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[She was on a mission, and that mission stopped the moment she found Komaeda. It hadn't really taken too much time, she had come to know generally where he should be during the different times of the day and days of the week. But still, that first leg of the journey was now complete.]

Komaeda kun.

[She said his name with the utmost importance.]

I need a party member for a grinding quest.

[Her hands were balled up in front of her and she had a look of determination in her eyes.]

[Komaeda blinks and sets down his mug of tea. Tea had become a habit once the doctors and healers of the hospital had recommended a blend for his symptoms. It became such a natural part of the day that once he got better health he just switched to different blends. He turns to face her with the work desk between them. She had come across him while he was dabbling in Dunami. Up the hall and down at the side of the house, heavily warded is his research lab. It was on the side in case anything goes wrong and everyone needs to sprint for the horizon.]

Ah, I assume you need good healer. I'm not doing anything too important right now. But I won't do it for free. Are you up for a deal?

[He circles around the table and snatches up the pot of tea and a mug.] Can i get you some tea for this discussion?

Edited 2017-07-10 20:06 (UTC)

Oh, I hadn't really thought of that yet. It's common not to have a healer until a little later.

[But having one would definitely be helpful, though the way the quests were described she might need someone else as well. She wasn't sure how much damage she could do.]

I dont.mind a deal, splitting the reward I assume isn't enough?

[Maybe This was the start of a chain of fetch quests?]

What do you need Komaeda kun?

I have a sizeable bank account. The reward is all yours. [He smiles and holds out a filled mug for her to take.]

Anyway, I can only get so far with magical research without a partner.

[He had the vague sense that if Hinata were around he'd get the knowing stare directed at him. It's not his fault that his research involved a lot of physical action and sometimes pain.

...

Okay it is entirely his fault.] Shield spells can't properly be tested without something hitting the shield.

Oh, is that all?

[He had made it sound like it would have been something more.]

I'm a little disappointed, you could have started a fetch quest chain.

[She could have run all over the place doing things for people until she finished the request and won a party member.

If Komaeda were a star... what star would he be? Tenei maybe?]

Sorry to disappoint. Consider it the start of your training quests? [He flashes her a sunny smile and sets the mug of tea before her. His voice drops lower, as he leans on the table.]

Do you want to know what you have to do to test my shields? It will be fun especially for a gamer like you.

Maybe a little simple but this is a test. The shields I'm working to recreate are a masterwork of my late master.

[Her eyes light up at the thought. She could finally start her job quest!]

I do, and even if it might be simple for you, every newbie has to start in the training grounds

Well said! Exactly what I expected of you. [He claps his hands together and strides away to the center of the room. He sits directly at the center of three metal rings.

The rings are lined with the table of elements each ring taking a section of the table. They are connected to the corners of the floor by yellow painted arrows. He settles, kneeling on the floor one fist against the stone.]

As I said this will be simple. You're going to throw snowballs at my shield. If it bounces off the shield note the speed. Throw and side step, so you don't get hit.

[He takes his fist from the floor and gestures with his hand. A pile of snowballs, made of icy shock, appear on the table.]

I will only hold the shield up right before you throw. If you get a hit give me until I give you a signal to continue.

Oh!

[This was definitely something she could do, and it seemed like it would be a lot of fun.]

Do you need exact velocity and variations?

[Numbers were also easy for her to do, this was a very perfect project.]

Yes!

Whatever data you can collect would be invaluable! I knew you'd be perfect to help me with this! [He practically beams at her and settles a little more comfortably.]

I'm ready to start. Throw when you want to begin.

Alright.

[She nods and picks up one of the balls with a determined look in her eyes. She takes a moment to judge the distance and decide the line of attack. She goes for a straight fastball first, as hard as she can. If anything her aim is true.]

[His hand snaps up quick as a whip. Power manifests in the air a few moments before the snowball impacts against it. A rippling wall of a myriad of colors lies between them. Komaeda's sharp gaze remains fixed straight ahead but his hand falls down.

The shield emits a steady mixture hope and determination edged with grief that sharpens the sense of the other two and bonds them together. It fades slowly but the emotions haven't lessened. Komaeda watches her his gaze tracking her every move. The man sitting calmly on the floor is a trained warrior.]

[She doesn't really take in how he's a trained warrior, just that he is different than the Komaeda she had known before. And though he was different, she didn't think it was necessarily bad. She had a sense that this was good, though she wouldn't be able to explain it when asked.

She picked up another ball and waiteed for the go ahead. She wondered what velocity and angle she should go for next.]

Did that work like you wanted?

Yes. [He laughs and rubs at the back his neck. It had worked but not like it had against Hinata. Even that one has been a poor copy of the original.] Well, almost! It only hit the shield.

With the orginal...any force throw at it was reflected back. [He frowns thoughtfully. The original has a secret to it. One he never learned. He can use what little he learned to add force to his attacks but to a shield...]

...Master made it in a way I can't copy yet. I've seen it and been it's target many times. I know its weakest point...but if I don't use what little he taught me I haven't been able create its shadow.

Hmmmm

[She doesn't make any further sound, it's almost like she zoned out or fell asleep without sitting down or closing her eyes. But after a long moment she raises her hand up and tilts her head.]

Could it be something they were feeling? It's hard to know what someone was thinking or feeling in a moment, and since magic uses those feelings to work here, perhaps that is a part of it that you're not quite getting?

...it was a technique from his world. [He says, slowly while he goes back over what he remembers. What secret could it have? Komaeda taps a finger on his lips.]

....everything is made of atoms. [His voice takes on a practiced tone.] All of us are one small part of the grand flow of the cosmos. Within living beings lies an inner universe.

...

Maybe my grasp of that fundamental is what I'm lacking? I can hold onto it better than before...but I'm trying to convert that teaching into Dunamis. The concept is the same. Both come from the flow of life within. But mine will have emotions.

[What if...? He tips his head slightly and nods.] Throw again.

Oh! So they were like a monk using their inner ki to unlock abilities?

[Coukd that sort of thing translate?]

What if you put on some amazing gloves? Maybe with spikes, or faces, or teapots!

[Or maybe not, some of those weren't actually good amyway.]

You have an idea?

[She picks up another this time going for a hard curve ball at a higher position.]

[He watches her move but his mind is elsewhere. Memories of his master full of hope and faith, in the future and the man that showed him the way. Aries Mu has a legacy and he is determined to see it out. He uses his emotions about that man to form the shield. The snowball bounces off the shield. Not at the same speed it hit. But enough that he drops it too soon, leaving himself open for another hit.]

[If Nanami were someone like Owari, or maybe a lot of people not herself, she would have tried to get in another throw. It would be an opportunity after all. However, the rules of the game weren't to get an opening, they were to test different speeds and angles at the shield, so she waits a moment.]

Komaeda kun, do you still want me to throw more?

[She wasn't sure since it seemed to have worked better that time but he said nothing.]

Yes. Throw another one. [Had that been what he needed? He can't quite look at things as his master did? It makes sense. And yet, he sits breathing in while thinking back to everything Mu had told him.

Humans are like stars in the sky. Each has its own shine. Together...humanity created a beautiful forest of lights. The possibilities of what that light could do is endless. He holds up his hand and nods.]

I think I see it. The spark that will ignite my own star.

Should I still pause between each one, or would you like them more spontaneous?

[If he was starting to get the hang of it, they should be thrown more often and with less warning to see if he can react fast enough.

She readied another through, this time going she went for a splitter.]

Pause between. [He turns back to his memories of Mu and his chest aches. He can't quite figure out why. So he doesn't bother to consider it. One breath.

Two.

Komaeda mirrors his old master's stance and expression as he climbs to his feet. Feet set slightly apart and hands held up fingers together.]

Alright.

[She waits for him to stand and give the go ahead when he's ready, but something about him gives her pause. She couk dnt quite place it but... She couk dnt help but feel concerned. Though he was different in many ways, he was still the same too. He was someone that needed to be watched over.]

Are you okay?

[Her question doesn't register at first. His mind is on the beauty of the heavens as a steady soothing toned voice speaks about miracles and the stars. Komaeda's eyes widen by just a hair, the flicker of some emotion moving through them too fast to make sense of. It's gone in an instant as he cants his head slightly to the side and his lips curve into a small, barely there smile.]

...I'm fine. You may begin. [It's there again, like a shadow that subtly brings out a deeper pattern of his expression. He is steady and resolute, like a wall and yet within there's the faintest hint of something not quite right.]

[She wasn't good with the subtitles of emotion, or understanding them and how they connected to other things. However she was programmed to notice things, and she could recall every interaction she had previously had with Komaeda. The concern grew a little deeper. He was trying to do something on his own, that wouldn't do!]

Komaeda kun....

[But she didn't really know what it was, just that... there was something not quiet right.]

Please remember that everyone is here, and you are not alone.

[That was all she could really offer, before throwing another ball.]

In person; somewhere.

In person; somewhere.

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