| COOKIES! Omnomnom. | ||
|---|---|---|
| |
Seeing as there is only the one coffee machine in the TASK building it is kept busy by those members coming and going. Of course it has been kept nearly constantly at work since Mayumi joined the team. Rather than living in the kitchen the young woman has taken to keeping a thermos with her. But after a long morning of training it's as empty as her belly and both need to be refilled. Returning to the habitat section of the building Mayumi is hit with the scent of something delicious and sweet filling the air. A rumble from the direction of her middle lets her know that other parts of her appreciate the idea of the food just as much. Her pace picks up and she enters the kitchen wide eyed to find the source of the yummy smells, grinning when she sees Silencia. Well that does make sense. "Whatever you're making smells amazing and I really hope there's enough to share," she says by way of greeting. Slipping over to the coffee pot she sets the machine up to make yet another round of the dark brew she seems to live on. Silencia had finished washing the last couple of dishes when Mayumi walked in. The priestess giggles softly and gestures to the oven while putting away the dishes. "I always make enough to share!" Silencia was used to baking and cooking for a large group of children, so naturally she made plenty of cookies to pass around. One last peek in the oven earns an appreciative smile from Silencia. "And you seem right on time, they're just about ready!" Silencia takes out the tray filled with cookies out of the oven and grins. "I've got three different kinds of cookies, chocolate chip, peanut butter and pecan-cookies. They do need to cool down a bit." Silencia moves to the oven again and takes out another tray and leaves it out to cool. Silencia smiles at Mayumi. "I'm thinking they'll pair nicely with your coffee!" The rich, bitter scent of coffee adds the aromas in the kitchen as the machine begins processing. Mayumi leans against the counter and watches Silencia finish up the dishes. With a shrug she pushes herself upright and moves towards the priestess then grabs a towel and begins to dry. It always pays to return a kindness, and cookies definitely count as a kindness. "Everything goes well with coffee," Mayumi replies absently, too busy staring at the cookies and trying not to drool as Sil pulls them from the oven. Only the fact that they only just emerged and would be like eating molten lava prevents her from reaching out to swipe a few from their trays. "Does everyone take turns cooking?" she asks. Hopefully not, because that really isn't her strongest skill set. The kind gesture from Mayumi earns a happy smile from Silencia. "Thank you for helping!" With Mayumi's help, the dishes quickly clear up and there's nothing left but to wait for the cookies to cool. She does notice Mayumi's glances at the cookies and she can't help but giggle. "They'll cool quickly, don't worry!" She gently taps the sheet of baking paper she had lined the tray with, checking if she can touch it. She carefully lifts it out of the tray and places it on a cool tray. "See? Like this, it'll cool faster, because the tray isn't heating it up anymore." Mayumi's question makes Silencia pause and hum thoughtfully. "I don't think so... I mean, so far I've only seen Kotal cooking here and I started baking because I really missed it." Her smile is warm and slightly nostalgic as she peeks down at her cookies. "I used to bake cookies and cakes for the other children in my orphanage every saturday." An accidental touch of the hot tray brings Silencia back to the present though. "Ouch!" She quickly puts her finger in her mouth. Luckily it had been just a light touch, nothing serious. "The cook should never do dishes," Mayumi replies. It tkes her no time at all to wipe the items down and stack them neatly on the counter until she can figure out where they go. It would seem that she is very used to doing dishes. While it isn't as if Mayumi has never learned to cook, it was always a task that was part of survival training. Food was made as a fuel source and not for pleasure. Of course she can appreciate good cooking from others. Mayumi watches as Silencia sets about cooling the cookies a bit faster, then the word "orphanage" catches her attention and she blinks. "Do you miss them?" she asks only to hear a yelp and reach out for the girl's hand. The finger leave Sil's mouth with a sot plop. "Hmm, let me try something." Taking a deep breath Mayumi hold the injured digit in her hand just before her face. A look of concentration turns the almond shaped eyes darker before Mayumi slowly releases her breath slowly. A mist of energy curls around the site of the burn and eases the pain. Silencia seems curious about what Mayumi's doing with her finger. "Wha-?" She is surprised at the magic, surprise quickly turning to admiration. "Oh my! Can you heal too? That's great!" She slowly pulls her hand away from Mayumi, a warm smile on her face. "And to answer your question, yes, I do miss them." Silencia seems a bit homesick as she returns her gaze to the cooling cookies. "I've lived with them for all my life, I've even raised most of them. They were family to me, so it's a bit difficult sometimes... because I won't be able to see them again.." Mayumi blinks for a bit, then releases Silencia's finger almost reluctantly. "Wow. That actually worked..." Her words sound surprised, perhaps even shocked. "I, um... Well, I have been trying to use my skills for things other than just the weapons I know. So, um, maybe?" Slowly Mayu raises a hand to her lips, blowing another wave of air that does exactly nothing. A frown creases her brow as she repeats what she had just done and again comes away with nothing at all. Weird. Suddenly she seems to realize that Sil was talking. "I miss my family, too. I think that has been the hardest part about all of this." Silencia smiles warmly at Mayumi and pets her head softly, the gesture something more of an instinctual one. "Both of us need to be strong now. It helped me to think of the friends I have made here as my family. That includes you Mayumi." She then grins and ruffles her hair playfully. "If you want help with training, I can help with the healing!" She then peeks at the cookies, they seem to be sufficiently cooled down, so she transfers some of them to a plate and places them in front of Mayumi. "Enjoy!" The door opens and, following her nose, Rayne enters! She's sniffing the air, taking in the scent of the cookies, and grins with a raised eyebrow at the ruffling of hair that sh's walked into. "Wow... I think this is the first time I've been lured here by someone's cooking that wasn't Kotal's. I half expected him to be cooking, even if it doesn't smell like his typical work. Will you be needing a comb after that?" Head pets and hair ruffling? That is not something she is used to and it takes a lot not to shoo the hand away. Hearing Rayne's comments she turns to the Second and wrinkles her nose in annoyance. She rakes a her hands through her hair a few times, making it more messy rather than neater. "No, thanks." Turning back to Silencia she smiles and nods, almost a bow. "I would appreciate the help." Mayumi grabs a cookie, not caring if it's hot, and begins eating it. Coffee! Coffee is a reasonable way to escape Silencia's mischief without appearing to run away. Mayu pours her usual bowl full and proceeds to add milk and sugar. Then she leans on the counter and finishes her cookie. Silencia giggles softly at Mayumi's discomfort, quickly retreating her hand from the girl. A slight pout appears on her face though. "You guys really aren't cute." She was used to a lot of physical contact from the children from her orphanage, so it was an adjustment for Silencia to be mindful of how much she touches people and who she touches. Rayne's arrival brings a smile to her face. "Welcome, welcome, you're right on time, the cookies are fresh and ready to be eaten!" She hums thoughtfully before placing a hand over the cookies, blocking them from whoever would want to take one. "I do have one condition..." Silencia's eyes glimmer with mischief. She raises one finger and grins. "The price is one hug. Especially from you, Rayne." Rayne snickers slightly as Mayumi proceeds to make her hair even worse, but doesn't comment further on the subject. "I can't help it if I'm not the 'cute' type. I've been around too long to do that without feeling like I'm putting on a show." She looks like she's about to grab a cookie, but no, she's blocked! And the price? She twitches her right eye slightly. "C...Come again?" "I am too cute," Mayumi replies with something like a pout in her voice. She licks the last bit of chocolate from her fingers and savors the taste. Maybe Silencia could make her mocha cookies next time? Mmm... Wait, what!? The priestess's words cause her to blink, but mainly she looks at Rayne and winces. That is blackmail and considering how the Second feels about touch, that is just mean. Leaving her coffee on the counter Mayumi walks over to Silencia and wraps arms around her from behind. "Fine, I will pay up for both of us." With that she not only hugs the priestess, but kisses her soundly on both cheeks. And then five cookies vanish, three going onto a plate in case Rayne wants a quick way out. Silencia smiles innocently at Rayne, hand still blocking the cookies. "The price is a hug Rayne... You wanted me to help you with your fear of touch, didn't you? Well, lets see how serious you were about that." Mayumi's declaration of being cute makes Silencia's hands tremble, she was just a nudge away from attacking Mayumi with a hug. Instead Mayumi hugs her! Silencia gasps and is even more surprised to receive kisses on her cheeks. A slight blush appears. She did not expect that! Silencia didn't even notice the missing cookies until Mayumi has already plated them. Silencia blinks and bursts out in laughter. "Ahh... I really did not expect that! Fine, fine, I'll lower the price!" She glances at Rayne with a smile, wiping a stray tear away. "Any form of physical contact that you can bear, but it has to be initiated by you." Rayne blinks at the interaction between the two, a slight flush reaching her own cheeks. "Uhhhh... O...Kay.... Well... Sure. I'm managed to... put my hand on Mayumi's shoulder, this shouldn't be too difficult, right?" She grins sheepishly. "Thanks, Mayumi, but she's kinda right. I really shouldn't completely back down from this." She takes a deep breath, then approaches Silencia with a cautiously outstretched arm. Really, it's always the leadup that is the worst when she's doing it herself, but after a couple of false starts, she does manage to place her hand on Silencia's shoulder. Coffee. Mayumi places her cookies on the counter and desperately gulps scalding hot coffee. It is questionable whether she notices Silencia blushing, but there is certainly color on Mayu's face. Physical contact is not something she has ever been weirded out by. But that's usually only with family and close friends. The two woman in the room are fast becoming close to her, but this is a little faster than she was intending originally. Gulp. "Hot!" She sets the coffee down and picks up a cookie. It's safer, probably. "You're welcome," she says to everyone and no one. Silencia simply watches as Rayne approaches her, the priestess exuding a very harmless aura. A bright smile greets Rayne as her hand comes to rest on Silencia's shoulder. "Good job! Now keep it there, I promise I won't touch you, but you must keep your hand on my shoulder while you eat a cookie!" She presents the plate of cookies to Rayne with three different kinds of cookies: chocolate chip, peanut butter and pecan. Silencia could easily tell by the lightening pressure that Rayne was about to remove her hand right when the condition to leave it there was given. She makes a rather odd face of discomfort before stiffly reaching over to the cookie plate with her left hand. It looks to be in a bit of an unnatural position, her fingers partially curled to resemble claws, the muscles in it clearly very tense. She is focusing entirely on the cookie platter! No looking at the other people in the room! She is able to grab a pecan cookie and , very quickly, shoves it into her face. Mayumi pours a second cup of coffee then brings it to the table. The milk and sugar follow with a spoon. All are laid before a chair, close enough to Rayne that she is sure to be able to reach them, but unlikely to knock them over. Added to the setting are the three cookies to appropriated. She then brings herself and her goodies to the other side of the table, sitting comfortably near Silencia. "These are very good," she compliments as she eats her pecan cookie. Silencia seems very much relaxed as Rayne stiffly shoves her cookie in her face. Her voice is low and soothing, a tone she often used to calm down children with. "Remember to keep breathing, Rayne. You're doing very well..." Silencia doesn't move, carefully staying still as to not panic Rayne even further. Mayumi's compliment gets a happy little smile. "Thank you Mayumi! If you have any types of sweets you like, tell me and I'll make them next time! I really like making sweets for people!" Forget breathing, she needs to actually taste the cookie! At first it looks like she might almost just chomp the cookie down with only the minimum of chewing required, but no, she does manage to properly savor the cookie. Closing her eyes seems to help her enjoy the cookie more, and she makes a noise of appreciation of its flavor. Opening her eyes, she smiles at Silencia. "That was really good!" Of course, looking at Silencia has more or less reminded her that her hand is currently on Sil's shoulder, and it is quickly removed in a manner like one might remove their hand from a growling cat: very quickly. Mayumi snorts softly and rolls her eyes. "You're just trying to make us all fat. I bet the kids at the orphanage were round and chubby, too," she playfully mocks while starting on her third cookie. "They are aren't they?" she agrees, winking at Silencia. "Would you like some coffee also?" Silencia smiles happily when Rayne seems to enjoy that cookie wholeheartedly. She allows Rayne to remove her hand, chuckling softly. "Now, that wasn't that hard, was it? And I'm really glad you enjoyed the cookie, please help yourself to more!" Silencia finally takes a chocolate chip cookie herself, very contently nibbling on it. They've made progress today! Mayumi's comment about making them fat gets a playful gasp, Silencia even covering her mouth with her hand. "How did you uncover my diabolical plan?" She can't keep a straight face though, already giggling. "The children burned off the cookies by fighting over them, no matter how many I made..." Silencia smiles and shakes her head at the offer of coffee. "I've tried it once, not something for me... I'll stick with tea..." With that, Silencia moves to prepare a nice cup of fruit tea for herself. "Would any of you like some?" Rayne says, "Well, if that's your plan, I'll have to inform you it won't work on me! If I get too fat, I'll just kill myself!" She didn't sound the slightest bit grim about that, instead slightly playful and cheerful... and likely would be fully playful and cheerful if she weren't still a little spooked. It takes her a moment to realize just how that would sound to most people, and she raises her hands defensively. "So I regenerate! You know, to what I was the first time I died..." Silencia does indeed look shocked for a moment before Rayne's tone and quick explanation clear up the misunderstanding. "Ohh.. like that... thank goodness!" Silencia laughs and shakes her head. "I often forget that about you, Rayne!" Silencia packed a couple of cookies in a little paper bag and gives it to Mayumi, who heads off to get some training done. She then separates a small pile of cookies and puts them in another paper bag, the girl seemingly a bit flushed for no reason. She peeks at Rayne and smiles "Feel free to eat as much as you want, okay? Since you obviously don't have to worry about your figure!" She giggles softly. "So, how've you been doing with the preparations for your new job?" Rayne waves to Mayumi as she leave, but then comes Silencia's question. "Ugggh..." She puts a hand to her face. "I really... and I really mean this... I really don't have a clue how to actually prepare for it. Ideas fly through my mind on what I could do, but..." She lowers her hand from her face to grab and eat another cookie without looking at what type it was first(but it happened to be a peanut butter). "But I know soooo little about what this is actually going to be like that I don't have any clues on any meaningful preparation. I've... more or less psyched myself out by reminding myself that it's not too much different from what I'm already doing. So I'm... prepared that way, or at least as much as I'm going to be able to be... but further preparation would require knowing the other people, knowing what their plans are, knowing what Diablo is actually going to do next. I just don't have a clue!" She raises her hands into the air in frustration. Silencia chuckles softly and finally finishes her cookie. "Well, there is no need to panic over that, sweetie. To be honest, with preparation I meant the mental stuff, and you seem to be doing well with that!" She hesitates before grabbing a pecan cookie. "If you feel like you must prepare something more, why don't you write down your ideas to improve the city? For example, the welcome committee. You can flesh that idea out by thinking of the activities they would do, the authority they would hold and who would be best in being in said committee." Rayne nods enthusiastically as she takes another bite of her cookie. "Oh, I have been! Serenity is the obvious choice I'd try to get involved, Sunset Shimmer is the less obvious one... She wasn't on my radar for that until the other day when she told me she basically was already thinking of doing just that. But I don't have the real personnel organizational and detail oriented mindsets needed for really having stuff ready without, well, an immense amount of help. But... That's what advisers are for? I hope?" She sighs, her remaining nervousness showing through again for a moment. Silencia applauds Rayne smilingly, the sound of her hands clapping a rather sudden one to pull Rayne out of her nervosity. "You actually exceeded my expectations already, Rayne! And of course the very detailed planning would need help!" Silencia smiles brightly, so very happy for her friend. "Don't worry about needing help, because governing a city and making such ideas come to life always needs help from multiple sides! I'll be glad to help however way I can as well." Rayne seems slightly started by the sudden clapping, but gives Silencia a bit of a tired looking grin. "Well, you can sure as heck count on me asking for it when I need it. Unless I hit a stubborn streak. But like I said... I feel like I've done all I can do, which leaves the worst part left... Waiting. I think I'm getting why Kotal was so restless sounding when Caliga showed up... Waiting for news on what's to happen next can be excruciating. And that! Is why I intend to not worry about it anymore until something else comes up." Silencia grins back at Rayne, enjoying the growth of the warrior. "Instead of getting nervous, get excited!" The mention of Kotal seems to stiffen Silencia slightly. She seems a bit restless. She peeks at the bag of cookies she set aside and returns her attention to Rayne. "Uhm... talking about Kotal... do you think he'll like these cookies? I was thinking of giving him some later..." There is something different about Silencia's demeanor, her tone just a slight bit more demure than usual. Rayne says, "Eheheh... Sorry, but if I'd actually wanted this, I might be excited... instead it's just... next." She shrugs, then tilts her head at the sudden change in Silencia's demeanor. "Uhhh... why wouldn't he? Okay, I suppose there might be something in them not being Mexican in origin... He seems to be a bit obsessed with that. But they're good cookies! If tries them, he'll like them! And if he doesn't, then he's just being a stick in the mud." Silencia smiles slightly, poking at the bag absentmindedly. "It's just that... sometimes I get a bit nervous... a..and I feel like I haven't been able to talk to him as much..." She blinks and quickly straightens, snapping out of whatever it was. "I..I mean... m..maybe he won't like s..sweet things..." Silencia is actually stuttering now, a habit that only comes up when she's nervous. She sighs softly and puts the cookie she was eating down, not having much of an appetite. "It's difficult to understand what he's thinking sometimes..." Yep, Silencia is definitely acting weird. Rayne dryly says, "I'll just assume that the reason you sometimes do understand what he's thinking is because you're his priestess." She takes a step closer, an eyebrow raised. "This really seems unlike you. Do you not realize it, or are you just that shy when it comes to this?" Now it's Silencia's turn to be flustered. Her cheeks flush a bright pink and she grasps her necklace, playing with the little violet stone. She seems to be contemplating something, as if she's trying to decide whether or not to speak about something. "I..I'm not... being weird..." Her voice is very unconvincing and Silencia does know that. She sighs and peeks around to make sure no one is around, even peeking at the ceiling, just in case Reptile makes his appearance. "I..if I tell you a secret.. do you promise you will never speak of it?" Rayne sighs and facepalms. "Sil... I don't think you need to actually tell it to me at this point. You're kinda broadcasting it on all channels without encryption." She lowers her hand again and looks Silencia in the eyes with a tired expression. "You are clearly crushing hard on Kotal." Silencia's eyes widen and her blush brightens. "N..no I'm not!" Again, not very convincing. She sighs and looks away. "I..I'm usually good at hiding it..." She reaches up and places the backs of her hands on her cheeks to cool them down. "I wish Kotal was that perceptive..." Rayne sighs again and sits down. "Sil... He's a god of war. And despite what some people say, love is not a war. If it's not the sun or involving battle, he's as dense as a lead brick." She shakes her head. "You're gonna have to tell him." Silencia groans and sits down next to Rayne, lowering her forehead to the table. "Damnit!" Even Silencia is stunned for a moment, not very used to cursing. She peeks at Rayne. "Uhm... is there anyone... you know... with him?" She groans again and hides her face. "I am not equipped to deal with this!" Rayne seems to ponder the question. "Eeeeeehhhh." She shakes her head. "I don't think so. I mean I'm beginning to get the feeling that Minu might have a bit of a crush on him as well, but Kotal is just as clueless with her as he is with you." She grabs another cookie, a chocolate chip one this time. "And then there's Miss Deis who sure as heck flirted with him, but who knows if she's actually serious about that. Or anything, really." Silencia seems to finally gather her senses, sitting up and taking her half-eaten pecan cookie. She still looks nervous though. "I really have no other choice, do I?" Giving up comes up as an option in her mind, but Silencia quickly shoots it down. If she didn't deal with this, she would regret it forever. She smiles weakly at Rayne. "Thank you Rayne... I know this was sudden and weird, but I've been struggling with this for a while now..." Rayne sighs and shakes her head. "You just gotta go up and say it. Believe me I know it can be hard to get that out. And don't worry, I'm not your competition in this. Dating Kotal to me would be.... Weird. Like, dating someone that reminds you of your father weird." She munches on her chocolate chip cookie before getting up to make herself a cup of coffee. Silencia giggles softly at Rayne's comparison. "Well, maybe me not having a father was an influence here?" She finally seems to be relatively calm, her blush ever so slowly fading away. She even nibbles on her cookie, only the second one so far. "And I'm not afraid of competition. If Kotal was together with someone, I would back off, but as far as you've told me, there are only others like me. Then there is no reason to give up." Silencia even seems to be surprised at the amount of certainty in her voice. She smiles her usual smile. "I think I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell him how I feel..." Hair damp from the shower it hangs down Mayumi's back in a wet tail. Calling it a braid is a bit too generous. Dressed in a pair of, what appear to be, someone's old sweat pants and a t-shirt, the young woman is pale where she isn't green around the gills. Dark circles have appeared under her eyes since last she was in the kitchen. Her gaze wavers between the coffee pot and the table where the cookies lay. Licking her lips she lunges for the cookies, snapping one up and shoving the entire thing into her mouth while blindly groping for a second. Rayne says, "Well, just remember... time can be of the essence with these kinds of things... especially when others seem interested. So if I were you, I'd not delay!" She then frowns. "Well, if I were you, I'd probably just hide it more, but I'd suggest you not delay." She then does a bit of a double take as Mayumi walks back in. "...That must have been some intense training..." Silencia nods thoughtfully, the priestess very calm now. "I would not be able to live with myself if I wasn't truthful." Mayumi's entrance and the attack to her cookies earns a worried look from Silencia. "Are you alright Mayumi?" She puts even more cookies (from the cooling tray) onto a plate and sets it in front of Mayumi. "Do you want me to get you some coffee as well?" Mayumi plops ungracefully into a chair and forces herself, quite literally, to stop shoveling food as if she has no manners at all. Pausing to swallow she offers a wan and apologetic smile at Silencia for devouring the cookies. She finishing the second as the plate is pushed her way and manages to shake her head. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine in a minute." Taking a long deep breath she releases it slowly then curls one arm on the table to use a pillow for her head while she works through the plate. "Apparently new skills take a lot out of my system. Tried healing myself and I don't think it works like that." What she means is, it basically knocked her on her butt and gave her skull splitting headache. It would seem that the inugami consider self-healing a selfish practice. Rayne says, "Oh, I didn't know you knew healing spells, Mayumi! Neat! Uh... too bad it doesn't work the way you wanted it?" She frowns, not entirely convinced that Mayumi is okay, but she'll give her a few minutes if she says she'll get better. "Um... but yeah." She turns to look back to Silencia. "So why are you still here? Go! Find 'im!" Silencia blushes at Rayne's encouragement. "Uhm... now? I...uhm..." She gets up and makes her way over to Mayumi. "Oh poor thing.. let me help you..." Of course she's avoiding the matter! But she's also genuinely concerned about Mayumi. She gently places her hand on Mayumi's forehead, her voice calm. "Don't push me away now, relax.." Golden light slips from her fingers, a gentle warmth spreading through Mayumi's body, healing every ache, stitching every possible wound. This little act of healing only seems to encourage Silencia, the only reason she could heal was because Kotal had trusted her to give this power to her, so why should she run away? She sighs and grabs the bag of cookies she prepared for Kotal. "I'm going... to tell Kotal how I feel... w..wish me luck..." The smile on her blushing face is small and adorable. She peeks at the rest of her cookies. "Uhm... feel free to finish those... or just leave them out for others to eat..." She then takes a deep breath and turns to leave. "Lets hope the war god hasn't wandered off too far..." Mayumi absently waves Silencia off. If Rayne says she should go, then go she should and without delay. Just as long as she leaves the cookies. Lifting her head just enough to peak at Rayne she wrinkles her brow in a question, wondering just what Silencia is going to tell to whom and why. If only her head would stop throbbing for a bit. And as she's wishing for the pain to vanish Mayumi feels Silencia places hands on her and slowly but surely the headache eases, the natural process moving much faster as her body soaks in the healing warmth. "Arigatou," she sighs in relief. Then Silencia has the bag of cookies in hand and is leaving to go... Mayumi gasps silently and looks at Rayne with wide eyes. "Really!?" she whispers dramatically after the priestess leaves. It doesn't take much for Mayu to guess what is going to happen. Rayne shoos Silencia away, then sighs, sounding slightly annoyed. Looking back to Mayumi after her stage whisper, she shrugs. "We'll see if she keeps her nerve or not... I know I still have trouble with that particular issue. You feeling better now?" Mayumi sits up and finishes her latest cookie, still gazing off after the priestess. "I'm not sure I could do it either, but best of luck to her." Now that the world is steadier and she doesn't feel quite so much like falling on her face, Mayumi stands up and heads for the coffee. "And I'm much better, thank you. Earlier I managed to heal Silencia a bit, so I thought I would go try it out while the feeling was fresh. It worked... And it didn't." Automatically she fills and starts the coffee pot, pouring whatever is already there into a mug and drinking it straight. "After giving myself a tiny cut I managed to heal it so that you'd never know it was there. And then I vomited all over myself and my skull felt like it was about to split open. Reptile showed up out of thin air, like he always does, and helped me into the bathroom. I think the clothes are his..." A shudder runs through her as she tries not to think about that too much. Rayne says, "Oh, so you just now learned the healing spell?" She tilts her head as she often does when her interest is piqued. "Huh. I've never had that kind of reaction to any spellwork... are you sure you're not sick? Uh oh, are Sil's cookies not as good as we thought?" She now peers down at her mostly eaten chocolate chip cookie with a bit of trepidation. "I feel okay so far..." Mayumi laughs at the suggestion that the cookies are to blame. "No, no. That cookies are fine." The coffee pot continues to make noises behind her as she tries not snorting liquid through her nose due to drinking and laughing all at once. Finally she gets a handle on herself and shakes her head. "My powers are to be used only for helping others and to do otherwise always has consequences. When I was younger I tried pushing the boundaries, nothing bad of course. But I never liked the way things worked out." Refilling her mug she carries it back to the table and sits down. "Naturally I heal faster than normal humans, and that is usually enough. When it's really bad the power will heal me without my calling it up, at least enough to keep me mobile. I've never tried using it on another being though." Mayumi shrugs and takes a pecan cookies to nibble. "Actually I was surprised it worked at all, but I felt the urge to try. This time I didn't really need it and since the power doesn't understand training or practice, it just kicked by butt for being selfish." Rayne nods as Mayumi explains the way her healing powers work. "Huh... I guess I've never really though much about what exactly your powers were... I suppose I just assumed 'spellwork' and didn't think any further. What... what exactly does power you, where do your powers come from?" By now her head is almost tilted thirty degrees as she looks at Mayumi with a quizzical expression. Mayumi laughs softly and turns around in her chair, placing her back to Rayne. "It's kind of a long story. The short version is that I am the daughter of a long line of priests/priestesses and holymen/woman. My parents kinda knew all this might happen, but no one told me until I manifested." Working slowly so as not to flash her Second, Mayu works her arms inside the loose t-shirt then lifts it so that it covers her front while exposing her back and shoulders. On her right shoulder blade and curling towards her front is the outline of a canine of some sort. "That tattoo showed up when my powers did. He kind of talks to me, but without words." Oh yeah, that makes sense. Mayumi winces internally. Never having had to explain this to anyone who actually understood, it sounds odd to her ears. "Anyway, my power is more about "manifesting my inner self." Or that's what Obachan always said." Rayne says, "'Manifesting your inner self,' huh? So in a way... the wolf is you? Or is just your ability to heal and summon magic weapons that it's talking about?" She's trying to wrap her mind around this, but there's nothing similar to this that she's run in to before. "So it's like... an idealized self image thing... You've seen yourself as a warrior, and that's what has come out?" Mayumi pulls the shirt back over herself, shifting to get it back into place. "Not really. I was always destined to be a warrior, or rather to have powers. The reason I can call a rifle is because I am used to using them so it's something I can easily imagine in my mind and manifest into reality. Same for my other weapons. Part of the reason I have so little ability with a sword is because I cannot manifest it if I am not familiar with the weapon." She pauses to sip her coffee and think of a better explanation. "Because I am aligned with the forces of good, my powers are of the light. When I think of defending others I know the best way I can do it is with a bow, because I have used a real one. Once I am familiar enough with a sword to think of it as an extension of my being, like a true sword master, then I should be able to call one up like I do my other weapons. I hope." Rayne says, "Huh.... I see..." She nods as she lifts her own cup of coffee up for a sip. "I guess that's just the way it is, so to speak. A difficult thing to really understand without experiencing it... Have I explained myself to you? I tend to forget just who exactly does and doesn't know that much about me." She then looks between her two hands... the final bit of a cookie in one hand, and a cup of steaming hot coffee in the other... dunking time!" Hopefully Rayne understood all that. She isn't sure she quite understood herself even though it makes perfect sense in her head. "No, I don't think I know much about your talents really. Only what I saw when we were going at it in the Arena. Um, how long do your people live exactly?" Rayne says, "Oh, well, we don't age. Like, at all. So while I look seventeen, I'm actually over four hundred. My dad was so old he lost track. He said I'm lucky I've got calendars to be able to keep track of that easily." She noms the last of her cookie before continuing. "See, when a phoenix dies an unnatural death, they kind of... lock in their body." She takes a brief moment to gulp down another mouthful of coffee. "So when I say I look seventeen, I know this as a fact because this is what I looked like when I was seventeen, when I stopped aging." Mayumi sips her coffee then finishes her cookie, then blinks a few times. An entire race of people that don't age? That is not something that she can quite wrap her mind around. What would it be like to always look the same? "Oh... Is your entire world composed of phoenixes?" Rayne shakes her head as she leans forward, elbows on the table. "Oh, no, no. We're actually incredibly rare. I've never even met another one, other than my father. He says there's more out there, but we keep the whole 'more than human' thing kinda under wraps, so if I have run into one, I didn't notice. I mean, I used to dye my hair to hide even that sign. Ehhh, we all also have weird colored hair. My dad's kinda looked like actual fire when he spiked it. It was neat." She takes another sip from her coffee. "But other than not aging and being able to die every month or so without lasting consequences, I kinda have a fire affinity in magic, and of course the whole 'turn into a bird' thing." Mayumi bites back a giggle. "Wow, that is amazing and kinda scary all at the same time." There are so many questions she could ask, but most of them would probably be considered rude. "And the others from your home world? All the people you told me about before. What were they?" Rayne looks a slight confused. "Well, Avia's almost entirely human. It was an early Tyrian colony, almost as old as Tyria itself, and didn't have a native intelligent species... So I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about. Or did you not mean world? Because there are a whole slew of species across the galaxy. At least a dozen or so, I'd guess? Maybe more. Probably more." Mayumi opens her mouth, then closes it again. "Um, my Earth only has the one planet. We haven't developed a way to travel to habitable worlds. The others near us won't support human life as they are. Scientists are working on a way to change that, but no luck so far." From what she understands the place Rayne comes from is so far ahead of her own that it may as well be magic or at least science fiction. "So I can really only imagine what it must have been like for you to live in a world with so many planets and places to travel." Rayne shrugs. "Most people never leave their homeworld, still. Most planets have plenty to see for an entire lifetime, after all." She takes another sip of her coffee, then points to Mayumi. "You mean Terraforming? Yeah, that's a thing where I'm from. The early Tyrian colonies didn't need terraforming, but the Terrans..." She pauses, frowning. "Earthers? What should I call the people who identify with Earth over Tyria? I call you guys Terrans, but that's kind of the Tyrian word for it. Solars, since they've just got the one Sol system?" She shrugs. "Anyway, Mars has been terraformed already. So maybe in a few generations, your Mars will be, too?" Mayumi smiles at the idea of a green Mars with human beings who would be called Marians. "Terran is fine. I don't find it insulting, just accurate really." Her eyes glaze slightly as she contemplates what it would be like to travel across solar systems or even to fly like Rayne must be able to. "I would really like to see that happen. To see human beings travel to the stars." Rayne nods at the permission to use 'Terran'. "It's not meant to be insulting... It's just closer to what the Tyrians called Earth when they left. Hrm." She tilts her head again, reaching for another cookie from the platter. "So you've not seen what it's like? I set up my apartment to resemble the cabin of a ship I owned, and it's got a porthole that the apartment complex... somehow was able to set up to a view of space. I'm thinking of adding an extension to where the cockpit would be to have a better view, too. You wanna see it sometime?" Mayumi's eyes light up like a child's and while she clearly wants to jump up and down she keeps to her seat. Fingers twitching she grabs her coffee in both hands to give them something to do. "H-how can a building...? Never mind, I'll just trust you that it can happen." Taking a large gulp of coffee, and trying not to choke on it, Mayumi manages to calm herself a bit. "I would love to see it... Please." Did that sound like begging? No. Good. She really is trying hard not to sound like a child, but how can she not be excited!? What little child doesn't dream at some point of going into space? Rayne shrugs at the question of how it can happen. "I've stopped trying to figure out how anything from Medical Mechanica works, frankly. It's all way beyond the tech from my universe. Um... are you okay?" She actually looks a little concerned with how suddenly Mayumi is seemingly a bit jittery. "Of course you can stop by my apartment sometime." Mayumi laughs. "I'm fine. It's just exciting in a childish sort of way. One always wants what one doesn't have - is a saying where I am from. So the idea of flying or traveling in space is something you will dream about, but almost never achieve. Even a near experience would be amazing!" A slight blush covers her cheeks and she picks up a random cookie to eat. "And I would be honored to see where you live." Rayne says, "I think I've heard that one, too. It might be a universal one... or rather, omni-universal?" She shrugs again. "I guess it would be. I was so excited when I first got the Spectral Eagle, and I'd been on plenty of flights before that." She munches on her cookie a moment before adding, "Though I think a large part of that was no longer needing to rely on commercial flights or one of the House Hurris owned ships. It was mine, and I could take it wherever I wanted. And now it's mothballed in orbit of Cevernal." She frowns, actually getting homesick for once." Mayumi finishes off her cookie and reaches for another only to realize that there are only a few left. Taking a chocolate chip she then pushes the plate towards Rayne. As she drinks the last of her coffee she feels a wave of fatigue sweep over her suddenly making her heavier. "Whoa. I think that whatever Silencia did is wearing off." Mayu's lids droop and barely manages the last of her cookie. "Can we make a date for later? I really should get some sleep." Rising she half stumbles to put her cup in the sink, yawning widely. Rayne nods to Mayumi. "Of course. I've still got work to do for now, myself. I'll see you later, okay?" | |
Enable comment auto-refresher