Night 51: Women's Bathrooms (F1-F40)

[avengingfists]

[from here]If anything was going to jump out at them here, at least Ilia would be the first one a monster would target. If Anise's artes were anything like Heraldry, she would need a little time to prepare before a spell could be cast against an attacker. Ilia, on the other hand, had terrific reflexes and could quickly begin a counterstrike.

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[gald_digger]

Anise cautiously followed, helping Ilia light the room so that they could be sure there was nothing hiding in there. Once she was fairly confident that they were safe, Anise set her flashlight down on a counter, pointing it so it illuminated the center of the room

[avengingfists]

Ilia stood back so she could properly watch Anise's presentation. Though she wanted to try and compare what she knew about Earth's phonons with Auldrant's fonons, it didn't take too long for her to abandon the idea. Better to take it as something completely new for now, then compare notes later.

"Seven types. First and sixth are darkness and light," Ilia repeated to herself, nodding occasionally. "A focal point is needed, and you'll be using that... meat tenderizer?" That was a little amusing. She had assumed Anise had planned to use it only for mashing monsters. An inventive twist!

"As good as can be expected," she chuckled. "I can keep up." She would likely have a few questions by the end of the demonstration, she had questions even now. But it was polite to wait until the end of any presentation before butting in for details. Maybe some of her questions would be answered during the demonstration.

[gald_digger]

"Ehehe," Anise giggled sheepishly. "This is the closest I could get to the weapons I normally use back home." It did kind of resemble the maces the Order would provide its knights. Only kind of, though. It was better than a pipe, so Anise wasn't going to complain

[avengingfists]

Ilia nodded, a little curious as to what type of weapon Anise really used back home. A battle hammer? That didn't add much to Anise's cute image. Well, everyone had their own unique preferences. If she could effectively use it to defend herself, Ilia wouldn't question it

[gald_digger]

Anise beamed at how impressed Ilia seemed, but it looked like she hadn't been able to hide her exhaustion from her. At Ilia's question, she allowed herself to take a deep, slightly shaky breath before answering. "It doesn't really hurt, but it wears me out pretty bad. I guess it'd hurt if I overused them." Or if she attempted a much stronger arte, as she had once. That definitely hurt.

The girl walked over to the counter she had set her flashlight on, lifted herself up, and sat down next to it. It felt better just to get off of her feet for a few seconds. Anise actually felt more dizzy and tired than she normally did, but maybe that was because every other time she used her artes, she had adrenaline working in her favor.

"If I just take it easy for a minute or two, I'll be right back to normal," she assured Ilia with a smile. "It's a little bit like losing blood. The body replenishes itself over time. I'm young and healthy, so it'll go really fast for me!"

[avengingfists]

Ilia frowned and moved next to Anise, leaning back against the counter with her elbows taking most of her weight. Even standing this close, the light was still too dim to tell if the girl had grown any paler than before. Despite Anise's continued reassurances Ilia didn't like taking chances.

"Even so, let's take it easy for a while." She smiled at the little girl, but kept her ears open for any telling sounds like labored or shallow breathing. At least Anise had already sat down. She seemed to understand her own limits, which was more than Ilia could say about the Highlanders she'd met on Roak.

"Mind if I ask you a few questions about fonic artes?" Sitting in silence would be anything but productive. And so far Anise seemed more than willing to supply answers, so Ilia just charged on ahead without permission. "You said there were seven kinds of fonons. What other types are there? Is there a reason you use the darkness and light fonons but not the others?"

[gald_digger]

The dizziness faded fast, but Anise knew it was likely to flare up if she jumped back to her feet too soon, so she nodded at Ilia's words and stayed where she was. Anise realized that admitting that using artes could hurt her might be worrying to hear, and so she really appreciated that Ilia didn't go overboard with concern like some people might. It made it easier for Anise to relax and let her body recover

[avengingfists]

"Sounds a bit like the 'original elements' from Earth, save for darkness, light and sound," Ilia mused. Heraldry also had a similar variety of spells to fonic artes. Two unrelated planets having similar magical properties was a little surprising, but considering the infinite possibilities the universe held it wasn't impossible. Just a little improbable

[gald_digger]

It was kind of fun to see Ilia get enthusiastic over fonic artes. Anise nodded when she mentioned training - it wasn't weird for Seventh Fonists to go their whole lives without even knowing they had the talent for it. Anise was a little jealous of those with the ability, but just like Ilia said, it was good that she could still gain some cool techniques through hard work.

"I was nine when I started learning, and ten when I started using artes," Anise recalled, tapping her chin with her index finger. "I started Oracle Knight training later that year." Looking back, it was amazing how fast her life had changed, and all because she learned that fonic arte. If she hadn't, Mohs never would have found her, and she never would have met Ion or the others...

Ion. There was a small pause when Ilia asked about the Fon Master, and for a moment, Anise appeared to be staring off into space. The last time she saw Ion, he didn't even remember who he was... What could he be doing now? Even if he was brainwashed, he had to be safe, didn't he? Anise

[avengingfists]

As a researcher it was natural for Ilia to want to learn about different planets and their cultures. It was practically expected of her. And even though it was her job, there was no reason to not enjoy her work

[gald_digger]

Ilia's question was a valid one, and Anise shook her head in response. "No, most people start in their early teens. In my case, an Order official heard about my artes and offered to cover living and schooling expenses if I joined the Knights." The deal hadn't been as sweet as it sounded, but Anise wasn't going to go into that too much in a casual conversation.

Feeling much better now, Anise hopped down from the counter. She didn't make any move to leave the room just yet, though; she was going to wait a bit and make sure the dizziness didn't return.

"The Order of Lorelei is the religion. My home country, Daath, is ruled by the Order. And Lorelei..." She paused, trying to consider how to explain it. Ilia seemed to pick up on complicated ideas quickly, though, so maybe she didn't need to simplify it too much. "It's kind of complicated, but it's like... the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon. When a certain amount of fonons come together, they can become sentient. That's where Lorelei comes from."

[avengingfists]

As expected, Anise had been an exception. It wasn't uncommon in some countries down on Earth for patrons to help talented youth men and women when they lacked the means, but there typically were strings attached. Joining the Knights may have been Anise's only option, but Ilia questioned the motive of the one who imposed the condition. Ilia let out a puff of air but didn't comment. If Anise had wanted the position and enjoyed her work, then there was no reason to ask why. She understood ambition, probably even more than Anise did, and she had never enjoyed it when people questioned her wish to move ahead early in life

[gald_digger]

With a grin, Anise nodded at Ilia's query. "Yeah, I'm fine now." The dizziness didn't return, which meant she was in good enough shape to go back out into the institute.

When Ilia mentioned that Earth's fonons couldn't become sentient, Anise had to wonder. Lorelei's existence had been unproven for a long time. It was possible that a sentience like Lorelei could exist on Earth, but no one knew of it.

Oh well. That was something for scientists to ponder. It didn't matter much to Anise right now.

Ilia's apology was met with a small giggle. "That's okay! I think it's really neat to hear about other planets, too. But since I'm feeling better, maybe we should go find something else to do." She paused to think for a moment. Since Ilia was new, she could probably use some suggestions. "Do you want to maybe go exploring? Or we could go look for supplies, like weapons or bandages."

[avengingfists]

Anise seemed confident in her condition, so Ilia would trust her judgment. As much as she wanted to watch over the younger girl, it wouldn't do to treat her like a helpless child. She may have had fewer years than Ilia, but her power was certainly something to be reckoned with. It would be demeaning to baby her about it

[gald_digger]

A supply hunt sounded great to Anise. That was what she was trying to do last night when she got attacked by that patient with the weird weapon. This time, she could try a different path, and hopefully sidestep any danger that lurked in the central hall upstairs.

"I know just the place to look!" Anise declared, picking up her own flashlight, which was really all she needed to do to be ready to go. "There's a storage room on the second floor with medical supplies. The rooms around it are used for storing different things, so we can find all kinds of stuff if we go there." Anise remembered now that her trip up there with Xelloss all those nights ago had been a pretty big success. Maybe she and Ilia would get just as lucky tonight!

Eager to get raiding, Anise skipped over to the door and held it open, looking back to Ilia excitedly. "Come on, I'll show you where!"

[to here]