4577/Circles Within Circles

Circles Within Circles
Date of Scene:	21 September 2016
Location:	Crystal Valley <CV>
Synopsis:	Sarah invites a friend and an acquaintance to visit the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia.
Cast of Characters:	316, 134, 626

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Sarah (316) has posed:
  Much as its name would imply, Crystal Valley is a city of sleek, polished stone architecture and impeccable design. The city is built around the concept of circles -- unsurprising, considering High Priest Hikusaak allegedly bears the Circle Rune, a thing of constancy and sameness. But nobody's seen Hikusaak in a very, very long time, according to the records.

  That's okay. Ther are plenty of Harmonian Bishops to squabble amongst themselves for the biggest piece of the pie.

  There is a warpgate near the city, which a brand new gate has been built to accomodate. Swirling crowds walk the neatly-paved streets in the long light of evening, paying little attention; helmeted guards bearing spears and crisp uniforms stand near the gate, silent but watchful.

  Welcome to the heart of Harmonia. Sarah is already here, awaiting her guests; clad in her customary layered style of dress and carrying her ebon and silver greatstaff. The crystal at its head is lit softly, casting a blue-white light over the stone-paved square.

  Aside from a few minor differences, she looks the same as she always does -- her hair is a little longer, though, drawn into a crisp French braid, the usual fringe of bangs left to fall over her forehead. She looks unchanged, otherwise.

  So pale and still is she that she almost looks like a statue, except when she turns briefly to cough into a hand, waiting near the gate with the patience of stone... or still water.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Flowers has gotten a lot better at doing things like visiting over the years. For one, she almost never talks to figments of her imagination in public anymore.

    For another, she's been gifted a lot of formal clothing over the years, enough that she can almost look like a reasonable person when she makes an effort, and she will for the purposes of visiting Sarah on her home territory, a florally patterned dress that, while not close to matching Sarah's own in layers, is much closer to local fashions than anything the medic normally wears.

    She'll step through the gate, showing her customary patience with things by jamming the sixth message she's sent to Kyra through about where they're meeting and what they should bring before looking around for Sarah. It had been quite a while, after all, and she should try to be as puntual as she can, especially having never been to this city before. Sarah will almost certainly spot her before she spots Sarah.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
A neophyte to Crystal Valley, Kyra seems fascinated as she usually is when she visits new and unusual places. She even takes a few pictures of the local, likely to be posted on her (nowdays less frequently used) travel blog. The place does remind her of an earlier era of her world on some level, though she can't quite put a finger on why.

    The pale-skinned white mage keeps her hood up, shading her easily-burned face from the sun. Her modern hoodie and partial school unform do stick out amongst the locals of the world but the teenager seems to be used to being stared at.

    She glances to Sakura every now and then, looking for some kind of cue about what to be doing. Part of her wonders, as usual, if this was some kind of sneaky test her mentor was springing on her. It wouldn't be the first, after all.

Sarah (316) has posed:
  One can hardly expect a guest to adhere to Harmonian standards. They're in a constant state of flux, but at their heart they're not unlike certain Victorian sensibilities. Certainly the mode of dress Sarah normally favours speaks of modesty taken to its extreme.

  Or maybe that's just her personal preference. It's hard to say.

  For now, the Runebearer waits patiently, looking up once she sees the familiar mednin stepping through the gate. There's no mistaking the pink-haired woman; just as there's no mistaking the woman with the almost-colourless complexion.

  Sarah offers a rare smile. They'd begun their relationship on rocky terms, but she considers Sakura one of her greatest allies. More importantly, she considers Sakura a friend. They went through hell itself together; how could she not?

  "Miss Haruno." Her tone is soft, almost whispery, but there's no mistaking the warmth there. "I am glad to see that you've arrived without incident. Welcome to Crystal Valley." Despite this magnificent cityscape around them, there's no real pride in the words.

  Ah, and there's the new person, hovering about Sakura with an uncertainty that suggests she's the second guest. Sarah fixes a reserved little smile on the young woman, though the pallor of her complexion makes her seem not quite human. "You must be Kyra. Welcome to Crystal Valley. Ordinarily this isn't my first preference of a place to invite guests to, but I had business here already. Thank you for coming, both of you."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura will visibly brighten once Sarah speaks up; she doesn't spend enough time around her friends, even though she'd probably count Kyra as one. Whether or not the student would return that.

    She didn't particularly go into her motivations with Kyra beforehand. Sakura usually doesn't, so a test may be coming, or she may simply be looking for a slightly relaxing time. "It's rather impressive, aah?" Sakura will reply, looking around the city. She was from somewhere not particularly more advanced than this. "I hope we won't be interfering too much with your business, but I thought it would be a good chance to get Kyra here some practice with a more friendly formal tea."

    Given Sakura's level of experience at anything of the sort relative to Kyra's, it's a minor miracle Sakura doesn't burst into flames from saying that. More truthfully, she'll add. "And I thought the two of you might get along pretty well, and I owed her a meal soon anyways."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
"It's a nice city. Peaceful. You don't see too many peaceful cities." Kyra says to Sakura.

    Modesty is not something that Kyra adheres to-her manner of dress demonstrates that pretty obviously. Furthermore, she doesn't seem all too embarassed about being dressed so differently either. If people stare, for example, she doesn't seem to notice it very much. No, all of Kyra's attention is on Sarah. She'd heard the runebearer speak several times over the radio over the last two years but this may very well be the first time they've actually met in person.

    "Hi. Yes, that's me." Kyra grins, stuffing her hands into the front pocket of her hoodie. "Haruno's student."

    She pauses, "Oh...formal tea? Oh, yeah, I don't know how to do the formal tea ceremonies." Seems she has some kind of passing familarity with those.

Sarah (316) has posed:
  When Sakura points out that the city is impressive, Sarah half-smiles, but the expression never quite reaches her eyes. There's an aloofness when she refers to the city. Indeed, if the other two are perceptive, they might notice that she seems vaguely uncomfortable.

  She hates this city, hates it with enough venom that it might even shock her guests, but Sarah is too polite to discuss that.

  She's also too smart. There are ears everywhere.

  "Not at all. I have already concluded my business here." Sarah tilts her head, jewelled sapphire earrings clinking softly, though the sound is almost lost in the crowds around them. "Since the Masked Bishop does not take an active hand in Harmonian politics, I speak and act on his behalf, and conduct his business for him as befitting a Harmonian Bishop."

  Sarah doesn't like it, that much is clear from her neutral tone. It's just /too/ neutral.

  "Student?" She glances over, regarding Kyra thoughtfully. "I did not know Miss Haruno was a mentor. Congratulations. You have a fine teacher, in her."

  Everything about her seems restrained, reserved; as though by controlling her reactions, she were controlling /something/.

  Perhaps, if Kyra is sensitive to magic, she might feel it -- something that roils just beneath the surface, power all out of proportion to this pale, frail woman. Yet even that seems somehow muted, as though she were actively dampening it. Maybe that's why she's exercising such self-control.

  "Impressive? I suppose so. To be honest, I prefer not to be here unless I must. I was already here, though, and we do not always have a choice in our preferences." The pale woman spreads her arms in an almost-shrug. "Formal tea? Very well, then. Follow me. I will take you to Crystal Valley's finest tea house."

  She sets off at a brisk pace, though not so much that they'd fall behind or get separated from her -- the streets are pretty crowded in the post-dinner, pre-bedtime rush.

  Sarah regards Kyra thoughtfully a moment or two longer, head tilted to watch her from the corner of an eye. "Perhaps. We shall see. However, I trust your judgement of character. If you think that we will get along, I do not doubt it. Perahps next time we will go somewhere outside of Crystal Valley."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "There are some. Mostly, peaceful cities don't need me, though." Sakura admits. She's only really great at dealing with the aftermath of violence, or dealing out the violence. Not much place for her in keepign the peace.

    She seems oblivious to the social cues of Sarah's unease. This is not really surprising in any way, though. As to her mentorship... "It's a relatively recent arrangement." Sakura admits. "But one that's worked so far, I believe." At least, it's made her work a bit less lonely.

    She'll gesture vaguely, seeming uncertain of what to do with her hands. "There are plenty of places outside of here that would work, certainly. Most of my favorites are a bit too distant for formal tea, sadly." Her preference is forests and spring and places she can be away from people for a little while. "But I always think making contacts with people you could learn from is helpful, right?"

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
For someone who has only been interacted over the radio, Sarah so far seems to be setting the expectations that Kyra had imagined. Restrained, perhaps reclusive, though she didn't imagine her as someone so frail, especially someone who has been with the Union for allegedly a long time. But she seemed to approve of Sakura and, unknowing of the history between the two, that feels fine to Kyra.

    She does sense that inkling of magic in her, which does remind her of the whole rune thing she'd heard about sometime throughout her time with the Union. But she never had the chance to look into what it meant any more closely.

    Kyra weaves her way through the crowds with the ease of someone who clearly grew up in a big, crowded city, following after Srah easily. "Hmmm." It did make her wonder, though, why Sakura would bring her to meet Sarah specifically. "Yeah, relatively recent. It's been a few months of mentorship, right? I've been learning all sorts of new things from her, like medical practice, poisons, and forensics. It's a great internship."

Sarah (316) has posed:
  "I see. I do not take students." Sarah shakes her head, glancing sidelong to cast Sakura a significant look. "I'm afraid I just don't have the makings of a teacher. I've always been a private person. There are other reasons, as well." She shrugs faintly. "Besides which, the things I know are not the sorts of things that can be taught. They are a part of who I am, now."

  Those colourless eyes linger on Sakura for a fleeting instant, thoughtful. "I suppose so. Most of the time, I prefer to take my tea privately, at home. Master Luc is busy, though, and I did not wish to disturb him. He is as much a private person as I am."

  She turns off to a side street. The avenue here is quieter, and maintained enough to suggest it's a much nicer, and probably richer, area of the city. Gardens and private residences are dotted here and there with exclusive-looking shops and restaurants. "Mm. I would not say that that is wrong," Sarah affords, to Sakura. She twists as she walks, studying Kyra again with a half-smile meant to put the girl at ease. "And your student seems intelligent enough."

  "That's good. Not necessarily the sorts of thing that one would expect of a healer, but Miss Haruno is a woman of singularly unique talents. You've done well in finding a teacher; I respect her a great deal." A smile flickers across her face, brief but heartfelt, as she faces forward again. "We didn't get along, at first, but there are few I would trust more, these days."

  Silence falls for a few seconds before she speaks up, without turning. "So. Please tell me more about yourself, Miss Hyral." Sarah's tone is inviting, and while not quite warm, it's as friendly as she'll be to someone who's effectively a stranger. "Anything you like."

  That, too, is a test, however gently it might be framed.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Flowers will visibly seem relieved to get to the less crowded areas of the city, some of the tension fading from her eyes as they go down the side street. "Well. I wasn't expecting to end up as a teacher, not for a long time now, but it helps to have a good student. If I were stuck with three with different talents, the way it's traditional where I'm from, it probably would go very badly."

    This is praise, of a sort, and Sakura will grin at Kyra as she says it, before falling silent. She'd rather like to hear what Kyra decides to volunteer as well, though she hadn't gone too deeply into her own past.

    She's not great at reassuring that it's safe to talk freely, though. It's more fun to find out what she might have to say just on the trust for her teacher's friend.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
"You're a pretty reclusive person." Kyra points out bluntly, "I don't think I've seen you on any missions. The most I've heard of you are words on the radio. I'd be shocked if you were hiding a student of your own somewhere." Though not implausable, she realizes. They would just not have to be in the Union, right? Or radio connected.

    "Knowing how to poison does a lot of good for knowing how to treat it. I've definitely learned that from Haruno." She seems to struggle with the last name a little-too used to calling her 'Flowers' or 'teacher', really. "What do you mean 'didn't get along'? I mean...well..." she definitely acknowledged that Sakura didn't get along with everyone, but she didn't think she was THAT combative.

    "I'm going to be a doctor! At least when I finish all the school. I'm nearly out of regular academy classes and I'll be attending the graduate trade school for a profession once I pass finals. Uh...I intern at Heaven or Hell and live in Nojurun with my boyfriend, Dominic. Where I'm from, we do have tea ceremonies but that's mostly something done by the upper class in Ramuh. Trying to learn really had no benefit to me."

    Family doesn't get brought up. She assumes everyone in the Union knows about that already.

Sarah (316) has posed:
  Even Sarah seems relieved once they've taken to a less crowded street, walking less stiffly as the tension eases from her shoulders. She glances over her shoulder to regard her guests from the corner of an eye.

  At the mention of being a teacher, Sarah only shakes her head as they approach an unassuming but elegant storefront, pulling open its wooden door and holding it for the others.

  Kyra's blunt observation earns an arched brow as she lets the door close behind them. "Yes, I am. My position in the Union is one based largely on past actions. The missions that I had taken part in, and even volunteered for, were..."

  Composed and deliberate as she is in her own soft way, it's not often that Sarah trails off. She actually looks troubled for a moment; Sakura would know why, because how does one explain Annu to someone who wasn't there? "They were taxing in a way I cannot put to words," she finally says, as diplomatically as she can. "You will have to ask your teacher, some time, when and if she is ready to tell that tale."

  The water mage shakes her head, still looking just a little unsettled. "Perhaps, but I have no desire to teach. Despite her isolation, my mentor is more the type for those she considers worthy. But I am fond of my empty halls and my silence. My tolerance for crowds and noise and a great deal of activity has ebbed somewhat over the years."

  She falls silent, listening to Kyra's account.

  "It was complicated," Sarah explains, with a flick of her wrist. She leads them to their own area, private and sequestered, pausing along the way for a conversation in low tones with one of the tea house's staff. Probably just a polite request to leave the group alone as much as possible. "As are many things, I suppose. Few things are what they seem on the surface."

  She settles herself down carefully in spite of those elabourate and heavy skirts, balancing her staff against the wall behind her, where it continues casting soft blue-white light.

  "I see." The fact that the family was never mentioned brings Sarah to arch a brow; not because she isn't loosely familiar with the story -- word gets around even on a military frequency like the Union's -- but because of the omission. "What about your family?" she ventures, gently. "They must be proud."

  It's not that she's deliberately trying to antagonise Kyra, strictly, but maybe to see how she reacts. She's so reclusive that it's easy enough to beg off and say she knows nothing of the situation. It wouldn't be a total lie; she only knows the most basic, broad-strokes explanation. And even that which she knows is a bit disjointed.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    "Mm? We can go through that part another time." Sakura says, agreeably enough given the subject matter. "It's a bit too heavy to talk about while having a nice meal." Not that Sakura drinks alcohol, but that would probably help her at least start with it. She'd be willing to share alone with Kyra sometime, though.

    She, of course, knows about Kyra's family. She'd tried to subtly and not so subtly help Kyra get by, with what resources she could spare. But she's also interested in testing Kyra's temperment, and so she'll sit back with a carefully neutral expression as Sarah fires off that question.

    For the most part, Flowers is just an observer in the conversation, unless one of the two wants to draw her in. She won't even really get into the past hostilities she'd had with Sarah, mostly because explaning them would make her look bad in some ways.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
Kyra pauses for a moment, glancing at Sarah. Anyone else she knew a little better and she'd swear they were messing with her. But in the case of Sarah, she assumes that she genuinely doesn't know about the dark mark of family on her record. Either way, she has to take in a breath and compose herself before actually answering Sarah's comment.

    "We don't talk. Me and my six other siblings...we don't talk. I was disowned about a year ago."

    She picks her words pretty carefully, almost clinically, and speaks about her 'condition' with a detatched tone. Of course, her emotions ran pretty hot on this subject but Sarah was a stranger, much more of a stranger than Sakura or Psyber. There was no reason to be THAT publically honest with her feelings, especially around a semi-stranger.

Sarah (316) has posed:
  Sarah doesn't say anything about somber topics, because the ninja puts her thoughts to words quite nicely. She isn't sure she could talk about that with a stranger and still be able to hold her composure. She hasn't even spoken of it to her own lover. Although she thinks of it often -- bolts awake from nightmares of it in the small hours of the morning -- she does not speak of it.

  She isn't sure she's ready to, even so many years after it. That scar is still too raw, too fresh, against her very being.

  Kyra's answer is given careful consideration, the woman's expression so neutral that it could be an alabaster mask. Disowned a year ago. The words chosen and the way they're delivered suggest that there is still some form of pain there still.

  Sarah's respect for the girl probably shot up a few hundred percent, by the way she's considering her so seriously. Not once in the conversation has Kyra played that card for pity, and the mage doesn't expect her to.

  She nods as though reaching a decision, jewelled earrings clinking softly. "I am sorry to ask that of you; it isn't fair of me. But I knew that your answer, given unsuspecting, would tell me a great deal about your character." Sarah tilts her head just slightly, studying Kyra. "It has."

  "I'm sorry to deceive you. For what it may be worth, I understand what you're going through."

  Hm. Come to think of it, she's never really spoken of her own family, either.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura will smile and lean back as Kyra responds, and Sarah seems to approve of the answer. She'd known it to be rather personal, and is proud on some level to see her student handle herself so well, even though it's no doing of Sakura's in this regard.

    Sakura's self-restraint ability on her emotions is noted, and not in a positive way, after all.

    Her approval, for instance, is radiating now and will be obvious to either of the others if they look for it. Once it's settled a bit, she'll state, softer than normal. "Well. Shall we eat as we talk? I suppose I should share something, just to be fair, mm?" She'll offer, though she's happy if they pass on that.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
A part of her distantly wonders if her family knew of her exploits now, would they be proud of her? Would they be proud of all she's accomplished outside of her own world? Seeking that answer was alluring and it would soothe the raw hole that still remained even over a year after being thrown out of her family.

    But in spite of these feelings, the last thing she wants from anyone is pity. "Wait, uh, what...? So you did know?" Kyra looks surprised, then glances over at Sakura as if to say 'Is this where you picked that up from?' before looking back at the frail, deliberate woman.

    "Huh." she says, if awkwardly, "That's...well...alright. Is there anything else you want to ask...?" She sounds a hint wary now.

Sarah (316) has posed:
  "If we're aiming for chivalry, Miss Haruno, it would be more logical for me to answer any questions submitted to me. I was the one who deceived your student." Sarah delivers this in a tone of good humour and inclines her head slightly, looking to Kyra. "So, if you have any questions; or you, Miss Haruno, I welcome them."

  Food? Certainly. There are comfortably discreet waitstaff waiting to take orders; they manage to materialise when needed, and disappear when they're not -- a skill no doubt honed over the course of years.

  The water mage places a quiet order of her own before folding delicate, long-fingered hands before her. She wears no jewelery beyond her earrings; her hands bear no rings, bracelets, or bangles of any kind, and her collar is too high to see if she wears any necklaces.

  With a quiet and thoughtful sound, she regards Kyra, arching her brows very slightly at Kyra's surprise. "I did, but only in the loosest sense, as I said. Harmonia has demanded much of my time, and there is another matter I have been investigating." Something she apparently can't speak of, here. She seems perfectly willing to be on the level with these two, despite her reserved nature. "Not particularly, but if I think of something, I certainly shall."

  Those delicate fingers drum for a moment. "Actually, I am curious about something, if it isn't too much trouble. This 'Wild Magic' you've described. Has a phenomenon like that ever happened before in your world's historical accounts?"

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura will express curiousity about the menu to the waitstaff that appears to assist her; the bits of conversation she has seem far more focused on the nutrition than the taste, however. Mostly idle wandering, as her actual order is quite small.

    "I'll let my student ask what she wants to, of course. It's her turn to, after all." That is said with a slightly crooked grin, before she finds a glass of water to sip at, continuing to spy upon the interplay between the others. She might have a few followup points to Kyra later, or she may just want to stress-test Kyra for working on bedside manner later. Getting through a meal can be far worse than telling someone what illnesses they have, in Sakura's view.

    This is probably why her bedside manner is actually rather terrible.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
"Just curious, how long have you been with the Union...?" Kyra asks, "If I'm not mistaken, you've got actual rank, right?" Most of the time, she recalls, Sarah has chimed in on the channels conveying authority, that always stood out to her. That seems to be the extent of the questioning-she picks up on the cues that Sarah doesn't want to talk about her 'other investigation' in public.

    She leans backwards in her seat, crossing one leg over the other, looking slightly surprised as the Wild Magic is brought up. "You know, I've done some research on it before and I haven't really found any precise cases. There are older accounts of....well...'Chaos-touched' people losing control of themselves. I also see parallels to the Freelancer class. They can do a little bit of everything but they always are able to do it deliberately. Even if it's some kind of magic that gets associated with The Enemy. I've actually tried to keep the whole thing under wraps on my world /because/ of the parallels to Chaos, both in concept and the older stories. And because my family is very religious. It was working up until the Lute incident."

Sarah (316) has posed:
  The waitstaff of the establishment are quiet, unassuming, and very good at offering advice unobtrusively. They'll answer Sakura's questions generally enough to satisfy the understanding of a foreigner and then fade back into the shadows from whence they had apparently come -- adept at concealing themselves and knowing when to reveal themselves.

  "Oh?" Sarah arches a brow delicately at the medical ninja's assertion. "Very well, then."

  Those almost colourless eyes settle on Kyra in direct study. Sarah studies with a calmness that borders on the preternatural, but whether this stems from her personality or from the need to keep her True Rune controlled, it's hard to say. There is a steadiness, a groundedness, about her suggestive of still water.

  Plenty of people underestimate her, but Sakura probably knows just how deeply those waters run. She's seen it firsthand.

  Sarah considers the question, tilting her head very slightly. "It was five years and a few months ago that I first joined the Union. It was the end of March, AU19. As to my rank, it was granted to me for participation in a number of extremely high-risk operations. You should have sufficient clearance to see the details; the two I refer to primarily are the Manakoshi raid, and the mission against Annu." She pauses, considering with hooded eyes. "I cannot guarantee how coherent the files pertaining to Annu may be. I believe it was Colonel Psyber who filed the report, although I do not well remember the details."

  Time was a little bit murky right there, and she might have lost a few minutes or a few years.

  "No other instances?" That brings Sarah to raise her brows. "I suppose it does seem unusual, on the surface. Still, that there is no record of it in Galiandan history strikes me as odd." Her eyes drop to the table, considering, gaze intent even as she focuses on nothing. "Still, such phenomena occur even here. I am proof enough of that."

  The water mage is silent for a beat, before offering a hesitant smile to Kyra. "I was born with the Flowing Rune. It is extremely unusual for others to be born with a rune already inscribed upon their bodies." The smile fades; her already-soft voice drops. "I see. I understand that, too." Although, the unspoken statement hangs, she isn't free to speak of it.

  Instead, she reaches for a glass of water that the waitstaff have so thoughtfully and quietly left, sipping from it before she continues. "The only comparison I can think of are the True Runes." She sets the glass aside, raising a hand and twitching her fingers, gesturing as though to indicate something. Notably, she's wearing gloves; something she almost never does.

Sarah (316) has posed:
  Twenty-seven symbols spring to life before Kyra, in glowing threads of blue-white light. One of them is the three concentric circles of the True Water Rune, which Sakura would recognise.

  ""These are akin to gods in any other world. They are the generative and sustaining forces that underlay my homeworld. They are very literal representations of whatever their founding concept is. For example, this one is fire," she adds, pointing to the flame-whorls of the True Fire Rune. They glow momentarily red. "Runes seek human bearers, and once they are accepted or they force acceptance from their host, they strive to express themselves. Fire burns. Wind blows."

  "They are sought after because of their overwhelming power, but they are also hated and feared as harbingers of war and destruction. Some seek them out for their own ends. Others seek them out to do good with them." The water mage snaps her fingers delicately, despite wearing gloves, and the symbols wink out. "But they are regarded as antagonistic forces of nature, at times. The True Fire Rune brought an end to a war some fifty years ago, because its bearer lost control of it." Sarah's expression is grave. "Much of the vegetation has grown back, but the crater it left is still visible today."

  What's the point? She shrugs lightly. "Still. Many who bear them at times try to hide them, difficult as it is. They attract too much attention, and they cause those around them to ask too many pointed questions. War and strife are attracted to them like moths to a flame -- for one may forcibly seize a True Rune, or prompt it to seek a new bearer by killing its current one."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura will lean back in her chair, listening in. She has the same rank as Sarah, after all, and some notion of how it had been given.. even if Sakura'd been risking hers on some unauthorized sorts of missions with her student in the not too distant past. She knows bits and pieces of all of this, on both sides.

    Still, the further details are always appreciated, and she'd want to stay respectful in either case as they talk. Her attention will focus on the demonstration of the runes, though not for the reasons Sarah would necessarily want. She's more admiring the imagery.

    After a sip or two of tea, she'll glance over at Kyra, wanting to offer reassurances. She fails at thinking of anything very comforting to say, though, and so Kyra will be stuck with more silence from her occasional mentor. "We can go over some of those missions later, if you're really curious." She'll finally note.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
"I'm only slightly familiar with Annu. I don't know what the Manakoshi raid is...there, come to think of it, really haven't been any big Union operations since I've gotten here. Fill me in on the Manakoshi thing later, Haruno, I'm curious." She rubs her chin thoughtfully, then falls silent, watching Sarah, noting how she conducts herself with every measured and deliberate word. It's clearly the kind of tempering that Kyra doesn't really look forward to undergoing herself since it usually means enduring a whole lot of bad stuff and growing cynical.

    She shakes her head, "No, not really. I mean, it could have been censored or expunged by the church. Most of my research has been limited to what I can find in Ramuh, which is where the Church of Cosma's power is most set. It...uh..." Kyra squints at Sarah a little harder, subtly casting a Scan spell on the mage. "W..well...it is similar. But what I have I...don't think it was god-gifted. Nor do I think it can be taken."

    That thought had never occured to her-but what if something could? Anne Blakely could do some pretty impressive things with souls and golems. "...I wonder if a defective pattern can be taken and transplanted into someone else..." she murmurs, watching as Sarah summons symbols into the air.

    She lowers her head, "So you know what it'd be like to be hated for your condition. A condition you'd rather hide sometime." Kyra's shoulders tense. "Your Runes sound a lot more serious though. I mean, a /lot/. Especially the part where people can kill you to take your rune. Has anyone made attempts on your life for it recently?"

Sarah (316) has posed:
  "Indeed, the files are available for those missions," Sarah adds, in agreement to Sakura's note. "I will not hold you up with their details unless you wish to know now."

  She falls silent, letting Kyra speak. Many have mistaken the water mage's quietness for meek and passive, but Annu proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the woman has a core of utter steel. It's well-disguised, sometimes even from herself but it's there.

  Scanning her yields up the fact that she is about as physically fragile as she looks, although it isn't the result of any particular malady. She just has a poor constitution. Magically, though... magically, it's like staring at the sun. This woman is host to phenomenal cosmic powers, resonating with the primal element of water. She is all the water of the world, every ocean and lake, every tempest and blizzard.

  This is not a mere Flowing Rune. Surely that must be the kind of spectacular power she'd spoken of in regards to the True Runes. Yet she is not without weakness. Fire and lightning are her enemies; no doubt she would not get along with the people who bear those respective True Runes, prickly at best and openly hostile at worst.

  Otherwise, she's healthy as can be expected! Nothing surprising there. Except for the whole 'staring at the sun except the sun is made of water' magic part.

  Sarah can feel the subtle prickle of that spell, and while she can't identify what it is, she can guess. The woman smiles a knowing, tiny little smile; the sort of expression a cat might make if it could.

  "I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Hyral." Sarah's expression doesn't so much as waver. "I bear a Flowing Rune, as I have told you. I would not invite the disaster of a True Rune on myself willingly." She's a good actress, a very good one. "Not in terms of having to constantly control such a thing, or in terms of inviting personal disaster on my personal life."

  Still, her faint half-smile suggests that Sarah knows exactly what Kyra implies, and she agrees -- but she can't say that out loud. It would be suicide, in the middle of Crystal Valley.

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    Sakura will nod in response. "Well. Those were reactions to threats. Hopefully nothing of that sort will come up, but it probably will sooner or later." They always do. Sakura will scratch at her cheek, where her Scar sits. "You'd be surprised what sorts of transplants can be done, though. It's probably not a good idea to try, even if you were interested in getting rid of the power." She'll add, as though she hadn't been part of numerous experimental and dangerous medical procedures over the years, including some magic transplants.

    Being unable to sense magic herself, she'll remain as blaise around Sarah as ever, though. "...Shall we get more tea, then?" She'll ask, before ordering regardless of whether the other two wish for more as they have a bit of scanning interplay over her head. She also will politely not take the opportunity to tease Sarah about her personal life, and the current level of disaster it may or may not have.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
Kyra is unable to help herself and makes a startled noise as she finds the results of the Scan blasting her in the face with an amazing MP resevoir. The effect, in fact, is a little like what others experience when they look at her via scan or other magical aura-sensing techniques. Scarlette knows this well. In that moment, she knows that she's staring at a True Rune, curiously, with its own elemental weaknesses.

    This woman, she realizes, would be hunted down if anyone new.

    "That's a good thing you don't have a True Rune. That sounds like nothing but trouble." Kyra agrees, threading her fingers together.

    "Me, I've got enough trouble, if I wanted more power, I'd be looking elsewhere. Somewhere that doesn't involve some kind of magical death game to survive." Which is to say nothing of her bond with Nero.

Sarah (316) has posed:
  "There are a number of True Runes unaccounted for, and some of them have faded from mankind's histories. At present, we do not know what all of the True Runes represent." Sarah signals to the waitstaff, who quietly and unobtrusively brings more tea for the table. Sarah pours herself a cup, slowly and deliberately, and cradles the cup in her hands. Her fingers don't look much more resilient than the china. "Even among the ones we know, their locations are not all accounted for."

  "True Runes may lie dormant for generations in a remote place. Others may relocate themselves of their own accord, as the Beast Rune once did, whisking itself out of Harmonian custody." That was a particularly fun episode. The only saving grace out of that nightmare was the fact that the rune didn't attach itself to the lunatic it got chummy with.

  She tilts her head slightly, regarding Kyra with renewed interest. There is an avid interest in her colourless eyes, an intensity that seems at odds with her fragility. "I have studied True Runes for most of my life; I spent my childhood and adolescent years a prisoner in the One Temple's library complexes." Wait, what? "I could ask for no greater research materials, for Harmonia had collected accounts from halfway across the world. So, even without choosing to seek one out--" Technically not a lie, she really /wasn't/ looking for it, "--I know the effects of bonding with one," she says, seriously. "They will shatter the men who are not strong enough to bear them, and they will turn their lives into a living hell. Yet a strong-willed person who is capable of finding their centre, of remaining calm in the face of the True Rune's demands -- that is the kind of person who will prosper even under its influence."

  There's a reason nobody's ever witnessed her being emotionally out of control. She can't. Bad things happen when a Runebearer loses control. The fifty year old crater in the middle of the Grasslands can attest to that. Hundreds, if not thousands, were killed that day when the Flame Champion lost control of his rune.

  Considering how much this woman would be hunted if anyone knew about her True Rune, she must have nerves of steel and icewater to live and conduct business in Harmonia.

  She considers Kyra, drumming her fingers lightly on the table. "May I ask another question?"

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
    That'll get a snort from Sakura. "There are simpler ways to get more powerful, certainly. Magical death games seem to be a very popular route anyway, though." She'll add, tapping her fingers on the edge of her cup as she considers her tea. "Easier not to have that kind of pressure in your life, though."

    Sakura had mostly avoided death games, unless the chuunin exams way back in her misspent youth count. "But if nothing else, at the minimum you can at least get more powerful through learning and practice. Or it's the only way I ever actually got more powerful, at least." Well, and climbing a mountain to face down some of her personal issues, but that would ruin the hard work narrative. "But it's best to have a reason to want to have all that power, first, and a good one..."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
"They can move on their own? Like they're...alive or something?" There's a vague look of horror on Kyra's face. She makes a mental note to avoid coming to this particular world unless really needed since it doesn't strike her as a very /great/ place to intervene in at all. Listening further, she squints a little as she describes her childhoo as a 'prisoner' in a temple's library. She's curious about that, but doesn't interrupt.

    "So only a very stable person would be able to handle that kind of power." Kyra concludes, which really does explain the even keel she's heard from Sarah whenever she's spoken on the radio. She takes her tea and sips this, considering this and, partially, wondering why Sarah would share this information with her. "Huh? Of course you can, go ahead, Sarah."

    She turns a little red at Sakura's words. "Well yeah. And I have been, Haruno. With you, of course."

Sarah (316) has posed:
  "There would appear to be a disconcerting popularity of magical death games within the multiverse," Sarah observes softly, regarding her teacup with some distraction. It's good tea, as high quality as anything that has come from conquered Harmonian territories. Only the finest for the seat of the kingdom. "I suppose a True Rune is about the same level of risk, but for slightly different reasons."

  "It is written that some True Runes show to their bearers the memories of every past bearer it has ever had. Generations upon uncounted generations. Those who are not assassinated for the power they bear may be driven mad, and lose their sense of self entirely."

  Sarah shakes her head and sets the teacup down. "It is better to take the hard road than the easy one. Some things cannot be substituted, and experience is one of those things."

  She understands perfectly what Sakura means about that. She had to start over when she came to bear the True Water Rune, and she wouldn't have had it any other way... but she can't tell Sakura that, at least not here.

  Tilting her head the other way to a quiet clinking of her earrings, Sarah studies Kyra evident interest. There's no judgement in her colourless eyes; merely subdued curiosity. Everything about her is subdued -- controlled, and tightly, calm born of necessity. "The True Runes are possessed of their own will, even if they are not thinking entities as you or I would understand. They strive to express themselves. In the case of the Five Elements, like the True Fire Rune, that means manifesting their element."

  So basically, the True Fire Rune wants to set everything on fire forever.

  Yep, sounds legit.

  Sarah takes her teacup in hand again when Kyra grants her permission to ask another question. "Would you be comfortable with a lesser rune?" Those colourless eyes settle on the healer, curious and somber at the same time. "They are nothing like their progenitors, the True Runes; they are inert, and grant only the ability to use certain magics, in this world. I have the requisite knowledge to inscribe such runes, on those willing, and it would be trivial for me to acquire a lesser rune of your choice in Harmonia's markets."

Sakura Haruno (134) has posed:
"The lesser runes aren't too bad at all. I had one on a weapon for a little while." That weapon had been lost, but Sakura didn't blame that on the rune at all. There had been extinuating circumstances.

This isn't Sakura pushing Kyra either way, though. She knows herself how much of a struggle trying to work with too many different power sources can be; Kyra will know whether she wants another or not better than Sakura will.

"Though personally, I'm happier being able to lose my temper now and then." Sakura's sanity, such as it is, might survive five minutes with a True Rune. It wouldn't make it the full ten, probably.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
"I don't puport to be an expert on magical death games but...it does veer into that territory, especially with the aspect of 'killing and taking it from others.' bit being thrown in there." Kyra says between savoring sips of tea, silent as the further dangers of True Runes are explained.

    Kyra looks a little strained, however, "Experience doesn't necessarily bring strength though." she murmurs, "It would be nice to be able to fight myself free instead of having to weasle my way out with talking, for example."

    But she listens more, nodding, "So a human mind can't really handle the pure desire of a force of nature, is what it basically is? An element would have a very alien mind to a human so it's no wonder most would go crazy."

    She looks up suddenly, surprised, "What do lesser runes do?" she asks, still sounding somewhat cautious, "And you say they only function in this world?"

Sarah (316) has posed:
  "One could look at it that way. Killing a Runebearer and seizing the True Runes is a perfectly viable method of acquisition." Sarah sips at her tea, shockingly calm in spite of the subject matter, especially in light of the fact that it applies to her just as much. She's gotten used to that over the years. "According to the records--" And the memories she bears, "--many have changed hands over the generations in that manner."

  She smiles, a little wistfully. "No, experience does not always bring strength. Many fools have held True Runes to disastrous effect, both for them and the world around them. I told you of the Flame Champion who lost controlof his rune some fifty years ago, ending a war and wreaking devastation on the Grasslands, but in truth he was not a man of weak character. I do not think there could have been a more suitable bearer for that rune at the time."

  "In history, the True Runes inevitably sort themselves out in time. It may be that war follows them like a moth to flame, but when such power is available to human hands, it would hardly surprise me. Some debate whether the True Runes cause war, or wars are fought over the True Runes. I myself lean towards the latter. They are not inherently malicious, or drawn to conflict. How can they be? Those True Runes simply are, and they know no more than to manifest what their concept is. Fire burns," she repeats, flicking a slender hand in dismissive gesture, "and wind blows."

  Sarah pushes herself to her feet with a rustle of fabric, offering a smile to both. "Lesser runes are conduits for the power a person carries inherently. No more, and no less. They are simply a means to an end, and that is to manifest whatever their chosen element is, on a much less grand scale than their progenitors. A water rune does no more than manifest its element. Ice, steam, water; these are all possible for someone using it."

  "Think about it," she offers, not unkindly. "If nothing else, it may be a useful distraction for you. A puzzle to work at. I will see to it that you are provided with my private contact frequency. Let me know, if you reach a decision, and I will forward you more information and see that you are provided with whatever rune, or runes, you prefer."

  "In the meantime, I am sorry to leave so soon, but I must return to the Masked Bishop." Sarah bows her head, faintly. "I had promised to deliver a report to him on his Harmonian business--" Which Luc will probably ignore, but at least she can say she did it, "--and travelling to Crystal Valley is wearying. I enjoyed meeting with you, though; please do ask me again some time, and I will do the same. With more time, I can find an establishment better than this one." That is to say, anywhere but Harmonia. "Please excuse me, Miss Haruno. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hyral. Please keep in touch, both of you."

  With a dainty little half-bow, she gathers up her greatstaff, murmurs something that sounds utterly alien and bizarre -- Sindar, most likely, though they might not know that -- and vanishes, in a flare of blue-white light and a lingering sensation of cool mist.