Description: Zach and Alma meet, impropably, in an airport where (even more impropably) they have a spar! Matters are discussed, limits are pushed!
The sound of jets in the distance. The quiet, merry chatter of loved ones reunited, of cell phone conversations with those still distant. He lets his messenger bag slip to the floor, a gentle smile blooming upon his marred face.
Home has been a long time in coming.
The Scarred Beauty of Southtown is back at last, standing in silence, tall and striking, in the airport terminal. He has no bags to retrieve; he did not exactly have time to pack before he last left this place for Taizhou, and the fate that would befall him there. He allows his eyes to flutter closed, content to bask, unbeknownst to others, in the aura that surround him. While he is yet unrecognized.
He'll have plenty of questions to answer soon.
'Where did you go?' 'Why did you leave us?' 'What happened to your face?'
'You're staying now, right?'
Alma Towazu, Radiant Angel, opens his eyes once more, but their cast, despite his smile, is serious and melancholy.
~ I don't know. ~
He enjoyed his journey while it lasted. But despite what he said to those he met abroad, he has yet to know fully the answer to the question that King of Fighters posed him. Perhaps he will not know until he at last meets his loved ones again, until he returns to what he was forced to leave behind.
But he has a feeling...
He won't be staying in this city for long.
Even so...
At last, his hazel eyes begin to brighten.
"It's good to be back," the scarred young man murmurs to himself.
Some people are returning, others are getting ready to leave. Zach Glen, erstwhile YFCC janitor and psychic brawler, is heading towards the ticket counter to see about an organized fight. It's been a while since he had been in such a thing, really, and he was wondering if he was still up for such an activity.
Alma is not the only one who has changed in appearance, though Zach's changes are largely cosmetic. He is wearing a streamlined, but obviously metallic bracer on his right arm, and is carrying a long, slender bundle over his shoulder about two feet in length. Otherwise, Zach appears much like people would expect from him. Alma, however, will likely notice one other thing: Zach's presence which is much like a clarion signal to most psychics, is notably muted. It's still there, and it feels much the same aside for a bit more solidity that can come from an adamant will, but it is not nearly as 'loud.'
Zach notices Alma, notices the burn scares almost immediately, but leaves the shock off of his face. He does, however, start to move toward Towazu.
Well, well, well.
He was going to visit the YFCC, but--
"Zach Glen."
--instead, it came to him.
"Long time no see."
The lean ex-model rests one hand on his hip, an unusually open expression of the kind of good cheer normally relegated only to his sparkling eyes. Whatever melancholy remained in his smile fades easily, and though his effusiveness is as limited as ever, the restrained youth's grin comparatively mild, it seems no less sincere. Even if Zach's own psychic sensitivity has improved since the last time the two met face-to-face, it doesn't take an empath to tell Alma has, one way or another, become a little more easy-going.
Maybe a good thing for someone who worked as much as he did.
"How are you?"
...He certainly never said stuff like 'long time no see', at least.
"I heard you too were present at Taizhou," he murmurs, stepping toward his erstwhile employee. "I'm very glad to see you emerged unscathed." If that's an awkward comment coming from someone so clearly 'scathed', Alma glosses over it smoothly, his smile undimished beneath the mottled scarring of his burnished-bronze face. "The mastermind behind Jinchuu was the same man who ambushed me at the conclusion of the YFC4. It seems we've at last laid that chapter of our organization to rest."
At that, Alma actually does falter slightly, his smooth brow furrowing as his gaze softens, his smile fading. "The YFCC..." he begins softly, pausing for a moment before leaning forward at his fellow psychic. "How does it fare?"
"And the guy who held that Jinchuu tournament a few years back," Zach says with a short nod. "As far as I know," he continues, "the Center's still up and running. I... haven't been by since I got back from Taizhou." Zach frowns a bit. He hasn't returned since his return from China because of who he might run into there.
As far as he knows, he was one of the last people to see Jiro Kasagi alive. He's still not sure how to face the people who cared about that man. The bundle over his shoulder seems oddly heavy, as he seems to need to adjust the rope that holds it closed once or twice.
Zach picks up on things, but it has little to do with psychic intuition. In another life, he could have been an excellent profiler. However, his other... talents have dictated another lifestyle for the time being. "Good to see you're in one piece," Zach replies. He doesn't sound sarcastic or facetious: that Alma got through it alive seems like a good thing in Zach's mind.
Alma nods slowly.
"...I understand."
He knows what it is to have more pressing obligations.
"I'll be returning shortly."
His expression softens, his gaze calm. "Thank you," he murmurs in response to Zach's final comment, though he does not smile again. "It wasn't easy." Defeating Rako for the second time, shattering the Will of History. The searing heat of the Gantry. Facing his nemesis within the world of dreams. And being brought back from the bring of death by--
"..."
He is still not fully prepared to speak of it.
"How... has your training been going? As a fighter, and as a psychic?"
Not with someone who did not know Jiro as well as he.
"I met several strong warriors on the path to my return," he says, relaxing slightly, that slight smile returning along with the warmth to his eyes. "I faced Ash Crimson... Rock Howard... and that strange old man..." Quite strong, all of them. "Oh!" he exclaims softly, eyes brightening further. "I even met the legendary wolf, Terry Bogard, in France. Briefly, anyway. I didn't have the opportunity to face him, though. I hope I get the chance someday. Maybe for... well..."
His eyes grow mysterious, his face-- ambivalent, perhaps slightly embarrassed, even, as he withdraws a red-sealed letter from his breast pocket, an item kept close to his heart. "If I end up attending. What about you, Glen?"
He grins again.
"I hardly imagine you weren't invited."
Zach waves his gauntleted hand vaguely. "Picked up some... tools," he said. "The armor bit is from my dad. He said it'd been in the family for a while, and that it belonged to my grandfather. He... was a bit like me apparently." He nods back towards the bundle, "And I brought back a treasure of sorts from Taizhou. Still not sure how to use it well, though."
Zach's expression goes from mostly neutral to very excited when the Bogard name comes up. "I'd heard he was back on the scene but..." He seems to keep himself from bouncing around only by strength of will, and then only barely as he looks at the envelope.
"No, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when it came," Zach says as he pulls an envelope of his own out. "Though I know a guy who was. We're putting a team together. Or trying to, anyway. Just hope I've learned enough to make a good showing of it."
"Excellent."
Treasures from Taizhou, huh?
"A connection to your family, huh? I was admiring it." Alma's smile becomes faintly wistful. "I might be a little envious of you. My travels didn't take me to Portugal, but..." He trails off for a moment before shrugging, smiling again. "I wonder if I should return, before our battles begin again." He has never thought about it before, ever. Family-- family he's never seen before. It didn't seem like a meaningful opportunity, when he was surrounded with magnificent friends. But life is so fleeting, and true meaning now seems scarcer than ever, as his assumptions fade one by one.
What treasures does Alma return with? He has only lost precious things.
"Putting together a team...? You're serious. I'm impressed, if not surprised."
Still, maybe it's just his nature, but--
"Maybe I should step it up myself."
Alma feels as though he's gained quite a bit.
"Seems like I'm coming as you're going, this time," he adds, the scarred administrator adds lightly, the tall youth tilting his head as he lets his messenger back slowly slip completely to the floor. "But I wonder... it feels like you've grown, Zach. If you're going to be competing in King of Fighters..."
...and here he is, still unsure...
"Would you favor me with a match?"
He's already decided: it's the only way he can know for certain.
"I want to see... how far you've come, in my absence."
When push comes to shove-- the clash of souls is what he most understands.
"Aheh..."
As if something has abruptly occurred to him, the First Hero of Taizhou, normally composed, sweatdrops and reaches up to rub the back of his head, grinning a little sheepishly.
"And, uh, don't hold back because I'm your boss, or anything."
Zach blinks twice at Alma in surprise. Not so much at the request to hold back; Zach only knows how to do that on a purely conceptual level. The fight request, though... /that/ was surprising. He collects himself quickly and snorts. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that last one," Zach says as he leans the bundle against a nearby wall. He fiddles with the bracer for a moment.
When that last buckle comes undone, and the armor lays on the floor, Alma will likely notice the return of Zach's 'usual' psychic volume. Glen shakes his right hand loose as he walks back towards Alma. He slides into a loose stance that betrays nothing of a the style he doesn't use as he shrugs his shoulders loose.
"Ready when you are," the shorter psyker says as people start to give the pair some room. Others are already going for their cell phones and cameras to record the spar.
COMBATSYS: Zach has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Zach 0/-------/-------|
"I imagine not."
Alma is still rubbing the back of his head through his closely-shorn blond locks when his eyes flicker faintly, the ruby-tinged eyebrows atop them raising ever so slightly at the increase in the magnitude of Zach's aura. So that's how he was repressing the force. It wasn't a mental discipline at all; and here Alma was wondering how Zach managed such a decided shift from his usual mentality. Very interesting. "I'm curious about the composition of that bracer," he murmurs softly, as his limbs relax and his stance slowly, almost imperceptibly, begins to shift. "You'll have to tell me about it... some other time."
So Glen hasn't changed /that/ much. But--
"Be aware, Zach Glen."
Alma Towazu, Risen Phoenix, smiles again, but his eyes are the eye of a storm.
"It will take much more than raw force to overcome me."
If he's never been this laid-back-- he's also even more confident. His words are gentle and far from smug; if anything, the warning is sincere. This is something he thinks his ally -- and momentary adversary -- should know.
"Because I'm stronger... than I've ever been before."
Thoughts of Jiro, anticipations and worries about what awaits him at the YFCC, of the conversations he will have to have, fade from his mind. For now, smoothly, the psychic is absorbed in the rising tide of this battle. The impromptu audience about them in this terminal is just another source of the energy that churns eternally through his world. He returns to the basics, what he has always believed.
"Now..."
There is truth in the clash of souls.
"I strike!"
Here, the answers will take form.
The Thrice-Born Hero blurs forward, closing the space between himself and his opponent instantly and without hesitation, leaving hazy afterimages of pearl and periwinkle behind to distort the nature of his movements. The powerful kick he unleashes first hums with the kind of deep and visceral reverberations that the knowledgable associate with Soul Power, yet none of his signature flames emerge to bathe his surroundings in cherry-blossom pink and royal indigo. No: the rhythmic strikes that follow, steady and precise, are pure martial technique, aiming to cut through Zach's defenses, to first overcome him purely with the art of the body. But, of course, the body is ever aided by the will.
He will test this man, who has continued to improve himself...
And in so doing, continue to test himself!
COMBATSYS: Alma has joined the fight here.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Zach with Autumn Rain.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Zach takes the kick squarely in the midsection, tumbling back several feet. He was a bit surprised by the purely physical technique. "Actually, the bracer's not as interesting as the side effects in my opinion," he comments as he pulls himself to his feet and rubs his stomach a bit. "It's kinda like taking off a pair of loud headphones, in a way. The adjustments have been the challenge. And really, I haven't unintentionally levelled anything in a while."
Zach surges forward, boosting his lunge with a flare of his own violet power. He drives his fist forward, an image of plate mail forming around the driving fist that is aimed at Alma's chest!
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Zach's Blast Bash.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Alma quirks an eyebrow, maintaining his poised stance, one foot still partially outstretched, as Zach goes on to suggest he's become a bit more restrained when it comes to collateral damage.
"Hmm, is that so?"
Does he sound a bit dubious?
And then Glen is upon him, a direct surging forward strike that strikes Alma as reminiscent of one of the phoenix's own more straight-forward techniques. Of course, boosting one's lunge with the buoyant force of Psycho Power is a common art among those aware of its usual effects, so it's only natural that Zach should wield such an art himself -- and it's only natural that Alma should know it well.
Even if he couldn't feel that surge of power from a mile away...
"Hmph!"
With preternatural swiftness and with split-second timing, with the movement of a man who has already seen the future, the lithe ex-model slips past his opponent's soul-girded fist, twisting with only just the amount of space he needs and torquing about immediately. By conserving his momentum in this fashion, he will be able to recover almost instaneously-- and perhaps strike Zach before he can even finish his lunge. Whipping about in a flash, the tall youth powers out with a fierce side kick, aiming for the back of his employee's head.
"Come on, Zach!" he exhorts. "More energy!"
Surely /that/ is something Zach can consent to.
COMBATSYS: Zach interrupts Heavy Kick from Alma with Third Stance EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Zach
Zach, perhaps surprisingly, follows Alma's move as he touches down lightly. Spinning on the ball of one foot, Zach takes the foot on the chin as opposed to the head, the tactical-soundness of which is very much in question.
Glen, however, seems to have planned, just a bit for this. He sweeps his left arm up and away from Alma in an almost dismissive gesture. The lance of psychic energy that springs up from the ground towards Alma, however, will be the thing thst actually dismisses the more experienced pyschic. Maybe.
Alma is genuinely surprised.
"Hmn--!"
After a hit like that, who thought that Zach would just keep on coming? When the YFCC administrator detects the spike of energy being generated, he is already far too committed to his own strike to pull back in time and defend himself. The upward strike springs from the ground to collide directly with his abdomen, causing the Hiten-Ryu scion to double up slightly as he twists through from the impact of his kick. Yet he does not seem in danger of losing his footing. His mind does not seem shaken or troubled by the force of Zach's will, even if his body has suffered the impact.
"Glen..."
No-- he's already turning.
"Focus your mind."
Alma hasn't been slowed.
"That power within you--"
Rather than being spun around by the force of that gesture, he appears to have actually capitalized on the momentum it gave him, twisting around even faster into another follow-up strike, feinting out with a hand to thrust a burst of glittering blossoms into Zach's vision as he continues to torque.
"What does it mean?"
And when his leg lifts this time, it is wreathed in white flame.
"Only if your energy is channeled by your most closely held beliefs--"
If he can slam through Glen's guard once again, that inverse roundhouse will not kick the less experienced psychic but rather wrap around his head so that when Alma twists he is hurled to the ground, thrown down with an eruption of soulful fire.
"--will it become true passion!"
Confronted with this sea of flame, can Zach remain afloat?
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Alma's Sea of Flame.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Zach
Zach rolls with the impact of Alma's leg-throw, and brings up a very faint sheath of his own energy intercepting the brunt of Alma's own psychic assault. He skids to a halt a short distance away from Alma. His eyes narrow in consideration as he pulls himself to his feet.
"The power itself doesn't /have/ a meaning," Zach replies. "It simply exists." The faint sheen of purple is still there, seeming to envelop Zach. "The thing that gives it meaning," he continues as he raises his arms. "The thing that gives it /purpose/." Three rectangular sheets rip into existance above Alma's head. "Is what I choose to use it for!"
Suiting actions to words, Zach takes a deep step forward as he sweeps his arms down and towards Alma. The Pile Smash drops like a ton of bricks, but will evaporate into nothing when they hit the ground. The YFCC Coordinator may not be so fortunate.
COMBATSYS: Alma endures Zach's Pile Smash!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
Alma's eyes brighten.
"Zach!"
His exclamation is weighted with joy and satisfaction. Not only did his adversary manage to thwart his attack-- his words ring within Alma's heart, and seem to further stoke the intensity of Zach's own power. Yes, this is what he wants, what he has always wanted. To be confronted not only with the power of his chosen opponents--
"Well said!"
--but with the purpose behind it.
That storm of brick-like power washes over the Scarred Angel, hammering his head down, but though the hit is direct his body seems braced against the strike, his senses having perceiving the incoming attack and his will ready. To those sensitive to the psychic ramifications of their strikes -- in the way that one is sensitive to the impact of their knuckles against flesh -- striking against the psychic's mind is much like punching a wall.
"I agree."
A wall of faith.
When the storm has passed, Alma, short red-tinged bangs rippling faintly in the passing breeze of the impact, is smiling again, only one eye faintly squinted from the damage he's endured.
"Now, show me..."
Lifting his right hand, fluid and unhurried, he draws upon that enthralling power to ignite once more the flames of his heart upon his fist.
"...the path that you have chosen!"
Sweeping out his palm, like a falconer on the release, a bird of fire takes flight, a spiralling dart of swift energy that pierces the air between them like a cry to the heavens, aiming to streak forward and cut through any effort of Zach's to resist it.
He will push his fellow psychic to the limit. He can do nothing else.
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Zach with Sacred Wave.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Alma 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Zach, totally misreading the intensity of the strike, throws himself to one side to clear away from the incoming projectile. It clips him in the leg, sending him sprawling to the ground. Zach rubs his shin as he settles into a low crouch.
"Fine," he says with a bit of a grin. He pulls himself to his feet, and sets himself into a stance that allows him to set his weight into his next move. He twists a bit at the waist, tucking his right arm to his side, away from Alma. And then Zach throws the gate open. Psycho power, soul energy, whatever term you wish to apply to it, Zach generates it at an alarming rate. The violet energy surges out of him and spills to the floor, scatttering litter and loose trash around. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Alma 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Zach
Alma grins back. His eyes narrow slightly.
~ I won't make it easy on you... Zach Glen. ~
"So then!"
A battleground is no museum. Even when the scintillating power he sees dancing before him, the aura of his adversary, seems to him much like a work of art, he has always been one to appreciate through engagement-- to admire through confrontation. He's not satisfied with beauty--
"Ha!"
--until he can, in some way, touch it.
Thus does Alma drive forward without hesitation, giving his employee hardly any time to gather that surging power, to channel his force. If Zach is prepared to demonstrate the meaning behind his battles through the proof of his power, he must be fast on his feet. The psychic hero covers the ground between them in a blur once again, and this time there is no restraint, the flurry of jabs that follow hypnotically seeming to fold in on themselves with the afterimages they leave behind. He flows and twists into some semblance of a crouch, and only then reveals his true aim: to slam one fist fiercely into a nerve bundle in Zach's thigh, weakening his stance enough to upset his stance and preclude any chance he has a counterattack.
Whereupon, if he succeeds, the flurry will begin anew.
"Show me your best!"
Can you do it, Zach Glen!?
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Zach with Spring Shower EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Alma 1/-----==/=======|=======\=====--\1 Zach
Zach twists just a bit more, lowering his elbow to catch the incoming punch full-on. He lets out a grunt of pain as Alma's fist torques on his left arm. The power within him surges in response, almost demanding to be used somehow. Zach controls his response.
All of the psychic power he had generated reverses flow abruptly, whipping around to gather around that tucked fist. The violet force flickers and resolves into a massive gauntlet, resembling the one he wore to the airport with the notable exception of its size. Glen lets out a loud kiai, and twists back hard using the motion and recoil of muscule to further propel the strike. It resembles an somewhat over-dramatic thrust punch, really, and it is aimed at Alma's torso!
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Zach's Burst Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Alma 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
As much as Alma appreciates the dramatic--
"Hup!"
He won't be sticking around for that one.
Never a spoilsport, the Scarred Beauty's evasion is a impressive display of Soul Power in its own right, if perhaps the power's subtler side. Moments before Zach's hyper-gauntlet comes crashing forth, Towazu leaps straight up, fading back slightly as the phoenix ascends above and out of reach of his opponent's attack. Yet even as it seems he will drift out of range, at least forced back by the fury of Zach's assault, his eyes flash, a burst of passion summoned forth as he lashes out to kick off-- nothing.
"Ha!"
Sheer psychic energy redirects his momentum completely, turning the beginning of a withdrawal into a diving attack as Alma abruptly plunges down, possibly not only taking Zach unawares but even maybe hitting him before he can completely recover from his attack. Of course, such a technique is no mean feat, and Alma's aim is slightly off, having not given himself much time to refocus. What seems like it might be a scything kick is just a mid-air twist into a lariat, aiming to wrap his arm about Zach's body and twist to hurl him crashing to the ground as Alma lands neatly in a crouch, chin up, eyes flashing again.
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Zach with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Alma 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
Zach promptly finds himself clotheslined to the floor with a loud crash of impact. The small psychic lets out a loud exhalation as he hits the concourse floor. He looks up at Alma, the rush of the fight still in him even if his body isn't responding as well as he'd like.
"Not... done... yet," Zach gasps as he flings an open hand towards Towazu. The hand itself will not do much; it won't quite reach Alma. However, that perfect sphere of psycho power that suddenly appears in his hand just might!
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Zach's Impulse Flare.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Alma 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Zach
Alma blinks, looking up from his poised crouch.
"Hm--"
Only to find a sphere of light hammering home.
He anticipated a final burst of energy, knowing Zach, but underestimated his fellow psychic's resolve. His hand snaps up, but the result is lost in the blast that follows, and the silhouette that remains of him seems to slump, the graceful fighter appearing to lose his footing. A gasp rises up from the attentive and, by now, quite populous crowd. Has Zach managed a stunning reversal?
"Heh..."
The light fades.
"Your will never fails to impress, Zach Glen."
Alma Towazu sweeps his hand to the side, brushing through his hair as he does so, leaving mere sparkles in his wake, the remnants of Zach's attack. The audience sighs in appreciation. The Scarred Beauty's elegant posture as he rises, the noble cast of his features, render his marred features moot, or even striking. The effervescent remains of Zach's flare don't hurt his arresting flamboyance, either.
"But even passion--"
Those sparks are captured as Alma thrusts out his palm.
"--must be refined through discipline!"
As if determined to imbue his opponent with the weight of his own great experience, Alma seems strangely revivified if anything, his eyes wider now, nigh on glowing with purpose. A piercing beam of light issues forth, as if to carve into Zach's very soul.
"Can you resist me!?"
Once a bishounen, always a bishounen.
COMBATSYS: Zach overcomes Divine Intervention from Alma with Burst Stream.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Alma 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach's eyes go wide as Alma gets ready to bring some more pain. Zach has no time to roll out of the way, no chance to move to avoid this strike. So Zach responds in kind, thrusting both hands towards Alma with a hoarse yell.
Accompanied by a large beam of his own energy, which seems to utterly envelop and erase Alma's beam attack entirely. It will be noted, however, that the energy evaporates as soon as it hits anything non-living leaving surfaces a bit dusty but otherwise undamaged. Zach is trying to prove a point: the glove is not a crutch for his own abilities.
COMBATSYS: Alma overcomes Burst Stream from Zach with Full Confession.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Zach
Alma's eyes widen.
~ Even when I think I've seen the limits of his resolve... ~
The phoenix is thoroughly resisted, despite his flair. That relentless torrent of power tears through his piercing beam, his own energies repelled by Zach's wild surge. Yet the Thrice-Born Hero is all too sensitive to the fact that, however wild Zach's power seems, he is indeed containing it, without the need of that gauntlet.
~ Impressive, Zach Glen. ~
But even Alma has no time for compliments. Zach's energy here was unprecedented, and the Scarred Angel has only instants to react. Without hesitating, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek, he thrusts out his other palm, twisting his body as he cries out in turn.
"Hrrrrraaaaaaah!"
And a geyser of swirling energies, pinks and purples, ruby and gold, erupts like a beacon, splintering Zach's own assault in turn, responding to resolve with yet further resolve. As though stirred by Zach's very display, Alma himself erupts with a level of power even he could not have expected. What wells up from within him craves that clash, thrives on it.
It aims to cut through to Zach's very heart.
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Alma's Full Confession.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach was not simply laying about after his own display of power. As soon as it was apparent that Alma's attack was /not/ going to strike him, he had pitched himself forward into a frenzied roll. It is all that saves him when Alma's response drives toward him. He rolls onto his feet before sliding several feet, gasping for air. He looks at Alma with a level look.
So far, everything the brawling psyker has thrown at Alma has either been negated or evaded with the sole exception of the Pile Smash. Alma intentionally took that one, he realizes, and Zach's reserves are starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel. He'll sleep /very/ well on the flight. He slowly pulls himself to his feet, and nods to Alma. "I don't have much more," he finally admits. The confession does not seem to cost Zach as much as it might another fighter. The YFCC Handyman is all too cognizant of his strengths, and more importantly his weaknesses. "Unless you really want to continue," he asks as much as states.
COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Zach
He...
"I..."
He missed.
"No, I'm... more than satisfied."
Alma, eyes soft, smiles widely, eyebrows slightly raised.
"Well fought, Zach."
Stepping forward, lowering his guard, he steps forward to extend his hand to the wavering handyman. He knows that, for all that Glen knows his own limits, his employee's will is not yet broken. After all--
"Very well fought."
He's on his feet.
The audience begins to applaud.
COMBATSYS: Alma takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach reaches out, and shakes Alma's hand. He has a faint grin on his face. "You too," he says before heading over to the things he left on the floor. He re-settles the gauntlet, bringing about that dampening of presence Alma noticed before and then hangs that bundle over his left shoulder. He then waves politely to the crowds.
He rubs his face tiredly. "I'm going to have a good nap on that flight," Zach says. "Say hi to the people at the YFCC for me?"
"...Yeah."
Alma's smile grows milder.
"I'll do that."
His employee may still have a long way to go, but-- whatever the specifics of his dream, his determination is undeniable. Alma respects that, with all fondness. A will like that, and an understanding that he is responsible for the meaning of his power-- that is all Zach needs.
"Good luck to you in the tournament."
This is something Alma truly believes.
"...Um..."
A moment passes before Alma speaks. It seems like he might just let Zach walk away. But for the first time, genuine hesitation clouds Alma's marred features. The young man's mouth tightens, his eyes narrowing slightly, his gaze ambivalent, a rare sight indeed from one with such an unwavering compass.
"Zach, you were..."
The pause is strained.
"...with Jiro, weren't you."
His voice is soft, unsure, uncertain if this is how it should be brought up, if this is the time. But there are only moments. Even if it's a risk, even if it's hard-- he must.
"Some of my memories from that time... are like a dream."
Some of them were a dream.
"Do you know..."
He must ask.
"Do you know how it ended?"
Zach stops waving. It's a sharp stop, surprise taking him. He turns to regard Alma. "How did...?" He slowly shakes that off. "I was for a while. The... tournament organizers lumped us together. He didn't seem all that thrilled about it." He turns to face Alma.
"I wasn't there... not at the very end," he says in a low, dull tone. "We had split up in this metal foundry." Zach looks down and away from Alma, sifting through his memory. "That Suigetsu kid. From Gedo High. He was there."
Zach considers for a longer moment, before pulling the strange bundle around. He unwraps the string, and opens it, revealing the handle of an exotic-looking wakazashi. "Tenma and I each found one of these in the building," he says. "It... happpened then, I think. I... throwing this away seems wrong somehow."
Alma listens in silence.
"...I see. Thank you, Zach."
The details of what he learned on the border of life and death remain obscure to him. Only the ultimate meaning of that encounter still resonates within him. But a suspicion lurks within the young phoenix's breast that he cannot banish alone. He has no heart for vengeance, but he cannot turn from those he loves, cannot weave those broken threads together until the truth is known.
"I appreciate your help."
He will seek out further answers on his own time. Because...
"That's a beautiful sword."
At last, Alma is smiling again. He shoulders his heavy load.
"You should keep it with you... my friend. Against the darkness..."
Because he cannot deny the sense...
"Leave no weapon left undrawn."
That Ryouhara is not responsible for his best friend's death.
"Until next time, Zach."
He is already walking away.
"Take care."
"I just need to learn how to /use/ the darn thing," Zach says with a slightly lopsided grin. "Fighting with a sword is something I have no experience with. You watch yourself, Boss."
Zach is already heading the other way.
COMBATSYS: Alma has left the fight here.
[ \\\\ <
Zach 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:05:01 10/24/2010 by Zach, and last modified on 02:24:57 10/25/2010.