Blue Water, Blue Sky

[not_a_prize]

[1]
[To say Regalis Filia was pretty damn trashed after the latest engagement with the Zentraedi was an understatement. Indeed it was designed first and foremost to protect its pilot, it didn't mean the beating wasn't straining in itself. Peola was sitting on the deck of the Macross with a number of bandages on her, kicking her feet lazily as she looked out to sea. Ever so often she'd glance at her bandages in annoyance and tug at them a little.]

For an annoying big talking Pacifist, that jerk Kaifun knows how to throw a person.

[She gives you a wry smile and waves.]

Do you think we did good enough out there?

[2]
[Not too far from the Macross and the Unity Group in town, there was a woman making something of a commotion. She was a tall, brutal looking specimen, numerous scars on her body and face. There was also a distinct air of smugness and a somewhat vicious grin on her face.]



You.

[Her hand snaps out towards you.]

I'm looking for a brat named Peola. I felt and saw her around here... so where is she?

[As she lowers her hand her fingers curl into a fist as bones pop.]

I'm not one for asking twice so you better cough it up.

Comments

[not_a_prize]

[This earned an irritated snarl as the lasers find their mark. They probably would have burned through regular people... or burned some painful holes in them. These just burned her enough to leave marks. It might have been her ki mitigating it or just her being that tough... but clearly landing that hit both hurt the intruder and really ticked her off.]

Oh you are going to regret that one...

[She was going to rush Ashe as the megaman made her way back to the ground from the overhead shots to shoulder check her. Whether or not this makes contact the intruder would follow up with a twin open palmed blow, ki surging through her hands that would be let loose in a up close blast of concussive force that rippled out and rattled and knocked over more than a few things way behind Ashe.]

[booty_chaser]

[Ashe's reaction is probably not the expected one, however. As she touches ground she suddenly rolls forcefully forward instead of backwards -towards her attacker, meeting the top-heavy inertia of a shoulder check by sweeping the legs off the mystery crazy under her with her own body (which is, must be said, bloody heavy while transformed. There's a reason Mega Men sink like rocks) to trip her.

She then comes out of the roll springing to the side, using that little split second the attacker needs to turn around to jump sideways and narrowly dodge the concussion blast before letting go a single seeking lightning bolt at her. Ashe does not actually want to really hurt this person, so full barrages are out of the question, but that should be a pretty unpleasant zap]

[not_a_prize]

[The funny thing about opponents like the intruder here is that they tend to underestimate the hell out of a lot of people and think they are unbeatable. Being knocked to the ground by Ashe sending her off her feet was probably pretty humiliating. Getting zapped by the Megaman equivalent of a taser and having her opponent go easy on her? Well... she'd be frothing mad later on.]

GH-AAARRRK-

[The zap has her in a twitching heap. Subdued with the major injury being to her pride.]

[booty_chaser]

Well, that's that.

What the heck was that woman's problem, anyway?

I don't know. [Ashe is a bit more dry than usual. She's still annoyed at Model A] But I'm gonna find out.

[So first, she's going to call security to prepare a cell for someone who can probably punch through a steel door. And then she's going to call Peola]

Hey, Peola? There was a crazy woman asking for you. Big, scarred, kinda talks like Atlas. I, uh, kinda had to knock her unconscious because she tried to ram through the doors. Do you know her?

[not_a_prize]

... I don't think I do.

[This had her scratching the side of her head.]

I'm pretty sure if I met anyone like that I'dve punched them pretty hard... been getting a weird prodding feeling in the back of my head though.

Did she say anything else?

[booty_chaser]

Not a lot. She went on about how strength let you do whatever, and badmouthed some guy who apparently was more responsible about using his strength to protect people. He sounded pretty cool, really.

Oh, wait. She said something about "if you ran away from him you might be a better fighter" or something like that. So maybe you knew that guy?

[not_a_prize]

... 'if I ran away from him I might be a better-' what? That doesn't make any sense at all. How does running away from a person make me a better fighter?

[Peola looks tremendously confused.]

I mean the only person I could think of that could fit that description is my father because he was trying to keep me from fighting.

[booty_chaser]

Hey, don't ask me. But this guy sounded like a pretty great guy, and your dad is kind of a jerk.

[Ugh. Maybe she should have tried to get more from her before taking her out]

How many people from your planet do you know that worry a lot about using their power right? Maybe we can, I don't know, narrow it down a bit? Because this woman definitely was from your place - she shot one of those ki balls you do at me.

[not_a_prize]

... There's a bunch of noble families but a lot of the more reasonable ones got overtaken by the ones who want to climb up the status ladder last I heard...

[Peola's trying to dredge up as much as she could think of.]

There's my brother too, he's always been about being responsible as a leader but I learned everything I know from him.

If she's from home maybe she's a criminal or a renegade? It might be why I don't know anything about her. Not exactly stuff that gets mentioned around a princess.

[booty_chaser]

You know what, I don't think we're going to get very far this way.

Maybe we should restrain her and wake her up. I don't think she had any good ideas about you, though, so I'm staying in case she tries something.

[not_a_prize]

I can take care of myself you know.

[Peola has a small grin on her face before it turned serious.]

But I don't mind having someone else around to keep her from doing something stupid.

[booty_chaser]

Well, yeah, but this woman seems the type to try to outright kill - and if anyone is going to take a wound, I'm the one with the self-healing armor suit, remember?

[not_a_prize]

The armor you talk to right? Won't it get mad you keep denting it?

[The tone was joking. Either way though they make their way to the brig where the mystery assailant was thoroughly restrained. She also was very much awake given the angry snarls and shrieks and roars you can hear as she thrashes and tugs. Thankfully rather than giving way, the restraints used had an extremely high tensile strength and the walls were a little too thick for her to bust her way through. And then she saw Ashe, not registering Peola for the time being.]



"YOU!!!!"

[She lunges at the hunter on the other side of the bars. Her restraints doing a very good job of making sure she doesn't even make it a foot towards it before they slowly drag her back to the far wall of the cell. Doesn't mean she won't keep trying to get to the bars. Peola actually cringes pretty hard, the raw aggression this woman was radiating not just in a normal way, but through her very essence was enough to almost make her physically ill.]

That's her!? Sun... its like she's an animal... a rabid one!

[booty_chaser]

Well, at least we know I didn't hurt her too much. I was kind of worried. [She then turns towards the cage]

Hey, hey, relax! [Ashe waves nonchalantly] You know we could have saved ourselves all this if you just tried being reasonable, right?

Anyway, so, you wanted to see Peola?

[not_a_prize]

[At this mystery woman tries to swing her arm to let loose with a ki bolt. Of course lacking the discipline needed to use something that required focus it fizzled a few inches from the bars. She grinds her teeth and looks down before a bitter and somewhat wicked smile twitches on her face.]

"Yes. I did. Though I would've liked to do it on my own terms like I did with her brother."

[This earned a look from Peola, a disbelieving one. Still, she can pick up that she was telling the truth more or less... but there was something else.]

You met my brother? His soldiers wouldn't have even let you ten feet close to one of his camps or the palace... or even the city!

"They didn't. So I made them let me see him. They weren't in a condition to do anything else. So tell me... how was he doing after our fight? Did he lose his eye like I thought they would? Cut off his leg to save his body? The ki poisoning he have still wracking his body from that pathetic struggle he put up?"

[Aaaand Peola just went stock still before a look of seething rage was creeping onto her face.]



You..? You're the one who did that to Harunn?!

[booty_chaser]

Wait, what!?

[Okay, that was unexpected. What the heck is going on. Ashe can only look at Peola with a face that quite clearly demans some sort of explanation because the Hunter has no idea what is going on anymore]

[not_a_prize]

My brother... he's the one who taught me everything I know about fighting. Kept my father off my back for the most part with that stupid plan of his. Practically the only person I could depend on in my family.

[She was trembling with barely restrained anger.]

One day he came back from a campaign on the outer rim of the Kingdom. They had to take one of his legs and he lost an eye... but if it was just that I know he would've done everything he could to get back on his feet.

He was sick when they brought him back. Coughing blood, pale... he could barely move and even talking hurt him. His ki was tainted... its like having something bad running through your body and soul at the same time... All he said was that he fought a terrifying enemy.



"HAH! So it turned out worse! He really was weak!"

[booty_chaser]

Why? [Ashe directs a dangerous glare at the woman in the cell. If she had any sense of self-preservation, it should probably start ringing now] Why did you do it?

[not_a_prize]

"You want to know why? Because I wanted to see if someone I gave birth to... Someone that weakling who managed to get the upper hand on me all those years ago fathered could be worth any sort of challenge."

[The words were insufferably smug. The implications were all the more worse for a now speechless Peola.]

"Surprised brat? I'm your mother. And if you need to have someone around to keep you safe I probably would have done worse to you than to your idiot brother-"

Harunn.

"Hm?"

His name. Is. Harunn.

"And that's supposed to mean something? I don't remember the names of every peon I crush underfoot."

[Peola barely keeps back her temper, though her hands were pretty tightly bunched up and aching to hit something.]

Ashe... I need to get out of here before I do something stupid. Gonna try to talk to the commanders or something to figure out what to do with... her...

"Go ahead! Run off and leave to go bow your head to some weaklings! You obviously know your place is at some fool's feet! Maybe your idiot father can find you a nice fat pig to keep you warm at night!"

[And Peola is storming off as fast as she can.]

[booty_chaser]

So you were his mother. And you did that to him.

Uh... Ashe...? [Model A sounds worried. Ashe sounds very intense. You know those self-preservation alarms? Yeah, they should probably be somewhere around DEFCON 2 right now. Ashe has always sort of idealized familial bonds. She's always wanted to know who her family was, and her habit of taking on "little siblings" is not only for show. So someone like this mystery woman is pressing a lot of subsconscious buttons that should better be left unpressed]

Peola's brother, her father, Peola herself... they're your family! How can you speak to her like that?!

[not_a_prize]

[Despite the fact that Ashe had very easily flattened her and that she herself was restrained? She just gives Ashe a smug look.]

"Very easily. Family? What is that aside from another shackle that keeps you from getting stronger. Unathi thought so highly of it as well along with his duties as a king and it turned him into a cowardly old man on a throne. His own son was infected by that same sentimentality."

[Were she able to lean back and move her legs enough to rest in a way that would scream that she gives no shits, she would.]

"Peola's weak. She'll always be weak and she'll give birth to more weaklings. Better she just bow to some other weaklings will now to save everyone the time. Or better yet. Get thrown off a balcony like I wanted to do with her runt of a little sister."

[booty_chaser]

You're disgusting. [Ashe sounds like somene finding a cockroach stuck to the underside of her shoes. She's glaring at the mystery woman with narrowed eyes]

Do you want to see how "weak" fighting for other people's happiness makes you? Because I can give you a little lesson.

[not_a_prize]

Big talk coming from the one who isn't tied down. So go ahead. Do it. I bet you don't even have the guts.

[booty_chaser]

Don't say I didn't warn you.

[Ashe turns to the security officers] Close the area in case she tries to escape, remote open her restraints. Wait about a minute and you can come in.

[Unsure, the security officers look at each other. But this woman has expressed an outright intention to kill their coworker, which definitely has them unpleased (guards got to hang together among all these crazy heroes, after all), and Ashe seems to know what she's doing, so...

After a bit, the mystery woman's restraints and cell doors come open. Ashe is simply waiting there for the other to attack, at the other side of the door, frowning. A smart person would probably back down now... but that's ot what's going to happen, is it?]

[not_a_prize]

Heh...

[To which she took a moment to relish being unchained again before a psychotic grin spread across her face. There was a very visible aura of sickly purple wrapping around her body.. mainly her hands as she rushed out of her cell and swung her hands at Ashe in a clawing motion!]

DIE!