Description: Time for a brief educational announcement. SNF match locations are usually decided in advance, before it's actually determined what fighters will be involved. It can take a fair bit of time and effort to secure a location, so there's many people working for SNF out and about trying to find interesting places to hold matches. Then when it's time to put together matches, they look at the files for the available fighters, and different people in the scheduling department pick a few fighters for one of the match locales they selected. Anyway, long story short: someone spilled coffee on Ash's file, so a few of the vital details were omitted, and the match is being marketed as hot babes punching each other in a hot spring. Luckily they did manage to convince the onsen owners to allow the fighters to wear bathing suits under their towels. No need to make the censors work overtime. (Winners: Marisol & Nahid)
Nahid has never been to an onsen before.
She's American, not Japanese, and her heritage is from exactly the opposite side of the world. Still, she can see the interest. That, and she's exactly shameless enough to not mind the attention of fighting in a swimsuit while simultaneously relishing the chance to make fun of anyone who /is/ embarassed by it.
Whatever she is wearing is under a big fluffy towel right now, though. Nahid paces up and down the side of the onsen rather than just jump in. She can count to two, the number of other fighters that should be here, but consistently only gets to 'one'. It's irritating.
The fact that Ash might have been filed on the other side is not something that even comes to mind once.
Fighting at an onsen, in the middle of winter... Clearly the Saturday Night Fight organizers didn't quite think this through!
Ash's exposure to Japan's myriad of hot springs is rather minimal, at best. He's been maybe two or three times in his whole life, and they were all outdoor locations. As such, for the entirety of the trip out, the only thing on his mind was how he's going to wind up with hypothermia, and Shenwoo, dragged along, was forced to suffer as his roommate bitched and complained for a good hour straight about the arrangement. The Frenchman hates the cold, and hates being cold.
Upon arrival, checking in and escorted soon after to their rooms, all the worry and fretting was for naught. Turns out that this happens to be one of a few year-round indoor hot springs. The flamewielder breathed a sigh of relief at that, then turned to his futon... and found a folded, women's yukata. How peculiar, he thought, and for the first time ever, he checked the fight card for the evening.
"Mon dieu..."
This utterance of shock was followed by the Frenchman returning to the front desk, yukata in hand, but the staff was so busy with other guests that his concerns were ignored. With no other choice, Ash came back to his room. He harassed Shenwoo for a bit until the brawler stormed off to do who knows what, and eventually just... decided to play it all by ear. It was time to go. The freckle-faced young man changed, wrapped a towel haphazardly around his waist, pulled on the women's yukata, and headed for the baths.
"Sorry, sir. You can't go in there. That's the women's bath!" Just imagine the Frenchman's expression for a moment - it was really quite something. After a cross sigh, TRYING to explain the mix-up, the attendant wasn't going to stand for this 'pervert' and ushered the lean fighter off to the men's bath.
Now standing at the wooden barrier dividing the men's side from the women's, Ash gazes up at the top, "Hmph. We'll see about this." He hasn't disrobed and washed up, as is customary to do before bathing, and good thing. He's not going to punch through the divider, but instead grabs a ledge and pulls himself up onto it.
There's a few cheers from the younger men, but the older, more dignified folk yell out to him, "Hey, young'n, what do you think you're doing!?" That's about when Ash clears the top of the barrier in a blind leap, straight into the women's bath.
SPLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
He hits the water and the bath's floor with enough force that his knees buckle, and the few ladies left lagging behind in getting the heck out have no idea what just happened. There's just this spray, and then... "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A girl shrieks, points at the platinum-blonde haired invader, and the other women follow suit. Soon, the bath clears out faster than a... Well, just imagine someone let a really nasty one rip on the bus. "Pervert!" Some of them scream upon exiting.
Soaked, slicking back his wet hair, the Frenchman lets out a bark of laughter, "Ahaha, this is ridiculous." From wanting to stay home, to confusion, to everything else inbetween... This entire situation has dissolved into complete hilarity for him. "Saa, are you one of my opponents?" Assuming that Nahid hasn't left as well, the Flamewielder turns to her with a brilliant smile. "They've made a mistake... Must have spilled coffee on my file." That would surely explain such stupidity. He's been around long enough that being mistaken for a female in official fights was something of the past, or so he thought. A year's absence really does change things, otherwise!
"Woo, sorry I am /late/."
The last to arrive is Marisol, also a totally foreign young woman but likely with a bit more 'cultural experience' than Nahid. Onsen are not foreign concepts to her, what with her having been going to school in Southtown and having been to Japan (many many many) times in the past. It's old news and she is by no means worried.
Wearing a pastel-green tankini, Marisol waves casually to the American girl. "I got caught up elsewhere--"
EARLIER
Marisol was totally caught up in shopping.
NOW
"Subways are such a pain in the ass. But hey, the soak makes up for it!" Is she even talking to Nahid at this point? Regardless, the redhead stretches her arms up overhead, letting out a contented grunt-squeal sound as a few of the other young women present at the indoor onsen frown. How uncouth!
"Oh well." Rolling her shoulders, she looks to Nahid. "Any word on how this is gonna work? I guess we're fighting some chick..?"
That's about when Ash invades the women's side with a loud splash.
Struck by water, the fiery redhead looks pretty angry, like some soaked wet dog. Her gray eyes slowly draw their way to the French weirdo, fists shaking. Her hair! He /RUINED/ her hair! And she wasn't ready to just get soaked from head to freaking toe!
"You girly bastard!" the half-Spaniard shrieks, leaping off the ledge of the onsen /right at Ash/ to punch him in the top of his head. "I wasn't READY!"
COMBATSYS: Marisol has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Marisol 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Ash has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Marisol 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Ash
COMBATSYS: Nahid has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Nahid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/------=|
Oh thank God, Nahid thinks, at least /one/ of them showed up. "Yeah, well, you still beat the other girl here," is what Nahid actually says, "so I wouldn't worry about it /too/ much. She'd better show up pretty soon, though, otherwise I'm going to be pissed."
Patient Nahid isn't.
She keeps pacing right up until the point that Ash vaults the barrier. As she was still just outside the onsen proper, pacing up and down next to it, she only gets splashed across the lower legs rather than her whole body. It sure gets her attention, though. And then...
"Holy shit, they said /girls/! You're not a girl!" Nahid is pretty good at telling them apart. The fact that he jumped in from the men's side helped. So did Marisol screaming about it. Nahid tosses her towel to the side and jumps in the onsen with the rest of them. Her bikini is silver - it sets off her dark skin - and there isn't a whole lot of it.
She is also standing back and letting Marisol charge, because hey, she seems to want to do that. Instead Nahid holds up one hand in front of her as if ready to block, finds her footing under the water, and waits.
COMBATSYS: Nahid focuses on her next action.
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Nahid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Ash with Medium Punch.
Grazing Hit
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Nahid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/------=|
Oh! It appears that someone else besides Nahid has decided to hang around and not flee in terror. He didn't notice her at first, but Marisol's presence becomes apparent to him now. Logically, this would make her the other half of the pair he's to fight, and the Frenchman can't really tell due to the matted mass of red hair in the girl's face, but wasn't she wearing a bikini way back in the day with a certain God of Battle's name on it? The recollection just fuels his amusement.
... Or, well, it did. It /was/ funny, up until the point where he gets called a girly bastard, right after Captain Obvious makes her observation.
The fine bridge of his freckled nose wrinkles, but whether the change in expression is due to annoyance or something else, it's really hard to tell. Ash doesn't get to say much, because the redhead jumps right to the punch, aiming for him. Blue eyes narrow, calculating the strike, foot sliding on the floor of the bath. He attempts to dodge, but the weight of water against his legs, yukata and towel slow him down. At least his head is out of the way, Marisol's strike grazing down the length of his arm with a final snap.
Ash has broken a nail.
Marisol is in trouble now, but first... He should probably deal with the hinderance to getting the heck out of the way. Ash pulls off his towel and carelessly discards the item--OH GOD RATINGS! No wait, he's wearing a pair of swim trunks. Whew. The Frenchman gathers the front of the wet yukata around his bare chest, and then other hand extends for the girl, veridant flames bursting forth brightly, water vaporating from his fingertips. "Well," he says with a giggle, "I assume you're ready now, right, cherie?"
COMBATSYS: Marisol fails to interrupt Brumaire from Ash with Snap Wind.
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Nahid 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/---====|
"THIS IS NOT A GIRL!" Marisol points out in response to Nahid's shouting, quite content to just leap through the air and punch a fist at Ash. Unfortunately for the redhead, he's a bit faster than anticipated; rather than punch him in the /head/, she only grazes his arm. But, hey. SHE BROKE A NAIL. That counts.
Landing with a loud splash, Marisol just frowns annoyedly at Ash. For the moment she just lets Nahid do what she will; she figures a girl as equally-loud as her will be in on the fun soon enough. So for now, she serves to distract. Ash spits up some kind of snot-colored chi, to which Marisol makes a face.
"That is so gross," she observes, before she tries to RUN FORWARD AT IT. A fist reels back--
But punching it out of existence and ideally punching Ash don't quite work out. Marisol goes flying back, hitting the edge of the onsen with a winded thud. She feels like she is going to throw up. "Hrrghhgh." She just needs a moment to get her back INTO PLACE.
Nahid fails to be distracted by Ash effectively removing his shirt. To be fair, it's not like he was fazed when she took off hers.
"I noticed he's not a girl! He doesn't have any boobs, it's kind of obvious!" Nahid yells back at Marisol, as she shifts her weight slightly. "We still have to beat him up, though!" Having gotten used (sort of) to the way waist-high water impedes her progress, Nahid starts a slow run forward. She realizes about halfway that this is not exactly the best plan; she started at the shallow end and it's a little deeper as she wades across it. She's forced to take long, loping strides.
But she still manages it, getting to Ash about the same time Marisol is being thrown halfway across the onsen. Nahid takes one last leap and stops, her feet hitting the ground and stopping; she levels a crushing palm-strike at Ash's side, holding the dripping arm high afterwards, her hand still stiffened into a flat plane with the approximate yieldingness of a block of stone.
COMBATSYS: Ash blocks Nahid's Stone Hand Soul.
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Nahid 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/---====|
His flames... are gross? Far from insulting him, the Frenchman actually thinks the reaction is unique, but his attention is also fleeting. Allowing the green chi to sizzle out, Marisol off on the first flight to Hurtsville, Ash casually tucks a lengthy strand of hair back behind his ear, the manner in which he does so decidedly feminine. That felt quite nice - he'll get his poor, broken nail fixed later. They probably have something like a spa here, right? Please?
Still gripping the front of his yukata, Ash has only ditched the towel that was underneath, not anything else. And seriously, what's there to be stunned by when it's just a couple of under-developed young girls? D'ohoho.
He doesn't get much more of an opportunity to relax than that between the two attacks, Nahid there moments after her partner is gone, wading through all that water just to reach him. How nice! The pace of this should keep him entertained. The flamewielder meets the strike meant for his side with his fist, a wet 'smack' signifying its impact and a successful block.
Smiling at the girl in the moments she's close to him, Ash says, "You ladies are very loud." They keep shouting back and forth about his gender; considering that he's going to wind up in enough trouble as it is, don't make things worse! Withdrawing his fist just a tad, his fingers extend, attempting to wrap around Nahid's wrist seconds later. Provided that he's able to catch her, he twists the whole arm back behind the girl and kicks out her legs.
Cruel? Yes. But normally he'd stomp on his opponent's back and grind their face into the pavement. Since Ash is fighting women, he's not going to be that much of a jerk. Not when they could drown, too.
"Hrmrmgphgh," is Marisol's response to Nahid as she cries back, the redhead half-sprawled across the onsen tiles. Eventually the dizziness wears off, and with a furrow of her brow and a low grumble, Marisol peels herself off the onsen's edge and gets back on her feet. Turning to face Ash and Nahid, the girl's gray eyes casually observe both. Nahid is moving in--she likes this girl already! Plus, she looks pretty strong. HMM. She will have to punch with her later.
"COMIN' IN!" the half-Spanish girl shouts as Ash makes his advance upon poor, helpless Nahid. She'll attempt to wade and skirt around before getting frustrated by the sluggishness of the water and leap, attempting to punch him in his pretty face. She'll follow up by landing and swinging a fist up, to uppercut Ash in his pretty jaw before twisting around with a midair hop (Forget the water makes this hard OK!?) to swing her leg around and hook kick him in the side of his pretty head. "GRAGH!"
COMBATSYS: Nahid blocks Ash's Medium Kick.
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Nahid 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/----===|
Nahid hasn't been a young teen for a while; she's seventeen. To say nothing of the rest of it.
Nahid goes into a half-crouch, the massive splay of her hair floating on the water behind her, as Ash grabs her wrist. He manages that, all right, but her arm is almost entirely unmovable. It just refuses to bend as Nahid tenses it, and locked in place, it won't twist behind her either. She catches the kick on her other hand, which stings a little but fails to knock her over.
"Yeah, I'm loud, but at least I'm not a fruit," Nahid snaps, straightening back up from the uncomfortable-looking position. Her fingers pop as she unlocks the joints, audible to at least Ash. Since she's still right in front of him, she braces against the bottom of the onsen, her entire body tense, and throws an enormously telegraphed punch with her left hand; she puts her entire body into it, practically flinging her weight behind the blow. Except her feet. They never move an inch, and she straightens up afterwards, awkwardly from the wild push forward.
"Hey, partner," she calls back, as she straightens. "Keep an eye on him, eh? He's kind of grabby." In the literal sense, in that Nahid got grappled.
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Ash with Iron Whip.
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Nahid 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Ash dodges Nahid's Rooted Mountain Heart.
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Nahid 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/--=====|
All Nahid's age means is that she's too big for diapers and too young for booze. It's like, the worst place ever to be... And lest we forget, his thoughts of development spawn from growing up with Elisabeth. That should say a lot right there; she's very well-endowed!
What is it with people and verbally insulting him today, Ash can't help but wonder (Shenwoo doesn't count, because Shen is always rude). He can understand the girly bastard thing, for the flamewielder is a vain man that cares a lot about his appearance, but... 'fruit'? Sigh. "Ah, cherie, you really should have some respect for your elders." Aside from attempting to beat her up, has he really done anything to warrant such treatment? Hmph.
With his kick not knocking the girl down as intended, blocked somehow by a combination of her unmovable arm and other hand, he releases Nahid and sluggishly draws back. This apparently puts the Frenchman right in the way of a fist to the face, knocking his head harshly to the side. Platinum blonde hair spills across his freckled features, and he winces in pain, first thought thereafter to immediately defend himself. Should he block, dodge or kick her in the stomach...?
The seconds spent debating cost him dearly, and he's struck under the chin. Stumbling back, clearing the reach of Nahid's weighty punch, Ash is then smashed down into the water of the onsen by Marisol's hooking leg. For just a brief moment, the bath is still, but the Frenchman resurfaces with a gasp, wet hair in his face, "Ug--" Wrapping an arm around his midsection, he spits out the water that THANKFULLY wasn't swallowed. Disgusting. The man swipes the wet sleeve of his yukata across his mouth. "Ahaha, that was quite good." Now let's see if she can do it again...
After he tries to punch her in the gut for hitting him in the face and knocking him down. Ash can't swim, you know.
COMBATSYS: Ash successfully hits Marisol with Messidor.
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Nahid 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 1/------=/=======|
Nahid's shout earns her the attention of Marisol, but she's currently a bit busy trying to put her fists into poor Ash's TOO PRETTY face. It seems to do the trick; he's struck, reeling slightly from the blows. Marisol's fists curl just a little tighter. Heh, yeah, that's the stuff, Marisol!
Then he punches HER in the stomach. She stands her ground, perhaps foolishly, as she underestimates the strength of Ash's girly hands. He hits a lot harder than she anticipates; struck, she staggers, actually falling back and INTO the onsen waters before gasping and flailing. She quickly stands back up, wincing in pain.
IT ISN'T THAT DEEP ASH.
"Hah, you sure hit a lot damn harder than I figured someone that looks like you would. Good show!"
To show him how much she appreciates his MANLINESS, Marisol goes to headbutt Ash in the face. Yeah. "HRAGH!"
"Well, you /are/," Nahid huffs. Seriously, that is totally a fruity look right there.
Shaking her arms out as she finally untenses the muscles and bone, Nahid takes a slightly less drastically defensive pose. She edges around to one side, letting Marisol go for the - headbutt?
"Haha, awesome." Nahid sounds approving. "Normally I have to do that myself." Having found the best place, Nahid edges forward, only lifting one foot at a time for balance. The water bouys her; she's still not used to how it feels on her legs, entirely. A few moments' practice does not training make.
Which is why she just levels another strike with her upper body at Ash, a palm strike at about chest level but coming in from the side. Nahid lets out a wild yell as she does, putting a step forward into the blow and adding more force to it.
COMBATSYS: Ash just-defends Marisol's Headbutt!
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Nahid 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Ash interrupts Strong Punch from Nahid with Rapide Ventose.
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Nahid 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 1/-------/=======|
Hey. You know what? A larger man than Ash can actually drown in a SHOWER. Figure that out, smarty-pants.
Also, tankinis are for grannies.
Fist arriving at its intended destination, he's somewhat impressed that Marisol can still stand. She's definitely not as fragile as action and appearance would suggest... But then again, neither is Ash. He straightens, pushing the hair from his face, clicking his teeth together. There's an irritating stinging in his cheek, but nothing he can't handle. A nice soak afterwards should prevent him from bruising... Provided that he's not punched enough that bruising is inevitable.
Complimented in a very strange way, the Frenchman bows lazily, eyes flickering from the Spaniard to Nahid, ready and waiting. Ash isn't really sure what's going to come next, but when it does, Marisol attempting to smash her forehead into his nose, he does the first thing he can think of: The flamewielder catches the redhead by the face, quite comically. He steps back, hands up, then slaps them onto Marisol's attacking noggin. It won't hurt her, but she might wind up rather surprised!
"Ahaha, I can see why you like Shenwoo so much, but a pretty girl should be more careful, lest she wind up with a broken nose." Could this be a warning of things to come? Is he so brutal that he would break a young girl's nose? Stay tuned!
Until then, hardly so focused that he misses the yell signifying Nahid's fist incoming, Ash pushes away from the God of Battle's fangirl, punch skimming the bottom of his ribs. He grunts softly, but never show an enemy an opening, tomboy. The Frenchman seizes the opportunity, right when inertia probably carries the girl a bit too close to him, backhanding a bright crescent of 'gross' flames right into her face. Unpleasant, but at least he's not grabbing her, hmph. "Ah, you need to try harder." Puh, he blows out the remnants of green from his fingertips.
Wait, that wasn't supposed to happen!
Marisol is pretty damn surprised when her head is caught by Ash and held in place. She VERY NEARLY begins to flail her arms in a desperate frenzy to punch him, but catches herself before she completely makes a fool of herself. With a growl she hops back and glares at the Frenchman, teeth gnashing behind her full lips. Nahid, your appreciation of headbutts is certainly noted, but she cannot answer back right now!
When Ash mentions Shenwoo, she blushes. "Don't try to distract me!" she bellows as Nahid goes in for the kill. She flinches, however, when the girl is slammed by a nasty orb of booger-green flame. "That sucks," she observes. But maybe he's distracted--
With a dash (as best as she can in onsen water) at the Frenchman, Marisol attempts to deliver four hook punches at his face before she'll reel her fist back and clench it tightly--only to unleash on Ash's face a payload of PAIN, courtesy of her might fist. "RAAAAAGH!"
She LIKES her tankini, damn it.
Nahid agrees, tankinis are not where it's at.
The blast of energy doesn't just hit Nahid; it launches her across the onsen with a huge splash as she goes completely underwater. She's in no danger of drowning, though; she pops back up almost immediately, sputtering slightly and with her hair plastered across her face. She shoves it out of the way with mixed success; she has enough of it that it just falls back down again.
"Asshole," she grumbles, ignoring the ache in her arm as best she can. Planting one hand on the edge of the onsen, Nahid vaults out, grabbing one of the little buckets they have in it (why? she doesn't know) and throwing it with the arm that didn't just get scorched by hideous green flame.
She has a mean arm.
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Ash with Atom Smasher.
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Nahid 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ash dodges Nahid's Thrown Object.
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Nahid 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/-------|
He blinks an innocent blink, "Distract you?" Oh HEAVENS no, cherie, that wasn't the man's intention at all... But if Marisol wants to willingly hand him an advantage, who is Ash to refuse? He'll gladly accept the added edge, thin lips curling back into a secretive sort of smile. Shenwoo will similarly regret this day, as if the Frenchman didn't harass him enough after seeing those bikinis - someone has a cruuuuush! It's so cute. "I could set you two up with a nice dinner. He's my roommate." Ash giggles gently, but his cunning moment is ruined, because /someone/ has to go and call him an asshole. Sadface.
On the other hand, Marisol is doing quite well against the flamewielder - better than he thought - because her first punch impacts on his guard, the second breaks it, the third strikes true, the fourth causes him to stumble... When Ash looks like he's able to recover from all of that, side profile to the girl, gathering the yukata yet again around the front of his thin body, the pale man is bashed down into the water with a cry of shock.
BAM! The doors to the onsen burst open, and a member of the staff is standing there, hiking up her kimono, "Where's the pervert?!" A girl accompanying her points... but since Ash is nowhere to be seen, the older woman's hands find her hips. "Now see here, you'll have to wait until the fight is over before using the baths--" and the conversation trails off as the now disgruntled attendant pulls the guest away, clearly annoyed by this waste of time.
Where's Crimson? Did he drown? No, he hasn't, because there's an explosion where he should be... Or maybe a more accurate description would be 'sudden evaporation'. Ash stands in the midst of fog, weathering the rush of onsen water attempting to fill the gap, and there's a giant ball of snot--uh, fire in his hands. "Stop doing that, okay?" With a bone-chilling, creepy as all GET OUT smile, he ushers it off gently for Marisol... but the rolling, coiling ball is anything but slow, and it's definitely not going to tickle.
COMBATSYS: Ash successfully hits Marisol with Thermidor.
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Nahid 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 1/-------/=======|
"You heard me!" Marisol barks before she turns her attention to Nahid. Jerking her head slightly to the side, she shouts, "You okay over the--what did you saaaaay?" Did he say he can set her up with Shenwoo? They live together? OH MAN.
Meanwhile, Ash has since been submerged in bathwater. At least it's /girl/ bathwater?
Dusting her hands, Marisol feels content. That's about when the doors burst open and some woman is shouting. The half-Spaniard girl blinks a few times before she points toward the waters in which he fell. When she looks back over her shoulder he's still not up. Woops. Is he...dead?
"Uhhh, okay?" she comments to the women before turning toward Nahid. "You are okay, aren't you?"
Then the waters suddenly evaporate and Ash is standing there with some fire. Marisol blinks, then makes a face. She just starts walking toward him. Then she starts to power walk. Then she starts to jog, even as the sphere bursts out. She is intent on just barging right through it!
...instead, she can't quit get through.
Flying back and then half-buried into the onsen wall, Marisol is bleary-eyed, barely conscious and smoking from the fiery impact. A few seconds later she falls off the wall in a heap. "Hurgh," is her response as she slowly tries to pull her body off the floor. Once upright, she glares at Ash. "Okay, I'm done being nice!"
Breaking into a lagging sort of dash, Marisol's fists erupt with dandelion-yellow energy. Once she closes in (IF SHE CAN) on Ash she'll throw three fiery hooks before a fiery uppercut to his jaw. If it connects cleanly she'll grab him by the throat and headbutt him before she ducks low, clenches her arm painfully-tight and releases upwards, a devastating (and fiery) uppercut to send him flying! OR so she hopes.
Nahid did seem to get hit pretty hard from the flames. She certainly weighs more than a potato.
Unless it's a very large potato, anyway.
"Are you patronizing me!?" Nahid demands of Ash, though she barely knows what the word means and is kind of guessing. "You don't need to wish me better luck next time and /agh/, that shit pissed me off!"
She certainly looks okay when Marisol looks over. A little sore, perhaps, but she's a tough girl, she can take it. Her irritation is draining; she's not good at treating this seriously, and when the staff barges in, she says, "You just missed 'em - " Oh. They're leaving again. Well that was quick.
Looking back to the water, Nahid /does/ wonder if maybe Ash is down for the moment. But it doesn't seem as if he is, based on the steam explosion. If her hair wasn't plastered to her before, it is now.
Taking a running start, Nahid throws herself through the air above the water rather than force her way through it; she forward flips through the air, arcing in a single powerful descending kick with another yell.
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Ash with Cloud Nine.
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Nahid 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Ash
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Marisol 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Ash dodges Nahid's Falling Water Reach.
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Nahid 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Ash
[ \\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/------=|
Aw, she's done being nice? Guess that means Marisol doesn't want to be set-up on a date with the legendary God of Battle, nor is she really all that interested to know Shenwoo is somewhere in the area at this very second.
Oh well.
The Frenchman winces in what could be called sympathy as the redhead is no match for the writhing orb of energy. He half-expected as much. Brawlers can never compare to his flames; this is proven fact. Chuckling afterwards at the angry-sounding demand, Ash wonders outloud, "Why would I ever do something like that?" before the Spaniard breaks his guard AGAIN - what's up with that? Whether or not he winds up face-down in girl bath water after this isn't much of a consolation, but Marisol doesn't knock him down... And it also doesn't hurt as much as it should. "Come now, try harder." Crimson is grinning when she headbutts him, and after he's uppercutted, he pushes off from the onsen's floor at the same time, springing up into the air, thick with steam, causing his hair and the wet yutaka to cling to his fair skin.
Body twisting, where Nahid ends up, obviously missing by a long-shot, Ash lands heavily behind her, his back to the American. We'll say that this is conveniently located in a more shallow end of the onsen, because his leg lifts, bare heel igniting, and the Frenchman is kicking up at her. It's cheap, but this fight is two against one - an unfair set-up in and of itself. "You're too slow for me, cherie!" And he laughs some more. If uninterrupted, Ash doesn't rise that far, owing to the weight of his clothing. He turns to the side and hits the floor in a weird crouch instead, unable to complete what would have been a graceful backflip.
Even though his hair is wet, he still lifts a hand to toy with it. Ho hum.
If Marisol weren't so high on adrenaline AND pain in that moment after Ash goes flying, she may very well have cheered herself. But now is not the time, and Marisol knows better than to cheer too soon. She's barely conscious as it is; thankfully the onsen steam makes it a little more tolerable. It also makes her kind of want to just take a damn nap.
Meanwhile, as Ash recovers and taunts poor Nahid, Marisol is already planning her next move. She frowns a bit as the other girl is teased, but she knows he's probably doing it to not only be a complete ASS but also to probably throw her off. She's not entirely stupid! Maybe.
So while Ash flips and summarily lands, Marisol is coming in from behind to attempt to grab him behind by the throat (AGAIN) SO VERY HARD and headbutt him the back of his head before she donkey punches Ash in the back of his skull to send him sprawling! "NGH!"
How she does not have a concussion yet is a miracle.
COMBATSYS: Nahid stops Nivose from Ash with Solitary Peak Palm.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Nahid 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Ash
[ \\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/-------|
It's working. Nahid is used to being the teaser, not the tease-ee; she doesn't really know how to react to it with anything, because having a smart mouth back at him just doesn't seem to work. He's far too... Ash for that.
Nahid hits the water with a splash and gets her feet under her, amazingly not falling over after her misaimed flipping jump, though she has to take a step or two to absorb the impact of her landing. One hand goes up to adjust the shoulder strap, since her swimsuit was apparently not designed to do acrobatics in (how many of them are?).
Nahid stays low, and the flaming foot comes at her waist-high. She suddenly thrusts her hand forward, giving that little mental /push/; her fingers vibrate with tension and power, and there is a flash of silvery sparks as the chi of the heel impacts her hand and is repelled by the latent telekinetic aura. It still stings; she feels the impact up her arm, and it basically shatters the gathered power, leaving Nahid reeling but unharmed.
COMBATSYS: Ash dodges Marisol's Suicide Catch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Nahid 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Ash
[ \\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/-------|
Nahid started it. She was calling him bad names. Honestly, there is absolutely no reason why /anyone/ would attempt further pleasantries when their efforts are rewarded with insults, so Ash tossed in that towel long ago, and is probably better off for it. He's having way more fun being a catty jerkwad back, because the American really has no idea how to get under his skin, whereas the Frenchman is something of a master at pushing people's buttons, unintentional or not.
"Well, since the attendant might come back, perhaps I should stop playing around." They'd probably yell at him, and tug Ash out by the ear. Doesn't sound like the best way to make an exit here... Wait, was he actually aware that they stopped in at all earlier? Huh. "Looks like you're about down for the count." And Ash just... attacks. Lunging across the short distance, there's a grab for the girl's shoulder, followed by punches, a sharp knee to the abdomen, and one final uppercut.
COMBATSYS: Ash successfully hits Marisol with Vendemiaire.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Nahid 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Ash
[ <
Marisol 0/-------/---====|
"God how annoying!" is Marisol's response when Ash douche-y dodges her punches. Furrowing her thin brows, the hot-blooded half-Spaniard girl just grinds her teeth in annoyance. That was such a cool ambush, too! And he makes it look so easy to just avoid the wrath of O'Connell!
And what's annoying is he continues to look frighteningly pretty despite being punched and soaked in water. The NERVE.
"I am not down ye--HEY!"
Ash comes and tries to grab her like a pervert. Surprised, she's grasped and punched, then kneed, then uppercutted into the damn air. She flies ...and falls with a loud splash. For a minute she does not get up, and it looks like poor Nahid is ON HER OWN. Until--
"GARRGHGHH!"
LEAPING out of the water, Marisol just barrels right at Ash, attempting to punch HIM back in the gut before snagging his ~BEAUTIFUL~ blonde locks and kneeing him in the face before swinging a leg up to kick him square in the jaw.
Then she totally staggers back before she falls and hangs off the side of the onsen's edge. "S-sorry girl, gonna have to let you t-take over." She's spent!
COMBATSYS: Marisol can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Nahid 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Ash
Ash goes past Nahid; she's not the fastest of combatants, having a tendency to plant her feet and swing from there with all the force in the world behind her. She turns in an attempt to follow, but he's already going after Merisol.
Nahid winces. That looked like it hurt like a bitch. She's as surprised as anyone when Marisol lunges back /out/ of the water, though it's a short-lived recovery. "You got it. I can handle this guy," she says, tilting her head left then snapping it right.
Yeah. She's ready.
Surprisingly, Nahid's first attack is not an especially brutal one. The long lunge is impressive, but the attack is more a set-up than anything else; she palm-strikes right near his chest (she avoids the head), then follows it up with a mid-range kick at about stomach level as hard as she can. "Come on, play serious now! Or as serious as you can be."
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Ash with Chain Reaction.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Nahid 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Ash
COMBATSYS: Ash blocks Nahid's Combo Attack.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Nahid 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Ash
He's not a pervert, GOD.
Finally, Nahid 'goads' him into fighting, and he can't help but laugh, "Oh, cherie. I don't really have much energy to continue, but if you insist..." He will spare what little is left for the American who really isn't worth it. Still hunched over, Ash twirls his finger around and around in the air, tracing a circle, before he extends his hand palm-up. That giant ball of emerald flames makes yet another appearance, as if drawn to life, and then Ash says, "Here you go!" before he takes a seat in the water, fire off and away. Ah, you know, these hot springs really are nice. He relaxes, leaning back and using his hands to support himself.
"I thought I would come back... You're not supposed to be in here, sir!"
Oh god, that lady is back. He's really going to get dragged out by the ear now, "I tried to tell you, there was a misunderstanding." Ash somewhat explains, lazy and sluggish. Oh well, whatever.
COMBATSYS: Ash can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nahid 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Ash successfully hits Nahid with Thermidor.
~~ Alluring Hit! ~~
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Nahid 1/=======/=======|
This really does prove that you can't bring Americans anywhere.
Nahid deals with being dismissed poorly. Not worth it? Thank goodness he didn't actually /say/ that; she would've gone off yelling again. She huffs slightly when he barely takes it seriously enough to continue to fight at all, raising her fist as if to strike him again - though there is that ball of fire in the way...
Nahid bulls through it, arm held crosswise across her body first, as if she was holding a shield. The ball of fire explodes into tiny glittering wisps, half of which settle on Nahid. They burn; she ignores them, teeth grit, though they do an admiral job of lighting her up and making an interesting silhouette.
Until she realizes she's burning, anyway, and yells, dunking underwater to make the nasty fire finish fading. Rising back up, feeling a little scorched still, she jabs one finger right at Ash just as the other woman comes in.
And then she grins. Slightly wobbly on her feet, Nahid remains up, bright-eyed and only a little dizzy; chi sometimes takes her like that. "It's okay," she says, "we beat him up for you. Drag away." She takes a couple steps over toward the edge of the onsen and sags there, across from Marisol. Ow ow ow, she thinks, that stupid green fire hurts like a bitch.
"Sir, you are to go to the men's baths right this instant! How you got in here is anyone's guess..." Ugh, she's really mad, ranting, and still not listening. Ash just gives up, because arguing is a bother, heaving himself out of the water. He leisurely strolls over, bare feet slapping against the wooden panels on the edge of the onsen, and doesn't seem appropriately ashamed of his intrusion, like the staff lady thinks he should, "Look at you, standing there, bold as brass!"
Crimson rolls his eyes, then continues walking, "I need a proper yukata, the women's one is too short."
She blinks, turning after him, "How on earth did you get a woman's yukata?"
"I told you," Ash says, shrugging with indifference. The last Nahid will see of him (for now, perhaps) is a casual wave, "Adieu, garcon manque. Hopefully those flames didn't singe too much." But if they did, there's a first aid kit with burn ointment, ha ha. He'll need to take care of his face... The left eye is feeling a bit puffy already. Damnit. His head also hurts where his hair was yanked.
COMBATSYS: Nahid has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:40:20 11/21/2010 by Marisol, and last modified on 12:36:30 12/02/2010.