Description: Testament (1990). Passing from one job to another, opportunities don't always fall into your lap. When they do, the best reaction is to act as fast as possible. While Kaida tries to pick out what's left of her life from the rubble, Elle recognizes her as one of the people that stood against the invasion force and acts appropriately: by trying to take the girl's head off her shoulders. Sometimes the world is a bad place, and it only gets worse when people that don't value the lives of others get involved.
Southtown village is a wreck.
There's a lot more diplmatic ways of describing it, really, but the bottom line is that the place is a disaster zone. Ruined buildings line the streets, having suffered storms of shot, shell, chi and psi. It's an ugly sight, and in some places the smoke is still rising up from the debris. Whatever the case is, there's still some people here, picking through the wreckage, trying to put together what little bits oftheir shattered lives are left.
And that's really everyone. For once, rich, poor, healthy, sick, good, evil are all here, sorting through trash (or having people sort through trash for them). Further removed from that, however, are the few houses that managed to escape the notice of the war. Smack dab in the middle of the neighborhood, these few places are the strongholds of a few different sorts of people. Groups of squatters are in some. Several families live in these houses, taking their fair share of the meager rations that are available. But some have only a few people.
And that's who Elle's here for.
You see, a person told a friend that a pal with a buddy over down by the docks that Walter Kortschak, a man with interesting tastes, had gotten caught in Southtown during the war and had used his connections to keep him safe for the most part. It's not that old Walt was particularly bad overall. Everyone that deals with him says he's a pleasant enough person. Good manners, well spoken, and a refined gentleman of mostly Eastern European descent (and a Texas oil baron for a father, hence the name 'Walter'). The problem was that he had a real taste for underage prostitutes, then killing them and leaving them in a ditch somewhere.
A few people, who will remain nameless, managed to pool what resources they had in an effort to rectify this situation once and for all. In the relativel lawlessness of Southtown, it's easy for Elle to get around town. And while the dirty business of dealing with people is never simple as it seems, the fact of the matter is, nobody right now can really stop her from doing what she does.
Well, nobody has yet, anyway.
The details need not be gone into. The end result is that Elle emerges from the Kortschak squat, far from the backdrop of people putting their lives back together. In her hand? A plastic grocery sack. Her clothes are covered with dark splotches and bullet holes from where 9mm bullets penetrated the outer layer and hit kevlar. And a thin trail of red spots seem to be leaking from the grocery sack.
This is Elle. She kills people for a living. All of them. Even the innocent ones.
Have a nice day.
One of the people picking up the pieces of their shattered lives is Kaida, who is doing quite literally just that. She's standing where her family's apartment once stood sorting through rubble, looking for whatever might be left of her life amongst the torn rebar and shattered concrete. Several yards away from her is a small pile of items, from clothing to books to little knickknacks that somehow survived the collapse and ensuing fire.
She tosses over a large hunk of concrete and checks beneath where it once sat, standing up and wiping the glossiness from her forehead. Her face holds an expression of mild annoyance as she goes about her work, and after a while she finds as good a seat as she can and sits quietly, eyes facing the pile though unfocused, the young woman focusing within herself.
Motion enters her field of vision, different from what had been there before, and her head turns. She looks at Elle as she walks, making out more and more detail as the professional killer comes closer. Making out the bullet holes, blood, and dripping bag she now has a look of curiosity as well as that mildly annoyed expression. A shocking visage, but with the events of the last several months she's almost become completely jaded to such sights.
Jaded or not, the fact that someone's leaving a house with body parts in a bag is certain to raise some kind of fuss. It almost makes a person wonder why Elle would do something like this in broad daylight. Why, of all things, would someone that's made out to be a professional stomp around in public like this?
It's like someone's trying to make an example. That this sort of thing is 'not acceptable' in this town anymore. That vile debauchery will have to go someplace else. After all, it's not like 'ol Walt made any kind of effort to really hide his presence after he moved in. In some eyes, this is justifiable homicide, sullied only by the fact that it wasn't a mob, but a person that does this sort of thing for a living indicriminately managed to hand down justice on a plate.
But that's a double edged sword. After all, Elle takes contracts of all kinds. The fact that Walter was here is just happy circumstance. As Elle turns her head, a recognizeable face catches her eye. She makes an abrupt turn, focusing in one of the people digging through trash.
The green haired girl is sort of a stretch, but when it comes down to it, contracts were also put out on all the rebels. Anyone that put up any resistance at all? Well, they're fair game at a cheap few thousand a head. Surveillance tapes and reports are all funneled through normal channels, and thank god for weird hair, because all these people end up looking alike after a while.
As jaded as Kaida is, it allows Elle to walk to her truck, check her computer dossier, learned the price on the target's head, check her clips and weapons store, do a quick calculation, shrug, and decide why not. After all, she's here, and no other fighters seem around in the area. A general bounty on 'any resistance fighters' seems sort of dumb, but Shadaloo has never been particularly specific. She almost sighs, turns, and starts to make a beeline towards Kaida, clipping something into her holster.
"Kaida, right?" That's all she gets. If Kaida looks up, or does anything else but shoot first like Greedo in the remastered version, she's going to have a definite assault on her hands.
Done with her small break, Kaida stands back up and starts sorting through the rubble once more, picking up small hand-sized chunks and tossing them aside, digging ever downward, searching only for things her family used to own, things that might have some sentimental value. As Elle is looking over the database in her truck the green haired (ex?) Taiyo student picks pulls something free, a black and white stuffed toy cat, now torn and leaking its fluffy entrails. She looks at it for about ten seconds before sticking her finger through the hole to push the stuffing back in and tosses it over to the pile, where it lands near the base.
While she's picking through more of the debris she's rapidly approached. Soon enough Elle is there, asking her question. "Yeah." She starts to straighten up and turn around. "What do you want?" The question is stated with a neutral tone, though it may not end up mattering.
Matter? Not at all. Kaida's worth something to her in some state other than what she is now. The question is now whether or not Kaida can do anything about the decision that was made without her consent. She pauses, looking the kid up and down for a second, and shakes her head. What a waste. Still, there's no sense not being serious about this sort of thing. Every little girl Elle's ever met has been nothing less than some kind of skirt-wearing merchant of death.
As a result, there's no fanfare. Experience has taught Elle that the more time you spend flapping your gums, the higher your chance of getting slaughtered in combat. The only thing she does manage is another shake of her head. It's not a regret, so much as a grim acknowledgement of what a person has to do to make a living nowadays.
She flicks her hand, the sound of steel on steel filling the air as what looks like a baling hook appears in her hand. It's a cruel, barbed, ugly weapon that crackles and pops with electricity. The smell of blood evaporating from metal merging into ozone is pretty unpleasant. Then, without any further warning, the woman brings the hook down to grab ahold of Kaida, digging it in and hurling the girl to the ground.
Hopefully this will be quick and painless. She may be a killer, but she's not a sadist.
COMBATSYS: Elle has started a fight here.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kaida has joined the fight here.
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Elle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kaida
COMBATSYS: Kaida fails to interrupt Medium Throw from Elle with Unstoppable Blow - Crescent Slash.
- Power fail! -
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Elle 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Kaida
There's no verbal response to her question. Instead there's only the sound of steel- a sound Kaida knows all too well. Perhaps if Elle had made some kind of comment it wouldn't have caused such an extreme reaction from the girl, but she's also become jaded to a state of constant warfare, to the idea that anywhere, anytime, you can be attacked.
Her senses immediately go into overdrive as she hears the sound of metal. The sound of electricity confirms some kind of ill intent, but what really seals the deal is the sound of something swishing through the air. That, too, is all too familiar to her. If only she had reacted upon hearing the first sound rather than that final one, she might have stood a chance. Her hand, when she does begin to move, drops to one of the wooden swords on her hilt, her body twisting around as she lashes out amidst unsheathing it, a white flare of energy erupting around the bokken as she tries to meet steel with wood and bat the weapon away- along with the woman who wields it.
If only she had struck a moment sooner. Rather than the wood smashing into Elle and her weapon, her twist adds momentum as the hook impales her, digging through flesh and grating against bone, her body whiplashing as she's slammed into the ground, a choked sound gasping out of her from the power of the impact. But a moment later it's clear the strike wasn't enough to end the girl instantly as a horrified shriek leaves her mouth, Kaida unable to free herself from the hook because of the wicked barb.
Screaming. Definitely not how Elle wanted to end the day. It'd be stupid of her to complain about it, though. It's not like Elle can really say what she does is savory. It'd be like a professional valet complaining about all those damned cars that he has to park as part of his job. Still, there's no real response, just a grim, solid determination that comes with the unfortunate soul destroying profession that she's found herself in.
Assassin, mercenary, killer for hire. All words for a profession that really doesn't even deserve a name. If Elle had her way, it wouldn't even be called anything. It'd just be the 'job'.
Small solace for Kaida, perhaps, whose struggles against the hook make the work messier and less comfortable. Normal people just die. Fighters? Fighters seem to have a hard time doing that. And there's just no way that Elle enjoys the work. She's not a sadist, taking no joy or pleasure from the suffering of others. It's just dirty, nasty, and brutal. As such, she tries to make the task short.
She almost feels bad as the .45 caliber weapon is drawn, aimed at the girl as she lay prone on the ground. Almost. What little feeling in her heart has long since died down to a pathetic whisper of what it used to be for quite some time. Tran's words almost float into her head, banging at the solid door of her subconcious. But that door is welded shut now. Mercy is bought and sold, and the gun is aimed carefully.
The booming reports announce the gunshots as the people staring start to scream, running from the horrible sight. The saving grace for Kaida is that the bullets aren't physical, evaporating the hard shell casings as the leave the muzzle of the weapon. Blasts of electrical chi rain down on the girl, trying to pummel her into submissing and burn her to a crisp at the same time.
COMBATSYS: Kaida blocks Elle's Electric Eye.
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Elle 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Kaida
Though she can't free herself there's no lack of struggle from Kaida. The surprise wears off and the endorphins start to kick in, dulling the pain as t he weapon rides around in the wound it makes, struggling to pick herself up off the ground, trying even to use Elle's own arm to drag herself back up.
The situation changes quickly as Elle pulls out the gun, a recognition and great annoyance showing in her blue eyes. If she was on her feet, and with some distance she could deal with that- easily even. But down on the ground, with limited movement and a hook sticking in her? It's more of a challenge. And right now she wants survival, not a fresh new set of hurdles to overcome. As the gun begins to fire she abandons trying to escape and simply covers up as best she can, pulling out her second sword to get what little extra coverage she can out of it, trying to put it between her and the bullets. No 'bullets' come, however, and instead it's pure energy that rains down on her.
She is shocked, body jerking with each electrical impact, but the hard, devastating blows that should come don't seem to appear. Instead she actually seems able to recover some, getting up the presence of mind to fight back despite the hail of electrical bullets, swords swinging one after the other in fast swipes for the hand that holds the gun, trying to either knock it out of Elle's hand or divert the aim enough so she's forced to stop.
COMBATSYS: Elle blocks Kaida's Weapon Jab.
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Elle 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Kaida
Admittedly, this was not the response Elle was expecting. Normally, the woman gets a lot of screaming about justice or something... it's a little odd that she's not getting it. Not enough to unnerve her or tax her resolve, granted, but the definite lack of heavy response is bewildering. The weapon smacks her on the wrist, barely enough to even waver her hand. It's perplexing to say the least, and she almost raises an eyebrow.
But then again, Elle's not given to allowing anyone a chance if she can help it. She's suffered her own set of humilating defeats at the hands of more unconventional opponents. For all she knows, the girl is trying to set her up for something particularly unpleasant... and Elle's paranoia knows very little bounds. The saving grace is that she does a good job in not letting it show.
If anyone knew how paranoid Elle lived her life, it would probably be one of the most headache inducing things ever.
She steps back, though, not willing to tread the line in getting too close. And the fact that Kaida seemed dead set in using that weapon as some kind of counterattack hasn't escaped Elle, either. Allowing some distance to open up, she raises a hand and thrusts it at Kaida's face.
The result? A high pitched sonic screech. The concentrated burst of decibles isn't some kind of shockwave, but a thing, loud keening sound, meant to tear into eardrums and cause debilitating damage. Normally used for crowd control of a good attack that usually circumnavigates defenses because of the speed and unusual nature of the assault, Elle seeks to rob Kaida of the few abilities Elle knows she has.
COMBATSYS: Elle successfully hits Kaida with Wrathchild.
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Elle 0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1 Kaida
At the moment Kaida doesn't feel any kind of strong emotion other than the inborn fear of death and t he need for survival. She is, at the moment, under attack. Words, though used only ones, proved utterly worthless. Elle has chosen to speak with her actions rather than her words, and so the teenager feels she can do little more than meet the stiff, silent resolve with some of her own.
Even if the hit on the wrist does little to harm the fighter it does at least get her to back off some, allowing Kaida the opportunity to stand back up, which she does immediately. Now she begins sizing her opponent up, finally looking for ways to anticipate what is to come rather than simply reacting to a sudden assault. She feels a buildup of chi, and immediately begins to move, dodging right and trying to circumvent some blast of energy or another, only to get completely blindsided by an assault of pure noise, her eyes widening and then clenching as she yells again, a sound that will never be heard over the din Elle had created.
Feeling herself more and more disadvantaged she begins to get desperate. Hearing only ringing in her ears and having her movement hampered by a hook embedded in her, there's only so much she can do. Seeking some way to re-balance the odds more in her favor she momentarily stows a bokken and puts her hand on the handle of the hook, tears streaming down her eyes as she gives a yank on it, blood pouring from the wound as the barb rends flesh anew. But the weapon comes out. Showing a bit of anger, Kaida looks at it, covered in her blood as it is, and then turns her eyes to Elle, pulling her arm back and then winging it forward with all the strength her arm can muster, hoping the speed and rotation will stick it in her attacker as deeply as it had in her. Payback's a bitch.
COMBATSYS: Elle blocks Kaida's Thrown Weapon.
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Elle 0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1 Kaida
Her own hook tossed back at her? The girl's got spirit. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be doing a whole lot today. Her hand snaps down, battering the hook to the ground before she stoops to pick it back up again as it slides easily into her sleeve.
Elle does respect it, though. She has more than a healthy understanding of how the power of the heart can sometimes overpower cold, decisive logic and the most careful plans. She beleives that the spirits of others can overcome the most difficult obstacles. But then again, when it comes down to it, you usually need more than one person to do it.
It's the power of friendship. One person alone can't manage it... and when someone is alone, they're vulnerable. It's the vicious circle Elle's observed over and over again. Very few people that are pure of heart can stand alone.
But that's very metaphysical, and Elle'd be lying if she said she cared about it past the academic and tactical aspects. As strange as it sounds, she's managed to put some quantity on all of that. It's just unfortunate that none of that is there, right now, to help Kaida. So what to say? 'Stop struggling?' No. Elle doesn't beleive in that. 'Give up?' For what? Elle means to kill her. No, Elle shows no anger, no contempt. If there's anything, Elle understands the desperation in the girl's eyes, the fear.
There's no sympathy, just cold, unpleasant understanding... for whatever good it does.
A katar snaps from her left hand, the vicious looking weapon's blades humming to life as Elle charges the weapon with electrical chi. The energy pulses through the thing like a living being as the mercenary closes in. Her mouth is set into a grim line, her eyes narrowed slightly in full concentration. And she swings, the single blade suddenly splaying into three just microseconds before impact as Elle seeks to ram the attack clean into Kaida's chest, straight through any defenses the girl may raise.
COMBATSYS: Kaida blocks Elle's Power Strike.
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Elle 0/-------/----===|=======\=======\1 Kaida
That didn't work, but at least it wasn't a completely wasted effort. Elle does have her weapon back, but at least it's no longer protruding from Kaida herself. She's too hurt to frown from the failure, her mind moving on to what she can attempt next. It isn't like she's going to immediately be given a chance to do that though, because Elle isn't stupid enough to give her the chance to get a moment to gather her wits up or even give her more than a second to think.
Her weapons lift when the katar is produced, and she takes a step backwards to further advantage her longer swords, offsetting the advance as best she can. One sword raised to parry the opening of the blade seems to be much to her advantage, one of the prongs catching on the wooden sword and allowing her to push back against it, to the point that it only just manages to reach her, scratching a pair of lines into her skin while the electricity running over the blade assaults her.
She shoves back immediately after, going from a retreat to an advance in no time at all, trying to keep her sword caught on the katar so it's rendered useless. Her other bokken is quickly swung, rising up before being brought down heavily towards Elle head. Should the weapon hit anything it's arrival results in an immediate explosion, brilliant white chi detonating on the point of impact, and hit or miss her first sword pulls back from the katar, if possible, and is swung towards Elle's side, trying to take advantage of any recoil her attacker might have from either dealing with the first blow or getting hit by it, yet another explosion ringing out. Another pair of these one-two assaults follows before both swords are brought back at once, Kaida twisting her body to put her full strength behind the double swing, a truly massive explosion occurring should these hit- plenty strong enough to send an object of Elle's mass flying away under nominal conditions.
COMBATSYS: Kaida successfully hits Elle with Fury Blades.
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Elle 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kaida
And Kaida gets a clean hit. This is a mixed blessing. On one hand, Elle doesn't feel like she's going to be collecing a bounty of a truly worthless head. On the other hand, now she's proven that she's got some power to her, and as such, Elle's now given to take what she's dealt with careful consideration. Each explosion crashes into her body with precision, the chi blasting her about, left, right, and center. A single explosion sends her flying back.
She crashes against the wreckage covering the village, tumbling and smashing into exposed rebar, concrete, parked cars. That alone is enough to knock the wind out of most fighters and brutally kill most people. Sadly, Elle's made of considerably sterner stuff. It's unfortunate for Kaida, because Elle's on her feet again, heedless of the blood pouring from a cut on her forehead, and her hands snap downward as two wicked, hook-like weapons come sliding forth from her sleeves.
The hook blades are really little more than scythes, and the hum with an unfortunate sound as Elle runs sonic chi, making the cutting edges that much worse as she lurches forward, the uneveness in her step disappearing with each foot forward. Soon, she's at a dead run, her weapons whirling about. Once she closes in, she'll sweep in low with the weapons, attempting to snag the girl with the cutting edges under her arms. With a vicious heave, she'll try to rend the girl's limbs nearly from their sockets as she tries to hurl her to the ground in a vicious, brutal attack.
COMBATSYS: Elle successfully hits Kaida with Chase the Ace.
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Elle 0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Kaida
Kaida takes a moment to breathe after Elle is knocked away, fingers loosening and retightening on the 'hilts' of her wooden swords. She's positive that even an attack like that won't be the end of her, or this seemingly random assault. If it would she wouldn't have had nearly as much trouble as she has in the first place. Furthermore, the stern, stoic personality that she's seen is more than enough to convince the swordfighter that she's coming back for more.
So she's ready when Elle breaks into a run and charges her, wielding the pair of hooked, wickedly vibrating blades. Being ready, unfortunately, is only half the battle. As her attacker (assassin?) draws near she tries to duck and weave between the weapons, unable to simply escape, and finds herself utterly outmatched. The blades hack into her, her shoulders jerked terribly hard as she's carved up yet more, fresh blood quickly coating these new weapons before she's slammed into the ground once more.
This time it doesn't take her as long to get up, however. It isn't that it hurts any less, if anything she can hardly think for the pain screaming at her mind, but rather it's the desperation of the circumstances. This is going bad, fast, and though she doesn't know Elle's exact intent she wants nothing to do with whatever they may be. And so she rolls away from the woman, grinding grit into her fresh wounds, and stumbles back up to her feet in a less than graceful motion.
It is time to pull out the big guns, she knows. There is no mucking around in a situation like this- her only hope is to try and overpower Elle, because the war of attrition has already been fought and won. Rather than charging this means holding her arms out to her sides and then pulling her swords up above her head, curved weapons pointing straight into the air. They slash down immediately after, a huge blast of chi emitting forward, flaring out of the weapons and rushing at high speed towards Elle. Rather than the normal annunciation she simply lets out a wordless shout- it's not like she could hear it anyway, with how badly her ears are still ringing.
COMBATSYS: Kaida successfully hits Elle with Ultimate Moonlit Sword.
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Elle 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Kaida
Assassin, murderer for hire, mercenary, hired gun, contract killer, 'bounty hunter' in some parlances, does really /matter/ what you call her? Elle doesn't think so. Words are labels. They're around because they make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside about what things are. They're assuring things, at the very least.
But actions are what get things done. Actions are what sets things into motion.. As much as some fear words, it's what comes after that really causes damage. And unfortunately, if you're short on action, there's very little left for you.
In all conventional dramatic wisdom, that final assault should have been enough. It should have been the final act that took Elle down. The explosive blast of energy should have been the punctuation on a hero's assault. Good over evil. Law over chaos. Spirit over soul crushing void. All those things should have been the final outcome of the shining burst of chi as they smash into Elle without so much as a noise from the woman.
Does she feel pain? Certainly. The blast tears through her body like a full-torso root canal that lasts all day. But the problem is that Elle was ready for the assault. While she doesn't quite march right through it as she planned, the damage done is... well. For what it was supposed to do, it's nearly negligable. She's blown back, but recovers in a crouch. A deep breath, and the woman looks up, smoke still pouring off her body.
The sickles disappear. In it's place, a mace. A flick of the wrist, and it becomes a flail. The weapon's clawed head clatters to the ground, and Elle stands up, whirling the device around with the look of someone who's practiced how to use the infernal thing way too long. The chain crackles with energy as she draws a bead on Kaida, and lets fly. If it connects, it's going to hurt like hell.
COMBATSYS: Kaida fails to reflect Black Sabbath from Elle with Stoic Refusal - Spiral Blade.
- Power fail! -
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Elle 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Kaida
COMBATSYS: Kaida can no longer fight.
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Elle 0/-------/------=|
The clawed head of the flail arcs towards Kaida, the barbed prongs slamming down into the girl like some sort of evil parasitic insect, gripping into flesh. But the impact isn't the half of the problem. The problem is that it sends a horrible sonic shock throught it's target. A torrent of energy is run through the chain, Elle's impassive face watching as the attack charges to a crescendo.
Then with the snap of a wrist, Kaida is sent flying into the air. The long, graceful arc would almost look beautiful... if not for the fact that Elle calmly deploys her pistol from her sleeve holster.
She takes aim carefully, drawing a bead on the floating body, and fires. Round after round of booming sonic chi-bullets fill the air. Not as horrific as her electrical energy, but each burst of sonic power hits like a baseball bat before Elle lets Kaida smash into the ground below, withdrawing her weaponry with a quick motion.
It's a grim business, and Elle looks no happier for having done the task as she approaches, a sharp spike emerging from her wrist gauntlet as she intends on finishing the job.
The explosive blast of energy smashes through Elle, but even a second later Kaida can tell that it didn't have the intended affect. She's not going to give up, and it didn't even buy her enough time to try to run. No, instead she's got a spiked mace coming her way. Perhaps the problem with attempting to have 'good' triumph over 'evil' is that the good one tends to need to be extremely pure of heart, or at least of intention. There's little of that, in Kaida.
She holds no ambitions to right the wrongs of others. She doesn't feel any particular need to defend those who can't defend themselves, save perhaps if it happens right in front of her face. As was with the attack on the city she is, merely, a victim of her circumstances. She fights Elle now simply because that is the only option she has. There's no nobility in the cause of saving one's own skin.
There is some glimmer of hope for her when the mace is thrown. She's had such things happen before, and knows exactly how to deal with it. She lowers the tip of one of her swords and spins about, intending to smack it directly into the weapon and send it flying straight back at Elle, a rebuke for the attempt. Instead something happens that she could never have expected. So great is the force of that energy endowed mace that as she strikes it with her bokken the wood simply gives way, a sharp crack echoing through the air as the weapon breaks in two.
At that point it's all over. The barbs on the weapon dig into her and she's thrown skyward, not even given the dignity of smashing into the ground before huge volleys of sonic energy are shot into her, rocking her this way and that before she finally crashes back to solid earth. For several very long moments her vision swims, and all she knows is pain, her body screaming out to try and get it's owner to do something about all the damage it's accrued, blood still leaking from many wounds inflicted.
From Kaida there is only one thing left to attempt, as futile as it might be. She rolls onto her stomach, an endeavor not easily accomplished, and attempts to crawl away. A pathetic sight.
There are some people that Yurika Kirishima keeps her eye on. Some admittadly closer than others, and while Kaida isn't quite on the top of said list, she most certainly is there. But it would only be by sheer chance that the well-dressed schoolgirl would happen upon the battle between the successor(?) of the Crescent Twin Moons Style and the mercenary she herself had been working with not long ago at this exact moment in time..
She did need to speak with Elle and as the merc has proven to be annoyingly difficult to trace, resorted to slightly more unecessary measures with the help of her more scientific schoolgirl reasources. But due to Kaida's relationship to one of her own associates, it looks like the meeting would have to wait- Very annoying considering the trouble she had to go through to actually have time for this goose chase, but at least she did actually need Kaida as well.
The entrance is rather 'cliche', really, yet in a way fitting for the musician as there is the light sound that rings, vibrates in the air, like a spoon tapping a glass half-full of water. And then a twin-pronged tuning fork rips through the air and embeds itself into the ground right in front of Elle's feet. "Excuse me," Yurika murmurs from the side, stepping into full view with an extended palm and a concerned frown. "I understand this is none of my business but.. I do need this one."
Boots stop short, and a head turns to look at Yurika. Cold, dead eyes, unnerving even through sunglasses stare at Yurika. The words hit her ears what seems like a second later. 'None of her business' and 'I do need this one.' Short. Clear. Simple statements, with intent made in the open without giving away too much. The weapon from Elle's gauntlet slides back into her wrist, and she tilts her head.
Yurika was learning.
But what do you answer that with? A complaint? A protest of some kind? A professonal judges the weight of her work on a per-event basis. After all, Kaida was a 'open season' contract. There's a price on the head of anyone that 'helped' the resistance... but that doesn't mean Elle has to collect all the time. Not when there's better opportunities available. And Yurika's goodwill?
Yurika doesn't even know how valuable that commodity is.
The response, however, is immediate. "7k, Euros. She walks and I never saw her," Elle replies, as simple as that. That's how much Kaida is worth to her. It's sort of a brutal way to find out, really, but there you have it. The mercenary then steps on the tuning fork. "Nine points for content. You lost the point on execution, though." A joke? Maybe a little. But Elle knows Yurika will never lose that dramatic streak.
That's okay, though. Everyone needs a little quirk.
To someone overcome with pain, about to pass out from blood loss, and unable to hear due to an impressively powerful sonic attack on their ears everything that happens between Yurika and Elle goes completely unnoticed. There is no looking back for Kaida, she simply continues to crawl away, not even directly away from Elle, but simply down the road. If further harm doesn't seem to come quickly her mind doesn't even bother to question it- seconds can stretch like an infinity when you're in the state she's in.
Her attention briefly draws away from Elle, very very brief mind you, while Elle does appear to be out of her 'murder death kill' phase for the moment, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect for butting in on business. She shouldn't be too surprised that the price would be money. And the price actually makes the musician wince, ".. I.. See. I cannot pay for that up front, I'd need at least an hour."
"I don't think that's too much to ask.. Given the circumstances.. Perhaps?"
Yurika's never paid for a life before, to get smacked in the face with a big bill is one thing but.. Wow. She can't hide that stunned look on her features, enough to completely stop any sort of reponse to the final comment, but it would seem she realizes the expression she's giving and it softens to something more neutral. The musician raising a hand to her chin, "Well, perhaps 45 minutes."
COMBATSYS: Elle has ended the fight here.
Well, thus far Yurika has been good on her word. There's no issue for Elle to extend some credit to the musician for the time being. Forty five minutes is hardly long to wait, especially given the fact that Elle knows where Yurika lives. The mercenary gives a nod. Alright. That sounds acceptable.
"I'll pick up payment later," Elle indicates, looking over at Kaida. "You'd better get her before she crawls into traffic." That's really all there is to say about that. The girl's a mess, and while she got some licks in, Elle's really hardly the worse for wear for it. Nothing some rest wouldn't cure up. The trick will really be finding a moment /to/ rest. Elle rarely does, and tends to run on all cylinders all the time.
Yurika only manages to get any attention at all from Elle in the middle of a job because of the fact that she's kept her side of the bargain. That's whay buys her attention and that's what keeps Elle agreeable. And that's how it should be, really. Respect is a commodity that, once earned, can be traded and redeemed.
it only goes so far, though, so watch how it's spent.
With that, she heads over to the truck that brought her here. "I don't think she'll bleed out anytime soon. But you need to get her to a hospital. I wasn't fighting to incapacitate," she says calmly as she sits in the driver's seat. She turns the key. If there's no further business, Elle will be off. As far as she's concerned, that's that.
Log created on 23:55:07 06/20/2009 by Elle, and last modified on 05:58:33 06/21/2009.