Dusk and Dawn (Mirage Arena)

(For me and Sorin.

This takes place after "In the Zone" on Multiverse Expanse.)

The concentric circles of the station whirled around one another, crossing back and forth, encompassing the small circular platform in the center of the makeshift sphere as well as the computer used to activate it. The Moogle nearby floated patiently, having adjusted some of the parameters of the various simulations, updated them as best as he could in light of the information discussed about the newer threats, from beings of pure shadow to ones that… frankly made no sense.

This arena was hard to find, and rarely visited since the two male humans and the female one came by years ago. Or was it weeks ago? Or centuries? Hours? Time was a weird soup, and the Moogle did not particularly care for it. Or for soup. Except when he did which was not today… probably.

Granted, Moogles did not live that long, so centuries were likely not the case, but time was different here. Due to the technology on hand and various forces of magic, time was dilated significantly, to the point of hours taking seconds, more so the faster the rotations above. It could not stop time, not completely, but was still useful for certain training mechanisms. The mind could learn, the body as well, but not physically age more than it would be outside.

The one who came seemed a bit older than the female, with marks the Moogle could recognize as those of the Unversed, using equipment tainted by the dark. Or perhaps enhanced? It is odd with those people. Either way, she had been in the training a few sessions now, and had him increase the speed to allow for more sessions and training in general without sacrificing time. Apparently there was some kind of rescue mission?

The whirling wheels slowed to a stop, light glowing brightly on the central platform… and it faded out, leaving the woman.

Azumi Tamashī stepped out of the chamber, stretching. She had been through many rounds, but still needed to be sure she could control her darkness to make her fighting style more reliable. She lowered her hood, wiping some sweat from her brow, then donned it again.

"Any incoming signals?"

"Not many yet, but…. Wait… there is one coming, kupo. The one you were expecting, kupo?"

Azumi shrugged, leaning against a nearby wall. She hoped it was her, but… well, if not, she had to get ready still. But it was best to make sure of who was coming through.

It had been a bit of time since Rikka had spoken to Azumi, since their meeting with Yen Sid. Since then Rikka had been on her own, exploring, training and thinking. She had more desires than just continuing to explore and have adventures across the various worlds but said plans were still in the initial stages. But that was something for the future, for the moment Rikka was much more focused on meeting up with Azumi again. It was a little later than what she originally had intended but that had been because the Mirage Arena was rather difficult to find.

A flash from the Save Point marked the arrival of Rikka as she looked around for a moment. The main area was smaller than she had expected but Rikka noticed Azumi and started to make her way towards her. "Azumi it is good to see you. How have you been?" Rikka asked.

Azumi looked over at the new arrival, away from the particularly strange moogle. After her time with battle, it was nice to see a friendly human face. Not that Commander Rose was unfriendly, nor were some of the others, but it helped to have one she could trust without any reservations.

The fact that the blonde angel was rather attractive, along with very nice to her, definitely helped.

"I've been… mixed," the darker-clothed woman replied, pushing gently off of the wall to stand upright as she approached Rikka. "Walked into another war zone for a bit, but managed to make it out. Some odd figures, but…" She short her head. "Doesn't matter, in any case. I've been trying to train, using this place. Was a bit hard to find, but hopefully I can be ready to save Master Aqua. How've you been?"

"I've been well and having a much easier time than you apparently." Rikka responded as she gave Azumi a look. She knew that Azumi told her she had been a soldier back on her home world but the casual mention of being in a war zone was not something Rikka could shrug off so easily. Still Azumi looked fine and she didn't seem to be bringing up any issues regarding that so Rikka would drop it.

"I have been doing some minor exploring. It was nothing too adventurous though. At most dealing with a few Heartless." Rikka added. She landed on the occasional world and spent some time wandering as well as fighting any Heartless that came across her. It was a bit of a shame that nothing too big occurred as she did so but what can one do?

"How has your training been coming?" Rikka asked. "I know you want to help rescue Master Aqua. And is there any way I can help? I know my powers are Light based which might not be the best option to use but if you can figure something out, I will do whatever I can."

Azumi realized that for others, being in a war zone probably was a bigger deal. However, she personally had some difficulty with shore leave, so perhaps the disconnect stayed.

Instead of dwelling on the awkwardness of her words, she was relieved when Rikka just kept going through it. "It's been coming, but doing so alone is giving me some trouble. Without external responses, it can be hard to see where to improve.

"That’s what the scores are for, kupo!"

Ignoring the Moogle, she kept talking. "Light magic might be a good basis. If you can both project and absorb it, we can try finding my balance so I can use this. Have you learned any new tricks? Met any new people?"

"I have learned something new. If I gather my light into my hand I can stun those I touch for several seconds. It's not as long as I want but it is long enough to be able to detain or disarm someone. I've also started really learning to use my wings to fly. Unfortunately it is rather draining so I can't fly for very long but I've figured out how to use them to glide. Gliding is a common form of movement in these sorts of ga-...I mean worlds." Rikka said, correcting herself in her last sentence.

"Why don't I join you for your next session? I haven't had much practice fighting alongside someone else since our time in the tower." Rikka then suggested as she used her gloves to form a halberd to show she was ready. The halberd was a weapon that Rikka had gravitated to and during her time training by herself, she tried several different weapons but none of them felt as good in her hands as the halberd did. Thanks to the weapon being made of light she didn't need to worry about weight which certainly made it easier to handle.

Azumi gave the slightest hint of a grin at her words. She was very appreciative of Rikka changing her word choice. Not only was she extremely attractive, with such a melodious voice, but she cared enough not to call it a game to her.

She saw the halberd as it formed, still impressed with the magic brought to the table. Of course, she had seen summoned weapons either Master Aqua, but this was different. Less solid, more malleable. Perhaps it would help in case she needed that kind of training as well. Plus, the burst of light idea could calm her down in a pinch… Yes, this was a good idea.

"Great that you're learning flight. I'm more used to dropping in, and probably not smart enough to be a pilot, so having air support is always appreciated."

She looked over at the odd Moogle, then back toward the entry point to the arena. "Alright, guess it can help. I need to figure out how to control this darkness inside so it doesn’t overwhelm me too much, but maybe your light can help me out."

(You can start whatever training concept they have or continue the conversation. Your call.)