Description: ~Months Ago~ The War is just beginning, and May Lee seeks out the Strongest Woman in the World, Chun-Li! Both are on their own journeys, Chun-Li laboring heavy under the weight of hers, and May Lee struggling to take on as many of the world's burdens as she can shoulder. From a failed attempt at a dramatic introduction, true friendship springs between the young Champion of Justice and the older Hero of China. In the words of a wise man: A bond is a deep connection that cannot be broken. Even if apart, heart and heart are connected.
War is serious business, but in these early days the populace is relatively unconcerned; nobody has been bombed, no young people sent off to die, loved ones haven't been adversely affected beyond the dim tremblings of looming terror. South Korea also has the protection of the American government, the United Nations building located in its capital of Seoul standing proud vigilance. With other matters to worry about in their recent history, the people walk with hearts light as regard the Shadaloo threat.
But 'the people' are not the reason Chun-Li has been summoned here. The Strongest Woman in the World has found time to break away from her high-pressured role as a tactical advisor and Interpol representative, her head spinning with the politics of it all as she walks quietly around a pleasant ceremonial pool in one of the city's malls. She's dressed not in her iconic attire, but in a tight, crisply ironed 'power suit' of the most dull variety. Black skirt, black jacket, white shirt and black tie.
At least a concession has been made to allow for her ever-present hair buns, the gold filigree trailing from them glinting in the sunlight streaming in through skylights above. She's been stopped several times already, by young fight fans, sparing them a pleasant smile and a few words of encouragement - but there's no hiding that her head is elsewhere. It's a hard job to get away from, even during supposed breaks. Even without her personal feelings, and the knowledge that she may soon be once more spearheading a paramilitary task force toward the man whose existence she so desires to end...
Sighing, she leans across the chrome guard-rail, soft brown eyes regarding the pool and its delightful lillies. She's so spent so many years being so driven, so resolutely pushing for counterstrike after counterstrike in this war she's never stopped fighting. Now she just wants it to end.
If only there were a few less politicians, and a few more heroes.
Ask, and ye shall receive.
Most people think that May Lee is, well, odd. And she is! She's a teenage fighter, it comes with the territory. Over the past few weeks, though, May has really come into her own. The moment she had learned about Shadaloo killing Ken's assistant, and that seems like years ago now even if it really wasn't, she had been propelled into action. She's a very small presence in a very large world, but she cannot do anything else. She has strength; not as much as her Master, nor as much as the legendary Strongest Woman in the World. Heck, she's not even in the same league, lets be honest.
But you don't need to be strong to be a hero. You just need to do what is Right.
And that is why May Lee has sought out Chun-Li. Having heard that the woman is in her home country, May Lee has jetted back from America, and started her frantic search for the hair-buns of Justice.
Which is why Chun-Li's quiet reflection is suddenly interrupted by a "YAHOOOOO---oooohhhhhdear!"
In May Lee's head, she was going to jump from the second floor, flip, and land poised elegantly on top of the fountain where she could introduce herself to Chun-Li.
What actually happens is that the girl jumps, and about halfway through the air, she starts to second guess herself. This was a terrible idea. Oh god what was she thinking?! She tries to pull back, which, naturally, being a fighter she can actually do, and in so doing, she screws up her forward jump, and...
*SPLASH*
%May Lee lands right in the bottom of the fountain with an almighty splash and groans. Not, the elegant introduction she had been hoping for! And now she's all wet!
"~I'm okay~"
Sometimes it seems to Chun-Li that the world follows a narrative; it's hardly a new idea, of course, that mythology begets reality begets mythology, but her existence seems to run according to certain patterns. Some are painful and heartbreaking - the constant elusiveness of her nemesis, his ability to retreat at precisely the moment she has him, even with no seeming contingency. And then-- the friends she loses, watching them fall on the battlefield, where even when more bloody than dead they are generally lost to her. But there's happy coincidences too, and perhaps the most affecting has been the presence...
Of those with a passing resemblance to the girl rocketing from the sky.
"Oh!" It's not yelled, the exclamation soft, accompanied by a blink of those pretty brown eyes. The detective's mouth forms an 'o' as she instinctively pushes back from the rail, her hands going wide enough to avoid most of the inevitable splashback as May Lee enters the water - at which point Chun-Li has one eye closed, cringing in sympathy that's only so good-natured because she can /tell/. This girl isn't an ordinary teenager at all; she has that aura, more potent than she may even know, to someone like the Chinese woman.
'I'm okay,' comes the assurance, and the Strongest Woman in the World breathes a laugh.
"You're very wet," she notes in frank response, leaning forward over the rail to offer a very sure hand, "And um, I'm not sure today was the best day to wear /white/." A good-natured frown on her brow, she'll make to pull off her very expensive if very dull jacket as soon as she gets a chance, and pass it off to May Lee - that's assuming this strange young woman doesn't envelop her in a huge or anything else so...
Well, there's only one word that comes to mind. 'Xiangfei-ish'.
May Lee hauls herself out of the fountain with some effort. She might not be seriously injured, but that really smarted! Public fountains are not designed for diving! She doesn't tackle Chun-Li, mostly because she is aware that she really is very wet. At the same time, though, she's still smiling. It is a weak little half-smile, but it is there! And as she takes the offered jacket, wrapping herself up in something warm and dry, she does start to feel better.
"I uhm, misjudged the distance." She says, as though this absolutely justifies her choice of clothing for diving face-first into public fountains.
"Anyway!" She declares, trying to shake it off. Come on, May Lee, it's just a concussion, WALK IT OFF YOU WUSS!
"I'm May Lee! I, saw your video. The one about, working together." She smiles wider, a genuine big beaming smile even if she's still got a pounding headache, as she looks up at the legendary fighter. "I wanted to say thank you! You've always been a huge inspiration for me... and I've been trying to get a team together to take on those Shadalosers! I want to help you!"
Concussions are pesky things. They're not a great idea even when you're the kind of fighter who steps on tanks like a miniature Godzilla (with better legs), and for all the potential and enthusiasm that the Korean Taekwondoka exudes from every irrepressible pore, Chun-Li is looking at her with some lingering concern as she launches almost seamlessly into her enthusiastic outpouring. Her name draws a faint widening of the eyes, quite easy to miss, though less so is the smile that pricks at the older woman's lips.
That video... she'd almost forgot, if truth be told, the response hardly the outpouring that Ken insisted it would be. There's no bitterness or disappointment on her part - especially now, knowing that it at least reached some of the right ears. Rallying cries are not made because one desires personal glory, but to turn thoughts in the best direction, to find and inspire hearts that otherwise may have beat more slowly. Inspiration is what creates the greatest men and women. If she can cause even a small stir...
Well, it's a start. Though this heart must already have been pounding considerably.
Heart. Not head. Though Chun-Li's head then receives quite the knock.
"Shadalosers?" She echoes, wide-eyed and almost incredulous before she begins to laugh. A hand goes to her mouth, covering it over as she controls herself, in that moment every bit the embarassed girl herself. It doesn't do to start guffawing in private. Composing herself with a breath, she allows a broad and very genuine smile to trickle through with at least a /little/ of that humour. But there's a serious point to be made here.
"You're welcome, though. I'm just glad you listened, and have the right idea. After all that's happened and has been said, there's so many people who think fighting is all about casual violence, that it's dangerous or harmful. Your master would be proud." Her expression turns a touch enigmatic there, a brow lifting as she says it. "If the time were better, May Lee, I'd be happy to stay and train with you, but I'm here because of the war. The best way you can help me, right now, is to get ready to stand alongside your people. Next time I come here, it might not just be me..."
She lets that hang for a moment, glancing away as she frowns. She wishes she /could/ stay. She looks back with sudden decisiveness, acting on impulse, hand reaching into her waistband to tug at a small leather case. It's holding her cellphone; the one she uses almost entirely for work, these days. There's about five numbers on it that aren't official, on the woefully-empty separate memory card she has for personal use.
"Look, we should exchange numbers. Although you should... probably sit down first."
And there's the motherly side as she glances at the crown of May's head, then moves to steer her toward a bench, in her other hand tapping away to locate her number on the cell. No, she doesn't know it. The only person she'd otherwise have tried to give it out to doesn't even know what a phone /is/. That bum.
May is no great tactician or philosopher. She has always seen fighting as being uniquely empowering! It doesn't hurt that she's got a great talent for it compared to the vast bulk of people, of course, but she'd learn Tae Kwon Do even if she had no talent at all. The art of her people meshes well with the way she wants to live her life. How *anyone* could look at Kim Kaphwan's style and think it is anything other than a pure expression of Justice is completely beyond her.
It doesn't strike her as odd that Chun-Li mentions her Master. Mostly, this is probably down to the concussion. She lets herself be guided towards the bench, where she wobbles to a halt and sits down. She'll be fine! She just needs to not go leaping head-first into the ground for a few days. This might be more of a challenge for her than it would be a normal person, but she's up to it.
From her pocket she produces a bright pink phone with a froggy dangle, and flips it open. Hers doesn't have a single number she would consider 'official business'! Oh, the joys of youth!
"You think they're really going to come after Korea?" She asks, forcing herself to focus her eyes and look up at the woman. "Master Kim *is* proud of me... he says so, anyway." And is Kim even capable of lying? May doesn't think he is. He's just... so *good* all the time. May Lee often feels a little guilty, as she harbors that deep dark desire to be recognized and have fame all of her own. Kim's achieved it all simply by being a genuinely Good Person. There's no secret ambition in him, as far as she's ever been able to tell!
Though he did once take the last meat bun...
Bringing herself back to reality, she lets out a long, slow breath. "They're just bullies." She says, "I know they are *dangerous* bullies, but Master Kim has taught me how to deal with them... you can't show fear, or they've already won! But if you have Justice in your heart, you can never be defeated!"
There's real conviction in her voice. In normal times, May just sort of bumbles through life, enjoying herself, training, and righting wrongs where she can find them. But these aren't normal times, and her very way of life is being threatened - apparently her home itself might be threatened! - And though she might be many things... May Lee's heart, her faith in the teachings of Master Kim and the rightness of Justice, are completely true.
"I hope they won't come after anywhere," Chun-Li offers with calm assurance, completely unthinking, the reply rolling off her tongue as easily as if it were her name or a called attack; a sign either of her own conviction or the fact she's been engaged in political discussions for several days now. Perhaps both. "But we have to be prepared, at all times, for all eventualities." That? That would be the Girl Scout talking.
She can't help but reaffirm her smile when the topic shifts back to Kim, confirming her suspicion as to the girl's identity and reminding her of those who've come before. Less Xiangfei now and more Sakura, though a little more innocent than both; certainly less brash, in spite of her entrance. With another surge of warmth she reflects that the girl's a lot more like her - bright colours and amphibian motif notwithstanding.
As for Justice... she wishes she still had that steadfast belief. Times change, people grow up, and somehow all that you take for granted as a younger woman becomes all chagrin and lingering bitterness. As though hope becomes less important, and ineffectual whining the key to all life's mysteries. Chun-Li draws in a breath, looking around and then back to May Lee after a thoughtful moment. She nods to the girl, brightness igniting what was - at the outset - quite a dull and aged face, betraying her own inner beauty.
"If you know that, then you've already learned half of what I could teach you." That part's actually true, even if she's lost sight of it herself. Belief. Belief is courage. Courage is strength. "As for the other half; if this war comes, I promise you I'll do my utmost to make this country my priority. I'll stand on the battlefield with both you and Master Kim," she calls him that too; because he's earned it, not simply because May Lee does. It's quite audible in her tone. "And we'll stand up to Lord Vega's bullying together."
Most people would sound slightly teasing at this point. Chun-Li...
Well, she just sounds frank and heroic, without really trying.
"Kim told me you were one of the finest pupils he'd had in a long time. I'd like to see that for myself."
May Lee's heart swells with pride. Kim told her that she's one of his best? That's really high praise! The way her face lights up shows that the confidence Kim has placed in her, even when she's not there to hear it, that means the world to her. May Lee might well have echoes of those other up and coming girls in the next generation... but she's very much her own person, too. She might be a little naive, but she *truly* believes in the fundamental message of those Tokusatsu shows she so enjoys.
Good triumphs over evil, and being a Hero means being willing to put it all on the line. May Lee might have high dreams of being someone others can look up to one day... but not at the cost of that ideal. Even if her story ends, like so many others that Chun-Li in her long career has known, in blood and pain on some anonymous battlefield where nobody will ever know about her sacrifice... she'll lay her life down with a smile on her lips, so long as it is in the defence of that great ideal.
~Everyone is searching for a world where they belong. A place of light, free of falsehood. We are continuing journey to go there.~
"Thank you."
May stands up, and bows to Chun-Li. Both hands together, she dips at the waist, and then straightens up. "I'd be happy to show you what Master Kim has taught me... but I wouldn't want to keep you! I'm sure we'll fight together soon... either in happy times, as friends, or back to back against the forces of darkness!"
There is not a trace of irony in her voice. That really is how she sees this; a pure dichotomy. Good vs Evil, Right vs Wrong, Light vs Darkness. The world of politics, grey middle ground and cynical reality... that is something that May Lee steadfastly refuses to accept!
People grow, and evolve, or so they say. But the truth is that even the strictest and most repressed 'mature' individual is a child at heart; May Lee's at a point herself where she could easily opt to immerse herself in a very staid and proper lifestyle, seeking a home, a job, and all the other trappings that form the Game of Life. Even some fighters want nothing more than that - that's the place they seek, that's their light.
For those who want it not, or for those who believe in heroism and villainy; for all who are /different/, it bears no shame to be wrapped in bright-eyed idealism. There's a pure, beautiful honesty in such behaviour. Those who fault it are either villains themselves, or so bound in propriety and social mores that they've lost sight of the person they once were... perhaps even of the person they will become. A good heart is not a flaw.
Chun-Li feels the load upon her shoulders lighten as May Lee bends at the waist, offering that simple gesture so easily taken for granted. Her words are just as frank, a million miles from the political spew that the World's Strongest Woman has had to suffer through these past days. She can't help but laugh as the 'forces of darkness' are mentioned, but it's a fleeting thing, lost as she considers the true weight of the words - the weight she knows they have for May Lee, even if the Taekwondoka bears a lighter load than she.
Her mouth pulls to a solemn line for a moment as she returns the bow in her own style - opened palm meeting closed fist, eyes remaining on the plucky heroine's. Why should they even consider irony? They are two of a kind, one merely more muddled than the other, more lost in the torturous ways of the world. There's the crime.
"I wish you could keep me, May Lee," the older woman offers rather wistfully as she straightens, then extends an arm - oddly bare without its customary bracelet, "But we'll see each other again, soon. I promise. Allies or friends; if I have to make the trip in my own time, I will. I'd like nothing more. Keep believing with all your heart and we'll see if we can't make that happen together. This world doesn't need war."
She waits for her grasp to be taken, tightening her grip in warriorlike fashion with the prodigy.
And then, she smiles, her eyes aflame in her own quiet way, "It needs justice."
Log created on 04:02:09 02/18/2012 by MayLee, and last modified on 06:02:33 02/18/2012.