2011-03-14 - Dark Deals and Wagers

It is the day after the big festivities in Neo Japan, and the 'pit is certainly jumping with new conversation. Deals are being laid out, conquests discussed, and the general feeling is: profit. It had been a good night for the Trailers who attended, most coming back with quite a few new business contacts. Most of the tables are occupied, which is doubly good for business at the 'nest.

Running along a more dimly lit part of the bar is possibly the most seedy section of tables one could imagine. All sorts of covert dealings seem to happen in those dark spaces. People come and go quickly, words kept in hushed voices. Now and again, someone might catch word of some assasination contract, or illegal drugs, or worse things. This isn't unusual for the 'pit, but what is unusual is the fact that Sinya is seated at one of these tables, obviously in a hushed conversation.

The catgirl has a bit of a tired look to her eyes, her face mostly hidden in the shadow of a hooded jacket. Her companion is dressed similarly, except in a long hooded trenchcoat. Something passes between the two of them quickly. A small box which is flashed briefly, getting a nod from Sinya. "Only the finest for one of my best customers." The male growls faintly, a sound that is wholely unhuman. As he turns towards the light, a muzzle becomes visible, along with a toothy, threatening smile. "But I'm afraid my price has gone up."

Unusually, the catgirl is sitting quite close to the hooded beastman, and in response to this, she leans even closer. Her hand, claws extended, hovers briefly next to his face as her nose seems bare inches from his. To many, it could be mistaken for an intimate gesture, but all too quickly she flashes a display of her fangs and gives a low hiss. The male simply chuckles. "So be it." He shrugs, and there is a brief exchange of money before he slides out of the booth, "Always.. a pleasure." The voice is thick, implying more than just business.

Edward Fawkes wasn't in the suit he wore to the festivities. He wasn't in his customary red and gold either. He was... in a tshirt and jeans. Not even expensive looking ones at that. Black ballcap hid most of his rust red hair and Edward's face was somewhere between happy and tired.

He tok the bar in with a sweeping glance and frowned. Sinya, he had been told, was here. He had a largish box which contained breakfast. He figured she'd try chasing a hangover off with more booze, so he hoped to counter with his own cure. Of course that's when he noticed exactly /where/ she was seated and the person she was with.

He frowned slightly and started to the table slowly. He didn't want to intrude, not yet. If Sinya was up to dark deals he wouldn't intrude, not unless it looked like she needed backup.

"Kai." Sinya's voice carries away from the table, even as the beastman seems about to move off. "I won't accept any more excuses. You understand." Her eyes, tired and slightly hung-over as they might be, are intense. "I need my order, and I need it /yesterday/." Her claws rap on the table, a gesture that wouldn't seem quite so threatening from the small catgirl, but her body language seems to make it so. The hooded male simply grunts, turning to stalk away. He doesn't get far though, having not noticed the looming form of Edward. The small beastman actually nearly slams into the hulk of a man, looking up suddenly with a growl. "Move it, goliath." It's a threatening snarl, but he doesn't wait for a reaction, pushing by and moving out of the bar with surprising speed.

Sinya, on the other hand, just seems releaved when the beastman departs, letting out a sigh. Dealing with such people came with the territory sometimes, especially when you needed to get things not always available in the upper world. She pulls the small box over, peeking beneath the lid a second time and actually pulling out one of the objects inside. In the darkness, it's har to see, but she moves it in her hand, examining the small sphere.

Of course, that's when the snarl from Kai draws her attention and her ears and head move in surprise. She doesn't quite have enough time to tuck the sphere back into the case by the time she spots Edward, and in her somewhat flustered state, it slips from her claws and clunks to the floor, rolling to a stop at her friend's feet. The object, which seemed the source of such secrecy, seems nothing more than a rock. "Oh, Edward. Do you mind?" She asks, holding a hand out for the stray rock. She doesn't seem to have noticed his clothing yet.

It could have been worse when the Beastman ran into Edward. Fortunately though the big guy's heard far worse insults from far cherrier sorts of people and lets the man go with only a grunt. "Hey I brought y-" Tink tink tink. Rock. He stooped to pick it up and after a quick glance at the thing he handed it over and grabbed a chair. "Anything you care to talk about?" His tone was neutral, but his eyes and posture would've hinted at concern.

Lifting one hand, Sinya rubs at one eye as she stiffles a yawn - definitely a far cry from the intense person she had been only a moment earlier. "I shouldn't have polished off that bottle of fire wine after I got back last night." She murmurs to herself, groaning. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, especially after her slip up with Captain Xiang. 'Never let a possible contract see weakness.' Michael Leland had always told her, and oh she had let him see plenty of weakness. "Damnit." She curses under her breath.

It's only when Edward settles in on his chair that her head lifts, nose catching the unmistakeable scent of food. Her ears lift a bit, although her eyes are still red-rimmed. Her hands curve around the small rock, holding it in her hands as she briefly glances between it, and Edward. Then, her eyes widen. "Am I really that hungover? What in the name of sweet Gaea are you wearing?" As much as he had been floored the night before, she's obviously quite surprised now.

Black t-shirt with an SD zaku chasing an equelly SD gundam around cheerfully waving a heathawk around. As he moves his arms around while opening Breakfast, a huge plate of eggs, sausage, buttered buscuits, ham and possibly a small pig hidden somewhere in there Sinya might catch the lower edge of a tatoo on the upper part of his left arm.

"After the party wound down, and i got back from a scuffle with staff when one of 'em thought I'd personally insulted them when I told them to pull a few platters because they might be contaminated... or I've suddenly gotten an allergy..." He sighed. "Did manage to make a few new friends though so I guess all's well." He ordered something, wondering if they actually had orange juice here, and eyed Sinya again. "I'd ask how things with Emperor Stoneface went but it seems like a bad idea."

The shirt is enough to cause a raised eyebrow from Sinya, but she simply shakes her head, trying to dismiss the oddness of not seeing the giant in his usual suit. She's a far cry from the dress of the previous evening, back in a pair of patched cargo pants and a hooded jacket pulled over a a t-shirt. The smell of the food is almost intoxicating. There are very few times a cat won't be able to eat, and she'd have to be more than just hung over to be turned off by it. "You wouldn't mind sharing a bit, would you?" He had cut himself off mid-sentence before, so she can't help but assume that the food is meant for him. Licking her lips, it is a bit hard to focus when your stomach is growling, almost audibly.

"Hrm. So that's where you disappeared to." Her head lifts, eyes looking away from the food to regard him more curiously. "I don't really know /how/ things went, though. He seemed to get plenty of contacts even without my help, and I ended up having a bit too much to drink." She rolls the stone between her hands, letting it move along the table. If nothing else, she can't be too afraid of it drawing attention - but it is just a rock, right? "Ended up blabbing my mouth about Michael, and about my father back home. It was a mess." She draws one hand up, pulling unbrushed hair from her eyes. "I think I must have been pretty far gone by then anyways. One minute he seemed almost human, the next he was back to 'Emperor Stoneface' as you call him."

She sighs, and just shrugs her shoulders, "Came back, polished off a bottle of fire wine, and then passed out in an Armored Core. Surprised the heck out of the pilot this morning." Her mouth quirks into a small, wry smile. "So... what's with the clothes... and the tattoo." She adds the second thing in as an afterthought.

The plate was nudged in Sinya's general direction gently and, when it arrived, a glass of juice added to the side. "I'd actually meant this for you. Ate on the way in and figured you had the harder time of it so ...breakfast's on me." Ed shrugged and leaned back in his chair, Actually he was more squatting and the chair happened to be under him, but whatever. "The shirt? Eh just something I"ve had hanging around for days like today. All worn out and even the usual colors feel too restricting." Wait, she saw the tatoo? "The tat? Meh... old unit patch." He made no move to cover what of it was exposed. Scrollwork, some lettering but nothing else visible.

"Micheal huh?" He considered asking, but if the lady felt this crummy now digging into her past wouldn't be a good notion. "Need an ear, or just wanna get back to work after food?" How to help? How to help...? Ask about the rock? It didn't look like drugs he was familiar with. Could be a dietary thing. Some mineral that just doesn't exist here.

"Oh." Surprise lights Sinya's eyes as she pulls the try of food over. If nothing else, she certainly could easily be bribed with food. Unlike the previous night, though, she wastes no time in trying to be polite about it. Her clawed fingers close around a fork, and all too quickly she's chowing down at an alarming rate. She only slows to talk, at least not talking with her mouth full. "Thanks Edward." She murmurs after swollowing, "I was so late for my meeting with Kai I didn't even think about food." That, and she was being chased by an irritable AC pilot who wasn't happy about finding a sleeping girl in his mech. He probably had a few questions to answer with his wife.

She doesn't press the issue of the tattoo, just nodding slightly. "That's a human thing that's always seemed kind of strange to me." Sinya admits, pointing the fork at his arm, but not paying much attention to it further as she swirls some of the eggs around. "Some of my kind are more human than others, but my skin already has plenty of colors without adding more to it." Often times, people just assumed she had fur covering her body, the pattern that people saw actually was her skin-tone.

She does end up caught off-guard by the question about Michael. The catgirl ends up pausing with a piece of ham clenched in her teeth, having not yet torn off the piece held by the fork. Releasing it, she sets the fork down and shrugs one shoulder, half-dismissively. "Michael Leland." The Lelands, in some ways Sinya included, were well known for being wanderers who salvaged after mech battles, often making quite a tidy profit in the resale business. "He took me in when I came through from Gaea. Passed away last year." She notes, preferring to focus on the food for a bit.

Edward Fawkes nodded, remembering she had said something on the matter when he first saw her.The things that get lost when you suddenly get your world turned upside-down huh? "Have to say you certainly made a few impressions last night." Yea, the dress looked good on her. Wait what? Those were skin-tone marks? Nah, don't think about how and where they go. Bad Edward. Bad.

"Fire wine." He seemed totaist the words. "Give me whiskey, aged and soothed." Ahh memories. A good glass, a girl on his lap. Granted it didn't lead anywhere but she was pleasent enough company. Some of that must've shown on his face, what with the sappy grin and all.

A bit of a blush rises up on Sinya's cheeks, but she hides it well by shoving food into her mouth. Like before, it's disappearing quite quickly. It's a wonder that she doesn't put on weight. Luckily, some cats just have a very fast metabolism. "Well, it wouldn't really be a good idea to wear something like that when working on mechs, you know." She notes, tapping the fork on the side of the container of food, only shyly glancing up towards her companion. "I'm actually a little disappointed that I didn't get to dance, but I think that was a bit too stuffy of a place for anything really fun." Yes, change the subject quickly before more compliments can come. "You should see me when the 'pit has their karaoke nights."

"Give me the wine, any day." She snorts, twitching her nose slightly as her ears slide back, still trying to keep out some of the din of the bar. "It's just as strong, but without the kick in the teeth that comes afterwards. But I suppose it's an aquired taste." Especially the Gaean version, which can cost quite a bit for a single bottle - and she'd had two? Three? Hard to remember. Her head tilts, looking at his expression curiously. "Remembering something?" She asks, "You're smiling for once."

"Nothing on the spooky side of things for once." Edward pondered where and how Sinya put all that food. He at least could somehow justify it in that there were smaller houses than him and it takes alot to keep a big engine running. Especially when it's active. Then again maybe she was like this one guy he knew. Even taller than he was, and the /ONLY/ person he's ever had to look up at, but was all knees and elbow.

Karaoke. She does Karaoke? He couldn't quite stifle a laugh at the thought. "You are an interesting person Sinya. Glad I ran into you."

"That's good." After her own moment of memories seeming far too real and far too close to the present, she's not looking forward to taking another trip down memory lane. Why was it that somehow Xiang's presence brought that kind of thing out in her - and probably in Edward as well. "I really do hope you figure out what is up with those flashes you get. The language you speak is... close to what I've heard before, but also kind of off somehow. I can't make sense of it." She neatly stacks some egg ontop of a strip of ham, slowing down now that the worst of the hunger is over. "Are you actually from La Gias?" Had she asked this before? Not that she can remember - at least not directly.

Of course, his laugh has a small smile forming on her lips, followed by another of those shy shrugs. "I try. Better to be interesting than boring." There is a wry smirk, and she leans a bit towards him, whispering, "And you know what else? I can drink just about every mechanic and pilot here under the table." You wouldn't think it by looking at her, but... perhaps she's telling the truth?

Edward Fawkes shook his head slowly. "I... no." Inhale. Exhale. He gestured at himself. "Me. The giant tub of meat in this chair. That was born April 13th 95 NCA to a family that's lived for aproximately... ever since it actually went up, what is now the Principality of Zeon...or however they call it these days." His tone became lighter. "I love it. IT's home. There's several thousand little nooks, crannies, and oddball spots I could show you that arne't on any tourist map but..."

He set his chair back on all it's legs before speaking again, trying to meet Sinya's eyes as he did so. "Now though it's like i have fragments of another life, another time. Low technology and mecha being a rarity... monsters seemed simi-normal. aT least they seem to crop up more often than not." He blew hard out his nose as a sign of frustration. "I have a sense of age to the rest, like it happened so far back for all I know it could be Gaean history, or could be part of some other relm out beyond the mists."

Something about her words clearly seemed to unnerve him, and she pauses with little remaining of the food to look at him more seriously. It's harder to read her expressions when her ears are almost permanently slicked back - mostly due to blocking out the sound that might make the hangover that much worse. Still, her brows lift. "Don't talk abot yourself that way." Her tone is a bit flat, but concerned as well. "I don't see you as Edward the humungous, or Edward the giant. You're just Edward to me." It's odd, but she sometimes does seem to be able to see through to the heart of people, or at least see them better than sometimes they see themselves.

"As for the rest, her clawed fingers tap on the surface of the table even as her tail twitches beside her. "I'm not sure I've ever heard of something like that, but it could be possible. You hear stories all the time about it in fiction. I mean... the lovers who are reborn as twins, that sort of thing." Hadn't she heard a story similar all too recently? It escapes her, so she just bites her lower lip and shakes her head, "Captain Xiang did say he and Yu traveled around a lot of La Gias, and they go back there from time to time. Maybe if you told them some of what you remember, they might know where it comes from?"

A shrug, "I just wanted you to have some point of refference s'all. It's not all roses and finding things that don't feel like they're all kiddie sized is annoying, but There are perks to being me." Top shelf jokes to one side generally speaking the few times he's raised his voice fights have a habit of stopping. Ed offered sinya a soft pat on the shoulder. "I could ask Xiang, and there is an open invite to his ship. However it isn't overly pressing and since the mystery can wait another few days I would rather wait till his people are adjusted."

Which brings things to an interesting point. "If you don't mind... what's the rock and why're you having to go through back ally folk to get it?" If it's drugs he'd rather her stop... unless she needed it to live. "I won't tell anyone if you like, but... I'd rather know if it's something I could possibly help with."

Rather than trying to push her point further, Sin simply rolls her eyes, setting the fork to the side and officially declaring her breakfast finished. There's still a bit left, but even she can't quite manage that extra on a hang-over stomach. When he talks about visiting the SuiKyosha, she just smirks slightly, "Don't eat the purple fish." There is laughter behind her words, as if she found something about it funny. "But seriously, it's like nothing you've ever seen."

Her eyes are drawn back to the rock, which she'd left on the table after going into 'food mode'. "This?" She asks, plucking up the spherical stone. "Hrm." She considers how to explain it, then holds up one finger as she reaches into the pocket of her coat, pulling out a series of tiny crystal-like slivers. They seem to be in an array of colors, mostly yellows, greens, blues, but none are more than an inch long. "They're a little hard to come by outside of La Gias, and there's no way I'm going back for it, so I deal with the underground when I need things." She plucks up a blue crystal, holding it between her fingers, and then touches it lightly to the stone.

There is a flash of light as blue energy sparks along the surface of the stone. Sinya's fingers slowly draw back, leaving the stone hanging in mid-air of it's own power. "Gaean floating stones." She explains, head tilted as she watches the sphere hover. "The stories say there are entire ranges of these back home, like floating mountains. But... they aren't what I really need. What I really need are more of these." She holds the crystal sliver up. "These are too small for what I need, and the larger ones are so much harder to get a hold of."

Bare whisper in that strange off-Gaean, "So /thats/ how that bloody thing stayed up!" Delighted smile on Ed's face. For a moment he looks like a kid with a new toy, or possibly a new use for an old one. Then the moment passed and he slid back into english. "Oh so...what's that for. Power supply?" He tilted his head this way and that at the float stone, clearly amused.

As usual, the catgirl only catches a word or two of the strange language, her ears perking up and then quickly flattening again as the sound in the bar overwhelms her already sensitive hearing. "These are energists. A type of crystal found on Gaea." She flicks her clawed fingers through them, easily sorting them into colors. "They're the power source for pretty much everything in the world I come from. Couldn't tell you how it works, but it does. More La Gian magic, I suppose." She hadn't actually studied them in depth herself, and for many very good reasons, was not keen on letting them fall into the hands of human scientists.

"Small ones like these can power small machines. Something as small as a float stone, or as large as a melef." She explains, referring to the human-sized machines often used by her people - as opposed the far larger guymelefs such as her own unit, Arius. "Red energists are the most rare. They have to be purified inside the body of a dragon. That's the kind of power it takes to move a guymelef." While she doesn't say it directly, it is quite obvious that she must have one of these - somewhere at the heart of the gryphon knight. "When I got blasted in that last battle, one of the the smaller energists cracked. It's holding for now, but I need it replaced, otherwise I might lose power to parts of Arius mid-battle. That's why I have to deal with scumbags like Kai."

"Next time you have to deal with him or anyone in his crowd mind if i hang around?" Ed finally took his eyes off the floatstone to look at Sinya again. "I won't loom, promise, but maybe I could keep them from gouging you too badly."

It doesn't take long for the energy inside the float stone to be used up, causing it to slowly decend back down to the table, landing with a click. Normally it would have to be hooked up to a permanent power source of some point to remain airborne for long. She quickly closes her hand over it, then tucks it back into the box along with three others that seem all hewn to be about the same shape and size.

As for his suggestion, Sinya just smirks, flexing her claws slightly as she extends them in the air. "I can take care of myself, Edward. I promise. I may not look very intimidating, but I can handle myself just fine." She tucks the box into a bag set beside her, then slings it over her shoulder. "I've been meaning to test out Arius's systems, so I could always show you. Think Shelly would be up for a match in the Arena?"

Wait what? Shelly verses... that? "Well now. She might not be much, but she can hold her own." Edward smiled to her. "No offince ment on your own skills or ability to rip anyone to shreds, but sometimes more obvious is better." Wait what was he saying? This woman probably knew more than he did about dealing with the shadey side of things. "So... a friendly little match in the arena. Care to make a bet?"

"Not saying she can't. If nothing else, you've probably got more combat time in than I do. It will be a good test for me to see if his systems and my skills can hold out a while." There is a bit of challenge in her green eyes, her smile showing a bit of fang as she edges out of the booth, chuckling to herself. "Friendly match. Just to minor damage. And I'll cover any repair costs." She tugs the bag up on her shoulder, and then tilts her head, "What kind of bet do you have in mind?"

Edward Fawkes didn't wanna let his mouth do the walking on that one. "Oh nothing too major. You win I have to sing any album of your choice while the bar here," He waves an arm to take the whole arm pit in, "Is packed. Sober." What about if he won? "If I win..." He shrugged. "That's the toughie." He thought for a minute and grinned. "One dance with you in that red dress." Then to emphasize a point that might not be clear. "Just a dance. No drinks later. none of that."

Sinya simply raises one eyebrow at the tall man, which she can do without having to look upwards since he is sitting afterall. "A hard bargain, Mr. Fawkes." She chuckles, considering it for a bit longer than strictly necessary. "Deal." Afterall, she had missed out on dancing last night, so at the very least, it is kind of a win-win situation. "Come on. Let's go get suited up, I've got a bet to win. And I know just the song, too." She snickers to herself, and then heads out of the bar.

It doesn't take long for Sinya to change from her normal street clothing into her pilot gear - which is a custom made, and not nearly as skin-tight as the trace suit she had to shove herself into the last time she had piloted a mech in combat. A group of mechanics have already followed her unit into the arena, taking places in the stands as they cheer on 'one of their own'. The gryphon unit, barely standing more than 26 feet tall, is quite a bit smaller than most others. Still, it seems that a challenge is a challenge.

Sinya slides her arms into the control braces of her guymelef, closing her fingers around the controls as she takes a deep breath. "Alright. System check is positive. Energist power holding." She's talking to herself, which has become somewhat normal for her. Through the modified visor of her suit, she turns Arius's head towards the gundam. The great knight's wings flex behind him, then settle as his hand comes down to his side, taking hold of a small cylindrical object there. With a click, it extends into a staff, which is neatly spun in front of him before being placed to the ground.

With her systems in check, guymelef and pilot move as one, the great knight swinging his staff forward as he closes the distance between himself and the gundam. "Better take this seriously, Edward. Otherwise you never know what you'll end up having to sing." She taunts, obviously not too worried about her end of the bet. Suddenly, with a whirl of motion, she spins the staff outward, trying to slam it into the Janice's arm.

Edward Fawkes had an even easier time than normal to get changed to his flight suit. Strange that he's fighting something smaller than him. After all the Jenice was hardly the largest suit in the block. Once in the cockpit he waved a hand across the controlls, bringing them online and letting his mind unfocus.

Then there was a staff to the face, which he'd hopped just out of range. "Oh and I have my own music in mind for you little lady." With that he lunged forward, boosting while his suit's right arm extended, knuckle sandwich to the fist.

Belatedly he realized this was the same woman who's probably at least sat on most if not all of the repairs his suit has had, so would likely have a good idea how he fights. Too late to worry about that now.

When her first attack proves ineffective, it is a quick scramble for the catgirl to shift herself around in order to defend the oncoming blow from the gundam's fist. She allows it to strike against the hard edge of one of the gryphon's shoulder pauldrons. With a quick movement of her feet she moves the smaller unit quickly into an offensive position.

Arius, with his hands sliding inward on the staff, begins to spin it at high speeds, moving forward as if he were a rotery fan, threatening to catch up the gundam in the spin if he weren't quick enough to get out of the way.

With a feral grin on her face, Sinya just laughs, "Oh? Well, we'll just see if you earn that dance. It won't be easy." It's clear she's being serious about this test run of her mech - even if the stakes aren't particularly high.

Rotery death incomming! Could jet away. Could fade back. Edward did neither. Instead he drew one of his heat hawks and let the staff clatter against the blade. Then he swung with hs other heat hawk, deactivated so it's only really just a blunt piece of metal. Hoever it's one aimed at his opponent's shoulder. Same one he'd hit earlier.

This time, Arius seems to continue on the offensive, his staff deflecting the heat hawk away before there is time to do much damage. With another quick movement of the feet, the guymelef turns in time to try and swing a counter attack in at the open spot in the gundam's defenses, but it falls short. There were still quite a few things Sinya needed to improve upon, judging distances in her guymelef is one of them. At the very least, she didn't have to try doing it just by looking out eye-slits like many of the units made by the people of her world.

It doesn't take her long to adjust though, adapting to the movements of the other unit. Her eyes flick across the controls, checking the power readouts before focusing back on the task at hand. Arius, staff in hand, flexes his wings out behind him, stretching them to their limits before flapping forward, sending a blast of wind towards Edward's gundam, followed by a sudden attack from a thrusting staff which seems to come almost out of nowhere.

Edward Fawkes barely managed to keep his suit from being knocked over. Still, he went with the motion, using thrust to gain a little distaince and height from his opponent while he considered his opponent. Huge wings meant the staff probably wouldn't be able to whip around at the back. Then again he couldn't just tell her to turn around. Yet while his mind chewed on the problem his fingers acted, dancing across the console causing his suit to spindive from on high, feet forward and aiming at the guymelef's back.

Even as the attack comes in towards her unit's back, the camera-eye view allows her a decent view of it incoming. She'd designed the system fairly well, hoping to get rid of the drawbacks of manual sight. Her wings flare, the sharp feathers flaring to catch the gundam unawares. Even when seemingly vulnerable, this guymelef still seems to have some defenses.

The clang of metal against metal is enough to bring her around, swinging her staff with her as she aims to use the strength of the smaller unit to slam the long beam into the Janice, or at the very least use it to drive him back. "You're pretty quick, I must admit." She surveys the damage reports that show across her screen, noting that it seems to be nominal, not anything to worry about just yet. As Arius's feet step down, he continues the charge by moving forward, trying to spear the other mech at the end of the staff.

Shelly was knocked to the ground with enough force to bounce. "...not quick enough apparently..." Ed grunted while making his suit get back to it's feet. Then he ran at his opponent, shoulder low and aimed at the Guymelef's gut. Hedove at her, lineman's tackle. Though since this was practice iff he managed to knock her to the ground his suit's arms were extended to take the brunt of the impact. No sense sandwiching the opposition.

The attack seems so obvious that it isn't all that difficult for her to plan around it. A side-step, a quick motion, and that is all it takes to keep from being tackled to the ground by the gundam. As the bigger unit comes by, she gets a clear opening to its back. And here is where her knowledge of machines kicks in. All too quickly, her eyes seem to scan various weak points. Then, with a nod of her head, she sends Arius into motion.

The gryphon's staff is drawn inward, making the reach shorter, but more powerful. One by one, she targets each of the points, seeking to put just the right pressure on them to cause the unit to have issues with it's control. This is the sort of thing having a mechanical eye can help towards - that is, if she can manage to hit those points.

Tricky getting around joint damage, but Edward has had this suit for awhile, long enough to have learned how to make unresponsive and uncooperative joints work... most of the time. He managed to laugh cheerily. "You want to dance?" He turned, foot lashing out. "Let's dance." Next was another foot, quick jab. Feet. Lots of feet. Cross. Seemed he thought dancing was a full contact sport.

"Last I checked, it's you who wanted to dance." Sinya laughs, her guymelef moving back with surprising speed - more than surprising - it seems almost as if it defies physics. Leave it to units from La Gias to not quite move the way you expect them to. "Besides, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve." That staff snaps out again at Arius's side, making a click as it snaps into place. As he is trying the fancy footwork, she turns and tries to slam her staff right into the gundam's legs. If nothing else, it would be amusing to see the bigger unit face-plant.

Both heat hawks were out again, twirling first to deflect Sinya's staff strike then again and again at her unit. Edward laughed as his unit moved, somewhat jerkily sure, and possibly not smooth or fast enough for his attack to connect but he sounded like he was having /FUN/!

Somehow, no matter how good the catgirl's defenses might have been, she isn't able to get out of the way of the attack that comes up under her guard. It strikes Arius HARD on the chest, sending the smaller unit reeling backwards. Luckily, she'd improved the shock absorber, so there isn't as much jarring on herself as there might have been a few weeks ago. "System check, system check." She mutters to herself, tapping buttons quickly as she brings up a damage report. That damned energist was still giving her trouble. Power was fluxuating wildly, causing the one 'eye' of the gryphon chestpiece to flicker on and off as the knight moved.

Still, the systems seem to be operating fine, so she raises her head, the staff sweeping out in front of her. Once more, Arius's wings seem to give him a bit of a boost, flaring out behind him as if they were scooping the wind. The gryphon shifts into a run, charging forward with the staff spinning, seeking at the last moment to jam the spaded edge into the gundam's shoulder. "EEEaaah!" The effort drawing out a cry from the catgirl, pulling at the controls.

Edward Fawkes managed a glancing blow on the Guymelef's arm even as he was jabbed in the chest. "Good!" He frowned at his screens no matter how cheery his tone. Left leg was still giving him problems and something looked... off. No need to let the loyal opposition see that. No matter how cute.

"Dance with me." Gaena, or at least the of-brand of it as his suit closed in, left shoulder first followed by an attempt at a grappling squeeze. "Dance with me Sinya." If he managed a trapple it would be followed with a knee before he stepped away.

In a strange turn of events, Sinya seems to understand most of the words he says this time, and she shakes her head from side to side, "Only if I lose." She grits her teeth together, obviously taking it as a challenge, even if the actual stakes aren't as high as a usual life or death battle. She isn't about to be trapped by the larger suit, moving to the side as the gryphon's thrusters manage to push her far enough out of the way to avoid the grapple.

Breathing heavily, mostly from the exertion of manually having to control her unit in a way that normal pilots can't imagine, she still grins. The staff spins above Arius's head, giving more display of her skill with the weapon. Then, she swings it outward, trying to knock it into the back of the gundam's legs, trying to take them out from under him.

Edward Fawkes again met the ground with a stifled grunt as he strained against his seat's harness. "...getting tired of that..." He pushed off with the suit's arms as he lashed out with his foot, not quite sure if he had judged the distances right to the Guymelef's leg. Still he couldn't help himself. "Sit. Down!"

"Not on your life!" She calls out, her voice carrying a laugh to it as she slams the boosters, once again barely avoiding the strike that could have knocked her unit easily across the arena. The guymelef spins his staff, and then turns, winding up as and then swinging it over his head, trying to bring it down and just bash into the gundam rather than any of the more fancy techniques.

Edward Fawkes was hit across the back with the staff and grunted. "OK I think that'll do it." He struggled to get his suit back to it's feet. "Left leg's acting wierd again. Everything else seems good. How're you holding out?"

When he calls off the match, officially declaring his loss, that feral grin just remains plastered onto Sinya's features. Still, breathing heavily, she draws her hand back and Arius follows the motion. The gryphon's staff disappears back into the cylinder. The energist in the guymelef's right eye still flickers, which is a bit disconcerting. "Damage is minimal, but I'm still having power fluctuations." The smile fades a bit, and she taps a few more buttons on her modified controls. "I really need Kai to come through with that delivery." As one, she and Arius step backwards, allowing the gundam to get to its feet. "It was a close match, though. I don't know if I'm getting better, or you had a bad day." Her voice carries just a hint of laughter. In the stands, a few pilots are now having to pony up money to the mechanics, who apparently placed their bets on the catgirl.

With a few more grunts and creaking joints Ed managed to get Shelly back on her feet. "Sorry guys." He made the suit wave to the stands wehre the pilots were still handing money over. Then he turned to Sinya and made his suit bow slightly to her. "Just name the time place and song and I'll be there...." He even had an outfit that would go great for the occasion. Why was Ed laughing. He lost. He should be shamed!