thefarshore | [MOSTLY OPEN]

Entry tags:

ω psyche | oc

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Who: Psyche+Jae-ha; Psyche+Anyone
What: Flying! And mysterious creepy books and library adventures
When: 5/4 for Jae-Ha; 5/7 for book and library times
Where: Nearby Lakshimi's Temple and Far Shore
Warnings: None. Will update if needed

5/4 - I believe, I can fllly | Psyche+Jae-Ha

[There was a nice breeze that day. The Heavens had been, at least for the moment, quiet enough Psyche could be almost sure there wasn't going to be a surprise attack or fire or some other emergency, really. There wasn't any prayers to take care of either, so Psyche had a free day.

[It'd started with some warm ups involving her power. With focused eyes, she juggled paper ball with light, precise blasts, trying to guide it higher and higher when possible. As the wind picked it up and let it drop, she'd push it back up into an updraft, letting it drift and twirl in the air...

[Oddly, it struck a thought. She debated on it for a while before, deciding it couldn't hurt, she sent Jae-Ha a message: <font face="courier">Are you free sometime? I had an idea about how to help you 'fly' a little better. If you want to try.</font>

[After getting a reply, she suggested meeting at the temple they'd sparred at before. As she waited, she practiced with the paper ball, taking care to aim where they'd bounce off her blasts, adjusting for force of rebound and to not bash through it...]

5/7 (morning) - A Surprise Present | Nearby Lakshimi's Temple| Psyche+Anyone

[Due to the havoc the previous two days, Psyche hadn't paid much attention to much beyond investigating the ayakashi problem. As such, she didn't notice the book shoved underneath her table's leg until the morning after it arrived. She blinked at it, turning it over in her hands, before feeling wary, confused, and, unconsciously, unsettled by something about it. Resisting the urge to shove it into a drawer, she flipped through it.

[She was still flipping through it, an hour later, underneath a tree near Forrest's Temple. The book was bound in leather and shut with an unassuming but firm metal clasp. Psyche didn't think about how she unconsciously guessed the right spot to apply pressure on the clasp, only being surprised and thinking she got lucky. Instead, she was looking through the contents with great intensity.

[If anyone peaked at the contents, they'd realize: it was filled with names, all written out in neat scrawl and in English. Some names had a little sentence about them ('Sierra Goodfellow, Lower Plate Conwoman with a lot of pride') while others were just a name ('Samuel Harkness'). Most were squeezed onto a page one after another while others were curiously given their own page ('Asclepius', 'Grumpy', 'Icarus'...)]

5/7 (afternoon) - Raiding the Children's Section | Library on Far Shore | Psyche+Anyone

[Eventually, when the unsettled feeling buzzing at the back of her mind became too much, she'd hide the book away and take a visit to the Far Shore. Instinctively, she felt she needed a distraction. Or at least, something to keep busy, without driving herself into the ground after the last ayakashi attack. As such, she ended up in a place with books of a very different sort.

[The smell of books alone made Psyche feel better. She still couldn't 'read' Japanese fluently but she understood enough she occasionally picked one off the shelf and skimmed through what she could before slipped it back. A frown crossed her face when she hit an intriguing section, only to be fouled by the language barrier.

[She found herself wandering past the children's fiction section, once or twice, before she drifted closer towards it. Rationally speaking, when she thought about it, kid's books would be easier to read through fluently, right? They also had a lot of pictures so that'd make it easier to figure out what the more 'complex' words and kanji were. That didn't stop a flush of embarassment from crossing her face when she seriously considered it...

[...However, it wasn't like anyone could see her, save shinki and gods. Plus, she didn't have a library card so she couldn't take books out right now anyway (and just running out with them was instantly dismissed). And if she wanted to learn more than just hiragana and katakana, she needed practice. After passing by another few times and a few more debates, surreptitiously looking around, she picked one about a stray cat trying to find 'the one'. As she read, she silently mouthed the words, trying to memorize the patterns...]

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[What a strange message. Jae-Ha is curious, of course, but mostly because he already thinks he can fly just fine. He flies to get to where Psyche is now, dropping out of the sky with ease and grace as a bit of wind gusts around him. Lifting his chin, he raises his hand in a small wave.]

Hello! [He glances between her and the item she's toying with.] Have you been thinking deeply, to message me out of nowhere? I was pleasantly surprised.

[There was probably some superhero stories which Jae-Ha matched perfectly well right now. Psyche looked away from the paper ball, letting it fall at her feet, to catch his graceful descent. Giving a small smile]

Hey. Sorry for the short notice, it just sort of came to mind when I was practicing something.

[She picked up the ball, fiddling with it in her hands, thoughtfully.]

Since I thought about when we first met and remembered...when you 'fly' it's not really what most people think. You're just really good at controlling what and how you jump off of and such, right?

Something like that, yes.

[He places a hand on his hip, stopping in place to watch her.] My leg is incredibly strong, so I can defy gravity to a point, but I always have to come back down eventually.

[She nodded.]

Yeah. Unless you had something to catch your fall or keep giving you a leg up or something. That works better in some places than others, like in the city where there's a lot of infrastructure or things to work off of but it isn't always a guarantee, let alone a subtle way to do it...

But you're technically capable of jumping off other things that can be controlled enough to constantly give you a leg up, like my blasts.

To be honest, subtlety in jumping isn't my style.

[He'll jump anywhere he wants whenever he wants. That's how he rolls. But—] But you're right. If there's no solid surface, I'll fall like anyone else. A steep cliffside, or unstable ground, for example...

Well.... I guess to be fair, most people wouldn't be able to see you anyway if you were jumping around right in front of them. But you never know when you might need it.

[Considering the people who could see them included children. Or animals. Or ayakashi.]

Right. But what if you got some practice improvising impromptu solid surfaces?

Are you suggesting your blasts?

[What a suggestion, if so! It sounds a little like a stunt... He's debating if he likes that or not.]

Yeah. I mean, if you're comfortable with it.

[Juggling a paper ball was different than juggling a person but she sounded confident she could do it anyway. After a moment's thought, she explained]

You've felt what they're like before. They're like...a blunt projectile, more than anything. It's mostly just adjusting the blasts to be more solid than trying to smack you out of the sky, like when you were falling before.

It wasn't a bad feeling, really. A little more daring than my tastes usually are, but...

[It could be useful on occasion.] Well, would you like to try? Our timing will have to be just right.

Sure! If you're not comfortable with it at anytime, we can stop. Just let me know. At the very least, I'll try and give you as much support as possible. Like...hold on, it's probably easier to show you.

[She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed as she focusing her power (hesitance, anxiety, a faint memory of a sad dream she couldn't fully recall). It took longer to form the blast than it usually would and her brow furrowed with concentration as energy built around her hand but wavered in the air, trying to find proper shape. Then, with the right tug, the energy suddenly, visibly flared around her fingertips - usually, her power was was like a faint shimmering, blurring ripple in the air, like a heat wave; this one was brighter, wisps visibly twisting in the air. She exhaled and flicked it into the air above them. The shockwave wasn't as strong or fast as her usual ones but its shape and location were unmissable.]

The timing'd need some work but you should be able to track them if they look something like this.

You can really alter them so much!

[How impressive, really... He likes it! Watching them proudly, he shifts as if to stretch out a little.] Well, shall we try it once right here? I don't see why not.

Well, as much as possible. These ones are harder to do than my usual ones but they're good for a few rounds.

[She admitted, though there was a hint of pride in a her smile. Even if she could feel the bigger drain from these ones, it was good practice anyway and she wanted to see if this would work.]

Give me a sec. We're probably going to need some distance for this.

[A bigger heads up time, the better. She walked backwards, still facing him, and stopped at a few metres. Just enough distance he'd be able to see it coming. She breathed and, a few moments later, another ripple of energy surrounded her hand.]

Ready?

I'm ready. Do try not to push yourself too much, Psyche dear. I'd be glad to help you, but I wouldn't want to cause any problems.

[So long as she watches that line, he'll do this! So, he holds out a hand and gestures for her to go on and shoot one at him.]

I won't. Just watch out for yourself. I don't want to accidentally bash you in the face.

[There was a light note of amusement to that. The ripple around her hand became a solid looking blaze of energy, twisting and licking the air with its wisps. She needed another second to adjust and temper it before she looked Jae-Ha directly in the eyes and shot it at him.

[The blast was slow, like before, but she aimed it on level with the tip of his head - high enough he could dodge easily if needed while also being about the right height to act as a low-leveled springboard.=

[He could jump far higher than that, so he actually has to try to jump a little lower. But he manages, timing it just right with the slow pace of the blast to jump, fall back and jump off the blast as well. That second jump takes him much higher, soaring directly up into the sky and glancing back down towards Psyche as he goes. Well, so he could step off of them!]

[At the sight of his flight, she couldn't help but meet his glance with a grin. It'd worked (or at least, hadn't ended with a shockwave to the head)!

[With that in mind, the next blast would come a bit bolder. She stepped back, concentrating a new flash of power, allowing him to descend for a bit, before she sent off a second shot. This one would come at an angle - a jumping point and a chance to change direction. As she did, she called]

Any requests?

Only for you to go wild. Let's see how long this can last, shall we?

[Without pushing herself too hard, he means!! But. Yes, any angle or speed is fine, he'll jump off of it and soar quite a ways, so hopefully she can keep up.]

Alright then. Let me know if you need to stop.

[There's that sense of amusement again, though. Or at least, a trickle of interest that she's pleasantly surprised by. It was something different from just blasting ayakashi or targets and a bit fun. That in itself, oddly, made it easier to form the next blasts.

[Her next blast was still experimental, a jumping point to catch the shift in angle from the previous jump. However, the next few were higher, keeping him high as long as possible, and then changing alternating angles, prompting him to shift directions to keep 'climbing'...]

Of course.

[He can soar quite high, which he does as he keeps up with her blasts. Eventually, he might not be so easy for her to see. So he wonders if there's a limit to her blasts that's likely lower than his jumping height...?]

[There is, of course, a limit to her powers. Particularly when she's not in a state of heightened emotion. Particularly when she's pouring a lot of more energy into these blasts than her usual ones.

[By the time he's more of a speck in the sky, there's beads of sweat running down her head and she can feel a dull emptiness filling her senses. She breathed steadily - probably best time to start bringing him down?

[And the next two would. She waited for him to fall just enough before sending up a blast to break the fall and ease him down...

[The third, however, would be less solid.]

[Jae-Ha doesn't actually need the little blasts to guide him down. He jumps off of them just because it's more 'practice' with this, but the third causes him to sort of slip with its lack of solidity. This is easy enough to recover from, lifting his arms and shifting his weight so he still comes down on his right foot.

But he's quick to glance over to Psyche when he stands tall again.] Are you alright?

[Psyche's eyes widened as she caught the slip, hand automatically going up, until she saw him right himself. Once he landed and looked alright, she exhaled and ran a hand through her hair to wipe away some of the sweat. She blinked at his question though]

I'm alright. Just a little tired.

[It was a different sort of exhaustion from just running, Jae-Ha might notice. Her voice was a little wooden and her eyes looked a little odd. Like there was a sort of glassy sheen to them. At least, before she shook her head and said, apologetically]

Sorry about that last one. I should've felt it before firing off.

You don't have to apologize.

[He steps closer, focusing on the look in her eyes. He lowers himself enough to place a hand on her shoulder.] Are you really alright?

[Her shoulder reflexively twitched under his hand. However, she ran a hand through her bangs to adjust them and to obscure her eyes for a moment, before she replied, voice purposefully emotive]

I'm okay. Really. I just...overspent myself a little, and just need to rest up.

[After a few moments, she lowered her hand. Her eyes looked a little more normal, if dull.]

Um-how about you? Did you find it helped or was fun or?

Edited 2016-10-27 09:18 (UTC)

[He eyes her for a moment longer before his hand pulls back and away, resting at his own chin instead as he glances up at the sky.]

It was quite fun, somehow. Actually, I could jump a lot further into the sky than I was. I don't think your blasts would reach like that. But if the landscape were different, it could be useful then, too.

Well, it was just an idea. It doesn't hurt to have something to practice with, especially if circumstances change. Like, ending up in a place with limited jumping spots...or a low ceiling.

[Like the ballroom. She managed a small smile and though it wasn't her usual one, it looked genuine enough.]

I'm glad you got something out of it, though. I thought...it was actually pretty fun, too.

Did you? I'm glad to be of some amusement in that way, at least. Does it help with your power at all, Psyche dear?

I think so. I haven't really had to stretch my 'muscles' that way since I've been here.

[Before then, who knew? But, for now, it was important for her to have a feel for her limitations and what she could do with it.]

It's...weird. Since I guess I 'instinctively' know some of my weaknesses and what I can do, to a degree. The knowledge is there on an intellectual level. I just don't know how it feels until I hit that point.

[Such as, the light and empty space in her mind right now. Or how she had to work to stay 'emotional' as she talked, right now.]

That's right. My abilities are pretty straightforward, so I never had an issue knowing how to use them. From the memory I did regain, it's an instinct at birth...

It must be fairly difficult for you.

Oh-um, not really. At least, I don't think so? I mean...

[She fiddled with a strand of her hair of her hair. She remembered what it'd been like after Sho's would-be-rebellion. It hadn't really occurred to her to think much of what it actually cost her to use up that much power, or how to keep pushing it...even if it apparently spooked people when she used too much. Even with Jae-Ha earlier. She shook her head]

...As long as I'm careful, it should be okay. Besides, it's better if I figure it all out in things like practice. Since if I was capable of something before, it makes sense I'd be able to pick it back up again.

[After a moment, though, she looked at him with with tentative curiosity]

Um...you said you regained a memory. How did that work, exactly? If it's to ask, I mean. Since we usually don't...think about that stuff.

It's something you have to be careful thinking about.

[Shifting, he sits here on the grass and pats the ground beside him, inviting her to sit as well.] I woke up, and it felt as if it had been there all along. I can think back on it, but if I try to piece together things that make sense beyond the memory itself, it almost hurts. It's like a warning.

It's the same as if you try to think on your past now. It's hard to, isn't it? You shouldn't push past that feeling.

I see...it almost sounds like a data partition, when you put it like that. The memories are probably all still in you but it's like, it's been moved to a different section of the brain so you can't consciously access it unless it's moved back.

[She said absently, as she slipped off her jacket and sat on it on the grass. After a moment, still carefully]

It sounds like it's probably an important memory, too, if that's the one you got back...or that someone felt you should have access to.

I don't know anything about that. [Data what now?? He laughs.]

I would consider any of my memories to be important. ...This one happened to be of my childhood, and explained a lot about certain principles of mine. So I suppose it was key.

[A blink of surprise. Then, remembering people like Ayumu]

It's...um, with a computer usually has one place where all the information is saved. Like the brain. But when you partition it, you're basically breaking the 'brain' into independent, separate sections or brains. It's the same 'body' and all the knowledge is still there, but you might only be able to access one of the brains.

[A genuine frown crossed her face as she explained. Mostly because she wondered, a little now, how they'd decided what to throw where and how...]

Oh-I see. Well...maybe in that case, if someone didn't give it back to you, it's just some memories are stronger than others? At least, strong enough you couldn't completely forget.

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