Description: Combining the filming of a scene with an SNF is a brilliant idea--can Fei-Long match that brilliance in his performance against a pair of femme fatales? (Winner: Fei-Long)
It's good to be back to normality. Jinchuu was, well, a disaster for Kurenai Takayanagi--not at all the 'coming out' on the world stage that she had envisioned for herself. A definite setback. But setbacks can be moved past--must be moved past. And it's good to go into a fight that isn't a fight for her life, dodging guards, dealing with ninkou and ninjas and all that crap.
It's also good to be wearing her normal clothing--ninja stuff can be comfortable, but it's so -bland-, and besides, who wants to be all covered up? So she jumped at the chance to get into SNF this week--no midterms, huzzah, not that she ever studies (or needs to study). Being sent off to Hong Kong to fight a famous actor, that's an -awesome- fun idea! But... a back alley, huh? Well, why not? Hong Kong is famous for its infrastructure. She'd landed a day ago, scouting the place... and deliberately choosing to approach from a bit far out--maybe half a mile--so she can see the sights. Hell, HKers probably see Japanese schoolgirls all the time, pink puffball hair or no, but they don't usually see 'em carrying a yardstick slung across their back. There's some minor trouble, but it probably won't result in an incident, as Kurenai strolls up to the alleyway, brushing past some organizers.
"'scuse! Pretty blease, fighter comin' through." She's stopped a few paces in, and flashes her school ID, complete with Seijyun crest; the organizer looks at it, and nods, then gestures. "Go on in. They'll all be here shortly," he says, with a confidence that is privy only to those who don't know any better. The pink-haired ninja shrugs and nods. "'kay," she replies, and she is in the alleyway--walking around, looking, touching things. "Man, looks just like the set of Big Trouble Fist Connection 4..."
Tonight's fight is a co-coordinated ad campaign conceived for the American release of the 3rd season of the hit series 'The Crimson Dragonfly.'. While not the eponymous red-garbed vigilante, Fei Long appears as his martial arts weaponmaster partner, Kano. So it is that it's 'Kano' that shows up for this party, in wide, black domino mask, equally black longcoat, with a sort of modernized kung-fu garb beneath it, baggy yet somehow sleek at the same time.
How he shows up, is... he drops from a rooftop at the mouth of the alley, landing atop a car bordering the makeshift battlefield. Presumably, it's the 'villains' car, because as he lands... he more or less shatters it, taking a knee as it were in the center of the roof, as auto glass shatters and erupts in all directions, skittering onto the roadside. "You'll never get away with it. Your backup will come too late. I have found you now!" A deceptively quiet voice, for how intense and threatening the words and tone are. The masked avenger extends a pair of black-finished nunchaku at Kurenai, and narrows his eyes.
When Farah Tenjou first came to Southtown, fighting was, well... on its way out, or at the very least, in a decided slump. This isn't to say she didn't meet some fighters there who gave her some very worthwhile battles indeed, though there was one -- SIN's 'spider', Juri -- who gave her battles she'd rather forget. Still, the young Egyptian was overjoyed to hear of the return of Saturday Night Fights, and threw her hat in the proverbial ring as soon as was feasible. Sadly, this meant waiting a few weeks for exams, this being her very first semester of college. After all was said and done, however, she was on her way to experiencing her first major, televised, big ticket battle.
Finding out it was against the famous Fei Long didn't hurt; with the Soul Star having drawn much of her inspiration from Alma Towazu, Farah had natural respect for the master of the style that he chooses to use, even if Farah herself has chosen a different martial path.
She is the last to arrive, stepping onto the stage after Fei's 'performance' has begun. As she walks, a long, cobalt-blue ribbon is being tied onto her wrist in a bow, the long tails of it trailing out behind her erratically with the speed of her movement. She smiles faintly as she arrives, glancing up at Kurenai, then at Fei Long, taking a deep breath. Cast as the villain? That sticks in her craw a little bit, but Farah is fine with that if it means facing down this skilled fighter. ~ There's that brightness... just like El Fuerte. Is it like that for all performers...? ~
"Right, then," she says, turning to Fei Long. "One way or another... limits will be tested today."
COMBATSYS: Feilong has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Feilong 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Farah has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Feilong 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Farah
COMBATSYS: Kurenai has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Feilong 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-------|
Being cast as the villain is fine with Kurenai. It's not that she -thinks- of herself as a villain. Who does? That's weird, outmoded thinking. But she's the kind of girl who does what needs to be done, and does it with a smile. It's a trait that's served her well, so far. She glances at Fei Long, at his dressup and his proclamation... and instantly she falls into role, as if she hadn't been going around the alleyway like a curious cat.
"I think not... besides, you will do fine as a test... before I kill your master..." She theatrically 'looks past him', though she knows that Farah's already there, and shoots the other girl a wink, before she snaps an order to offscreen 'minions'. "Get the shipment out of here. Kano here..." She draws her weapon, her smile still sunny, but frigidly so, like the sunlight beating down from the coldest Russian sky, "... will not be able to stop you. And his master is not going to be here in time."
She hops up onto a stack of crates, pointing grandiosely with her yardstick, at Fei Long. "Prepare yourself, Kano, for the eternal pain which awaits you!" Yeah, being able to fall into a role is also a very handy trick... But she doesn't -attack-. No, instead her eyes narrow, and she shouts, hoping Farah can improv too, "Silk Ribbon, make sure he does not escape!" She's going to attack... in just a moment, really.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai calculates her next move.
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Feilong 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-------|
"This test..." Fei Long concedes of the challenge ahead of him, "Will prove your undoing." The nunchuks whip through air, audibly cutting this way and that with blurring speed as he advances swiftly on Kurenai. Only the subtle glance to one side indicates he's at all aware of Farah's approach as he advances on her partner. The lean, but heavily muscular fighter all but explodes into motion, whipping his left fist from its place at its sides to a striking posture in less than a fifth of a second.
Tightened fist explodes in for Kurenai's midsection, followed by a double-stroke with the weapon, hardwood whipping for the other side of his opponent's ribs, before being drawn back in a swift strike for her skull. "Haaa--Yaaaah!" comes the pronounced, shameless kiai. "If you will not see reason, then I must stop you here!"
You're in luck!
She's a theatre student.
'Silk Ribbon' tries her damndest to glower coldly at Fei Long, adopting a high stance, trying to draw herself up to her full height and making the best use of her dusky skin tone and stark black hair. Compared to Kurenai's wild, bold look, the Egyptian is a comparatively dark, sleek, assassin-like figure. Throwing an arm out to the side, parallel to the ground, she speaks to 'Kano' in tones of officious imperiousness. "A shame that your talents are so wasted on pointless, white-hat gestures of futility such as these, Kano. How much wealth would those fists have earned you fighting for yourself, rather than some misguided notion of justice?"
~ This isn't hard... just imagine what someone might say to you, ~ the herself-a-do-gooder Farah says to herself, her gaze momentarily flickering back to Kurenai before settling on Fei Long again.
He dashes in, attacking, and the pink-haired girl stands her ground... it would seem that it falls to Farah to make the first move on their side of the field, and so she does, ducking forward to meet Fei Long's charge and snap a hand onto his wrist, redirecting his momentum into the floor in the effortless-seeming Bagua fashion. "You may ponder those regrets in the afterlife!"
COMBATSYS: Kurenai blocks Feilong's Rekkaken.
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Feilong 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-------|
Quickly, Kurenai moves--interposing her weapon at the last possible moment, deflecting each strike. Still, some of it gets through--and Fei Long, for all his wiry build, is still a strong man. Only a wince betrays the pain she still felt from the impacts--a wince quickly schooled by the young ninja. "An impressive opening gambit, my friend, but a failed one!" she cries, in that overblown Hong Kong fashion; still, she seeks to distance herself from the famous martial artist, taking a twirling step back, graceful...
...and dangerous, because as she steps, she's whirling her weapon around, low to the ground, seeking to sweep Feilong's legs from underneath him with a wooden blade suddenly glowing with pink chi energy, using a cut aimed diagonally low--the same kind of strike naginataka used to reap the legs of warhorses, in a time long ago...
COMBATSYS: Feilong just-defends Kurenai's Medium Strike!
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Feilong 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Feilong dodges Farah's Quick Throw.
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Feilong 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-------|
"Oh, I don't know..." Kano retorts, a slight, wry sort of smirk on his mouth. Just as quick as his fists came out, nunchaku and his vulnerable, leading left are drawn back in, and Fei Long steps swiftly away from the do-gooder acting badder's grapple. Kurenai's strike comes in, and sweeps for his legs... and the film star deftly half-hops, half-steps over the stroke, one kung-fu sandal kicking off the back of the weapon and deflecting it - energy and all - towards the rather un-giving street. The sheer force with which both kinetic and energetic momentum are displaced speaks, to the wary onlooker, of just what kind of internal chi control this masked actor possesses after all.
As he turns to face Farah, the man in the mask smiles, once, dangerously, as he finishes his earlier thought, "I rather enjoy my job." With that, he launches into the air without so much as a visible step forward, inverting in a frontflip, and coming around with all the more momentum as a kick descends, angled for the side of Kurenai's head. A sudden, second rotation roundhouses his other leg in to axe for her collarbone before pushing off - ideally - for a landing of his own. A gentler landing is what he's seeking, mind you.
COMBATSYS: Feilong successfully hits Kurenai with Chokka Rakutei.
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Feilong 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-------|
He's fast... and skilled, as expected. Farah has to fight to not let it show on her face that she is impressed with her opponent's fighting ability, considering that it would be massively breaking character. Still, both he and Kurenai bubble with a sort of irrepressible energy that the Soul Power-using fighter feels too, echoing those around her empathically to some extent. But part of staying in the style is not to let it show, to keep the calm and composed, icy demeanor that has (in her mind) become part of 'Silk Ribbon', as named by Kurenai. Her hand snaps back, the ribbon tails twirling behind her, and Farah spins into position.
She doesn't stop her assault, though; her own personal style owes much to dancing, the continual looping movements and circles that keep momentum up and let a fighter flow through combat... a foundation of both Baguazhang and Kung Fu that gives the fighting style of both herself and Fei Long a sort of distant shared ancestry. However, Farah does not charge ahead; instead she draws her hand back, a shimmering sphere of twilight blue Soul Power coalescing in her hand as she keeps her eye on 'Kano'. "Then perhaps ignorance truly is bliss!" she fires back, before stepping forward and making a sweep of the arm, the sphere of psychic energy flowing down the snapping tails of her ribbon and then through the air, streaking across the distance toward Fei Long even as he assaults Kurenai.
Impressed, yes. Impressed collarbone, moreso. Kurenai isn't shy about her cry of pain, as she takes those kicks; she stumbles back, her free left hand halfway risen to the impacted point, before she forces it down. "As always, you are... skilled, Kano. It's too bad you couldn't be convinced to work for the Iron Dragon..." Really getting into the role, it seems, as she raises her 'blade' to shoulder eight, ignoring the protest of her collar, aiming the blade like an arrow for Feilong.
"Your master's brother -does- appreciate skill and flair, after all..." Okay, so she's probably watched her fair share of Feilong's movies, and she has a regular diet of manga and anime and the like, too--making this dialogue up is -easy-. Landing a blow on Mr. Fei Long? That, she knows, is going to be much harder to do. But she expected it.
Suddenly, she kiais--and she's charging at Fei Long from the opposite side of Farah, thrusting her weapon out in a quick, three-strike combination, high-low-middle, similar in some respects to his own Rekkaken, though with a greater economy of movement due to the realities of her weapon and her style; the blade once again pulses with that pink chi, as she attacks, a surprisingly harsh glow for such a mellow color.
COMBATSYS: Feilong dodges Farah's Sacred Heart.
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Feilong 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Feilong blocks Kurenai's Demon's Flurry.
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Feilong 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-------|
"It looks better than the alternative." Fei Long points out in the same focused, deceptively calm characterful tone. Landing in a flutter of longcoat and a rustle of wind that seems to originate from nowhere, the international action star backstepping into a quick twist, facing Farah's attack sidelong before stepping his reduced, agile profile right out of its path. "It's not too late to stand down. Stop the shipment. Tell me where he /is/." The fervent offer comes with grunting meetings of resilient forearms colliding with Kurenai's strikes, the chi once more projected away rather than through him as much of its force is blunted... despite the stinging reminders of the aggressive intercession.
Rather than waiting for an answer, the Crimson Dragonfly's expert partner flips away from the block and whirls as he descends on Farah's position. A sharp rotation swings his body about to deliver a sharp, straight kick towards his other adversary-du-jour's chest, before abruptly - perhaps alarmingly - shifting his momentum and kicking in for Farah's jawline with the /opposite/ leg.
COMBATSYS: Feilong successfully hits Farah with Engekishu.
> Determined Hit! <
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Feilong 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/--=====|
Well, there isn't much to be done about that; if someone with considerably more experience as a fighter decides he really wants to hit you, then it's probably going to happen. Not that Farah doesn't attempt to do *something* about it, at any rate; eyes narrowing, she turns the slight spin of her initial attack into something more, attempting a full twirl to take her out of the way. Unfortunately it falls a little short, and the Hiten-ryu fighter's kicking leg slams into the underside of her chin, the impact making her teeth rattle alarmingly from the force of it. Actor she may be, but human she is, also; once she gets her footing back, her hand comes up, rubbing her now quite hurting jaw for a moment, before she slips back into stance, taking a breath and trying to stay in character.
~ Learn from that, ~ she tells herself. ~ Always be learning. ~
"It was too late before you ever arrived," she says to 'Kano' in a cool tone, getting her bearings just a little bit. Her fingers flex into and then out of fists, as if she were controlling her rage at being struck... although in truth, it's as much a displacement activity for her still-lingering pain as it would have been for actual anger, which she feels nothing of. That HURT. "It is unlikely you shall ever see that master of yours again." With that, she surges forward, twisting in a dancing maneuver, spiralling downwards so that her hand and arm scythe through toward Fei Long's legs in a diagonal sweep, looking to knock his legs out from under him.
A sharp laugh, one of disbelief and scorn. "Stand down? No, you've no idea of the true power that lays within the Iron Dragon's grasp. Your master's death is assured... his hate for his brother complete." She does not say that her path is already set--it would make no difference. Her attack rebuffed, she has to consider another line of attack--and consider she does, charging forward suddenly, as Farah moves in to attack--not that the high-low game worked before, but...
There is always the chance, isn't there? Kurenai's four long steps turn into a leaping tumble, and as she goes, she seeks to time her attack so that Farah's sweep occurs as she is grabbing for Feilong's collar, seeking to swing her blade under Feilong's chin... not to strike, but to use as a lever, to apply her momentum to flip Fei Long forward, in her direction, to hurl him through a large crate, one of the many crates that lay along the side of the alleyway.
COMBATSYS: Feilong blocks Farah's Combo Attack.
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Feilong 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Feilong interrupts Medium Throw from Kurenai with Shien Kyaku.
- Power hit! -
> Determined Hit! <
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Feilong 0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1 Kurenai
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/--=====|
It's a real fight - against two dangerous adversaries. Even if that does happen to be just like in the movies. Fei Long eats it up. The energy within him has difficulty not bubbling over despite the role, tangible in every forged sinew. The black-clad action star scoffs, and moves "We know all about your 'power'!" he protests, a bit faux-angrily, though in all objectivity, he is a FABULOUS actor. 'Kano' drops low, squaring a leg and arm against Farah's angle of assault, cutting her force short by intercepting it early, suddenly pushing off into a flip.
As the blade glances off his chin, drawing an angry line, Fei Long suddenly erupts in a conflagration of potent, superheated flame chi. It courses down his legs and off his feet like a flamethrower, all but molten in its sudden, roiling intensity. It does not burn his very stylish pants and shoes, but it erupts off them with more than a little force as he flips into a rising crescent of fiery kicking right in line to brutally oppose Kurenai's offensive momentum. "You really don't realize... why the shipment hasn't rolled out yet, do you? Hah! Kill him, indeed." The nunchaku comes free once more, whirling through a swift kata as Fei Long lands, facing his opponents.
Energy can be infectious, as can emotions, even among the most normal of people. To someone like Farah who experiences that on another level entirely? It is easy to forget her hurt as Fei Long continues to ease into the role, improvising as he goes. The dusky-skinned fighter finishes her sweep and pulls herself standing in the same motion, radiating calm disdain despite her assault having been thwarted for the time being. Her ribbon trails behind her as she slips back into stance, that hand held behind her, palm facing toward the ground, the other hand held before her at chest-height, on the defensive. A bit of her winces inside at the strike that Fei Long delivers to Kurenai, one that looks exceptionally painful, but for the time being the Soul Star can do little for the ruler-wielding ninja. Even had she been of the mind to interfere, Fei Long appears to be handling them together without any trouble.
Farah does not attack, for the time being; instead, she fixes her violet gaze on the Hiten-ryu fighter and tries to ease into the flow of the battle, a flow that is naturally following the rhythm of the scene. There's no reason to get lost in the narrative, however; as surely as the hero must have his triumphant battle, he must also have one serious loss that sets him back on his path. Nothing is set just yet. "Perhaps," she says evenly. "Soon we will see who is bluffing, and who is dead."
COMBATSYS: Farah focuses on her next action.
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Feilong 0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/--=====|
In that case, perhaps Kurenai is the hero. The eruption of flame, the power of that kick, nearly burns her alive--or so it feels. Instead, it is -she- who goes flying into the crate, smashing through it as though it were nothing more than a cheap prop. (Which it is.) The brick, however, is quite solid, and the crack she takes from -that- stuns her; she is slow to rise, shaking off the dizziness. Still, she quite admirably remains in character. "Hah... you think you've won? This is one of but a dozen shipments... the Iron Dragon planned for this..."
But it doesn't come out very convincingly, if only because she's still staggering about a little--that'll clear up, and somehow, she retained control of her weapon, through all that. She shakes her head out, then returns to stance, grimly. "I see now why the Dragon was so keen to capture you... to turn you... bend you to his will. Truly, you are as formidable as the rumors have said..." Hey, why not keep going? Concussion potential aside, this -has- been fun. Much less serious than her dealings with Yurika, bless her violinist's heart.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai gains composure.
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Feilong 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/--=====|
It's a high-intensity, extended kiai that might be better described as a Chinese warcry as Fei Long whirls the weapon - which seems to be as much for show as anything, truth be told - about in his grip. It whips from hand to hand, behind his back, stopped smoothly against one side and then the other in a whirling zone of dangerous, dense hardwood. Perhaps he's not just showing off. Indeed, the energy within him wells and renews, the fatigue of the fight all but expelled as he flexes, adjusts his stance, and readies the weapon anew.
Muscle nearly vibrates, voice croons a crescendo, a primal sort of cry, and Fei Long simply motions them forward. A dozen shipments. He'll have to get busy. A momentary burst of flame courses up one arm, and down the other, coursing within the action star.
COMBATSYS: Feilong gathers his will.
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Feilong 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/--=====|
The intensity of that war shout resonates through Farah, body and soul, and she cannot help but try to match such intensity herself. Around her, starting with the tips of her dark blue ribbon, that starry-night color of Soul Power begins to surround her like an aura, eventually encompassing her entire body like a halo of faerie fire. What Fei Long issued was a challenge, and it is one she plans to rise to. It might be a trick; such a stance as he's adopted could easily shift back to offense in a hurry. However, even as she mentally maps out the tactics of the situation, she realizes that she cares little for them. What would keep her conservative, have her measure out her effort solely to win, is fear of losing.
~ To fear it is to do it. ~ That she believes with all her heart.
Between herself and Fei Long, clipping a direct path from attacker to target, more prop crates and boxes stand, partially obscuring Farah's view of the swift fighter. Bringing her arm up, Farah glances down at her fist, and then charges, striking hand ahead of her, arrowing across the ground so quickly she's skimming it more than dashing across it. Crates shatter into splintering wood, and what explodes out of the remains is a charging Farah, fist-first, the twin tails of her ribbon trailing out behind her extended hand in a twisting, perfect double helix, the physical blow surrounded by that shining halo of psychic energy. "Spiral!"
Feilong is so kind as to let her get her head together; for that, Kurenai is actually grateful. The display of martial prowess, and the flare of fiery chi (an unpleasant reminder of just a few seconds ago) lights the alley. But it does not illuminate the course of action she should take. Her mind is awash in possibilities, probabilities, acting like a chess computer, trying to draw each course of action and its consequences. It is, frankly, a little paralyzing.
Visibly, however, she shakes it off; then she slings her weapon around, onto her back, her foot stance widening.
She's no desire to get close to Feilong so soon, so she tries a different tactic--she whips her blade around and up in a sweeping uppercut--once again, it glows with power, but that power is released, rather than contained, in the form of a hissing wedge of chi, sliding along the alleyway towards Fei's legs.
She feels the need to make -some- sort of dramatic statement, though, so she cries, "Even if you win here, Kato, you will surely lose this war against the Dragon!"
COMBATSYS: Feilong endures Farah's Spiral Heart EX!
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Feilong 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Feilong blocks Kurenai's Hissing Serpent.
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Feilong 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurenai
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Farah 0/-------/-======|
"Live in every moment..." Fei Long recites, caught by the microphone despite being spoken more to himself. "Right every misdeed you see." It's a quiet self-instruction, "Always face what comes fervently." The nunchaku weave, slamming into the slicing chi Kureni focuses towards him, a clenched fist abating the rest, a bloody line drawn centrally across his fist from the effort. Teeth grit with the momentary surge of blood.
Rather than evading Farah's sudden appearance, Fei Long twists to face it... muscles tighten as he's pummeled, and then some - he holds his footing steady, however, the energy erupting through him, drawing a momentary grimace from the action star, "Your dark sorceries... will not win the battle..." and then he's on Farah, in the blink of an eye. One hand bolts up to strike, the other follows with the nunchaku, a quick double-tap aligned with her central chest area. Then his empty hand careens under for a breath-stealing uppercut.
Should that happen? Well, it would be like Fei Long was trying to punch Farah's everything all at the same time, the way fist and nunchuks blur in a flurry of perpetual, pummeling motion, seeking to drive the soul-powered fighter back profoundly, before seeking to uppercut her into the air with a jaw-shaking stroke...
... and then leap up and meet her with a picture-perfect, intense flying kick. One which happens to be on fire. Very very, very very very on fire.
"Or the war!" Fei Long concludes, with a dramatic roar.
COMBATSYS: Farah fails to counter Rekkashingeki from Feilong with Gensekiju.
> Determined Hit! <
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Feilong 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Kurenai
[ \\\\\ <
Farah 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Farah can no longer fight.
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Feilong 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Kurenai
The camera seems to love that moment of fiery impact, at the last, for rather longer than is decent, but when it does cut, it thankfully cuts to Fei Long the movie star, and not to Farah as she falls. This is good, because if it were on her, they would catch her momentary smile as she falls. To have experienced it at all, she believes, has been worth her time in the end.
A final crate goes through its death throes as the Egyptian slams through it, and after the dust settles, she is kneeling in place, that swirly, night sky Soul Power flowing around her. It is mostly a visual thing, though perhaps in her weakened state Farah's control over her power wanes. But in the end, this is theatre, and she will use whatever is at her disposal to keep the illusion consistent. Kurenai may be on her own, it would appear... but Farah got to experience Fei Long's fighting spirit first hand.
"It would seem, Sugar and Spice, he is your problem now," Farah growls out in a low, purring voice... the pain of that last attack adding a dash of unintentional realism. She backs toward the edge of the 'room', the dark shadows of the soundstage coming closer, and the hazy glow of psychic energy making it harder and harder to make out her form. When she locks gazes with Fei Long, however, it is pure sincerity that fills her voice. "Perhaps for now you can enjoy victory... but it shall not always be thus. Farewell... warrior..."
She backs into the shadows and, in a swirl of midnight blue, is gone.
He's used up the majority of his power on that strike--and with good purpose, defeating 'Silk Ribbon'. But that doesn't bode well for Kurenai. She shoots a glare at the departing Ribbon. Faithless worm... still, she understands that her prospects are, shall we say, 'less than good'. However... she can't abandon her post. Just at Kano must stride the path of the righteous, so must she stride the path of the unrighteous.
Once again she takes up her blade, dropping into a slightly lower stance, her left hand outstretched and her right side back, blade held one-handed. "It seems," she says, conversationally, that it is to be you and I... I trust you will not hold a grudge, no matter what happens," she says, with a bit of a cheeky grin. Of course, 'she' would hold a grudge, but she's the -bad guy-. Girl.
With that said, she beckons, with her left hand. "Come, let us finish this..."
COMBATSYS: Kurenai calculates her next move.
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Feilong 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Kurenai
Used much of his strength, yes. That much is certainly true. As the 'Silk Ribbon' is driven off, and Sugar 'n Spice is left to hold the line again, there's no hiding the deep breath that comes as Fei Long lands out of the all-out assault. Still, the mask is straightened on his eyes, and he faces Kurenai with well-emulated disdain and urgency. "The path you walk places more compulsion on how our journeys intercede than any ill will I bear you." 'Kano' expresses, not that it's much of an apology. ... or reassuring.
The Hiten-ryu expert rushes the swordswoman, launching himself heel-toe leading, in a flying frontal snap kick meant to clean Kurenai's clock before she can fully get her bead on him.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai counters Snap Kick from Feilong with Hell's Rejection.
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Feilong 0/-------/----===|=======\=------\1 Kurenai
Her reaction is lightning fast--and she -has- her bead. Her reaction is as simple as it as is swift--relying on the length of her weapon, and a forward lunge. It is as cinematically near as one could hope--her forward thrust lands a mere half-second before Feilong's foot would--the difference in reach is that small. She has to incorporate just a little headtwist, to keep her face from being kicked -anyways-, her weapon landing square in Feilong's chest.
"I'm sorry," she says, mockingly, "but I didn't mean that I would -just give up-, Mr. Kato, as you might have hoped... anymore than I would expect you to, of course." Retracting her strike, she stands, waiting patiently. Just a few more seconds... just a few more seconds and the Iron Dragon himself will show. At least, that's what her expression is supposed to say.
"Your kung-fu is strong." Fei Long admits, picking himself up off the alleyway and out of the remains of a vendor's cart, a pile of broken and chipped pottery crafts clattering this way and that from the impact, "But you do not understand that which you fight. You cannot stop me, step aside." He has important work to do, after all. Even if preparing for her to step aside is the last thing he seems to be doing. Simply... offering the opportunity. For his part, more of that potent, disciplined power surges through his tense frame, longcoat fluttering as the fire burns behind his eyes, studying Kurenai steadily.
"You are skilled, but know not the battle you fight." That energy courses in a maelstrom, as if Fei Long had barely expended any a moment before, the power gathering in a nigh-audible swirl.
COMBATSYS: Feilong gathers his will.
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Feilong 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Kurenai
"You know I cannot. You should not even ask." Now her voice holds more scorn, the ninja totally submerged with the role she'd assigned herself, taking it almost as seriously as if the situation were real... at least, outwardly. She sees the power building up, and tenses, then stalks forward, seeking to take advantage of the man's concentration on that... her weapon once again finding its way to her back, she suddenly charges.
The attacks she uses bear even -more- similarity to Feilong's famous Rekkaken, as she slashes--from her right to left, then back, with a final uppercuting slash--once again, that pink chi flaring through her weapon, bringing it to dangerous life--the power of chi, misused. But the power of chi isn't like The Force--it doesn't care how it's used...
COMBATSYS: Kurenai successfully hits Feilong with Hell Splitter.
- Power hit! -
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Feilong 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Kurenai
This time, the Crimson Dragonfly's able ally finds no immediate recourse. The series of energy-arcing cuts rip into him, drive him back. Longcoat is torn, the loose garb beneath flowing in the air stirred up by the onslaught. Knocked airborne and away, Fei Long falls hard, rolling into a crouch and letting out a pained groan. "Indeed." He concurs in the same monotone, focused intensity that he's used before. It's all that's offered as he springs from his crouch to close the distance with Kurenai in a flash.
Two quick, snapping straights align with Kurenai's stomach. There's not even a heartbeat sepearting it from the rest: a jab leads into a powerful right hook, aligned with the action hero's adversary's skull. Following /those/, elbow, then the fists three more times, flurry in for Kurenai's face. His own attack, perhaps ironically, also ends in a brutal uppercut.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai fails to counter Rekka Shinken from Feilong with Demonbane.
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Feilong 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Kurenai
COMBATSYS: Kurenai can no longer fight.
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Feilong 0/-------/------=|
It's the climactic moment. The moment of -destiny-. And of course, the moment goes to the hero. As it should, in truth; Kurenai's blade is battered away in the first storm of attacks--one camera follows its arc through the air, flipping end over end, as the other captures, in indelible detail, the incredible fist-pounding that she takes from the actor/martial artist.
The combination strikes true, the last one hurling her back, to tumble twice along the ground--picturesquely, in front of her blade, which, despite being blunt wood, is stuck at an almost-upright angle behind her. A trickle of obviously fake red blood trickles from her mouth, then the director shouts.
"CUT! And... WINNER... FEI-LONG!!!!" The crew goes wild--cheering for their hometown hero--and why shouldn't they? It was a brilliant performance.
COMBATSYS: Feilong has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:40:59 10/09/2010 by Kurenai, and last modified on 20:28:53 10/10/2010.