trans_9 | Wide Open Spaces [Open]

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Wide Open Spaces [Open]

Owen smiled as he surveyed the park in the city. A little bit of terrain and obstructions here and there, but for the most part, plenty of open space. The perfect place for a good workout. He knew he could get the sensorium to take care of this, but right now, he wanted to get a little more of this place mapped out.

He shed his jacket and hung it over a bench, pulling just a standard run of the mill boomerang from a clip. He gave it a lazy toss, letting it arc and come back to his hand at the same spot with a satisfying 'slap' against his skin. He then started up a gentle jog around place, still hurling and catching it. He could feel his muscles start to twitch, but he kept his speed normal. He still hadn't quite managed to always make the superspeed happen, but he could pretty well keep it normal when he wanted to. Hard for running to be good exercise when it's effortless.

He grunted as he made a hurl straight ahead a bit stronger, then broke into a run to try to catch it before it would reach all the way back to where he threw it. This was good and relaxing, but still needed a bit of focus. The perfect level of activity for when you didn't want to think about other things.

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Nanoha, too, was trying to explore the city - once she'd figured out that she still had her proverbial wings, it became slightly easier (and she'd be lying if she said that it wasn't a way of getting her mind off everybody she'd left behind at home). So she was flying overhead, magenta wings sprouting from her ankles, when she passed over the park and noticed a figure tossing some sort of... boomerang, right? That's what they were called?

He seemed pretty good at it, too. Nanoha drew closer to the ground, hovering in mid-air, but she didn't say anything - she didn't want to interrupt the man's practice.

Owen was on another circuit, when something in the sky caught his eye, mostly because it was going to be in the way of his latest throw's return trip. "Hey you! Drop some altitude!" He waved urgently at her.

Her reaction time was quick, and Nanoha swiftly dove, swerving out of the way even as she twisted, scanning the sky to see what he was warning her about... and watched the boomerang come back right where her head had been a few seconds before. Ouch. That would have hurt.

Owen caught the boomerang and tucked it into the back of the neckhole of his plantsuit, trotting up towards the flying... little girl. "Y'alright kiddo?"

A nod. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for the warning." Nanoha smiled at him, though she caught the 'kiddo.' He didn't look that much older than her...

"You're really skilled with that!"

Owen grinned, drawing himself up a bit. "Well thanks. Runs in the family. That's nothing fancy though." He pulled it out again. "Just some exercise routines to stay sharp. You should see me when I'm using some of the special gear, or working at high speed." He grinned, extending his other hand.

"Owen Mercer, nice to meet ya."

She tilted her head to the side, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm sure! I'd like to see that someday." Nanoha reached out to politely take his hand. "I'm Nanoha Takamachi. It's a pleasure."

"Be my pleasure, once I get around to the rest of my gear." He winked playfully. "Always happy to show off for a pretty lady."

Even if he didn't flirt with jailbait ~~besides Kara~~, Owen still had a soft spot for doting on girls.

"Although I should probably use the sensorium for that. Some of my gear expends fuel, and that's best not wasted."

Nanoha laughed at that - both the pledge and the compliment. "That would probably be a good idea," she acknowledged. "There's no telling how much we'll be able to resupply something like that - if at all. But I'll be holding you to it anyway."

She paused. "...can I ask how a boomerang uses fuel?"

Owen grinned from ear to ear. He wished he had Horatio Caine sunglasses for the moment. "When it spews acid, for example. Or ones that explode." He smiled. "I build all kindsa stuff into my gear."

...acid-spewing boomerangs. Well, now she'd heard of everything, and she laughed again. "...that would just about do it, I suppose."

Nanoha brushed some auburn hair from her face, something dawning on her. "Do you have all of your equipment here?" Maybe she hadn't been the only one whose powers had been limited.

"I arrived with only a few pieces of gear, but I'm working on rebuilding the rest of my arsenal. I'm good at working with salvaged parts." He tilts his head. "How about you? You got any stuff out of the ordinary besides wings?"

Nanoha nodded. "I do, but... most of my powers have been limited by restrictions placed on my device," she said, pulling the red jewel out from where it had been hanging as a necklace beneath the plantsuit. "All that leaves me is with the most basic abilities." And from the expression on her face, she wasn't thrilled about it.

"Hey." Owen cut her off, stepping up and ruffling her hair, then lifting her chin as she started to look away. "Powers don't make you powerful." He smiles, holding up the boomerang. "You want to learn how to throw this?"

Now, Nanoha was polite, and Owen seemed nice enough, but - dude, a bit of personal space doesn't hurt. Still, she didn't show any obvious discomfort beyond tilting her head slightly away, though she still smiled at him. "That's true, they don't," she agreed. "If you'd be willing to teach me, I'd love to."

Owen smiled, taking the hint and backing up a bit again. He held out the boomerang to her. "Hold the flat side against your palm, and face it so it's angled outwards. This place is about as good as you can hope for, outside the sensoriums."

Nanoha took it, doing as he said, carefully placing it in her hand - the magenta wings dissolved and she sunk to the ground, giving her a bit better footing - and holding it as he had. "Like this?"

Owen nods. "Mhm. Now, don't go throwing it like a baseball. Swing it alongside you." He gestured for the throwing motion. "Throwing overhand makes it just go forward at a target. Throwing it this way makes it curve up and around to come back. Just be careful."

She looked forward, and over at the boomerang... and then nodded. "Oh, I see how you mean! Okay!"

Nanoha took a step forward and to the side, trying to copy his motion as best as possible, sending it curving up into the sky. Maybe not quite as accurate as it might have been, but it was coming back in their general DIRECTION.

"Okay, it's coming in, get ready... Just open your hand and let it come to you." Owen spoke calmly, watching it arc back, ready to intercept if he needed to.

Nanoha's eyes are fixed on it, as it comes back, she starts to take a few steps toward the side, heading to where it looks like it's going to come back to. If nothing else, the mage has good spatial perception - she reaches out for it, hand open, and... kind of swats it from the sky. It falls on the grass, and she looks a bit sheepish. "Ah... I think I overreached."

Owen smiles, patting her on the back. "No problem, that was a really good first try. I mean... not to brag, but it helps when you're using quality gear." He grins. "But that was nice."

He picks it up and holds it, showing her the grip. "Let one finger rest on the other side to balance it when you release, gives it a smoother flight." He then pointed it towards his other palm. "And I catch it by the handle when I'm fighting, just because it's easier to get another throw ready, but for beginners..." He pushed the corner of the angle into his other palm. "Take it head-on like this. It's more stable."

She watches his actions carefully, paying note - she'd had the grip wrong before, which might have explained its wobbly nature. If nothing else, she was the determined type. "All right. I think I know what I did wrong last time."

Nanoha takes the boomerang from him again, taking extra care to make sure her grip is JUST how he showed her...

...and then she steps out to throw it again. It's much smoother this time.

Owen grins proudly, following it's arc again. "Alright... let's give that arrival another shot." He pauses as it hits the highest point of it's flight. "Comin' in a little to your left. Get ready."

She isn't letting her eyes off the thing, as she takes a few steps to her left, trying to position herself right where it's going to be. Nanoha is determined to get this thing. And it's coming close, she holds up her hand, trying to judge the height...

...and manages to snag it as it comes past. Barely. "That's... a lot quicker than I thought it'd be!"

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fast-thrower.livejournal.com - 2009-09-07 20:02 (UTC) - Expand

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