2025-12-19: Welcome Home to the GROUND!
- Log: Welcome Home to the GROUND!
- Cast: Isabeau Fontaine, Kanae Fuyuki
- Where: Kagurazaka - Hillside Streets
- OOC Date: 2025-12-19
- IC Date: Mon, Aug 27 2012 (Dark Hour)
- Summary: Kanae gets home from her trip to Hokkaido, and Isabeau is normal about it.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
It is said that a hunter must hunt. That would seem to be the case today, because Kanae Fuyuki, having been gone for a week, is back--and active in the Dark Hour again. Where was she? Snowy Hokkaido, with the Okazaki family; she went on vacation with them as Touma's guest. She got to meet Haruto's girlfriend, and Chiaki doesn't have a boyfriend, so they were the odd two out. It didn't slow her down, much; she's friends with Chiaki, and snuck in a lot of time with Touma...
Or at least, was allowed to think she was being sneaky. One or the other.
Now, though, she's in a long gray duster over dark robes, her ruby-edged gunblade at her back. She happens to be walking carefully about the streets of Kagurazaka, one eye on the river of blood (Isn't that cheery?) nearby and one on the road ahead, for further Shadows. She's dispatched a few already, but they're rarely very strong out here.
She's silent. ...Mostly because she doesn't have anything to say; she's alone, after all, and talking to yourself is a good way to either get ambushed or give yourself away to your quarry.
But it's hot and humid, as per usual for summer. She's on the sidewalk for the moment, partly out of habit. ...Partly. She passes by a couple of coffins...
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`Hey, Kanae.`"
Unfortunately, the French of that voice is far too familiar.
During the Dark Hour, Isabeau wears a bronzed vest, buckled tightly over one side of her breast; the collar opens wide around the back of her neck. A longcoat dangles off one arm, the other bare. Several buckles at her waist host several pouches. She wears long tights, ending in rugged boots, and fingerless gloves across her hands.
And right now, that whole Hunter's outfit...
... is balancing atop a presently-useless light pole, knees bent, one hand grasping the horizontal bar leading to the light fixture as the other balances a spear against her shoulder.
"`Long time no see... did you think you could disappear and I wouldn't notice?`"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"?"
Kanae recognizes the voice immediately, of course. Nevertheless, she lifts an eyebrow, turning towards the source of the sound and looking up, up... Ah. Kanae fixes Isabeau with a level look. "`Hello, Isabeau.`"
She rolls her eyes, next. "`Is that what you think?`" she wonders. Her French has only gotten better, living here, where once it wasn't as good.
"`I'd hardly call a summer vacation disappearing,`" she replies.
"`But really... I didn't think you'd care.`"
Her hand slides up, to rest at her shoulder--close enough to grasp the hilt of her gunblade without yet going for it.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
Isabeau blows air through her teeth, pft. "`Why should I care? Nevermind that I've been practicing all that time you've been cavorting about. If you don't catch up soon, you never will, you know. Unless you're too chicken to come to the nets?`"
Her eyes narrow, as she catches the way Kanae grasps her gunblade's hilt. That's what she was waiting for -- not that she'd be so generous as to say.
"`Not that I really need you. No, I just happened to notice...`"
Isabeau releases her steadying grip from the light pole, and that's all the warning Kanae gets as to the way she springs off of it, as much to the side as up, bringing her spear around to land point-first into Kanae's space.
"`... I was missing my target practice!`"
AS: Block Neutral! Kanae Fuyuki takes 48 Pierce damage from Isabeau Fontaine's Terrifying Thrust. Critical Hit!
AS: Panic added!
AS: Block Neutral! Kanae Fuyuki takes 48 Pierce damage from Isabeau Fontaine's Terrifying Thrust. Critical Hit!
AS: Panic added!
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Pft! "`Catch up? I think you'll need another match if you think I'm behind.`"
She is obviously not too chicken. She can totally be goaded. But Kanae's fingers close over her gunblade, and--
There.
Isabeau springs off, and Kanae absolutely refuses to admit that the sudden scratch of spear on tile distresses her. It does, though; she hasn't fought in a bit, and though she clashes against the spear with her gunblade--the weapon suddenly ripped from her back, crashing downward with both hands on the hilt--the noise is still startling in this Dark Hour.
"Gh," she says. Her focus is shot; summoning her Persona will be difficult. Luckily...
That's not the only option she has.
She steps further into Kanae's space now, hacking down with her gunblade towards Kanae's spear. "`I'll show you a TARGET!`"
AS: Weapon! Kanae Fuyuki has used the Slash skill Keen Edge on Isabeau Fontaine!
AS: Defense: Kanae Fuyuki gains 1 Limit!
AS: Kanae Fuyuki's turn has ended.
AS: Block Best! Isabeau Fontaine takes 23 Slash damage from Kanae Fuyuki's Keen Edge.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`If you think you can take me on after all my practice,`" Isabeau crows, "`you just come and try!`"
And Kanae ought to thank her, really: an unsharpened blade is as much danger to the person cutting as to the thing being cut. That clash of metal doesn't frighten Isabeau, though; it invigorates her. "`Hoh!`" She barks, and Kanae steps into her space. Isabeau raises her buckler against the blade, but at first, it might seem like she's far too close-ranged now to attack -- except.
At the press of a lever, the spear collapses into the handle of Isabeau's knife, leaving her with something much more useful at the range Kanae's stepped into.
"`You had better! Away for a week?! You'll have grown soft, Kanae.`" The ruby of the gunblade's edge grinds against the bronze of Isabeau's buckler, in a shower of red which makes the green backdrop almost festive. "`Soft, and weak...! But did you have a good time, huh? Huuuuh?`" With the lilting of her voice, it's all too clear that she's not really asking...
... or at least, that she can't bring herself to ask genuinely.
The problem, though, with engaging Isabeau's buckler -- is that her knife is slashing into Kanae's space, now, forcing her to decide on where her attention is best focused. It looks like it will slash her, certainly... though if it were allowed to strike unimpeded, it would largely tear across the armour of her duster.
If Kanae can't tell, though, she sure isn't pointing it out.
AS: Weapon! Isabeau Fontaine has used the Slash skill Cold-Blooded Strike on Kanae Fuyuki!
AS: Isabeau Fontaine's turn has ended.
AS: Block Worst! Kanae Fuyuki takes 56 Slash damage from Isabeau Fontaine's Cold-Blooded Strike. Block Slash!
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Hmph," Kanae vocalizes back. She does not thank Isabeau. Clash again, metal on metal, but the spear suddenly collapses. Kanae shouldn't be surprised, and yet she has trouble moving into the way.
"`A week isn't long enough to get soft!`" she grumps back. "`Besides, I was in Hokkaido!`"
Bronze and green. But did she have a good time?
Isabeau clearly doesn't mean it, but Kanae will react anyway. Kanae can't tell in the moment--she just decides to keep pushing against that buckler instead, and the knife cuts through her duster.
"Tch--"
Kanae gets it, on one level. They haven't escalated yet. But that makes her mad in a different way. Isabeau always makes her so mad.
"`I had a GREAT time!`" Kanae answers, and suddenly while clashing Isabeau's buckler, pulls the trigger. The gun mechanism DETONATES between the two of them, and while it won't actually launch a bullet into Isabeau, it might be startling or even jarring enough to make her retreat backward.
Then Kanae follows up, removing one hand from her gunblade to--
PUNCH Isabeau across the jaw!!
"`There were HOT SPRINGS!`"
AS: Kanae Fuyuki spends Limit on Exploit! Kanae Fuyuki can use another Weak skill this round!
AS: Weapon! Kanae Fuyuki has used the Pierce skill Brutal Shell on Isabeau Fontaine!
AS: Defense: Kanae Fuyuki gains 1 Limit!
AS: Weapon! Kanae Fuyuki has used the Strike skill Kanae Punch on Isabeau Fontaine!
AS: Kanae Fuyuki's turn has ended.
AS: Block Worst! Isabeau Fontaine takes 58 Pierce damage from Kanae Fuyuki's Brutal Shell.
AS: You have 1 more attack in queue!
AS: Counter Best! Isabeau Fontaine takes 58 Strike damage from Kanae Fuyuki's Kanae Punch.
AS: COUNTER! Kanae Fuyuki takes 52 Strike damage in return for her attack!
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`If a week isn't long enough to get soft, why are all my strikes hitting?`" Isabeau demands, with this horrible smug look on her face as she cuts up Kanae's duster. (And, well, not terribly much of what's beneath it. Maybe that's because Kanae really isn't soft, and she was able to counterplay it in her stance. ... maybe.) "`Poor, soft Kanae, she must have spent all her time in the log cabins by the nice crackling fire...!`"
That smug look cracks a little when Kanae insists she had a great time, though. For some reason, that bothers her. "`Is tha,`"
Her smug, French sentence (with thorns) is cut short in the middle by a, "`KANAE--!!`" Isabeau barks, her buckler jerking up to defend her face as she skids back a step from the strength of the explosion.
She lowers her buckler, looking back and forth to figure out where --
SHE WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER THE WHOLE TIME AND NOW HER FIST IS IN HER FACE
Isabeau yelps out a choked noise as her face turns all the way to her shoulder; that's gonna leave a mark. Another mark, perhaps, is the way her fist balls up to respond to the insult... and since Isabeau is ambidextrous, it still manages to hit hard.
"`Gh,`" she grits her teeth, in a grin. "`Well that's just great. I bet you feel allllll nice and relaxed after soaking so long. You're gonna need it --`" The time, when Isabeau pulls her arm back, it's to slam her buckler into her shoulder, "`-- when I tie you into a PRETZEL!`"
AS: Weapon! Isabeau Fontaine has used the Strike skill Shield Bash on Kanae Fuyuki!
AS: Defense: Isabeau Fontaine gains 1 Limit!
AS: Isabeau Fontaine's turn has ended.
AS: Counter Best! Kanae Fuyuki takes 83 Strike damage from Isabeau Fontaine's Shield Bash. Critical Hit!
AS: COUNTER! Isabeau Fontaine takes 73 Strike damage in return for her attack!
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"`I'm not a DODGER I'm a BLOCKER!`" Kanae shouts back, and that smugness only makes her madder!! Log cabins by the nice crackling fire...
"`At least I didn't spend my time alone,`" Kanae counters. And then Isabeau barks as she defends her face. and--yes.
Kanae takes a punch, too, and if they're nice she can Media all these things away later. ...But who knows?
Buckler slames to shoulder and Kanae drives her knee up towards Isabeau as they clash at the same time. But it's still a hard enough blow that that, having unbalanced her, knocks her back with the shoulder check, and Kanae hits the ground a short distance away.
She shouts something wordless, and then kips up to sweep her leg to try to knock Isabeau down with her!!
"`It was REALLY NICE actually!`"
AS: Weapon! Kanae Fuyuki has used the Strike skill Sweep on Isabeau Fontaine!
AS: Defense: Kanae Fuyuki gains 1 Limit!
AS: Kanae Fuyuki: Panic removed!
AS: Kanae Fuyuki's turn has ended.
AS: Counter Neutral! Isabeau Fontaine takes 75 Strike damage from Kanae Fuyuki's Sweep.
AS: COUNTER! Kanae Fuyuki takes 45 Strike damage in return for her attack!
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`SOUNDS LIKE A PERSONAL PROBLEM, KANAE!`" Isabeau, who does normally prefer to dodge with people who aren't named Kanae Fuyuki, yells back.
"`I only spend my time with the best. You know I met an Olympian just earlier today? And I beat her!`" Isabeau beat an Olympian Fencer, not an Olympian Tennis Player, but details. "`She said I was diligent and talented! So you're lucky I'll face you on the court!`"
Wait, but if Isabeau only spends time with the best, and she wants to play against Kanae, doesn't that mean...
No it doesn't, shut up.
Isabeau could hit Kanae with a Diarama once she's done assaulting her for no good reason. That would be a really nice thing for someone whose Persona is strikingly supportive for her acerbic nature to do.
...
That probably means she won't.
Isabeau chokes, again, as Kanae's knee comes up to her gut; she kind of has to take a step back, after that. Just a step, though, because why would she let Kanae win?! She has to prove to her what a terrible idea it was to leave on vacation WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING! WHAT IF SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD! OR KIDNAPPED BY THAT FREAKY HUMAN TRAFFICKING RING THAT APPARENTLY WAS JUST HAPPENING ON THAT WEIRD FAKE ISLAND!
That vacation is a normal thing to not notify your enemies about apparently isn't part of the equation.
And so, Isabeau presses the button on her knife to summon her spear from it again, advancing on Kanae to strike the final --
-- "?!?!"
That noble ruby spearknife clatters to the ground as Isabeau falls, and makes the point to fall onto Kanae, even though she's much bigger. "`Well that's just GREAT!`" Isabeau snaps, as she tries to grab Kanae's arm, surely meaning to wrestle it behind her. "`I'm sooooo glad you had a GOOD TIME without me!`"
AS: Weapon! Isabeau Fontaine has used the Strike skill Wrestling Grasp on Kanae Fuyuki!
AS: Defense: Isabeau Fontaine gains 1 Limit!
AS: Isabeau Fontaine's turn has ended.
AS: Counter Worst! Kanae Fuyuki takes 107 Strike damage from Isabeau Fontaine's Wrestling Grasp.
AS: COUNTER! Isabeau Fontaine takes 43 Strike damage in return for her attack!
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"`YOU'RE a personal problem, ISABEAU!`"
The best. Of course. "`Diligent and talented and a PAIN IN THE ASS!`" Kanae counters. But Kanae has her own heals!!! It's fine. But right now, Isabeau is aggressing on her for no good reason, because of course Kanae didn't mention it to Isabeau because she NEVER ASKED! So Kanae drives her knee up and--
Isabeau takes a step back. But only a step. The knife comes up as a spear--
"OW!" That one's not in French. It's in a universal language. Because Isabeau landing on Kanae mostly knocked the wind out of her, until she can roll around. Her arm is grasped, but she actually has something for this.
She drives the elbow of the other arm back into Isabeau's stomach!!
"`It was with my BOYFRIEND, do you expect me to invite you???`"
She grabs her arm back in the intervening space and pushes off of Isabeau, rolling to the side and picking back up her weapon--
Only to stow it. "Hmph," Kanae answers. "`I got the team souvenirs, you know. And you're part of the team.`"
She hmphs louder and turns her head to the side. "`...I went last year, too, you know. You could've asked any of the other girls where I was.`"
AS: Kanae Fuyuki's turn has ended.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`GOOD! I'm GLAD my POINT is GETTING ACROSS!`"
She scoffs at being called a pain in the ass. "`Right now? I'd just worry about your ass, sweetheart!`" Why can't she just swear at her like a normal teenager?! GOD!
Luckily, she definitely isn't actually flirting with her, just trying to psyche her out. How can she know? It's the way she spits out: "`Ugh --`" -- well, no, that's a complete sentence, that's her response to getting elbowed in the stomach, again, why is it always the stomach?! "`-- why would I want that?!`" She demands, once she's taken a breath, having heard that it was a romantic trip.
Isabeau rolls to the opposite side, coming up to a crouch in what seems to all the world to be one motion as she grasps her spear in hand --
-- only to witness Kanae sheathing her weapon. "`Hmph,`" Isabeau huffs, rising up to her feet. "`Who said that's what I was after? It was just... inconvenient!`" She insists, as she presses the lever on her spearknife, collapsing it down and sheathing it at her belt. "`The other girls never want to play against me, and there's only so much I can improve against a serving machine.`"
Still... Isabeau could have just asked.
She folds her arms, turning herself to the side. "`Yeah, well... I didn't feel like asking them!`" She didn't think to ask them. "`Tch... at least now I know I can hunt you down again. You better stay on your toes out here... next time, I might not go so easy on you. Too bad for you, you're the most talented competition I have... you'll just have to cope with being my rival.`"
AS: Isabeau Fontaine's turn has ended.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"`My ass is fine!`"
Of course she isn't flirting with her. Why would she? But a complete sentence, and it's always the stomach because center mass is a better target!!! ...Also because she doesn't feel like going for the face again. Just now.
"`I don't know!`" why she would want that, anyway.
"`Right. Inconvenient that I was off with an actual family when you were bored.`"
The other girls... "`Maybe if you tormented them less they'd want to play with you. But you don't want to look like you want to be around anyone, do you?`"
But she didn't feel like it. Of course.
"`Who'd want something as inconvenient as that?`" Kanae grumbles. "`But you better watch out. Next time I might not play around, either.`"
She lifts her spare hand--and with a flash of blue light, there's a vial of gold dust in it, which shatters, and with the tinkling of glass a horse-man with a harp appears.
Healing light sparkles over both of them.
"I don't know about you," she says, switching to Japanese, "But explaining a bunch of bruises would be annoying. I'll see you at school."
Her Persona fading, Kanae turns and starts to walk back down the road.
GAME: Kanae Fuyuki has assumed form 2, Kinnara!
AS: Persona! Kanae Fuyuki has used the Recovery skill Media on Isabeau Fontaine and Kanae Fuyuki!
AS: Support: Kanae Fuyuki gains 1 Limit!
AS: Kanae Fuyuki's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Kanae Fuyuki takes 92 Recovery healing from Kanae Fuyuki's Media.
AS: Take! Isabeau Fontaine takes 92 Recovery healing from Kanae Fuyuki's Media.
<Pose Tracker> Isabeau Fontaine has posed.
"`How about I break it for you, then?`"
Isabeau is so violent! Not that Kanae can't give as good as she gets. But she doesn't know why Isabeau would want that, and Isabeau doesn't know why she would want that -- "`Great, so no one knows anything!`"
She's at least... a little less vexacious when the fight ends.
A little.
"`Now you're getting it!`" Isabeau looks back to Kanae, with a sharp grin. "`I was just bored!`" Was it really just boredom...?
"`Hmph... why would I want to be around anyone...? It's just what I have to do to get stronger...`" Isabeau grumbles, even though she appeared out of nowhere to attack Kanae the very night she got back. "`Well,`" she adds, with a huff, "`that's too bad, because I never asked you Anyway, it would be a nice change of pace if you could muster more strength!`"
There's a flash of blue light, as Isabeau tenses, and --
-- has to endure the indignity of taking Kanae's attack.
She -- what -- how DARE she --
"I can do that too!" Isabeau yells, after Kanae, when Kinnara's healing light falls over them. "I can do that better than you!!"
Another vial shatters, and a waspish blue lady appears, silhouetted by the ill green sky as she scatters her own healing light over Kanae.
Did.... did Kanae just compete her way into getting a stronger heal?
No, obviously Isabeau won that one.
... luckily, at least, Isabeau doesn't chase her down.
AS: Persona! Isabeau Fontaine has used the Recovery skill Diarama on Kanae Fuyuki!
AS: Isabeau Fontaine's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Kanae Fuyuki takes 121 Recovery healing from Isabeau Fontaine's Diarama.