1194/Swiftwind SAVED(?)

Swiftwind SAVED(?)
Date of Scene:	27 February 2024
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Sayaka has gotten Swiftwind from Hinoiri, so she gives the happy news to Bow. While they talk about the events, several important things are said to each other, and at the end, the alicorn goes with Bow, missing his telenovelas.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Bow

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Sayaka Miki has posed:
It is 2 hours after Sayaka and Bow had left the meeting of the Adora support group together. Sayaka had told Bow she was going to leave for a bit to get Swiftwind rescued and not to follow her to avoid compromising the mission. They had agreed to meet at this time in front of the dorms so Sayaka could update him on how it went.

When Luke will arrive, Sayaka will be there, still in her getup from earlier, waiting for Luke to show up so she can give him the good news. To the boy, she will appear to be completely calm, and as composed as she was during the end of the meeting.

Bow has posed:
Sayaka had reassured Luke before they parted she would be fine, because there were so many questions he wanted to ask and he was genuinely concerned about the Puella Magi going on her own - didn't they just have this talk a couple of days ago about witches? And there's this whole thing on the Shed board about not going out alone.

But in the end, he couldn't stop her. Just like he couldn't stop Adora. And it's turning into a whole theme where he's starting to wonder if it's people thinking they just want to go solo.

Or just not with him.

When she sent him a text a few hours later to come over, maybe she'd changed her mind? Maybe she wanted his help after all? That would be swell. He arrives at the front of the dorms, ready for about anything. "I have all my gear, I'm so ready for this..." he's hyping himself up because he honestly thinks that...

And then he sees Sayaka standing there waiting for him, and he raises his hand in a greeting. "Hey." he says, immediately shoving everything else down to offer a smile and ready to be supportive in any way he can. Upbeat optimism just comes up so easily. "Everything all right?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
When Luke appears to meet up to meet up with her, Sayaka waves with a smile to the boy. He is going to be so happy just about now that Swiftwind is here and nobody had to get hurt for it. On her part, she is immensely relieved that she was able to convince everyone to let her do this alone, because this was a situation when a confrontation was actually unnecessary, rather Hinoiri could have gone on the defensive if approached by so many mahous, and she couldn't have personally appealed to her.

"Hey, Luke!", the bluenette exclaims. "Guess what? The mission has been successful. I have gotten Swiftwind back from Sunbreaker. He is resting in my room with Ula right now. I hope you weren't too worried, I don't think there will be other occasions I will need to do things by myself. I will always call you up, ok?"

Bow has posed:
Oh. She doesn't need his help after all.

"Oh! That's great news!" Luke offers up with cheerful excitement. "It must have gone really well, and I'm glad that you don't seem to be hurt..." And there's a quick look over the bluenette, concern in his features, eyes narrowed. "You're not hurt, right?" he asks this time, just to make sure.

Then he pulls back, a small frown for just a moment and he shakes his head. "Could tell something was up, you know." He admits, pressing his forefingers together. "The way you reacted, how you were eager to do it alone. Even when Rashmi or Amy offered to help."

A sigh and a shake of his head. "Adora does the same thing for Catra, so I totally get it! I guess Sunbreaker must be pretty special to you." A pause for a heartbeat. "And that's fine and all! I mean, we're just friends, so it's cool that you have someone special to you like that! I mean, I went off on my own to find Adora, so I kinda get it." He really should get it, so why does he feel like this anyway?

A firm shake of his head. "Great, I'll get him from your room before he causes too big of a mess." Because changing the subject is good. So is realizing that if Adora henshins, Swiftwind is so not going to do well in a small dorm room and will need more space to roam.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"No, I am not hurt, I didn't even lose a single hair", Sayaka remarks with a smile. "And honestly, with my magic, I could lose my arm and regrow it seconds after. So I would be fine anyway." Granted the only time Sayaka got her arm cut, it was by her own hand, to get out of a binding spell.

And then there is the accusation Sunbreaker is special to her and they are just friends. Sayaka sighs, worried at all with how dejected Luke was being. Why does he have to imagine things for the worse? "Luke, listens. Swiftwind can wait. Ula is taking care of him anyway. To me you aren't just a friend. You are more than that. You are charming, fun, a nice person, skilled, determined, brave, a great violinist, caring, hardworking. When you asked me what I meant by going out, well, I actually like you that way."

Bow has posed:
"Wait... you can grow back limbs after you lose them? I mean... that's wild and amazing, I think I'd just end up with a lost limb!" Bow's really really sure of that - just another one of the multitude of differences between him and a standard mahou. He has so much to learn.

But then she's laying her feelings on the table, all in an effort to try to soothe him. No no, this isn't... Luke didn't mean... He scrubs his hand over his face, before his other hand grabs a hold of Sayaka's. "Walk with me?" he asks her softly.

And he starts to walk. And it seems that walking is the thing that he does to help him think. "How can you be so sure?" he asks her, confusion in his features as they are mostly alone.

"It's not been quite a week since I came through the portal. There's so much I don't understand. I'm just some regular guy with a bow and arrows from some other world that's here in the hopes of finding the real champion of said home so I can save a timeline that may not even exist anymore if we manage to pull it off - and if we do, does that mean I disappear with it?"

"This. This is why I didn't want to press on it yesterday. I don't want things to get started and then suddenly, I'm gone and you're left alone."

Not that he's been there. "I don't want to disappoint you, Saya. Because you're pretty awesome and amazing."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Yes, it's something I have due to the type of wish I made with Kyubey", Sayaka admits. "Since I asked someone to be healed, part of my powers is a very fast healing factor."

"How I can be sure?" Sayaka repeats as she walks with him. Well, because he makes her feel things that mark him as special, that just aren't easily confused for other things. "I have just given you enough reasons why you are special. A whole list of them. I'd be hard pressed to find a way to state in any clearer terms that that."

"Are you saying you actually have no way to save your world? Didn't you say earlier that you still have hope that isn't the case, that Crystal Hope could still be wrong? I don't think Crystal Hope is hiding things like Kyubey, but he too didn't believe in the odds to succeed. Because I actually went to a place worse than death once, Luke. And the only reason I am back is because my friends never stopped believing. So I am not going to stop believing in your world being able to be saved either", Sayaka declares, staring straight at him.

"And honestly, I think having to get over a heartbreak is infinitely preferable to spending the rest of my life regretting never having tried anything with you. But the only heartbreak that's gonna happen is from you going back to your peaceful world, not you disappearing."

Bow has posed:
Now that they've stopped again, Luke turns his attention back to Sayaka, looking down at the bluenette as she speaks with such conviction on her hopes and feelings for him, and he shakes his head. "What I said last night, Sayaka, is that my focus right now is Adora. Without her, there's no point in talking about any of the rest of it. She's the lynchpin in the whole saving Etheria thing. I couldn't do it - even with a whole bunch of people from this world. She's Etheria's Champion." he explains quietly.

But that's not answering the question that she asked, is it? His hands settle on Sayaka's shoulders, his thumbs brushing over them. A familiar touch to her. "Sayaka, from the moment I met you, you've been a whirlwind in my life. You're beautiful, you're creative, you've been the best thing that's happened to me in this world since I arrived. You've been a friend, you've shown me around. You've kept me company. And now, you're helping my friends and you gave your greatest gift for someone you barely knew. And we make completely beautiful music together and I could see myself in concert with you for a long time to come."

"Be patient with me?" he asks. "I know where you are. You made it clear. I have to focus on helping my friends. Adora's under the influence of what Sunbreaker did. Accident or not, it has to get addressed - along with her own heartbreak over Catra. I can't imagine falling in love with someone, marrying them, having a future - and then it's suddenly all reset and you have to start over from the worst possible point with a Catra that might not even be hers."

"And now that I know Glimmer is here? I have to help her too." he admits quietly. "They're my best friends squad, Sayaka. And I want you to help. I want you with me. But you need to be sure. Again. Just a regular guy with arrows. I'm not super strong, or magical, or... I can't even imagine how great the guys around here must be - because the girls are really special. And you are too."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Champion to an Etheria that she wouldn't even know needs saving if it weren't for you. Face it, Luke, she may be the one who is going to have the final strike or whatever it is needs to be done, but you are the one who made it possible, by never stopping to believe you would find her."

Then she takes his hand and squeezes it. "And now you are doing even more to achieve that. You were the one able to keep her calm while she isn't herself, it's you who warned everyone about Adora, opening up that support group. It's all because of you. So it's not true you are doing nothing, that you aren't special", she states resolutely.

She starts walking back to her dorm room, bringing him to Swiftwind. Eventually they are inside the dormitory. "On that, I better brind you the proud steed of She-Ra, as he calls himself. When I told him you were here he has been itching to meet you and hear all about Adora and you, so say hi to Swiftwind!", she smiles, opening the door, causing a small rainbow projectile to crash into Luke's stomach! "Bow!", the alicorn exclaims. "How are you!? What about Adora?"

Bow has posed:
And Sayaka calls his bluff. Okay, fine, she wants an answer. As they are walking again to Sayaka's room, there's a pause right outside of it as the pair of them come to a halt and he turns to face her. "I appreciate all of it Sayaka. I don't know what's going to happen, but I feel more comfortable with it for you being here."

He steps in to offer her a hug, and as he does so, he presses a small kiss onto Sayaka's forehead, just as a moment of reassurement. "We'll figure it out. All of it." he promises her with quiet commitment to the idea.

And that's when the door opens and Adora's mascot bodies him, sending the pair of them tumbling! It takes a few moments for Bow to realize that this tiny alicorn, mascot sized is actually. "Swiftwind?! What happened to you?! By Brightmoon!" He laughs and picks up the little horse and squeezes him. "Adora's going to be fine. We're going to find her and make her better, I promise!" he declares.

"Right now?" Swiftwind asks. "Because my telenovels are about to start and today, Cassandra confesses her feelings for Rico and Rico tries to be focused on his work but he secretly likes her too and I need to see how it ends..."

"Rico, Cassandra? What are you talking about?" Luke is asking in obvious confusion.

Swiftwind snorts. "I thought the glasses were to make you smarter!" he comments, "But it is fine, I will tell you all about their story and maybe you'll finally get some ideas!" he starts to explain.

But Bow is feeling around Swiftwind's middle. "Are... are you putting on weight?" he asks, lips pulling into a thin line.

"I AM NOT! I'm just PLUSHY." the small alicorn declares. "The apples here are GOOD and HEALTHY!"

"Nope. Definite pudge. We're going for a walk, I need to fill you in on what's going on!" Bow stands up and smiles at Sayaka. "Thank you." he says to her honestly, a smile playing his eyes and lips as beautifully as their duet was. "I'll see you again soon. But for now!" He's pulling off Swiftwind.

"....but my stories!" is heard as they disappear around the corner.