I see you in another place//I extract a familiar face

[weaver_girl]

Characters: Kagerou (weaver_girl) and YOU
Date/Time: 27 to 29 April 2011
Location: The Bar/The Clinic on Wellspring/Section Three/The Dojo/etc.
Rating: A blanket PG-13 should cover everything.
Summary: Kagerou gets back into things after a side trip into the Attic and an unscheduled dream dust nap. So many things to see, people to do-no wait. Come bother her

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29th, afternoon~ The dojo

[ruby_nova]

Nova hadn't been to the dojo in a while. That is to say, even in the time she could recall, it'd been a few weeks at least since she'd visited the dojo, which meant it'd been even longer when you took her absence into account. Although being an Adventurer meant frequent feats of athleticism, she didn't have a chance to put her sword skills to use as often as one might imagine, and any weapon required daily practice to remain in peak form.

So, after digging through her packed clothing (she hadn't yet pulled everything out of storage) and donning a haori-and-hakama set, Nova had trekked down to the dojo and begun executing basic forms with a bamboo sword. The movements were all deeply-ingrained muscle memory, requiring no effort to recall or perform, but she focused in on each sweep of the blade and every foot placement and shift in her body.

Although her concentration was almost entirely on her own actions, she came to a smooth halt when she heard a shoji screen sliding open. (Nova remembered it was important to be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially when the dojo's dummies might decide to attack you at any time.) Lowering her sword, she moved silently to see where the noise was coming from.

29th, afternoon~ The dojo

[weaver_girl]

Kagerou had been practicing outside in honour of the brilliant spring weather. Ever since she and 00 had escaped the most recent Wilderness of horrors, she had had an itch at the back of her head to be more diligent about her training efforts. She had progressed well--if Gai told her so, she trusted it to be to truth--yet she hadn't really measured up in the Wilderness. Real danger was still something that could freeze her thoughts and thus cripple her actions.

For now, she was sweaty and quite satisfied, her hair wound around her head in a crown of braids, dressed in sweatpants and a tee-shirt. She'd left her bag and water bottle in the cooler interior of the dojo, but which training hall had it been?

She slipped open another door and, rather comically, started as she came face to face with Nova, crouched there as if ready to bean an intruder with her shinai.

"Ah! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

[ruby_nova]

Nova relaxed visibly when she saw that it was Kagerou who had entered and not some dummy preparing to attack her. She didn't put her shinai away since there was still always a chance for surprise attacks; if she needed it, her own (real) sword was propped against the wall in a rack.

"Kagerou!" Bounding up to the older girl, Nova gave her a loose hug, not wanting to get any sweat on her. The two had already met and exchanged the promised baker's dozen of hugs that they'd settled upon over the journals, but fresh hugs were always a welcome thing.

"I didn't mean to startle you. I hope I didn't scare you?" Not that Nova considered herself a very fearsome sight, but one could never be sure of how others perceived you. Maybe she was more intimidating than she imagined?

At any rate, judging from Kagerou's attire, she was probably here to train as well. The two of them had occasionally trained together... maybe Kagerou would be keen on another session? "What were you practicing?" Nova asked.

[weaver_girl]

Kagerou returned the hug with a laugh, though she was also mindful of her own soaked state. At least the worst of the urge to just gather Nova close and hug her forever had already been let out. She ducked behind one of the equipment racks and produced the bag she had tucked there. Tugging out her towel, she set to wiping off the worst of the sweat.

"No, no, I was just lost in thought. That happens to me a lot, so it's okay!" She smiled. "At least you stopped short of actually walloping me over the head.

"Oh, I was just doing kicks and punches against the dummies. I could try a staff again, if you wanted someone to spar against?" Her smile grew lop-sided; she had asked Gai to show her the wooden staves at the Dojo, and got some training in their use. They seemed a better option if she ever needed an actual weapon than holding a sword. She didn't like to hurt people, even in self-defence, but many things in the Sphere were bigger and stronger than her. Having a weapon to stick between herself and danger hadn't seemed a bad idea.

[ruby_nova]

"I make an effort not to wallop anyone on accident!" said Nova with a grin. If they were sparring, that was an entirely different matter, though she was still careful not to cause undue injury even then.

Nova nodded when Kagerou suggested a spar. The staff was a good weapon if you knew how to wield it, especially since it gave you the added advantage of a little extra distance from an opponent that a sword couldn't offer.

"That sounds fun. It's been a while since I've sparred with anyone." She couldn't test out her fire magic against Kagerou, obviously; Axel would need to be called upon for that. But the magic was always a bonus to actual fighting ability, especially when you were sparring, and Kagerou was certainly a fun sparring partner to have. The equipment racks around the dojo held an assortment of weapons, so it was easy to find a staff of the right size and flexibility.

"All right, I'm ready when you are," she said, giving Kagerou a little time to situate herself once she had her weapon.

[weaver_girl]

Kagerou tried the weight of the staff in her hand. She needed a relatively short one, not having much of a height on her, but the Dojo seemed to accommodate a variety of users in its selection of equipment.

She took it in both hands, held loosely but firmly at her side as Gai had shown her, and spun to catch Nova's first swing.

They moved back and forth, shouting and striking and ducking, both quite serious about the exercise but not above the occasional giggle as one of them--most often Kagerou herself--took an amusing tumble onto the tatami. Nova was small and deft and quick, and obviously had long years of training behind her. Kagerou appreciated, however, that her friend went the right measure of not easy on her: enough for a challenge, but not too hard to make the spar entirely uneven.

Finally they were both panting and chuckling, with a few bruises but none the worse for wear, and Kagerou dropped her staff and flopped to sit on the floor. "Oh, oh, that's enough! Thank you. Oww. Is there anything you need me to heal? I think you got my leg pretty good, but I'm fine otherwise.

"And I mean, I'll walk! Just maybe not run right now."

[ruby_nova]

"I've got a pretty good lump growing here, but it's not bad," said Nova, folding herself into seiza and brushing her hand over her ribs. Honestly, the bump wasn't that bad, and it was certainly nothing at all compared to the injuries she'd seen inflicted (and inflicted on herself) in the one memory she'd regained.

But whenever Kagerou offered to use her healing magic, Nova felt compelled to accept. It wasn't just because it was so kind of her friend to offer the service, but because something about the magic and the closeness made her feel... like family, was probably the best way she could explain it.

Once that was taken care of, Nova shifted and leaned on her hand, wiping the last few beads of sweat from her brow. "We don't have to run anywhere," she said with a laugh. "We could go get some ice cream or something cold to drink." She had a bottle of water with her but it was only bordering on lukewarm at that point. "Ooh, maybe a milkshake. That's like the two in one! And I'll treat."

[weaver_girl]

Kagerou spread the healing shield over the both of them: experimentation had told her it could hold at least two people at a time, if she concentrated enough. Bruises and nicks and her leg thus taken care of, she dropped into a stretch, touching her fingertips to the floor.

"Mmm, that's better. You'll treat? Then there's really no way I can say no, is there? But milkshakes sound lovely."

After they had both washed away the worst of the sweat and changed into clean clothes, they made their way down the winding steps from the Dojo and towards Melee Island. Kagerou still found a little amazing that Nova had come back, after all that time, for all that Smoke had managed the same feat earlier. It did make her want to pay some extra attention to her friend, as if the loss suffered made their time together even more precious.

"So... there's a good place in the Bazaar, I'll show you. How has it been, being back? Kiba hired you back into the Adventurers, right?"

[ruby_nova]

Nova's return didn't seem quite as amazing to her; having been asleep the whole time, she only knew that several months had passed because she'd been told they had. That didn't diminish her joy, however. She could only be pleased to be together with her friends - her adopted family - again. The extra attention never hurt, either.

"It's been great! I mean, there's always gonna be the weirdness of living here, but I'm really glad that I came back. I know I have a family back where I came from, but I have one here, too." She kicked a pebble and watched it bounce down the steps for a second before grinning brightly at Kagerou. "I am back in the Adventurers. Krile kept my sword and everything, so I didn't have to scavenge another one." The sword in question was slung across her back, oddly incongruous with the casual clothes she was sporting, but classic Nova nonetheless.

Her thoughts of familial feelings brought her latest dream back to her mind. Not the scary part, but the warm, happy part where her three big brothers came and encouraged her and cuddled her. She hadn't spoken of it with many people since she'd returned. She wished she could see them again, but in a way she was glad they weren't in Edensphere.

"I had another dream before I hatched again. I saw my big brothers. There were three of them!" A touch of wistfulness softened her smile. "They were so funny. Well, two of them were. The oldest one seemed more quiet and thoughtful." Nova took point once they reached the bridge to Melee Island, testing any planks that looked suspect. They'd all been sound on her way in, but it never hurt to be sure.

[weaver_girl]

Kagerou let Nova go first, a little amused by the protective gesture but not minding it at all. The bridge was mostly in good repair, as people visited the Dojo every day.

"Three? That's a lot! You're very lucky, you know." She smiled, wide but a touch wistful. "Though I think you do know. You sound like it. I... saw my brother a little while ago, too. My real brother, I mean, though I have a few here in the Sphere, too! The fourth floor showed me my home, and..."

This had been one of the things Nova had missed, and Kagerou hesitated for a moment over the best way to put it. "And my brother's memorial," she finished. "He's dead, but at least I know what he looked like. What his name is. It makes it easier, somehow."