The battlefield is... I'm not gonna lie, as close to a quarry as she could make it. It was kinda clear that she wanted a wide open space, given everything she had said before, so clearing things out and passing on Starling to the spirits seemed to be the best bet.
Hey, it meant Hakairyu got to get some light exercise, even still in his baby form.
Karin arrives, dressed in her typical bomber jacket/skirt combo, slowing to a stop when she actually sees Fauna. A lazy wave, and a grin. ]
Yo. You actually showed up.
[ Actually, she beat Karin here by a bit of time, which she wasn't really expecting. ]
[ Karin had time to think on what she wanted to do, and how she wanted to do this. She cleared her mind, had time to utilize the gym at Canis Major, and worked things out in her head once ready.
As opposed to anger and rage from the last time they fought... there's only a clear look of determination on Kitano Karin's face. ]
I can't get stronger if I don't know where I'm at, so... here we are. No excuses, nothin' to hold us back.
[ She unzips her bomber jacket and tosses it to the side. As expected, the only thing she's got on left is her wrapping, a sarashi that goes from her chest down to her stomach. Momentary stretch. ]
So don't hold back, got it? Just fight as much as the fire inside of ya burns.
[... This is bad. That determination... That lack of anger, that fire...
For a moment, Fauna worries. She's come to care about Karin. How did that happen? Can she really fight against Karin with full power now...?]
Wild Change!
["Thunderbolts and Lions!" her changer calls, as Fauna's form is obscured by night for a moment. When it clears, her yellow, samurai-like lion armor stands, and Night Wild is rolling her shoulders, leaving her katana at her side.]
... This is the form I'm worst with... But in terms of raw strength, it's by far my strongest.
[ Raw strength... yeah, that about suits this. Karin plants her feet and takes a stance, steam starting to rise from her body. ]
If you're thinkin' this is gonna just be practice, you're in trouble. So.
Get ready.
[ And she goes.
As Karin battles, it should be clear that she's not the same person that Fauna fought in January. The frustrated young lady who hated Starsand City and everyone in it, resented the kami, and didn't particularly care what happened to herself, just as long as she got to return home. As she'd said, she had people to protect now, those she wanted to keep safe.
One that she's fighting against right now.
If she can't match Night Wild by strength, then her tactic is speed. Looking for an opening and attempting to get in a shot whenever she can. Keeping an eye on Night Wild's movements, bound to using her fists as opposed to her bokken. Not ramping up the heat inside of her body, staying calm as they fight.
Really, she doesn't know if Fauna has a limit, but Karin knows that she does. It's an unfortunate limitation of hers, one that's a hurdle she's not sure if she can overcome. But she has to become stronger. She has to win. Every dodge, every attempt at a palm strike, it's clear that her objective really isn't to hurt Fauna.
She doesn't want to hurt her. She just wants to win. She wants to prove herself to this woman. ]
[Fauna can barely recognize who she's fighting. When did that angry, hateful person become... this?
In a way, it's a stalemate. While it's true that this is Fauna's strongest form- Offensive and defensive- It's also one without any tricks. It's slow, and its range of motion is inhibited by its own armor. Meaning that she can't hit Karin, not while Karin's moving that fast. But at the same time... Karin's blows don't hurt her, either. The armor is strong, after all.
Lighting gathers in Fauna's hand, crackling, as she swings, trying to land a blow on Karin who is already gone.
... Yet something's wrong. Fauna isn't as sharp as she was before. She's not as fast, she's not as strong. She still seems almost invincible... But if it was before, she'd have already won by now.]
[ This is who she should've been to begin with. The one others came to test their strength against, who had crushed delinquents and stopped wandering magical girls in their tracks in a collected manner, not getting lost in her own head. Karin lost herself a long time ago, and every time she let her anger get the better of her, she couldn't win.
Even now, she'd be lying if she wasn't thinking about how frustratingly tough this armor was. Something she'd have to either break through or shatter completely if she's going to win. Both seem impossible at the moment.
But...
She'd already chipped away at the armor, in a way. Karin had nearly, completely erased the image that Fauna might have had of her when she couldn't stop taunting and prodding. She'd worked to gain trust, to give Fauna something to smile over. Fauna deserved so much better than she was getting, deserved better than the family that she had, and better than being someone else's flunky.
Fauna deserved happiness.
If it's slow and hard to move in, then there was one clear path to victory. Karin had to knock her off of her feet. Meaning, she'd have to change tactics a little. Putting distance between them... before she builds up more steam in her legs, and charges. This'll suck, she's sure, but... she'll have to attempt a body check, something substantially stronger in order to at least throw off Fauna's balance. To make her unsteady enough to get her down. ]
[When Karin puts distance between them, Fauna stops, confused. That doesn't seem like Karin... What's she planning?
And then the charge. Fauna understands immediately- Power against power, is it? Fine. She braces herself to meet Karin head-on, turning herself into a wall for Karin to slam into...
... But she underestimated that speed. Fauna does, in fact, have to step back, on the back foot, off-balance from the impact... Surely she can get her bearings back before Karin can continue, right?]
[ Wrong. Karin has to pivot. Has to shift the balance of heat in her body, so that when she has enough momentum in her legs and can adjust...
She can transition to one arm. A burst of steam coming forth before she firmly plants her foot, crouches low and throws all of her weight into a lariat, to attempt to knock her to the ground. ]
[She plants one foot on the ground. Lightning gathers into her fist, as she swings it, and-
... A lariat? What the hell?
Fauna ends up falling over backwards, landing on her back on the ground. But rather than protesting, or even fighting... She releases the lightning into the ground, as she can't help but just. Laugh. Laugh and laugh and laugh.]
[You know that helmet she wears? With the strange faceplate over the mouth? The one that looks like animal fangs?
It opens, showing rows of teeth and a jaw- It's a real mouth.
And with a deep breath, she roars- A lion's roar- No, a strike of thunder. A sound that hits like a wall of physical force, the sheer power of the sound alone pushing Karin back physically.]
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The battlefield is... I'm not gonna lie, as close to a quarry as she could make it. It was kinda clear that she wanted a wide open space, given everything she had said before, so clearing things out and passing on Starling to the spirits seemed to be the best bet.
Hey, it meant Hakairyu got to get some light exercise, even still in his baby form.
Karin arrives, dressed in her typical bomber jacket/skirt combo, slowing to a stop when she actually sees Fauna. A lazy wave, and a grin. ]
Yo. You actually showed up.
[ Actually, she beat Karin here by a bit of time, which she wasn't really expecting. ]
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Fauna looks around, taking in the battlefield.]
Of course I did. What about you- You're sure about this?
[She doesn't want to be condescending, but... She is worried.]
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[ Karin had time to think on what she wanted to do, and how she wanted to do this. She cleared her mind, had time to utilize the gym at Canis Major, and worked things out in her head once ready.
As opposed to anger and rage from the last time they fought... there's only a clear look of determination on Kitano Karin's face. ]
I can't get stronger if I don't know where I'm at, so... here we are. No excuses, nothin' to hold us back.
[ She unzips her bomber jacket and tosses it to the side. As expected, the only thing she's got on left is her wrapping, a sarashi that goes from her chest down to her stomach. Momentary stretch. ]
So don't hold back, got it? Just fight as much as the fire inside of ya burns.
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For a moment, Fauna worries. She's come to care about Karin. How did that happen? Can she really fight against Karin with full power now...?]
Wild Change!
["Thunderbolts and Lions!" her changer calls, as Fauna's form is obscured by night for a moment. When it clears, her yellow, samurai-like lion armor stands, and Night Wild is rolling her shoulders, leaving her katana at her side.]
... This is the form I'm worst with... But in terms of raw strength, it's by far my strongest.
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If you're thinkin' this is gonna just be practice, you're in trouble. So.
Get ready.
[ And she goes.
As Karin battles, it should be clear that she's not the same person that Fauna fought in January. The frustrated young lady who hated Starsand City and everyone in it, resented the kami, and didn't particularly care what happened to herself, just as long as she got to return home. As she'd said, she had people to protect now, those she wanted to keep safe.
One that she's fighting against right now.
If she can't match Night Wild by strength, then her tactic is speed. Looking for an opening and attempting to get in a shot whenever she can. Keeping an eye on Night Wild's movements, bound to using her fists as opposed to her bokken. Not ramping up the heat inside of her body, staying calm as they fight.
Really, she doesn't know if Fauna has a limit, but Karin knows that she does. It's an unfortunate limitation of hers, one that's a hurdle she's not sure if she can overcome. But she has to become stronger. She has to win. Every dodge, every attempt at a palm strike, it's clear that her objective really isn't to hurt Fauna.
She doesn't want to hurt her. She just wants to win. She wants to prove herself to this woman. ]
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In a way, it's a stalemate. While it's true that this is Fauna's strongest form- Offensive and defensive- It's also one without any tricks. It's slow, and its range of motion is inhibited by its own armor. Meaning that she can't hit Karin, not while Karin's moving that fast. But at the same time... Karin's blows don't hurt her, either. The armor is strong, after all.
Lighting gathers in Fauna's hand, crackling, as she swings, trying to land a blow on Karin who is already gone.
... Yet something's wrong. Fauna isn't as sharp as she was before. She's not as fast, she's not as strong. She still seems almost invincible... But if it was before, she'd have already won by now.]
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Even now, she'd be lying if she wasn't thinking about how frustratingly tough this armor was. Something she'd have to either break through or shatter completely if she's going to win. Both seem impossible at the moment.
But...
She'd already chipped away at the armor, in a way. Karin had nearly, completely erased the image that Fauna might have had of her when she couldn't stop taunting and prodding. She'd worked to gain trust, to give Fauna something to smile over. Fauna deserved so much better than she was getting, deserved better than the family that she had, and better than being someone else's flunky.
Fauna deserved happiness.
If it's slow and hard to move in, then there was one clear path to victory. Karin had to knock her off of her feet. Meaning, she'd have to change tactics a little. Putting distance between them... before she builds up more steam in her legs, and charges. This'll suck, she's sure, but... she'll have to attempt a body check, something substantially stronger in order to at least throw off Fauna's balance. To make her unsteady enough to get her down. ]
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And then the charge. Fauna understands immediately- Power against power, is it? Fine. She braces herself to meet Karin head-on, turning herself into a wall for Karin to slam into...
... But she underestimated that speed. Fauna does, in fact, have to step back, on the back foot, off-balance from the impact... Surely she can get her bearings back before Karin can continue, right?]
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She can transition to one arm. A burst of steam coming forth before she firmly plants her foot, crouches low and throws all of her weight into a lariat, to attempt to knock her to the ground. ]
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... A lariat? What the hell?
Fauna ends up falling over backwards, landing on her back on the ground. But rather than protesting, or even fighting... She releases the lightning into the ground, as she can't help but just. Laugh. Laugh and laugh and laugh.]
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[ What the fuck? Why is she laughing?
Ahh whatever-!
The important thing is landing one more blow! Which she quickly winds up and--
Plants her fist, right next to Fauna's head, on the ground. Karin kneels, trying to disguise the weird feeling she just got hearing her laugh. ]
The hell's so funny?!
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What was that move? Are you a wrestler?
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[ Very into Hansen! ]
You're still down. You yield?
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There's something you're forgetting.
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It opens, showing rows of teeth and a jaw- It's a real mouth.
And with a deep breath, she roars- A lion's roar- No, a strike of thunder. A sound that hits like a wall of physical force, the sheer power of the sound alone pushing Karin back physically.]
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[ It absolutely knocks her right back, off of Fauna and into a tumble, leaving her to recover. ]
Oi oi, I've gotta know about it before I can forget, y'know... just don't wanna admit that I had ya.
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If I can get you off that easily, you didn't have me.
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Guess not.
I'm callin' it, then. All we're gonna do is waste time at this rate.
Guess I've still got a ways to go.
[ She places her hands behind the back of her head, strolling closer. ]
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She's smiling.]
I had fun this time, though.
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[ As she steps forward, she... puts out her hand. Shake? ]
Good fight.
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Good fight.
... You've changed.
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Like I told you... I have people close to me I wanna protect now. I don't know how strong they are, but I've gotta.
[ Tap... Aimee... to an extent, Satou. ]
...If I ain't the strongest... I'm not gonna be able to protect you.
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Protect... her?]
You... want to protect me?
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She sounds stunned. Alright, just respond with what you mean, Karin. Be earnest, be determined, look her in her eyes.
...that was a mistake. Whatever she was going to say--
...actions speak louder, right?
Which is what leads her to step forward, her mind swimming, with all intentions to gently kiss Fauna. ]
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