The Pageant - Part Four
WHO: Orihime Inoue, Jiraiya, Winry Rockbell, Kon, Haruhi Suzumiya, Antonio de Orduno, Roy Fokker, Kyon, Ling Yao, Gwendolyn, Forte Stollen, Excellen Browning, Ferham, Itsuki Koizumi, Han Su Li
WHERE: Universal Colisseum, Rome
WHEN: Saturday, July 21st 2007
WHAT: Continued from Part Three.
Half an hour is OVER! Orihime hopes that gave Haruhi enough time to change and psyche herself up for the event, as well as giving Antonio a chance to switch roles from contestant to judge. It's not easy, she knows! As the cameras turn to her, and the operator signals to resume the broadcast, Orihime clears her throat and lifts the microphone. "Welcome back! It's time now for the second half of the Universe Competition of 2007. But before we introduce the female contestants, let's meet our new panel of judges! Returning for a second round, allow me to welcome back Jiraiya and Kon!"
Back in action! Kon seems like someone who's been waiting ALL DAY to finally reach this part of the competition. Back at the judges' table, he waves to his legion of adoring fans, basking in the glory of the coming moment! Yes! YEEEES!
Clearly, he is in the element he was born to be in. Surrounded by thousands of people and soon to be doing his JOB by looking at attractive women.
Jiraiya is still sitting in his chair. He doesn't waste any time. Yes, he intended to be here, no matter how long it took, so long as he got to see the Ms. Universe portion of the contest. That's all he cared about. He just gives a slow wave to the audience, and leans back in his chair. He's still got his assistants with him, of course.
After the two judges have made themselves known, Orihime nods her approval and turns back to the camera. "Our third judge you already know, as one of the entries. A special thanks goes out to him for juggling roles. Please say hello to Antonio de Orduno!"
Antonio has changed back into his casual outfit - the red satin pants and white silk shirt. He enters un-DRAMATICally for the first time, simply bowing after coming on stage and smiling. "It is my pleasure to serve as a judge, my lady." He then calmly takes his seat at the judging panel.
It's perhaps a sad day when the Suave Swashbuckler is the /least/ pervy member of the panel so far.
"Last, but not least," Orihime winks, "we'd like to welcome back yet another contestant who was willing to juggle roles. It's a tough job, but we're grateful! Please put your hands together for Kyon-san!"
Huh. 'Willing,' eh? More like forced. But these people don't have to know that. At least this will be better than earlier. ...I hope.
Kyon puts on an almost business-like smile as he comes out. He's wearing- well hey, wasn't that the suit he'd been wearing for the interview section? Apparently he's decided that he may as well make as much use of it as possible. No slicked back hair though, he hated feeling like he was wearing a helmet. One hand holding an ice pack to the back of his head, he pauses to bow to the audience before making a bee-line for the judge's booth.
Now that the judges are settled, it's time to roll! She knows a /lot/ of the guys in the audience turned up especially for this event. As an announcer, she hopes she doesn't disappoint, but knows only too well that her words won't matter nearly as much as the girls performing their spectacular talents! So there's nothing to be nervous about. "Our first contestant is a reploid! For those who don't know, a reploid is similar to a robot, but with way more sentience and emotions. We're VERY happy to have such a unique lady with us today! Once a warrior on the field, she now makes people happy working at Han Su Li's ramen shop. Allow me to welcome Ferham!"
Stepping out onto the stage is what looks like a rather tall woman--its Ferham! Her idea of casual wear in this case is probably not so casual, but she's not a normal girl, either. A pair of red, knee-high leather boots tip her legs, leaving the rest of them bare. Guess the shorter they are, the more casual! Along with that is a black tube-skirt and a sleeveless red top, looking to be made out of spandex or lycra, reaching down around her ribs with a narrow diamond-shaped slit in the top center for a bit of cleavage. Her helmet is gone too, so this might be the first time she's shown a whole crowd what she looks like without it, long black hair spilling down about her shoulders, parted down the center with bangs falling over her forehead and eyes.
As she gives a wave to the rather large crowd, one may notice she also appears to be wearing a pair of long, black gloves, elbow length of course, with sharp tips on each finger. Jeez, wonder what those're for! <3 Of course, they have to do with the talent she's going to show off today, which happens to be making an ice sculpture... But, theres no ice?
Therein lies the talent, of course, since Ferham can form solid ice freely from her own body. Steepling her fingers, she gets to work, forming a long, tall serpentine dragon with her hands, running them over the floor and building it up till she has a four-foot tall asian dragon, its blue coils curving into the air. It's face is fierce, and gaping maw studded with four fangs and whiskers. It /kinda/ looks like Hitsugaya's bankai, but that is probably just because its made of ice! The entire thing sparkles where the light hits, and gives off mist due to the extreme temperatures that gave birth to it.
Ferham stepped back and gave a little bow and wave of her black gloved hand, doing her best to give a cheerful smile.
Ooooh, we're off to a good start! Kon applauds enthousiastically, already more than he has ever done for the previous part of the competition, then settles down and writes down his score. He is now one happy plush toy.
Kyon looks just a little uneasy at the sharp finger tips on those gloves, but hey, he doesn't have to worry about any attempts on his life until -after- the judging, right?
Wait, that's not a good thing to consider either. Hopefully by the end of this Haruhi will be in a good mood and put off any punishment she has in store for me.
He shoves the thought from his mind as he watches as Ferham creates ice from seemingly nothing. "Huh," Kyon blinks, tapping his pencil against the clipboard in front of him before he writes something down.
As Ferham walks on, Antonio looks her over, nodding to himself. He smiles briefly, and then applauds, his eyes travelling the length of the sculpture before returning to look at Ferham some more. Hm...
He writes down a score.
Commander Fokker, having gone from contestant to watcher, frowns as his radio goes off. "Orihime, gotta go - the Macross is under attack."
Orihime seems alarmed at this news, though thankfully, she's hidden away from the spotlights and the viewscreen. Receiving Roy's message, she nods quietly. "I'll leave shortly, there's someone that volunteered to replace me if I couldn't come." Orihime will just have to call her. And while Orihime might not be able to help on the Macross in person, she CAN start rallying volunteers to sweep in and look after the civilians, maybe get them to safety.
Jiraiya is amused by the show of talent, and that grin is showing that he's immensely enjoying this part of the pagent. He leans back in his chair, jotting down a quick score.
After giving a wave, Ferham bends down and taps the ice sculpture lightly, making a tick sound--and the entire thing turns into ice dust! Gotta make room for the other contests, right? She waves again and walks off the stage, hips swaying as she went.
"Next up on the stage is the senior member of the Angel Brigade. She grew up in the slums of the planet Transbaal, and later transferred to the military. Her hobbies include collecting rare and antique firearms, and gardening. I'm happy to introduce Forte Stollen!"
Orihime Inoue announces. :D
Casual Wear? For Forte, casual is the old hoodie she likes to throw on when slumming on the streets. She won't win any pageant awards with that on, however, so after arguing- er- 'consulting' with her fellow Angels, she's going with the old standby: Her good ol' imperial uniform. Her wide white overcoat billows out as she marches onto the stage, the gleam of the lights pinging off of her hat brim, monocle, and choker. She was cheerfully to the crowd as she enters, while her other arm has a pink plushie of some sort tucked underneath it.
A mumbling pink plushie at that. "Forte, this had better be worth it. This is the time for mine and Vanilla's favorite show..." The soldier just beams brighter as she squeezes the plushie harder, then struts over to the far side of the stage to place NORMAD on a pedestal before returning to the center of the stage. "Today," she shouts out to everyone, "Ladies and gentlemen of the universe, I shall amaze you with my amazing deadshot abilities! Behold!"
From within the shadows of her jacket, the monocled redhead withdraws an old-fashioned six-shootin' revolver. And a quarter. Without a word, she flips the quarter up in the air, takes aim, and - BANG! The quarter falls to the floor, where she picks it up and flips it to... Antonio. Yeah, that would be more his cup of tea. The coin is warm, and has a freshly-made bullethole dead center. Bullseye!
Can't stop now! "For my next trick," Forte walks over to where NORMAD is sitting and places a fresh red apple on top of his head. "I shall repeat the story of Billy Told!" "William Tell," NORMAD snorts. "Same thing." Once she's to the other side of the stage, the soldier pulls a scarf from her jacket and ties it firmly over her eyes. The plushie, for his part, doesn't quiver, though there seems to be some robotic gurgling coming from his direction. "You never said anything about shooting bli-"
BLAM.
The apple splits in two, each half falling to the side of the plush. "... I hope Vanilla likes the smell of apple juice."
TA DA! Pulling the blindfold away, Forte nods once with a grin, then turns to bow to the judges. "I could've done more, but the locals didn't like my idea of live fire practice, so... I hope you enjoy this little show! Thank you!"
Antonio once more scans the contestant, a smile on his face. Weapons - he can understand displays of weapons skill well. The outfit is.../different/, for 'casual,' but interesting. As the quarter is shot and then flipped to him, he catches it, smiling wider. "Gracias, senorita."
/Definitely/ some brownie points there, as he writes down the score.
Kon seems to enjoy the outfit quite a bit, examining it rather throughly. But somehow, his eye buttons seem to shrink a bit at the sight of his plush toy compatriot being used as a target-holder like that. Slowly, he swallows, then writes a score down.
Jiraiya definetely likes a woman in uniform. Try to ignore the drooling as he leans forward, as if that might give him a better look of Forte. Clearly, however, Jiraiya is impressed with the show of marksmanship. "Very good, miss. You've 'Stollen' my heart with your beauty and marksmanship." To which the two frogs sitting infront of him roll their eyes. "What? Rules didn't say I couldn't compliment them.."
Kyon sets down the ice pack for a moment, quirking a brow as Forte takes the stage. Interesting casual wear there, but then to each their own, right? The high school student nods as he jots something down before he props his chin up with a hand, waiting for the talent portion to begin. Ah, and there's the firearms part. Kyon blinks and then moves to applaud Forte's display of skills.
Definitely not someone I want to cross.
Write, write.
Applauding for the military madam, Orihime smiles widely. She always liked Forte! She /seems/ rough and violent, but then again, so does Tatsuki. It does nothing to erase her view of the kindness and strength of spirit that lies within. "Up next is the princess of Ragnanival, and a fierce valkyrie maiden! Despite her skill with the sword, this lady is very kind, and a wonderful person everyone should take the time to meet. Please welcome Gwendolyn!"
Hmm. Forte catches the lion plushie's fear and mental notes she might've pulled an oopsie there. Oh well, the other guys liked it! With a last wave, and a helping hand to NORMAD so he can wave as well, she marches back off-stage.
Upon her announcement, Gwendolyn steps onto the stage, clad in her bustle-and-skirt battle gear. Apparently, this is what she considers 'casual wear.' At least she has left the leg armor behind, walking out in boots instead of clanking, huge metal boots. For some reason, she has brought her glowing spear with her, as well as a small satchel in one hand. She bows to the audience, finally speaking up in a slightly nervous tone. "Good evening, everyone."
"For this event," she continues, "I will be demonstrating my skill in gardening. The gardens of Erion are often thought to be unusual in nature by those of other planes. However, they are of great help to us on the battlefield and in agricultural pursuits. Please allow me to explain."
She kneels down, taking a small, safe tray of soil out of the bag and setting it down without spilling a bit. Next out of the bag comes a round, shiny seed, quite large in her hand and with a tiny green sprout emerging from the top. "This is a Barromett Seed, developed by a famed alchemist. It is now widely used throughout Erion." The seed is placed
inside of the dirt, and the girl stands back, holding her spear up in both hands.
"We would ordinarily nourish a plant with Phozons. However, as there are no Phozons within the area, I shall provide a few of my own." She closes her eyes, and out from the spear emerge several glowing, flickering lights that give off a faint warmth. The Phozons hover for only a moment before the plant absorbs them, growing at a rapid speed and rate. A shoot pokes out of the soil, growing into a tiny plant, and then into a shrub. The leafy shrub soon sprouts two large, bulging pods. Flowers, perhaps, fruit?
Actually, no. The leaves of the pod peel back to reveal a couple of...sheep. Big, fluffy white sheep, which quickly hop off of the vine and begin mulling about. As if this is completely normal, Gwendolyn turns to the audience. "I have been gardening since I was a little girl. It is a hobby of mine..."
Antonio does not understand magic. He hardly understands his /own/ magic - and he's had that since puberty. So magic does not easily surprise him - he expects it can do anything. Despite this, after his examination of Gwendolyn's appearance, he claps enthusiastically for her talent - how.../unique!/
Kon's facial expression goes from interested, to eager, to curious, then to something that can more or less be summed up as "o_O". At least that was much more interesting than what normal onstage gardening would look like. For a moment, he stares at one of the sheep closest to the judges' booth, who stares back, then writes something down. Only /then/ does he remember to start applauding. Clearly his brain would be broken, if only this cowardly lion had one. ...wait.
As Gwendolyn comes out on stage, Kyon begins to wonder if he should rethink his judging criterion if all these people started coming out wearing their-world-casual styles. He taps a finger against his chin in thought, almost zoning out for a moment- that is, until Gwendolyn's quick-grow seed produces...
"-sheep?" What the.
Kyon hrms and then nods to himself as he writes down his decision on
the clipboard.
Actually, Jiraiya is expecting the beautiful, battle-ready woman to produce a tree that gives fruit. Borrriiinnng. But his surprise is obvious when the pods peel back and reveal.. sheep. He chuckles and claps, shaking his head slowly. "Very interesting, Ms. Gwendolyn. You're as beautiful as you are talented." Though whether or not growing a tree with glowy orbs can be considered talent is up to question, who cares? Jiraiya's impressed, as few people where he come from can make TREES grow just using their own power.
"I hope this has been educational," Gwendolyn concludes as the plant itself rapidly withers and disappears back into the soil. She kneels down to place the soil back in the bag, and then takes a sweeping warrior's bow on one knee, spear held aloft. That spear is then used to nudge the sheep offstage, a stage which remains remarkably clean. And it doesn't even smell like sheep!
Orihime gasps, impressed. Gwendolyn can grow sheep...? Orihime will most certainly need to talk to her sometime later, then. She's been working on some farmland procurement for the Relief Society in order to get fresh produce and livestock. This could help a LOT of people! She applauds vigorously, very much impressed. "Our next contestant comes from Amestris, where she works as an automail mechanic. Please welcome Miss Winry Rockbell!"
Winry strides confidently onto the stage, her chunky-heeled black boots carrying her forward. The pale blue, ruffled skirt falls to mid-thigh over a pair of equal-length black spandex shorts. Her bare legs flash with each energetic step. A snug white top is revealed to be sleeveless as she removes the light black jacket, handing it to an attendant who moves forward to take it...but not before Winry removes a pair of long and shiny objects from the pockets.
The girl spins forward to face the audience with her blonde ponytail swinging, holding the things behind her back. "Hello! My name is Winry Rockbell," she announces herself quite plainly. "This is my first pageant...we don't have things like this in Amestris, so I had to do a little research. I heard baton twirling was expected at events like this, but to be honest, I really wouldn't have any idea how to do that!" she laughs, shrugging with a crooked smile. "So I hope wrench-twirling will suffice."
Winry suddenly thrusts out both arms, a wrench borne in each fist. That's a scary gleam in her eye...
Without further adieu, the music kicks up. "THE VOODOO WHO DO WHAT YOU DON'T DARE DO PEOPLE!" A flute trills eerily as the bass thumps, a fast, heart-pounding tempo kicked into motion as Winry does the same. Both wrenches spin expertly in her nimble fingers, years of practiced workmanship with the tools lending her experience. Winry herself moves to the music. Hand-movement comes naturally, so what she needs to focus on is her legwork. The skirt swirls around her thighs as she spins on her toes, one arm curved before her with the other raised high.
Her ponytail bobs and swishes as the automail mechanic dances, raising her knee high before driving her heel back to the stage, a shuffle-step, and another spin. "MAGIC PEOPLE! VOODOO PEOPLE!" The music of Prodigy continues to blaze, fueling Winry's motions. Sweat beads on her brow, but she focuses her attention on completing the steps. Which, as the song draws closer to its climax, also draws Winry closer to the end of the dais. And what's that rising on a pole at the end? It appears to be a dummy, bearing a >8P face, arms stuck out to the side. It also seems to have a braid.
Huh.
The song finishes, with "MAGIC PEOPLE!" and "VOODOO PEOPLE!" punctuated with two powerfully-flung wrenches. Both strike the dummy upside the head; the first blow sends it teetering backwards. The second knocks its head clean off. Winry pauses...she hadn't meant to do /that/ exactly...but hey, if people like it, that's that!
Snapping her heels together, the mechanic raises both arms into the air in triumph, taking a bow to signal the end of her performance. She takes a bow, beaming, then straightens to clasp her hands behind her back with a wink at the audience. No hard feelings, Ed? /She/ thought it was funny.
And somewhere, a certain Alchemist shudders for some unknown reason.
Militant dancing! Militant dancing is a thing dear to Antonio de Orduno. He claps enthusiastically, watching Winry with a broad smile. Impartial? Sure! But...hey, impartial means he has to vote what he likes, in this case, no? The Spani-er, Castillan notes down a score.
Kon does NOT sport a ponytail, which makes grading this presentation much easier than the trick shooting one earlier. Phew! Seeming rather impressed, he takes a moment to applaud enthousiastically, then writes down.
Ah, now we're talking! Something... normal? She's pretty cute.
Kyon arches a brow as Winry makes her way to centerstage, mostly curious about the wrenches. After the girl has made clear her intentions, he sits back to watch the show. "Wow," he says, smirking faintly. He's enjoying the show ... until the end when that poor dummy's head goes flying off from killer-precise wrench throws. Tugging at his collar, Kyon gulps as he moves to pick up his pencil and write down his scores for Winry.
Jiraiya stares, quirking an eyebrow as he watches the talent, observes Winry's dress. Mostly what she's wearing. Ahem. He moves to jot down his score, but doesn't quite say anything. At any rate, atleast the frogs seem to have enjoyed Winry's performance! Jiraiya is showing visible amusement, on his part, atleast.
Ah ha ha! Was it scary? Oops! Oh well. Accepting her jacket with a nod of thanks to the man who hands it back, Winry hurries off-stage where a cold washcloth awaits so she can cool herself off, and get changed for the next event.
Orihime applauds, momentarily distracted from whatever happened by tending to Ling, who has fainted. Some barbecued eel restores him to rights, and so, she returns to the screen enthusiastically. "Up next is the leader of the SOS Brigade, Miss Haruhi Suzumiya! Let's see what special talent she has for us tonight!" Orihime's hoping for something involving aliens. Or robots. OR ALIEN ROBOTS! <3
Kyon sits rigidly as he hears that name. Oh boy...
Kon shives for some reason.
Kon shivers, too.
Antonio de Orduno pulls out a bottle with a tiny fire in it and holds it out to Kon. "Cold?"
As her name is called, there sounds, from the backstage area, a crisp, loud SNAP!
The lights die down instantly, and for a moment, there is silence, as a shadowed figure strides toward center stage.
There is another SNAP! and the lights rise again, revealing -- Haruhi Suzumiya, but not dressed in her usual school uniform, or her other street clothes. Oh no.
She is dressed in the skimpiest thing she could get away with; poofy, sheer, translucent silken harem pants, an only slightly more opaque top that only barely serves its designed purpose of restraining her breasts, and a blue veil suspended from her golden hair ribbon. The whole thing is blue, edged in gold. (This is her casual outfit? ...well, it's not really something she /wouldn't/ wear in public...)
She strikes a preparatory pose.
And just like that, as Haruhi takes her place and the pose is struck...!
The music pauses. The lights quite suddenly die.
And when they rise again, no longer is Miss Suzumiya alone in the spotlight.
A swirling swath of silk spirals in from offstage, deep burgundy in colour and so large as to completely obscure just who it is that would dare to interrupt. After all, this is /Haruhi's/ turn to shine for the judges, right? The twirling figure dips low as they finally reach centre stage, and the sheer fabric is launched into the air -- and, rather conveniently, dropped right over the younger competitor.
Smiling widely, like a cat who got the canary AND the cream, Excellen Browning straightens up and stretches languorously into a pose appropriate to her outfit. Which, as it happens, matches that worn by the brunette: like Haruhi, she too is dressed not unlike an 'Arabian Nights' harem dancer.
A dark red veil partially obscures her face, while strawberry blonde tresses have been tied up in a high ponytail; sheer translucent fabric in a bold red colour form the floofy pants, and ample cleavage is (somehow) supported and accentuated by the sleeveless garment that would be a top when worn by most anybody else. Gold bands glint as she raises her arms over her head.
She glances sidelong ways at the one she would upstage. And smile almost smirks.
...No good can come of this.
Kon explodes.
No, really!
Jiraiya's jaw just drops.
As the attack on the SDF-1 rages, Roy Fokker, on an attack run of the Kurogane, gapes at Excellen. "Dayum."
The music--
does...not...go?
Haruhi's eyes narrow dangerously, her gaze darts to the side. WHO DARES INTERRUPT THE GLORIOUS ULTRA SEDUCTRESS OF THE SOS BRIGADE!?
-- --- ---
........
Haruhi blinks, dumbly, when Excellen sashays up, completely outdoing her in the boobs department, and then drapes a veil over her head. AND THEN, has the temerity to...smirk!?
....UNACCEPTABLE!!
But Haruhi Suzumiya is nothing if not creative! With Excellen there, upstaging her, there is but one choice for her! She takes off the extra veil, slings it up in her hands, artfully, and begins, sinuously, to dance, whirl, writhe, and twist her way around the stage, a fleeting shadow of veils, a curving snake of a thing--
After about a minute, she manages to get a veil around Excellen's neck, pull her close, and drive the full weight of her body into Excellen by means of a bump of the hips.
Let it not be said that Excellen doesn't like to make an entrance.
Even as Harushi takes it upon herself to swirl and whirl and make use of the red fabric bequeathed to her round and round the stage, the blonde woman remains center-stage. Already moving to the beat, her hips swaying from side to side as eyes close. Only then does she, too, begin to twirl, removing two smaller veils (gold and orange respectively) the belt loosely draped across her waist as she goes.
--And finds herself not only hooked, but pulled about and hip-shot right across the stage! Her footing lost, Excellen tumbles in a most comical fashion, tripping up and landing on her front before the judges, veils and hair in disarray. Lips part in an O of surprise on impact, before Excellen props herself up on her hands and gives Haruhi a dirty Look.
Oh.
OH!
Very. Deliberately. The blonde sits up slowly, legs shifting before, then along side her. Arms then stretch again, up and back until palms are pressed flat against the flooring of the stage. With a faint 'hup', Excellen flips up and back, landing on her feet and resuming her pose.
If Haruhi is a curving snake swaying and charmed by the music, then Excellen is surely a bird as she regathers her veils, moving off to whirl and leap, sensuous twists accompanied by elaborate hand gestures lost in a flash of limbs and silk. Arms cup the air like wings as she hovers in place, then sidesteps, reaching to seize the larger veil in passing.
All so that she can roll it up, stretch it out...and snap it at Haruhi's rear as the blue-clad girl passes the red minx by.
There's a loud clatter from one end of the judge's table. If one were to look over there, they'd see, well, Kyon's foot twitching in the air for about two seconds before he hurriedly attempts to clamber to fix his chair and sit again. The look on his face says it all.
WHAT. The. HECK.
Sorry, no thought commentary for the moment- now loading...
Antonio de Orduno blinks. He loses his grip on the bottle with the flame in it briefly. Staring, he blinks several times. What...is going on here? This is...vaguely pleasant, yes, but...
He actuallly frowns. This is not /sportsmanlike/. While it appeals to the baser instincts, beauty is not skin-deep, etc., etc., Swashbuckler Thoughts Of Vague Justification. He may enjoy the spectacle...but this isn't what he came here to judge.
Haruhi curves past. She is not as generously built as Excellen, but she is gifted, and very nearly as shameless in exploiting what she does possess. She whirls and writhes, a spin on the heels here, an artfully drifting veil there.
She is, in fact, skilled. She is notorious for her talent at pretty much everything she puts her mind to, and here, for the glory of the SOS Brigade, she has applied herself to this!
And then Excellen whips her in the butt.
Haruhi swallows a squawk, then trips over her feet in surprise, falls, falls -- and plants her hands as she does so, bearing herself up and shifting her weight on the fly, spinning into a cartwheel away from Excellen, that continues for some time - end over end over end, until finally she lands neatly on two feet on the far side of the stage, and makes for a grand bow as the music ends!
The veil she left right where Excellen's about to step is pure coincidence. Maybe.
Meanwhile, Kon seems to have recovered from exploding. He is now standing on the table, cheering blissfully for who knows which one. He seems... a little out of it.
It takes some skill to out-shameless Haruhi, if rumour has the right of it, and there's a very wide grin as Excellen neatly wheels out of range once snapped delivery of silk has been given.
Dark red fabric is whirled, draped briefly over her shoulders like a cape as she slinks into the background, letting Haruhi work the crowd until boredom sets in and she's back to causing mischief. There's a wink for the judges, a brief pause before hips shimmy and legs extend, stretching and curving back as she turns and whirls.
She's not in it for glory or honour, she's in this for the sheer unmitigated *fun* of it, and why not show that through dance? She's here to entertain. Yes, if nothing else, Excellen loves getting A Reaction.
Her own reaction to finding a veil underfoot involves slipping (again), but this time, the blonde is -- almost -- prepared! No yelp, as she goes down, but one leg is brought under, and a hand catches herself from falling completely over as she did before. Free hand then throws high the red silk, letting it fall and cover her completely as body curves back into a sexy ending pose.
Ending as she entered.
Once music has stopped, and Haruhi has given her bow, the younger harem dancer may find herself surprised as Excellen springs to her feet. The veil neatly folded over an arm, Excellen's hands are kept busy a moment applauding her 'rival'! "Ladies, and Gentlemen~! <3 Give a big hand to Miss Haruhiiiii Suuuuzuuuuuumiyaaaaaaa~!" Then, she too offers the audience a deep bow, and begins sauntering off the stage.
Right across it until she is level with Haruhi, as it happens. The blue-clad girl is offered a wink, before the pair link arms at the elbow and swan off the stage with very wide smiles.
WARNING
An exception 54 has occurred at 007:HARUHI in
Kyon v.1.0. It may be possible to continue
normally.
* Press CTRL + ALT + DEL to restart your Schoolboy.
(A)bort? (R)etry? (P)WN?
That...that was not something Orihime was expecting. She turns to blink at the cameraman, who seems far more bewildered than Orihime. They both shrug, and Orihime grins. "And that was Excellen Browning, one of the members of Roy Fokker's Black Sheep Squadron. Th-thank you for that interesting display!" she laughs. Definitely not expected. But definitely fun to watch!
(OOC: Thanks to Kon for sending me the log!)
WHERE: Universal Colisseum, Rome
WHEN: Saturday, July 21st 2007
WHAT: Continued from Part Three.
Half an hour is OVER! Orihime hopes that gave Haruhi enough time to change and psyche herself up for the event, as well as giving Antonio a chance to switch roles from contestant to judge. It's not easy, she knows! As the cameras turn to her, and the operator signals to resume the broadcast, Orihime clears her throat and lifts the microphone. "Welcome back! It's time now for the second half of the Universe Competition of 2007. But before we introduce the female contestants, let's meet our new panel of judges! Returning for a second round, allow me to welcome back Jiraiya and Kon!"
Back in action! Kon seems like someone who's been waiting ALL DAY to finally reach this part of the competition. Back at the judges' table, he waves to his legion of adoring fans, basking in the glory of the coming moment! Yes! YEEEES!
Clearly, he is in the element he was born to be in. Surrounded by thousands of people and soon to be doing his JOB by looking at attractive women.
Jiraiya is still sitting in his chair. He doesn't waste any time. Yes, he intended to be here, no matter how long it took, so long as he got to see the Ms. Universe portion of the contest. That's all he cared about. He just gives a slow wave to the audience, and leans back in his chair. He's still got his assistants with him, of course.
After the two judges have made themselves known, Orihime nods her approval and turns back to the camera. "Our third judge you already know, as one of the entries. A special thanks goes out to him for juggling roles. Please say hello to Antonio de Orduno!"
Antonio has changed back into his casual outfit - the red satin pants and white silk shirt. He enters un-DRAMATICally for the first time, simply bowing after coming on stage and smiling. "It is my pleasure to serve as a judge, my lady." He then calmly takes his seat at the judging panel.
It's perhaps a sad day when the Suave Swashbuckler is the /least/ pervy member of the panel so far.
"Last, but not least," Orihime winks, "we'd like to welcome back yet another contestant who was willing to juggle roles. It's a tough job, but we're grateful! Please put your hands together for Kyon-san!"
Huh. 'Willing,' eh? More like forced. But these people don't have to know that. At least this will be better than earlier. ...I hope.
Kyon puts on an almost business-like smile as he comes out. He's wearing- well hey, wasn't that the suit he'd been wearing for the interview section? Apparently he's decided that he may as well make as much use of it as possible. No slicked back hair though, he hated feeling like he was wearing a helmet. One hand holding an ice pack to the back of his head, he pauses to bow to the audience before making a bee-line for the judge's booth.
Now that the judges are settled, it's time to roll! She knows a /lot/ of the guys in the audience turned up especially for this event. As an announcer, she hopes she doesn't disappoint, but knows only too well that her words won't matter nearly as much as the girls performing their spectacular talents! So there's nothing to be nervous about. "Our first contestant is a reploid! For those who don't know, a reploid is similar to a robot, but with way more sentience and emotions. We're VERY happy to have such a unique lady with us today! Once a warrior on the field, she now makes people happy working at Han Su Li's ramen shop. Allow me to welcome Ferham!"
Stepping out onto the stage is what looks like a rather tall woman--its Ferham! Her idea of casual wear in this case is probably not so casual, but she's not a normal girl, either. A pair of red, knee-high leather boots tip her legs, leaving the rest of them bare. Guess the shorter they are, the more casual! Along with that is a black tube-skirt and a sleeveless red top, looking to be made out of spandex or lycra, reaching down around her ribs with a narrow diamond-shaped slit in the top center for a bit of cleavage. Her helmet is gone too, so this might be the first time she's shown a whole crowd what she looks like without it, long black hair spilling down about her shoulders, parted down the center with bangs falling over her forehead and eyes.
As she gives a wave to the rather large crowd, one may notice she also appears to be wearing a pair of long, black gloves, elbow length of course, with sharp tips on each finger. Jeez, wonder what those're for! <3 Of course, they have to do with the talent she's going to show off today, which happens to be making an ice sculpture... But, theres no ice?
Therein lies the talent, of course, since Ferham can form solid ice freely from her own body. Steepling her fingers, she gets to work, forming a long, tall serpentine dragon with her hands, running them over the floor and building it up till she has a four-foot tall asian dragon, its blue coils curving into the air. It's face is fierce, and gaping maw studded with four fangs and whiskers. It /kinda/ looks like Hitsugaya's bankai, but that is probably just because its made of ice! The entire thing sparkles where the light hits, and gives off mist due to the extreme temperatures that gave birth to it.
Ferham stepped back and gave a little bow and wave of her black gloved hand, doing her best to give a cheerful smile.
Ooooh, we're off to a good start! Kon applauds enthousiastically, already more than he has ever done for the previous part of the competition, then settles down and writes down his score. He is now one happy plush toy.
Kyon looks just a little uneasy at the sharp finger tips on those gloves, but hey, he doesn't have to worry about any attempts on his life until -after- the judging, right?
Wait, that's not a good thing to consider either. Hopefully by the end of this Haruhi will be in a good mood and put off any punishment she has in store for me.
He shoves the thought from his mind as he watches as Ferham creates ice from seemingly nothing. "Huh," Kyon blinks, tapping his pencil against the clipboard in front of him before he writes something down.
As Ferham walks on, Antonio looks her over, nodding to himself. He smiles briefly, and then applauds, his eyes travelling the length of the sculpture before returning to look at Ferham some more. Hm...
He writes down a score.
Commander Fokker, having gone from contestant to watcher, frowns as his radio goes off. "Orihime, gotta go - the Macross is under attack."
Orihime seems alarmed at this news, though thankfully, she's hidden away from the spotlights and the viewscreen. Receiving Roy's message, she nods quietly. "I'll leave shortly, there's someone that volunteered to replace me if I couldn't come." Orihime will just have to call her. And while Orihime might not be able to help on the Macross in person, she CAN start rallying volunteers to sweep in and look after the civilians, maybe get them to safety.
Jiraiya is amused by the show of talent, and that grin is showing that he's immensely enjoying this part of the pagent. He leans back in his chair, jotting down a quick score.
After giving a wave, Ferham bends down and taps the ice sculpture lightly, making a tick sound--and the entire thing turns into ice dust! Gotta make room for the other contests, right? She waves again and walks off the stage, hips swaying as she went.
"Next up on the stage is the senior member of the Angel Brigade. She grew up in the slums of the planet Transbaal, and later transferred to the military. Her hobbies include collecting rare and antique firearms, and gardening. I'm happy to introduce Forte Stollen!"
Orihime Inoue announces. :D
Casual Wear? For Forte, casual is the old hoodie she likes to throw on when slumming on the streets. She won't win any pageant awards with that on, however, so after arguing- er- 'consulting' with her fellow Angels, she's going with the old standby: Her good ol' imperial uniform. Her wide white overcoat billows out as she marches onto the stage, the gleam of the lights pinging off of her hat brim, monocle, and choker. She was cheerfully to the crowd as she enters, while her other arm has a pink plushie of some sort tucked underneath it.
A mumbling pink plushie at that. "Forte, this had better be worth it. This is the time for mine and Vanilla's favorite show..." The soldier just beams brighter as she squeezes the plushie harder, then struts over to the far side of the stage to place NORMAD on a pedestal before returning to the center of the stage. "Today," she shouts out to everyone, "Ladies and gentlemen of the universe, I shall amaze you with my amazing deadshot abilities! Behold!"
From within the shadows of her jacket, the monocled redhead withdraws an old-fashioned six-shootin' revolver. And a quarter. Without a word, she flips the quarter up in the air, takes aim, and - BANG! The quarter falls to the floor, where she picks it up and flips it to... Antonio. Yeah, that would be more his cup of tea. The coin is warm, and has a freshly-made bullethole dead center. Bullseye!
Can't stop now! "For my next trick," Forte walks over to where NORMAD is sitting and places a fresh red apple on top of his head. "I shall repeat the story of Billy Told!" "William Tell," NORMAD snorts. "Same thing." Once she's to the other side of the stage, the soldier pulls a scarf from her jacket and ties it firmly over her eyes. The plushie, for his part, doesn't quiver, though there seems to be some robotic gurgling coming from his direction. "You never said anything about shooting bli-"
BLAM.
The apple splits in two, each half falling to the side of the plush. "... I hope Vanilla likes the smell of apple juice."
TA DA! Pulling the blindfold away, Forte nods once with a grin, then turns to bow to the judges. "I could've done more, but the locals didn't like my idea of live fire practice, so... I hope you enjoy this little show! Thank you!"
Antonio once more scans the contestant, a smile on his face. Weapons - he can understand displays of weapons skill well. The outfit is.../different/, for 'casual,' but interesting. As the quarter is shot and then flipped to him, he catches it, smiling wider. "Gracias, senorita."
/Definitely/ some brownie points there, as he writes down the score.
Kon seems to enjoy the outfit quite a bit, examining it rather throughly. But somehow, his eye buttons seem to shrink a bit at the sight of his plush toy compatriot being used as a target-holder like that. Slowly, he swallows, then writes a score down.
Jiraiya definetely likes a woman in uniform. Try to ignore the drooling as he leans forward, as if that might give him a better look of Forte. Clearly, however, Jiraiya is impressed with the show of marksmanship. "Very good, miss. You've 'Stollen' my heart with your beauty and marksmanship." To which the two frogs sitting infront of him roll their eyes. "What? Rules didn't say I couldn't compliment them.."
Kyon sets down the ice pack for a moment, quirking a brow as Forte takes the stage. Interesting casual wear there, but then to each their own, right? The high school student nods as he jots something down before he props his chin up with a hand, waiting for the talent portion to begin. Ah, and there's the firearms part. Kyon blinks and then moves to applaud Forte's display of skills.
Definitely not someone I want to cross.
Write, write.
Applauding for the military madam, Orihime smiles widely. She always liked Forte! She /seems/ rough and violent, but then again, so does Tatsuki. It does nothing to erase her view of the kindness and strength of spirit that lies within. "Up next is the princess of Ragnanival, and a fierce valkyrie maiden! Despite her skill with the sword, this lady is very kind, and a wonderful person everyone should take the time to meet. Please welcome Gwendolyn!"
Hmm. Forte catches the lion plushie's fear and mental notes she might've pulled an oopsie there. Oh well, the other guys liked it! With a last wave, and a helping hand to NORMAD so he can wave as well, she marches back off-stage.
Upon her announcement, Gwendolyn steps onto the stage, clad in her bustle-and-skirt battle gear. Apparently, this is what she considers 'casual wear.' At least she has left the leg armor behind, walking out in boots instead of clanking, huge metal boots. For some reason, she has brought her glowing spear with her, as well as a small satchel in one hand. She bows to the audience, finally speaking up in a slightly nervous tone. "Good evening, everyone."
"For this event," she continues, "I will be demonstrating my skill in gardening. The gardens of Erion are often thought to be unusual in nature by those of other planes. However, they are of great help to us on the battlefield and in agricultural pursuits. Please allow me to explain."
She kneels down, taking a small, safe tray of soil out of the bag and setting it down without spilling a bit. Next out of the bag comes a round, shiny seed, quite large in her hand and with a tiny green sprout emerging from the top. "This is a Barromett Seed, developed by a famed alchemist. It is now widely used throughout Erion." The seed is placed
inside of the dirt, and the girl stands back, holding her spear up in both hands.
"We would ordinarily nourish a plant with Phozons. However, as there are no Phozons within the area, I shall provide a few of my own." She closes her eyes, and out from the spear emerge several glowing, flickering lights that give off a faint warmth. The Phozons hover for only a moment before the plant absorbs them, growing at a rapid speed and rate. A shoot pokes out of the soil, growing into a tiny plant, and then into a shrub. The leafy shrub soon sprouts two large, bulging pods. Flowers, perhaps, fruit?
Actually, no. The leaves of the pod peel back to reveal a couple of...sheep. Big, fluffy white sheep, which quickly hop off of the vine and begin mulling about. As if this is completely normal, Gwendolyn turns to the audience. "I have been gardening since I was a little girl. It is a hobby of mine..."
Antonio does not understand magic. He hardly understands his /own/ magic - and he's had that since puberty. So magic does not easily surprise him - he expects it can do anything. Despite this, after his examination of Gwendolyn's appearance, he claps enthusiastically for her talent - how.../unique!/
Kon's facial expression goes from interested, to eager, to curious, then to something that can more or less be summed up as "o_O". At least that was much more interesting than what normal onstage gardening would look like. For a moment, he stares at one of the sheep closest to the judges' booth, who stares back, then writes something down. Only /then/ does he remember to start applauding. Clearly his brain would be broken, if only this cowardly lion had one. ...wait.
As Gwendolyn comes out on stage, Kyon begins to wonder if he should rethink his judging criterion if all these people started coming out wearing their-world-casual styles. He taps a finger against his chin in thought, almost zoning out for a moment- that is, until Gwendolyn's quick-grow seed produces...
"-sheep?" What the.
Kyon hrms and then nods to himself as he writes down his decision on
the clipboard.
Actually, Jiraiya is expecting the beautiful, battle-ready woman to produce a tree that gives fruit. Borrriiinnng. But his surprise is obvious when the pods peel back and reveal.. sheep. He chuckles and claps, shaking his head slowly. "Very interesting, Ms. Gwendolyn. You're as beautiful as you are talented." Though whether or not growing a tree with glowy orbs can be considered talent is up to question, who cares? Jiraiya's impressed, as few people where he come from can make TREES grow just using their own power.
"I hope this has been educational," Gwendolyn concludes as the plant itself rapidly withers and disappears back into the soil. She kneels down to place the soil back in the bag, and then takes a sweeping warrior's bow on one knee, spear held aloft. That spear is then used to nudge the sheep offstage, a stage which remains remarkably clean. And it doesn't even smell like sheep!
Orihime gasps, impressed. Gwendolyn can grow sheep...? Orihime will most certainly need to talk to her sometime later, then. She's been working on some farmland procurement for the Relief Society in order to get fresh produce and livestock. This could help a LOT of people! She applauds vigorously, very much impressed. "Our next contestant comes from Amestris, where she works as an automail mechanic. Please welcome Miss Winry Rockbell!"
Winry strides confidently onto the stage, her chunky-heeled black boots carrying her forward. The pale blue, ruffled skirt falls to mid-thigh over a pair of equal-length black spandex shorts. Her bare legs flash with each energetic step. A snug white top is revealed to be sleeveless as she removes the light black jacket, handing it to an attendant who moves forward to take it...but not before Winry removes a pair of long and shiny objects from the pockets.
The girl spins forward to face the audience with her blonde ponytail swinging, holding the things behind her back. "Hello! My name is Winry Rockbell," she announces herself quite plainly. "This is my first pageant...we don't have things like this in Amestris, so I had to do a little research. I heard baton twirling was expected at events like this, but to be honest, I really wouldn't have any idea how to do that!" she laughs, shrugging with a crooked smile. "So I hope wrench-twirling will suffice."
Winry suddenly thrusts out both arms, a wrench borne in each fist. That's a scary gleam in her eye...
Without further adieu, the music kicks up. "THE VOODOO WHO DO WHAT YOU DON'T DARE DO PEOPLE!" A flute trills eerily as the bass thumps, a fast, heart-pounding tempo kicked into motion as Winry does the same. Both wrenches spin expertly in her nimble fingers, years of practiced workmanship with the tools lending her experience. Winry herself moves to the music. Hand-movement comes naturally, so what she needs to focus on is her legwork. The skirt swirls around her thighs as she spins on her toes, one arm curved before her with the other raised high.
Her ponytail bobs and swishes as the automail mechanic dances, raising her knee high before driving her heel back to the stage, a shuffle-step, and another spin. "MAGIC PEOPLE! VOODOO PEOPLE!" The music of Prodigy continues to blaze, fueling Winry's motions. Sweat beads on her brow, but she focuses her attention on completing the steps. Which, as the song draws closer to its climax, also draws Winry closer to the end of the dais. And what's that rising on a pole at the end? It appears to be a dummy, bearing a >8P face, arms stuck out to the side. It also seems to have a braid.
Huh.
The song finishes, with "MAGIC PEOPLE!" and "VOODOO PEOPLE!" punctuated with two powerfully-flung wrenches. Both strike the dummy upside the head; the first blow sends it teetering backwards. The second knocks its head clean off. Winry pauses...she hadn't meant to do /that/ exactly...but hey, if people like it, that's that!
Snapping her heels together, the mechanic raises both arms into the air in triumph, taking a bow to signal the end of her performance. She takes a bow, beaming, then straightens to clasp her hands behind her back with a wink at the audience. No hard feelings, Ed? /She/ thought it was funny.
And somewhere, a certain Alchemist shudders for some unknown reason.
Militant dancing! Militant dancing is a thing dear to Antonio de Orduno. He claps enthusiastically, watching Winry with a broad smile. Impartial? Sure! But...hey, impartial means he has to vote what he likes, in this case, no? The Spani-er, Castillan notes down a score.
Kon does NOT sport a ponytail, which makes grading this presentation much easier than the trick shooting one earlier. Phew! Seeming rather impressed, he takes a moment to applaud enthousiastically, then writes down.
Ah, now we're talking! Something... normal? She's pretty cute.
Kyon arches a brow as Winry makes her way to centerstage, mostly curious about the wrenches. After the girl has made clear her intentions, he sits back to watch the show. "Wow," he says, smirking faintly. He's enjoying the show ... until the end when that poor dummy's head goes flying off from killer-precise wrench throws. Tugging at his collar, Kyon gulps as he moves to pick up his pencil and write down his scores for Winry.
Jiraiya stares, quirking an eyebrow as he watches the talent, observes Winry's dress. Mostly what she's wearing. Ahem. He moves to jot down his score, but doesn't quite say anything. At any rate, atleast the frogs seem to have enjoyed Winry's performance! Jiraiya is showing visible amusement, on his part, atleast.
Ah ha ha! Was it scary? Oops! Oh well. Accepting her jacket with a nod of thanks to the man who hands it back, Winry hurries off-stage where a cold washcloth awaits so she can cool herself off, and get changed for the next event.
Orihime applauds, momentarily distracted from whatever happened by tending to Ling, who has fainted. Some barbecued eel restores him to rights, and so, she returns to the screen enthusiastically. "Up next is the leader of the SOS Brigade, Miss Haruhi Suzumiya! Let's see what special talent she has for us tonight!" Orihime's hoping for something involving aliens. Or robots. OR ALIEN ROBOTS! <3
Kyon sits rigidly as he hears that name. Oh boy...
Kon shives for some reason.
Kon shivers, too.
Antonio de Orduno pulls out a bottle with a tiny fire in it and holds it out to Kon. "Cold?"
As her name is called, there sounds, from the backstage area, a crisp, loud SNAP!
The lights die down instantly, and for a moment, there is silence, as a shadowed figure strides toward center stage.
There is another SNAP! and the lights rise again, revealing -- Haruhi Suzumiya, but not dressed in her usual school uniform, or her other street clothes. Oh no.
She is dressed in the skimpiest thing she could get away with; poofy, sheer, translucent silken harem pants, an only slightly more opaque top that only barely serves its designed purpose of restraining her breasts, and a blue veil suspended from her golden hair ribbon. The whole thing is blue, edged in gold. (This is her casual outfit? ...well, it's not really something she /wouldn't/ wear in public...)
She strikes a preparatory pose.
And just like that, as Haruhi takes her place and the pose is struck...!
The music pauses. The lights quite suddenly die.
And when they rise again, no longer is Miss Suzumiya alone in the spotlight.
A swirling swath of silk spirals in from offstage, deep burgundy in colour and so large as to completely obscure just who it is that would dare to interrupt. After all, this is /Haruhi's/ turn to shine for the judges, right? The twirling figure dips low as they finally reach centre stage, and the sheer fabric is launched into the air -- and, rather conveniently, dropped right over the younger competitor.
Smiling widely, like a cat who got the canary AND the cream, Excellen Browning straightens up and stretches languorously into a pose appropriate to her outfit. Which, as it happens, matches that worn by the brunette: like Haruhi, she too is dressed not unlike an 'Arabian Nights' harem dancer.
A dark red veil partially obscures her face, while strawberry blonde tresses have been tied up in a high ponytail; sheer translucent fabric in a bold red colour form the floofy pants, and ample cleavage is (somehow) supported and accentuated by the sleeveless garment that would be a top when worn by most anybody else. Gold bands glint as she raises her arms over her head.
She glances sidelong ways at the one she would upstage. And smile almost smirks.
...No good can come of this.
Kon explodes.
No, really!
Jiraiya's jaw just drops.
As the attack on the SDF-1 rages, Roy Fokker, on an attack run of the Kurogane, gapes at Excellen. "Dayum."
The music--
does...not...go?
Haruhi's eyes narrow dangerously, her gaze darts to the side. WHO DARES INTERRUPT THE GLORIOUS ULTRA SEDUCTRESS OF THE SOS BRIGADE!?
-- --- ---
........
Haruhi blinks, dumbly, when Excellen sashays up, completely outdoing her in the boobs department, and then drapes a veil over her head. AND THEN, has the temerity to...smirk!?
....UNACCEPTABLE!!
But Haruhi Suzumiya is nothing if not creative! With Excellen there, upstaging her, there is but one choice for her! She takes off the extra veil, slings it up in her hands, artfully, and begins, sinuously, to dance, whirl, writhe, and twist her way around the stage, a fleeting shadow of veils, a curving snake of a thing--
After about a minute, she manages to get a veil around Excellen's neck, pull her close, and drive the full weight of her body into Excellen by means of a bump of the hips.
Let it not be said that Excellen doesn't like to make an entrance.
Even as Harushi takes it upon herself to swirl and whirl and make use of the red fabric bequeathed to her round and round the stage, the blonde woman remains center-stage. Already moving to the beat, her hips swaying from side to side as eyes close. Only then does she, too, begin to twirl, removing two smaller veils (gold and orange respectively) the belt loosely draped across her waist as she goes.
--And finds herself not only hooked, but pulled about and hip-shot right across the stage! Her footing lost, Excellen tumbles in a most comical fashion, tripping up and landing on her front before the judges, veils and hair in disarray. Lips part in an O of surprise on impact, before Excellen props herself up on her hands and gives Haruhi a dirty Look.
Oh.
OH!
Very. Deliberately. The blonde sits up slowly, legs shifting before, then along side her. Arms then stretch again, up and back until palms are pressed flat against the flooring of the stage. With a faint 'hup', Excellen flips up and back, landing on her feet and resuming her pose.
If Haruhi is a curving snake swaying and charmed by the music, then Excellen is surely a bird as she regathers her veils, moving off to whirl and leap, sensuous twists accompanied by elaborate hand gestures lost in a flash of limbs and silk. Arms cup the air like wings as she hovers in place, then sidesteps, reaching to seize the larger veil in passing.
All so that she can roll it up, stretch it out...and snap it at Haruhi's rear as the blue-clad girl passes the red minx by.
There's a loud clatter from one end of the judge's table. If one were to look over there, they'd see, well, Kyon's foot twitching in the air for about two seconds before he hurriedly attempts to clamber to fix his chair and sit again. The look on his face says it all.
WHAT. The. HECK.
Sorry, no thought commentary for the moment- now loading...
Antonio de Orduno blinks. He loses his grip on the bottle with the flame in it briefly. Staring, he blinks several times. What...is going on here? This is...vaguely pleasant, yes, but...
He actuallly frowns. This is not /sportsmanlike/. While it appeals to the baser instincts, beauty is not skin-deep, etc., etc., Swashbuckler Thoughts Of Vague Justification. He may enjoy the spectacle...but this isn't what he came here to judge.
Haruhi curves past. She is not as generously built as Excellen, but she is gifted, and very nearly as shameless in exploiting what she does possess. She whirls and writhes, a spin on the heels here, an artfully drifting veil there.
She is, in fact, skilled. She is notorious for her talent at pretty much everything she puts her mind to, and here, for the glory of the SOS Brigade, she has applied herself to this!
And then Excellen whips her in the butt.
Haruhi swallows a squawk, then trips over her feet in surprise, falls, falls -- and plants her hands as she does so, bearing herself up and shifting her weight on the fly, spinning into a cartwheel away from Excellen, that continues for some time - end over end over end, until finally she lands neatly on two feet on the far side of the stage, and makes for a grand bow as the music ends!
The veil she left right where Excellen's about to step is pure coincidence. Maybe.
Meanwhile, Kon seems to have recovered from exploding. He is now standing on the table, cheering blissfully for who knows which one. He seems... a little out of it.
It takes some skill to out-shameless Haruhi, if rumour has the right of it, and there's a very wide grin as Excellen neatly wheels out of range once snapped delivery of silk has been given.
Dark red fabric is whirled, draped briefly over her shoulders like a cape as she slinks into the background, letting Haruhi work the crowd until boredom sets in and she's back to causing mischief. There's a wink for the judges, a brief pause before hips shimmy and legs extend, stretching and curving back as she turns and whirls.
She's not in it for glory or honour, she's in this for the sheer unmitigated *fun* of it, and why not show that through dance? She's here to entertain. Yes, if nothing else, Excellen loves getting A Reaction.
Her own reaction to finding a veil underfoot involves slipping (again), but this time, the blonde is -- almost -- prepared! No yelp, as she goes down, but one leg is brought under, and a hand catches herself from falling completely over as she did before. Free hand then throws high the red silk, letting it fall and cover her completely as body curves back into a sexy ending pose.
Ending as she entered.
Once music has stopped, and Haruhi has given her bow, the younger harem dancer may find herself surprised as Excellen springs to her feet. The veil neatly folded over an arm, Excellen's hands are kept busy a moment applauding her 'rival'! "Ladies, and Gentlemen~! <3 Give a big hand to Miss Haruhiiiii Suuuuzuuuuuumiyaaaaaaa~!" Then, she too offers the audience a deep bow, and begins sauntering off the stage.
Right across it until she is level with Haruhi, as it happens. The blue-clad girl is offered a wink, before the pair link arms at the elbow and swan off the stage with very wide smiles.
WARNING
An exception 54 has occurred at 007:HARUHI in
Kyon v.1.0. It may be possible to continue
normally.
* Press CTRL + ALT + DEL to restart your Schoolboy.
(A)bort? (R)etry? (P)WN?
That...that was not something Orihime was expecting. She turns to blink at the cameraman, who seems far more bewildered than Orihime. They both shrug, and Orihime grins. "And that was Excellen Browning, one of the members of Roy Fokker's Black Sheep Squadron. Th-thank you for that interesting display!" she laughs. Definitely not expected. But definitely fun to watch!
(OOC: Thanks to Kon for sending me the log!)