Mission 1: 175 Years

Mission 1: 175 Years

Date: Tuesday April 22 AU 22

Cast: Juri Han, Nanoha Takamachi, Zephyr Windstar, Ezio Auditore, Goro

Location: Urbania

Summary: Juri commits a murder. Nanoha's ice cream is ruined. The only possible result is an enmity to last the ages. Zephyr and Ezio arrive to help Nanoha subdue the psychotic criminal, but the interference of two Shokan tie up the assassin, and in the end, Juri is able to slip the net despite the hefty sentence laid down for her many crimes.

Sometimes, people get a little too close to something they shouldn't. Even someone as mundane as a stock manager in the clean, tidy city of Urbania. The pleasant facade of the tall skyscrapers hides all manner of dark and underhanded dealings, and here at Redtail Finance & Loan, one Gerald Mallard has come across something concerning. He's just your average wage slave, in his thirties, a sharp suit and tie, maybe a little prematurely bald... but he works in shares trading. Its a high stress position! Wouldn't you just know it, though, being a good and honorable man he'd passed his worries further up the chain of command.

If the world was fair, this would come out in his favor. If the world was sane, the mild offenses would be sorted out with lawyers instead of psychopaths. But it isn't.

And that's why he suddenly feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as a shadow with dark horns falls across his desk. "Hey, Gerald~." Purrs a rich, sultry voice. "I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, but, your stock has just taken a downward turn. In fact, I think its going to drop, what... eighty stories?"

And there's a sudden, terrified scream above the streets of Urbania, as a flailing man in a business suit is suddenly SMASHED through the front of his office block. Shards of broken glass begin their tumbling descent towards the ground, as onlookers stare in mute horror or scatter for cover and safety as their will allows.

There are always those people that poke in where their nose doesn't belong. As it so happens, one such person is on the street below, eating ice cream. It's been getting warmer, ice cream is now appropriate. Nevertheless, Nanoha Takamachi seems to have found a moment off from her duties with the TSAB for a little break. After dealing with a Lost Logia smuggling ring somewhere else in Urbania just half hour ago, a little break was in order.

Thusly the twelve-year-old is quite fine with a breather that entails not shooting at people and having some cool refreshment. That is at least until the red gem on her necklace chimes with a warning. In an instant the sound of crashing glass and screaming causes a panic, but not from the small child in the dark military longcoat; not even as glass comes down in a raining hail that patters off her jacket and ruins her ice cream. But her ice cream is not the concern when a man- someone who was once an actual living breathing person- is rendered a sickening red splatter on the ground not too far off. It's a stomach-churning sight. And Nanoha suddenly doesn't want to finish her ice cream.

With a saddened sigh, the girl, as to not litter, dumps the cone into the nearest trash recepticle before making a motion with her hands. In an instant, a circle of runes forms on the ground at her side in a flare of soft green light, a boy apparating from nowhere.

"Nanoha?"

"Yuuno could you please do me a favor and get the civilians under control and evacuated? I'll head up and investigate." "Right."

And just like that the pair split off, a flare of pink light replacing the girl's coat with an armored dress of blue and white as she zips upwards in a straight flight for the shattered window to investigate the CRIME SCENE.

Prowling through seedy dirty streets full of peasants is unfit for one of royal blood. To think that Prince Goro of the Shokans would debase himself by walking around trying to pick street fights.

So of course, he doesn't! That is why he has minions for!

The meddlesome Shokan pair of Sheeva and Kintaro are the ones who over hear some commotion in the streets whilst they were doing their daily bit of recon. Kintaro leans upwards to sniff at the air, sensing something amiss and leads the way of his partner towards the streets where the commotion is going on.

It isn't the nature of these two Outworld fighters to attempt to rescue anyone in need of help. But they are warriors and have their honor, unlike other mindless monsters. The least they could do is check it out.

Maybe they can run into good fighters there too to test their mettle.

Nanoha won't be facing these formidable foes alone today, as she'll notice upon gazing upwards to the rooftops. A white flash here and there of motion is spotted, and a prowler begins to make his presence known to all involved.

Ezio Auditore is on-scene, and his eyes scan down at the Outworlders, before he tracks the fallen body of the suit up. It's a hell of a drop, and Ezio's gaze goes upwards to find the perpetrator.

Hawklike gaze narrowed, Ezio only remains on watch for now, ever vigilant.

Juri could not be much happier with how that went. She thinks she even spotted that she ruined a little girl's ice cream, down there. That's practically the definition of a job well done, in her book. Turning around, the woman rests her hands behind the back of her head, smiling in a very smug manner as she starts to walk leisurely back towards the elevator. She's expecting security to turn up any second. She hopes they try to stop her. That'd be ~fun~.

She actually pauses mid-step when something triggers in her eye, though. There's a warning bleep, and scrolling numbers and symbols alert her to - something - closing in fast on her position. She slowly lowers her foot to the ground, and the woman bows her head. "Oh, well. Who knows. Perhaps'll be fun after all." She muses.

So it is that when Nanoha arrives, Juri is waiting for her, turned to face the broken window with her hands still firmly behind her head. A look of sheer disappointment that crosses her features when she sees who it is, exactly, that is causing these weird readings. She tuts, and one hand waves vaguely in Nanoha's direction. "What a shame. I was told there might be strong people to worry about. I've got better things to do than waste my time with brats."

The woman actually closes her eyes as she spins on her heel, and waves her hand in the same loose, disrespectful manner. "Fly back out of here little bird. Otherwise..." And there's a low chuckle in her throat, her voice a deadly purr. "I'll have to clip your wings."

She is, of course, entirely unaware of Ezio - at least for the moment - and she doesn't seem to be treating Nanoha as even vaguely a plausible threat. Casually strolling towards the elevator with her back turned to the uniform-clad girl, even if she IS flying and radiating all sorts of weird readings. As though someone so small could stop her!

From the shattered window of the building, Juri shades her eyes and watches his descent with a dark smirk on her lips. Horns of hair clearly outlined in silhouette against the gaping hole in the eighty second floor window. "Boring. But at least I'll have some good footage for later~."

"Hmrg! Smells like blood." Grumbles the four armed Tiger Shokan.

"That's the least of our worries." Comes Sheeva's more composed voice. "I sense several sources of chi in the area. Be on your guard, Kintaro."

"Bah! It's about time we got a decent foit 'round here. It feels like forever since we got to bust some heads in." Responds the brutish Tiger looking creature.

Where it only Kintaro here, he would likely attempt to attack Juri along with the others. Not because of what she did, but because she is very noticeable and is clearly raring for a fight. However, Sheeva provides the guidance needed for the other warrior and holds her ground feeling that something is a miss.

"Hold. If that woman is antagonizing Union forces then she may be an ally."

"Bollocks, then why not say so in the radio?? The one time we get ta do somethin' I can't tell who I'm supposed ta eat!"

Arguing back and forth, the Shokans can't decide on what to do. Seems like a perfect time to prevent them from intervening.

Man what is with that look. Nanoha halts herself at the window in a hover, lips already set into a thin line when she finds the woman RIGHT THERE looking self-satisfied and smug up until the moment of contact. And then she looks -disappointed-?

If anything, Nanoha's grasp on her staff tightens as she holds up her right hand; raising a holographic display of her TSAB badge and credentials. And another beside it displaying info and an image of the deceased red splatter below. A shame huh? Threatening an officer as well, but it's telling Nanoha for just fly off that seems to miff her the most while walking away. "I'm Time-Space Administration Bureau Cadet Takamachi. And as of right now I am hereby placing you under arrest and taking you in for questioning in regards to the suspected murder of Gerald Mallard. You have ten seconds to comply and turn yourself in. If you do so, you will have the right to a fair trial, if not then you will be subject to-" <EXTREME>- "-force and direct imprisonment. This is your only warning."

<LISTEN OR BE SHOT. FAIL TO LISTEN AND BE SHOT AGAIN.> Her staff adds in.

The two Shokan are blissfully unaware of who has shifted his attention towards them. Ezio's eyes stare coldly at them. They probably have no idea what Juri's done, but they are confirmed Confederate assets. That makes them a threat if they get anywhere close to Windstar and Takamachi.

Ezio can't have that, so he opts to step in before that happens. The less attention the girls get, the better.

He bounds and leaps across the roofs until he reaches a perch closer to the ground, where he can make a safe landing so long as something cushions his fall.

Those two Shokan look beefy enough to handle that, and he's got a prototype he's been wanting to test anwyays.

Coiling like a panther ready to strike, Ezio reaches behind to his back to hold onto a cord, then he leaps, pulling the cord as he sails through the air before raising his arms akimbo in a swan dive.

A parachute of sorts emerges from a concealed back under his robes, slowing his fall down and angling his descent until he's right on top of KIntaro and Sheeva.

Then he releases the cords of the chute, falling down to their level.

Tensing his wrists, Ezio draws twin hidden blades, and he lands right on top of the two, bringing them to the ground and plunging his blades into their backs should he land correctly.

"Ohoh? The little girl is placing me under arrest, hm?"

Juri does at least stop walking away from Nanoha. Turning around, she spies Zephyr too, and the fact that she's outnumbered only seems to excite her more. Lips pull up in a dark smile, and her left eye flashes a brilliant purple. Straightening up, she stops slouching, and instead raises one hand towards Nanoha, gesturing towards the girl in a mocking wave towards her body.

"I already told you to fly away." The woman's left eye opens wider, and she fixes Zephyr with a deadly glare.

"Shouldn't you be taking her to sell cookies in a nice, quiet neighborhood?~ If she keeps running her mouth like that, she's going to get HURT."

Zephyr narrows her eyes, tensing her grasp on her Device. "You've already been read your rights. If you continue to resist arrest we will use any and all force required to take you down. This is your last warning. Stand down." she says, bringing her axe into position.

The blades begin to 'ripple' as they gather magic around them, the gemstone set between glowing a brilliant blue-purple as it gathers mana for the spell.

Knives on the back are always a good way to interrupt a heated, and very pointless, discussion.

Sheeva and Kintaro were far too distracted yelling to each other and then yelling on their radios to notice the chi signature suddenly flying down to their backs.

An "AARGG!" comes in unison from the two Shokans as their thick backs are pierced. However, it may be at this point that Ezio may be noticing that those back muscles are incredibly sturdy, more so than the average Templar soldier. To make matters worse, both Shokans are tall, very tall in fact. With Sheeva standing at 7 feet and Kintaro a whooping 9 feet.

The Shokan refuse to go down with the double stab and hold themselves up. Thus leaving Ezio hanging between the two of them like a shirt left to dry.

"It's an Assassin!!" Yells Sheeva, being the only that keeps up with the Confederate files of most wanted.

"Kill him!!" Comes Kintaro's roar as the both of them swing their arms back to smash Ezio with a double back swing.. each! That's... how many arms?

Cookies? Well that's one way to call Nanoha a girlscout. But the mage simply sighs. She's not being taken seriously at all. That's kind of insulting. But as Zephyr says, Juri has already been read her rights. And when the woman opts to NOT come in peacefully and continue trying to shoo her off that the girl does not seem to get the hint involved in 'fly away little bird'.

There are no words. Not from Nanoha, anyway as Raising Heart chimes, piping up: <GO TO JAIL. GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL. DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT DOLLARS: 200. ... ACCEL MODE!> And like that, in an explosion of motion, Nanoha is not flying away, but flying towards Juri in a blitz of pink light from the wings on her heels. Her staff is swapped to her right hand so she can reel back her left. And she opens up in a violent display of the worst sort of police brutality ever.

It's an open palmed slap.

Though her hand is charged with enough mana to make the blow hit with car-stopping force as she aims it straight for Juri's cheek in a lightning fast swing.

"Murder is -not- an acceptable act in civilized society, there ate -other- ways to settle differences that don't involve -killing- people." Yes, a 12 year old is berating your actionsm Juri. But what makes it worse:

<YOU ARE A BAD PERSON. AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD.>

• SLAP*

The noise rings out across the empty office, and all Juri's amusement seems to come to an end at once as her head whips to the side. It does shut her up, at least for a second, but it doesn't keep her chastised for long. The Feng Shui Engine rolls in her socket, showing the 'eye' is in fact a small, intricate device inlaid with the ying-yang symbol, as it replays the last few seconds in slow motion to keep up with what just happened.

"You think I'm a bad person?"

Juri's voice is lower, and dark purple flames begin to roll over her body, a sharp contrast to the brilliant pink that Nanoha showed.

"You're wrong, little girl, I'm not a person... I'm a MONSTER."

When Juri moves, it is fast enough to leave a blur in the air, a swift, slashing roundhouse kick that aims to sweep Nanoha in the stomach and bounce her off the wall - comparatively, its weak, a testing strike, but it is intended to hem in the more mobile opponent as she shrieks, purple light dancing about her body.

"AND NOW I'M GOING TO EAT YOU UP, BONES AND ALL!"

Zephyr sweeps her axe over her shoulder, just as Nanoha surges forwards with that empowered slap. The older mage grins... but then goes wide-eyed in shock as Nanoha gets herself a thorough kicking. "NANOHA! UUUUAAARRRGH!" she cries, then blasts forwards, mana flaring a brilliant purple of a similar hue to Juri's.

<TEMPEST SABER!> states the Device, as the 'ripple' becomes a boiling morass of wind-element magic. This detonates into a stinging 'cloud' of razor winds if it strikes.

FIGHT!

Looks like its Round One for Ezio versus the Shokan Tag Team. Both four armed warriors give out their respective battle cries and rush to meet the nimble Assassin head on. Sheeva even reaching for her back to draw her own double pair of scimitars. Looks like she plans to really live up to her name as a Hindi Goddess.

At least she'll try to anyway, for Ezio's slashes Kintaro across his broad chest, causing him to stagger on his step narrowly missing his grapple. As Sheeva moves in to try and bring all four swords on top the Assassin, she is pierced on her lower armpit forcing her to move backwards lest she risks impaling herself further.

Kintaro is the first to tough out through the pain and attacks Ezio again from behind, wrapping all four arms around the Assassin's body to then deliver a vicious fanged bite on the left side of his collarbone.

Wha-BLAYUM. And just like that everything's off like a bullet. In the downtime to follow her swing, Nanoha is left open in the brief instant of regaining her balance. It's long enough for her to see that 'eye', and then the girl soaks a train-wrecking kick to the gut. Indeed, she sails backwards with a grunt, slamming a Nanoha-shaped crater in the wall behind her and bouncing her right off it, back at the crazy kickboxer, but where most people would be dropped cold, stunned by the blow, there's a flash of pink from her boots as she jams the jump and block buttons crazy enough to pull an aerial recovery.

Landing on her palm and tumble-flipping forward onto her boots, she sweeps forward- pauses in an instantaneous back-shuffle as Zephyr opens fire, timing it to follow in after the deluge of cutting winds.

Nanoha enters MELEE range, opting to try and hold Juri's attention off the other mage.

"Person. Monster. You're STILL under arrest." she grunts in reply, eyes blazing with determination as she swings her Device in a quick flurry of practiced and smooth strikes, using Raising Heart like the quarter-staff that she is.

Two pairs of scimitars. This is going to be interesting.

Despite what some may expect, Ezio does have access to the internet. He doesn't browse it often, but it's brought him up to speed on a great deal of information of more advanced timelines he may need to know of, this includes some myths.

It also provides streamed movies, which is nice. He's seen that movie with Sinbad and the animated mutli-armed satue. So this isn't quite a surprise for him.

However, he isn't entirely unflappable, as he's grabbed by Kintaro. The shokan's bite leaves several trails of blood from his fangs piercing armor and flesh.

"AGH! Che cazzo-" Ezio squirms, keeping a death grip on both his weapons as he tries to free himself. His foot lashes out, settling for kicking Kintaro right in the groin. Nothing can no-sell that, it's a tried and tested method of getting out of these situations.

As is driving a blade through their ribs, as Ezio quickly determines where to find the fourth and fifth rib of Kintaro and drives his dagger there. His sword meanwhile strikes at Sheeva, ready to parry her returned strikes just in case.

Juri turns in time to see the deluge of magic, and holds out one hand towards it. There's a pained hiss as her energy bashes bluntly into the alien force, and it overwhelms her, exploding in a gale of slashing wind and rending air. When she recovers, it is with Nanoha right in her face. Just as she was considering how best to eviscerate the older mage.

The swinging staff manages to land several good hits, and then Juri darts backwards. The purple flames around her body intensify for a moment... and then seem to die away entirely as she draws it inwards.

Only for her elbow to come smashing forwards for Nanoha's nose. The motion is so sudden and brutal it seems to come out of nowhere... and hit or miss, as she arcs herself upwards, foot kicking out towards the other woman despite the long distance between them... and a blazing purple fireball slashes through the air diagonally towards Zephyr! The burning energy moves surprisingly quickly, all the more so since it seems to come from absolutely nowhere a few seconds after she initially gathered it!

• Ding!*

"AAAAAAARRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Kicked in the crotch again!!? It seems that's the case every time Kintaro tries to take on to the field. Alas, he's not as intuitive as his Highness Prince Goro, and has yet to learn his lesson about the glaring weakness of such a vital point. Goro, for his part, never leaves the Emeperor's palace without a codpiece. Maybe Kintaro will finally start to learn after this.

The Tiger Shokan reels back and releases Ezio, his lower set of arms going down to grasp at his injured groin, and it's only his lower pair of arms that keep him from being another Fatality in the battlefield, taking the double stabs in the bicep rather than in between the ribs.

"Kintaro! You idiot!" Indeed, Ezio is wise to assume that Sheeva will quickly attack him from the back, as she reveals herself by crying out to her injured companion. A resounding *KLANK!* of steel is heard when Sheeva does a double overhead strike onto Ezio's upwards parry. This is, however, exactly her intention, as she wants the Assassin's attention upwards so that he doesn't notice the left scimitar being thrust right at his midsection.

Zephyr grins a little at that strike hits, and she winds back up for another. She has to hold off when Nanoha gets into melee range. This leaves her mostly open to SUDDEN FIREBALL! Her right hand shoots forwards, and a Marchian seal forms in front of her. It takes the first impact of that fireball, but then it shatters. She 'skids' backwards in the air, and pants a little for breath.

"That... hurt." she states simply, then cocks her posture again, ready to swing her axe... but what's she going to do from that range? "Dee, Spin up, Tornado Razor!" The Device chimes in response, and the blades begin to boil once more. This time, she sweeps the axe horizontally and the wind-element magic spalls off as a pair of spiralling crescents that sweep out to try and catch Juri between them. <TORNADO SABER, SPINNING ON! Lets cut her down to size!>

She's fast! In the flurry of blows, the SUDDEN ELBOW for Nanoha's face gives the girl only a split second to react, and when it comes, Juri's blow will find itself meeting a solid wall. For a second, anyway as a barrier of pink light emerges in front of the younger mage. Though the impact is more than enough to make the shield spell crack... And a second later is shatters like glass, but the tiny delay is more than she needed to tip her body back and let the blow sail over her head, brushing cheek and only barely missing. And closer a call and she'd probably be on the floor.

But there's no time to think, in the middle of a melee, with Juri suddenly launching a FIREBALL for Zephyr. Nanoha quietly berates herself internally for not being fast enough to deflect that either, but her self-deprecation does not last long. She has to focus on what's at hand.

Like how she suddenly raises her left hand, palm out, facing the korean kickster.

A tiny speck of pink light gleams on her palm. Before it erupts, instantaneously becoming a point-blank stream of mana in a massive and engulfing pillar. A snap-cast of roiling PAIN intended to catch Juri off guard.

"Strike Smasher!"

Juri brings her arms up to guard, but the twin crescents aren't the same sort of energy she's used to beating back. The power smashes her from both sides, and in the next instant, she is engulfed in a pillar of pure, pink pain. The woman's voice raises in a high-pitched squeal of pain, and she is flung into the air. When she hits the ground again, she sprawls. She'd taken hits before, but that combination of attacks finally seems to knock her out of her cockiness, and even her irritation. Now... there's only one word which suits her:

Rage.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, NO MORE GAMES, I'M GOING TO BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY!"

The woman's voice is actually thrumming with power, and that brilliant purple light suffuses her. It burns out of her eye, a miniature star of continuous purple power as the sparking glow kicks into overdrive, and becomes a blazing fire. It is hard to look at...

But Nanoha probably wants to, because that burning trail becomes the easiest way to track where Juri IS! The Feng Shui Engine kicks into overdrive, and she leaves a glowing path as she dashes towards the young girl, apparently intent on bringing the teenager down.

At the last moment, she is in the air, and when she comes down, it with a blazing trail of purple energy to smash across Nanoha's front. Her other foot sweeps around as she touches down behind where the girl was, hoping to take her off her feet... and all of that is just a setup for the final attack. Juri pinwheeling her body in a cartwheel kick to try and juggle the small girl up above her head three times over! The whole set of moves delivered in just a few seconds, and whether or not she hits Nanoha, the poor office furniture all around her vicinity is going to be trashed by the raw excess ki that Juri is now ripping out of her eye and forcing towards violent purposes.

Kintaro may or may not have heard that sound advice. It's difficult to tell with him down on the ground, writhing in pain. To think that he once was the best gladiator in Shao Khan's arena.

Fortunately, the Shokans still have some hope left in their race thanks to Sheeva. The second in command of Prince Goro's army proving once again that she can be surprisingly competent despite not having the monstrous strength that Goro and Kintaro posses. She says nothing to Ezio's retort, instead just making a face of deep concentration whilst she meets steel with the hooded Italian Assassin. It's time to prove herself as a warrior and she's not going to fail!

"What--" Sheeva is at least smart enough to recognize a gun for what it is despite it's intricate design. It's her cleverness that keeps her from dying, as she moves to try and dodge, letting that bullet rip through the top of her collarbone instead of punching a hole through her shoulder joint. She drops to one side though, bloodied, trying to fight through the stinging pain of the bullet hole. "Unngh.. such dishonorable tactics.."

A moment that Kintaro takes to move between the two. Furious eyes screaming for vengeance.

He rears back and opens his mouth at Ezio, vomiting a burst of incandescent hot flames at Ezio's face.

Zephyr can only watch as her strike lands... and that it just seems to make the woman /madder/. Her teeth grit as she tightens her grasp on her Device... "Spin on." is all she says.

The device goes through a partial transformation, blades shifting to angles before they begin to rotate. Wind-magic coats the spiralling assembly, as four 'jets' open from the spiked end-cap on the other end of the haft. CYCLONE STRIKER. SPINNING ON. BOOST SYSTEM DEPLOYED. Zephyr then surges forwards, but doesn't just leave it to the spinning drill-lance to do the damage. SPIRAL SHOOTER adds the Device, as spinning bullets spew out of the tip of the wind-drill, peppering the berzerking kickboxer.

That's normally a very surprising attack. Much to Nanoha's satisfaction it seems to remain surprising. The issue here comes when Juri gets back up from the sudden explosive wave of mana. And only gets MAD.

"W-wuh?!"

Her voice, the rise in energy readings, that suffusing aura of purplse light all read as Bad News.

<WARNING. IT IS OVER NINE THOUSAND.> Raising Heart gives an alert, but it's too late as the Feng Shui Engine kicks Juri's body into overdrive and sends her careening towards Nanoha at full tilt. <PROTECTION!>

Her autoguard kicks in at the last second, a wall of pink light that Juri smashes aside like it was nothing, shattering like glass as the initial blow connects like a mack truck, the second catching Nanoha clean off her feet, before she's up- up- up- and BLAM!

Swung overhead and smashed back down by kicks alone, the mage crashes to the floor, leaving a crater of impact before she goes skidding, trailing a furrow that tears up tiles and concrete before coming to a stop on the other side of a wall after leaving a nasty Nanoha-shaped hole clean through it. And for a moment there's silence, an unresponsive, worrying quiet as dust and debris begin to settle before a bright FLARE of pink shines through the wall with an announcement:

<RECONFIGURING BARRIER JACKET: HEAVY ARMOR MODE.>

And then comes the -explosion-.

A brilliant wave of searing pink light, opening the way in a focused PILLAR of energy as the Device announces:

<DIVINE BUSTER!>

And like the Kool-Ade Man, Nanoha smashes a giant hole in the wall. But there is no joyous cry of bringing children sweet drinks to consume. She's holding her Device by the rifle-grip, finger on the trigger as Raising Heart pops open her twin-pronged exhaust ports to vent steam in an angry HISSSSSSSSH. And she's standing. Though her Barrier Jacket is scored, singed, and armor dented in places, blood trailing in a thin line from her nose and the corner of her lip, it is noticeably thicker. Heavier. Layered in new ways, with several additions of a bulkier platemail over chest, neck, and gauntlets.

"That's ENOUGH." The child booms in an authoritative voice that brooks no mood at ALL for this. "I'm dragging you into custody, and I don't care if you're conscious or -not-. And when you wake up, you are going to explain -everything- to me!"

Sheeva is actually quite heavy, though not enough that someone like Ezio can't lift, only enough so that he can't seem to use her as a meat-shield fast enough to protect him from Kintaro's fireblast. The warrioress winces feeling those hot flames so close to her and as she's feeling herself being thrown towards the bigger Shokan, she does give a huff of annoyance when Ezio mentions his own outlook on fighting.

"You're right on that regard, I'll give you that." Sheeva is tossed and caught by Kintaro, realizing that this is no longer a martial arts tournament, but a real war.

And you have to make sacrifices in a war.

"Oi!!" A startled grunt comes from Kintaro as Sheeva gets behind him using /her own partner/ as a shield from the frag grenade. As expected, Kintaro eats the full blast of the grenade and falls backwards, giving Sheeva the opportunity to step on Kintaro's back and use him as a plataform to jump at Ezio.

The Shokan woman jumps high into the air to clear the distance Ezio put between them. Bringing all four of her blades down on the Assassino's shoulders and torso with a quadruple aerial slash.

Ezio has to give it this much, these two shokan know how to work together in a real fight. They operate in a pair, using each other's strengths where they are best suited. He would be proud if he were their trainer, but he is not. So he is a bit more worried than usual. Dealing with them both at the same time might be more than he bargained for, but Ezio is nothing if not overly confident in his skills.

The grenade seems to cook Kintaro enough that he's down for the count, at least for a little bit anyways, and Sheeva's improvisation is certainly...inspired. As she jumps up high at Ezio, he braces for impact, but his parrying isn't enough as he feels several blades slashing at his torso and shoulders. Blood and metal are cut into deeply, and he's lucky to still be standing as he lets out a sharp yell of pain.

Of course, this puts Sheeva in range of a last-ditch manuever, the assassino headbutting Sheeva swiftly.

For a few seconds, Juri looks like the Queen Bitch of the universe. As Zephyr comes at her, she looks the woman right in the eye. The drill-lance-wielding woman has a good half a foot of height on Juri, but the psychotic Korean doesn't look intimidated at all. In fact, as the spiralling lance comes stabbing at her, she looks almost exhilarated! Dodging amongst the lashing blades and spiraling bullets, the last few scatter across her body with a series of 'pings', but the pain just drives her on.

Then, Nanoha bursts in through the wall, and for just a split second, the Feng Shui Engine crackles with static. Diving to the side, Juri's hair is caught by the energy with a light ~fizzle~, but as her vision swims and the brilliant purple glow is restored, the kickboxer licks her lips with anticipation.

"Why bother with an explanation?" Juri laughs, tossing her head back, "Its really none of your business. He poked his nose where it doesn't belong, and now he's dead. Just. Like. You."

Only this time, it is Zephyr who has gotten Juri's attention, and Nanoha isn't in her face, stopping her getting there this time. Leaping into the air, Juri's whole body swings around in a graceful arc, and her heel aims to embed itself right in Zephyr's stomach.

"The brat's pretty tough... I wonder, will YOU scream for me?~"

Whether she embeds her heel in Zephyr or not, the massive geyser of brilliant purple energy which erupts from her foot will bloom from the broken window, visible from the street below and for quite a distance around!

• KRUNCH!!*

Sheeva gives a HRRGG! of pain when she feels her face being smashed by the Assassin's forehead. She is quite impressed herself at how tough this Assassin really is. She's heard of them like most Confederates, but finally getting to face one face to face is an entirely different experience. They are quite nimble, but surprisingly tough as well. Almost like the Lin Kuei ninja.

Sheeva stumbles backwards and licks the blood dripping from her nose. "You are an admirable adversary, Assassin."

"I'll make certain you receive a warrior's death!"

Sheeva raises her foot and SMASHES it against the ground, cracking the building directly behind Ezio in half to collapse a large chunk of rock in order to crush him.

Zephyr isn't nearly as resistant as Nanoha... she's more about dodging the shots than taking them, so it's little surprise that even though Divine Wind deploys an Auto-cast barrier, it shatters without taking any of the force from the blow. Wind knocked out of her, the mage flies backwards, cast clear of the building by the impact of that technique.

She recovers, her flight spell flaring brilliantly as she arrests her descent, then checks her injuries. <Master... Continuing this battle would be foolish.> "Don't care... bitch is gonna pay..." Alright.

Zephyr lifts back up, charging a spell as she does so. "Now I'm angry." she states with a cold fire burning in her mismatched eyes. "Blow them away. Impulse Buster!" As she speaks the words, the device's blades crack open, exposing the gemstone, before a torrent of raw mana lashes out. Much like the previous Divine Buster, but less contained.

"You first." Ezio fires back in defiance, before he hears crumbling. Pebbles landing on his head get his attention first, then he looks behind him as the building begins to crumble right on top of him. "Oh, merda." He looks almost disappointed by this, really. Or at least annoyed.

Bullets he can endure, blades too, broken bones are nothing but an inconvienence that he could heal from.

Collapsing buildings are slightly more annoying than that, as he's caught underneath the debris. Dust surrounds the immediate area, and Ezio is seemingly nowhere to be found save for a bloody scrap of white cloth.

Sheeva may have won this one, or maybe not. Either way, Ezio's wounded /bad/ even if he's either under a pile of rocks or limping away in the confusion.

Of course, the answer to that mystery is revealed shortly after as Sheeva no doubt roots through the wreckage, as a cloak-less Ezio, bloodied and wearing naught but a filfthy wifebeater under the bandoliers and armor holding his gear together. His sword may be broken, but he's still got his dagger on hand to use, and other weapons.

Tackling Sheeva, he stabs Sheeva and doesn't stop unless someone or something makes him.

In reality, Sheeva is quite aware that Ezio has not been killed thanks to her ability to sense chi. She can still notice him under that pile, weakened, but still alive. Thus giving her enough of a reason to pry him out of there. She promised to give him an honorable death after all! It is time to ritually behead him instead of leaving him to rot under a pile of debris.

Turns out, he wasn't quite dead yet, and Sheeva is tackled to the ground when Ezio shoots out of from under the debris. "HRAAA!!" The warrior woman yells as she is pinned, losing two of her swords in the process and stabbed mercilessly, her gauntlet covered arms coming up to try and deflect the blades, though having only minimal effect in doing so. 

"My time.. has not yet come!!" Sheeva, not surprisingly, refuses to roll over and die. She does roll over though, pushing her hips up to toss Ezio aside from his straddling position and switching places with him. Now that Sheeva is on top, she makes sure to return the favor by pounding Ezio's face over and over with her fists.

For a second. For a brief, irritable second, Nanoha's lips purse into a thin line as she misses her mark. But she doesn't have all the time in the world to be annoyed, she has to act fast, as Juri's attention shifts to Zephyr. "A-ah...!"

The building is already a wreck. There's no real worry for property damage any more at this point as she sets her footing, boots locking into place with several prongs ramming into the ground to lock herself and brace for the recoil as she takes aim.

<BUSTER CANNON MODE.>

Device reconfiguring to a more spear-shaped construction, an array of runes and aiming rings form up in front of Raising Heart, wings of pink light flaring from behind the spearpoint as mana coalesces into a point at the tip.

And just like that Nanoha produces a magazine from her pocket, very much like an assault rifle clip, she slams it into place, loading Raising Heart with a menacing Ka-CHAK.

<COMMENCE CARTIDGE LOAD. A FIRING SOLUTION IS ACHIEVED.>

With an explosive CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK, the Device spits not onem but three emptied cartridges to the ground, tink-tink-tink-ing quietly as they roll off and it internalizes the massive amount of boosted mana, focusing it into the energized array.

"Zephyr fall back." She orders as she takes aim, trigger locking into place, her fingers rests on it. And with a -CLICK- she gives it a squeeze.

<DIVINE BUSTER: EXTENSION.>

"No more screaming. You are assaulting a TSAB officer. I hereby dub you guilty for the murder of Gerald Mallard, aggravated battery and assault on two officers, attempted murder of two TSAB personnel, a summarily sentence you to...

Raising Heart pings up a holographic display.

[175]

"One hundred and seventy five years imprisonment in TSAB dimensional detention and rehabilitation facilities."

It's clear when Ezio knocks Sheeva over, he wasn't going to have full reign for very long. He made his stabs count, but nothing can stop a seven foot tall woman with four arms and strength to take out a tank, not for lack of trying anyways.

Grunting, Ezio's vision goes dark for a moment as Sheeva lays into him, punching him over and over. By the end of it, he's swollen, bloodied, and chances are he felt a break here and there. Needless to say, this fight would be suicide for a lesser assassin. But Ezio doesn't go down that easy.

"That makes two of us." Ezio rasps, before he reaches down to pull another knife from his boot's sheath. He jams it right into Sheeva's armpit, before he tries to wriggle himself free. His thumb presses something on the knife's grip, and he doesn't bother trying to walk it off. He shakes off the severe concussion he's probably feeling right now, and he sprints fast as his legs can take him.

That knife had enough high-concussive explosives in it to give Sheeva a /very/ bad day, and the fuse was a sort one.

Juri's eye twitches as Zephyr gathers her power, and the growing spike of energy sends another burst of static through her vision. "Tch... piece of junk..." She murmurs, shaking her head, and then-- then, in the next moment, before she knows what is really happening, there's a veritable torrent of energy coming her way! Juri slams both feet down, and braces herself, arms raised and answering the powerful spell with as much of her own energy as she can muster. For several seconds, she is a brilliant purple flame inside the torrent of Zephyr's attack, and as it fades away, she's broken a sweat. Breathing heavily, her smirk returns as she arrogantly straightens and--

Fizz, fizz.

The Feng Shui Engine rolls around in her socket, displaying nothing but static swimming and interleaving with her vision. Bright purple numbers scroll erratically over it, and the woman wheels around as the loud voice declares some sort of cannon is coming up next. She's not getting accurate readings any more. But she's smart enough to know that whatever she is looking at, it is serious business.

The array actually seems to cause her physical pain as the Feng Shui Engine tries - and fails - to understand what it is looking at. As the beam of light sears out towards her, Juri swears, and barely manages to spring away, landing with far less grace on the far side of the room. Much of the floor has been erased from existence, and as Juri's left eye keeps spluttering between purple energy and crackling static, she sneers.

"This is pointless. I killed the man I came here to kill. Time Space Administration Bureau? I'll deal with YOU, another time. But don't think this is over..."

One powerful kick smashes in the doors to the elevator, and Juri leaps backwards, tumbling away into darkness as her voice echoes in her wake...

"I'LL HAVE MY REVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENGE!"

• Punch! Punch! Punch!--Hold still...*

Problem with Assassins; its really hard to pin them down. Even when you have them right where you want them and are in the process of laying on the hurt, they still find some underhanded way to wiggle free and escape your grip.

Sheeva realizes this now as even with four hands grasping Ezio's body and the before mentioned strength to rip apart a tank. The Assassin still manages to slide away from under her. It's like he has experience eluding the clutches of women or something!

"Tsk!!" All Sheeva sees is an Assassin escaping her grip, not the parting present that Ezio left stuck on her, to her it was just a feeble attempt to stab her before running away.

"Come back here cow--" *BLAM!!*

Sheeva doesn't get to finish that sentence. The explosive dagger ignites on the side of her body and it rips open her ribcage smashing her against a nearby building before falling onto her back, hands grasping her side to keep her insides...well.. inside her.

"Eldergods... blast it all.." Mortal Kombat participants are tough mo' frigs. She probably will survive getting disembowelled. But she's not in any condition to give chase right this moment, what with her guts threatening to spill on the concrete and all.