Feb 15 00:37:31 ** Taki Wars, Episode 9. It's Febuary 13th, around noon, at the Fontain residence. Stuff has finally returned to something resembling 'calm' for Taka. No attacks, no fainting, Nina and Guy haven't been around- they did leave a communicator, though. Gerald left early in the morning with Sachiko, promising something about a day all to themselves tomorrow. (Aww. He's such a nice husband. But life is never that good. ^_~) Eric, though, has already stopped by, for an art lesson of the non-martial arts type. At his insistence, outside, behind the back of the house. There's a nice view of the beach, and the back of the house. Start. * Eric points at the canvas he dragged out, which has a somewhat crude tiger leaping upon a BMW. It's all in black and white. He's getting better, though. * Taka is actually wearing a normal white t-shirt today and bluejeans. Must be Casual Day with Taka. She peers at it and mms. "Certainly imaginiitive, unless you also have a tiger at home." * Eric winces. "Still not good yet, huh?" * Taka draws a fingernail very lightly across the canvas. "Improvement, certainly." Her fingernail hovers over part of the musculature. "A difficult subject." * Eric nods. "I must have done a hundred rough sketches trying to get the pose right. The car was easy, though. It's my dream car, and I've got a model of that at home." There's a sudden disturbance in the air, upwards some 20 feet, and over the deep part of the coast. Taka sees someone fall from it! * Taka 's eyes snap to the falling person. "What in the... did you see that, Eric?" * Eric jerks his head away from his drawing, and looks out over that way. "I thought I did. You too?" * Nick hits the water with an impressive splash, and starts making his way towards the shore. "That.. was a headtrip." * Taka pads out onto the beach proper and peers out over the water. * Eric adopts an indecisive look for a moment, then follows after. (Can I see the fact that he didn't crater?) ( Yes! ) * Nick is making impressive time for someone with several broken bones and multiple open cuts. His face is twisted in a grimace, probably the result of the salt water. And, with one final heave, he flops onto shore not too far from Taka. (And to make sure everyone remembers..) * Eric sucks his breath in, hissing. "Christ." * Taka kneels down and starts checking the boy for his damage in a fairly simple manner. "I think... you should call some paramedics. Perhaps I should put them on speed dial to save the extra digit." * Nick is clearly recognizable as a blond-haired green-eyed teenage boy with a very athletic build. He's wearing a black t-shirt, which is full of holes and fairly slashed up, and jeans that are in roughly the same condition. Blood is flowing out the side of his head and out of a cut across his cheek, as well as out of numerous open wounds across his arms and chest. He seems barely conscious. * Nick looks up at Taka blearily, eyes unfocused and somewhat glazed over. "Am I in Heaven? Did I get away?" Might be. Taka does look good enough to be an angel, to someone so out of it. (Hey! I'm not that ugly.) (But that missing arm is a bit of a distraction) ( An angel would have higher than rank 2 in Appearance. That doesn't mean you're ugly, just not quite heavnely. ... except to Nick. ) (I'm rank 3! :D) * Taka checks the damage with her left hand and winces slightly. "Not quite, but if you wish to believe that until the paramedics arrive, I will not stop you. Eric?" * Nick places a hand on the ground and slowly starts to sit up. "Don't.. I'll be fine." * Taka presses down on his chest. Ow much? * Nick cries out and falls back down onto his back. "Augh!" You will lie there. * Eric nods, then blinks at the struggling Nick. "... relax. I'm going to call the nice white men in the flashy white truck, so just hang in there and don't push yourself." I'll be back with bandages. *he looks over Nick for a moment.* ... lots of bandages. * Eric runs to the house! * Nick scowls at Taka, and attempts to sit up again. * Taka isn't moving her hand. And she's no pushover. Let.. go! Perhaps you have forgotten that you fell out of the sky into the ocean? It wasn't that long ago. Look, after getting my ass handed to me by my kung-fu science teacher, which came after killing my evil twin, I'm not that worried about falling out of the sky! So just let. Me. Go! * Taka frowns at him. "And what will you do when you get up? Do you even know where you are?" * Taka 's frown is a fairly serious one, yet with hints that she's considering something as well. ( That was a great one-liner. ) * Nick pauses. "..SoCal?" No. * Nick pauses, shrugs, and redoubles his efforts to get free. ( Should I break out the dice? ) (As long as your efforts revolve around 'sit up', you're really sorta in trouble.) (Don't bother, he's at 7 HP and is not getting up any time soon.) (Also, Taka is kung-fu master.) * Taka doesn't bother redoubling her hands on his chest, beausse she only has one. She says in a reasonable voice, "If you are going to continue trying to sit up, you will just pain yourself more. There is no need to move." Just take your hand off! * Taka shakes her head and says, "No. Consider yourself lucky. At least you have run into one of the few people in the world that does not necessarily think you're crazy." * Nick keeps struggling anyway. "Lady, *I* think I'm crazy." It is Taka Fontain, young man. Think about it. Where are you going to run if I let you up? And why? * Taka gets a very thin smile. "I am the only kung-fu teacher around here." I'd go home! Oh, Taka. You notice that Nick has a Spring. (Which I forgot to mention initially.) Young man, you do not even know where you are, and you are the walking wounded. * Nick scowls deeper, if it's possible. "My name is Nick, not 'young man'." (It's visible?) ( Yeah. Wet torn clothes, lotsa wounds, etc. ) * Taka frowns back at him. "Well, then, Nick. Perhaps I should let you stand, so that you later pass out and fall over from blood loss. Is that what you want?" * Eric comes back, scowling, with a first-aid kit. "... Taka, I hate to say this, but... the ambulance refuses to come. They started screaming at me when I mentioned Fontain. Something about you and bikes and... yeah." * Eric kneels down next to Nick, opening the first aid kit, and looking him over again. * Taka glances back at Eric, then Nick again. "I shall have to remember not to mention it next time." She sighs heavily. * Nick blinks. "..Well, at least you've got the same relationship with the paramedics as I do. Do they call you by your first name when you show up too?" * Eric grins sheepishly. "... not really. The police and I are on a first-name basis, though." * Nick gives Eric a thumbs-up. * Taka looks over at Eric. "The deliveries certainly help. Pick him up and move him to the deck. The sand is doing him no good." * Eric puts down the medical kit, and makes to help Taka/Nick to the deck. "Sure thing." I can walk! I.. just might need a little help. * Taka looks at him and says firmly, "Rest. It will hurt enough to bandage those wounds as it is." (I'm going to basically hand him off to Eric once Eric picks him up. I'll grab the FAK.) (It's not like he's going anywhere.) ... right. I'll take this slow, tell me if anything pulls or bends that shouldn't. * Eric helps Nick up nice and slooooow, easing him gently to his feet. * Nick gets up surprisingly fast. Even if that's still really, really slow. * Taka shakes her head and sighs slightly, going to pick up the First Aid Kit stuff. So-- ohshit that hurts --is she your girlfriend or something? * Eric walks Nick to the deck, not letting Nick take any wieght on himself at all, and sets him down, slowly, when they get there. * Eric shakes his head. "Hardly. I did lose a car for her, though." * Nick is set down, and this time decides to stay there. "What model?" 82 Cadillac. *pause* Pink. * Taka follows with the first aid kit and then sets it down before pulling out all of the fun stuff. "Warm water, please, Eric." * Nick pauses and just looks at him. "..So, not that much of a friend, then." * Eric makes sure Nick gets down nice and gently. "Better than you think. I hope, I think. Ya think?" * Eric cracks a grin, and heads inside. ..I like him. * Taka takes Nick's spring from him idly, then paying it no more mind, pulls out bandages and cotton balls and peroxide. Dun dun dun. "He is a good man. His car would have done better if he had not run into my evil twin, as it were." She dabs peroxide on some of the smaller wounds right as she says, "This is going to be pain on top of pain. If you can pass out, I heartily recommend it." There's the sound of rummaging, and then running water from inside. Thanks for the advice, *Mom*. * Taka chuckles faintly. "You are too old to be my son." * Nick grins in a manner similar to Eric. "I dunno, I see a wrinkle there.. and there.." ( Those two are going to be kindred souls. ) * Eric comes back out, a casserole dish full of water in his hands, and a pair of towels over his shoulder. He sets them down near Nick. * Taka applies small banading to the things she can before Eric comes back with the water. "You were also under the mistaken impression that Florida was California. I am not particularly impressed with your sense of perception at the moment." * Taka nods at Eric and takes one of the towels from him before making it damp and applying it, carefully, to his head, washing it as best one can. * Nick winces. "That's where I was!" Taka has lost Towel x1, and gained Bloody Towel x1. * Taka bandages the head wound. It's definitely the worst one. She repeats the process allllll the way down, which includes just getting rid of that damn shirt. Hopefully she has enough bandages. Taka's short a few bandages. All of the majors, and most of the minors, are taken care of though. * Nick grits his teeth and bears it with only a few outbursts. * Taka finally finishes the banading and lets out a sigh. "Well, Eric, if you were a fan of Nina, I get the feeling you will be seeing her again shortly." * Eric frowns. "Wonderful." Who? I guess this kills the chance for sparring later. * Taka smiles faintly and stands. "Perhaps after he's fallen asleep. I am going to go get a sheet to put over the couch and you can take him to lay upon it." She looks down at Nick. "You will, unfortunately, be able to meet her soon enough." * Eric grins. "You'll love her if you don't keep your wits about you. ... and trust me on this one, don't try and drink her under. It's not gonna happen." * Taka heads into the house to wash her hands and get the aforementioned sheet. * Eric makes a querying face, then speaks after a moment. "... you seem like you'll live. Luckily. ... but, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name." Nick. Nick Anderson. I'm Eric, Eric Krick. * Nick grins again. "Nice to meet you. Bright spot in my day, really." * Taka washes la la la goes to get the sheet la la la put it on the couch la la la it's the killing time--er, wait. No. Not the killing time. I'd shake, but I don't think you're up for it, really. Probably not. * Eric peeks inside, then turns back to Nick and kneels down. "Couch is ready. Are you?" * Nick nods and starts to sit up on his own. Careful... the hospital isn't sending an ambulance- long story there, if you're unlucky you'll get to hear it- so it's just us for now. * Eric helps Nick. Helpfully. * Taka has head upstairs, now. What-ever could she be getting! Could it be a communicator from a jewelry chest? Yes it is. She pulls the spring she retrieved from Nick in the same place the communicator was and then, uh, turns it on! * Nick slowly gets to his feet and starts a-hobblin' into the house. "Thanks.. so, she's the one friendly with the hospital?" * Communicator turns on! There's a moment or three, before the other end picks up. Nina Okanbe, DISC. Who's there? * Taka takes a seat on her bed and says, "Taka Fontain. At least, one of them. Hello, Nina." * Eric nods, slowly. "... something like that." Oh, hey! ... they always say no news is good news, so this is bad news, I'm betting. Or maybe you just missed me. No kidding. It's not that great, being on a first name basis with the ambulance crew. I had to listen to Ed talk about his hemorrhoids while they were patching me up. You can almost hear the self-confident head-nod. * Eric makes a face, and wrinkles his nose. "Ewww." * Nick nods in agreement. "Seriously!" * Taka replies dryly. "Of course. A young man named Nick has appeared behind my home, nearly dead. He said he had to kill his twin and had a kung-fu science teacher. He is from California. He had one of your... Springs." How do you end up with them so much? I just get into way too many fights for my own good. ... aw, man. Oh well, I'll be by. I've got several mountains of paperwork to fill out, I'll try and make it by later today, 'kay? He didn't try to kill you, did he? I've been in a few fights.. mostly I try to climb tall buildings and cliffs and balance on the edges of bridges and stuff. * Taka stares at the communicator and replies, "No, but the large wounds most likely stopped him." She sighs. "Please try to hurry. We have managed to stabilize him but for some reason the paramedics are very tired of us." And if my house starts to become a home for your wayward charges, I will begin submitting invoices. I'll just set fire to my desk and fake my death, or something. Only way I'll get out of here anytime soon. * Taka rolls her eyes. "I will no doubt talk to you later." Nina sounds... very bored. Yeah. Seeya later. The communicator cuts off at the other end. * Eric hmms. "Sounds like fun. Any good at it?" * Taka sighs and puts the communicator away before leaning on the actual dresser that the jewel chest was resting on and looking into the mirror there. She takes some deep breaths and some of the tension and exasperation seem to fade. * Nick blinks. "..Well, uh, I can recite the names and ages of every paramedic's kid in my town." ... not quite what I meant, but hey. * Taka comes back down the stairs to Eric and Nick's cheery buddy scene. The doorbell rings! Ding! * Taka just keeps walking right up to the door and looks to see who it is. "Why is it that visitors always come in groups?" A letter slides underneath the door- it's a postman. * Nick settles onto the couch with a contented sigh. "Better." * Taka bends over and picks it up, looking at the address as she walks towards the two. "I would certainly hope so." The letters made out simply to 'Taka'. It's written in kanji, though, and it's addressed from 'Sensei.' Which is also in kanji. (Also, kanji.) (And then Kanji.) (And the KHAAAAAAAAANji.) * Taka 's eyes widen and she mutters even as she opens it one-handed, "I find it disturbing how many people know where I am." It's not identified by anyone other than the 'Sensei' on the front, but the tone of the letter matches who she'd think it'd be. There's two things in there- one is an invitation to a funeral of Sandra Miyajima, with the name it's adressed to blacked out. The other is the letter. * Taka gets a pained look almost immediately. The letter goes on to say several things- first, that he's glad she's doing well. The second, is that Taka pointedly did not get an invitation- her family blames her for the death. He's forwarding one because he knows she didn't do it- the fighting style wasn't the same. (more) The third is that her family tracked down Taka's current whereabouts after the death, and that's why he knew what address to send it to. * Taka goes to take a seat as she reads it. The letter isn't signed at the end, either. It's all in kanji, just like the envelope. * Taka says quietly, "Even small storms cause large waves." (When is the funeral?) * Nick looks up from the couch. "What's up?" The funeral is Febuary 17th, at an address in Taka's hometown. * Eric looks over at Taka, taking a moment before saying, "... it's not good news, is it?" * Taka says with only the hint of shakyness, "No, but it needn't concern either of you." She reads it over a second time. ..So, did I hear you say something about *her* evil twin? ... it's a long story. And not really a happy one. * Eric shakes his head, tilting his gaze to the ground. "It's not my place to tell it." * Taka stands very suddenly. "Do you want something to drink, Nick?" she asks in a flat tone. * Nick shakes his head a little. "I'm alright." * Taka says, "I will be heading outside, then. I am sure Eric can keep an eye on you until you fall asleep." * Taka doesn't bother waiting for a response, still holding the envelope in her hand as she turns and walks away. (And out back. Yes. Out back.) * Eric watches Taka go, worriedly. "... poor girl." (Good thing she doessns't hvae super-sharp hearing, or you'd be in trouble. 'Girl'.) Man, if her day has been as bad as mine.. * Eric doesn't comment. ( Doing anything onscreen out-back, or no? ) (Yeah.) * Taka steps out onto the sandy beach, looking out over the water for a second before she takes up a simple martial arts stance not far from the water. Then she starts to slowly, almost painfully so, run through katas. * Nick shifts, settling further into the couch. "I'll catch some Zs, then.." * Eric sighs, and shakes his head. "Not much I can do for her right now." He closes his eyes, for a moment, then looks at Nick. "You, though. Anything you need?" Nah.. really tired.. ... this is like a vortex of wierdness. I'd love to hear how your day went, but I suspect you need the rest more than ears right now. Science teacher threw me in a room with clone-guy and a bunch of weapons. Killed him, got knocked out. * Eric blinks. "... or not." Got sent to a crazy-house, got to see another clone make fire with his mind, science teacher kicked my ass, woke up here. * Nick closes his eyes. "G'night." ... night. Feb 15 02:53:06 End.