Scene #8402: Fight Night

Owner	Pose
Nephra Tangent	Like many places made for passing through, the town of Carnegie Park has seen better days. Faded factories and brick tenements stretch on for miles between hazy hillsides, but for every storefront that is open and active, two more are plastered over with cardboard. Chain fences promise 'redevelopment', but the tarps attached obscure nothing but vacant lots. Potholes fill with water, and the ambient humidity echoes the cries of early cicadas. Jaywalkers and tired workers flit about cracked sidewalks and uncovered bus stops, while window-poster signs advertise various gilded employment opportunities, whether for blandly-named corporate offices, remnant assembley lines, or overglorified PMCs. It's hard to shake that in a place like this, people are more of an infestation than inhabitants. It's really no wonder at all that here, of all places, people would seek out the kind of entertainment you've been been given the chance to participate in. Nothing big ever happens in Carnegie Park, so loud and flashy is the next best thing. Regardless of how you arrive, you've all been given direction to one of the larger warehouses in the town's mostly-abandonded industrial quarter. It's easy to tell you're in the right place by the growing number of citizens lingering and ambling in similar directions. Small groups whisper and open bottles for one another, occasionally taking wide glances around for telltale sirens and lights- the sort of newcomer that doesn't understand that no police force on this Earth or any other would shut down a fighting ring its own boys are regulars at. The backdoor-ish area you've been directed to wait at, off an old cobblestoned loading dock path, is relatively quiet and free from the gaze of strangers. However, the fact that even after you've all arrived, you've yet to be met by tonight's contact, the ring's manager, feels like maybe, just maybe, it's intentional. The clock slips closer and closer to the stated showtime, before a door finally opens, and a man steps through, throwing stressed words into a handheld phone. "-know that, of course I know that! That doesn't change that tonight's the worst night- Oh. They're here. We'll have this discussion another time." Promptly, the call is cut off, and the phone dissapears into a pocket. Leather-gloved hands dust one another off. If not by his words, his demeanor makes it immediately obvious that this must be the ring's manager- from the slight annoyance baked into the corner of his lip, the fashion a cut above the workclothes and sports jerseys of the other patrons, and the way his eyes trace over the gathered Elites like an appraisal more than interest.
Nephra Tangent	"You'll have to excuse my manners. Mechanics so often forget that it's not for their sake that their presence is mandatory. But no matter. You're here, and you're who matters tonight. You're who the audience will be paying close attention to. So let's cover the agenda." He slips a hand beneath a vest pocket, and comes out with a lighter and a single cigarette. Butane soot smears on his glove as he rolls the lighter's striker wheel, and hazy smoke fills the still, humid air on his subsequent exhale. "My fighters need something real to push them back into shape. You're that something. But the audience needs this to look good for the ones they're familiar with, even when-" Not 'if', "-they lose to you lot. I know you've got the sort of spark that they just don't, but leave the patrons feeling satisfied that their home team isn't quite so nothing compared to people like you." "You'll be up against all three of my girls. Working together's new for them, and I don't expect it to stick. They play messy, so don't be afraid to draw blood. Be more afraid not to. It's what they all expect. Though, I really shouldn't need to ask this, I'm certain you're a smart crowd, but when you rough them up, be gentle enough to not leave any of them unfit for this ring." Dead, or functionally so. It's clear what he means. "Finding one replacement is hassle enough already, more would be worse, and I'm still holding out hope that maybe they'll actually learn something from this." His following exhale carries tangible dissaproval. "Any questions? The held-open backdoor pours light and murmured sound out into the evening's shade, and his expectant gaze implies a 'Ready when you are'. The ring awaits.
Kukuru	After hearing about the town's dire conditions, it'd be hard to keep Kukuru away from the place. She might not be the best equipped to fix up the town's lingering problems, but fighting and keeping fighters in good shape to keep doing it in front of adoring crowds is certainly something she can pull off! Unfortunately for Kukuru, she actually made sure to show up on time today. She's dressed in her usual white blouse and green/brown corset-dress combo, and her hair's a mess like it always his, but she's still cleanly put together despite all of that. She's pretty awake when she first arrives, but the long wait has her considering whether or not to slip away to get something to eat just before the show. Luckily, she's stopped moments before stepping into a gross purple cloud of her own making by the sound of someone coming in through the door and talking to... Someone else! She doesn't know who, but she does disperse the cloud before turning to face him with a polite smile. "He-llo there! Oh, I thought we were gonna help your fighters get..." A thought finally occurs to Kukuru as the promoter(?) continues, and she lets out a understanding 'aaaaah' the more that's explained. "Blood, huh...? Oh, but we can't get too crazy, or they'll... Hmm. Oh! I have an idea." She taps her fist against her palm gently, then holds hit up as a green glow from her nanites surrounds said hand. "If I put these in them as we're fighting, they'll be able to fight longer, and the show'll be better, right?" A beat, and then she strokes her chin. "Will the audience notice, though? I mean, if they see how tough all of us are... Ah, it'll probably be okay. I'm ready whenever you are~"
Angela	Lobotomy Corp has a vested interest in Miss Kukuru in spite of Angela's, the Manager's and even the Red Mist's best efforts. Something about the strange woman who does seem to care about the wellbeing of the agents and even the clerks... The Clerks!... Well, she is pretty popular in Lobotomy Corp amongst the rank and file for a reason even if management is getting increasingly frustrated at how this devotion to Kukuru is impacting operations But she is also a valued ally who has assisted in agent retention and so long as this doesn't get out of control, Angela and the rest of the Sephirah are content to leave it as another element of thr facility to manage. It will get out of hand, of course, but not just yet. Today the Welfare Team has been assigned to Kukuru and by the Welfare Team we mean BETTY! who was the only agent free for the job. BETTY! is a twelve foot tall near full conversion cybernetic construction with a bark like brown colorscheme and no less than six spindly mechanical arms protruding from her torso. BETTY!'s 'face' is a round screen presently showing an emoticon style ^o^ expression against a green field of color. BETTY! is carrying a strange mace with a red eyed smileyface at the end of it and a blood splattered (across the hemline) uniform that looks like it is barely containing BETTY!'s massive frame. BETTY! follows instructions without complaint. A high pitched giggle emanates from the construct as the gentleman explains the situation. A bashful giggle. A tired looming pale blue haired man in fancy dress is seen on a tablet magnetized to BETTY's chest. He sips a cup of coffee and says nothing. He looks like he hasn't slept in days. "Don't worry!" BETTY's very high pitched voice chirps. "BETTY! is great at taking care of friends. That is why BETTY! is on the Welfare Team ^o^!" Kukuru makes an offer and BETTY's face emits stars and sparkles "Miss Kukuru is someone you can rely on, Mister!"
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Tarps billow, standing water in potholes ripples, cardboard strains against the windows it conceals. A noise gradually rises above the cries of cicadas. It's like the most loud conceivable combination of a hiss and a roar, that goes from sounding like a distant explosion to rattling the chest cavity of bystanders as it grows closer. It comes from a behemoth of a single-rider hovercraft--the personal bike of Bercilak de Hautdesert. Sporting an intimidating, bulky but aerodynamic profile, this beast is almost certainly customized and retooled milsurp hardware. Thick armor plates are painted green, with golden stencil motifs of hounds chasing alien prey adorning the side, behind the arms-forward seat. It's massive, as would be expected of a single-riding craft designed to comfortably seat a man seven and a half feet tall. It slows only slightly as Bercilak aggressively corners, the hiss in turn changing to a rapid-fire stream of controlled explosions. White fire lances from a sizeable thruster at the back, as some sort of lift apparatus generates a cloud of wash, urban detritus blown aside in its wake. When he arrives at the warehouse, Bercilak slows again to a cruise, the craft's pulse detonation engine also slowing to more intermittent, but still obnoxious cracks. He reaches out, snatches a closed bottle from a passer-by, squeezes the cap off with the webbing of his thumb, and offers it back, before killing the engine. The craft slowly drifts to the ground as its lift apparatus powers down, and landing legs extend from the underside. Through the back door, seven and a half feet of thickly made biker steps. He wears tight-fitting black jeans, matching motorcycle boots, and a white graphic tee that leaves little to the imagination. A skeleton pops a wheelie on a motorcycle, escaping a flaming crevice on the earth and extending a bony middle finger to the viewer. The shirt reads, in pink: GO AHEAD AND CRY BITCH NO ITS OKAY LET IT ALL OUT I'M HERE FOR U AND ALWAYS WILL BE "Bicche," says Bercilak to the manager consolingly, with a wide smile and his red eyes gleaming warmly, "Thou hath bet bileve I shalt yeve thee a sheue. Bileve, so als, that thei shalt ilern todai." He removes his hand, gives a thumbs-up, and steps through the door towards the ring.
Kayoko Kirenai	"...saying is, it's very unusual of you to be so disrespectful in my class, Miss Kirenai, and I'd like to know if there's something more going on. If there's some reason that you aren't sleeping properly at night, then we can work together to make sure nothing like this happens again. Falling asleep during class is more like the kind of behavior I'd expect out of your--" "My apologies, Sister Shinkyou." Kayoko cuts her off, interjecting in a rare display of misbehavior, the second for today. Probably her budget for the rest of the month. "I had a fever yesterday, like I said, that's all. It's nothing to worry about. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I-- it's just about time for my club meeting to start, if you'll excuse me." Kayoko slips out of the front gate of Our Lady The Second Eve, much earlier than she'd ever be done with club activities had she actually gone. Nursing the magically-concealed bruise on her face from last night's Temptation attack, she veers off the main road to lean on a fence in an alleyway. Where was she even going? Not home, not to her dorm. None of her typical commercial haunts appealed to her right now either. But she had to go somewhere. Kayoko pulls her phone out of her bag, powering it on again now that school's over. A message pops up on the screen, and Kayoko makes an impulsive decision. It's fine that the city looks like garbage. It's charming, in its own way, how abandoned places feel like they tell as much of a story as inhabited ones, and Carnegie Park is the best of both worlds. Kayoko looks the same as ever, white ponytail tied with blue ribbon, cascading over the shoulder of her monochrome school uniform, polaroid camera hanging around her neck, even somewhat at ease with the environment in the back room of the warehouse. She stands up straighter before the manager's voice is even audible through the door, subtly readjusting every part of her posture to convey attention. "Don't hurt them too bad. Got it, sir." The glowing light in Kukuru's hands catches her eyes, and she adds, "Oh, that's smart, Miss Kukuru. And I can patch all of us up afterwards, so nothing really needs to stick." "Um, no questions." Kayoko's never even fought a human before. She wraps her hands around her camera, half-bringing it up, ready to step through the door and her transformation sequence when signaled.
Nephra Tangent	'If I put these in them as we're fighting, they'll be able to fight longer, and the show'll be better, right?' 'Will the audience notice, though?' "The concern is appreciated, but I'm sure my fighters will pull through in one piece. If they don't, that's on them, and they shouldn't get a free pass out of it. I doubt the audience will see, let alone care, but we wouldn't want to teach anyone to be sloppy, now, would we?" 'BETTY! is great at taking care of friends. That is why BETTY! is on the Welfare Team ^o^!' He seems pleasantly surprised, at the hulking cyborg, but aside from a small eyebrow raise, he barely responds. "Welfare team. Well, it doesn't really matter if that's where something like you comes from, or what that even is. You wound up here, and you're big. Use that." 'Thou hath bet bileve I shalt yeve thee a sheue.' He blinks, a few times, slowly. "Is this your bit? You don't need a bit. Your bit's already that you're not from here." He takes a long drag on his cigarette. His tone is thoroughly unimpressed and reluctant, when he speaks up once more. "You still look like you'll do fine enough." 'Don't hurt them too bad. Got it, sir.' The manager exhales through his nose- tobacco smoke exiting more than breath does. There's an ever-so-faint smile on his lips. "Sir, is it? My, they make them so polite now, don't they." He steps aside, and follows the group into the building. It's a clear shot to the ring proper, as a rush of mechanics and technicians busy fiddling with spare parts scramble make way for the multiversal group, and their boss. He steps aside, then, not one to enter the ring himself. "Shine like it matters. This'll be the only night you even exist, to this crowd. Make it stick." Once inside its boundaries, a timid-seeming techie sets down a PDA to help move the ring's entryway fence back closed. It's not unlike barring a door. The ring itself is a chain-link fence octagon, braced by cement bricks instead of the sandbags a sports event might use. Three rusted-out car chassis are placed in the center, with a flagpole sticking through the hull of one and up a few meters into the air. Four banner-flags hang from it in the breezeless warehouse air- from bottom to top of the pole, green and tan, yellow-orange and black, turquoise and crimson, and up at the very top, purple and gold. The flagpole, from the level of nicks and dents in it, has been in place longer than the cars its mounted in. Other than the makeshift steel hill, there isn't anything of note on the concrete fighting floor. The crowd surrounds the ring, knowing better than to push fingers through the fence links but doing so anyways. There's a hushed whisper of applause, growing louder as the Elites can be seen for what they are- BETSY's presence especially, draws a gasp and a few claps, even- before anything's gone down. Spotlights drown out shadows, and as if the crowd knows something the Elites don't, they suddenly go silent.
Nephra Tangent	Smoke billows out from behind the pile of cars, heavy and black, and the paired rumble of an engine's starting roar echoes out. The choking haze sticks low to the ground- until out of it comes leaping a heavy, hulking exosuit- black and industrial machinery yellow, and looking more at home on a construction sight than here. Huge arms are almost as wide at the shoulder as the three-meter frame is tall, and the crashing impact of them against the ground first, and the crumpling car its wearer jumps to second, is enough to propel it into the air. The wearer's face is visible behind a roll-cage esque guard, visibly confident even at a distance, and she flexes the suit's oversized arms like one would biceps. Now the crowd starts to properly cheer, the name Crucible is chanted back and forth, and the ritual of dramatic pre-fight posturing is thrown to the Elites to meet. But there isn't much time before a second fighter appears, sommersault rolling out of the coiling smoke in a far lighter frame- both in color and in build. A thundering crack rings out, as a whip uncoils from an arm-mounted brace, gouging chips out of the concrete. "New meat, huh, Cruz? "Looks like it, Flicker! They shoulda' known better than to show up tonight." "Oh, yeah? And why's that, Cruz?" The green-suited fighter giggles. " Because they're going to get cooked!" At the cheesy line, and subsequent few groans mixed with cheers from the audience, Crucible once more flexes, and the hard, metal-coil plates at the ends of her fists light up white-hot, as even more smoke pours out of her machine. It's clear this is an act, like stage wrestling. But the weapons are real, after all. If the audience were eating it up, it'd be another story, but one wouldn't be hard-pressed to guess this is more of a canned exchange than not. But the manager said there'd be three fighters A rushed cue from a ringside mechanic, and the floodlights get pointed upwards, away from the arena floor. Hanging by one of the roof's metal gables, shiny silver, purple, and thin gold trim, illuminated not just by the spotlights but by three glowing eye-like spots in the center of a head-concealing helmet, is the third fighter. Two arms hold onto the beam, and two more end in glistening blades. She legs go, silent, and dives- it should end in a splatter, and a loud crash, even with the fortified armor, but as she plunges into the smoke, there's still only silence- and then metal grinding against flooring, slow and deliberate. Her optics appear back out of the smoke before the rest of her, followed by sparks as blades drag against concrete. That move seems new enough to cause cheer to erupt, as she takes her rightful place out in front of the other two fighters. There's no punch lines out of her mouth, no snappy nickname shouted out again and again, but as the excitement dies down, she does speak up. "Well. What are you waiting for?" She beckons, an un-bladed hand motioning with one finger, for the others to approach, and to attack- but even a novice could tell that she's already poised to pounce.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	On the walk-up to the ring, Bercilak gives the crowd the universal make-some-noise gesture, strutting confidently while wheeling around and lifting both arms in repeated, sweeping gestures. Not satisfied with the cheering--even for the hulking exosuit--the mountain of a man makes a surprisingly agile frontflip, thick green fingers poking through the chainlink fence as he repeats the gesture, one-handed. "COKED! BAHAHA!" Bercilak loves a good bit of shit-talk. Even if it's cheesy. Maybe especially if it's cheesy. With one arm, he pulls himself up and launches himself over the top of the arena. He falls to the ground as his armor, and his axe, materialize in a wave of blue light that rapidly envelops his body. Thick, green machined plates are affixed to a tough, black synthetic weave bodysuit. A bucket helm with a pitiless black T-visor and not-entirely-decorative tusks, resembling a boar, envelops his face, hiding his green beard, undercut mohawk, and wildly amused red irises. As if the armored suit weren't heavy enough, a massive 'cuirass' appears overtop, with vents along the side suggesting it's more than a hunk of metal. Hitting the ground with a palpable thud, he gives his massive axe a testing swing, as a cloak of rye grass and hyacinths rapidly grows before the audience. The Green Knight shoulders the axe and cracks his neck. "Wel, thanne, thou may clepe me Cok Boyardee, for verily I shalt iopen a canne on thy asses." He barks a belly-laugh at his own corny comeback, armored hand slapping his plated belly so hard that sparks fly. Mid-laugh, helmet thrown back, thrusters on his armor abruptly fire up, and he gracefully assumes a combat stance. With his grip choked all the way up, Bercilak slides right across the arena, circle-strafing as his boots grind against the ground. The blunt heel of the axe strikes out at the fighter in purple and gold, a move deliberately chosen to test just how she'll pounce. With his size and the weapon's, it ought to be quite a dangerous commitment--but with uncanny speed it's pulled back into a low guard, the axe's edge facing the ground with his hands spaced mid-haft.
Kukuru	BETTY! is an unfamiliar face, but hearing that she's part of the Welfare Team is enough to raise Kukuru's spirits at having some more familiar faces around. She even giggles softly in return at that giggling and the encouragement, although she does soon realize she doesn't have robot food. "Hehe... BETTY!, huh? That's a unique name right there. Oh! What do you eat?" And then she sees the man on the tablet. "Oh. Do you want any snacks in there, too? Or do you both share a..." She trails off, gesturing at her throat and chest, like that might actually mean something. Nevertheless, she strolls on over to reach up and pat the tablet (because she sure as hell isn't reaching the top of BETTY!'s chassis). Bercilak's arrival in his sick hovercraft, meanwhile, has Kukuru perking up a bit long before he even shows up in view. She stares at him curiously for several longer moments as he does, visibly mouthing something quietly while staring at his chest. Or rather... The words on his shirt. She looks puzzled, then surprised, and then smiling brightly in short order. "Aw... It's like a little story in there. I like it." She affirms with a quick nod, stepping over to Bercilak to stand on her toes and offer unto him a pat on the head as well. Kayoko's praise, meanwhile, has Kukuru's smile growing just that much more. "Hehe... Right? Oh, it'll be super easy to get them all back up on their feet if we're working together on healing when we're done. And maybe after that, we could all go somewhere nice to eat!" She might not know a thing about whatever happened, but she does at least know vaguely of Kayoko's struggles from their previous outings. Kayoko, of course, gets it easier because Kukuru doesn't actually need to stretch just to get her hand to head level for more of that patting/hair ruffling. "They'll be fine once we're done, anyway. I know it." She assures the manager(?) without elaborating further, then continues onwards with butterflies building in her stomach over the audience they'll have. This is her chance to really help make the Concord shine, after all! Did she choose the wrong outfit for this, though? Maybe she should have asked him to give her some pointers here... Wait. His thing's about not being seen. That might not help. By the time Kukuru's head is back on, she hears the crowd, and she perks up a bit more while pumping her fists up at her sides. "We've got this. Let's do our best, everybody!" She chimes in before realizing this is the perfect opportunity to make her own dramatic entrance. Instead of heading out, she instead hangs back for quite a bit, apparently to let everyone else get their chance to shine first. Also, because she's busy giggling at Flicker's and Cruz's terrible lines. Eventually, though, an ominous-looking cloud of dark purple energy appears facing the trio shortly after the third figure in silver, purple, and gold beckons the group. Kukuru's leg comes out of the cloud first followed by the rest of herself in a gentle hop forward, eyes closed to try and get that MYSTERIOUS FIGURE energy going, and it's not until she's all the way out of that cloud that she finally opens her eyes, and... She forgets what she was going to say. Bercilak's own introduction gives her some fuel, though, and, she holds one palm to the sky, and a great burst of green energy erupts from it before raining down on all the fighters present! It doesn't actually hurt or anything. It's actually just healing juice, conveniently spread through theatrics to give everyone a little boost ahead of time. "Fight with all your might, everyone! Then there won't be any excuses once we're finished, okay?~" Crap. She forgot to sound intimidating already.
Angela	Chesed sips coffee and listens to the fight manager. He doesn't say anything. Just appreciating the coffee. Might as well say the Welfare Team doesn't really mater, he reflects to himself. "Hehe ^o^! Thank you, sir! BETTY! will do her best!" The ! and caps seem to be part of the name, unfortunately, but she's definitely armed and she looks like he could do a big smash with that :)-faced mace of hers. The :) is on a sawblade that doesn't seem entirely cosmetic as the saw buzzes happily. The restraint part of the job may be the hardest part for her. BETTY! follows after the mananger (and the man does make BETTY! think of the Manager, or at least a department head so it is easy to adapt so far). BETTY! 'shyly' waves her many hands at the crowd but doesn't really understand why there is such a reaction. BETTY! is a normal helpful girl ^o^v. The reason why is made apparent as a full on exo-suit--Crucible!--steps into the arena, followed by ... Flicker! Flicker giggles so BETTY! helpfully giggles too to show that they are all happy right now and full of joy and violence. But it's the third that draws attention. Generally back in her own world, it's the fighters that don't do a lot of smacktalk that you have to watch out for. BETTY! is just a normal girl, of course, so she isn't the sort of expert fixer that Rose or Rook might be but she takes a moment to observe the mysterious fighter and focus on them. The facial expression shifts to a (n_n) as BETTY! takes two of their limbs up to place their mechanical hands on what are theoretically her cheeks. "Chesed... They look so strong... and scary!" BETTY! says. "What if they don't want to be helped??" Chesed takes another sip of his coffee, then smiles good-naturedly. "Just do your best, BETTY!, and I'm sure your feelings will reach them. That seems to be how things are done out there." "YAY! OKAY! ^o^!" BETTY! grabs her EGO weapon with all her limbs-- --Chesed is distracted by Kukuru. "Ahahah... Thank you for the offer, Miss Kukuru. It might be a tad difficult to get me snacks in this moment so I'm fine with the coffee." If he's like the other Sephirah how is he even drinking it...? Kukuru pats the tablet, causing it to glitch out and show Chesed's true form for a second (a blue box with legs, still holding the coffee though?--Actually there's a pointed arrow pointing down to some kind of chute which might be where the coffee goes)--but the glitch stabilizes after a moment, showing Chesed's humanoid state once more. BETTY! is faster than she looks. She's not sure if she's supposed to be protecting Kayoko or Kukuru at the moment because both of their names are pretty similar to her so she decides she'll try to help both out and then she can get double headpats for her trouble! It is unclear how BETTY! gets headpats too but lets just say a ladder is involved. She swings the spear down for Crucible first since BETTY! has gotten vibes from the other one, attempting to clash with several quick swipes from her weapon, ending in a punching forward buzzsawing motion. "BETTY! is so happy to get to help you ^o^!"
Kayoko Kirenai	"My, they make them so polite now, don't they." Kayoko preens a little under the praise. It's that easy to make a good impression. There's no reason not to! Kayoko follows the manager to the ring, starting to get a little nervous about what's expected of her. The presentation of an underground fighting ring is pretty far from what she's used to-- showing off for others when it's still new for others to know she exists feels like a huge jump. The crowd gives her a moment of pause, as does the concrete ring, and almost thoughtlessly, Kayoko brings her camera up to her face and snaps a picture of the flagpole, closing her eyes and breathing out steadily over the few seconds it takes to print. In the ring, she's completely dwarfed by BETTY and Bercilak especially, seeming unremarkable and out of place, like she'd just blindly wandered in. Until the trio makes their entrance on the other side, and her eyes harden. They're all so villain-coded! That makes what she has to do easy! Kayoko swipes her hand up with the printed photo held between two fingers, like a playing card in a duel. It distends and erupts into a door-sized portal, blue-white and indistinct around the edges like fire. "Three fighters, but only two names? It's really lazy to not put at least that level of showmanship in, how are we even supposed to remember you after this?" "Let me show you. Magical Girl--" Kayoko steps into the shimmering wall, and the field around her inverts in color for a split second; harsh, alien blues and whites and negative space thrown into relief. Then the blue-gold flash that Kukuru is already familiar with, motes of light swirling and compacting into plate armor and her golden sword and shield, already in hand. "--Chevalier Cobalt!" She lifts up her sword to defiantly point it at the three exosuits, giants compared to her. She twists her torso with a flourish, her cape throwing out a spray of golden particles that cast attention towards her like an implicitly heroic spotlight. "The steel of my sword--" It's pretty obviously not made of steel, "Is stronger than any fire you can make! Cobalt Beam: Shining Shockwave Strike!" Chevalier Cobalt dashes forwards, leading with her shield and trailing light behind her, then swerves with a full body motion to swing Galatine upwards into the unnamed fighter, connecting with a flash of white light that leaves spots in the audience's eyes, but somehow not obscuring the pair.
Nephra Tangent	Bercilak and Kayoko's entrances are ones befitting of the crowd's hopes and expectations. Feeding them is good. Feeding them is what they want. Their respective speeches get parts of the crowd chanting names, though "Cok Boyardee" and "Cobalt" muddle together into something almost incomrehensible. The spectacular lights from both Knight's displays draw dozens of of 'oohs', bushels of 'ahhs', and a scant few whistles, but it's not just the flashy entrances that get them- it's the wicked state of their gear. They want to see it used, and they won't have to wait long. Powered armor of all varieties really is the name of the game here- and Bercilak's is both fancier, and better, than the gear the other fighters are wearing- most visibly, Crucible's rumbling frame looks pieced together instead of actually intended for this kind of fighting, the construction-equipment paint scheme likely not far off from where some parts came from. His attack into the point-fighter's guard is, indeed, met with a quick pounce- tensed synthetic muscle fibers coiled underneath suit limbs make audible snapping noises as she moves- but an attempt at a feint works out in ill-favor for her. Halfway into her pounce, her motion freezes, momentum halting on a dime, and she tries to duck under and around him the opposite direction- but his quick stance change clips her- her rolling tumble from the impact is smooth to the point that were it not crackingly loud, the audience may not even notice the blow, but Bercilak is close enough to see the sparks ring off her armor. She tenses to jump once more, two arms braced on the floor, and two holding wicker-sharp blades out to her sides, but right as she does so, still mid-air, Kayoko's onslaught connects! A blade shoots to parry her hard-light sword, directing the blade out and away from her torso, but it's clear from her initial give that she didn't expect a child- even a magical one- to be able to swing with that force. She stumbles backwards, before dipping off into a cartwheel, retreating once more to the smoke. Kukuru's lines get scattered laughs, though compared to the noise of engines and clashing metal, it's hard to tell the crowds response as more than just a gestalt drone. None of the fighters truly manage to dodge the green energy- good, for their sake, probably- but they flinch like it could kill. They don'y know any better. The crowd start shaking the barrier fences, the rattle louder but similar to the cicadas outdoors. BETTY's presence alone gets a roar, as someone bigger in statue than even Crucible's suit. The roar only gets bigger when they see her sawblade weapon. Expecting (correctly) it to be the paired fight the audience want, Crucible happily jumps down from the tower of cars with floor-cracking thunder, to meet BETTY in... not-quite hand to hand. White-hot fist plates get thrown into uppercutting blows at the cyborg, not caring that her weapon find excellent purchase in the exosuit's metal. The confidence from earlier on the wearer's face, up close, looks more like desperate fear. Unbothered by the commotion, Flicker takes a chance to lash at all the combatants she can see, blue-white electricity dancing down her whip with a horrific hum, a cable visible linking its mounting to a softly-glowing and less-softly-humming square pack on her back. She laughs- it's forced. But people don't want a whip-weilding maniac to not be a maniac.
Kukuru	EARLIER Kukuru makes a mental note to figure out how to get Chesed some snacks, too. So what if he might be a box without a mouth? She'll just have to make some non-solid food if that's the case. NOW Seeing that it's cool gear the crowd wants, Kukuru shifts gears (haha) a fair bit. Now thati t's time to get into the fight proper, she stops messing around and reaches into her pockets, digging out... Electrocution! Or rather, she gets the crap electrocuted out of her when Flicker swings that electrified whip around, yelping painfully as it catches onto arm and has her going rod-stiff for several moments. It's more the shock surprising than the direct pain of it all, but it's still enough to fry what few mental functions Kukuru has for a few moments as she staggers about in the aftermath, trying to get her bearing straight once she's able to lurch back out of the range of that whip. "Owie... Oh my. Th-that's pretty dangerous, isn't it?" She comments aloud, panting a bit while trying to come up with a strategy for both dealing with that unpleasant shocking whip and getting the crowd on the challengers' side. She closes eyes briefly, recalling many of the lessons imparted unto her by people far smarter than she is, all while drawing a pair of torso-sized metal claws out of her too-small skirt pockets. "Ah, but... Is that really the best you can do, dear? I wanna... Um." Wait. This isn't just about getting people to believe in the Concord. It's about bringing out the best of these fighters, too. It means whipping them back into shape. That means encouraging them! She starts walking forward, then jogging, then leaping forward into a teleportation cloud as another appears several feet above Flicker. Predictably, it drops her at Flicker with both claws raised overhead. "I want to see more. I want to see you at your best~!" Kukuru calls out in a slightly exaggerated cadence that still ends up sounding more encouraging than threatening. It clashes rather intensely with what she's doing, too, as she slams her claws downwards with enough force to smash them right through the ground. The attack doesn't stop there, either, as she promptly yanks a whole chunk of said ground upwards, then swings it back down at Flicker with all the grace of a cinderblock.
Angela	The shift from happiness to desperate fear confuses BETTY! who (perhaps unsurprisingly) isn't the best at grasping the human nuance here. Crucible was happy, and now seems not happy! That's not great! The expression on the face monitor shifts to a ^o^;; as Crucible gets a few solid uppercutting blows against the upper chest of her body, damaging one of those arms in the process to the point that it hangs uselessly to the side as its actuators shatter. BETTY! steps back, tugging free the broken actuator arm and is now dual wielding an EGO WEAPON in two arms and AN ARm with another two arms. BETTY! makes some noises that sound like someone trying to connect to a phone through a dialup internet connection. She steps forward, intending to swing a weapon but-- CHEVALIER COBALT! --distracts her and she says, "UWaaaaa!" back in her high pitched squeal. "Ka--Kayoko is so pretty and cool!" She tries to look cool too by swinging her arm at Crucible, her head swerving to look at Kayoko periodically. "The st-steel of my sword is stronger than any..um...Can you do it again, Miss Kayoko I was distracted!" She tries taking a swing with that sawblade too but she's clearly distracted by epic magical girl transformations and attack moves. She probably WOULD stand the whole minute gawking at the full Sailor Moon transformation and love it. Chesed sips coffee again.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	The whip lashes across Bercilak's armor. A glowing scar across his oversized cuirass slowly mends itself, metal cooling and coagulating almost as if it were alive. For such a big, heavily armored target, he is frighteningly quick. His axe flicks upwards from its downwards guard as the point-fighter slides past, his palms rapidly working the haft to make an impromptu spool of his axe. His arms force it upwards, snagging Flicker's whip for one brief moment. It's enough to force a clinch, however ephemeral, and get Kukuru an opening. He conveniently, subtly eases up his grip on the axe, with just enough time for Flicker to snatch the whip away and make something happen once Kukuru is on her. Twirling the axe overhead isn't necessary, but it actually kinda is--for good showmanship. Berc pounds a fist against his cracked breastplate and pumps the weapon in the air, working the crowd a little more before chasing down the point fighter. "What shall I clep thee, purpured one?" he asks almost conversationally, before chasing her down with a furious flurry that belies the size of the axe. An underhand swing, hands shifting to rake the edge across her shoulder and drag-slam her into the fence, inviting a clash with his haft. Everyone likes dramatic clashes, right?
Kayoko Kirenai	For whatever reason, the earnest drive to understand and care for her opponent that Kayoko displayed against the Magical Girl of Courage doesn't seem to be as important to her today. Chevalier Cobalt stays suspended in midair for a moment after striking at the bladed fighter, blue light condensing to support her greaves. When she cartwheels away into the smoke, Cobalt hesitates, about to charge in after her, but instead shifts her course and propels herself up over the cloud of smoke. She lifts her sword to point at the spotlights, thinks for a second on presentation, and then swings it in an arc down towards the cloud, the golden afterimage of the swipe cutting through the smoke. At the same time, as if drawn down by the motion, spotlights bend in the air, shifting degrees of color towards blue, rather than white, all combining to cut through the obscuring fog and single out the purple fighter, tracking her as she moves, cutting off her smoky escape. "No escape! Cobalt Gleam: Hunting Ray!" Then Kayoko herself jumps down from the air, hardlight platform disintegrating when she does. The praise from the twelve foot tall construct is accepted with wholehearted, brimming confidence. "I can't just repeat it! It's bad form to use the same line twice in a fight. But I have other ones too, so keep your eyes out! Cobalt Luster: Blinding Flash!" The glowing plates on the ends of Crucible's arms suddenly flash searingly-bright, but only painfully so to their wielder. Her vision is whited out right as BETTY! takes a swing, and when Cruz tries to retaliate.
Nephra Tangent	Kayoko's cutting light rips through the fog, sending eddies pouring out through the fence and into the crowd. But for now, without Crucible's help, the smoke field is gone. Instead of revealing the purple fighter, it makes an opening for her. Vaulting the pile of cars, and auxiliary arms grabbing the flagpole with a swinging twang, she throws herself directly at Kayoko, both blades out, seeking to punch through armor like fangs. "A stupid kid like you should just go home!", she shouts, her voice hoarse, but loud enough to be heard by even the audience, to a faint gasping reaction. Not due to content- due only to the sentiment. The audience is just a school of blood-sniffing sharks. Sparks fly as BETTY's sawblade digs into unhardened steel, brutally effective at ripping chunks of metal off Crucible's frame. But there's just so much meat to it, that even a severed piston or motor won't stop the heavy swings just yet, each punch searing like a branding iron. She's focused on the huge combatant, herself destracted from anything else. Blow after blow, sawblade slice after saw blade slice, the brutal melee doesn't seem to end at all. "Hey! I don't know what kind of rig you're wearing, but pay attention to me! Have some respect!" It seems BETTY's opponent doesn't like split focus. Bercilak's morphic suit draws eyes. Cool tech, breaking and showing itself off? What's not to love. Flicker's whip is shocking to touch- but wrapping around an axe is a different story. She yanks, and yanks hard, heels hissing with plate-covered hydraulics, concrete snapping underneath, trying to wrest back control of her weapon, and Bercilak's too. "Of course it's dangerous! What are you, st-.. Uh.. In response to Kukuru, her encouragements and the devestating claws impart a moment of hesitation, and when the conrete shatters beneath her feet, Flicker tumbles to the ground. She can't let go of her whip, unfortunately, and it leaves her dangling at Bercilak's mercy. Her eyes squint closed out of fear, not helped in the slightest by 'I want to see you at your best.' After her missile-like attack towards Kayoko, the blade-wielding fighter lands, five-pointed, in the pitted concrete. She pivots towards Bercilak's onslaught, and rushes him first, trying to dig her blades up and into his torso. It's the kind of attack you make to try and kill someone, even if nobody here would be likely to die from it. The crowd stares ever on, hungry. "Clep? What's your problem? What's that even mean? And why even ask us anything, you're just here to-" Her tone is hushed and hissed, now, but cuts off with a side-glance. From the sidelines, the manager's gaze is cutting. He stands, periodically checking a watch, as technicians hover around him with eyes flitting between him and their readout PDA's. Whenever any of the home-team fighters cross it, even the sole helmeted one, there's a shift in posture and stance, a fixing of something they already know they'd be scolded on. But when his gaze is on the newcomers, the Elites, there's a soft smile, watching the violence they can cause. From Kayoko's flashy displays and creative lines, to Kukuru's- well, the encouragements seem to be being taken as taunts-, to Betty's sheer eye-catching bulk, and Bercilak's steadfast might. The expression sours the second he's not looking at them. His cigarette is burning down to the butt, and it gets dropped to the floor only to be crushed under a grinding heel.
Kayoko Kirenai	"A stupid kid like you should just go home!" Kayoko's thin mask of bravado crumbles away instantly at the purple fight's words, and underneath, she's just angry. "I know I should be at home! I will be, right after this! I don't have a choice in that. I know I'm being irresponsible right now. But you have no business telling me where I need to be, when you can't even manage to fit in where you are! Cobalt Radiance: Hammerblow." Chevalier Cobalt seizes control of the spotlights again, bending them together into an unnatural, helical pillar, which slams down onto the purple fighter as she lunges towards Kayoko. With a weight to the impact befitting solid steel rather than mere light, it connects with a violent flash of inverse-negative color, gouging a circular impression in the concrete floor and launching shrapnel away. While the fighter is stunned, Cobalt lifts one of the wrecked cars in the air with one hand, the other still brandishing Galatine, advancing on her. "You failed your manager by being weak! You failed the audience by being dull! So someone like you, who can't even perform her own role properly, should never tell me how to do mine!" Cobalt shifts onto her back foot, the weight of the rusted car creaking overhead, and then with one forceful step forwards, she throws it at the purple fighter.
Kukuru	"Isn't she? Kay really works herself too hard, but... She has her reasons, I'm sure." Kukuru comments loudly with a firm nod, giving Chevalier Cobalt one of those vaguely concerned looks while also gawking at her sick sword acrobatics. "... Ah, but you're really impressive, too, BETTY! Being able to fight even with one arm gone... So tough!" Kukuru shouts in encouragement to the giant construct, shaking her arms off after smashing through so much concrete. She visibly fights back a yawn as per her habits, then rolls her shoulders while getting back up to smile brightly at Flicker. "Hm? Sorry, what was that?" She really is that oblivious, and that pleasant (yet vacant) smile remains on Kukuru's face as she starts advancing on Flicker once again. Perhaps it's not fair for her join in with Bercilak on ganging up on her, but this is what the fighters need! They need enrichment, and that's just what she's looking to deliver without being too condescending about it. "That's a pretty bold move right there... Berci's really tough, you know? But keep trying your best, because e-very-body's watching!" She calls out in yet more encouragement to the purple fighter, then remembers that she's still got Flicker right there to take the fight back to. All that whipping is getting to be a problem with all the yelps and drawn blood tearing through her complete lack of armor, but Kukuru isn't too worried about that thanks to her nanites closing up the wounds almost as quickly as they're made. No, she notices that squint, and that's what gets her to spring back into action. Kukuru actually starts to move with uncharacteristic haste as she sprints into another cloud, emerging shortly in front of Flicker before lunging forward for a grapple! Or a clinch, rather, as she stomps on the concrete to throw up a bit of dust and create some noise as she yanks downwards to try and get their heads closer together. "Hey, Flicky~ I'm gonna throw you and catch you, okay? Do your best stuff while we're coming down." She whispers, as if trying to give Flicker a bit of stage direction with an encouraging tone without making it too obvious to the audience as she jerks around to keep things active! Despite her words of encouragement, though, Kukuru's still fairly rough in handling flicker. She's still one to leverage her strength over actual technique, suddenly pushing on the whip-wielder's shoulders to try forcing her to ground, grinding a big circle in the ground around herself to make things look more brutal than they actually are. If Flicker's compliant by then, Kukuru flings her straight into the air before leaping up to join her, granting a convenient opportunity for Flicker to show off her own moves! Crucible, sadly, is forgotten by her in all of this. It's not on purpose, but it still happens.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	The purple fighter's blades pierce the tough bodysuit with some effort, and the skin beneath, with perhaps more than would be expected from skin. A scarlet spray paints blades and arena concrete alike. The snarl from Bercilak melts into a laugh--spirit, skill, and strength have his utmost regard. "ARRHHahaha. Hither journeied I to threu honds, sib," says Bercilak, with his full chest, not bothering to match her sharp whisper. The blades should have pierced vitals, and yet his helmet surges forward in a savage headbutt. More than he needs to, he lets his body go slack, as if exhaustion overtook him. In the moment where he can, he then whispers--"I ofaxe thee what thou art denamen!" His body then goes upright, as if through laborious effort, the haft of his axe corraling her into a strafe with a battering strike aimed at the ribs, hands mid-haft for a faster but less powerful strike. "I am Bercilak. So als the Green Knight. And thou art? RRH!" Stepping into the shove, he attempts to force her both away and off balance, hands quickly shifting. Holding it one handed, all the way up to the beard, he closes in with a quick burst from his armor's rockets, right arm reared back. Bercilak batters with a brutish barrage of close-range strikes, using the edge as a punch weapon in the tightly-spaced opening he'd created.
Nephra Tangent	The audience hush, as blades enter Bercilak's torso- but break out in cheers when he laughs away the bleeding. It's impressive to watch, and it's what they're there for. Quickly pulling them out, however- and having anticipated some sort of defense beyond letting her hurt hum, the purple fighter backs up a step, into Kayoko's stunning pillars of light- but it's her words that hit her hardest. 'So someone like you, who can't even perform her own role properly, should never tell me how to do mine!' There's a visible flinch in the purple fighter's demeanor at the comment. "No, n-no, don't say that. You're supposed to-" It's not like she was ever in a place of good-faith sporty banter. Angry, crude heel moves are one thing. Provoking someone into calling out your act's actual worth, in front of a crowd, in an exhibition fight, no less, is a different thing. It doesn't matter the fear or worry of her reasonings, even with her all-concealing helmet, one can tell she's balking. It only matters that she hasn't been playing her role. 'I am Bercilak. So als the Green Knight. And thou art? RRH!' Bercilak's comment, and subsequent shove, and brutal follow-up flurry, knock the already off-balance girl, far from the cool and collected state she put effort into entering with, back away across cracked concrete. Deep, shiny metallic mars dig into her armor, hissing actuators underneath exposed like muscle fiber. She speaks up, gasping for air. "...Name? Oh, that's- A car hits her. Instantly, she vanishes underneath it, as crumpling metal meets crumpling metal. There's a gasp from the audience, followed by aplause, and cheering-on of Kayoko, for the stunt of lifting the car in the first place, without any of the sort of gear the home-team fighters use- and for putting it to such excellent use. Eyes follow up and down, as Kukuru turns Flicker into a glorified yo-yo. She walks the dog. There's the around-the-world. Her whispered suggestions fall on groaning ears, as concrete chips cut face skin and ding armor. The second she's thrown up into the air, however, the whip does lash back out- the electrified current running through it, and finding purchase on a broken-off chunk of the previously thrown car. Yanking back, she twists the metal, connected and magnetized to the end of the charged whip, and tosses it at Kukuru- no, at where Kukuru was, because now she's herself up in the air, and the resultant impact makes Flicker's eyes glaze over and spit evacuate her mouth- her own opportunity missed by milliseconds. The crowd gasp. Aerial combat is a treat. A handful of cameras flash- by the nature of the establishment, it's unlikely anyone takes kindly to photography, but in the moment, nobody seems to care. The concurrent cheering of the crowd, for all the various reasons, heralds in the fight's end. Two fighters out, sprawled on the ground and under car, and another making no headway. It's enough for the manager, with a short gesture across his throat, to signal the end. A bell noise tolls out, and off in the further corners, betting results start to be announced. There's nothing much more for the crowd to care about.
Nephra Tangent	The scurrying handful of technicians hurry to open up the arena's fence, to let people out, and rush to the aid of the girl trapped under the car. The manager approaches, but doesn't rush. He gives a hesitant nod to Bercilak, though his eyes stray more to the man's wounds than his face- and a surprised smile to Kukuru, for her performance. Both are handed a business card, pristine and blank, save for a single phone number. The implication is clear. Your pay will be arranged. You put on an adequate show. Maybe someday, my fighters will be worth your efforts here tonight. Come and see them, if that proves true." He holds one of the same cards for Kayoko, on approach, but instead of leading with a smile or words, his gloved hand pats her on the shoulder. "You were right, to say that. It wasn't her place. I don't know what came over her. But you shined, and she didn't, and it's you who they'll remember tonight. I only wish I'd had someone like you here from the start. Maybe the audience would get the show they deserve." Only then is the card outstretched, and his eyes follow, to ensure it's taken, before once more patting her shoulder, a gesture meant to send her on her way.
Rubi-Kan Vagrants	Between Bercilak and Kukuru, the purple fighter will be fine. It does rather prevent him from finding out her name--and behind his helmet, he heaves a beleagured sigh. "Morneful! O wel, thire art othere batails." The bell tolls before he can get his fighting spirit up to rumble with one of the others. His armor dematerializes, and he props up the car with one hand for the incoming technicians and the purple fighter they rush to assist. With his free hand, the Green Knight gives the manager a thumbs-up. His shirt is ruined, matted to his thickly made physique with blood where the blades pierced his skin. Where there should be two gnarly wounds, however, there is only pristine, bare green skin. He takes the business card, gives it a cursory glance, and grins as it, too, is stored in his nanite cloud, disappearing in that same blue light. Once the purple fighter is freed and standing, he takes her by the hand and lifts her hand, pointing at her and grinning for the crowd. Everyone likes a tenacious fighter, even if they don't win. "Pes," he says, a moment later, making a peace sign with two substantial green fingers, before departing through the opened hole in the fence.
Angela	Getting distracted by a dope magical girl is understandable!....But not neccessarily wise in the middle of a fight. BETTY! is so happy that Chevalier Cobalt ~~has noticed her~~ that it is easy for Crucible to shatter an arm to pieces from multiple strikes. "OW ow Ow OW OW! You're so spicy! Don't you know that supporting each other in battle is how to win fights? O/. You can do it with me! Ra Ra Ra Flicker! O/ Ra Ra Ra um I didn't get your friend's name O/! Now you try! I can help!!" BETTY! stalks back forward, hoping she doesn't miss Kayoko's next super move as she attempts to grab onto Crucible with her remaining arms and just toss her up into the air like she just don't care! "I hope she signs my arm... Don't get jealous, Chesed ^o^" She places her hands on her cheeks bashfully right as she's supposed to 'catch Crucible if she gets that far. SHE MIGHT NOT!