Magic and Threads [Closed]

[Takes place on the 15th Week, Saturday]

The open field was usually filled with people, but on this certain day it was quiet and deserted. It was only early afternoon but the clouds had started to thicken and the sky had turned grey. Despite this, a girl was sitting at one of the benches set there at the side, not really worried about weather changes because she had brought an umbrella. She also wanted time alone because when other people were around, she couldn't focus on her sewing. At the moment, she was making repairs to a white fluffy teddy bear. It's fabric was old and worn and its black eye buttons were full of scratches, but instead of making replacements, she simply restitched whatever tears opened.

Thunder began to rumble, but she didn't move.

"I don't dislike the rain," her soft but blank voice said.

It was only then that she realized someone else was in the field, but she wondered who could possibly want to be out here other than herself.

Marlin looked up into the clouds. He then looked to his hand. "Ice, no to easy. Electricity, nah to simple. Ah perfect." He loaded up a red canister, and his hand began to glow. He then opened his palm to reveal a fire ball surrounded by a black glow in his hand. He looked to the sky, and raised his hand. He sent a the ball of flames flying through the air. As it disappeared the sky turned black. In front of him fire balls began to fall to the earth. "It appears gravity, and any other element causes, a shower of some sort. Fascinating."

Shiki watched calmly as the fire balls began to fall down in a sort of flaming rain. She wasn't scared and was simply hoping the person would leave soon since she needed to finish her work on Kuma, her white teddy-sually

One of the fireballs hit too close and the smallest of embers caught onto Kuma, making Shiki's usually emotionless eyes widen.

"Kuma...!" she said with the hint of stress in her voice. She batted away the small flame but it had left a small burnt mark. Shiki's eyebrows furrowed. Without another moment wasted, she stood up and put her teddy bear to the side, letting it hold up with an umbrella to protect it. She activated her metal boots and the half-wheels lodged at the back of their legs lifted and formed into full wheels over her feet. She began rolling over towards the strange person who had singed Kuma carelessly, pressing a button on her gloves.

The two metal teddy bears hanging at her side released steam and their heads opened for her to slip in her hands, thus forming her weapon, Dark Orson. She immediately shifted and they transformed into their cannon mode.

"You burned my teddy!" she said loud enough for the person to hear if they hadn't heard her wheeling over yet. A small current came from her cannon and something bright charged from the inside, aiming at him. "Apologize now or I shoot."

Marlin slowly turned to the girl showing his glowing eyes. "Pardon?" He looked past her, and saw the teddy bear. He looked back to her in a calm voice, and mind. "Madam, please calm down. Allow me to apologize for that. I am merely testing my dust effects." He looked at her with a gaze of wisdom. "If I may ask why are you out here, with a teddy bear. This area is for combat training." He said watching her. Behind his back his hand glowed black. He raised it to her weapon, and added some gravity force to it. Making it extreamly heavier. "Now let us talk about this without violence shall we?"

Shiki lifted one of her heavy cannon gloves and pointed it in the direction of her teddy bear, shaded by her umbrella.

"This place was quiet and deserted and I needed a place to sew," Shiki stated blankly, her soft voice strangely intimidating. "It is the perfect place to sew...or at least it was. You and your carelessness singed my precious bear. What if you had singed someone else? Have you not thought of that? Not that I could care less. Kuma is more significant..."

She kept the other charged cannon focused at the man.

"The red thread of fate has brought you to cause damage on my precious item," Shiki said. "And at the same time, you obviously need to train yourself. Now, fight me so I can avenge Kuma once and for all."

With that, a large ball of electricity blasted from Shiki's cannon and was aiming right for Marlin and attempting to hit him.

Marlin put up his right hand, which was glowing yellow. The ball hit, and with a flash of light it was gone. His hand charged even brighter then it was before hit.. He looked to her now. "So a duel is what you wish? Vary well." He said sending the ball back twice as strong.

Shiki's wheels shifted and turned horizontal, zipping her just out reach for the ball.

"It's not going to be that easy," Shiki said blankly. As she continued to wheel to the side, she murmured something else. "Bear hug."

The white bear head backpack Shiki was wearing began to morph and soon the metal clasped itself on Shiki's chest and back as armor. Shiki realized that her shock cannons weren't going to do much just yet. The person could somehow absorb the shocks and thwart it back at her.

She shifted her wheels forward again and began charging at him, her Dark Orson now shifting back into large heavy metal gloves as she attempted to strike a blow to Marlin's front.

Marlin shook his head. His right hand glowed red, and left gray. He slammed them together, and created a fiery vortex. He sent it flying right at her. It won't hurt, maybe singe but I can use it to run. As soon as he sent it flying he ran out of her path.

Shiki's eyes widened seeing the fire charging at her. Knowing her wheels wouldn't easily shift her she crossed her gloves together to guard her head and chest as she wheeled backward. The fire dissipated but not without singing the exposed part of her arms from the gloves to her elbows. Shiki winced, but focused her attention as Marlin began running from her.

Shifting one hand to her cannon, she straightened up as the jet boosters of her backpack lifted her up into the air, her wheels turning back to metal boots as she did. She was about seven feet from the ground, allowing for swifter movement as she aimed.

"Run and run all you want," Shiki said calmly. She knew about how he'd try to absorb the shock again and send it at her but this time she was ready. She shot three multiple electric balls, each one going farther than the other in attempt of catching Marlin mid-run.

Marlin raised head to see a barrage of shots. "Commendable move. Sadly it is pointless." He said raising his fist as it glowed yellow. He slammed it down into the ground, and caused a electric barrier to form around him. he looked down, at his free hand , and saw he was low on dust. He reached into his bag, and stocked up. When the balls hit, the barrier took the hits, but not with out sending a shock up his spine. "My turn." He raised his free hand, and sent a stream of black dust at her shoes.

Shiki shifted to the right, dodging most of the black dust that had attacked her but some had connected with the tip of her shoes and she could feel the weight making her sink down a bit. She didn’t know the full effect of the dust just yet, but wasn’t going to wait. Straightening her position again, her jetpack’s flares burst even stronger and she leaned into a forward position. Firing more shots at the stranger in an attempt to mobilize him. Whether or not that was successful, she would charge her semblance as her hand in the primary form clenched itself and radiated with the electricity from her semblance. From there she would let the black dust’s effect take her, shutting off her engine as her fist charged to try and slam him from above, aided by its own jet boost to rapidly hit.

Marlin looked up he just smiled. He made his black hand open. Instead of increasing gravity it lessened it. Her speed would now slow up a bit. He drooped his shield, and moved out of the way. His hand turned a bright blue, while his other black. He slammed them together, and produced an ice shard, with black dust spinning around it. He sent it flying into the air, and soon the sky would darken, and sharp ice shards would fall. If caught under it would cut, and freeze anything it touches.

Shiki felt the boots lighten in enough time to react. Just as she was about to touch the ground, she blasted another electric shot from her cannon letting her shoot up into the air as the jet boosters charged her back up. She could see the ice shards falling. Fortunately, she had been charging her semblance. As she darted from as many ice shards she could, one eventually got a hold of one of her legs and began freezing it.

Shiki lifted her rocket boost even higher to stand the weight as her semblance surrounded her in her own electrical dome, hopefully enough to protect her from the shards. She had been charging her other cannon as she did this and shot five more shots at Marlin, flying as she did so she could catch up to him.

Marlin spun around, and a shot caught him in the arm. He winced in pain, but did not give up. He ducked, and weaved out of the way of the other shots. He looked up at her in her own dome of electricity. His hand soon charged grey, as he looked up at her. He then sent a gust of wind at her, while using his other hand to bring him the bear. When the bear reached him he looked at it. "My, my a simple teddy over all this fuss?" He looked back up at her, as his hand began to glow green. "Lets see what this does then."

Though the ice would lash here and there because of the electricity getting in its way, the wind was a different matter. The gust breezed through and was mildly pushing her away, the jet boosters being easily affected by it.

As Shiki tried to keep her control over her levitation in the air, her eyes watched as Kuma came into Marlin's hands. At that moment, the eye of hers not covered with an eye patch widened, its blood-red color glaring at the man who had her teddy hostaged.

"How...HOW DARE YOU TOUCH KUMA!?"

Roaring, the electricity began her around to lash, no longer a dome but an area of flying currents lashing here and there. She landed as she did this, changing her cannons into gloves and putting her wheels back on. With her jet booster behind her she leaned forward increasing the speed of her wheeling, her metal fist ready to charge at Marlin.

Marlin just used his free hand to warp a barrier around him. It would keep her out long enough for him to work. He then engulfed the bear in a thing of green dust. "Ah....green dust." He said holding the bear (now a ball of green dust.) He kept a steady stream on it.

Shiki stopped in her tracks, her eyes getting wider and wider. She clenched her teeth.

"QUIT IT!" Shiki yelled. "I'll forfeit the stupid duel! JUST DON'T HURT HIM!"

Eventually, the dome of electricity flickered around her and shut down. Her wheels collapsed and she fell to her knees. Her gloves letting loose and falling onto the floor as teddy bears again.

Marlin just looked at the girl and dropped the barrier. He walked over to the girl, and held out his hand. The green dust swirled and flew away revealing what he had done. In his hand was the teddy bear, but no longer singed. "Good as new." He handed it back to her. "You see I felt awful about that fire, so I wished to make amends." He said looking down at her. "You see I also have a small friend. One that I would not know what to do without him." He said grabbing something out of his bag. He pulled out a small bear with a wizard cap on.

Shiki walked closer, clutching Kuma tightly and snuggling it. She looked up at Marlin in disbelief and was about to say thank you, but then she saw the small bear friend of her opponent.

"A bear..." Shiki murmured.

Shiki stood up and dusted herself, bowing her head slightly.

"I'm sorry I burst out like that and proceeded to attack you," she said. She was now putting Kuma's head, her hand paler than its off-white fur. "Kuma...is a very special friend. But please...be careful with your fire."

She then extended her hand.

"If the fight had continued, I wouldn't have really stood a chance," Shiki said. "You seem like a proficient dust user and you're swift enough to dodge my cannon attacks. I'm already a third year student, but you've impressed me."

The smallest hint of a smile came on her face.

"I'm Shiki Zenchi, by the way," she said.

Marlin smiled though not a visible one. He nodded at her. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Marlin Masters, and I too am a third year. It seems you are a skilled fighter too. If I had not absorbed your blows, I would have fallen in defeat, and do not worry I shall be more cautious of my powers." He looked down at her leg. "It seems your friend is not the only one hurt. I shall fix that." He sent a stream of green light to her leg. The ice dissipated, and her cuts healed. "Please forgive me if I did harm you." He put the small bear on his shoulder, and petted its head. "Be weary though, protect your friends fury or not. Do not let enemies expose this weakness. I feel that I owe you something for damaging your friend." He put his hand to his chin and thought. "I shall aid you in anyway possible. I am in your debt." He said with a bow.

Shiki examined herself as the healing took place and turned back to him.

"You never did anything wrong," she said. "I attacked out of turn. Anyhow, it's a pleasure to meet you too."

It was around the same time that it began raining. Shiki wheeled her way to her umbrella and opened it and then wheeled back to Marlin, the smallest hint of a small on her blank face. She had Kuma in one hand and her bears on her hook belt and backpack.

"May Kuma and I do the honor of bringing you and your friend back to the building?"

Marlin nodded his eyes glowing through the rain. "Of course. We would be honored." He pulled hi bear off his shoulder, and put him in a small pouch on the front of his hoddie. He got underneath the umbrella and walked back to the building with her.