Spellheart [Luna & Jakers]

[☆Luna☆]

After looking through the town outskirts for some time, Shibo eventually comes upon a balcony area that extends out further than the rest of the platform. This point must be the furthest area from the town center. The outskirts of the city, while quite a beautiful sight, rarely had any sort of visitors. Businesses weren't allowed within a mile of the city edge, and frequent visits would look suspicious. Since there were already areas in the park which allowed people to see the sky beneath the city, there simply wasn't any reason to come here except to be alone.


On the balcony, Shibo finds a girl pressed up against the railing. The girl's hair seems particularly interesting, as it can't seem to decide on a single color to take. Although primarily white, the tips seem to change from a pinkish hue to a bluish hue, dissipating in intensity as they go up to her roots. Once Shibo reaches the balcony itself, the girl shifts her attention to Shibo abruptly, revealing her eyes, which seemed to have the same prismatic effect as her hair. Speaking with a mature voice, "I take it you were looking for me."

 

[Jakers]

The outskirts. She'd been here before a couple years back. It wasn't a particular hangout spot or anything, but when she needed some alone time after a rough day or a day where she'd struggled in class, here was the first place of choice. It wasn't a foreign area to her, so she didn't get lost. Eventually, she managed to find who she supposed was Astra; literally the only other person in the area. Heading up towards the balcony, Shibo joined her.

With a slight nod, Shibo looked at the woman.
"That's right." She said plainly in response. "You're Astra, aren't you?" She paused for a moment.

"I'm Shibo; Shibo Aozoa. From today, I'll be trying to help a situation you likely know a lot about. I was told to start with finding you here by a girl called Marcy."

 

[☆Luna☆]

In response to Shibo's statement, Astra looks over Shibo with a sense of curiosity about her. Continuing the conversation, Astra casts Glimpses (10,Utility), "I am Astra, though considering the way you've introduced yourself, you aren't particularly sure of who I am, and why it is you need my help. I'd take that to mean that you have a relationship of trust with Marcy. But, considering you knew Marcy in that way, that means you also met Amiko, which is likely why you are here."

Astra looks back out towards the sky, "Sorry about that. I have a bad habit of thinking out loud. You are here because you want to help, so I should do a better job of that."

Smiling, "Shibo, I happen to be in need of a teammate. I have been out of the arena for quite some time due to my other job, and my old teammates have already found a suitable replacement. My style of fighting isn't suited to one on one battles, so I've been shirking my obligations. I believe that we would make a good pair however."

 

[Jakers]

Shibo looked at the spell circle in mild curiosity for a moment. It was likely just a utility spell, which wasn't uncommon, but her eyes shown she couldn't help what it'd done.

In response, Shibo wanted to offer a smile. To introduce herself more. To be her usual, non-serious self to try and lighten the mood of everything. But for some reason, she couldn't do that. All she could do was look at Astra with half-curious, half-blank eyes, and she wasn't sure if she liked this phase she was going through. It was because of the crushing yet right feel of the recent events, no doubt. Hopefully Astra didn't see her temporarily new attitude as unfriendly or cold.

"I see." She began, looking somewhat distant. It was a proposal she wasn't really expecting right off the bat; it was fine, though. "Well, I can do that. Being partners is fine by me, but if it's okay, I want to make sure we win today. I specialise mostly in defensive spells, so I don't know how that works with you." Shibo halted for a moment, before asking, "Whilst we walk, there's a lot I want to discuss. But first I wanna make sure you know more than me about what's going on?"

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra's spell casts, as a result, her eyes start to glow for a brief moment. Her eyes were already quite strange to look at due to their unnatural color, but now she had almost a prophetic look about her. During this time, she keeps her attention focused on Shibo. Once she finishes, a look of unease crosses her face. She looks away from Shibo for a moment, then looks back to her just a few seconds after.

Nervously, "I... I can see that there is a lot you have to talk about with me, but I don't think this is an appropriate place for it. You need to remain mindful of the people around you Shibo." Empathetically, "But, I can see that you've had a rough day. You probably want to understand more, even if the subject resists understanding. So, let's talk about something you've started to think about more."

Placing her body up against the barrier looking out on the city Astra looks wistful. "Have you ever really taken a close look at the edge of this city?"

Astra is specifically looking at the houses located just about 100 feet from the city edge. The houses by the city edge tended to be the lower rank military families. Officially, politicians often cite the reason for this as to have a group of first responders should any attacks be made on the city. While more powerful mages would obviously be more effective, the city edge is unfavorable due to the distance from the commercial centers, and nobody with influence could be made to live there.

 

[Jakers]

"Well... not a rough day. More of just a wake-up call for me. Today could be the start of something great." Shibo explained, looking towards the floor for a moment. "But the fact you know that shows you're either really good at reading people, or that spell of yours can read my mind..." She wouldn't be the first that was good at reading people, if that were the case.

"If you really can read my mind, though, you'll know that I'm trying to let go of something at the moment. Something I should have let go of a long time ago." Shibo gave the briefest of smiles, this one of hers coming with a faint tinge of hope. "It's quite childish, really. Once I do that, I'll be fine."

Coming up to the barrier alongside Astra, Shibo's eyes gently scanned across the houses.
"I've been here a few times, and seen these houses before, if that's what you mean. But my visits here were a few years ago... and sorta infrequent." Shibo gently drummed her fingers on the barrier for a second. "I know that these houses are for the... well... underdogs of sorts. But I've never known how bad or good it is exactly here, or specific details about the place, if that's what you mean."

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra looks with concern at Shibo's conclusions about her spell, "Oh, it is nothing that special. Mind reading isn't something that anyone has ever managed to perfect. Also, I'm not particularly good at reading people. My main competency is deductive logic. But as for this spell, it is called Glimpses because it allows me to see important moments in a person's past. It tends to target moments that are currently on someone's mind. In your case, I saw a part of your conversation with Marcy. From there, I could understand a lot more about why you came for me. I hope you don't mind. It is just, I'm a rather cautious person."

Shifting to a more peaceful tone, "But, I think I can trust you. I think that you could use someone like me, since you aren't able to help anyone if you don't learn how to see the world from a different perspective. Right now, you see the world like a warrior. This has helped you fight in the arena since you don't have unnecessary thoughts in your head. It allows you to act immediately without having to access complexity. It allows you to trust in your comrades. However, it also makes you blind to the world of politics."

Pointing to the buildings, "When you see those buildings, you point out the current state of the building, and the lives of people living there. But that isn't the entire picture. You need to consider motivations. For example, if there are buildings extending up to the edge of the city, where can new buildings be built should the population of Spellheart increase?"

 

[Jakers]

"...Like a warrior..." Shibo repeated under her breath, almost inaudibly. She supposed that was a good way to describe herself in a way. But now she needed to swing with the ways of seeing the bigger picture if she was actually going to make a difference here. It was going to be a hard test - to reshape herself like this. One that would be much more gruelling than any little silly exam, spar, or training routine she'd had in the past.

Shibo took a while to think about the last question. It was clear something like this was something she hadn't really thought of before. The city was floating, so it wasn't like they could just expand... but...

"...Nowhere, as far as I know. I don't know how much ground there is exactly before we hit air again, but... I think underground probably isn't an option. It wouldn't be an ideal place to live anyway..." Shibo looked up, cocking her head slightly. "But couldn't the government just enforce a rule where you can only have a limited number of children, if you're talking about how the place is going to become crowded?"

 

[☆Luna☆]

"...Like a warrior..." Shibo repeated under her breath, almost inaudibly. She supposed that was a good way to describe herself in a way. But now she needed to swing with the ways of seeing the bigger picture if she was actually going to make a difference here. It was going to be a hard test - to reshape herself like this. One that would be much more gruelling than any little silly exam, spar, or training routine she'd had in the past.

Shibo took a while to think about the last question. It was clear something like this was something she hadn't really thought of before. The city was floating, so it wasn't like they could just expand... but...

"...Nowhere, as far as I know. I don't know how much ground there is exactly before we hit air again, but... I think underground probably isn't an option. It wouldn't be an ideal place to live anyway..." Shibo looked up, cocking her head slightly. "But couldn't the government just enforce a rule where you can only have a limited number of children, if you're talking about how the place is going to become crowded?"

Astra shakes her head, "You are getting close, but the problems you are talking about are still a few thousand years away. The birth rate of Spellheart just barely eclipses the death rate. Even if suddenly every family in Spellheart had an additional child, and all future generations continued this trend, gradual vertical expansion could cover the problems for over 500 years. Although these sorts of issues sometimes come up as talking points, there isn't a large following of people who are interested in events that will take place several lifetimes ahead of them. However, there is a much more immediate threat. If Spellheart opens its borders to more immigrants like Mio, especially if formal diplomatic relations are established, then it would be difficult to integrate these people into society. I don't know if you understand this, but Spellheart's citizens are among the most privileged in the world. People would want to come in hoards."

Looking longingly at the city, "But as you can see, there isn't room for them. We would have to actively deny millions of people access to Spellheart. Many people fear that this would breed resentment towards Spellheart, and plunge it into war. This fear has led to the state Spellheart has existed in for thousands of years."

Smirking, "Only recently, has there been a push to establish diplomatic relations with the rest of the world. A young girl spent her school years going to the communications center, teaching young children everything that she learned in school. She did this for 3 groups of different nationality. This action drew attention to Spellheart as a place of education and learning. The young girl eventually became known by the masses below as 'The Princess of Spellheart' due to her excellent manners, kind heart, and influence. However, this young girl also grew up very lonely. The elders around her constantly worried that she might be corrupted by foreign influences, that she was a naive girl, that she needed to be kept away from the other children. Yet they also praised her for her accomplishments and did not hesitate to exploit her for her talents. This girl grew up to be the most influential politician in Spellheart. But, she did so through circumventing the elites of Spellheart, who have a great interest in evading foreign influences. Estranged from her family, she works to build the influence required to establish foreign embassies. Should she become a prestigious warrior with the ability to suggest motions for the council, there would be nobody able to stop the motion from going through.

Matter-of-factly, "As a result, many elites have worked behind the scenes to eliminate the threat before this happens. The first major attempt was to sabotage her application assignment. She was paired against a coordinated team in a map that would put her at a significant disadvantage. This should have been the end of her aspirations, but a miracle happened that day. Her partner proved to have far more synergy than anyone could have predicted. Those watching the match said that they thought that the two fought like they understood each other's thoughts simply by existing near each other. Due to some meddling by an unknown criminal, the footage and records of this partner are lost to the records."

Looking back at Shibo, "And that takes us up to the current day. But, if you want to hear more, you should invite me over. Since we are going to be partners, you are going to start seeing a lot more of me."

Astra smiles, "I think that we should hurry back, or we won't have time to strategize for our first match."

 

[Jakers]

Shibo's eyes were dim, yet bright and aware as Astra explained the whole scene to her. It was a lot of exposition that Astra somehow knew for reasons she'd likely understand later, but Shibo took it all in the best she could. At times in the story, Shibo would look up, almost as if she were a child being told some sort of fairytale. But this fairytale was tragic as it was magical. Shibo's face shown that she didn't fully understand some parts of what Astra was saying - the political side of Spellheart was something her one-sided warrior mind had never even thought to scratch the surface on.

At times, she was struggling to believe what other people and her previous instinct would say was lies against this 'great country'. She had no doubt in her mind that Spellheart was still as glorious as ever compared to other places, but now, the place seemed more selfish than before. The city could 'protect the innocent' and make their lives better if they put all the resources to it - but it now begged the question - to what cost?

And then there was the whole thing about her 'saving' Amiko, in a way. Shibo herself had been as just as lost as she'd been in the match... but it was true. They both found their way together, and they couldn't have done it without each other's help. Knowing this made Shibo smile a little for a bit. It was good to know she'd actually done something to protect someone through something rough, and even better to know this person was Amiko.

It begged the question, though, where did Astra tie into all of this? How did she know all this information? Her powers must've been tied to it somehow, but... still. She also had the same white hair/purple eye combination as Marcy, which was somewhat uncanny. Shibo would get to know everything in time, but making Astra explain more than she already had would make the two forget about the fact that they had match to win. And now winning was a hell of a lot more important if Shibo wanted to build influence.

Shibo was quick to respond once Astra had finished.
"...That's... hearing all that takes a lot of weight off my shoulders. Being in the dark about the whole situation has always been a burden." Shibo's face seemed a bit grave for a moment. "...But... hearing all this. It makes me wonder if I'm really the right person for all this? I was picked at random to be part of this tale, and... well... maybe chance should've picked someone else. I'm not going to back out now, and I'll still do what I can with my family and I's name... but..."

Shibo drifted off, before her face suddenly shook in dismissal at the whole thing.
"...Ah, it doesn't matter." She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry for my drifty and unsure attitude, it's probably difficult for you to approach. I'm just... trying my best to hold the torch you and other people have given me to all of this. But enough of that. Let's get going; we have a match to do."

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra walks forward towards the street for a short distance, then turns to face Shibo, "While I don't think you can count yourself out of the dark, I'm glad to hear that you at least found a sliver of peace. Unfortunately for us, there isn't going to be a time when we really understand. All I can give you is a reference point. You get to decide what you'd like to do from there."

Walking with Shibo, "But, I disagree with your assessment of yourself. The fault in your thinking stems from the fact that you've thought of things as better or worse. The fates are much crueler than that. They don't conspire for the happiness and well-being of all people. You were called here, not as a chosen hero to lead Spellheart into a new era, but as another person chasing after their own desires. You are the only person who has existed and will ever exist to fill this role. So, live strong Shibo."

Astra walks quietly beside Shibo after finishing on this note. Unlike Amiko, who could always be found watching the people around her, Astra's eyes liked to wander at the sky above her. Even as she looked at Shibo, her eyes seemed to look through her rather than at her. She also seemed quite at peace with herself and the world around her. Every step seemed quite carefree like Mio, but her personality wasn't nearly as lighthearted. Although she was technically following Shibo, she never appeared to be lost. Without looking at Shibo, she already knew all the turns to the household.

 

[Jakers]

Shibo's house was by no means a palace, but the structure and shape of it showed something of a higher importance compared to the other houses, as expected for a family of her position. The place sat fairly near both a commercial district and a leisure district, putting the house in a comfortable spot. Quite a few people walked through the busy-ish district as the two approached the door.

Lifting her hand, Shibo gave a few knocks on the door. A long pause came before a middle-aged woman that could only be Shibo's mother answered. She stood tall and strong, showing no weakness for a woman that probably just hit 50 years old. Her eyes were salmon-coloured like Shibo's own, whilst her slightly greying hazelnut hair stood in a long braid behind her, and small but noticeable scar grazed the right side of her chin. Currently, she was wearing a set of neat, fabric, orange-brown clothes with a salmon-red floral pattern imprinted on them.

"...Shibo... you're back again? ...Hm. I thought you said you were staying for longer." Shibo mother initially commented, her tone curious on the border of suspicion. "You forgot something again, didn't you?" At the sight of her mother, Shibo gave a long and respectful bow, before standing up straight again.
"No, mother. It got called off; one of my friends was... busy." Shibo said with only a slight pause. Moving to the side, Shibo lifted a hand. "This is my arena partner, Astra. Astra, this is my mother, Chira. We were going to talk about some battle tactics in my room before heading to our match."

Shibo's mother, Chira, looked at Astra for a moment, before her eyes widened a little as she looked at Astra, her standing position becoming one of deep respect.
"Oh my." A brief pause, then a deep bow, "It's nice to have you at our doorstep, I wasn't aware you were this partner I've heard so much about." Chira took a little step back. "Hah... p-please excuse me, this was quite the unexpected visit. Please let me say, it's an honour for you to be in arms with my daughter."

Chira said her next sentence as quickly as the last.
"Make yourself at home, Astra. I won't keep you two any longer." Chira mumbled. "Oh... Shibo? Before you head out the door to leave, come and see me a moment. There's something I want to talk to you about, alright?" Shibo nodded in response, and after another bow, Chira was off. Shibo seemed quite confused at her mother's behaviour as she left, looking to Astra in a puzzled fashion for a moment, but she supposed she'd explain herself eventually.

The interior of the Aozoa house was painted with a cream-coloured theme, with various ornaments and salmon-red coloured pattered ribbons decorating the walls. The house was notably stuffy and hot, and lamps containing little wisps of red smoke seemed to be ready to illuminate the room once it turned dark. Chairs and furniture shared themes of dark-red cushions cropped with light red patterns, and the house contained a pleasantly spicy smell, like cumin or some sort of other spice. Despite the place containing only a half of the usual family right now, the house still felt somewhat lively, with weaponry even being hung up in some areas, along with long lines of text written on wall-mounted scrolls. Something about honour and battle; the text was too small to read unless you went seriously close to it.

Leading Astra to her own room, Shibo's bedroom was somewhat messy, but at least spacious. The white bedsheet was ruffled and half-made atop her small (and actually quite uncomfortable looking) bed, and a duo of sheathed blades were hoisted against the purple walls of her room. Sealed cases of unknown contents and various books were lined up in the many shelves of her room, and a fan being powered by a glowing red energy cooled the room down with a strong but pleasant gust. A window outlooked the district, and a desk absolutely covered in various sheets of paper with scribblings, scrunched up papers, and open books about spell theory. There was also a guitar, too, but it seemed mostly unplayed.

"...Oh, um, I forgot to welcome you. ...Welcome." Shibo mumbled in a bashful tone to Astra as she entered. Making herself at home and sitting right on her bed, Shibo patted the spot next to her to welcome Astra to sit. "Sorry about the paper and stuff everywhere. Do you want a drink or something before we get started with planning?"

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra keeps a respectful distance from Shibo throughout their entire trip to and through Shibo's home. Idly looking around the room, they eventually are met by Shibo's mother. Astra returned Chira's gesture with her own form of greeting. Placing her hand over her her heart, "Sorry to come in unannounced. Shibo and I needed to strategize, but my home would be inappropriate for such a meeting at the moment. Thank you for entrusting your daughter with me as a partner."

Following Shibo to her room, Astra's eyes once again begin to wander around the house. She didn't seem to have a lot to talk about, but she also didn't seem to be adverse to interaction. It was more like Astra's default state of mind was wandering.

Upon arriving, Astra doesn't sit down but instead starts to tidy up the room. Astra doesn't skip a beat however, and speaks to Shibo as she aligns items scattered about the room. "I wouldn't worry so much about formalities. I'm not the type to judge, so at least around me, you should just do what comes naturally. I'm not thirsty either, so we should begin. Actually, I'm getting ahead of myself, this is your first time strategizing with an arena partner isn't it? Do you need help getting started?"

 

[Jakers]

"Um. ...You don't have to..." Shibo began inaudibly, slightly raising a finger as Astra began tidying things up in the room, but she trailed off as quickly as she started. She sort of liked her room being half-messy, but it seemed like Astra knew where every item should've been in the first place. Shibo didn't interject, for Astra seemed happy enough doing what she was doing.

"...I suppose." Shibo replied to Astra's first question. "I was in the middle of developing some forms of strategy with someone else, but... that was quick to end. She always had the actual good plans anyway." She looked up. "I have some ideas. We'll need to know what our opponents can do if possible, and knowing each other's reaction times can help us fight like one. Seeing all of each other's abilities helps too, so we can synergise. ...But that's all I know, and I'm not exactly a bright long-term planner." Shibo admitted, then she blushed. "So in short, yes, I think I'll need help." Looking up, her arm raised up as she pointed to some shelves.

"I'm sure you've seen the various illusionspace spheres on the shelves, in the little cases. Use any you want if you think it'll help us."

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra thinks on what Shibo has to say, once again casting Glimpses. "Although I won't deny that understanding the opponents seems to be a great practice, I don't think that is something we should start to think about just yet. In this first match, we are going to have a poverty of information, and it won't be the last. Research only works if you know who your opponent is going to be. Rather than worrying about what our opponents can do, I think we should stick to learning each other's abilties."

Astra stops fiddling about the room suddenly as her Glimpses casts. "For example, my spell Glimpses is a special spell unique to my bloodline. It lets me absorb the spiritual energy surrounding me, and this energy enables special effects on all my other spells. As a side effect, it gives me a glimpse into the motives of everyone around me. This doesn't give me enough information to know what people are going to do on a granular level like mind reading, but I can read which direction people are taking their actions."

 

[Jakers]

Shibo nodded in understanding at Astra's description of her ability.
"I see. That sounds useful, but I don't know how costly 'Glimpses' is for you to cast. Maybe I'm wrong in thinking you could use it to relay information to me whilst we fight to give us an advantage on the field..." Shibo paused. "But if you can figure out which direction enemies are going, or maybe even where they're going to shoot a spell from, that might be useful for my abilities."

Hopping up to her feet, Shibo took one of the sheathed swords on the wall, talking as she carefully drew the blade.
"As for me, I'm a close-range fighter. My spells use a special smoke from my family bloodline... which looks like this." Shibo explained, transferring some of her flow to her sword, making the red smoke emit from it gently. "If you tried to cast this spell at this smoke, it would fizzle away. This lets me cast a lot of defensive spells and protect someone I'm in close proximity to. I can also block a great deal of spells with Redwing Guard, but... I shouldn't cast that one here."

Shibo re-sheathed the sword and propped it back against the wall as she explained,
"Human flesh that's unlucky enough to be in contact with the smoke will fizzle away as much as spells do. ...But that rarely happens, unless I find another spellsword-like opponent to clash with. That's why I have one powerful, medium-ranged offensive spell for emergencies, or a finisher, for when things get hairy."

The tall girl hopped back on the bed, running a hand through her hair.
"So long as we stick together, I can keep you protected whilst you provide information and charge up your spells for a limited amount of time. ...I... I'm sorry if I let you take at hit, though. My spells are slow, and my pool isn't as large as I'd like it to be, but I do the best with what I have."

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra pauses to think about all the information that Shibo had presented. She had a confused look, as though something absurd was being reconciled. Then, Astra looks back to Shibo with an air of disappointment. "Shibo, I'm a long range fighter. Unless our plan is for me to shout the enemy's plans for all to hear, I'm not sure how I'd possibly inform you of anything at all. While you are hoping for a fight that gets close and personal, I need to try to avoid those sorts of fights at all costs despite having little in the way of mobility. The best I can do is stall out someone who gets into close range, but I won't win such engagements alone. If someone gets into close quarters with me, the only out we have is for you to come to my aid, but if your spells are slow, you would be unable to help without leaving yourself open to being taken out. It seems like at least between each other, we are missing a link within our toolkit. Neither of us is mobile and flexible. Both of us excel at a specific range, but have no tools to ensure that we fight at that range. I can be rushed down, and you can be out-ranged or outmaneuvered. I think we need a third."

 

[Jakers]

"Ah, balls." Shibo bit her lip. "I thought you'd be able to stay behind me and provide ranged damage, whilst I take care of anybody who tries to get close to us, but... yeah. We're a bit doomed if the enemy layout is, for example, two ranged fighters who'll easy overpower us in the long-run. We need someone who can quickly get in and out of there, and come back for cover if they need it. ...We might need to do some looking, unless you've got someone in mind..." Shibo sighed.

For this third gap, it was a shame, because Marcy or Mio would be perfect for those slots, but... that just wasn't possible anymore. They were going to need a third, otherwise each fight would be a coin flip. Whilst Shibo knew that, despite Astra acting like just those two was a doomed pair, they could still win some fights. But some fights wasn't good enough; from now on, Shibo was looking to win 8 out of 10 fights on average at least. Some sort of statistic to be noticed.

Shibo's eyes suddenly widened a little as she lay in thought on her bed, though she seemed a bit reluctant.
"...Actually. I might know someone."

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra looks curiously at Shibo. "When could we meet this person?"

 

[Jakers]

Shibo's eyes screwed up in thought for a moment, trying to visualize where this person might be.
"...I think she might be in the library right now; the one a few blocks down. She's usually done with work by now, and that's one of her favorite spots to hang out." Shibo said after a pause. "If not, I know where her brother lives. Though, he's... er... an eccentric one." Shibo snorted, almost smiling in thought. "Hopefully she's in the library. Want to start heading there now?"