231/A Fox and a Knight

A Fox and a Knight
Date of Scene:	30 July 2015
Location:	Mitakihara - Infinity University
Synopsis:	Lena worries about her broken arm, and Ayana comes across her.
Cast of Characters:	Lena Reiniger, Ayana

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Ayana has posed:
The sun is setting over the mountains tot he west, but the city is by no means slowing down. As the sun goes down, the lights come on, so that Tokyo can work long into the night. School may be out for the summer, but that doesn't mean the premises are abandoned. Atop Infinity University's tallest building, a sapphire-eyed fox girl is laid out staring up at the darkening sky, one leg kicked over the other, fingers woven in a cradle behind her head.

"Stupid," says the fox to herself as she watches the light retreat before the darkness. She sighs and shakes her head, then pulls a cell phone out of her jacket pocket. Checking it over, she frowns, then shoves it back in her pocket. Apparently tonight is a night for sulking.

Lena Reiniger has posed:
She had been right, it hadn't been a good night for sleep yesterday. Constantly reliving that day, always remembering all of her screw ups, couldn't ever be good for sleeping. Is it really any wonder why Lena hates sleeping? But she needed rest, little as she'd managed to get. She probably should be doing that right now, but she'd finally figured there was little point in staying locked up at home. Night was the hour to go out, when there wouldn't be as many people walking around in the open, less chances of someone she knew seeing her. Less chances of people asking questions.

Questions like how her right arm doesn't really move, and instead remains mostly stiff as a board at her side. The canny, magical observer might notice that she has what's basically a small-scale barrier around it to immobilize it. Quick and dirty field treatment and nothing more. Ascalon's also pumping magic into it to dull the pain as best he can, but even so, it throbs with such intensity. Fingers twitch some, and a jolt of pain shots through her arm like a red hot poker slammed through it. She winces, a few tears pooling in her eyes, but she doesn't let them escape. "Yeah... probably broken," she admits while looking at her arm. "Guess I should have gone to a hospital." This, of course, saying nothing of the mild pain from the bruises all over her body from when she traded blows with Miss White and had an unfortunate pleasure of skipping across the ground like a rock on the surface of a lake.

Yet instead of a hospital, she's found herself here, at the school. A look around to make sure nobody is around is all it takes before a violet Belkan magic circle springs to life under her and she's moving up. She decides to take a perch on one of the school buildings so she can stare out over the city. Yes, tonight is a night for sulking.

Ayana has posed:
As soon as Lena enters the school grounds, Ayana's ears perk up. She sniffs the air, then frowns and settles back in. Latent ambient magic is probably something she should investigate, but she just can't be bothered. When Lena draws out the Blekan circle, however, her ears perk again, and Ayana sits upright. "Coming closer," she murmurs to herself, then rolls away from her place to back into the shadow of the stairwell.

As Lena alights on the rooftop, the fox familiar watches, ears twitching with irritation. Her scowl deepens while she debates what to do. Takashi would want her to attack--take advantage of the clear weaknesses she's demonstrating. But Ayana doesn't attack; instead, the familiar emerges from the shadows, drawing just enough magical eneergy around herself to form a shield against immediate attack--certainly enough for Ascalon to sense as she approaches Lena slowly.

"Why?" asks the familiar of the real girl. She stops at a healthy distance; maybe three meters away from Lena. Far enough that the two can still take one another in fully; far enough to safely dispel secrets and maintain full reaction time. But close enough to be dangerous.

Lena Reiniger has posed:
She finds a spot to stand and does just that, staring out at the city before her. The lights of cars coming and going, the occasional sign of people making their way here or there on the streets, and the sight of businesses turning lights on to stay open into the wee hours somehow bring comfort to her in the form of letting her mind wander, free of thought, free of guilt... free of failure, if only for a brief time. The wind picks up, whipping hair and clothing around and even though it is summer, the breeze is a slight chill on exposed skin. She takes a deep breath, fully intending to scream and release all of her irritation at the world and herself into the air.

Ascalon pings when magic is worked, but otherwise he remains quiet. After the other night, he knows well enough to let his master maintain her privacy, free of the intrusions even of her most trusted companion.

Her yell is cut off and she stands, silent, releasing that breath slowly. She doesn't turn to look at Ayana. She doesn't really feel that this new party wants particularly badly to hurt her, so for no there's not too much concern beyond muscles tensing just a bit, body readying to react if something does happen. Finally, she turns her head a little--not enough to actually see whoever has approached her, but enough to make it obvious that she knows there's someone there. "Why what?" She finally asks, her voice mostly monotone, with only traces of a quiver or slightly raised pitch hinting at the raging torrent of emotions within her, begging to spill forth.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana's ears flicker back in disapproval at Lena's scream, but the fox-girl bears it without any other complaint. When finally the Belkan regards her again, she frowns, but shakes her head and steps up next to Lena, lessening the distance. "Why do we fight?" she asks. "Why are Magical Girls so greedy for power? Why must we try to kill each other over something as simple as a new piece of magic come to earth? It's stupid."

Lena Reiniger has posed:
Finally getting a look at the person that's joined her, Lena can't help letting her eyes go a little wide, at least until her arm moves just a little and she's forced to bite back a groan of pain, one eye twitching just a little as the pain surges through her. Yep, dumb not to be in a hospital right now. Still, what a coincidence to run into the enemy again. If only she had the energy to actually do something about that, or the desire to even consider the girl an enemy. Much like Miss White and the other man, she's probably just a victim of circumstance, as her father would say. Just people who got involved in something they don't really understand.

She's silent for a long while, listening to the wind blowing by and the sounds of the city below. "Depends on the person," she finally says. She's pretty sure Ayana isn't going to like the answer, because -she- didn't like the answer when her father told her. "Everyone fights for their own reasons, and except for very rare cases, there's really no clear good guys or bad guys. Just... victims of circumstance." She frowns slightly as those words leave her mouth.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana frowns at the answer, but her ears do perk up. She stays quiet, thinking on Lena's words for several moments. Then, eventually, she realises she /is/ angry about the answer, and her ears flatten back against her head once more. "It doesn't make sense," she says unhappily. "My master and his friend did nothing wrong. A magical artifact literally fell on her head. None of us have claim to it, but she found it first, and it nearly attacked /her/. We have good reason to lay claim. Yet when we set up a barrier to try and protect human lives--to try and keep things secret so we could assess and resolve the situation--it was immediately assaulted by magical girls. We did nothing wrong, and yet we were attacked and badly injured ..." she trails off, then resolves, "Magical girls are evil."

Lena Reiniger has posed:
Yep, didn't like it. She's not sure how she should react to that, though within all she can do is sigh. The reality of the world is a painful one, isn't it? "No, it doesn't make sense," she agrees. "But the world doesn't make a lot of sense. There's so much that happens in the world that shouldn't, and everyone does things they regret or wish they could take back..." she trails off, looking down at the school's roof. That's quite the interesting crack right there, yes it is. There's so much that could be said, given circumstance. "Again, everybody probably had their reasons and tried to do what they thought was best. Sometimes that leads to conflict." She looks over at Ayana and brings her good arm up, hesitating a moment close to the other girl's head. She is the one that seriously hurt her friend, so does she really have the right to be offering solace? Especially when she's just as badly in need of it herself? Fingers twitch and somewhere in the back of her mind, despite not wanting to hear it, her father's voice sounds out, 'it is a knight's responsibility to put the needs of others before their own.'

Even though it hurts to move so much, she finally reaches out and pulls Ayana against her. A hug, weak though it is to avoid hurting too badly, and she reaches up to lightly pet the girl's hair. So she decides to help her enemy, or at least comfort her. At least this much, to help someone that needs it in what ever way possible, she knows she will never regret. "They're probably not all evil; most of them probably aren't. Just... doing what they think is right. Maybe they're people that don't really understand what they've gotten involved in, or maybe they think the ends justify the means, maybe they're trying to run for their past, maybe they're just real bastards," she says, chuckling softly at that. "In the end though... most of them are probably wondering the same thing you are."

Ascalon finally pings up, making his presence known. <Die Wahrheit der das Herz eines Menschen ist nie einfach.>

Ayana has posed:
Ayana tenses at Lena's touch, and remains tense as she's pulled into the hug. Her ears flatteen hard against her head, a clear sign of discomfort. But she doesn't pull away, and she doesn't attack in the opening. As Lena starts to pet her, the fox familiar closes her eyes, and the tension ever-so-slowly drains away. Her ears slowly work their way back to a more natural position--almost like they're being ratchetted with each pet. With a sigh, she asks, "Why did you attack us, then? If you are not evil, why did you fight us over this?"

Lena Reiniger has posed:
She takes a deep breath, shaking a little, when the question is asked. What could she say to answer it? While she's certain this girl and Miss White are probably not all that bad, she's still not sure about the man they were with. She just can't get a read on him, and there's something very off-putting about him anyway. She decides she'll have to choose her words wisely, to avoid revealing too much information, just in case that man isn't to be trusted. "My duty is to seal away potentially dangerous artifacts from ancient times known as Lost Logia, so that they don't fall into the hands of those who don't know how to use them, or those that would use them for questionable purposes," she begins, still offering gentle petting to the foxgirl. "Depending on the Lost Logia, one mistake could very literally mean the end of this world and everyone on it."

Quiet for a moment to let that sink in, Lena stares out at the city and the blissfully unaware people within it. What would have happened if that had been a Jewel Seed and it had activated? Would the barrier have held? How many innocent people would have been hurt? "I thought," she finally says, "that it was one such Lost Logia. I tried to talk your friend into handing it over..." she trails off, face flushing just slightly before shaking her head. "I probably could have handled that a bit better than I did," she finally admits.

She tries to say more, but the words don't come. They catch in her throat and she shakes. Pain runs through her arm, and she can't help a few tears finally escaping, falling down to the roof under them. But she's quick to compose herself. Complete control of your emotions in front of others, Lena. One deep breath, and one more, and she's back. "I overreacted. I hope... I hope your friend's okay."

Ayana has posed:
The more the petting continues, the more the fox-girl leans into it. Soon enough, Lena has a hundred pounds of fox-girl being almost entirely supported as she puts her head on the Belkan's shoulder. "What gives you the right to decide who is and isn't qualified to handle such artifacts?" she asks curiously. "Why are you qualified to handle them, but my master is not?"

Lena Reiniger has posed:
Okay... getting a little friendly here! But she will support Ayana's weight, even though it's kind of killing her side. Bruised ribs and all that. But she remains strong and doesn't complain! Lena looks down at the familiar who has decided her shoulder is a good rest for her head and can't help smiling a little. Hard to believe someone like this was just the other night involved in a very real life-threatening situation. As to her question, she shakes her head. "Something that doesn't really have authority on this world. But really, nobody's qualified to handle them. Not even me. We just seal them away so that nobody can ever handle them. The risks are just too great, when you consider the number of innocent lives that could be put in danger." Her frown deepens as she tries to think of a better way to explain it, but she's not sure there is.

Briefly the thought crosses her mind to see if she could get this girl to spill some information on her master. She seems trusting enough right now, that it might be possible. She doubts she could get anything too important out of her, but anything is better than nothing, right? Her petting halts while she considers it, but finally, she decides that no, it isn't worth it. So the petting continues without another thought on the matter crossing her mind. "The world's only going to get more difficult to understand," she admits, shrugging her bad shoulder. Her body shudders a bit and she lets out a muted groan, but otherwise she makes no sign of her discomfort.

Ayana has posed:
Ayana starts to regain bodily structure when the petting stops --only to lose it again as it resumes. "I do not believe you have a right to seal them, either," she notes quietly. "Anything that powerful could be used for good as readily as evil. Imagine how many lives could be saved with something powerful enough to snuff so many out. Magic is not evil, it is only how you use it." She sighs, and headbutts Lean's hand gently, then finally pulls away, ducking out from under the hand. "We do not have to be enemies," she says quietly. "Nor do you have to be my master's enemy, either. He is very private, and does not have many friends, but you could be his ally instead of his opponent ... we could stop fighting, and instead work towards a better future, together."

Lena Reiniger has posed:
She looks surprised when there's suddenly less weight leaning against her, though she is silently thankful to finally have the pressure taken off of her body. She, however, is not surprised by the perspective that Ayana takes concerning Lost Logia. It's a sort of innocent naivety she would expect of someone completely new to magic that hasn't been outside of their own world. No, she thinks, that's probably not fair to Ayana. Naive, yes, but hardly because she's new to magic or because she was born on some backward world removed from dimensional society. She just hadn't had the same harsh reality pushed on her than Lena had.

"You're right," she begins, offering her best smile as she turns to face Ayana. "A lot of good things could come from power like that, and magic isn't evil. But power like that is hard to control. The risk is simply too great. I think on this we'll just have to agree to disagree." Looking back out to the city below them, and sighs. "I couldn't live with myself if one mistake ended all of this. Could you?"

Her second proposal catches her off-guard, even though it really probably shouldn't. The girl's devoted to her friends, wholly, and why wouldn't she try to secure more allies? Once more the roof looks very interesting to her. Suddenly the sound of her swallowing is deafening in her ears. She knows what her answer should be, but she also knows what that answer will probably accomplish. Trying not to delay too much longer, Lena looks back over to Ayana and smiles. It isn't a particularly happy smile, though. It's obvious she wishes she didn't have to say what she was about to, but it would also be rude to not be honest with this girl. It seems she will again end up hurting someone that doesn't deserve it. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can trust that man," she says at length, drawing in a deep breath. "I can't say what it is, but something about him just doesn't sit right with me." Looking back over the city one more time, Lena closes her eyes while the wind picks up. Soon she's approaching the edge of the roof. "Maybe one day I'd be willing to talk with him," she finally says, hoping to somewhat salavge good relations. "But right now we're probably all better off going our own ways." Ascalon's gem lights up and a Belkan sigil flares to life under her before she begins lifting off the school roof.

"I'm sorry," she says, looking over her shoulder, "for hurting your friends." Without much else to say, Lena falls from the roof and begins a slow walk away from Infinity.

Ayana has posed:
"No wait--" Ayana starts to call, trying to keep Lena a moment longer ... but it's too late. The fox sighs and watches Lena go, then frowns just faintly. "I wanted to give you a gift," she murmurs quietly to the empty air. Then with a shake of her head, she turns to walk away from the rooftop, back towards the stairwell that will lead her home. Or whatever it is she is supposed to call the place she sleeps.