936/What is the Sound of One Mage Flying

What is the Sound of One Mage Flying
Date of Scene:	28 January 2016
Location:	Nakaima Industries Warehouse
Synopsis:	Mikoto and Nanoha help Firebird work out a better Flight spell.
Cast of Characters:	Nanoha Takamachi, Mikoto Nakajima, Minoke Sato

---

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
The day after Riventon's Rampage dawns clear and crisp for January in Tokyo. There's plenty of snow on the ground, and life goes on mostly as normal for those not aware of the true nature of the storm approaching. School passes as it most often does for those who are bothering to attend, and eventually classes let out.

At Infinity Academy, one Mikoto Nakajima is conspicuous in her absence, a medical excuse having been delivered to the teacher by her family driver. Of course, she doesn't actually have the flu. She's laid up with some deeply unpleasant injuries courtesy of the aforementioned Riventon. So instead of offering to meet her kouhai at an out of the way location, like the harbor airspace they used for their first lesson, she gives the girl an address in the warehouse district to meet at.

The warehouse in question is one of any number of them, until she steps inside. Once past a partition, the true nature of it all is revealed. There's a comfortable living-room set up, with a couch, reclining armchairs, and a stand with a big television. And then there's the folding tables with all the stuff on them, high-tech weird things that look like they belong in some sort of spaceship.

(Which, of course, they do, being things she's salvaged from the Arthra wreckage that she liberated from the aforementioned Jerkenton.)

And in one of the chairs, rests a black-haired girl dressed in blue sweat-pants, slippers, and a t-shirt, sipping orange juice through a straw and wincing as she carefully sets the cup down. "Hey, there. Glad you could make it. Sorry 'bout the mess."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato is rolling along after school to the warehouse district. A strange spot to do a lesson. She hopes she can figure out a better way to fly - the gravity aura - Minoke is really starting to believe it's not meant to be a flyign spell but a defensive skill. But Vortex doesn't have any record of a cheaper spell. And the data Vortex got from Carnwennan couldn't be translated. So - she just rolls along in her wheelchair, not powered up, and goes to the address listed.

She rolls in after knocking and being invited. "Hi... is this the right place...?" she asks. "Wait - is that you, Miss Blue?" she asks, squinting.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi has arrived, promptly, looking overwhelmed and she was in her Barrier Jacket because she flew here because she didn't want to bother with transportation today but that ominous sky... what's going on, exactly? Nanoha shakes her head. Something about a major storm. Just something doesn't feel good about it.

She arrives through a window in the warehouse-- near the top and lands down with a gentle touchdown--- area search letting her pick a good landing spot that isn't occupied by anything too horrible. She has in her hands, a box!

She smiles and begins to walk forward. "Hey!" she smiles, the girl placing the box on the table.

Oh---!

"Oh! Minoke-san!" she beams and waves! Nanoha is in her Barrier Jacket, but is still very much recognizable as that girl Minoke met one time.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
The girl in the recliner waves, though she doesn't lift her hand much to do it. "Welcome, both of you. Please, come in, relax." She doesn't look a thing like Miss Blue, despite being the same height, same build, same hair color, and same eye color. The wonder of henshin magic.

"I do apologize for not getting up, but I had a rather unpleasant run-in with the Dark Lord of Jerkdom yesterday, and it did not go well for either of us."

She pauses to take another careful sip of orange juice, then indicates the door to where the warehouse offices used to be. "There's a kitchen in there, juice and soda in the fridge, if you want anything. Hikari-chan's out getting groceries, so there isn't much in the way of snacks at the moment..."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato blinks. "Ummmmm.... I know what it's like to not be able to get up," she murmurs. "Ummmmm.... could I ask your name? You never gave it to me before." She glances at Nanoha. "Oh hi again, Nanoha-chan," she states, smiling. "Well." She has a bag on her lap. "I brought takoyaki. I thought we'd be doing some training but..." She hmmmmms. "Who is the Dark Lord of Jerkdom?" she asks blankly. "I had a doctor's appointment and told Vortex not to acknowledge any signals that day - I was with my parents all day. They ahve to check my legs to make sure they're not undergoing atrophy."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi head tilts. "Dark Lord of Jerkdom? Oh---do you mean.... Riventon?" she asks with a frown. She takes a deep breath. "--I haven't seen Fate for a long bit." she wilts. "I may... text here... for cupcakes. Maybe. Just to talk. She's done so before with me..." she says with a bit lip.

She looks to Minoke and frowns a bit. "That sounds rather difficult... I can't... imagine how that must feel." she says softly as she has herself a seat.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Of course you may," the girl who is so totally not Miss Blue answers. "I'm Mikoto. Feel free to call me that when I'm not in the suit. And I see you already know Nanoha-san." She sets down the orange-juice glass and leans her head back against the chair. "Does the name 'Riventon' mean anything to you? Because that's who it was. Dangerous jerk. Throws around Dark Magic like it was candy. Tortured his familiar. Went on a total psycho rampage. Beat the crap out of me. I just about blew his arm off, though. He's gonna be feeling that for a while."

She lifts her head to look back at Nanoha. "Mmm. She wasn't with him... thankfully. Although maybe if she saw what he'd done... she'd rethink working with the jerk." She hmms for a moment, then asks Minoke, "So, did the doctors have any good news for you?"

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato blinks. "That sounds unpleasant. I've fought a few youmas - in fact, I have a few crystal shards sealed inside Vortex. Some kind of interplanar prison or something. I asked Axe Knight what to do with them and she said to keep them." She shrugs. And everything is fine for now. But next time they'll have to do this thing to stimulate my legs some. There can be complications. I know I've lost a lot of muscle mass." She sighs softly. "Nanoha... do you know a low-power flying spell? The only one Vortex knew is NOT low power and it's tiring to use constantly. I tried getting one from Mikoto but her Device's spell programs aren't compatible..."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi nods. She looks towards Minoke. "O-oh..." she says a little sadly, she looks to Mikoto. "H--he what!? Tortured--his familiar!?" her eyes go wide. She saw one made--- she saw how it was involved. How connected you were. Was--- he that bad? He seemed to care for Fate..... could... he do that to Fate too?

She suddenly seemed REALLY, REALLY worried. maybe-- maybe she could ask Fate about it. Slyly. Somehow. Maybe she shouldn't jump to concluisions but the worry is still there.

"Oh! how is Hikari-chan?" she asks with a wide smile!

She looks over to Minoke. She opens the box to reveallllll cupcakes!

"Oh- right here. Cupcakes!" she beams.

They have pink hearts drawn on them. "I've been practicing for next months! Gonna be lottttts of sales of stuff like this!" she beams.

She looks to Minoke... and head tilts. "Do you not know Flier Fin?...it's a standard spell--I mean. It's up there. One of the 'last' spells a mage should learn, Yuuno tells me!" she beams. "---maybe your device doesn't know it so it can't teach you...? Or--- maybe it's incompatible for some reason?..." she asks softly.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Mmm. Youmas are easy to fight, compared to this jerk," she mutters. "He's a total twit."

She looks over at Nanoha, and nods. "Yes, he did. Filled her up with dark energy, turned her into some sort of energy-draining monster, just like a youma. She nearly killed this poor kid, trying to do the same to him."

And then there are cupcakes. "Oooooh. Those look yummy." She grins. She does not drool. Proper ladies don't drool. Even over cupcakes. "Hikari's fine, thankfully. She'll be back soon. And I was kind of hoping you'd be willing to help us work out a good flight spell for Minoke-chan here, the one she's got is horribly inefficient, and her Device can't read Carnwennan's Belkan spell-matrixes."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Yeah. That. What I was using for flying is a gravity-negating aura. After learning from you two, I'm starting to think that it wasn't meant to be a flying spell but... a defensive spell or utility." She ponders. "Flier Fin?" she asks, ponders. "Vortex? Do you know that spell?" "Negative, Mistress." comes the voice from Minoke's choker. "I have to have something low-maintenance because... it's etiher use a flying spell or roll around in a wheelcair, and I doubt that'd go well."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi looks to Minoke. "I wonder if I'm able to teach you Flier Fin...." she says as she taps her chin. She taps Raising Heart, a small marble pinned to her lapel at the moment. "Raising Heart... are we able to teach another mage a new spell? She's using a Mid-Childa Device... like you!" she says-- knowing that- Belkan and Mid-Childa systems are noooot the same now.

< Affirmative. >

Nanoha beams. "Then we should be able to work something out. I'm sure Raising Heart can teach me how that goes- and Yuuno's taught me some of his spells, so--- I have a vauge idea how it goes. I'd have to ask Yuuno for help how..."

She nods matter of factly. She begins eating a cupcake and eyes Minokes Takoyaki.

She looks at Mikoto and frowns. "That's...." she looks down a bit. a little sad, even!

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "So this was a good idea, it looks like. I'm glad we can all help each other out." She beams as Raising Heart votes its support for the idea as well. "Excellent... very good." She eyes the cupcakes, but doesn't reach for one.

"So, then. Let's see what we can do, to get you flying free, hmm?" She would grin and rub her hands together like a cartoon villain, but it'd hurt too much. Instead she settles for lifting a hand to wave. "Both of you, have a seat, get comfortable."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato stares. "You... you told me that a familiar is a very special spell. That you basically create a bond with someone, and the two of you are linked... to do that to someone you're bonded with - I'd be terrified to meet someone that horrible..." She puts the bag of takoyaki on a table and grabs a piece and starts to eat. "Who's Yuuno?" she asks softly. "And... Mikoto... I could... turn your gravity down if it'd help you relax for a bit."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi smiles. "Yuuno is my friend! He's a space ferret! He isn't with me today because he's researching some things." she says. "He's an Archeologist! Raising Heart's original owner. Though, not master." she says softly.

She looks to Minoke and frowns. "That's why...I'm sad about that." she frowns. "I hope that... Fate isn't being treated like that." she says.

She nods. "Flier Fin is VERY efficient. It doesn't affect me to have it 'on' at all." she nods!

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto waves a hand, and a holographic screen forms in mid-air, projected there by Carnwennan. It displays a series of runes, the sort that would combine to form a spell-glyph once completed. It's sort of the 'source code' of a spell. "This is what I use," she explains, although it's hard to interpret. (Even for her, and she's been starting to study such things herself.)

As a Belkan spell it's quite different from Midchildan types, although not as different as it could be. It would just take a lot of work and adaptation to make the two fit together.

"Minoke's Vortex can't even read it, so..." She shrugs. "And if you've got the mana to spare, I wouldn't mind a little low-grav, but don't exert yourself. You're going to want your energy for yourself, after all, if we can get things going."

She smiles lightly. "I wouldn't mind having the chance to talk with Yuuno sometime, about his work... the past of where he comes from must be fascinating." And then Fate is brought up, and she's reminded of Riventon again. "I hope so too, Nanoha-chan, I hope so too."

"Can you show Minoke-chan and Vortex your Flier Fin, then?"

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "Should I set up?" she asks, clicking her tongue. "It would probably be better. Alright. Vortex, set up." "Set up acknowledged." Minoke begins her henshin and ends up in her red unitard with red barrier jacket and mask, smiling softly. She is still sitting in the chair, and the mace of Swirling Vortex is across her lap.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi taps Raising Heart and it forms into it's casting form. She holds it and stands and shows the Mid-chidlan Magic Circle--- Mikoto's is triangular-- Belkan is triangles. Mid-Childian Magic is circles. She smiles. "This is Flier Fin---" she says. "---but... it's going to take you a little to learn it. You gotta practice!" she says.

"Raising Heart, Flier Fin...!"

< Flier Fin >.

Nanoha gains two small winglets on her feet, bright pink as is her aura, as she floats into the air and smiles. "See?..." she says. She spins slowly a bit, on purpose. "It's easy once you can get the hang of it. Yuuno says---I'm very good at flying."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Good, good," Mikoto says. "I'm still learning to read the spell-matrixes, but that looks a lot more like something Vortex ought to be able to handle." She rather carefully straightens herself in the chair.

"There ought to be room enough in here for you two to do a bit of flying... just do try not to knock over the piles, okay?" She has Carnwennan make a file copy of Nanoha's spell, just for later study.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "I'm a gymnast. Or... I used to be. Taht's why my Barrier Jacket includes a unitard." She sighs softly. "I last wore something like this 4 years ago - on the day of my accident." She shrugs. "When Voretx told me I could escape my chair, this is what I imagined. I call myself Firebird because that's the nickname I went by when I was doing gymnastics." She ponders. "Vortex, can you do something similar to that?" "Working..." She watches. "Doesn't look very high-profile," she muses as she watches the gem on Vortex's handle flash. "Could you... make the spell... 'matrix'... visible, or just sned the program to Vortex? Maybe it forgot the spell or something."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi shakes her head. "It, and you, gotta learn it." she says softly. "But I can send you the copy..." she says softly--- Raising Heart pings it over. Vortex can try to process it. This isn't going to be an instant thing. Nanoha spends days studying and learning to learn this stuff.

She smiles. "There you go!" she says softly. "Just--work hard and listen to your device! It's your partner!" she beams!

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"She's right, there. Vortex is going to be your other half from now on. The only things as close, ever, will be your spouse, and - if you decide on one - your familiar. Take your time, work your way through the spell. Don't worry if it takes a few tries."

Mikoto focuses for a moment, then hovers up from her seat towards the cupcakes. "Mind if I steal one of these?" she asks of Nanoha.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods slowly. "Download complete. Analyzing spell matrix." She glances at Vortex. "Oh yeah, here. Gravity Aura 50." Vortex pings as a black aura would surround Mikoto. And Mikoto would suddenly lose half her weight. "Does that help any? It's a half-power aura. I use a 99-percent aura for my flying, but I'm going to make it my defense spell." She smiles softly as Vortex is flashing repeatedly, studying the spell matrix. "Nanoha? Is it normal that Vortex doesn't have any prior users logged? She doesn't remember anyone before me."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi shakes her head. "Not really." she says. "Raising Heart didn't have anyone before Yuuno- and he found it on a dig- and even Yuuno could only use Raising Heart as a 'Guest User'. If Vortex SHOULD have a prior user and doesn't remember, it could be damage or corruption. These things can happen- Yuuno said."

"I understand a lot of the 'devices' here were scattered in a ship crash so--- things could had been damaged." she says a little sadly.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto flashes Minoke a tight little smile. "Thanks, that's much better." She straightens, carefully. Looks like she's still a bit tender in places. "My Carnwennan had one user prior, so she had a good few things she could teach me, and I've worked out a few more. They left a lot of logs and such, but it's all Belkan stuff, so..."

She starts to shrug, then winces. Looks like the ribs are definitely not fully healed yet. "And yeah, from what Admiral Lindy said, the ship's sort of plastered against the dimensional wall right 'over' us, and bits and pieces are breaking through and falling every now and then. That's where all this came from." She waves a hand at the piles of wreckage that take up so much of the warehouse floor.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Once we've got the tools and such, we'll give her a full checkover, make sure the hardware's in good shape... maybe the Admiral has a specialist we can talk to about it."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato blinks. "What is all of that?" she asks as she looks around at all the stuff. "Wait - there's a starship... in orbot that's breaking up? You'd think it'd be on the news or something. "Correlation found from corrupt directory 42-F. Attempting repair of spell data." She raises an eyebrow. "Correlation to what?" she asks. "Damaged directory 42-F has a spell matrix that is similar to downloaded matrix from Device designated Raising Heart. Running repair sequence on the data." She raises an eyebrow. "So it knew one all along, but didn't know what it was..." She strokes Vortex. "Poor thing..." she murmurs, acting vermuch like it was an injured friend. "I could turn the aura up, if you want, Mikoto-san?" she asks. She hmmmmmms.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi shakes her head. "In dimensional space. It's .. displaced... Yuuno said. Pieces fall back into phase from it-- and then crash on Earth. Everything seems drawn to Tokyo though for some strange reason..." she shrugs. She eyes Vortex and smiles.

"There ya go then! If it can repair it, you can learn the one it was meant to teach it's user!" she beams.

"That should be more efficent than anything else." she nods matter of factly.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"Probably has something to do with where the ship was in orbit, when it crashed," Mikoto muses. "And no, Minoke-chan, I know what this does to your mana reserves. Don't burn yourself just to make me comfortable."

She hmms softly as she contemplates Vortex's reaction. "There's probably other spells in there, like that, too, I'll wager. She'll just need the right pattern to match them against." A warm smile spreads across her lips. "This will make things much easier. I was afraid we'd have to take days for you to learn each new spell, but with this..."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato shrugs. "The problem is that Vortex doesn't know Belkan. So I'm not sure if you coudl teach me - apparently whatever spell Vortex is compiling is similar to Nanoha's Flier Fin. "Compilation successful. Spell 'Free Fall' ready for use." "Display it, please." "Acknowledged." A glowing black magic circle forms with simple runes in it. "I still can't make heads or tails of it. That's what Vortex found. Does it look right?" she asks.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi shrugs. "I don't know. It looks okay? OI ifugre it wouldn't show the circle unless it was complete?" she smiles. "Trust your partner! If it says that's it, that's it!" she says. "Now take it in and try it out soon!" she beams.

"When you feel ready! Study!" she beams.

"But it'll be much better for you now!" she smiles.

Then a cupcake gets shoved into her mouth, nom!~

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"It looks complete to me," Mikoto agrees. "I'm no expert at reading Midchildan spells, but it ought to work." She shrugs. "Worst that can happen is, it causes a dimensional inversion that blows up the planet."

She pauses to enjoy the outraged looks that kind of remark tends to attrack, then adds, "Kidding, kidding! I doubt it'll be anywhere near that, unless I'm really misreading the power requirements. Like Nanoha said, it's a D-rank, it ought to be easy for you."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato shrugs. "Alright. Free Fall!" she orders. "Free Fall." It flashes and then a swirling vortex forms around her waist. "Ok..." she states as she raises her arms as she starts to flies. "Ah... THIS is more ilke it..." she states as she immediately takes to the sky, as if she understood how to move around in midair better.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi smiles. "That's it!" she says as she settles back down and puts Raising Heart back down into it's Stand By state, putting it back on her lapel where it seems to stick despite everything else that says it should fall.

She looks over to Mikoto. "Has.... Hikari-chan helped you any?..." she asks curiously at Mikoto.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto watches Minoke for a bit, monitoring her energy expenditure and her skill with the spell. Fortunately, the girl's already got some experience flying. "Good, good! Keep it up." She smiles widely. "Take some laps around the building, get used to maneuvering with it. Try some of the excercises I gave you."

She waves a hand, and a dozen light-orbs flicker out from Carnwennan's hilt, spreading out through the warehouse. Each one displays a number inside the glowing sphere.

"Yes, she has, Nanoha-chan. She's not the best of healers, but then, neither am I. Still, I'll be alright in a few days. I should be up and ready in time for Walpurgisnacht."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "This feels much better than the gravity aura - I felt weightless that way. I told you I'm a gymnast. I know how to move through the sky..." She hmmmms as she slowly does a vertical circle, and hmmms. "My hair," she muses as her hair falls 'down' when she's upside down. "So it is different..." She smiles.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto is about to respond, when Nanoha's cellphone beeps, with a message from Yuuno that he needs her home quickly, so the younger girl makes her apologies and flies off.

Mikoto watches her go, for a minute, then turns to Minoke. "Yes, and soon we'll find a way to let you do it all again. If it's at all possible, we'll do it. You have my word on that."

She grins. "And I love your hair. That brilliant shade, the way it falls... gorgeous."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato blinks. "Can magic heal a broken spine?" she asks softly. "I don't see how that's possible... or... am I underestimating magic?" she asks as she just floats upside down - seeming to not be bothered by it at all.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"I honestly don't know, but I think it should be possible. We'll find out! It can heal lots of things... so maybe." She shrugs, and manages not to wince this time. "I told you, I'd find a way. Now... why don't you run through a few laps of the rings, hmm?"

Minoke Sato has posed:
Minoke Sato nods. "It should go faster... you want to monitor from here?" she asks.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
"I'll be watching."

(("I will monitor as well. Safety measures in place."))

Mikoto grins and nods. "Go on."

Minoke Sato has posed:
Firebird nods as she slides out as hse raises up. "Initiate Ring Training Program 1." "Initiating. HUD active. Virtual rings in place. Beginning countdown. Three. Two. One. Start." Firebird begins to fly through the rings - and her time is MUCH better. She's faster and more maneuverable.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Much like the first time they ran this particular excercise, the rings stay static for the first loop. For the second, they start to move, and even switch numbers about. All of it is tracked on the HUD, of course, and Mikoto waits patiently for you to finish. She takes notes on each performance, ready to critique you when you finish.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Firebird finishes the circuit and her time is vastly improved. She returns to the warehouse and floats there. "Well, what do you think?" she asks. "I can actually move better in this thing - that gravity aura is a useful tool, but not meant to be a flying spell." She smiles and grabs a takoyaki.

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods. "Definitely much improved, and the energy drain is a fraction of what it was." She settles back into her chair. "If you can stay for dinner, we can do some more work on your shooting. Otherwise your family may be expecting you home soon.

Minoke Sato has posed:
Firebird nods as she grabs her phone and dials a number. "Hey Mom. I'm going to stay over at a friend's for dinner - I was doing a study sessino with her. Yeah, I'll be home by bedtime Nini!" she chirps as she hangs up. "There we go. Dinner looks good..."

Mikoto Nakajima has posed:
Mikoto nods, and smiles. Good, there'll be time for more practice. And maybe to study the mid-childan Device. "Great. In that case I'm going to order in. You prefer pizza, or Chinese?"