The District of Columbia

[yinsukin]

Suerte

Suerte stopped crying for a moment, sniffling and whimpering as she pictured what an uno table at a casino would look like.  Two grown men with cartoonish spirally mustaches screamed uno in a posh nazi like brittish accent not to dissimilar to star wars storm trooper generals.  All of this happened while her head wobbled back and forth from his shaking.

Then she slapped him.

"IDIOT!  UNO isn't played in gambling!"

Then again, she always went for the slot machines and blackjack.  There could have been uno somewhere...

[Bern]

Valerie

"Uno? Are you talking about the time it takes you to lose a duel? If I had known the dandards had gotten that lax, then I would have put more time and effort into whipping you into shape,oonce a week clearly was nowehere near enough."

Of course she knew what Uno was, but how could she miss out on messing with a cute disciple like,especially one that were so to her tastes. There was zero chance of her letting up on an opportunity like this, as much of a womanizer as this... one...This... Marc , rright that was his name. As much as he had been a womanizer he had never once hit on her, despite ogling her like an unashamed pervert. Such shy devotion was incredibly cute, and now that they meet outside of class,sshe can really tease him without holding back

"I am most urprised you are cause that girl grief, here I thought womanizing was your one good quality..." Now that should hit him right in the pride. The king of Vampires came slunk out of the shadows of the room and approached the two. She came dressed as she usually did, her outfit already perfect for a place like, not that she's ever change her looks just to appeal to decency such wasn't her way.

She had heard most of their conversation, vampiric ears be good like that but yet again, playing things straight would be boring. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't spend her recreational crying at a bar. So what if you are not perfect at something, either get better or try something else... There is much more to life than the things you may find here."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

Smack!

Okay, I guess I had it coming. He rubbed his red cheek like a scolded kid, much to the gasping surprise of some of the other onlookers. Was it because of the violent sound that just cut through the music? Or did some recognize the man who got slapped? Or maybe it was the woman who had just appeared?

Honestly yeah, a bit of everything.

Maybe it was luck that stopped him from turning to look at the newcomer. "Oh please, I have plenty of good qualities. I'm a charming, healthy young man with healthy tastes." It was probably one of his ex lays or something, it's not like he remembered every woman he met or gave his number to. But duels? Whipping him into shape? He didn't remember a chick with a fighting kink like that.

What, did he look that responsible?

"And that's right, crying won't do you any good. Everyone's got a bad point or two, you just need to make up for it with your good ones. Even I can tell you've got more than a few, gorilla strength aside. Besides, you were concerned about that guy, weren't you? That kind of kindness and worry is hard to find these days in the city" He rubbed the back of his head with a suave smile. "You've got a heart, and you're cute as hell to boot. I like that."

But soon, a tightly dressed lady in a stern butler uniform entered the premises, approaching the three - or rather, the thick blonde.


The Bouncer

"Excuse me miss, we can't have that." She must have been pretty startled herself, but if she was, she didn't let it show. A professional through and through, even Marc had to cross his arms and respect her. "You're lucky the guys didn't press charges, but we can't have violence in this establishment. I'm afraid we must ask you to-" There, just what he was trying to avoid. Catching a professional's attention.

"Hey hey, it's fine. It was just an unlucky accident." Marc raised his hands playfully and approached the bouncer. Of course, she'd object. In fact, that much blatant defiance almost turned her cherry red. "But sir-"

And that's when the redhead moved for the attack. He gave her a nice hearty pat on the back and slipped something in her back pocket. The best way to shut a woman up is to give her something nice and thick.

And that much hard cash? It was more than enough to let her live comfortably for months. Whoever said crime didn't pay was clearly not cut out for it in the first place.

The redhead looked at her with a more serious expression this time.

"I said she's fine. Let me handle her."

...

"U-understood. I'll turn a blind eye this time, just don't do it again here." And so, she turned to leave.

Sick bastards.


Aaaand Back To Marc

Marc turned around and gave the big lady a hearty thumbs up.

"See? Just swap out the bad with the good, and if you don't find enough of the latter, money's a great place to start. It can even buy friendship if you spend it wisely. And speaking of spending, how about I get you lovely ladies something to nibble on? Maybe a drink with that too? I hear the Kambuch- aaaaaaah."

Yes, that's right. Marc turned around. That's why he could see her. Eben a crazy ex was preferable to this.

"Aaa... ahhhh. Oh man, I'm in danger now." He put a hand on his hip. "It's uh, nice to see you. What are you doing here?"

[yinsukin]

Suerte

Suerte stopped crying.  Truth be told, it wasn't the words that snapped her out of it.  Although they were a factor.  It was the sheer girth of information being thrown at her.  This blond woman appeared out of nowhere, tight clothing, fit body.  Suerte herself realized that she was a blond woman with a fit body too.  And this woman was calling him a womanizer......  All these compliments, specifically the ones directed at her appearance.....

Suerte stood up and rubbed the tears from her eyes.  At the very least, she wasn't going to make a scene, not with tears anyway.  "How dare you toy with my heart like that!?" she yelled, loud enough that the people outside the club could hear her.  "Lies!  Your just a pretty little liar!  I wish I never trusted you!"

The cowgirl clad in her tight dress turned to the blond.  "Are... are you his ex?  What did he do to you?"

[SINIB]

Galatea

Only silence was broadcast over the Terrortech communications link, and yet that seemed to be an effective chiding all on its own. But Galatea said nothing to Longirsu. She simply lifted up her scythe instead and stared at the retreating goddess. Calm as ever, almost gently, she began to speak.

"Where will you run?" With her voice, the question even sounded like it contained genuine concern. "You cannot protect your district. A simple raid completed by myself would result in innumerable casualties, and your own power would wane. Will alone is not enough, especially when you cannot control yourself. We would not even be enemies if you had prioritized your people over your pride. You do not have the capacity to be a protector."

Ineffective. Inefficient. Incapable. It was an image clear in the mind of her creator. How pitifully weak the hands that held the lance and sword were compared to the trembling fingers that coaxed the barrier around the village into form.

The automaton turned to face another side of the clearing. "I detect numerous armored vehicles identified with you district incoming. If you surrender they will be spared, as will your district. If you flee, they will die. If you fight, both will die. Decide."

Longirsu

While he cursed, throwing off his weapon the blood that poured from Americana's shallow wound upon her evasion, Ib had already taken initiative. Sprung the net of control they needed to salvage this misbegotten venture. Longirsu dimly registered the arrival of the other demonic creature and committed to mind the traits of the portal, but their escape was irrelevant. This was a blunder that needed to be corrected now. Because of his naivety. Because of his ego, he now had to listen to Ib's voice produce such merciless words.

His next command was like a general's bellow in the Terrortech comms. [Ib, I authorize you to use the Knightmare factor. Your target is Americana.]

Longirsu's hand squeezed the haft of the World Spear, and it whined to life. Carving the flesh of the fiery one had gathered an unexpected sulprus of energy, and with one thought, the Orchestrator now saw it processed. A stream of black geometries shining with conductive tracks and circuitry burst from the blunt end of the weapon and divided itself among the lesser Terrortech units that remained, in an instant concluding the process of assimilation.

Where the flow of ancient metatechnology disappeared, it left behind tempered metal and enhanced mechanisms. Longirsu's expression brightened harshly, equally poised for slaughter or battle.

Americana

Even as she ran, desperately dodging attacks, Americana found time to respond to the pair’s taunting as she prepared to swat the robotic minions out of the way. “How trite. Do you really think we would have won independence from Columbia if we backed down to shallow threats such as that? Do you know nothing of the history of our land and my people? Did you fail to do such basic research as to be surprised by our national character? We shall go on to the end-we shall not give a single inch of land to filth such as yourselves. We shall fight out on the beaches, we shall fight in the fields, and in the air. In the hills, and in the streets as well. If you capture me, my goddess would take on the struggle as her own and protect my people, bringing all the power and might of the Columbian military to bear.”

She didn’t expect to get out of this in all likelihood-the succubus had been able to overpower her, and the mechanist had easily overpowered the succubus in turn. Let alone against the weight of his constructed army, she doubted she’d have a great chance of defeating him in single combat. And then, suddenly, with perfect timing as if her savior had been able to see the future, the mysterious cloaked woman emerged out of the brush and saved her.

“Thank you, stranger.” Was her simple yet earnest response as she ran away, fleeing the battlefield using the grace which her goddess had given her.

[SINIB]

Evan

With his hand on her back and his head inches from her face, he said, "Well to tell you the truth, I didn't expect to go home with anyone tonight.  I just wanted to celebrate being alive.  My life ended not too long ago and now I have been given the opportunity to start a new one.  So I thought, what better way to start it than by dancing with a beautiful woman?"

Their bodies swayed back and forth in the center of the dance floor.

"Truth be told, your smile is all I need right now."

Thorra

"That so?" Thorra asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Then I am happy to provide such a simple comfort to a fine man such as yourself." Thorra's hips swayed hypnotically as she really grasped the essence of his dance moves, following along with his body with a sensual synchronization of their movements. "Let's dedicate this dance to your new life, with all of its boundless opportunities!" Thorra proclaimed, suddenly spinning him outwards much the way he had to her only moments before. "Every world is different from the others, all with their own unique rules, charms, and cultures. I'm sure you'll be able to find your own niche to fill here."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Galatea

While her sensors were not so inelegant they would let out an audible whine, the warnings and distortions in the nearby energy fields were as clear as the blaring of an alarm. Different enemy factors closing in, this sudden appearance of another figure, attempting to approximate and reorient her sensors to classify these new forces. It could be said that the information that the automaton was sorting far exceed the level of detail and multitasking humans could hope to achieve.

So Galatea did not stay surprised. No, she merely complied with her creator's orders and opened her eyes. They were filled with a deep red color with black pupils at the center. They shifted back and forth, looking around without any coordination, almost as if they were straining to pry themselves out of her head and enter the world.

[Knightmare released. Destructive energy rising. Covering other signatures.]

It was uncomfortable in its warmth, in the taste of blood that filled the mouth, in the oily wrongness that clung to the skin. A corruption flowed from the machine like a fountain, and in its intensity it muddled senses beyond sight like a mist of gore. It was swallowing up the atmospheric mana, drinking the natural energy that pulsed through the earth, gnawing its way through the various powers that saturated the Nexus to make more of itself. It twisted and swelled like a cancer, the foliage twisting in on itself as it mutated into vivid purples and reds. Even the air thrummed with its power, like the static before the lightning strike. Yet it was all restless, all potential even in its malice, and still largely localized to where the mechanical being stood.

And Galatea smiled. Then she bowed her head towards the figure, rigid and mechanistic. "We had not understood your plans for this district yet. I apologize on behalf of the Creator. It would be against his priorities to anger a high-value ally. We leave this resource as compensation for our violation. If you desire an act for the onlookers, we will feign a tactical retreat." Then her eyes shut, and the font of power was suddenly cut short.

With an arm she lashed out and lifted her master, holding him with care but only a single hand. Her other hand clutched her scythe tightly as the remaining Terrotechs within the clearing began to emit a high pitch, irritating whine. A discordant, near migraine-inducing shriek that seemed more to irritate and disorient than legitimately harm anyone. Then the ground exploded.

The furious dash backwards that Galatea made sent the duo hurtling into the cover of the trees, and without obstruction their escape would be a simple certainty.

[yinsukin]

Evan

"Well then I hope you don't mind if I play with my positioning more," he said, moving his hands to her hips.  There was an "oh shit" in the background as he did so.  Of course, he was prepared to remove them if she simply took his hand in her own and moved them back to her upper back.  Really taking in her words, he smiled, his eyes seeming to stare past hers and beyond.

"Please do.  What I am seeking is a wonderful new life.  Tell me, that lightning traveling up and down your body..... why didn't it hurt me?"

[SINIB]

Thorra

A spark traveled across the bridge between her nose from one eye to the other. She didn't seem to mind him feeling up his curves, and almost began to lean into it. "That would be because I'm not human-this body isn't even really alive in any meaningful sense." Thorra responded in a more serious tone than her usual chipper voice. She slid her hand down to the top of his, guiding it towards her haft hanging from the belt on her waist. "This is the real me. The hammer."

[Bern]

Valerie

"Honey..." She moved closer to the other blonde with an absurdly smooth motion, one that could only be achieved through countless hours of martial arts training. "He may be a pretty little liar, but he is my pretty little liar. And I do not appreciate when people badmouth my students, only I can do that. Are we clear?"

Then her attention snapped back to Marc, and she zipped over to him, as her expression shifted from annoyance to worry. "What do you mean in danger? I pride myself on being a fair and caring Sensei! Did I go to hard on you last time, is that what this is about?" His behavior was equal parts worrying and surprising, sure he was a bit awkward at practice but why was he like this here?

[yinsukin]

Evan

Evan began laughing. "Heheh....HAHAHAHA!"

Swinging back and forth, he glanced at all the women surrounding them.  He took his hands off of her hips and moved it back onto the skin of her upper back.  "So then I am actually dancing with the doll of a hammer?"  Those cool blue eyes drifted towards the tip of the hammer, its head and its hilt.  Then, his eyes met hers.  "Well you are the prettiest hammer i've seen.  Still, don't you think this is a little impersonal?  I want to dance with the real you."

Then he smiled, chuckled and said, "You know, that raises more questions than it answers.  Why does a hammer generate lightning?  Once again, why doesn't it hurt me?"

As if one could imply that because something wasn't real it couldn't hurt anyone.  Then what was a lie?  Evan chuckled at the thought.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

If there was a time to groan internally, now was the time. If she made up some scandalous story of him being a deviant crazed sex demon, that'd still be less embarrassing than what she said. Seriously, he even had to look away and get his ears blushing for a second there.

Not like they'd notice. Probably. Hopefully.

"It's fine it's fine. I'd rather her be pissed at me than sad at herself." He raised his hands up like he got caught and smiled more confidently at the cowgirl. "And I don't think you ever trusted me to begin with, so let's shake on that at least."

And with that, he turned to his... former sensei.

"Look Val, it's been more than 15 years since I've cut ties with the dojo. That life... has nothing to do with me anymore. Just call me by my normal name, and I'll do the same with you." He sighed and laid against the pool table, and pouted at her before gently poking her belly with the stick.

"But don't think for a second I've forgotten the looks you gave us when we started out. Forget 15, it'll take me 200 years to forget that trauma." Yet despite what he was saying and how embarrassed he look, he tried to hide a sort of nostalgic smile, to the point he had to look away. "I saw your fight earlier today by the way, it was pretty nice. You've kept in shape."

[yinsukin]

Suerte

Touche.

Suerte's eyes snapped into focus from that move the fellow blonde made, her eyes locking with the other woman.  The second she snapped away, she blinked and stared at Marc with a newfound sense of fascination.  All of the sudden that pretty little face was a lot more alluring.  When she thought about it, he had a nice little man ass too.

"So he's not a heart breaking scumbag?" she asked, standing up and looking at the two of them.  Suerte parted her hair with her free hand while shaking his.  "Sorry, I was.... am still a little upset.  I shouldn't assume every cute boy is out to get me."

[YOLF]

Longirsu

Another unknown factor. He snapped to attention anew at the overwhelming readings and damage reports that spiked suddenly, and realized sullenly that the appearance of the subject had shut down their opportunity to cleanly capture the overzealous goddess. Accordingly, like a dejected cat, he did not protest when his servant picked him up and whisked them both away. Obstinacy wouldn't win him any wars, and this investment was already beyond expectations for an improvised expedition. The few attack units that remained and were capable of movement adjusted and followed them at their reduced speed.

Longirsu had registered Americana's words. The taunt as she escaped echoed in his head like the buzz of a persistent mosquito. But it was a trifle compared to the crawling sensation that clung to his innards when Ib unleashed on the clearing a taste of her most unpredictable weapon. Just the sight of that sickening aura, albeit directed at his command, and phantom pain momentarily grabbed on to the inside of his skin like cobwebs.

He was shamefully grateful to her expediency. She had a mind for details that were beneath him, but to employ her words and actions with such cunning was not something Longirsu had taught. And what she had used the energy of the Knightmares for... was not the target he designated, despite the approval given.

All of it brought to mind bad memories.

[Bern]

Valerie

Valerie had to speak up on his behalf now to stop him from getting a bad rep, especially when it wasn't true. Or it didn't use to be true but it didn't look lie he'd starting doing that's shit.

"Nah he is more like the one time standing pussy slaying master of murder, or did you stop chasing that and get boring... Either way..."


She grabbed the stick after it poked her belly and reeled him in, or rather reeled herself in towards him, as if she was preparing to retaliate for poking but then.... But then she hugged him tightly instead.

"Just because you left the dojo, iit does not mean the dojo left you. You will always be my cherished student. So.... Cut the bullshit and tell me what is really troubling you."