| War and Catgirls | ||
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| Summary: Tempers flare as Kotal Kahn meets the leader of Neo-Edo city. Who: Luna, Kotal_Kahn, Erron_Black_(Mortal_Kombat), Ermac_(Mortal_Kombat) When: January 02, 2016 Where: City of Neo-Edo-Fukuoka   |
LATE EVENING.. er wait, EARLY MORNING..no.. afternoon?? Will you stop freaking moving already!? Needless to say that someone who relies on the sun as their main source of energy, Kotal Kahn has been less than thrilled about the prospect of visiting a place where the sun wasn't likely to hold still for an extended period of time. Alas, Kotal had longed surpassed his overly reliance on the sun and he could function pretty much anywhere thanks to his Blood Magick. However, it was still very annoying, and thus, he decided to bring along two of his best fighters just on the odd chance that this diplomatic expedition turned violent. Boldly does the statuesque, turquoise skinned, eagle knight trodden across the streets. Dripping with confidence and an imposing aura about him, in no small part due to the fact that his power wasn't being restrained in the city, Kotal moved through the street like he owned it. This boastful approach was deliberate however, he was purposely trying to attract as much attention towards him as he could, part of the reason why he didn't even bother to try to disguise himself as a human. He figured that someone would take notice at a 7 feet tall turquoise skinned man walking along with a cowboy and a floating ninja in tow. To his side, Erron Black peered under his cowboy hat at the people and glanced at the Aztec. "You really think this will work, Khan?" "The only alternative I can think of is asking someone to take us to their leader." Kotal answered whilst peering around. "I reckon that does sound pretty cliched.." Agreed the cowboy. All the while Ermac remained silent, floating next to Kotal whilst keeping his senses on full alert in case someone powerful approached. The people of Neo-Edo, at least those out on the street, actually don't pay much attention to Kotal and his minions wandering the sidewalks and streets. They've seen far odder and stranger on the streets, and so they go about their daily lives. Whether that be working, hunting weird magic, or just wandering around looking for something to do. Luna, however, is not so lacking in her curiosity. She's standing in front of the bridge that leads to the island where a storm always seems to be brewing or actually happening, it's just how it is when you live on Twisted, some parts are like that. And Akira Institute is the only place she can keep her 1,000 safe. For the moment. Her catears cock towrds Kotal and his cronies as they near the bridge, and she turns to eye them over. Her left ear twitches as she flicks the bell on her collar, making it jingle. o O ( Would you rather? {Not today, yes?} Very well. ) It's not that she steps out and gets in Kotal's way, but she does look right at him as he walks down the sidewalk, incline her head, and say, "Yes well, greetings."
Its just as he feared then. The citizens of Neo-Edo are nearly as jagged as those of Twisted, and have become accustomed to oddities such as a giant turquoise skinned Aztec and his cowboy and magical ninja minions. He thinks that this will be harder than he thought. Or maybe not..? Something catty this way comes and Kotal and his entourage come to a stop when Luna approaches them with a coordial greeting. It's not much, but someone that acknowledges their presence is a start. "Greetings citizen of Neo-Edo!" Kotal starts with his strong card and puffs out his chest trying to look imposing, doing a warrior salute, hand over his heart in Mexica knight fashion. "I am Kotal Kahn and.. wait a minute." Recognition flashes across Kotal's glowing golden eyes and he peers closely at the catgirl. "You are that feline woman who was at the Christmas party in the Usual." He didn't get to speak to her personally but Kotal hardly ever forgets a face. "It is curious to see you here, are you a Neo-Edo native or do you hail from the city of Twisted as well?" Meanwhile, Erron tips his hat in greetings while Ermac focuses his energy on Luna, trying to get a read on her chi.
In the meantime, the Aztec seems far too puzzled by Luna's intricate response to focus, or care at all, about power levels at the moment. "No. You cannot be serious!" His face turns into a grimace. "I've waited for too long for this city to resurface just to let it slip from my fingers again. You must tell us how can we ensure the continued existence of Neo-Edo! Our power is great and I assure you we can accomplish this task however formidable it may seem." "In fact." He straightens up and looks directly at Luna. "I believe it is more beneficial if you start from the very beginning and tell us all you know about Neo-Edo. Would you perhaps wish to take a seat somewhere? I can buy you a drink or a meal for your time." Well, at least he's courteous for someone who looks every part like a muscle bound bruiser. As Luna scans them back, she'll find she's not the only one capable of making their chi look negligible. Erron, Kotal and Ermac all have quite a degree of magic in their auras but their chi levels are purposely kept low so as to not attract /too much/ attention. Kotal just wanted to make himself look like an oddity not start a brawl in the street. With their souls left untouched, the group continue to be non the wiser that they are being scanned back.
The trio of kombatants await the introductions patiently, at least until Luna waves her hands and causes a mist to surround them. Now, to be fair, Twisted has had /very/ poor experiences with mist and smoke and anything that vaguely resembles fog of some kind. So, Luna will have to excuse Erron and Ermac when they suddenly flip a lid and get ready to defend themselves and their leader. Erron pulls a revolver and points it at Luna ready to fire from the hip, old western style, and Ermac settles by pointing his finger at the catgirl where an orb of green energy materializes ready to fire. Due to their reaction, their power levels spike, revealing themselves as quite capable fighters to Luna if she's still sensing them. Both of them have quite a fair amount of magical and chi energy at their disposal. However, Kotal doesn't react and he keeps his energy levels low. "Hold!" He holds his hands up bidding his minions to lower their weapons. "Forgive my subordinates. We've had a lot of problems in Twisted with fog. I am certain you've heard." Kotal nods to them and both deflate, letting Luna introduce herself and summon furniture and food in peace. Huh, guess bribing her with food or anything of the sort would be pointless if she can just make it magically appear. For his part, Kotal keeps his cool and nods. "I see." Though his facade is one of calm composure, there is chaotic internal turmoil going on inside Kotal's head as he frantically start to look through all the memories Caliga gave him looking for the name Luna. He can't quite find it, but somehow, this catgirl seems familiar to him. It's definitely someone that Caliga knew but she must be in a form that Caliga didn't know her as. How very frustrating. The Aztec is keeping his cards close to his chest though and doesn't show his internal panic. Instead, he introduces himself as it is proper. "Well met. As I was saying, I am Kotal Khan, known as Huitzilopotchli in ancient times. God of war, Emperor of Outworld, and currently, head of security of Twisted and director of TASK." Quite the long list of titles he has too. "These are some of my warriors, Erron Black and Ermac." Again the two just nod politely. "Countless times have we defended Twisted from anything that would threaten it, including the nefarious Christabella." "If there is anything that would threaten to change Neo-Edo for the worst, or pull it down back to the bowels of Hell, the warriors of TASK and I would be ready to prevent it." While Kotal issues his speech, he and the other two are pointedly not sitting down just yet. It would be impolite to sit while a lady is still sitting, no matter how odd she may appear.
Luna will have to be more specific with her words indeed. Kotal Kahn has been very involved with Twisted and his understanding of the world is vast thanks to Caliga but he is by no means an ancient part of it. He's merely a powerful individual that just happens to be stuck in Twisted. As such, even he can make incorrect assumptions and jump to conclusions when an old denizen of the world speaks since he doesn't recognize all of the vocabulary. He understands nevertheless and nods. "I see." The Aztec then takes a seat when Luna does and his minions following suit, with Erron flopping down and Ermac levitating down and crossing his legs in lotus flower position as if he were meditating. Interestingly, none of them are eating, again, because good manners state that they shouldn't eat until the lady starts. "The chaotic nature of Twisted is beyond my control." Kotal continues. "As the god of war, my domain is limited to the field of battle. Monsters and ancient eldritch abominations I can handle, but the shifts of time and fluctuation of dimensions elude even one such as I." He leans back on his seat. "It gladdens me to hear that Neo-Edo will not disappear in the near future. I have very vested interests for its continued existence." Does he now? "You seem to know much o' Black Dragon. I wish to know of more.. material things of Neo-Edo." Better to keep it simple for now before he gets to the question the nature of Twisted or just /who/ Luna is exactly. "Who keeps the peace here in Neo-Edo? Who is the leader of this city? I've noticed that the barrier that Diablo placed over Twisted does not extend here. How will you deal with threats of a monstrous level without anything to regulate power?"
As the Aztec rests his chin on his knuckles and listens, he too notices the mismatched number of creatures that walk, slither and fly by. It's nothing he hasn't seen before in Twisted or even Outworld, but he is beginning to understand to what level of controlled chaos does Neo-Edo really go. Its like a Twisted city but in steroids. "Oh?" Luna's bold claim make his glowing eyes light up, and the cat-girl might just 'barely' get the sensation of Kotal's chi spiking just a tad, like a heart beat. "You are the leader and defender of this city?" How very unexpected, to think that she just walked into the UR like it was no big deal. "You'll forgive me if I maintain a healthy degree of skepticism of such a claim." Here, Kotal's eyes glow a little brighter and he inclines forward. "Surely you must have felt Diablo's restrictive barrier around Twisted when you entered. It regulates everyone's power that isn't his or one of his minions. Or do you mean to tell me you are impervious to it?" Kotal does very much hate jumping to conclusions, it has cost him a lot in the past too. Its better if he just gets more concrete evidence of what he's dealing with. "Perhaps you can indulge our curiosity with a demonstration of your powers, my lady." Though they are quite disciplined, Erron and Ermac are still quite mortal, and at this point have pretty much zoned out of the conversation and are eating their respective cheeseburgers. Some bodyguards. Luna's smile slips over into a slight smirk, "Yes well, I've noticed it. Wether I'm impervious, I suppose I don't feel like sharing that with you, yes?" She waves her hand at the table, white mist flooding over and disappearing, leaving meat, cheese, and vegetables. Maybe they're vegetarians. Who knows? She rests back in her chair, both of her catears twitching, "That's an odd request, yes?" She says about showing her powers. She looks Kotal up and down, then at Erron and Ermac. Ah. o O ( AH! I see. I see! {Indeed, yes?} ) Her smile grows bigger, her smile almost showing some hunger, "Alas, I suddenly understand you perhaps seek to conquer this place and take it as your own, yes? Unfortunately, I am already it's ruler, yes?"
Alas, Shao Kahn was also a tyrant and braggart, and it was his own arrogance that was his eventual downfall. Kotal Kahn had long ago swore that he wouldn't walk that path. He remains calm despite his contempt for Luna's initial answer, a tightened gesture of his lips being the only sign of him being displeased. Even his minions know that Kotal's current composed demeanor will continue to hold, and they continue to eat the cheeseburgers even as the table disappears under them. There's very little reaction when Luna grins hungrily at Kotal, he merely shakes his head. The feathers on his helmet swaying from side to side. "My predecessors focused far too much on Konquering. I on the other hand are more interested in ruling. I have no claims of Konquest, neither here nor in Twisted city. Despite what Diablo might think I am not after his throne, I simply wish for the people to live in peace, without fear of being made playthings of cosmic entities." "I do not wish to rule your city, my good lady. But I do wish to know if you are capable of defending and taking good care of your citizens." Now Kotal's composed expression darkness a little and Neo-Edo's erratic time change comes to a screeching halt. The sun holds over head and it seems to be shinning brighter, directly over Kotal. "Otherwise, I would be forced to take care of them for you."
Despite her erroneous assumptions, Kotal holds his tongue for a moment as Luna explains how there will always be danger in this city and she goes on to give an extensive list of the numerous horrendous fates that could befall the seemingly helpless citizens of Neo-Edo. As Luna continues to talk, it seems that every word uttered by her angers Kotal more and more. With each example given, the sun above them glows brighter and it seems to reflect on the Aztec warrior who begins to radiate with an almost blinding glow. Soon, even Ermac and Erron have to realize that something is going tremendously wrong and they scoot sideways so as to avoid being scorched to cinders by the incinerating ray of sun glowing directly on top of the Eagle Knight. But as subtly as it started, the sun ceases to shine and it is as if Kotal allows the sun to continue its erratic path across the heavens, shifting to night and then to day as it is common in Neo-Edo. "Very well." Kotal says suddenly and stands up abruptly. "I've had my fill of meaningless posturing with uncaring overlords. If I wanted thinly veiled arrogance thrown at my face instead of actual answers, I would simply stay in Twisted city and talk to Diablo. Or better yet, Caliga." He snaps his fingers and Erron and Ermac take it as their cue to leave, they both stand. "Keep your citizens safe, lady Luna. But mark my words, if I have so much as one refugee come to my domain complaining about your cruelty." "You will have to answer to me personally, and I do hope for your sake you are in more in a 'mood' to show off then." Luna raises an eyebrow at Kotal's sunbathing and words. It's a little unexpected, from what she could tell, things were going well. But people tend to take things personally when they don't get exactly what they want. It's a sign of someone who's used to getting what they want no matter what, and expecting others to always obey them. o O ( I pity him some, yes? {Indeed...perhaps he's just lonely?} It is possible... ) She stands up as well, since everyone else is, and does her best not to be offended by Kotal's threats, "Yes well, I don't claim to be an overlord, but I am quite caring. I, however, understand reality, yes? People don't like to be controlled, at least, not most." She looks over towards her home, left ear twitching, "I do find it interesting, yes? You just claimed moments ago you're not here to take over Neo-Edo, and yet, you then state I will have to answer to you, as if you -do- own the place." She then looks towards Kotal's eyes with a fanged smile, "You seem to see yourself as a hero or a champion of the people, yes? Excellent. But realize that the people here are not helpless, nor are they weak, nor are they living in fear, as you can see by them walking the streets without care." She gestures to encompass the city, "Your hostility is strange, yes? We're simply conversing." She gently shrugs, not sure what to make of Kotal. He seems a little...hmm, immature to her.
He makes an imperious shake of his head and twists his head away from the cat girl's gaze in annoyance, looking like a disinterested great eagle thanks to his colorful plumed helmet. "Twist my words all you like. My offer and threat to you and all that is supposedly yours stands. Look after your people or feel my wrath." He won't go into the details of how a city full of people walking around minding their own business happily means nothing in the grand spectrum of Twisted as a whole. Luna could very easily walk through the streets of Twisted city and see nothing but smiling faces.. right until the fog rolled around and started slaughtering people. One instance of happiness means nothing to Kotal Kahn. He wanted proof and all he got where haughty responses. In retrospect coming here directly was a bad move on his part. He's a man of action and quite literally the god of war, not the god of diplomacy. He should have brought Serenity or Minu with him. In the end he sighs, perhaps realizing just how bull headed he's being and turns to give a far more passive glance down at Luna. "Forgive my anger, I've had very bad experiences with the authority of Twisted. I simply do not wish the same to occur between us." He thinks for a moment and digs through one of his belt pockets pulling out a business card with the letters TASK printed boldly in it. "Here is a number where you can contact me. If you'd allow me to cool my temper and meet at a later time with more of my subordinates I would be greatly indebted to you." "I wish for our cities to grow stronger together, that is all."
"I am a god of the people." He declares as Luna acknowledges his desire to protect the public. Now, Kotal Kahn isn't one for touchy feely kind of stuff either, and when Luna announces her desire to make new friends, the Aztec can't help but make a face at the girl, inwardly hoping she's not expecting a hug or something. He can't handle another episode of the Deis. "You can have my friendship if you so wish it." There! That's as much as he can stomach without having to resort to calling Twilight over the phone in desperation. Fortunately for his pride he manages to keep his stoic composure and he nods to the catgirl once she bids farewell. "May the light of the sun shine upon your path." He thinks he's learned as much as he can about Neo-Edo for today. Luna nods her head and decides to respond in kind, "May Althena's light shine upon you, yes?" Is that how it goes? Ah, it's been a long time since she said proper prayers to the goddess. o O ( {Close enough, yes?} Excellent. ) The catgirl nods her head at the friendship, it sounds good to her, though Kotal calling himself a god makes her ears fold back, but that's all the distaste she shows. Her prior life enjoyed toying with gods and their souls to show them how, while one can be immortal, nearly all such beings have souls or essences of some kind, and they're generally more vulnerable in that area. She shoves the memories away, knowing continuing down such thoughts will lead her closer to madness, even if by a day earlier, she'd just as soon it never came at all. | |
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