shakira, shakira | Haruka + Viper + Matsu

Haruka Yukimura

She had been in the midst of looking for letters, but the sound of a fight is something that will always catch Haruka’s attention. Admittedly, this is a considerably less destructive fight than she’s used to, but it sounds messy, and that worries her just as much. Violence of any form isn’t good at all!

She appears around one of the shelves. Given her heavy breathing, it seems like she ran to get here.

“Stop…! Oh, goodness, please, whatever has happened I’m sure we can resolve this peacefully!”

Despite her generally docile appearance she seems quite determined as she marches towards Viper and Matsukaze and places a hand on Viper’s shoulder. She’s not quite getting in between them as they’re on the floor, but that really is all that’s stopping her. Matsu’s wheezing in particular is concerning her, and she looks at them with clear worry in her eyes.

Matsu

Viper’s message is going through good and clear – she was absolutely finishing this fight. Matsu intermittently tries to shove her off of them or to slap at her ineffectively, but they’re mostly just trying to push her blows away or block them with their arms.

Did they feel bad for starting it? Yes. Did they want to give up? Yes.

Did they want to say it out loud? No. Could they catch their breath enough to say it anyways? No.

The tears they had barely been holding back earlier in the fight are falling freely as they try to push her off, to find enough purchase on the ground with their feet to throw her off, but they can’t. Usually people don’t fight back this much. They made a mistake. They’re in over their head. They’re struggling to gasp for air. Matsu doesn’t really register what Haruka’s saying as they try to shield their face with their arms.

It was always this way. They always ended up looking pathetic, didn’t they?

Viper

As soon as Haruka’s hand touched her shoulder, Viper visibly jolted as if she were being woken from sleep. She finally let up her wailing on Matsu, her hands dropping to her sides as she glared over her shoulder at the mediator. Good a time as any to finish the fight.

“Don’t go thinkin’ I started this.” She warned, with a final shove she released Matsu, standing up and returning to retrieve her belongings from the pile on the floor, rubbing at her knuckles that were now incredibly sore. “The ability to solve it peacefully was gone when they decided to slap me.”

Looking down at them, she couldn’t help but cringe internally. Yeah. Maybe she had taken it a little too far.

Matsu

As Viper backs off, Matsukaze takes a last ditch effort to save some dignity. They kick at her leg, hoping to get that one more hit in.

Haruka Yukimura

Haruka seems unshaken by the glare Viper gives her, and although she doesn’t say it, the teacher-like air of “I don’t care who started it” is tangible. Her lips do tighten with worry at Matsu’s continued struggling, but she then cries out as the two keep trying to get their last hits in. She reacts too late to stop the kick, and she feels like she’s mentally kicking herself instead for it.

“Neither of you are stopping! The fact that you both turned to violence… It’s not about claiming a moral high ground. It’s about not hurting people.”

Said by someone who is quite sure she is standing atop an ethical Everest right now. With the two of them now separated, she moves so that she’s in the way of any further blows.

“You’ll have to get through me, both of you. Whatever started this, it was not worth a fight, from either side. Now, I’m going to tend to any physical injuries first, but if you could explain the situation I would appreciate it.”

Matsu is the most obviously in trouble, but she does squint at Viper, trying to tell if there’s something more subtle or dangerous that she’s hiding. Deciding she was okay for now, Haruka looks back at Matsu.

“I can see you’re having trouble breathing - do you have an inhaler or similar? No need to speak, just move your head or hands if it’s easier…”

Viper

Viper watches from a distance. She perches nearby, nursing the blooming bruises on her hands, and now the impact site from where Matsu had kicked her. Whilst not the worst, it was more of a performance art than anything. Like a kicked puppy.

Haruka Yukimura “You’ll have to get through me, both of you. Whatever started this, it was not worth a fight, from either side. Now, I’m going to tend to any physical injuries first, but if you could explain the situation I would appreciate it.”

“Psht. It’s like, so far from my fault that I dunno if I should explain. Matsu might feel bad.” Viper grumbles, clearly lying about it not even being partially her fault. Anyone with a brain could figure that out. “Matsu got mad when I said Taran showed me some stuff about ’em and decided to slap me.” No mention of how she went about it, no mention of her continuing the fight by egging them on and challenging them.

Haruka didn’t need to hear that part from her.

Matsu

Viper’s weight leaving them was immediately a relief - the less pressure on them, the better. But now Haruka was here, asking them why they were having trouble breathing. Each breath feels like swallowing knives, their head and face hurt, their arms, their stomach, everywhere hurt.

Matsukaze doesn’t get up yet, chest rising and falling rapidly as they gasp to try and take in more air. They do, however, cover their face with their hands, and its hard to tell if their labored breathing is from the ill-repressed sobs or the physical exertion of the scuffle.

The answer was both.

After a moment, they start to shake their head no. They wish the ground would open up and swallow them so they don’t have to be perceived. Finally, they add a shaky “No.”