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[starlight_ace]

((ooc: Takes place the day after this channel post. Anyone who tagged that - or if you didn't - is welcome to come bug and/or train with Nanoha.))This time, the Sensorium is empty for once. Nanoha's a bit tired, and still a bit drained from their recent ordeal, but she knows that the sooner she gets back to training, the better. Besides, she can't

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[is_the_ultimate]

Shadow watched from a pillar where a building once was, his eyes following as Nanoha bobbed and weaved through the fire from the drones. To say he was impressed with the show was to say the least. The only flyers he really knew was the two-tailed fox and Rouge, and they weren't THIS agile.

For the moment, though, he was content on watching... unless something else decided he was needed to act.

[starlight_ace]

Nope, Nanoha has it pretty under control for the moment. She'll continue the evasion practice for a while, until she turns in midair suddenly to throw up a round shield, glowing with magical runes, protecting her from the fire.

And behind the shield, she prepares three orbs of magenta light, all three of which curve toward their respective targets - and when they strike, they explode. And the three combat drones are reduced to rubble.

Nanoha wipes a bit of sweat from her forehead, catching her breath.

[is_the_ultimate]

As she does, she can hear clapping as Shadow applauds her performance.

"I'm impressed." Shadow called out. "Someone with that kind of skill, that kind of precision? You could be a fearsome weapon."

[starlight_ace]

Nanoha turns, somewhat taken by surprise, not having noticed the hedgehog's presence - nor, for that matter, has she ever seen something like him before. Still, she'll fly closer to him, so that she doesn't have to shout out quite as far.

"Thank you," she says quite genuinely, "...but I'd rather not be a 'weapon.'" Nanoha smiles at him. "I'm just a teacher."

[is_the_ultimate]

Well, Nanoha, you're the latest person to see the Outsiders' possible mass hallucination! Though, hearing her calling herself a teacher than a weapon got him curious.

"Hmph... is that so? I've thought of myself as a weapon. I still do sometimes. But, if you're a teacher, then why don't you teach me that I don't have to be, hm?"

[starlight_ace]

Oh, she's seen some strange stuff in her time. So Shadow, you may have met the first person to not think he's just a mass hallucination!

"Even if a person is meant to be a weapon, that isn't all they are. They can laugh and they can live just as much as anyone else if they have the chance. So... why do you think you're a weapon?"

She floats down to the pillar he was standing on so that she was eye level with him, and smiles, tilting her head to the side. "I'm Nanoha, by the way."

[is_the_ultimate]

"..."

Shadow listened to what Nanoha had to say. Isn't that would Maria have told him? "Shadow. And I was only created just so I could wipe out a race invading my world. Don't have to worry about that, now, though... I already took them out. Now... I just have to fulfill my promise."

[starlight_ace]

A frown crossed her face. "I see..." Soldier or not, Nanoha had never quite grown comfortable with the idea of taking a life - it was why she was glad that her magic was almost entirely non-lethal. "What promise was that?"

[is_the_ultimate]

...

Give everyone a chance... to be happy.
"To give everyone a chance to be happy..." Shadow said, an almost mournful tone in his voice. It just might be that everything's finally coming down on Shadow.

[starlight_ace]

Oh yes, she understands how that feels, Shadow. Nanoha catches the tone in the hedgehog's voice, and tries to counteract it with a smile of her own that she doesn't necessarily feel. "That sounds like a wonderful promise to me. I hope you get the chance to keep it."

[is_the_ultimate]

Shadow notices the smile... and in a way, it confuses him. Someone with so much skill and power, yet has a kind and gentle soul. Could he have been someone like her if things didn't go the way it did?

Shadow closed his eyes and let a small smirk form on his face. "...I hope so, too. Especially now."

[starlight_ace]

Hey, stick around Nanoha long enough, Shadow, and she'll try to prove that you still can - she lets the smile grow a bit.

"That's the spirit! We're all in this together, aren't we?"

[is_the_ultimate]

Shadow opens his eyes and lets the smirk turn into a smile.

"Yeah... yeah, we are. And if we're going to make it through here, we're gonna have to be."

[starlight_ace]

"Right. We're all here for a reason, aren't we?."

She relaxes a bit, but only a bit. "So what can you do, Shadow? Other than your Chaos skills."