878/A Tale of Two Mages

A Tale of Two Mages
Date of Scene:	17 January 2016
Location:	Mitakihara - Mitakihara General
Synopsis:	Minoke meeting her new teacher Mikoto and Mikoto's familiar in the hospital after she got wounded dealing with a witch.
Cast of Characters:	Minoke Sato, Mikoto Nakajima, Ayana

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Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato sighs as she is laying in a hospital bed. She is wearing a hospital gown, and her red hair is all messy. She is wearing a black leather choker with onyx gemstones aruond her neck. Her leg is bandaged and elevated - and there's a wheelchair sitting in the corner of the room. Minoke looks bored as she watches cartoons. "What do you think, Vortex?" "Your leg is almost healed, Mistress. Patience." comes a computerized feminine voice. "Yeah, yeah..." she mutters. "Just don't like it in here. It's boring, the old TV only get a few channels, and the food's awful."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Well, they wouldn't let us sneak in -much-," comes a familiar voice, "But I did manage a little bit." Miss Blue has arrived! She's dressed in her Barrier Jacket, the familiar blue suit, and this time accompanied by a silver-tressed catgirl. "Hope you slept well, my young apprentice."

Ayana has posed:
Hikari follows her mistress into the through the hospital's halls, quiet as a stalking cat. The familiar has pulled on a heavy winter coat with fur lining, today, over a purple shirt. She looks a little tired, but happily carries a small bag in her arms full of clothing.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato looks up. "Oh, Miss Blue," she states, smiling. "I'd sit up but that's not really my strong suit with my leg up like that - but they told me I'd be getting out today or tomorrow if the bleeding's stopped." She smiles. "Who's your friend?" she asks curiously, clicking her tongue. "Ummm. Hi. I'm Minoke." She smiles faintly.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"This is my very good friend, Miss Grey. She's my partner, these days." Blue smiles and pulls a chair up next to the bed, hooking one for Hikari as well. "So, what do the doctors have to say? Is the leg going to have to come off?" It's clear enough that she's joking. The wound wasn't nearly that severe when she dropped Firebird off, after all.

She sets a paper bag down on the table, pulling out a few pieces of candy. "Got this, some fruit, and a bit of bread and cheese for you."

Ayana has posed:
Hikari blushes just faintly at the introduction, but doesn't argue it. She puts down the bag full of clothes on the table next to Minoke, then moves to take her seat. "A pleasure to meet you," she says, as she settles into the chair next to Mikoto.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato hmmmmms as she studies Miss Grey. "Hi. Oooooo, candy. And my leg will be fine other than the fact that it doesn't work. She glances at the bag of clothes. "You bought me clothes? How nice. Ummmmm.... Miss Blue... what does your friend know of me?" she asks, tapping her choker to indicate Vortex.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Miss Blue smiles and taps the amulet hanging from her necklace. "I did say she's my partner, did I not?" She had, in fact, explained to Hikari on the way, that they would be meeting with a new Mage that she'd encountered the night before.

"Rest assured, you can trust her as much as you trust me. Absolutely."

Ayana has posed:
For a partner, Hikari seems more the silent type. She smiles at Minoke warmly, but sits in her chair without too much to offer. Still, she does manage, "I know of Vortex," without drawing too much attention to herself.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Well, alrighty. Well, I am still unsure on how best to use Vortex. I use a gravity aura to move while being Firebird. But it is tiring.. if I use a lot of power, the aura can wink out and then I cannot move till I rest. I am paralyzed from a childhood accident."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "I understand. It took me a bit of practice to get used to Carnwennan, too. I can see the appeal flying must have for you... I love it, myself, and if you've been .. for that long?" She doesn't want to say 'crippled', and any other word just doesn't seem enough.

She produces a few fresh-baked rolls from the bag, and a little pot of soft cheese to spread on them. A bit of cheese is spread on one of the rolls, and she offers it to Minoke. "Here, have a little treat."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato smiles. "Thank you," she states, glancing at the quiet Miss Grey as she works on the roll. "I've been like this for 4 years. I was doing an acrobatics act... and the trapeze mooring broke. I fell twenty feet - it didn't even hurt." She sighs softly. "I use that to move around," she stats, gesturing to the motorized wheelchair in the corner.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "Well, there's all sorts of possibilities now that magic is involved... if nothing else we can have a chat with Sailor Moon and see if she can fix you up. What did they say the damage was? Nerve, or something else?"

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Two vertebrae were crushed and my spinal cord was severely damaged," she states. "They told me I'd never walk again." She sighs softly. "Wait, Sailor Moon? I've met Sailor V. A friend of hers?"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods, "Part of the same team, yes. I don't know all of them, but I have heard that Moon's a pretty skilled healer." She settles back in her seat, leaving the candy within Minoke's reach. "Or we can work on ways for your own magic to compensate. Might be better for you, really."

Ayana has posed:
"There is also that boy," Hikari chimes in gently. "The one who healed I--your Hyacinth Friend." She clears her throat, then sits back once more, apparently only willing to offer input rarely.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Well," she states as she finishes her sweet roll. "Let's work on the second option - I mean, I can't depend on other people - this is a severe medical issue and I'm not sure even magic could easily fix it - can it?" She glances at Miss Grey. "What I do is cloak myself in a gravity aura. It allows me to move by controlling gravity. And I can even use it to deflect missile weapons. But I underestimated how much I needed for that sniper round - and it grazed my leg. If I didn't have it up, it might've been a direct hit and shattered the bone."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Perhaps," she muses. "But for now, I agree, let's work on your own magic."

She hrms to herself as she listens to the explanation. "Could you show me the spell-matrix? Just call up the rune-glyph, like you were going to cast it."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods slowly as she touches Vortex. "Spell Gylph for Gravity Aura," Vortex says as the round circle forms before her. Minoke squints at it. "I always thought those were decorative... you can read things from those? And your teleport spell had a triangle..."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "It's actually part of the spell-casting. The runes aren't just holograms, they're virtual matter, like a Barrier Jacket. Their mass bends space, ever so slightly, and affects the shape of the universe on a seven-dimensional level. That's why there's so much math involved in creating and casting spells this way."

She hmms to herself as she studies the glyph, then taps Carnwennan's amulet form... and a screen appears in front of her, displaying a copy of the glyph with several annotations. She adds a few more to it, then considers it for a moment. "The triangular glyph is part of the system for Belkan-style magic, while the circle your Vortex uses is what we call Midchildan style." She taps at the displayed glyph, then a complex series of equations displays on the projected screen. "Wow. That's actually... moderately elegant. Whoever built this must've been a gravitic specialist."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Yes. All my powers seem to be gravity-based. I can trap people in null-g bubbles - or make them too heavy to move... or fling heavy things... and... Vortex just told me about what is probably my mostp owerful attack, Singularity - and you witnessed that last night." She smiels faintly. "It was the very first spell that Vortex taught me, the Gravity Aura, and she automatically casts it when I activate her." She ponders. "My Device has 3 other modes. She calls them Device Mode, Combat Mode, and Sealing Mode. Device Mode is a mace, Combat is a flail - and Sealing Mode kinda looks like Pac-Man on a stick."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Mmm-hm. Mine doesn't have a Sealing Mode, as far as I can tell. I'd be careful with that Singularity, it looks like it could get out of control very easily."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "I can close it on command. But I'll have to learn how to do it. How... would you recommend I move around then? The Aura is a slow but steady energy drain but I can't think of an alternative."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto hmmms. "There are several possibilities," she muses. "I once heard about a technique... he was a puppeteer, able to animate and move various objects. He had a technique to puppeteer his own body, make it move based on his external control instead of internal muscle movements. It was ... impressive, but complicated. And I don't know if it's particuilarly possible with your kind of magic."

She muses softly, considering possibilities, rummaging through her memories for other ways that it might work.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato frowns. "No - I arleady feel like a marionette sometimes when I have to pull myself into bed or the like. I would not want that." She smiles. "My aura isn't pefect, but it's what I know - and I don't even get nauseous. I could use it on another too - but I'd control how they'd move."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods, discarding that particular idea. "I'll keep up researching it, then. It's certainly worth findind a way." She prods at the glyph on the screen a few more times, making small adjustments, looking over the projected results. "There are still plenty of possibilities. It's just a matter of finding one that will be practical for you. In the meantime, your flight seems to work fairly well, it's just a larger energy drain than is practical for everyday use, yes?"

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Yes - that's why, when not fighting youmas or witches as Firebird, I just use the chair," she states. "I was talking to Shinobu yesterday - those Puella Magi really have a tough row to hoe... with the whole soul gem thing..."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"That they do... it's part of why we formed WPS, to try to get them some support, instead of leaving them to fight alone." Mikoto takes one of the rolls for herself, adding some cheese, and looks briefly over at Hikari, silently asking if she wants one.

Ayana has posed:
Hikari reaches up for a slice of the cheese, sniffs it, then sticks it on her tongue. The silver-haired girl wrinkles her nose and sticks her tongue back out with the cheese still on it, then her eyes widen in shock and she pulls it back in instantly. Blushing, Hikari hastily chews and swallows, hiding her mouth behind her hand in shock.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Tell me about the WPS. I mean, those grief seeds are useless to anyone else except a Puella, right?" she asks. She hmmmmms as she munches on some candy, just as a nurse knocks on the door and comes in and Minoke, in a panic, makes the light fade. "Hi," she states. Teh nurse glances at the two of you as she goes to check on her leg. "Alright - it's healing up nicely. You should be discharged today." She nods. "Thank you," she muses as she glances over at Blue and Grey. After the nurse leves, she murmurs, "May I ask your real name, in case I need to call you as a civilian?" she asks. "You know my name after all." She glances over at 'Miss Grey'. "Something wrong with the cheese?" she asks the gray-haired girl.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto muses softly, considering it, then falls silent while the nurse is present.

"To be honest, I haven't revealed my full identity even to the others at WPS, so please don't take it as an insult that I don't do so now. 'Miss Blue' is sufficient for me, in this work. Soon, though, once we've gotten to know each other better..."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Alright... but tell me about the WPS? You must have a good reason to tell me - and if I wasn't injured, I probably wouldn't have easily told you who I really was - but it kinda became necessary to check me in at the hospital..." She sighs.

Ayana has posed:
Hikari wrinkles her nose at the cheese, then sighs. "Sorry, I don't think I like cheese," she admits. "I'm used to ... bloodier things." She makes a face, then settles back in her chair, pulling her arms around her legs as she listens to the conversation.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"WPS ... WitchHunter Prrofessional Services.. Our founder, Miss White, wanted to get a way to support the Puellae, as I said. They really do have a hard lot of it, with no teams, no support infrastructure, and an implacable enemy. So she decided to do something about it."

She smiles gently and takes a piece o candy, popping it into her mouth to suck on. "So far we're just getting started, but the biggest thing we do is back them up in taking on Witches, like the one you helped fight. The more we can help them defeat witches, we can focus the limited number of Grief Seeds retrieved to their use, so that they aren't so restricted in what they can do."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "If I join, can I be Miss Red?" she asks, smiling softly. "And... could I meet this Miss White?" she asks. "I... would love to be part of something like that... it'd be something useful I could do. I've just been going about this kind of at random..."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"I don't think anyone's claimed the name, as of yet. But 'Firebird' is so much more evocative, don't you think?" She smiles again - she seems to do that a lot, nowadays - and reaches out to take Hikari's hand in hers for a moment.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato smiles. "Well - I'll keep it. But if we're doing color names I'd lke to claim it while working with other WPS people if I'm approved." Then the nurse comes back. "Alright, Ms. Sato. You're about to be discharged - I'll have to ask your friends to leave." The nurse turns to look at the two of you as Minoke waves shyly. "I'll call you,' she states.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "You have my card. Call anytime." She gets up, nodding to the nurse, and reaches for Hikari's hand. "Perhaps we'll speak again soon, I hope." She leaves Minoke to get dressed and deal with the discharge, as the nurses insist.

Ayana has posed:
Hikari squeezes Mikoto's hand, then slowly rises with her partner. "it was a pleasure to meet you," she says quietly to Minoke, then turns to go, fingers lacing with Mikoto's as they go. Partner? Maybe she meant something other than 'business'.