Quote: He was not sure why the ticket machine refused work. It just sat there, its glossy finish giving him a reflection of his own frustrated face, not responding to him at all. He had put the money in those little slots then politely asked it for a ticket, yet nothing happened. No ticket, no beeps or flashes to say it was wrong. Nothing changed on the screen.
It was very annoying.
Anzekay leaned over the refund button, very tempted to just try another machine, when a hand reached out and grabbed him by the elbow. Taken aback, he paused for just long enough that the owner of the hand spoke before he could react.
“It’s a touch screen. You know, you poke the buttons on the screen with your fingers. Like this.”
Taking a step back, Anzekay watched as the youth- an unshaven, tired-looking, male- moved up to the machine and prodded the screen several times with his index finger.
“You wanted to go three stations, right? That’s just a one zone ticket. All you have to do is press standard fare, then one zone.” There was a quiet whirring sound, and then a small square of paper was spat out into the tray below the screen. The youth plucked it up and turned to Anzekay, offering the ticket.
“Thanks. I guess I’m not really used to these things.” He accepted the ticket from the outstretched hand, then swung his right hand up to shake it, “I appreciate the help, that’s also something I’m not really used to.”
The young man smiled, his grip firm and confident, and inclined his body in a slight bow, “Not at all. I happen to be going the same distance, and,” He grimaced a little, “The train will be leaving soon.”
“Oh. Right.”

“So, I’m guessing you’re not from around here. Where you headed?”
The youth had followed Anzekay onto the train, all the way down the carriages, and sat down right next to him after he found an unoccupied seat in a corner. The kid was very persistent, but Anzekay was more interested in why he was not bothered by a strange albino than he was annoyed with the unasked company. At any rate, perhaps he could get some information from the kid.
He was not particularly tall, wearing a business suit that looked too long and more than a little old. The creases did not help at all, either. Untidy brown hair hanging over a rather unremarkable face with tired eyes was offset by his brilliant white teeth. Probably on his way home after work, he mused, considering the time.
“Uh, you okay old man?”
“What? Yes. Don’t call me that. Just. Thinking a little, I’m sorry. It’s been a long day in an unfamiliar city.”
“Ah, so you aren’t from around here then. I asked where you’re headed.”
Maybe the kid was more annoying that he first thought, but being irritable would not help here, “I heard there was some decent hotels three stops down, and I need a place to stay for a couple of days; I’m just in town for business.”
“Oh yeah? There’s one just one block down from my place, I can show you where if you’d like; it’s not too far from the station.” The boy smiled broadly, clearly pleased with this turn of events.
Probably does not get out much, though goodness knows why with this sort of cheery disposition. He certainly did not seem like the sort of lad who would be shy around girls, though then again you never could tell, really. Regardless, a guide would be better than trying to follow the vague directions that he was given by the ticket officer at the cross-continental line terminal.
“Sure, why not if it isn’t too far out of your way. You’ve been too kind, I do appreciate it.”
Feeling the train slowing down as it approached their station he stood up, watching the youth as he did likewise. This was still an anomaly, most unusual. People sometimes were unintimidated enough to talk with him, but outright offer help out of the blue? He had not had that sort of luxury- by far the best word for it- for some time indeed.
The youth merely smiled and led the way off the train.

The hotel, a large modern-looking building with all the signs of being a decent enough place, turned out to be just the sort of place Anzekay had hoped for. It was not going to be too expensive, but it also was not some shithole that he would feel dirty just walking into. If he luck held, maybe it would be nice a quiet too. The foyer was a spacious and cheerily lit place, a few people already lining up at the front desk patiently waiting for their turn to speak with the attractive receptionist. He studied himself in reflection of the fake marble floor. He looked as tired as he felt, the lack of sleep from the past few days finally taking a visible toll on his body. A good night’s rest would do him wonders. Then he could finally get down to work here.
The kid had left him at the door, insisting he would show Anzekay a decent place for breakfast in the morning. The youth seemed so earnest that he just could not bring himself to turn down the offer. That and a good meal would be nice as well, not to mention the opportunity for some subtle questioning that might get him some more important information. Anything to shorten his stay on this planet; it was far too familiar. Too many memories came rushing back at the most random of moments.
Joining the back of the line, he thought back on a more recent memory. His landing here had been a hard one, much harder than any recent ones. The portal had worked correctly from the origin side, but the exit hole dropped him from about thirty metres up. The fall could have caused some injury, but falling had never really been that much of a problem for him. The problem was the energy aftershock when he failed to close it properly, his haste to secure himself causing him to lose concentration for just a second too long. Stupid, really, that was a childish mistake and one that would have caused anyone less competent than he a great deal of damage. He had merely escaped with being knocked out for a few minutes. Something felt slightly off ever since then, but without a chance to fully explore the sensation he did not see any point in worrying.
“Sir? Can I help you?”
He snapped out of his thoughts with a shake of his head, and walked up to the desk and the waiting receptionist. She was a pretty thing, but that was to be expected as the face that greeted you inside a decent hotel. She gave him a weak smile and placed a slip of paper and a pen on the edge of the counter in front of him.
“Just fill in the top section, please. How long will you be staying with us?”
The form just wanted basic details, including the answer she had just sought, “Just two nights. I’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow. Just a standard single bed room, please, with a view if at all possible.”
He paid for both nights in advance, and she handed him a room key along with a slightly more enthusiastic smile.
“Enjoy your stay!”

The cool night air felt refreshing on his clean skin, prickling the fine hair on the backs of his arms and neck. A shower was something he had not considered, but as soon as he noticed the bathroom door he had been very quick to make use of the facility. If he actually produced sweat, he probably would have had even more trouble not scaring everyone off the past few days. Now he was standing on the tiny balcony outside his window, shirtless in the moonlight, and drank in the sounds of the city around him. He could hear faint sirens, the occasional flutter of a bird, and the footsteps of a few people as they walked along the sidewalk several stories below.
He stepped back from balcony and closed the glass door behind him. He hesitated for a moment, as the warmth of the room flowed into him, and strode over to the table in the corner of the room where he had left his pack. He flipped off the cover and lifted out the object inside.
The heavy tome was black, a pitch black that was a perfect contrast to the milky white of his skin. The silvery lines than ran in complex, crazy, patterns across the cover of the book glistened clearly in the gloom like they were alive. Closer inspection gives an impression of something flowing along the lines that resembled tiny rivulets of mercury. An enormous silver lock sat dead in the middle of the front into which he promptly shoved the index and middle fingers of his right hand. The lines glowed briefly, and then the lock snapped open with a crackle of light.
Striding over to the middle of the room, between bed and balcony, he hefted the book into the air in front of him.
“Rhyddhau!”
With the sharp word the tome floated into the air above his hands and opened up, the pages flicking back and forth rapidly. After a moment or two the pages ceased turning, and a green glow enveloped the two pages it remained open to. Projected out from the pages was a cone of light that ended in a thin, but almost material, plane that looked like some sort of vibrant green hologram.
Anzekay paced around the floating book, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He needed to locate his target, but the book was ever a fickle thing. He had to word his questions correctly.
He stopped by the door to the balcony, almost tempted to go out there again and let the cool breeze stir his mind in the right direction. A subtle movement across the street caught his eye though, as he leaned his forehead against the glass. There was someone down there.
He threw the door open with one hand, and snapped a finger back at the book with the other. The tome clapped shut and plummeted to the floor instantly; the green light dispersing as quickly as it first appeared. He stepped to the railing of the balcony in one stride and managed to catch a glimpse of a person stepping into an alleyway.
He could feel it in his gut. Things were going to get a lot more complicated.

Nanoha Takamachi Wrote:Auto-guard. So, would it be possible for Nanoha to cast it, and then Raising Heart is able to automatically deploy a protection until the spell is drained/she runs of of mana/etc? Naturally it would be significantly weaker than if Nanoha were to cast protection herself.

Quote:hmm what would if Protection was just a barrier, like a shield generated at the end of her outstretched hand or the like, rather than a sphere-like barrier? Would that still require Wide Proficiency?

Quote:Divine Shooter. Do you mean because she can summon 1-5 spheres, or because she can cast the spell multiple times to summon more than 5? Would it still be 600 if it was a static 4 or 5 spheres, and would need to be re-cast entirely to summon more than that?

Quote:It requires aiming on the target, but the rings are summoned directly onto the target limbs, yeah. One cast per target, so it would be summoning additional rings onto the same person, eg: as they break them or to summon more to attempt to restrict them further, but she'd have to concentrate entirely on them to keep summoning more, and once she stops the spell will just persist as-is without her being able to change it further.

Nanoha Takamachi Wrote:Auto-Guard: Raising Heart is capable of using Auto-guard to form a defensive spell when its user is unable to defend themselves, typically when incapacitated, surprised or unable to otherwise cast. The Auto-guard spell must be 'loaded' into Raising Heart between Auto-Guard casts, and requires a longer cast time and mana expenditure than Nanoha herself casting the spell. While Raising Heart is a powerful Device, Auto-guard cast spells are typically weaker than spells cast by Nanoha herself, regardless of the mana spent to 'load' the spell. The current Auto-Guard spell used by Raising Heart is Protection, see below.

Quote:Protection will sit at a shield size, then. It'll be used to directly block an attack, and she has to direct it with a gesture during the cast, and sustaining it for longer than just the instant she blocks an attack will drain mana rapidly. Keeping it and Auto-Guard separate keeps it at 300 OM, right?

Quote:Axel Shooter:
One of Nanoha's more advanced spells, Axel Shooter is a shooting type spell of high versatility. After a short cast time and aiming lock, twelve spheres of magical energy are summoned at the tip of Raising Heart, instantly shooting out in individual arcs towards the target. Each sphere is capable of smashing small mundane physical objects, will home in on the target and are capable of breaking through magical barriers, although the energy of each orb will be lessened in proportion to the power of the barrier. Axel Shooter is unable to be cast while moving, and until the spheres explode, are dismissed or otherwise dissipate the user is unable to cast additional spells.
Axel Shooter can be enhanced through the use of Raising Heart's cartridge system to summon an increased number of spheres.

Quote:A high-level magical spell, Restrict Lock is a binding spell used to restrict or nullify the movement of a target. The spell manifests as a collection of light wheels around the target, typically encircling limbs, torsos or other extremities. Each light wheel has to be broken individually to negate the entire spell, though movement of each limb will be allowed when its respective light wheel is broken. While the spell holds, Nanoha can concentrate to summon additional light wheels, but is typically unable to cast any other spells while doing so. While incredibly useful, Restrict Lock requires a fair amount of mana to be fed to sustain the spell and weakens with repeated use.