Shortcuts, Long Punches [Kaoru/Vanyel]

Sun Oct 29, 2023 2:43 pm

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru took shortcuts only in very specific circumstances. Bad weather was one. If it were the actual scenic route was another. Today, it was a crowd of people in front of a club blocking the whole street. Sure, she could just jump over them—but looking down the sidewalk past them showed it wouldn't be much better. Grumbling to herself, she turned down an alley no sane woman would go into. She kept muttering things about people being rude and there needing to be a proper queue to get into places when two men stepped out from shadows cast by a light over a door. She knew they were there beforehand, of course. She could smell the cheap cigarettes and even cheaper deodorant on both.

They blocked her path pretty easily. Both were rather stereotypical looking thugs. It was almost impressive how stereotypical they looked with shaved heads, piercings, tattoos, and sleeveless shirts. They were also likely brothers, but that was neither here nor there for Kaoru. "There's a toll to pass through here, little lady." The left punk Mr. Clean said. "Yeah, and we don't accept credit cards." The right one spoke up afterwards. Definitely brothers.

"This is an awfully strange place for a toll road." Kaoru spoke with an innocence only she could muster. "I mean, I doubt the government makes much going through here. Maybe if you guys cleaned up some, sure, but..." She shook her head. "Well, if there's a charge, I'll just go around and take the long way." Kaoru began to turn around, but a length of wood appeared in one of the brothers' hands and was extended towards her. He made a "nuh'uh" sound. "Threatening me isn't going to get me to pay a toll. If you keep this up, I'm going to need to speak with your supervisor."

The two brothers looked at each other, then laughed. "Bitch actually thinks this a proper toll road." Kaoru blinked. "It's not?" The two stopped laughing, then laughed harder. "No, you fucking idiot. We're—" Kaoru fully turned to face them, a smile growing. "So you're saying you're impersonating a government official, huh? Where I'm from, that's a very serious offense." She cracked her knuckles by flexing her fingers. The two men took a unified step back.

"I don't know about the law here too well, but I think they'd appreciate if I got rid of two fakers." The one with the board swung it—and Kaoru dodged without much effort. There were two audible cracks as the board slammed into the ground and Kaoru snapped the man's wrist with a quick uppercut. He didn't seem to notice at first until he tried to make a fist and only got a floppy fish-hand instead. Before he could scream, Kaoru jabbed out and struck his throat. He crumpled like coiled rope.

The second man let out a whimpering yell as he drew a long knife—a dagger of some sort. Kaoru jumped—well above the man's outstretched arm—and kicked his face repeatedly before falling. He staggered back before trying to attack again. Kaoru sighed and moved in close—easily avoiding the wildly-swinging knife. She built up Reiryoku into her palm as she pushed hard in a single blow. He sputtered and coughed up blood before staggering backwards and collapsing.

As he was falling, the door to Kaoru's right opened—the one whose light cast the shadow these two hid in. A flash of white was all Kaoru saw. In reality, it was likely someone who heard a commotion and was trying to check out what was going on. Kaoru, however, didn't see it that way. Kaoru saw it as backup—reinforcements from inside. Was this Q-tip the boss? Doesn't matter. She ducked down and swung with a wide, sweeping kick meant to catch his knees and shatter them.

Lilio Candidior

""

Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:27 pm

Shortcuts, Long Punches [Kaoru/Vanyel] Z2q6v3M

VANYEL XIAOYANG | DRAGON OF KYUSHU

Sometimes, the seediest parts of town had the best things of them, one of those being a small, out of the way bar. Vanyel was the furthest thing from a mixologist or bartender, so it was nice to get out of the house a little and have a drink every once in a while. But, these areas were also ripe for equally shady figures to come out of the woodwork, especially at night.

So, in hearing some commotion going on outside, he was quick to turn his head. Part of him said not to get involved, but, if there was a fight going on...he wanted to at least see what was happening. Finishing his drink and setting down some money on the bar, Vanyel made his way to the door, only getting a slight amount of resistance as it reached its widest berth.

He didn't get a lot of time to look at the situation before a feisty blonde suddenly swung at his legs with her own. Steadying himself, Vanyel responded with a swift and powerful kick of his own to meet hers and lower the overall momentum, all the while unflinching to what little damage it had done to him.

Shutting the door behind him and moving away from it, Vanyel quickly moved into a stance similar to Shaolin Kung Fu, with emphasis and weight on a bent front leg. His hands, however, remained in a simple, but unassuming position, ready to attack at a moment's notice with the speed and fluidity of a master.

"The fuck was that for, blondie?"

While in his stance, Vanyel tried to tap into something from before the events of the last few years. While speaking and remaining in form, he tried to focus his Reikaku into his eyes, pooling the energy and sensory ability into his vision to isolate and augment it. In doing so, his eyes shimmered an almost crystalline blue, and sparks of a green aura flickered to life as he looked at the girl.

'Green. Prosperity and harmony. So, either a Shinigami or Quincy.'

It was a far cry of what it used to be. It strained his eyes and he couldn't see it clearly or for very long. But, with time, he'd refine it back to what it used to be: an ability inspired by and named after the Monkey King's "Eyes of Truth" from A Journey to the West. It was an infuriatingly snail-like process, but he was determined to get through it, slowly, but surely.

Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:40 pm

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

The moment Kaoru felt the counter, she backed off. With a small bit of Hohō, but not quite Shunpō, she slid backwards to the other side of the alleyway. Still crouched, she raised an eyebrow as she saw him crouch. Her grin widened. "Oh cool! I haven't fought someone who used kung-fu before!" She made what would likely be seen as an exaggerated kung-fu-esque pose that would have looked straight out of a 1970s martial arts film before returning to her crouched stance.

Unlike Vanyel's stance, this was a stance that had the body positioned forward—the weight up and away from the feet. Her crouch was deeper as well. This was a coiled spring, someone ready to rush forward. She saw the inside of the bar briefly. Bar fights weren't fun. She wouldn't push him there. Thus... Ignoring his question, she sprung. As her form neared Vanyel, she disappeared. Unlike before, this was a true Shunpō as she redirected the momentum of her strike to his right side. She was aiming at side-swiping him and knocking him down the alley. If that did him in, that'd be best. She could just walk away. But something told her this wasn't going to be that easy...

Lilio Candidior

Fri Jan 19, 2024 6:32 pm

VANYEL XIAOYANG | DRAGON OF KYUSHU

She might have been quick to the trigger, but she wasn't completely reckless. Her retreating to the other side of the alley gave him enough breathing room and time to think about what to do next. But, seeing her take a wildly overexaggerated and outdated pose that looked more in-line with a Bruce Lee movie broke his focus, making him roll his eyes.

Nevertheless, it didn't seem like she cared much to listen, so, rather, he paid attention to her stance as she took it, and kept an eye on her movements. He could sense the exertion of energy, and despite the sudden movement, it wasn't something he hadn't seen before. It was similar to the high speed movement ability that someone else he fought had.

So, gathering a bit of energy to cushion where her leg was attacking, Vanyel took the hit, lowering an arm to block. The moment he did, however, he shot forward in a flash -- not quite like her Shunpo, but still quick -- and immediately used his free arm to make a counter attack, a simple, but powerful and aggressive open palm strike to the midsection.

Regardless, he knew that it wouldn't incapacitate her, so he kept the pressure on. Shifting his footwork, he stepped forward, quickly releasing a flurry of high and low punches and kicks, intending on keeping breathing room to a minimum. Even if they didn't land, he could at least use the relentless aggression of his style to try and wear her out so that she'd listen.

Sat Jun 01, 2024 11:44 am

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru's eyes widened briefly. He blocked her. Sure, she wasn't the strongest. Sure, she had met people faster than her. But she expected him to be the elite mob of this encounter—someone she didn't have to really worry about, but someone she'd have to chew through more of an HP bar of. She had stumbled across a miniboss at the very least. The thought of just running left her mind as the open-palm strike connected before she could fully balance herself.

Kaoru briefly landed off-balance. She was on the defensive as Vanyel's punches and kicks were met with soft-blocks. She was taking each individual hit fine, but she'd eventually run out of steam blocking. Kaoru saw her chance with his second high kick. She took the hit more than before (it'd definitely bruise later) and was sent flying towards the wall. And yet, she didn't get sent into the wall. Kaoru spun midair and landed against it? No... she was on the wall.

Kaoru was crouched along the wall for only a brief moment—just long enough for her to speak to Vanyel and assign him his Name. "You're kinda cool, Kung-fu Shades." Kaoru broke bricks as she rocketed off the side of the building. It was a combination of Hohō and Hakuda. Utilizing the second stance of her Hakuda style as she landed, Kaoru had put enough Reiryoku into and around her legs to allow her to briefly "stick" to the wall. Now she used that same Reiryoku to propel herself with a flying knee aimed at his chest.

But that's not all the Reiryoku did for this strike. Ashi, the stance, was split into two distinct 'types' of strike. This was the second type—where Reiryoku was expelled in front of the strike in order to lessen resistance. In essence, her body was in a slipstream created by her Reiryoku.

Lilio Candidior

Fri Jun 07, 2024 12:11 pm

VANYEL XIAOYANG

She was quick, even when recovering. At first, he thought that he had managed to land a clean hit, but, in seeing her spin midair, he quickly halted his offense. Through instinct and experimentation, his footwork and stance shifted, more akin to taijiquan. But, he was thrown for a moment at her speaking all of a sudden -- as well as the nickname.

As the girl suddenly launched herself forward, he lifted his hands to brace her knee and shin, only for them to suddenly also crash into his chest as he was forced backward, wincing as the strike connected. There had to be some kind of energy manipulation at play there, even without forcing himself to visualize the ambient Reiryoku in the area.

Either that, or some kind of powerset that allowed her to ignore air resistance. But, he remained resolute, gripping her knee and shin tightly as he went to redirect her to the side, gathering energy in his arm as his hips swerved sharply to generate more force as he struck back with a swift, empowered elbow strike to the stomach to send her back into the nearby wall.

"Far as nicknames go, not the worst I've had."

END POST | DRAGON OF KYUSHU

Sun Jun 09, 2024 3:04 pm

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru's smile widened as she fought. This guy was cool! He didn't cry, beg her to stop, or plead for mercy. He just stayed quiet and delivered one-liners. Dude was straight out of a Hollywood action movie from the time movies were really good. None of this "moral ambiguity" or "oh the good guys were actually bad guys all along" crap. Just dudes being dudes and beating up obviously-evil people who were destined to lose. Movies were for entertaining, not philosophizing. That's what books were for, duh.

Kaoru let out a noise of excitement as she was spun around like a kid on a merry-go-round at a park. And as he struck her again, she didn't have air to get knocked out. She pounced. Although Kaoru had the moniker of "Miburō," there were times she was less wolf-like and more cat-like. This was one of those times. Kaoru switched to the first stance of Garōmikkō-ryū, Tsume. This switched the Reiryoku focus from the legs to the upper arms—specifically, her fingers. Kaoru gripped Vanyel's arm as the elbow strike was about to send her flying. She dug into his arm and used the momentum he provided to send them both into the wall.

Kaoru took the impact against the wall. It stung, but she would be fine. Sore as hell, but fine. She might have to break into a hotel room or something after tonight. No park benches. But first, she needed to finish this. There was a ringing in her ears that she recognized... "Not now," she quietly chastised something unseen. She would need to end this quick or else she'd get a headache. So, she resolved herself to satisfy one bit of curiosity.

Kaoru let go of Vanyel's ripped arm with one hand and reached up to his face with her characteristic agility. She didn't strike. She just pushed his sunglasses up so she could see his eyes. Her curiosity was what color they were. Now she had a different question... "You've got pretty eyes, Kung-Fu Shades. Why do you wear them if you've got them ladykillers, huh? Are you gay?" Kaoru asked with the same sincerity a child asked why mommy was screaming while wrestling with daddy.

Lilio Candidior

Fri Jun 21, 2024 7:42 pm

VANYEL XIAOYANG

Despite knowing that he was dealing with a rather rowdy, spunky brat, Vanyel still wasn't one to assume the unorthodox strategies that some in this world would use. So, when Kaoru grabbed his arm, he went to pull himself free, only to suddenly crash into the wall. It knocked the wind out of him, but he didn't so much as flinch.

He had to admit that she was incredibly skilled, even if her technique was unorthodox compared to the hundreds of styles that the Living World had. He had a pretty good hunch that her style was a personal one, not too dissimilar to his own, and that alone made him curious. He was certain that there was potential for him to learn and apply aspects of her own style to his.

As he drew his arm back, readying to attack again, he heard her whisper -- causing his focus to falter for a moment, and it gave her the time to push his sunglasses up, revealing his eyes, a bright blue, as if looking into the sky on a cloudless day. The following comment, however, took him aback. He'd heard a lot of weird shit in his time, but, someone complimenting him, followed by an insinuating question with innocuous tone, was not one he heard often, if at all.

It didn't seem like she was going to attack -- not immediately, at least -- so, Vanyel slowly returned to a more normal posture as he sighed reaching up to rub his eyes.

"Answering the second part, no, I'm not. As for the first part, they were just on my head while I was inside, but then a certain spunky brat decided to attack me out of the blue, and they fell down."

Given how weirdly innocuous and curious her tone had been, it almost seemed like she was really young. But, given everything else, she was likely a Shinigami -- and he knew they could live for far longer than he ever could hope to. Then again, it was also entirely possible that they aged and matured differently than humans with that expanded, extensive lifespan.

END POST | DRAGON OF KYUSHU

Tue Jun 25, 2024 4:30 pm

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru remained atop him, not quite pinning him down. "Yeah, but like, why did you have them on?" Kaoru reached up and patted his hair. "You've got all this hair. They can get caught in it. That's a not-very-fun tangle, trust me." Then she reached down towards his chest. "You don't got a chest pocket, so I understand not putting them there." With a final, quick motion, her hands were at his waist. "But you do have actual pockets. You could put them in there. Get a dollar case from a pharmacy and they'd even be protected. Unless you have too much in those pockets..." Kaoru started to reach into his pockets, then stopped.

"Hey, you're talking a lot more than you're punching. Are you wanting to stop fighting?" Kaoru nodded towards the crumpled forms further down the alley. "I can't blame you for not wanting to get vengeance for them. They were kinda being assholes. I'd say they deserved it, wouldn't you?"

Lilio Candidior

Wed Jun 26, 2024 6:04 pm

VANYEL XIAOYANG

"Because I came out when it was sunset, and didn't want the sun in my eyes."

Vanyel could only give a dry, barely enthusiastic response with the situation he was in. She was on top of him, asking why his sunglasses were set on his head instead of his pockets. However, as she started to reach for his pants pockets, his hand suddenly shot out, grabbing her wrist with a surprising amount of force.

"No rooting around in my pockets, brat."

As he released her wrist, he reached behind her, picking her up by the back of her shirt as he got to his feet, setting her back down after he stood. Now that he wasn't being sat on, he could actually see the other people that were in the alley. So, that was what had been blocking the door when he was trying to come out.

"I didn't exactly come out here to fight in the first place, I wanted to figure out what the hell was causing so much noise, and then you came outta the blue swingin'."

END POST | DRAGON OF KYUSHU

Shortcuts, Long Punches [Kaoru/Vanyel]

Shortcuts, Long Punches [Kaoru/Vanyel]

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