Description: Reese and Xian meet up at the arcade in Metro City for an NDP match! Someone really likes to see Reese at arcades, and yet another pinball machine gets used to trash someone! (Winner: Xian)
Arcades.
Why does she always wind up at arcades?
Reese Jones, archaeologist and thief, had gone to a lot of trouble to //not// be wearing her usual gear today. Were she to dress in her normal manner, she'd have to spend ages explaining that she's not who they think she is, she's not there to promote a new game, and no, she doesn't know how to get past such-and-such a level.
Reese Jones looks... //average// today. Oh, she's still got the kahki pants and knee height boots, but the knotted safari blouse that is her norm has been switched out for a comfortable tee. Gone are the fedora and gloves, and rather than wear her bomber jacket, she's opted for a long cardigan just a few shades darker than the pants.
Yep. Reese looks fairly average.
But it doesn't mean she's not come prepared to fight.
Xian, on the other hand, -loves- arcades. And, hell, this is Metro City. It's like being home. She's been here many times before, but never to fight, and so she wonders what the place is going to look like...
... and then she gets her answer. "Huh, they moved all the DDR machines out? Guess that makes sense," she muses, to herself, as she wanders in. Defiantly, she is wearing her Taiyo uniform still. Gotta rep. When she sees her opponent, she recognizes her immediately--she was, after all, her first SNF opponent! One doesn't forget that easily. "Hey!" she shouts, cheerfully, as she divests herself of her backpack and tosses it over the counter in a familiar way--maybe she knows the attendant on duty--and hurries over to the cleared-out spot.
"Maybe I'll do better this time," she says, with a grin.
At the shout of 'hey', Reese turns her head, ponytail bouncing. Then she smiles. "I'm sure you will, mate." Well there's no point in being mean, is there? The cardigan is shrugged out of and set atop a dysfunctional pinball machine. There's a glance around to ensure the camera crews (that's right, there happens to be more than one lurking about) are ready.
With nods coming from both crews, the Aussie rolls her shoulders back.
There may be no point in being //mean//, but it doesn't mean she's not going to ensure her opponent is on the ball. Speeding toward the cleared-out area, she swings in a swift punch. "Let's do this."
COMBATSYS: Reese has started a fight here.
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Reese 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Xian has joined the fight here.
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Reese 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Xian
COMBATSYS: Xian just-defends Reese's Jab Punch!
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Reese 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Xian
Not much in the way of niceties--or warning! But that's okay, Xian's been trained for that, in some of the more harsh methods--such as her sifu hiring kids to attack her while she was out on errands. So she reacts admirably, stepping into the angle of the punch, snapping a forearm up and not deflecting it, but getting her forearm inside the punch and moving it off to the side, defusing the impact entirely.
"Whoa, hey!" she remarks, as she does so, "Didn't know we were in a hurry but, okay!" And she responds in kind, because she can't do anything else, can she? Battle is joined and she can't just back out. So the Taiyo girl seeks to then trap that punching arm and use is a lever--a way to control Reese as she steps around and behind the Aussie, then as a pushbar to shove her forward and over Xian's outstretched right leg to trip her.
COMBATSYS: Reese counters Quick Throw from Xian with Artifact Snare.
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Reese 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Xian
"We're not." Xian's response time is amazingly good, and Reese has to nod at it. She's not about to let the girl get the upperhand that easily though. As soon as the punching arm is caught, the Aussie has her whip out in the other hand. There's no snapping it to draw Xian's attention, instead she waits until the girl begins to twist her around for a trip.
That's when Reese strikes back. The whip is lashed out at Xian, snaring the leg that's meant to trip her up, and yanking the girl off her feet. With a bit of showmanship and finesse, the Aussie then drops the poor girl onto her back and grins.
"Forgot how quick you were."
Xian grimaces as she's whip-tripped, but bounces back up to her feet. "Not quick enough," she mutters, chagrined. How is it that this Aussie just seems to have her number? She remembers the last fight not going well for her at all--but how can she turn things around? Just to keep herself busy, while she's processing her thoughts, she begins a series of harrying, harassing attacks, around half just feints.
Finally, though, she marshals her thoughts and, on the last feint, she makes it a real attack--kicking upwards, aiming her right heel for Reese's chin in a swift front kick. Her goal is to snap the heel out and back--to avoid leaving Reese anything to counterattack...
COMBATSYS: Xian successfully hits Reese with Light Kick.
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Reese 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Xian
Foot meets chin, and Reese staggers back a step, her head snapping back from the kick. Rubbing her jaw she looks at Xian with green eyes narrowed. "Right. I've been accused of talking a wee bit much, mate, but there's no need to take my head off for it." The accusation is actually amusing, as she doesn't really talk all //that// much during fights.
Reaching out, she makes a grab for Xian's arm in order to flip her over toward one of the pinball machines -- she knows from experience that it hurts, but it doesn't stop her from taking a page out of Elias' book.
COMBATSYS: Reese successfully hits Xian with Quick Throw.
- Power hit! -
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Reese 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Xian
Painful it is, that's for sure, and Xian finds out quickly--the edge of the pinball machine digs into her back painfully, all the more so for the force with which she hits. She can't help but loose a cry of pain, which may or may not be satisfying to the Aussie--it certainly isn't for her! For someone who thought herself a skilled fighter, she's certainly finding out, very fast, just how far she has yet to go.
Bracing her right foot against the machine, she pushes off of it, and launches herself through the air, yelling, as she comes through a low arc, curling her legs underneath her--and, as she nears her opponent, attempting to drop her right heel on Reese's shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Xian successfully hits Reese with Falling Heel.
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Reese 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Xian
Reese would apologize for it, but at least Xian isn't cracking the pinball machine glass! It will take a great deal of work for her to get up to Elias' level with destruction of pinball machines, apparently. The kick hits her shoulder, knocking her back again. She's about to hit the ground when she bumps into an air hockey table, which pushes her forward a step and keeps the Aussie upright.
Holding the whip in her hand, Reese swings the handle out toward Xian, trying to catch her in the shoulder and knock her back a few steps in return.
COMBATSYS: Xian fails to counter Medium Punch from Reese with Crescent Moon.
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Reese 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Xian
She thinks she has an opening. Trap the hand, counterattack, get some position... but then a muscle in her back twinges and she buckles. And it's enough to shift her arms out of position. The whip-butt smcks into her shoulder and that just adds to the myriad sensations of pain, but she doesn't buckle for long.
More training. Definitely more training. The Marines say that pain is weakness leaving the body--but Xian isn't so sure. Right now, at least... she thinks pain is punishment for a little complacence. Too proud. She needs to break herself down a little, maybe. This might actually be a good experience for her...
There is a moment where Reese is thankful that she manages to follow through without interruption. While it doesn't knock Xian back a whole lot it gets her at a good enough distance for the Aussie to break out into her next plan of attack.
The whip is switched to the other hand, and she grins. Now that it's in its proper place, Reese feels a whole hell of a lot more comfortable. So much so that she lashes the whip out quickly several times to snap it at Xian's shins and feet, trying to knock her off balance a little.
COMBATSYS: Reese successfully hits Xian with Excavation.
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Reese 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Xian
She's struck by the whip despite her best efforts to avoid--but she isn't going to let the whip's range come into play. She has to be fearless--she has to endure. So she doesn't falter at all, charging forward--and looking to plant her hands in Reese's stomach.
Essentially, she covers up, runs in, and just tries to strike Reese in the stomach with both hands, a two-handed 'claw' strike. But she -does- have to deal with the whiplashing, and doing so takes some time--probably enough to give Reese a more than fair chance at whatever she wants to do.
COMBATSYS: Reese counters Strong Punch from Xian with In Situ.
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Reese 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Xian
Claw strikes to the stomach aren't exactly fun. Reese knows this, and so when Xian comes at her with the strikes the Aussie works quickly to avoid them. First with a punch to knock one of the arms away from her stomach, then with a grab to the wrist to keep the other from hitting her. Once she's gotten hold of the girl, she nods. "Quick recovery time."
Then she's roundhouse kicking the //heck// out of Xian to push her back a few feet, back to where the girl started the fight at, keeping a nice distance between them.
She's not going to be pushed back. Not like that. She takes the kicks but she doesn't let Reese back off that few feet. She may be losing--she may be on the verge--but she's not giving up. That dogged tenacity is what pushed her to her former heights, and it's one of the things that has defined her life...
And so she pursues, driving forward--*lunging* forward--looking to lock Reese up with her left arm, to slide it around her neck and immobilize her for a pair of strikes to the stomach. Her teeth are bared, subconsciously, an expression of determination and aggression both.
COMBATSYS: Reese blocks Xian's Medium Punch.
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Reese 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Xian
"What're ya going to do, mate? Bite me?" Reese can't help but chuckle at the teeth being bared at her, even as the girl locks her in the hold. Her right arm is immediately in play to block the damaging strikes coming in toward her stomach. Then she's wrenching herself out of the hold and turning to stare at the girl.
"I think you might need bigger teeth to do that."
One hand sets to the holsters on her hip, the other coils the whip up and latches it back to her belt. Then she takes a deep breath, and allows the silvery energy to flow from her hand down into the gun she's touching. It's not a whole lot of build up, but it's enough to charge her up for the rest of the match.
COMBATSYS: Reese gathers her will.
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Reese 1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1 Xian
Xian's only response is a battle cry--pursuing Reese still. She doesn't have enough presence of mind to banter back--and she doesn't seem to be interested in using kicks, at least, not right now. Her attack is more like a boxer's, head down, bobbing back and forth with a little weave--but that might just be some punch-drunkenness--
--as she continues to punch. Left, right, left, right, a series of body-blow hooks, ending with another 'claw' attack, both palms being slammed out for Reese's stomach once again--punctuated with another battle cry, this one shrill and high. Fei Long would be proud of that battle cry, piercing and powerful.
COMBATSYS: Reese blocks Xian's Rekka Rush.
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Reese 1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Xian
"Angry lil' thing, ain'cha?" Reese is just settling the energy into the gun and watching the head bobby, back and forth weave through the cleared out area. The amusement is apparent on her face, and she doesn't even bother trying to get out of the way of the attack. Instead, as the punches come in, she blocks them with her hands, making quick movements now that both hands are perfectly unencumbered.
"Bit of a shrill voice too."
That earns a wince, because shrill sounds aren't exactly the Aussie's favorites. She's not going to let it distract her though, for as quick as can be she's got the whip in her hand again. It's given a snap, and Xian is given a grin as the only warning before Reese lashes the whip out to snare it about the girl's neck and yank inward as she tries to lock on a choke hold. Tossing the whip from side to side, she intends on using poor Xian as a paddleball to daze her out of the mad-dash insanity.
COMBATSYS: Xian counters All About Me from Reese with Blazing Dragon Moon.
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Reese 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Xian
Finally, Xian manages a reply. "Determined," she parries, verbally, while she can--since that whip is coming for her neck. But she has a moment of clarity, and, trained as she is to react without conscious thought, she snaps her right forearm up--and lets the whip wrap around it. Quick as a flash, she wraps it around her forearm as Reese tugs--and then she plants her left leg and pulls down on the whip. That exposes Reese's head--and she takes advantage of it.
Suddenly, Xian's right leg is slamming into the side of Reese's head, the kicking leg aflame with fiery chi--and then, as she drops her grip on Reese's weapon, she turns again, smoothly, slamming another kick into Reese's head, burning hot, and then she backflips, the tips of her toes slamming into Reese's chin as Xian comes back up, panting hard.
Something about being kicked in the head -- with bright, fiery chi no less -- that annoys the Aussie. There's something //more// annoying about it happening twice in such quick succession that has Reese actually cursing. It's a rare thing for her to do in the midst of a fight, and even though she's not being dainty about it, she does try to keep the words under her breath.
Looking agitated, and worn down, she moves in for another strike after giving her jaw a quick rub again. This time she snaps the whip twice at the side of Xian's head. "Pay attention!" Then she's cracking the whip under her own feet and leaping over it, lashing the whip out in rapid succession. Three times, and she's about a foot closer to Xian. The fourth she leaps backward over the whip, lashing it out at the girl's knees while distancing herself once more.
COMBATSYS: Xian blocks Reese's Pay Attention!.
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Reese 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Xian
"I -am-!" shouts Xian, in reflexive answer to the command-mode exclamation of the Aussie--and with that whip cracking, she has to be -fast-. Her movements are slowed, but she avoids just enough to not take the full brunt of each cracking attack--though she yelps each time the partly-avoided hits land.
But her mind is clear now, and as Reese snaps the weapon around her, on the last snapping motion, Xian takes two steps and leaps again, seeking to plant a foot into Reese's upper chest, kicking out in a classic flying side kick.
COMBATSYS: Xian successfully hits Reese with Light Kick.
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Reese 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Xian
Kicked in the chest, the wearying Reese stumbles backward. It's just a foot or two, and it makes her grimace. "Good," the Aussie says as she straightens herself out once more. She's going to give this fight her all, even if it means playing a little dirty. Snapping the whip again, she moves forward. Looking as though she's going to ram the handle into the girl's face.
Instead, she reaches her left hand out at the last possible second in order to try giving Xian a quick flip over her hip as she passes.
COMBATSYS: Xian counters Quick Throw from Reese with Crescent Moon.
- Power hit! -
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Reese 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Xian
Xian has to remember this--this crystal-clear clarity, this almost supernal knowledge of what to do. This is what she aspires to. To react without thinking--to make action and thought one. She's so far from it. So far. But she can see it. She can attain it... someday. She knows the path. She just has to stay on it.
Ignoring the feinted strike, Xian grabs Reese's left hand in both of hers, stopping that attempt--and then Reese will find herself kicked in the head one more time, as the Taiyo schoolgirl releases the grip only to whirl herself backwards through another backflip, catching Reese under the chin one more time... and ending up right in front of the pinball machine Reese slammed her into, panting, weakened...
But still standing.
God damned kicks to the chin. Reese is going to have a nice bruise there for a good long while before it heals, and that's the most annoying bit about this. She honestly looks like she's down and out, unable to fight, unable to continue.
But she'll be damned if she's not going to go down like this -- with a kick to the chin (again) -- without any sort of retaliation. She takes a second to get back to her feet. Takes a second to compose herself before she moves in toward Xian one final time. Her footwork is a little slower than it was at the beginning of the match, but she pops her leg up for a sharp snap-kick toward Xian's chin -- payback.
COMBATSYS: Reese keeps on fighting!
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Reese 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Xian
COMBATSYS: Xian dodges Reese's Medium Kick.
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Reese 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Xian
Xian snaps her head to the left just in time--the kick whistles just past her cheek. "God, you're -tough-," she observes--the 'battle rage' having faded somewhat, her body screaming at her to stop--but her mind unwilling to let it go.
Xian drops to her left knee and hammers a knuckle-led punch outwards, seeking to drive it into the back of the kicking leg's thigh--she doesn't want to cripple her opponent, or even close, but she does want to win, and she's going to have to fight to do that. This has been a worthy fight, whichever way it goes... she's satisfied with it.
COMBATSYS: Xian successfully hits Reese with Jab Punch.
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Reese 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Xian
A whiff and a miss, and Reese just looks more put out by it. She's about to drive forward with another strike when the punch rams into her thigh, giving her a charlie horse. Which brings with it another slew of curses.
Still not giving up, she swings in with the whip once more, trying to grip the offensive little punching arm with the whip, and flinging Xian toward the pinball machine again. It's not a nice thing to do, and she's fairly certain she's not got the speed necessary for pulling it off, but the Aussie doesn't care.
COMBATSYS: Reese can no longer fight.
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Xian 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Xian parries Reese's Artifact Snare!
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Xian 0/-------/-======|
Still on one knee, she swivels around on that knee, using it as a pivot point, and aims an open-palmed strike at a very specific point--striking the whip's handle just forward of Reese's hand, to knock it out of alignment. She -does- feel bad about some of what happened, truth be told, but that's what fighting is like... and so, when she rises, she merely bows to the Aussie, solemnly.
"Thank you for the fight," she says. "It was... a learning experience for me." She does not express jubilation at the win, though she's feeling it, because Reese was a worthy opponent and pushed Xian to the limit, and that's more valuable to her than the win.
Log created on 09:51:58 11/19/2011 by Reese, and last modified on 23:59:09 11/19/2011.