Moving day...

[foolishjustice]

Who: Goro Akechi, mostly open but one prompt for Mav
What: The new guy settles in...and regrets transferring in right before finals.
When: The first week of March and into the next weekend.
Where: The library and local cafes, the training grounds, and Lumiere room 305
Warnings: None anticipated...

[Hall of Pythia/local cafes]

[Of course he just had to transfer in right before exams. He'd been frustrated by the timing, but of course his superiors had insisted. So here he is, right before final exams...he'd at least had the requirements for combat and magic classes waived due to the late transfer, but that still leaves him looking at tests for unknown lesson plans. As confident as he is in his general studies, it still makes him nervous. That's why, if he spots someone who looks like a student about his age, he'll put down his coffee and wave at them before calling out in Japanese accented English.]

Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to have copies of this years' syllabi for twelfth graders, would you? I just transferred, and I want to make sure my old school covered everything I'll need to know.

[Lumiere 305]

[For the first full week of March, Akechi was far too busy and exhausted to really introduce himself to his roommate. He'd partially unpacked, setting up his ant farm at the back of his desk, and then spent the rest of his time either on classwork or learning his way around the campus.

By Friday, however, he finally finds time after class to finish his unpacking. And, well...he does have someone he should really be introducing himself to. He offers a grin that's carefully measured to not show too many teeth...and, honestly, doesn't seem entirely natural.]

I'm sorry I've been so scarce since arriving, I seem to have picked a very troublesome time to transfer. My name is Goro Akechi, I look forward to getting to know you.

[Following the field trip into the orichalcum mines, the one thing Akechi had taken time from his studies for was to pay a visit to the forge. With the weekend now here, it's time to test out what he'd requested...a set of arrows, barbed and tipped with a glittering gold metal. Judging from the weight of the vanes on the back, a pretty heavy one, at that. Left to his own devices, he'll spend the majority of his Saturday here, alternating between archery practice (those who know how to hold a bow properly will note that he's left handed) and exercising his familiar. He's also chosen a...strange outfit to practice in. Even more strange, the mask vanishes when his familiar is summoned.]

It feels a little strange, being able to train like this out in the open...

Comments

[lastexit]

*She'll give him his moment. She knows that this sorta reaction is on her.*

So magic doesn't always play with- what we learned is the most effective tools?

*There's not really vocabulary for this sorta thing, not that Maya knows.*

[foolishjustice]

More like...the more varied options you have, the more variety of situations you can account for. In many situations, a grenade launcher would be unquestionably more effective than a pistol...but if your target is close to an ally or an important structure, the pistol becomes the better tool due to its precision.

It's the same thing with this. A gun is better when fighting an opponent you're confident you can subdue through mundane means, while a bow with orichalcum arrows might be more effective against magical defenses or a sturdy enemy with dangerous powers.

[lastexit]

*Having to learn all the different variances of weapons was going to be like learning different instruments. Only she was good at music and fighting monsters was terrifying.*

Drawing the string takes space, so I thought a gun was just... better.

*This was more complicated than she thought.*

[foolishjustice]

In some cases, that's true. Effectiveness is highly situational, after all. But also consider the sound made when firing a gun. In Japan, even criminals who can obtain guns favor less efficient weapons because the sound of gunfire would draw attention to their location. Stealth missions have a similar principle. A bow is much quieter, so it's possible to incapacitate an enemy at range without announcing your presence to anyone within earshot.

[lastexit]

Right.

*She had considered she can use whatever weapon she wants because she can cover the sound of a rocket launcher. She hadn't considered that other people can't do that.*

So if I didn't have to worry about stealth, and I don't have magic dampening arrowheads, a gun would be the better choice.

[foolishjustice]

Under those circumstances, yes. A bullet will do more damage than an arrow, and guns are much easier to use effectively. Although, it is strange for me to think of firearms as a readily available option...where I'm from, access to them is heavily restricted.

[lastexit]

*Maya flashes back to being at home when some asshole sent a freakin' S.W.A.T. team to her house.*

I've only ever handled a gun with one of those flags that says 'bang' on it. But the real thing was more common at home than I'd like.

God, even talking about this like it's normal is weird. I don't like thinking what I can do with a gun.

[foolishjustice]

I'm a police detective, so it's not entirely unusual for me to be thinking about what I could do with a firearm in an emergency...giving advice about it does feel strange, though. I'm not used to other people around my own age being potentially involved in violent situations.

[lastexit]

...Aren't you a little young to be a police detective? That why you're so lonely?

*She doesn't dismiss it entirely, 'kid detective' loses some weird when you room with a polite bear.*

I should learn to use a gun, not an assault weapon. That's a bit much, even if I could make a rocket launcher a stealth weapon...

*Why is this her life.*

[foolishjustice]

Lonely? I wouldn't say that, I think I've been handling myself quite...quite well.

[Ignore that his voice is getting a little tight there. He clears his throat to get it back to normal.]

I am rather on the young side, but I don't really believe in allowing age to hold one back from their dreams.

[lastexit]

No, you're lonely, it's- under a sorta weird stepford vibe. Look, if you don't wanna talk about it, I don't honestly care. Just- lying to me about this sorta thing doesn't work.

*Maya closed her eyes. Letting herself feel out his power, what other tones are in his magic. There's a lot there, but some is pretty obvious.*

Any reason you decided on police? If you wanna tell me.

[foolishjustice]

Ah...

[He deflates, looking to the side and running his hand through his hair in what looks like a nervous tic.]

It's because...I've suffered quite a bit at the hands of terrible adults who slipped under the eyes of the law. I wanted to be able to uncover the lies of people like that, and bring them to justice.

[lastexit]

Sorry.

*Maybe she was hoping he wouldn't share, it wasn't the worst thing to know. And it did explain the cop thing.*

Saving other kids from going through- whatever happened to you, that's some good though?

...I don't make a habit of sharing what I hear, just- I hear it. I can't help that.

[foolishjustice]

It's...not your fault.

[Even if it does make him nervous.]

But that is my hope, yes. And I can take part in justice for the crimes against myself, as well.

[lastexit]

No, but it doesn't mean it should have happened to you.

*Practical as always.*

I'm a musician. Nothing- so deep or tied to what happened to me as your stuff is with you.

[foolishjustice]

Music can be very valuable, though. I don't have much skill in it, myself, but I've always admired the arts for the degree of personal expression they allow.

[lastexit]

I just mean I'm a musician cause I've always been drawn to music, nothing pushed me there. I know music can be valuable, especially here and with what else I am.

*She literally hears who people are as music, most of the time.*