1710/Dandelion Wishes and High as a Kite Dreams

Dandelion Wishes and High as a Kite Dreams
Date of Scene:	29 June 2024
Location:	Penguin Park
Synopsis:	In the aftermath of finding out about magic, Mana visits with Tsubasa, flying kites, discussing what being magic means and forging the new bonds of friendship.
Cast of Characters:	Tsubasa Yuunagi, Mana Soga

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Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
There had been a promise to Mana from Tsubasa. That once he had his kite repaired, he'd invite her to go flying with him. After she had her introduction to the world at the beach, he wasn't sure that would be the best place to bring her back to. So, he decided to the park. He had arrived at the park a while back and had immediately sent Mana a message.

<PHONE> Tsubasa Yuunagi texts Mana Soga: Hi, Mana! I'm going to be at the park today with my kite if you want to join me. No pressure. <location pin attached>

Dressed in a pair of knee length shorts and a comfortable t-shirt, he's just finishing getting the kite assembled, and is currently working on attaching the lead line, humming to himself.

Mana Soga has posed:
    It was the middle of the weekend, and with the exception of her usual plans of 'stay home alone and garden plants', Mana had made no plans this weekend. So once the text arrived on her phone from one of her new friends, she first made sure everything was taken care of, then got dressed in something more presentable than an overused pajama suit and slippers. The worst part about which was tending to her hair, the one detail she always took pride and time to fix appropriately - even waking up early on school days to have time to do so before heading out.

    Tsubasa might think Mana isn't coming, infact. The girl wasn't used to using the phone - or talking to many people besides, so once she got the message she never actually replied. A silly mistake on her part but something she would hopefully improve at over time. A short time passes though, until Mana arrives at the park wearing a orange sun dress - the school colors had made an impression on her in the time she had been attending and she had decided the color suited her.

    Spotting Tsubasa setting up, the girl gives a soft smile then waves before she heads over. Other people might call out or raise their voice to get someone's attention, but that just wasn't how Mana was wired. Instead she waits till she's nearby before clearing her throat softly and motions with her right hand.

"Hello, Tsubasa-kun. Sorry I'm so late..." Mana says, appologizing to the boy for making him wait so long on her to get dressed. "My hair took a bit longer than normal to get right, today..." She adds, at least hopefully giving Tsubasa an explaination for what took so long.

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
It had been a blind invite. Tsubasa had honestly assumed that Mana was paying lip service when she offered to join him on his next outing. So, the longer it took her to show up, the more he was sure she wouldn't arrive. He figured if he assumed she wouldn't show up, he'd be more than pleasantly surprised if she did. And as the time dredged on and he finished the kite, he had pretty much assumed that she was busy with other things and just hadn't bothered or cared to tell him.

As he puts the finishing touches on the kite, he picks it up to inspect it, and it's as he's lowering it that he notices the orange sundress that frames the girl and he offers a bright smile in warmth and greetings as she makes her way over and offers up her greetings and explanation in delay.

"Oh! It's okay!" he says quickly, a small laugh. "I didn't know if you were coming out!" he admits honestly, a shake of his head to chase away those thoughts. When she points out the reason she was late, he gives a soft 'ah' of breath and nods. "I imagine it probably takes a little while. But it looks really nice!" he offers in way of a compliment. "So, I have the kite all ready. I made sure there's no momma seagulls around. I figured we could take turns? Have you flown a kit before?" he asks of her.

He also remembers to add. "And if you want to talk about anything from the other day on the beach, I can answer what I can. But I don't really have all the answers." he admits with a little grin. "There's a lot that I'm still discovering."

Mana Soga has posed:
    Mana softly smiles when it seems Tsubasa is pleasently surprised to see her, then blinks as she suddenly remembers herself that she hadn't even replied to the text message when mentions he had no idea if she was coming.

"Oh gosh.. I forgot to reply to your text, didn't I?" She admits, glancing to one side with an embarassed look on her face before she shakes her head to clear her own thoughts when he compliments her hair. "Ah.. To be truthful it almost comes naturally. There are a few times when it can be unrully but..." She pauses, shaking her head a bit again.

    The question of wether or not she has flown a kite before causes her to go silent again, searching her own memories. She had seen a kite or two before, but never flown one personally.

"Ah.. no, sorry. I didn't really have much of a chance to learn-..." A pause, before she just shakes her head. "Are you sure it won't be dangerous? What if I cause it to crash again and it gets broken, or stuck in a tree, or a powerline, or in a pond...?" Clearly Mana has an overactive imagination about the many ways she might cause something to go wrong.

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
"I didn't mean to make you feel bad. But yeah, I was kinda waiting to see if you'd respond. But showing up in person is way better than a text message, if you ask me!" Tsubasa offers, giving her a quick wink so that she knows he's good with the outcome and that she's here now and that's really the important part.

Then the attention is back to her hair and he grins as she shakes her head. "It looks really good, Mana-chan." he offers to her anew. "You look great!" He even sweeps his hair away from his eye that's usually covereed by his hair so that she can see him looking at her.

"Ah, no, we're really good here!" he says, pointing up. "No powerlines to worry about. There is a pond, but we're a good distance from it, but there is a shrine there, if you want to visit it sometime. And well..." The nearest tree is only barely in sight. He did pick a nice part of the park where there's not much trouble.

"The only thing we may need to worry about is someone else flying a kite, or a stray drone or other type flying device. "Alright. I'll get it up into the air and then when you feel comfortable, you can take over?" he suggests to her, as he takes the kite, takes a few steps, getting a running start, and then releases the kite to loosen the string and feels for it to grab an air current. Once he feels it, he stops running, allowing the kite to rise in the air as he starts to return to Mana's side. "Look at it go!"

Mana Soga has posed:
    Truthfully the fact that Tsubasa was actually ooking at her causes the girl to turn a slight shade of red once more before she smiles, nodding her head softly as she listens to his explaination to allay her fears and tilts her head a bit at the mention of a nearby shrine. She makes note of that, but doesn't interupt the boy as he continues, finally focusing on the boy as he takes a running start and lets the kite free to rise.

'He makes it look so easy...' She thinks to herself, her eyes locked firmly on that kite again, staring at it silently just like she had been the day before at the beach. ... The day before at the beach. ...Man that was a mess, she never intended to get involved with so many people, let alone so many people that - seemingly - were involved in something far bigger. It was taking her a while to process, and truthfully if not for Tsubasa inviting her, she would still be tending to her plants trying to do so rather than somewhat distracted watching that kite flying so free in the air. ... Well... 'free' except for that guide string controlling it.

    The girl's eyes narrow, focusing once more on the kite, before she smiles.

"It must be nice..." She admits. "...Being free to fly on the wind, with almost no strings attached..." The girl says, trailing off before she kneels down and gently clips the stip of a dandelion with her fingers, lifting the seed filled stem up close to her lips before she inhales and blows as hard as she can, setting countless seeds free to drift on the wind as well.

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
As he gets the kite airborne and settled, Tsubasa moves to stand next to Mana, watching it float in the wind for a few moments before his attention turns to her as she starts to speak. It's a very... prophetic set of words that she chooses, and for a moment, Tsubasa's face shows just a hint of surprise, that if she were quick, she would pick up on. After all, the words she just used touch his heart.

"When I was six." he starts to say as he moves closer and offers her the spool of guide line for the kite. "I was in a plane with my dad. He had chartered me a flight over the city for my birthday." he explains to Mana, his eyes moving from her, back to the sky. "When we were flying over the airport, I was so enamored by the lights, I wanted to see them better, so unbuckled my seat belt. We hit some trubulence and the door came open and I fell out. I thought I was done for." *

"But then, suddenly, this girl in white and gold caught me. And I swore she had to be flying as high as we were! We came back to the ground, and they sent me back to my father... but ever since that day, I have wanted to fly like she did. So, I've studied aeronautics, aviation, ornithology... it's my passion since that day." he admits to her.

"And yeah. For that moment in the sky? It's really really liberating." He watches the seeds from her lips spread and catch into the wind and he grins. "Each one of those is a wish looking to take root, someone once told me." His smile grows warm, amusement in his eyes. "What did you wish for?"

* Scene 1511.

Mana Soga has posed:
    Mana looks to Tsubasa as he explains what had happened to him before, her hand moving to cover her mouth a bit in shock as he details falling out of the plane.. then mentions being saved by a girl in white and gold before she giggles softly. Whatever thought passed through her mind, she keeps it to herself though, instead glancing back up at the kite as she shakes her head.

"I can't imagine.. If something like that happened to me, i'd want nothing more to do with flying." She admits, her face twisting into a small frown. "...Ever since I was little, I've been ... Kind of a coward." She exhales sotly closing her eyes in thought as she takes the spool carefully, clutching onto it almost like she's terrified of falling if she let go despite her feet being firmly planted.

"I... Don't make wishes anymore. What does someone wish for, that already had their wish granted?" Mana asks, glancing to one side at Tsubasa before she shakes her head. "Have you ever been... Alone? ..I don't mean like, just sitting by yourself or in a moment." As Mana asks this question, there's a noticable turn in her voice where her volume dips, like she's afraid to speak.

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
"If you don't face your fears, you can't move forward." Tsubasa says with a firm nod of his head. "And really. If she could fly, so can I. At least, that's how I approached it." A little thoughtful glance as it dips for a moment, and noticing Mana's motion, he steps over to her. As he prepares to assist, he considers her question. "Ah, you already had your dream realized? That's pretty amazing!" he comments with a smile, "I don't think I've seen you be a coward. You were really brave when it came to everything that happened with Laura. Most people would have probably run from a mermaid!"

But then the conversation turns. "Being alone?" he repeats, considering her question. "When I first moved to Sorashido City, I felt alone. My parents weren't around, and I only knew the house mistress of the boarding house I was staying at. It took a lot for me to make friends. Especially since the others that moved in were all girls." A small laugh at that. "And when I first arrived at Radiant Hearts, I felt alone. But I just hand to have confidence that I could make friends and move forward."

His hands cover hers, and he tugs lightly on the spool. "Feel for the current again." he encourages her. "And when you do, pull on the string to make it taunt and pull the kite into the sky again."

"And as for being alone? You're not anymore. You made new friends. You'll make more friends. I think you're going to do great, Mana-chan." he says with warm confidence, a direct contrast to her soft tone. And his hands sqeeze hers in the approximation of a hug.

Mana Soga has posed:
    Mana just blinks a bit when Tsubasa calls her brave before she blushes a bit, glancing away while at the same time trying to hide a small laugh she's trying to hold back.

"Ah yes.. Very brave of me. Instead of running away I called the poor girl a Fish..." She replies before she quietly shakes her head while listening to Tsubasa explain, her thoughts drifting for a moment as she listens, nodding her head softly while she watches the kite, following his instructions to keep the line taunt as she smiles.

"...Radiant Heart has been a blessing, yes... But my wish was realized when I found parents that wanted me. ... Before that my earliest memories are living in an orphanage with several other children who didn't want anything to do with me. Even the staff didn't think I would be 'well suited' for the people who ended up adopting me..." She comments, before Tsubasa would feel her hands shake, if only for a moment.

"...But they chose me. The quiet little runt that no one wanted around. I'll never understand why.. or why they thought sending me here would be best... But... They seem to think the same way you do.. That this will help me make friends." She adds as she exhales a bit, leaning in just slightly to Tsubasa as he squeezes her hand.

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
"I mean. You did. But at the same time? You realized your mistake and you owned it. That was pretty amazing." Tsubasa points out to her as she starts to explain her past. As she talks about her life as an orphan, his eyes turn sympathetic, before she explains that someone chose her. "Because someone saw you as someone that they could love. Someone to give a life to, Mana-chan. That's pretty amazing!" he says to her encouragingly and feeling the light shake of her hands, gives them a reassuring squeeze.

"So the quiet girl is now in a great big school. But she's not alone. Not anymore. She is making friends. Branching out, if you don't mind the plant pun." There's a playful smile at that as he nods. "You just need to be willing to reach out. Everyone I have met has been so friendly and bright and cheerful."

Feeling her lean into him, his cheeks darken for a moment, but he doesn't pull away. Instead, he asks her a question. "...how would you feel if I told you I could fly? And fly with you."

A pause.

"Literally. Not like fluttering heart type things!"

Mana Soga has posed:
    Listening to Tsubasa, Mana only nods affirmatively in response while glancing to one side. She knows he's right, of course, her self doubt and thoughts of insecurity always leading her to question 'why' instead. There's a point where she shakes her head, exhaling again before she smiles.

"You're right... I'll always be grateful to them for that. It's taken.. a long time for me to warm up to them... As for the school..." There's a short pause, before she giggles softly. "Well.. THat's... going to take some work from me... I've already kind of given myself a reputation of being hard to approach because I don't really... seek out others, so much." She admits, though that might be another thought just drifting around in her head with no base in reality.

    The question of flight however, catches her completley off guard, the girl glancing to Tsubasa completedly as she just stares silently at first before her shock fades into a soft smile. "I ... Suppose after yesterday, it would be silly of me to not believe that you could..." Mana replies, glancing up at the kite again. "I'd like to keep my feet on the ground, for now... Maybe after i've had a bit of time to process everything though?" She adds, before she smiles at Tsubasa, her own hand returning a reaffirming squeeze to let him know that she is interested. "What's it like, though? To be flying, I mean...?"

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
"Oh yeah, it was not a 'hey, wanna fly right now thing'." Tsubasa says with a small chuckle. And as he sees that Mana has a good lead on the kite, his hands slowly leave hers so that she can handle the kite all on her own. "I don't think you're all that hard to approach. I mean, you're really pretty, but I like talking to you." he shrugs his shoulders, as he folds his hands behind his back. "You just need to hang out more with other people and just... let people know how amazingly awesome you are and plants are. Maybe... well, probably a bit late for plant sales, but it is the time to start making sure pumpkins are going for Halloween, right?" he suggests to her.

"But yeah, there's no rush in sweeping you off your feet." he offers to her teasingly, an amused turn on his lips for a moment. "So, keep your feet on the ground as long as you want. But the offer is there if you ever feel the want." When she asks him about flight, he considers her question and lets out a small sigh of pure joy.

"It's exerlating. Feeling the wind in my hair, on my skin, the freedom of going as high as I can, twisting and turning and flipping and just... it's amazing." he says again with a bright smile. "Like a dream come true - or my own wish on one of those dandelion seeds."

Mana Soga has posed:
    Mana pauses, then gives a soft giggle at the thought of Halloween pumpkins, before she stops and tilts her head. "...Actually... I probably should check on those... If I want to have a good collection ready for this year's halloween, anyway... Maybe make some room in the greenhouse..." She muses to herself, before she pauses then hands the spool for the kite back to Tsubasa. "As for hanging out with more people... ... I'll try. I've never been good at approaching others, really..." She adds, before glancing back to the boy as he starts to daydream about flying.

"...Going high and feeling the wind sounds fine, but flipping, twisting, turning, all of that sounds like a quick one way ticket to losing my lunch..." She says in a slightly sad tone, hoping the boy doesn't take offense. "I mean, not to look down on your enthusiasm, it's just.. ... when you're land locked and not used to it, trying to picture that sort of things is a little unsettling, y'know?"

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
Taking back the kite as it's offered to him, Tsubasa considers. "A pumpkin glow would be pretty amazing." he comments as he now that he has full control of the kite, starts to make it move in the wind, dip up and down and dive and then rise back up into the sky. This is something he's apparently practiced alot as he considers her words.

"I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. I apologize." he finally offers to her. He glances over at her. "I suppose you're still trying to process it all. I could probably show you. I mean, just the transformation. Not the flight part. But I don't want to overwhelm you." he admits to her quietly. "Sorry." And now he's the quiet one.

Mana Soga has posed:
    Mana blinks, before she reaches over and gently bonks the back of Tsubasa's head... Well it's less of a bonk and more of a pat, the girl staring at him the entire time. "You're not overwhelming me. I mean... Sure.. I didnt' wake up yesterday and expect to find out anything I did... You're just trying to be helpful and ease me into things... And we will. That's what friends do, right? Help poeple understand exestential crisis of discovery when they accidentally stumble into a situation they probably shouldn't have." There's a small, but noticable nervous laugh at the end of that. Wether it's real or Mana just faking it for dramatic purpose though, is another story.

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
*BONK*

That seems to happen to Tsubasa a lot, truth be told. "Yeah. It's a pretty big thing, I guess. And I kind of take it for granted, because I was exposed to it when I was so young. And I just want to help where I can." He agrees with her as he guides the kite back to him, drawing in the string and twisting it around the spool further and further to bring the kite back to earth.

"I have a theory on that. If it was an accident, I figure that you would have forgotten it last night, or sometime after you left the area. It's called the veil, and protects those that should not know about mahou from finding out. The fact that you remember tells me you at least have been touched by something, if not magical yourself." he points out. "Maybe you had a sibling that is you don't know about. Or maybe there's something about you. Whatever it is, you have friends now you can talk about it with and feel your way - at your own pace."

Mana Soga has posed:
    Mana blinks, before rubbing the back of her head slowly in response to that description. "Oh... THat's... That's actually kind of a relief... I thought I had stepped into something I had no business knowing or something... ... But if regular people don't know...." She pauses, thinking about it for a few moments. "...Out of all the possible reasons, is it okay if I hope I don't have a sister out there...? ...I don't know what i'd even say to someone like that... 'Hi, i'm the one mom and dad threw out.', or something..." She mumbles to herself before she shakes her head vigorously then slaps both of her cheeks to snap herself back out of it.

"A..Anyway... The Veil, huh... Is that .. something you guys do to protect us or... does it just happen naturally...? ...Wait, speaking of... If the veil is there to protect us, that means bad things exist too...? ...THat's kind of a creepy thought..."

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
Now with the kite on the ground, Tsubasa has his hands free again. And the first thing he does is turn to Mana, and his hands grasp her shoulders gently. He only has a couple of inches on her so it's easy to look her in the eyes. "There's no telling what happened with your parents. We may never find out their circumstances. They may have given you up because they hoped someone would love you more. Or that they couldn't take care of you. Or your mother was alone. There's no telling. But that did not stop you from growing up to being a beautiful and from what I know of you so far, wondering young woman that has been pretty amazing in the face of some pretty crazy stuff."

And he realizes he's probably held her too long and his grip loosens, fighting down the urge to pull her closer, as his hands raise to soothe the cheeks she just slapped. "Please don't do that." he asks her quietly, and lets out a breath. "You're pretty amazing just for where you are now, Mana-chan."

"The Veil is there to protect the world at large. Yes, there is scary things that we fight against. We all do our best to keep them at bay. I promise, if it is something I think you should know, I'll talk to you about it." he promises her, lowering his hands, dropping them back to his sides, unsure what to do or say next.

Mana Soga has posed:
    Mana quietly folds her arms across her chest, before she closes her eyes in thought. "If there's something I need to know..." Mana pauses, nodding her head. "That sounds fair enough.. I don't expect you to spill all the beans... alot of people probably aren't as... open.. about this sort of thing as that Mermaid girl was... ...Infact I kind of get the impression she doesn't understand.. alot.. of above ground stuff... Maybe I should try to reach out to her and see if she needs any help..." She says, before blinking at the realization of what she just said, her cheeks flushing slightly. "...Well... LIsten to me.. Talking about reaching out to someone... Heh..." She quickly smiles, glancing to Tsubasa. "I can't promise i'll change my opinion of myself or my behaviour overnight.. But thank you Tsubasa-kun. Talking to you has... helped... A lot."

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
"Yeah... a lot of people don't lead off with 'I'm magical and I'm looking for other magical people'." Tsubasa finds himself admitting as he finally moves away to collect the kite and picks it up. Coming back to where Mana is, he considers and then offers it to her. "I can build a new one. But I want you to have this one. So that to remember that while you're grounded? Your dreams will always allow you to take flight." A small smile is offered to her.

"I'm not asking you to change who you are. Just know that you have a friend that will liseten and be there. You just need to ask." he points out to her, before he nods. "I'm glad I could help. And I'm never more than a phone call or text away. But don't make me wait too long, or I'll have to come by the greenhouse to make you haven't taken root." Yes, that was a cheeky comment, and he knows it. "If you want, I can walk with you back to the school, Mana-chan."

Mana Soga has posed:
    Mana just.. blinks a bit at the kite as it's handed to her, before she looks to Tsubasa with a confused glance. As the boy starts to speak and explain his actions, Mana's face slowly turns red, then redder, with her eyes slowly widening and glazing over with the faint hint of tears as she clutches the kite firmly pulling it close. "Y...You're... seriously just... going to give this to me...?" The girl stares at Tsubasa in disbelief for several minutes before she turns and wipes her eyes, then turns back again to give Tsubasa a hug.

"I promise i'll treasure it. My first gift from my first friend. Thank you, Tsubasa-kun." She replies, glancing to one side as he mentions that he's never more than a phone call away. "I'll keep you to that.. and I wouldn't mind if you stopped by the gardening club, some time, either.." She adds, holding out one hand to Tsubasa when he makes the offer of walking her back to the school.

Tsubasa Yuunagi has posed:
It's easy for him to make another kite, truth be told. It's one of the first things Tsubasa learned. But Mana's expression when she accepts it is absolutely priceless and even if he had wanted to pull away, he doesn't get the chance as she hugs him, and Tsubasa reaches up to give her a hug in return, a warm squeeze before she lets go. Which is what cues him to do the same.

"The first of many friends and many gifts." he promises her, before he chuckles. "I'll have to look in on you sometime." he promises. His hand closes over hers, and off they walk, heading back to the campus in a quiet walk together.