point trying to fight anyone, on the contrary...
"I'm just here to conduct an interview. . You know? I mean this is a rare chance, anyone can talk to THAT guy, " Naerose flicks her fingers in the general direction of the arena past Vega,
"But you.. I dunno, I just figured this was a chance I couldn't pass up. If you have time for some words.."
Does he have time for some words? He's beaten, bruised, and there's a deadly ire rising in him. He's crushed people for less impertinence, had them destroyed and buried.. But still, there /is/ something.
"Fine. Ask your questions while we walk." he says, back to normal speaking, half-turning and walking past Naerose with the Doll's help. He isn't going to make it /easy/ on the witch with the questions, but he'll at least listen to them. "Ryu's a very formidable fighter. I'd always expected to fight him again."
She wasn't going to let this chance go. Naerose was already following him right away.
"Right.." Naerose says in the way of someone who clearly doesn' care about Ryu right now.
"I was wondering if you could tell me, in your own words. . . What is power?"
The point wasn't an interview exactly, it was to get answers. She knew that there was something not quite like the power most people used, but that while Frei could talk about the subtly of power.. Lord Vega could likely talk about the brutality.. She hoped anyway. Even though he used a different kind of power.
The question stops Vega short, the Doll almost losing her grip before she comes to rest, looking up at Vega with something resembling concern. The question seems to draw his full attention and focus, something that he'd only half-given to the questioning witch. A deep breath, and the Dictator's beaten face firms up, standing straight and adjusting the pauldrons that seal his cape to his back.
"Power is the ability to change what fate dictates for us." It's a simple answer, and one he would normally leave at, and walk away. The fight he'd just freed himself from was directly entertwined with the idea, and it keeps a hold of him, even still. "Power to spit at what fate dictates your role is, and the ability to divert yoruself from that path. /That/ is what power is."
"That makes sense, but what about physical power. What makes it possible for you to change the very world with your little finger while like most people totally can't pick their noses? Where does that kind of ability come from?" Naerose asks while writing down the first answer, scribbling it hastily and looking quite pleased. She was getting her answers well the first onee, but it was often a challenge to get anyone to talk to her at all. .So this was serious success already!
How many people had asked him these things? How many people had wondered about Vega's power, about where he found the strength to destroy with just a wish and a thought? He ponders this as Naerose writes, his fingers flickering with that energy. He laughs then, and holds out his hand, a ball of Psycho Power forming in it. He holds it there, an exercise in control for a moment, the dismisses it, speaking to the witch again.
"It's a fair question - and my only answer is drive. I've spent my life gaining power, to grow and expand my skills, by means that I do not care to discuss." There's a warning glance there, 'this way be dragons'. He dismisses the look afterwards, then adds as an afterthought. "The short answer - determination. Every victory I've ever won has been due to my willingness to give everything to a battle, be it physical, mental.. Those losses are times where I looked into the eye of the storm.. .and blanched. It does not happen often - and each time it does, I swear it is the last time."
"So would you say strength, true strength, goes to those who are willing and able to reach out and take it.. Determined to do so?" Naerose asks, but she doesn't let that question be the only one, it's a mere yes or no question when you get down to it.
"There could be those who try but fail, they did not try hard enough over long enough..? Is one born with the power to be strong, or does victory only come from one's fists?"
One thing is clear, Naerose is not looking for a primer in how you can be a fighter, or to be like Vega, but instead how he views the world, power, strength. It was probably an odd interview.
"Bah. Power is to be /taken/, girl. What you're born with is infentesimal to what can be learned. Dedication and devotion to the ideal is the only way to gather what a warrior needs." In Vega's case, that's true - he's given up more than most would understand, to the point of excising half of his soul in his quest for perfection. In the end, a calcualated risk. As they near the VTOL, he's walking without aid, the power of his body returning as he speaks. That aura of his slides around him, highlighting his body in purple and blue.
"The failures are those that flinch when they are told the true cost of power, girl. It's not just a fist that causes power. Leadership, command - those are power, too. The ability to say 'Do this' and have others leap to your bidding.. That's power in and of itself." And really Vega's very good at that one as well - the Doll project is a testament to that. He could oder the girl with him into a fire, and she would simply stand there and allow herself to die. /That/ is power - but one he sees no reason to test, not yet.
"I see, " Naerose answers and scribbles away on her pad, it's really getting crazy, the amount of writing she is doing on her pad and the things she is haering, asking, but then she goes on to ask,
"How is your power different from the power some of the others wield? Why is yours different? Is it better different or just different different?" Once again the how isn't important, she doesn't really care about the whole how. She doesn't WANT to become Vega, she loves herself already.
The difference between Psycho Power and that others wield.. Heh. He could talk about /that/ for a long time, as it ties into those things that he truly feels strongly about. Dismissing the Doll to the VTOL, to prepare it for launch, he looks towards Naerose, contemplating the best way to answer the question he's proffered.
"What I wield is from my body, my soul. It's not the same as those who draw from the world around them - what they borrow from the land and sea and sky. /My/ power comes from within, and is my strength." Wryly, he looks towards the Arena, towards the last fight he had. "In this case, my opponent is a better borrower than I am a lender to myself." His eyes narrow a bit, and the confidential almost /friendly/ tone chills a bit. "is there anything further, Or do you have what you were seeking?" A pause, and then he adds. "Or were you looking for more than just an interview? Were you seeking some .. personal answers?"
"Personal answers?" Naerose asks, looking kind of confused, because really that wasn't something she was expecting to get from Vega or anyone. Though she was kind of a simple girl, she wasn't looking for very much just now.
"I dunno.. about personal stuff. But I was wondering, if the method of power somoene seeks is somehow differently obtained or trained so to speak?" She tries to keep on the offensive with asking questions, because well, she was trying to GET answers.
The dolls are creepy, you can tell by the way Naerose tries not to look at them that she feels sort of that way.
"Hnn."
Looks like Vega doesn't have an effective answer for that question - he makes his way to the landing of the VTOL, and steps up onto it. Looking back over his shoulder, he shakes his head to the witch, then calls ouot mind to mind. After all, once the engines spin up, it'd be hard to hear normal speech.
<<Everyone finds their own path to power. It's a unique journey each person makes - and in he end, that motion makes us who we are. If you'll excuse me.>> Contact is cut off, and the Shadaloo lord enters the plane, while inside, it spins up for launch. someone has effectively started ending the interview.
Log created on 19:35:35 09/08/2008 by Vega, and last modified on 11:47:50 09/09/2008.