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 Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:44 pm
"I underestimated just who I was dealing with--She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum...
 ::Katarina [Zevran]:: The silence might have been unsettling to others. For Katarina, she understood by now that this was just Aria's modus operandi--and such it would remain. She could understand it, to an extent only, though. There was a time at which small talk would perhaps be needed, or the ability to maintain a conversation useful.
But, then again, that was her job, not Aria's. Aria was much more fire power than she was, it seemed, and whatever she said held weight. After all, her speaking in and of itself was a rarity.
Sliding into a seat in the speedboat, she ignored the Ship-hand's apology, simply stating, "Do better next time." Which was fine, he probably would. Why people were so intimidated by her attitude was a bit beyond her. Perhaps it was the semi-Russian accent.
Taking the throttle in her hands as they were lowered into the icy water, Katarina made straight for the docks only barely visible from the glow of the flames. Somewhere across the city she could hear sirens. Well, at least their firemen were functional. Thank God for that, they'd seen cities without a fire department at all. Royal messes, those ones.
Docking a short while after, she threw a chain around the post, wrapped it six times, and locked it, before shutting off the motor, tucking it into a plastic box, and locking that shut as well. Hopefully no thieves would take it now. It was all but useless without the keys....she underestimated just who she was stealing from."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:46 pm
Even being so far away, Zane could still smell the smoke, feel the heat of the flames, envision the light dancing this way and that...
God, I might need help. Zane thought, though he quickly dismissed the thought and focused on the road. He'd be fine...maybe.
Anyway, Zane was busy minding his own business, trying to mentally divert Kenji Boy's interrogation (he just had a feeling he'd get one; the guy didn't even need the fire to have an excuse to lecture him) and keeping a good distance from the fire trucks as they passed him when he caught the glimpse of green on the street. After doing a doubt take, and being called out, he grinned; it was the city's resident loon, Ramona. Or Wendy, rather. Somewhat illegally, Zane cut through the other lane to the other side of the street, coming to a stop to meet his friend.
Zane couldn't help but look Ramona over. He wasn't going to try hiding it, she was damned cute, especially in her little Tinkerbell getup (or at least, as close to that as possible without just buying a costume). However, it was that cuteness that kept Zane from seriously flirting with her...it was the kind of cuteness that you got from a little sister. Fittingly enough, as Ramona apparently never felt like aging mentally past twelve, and fixating on children's stories.
Though, Zane personally had never met any one who could toss men twice her size across a room, so it wasn't like he was about to criticize the girl in anyway.
"Hey, hon," he greeted, pulling off his helmet and running his hands through his moss-green hair (it was a dare, originally, but it stuck....and it works, somehow). "Haven't seen you in awhile, what with all your book learning and stuff." Chuckling, leaned over the handlebars. "I'd offer you a ride to the dojo - I'm assuming that's where you're headed - but I know you like to walk. Besides, that dress of yours might not be the best thing to ride in...it's up to you, though."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:21 pm
 omoi daseba haruka haruka
mirai wa dokomademo kagayaiteta --Kenji//Yamato--"Thank you all for attending tonight. I will see you another day." Bowing low, Kenji straightened up just as his students did, and they filed out of the room quietly, as the dojo etiquette required. This was not a terrible group. They still had a long way to go, though. He sighed, stretched his fingers, and folded the arms across his chest, staring out of the windowed-wall into the darkness. Yes. The classes never were the same after disturbances like firetrucks, ambulances. Anything that reminded them of the dangers of the outside world was prone to set the students on edge.
And, thinking about that firetruck now, Kenji once again pondered if Zane had anything to do with it. After all, he'd been out quite a while. Which, while not entirely out of character for Zane, tended to bode ill for anything flammable. Especially if he got pinned by the wrong people.
Crossing to the stereo on the other side of the room, he shoved a hand into a deep coat pocket, fishing out a cell phone and dialing his friend's number. kirei na aozora no shita de
bokura wa sugoshi dake obieteita
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:26 pm
[Ramona Bateman]
[Wendy]
Ramona placed her right index finger to her chin and looked skyward, contemplating his offer. She then grinned and delicately positioned her on the seat besides his, wrapping her arms around his waist. "This dress is perfect for me to ride in because I'm wearing underwear. If I weren't, I'd have to walk. Hey, let's go to the harbor instead! We could watch for pirates and maybe score some treasure!" Ramona's voice seemed to raise an octave as she enthusiastically explained her plan for the evening now that she had someone who might travel with her. The more her idea pleased her, the tighter she squeezed Zane's torso.
"Besides, what's one lesson? He'll just scold us as soon as we get there."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:54 pm
Zane shrugged as Romona spoke. She was frank, that she was. Though, he didn't like her idea of going towards the docks. Did she not see the billowing smoke? Probably not, Romona was the type to only notice what she wanted to. "Yeah, the harbor isn't such a good idea right now. There was a fire, so there'll be people about. And there's also that huge liner..." That, he hadn't missed. It dark colored, so it was hard to make out in the night. But there was a huge boat sitting out at sea, waiting apparently to gain clearance. That didn't bode well, thought it's wasn't like Zane was expecting a terrorist attack. Arclight would probably be better with one, he though.
In the process of handing Ramona his helmet, his phone vibrated. He winced; just knowing who it would be. And sure enough, it was Kenji. "Yo, Kenji Boy!" Greeted Zane, putting on his best jovial facade. Wasn't that hard, but Kenji was perceptive. "Class still going? I just came across Ramona, we can be there in, like, five minutes. Four, if I go really fast."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:11 pm
[Ramona Bateman]
[Wendy]
Ramona frowned, loosening her grip significantly. She took the helmet from Zane's hands right before his cell phone rang and placed it over head, tightening ths strap as far as it would go. There was a liner in the harbor, and as far as she could tell, it could have been anyone. Captain Hook, for instance. Ramona sighed and regripped Zane's waist, though not nearly with as much strength as before. Had it been a car, she certainly would have crossed her arms, leaned her forehead against the window and pouted on the way to the dojo, but motorcycles provided a disadvantage for temper tantrums. Instead, the girl listened in on the phone conversation and lightly bit her lip, fearing that Kenji would keep them after class and scold them firmly.
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:50 pm
omoi daseba haruka haruka
mirai wa dokomademo kagayaiteta --Kenji//Yamato--He didn't bother with a greeting. No doubt Zane was using his fake 'everything-is-totally-chill,-brah-just-hanging-here-innocently' voice because he was responsible for that fire.
"Well, that would be largely pointless, Zane, seeing as I had to end the class early. A firetruck came whistling past the dojo not so long ago, and--ahh. There's another." Sure enough, a second firetruck came blaring, red-and-blue lights fired off, around the corner, before heading towards the same direction the other had gone. "And the students were so put-off, we couldn't get anything done without everyone heading to their cell phones every five seconds to ensure everything was alright."
He paused, staring at his nails. There was no point in chastising Zane. he had a problem with fire, granted, but that could be handled. Eventually. When they got the time. Instead, he stared back up at the wall, correcting a painting by a fraction of an inch.
"I do hope you haven't been up to anything that would have made my uncle frown." And that was that.
"I need you to pick up some fish by the wharf. Dock. What have you. If the store is open, at least. I promised a friend of mine sushi. Can you do that, while keeping that lighter of yours in your pocket?" The note hung over the phone like a promise, before he shook his head. "Just. Zane. Don't do anything that will get this dojo in the middle of another turf war. Alright?"
Click. The call ended. There wasn't a point in keeping it on longer. kirei na aozora no shita de
bokura wa sugoshi dake obieteita
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:54 pm
"I underestimated just who I was dealing with--She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum...
::Katarina [Zevran]:: Stepping up onto the street, Katarina knew already that Aria had her number, and quickly pulled her phone out, tapping it as a sort of signal for, "If you want to go do your own thing, feel free, I've got my phone on". And if Aria did feel like tagging along, well, she wasn't a child, she could most certainly keep up.
Boots clattering around on the pavement, she cast a disinterested eye over at the smoke, before rolling her eyes and sighing, shoving gloved hands into her pockets. Her black coat billowed behind her, eyes roving from side to side, Katarina closed her fingers around a cig and a lighter, pulling them both to her mouth and flipping the lighter several times, coaxing it to light.
No dice. Damn. She tossed the lighter into a nearby trashcan, it was a cheap one, anyway.
Strolling down the street further, she eyed closed shops and boarded-up windows, cig between her fingers. She hated keeping it between her teeth while unlit. From the looks of it, this city was just as bad actually in the streets as her initial impression had been from the boat, although it did have a functional ambulance and fire department. That much was good.
It wasn't long until she found another man, with a woman in a dress on the streets. Eying them both, she figured the man looked the most like a smoker, the woman just looked like...an oddball. Huh.
She strode straight up to the male, looked him in the eyes, held up her cig, and asked calmly, "Spare a light?"...she underestimated just who she was stealing from."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 9:10 pm
Zane mentally shook his head; of course Kenji would scold him for something that he didn't know he did, but it could be easily amused that he did. Really, it was just a little fire...that got a little bigger...I mean, c'mon, it's right next to the water! But what really annoyed Zane about Kenji's words, were his desire 'not to get drawn into another turf war'. Was he serious? Just a few weeks before, he had been out there with Master Taejo, by his uncle's side, leaving no man standing as they, Zane, Ramona, and Shurong Ray - I wonder what she's up to - put down fight club after fight club. Hell, Zane knew that he was even enjoying it!
But then, that might've been understandable, given their meeting with that man and his cronies. Ever since Taejo passed, Kenji had been trying to live up to the expectations of the Dojo's master...at least, what he thought everyone would expect. Kenji may not hold any misgivings against not knowing his parents, but Taejo was like a father to him, a bond closer than even Zane and his old man, and that's saying something. Try as he might to hide it, Kenji had to be feeling something...rage, or sorrow, anything.
Zane shook his head. I'm thinking too much. Just then, Kenji asked him to pick up some fish by the docks. Zane blinked, and then smiled as he put away his cell. "Looks like we'll be able to look for treasure after, Ramona." He said with a grin, before revving his bike and speeding off the way he came....
...At least, that's what he would've done, had a woman not approached asking for a light.
This woman, she just oozed trouble...but then, it was the kind of trouble that Zane liked. She was sure of herself, confident, no-nonsense; it was clear in the air about her.
"Of course," he said, putting on his most charming smile as he pulled out his lighter. With ease he lit it, and then the woman's cigarette. And then, unable to resist, he went onto ask, "If you don't mind me asking, what's a lady like yourself doing about at this time. It's dangerous, ya know."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 9:40 pm
"I underestimated just who I was dealing with--She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum...
::Katarina [Zevran]:: Great, he did have a light. That was good. She would have analyzed that expression that had passed over his face briefly, but she had a lit cigarette, and it was there in her fingers, and she couldn't do anything before she took a drag off it. So she did.
Hell, she was OCD like that. Couldn't help it.
Puffing the smoke out between her small lips, she pulled the cig to the side, analyzing him and his cosplaying girlfriend. Or that's what she seemed to be, at least. The bike spoke eons, as did the smell of bonfire smoke from him. She raised an eyebrow, before taking another drag.
"Well, I could ask the same of you and your girlfriend, yes?" Now that she thought about it, it seemed as though he was deliberately trying to make conversation with her. Katarina's eyebrows wrinkled for a second thinking about that, and her free hand instinctively flew to her collar, straightening imaginary musses. "A lady like myself is walking. And what is a gent and a woman like yourselves doing out? Is it simply dangerous for me, and not for you?"
She stared from the corner of her eyes, noting duly that her accent was more pronounced when smoking. And this man might well be a good source of information....she underestimated just who she was stealing from."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:19 pm
[Ramona Bateman]
[Wendy]
Eyes glittering with happiness from behind the helmet's screen, Ramona hugged Zane around his neck before returning her hands to his waist. "Bangarang!" she exclaimed. Then a woman approached the bike asking for a light. Though she couldn't actually smell the smoke through the helmet, especially since it wasn't lit, her nose wrinkled in disgust, preparing for the impact of heavy tobacco stench. Back when her father was alive, he had smoked using a pipe, and even then she still hated the smell.
Instinctively, Ramona didn't like the woman before them. Whether it was the accent, the cigarette, referring to her as Zane's "girlfriend," or the fact that she was standing between them and the harbor she couldn't discern, but something about her made Ramona feel uncomfortable.
"We're going to hunt pirate treasure! And of course we're perfectly fine. I know judo," Ramona said, hoping to impress her.
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:39 pm
Zane blinked; it was as if Ramona had suddenly reappeared behind him. It was always like that: if a beautiful woman was placed in front of him, other people would slip to the wayside. But it hadn't been too bad this time.
Zane chuckled at Ramona's comment, and the woman's assumption that he ad Ramona were an item, and nodded. "Yeah, this one here is a handful, trust me. And I'm no slouch either. You don't see too many true capoeiristas, do ya? Trained by the best, and he didn't even use it himself." There was the smallest, barest hint of sadness in Zane's voice - he loved Old Man Taejo, like a second father - but that was quickly washed away. "Anyway, miss, even then walking about is dangerous. Gangs of all sorts roaming around, fighting left and right, trying to show who's got bigger cajones...typical male stuff, just taken to eleven. I'd love to tell you more, but we've got our treas - I mean, we have some fish to buy, so we'll have to be on our way." Zane gripped the handlebars, but kept his eyes on the lady.
"However, I wouldn't mind going into further detail with you later, if you're interested." Despite actually meaning to be of aid to some point, Zane couldn't resist the oh-so-obvious attempt at asking for a date. The woman didn't seem like the type to agree so easily, but Zane was hardwired to try it anyway. "The name's Zane Marduk, by the way."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:40 pm
"I underestimated just who I was dealing with--She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum...
::Katarina [Zevran]:: The second the little girl mentioned pirate treasure, Katarina had been full set to, 'oh-God-it's-a-kid-pretend-you-know-what-the-hell-to-do-with-kids' mode, but then she mentioned knowing judo.
Wait. She knew judo?
Katarina retracted the cig from her lips in a split second, not bothering to exhale the smoke this time. It came from the slight purse her lips made from thinking, like a dragon contemplating whether or not to spit fire. The fact that this girl, who was probably not a girl, knew judo, meant that they went to the Heavenly Dojo. Which meant that she might have an inside with this, now.
She couldn't quite decide if this was a score or not. One way or another, Mugen would be wanting to hear about this.
"Judo?" She asked quietly, raising an eyebrow. Best to go with the 'slightly-disarmed, not expecting that' approach. Seemed as though the girl was deliberately trying to throw people off her age, anyway. "Really? I wouldn't have taken you for a judo sort of person. But I guess you can't underestimate people. What belt are you, blue, brown?" Sambo was largely based off judo, at any rate, so she had an idea of what she was talking about. Best just to play as though she didn't know much, though.
Shifting her eyes back to the man, she eyed him once more, being a little less subtle this time. Best to really start working her angles with this one, see what made him tick. That sort of thing fascinated her. "Capoeria. Interesting. I can see it, now." She reached into her upper pocket, pulling out a business card: Lime green on black, it read the words "Zevran Roman", her alias, and a phone number.
"You can call me by my non-business name." She pulled a white pen from her pocket, and wrote, "Katarina" on the card with a flourish, handing it to him. "I've never been around someone who knew Capoeria. I'd like to know more about it. And you catch my interest."
Buttoning her jacket, she flashed one grin, before turning away, waving her hand dismissively. "Call me if you like, Zane. Good night, you two. Good luck with that treasure hunting."...she underestimated just who she was stealing from."
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:58 pm
[Ramona Bateman]
[Wendy]
"Red belt, actually," Ramona bragged. In Judo, brown or blue belts were given only to medium-level students, while red was given as the top rank. Being a female, a white stripe ran through the center of hers. Of course, Ramona always preferred to display her green belt, as it matched the majority of her outfits. She looked at the business card in disdain as Katarina walked away.
"Why didn't I get a card?" she asked Zane, sounding hurt. She probably looked it, too, but no one could really sure while she wore her helmet. "And what's up with this fish business? You are going to help me find treasure, right?"
Everyone who knew her, knew that when she raised her voice and placed her hands on her hips the way she did now, it was a bad idea to do anything to upset her. After all, grappling someone was her specialty.
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 4:57 pm
Aria Mirele Rivkin
The boat ride was quiet but she didn't expect otherwise. Most situations tend to be quiet with her around. The young Israeli woman stared straight ahead at the fading fire as their little boat neared the docks. In a town like this, anything could be stolen from anyone. And normally she would have offered to stay behind and babysit their precious motorboat but knowing, Katarina, she didn't bother. She knew the Russian would not let any stranger near it. And if some idiot was desperate enough to steal a key-less boat, she could always find them and take it back.
Once on dry land, Katarina took out her phone to let the silent girl know that she could call her if she needed to. Aria nodded and decided to go her own way. She wanted to go exploring, but of course, she knew better than to walk so far away that she lost sight of her partner. The Israeli woman trailed behind, far behind, so that she could do her own thing.
This was certainly not the good part of town. The sidewalks were decorated with garbage. Rats scurried away at the sight of the alien creature that walked the streets of this unhealthy town. There was a certain stench that lingered in the air and her nose scrunched up for a moment at the unpleasant smell. Rotten...purely rotten... The shops were closed due to the time and each one was heavily protected with metal to prevent break-ins. As if that would help... She thought. Reaching over, she pulled on the protective chains and shook her head in disappointment. Already...she thought of a few ways to get past the weak metal bars. After she was past the first obstacle, all she needed to do was break the glass, flip the lock, and she was in. That was assuming the shops did not have an alarm system.
As she continued walking, she noticed quite a few vulgar paintings that were no doubt drawn by teenagers with cans of spray paint. Near a small alley laid the remains of a bicycle. The wheels were taken and the thief left the body of the bike. Silly, silly people...
She walked down a few more alleyways before finally emerging from the shadows to catch up with Katarina. She'd completely missed the interactions she had with the two strangers but it didn't matter...Aria wouldn't have said anything anyways. She was especially quiet around strangers.
"It is good that they have a fire department. This town is rotten," She commented, her accent quiet noticeable in her speech.
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