HoH season 09. Source: valucre.net static Gaia dump.
Sun Nov 23, 2008 11:52 pm · id 171358694 · page 1
Stage0: Preliminaries
The Things Fox Hates Dojo
I think they may do Taekwondo here, and hey, is that a picture of John Cena?
A fighting arena of classical proportion, though those proportions don't have to be exactly defined. As long as the dojo has four walls, a roof and a floor, we're good with whatever size you decide on. The decor of course is just what you'd picture from an old kung-fu movie.
Terrain
General - Regular indoor floor, as interrupted occasionally by a mat for padding.
Weapons - One picture of John Cena.
Bonus Effects - Across the street one can occasionally hear mariachi music from the all night restaurant.
Red Player: Viviana Merquise
Representing: Team Nirvana
Played By: Vivi Merquise
Blue Player: Roderick The Bard
Representing: Team Random Select
Played By:Gouken Furoshima/Roderick The Bard
Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:41 am · id 171360101 · page 1
Roderick sat crosslegged in the middle of the Dojo atop one of the practice mats that covered the floor of the Main training room quite completely. He Meditated silently, conemplating his surroundings. The main area was about 40 feet in length and 30 in width, with two rooms at the east end and one at the west. The main walls of the Dojo were solid Oak, but the walls seperating the rooms were the traditional paper-covered thin wooden frames, complete with sliding doors! The two rooms to his left (East) were seperated by a hallway which the sliding door on the East side led to. The room on the left of the hall was a 15x10 foot tea room, and to the right was a 10x10 foot Shrine. The one room on his right (West) was 10x30 feet, and was apparently used for weight lifting/punching bag training. Assorted dumbbells of various weights littered the floor in the Southern half of the room, and a large punching bag hung from the ceiling on the Northern half.
Roderick was gazing out the open front door of the peaceful (for now) center of zen, his consciousness drifting as the peaceful notes of a Koto came through the open door from the street. That is essentially all training was to Roderick, just one more form (among the limitless forms) of Meditation. It focused the mind, enhanced the senses and encouraged an order of balance and discipline. The mind is always sharpened by such intense exercise. His straw hat lay in the corner, and his Rapier sat on the floor buckled in it's sheath, though still attached to the left side of his belt. He left his Meditative state briefly and checked the straps on his bracers to make sure that they were nice and tight, ensuring no slipping and leaving no opening on most of his forearm. He also checked the straps on the stachels containing his throwing knives, which were attached to his mail vest. Everything seemed to be in order. So back to Meditation it was.
The music calmed his nerves as he eagerly anticipated the arrival of his Pre-Liminary opponent. He could feel the energy of the Dojo feeding his excitement, the years of fighting experience devoted to this institution vibrating through the walls. He had no Active Psychic ability to speak of,
just the Innate Psychic ability present within all forms of life.
This tournament was the first big goal Roderick had really set for himself since heading out on his own, and he intended to fight his a** off to make his way in.
Mon Nov 24, 2008 3:57 pm · id 171400644 · page 1
Apparently it was customary to take off your shoes before entering a Dojo. Or so Vivi had once been told. She glanced at the bamboo floors and then gave a haphazard shrug. There was no way she was going to bother yanking her boots off. They took at least 15 minutes to pull on anyway. (Mentally she cursed the shoemakers of the 15th and 16th Centuries for not having the foresight to invent zips.)
So she stepped into the Dojo, boots and all. Her hand resting lazily upon the hilt of her saber.
"You must be my opponent, ne?" she asked as she glanced at the man seated cross legged upon the floor. Her lips twisted into an expression halfway between a smile and a smirk and then she let her sapphire orbs scan the rest of the Dojo. It looked, she surmised, pretty much like all the other Dojo's she'd entered over the years, with one exception.... eyes squinted and she reached a slender finger up to scratch at her left eyebrow.
"Is that a picture of John Cena?" she queried aloud. A chuckle slipped from her lips, "Never mind." she said and gave dismissive wave of her hand.
"Shall we worry about introductions later?" She asked him with a wicked grin as her right hand wrapped about the hilt of her blade, unsheathing it in one fluid motion and coming to stand in an En Garde position.
Mon Nov 24, 2008 7:10 pm · id 171422132 · page 1
I suppose that would be best. Might as well get the fun under way.
Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:09 pm · id 171428767 · page 1
Her grin only widened as he charged. She watched his movements with a calculating gaze. She had been privileged enough to study the art of fencing when a duel was still something one engaged in to the death, rather than something that you did on a Sunday afternoon to pass some time. So it was with the eyes of a seasoned fencer that she watched his approach, saw through his clever feint (especially as it was exactly the sort of move she, herself would have made!) and twisted her right wrist to send her saber to intercept his rapier. It was a Prise de Fer, that is an attack not against the opponent but the blade, intended to displace it from its target and open up a good opportunity for attack. The sound of steel grating against steel rang out in the Dojo as Viviana forced his blade down and further to her left. An efficient parry, well at least it kept that nasty rapier point from piercing the pale flesh of her arm.
“You are quick.” She said as she lunged forward, the blade of her saber stayed pressed firmly against his blade,
“Coulé” shouted Vivi.
Shinkt, said her saber as it grazed down the inside of his rapier, the point seeking a home somewhere near his ribs on the right side of his torso.
“Let us test just ‘ow quick ne?”
She had always loved a good duel.
[1/10]
Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:41 pm · id 171431797 · page 1
He saw her incoming parry as his Sword swung towards her and heard the familiar twang of a Steel-on-Steel clash. Roderick became exhilarated. Every time he fought the sword it reminded him to celebrate every moment of this chance to be Alive and Breathing.
A rush surged through his body and he grinned as her blade began to slide down his own and he twisted his wrist slightly counter clockwise, turning his Raper more to the right with the point almost parallel to the ground and the blade turning outwards to counteract her parry. When her Saber dislodged from his blade and began moving rapidly to his right side, he would shift his body to the left while twisting his wrist completely counter-clockwise with a quick snap. His Rapier would swish through the air with a whistle and connect with her Saber in a quick interception, preventing her from cutting out one of his kidneys (or at least from scratching up his chain-mail.) He kept the Rapier in this position to stop her from continuing her slash in the direction it was already headed.
Directly after the block he pivoted on his right foot and aimed a kick at her left leg just above the knee with his left, twisting his body clockwise slightly to put some more force on the action.
Mon Nov 24, 2008 10:14 pm · id 171439012 · page 1
He obviously wasn’t the chatty type. Clang. His blade deftly intercepted hers and Vivi was about to make a comment about his swordsmanship and good reflexes when his foot slammed into her leg and knocked her off balance. For just the bare flat of someone’s foot it hurt, but Vivi had long ago learnt to blend and balance pain and comfort. She managed to keep on her feet by executing a hasty pirouette. Even in such circumstance she managed to make it look graceful. Her twirl brought her to a stop on his left side, her right leg behind his left.
With an almost preternatural swiftness she turned her sword so that the blades end pointed towards the sky and the hilt, grasped tightly in her hand, became her weapon. With no small amount of force Vivi brought the hilt of her saber down towards the left side of his neck, just like a Shota attack, only with a fistful of metal instead of the blade of her hand. Her left hand simultaneously reached out to grab a hold of his right shoulder. She wanted to get his sleeve in her grip, to better facilitate a throw. But she would make do with any material her fingers came in contact with.
A predatory gleam came in to her eyes. This was not some friendly joust. It was fierce competition and if she had any sense, she’d start treating it as such. Her tongue flicked out, licking across her lips. If she had her way she’d have this fellow flat on his back on the floor the very next instant. At least that was her hope.
[2/10]
Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:16 pm · id 171442122 · page 1
As Roderick's foot ricocheted off of his opponent's leg, he planted it back on the ground quickly so he could keep his own balance intact. When his foot hit the dirt she had already begun her pirouette to avoid losing her footing and her sword was drawn away from his own. This left his blade free to strike anywhere while her back was turned during the spinning motion. These were two simple mistakes that could be deadly in a fight to the Death. This was not such a fight, but it was a competition, and Roderick wanted to honour the spirit of this competition as best as he could. This meant taking advantage of all openings.
The pirouette was a pretty move to watch but it left you defenseless for a long enough instant to be struck. So as she began her twirl Roderick backed up slightly and twisted his wrist clockwise as quickly as possible, aiming a slash diagonally at the back of her right shoulder to catch it as she spun.
What he wasn't expecting was her coming out of the spin with a hilt flying at his neck. His left arm was still well above his waist (as it usually was in his Sword stance) so he could raise it quickly enough to block the blow, but the force was enough to make Roderick punch himself in the head with the palm-side of his closed fist.
HRNN.. Grunt
After his own hand connected with his head, he twisted it and attempted to grab her wielding-hand by the wrist. As his eyes had gone slightly fuzzy and he was distracted, he also didn't expect her hand shooting forward to grab onto him and didn't have the time to move out of the way.
His last couple of fights had involved a bunch of grabbing and tussling and he knew it got messy quick, so he decided to make it messy right away. Roderick brought his right hand up holding his Rapier diagonally parallel to his chest, turning his body to the left slightly and forcing his shoulder forwards in a checking motion towards her with a large majority (but not all) of his weight.
He had almost a foot of height and 60 pounds on her so it would certainly be a lot of shoulder to contend with. If he had succeeded in grabbing her right wrist with his left hand he would still be holding onto it. He assumed that unless she redistributed his weight and tossed him somehow, he was going to end up landing right on top of her.
Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:18 pm · id 171511131 · page 1
It was as if Viviana didn’t even notice the slash of the blade across her shoulder. The rapier cut through the crimson fabric of her jacket and made a nice, neat incision across her right shoulder blade. It would leave a pretty scar. But she didn’t seem phased. It seemed more like she had more important things to concentrate on.
As soon as she struck with the hilt of her blade she let the weapon go. It clattered to the floor harmlessly by their feet.
As Roderick reached out to grab at her right hand, it was already moving to grab at his elbow, she just reached those slender fingers out and dug them in to his flesh, nails and all. She wiggled her eyebrows playfully.
“You ever spent time in Russia?” she asked, almost conversationally. Alarmingly her fingers had an almost vice like grip on both the fabric of his shirt and his wrist. As Roderick twisted to the left, Viviana moved with him. Her hip jutted out and upwards towards his upper thigh and midsection, and she planted her feet firmly in a narrow stance between his feet. The muscles in her arms tensed, coiled as tight as a spring, and then with all her strength she yanked, using her hip as leverage to throw Roderick right over her head and on to the floor. A Sambo hip throw. Sure, Viviana looked slender and lithe, but she was actually prettystrong as Roderick would no doubt soon find out.
If she succeeded in throwing him she wouldn’t bother to let go of his wrist, instead she’d twist it anti-clockwise, applying pressure to not just the joints of his wrist but his elbow and shoulder as well.
[3/10]
Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:09 pm · id 171515792 · page 1
Warm crimson blood flowed from Roderick's wrist as her nails dug into his skin and he clenched his teeth with a grimace. The pain was fiery but not at all unbearable, and its introduction to his nervous system gave him no desire to begin a conversation.
Seeing his red life force streaming down his arm and underneath his Bracer gave Roderick a burst of adrenaline as he threw his shoulder forward, but she had already positioned herself to redirect his extra force effectively. As she began executing her throw Roderick realised he was soon to be in mid-air and decided to take advantage of the situation while he could. Being a practising tumbler, controlling himself in various positions while hurling through the air was something not uncommon to his training.
He pushed up with his feet in a hop as hard as he could as she began lifting with her arms, beginning to twist his body counter clockwise and essentially assisting her with her own throw. Once he was almost above her he moved his right arm (still across his chest) in a short and quick motion, aiming his Rapier for a deep cut on her inner wrist. He really wanted those damn nails out of his skin.
As the throw/jump finished off, he had almost finished a full 180 degree front-flip with the extra force of the hop added in. Almost. He we would land on the ground behind her with his back facing her, but on his toes instead of the flats of his feet. Not only did it crush a few of his toes painfully, is caused him to slip on a practice mat slighly, landing on his knees facing her with his Rapier at the ready. It was at this point that he noticed that she had dropped her blade.
This was no time for encouraging hand-to-hand combat and Roderick had no desire to began engaging in it. He had been much happier fighting the Sword with an obviously skilled opponent and didn't want this fight to regress to a less refined beatdown. He had room to twist his wrist counter-clockwise and aim another short slash at the front of her right quadracep, beginning to back up and getting to his feet.
If she wanted to pick up her Sword again, he wouldn't try and stop her.
[4/10]
Tue Nov 25, 2008 11:59 pm · id 171526269 · page 1
“ C'est trop facile” Vivi muttered as she began her throw. Sure enough a quick glance at her opponent led her to realize he was doing more to assist her throw, than hinder it. She grimaced, there was not much she could do about it now. Then, to top it all off, her opponent decided that the tender flesh of her inner wrist was a perfect target for the point of his blade.
“Merde!” she hissed as his rapier made its cruel incision. Roderick got his wish, her fingers unfurled and she relinquished her grip. The blood trickled down the length of her forearm, dripping down over her fingers and landing on the bamboo floor with a splish. The man was an acrobat, no doubts about it, he possessed enough skill to turn her throw to his advantage. She spun to face him, managing to side step his slash at her right leg in the nick of time. (The very nick of time, while the blade didn’t cut through the flesh it did leave a nasty tear in her white silk stockings.) Consequences dictate our course of action, and in this case that action was retaliation. A low growling sound filtered through the Lamia’s clenched teeth at seeing Roderick back up and get to his feet. Without a moment to lose she took one, two three steps and launched herself up and at him, her right leg extended out and the sole of her boot aimed at his chest. It wouldn’t be far off to liken Viviana’s movements to that of a ballerina, but behind all that fluidity and grace there was enough muscle to pack a nasty punch, or kick as the case was.
Whether her kick connected or not, Viviana would land on her feet. Left foot slamming down first, followed by the right foot. Quicker than lightning her right hand reached down and pulled a blade out from seemingly nowhere. You see the lack of zips wasn’t the only reason the Lamia didn’t bother to take off her boots. Hidden in her right boot was a stiletto blade and with her Saber abandoned on the floor, she saw it as a prime opportunity to attack Roderick with a thin blade of her own.
[4/10]
[French Translation 1: This is too easy 2: s**t ]
Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:46 am · id 171527595 · page 1
There was no way that Roderick could get to his feet fast enough to avoid her foot flying towards his chest almost the instant after he hit the ground. He did see it coming however, and had enough time to react. He moved himself slightly to the left and pushed his right shoulder forward hard as her foot collided with it, attempting to counteract some of the force of the blow. He wasn't sure if it really worked, as her boot making contact with his shoulder was still intensely painful. He was lucky that it hadn't become dislocated.
The kick had pushed him back slightly but not enough to put him off balance completely. As he got back to his feet quickly, his opponent pulled out a 6-inch stiletto blade from somewhere withing her garb and came right after him like a cannonball. His eyes widened as he quickly backpedalled and slid to the left, swinging his Rapier clockwise as she aimed a deadly slash at him, almost crashing into him completely bgut passing by him instead. The Blades clanged together and it would take considerable effort for her to keep the small dagger in her hand with the force of the parry.
Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:25 pm · id 171659659 · page 1
Ah, the clash of steel. Sometimes Vivi didn't think there was any sound more beautiful. She felt her blade vibrate from the force of Roderick's parry, but she held its pommel in her deathly grip and it almost seemed as if she stopped it slipping from her hand by sheer force of will alone.
A slender eyebrow quirked as she watched her opponent throw down his rapier, her plump crimson lips twisting into a devilish smile.
"Afraid you'll 'ave to live with it... for now." She replied with a throaty chuckle, the laughter was cut short as the bard charged her. Quickly she moved into a Passata-Sotto, that is a fencing term for a lunge attack where the attacker drops downwards, with one hand upon the ground for balance (In this case, Viviana's left hand.) She thrust out towards the right side of his lower abdomen, attempting to land a hit on his kidneys.
Vivi made her attack just as he slashed at where her middle had been previously, of course now it was her face which was in the way of his blade. She winced as she turned her head to one side, his dagger raking across the flesh of her right cheek. At first it appeared as just a thin line of red, but it was soon evident that Roderick had made a nasty gash which ran the length of Viviana's cheek bone and all the way to the corner of her upper lip.
"Vous êtes chanceux je ne suis pas un femme vain" she said, "That 'urt." she added, for good measure.
Amiable chit chat aside. Survival was her only friend, and so she tried not to waste a moment, she twisted her body slightly to the right and rose to her feet swiftly, attempting to send her right shoulder into his chin.
[5/10]
[French translation: You are lucky I am not a vain woman]
Thu Nov 27, 2008 6:39 pm · id 171665919 · page 1
As Roderick's blade ran the course of his opponent's cheek (slicing it like swiss cheese) he watched her jam her knife forwards towards his abdomen. He jerked a bit, as a knife racing towards your gut is a pretty shocking experience, but it would rip through his simple cotton shirt and make harsh contact with his chain mail vest. The knife pricked him slightly through one of the links in the metal before sliding down and away to his left. He felt a small hot trickle of blood run down his stomach and into his bellybutton and grinned. If she had put a lot of force into her strike it was reasonable to say she would be at lest slightly off balance.
Since she was still on the ground at the point when her blade made contact with his vest he had plenty of time to continue moving his body weight forward, aiming a nice hard knee directly at her face. After this he would shift his weight backwards to try and put a little distance between them. Being up close and personal with a knife was never easy, delicate, or clean. He wanted to avoid it.
If the knee had made contact then Roderick would be far enough away from her to aim a hard point-blanc throw of his knife at the upper side of her left arm, pulling another knife out with his left had directly after. If not then she would still be in close enough range for him to aim a slash at the same area of her body (upper left arm), as it was the easiest and therefore most vulnerable place for him to attack.
Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:51 pm · id 171678340 · page 1
She grimaced as she felt the stiletto connect with the chain mail. While she hadn't been relying on using her blade in his flesh as an anchor to help her rise from her crouch, it would have been nice. But Vivi was far from off balance, that was what her left hand on the floor was for, even as the blade clinked against the chain mail she was already springing upwards, so Roderick's knee missed her nose and instead slammed into her chin.
The skin split on impact and Vivi's sapphire orbs widened in shock. Blood gushed down over her chin, it was like a little red waterfall, staining her favorite jacket. (It had taken her a long time to find that particular jacket, she was, quite fond of it.) Thank fully her left palm managed to hit the ground first and keep her from falling flat on her arse.
Pain was evident on the woman's face, but seething under the glazed eyes and bloody skin was a fierce rage.
She watched Roderick move back from her and her lips curled back into a snarl, revealing completely those curved fangs. The sound which she made could be described as nothing other than the hiss of a snake. It was a frenzy of motion, like a spring Vivi seemed to recoil from the ground, (her left palm on the bamboo floor actually helped push her to her feet) and with an almost blinding speed she charged straight for the bard. There wasn't more than 10 feet between them and Vivi could close such a small distance at astonishing speeds, it's called a swift strike and Vivi was the master of them.
She reached out with her left arm and tried to grab his right bicep from inside his guard, just as he made to throw his knife at her. She tried to pull him in close toward her, her right arm trying to snake around his back, almost as if she were trying to hug him.
If Vivi managed to get a hold she'd lunge for his neck with both fangs fully extended and bite down hard. She was hurting quite a bit thanks to their little knife fight. Blood and flesh can be trusted, and she knew that Roderick's blood would numb that pain.
[6/10]
Thu Nov 27, 2008 11:09 pm · id 171687986 · page 2
It was as if all Roderick had to do was blink before his opponent was right in his face. One second he was aiming his throw and executing it, the next second it had left his hand and his target was already getting a hold on him. To say that this caught him off guard was an understatement. It blew his freaking mind. He had already seen some relatively amazing things since leaving the Carnival but super speed was now at the top of the list. Considering that he hadn't seen this type of action before, its easy to assume that he wouldn't be prepared for such an assuault.
He felt her grip close tightly around his right bicep as he released his dagger, tossing it with powerful uselessness towards the dirt. As she closed in even more, he instinctively began doing two things; drawing a knife out from under the straw vest with his left hand and beginning to raise his right knee with the intent of using it to seperate him from his inbound attacker.
As the knee continued going up and the knife came out, her fangs went in. He didn't even see them coming, he'd been too concerned with the fact that she was about to be in his face with a knife, keeping his eyes on her blade instead of her face. He let out a roar that would make a bear soil itself as blood gushed from the wound, two white hot daggers of pain digging into his muscle. He backed up into one of the inner-walls with her clutching him in a Death-Grip, praying that she hadn't hit an artery. Roderick knew that he had to act fast.
GET YOUR DANG TEETH OUTTA ME!! 
Luckily she had gripped his bicep, so his forearm still had the ability to reach. His adrenaline was pumping hard and he was not a small man, so even if she was attempting to hold his arm off it would be excessively difficult. He would pull his arm right across, grab her by the face by inserting his middle and ring fingers into her nostrils, attempting the most obvious way (to him at least) to dislodge her gaping maw. At the same time he would finish raising his knee between them and use the force of his leg to assist in pushing her away. He did not execute either of these maneuvers with too much force as he didn't want her to rip out his jugular.
In the midst of trying to get her to stop the OMNOMNOM on his neck, he would pull back his left hand with dagger at the ready and aim a stab directly between her ribs. He was careful with the amount of force he applied to the blow so it wouldn't be too deep to pierce organs but it would still be hard as all hell for her to get around so damn fast with a knife sticking out of her side
[7/10]
Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:11 am · id 171694778 · page 2
Fangs pierced flesh and the acrid tang of animae vitae filled her mouth. It was warm and syrupy and it slipped down her throat like liquid silk. Viviana's eyelids fluttered closed, she was so enjoying her little drink.
Of course that enjoyment came to a somewhat abrupt end thanks to two irritating digits invading her nostrils and giving her head a good yank. The uncomfortable amount of pressure the bard's knee exerted upon her abdomen didn't really help matters either. So the Lamia's fangs were wrenched from Roderick's neck, taking a chunk of flesh with them, nothing overly damaging, just not very aesthetically pleasing. It looked like someone had just taken a bite out of him...
Why can't we drink forever? the Lamia lamented in the catacombs of her mind, licking his blood from her lips as she silently pondered. And this brief moment spent philosophising was the very moment that Roderick launched his attack. She didn't notice his thrust until it was to late. A sharp, pained gasp left her lips as the tip of the blade sliced through her jacket and pierced her flesh.
"Vous hybride!" the Lamia spat venomously, clearly having a blade poke you between the ribs wasn't an experience she appreciated.
Her left hand was still coiled tight around his right bicep, and he would feel its grip upon the muscle tighten, a bone-crunching grip. She drew back her sword arm, sending the point of her stiletto careening towards his shoulder simultaneously she flicked her left leg around behind his right, the heel of her boot aimed at the pit of his knee. She was planning on knocking him off balance and sending him careening through that thin rice paper wall behind him.
Of course Viviana's centre of gravity wasn't so strong at the current moment, what with the blood loss and the gradually building levels of OWPAIN, it was highly likely if Roderick did fall, she wouldn't have time to disengage her hand or shift her leg out of the way, which meant that she would probably find herself falling through the Dojo's wall too...
Hopefully there were no expensive tea sets in that other room, because if there were, they were about to get broken!
[7/10]
[French Translation: You b*****d!]
Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:06 pm · id 171751924 · page 2
Roderick let out another cry of pain as he felt her teeth exit his muscle with a chunk of his flesh along for the ride. The damn fangs hurt more going out than they did going in and the whole experience was quite unpleasant. A fresh spurt of blood flowed down his neck, covering most of the right side of his upper body in sticky warmth. It was pretty damn deep wound but it was his first of the day, so the effects of blood loss had a while before starting to kick in. Especially since he was still teeming with Adrenaline.
Luckily his blade had Dagger had hit right on mark. It would definitely make it harder for her to be so swift. Unluckily, as soon as he had the teeth out of his neck he saw her reaching her arm back to stab him with the blade. So NOW she decides to use it!
As her right arm went forward he grabbed it by the wrist, contending with her as the blade made repeated nicks on the front of his shoulder. He could tell he had really pissed her off with the knife, as it was getting ludicrously hard to hold off a woman who was almost half his size. In contending with her arm he barely even noticed that she had put a leg behind him until he felt her boot jam into the back of his knee. It certainly put him off balance, but holding onto her left arm as well as reaching out and grabbing her by the right shoulder kept him on his feet.
Then the wall gave in.
It wasn't suprising, really. Paper couldn't deal with very much weight and when Roderick's back rubbed against it he had known that it wouldn't hold him up for long. He was actually counting on it breaking through a little earlier.
As both Roderick and Vivi careened backwards through the wall and into, of all places, the bathroom, he used his grip on her to turn her around so that he would end up lading on top of her instead of underneath. He had NO desire for a fully-clothed woman with a knife in hand to be sitting on top of him. He would make a decision on what to do next when they hit the ground.
Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:04 pm · id 171757478 · page 2
The sound of splintering wood and tearing paper filled Viviana's ears, but by the time her mind had willed her limbs to react it was to late. She and Roderick were both already falling.
"Bloody acrobate" the French woman bemoaned as the bard took control of the fall and her back smacked against the tatami floor. The air inside the bathroom was warm and steam escaped quickly out of the new exit. A part of Vivi wanted to suggest that enough was enough, she could use a warm bath. Her clothes were ruined, there was no way she could get blood out of silk and velvet.
But there was another part of her which said, like a malevolent whisper in her ear, Do unto others, what has been done to you.
A smile split her lips, exposing her fangs and pearly-white teeth, it looked rather eerie, what with her face smeared with her own blood and all. And with the coming of that smile, came the rest of Viviana's attack, her legs flicked up and wrapped tightly around Roderick's middle, her thighs resting just above his hips. Viviana squeezed, her ankles locking together above his back. The result was a classic closed guard position, with just a little bit of a serpentine twist. Vivi was using her legs to 'hug' Roderick the same way a boa constrictor 'hugged' its dinner. No doubt the bard would find this pressure, more than a little discomforting.
Her right hand still clutched her stiletto and for good measure, she continued to try and force the blade towards it's target, his shoulder. But her real second attack came from her left hand, which finally relinquished its grip upon his bicep to try and slap him, hard across the face.
[8/10]
[French Translation; (pointless but for continuity's sake...) acrobat]
Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:32 am · id 171800224 · page 2
Roderick felt her legs curl around his midsection as they both hit the ground with a hard smack. She certainly knew how to squeeze and he found himself short of breath. Her boot being planted in his spine definitely wasn't a treat either. He found that he could still wriggle around in the grip of her thighs, and he did so to keep pressure off of the same area of his ribcage. It would also make it harder for her to get a tighter grip on him.
He was still making a serious effort to contend with her dagger-wielding hand as they fell, so when they hit the ground it provided the extra force she needed to plunge it into the front of his shoulder. He had been stabbed more than once and the familiar sting and burn of a blade piercing his flesh didn't create the same distraction or worry that his other wounds had. The Stiletto made it about an inch and a half into his body before he could stop it from going any further.
With the grip on her wrist maintained, he began pushing her arm down and to the left as he also began raising his upper body, forcing the knife out of his shoulder with a spurt of blood. As he raised himself up he felt her grip on his bicep diminish as her hand shot across from the right, slapping his face quickly and painfully. It had been a very long time since he had been slapped by a woman, as he most always attempted to be civil towards the opposite sex. The pain of it made him grimace initially, but the act itself made him grin stupidly. Another bolt of adrenaline shot through his system as he slammed her left hand to the ground in an attempt to dislodge the blade.
His prediction that getting up close and personal would get dirty had been accurate, but he hadn't expected it to get THIS dirty. They had only hit the ground a moment ago and they were already lying in an increasingly large pool of blood. Sanguine fluid drooled out of their various wounds into a melange underneath them. The bite out of his neck was bleeding less now, but it was still leaking at a profuse rate. THe effects of blood loss were sure to start creeping up on him soon.
As she brought her hand back across he tried to grab her wrist, to get control of both appendages currently available for attacking him. Whether or not he would succeed in his attempt, he would aim a slap of his own at the woman on the floor. Since his hands were occupied he would perform this slap with his forehead, aiming directly at her nose.
Sat Nov 29, 2008 7:45 pm · id 171844186 · page 2
Viviana was concentrating on trying to squeeze the breath out of Roderick, but she was pleased to see that her stiletto had finally hit its mark, and damn did it feel good to slap this guy! (Vivi couldn't remember the last time she'd slapped anybody. It took her right back to the days when slapping someone meant, "Alright, we're gonna fight to the death now.")
Of course while she was taking her little trip down memory lane, Roderick was formulating a plan to break her nose. There was a crunch as the cartlidge of Viviana's nasal septum cracked under the pressure of the bard's forehead.
The cry of pain which left the Lamia's lips was piercing, that was definitley not nice of her opponent. Hadn't he turned her face in to enough of a train wreck anyway? She was so disorientated she didn't realize he was trying to subdue her other hand until his fingers had already latched onto it.
There was really only one weapon left available to Viviana now, and so as Roderick pulled his head back after delivering his nasty headbutt, Vivi craned her neck and parted that blood stained pout and bit into the bard's plump lower lip, sinking her fangs all the way through. Her eyes glared up at him daringly, left eyebrow raised and then she tugged her head back hard. Because her mouth was full of bloody lip, she couldn't really say much, but obviously Viviana felt it about time she mess up Roderick's pretty face. Seeing as he had done a fabulous job of messing up hers.
She increased the pressure around his middle, to try and keep him from squirming.
[9/10]
Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:26 pm · id 171959070 · page 2
Roderick felt a familiar crunch as his forehead rebounded off of her now crushed septum. And damn if she didn't scream freaking LOUD. He had learned his lesson about staying too close to her face and he was wary of those teeth of hers. Unfortunately he couldn't move his noggin quite as quick as he'd hoped.
Her right fang would pierce the front his chin and slide off the bone, going straight through the bottom chin afterwards. Roderick was still moving his head back fast, and he had no time to slow it down. As a result, directly after her fang had entered his chin it exited, ripping a large hole as it went. A fresh spurt of blood exited his body and he cryed out painfully.
Alright, enough was enough. He couldn't handle another bite like that, he was already losing blood too fast from his neck. The new wound on his chin had almost doubled the rate of his blood loss and he began to feel a woozyness in the pit of his stomach. Not good. At the current rate, he probably had about 15-20 minutes before it was lights out. If he suffered another serious wound, that time frame would be halved.
Immediately after her fang left his chin he let go of her left hand and attempted to grab her by the neck. He wasn't trying to strangle her, he just wanted to get a grip so that she couldn't lunge forward and bite another chunk of his face off.
[10/10]
Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:53 pm · id 171960487 · page 2
"You taste good."
Viviana spoke the words thickly, her tone almost sultry. Of course that was cut short as his hand closed around her neck.
"Let... go..." she wheezed, "I'm... supposed to... be... choking... the breath... out of... you"
To emphasize this point she squeezed her thighs about his middle again.
Viviana made the most of her freed left hand however, she balled it into a fist and sent it flying towards Roderick's lower jaw. It was with ironic timing that as the Lamia swung her punch, the FIGHTERs bracelet that both opponents were wearing began to beep. Signalling the end of their match.
"Does... this... mean... it's a...draw?" Viviana gasped breathlessly.
[10/10]
[.:.throws some confetti in the air.:.]
Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:10 pm · id 171961288 · page 2
Roderick wanted revenge for her making a meal out of him, as well as for her snide remark about doing so. So as her fist came in, he turned his head and bit it. It might not have been too good of an idea, as one of his teeth was instantly knocked loose. He felt her squeeze him again and he wheezed slightly.
Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:19 pm · id 171961689 · page 2
"It was a delicious dinner. Are you sure you want to do it again?"
Viviana asked with a quirk of a blood stained brow, she accepted his hand up. As soon as she was on her feet she brought her hands to her nose and grimaced.
"This will not do at all." She mumbled beneath her bloody appendages as her fingers traversed the broken nose. "It's going to 'ave to be reset."
She glanced through the hole where the wall used to be and she couldn't keep a smirk from creeping across her features. Paper walls were so much fun, really.
"We should probably get our weapons..." she gestured to where they lay, discarded in the main room of the Dojo, "And... well... I don't mean to be rude, Monsieur but you look like you could use the skilled 'ands of a doctor for those err... unique wounds there."
Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:30 pm · id 171962150 · page 2
Roderick stepped through the wall as she gestured, his vision beginning to blur at the edges and his walking becoming more laboured.
Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:36 pm · id 171962373 · page 2
"Viviana Merquise. But really, Vivi is fine." She said with a non-chalant wave of her hand.
At his words however, her eyes bulged a little,
"Oh..." she cleared her throat and glanced down at the dagger which was still nestled between her rib bones. "O-Of course." She stammered, reaching with her bloody fingers and giving the dagger a good yank. She grunted, obviously it's exit was as painful as its entrance, and then, tears pricking the corners of her eyes, she wiped it on the sleeve of her jacket and held it out for him. Even though she'd just pulled a dagger out of her side, she still looked remarkably chipper. Why? She's gotten a good few mouthfuls of the other man's blood and it did wonders to distract her from the pain she was in whilst her body dilligently went about the task of repairing it.
"You're not fey are you." She asked him pointedly. "What regenerative capabilities does your mortal coil posses, ami Roderick?"
Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:51 pm · id 171962948 · page 2
Roderick slipped the knife back into its satchel as his vision blurred further. He shook his head slightly and widened his eyes but it only helped slightly.
Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:58 pm · id 171963178 · page 2
"Lucklily for you Roderick, I 'ail from a time when chivalry was a man's most important asset." Obviously the Lamia had no problem with identifying herself as a man.
"No doubt, I don't intend to look in a mirror anytime soon. A doctor will do a better job of resetting my nose than I will." She gave a curt nod and pulled a handkerchief out of her sleeve. She had been going to clean herself up with it, but instead she handed it to Roderick, it looked like he could use an extra one.
She picked up her sabre and wiped the blade across the silk of her stockings. They were already ruined so it couldn't hurt. Deftly she resheathed it and beckoned to the bard,
"Come, you can lean on me, do you 'ave a vehicle of some sort? I walked 'ere..."
Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:11 am · id 171963586 · page 2
Thanks for the 'kerchief. I hope you don't mind that its going to be ruined.
I walked here as well, and I could certainly use a nice lean at the moment. Thank you for the offer. I owe you a drink.