Follow the Strings of Fate [Private]

Irene hummed leisurely to herself as she walked through the park. The weather was great and life couldn’t be better at the moment. Her husband and children were happy and healthy. Even sweet little Yoko had feeling better lately, which was something that almost never happened since she had been struck her mysterious ailment years before.

Yep, the older woman was feeling pretty darn good for her age. She couldn’t help but giggle when she caught a younger gentleman, probably in his late twenties, admiring her as she walked past. She was probably old enough to be his mother though she didn’t look it just yet. For a lady in her forties, Irene could still pass for a girl in her late twenties, a feat that had never ceased to amaze her. She certainly hadn’t been trying but perhaps it was for the best. Her husband, Toki, (the love of her life, the star in her sky, the sugar in her coffee…..ok yeah getting off track) was rather youthful himself but he looked to be more in his early thirties. It was hard to believe they were the same age sometimes but that’s the way it ended up.

She spotted a bench as she mused on the good fortune. Ah an open bench, such a lovely thing. She sat down on it gratefully. It wasn’t so much that she was tired but she just wanted to sit and admire the world around her. She normally wasn’t one to just sit around but for some reason she felt compelled to do it today. It was almost like something was pulling out her today and for the life of her, she just couldn’t figure out why.

Well, maybe she should rephrase that. She did have some idea since her thread (the thing which bound her to her sacrifice) had been buzzing all morning long, something that had been happening a lot more frequently than it used to. So she had finally told Toki about it and he had suggested just following it’s lead for once. Sometimes she wished that fate had picked Toki to be her unit partner. It would have made things so much simpler. But no it just had to be a pain in her backside.

However, Irene had followed his advice and followed the proverbial bread crumb trail to this park to find some answers.

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(OOC: Sorry if it's a little rambly. My brain is sort of on autopilot right now. ><")

Shelby sighed as she walked through the park. Her shopping bag swung at her side as she went. She decided that a little walk sounded good and that the fresh air would help clear her mind. For some unknown reason she felt the need to come to the park. It was as though something was leading her there. She wasn't sure what it was but she just went along with it. She had a feeling when she found where she was supposed to go, some great knowledge would present itself to her. She sighed and sped up a bit. Eventually she came across a woman who couldn't be older then thirty and stopped. She just had to. Before she could stop herself, she spoke.

"Who are you?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked at the woman. It was as though she was connected to this woman. As though she had been looking for her the entire time but just hadn't realized it. Why did she feel like this? Shelby began to feel herself panic slightly but forced herself to calmed down as she stood infront of the woman. Her hands shook slightly as she balled them into fists.

And here she was. That both longed for and feared person. Irene’s grey eyes widened at the young lady’s bold question. That certainly hadn’t been the way it was done back when she was young but hey it was a lot faster so maybe it wasn’t so bad. The sudden harmonious ring of their shared thread also knocked her for a loop. She hadn't heard her own ring in while since she normally had it off. But she was getting off track, something that she often did when her mind faced something overwhelming; it was a defense mechanism.

Back to the subject at hand then. Here was the person who could potentially ruin everything that she had spent her life building but all Irene could think about was how young she was. Her sacrifice couldn’t have been much older than her daughter was, something that she sure that her dear little Yoko-chan would love. She’d always wanted a sister. Whoa, now she was getting ahead of herself. The two of them had only just met. They were no where near the “meeting the family” stage.

But this did explain something; a couple nagging questions that Irene had never been able to shake. Why had it taken so long to find her and why did her thread seem dead compared to that of the other fighters that she had come across? It had a simple answer after all (just like her granny had said). Her other half hadn’t existed yet; hadn’t even been a thought in someone’s mind more than likely. It would have been impossible for her thread to find someone who wasn’t even in the world yet.

So with nagging question answered, Irene set about getting the young lady to calm down. The poor little thing looked a deer about bolt. She stood up and bowed politely.

“ My name is Irene Delaine and I'm your fighter unit.,” she said with a happy smile on her pretty face and a slight southern accent to her otherwise perfect Japanese,” Why don’t ya have a seat, darlin'? You look confused and this explanation could take a while. Best to be comfortable for long stories, eh?.”

She sat back down and patted the bench gently. She tried her best to look calm and collected but her sacrifice wasn't the only one that was nervous. But hey at least she knew what was going on. The young girl looked liked she was as lost as a ball in tall weeds as far she could tell. That made things a bit more complicated but hey, Irene knew what she was doing. Having to guide her own children through it all made her a bit of an expert on explaining how everything worked.

“ Well, it's best to start with names and since I told ya mine, it's only fair that you tell me yours. Wouldn't you agree?,” she continued,” And your name is…..?”

Shelby shifted back and forth from one foot to the other. She peaked at the other from beneath her bangs as she felt the uneasiness slip away quickly. Why did she feel so comfortable around a woman she had never met before? It confused the girl to no end which bothered her. Shelby hated not knowing why things were the way they were. That and she was almost always uncomfortable around people. Even ones she knew. She usually hid it though so the others wouldn’t know though. She tried to keep a blank face but for some reason her emotions kept showing. She felt angry with herself. Shelby took a deep breath and closed her eyes before reopening them in time to hear the other introduce herself. Shelby gave a weak smile as the other talked. She kept shifting back and forth till she was told to sit. She sat down and crossed her legs before setting her bag beside her.

”I’m Shelby Wray. And what is a Fighter Unit?” Her eyes held large amounts of confusion as looked at the other.

Irene smiled sweetly at the young lady, now to be known as Shelby Wray. It seemed that she was the “right to the point” type of girl. Good, Irene could respect that, and it made things easier in the long run anyway.

“Straight to the point then, huh Shelby-chan. But first I’ve gotta explain what the system is and what names are in order for it make sense,” she replied in a kind almost motherly tone. Shelby brought out all those old maternal protective instincts, ones that she thought would be long dead since her own children didn’t really need them anymore. Well, except Tsu but that was beside the point and she was getting off track again.

“ Now fighter units are half a unit which occasionally fight in things called Spell Battles. Spell battles are battles that are fought using words. Units are brought together by something called a name which is written somewhere on their bodies. This name is what the unit goes by in battle or just in general. Our name for instance is Winged and is written on our finger. See,” she said as she held up her hand so that Shelby could see where their name was placed.

”Now Fighter units use their words to make these “spells”. And the Sacrifice unit takes the damage. I’m afraid that the Sacrifice for our unit is you my dear,” she finished sadly as she took a breath and put down her hand since she had been using it to tick off things that needed to be explained first. She hadn’t been kidding when she said that this explanation would be long.

She looked Shelby over, who finally looked a bit more relaxed now. That’s good, she was unconsciously responding to the bond they shared, meaning that on some level Irene was being accepted into her role as “protector”. That would make things a lot easier,” Are ya following me so far, hun? This stuff can get kinda complicated but that’s the basic stuff.”

“ Its my job to protect you,” she finished trying her best not freak the girl out but had a feeling that she had done just that. It was a lot to take in at once.

Shelby listened to the other speak with an emotionless look. She drummed her fingers on her leg absentmindedly as she did so. This was so much. She could hardly process it. Names? Spell battles? She had to take the pain? That wouldn’t be hard. She sighed softly and looked up at the other with a curious look. ”Will… we battle often?” She asked softly. Her eyes widened when she heard the thing about being protected but nodded to show she was following, just not so well. She managed to process most of the information. But it was a lot and she felt a tad overwhelmed. ”Protect me? Aren’t I kinda supposed to protect you? Cause I take the damage.” The question held a curious tone that was not faked in any way.

It was a lot to take in, so Irene waited patiently for the young girl to comprehend it all or at least enough for it to make some sort of sense. She could explain away any other misconceptions and questions later after all. And besides, things were absorbed better after thinking on them a bit.

“No hun. We don’t have to battle often and to be perfectly honest with you, I’d prefer not to,” she replied with a slightly nervous smile,” I’ve gotten a little too used to not fighting all the time. I’m a little too old to be starting all that mess again.”

She giggled a bit at that. All that battling could be left in the past if she had her way. It caused way too much of a mess and was a major pain. However due her newly complete status, she had no doubt that someone would eventually be sent to check how they stack up against the other units. That’s how it usually went but with the possible change in headmasters at the school she had no idea if that would even be done. They still hadn’t sent after Tsu yet, after all. She brought herself back out of her thoughts and decided that until she had more information, she would wait to tell Shelby about that. No sense worrying the girl if it turned out to be nothing and the poor thing had enough to take in right now. She didn’t want to overwhelm her any more than she probably all ready had.

Irene was surprised when she heard Shelby’s question. Well, that had certainly never been brought to her attention in the past. But in a way she could kind of see where she would get the idea.

“Never thought about it like that,” Irene said honestly,” In a way, we both protect each other. But as any fighter will tell you, hun, It’s my job to try and keep from getting hurt in the first place. Realistically though, I can’t stop all the damage. No matter how much I may want to.” She sighed, a twinge of sadness coloring her tone.

“I wish that I could say that all of this was going to be easy but it’s not. However, the unit stuff is not all about fighting and pain ya know,” she said in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Remember I said we’re a pair right? The two of us are connected together by a bond. Have you ever felt like there was something connecting you to something that you couldn’t quite seem to find? That’s that bond of ours trying to yank us together.” She finished with a jovial smile on her face. “Personally, that’s my favorite part. Knowing that there’s someone out there who’s apart of you and you’re apart of them. It’s a nice thought, huh?”

She smiled brightly, hoping that her attempt was successful.