Bargain Hunting (IC)

[Thunder King]

Mali smiled. "Okay then." She kind of expected it to be turned down, but she always believed that wealth was useless if you never used it to help people. Money was a tool, nothing more, nothing less. She wanted Giang to know she'd help, and that had been communicated. Nothing more need be said of the matter.

 

She turned to Thaelia. "Yeah, but, see, then we'd be in jail for the party, and that just wouldn't suit us. And could you imagine the Headmaster's reaction?" She gave an exaggerated shiver. "Noooo thank you."

Edited December 11, 2013 by Thunder King

[Brown Dynamite]

"The headmaster does have a formidable air about him for a surface dweller. Alright. No declarations of war."  Thaelia responded as she doubled back. "Even for shoes." The Atlantean folded the dress, now attached to a hanger once more over her knees after slinking down onto the ground. Thinking it rude to run ahead and make her purchase after coming to a decision.  Looking up at Mali she parted her lips upon the realization that a lingering question could be answered by her and Giang.

 

"So, the only former members of the League I've met that I'm not related to is Siren.  Not the original, well of course I've met the original she's family.  But eh that whole shared titles aspect is confusing.  Where was I?  Oh, right aside from Siren or our king Atlantis doesn't spend time speaking about the heroes of the surface too often.  Are there any fanciful tales of Freedom's glory I have yet to hear?" 

[Thevshi]

Giang smiled slightly at Thaelia's comment about not declaring war even for a better deal on shoes.  "There is no need to wait on me."  She stated as she saw the Atlantean teen take a seat to wait.  "I am not really finding anything here, so will likely need to try another store."

 

She then shrugged at her friend's question about the Freedom League.  "While I would imagine there are quite a few tales, I am afraid I do not know any of them.  I have met a few members, but only when they wanted to debrief me after Raven found me in Singapore.  Raven is the one I know best."

[Thunder King]

"The only stuff I know about the League is stuff I've heard on the news." Mali said as she finished paying for her dress, and the shoes she got to go with it...and the handbag that matched the shoes. "If you didn't find anything here, Giang, why don't we go to a different store once Thaelia gets her stuff situated here?" She suggested helpfully.

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia took that as a cue to pay at the counter.  Standing up she strolled over while humming the tune of one of the many folk songs she often carried on with.  When it came around to paying for dress she initially reached for a set of bronze coins before remembering to use the debit card given to her.  Thin tearable money was the standard.  Something she always had to remind herself of.  Once she was all paid up, Thaelia rushed back over to see where their next excursion would lead.  "Are there any particular merchants you prefer over others when it comes to their wardrobe?  Perhaps the next shop we go too should fit the style that pleases you best Giang."

[Thevshi]

Giang followed along with the other two girls as they made their way to the register to purchase their selections.  "I do not believe the shops I usually buy from will have appropriate dresses."  She replied with a small smile.  "But there are a number of other options in the mall.  I am bound to find something I like, hopefully it will not take too much time."

 

Once Thaelia and Mali were done, Giang followed along with her friends as they moved back into the crowded flow of traffic that filled much of the corridors between the shops.  They only had a short distance to go before finding another store that looked like it might have something for the Asian teen.

 

"This looks as if it might be promising."  Giang commented as she looked at a pair of dresses in the window display before leading the other two girls in.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

It turned out that the second shop did have a dress Giang liked.  It was a black full length dress with a closed back and long sleeves that were made of semi-transparent material.  The teen had tried the dress on, and the tailor at the shop had marked it for some minor alterations, so she did not have it when they left, though she did have a bag with some shoes she had found to go with the dress.

 

The three teenagers were making their way along one of the upper floors of the mall, heading towards a set of escalators down so they could try to look for some place they might want to eat.  They were little ways from the top of the escalator, walking along the balcony railing overlooking the floor below when they heard some commotion below and someone yell out, "you there, halt!"

 

Glancing down to the floor below, the three saw people scattering in all directions, an open space quickly forming as they moved out of the way.  They could make out a mall security guard, looking at someone, or something, underneath the balcony they were on.  The guard was reaching for a stun gun he wore on his belt.

 

Just then a figure flipped over the security guard, landing lightly behind him.

 

It was a young woman long brown hair and dressed in a black and pink costume, with pink mask and glove, who right hand whipped out to the side as the collapsible staff in her hand snapped open.  The far end of the staff knocked the stun gun out of the security guards hand as he had turned around to follow the woman's movements.

 

The non-lethal weapon went spinning away to clatter on the floor and disappear among the legs of the bystanders running for cover. 

 

"None of that now."  The woman said in a teasing tone as she expertly spun the staff around and brought one end up underneath her armpit as she waited for the guard's next move.  "How about you do yourself a favour and just turn around and leave?"

[Thevshi]

GM

With the scene unfolding below them, Thaelia was paying heed to little else, her gaze fixed on the agile costumed young woman. Mali also was regarding the apparent threat, but was not ignoring the rest of her surroundings. As the scene was unfolding on the floor below, Mali caught of glimpse of some sudden movement up on their level further down in the direction they had been heading before the commotion below had stopped them.

Turning quickly that way, the teenager spotted a figure that appeared to be dressed identically to the woman on the floor below. The figure had run through part of the crowd, and Mali thought she caught sight of long brown hair trailing behind before it disappeared from view. People that had been busy moving towards their next destination had stopped, appearing confused by the figure's passage.

Next to Mali, Giang had also caught sight of the second figure. But even as she had turned to look that way, she had spotted something reflected in the glass of a shop to their left, causing her to turn and look back behind them. Further back in the direction of the last shop they had been in, Giang saw a third figure wearing a similar costume to the first two run into a store. There were a few muffled shouts of surprise and a number of people that began running away from the store.

Down on the lower floor, the first woman was watching the security guard she had just disarmed as a second had begun moving up behind her as carefully as he could. But apparently not carefully enough…

The woman suddenly dropped own into a crouch a she spun around, quickly covering the short distance between her and the man. Her staff whipped out away from her as she closed, sweeping the security guard's feet out from under him and sending him crashing down to the hard tile floor with a heavy *THUD*.

The woman then leapt back up, spinning in the air to land on her feet once more, her stance defensive but her staff out in front of her with both hands gripping it as she watched for the first security guard to make some move.

[Thevshi]

Giang had watched the scene below and could feel the somewhat familiar sensation of wanting to intervene, something she was certain her two friends were feeling, and likely even stronger than she was.  But the Asian teen paused a moment as she spotted first one, and then another figure dressed similarly to the woman on the floor below. 

 

As the woman attacked another security guard, knocking this one down to the ground, the teenager looked back to her two friends.  It was clear the woman below was dangerous, but the other two figures she had spotted could not be ignored, as it was possible that the first was just a diversion.

 

"There is more than one of them."  She stated to Mali and Thaelia, gesturing quickly towards where the other two had been.  "Should we split up?"

[Thunder King]

Mali merely nodded as she headed off in a dead sprint. She spotted the woman's bathroom, with at least ten women standing in line. She rolled her eyes. No way, she wasn't going to bowl over a bunch of people, and she certainly wasn't going to wait in line. No, instead, she spotted a janitor's closet.

 

She opened the door as stealthily as one can in a rush and was grateful not to find an actual janitor inside. That would have been very, very awkward. Luckily, she wore her costume under her clothes and always carried a handbag that could contain her clothing. She changed quickly and ran back out the door.

 

She spotted the railing that protected people from falling the...fifteen feet or so to the floor below. She stepped onto it and vaulted herself into the air.

 

"HEY!" She roared on her way down, hoping every eye in the place would find her. That would serve two purposes. First, it would draw attention to her away from the guard. Second, it would draw attention to her away from Thaelia and Giang, in case they also needed to put their costumes on.

 

She landed effortlessly, grateful for her training that enabled her to stick that landing without breaking or spraining something. Wouldn't do to make a heroic entrance only to promptly sprain her ankle and fall over screaming in pain.

 

"How about fighting me?" She said, raising her hands and knee into the traditional Muay Thai stance. Her face broke out into a wild grin, showing to this girl that Mali considered her a fun challenge. Not a threat.

[Thevshi]

Giang frowned slightly as Mali set off in a sprint, heading in a different direction than either of the two figures that were up on their level and currently out of view.  She was not sure what Mali was up to or which of the three possibilities she intended to pursue, although she suspected that at the moment, Mali might be more focused on finding a way to change into costume as the Thai teen was much more careful about her secret identity, for very good reasons.  And of course, Giang had not made any suggestions on how they should possibly split up, so she could hardly blame Mali for acting on instinct.

 

Glancing over to Thaelia, who was far less concerned with such considerations, Giang stated, "I am going after the one I spotted down this way."  With that, the Asian teen turned and started sprinting down towards the store she had seen the figure disappear into.

[Brown Dynamite]

Seeing as Mali had already made the decision to split up for them, Thaelia considered following after Tsunami whom actually had eyes on one of the other figures at some point.  But Tsunami didn't say there was just one more villain waiting in the wings.  Knowing full well out of the three of them her legs could cover the most distance, Thaellia would begin to  take off in a full sprint in the hopes of searching the upper level  in the hopes of finding another one of the criminals at hand.

 

There was no urgency to change into her normal heroing clothes as the armored formal dress was merely a fashion choice for the Atlantean.  Her only concern was the dress she was hauling with her would no doubt end up get caught into the mix.  As she barreled through the mall the demigoddess' voice would begin to bellow forth.  "Come out and face the daughter of the seas you fiend!"

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Giang managed to slip through the crowds while running down the wide balcony towards the store she had seen the figure disappear into.  The Asian teen reached the front of the store, which was a clothing store that also specialized in outdoor equipment.  Glancing in, she at first saw no sign of the figure, but could guess that someone odd had entered the store, as a number of customers near the front were all looking back further into the store, the expressions on their faces either confused or slightly worried.

 

Then suddenly the figure leapt up onto a counter near the island of registers in the center of the store.  It was another woman, about the same height as the one that had been attacking the security guards, wearing an identical costume.  Giang's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded the figure, it was hard to tell as she was behind the woman, but the hair seemed identical to the first's as well. 

 

The figure then flicked open a collapsible staff as she yelled out, "alright, listen up!  I am Legion, and this is a robbery!  If everyone just keeps calm and doesn't try to interfere, no one will get hurt!"

 

 

Thaelia sprinted off in the opposite direction than Giang, her eyes darting around as she tried to spot the other figure that her two friends had apparently seen.  Though she was the fastest of the three, she was hampered somewhat by a combination of the crowds and not knowing exactly where the figure had gone.  So she would quickly cover a short distance, glance around and then continue moving, pushing people out of the way at times as gently as she could.  Her passage certainly caused some disruption in the crowd.

 

But then the Atlantean teen spotted a figure in a costume identical to the one worn by the woman that had attacked the security guards.  Calling out her challenge, the figure stopped and turned around to face the voice, the crowd already moving aside some at the sight of the costumed young woman.

 

To Thaelia's surprise, the young woman appeared (as much as someone wearing a mask could) to be identical to the young woman that Mali was currently confronting.  "Daughter of the seas huh?"  The young woman said with a faint grin as she flicked open a collapsible staff of her own.  "Well...let's see what you got shall we?"
 

She rushed forward, spinning the staff with obvious skill before launching a sweeping strike at the Atlantean teen.  But the woman's attack was a bit mistimed, and Thaelia was able to easily step back and avoid the attack.  The woman recovered quickly, taking a step backward herself as she spun the staff in front of her, her stance now defensive.   

[Thevshi]

GM

 

The young woman turned quickly to regard Crimson Tiger, twirling her staff around once as she regarded the heroine.  "Well, this should be interesting.  Let's do this then!"  She stated before rushed forward, her staff  spinning a few times before sweeping around in a wide arc. 

 

Though her opponent was clearly trained with her weapon, Crimson easily saw the start of the attack and ducked underneath with ease.  The other woman quickly recovered as well, shifting her stance as she spun the staff back in front of her, clearly testing out the heroine and preparing for a counterattack.

[Thevshi]

Giang frowned slightly at the announcement by the woman calling herself Legion.  The Asian teen could not imagine how she expected to get much of anything from the store, seeing as most transactions were by way of debit cards these days.  But the similarly dressed woman that had been attacking the security guards on the lower level had seemed serious enough, so the teenager had to treat this seriously.

 

With a thought, a shimmering sheen of water formed around the teenager, providing her a barrier of protection as she stepped into the entrance of the shop.  "There shall be no robbery today Legion."  She called out as she brought her hands up in front of her and sent a blast of water streaking through the air at the costumed woman. 

 

Although attacking by surprise was not one of her preferred tactics, Giang was well aware of the advantage of such tactics, particularly when facing an unknown threat.  The twisting coils of water struck Legion on her right side with powerful force.  But despite having caught the costumed criminal by surprise, Legion only staggered a step but otherwise remained on her feet.  She was now rather wet, but otherwise appeared unharmed by the attack.

 

"Everyone please stay down and try to work your way to an exit."  Giang called out as she realized this might be more dangerous than she had anticipated. 

[Thunder King]

Crimson Tiger moved in quickly and immediately went for a feint. When the other girl didn't fall for it, Mali did a mental check. Legion's reflexes were damn good. Better keep that in mind. Crimson Tiger ducked back for a split second and delivered a vicious kick to Legion's midsection, seeing how much force she'd need to use against her foe.

 

When Legion flew back and hit the floor, Crimson Tiger made note of it. Every fight was a little experiment, especially against a new foe. How much force? How fast? How much did she need to go all out in order to win this one? Or that one?

 

"Was that it? Nah, I think you have more fight in you." She said.

[Brown Dynamite]

"Yes let us."  Glamazon let go off her shopping bag before raising her fists into an orthodox boxing pose.  Although the woman's display with her staff was impressive, Thaelia knew better than to swing her hardest against a foe whose physique hadn't been tested.  At least before the Atlantean's temper had been pushed.  Sliding forward the Glamazon would send a light jab towards her staff wielding foe.

 

The execution, however, was practically telegraphed.  With the masked woman able to easily slip underneath the path of the oncoming fist.  The demigoddess was not deterred by missing her mark.  Instead finding herself quickly more enthused as making it past the grace of her warm-up period simply meant that Thaelia was in for entertainment.

 

"Now would be an ideal opportunity to share how many of you have decided to poorly coordinate in these premises today."

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Crimson Tiger's powerful kick knocked the masked woman she was facing off her feet and sent her crashing to the ground a good fifteen feet away.  The woman was hurt, and dazed, but she did not seem to be out of the fight at all.  Suddenly Crimson heard a voice call to her from one side.

"You are pretty good, luckily I never fight alone."

 

Another woman dressed in an identical costume flipped over the front row of the gathered crowd, landing in the open space to face the heroine.  As Crimson got a better look, she thought the new figure looked exactly like the young woman she had just knocked to the ground.  The new arrival flicked open a collapsible staff as well a she added.  "I am after all Legion."

 

 

Up at the outdoor clothing store, the now wet Legion standing on the counter of the store turned to fully face Giang, who could now see she did indeed look exactly like the young woman who had been attacking the security guards on the lower floor.  "Well, that was not very heroic, shooting someone in the back like that."

 

With skilled ease, the young woman flipped off the counter and the charged forward, her staff coming back as she closed with the Asian Teen.  But Giang was ready for the attack, ducking down slightly as the staff whistled over her head. 

 

Standing back upward, she took a step backward, to put a little more room between her and her attacker when she saw a reflection in the glass windows of the store.  Another similarly dressed figure had been trying to sneak up behind her.  Glancing quickly over her shoulder, Giang saw another young woman that looked exactly like the others, holding a staff at the ready.

[Thevshi]

"Oh, that would just be too easy now wouldn't it?"  The costumed young woman facing Thaelia said with a grin.  "But rest assured there are enough of me to deal with you and your red tiger and water using friends as well.  At least, I assume they are your friends."  She then added.  A grin came to her face as her staff spun once more in her hand.  "I'm Legion by the way."

 

The young woman's weapon became a blur, and Thaelia was unable to avoid the end that came whipping in her direction.  The staff connected solidly with the side of the Atlantean teen's head.  It was a skillful blow, to be certain, but with gritted teeth, Thaelia took the hit, remaining firmly in place as she stayed squared off with the costumed criminal.

[Thevshi]

GM

The new Legion that just arrived immediately rushes towards Crimson Tiger, her staff whipping around behind her before she swung it upward for an overhead strike at the teenage martial artists. But Crimson Tiger was able to dodge to the side as the staff came whistling down, just missing her. Crimson could tell that if Legion had not focused on trying to set herself up to defend against any counterattack, the attack would likely have been successful.

Legion quickly pulled the staff back up in front of her, waiting for Crimson's move.

---

Having lost the chance to sneak up on Tsunami, the additional Legion simply charged forward. "Let's see how you do against two opponents when you can't shoot them in the back."

Her stance shifted to be ready to dodge one of the teen’s water blasts, while she swung her staff in a low arc in front of her, aiming to make the Asian teen step backward, and right into the path of a follow up attack from the Legion that had been in the store.

[Thevshi]

Giang realized what was going on even as she moved backward to avoid the apparent "attack" from the Legion that had been trying to sneak up on her. The Legion that had been in the store was already starting to move to make an attack just where the Asian teen had moved.

But Giang was not about to let that happen. Stepping further back with her right foot, she turned to face the first Legion, her hands sweeping up and together in front of her as another blast of water erupted out of thin air. The twisting coils of water struck the already wet Legion square in the chest, this time knocking the wind out of her. The force of the blast was so powerful that it lifted the young woman up off her feet and carried her back into the store, where she collided with one, and then a second clothing rack, becoming entangled in a mess of clothes as finally came to a halt in the middle of the showroom floor.

"I believe I will be able to do just fine." Giang replied calmly as she turned to face the second Legion, ready for an attack.

[Thunder King]

Mali charged forward, hoping to take advantage of her foe's dazed state. Unfortunately, the other girl recovered just in time. Mali took a swing at her and though she made contact, the other girl rolled with the strike and it deflected harmlessly away. Mali cursed in Thai, yet she was kind of having fun. Nobody was at risk of dying, nobody was in severe danger. Instead, it was just two people fighting. She let herself enjoy fighting a skilled opponent. That was something she rarely got to do.

[Brown Dynamite]

Thaelia repeated her earlier motion this time throwing a straight right hand while taking the time to wonder over Legion's statement.  Either she spotted Mali and Giang.  Or they may be communicating with one another somehow.  Too bothersome to contemplate, I'll just beat her and figure it out later.   An idea that wasn't quite coming into fruition as easily as the Atlantean had hoped.  This time her fist wasn't dodge so much the course of her limb was redirected by the slightest flick of the woman's staff.
 

Thaelia remained calm despite her ineffective series of assaults.  It wasn't a situation that provoked longing worry she just had to get the timing down.  Cracking her neck the muscular teen simply smiled for a moment before speaking.  "You are slippery.  Good."

[Thevshi]

GM

"I am glad you approve." The Legion facing Thaelia replied with a grin. "Now let's see just how tough you are." She then added as she spun her staff around once in one hand before grasping it with two hands once more. Shifting her stance slightly, Legion prepared herself for any possible counter attack, but she also focused on putting a bit more force behind her attack, sacrificing a bit of accuracy in the process.

But in focusing on trying to deliver a more powerful attack, Legion failed to be able to connect with her attack, as Thaelia managed to sidestep the swing. Legion recovered quickly, taking a couple of steps back as her staff spun around once more and came back up in front of her.

[Thevshi]

GM

"So, willing to attack someone while their down are you?" The second Legion that had arrived at the scene called out to Crimson. "Your water using friend was will to shoot one of me in the back as well, and here I thought heroes were honourable or something."

She then rushed over towards where the crimson clad heroine was fighting the Legion still down on the ground. Her staff whipped around and she swung it in a wide arc, hoping to force Crimson to move where she and her other self wanted the heroine to go.

The false attack did what it was intended, causing Crimson to take a step backward as she dodged the swing. The attacking Legion landed lightly on her feet, spinning her staff back into a defensive position.

---

Back in front of the sports store, the second Legion to arrive on the scene glanced into the store where her other self had just been blasted before focusing back on Tsunami. Lunging forward, she jabbed at the water using teen with her staff, but Giang was easily able to block the attack aside.

---

Back down on the lower level, the first Legion had recovered from Crimson Tiger's first attack and managed to take the second attack with little effect. Her feet kicked up quickly into the air a she whipped them back downward, pushing off the hard floor with her back and agilely kipped back up to her feet, her staff spinning round once as she brought it around in a downward diagonal sweep that caught Crimson Tiger on the upper left shoulder as she had moved away from the other Legion's false attack.