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Kushiko Welcome to the Thunderdome!

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Yeah, no, not quite, and yet... Ahem. No, the purpose anyone might be drawn here really is to fight, but not in some Mad Max-esqe chaotic thing. Hardly. This place is good for combat scenarios as much as it might be for actual Elite on Elite combat; testing strategies, use as a firing range for example. That's actually part of why Kushiko /was/ here--testing out a few odds and ends, configurations and modifications to her weapons--and well. She saw some logged information which prompted her to start a particular conversation upon the greater conversation bands for the 'verse.

Naturally, one thing leads to another, here, and she reconfigures the environment accordingly for Septette--and to an extent, Lemeza, who would find it familiar.

The surroundings themselves are interesting: a fairly flat surface with numerous square pillars that stop about two stories up before the endless sky, and most of it looks like it was hewn out of data itself somehow, with nearby terminals and the like for further modification and resupply, as it were--the nominal blackness that would ripple in the 'sky' is replaced by what looks to be clouds and oceanic currents all at once. Not that they'll have any effect on the terrain here, but it's definitely not a normal sky she's picked.

Kushiko herself is here, as 'Valkyr'--she was tempted to go with another frame, given what she's heard of Septette, but swapping styles might not help impart insight as much as she'd like. Thus what both the arrivals would see was the felinoid, technorganic Warframe--running her hands over a hardlight display to cause a trio of heavily armored, if bisected and maimed bodies to dissipated into glowing blue motes of light.
Septette Arcubielle      Septette materializes in the simulation with an understated 'pop'. Already, there are small hints that she's approaching this bout from a more competitive angle: her long hair is tied back in an uncharacteristic ponytail, the rapier she brought into her tussle with Lemeza is nowhere to be seen, and her customary shawl is secured with a leaf-shaped clasp. On anyone else, these could easily be chalked up to thoughtless affectation- but Septette is nothing if not purposeful.

     When she looks down from stargazing at the alien sea-sky and locks eyes on Valkyr, a little smile crosses her face. "Right. I'd like to do my earnest best to put on a respectable show for Mr. Kosugi. I do hope you'll give me the chance." That, and a subtle twisting tension in her posture, are all the warning she gives.

     The average human reaction time is a quarter of a second. It takes less than a tenth for Septette to cross the arena in an explosive burst of movement, her claws digging into the peculiar ground for traction. Her left arm comes up as if to back-hand Kushiko across the face- then her true intention is revealed as the curved arm-blade swings out like a switchblade hinged at the wrist!

     What happens next is close to instantaneous: Septette brings the blade down in a diagonal cut at Kushiko's torso with a noise like a gunshot. Its tip breaks the sound barrier, creating a white vapor cone. Scarcely a millisecond later, the tan blade pulses blue and condenses the vapor into sharpened arcane icicles that follow the path of the swing, still traveling at barely-subsonic speeds!

     Regardless of whether her opening strike connects, Septette is carried past Kushiko by the momentum of her dash and skids to a halt in a spray of sparks as she turns around. Her guard is already raised for the inevitable counterattack. "Let's not beat around the bush."
Lemeza Kosugi You'd think a professional archaeologist would look more professional than some schmuck who just rolled out of bed. But, lo and behold, Lemeza's looking rather disheveled. His button-up safari shirt looks like it was thrown on hastily, his fedora has slipped off the back of his head and is resting on the top of his backpack, and... is that a curry stain on his undershirt? At least he seems cognizant of it, hustling to straighten himself up before the others pay /too/ much notice. That stain's rather hard to hide, though. Maybe he should've taken a bit of time to clean up after dinner?

He's otherwise prepared, though, for the purpose Kushiko called him here for. After he finishes adjusting his clothes for a crisper look, he prepares notebook and pen to watch the upcoming bout between Valkyr and Septette. And, wow, their comparative preparedness makes him a bit self-conscious. Septette's approach in particular seems to indicate she was holding back against him, which doesn't sit well. "Ah... I... I see this is about to--wait, you've already begun?!" Yeesh. Looks like the short notice affected more than his wardrobe. In any case... time to take notes on the /real/ capabilities of these combatants.
Kushiko Any notion of actually talking is something the more typically taciturn Tenno is not necessarily expecting, really, hoping she wouldn't have to do too much of. Not that Valkyr has eyes to speak of, but the thought counts well enough, given the little glowing tracks on her body.

Hmm. Lack of a direct weapon. Couple of other little unknowns make this something she's going to have to be cautious of immediately, she realizes. A hundred tiny things coalescing into numerous paths, something to make a box around her mental perception of Septette. To be fair, she had not quite truly worked with Septette as much as she might like, come to think of it. She really needs to correct that.

Yet, as much speed as she pours on, she takes a third option--so to speak--almost immediately somersaulting backwards and into a three-point crouch with perhaps not as much speed as Septette brings to the table. Truthfully speaking, Septette can edge her out in speed right here and now, which means she needs to bring everything she can forward. Thankfully, Valkyr can take a hit--and then some.

<"... Yes. Let's."> comes the teenager's disembodied voice, truly serious at this point.

As Valkyr rises, there's hints of the ice--clinging to her shoulder and and upper body, but not near as bad as a direct hit from that underarm blade undoubtedly could have been. Surprisingly, perhaps for Lemeza given what he was told about Warframes (namely, they have no mouths) Valkyr immediately curls her arms around herself defensively--before turning loose an howl of furor--which seems to actually cause her body to glower and become enveloped in a sheen of energy--theoretically, leaving herself open. But if Septette might just find herself slowed if she attempts to push in--the Warcry is twofold--augment herself, debilitate others.

Possible gunblade-style weapon, she quickly thinks of Septette's first attack. Integrated weaponry, yes. Either way, she'll be immediately on the attack after that Warcry, lunging forweard, triple-claws extending from her hands in a berserking, slashing onslaught!
Septette Arcubielle      The war-cry has a noticeable and immediate effect, slowing down Septette's movements to something that more closely approximates the Valkyr's. Strangely enough, she doesn't seem surprised or unbalanced by the abrupt shift: her defense against the furious clawing onslaught is calm and measured, as if she's already recalibrated her instincts and tactics around the change.

     She does her best to ward the blows off with her forearms despite the clear impediment, putting up a valiant retreating defense. The tan plating on her body, at once resembling skin and skeleton, is resilient almost beyond comparison and refuses to so much as scratch... but unfortunately, the inner workings beneath it are a little more vulnerable. Where Valkyr's claws find chinks in the armor, they draw trickles of a viscous black fluid from the muscle-like hydraulic systems. Slowly, Septette's guard falters: subtle hitches and sluggishness work their way into her already-decelerated movements, and with each blow Kushiko seems tantalizingly closer to breaking through!

     Which makes it all the more startling when, despite visible and critical mechanical failures in her arms and hands, Septette suddenly lurches forward and tries to grab Kushiko by the wrists with speed that ought to be impossible under her current impairments. When did the slowing war-cry wear off? How long had she been faking that for??

     If the grappling attempt is successful, Kushiko will find her Warframe's wrists trapped in an iron visegrip. "Careful now," Septette says brightly... and then a three-foot-wide circle on the floor under Kushiko begins to glow red! In a second, it'll erupt into a column of flame extending high into the sky- hopefully with her still pinned inside.
Kushiko At the very least, there is something she can take advantage of--speed or no speed--she saw it the first time around--practical jousting maneuvers. Those had a glaring weakness if one could properly take advantage of it in full, which in a sense, is part of why she's keeping things remarkably close in terms of direct combat. Not that she can't go range.

She's not convinced, however--she's treating Septette with all the respect she can; as much as she has /seen/ Septette fight, that doesn't mean she's fought her personally. Which means not all those tricks are known. She grunts sharply--well, Kushiko, not Valkyr, clawed feet rapidly clacking as the pair are suddenly trapped by that grappling maneuver--that is far too much speed, and if the Warframe could bear the smile, she might be grinning at Septette.

<"Someone's playing ~kuaka~,"> she mirthfully notes. Granted 'kuaka' is more akin to something playing possum or not showing their full hand, but ah, the translation effect is somewhat /glitchy/ sometimes. With little time to act, and with Septette leveraging her strength the way she is, she actually hops forward in a sense, curling her knees up so she can plant her clawed digitgrade feet squarely onto the front of Septette's frame.

And even as the column of fire begins to erupt around her, attempts to savagely *slam* those powerful legs--either to force Septette to give up on holding her for the full duration of the blast, or at the very least, return the favor and use some of her weight to pull both herself and Septette out of it.

...probably not that successful on the latter, but it's worth a shot, even if she'll get seared in the process--just a matter of how much with this attack!
Septette Arcubielle      "War is theater," comes the swift reply- followed by a yelp as Kushiko kicks off of her chest! The strangest thing happens when the Warframe brings its feet up: for a moment, Septette's hollow ribcage writhes and opens up vertically like a bear trap or a carnivorous plant. Unfortunately for her, Kushiko's still able to kick off of her bare spine before the jaws shut and break the grapple just as the column of flame erupts!

     It's a good thing she wasn't held in it, too: even seconds later, the pillar of fire shows no signs of abating. It's more like a new stage hazard than a discrete attack! "You're like a surprise pinata," the little war machine observes dryly as she steps around the blaze. "Wonder what else'll come out if I rough you up a bit more?"

     She raises one hand and fires off a trio of sharpened icicles in quick succession, each heavy as a brick and frighteningly fast. Only the first is aimed for center-mass; the other two will go wide if Kushiko stays still, but are targeted to catch out probable angles of evasion. It's not the most threatening attack she's thrown out so far, but the message is clear: with Valkyr, Kushiko can't afford to keep her distance and be picked apart!
Kushiko <"Too true!"> she remarks just as swiftly, her voice singling in on Septette as its focus, but still audible enough for Lemeza to hear. It's kind of weird, if one really thinks about it--the way she 'talks'--it can be a bit unnerving--maybe it's that Void stuff she mentioned?

That's not to say she wasn't surprise--if in fact /highly/ curious about that bear trap like menagerie of blade and steel--she'll have to avoid something like that in the future--or if she... does. Huh. There's a thought. Not one she can take advantage of as immediate as she'd prefer, not with what's coming at her as she skids to a halt from launching herself back. She actually grunts as she simply /takes/ the brick-shaped hunks of ice straight on, but there's a reason for this.

Namely that she pulls free a weapon from her back--well, it /was/ on her back, cloaked to some degree but always there--it looks like some kind of bow, excepting for the fact the lower limb is so much more shorter. And 'some kind' is owed to the high tech nature of it--sleek plating, and energy vents at the top and bottom as she draws the energy string 'back' causing three rings of energy to brighten up before she releases--sending a projectile about half a foot in length right back at Septette at high velocity--and quickly drawing it back to fire again--one is absolutely aimed to lodge the particle-accelerated (and insanely cold) projectile into Septette's chest.

... on the other hand, the other is aimed more in a seemingly anticipated direction, looking to land it near where she might dodge towards in avoidance of the first. Because both of them might be supremely cold, but the secondary explosion...

Ah, that's where the /real/ action's at. Seems the cold smashing against her armored chest needs to be responded to in kind, by this response.
Septette Arcubielle      Dodge? Clearly Kushiko doesn't know her well enough yet. The first cryogenic bolt streaks towards the softball-sized red core in the center of Septette's ribcage- and is very carefully deflected by an angled rib to strike her shoulder-joint instead. Now isn't that peculiar... what's she defending that for? It looks suspiciously like a boss weakpoint.

     The explosion a second later visibly flinches her, which is an impressive feat in and of itself- but as soon as she recovers her stance it's clear that, for having taken a solid blow, she's unsettlingly steady. The second arrow passes her by as she dashes in to close the distance; its more-distant explosion has negligible effect. "Don't think to play attrition games with me. Trading blows is a dangerous path to go down," she chides gently.

     This time, the little killbot ducks low as if to perform a sweeping kick at Kushiko's legs. Halfway through the sweep, though, a horrible assemblage of blades unfolds out of her leg to extend her reach!

     By now, Kushiko almost ought to expect that isn't the primary attack. Anticipating her adversary will either evade or leap over the low slicing kick, Septette waits to determine the exact trajectory of her escape before firing a coruscating lightning bolt from her hand to intercept it!
Kushiko ... Oh yeah, /oh/ yeah, that has definitely got to be a glaring weak point not unlike some of the types she's seen in dealing with certain tougher Corpus and Grineer enemies. Shiny, and so itching for more shots. Still, it's not the kind of thing she'll get a chance at with her Lenz. <"So unfair, all that speed and the stability and endurance to go along with it,"> she half-chides.

Still, both of them do enjoy their feints, when it gets right down to it--maybe now is a time to dispsense with the feints, especially as Septette closes and makes such a comment as she does. <"Attrition's often what the Grineer like to throw at me, wearing me down with bodies upon bodies,"> she remarks, half-wistful. She swaps weapons quickly on the fly--the explosive weapon will not avail her here, and two pistols slip into her hands..

But with that rapid approach, she sweeps one limb forward, tilting one of the handguns slightly and launching a single device--a grappling hook with an energy tether that leaps out stunningly fast towards the rapidly approaching killbot.

Ice still flaking off of her torso, armor slightly warped by the previous impacts but not as much as they ought to be--there's an armor density to this frame that the earlier Warcry afforded her. Maybe trading blows is not the worst thing ever. But if she gets that grapple, she's going to pull herself slightly off her own footing, not so much to yank Septette off of her own, but to invade her personal space and to practically glide, maybe a foot off the ground and send a shot into that red core.

... Mind, she's absolutely getting those blades slicing at her legs on the way through. For her, something that's acceptable--take what she sees as the feint with as much control as she can muster. Of course, this assumes she can actually get the tether off and succeed. She might just end up instead in a more vulnerable position!
Septette Arcubielle      "Unfair?" Septette sounds gently incredulous as she stands up from her sweep. The tether attaches easily- she's not able to deflect it, and there are plenty of weird hooks and crevices on her body for it to catch on! "Two hundred and fifty years of this-" She takes a quick swipe at the space ninja, only to miss entirely when Kushiko grappleswoops- "two million active hours..."

     For a moment, they're linked into a binary orbit by the grappling hook. Confusion and disorientation are etched on Septette's face as she tries to predict Kushiko's trajectory- a realization that seems to come too late. The armor-piercing bullet passes cleanly between her ribs...

     And ricochets off the core with a plink.

     The slug bounces inside her chest multiple times, gouging other components in its convolouted path and drawing a fresh bleed of hydraulic fluid, but that might not be much comfort: Septette's protectiveness of her core had been a feint in itself. Her left arm seizes the grappling cable and yanks on it, trying to pull Kushiko into her sharply; her right unfolds a skewering blade and tries to impale the Valkyr through the chest in the same motion!

     The confusion and panic drop from her features like a mask being removed, showing flat calm underneath. "I'd better know what I'm doing by now."
Kushiko <"Theater,"> is her immediate response to Septette's incredulous remark. Suddenly, the mischievousness the conflict, the mood is simply gone. The 'real' Tenno comes to the forefront. Why? Might have something to do with what just happened.

There's nothing else to it. Given the way the Ripline tether connects her to that, and the suddeness of the motion, Valkyr simply gets /skewered/ by that motion. And for all that matters in the world--which, right now, is this little 'friendly' spar between her and Septette, narrows into something else. Numerous factors rise to the surface here--

One: the question of precisely what in the hells is in Valkyr? Or even Warframes in general? For skewering the purple and black-colored Warframe, the flesh within is... not human. Sure, it's humanoid shaped, in a vague fashion. If she can see it, or 'feel' it, it's grasping around her, trying to knit itself back. Sinew and muscle--but things its heart and lungs are not shaped in a traditional way.

Then there's the armor itself--by all appearences, it seemed like just a shell, but slicing through it was... hard, despite the yank and added momentum to drive force into. But that might be seen as less of a concern as the sibilant, otherworldly *howl* that resonates from her body, and something around her chest seems to flicker, angry, otherworldly. The Warframe--not Kushiko, stares deeply into Septette's visage. The hands that rise up are wreathed in feral, energy-borne claws that look to push herself away, to yank that blade clear of her body.

<"On this... we wholeheartedly /agree/,"> her voice bereft of the youth, replaced by something hollow, something that speaks from untold trauma, from years of life as a living weapon. From centuries spent dreaming. From crimes too horrific to ever remember again. Death radiates from her, something in this Warframe that should not be, the spirit, the Transference, the child who even now, feel the sensation of the blade through her.

<"You are not he. But... this has been enlightening. I think we should stop now."> Granted, it's entirely plausible she might be instinctively trying to break the blade, if she hadn't already. Right now, it's all ever so slightly hazy.
Lemeza Kosugi "Y-yeah... I agree, you two should wind down." Lemeza, who had been struggling to keep track of the fight due to its fast pace, suddenly felt chills run down his spine upon hearing Valkyr's howl. "I'm not sure the Shrine can handle quite this intensity between you..." He's got good notes though, despite spending most of his focus trying to react to each move the other did. He also makes a couple annotations: get a pair of claws with gem sockets, and find some magic means of speeding up in close combat.

And maybe get a curry-resistant shirt.
Septette Arcubielle      Septette smiles again- slowly but easily, as she stares into the terrifying visage. It doesn't look like a mask this time. She ought to feel afraid, really, but getting a yggdroid's mind to register terror is like putting a floppy disk into a laptop: it was never designed to process that. She puts one hand on the Valkyr's shoulder--

     Pull up on the blade. It might bisect up through the cranium. Do it.

     --and carefully helps to push her back while retracting the spike, though the Valkyr would have managed shortly anyway. Where Kushiko had pushed it to its structural limits, the blade shows distortions: it abruptly became more malleable and flexible, bending to avoid fracture. Now that it's removed, it 'sets' back into its solid and straight state once again with a series of metallic pings.

     On the point of what she felt of Valkyr's anatomy through the blade, Septette remains distinctly silent, though she continues turning it over in her head as she fusses with and smooths out her shawl. "I agree with Lemeza. I think we've bled enough secrets into the ground here today." A meaningful hint at the fact that the Shrine keeps logs- how deep do they really want to dig into their bags of tricks here?
Kushiko There is a secret here--something that's been long since hidden--a time where a blade not unlike Septette's rested right where it does now. Ah, that was a miserable time afterwards, the blade having been torn upwards and to the side back then.

She can feel it, in that instant. Still, that the yggdroid feels no fear--is this what it's like when two monsters are beginning to look at each other in the eyes? Not just Valkyr, but Kushiko herself, that scarred child, and in this... augmented state, Hysteria, the flesh, the armor itself begins to knit very rapidly--obscenely fast--just the energy itself around her is telling enough to Septette's eyes that trying to do so again had she had this state up would not have gone nearly as well.

She flexes her now taloned fingers, and nods briefly, stepping away slowly, blood beginning to burn away, before finally 'releasing' the energy. <"Absolutely."> Though it goes without saying that the Concord has a bit more information on her, she has never felt that inclined to share too much. <"That was excellent. Ah, I haven't felt pain like that in a long time. I might have to give you something a little different next time."> she offers, before nodding at Lemeza as well. <"Hope you learned something from all that, besides how gentle Septette and I can be.">
Septette Arcubielle      "'Gentle'?" I assure you, there wasn't any gentleness in either our match or Lemeza's. If you think he needs to be treated with kid gloves, I think you underestimate his resourcefulness." Septette glances up at the peanut gallery with a sly look on her face as the simulation fades away, and their respective injuries with it. "Why, he's as heavy-duty as his washing machine needs to be."
Kushiko A slight tilt of Valkyr's head. <"I can't tell if you're taking me seriously or messing with me, but I suppose that's the point,"> Kushiko remarks through that ephemeral way of hers. <"But that was meant to be humor. You remind me a little of Ordis sometimes,"> the Tenno notes as she considers Lemeza.
Septette Arcubielle      "Ordis? Your ship's artificial- excuse me. Your ship's creature of light and memory? I feel vaguely insulted," Septette replies, lightly elbowing Kushiko in the side. "It's your servant, isn't it? By definition, I think that means we aren't comparable. There is necessarily a deep divide between the thinking of a servant or tool, and a guardian or shepherd." Despite the obvious similarities? She must place quite a bit of weight on that single metric.
Kushiko <"I said remind me, if only because certain types of humor are things he rather... deeply dislikes,"> Kushiko offers with a bemused tone to her voice. As to the words regarding servant, she actually seems to pause, at least more visibly than her frame oft would permit it to show.

<"Caretaker. It's complicated. There's more to him than what he's said, to be honest."> Her mind goes back to some of the information she's been able to uncover. <"It might be something you'll find interesting, I think. Fragments, pieces of memory we've already seen."> She falls silent for a moment. <"He's responsible for much aboard my ship, yet he exists for me, as he was made by others to be."> She doesn't sound entirely comfortable with this piece of information said aloud.