9835/Magic and Mystery Avail You

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Magic and Mystery Avail You
Date of Scene: 26 January 2022
Location: Grand Central Station
Synopsis: Sarah Rainmaker talks to Daniel Chain in Manhattan about powers
Cast of Characters: Sarah Rainmaker, Daniel Chain




Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
In one of the side spaces over within the 'base' that had been setup in Grand Central Station, an Apache woman was practicing. She had a mockup of a spear setup; a long wooden pole slightly under two meters long that had a dulled stone 'spike' anchored at the tip of it to use as the tipped point. Dulled so as to not injure if it struck anything or popped off. She was currently going through a twirling routine with it, treating it like a quarterstaff.

Swing, swing, spiral, going to move ti in a figure eight. Then going to twist it over a shoulder and go for several light lunges, as if she were doing an old style bayonet drill, pumping it forward, retracting it, and going through a series of quick jabs. Then falling back to the twirling.

Sarah Rainmaker would pant, then hold up her hand to make a small rain of water over her face.

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel Chain is making no effort to hide his approach, but neither is he wearing boots that would click against the floor of this nearly-empty part of the station. So between the simple waking shoes he *is* wearing and the focus Sarah has on her practice and cool-off, one has to wonder if she would notice the young man with the guitar case making his way along with a curious look this way and that as he walks.

"Hello?" One also has to wonder also if he would have actually seen see her create that little rain-shower to refresh herself -- Daniel calls out when he sees the space opening up and motion past it, but possibly too far away for any details. However, he seems friendly enough as he approaches, though giving a blink at the practice dummies and her -- spear?

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would glance at Daniel from her position, going to lean back on the makeshift spear she had been training with. Then the rock that had been shoved into the top of it to act as the spearpoint would fall off, hitting the ground. By the marks on the concrete, it had done that a few times. So without any particular distress, Sarah would go to pick it up to put it in again.

Then glancing over at Daniel, she would greet, "Hello. Forgive me if I was in the way, I was just practicing." She owuld offer to him in greeting.

Daniel Chain has posed:
"Ah? No, not at all! I didn't even know this place was here," Daniel admits. That curious look of his doesn't go away as he watches Sarah retrieve her spear-point and move to affix it back in place. " ...I'm sorry if this is rude, but is this what you were practicing? I thought most people here used power weaponry," he notes. "I didn't think I'd see something like this here."

Stepping a bit closer now, but only so he can lean in and study her weapon a bit. And then turning his head to regard the marks in the floor as well, a touch of a frown creasing his features.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "It is where.. Most of those who are acting against the.. Aggressors re staying." That seems pulblic enough knowledge (plus the fact that he's already here) so it doesn't seem much of an issue to bring up. Also referring to the angels as 'aggressors' rather than anything else seemed to be a purposeful reference.

Her weapon was just a thick wooden shaft with a (former) rock on the end. She would explain after a moment, "Practicing."

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel just sort of nods absently as he turns her attention back to studying her spear. Whether he's caught the significance of her choice of word or not, or even heard much of what he said, would probably be uncertain given the intensity he does so with. But finally he does straighten up, and gives her an apologetic look as he finally speaks up. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend, but your weapon is -- er, that is to say, are you not able to affix the head any better.... ?"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would shake her head, "It's just for some training. I didn't care that much. I just chipped off a piece of cement and shoved it in. If you can help me adhere it more firmly it would be useful but not necessary. I.. will likely be using such a thing if there are any further fights I am in, so it seemed.. Useful to start practicing iwth something before I was given a proper weapon to use."

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel nods. "That makes sense -- practicing before trying with an actual weapon, that is. I can understand that." He brightens however, as she invites him to go ahead and help with the weapon if he likes. "I can do that, certainly!" And holds out the hand not holding the guitar case, actually looking eager to set to it.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would go to pick up the wooden shaft she had been using to practice and the chipped bit of concrete she had been using to be the 'blade'. By the roughs tate of the wood at the end it had fallen out a few times.

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel carefully takes both the shaft and the spearhead in a careful grip as he turns to walk to the nearest wall, setting the guitar case down near it. Taking one more moment to peer over both, carefully eyeing the edge of the concrete chipping, then giving the staff-like length an experimental heft. "Are you all right with the way this is balanced?" he asks absently, lightning swinging the length in a lazy arc back and forth. "And the weight?"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "It is.. Adequate. I'm not sure as to the exact dimensions and weight of the one that I'm likely to be using so it seemed good to just review the basics." And moreso treating it like a quarterstaff in how she had been handling it. Close enough but not really the most efficient way to prepare; nor exactly the same way that one might fight with one. And indicative she had just grabbed a random piece of wood and broken off some concrete to make one.

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel nods, accepting her words as he moves to sit with his back against the wall, laying the staff aside for a moment and holding the chipping in his hand, and fishing around in his jacket pocket with the other. Retrieving and flicking open a pocketknife, bringing the flat of the blade up to his lips for a moment. Another moment to study both...

...and then bowing his head as he gets to work. A knife is *not* the preferred tool for shaping stone, and he seems to be using it as a scraper of all things, rasping the edge against the concrete. But it does seem to be working, with a fine dust sifting down from where the metal blade makes contact.

And as he works, Daniel begins to hum softly, lips eventually parting in a low, half-breathed song -- something almost sub-vocal, without words in a low, resonating chantlike tone. A work-song, something that drones in his throat along with the rhythm of the blade, and the light scraping of metal on stone.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would watch over at him thoughtfully, going to take a moment to sit over to get a better view. Watching and paying attention. She would muse, "Do you whittle?" She would inquire over at him as she would see him working over at the tip of the spear. "And you're not ruining your knife?" That has her attention.

Knives are used on stones to help sharpen them. They don't to her general understanding do well when it comes to working on stone without dulling the blade or warping the metal. So that has her full on attnetion as she would watch over at it with rapt attention.

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel doesn't answer either question, but if she looks from his work to his face, she'll see he's not deliberately ignoring her -- although all that dark hair with its white streak is falling over his features, she'll be able to see enough past it to make out the look of intense concentration those features hold. She'll also make out the smell of something scorched -- hot metal and hot stone. And if she looks down, she'll see the edge of the knife is actually starting to glow red, little wisps of smoke curling up from it.

But despite that, Daniel doesn't seem the least been discomfited, working quickly and yet carefully as he drones his half-voiced song, heedless of the fine gray powder sifting down and staining his jeans. And soon blows carefully on the stone, lifting it up to the light to study it -- the rough chunk of concrete has now been whetted into a leaf shape, and now bearing some very sharp-looking edges and tip.

And that seems to do for Daniel, giving a short, satisfied nod as he stills his song, setting the knife and speartip aside. "I couldn't do much about the stone itself," he adds apologeticaly to Sarah, rummaging in his jacket again. "The stuff that's made out of -- cement, right? I don't know everything that's in it, so it's hard to work with. I can't really make it stronger than it is, but I tried not to thin it out too much, so it won't crack when you stab with it."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would be aware that he was focusing on whatever he was doing so she would step back. Focused as best she could over as to -how- he was doing it. She'd had at least some training with knives. Keeping the blades sharp and taking care of them was part of that. So seeing him do something which would ordinarily dull and warp the blade a great deal purposefully meant that there had to be something more to it. So as he would be having the rock edged on down and watching.

"How are you doing that? Is it a different metal than steel?" Which most knives seh'd seen were made out of at some level. "And there's no fault. I was using it to practice rather than anything particularly important. I just want to make sure I have a sense of the weapon that I'll be using and have the mannerisms down correctly."

Daniel Chain has posed:
"Okay!" Daniel nods, retrieving a roll of bandage gauze from his jacket pocket now, and unrolling a length of it. Reaching down to pick up his pocketknife again and blowing across the edge, the still-red metal immediately doing dark with a wisp of smoke. "Hm? Oh, this? No, it's steel. I don't have any stronger metals with me. I *really* want to try working with some of the ones I keep hearing about!" he adds longingly. "Chrome, titanium, vanadium -- I want to learn more about them!"

Working now even as he talks, taking the length of cause between his fingers and swirling it though the air. It might seem like just a showman's gesture, except something about the way he moves it isn't quite random, draws the eye in something that suggests an actual pattern rather than just some random pretty ribbon-dance. And when he catches it between his hands and begins pulling at the cloth and its raveling, it seems to... change, somehow. Becoming almost liquid in his fingers, not losing its form outright, but becoming much more workable than it should be.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod at Daniel, "Fascinating. Then how is the edge staying intact? Even a well forged blade done carefully in that tsyle would not take well to that maneuver. And I believe that those here might have some harder metals that you could practice with." She would watch inf ascination over as she would take a closer look at what was going on.

Her eyes would widen just a little bit as sh would manage to figure out at least a small thing of it. "A unique ability."

Daniel Chain has posed:
There is no comment in reply, but as before it's not a deliberate thing -- once Daniel had begun his crafting proper, he had lost himself in it. What he had begun with was a length of first-aid gauze. a criss-cross weave of sterile cotton fibers; what he finally snaps taut between his hands though, is a length of solid white cloth. Holding it up to the light and peering at it critically for a moment. Then giving a short, satisfied nod, rolling it back up and carefully setting it aside.

Reaching for the staff now, and taking a moment with his knife to cut and deepen the notch at its head. His motions quick and certain, setting the blade aside and moving to fit the stone speartip into place. Taking up the folded cloth and snap it out, then swiftly tying it into with a tight slip. Pushing himself to his feet so he can eye the work as a whole, peering at it once more. Then giving another short nod, and slamming the butt of the spear down on the ground -- which seems to echo *much* more than it should through this room, the shock of the impact shivering up the spear as some force translates through it.

"And, done! Contract complete!" Daniel proclaims, holding it out to her. "I know you said you were okay with the balance and you were using it just for practice, but I did go ahead toughen it up a little -- wood, I can worth with. What do you think?"

Still a very simple spear, but Sarah will note it has a more definite heft in her hand now, feeling a little more weapon-like than just an improvised piece. There's that leaf-like speartip of cut down, and the white cloth binding it in place now looks like a tight-weave cotton cloth, meaning it'll keep nice and secure even after a few impacts.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would watch over in fascination over as he would work with it. Eyes wide and intrigued. "Is that an inherent ability or do you just know how to do it?" She would watch over wholly intrigued as to how it would work, then going to take it when he would offer it. "Ah.. Thank you." Then she would tak eit back and move to wave it a little forwards.

Moving to slowly pop the weapon a few inches forwards in a sway, then going through the twirling routine she had been doing at a low speed.

Finding the weapon rather more balanced and firmer now, taking several steps away from Daniel to swing it and build up speed. Whirling it faster and faster, spiraling it in the air and then pumping it forwards a few times. "This is amazing!" For once her general blaiseness passing by.
    "What other sorts of things can you do with metals?"

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel outright grins as she voices her praise, pleased that *she's* pleased with his work! He sighs though as she asks the other questions, regret coming into his voice once more. "Not much, with the metals here. Steel is about all I can work with. I can work with lesser metals too, like iron and lead -- but the stronger ones, I can't work them the way I want to. Not yet, anyway." Dusting his jeans off and reaching down to pick up his pocketknife, closing it back up.

"I'm sorry, you were asking me other questions too, weren't you? Did I just know how to do it? No -- well, sort of. I was taught," he adds as he puts his knife back into his jacket pocket. "But sometimes it just kind of -- feels right to do it a different way, and I do it that way.

"And, you wanted to know how I did this, right? Mmm.. " Pausing though, and tapping at his lips thoughtfully witha fingertip. " ...I'm not sure I can explain it well. I added a vibration to my knife's edge, and it weakened the cement enough that I could cut it without breaking the steel. Does that make sense... ?"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "That's what training is for. And experience. Things get easier with time I suppose and effort." All things do if one has the patience to put in to them and the willingness to make many, many mistake and keep on finding new ones to make.

"Then it sounds like something is.. Innate over to it to what you work. I've not.. Heard of any sort of ability lik that but I hardly know many individuals iwth any such abilities so.. I am not the appropriate one to ask on it." She would nod as he would go on. "Do you have to think of doing that or does it come naturally?"

Daniel Chain has posed:
"You mean, the working I put in my knife?" Daniel frowns now, not in displeasure but in effort as he tries to think of a way to phrase the answer. He's actually a bit amused -- this is the first time anyone's asked him about craft at such a basic level, and he finds it startling to realize he's never really given enough thought about all the seperate steps to walk through it. It's a novel experience, to try and do so. "Mm.. it's a little bit of both. Before I began, I looked closely at both the stone and the steel. The knife was the only tool I had to work with, but because I don't understand cement that well, any workigns I put on it directly might have ended up breaking it. So I knew any working I needed to do to make it easier, I'd have to put it on the steel instead. And then... " A thoughtful pause. " ...it just sort of came to me, the best way to do it. To add the vibration to the edge, and a working to keep the steel from becoming brittle while it shook."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "So would you say that you work with both the material of your blade and what you're using to whittle? Is it one or the other? Do you need to make further alterations as you go along? Do you normally work with somehing mass produced.." She would gesture at the concrete, the iron bars in the ceiling.. "Do you prefer more refined or higher grade metals?" All sort of technical questions. "Does it come from sensation and feeling or is there a more formal and concentrated method of refinement?"

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel actually laughs out loud at that, raising both hands. "Wait, wait! I'm sorry, it's just -- you're the first one who's ever asked me these kinds of questions!" But he doesn't seem to mind at all, once again taking on a thoughtful look. "Hm. How do you do yours? Your workings, I mean. You were calling water to yourself just now, right?"

So he did see that part. But it looks like he's just taken it in stride, thinking it's something not dissimilar to his own craft.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would laugh, "Thta's fine. I wish ou luck over in discovering it. And I am a.. I have influence over the weather. So I am able to call upon it. I had to be trained in the particualrs and ti took time." She would make some small clouds over her head.

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel lifts his head as those clouds form, studying them for a moment -- then blinking. "How strange! I've never seen a working like that before. The braiding is... ah, forgive me. My turn to answer you, then. My was is... Hm. It's sort of like yours, but in reverse. I was trained first, taught how to do the workings, and given the means to see what I needed to see to do it. But... every now and then... I feel moved to do things in a way that's different.

It's hard for me to answer your questions," he adds, "because sometimes I can answer them both ways, and sometimes none. none. Sometimes I need to work the materials and the tools both- " Gesturing towards her spear for emphasis. " -and sometimes only one or the other. Or neither. I can refine it as I go, or I can make one change which will let everything fall into place. And sometimes I prefer higher matierals, and sometimes simpler ones. Steel is wonderful to work with because it's so strong and light -- but not everyone mixes it the same, right? Sometimes it's just easier to work with iron and stone, or even bone. And... sometimes when I feel the call that I should work with one and not the other... I just do," he adds, giving a rueful little shrug. "I couldn't tell you why. Only that it feels right when it happens."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "I understand it. It is what you have.. Learned to do and what you find effective. You do not need an explanation, yous imply know how you go about it and what you have found is effective to do. You know what you are doing and the exact manner does not necessarily require any explanation. You have learned how to do it on your own." Her tone would be thoughtful and reflective.

"Then it is purposeful and you do not need to do anything else with it nor feel like you have to explain it."

Daniel Chain has posed:
Daniel grins again, but a warmer one this time. "Yes! Because of these things, my -- teachers," he amends, "named me 'Madwand.' A thing outside of reason, but still holding power." Looking a little embarassed now as he spreads his hands. "I guess that doess suits. ...ah, forgive me." Glancing aside as something seems to catch his eye. "I have been talking so much, but I have somewhere I should be." At least the streets being so empty means it'll be easy to travel swiftly -- the fact that they're empty for a reason doesn't seem to have struck with him yet.

"If that speartip breaks before you're done with it, tell me," he adds, reaching down to pick up his guitar case. "I don't want to give you a flawed working."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would shake her head, "No, it's fine. You owe me no explanations. And.. It's dangerous here. You weren't outside for very long I hope? The city is under invasion and there are few safe places. Here is one of them. You were lucky ou were not attacked. It is.. Not my place to say so, but I would advise you stay here for some time if you can find someone to explain about it."

Daniel Chain has posed:
"Attacked?" Daniel pauses, blinking at that. "No, I wasn't attacked. Under invasion you said? I was wondering why it was so quiet outside." Looking thoughtful now as he turns his head aside, clearly weighing choices and consequences. Then finally nodding slowly. "I suppose it'd be best to stay and learn a little more."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "I would advise that. Ask someone you see around that seems to have an idea of what they're doing. Tha'ts probaly th esimplest way to get ahol dof things and is less likely to lead you astray from someone who grasps little, like I do."