Alone in the City (Paddy/Closed)

[Hematite]

Alone in the City …


It was an awkward thing to say, but oddly it was as if though some kind of curfew had drew all the citizens into their homes and off the streets on what seemed to be a very dark night. It wasn’t the busiest section of Empire City and yet, as Hematite casually walked the streets in her new disguise, there was this odd sense of eeriness as the only thing she could hear was the sound of faraway freight-ships signaling their arrival and possibly even a train. Earlier, she had been perusing the area only to find a newspaper caste to the floor lazily with emboldened words on its front page:

“Empire City Bugle!

West Side City Fire and Arsonist at Large

“A fire spread through a West City building scheduled for renovation at 3:15PM.
Witnesses report two individuals escaping the building, one of which can
only be described as a long-haired woman with almost demonic features
and another pink-clad woman chasing after her. Police are giving rewards for
any information on the investigation …”

It continued with some information on how to reach the local law enforcement and juicy bits in terms of descriptions from the local witnesses in hand accounts. Of course, Hematite was almost livid by the time she heard this. How dare they say she has ‘demonic features,’ she might have been called an enchantress in her homelands but a demon? Rude, absolutely uncalled for—and that gem. Oh’ how she wished she had slapped that gem right across her face for what she did to her, having to spend hours repairing her hair and it still wasn’t perfect. Every here and then she found strands falling off and ends breaking. She could fly, but it wasn’t perfect flight, in fact it was more like gliding.

Now she casually strode about after her little scuffle in the junkyard to find the ingredients she needed for the devices she was looking to make. This odd industrial area still retained many of the tools she needed. Making the Torinoko wasn’t an issue, it was finding some kind of vise adequate enough to make the Makibishi which was another issue. Even some steel pliers would work. So, she explored this odd region of subway tracks and industrial facilities.

At least she was alone, no chance of an ambush right?

[Paddy]

The sapphire was again on a lone mission. This time, a self-appointed one. The fusion who had managed to elude her once wouldn't be so lucky again. Empire City, being as vast and populated as it was, initially proposed a monumental challenge to her search-- she'd spent a large swath of time connecting to her contacts in the city, setting up a watchful network to search for the gem that she was certain wouldn't be able to get too far without someone noticing. Though, it hadn't been as difficult as she first anticipated.


Due to a mere stroke of luck, the sapphire had been patrolling the dark, quiet street when she noticed something odd laying on the ground. She strode up to it and leaned down to get a closer look, squinting her eyes at it before reaching out and pinching it between her fingers. It was a good thing she wasn't particularly squeamish, as she inspected the long, white tendril, and realized where she'd seen something similar before; on Hematite's head. For a moment she tested the strange properties of this strand-- she knew her talents were effective against it, but it was still incredibly strong, pliable, and useful from what she had seen. Then, she looked up from it, and realized there was another laying down the street in front of the entrance to a fenced enclosure.  

Her brow arched, and an amused smirk pulled across her lips. Her suspect was a quirky one. Did the fusion want to be found, or was this a blunder? Though, there was still no telling how long this trail had been sitting here. As she progressed on her trail, she paused. The shuffling of feet within the enclosure gave her a sudden hit of giddy adrenaline.

She peered between the gaps of the fence, and realized the sound had been coming from a pair of small, furry earth creatures rummaging through waste. Her brows pulled together in disgust, and she quickly averted her eyes to look for more signs of the fusion. Sure enough, she spotted a small broken piece of hair, but didn't see any sign of the owner who had discarded it...

It was simple for her to step through the entrance to this habitat, which she ascertained to be some kind of primitive storage unit. Her steps were light as she patrolled the area, wandering passed the piles of sheet metal and worn human artifacts. Then, her eyes snapped onto a shape, and she scampered behind cover. Peering out, her eyes widened; the fusion! 

She rolled her shoulders back-- this would be the perfect opportunity to set a trap. Hematite seemed preoccupied, so Padpara focused on staying quiet, and generated the plasma she would use. She allowed it to quickly cool, so any light she produced wouldn't be too conspicuous (or she hoped) and turned to allow the now tar-like substance to slowly spread along the ground-- if the fusion stepped into it, the sapphire would instantly gain the upper hand. She just hoped Hematite either wouldn't notice, or would be curious enough to get close to it.  

[Hematite]

The dull look on Hematite’s face as she made her way down what seemed to be a side-alley of various warehouse buildings and factory enclosures, shifted noticeably to slight bemusement as she noticed something was off. Though she was pinging her sonar, she wasn’t using it to the highest of its intensity, instead sending smaller ones out to allow her concentration to focus on other things. But, that meant it reacted at a much shorter range and not as strongly --and the moment she sensed a gem’s presence her gait slowed and she immediately showed an air of caution to her.

Padpara, if vigilant enough, would of felt a sudden strong chilling force hit her as Hematite reactively pinged her sonar with full intensity and in a split second the gem’s head swerved to where she was hiding and her eyes grew narrow, her mouth grimacing in disbelief. She recognized the emotional content of individuals well enough to know exactly who this was. In lieu to this, her eyes even caught the strange plasma-like power that almost had her traumatized from their last adventure creeping towards her. She didn’t feel like running right now, she didn’t feel like fighting either.

Knowing this was most likely not going to work, she decided to use her words instead, though her fight-or-flight was kicking up by the second.

“Look, chasing me around is gonna get real bothersome for both of us.” She uttered with some distaste, part of her still wanted to give this gem a good-whack for what she did to her, “Why don’t you just turn around and run back to your Diamond since that’s the only thing you care about.” She both recommended and criticized.

[Paddy]

Her lips would've dropped open if she hadn't been so miffed by what was said; her teeth clenched as her jaw set. The sapphire was utterly baffled, and stood paralyzed by the realization that she'd been caught. Again, that unsettling feeling prickled her nerves-- nothing could explain to her that chill, nor the fact that Hematite had so quickly exposed her. Of course she'd never been one for sneaking around, but she was sure she'd covered her tracks. What was going on?

For now she would have to bite back her confusion, because it was clear that there was no hiding from the fusion now. The energy it had taken to lay the trap wouldn't go to waste; Padparadscha had other things in mind for it as she stepped out from behind the pile of cardboard boxes and bags she'd taken refuge behind. 

"Hmm, it's true that I care dearly for the needs of my Diamond, and it would indeed be bothersome to continue having to track you down," She admitted, leaning back on one hip as she gestured casually toward the moon, "Which is to say, you are to be apprehended if you continue to be insubordinate. From there Pink Diamond would ascertain your usefulness to the empire. There is no need for you to draw this out-- and I can assure you that it will be quite bothersome for you if you don't comply," It was a guarantee at this point that Hematite, strong willed as she was, would refuse. Padpara also realized that Hematite was no doubt keeping her eyes on the substance that continued to ooze, spreading along the ground at a snail's pace. The sapphire's goal would be to surround her opponent with a quagmire of cooling plasma, making a quick escape more difficult. 

Knowing there was little chance that Hematite would simply give up now, she took a few steps forward, in order to close distance on her range, because she was also well aware of this gem's ability to fly-- she wanted to be sure to stifle any attempt to flee. 

[Hematite]

Why did she even try?

Even as her newly found opponent gestured to the sky, her eyes locked on the gem’s with a certain intent. They were taking steps, and with each one Padpara took, Hematite backed away carefully. There was suddenly a flurry of movement from Hematite in a startling explosion of silvery-white as her outfit seemed to transform in an instant, taking on her true body-suit and her hair relaxed back into its natural state-though some of it seemed to part and dash the earth as some of her silver-locks were still falling apart. Unluckily for her, this meant her hair wasn’t in the best condition to fly --another issue she should have handled before this gem tracked her down …

… Wait …

This gem tracked her from the river? Has this gem been searching the entire city for her? She didn’t send a unit of quartz or even some scarier higher class solder to capture her? Instead, Padpara has just been scouring this massive city for what she could find trying to track her down? Hematite’s eyes showed the levels of both curiosity and hilarity this was bringing to her.

She actually giggled, openly so, and then as she was taking steps back, her laughter piped from her mouth as she pointed at the gem with the intention to humiliate, “So you’ve just been running around this whole city trying to find me?” She couldn’t believe this, “Why haven’t you called your oh-so great and powerful Diamond-sama to come help you?” She almost felt her stomach start hurting, “She just let’s you bumble about the city hurting your little legs in hopes to find one gem, HA!~ What a joke!~” She shouted and then pointed at the gem exclaiming to her quite fluently, “Bakayarou!” she managed to laugh out almost hysterically at this point, “Baka yamena-yo! She’s playing you like a fool!” It was taking all of her composure not to just fall over laughing. But when every eye on her head had a look of sheer amusement on them, it was just so hard.

In the back of her mind she had almost regretted not making the Torinoko she had gathered supplies for, she just needed tape or even thin wire. But instead she hoped her taunts would throw the gem off enough to break her composure and make a run for it, “I get it, why you’re really doing this,” She struck a more flirtatious pose as her hand rested on her hip and her voice hummed, “Its cause I’m cute isn’t it!~ Kawai-ne~“ She hung on the the last part in what she considered her spoken tongue, if only Padapra had a translator for the extra bits. Hematite couldn’t help but fall back into her favorite way of tongue and this would have proven to be an enlightening experience for Padpara indeed.

[Paddy]

Her lips pursed as Hematite stepped back, though her apprehension was to be expected. She only continued to keep her slow-moving trap in play. At the mockery from her suspect, Padpara's eyes narrowed. She didn't know what the strange words Hematite was sprinkling into her taunts meant, but she got the impression it wasn't good. That she didn't really mind so much, it was the affront to her Diamond's magnanimous nature she was more concerned with. It was likely that Pink Diamond had no idea about this, truthfully-- nor should it be of her concern until the matter was resolved. Padparadscha had a personal problem with this fusion, she wouldn't bother the higher-ups with it.
"I have an obligation to see through my qualms," She stated simply for Hematite to hear. 

Padpara was willing to let her pride suffer for a strategical advantage. Despite the affront, her expression became more wry; one corner of her lip pulled up as Hematite seemed distracted by her amusement. Though the gem had prepared herself to flee, it seemed she was willing to take a risk in order to try to tempt the sapphire's wrath, or wound her lofty sensibilities. The loyalist saw that she may have been underestimated, but that would only serve to grow her advantages in this situation.

The plasma continued surrounding her opponent's footing, to the point where the sapphire was sure she would have this matter cleared up much more quickly than she had hoped. Though, she would have to keep her enemy distracted in order to ensure a clean capture. It grated at her to be referred to in such a manner, but playing along would help her cause as the tar reached around to connect behind Hematite's feet. If she could stall long enough, it would only be a matter of time until this suspect would be snared.

"Hmm," The corners of her lips pulled up into a small smile, that would've been innocuous had it not been for the glint in her eyes. Hematite had once claimed to know something about the way the sapphire felt-- the words were still cryptic to her, but there was a curiosity burning in the back of her mind about it. Maybe she would have more time to figure out the mystery once she got this fusion to the nearest interrogation room. "Cute," She said, her eyes flickered like a subdued candle flame,"Cute indeed, to be given such little respect from dishonored soldiers. It's already clear that you need a lesson in humility, though it may be coming sooner than you anticipate," 

She prepared herself to react quickly, in any direction. 

[Hematite]

"I have an obligation to see through my qualms …"

So, that’s what this really was – or at least what Hematite saw through peeling the various onion-layers that Padparadscha had developed in order to validate her actions – was that this was indeed far more personal than she originally had thought. If only this gem could channel her relentless willpower at something more positive, or at least to someone who considered her significance to be more than just a task and what was productive to their so-called greater vision. Hematite’s ruse wasn’t for nothing however, as she knew her enemy had no idea what she was planning. Something did irk Hematite though, not only was Padpara advancing slowly, but it seemed her ability was capable of more than what she had originally thought as she noted through center-vision that the tar-like substance around her was diffusing about unnaturally– it seemed they both possessed tactically versatile tools, in many spectrums, though Padpara’s held a more deadly advantage in certain areas.

Hematite’s cocky smile diffused into something more serious. “Humility? I have more of that than you think. It’s your lack of humbleness that’s the true issue here.”

What happened next could only be described as explosive.

What proceeded seemed out of character for the gem, in fact it might have even been a terrifying moment for some. Hematite did not turn around and run, she didn’t withdraw. She actually lunged forward, taking a stance of seemingly vicious intent instead, throwing herself towards the gem in a midair collision-course - but that wasn’t all. Her hair took the form of massive peacock-like wings and in the split seconds of her dash, a certain kind of diligence in her eyes could be noted as she spaced herself just perfectly from the other. And then ‘wham!’ her hair, with force enough to give her flight, slammed together like colliding fans, only inches from Padpara’s face—the burst of air created whistled and howled and would have been rather powerful-hopefully enough to throw her pursuer off guard though that wasn't its main use- it served a second purpose …

… A launching mechanism.

The force was great enough to throw her momentum backwards and the dash forward had instantly become a retreating acrobatic maneuver as she was thrown several yards back and into the air, simply from the intense forces generated from the sudden compression. Where ever she landed she would take the nearest exit and attempt to make her escape! Bursting into a sprint and dashing into the many courtyards with factory machines and vehicles strewn about.

[Paddy]

Her mouth opened, ready to give another effort to stall so she could make a pass at Hematite's ankles with her plasma. But no sound moved passed her lips as her enemy flew into action, nearly colliding with her in seconds. She stumbled back with eyes widened at the headlong charge, and her small form nearly toppled over at the force of air driven downward. The sapphire managed to stabilize herself, stumbling on her feet before she whipped around to catch sight of the stark-white flow of hair on Hematite as she dashed through the exit. Padpara had expected her opponent to move in a manner that she had before-- to run in the opposite direction-- but it seemed that the sapphire had herself underestimated the enemy. The miscalculation irked her, but she wouldn't let this end in failure. 

The sapphire pulled her plasma up from the ground, reigniting what she could of it into a blaze of light that poured out across the area. This would serve to retract it toward her more quickly, so she could conserve energy for what she already knew would be a difficult chase. Part of her was kicking herself for not waiting to enlist the help of an immediate task force, but she would've felt like even more of a drain on the resources of M-Tower if she had asked them for such favors. Aside from that, to go back to her Diamond asking for help with something she'd started on her own seemed uncouth, if not completely out of line. Her majesty was constantly busy; the sapphire refused to interrupt her leader unless she could say that her endeavor had been a victory. 

The lighting of her plasma caused a wave of heat to radiate around her, and some of the waste too close to her would steam off and combust-- but she didn't stick around long enough to see what would happen to it. First, she gave herself a boost up onto the nearest corrugated storage container, using plasma like a rope to quickly scale up. From there, she pin-pointed Hematite's location and trajectory, and got moving.

Like last time, Hematite had managed to garner a considerable head start, so Padpara would have to find a way to catch up. For now, she descended to the ground, retracted the last of her plasma, and made a diagonal cut across the yard, hoping to intercept her opponent. Between the decommissioned machines, she caught glimpses of her target, and set her jaw as her short legs carried her as fast as they could.  

[Hematite]

Though she was mildly happy that her escape tactic worked, she was more than sure that if she turned her head-that gem would be pursuing her despite the darkness of the night. Which, Hematite began to curse her hair- the Moonstone in her reflecting off the starry night and our lunar celestial like a beacon in the dark. Though she was highly visible, she was fast -her agility would be put on show as the fusion leapt across fences, vaulted old discarded machinery and cleared railings, junk-piles and dilapidated factory vehicles with ease.

But she realized soon enough that she was at a massive disadvantage at the moment. Not only was she in an area she had no idea about, but she was quite sure that Padpara’s plasma would light her up (pun intended) like a reflective jacket in the dark. Escape would be difficult, seeing how diligent her pursuer is, and if she called for help, they could scour this industrial zone with ease and it would never stop. Not unless she was either captured or she found some other route. And then, after hopping and dashing through a yard filled with discarded flattened vehicles. She stopped to see a large subway train slightly tilted on its side blocking her way …

And, what she almost confused for a cave, was instead a very, very dark subway tunnel leading somewhere into the earth.

The rails were rusted and showed signs of neglect that seemed to indicate it could have been out of use for almost a decade or more now. But, could this have been her way out? It was extremely dark, almost to the point of being eerie. But if she was to escape-maybe this darkness was her only chance. She dashed inside-only to soon bring herself to timid stride as she realized it was more than dark in here …

It was pitch black.

But she remained at least somewhat hidden now, or at least until a light of small size flickered on near a nearby platform with a door at its end, walking by, she tried to open it –but it wasn’t just locked, but sealed closed. Someone didn’t want this door being used. Ever. She narrowed her gaze and continued on, and wished she had been made with nightvision almost immediately. As this cavern proved so dark that she honestly had no idea where she was going. She brushed against a kind of soft plastic hanging in the air, ducked under and continued- had she been able to see, she would have noticed it was caution tape. “KEEP OUT – DANGER AHEAD.”

[Paddy]

It was times like this that she wished her legs were longer, but if she could keep the fusion within her sights she would be able to hold onto this lead. Hematite was too quick to intercept at this point, but she seemed to be heading toward a dead end. Even if the target managed to escape, Earth was one small planet, with only so many places to hide. But for now, the loyalist focused, keeping her eyes on the iridescent hair of her opponent as it flashed between the obstacles.


Then, her core sank as seconds passed without indication that she was still on her suspect's tail. She slowed, and swiveled her head to try to locate the fusion. Her teeth grit as she considered the possibility that Hematite had been right about this becoming a drawn out endeavor.

The sapphire crossed underneath an old truck that had been propped up on cinderblocks, hardly having to duck as she did so, when a wave of relief hit her. She caught sight of her target, swinging around an old human transport vehicle that had been discarded in front of what she could only describe as a large, decommissioned duct. She'd seen similar ones throughout the city, though they had been occupied by throngs of humans. Whatever its purpose had once been, a quick analysis told her that it hadn't been touched in years.  

She should've taken this opportunity to pounce, as her opponent seemed to slow down as she considered this route. But, a chill held the field-agent back by the nape-- she had her own trepidation to contend with now. Padparadscha didn't have many fears, but the dark was something that always inspired apprehension in her. Whatever unknown variables laid within were something she would rather not contend with. The relief she felt at finding Hematite again was short lived, as the fusion fled into that darkness, leaving the sapphire no choice but to follow.


If she tried to use her plasma to light the way for herself, she would destroy any element of surprise she would've otherwise had. It would be better to let Hematite believe she'd gotten away, and this time she wouldn't have many strategic options in such a closed space. Still, there were many variables to consider, and Padpara hoped that she would be able to anticipate them as she allowed the fusion to submerge herself into the dark, and followed after her. 

She listened closely to the tapping of feet as it echoed from the walls, using her analytical skills to calculate the distance and position of her target. The movement of the air told her that she wouldn't be running into any walls. But it was becoming as hard to focus as it was to see; she had fought with her fears of the dark in the past, so she felt she should've been able to get through this more easily. Instead, she found that the dark only seemed to conjure memories of those difficult times, scaling up the pit that welled in her midriff.

She wouldn't let her fears deter her from the chase. The small sapphire steeled herself, continuing to dash through the abyssal unknown around her.  

[Hematite]

Clambering through the dark, she brushed against more caution-tape and – wait, a stone wall? No, as her hands felt what seemed like a wall of stone, its jagged uneasiness gave off something more like rumble, this was a cave-in. Possibly an earthquake had caused this subway to cave-in. from what she could feel, some of the cars still jutted from the rubble-and one of them still had an open side door. What happened? Was it truly an earthquake, she’d assume humans would have found a way to handle these kinds of issues.

Suddenly, she heard steps—but before any of that, it wasn’t long before her sonar started to ping that oh-so very familiar emotional-aura of Padpara’s. It seemed the gem was still after her. She simply wasn’t going to give up.

Climbing into the rail-cart, she realized it was connected with many others-only because as she entered, the entire cart lit up with faint discolored lights that trailed down to its last cart -which Hematite noted looked very odd from this distance. She knew most likely that this was going to be a giveaway to her location and instantly kicked into a jog-but having to pry open the rusted sliding doors was making this much more difficult than she thought. Each car showed no signs of life, well except the many rats and other insects that took residence in them. And the amount of left over junk from what seemed like survivors who threw away their belongings to live another day littered the floor haphazardly.

Finally she reached the last car, and for a moment what she saw was so incredible that she forgot in an instant that she was still being pursued. The last cart had its rear port torn completely off, instead leading into a chasm that fell into earth, glowing earth for that matter as gem technology and more seemed to be spiraling up the chasm and around the subway tunnel. Is this the culprit for this tunnels destruction? Some kind of gem artifact or technology broke unto the subway and must have caused this mayhem. she could recognize some of it, this technology was much older though it looked like it even predated her era. The fall was great enough that even Hematite with her ability to glide was afraid to jump down. She couldn’t even see the other side of this chasm, it was dead end.

Her eyes grew worrisome. This was it, she’d been backed into a corner. She’d turn to look down long train she traversed, knowing her pursuer was closing in by the second.

She’d have to break her oath, she’d have to fight her way through now.

[Paddy]

For a moment, she began to panic as the echoing footsteps she'd been trailing after seemed to die away. She considered using her ability, despite the drawback of being highly noticeable, especially now that it seemed she lost her only method of keeping track of the other gem. However, there seemed to be a faint glow from the far side of the tunnel she'd entered. She sensed a change in the air-flow, her own footsteps seemed to change in tone as she came closer to that light. 

When she got closer, she realized it was a chain of large transport devices, like the one she'd seen outside of the entrance to this place. Pinned under the rocks, it seemed to be illuminated by something further back. This would have been the only path for her target to take. Hematite was likely somewhere aboard, unless she'd found a way to escape. Though the light was a welcome detraction from the total darkness she'd been enveloped in, she found it exceedingly strange. Was it a trap that had been laid for her? If so it was rather obvious. But, there weren't that many options, she certainly wasn't going to turn around unless she had evidence that her suspect had gone that way.

The small sapphire climbed up into the train car, and gave her surroundings a careful sweep of the eyes. Her fingers wrapped and unwrapped nervously as she anticipated the possibility of being dragged into close-quarters combat. That would mean having to summon her blades, something she rarely did, nor did she like doing it.

After she made sure there was nothing ready to spring out at her, she went step-by-step toward the brighter light on the other end of this. Her foot-fall was light enough considering her feather weight build, but she made sure to roll her heels to deaden any sound she might produce. At the human objects laying around, she pursed her lips. Humans were attached to their objects in most cases, but many of these ones seemed to be in good shape despite age. For the primitive creatures to have discarded their things, she realized something rather dark must have unfolded here.

Before she could further contemplate the story of this particular mishap, her eyes fell onto the silhouette of Hematite, standing against the light behind her. Her expression hardened as she prepared for whatever unexpected thing this fusion would pull out of her sleeves next. She kept striding forward, knowing she would have to keep pressure on her opponent. "Looks like you're cornered," She said in her best haughty tone, with a bit of a sneer on her lips. 

[Hematite]

"Looks like you're cornered,"



Hematite made a grimace at this, the gem was indeed right, and considering Padpara’s abilities, making a dash for it was out of the question, even if she managed to get behind her somehow with her range it would be too dangerous. The fusions' eyes did something quite interesting as the emotional setting seemed to change. Her normally oval pupils thinned out like a serpents’ and the red eye on her forehead showed only a sliver. Her gaze was intense as her muscles tightened some. “That’s less unfortunate for me …” she started, and then proceeded to knife her body to her opponent, lower her stance and raise her arms in shield-like postures in what was obviously (or not) some kind of human martial art.



“And far more unfortunate for yourself.” This was probably her only trump card in situations like this. She was well verse in the combat tactics gems use –considering a few of her fusion counterparts were combat gems themselves, if not all of them really. She was certain over the years their tactics have changed, but- she was certain few gems would truly be ready for her to utilize human martial arts as tactics of her own. “Just turn around, and walk away. We don’t have to do this.”

[Paddy]

Her face wouldn't show it, but underneath the surface she felt more apprehension as Hematite prepared herself for a fight. Though the sapphire knew this would happen at some point, she was never quite ready for a fight, and it instilled in her again the notion that she probably should've enlisted some help. But, if she could apprehend this traitor all on her own, it would certainly give her a large commendation-- it would further prove to herself that this was the path she was meant for. Contemplation aside, she was already here and now. 

The sapphire didn't break stride as her opponent took stance. She kept walking forward, now paying no mind to the subtle tap of her feet against the old metal. She flicked out her wrists, and in a flash of iridescent pink, her katar took shape in her fists. She gripped them tight. The pace of her steps picked up, and plasma formed out of the ether to flicker and whirl around her, flooding the area with heat and light, like a controlled solar flare. "Oh? I'd say fortune has nothing to do with it," Her sneer contorted into a grin, meant to intimidate. It was hard for a gem of her stature or perceived station to be seen as threatening in battle, she knew, but she also couldn't shake the idea that she might still be able to get Hematite to fall into line without progressing too violently. Perhaps it was a bit of a naive dream to think so, however. 

With that, she drew up her blades offensively in front of her as she made her forward advance through the train cars, matching the fighting style she'd picked up from a quartz soldier who had been in her retinue. Then, she broke out into a charge, pressuring Hematite back toward wherever the origin of the light was.  

       

[Hematite]

Hematite sensed not even a lick of fear from her opponent, maybe hesitation -but that was it, this gem was determined to get her way at this point. Her eyes locked on the several waves of plasma and Katara - a human weapon she actually had some knowledge of and its forms. This was actually both fortunate and unfortunate for her- though a melee weapon, it proved to be far more effective as a very close-range weapon which meant it would be risky to engage her with hand-to-hand combat unless she utilized her spacing to a perfection. The gem was very confident in herself, which irked Hematite a little, if there was anything she had learned from warrior monks, it was to never-- no matter how short, stout, large or skinny an opponent may be -- to underestimate them.

And then suddenly, she was rushed! Hematite’s eyes flashed with surprise, she certainly wasn’t expecting a headlong rush though it was actually a very smart move, she could back her into a corner and that would lower her mobility, but with that plasma summoned she had no choice. She decided to show the gem one of her more dexterous attacks. Her stance shifted quickly, it looked like she was exposing herself, but as she shifted backwards to gain some distance, her body almost contorted as she threw herself into a back-hand spring - with a hidden surprise however, one of her feet were quite readily aimed at Padpara’s chin, though it wasn’t a powerful enough strike to seriously harm- it would be enough be quite jolting if one wasn’t ready for it- but this attack served as both a stalling mechanism, and a spacing maneuver as the fusion continued to flip her way back towards the edge of subway-cart.

She landed with a heavy thud, and what happened next would spell disaster for both of these gems. Suddenly, it seemed Hematite’s weight and the sudden action they exploded into was enough to cause the cart to suddenly jolt and rock. There was a loud snap as steel gave way somewhere beneath the train and loud creaking moan as the entire train started to lean back into the chasm.

This thing was looser than she thought, it was beginning to wobble back and was slowly sliding towards the chasms’ edge! The sudden shift in elevation caused Hematite to lose her balance, she had to throw out her arms, catch the edges of the cart in order not slip back and fall out of the train! This couldn’t get any worse!