Magical Girl Quest - The Fire That Burns

"Yes, that would be lovely." You follow the woman through a set of doors and back outside, a small gazebo sitting next to the lake. She leads you over and beckons to you sit down, whispering something to another Miko before taking her seat.

"Tea will be arriving shortly." She folds her hands in her lap, brushing a stray hair away from her face. I wonder if they teach that in Miko school. You snort quietly at your thought, Miko school. A gentle breeze tickles your face, aforementioned hair falling back onto the Miko's face. She brushes it away again, taking a deep breath of the fresh air before looking at you, waiting for you to start a conversation of some sort. Alright then.

"What is your name?" She stares at you for a moment before nodding.

"I am called Aikiko." You open your mouth to reply in kind but stop, something about her tone of voice catching your attention. Hmm.

"That isn't your real name."

She nods easily. "I gave up using my real name when I became a Miko."

"And why is that?" Ex-criminal? Religious reasons?

"I deal with many spirits, the vast majority of them I do not want to know my name." Huh.

"I saw the dragon... thing." You know that it's a bad idea to judge things by their look, but it was just so... pathetic looking. "That is a spirit?"

She hums. "Yes, it's physical form may be diminutive, but it is a wise and old friend of the Shrine. It has lived here for several hundred years, giving advice and sharing knowledge to those who ask." You blink in surprise, nodding lightly at her words. That was a chastisement for my rudeness, but I don't feel chastised. You look at her a little more seriously. She's sharp.

"Anyone who asks?"

The door you passed through earlier opens, a Miko carrying a tray moving along the path, setting it down at the small table next to you before quickly returning inside. Aikiko takes the smaller cup in hand, gently blowing on it before drinking, setting it down with a relaxed sigh. "Yes, the advice will always be good for the asker." She smiles to herself. "Though if it does not like you, then it may not be very understandable."

Sabina takes one of the mugs, prompting you to do the same, a short sip followed by her sitting forwards slightly. "It tried to run away from us when it first saw us." The way she phrases makes you shoot her a look, but she doesn't back down. What on earth do you have against that thing?

The Miko just nods, taking another sip. "It is not without power of it's own, but it is not a confrontational being, it avoids conflict when it can see it coming." Your stare grows heavier, Sabina shifting a little uncomfortably. "I may hazard a guess to say that it saw that one of you could be a danger to it, and avoided you entirely." You suddenly remember that it pretty much ignored you walking straight past it and look back at the doors.

"I wonder who that was then? Because it seems fine with us here." She just hums non-committally.

"I cannot say, perhaps when you are done here, you could ask it yourself?" You nod to yourself, and a calm silence falls over your group, only Sabina's quiet shuffling audible next to the sounds of nature. Why can't you just be quiet for a little while? You restrain yourself from saying anything, the recent thing making you hesitant to ask her to do anything. Instead, you decide to break the silence yourself.

"This may seem strange," You pause for a second, waiting until she nods. "but can you please explain this whole 'spirit' thing to me." She blinks, the first sign of surprise she's shown. "I've heard of it before, but only for some massive things. Why do people keep calling me a spirit, I'm not."

She takes a long sip of her tea, setting the cup back onto the table as she considers where to start. "A spirit is a very wide term, but generally it means 'A sentient being that is not human'." You frown at her words, dropping your hand onto the table between you with a thud that rattles the tray.

"Do I look like I'm not human?" She shakes her head, not reacting to your sudden movement.

"No, you appear to be a perfectly normal human being, but you are not a perfectly normal human being." Your frown doesn't ease. "Perhaps it would be easier for me to explain if you could describe any abnormalities or special abilities you have? Magic non-withstanding." So it's not magic then... This is Gaia's fault, somehow, definitely.

"My... one of my names, is Ignition Knight." You take a quick sip of your tea. "Gaia made me into a Magical Girl." I think that's how that works. She lets out a slow 'Ahhh' at your words, an understanding smile on her face.

"That explains a great deal." She glances at Sabina, humming. "I am not an expert on magical girls, but I can try to explain what I know." You nod, one of your hands tapping a rhythm on your leg as you wait. "Magical girls seem to exist in a very strange halfway point between human and not. You are clearly human, but at the same time spells or rituals that only apply to humans can sometimes just slide right off of you, as if you were not." She takes another sip of her tea, draining the last of it.

"Or, for instance, magical rules governing humans do not apply. Artefacts that react to humans are inert in their presence, but then sometimes they do react, even when it is the same magical girl." She give you a moment to take it in. "You appear to be just as human as I, but you have the 'aura' of a Spirit, which a human cannot posses." She tilts her head slightly. "It appears to be a paradoxical existence... But please, I mean no offence. I do not mean to imply that you are somehow less human than any other, I think that the answer is perhaps, that you are more than human?" She quickly shakes her head. "Please, ignore me, I was merely speaking my thoughts aloud."

You stare at her for a long moment, not speaking a word, a quick glance at Sabina showing a similarly confused face. Umm, ok then. "I'm... going to ignore the last part," For my own sake of mind. "and instead ask you to continue with your spirit explanation." She nods, regaining her serene expression with a little embarrassment. I guess she's a fan?

"Spirits in general are powerful beings, not in the form of power that mages possess, but in their ability to affect the world directly. An arrow that can never miss, a shield that will never by bypassed..." She smiles slightly. "Perhaps, a mind that knows every human thought?" She lets the words sink in and you let out a sharp breath, suddenly understanding. If Gaia is considered a spirit, with all the power she's shown... You revise your opinion of the fat little dragon, deciding that 'lack of power' or not, tangling with spirits really doesn't sound like a good idea.

"That reminds me." She hums at your prompt. "When I was travelling here, a man was acting very strangely while calling me a spirit, when he... praised me, I felt something odd." The Miko narrows her eyes at you, raising an eyebrow after a moment.

"Oh, well then, that is rather interesting." She straightens her uniform a little. "As simply as I can put it, it means that you can gain power from worship, more specifically, people worshipping you." Your mouth hangs open as you take in her words, Sabina beating you to the punch.

"Her? A... goddess?" She laughs outrageously, not stopping when you rap her on the side of the head, just laughing harder.

"Not how I would have said it, but I agree with her, I am no god or... anything to do with religion." GAIA WHAT DID YOU DO!?! [Nothing~]

The Miko shakes her head. "I didn't mean it like that, there are many spirits who can gain power through worship, or belief. It does not strictly imply a form of divinity, though many spirits do acclaim to their own divinity." She brushes a stray leaf from her lap as it blows in. "It is not really understood how it functions, but in a rudimentary manner, it has something to do with the relation between belief and magic." She narrows her eyes at you, cogs turning behind them. "...If you like, I can teach you what I know of the subject."

Suspicion sets in, despite your shock. "And, what do you want in return?"

She smiles. "You must learn as any other student of mine would." Her eyes move to one of the Miko's sitting by the water side, leaning shoulder to shoulder with another girl and watching the lake. "As a Miko."

[] Lunch is soon, go home and think about it.
[] Decline her offer.

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