It's on the nose when the address comes up on the phone. Giving it to the driver (someone who knows how to be discrete when it comes to clandestine meetings), they drive their way through Halcyon, before coming to the underpass. There is a long tractor-trailer with a ramp set up for the back in it, a couple figures watching the car arrive behind another sedan. It doesn't hesitate as it drives up into the back of the truck, swallowed by the darkness.
The driver for Xiu Ying nods, and though there's a heavy bump as they hit the ramp, they drive up into it. The headlights don't seem to penetrate the darkness, as they push in deeper. Looking out the back, Xiu Ying can't see where they drove in anymore.
She does however see a figure in loose black clothing that's opened up the boot of the car, before slipping inside and closing it. Before she can react to that, bright light suddenly breaks in front of them, the windows darkening in response to it!
As she gets her vision back, she sees that they've driven out of a mountain tunnel, inconceivably as it may have been. Despite having been near midnight, it's a sunny if freezing cold day here, snow packed across the tree-lined slopes. As the driver follows the road, they turn the corner, and find a towering castle palace nestled in this mountain valley. Several spires jut out towards the sky, and a stream of cars follows the road past a wrought iron gate.
With her vision, she can make out dozens of guards as well as an equal number of guests, many dressed to impress as if this is a social occasion. The guards are the most alarming, since the armor that they wear bears a similar style to Mercy's armor - it's likely they're Triakosia soldiers.
The car drives into the estate grounds, heading to the cul de sac end near the entrance to this castle, a flight of stairs leading up to the main hall. Xui Ying's driver gets up out of the sedan, before walking around to open the door for her. She can see a couple of waiters attending guests in bird like carnival masks, some making conversation before heading up.
What does she do?
Xiu Ying steps out of the car, not letting the cold bite of the air affect her smooth movements. <Showtime,> she thinks, hating the fact that she was somewhere on the other side of the world. This far away from her sisters, she doubted her mask would be of any use to her except to disguise her features.
She turns back to glance at the sedan, not deliberately looking at the car's boot but mindful of the passenger they had clandestinely picked up. <Stay ready for when I call, but feel free to take a smoke break once you've parked,> she tells the driver.
With an air of cool confidence, she takes the steps towards the main entrance. She doesn't look at the guards, not needing her eyes to be aware of their presence and any actions they might take.
When she reaches the top, she looks around at the rest of the guests. Noticing the carnival masked guests, she wonders if that's a single faction that favors that sort of appearance, or if all guests are similarly attired. If everyone is masked, she'll pull her own tiger's mask over her face.
She considers everything she's heard about Deathmark -- especially his appearance -- and as she strolls into the atrium she keeps her senses alert for him.
Kaoru parked his car on the street, getting out and pulling a clipboard full of papers with him. He had dressed more preppy than usual with grey slacks, a white polo with the XPN logo on the chest, and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. He made a mental note of the obvious collision the sedan had been in, but decided to leave it for now. There was enough attention on him already and he didn't want to draw more to himself just yet. Instead, he walked promptly up to the door and rang the doorbell.
When an older woman he hoped was Ellen Lemmons answered, he spoke to her in a thin, reedy voice, pushing his fake glasses further up his nose. "Excuse me, Mrs. Lemmons? My name is Carl Wu. I'm an intern at XPN Financials. I've been asked to visit a number of our clients to verify some recent activity. Would you mind if I took a few minutes of your time to check some details?" He coughed, wishing he could say the slight crack in his voice had been intentional. But then such details were why he had opted for the intern cover story.
The older woman that comes out to greet 'Carl' has a thick white perm and leathery tanned skin, wearing a blouse decorated with sparkly purple fairies. She looks at him oddly, before nodding. "I suppose so..." Ellen told him. "Though I'm not too familiar with your company. I think I have Telebank manage most of my finances. Though I was grateful when the mortgage was paid off. You know, it's not usual that I get house calls for this sort of thing, but I suppose that you couldn't call instead? Maybe you have the wrong number. You know, it's always like that with technology. One little piece out of place and everyone has to scramble for a solution. It's why we don't go to space anymore, because one little slip-up can blow apart a whole ship. You know, just the other day, I was speaking to my friend Candice at bridge club-"
Ellen is talking up a storm with no end in sight for Carl to get in a word edgewise just yet. He can see there's a grey cat, round as a ball watching them from inside. There's several light shoes and galoshes lined up underneath an end table, as well as a set of heavy boots several sizes larger than the others.
"-and there's no good reason that the association should ban political signs on grass, really, aside from not wanting people to have a different opinion to the status quo! Ah...oh, right, I'm sorry, I'm just jabbering on," Ellen apologizes. "You must be very busy - what did you need again?"
What does Kaoru do?
As she observes the guests and the staff, she can tell that the masks seem to be common enough between both of them, though there's some that opt not to wear them. The cyborg gorilla Gorobo for instance, that she can see holding a champagne flute and making polite conversation with two other masked guests. There's a smattering of other unmasked, or rather recognizable figures here that have done away with the pretense of disguise.
She recognizes a couple of faces as she walks through the crowd. The Red Scare, ex-Soviet and now causeless mercenary, wearing a tuxedo and his trademark hood while munching on appetizers. Selene, a sorceress whose ageless beauty makes it hard to believe she's been duking it out with heroes since the Golden Era.
While looking around for Deathmark, she enters the courtyard, where she sees where the demonstration is apparently going to be held. Where one would expect a garden or a fountain, a massive steel dome a hundred feet across stood, platforms spaced out around the walls, giving places of cover and making it out to be a field designed to be like an urban environment. Already there were dozens filing in, side bets being made for the events-
One face in particular focuses her attention. The last time she saw him was at the gala. Randall Leventis, boldly standing without a mask, as also recognizable next to him stand both Superbia and Humilitas of the Triakosia, dressed formally for the event, but scanning the crowd carefully.
What does Wingblade do?
Xiu Ying doesn't let her eyes linger on Leventis, and doesn't bother trying to avoid his gaze falling on her. She knew this place was going to be a veritable who's who of international villainy. She was almost glad for the presence of the Triakosia; their elevated presence meant that Whippoorwill's old team, the CADRE, was less likely to be in attendance.
Using her other senses to keep tabs on Leventis and his crew, she studies the Killzone. The walls, platforms and earthworks made her heart drop. She had been expecting more of a one-on-one fighting pit. In a place like this with lots of cover, she'd sorely miss Yin's power of shadow teleportation. She already chalks up her qipao as a lost cause. It was cut and fit with durable and elastic fibers so as to not restrict movement, and the silk was woven with stronger threads to resist slashing and piercing weapons. She'd hoped to emphasize elegance and poise in these martial contests, but the fighting grounds seemed to favor guerilla combat and ambushes. At least she had a basic black sports bra and shorts on underneath her dress, if it came to that.
Xiu Ying accepts a glass of champagne as a tray passes her by. Though she was under age by most countries' standards, the Daughters were, with Xiu Ying being the sole exception, not. She sips at the bubbly wine, not letting it show on her face that she doesn't really like the stuff. She doesn't stand completely aloof, but doesn't strike up any needless conversations, either. She completes a slow but deliberate circuit around the party, making note of the villains she recognizes and any particular threats that would throw this whole plan into disarray.
Kaoru nodded politely as the woman rambled on. This might take a while... "Yes ma'am, one of the senior technicians tried to call but it seemed like he got the wrong number. This hopefully shouldn't take too long, but it might be best if we went inside for privacy reasons." "First order of business, could you verify your phone number for me ma'am?" Once Mrs. Lemmons had done that, Kaoru nodded, picking one number to mention have been 'mistyped'.
"Now ma'am, we've had unusual activity across a few accounts, yours included that I'm trying to verify. It's most likely nothing, but as they say, better safe than sorry. You said you have Telebank manage your finances; are you the sole account owner there or is there someone else with authorized access to your accounts on your behalf? A family member or some such, perhaps someone who misremembered the password or account pin a few too many times?"
"Of course, please come in," Ellen tells the 'intern' as she gestures him inside. She closes the door and leads her to the downstairs living room, with the plush floral patterned furniture set, a CRT monitor television with a combined VCR deck, and some crochet work sitting half-finished on the coffee table. There's also dozens of fairy figurines, dolls, and even a fairy themed china set.
"Let me get you something to drink - sweet tea? Seltzer water? I have some orange vanilla in the fridge canned," She recommends. Here in the living room there's also the sliding glass door that steps out into a backyard, fenced with white pickets that are starting to fleck a little. An unattended paint can sits by one of the posts, a paintbrush tucked next to it staining the grass.
"As for passwords, well, I don't rightly recall. I have a lawyer and an accountant, they can overview my accounts, but they need my signature to move money around. Not that there's much of it, just enough to keep me afloat," She sighs. "You young people don't know how tedious it is to worry about money all of the time. But you'll grow into it in time I suppose."
As she scans around, she notes that there's definitely a place where exhibition fighters are probably changing or warming up, probably off behind the guard pairs that are positioned by several closed doors. If she wants to get to Deathmark before the fighting starts, slipping past the Triakosia grunts might be her best bet.
She also sees as she veers off to the other side of the dome that there's a couple of technicians setting up equipment. They appear to be setting up some remote cameras inside of the arena for those here to watch up close - having someone monitor those and feed her information might give her an edge if she were to compete.
Finally, as she looks back at one of the guarded entry ways, she sees another Triakosia soldier - built differently than the others. All the guards she's seen are practically cookie cutter to an uncanny degree. This one stands taller, more self assured, wearing armor that has her make a double take for its familiarity, as well as the hilt of the sword strapped to their back.
If she didn't know any better, she would say that was Mercy. But just seeing them seems to make her fight-or-flight instincts stir a bit, which only settle when they turn to walk back inside.
She doesn't have much time to think about things too much, as she can see the sorceress Selene approach her from behind. Her platinum blonde and loose hair hangs to her waist, wearing a dress that seemed like it would be less insulated from the cold than Xiu Ying's own. "Hello, we haven't met before I believe. I'm playing the good host for this venue. Are you here to scout, or be scouted?" She asks pleasantly enough.
Xiu Ying notices the monitoring equipment and thinks that it'd be perfect if she had access to Shu Zi's powers. But without her sisters nearby, she wouldn't have them or their powers to rely on.
She is about to decide to head into the warm-up area to look for Deathmark there when Selene approaches her. She turns slowly and regards the sorceress. "Hello. Selene, yes? It is a pleasure to meet you," she says, affecting a Chinese accent. "It was our intention to be scouted," she says, gesturing to the testing grounds, "but the arena will not show our strengths. The Daughters of the Tiger are a scalpel. We are... discreet. This looks to reward the loud and the messy."
Kaoru politely accepted the can of soda. "Oh don't worry ma'am, all the money I make from this internship is going straight into a Roth IRA. With the 40+ years of compounded, tax-free interest I can expect to make over my working lifetime, I think I should be ok. Though I know one year's contributions won't be enough by itself, which is why I plan to continue with it for as long as I'm working as well as maxing out contributions to a 401k. Together these serve double duty: both building up a nest egg for retirement as well as teaching me to live on a reduced income."
He took a moment to think through his next move. It was abundantly obvious that she lived with someone else. And frankly given her obvious tendency to natter away, he would have thought he had already given her an opening to do just that. Perhaps he needed to go with a more sympathetic note. "If you don't mind my asking, ma'am, if you're worried about money, have you made sure you're maximizing your tax credits? If you're perhaps supporting someone else, you can always claim them as a dependent. Or if you have a family member who helps out, maybe they can claim you on their return for a tax break?"
"Ah, well, this is hardly a tournament," Selene informs Xiu Ying as she gestures to the ring. "Here newcomers and veterans alike demonstrate their skills in a setting that is fitting for their work. The mercenary who cannot use their environment to their advantage won't make it far. Normally we would have some fodder for the demonstrators to use during these exhibitions, but Mr. Leventis has suggested a more interesting option that I think will help demonstrate the abilities of our participants more readily."
She points to the center of the cage, where a robotic humanoid stands inactive. "One mercenary acts as the assassin, and the other the bodyguard. Then the winner will switch roles and another challenger comes in to compete. It's rather a brilliant suggestion from him. Do you suppose that your skills are up to the task of such a challenge?" She asks with amusement.
What does Wingblade do?
"Oh, no, I don't let Sid anywhere near my financials," Ellen says, shaking her head. "It's good that you have a decent head on your shoulders for someone so young. Sidney, bless his poor parents, is not like you at all. I shouldn't be saying this, but he did a bit of time for some foolishness and it's cost him everything. He's had to made due living in the garage here. It's not all bad, he tends the garden and does some of the chores I'm not up to task for, but I wish he'd find himself a proper job soon so he can get a place of his own. Can't wait for me to pass on, I figure I'm good for another twenty years, don't you think?" She winks at him.
"At any rate, I think that I'm particularly fine when it comes to my finances. To be quite honest, I don't recall ever having any business to do with an XPN Financial," She says as she takes a seat in front of Kaoru with a cold glass in her hand. "Strange name though. What's it stand for?"
As Kaoru sits there, he hears the garage door opening. What does he do?
"The challenge of being either a bodyguard or an assassin? When the Daughters of the Tiger are neither?" Xiu Ying tilts her head as she regards the villainess, curious about why she appears so amused. "I can see why Mr. Laventis' suggestion is brilliant. For him. He employs nothing but bodyguards and assassins, so I expect his businesses will do quite well today."
She sighs. "But the Daughters of the Tiger will adapt. If you'll excuse me? I would like to see the warm-up area before the contest begins."
Unless Selene has more to discuss, Xiu Ying heads toward the warm-up area to look for Deathmark.
As Xiu Ying enters the prep area, she gets a closer look at the other soldiers standing as security. What throws her off is not that they are armored and uniformed the same, but the pair have the exact same scent as each other. They allow her past through the doors into the castle wing with the participants.
Five others are here, including the one Triakosia soldier with the sword standing quietly. Their helmet makes it impossible to see their expression, but from how it tilts in her direction shows that she was noticed.
One appears to be a polar bear wearing some unique cybernetic pieces, currently tapping its claws on a tablet playing what sounds like a puzzle game.
Another is a pale woman in a halter top showing off some animal tattoos that flow over most of her skin, her hair put up in a tight bun.
A fourth wears a pantsuit, her red hair cut short and her freckled face marred by several jagged scars, while she practices with some kind of claymore on her own.
At the far end, wearing his own trademark armor and seated behind a line of tape across the floor, is Deathmark. He is dancing a knife between his fingers in anticipation for the big fight.
"Ten minutes before we draw for the first demonstration," an assistant speaks up as they tap on their own tablet, looking at Xiu Ying. "How should I bill you, and are you representing anyone or organization?" He asks her.
What does she do?
"I am a Daughter of the Tiger. That should be all you need," she tells the assistant.
Before he leaves, she asks, "What is the purpose of the tape?" and nodding toward Deathmark and the line across the floor. She had hoped to just get close enough to see if he smelled like the predator scent she detected in Mr. Finch's store. But before Xiu Ying crossed that strange and somewhat suspicious line of demarcation, she wanted to know if it would set her target off.
"His unique ability means that he would have an unfair advantage should he touch one of his competitors," The assistant informed her. "So we have set a boundary to help prevent unfair play."
"Basically, girlie, I'm far too amazing at what I do, so they have to handicap me to give you all a fighting chance," Deathmark spoke up from his side of the line, before flicking a knife forward. It suddenly bounced off of an invisible barrier, where he caught it as it flew back to him. "Fun times. Don't worry now, I prefer not to kill when I'm not getting paid for it," He laughs. "Just do your best and I promise to be a good sport about it, yeah?"
"Oi, quit your barking," The scarred woman in the suit spoke up, looking particularly annoyed and speaking with a Celtic lilt to her voice. "No one's judging you on your boasts, so save it for the demonstration." She swings her heavy claymore around a few more times as a warm up, clearly anxious for the trial ahead.
Of the others, the polar bear is still fixated on their game, not paying much attention to the others. The tattooed woman and the Triakosia soldier on the other hand are specifically sizing Xiu Ying up.
"Oh yes ma'am, the system is hard on people formerly incarcerated. It's like they don't realize that by making it harder for them to re-integrate, they'll just put them in a rough position where they're more likely to relapse. I think I have a friend who likes to volunteer in community outreach or something like that though. Or at the very least, likes to run in those circles. Would you like for me to give her Sidney's contact information? Maybe his resumé? I don't know that anything will come of it, but it can't hurt to ask, right? You miss all the shots you never take, as they say."
"Yes ma'am, after hearing what you've said about them, my guess is Telebank is most likely managing your XPN account on your behalf. Knowing that, I think we should be able to contact them to get the anomalous data access patterns cleared up. And certainly, I'll at least be able to correct your phone number with us as well as the fact that Telebank should be our primary point of contact for all future issues." He then went on to explain what XPN stood for, complete with the company tagline and a cheesy smile and thumbs up like he was on an ad for them. Getting these sort of simple, background details had been part of the reason for googling them after all. Plus, y'know, getting their company logo so he could put in on his polo and a fake intern access badge.
As he talked, he took a subtle glance at his watch to check the camera on his car to see if the garage was a vehicle arriving or leaving.
Xiu Ying doesn't flinch when the knife gets thrown her way. She simply arches an overly-painted eyebrow at his boast. She decides that she can't get chummy with these contestants; she was here just to ascertain if Deathmark was the killer. Which meant she had to wait for the barrier to be dropped.
A large part of her wanted to throw the match. Lower the Daughters' esteem in the eyes of those who would hire them out for less-than-legal purposes. But that felt like a betrayal, so she resolved to do her best in the upcoming contest even if it meant more troubles down the line.
She decides to pick a spot reasonably distant from everyone else in the waiting area and sit down. She remains poised; back straight, eyes focused ahead, while the rest of her senses work to tell her about her possible opponents.
"Oh, I've tried everything with that boy - not really a boy anymore, but he hasn't grown up, so boy it is," Ellen sighs, before cocking her head to the side. "That's the garage door - he must have come home early. I'll go and get him and we can work out something. Maybe he knows something about this business," She tells Kaoru. "I'll be right back."
Kaoru glances at her watch and sees a small compact black car with the painted scraped on one side pulling into the driveway, barely missing the other sedan. A man gets out that he recognizes as Sidney Lemmons. He's put on muscle since the mugshot that Kaoru got from the files, wearing a slightly stained boiler suit and slip-on shoes. He walks into the garage, which now open he can see from this angle has been converted into a den of sorts.
Kaoru also sees Ellen entering the garage as well. Sidney looks up from where he was rummaging underneath his bed. He can see him looking confused for a brief moment, then a look of fear on his face. He reaches behind a storage bin and pulls something out, keeping it close to him as he enters the condo.
Kaoru hears the door opening. He's in the living room, and there's footsteps coming towards him. What does he do?
Deathmark, aside from the very odd polar bear still playing on their tablet, is the most relaxed of her potential opponents. He's got his legs up and arms cushioning the back of his head against the wall, not even paying attention to her.
The scarred woman is the most tense of the bunch, and her scent is slightly fearful as she practices some more sword forms in her space, lost in her own thoughts.
The tattooed woman is seated on the floor with her legs crossed, looking at Xiu Ying and seemingly curious about her. She's confident but not arrogant as Deathmark.
Then there's the Triakosia soldier still, who Xiu Ying feels like she's continually being watched by behind that helmet. Her instincts tell her to stay away from them.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the assistant comes back to the room. "We have the drawings for the orders all set. This is the order that you'll be going in:
First, as bodyguard, independent, the Daughter of the Tiger!
Second, as the assassin, representing Gorgon Group, Deathmark!
Third, representing the Triakosia and Omega Security Solutions, Wrath!
Fourth, representing the Avalon Cartel, Boudica!
Fifth, independent, Chimera!
Finally, we have representing the Awakened Nation, Greenland!
Daughter of the Tiger, please come with me. You'll have five minutes in the arena to make your preparations," The assistant finishes, gesturing for her to follow him out.
Deathmark lets off a whoop of satisfaction, standing up. "Tough for you, but hey, try to make a good show of it! I'll see you soon!" He laughs as Xiu Ying is led out of the meeting room.
She's brought not through the courtyard proper but an underground tunnel, where she's shown a trapdoor to open. It leads up into the caged dome, right next to the dummy target she's meant to protect. "Good luck - the match starts in five minutes," The assistant tells her, before shutting and locking the door, trapping her inside.
She has a hundred feet to work with in the diameter of the dome, and it's raised up at the very top to fifty feet. Dozens of blinds, barriers, platforms and walls make up the unique 'urban' terrain of the ring. What does she do?
Xiu Ying doesn't react to Deathmark's boasting. Facing him first means she'll get his scent quickly and wouldn't have to face off a bunch of other random mercenaries just to get to him. Even if she loses, she wins. With that zen-like appreciation for the situation, she stoically enters the arena.
Her first ninety seconds are spent by her doing a rapid sweep through the grounds, taking notes of high grounds, cover, obvious approaches and ambush spots. She also considers the points of ingress -- the assassin has to come into the Killzone somehow. The next thirty seconds are devoted to studying the target itself; if it's mobile, autonomous, and able to contribute anything to its own defense.
Kaoru stood, turning to face the opening door and getting ready to put his hand out to politely introduce himself.
As she looks around to prepare herself for the upcoming fight, Xiu Ying notices that there's more than just the one hatch that she came out of on the ground, as well as several others along the dome. They're staggered out so that it's impossible for her to physically watch each one with all of the barriers.
The high ground seems to be the most advantageous, as there are only a few platforms above the twenty foot mark. But she also figures out that the dummy is voice commanded, and it seems to follow simple instructions that can allow her to guide it around.
The dummy is of course not in any real danger - any attack deemed lethal to hit it will end the demonstration. Xiu Ying has the much more dangerous task of defeating the assassin coming for it.
"Welcome, one and all, to the Killzone! Today we have a special gauntlet match demonstration by the hungriest and most willing to prove themselves," Xiu Ying hears reverb outside of the dome. She can make out figures and faces through its hardened exterior, though she's not sure who is doing the announcements. "First to the stage is the Daughter of the Tiger - though I have to wonder which Tiger, there's been more than a couple! Facing her and back to his old tricks, the man who never misses, Deathmark! Everyone ready? And...begin!"
Xiu Ying hears several trapdoors at once pop open, then close and lock again. What does she do?
Sidney Lemmons looks older than he probably should for his age, weathered by hard time. He stands there looking at Kaoru suspiciously, one hand held slightly behind himself, keeping something out of view. He looks at the XPN polo that Kaoru is wearing, narrowing his eyes.
"...who the hell are you?" He asks. "You trying to fleece Gran? You barely look old enough to wipe yourself and you're pulling scams like this one?" He asks him, slightly relaxing as he looks over the delinquent as a pushover. "You made a serious mistake though, choosing to pose for that company...or did you not look into it? How stupid can you be?"
He can't hit what he can't see, Xiu Ying thinks as she hears the doors unlatch and shut again. She gets the droid moving into the most defensible position she found. In the meantime, she pulls some chopsticks out of her elaborate hairdo and throws them at the interior lights, bursting them and creating some areas of deep shadow.
With the target in the best spot she could find, she moves to the area shrouded in darkness quietly. The patch of shadow is bait; she stays inside the darkness but that's not where she's hid the target. Hoping that Deathmark would assume they're both in the gloom, she waits for him to come to her.
As she tosses her projectiles into the lights, they go out in several sparks of light. As she looks for her opponent, she spots movement that's not yet near the patch of shadows, as Deathmark appears to be preparing his approach. At the same time, he's not above a bit of taunting.
"Come on out, tiger cub! Aren't you some hotshot mysterious warrior here to be the dark horse in this fight? Too bad you got the worst draw! Come on, give up and I promise to treat you a night out," He says, as the dome reflects and warps his voice so that she can only tell that he's not near her at the moment.
After about a minute of darkness, the lights are adjusted to give some additional visibility again. Xiu Ying can see that there's a red hand print faintly shimmering on the surface of several barricades and barriers now. Then, steel flashes as three knives fly from around the corner at her, passing by her and nicking her hair as they head towards one of those marks, before suddenly veering off towards another, and then coming back towards her more directly! She sees him now, throwing another set of knives as his fingers twitch and seem to direct them somehow.
Xiu Ying is caught in a swarm of knives - what does she do?
Xiu Ying blurs into motion, zig-zagging through the urban environment. The knives didn't worry her; she healed soft tissue injuries fast and the tough threads in her qipao would offer a measure of protection against them turning deep cuts into shallow scratches.
Shayera would be quipping by now. Making snarky comments to throw off her opponent, but that's not how the Daughters of the Tiger operate. As stoic as their masks, she refused to be taunted herself. But the best way to win this match (and to catch Deathmark's scent) was to rush him and put him down.
If she had the rest of her sisters' gifts, it would be over already. Yin's shadow-porting ability would have closed the distance in an instant. Instead, she had to dash through the storm of knives to get close.
So she does.
Up close, Xiu Ying could use all her hand-to-hand skills; the thing she'd been hoping to show off at this stupid tournament. Even if Deathmark got a lucky hit on the dummy, everyone would see that the Daughters of the Tiger could fight.
Kaoru blinked, hand already extended to shake. He spoke just loud enough that he was reasonably certain Mrs. Lemmons would hear. "Uhhh, no sir. Just the opposite really. I was told there was some suspicious activity on Mrs. Lemmons' account and was asked to pose a few follow-up questions to make sure things were on the up-n-up. And, I mean, I googled XPN Financials when I was told they were offering me an internship. Sure it's unpaid, but my mom said it'd look good on college applications..."
As Xiu Ying rushes in to attack, her body gets sliced by several knives in succession, one managing to sink into her thigh. But she closes the gap, and catches Deathmark off guard as he's unable to guard against her attack! The fist sinks in through his armor, feeling like it did some deep damage to him as he backs off with some frustration.
"Fine then!" He sneers as he draws some heavier knives, clearly rushing into close combat now, heedless of the risk to himself. "Who cares about the rules - I'm going to bleed you like a pig!" He shouts, as he gets in close enough to try and stab her through the abdomen.
What does Xiu Ying do?
"You see? You're jumping to conclusions, Sid!" Ellen says as she comes up behind him, grasping onto his arm. Now Kaoru can see clearly that he's got a can of some type of spray in his hand, most likely mace. "Why would you accuse him of anything like that? You really should mind your manners!"
Sidney isn't having any of it though, turning back to Kaoru. "So, to confirm, you were told to look into my Gran's account because of some discrepancies? What's the name of your supervisor, kid? What's their number? And if you don't want me to start calling the police, you better stop with these half-baked lies and fess up to what you're really doing here!"
"Stop it, Sidney!" Ellen clutches onto his arm as the tension escalates. "He's just a child, don't cause any trouble!"
"Gran, stop being so trusting! He's suspicious as hell! He doesn't even know who XPN is!" He grabs Ellen's wrist to get her off of him, and she cries out in pain as she's pulled off.
What does Kaoru do?
The storm of knives only make superficial cuts which her healing factor deals with almost immediately. One knife finds the slit in her dress running up her leg and embeds itself into the meat of her thigh, thankfully missing any major blood vessels that might slow her down. Xiu Ying draws it out as she runs, using it to parry a couple more flying blades, and drives her fist into a weak spot in his armor.
His threat to disregard the rules and gut her slides off her masked and emotionless countenance. She steps fluidly past his thrust, half-spinning as she takes hold of his outstretched hand and kicking high over her head, bringing her foot against his face. She immediately follows with an elbow against his jaw, snapping his head back a second time. She continues to throw blocks against his aggressive attacks, mindful that he's probably got a flying knife coming in towards her back. She sidesteps, staying mobile and fluid, confounding his attacks and striking where she can.
"GNK-" Xiu Ying feels his nose snap underneath his mask from that high chop kick, and with her aggressive follow up, he's got no chance left to counter her attacks. He falls backwards, struggling to get back onto his feet. "D-Damn it," He groans, as a whistle blows before the announcer comes back on.
"Deathmark is unable to continue! The winner is the Daughter of the Tiger! Congratulations!" They say, as her opponent stays sitting, unable to stand under his own power.
"This is a blow to my rep..." He grumbles. "...But silver linings. I don't have to go up against that monster now," He chuckles. Out of combat and given the opportunity to really get his scent, Xiu Ying can now confirm Deathmark had never been in the tailor's shop.
One of the trapdoors opens, an assistant and a medic coming to collect Deathmark, while another medic comes to check on her condition. "Are you all set for the next round?" She asks, keeping her cap down low over her face. "You are not allowed to forfeit except for a medical emergency. So if you were seriously injured, you could be excused from the next match," She adds, emphasizing the rule.
What does Xiu Ying do?
Xiu Ying breathes deeply through her nose while holding Deathmark's collar after the proverbial whistle blows, ending the match. She lets go of him, letting him fall into the care of those employed by the Killzone to keep the contestants alive.
She gives the "medic" an emotionless stare through her mask, then walks toward the host's booth and gives Selene a hand motion signaling her to go ahead with the next challenge.
Assuming that she would take the role of the assassin at this point, she steps out of the killzone. She finds a secluded spot and awaits the arena to be reset for the next contest. The Triakosian Wrath would be the next opponent, and though Xiu Ying got the answer she was looking for, she couldn't resist the opportunity to fight and take a Triakosian down a peg or three.
In a flash Kaoru had his phone out and recording, simultaneously linking it to team chat with the quick message "Potential target found." "Let her go this instant! That's elder abuse!" Still keeping the camera on the two of them, he directed his next comment at Ellen. "Ma'am, are you alright? Do you need me to call an ambulance? Or the police?"
He hoped the camera was enough of a deterrent to stop Sidney from hurting the old woman further. Though admittedly, video of abuse didn't always seem to translate into "obviously guilty" to legal folk for some reason. He had briefly considered just calling the police instead of threatening it as a more solid measure to make sure he stopped, but he rather suspected Ellen would prefer to keep them away from her grandson-with-a-record. He hoped this was just a case of Sidney getting carried away and that the two didn't have an abusive relationship in general, but the man's reaction would likely tell him more.
"I didn't mean-" He starts to defend himself, as Ellen rubs her arm gently. Sidney starts to look increasingly angry now. "You bastard! This is your game, blackmail? How much of a scumbag can you be?"
In a flash, he's grabbed the phone in Kaoru's grip and flung it out of reach, landing by the door. He's grabbed him by the shirt now, close enough that he can smell the spice from Sidney's last meal on his breath. "Now then, who put you up to this? I don't care if you're a patsy or complicit, but you're gonna tell me the truth if you want to keep your face intact!"
"No, not in the house, Sid! You're going to wreck things!" Ellen says as she frantically looks around at her collection, concerned that her fairy collectibles will get into the crossfire. "Please, both of you, don't fight!"
What does Kaoru do?
It's getting close to evening when you've suddenly got a text message from Kaoru of all people - Potential target found. Added to that is a live stream of some adult man and elderly woman in a fairy themed living room, the man looking incredibly angry.
The video suddenly flips around, before stopping to show their feet - the muffled voices of the participants are just barely audible to her, but it looks like the man is threatening Kaoru!
What does Bronwyn do?
The medic follows Xiu Ying out of the arena, where she's ushered into a special waiting area in an outside cage - there's several others lined up along the perimeter, which probably is to make it difficult for participants to anticipate where their opponent will come from.
As the medic leaves, the cage locks up behind her and keeps her there until the door opens up back into the Killzone. After a wait, the announcer speaks up again.
"All right, that last match was an upset, but can the Tiger's Daughter prove her clan is worth more than the illustrious Triakosia? This next participant is a first timer for the Killzone, but their former partner made a name for themselves in last year's annual showcase as the Mercykiller! Can they show that same ferocious strength here? Coming in as the bodyguard, it's Wrath!"
There's a hum of energy in the crowd now, people watching gleeful and anticipating an entertaining exhibition. The trapdoor ahead of her pops open into the Killzone.
What does Xiu Ying do?
Xiu Ying tries to push aside a pang of guilt for not doing more to acknowledge Alexis, but she was undercover. Or she was Xiu Ying, a Daughter of the Tiger. Or something. A small voice in her mind asked if she was playing with too many personas, but she forced that aside, too, as the next round was announced.
She slips into the Killzone one more time, this time as predator instead of defender. Mercy's suggestion on how to beat Wrath rang in her ears: Follow the rules. She guessed that rather than going through the Triakosian was too risky. She'd have to try to slip by him and tag the target before Wrath could stop her.
As before, her first instincts were to stretch out her senses. She takes in all the sensory data and compares it to what she had experienced in the first match, trying to locate Wrath and her target.
Kaoru was starting to get annoyed with the guy's stupidity. But hey, at least he was no longer hurting his grandmother, so that was something. He carefully raised his hands to show he didn't intend to start in a fight. Nevertheless, he didn't back down as he spoke in a calm, even manner. "You're the one who rushed in here acting all threatening. I wouldn't have had to take action to get you to stop hurting Mrs. Lemmons if you hadn't, y'know, hurt her. Now the way I see it, either you can continue acting like a thug, beat the crap out of me, and then get arrested for assault. Or you could start acting like a reasonable human being and try actually having a conversation."
He waited to see how Sidney responded. If he were being completely honest, the spiteful part of him kind of wanted him to go with the first option. He was pretty confident 'I thought he was trying to scam my grandma' wouldn't hold up in court versus assault, especially given that he hadn't actually asked any questions that lent themselves towards that. Plus he had a prior record, which never looked good. And it wasn't like he'd never gotten the crap beat out of him before. It might teach the a&$~+%# a lesson about "reasonable responses".
That being said, he supposed hoping for a de-escalation was the 'smarter' decision. Or at least it was the decision that lent itself best to goals that he was becoming more and more indifferent to. He supposed it was lucky for him that the decision of where things would go was out of his hands. Though he had to admit, he was a little curious about which direction Sidney would go in. From what he had seen thus far, he didn't think he was the kind of man to beat an unarmed kid up in front of his grandmother just for a lark. But how important for him was it that he get information? Was he the type of person who thought violence was the best way to get what he wanted? Would his animal insticts switch from fight to flight? Was he so far gone into his animal instincts that reason was out of the question?
If she wants to be able to end the fight quickly, she's definitely got to assassinate the target the moment a chance opens up for her. Her instinct is that she doesn't want to get into a drawn out conflict with Wrath. The Triakosia is a soldier, trained and molded for this type of scenario. But all the Triakosia she's met have a glaring weakness in their feelings towards Mercy, and Wrath sounds like they're the closest to them. She could leverage that in some way to create a window of opportunity.
As Xiu Ying peeks out into the center of the ring, she gets quite a shock. Sitting there in a folding chair is Randall Leventis, arms and legs crossed as he looks around calmly. Wrath stands by him and seems to also be seeking the hidden Daughter. The dummy she'd used is nowhere to be seen.
"You can probably hear me, Daughter of the Tiger...well, his Daughter, at any rate," Randall speaks up after a few more moments. "I was interested in seeing you perform up close, and what better seat can I get than playing the part of the target?"
What does she do?
Xiu Ying suddenly feels grateful for her mask which hides her scowl. Her fingers flex as she contemplates removing her charm and revealing her wings. She could stab Randall Leventis just a little, right?
She shakes off that urge and centers herself, wishing again that her sisters were closer. Their shared consciousness could temper her own rising anger -- to say nothing of their combined powers that could bypass Wrath entirely and appear from whatever direction suited them. She could almost feel them; they were wearing their masks to be sure, but they were so far away that their unified mind was denied her, same as their powers. But just knowing they were there helped settle her emotions.
The better play, she admits to herself, would be to just walk away. Refuse to play Leventis' bait-and-switch game entirely; he didn't need to see her up close. Though, that might spark rumors that the Daughters were afraid of the Triakosia and therefore unreliable.
She doesn't answer Leventis. She stays silent as she slips into a patch of shadow, working her way quietly around and looking for an opening. She spots a number of different openings, though she had to assume that Wrath -- or Leventis himself, for that matter -- would be ready for a stealthy approach. Going at him directly didn't seem optimal either, even if she could distract Wrath for a second or two by bringing up Mercy somehow.
She needed another angle, and suddenly it strikes her.
The robotic target wasn't in the arena, but she hadn't seen it being removed topside. Which meant it was most likely in the tunnel underneath the Killzone. So that's where she needed to go. Xiu Ying couldn't effortlessly access Yin Ying's shadow transposition power, but they were both still wearing the mask. Maybe, with some concentration, she could pull it off?
She slips into the shadow and emerges in the tunnel below, nearly out of breath and feeling the ache of the distance between her and her sisters.
She looks for the dummy target while whispering the command word for her charm, revealing her wings briefly. With a slash, she decapitates the robot and then hides her wings once more. Not wanting to try the shadow 'porting trick again, Xiu Ying heads back to the top the long way, proudly showing off the target's head.
"The bodyguard does not get to dictate who the target is. Only the client," she says in a loud voice as she throws the severed head at the feet of Selene.
Come on Bronwyn, pour it on. Kaoru's alone with the target. Who knows where Alexis is, but whatever fight Shayera's getting lightly stabbed in is **far**.
I don't know why he didn't wait until I was closer, or bring his girlfriend or something, but I'm Not going to let him get hurt...
Selene stands watching the monitors, not even glancing down at the severed dummy head that was dropped by her feet. "Do you know why I agreed to Randall's suggestion for this exhibition?" She asks Xiu Ying. "Because it allows for the weak to able to defeat the strong. Tactics and skill matter more in choosing a mercenary than whether or not they are able to overwhelm their opponents, because the goal is almost never to actually win but to achieve your mission."
She gestures to the monitor, replaying the scene where Xiu Ying vanishes into shadow. It's split-screened with an image of Randall sitting in his chair under the lights and shadows there, before the announcement of the end of the bout has him stand up and move to leave with Wrath following. "The mission for the assassin was to eliminate their target. For the bodyguard, to protect their client. Had you chosen to use that power of yours to slip through and strike the target, or even shown you could have killed them before their guard could stop you, you certainly would have won this."
"But, as far as your potential benefactors saw, you ran when the job became more difficult for you. Unfortunately, I don't think you've impressed to anyone the worth of the Daughters of the Tiger. Perhaps as pretty bodyguards that can deal with normal strays and foot soldiers, but you'll scrape the bottom of the barrel for work there." Selene sighed. "A pity. Though, I'm still interested - you have such a lovely charm. I didn't notice until you used it, so its rather high quality." The sorceress gives her a faint smile. "Please stay to enjoy the rest the bouts if you wish, but I won't prevent you from leaving if you have places to be."
As Randall walks out of the Killzone arena, Xiu Ying can see that medic from before stalking from the edges. Wrath steps up in front of the corporate head, seemingly unaware as the medic creeps closer.
What does Xiu Ying do?
Sidney stares at Kaoru angrily for a few more moments, before a sort of realization dawns on him now. He lets him go, to the relief of Ellen. "You really don't get it, do you?" He asks him. "You're a white collar kid playing at con man. But this ain't the world you belong in. You know what would happen if I were to inform XPN, the real XPN, of your stunt? Don't pull this crap again. This is your one and only warning," He says, grabbing him and walking Kaoru out of the door.
"Oh, drive safely dear!" Ellen says quickly as Sidney escorts him out to his car, letting him go again and waiting for him to get into the car and leave.
What does Kaoru do?
Xiu Ying lets the stoic countenance of her mask be her face as she stares at Selene. "You can dictate the rules and allow the participants to change them if you wish. But those watching know what the Daughters of the Tiger can do. As I said: we are not bodyguards or assassins. We are infiltrators, spies, and hackers. And we do not fear when the job becomes difficult."
She takes one step closer to Selene. "You do not speak for all who observed here." She pulls off her mask, revealing her heavily painted face. "Besides. I got what I came her for." With one final smirk at the sorceress, Xiu Ying turns to leave.
As she strides toward the car, she turns and shouts to Laventis. "So sorry I didn't play your game. But it's for your best interest. You really don't want to see what I can do up close. Bye bye." It might have been directed toward the head of Omega, but the medic sneaking up on Wrath couldn't help but overhear.
She heads to her car, anxious to be gone from this place.
Kaoru grabbed his phone and allowed himself to be escorted out. As he opened the door he called back. "Informing XPN might not work out as well as you'd hope. For all we know, they're the ones behind the sudden rash of deaths of people connected to them. At the very least, if I can follow the paper trail from them to your grandmother's account, I'm sure whoever is taking out XPN affiliates can as well. Or hey, maybe there's no relation and they're just hunting the parolees of Rodgers. Or people associated with Deathmark. Hard to say, but given you're connected to all three, things don't look too good for you right now." He got in and closed the door, rolling down the window just enough that he could still be heard. "Hopefully you have a better safe house you can go to in case you are a target. Or do you need me to make arrangements for you? Though I imagine if I did that, you'd be expected to help figure out why you're a target, so they could catch whoever is doing this. Of course, that might be in your best interest anyway."
The car silently started as he prepared to zoom off should Sidney change his mind about being violent. He supposed just driving off silently probably would have been the safer bet, but Sidney had shown he was capable of at least some restraint. It was enough to earn Kaoru telling him what little he knew thus far.
As Xiu Ying turns to leave, Wrath stands right in front of her, despite having been just by Leventis a second ago. "I really, really wanted to show off. That's why I asked for such difficult conditions for myself. I finally get to debut, after all that training..."
He lifts up her tiger mask, taken from her grasp without her notice. "I'll remember the Daughters of the Tiger. Pray we don't meet again." He hands it back to her, leaving her to return slowly back to Leventis, the medic now nowhere in sight.
When she returns to the car, Mercy sits in the backseat waiting for her and with a black knapsack. "...I need a ride back to Halcyon. If that's okay."
Namedropping as Kaoru did made Sidney look more and more serious and dire, staring at him. "...Too young to be a cop. Too arrogant to be a reporter. Still, if you already know all that, you've made yourself a target. So telling you won't hurt you more."
"I don't know about other parolees, but Rodgers was the intermediary between me and an anonymous benefactor. They paid me to tutor a bunch of brats that apparently all had similar powers to my own. Shady but the money was good, and allowed me to help put the down payment on this place for me and Gran," He tells Kaoru. "For someone in the system like me, it was a lifesaver. But these people have reach, and connections. They're always watching to make sure I don't attract unwanted attention to myself, and possibly to them. If other people are dead, then they're dead for that."
He steps back from his car. "That's all I know. Don't pull on this thread, kid, if you value your life."
Xiu Ying doesn't react when Wrath appears in front of her. She listens to his threat without showing emotion or any reaction except for a wide yawn right in his face.
She casually heads back to the car and tells the driver in Chinese to return to Halcyon City.
She leans back in her seat and closes her eyes. "Sure," she says to Mercy without opening them. "Thanks for the advice by the way. Sorry I was so 'in the role' to really acknowledge you. But I figured we would both be safer that way."
After a beat, she adds, "Deathmark's not the guy."
"If he was, I would have thought that you would have tried to take him with you..." Mercy pauses, staring at Xiu Ying for a couple moments, before shaking their head. "But did you get any other hints? What that payment to him was for, or where it came from..."
They glance out the back window as they drive away from the castle, and into the dark tunnel. The light behind them vanished swiftly, before suddenly they were coming out of the underpass into the downtown area. The phones are blitzed with missing messages and calls for both of them now they were back in Halcyon proper.
"...Rodgers is dead. She apparently passed in her sleep and no one found her until I looked," They tell her. "I wanted to find more information...I've been so useless. I thought that I could do something good that wasn't violence. But back there...if you hadn't stopped me..."
They clench their fists. "...I hate that man. I'm afraid of that man. I wanted to kill him! Even if I would have died to do so. I am...still so weak I have to kill?"
Xiu Ying/Shayera shakes her head. "No, I wasn't able to find anything else out. I had to get into the competition to even get close enough to catch his scent and then..."
Once they were in Halcyon City, they're interrupted by phones buzzing. Xiu Ying gets hit by how strong her sisters' emotions feel once they're in closer proximity, though their own anxiety quickly fades when they get the corresponding feeling from her.
Wingblade sighs, crestfallen, when she hears about the parole officer passing away though a slight shiver of uncertainty that she actually passed of natural causes races through her.
She puts a hand on Alexis. "Hey. Wanting to kill and actually doing it are very different things. You're not weak, and it's perfectly natural to want to remove him from our misery. I was tempted myself, but that fight -- if it comes to it -- is for another day."
She squares off to look Mercy in the eyes. "The more you're free from him, doing your own thing, the more you're showing that his control isn't absolute. Maybe more of your old team will finally realize it's not worth sticking with the Triakosia. But not if you stoop to his level."
Alexis gives Shayera an odd look. "...It's not easy to leave. Most members would most likely end up working in the same or similar field if they left. So the idea is that those in the Triakosia must find it bad to leave and good to stay." They looked back behind them in the car again. "...The Killzone was when I realized that I needed to leave. That was over a year ago, and..."
They flinch, paling slightly. "...I demonstrated my abilities. It was a battle royale, where the winner was the last one standing. I fell...four times? Or three. I was not the same as the person who walked in at least." They look through their fingers. "...I think I understood then, how horrible it is to inflict pain on other people. How I want to avoid that."
"...We should check in with the others, right? Kaoru must have found something by now," They say, changing the subject. Not wanting to relive the past again.
As she gets her vision back, she sees that they've driven out of a mountain tunnel, inconceivably as it may have been. Despite having been near midnight, it's a sunny if freezing cold day here, snow packed across the tree-lined slopes. As the driver follows the road, they turn the corner, and find a towering castle palace nestled in this mountain valley. Several spires jut out towards the sky, and a stream of cars follows the road past a wrought iron gate.
"It might be too soon to check on everyone. Hopefully Kaoru isn't up to something tonight. I think we should catch up on our sleep and see what's going on in the morning."
Shayera turns around her mask and stares at its face. "You, uh, feel safe enough to stay at my apartment for the rest of the night? Or you want to take the couch at my sisters' place?"
Bronwyn was still sprinting towards Sidney's when she saw the K-Mobile rolling to a very responsible halt near a stop sign, clearly heading the opposite direction.
What the heck?!
Slowing down to a more human speed, she angled over to the driver's side window, rapping on it a touch more fiercely than she'd meant. She peeled off her still-in-progress helm so that she looked like she was just wearing track shorts and a bulky hoodie.
"Hey Mach, how'd it go with The Target? You forget to tell anyone that you- oh I don't know -weren't in immediate danger anymore?!"
"I think that..." Mercy shivered. "If they'd known I was there, they would have acted. So I think it's safe at your place now. I'm okay to sleep there now." They nodded quietly. "...Let's check with Kaoru in the morning."
"Sounds good," Shayera says.
Before they reach her apartment, she texts the team who are investigating the attacks. 李秀英: DM not the guy.
She lets Alexis take the bed after she spends too long her shower to scrape the junk off her face. She curls up in her big chair for the night.
Kaoru blinked slowly, looking up from his phone where he was in the middle of typing of a new message now that he figured he was a safe distance away. "Would you have preferred a premature update before I managed to get safely away? I wanted to make sure I had gotten away cleanly before posting an update less Mr. Jumps-To-Conclusions decided beating the crap out of me really was the best course of action. Which he might have done had I tarried outside long enough to text."
Checking his rearview mirror to confirm that there still wasn't any oncoming traffic, he finished off the text on his phone.
> Seems like this was a dead end. Be glad I managed to get out without taking a beating; Xan would've had a fit.
He briefly considered giving a fuller update. After all, the messages were encrypted. But after that most recent encounter, he was feeling a bit paranoid. Though unfortunately, this would mean needing to tell the group what he actually found in person. Unless...
He looked up at Bronwyn again. "You need a ride home?"
"...Fine."
Bronwyn walked around and hopped in the passenger seat with a muffled clank.
"Okay first, You really are okay? Mr. Jumps-To-Conclusions didn't take a swing or anything?" She gave him a quick once-over, but barreled forward before he could answer. " 'Cause doing this without any backup was crazy. We've gotta work together a lot better and-"
She cut herself off with a quick scowl. "Sorry. I wasn't going to start off with- Okay. Things suck right now between us and that's my fault. I'm sorry. I had reasons to keep my secrets, but that doesn't mean doing it didn't hurt you and make it harder to lead the team and keep us all safe."
Once they started off, Kaoru flipped a switch to turn the inside of the car into a mini-Faraday cage. It was overkill, he knew. It's not like he would have any bugs on him. But this was just an extra precaution to make sure they weren't overheard. "I was just doing recon. It wasn't even clear if he'd be there. It's his grandmother's house after all. I just wanted to see if I could get her to tell me where he was. It was just a favor for Wingblade anyway." He ignored the pointless, non-professional babble and simply continued reporting the results. "Tell her that the text I sent was BS. According to Sidney, the people who have been getting killed are most likely the ones who drew unwanted attention to either themselves or the people they were working for. Their parole officer put them in contact with some anonymous benefactor who paid them to tutor kids with similar power sets. So as long as Sidney stays low-key, he'll be safe. That's about all the info Sidney had to give."