How did they know my style?

[fire_dancer]

(Set just after Fire On the Mountain, forgive the delay life has been pretty hectic for me as of late.)

Raquel was back at base in one of the lounges and looking down, there was something strange about the encounter with the Shura, as much as she wanted to punch the Deception with the nails on chalkboard voice? This had got her attention. Who the hell were they? No she knew they were Shura, she had some idea about the race. She'd met one of them before but why were more of them here? They said they were looking for someone.

What's more they were looking for a machine as well form the sounds of it and the one she fought knew her style to the point he had counters for the majority of her attacks what the hell was going on here? She hugged her knees some more just trying to sort out her thoughts for once she was not bundle energy or even confidence like she seems to be normally.

Comments

[star_of_sad]

Hello? Raquel?

[Setsuko hovers nearby, uncertain. THis is so unlike the martial artist's usual happy go luck behaviour.]

Are you alright?

[fire_dancer]

Raquel doesn't look up for a moment she seems to be talking to her self a bit like she's trying to reply something.

"Hummm? Oh no...that Shura. He knew how I fought, he knew my style of combat. Not just didn't he know it he knew how to counter it, which means he's encounter my mother's and I's style somewhere before...He also claimed he was looking for someone and a machine of some sort."

She looks a bit strained as she trails off, something's really rattled her now.

[star_of_sad]

That's... a bit too much to be a coincidence, isn't it.

Is your mother safe? Do you know?

[fire_dancer]

"Yes she's fine but ... she had the damnedest reaction when I told her about the Shura. She got very quiet for once and said she'd be heading to the base sooner or later. It's really odd to be honest. I never seen her out of sorts before like that. Well heard her like that."

[star_of_sad]

It sounds like she knows them, then... maybe she had contact with the Shura before, and one of them taught her?

You learned your martial arts from your mother, right?

[fire_dancer]

"That could be it, I don't know. We won't know till she gets here, she's got some answers I think she owes us. Seriously those guys fought hard. I'm all for a challenge but I'm not used to. Someone being ready for what I can do."

She pauses for a moment

"She's been training me since the day I learned how to walk."

[star_of_sad]

Yes, let's hear to what your mother has to say once she gets here. I am just relieved that she is fine. If this kind of people are targetting her...

Since you learned... how to walk? Really?

[fire_dancer]

"I'm glad she's all right, and yes she started training me when I was very little. I thought some of it was a game, but yes she started me very young. I'm starting to wonder if what's chasing her possibly. Is why she has? I still wonder she's never told me a thing about dad...other than he was strong and skilled with martial arts."

[star_of_sad]

But that'd mean that...

No, I do not want to make any hasty assumptions. Let's just... talk to your mother when she arrives, alright?

[fire_dancer]

"Your right, we'll see what she has to say once she gets here. The question is how long as I have no idea what route she's taking to do so."

[genericbiggerbrother]

Yancy notices that a fellow motion-capture harness pilot is feeling glum!

"You okay, kid?" He asks. "You look like you got a telegram saying that your pet rock died!"

[fire_dancer]

"Honest answer no. Also rocks didn't last long around my house they'd get busted up in training."

That actually got a half smile out of the martial artist for a moment as she looked up to the Ranger for a moment.

"That alien knew how I fought. Not that just he'd seen it before he had counters for it. I'd never encountered anyone like that. Also the other things he said raise a lot of ... questions. Ones I don't like where they are going."

[ugyuuya]

[Tarisa enters the lounge with a tablet in her hands watching a video on it. She notes the distracted looking woman and walks over to address her.]

"Hey, don't see you inside often? Not out training like normal? I figured you'd be out working on your forms or some such like you usually are not inside just sitting around. Something up?"

[fire_dancer]

Raquel shakes her head to Tarisa as she speaks to her.

"No, I don't have the focus right now to do so. Not after what happened on that operation in South America. You run face first into a man whose's better than you? That's fine to me I can accept that. I'm all for a challenge but he knew everything I was doing and countered most of it."

She keeps quiet.

"He also seemed to know that style's name but didn't tell me what it was. So far as I known my mother and I were the only ones with that style, until we ran into that one Shura a while ago. I didn't think too much of it...till now."

[ugyuuya]

"Well we have battle footage and I'm not to bad a hand at hand to hand myself. I doubt I'm in your league from what I've seen but at least we could look over it and figure out how he did what he did and what you might do to fix it. Also blending a few other striking styles might not be a bad thing to try to help flesh things out a bit. I have been looking for a bit of a sparring partner anyways."

[Tarisa grins in at the prospect of a bit of competitive sparring after having only basic hand to hand for so long.]

[fire_dancer]

"It's not only that he flat out said he knew my style and it's counters. That what troubles me so far as I knew my mother, my martial arts master, was it's creator."

"If you want to spar though I'll be happy to I'll hold back somewhat my style's /very/ go for the throat for the most part. Still it would be nice."

[ugyuuya]

[Tarisa looks slightly offended at Raquel's comment.]

Well assuming you are reasonably proficient in your control I think you won't have to hold back as much as you think. I do take pride in my own martial abilities and my heritage as a Nepalese citizen. Track back to the days of the old British empire and we had some of the most disciplined and combat effective units in the world. I'm not going to be using a weapon since it's a spar but I rarely lose a fight.

As far as it goes for your style's creator, who really cares if your mom learned it or made it. You know it and now it's up to you to refine and master it in your own way. Martial arts forms are passed down because they work, there's no shame in following those traditions as long as you don't let yourself get blinded by them.

[fire_dancer]

Raquel sits up for a moment and focuses causing a burst of flame to appear in her palm for a moment.

"I more mean not making things explode like it's a Wuxia movie. Did I ever tell you my mother's been in a few and I got dragged into one or two? Anything she does isn't effects. It should be worth out time to spar yes."

She takes a moment to think about Tarisa's words.

"It's more he knew it as well and knew the counters. It makes me wonder where it came from and they said they were looking for a woman and her machine."

[ugyuuya]

[To Tarisa's credit she masks her surprise well at the manifestation of Raquel's power.]

Well isn't that a neat trick, and apparently teachable if your mother trained you in it. Given what you've said and what I've heard it's more of a lifelong study type deal but I'm sure even the basics could be useful enough if applied creatively. You'll forgive me if I consider using the pilot suit as a precaution in that case since I'm guessing Ken was running on a similar energy and VG said Yuuya didn't look that good at all after their little bout. I'm not saying you'll hit that hard intentionally but sometimes the heat of the moment gets you.

You've already spoken with your mother I'm assuming and she's safe? In that case she's aware of the issue and it's best to assume proper steps are being taken, prepare as you can, and observe. Rushing won't really get you anywhere will it?

[fire_dancer]

"It is and it isn't if you don't have the ki for it, all the training in the world isn't going to do it. You can sometimes raise it but it's rare to run into someone who can. The Shura on the other hand? It seems they got quite a few more. No please use the flight suit and yes Ken does."

"He may be able to do more in time. As for mother? She's claiming to be on her way here but she's not taking the teleporters. Also agreed rushing in will just make things a bigger mess."

[prismphantom]

Heard you went through some trouble out there.

[Admittedly the information about Shu's South American hideout was what really caught her attention but she wasn't going to turn a blind eye to every one else.]

Need to talk about it?

[fire_dancer]

Raquel looks up to see whom has just arrived.

"It's not so much the Decepticons. Even if there's that one with the voice that sounds like nails on chalk board. Please someone weld his mouth shut. It's more I'm worried about the Shura than anything else to be honest. It's got me thinking and I don't like the answers that are coming up."

[gundamx_gonnagiveittoya]

Woah... did they really get to you that badly?

[fire_dancer]

Raquel doesn't move as Garrod comes in, she takes a moment before she looks at the pilot of the Gundam X.

"You could say that, what if you encountered someone who could shut down everything you could do in a fight. If I'd alone? I'd be dead. The Shura are not prone to holding back from what I know of them."

[gundamx_gonnagiveittoya]

"Well... well you're not dead, that's for one." he says trying to restore at least some confidence.

"Well... all I can say is that you'll have have to get better somehow! I don't think I'd be shamed to have anyone help me either though. But you know... I guess the only thing is to get better than them... I honestly can't think of anything else at the moment..."

[fire_dancer]

"It would be a real lich if I was dead and somehow talking to you, wouldn't it?"

She goes quiet as she listens to Garrod for a moment.

"There's no shame in teamwork no but one must be strong enough to be useful in the first place. That's a possiblity but I need to find out more about them and our resident Shura seems to have run off into the lookout as it were."