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Petra Soroka	There are few things that Petra is more willing to accomodate for than a duel for Lilian's honor. Obviously, she'd be happier if it was *herself* dueling-- not that she's *jealous*, she's totally fine, it's good for more people to earn Lilian's respect, but *obviously* it's going to be less respect than she has for Petra, since Petra makes a point of fighting for Lilian's honor and dignity constantly, around the clock, along with all the other services she provides her, so she's totally secure in feeling-- obviously she'd be happier if it was herself dueling. But it's fine that it's Ceri too.     And because it's Ceri, an agent at L-Corp, the choice of venue is limited to Lobotomy Corp itself, or to the one external city the agents are given free, casual access to: Quicknest! And Petra's one major infrastructure project in the robotomized city has been a large arena, so she's perfectly well-suited to hosting.     No need to call in a favor, no need to pay a dime, no reservation, freely accessible to the agents, with a pre-built facility solely for this purpose; there's even catering, in the form of covered dishes (containing various snacks, nothing elaborate) carried out from the castle kitchen by hovering ratbots. It's practically a dream locale, if you ignore one simple fact.     Stepping out of the warpgate puts you onto a plaza, right in front of the Quicknest Castle. The mural tiles of the plaza have been repainted into the symbol of the Eggman Empire, and Petra's rat-symbol flags hang from either side of the doors. The city is direly quiet, without the typical bustling of civilization, partly destroyed and mostly built back up with Eggman tech.     There's no one around, of course, besides one. Heyalexa, Petra's secretary-- one of the generic robots containing a Quicknest citizen, augmented with an Amazon Alexa affixed to her cartoonish robot face with a metal bracket-- guides them away from the castle, down the short walk to the arena. Colosseum-esque, or stadium-esque considering the metal construction rather than stone, the arena is surrounded with ovoid rows of seating that extend upwards, with one particular viewing booth more decorated than the rest. Petra sits... on top of the booth, rather than inside of it, dangling her legs over the side of the roof and easily within earshot of the combatants in the arena. She's also got Ceri's locket, as Xion asked.     The arena itself is dirt, mostly. There's gate openings on either side, as one would expect from a Colosseum-type, but one of them is barred shut, so both Ceri and Sarracenia have to enter from the same side. Exciting little shooter-game-like constructions of metal pepper the layout, providing simple sheds, walls, and towers for cover, along with stairs for elevation changes. A pair of ratbots, equipped with a more prominent camera than most, hovers over the arena, and each beelines to affix themselves in the air following some distance behind each duelist.
Angela	Ceri has challenged Sarracenia to a duel! It's unfortunate, but it's true! And she is taking it seriously, even if we consider that she only really picked up a 'Second' at the last second because her original intent on challenging Sarracenia to a duel was hoping to die honorably in one. That was then, though, now she feels she has something more real to fight for and thrashing Sarracenia in a duel is what she's hoping will prove it. The arbiter of the duel is Princess Shinmyoumaru Sukuna--largely because she volunteered and is reasonably a neutral arbiter. Ceri's terms for the duel is 'to surrender or inability to fight' with one 'term' to be dictated by the victor. Killing the opponent is, of course, allowed but surrenders are to be respected--it's kinder terms than how Cinq typically operates. She arrives wearing a wide brimmed duelist hat with a pair of feathers slipped into the brim, a pair of dueling gloves, and a blue suit with one side longer than the other as it pulls into a cape like swath around her left side. She has her rapier on her lap and is still in her wheelchair. He wheels right on before reaching into a makeup kit and drawing out some red lipstick to draw over her lips. She presses them together and then tosses the item back into her bag. That Cinq Association emblem she mentioned is on her jacket. Once she sees Sarracenia, she looks towards Sukuna (once she can) and will say, "Countdown from ten starting down is traditional. We'll start when you give the command."
Rufus Shinra	Rufus has brought a whole concession stand setup. No, literally. He's bought what's essentially an entire movie theater concession stand in a box, and dragged it into the arena on a handcart to start setting it up somewhere in the audience area. He is, possibly, the only one here not directly involved in the duel, so there might not be anyone to share it with? But he's still setting up the entire stand anyway. Then, after making some popcorn and picking out his candy and soda, he heads towards one of the frontmost seats to observe. And loudly crunch on popcorn.
Sarracenia	It is the day of the duel! Sarracenia is excited, even after receiving word that it would not be in the Shrine of Adversity...and would also have to be in Petra's Arena. The princess does not intend for it to be a fight to the death and has said as much, so is happy to hear that Ceri has agreed to it.      As the duel hour nears, the twin rotors of the Dyna can be heard approaching. The wooden VTOL circles the area for a minute as Sarracenia surveys the place before she moves to land near the open gate. She steps out, wearing her battle dress and carrying her hammer. The dress is a polished, textured, black leather dress with some shoulders but no sleeves. Instead long velvet gloves cover Sarra's arms from hand to the middle of her upper arm. The dress is cut into four broad strips around the skirt to allow freedom of movement, and polished red metal armor pieces with gold edges are rivited on. One over her chest and one on her hip above each panel of the dress's skirt.      In addition to that, she has on a short red cape with her personal seal on the back. A gold shield outline with white wings, her hammer behind it, and a green spiral plant (likely a Sundew) on the front of it.      Her chosen second has been given a similar cape to wear. Sarracenia wasn't certain she needed one, but it was stressed that she should have one. So, her second was asked to ride aboard the Dyna with her so they could arrive and enter together.      As she is led to the arena by Heyalexa, Sarracenia gives her hammer a few warm up flourishes and swings. When she sees Ceri, she offers a bright and confident smile and a curtsey. "Ceri! It is good to see you again! I quite like your dueling outfit! Did you design it yourself?" she says.      She notices Petra sitting up there, but spares barely a glance that direction. She gives Rufus a bit of a questioning look, but doesn't mind an audience.      When she sees Shinmyoumaru she holds out a phone. "You had mentioned recording, I believe? At first I thought I would not want it recorded, but I think it would be ashame not to."      Ceri declares a countdown from ten. Sarracenia nods and moves to a proper distance away from Ceri. She grips her hammer firmly and holds it to her side, ready to swing. "As she says, Arbiter Shinmyoumaru." Sarra says, her expression turning more serious.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan is rubbing at his face, "Hurricane, when am I going to learn to shut up..." The train. The lotus dream. The paradise of weakness. Paradise of failure. The test he failed. The one that sowed the seed of him not being worthy of an elite, that watered it. Backed into a corner Aidan, as usual, started slinging whatever he could around him, trying to redirect. It wasn't a good memory. Maybe a claw in his eyebrow. Ow. Instead, he stands up straight. Trying to focus. Outward. And then he steps out of the warpgate. He is dressed in his best cloth armor, rifle slung across his back, shield on his arm. A red cape in golden fringes flows out behind him. A bit of wind magic is helping it billow dramatically as Aidan follows behind Sarracenia. And then it falls flat as Aidan stops and looks around. The castle. Having to walk across the plaza. Rage builds up in Aidan, flexing his fingers into his palms several times, digging his claws in so he doesn't do anything stupid. Having to really LOOK at everything. So Aidan looks. He looks over everything. Every place he can hide, every position a rifleman can hide, every column, every robot guard, everything. Where's... ... Where's everything? There's no everything. Aidan stops in the middle of the procession, eyes roaming up and down everything. Did... Why would... The colossal weight of how much Aidan has fucked up looms over him. But a small shine of hope keeps it from crushing him back into that previous spiral. Once again, Petra has provided a ledge for him. He's going to try not to focus too much on that. So, Aidan puts on his best 'tough guy, I'm real mad' face, gritting his teeth. And then he stops AGAIN. Aidan's head reels back as he sees Ceri. He opens his mouth to say 'Sarracenia, you can't do this'. And then closes it, realizing THAT would just as bad. Finally, a stray thought crosses his mind, causing his eyebrows to climb. He looks at Sarracenia, who doesn't even flinch at Ceri's state. Alright. He smiles at her, nodding, "YOu got this, Sarracenia!" 'Shit, she must be a mighty warrior.' A pull up into the air on his shield, a back flip, and Aidan is in the stands.
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru Sukuna volunteered to be a neutral arbiter for a duel. At that point she didn't know anyone involved in the duel, so she obviously (in her own mind) wasn't going to be biased. Now, of course, she does, but she's still taking it very seriously. Shinmyoumaru went and *studied*. She asked Seija for the full rules of spellcard duels, something that the youkai use in Gensokyo, as Shinmyoumaru knew roughly how they worked but not how to adjudicate them; she picked up a copy of the Code Duello and read it; she picked up a book *about* dueling and read at least two thirds of it before skipping over the bits that didn't seem relevant, like the section about the Marquess of Queensberry. And it was in this mindset that she made her way to Quicknest. Having never seen it *before* the Eggman Empire took it over, Shinmyoumaru mostly notices the destruction and partial reconstruction, and the emptiness. She expected more people. Any people, really, beyond the single robot Heyalexa (she doesn't get the joke there, either) and the occasional camera. She's used to places that feel empty, but this place just feels a little sad, for reasons she can't or won't put to words. Shinmyoumaru gets there a little early. Not very, though - only enough that she can beat Sarracenia and Ceri to the colosseum proper. She's down in it too, though she's in her flying bowl, and intends to get out of their way as soon as the duel begins; Shinmyoumaru figures she can get a good enough view flying around to make sure nobody is pulling anything underhanded. Though, with the terms, there's not much 'underhanded' to pull. Surrender or incapacity. Shinmyoumaru looks from one to the other, looking serious for a change. She does not take the phone. "There are already cameras," she says, and she has one of her own too. She gives Ceri a nod of acknowledgement too, seems thoughtful for a moment, then says, "The book I read said either a count down or dropping a cloth and it starts when it hits the ground. But if you want a count down we can do that! "Right!" Shinmyoumaru says, standing up and raising her voice. "You're both here, so... the challenger is Ceri, the challenged is Princess Sarracenia! Their seconds are Petra and Aidan, in that order. The duel will begin when I count down from ten, and it ends when someone admits defeat or can't fight any longer! It can also stop if I stop it, but I'm not going to do that unless something interferes and I think it will wreck the duel, so don't count on it." Shinmyoumaru pauses a moment, then: "All right, that's all of it. Ten... nine... eight... seven... six..." Shinmyoumaru lifts up slightly, drawing her needle from its bamboo scabbard. "Five... four... three!" "Two!" "One!" Shinmyoumaru swings the needle overhand, making a buzzing sound in the air as she ends with it pointing forward dramatically, and she fires a single spike of energy upward at an angle into the sky as it passes through that part of its arc. "Begin!!" she calls, as she zips upward several yards so she can look down at the match, not get in the way. She'll move further if she has to.
UFO Gang	A duel is afoot. Hooray!! Having gotten word of it, Ichirin Kumoi and her erstwhile but diaphanous friend Unzan had hustled over to the warp gate and immediately made her way to the observation space, pausing only to score a handful of candy popcorn to munch upon while watching. (Mysteriously, a piece of tempura vegetable also disappears into the pink mist of Unzan. There is occasional munching.)
Angela	Ceri's cold look in her eyes is still present even if she seems more relaxed than when she challenged Sarracenia to a duel in the first place. As Sarracenia compliments her outfit, a grim grin flickers on Ceri's face. "Ah, it's my old work uniform." She says. She smiles as she sees how seriously Sukuna took it. "You are a hard worler aren't you? Perhaps later I can treat you to a beer. Or I could opine Lady Angela to dole out one of her champagnes. Win or lose, of course." Not that she intends to lose. As is proven when, the moment the count of one is sounded, Ceri's arm explodes out like cannonfire, the rapier extending quickly and fiercely for right under that armored chest piece Sarracenia is wearing. "I professionally killed my targets in duels," Ceri says. "But there were those that sought to violate the spirit of an honorable duel. So here I am. I am Ceri of House Tree... Consider this my proper greeting."
Petra Soroka	When Ceri arrives, Petra tosses down a water bottle to her to drink before the match, and kicks her feet idly. She was just at the facility an hour ago; it's not like this is even her first time seeing Ceri today, so there's not much need for ceremony.     "Don't worry if you kill her. I won't let there be any, like, retribution, or whatever. And, uh," She looks awkwardly away, fiddling with the locket and slipping a cigarette between her lips, "Let me know if you need me to, like, do anything as a second? Padgett refused to fucking tell me anything about the, you know, procedures, last time I kicked his ass. Even though he's the theatre dork. No one ever lets me have fun around here." <J-IC-Scene> Rufus Shinra says, "It's just for audience members."     It's for audience members, and Rufus's direct superior at work. Petra considers using some ratbots to simply kidnap snacks from Rufus's setup, but gets a little uncomfortable sitting above everyone, so she hops down and walks over instead. Farming movie concessions stands for sustenence is nostalgiac in a really embarrassing way, and Petra pauses for a second while reaching for a candy box.     "... Are you just, like, hanging out, Shinra? Do you even know the princess?" She can't remember if they've ever interacted at all-- both of them are somewhere in the zone of familiarity where Petra consistently remembers their names, but not any second degree of separation information about them.     Sarracenia's arrival is met with, rather than the cold shoulder that she shows to Petra, detatched disdain and an undercurrent of sadism. Popping a caramel chocolate in her mouth and slowly chewing, Petra says lightly to Rufus and Shinmyoumaru and the other youkai she doesn't know, loud enough to be heard, "You know, I'm kind of torn on what result I'm hoping for. On one hand, I think it'd be really funny if she died, and Lilian would probably be relieved too. On the other hand, if she dies here, I can't kill her. What are you betting on; dying or giving up?" "YOu got this, Sarracenia!"     Aidan flips and lands in the stands. Shinmyoumaru's flying around earlier revealed nothing; no traps set up, nothing rigged on either side, as neutral a space as a kingdom under hostile control of Petra Soroka could be. The moment Aidan touches ground, though, dozens and dozens of ratbots and robotomized bots pile out from where they were hiding beneath the seating, or inside various boxes, or so on-- *not* to interfere with the duel. <B-anter> Lilian Rook says, "Hold on you're not getting away from that--" <B-anter> Petra Soroka says, ominiously, "No, it's okay. He won't."     Firearms, laser guns, buzzsaws, and other various deadly weaponry are pointed towards Aidan simultaneously. Without looking up at him, Petra elaborates, "Lilian told you to keep posting."
Aidan Proudpick	Prepared, Aidan fishes out a brown hemp bag filled with his usual survival food. Dried portbellos, peanuts, and a flax cake. He bites into the cake, chewing it methodically and thoughtfully. Thoughts rush through his head. Plans. He should have scouted. His shield trainer would have told him to scout. Guns. Guns all around him in an instant. He looks upward at Petra. It would be it. Even if he had changed, he wasn't the same dumb kid, that would be it. To talk about the train, to talk about all the stupid stuff he did when he was obsessed with his rivalry. Wind suddenly forms a cylinder around Aidan. Out of everything that gives him backbone, it's this. With just the slightest chin lift, "No."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia gives Aidan a sympathetic look as he sees the state of his home. And an appreciative smile when he cheers for her. "Naturally~" she calls back to him.      Shinmyoumaru refuses the phone, explaining there are already cameras. Sarracenia laughs lightly. "I should have known." she says, then slips the phone back into her purse.      Shinmyoumaru does an excellent job of introducing them and explaining the rules, and Sarracenia likewise gives the other princess an impressed look. "A hard worker indeed!" she agrees with Ceri. Then, she waits for the word to be given.      An arm flying at her is a new one to Sarracenia! She spins to the side, but a pained gasp escapes her as she is hit in the side instead of straight through the middle. It is still a noticable gash, but it is not quite as bad as it could have been. There definitely was a time when Sarracenia would be indignate at having blood drawn and her perfect skin marred. But, that was before she discovered just how much she actually loves to fight.      Ceri's words draw a bit of a frown from Sarracenia. "What? Who would do tha-..." She cuts off as she realizes what Ceri is likely implying. "...ah. I see. Well..." She reaches into her bag and tosses three Bullet Bills into the air, then goes into a graceful spin. As the person-sized bullets come back down she hammers each one on the flat. Sounds like ship-sized cannons firing are produced with each one, and each one is sent blasting toward Ceri.      "As I said at the gala, I appreciate someone who is so dedicated to honor!" Sarracenia calls out with a slight smirk of confidence. She believes she is a powerful fighter, after all. Each Bullet Bill impacts and explodes in turn, leaving small craters if they hit the ground. "And since you have honored me with your greeting, I shall do the same! I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom! I am honored to cross weapons with you!"      Petra's loud jabs are heard, and Sarracenia frowns at them. But, she has more important things to do. Actual honor is on the line, and Princess Sundew does actually take that seriously despite everything else.
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	"Oh, beer's pretty good," Shinmyoumaru says, agreeably, "but I can't take a bribe now! We can talk about that later." She likes being called a hard worker, though. As the duel actually begins, Shinmyoumaru keeps an eagle eye on the proceedings and that includes new arrivals. There's so few of them she can spot each and every one, and she frowns a little when one's clearly brought a spirit around. Drifting lower, Shinmyoumaru calls, "Don't let him run wild!" ...but she does this just as Petra has decided that it's time to threaten Aidan. None of the guns are pointed at the duel, but: "Hey!" she says, loudly. "I know you're both the seconds, but you're only supposed to fight if the first person doesn't, and they are. So save it for later! You can have your own duel then if you want." Shinmyoumaru hasn't actually put her needle away; it's still in hand from when she swung it to start off the duel, and she taps its side against the rim of her lacquered bowl a couple times. "Or, just a fight," she adds, eyeing the (armed) robots. "But right now I want to watch the duel and it's way harder if I have to break this up at the same time. Please?" A pause, then: "Also, my bet is that if Sarracenia loses, it's by surrender, but if Ceri loses, it's because she can't fight any more. Can I have one of those chocolates?" That's kind of a non-sequitor.
Rufus Shinra	> "... Are you just, like, hanging out, Shinra? Do you even know the princess?" "Honestly, not really, Miss Sundew's a faction mate, and Miss Ceri is a work mate. So I'm just sort of here for them both. But I don't know either one personally, really. Just via the radio." "Also, why I'm here? It seemed interesting enough, and I was bored. That's half the reason I do anything, Miss Soroka. I'm *bored*." "Help yourself," he adds, non-sarcastically, gesturing at the candy box Petra's holding. Despite just having told Aidan it's not for those involved with the duel. "Sure," he adds to Shinmyoumaru. "Mmmm... I bet... the entire concession stand that Miss Sundew dies," he says. And then Petra's pointing a gun at Aidan, which is also interesting. Suddenly there's too many interesting things going on. Please die one at a time, so Rufus can take the proper level of amusement in each death, please.
Petra Soroka	"No."     Petra squints at Aidan, finally looking up at him and away from the two milk duds she was hyperfocusing on trying to disconnect from each other so she could eat them one by one. She opens her mouth silently for a second, then shakes her head disbelievingly. "Are you... are you just, like, trying to call my bluff? What is this?"     She lamely draws her hand out in a semicircle to gesture at the arena, stocked full of armed robots, and then yips and tries to catch a milk dud that falls out of the box in her outstretched hand. "Like, do you believe I won't? I'm-- I'm a known killer. I'm a supervillain. I'm not asking much at all, this is just-- ack--!"     In her attempt to lunge for the single falling chocolate, the open box, of course, tips and spills out all the others, and she catches none of them. Looking mournfully at the little chocolates rolling across the stadium floor for a second, she quickly gets frustrated and drops the box too, turning as if she's going to leave it there before the guilt of littering forces her to squat down and start cleaning up. She keeps trying to be villainous from down there.     "Is whatever tiny scrap of pride you still have worth, literally being at gunpoint and refusing to play along with a joke at the cost of your own life? You're such a fucking *boy*. You're no one's hero at all. You're some arrogant, cosplaying creep with delusions of grandeur. You're actually, genuinely, one of the people I have the least respect for in the entire sector, and the other is down in the pit fighting a girl in a wheelchair." "But right now I want to watch the duel and it's way harder if I have to break this up at the same time. Please?"     "Literallyyyyyy! I'm not causing any trouble for the duel!" Rather than sounding particularly angry or bossy or anything that might be expected of a villain, Petra sounds frustrated and petulant when whining to Shinmyoumaru. "It wouldn't even be a fight! I have him in the center of my fucking base, surrounded by deadly fucking robots. He just literally *can't* lose a single fucking *crumb* of pride to a woman. Even if it dooms his entire country. The chocolates are fucking wasted, sorry." Her tone doesn't change one degree when matching Shinmyoumaru's non-sequitor.     Trash piled up in her hand, Petra grumbles while ambling over to dispose of it. "I fucking hate men. I'm actually becoming misandrist. I swear to god."     Petra cringes a bit at the series of explosions launched at Ceri. Despite being on her side, and supporting her, she can't help unconsciously assuming that Ceri's shit is cooked-- she's a girl in a wheelchair, in Petra's mind, not really an Elite (or even an agent, really). Lilian would be really, really unhappy if Ceri died here, for her sake. "That's half the reason I do anything, Miss Soroka. I'm *bored*."     Petra wanders back to grab another box of candy, having so miserably lost her first. "Yeah. I guess I get that. I think... 'bored' is the lamest level of that kind of feeling, though. But maybe I shouldn't expect more than that; that's fine."
Angela	Ceri catches the water bottle and downs half of it rather quickly. "Seconds fight in place of those who can't or won't fight--they can also act to negotiate away the purpose of the duel. If Aidan tries to interfere, it'll be your job to stop him. Not usually a concern in The City but I don't trust him to be practically minded like that." She is sympathetic to the idea of not even being told the rules. "There's a lot of little etiquette rules--I might not officially be a Section Director anymore but I'd be happy to teach you all the ins and outs, Captain. ... Thank you for providing a venue and the support." She was worried she'd have to do this next to dancing flowers with Aidan showering Sarracenia with conpliments the whole time. She has no opinion on posting that she wishes to think about now. And to be clear, Ceri's arm is only metaphorically striking like cannonfire. "Keep speaking like this and you may learn why I am a former duelist," Ceri mutters. Bullet Bills. Ceri was warned about them but there's only so much she can do about them. Ceri's feet press into the pedals and the wheelchair fwooms forward, the rapier flashing across each bullet bill, sending them flying away and detonating behind her--still catching her with shrapnel but not, you know, exploding her arms off. Ceri murmurs, "Do you know why I loathe you? Wealthy fools born into power, having a leg up over the vast swath of those who had to fight for every inch of gain in their lives and yet so proud." She fans her cape out to block Sarracenia's vision of the next two piercing strikes from the rapier coming out at her. Her intent is clear: To pin Sarracenia on thr backfoot and keep her there. "Taking offense at any born of a lesser station who carry their own pride. Who cannot even call a Dame Commander a Dame Commander and insisting on their own accolades of birth." Ceri's eyes narrow. "You have no sense of Noblesse Oblige that is not second to your obligation towards yourself."
Aidan Proudpick	"Is whatever tiny scrap of pride you still have worth, literally being at gunpoint and refusing to play along with a joke at the cost of your own life?" "I ain't got much of it left. So yea. I get it. I need to shut up. I fucked myself up. You want to tell everyone I'm just some idiot, go ahead." He suddenly leans over to a ratbot. "I don't know how to talk good and say stupid things." He looks up at Petra. "Happy?" He turns back to the fight, immediately grimacing. "Damn, she's getting creamed," he whispers.
Rufus Shinra	> "You're actually, genuinely, one of the people I have the least respect for in the entire sector, and the other is down in the pit fighting a girl in a wheelchair." Yay, third place. > "Do you know why I loathe you? Wealthy fools born into power, having a leg up over the vast swath of those who had to fight for every inch of gain in their lives and yet so proud." "Yeah, those people are the worst," says Rufus, slightly muffled by his mouthful of popcorn. Munch, munch. > "Yeah. I guess I get that. I think... 'bored' is the lamest level of that kind of feeling, though. But maybe I shouldn't expect more than that; that's fine." "Really, though." Rufus turns from the duel to give Petra his full attention, however briefly. "I'm not saying lame doesn't apply - but do you really get me? Having your dopamine receptors burnt to a crisp by having whatever you want for so long - never having any real challenges, and just coasting through life?" "Have you ever been so long without problems that you just simply have to go out and create your own?"
Sarracenia	Sarracenia can't help but be impressed at her Bills being swatted away by sword swings. She is about to say so when Ceri speaks up again. The cape comes up, and despite using her hammer in an attempt at shielding the two piercing strikes find plenty of purchase.      Sarracenia yelps as her dress and her body are both pierced. She stumbles back, holding a spot on her side, and gives Ceri an incredulous look. "...my issues with Lilian have nothing to do with her station, although perhaps much to do with her pride! She is the one who took offense at some so-called lesser born when we first met! And compounded on it by being too stubborn and proud to admit that my piranha plants are people worthy of respect and decency like any other person!"      The princess pulls a green mushroom, and while it does little to help it is a start. "I have -never- held someone's station against them! I look for heroes no matter where they might come from! I dated a blacksmith for a long while! And a soldier! If you are going to take issue with me, at least take issue for the proper reasons!"      "And I did not question or consider refusing your challenge for a moment despite our difference in station!" the princess adds as she grips her hammer tightly. "This is why -I- take issue with Lilian. She is perfectly amicable if you defer to her immediately, and expects such deference even if she did not show the slightest amount of common decency to you! She is prideful, arrogant, and viciously spiteful at the drop of a pin!"      A prismatic glow starts to flow over the hammer, sparkling its way down the haft and over Sarracenia. "I do not use her title because she has -from the start- refused to use mine. I understand that she is powerful and has saved many lives. She is a hero for that, and I have said as much!"      The glow starts causing the ends of her dress and hair to float somewhat like gravity isn't working quite right as it overtakes Sarra. "And anyone who has actually spent time with me, who has bothered to actually -know- me, knows I am more than happy to share my good fortune! I attempted to do so with Petra long before I knew her association with Lilian! And it was thrown back in my face!"      The princess's teeth clench as the hammer's magic fully envelopes her, infusing even her eyes. "And I will NOT APOLOGIZE FOR STANDING UP FOR MYSELF!!" she screams as the hammer fever takes over.      For the next several seconds, Sarracenia is a hammering machine, driven by anger and magical possession. Each hammer swing leaves a shockwave and a crater in its wake as she attempts to pound Ceri into the ground like a giant tent spike.
UFO Gang	"Don't worry about Unzan, he's under disciplines!" Ichirin calls to Shinmyoumaru. Unzan's cloudy face suddenly seems to have a real face for a moment, which is that of an old and craggy man; with eyes closed, Unzan nods once and puffs out breath through his big ol' old-man nostrils, before... ... ceasing to be a distinct 'face' again. Embarrassed... Ichirin glances towards Aidan for a moment, perhaps losing a lot of the context but sensing, maybe obscurely, the feeling of wounded pride. Of isolation. (Ichirin has no idea of the context, of course.) Looking back ahead, Ichirin eats some of her popcorn as the little figure who is officiating addresses Petra and Aidan. Ichirin sidles a little closer to them, seeming unconcerned about the firearms, possibly because she does not recognize them as weapons. "I feel as though there's tension here, between both of you" Ichirin remarks. *munch* Unzan, who is just kind of floating around as a pink cloud is wont to do, answers Aidan, in fact. "hrm" -- it's a noise from inside of the cloud but it seems to agree with him about the energy in the match. It's definitely going against Sarra... UNLESS... Ichirin's eyes are drawn partly back to the fight as the hammer is drawn up and then the hammer is brought down. "Flurry attack!" Ichirin says in delight. "Quantity has a quality all its own!!"
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru gives Unzan a long look. "If you're sure!" Well, the person is probably not a youkai... (Shinmyoumaru is wrong, but oh well!) Shinmyoumaru puffs out her cheeks. "You're only threatening Aidan *now*, but what if some shots go down there? Or if he fights back? If you start it it's your responsibility too and it reflects badly on *both* your... if you're seconds, are they firsts? Both your firsts." "Anyway, I'm a woman and I'm telling him not to fight either. That means putting the wind and the robots away. And if he does..." Shinmyoumaru taps the needle against the rim of the bowl again. Petra's spilling of the chocolate makes Shinmyoumaru's face fall. "Aw..." Not just for her sake, either. Now Petra is de-chocolated! And she's not going to ask 'Mr. Button' for candy, either, so she turns back to the duel. Honestly, she agrees with what Ceri is saying, which may be a surprise for an actual princess. Someone who fights for power deserves it far more than someone who just has it. But since it's her job to remain neutral, she tries her best, and certainly doesn't say anything in support of either one of them. A glance over at Rufus - briefly - then her attention returns to the battle. It's really heating up... "If Sarracenia can't keep her out and away while she sticks to the cannons, she's going to lose~," Shinmyoumaru singsongs. "But the hammer's a better plan! Is it going to be enough...?"
Angela	Ceri wasn't told about some weird prismatic glow coming over the hammer. She clucks her tongue lightly, unsure of what to expect but what she does expect is Sarracenia is no longer playing around. Ceri's defense is exquisite, the rapier is where it needs to be, but Sarracenia's full body is into her swings--Ceri just can't do that. The first hammer blow is knocked slightly askew but each follow up blow punishes Ceri severely as the concusive explosions erupting from the hammer initially blow the rapier out of Ceri's hands and then clobber into Ceri's upper body repeatedly, the ground bursting open with each strike as Ceri's face and body gets increasingly bruised and bloodied. She's been staggered and Sarracenia can get several good strikes against her in the span of that time. If Ceri had worn her EGO Equipment to this battle, she'd be in much better shape. But Ceri elected to wear her uniform. What she has been allowed to bring, just for this duel-- The last hammer strike is enough to knock the wheelchair--and Ceri--onto her back but the mallet doesn't directly hit Ceri this time. A bloody red axe has been drawn and interposed itself between the hammer and Ceri's face. "Spoken..." Blood dribbles out from Ceri's lips and she smiles though it doesn't reach her eyes, one of which is swollen shut. "Like a petulant child. You acknowledge... That she earned the right to be called Dame Commander, you acknowledge she is a hero. You know she deserves to be called Dame Commander... But...hahnn... Because she does not call you by an ''unearned'' title, you think you have the right to denounce it. It is not the same, you brat... Ahahahahhh.. And I'm sure that she is 'so spiteful' for no reason, that she just came into the multiverse with so little faith. To me it sounds like she's just disappointd. She had expectations and is now rightfully bitter they were failed." She twists her axe around, aiming to swipe at Sarracenia's wrists. She has to get that chair back up or she'll have to fight Sarracenia on the floor. She doesn't seem like she intends to be giving up anytime soon, though.
Petra Soroka	"I might not officially be a Section Director anymore but I'd be happy to teach you all the ins and outs, Captain."     This is *overwhelmingly* tempting for reasons that Petra doesn't even process in the moment. She nods fervently in response, which is enough of an answer that Ceri can be pretty sure she'll follow up about that later.     As irritated as Sarracenia's typical braindead bickering in the pit makes Petra, she knows it's not her place to join in on Ceri's side here. It's Ceri's duel, Ceri's spotlight, Ceri fighting both physically and philosophically in Lilian's favor, and Petra has very uncomplicated feelings about that, and it doesn't make her feel weirdly anxious or restless at all. "I ain't got much of it left. So yea. I get it. I need to shut up. I fucked myself up. You want to tell everyone I'm just some idiot, go ahead."     Petra glares across the stands at Aidan with what's, bafflingly, a tinge of despair. She throws back the box of gummy candy, downing all the rest of it at once, then crunches the box in her hand, closing her eyes and tensing her jaw.     "That's it, huh. Push you to the fucking limit, and you still can't change a fucking inch. I should've known. I've always known, what it's like with you people. Soulless. Rotten to the core. The idea that I could ever scrape deep enough to dig out even a pathetic, half-formed wimp of a hero was wrong from the start."     She doesn't even sound angry at this point, and she's not even directing her voice to Aidan. She stares down at the crumpled cardboard in her hand, dully inspecting the crunched-shut opening like she's abruptly bored out of her mind. "There's nothing here in this entire world worth a minute of my attention. The politics are boring, the culture is nothing, there's no heroes, or action, or growth, or even *people* for me to give a shit about. I could shoot you to death right now and it'd change nothing. Nothing ever changes at all."     She heaves a heavy sigh and lights a cigarette, tossing away the trash carelessly onto the ground. "I swear. I hate you people so much that *Dimo* looks like a better option. I'm just going to listen to her. I'd tell you to say goodbye to your home, but you're obviously not that torn up about it." "I'm not saying lame doesn't apply - but do you really get me? Having your dopamine receptors burnt to a crisp by having whatever you want for so long - never having any real challenges, and just coasting through life?"     Petra tilts her head back towards Rufus, exhaling a stream of cigarette smoke up into the sky. She gives him a tired, level stare, and then slowly twists her lips into a weak smile. "You know. Yeah, sort of. But that's still the most basic level, isn't it. That's what I'm saying. It's all so easy to be a brainless fucking pack animal that it rots your soul away. It's easy to let the tide of culture carry you around without ever needing to think."     Rufus, being third place, manages to be in the *upper* eschelons of people that Petra respects in this present environment. She turns her gaze to idly watch the ratbot-supported monitor floating around with the streams of the two fighters' positions, then rasps, "It feels like fucking starving."
Rufus Shinra	"Well - which would you suggest, then?" asks Rufus. All of his attention is still on Petra now. "Fighting the tide of culture? Going against that flow?" "Or... trying to seize control of it for yourself?"
Aidan Proudpick	Wounded pride. A struggle to grab the last bits of his childish problems and deal with them himself rather than have them open to the world. A knowledge that if they get out, it'll make one of his personal vows harder. And alienate him again. But the fact that it is tied to that personal vow. That stupid vow he made to himself in the middle of a meltdown. He's going to keep it. A glance back at Rufus, his eyebrows lifted. He considers that, "Uh, wow. Even.. wow." The train doesn't seem so bad anymore. His mouth hangs open just a bit. Aidan's tail suddenly freezes. The idea that I could ever scrape deep enough to dig out even a pathetic, half-formed wimp of a hero was wrong from the start. There. Again. He turns slightly. Staring at her. The old Aidan would rage. The old Aidan would fly at her in a shout. Mad. Desperate. Angry. A feeling of empathy strikes Inchirin but at the 'wipe it clean' that empathy washes away to worry. He makes a show of flashing away his wind, nodding towards Shinmyoumaru seriously. "A knight always follows the rules." The flashing away of the wind causes a sudden gust to blow behind him, blowing out the cape. This is stupid, Aidan. This is dumb. You are going to get everyone killed. This is the same exact shit that got everyone else killed. "Do you want me to spill every secret? Keep yammering about what's in my mind? When you told me to stop or you'd kill someone?" Aidan HAS practiced a good cloak florish, like any child in front of a mirror. The cloak billows some more as Aidan folds his arms and looks up at her. "And tell my greatest enemy what those secrets are?" Savage winds, let this work. He points a finger up at her, digging up everything he used to throw at Kale. "I'm going to drag you down and show everyone I can beat you."
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Shinmyoumaru elects to respond even though she wasn't asked. "I'm not the same, but... If you don't like it you should *do* something about it," Shinmyoumaru says, in response to Rufus' question to Petra. "A friend of mine keeps saying the world needs to be turned upside down, that everything needs to be changed. I'm going to do that too! I just need to think of the best way to do it, because I only get one shot and I don't want to ruin it." She fans slightly to keep the cigarette smoke away from her. It doesn't really work so well. Aidan speaks again, and Shinmyoumaru looks back at him. "I thought you weren't a knight yet," she says, before he points a finger at Petra. Shinmyoumaru points her needle at him. It's not really held in a combative way, she's just using it to point with, for now. "If you start something now I'll throw you out!" Then she cranes around to look at the duel again. She asks someone who she assumes knows, asking Petra, "Can she get up by herself?" Shinmyoumaru isn't sure if Ceri can rise - she is, after all, usually in a wheelchair. Not that that's a reason to call an inability to fight, but, well... It might make it hard for her.
Sarracenia	The last time Sarra remembers someone falling to the ground in front of Sarra's hammer...they were little better than a smear on the ground after. That Ceri is not leaves Sarracenia glaring at her as the hammer's glow fades away, leaving Sarracenia panting from the exertion. And quite exposed to the wrist slash. Luckily for the princess, she is (slightly) tougher than she looks. She cries out at the hit and while she does not lose the hand, it loses its strength from the deep slash and she is left holding her hammer with one hand. She drops her hammer down head first so that its handle sticks upward, then pulls out another of those green mushrooms. It doesn't fully fix the damage to her wrist, but it is enough that she can grip the hammer again fully.      She listens to what Ceri says, and her frown only deepens. "It seems to me she gave up. Perhaps the most unheroic action one can take. She gave up because there are so many who do not meet her standards. And because of that bitterness she unheroically lashes out at them instead of fostering the heroism she seems to be looking for in others. She may have worked hard and earned that title, but a title like that deserves one who honors it not only in deed but in word as well. A commander is responsible for those beneath her. It is her duty to manage them, to raise them up, to defend them. Not to break them down and leave them in the dirt because she deems them lacking. And it is also her duty to show honor in all things. If she does not want that responsibility anymore, perhaps she should take Angela's advice to me and step down. It seems she fears the worlds would not survive without her, but I think they are more protected than she realizes."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia picks up and shoulders her hammer, then looks down at the grounded Ceri. She gazes for a moment, then...moves to get that wheelchair. She sets it upright, then rolls it to Ceri herself. Though she keeps it between her and her opponent, just in case.      She waits, assuming that Ceri will be capable enough to get herself seated again without aid. If it turns out that Ceri is not, then Sarra will assist her.      It is only once Ceri is seated again that Sarra prepares to attack again. "Just because my title is not earned does not mean it carries no weight or responsibilities. I have started to take those responsibilities more seriously over the last few years. She started this, not me. I will use her title when she uses mine."      Sarra starts to spin as she says this, and like some kind of battle top she spins her way toward Ceri, aiming to impact and bounce and impact again several times. It is almost as relentless as her hammer fever.
Angela	In the City, you can get new legs if they stop working but if the spine is damaged, the options become a little more limited--not because she pop her brain out and get a robotic frame if she wanted, but there's a rule in The City stating that at a certain level of cybernetic augmentation, you aren't allowed to look like a 'human' anymore. Ceri suspects that the rulers of the Wings no doubt flaunt plenty of rules like that, but Ceri isn't one of those people. There are things Ceri doesn't think will be within her reach if she casts away her head. So she holds onto the chair. A stubborn pride of her own but not JUST that. "It looks to you like she gave up?" Ceri asks with a faint growl. There's a lot of reasons she is determined to win this one. She wants to prove herself to Lilian. She isn't going to surrender, Sarracenia might realize, she will keep fighting until Sarracenia as to turn her brains into that smear she initially expected from that initial barrage of hammer strikes. Sarracenia moves to the side as Ceri struggles to twist herself into a position where she can defend herself properly but Sarracenia-- --walks towards the wheelchair. And rolls it to her. The chair lightly bumps against Ceri. She could just--grab onto it and climb in, but that's essentially conceding defeat. Is she too weak to fight for the ones she decided to dedicate her life to again? Hah....She wants to sink the axe into Sarracenia's throat Ceri pushes the chair back where it was, refusing the mercy. "Obstinate... Wretch..." The Hammer comes towards Ceri and in that moment-- Ceri's body twists and (lower cases) distorts. The axe melds partially into her arm and a pair of axe blades rip out of her arms, acting as if they have a life of their own as the two axeblade hands Ceri has flip her body upside down, her hands now acting as a pair of bright red shoes. "Fine." Ceri says. "Then you need not say anything at all." What was once Ceri's hands propel her forward, twisting as she aims to slam one red shoed axe blade up high into Sarracenia's jaw like she intends to take Lilian's command of breaking Sarracenia's jaw seriously.
Petra Soroka	"I'm going to drag you down and show everyone I can beat you."     Petra barely manages to drag her eyeline up high enough to approximate looking at Aidan, but from looking at her eyes, he can tell that she isn't really seeing 'him' anymore. As if he's a featureless piece of meat, a tumorous protrusion of a vast and formless mass lurking just out of sight, Petra's eyes don't even have the remaining shine to be referred to as 'glazed over'. The sensation of her gaze apathetically passing over his face is numbingly discomforting, a tonal fortepiano that leaves a flatly buzzing echo fading in the place of her previous emotional tenor.     Her lips dully part without forming words, not in shock as they had earlier, but as if the effort of dragging sound out of her lungs to direct towards Aidan is a physical exertion that she's struggling to push through. "... Rules. I don't believe you. I don't believe you have them."     "If you do, all they ever make you do is whatever's already the easiest possible choice. Whatever's default. Always bravely standing up to the bitch. Always dramatic, always defiant, always independent, always so nobly refusing to bend even the tiniest fucking bit."     She pinches her fingers together around her steadily shrinking cigarette, crushing it between her knuckles and wasting the last of the tobacco inside. "You look like you made some kind of realization. Some big emotional shift. Got your cape flapping and everything. So why's it still all the same? Is your emotional range just that small?"     "Don't answer. Don't bother. I already know." Giving up the pretense of even looking sort of at Aidan, Petra returns to slouching, watching the battle in the arena below. "Don't worry about me killing the bots over you saying dumb shit. I'm calling that off. It was a lie in the first place; I didn't kill any of them." "Can she get up by herself?"     "She's a duelist. I'm sure she has a plan." Paradoxically, Petra's evaporated faith in Aidan-- and, symbolically, the rest of 'Earth'-- reinforces her faith in Ceri. A few minutes ago, Petra would be cringing in anticipation of the execution of the chairbound girl on the ground, but now it's as if there's no question that she'd planned around this eventuality. "Treat her like an adult." "And it is also her duty to show honor in all things. If she does not want that responsibility anymore, perhaps she should take Angela's advice to me and step down."     "I hate her so much." Petra mutters to no one in particular, not even working up the energy to come up with an insult, or make herself more than flatly, bitterly audible to anyone listening in on her. "It feels like I'm going insane, listening to you people. It feels like you're all seeing some totally different version of the world and you're trying to gaslight me into believing it. I hate it. I hate you. I *fucking* hate Earth."
Petra Soroka	"Or... trying to seize control of it for yourself?"     "You're a dumbass if you think you can. Earth's gravity is a billion times stronger than you could be in a million years. It takes a miracle to even get one person out." This is probably the most sincere Petra has ever been to Rufus, a feat possibly helped by the fact that she's leaning against a railing with her arms folded rather than looking at him.     "No. The harder you try, the more you'll compromise and get dragged back to the inertial default. Even Persephone goddamn Kore can't manage it." Petra's voice drops lower, grinding in the back of her throat as she unfocuses from the topic of her conversation, distorted with an unreadable emotion. "Fuck it up. Detonate a normocausative crater violently enough that you and yours get a fucking second to breathe, and then do it again every day for the rest of your life. Normative pressure smothers any chance of feeling anything but starved."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia lets out a soft 'mmph', annoyed but only slightly surprised that Ceri didn't take the chair. Ceri is obviously quite prideful as well.      She isn't expecting what comes next, though. Her eyes widen and she watches in some caution and some wonder as Ceri summons those hand blades while simultaneously avoiding much of Sarra's attack. The princess staggers to one side as she tries to bring the hammer to a stop, and yelps as that axe blde comes flying at her head. She brings the hammer up quickly, but the concussive force of the attack just makes the hammer head bounce back and hit Sarracenia. She is sent sprawling into the dirt, and it is entirely likely that her jaw -was- broken judging by the blood flowing from her mouth.      This time, it does seem to aggrevate her. Getting hit around the body is one thing. Getting her face broken is quite another. It is the princess's turn to growl now. She pulls out another green mushrooms, and somehow gulps it down. Wounds heal somewhat. Her jaw at least functions again. "Yes! Gave up! She found a few people she could rely on and gave up on the rest of us! She practically admits as much on the radio! Well, I intend to prove her wrong! Not only in her decision that most of us are worth nothing, but in that we cannot be relied upon! We may not be aaaaall powerful Lilians who can apparently do no wrong, but we -can- still relied upon! She thinks I want her approval! I do not! I want to see the look when she realizes she is wrong about us, and then I want to see if she can be more heroic in word and deed when she has hope in the future! Because the shining hero she is held up to be should not act like that!" she exclaims.      She's pretty tired and beaten up by now, so she can only manage a pretty weak swing. Although, weak is somewhat relative when the thing being swung is a hammer almost the size of the person swinging it.
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	"I *am* treating her as an adult! I just don't know because I've only met her a couple times," and Shinmyoumaru is not typically in the habit of asking people in wheelchairs (or anyone, really) if they can stand up. But it turns out she *can* stand up... on her hands, which gets Shinmyoumaru to stand up in her bowl, pointing (with a finger, not her needle). "Oh, look at that!" She's impressed. More than impressed, though she's not entirely sure arms ought to do that, with the blades. Still, if nobody else seems worried about it... ...honestly she's a little uncomfortable with the way Petra is talking, too, though Shinmyoumaru - who has never studied or read about philosophy, psychology, or anything else along those lines - is a little unsure what some of the terms she uses means. She doesn't know what to say and so she doesn't say anything, though she shifts from foot to foot, uncomfortable about something she can't put words to. She's going to have to ask sometime. Or find out. Instead, she pulls out a scrap of red silk, because she thinks she's going to need it soon, one way or another.
Angela	Ceri continues to walk on her hands, though she's maybe only mostly Ceri right now. She probably wouldn't have fallen to using something like this, but Sarracenia started this battle with artillery. Ceri isn't going to feel bad about it in the morning. Emotionally. She might not appreciate the feeling of what comes after your bones rip out of your body so they can properly serve as axe handles only to be reset back into position as the Corrosion wears off. Well, maybe they'll be reset when the corrosion wears off. There's decent odds Ceri will get out of this battle without working arms. Ceri is also done talking as she shambles towards Sarracenia--more horror movie monster in this moment than a civilized duelist. But despite her appearances, she hasn't forgotten her aim here. Not yet. But she might. Not that this is something that Sarracenia would strictly know about. She wasn't warned about MUSHROOMS but at this point Ceri knows to expect hte unexpected from Sarracenia. ''The shining hero she is held up to be should not act like that!'' That's what they said when they stripped me of my position, when they took everything I worked for all my life, when they threw my honor into the mud. Because I butchered that wretch with more wealth than sense. Ceri's hands throw herself up,landing right on top of the hammer before the 'hand' twists around like a leg would--not like an arm would--bone pushing out of the elbow as the axe-hand-shoe takes another fierce jab for Sarracenia's jaw. Until she can't fight anymore, or she surrenders. She won't stop otherwise. She'll kill herself before she does.
Rufus Shinra	Rufus watches the exchange between Petra and Aidan silently. He's half hoping Aidan will actually get shot. Maybe Aidan will do something cool once he gets shot a few times. Maybe there'll be some cool scars. Maybe he'll play dead but then show back up with a Phantom of the Opera mask or something. Instead, Petra is... ... Petra is... ... is... something. > "No. The harder you try, the more you'll compromise and get dragged back to the inertial default. Even Persephone goddamn Kore can't manage it." > "Fuck it up. Detonate a normocausative crater violently enough that you and yours get a fucking second to breathe, and then do it again every day for the rest of your life. Normative pressure smothers any chance of feeling anything but starved." Rufus gives this some thought. He gives this some more thought. He turns to watch the match for a while, and then finally turns back to Petra. He says exactly one word, and no more than that. "Okay." With that, he stands up and leaves, heading directly towards the warpgate.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan pulls his cape down and throws it on the floor. He wants to. He wants to do something. Anything to break the barrier. To see the kindness inside. It aches in him. Even after all this. After how much she pushes him. Is she even going to listen? Parse out every phrase think about what you know about her. He's trying, damn it. He's trying to stop running his mouth. He's trying to excise every stupid piece of him and just... do. "You're right. I'm jealous of her. I'm jealous of the Dame Commander. I listen to everything she says. Try to live my life by the advice she gives. And everyone loves her and she's powerful and I'm jealous." He thinks about saying more, but, what? What could he possibly say? That he's going to do? Does she care? Would telling her his secret matter at this point? Aidan is unnerved by the sight, the tone of voice. He doesn't know how to even parse something like this. And it seems wrong to even try. He's not the person who can do this. He lifts his shield towards one of the robots, but then looks over at Shinmyoumaru. But if anything. It drives a shard into Aidan's mind. That his weakness can have this effect on someone. Even someone as fucked up as Petra. The abyss doesn't yawn open again. He just has to do better. And then get up the next day and do better. And get up the next day and do better. He turns back towards the fight to see Ceri, flinching back, "Shit!"
Sarracenia	Sarracenia certainly doesn't appreciate the sight of bones ripping out of one's body to form axe handles! If that is what happened before the princess didn't fully realize it. "Wh-what the...?! What are you?!" she exclaims, as if seeing a monster. The idea that someone would go to that length, or even have that as a length to go to, is so absurd and disturbing that it leaves Sarracenia speechless after that.      Sarra leaps back as Ceri lands on her hammer, but even nearly avoiding the swing doesn't do the tired, battered princess much good. She is hit in the jaw again, and a rather high pitched 'nyuu' sound escapes her as she is sent staggering back, her jaw once again smashed and sliced.      She loses her grip on her hammer as her vision blurs, and despite her stubborness the princess falls backward. At least one bet is lost. Sarra doesn't give up. She's just unable to fight. Eyes barely open and lights apparently out. She might need a bit of help from her second to get to the warpgate now.
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna	Sarracenia goes down under Ceri's brutal, body-twisting assault. That's *messy*, for her as much as her target; Shinmyoumaru is simultaneously disgusted and can't look away from it, like a train wreck. Shinmyoumaru counts to five under her breath, then takes off like a shot from the stands. She's got the scrap of red cloth on her needle, now, and she waves it like a flag, snapping it this way and that. "The duel's over!" she calls, still snapping the needle-flag left and right. "I declare Ceri the victor by Sarracenia's inability to continue fighting!" She looked up the correct way to announce that, too. A pause, then: "Uh, I think everybody might need a bit of help now." Is Ceri going to put herself back together normally? Shinmyoumaru isn't sure if she wants to see that or not. But she does know that you call for medics after a duel, right?
Angela	"One who has lost everything," Ceri answers Sarracenia. "But was offered a future by that woman you needle at every fucking day..." Ceri raises that axe foot again but-- ...Sarracenia passes out before she can strike again. The shoes scram at her to keep going until there's nothing left. But her humanity--her nature as a Cinq Duelist--as a woman who fights monsters rather than is one herself... That wins out, if just barely. She stumbles back, spinning back into her chair. Her bones visibly reset, Ceri screams out as she feels it happen and her hands shift to normal and her axe-hands fade into a pair of hands holding an axe. "..HAhh... Hahh.... Thank you...for your service, Princess Shinmyoumaru. And your arena, Captain..." Drained, she rolls to the rapier, plucks it up with a hand despite the screaming pain in her limbs and aims to leave Sarracenia on the floor there--leaving Aidan to go collect her.