RE: [IC][Story][Arc 1] Reach for the Moon (was "title to be announced later")
07-19-2018, 01:46 PM (This post was last modified: 07-19-2018, 01:55 PM by robkelk.)
07-19-2018, 01:46 PM (This post was last modified: 07-19-2018, 01:55 PM by robkelk.)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 6, 2016
8:03 am
Kazari and Rob were reviewing the security footage from the previous night's battle, using the new monitor in the common room.
"How tall is that thing, Kazari?"
"The readings from the Good Neighbor system say it's 5.01 meters tall."
"And it's proportioned similar to a human, but with thicker limbs and neck."
"Of course. Remember the square-cube law?"
"I'm just surprised it applies to a magical creature."
"Why wouldn't it? But that isn't the important thing here, Rob-oji."
"Agreed. Are you also thinking that the important thing is that it was seen by the cameras we bought and installed yesterday?"
Kazari nodded without taking her eyes off the screen. "If we can see through a giant's Dummy Check with an off-the-shelf webcam, then we might be able to see through all of the faeries' disguises with cameras, too."
Rob was puzzled for a moment, until he remembered "Dummy Check" was Academy City's name for the esper ability to get people to ignore the esper. "Yeah. Okay, the Senshi can see them just fine, and Mikoto can see the electrical fields of their nervous systems. Let's get some Google Glasses for everybody else."
"Are those still available? And can you get them with prescription lenses for you and Mii-sempai?"
Just then, Rob's teacup started to shake. Rob and Kazari both stood up and moved back, just in time to avoid getting splashed as Skuld appeared just above the cup. "Ow! Hot!"
"I'm sorry, milady Skuld," Rob replied. "We weren't expecting you to visit."
"I know. It's just that people ... Never mind that. I can't stay for very long." She pushed a package into Rob's hands. "Save your money."
"What's in that?" Kazari asked.
"Surplus vintage debugging glasses, with the old IPv6 protocols built-in - enough to go around, because the Sailor Team can't sense everything magical despite what you and they think. Five are prescription ground; distance and reading glasses for you -" Skuld pointed at Rob "- reading glasses for Chiba-san and Mizuno-san, and distance glasses for Konori-san. Why do you insist on not wearing bifocals?"
"So I have a full area of view for both driving and computer use."
Skuld thought for a heartbeat, then nodded. "That makes sense. And here's some sensors and software to upgrade your building's Good Neighbor system and the heads-up displays that the Misaka Sisters wear." She gave Kazari a second package.
"Thank you!"
"Would you like some tea, or maybe coffee? We have both already-made."
"Coffee, black, if I can get it to go. I need to get back to monitoring Yggdrasil."
Rob filled a travel mug and handed it to Skuld. "An offering from a worshiper," he said with a grin.
"Don't go there - I don't want worshipers. But thanks. See you again!" And she dove into Rob's teacup and disappeared.
After a moment, Kazari asked, "Rob, why did Skuld-dono give us parts for the Misaka Sisters' HUDs?"
"I'm not sure. But she's the Goddess of the Future, so she had to be have been foreshadowing something," replied Rob as he half-consciously adjusted the lampshade on one of the room's lights. "Maybe we'd better see how much work it would be to convert some of the basement storerooms to residences, just in case." After another moment's thought, he added, "And if this counts as granting somebody's wish, it had better be mine, not yours."
Yggdrasil
8:09 am (Ottawa time)
"Ooh! Jamacian Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona blend!" Skuld took another sip. "And, yes, Donaldson-san, since you have offered freely and knowingly, this will be recorded as your wish. To be fair about it, I'll make sure you never lose those glasses."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 6, 2016
8:12 am
"I'm sorry. I should not have accepted her offer."
Rin and Makoto looked at Ami's sleeping form.
"You didn't know that she'd already missed a night's sleep when she said she was going to stay up again. And somebody with medical training needed to watch over Mamoru-san last night."
"Still, it was inappropriate of me to intrude on her private space at a time when she would need it. If I can leave her a note of thanks, I'll do that, then start working on warding this building."
"There's paper and pens on her desk. And you should get some breakfast first - we keep a pot of coffee ready in the common room all morning on Sundays."
"I'll do that, thank you." After the few moments it took Rin to write her note to Ami, she excused herself from the apartment.
Makoto waited until she'd heard the door close, then turned back to Ami and sighed. "You're always thinking of everybody else. You have to start thinking of yourself. I won't be able to make sure you're taking care of yourself after you go off to live with Rob-san and Mii-san for the rest of your lives."
Ami slept on, oblivious to Makoto's concern.
8:33 am
"Something smells good!" Minako poked her head into the common room's kitchen. "What're you making?"
Ruiko waved. "Miso soup's in the pot and rice is in the cooker. I thought I'd try one of the local fishes to go with them. This one's called perch."
"Is there enough to go around? I think Usagi's in no shape to make her own breakfast today."
"This fish has enough flesh for three people. I don't mind sharing."
"You, Usagi, and Chibi-Usa, then. Mamoru's not allowed solid food until supper time. I'll scramble an egg and fry up a sausage and a tomato with it for my breakfast, British style."
"No rice?"
"I'll have toast for my starch."
"That's up to you." Ruiko flipped the fish over to grill on the other side, then walked over to the fridge to get a jar of pickled sliced radish. On the way back to the grill, she stopped at the sink. "Who left an empty travel mug here?"
8:51 am
"You've never gone over your battles before?"
"Should we, Mii-san?"
"How do you figure out what you did right and should keep on doing, and what you did wrong and should stop doing?"
Rei thought for a moment as she sipped her tea. "I guess we don't."
"That stops now." Mii took a long drink of her milk. "Well, it stops as soon as everybody's finished breakfast."
11:08 am
Mii, Mikoto, and the Sailor Senshi (save for Ami) were using the common room for their very first post-battle debriefing. Mii was giving Mamoru special attention for being an idiot on the battlefield, Usagi was defending him, everyone else was taking notes.
Ami was still asleep.
Kazari, Kuroko, and Ruiko were upgrading the Good Neighbor system.
Rin was putting the final touches on the preparations for the ceremonial spell that she and Usagi would cast at noon to ward the building against evil. Kate and Jacky were visiting just to watch Rin work her magic.
Rob... was at loose ends.
The local news had reported a magnitude 2 earthquake last night, that hit at just the same time that the giant had fallen over and died. The doctors who owned the optometry clinic next door (the one Rob had used for decades) were in their building, making sure that none of their glasses and glass-grinding equipment had been damaged. So he couldn't just wander over there and stay out of everyone else's way.
There wasn't any paperwork for Lord Phantomhive's companies left unsigned that needed a Canadian citizen's signature, so he had no excuse to stay holed up in his office.
He'd already looked at the architectural plans for the building and roughed out a way to convert the empty storage rooms to accommodations. Further work there would have to wait until Monday, when he could consult an actual architect. He also didn't know whether he needed room for four, five, or (he shuddered) six more people.
He couldn't go too far away; Rin had told him that he needed to be present to observe the spellcasting. So he couldn't go grocery shopping. And he'd already asked Washuu-chan to visit so she'd be included in the ceremonial casting.
He clicked on a square in the grid. Boom. He'd lost another game of Minesweeper.
Then he noticed the time. Might as well go make sandwiches for everyone for lunch.
11:59 am
Everyone was gathered in the building's foyer. With seventeen people (and three cats) present and everyone but Rin and Usagi forced to stay outside of the ceremonial casting circle, it was a tight fit - especially since they needed to be careful not to jostle any of the gems that Rin had placed at key locations in the foyer.
Washuu had a selection of sensors out (at ceiling level), recording the proceedings. Jacky and Kate were also paying close attention, without the benefit of any fancy sensors.
Minako and Chibi-Usa were supporting Mamoru.
Everyone else were standing and watching Rin and Usagi. Ami was leaning on Rob, still half-asleep, and Mii was helping support her. Ruiko and Makoto pretended that they didn't notice.
The clock struck noon.
Rin and Usagi chanted a ritual that Rob recognized as being similar to a ritual Catholic blessing but with some important differences. He was surprised to hear it in English. "Bless this home, that it be the shelter of health, purity, and self-control; that it keep those who live here safe and secure; that there prevail here a spirit of camaraderie, goodness, compassion, friendship, and love. May this blessing remain on this place and on those who live here now and always."
Every gem in the room flared brightly for a moment, including Usagi's Silver Crystal. The Silver Crystal continued to glow for seven seconds after the other gems went dark.
"So let it be," Rin and Usagi finished.
"So let it be," repeated everyone else.
Rin announced, "It is done."
Washuu tapped a few keys on her virtual keyboard, and her sensors disappeared into their subspace pockets.
"That's it?" asked Kate.
"That's it," Usagi replied.
"Now what?" asked Minako.
"I made sandwiches."
"Yay! Lunch!"
Rin looked at Usagi sideways. She thought that that was unorthodox behaviour for someone who had just completed a ritual casting.
As the others headed for the common room, Rob and Rin stayed behind. "Is there anything else that you need or wish to do here, Ms. Tohsaka?"
"I have already caught up with Kazari, and what Ms. Crackernuts wishes to learn is not something I can teach her without access to my library back home in Japan. It would be best for me to return to Montreal as soon as I can, so that I can protect our home there in the same manner that I have protected this building."
"At least take a packed lunch with you. I made sandwiches." Rob grinned, then let the grin soften to a smile. "And I'll give you a ride to the train station."
"Thank you, Mr. Donaldson. I appreciate that."
Not too far away, near the far bank of the river that flowed a short ways north of the apartment, a pink-haired woman sat down, having jumped up in amazement a moment earlier. Someone had just worked a great work somewhere nearby, and it wasn't in a style of magic that she was familiar with.
The Pook decided that she needed to investigate. Later. Her band had a concert tonight, and she had to meet them soon to practice.
To be continued...
November 6, 2016
8:03 am
Kazari and Rob were reviewing the security footage from the previous night's battle, using the new monitor in the common room.
"How tall is that thing, Kazari?"
"The readings from the Good Neighbor system say it's 5.01 meters tall."
"And it's proportioned similar to a human, but with thicker limbs and neck."
"Of course. Remember the square-cube law?"
"I'm just surprised it applies to a magical creature."
"Why wouldn't it? But that isn't the important thing here, Rob-oji."
"Agreed. Are you also thinking that the important thing is that it was seen by the cameras we bought and installed yesterday?"
Kazari nodded without taking her eyes off the screen. "If we can see through a giant's Dummy Check with an off-the-shelf webcam, then we might be able to see through all of the faeries' disguises with cameras, too."
Rob was puzzled for a moment, until he remembered "Dummy Check" was Academy City's name for the esper ability to get people to ignore the esper. "Yeah. Okay, the Senshi can see them just fine, and Mikoto can see the electrical fields of their nervous systems. Let's get some Google Glasses for everybody else."
"Are those still available? And can you get them with prescription lenses for you and Mii-sempai?"
Just then, Rob's teacup started to shake. Rob and Kazari both stood up and moved back, just in time to avoid getting splashed as Skuld appeared just above the cup. "Ow! Hot!"
"I'm sorry, milady Skuld," Rob replied. "We weren't expecting you to visit."
"I know. It's just that people ... Never mind that. I can't stay for very long." She pushed a package into Rob's hands. "Save your money."
"What's in that?" Kazari asked.
"Surplus vintage debugging glasses, with the old IPv6 protocols built-in - enough to go around, because the Sailor Team can't sense everything magical despite what you and they think. Five are prescription ground; distance and reading glasses for you -" Skuld pointed at Rob "- reading glasses for Chiba-san and Mizuno-san, and distance glasses for Konori-san. Why do you insist on not wearing bifocals?"
"So I have a full area of view for both driving and computer use."
Skuld thought for a heartbeat, then nodded. "That makes sense. And here's some sensors and software to upgrade your building's Good Neighbor system and the heads-up displays that the Misaka Sisters wear." She gave Kazari a second package.
"Thank you!"
"Would you like some tea, or maybe coffee? We have both already-made."
"Coffee, black, if I can get it to go. I need to get back to monitoring Yggdrasil."
Rob filled a travel mug and handed it to Skuld. "An offering from a worshiper," he said with a grin.
"Don't go there - I don't want worshipers. But thanks. See you again!" And she dove into Rob's teacup and disappeared.
After a moment, Kazari asked, "Rob, why did Skuld-dono give us parts for the Misaka Sisters' HUDs?"
"I'm not sure. But she's the Goddess of the Future, so she had to be have been foreshadowing something," replied Rob as he half-consciously adjusted the lampshade on one of the room's lights. "Maybe we'd better see how much work it would be to convert some of the basement storerooms to residences, just in case." After another moment's thought, he added, "And if this counts as granting somebody's wish, it had better be mine, not yours."
Yggdrasil
8:09 am (Ottawa time)
"Ooh! Jamacian Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona blend!" Skuld took another sip. "And, yes, Donaldson-san, since you have offered freely and knowingly, this will be recorded as your wish. To be fair about it, I'll make sure you never lose those glasses."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 6, 2016
8:12 am
"I'm sorry. I should not have accepted her offer."
Rin and Makoto looked at Ami's sleeping form.
"You didn't know that she'd already missed a night's sleep when she said she was going to stay up again. And somebody with medical training needed to watch over Mamoru-san last night."
"Still, it was inappropriate of me to intrude on her private space at a time when she would need it. If I can leave her a note of thanks, I'll do that, then start working on warding this building."
"There's paper and pens on her desk. And you should get some breakfast first - we keep a pot of coffee ready in the common room all morning on Sundays."
"I'll do that, thank you." After the few moments it took Rin to write her note to Ami, she excused herself from the apartment.
Makoto waited until she'd heard the door close, then turned back to Ami and sighed. "You're always thinking of everybody else. You have to start thinking of yourself. I won't be able to make sure you're taking care of yourself after you go off to live with Rob-san and Mii-san for the rest of your lives."
Ami slept on, oblivious to Makoto's concern.
8:33 am
"Something smells good!" Minako poked her head into the common room's kitchen. "What're you making?"
Ruiko waved. "Miso soup's in the pot and rice is in the cooker. I thought I'd try one of the local fishes to go with them. This one's called perch."
"Is there enough to go around? I think Usagi's in no shape to make her own breakfast today."
"This fish has enough flesh for three people. I don't mind sharing."
"You, Usagi, and Chibi-Usa, then. Mamoru's not allowed solid food until supper time. I'll scramble an egg and fry up a sausage and a tomato with it for my breakfast, British style."
"No rice?"
"I'll have toast for my starch."
"That's up to you." Ruiko flipped the fish over to grill on the other side, then walked over to the fridge to get a jar of pickled sliced radish. On the way back to the grill, she stopped at the sink. "Who left an empty travel mug here?"
8:51 am
"You've never gone over your battles before?"
"Should we, Mii-san?"
"How do you figure out what you did right and should keep on doing, and what you did wrong and should stop doing?"
Rei thought for a moment as she sipped her tea. "I guess we don't."
"That stops now." Mii took a long drink of her milk. "Well, it stops as soon as everybody's finished breakfast."
11:08 am
Mii, Mikoto, and the Sailor Senshi (save for Ami) were using the common room for their very first post-battle debriefing. Mii was giving Mamoru special attention for being an idiot on the battlefield, Usagi was defending him, everyone else was taking notes.
Ami was still asleep.
Kazari, Kuroko, and Ruiko were upgrading the Good Neighbor system.
Rin was putting the final touches on the preparations for the ceremonial spell that she and Usagi would cast at noon to ward the building against evil. Kate and Jacky were visiting just to watch Rin work her magic.
Rob... was at loose ends.
The local news had reported a magnitude 2 earthquake last night, that hit at just the same time that the giant had fallen over and died. The doctors who owned the optometry clinic next door (the one Rob had used for decades) were in their building, making sure that none of their glasses and glass-grinding equipment had been damaged. So he couldn't just wander over there and stay out of everyone else's way.
There wasn't any paperwork for Lord Phantomhive's companies left unsigned that needed a Canadian citizen's signature, so he had no excuse to stay holed up in his office.
He'd already looked at the architectural plans for the building and roughed out a way to convert the empty storage rooms to accommodations. Further work there would have to wait until Monday, when he could consult an actual architect. He also didn't know whether he needed room for four, five, or (he shuddered) six more people.
He couldn't go too far away; Rin had told him that he needed to be present to observe the spellcasting. So he couldn't go grocery shopping. And he'd already asked Washuu-chan to visit so she'd be included in the ceremonial casting.
He clicked on a square in the grid. Boom. He'd lost another game of Minesweeper.
Then he noticed the time. Might as well go make sandwiches for everyone for lunch.
11:59 am
Everyone was gathered in the building's foyer. With seventeen people (and three cats) present and everyone but Rin and Usagi forced to stay outside of the ceremonial casting circle, it was a tight fit - especially since they needed to be careful not to jostle any of the gems that Rin had placed at key locations in the foyer.
Washuu had a selection of sensors out (at ceiling level), recording the proceedings. Jacky and Kate were also paying close attention, without the benefit of any fancy sensors.
Minako and Chibi-Usa were supporting Mamoru.
Everyone else were standing and watching Rin and Usagi. Ami was leaning on Rob, still half-asleep, and Mii was helping support her. Ruiko and Makoto pretended that they didn't notice.
The clock struck noon.
Rin and Usagi chanted a ritual that Rob recognized as being similar to a ritual Catholic blessing but with some important differences. He was surprised to hear it in English. "Bless this home, that it be the shelter of health, purity, and self-control; that it keep those who live here safe and secure; that there prevail here a spirit of camaraderie, goodness, compassion, friendship, and love. May this blessing remain on this place and on those who live here now and always."
Every gem in the room flared brightly for a moment, including Usagi's Silver Crystal. The Silver Crystal continued to glow for seven seconds after the other gems went dark.
"So let it be," Rin and Usagi finished.
"So let it be," repeated everyone else.
Rin announced, "It is done."
Washuu tapped a few keys on her virtual keyboard, and her sensors disappeared into their subspace pockets.
"That's it?" asked Kate.
"That's it," Usagi replied.
"Now what?" asked Minako.
"I made sandwiches."
"Yay! Lunch!"
Rin looked at Usagi sideways. She thought that that was unorthodox behaviour for someone who had just completed a ritual casting.
As the others headed for the common room, Rob and Rin stayed behind. "Is there anything else that you need or wish to do here, Ms. Tohsaka?"
"I have already caught up with Kazari, and what Ms. Crackernuts wishes to learn is not something I can teach her without access to my library back home in Japan. It would be best for me to return to Montreal as soon as I can, so that I can protect our home there in the same manner that I have protected this building."
"At least take a packed lunch with you. I made sandwiches." Rob grinned, then let the grin soften to a smile. "And I'll give you a ride to the train station."
"Thank you, Mr. Donaldson. I appreciate that."
Not too far away, near the far bank of the river that flowed a short ways north of the apartment, a pink-haired woman sat down, having jumped up in amazement a moment earlier. Someone had just worked a great work somewhere nearby, and it wasn't in a style of magic that she was familiar with.
The Pook decided that she needed to investigate. Later. Her band had a concert tonight, and she had to meet them soon to practice.
To be continued...
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown