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Who: Nanako and Homura
When: July 14th
Where: The Marketplace in Iraq the Sumerian gods recently visited.
What: Prayer 26

A prayer for heritage.
I will soon be too feeble to perform my craft that honors your stories, oh Goddess,
but my pupils have all gone missing for one reason or another.
I pray that their families allow them to return to the art
before these old bones give out on me.

[ Teleporting such a long distance without another god's help is a new experience for Nanako - especially when she has Homura tagging along as her new shinki - but she manages it well enough, getting them to the quaint little Marketplace in Iraq they'd visited a while before. She'd been here once and the place was etched vividly in her mind now and as they reappear on the outskirts of it, it looks just as she remembers.

With the exception that this time all the upsetting posters seemed to be gone, at least. She was relieved about that part at least.

But that wasn't why they were here this time, and she glances around the Marketplace curiously. ]

You remember the nice old lady who made the really pretty pelican and fish carvings? The prayer I got, it's from her. All her students stopped coming to learn from her and it made her sad. I thought maybe we could help find them and bring them back.

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[She remembers this place and she remembers the old lady with her carving. She supposes as far as prayers go this is relatively innocuous.]

I remember. Do you know who her students were?

Mmmm. No, but...

[ Nanako cocks her head to the side and glances around for a moment, almost as if she's listening for something. ]

The prayer is about them, too. So I think... I think I can find them. That way, maybe? [ She doesn't sound certain, but she points in a direction that seems to have caught her attention. ]

[She turns her gaze towards where Nanako is pointing and nods. Homura doesn't have any better sense of location for people, so she'll just go with it.]

Lead the way.

Okay.

[ Nanako smiles, and if there's a hint of hesitance in her manner or shadowing her gaze, she's quick to try and hide it as she reaches out and takes Homura's hand. And maybe clings to it a little tighter than normal as she heads down the busy street.

Then again, the last time she'd ventured out on a prayer... hadn't gone so well. She's a little worried about failing another one. ]

[Homura squeezes her hand tightly. Whatever happened before, that's in the past. She doesn't know the people Nanako was with back then. But this time she's here and she'll make sure everything goes just fine.]

You're okay.

[ Nanako glances over at the unexpected reassurance, not realizing she'd given anything away. But she smiles warmly at the words and squeezes Homura's hand back. ]

I know. You're here. I know you'll keep me safe. I just hope I can help this time...

[ They round a corner and it's to find a playground up ahead, filled with children playing and running and yelling. Nanako stops short, searching the place with wide eyes before finally zeroing in a girl in her teens, sitting quietly on a bench and reading. ]

I think... I think that's who we're looking for. Maybe?

[Homura doesn't care about a lot of people, but the few she does care about she cares about intensely.]

We'll do this.

[It's a simple enough prayer.]

The girl reading?

Yeah, I think so. She... feels right.

[ Nanako doesn't know how she knows, she just sorta does.

She glances up at Homura. ]

Do you think it's okay if we go talk to her?

[ If Nanako was here to answer a prayer, making them seen once they speak to her shouldn't be an issue, but Nanako still gets shy when approaching strangers. ]

[Why wouldn't it be? The Heavens say don't talk to mortals, but how else are they supposed to do something like this?]

It should be. It could take a while before she notices us.

I think if we go talk to her, it won't be a problem. Let's go see?

[ Taking a deep breath to gather her courage, Nanako starts moving towards her, still clutching at Homura's hand as they approach.

Stopping directly in front of the girl, Nanako reaches out and taps her on the shoulder. ]

Umm. Hello?

[ It seems the interaction was enough to shed whatever kept the mortals from noticing them - or at least this one particular mortal, because the girl looks up, startled out of her reading to blink at the two girls in front of her in surprise. ]

[Homura stays right at Nanako's side, but she also knows, instinctively, that she isn't actually cut out for talking to people. She speaking up too much is more likely to make things more difficult than they need to be.]

Hello.

Ahh... Can I help you?

[ Nanako gives a soft giggle at the confused question they get in greeting, peering up at her shyly. ]

Umm. Actually, we came to see if we could help you? We were talking to the old lady who sells the carvings in the Marketplace. She said you are very good at it, but you stopped coming to learn lately. I think she misses having you to teach.

[ The girl's face falls at that comment, one hand coming up to nervously tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. ]

Did she really say that? I thought.... No, that can't be right. Maybe she was talking about someone else. You must be mistaken.

[She looks at the girl and then at Nanako.]

What makes you so certain it wasn't you?

I overheard... I thought I overheard people talking. About my carvings.

[ The girl confesses this with a sigh, her shoulders slumping a little. ]

Compared to the other students, I don't have a natural talent for it and the carvings I make don't always come out the same way. They said it was a waste of wood, that no one would want something like that.

[ Nanako's mouth drops open in dismay. ] What a mean thing to say!

[Homura should really just keep herself quiet, but...]

Did your teacher say that or was it the other students?

[ The girl looked startled at that question. ]

Ah! I'm... not sure? I didn't see who it was. I just overheard them. But... my teacher was standing there, too. I don't think she knew if I heard or not but she didn't say anything either.

[ Nanako reaches out to lightly pat the girl's knee. ]

I think you should ask your teacher. But I think she enjoyed teaching you how to carve and she's sad you stopped coming. Not everyone can be good at something right away. Sometimes you have to work really hard and practice until you get it right.

[Homura most certainly does not touch the girl.]

When you fall, you get back up again. ... Your self-worth shouldn't be decided by others.

Yeah! And your teacher obviously thinks you can do it. So you should keep trying! [ Nanako gives her a warm smile of encouragement.

The girl looks a little flustered but some of the hurt seems to have been chased away by their words. ] You think so? Maybe I quit too easily. I did really have fun carving, though, even if it was hard. I kinda liked that it was, though...

If you liked it, you should go back to it.

[People seem to say that kind of thing about their hobbies all the time. If it's fun, then that's all that matters.]

[ Look at you, Homura, you're getting the hang of it! Or so Nanako keeps hoping that you'll take your own advice when it comes to that... ]

I think you should. Finding things you like to do is important.

[ The girl seems to take that to heart, smiling at both of hem before giving a determined nod and pushing to her feet. ] Maybe you're right. I think I'll go talk to my teacher and apologize for not coming by anymore. Hopefully, she'll let me come back and learn again. Ahh... thank you. Both of you. I guess I just needed a little help to not feel like a failure about this.

[That would require something she liked that much.]

If she missed you this much, she'll welcome you back.

[ Baby steps.

The girl nods with a smile, looking eager now. ] You're right. I'll go back right away to see her. And... thank you! You really helped me out!

[ And with a wave, she turns to hurry back down the street towards the Marketplace.

Nanako watches her go with wide eyes for a moment before looking back to Homura. ]

Does that mean we did it?

We have.

[There's a pause as she considers something.]

Do you want to follow her back?

Edited 2017-05-14 23:41 (UTC)

[ Nanako considers that a moment before shaking her head slightly, her gaze drifting off in another direction.

She reaches out for Homura's hand again, clutching it instinctively. ]

No. Not yet. I don't think we're done here yet. There's... something not right...

[ And the last time she'd felt this way had been at the orphanage, although this wasn't anywhere near the same. But still, it sent a chill of fear through her at the possibility. ]

[Once Nanako's hand is in hers, she'll squeeze it reassuringly.]

Do you think it's an ayakashi?

Maybe. Yes? I think so...

[ She gives Homura's hand a squeeze in return. ]

Maybe this is why there were prayers for this place? Should we... go find out?

[ She glances up at her face to see if she thought that were the right thing to do or not. Maybe normally she'd not have hesitated, but after last time, she was feeling much more hesitant. And she especially didn't want to put Homura in danger they weren't equipped to handle. ]

[Homura turns into a weapon for Nanako. If she turned into a shield for her and her only ability was time stop, she would have said no, it's dangerous. But as it stands, she has confidence in their ability to take down one ayakashi.]

We should. Turn me into my vessel form.

[ Nanako glances over at her, searching her expression. ]

Are you sure?

[ But the determination she sees in Homrua's face has her nodding, feeling a little more reassured. Maybe this time will be different. Homura's here, after all. ]

Okay. Let's try. Keki, come! [ It still sends a thrill through her to have given Homura a name. ]

[Homura is a fairly experienced shinki these days. She has confidence in her ability to protect her god(s).

She settles into her bow form without any resistance and feels around them.]

It's an ayakashi. Not too far from here, maybe a few meters...

Be ready.

Yeah. [ Nanako grips her bow tightly and focuses a moment to draw her own power to the surface, a faint glow emanating around her. She takes comfort in the familiar warmth as her halo and wings manifest - already something different from how she faced the ayakashi last time, completely unprepared and unarmed.

She starts moving in the direction she felt it coming from, too, cautious in her approach and watching for where the ayakashi might be hiding.

heading down the street, she rounds a corner and comes to an abrupt halt, spotting it not far away, lingering near one of the stalls in the Marketplace. People nearby seemed to be affected by it, turning more critical and displeased by anything they were looking at. ]

There. I see it.

There's only one.

[Good. She could deal with a group when she's with Souji, but she trusts he has actual battle experience. That's not something she can say for Nanako.]

It's what's been making people feel negative. We just need to destroy it.

Lead it away from the crowd.

Will it follow me or would it run?

[ The other ayakashi had been much bigger and much more menacing, but this one was small still. In this case, Homura still had more experience with them than Nanako did. ]

It should follow you.

[Considering ayakashi seem to like gods and shinki for food... and Nanako looks like an easy meal...]

Get its attention and go into an alley.

Okay.

[ It's a lucky thing she looks like an easy meal, because she steps out into the street and approaches the stall it's perched beside. Bending down, she picks up a rock, not wanting to get too close to it out here when there are still so many people around.

A rock bounced off its bulbous head certainly gets it's attention, however, and Nanako jumps and gives a little yelp when it turns its narrowed beady eyes on her. ]

Uhh. I think that worked. Ack!

[ She turns and darts for the nearest alley when the ayakashi rolls off the stall and starts to pull itself towards her with an alarming amount of speed. ]

[Good they have its attention. Ideally, they'll hit it with an energy arrow.

But if worst comes to worst, Nanako can always try to use her like a bat. She's sturdier than she looks. Probably.]

Drawback the bowstring, focus, and fire.

[ Scrambling deeper into the alley, she spins around and brings up the bow to take aim just as the ayakashi pulls itself into the entrance of the alley. She takes a deep breath and then releases the arrow, watching the same glow that surrounds her move to wrap around the bow Homura shoots. ]

Hit it!

[ She's not sure if it's a plea or a command, but she clutches Homura close as the arrow flies free towards her target. ]

[The good news of this partnership is that all the energy arrows Homura fires are part of Homura's power. Whatever arrows Nanako lets fly can be guided by Homura, so at the command she corrects the arrow's course, piercing straight through the ayakashi and disintegrating it.]

It's destroyed.

[ Nanako's mouth drops open as she stares in surprise a moment.

Then she lifts the bow over her head and gives an excited cheer, dancing in a circle in the quiet alley. ]

We did it!

[... Is this the first time she's finished a prayer with an ayakashi attached to it? Huh.

Well, she can indulge in a little post prayer celebration. A thrum of satisfaction comes from the god-shinki bond.]

We did.

[ It is. That last one hadn't gone so well, after all.

Nanako brings the bow down to hug it a moment before she realized this would be much easier of Homura was Homura again. ]

Oh, right! Akemi Homura, come back!

[She shifts back into her human form and looks a little lost when she's being hugged as soon as she's back. Sure she's used to holding Souji's hand after her vessel form.

But this is a little excessive?]

... I'm back.

[ Look, this was a Big Deal, accept your victory hug, Homura. ]

You are! [ Nanako beams. ] Are you ready to go home or do you want to shop some while we're here? It should be safe now.

[She's not pulling away. That's progress.]

I'm ready to go home.

Okay. We can go tell onii-chan how we did!

[ Which has her reaching out to take Homura's hand again. But before she teleports them away, she glances over to give the other girl a smile. ]

Thank you. It wasn't so scary with you here to help me.

Okay.

[She'll let Nanako have her hand for now. It's not a smile, but it's a look of satisfaction.]

I'm here to help you and Souji.

I'm glad.

[ And with a squeeze of Homura's hand, Nanako closes her eyes and teleports them both home. ]

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Starting Prayer #28!

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