Description: Welcome to the Via Appia, where all roads... lead to PAIN. (Winner: Kurenai)
The Appian Way--Via Appia, in Rome--is one of the most famous roads around. The cobblestone path leads from Rome to southeast Italy, in Brindisi. It's a long, long road. Kurenai doesn't expect to see that much of it. She is waiting at the gates to the Appian Way, the starting point for this little race-cum-street fight. Despite the historical presence of the place, she's wearing nothing more than her usual Seijyun outfit, the black uniform with short skirt, her only real concession being that she's wearing black ankle socks and white crosstrainer sneakers instead of the usual penny loafers. Of course, her wooden blade is strapped across her back in its leather harness.
Her pink puffballs of hair bounce slightly as she walks back and forth, getting a feel for the cobblestone grid that she'll be running on. "Glad I brought these shoes.. this road'd be -murder- on the feet in my usual... even reinforced for fighting," she says, to no one in particular; as she speaks, SNF officials are putting up the cameras, rolling rigs powered by an elecric motor, close enough to the roadway to catch the action, far enough to allow Kurenai--and the other combatants--some room.
"I don't understand why we're running and fighting, but... whatever. You guys gotta keep it 'interesting', I guess, and it wouldn't be interesting without some weird gimmick. I swear you guys ought to just run the show during Saturday morning 'toons, y'know..."
Megane walks along the road towards where they're setting up filming, wearing his Gedo High uniform, his eyes closed. Not that most people would know, it's not like many people actually follow the Gedo High dress code. He feels the texture of the cobblestones under his boots. He hears Kurenai talking, and opens his eyes, moving a hand up to adjust his glasses.
"Miss Takayanagi, I presume." His tone is calm, detached, almost relaxed. He drops his hand back to his side. "Even if it happens with a gimmick, I look forward to fighting you."
In point of fact, Farah had hoped to take a week away from Saturday Night Fight, to get her head back in the game, and visit her home in Egypt to see her parents. As it stood, however, there she met Antoine and in their ensuing battle, found more questions than she did answers. So at the last minute, she contacted the SNF crew and volunteered herself for this week's battles. As it stood, there were other fighters in her 'weight class' bound for a match in Italy, and so her trip back to Japan involved a slight detour to Italy. On her way there, the Egyptian had time to reflect on her last visit to this country, the fateful meeting she had there, and the impact it's had on the trajectory of her life to date.
Needless to say, she's probably going to need a week off even more next week than she does right now.
Farah is the last to arrive at the venue, emerging from the streets of modern Rome onto the narrow, historic cobblestone street known as the Via Appia just in time to hear this conversation. "I do not think we are expected to 'run' the road, merely stay on it," she offers, glancing back and forth from Kurenai to Megane. The latter keeps her attention for a moment, as she recognizes the Gedo High crest from her fight last week with Megane's classmate Tenma Kiryuu. "Still, I think that should be challenge enough."
Kurenai turns to Megane--she recognizes the Gedo High uniform, as rare as it is to see. Her smile is pleasant enough, but it doesn't reach her eyes--her green gaze is utterly calm and searching, even as the rest of her plays that happy stance. "Are you? Well, I'll try to be interesting, Mr. Nakano." Because -obviously-, Megane isn't his real name, no one calls their kid 'Glasses' unless they're hateful. Then again, he goes to Gedo...
As Farah rolls up, the math-ninja takes her appearance in, then mmms. "Maybe so. Probably be easier than trying to run a race while fighting, though I wouldn't put it past these guys to try and make people -do- that." With that said, Kurenai walks past her two opponents, going over towards the left-hand edge of the road (facing the direction the road leads away from Rome), taking a position maybe six yards away, and casually drawing her weapon--looks like nothing more than a yardstick, the last ten inches of which are wrapped in grip tape, the other end shod in a brass tip. She tilts her head back and forth, then taps the weapon on her right shoulder.
"Guess we're gonna get started pretty soon. Hope so, anyways... I don't like just standing around too much." Hint, hint. She throws a Meaningful Glance at the SNF officials, almost comical given her height and the rest of her appearance.
"Miss Tenjou." Megane looks over to Farah, smiling slightly at her words, his eyes betraying nothing in particular. "That's a shame, I was going to see how long we kept that running." A shrug of his shoulders.
He blinks at Kurenai's words, and turns to meet her gaze, an eyebrow raised, his smile spreading a little. "I see you did a little research too, Miss Takayanagi. It's always a delight to fight an informed opponent." He is positioned facing towards Rome.
If he's preparing for combat in any way, it doesn't really show. He's just standing there, hands in his pockets.
You don't have to be psychic to detect the undercurrent of polite malice that's firing through the air right now, but it doesn't hurt. There is something vaguely unsettling about Kurenai, to Farah, though she can't put her finger on what, exactly, it is that's bothering her. As for Megane, it's difficult to tell. But if she looks like she has something on her mind, it's because she does. Flashes of her previous SNF bouts, and even her recent matches against others outside the professional arena, keep flickering in her mind, along with Antoine's words: 'That is your gift. Don't be afraid to use it.'
Taking a deep cleansing breath -- and staying well clear of the pre-fight banter -- she withdraws from her pocket a particularly long hair ribbon of a rich cobalt-blue color, which she ties ceremoniously across her right wrist with all the gravitas of a Roman centurion strapping on his armor; when she is done, the long tails of the bow stream out behind her in some unseen wind before falling flat alongside her, moving only when her arm does. Deciding to stick with what she told Antoine in Egypt, she prepares to give her pre-fight invocation, looking at both of her opponents. "Good luck. I hope we all learn something new in this battle."
And then there's the signal to start. Getting into a loose stance, she has to choose between two targets, her first real multi-person free for all. Megane's wearing something she even remotely recognizes, and so it's him she faces first. "I fought someone else from your school last week... if you're even half as good, this should be a challenge indeed." And then she's dashing at him along the road, stopping just short and aiming a quick side kick to the Gedo student's stomach. She's not trying to hurl him off the road, merely test his defenses a bit.
COMBATSYS: Farah has started a fight here in the center.
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Farah 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Kurenai has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|
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Farah 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Megane has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Megane blocks Farah's Light Kick.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|-------
"I hope we do." Megane's eyes flicker over to Kurenai's ribbon. Interesting. Very interesting. "
He lifts his hand and blocks Farah's foot with it, furrowing his eyebrows a bit. He pushes her foot away, falling back a few steps. "I might be." He suddenly crouches down, sinking his hands into the cracks, and digs a small cobblestone out of the road. He stands back up and tosses it to himself, a slight frown on his face. "Now, there's a slight problem with free-for-alls. The best strategies are staying defensive, or collusion. But those aren't very *interesting* ways to fight, particularly with three people."
He flips a coin with his other hand, catches it, glances down, and suddenly chucks the cobblestone at Farah. "You have any ideas?"
Kurenai starts jogging in place, a little--working her legs, limbering up. Something she probably did before the fight but, with Megane and Farah choosing to focus on each other for now, she feels pretty safe in doing so. But this is an FFA--either, or both, could come at her at any single moment. So she has to be prepared for it, doesn't she?
A slow smile curves her lips, briefly, as she settles down, and takes up her fighting stance, properly--left leg sliding out in front, right back, knees bent, weapon raised to shoulder width, gripped in both hands, the tip bobbing up and down rhythmically as she esttles onto the balls of her feet.
It's a classic kenjutsu stance, which appears to be her style--but she doesn't rush in. No, she'd rather wait for one of them to notice her, first--with luck, they'll continue to focus on each other, and that'll allow her some -excellent- opportunities.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai calculates her next move.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Megane successfully hits Farah with Thrown Object.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|------=
Well. The best way to honor the road? Pick it up and throw it at someone. Farah actually seems a bit displeased at this particular development, narrowing her eyes at Megane a bit. The problem with a small, quick projectile is that it's difficult to avoid, and even as Farah tries to duck away from it the flying stone catches her in the arm, causing her to grimace a bit. It's not exactly a crushing blow, but it hurt enough. However, now she seems to be between a rock and a hard place, as it were; her impression of both her opponents now trends decidedly to the negative, but it's the fight that's important here.
But she's made her first move, so she'll leave the next ones to her opponents. Instead, the Egyptian stands her ground on the road, moving in slow circles back and forth along the narrow border of the Via Appia, hands at the ready. "You speak like you've got the answer," she says to Megane, calmly, "so why not share your thoughts?"
COMBATSYS: Farah focuses on her next action.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|------=
Megane presses a finger against his glasses, pushing them in place, and smiles. "See, this is exactly what I was trying to avoid. We all just sit here forever and no one makes the first move. Or I say to, say, Miss A, 'Hey, let's beat up Miss B here and increase her odds', and then we fight it out after we've beaten her. Or perhaps Miss A says 'No, Miss B, let's beat him up!' Either way, not too interesting, right?" He smiles.
"So, here's what I propose. I attack Miss Tenjou, since that's who I flipped the coin for, Miss Tenjou attacks Miss Takayanagi, and Miss Takayanagi attacks Mr. Nagano. In this way, we all loose out by inaction, and once it's down to two, they can fight it out... or we can attack the other way around, if you prefer."
%
He puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs a little, flitting his gaze from one opponent to the other. "What do you say?"
COMBATSYS: Megane calculates his next move.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|------=
There's a great deal of difference between not attacking and not taking action. Of course Megane should know this; Kurenai smiles, thinly, at his words. Well, she -had- considered ganging up on Farah, to be honest, but hadn't quite made up her mind. His words help her make her mind up anyways, and she nods to herself. Might as well; she had her eye on the Gedo kid from the start, anyways.
She doesn't think he's -more- dangerous, physically, but she does think he has the more dangerous personality... and, so, she moves, finally, running full-out and then leaping as she gets within a few steps of the young Gedo student.
She sails into the air then comes down, her weapon poised in a downward stab; apparently she intends to bury the tip of her stick right into his right shoulder, from the way she's aiming herself to land, legs tucked underneath her.
"Sounds like a plan," she remarks, just before she leaps into the air.
That comment gets a look of confusion from Farah, who says -- in the sort of patient tone one reserves for talking to children and the elderly -- "I don't mean to seem pedantic, but I actually already made the first move..." Kurenai seems a little malicious or sinister, but Megane, to Farah's senses (mundane or otherwise) seems flat-out *oily*. And not at all like Tenma Kiryuu... though of course, the Blood Swordsman did inform her that there were fighters of all types went to his school.
Perhaps because he wants this 'cycle' to go down so bad, Farah's first instinct seems to be to break it, and thus she brings up her hand, the ribbon tied around it suddenly glowing with cobalt blue light, the sparkling aura of her Soul Power. Tails flowing out behind her, she glances at the young man. "I would feel bad, but I also feel as if you brought this on yourself." With that, she plants her foot and then charges the distance between them, one fist extended as she appears to simply glide across the ground much as the person whose technique inspired this one. Tails of the ribbon fan out behind her in a perfect double helix as Farah shouts, "Spiral!"
COMBATSYS: Kurenai successfully hits Megane with Medium Strike.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|------=
COMBATSYS: Farah successfully hits Megane with Spiral Heart.
- Power hit! -
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|----===
Honestly, Megane kind of wanted to try to 'accidentally' take away that ribbon, on the grounds that it was probably sentimental, and the reaction would be interesting. Less interesting now that it's a weapon. Can't have *that* much sentimental value.
He turns slightly without looking back at Kurenai, raising a hand to block the sword, but it comes at the wrong angle, and drives into his shoulder, causing him to stumble, eyebrows furrowing. He begins to straighten up, and then Farah smacks him in the face with a chi-enhanced punch of some kind that he hardly has time to look at. It sure hurts, though. He stumbles back, skidding several feet, and falls down to his knees.
He slowly pushes himself up, trying to push his glasses, which now have a slight crack and a bent frame, into place, but it's not something easily done. "Well now." Now that it's sort of crumpled against his face, he lowers his hand again. "It made interesting things happen. I hate standing around, and I'd rather fight both of you than team up against one." He pauses, spitting out a bit of blood. "But you aren't thinking very tactically, either, Miss Tenjou. I'm afraid Miss Takayanagi has all but won this."
"You see, Miss Tenjou, since Miss Takayanagi has agreed with my arrangement, you have already lost as well. If she keeps attacking me, she'll be holding onto her end of the bargain, so I can't attack her until I take you out. So the only choice is for me to attack you..
With that, he raises a spiral of wind around his fist, and charges towards Farah, the spiral pulling him forwards, blades of wind cutting out behind him momentarily as he accelerates, and aims the wind-accelerated punch straight at her face.
Oh, weapons have plenty of sentimental value. Kurenai values hers, for all that it looks like a piece of yardstick, greatly, for a number of reasons. She drives her weapon into his shoulder, but it isn't a disabling attack--blunt weapon and all, though Megane'll note that it hardly feels as though it's -just- a yardstick--the impact was a little too solid for that.
She backsteps a little, just out of easy reach of either Farah or Megane, as he analyzes the situation> Does he think there's some sort of teamup going on? It isn't likely to be that way at all, really. "I wouldn't be so sure," she replies, with the slightest sort of grin. "After all," she notes, turning towards Farah, "If I want to win.. then you -both- have to fall!" And her stance changes, closing up, the weapon moved from its shoulder guard to being slung over her back, held by her right hand. She takes a step, and then another, and then Megane bursts away, forcing her to follow with a quick dash. Then she just brings the thing around in a wide, telegraphed slash, from her left shoulder down to her right.
As she attacks, the weapon flares with a bright -pink- chi, not matching her hair--too intense for that--but close, and the attack is accompanied with a loud kiai, a forceful exhalation of spirit that would make any karate instructor proud.
COMBATSYS: Megane successfully hits Farah with Rush Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|=======
Apparently striking quickly and forcefully is to Megane's advantage, as the sudden rushing blow does indeed speed across the distance and strike Farah before she can form a suitable defense against it, the Egyptian flipping backwards through the air and landing just off the Via Appia in a crouch. However, as she stands she seems unbowed or unbroken. Believe it or not, she's actually smiling. However, as she walks onto the road once again, keeping in time with the theme of the fight, she carries herself with as regal a bearing as she can manage.
And she does keep walking toward the fight, even as Kurenai and Megane clash. "I can't tell if you're trying to be intimidating or not," Farah says evenly, tilting her head somewhat. His aura... there's just something about it that she can't put her finger on, but knowing that relying on her sixth sense can get her in trouble, the Soul Star is content to manage with good old everyday intuition instead. "In the end, words are only as good as the actions that back them up."
COMBATSYS: Farah gains composure.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|-======
COMBATSYS: Megane endures Kurenai's Fierce Strike.
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Kurenai 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|-======
Megane shrugs, a slight smile spreading across his face despite the pain. "Yes, by going on full defense, it's possible you'll last until Miss Takayanagi gets to you. I'm going to try to make sure that doesn't happen, though. I wonder if your defenses will be good enough?"
And then Kurenai runs up behind him and swings her ruler into him, the chi blasting into him. He just takes it, jumping up slightly in the air and turning on the wind behind him, the ruler cutting into him, but also propelling him through the air, so he's next to Farah in a second, so fast that when he does his next move, at first, it's difficult to tell if he succeeded.
In the end, really, Kurenai doesn't care about the outcome, her words not withstanding. That she chose to continue to go after Megane while Megane went after Farah is simply her choice; she isn't sure what, really, made him decide that he should target Farah. He's taken quite a beating in a short timeframe, but, Kurenai well knows, 'there but for the grace of God', and all that; it could easily have been her head on the chopping block.
Had Megane and Farah... well, anyways; Kurenai isn't about to let up just because. Returning to her previous stance, she continues forward, looking to plant a series of strikes into Megane's back, three in all--each strike, aimed for the middle of his back, then between the shoulderblades, and finally at the lower back, flaring with that pink energy. It could've been different... but it wasn't, and that's just the way life goes, isn't it?
COMBATSYS: Farah counters Strong Kick from Megane with Gensekiju.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|=======\=====--\1 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|=======
He may be making an attack that isn't quite apparent by sight. Certainly, it's tough to read exactly what it is Megane is planning on doing. But thankfully, Farah doesn't have to rely on mere sight to read her opponents. That cobalt glow never leaves the ribbon around her hand, as the Egyptian turns her violet-eyed gaze to Megane and, for a moment, focuses... TRULY focuses. For a brief second, her normal eye color -- a light shade, the color of the actual violet flower -- darkens until it's the same shade as the starry-night energy of her Soul Power, and just as Megane nears her to make his strike, she suddenly shouts, "There!"
In a blur of motion, the tails of the ribbon stream out as her arm moves in an arc, her left hand grabbing the ribbon and pulling the tails taut, Megane's kick slamming into them as if they were an unstoppable iron wall rather than mere cloth. That blazing Soul Power flows up the Gedo student's body even as Farah makes another circular, arcing motion with the beribboned hand, slingshotting the Gedo student off the road and into the distance.
Only then does the glow fade and her normal eye color return, Farah herself being the picture of calm. "I believe they will be," is her reply.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai successfully hits Megane with Demon's Flurry.
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Kurenai 0/-------/------=|=======\=======\1 Megane
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Farah 0|-------|=======
Kick stopped by an iron wall, Megane's eyes widen, and he looks at Farah intensely, some mixture of anger and respect. Then he's hurled through the air.
He sees Kurenai moving up behind him as he sails through the air, and though he tries to twist midair, the strikes aimed for his back knock him back to the ground, and he twitches there for a moment.
He climbs to his feet, haltingly at first, but he knows he has a little life in him, and he staggers towards Farah quickly, wind whipping behind him, like a zombie on speed. He's been worse beat up than this.
He takes off his glasses, dropping them to the ground, and when he speaks, his voice is quiet, a little strained, probably unhearable by anyone but Farah. "I tend to believe that in a battle where there's nothing at stake, people can't draw on their true power. And I want to be the on to crush you, but if not... I want you to have a fighting chance." He leans a little closer, lowering his voice even further, hardly moving his lips so the cameras can't pick it up well.
"So. Farah Tenjou. It is my personal promise that if you win this battle, I, Katsu Nakano, will do any one thing you ask."
His calculations say she will not react positively to this. But he doesn't care - she doesn't like him anyways, so that's a moot point. The real point is to find more data. How will this information make her react, precisely? Will she try harder to win? Will she freeze up? Will she forfeit? No effect?
THe plans on watching the video later.
But for now, he rushes the last few steps towards her, and grabs at her neck. If successful, he'll slam her to the ground, then proceed to pummel her with all his remaining strength.
COMBATSYS: Megane can no longer fight.
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Kurenai 0/-------/------=|
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Farah 0|-------|=======
One down. Kurenai backs away again, not because she's expecting Megane to go after her--he's shown absolutely no desire to do so at all--but because she doesn't want to be caught in any sort of reciprocation. Does she feel bad for Farah? Not really. But she'll let Farah deal with Megane first--getting in the way the falling Megane doesn't seem advisable.
Besides, she's a little confused by Megane's declaration. "You two got somethin' goin' on?" she asks, rather curiously. Gathering information for the file, and you bet she's got files on these two, thin as they might be for now.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai takes no action.
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Kurenai 0/-------/------=|
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Farah 0|-------|=======
COMBATSYS: Megane successfully hits Farah with Glasses Removal.
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Kurenai 0/-------/------=|
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Farah 1|---====|=======
It's surprising that someone so fatigued and worn down can move so fast, and unfortunately, that lingering insight, that bizarre power to read the fates ever so briefly that Soul Power gives her, also lets Farah know that she doesn't have much of a chance to avoid what's coming. Squinting her eyes shut, the girl takes a deep breath and attempts to leap backwards out of the way, but is just a moment too short... and Megane's final attack is quite brutal indeed. By the end of it, the Egyptian's body rolls off the Via Appia, coming to a stop in the grass that runs alongside it. The viewers who came out to see the fight gasp a little at the savagery of that.
But eventually, she gets to her feet.
She advances toward Kurenai, now finally able to give the girl a bit more study. The pink-haired girl, for all the (small) amount of disdain Farah sensed from her, didn't take the chance to pounce when Megane turned all his fury on Farah over and over again. "My apologies," the Egyptian says, getting back on the Via. She really would rather not sit there like a log a second time in the fight, but there's no way she can handle a fresh, untouched Kurenai feeling as she does. "You might not get a very satisfying fight from me at this point. But I will do my best... don't take it easy on me despite all this."
She doesn't say what she might want Megane to do. It could involve bridges and concrete shoes.
COMBATSYS: Farah gains composure.
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Kurenai 0/-------/------=|
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Farah 1|----===|=======
Having punched all the punches he can punch, Megane just kinda falls over there on the road. He may not have completed his primary goal in this fight, to determine the terms of battle, or even his secondary goal, to win. Or even his third goal, to knock out Farah before he falls over. But if you make up enough goals, you'll eventually succeed at one of them, and that goal, Megane has succeeded at, sort of. The goal of making the fight really unfair.
So... so yeah.
Kurenai lifts an eyebrow. "Apologies? I don't know what for. Besides," she says, "You might want to rethink those apologies once we're done here." Hell, she knows she has a major advantage on Farah. She's taken -no- attacks at all, with Megane's focusing on Farah and Farah, consequently, having to fend him off. That Megane gave her a severe beating just now cemented what is, in all likelihood, a nearly insurmountable gap.
But Kurenai knows that the power of the human spirit can't be denied, quantified, or dismissed. She's treating Farah as every bit as dangerous as she would count her were she fresh. Perhaps moreso--Farah is probably fired up now, especially after that beating.
Kurenai waits just a second longer... then launches herself forward with a simple power thrust, planting her feet as she closes to within two yards of Farah, jamming her weapon forward for Farah's sternum, a simple but potentially very effective strike. "Because," she says, just as she launches forward, "I'm not holding back on you, either!" Anymore, that is.
COMBATSYS: Farah blocks Kurenai's Power Strike.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-----==|
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Farah 1|---====|=======
Farah's not going to underestimate that yardstick. She fights with a mere ribbon, after all; couldn't a simple measuring tool be just as effective? Probably moreso, considering it has more in common with real weapons than a ribbon does. So when the pink-haired girl sails in to stab her quite savagely, the Egyptian crosses her arms in front of her chest and pushes back, the point of the blow slamming into her crossed forearms rather than her breastbone directly. She winces, nonetheless; that still stung, and even with a moment or two of rest, there's not that much fight left in her. More to the point, she loses ground too, feeling her right foot slip off the Via Appia and into the grass.
Grimacing, she doesn't wait for more conversation; she surges forward, trying to get back on the road and attack at the same time. A hand snaps out for Kurenai's 'sword arm', and if Farah gets her grip, she continues her forward momentum, 'dragging' the young math ninja with her for a moment before slinging her arm forward and hopefully, tossing Kurenai right off the road. "Good!" is the only vocal response she can manage.
COMBATSYS: Farah successfully hits Kurenai with Medium Throw.
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Kurenai 0/-------/---====|
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Farah 1|--=====|=======
Whoops--let her in too close. Kurenai starts to pull away, but, overconfidence does her in--she is yanked backwards, losing her footing and flailing a bit as she's hurled into the dusty grass by the side of the Way. The cloud of dust obscures her rising, but she's going to come out of it yelling, rocketing forward like a bat out of hell, blade slung at her back--wait, not at her back anymore, as she twists in midair.
No, now her blade is at her side, flaring with that pink again as she twists, aiming to smack the edge into Farah's forehead as she passes. With contact, she expects to simply be able to slide past, and finish her turn towards Farah, ending briefly in a deep three-point stance, the weapon ending up in a reverse grip in her right hand, right foot and left hand forward and left foot back. It'd simply be stylish.
COMBATSYS: Farah reflects Medium Strike from Kurenai with Soul Reflect EX.
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Kurenai 0/-------/=======|
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Farah 1|-------|=======
It must be that Farah is desperate... or perhaps, in a moment where she knows she has nothing to lose, she is willing to take wild chances that in a normal moment she would never dare. Her grapple with Kurenai gives the Egyptian a few moments to collect herself and formulate a plan, and put it into action... at least, for now. Letting her arm trail a bit, the tails of her ribbon -- having gone back to their dark, typical shade for the time being -- suddenly come to life again with that cobalt blue energy, streaming out behind her. She has maybe seconds before Kurenai starts back toward her, and she spends them...
...dancing.
At least, that's how it appears. A little bit of the circular steps of Baguazhang, a little bit of the sort of ribbon-like dance of rhythmic gymnastics, movements of the legs and arms that send that glowing ribbon into dazzling patterns around her body. As Kurenai's strike, shimmering with the girl's vibrant pink chi, comes in for her head, the snake-like patterns of the ribbon push it aside, and then snap back into place, the psychic-empowered cloth delivering a jolt of Soul Power in retribution before Farah steps forward into the center of the Way and turns to face her opponent. She knows that wouldn't be enough to fell the girl, not yet... Farah just needs to be lucky and persistent.
The pink, puffball-haired ninja recoils from the jolt of psionic power. "Huh. So, that's how it is," she murmurs. She's met people who could do that, before... she's got some skill in returning energy back to its owner, as well. As she thought--the fight isn't over yet, not nearly. But she has to change the pace of it; if she just mindlessly attacks, that'll give Farah all the chances she needs to win.
Kurenai isn't interested in just -giving- her the win. If Farah is to win this, then Kurenai wants to make her work for it. To have to take chances and make actions. Because making actions is where you make mistakes.
So when she is rebuffed, she doesn't move forward again. Instead, she backs off about six yards, resetting her position relative to Farah's... and she waits and watches, her green eyes focused and intent. The dance is a distraction... but is it also something else? She isn't sure yet.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai calculates her next move.
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Kurenai 0/-------/=======|
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Farah 1|-------|=======
Why stop dancing?
At first, Farah had thought to stop, then reassess, and then continue as best she could. But some part of her knows that if she does that, she is giving in to some... rationalist desire to do everything like paint-by-numbers. Her thoughts stray to the people who influenced her style -- Rose and Alma -- and how they might think in that situation. Would they have lashed out, like she did at Antoine? Would they fight for revenge, as Farah has had the bizarre urge to do in many SNFs, including this one? No... they would open themselves to the flow and do what came naturally.
Thus, Farah keeps dancing.
The ribbon streaks through the air, still glowing, carving beautiful and ephemeral spirals of starlight into the air around her as she does so... but now, with each pass of the ribbon in Kurenai's direction, bursts of Soul Power arc outward, as if Farah had simply turned up the amps and now the ribbon wasn't enough to contain it. One, two... five passes in all, five arcs of psychic energy flowing across the space toward Kurenai in succession. If the girl has the ability to redirect energy herself, now she's going to have her chance to try it!
COMBATSYS: Farah successfully hits Kurenai with Heart and Soul.
- Power hit! -
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Kurenai 1/----===/=======|
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Farah 0|-------|-------
And had she, it might have been an interesting thing to see. But she second-guesses herself, and attempts to raise her weapon to block--and the arcs just cut right through her, slamming into her and throwing her back, leaving her teetering on the edge of the Appian Way. Now -she's- the one in serious trouble. Her mistake, really, was probably not piling on Farah while she had Megane to deal with as well; one on one, the girl is proving to be every bit as resourceful and stubborn as Kurenai had expected.
But she hasn't given up, yet, either. Despite the distance, she sets herself; it appears as if she's switched to her other stance again, weapon up and parallel to the ground. And despite the distance, she thrusts the weapon forward, though certainly she won't reach. But she doesn't have to--a pulse of her pink chi flares down the weapon and then extends off the tip of the yardstick, forming a brief needle which, it seems, is intent on piercing right throuhg Farah's chest.
Kurenai is starting to feel the stirrings of emotion, but she's trying to keep a cool head. It might be her mistake--maybe she needs to get fired up, instead...
COMBATSYS: Farah reflects Devil's Needle from Kurenai with Soul Reflect.
- Power hit! -
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Kurenai 1/----===/=======|
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Farah 0|-------|-----==
Apparently that 'follow your bliss' strategy is working out for her. It may be that in letting go and trying to use her intuition to guide her, the Egyptian has removed the conscious barriers, the little doubts and nagging things that gnaw at people when logic tries to take over. As it is, the effort of sustaining that charge of Soul Power through her ribbon is really, really draining her the longer she keeps it up. But in this case it's the only thing that is saving her at all. It's more the sudden swell of emotion in Kurenai -- even if it is slight -- that makes Farah stand up and pay attention.
That needle of energy is moving very quickly indeed. Kurenai knows what she's doing and has a very, very keen eye for aim. In the end it may be sheer, stupid luck that saves Farah, attempting to intercept such a small target, but recent encounters with users of chi energy makes the young psychic painfully aware of how little she understands that force, and how little she can defend against it. Thus, wrapped up in her intuition as she is, she takes a chance, sweeping her arm through the air once more with a cry of, "Reflect!"
Against all odds, the ribbon tails sweep up the deadly pink needle and, at the end of their circular motion, fling it back where it came from... with a small, glittering dose of Farah's own cobat-blue Soul Power orbiting it like a tiny satellite to the pink star.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai dodges Farah's Reflected Devil's Needle.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Kurenai 1/----===/=======|
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Farah 0|-------|-----==
Luck plays a part in everything. The sand underfoot; the shifting of the wind. Luck is nothing more than random circumstance. And as luck seems to have saved Farah, it also works for Kurenai; the pink girl is already moving forward, when her attack is sent back at her, but her shoe, for all its vaunted Flex-Grip Ultra-Rubber-Sole technology... slips. The stumble drops her shoulder underneath the incoming attack, the blue psi power actually brushing the cloth of her uniform jacket.
She literally sees it go by, lifts her head, and briefly gives Farah a wide-eyed look of impressed astonishment, which lasts for approximately 485/1000th of a second, before she plants her next foot more firmly and regains her footing--and pushes herself forward again--and then she's moving much faster, hurling herself at Farah, blade-first. The attack isn't -just- her weapon, though it plays a large part in the flurry assault that she brings to bear; she also uses low, sweeping kicks and upthrust knees, and in this close, she's more like to use the butt-end of the pink-glowing stick than the tip, though that comes into play as well.
The rush of attacks lasts six and a half seconds; at the end of it, with one final knee, Kurenai pushes herself back, giving herself enough room to launch her weapon forward, the glow intensifying and then unleashing itself as another blast--but more like a sword than a needle, this time, bright and brief.
COMBATSYS: Farah fails to counter Devil Dancing from Kurenai with Gensekiju.
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Kurenai 0/-------/------=|
[ | ]
Farah 1|----===|=======
COMBATSYS: Farah can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|
Intuition can only get you so far; so can a body that has seen a considerable amount of abuse in a single fight. In truth, the victory was Kurenai's by rights from the moment she took it a little bit easy on Farah after Megane's repeated assaults. The rest was mostly Farah trying her best not to give up easily. As it is, though, this is the longest she's ever tried to keep that charge of Soul Power going and at this point, it's far too exhausting. She sees the Seijyun student hurling herself at Farah, and tries one last time to keep up her dance... but as the ribbon tails sweep into the path of the yardstick, the charge of Soul Power is spent. Rather than an iron wall of defense, the ninja's chi-charged weapon finds only yielding cloth, the flurry of attacks tearing into Farah and, at the end, blasting her right off the Via Appia.
The Egyptian rolls to a stop in the grass, face down. For a moment, it looks as if she might get back up, hands pressing into the grass palm-down... but in the end, it's just too much to bear, and down she goes. Though she may have lost, the dusky-skinned young woman's face doesn't appear to be troubled. Far from the furious shouting and pain she felt unburdening her emotions onto Antoine, this fight lets her sleep with the serenity of satisfaction.
Mere seconds after finishing Farah off, Kurenai falls to her knees; unlike the Egyptian girl, she remains conscious, if tired, leaning on her weapon, using the grip to pull herself back up right. "... guess I win," she says. But she sounds... satisfied. A good challenge is always best for a learning martial artist... and she is always learning.
She looks to the officials; they call the fight in her favor, and, then, call the medics out to collect Megane, Farah... and Kurenai herself. "Girl hits like a -truck-," she says. "Ford F-150, though, not a Mack," she amends. She'd probably feel differently if she knew better, but... being compared to a Ford, that's not bad, as far as being compared to a truck goes.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:20:45 11/20/2010 by Farah, and last modified on 11:50:22 12/02/2010.