[center][h3]Deep Blue Seaside: Mafia Headquarters[/h3]
Level 14 Ms Fortune (63/140)
[@Zoey Boey] [@DisturbedSpec]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1053[/center]

Nadia hadn’t expected her unannounced arrival to lead to any tearful reunions, but true to form her nemesis never missed a beat when it came to putting the cat burglar down. When Juri mentioned a schoolgirl crush in that disingenuous drawl of hers, she earned herself a hearty snort of derision. “You flatter yourself,” Nadia told her, hands on her hips. Anyone else squaring up to face off against ten armed men might have courted some backup a little more tactfully, but naturally the same hooligan who assumed herself a Consul’s equal wouldn’t think she needed any help against a force like this. Thanks to that repellent attitude of hers, Juri was about to bite off a lot more than she could chew.

A slight, almost imperceptible sound made the feral’s ear twitch, and just to be safe Nadia cast a quick glance back the way she came. For a moment she didn’t see anything, but her keen eyes quickly picked up on furtive movement in the shadows of the theater’s main entrance. She realized that someone else was here, a man judging by the partial silhouette against the backlight of the casino down the hall. For a brief moment she peered his way, the electric blue irises of her feline peepers subtly aglow, like a plasma TV screen. Had he tailed her here, turning the follower into the followed? Admittedly the lion’s share of her focus had been on her own quarry, but this man must be good to have evaded her notice until now.

Unfortunately, Juri didn’t give her much time to think about the stealthy stranger’s presence. The mouthy martial artist’s latest taunt made Nadia’s decision for her. As Juri restarted the brawl by throwing herself into battle, the feral bared her teeth in an evil smile. She wasn’t allergic to fun or money by any means. “Just you,” she hissed.

In the chaos that followed Juri’s assault, Mabuchi’s whole entourage got mixed up in the melee. With so much jostling, getting a clean shot on the guandao-wielding gangster would be a challenge even for the likes of Snake, and things were only getting more wild from here. Nadia dashed in behind Juri, a grin on her face. “Here, lemme give you a hand!” Using pressurized blood she launched her hand like a grappling hook on a rope of corded muscle fiber, grabbing hold of Juri’s calf. Then the shameless saboteur tugged in an attempt to yank Juri off her feet and send her sprawling. “Enjoy the trip, nyahaha!” As the fight with Mabuchi’s minions continued, Nadia would interfere again and again, messing with Juri as much as possible. Grappling with her extendable limbs was just the beginning; she’d also try to create slicks using her own blood, use Charge to blitz through her, and so forth, even if she took a retaliatory hit or two in so doing. If really turned on, she would flee to give the henchmen the chance to attack, then return with infuriating purr-sistence a few moments later. And of course, if her rival abandoned the mobsters’ feud to give Nadia her full attention, the feral would happily oblige. That cocky thug was overdue for a well-deserved beatdown, after all, but even if she gave up on the gangsters, Galeem’s influence meant that the men she attacked wouldn’t be so quick to return the favor.

Especially compared to the pushovers that constituted the bulk of the Mafia of Cooks, Mabuchi’s men weren’t exactly easy pickings. Of the eight still on their feet, one wielded a knife, one a hammer, three had claw weapons, and two had guns, a pistol and a shotgun respectively. The last one, the most well-built and well-equipped of the bunch, actually brandished a surfboard. While the others attacked on Mabuchi’s behalf, the aquanaut used Beachside Bro-BQ to manifest a portable grill laden with skewered a’awa. When he hoisted the Hawaiian hogfish into the air, his whole team received a burst of health that allowed his two lacerated comrades to get to their feet and continue the fight. If everyone seemed capable enough, the aquanaut would happily switch from support to offense and unleash wide-ranging water-aspected attacks with flippers, frozen tuna, or his surfboard.

For a little while the Mafia Boss just stared at the mayhem unfolding beneath him, mouth slightly ajar. When it became clear that Juri wouldn’t be able to turn the tide in his favor with Nadia on her case, however, he ground his teeth in frustration. “Fine, I’ll do it myself!” He began to spin with blades extended, whirling like a top toward the mob. In response, Mabuchi disentangled himself from the melee and took a defensive stance. When the boss struck him, he struck back with a Resolute Counter, but the slash seemed to enrage the boss more than anything. “Bow down!” He leaped back toward his throne, then threw himself into another wild revolution. “Super charge!” Lightning flashed and sparks flew across the floor, but his opponent evaded them one by one. By the time that the boss got too dizzy to spin anymore, Mabuchi was close enough to extend a Petal Blossom Kick and knock the boss back, his defense reduced. 

Flames seemed to dance around the boss as he yelled in anger, swinging his arms and stamping his feet. “Enough games!” He roared. “Mafiaaaaaaaaaaaaa…!” At his summons, all the Mafia goons scattered across the island suddenly and inexplicably flew his way, phasing through solid matter in order to pile up beneath his feet. This included Chrom, Rosanna, and -much to her chagrin- Juri. After just a second, so many underlings had clumped together that their bodies formed a giant sphere beneath him. “BALL!” 

To Nadia, the spectacle was as incredible as it was hilarious. “No. Freaking. Way.”

Rosanna’s exasperated voice issued from somewhere within the sphere. “I hate it when he does this…” Chrom just groaned, hoping that nobody saw her in such a reputation-ruining stunt.

Gleefully unbothered, the boss began to roll the huge ball around to crush his enemies beneath his organization’s weight. Mabuchi managed to duck around it and then grab hold of the backside, making his way toward the top of the ball to challenge the boss swashbuckler-style. Nadia made a run for it, cackling all the while, as the usurper’s henchman tried in vain to fight the dreaded Mafia Ball.