[closed]

[swordboning]

Who: Archer swordboning & Rei faithfulflame
When: Backdated to 6/17 (April 1st)
Where: Rei's apartment
What: Archer is poking Rei along in progressing magic knowledge. Not that he can demonstrate anything because he's a failure of a mage.
Rating/Warning: None

[Archer, for the time being, stood by a window, nonchalantly leaning on it. Though, it wasn't really odd for him considering that's how he always was. Well, except for the fact that he reached his hand up and tapped on the window with a finger, making a soft noise.]

Ready to pick up something more useful than the most useless spell in the spellbook? I'm going to give you a warning now, I can't give you a demonstration. I can only tell you the concepts and how to focus your magic. The rest is going to need effort, trial, and error.

[Namely, he couldn't cast the spell. Well, outside of Reinforcement magic and the one spell reserved solely for him, Archer couldn't really cast shit. Truly, he is the worst mage who somehow made himself into something. Even if that something sucked.

Still...]

After hearing that, are you still up to it? It's up to you.

---

Comments

[faithfulflame]

[A distraction was something useful, something valid to reach out for, and Archer had to have known that when he suggested this. Rei was not the kind of person who let her heart get in her way, most of the time, but with Minako's disappearance it was difficult.

Though, this was new, untrodden territory for her, she'd never truly opened her heart to anyone. Knowing her partner was gone did worse than sting, it ached, shredding into her heart but it was something she knew would be fleeting. Minako was in the Nexus Code, she'd either return or she wouldn't, in which case Rei would eventually reunite with her at home. They were eternal, after all, and one way or another they would come back together. The knowledge doesn't take away the immediate sting, but it does help.

She's only half listened to Archer, but when he gives his warning she looks up and nods. It's something, at least, and even if she's not successful it's progress.]

I am, yes. I worked out my own powers on my own, with something to focus towards this should be doable.

[swordboning]

As long as you're confident.

[He wouldn't question it, at least. And don't think he hasn't noticed the lack of a certain blonde girl. Not the loud one but close enough. Archer taps the window a couple more times before...]

Let's start, then.

[...pressing on it quite hard and breaking it.]

Before we're done, we'll have you magically repair this. Hopefully you can because I'd rather not pay for it out of my pocket.

[faithfulflame]

[Her eyes widen momentarily, her face setting into a thin, pinched line. Archer. Why you do dis.]

Well I hope for your wallet's sake that I'm able to manage it.

[A beat, a breath, and she looks down at the shards of glass.]

What is the spell I should be attempting?

[swordboning]

It's a modification of reinforcement magic. That is to say, another property it's capable of. Reinforcement not only does the obvious but can allow you to add certain properties to materials if used correctly. You can make food more healthy or make a blade sharper.

[He looks down at the broken glass and picks up a shard, holding it out to her.]

You just need to restore the glass' previous function. Do you understand what I'm saying?

[faithfulflame]

[Rei listens intently and takes the bit of broken glass, turning it over in her hands and trying to get a feel for it.]

You mean, in addition to making this harder I could give it back it's proper shape, yes? The way it was crafted.

[swordboning]

I would put it back in its proper shape first, but yes.

[He steps back so she can have room at the window.]

With the right knowledge of its components and with enough skill with magic, you could make it bulletproof. While those kinds of things have limits, even I can make a roll of paper strong enough to take a hit or two from a Noble Phantasm.

[faithfulflame]

Obviously.

[She steps up and picks up several shards, setting them down on the will and inspecting them.]

I'm not sure what a Noble Phantasm is, but I assume it's Servant related. Now, what's the catch here? This sounds a little too easy.

[swordboning]

The catch is about regulating the amount of mana you use. Because it requires a significant amount, it can get hard to control. Too much and you'll just reshatter your window and possibly hurt yourself.

[Shrugging.]

Not enough and you won't get a successful result at all and you'll have just wasted energy.

[faithfulflame]

So, I have to feel out how much will make it work, without overdoing it and undoing everything that I’ve done.  That sounds…oddly…like how I had to learn my own personal magic.

[Too much fire and you have a slagged street.  Not enough and your monster is still on the loose.]

[swordboning]

If you have the experience, all the better. Talking about it won't help you successfully complete the task, however.

[At least one can always count on Archer to be the pushy type of teacher.]

[faithfulflame]

[She rolls her eyes at him and starts out by concentrating, gathering power. Not a huge amount, but probably not enough. Her hand slides along the glass...and there's a crackling sound, bits of it starting to reform, but when she releases the energy, it falls back apart.]

Not quite enough. But...it doesn't appear that hard.

[swordboning]

You'll find that there is a thin line between not enough and too much. That's where the difficulty comes in.

[Getting it right and then somehow memorizing it. In a way, it's like any other physical activity, except with magic.]

[faithfulflame]

Right.

[She takes another breath and focuses, pouring out power. This time, as it reforms, it seems to congeal into a ball of shards and then crash apart, forcing her to jump back.]

And that was too much. So it'll have to be somewhere in the middle.

[swordboning]

Keep working with it and you'll find the spot. Then do it perfectly another thousand or so times and I'd consider you somewhat training in the magic by that point.

[He's being serious in his own rights. Practice makes perfect and all Archer really will accept it perfection.]

[faithfulflame]

I’ll manage.  If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s repetitious activities like this, and I need something to keep my focus for a while.

[She tries again, this time not using enough, but it’s closer, and she can feel it.  Just need to find the median.]

[swordboning]

I'd imagine. And I'd probably be in the same position.

[Oh wait, he pretty much was, falling back on repetitive activities like cleaning and cooking.]

[faithfulflame]

I know.

[She gets you there, Archer.]

It helped you, yes?

[swordboning]

Helped? That's jumping a ridiculous boundary. Nothing will really help. It simply kept my mind distracted from reality, which can be dangerous. But I'm enough of an idiot that I was willing to indulge myself.

[That's Archer admitting he couldn't really think of another option. Which does show his inexperience in one area, at least.]

[faithfulflame]

Fair.  I guess, I don’t really have much choice but to do the same.

[Because she will not just forget what she had and focus on the grim outlook ahead.]

At least, until a way to remove people from the Nexus Code comes about. Though I imagine CERES will fight that tooth and nail.

[swordboning]

Will they?

[Yes, another shrug.]

I think, under the right circumstances, they could be convinced otherwise.

[faithfulflame]

And what circumstances do you think would be necessary? Because they don't seem all that interested in what we want. Or even in letting us fight their battles.

[swordboning]

They're a company. They care about profits. Make it worth enough money to them and you can get what you want.

[faithfulflame]

So offer them enough payment, and you think they'll open the code. Seems unlikely given that they are generally the ones paying us.

Or did you mean something else?

[swordboning]

I meant something else. Direct money isn't profits. Long term benefits are. Threatening to do something won't work so they may look for something else. A double agent, perhaps? Someone to report underground activity. Not that you would consider the option but it'll get you thinking in the right direction.

[faithfulflame]

You know me well enough to know I won't harm the colony for the sake of my own desires. But long-term profitability is something I might can do. Though, unlikely, given that they have rather set ways of handling any problem I might have a solution for.

[swordboning]

Just think on it. If you come up with any ideas, you're free to let me know.

[He'd listen, really.]

[faithfulflame]

I will. If you have any thoughts of your own...

[She tries the spell another time, and trails off as the glass reforms completely, without a single crack.]

...It seems I found the right amount.

[swordboning]

[He'll bring them up if he does.]

Good. Now you just need to practice it until you get perfect. And then start applying it to other concepts.

[faithfulflame]

I have a few ideas on that. It'd be useful not to break hairbrushes...

[swordboning]

...I'll keep from offering tips on how to do that non-magically.