A park is a perfect place to practice highly dangerous magic. It's wide open, often has plenty of trees for target practice, and offers an easy excuse for why you're out here at six in the morning.
Particularly when you're a Device User. You can cheat.
Miss White is rarely subtle with her Barriers. Anyone with any sense of magic could track her down as she trains. It's practically an invitation for a fight or sparr. The young woman feeds off of the challenge and adrenaline. The barrier isn't even keeping anyone (aside from non-magical folk) out.
But it does let her go at the local flora without actually damaging anything. So far, there's five trees that look to have fallen over thanks to extreme blunt force trauma. Miss White takes a kickboxing stance, takes a breath, and swings a powerful kick in a textbook fashion. The portion of the tree she hits, even without the addition of her usual wind magic in the mix, practically disintigrates rather than snaps.
Pause. Frown. "Timbur." Comes an annoyed Hannah as the tree falls.
Tch. "Still not strong enough." It could be said that most of Hannah's problems stem from a combination of a deep inferiority complex and expecting way too much of herself.
Jiaying Maki isn't normally a morning person, but recent injuries, frustrations and other issues have meant she's actually waking up far earlier than she's comfortable with. With that said, she's able to practice her disguising ability without the risk of running into too many people who might realize she's a bit fuzzy around the edges figuratively speaking. She's at least gotten much, much better at it lately due to self-imposed necessity.
The barrier thing is a bit confusing. She's seen some strange things since she's come to the city, but there's something about this barrier that's particularly odd and she can't put her finger on it. Mostly because she doesn't recognize it as some kind of barrier. She spends a few minutes trying to sort out it's perimeter, or at least enough to guess. Then with a cautious glance around, she puts her hands to it to see if anything happens, then steps through it fully into... a strange scene.
Looking behind her to get a good look at the barrier from the inside, she then glances about and without immediately announcing herself moves towards one of the standing trees for.. cover? She's not sure if it will do much just in case, but she's at least being cautious for once. Then she calls out, "Hi there. Was there a storm?" She's really bad at lying. Besides, the other person might actually recognize Jia.
Someone entering her barrier doesn't bother Miss White too much. As Jia makes her way into cover, it turns out to be a smart idea. Another hard kick splits one of the trees down the middle, and an errant branch goes flying in her general direction. She calls out.
"Hey kiddo! Might want to duck."
A shrug at the mention of a storm. "Nah, nothing like that. Just doing a bit of morning training. ...Have we met before? You sound familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it." She gives an apologetic shrug.
"Call me Miss White by the way. This here is Raging Tempest." She holds up her Device.
"Good evening." R.T. says in english. "Couldn't resist checking out the barrier, huh? I like curiousity in people. Usually a good sign, when it's not killing you at least."
Jiaying Maki ducks out of the way of the branch, using the tree as cover funny enough. Watching the tree split, she gives something of a clap and says, "Impressive, but that poor tree. I don't know if we have met or not. Uh... I don't think I've seen you, but I only know of another fox, another punch-y person a witch and a vampire on this side of things so I'm assuming.. maybe?"
She doesn't seem too bothered by the idea. Still, she nods to the device and starts to say something, then calls out, "I don't speak English, what's it saying?" At least she recognizes it as English. She's been watching videos lately! Still, she offers a polite bow and says, "Well Miss White" she frowns and repeats it a fw times trying to quash her accent before continuing, "I'm Jiaying."
"Impressive? Please. I'm nowhere near strong enough to see things through. Yet." A slightly weak smile to Ji, and then she waves a hand. "But don't worry. I'm not really destroying a physical tree. I mean, I am, but I'm not. That barrier..." Point!
"Well, I'll skip the metaphysics, but we're essentially in a pocket of space-time cut off from actual reality. So I can go crazy and tear stuff up, but it won't effect our reality. Jury's still out though on where this all actually happens. A few mages have gone insane studying that kind of stuff, or so I'm told. 'Peering too deep', et cetera."
She does walk up to the bowing Ji, and just straight offers her a handshake.
"R.T. says hi. Nice to meet you, Jia. And quit bowing, you're not one of my employees." As for vampires and the like.
"Well, it sounds like we move in the same circles, at least. I think I know one or two of the folks you're talking about. So tell me about yourself, huh? You don't seem like a Puella or mage. I don't sense a guardian chara either." Curiousity reigns in her voice. A stump, meanwhile, gets axe-kicked to splinters.
Jiaying Maki looks around at the bubble and says, "Huh, neat. So this is a..." she rubs her head and mutters, "Forget it. I don't know." Metaphysics makes her head hurt. "Well either way, I can't break a tree. I can light it on fire. Mother would get mad at that, she kind of quashed the whole fire thing." She shakes her head quickly then grins. Offering her hand out slowly, like she's unsure of what to do, she suddenly takes the hand and shakes it while adding, "I've seen this enough, I'm not that dense!"
Then there's the rest of the stuff and she shrugs. "I didn't say I was an employee of yours, I was just being polite since you're blowing up trees. Seems easier than offending. I have no idea what a Puella is, I can do magic, but you're right there. I think I ate the egg thingy still. That guy said all kids would have one, but I don't and -... I like eggs." She shrugs and tilts her head, "Does that mean I'm hiding well enough you can't tell?"
"Think of it like a mirror, only you can break stuff in it."
Analogies always help.
After a firm handshake, Hannah lets go, and leans back on a tree. "Hey, nothing wrong with some long ranged artillery fire. Even if it's literal in this case." Smirk.
She ponders, and shakes her head. "Well, I can 'see' you in a way with R.T., so yeah, I know you have ears and a tail. It's kinda cute, actually. I just don't have a frame of reference for what kind of magic user you are. You're not the only one with ears and a tail walking around Tokyo, after all, and that's not counting the cosplayers. Though since you mentioned fire...you a kitsune, or something?"
Jiaying Maki murmurs, "I've broken mirrors, sometimes you have to." A quick shake of her head after and she grins, "Wrong kind of fire really. It was more.. lighting leaves on fire because they were neat. Which became lighting the grass and tree on fire. Which became the clothes line."
She quickly changes the subject though and instead says, "Wait, what can that thing see?" Suddenly wondering if she should be looking for lead or at least better magic. She tries to get a peek at it. "I'm definitely not a cosplayer. Deeeefinitely not a kitsune either!" She starts to think of how to explain the difference, then says, "What gives it away, the tail? Or just a guess? I'm a hulijing mutt. Chinese type of fox. What about you?"
A brow rises. "So you're saying you're a pyromaniac? Is this past or current tense on the fire thing? Not that there's anything wrong with setting a few things on fire every now and then." Hannah Sharpe, not a good influence to impressionable foxes.
At the question, though, Hannah raises her Device. "Area Search." Her head tilts.
"Two ears, a tail, some pretty good magic readings of a pattern I've never seen before. Yeah, lucky guess really. I mean...it's Japan, center of the magical freakshow. Not that you're a freak or anything. What's the difference, though? I'm not up on my chinese mythology."
Point at herself! "Device User. Basically, a natural mage that uses the help of a self-aware AI to focus and cast spells. There's a few of us around. If someone's toting around a talking magitek thing? Probably a mage. We're pretty flexible you see." Grin!
Jiaying Maki looks at it and says, "So it's like the card readers from that cartoon? I think my dad worked on that." Nerds. A quick shake of her head and she says, "So it is self-aware though? Neat. So if it decides, you won't be able to use your magic though?" That sounds tempermental and she plays with an angry dead person!
Still, there's a quesiton about the difference and as before she considers where to start, then eventually says, "Less playful trickster usually. Different magic, different weaknesses, different ideas. I still want to meet the supposed Inari out here. I want to see if they know who Nuwa is so I can ask questions!" Definitely the curious sort. Running her fingers through her hair she adds as kind of an aside, "That's kind of creepy that your device sees through the disguise though. Does it do that all the time or only when you're asking? Though that does give me a neat frame of reference for when I've gotten back my ability to hide so maybe I should seek you out the next time!"
A quick thumbs up from Hannah. "Yeah, pretty much. I guess in theory R.T. /could/ do that, but if push came to shove, I could get another Device. But Devices hate not having masters, and she and I have a really good compatibility. So I'd have to do something really, really stupid for that to happen. And trust me, I've done some boneheaded things. She puts up with me."
R.T. chooses to pipe up. "Mistress is a reckless idiot. But she is my reckless idiot."
Siiiigh. Hannah's head droops a moment. "Naw, tell me how you /really/ feel R.T. Jerk."
Huff. A shrug too. "Never heard of a 'Nuwa', and haven't seen much in the way of Inari. I know they exist. Tend to be pretty hard to catch up to by nature though. So good luck."
A swift nod. "Well, most Devices aren't as sharp as mine. I'm a scientist and businesswoman by trade, so I like to keep plenty of magical readings. And being able to rely on a partner to keep an eye out for youma and assassination attempts is useful too. So don't feel bad. If you can learn illusions, that might help. There's plenty of ways to hide things. Oh, yeah, sure. I might not even charge you for the honor." Wink. She flashes a business card, offering it over. It gives a phone number and address to a building in Mitakihara. 'WitchHunter Professional Services', it reads.
"Feel free to come around if you're looking for a job, or need training or protection. Top quality, I assure you. I'd like to see what you're capable of. Just don't go pranking my employees too badly, my security take their jobs seriously. Don't need to have to save you from an acid bath. Or Bob."
Jiaying Maki flips the card over to see if there's anything on the back after reading it. Whilst doing so she murmurs, "My friend in the stuffed bunny gives me a hard time all the time too. I think it's mandatory at this point. Or she's upset that I went with a visual gag for her... host?" She shrugs and pockets the card after a moment says a bit more playful, "I guess I shouldn't ever translate the name I Work under for you then. Training or work might not be bad." She lifts the sleeve of her shirt up to show the bandages off and says, "I'm.. trying very hard to avoid this again. Ancient healing salves smell bad to humans and worse to... a lot really."
"Nuwa's a Chinese goddess, I don't think you'll catch too much out here from that branch of my-... I'm calling myself a myth now. Supernatural. There." Then there's a half-beat and she says, "W-wait I /am/ using illusions right now. That's why you can't see my ears. Look!" She waves her hands around over her head and suddenly green fuzzy ears tipped in black and a matching tail. Though any frustration immediately bleeds away and she mutters, "I still can't hide from close scrutiny or animals without using a tag. I've got tanlines around the thing on my back now. It's annoying."
There's nothing on the back. Hannah keeps it professional on her cards. The woman raises a brow. "So not only are you a chinese fox, but you've got a spirit buddy in a doll? Kinda odd. They're not a demon, right? Don't trust those guys. Jerks. All of 'em. Oh, and if you see a little red-eared, white rat? Don't trust that guy either. Just a tip."
A wave of the hand. "Yeah, Chinese names hurt my brain. Great! Don't hesitate, I'll always make time for promising young magical types." Especially if they have money.
Wince.
"What cut you up so bad? Need whatever it was dead?"
Tap tap tap on R.T.
"It is...oh. /Oh/. Yeesh, uh, no offense kiddo. But you really need to work on that illusion job. R.T. almost missed it. Though I guess that's kinda the point." Shrug.
Reeeach. She tweaks one of those ears.
"Of course, hiding stuff with illusions based on sight doesn't work well on a blind girl who can read the wind." Wink.
Tanlines on a holy tag. Miss White laughs.
"Man, first world fox problems! You might want to talk to a miko or something for more options on that front. Maybe some kind of necklace charm instead of a tag."
Jiaying Maki huffs and shakes her head, "I don't work with demons" She doesn't add that she'd probably qualify as one and there's a reason she's never tried handling peachwood. She's not sure what would happen! "Wait, a red eared white rat? Like.." she holds her hand out to rat sized and asks, "Like that?" She follows that up with a shake of her head.
She looks at the bandages and idly scratches under the edge, "It isn't cuts. Frostbite. I did something stupid and paid for it. So I'm focusing on not just winging everything all the time." She pats at her back and adds, "Though I did break a bunch of creepy dolls, one of which I had to hit against a wall and that was a few cuts." She's a bit danger prone really. Still at the blind girl comment she asks, "Wait really?" Not having.. really looked. She was distracted. And doesn't pay attention clearly.
Still, she looks over her shoulders and says, "My illusions don't remove the tags eithe-" before she can comment further, she's got someone messing with her ears and she resists the urge to.. do a few things. She doesn't know the girl, but she's blind so she's feeling, but she doesn't know her and those are her ears and! She huffs, lets her breath out and says, "My mother can hide without them, I need to be able to do the same. I need to stop relying on crutches."
Hannah holds her hands out to roughly cat size. "More like this. Trust me. Can't miss him."
The magical girl mumbles frostbite and dolls. Slowly, slooowly, there's a scowl. "Creepy dolls. Frostbite. Friend of mine got drained by a yuki-onna, and another one had a run in with this jerk evil doll. So if it's either one of them? Good job for doing some smashing. If I ever find either one of those two, I owe them a few punches to the face. Speed dial me if you find 'em."
Hannah helpfully waves a hand in front of her eyes. No movement at all.
A chuckle. "Should get your mom to teach you then. And feel free to give her my number. Could use an illusionist as a consultant, just in case. But yeah. That's a good attitude. I'll bet once you practice enough, you won't need them anymore. Take off the training wheels."
Riiing. Riiing. That's her phone. "Ah, one sec."
She answers it. "Yo, Viktor. What's up? Huh? Again? Really. Stupid interns...tell me they're alive, and Bob's still in his cage. Okay, good. Good. Get her to medical, get Koko to sew that arm back on, and I'll beat our little pet back into submission." A deep sigh as she gets off the phone.
"It's been fun kiddo, but have a little office emergency. I'll see you around, okay?" One more ear tweak, and that barrier fades. A glance away? And Hannah's teleported away.
Jiaying Maki shakes her head and says, "No Yuki-onna, that's the mountain spirits right?" She shakes her head quickly, "No no, some witch cursing someone else and using cold fire. I'm going to g-.." she scowls, shakes her head and says, "I'm going to figure out a way to stop them." Her face had taken on a darker aspect for a moment and she shakes her arms out to distract her from the initial thoughts. "The doll might be the same though. Big knife, annoyed that it was abandoned, likes trying to accuse people being cursed. Said both I and my friend were curses. I may have punched it. Twice." Her hands do have a few scratches...
Still, at the mention of taking it to her mother she gets a strained look on her face and says, "Might be a bit hard. She's out. Gone somewhere, didn't leave a message. We think she's around here though. I hope so."
The phonecall itself is given various confused comments, then she just slowly shakes her head. "I'll... give you a call later. I'm curious to see what can be offered for training. Or work maybe."