A long session of watching other people play, mostly.
Current IC time is: Sun Sep 29 10:18:32 2002
Arena
The large circular cup of the stadium is not too big as far as the stadiums go - it houses no more than twenty thousand seats. But still in the faintly lit darkness, where all the light shines upon the big tournament grade Layer in the middle of the room, it’s hard to make out what’s on the other side. Huge billboards glow in the darkness above the layer.
Tomiko
At first glance, it is not entirely obvious whether this girl is a student at Eriol Academy, or a mockery thereof. The outfit is certainly Eriol’s, in the traditional Eriol blue, white, and gold, but it is worn in a manner unlike any other Eriol Academy uniform. The pleated skirt, normally knee-length and baggy, has been shortened, and falls just short enough to expose at least three centimetres of pale, smooth thigh between the hem of the skirt and the top of the stockings, held up by garters, which decorate her legs. Fortunately, nothing untoward has been done to the outfit’s shirt, as the bustline is intact and unaltered, and even the little armband is properly in-place. Even still, the outfit must be horribly distracting for her male classmates.
The actual girl contained within the outfit appears a bit suspicious, as well. Her hair is not even vaguely natural, with streaks of purple, indigo, pink, and black alternating throughout the many tiny braids that comprise her huge ponytail. The girl’s makeup is equally unconventional, the dark eyeliner contrasting sharply with the pale, powdered skin of her face. A small silver ring interrupts the right of her meticulously-trimmed eyebrows, with a matching ring similarly piercing the lower of her violet-glossed lips. Overall, the effect is very striking, and not altogether unattractive. It could be said that the girl possesses an unconventional beauty, especially with the discrepancy between her manner of dress and her demeanour: her eyes look out at the world from behind a rather elegant-looking set of glasses, her posture is far too correct, and her demeanour far too polished to allow the girl to be categorized easily as a slacker or a miscreant.
Usada Hikaru
Large red bows tie lavendar hair into a set of pigtails, swooping out from either side of this girls hair, falling almost to her waist. Set near each of those large red bows is an unusual hair ornament, a large die, tied tightly within that hair so it does not move much, even when the angel is flipping through a complex set of maneuvers. Set in between those is a pair of large, white, floppy bunny ears, and in the middle of those even, a pair of unruly lavendar strands seem to mimic the pair atop the head of her angel. Her face also mimics that of her angel, big reddish-pink eyes, small button nose, and a tiny mouth.
She wears the dress of an idol, the skirts large, red with white trim at the hem, and floofy, stopping just at the knees, white petticoats visible beneath them. The top is brief, leaving shoulder’s bare, floofy white sleeves and bodice held up by a pair of narrow red spaghetti straps, tied at her neck. The dress is backless, although a large, white, poofy bunny’s tail rests at her rear. On her feet she wears what almost look like dancing shoes, along with a pair of baggy white socks, with little frills and red ribbons holding them up about mid-calf.
If her rainbow-haired friend has thought Hikaru’s other outfits were wierd, this one must certainly take the cake. Anybody who is an avid Angelic Layer player and has seen the pinkhaired waitresses angel will certainly recognize her lifesize costume of it she wears, right down to the enormous dice and bunny hears all intricately tied into her hair, somehow. She is currently dragging her unusual friend into the stands, a gleam in those reddish-pink eyes, “Kochi kochi.. Tokkokun, the first match is about to start!”
On the arena, The mumur of the audience rises as it waits for the contestants to get settled, a smattering of applause clapping out for each as they make their way in. The announcer is quiet while the two get settled in, and even a little bit after that, letting the tension build to an almost unbearable level before his voice finally cuts through the mumuring once again. “Thank you for waiting! Now.. without further adue, let’s get ready for the first match of the tournament!” His excited tenor falls to a more conversation tone, as he starts to explain. “This year’s match will consist of ten rounds of Swiss, after which the top ranking contestants will be selected to go on to the Kanto Regional Qualifier Tournament. Each match will be 10 minutes in length, with the angel with the highest percentage of life being named the winner should time expire. And now..!” his voice rises once again, grabbing the attention of the crowd. “For this match… the scenery will BE!” A dramatic pause, all the spotlights except those pointed at the layer going dim, the surface of the layer flicking and turning into……
Michael
The first thing that draws attention about Michael is that he is a caucasian in a sea of oriental. His skin is lightly tanned but not enough to blend in with the better part of Japan’s populace. His chesnut brown hair has fallen playfully in front of an angular face, it’s shape is well defined. His hair is cut short according to modern fashion trends. The look in his soft almond hued eyes is often one of quiet consideration, contemplation, and evaluation. His body is well toned, slightly muscular, likely gained from a great deal of physical activities.
His pace, when he walks,is very rythmic, no matter the speed he is moving at. His movements are equally smooth, something easily noticed if someone watches him for even a short time.
Currently, Michael is wearing a plain cloud gray set of slacks and a similarly coloured windbreaker. A shirt visible through the unzipped jacket is a light brown buttoned shirt. On his left hand’s middle finger is a ring that looks much like a university graduate’s ring.
Michael hurries into the arena, making sure to get to his seat before the match starts.
Dragging along after her pink-haired friend, a taller girl climbs through the stands, one hand clasped in her friend’s, the other fidgeting with the strap on the tight-looking corset she wears over several layers of torn black skirts. Her choice of outfit seems more for show than practicality, as it’s hard to imagine the girl having an easy time breathing or bending in the outfit, and the scraps of fabric seem likely to present a tripping hazard. Nonetheless, Tomiko somehow manages to follow her shorter, energetic friend through the stands without falling or passing out, even with her neck craned to get a better view of the action in the arena itself.
Rika
This girl fits the textbook definition of ‘cute redhead’, and while she’s unmistakably asian, her relatively pale skin and dark green eyes, coupled with flaming red hair cut in a pageboy style make it easy to forget about it, especially since there’s no sign of hair dye. She does seem to wear some makeup on her face, still posessed of soft, childlike features, but it’s hard to trace just what did she do with it - there isn’t much. Overally, she resembles a fox - lithe and slim, and generally small, since she’s rather short.
Today she’s wearing a rather uncharacteristic outfit that, while it screams of quality and style, looks mighty unusual. She’s wearing a greyish shirt, complete with a dark grey, almost black tie with a golden tie pin, which looks like a needle. Over that, a milky white jacket with rather big white plastic buttons and a set of white pants complete the suit - the cut would be appropriate for a businessman, but the color probably would suit a showman better, and either way, it looks strange on the tiny Rika, making her look many years older. Her white shoes are devoid of elevated heels too, so the effect persists.
An unusual hairband rests upon her hair - a silvery, thickish metallic object with glistening chrome parts. It looks very pretty, almost like jewelry, but very weird. And it has leds.
Rika is sitting on a spot right by the stairs - paranoid as always, you know why she annoyed so many people until she got this ticket? So that she’d be able to get up and run at any minute. - dressed so very unlike her usual way that she’s hardly recognisable at all. Only the weird glittery hairband could give her away. beep snip
Michael is extremely polite as he edges past the couple people in his row before sitting down. The tall caucasian is an odd sight, easily noticed in most crowds. Once he fits himself happily into the seat, he appears calm and to be “just watching the match”.
On the arena, The layer resolves into a fiery pit, intense heat casting steam over a large crater full of fiery lava, a myriad of tiny treacherous stones poking out of the lava, providing footholds for the angels. The crater extends right to the rim, forcing the angels to hop from stone to stone. “…THE LAVA PIT!” The announcer cries out dramatically, then intones in a hurried, excited voice. “This layer forces the angels to be mindful of the hot boiling lava right below their feet, incurring damage if they step or fall into it. We are lucky to see such a stupendous layer for the very first match!” A little pause, heightening the tension like only a good announcer can do, before he adds, “AND NOW! In the west corner.. in his first tournament appearance, Deus.. Aojima Kogi, and his angel.. Reaper!” All the lights focus on the pale black haired boy and his angel, waiting for him to fall in.
Tournament Layer
A fiery pit, intense heat casting steam over a large crater full of fiery lava, a myriad of tiny treacherous stones poking out of the lava, providing footholds for the angels. The crater extends right to the rim, forcing the angels to hop from stone to stone. Just standing there could be dangerous as the stones are more treacherous than they look.
On the arena, Kogi smiles and waves as he is in the spot light. He feels much better now as he takes his angel and puts on the headset. He activates the headset and the wings open on them as he tosses his angel at the large layer. “Fight for me today and gather the souls of the fallen angels of past. Reaper FALLIN” His angel hits the layer wall and jumps to life my opening its wings full. Its wings let it glide to a stop and land on one of the many stones near him. His angel grins its evil grin as it closes it wings about its self like a cloak. His eyes gleam as his fire like aura starts up….
On the arena, Another smattering of applause and cheers from the crowd as the demonic looking angel makes it’s entrance, and the announcer’s voice comes back again. “Ooooooh! A very fitting angel for the scenery.. will it be a tough match for his opponent…” His tone drifts to conversational at this last part, but builds up the drama again, after a little pause, and he segues right into.. “…in the East corner, Deus.. Takashi Purin.. and Angel.. Hunter D!!” All the lights swivel towards the short purple haired women, awaiting her angel’s entrance into the layer.
The two oddly attired girls make their way down the stairs, looking for good seats to watch the match, and the pink haired one blinks as she spots a familiar redhead, in attire she certainly recognizes. She is taken aback a moment, visibly faltering, but her grin reforms and she calls out. “Maekikun! You came to watch too!” Hikaru drags Tomiko down towards said redhead, who just happens to have two empty seats next to her, no doubt due to her unusual attire, and wonders. “Mind if we sit next to you?”
On the arena, picks up the headset and gently places it on her head. She then procedes to arrange her hair daintily around the headset, if she had to wear it she wanted to look good while doing so. Nekoko lifts D to her face and gives him a last minute pep talk. “D we need to win if we dont all these people will laugh at us. If we do we will have bragging rights for the rest of the month.” Kissing him on the nose she tosses him one-handed into the layer, flipping up the wings at the same time. D opens his eyes and flips so that his feet are underhim. He lands softly, getting up his cape flutters around him and he takes the opportunity to pose and flex.
Rika looks up at the oddly dressed duo. beep SNAP goes her hairband and she smiles a familliar smile… Funny thing, did you notice it’s raining outside… like it was on that day? “No, please do.” she comments, shifting in her seat, closest to the stairway, to let the two girls pass.
Michael nods politely to the trio as he notices them takes their seats nearby. He doesn’t look much longer than common pleasantries would allow, but who could blame him for a little longer considering the unusualness of their attire, and the fact anyone in the audience is focused on the duel about to take place.
.------==== Angelic Layer Inc. ============= Match timer: 00:00:00 ====------.
West Side / Angel: Reaper | East Side / Angel: Hunter D
Deus: Aojima Kogi | Deus: Nekoko
Hits: ************************* (25) | Hits: ************************* (39)
Stats: ACC: 3 POW: 5 SPD: 2 | Stats: ACC: 1 POW: 3 SPD: 2
DP: 4/4 VIT: 2 GRD: 2 STA: 1 | DP: 4/4 VIT: 4 GRD: 4 STA: 1
-------==================================== Special scenery rules: ====-------
If at the end of your turn you have an odd number of DP, you must either
lose one DP or lose one HP.
`------================================================================------'
Reaper
This angel is a male frame that is a little bit bigger then most angels. His hair is a bright red with yellow that goes through it and it is very long and about reachs to his waist and it moves and shows like his faverite thing fire. His eyes are a red color that glows a bit like there is a light behind them.His head has a odd pair of horns on them that look sharp as knives.His face has a evil grin on it. His body is covered in a jacket that is a light blue and works well with his hair. The jacket has a dragon design on it that wraps around the arms and meet at the front of the jacket. It has holes in the back that let his wings go though it. His pants that bag near his feet. His feet are almost like a cats paws but are a bit differnt. His arms are thin but hold alot of power in them. His biggest feature is his wings that are like a bats wings and stand about as tall as him when closed. His wings are quite wide when he opens them.
Hunter D
You see a very buff angel with pretty boi features. He has long wavy brown hair that is topped by a black wide brimmed hat. His skin is pale, with noble features and two long fangs in his mouth. He wears a skin tight body suit with a black and red cape and high black boots. On his hands are long claws and on his back is an extremely long sword.
On the arena, “Oooooh! Also a fitting angel to the layer! Certainly this will be a memorable match to kick off this year’s tournament SEASON!” The announcer’s voice builds to full excitement levels once again, now that both angels are set and ready, and the lights sweep over the layer and both deus chairs, his voice coming on the finish of their movement. “Good luck to both contestants. AND NOW!” Fanfare plays, and the drama builds to a crescendo pitch as the announcer finally calls out. “ANGELIC….. FIGHT!!!”
In your row of seats, Rika idly comments under her breath, “And this year’s tournament season appears to be autumn. I wonder why….”
Smoothing her skirts about her to make certain she isn’t showing anything off, Tomiko silently mouths an apology, not wanting to create any more distraction than she already has. She quickly leans forward and smiles at the girl in the white suit, then turns back to watch the layer. Blinking twice, she quickly turns back to make certain that the person she just greeted was Maeki-san, and just as quickly turns back to face the layer as the cheering builds, indicating the beginning of the match.
On the arena, Kogi does his best to start this match off. He opens his wings and takes to the air with a few flaps. He stays in the air with a smile on his face. He does something no one saw coming. He brings his hand up and pull down the skin under his eye and sticks out his tounge to make a rude sound at the angel on the rocks below.
On the layer, Reaper does his best to start this match off. He opens his wings and takes to the air with a few flaps. He stays in the air with a smile on his face. He does something no one saw coming. He brings his hand up and pull down the skin under his eye and sticks out his tounge to make a rude sound at the angel on the rocks below.
On the layer, D’s eyebrows narrow at the winged angel’s rude gesture. D slowly crouches down and launches himself into the air grabbing Reaper on the way up. D “hugs” the angel trying to close its wings so the angel plummets to the ground. “How do ya like my angels glomp attack spiffy ne?” Nekoko grins
On the layer, Reaper gets grabbed by the attack and sent flying down toward the layer. He hits the ground with a thud and does his best to get out of the lava. He is steaming but just can’t seem to move at all right now. He trys to move put is slow with the damage he had just taken. He stands and is at the mercy of his opponent.
On the arena, The crowd oooohs and aaaahs as crowds will when the fight kicks off, and as the first blows are trader the announcer crows. “And it looks like Reaper takes a hit!! He’s down in the lava, grappled by Hunter D, and he can’t move! Is it all over?!” Of course it isn’t.. but people will be more excited if they think it is! And sure enough, a gasp rings out from the more easily led of the crowd.
Michael coincidentaly oooohs and aaaahs as if by some mysterious and unpreventable force.
In your row of seats, Rika just quietly giggles under her breath.
On the layer, The heat seems to be getting to Hunter D. He moves slowly and shakes his head from time to time. “D whats the matter dont you over heat on me now.” Nekoko screeches from the sidelines. D trots over to where reaper lay and slowly makes an effort to kick but it doesnt look to good.
In your row of seats, Usada Hikaru settles down next to Rika, fanning our her skirts and petticoats around her, turning to gush a smile at Tomiko before turning back to Rika. “Are you in the tournament this year too, Maekikun?” she wonders, before turning and oooooh’ing at the first hit. “Silly.. that’s what you get when you leave yourself open early like that!” She is then engrossed in attention towards the match, like a good little Layer fanatic.. until someone snaps her out of it. “Hope that Seto Ringo makes mistakes like that..” she mutters, under her breath.
On the layer, Reaper shakes his head and body a bit like a cat to clean up. He spots the kick coming and just brushs it aside his demonic smile showing up again. He raises to his full hieght as his wings open. He spins with his wings power as he takes to the air again to send a kick at the other angels head.
In your row of seats, Rika smiles faintly, “No, I figured I’d learn more interesting things through observing.” she comments. “Are you in the tournament then, Usada-san?”
Tomiko quietly eyes the layer with the sort of look one would expect of someone attempting to perform complex calculus in her head, somehow missing the obvious danger that the two angels are in. At the whispering next to her, she leans slightly towards her overdressed friend, eyes not leaving the layer, looking as if she’s about to whisper something. Her lips part slightly, hold for a moment, and then close, apparantly having decided not to ask as the third girl asks for her.
On the arena, Bringing up his arms to protect his face, D easily blocks the kick. D watches the angel for a moment, the heat seems to be slowing down all his sensors. After a minute D swats at reaper like some sort of annoying mosquito.
“Hai!” Hikaru chirps at Rika, giving her a huge grin and a ‘V’ sign, urging. “My match is towards the end of the first round, but please come watch if you’d like!” She then turns back to Tomiko, that huge grin plastered on her face still, asking. “Having fun, Tokkokun?” But eyes eventually dart back towards the layers, checking on the progress of the match.
On the layer, Reaper blocks the blow as best he can and takes to the air with a few flaps again. He stops above the arena that is the layer and glows with his fire aura. The lava is having a good affect on this angel unlike the other one. He is starting to regain energy form the heat. This could be bad for Hunter D.
Attention finally broken by the comment, Tomiko looks at her friend. Who would have guessed her friend would be involved in such a thing? Then again, Tomiko wouldn’t have guessed quite a few things… with a smile, the dark-rainbow-haired girl resolves to just not bother guessing anymore. “Yes, this is wonderful… thank you for inviting me. I’ll be cheering for you when your turn comes!”
In your row of seats, Rika grins back at Usada, snip beep “It’ll be interesting to watch.” she comments.
On the layer, D watches the angel for a moment before dropping to one knee. “D!!! Get up D!” Nekoko cries and fidgets in her chair like she wants to jump into the layer. D just kneels still as a statue.
Michael, hearing all the chatter, looks over at the trio beside him. Just before he returns his gaze to the layer, the look of recognition falls on his eyes fall on Usada. Michael smiles, offers a respectfully polite nod, and looks back to the layer, without a word from his mouth.
On the layer, Reaper smiles at the fact the angel is having trouble. He flaps his wings to start his next attack. He dives down and pulls up to go at the last second to fly at his opponent. He flaps his wings to stay just above the lava. When he is close to the angel that is nearing he flaps to fly up and only sends out a fist to try and conect with his jaw.
On the layer, D closes his eyes and flops to the layer, conveniently allowing Reapers fist to sail harmlessly over his head. D pushes himself up and gives his head a few good shakes. D staggers to Reaper and high kicks as hard as he can before flopping back to the layer.
On the layer, Reaper just moves to the left as he dodges the kick aimed at him. His smile as evil as ever as he walks over to stand over the hurting angel. He raises his hand and balls it into a fist to send a huge blow of energy at the downed angel. He cackles as the angel sits there and the fist comes at him. This blow is huge in force and will crack the ground below no dought.
On the layer, The force causes D to roll sideways and sprawl limply over a red hot rock. “D dont give up! I promise if you win ill make you all new armor. Come on D!” Nekoko pleads trying to appeal to the peacock in her angel. D lays still. With no warning he springs up with a new bounce in his step. He cracks his head and prepares for attack.
On the layer, Reaper hates the fact that his enemy is healing again. He opens his wings to take to the air. He circles around the opponent. He soon attacks by diving again at his opponent. He sends out a chop at the angels exposed neck.
On the layer, Reaper smiles as he just jumps back from the attack. His demonic voice comes out of his curved smiling face. “I think you need to take a bath.” He then jumps forward and again sends a huge blow at the angel near the edge. Feel the burn…
On the arena, D takes a giant step to the side scooping his cape out of the way, so that Reaper has a clear trip toward the lava. D dashes to the center of the layer and makes his stand there. Just in case Reaper tries to come after him, D curls his hand into a fist and tenses it at his side.
On the layer, Reaper takes his time as he swirls around his opponent to dodge the blow. He takes to the air again and stays there waiting for a move to jump out at him.
On the arena, Nekoko is clearly stressed by the current state of affairs, because she has her kimono sleeve in her teeth, not chewing on it but biting down. On the layer D seems to respond to his dues tension by being reckless and flip kicking at the airborne reaper.
On the layer, Reaper closes his wings to block the blow that comes at him. He blocks the hit or at least most of it. He opens his wings again to fly higher again. He won’t let the angel land before he lets his next attack go. He flaps his wings and makes his horns like a javin as he flys at the opponent to try and let him get the point.
On the arena, The voice of the announcer cuts through the excited buzz of the crowd once again as Hunter D scores a partial hit. “Five minutes remaining in the match and Hunter D has a slight edge! Will it be enough… or will Reaper come back with a BRUTAL blow?!” Always leave the crowd on edge!
On the arena, Nekoko fidgets and huffs, she is getting hungry. “D hurry up please! I wanna go eat lunch.” D facepalms and turns to his dues pointing to his sleeve. Nekoko gasps and draws a pack of cookies from her sleeve. D shakes his head smiling, a little energy recovered.
On the layer, Reaper almost feels like he should face palm too but, doesn’t. He flaps again as he circles the opponent with a smile. He flaps and dives again to do the same thing yet again.
On the arena, D is taken unaware by the headbutt and falls to the layer scuffing one of his boots. D slowly turns his head to the inconsiderate angel his eyes glowing red. “Oh! You made D mad. Your gonna get it.” Nekoko says through a mouth full of crumbs. D punches at the angel throwing his whole body weight behind it.
On the layer, Reaper gets smacked hard by the blow and gets sent back to the ground hard. He stands or trys his best to stand and just sits there unable to move for a bit. He looks bad to say the least. His arm seems to hang unable to be used and so he stands trying to regain some balance to attack.
On the arena, As the demon winged angel takes a big hit, the crowd gasps, and the announcer seems almost caught up by the excitement himself, his voice almost a shriek. “BIG HIT!! Reaper is down to only a fraction of his full life, will he be able to turn the tide before the timer runs out?!” A good portion of the crowd leans forward in their seats, as if sensing a coming resolution to the match.
On the arena, D grins and lowers his head. He puts f=one foot foreward and slams his head at the angels face. “YAY! We’ve won!” Nekoko shrieks.
Hikaru also leans forward in her seat, whispering over at Tomiko. “He’s in trouble now… I don’t know if he can come back from this..” A pause, and she notes idly. “He was pretty good though.. I practiced against him once, maybe he’ll figure something out!” No doubt this is very uninteresting to the rainbow haired youth, but Hikaru is fully caught up in tournament fever.
Watching the match with the same calculating gaze as before, Tomiko seems not to have noticed that the match in ending, attention apparantly taken with something else. As much of the rest of the crowd gasps, cheers, and shifts in their seats, she just sits there, erect, eyes flicking back and forth as she takes all of the information in. At her friend’s comments, she nods vaguely.
On the layer, Reaper trys to block but gets hit hard. He falls back and lands in the lava. He trys to swim as he lands in the lava. He doesn’t come up for a time. He comes up his body looking a bit melted as he pulls himself up onto a rock. Its then that he falls over not able to get up again.
In your row of seats, Michael leans over, appearing as if he felt he’d been included in the conversation the entire time: “Both are feisty fighters, unwilling to back down from the other. I can’t imagine the fight will end up much different than it is now though, unless the boy can pull off his famous fire attack.”
In your row of seats, Michael chuckles softly, “That wasn’t his famous fire attack…”
On the arena, Another gasp from the crowd as Reaper goes down again, and this time his life bar dips towards zero, the words ‘Calculating Damage’ flashing up on the screen, and finally it dissapears entirely. “Reaper is down! He can’t get back up!!” The announcer shrieks, and the crowd collectively is on the edge of their seats, and when the computers finally announce the results, the announcer calls out. “Hunter D…. WIIIN!” A spattering of cheers punctaute this, applause erupting from the crowd as the first layer match draws to a close.
In your row of seats, Rika glances in Michael’s direction, “It looked rather silly from the very beginning if you ask me.” she comments idly.
In your row of seats, Michael shrugs indifferently with a look of amusement on his face as he answers, turning his head only in the last few words of his speaking: “The angels on the layer recently all seem so monstrous. It’s gotten to be quite the fashion I suppose after the few that started the idea.”
Finally tearing herself away from the layer, Tomiko looks up, slightly lost but coming back. “Yeah…” She finds herself with a hand at the ring on her lip, fidgeting instinctively, and drops both hands into her lap. “…though the technical feats required by all of this still amaze me,” she continues, in a whisper.
In your row of seats, Rika nods. “I don’t suppose they will be among the winners though. Trying to associate yourself with something so inhuman is unlikely to be healthy for the soul.” What’s she hinting at?
In your row of seats, Michael smiles gently and offers little response, watching for the two condenders to walk off the arena floor for the next pair to take their place.
In your row of seats, Michael smiles gently and offers little response, watching for the two condenders to walk off the arena floor for the next pair to take their place.
On the arena, Nekoko blinkblinks she didnt think her great rival Kogi would go down like that. “I didnt even need my trump card…” she murmurs to herself. D runs and leaps off the layer, shedding the visor Nekoko spins around catching him. She hugs him and whispers “I knew you could do it.” She then Holds up D to the audiance psoing for effect. She turns to her rival and winks. “Try hard Kogi i expect you to beat me next time.”
A chime sounds, and a sonorous female voice announces. “Ishiyama Settan and Ararune Tetsuya, please report to the waiting room as soon as possible. Ishiyama Settan, Ararune Tetsuya, to the waiting room.”
Within the crowd, a youth dressed as a certain treasure hunter looks up sharply as he hears his name called. Ararune Tetsuya rises to his feet, then begins to thread his way back to the foyer…
Tomiko looks up, having not even noticed the mechanic before he left. “Ishiyamasan plays this, too?”
On the arena, Kogi gets up out of the seat and takes off his headset. He walks over slowly and takes his angel from the layer. He shakes his head a little bit as he takes his angel and holds it. He smiles and waves as he leaves though the waiting room exit. He is smiling even if he did lose.
The pink haired one blinks at the pair of familiar names, and Hikaru rises from her seat to call out, “Ishiyamakun.. Ararunekun.. ganbatte!” She looks to Tomiko and Rika and Michael then, “It was a good match, ne? Exciting, isn’t it.. Tokkokun?” At the query, she blinkblink, and then nods. “Oh.. un! He is pretty good too. I don’t know about Ararunekun..” She frowns for a moment, for no apparent reason, and then flops back down into her seat, the dice tied in her hair bouncing a little, petticoats floofing out all around her.
On the arena, Nekoko strolls toward the exit using all her acting skills to seem calm. She has time to wave and blow kisses at the crowd before making it to the safety of the waiting room.
In your row of seats, Rika narrows her eyes as she hears the name Ararune Tetsuya mentioned and locks her eyesight on him like a homing missile. beep snip goes her hairband. “Hentai-saaaan…” she grins viciously.
Hikaru looks sharply towards Rika as she says that, blushing brightly a moment. She actually fidgets in her seat for a moment, and studiously looks at noone.
In your row of seats, Michael raises an eyebrow, looking over at Rika, but again, doesn’t say a word as he looks back to the layer, suddenly looking a little harder than usual.
Hirotada shakes his head, knowing full well he’s going to get his butt handed to him when his turn to compete comes up. He looks at his Angel, perched on his shoulder as always and sighs a bit as he pulls his CD player from his pocket and presses play, waiting for the next match to start.
On the arena, Mumured conversations increase in volume as the match winds down and the layer goes blank once again, and after a little pause that sonorous female voice announces through the stadium. “The next match will begin in five minutes. Five minutes until the next match.” Why is it that announcements are always repeated in a completely different fashion?
“Huh?” Tomiko watches the interaction with a mixture of confusion and interest. Turning to her friend, a brow raises, pulling the small silver ring up with it. “He didn’t give you trouble or something, did he?”
In your row of seats, Rika doesn’t fail to notice this - beep snip. Leaning a bit in Usada’s direction she whispers, “You look like you know something, Usada-san….”
Hikaru’s blush is an amazing thing, bright and dark even against the pink and red of her floofy idol outfit. “Eeeeeto..” She fidgets, not quite looking at either of them, and obviously having no intention of telling anything she knows. Certainly not here, at least.
Hirotada
Standing at about 163cm in height, Hiro, as he prefers to be called has an odvious liking for dark colors and an odd fashion sense. His blue eyes are a bit of a contrast to the black of his hair and cloths.Wearing almost all black, it’s odvious that Hiro has a liking for odd fashions. His black pants looking a bit baggy for his height and frame, the cuffs showing a bit of wear from where they hang off the heels of his black and grey shoes. His black dress shirt looks neatly pressed, with the top two buttons left undone. Wearing a black Western-style duster over this, he looks a bit of a mix between old and new, the black fidora on his head not really making him look any more like a normal teenager.
Hirotada leans back in his seat, turning up the volume on his music a bit just to try and zone out and think about how he can win when his time to compete come up… and none of ideas seem to work at all…
In your row of seats, Rika pulls a bigger digital camera out of her pocket - that is, bigger than her trademark Minolta - and snip takes another closeup of blushing Usada. “I’ll…. remember that.” she comments cryptically.
In your row of seats, Michael hearing the snap turns to look, and chuckles to himself, saying barely aloud: “So that’s the conspiracy theorist I was told about.”
In your row of seats, Usada Hikaru blushes all sorts of red, looking down at her fluffy skirts. “Aaahhahaha..” she laughs, nervously, mostly to herself, big bunny ears dipping down to cover her face. How DO they do that?
In your row of seats, Rika switches her attention - and the focus of her camera - to Michael SNAP “Who’s talking about me behind my back, I wonder?” she asks curiously.
In your row of seats, Tomiko giggles quietly to herself, watching her friend’s coy display. Too adorable! “It’s okay… but if he ever gives you any trouble while I’m around…” She trails off, probably due to not actually having a way to finish the sentence.
In your row of seats, Michael,smiling barely in time for the picture adds politely: “My name is Michael Molochev, I’m one of the new teachers hired at Eriol, I teach litterature, and foreign languages to the younger classes, and philosophy to the higher level academics.
Hirotada pulls his Angel from his jacket pocket and perches him on his shoulder, as usual. “Ok, Rem, watch closely. We may learn something.”
In your row of seats, Usada Hikaru looks relieved as Rika’s attention is distracted, but then she looks over to Tomiko at her comment, blush darkening anew. “A–arigatou.. Tokkokun.. demo.. it really was my fault..” Her mouth snaps shut suddenly though, and she looks intently at the layers again. Come on match.. get started!
On the arena, Settan comes out onto the arena floor.
On the arena, Settan has arrived.
In your row of seats, Tomiko looks across the row, noticing the tall Caucasian teacher for the first time. Remembering her manners, despite the casual setting and the fact that he isn’t even her teacher, she formally introduces herself to the man. “Yahisa Tomiko. Douzo yoroshiku onegai de arimasu.” Perhaps a bit too formal. “I’m a transfer student, so we haven’t met yet.” With the next match approaching, the girl decides to stop being a distraction, and cuts it off there.
In your row of seats, Rika takes another picture. The key to making good pictures is taking a lot more than you need. “I know who you are.” How? Probably she already has a file with Michael’s pictures set aside somewhere. “I don’t know who you talk to, though, Molochev-san.” she comments seriously, ignoring Usada for now.
On the arena, Ararune has arrived.
On the arena, As the two contenstants enter the arena, the announcer’s voice fills the stadium once again. “Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to our second match of the evening! Would the contestants please take their seats and prepare for the battle!” The mumur of the crowd quiets again, the match so close to starting.
In your row of seats, Michael replies plainly, a drastic amount of ways it can be taken, “A good teacher speaks with his students, and listens to what they have to say.” Then he turns his attention back as the annoucer interrupts the conversation.
On the arena, Settan looks a bit like a deer caught in headlights as he makes his way out toward the giant Layer, and understandably so; he hasn’t been out in front of a crowd like this since last year’s tournament, after all. Still, his nervousness seems to be put out of mind as he suddenly remembers something. He looks up to the crowd, glancing around and shielding his eyes from the bright light of the Layer.
In your row of seats, Tomiko leans over slightly, whispering a reassurrance into the embarrassed pink-haired girl’s ear, one hand reaching over to one of the other girls’ in a friendly, comforting (and slightly protective) gesture.
In your row of seats, Rika narrows her eyes at Michael but says nothing and after taking one more picture of Usada - just in case - hides her camera in her pocket, leans onto the back of the seat in front of her and stares at the layer intently. She is seriously looking forward to seeing this one, it appears.
On the arena, This is the first time that Ararune has been up close to the tournament Layer, and it’s dazzling, to say the least. Unfortunately, it’s also literally dazzling, which prevents him from properly admiring its size and construction. Oh, well. As for the crowd, they receive only an appraising look, as he pauses briefly on his way to the Layer; his impassive mask seems to be firmly in place for this particular tournament.
In your row of seats, Usada Hikaru blushes furiously at the reassurances from the rainbow haired one, turning and shooting her a blushy, but thankful look at the same time. She starts to say something, but as the contestants come out onto the arena, she rises from her seat..
Spotting her favorite mechanic from the slums, Hikaru rises up in her seat, calling out.
Usada Hikaru shouts, “Ishiyamakuuu~n! Ganbarou!”
In your row of seats, Michael laughs to himself, avoiding attention of most, except maybe Rika.
On the arena, Settan seems to find what he was looking for, and a bit of a smile creeps onto his face as he sends a quick wave up to whoever it is he’s found. Once that’s done with, though, he resolutely makes his way over to his side of the Layer - pausing along the way to flash a grin and thumbs-up in the general direction of the familiar voice, looking not at all surprised to hear it. Once he arrives at the egg-shaped chair, he settles into it, though he looks a bit silly, considering that he barely fits inside of it, his lower legs and half his thighs hanging off the front edge. He then reaches for the headset, and lowers it onto his head and activates it.
Tomiko stands as well, adding her own voice to the cheer, waving as the Deus’ attention turns towards this section of crowd, and then sitting back in her seat, quietly whispering an apology for the disturbance
Tomiko shouts, “Ishiyamasan, faito!”
On the arena, It appears that his opponent has a fan. However, Ararune shows no reaction to this; no visible reaction, at any rate. Inwardly, he hopes that a certain person in the world is watching him, and cheering for him, even within her own heart…
Arriving at his own chair, he perches inside, slowly donning his headset and activating it. “It seems that our audience is impatient,” he observes. “Ready when you are, Ishiyama-san.”
On the arena, “Thank you for waiting!” the announcer calls out once the two are settled in, excitement building amidst the crowd once again. “Welcome to the second match of the tournament! The first match was an exciting one.. can these two brave competitors match the fury and intensity we saw just moments ago?!” He pauses, letting that challenge hang in the air, before announcing. “As before, each match will be 20 minutes in length, with the angel with the highest percentage of life being named the winner should time expire. And now..!” Pause. “For this match… the scenery will BE!” The spotlights go dim, and the surface of the layer flickers…..
On the arena, “…THE CLOCK!!” The crowd oooooohs as a giant clock materializes on the layer, all sorts of gears and such tickticking in constant motion, a threat to even the most mobile of angels. “This layer is always a favorite of the fans, so hang tight folks, it should be an interesting matchup! AND NOW!” Dramatic pause, and the lights sweep towards the west side of the layer. “In the west corner, Deus.. Ararune Tetsuya… Angel.. Celes!”
Izumi
Izumi might seem to be your typical Japanese schoolgirl at first. She stands at a relatively tall 165cm, and has straight black hair that falls to her shoulders casually, while her bangs are kept at a decent length. Though clearly in better shape than most girls her age, her features, too, are pretty average; it would be a stretch to call her good-looking, but it would be just as much of one to call her ugly. The only noteable feature she has are her eyes; however, they are noteable indeed. They seem to practically smoulder with a heat that threatens to burst into an inferno at any moment. Combined with the defiant set of her jaw, this might make the observant person choose his words carefully when speaking to her.
Izumi’s casual wear for today includes what seem to be green army fatigues on her legs; they look fairly worn, so they’re more than likely surplus. Her footwear are not combat boots, but rather an equally-worn pair of white running shoes. A cheap black leather belt holds the baggy pants up and serves as a means to tuck in her shirt, a black t-shirt with the words “Happy Camper” splayed diagonally across the chest in red English. She wears no hat today, and so her hair simply falls down to her shoulders.
From the exit to the stadium’s foyer, a teenage girl in horribly mismatched clothing enters the arena area. She immediately begins making her way up the stairs toward the higher seats - she seems to be alone - though she pauses to turn around and take a look at the two combatants as their entrance is announced. “Who’s the big oaf?” she wonders aloud to herself. “A bit old for this, ain’t he?”
Eishi shouts, “Go Settan-san!!”
On the arena, Well, here goes. Once again showing no notice of Settan’s popularity with the fans, Ararune takes a deep breath…
A random delicate looking female sitting by herself up front raises up and calls out. “Tetsuniichan, faaito!” And promptly blushes and sits back down in her seat before anybody looks at her.
Rika suddenly stretches and yells into the arena as well.
Rika shouts, “Crush him, Settan-san!”
Izumi shrugs, then turns around to climb up the stairs. As the Deuses complete their fallins, she settles by herself into a vacant row, putting her feet up on the chair in front of her.
On the arena, “A beautiful angel, but can she handle the intricacies of the clock?! And her opponent?!” The announces poses his question with an excited air, while the lights swivel to the other side of the layer. “And in the east corner.. Deus.. Ishiyama Settan.. Angel.. Isamu!!”
In your row of seats, Rika leans onto the back of the seat in front of her again, smiling something unfriendly to herself.
On the arena, Settan stares with wide eyes at the scenery as it is revealed. This was a new one for him.. how can someone manage to program something like this, when he himself can barely manage to check his email without accidently crashing his computer? ..Oh well, no time for introspection, he realizes, as now thousands of eyes are upon him, waiting…
On the arena, Settan thrusts Isamu out, as if presenting him to his opponent. “The strength of stone and steel! Show them your power, Isamu!” Settan calls out in a loud, clear voice. He then draws back his arm and flings Isamu into the Layer with a smooth sidearm. The gi-clad Angel passes through the Layer’s boundary, his long headband trailing out behind him, then begins his fall as Settan calls out again, “Angel! Fall in!” Isamu lands with a rather heavy thud on the Layer’s surface, his feet spread out in a horse stance and fists chambered at his hips. Finally, he slowly pushes his hands out in unison, breathing a loud “Haaaaah…” Pausing a moment afterward, he slowly straightens, then bows to his opponent, his open left hand held over his clenched right fist.
On the arena, Ararune narrows his eyes briefly, a chill expression — worthy of the Ice General’s Deus — settling over his face. A moment later, he’s raising his hand and throwing Celes onto the Layer, his voice clear and firm. “A spirit pure as snow… Celes! Fall in!” And with that, the Angel descends, gracefully landing in a crouch before straightening, eyes sizing up her opponent….
.------==== Angelic Layer Inc. ============= Match timer: 00:00:00 ====------.
West Side / Angel: Celes | East Side / Angel: Isamu
Deus: Ararune Tetsuya | Deus: Ishiyama Settan
Hits: ************************* (25) | Hits: ************************* (25)
Stats: ACC: 3 POW: 2 SPD: 3 | Stats: ACC: 3 POW: 3 SPD: 1
DP: 6/6 VIT: 2 GRD: 3 STA: 2 | DP: 4/4 VIT: 2 GRD: 5 STA: 1
-------==================================== Special scenery rules: ====-------
At the beginning of your attack turn, you must discard a card from your deck
or lose 1 HP. Match must be fought with the timer on.
`------================================================================------'
On the arena, “A powerful looking angel!!” The announcer sounds pretty impressed, but then he adds. “Will he be a match for this delicate beauty?! We shall see!” The excitement and crowd volume builds once again, anticipating what is to come as he goes into his usual. “Good luck to both contestants…. AND NOW!” The fanfare plays, the tension builds, and his hand thrusts upwards into the air, “ANGELIC….. FIGHT!!!”
Celes
This Angel is quite clearly female, with long blonde hair reaching down to mid-back, elegant, exquisite features, and clear blue eyes. She doesn’t wear much — high whitish-silver boots, a rather skimpy lime-green bikini (a liberty on the part of the angel’s Deus), and a long white cloak, revealing her slender, toned, athletic physique. A decorative sword rests in a scabbard dangling from a swordbelt around her waist.
Isamu
A large, powerful-looking Angel, Isamu is dressed for combat, with a black gi tied by a burgundy belt. The gi’s top is lined by a thick cloth the colours of fire, with raging tigers embroidered into it. The right sleeve has been torn off, yet by tying another burgundy belt around the top, it hangs from his bicep. Both long sleeves are trimmed in a fabric that fades from yellow to red and back again.
His pants are black as well, the bottoms gathered at the ankles, trimmed in the same yellow to red fabric. Following the trend of his shirt, the right leg has been cut off mid-thigh and retied over his knee with yet another burgundy tie. On his feet are black slippers, while his hands have fingerless, black leather gloves. A final long strip of deep burgundy is worn as a headband, the ends trailing out behind him and reaching the floor.
On the layer, Isamu bursts into action as soon as the announcer gives the go-ahead, charging across the floor to his opponent. His heavy feet pound against the metallic ground, producing heavy clanking noises. Once the big Angel finally makes it over to his opponent, he lets out a loud “KIAI!” and cocks his fist back; his massive fist suddenly bursts into flame, then is driven toward Celes’ chest.
On the layer, Celes watches Isamu warily as the other Angel charges towards her, beginning to slide away from her foe; her blue eyes narrowed, she suddenly puts on a sudden burst of speed at that cry, grabbing onto a nearby gear and swinging away from the punch. Of course, this method isn’t without its risks; she sustains a little damage, in passing, from some more clock parts, but once she’s landed safely, she feels confident enough to go onto the attack… or at least, to test Isamu’s mettle. Gliding forward, she suddenly lunges, head-first…
On the layer, Isamu seems completely unfazed as Celes’ head merely bounces off of his meaty chest; it’s entirely likely that the impact did more damage to her than to him. The martial artist is quick to counter, showing surprising flexibility as he snaps his foot up at a near-vertical angle, aiming for the lady warrior’s chin.
On the layer, Celes was prepared for Isamu’s riposte, something demonstrated by the way in which she quickly blocks that kick. It still damages her, to be sure, but nowhere near as much as if she had been caught entirely helpless; drawing back slightly, the icy-featured Angel takes the chance to catch her breath for a moment or two.
On the arena, “A viscious start to the match!!” The announcer cries out, the crowd calling out bloodthirstily as the angels bounce and dodge and take blows amidst all the clockwork machinery. “Will the beautiful Celes be able to stand up to Isamu’s deadly precise blows?!” He points down at the layer, just in case the crowd wasn’t already looking there.
On the layer, Isamu doesn’t seem willing to let Celes get even a moment’s rest. Though he is at a bit of a disadvantage in the rapidly changing terrain - even as he steps forward, the razor-sharp edge of a metal disc spins past and bites shallowly into his back before he can fully twist away - he presses the offensive, hoping he can win with sheer volume of blows. Stepping forward, the much larger Angel tosses a swift right cross at Celes’ jaw.
On the arena, “Another brutal hit!! Celes is in trouble!!” Once again the crowd leans forward in anticipation as the west side’s life bar dips to critical levels.. a collective gasp rising up from the whole crowd at the blow the delicate angel takes.
On the layer, Celes braces herself for that blow, attempting to channel her will (or rather, that of her Deus) into her resistance. Of course, there’s only so much that that, by itself, can accomplish, and it shows in the damage that she sustains. However, that does not seem to deter her for very long; shaking her head rapidly, and sending blonde hair flying, she dashes forward rather more aggressively, before unleashing a barrage of blows upon Isamu. She knows perfectly well that they are unlikely to do much damage, but she has her reasons nonetheless.
On the layer, Isamu moves his arms as fast as Celes throws her punches, absorbing each attack with his forearms with expert precision. He seems to spot an opening, and is about to step in to attack, when suddenly a massive chain with links as big as Isamu’s torso swings in out of nowhere, and the martial artist is forced to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed; the chain just barely grazes his shoulder. Once Isamu regains his feet, he settles into a low, defensive posture, eyeing Celes and silently inviting her to attack.
On the layer, Celes, by virtue of her proximity to Isamu, also suffered minor injury (or minor damage, depending upon one’s perspective) from that chain; regarding the martial artist from the other side of a field of obstacles, she seems content to stand her ground for the moment. After a couple of seconds, she raises her hands and seems to murmur something; a white aura of light encompasses her, briefly, and when it fades, she seems to be in better shape than before.
On the arena, “With less than eight minutes remaining, both angels seem to be taking a brief rest! Who will come out on top?!” Yeah yeah.. a bit cliqued. Even announcers don’t always have something original to say.
On the layer, Isamu remains in his low stance until the obstacles separating the two move elsewhere in the room and safely out of the way for now. Once this happens, the big Angel charges forward again, leaping up off the ground a couple scale feet and trying to deliver a flying kick to Celes’ chest.
In your row of seats, Michael looks down at the arena, with a questioning look in his eyes. The layer battle seems so close, while little is happening to change how things are.
On the layer, Celes, carefully watching her opponent, took the opportunity to neatly duck and slide underneath him as he launched that kick. On a surface as hazardous as the one they are using to fight on, such a move has risks, and indeed, Celes is scraped along the way; nonetheless, it’s preferable to being hit. Once she rises to her feet, though, she waits for now…
In your row of seats, Tomiko has her eyes set on the layer, attention held somehow oblivious to the furious action taking place around her as candies whiz by her head. Even a stalemate seems interesting to her, so long as she knows that somewhere, beneath it all, a big pile of software is running.
On the layer, Isamu turns to follow Celes once she slips out of his range, clanking along after her with a slow trot. He catches up after a few seconds, grunting as a long tooth of a giant gear comes out of nowhere and clips his head. This doesn’t stop the resilient Angel, though, from whipping out a quick forward punch at the swordswoman.
In your row of seats, Usada Hikaru likewise is paying close attention to the layer, given that she knows both the deuses in various fashion.. and with her low attention span, the whizzing candies literally don’t even faze her, even when one goes clunk off one of her large dice and flying up in the air.
On the layer, Celes is playing an evasive game of sorts, it seems — she turns to face Isamu as the larger Angel chases her, before nimbly sidestepping the punch. Then it’s her turn to attack; pivoting to present one side to her opponent, she quickly lashes out with one foot, boot aimed squarely at the other angel’s gut.
On the layer, Isamu winces as he is hit by yet another Angel-seeking, swinging chain. Ishiyama, though, seems to be hit by sudden inspiration, though; Isamu whips a hand backward, grabbing the chain before it can swing away, then swinging the chain in front of himself. The martial artist then wraps the chain around Celes’ ankle, tying it into a knot even as her foot strikes him square in the stomach for moderate damage. With Celes now unable to evade, the larger Angel takes his time to attack, throwing all his considerable mass behind a massive punch sent screaming in at the poor maiden’s head.
On the layer, Celes doesn’t seem particularly amused by what just happened, at least judging by the deeper-than-usual chill on her face as she is immobilised. On the other hand, as having one’s foot attached to the scenery is generally a harbinger of Bad Things Happening, she pays particular attention to Isamu’s movements, attempting to get into his head now that she has nothing better to do. (Unknotting the chain is not particularly taxing upon one’s mind, either.) And it pays off, as she manages to twist away from that incoming punch; once it’s glanced off, and she’s free, she moves back a little, defiant despite her obvious damage.
On the arena, The announcer’s voice raises in pitch and volume at the sight of the strange tactic. “What’s this!? Isamu seems to be grabbing a chain and.. Celes has been entangled! She can’t get away! OH!” The announcer breaks off with a cry as the heavy punch lands, then leans forward in his chair, watching excitedly as Celes slips out of the trap.
On the layer, Celes, determined to go down swinging — quite probably literally — manages, somehow, to coax a burst of speed from her battered frame; she dashes forward just long enough to unleash a simple punch upon Isamu.
On the layer, Isamu only winces slightly as Celes’ fist collides with his jaw, snapping his head back a bit. He recovers within moments, however, and responds with his own punch while Celes is still close; sliding one foot forward, the martial artist snaps off another forward punch at his opponent’s stomach.
On the layer, Celes takes the blow squarely, worn down by the fight to the point where she’s unable to do anything about it. By itself, it wouldn’t be too damaging, but considering the Angels’ treacherous footing, the battering that she’s taken, and their relative position on the Layer….
Tt’s enough to send the balance Angel skittering off the Layer, just as the bar indicating her status slips all the way down to zero. Perhaps surprisingly, Ararune seems to take it in his stride; he blinks a few times as he eases his headset off, but otherwise, his expression is stoic enough to Celes proud.
On the arena, The announcer continues to speak excitedly as the two Angels exchange blows. Then the final one hits. “Isamu hits! Celes is out of the Layer - Isamu, WIN!” he cries, as the audience erupts into applause, congratulating the combatants on their furious battle.
Hirotada claps a bit at the win, looking over at Fukata. “That was a good fight, don’t you think?”
On the arena, Settan can’t resist a whoop of victory as he wins his first battle in the tournament. He all but tears off the headset after deactivating it, then hustles around the Layer to pick up his victorious angel. Once he has Isamu in hand, the big fellow turns, waving a hand at the applauding audience, the thrill of victory on his features.
Rika quietly smiles a satisfied smile and then discreetly stands up and leaves the arena.
…and comes back for the next match.
Arena
The large circular cup of the stadium is not too big as far as the stadiums go - it houses no more than twenty thousand seats. But still in the faintly lit darkness, where all the light shines upon the big tournament grade Layer in the middle of the room, it’s hard to make out what’s on the other side. Huge billboards glow in the darkness above the layer.
Oujirou looks on from his position at the guardrail behind the top row as the match begins. Bending forward slightly, he leans against the rail by placing his forearms atop it. He then watches the opening moves with interest.
On the layer, Yuki wastes no time, as soon as the last syllable of “Fight” stops echoing around the arena, she closes the distance between herself and Oscar, with a cheerful smile she says “you won’t beat me twice, Oscar.” and she twists her hips swinging her trailing hand round to meet Oscar’s ribs.
Eileen
Green silk and long loose waves of soft, black hair, wireframe glasses with small round lenses, and a broad, loose wrap of light purple silk which encompasses her waist immediately set this person apart from the rest of the crowd. The luxurious hair flows loosely into a simple plum-hued ribbon which marks the beginning of an impressively thick braided ponytail which falls heavily to touch the floor. The green silk is part of a simple yet elegant variation of a Chinese frog-buttoned shirt, with piping along the edges, and thick bands of purple at the cuffs. The shirt extends far past the waist, almost to her ankles, but leaves the sides open past the waist, exposing baggy cream-toned pants which flow into dark, ornately tooled leather boots. The girl wearing this, for it’s rather simple to deduce with all the silk, appears to be cosplaying as Citan from Xenogears. From the way she carries herself though, she’s nowhere near as confident and laid back, shy seems to scream from her very body language. Her features are another unusual feature. They’re caucasian, with a definite English cast to the features.
On the layer, Oscar watches the incoming angel from his position leaning against the temple statue, seemingly unwilling to move until he actually has to. As Yuki’s words pierce the air of the layer, Oscar’s hat seems to slide forward just a little more, the shadow coving his face right down to the mouth, making the smile seem even wider than it really is. In a flash of movement, Oscar slaps the incoming fist on the back of the hand with his own forcing Yuki to run into the statue or dodge it, as Michael ducks under the statue’s outstretched head and raises his fist in a swiftly rising strike.
.------==== Angelic Layer Inc. ============= Match timer: 09:34:54 ====------.
West Corner / Angel: Yuki | East Corner / Angel: Oscar
Deus: Ito Fukata | Deus: Michael Molochev
Hits: ************************* (25) | Hits: ************************* (18)
Stats: ACC: 2 POW: 3 SPD: 5 | Stats: ACC: 2 POW: 4 SPD: 4
DP: 6/6 VIT: 2 GRD: 1 STA: 2 | DP: 7/8 VIT: 1 GRD: 1 STA: 3
-------==================================== Special scenery rules: ====-------
At the beginning of any of your phases, you may discard an Attack, Defense
and Maneuver card (three cards, one of each type) to look for a card in your
deck and put it into your hand.
`------================================================================------'
Green silk and incredibly long dark hair both done up in an unusual style immediately pick Eileen out from the crowd of more normally dressed people. The young gaijin sits next to another familiar girl, a redheaded japanese girl wearing a white business suit, very likely her best friend whom she’s very rarely seen without these days, Rika. Resting on this green silk outfit Eileen wears is a box of Pocky, a box of red licorice, a bucket of popcorn, and in the cupholder on her seat’s armrest, a large cup of soda. She oohs along with the rest of the crowd as the match begins, her attention soon entirely upon the martial ballet of two angels swirling about the remains of an ancient temple, yet somehow without looking she’s able to pick up one snack or another unerringly to munch lightly on.
On the layer, Yuki grabs the shoulders of the statue and flips onto it, balancing on top of the head. She leans down a little, so that she is closer to Oscar’s height from up there and says “Come on up here and get me, if you can…” and giggles at him childishly and beckons him with a hand, tauntingly.
On the arena, The announcer begins screaming out his commentary as soon as the attacks begin. “Both Yuki and Oscar seem to be quite speedy! In this relatively open area, they’re going to have trouble hitting each other! Who will draw first blood!?”
On the layer, Oscar looks up at Yuki on the head of the statue, his hat falling backward to reveal his face. As the light reaches it you can see that Oscar is merely standing on the layer, his feet not even moving with their usual rythym, something anyone who has seen this angel play would expect. However the reasoning is made clear when Oscar launches forward the moment his opponent’s eyes blink, a lifted knee rocketing towards his opponent’s midsection unannounced.
Rika is remarkably devoid of refreshments, unlike her friend nearby. Instead, she’s observing the Layer with a set of high-powered naval binoculars, bigger than her head, and judging by their look, gyro-stabilised. It’s as if she’s looking for the strings that make the dolls move…
Hirotada whistles a bit as the 2 angels start the show off right. “Come on, Fukata. You can do it.” He says, not really trying to to be heard over the rest of the crowd, but just enough so that he can hear himself.
Oujirou looks down, catching sight of something looking a bit out of place; sure enough, there’s Eileen, wearing another of those strange outfits and surrounded by a small mountain of junk food. He watches her for a few moments, but then returns his attention to the Layer below as a ferocious attack lands.
Hirotada pauses a minute and blinks… then face-palms before opening up his jacket and pulling his angel out from the inner pocket and perching him on his shoulder. “Sorry, Rem. Almost forgot about you.”
Eileen giggles softly to herself, which means the only sign in this noisy arena that she’s doing anything is her shaking shoulders and her merry expression. She comments loudly enough to be heard by her companion, “….Haa, Yuki is so cute! Demo, I love Oscar’s costume! It’s so nicely done!” She watches in awe as Oscar launches a powerful knee lift kick, then comments to her angel sitting on the armrest not occupied by her drink, “Ne, Sentaku, we’d better be careful! These angels are very impressive!”
Rika is not as much watching the angels on the layer as she is watching the participants, in fact, quickly shifting the focus point. Fukata-Yuki-Michael-Oscar-announcer-Oujirou-blink-blink-announcer… “They might look good, but I wouldn’t expect too much from them.”
On the layer, Yuki is caught with her guard down, a look of surprise and pain in her eyes as the force of the blow knocks her off of her perch and into the air, landing on her back some distance away in a flight much less controlled than that of Oscar, who lands in front of her. She looks up at him and pushes off the ground to her feet with noticable effort until she is face to face with him. She closes her eyes and places her hands over her heart…a faint glow coming from beneath her palms. Then she looks Oscar in the eye and says “That wasn’t nice, Oscar.” with a smile.
Hirotada looks back for a moment after hearing the comments, but stops and turns back towards the layer floor. He pulls a small note-pad and pen from his pocket and starts sketching down some new designs for Rem’s costume, as well as some names of songs or CDs he’ll prly want to have on him next time he has to fight…
On the layer, Oscar takes a couple of steps towards Yuki, and offers her a hand up. But seeing her get up on her own he leans back to stretch and with a heel kicks his falling hat back up and lands it on his head, the same way it was at the start of the match, his feet beginning to move to an easily recognized rythym to those who have seem Michael fight before, unfortunately, the movements as always are more erratic than the clacks of his heels as he moves left to right.
On the arena, The announcer shouts out, “Oscar makes the first hit! He catches Yuki with her guard down for just a moment and strikes hard! Yuki looks pretty hurt, and needs to take a moment to recover!” The audience is quite appreciatively noisy, mostly due to the incredible speed with which the two Angels move around - speed Angels are the most popular, after all.
If Oujirou notices Rika craning around to steal a glance at him, he makes no outward response; his attention is still wholly focused on the action below. If not for the occasional blink, he might seem to be a gargoyle, standing up there alone like that.
Hirotada shouts, “Come on Fukata! You can beat him!”
On the layer, Yuki continues to smile as she takes her hands from her chest, makes one into a fist and swings at Oscar with an unsubtle and unskilled punch, more aimed to tire the opponent out than cause any real damage.
Mikage has disconnected.
On the layer, Oscar hops out of the way as the incoming fist moves fast enough to ruffle his vest. Oscar doesn’t seem at all worried, nor does his Deus sitting up in his chair. As Oscar continues his movements, Michael seems unphased by the battle, the calm expression he started with unblemished except for the amusment and concern everpresent in his eyes.
On the layer, Yuki looks thoughtful for a moment, she looks at Oscar and wonders if his calm and silent attitude is a result of her comment a moment ago. “Did I get you mad?” she says “Don’t worry, I’m only teasing you…” and she blows him a kiss to apologise.
On the layer, Oscar does not stop moving while his opponent has yet to land a hit. Some might question if the pair was unwilling to return the aggression, or just looking for an opening to throw a fist into. Either way, Oscar does not make a move of aggression, his dance seeming to take his concentration.
On the arena, The announcer calls out, “Yuki and Oscar seem to be taking a break from the furious combat! They’re staring each other down; who will be the next to outmatch the other’s speed!?”
On the layer, Yuki watches the other angel, waiting for Oscar to make the first move and examining his movements, looking for a weakness - an opening to attack.
On the layer, Oscar continues to move, the clacks increasing in speed, the rythym underlying them changing slightly, from repearing every count of three, to every count of eight. As Oscar seems to gain speed, he begins to circle Yuki like a hunter, obviously preparing for his attack, which seems like it cannot be far away. It is almost as if his Deus could read his opponent’s desire to defend rather than attack, forcing Yuki to stand still or try to break through Oscar’s slowly dimishing circle around her.
On the layer, Yuki closes her eyes, ignoring the circling angel, shutting out the noise from the crowds and the announcers voice…focusing only on herself - preparing to meet the approaching attack with all her concentration. She takes soft, silent breaths in time with the clacking and awaits the worst her opponent can bring to her.
On the layer, Oscar starts to blur as the circle finally gets tight enough, almost making it look like Yuki was surrounded by angels. Suddendly, a fist strikes out from the circle, wildly and powerfully, obviously intending to test the defences of the angel within it.
Hirotada whistles in admiration of Oscars speed. “No wonder everyone thinks he’s got a shot at the nationals. That guys built for pure speed.”
On the layer, Yuki’s eyes burst open as Oscar’s swing approaches, she spins around moving a little to the side - Oscars fist sailing past her, then she resumes her trancelike state as if nothing had happened, her eyes closed, and silent, calm breaths.
Hoshiko comes in.
Hoshiko has arrived.
On the layer, Oscar reaches out from the blurring circle, apparently hoping to catch one of his opponent’s limbs with the intention of dragging her around with him letting the layer do the damage rather than doing it himself.
On the layer, Yuki denies him the limb he reaches for, spinning away from him again - but this time she does not stop spinning, she continues to spin around and back towards him extending her arms out to whirl around at head height - moving closer to Oscar, her fists arc towards him.
A brief pause on the perimeter of the arena, just inside from the Foyer itself, and yet another patron of the Stadium enters. Hoshiko turns her gaze immediately to the Layer below, a smile curling onto her lips as she notes the action there. True, she’s no Layer competitor but .. it’s still fascinating to watch. Plus it is an excuse to escape all the ins and outs of dough and frosting. Steps and scuffs of her sneakers and the hem of her pant legs take her to a less occupied row.
On the layer, Oscar tightens the circle around Yuki, almost forcing her to move each time Oscar moves to the other side of her. All of a sudden, Oscar stops right in front the defending angel and takes an abrupt swing, the stop forcing most of the weight out of his swing, but giving enough effort behind it to hurt if it connects.
On the arena, The announcer screams out, “Oscar moves in an incredibly fast circle around Yuki, trying to catch her off guard again! He throws a punch - Yuki escapes! This is truly a battle of speed!”
Rika looks up at the billboard, swinging up her binoculars and mutters, “Paradoxical, but it’s the battles of speed that feel the slowest.”
Hirotada keeps his focus on the layer again, this time, watching Yuki closely. His own Angel still perched on his shoulder, as it usualy is. He leans foward on his seat, resting his elbows on his knees and his his chin on his laced together fingers. Without looking back he comments to the person behind him. “It may feel slow, but then again they say that the faster one moves the slower they look to everyone else.” He doesn’t budge at all after saying that, just keeps his focus on the layer, and the fight at hand.
Oujirou, standing up above the highest seats and leaning on the guardrail, turns his attention away from the Layer for a moment, noting the arrival of the schoolgirl. She is unknown to him, however, and so his gaze lingers for but a moment before he looks back to the match with a blank gaze.
On the layer, Yuki sees the incoming blow and leaps into the air, sumersaulting over Oscar’s head gracefully. She lands behind him with a smile, and makes a quick jab at his back immediately - hoping to catch him off balance.
On the layer, Oscar would have to lose sight of Yuki as she jumps over him, his hat being in the way. However somehow he seemed to know that a punch would come shortly after hearing her land, as he crumples his body forwards that almost looks like a bow as both his feet and hands touch at a point before he throws his body backwards, his intention to catch Yuki off guard with a hit before she can land a blow to his back.
On the layer, Yuki is unsurprised by her opponents nible dodge, she doesn’t expect the counterattack however, and has to put effort into avoiding the blow, she steps quicly to the side. Her smile never leaving her face and continues the offence with her palm thrusting towards Oscar’s chest while he is still off balance from his own attack.
On the layer, Oscar arches his back to plant his hands on the ground as the palm rockets towards his upside down chest. As he pushes himself upward barely sliding over Yuki’s form and barely out of reach of the punch, Oscar raises a hand barely in time to miss recovering his hat that flies through the air and lands squarely on the arm of one of the statues. As Oscar lands behind Yuki, he abruptly starts another flip backwards, hoping to catch her not expecting him to attack from her blindside.
On the layer, Yuki rolls aside, clear of the angels flip and getting back to her feet near one of the statues, which she leans on, recuperating from her exertions and catching her breath in the time before Oscar attacks again.
Hirotada pokes the little wings attached to the back of Nekoko’s dress, mostly out of boredom.
Nekoko pokes at Hiro’s goggles mostly because he is poking her wings.
On the layer, Oscar splits his legs, landing on the ground with a hard sound, not his usual clack. Oscar’s body raises as his feet slowly approach each other. Oscar lunges quickly with his right arm, sliding forward along the temple’s stone floor with a click from his back foot. Just as he reaches Yuki, he switches to swinging his left fist hard, the movement intended to pin Yuki between the statue and Oscar’s torso.
Hirotada glares a bit… then tosses Nekoko a bag of M&M’s he ‘procured’ from the bag at his feet.
Nekoko balances the M&M’s on Hirotada’s head because she is not hungry.
Hirotada blinks and glares a bit more. “Somehow, I knew you’d do something like that.”
Nekoko Eeps, afraid she is becoming predictable.
Hirotada uses the momentary distraction to quickly rip open the bag of M&Ms and use them as mini-projectiles, aiming at Nekoko’s wings.
On the layer, Yuki ducks quickly to avoid his fist, and moves out of the claustrophibic position between a rock and a hard punch. She grins momentarily, but the grin vanishes, with the rest of her as she becomes a blur, afterimages of her moving around Oscar, then backing off and charging towards him at lightning speeds, one arm outstretched intended to collide with his neck as she passes.
Nekoko jerks her shoulder bouncing the m&m’s back at Hirotada. Nekoko giggles.
Hirotada grins, “Oh, so it’s like that, is it? Ok, no more mr. nice guy!” He goes int eh abg and switches ammo to gummi bears, aiming for her head this time “Ha!”
On the layer, Oscar seems to be taken completely unaware of Yuki’s movements as he looks around in front of him, his short black hair bobbing as he turns his head from side to side. As Yuki rockets towards him from behind, Oscar seems completely unaware of the neck approaching the back of his neck. A loud crash is heard as the potentially fatal elbow breaks the arm of the statue the two angels were standing beside. As Yuki recovers from the damage she’s caused, Oscar is nearby the statue’s other arm, dusting off his hat. Looking up to his opponent, he winks with a mischevious smile as he placed the cleaned fedora squarely on his head, tipping it forward as he regains his rythym.
Nekoko is hit in between the eyes with a hard stale gummy bear and knocked out cold. @_@
On the arena, The announcer is unable to suppress a surprised yell. “OH! I’m.. not sure what just happened, but both Angels seem to be unhurt after this latest clash! But time is ticking down; who will come out on top in the few minutes remaining!?”
Hirotada blinks at the reaction and pokes the downed teacher. “ano…”
On the layer, Yuki brushes the stone dust from her arm and coughs, waving the dust from in front of her to see where Oscar disappeared to. Seeing a vague shape form through the quickly thinning mist, she swings round the statue to launch her fist hard at the unclear form. She calls out with mostly friendly exasperation “Can’t you just sit still for a little bit?”
On the layer, Oscar moves backwards matching Yuki’s speed step for step, pushing away harmlessly any punches that come at him. While Oscar doesn’t say it aloud, it could almost be assumed from his actions that his response to the question would be: “I could, but you wouldn’t find that any fun, would you?”
On the layer, Yuki’s attack doesn’t relent, when her punch fails to land, she grabs at his shoulder at the same time as she jumps into him with a knee to the stomach. She is determined to beat Oscar this time.
On the layer, Oscar continues to retreat down the long hallway, parrying away the painless blows to both angels as Yuki presses towards him. Oscar’s erratic dance takes him back with a hop off a pew, or a spin around a tall candle’s stand. He bends backwards to avoid the knee, and seems to be watching his foe closely.
On the layer, Yuki’s blows get gradually faster until Yuki’s arms and legs begin to blur, she attacks with one arm striking out at Oscar’s jaw, and with the other she thrusts the heel of her palm towards his chest - both movements almost faster than the eye can see. There is a glint in her eye though, she is having fun, even though she’s having trouble - she’s enjoying the battle.
Katsuki quietly enters the matcha bit late, he ducks down as he makes his way to an empty seat,
Katsuki sits down at Row 3.
On the layer, Oscar continues to parry the blows coming at him as the two move backwards down the hallway, Oscar with his nimble steps, Yuki with strides too fast to watch for long without blinking or going teary eyed. The strikes don’t actually land, they just glide away harmlessly as Oscar backpedals coming dangerously close to running into the steps to the temple, and consequently, the edge of the layer.
On the layer, Yuki stops her assault suddenly, breathing heavily. She looks at Oscar, wondering if he is getting tired too. She waits to see if he responds to her pause with retaliation.
On the layer, Oscar slows drastically as he notices the Yuki’s blows seemed to be pretend, not intending to do any real harm, but more to test him for openings and wear him out. Oscar throws out the first attack he has made in a long while, a short and aimless kick most likely intended to buy him time, and slow his retreat towards the steps behind him, that are bare paces away.
On the layer, Yuki jumps up into the air, out of the way of the attack and soaring many times her own height above Oscar. She turns at the peak of the climb and as she falls, spinning towards Oscar with one fist extended downwards, falling towards Oscar’s head.
On the arena, The announcer exclaims, “Yuki and Oscar are still exchanging blows, but neither has been able to get past the other’s speed! With less than a minute remaining in this match, will Yuki be able to come back, or will Oscar’s single, early blow spell defeat for her!?”
On the layer, Oscar takes a couple very rapid steps back as the angel above him hurtles towards the ground where Oscar’s head would be in the way of Yuki getting there. His last step lands him on the edge of a step, as Oscar teeters dangerously, his balance seeming to barely keep him from falling, though not able to recover.
Katsuki blinks and can’t help but chuckle at the announcement, sitting up much more attentively before calling out a cheer for both of his friends.
Katsuki says, “Come on Yuki! You can wear that dancing fool down! Just a Little Longer Oscar, just hold out a little longer!”"
On the layer, Yuki rolls as she hits the ground, and flips to her feet moments later. time being short - she doesnt waste any before she charges at Oscar with another attack. She runs towards him and swings her knee at his side.
On the layer, Oscar teeters on the edge of the step, his hand slapping Yuki’s knee away from his chest barely enough for him to retain his balance for a moment longer, the glowing edge of the layer far too close to him for comfort. Oscar however seems unable to launch an attack in his current predicament.
On the arena, The announcer is on the edge of his seat, much like a fair portion of the audience. “In a surprising last-minute turnaround, Yuki is pressing the offensive, and has Oscar pinned at the edge of the Layer! This could be it!”
On the layer, Yuki makes a last desperate swing at the angel teetering on the edge. She swings wildly at Oscar’s head with a savage powerful fist, knowing that it all depends on this last blow.
On the layer, Oscar is seen in slow motion replays of the event crouching down, holding himself firm against the step for a brief and miniscule moment as he launches himself upward, his legs coiling like serpents around a temple gargoyle above him. He extends both arms downward, moving incredibly fast to grab ahold of Yuki below him, his intended trajectory being Ito Fukata’s own lap.
On the layer, Yuki still off balance from her desperate attack, is caught completely off guard by the dodge and then even more by the counterattack, she is tossed across the layer, angel looking completely helpless when she lands in a heap, but in a way also contented with herself.
On the arena, The audience erupts in a loud roar as Yuki is sent flying out of the Layer. “Layer Out! Oscar recovers from the brink of defeat to score a win in the last few seconds!” The announcer shouts.
Rika mumbles under her breath, “Full hit points is now a brink of defeat?”
On the layer, Oscar drops from his hold on the gargoyle, planting both feet firmly on the layer’s surface. He waves up to the crowd and offers a bow, holding his hat on then flipping it down his arm into his hand. Following his attempts to impress the crowd, Oscar walks back towards the east side of the layer and sits down politely, waiting for Michael to retrieve him from the edge of the layer.
On the arena, Fukata steps out of his chair to collect Yuki, he walks over to her form on the floor and puts her back in his shirt pocket. Then he bows to Michael. “You did well sensei, I’m impressed” he says with a warm smile.
On the arena, Michael picks up Oscar from the layer as the chair makes it’s decent to the ground. He takes a couple steps forward and bows politely to Fukata and pats him on the shoulder. “Give it awhile, you’ll be playing this better than me in no time.
On the arena, Michael bows to both sides of the arena then waves to the announcer in thanks, as he waits for Fukata to finish his finalities, before walking out of the arena with the young boy and Yuki. Oscar remains happily pirched on Michael’s cupped hand, the odd hat back on the angel’s head again.
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