Spellheart [Luna & Jakers]

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Amiko tries to reduce the embarrassment by becoming more scientific about her explanation, "The truth serum works by encouraging the neurons in your mind to fire off more often, and repeat themselves in response to stress reactions. This works because it makes it hard to avoid remembering facts, especially ones that are important or recent. Then, once a strong stress reaction occurs from having remembered it, the signal is repeated more intensely until you just can't help blurting it out. The serum only intends to drag the truth out of someone, but this happens in any situation that causes stress." Blushing even in her attempts to make it less embarrassing, "So, for example, if someone felt like they needed to relieve themselves..."
 
Shibo blinked, unable to fully decipher two and two together. What was Amiko starting to get at here? 'Relieve themselves...?' Was she asking for stress relief? Stress... relief...? Wha...

No, she couldn't mean that, right? For some reason, Shibo went very red, though she was very confident she was misinterpreting what Amiko was saying, so she did her best to keep a straight face.

Was Shibo just jumping to the conclusion of that because she couldn't understand what else Amiko could possibly mean? Her mind couldn't really get around what Amiko was saying, and she had pretty much no idea what a 'neuron' even was. Though, Shibo did her best to make it look like she understood, so Amiko would finally spit it out.

"U-Um... it's okay, you can tell me what you need to do. I don't think it's all that embarrassing at all." Shibo said in a reassuring tone, even though she didn't have much of an idea what 'it' even was yet.
 
Amiko groans as the compulsion to tell the truth sets in, "I'm just saying that I can't control my bladder while this is in my system." Amiko hides her face in her hands. "It's embarrassing. It is probably the worst part of the entire thing. There isn't anything you can even really do about it, but keeping it hidden takes so much work since it stresses me out so much that I end up blabbing about it."
 
Surprisingly enough, Shibo looked oddly relieved when Amiko spat it out. It definitely wasn't what she thought she was going to say, and she was glad it wasn't what she thought it was. Why had she even thought that in the first place? Weird...

Shibo used her relief to her advantage, maintaining a genuinely indifferent face as Amiko admitted what was on her mind.
"What, that's it?" Shibo giggled, though not in a mocking manner. Amiko would feel a hand on her shoulder as she hid her face in her hands. "That's fine. Really, it is. If you ever need me to fetch some spare clothes for you, just call and I'll know what's going on. Me and you have beaten two boys with katanas, so we can get through something as silly as that, right?" Shibo said. Trying to reassure Amiko, Shibo leant over, embracing her gently and patting her back.

"Thanks for telling me. I'll help how I can." Shibo whispered.
 
Amiko sighs, "I'm glad that it isn't a big deal for you. Maybe it is just my pride making this harder on me." Amiko puts her hand on Shibo's thigh and turns to look over to Shibo, "But it makes it easier when I'm so surprised. I didn't really expect you to be so friendly with me. When I first met you, you were so nervous that you could barely get in a proper sentence. Is it easier approaching me now that I'm more vulnerable?"
 
Shibo did her best not to react too much to the physical contact on her thigh, trying to pass of her distant look as one of deep thought.
"Umm... I guess I..." She mumbled, unable to really spit anything out. Regardless of the sudden warmth on her thigh, the question seemed to catch her off guard a bit. "...I... u-uh..."

Finally, she seemed to figure out an answer.
"I'm just a little awkward with some people when I first meet them face to face, I suppose. I thought I was just going to meet you, do the spar thing, and then we'd go our separate ways." Shibo muttered in thought. "...But - and I don't mean to sound creepy or clingy - in the short time I've known you, I already feel sorta connected. Like you'll understand and won't judge me for anything I say." Shibo cut off, rubbing the back of her head.

"I... don't know if vulnerability has anything to do with it. ...Although, maybe I'm more open to try and make you comfortable while you get through the last of this serum thing?" Shibo seemed a little flustered that she was saying her own potential thoughts out aloud, but it was only fair if Amiko had to spit stuff out with the truth serum, she supposed. "...Hell if I know... you seem to read my thoughts better than my own brain can anyways, hehe." Shibo said as a light joke, laying back on the sofa a bit.

"Oh...! The pizza might be cool by now, if you want me to go get it. Or, uh... I suppose I won't complain if you just wanna chill here."
 
Jakers said:
Shibo did her best not to react too much to the physical contact on her thigh, trying to pass of her distant look as one of deep thought.
"Umm... I guess I..." She mumbled, unable to really spit anything out. Regardless of the sudden warmth on her thigh, the question seemed to catch her off guard a bit. "...I... u-uh..."

Finally, she seemed to figure out an answer.
"I'm just a little awkward with some people when I first meet them face to face, I suppose. I thought I was just going to meet you, do the spar thing, and then we'd go our separate ways." Shibo muttered in thought. "...But - and I don't mean to sound creepy or clingy - in the short time I've known you, I already feel sorta connected. Like you'll understand and won't judge me for anything I say." Shibo cut off, rubbing the back of her head.

"I... don't know if vulnerability has anything to do with it. ...Although, maybe I'm more open to try and make you comfortable while you get through the last of this serum thing?" Shibo seemed a little flustered that she was saying her own potential thoughts out aloud, but it was only fair if Amiko had to spit stuff out with the truth serum, she supposed. "...Hell if I know... you seem to read my thoughts better than my own brain can anyways, hehe." Shibo said as a light joke, laying back on the sofa a bit.

"Oh...! The pizza might be cool by now, if you want me to go get it. Or, uh... I suppose I won't complain if you just wanna chill here."
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"If you could, just stay here a bit. It is so far past lunch that I might as well just wait for dinner. Besides the point, I think I owe you a few explanations. First, I want to talk about us. Second, I want to talk about Spellheart. Third, I want to talk about the future." Amiko turns to face Shibo, making direct eye contact.

"You aren't alone in feeling some sort of connection. I don't think you recognize exactly how extraordinary our first battle together was. The match we went into was clearly rigged against us. We were two strangers going against two friends in an arena that gave the other team an advantage. Under normal circumstances, I would have lost the match, fallen out of power, and the government would have been able to detain me as long as they liked. Nobody would have known to miss me except Marcy. But you opened a new door for me. Even in spite of knowing you for only a few minutes, we were able to fight together. We beat out our opponents, even with the odds stacked against us. Thanks to our chemistry, I now hold a job, so it will be a lot harder for people in the government to act against me. I've felt so grateful, I hardly know what to do with myself. You've been on my mind since that day."

"As for Spellheart, it is in a sorry state right now. I know that you probably haven't given it a second thought, but our foreign relationships are completely abysmal. We've operated under a policy of strict isolationism for so long that we have no allies to speak of, and we don't have anyone who is dependent on us for resources. This is particularly embarrassing as our communication and production capabilities are the most advanced in the world. We could be doing so much more in the world, but we are too scared of being corrupted by outside influences. I'm worried that a day is going to come when we regret shutting out the world. Because I think this way, I represent a threat to several government officials."

"Going forward, I want you to be my partner in the arena. We have such natural chemistry that I'd like to build on what we have. I want to fight lots of other teams with you. But less obviously, we need to spend more time outside of the arena with each other. Right now, our teamwork is good, but we don't have the level of unconscious communication that we are going to need when a real fight breaks out. I have a few ideas on how to improve, but time-commitment is going to be a constant. Oh, but maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I just meant to build the context. Let me ask properly."

Amiko places emphasis, "Would you be willing to be my partner?"
 
It was a lot to take in for Shibo, but she kept her eyes locked with Amiko's to pay full attention as she talked.

For Amiko's first point, a bashful smile appeared on Shibo's face as she talked. Had she really done all of this? Had she really 'saved' Amiko? It was a warm feeling to know that she'd been able to do such a thing, but it wasn't like it was all her. Without Amiko's guidance, Shibo would have panicked and done something untactful; it was certainly a team effort. Shibo felt even more flustered when Amiko mentioned she'd been 'on her mind since that day', but she managed to hold it in for the next point.

For the second point, Shibo's face turned a lot more serious.
But... I thought Spellheart didn't need anyone else...? Shibo thought to herself as Amiko talked, but the more she talked, the more it made sense. Still... was Spellheart really in a 'sorry state'? As much as Shibo trusted Amiko, such a statement was hard for her to take in when she'd been bought up to believe that everything in Spellheart was near-perfect. She didn't want to jump to any strict conclusions, but for now, she'd have to put her trust in Amiko and take her word for it. Amiko was the one who was risking her reputation to get a real insight, after all.

And then, there was the Amiko's final last sentence. When she finished talking, Shibo closed her eyes, before taking a somewhat relieved exhale.
"I... was actually sort of hoping you'd ask." Shibo whispered. "If we can perform at that quality in our first ever fight together, who knows how good we could become if we put in enough time? We could be a big duo in the arena... perhaps even one of the biggest." Shibo paused, and looked up at Amiko with a small smile as she played with her thumbs. "...I've been really excited to fight with you again, ever since our first. I didn't just feel like we were beating just those boys back there... I feel like we were beating something else. But... I never really understood why or what that was." The white-haired girl looked down in thought, before suddenly looking up again. "...Wow, listen to me waffle. Just get to the answer already, Shibo!" She chuckled, before her face grew more serious.

The red-pink eyes flashed with loyalty as Shibo answered,
"Yes, Amiko, I'd love to be your partner. ...May our magic stay ever-true together from this point."
 
Amiko claps her hands together. "I'm happy to hear that we are on the same page. I can already tell from that look you are giving me that you are looking forward to this. Now that we have a proper partnership, it is going to be a lot easier. If you didn't accept, I have no idea how we could spend all this time together. But now, I have a challenge for us both."

Amiko takes an uncharacteristically enthusiastic tone, "By the time I'm ready to return to work, I want us to be a proper team. I don't do anything halfway, so brace yourself."
 
"Oh? I'm glad to hear it, because I'm not a fan of slacking. Whatever you've got in store for me, bring it on, I say~." Shibo responded with a playful wink. "I think we'll be able to make a name for Shibo Aozoa and Amiko Windflurry."

To say the least, she was extremely excited for what was to come from this partnership. She'd wanted to spend more time with Amiko, and now she could do just that whilst training with her at the same time. It wouldn't just be sitting and chatting. It would be training so that they'd work together until their very hearts beat in unison, and testing each other's limits. Just like that, her wishes to spend more time with Amiko were fulfilled and more.

Shibo knew she'd probably need to drop some of the sports clubs she was in to give more time, but she had a feeling that was going to be a worthy sacrifice. This was her job now. The only thing she wasn't happy about in accepting this partnership was Marcy. Hopefully, she wouldn't feel too upset when she found out about it.

Shibo paused, before talking still with enthusiasm to match Amiko's.
"Well, as you said, when you're fully better, we'll get straight to work." Pausing for a moment, Shibo's eyes drifted upwards in thought. "Maybe we'll even be able to draw new power out of each other. I'm not sure if it's ever happened to you, but sometimes, when you push yourself to the limit... you discover something you never realised you could do. It was like that for me with my most powerful spell, the Crimson Ultraslash. I thought I was just suited to defence, and then... BAM. I'm hoping with you, I can find a feeling that again." Shibo explained.

Shibo hadn't realised it, but she'd been drifting a little closer to Amiko on the sofa as she'd been talking.
"...I'm just so glad you asked."
 
Amiko shakes her head. "In the end, there probably wasn't a way I couldn't ask. I can guarantee this much though if you stick with me, your life is going to get a lot more exciting. But, I can't wait till I'm feeling better to get started on practice. So instead, I'm going to focus on the things we can improve without using a lot of magic. I already have something in mind."

Amiko pulls herself out of bed, walking over to her nightstand. From this, she pulls out a small five pointed star medallion. "I'm going to teach you something that will make it easier to work with me as a teammate. I'm not going to tell you everything at once, but I promise everything will make sense once I'm done. For now, sync up to this." Amiko holds up the small star-shaped object, "This little star holds an illusionspace I made specifically for training. I'll meet you on the inside."
 
"Ah... well, if you're sure you're good to go." Shibo mumbled, referring to Amiko's condition. Sure, she was pretty much fine and good to go apart from little things, but still. "Well then... let's see what you've got in store for me first, Am'." Shibo said, unaware she'd shortened her name.

Moving out her hand, Shibo reached over, and touched Amiko's star as requested. Though, she honestly had no idea what the mage would have in store for her that wouldn't require magic. And she had a feeling it wasn't simple team building skills.
 
From within the illusionspace, Shibo finds that she is in a small 30-meter cube room with Amiko. The walls and ceiling are black, with no windows on the outside. The room is magically illuminated, and the only thing in the room is a small red orb floating at shoulder level. Based on the transperency, it seems to be an immaterial illusion.

Amiko speaks up, "This room has a neat property. In somewhere between 15 to 35 seconds, a baton is going to spawn in that sphere. I'd like you to try to grab it as fast as possible."
 
Wincing as she looked around the room, Shibo's eyes glinted red in the glow of the sphere within the cubic room. Although a little confused at first, it was a nice open space with no strange shifting walls; Shibo felt no real fear here. In fact... the red glow reminded her of her own Aozoa smoke. The place was quite relaxing, in fact.

"Got it." Shibo replied with a nod after listening to Amiko's instructions. It seemed simple enough - a little reaction test - but there was probably more to it. You didn't need an illusionspace just to do a little reaction test. Nonetheless, Shibo readied herself.

Seconds ticked by, before right away at about 16 seconds, the baton flashed into existence as quickly as Shibo's hand snapped over and firmly gripped it. The speed of her reaction time and grab was remarkable - though nothing unbelievable - hinting that a lot of training had gone into her sword arm.

Shibo had a feeling something else was going to happen with this baton, however.
 
After Shibo catches the baton, 99 different images of Shibo attempting to catch the baton appear. While the images more or less seem to be the same, they all have slight differences in the results and display various numbers ranging from .18 to .21. One more large image appears in place of the orb, displaying the number .1896. Amiko seems impressed, "As I expected, your average reaction time is an entire 10 milliseconds above the human average. This illusion space is special because it makes 99 copies of everyone who enters, placing them into an identical black room. This way, you can test things like reaction time which have a natural variance."

Amiko turns her attention to the illusion displaying .1896, touching it with her hand. The number returns to the state of the red orb, and the room resets to its original state. After 20 seconds, Amiko catches the baton herself. Once again images pop up of Amiko's other 99 attempts. The number displayed on the monitor, this time, is .2103. Amiko smiles, "This is an important difference between us."
 
"Wow. Excuse my language, but that's fucking awesome." Shibo chuckled as she watched the 99 copies of herself go for the baton. She'd heard of tests like this being used with, as Amiko said, natural variance being a big factor of the equation - so more copies of the same experiment was needed. She wasn't sure if she saw the silhouette of herself wrong, but she could've sworn one of them dropped it.

Shibo squinted her eyes as all the results appeared; it was obvious she wasn't so good with all of the numbers, but she could get the basic gist of it. When Amiko's number popped up, Shibo nodded her head.
"I see," She mumbled. "It may not be much of a difference, but because we're sorta out of sync, I'll usually be the one to react first." Shibo said. She paused in thought, before turning with Amiko with curious eyes.

"So... what does this mean for us? Does it mean I should stay at the front in fights...? Or... do we have to try and get our reactions as close in sync or something?"
 
Jakers said:
"Wow. Excuse my language, but that's fucking awesome. Only you'd have something like this in your drawer, Am'." Shibo chuckled as she watched the 99 copies of herself go for the baton. She'd heard of tests like this being used with, as Amiko said, natural variance being a big factor of the equation - so more copies of the same experiment was needed. She wasn't sure if she saw the silhouette of herself wrong, but she could've sworn one of them dropped it.

Shibo squinted her eyes as all the results appeared; it was obvious she wasn't so good with all of the numbers, but she could get the basic gist of it. When Amiko's number popped up, Shibo nodded her head.
"I see," She mumbled. "It may not be much of a difference, but because we're sorta out of sync, I'll usually be the one to react first." Shibo said. She paused in thought, before turning with Amiko with curious eyes.

"So... what does this mean for us? Does it mean I should stay at the front in fights...? Or... do we have to try and get our reactions as close in sync or something?"
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Amiko smiles, "I think that it is important to have the tools to properly appraise yourself. When I learned that I needed connections to get time with the illusionspace crafters, I decided it would be easier to just learn how to make them myself. But, as for the results, I'm not done illustrating my point. Before we talk strategy, I want to play a game with you in this room. I'm going to start with my hands at each side like this." Amiko demonstrates with her hands at the ready position. "I'm going to clap my hands together. Your job is to place your hand precisely between my two hands when they make contact. In this game, I'm not allowed to try to fake you out, so you can assume any motion to be an attempt. Are you ready?"

Amiko makes a twirling motion on her displayed reaction time, causing it to turn into a blue orb.
 
"Wait. So you... you made this?" Shibo exclaimed, clearly impressed. "That's incredible. I couldn't even begin to comprehend the steps needed to create my own illusionspace. I'd probably end up making a God-awful obstacle course or something." Shibo chuckled, before listening to the next part of Amiko's test.

Shibo nodded, putting her open palm forth and waiting for Amiko to make her move. This was just like the baton thing, except it was going to be a lot harder this time.

Some time passed, before Shibo's eyes flared up at the fluttering of movement in Amiko's hands. Thrusting her hand forward, Shibo managed to get her fingertips in, but not the whole hand. For some reason, her reaction seemed a little slower here, albeit still quite fast.

"...I think I scuffed that one a bit, sorry." Shibo mumbled with a more shy tone than usual, wiggling her fingertips out of Amiko's pressed hands. That was... weird. Was her slight decrease in reaction time because of... no, that couldn't be it.
 
Jakers said:
"Wait. So you... you made this?" Shibo exclaimed, clearly impressed. "That's incredible. I couldn't even begin to comprehend the steps needed to create my own illusionspace. I'd probably end up making a God-awful obstacle course or something." Shibo chuckled, before listening to the next part of Amiko's test.

Shibo nodded, putting her open palm forth and waiting for Amiko to make her move. This was just like the baton thing, except it was going to be a lot harder this time.

Some time passed, before Shibo's eyes flared up at the fluttering of movement in Amiko's hands. Thrusting her hand forward, Shibo managed to get her fingertips in, but not the whole hand. For some reason, her reaction seemed a little slower here, albeit still quite fast.

"...I think I scuffed that one a bit, sorry." Shibo mumbled with a more shy tone than usual, wiggling her fingertips out of Amiko's pressed hands. That was... weird. Was her slight decrease in reaction time because of... no, that couldn't be it.
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Amiko giggles whimsically, "Right now, you are probably wondering why you can't get your hands in my clapping hands. The average human clap takes about one-third of a second to complete from this position. Given that your reaction time is well below that, you'd think that you'd be able to do this easily. In reality however, the task before you is a lot different."Amiko points towards the screens that manifested after the test. Of the 99 copies, only five managed to successfully get her hand between the clap. Most copies couldn't even get part of their hand in.

"Now, let me play the game. Clap out of ready stance. You can clap however you like, even over your head, but it must be in one uninterrupted motion."
 
"But still... how did I..." Shibo muttered to herself, before shaking her head. She thought she'd just been an anomaly who didn't manage to put her whole hand out of the 99 of herself, but in fact, she was one of the few who was actually able to do it. Why this was, she supposed Amiko would explain in time.

For some reason, although Amiko's reaction time was slower, her confidence showed that she'd probably manage to get her whole hand in when Shibo clapped her own hands.
"Alright. Ready?" Shibo asked. She kept still for little more than a few seconds, before going for a surprisingly early clap right in front of her.
 
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