Stone Faced and a Stormy Disposition
Conquering Storm looks ahead at her foe, the face mocking her. At is unfortunate that it will not understand her power. It will not understand her greatness. But the next best thing that it can do is die by her hand.
"Hya!" she screams, giving her foe her best upwards kick, sending the wooden dummy up into the air, where it goes crashing down, breaking into a pile of wood. With a nod at a job well done, she turns to the person who has been waiting for her to finish.
"Stone. If you are here to observe the skills of a martial arts master, it's best you should leave. Those who see my skills usually do not live long."
Stone, despite having his life threatened just gives her a disarming smile. "Conquering Storm, I would never think to fight you. I know who would win that fight."
"As you should. Now, why are you here?"
He pulls out something from his pocket and turns it towards her. A deck, not yet opened. "I was hoping to play some cards. I am quite fond of poker, I find it keeps my mind sharp."
Storm turns dismissively back to her sparring dummy, already fixed by one of the doctor's robots. "Ask someone else. Some might enjoy playing games, but there are better ways to improve upon myself." Returning to her stance, she destroys the dummy with another hit.
"Perhaps, but compared to most I think that you would be a challenge."
Upon hearing that last word, she stops her training. "Oh?" Turning back to him, she reveals a rather cocky grin. "I am not a challenge, I am unbeatable."
"Well than, how about you show me?"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The two minions sit at the table, cards in hand. The last community card has been placed, and now all they have to do is reveal their hands.
"Flush," Storm says, putting down her hands.
"Hmm, you win again," Stone says, revealing his three of a kind.
Storm grabs her chips, smiling to herself at her winnings. Even if it is not real money, the thought of winning is still thrilling. "It looks like I win again. I told you that it would be an impossible challenge"
"I think I've proven it's not impossible, I did beat you on the first game."
The smile turns to a frown. "I was testing you to get an idea of your strategy. You don't win by running in without thinking. If one of my clan did that, I'd kill them on the spot before they can embarrass me."
"Hmm, yes. You are very skilled in deception, far more skilled than I am. Another game?"
"Another game."
Stone begins to shuffle the deck, making a show of it. "Now, I'm sure you've realized that I am not just here for a game, as much fun as it might be."
Stone roll: 75+20(Trickery) = 95
Conquering Storm roll: 62+28(Trickery)+10(Nin-nin)=100
(Bare pass for Conquering Storm)
"I have." She is no fool. As much as Stone appears rather foolish from the outside (and in some ways on the inside), he is quite capable. It does not take a ninja master to see that he is hoping to get something out of this game. Part of her finds it irritating, daring to ask her for help. But the ninja in her finds some respect in his attempt. "What is it that you want from me? Depending on how you ask I might even be willing to help."
Now, Stone hesitates. He takes a moment to think while handing out their cards. "While you were away, the doctor put me in charge of infiltrating the Empire. I succeeded… barely. If I didn't have the machine gifted to me by the doctor," he sighs wistfully, looking at the device by his side before continuing, "I would have failed. I may have succeeded, but the doctor deserves better than that. So I have come to you. I hope you can help teach me."
"Because I am better than you?" she asks, taking a look at her cards.
"Yes. You are better than me in the art of deception, I cannot deny that," he places a bet.
"Here is my advice than." She calls the bet. "Give up. You won't be as good as me. Infiltration is my job, and you will never be even remotely as good at it as me."
"That is true. But, I want to be at the doctor's side, and I cannot do that if I'm useless to him." Stone's tone becomes surprisingly somber, a contrast to his rather chipper tone before. "I have my uses, yes. I can help that brilliant man run his empire. I've been happy to be quiet, helping him in the back, but more and more I see that I can't just work in the back. I need to go out there and help him. If that is what he needs, I will learn to give him what he needs!"
Annoying. That is all Storm can think about. He is asking HER for help, and all he can think about is how great Eggman is. Is it not enough that he could learn from someone with her level of mastery? She has spent years learning the art of obfuscation, enough to defeat even the greatest of Raiju clan's past, and when he asks for her help, all he can think of is the doctor? This is an insult!
Before she can do something rash though, a smell creeps into her nose, disarming her entirely. She looks down and sees a cup. It is bubbling with that same brew that he has given to her before.
"I know that I am asking a lot, I will not ask you to train me for free. I know you are proud and probably wouldn't accept being taught by someone who is lesser like me, so while you are teaching me I will gladly make you coffee any time and do whatever you ask of me."
She stares at her cup, her rage but a memory. Picking the cup up she takes a sip, considering his offer. As insulting as it might have been, he is reasonably submissive. Outside of the Egg clan, her "equals" were never as accepting of her superiority. The way they acted as if they were the best and brightest in the room drove her crazy, and under numerous circumstances she has felt the need to correct them of this mistaken belief, only held back by her respect to the great doctor Eggman. This is a nice change of pace.
Not to mention it would be a waste to kill him. Perhaps he is… unaware of how great she is. He recognizes that she is deserving of respect, but not why. Can he really be blamed when he was from a world where she did not exist? She will just have to show him why he should show her the same devotion as he shows Eggman.
"Okay, I'll teach you."
"Oh, thank you miss Storm!"
"But!" she says, putting a foot on the table, pointing at the man before her, "you will need to make your coffee to my specifications!"
"Of course Conquering Storm."
"You will make it anytime I want! Day or night! No complaining if I wake you up in the middle of the night for coffee. A ninja must be prepared no matter the time!"
"Yes, I will do my best!"
"Last of all, you will treat me as an equal to Eggman!"
"Ye- huh?" He stops himself at the last minute.
"I want my student to show me the utmost respect."
The uncertainty on his face is plain to see. "Ma'am, I will show you the utmost respect and I will do my best with whatever you need, but I cannot treat you as an equal to the doctor."
"Even if I won't teach you?"
"The doctor will always be the first in my heart. I cannot lie about that."
"Hmm," she raises her nose at him. "Then treat me as your direct superior. By the end of this I want you to either show me the same respect you show him, or be able to lie about it well enough that I can't tell."
His eyes brighten at her words. "So you'll teach me?"
"Yes. But trust me, there is no way you will ever get good enough at lying to fool me. No matter how much you train you will never equal my skill, I will always see right through you. By the end I know you will recognize my greatness."
"Thank you! When do we start?"
"Now. First lesson," suddenly she grabs his sleeve, and out drops a two of clubs. "You did pretty good, but I could see a flash of white while you were shuffling. Now, play another hand and don't let me see the card this time."
AN: That roll was to see if Storm would notice Stone cheating. That one omake made a while ago between Storm and Stone kind of made me ship them a bit, so I wanted to write something with the two of them.
