Also, long chapter, broken up into multiple posts again.
Spoiler for Partners:
Teana Lanstar shivered as she walked past the ship-port. The autumn winds were getting slightly worse these days. She didn't know why she was walking this way, what with that incident a couple of weeks ago. "And to think, I almost had a new working partner out of it too." She muttered, shaking her head. She still felt bad for that little girl, to live with such a curse for the rest of her life.
Stretching, she yawned slightly. Subaru had a few missions lately that kept her away from their shared apartment and Teana just found it too lonely in her apartment without her girlfriend these days. She could spend time at the Nakajimas, but Dieci seemed to be curious about too much about her relationship with Subaru for Teana's liking.
Just because I'm a lesbian doesn't mean... Her thoughts trailed off as she saw Hayate and Signum walking out of the ship-port, followed by the rest of Hayate's Knights, Nanoha's sister Miyuki, Rein and Agito. "General Hayate." She called to the shorter woman.
"Huh?" Hayate blinked and smiled at Teana. "Hello, Teana, it's been awhile since I saw you last. How have you been?"
Teana shrugged as she fell in step next to her former commanding officer. "Pretty good, actually. Solved a major case while you were away, I have the paper-work done and everything."
Hayate nodded and made a note to read the report when she had a chance. "Do you have any missions coming up?" Seeing her shake her head, Hayate nodded and turned to the rest of the group. "I'm going to be heading to the Saint Church, Signum, Agito, I need you two to come with me." They nodded as she turned to Teana. "If you aren't busy Teana..." Seeing her shake her head, Hayate smiled softly. "Come along then, Admiral Chrono and Colonel Nakajima are going to be there as well."
Teana nodded, wondering just what was going on as she, Agito, Signum and Hayate got into Signum's car. She watched as Shamal, Vita, Zafira, Rein and Miyuki got into the car ahead of them and drove off before Signum pulled out. At the corner, the two went their own ways.
"Ah, General, might I ask why you want me to go with?" Teana asked from the back seat as Hayate nodded.
"You may." Hayate said as she sighed. "There was an incident on Earth involving a new type of Intelligent Device and a former TSAB member who was targeted by someone. You'll hear the details in a bit."
Teana nodded as the Saint Church came into view. This sounded very important.
It felt strange to be standing in the Saint Church with the likes of Genya and Chrono. Teana knew she was at a point in her life where she could easily be admired by the two older men, but her training still made her a little jittery around them both.
"You called us here on emergency, Hayate." Chrono leaned back in his chair. "What happened?"
Hayate nodded once before she spoke. "You may remember Marona, a former member of the TSAB."
"Yes." Chrono frowned. "She retired several years ago and returned to Earth."
"Is she in trouble again?" Genya asked.
Hayate shook her head. "No. She's fine, as of now. According to Vita, she even has a girlfriend, but I digress." Hayate took a deep breath. "It seems that during her travels she was threatened by a group of Earth men who somehow got their hands on low-grade Intelligent Devices; not horribly strong in design, but they held a lot of power."
Teana raised a brow. That was new. "A new design?"
"A leaked one. That isn't all." Hayate sighed. "It seems whoever decided to develop these kind of Devices also took the time to develop a method of implanting magic power into things like bullets to inflict magical damage."
"How did--"
"Nanoha-chan's sister was shot with one of those bullets while defending Marona and her companion."
The others nodded as Carim cleared her throat. "Hayate, what do you know about these devices? Do you know who made them?"
"Unfortunately no. We had as many people looking over them as possible and we even captured a few people who were using the devices over the course of the last month. No real details from any of them." Hayate sighed and shook her head as she looked at the others in the room in turn. "The people that had these devices had almost zero magic potential, and yet were capable of using these devices and using magic."
"How?" The other four asked as the same time as they thought about it. If there were devices like that floating around these days...
Shaking her head, Hayate frowned softly. "Unfortunately, we don't know any of that, but we did find something promising... Signum?"
The pink haired woman stepped forward from her place against the wall as a star map, one that showed a rather large section of space lit up at the table. "We have managed to track down where these weapons were coming from at any rate, but the distance is rather surprising." She pointed to a blue dot nearest to everyone. "This represents Mid-Childa..." Then she pointed to an orange dot that was around five feet, or rather, the other side of the map as she continued, "this represents where we think the devices came from, at least, before they got to Earth."
"But that's..." Teana stared, her eyes slightly wide.
"Nearly a week's travel away even on the fastest ships, yes." Hayate murmured. "Which is why this puzzles me."
Nodding, Chrono looked from the map to Hayate. "What do you need?" He didn't like the way that she pursed her lips softly.
"If it's alright..." She turned to Teana. "Teana, I would like for you, Signum and Agito to go check this out."
"Just the three of us?" Teana blinked a few times as Hayate shook her head.
"No, choose at least one other person, whoever you think would work best for this mission, to help you out. But I need to know what's going on. We all do."
"One person?"
Hayate nodded. "Someone you can trust. Someone with a clear head, if possible."
Teana winced. Well, there went her suggestion for Subaru; her girlfriend hadn't been in the best state of thinking ever since the whole incident with Ixy had exploded. After a moment, she said softly, "Is Ginga currently on a mission?"
Genya shook his head. "No, she has the day off right now. She's home with Wendi and Nove."
Teana nodded. "Ginga, then. We'll take Ginga."
Hayate nodded and looked at Signum. "I'm sorry, I know that you just got back..."
"It's okay." Signum smiled softly. "I'll get plenty of rest on the way over. If you'll excuse me." Seeing Hayate nod, Signum slipped out the door with Agito following her a moment later.
"Make preparations, Enforcer Lanstar, you leave in three days." Chrono said to her as she straightened up and saluted him.
"Yes, sir."
Outside the room, Signum blinked as she saw Schach walk to her. "Ah, Schach, how are you?"
Smiling, the nun walked up to her friend and fell in line. "I'm well, actually. How about you? I haven't seen you in almost a month, I was beginning to worry."
Signum smiled softly as the two walked down the hallway. "Just cleaning up a small mess on Earth. Unfortunately, I leave for another mission soon."
"So soon?" Schach frowned softly. "We hardly talk these days anymore."
Signum shrugged, slightly uncomfortably. "I know. But this is something that has to be done." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Schach nodding slightly.
"Please tell me you have time to stop for some tea at least. Sein's gotten really good at making some these days."
Signum nodded, smiling softly. "I think I would like that."
"Also, I think it would help Vice."
Signum blinked at that. "Vice?"
"Yes. He's been coming around here and hanging out. I think he's lonely." The thought made Schach giggle softly. "Apparently you two talked quite a bit before you left, and he misses your companionship."
"Is he here now?"
"I haven't seen him." Schach admitted as the two walked into the commons area, where Sein was serving her sisters some of her new tea. "Like I said, Sein's gotten good with the tea."
"Ah! Sister Schach, Signum." Sein smiled at them. "Come on, sit down, I'll get you some tea too."
Signum nodded at the shorter, petite blue-green haired girl as she went to get some more glasses. "They seem to be doing well."
"Yes." Schach smiled. "They've settled in amazingly. It's a relief, honestly."
Signum nodded again and made a mental note to call Vice when she had the chance. She hadn't known people could really miss her, especially someone like Vice, and it felt kind of good to know that.
---
Ginga sighed and had to resist the urge to laugh; she'd never been in such an interesting position before.
Said 'position' was wedged between Nove and Wendi, both sound asleep and clinging to her tightly like she was some kind of human-shaped body pillow. Not that Ginga was complaining; ever since her missions had started up, she rarely got much time to spend with her lovers.
They were still working on that, she thought. It was hard, and it took a lot of talking to make their feelings known, but they were working on it.
It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't just in their underwear and nothing else... And the blanket was on the floor, away from them. At least cuddling against Wendi and Nove kept her warm.
Though, she did wish they weren't hugging so tightly, oh well, she could put up with it, especially with the way Nove was giving her soft kisses to her breasts in her sleep and Wendi was nuzzling her side affectionately. And Nove complains about Wendi and myself being too affectionate with her. Well, maybe she could stop fondling Nove in the living room when they were watching movies. But it was always fun to watch the short redhead blush and bite back a moan. Besides, getting her worked up always led to interested bedroom moments.
Ginga grimaced as she felt a gentle mental prick at her mind, and wished she could sit up. Yeah, I'm here, she said.
Ginga? Hey, it's Teana.
Tea, hey. Ginga blinked. What's up?
I hate to ask this of you on such short notice on your day off, but... we need another person for our mission...
Really?
Yeah, we need to leave in a couple of days and I needed someone with a clear head for this one. It's going to be a long trip too.
Ginga nodded and rubbed Wendi's side and Nove's back. Sure. I'd start right now, but Wendi and Nove are pinning me down a bit.
...I do hope that you mean that they're laying on your sides and hugging tightly and not that you're having sex.
Ginga nearly started laughing. If we were having sex, the two of them would be broadcasting what they were doing to you, just to get you worked up.
...Now I know why Subaru's the way she is... Teana's voice groaned in dismay. You like to tease a lot, Ginga.
I know, but don't worry, I'll be there.
Thanks.
Oh, and Tea...
Yeah?
Don't wait too long to tell Subaru... She's going to want to give you a goodbye present. Ginga smirked as she imagined the younger girl blushing hard.
Fine, fine. Teana was grumbling, but Ginga knew it was only a show. I'll figure something out.
Okay. See you soon.
Teana echoed her goodbye before cutting the link, and now Ginga found herself with the very interesting task of waking her lovers and telling them what she had to do.
First things first. Waking them up.
Ginga could do a million and one things to wake Nove and Wendi up in a heartbeat. Most of them were naughty and led to R-restricted activities.
But to do this quickly and easily, without any distractions...
Ginga took a deep breath and sat up. Or tried to. She was pulled back down seconds later with a startled yelp and a laugh.
"Trying to slip out." Nove muttered and looked up, her eyes slightly tired, but also a bit frustrated. "I don't like waking up alone anymore." She said as she crawled on top of Ginga and pressed her body fully against Ginga's, getting a shiver from the taller girl as their chests pressed tightly against each other. "I think Ginga needs to stay in bed..."
"Me too..." Wendi grinned and kissed Ginga's neck. "Think we can convince her?"
Damn.
Begin emergency evacuation procedures.
Or at least that was what Ginga should have been doing, but it was hard to think straight with Nove on top of her and Wendi kissing her neck.
"Hold on, hold on." The taller girl struggled to keep her head from clouding. "Look, I... I'm sorry, I just needed a way to wake you two up."
"Oh?" Nove blinked a few times as she looked at Ginga. "You could have done it more pleasurably..." She trailed off, shivering as she felt Wendi's hand slip under her panties and rub her rear directly. "Like what Wendi's doing right now..."
The taller redhead grinned at Ginga and Nove. "So, why did you want to wake us up, Ginga?" She smirked as Nove gasped and squirmed due to what her fingers were doing to the other redhead.
Ginga sighed and smiled. "But see, if I woke you up that way, I'd never get out of the bed."
Wendi grinned. "Maybe, but, you never know, right?"
As entertaining as this was...
"I... kind of have to go."
The two stopped and blinked at her. "Go where?" Nove asked, blinking as Ginga sighed.
"A new mission. I'm going to be working with Teana this time." Ginga sighed at the looks she was getting. "I'm sorry, I might be gone for awhile too..." She blinked as Nove kissed her on the lips gently. "Nove?"
"We'll miss you..." She gasped as she felt Wendi's fingers start to tease her again.
Wendi nodded. "Yep... but for now..." She grinned at the two. "Let's have some fun."
"But, I need to..." Ginga groaned as the two started to work her over. Hell with it, Teana did say it would be a couple of days after all.
(---)
Sein was heading back to the table with some more glasses when she blinked at who was walking her way. "Ah! Vice! How are you?" She smiled at the short-haired man.
"I'm fine." He laughed sheepishly. "Hoping you aren't sick of me yet."
"Ah, no, we all enjoy your company. Come in, come in, you're in luck! Signum's actually here having tea with Sister Schah, you caught her just before she headed out."
His eyes seemed to light up. "Really?" He smiled as she nodded. "Well, lead the way."
"Of course." She grinned at him.
Deed and Otto shared a look before getting up. "Excuse us." Deed said softly as she and her sister left the table. "We forgot something. Sein, we need your help with it too."
"Sure thing!" She grinned and left as soon as Vice was seated at the table with Signum and Schach looking at him. Agito was sitting on the table, enjoying the small amount of tea she was drinking.
Agito grinned the moment she saw Vice. "Hey, Vice," she greeted. "How's everything going?"
"Good enough." Vice laughed sheepishly. "Mostly just been doing some light errands and cargo transports for Hayate and the others... though I got shot at once."
Signum blinked and raised an eyebrow at him. "Shot at? What happened?" She wasn't too worried about him being hit, he was an excellent helicopter pilot.
"I don't know, honestly." Vice frowned. "I was delivering some materials for building Intelligent Devices, and while I was at the drop-off point someone shot at me and tried to make away with some of the stuff."
Signum blinked. "... Wait, they shot at you?"
"Well, yeah. I was making a ground delivery."
Schach frowned softly. "Did they get away?"
"Hell no, I sniped all of them in the leg." Vice chuckled softly and took a sip of the tea. "Sein's gotten good at making this stuff, hasn't she?"
Schach nodded at that. "Oh yes. To think that just a few weeks ago she couldn't boil water without causing problems... At least that was just because she didn't pay attention to it."
"Her concentration's gotten much better," Vice agreed. "She actually listens when she asks me for a story now instead of zoning out."
Agito snorted at that.
Signum shook her head. "It sounds amusing."
"She's very child-like at times, I think she would have rather had been causing mischief rather than terrorism." Schach said, getting a soft laugh from the others.
Vice nodded and looked at Signum. "So, Signum, what have you been up to this last month?"
Signum shrugged. "After Miyuki was injured, we were asked to guard Fiasse and Marona in her and Kyouya's place." More like Shamal had signed them up for it, but she wasn't going to complain.
Though sometimes she felt that for a woman in a relationship, Marona was... amazingly open.
"Ah... Must have been fun." Vice shook his head.
"It was... I think Vita had a lot of fun interrogating some of the people we caught." Signum took another sip of her tea. "There were more devices than we had thought in use."
Schach frowned softly. "What do you mean?"
Signum sighed softly and shook her head. "It's why we went to Earth, apparently somehow, someway, prototype devices ended up getting shipped to Earth..." She looked around before leaning in and whispering low. "We may have found where they're coming from... But the place is on the very edge of the TSAB's control."
Vice winced as he thought about that. "Oh... That's..." He trailed off as Signum nodded and sighed. "Be careful out there, it's practically lawless, being so far from the main headquarters."
Signum blinked at that before she smiled, slowly. "Thank you. I'll try my best to be, though I make no promises."
Vice shrugged and smiled. He knew he'd worry about her either way, but at least she seemed willing to try for his sake.
Schach nodded at her. "Good, but do try to not get hurt too badly. It wouldn't be good to find out that you got hurt badly out there." Oh, she knew that Signum might get hurt, that was the price that they paid for being fighters, mages, and TSAB employees.
"Teana, Agito and Ginga are going to be going with me." Signum said softly as she leaned back. "I'm fairly certain that nothing more than checking out a few activities that aren't totally legal. We'll check for any Lost Logia that might be getting dealt as well." She just hoped that it would be simple in and out.
...
Why did she suddenly feel a chill down her back?
"Signum?" Vice blinked. "You okay?"
"Huh?"
"You just shivered like a cold breeze blew by, and it's still very warm."
"I think I am." Signum sighed softly. "I think I might be a little paranoid, that's all."
Agito blinked curiously up at her master, then shrugged and went back to her tea.
Vice nodded at her, smiling softly. "Hey, you'll be fine. I can't think of anyone tougher to go on such a mission. Just be careful and watch your back."
Signum nodded, smiling softly at him. "Thank you."
"Hey, don't forget, Signum, Vice and I are here if you need to talk to us." Schach said to Signum, smiling softly.
"Thank you." Signum smiled softly, a warm feeling going though her body.
(---)
Days later, on a small ship, Teana found herself sighing as she sat in a small room reading a book as Ginga lay on the bed, playing a game, as they waited for the ship to get out of hyper-space. "Sure is taking awhile, huh?" Ginga, dressed in a tank-top and panties, said as she turned off her game and sat up.
"Yeah..." Teana nodded and marked her page. "Sorry I'm not much for company."
Ginga giggled softly. "It's okay..."
"...Hey, Ginga, I was wondering something."
"What?" Ginga blinked at her as Teana gave her a curious look.
"How come you got so close to Wendi and Nove anyway?" Teana was curious, since she couldn't figure it out herself. "For that matter, why did Wendi and Nove get together? Weren't they raised as sisters?"
Ginga chuckled. "Why are you so close to Subaru?"
Teana blinked. "Ah... well..."
"To be fair to them, Jail didn't exactly enforce sisterly feelings." Ginga sat up on her bed slightly to better focus on her game. "He said they were sisters, but he never really did anything to make them realize the true meaning of being sisters."
"So... they never knew...?"
"Well, I'm sure they love their sisters like I love Subaru, I don't doubt that. It's just... for them, it was a much blurrier line."
Teana frowned. "So... why did you get close to them?"
Ginga chuckled softly and shook her head. "I have no clue, honestly. Nove asked me on a date because she was worried about Wendi laughing at her. Honestly, I think that the two of them only wanted me to be with them because I helped Nove out and I didn't try to take her away from Wendi..."
Teana shook her head. "Sounds complicated..."
"It was." Ginga sighed heavily. "Nove's actually very insecure about everything around herself. She wants stuff, but she's afraid to go for it. Wendi's more secure about herself, but she's afraid of losing what she has." Ginga shrugged slightly. "It was hard for the first little while. Nove and Wendi... I honestly think that they're soul-mates... If you believe in that, that is."
"Really?" Teana blinked, surprised.
"Yeah, I think so."
Teana hesitated. "Then..."
"Yeah?"
"Where do you fit in?" Teana's voice was timid. "I mean, I've never heard of someone having more than one soul-mate, not counting Nanoha-san."
---
Back home, Subaru wondered if she should've taken the time to mention that she'd messed with the room's security and such so that Wendi and Nove could hear what was being said.
"I don't know, to be honest, I thought they were just letting me come along until they figured themselves out. Then we went to the beach one day..."
Teana's voice was heard next. "What happened there?"
"We got close... Things might have gotten a little out of hand, but when the two finally stopped beating around the bush..." Ginga was heard sighing. "So, things got heavy between the three of us, I was about to leave, but Nove pulled me back and things happened... Lots of things, we became lovers that day."
"Oh... Wow..."
"So, Teana, when did you and Subaru become lovers?"
"..."
"Teana?"
"You know, you just kind of dodged my question..."
"Huh?"
At Ginga's curious tone, Nove stirred. "Come on, Wendi, this is--"
"SHHHH! I wanna hear what happens next!"
"You just said you didn't know... if you think Wendi and Nove are soul mates, why do you stay with them? If that's true, they can leave you at any time... just wake up one day and realize they love each other and not you..."
"I know... I can see them leaving me if they want to... But they make me feel really good. Even if they don't feel that way about me in the end, I'm glad that i helped them out..."
"Ginga... You... You're taking this well..." Teana sounded surprised.
"Hey, they kicked my butt when we first met, I think I've got a scar on my butt somewhere from that, but anyway, I honestly don't know why they stay with me. I'm glad that they do, but if they wanted to leave me, I wouldn't stop them."
"You love them... Don't you?"
"Enough to not hate them if they left me."
Wendi looked at Nove. "You wouldn't leave her, would you?"
Nove shrugged and grimaced. "No... Why would she think we would?"
"Now answer my question, Teana... Why did you fall for Subaru?"
"Other than her being stubborn and persistant?" Teana asked dryly.
Ginga laughed. "She is rather stubborn. She got it from Mom."
"Believe me, I know." Teana sighed. "I... she makes me feel so good. I always feel so confident, even if I'm just thinking of her. She loves me a lot, which honestly amazes me because I know I'm not as kind to her as I could be..."
"Ah..."
"Yeah... and, you know... when Nanoha-san was having her babies, and Subaru was all excited... I really wouldn't mind having her baby in a few years. If, you know, there was a way to do that."
Listening in, Subaru blushed hard and started poking her fingers together. If she had known that Teana would allow that, she would have brought it up. She blinked as Wendi clapped her on the back, grinning at her.
"Good job!" Wendi grinned at her as Subaru blushed more.
"Really? I honestly see Subaru as the one carrying your child more than you carrying hers."
"Wait? There is a way?"
"Possibly, you'd need to see a doctor first, but yes. But you seem more like the one who would get Subaru pregnant rather than she get you pregnant."
"Ginga!"
"What? It's true. You seem more masculine than Subaru is at times."
"Okay, so I take charge in the bedroom, Subaru's submissive. What about you?"
"Wendi's actually the one who's the most forward between the three of us. Nove likes getting back at her though." Ginga's voice was heard laughing.
"And you?" Teana was clearly amused.
There was a long moment of silence; finally, Ginga coughed quietly.
"Honestly, I... I don't really do so much..." Ginga's voice softened. "I thought maybe that would make things easier if they ever asked me to walk away. Mostly I just let them do whatever they want and take what they want to give me."
"Kind of passive, huh?"
"Yeah, I know... I'm actually a little worried." Ginga was chuckling softly.
"About what?"
"That... That if they do leave me... That I'll end up being hurt badly."
"Do you love them?"
"I... I don't know, honestly." Ginga sighed. "I think I do, I really think I do, and, it scares me that they don't love me."
"You think they don't?"
"I honestly can't tell... I just know that when it's the two of them, they seem so happy, like everything's right in their world, and I think... I'm afraid that I'm just something they're used to and don't need." Ginga sighed softly. "I could live without them, I know I could, but I really don't want to."
"Ginga..."
There was a knock on the door, the sound of the door opening and someone stepping in. "Signum, what can we do for you?"
"We're almost there. Get dressed, we arrive in two hours."
"Yes, ma'am." Both Ginga and Teana said at the same time as it sounded like Signum left the room.
"Turn it off..." Wendi sighed as Subaru did so. "Ne, Subaru..."
The blue-haired girl looked at Wendi. "What?"
"Why did you choose Teana? She seems mean to you sometimes? Why fall in love with her?"
Subaru frowned. "Well, yeah, she is sometimes, but... she was the one who always supported me, even when we were training with Nanoha-san. And we're alone and it's just us... she's so loving and sweet. It's hard for her to be public about it."
Wendi nodded and looked at Nove. "What's wrong?"
"Does... Does Ginga think that we'll just leave her?" Nove frowned, she couldn't imagine just leaving her lover like that.
"Sounds like it." Subaru shrugged. "Honestly, Gin-nee's only been one or two serious relationships... and she's never been in love before."
"oh... Hey, Wendi..."
"Yeah?"
"We should take Ginga out on a date when she gets back."
Wendi grinned at that thought. "Yeah... A night where she gets anything she wants?" Seeing Nove nod, she chuckled. "Awesome."
(---)
"So, how close are we?" Teana asked as she walked up to the bridge with Signum, Ginga on her other side.
"Getting close, I think." Signum shrugged. "I just know they want us to come and meet on the bridge for something."
"Ah, good, you're here." The captain, an older man with a gray beard and hair said as he stood up, dressed in a blue uniform. "This is the planet, Ukuro." He said and gestured to the planet as it came up on the view screen. "A completely industrialized planet. Heavy pollution, smog, the rain's slightly acidic, so don't stay outside for too long if it does start to rain."
The three nodded and looked over the planet. "There's no vegetation here, how do people live here?" Teana asked no one in particular.
"Food's mostly imported in. There are factories that can grow food for cheap, so people can survive." The captain said and pressed a few buttons. "You'll need to blend in, make it look like you're the scum of the universe." In front of each of them were some worn brown clothes that would hang loosely around their bodies. "Anyone goes in looking like they belong to the TSAB, they aren't going to come out alive, or at least, not as pretty."
"You sound like you've had some experience with this." Signum said as she picked up her clothes. "I take it we should keep our devices on us."
"If you didn't, I'd say you're stupid. I know you can do magic without them, but it's better to be safe than sorry after all." The captain said as he pressed a few button, a display screen popping up, displaying a one-story building that was rather long. "This would be your best bet to start. It's a remodeled meeting hall that's used for auctioning off stolen goods. If anyone would have unstable or prototype TSAB tech, it would be here."
"What about Agito?" Teana gestured to the tiny Unison Device as she struggled into her clothes, grumbling and muttering all the while. "She kind of stands out."
The captain sighed at that. "Keep her close to you. You can't hide her completely, but don't let her attract attention to you. Unison Devices aren't common on this planet, so she'll attract attention either way. Try your best to keep her low-profile." He looked at Agito. "You got that? No crazy stunts, no flashy fireworks."
Agito nodded.
"What about your full form?" Teana asked as Agito shook her head.
"Can't manage magic too well with it." The redheaded device muttered softly.
"At least if she's near your group, you shouldn't be bugged too much. Unison devices are rare enough for the TSAB, if, say, criminals have one, other criminals are less likely to bother them." The captain spoke up. "Ladies, we'll arrive in 45 minutes, go get changed and head down there."
"Yes sir." The three said and turned to leave.
"Oh, and ladies..."
"Yes?"
"Good luck." The man smiled at them. You're going to need it. He thought to himself.
"Suddenly, I'm not looking forward to this mission," Teana murmured.
Ginga just shrugged as Agito finally got into her clothes, landing on Signum's shoulder. "So..." The purple-haired woman looked at the pair. "How do we hide Agito, or keep her from attracting attention?"
"My shirt has a pocket on the left front side. She can hide in there." Signum said. "Plus she's closer in case I need to unison."
"You all right with that, Agito?" Teana asked.
The small Unison Device nodded. She didn't mind hiding in Signum's pocket, it was actually quite comfortable.
"Alright." Signum said as she entered her room. "Let's get changed and get down there."
The younger two nodded at her as they went to their room to change.
(---)
Teana, dressed in brown, slightly ragged, clothing, grimaced at the air. "Bleah." She knew that she'd get used to it, but it was still pretty repugnant. It didn't help that the skies were fairly darkened by various smog clouds and other things.
Signum nodded and looked at the buildings, they were fairly unimpressive, slate gray, some windows, mostly metal and square. "Let's go." She said as she saw the building that they were looking for in the distance.
"It's close by?" Ginga asked.
Signum nodded again. It was one of the few blessings for the mission, in any case; they didn't have to go very far to get to where they wanted to be.
All in all, it only took them a few minutes to reach the building. Thankfully, everyone seemed more interested in minding their own business than checking out the newcomers.
The inside was dark, but that was due to the low lighting and the dark paint on the walls than anything else. It was larger inside than Signum had thought, lots of round tables in the place. Finding an empty table, the group sat down, just as someone walked onto the stage on the far end.
"Welcome everyone. Thank you for waiting. Our next item for bid is this lovely control console for any space ship. Using this would allow anyone to plot a course anywhere in the universe easily. Salvaged off of a patrol ship that somehow exploded last month." There was a general chuckling from the people in the room. "The bidding shall start at 90."
Somehow exploded last month? Teana hissed.
Ginga sighed. My department's been tracking this. It's a black market trade for weapons and new Devices.
Signum nodded as she watched people bid for it. I'm not surprised about this at all. The law doesn't apply as much out here. It's like a cockroach den. Squish a few, there's millions more in hiding.
"Sold to the man in the blue fur coat for 200. Next on our list is this interesting Storage Device. It's said to be able to turn anything into ash within a moment of being exposed to its heat. I don't know where this one came from, folks, it's a total mystery to me. The bidding starts at 250!"
Teana raised a brow. You know...
Yes? Signum glanced at her.
I hate to be picky or anything, but this is some pretty low-grade stuff they're pawning off. I see these kinds of things back home all the time.
Ginga nodded. It's incredibly hard to get the rare stuff, but if we poke around a bit...
It took hours, but by then the low-grade stuff had gotten away and new stuff came up.
"And this... This is a fairly rare find, folks. An actual Intelligent Device from a TSAB mage that disappeared a month ago." The announcer held up a black cube. "As you know, Intelligent Devices are rare even within the TSAB, so finding one out here is a near miracle. Bidding starts at 10,000."
Teana nearly stood up but Ginga grabbed her and stopped her. Don't. You'll blow our cover.
But...
That's not even the best they could have. Ginga's voice was soft. Sit. Wait. That's important, but there's more to come.
Agito squirmed slightly in Signum's pocket. She was starting to get warm.
"And sold for 30,000. We're going to take a small break now folks. When we come back, a really rare treat! An actual Belkan Unison Device, just sit right back and relax."
As applause erupted, the three exchanged stunned looks. "Did he just say a Belkan Unison Device?" Teana whispered.
Agito growled, to her, that was more than enough to check out the back. "We have to check it out."
Ginga nodded at her. "Right, but if we all slip back there, it would be suspicious..." She trailed off and looked at Teana. "You can do it, right?"
Teana smirked and nodded. "Stealth and spying are a specialty of mine after all." At least they were with that invisibility power of hers.
Signum nodded at her and leaned close. "Keep us updated..." She looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. "Go, now."
Teana nodded and in a flicker, she vanished.
Agito grumbled. "I wanted to go..."
Signum sighed. "Fine. Just stay close."
Agito nodded as she slipped out of Signum's pocket, flew to the floor and raced over it, knowing that most people wouldn't look down for a small, speedy object, and then disappeared after Teana.
Slipping past the door to the back, Teana was glad that it was already slightly open. She had Cross Mirage in single gun mode out and held in front of her. Looking around the stuff, she grimaced, most of it wasn't very rare, but there were a few things that could be found here and there. Books, tomes, magical artifacts, a small cage with a whimpering blond-haired girl in a skin-tight black suit that looked weak, an orb that hovered in mid-air, a...
Teana blinked and turned back to the cage. "The device..." She whispered and went to the cage, making sure not to rattle it too much. "Hey..."
"Don't... Don't hurt me..." The girl whimpered and curled into a ball and trembled slightly.
Flickering, Teana came back into view as she undid the lock on the cage and gently, very gently pulled the device out of the cage. "Hey, I won't hurt you... I'm..."
"Teana!" Agito yelled and zipped over to her.
"Agito?"
"Hey! You!" Teana looked up, seeing a balding, fat, hairy man in a tank-top and black pants, yell at her. "Let go of that property!"
Teana sneered at him, pointed Cross Mirage and shot for his leg, only to curse as a shield appeared in front of him.
"Nice try, girlie, but I've gone up against my fair share of TSAB mages, you're nothing but a little girl with a fancy gun." The man sneered at her. "I'll be glad to sell that for you once I'm done having my fun with your body." He grinned lecherously at her.
Agito knew the captain had said no fancy tricks, but this bastard deserved it. "Teana, stay put!" she called, zipping past the shooter.
The bald man blinked as Agito hurtled towards him. "What the.. hey, another Unison Device! I can--"
At that moment, Agito set off her pride and joy-her fireworks.
Right in the man's face.
Teana cringed. "Ouch," she whispered, before turning back to the Unison Device in her hand. "Don't worry," she said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Please.." The device whimpered and looked at her. "Help me."
"Don't worry, I will." Teana said and held her close. "They won't get you anymore."
She didn't look like Rein or Agito, which meant she probably depended on a different element... shaking her head, Teana looked up. "Agito, come on, we've got to go."
The redhead nodded and flew after Teana as she ran for the back of the room, only to stop and curse as she ducked behind a few boxes as more people piled in from the outside. "Agito!" She cried out as the device flew next to her. Signum! Ginga! There's a problem! I'm cut off.
What do you mean, cut off? Ginga asked.
There's a lot of people down here, and they're coming in fast. Teana cradled the Unison Device closer protectively. I can try to fight my way out, but I'm outnumbered and I can't tell if they have Devices with them.
We'll be there, just hang on. Signum's voice was heard over the communication.
The device opened her eyes, which were green. "I'm sorry... This is my fault." She whimpered.
"No it ain't." Agito growled and tossed a few fireballs out.
"Just be silent and get close." Teana muttered as Agito grabbed her shirt as she flickered and disappeared. Hopefully they could slip out without getting into a fight along the way.
Considering the way that her leg was hit as she moved by a thrown pipe, that threw that theory out the window. "Oww..." She grunted as her illusion flickered.
"Teana?" Agito asked nervously.
"I'm fine, give me a minute." Teana grimaced as she rolled to her knees, her barrier jacket appearing around her a moment later. To hell with secrecy right now. She pulled up Cross Mirage, smiling as it went to Dagger mode and sliced through oncoming debris. "Agito, cover fire." She said as several balls of energy floated around her. "Crossfire Shoot!" She cried out, the balls lancing out and smashing through several of the debris and into people.
"Behind." Agito grimaced as she fired several flames at some guards coming from behind Teana.
"Damn, where is..?" Teana sighed as the doors to the outside were blown off their hinges as Signum and Ginga broke through. "Thanks." She called out, shooting one of the guards in the knee, making him fall to his knees.
"I swear..." Signum shook her head and punched an oncoming guard in the face before blocking a piece of debris.
Ginga had rolled foward, dodging a crate thrown at her before she kicked one of the people in her way. "Come on!" She frowned as Teana limped slightly. "Hang on." She grabbed Teana and lifted her up and put Teana onto her back as she rolled out the door.
Signum twitched, grimacing slightly. This was all shot to hell. Finding out information... Why did things have to go to hell like this? She blocked a box with Laevantine as she covered the backs of everyone else, before blinking as a few devices fell to the ground. "Thanks." She said as she grabbed them and ran. There wasn't enough room to fight effectively here.
"Signum!" Agito went back to her master.
"Oh, hell." Teana winced. "Should I..."
"Let her go," Ginga muttered. "She can probably help more than you, in any case."
"Gee, thanks so much." Teana blinked at the small whimper before she remembered her cargo. "Wait, Ginga, put me down. She's hurt."
"Huh?"
"The Unison Device. She's really weak, and this is hurting her. Put me down. I'll limp."
Ginga nodded at hearing that and put Teana down gently as more people started piling out of various buildings, waving weapons at the small group.
"Holy hell, what's going on here?" Ginga yelled as she rolled forward, dodging an attack, before kicking the person in the face.
"Arrrr! Get the theives! They're stealing the goods!" An older man with one eye, a greasy white beard and wearing blue, ratted clothing called to the others, working them into a frenzy as his sword suddenly flashed and with a downwards slash, a wave of magical energy lashed out, slicing through the ground and a few people as Ginga and Teana jumped to the side to avoid it.
"They sound like cheap pirate imitations," Teana gasped out, pulling Cross Mirage up to her face and held in a defensive position.
"Yeah, well, they're pretty damn dangerous--" Ginga muttered as she dodged another swing at her head and kneed the woman in the gut, driving the air out of her attacker's lungs, driving her to her knees.
Teana heard the shot before she saw the flash of light; cradled in her hand, the Unison Device let out a small cry. "Look out!"
Teana turned around and braced herself.
Just in time to see Ginga stand in front of her, her hand held forward and take the shot, the bullet ripping right through her back, causing her to fall in a spray of blood.
Ginga gasped and stumbled backwards. "Barrier... Piercing... Great..." She mumbled, the bullet piercing just above her right breast, blood pooling out of both holes. Slumping to her knees, she grimaced. "Heh... Well, if I have to go, at least I'll go down fighting."
"I'm sorry..." The small device said in Teana's hands as Teana got close to Ginga and shot at a few of the criminals, some of them pulling out various magical and non-magical weapons.
"Just be quiet." Teana grimaced as she saw Signum fly through the air, flaming wings blazing as her unison powered through as she rained flaming destruction on various enemies. "We'll get you out of here."
"But..."
"No buts." Teana knelt over Ginga. "Are you okay?"
"... Ow..." Ginga twitched feebly. "Oh, man, my karma sucks. First I'm worried about my relationship, then this happens." She laughed weakly.
"Hey, as long as you can laugh about it." Teana pressed her free hand to the wound, trying to stem the blood flow.
"I can help." The device said softly as she winced and stood up. "I can fight them..."
Teana shook her head. "No... You're hurt, my ankle hurts and Ginga's injured, you can't do much."
"I can do this much..." The device floated up and tossed an arm to the side as she looked at Teana. "Unison..."
Teana's eyes widened. "Wait..."
"In!" In a flash, the device merged with Teana, getting a gasp from the orange-haired girl as she felt filled with a new sense of power rip through her. Winds ripped around her as Teana's orange hair turned blond, her eyes green, her uniform went from white and red to blue, green and yellow as the unison completed, even Cross Mirage looked slightly yellow.
Looking at the people around her, Teana shifted Cross Mirage to dual-hand mode and fired a few shots, they were far faster and far more deadly as the bullets went ripping with the speed of the wind, spiraling, twisting and skewering people, objects and attacks, rendering them useless.
Above her, Signum and Agito looked down and were surprised at the unison that had happened. "Quite a strong device." Signum muttered as she turned and lashed down with Laevantine's snake form, knocking several people away with ease and injuring some of the others. "I think we're going to need a clean up crew..."
"Or we can burn them all to ash!" Agito grinned suddenly, one that was nearly mirrored on Signum's face as she smirked softly.
"Indeed."
If you're going to do that, please watch your aim, Ginga pleaded mentally.
Will do. Signum smirked, then blinked as the men crashed into barriers. "Huh?"
Ginga smirked as she sat up, ignoring the blood that gushed from her wound. "I can do something, at least," she murmured.
Continued in the next post...
For a moment there I really thought that Teela was going to die, and like what Keroko said, it would have been a heavy emotional impact to Teana that would have helped all the angst going on, but I was like: "Nooo, don't die! you're just too cute to die! i-i" so in the end I was happy with her staying alive XD
Semi NSFW fic. I've done the "talk to Vivio about the birds and the bees" fic probably 4 times now, but I just love it so much XD This time I wanted to focus more on the parents and their realization that they have to confront their daughter about such an awkward subject. Dedicated to lilgumba :3
Spoiler for Reverse Psychology?:
Fate hummed to herself as she placed sweaters into Vivio's closet, taking the time to properly arrange each hanger to be doubly sure they wouldn't be wrinkled. After finishing her task of hanging the newly bought and washed clothes to ensure her daughter wouldn't freeze this upcoming winter, she went to the large laundry basket full of clothes sitting on the teen's bed.
Several pairs of panties were placed in a drawer next to the pajama pants and shirts. Pantyhose were put on the side and the drawer was closed. Fate got an armful of sock bundles and opened Vivio's bottom drawer, placing them in one at a time neatly before something blazingly pink caught her attention. Curiosity taking over, she looped a finger under the pink cord and pulled up on it. Blinking, she gripped the cable and pulled up, revealing a small plastic box attached to the end with a slide button on it. Her thumb was placed on it and she moved it up, blushing hard as a rattling came in the drawer. Understanding hit her at once and she quickly turned the device off and stuffed the rest of the socks in before closing the drawer hard.
Going into the living room, she sat on the couch and looked at her lap. She could actually feel her her face burning with her blush and even the tips of her ears grow warm. After fidgitting in place for a few minutes, Nanoha finally noticed and stopped her cleaning to sit next to Fate. "Are you feeling okay? You were really peppy a bit ago?"
"I..." Fate rubbed her hands together. "Uhm... I was... putting vivio's clothes up and... well... I saw..."
"Oh, sock drawer, huh?"
Fate looked at Nanoha in shock. "Y-You know?"
"Yeah." Nanoha leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "I don't know how she managed to get one, but I know she isn't dating anyone."
"Have you talked to her about it?"
Nanoha shook her head. "I don't really know what to say. I managed to call Yuuno and stammer out a request for a book on how to talk to daughters about it, but I just got done reading it...I'm not sure how to approach her. It said to try and make it natural or she may get shy and bunch up her emotions and not really get anything from the talk..."
"...I see." Fate leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "I was a year or two older than her when Lindy talked to me about it..."
"And Shamal explained it all to me when I was sixteen..." Nanoha felt a little bit of protectiveness swell in her chest. "I kind of expected her to stay a virgin forever, you know?"
"But if we don't explain things to her, she won't know what to do in the situation when being hit on... and she obviously knows what masturbation is."
"Yeah but..." Nanoha went silent for a moment. "She's my little girl, I don't want her to know what sex is..."
"But what if she experiments like..." Fate blushed again and looked away. "Like we did...?"
Nanoha meeped and felt her hair frizz. "Oh my word, Syn! What if she and syn are... are... you know!"
Fate felt as if her world tilted. "D-don't say that! We-we have to talk to her before she does... that...and that... and you know!"
Nanoha clenched her fist. "Right! I'll talk to her full force tonight and explain to her that it is perfectly natural to experiment on your own and to not turn to your best friend!"
Fate took both of Nanoha's hands and gripped them. "Yes! The "Make Sure Vivio is a Virgin Forever" plan must take action!"
"Yes!"
~* The next day *~
Fate laid back in her bed, sweating heavily and panting so hard she was worried that she might not get enough air. "W-Wow..." She manged to gasp out raspily, throat sore from screaming so much. "Nanoha... wow... that was... wow."
Nanoha fell next to Fate, face down, and rested her cheek on their pillow. Giggling slightly, she watched Fate try to recover from her body blitz. "Like?"
Fae nodded dumbly. "Oh yeah... Where on earth did you learn how to... do that?"
Nanoha felt her words stammer out. "W-Well... remember yesterday when we were talking about Vivio?"
Fate grinned. "That book you borrowed had karma sutra in it? No wonder you suddenly jumped to a ravaging sex vixen goddess!" She shamelessly praised her lover, blushing happily.
"Er, well...no." Nanoha facepalmed, too shy to look at Fate anymore. "I went to talk to Vivio and... she gave me pointers when she realized I had no idea what I was talking about..."
"...Oh..."
An awkward silence passed over them before Fate finally spoke. "Syn's never staying the night again, is she?"
Regarding the discussion about the rarity of intelligent devices, the first intelligent device we see in the series belonged to a civilian, so its not impossible the Chris would have one. Incidentally, Kerykeion and Asclepius are Boost Devices, the Tome of the Night Sky is a storage device, and Steed (Touma's other device) appears to be an Intelligent Device.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
Chris is young, so his going to a garage could easily be explained by his own inexperience... this is the first time he's caused some serious damage to Shining Hope that he couldn't repair himself. And I can't go the TSAB route, because Chris was never part of the TSAB and neither was his family.
Raising Heart didn't "belong" to Yuuno per se, though, although she was in his possession...Bardiche, though, was...who the hell did make Bardiche, anyway, was it Precia or Linith? Either way, it was created privately under the auspices of a highly-advanced scientific background (recall that Precia was herself a genius mage scientist), so perhaps Shining Hope's background lies within Chris's family in that fashion? It would require some backstory writing, but it's at least possible if he has access to either immense wealth, technical genius, or (possibly illegal) archaeological exploration...or black-market weapons contacts (though that gets a little tricky when the weapon itself is sapient).
The trickier problem is how a low-end repair shop would be capable of fixing an Intelligent Device, particularly given the amount of damage that such a Device can take and self-repair (Raising Heart's recovery in MGLN, and Fate and Bardiche's use of Recovery in ep. 12 of that same season), which illustrates just how badly beat up Shining Hope would have to become to be in the shop at all. The technology just isn't there--nor would Miyuki, personally, have the education and background to suddenly become a Device Meister (though ironically, it might make a valid long-term career choice).
Edit: Dern, Satashi, that was funny!
Last edited by DezoPenguin; 2009-10-10 at 21:09.
Reason: Read Satashi's short fic
The trickier problem is how a low-end repair shop would be capable of fixing an Intelligent Device, particularly given the amount of damage that such a Device can take and self-repair (Raising Heart's recovery in MGLN, and Fate and Bardiche's use of Recovery in ep. 12 of that same season), which illustrates just how badly beat up Shining Hope would have to become to be in the shop at all. The technology just isn't there--nor would Miyuki, personally, have the education and background to suddenly become a Device Meister (though ironically, it might make a valid long-term career choice).
...
*headdesk*
Gaaaaaah, this is more trouble than I thought it would be. @_@ I just assumed Miyuki could ask Nanoha if Shari or Mariel could take a look at in once she learned that her garage wasn't properly equipped to handle that kind of thing.
Gaaaaaah, this is more trouble than I thought it would be. @_@ I just assumed Miyuki could ask Nanoha if Shari or Mariel could take a look at in once she learned that her garage wasn't properly equipped to handle that kind of thing.
Okay, so that explains how Shining Hope gets fixed. Now you just need to establish two things:
1. Is Chris naive enough (or just plain stupid enough) to not understand that Intelligent Devices can't be taken to the same repair shop where you get your household electronics fixed? Or (say, if he's Hikaru), is he playing the role of someone stupid or naive enough? If he is, then that gets him in the door, but you'll have to be consistent with it later.
2. Miyuki, though, ought to know that she can't handle it. So in editing the chapter, maybe she ought to say so--but then think of the people she knows through Nanoha and say that she has some friends who might be able to take a look at it (though in that case Chris wanting to do the "have it fixed while I wait" thing wouldn't work).
Okay, so that explains how Shining Hope gets fixed. Now you just need to establish two things:
1. Is Chris naive enough (or just plain stupid enough) to not understand that Intelligent Devices can't be taken to the same repair shop where you get your household electronics fixed? Or (say, if he's Hikaru), is he playing the role of someone stupid or naive enough? If he is, then that gets him in the door, but you'll have to be consistent with it later.
2. Miyuki, though, ought to know that she can't handle it. So in editing the chapter, maybe she ought to say so--but then think of the people she knows through Nanoha and say that she has some friends who might be able to take a look at it (though in that case Chris wanting to do the "have it fixed while I wait" thing wouldn't work).
Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for the advice. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble.
Came to the same conclusion after reading Force 1 and 2 more closely. Only problem is them 3 are bonded to 3 semi-unrelated masters. While this also mirrors the original MKR character set-up (all 3 came from different schools), it also kills me to note that because of this Nanoha World setup, I won't be seeing a Dai-Rayearth three-way gattai any time soon.
Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for the advice. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble.
It's not trouble. I mean, that's why we post stuff in this thread, right, so people can look at it and point out the plotholes and technology errors and help get it all back onto the right track.
*headdesks while realizing, on that theme, that Stahlkonigin ch. 21 goes up in nine days and that while the Great Teleportation Flamewar ended in a "don't mention it" I still need to rewrite both the history of Jarentil and the weapons suite on the Heimdall killsats*
Semi NSFW fic. I've done the "talk to Vivio about the birds and the bees" fic probably 4 times now, but I just love it so much XD This time I wanted to focus more on the parents and their realization that they have to confront their daughter about such an awkward subject. Dedicated to lilgumba :3
Spoiler for Reverse Psychology?:
Fate hummed to herself as she placed sweaters into Vivio's closet, taking the time to properly arrange each hanger to be doubly sure they wouldn't be wrinkled. After finishing her task of hanging the newly bought and washed clothes to ensure her daughter wouldn't freeze this upcoming winter, she went to the large laundry basket full of clothes sitting on the teen's bed.
Several pairs of panties were placed in a drawer next to the pajama pants and shirts. Pantyhose were put on the side and the drawer was closed. Fate got an armful of sock bundles and opened Vivio's bottom drawer, placing them in one at a time neatly before something blazingly pink caught her attention. Curiosity taking over, she looped a finger under the pink cord and pulled up on it. Blinking, she gripped the cable and pulled up, revealing a small plastic box attached to the end with a slide button on it. Her thumb was placed on it and she moved it up, blushing hard as a rattling came in the drawer. Understanding hit her at once and she quickly turned the device off and stuffed the rest of the socks in before closing the drawer hard.
Going into the living room, she sat on the couch and looked at her lap. She could actually feel her her face burning with her blush and even the tips of her ears grow warm. After fidgitting in place for a few minutes, Nanoha finally noticed and stopped her cleaning to sit next to Fate. "Are you feeling okay? You were really peppy a bit ago?"
"I..." Fate rubbed her hands together. "Uhm... I was... putting vivio's clothes up and... well... I saw..."
"Oh, sock drawer, huh?"
Fate looked at Nanoha in shock. "Y-You know?"
"Yeah." Nanoha leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "I don't know how she managed to get one, but I know she isn't dating anyone."
"Have you talked to her about it?"
Nanoha shook her head. "I don't really know what to say. I managed to call Yuuno and stammer out a request for a book on how to talk to daughters about it, but I just got done reading it...I'm not sure how to approach her. It said to try and make it natural or she may get shy and bunch up her emotions and not really get anything from the talk..."
"...I see." Fate leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "I was a year or two older than her when Lindy talked to me about it..."
"And Shamal explained it all to me when I was sixteen..." Nanoha felt a little bit of protectiveness swell in her chest. "I kind of expected her to stay a virgin forever, you know?"
"But if we don't explain things to her, she won't know what to do in the situation when being hit on... and she obviously knows what masturbation is."
"Yeah but..." Nanoha went silent for a moment. "She's my little girl, I don't want her to know what sex is..."
"But what if she experiments like..." Fate blushed again and looked away. "Like we did...?"
Nanoha meeped and felt her hair frizz. "Oh my word, Syn! What if she and syn are... are... you know!"
Fate felt as if her world tilted. "D-don't say that! We-we have to talk to her before she does... that...and that... and you know!"
Nanoha clenched her fist. "Right! I'll talk to her full force tonight and explain to her that it is perfectly natural to experiment on your own and to not turn to your best friend!"
Fate took both of Nanoha's hands and gripped them. "Yes! The "Make Sure Vivio is a Virgin Forever" plan must take action!"
"Yes!"
~* The next day *~
Fate laid back in her bed, sweating heavily and panting so hard she was worried that she might not get enough air. "W-Wow..." She manged to gasp out raspily, throat sore from screaming so much. "Nanoha... wow... that was... wow."
Nanoha fell next to Fate, face down, and rested her cheek on their pillow. Giggling slightly, she watched Fate try to recover from her body blitz. "Like?"
Fae nodded dumbly. "Oh yeah... Where on earth did you learn how to... do that?"
Nanoha felt her words stammer out. "W-Well... remember yesterday when we were talking about Vivio?"
Fate grinned. "That book you borrowed had karma sutra in it? No wonder you suddenly jumped to a ravaging sex vixen goddess!" She shamelessly praised her lover, blushing happily.
"Er, well...no." Nanoha facepalmed, too shy to look at Fate anymore. "I went to talk to Vivio and... she gave me pointers when she realized I had no idea what I was talking about..."
"...Oh..."
An awkward silence passed over them before Fate finally spoke. "Syn's never staying the night again, is she?"
"Never."
*waggles finger at Nanoha and Fate* Tsk, tsk, tsk...Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan...don't you think that you're being TOO overprotective of Vivio-chan? Syn-chan loves her and vise versa.
Rein is also a fully Ancient Belka device along with the Tome of the Night Sky and Schwertkreuz... We really need more information regarding stuff in the Nanohaverse...
Rein (as in Rein Zwei) is a modern recreation, not an original Ancient Belka manufactured Unison Device like Agito. Hayate's current Tome and Schwertkreuz are also modern Storage Devices.
Quote:
Maybe I should ask Nanya if we can edit the chapter and just kill Teela off... like we were going to originally.
They'll be fine. Teana may not be the most compatible Master for her, but they'll adapt. And she's one partner Teana won't have to worry about stabbing her in the back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
Chris is young, so his going to a garage could easily be explained by his own inexperience... this is the first time he's caused some serious damage to Shining Hope that he couldn't repair himself. And I can't go the TSAB route, because Chris was never part of the TSAB and neither was his family.
I have a few suggestions:
1. Going the "family heirloom" route, Shining Hope could be an old-model design that didn't come with the self-repair feature. So it's more likely to encounter disabling damage.
2. The Device has been left inactive since it was wrecked by its previous owner. Recall that it took the Wolkenritter to damage Raising Heart and Bardiche to the point that they need external support to fix themselves. The TSAB would have... questions for how Chris wrecked Shining Hope by himself, and how come he's still alive. Since it'll be going to a Bureau meister for repairs eventually, Bureau attention will be cast on the incident eventually too. So, put some thought into this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
I just assumed Miyuki could ask Nanoha if Shari or Mariel could take a look at in once she learned that her garage wasn't properly equipped to handle that kind of thing.
Intelligent Devices are extremely rare, despite being popularized by the Aces around this time. So it's not unreasonable that details about their creation and support aren't very well known.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DezoPenguin
I still need to rewrite both the history of Jarentil and the weapons suite on the Heimdall killsats
About Jarentil, we did give you good enough pointers, right? For Heimdall, how about "cannons powerful enough to one-shot the Cradle?" Anything less would require 2 or more sats to kill an equivalent target, and you can be sure the people who thought up the idea had it looming over their heads.
I have a few suggestions:
1. Going the "family heirloom" route, Shining Hope could be an old-model design that didn't come with the self-repair feature. So it's more likely to encounter disabling damage.
Well, the general idea is that the Device belonged to someone else before Chris ultimately got his hands on it, so it's possible that Shining Hope is an older model that damages more easily and doesn't have a self-repair function.
Quote:
2. The Device has been left inactive since it was wrecked by its previous owner. Recall that it took the Wolkenritter to damage Raising Heart and Bardiche to the point that they need external support to fix themselves. The TSAB would have... questions for how Chris wrecked Shining Hope by himself, and how come he's still alive. Since it'll be going to a Bureau meister for repairs eventually,
Bureau attention will be cast on the incident eventually too. So, put some thought into this.
I'm sorry, I don't quite understand this... can you explain a little more?
Quote:
Intelligent Devices are extremely rare, despite being popularized by the Aces around this time. So it's not unreasonable that details about their creation and support aren't very well known.
Which is why I figured it would be a good idea for Miyuki to ask Nanoha, which would possibly alert the TSAB that someone's running around with an Intelligent Device that they aren't supposed to have.
2. The Device has been left inactive since it was wrecked by its previous owner. Recall that it took the Wolkenritter to damage Raising Heart and Bardiche to the point that they need external support to fix themselves. The TSAB would have... questions for how Chris wrecked Shining Hope by himself, and how come he's still alive. Since it'll be going to a Bureau meister for repairs eventually, Bureau attention will be cast on the incident eventually too. So, put some thought into this.
About Jarentil, we did give you good enough pointers, right? For Heimdall, how about "cannons powerful enough to one-shot the Cradle?" Anything less would require 2 or more sats to kill an equivalent target, and you can be sure the people who thought up the idea had it looming over their heads.
About Jarentil, yeah. Basically, what it boiled down to was, "tweak the status of TSAB membership within the chapter so that I don't initiate a debate over how the TSAB operates politically in a late chapter of a fic that doesn't center around TSAB politics and which has no effect on the story of Jarentil anyway." Or in other words, don't let a throwaway reference in the backstory get people's backs up.
And ditto for Heimdall. It's just a matter of doing the rewriting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
I'm sorry, I don't quite understand this... can you explain a little more?
JimmyC will have to correct me on this if I screw up, but:
Breaking an Intelligent Device to the point where it needs repair from an external source has been shown to be very difficult. Therefore one option would be--particularly if Chris doesn't actually use Shining Hope in combat--for him to have inherited her pre-broken. That way, the TSAB doesn't start looking at Chris and saying things like, "Just who are you and what were you doing that got this Intelligent Device so badly damaged?" He can answer that it wasn't he who broke it. Or he can lie about it and say the same thing even if he was doing something that broke it, depending of course if the repairing Meister can tell how recently the damage occurred (actually, that's a thought--if Mariel, say, repairs what she knows is recent damage but someone else takes Chris's story, is told that the device was pre-broken, files their report, and no one thinks to cross-check the two reports until later and they're Looking For Clues. Of course, it's only relevant if Chris is some kind of Suspicious Character.).
I'm sorry, I don't quite understand this... can you explain a little more?
To put it in Real World terms, that is attracting police attention on the scale of checking into a hospital with a gunshot wound.
The main way an I.D. can be broken to the point of being unable to repair itself is if it was hit by an extremely, and I mean extremely, powerful attack. Miyuki will pass Chris to Shari or Marie to do the repairs. They will note the severe damage to it and file a report with the Bureau. If it happened before Chris got ownership, fine.
If the damage was caused by something Chris did, then the Bureau will certainly want to know more. Was he casting spells so powerful, it broke his device badly? (recruitment candidate) Did he face an opponent powerful enough to break his device? (dangerous threat) And he managed to escape his attacker after his device was broken (again, recruitment candidate)
Quote:
Which is why I figured it would be a good idea for Miyuki to ask Nanoha, which would possibly alert the TSAB that someone's running around with an Intelligent Device that they aren't supposed to have.
Something like this. However, I.Ds are as rare as street-legal formula 1 racecars in our world. Rare, but not illegal for private citizens.
gah i thought i was in the tech thread again x_x; how're the modern fics coming along? I see that stalhkonegin is stalled. That jail fic is stalled for HW right? I'm eager for more :P Hmm what else, I'm not reading vampire fate. I read rich girl nanoha a while back , so that's that. Hmm, alternatives is being worked hard on? Heard you had a killer beta on your side, Satashi :P Alright, so I guess t hat eaves me. I have a fic in the works that's eh to say the least, weird.
Here's to weird!
__________________
For those that belittle their favorite characters, complain about pairings, complain about oversexed images. Stop, thank you.
Fear Anxiety Doubt is but a fad. The life of a fad depends entirely on the willingness to support it. Difficulty is a choice. Determination is a path. Your next great idea after your destination is the true goal.
Breaking an Intelligent Device to the point where it needs repair from an external source has been shown to be very difficult. Therefore one option would be--particularly if Chris doesn't actually use Shining Hope in combat--for him to have inherited her pre-broken. That way, the TSAB doesn't start looking at Chris and saying things like, "Just who are you and what were you doing that got this Intelligent Device so badly damaged?" He can answer that it wasn't he who broke it. Or he can lie about it and say the same thing even if he was doing something that broke it, depending of course if the repairing Meister can tell how recently the damage occurred (actually, that's a thought--if Mariel, say, repairs what she knows is recent damage but someone else takes Chris's story, is told that the device was pre-broken, files their report, and no one thinks to cross-check the two reports until later and they're Looking For Clues. Of course, it's only relevant if Chris is some kind of Suspicious Character.).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy C
Yes, Dezo, that's what I was thinking of.
To put it in Real World terms, that is attracting police attention on the scale of checking into a hospital with a gunshot wound.
The main way an I.D. can be broken to the point of being unable to repair itself is if it was hit by an extremely, and I mean extremely, powerful attack. Miyuki will pass Chris to Shari or Marie to do the repairs. They will note the severe damage to it and file a report with the Bureau. If it happened before Chris got ownership, fine.
If the damage was caused by something Chris did, then the Bureau will certainly want to know more. Was he casting spells so powerful, it broke his device badly? (recruitment candidate) Did he face an opponent powerful enough to break his device? (dangerous threat) And he managed to escape his attacker after his device was broken (again, recruitment candidate)
Okay, I get it now. Thank you for explaining it.
Quote:
Something like this. However, I.Ds are as rare as street-legal formula 1 racecars in our world. Rare, but not illegal for private citizens.
So... would that be enough to cause some suspicion?
Perhaps if it wasn't classified as a lost logia, it'd be suspicious to a person whom notices it while on another mission.
__________________
For those that belittle their favorite characters, complain about pairings, complain about oversexed images. Stop, thank you.
Fear Anxiety Doubt is but a fad. The life of a fad depends entirely on the willingness to support it. Difficulty is a choice. Determination is a path. Your next great idea after your destination is the true goal.
So... would that be enough to cause some suspicion?
Having an Intelligent Device would raise eyebrows, but it wouldn't be "suspicious" by itself. Having said Device damaged beyond its self-repair ability is what would set alarm bells ringing.
The thing is that the base mage (Hayate) is only using a Mid-style spell here (was it a Mid-style spell, to begin with? I always thought the rune was a Mid-style one because the bridge crew was helping her with directing the shots) but is still an Ancient Belka user and that doesn't change regardless of the type of magic she's casting =/. She may use a bit of Mid magic, but she's officially stated to be an Ancient Belka-style user, quite invaluable if I remember Chrono's (or was it Verossa's) statements in the manga. Rein is also a fully Ancient Belka device along with the Tome of the Night Sky and Schwertkreuz... We really need more information regarding stuff in the Nanohaverse...
Well, they did say in the fic that they had trouble working together because Teana uses Mid exclusively. In the end though, magic is magic, even if it works slightly different. If an Intelligent Device like Mach Calibur can support a Belka user like Subaru, I don't see why a Unison Device couldn't support a Mid using mage like Teana.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Satashi
Semi NSFW fic. I've done the "talk to Vivio about the birds and the bees" fic probably 4 times now, but I just love it so much XD This time I wanted to focus more on the parents and their realization that they have to confront their daughter about such an awkward subject. Dedicated to lilgumba :3
Spoiler for Reverse Psychology?:
Fate hummed to herself as she placed sweaters into Vivio's closet, taking the time to properly arrange each hanger to be doubly sure they wouldn't be wrinkled. After finishing her task of hanging the newly bought and washed clothes to ensure her daughter wouldn't freeze this upcoming winter, she went to the large laundry basket full of clothes sitting on the teen's bed.
Several pairs of panties were placed in a drawer next to the pajama pants and shirts. Pantyhose were put on the side and the drawer was closed. Fate got an armful of sock bundles and opened Vivio's bottom drawer, placing them in one at a time neatly before something blazingly pink caught her attention. Curiosity taking over, she looped a finger under the pink cord and pulled up on it. Blinking, she gripped the cable and pulled up, revealing a small plastic box attached to the end with a slide button on it. Her thumb was placed on it and she moved it up, blushing hard as a rattling came in the drawer. Understanding hit her at once and she quickly turned the device off and stuffed the rest of the socks in before closing the drawer hard.
Going into the living room, she sat on the couch and looked at her lap. She could actually feel her her face burning with her blush and even the tips of her ears grow warm. After fidgitting in place for a few minutes, Nanoha finally noticed and stopped her cleaning to sit next to Fate. "Are you feeling okay? You were really peppy a bit ago?"
"I..." Fate rubbed her hands together. "Uhm... I was... putting vivio's clothes up and... well... I saw..."
"Oh, sock drawer, huh?"
Fate looked at Nanoha in shock. "Y-You know?"
"Yeah." Nanoha leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "I don't know how she managed to get one, but I know she isn't dating anyone."
"Have you talked to her about it?"
Nanoha shook her head. "I don't really know what to say. I managed to call Yuuno and stammer out a request for a book on how to talk to daughters about it, but I just got done reading it...I'm not sure how to approach her. It said to try and make it natural or she may get shy and bunch up her emotions and not really get anything from the talk..."
"...I see." Fate leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "I was a year or two older than her when Lindy talked to me about it..."
"And Shamal explained it all to me when I was sixteen..." Nanoha felt a little bit of protectiveness swell in her chest. "I kind of expected her to stay a virgin forever, you know?"
"But if we don't explain things to her, she won't know what to do in the situation when being hit on... and she obviously knows what masturbation is."
"Yeah but..." Nanoha went silent for a moment. "She's my little girl, I don't want her to know what sex is..."
"But what if she experiments like..." Fate blushed again and looked away. "Like we did...?"
Nanoha meeped and felt her hair frizz. "Oh my word, Syn! What if she and syn are... are... you know!"
Fate felt as if her world tilted. "D-don't say that! We-we have to talk to her before she does... that...and that... and you know!"
Nanoha clenched her fist. "Right! I'll talk to her full force tonight and explain to her that it is perfectly natural to experiment on your own and to not turn to your best friend!"
Fate took both of Nanoha's hands and gripped them. "Yes! The "Make Sure Vivio is a Virgin Forever" plan must take action!"
"Yes!"
~* The next day *~
Fate laid back in her bed, sweating heavily and panting so hard she was worried that she might not get enough air. "W-Wow..." She manged to gasp out raspily, throat sore from screaming so much. "Nanoha... wow... that was... wow."
Nanoha fell next to Fate, face down, and rested her cheek on their pillow. Giggling slightly, she watched Fate try to recover from her body blitz. "Like?"
Fae nodded dumbly. "Oh yeah... Where on earth did you learn how to... do that?"
Nanoha felt her words stammer out. "W-Well... remember yesterday when we were talking about Vivio?"
Fate grinned. "That book you borrowed had karma sutra in it? No wonder you suddenly jumped to a ravaging sex vixen goddess!" She shamelessly praised her lover, blushing happily.
"Er, well...no." Nanoha facepalmed, too shy to look at Fate anymore. "I went to talk to Vivio and... she gave me pointers when she realized I had no idea what I was talking about..."
"...Oh..."
An awkward silence passed over them before Fate finally spoke. "Syn's never staying the night again, is she?"
"Never."
Syn: Hah! You can lock me out of your house, but you can't lock me out of her heart!