[X] Yes
-[X] Archer warns her that to be a Magus is to walk with death, and that one of the leading causes of death among Magi is being murdered by other Magi. Is she sure that she wants to do this?
-[X] If she's still willing, though, he's ready to teach her.
[X] Sit here and watch while Archer tutors Hitomi
-[X] but while you're doing that get in touch with your allies telepathically and figure out who will be hosting today's exercises
--[X] Do you have a preference for venues?
---[X] No, since Tomoe-san is setting this up allow her to choose where the group exercises take place
"Why, I didn't even know that magic existed until I met you and Akemi-san." You recall Archer saying that he, a self-described poor mage in life, had only twenty-seven or so magic circuits, while his master had around forty; and you have hundreds, if not thousands, contained within your Soul Gem. Magic circuits that wouldn't even belong to you were it not for the Incubator's contract. And then there is Hitomi, who has only four that Archer could sense. "But, getting back to the matter at hand; what does it mean that I have only four, um, magic circuits, correct?" Archer nods. "Right. Is that good; bad; will I even be able to learn what I would like to with that number?"
"Well to start, with no mage blood in your family even having that many is a miracle. But, compared to an average mage, four is a miserably low amount. I've known mages with only one or two more circuits than you, who could barely perform even the most basic of magecraft." Hitomi's eyes darken, and you see for a moment the hope dying inside her. "However, your circuits are of exceptional quality, and it's not completely unknown for capable mages to exist who have low numbers of high-quality circuits such as yours." And hope returns, as easily as flicking a light switch.
"However, what really gets me is that, with how limited your exposure has been, your circuits really shouldn't already be active."
Hitomi looks from Archer to you, staring with a curious look in her eye. "Well, I have been spending more time around Akemi-san lately. Is it possible that being around her could have activated them?"
Archer shakes his head, saying "It's unlikely. You would need to have had constant exposure over a sustained period, and just being in the same room as Homura during school hours shouldn't be enough to have activated them. Have you been in contact with anything that might have contained magic energy lately? You were at the 'Church' the night they had their most recent sermon; could you have come into contact with something while you were there?"
"No, I don't think so. I was gifted a rosary necklace with the Church emblem on it when I arrived, but there wasn't anything else I could have..." Hitomi's voice trails off, and you can see in her eyes that moment of realisation dawning. You can see it on Archer's face as well. "... That must be it. It's been in my room since Wednesday night. Every time I look at it or touch it, it's like an electric jolt running down my spine, but once it's in my hands it's so hard to put it down. I thought I threw it in the river two nights ago, but in the morning it was right there on my desk where I left it. I-"
"Turn around, and lift up your hair by the base of your neck,' you say with stern authority. "If my hunch is right, I'd be stupid not to check you for a witch's kiss."
"A what?" Hitomi's voice is coloured with shock, but she does as you ask. Her neck is bare.
"It's a curse put on intended prey by a witch. In the case of this witch in particular, their kiss resembles the 'Church's insignia, the same as what Archer found on the dead body." You shake your head, inwardly berating yourself. "I knew you were there... You're clean, thankfully, but I still should have thought to check you sooner. I'm sorry."
"Even if she is clean, based on her description I'd say it's likely that the necklace is responsible for activating her circuits." If that's true, how many more of the witch's potential victims are walking around, completely unaware of their own active magic circuits? Archer claps his hands, beckoning Hitomi to take a seat beside him on the couch. "Well, I guess that's that, then. You've got active and usable magic circuits, meaning you have everything you need to begin your training as a mage. This is your last chance to back out."
"Akemi-san and Tomoe-san are doing everything they can for this city. I know that they cannot always be there to protect me, so I would like the skills and tools to be able to protect myself, if necessary."
"To be a mage means to walk with death, and if you chose this path your chances of being killed by another mage will skyrocket. Hell, even if you back out now, just knowing that this stuff exists could put you on someone's hit list. I'm not trying to dissuade you from taking this, if that's what you really want. I just want you to be completely aware of how your life will change once you accept my tutelage."
"If my life is going to be in jeopardy one way or another, then I'd prefer to take the path where I might defend myself if necessary."
It's a standoff in your living room; not of guns, but of minds, Archer versus Hitomi, each one attempting to overcome the mind of the other as they stare at one another in silence for what feels like an eternity. Finally, the silence breaks, and in a much lighter tone Archer says "Well alright. I guess you're serious. Have a seat and I'll get you started on the basics." Both you and Hitomi are able to breathe easy now, as Hitomi takes a seat across the table from Archer. "Now, the first thing you need to know is that there is a big difference between what Homura can do, which is magic; and what I'm going to teach you, which is magecraft."
"What's the difference?"
"Magecraft is more like a science. There are defined rules, procedures, and limitations to what you can do with it. On the other hand, magic has no such limitations, but unless you're willing to sell your soul to the Killer Rabbit it would be all but unreachable to you." Hitomi nods, accepting Archer's explanation, but you aren't so sure yourself. To you, there doesn't seem to be any difference between a puella magi's ability to create weapons from nothing, and Archer's Projection magecraft. You wonder, just how much of a difference is there really, between what you and the others are capable of, and what a mage of comparable skill to yourself could do?
"Now, there's a decent amount of academic and philosophical information you need to know before we can get started, but I'll try to give you the abridged version since I don't know how much time you have. To start, magecraft..." You tune the words out, content to merely watch as Hitomi listens with rapt attention to Archer's lecture. You have business you need to conduct while you sit here, don't you?
"Tomoe-san-"
"Mikuni Oriko-"
"-I need to know if either of you have a preference for whose residence we host our exercises at today."
"Well, with so many of us crammed into such a small area, I worry that we may find ourselves uncomfortable. On the other hand, I worry what will happen if Alina-san is left without supervision for an extended period of time."
"If you are worried about your apartment's ability to hold all of us, I would be willing to lend the use of my house. That way, Kirika can join us while still being in an environment favourable to her healing process."
"Tomoe-san? Is this acceptable?"
"Well, I worry what will happen to Alina-san, but I suppose if Sakura-san were to leave Rider with her it wouldn't be too bad... Yes, I suppose meeting at Mikuni-san's will be acceptable. After lunch, correct?"
"Yes. I still plan on joining Madoka's family for lunch."
"And Kirika changed her mind about having us having lunch with her mother, so we shall be occupied until then as well."
"... Alright, now that we've got the boring stuff out of the way, I want you to try Projecting something for yourself. Doesn't have to be much of anything, as long as you can imagine it and know how and what it's made of." It appears that you've come back to reality at a good time. "Start with visualising something that will trigger your circuits into action, like the hammer of a pistol striking the firing pin."
Hitomi closes her eyes and sits in concentration, until "... I see a water clock emptying itself, before rising back up again."
"Good. Keep that image in your mind when you want to send a signal through your magic circuits. Now, once your circuits are active, focus on what you want to do with them. In this case, you're just trying to Project something simple. Maybe the kitchen knife I showed you earlier." You must have missed that part while you were conversing with your allies, but true to Archer's word there is a kitchen knife sitting at the table, on which Hitomi has focused her attentions. "Now..."
Hitomi holds out her hand, whispering Archer's mantra of "Trace on" to herself. Faint wisps of green swirl around her hands, coalescing into a shape that is a duplicate of Archer's kitchen knife. "Congratulations, Hitomi," Archer says, as HItomi opens her eyes in shock once the weight of the knife in her hands hits home. "You are now a mage."
[ ] Wat do?
