Spellheart [Luna & Jakers]

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Amiko isn't fazed by the early attempt. She swiftly positions her hand between Shibo's hands, but then cringes at the sting of the clap. Amiko's skin turns red around the area that she was slapped. Then the monitors pop up, showing that all but a single Amiko managed to complete the task. The one that didn't seemed to have been lost in thought when Shibo started.

"So, as I was saying before, there is a reason that you have a significantly faster reaction time, but I'm able to react in a practical situation more quickly. Just from what you've seen, do you have any idea what that might be?"
 
Shibo blinked, a little in awe at how all but one had managed to do what she couldn't perfectly. The one Amiko who didn't do it must've been daydreaming about something - if she was paying attention, it was likely she'd be able to do it perfectly, as well. Being able to react like that 99/100 times was insane, and when Amiko asked what it could possibly mean, Shibo seemed a little clueless.

"I... I, uh..." Shibo blushed, feeling a little dumb for not knowing a clear answer, as much as she wanted to. "Is it, because, um... no... er..."

Shibo just stopped making clueless noises, as she knew she was just embarassing herself at this point. Looking up, she gave a sheepish smile as she gave her most logical guess.
"Because you're more graceful than me, and something like this requires precision...?" Her flushed cheeks remained as she looked at the floor. "...I'm really not sure; sorry if it's obvious or you already told me. I'm just terrible at remembering things."
 
Jakers said:
Shibo blinked, a little in awe at how all but one had managed to do what she couldn't perfectly. The one Amiko who didn't do it must've been daydreaming about something - if she was paying attention, it was likely she'd be able to do it perfectly, as well. Being able to react like that 99/100 times was insane, and when Amiko asked what it could possibly mean, Shibo seemed a little clueless.

"I... I, uh..." Shibo blushed, feeling a little dumb for not knowing a clear answer, as much as she wanted to. "Is it, because, um... no... er..."

Shibo just stopped making clueless noises, as she knew she was just embarassing herself at this point. Looking up, she gave a sheepish smile as she gave her most logical guess.
"Because you're more graceful than me, and something like this requires precision...?" Her flushed cheeks remained as she looked at the floor. "...I'm really not sure; sorry if it's obvious or you already told me. I'm just terrible at remembering things."
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Amiko smiles gracefully, shaking her head before giving her answer. "The key to understanding this comes to breaking down what makes this challenge different from the previous one. In the first challenge, we were being tested for only two kinds of lag, our reaction time and transmission lag. However, there is another form of lag, recognition lag, which I'm far outperforming you in."

Amiko places her hands behind her back, "In the first challenge, you already knew what action you needed to take, so the recognition lag was effectively non-existent. In the clapping game however, you didn't know exactly where you needed to place your hand, so recognition lag was introduced. In a combat situation, it will be even more pronounced if you don't train to reduce this kind of lag. Finding shortcuts to understanding what you are about to be required to do is called prediction."

Amiko clasps Shibo's hands with her own, "Notice that with the clapping motion, you can't help but move your hands outwardly a little bit when you are about to clap? You can figure out where they are about to clap based on this movement since they can't change their trajectory once they've committed to clapping at this same moment."

Releasing Shibo, Amiko's hands return to her side, "The reason why I wanted to address this is because I need you to first become more observant before we can start working on our synergy. I want to redefine how you look at opponents and teammates."
 
Looking down at the floor, Shibo gave a bashful nod.
"...I see. My general perception has never been anything special... terrible, in fact. As well as this lag thing, I always needed to read something at least three times to fully make sense of it, because I'm much more of a physical learner than an auditory or visual learner. I've caught a lot of things before, so I know how to do it. But a test like this is almost entirely dependent on visual cues, so... yeah... I find it much harder. If that makes any sense." Shibo murmured.

"But... I've always had this sort of problem with being not very observant. Hell, I didn't even realise you were on the roof when I first met you." Shibo said with a shake of her head. "I'm willing to put in whatever work to improve it, but... I'm not sure where we'd start." Shibo explained. "...Though... knowing you, you already have some ideas, don't you." She added, her meek expression turning into a smile as she looked up at her partner.
 
Jakers said:
Looking down at the floor, Shibo gave a bashful nod.
"...I see. My general perception has never been anything special... terrible, in fact. As well as this lag thing, I always needed to read something at least three times to fully make sense of it, because I'm much more of a physical learner than an auditory or visual learner. I've caught a lot of things before, so I know how to do it. But a test like this is almost entirely dependent on visual cues, so... yeah... I find it much harder. If that makes any sense." Shibo murmured.

"But... I've always had this sort of problem with being not very observant. Hell, I didn't even realise you were on the roof when I first met you." Shibo said with a shake of her head. "I'm willing to put in whatever work to improve it, but... I'm not sure where we'd start." Shibo explained. "...Though... knowing you, you already have some ideas, don't you." She added, her meek expression turning into a smile as she looked up at her partner.
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Amiko smiles, "It looks like you are catching on. I think you are being a little too harsh on yourself since we didn't account for your intuition in a combat situation, but as long as you understand."

Amiko moves to the number 99 and makes a pressing motion into it. The illusionspace vanishes around them. "This next part is going to be monotonous and long, so my apologies in advance. Since your observation skills aren't where they need to be, naturally the way to improve is to use them."

Amiko moves over to the other room, "So, now I'm going to move around. Your goal is to pay close attention to every aspect of how I'm moving. Specifically, I want you to watch the way my muscles are moving, how much pressure exists on each of my limbs, which direction I am facing, and what sorts of motions I can make from my current position. Every now and then, I'll freeze my position and ask you a question about what you've observed."

Amiko speaks in a jolly tone, "Are you ready Shibo?"
 
Fluttering her eyelids to adjust herself to the change of light as the illusionspace disappeared, Shibo nodded obediently to her instructions given by Amiko. She talked to Shibo almost like a professional teacher. How long had she been planning this? Or... had she done something like this before? Either that, or Amiko was just naturally talented at explaining and teaching things to others.

"Oh boy... well, I'll do my best. Don't be surprised if I make you laugh with the stupidity of something I say, though." Shibo snorted, crouching a little in position to watch Amiko intently from this point. Even though she doubted she was going to make any key observations right off the bat, she was determined to impress Amiko at least once.

"Okay, ready. Strike a pose." Shibo added playfully.
 
Amiko gets started right away with simple motions like walking, turning on her heel, and otherwise mundane maneuvers. Shibo tries her best to stay observant, but ultimately has trouble keeping the entire picture together. Even for simple actions, keeping track of everything Amiko had listened was dizzying. Sometimes Amiko would ask something that Shibo remembered, and a few times Shibo managed to keep track of plenty of details, but the progress wasn't ever satisfactory. Therefore, Amiko kept the practice up until dinner time.

"I think that is going to be enough for now. You are probably starting to feel the burnout from all this thought exercise. Having some food in you will make you feel better. We still have the pizza if you want something right away."
 
Wiping her forehead, Shibo's brain ached a little as she laid back in her seat for a moment. The few hours had been somewhat gruelling for her, especially when she didn't feel like she was making any progress. Nonetheless, she pointed out some things... maybe? It was like a massive memory game with harder elements blended in, which was by no means easy for a girl like Shibo.

"I think it's safe to say I need some work." Shibo mumbled under her breath, mostly to herself. She looked up with her pink-red eyes out of her thoughts when Amiko offered her pizza.

"And I here I was thinking I was supposed to be taking care of you." Shibo jested. "But... nah. I already ate a ton at lunch, which was a bit naughty of me. But thanks anyways."

It was true that Shibo really wasn't that hungry, but it was obvious she'd become somewhat drowsy after the excercise. Shibo stifled a yawn with droopy eyes, before looking up to her partner.
"Am... have you ever done something like this before? Were you, like..." Shibo stifled another yawn, "...an instructor, or something? ...And thanks for helping me out, by the way. I might be able to repay you with a few of my own exercises if you're interested, but we'll definitely save those for when you're fully better again."
 
Amiko sits down next to Shibo after having offered her the pizza. Taking Shibo's comments to heart, Amiko takes a moment to process things before preparing her answer. If Shibo were to reflect on it, she has seen this behavior many times from Amiko up to this point. Whenever she wants to give a thoughtful answer, she tends to pause for around three to five seconds. "I think that you made about as much improvement as I expected for such a short session. You'll be surprised how much you've improved when it gets to the first fight. It doesn't seem obvious while you are training, but your reflexes as going to become noticably more refined after we are done here. As for my having teached, I wouldn't say that I've never taught people before... I'm not trained as an instructor or anything like that, but it is important that I'm able to help people reach their full potential. For that reason, I've practiced alone on how best to instruct people. I'm operating mostly on my ability to read people and their motivations as well as detecting their strong points and weaknesses. Teaching isn't really that different from fighting in my case. But, maybe that is a confusing analogy."

Amiko clarifies, "But to more directly answer your question, I think I'm able to handle the role of an instructor, and I'd be more than happy to work with you to address my own abilities. So long as they don't involve magic or heat, I'd even be willing to do them after dinner."
 
"Well... whatever you're doing, you're doing it right." Shibo quietly commented. She seemed to take a while to pluck up some courage, before she added, "...I think it helps that you have this aura around you that's... I don't know, soothing, I suppose. Everything you do is so graceful and planned, it almost feels like I'm in a dream when near you..." Shibo said tiredly. She looked indifferent for a moment, before squinting and shaking her head with a blush. "-Ah...! No, I meant... um..." She spluttered. Whatever she'd said had clearly came out without her really thinking about it.

Flusteredly, Shibo changed topic to Amiko's last sentence about her own exercises.
"Oh, uh..." Shibo rubbed the back of her head. "...I sort of have the stuff we'd need for it at my place. I'm sure I could bring it over sometime. And although it doesn't involve heat or magic, I still want you to be fully better before we give it a go. It's... pretty hardcore; I'll leave at is a surprise." Shibo explained.
 
Amiko smiles, "That statement was more observant than you'd realize. It appears like my movement and words are planned because they are planned. Many people talk simply to express what they are thinking. This is charming since it fosters trust with those around them, but it isn't the kind of dialogue for me. I speak so that those listening hear what they need to hear. What I have to say changes based on who I'm talking to. I watch people to figure out what they need from me."

Amiko doesn't dwell on the subject too long, "Though it is a shame that we can't start now. We only have a few days to train before we are thrown into the fire with team battles. I think it will take one more training session from me before you start gaining the cognitive skills needed to work in unison with me. Likewise, physicality is my weakness, and I won't be able to hold my weight in that area without your help. Even if the training is intense, I'd like to begin before we return to the arena."
 
"Yeah... I think one more session on the cognitive stuff with you will help to get us started, but I think I'm going to need a lot more after that." Shibo said bashfully, rubbing the back of her head. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it thanks to you. And... by the way, thanks for standing in poses for hours on end just to help me out. That must get pretty tiring after a while, so... h-heh..."

When Amiko mentioned physical training, Shibo tapped her chin in thought, before nodding.
"Although it's true we can't train right this second, I can head back home first thing tomorrow and bring everything we need back here, if you're up for working on your physicality a-s-a-p. I will warn you though: the exercises I've got in mind will be gruelling at first, and you might faint or need to stop a couple of times." Shibo said. "But once you get past the first hard push in this training, your whole body's functionality and strength will improve greatly." She assured. "We'll likely be fighting on rough terrain in most fights, like that ash desert I fought Marcy in, but something tells me there are way worse things in store. You're going to need the body to handle it, and I can definitely help on that front. Having both grace and strength will be quite the gift out there."

Shibo pressed her finger against her lower lip, yawning quietly before adding,
"I would go and grab the things right now, but my training really isn't good to do in the evening. You'd feel simply awful in the morning if we did it now, and I can't have that." Shibo mumbled. Pausing, she checked her watch.

"Ah... it's sort of later than I thought." Shibo commented. "Do you think we should get some rest now, and go all-out tomorrow? U-Unless there's something else you wanted to add."
 
Jakers said:
"Yeah... I think one more session on the cognitive stuff with you will help to get us started, but I think I'm going to need a lot more after that." Shibo said bashfully, rubbing the back of her head. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it thanks to you. And... by the way, thanks for standing in poses for hours on end just to help me out. That must get pretty tiring after a while, so... h-heh..."

When Amiko mentioned physical training, Shibo tapped her chin in thought, before nodding.
"Although it's true we can't train right this second, I can head back home first thing tomorrow and bring everything we need back here, if you're up for working on your physicality a-s-a-p. I will warn you though: the exercises I've got in mind will be gruelling at first, and you might faint or need to stop a couple of times." Shibo said. "But once you get past the first hard push in this training, your whole body's functionality and strength will improve greatly." She assured. "We'll likely be fighting on rough terrain in most fights, like that ash desert I fought Marcy in, but something tells me there are way worse things in store. You're going to need the body to handle it, and I can definitely help on that front. Having both grace and strength will be quite the gift out there."

Shibo pressed her finger against her lower lip, yawning quietly before adding,
"I would go and grab the things right now, but my training really isn't good to do in the evening. You'd feel simply awful in the morning if we did it now, and I can't have that." Shibo mumbled. Pausing, she checked her watch.

"Ah... it's sort of later than I thought." Shibo commented. "Do you think we should get some rest now, and go all-out tomorrow? U-Unless there's something else you wanted to add."
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Amiko listens carefully to Shibo's description of the training. Whatever kind of training this was, it would likely be brutal for someone as lean as Amiko. She certainly had a deceiving amount of strength, considering she could hold and effortlessly wield her weapon; however, considering that Amiko's weapon was partially immaterial, it was also significantly lighter than the typical weapon held by the typical soldier.

Amiko replies, "Assisting in your training is the natural response to becoming your partner. If I didn't show you how committed I was to this, then you'd have no reason to commit yourself. We are going to be training so much together that you will likely have to give up the opportunity to do other things. I wouldn't forgive myself if I treated my time and energy as more important than yours. Tomorrow, I'm going to put everything I am into my training so that I don't slow you down."

Adding, "Oh, but, I'm not ready to fall asleep yet."
 
"Heh... I can see it in your eyes. You're never going to give up, are you, Am'..." Shibo said with a tired grin. She knew already that Amiko was probably going to grow in strength a lot, and Shibo was looking forward to seeing this change. However, Shibo knew she needed to ensure she was teaching right. She needed to be harsh, and less light-hearted when it came to it. As much as it would hurt her to watch someone like Amiko be exhausted and suffering, it was all for her own good. And it wasn't like Shibo was just going to instruct her from a distance. She'd' be there with her until Amiko could keep up.

When Amiko mentioned she wasn't ready to fall asleep, Shibo did her best to look awake rather than tired, but to not much avail. Nonetheless, she didn't mind staying awake to do some more things with Amiko.
"Oh, s-sure thing." Shibo replied. Something about her droopy eyes and smile was endearing as she sat up. "There's actually one thing I wanted to do with you, now that I think about it..." Shibo explained, putting her arm on the edge of Amiko's table.

"Could you push against my arm as hard as you can? A bit like an arm wrestle, but I won't be trying to beat you, I just want a feel of your muscle capability. I'll be working more on your physical endurance and cardio rather than brute strength... b-but, uh... *yawn*. I want to know what sort of level you're at..."
 
Jakers said:
"Heh... I can see it in your eyes. You're never going to give up, are you, Am'..." Shibo said with a tired grin. She knew already that Amiko was probably going to grow in strength a lot, and Shibo was looking forward to seeing this change. However, Shibo knew she needed to ensure she was teaching right. She needed to be harsh, and less light-hearted when it came to it. As much as it would hurt her to watch someone like Amiko be exhausted and suffering, it was all for her own good. And it wasn't like Shibo was just going to instruct her from a distance. She'd' be there with her until Amiko could keep up.

When Amiko mentioned she wasn't ready to fall asleep, Shibo did her best to look awake rather than tired, but to not much avail. Nonetheless, she didn't mind staying awake to do some more things with Amiko.
"Oh, s-sure thing." Shibo replied. Something about her droopy eyes and smile was endearing as she sat up. "There's actually one thing I wanted to do with you, now that I think about it..." Shibo explained, putting her arm on the edge of Amiko's table.

"Could you push against my arm as hard as you can? A bit like an arm wrestle, but I won't be trying to beat you, I just want a feel of your muscle capability. I'll be working more on your physical endurance and cardio rather than brute strength... b-but, uh... *yawn*. I want to know what sort of level you're at..."
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"That goes without saying. If I give up on something like this, then I won't be ready when things get tough. Though, I'm not sure that method of testing is going to accurately gauge my strength. Since I use a scythe, most of my training efforts have gone into training my core, hip, and thigh muscles. My arm strength only needs to be able to guide the scythe."

Despite this objection, Amiko meets Shibo at the table.
 
"Oh... I get that. I know all your strength won't be in your arm. Which is why I'm about to do something a little different from a simple arm wrestle. It's still not a complex exercise, but this is all I can think of for now. My brother always used to do this with me." Shibo replied, curling up her hand around Amiko's on the table.

"Now," Shibo mumbled with a smile once their arms were locked. "I want you to put everything into a sideways motion onto my arm. Don't just hit it into the table. Try and pick me up and throw me with that arm of yours with one all-out twist."

Shibo looked to her side, before saying,
"Oh, and don't worry about hurting me or breaking anything. I positioned this chair so I'll just fly into that sofa over there if you do manage to throw me." Shibo paused, before giggling to herself. "I know this sounds pointless and really stupid, but it'll make a lot more sense tomorrow. Plus, this is a real way for me to get a tiny glimpse of your whole body's momentum and core strength." Shibo said. Relaxing her body, Shibo laid back a little as she braced herself.

"Okay then! Throw me with that one arm of yours with everything you've got. You can stand up in the middle of this, twist your body, do a flip, whatever. Just be sure to let go of me right at the end of your throw."
 
Amiko seems to think on this exercise for a moment before nodding in approval, "That is an interesting way to gauge strength. I haven't used a throw before, so I'm trying to visualize how that motion would work." Amiko closes her eyes. If Shibo looks closely enough, she can see a slight motion coming up Amiko's hip. After a few seconds, Amiko declares, "I'm ready, but try not to have high expectations for me."

Amiko attempts the throw with all her might. Pressed against Shibo, several pieces of information are relayed. Amiko truly doesn't have a lot of strength in her body. As petite as she was, this could hardly be surprising. In spite of this, the end result isn't terrible. Despite claiming that she never threw a person before, the motion seemed practiced. Not a single drop of strength was wasted in inefficient movement. Unfortunately, this also put her far from able to throw Shibo. Amiko was likely at least 30 pounds lighter. Without use of her other arm, it is unlikely that Amiko would even have the strength to lift Shibo, much less throw her forcefully.
 
The force of Amiko's throw, as Shibo expected, wasn't enough to send her flying into the sofa, though her motion did cause Shibo to stagger back quite a bit. Although Shibo wasn't an expert at gauging people's strength from a simple motion as simple as that, her salmon-red eyes shown signs of some insight, at least. Closing her eyes and nodding, Shibo gave a little hum of thought.

"I see." Shibo mumbled, before pointing at Amiko. "Here's what I think. You're able to utilize every bit of strength you have to it's full efficency, which is fantastic. The problem is, there isn't much strength there for you to work with. Even though I just told you the movement just now, you replicated it perfectly, which is a special talent of yours." Her eyes drifted up in thought, before she continued,

"Now, if we can give you more of that strength to work with... I reckon you'll be able to utilize it all perfectly. Which, will make you extremely tough outside just your magic. Whether it's climbing a tree, swinging from a rope... whatever it is, being able to manuever effectively will give us the edge outside of good spell co-ordination." Shibo's eyes widened a little, before she added,

"Your skills in teamwork and moving together as one will be much more useful to us than my training here, but... this is how I know how to contribute. If we can get on the same level of strength and agility as well as having co-ordinated spell attacks and reaction times... we'll literally be like one person, hehe." Shibo ended with her cheeks flushed, the ends of her fingers tapping together excitedly.

Shibo looked at the floor, took a slow inahle of breath, and looked liked she was about to add something else but seemingly chose to end her sentence with a wide yet wobbly smile instead.
 
Jakers said:
The force of Amiko's throw, as Shibo expected, wasn't enough to send her flying into the sofa, though her motion did cause Shibo to stagger back quite a bit. Although Shibo wasn't an expert at gauging people's strength from a simple motion as simple as that, her salmon-red eyes shown signs of some insight, at least. Closing her eyes and nodding, Shibo gave a little hum of thought.

"I see." Shibo mumbled, before pointing at Amiko. "Here's what I think. You're able to utilize every bit of strength you have to it's full efficency, which is fantastic. The problem is, there isn't much strength there for you to work with. Even though I just told you the movement just now, you replicated it perfectly, which is a special talent of yours." Her eyes drifted up in thought, before she continued,

"Now, if we can give you more of that strength to work with... I reckon you'll be able to utilize it all perfectly. Which, will make you extremely tough outside just your magic. Whether it's climbing a tree, swinging from a rope... whatever it is, being able to manuever effectively will give us the edge outside of good spell co-ordination." Shibo's eyes widened a little, before she added,

"Your skills in teamwork and moving together as one will be much more useful to us than my training here, but... this is how I know how to contribute. If we can get on the same level of strength and agility as well as having co-ordinated spell attacks and reaction times... we'll literally be like one person, hehe." Shibo ended with her cheeks flushed, the ends of her fingers tapping together excitedly.

Shibo looked at the floor, took a slow inahle of breath, and looked liked she was about to add something else but seemingly chose to end her sentence with a wide yet wobbly smile instead.
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Amiko pays close attention to Shibo's diagnosis. The sheer concentration displayed by Amiko reflected how seriously she took these words. Naturally, the advice wasn't something Amiko seemed unaware of, but she seemed grateful for Shibo's assessment. She seems to respond adamantly in response to the last statement, "I'm not sure it will be quite like being one person. Rather than that, I think it would be more like twins. Each of us are going to be on the same wavelength, but we aren't ever going to be the same person. In fact, I don't think we can afford to be just one person. I'm going to need you to still be you, and me to still be me. I know this sounds a bit strange, but it is important."

Amiko continues, "I think I've kept you up for a while now. Let's get ready for bed. You don't mind sharing a bed right?" Amiko continues towards the bedroom.
 
Giving a nod, Shibo made her way to sit back down after hearing Amiko's talk. Being together like twins was a... a nice sounding idea, actually. The fact that Amiko was willing to be so dedicated to just a simple person like herself gave Shibo warm tingles all over. The only way she could repay such a feat was to be just as dedicated back. As Shibo's thoughts died down, so did her eyes, turning half-closed in a tired fashion. It was quite obvious that some sleep would be welcome to her.

As if on cue, however, Amiko mentioned something about 'bed'. Shibo tried to hide a relief-filled expression at the word, but barely managed to.

"Yeah... okay. I'll-" Shibo's eyebrow raised in thought for a moment, before they widened in blind panic at what Amiko had said. "W-Wait, what!?" Shibo tugged at her collar, before laughing nervously, before looking at the floor in a flustered fashion.

"A-Ah... er... share? That's... er..." Shibo wheezed, before trying to get a hold of herself a little. "Well, aha, er... it's not that I wouldn't want to... I mean, I, I don't mind sharing a bed with you. It's just... um, um, I've never shared a bed with a girl or anything before. I-I'll probably just snore and be all sweaty, which wouldn't be nice for you. You deserve a good rest more than me, and I'll probably mess up and disturb it if I... I... um..."

S...Sharing a bed? What if Marcy ever found out? Shibo knew it wasn't like they were going to be doing anything than sleeping... but... something of the sort was still a first time for her. If Amiko wanted Shibo to be there for her for comfort, she didn't want to let her down. But at the same time, she was way to flustered about the topic to say 'yes' right off the bat.

Shibo eventually cut off. Her face seemed somewhat ashamed of her outburst, and more than a tad awkward.
 
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