1904/Ice Cold Focus

Ice Cold Focus
Date of Scene:	29 August 2024
Location:	Sports Pavilion
Synopsis:	Laura finds out that Miho was involved in the 'Gas Leak' from First Frost, and checks on Miho. She gives Miho a pep talk before showing Miho how she really looks. This...breaks Miho's still growing 'Accepting Magic is Real' mind set, and causes her to faint.
Cast of Characters:	Miho Inada, Laura La Mer

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Miho Inada has posed:
    Its been a few days since First Frost. Some of those who heard about the incident know the truth about the Gas Leak near the school. The two 'normal' students have been convinced that the guy who attacked them was an employee of the gas company trying to warn them of an explosion. However, Miho, was told the truth, by Hinote. The woman finds out that she's magical. Whatever that means. Does that mean she could have done more? She's a trained fighter, and yet she passed out.

    At the moment, Miho is inside the gym at RHA. She's changed into a more normal comfortable gear for her. She's got on her fight shorts, a sports bra, and her grapple gloves on. She's striking a heavy bag. Two quick hits with her left, steps in with a right punch, and opens her hips to throw a nasty body kick. Demand power? What does that mean? Onihime had told her to demand the power to protect things, but instead, Miho fell to the street, and passed out. Her. A trained daughter of a MMA fighter. The woman throws a left body kick before throwing a cutting right elbow into the bag. One can feel the number of emotions going through her, dispite her face staying focused on the bag.

Laura La Mer has posed:
Thanks to a warning having been issued about a gas leak near the school, several students have gotten to know something had happened to a group of students not precisely identified to avoid breach of privacy. Still, when Miho has texted Laura after the pinkette had encouraged to call her for emergencies to tell her she was involved and she and the other students were fine, that was a tip off the incident wasn't actually what had been reported. Supposedly. Whatever the case, it was probably a good idea to check up on her, especially considering her probable latent magical talent.

Considering Miho had told her she trains in mixed martial arts to stay fit, the first place Laura thinks of checking is the gym. It just so happen that she is in fact right and Miho is there training. Burning off the stress? Possibly. "Hey, Miho-san!", Laura makes her presence known. "I see you are working hard. How are you feeling right now?" She has brought with herself an iced tea to offer Miho in case she would appreciate something to recover.

Miho Inada has posed:
    Miho pauses a moment as she takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly. She stretches herself out. The woman takes a deep breath, as she closes her eyes. She tries to focus her mind. Miho opens her eyes. "I really can't tell if something is around or not.", she says. THe woman rubs her head a bit. "He said that I...felt what happend in Paris, and this place has...weirdness.", she tells. The woman sighs a bit. Paris? She looks at Laura a moment. "When you talked about people fainting, you didn't mean by 'gas' did you?", Miho comments pointedly.

    "Sorry if I'm coming off harsh, but I...can't forgive myself for knowing something wasn't right. And that I...couldn't do anything.", she tells. Miho lets out a semi defeated sigh. "...What is really happening here?", she asks. "Am I really...this small?", the woman asks. "I was told...to demand the power to protect, but I have no idea what that means."

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura sets the iced tea on the ground, leaving it there in case Miho wants to take it later. She is sporting a small grin, confident in the fact her hunch was right. Of course she was right, she has experience with this type of stuff. No wonder she didn't react with the Tropical Pact if she is already housing some powers.

"That's quite a strong magical sense if you felt the fight that occurred in Paris here", Laura tells her. "Doesn't really surprise me, I do have an eye for talent", she exclaims with jovial confidence. Her Queen wouldn't have sent her on this mission if she couldn't carry it out.

She feels a bit sorry for Miho when she mentions she couldn't do anything. She had been on that side of that fence too, not having had any real power to fight until recently. "That's really something you can do nothing about. Were you born perfect in your martial arts? I don't think any human thinks "I should have taken up karate" when seeing someone being robbed", the pinkette remarks.

Of course, she always had the ability to use the Aqua Pot, but she has earned where she was, and where she is. "You won't get anywhere by being paralysed by doubt. You have to keep believing in your own charm, and never let go of that. When your magical talent will come out, you will be able to protect your friends."

Miho Inada has posed:
    Miho takes a long moment as she leans against the heavy bag a bit. "I felt a really sharp pain for a few seconds, then it was warm for a few more seconds. Hinote had mentioned something of a miracle happening. He only told me what they were fighting, and how the world was almost destoryed. He never told me the miracle.", the woman says. "It could just been guess work from him, but I got my meds about that time. The school has taken the meds away. Things...feel sharper, but more...awkward. Like I can feel things around me, but can't pinpoint them.", she tells.

    "Why do you think I'm here? I spent most of the afternoon zen shooting at the archery, but just...frustration that built up. I can't handle some drunk in an alley, and yet, I'm sopposed to have power to fight stuff like that?", Miho says.

    The woman slumps down a bit. "Something you're not born with? Can you really say that about magic? What I mean is could my friends defended themselves from whatever that was on their own? If I have this power, but I can't use it, does that make me useless, or the power useless?", she says. The woman lets out a long breath.

    "You can train in martial arts as a choice, but is magic a choice? Is it something you can train? Is it something you just demand?", she asks. "My charm, it feels like its right here hitting this bag, if thats what you're referring to, but I don't...feel that presence, or see the ice that has been appearing lately."

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura winces at Miho's summary pf her perception of the event in Paris. First that, then headaches? What kind of magic does she have that makes her feel pain to sense magic? "You can be born with a predisposition for magic", Laura corrects herself, "but that is really not the norm. Not even magical races have it guaranteed, at least the humanoid ones. Fairies are kind of the exception", she shrugs.

"Have you ever seen a fairy? They come from all types, let me show you. Kururun, come out. There is someone for you to meet?" Laura exclaims after grabbing the Aqua Pot. Soon after a pink seal pushes herself out of it and raises her stubby right arm as a greeting. "Kururun!" she cheerfully says. "This is Kururun, my dearest companion. She has come with me from Grand Ocean."

"Stop being so hard on yourself, it makes you someone who has to learn", Laura scoffs at the fact Miho is insisting at seeking a fault. "I am a mermaid, you know? I have lived among magic her whole life and only became able to fight recently, why are you supposed to start as a master at magic? You will awaken your ice powers soon enough, I am sure of it, and then you will do great at protecting your friends", she ends with a smile.

Miho Inada has posed:
    Miho lets out a long sigh a bit. It feels odd talking about things. She looks around a moment. Her mind still can't seem to process the sights of magic just yet. She can feel Kururun, but not see. "This is why the doctors probably said I had stress headaches. I'm my father's daughter. He trains me himself. There's no room to be second in the class.", she points out.

    "When I left Kyoto, I was leaving all the burdens of expectations that were placed on me. Then here, I'm seeing something that I just can't get my mind around.", she tells. "Either way, I guess, you have a point. I mean, that Oni Girl seemed to know something more about what my magic was. Just so much was hammering me, that I just...couldn't focus.", she tells. The woman slowly gets up. "I just wonder...how much did the school know about me before I got invited here. Did they know I had...abilities? And if they did...why havn't they trained me?", she asks. "Also, while I'm waiting what am I sopposed to do? Just act like I don't see things?", she asks.

Miho Inada has posed:
    Miho blinks a few times at a comment. "Wait...Mermaid?", she asks. Then Miho remembers something that Mie had said about cursing weak human bodies. What is Mie then, if she's not human....

Laura La Mer has posed:
Kururun tilts her heads quizzically when she doesn't get a reply. It is something she is not used to expect. "That was a greeting Kururun just add, you know", Laura informs Miho thinking she just couldn't interpret it.

Laura nods along Miho talking about her strict father again. "I don't think you willl receive that sort of pressure here. Whether you choose to be at the top of the class or not, it's all up to you. They are going to accept it as long as you pass." Of course, Laura herself could never accept any mark lower than the best, so she was diligently applying herself in that direction. It was her personal goal.

She does dweel a second on that Oni girl. "Onihime was dependable the one time I had met her, if she told you that she will have her reasons. She doesn't really agree why demand, but she agrees that protecting those you hold dear is always a goal worth striving for. That's quite universal.

"They might have", Laura tells Miho. "There is a really big influx of magical girls at this school, and the nurse can make IDs if you need them, so I would say we are at least expected."

At Miho's confusion, Laura smiles with pride. "Of course I am a mermaid! That's what Grand Ocean is, a kingdom of mermaids and sea fairies, and I am going to be its next queen!" She sits down on the floor and undoes her transformation, waving her tail towards Miho. "I am the real deal, go ahead and touch", she smiles brightly.

Miho Inada has posed:
    Much the same with Tracy and Hitome. Miho can feel the presence, but can't quite make that transition yet. As she listens in, and takes a moment to think things through, Miho takes the magatama hairpin she has. It looks almost exactly like Onihime's own magatama. As Miho starts to think on how to reply, Laura changes into her more natural state. This makes Miho kinda blink a few times. Processing request for understanding. Error, Error, Error! Retry....Error....Miho's mind basically goes around in circles a few times before it just gives up. Miho blinks a few more times before basically fainting...Yes. This is a strange new world now that she knows magic is a thing, but yeah, that just broke her.

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura has been met with several different reactions over her nature as a mermaid: excitement, disbelief (much to her chagrin), casual acceptance, but never fainting. That's actually a novel experience for her. And a disconcerting one. "Miho-san!?" she yells alarmed, worried about the sudden fainting. Is this related to her headaches? What should she do now?

Ok, first of all calm. She takes a deep breath, and changes to her Precure form. She will have to address the magatama similar to Onihime's some other time. For now, she will carry Miho to her dorm room and watch over her until she has recovered.