Final Curtain Call

OOC: I'd like to get in a bit more practice using Relius in a combat situation so I'll welcome any two challengers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The master puppeteer sat alone in his office, the fireplace burning quietly in the far wall. To call it an "office" was perhaps a bit insulting. It was a massive room with two floores connected by a single flight of hard wood stairs. On the lower lever, were burgandy carpets and leather furniture pieces including two chairs and one couch arranged around the fireplace. On the upper, much smaller level, there was only a dark rosewood desk and padded chair along with a large book shelf. One large window filled most of the far wall on the lower level opposite the door and heavy, persistent rain splashed incessantly against it. Sitting in one of the leather lounge chairs on the lower level, Relius held a glass of white wine and quietly stared at the crackling flames warming the room.

Crossing his legs, right ankle to left knee, he leaned back in the chair and stiffled a yawn. Such a display was unbeckoming of a gentleman. Snapping his fingers, Relius turned on an antique music device in the nearest corner and soft opera music flowed through the room. It was reconizable as german with a thunderous orchestra accompanying the lead vocals. Even with the raging rainstorm outside, here in his domain all was quiet and calm just as it should be.

Distant crackling could be heard away from Relius, but it wasn't coming from the fireplace instead it was coming from the door entrance. The bottom of it was slowly turning black as smoke was seeping though the crack. Soon enough the door was knocked off it's hinges and sent flying across the room with a large gust of air, sending the door through the rather large window. In the doorway stood Kinkaku scratching his scalp underneath his hat in his wife beater and plaid shorts. Strangely enough smoke and smoldering embers were going from the bottom of his feet while the carpet seemed to burn.Walking into the room and leaving burning footprints behind him, Kinkaku spotted Relius enjoying his bourgeoisie lifestyle on his furniture. "Well hello there faggot. Boy do I have a bone to pick with you ya old fart." Kinkaku jumped into the air, slamming his feet on the carpet. From that a wave of flames were sent out from his feet only to go about a few feet but enough to catch the carpet on flames. Soon enough the entire apartment would catch on fire unless something was done about it.

Calmly draining his glass, Relius glanced towards his now open doorway and the rude urchin inhabiting it. He tossed the empty glass into the fireplace and slowly rose to his feet. This boy shouldn't be much trouble but he had caused quite a bit of damage to the alchemist's study and that could not go unpunished. As the flames from the youth's feet began to spread, Relius folded his hands behind his back. Looking Kinkaku over with cold, cruel eyes, Clover looked less human than his prized puppet Ignis who had yet to be called into action. "You're challenging me? Really now...that's hardly a wise course of action." Remaining almost perfectly still, he tapped his foot against the floor once, starting the transmutation process. Though bound by the rules of equivalent exchange like any other alchemist, there was little Clover could not do when given the proper materials. In this case it was a simple matter of reconfiguring the stone floor beneath the carpet and Kinkaku's feet into a vicious set of four slim spikes stabbing upwards to impale the arrogant simpleton. At the very least it would be a quick death. By the time he realized he had been impaled he would most likely be in shock and spared from the pain. All in all it was rather merciful from the feared Puppeteer.

Kinkaku touched his book with his left hand while laughing to himself. The old man was pretty pompous about his so called superiority...What an annoying fucking prick... "You're damn right I'm challenging you old man! I may not be wise, but it's not gonna stop me from killing you! The book quickly flashed a bright light and after that Kinkaku's tattoos had changed. With a gust of wind clearly blowing behind Kinkaku, he flew towards the puppeteer with much gusto. Both arms clasped together and whipped behind the young boy. "Say goodbye to your expensive lot faggot!" Arms locked, his body spun and rotated through the air as flames shot out of his arms and filled the room, catching the walls and who knows what else aflame. He continued towards the puppeteer hoping to burn and backhand the fuck out him.

-clack. . . clack. . . clack. . . -

The sound was probably not one either of the men in the room would recognize, but it was slowly getting closer, and had the rhythm of footsteps. "My my . . . Such a crass boy," came a cool voice. The words were almost a sigh. The voice was elegant and so calm that it was almost reminiscent of a serene pool of water disturbed by the slightest ripple.

The woman that stood in the door was one that had not been seen in these parts for a long time, and it was revealed the the clacking sound had been of her wooden geta as she walked down the now stone hall. Her hakama and kimono were both black, tied with a purple and pink Obi with an aqua obijime. Hanging on her shoulders was an ornate kimono in shades of purple, pink, white and grey, decorated with plum branches and blossoms. Her almond shaped eyes stared at Kinkaku rather than Relius. In fact she didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence for the moment. They were a bright violet hue, with catlike pupils, to match her purple-black cat ears and double tails, which were splotched here and there with white. The extremely long hair that matched the catlike appendages was pulled back in a high pony tail, sensibly out of the way. Her full lips were painted red, and she was strikingly beautiful. Her features were soft, and her eyes bore a faint expression of amusement. She watched him move towards the puppeteer in such a rage filled manner, and so boldly. She thought him quite stupid for this, but was hoping he would prove her wrong. One of her delicate hands rested on the hilt of her Katana, which was trust through her obi along with a matching wakizashi. The hilts were wrapped in aqua fabric, and the sheaths were worn and beaten.

Normally Jade was not one to seek out a fight, but she had seen the boy come in. The foolish, foolish boy. She could see the hate and rage in his eyes, and she knew that was no way to win a fight. It made you strong, but it made you careless. Her eyes hardened as they came to rest on Relius. Her fear was that this boy would be cut down with one motion from Relius, but she would not get between them now. . . she would not dishonour the boy so blatantly; instead she would wait, and take measure of him, then join the fight if he wasn't instantly annihilated.

Clover stood his ground, the shattered window a massive hole in the wall directly at his back, where the raging storm could still be glimpsed. Lightning flared, illuminating the room and casting frightening shadows of the combatants across the floor. The damage to the office was meaningless, the furniture and books could be easily replaced depending on the damage. Flexing his artificial right arm, the armor plating shifted and warped into a circular shield about two and a half feet in diameter. It would be enough to protect his bare skin from the boy's flames but those weren't the real danger. The flames actual danger was low, he had no intention of standing around long enough to receive an serious burns. They were more a distraction from the swirling fists which could pack a punch at that speed. Holding his shield out in front of his chest and jaw, Relius spun in a clockwise motion, his cloak preventing the flames from reaching much of his less protected body. Calling upon the teachings of Akido, Clover attempted to use Kinkaku's momentum against him. Letting him pass by like the mad bull he was, Relius moved to smack his left palm against Samui's back just below the shoulder blades. While certainly not superhuman, Relius was in good physical condition. The momentum from the palm strike combined with the boy's significant forward momentum should carry him well past the Puppeteer and out the open window beyond. Unfortunately for the rude youth, they were several stories up, more than enough for a lethal fall.

In response to the fires spreading throughout the office, the sprinkler system activated, showering all those within the room in cold water to douse the flames. Transmuting his right arm back to it's standard shape, Relius gave a half turn to the woman who had just arrived. She was some sort of beastkin but Relius could not remember meeting her before. Keeping his weight even, he now had to intruders to keep track of but he was not quite ready to call upon the Flux Reductum. Not just yet...

While spinning Kinkaku noticed that his opponent now had a shield and moved from his original position. Just as he was side to side with the man, he knew he wasn't going to hit and launched himself up. He flipped in midair and stuck his rock hard leg into the ceiling. With his hands over one another, Kinkaku showered his enemy with more and more flames.

OCC: Yes, it's short...I apologize...