caughtinanetwork | Second Flame

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Second Flame | Video

[Rin has been in Vatheon all of a week. His first day he got in to a fight with Masaru and was chastised by Zelda for nearly brawling near the coral, but since then it's been quiet for him.

And he's already bored.

He's staring at the SFC, chin in his hand, tapping fingers on the table off screen. Eventually he lets out a sigh and straightens, running hands through his hair with an additional huff.]

So. I can't train here, not like I can back home since Shura is gone again. And I'm pretty sure I can't go to school here either.

[Oh please let that be true. Please please please.]

So... what the hell else is there to do? Like... can I get a job even though I don't need money?

[he slumps back in his chair, hanging over the back rest with his arms down at his sides and his head tilted back. He spins around in it so he's facing the SFC again, though now looking at it upside down.]

Just... gimmie somethin' to do! Please! I'm gonna go insane if I take one more pointless walk to the plaza again...

[Help a demon out, Vatheon.

Or torment him.

There's that option, too.]

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Hello again, Rin.

[When confronted with someone that she feels can read her ears, it's natural for Zelda to moderate them. Upon hearing his voice, she relaxes them.]

Shall we head up? There's a place not too far from the elevator that would be suitable, I believe.

[Rin caught the movement, but for the moment he didn't say anything about it. It was still weird for him to see some one who he knew wasn't a demon to have ears like that.]

Yeah. Uh... lead the way, I guess.

[He shrugs a bit and stuffs his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, shoulders slightly hunched.]

[She heads to the same spot that the exorcism was performed in. Though Serph and his tribe weren't functional without their demons, it had been proven that the barrier was effective against demons and their powers. The runes on the ground are currently inactive, and she'll wait for him to cross over them before activating it.]

Come over here. This area should contain any wayward power.

[Rin gives a weird look to the runes. They're not like anything he's ever seen before, not even in the really, really old exorcist texts. It makes him a little nervous, and his tail gives an uncertain twitch at it, curling up more than usual.

He follows her in spite of his trepidation, though. If nothing else he trusts her at least, and he knows she's not trying to harm him in any way.]

This is just a test to see if this will be suitable for your sort of power, all right?

[Zelda raises a hand and activates the barrier again. It extends above them in a large, three-dimensional blue triangle. Though it isn't visible, it extends below them as well.]

Try to walk out. If this works, it should repel you harmlessly.

... okay.

[That weird feeling is back again, the one from when she trapped him the first time. But it's less so, probably because the barrier is much larger. He turns to it, taking a breath and walking forward slowly.

When he hits the barrier, it's not painful at all, but feels like something very, very strong is pushing him back by his shoulders. It's still kind of freaky to him, though, and he instinctively jumps back.]

Whoa.

[So either this works on creatures of darkness in general, or Rin is a demon... she doesn't comment on it, stepping outside the barrier with a smile.]

Good, it seems to work. Try a small application of your power, now?

[They can get in to specifics later.]

Uh... alright...

[He can activate his flames without his sword, and it's one of the things he's been practicing, but it still feels a little weird to do them in front of some one who's never seen it.

He shifts on his feet, then holds his hand up, blue flames coming to life on it. A flick, and he sends a couple of flames at the barrier. They hit it, dissipating harmlessly.]

It seems as if it works. Fire, is it? Thankfully this area is mostly dirt and sand, you will not burn much of anything on accident. Will the fire harm you at all?

[Most people capable of some sort of magic only cast things which won't rebound and kill them, but it never hurts to be certain.]

Me? Nah. But uh... not everyone's immune to it, yehknow?

[That's Rin-speak for 'be careful gdit I don't want to hurt you :|' ]

I will remain out here, don't worry. I just wanted to know if I should intervene if the flames touch you. It sounds as if that is not a concern.

[The princess moves and sits against a nearby rock, allowing Rin to (hopefully) practice his fire-wielding in peace.]

No, not really.

[He undoes the snaps on the sword cover, letting it fall at his feet. He grips the handle of the sword and pulls the sheath off. That little blue flame that appeared in his hand earlier? This is a lot of those flames. They appear all over his body and the sword in a rush. The tip of his tail even lights up, and his ears grow longer as well.

As soon as the initial rush calms down, he looks at Zelda, trying to gauge her reaction through the barrier.]

[Since he seems to be mentally present, her reaction is undisguised interest. Zelda does love new things, and this is certainly new. What was he, exactly? Would he be offended if she asked or tried to sense him out with magic? She just watches visually instead, keeping quiet. She doesn't seem afraid.]

[Well... she's not freaked out at least.]

So uh... any suggestions... ? Last thing I was workin' on was... lighting candles.

[Oh Shura, why was your training so lame.]

I'm not familiar with how your power works, but... try writing letters on the ground and holding them there. That would require a great deal of control, would it not?

[Zelda: princess, mother to everything, and... demon trainer?]

Writing letters? Like... with the flames?

[I'll take "things Zelda was never expecting to ever do" for 500, Alex.

Also Rin's confused. What.]

Yes, like this.

[She holds a hand out and writes her own name in the air with light, maintaining control of her magic to keep the shape and size of the letters precise. Zelda holds the display in the air for him to look at.]

Oh.

[He tilts his head to the side, sounding out the name quietly.]

Zeruda...

Okay...

[He looks down and smooths out some of the dirt with his shoe, crouching down to etch his name in katakana on the ground with a finger, trailing blue fire with it as he goes. Once he's done he sits back, sword across his knees, and focuses on it like he did with the candles, trying to hold it in place.]

Good. Now that you have the hang of that form, try to heat it intensely enough to melt the sand beneath it - see if you can create glass in that shape.

[If he can't, then at least they're surrounded by water!]

[Glass? Ohh, this should be interesting. This might actually be hard than the stupid candle training.

He tries to focus on it, but it after a few seconds of it just kind of sputtering and occasionally rising and lowering, his irritation gets the better of him and he tries to just flash-burn in it to submission.

It... doesn't work very well. Instead he gets a huge flare up right in his face, sending him sprawling backwards with a scream and a flail.]

[Having magic that runs partially on emotions herself, Zelda knows the look of an emotional flareup. Her tone is chiding, but not unkind.]

You mustn't allow yourself to become frustrated if you don't get results. An out of control flame will only burn down everything, after all. You must focus and lay out the path for it calmly lest you destroy that you seek to protect as well.

[Every word that had just come from her mouth was once from Impa's. Oh, Impa...]

Auuugh...

[Rin sits back up, rubbing at his eyes. He's not harmed at all, but that doesn't stop the fact that he was momentarily blinded by his own flames by being so close.]

I was focusing!

[Oh Zelda, do you know what you've gotten yourself in to?]

For a few seconds, perhaps. Then there was a surge of power.

[Enjoying being around someone who can read the flow of mana, Rin? It's especially easy to read while he's sitting smack dab in the middle of her barrier!]

Eh--! ... Ehh...

[He almost argues. Almost. But he shuts himself up pretty quickly, shoulders sagging and tail drooping low. Even his ears get in on it, going down a little.

Right. Try, try again. That's what Shura always made him do. He brushes the burned dirt away and starts over, staring at the flames intently.]

[Though she isn't sure if it will help him or not, Zelda takes out her harp and begins to play a song quietly. It isn't quite the Bolero of Fire, and it isn't quite the Nocture of Shadow either - it's something inbetween, like she perceives Rin's flames of darkness to be. There's magic behind the song, it's possible that it will help.]

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