Magical Fracas, Episode 5: New friends and enemies?

[PyrosNine]

On her first day of school, after several awkward introductions to her new class, several people who were put on her 'avoid' list for failing to make their gawking at her boobs less noticeable, and hearing the English teacher FAIL at properly describing the nuances of Lord Byron's Don Juan, Ashley immediately made an effort to ingratiate herself with the local populace. But instead of just awkwardly sitting down next to people as they try and eat their lunch, she knew the first place to go: The clubs.

Not THE Clubs, mind you. She'd already been there, done that. The sports clubs seemed to be an interesting choice, and she was sure they'd somehow boost her courage, speed, or academics skills in some way useful for upcoming life challenges.

The swim team seemed eager for new girls, but Ashley wasn't sure she had the right figure. It was a miracle enough she could move fast as it was with her...umm, "gifts." horizontal body oriented movement through water only made things worse. She was a strong swimmer regardless, but not competitively. The pool was nice though, and heated! This left many options for slacking off later.*

The track and field team looked promising, but there was a bit of animosity from the women's team captain. By her tone of voice, the team was apparently made of perfect olympians who were bound by team spirit and a united dream, and it was only a momentary setback that they were so lowly ranked. She had apparently been informed of the transfer student's merits, and was a bit too proud to let some transfer student lead them to the champs or whatnot. Well fine then, she'd come around, and to make a point, Ashley ran around the track three times in her school outfit, barefoot, for a cry of:

"Wooow!"
"Sugoi!!"

This only led to an angry red face, a challenge, and a few death threats. Ashley could only barely stifle a laugh as she walked away**

The gymnastics team leader was close friends with the Track and Field, but said she would think about it, and try and be flexible. Ashley would never return, as she hated terrible puns.

Last on her list***, was the Kendo club. She knew she could kick some ass one way or another, even more so with recent developments, but there was still the appeal of holding a wooden sword in your hands and hitting people with it, repeatedly.

She knew it was getting late, but it seemed like there were still folks in the room, and the crudely self-drawn map she held claimed this was the spot for the Kendo dojo. She knocked twice on the door.

* Naked.
**The school paper for the next day would have a submitted cartoon featuring a buxom villainess draining the school spirits with a deadly laugh, only to be fought off by a team of super cross country heroes.
*** Actually, it was only the last on her list because it was the last stop for the day. If this failed, she'd have tried Photography, Journalism, and/or started a Hot Pink Biker Gang.

[Inbred Chocobo]

"Come on Kazu! Let's see if being sick makes you any worse." Ito Nori said as he got into position, readying himself for a spar. Kazu readied himself. "I'll try to take it easy on you Nori." Kazu said, smirking as Nori took an advance. Coming in for a strike the doorbell rang, distracting Nori into Kazu's attack, knocking him flat on the floor.

"Guess that means I win." Smiled Kazu down at the fallen warrior. Nori looked up at him. "You were cheating, you saw I was distracted!" Nori shouted in defiance. The doorbell rang again. Kazu started to go answer it, then Nori grabbed his leg. "I'll get it. I lost, even though you are a cheater." Nori said as he walked to the door and opened it.

"Hey, welcome to the Kendo club, can I boobies?" Nori said as he answered like he always did, then actually looked at the person knocking. Nori was stunned, this girl was amazing. Perfect form, shaped right. American! What a beaut. It was all he could do but stare until another thud against the head sent him crashing out the door. Kazu's had hurled Nori's Shinai at him. "Nori, you are suppose to respect your weapon. Don't just leave it on the floor when you answer the door." Kazu said in a more disciplined tone.

Kazu walked up to replace where Nori stood. Kazu had to admit to himself this was definitely a very pretty woman, but kept these thoughts to himself. "Sorry about that, Nori tends to not be the greatest with women. Kazunori, though people round here shorten it to Kazu." He put his hand out, shaking it. Very different from normal proper traditions around here, but he went with a more American greeting since she was a foreigner.

Once names where exchanged, Kazu asked Ashley what brought her to the Kendo Club. When she said she wanted to sign up, Kazu smiled to himself. "Sure, we have had a bunch of new people since an entire school transferred, it will be easy enough to slip you right in. Know anything about Kendo?" Kazu asked as he walked in, taking her first to the sign-up sheet and having her sign, then start showing her around.

[PyrosNine]

"Well, no, not per se. I have had some limited weapons play at some of my other martial arts classes, and there was this one time I was allowed to mess around with this one guy's sword. But then he embellished the innuendo and I was forced to drop the sword in his leg. So no, not really. But I am interested in discipline like stuff, and putting down another notch on my list of things I am awesome at."

Ashley held out her hands. "It's a very big list."

Kazu's attempts to be genteel were working. The other one would suffer later. The dojo felt "warm", which was a lovely feeling. In fact, nothing seemed warmer than Kazunori's presence, which made the moment they held hands almost unbearable ~in a pleasant sort of way.

Her headband had perked up like a divining rod, but Ashley ignored it, as usual, until a better time presented itself. The headband did seem to be reflecting the light spectacularly too....Kazunori probably didn't like having a beam of light going into his eyes every few odd seconds.

It had hoped he'd know morse code.

Ashley, despite the strange feelings she was having, was quick to follow her standard procedure. Once you're in, show them who's top dog!

"Now, if I'm going to be in this club, I would prefer to be taking advanced lessons. Not some wrinky dink beginner sword swinging group where I'm likely to be beaned in the back of the head by some wild Wii-weapon wielder. I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself."

[Astral Harmony]

She hadn't had a fun day like that for what seemed like months. Magical girl incognito Shimizu Miyasaki, student council treasurer Yayoi Hiragi, and Hiragi Family head maid Jennifer Hanson. From clothes, cosmetics, and lingerie shopping to playing at an arcade and even doing some wacky karaoke, Shimizu arrived home, exhausted and happy that she had hammered a pretty good sized crack into Yayoi's shell.

Laying back on her bed, Shimizu analyzed her new friend. Yayoi really got into everything and seemed to be having more fun than Shimizu and Jennifer. There was definitely a fun-loving party girl underneath all that strict lady exterior, and Shimizu actually had a lot of fun helping Yayoi find her true self just a little. She was looking forward to more times like that.

Then Shimizu saw something...strange. Was it just her, or did the Star Brand seem a little...discolored? It was yellow before, but now it seemed that a little orange was added to it. What did it mean? Should she ask Ponpon or maybe Kazuki? Then Shimizu closed her eyes. "Maybe I'm just tired or something. Nothing to worry about."

But someone knew what it meant. Watching Shimizu drift into slumber, the mysterious magical woman Novaburst zoomed out from her view of Shimizu's Star Brand. "Hmmm...I'd better arrange another encounter soon."

[Teal Mage]

Hands clasped behind his back, Alexander Tachibana lounged against the fence at the edge of the Tohou School roof. It was lunch; other students had arrayed themselves around the flat stone surface to enjoy the scenic view. Thankfully, none of them were overly curious about what an androgynous blond pretty boy was doing alone on a school roof, without his lunch.

Alex grinned at the thought, Nothing important. The roof was just a breezy, bright and out of the way spot, which made it a good place to think. His grin faded, maybe taking stock of the last few days wasn't entirely unimportant.

He let out a sigh, The flower started this whole mess. A small crystalline plant had appeared on Thursday night, a magical talisman that held the power to awaken potential mages. And other things too. Things like piles of living mud and giant laser spewing spiders. In the middle of the night, he'd left his house on the orders of a woman he'd known for less then an hour, to enter magical combat with those things.

And the Autekka too...Alex brushed a lock of his blond hair back from his face. Once again following Miranda's orders, he'd gone in search of the talisman, and ran into the Autekka, a group of rival magic users. He'd been too late to stop them from sealing the talisman, but he had tracked two of them back to their home. Was that a mistake? Alex wondered as a particularly strong gust of set his blond hair swirling around his face.

The battle that night had been intense, Akari and Mitsuko Shimizu, the White Knight, Ivy...It had been his first real exposure to other mages. And I lost. Alex smiled, But it really was something, wasn't it?

His smile withered, But then...The Shimizu Sisters had ended up in the same class as him. ...and of course...that Autekkan construct and the Verda summoning spell. Mia too. One of his closest friends had magic, but she wasn’t a Verda or Autekka. Even so, she was mixed up in this mess too.

Miranda had brought her up to speed after the Autekka had flattened the Bellringer; even taught her a few tricks to help her defend herself. But, she'd also been entirely clear about one thing, "You can't help." It turned out Mia, and mages like her, had only a fraction of the magical stamina of an Autekka or Verda. She just wasn't powerful enough to help. Alex smiled ironically, She'd taken the utter dismal of her abilities well though. Mia'd offered to cover for him with his friends if he needed it, and he had.

My friends...that was a mood kill. He brushed his hair back into place; the wind had finally died down. He'd been avoiding social situations since Monday, finding out a third of his class had magical powers had really thrown him. Even now he felt like his every move was being watched. Alex sighed, I really should stop thinking like that. I didn't even transform.

Then the Lunch Bell rang.

"And that's it." Alex self-narrated as he pulled himself away from the fence, stretching like a cat. "No more thinking." He shook his hair out, letting his blond mane fall where it would. Bright blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight, Alex grinned cheerfully, "I should make his fun."

[Overcast]

Nicia sat in the lunch room with her work on the table. She had a tendency to be here earlier than others working, either volunteering to aid the kitchen staff or just enjoying the wide open space, she would sit here a lot. A key to being a candidate for valedictorian was initiative. So when she got to school she walked to all her classes to grab their work for that day. She figured she could use whatever time she used to fly through the work they gave her right now to make up for her not being there. After that it was all a matter of helping those teachers and working away any foul feelings between them. It ended up being that if you made it look honest everything worked out for the best.

She hit the last problem with her math work for the day without much trouble. Rubbing her scalp softly to work out any mental stress she had caused herself she let out a heavy sigh of contentment of finishing her work. She tossed it all together and organized it in her bag for when she would give it back to them after lunch. And as if on cue that was when the lunch bell rung,

"Oooh lunch! Get me something!"

She looked at the little crab bouncing about in her bag with a bit of an odd look on her face. For such a wise little creature he always did have these odd moments of childishness. He truly had many quirks. She was sure that as time went on she would learn all of them. But if he wanted something to eat it would be rude for her to refuse. After all he had done for her he at least deserved a meal. She just hoped they were serving some sort of shellfish or squid because she wasn't sure that anything else that crabs ate would be served to humans.

She was getting lost in thought more often these days. She wondered if it was the stress of school or the magic training either way she was now drifting in her mind thinking about how she got to this pathway of stressful schoolwork...

To be honest when she first came about, with her western style, her western look, her western dialect, and her rather large tattoo there had been tiny whispers in the staff of a new troublemaker coming in from Greece. Though that was a lie. She had lived all over the place in her life, but she was born in Greece. She spent most of her time around London and Seattle though, which was where she picked up much of her style from. The tattoo particularly from the States. Her dad had seen her stellar grades and figured she deserved to be in a particularly high class school so she ended up here, being judged for looking like a delinquent.

It had taken some time but eventually she began to show off why she had actually gotten into the school with her drive in schoolwork and her volunteer aid for almost every aspect of the school. She never quite joined any club, but she had helped out enough with each they knew that she had a good heart. In the end the teachers realized the look was just a look, and that really she was a quiet girl who worked hard every day, even if she couldn't tell anyone why. Occasionally a new student might see her and think she is going to bring the rest of her gang to beat him or her up, but with enough questions it becomes clear. She is just too sweet.

THUD!

She ran into something again. That kept happening when she got lost in her head like that. It almost killed her in the way here, luckily she hit a streetlight pole rather than the car passing in the nearby crosswalk. This time it was a table. She couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed, but tried to hide her blush behind her arm. God the more this went on the more embarrassed she felt. She ran quickly to the lunch line to avoid thinking about it.

Carcinos needs food. You need food. You did not just hit a table with a resounding thud. You are fine. You are on a mission! Do not FAIL Carcinos! GET FOOD!

She smiled inside and let her hand fall. She felt better now. She hoped Carcinos was doing fine in that bag though. She would rather that nothing bad happened to the cute little crab jam packed full of wisdom.

[phil_]

Synopsis: Picky vaguely details Panko's progress. Panko gets excited about cute things. I cover my bases concerning magical stuff while leaving room for girl stuff if I get the urge.

-Excerpts from Picky's journal-

20XX, 04, XX. Tuesday.

After further discussion concerning yesterday's incident, and drawing from my research on Panko's special techniques detailed earlier, I have come to the regrettable conclusion that Panko's magic stems from what she has dubbed "Cutie Energy." I had hoped that the form her magic took originally stemmed from an incomplete awakening and that she might end up wielding forces like Truth, Love, Justice, or Friendship, as my previous charges did. My hope is shattered. My only solace is that I can continue with standard training techniques. I've started Panko on non-transformed magic training. As I said to her, being able to wield a small amount of magic without transforming will allow her greater control when transformed.

20XX, 04, XX. Wednesday.

Wasn't able to train. Ate something bad. Told Panko to practice on her own.

20XX, 04, XX. Thursday.

I found some time for training this morning. I was surprised that Panko seemed to have actually practiced on her own. I regret mentioning this to her, as I found out how she had been practicing.

Panko shows clear signs of progress in control and power. I wish I had more opportunities to train her, but keeping a low profile is my greatest concern, at least for now. I gave Panko the rest of the day off so she can keep her friends' suspicions down. She hasn't returned home yet.

Picky lay down his pen and considered detailing the results of Panko's independent study, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Panko entering the room.

"Are you using the bunny pen again?!" Panko squealed, dropping her bag as she clapped her hands in front of her face with delight.

"Shut up or I'll stick it in your ear!" Picky yelled back, tossing the bunny pen at his student.

[Inbred Chocobo]

"I'm sure you can, and I don't doubt you, but there is a lot more to Kendo than just simply running around swinging a stick to hit people with. There is a lot of tradition involved, quite a bit of mannerisms and etiquette to learn. Luckily you are quite fit so most of the training will just be teaching you the forms and footing, we can leave out the physical training part." Kazu said in response to Ashley's outburst. "And yes, that means I'll be teaching you. Normally I would put you to the master of our school's dojo but I imagined he is swamped with kids already and you need a different lesson than the others." Kazu wrapped up as he walked over towards the spare equipment.

He started showing Ashley the proper methods of Kendo. The first was how respectful one must be when in the dojo. The light hearted air she felt was not a normal one when a real practice session was upon them, a very serious tone was about when session was held. Horseplay and idle chatter were not allowed, and the utmost respect must be held to everyone you meet, and even the suit you wore and the shinai you held. What probably took a surprising amount of time was how to sit properly.

The correct way is known as Seiza, and while it is common for locals to easily get into this position, its common knowledge that foreigners have a bit of a hard time to get into the position right away. Luckily with a few tries the issue was resolved. Once they were seated, Kazu began telling her more about the art of Kendo. Proper posture, the correct way the hold the shinai, basically a crash course in it.

[Menarker]

"Mero, it just occurred to me that I never really asked you about your past as a whole. Putting aside Sora for now, I would be sort of interested to hear about your past. It's not like you just popped into existence." Menarker tried to make it sound good humored, but it came off as merely inquisitive.

"Well... that's why I couldn't really tell you about Sora in the first place. The meeting between the two of us was only a few days after I was... reborn you could say. She didn't pop into mind until a few days ago." The familiar struggled in her speech with finding the right words and in the recollection of thoughts.

"Reborn? You mean like some sort of physical or spiritual reincarnation? Or just in a sense of mental or emotional awareness?"

"The latter, Mena. A much prolonged hibernation, if anything. 100 year long naps does little favors for anyone."

"100 years?"

"I just made up a big number for poetic sense. Don't take it too seriously."

"Ok, so basically, long story short is this prolonged downtime took toll on your memories?"

"Hypothetically speaking, but I’m guessing it’s just natural. Only took me a few days to really adjust to this time and find you."

"What was Sora to you?"

"Well... let me put it this way... a Verda's goal in regard to their partner is to mold a mage's potential, to hone it to the finest point. To a Verda like that and like myself..." The familiar sniffled as if it choked with pride. "There is no greater pride than to teach all you know, see them enduring trials and hardship, and ultimately have a partner whom everyone can call complete! I'm a competitive sort of girl, you know? Sora was like the ideal clay and solid foundations, easily molded and absorbed everything as if destiny called her to wield it. I imagine she was the envy of others at the time."

"Well, excuse me for not being quite as talented.” Mern looked sideways with an indignant expression. "When you say she was the object of envy... were you talking about mages or familiars?"

"Hmmmm? What do you mean?"

"You told me on our first day that a familiar gains power as their protégé grows, a mutual bond in essence. For a moment, I thought perhaps others would be jealous of this exclusive right to considerable power." She shrugged as if the thought never occurred to her.

"I guess it’s possible that there may have been some jealousy on both side. But that never has been a focus for me."

"So, she was your pride and joy because she was talented and experienced to the point of completion?"

"... No… It was because someone who despite having such potential, was still so new to magic's marvel... I took pride in sharing my world with her as a teacher and a friend..." Mero’s eyes stared downward onto the floor. Menarker recognized the blatantly obvious stance and gloomy mood as he tried to steer the topic a bit elsewhere.

“Hmmm… how did you train her? Maybe I could benefit from the same training…”

“It failed.”

“I beg your pardon?” He stood up instantly as Mero’s claws scratched against the floor brooding automatically as her eyes glared with self-deprecation. The kitten's eyes watered as her tiny frame practically shrunk in misery.

“She never reached completion. You can’t imagine the… humiliation of having someone so talented and with so much promise… broken by one’s own teachings. Even the most veterans of familiars don’t know everything about Verda magic and even then, understanding magic does not mean the ability to teach it well. So familiars verify their theories, adjusting for the mage’s progress of success and failures… And then in the pursuit of their partner’s development, they push too hard…”

“Mero… I had no idea…”

“No matter how much or little talent the student has, once a familiar breaks a mage, all respect that one has for you is gone.”

[Arhra]

School aside, Mitsuko felt as though she was being tugged in a hundred directions.

* * *

"Hana, we need to -"

"Iriumi, come see this!"

Mitsuko sighed at Irumi Hana's retreating back.

* * *

"Lunar Flare!"

"Uwaahhh!"

* * *

"Akari, I think I saw something!"

It was just an ugly dog.

* * *

"You don't think just a miko outfit would do, do you?" Mitsuko asked Sosuke desperately, headed home after finishing her afternoon at the local shrine.

Sosuke shook his head solemnly. Sakiko would not forgive lazy costumes.

* * *

"Orbit Dagger!"

"Eeh?!"

* * *

After another long day, Mitsuko limped gratefully into bed.

Finally, she could sleep.

"We will now commence Magical Theory Review." Bright Day said.

Mitsuko groaned.