Description: Nina arranges to meet the new leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu. The boss is a serious sort who seriously reconsiders her place within the organization. With such a solemn man in charge of the Zaibatsu, so clearly focused and intent upon his goal of peace, it may just be that Nina will struggle to find her place in this frightening new order.
Trying to meet the massive head of one of the world's largest and most successful companies is... actually not all that hard, when it comes to Heihachi. Nina has access to his secretary directly, after all. When the silver-haired man was asked whether he could see the pointy-haired boss, he simply gave her a thumb's up and said "Excellent." The massive double doors leading inwards would be easy to push open, revealing an excess of high quality space. The entire back wall is a floor to ceiling series of window panes, offering a breathtaking view of Tokyo's heart. Paintings worth millions line the walls, fantastical art is balanced precariously upon columns, and a massive desk imperiously resides at the far end, lacking so much as a chair opposite. There is a large red button and a large blue button upon it, for no readily apparent reason.
And what is Heihachi Mishima doing, a contender for the strongest man alive, and quickly becoming one of the richest? He's being spun in his giant leather chair by a huge bear with a red scarf. "Oye, Kuma!! Not too fast!!" The bear in question doesn't seem to listen, and gives a last, powerful THWAP. Losing balance, Heihachi lets out an annoyed grunt as his chair, and the venerable warrior, crash out of sight behind the desk. Perhaps he is a little bored.
Nina Williams has had something of a 'troubled' relationship with the Mishima Zaibatsu over the years. Thankfully, she doesn't remember most of it. (Not... that it would likely make too much difference if she did). She might have tried to kill Heihachi, and Kazuya, at some point in the past... but being turned into a Ninacicle has helped to smooth over most of that.
Whilst she's quite happy to just soak up the retainer offered to her by the Zaibatsu, it does seem to her like it might be worthwhile at least making a token effort to seem like she cares about what she's meant to be doing. So here she is. Dressed in a purple cocktail dress, stockings and high heels, the blonde strides into the office... at about the same time that Heihachi hits the floor.
... okay ...
"I suppose I should say thank you for letting me out." Which isn't actually the same as /actually/ saying thank you for unthawing her. But overall, it is good to be walking around again. That particular disturbing experiment having been finally decomissioned.
She doesn't say anything else yet though. It seems like it might also be a good idea to let him, uh, get... up first.
"Hnngh?" Heihachi's large hand impacts the desk, and he hauls himself up without any effort. His chair follows thereafter, and he heavily settles within it. Kuma observes Nina with some amount of wariness that isn't shared by the elder fighter. After a few seconds of intense scrutiny, he makes a simple statement. "...Who're you?" The events behind her training, freezing, and eventual release he actually had little to do with. It's not a particularly dismissive observation, and there's a ghost of near recognition as Heihachi strokes at his chin. "You look like someone capable..." Kuma points at the girl, seeming aghast. Roar, roar! "(She's an assassin made by the company! Don't you remember?)"
Nina's expression is utterly cold. It is a useful skill, being able to freeze your facial expression. Her mind runs through the possibilities; Heihachi could be testing her. He could be seeing how she will introduce herself. Whether the full extent of her memory loss is as thorough as reported. Or... or...
He could genuinely not remember her.
"Nina Williams." She says, at last. Eyeing the bear as it roars at her. She can't speak bear, and she has to wonder whether the critter is going to try and claw her face off in a second. What sort of lunatic keeps a pet bear, anyway?
"Your son used me in experiments. I'm an assassin." She lets that hang for a second before she continues, "So the question is, who do you want me to kill?"
Sadly, Kuma is the more reasonable of the two in every fathomable manner. Heihachi leans far back in his chair, twisting sideways while stroking slowly at his chin. "Nina Williams... Right." It's impossible to tell what he's thinking now, which is one of the reasons people have such difficulties dealing with the man. Being eccentric and powerful puts one rather on edge, if they can't predict what he might say or do next. "I remember being told there was some frozen vestige of my idiot son's reign. An assassin, eh?" Leaning forward, Heihachi looks genuinely curious now. "So. Are you going to try and kill me?" Absurdly, Heihachi almost seems eager for that to be the case. Kuma still seems concerned. "(We barely know anything about her!!)"
There are all sorts of ways that Nina could react to Heihachi. Some assassins might try to reassure him that their loyalty is absolute; that the money she is being paid (if he is even aware he /is/ paying her, which seems unlikely) is enough to keep her on side. Others might point out that if they wanted him dead, they'd hardly walk into the office and start chatting. Nina does neither of these things.
Instead, she raises one elegant eyebrow, and puts one hand on her hip, slouching on the spot. "That depends." She says, "Are you going to pay me to?"
Slowly, Heihachi grins, seeming amused in a somewhat friendly manner with Nina. Kuma is still looking between the pair with more then a little apprehension. "So it's just a matter of business for you, eh? Professional. Kazuya might have programmed you to try to strike me when my guard's down... I don't really care." A sort of dismissal there, which is doubtfully good for one's pride. Obviously, Heihachi doesn't consider it to be that big of a threat. "But right now... I'm not sure we need an assassin." He twists away then, facing the window and continuing to stroke at his non-existant beard. After some deliberation, he turns back around to face Nina. "How about we replace 'kill' with 'beat nearly to death'? You'd get the same rates, of course!"
Nina isn't exactly an honest person. Heihachi says he doesn't need an assassin, and, that might be true. All that really means to her is, she won't mention her retainer, she'll trust that he's too uncaring to actually check, and she'll sort out her own targets. The only thing sweeter than getting paid, is getting paid twice. Or three times. Or four.
"He could have." She admits, gamely, to the notion that she might have been programmed. She doesn't really know; she's only got the haziest notion of what was actually done to her during the twenty years she's been out. "And if you don't need an assassin, well, that's fine. Keep me in mind if that changes."
She pauses for a moment. Just beating him half to death? Well. If the money's good...
"Twenty thousand." She concludes. A man like Heihachi? Normally she'd want far more, because normally, she'd have to work hard to stack the cards in her favor. But if they aren't going to try and kill each other, then she isn't going to turn him down out of hand. "I'm cutting you a discount because you unfroze me. I don't like being in anyone's debt."
Ultimately, Heihachi cares little about things like money. To him, the Mishima Zaibatsu is a giant game, a way to engage in conflict without the restrictions of his aging body. Although that ended poorly on multiple levels, he cares more about Nina being capable then the eventual cost of that service. Trust, as well, is only optionally on the list. "Twenty thousand a beating... hrrm. I could always beat people up on my own, you know... you'd have to prove to me you are capable. Lee!" The intercom buzzer is pressed. "Bring me a check for twenty thousand dollars!!" There'd be about one awkward minute of Heihachi just sitting there, as Kuma begins to groom himself. He doesn't really offer any discussion, content to simply observe. And then the door opens, and Lee's stiff-legged advance swiftly takes him to the desk. He places the check there, gives a thumb's up, and just as quickly leaves. Pulling it over, Heihachi fills out the remainder. "Nina... Williams. For... Battling. Signed... Heihachi... Mishima." He then extends his hand in her direction. Once she takes it, he'd lean back, brows raised up expectantly. "Alright. ...Beat me up." Kuma double-takes suddenly.
"Oh, I thought you meant you..." Nina explains, "I don't have a set rate. It depends on the person. A thug isn't the same as trying to beat up Geese Howard, now is it?"
She then... waits. During the minute, she spends most of the time eyeing Kuma. "Your bear is very well trained."
The bear might be surprised by the request, but, Nina isn't at all. She nods her head once, after tucking the check into the pocket of her dress.
And then she swings her leg up and around. The woman's high-heeled shoe aiming to connect hard with Heihachi's gut, and shove him roughly back against his desk. It isn't a particularly powerful blow... if anything, it is testing. She /suspects/ that Heihachi is infinitely more capable than an old man like himself has any right to be... but she'll need to confirm that for herself, won't she? It isn't like she has access to a huge amount of files detailing the exact nature and makeup of his fighting ability!
COMBATSYS: Nina has started a fight here.
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Nina 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Heihachi has joined the fight here.
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Nina 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Heihachi
COMBATSYS: Heihachi endures Nina's Quick Kick.
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Nina 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Heihachi
Kuma looks very proud at the mention of being well-trained. Although Heihachi scoffs at the notion, himself. "I never trained Kuma in anything but fighting! I barely even remember he's a bear, usually." Other then that, they simply sit there. It's a pretty good payment for a battle, really. Yet it's true; if you asked anyone, they would say that Heihachi is one of the strongest people alive. ...Awhile ago. He has not been a very public fighter for quite some time now. And then her foot lashes out, striking Heihachi in the gut just as intended. His chair then begins to wheel away, slowing down before bumping lightly into the glass wall behind. Arms remain crossed before his chest, expression pained. "Hnngh! Not bad." he offers, patting the spot where her sharp heel dug deep. "But you didn't knock me out of my chair... Try again!!"
COMBATSYS: Heihachi takes no action.
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Nina 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Heihachi
If there's one thing that she /does/ remember, ingrained in her as deep as any other instinct, it is that old fighters never cease to be a threat. It doesn't matter how defenseless they might appear, nor how decrepit with age. If you try and kill them, suddenly they remember how to defend themselves. Its really pretty frustrating.
Nina nods her head once. There's no more conversation about the bear from her; instead, she turns her attention to the fight. Okay. She needs to do better than that? Then she'll do better. If getting him out of the chair is the metric...
Nina is blindingly fast as she closes on him, aiming to grab the older man by the right arm. If she manages it, she puts her back into the hauling. Aiming to bring him up, and twist him around in front of her. This alone would be enough to dislocate the shoulder of lesser men... of course, it is unlikely to be enough to seriously injure a man like Heihachi.
So to help it along, if she has him in front of her, she'll rush him forwards back to the desk, slam his head down and bounce his skull off the ornate furniture with enough force to crack it. "If you're looking for more of a /thrill/." She says, "You might want to look up my sister. I hear she's in that line of work these days."
COMBATSYS: Heihachi endures Nina's Shoulder Buster.
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Nina 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Heihachi
Heihachi does not initially do anything to stop the sudden lunge forward, although he does have a note of surprise. She moves well for someone in heels. Yanked out of the chair without much resistance, he makes a loud snarl of pain before being twisted and having his head slammed down into the desk. It seems the glossed wood lost out on the exchange, however. Blood running down his nose, Nina might realize a moment too late that Heihachi had twisted his hand and attempted to grasp her right back. Moving to suddenly pull her into a headlock, wrapping one tree-trunk arm around her throat. The other bursts into scorching blue chi, as he tries to apply an explosive noogie. "THAT'S what I was looking for!!" If he got her in his loving arms, a sudden twist would make a disturbing crack, before he'd move to slam /her/ face right back into the desk. To return the favor, of course! Kuma is watching with wide eyes, content to not leave his distant corner.
COMBATSYS: Heihachi knocks away Nina with Neck Breaker.
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Nina 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Heihachi
Nina is surprised at the skill of the old man, capable of maintaining focused even through the assault. She's quite confident in her ability and she knows how hard she hit him. None of that really matters when she's being tossed around herself, though. Her teeth grit, and she finds her head going into, and then through, the desk. It is a very nice desk, though, and Nina has a comparatively small head. One Nina-sized chunk is not going to topple it.
When she gets back up, it is with some obvious pain. She does not, however, stop just yet. Instead she steps backwards two paces, and considers him seriously. It only takes her half a second to conclude that, if she gives him time to get into offense, she is going to be crushed. That one exchange had definitely rattled her.
"Then I won't disappoint."
And she closes swiftly. His head has proven pretty tough, so she'll work lower down. Her hand comes in, a spear-handed stab at his midsection... before she suddenly darts to the side, aiming to take advantage of the wrenching she'd already put on his shoulder, to grab it, snare his wrist, pull up and bring him over her leg. Hopefully she can keep him grounded... that might help. Maybe!
COMBATSYS: Heihachi blocks Nina's Improvised Grapple.
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Nina 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Heihachi
"Hahaha! That's coming out of your pay!" Heihachi comments, pointing towards the face-shaped divet on his desk. He is actually making no attempt to get back into an aggressive stance; he seems almost playful at the moment, rather then trying to outright destroy Nina. If she wants to push him into seriously assaulting her, then she will have to go farther then that! The spearhand strikes clean, but the attempt to capture Heihachi's arm isn't strong enough; he shrugs her away with a growl, turning to face her once more. Both his hands swish out, aiming to grapple her head... and drive her down face first into a knee going right for her face. It's mostly speed as opposed to sheer power, but such discrepencies can mean a lot less against someone who hits as hard as the best in the world! "Don't go too easy on me... I'm tougher then I look!!"
COMBATSYS: Heihachi dazes Nina with Aggressive Strike!
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Nina 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Heihachi
Nina can see perfectly well how outmatched she is. Perhaps it had gone this way when they fought before... but she can't remember that, and if the stunning blow that rings through her skull is any indication, it probably isn't just because of the whole 'amnesia' thing.
She doesn't attempt to get out of the way, instead she has to accept she is going to be hit... and when he smashes her face into his knee, the force of it sends her stumbling backwards, breaking her decision to try and roll with it. She chokes, and wipes her nose with the back of her hand.
"At this point." She says, reasonably, "I would be retreating. I'd try again." After a moment's hesitation. "Probably with backup."
"But you want a show."
And so, she forces herself back into the fight. She doesn't particularly /want/ to, but twenty thousand (less desk damage) is twenty thousand (less desk damage).
Both hands come in swiftly, and she aims to fake him out, looking like she's going to go for that shoulder again...
But instead suddenly punching him hard in the gut, before bring her heel'd foot up, and down to crash painfully into his shining dome. The head hadn't exactly proven to be a weak spot... but really, she just wants to go for a few clean hits to buy credibility; successfully beating him half to death? Well, that's off the table. And she's perfectly comfortable admitting her limitations.
COMBATSYS: Heihachi interrupts Ivory Cutter from Nina with Medium Throw EX.
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Nina 1/=======/=======|======-\-------\0 Heihachi
Faking out a man like Heihachi is nearly impossible. He has been in combat longer then Nina was frozen, and longer then she was alive before that. The breath of intent seethes through her, despite her barren emotions and unreadable features. Ducking down low, the blow instead hits him dead within the shoulder. But he's moving rather fast now, pressing in rather too close, with his body squatting. Arms scissor around her midsection, hefting her clean off her feet. "HNNGH!!" And then he... suddenly leans backwards, entire body arching as he does a massive suplex, slamming Nina's head and shoulders right into the ground. Falling to the ground after, he then rolls sideways and gets to his feet, pumping his arms like some kind of pro wrestler. Kuma makes growling roar noises of cheer, waving his paws overhead. "(Go! Go! Go!)"
And... that's about where Nina decides to stop. r
Stumbling back up to her feet, she nods her head. "Well. You've not lost any of your skill to age." She says, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. She's definitely in pain, and, she can't carry on much longer. It isn't in her nature to keep fighting when the outcome has been determined, and the gulf of skill between them is as clear as day.
"I think that's enough for today." She says, working her shoulder back, "If you want to go again, your secretary has my number." A flashed smile, because she presumes that sort of thing is what she's supposed to do as a subordinate, but it doesn't last long. She isn't quite ready to let down her guard though; he might decide to finish her off just because. Which is definitely not what she wants
COMBATSYS: Nina takes no action.
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Nina 1/=======/=======|======-\-------\0 Heihachi
Heihachi looks genuinely disappointed when Nina decides to hold back. His fingers flex slowly, neck cracking to the side. "I paid you to beat me up." he demands. A sudden rush of chi begins to build, almost smothering within such proximity. Teeth clench, lips peeled back, as fists impact together like steel on steel. "Hit me. One last time!! Or I'll break you anyway, and take back that check!!" He looks rather serious. At least he's only asking to get whalloped really hard. That should be an easy thing to manage, right?
COMBATSYS: Heihachi takes no action.
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Nina 1/=======/=======|======-\-------\0 Heihachi
Siiigh.
Nina does not relish feeling dirty. It is as though she's being used to satisfy some sick thrill. But, if this is what he wants... he's the boss. Fine. She can do it.
She's not going to show him everything she's capable of though; that's just asking for trouble when she is inevitably paid to stab him in the back in the future.
Suddenly, she is on top of him. Nina's strength is formidable, but it is her ability to suddenly turn on the speed that she relies on to turn things around. Both hands are raised above her head, and they come down in tandem. It is the assassin's killing strike; a double-stab to both sides of the neck, which on most men would crush the veins, cut off the supply of blood to the vein, utterly and completely lethal.
Of course, Heihachi isn't most men. He's just a paying customer.
COMBATSYS: Heihachi fails to counter Hunting Swan from Nina with Large Random Weapon EX.
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Nina 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Heihachi
Twisting around, Heihachi's massive hands grasp the desk as Nina rushes towards him. And then he twists around, roaring loudly and tearing it clean off the ground. A hiss of electronic wires, tumbling things off the desk, as he attempts to whirl it at Nina. Ridiculously, it was not an impossible endeavor. It should have been, but it wasn't. She lands upon his massive torso, and her hands sink true. Clenched muscles prevent her fingers from reaching anything vital. It does, however, make him lose hold of his desk. It flies sideways, and crashes out of the huge window. An 'oops' expression is on his face, as much as significant discomfort. Brushing her off, Heihachi walks over to the massive broken hole, and peers down. The desk lands on a car with a terrific crash, causing the shrill alarm to begin ringing into the air and multiple pedestrians to leap away. "...I HAVE IMPORTANT MATTERS TO ATTEND TO." Heihachi suddenly bursts into a run, blasting through the double doors and down the hall. Lee leans into sight, peering after Heihachi before taking stock of Nina and the missing desk. And gaping window. His thumb extends upwards. "Excellent."
COMBATSYS: Heihachi has left the fight here.
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Nina 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Nina has ended the fight here.
Log created on 14:03:53 07/05/2012 by Nina, and last modified on 17:08:04 07/05/2012.