Soresu
Well-Known Member
Nyli System Inbound
The steady shine of the brilliant white of the star of the Nyli system washed over the planets, moons, and other bodies within the Nyli system. Each planet was a mere dot in the black space. However, aboard an inbound Starchaser II, the people aboard were treated to a far more interesting sight as they took a sort of 'tourist's' route into the system.
Cruising alongside the Starchaser was a Lorath made 'Zahl', the crecent-shaped ship seemed to glide as it moved about, and over the comm-line came a Lorath communication officer's voice. "Attention Starchaser passengers, if you'd direct your attention to the left, you will be treated to a view of our Wh'Ki shipyard complex."
Outside, there were fifteen massive box-shaped bays, and each housed a ship in the making.
Yuriko blinked several times from her seat, her new communicator's volumetric projector activated, a display in front of her. The Commodore sighed slightly as she looked from her work, out towards what the Lorath called a "Wh 'Ki" Shipyard.
Kessah tilted her head at the view for a moment, looking marginally impressed. Although only marginally. She then shook her head gently and leaned back on her hand.
"Bleh ships are sooooo boring! Show me those new power armors I heard about!" Datenshi yawned and reclined back in her chair, putting her hands behind her head.
Saito leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed with his arms crossed, giving the body language of being rather displeased about something. "..."
Eve sat quietly in her seat, sometimes prodding at the arm. She had curled her tail around herself to not be conspicuous just in case. Since they had left the ship she had hardly spoken a word, and looked angry at varying degrees no matter the time of day or what she'd been doing. The only diverting thought was what she hoped would be a quick trip to get a new home.
"You've not even seen the new warship I'm designing Tenshi." Yuriko said in a reproachful tone as she went back to her current work. On the screen were what looked like molecular structures as she began tapping away on the volumetric keyboard, re-arranging them. She did briefly nudge Saito however.
Kessah spoke softly, loud enough for Yuriko to hear, in a semi-monotone voice of semi-sleepy boredom, "You should design non-warships, they are more effective."
"Dear, I'm also designing a multi-kilometer agricultural ship/station. This is merely my side project." Yuriko said from her seat.
"Hmm?" Saito perked an eye open at her. "Something up?" he asked.
"Ships. Are. Boring!" Datenshi said again with the roll of her eyes as she stuck her tongue out at Yuriko.
Outside of the ship, one of the bays opened and a cheerful exclamation came from the Zahl's communications officer. "You're in luck Starchaser passengers, a new ship has just been born... what is the name?..." The comm-officer asked to someone over his shoulder before speaking again. "A Broadsides-Class, we have dubbed her Peaceblood."
The gaping bay of the Wh'ki did indeed seem to give birth to the ship as the form of a Broadsides-Class cruiser slipped out from the bay and made it's first passage into space.
"Our ETA for Nyli III is five minutes, accelerating to proper travel speeds, thank you for taking time to enjoy the tour." The comm-line sounded before it closed for the time being.
"You've been awfully quiet as of late brother mine." Yuriko said affectionately to her new adopted sibling as she gazed out at the Broadsides... She knew it was an old, yet effective design made by the Qel'Norans... Thinking about them also made her think briefly of Kenichi.
Kessah rolled her eyes, although at what would be unknown. Once again, though, she spoke in direction to Yuriko, "Don't forget smaller ships. Not a lot of planetary craft being made these days, either." She then shrugged gently to herself.
"Oh I've just been thinking about that body reclamation thing Yui still insists on doing. I like my body as it is and would rather flip her the bird and keep it than have to surrender it." Saito admitted. "That and I can't figure which one to eventually transfer into."
"I'm only one person Kess, I can only do so much." Yuriko countered as she rested a hand on her brother's in a comforting way. "I'm loathe to give mine up as well..."
"Ehhh A body is a body, who gives a fuck? It's the mind that matters. I think Imma get one of them big hulking Fyunnen bodies if they do that!" Datenshi grinned, rubbing her hands together. "I wanna get into one of their barracks...All women all the time oh MAN!"
"Psh." Kess responded to Yuriko's first statement, before answering both Saito and Yuriko at the same time, "Just go Yamataian or something. Same damn thing as Neko in the end, just slightly lesser to make people feel human when they aren't."
I wonder if I'm supposed to thank her.. Eve thought of her mother, and sighed. It never felt like she had one but thanks to the modifications she wasn't registered back home, a home that she calculated would execute her if she went back. The Asamoya's former pilot began running through a few different channels on her communicator, the streams that had been saved in them anyway.
"Yeah it's hard to part with a body when it's what you know and are comfortable with." Saito said, squeezing Yuriko's hand lightly and looked over at Tenshi. "Yeah that's almost what I'd expect from you!" he teased by sticking out his tongue out her in a childish way.
Yuriko's communicator would give a steady chime, and the identification would indicate that the message was being sent by one of the royal siblings.
"And Kessie, I don't like Yamataian bodies for just that reason. They simply aren't strong enough in my mind." Saito pointed out to her.
Yuriko shifted the volumetric screen off to one side and opened the message being sent to her. "Now children, don't make me turn this ferry around." She said to her crew.
Kessah didn't comment on Saito, nor did she make a comment on the lovable 'Tenshi, too, as one might notice. No, for the moment she kept quiet.
Datenshi tossed her can at Kessah's head, frowning a little. "You ok up there kessie?"
Kessah didn't respond to the minor physical abuse, at least with a physical motion, and just grunted in a dull, semi-sleepy way.
Yuriko happened to open the channel just as she was issuing her scolding...
"You have no idea..." Came the voice of the Lorath High Priest. He looked exhausted, yet cheerful oddly enough, then his gaze shifted aside. "Greetings... uh... Yuriko is it? I hear word that the Helashio here are to be surveyed?"
"Kessie needs a direct injection of coffee or caffeine I think." Saito said to Tenshi telepathically as to avoid distracting Yuriko from her communication.
"Eh?" Yuriko blinked as she returned her attention to the screen. "Oh my...High Priest Tomoe, I am surprised you know my name! Considering we only met once a long time ago." She gave a nod of her head at the mention of the Helashio. "Yes sir, I've been sent to survey them."
Datenshi just rolled her eyes at Kessah before nodding a little to Yuriko. At hearing Velor's voice, Tenshi's ears perked up and her eyes went wide. With a grin she unbuckled herself and slid up next to Yuriko. "Hey! Remember me?" Tenshi gave Velor a grin and a wink. She wasn't part of any grand star army or anything of the like, she could be herself now!
Saito kept quiet and to himself, staying out of the communications visual display; being too wrapped up in his own thoughts presently.
Yuriko rolled her eyes as she felt Tenshi sneak up behind her, remembering her tryst with the man.
"Ah... well. I'll try to fit you--- Ri'del! Leave the maid alone! She just wants to give your sister a bath!" The High Priest gave a huff before he returned his attention to Yuriko. "Ah, well then. I will make sure you are received by the Lmanel leader which will be able to guide you, along with a field-representative which will have comprehensive information available. Also, I do have to ask as a formality... Do you wish to fore go the usual visitor welcoming, or would you like to have some formality to your visit? I would not blame you if you skipped such, most visitors do."
This is weird.. Eve thought, reviewing the files she had on the two races that inhabited the system she was going with. The soldier was a little worried she'd be mistaken for one, but didn't want to ask Yuriko who was busy with her conversation.
"High Priest, I would not wish to offend your people, so I will undergo whatever formality is required for my visiting." Yuriko said politely as she smiled. "Being a parent is a hand full High Priest, but well worth it." She winked.
"Oh, they bring me far more joy than I ever imagined... at least when their mother is around. As for the formality, I will make the proper arrangements. Select one of your better combatants for the contest. We'll forego the more in-depth formality, but my do the Fyunnen enjoy a good competition."
Kessah called out lightly, having heard the conversation, although not by much, "Not it."
"Well, if it is alright, I would prefer to do so. I'm fairly adept." Yuriko replied.
Saito perked a brow at that and sighed. "Well at least it'll be interesting to watch." he quipped. "I've had thoughts to try it myself but never got the time not to mention how I fight would be unfair to them."
"Ah... it is part of our custom to have someone of an equal rank take part in such a contest. What is your rank since you left that Star Army?" Velor asked as he tapped at a data-pad.
"Oh you would Yuriko. Ass..." Datenshi grumbled and rolled her eyes a little.
Midori in the mean time simply remained quiet, remembering her last visit to Lor. She was sure she wasn't on the best of terms with the high pries, so she decided to remain quiet.
"Upon leaving I was a Taii, but in the Peacekeepers I am a Commodore now." Yuriko replied before she stroked Tenshi's cheek in a sensual way and smiled. "I do so enjoy stealing your fun my dear." She said sarcastically. "Besides, you bedded the High Priest! Let me have some fun too."
"Mmm... and what is your field of expertise in regard to wartime capabilities?" The High Priest's fingers continued to tap at the pad, narrowing down candidates for the event.
Eve swallowed hard, staring into her lap. Fun..? Her thoughts drifted away from her again, as she eavesdropped on everyone she could hear.
"I was a combat arms, and power armor pilot prior to taking command of a ship at The Battle of Nataria. If you require, I can send you a copy of my credentials." Yuriko responded.
"But I lost my collarrrrrr! I want anotherrrr!" Datenshi gave Yuriko a pouty look before looking back to the screen. "High priest, I lost my collar on my last ship, well, wasn't lost, it was destroyed. Point being, can I please have anotherrrr?" Datenshi gave him a really pouty look.
Kessah, in her little spot away from the conversation, chuckled gently.
The High Priest's brow raised slightly. Too many Sakura crew members in one place... A small voice in his head warned slightly, but he ignored it as he spoke. "Datenshi, I'll be sure to provide you a new one when I get a chance... as for you Yuriko. We'll forego the powerarmor due to the sheer demand such an event would require. I will however send along someone competent in one on one melee combat, since I do recall a majority of Mindy engagements involved close-range engagements."
Yuriko simply nodded at this. "Thank you, High Priest. I will be sure not to use any abilities beyond my own two hands, and feet. And whatever weapon if there is one associated with this. You have my word."
"Mmm... use your fullest extent. It will only be fair. After all, you're going to be facing someone of an approximately equal rank." The High Priest stated before he decided to be fun about the matter. "You've been cleared for landing at palace landing pad three. You'll be greeted by Rain Lmanel, a Lmanel representative, and the challenger which you'll contend against."
Maybe I should have volunteered to show off my Kung-fu mastah-ness... Kessah mentally joked to herself, making her shake her head. "If you get incapacitated I am not going to grab you around."
"Are you sure about this combat initiation Yuriko?" Saito asked or wanted to but instead put a hand on her shoulder for a moment. "Just be careful with it ok?"
"Oh come on Saito, our lil Yuriko can handle herself! Right?" Datenshi grinned and pinched Yuriko's cheeks, wiggling them a little.
"Of course she can, I suppose I feel a bit antsy because I haven't had a good fight in a while." Saito chuckled to Tenshi and flicked Tenshi's ear playfully.
"Thank you High Priest." Yuriko said before ending the comm. "Saito...I will be fine. After all, I've tangled with Midori while only half trained, now I could beat her record of one minute. She said before her cheeks felt pain at being pinched and she let out a childish whine. "Remind me to leave you at home next time babysitting." She groused.
"Hah! You even whine like a kid!" Datenshi grinned and smirked a little. "Sure you wanna do that? I hear Tai and Rikun are getting big, never know what a bad influence like me could do on such impressionable minds!" Datenshi flicked Saito's hand away playfully.
Midori snerked lightly back in her seat and simple rolled her eyes.
"I wouldn't leave you for an instant with Kanako..." Saito said to Tenshi. "For just that reason."
Kessah spoke lightly, "I fear what they'll do to auntie Kessie when they grow up..."
"Oh come on now Saito-kun! Afraid of lil ole me?" Datenshi asked, giving him puppy dog eyes.
"Tai would be fine with you Tenshi, considering she'd be the ADULT there." Yuriko retorted.
"I'm not, but Kanako's too innocent for you to corrupt." Saito said and countered with his own puppy dog eyes.
"You see Saito, wrong time to use the puppy dog eyes." Datenshi rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Yuriko. "I suppose she is, isn't she? Makes her fair game now eh?"
"Maybe." Saito said. "Or I can simply remove the body part coming within 25 ft of her." He smiled at Tenshi evilly.
The Starchaser made it's approach to Nyli III. The outside of the ship was aglow with atmospheric gases, and in the distance behind the orange glow... there was a rather unusual sight. Humanoid mechanical Goliaths, easily twenty-five meters in height stood vigil over the landing route. They were little known outside of the LSDF, but they were designated as 'Whirlwind' standing tanks.
"We're making our landing approach, please prepare to disembark from the ship." The pilot announced as they descended.
Miya whistled as she looked over the giant machines. 'Those weren't in the briefing!' she said. 'What are they?'
Yuriko yawned delicately as she shut off her communicator, and stretched slightly. "Well, time to get ready I suppose."
Midori sighed a little, watching Yuriko as she rubbed her stomach a little. She looked over to Reiko, to see how she was doing.
Datenshi hopped up off of Yuriko's lap to let her do her thing.
"This'll be interesting." Saito said as he shifted a bit waiting.
Reiko was sitting in her seat quietly, watching Yuriko now, seeing the woman stretch and ready herself made her fidget slightly.
I want the ship back.. Eve thought, sounding indifferent even to herself. The pilot placed her hand on the bulkhead and stared at it, waiting for the feeling of the ship setting down.
Kessah groaned lightly for the usual reasons she groaned about concerning planets and the likes, although she didn't do anything other then that.
Yuriko rolled her shoulders once before moving over to Eve and laying a hand softly on her shoulder. She didn't really know how to comfort the seemingly angry girl beyond what she intended to do. Yuriko wrapped her up in a big hug, and patted her on the back, smiling a little. "You'll be ok dear, I promise."
The visitors were lucky enough to be arriving at mid-day. The sky was a brilliant blue with a lightest tinge of green. Clouds in the sky looked like some sort of whipped topping. The weather was marvelous... and soon the transport set down upon the landing pad which was near the palace, which was essentially the mating of a mountain-side and Byakko carrier, with a hefty sum of decoration and stone carving. A true merging of function and form.
Eve's knee jerk reaction had to be suppressed, the surprise had settled by the time Yuriko had stolen her into her arms, though the size difference made it look a little strange. "How?" She asked, taking her time to reach and touch the woman's wrists. "I don't understand how you can say that.."
"Because dear, I think you are a strong girl, and will get through this." Yuriko said simply.
"Will they have someplace I can practice?" Eve asked, dodging Yuriko's assertion. She vaguely understood that the Commodore didn't mean her combat prowess.
"If not, we'll make a place Eve." Datenshi said with a shrug. "If I don't get to fight somethin soon Imma go batshit."
"Me too, I think...what does batshit mean?" Eve asked.
Kessah spoke playfully over to Datenshi, "You're already batshit." ... And then she murmured softly to herself, "Whatever a bat is."
"Well," Miya said, holding her hands out for punctuation. "You think of a rat or a squirrel, right? And then you give it wings. And then you make it really, really cute. I donno what its shit has to do with anything, though."
Yuriko ruffled the girl's hair and nodded. "Yes, anytime you like." She responded before rolling her eyes at Tenshi. "No corrupting remember Tenshi." Yuriko said sternly as the hatch for the transport opened. "Well then! Time to go I suppose, no?"
Tenshi looked between Eve, Kessah and Miya, shaking her head. "You people need help...." She said before leaving the back hatch.
Midori stood now, holding out her hand for Reiko to take as she waited to leave.
Kessah rolled her eyes at 'Tenshi's words before following the 'wench'.
Waiting for them on the landing was a tall man with a thick mane of green hair with amber colored eyes wearing furs like a barbarian. Behind him, a long canine-like tail swishes idly with a trio of small puppies yipping and chasing after it, hopping up to tryand catch it. Yuriko would recognize Rain from their meeting back on the Hotaru station before the secession of the UOC.
Eve wrinkled her nose, and didn't bother fixing her hair. "No really, what does it mean?" She asked again, following after Tenshi and Kessah for the answer.
"It means to go crazy." Yuriko said before swatting Eve on the rump and pointing to the hatch. "Time to go dear, let's get a move on." She smiled before she made her own way to the hatch.
Miya hopped to her feet and cheerily walked down the ramp along with the others.
Eve jumped a bit but didn't look back, just rubbed her behind a touch to ensure she'd look even less presentable to the waiting entourage. Batshit..yes maybe I will go batshit.
Beside Rain stood a towering woman by any standard. Hitting close to seven feet in height, the tank of a woman stood in a relaxed military pose, her hands clasped behind her back. She was in a leather outfit, plates of metal sewn in under the layers of leather as she watched the others. Atop her head rested a circlet with a large ruby centered just in the middle, smaller diamonds off to the side. Her eyes locked on each person as they exited the ship, her gaze rather caculating. In the light breeze that crossed through the landing pad, her braids were picked up and tossed around. Obelisk stood silent as the stone towers she was named after.
Yuriko stepped down the ramp of the transport also wearing leather. Though her's was her standard Peacekeeper Uniform. She wore no circlet, but a choker about her neck done in black and gold, and at her thighs rested a gun on each side. One was smaller, which was the Peacekeeper's standard firearm, the E1, the other a large revolver from Nepleslia called a HHG. Her violet and blue hair hung free behind her back save for the bangs framing her face, and violet eyes. At once spotting Rain, Yuriko smiled and waved to him before looking to Obelisk curiously.
Rain nodded to Yuriko, the tail still swishing as the puppies continued to play after it. "I'ts good to see you in good health once again Ms Yuriko." He said to her as she came in close enough to hear it. "This is Obelisk, one of our best warriors...besides fate herself." He said, introducing the massive woman who was taller than he by a good amount next to him.
"It is good to see you in good health too Rain. I'm glad we get to meet again." Yuriko smiled as she turned her attention to Obelisk.
Obelisk's face was as blank as stone, her crimson red eyes watching Yuriko in her calculating gaze. After a moment, Obelisk bowed at the waist. "Greetings Lady Yuriko, Thank you for visiting Nyll. I hope to be a worthy opponent." There was little question if she would or not, the woman was massive in all aspects.
Datenshi whistled a little as she eyed Obelisk up and down. "Grow em big here huh?" Datenshi send to Yuriko, eyeing Obelisk.
Midori let out a simple sigh, looking over both Rain and Obelisk as she pulled up the rear.
Kessah simply tweaked a brow up at Obelisk, feeling shorter then usual. Which wasn't saying much, true.
Miya furrowed her brow a little, shrinking to the back of the group.
Reiko fidgeted again as she followed Midori like a puppy.
"Greetings to you too Lady Obelisk, it is I who hopes will be a worthy opponent." Yuriko returned the bow.
Eve wore a simple black tanktop, and long black pants that had a bit of white lining. She had found a pair of sandals to go with it, but still felt the flair to the pants was a bit distracting when she walked. Do we have to watch her fight first..? I need to soon.. She thought to 'Tenshi, keeping her tail as still as possible in front of the dignitaries. It didn't stop her from staring quite openly, though. She wasn't yet a diplomat.
"Now that that's said and finished with, please follow us. We'll show you to the formal ritual combat grounds before we do anything else." Rain said to them and chuckled a bit and dipped down and picked up one of the Risana puppies. "Do you feel like you're ready for this?" he queried Yuriko and the others. The puppies had long since given up trying to get attention from Obelisk, it was like trying to get a statue to pet them, one of the breaking away and rushing at Tenshi and pouncing on her foot and yipping, wagging his little tail happily.
"Hah! See even animals love me!" Datenshi grinned and leaned over, petting the little pup playfully before picking it up in her arms with a smile.
Obelisk watched the others for a moment, before turning and leading the others twoards the battleground. As per custom, Obelisk would not warm up to the others until the battle was over with.
"I've fought Mishhu and Rippers, head on without fear Rain. I'm ready." Yuriko responded.
Midori simply rolled her eyes and hugged her arm around Reiko with a smile. "Calm down dear."
"Animals do attract one another~..." Kessah said playfully from behind Datenshi. She was wearing simply Khaki cargo pants and a grey t-shirt. Where she got them was a mystery in itself. "Don't go for the legs, Yuriko. They always expect that."
Reiko just eyed Obelisk as they walked before looking to Midori then to Yuriko as if in question.
He shook his head at that and shrugged and turned to lead them as well, the last puppy still frolicking after Rain's wolf-style tail. "Not necessarily Ms. they tend to go after the color red or moving objects." he said to Kessie, glancing over his shoulder as his black feathered vestigal wings fluttered lightly.
"She'll be fine. I think she could even beat me now. Remember it is not always size that matters...." Midori shrugged a little.
Eve looked over to Rain, her tail flicking subconciously when she looked at the others all chatting quietly. She would just do her best to keep with the party, even her telepathic messages seemed unwanted but the planet would be an interesting place to see. The indifferent pilot had something to look forward to, at least.
Reiko just bit her lip a moment before shuddering as she walked.
"Oh...Well still it loves me!" Datenshi grinned and flipped her hair over her shoulder to let the little guy play with. "Hey Eve? C'mere! Pet the lil guy, he's fuzzy."
In a moment, the little puppy had seen eve's sudden motion and ran over and tried to pounce on her tail, trying to catch it playfully.
Eve spun around, trying to distract the animal from it's target. In doing so, it unwound from her waist as she stepped backwards twice, and looked over to Tenshi, "These are..canine right?" She asked, wondering what to do about the spastic little assailant.
Rain laughed, hearing Eve. "yes they are, they're called 'Risana' here." He informed them. "They're quite harmless as puppies."
Kessah chuckled a little, and shook her head, "Meant that more to Yuriko." The thought came to mind that -she- was a redhead, too (Which became decreasingly less rare when one can change their own hair on the fly and such)... She wasn't so much a dog person.
Miya had both her leather-gloved hands clamped firmly over her mouth, her eyes locked on the puppies as she went along. She tried her best to maintain a dignified posture, but it wasn't going well.
Datenshi nodded a little, before looking to Miya. Holding the puppy up so it was pointed at Miya, she grinned. "Puppppppyyyyyyy!" Datenshi grinned widely.
Midori blinked a little "Are you ok?" Midori asked.
Reiko nodded slowly as she rested a hand on Midori's belly affectionately stroking it a moment.
The little one tenshi held just yipped, squirmed and wagged it's little tail adorably while the other tried hard to catch Eve's tail, tripping on itself in the process but would keep trying.
Miya's eyes perfectly followed the animal as 'Tenshi picked it up. 'It's a puppy!' she said, softly, and she quickly pulled off her glove to run her hand over said puppy's head.
"S-so-hey! Help!" Eve called in distress at Datenshi, spinning around in circles. Just giving it more and more to chase as she tried to keep the sensitive violet appendage away from the thing. She had to fix her problem before trying the docile one her companion had. Stopping in place, the soldier moved her tail around still and reached her arms down to try and pick it up like she had seen moments before.
"Wanna holddddd it?" Datenshi grinned a little and stuck her tounge out at Miya.
Midori smiled and cuddled up next to her lover. "Just a short while more, they are almost here..."
The little thing was persistently going after poor Eve as the one tenshi head licked at Miya's hands. When Eve went to pick the female puppy up, she just wagged and yipped at her, squirming as puppies did.
"Why won't she let anyone else take her place?" Reiko asked Midori dully as she continued to stroke her lover's stomach.
"Because it's a point of her personal honor." Saito said from behind Reiko, where he'd been practically the whole time.
"Because I guess she wants to prove to herself her training is not for nothing, or possibly she feels she needs to, since she is the head of our group?" Midori said.
Kessah glanced over and tweaked a brow upwards, "Or because she is bored, or wants to be a little showy. Yuriko isn't some saintly character or anything."
Reiko just nodded glumly.
"More like I wish to get off on the right foot with the Lorath, and not insult them. First Impressions." Yuriko chided Kessah.
"She's the alpha!" Eve blurted out, guessing about the puppy more than Yuriko. She hadn't been paying attention. She was trying to figure out what to do with the squirming thing in her arms, and took most of her cues from Datenshi. Trying to keep up with the others, she continued to pet it though forgot about the target her tail was making.
Miya made a high-pitched noise, stifling it by biting her lip, as she gently accepted the puppy from Datenshi. 'Hellooooo!' she said, cradling it in her arms and scratching it beneath the chin. 'How are you today? Besides adorable? 'Cause you're adorable!'
"Well, theres that nonsense, too." Kessah grinned over in Yuriko's direction.
Datenshi smirked a little as she let Miya take over, before heading over to Eve. "Here ya go!" She laughed a little as she flicked her hair infront of the pup to calm her down.
"Use my hair?" She studied what Datenshi did, meanwhile one of them swiping at her tail caused her to flinch, and raise it a little higher so they couldn't reach. The rest of them seemed to follow her quite happy to *try* to get it anyway. "Thank you..." The girl managed, a faint colour coming to her face. She and the puppies had helped to distract her anger, at least.
The group would soon enough come upon the fair grounds within a Fyunnen living area. The warrior caste ambling around the area in various states of dress, from full out armor as if ready for battle, to those dressed in little more then bathrobes, ready for a bath. In the middle of it all was a large stage, raised up just aboved Yuriko's head. The platform, roughly a hundred feet by a hundred, was all stone. There was no banners, no fanfare, no nothing. It was a simple bare bone assembly, though there were more and more Fyunnen gathering to see both the visitors, as well as their house princess. A staircase would lead up to the stage and would allow both to walk side by side.
The area surrounding the stage was rather spartan and simple, barracks, a community shower, and a few odd ends.
Such as courts for the Lorath sports of choice, a few areas for relaxtion, and a small orchard of what appeared to be apples, something some of the Fyunnen had picked up in their off time.
Yuriko stopped before the steps, and turned to Tenshi. "Dear could you hold my things?" She asked kindly.
"Course." Datenshi nodded, holding out her arms to take the items with a small smile. "Good luck."
Yuriko un-clipped the holsters holding her HHG and E1, passing them to Tenshi, and then her Vial. Once that was done she took her rank pin off and put it on the pile.
Yuriko also took off her communicator and handed it to Tenshi. "I believe that is everything."
"You sure?" Tenshi rolled her eyes at the girl before muttering something about to much, and placing the items on a nearby table. She didn't feel like carrying them after all.
Yuriko just snorted.
Obelisk in the mean time simply ascended the steps to the ring. More and more Fyunnen were gathering now as she took center stage. She didn't seem to remove any armor or weaponry.
Yuriko took in a deep breath and also ascended the steps to the ring. The Commodore still wearing her uniform as she walked up there, only to look about before eyeing Obelisk. "Could you please explain the rules?"
"No leaving the ring, no weapons outside of your hands, no killing. If either of us conceeds, the fight is to stop at that point. Other then that, no rules." Obelisk shrugged a little before taking a deep sigh and getting into her stance. Spreading her feet out a little, she turned herself to the side, presenting a rather slimmed veiw of her body. Letting both arms hang limp for a moment, she bent her elbows to a nintey degree angle, her palms opened. Her front foot was raised up on the balls of her feet as she waited.
I really must advise against this, Commodore... Eve thought impassively as she looked for a place to sit down. She still had the puppy in her arms, and didn't bother being more vocal about her concerns since she was still enthralled by the creature.
"Pain isn't new to me Eve, now please, I must concentrait" Yuriko said as she ended it. She also turned to the side, and raised her arms up, her fingers moving just so to appear as hooks.
Obelisk remained still, watching Yuriko closely. She was not one to attack, her style did not call for it.
Saito just watched, disapproving of the entire concept but this was their culture and you had to respect someone else's culture didn't ya? Rain on the other hand waited off to the side and watched before making a strange sound that made the puppies out among the people squirm and free themselves and return to him. This was a safety measure to make sure a little one didn't suddenly bolt into the ring during the excitment.
Yuriko just sighed as she saw Obelisk not going to make the first move. Changing stances, she tightend her muscles, and then began to move forward at a steady pace, eyeing the tall Fyuunen, her hands balled into fists.
Obelisk followed Yuriko's movements, watching her cloesly. Where as Yuriko was tight, Obelisk seemed very loose and ready, watching the woman in a relaxed stance. She made sure to watch her entire body, ready for any sudden movement or attack.
Eve followed the little alpha female of the puppies over, keeping enough attention to the fight so she could record it for later observation. She already had a picture of the right puppy, and looked up to him. "What are they for?" Her stare was blank, and the wide-eyed pilot seemed indifferent other than standing maybe a little too close to him to get her information casually.
A Lmanel female strolled up to the group. Her shoulders were clad in what appeared to be hides of various mammals, her clothing was a mix of dark browns and blacks of various leather. "Yes elder Rain, do tell them what we raise our canine companions for." She spoke with a smile which curled the corners of her green painted lips. "Sorry if I am intruding... I'm the Lmanel representative assigned to your fact finding mission... I take it that Yuriko is over there?" The short haired Lmanel woman pointed to the stage.
Rain glanced to Eve then to the Lmanel that had walked up and chuckled a little, his own attire similar to the other Lmanel's. "They're trained as messengers, companions and guards." He said to Eve, swishing the tail he still had, the red tip of it attracting their attention easily, making the little one's yip happily. "And you're not intruding, yes it is."
Eve examined the Lmanel curiously, then nodded her head slowly. "My name is Eve. That's her fighting, yes." The girl bowed, having turned away from Rain for the moment. A perfect target for the dogs below, if they were looking. Her tail took some getting used to.
Of course Obelisk would be able to watch Yuriko considering the near two foot height differential. Not to mention Yuriko was a slip of a thing in comparison. Yuriko took stock of the muscle mass of the Fyuunen, her stance, loosness of the muscles, her eyes watching Yuriko's every move. The Commodore was analyzing her opponent, big and being muscely was both a good and bad thing after all. Yuriko took a small string out of her pants pocket and quickly tied her hair in a ponytail before she came any closer, her muscle's tightness vanished as she charged, zig zagging back and forth in long strides.
"Oh Rain, why be so humble? Some of our companions can grow to be excellent war-time companions. In fact, we do have a number which the Lorath Self Defense Force are training to be utillized in ship security." The Lmanel woman explained as she knelt down and scratched behind the ear of one of the canines. "Oh, how rude of me..." She stood up and bowed her head. "My name is Lupe, a pleasure to meet you."
"This one is good." Eve pointed to the same one as before, nodding her head in understanding to Lupe. Her eyes went between the canines and the newer arrival, though the latter held her interest longer. "The pleasure is mine." The girl's tone strained to sound friendly. "How big do they grow, madame?"
Obelisk's trained eye followed Yuriko, making sure to turn herself and accomidate the now charging neko. Her back hand seemed to twist and turn downward, her fingers curled into a open palmed stance, her front hand doing the opposite rotation as she did the same with the fingers, her knuckles now pointed upwards.
"It depends on their conditions, some grow quickly others grow slowly. We've noted they tend to grow slower in companionship roles and faster in the wild." Rain said. "And they can grow quite large."
"Large enough to ride in some cases. It is unfortunate that the canines native to this planet are frail and not able to be trained easily... We need to continue to carry the genetic codes of those from Lor to really raise proper companions which would be useful." Lupe explained as she clasped her hands behind her back, the leather she wore creaked with the movement.
"They have battle applications too..." Eve echoed, letting her eyes drift down to one again. "How long on average do they take to grow that big when made companions?" Her eyes flicked between Lupe, and Rain for the answer.
"That largely depends what you're seeking in a companion Ms Eve." rain said.
"It also depends on if you're allowing for natural growth, or are utilizing artificial means of accelerating the process." Lupe explained as she watched the Fyunnen Princess and foreigner in combat.
Yuriko let her gaze drift down to one of Obelisk's legs as she closed in, she made to strike at it with her own, but pivoted at her hip the last second. Instead of attacking the leg, going for the lower area of where the ribs would be.
"What are the benifits of either methods?" Eve prompted, still saving the fight for her digestion later. She loved fighting, but at that moment found the conversation they were trading while playing spectators more interesting. Still, they didn't seem to be pets as she had them explained to her.
Obelisk showed no emotion as her hands wrapped around Yuriko's ankle. Easily able to wrap around Yuriko's leg and ankle, Obelisk gave the girl a sharp twist and jerked, launching her in the air. Obelisk used Yuriko's natural motion and momentum to toss her high into the air.
"The obvious benefit to the enhanced growth is the fact they grow faster than normal, but they tend to get somewhat lethargic when they're older due to dependency." Rain explained to Eve.
"That sounds straightforward, how long if they are unaltered by the chemical?" The young girl asked, lazily curling her tail in waves behind her. It was as if she had only one way to express her emotions without filter, and it was the violet furred appendage attached to her backside.
"A year to get past the puppy stages, but three years to reach a full functional maturity." Lupe explained as she smiled softly. "Longer than most of Yamatai's population has been alive."
"I'm the other way." Eve noted simply, watching her commanding officer get tossed around like she was a sack of grain. Something was tickling her a little bit, though she had no real way to manifest it as a word. She smiled back at Lupe, or tried her best anyway.
"Indeed, but it allows for them to bond with their new companion, once they do, they're extremely loyal." Rain said and watched the goings-on in the ring and winced a bit. "Looks like Yuriko learned to fly......the hard way." he chuckled.
Yuriko was like a ragdoll in the air until she steadied her limbs from flailing about. Once in free fall, the Commodore "plopped" on Obelisk's shoulders with about as much of an impact of a 93lbs neko on someone more then double her bodyweight. She then latched her legs about the Fyuunen's neck her elbow raised up into the air, intending to strike the larger woman atop her head.
Obelisk's movement was quick, much quicker then a woman her size should have mustered. Wrapping her hands around Yuriko's midsection, she began squeezing and compressing, pressing her thumbs and fingers as hard as possible into the middle of the bones, right where it would hurt the most. At the same time she began to pry the girl off her shoulders. It would look a little funny to the others.
Saito watched and chuckled a bit at the entire spectacle. "I had thought Yuriko would've had this in the bag but that Obelisk is pretty good." He said.
Yuriko grunted in pain, her bottom lip being bitten down upon as she slammed her elbow down on Obelisk's head, feeling her leg's grip loosening with the superior strength being brought to bear on her. She did this once, then twice before she let out a yelp of pain, and placed her hands on Obelisk's wrists, pressing into the underside of them with her fingers in a bid to have the grip to loosen.
Obelisk grunted when hit with both elbows, her body locking up for a moment before she shook her head. Yuriko's ploy did work somewhat, Obelisk's grip loosening somewhat. It wasn't really enough, but it was enough to let up on the pain that Yuriko would be feeling, enough to draw a full breath by now. With a grunt, Obelisk pulled up on Yuriko again, trying to pry her off still while at the same time, trying to regain the stregnth of her grip.
Yuriko took in her breath, and grunted again as she tightend her leg's grip about the woman's neck also trying to deprive her of air as well. Despite her leg's grip it wouldn't last, so she decided to do what damage she could, she raised her elbow high, and began to beat down upon Obelisk's head in rapid sucession with one elbow, the other arm being used to continually try and loosen the grip on oneside. Even if it were just one side, it'd help.
Deciding enough was enough, Obelisk opted to stop holding back. With a grunt, the Fyunnen princess jammed both heels of her palms into the sides of Yuriko's ribs with enough force to possibly break bones. With that done, Obelisk acted quickly, arching her back backwards so as to bring Yuriko down backwards. Between the vice grip Yuriko had, Obelisk's own grip on the girl's ribs, and the sudden movement, Yuriko would have little time to react. If she did nothing, Yuriko would land head, shoulder, or back first into the solid cement below her.
Meanwhile, in the palace throneroom. The High Priest watched the combat through various security monitors placed throughout the area. "Mmm, Ri'del, see that? Thats what hand-to-hand combat looks like." Tomoe told his son which he had in his lap. "Medical team to the Fyunnen stage grounds."
"Will I be learning that too?" Ri'del asked from his seat on his father's lap, eyes a little wide as he watched the large woman vs the smaller. He couldn't wrap his mind around why someone would try to take on one of those large Fyuunen women.
"I was wondering why she was letting that go on." Eve observed quietly, bending down to pet at her favourite puppy of all of them. Keeping her eye on the fight until they removed her comanding officer from the arena was a must though, of course.
"Of course, Lady Fate will show you how, so will Mommy and I." Tomoe explained as he rubbed the light growth of hair on his son's head. "Of course, you'll be matched according to size. I matched these two according to military rank."
Yuriko coughed slightly, a few flecks of blood leaving her lips, she also felt two of her ribs pop from the pressure the Fyuunen exerted on them. The Commodore growled a little, and balled her fist, swinging it back, and slammed it into the side of the woman's head before releasing her own grip on Obelisk's neck, and used the weakness in one side of the Fyuunen's grip to struggle free, but not without a price. The woman's fingers dug in as she slipped out, aggrivating the broken bones, and causing Yuriko to let out a small yelp of pain once more before she landed close by, clutching at her chest with an arm. Her automatic healing functions began to repair the internal damage, though it still hurt like hell, and would likely be slow going until the bones were properly set.
"I suppose that's the end of that." Rain said casually, as he watched the match finish up. Saito fidgetted, not liking to see and suffer through this but it was Yuriko's choice.
"Why did you match them by rank?" Ri'del asked as he frowned at his hair being messed with.
The High Priest laughed lightly as he continued rubbing his son's head. "Well, I'll respond to your question with one of my own. Would it be fair for me to match you against somone twice your age in a mathematics competition?"
Obelisk quickly rolled to her feet, her vision blurry for a moment. Shaking her head she growled a little as her vision finally came back into focus. Zoning in now on Yuriko, Obelisk came up into a crouch, arms out wide. Shaking her head again Obelisk began to close in on Yuriko her hands still out in a pose that almost resembled an old wrestling style.
Yuriko had been slightly hunched forward, but stood erect now, feeling pain lance up her chest. She winced, but used that pain to remind her she was alive, in her element, and above all else a reminder of just what this woman could do. She knew her bones were knitting back together, back into place, and took stock of the outstretched pose of Obelisk. She could squeeze the life out of me in a bear hug... The Commodore thought as she knew her sides were likely purple and black with brusing. It was good to know however her repeated hits to the Fyuunen's head had done something, likely not even a concussion, but a simple headache maybe.
The Commodore charged forward again, before giving the woman a chance to wrap her up in those crushing arms, Yuriko went into a baseball slide between the widend leged stance. She quickly got to her feet, eyeing the exposed behind of the kneecaps a moment before striking out at one from behind, intending to send the woman down into a kneeling stance.
"No..." Ri'del said in a put out voice. "But! I will study so I can be just as good!"
"Mmm, quite wise. Well, I matched these two because they're just as good as one another, despite their size differences. You could say, they've both done their studying... Ah, watch, the small one is trying to exercise a mobility advantage." The High Priest said to his son as he watched Yuriko attempt her kick.
Obelisk sprawled just then, kicking both feet out behind her, one to meet the attack of Yuriko and one to hopefully land at either the kneecap of the neko, or the ankle. The attack would have been easy enough to predict as she saw Yuriko slide underneath of her.
Yuriko felt her ankle burst into pain as she lurched backward and toppled over. Yuriko moved her good leg about, and grabbed hold of the Fyuunen's leg, pulling it into a heel hook, the foot was under her armpit, her legs being used to control Obelisk's body while her foot was being twisted by Yuriko's forearm, the Commodore grunted loudly, in a strained voice, feeling the applification of pain in her own ankle, and her ribs from what she was doing, but intent on the old creedo "an eye for an eye" Or in this case, " a foot for a foot".
In a second, Yuriko's bad ankle was in Obelisk's vice grip, growling loudly as she gritted her teeth. She had been through pain before, forced to work through broken bones in the wilderness or die, forced to push herself past her limits just to prove herself in the eyes of her house, to prove she was just as good as her sister. She could push past the pain now. She yanked Yurikp's bad ankle to the side before driving down with the heel of her free foot to try and drive it into Yuriko's face.
"Is this what is called a stalemate...?" Ri'del asked curiously as he leaned forward, interested now.
Yuriko ground at her teeth, feeling her bad ankle being further strained as she saw the Lorath woman's heel coming up through the haze of pain. Yuriko leaned back, her own grip maintained to some degree on the other woman's ankle. The movement however was too little too late as the heel connected with Yuriko's forehead, whipping her head back, releasing the grip on the Fyuunen's ankle, and sending Yuriko's back and head on the concrete, illiciting a moan from her.
"No son, that is what is called an exposed target. The off-worlder neglected to immobilize the Princess' other leg." The High Priest explained as he smiled softly, he was glad to see that the life of a princess had not dulled Obelisk's capabilities.
Just as Yuriko had let go of the ankle, a sick popping sound was heard. The popping sound was Obelisk's ankle, the foot now completely useless and with the tendon tears in her knee, her leg was just was useless. She saw her opening though, and fought through the pain. Taught to push it aside, Obelisk untangled herself and fought to climb ontop of Yuriko. If she could gain control, the fight would be over.
"But the off-worlder still managed to get her intended target father." Ri'del said, pointing as he shivered at hearing the pop. "It looks like she lost though...the big one is crawling on the smaller." He pointed out.
Yuriko's head just moved around a little, the edge of her vision black, the remainder hazy as she felt the bulk of the Fyuunen on top of her now, pressing down on her mending ribs. The Commodore moaned again, and balled her fist up, throwing a blind punch though it was entirely too weak to do much of anything given the circumstance, the bulk of Obelisk a blur now before Yuriko's eyes fluttered.
"Well, it would be wise if the offworlder yeilded." The High Priest said in a matter of fact tone as he watched the final motions of the contest. "I'd hate to have to actually tell them to call it quits, its so embarassing."
Obelisk was on top, her vision wavy. With a growl, she balled up a fist and slugged Yuriko once in the shoulder. "Conceed!" She demanded.
Yuriko felt the fist impact on her shoulder, jolting her eyes open a little wider now, hearing the yell. Yuriko balled up her fist again, and returned the blow, but to the woman's side, eyes defiant before she coughed again tasting that coppery tang in her mouth and knowing she shouldn't let simple pride be her better. The Commodore closed her eyes, and let out a shuddering breath, disliking this very much but she nodded. "I... conceed...." She said in a slurred voice, knowing her body would have a lot of healing to do from the punishment it was put under.
Obelisk let out a sigh before rolling onto her side, grunting from the impact that jarred her ankle and knee. Rolling to her side, she curled up on herself and gripped her knee, obviously in pain. She didn
She didn't let the others know through any noises though.
"Well..now it is done." Eve corrected, watching the aftermath with quite attention to her observations.
Yuriko meanwhile raised a hand up to her side, rubbing at her tender side. She let out a ragged breath as she squirmed on the floor a little, stiring slightly as her body began to do its job. She was starting to breathe easier in the very least, though it felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to her ankle.
Reiko had just watched it all, slightly wide eyed as she kept her hand on Midori's stomach. She didn't say anything but simply looked away.
Ri'del sunk into his father's chest as he crossed his arms. "Well, its over now." He said still frowning.
Midori simply shook her head, watching the two with a small smirk. "Seems she lost. It was a good fight though..." She said with a shrug.
Obelisk was on her side still, hiding her pain from the others as she waited for some of her sisters to come up and aid her. A few of the warriors did indeed come up to help her, gently lifting her to a standing position.
Datenshi was up at Yuriko's side after a moment, staring down at the girl. "Hey...hey Yuriko?"
Yuriko bit down on her bottom lip before speaking. "Just peachy, 'Tenshi. Help me up please?" She asked, knowing full well she'd be unable to stand on her own at the moment, and refusing to use her own gravity manipulation, wishing to remain equal.
Reiko just muttered something unintelligiable.
"You just got fucked up!" Datenshi laughed playfully as she knelt down to help the girl up with a grin.
"Mmmhmmm..." Midori agreed.
Yuriko thumped Tenshi on the nose and sniffed as she hobbled up on her good leg. "Considering the size, and weight difference I think I did fine."She said to both Tenshi and Midori, eyeing the two of them as she cleared her throat, and took in another cautious breath, feeling the pain lessen and lessen.
PAUSE
The steady shine of the brilliant white of the star of the Nyli system washed over the planets, moons, and other bodies within the Nyli system. Each planet was a mere dot in the black space. However, aboard an inbound Starchaser II, the people aboard were treated to a far more interesting sight as they took a sort of 'tourist's' route into the system.
Cruising alongside the Starchaser was a Lorath made 'Zahl', the crecent-shaped ship seemed to glide as it moved about, and over the comm-line came a Lorath communication officer's voice. "Attention Starchaser passengers, if you'd direct your attention to the left, you will be treated to a view of our Wh'Ki shipyard complex."
Outside, there were fifteen massive box-shaped bays, and each housed a ship in the making.
Yuriko blinked several times from her seat, her new communicator's volumetric projector activated, a display in front of her. The Commodore sighed slightly as she looked from her work, out towards what the Lorath called a "Wh 'Ki" Shipyard.
Kessah tilted her head at the view for a moment, looking marginally impressed. Although only marginally. She then shook her head gently and leaned back on her hand.
"Bleh ships are sooooo boring! Show me those new power armors I heard about!" Datenshi yawned and reclined back in her chair, putting her hands behind her head.
Saito leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed with his arms crossed, giving the body language of being rather displeased about something. "..."
Eve sat quietly in her seat, sometimes prodding at the arm. She had curled her tail around herself to not be conspicuous just in case. Since they had left the ship she had hardly spoken a word, and looked angry at varying degrees no matter the time of day or what she'd been doing. The only diverting thought was what she hoped would be a quick trip to get a new home.
"You've not even seen the new warship I'm designing Tenshi." Yuriko said in a reproachful tone as she went back to her current work. On the screen were what looked like molecular structures as she began tapping away on the volumetric keyboard, re-arranging them. She did briefly nudge Saito however.
Kessah spoke softly, loud enough for Yuriko to hear, in a semi-monotone voice of semi-sleepy boredom, "You should design non-warships, they are more effective."
"Dear, I'm also designing a multi-kilometer agricultural ship/station. This is merely my side project." Yuriko said from her seat.
"Hmm?" Saito perked an eye open at her. "Something up?" he asked.
"Ships. Are. Boring!" Datenshi said again with the roll of her eyes as she stuck her tongue out at Yuriko.
Outside of the ship, one of the bays opened and a cheerful exclamation came from the Zahl's communications officer. "You're in luck Starchaser passengers, a new ship has just been born... what is the name?..." The comm-officer asked to someone over his shoulder before speaking again. "A Broadsides-Class, we have dubbed her Peaceblood."
The gaping bay of the Wh'ki did indeed seem to give birth to the ship as the form of a Broadsides-Class cruiser slipped out from the bay and made it's first passage into space.
"Our ETA for Nyli III is five minutes, accelerating to proper travel speeds, thank you for taking time to enjoy the tour." The comm-line sounded before it closed for the time being.
"You've been awfully quiet as of late brother mine." Yuriko said affectionately to her new adopted sibling as she gazed out at the Broadsides... She knew it was an old, yet effective design made by the Qel'Norans... Thinking about them also made her think briefly of Kenichi.
Kessah rolled her eyes, although at what would be unknown. Once again, though, she spoke in direction to Yuriko, "Don't forget smaller ships. Not a lot of planetary craft being made these days, either." She then shrugged gently to herself.
"Oh I've just been thinking about that body reclamation thing Yui still insists on doing. I like my body as it is and would rather flip her the bird and keep it than have to surrender it." Saito admitted. "That and I can't figure which one to eventually transfer into."
"I'm only one person Kess, I can only do so much." Yuriko countered as she rested a hand on her brother's in a comforting way. "I'm loathe to give mine up as well..."
"Ehhh A body is a body, who gives a fuck? It's the mind that matters. I think Imma get one of them big hulking Fyunnen bodies if they do that!" Datenshi grinned, rubbing her hands together. "I wanna get into one of their barracks...All women all the time oh MAN!"
"Psh." Kess responded to Yuriko's first statement, before answering both Saito and Yuriko at the same time, "Just go Yamataian or something. Same damn thing as Neko in the end, just slightly lesser to make people feel human when they aren't."
I wonder if I'm supposed to thank her.. Eve thought of her mother, and sighed. It never felt like she had one but thanks to the modifications she wasn't registered back home, a home that she calculated would execute her if she went back. The Asamoya's former pilot began running through a few different channels on her communicator, the streams that had been saved in them anyway.
"Yeah it's hard to part with a body when it's what you know and are comfortable with." Saito said, squeezing Yuriko's hand lightly and looked over at Tenshi. "Yeah that's almost what I'd expect from you!" he teased by sticking out his tongue out her in a childish way.
Yuriko's communicator would give a steady chime, and the identification would indicate that the message was being sent by one of the royal siblings.
"And Kessie, I don't like Yamataian bodies for just that reason. They simply aren't strong enough in my mind." Saito pointed out to her.
Yuriko shifted the volumetric screen off to one side and opened the message being sent to her. "Now children, don't make me turn this ferry around." She said to her crew.
Kessah didn't comment on Saito, nor did she make a comment on the lovable 'Tenshi, too, as one might notice. No, for the moment she kept quiet.
Datenshi tossed her can at Kessah's head, frowning a little. "You ok up there kessie?"
Kessah didn't respond to the minor physical abuse, at least with a physical motion, and just grunted in a dull, semi-sleepy way.
Yuriko happened to open the channel just as she was issuing her scolding...
"You have no idea..." Came the voice of the Lorath High Priest. He looked exhausted, yet cheerful oddly enough, then his gaze shifted aside. "Greetings... uh... Yuriko is it? I hear word that the Helashio here are to be surveyed?"
"Kessie needs a direct injection of coffee or caffeine I think." Saito said to Tenshi telepathically as to avoid distracting Yuriko from her communication.
"Eh?" Yuriko blinked as she returned her attention to the screen. "Oh my...High Priest Tomoe, I am surprised you know my name! Considering we only met once a long time ago." She gave a nod of her head at the mention of the Helashio. "Yes sir, I've been sent to survey them."
Datenshi just rolled her eyes at Kessah before nodding a little to Yuriko. At hearing Velor's voice, Tenshi's ears perked up and her eyes went wide. With a grin she unbuckled herself and slid up next to Yuriko. "Hey! Remember me?" Tenshi gave Velor a grin and a wink. She wasn't part of any grand star army or anything of the like, she could be herself now!
Saito kept quiet and to himself, staying out of the communications visual display; being too wrapped up in his own thoughts presently.
Yuriko rolled her eyes as she felt Tenshi sneak up behind her, remembering her tryst with the man.
"Ah... well. I'll try to fit you--- Ri'del! Leave the maid alone! She just wants to give your sister a bath!" The High Priest gave a huff before he returned his attention to Yuriko. "Ah, well then. I will make sure you are received by the Lmanel leader which will be able to guide you, along with a field-representative which will have comprehensive information available. Also, I do have to ask as a formality... Do you wish to fore go the usual visitor welcoming, or would you like to have some formality to your visit? I would not blame you if you skipped such, most visitors do."
This is weird.. Eve thought, reviewing the files she had on the two races that inhabited the system she was going with. The soldier was a little worried she'd be mistaken for one, but didn't want to ask Yuriko who was busy with her conversation.
"High Priest, I would not wish to offend your people, so I will undergo whatever formality is required for my visiting." Yuriko said politely as she smiled. "Being a parent is a hand full High Priest, but well worth it." She winked.
"Oh, they bring me far more joy than I ever imagined... at least when their mother is around. As for the formality, I will make the proper arrangements. Select one of your better combatants for the contest. We'll forego the more in-depth formality, but my do the Fyunnen enjoy a good competition."
Kessah called out lightly, having heard the conversation, although not by much, "Not it."
"Well, if it is alright, I would prefer to do so. I'm fairly adept." Yuriko replied.
Saito perked a brow at that and sighed. "Well at least it'll be interesting to watch." he quipped. "I've had thoughts to try it myself but never got the time not to mention how I fight would be unfair to them."
"Ah... it is part of our custom to have someone of an equal rank take part in such a contest. What is your rank since you left that Star Army?" Velor asked as he tapped at a data-pad.
"Oh you would Yuriko. Ass..." Datenshi grumbled and rolled her eyes a little.
Midori in the mean time simply remained quiet, remembering her last visit to Lor. She was sure she wasn't on the best of terms with the high pries, so she decided to remain quiet.
"Upon leaving I was a Taii, but in the Peacekeepers I am a Commodore now." Yuriko replied before she stroked Tenshi's cheek in a sensual way and smiled. "I do so enjoy stealing your fun my dear." She said sarcastically. "Besides, you bedded the High Priest! Let me have some fun too."
"Mmm... and what is your field of expertise in regard to wartime capabilities?" The High Priest's fingers continued to tap at the pad, narrowing down candidates for the event.
Eve swallowed hard, staring into her lap. Fun..? Her thoughts drifted away from her again, as she eavesdropped on everyone she could hear.
"I was a combat arms, and power armor pilot prior to taking command of a ship at The Battle of Nataria. If you require, I can send you a copy of my credentials." Yuriko responded.
"But I lost my collarrrrrr! I want anotherrrr!" Datenshi gave Yuriko a pouty look before looking back to the screen. "High priest, I lost my collar on my last ship, well, wasn't lost, it was destroyed. Point being, can I please have anotherrrr?" Datenshi gave him a really pouty look.
Kessah, in her little spot away from the conversation, chuckled gently.
The High Priest's brow raised slightly. Too many Sakura crew members in one place... A small voice in his head warned slightly, but he ignored it as he spoke. "Datenshi, I'll be sure to provide you a new one when I get a chance... as for you Yuriko. We'll forego the powerarmor due to the sheer demand such an event would require. I will however send along someone competent in one on one melee combat, since I do recall a majority of Mindy engagements involved close-range engagements."
Yuriko simply nodded at this. "Thank you, High Priest. I will be sure not to use any abilities beyond my own two hands, and feet. And whatever weapon if there is one associated with this. You have my word."
"Mmm... use your fullest extent. It will only be fair. After all, you're going to be facing someone of an approximately equal rank." The High Priest stated before he decided to be fun about the matter. "You've been cleared for landing at palace landing pad three. You'll be greeted by Rain Lmanel, a Lmanel representative, and the challenger which you'll contend against."
Maybe I should have volunteered to show off my Kung-fu mastah-ness... Kessah mentally joked to herself, making her shake her head. "If you get incapacitated I am not going to grab you around."
"Are you sure about this combat initiation Yuriko?" Saito asked or wanted to but instead put a hand on her shoulder for a moment. "Just be careful with it ok?"
"Oh come on Saito, our lil Yuriko can handle herself! Right?" Datenshi grinned and pinched Yuriko's cheeks, wiggling them a little.
"Of course she can, I suppose I feel a bit antsy because I haven't had a good fight in a while." Saito chuckled to Tenshi and flicked Tenshi's ear playfully.
"Thank you High Priest." Yuriko said before ending the comm. "Saito...I will be fine. After all, I've tangled with Midori while only half trained, now I could beat her record of one minute. She said before her cheeks felt pain at being pinched and she let out a childish whine. "Remind me to leave you at home next time babysitting." She groused.
"Hah! You even whine like a kid!" Datenshi grinned and smirked a little. "Sure you wanna do that? I hear Tai and Rikun are getting big, never know what a bad influence like me could do on such impressionable minds!" Datenshi flicked Saito's hand away playfully.
Midori snerked lightly back in her seat and simple rolled her eyes.
"I wouldn't leave you for an instant with Kanako..." Saito said to Tenshi. "For just that reason."
Kessah spoke lightly, "I fear what they'll do to auntie Kessie when they grow up..."
"Oh come on now Saito-kun! Afraid of lil ole me?" Datenshi asked, giving him puppy dog eyes.
"Tai would be fine with you Tenshi, considering she'd be the ADULT there." Yuriko retorted.
"I'm not, but Kanako's too innocent for you to corrupt." Saito said and countered with his own puppy dog eyes.
"You see Saito, wrong time to use the puppy dog eyes." Datenshi rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Yuriko. "I suppose she is, isn't she? Makes her fair game now eh?"
"Maybe." Saito said. "Or I can simply remove the body part coming within 25 ft of her." He smiled at Tenshi evilly.
The Starchaser made it's approach to Nyli III. The outside of the ship was aglow with atmospheric gases, and in the distance behind the orange glow... there was a rather unusual sight. Humanoid mechanical Goliaths, easily twenty-five meters in height stood vigil over the landing route. They were little known outside of the LSDF, but they were designated as 'Whirlwind' standing tanks.
"We're making our landing approach, please prepare to disembark from the ship." The pilot announced as they descended.
Miya whistled as she looked over the giant machines. 'Those weren't in the briefing!' she said. 'What are they?'
Yuriko yawned delicately as she shut off her communicator, and stretched slightly. "Well, time to get ready I suppose."
Midori sighed a little, watching Yuriko as she rubbed her stomach a little. She looked over to Reiko, to see how she was doing.
Datenshi hopped up off of Yuriko's lap to let her do her thing.
"This'll be interesting." Saito said as he shifted a bit waiting.
Reiko was sitting in her seat quietly, watching Yuriko now, seeing the woman stretch and ready herself made her fidget slightly.
I want the ship back.. Eve thought, sounding indifferent even to herself. The pilot placed her hand on the bulkhead and stared at it, waiting for the feeling of the ship setting down.
Kessah groaned lightly for the usual reasons she groaned about concerning planets and the likes, although she didn't do anything other then that.
Yuriko rolled her shoulders once before moving over to Eve and laying a hand softly on her shoulder. She didn't really know how to comfort the seemingly angry girl beyond what she intended to do. Yuriko wrapped her up in a big hug, and patted her on the back, smiling a little. "You'll be ok dear, I promise."
The visitors were lucky enough to be arriving at mid-day. The sky was a brilliant blue with a lightest tinge of green. Clouds in the sky looked like some sort of whipped topping. The weather was marvelous... and soon the transport set down upon the landing pad which was near the palace, which was essentially the mating of a mountain-side and Byakko carrier, with a hefty sum of decoration and stone carving. A true merging of function and form.
Eve's knee jerk reaction had to be suppressed, the surprise had settled by the time Yuriko had stolen her into her arms, though the size difference made it look a little strange. "How?" She asked, taking her time to reach and touch the woman's wrists. "I don't understand how you can say that.."
"Because dear, I think you are a strong girl, and will get through this." Yuriko said simply.
"Will they have someplace I can practice?" Eve asked, dodging Yuriko's assertion. She vaguely understood that the Commodore didn't mean her combat prowess.
"If not, we'll make a place Eve." Datenshi said with a shrug. "If I don't get to fight somethin soon Imma go batshit."
"Me too, I think...what does batshit mean?" Eve asked.
Kessah spoke playfully over to Datenshi, "You're already batshit." ... And then she murmured softly to herself, "Whatever a bat is."
"Well," Miya said, holding her hands out for punctuation. "You think of a rat or a squirrel, right? And then you give it wings. And then you make it really, really cute. I donno what its shit has to do with anything, though."
Yuriko ruffled the girl's hair and nodded. "Yes, anytime you like." She responded before rolling her eyes at Tenshi. "No corrupting remember Tenshi." Yuriko said sternly as the hatch for the transport opened. "Well then! Time to go I suppose, no?"
Tenshi looked between Eve, Kessah and Miya, shaking her head. "You people need help...." She said before leaving the back hatch.
Midori stood now, holding out her hand for Reiko to take as she waited to leave.
Kessah rolled her eyes at 'Tenshi's words before following the 'wench'.
Waiting for them on the landing was a tall man with a thick mane of green hair with amber colored eyes wearing furs like a barbarian. Behind him, a long canine-like tail swishes idly with a trio of small puppies yipping and chasing after it, hopping up to tryand catch it. Yuriko would recognize Rain from their meeting back on the Hotaru station before the secession of the UOC.
Eve wrinkled her nose, and didn't bother fixing her hair. "No really, what does it mean?" She asked again, following after Tenshi and Kessah for the answer.
"It means to go crazy." Yuriko said before swatting Eve on the rump and pointing to the hatch. "Time to go dear, let's get a move on." She smiled before she made her own way to the hatch.
Miya hopped to her feet and cheerily walked down the ramp along with the others.
Eve jumped a bit but didn't look back, just rubbed her behind a touch to ensure she'd look even less presentable to the waiting entourage. Batshit..yes maybe I will go batshit.
Beside Rain stood a towering woman by any standard. Hitting close to seven feet in height, the tank of a woman stood in a relaxed military pose, her hands clasped behind her back. She was in a leather outfit, plates of metal sewn in under the layers of leather as she watched the others. Atop her head rested a circlet with a large ruby centered just in the middle, smaller diamonds off to the side. Her eyes locked on each person as they exited the ship, her gaze rather caculating. In the light breeze that crossed through the landing pad, her braids were picked up and tossed around. Obelisk stood silent as the stone towers she was named after.
Yuriko stepped down the ramp of the transport also wearing leather. Though her's was her standard Peacekeeper Uniform. She wore no circlet, but a choker about her neck done in black and gold, and at her thighs rested a gun on each side. One was smaller, which was the Peacekeeper's standard firearm, the E1, the other a large revolver from Nepleslia called a HHG. Her violet and blue hair hung free behind her back save for the bangs framing her face, and violet eyes. At once spotting Rain, Yuriko smiled and waved to him before looking to Obelisk curiously.
Rain nodded to Yuriko, the tail still swishing as the puppies continued to play after it. "I'ts good to see you in good health once again Ms Yuriko." He said to her as she came in close enough to hear it. "This is Obelisk, one of our best warriors...besides fate herself." He said, introducing the massive woman who was taller than he by a good amount next to him.
"It is good to see you in good health too Rain. I'm glad we get to meet again." Yuriko smiled as she turned her attention to Obelisk.
Obelisk's face was as blank as stone, her crimson red eyes watching Yuriko in her calculating gaze. After a moment, Obelisk bowed at the waist. "Greetings Lady Yuriko, Thank you for visiting Nyll. I hope to be a worthy opponent." There was little question if she would or not, the woman was massive in all aspects.
Datenshi whistled a little as she eyed Obelisk up and down. "Grow em big here huh?" Datenshi send to Yuriko, eyeing Obelisk.
Midori let out a simple sigh, looking over both Rain and Obelisk as she pulled up the rear.
Kessah simply tweaked a brow up at Obelisk, feeling shorter then usual. Which wasn't saying much, true.
Miya furrowed her brow a little, shrinking to the back of the group.
Reiko fidgeted again as she followed Midori like a puppy.
"Greetings to you too Lady Obelisk, it is I who hopes will be a worthy opponent." Yuriko returned the bow.
Eve wore a simple black tanktop, and long black pants that had a bit of white lining. She had found a pair of sandals to go with it, but still felt the flair to the pants was a bit distracting when she walked. Do we have to watch her fight first..? I need to soon.. She thought to 'Tenshi, keeping her tail as still as possible in front of the dignitaries. It didn't stop her from staring quite openly, though. She wasn't yet a diplomat.
"Now that that's said and finished with, please follow us. We'll show you to the formal ritual combat grounds before we do anything else." Rain said to them and chuckled a bit and dipped down and picked up one of the Risana puppies. "Do you feel like you're ready for this?" he queried Yuriko and the others. The puppies had long since given up trying to get attention from Obelisk, it was like trying to get a statue to pet them, one of the breaking away and rushing at Tenshi and pouncing on her foot and yipping, wagging his little tail happily.
"Hah! See even animals love me!" Datenshi grinned and leaned over, petting the little pup playfully before picking it up in her arms with a smile.
Obelisk watched the others for a moment, before turning and leading the others twoards the battleground. As per custom, Obelisk would not warm up to the others until the battle was over with.
"I've fought Mishhu and Rippers, head on without fear Rain. I'm ready." Yuriko responded.
Midori simply rolled her eyes and hugged her arm around Reiko with a smile. "Calm down dear."
"Animals do attract one another~..." Kessah said playfully from behind Datenshi. She was wearing simply Khaki cargo pants and a grey t-shirt. Where she got them was a mystery in itself. "Don't go for the legs, Yuriko. They always expect that."
Reiko just eyed Obelisk as they walked before looking to Midori then to Yuriko as if in question.
He shook his head at that and shrugged and turned to lead them as well, the last puppy still frolicking after Rain's wolf-style tail. "Not necessarily Ms. they tend to go after the color red or moving objects." he said to Kessie, glancing over his shoulder as his black feathered vestigal wings fluttered lightly.
"She'll be fine. I think she could even beat me now. Remember it is not always size that matters...." Midori shrugged a little.
Eve looked over to Rain, her tail flicking subconciously when she looked at the others all chatting quietly. She would just do her best to keep with the party, even her telepathic messages seemed unwanted but the planet would be an interesting place to see. The indifferent pilot had something to look forward to, at least.
Reiko just bit her lip a moment before shuddering as she walked.
"Oh...Well still it loves me!" Datenshi grinned and flipped her hair over her shoulder to let the little guy play with. "Hey Eve? C'mere! Pet the lil guy, he's fuzzy."
In a moment, the little puppy had seen eve's sudden motion and ran over and tried to pounce on her tail, trying to catch it playfully.
Eve spun around, trying to distract the animal from it's target. In doing so, it unwound from her waist as she stepped backwards twice, and looked over to Tenshi, "These are..canine right?" She asked, wondering what to do about the spastic little assailant.
Rain laughed, hearing Eve. "yes they are, they're called 'Risana' here." He informed them. "They're quite harmless as puppies."
Kessah chuckled a little, and shook her head, "Meant that more to Yuriko." The thought came to mind that -she- was a redhead, too (Which became decreasingly less rare when one can change their own hair on the fly and such)... She wasn't so much a dog person.
Miya had both her leather-gloved hands clamped firmly over her mouth, her eyes locked on the puppies as she went along. She tried her best to maintain a dignified posture, but it wasn't going well.
Datenshi nodded a little, before looking to Miya. Holding the puppy up so it was pointed at Miya, she grinned. "Puppppppyyyyyyy!" Datenshi grinned widely.
Midori blinked a little "Are you ok?" Midori asked.
Reiko nodded slowly as she rested a hand on Midori's belly affectionately stroking it a moment.
The little one tenshi held just yipped, squirmed and wagged it's little tail adorably while the other tried hard to catch Eve's tail, tripping on itself in the process but would keep trying.
Miya's eyes perfectly followed the animal as 'Tenshi picked it up. 'It's a puppy!' she said, softly, and she quickly pulled off her glove to run her hand over said puppy's head.
"S-so-hey! Help!" Eve called in distress at Datenshi, spinning around in circles. Just giving it more and more to chase as she tried to keep the sensitive violet appendage away from the thing. She had to fix her problem before trying the docile one her companion had. Stopping in place, the soldier moved her tail around still and reached her arms down to try and pick it up like she had seen moments before.
"Wanna holddddd it?" Datenshi grinned a little and stuck her tounge out at Miya.
Midori smiled and cuddled up next to her lover. "Just a short while more, they are almost here..."
The little thing was persistently going after poor Eve as the one tenshi head licked at Miya's hands. When Eve went to pick the female puppy up, she just wagged and yipped at her, squirming as puppies did.
"Why won't she let anyone else take her place?" Reiko asked Midori dully as she continued to stroke her lover's stomach.
"Because it's a point of her personal honor." Saito said from behind Reiko, where he'd been practically the whole time.
"Because I guess she wants to prove to herself her training is not for nothing, or possibly she feels she needs to, since she is the head of our group?" Midori said.
Kessah glanced over and tweaked a brow upwards, "Or because she is bored, or wants to be a little showy. Yuriko isn't some saintly character or anything."
Reiko just nodded glumly.
"More like I wish to get off on the right foot with the Lorath, and not insult them. First Impressions." Yuriko chided Kessah.
"She's the alpha!" Eve blurted out, guessing about the puppy more than Yuriko. She hadn't been paying attention. She was trying to figure out what to do with the squirming thing in her arms, and took most of her cues from Datenshi. Trying to keep up with the others, she continued to pet it though forgot about the target her tail was making.
Miya made a high-pitched noise, stifling it by biting her lip, as she gently accepted the puppy from Datenshi. 'Hellooooo!' she said, cradling it in her arms and scratching it beneath the chin. 'How are you today? Besides adorable? 'Cause you're adorable!'
"Well, theres that nonsense, too." Kessah grinned over in Yuriko's direction.
Datenshi smirked a little as she let Miya take over, before heading over to Eve. "Here ya go!" She laughed a little as she flicked her hair infront of the pup to calm her down.
"Use my hair?" She studied what Datenshi did, meanwhile one of them swiping at her tail caused her to flinch, and raise it a little higher so they couldn't reach. The rest of them seemed to follow her quite happy to *try* to get it anyway. "Thank you..." The girl managed, a faint colour coming to her face. She and the puppies had helped to distract her anger, at least.
The group would soon enough come upon the fair grounds within a Fyunnen living area. The warrior caste ambling around the area in various states of dress, from full out armor as if ready for battle, to those dressed in little more then bathrobes, ready for a bath. In the middle of it all was a large stage, raised up just aboved Yuriko's head. The platform, roughly a hundred feet by a hundred, was all stone. There was no banners, no fanfare, no nothing. It was a simple bare bone assembly, though there were more and more Fyunnen gathering to see both the visitors, as well as their house princess. A staircase would lead up to the stage and would allow both to walk side by side.
The area surrounding the stage was rather spartan and simple, barracks, a community shower, and a few odd ends.
Such as courts for the Lorath sports of choice, a few areas for relaxtion, and a small orchard of what appeared to be apples, something some of the Fyunnen had picked up in their off time.
Yuriko stopped before the steps, and turned to Tenshi. "Dear could you hold my things?" She asked kindly.
"Course." Datenshi nodded, holding out her arms to take the items with a small smile. "Good luck."
Yuriko un-clipped the holsters holding her HHG and E1, passing them to Tenshi, and then her Vial. Once that was done she took her rank pin off and put it on the pile.
Yuriko also took off her communicator and handed it to Tenshi. "I believe that is everything."
"You sure?" Tenshi rolled her eyes at the girl before muttering something about to much, and placing the items on a nearby table. She didn't feel like carrying them after all.
Yuriko just snorted.
Obelisk in the mean time simply ascended the steps to the ring. More and more Fyunnen were gathering now as she took center stage. She didn't seem to remove any armor or weaponry.
Yuriko took in a deep breath and also ascended the steps to the ring. The Commodore still wearing her uniform as she walked up there, only to look about before eyeing Obelisk. "Could you please explain the rules?"
"No leaving the ring, no weapons outside of your hands, no killing. If either of us conceeds, the fight is to stop at that point. Other then that, no rules." Obelisk shrugged a little before taking a deep sigh and getting into her stance. Spreading her feet out a little, she turned herself to the side, presenting a rather slimmed veiw of her body. Letting both arms hang limp for a moment, she bent her elbows to a nintey degree angle, her palms opened. Her front foot was raised up on the balls of her feet as she waited.
I really must advise against this, Commodore... Eve thought impassively as she looked for a place to sit down. She still had the puppy in her arms, and didn't bother being more vocal about her concerns since she was still enthralled by the creature.
"Pain isn't new to me Eve, now please, I must concentrait" Yuriko said as she ended it. She also turned to the side, and raised her arms up, her fingers moving just so to appear as hooks.
Obelisk remained still, watching Yuriko closely. She was not one to attack, her style did not call for it.
Saito just watched, disapproving of the entire concept but this was their culture and you had to respect someone else's culture didn't ya? Rain on the other hand waited off to the side and watched before making a strange sound that made the puppies out among the people squirm and free themselves and return to him. This was a safety measure to make sure a little one didn't suddenly bolt into the ring during the excitment.
Yuriko just sighed as she saw Obelisk not going to make the first move. Changing stances, she tightend her muscles, and then began to move forward at a steady pace, eyeing the tall Fyuunen, her hands balled into fists.
Obelisk followed Yuriko's movements, watching her cloesly. Where as Yuriko was tight, Obelisk seemed very loose and ready, watching the woman in a relaxed stance. She made sure to watch her entire body, ready for any sudden movement or attack.
Eve followed the little alpha female of the puppies over, keeping enough attention to the fight so she could record it for later observation. She already had a picture of the right puppy, and looked up to him. "What are they for?" Her stare was blank, and the wide-eyed pilot seemed indifferent other than standing maybe a little too close to him to get her information casually.
A Lmanel female strolled up to the group. Her shoulders were clad in what appeared to be hides of various mammals, her clothing was a mix of dark browns and blacks of various leather. "Yes elder Rain, do tell them what we raise our canine companions for." She spoke with a smile which curled the corners of her green painted lips. "Sorry if I am intruding... I'm the Lmanel representative assigned to your fact finding mission... I take it that Yuriko is over there?" The short haired Lmanel woman pointed to the stage.
Rain glanced to Eve then to the Lmanel that had walked up and chuckled a little, his own attire similar to the other Lmanel's. "They're trained as messengers, companions and guards." He said to Eve, swishing the tail he still had, the red tip of it attracting their attention easily, making the little one's yip happily. "And you're not intruding, yes it is."
Eve examined the Lmanel curiously, then nodded her head slowly. "My name is Eve. That's her fighting, yes." The girl bowed, having turned away from Rain for the moment. A perfect target for the dogs below, if they were looking. Her tail took some getting used to.
Of course Obelisk would be able to watch Yuriko considering the near two foot height differential. Not to mention Yuriko was a slip of a thing in comparison. Yuriko took stock of the muscle mass of the Fyuunen, her stance, loosness of the muscles, her eyes watching Yuriko's every move. The Commodore was analyzing her opponent, big and being muscely was both a good and bad thing after all. Yuriko took a small string out of her pants pocket and quickly tied her hair in a ponytail before she came any closer, her muscle's tightness vanished as she charged, zig zagging back and forth in long strides.
"Oh Rain, why be so humble? Some of our companions can grow to be excellent war-time companions. In fact, we do have a number which the Lorath Self Defense Force are training to be utillized in ship security." The Lmanel woman explained as she knelt down and scratched behind the ear of one of the canines. "Oh, how rude of me..." She stood up and bowed her head. "My name is Lupe, a pleasure to meet you."
"This one is good." Eve pointed to the same one as before, nodding her head in understanding to Lupe. Her eyes went between the canines and the newer arrival, though the latter held her interest longer. "The pleasure is mine." The girl's tone strained to sound friendly. "How big do they grow, madame?"
Obelisk's trained eye followed Yuriko, making sure to turn herself and accomidate the now charging neko. Her back hand seemed to twist and turn downward, her fingers curled into a open palmed stance, her front hand doing the opposite rotation as she did the same with the fingers, her knuckles now pointed upwards.
"It depends on their conditions, some grow quickly others grow slowly. We've noted they tend to grow slower in companionship roles and faster in the wild." Rain said. "And they can grow quite large."
"Large enough to ride in some cases. It is unfortunate that the canines native to this planet are frail and not able to be trained easily... We need to continue to carry the genetic codes of those from Lor to really raise proper companions which would be useful." Lupe explained as she clasped her hands behind her back, the leather she wore creaked with the movement.
"They have battle applications too..." Eve echoed, letting her eyes drift down to one again. "How long on average do they take to grow that big when made companions?" Her eyes flicked between Lupe, and Rain for the answer.
"That largely depends what you're seeking in a companion Ms Eve." rain said.
"It also depends on if you're allowing for natural growth, or are utilizing artificial means of accelerating the process." Lupe explained as she watched the Fyunnen Princess and foreigner in combat.
Yuriko let her gaze drift down to one of Obelisk's legs as she closed in, she made to strike at it with her own, but pivoted at her hip the last second. Instead of attacking the leg, going for the lower area of where the ribs would be.
"What are the benifits of either methods?" Eve prompted, still saving the fight for her digestion later. She loved fighting, but at that moment found the conversation they were trading while playing spectators more interesting. Still, they didn't seem to be pets as she had them explained to her.
Obelisk showed no emotion as her hands wrapped around Yuriko's ankle. Easily able to wrap around Yuriko's leg and ankle, Obelisk gave the girl a sharp twist and jerked, launching her in the air. Obelisk used Yuriko's natural motion and momentum to toss her high into the air.
"The obvious benefit to the enhanced growth is the fact they grow faster than normal, but they tend to get somewhat lethargic when they're older due to dependency." Rain explained to Eve.
"That sounds straightforward, how long if they are unaltered by the chemical?" The young girl asked, lazily curling her tail in waves behind her. It was as if she had only one way to express her emotions without filter, and it was the violet furred appendage attached to her backside.
"A year to get past the puppy stages, but three years to reach a full functional maturity." Lupe explained as she smiled softly. "Longer than most of Yamatai's population has been alive."
"I'm the other way." Eve noted simply, watching her commanding officer get tossed around like she was a sack of grain. Something was tickling her a little bit, though she had no real way to manifest it as a word. She smiled back at Lupe, or tried her best anyway.
"Indeed, but it allows for them to bond with their new companion, once they do, they're extremely loyal." Rain said and watched the goings-on in the ring and winced a bit. "Looks like Yuriko learned to fly......the hard way." he chuckled.
Yuriko was like a ragdoll in the air until she steadied her limbs from flailing about. Once in free fall, the Commodore "plopped" on Obelisk's shoulders with about as much of an impact of a 93lbs neko on someone more then double her bodyweight. She then latched her legs about the Fyuunen's neck her elbow raised up into the air, intending to strike the larger woman atop her head.
Obelisk's movement was quick, much quicker then a woman her size should have mustered. Wrapping her hands around Yuriko's midsection, she began squeezing and compressing, pressing her thumbs and fingers as hard as possible into the middle of the bones, right where it would hurt the most. At the same time she began to pry the girl off her shoulders. It would look a little funny to the others.
Saito watched and chuckled a bit at the entire spectacle. "I had thought Yuriko would've had this in the bag but that Obelisk is pretty good." He said.
Yuriko grunted in pain, her bottom lip being bitten down upon as she slammed her elbow down on Obelisk's head, feeling her leg's grip loosening with the superior strength being brought to bear on her. She did this once, then twice before she let out a yelp of pain, and placed her hands on Obelisk's wrists, pressing into the underside of them with her fingers in a bid to have the grip to loosen.
Obelisk grunted when hit with both elbows, her body locking up for a moment before she shook her head. Yuriko's ploy did work somewhat, Obelisk's grip loosening somewhat. It wasn't really enough, but it was enough to let up on the pain that Yuriko would be feeling, enough to draw a full breath by now. With a grunt, Obelisk pulled up on Yuriko again, trying to pry her off still while at the same time, trying to regain the stregnth of her grip.
Yuriko took in her breath, and grunted again as she tightend her leg's grip about the woman's neck also trying to deprive her of air as well. Despite her leg's grip it wouldn't last, so she decided to do what damage she could, she raised her elbow high, and began to beat down upon Obelisk's head in rapid sucession with one elbow, the other arm being used to continually try and loosen the grip on oneside. Even if it were just one side, it'd help.
Deciding enough was enough, Obelisk opted to stop holding back. With a grunt, the Fyunnen princess jammed both heels of her palms into the sides of Yuriko's ribs with enough force to possibly break bones. With that done, Obelisk acted quickly, arching her back backwards so as to bring Yuriko down backwards. Between the vice grip Yuriko had, Obelisk's own grip on the girl's ribs, and the sudden movement, Yuriko would have little time to react. If she did nothing, Yuriko would land head, shoulder, or back first into the solid cement below her.
Meanwhile, in the palace throneroom. The High Priest watched the combat through various security monitors placed throughout the area. "Mmm, Ri'del, see that? Thats what hand-to-hand combat looks like." Tomoe told his son which he had in his lap. "Medical team to the Fyunnen stage grounds."
"Will I be learning that too?" Ri'del asked from his seat on his father's lap, eyes a little wide as he watched the large woman vs the smaller. He couldn't wrap his mind around why someone would try to take on one of those large Fyuunen women.
"I was wondering why she was letting that go on." Eve observed quietly, bending down to pet at her favourite puppy of all of them. Keeping her eye on the fight until they removed her comanding officer from the arena was a must though, of course.
"Of course, Lady Fate will show you how, so will Mommy and I." Tomoe explained as he rubbed the light growth of hair on his son's head. "Of course, you'll be matched according to size. I matched these two according to military rank."
Yuriko coughed slightly, a few flecks of blood leaving her lips, she also felt two of her ribs pop from the pressure the Fyuunen exerted on them. The Commodore growled a little, and balled her fist, swinging it back, and slammed it into the side of the woman's head before releasing her own grip on Obelisk's neck, and used the weakness in one side of the Fyuunen's grip to struggle free, but not without a price. The woman's fingers dug in as she slipped out, aggrivating the broken bones, and causing Yuriko to let out a small yelp of pain once more before she landed close by, clutching at her chest with an arm. Her automatic healing functions began to repair the internal damage, though it still hurt like hell, and would likely be slow going until the bones were properly set.
"I suppose that's the end of that." Rain said casually, as he watched the match finish up. Saito fidgetted, not liking to see and suffer through this but it was Yuriko's choice.
"Why did you match them by rank?" Ri'del asked as he frowned at his hair being messed with.
The High Priest laughed lightly as he continued rubbing his son's head. "Well, I'll respond to your question with one of my own. Would it be fair for me to match you against somone twice your age in a mathematics competition?"
Obelisk quickly rolled to her feet, her vision blurry for a moment. Shaking her head she growled a little as her vision finally came back into focus. Zoning in now on Yuriko, Obelisk came up into a crouch, arms out wide. Shaking her head again Obelisk began to close in on Yuriko her hands still out in a pose that almost resembled an old wrestling style.
Yuriko had been slightly hunched forward, but stood erect now, feeling pain lance up her chest. She winced, but used that pain to remind her she was alive, in her element, and above all else a reminder of just what this woman could do. She knew her bones were knitting back together, back into place, and took stock of the outstretched pose of Obelisk. She could squeeze the life out of me in a bear hug... The Commodore thought as she knew her sides were likely purple and black with brusing. It was good to know however her repeated hits to the Fyuunen's head had done something, likely not even a concussion, but a simple headache maybe.
The Commodore charged forward again, before giving the woman a chance to wrap her up in those crushing arms, Yuriko went into a baseball slide between the widend leged stance. She quickly got to her feet, eyeing the exposed behind of the kneecaps a moment before striking out at one from behind, intending to send the woman down into a kneeling stance.
"No..." Ri'del said in a put out voice. "But! I will study so I can be just as good!"
"Mmm, quite wise. Well, I matched these two because they're just as good as one another, despite their size differences. You could say, they've both done their studying... Ah, watch, the small one is trying to exercise a mobility advantage." The High Priest said to his son as he watched Yuriko attempt her kick.
Obelisk sprawled just then, kicking both feet out behind her, one to meet the attack of Yuriko and one to hopefully land at either the kneecap of the neko, or the ankle. The attack would have been easy enough to predict as she saw Yuriko slide underneath of her.
Yuriko felt her ankle burst into pain as she lurched backward and toppled over. Yuriko moved her good leg about, and grabbed hold of the Fyuunen's leg, pulling it into a heel hook, the foot was under her armpit, her legs being used to control Obelisk's body while her foot was being twisted by Yuriko's forearm, the Commodore grunted loudly, in a strained voice, feeling the applification of pain in her own ankle, and her ribs from what she was doing, but intent on the old creedo "an eye for an eye" Or in this case, " a foot for a foot".
In a second, Yuriko's bad ankle was in Obelisk's vice grip, growling loudly as she gritted her teeth. She had been through pain before, forced to work through broken bones in the wilderness or die, forced to push herself past her limits just to prove herself in the eyes of her house, to prove she was just as good as her sister. She could push past the pain now. She yanked Yurikp's bad ankle to the side before driving down with the heel of her free foot to try and drive it into Yuriko's face.
"Is this what is called a stalemate...?" Ri'del asked curiously as he leaned forward, interested now.
Yuriko ground at her teeth, feeling her bad ankle being further strained as she saw the Lorath woman's heel coming up through the haze of pain. Yuriko leaned back, her own grip maintained to some degree on the other woman's ankle. The movement however was too little too late as the heel connected with Yuriko's forehead, whipping her head back, releasing the grip on the Fyuunen's ankle, and sending Yuriko's back and head on the concrete, illiciting a moan from her.
"No son, that is what is called an exposed target. The off-worlder neglected to immobilize the Princess' other leg." The High Priest explained as he smiled softly, he was glad to see that the life of a princess had not dulled Obelisk's capabilities.
Just as Yuriko had let go of the ankle, a sick popping sound was heard. The popping sound was Obelisk's ankle, the foot now completely useless and with the tendon tears in her knee, her leg was just was useless. She saw her opening though, and fought through the pain. Taught to push it aside, Obelisk untangled herself and fought to climb ontop of Yuriko. If she could gain control, the fight would be over.
"But the off-worlder still managed to get her intended target father." Ri'del said, pointing as he shivered at hearing the pop. "It looks like she lost though...the big one is crawling on the smaller." He pointed out.
Yuriko's head just moved around a little, the edge of her vision black, the remainder hazy as she felt the bulk of the Fyuunen on top of her now, pressing down on her mending ribs. The Commodore moaned again, and balled her fist up, throwing a blind punch though it was entirely too weak to do much of anything given the circumstance, the bulk of Obelisk a blur now before Yuriko's eyes fluttered.
"Well, it would be wise if the offworlder yeilded." The High Priest said in a matter of fact tone as he watched the final motions of the contest. "I'd hate to have to actually tell them to call it quits, its so embarassing."
Obelisk was on top, her vision wavy. With a growl, she balled up a fist and slugged Yuriko once in the shoulder. "Conceed!" She demanded.
Yuriko felt the fist impact on her shoulder, jolting her eyes open a little wider now, hearing the yell. Yuriko balled up her fist again, and returned the blow, but to the woman's side, eyes defiant before she coughed again tasting that coppery tang in her mouth and knowing she shouldn't let simple pride be her better. The Commodore closed her eyes, and let out a shuddering breath, disliking this very much but she nodded. "I... conceed...." She said in a slurred voice, knowing her body would have a lot of healing to do from the punishment it was put under.
Obelisk let out a sigh before rolling onto her side, grunting from the impact that jarred her ankle and knee. Rolling to her side, she curled up on herself and gripped her knee, obviously in pain. She didn
She didn't let the others know through any noises though.
"Well..now it is done." Eve corrected, watching the aftermath with quite attention to her observations.
Yuriko meanwhile raised a hand up to her side, rubbing at her tender side. She let out a ragged breath as she squirmed on the floor a little, stiring slightly as her body began to do its job. She was starting to breathe easier in the very least, though it felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to her ankle.
Reiko had just watched it all, slightly wide eyed as she kept her hand on Midori's stomach. She didn't say anything but simply looked away.
Ri'del sunk into his father's chest as he crossed his arms. "Well, its over now." He said still frowning.
Midori simply shook her head, watching the two with a small smirk. "Seems she lost. It was a good fight though..." She said with a shrug.
Obelisk was on her side still, hiding her pain from the others as she waited for some of her sisters to come up and aid her. A few of the warriors did indeed come up to help her, gently lifting her to a standing position.
Datenshi was up at Yuriko's side after a moment, staring down at the girl. "Hey...hey Yuriko?"
Yuriko bit down on her bottom lip before speaking. "Just peachy, 'Tenshi. Help me up please?" She asked, knowing full well she'd be unable to stand on her own at the moment, and refusing to use her own gravity manipulation, wishing to remain equal.
Reiko just muttered something unintelligiable.
"You just got fucked up!" Datenshi laughed playfully as she knelt down to help the girl up with a grin.
"Mmmhmmm..." Midori agreed.
Yuriko thumped Tenshi on the nose and sniffed as she hobbled up on her good leg. "Considering the size, and weight difference I think I did fine."She said to both Tenshi and Midori, eyeing the two of them as she cleared her throat, and took in another cautious breath, feeling the pain lessen and lessen.
PAUSE
