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[maidhem]

Hey guys! Has anyone tried the waffles at the waffle place by that mailbox we're being told to pick things up at now? The chocolate chip pecan waffle is FANTASTIC if you haven't! 10/10, will have again!

Oh, and speaking of the mailbox, what's with the weird hints that they're giving on the packages you pick up there? How's a fancy walking stick supposed to 'ease your pain' anyway? The waffles do just as good a job after a long day with the books!

Comments

[compendiem]

Arisato.

[maidhem]

Felicia.

I'll see you soon, Arisato!

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[compendiem]

[ He shoots off a text saying "See you there." but he's already there, has been there for much of the day, monopolizing this study room despite not being a student here because it's nice and quiet inside the soundproof walls and he can get a lot of work done without distraction.

The door to room 6A is left slightly ajar so Felicia will know to open it, but inside, Minato's sitting on one of the cushioned benches with his laptop open on his lap and and backpack down by his feet. ]

[maidhem]

[It didn't take Felicia long to find the appropriate room, since the door had been kindly left ajar for her to find. She was unfamiliar with this part of the building due to the health and sciences aspect of her major, but the university was laid out in a friendly, non-intimidating manner just to prevent it's various students from getting too lost. Backpack slung over her shoulders and heavy with the books she needed to read from over the next few days, Felicia cracked the door open and peered inside.]

Hello~

Arisato?

[compendiem]

[ Minato looks up at the sound of his name, giving his laptop screen a brief glance and finishing up the last few keystrokes of whatever he was working on before folding down the screen and setting the laptop off to the side. ]

Yeah, it's me. If it's okay, can I see your walking stick?

[maidhem]

Um... sure!

[And willingly she handed it over, not even batting an eye at how much like a theater prop it seemed in her hands. It was almost medieval looking-- which Felicia would note did fit in with a certain theme her recollections had been having overall.]

I don't quite know how to make it work. A friend suggested that I try waving it around while saying nonsense magic words, which actually sounds pretty fun to do.

[compendiem]

[ He's pretty sure that hasn't worked for her, otherwise she would be showing him instead of mentioning suggestions, but he doesn't have a lot of experience— video games, movies, books, mostly— with magic in general, let alone wands or staffs, so he simply holds it in his palms, and gives it a twirl around like a very long baton.

He looks for sparks at the ends, or a change in the lighting of the room, or anything particularly magical that isn't him twirling the staff... but nothing. He stops spinning it, and the end of it twice against the ground as if that would make something happen. It doesn't.

He opens his mouth, considers nonsense magic words, considers singing, decides against both of them, and hands the staff back to Felicia. ]

...Probably only the owner can use it. That's you, now, I guess.

[maidhem]

[Felicia watched him with curious fascination at his attempts, and was summarily unsurprised at his lack of success in attaining any effect from the ornate looking staff. Accepting it back into her possession, she cast him a sheepish look.]

Or maybe only certain people? I don't feel like there's a special connection between this staff and I in particular, but maybe only people with a certain type of skill can use it?

[compendiem]

Only magic people can use magic staffs, huh?

[ He settles back in his seat, legs crossed at the ankles so he can swing them a little. ]

If you want to test that, talk to a guy called Elliot. Don't mention my name. He hates me right now.

[maidhem]

Well, I didn't mean to say it like that...

[Clenching the staff with both of her hands, she looked away in flustered embarrassment. She hadn't wanted to make Minato feel bad about anything!]

Elliot, huh? I'll keep that in mind if I can find him.

[compendiem]

[ He shakes his head, not bothered by it at all. ]

Not like I expect to be magic or anything. Sort of the opposite, as far as "memories" go. [ He mimes waving something around, but it's just his fist without her staff in hand so it probably doesn't look like much. ] I had a sword.

[maidhem]

Oh really?

[Brows lift in interest at this.]

I had knives. That's why the staff is so confusing for me right now.

[compendiem]

Maybe there's a hidden blade in the staff?

[ Magic is... unpredictable, compared to a hand-to-hand weapon like a knife or a sword, especially when on knows next to nothing about magic in the first place. Maybe her staff is something of a spear instead of a channeling medium. ]

[maidhem]

...It's not as top heavy as it would be if there was a hunk of metal inside it.

[It was her gut guiding her on this one. Something told her that, in her other life, her means of fighting was limited to those delicate little knives that were hidden everywhere from her shoes to her sleeves in her dreams.]

But, maybe it really is supposed to be a healing staff? I'm pretty sure that the Other Me is someone's maid and bodyguard. Something involving first aid might make sense for her-- and there are knights and ninjas and dragons whereever she comes from.

[compendiem]

...If it's a healing staff, it probably doesn't work right now because neither of us are injured. Here—

[ He reaches down into the bag by his feet, unzipping one of the side pockets, and pulls out a pocket knife, working the blade out and then looking over his hand to deliberate over which finger he doesn't mind getting nicked. ]

[maidhem]

Don't hurt yourself because of this!

[She was going to be stern on that front. She wasn't nursing, but physical therapy was a related field and she wasn't going to stand for someone doing something so silly for the sake of a project.]

If it is a healing staff, I'll find another way to figure it out. I don't want people getting hurt over this.

[compendiem]

[ He lowers the blade, if only to stop her from shouting, but doesn't fold it back into its sheath. ]

Wasn't going to chop my finger off or anything... The pain goes away. And it'll heal too, even if the staff doesn't work. Something shallow like a paper cut is worth finding out how it works, isn't it?

[maidhem]

That's not the point of it-- I don't want to use something that people are going to hurt themselves over just for the fun of seeing if it works.

[She sighed. A part of her was pretty sure that, whatever kind of staff this was, it wasn't to be taken so lightly.]

[compendiem]

[ He would do it, just for the fun of seeing if it works, but that's enough for him to relent and put the knife away, not eager to the point where he would slit his wrist or do something as equally drastic just to force her into a situation where she either uses the staff or watch him bleed out.

But he doesn't really know any other way to make it work... Hm. Maybe it doesn't have to be wounds? ]

...I work with elderly dogs. Some are in pain, just from old age. We could see if the staff does anything with that? It can't hurt. [ Since they already are. ]

[maidhem]

That... should at least help little, if it does anything.

[Even if it couldn't cure the dogs entirely, it could ease their suffering-- and that made it more palatable for Felicia to take. She mulled over this thoughtfully.]

Ethically speaking, is that sort of thing even okay?

[compendiem]

[ Ethics, huh? He casts his eyes down for a second, unable to give a straight yes or a no. It's much easier if she let everything fall to him, from the injury to the healing or lack of, because he can fully understand the consequences, give consent, and take responsibility. ]

Ethics is messy, and depends on the person. Do you believe it's okay to do?

[maidhem]

I.... I don't know.

[She looked at the staff, a thoughtful frown furrowing her eyebrows as she considered everything before her.]

I'm learning how to be a physical therapist. People are doing that because they want to get better-- there aren't these fussy issues of ethics... at least, not like this.

We don't even know how strong this thing will be, and I don't want to start somethng I'm going to regret.

[compendiem]

I'm not fussy. That's why I suggested me, but...

[ He touches a hand to his chest. Something he wants healed, whether it's through magic or his own efforts or even a miracle, but if something does go wrong, nothing he can promise now will take away her regrets. ]

Guess we're at an impasse. Better find somebody who knows more, see what they did to learn.

[maidhem]

[If she knew his sentiments, she might try-- and the regrets would sting all the more if something went wrong. Heaving a frustrated sigh, she shook her head.]

No, it's not that. People being hurt just isn't something you can find on a walk around town, so trying this isn't going to be as easy as I thought...

Still, thank you for offering.

[She tried to smile despite her frustration and unease.]

You did have some good ideas there, and I think you're onto something with the magic songs...

[After all, she was recalling a haunting melody-- one that sounded like it could almost be magical, if the right person sang it.]

...Just, it can't be any old song, and I'm not that good of a singer.

[compendiem]

[ Where there's turkeys, there's bound to be injuries... but it's unreasonable to suggest she camp outside all day and wait for that to happen either. He lets his hand drop from his chest, more willing to explore whether a song would work rather than offer himself up if it doesn't involve a flesh wound. ]

It's easier to sing when you have music to go along with it. Like karaoke. [ He gestures around the room, but it's otherwise silent inside the soundproof walls. ] I come here sometimes. Clarinet, not to sing. But maybe that'll help, if you can think of what sort of song would work.