Description: Honoka runs into some trouble with the locals. Jira happens along to bail her out.
The atmosphere in the air is tense, to say the least -- even if it's not as choked up with ash as the eastern side of the island nation of Japan. The Shinsekai area of Osaka was already host to well more than its fair share of homeless residents, and the sudden influx of millions of citizens fleeing the fallout of Fuji-san's unnatural activity is stretching the nation's second-largest city to its breaking point. The natives are restless, and so are the refugees!
And... as someone not exactly native to Osaka, Honoka has found herself on the receiving end of more than her fair share of anger. In fact... it seems she's =somehow= managed to piss off about two dozen people, a sight which can clearly be seen by anyone taking a trip on the Osaka Loop Line overhead.
As to -why- said crowd is mad... well, the only real indicator is the protest signs scattered about; some of the upturned signs read "BRING DOWN THE 1%" and "PAY YOUR FAIR SHARE".
Honoka seems to be holding her own, squaring her jaw as she keeps her attackers at bay with a threatening performance of her diabolo. If you don't think one can be funny juggling diabolos, you've obviously never have one come within inches of earning you a trip to the hospital. These things Honoka is whirling about are heavy -- as can be evidenced by the few rioters who had already earned their trophy bruises from the young performer.
COMBATSYS: Honoka focuses on her next action.
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Angry Mob 0|-------|------=
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Honoka 1/-------/=======|
Osaka, not a place Jira had expected to ever be at. But everyone else is touring the world or travelling around, why not explore more of her home country? Oh hey, protestors. Enough that Jira steps out of her escort limo and waves them off politely and with a bow. The resulting screech of tires on road rips out for awhile as the driver peels out.
There is one notable feature of that mob, a familiar set of toys being used as weapons. Jira assumes one of her friends is in trouble and pulls her new, black vest down for fit, draws out her firearm in her left and a free round from under her waistband and charges in without a word more. Loading in the round and gripping the firearm with both hands, pink eyes shining bright and excited gleam forming a smirk on her face.. hey, her hair's different too.
COMBATSYS: Jira has joined the fight here.
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Angry Mob 0|-------|------=
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Honoka 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Jira
The angry mob has formed a crude crescent around Honoka, with a handful of aggressors aiming to swoop in upon her from the sides. But, as an experienced fighter, Honoka knows enough to stop that from happening, warily backing herself away to keep from getting surrounded from all sides. Which, as luck would have it, gives Jira an opening to step in as well.
Honoka tosses a quick glance over her shoulder, upon seeing a passing train cast a long shadow from Jira's backlit silhouette into her field of view. "Fancy meeting you here," she calls back, hardening her expression into a faint smirk as she returns her full attention to the two dozen angry people staring her down. "These fine folks just weren't happy with me walking through their turf."
"That's not it and you know it, bitch!" One of the mob charges Honoka with a broken bottle, aiming to catch her in the stomach and then slam her into a nearby lightpost...
COMBATSYS: Honoka interrupts Smash and Grab from Angry Mob with Medium Throw.
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Angry Mob 0|-------|---====
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Jira
But Honoka grits her teeth, crouching low and ducking under the blow, aiming to send her shoulder flying into her attacker's stomach in kind, sending him staggering backwards -- and that's when two of her diabolo catch him under the leg. Jerking upwards sharply, she manages to send the guy crashing to his feet -- but not without getting snared by -another- attacker from behind, who manages to catch the circus performer in a half-nelson hold. Honoka throws elbows at her attacker, but with the size differential, it's to no avail for the moment...
Oh look, the mob is being rough and foul mouthed. She pulls out two more standard rounds from under her waistband and sets them into the chambers. Jira runs up and slides next to Honoka with a low dive. "Stay still a second." she calls out to the performer and holds out her left arm paralell to the ground and makes a quick spin in that low position. During her twist, a trio of loud, resounding shots roar out in various places. Aiming for a lighting fixture on the left, the ground ahead, and a wall to thee right. CRAKK! CRAKAKK!
She then hops up to her feet and straightens into a guarded position, dumping the used shells and keeping her eyes on the crowd.
COMBATSYS: Angry Mob endures Jira's Trick Shot.
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Angry Mob 0|-------|-======
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Jira
The mob isn't quite sure what to do now that there's not just -one- decently well-off woman in their midst, but a second who just stepped out of a friggin limo. "THERE'S ONE'A DEM ONE PERCENTERS!" cries one of the mob, and if they had pitchforks, you better believe they'd be raising them!
The triple report of Jira's firearm does little to deter the angry crowd, though -- if anything it seems to embolden her. "GRAB HER GUN!" cries one, as the mob collectively surges forward to dogpile Jira, with every attempt at knocking her to the ground and prying the firearm out of her hand.
Honoka still has those deadly diabolos at her disposal -- something her attacker didn't really consider. She also has two big sticks in her hand -- which she suddenly jerks upward, sending the diabolo sailing into the air. Ramming the wands backwards into her attacker, she then gives the guy a big solid shover to the side, slinging him into the path of his friends, with every intention of knocking them over like big bowling pins. "Hyaaaaah!"
COMBATSYS: Angry Mob successfully hit Jira with Mob Rule.
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Angry Mob 0|-------|=======
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Jira
Jira's eyes shine and glimmer a bright pink keeping attention on the crowd. Oh hey, she got one! Bullet flinging off the wall and smacking one of the mobbers in the back. A hospital visit at the least. Jira's focus returns to the encroaching mass, trying to sidestep out of the way and find a clear area on the first oncomers. Only, there isn't any clear space and she's piled up upon and flat on the ground. The moment her gun leaves her hands it just disperses into a shower of sparkles. The perfect time to glow a bright pink and start to spin, violently under their grasp and whip up a small whirl of angry psionic energy. During this spin her body bulks up and her overall mass increases, muscles bulging out and testing the fabric of her clothe. Her pink eyes gloss over into a flat, bright red and a white coating of energy resonates over her form. The spinning and the bulking up should be enough to knock a few of the dunderheads loose.
COMBATSYS: Angry Mob blocks Honoka's Lunar Eclipse.
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Angry Mob 1|-------|=======
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Honoka 1/---====/=======|====---\-------\0 Jira
COMBATSYS: Angry Mob interrupts Petal Spiral from Jira with Mob Justice.
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Angry Mob 1|-------|=======
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Honoka 1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0 Jira
Joe Q Random gets pegged in the back and sinks to his knees before falling over -- but the mob still presses on! A gun is an instant sore spot for the frenzied and (largely) unarmed mob -- which leaves them all the more disappointed as it not only disappears, but takes on a completely different form. ... In the shape of a completely altered Jira.
"What the--" "She's a DUDE" "AWW SHEEEEEE-IT, IT'S AWWWWN" cries the crowd, not willing to let another attack get the better of them. Sure... two of the cash-strapped attackers get caught in the fury of Jira's strike -- but three more charge her in the gap left behind, stomping down on her with their big boots. Three on one? How ... unsportsmanlike!
Of course, it's also unsportsmanlike of Honoka to use one of her attackers to bowl over more of them, but hey... it's =still= not a fair fight. Ten of the guys are still left standing!
Honoka... takes a moment to catch her breath, and her diabolos. She'd been fighting for more than a few minutes before Jira had made her arrival, and a few of the hits are starting to well up into bruises, visible across her cheek and along her arms. "... Just happening to be in the neighborhood, Jira?" she asks, swinging her diabolos into lazy arcs, taking the mob's sudden galvanized effort against Jira as a sign she should take a small breather.
COMBATSYS: Honoka recenters herself.
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Angry Mob 1|-------|=======
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Honoka 1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0 Jira
Damnit, not even able to catch a break. Jira's new state reacts to the stomping rather violently. An arm clad in white light reaching forward to grab the nearest leg and giving a kick to its owner's other leg, and then lifting that held leg to swing the person around and knock them into some others, and hurl them out to hopefully topple into someone else.
"She was taking a tour of Osaka, her chauffer recommended this district. She thought you could use some help, and I thought she needed help." they reply in dual-tone voice, the masculine tone of Akabara present equally as much as Jira's own.
COMBATSYS: Jira successfully hits Angry Mob with Charged Combo.
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Angry Mob 1|----===|=======
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Honoka 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\0 Jira
The mob -really- doesn't know what to think when the Jira-Akabara union reaches out and decides to use one leg to unite them all in an unholy matrimony of pain! It has even less of a clue about how to react to the unholy voice that bellows out, giving itself its own odd echoing effect. Accordingly, the mob, now only six strong -- the others lying in crumpled piles all along the street -- decides to take a few steps back and recuperate.
"Where'd the gun go?!" "You moron, didn't you see it disappear?! She's a space monster, hoo-ooh!" "Space monsters don't exist! Naw... that's -Bigfoot-..."
COMBATSYS: Angry Mob gains composure.
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Angry Mob 1|-----==|=======
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Honoka 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\0 Jira
Honoka was wondering when she'd get to meet this 'partner' she had heard Jira tell her so much about. But now that she's seen the fusion of the two, she... actually isn't sure what to think. "=Recommended= this district? This place is a freakin' dump, unless you want to see the saddest zoo in the country... or the -literal- zoo to the north of us..." Smirking faintly, she kicks at one of the broken bottles, sending it flying right towards one of the mob's jaws. "Hey, you dropped your bottle!"
Jira half shrugs at Honoka. "We didn't know that, I suspect her instructor might have some ties here. No idea. Anyway, we're going to have some fun." they respond and take a running start into the remaining 'mob', limbs glowing bright white.
"And while you're grabbing your litter, make sure to scrub down with a helping of SHUT UP!" they shout, driving a heavy-handed fist to the face of one of them.
COMBATSYS: Honoka successfully hits Angry Mob with Small Thrown Object.
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Angry Mob 1|---====|=======
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Honoka 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\0 Jira
COMBATSYS: Jira successfully hits Angry Mob with Strong Punch.
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Angry Mob 2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
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Honoka 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Jira
This... 'SHUT UP'... is it available in a store? Apparently it's most easily obtained in a handy fist form, delivered at no additional charge, right to the face! Shut up, apply directly to the forehead! Mob dude numero uno goes flying backwards, almost knocking over his companion in the process -- but as that guy gets out of his way, he gives his 'friend' a good stomp. Stay down. "Defin'ly Bigfoot."
Of the five guys left standing, only one was looking towards Honoka, and he's the one who gets a faceful of broken bottle. OOF. Goes down like a sack of potatoes.
... Only -four- left standing now? Well, shoot. "GET BOTH DEM RICH BITCHES!" cries one, clearly the leader of the pack, surging forward with a furious boost of speed. The other three follow his lead, swinging one-two-three punches, haymakers and roughhousing kicks to try and pummel the pair of ladies down. Four on two -- fair odds, right?
COMBATSYS: Angry Mob can no longer fight.
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Honoka 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Jira
COMBATSYS: Honoka interrupts Black Friday from Angry Mob with Meteor Shower.
- Power hit! -
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Honoka 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Jira
Fair odds... considering the two fighters in question, anyway. Honoka sighs -- if there weren't two diabolo wands in her hand she'd even cradle her face in her palm for a moment. But as there are two old guys rushing her, she slings her diabolo back and forth, accelerating their spin for a moment... and then launching them into the air.
Twirling around in a tight pirouette, she lashes one wand out at the legs of her attackers, ensnaring the legs of not just the first, but the second guy with the thin cord. Stepping backwards and driving her shoulder forward, she slams into the first guy at an oblique angle, then twists sharply to the side, bringing both men's feet out from under them with a sudden sharp jerk.
And then she leaps down and drives the heel of her shoe right onto base of the second guy's skull, effectively knocking him out cold.
Raising her wands, she catches the two spinning diabolo on the two tips of her wands, flashing a smug grin over to Jira as she watches to see how well her friend manages. "Heh."
COMBATSYS: Jira counters Black Friday from Angry Mob with Flashpunch.
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Honoka 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Jira
Oh look, a rush. A loudmouth and a tagalong. Jira waits patiently for them to come close, into striking range when her upper body suddenly jerks to the right. An arc of bright, flashing energy screams for an instant. Of course, this path of energy comes up after that loudmouth's neck is introduced to flash-quick fist and sends him neatly heaping back onto his tagalong for good measure.
"Any more immediate rabble to deal with? Or, have we given them a reason to shut up about being poor?" they ask Honoka in unison, turning Jira's head to her friend with a curious brow arched in curiosity. "If your crowds are like this, I can understand not wanting to meet them socially outside of performance. Too loud."
The angry mob had their reasons for attacking Honoka. Wasn't quite the same as the reasons Jira and Akabara suggest, but as Honoka could easily have walked away with more than just a couple bruises from the conflict, the circus performer tactfully keeps quiet as she looks around the now-quiet streets.
Four individuals in black seem to be cowering behind corners, but once Honoka lays eyes on them, they each slink back into the shadows without further incident.
"... Mostly, yes." Honoka collects both wands into one hand. Lazily rocking the diabolos side to side, she uses her now-free hand to smooth her ruffled jacket. "Eh. I really can't say that's a normal occurrence, to be honest."
Honoka glances Jira over, quirking an eyebrow. Now that she has a better, more stress-free opportunity to observe Jira and Akabara together, she comments with a faint smirk, "So, uh... you've been, uh... working out!"
COMBATSYS: Honoka gains composure.
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Honoka 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Jira
Jira just shrugs, to the mention of abnormality. Working out? That makes them smile. "The girl's body can't handle large doses of psycho energy, assuming direct control requires physical changes. Muscles have a lot of capacity, and filling them up gives direct, powerful stimulation. They relax once I leave her in charge." her head tilts, and Jira assumes a hercules pose and flexes her arms.
"Like them?" they tease, then take a slow breathh and sit down atop of three toppled citizens, her muscles deflating and her stature returning to normal. "But yeah, I get that a lot." Jira teases, on her own.
COMBATSYS: Jira sighs and takes a moment to stretch.
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Honoka 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Jira
Honoka actually seems a bit alarmed at the description of -why- Jira got so big, raising an eyebrow. "... Sounds like it'd be... um... painful." She snags her diabolo, turning away for a moment to tuck them away in her backpack.
Like them, she was asked? "... Eh. It's a unique look," she comments quietly. She -could- go on, but won't.
"... You mentioned 'psycho power' though. Is... this a thing your, uh... sensei taught you?" Honoka wracks her brain to recall exactly what Jira had mentioned on previous occasions, and seems to be drawing a blank.
COMBATSYS: Honoka takes no action.
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Honoka 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Jira
COMBATSYS: Honoka has left the fight here.
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Jira 1/-------/=======|
Jira herself smiles. "Adrenaline helps deal with that. A lot of people seem to think I'm a guy when Aka takes over, but that's better than..." she de-rails that line. "Psycho power.. the antithesis to Chi? Or, rather.. energy that specifically comes from humanity, their essence. The human element, Aka calls it. Powered by emotion and tempered by will. That's what he and my sensei have told me." she replies simply. "Mentally tiring to use it, though. I usually borrow most of mine from Aka, and store up the leftovers."
COMBATSYS: Jira has ended the fight here.
Adrenaline. Honoka seems to accept that explanation, stepping off the man she'd been using as a stepstool.
In all honesty, Honoka has nothing against homeless people, but they were attacking her. The fools needed to learn their place.
Honoka looks back up at Jira, hooking the wand back into a belt loop. "Mmm... I haven't studied it much. I know some fighters use... something similar."
Honoka opens her mouth partly as if to ask something, but decides against it. Tilting her head to the side for a moment, she then asks, "Well. Do you have a ride out of here? I... have no real business here, was considering hitting up Lotteria for a sandwich."
A low grumble erupts from the dark clouds lazily rolling in overhead. Or was that Honoka's stomach?
Jira wasn't expecting Honoka to really have much input or insight into it, shrugging. The mention of a ride has her fishing a pink earpiece out of her vest. "I can get my ride back here in a jiff." she replies simply and puts the earpiece into her left ear. "Anywhere in particular you're off to?" she asks while listening in and clicking the little button on the side.
Honoka hadn't really been able to watch Jira's arrivals in most cases, so the notion that she can not only call limos, but summon them on a moment's notice, brings another round of mild alarm to the young performer. "... Just Lotteria. There's one at Tennoji station just a block or two that way." She points off towards the train station -- the telltale gaudiness of the McDonald's sign is there, as is the similarly gaudy Lotteria sign not far away. "Though I do appreciate the offer." For some reason her vocal tone seems to have shifted to a colder, more distant pitch -- anxiety, perhaps. "I'd just rather go before these morons wake up."
Jira gives a rather stuttered 'errrr' and offers heartfelt apology to her earpiece and just asks for her chauffer wait at Tennoji station for her, and keep an ear open for emergency as usual. Then she removes the piece and stuffs it back into her vest, hopping up onto her feet. At the same time her gun seems to push out from her left hip into resting on her jeans. "Want to walk there, then?" she offers
Honoka nods her head coolly in reply. But after a moment she warms up, offering an apology by way of a mild wave-off of her hand. "Sorry. After a fight I tend to get a little moody. Suppose it's a side effect of the adrenaline."
She gestures for Jira to follow, cracking a faint smile. "Besides. On the one hand, you saved me... and on the second, I still owe you from our first meeting."
Jira gives a humorous salute and steps in line next to Honoka. "I really hadn't thought anything of you owing me, really." she replies. "We had some fun letting loose, but I suppose regular folk are frail." she states curiously, waiting for Honoka to take point this time.
"You seem to know a little more of the area than I do, so I'll take your word for it being not too great. Anywhere you suggest I head to on my tour of Japan, in specific?" she asks.
With an open-ended question like Jira's, there is a wide range of possible responses.
Most of Honoka's responses are wholly inappropriate as -good- suggestions to answer Jira's question. As such it takes her a moment of poking her cheek to find an appropriate answer instead.
"Shitenno-ji shrine, if you follow this road to the north." The Shrine to the Four Heavenly Kings... lots of big statues of people who look perpetually angry.
"And possibly Osaka Castle after that. It is on the north end of town from here."
And as much as she'd been trying to be impressive.... she ends up ordering the Wild Shrimp Burger set. High society life, right there!
Jira quietly keeps to Honoka's side and takes a nod listening to her suggestions. A mental note or two is made. Then, time for food. She rather meekly just makes an order for chicken fingers and chips, considering it a rather innocent and safe choice. "I'll make sure to request a visit to those places, defintely." she replies to Honoka. "Try to stay out of trouble, eh? You might not have a friend to back you up next time." and winks teasingly.
Log created on 21:55:10 09/12/2014 by Honoka, and last modified on 18:33:37 09/14/2014.