938/After The Bomb

After The Bomb
Date of Scene:	27 January 2016
Location:	Nakajima Family Warehouse
Synopsis:	A wounded Knight seeks safety and healing - and reassurance that she's still doing the right thing. Takes place immediately after "The Black Comet".
Thanks to:	Ayana, for portraying Hikari.
Cast of Characters:	Mikoto Nakajima

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Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
It's a quiet late-afternoon in Mikoto's commandeered warehouse, on a clear, crisp Tuesday in January.

Or it was. Then the spell-glyph appears in mid-air, splitting and spreading out in the familiar dimensional transference sequence.

Between the two mirror-image glyphs materializes Miss Blue, aka Mikoto Nakajima. She doesn't speak, or even move.

Then the glyph waver, shake, and start to fade, and so does she. The whole image seems to jerk, splitting down the middle like a torn piece of film not quite aligned right, and stays there, half-materialized.

Hikari has posed:
There is a place, in the center of the warehouse, where sunlight streams in just right in the afternoons. It's not a large patch, and it only lasts about three hours as it drifts slowly from one side of the warehouse to another. But even in the winter, that patch of sunlight is decidedly warmer than anywhere else in the warehouse.

Presently, that patch of sunlight is occupied by a large, snowy-maned cat, its monstrous paws large as teacups, and its eyes blue as a crystal clear sky.

Not that its eyes are visible when they're closed, as they are while it lounges in that patch of sunlight.

This is not just any monstrously sized cat, however. This snow leopard is, in fact, the familiar to a Belkan Knight, and as such it is highly attuned to magic. Which means when the Warehouse's perimiter is breached by a sudden dimensional transfer, the cat's eyes are open, and its on its feet, in less than the space it takes for the glyphs to finish materializing.

The cat watches in fascination as the glyphs begin to coalesce, and with them the form of her mistress. Vague excitement creeps through the creature's body, but it doesn't leap for joy or wag its tail. Instead it merely pads forward, expectantly.

It actually takes the creature a moment to realize there's anything wrong. And when it does, it begins padding around the glyphs even more nervously. ~*Finish forming*~ Hikari wills the glyphs to motion. ~*What's wrong?*~

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
The glyphs shake, then start to stabilize, still not quite centered. (("dImeNSioNAl tRanSfeR sTaBiliZing,")) a voice barely recognizeable as Carnwennan's reports. It takes a minute or two, then she flickering stops, the graininess disappears...

And finally, with a snap, the separate halves align back together and the transportee drops fully back into this reality. Falling to the floor with a definite thud. Fortunately, from only about a foot up, so it doesn't seem likely to aggravate her existing injuries. Much.

Her Barrier Jacket is tattered, torn, charred in places. Much of her tummy is exposed, showing what promises to be some fairly nasty bruises forming. And there's blood on her lips, and on her hand, where she's gripped Carnwennan's hilt so tightly her nails have been driven into her palm.

Once fallen to the warehouse floor, she lies there, unmoving.

Hikari has posed:
Hikari stares in shock for a few moments. The cat isn't entirely certain what to do, or what's happened. It's not entirely sure this is happening. Surely this must be a bad dream!

Then reality catches up--it really only takes a second--and the cat leaps forward, transforming mid-leap into a girl dressed in a silver dress with a blue bow. Hikari's long fishnet gloves do little to get in her way as she tenderly wraps her arms around Mikoto, hugging her close. "Carnwennan, what happened?!" the catgirl asks the device as she checks Mikoto's pulse and tries to figure understand what's going on.

"No, belay that. I don't need to know," Hikari realises a second later. "Contact Uncle John. I can't help her, but he can. Quickly!"

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
(("Meister was injured in battle,")) the Device responds, recognizing Hikari as its master's familiar, and trusted confidant. (("I am messaging John Reese now."))

And then Mikoto groans, and there's a sound like shattering glass as her Barrier Jacket disappears, leaving her clad in the school uniform she'd had on before she headed out... "'kari? 'at you?" she mumbles. "... hurts..."

There's a crackle of blackness around her, dark energy, still slowly dissipating.

Hikari has posed:
Hikari hisses at the touch of that black energy, but she doesn't let Mikoto go. Instead, she clings all the tighter. "It's me," she tells Mikoto quietly. "Just rest, I've got you. Uncle John is on his way."

Hikari looks around the room uncertainly, then bites her lip and puts her arms beneath Mikoto's legs and shoulders. "I'm going to move you to the couch, okay?" Hikari asks, making sure her mistress is ready for such a move before actually doing it. "If it hurts too much for me to move you I'll stop, but I don't know what else to do until he gets here."

And then, very gingerly, she begins lifting Mikoto from the floor with arms far more powerful than their deceptive slenderness would indicate.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto seems to wake up a bit more as she's carried over to the couch, her eyes sliding open at last. She winces as Hikari picks her up, but seems to be feeling a bit better as the dark energy is pushed out of her system.

"... 'mind me t' teach you s' healing," she mumbles, still not fully coherent, as she's laid on the couch. At least she isn't bleeding anywhere. Externally.

"... love you," she adds, as she feels the soft cushions under her.

Hikari has posed:
"I know a little," Hikari says, "but I don't know what the energy roiling off of you is. Do you want me to try it?" she asks uncertainly, then presses her hands gently to Mikoto's chest.

"I love you, as well," Hikari says worriedly. "Hang in there."

And then the catgirl closes her eyes. A warm glow begins to suffuse her hands, and quickly expands into a soft and twinkling glow that encases Mikoto's body.

It's not so much healing as transmutation of health. She's using her own energy to empower Mikoto; sapping her own strength so that her mistress's own healing processes are jumpstarted. The net result will be a very tired familiar, but hopefully Mikoto will heal.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"g'head," Mikoto mumbles again, and closes her eyes for a moment.

The first thing that happens, as Hikari starts pouring energy into her, is the Dark Energy remnants still clinging to her react to it. They do not like it, at all. And, fortunately, they seem to be weakened enough by what she's already been through, that the spell can push them out of her with only a little effort.

Even as that's going on, it's helping to jump-start the healing process, helping the bruises to fade, the cuts in her palm heal almost instantly.

Hikari has posed:
Hikari breathes a sigh of relief when Mikoto begins to heal, but she doesn't stop pouring her own strength into her mistress.

Hikari's ears pop out of their hiding place in her hair. They're drooped low on either side of her head, and her tail--now visible as well--is swishing unhappily behind her. But the cat-girl concentrates on her task, devoting herself to the goal of healing Mikoto at whatever cost to herself.

Soon enough, Hikari's own mana begins to falter, and she slumps forward and lays her head on Mikoto's stomach.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
The healing process is not instant, certainly. If she were anyone else she'd probably be in a hospital, spending several days there, but this is Mikoto. She doesn't much care for hospitals.

Carnwennan provides Hikari with a running dialogue of the girl's status, summarizing the wounds she's taken and the effect of the healing energy. The bruises will be much reduced by the time she finishes, but it's the cracked ribs that are the worst, and will take more time than this to recover.

At least Mikoto's a bit more coherent, by the time it's finished. She reaches a hand up, tenderly stroking Hikari's hair, fingertips teasing softly against the base of one furred ear. "Thank you, Hikari-chan..."

Hikari has posed:
There's sweat on Hikari's brow. The act of transferring her energy is taxing, and not within her usual activities for a day. She smiles at that touch anyways, and nuzzles into Mikoto's hand.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more," Hikari mumbles quietly, then slowly tries to sit back up. She manages, but the poor catgirl looks a little wobbly on her feet.

"What happened?" Hikari asks uncertainly as she begins physically touching Mikoto everywhere that the device has indicated her injuries. Her touch is light and careful, lovingly attempting to make sure none of them are particularly hurtful.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
The internal bleeding was stopped quickly enough, fortunately, that the half-healed bruises and ribs are the only problems remaining. Mikoto doesn't let go of Hikari, her hand following the cat-girl's head as she rises, then sliding down her arm to take her hand.

"Riventon happened. The Dark Lord of Jerkdom himself. He's gone completely off-the-wall psycho, roaring about somebody stealing from him."

Hikari has posed:
"Riventon?" asks Hikari tiredly. There's something there. A thought. It takes her a few moments to come to it. "Waaiiiiit isn't he the one who had the fox-familiar?" she asks curiously.

Hikari squints her eyes, then raises her head a little, ears slowly ratcheting upwards. "It makes sense that he'd be upset at losing her. It's good to hear. EVen if he was abusive. Maybe there is hope for his next familiar to not be so horribly mistreated."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods, and squeezes Hikari's hand. "That's him, yes. She fell in love with someone, and he decided to turn her into a monster for it." She sighs, softly.

"I don't know. He wasn't acting like he was scared for her... he just wanted his toy back." She doesn't have the rosiest view of Riventon, does she? And she certainly has no trouble seeing the worst perspective on his activities. "I hope you're right, though."

Hikari has posed:
"Mmmm," Hikari mumbles quietly, then nuzzles her hair into Mikoto's hand, gently. "Just wants his toys back," she murmurs. "That sorta justifies your actions, doesn't it," she states rather matter-of-factly. She knows Mikoto's been struggling with reconciling the decision. "one does not love a toy as they ought love a familiar. As you love me, and I love you. I'm sorry that he hurt you."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto tugs Hikari close, pulling her into a close embrace, as much as she can while lying on her side, that is. "You're the best friend I could ever ask for, Hikari-chan." Her fingers tease through the catgirl's hair, stroking gently.