trans_9 | Setting Up The Home [Open]

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Setting Up The Home [Open]

It had taken a meeting with Negi and handing over the keys, but Shiori had a place to herself. True it was the now defunct Atelier Elric, but she kept the name. One of the things she had learned when she had been sent off for school due to Fate’s insistence, was that she learned how to do the basics of magic.

As such, she put a sign up. “Now Re-opened, doing small scale transmutations and potions. Inquire within.”

Shiori hoped this would attract people who were coming near the circle of small shops, and she lit the burner that she had, and began to brew, getting lost in the motions.

With any luck, she wouldn’t have to worry too much about things as she turned on the music player which started in on a fairly nice song, and she began to hum along with it as she set to work, skirt swishing along as she fairly danced about.

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Curious about the music she was hearing from the ship, Kaya poked her head in the shop curiously. She had been sad to find out that Ed had actually been gone for a little while, and she had wanted to at least see who it was that had taken up shop in his...well, shop.

"Hello?" She called out, swaying slightly to the music.

Turning about, Shiori smiled at Kaya who had entered the shop. She waved a little, completely at home in the building. "Hello," she chirped happily. "What can I get for you today?"

Kaya was not familiar with the girl, and was curious as to why she now owned the shop. She could ask those questions later though, right now she was curious about something.

"What would I need to give you if I were looking to get something crafted, Miss..?"

"Shiori," replied Shiori with a polite nod. "The fee for crafting isn't high at all. Just a small thing like a box lunch or something. I'm not really looking for anything big."

"A box lunch," Kaya repeated, then gave the girl a wide smile. "In that case, I'll try making you the best boxed lunch that I can, Miss Shiori! Now, what I'm looking for is a sword: the person that formerly owned this store was a friend and student with me, and sadly he and my teacher are both podded. I'd like to have a chance to continue what I was learning."

Shiori nodded, thinking about the implications of that. She was expected to do the best she could, and there was... wait...

"Hmm... there was something here actually that was left behind. One moment."

Bustling into the back room, Shiori emerged with a wooden box. It had a tag on it of an alchemist symbol, a cross with a serpent winding over it. "When I was cleaning the room, I found this. I didn't know if it was meant for you since it was addressed to a girl named Katara, but..."

She opened it, and sitting there was a beautiful katana, about standard size. The hilt had a woven red braid of leather across the grip, and a guard in silver. The sword itself was in a case of blue, and it looked like it could be attached to the belt. "I'm not entirely sure but there's a lot of instructions left behind in the store. I keep finding them. I guess Mr. Elric knew that his time was growing short and left little things for his friends."

Kaya looked a little startled. Was there already a pre-made sword she could start with? Granted, that was fine, she didn't really know what was entailed in creating one....

And then Shiori came back from the backroom with a wooden box, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was addressed to. Not that this was a bad thing, she had simply wished Ed was around long enough for her to explain who she truly was.

When she saw the sword, her heart definitely leapt out of her stomach, and she admired it a moment, grasping the guard and running her hand alongside the hilt. Her eyes started to water all its own and, without thinking about it, she replaced the sword back into the box and gave Shiori a big hug.

"Thank you!" She said, smiling despite her tears. "I should be thanking Ed, but I never got to. I'm so glad you're continuing his work!"

Shiori, startled at first, hugged her back hesitantly before letting Kaya rest against her. "I just wish I could have known him," said Shiori softly. "Everyone who I talk to about him says he's a wonderful man."

"I fear my work would be sub-par at best, but I'd have to do my best at it. Are you this Katara girl or am I missing something here?"

"He was a bit difficult," Kaya laughed, "and he drove my teacher nuts. So your answer is yes, he was a wonderful man and more. I would have loved to see him do more alchemy, to be honest. That was him at his most brilliant."

She looked over at the place. "The fact that you're doing it at all is something that's an asset to us all. Don't sell yourself short: I'm sure you will do fine."

The last question, however, made Kaya look reflective, and even a little sad. "I was, once, but I was still me. In the end, I guess I just am getting over NOT being her."

Another person who knew it was like to bear another name and face. Somehow that left Shiori feeling a little less alone in the end. "I know how that's like," said Shiori nodding a little. "Still, I'm glad I can carry his work on, even if our alchemy is different."

Kaya looked a little confused. Ok, it looked like a little explanation was in order, how did she know what that was like?

"Um, are you talking about Ed? I'm confused."

"..." Darnit. She had messed up a little. Shiori sighed and shook her head. "No, I mean't carrying on someone's work. I... I do that for someone I greatly admire. Though doing alchemy as well, since I was told this was a workshop for that sort of thing helps as well."

"I should start at the beginning I suppose," said Shiori, running a hand across the table. "I know what its like, wearing a face that isn't mine, and carrying on people's work. I also know how some would wonder how one would carry on anothers work even if we're from different worlds."

"I guess you could say, I'm hovering in that area of knowing how to do things that I shouldn't."

Kaya nodded. "Oh, that was what you meant. I didn't know more than a few people knew alchemy. I knew Fletcher did, but I had no idea that there were others. Goes to show what I know!"

Kaya looked all the more confused about what she was saying now. Was she saying that she was like Kaya, someone else when she wasn't, or that she was able to look like someone else?

"You're sort of losing me," Kaya admitted. "How are you knowing things you shouldn't? What does that mean?"

"Mine is all potion and herb transmutations, as well as magic circles but the principals are similar of note," admitted Shiori. "It's not exactly like their world's stuff but flowing energy into a specific ability is similar."

"... best if I show you."

Holding up a card, one that Kaya would recognize as a pactio one, she invoked it. In a flash of light, her body changed outwardly until Asuna Kagurazaka stood there. "This is my ability, to mimic anyone that I choose. Not only that, due to a self hypnosis, I can literally become that person. Their hopes, dreams, emotions, loves, and most powers become my own."

"Wow," Kaya said, smiling. "Maybe I really should start reading up on alchemy. I won't learn it, I guess, but it would be nice to start to understand how it comes about in the first place."

Hmm. That sounded a lot like magic: and once she saw the person she changed into, Kaya started.

"Wait, that's A...Asuna! Negi's partner! Are you from Negi's world?" Pause. "Wait, are you telling me that you change into her and have all of her thoughts and feelings? then.. how would we know that you weren't impersonating Asuna to begin with?"

Shiori nodded once and then blushed, a rare expression as she shyly brushed her long red locks away from her face. "I... you're not supposed to."

At this, she looks rather ashamed of herself as she hugs her arm, a sign of vulnerability. "My mission... from Fate-sama was to impersonate Hime-sama, until such a time that we could carry out our plan to save the magical world. Being Hime-sama was the only time that I could feel like I was close to Negi-kun. So yes, I am from his world."

She sounded so vulnerable at that moment, and in Asuna's timber it sounded like Asuna herself was confessing a deep dark secret.

Kaya's eyes darkened a moment, the idea of her being one of Negi's enemies causing her sisterly instinct to want to fight the girl off. But the way that she talked about it, she could see there was something like regret on her face, as if she'd made the wrong choice. Better that she listened to the whole story first.

"So what happened?" She said. "If you could do that, and you were Negi's enemy, why tell me, knowing I would do whatever I had to to protect Negi? Have you ben impersonating her here too, the fool us?"

There was something sad about how she spoke, so Kaya reserved her judgement for now.

Edited 2011-04-19 23:10 (UTC)

"No!" exclaimed Shiori forcefully before receeding sheepishly. "No... I wouldn't do that to Negi-kun. Not again, and not after what he had been through. To impersonate Hime-sama... Asuna-sama... to do that again, I would have to lose all sense. I wouldn't want to do it to him. Not again."

She bit her lip, worried that Kaya would pass judgement on her for doing such a thing. "I don't want to lose him, as much as everyone else does. I've seen what happened to him. What he tries to do, and how much agony he suffers for protecting everyone. It's..."

Her cheeks pinked and she ducked her head, her emotions clear on her face. "I don't want Negi-kun to suffer. Ever."

"I see that too," Kaya said, "and I think, if you truly meant to do something bad to Negi-kun, you wouldn't be telling me about it. I'm sorry if I looked like I was going to attack you just now, but recently my friend was attacked because I showed toomuch compassion. I don't want that to happen again."

She stared deep into Shori's eyes. "But i do want to know what happened to make you change your mind. Granted, in this place it would make no sense to go after him anyway, but what made you change your mind, if you were following Fate's orders before?"

Shiori turned it over in her head, the question at mind as she sighed. "... because I put my trust in Negi-kun's plan, even if he doesn't remember me doing so. I saw how brave and determined he was, and I truly believe he can save our world. Even if it meant going against Fate-sama, I believe in Negi-kun."

Her cheeks flamed red as she ducked her head. "... He's too kind... even towards someone like myself, who deceived him for weeks on end."

She smiled. "Good. If you were masquerading as Asuna that long, then you know that Negi is a very special guy. He puts other people's needs before his own, and though I love him, that makes him a little stupid. People need to watch over someone like that, to be sure he doesn't break."

She laughed. "He would never look at you like that, and you shouldn't either, ok? Just...focus on finishing what Ed started: a lot of people are going to need what you have to offer. If you do the best that you can, you'll be doing a good thing for all of us."

"MMM!" exclaimed Shiori, nodding and smiling, even with tears at the edges of her eyes. People on the ship were too kind for her. It was making her feel slightly horrible that they trusted her so easily, even when she knew she could deceive anyone quickly and flawlessly.

And yet, it was nice to be trusted again. "Thank you, really. I just want to make good on what I promised Negi-kun."

Kaya, knowing it was a bit taboo and strange still reached over and gently brought the tear from her face, her fingers only a few inches away and bringing the water off her cheek. She felt bad now about thinking she was a bad person: she was actually the opposite, she reminded her a little of Zuko.

"I'm sure you will. If there's anything I can do to help you with the shop, please don't hesitate to ask. I know now Negi means a lot to you."

"I'll do that, thank you," said Shiori, blushing. She was so kind. Shiori hoped everyone else would be just as understanding as she had been. She didn't mind how Kaya brushed her tears away, it felt good to be honest.

Kaya was just happy to know there wasn't one more enemy that was going after Negi. She was still very much worried after that fight that he had with Kain, and she had hoped that he was going to be all right. Besides, Shiori didn't seem to have alterior motives so far.

"You know, even if I don't need anything, we could still have lunch together. I got some food from shore leave, and I'm going to try and make something good from that."

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