5047/A meeting of fists

A meeting of fists
Date of Scene:	24 January 2017
Location:	Remnant <REM>
Synopsis:	What happens when two warriors meet? Well, normally it means one walks away and the other doesn't. However, this time both walk away with a brand new friendship, forged in the flames of battle. Also, there were burgers, they were good.
Cast of Characters:	Eithne Sullivan, Yang Xiao Long

---

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    Peace makes her antsy.

    Not that the world is a non-violent place, or one without monsters to fight. Eithne just hasn't found any lately, and the number of wooden training dummies at Dun Realtai's practice grounds is starting to suffer even more than usual, what with the increasing number of Elites battering the crap out of them.

    Plus, she continues to suck at learning to dodge things.

    It's a good thing that even after the dissolution of the Union, Eithne still knows some really strong people who are also /fun/. So she called Yang Xiao Long and asked if they could maybe get lunch and beat the crud out of each other for a bit.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Meal and a fight? Sounds good to Yang. She gave directions to a small cafe in the middle of Vale, and is currently sat inside, in a booth, nursing a glass of some kind of sparkly soft drink while she waits for the other brawler to come by.

    Her bike is sat outside, a distinct splash of colour against the largely dreary backdrop of the city.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    Vale has always struck her as fairly similar to Belfast, what with the harbor and all. Too bad her hometown doesn't have an awesome school dedicated to teaching people to fight monsters. She would've loved that! Eithne pulls up a couple of spaces down from Yang's motorbike and parks her bicycle, chaining it up because it would be just her luck if someone were to pick /today/ to start a nefarious scheme involving stolen bikes.

    She's got a dark leather jacket on over a t-shirt and skirt and those brown leather boots she likes so much. The bell over the door jingles as she comes inside, cheeks pink from the cold and wind. "Humm, humm... ah. Hullo," she waves, spotting Yang and heading over to join her. "Sorry, am I late?"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang glances over at the door, and beams a big smile at the irish lass as she steps in. "Nah, not late at all, c'mon, siddown." she says, standing to grip Eithne in a hug, before gesturing to the booth. "Just got myself something to drink, not been here long myself."

    It's true enough, Bumblebee was still ticking as it cooled from being driven. "So... how've ya been? Keepin' out of trouble... or more likely getting neck deep in it?" she asks after sitting again, smirking a bit.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    That's what she likes about Yang - the blonde is almost always smiling, and the hugs don't hurt either. Eithne hugs back, grinning fiercely, and slides into her side of the booth. "Things've been pretty borin' lately, though I suppose I shouldn't complain," she shrugs. "Though we did have a great Yule festival before the new year. I think I drank my weight in ale, ugh." She'd been sooooo hungover the next morning.

    "How're things over here? Vale's always so pretty, it's hard to imagine anything exciting happening." She means 'destructive dust robberies and maybe Grimm attacks', but Eithne is not socially gifted, oops. "Oh, an' it's my treat today since I asked yeh out, all right?" the black-haired Scion grins. "Get whatever yeh like, I've had this paycheck burnin' a hole in my pocket fer a week."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "Well, we've had three Grimm incursions through Wall breaches since the Multiverse hucked it's guts." replies Yang, looking down at her drink for a moment. "Lost about a block to containment, but we pushed 'em back." she chuckles mirthlessly. "Fifty people died in the last one, but that's life here." she says, then looks back up, brow quirking. "So, yeah, it's been pretty exciting." she doesn't say it with any kind of accusation in her voice, but it's obvious the whole mess has shaken the blonde up just a bit.

    It's about then the waitress comes up, a Faunus girl with a big poofy fox tail poking over the waistband of her skirt. "Ready to order ladies? Might I recommend the house special, it's a flame grilled quarter pound burger with a side of fries, only 5 lien." Yang nods, "Yeah, I could go for that."

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    Yeah, oops. "That sucks," she sighs, because what can you say to that? "I'm glad it wasn't more than that, at least. Vale's incredibly lucky to have so many Huntsmen in training here, what with the school. Or was the town founded around Beacon, I wonder?" It's unusual to see hints of shakiness in the blonde, and Eithne doesn't know what to do other than try to reach across the table and pat her shoulder.

    (don't look at the waitress's tail, don't look at her tail, it's so fluffy and cute)

    Eithne does not look at the waitress's tail. Success!! "Oh, that sounds good. Can I have a cuppa tea with it?" she asks.

    "We've spent much of the winter bolted up in the buildings in Dun Realtai. Winter's horrible there, nothin' but slush and sleet and snow and wind. I think I've sewn ten dresses in the last three weeks fer want of anythin' to do outside. Oh, I wondered - do yeh like to read, or have another hobby? I dunno if bein' at Beacon is a full-time thing, what with homework an' all."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    The waitress smiles at both. "Alright, two specials and a cup of tea coming right up~!" she chirps happily, then swishes off to the counter. Her voice rings clarion as she tells the chef.

    Yang looks appreciative at the shoulder pat. "Vale was around first... loooong before the schools. The schools weren't even a thing before the Great War 80 years ago." she shrugs. "I've been keeping busy mostly, helping out where I can, on Remnant or out in the Multiverse... not long come back from the Fenrir Earth with their Aragami. Some weird group set up shop in a volcanic caldera. Don't much like Fenrir either."

    Yang shrugs then cracks an easy smile. "Beacon's full-time, but that doesn't mean we don't get to have fun. Mostly play video games, but Weiss got me into reading, she's such a bookworm." she looks off into the middle distance. "So's Blake, for that matter... heck, my entire team is nerds!" she giggles, leaning back in her seat.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    "Sounds much better than my high school, though the uniforms're similar. I like the lace edge on the skirt." She folds her fingers together on the tabletop. There are so many things to learn about a world completely different about the one she grew up in... looks like it's time to add a title or three about Remnant to her groaning bookshelves. "I'd heard folks talkin' about the Aragami, though not enough to understand too much of what was going on. It wasn't something I'd ever been assigned to, and not something I really had the opportunity to help out with." Eithne shrugs... she can't fight every fire. Maybe especially in this case. "Is there some kind've rule that every secret cult has to try settin' up in a volcano? Yeh'd think it would be difficult," she frowns. What kind of contractor works under those conditions?!

    Books, though... books she knows and likes. "Oh, if yeh run out I'd be happy to lend yeh more! I've managed to put together a tidy little library since I've been staying in one place fer so long now!" It was always a dream, to have real books of her own and not just an e-reader or a library card. "Most of 'em are fiction, but I have some history an' gardening too. It's good to be able to share that with friends - yer team," Eithne grins widely. She's missing a tooth on the left side.

    "How do yeh get along with yer teammates? I could barely get through week-long group projects in school..."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "Heh, it's a trial sometimes." replies Yang, skipping over the offer of books. "I mean, Blake's distant, Ruby's always been a ditz, and Weiss is about as moody as they come... but those differences seem to bring us closer together... we're so different those things we share in common shine out all the brighter." she smiles wistfully.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    It makes sense, though, when she thinks about it. Either you end up good friends with your teammates or you have to spend a lot of energy trying not to murder them. "It sounds nice," Eithne nods. "I moved in with Inga, since she already had a house and we get along. I guess she's like a big sister, though that's not the same exactly." There are a lot of things Eithne doesn't know! "But I'm really glad the four of yeh are tight like that."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "You've gotta be here. If you're not in tune with your comrades, you're as good as dead." replies Yang. That grim thing said, she chuckles. "Or that's what some like to believe. As long as you know when to quit and don't get yourself into something you can't get out of, you'll be fine." she adds. "But it's nice to have people around you that you can rely on."

    The waitress saunters back over with two plates and a mug with steam rising out of it, along with a small pitcher of milk, a bowl of sugar cubes and a little spoon. "Here you go ladies, enjoy." she says, giving a curtsey once she's deposited everything, then turning to slink away again, more customers having filed in while the pair were talking.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    "That seems to be my problem," Eithne smiles ruefully, "knowin' when to quit."

    Lunch smells and looks even better than it sounded! She thanks the waitress and sets about spooning some milk into her teacup. "Aw, this was a great suggestion, I'm glad we came here~" Maybe just ooooone sugar cube...

    Tea perfected (serious business, you know), Eithne sets about eating her fries first because they're at their best when they're fresh. "Mmm!" Chew, chew, swallow. "Where do yeh wanna go fer our match afterward? I suppose 'in the middle of town' is a bad idea." Even in Vale!

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang sets about eating too, munching wholly on her burger, before swallowing to answer. "Mmnngh... We can head over to Beacon, if memory serves the main hall'll be open. We use it for sparring practice all the time, so I'm pretty sure noone'll mind." she answers, taking a swig of her soft drink before diving right back into her meal.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    "Sounds great," Eithne nods, and sets about the very important business of demolishing lunch.

    They finish all in good time. Eithne leaves the money for their meal on the table (but has to check with Yang about whether or not tipping is a thing here, because she was really embarrassed in a world's Japan once).

    Later, at the main hall, she shucks her leather jacket and finds a place to hang it that's out of the way. "Think they'll mind if we use our weapons?" she wonders out loud. Students do to train, right?? She reaches out into Somewhere Else and draws forth an ancient, dinged-up sword that's nearly as tall as she is.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Well, the Multiverse is a thing, and the money left on the table is accepted, though they prefer lien to off-world money, it's a case of adaption. Tips are welcome but not required, wait staff in Remnant are paid full wage, not the part wage like in certain other worlds and rely on tips to get by. If Enya does leave a tip, it's added to a collective jar that's split amongst the staff at the end of the day.

    Yang comes to this place a lot, it seems.

    Back at the hall, Yang puts her own over jacket on a hook, and shows Enya where she can hang hers. "I don't see why not? I was gonna use Ember Celica." she replies, unfolding the gauntlets from their bracelet form into the full forearm vambraces. "Wanna go Aura to 25% or just until we feel like stopping?" she asks, the large board overhead showing Yang's Aura level in a visual format.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    When in doubt, Eithne leaves a little extra to make up for any kind of weird exchange rate problems. She basically doesn't have to pay rent, and she works in addition to school, so it's not like she's hurting for lunch money as long as she doesn't blow it all on books or fabric or anything. "I waited tables one summer, it's not as easy as television made it look," she shrugs as they leave. Plus there was that one guy that tried to put his hand on her behind, so she decked him.

    "Great!" She seems pumped up for it, at any rate, grinning fiercely. The big screen is kind of unusual, but it seems to think that she has Aura as well, so maybe it's just a thing. She wants to ask how it works, how it knows how hurt somebody is, but she's pretty sure it's complicated... or so simple that she'd look dumb for asking. "Sure, that sounds good. 25% or one of us tags out."

    "Ready when you are!" she nods, gripping Rhiannon loosely in both hands, the blade held down on a diagonal to one side of her legs.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang lifts her arms in a traditional boxers guard, fists clenched and her stance stable, but not too wide. She bounces on the balls of her feet for a moment, then surges forward, aiming an overhead punch into Enya's center of mass... it's a very telegraphed attack, probably testing the reactions of her opponent.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    She rarely fights people who don't use 'traditional' weapons, so an opportunity to spar with Yang should teach her some things! Eithne pivots on her right heel, just barely swinging out of the way of the test jab. She's slower than Yang, and expects to take a few good hits before the match is over - no reason to try soaking any more than she has to. From her right side she swings her greatsword up in a diagonal arc, testing to see if Yang leaves her side open during attacks. "Hah!"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    WHACK.

    Yang gets solidly hit, and goes skidding across the floor, toppling over then planting a hand and kipping herself back up onto her feet. She comes to a stop in a three-point crouch, tosses her hair back and grins ferally before charging forward again. Guess she does leave herself wide open when attacking.

    The flurry of punches that comes this time is a much more focussed assault, aiming to overwhelm the sword-user from within her reach.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    There's that flip-up move again that she's seen people perform. Eithne can't do that! She's going to go home later and secretly practice. Maybe one day...!

    Eithne matches that grin with one of her own, eyes narrowing in concentration when the blonde charges toward her. She manages to dodge the first punch by sheer dumb luck but her speed's not enough to keep it up - she takes every single hit other than that, although she does manage to take one or two on her guarding arm instead of 'right in the face'. "Oof!!"

    She gives up on holding her place a few punches in and swipes roughly in an attempt to put more space between herself and the blonde, hopping backward a few steps to regain her footing. Yang is faster than she'd anticipated... Eithne's just going to have to try to power through!

    Planting her right foot behind her, the Scion rushes forward, letting the dull tip of her sword lead the charge. "Yaaaaah!"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    The sweep causes the blonde to bend backwards, letting the dull blade pass over her, barely an inch away from her body. The blade is so close it actually causes 'sparks' of Aura to fly off the blonde, as she backflips away a couple of feet. She continues to grin, and as Eithne charges with the point of her sword forward, Yang stands firm, slams her fists together and explodes with power, her Semblance stoking to a burning ember. Her hair begins to glow and give off 'flames', and she grabs hold of that dull blade, her Aura flaring brightly as she grips the sword by the blade and tries to force the charge into a standstill.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    Aura's such a strange thing! People running around with forcefields all over the place is a complete mystery to Eithne, but she likes the idea of it. She'd probably ruin way fewer outfits with that kind of power! Not to mention, feeling the way it resists Rhiannon's pitted, dull blade is akin to trying to hit greased armor. It just won't connect properly, but makes a show all the same!

    By the time Yang activates her Semblance, Eithne's already committed herself to the charge. There's nothing to be done but try to bowl her over...

    And as her sword is not only caught but /held in place/, Eithne's eyes widen as she realizes she /can't/. "Hhgggh...!" No matter how much of her own monstrous strength she brings to bear, she can't move the blonde an inch! What's she going to do?!

    Shifting her weight to her left leg, Eithne suddenly yanks back on the sword, shoving at Yang's middle with her right foot. It leaves her /horribly/ overextended, even if it works, but she's out of ideas!

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang can't really dodge a blow like that while holding onto that sword. She takes the boot to the midriff, causing her to lose grip on the blade and stagger backward. The screen shows Yang's aura rapidly declining to 33%. She drops to a knee for a moment, only to look back up with her eyes shifting from lilac, to a burning, blood red.

    The blonde stands, her Aura visible as it crackles with yellow lightning. She grins again, this time a feral, battlethirsty expression... though she waits for Eithne to get back into position before attacking again. "Hehe, this is fun."

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    Eithne falls back as well, regaining her balance and bringing the sword up to guard. "Isn't it?!" she laughs, glad to have actually found someone else who thinks fighting is supposed to be /fun/! Not that the folks in Dun Realtai aren't great at battling, because holy crap Saber is a monster and Sir Bedivere could trounce Eithne if he really felt like it, but nobody else ever acts like a scrap is anything but a Matter of Grave Importance.

    There's a wickedness to both of their grins, but Yang's strikes Eithne as absolutely overwhelming. With the power of such a Semblance...! It feels good to cut a bit loose. Her own Aura reading is holding steady at 45%, but she knows damn good and well that another flurry of those punches will take her out of the fight. And with Yang powered up like this, she can't afford to let the blonde get close! ...Now if she just had any idea how to keep that from happening, she'd be set.

    Eithne just has to give a mental shrug. The only thing to do for it is try something and hope! "Well, come on then!" she laughs, putting her left foot forward and bringing her sword up ready to block.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang clanks her gauntlets together, launching off another burst of flame and kinetic force. "Alright then! I'm not gonna hold back for this one, ready?" she asks, gathering herself down for another charge... this time, the light seems to bend slightly around her as her Aura flares, and the floor cracks under her feet.

    One moment, she's standing there, the next, she seems to have teleported, a crater formed from her launch point as she aims a haymaker of a punch, using all the momentum and all her body weight behind it... and to top it off? The shotgun is finally used. One shell fires, adding a kinetic blast wave to the punch to top it all off.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    THAT LOOKS SO COOL. Why didn't Eithne get flashy cool powers?!

    "Bring it!" she challenges, keeping her sword ready. If she can just get another good, solid hit in...! Except that Yang is way more experienced than her, and faster than her, and holy crap how did she do that?! Eithne has juuuust enough time to gape at the blonde's apparent teleport, sword seeming to move like molasses compared to Yang's amazing burst of speed. "What--!" There's a fist aimed right for her!

    AND IT'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!

    Yang's gauntlet connects with Eithne's sword, but it doesn't help her a single bit - Eithne gets hit right in the face with the flat of her own weapon, the power behind that blow sends her flying back. She soars backwards, sword falling to the side as she drops it, and crashes into the wall. "OW!"

    The readout on the screen drops to 20%. Looks like there's a clear winner!

    She thinks she can taste blood, and her head's ringing, and Eithne feels /amazing/. She picks herself up out of the wall, stumbling a bit. "That was great!!" Her nose is bleeding. "Awesome!"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang seems to 'come down' really quickly once she sees Eithne's actually hurt. "Oh Dust, I'm sorry!" she says, running over, at thankfully normal speed. "I didn't think I'd hit you /that/ hard!" she seems to be fretting a bit over the broken nose. "C'mon, we'll take you to the nurses office."

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
    "Whah?" She doesn't... really understand why Yang's upset. "It's just a nosebleed," she protests, waving off the concern. "Give it a minute to stop, I'm more worried about my shirt." She's not going to ruin another one! "I don't have that Aura thing, but I heal fast. Enough about that though, yeh were amazing! I couldn't even /see/ yeh move at the end there!"

    She seems to be in wonderful spirits, at least?

    Eithne wipes her face with the back of her hand and sniffs. "C'mon, I'm gonna wash my face once this dries up. Show me where the bathroom is...?"

    And that's how a beautiful, violent friendship was born.