Magical Secrets and Revelations

Date: 7th of February Starting Location: Big High Characters Involved: Aeryn and Sami
“Fucking dammit!”
The swear slipped out of Sami’s mouth before she realized it. Her head darted up to see if Ms. Florence had heard it. Letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that the teacher didn’t react, Sami looked back down at the source of her frustration, a pencil mark going right through her work.
Through the entirety of her life at Big High, Art class had become Sami’s nemesis. Unlike other classes where there was an objectively right answer, Sami’s research and computational capabilities hadn’t helped her. On the contrary, having to learn how to create something that was purely subjective without the aid of her sped up processing was one of the hardest challenges she had faced in the six years of being alive.
Once more wishing that Ms. Florence had allowed her to install an art program in herself, Sami looked over to her classmate. “Aeryn, can you please pass the eraser again?”
Pulling her attention from her own sketch (so far featuring an angry-looking rabbit by a pond), Aeryn made a sympathetic face as she handed over the dwindling pink eraser the two were sharing.
She paused for a moment, looking at Sami's paper. "Do you think I could help somehow?"
“Unless you have a program I could install that would turn the image in my head into arm movements…” Sami said with a sigh as she started to try and fix her mistake.
The AI knew that if she really wanted to, she could create such a program using a learning algorithm and running it through a few hundred generations, but when she had brought the idea up to Dr. O’Shay the engineer had suggested she try and learn a skill the ‘human way’ for a change.
“Sorry, I’m just a bit distracted.” Sami said as she continued sketching what looked like herself in a suit of armour. “I’m planning on confessing to my crush pretty soon and I’m kinda nervous.”
Aeryn’s eyes lit up. “Oh yeah? That’s exciting!” She set down her pencil and rested her arms on the table, leaning toward Sami. “And nerve-wracking. Or, y’know, so I imagine.”
Aeryn bit her lip, wondering if she should have said that. Was her reputation at a point where everyone knowing she’d never dated would make it worse? Not that she thought Sami in particular would care, but Big High was still a high school. People cared about these things. In some ways it was easier back in Aurora Bay, where she had a blanket ban against becoming too close to any of her peers.
Remembering that Sami’s physical age was different from her actual age, she pulled herself out of her own head. “Will this be your first time confessing to someone?” Letting out a small chuckle, Sami nodded as she continued working. “My first crush too. She’s really cool and pretty, and she’s pretty powerful too. I’m a little envious of how easy she makes magic look to be honest.”
As Sami started to talk about her crush her body started to relax. Her arm moved more smoothly across the paper, though the AI didn’t seem to notice the change.
Aeryn noticed how much easier Sami was using the pencil now that she wasn’t thinking about it too hard, and mentally scrambled for more questions. “I’m not sure I knew that you used magic. Sufficiently advanced tech looks pretty similar if you’re not in the know. How did you learn it?”
“Well I’ve actually been taking lessons at the Avalonian Magic Academy.” Sami said with a small chuckle. “I can’t use magic like most people because my bodies lack the natural mana conductivity that most organic beings have. So rather than casting magic normally, I’ve inscribed runes into both of my bodies that are connected to an inbuilt mana battery.”
Like most people with a ‘passion’, when asked about her area of research Sami started to ramble and would continue until interrupted. “While it successfully allows for those with mana insufficiencies to use magic, it lacks the flexibility that natural casters are capable of.”
Aeryn nodded along, genuinely interested despite her ulterior, art-centric motives. She didn't know much about how anyone learned magic outside of "be the next chosen warrior." It got her thinking about her time on Big Team, and some things that had changed.
A few minutes before the bell rang, Aeryn blurted out her question, knowing she might chicken out if she didn't ask now.
"How did you know you were a girl?"
Thankfully Sami had just placed down her pencil to switch to inking, otherwise such a sudden question might have resulted in another mistake and more uncharacteristic swearing.
Turning to face Aeryn for the first time since she started info dumping, she took a moment to think. “Well… Do you know Mystic Radiance? The magical girl member of Big Team? Well I saw her transform on a mission and I had this feeling that at the time I couldn’t really explain. I talked to one of my other friends on the team who knew about this kind of thing, and she recommended that I experiment.”
Letting out a short laugh as she remembered what she did next, she shook her head and continued. “So I did the only thing I could think of and made a copy of Mystic Radience’s costume and put it on. And it just… it made me so happy. I just knew right then that I wanted this… That it was right.”
After a few moments of silence as she remembered that moment of euphoria, she gave her friend a smile and asked, “Does that help at all?”
Of all the possible things Sami could have said, this was absolutely the last thing Aeryn would have guessed. Her mouth fell open in surprise. On one level, being a pinnacle of femininity was part of the expectations of her legacy. Being graceful was a cornerstone of the training. But hearing it out loud from someone, and someone she knew at that, felt wrong. It was a vague feeling, still too unformed to mold into words. And she wasn't sure how she felt about Sami making and wearing her costume, but it made her question how she felt in it, so she let that go for now.
Aeryn realized she'd been gaping for far too long. "Oh. Uh, yeah, I know who she is. I keep up with superhero news. I can certainly see why...uh...she's very..." Aeryn mentally chided herself, she was acting so weird. She desperately searched for something to say that was true and didn’t feel like lying, "Um, sparkly."
“Hehehe yeah, I still find glitter around my room every so often after that.” Sami said, thankfully seeming too absorbed in thinking about the sparkly hero to notice Aeryn’s strange reaction. “If you ever feel that you want to experiment with that kind of thing yourself, we have a costume maker at the team’s base. I’m sure Gaia wouldn’t mind if I snuck a friend in to try it out.”
The number of people willing to let or sneak her into Big Base was a little concerning for base security, but Aeryn was touched nonetheless. “Um, thanks, Sami. I’ll definitely think about it.”
The bell rang, and Aeryn swept up her stuff into her bag. “Good luck with your confession, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Cleaning up her own desk, Sami waved goodbye. “Yeah, see you tomorrow Aeryn, and thanks!”
—-
After school, Sami waited nervously in the Big Team bases break room as she and Mystic Radiance had agreed to meet for their hang out. Her eyes moved to the clock on the wall, which reassured her that she was still early by about ten minutes.
As usual, Mystic Radiance had transformed a few blocks away. But she’d gotten distracted seeing her reflection in the large glass windows of Screamin’ Beans. Aside from some minor updates, her costume was still largely the same as it had been the first time she’d transformed when she was 12. The sparkles, the frills, the ponytail. It had been a while since she’d really looked at herself wearing it, and wondered if the growing gender questions were part of that. It felt wrong somehow. How did Sami see it? Something about it must have felt right to her, if seeing and wearing it made her know she was a girl.
It wasn’t until she saw several people inside staring at her that she realized she probably looked like a creep staring into the window, and hurried to the base to meet up with Sami. She rushed through the halls and into the break room, not quite early enough for Ethereal Brilliance’s standards, but definitely not late.
“Hi, Sami,” Mystic Radiance said as she walked in, full of false cheeriness.
“Hi Mystic Radiance!” Sami replied, full of real cheeriness. “Have you thought about where you would like to hang out? I have a few ideas myself, but I’d like to hear yours as well.”
Before Mystic Radiance could answer, Sami remembered something and jumped up off the couch. “Oh! Before we discuss that, I had a bit of a silly idea.” Reaching down to the side of the couch, she pulled up a small bag and pulled out a bit of blue sparkly fabric. “So I know you want to keep your identity a secret, which is cool, but that means you will need to be in your uniform for our hangout.”
“Not that I have an issue with that!” Sami said suddenly, worried she was making a mess of this already. “I just mean that people will probably stare, and I know that being the focus of attention can be really uncomfortable. So I made this!” Finishing pulling out the fabric from the bag, Sami reveals a blue version of Mystic Radience’s outfit. “If I wear this, then you can stay in your uniform and you won’t be the only one being stared at! What do you think?”
Mystic Radiance blinked at the fabric for a moment, rendered speechless again. Sami was full of surprises today. She was absolutely certain that Ethereal Brilliance would object. Being seen hanging out in costume with her teammates at all was frowned upon, but in matching costumes? Ethereal Brilliance might actually ground her. Or have a stroke. On the other hand, she was starting to maybe sort of see that Ethereal Brilliance's way was maybe sort of not always right. And it was such a sweet gesture. And a part of her wanted to see if seeing someone else in her uniform, especially someone who she knew liked it so much, would feel different than seeing herself in it.
Mystic Radiance let herself smile, and it was more sincere this time. "That's really sweet of you. Sure, we can match."
Immediately relieved to see such a positive reaction, Sami gave a great big smile. “Okay, give me a second to go change and I’ll be right back!” She ran off to her room with the costume, wasting as little time as possible.
When she returned, it was with a sheepish smile as she walked into the room with a small twirl of the skirt. The blue, sparkly dress wasn’t an exact match to Mystic Radiance’s uniform, mainly the shoes which had been substituted for a set of laced heeled boots. She brushed a bit of hair to the side, showing off a butterfly hair clip and asked with a small bit of trepidation, “So… How do I look?”
Seeing Sami in her uniform did not provide Mystic Radiance with the instant revelation she'd been hoping for. It was downright inconvenient that all her complicated feelings were not just unfolding nicely. Seeing her uniform on someone else was mostly just weird. Not in an "ew, bad" way, just in a "this is unfamiliar" kind of way. Regardless, she smiled, since she knew that was the response Sami was hoping for.
"It suits you," she said. "Did you have somewhere in mind where you wanted to hang out?"
The quiet but distinct sound of a computer fan speeding up could be heard as Sami’s face turned red. “Th-thanks. Um… Well, the first place I was thinking was the arcade. I think it’d be fun to play some games together. My mom also gave me enough money that we could go go-karting, and we could get some ice cream afterwards?”
“B-but as I said before, I’d love to hear any suggestions you have.” Sami blurted out, worried that she was being too extra, or controlling the hangout.
“You know, I’m not sure I’ve ever been to an arcade before,” Mystic Radiance mused. Maybe way back with Hal? She wasn’t sure. “Or uh, go-karting to be honest. That all sounds fun! Are you ready to go?”
Hefting a purse that matched with her outfit onto her shoulder, Sami gave a quick nod. “Are you okay if I drive? Apparently AI have been made immune to the normal age requirement so I managed to get my license recently despite my physical age being six.”
"I uh, actually can't drive," Mystic Radiance admitted. "Public transit is really good here and back in Aurora Bay, and since part of my powers are flying," she couldn't suppress a grin, since she could now actually fly, "it never seemed necessary. So yeah, you can definitely drive."
After the arcade (which Mystic Radiance was good at) and go-karts (which she was very much not good at), the two ended up at 'One Fell Scoop'. She hadn’t been expecting a whole afternoon full of activities when Sami had asked to hang out, but it had been really fun. There were a few points of awkwardness, but that was pretty inevitable with someone you didn’t know super well. And someone you were lying to about half your life. Sami said she didn’t care, but the lying never sat well with Mystic Radiance. It wasn’t something she’d had to deal with in Aurora Bay. Sami was inching toward the line where it would feel extra awkward for her not to know about her being Aeryn.
But that was a problem for future Aeryn. For now, her biggest concern was two scoops of birthday cake ice cream, topped with a generous helping of sprinkles. She took a spoonful before she’d even fully sat down at the booth and hummed appreciatively.
“Thanks for asking me to hang out, Sami. This was fun,” she said as the AI sat down across from her.
“Yeah, I had a blast.” Sami said as she took a big spoonful of strawberry ice cream. “And I’m glad you had fun too.”
After a few moments of silence as she ate, Sami started to shift awkwardly in her seat. This was it, this was the moment that this afternoon had all been leading up to. What kind of hero would she be if she didn’t go through with it.
The sound of fans started to whir again as her eyes shifted from side to side while her internal war continued.
It took Mystic Radiance a moment, but she noticed Sami's uncharacteristic silence and looked up at her. "You okay? Is the strawberry not good?"
Sami’s eyes widened in a flash of fear. Taking a moment to focus, she put her spoon down and shook her head. “The strawberry is fine. I… Before I continue, I want you to know that I really did enjoy this, hanging out with you. And I hope that what I have to say next won’t ruin today for you…”
Despite not having lungs, Sami took in a big breath to calm herself down. “I really like you, Mystic Radiance. As a friend of course, but I… I’ve had a crush on you for a while now.”
Mystic Radiance froze, expecting the words to process differently in a few moments and form a sentence that made more sense. But they didn’t. She gently set down her spoon, deeply aware of Sami waiting for her response.
What did she feel for Sami? Dread, right now, but she tried to push that aside. She thought back to the missions they’d been on, the few times they’d hung out outside of those missions, tried comparing her feelings for Sami to those she had other people. They weren’t like the ones she had for Randi or Hal, but they also weren’t like the crush feelings she’d felt toward Miss Chan, her old ice skating coach. And there was a part of her, not the nicest or probably even correct part, that thought there was no way Sami could really like her if the version she liked was Mystic Radiance. She took a deep breath, unintentionally mirroring Sami.
“I’m really flattered, Sami, but I don’t have any romantic feelings for you. I don’t know you well enough yet for that to happen for me. I’m demisexual. I don’t, I mean…it takes time. And it’s pretty rare.” Mystic Radiance sighed and leaned back in her seat, folding her arms. She weighed her legacy’s emphasis on secrets against what felt right for a moment before continuing. “And…honestly I’ve been pretty isolated for most of my life. I’m just learning to make my own decisions now that Ethereal Brilliance can’t be around to help me like she used to. And I’ve realized that I don’t really know what I want or who I am. So I don’t think I could handle a romantic relationship right now even if I did have feelings for you.” Mystic Radiance rubbed her arms uncomfortably. “Sorry.”
“I…” Sami faltered as she tried to figure out just how she felt about this response. On one hand it was a rejection, which definitely hurt. But on the other, it was a rejection that made sense to her, one that she couldn’t find any fault in.
“I think I can relate to some of that. The part about learning who you are, I mean.” She finally said, looking down at her hands. “It’s… hard. Especially when you don’t have someone who knows how to help. Big Team managed to be that for me… Maybe we can be that for you as well?”
For a second Sami’s mind flashed back to the conversation she had had with Aeryn earlier this day. Letting out a small laugh, she continued with a sigh. “It’s kind of funny. I might need to do that with a friend of mine soon too. She’s in my art class and asked ‘how I knew I was a girl’ and didn’t seem too… happy with my answer.”
Looking back up to Mystic Radiance, Sami tried to be reassuring with a smile. “Carmen helped me figure out who I am. I’m going to try and do the same for my friend, and if you want my help as well then it’s available.”
Mystic Radiance gave Sami a little smile, relieved that the other girl was taking it so well. Although she wasn't quite sure how she felt, realizing that asking people about gender revealed that much about herself, even if it was as Aeryn and not Mystic Radiance. It...probably should have been obvious, but she hadn't actually considered it before. It was a vulnerable feeling.
"That's really nice of you. I'll...definitely think about it. I'm not very used to having people around who I can count on for support. But I'll try to ask for help, if I know what I need."
“Alright, that’s good.” Sami paused for a few moments as she tried to parse the thoughts still swirling around in her mind. “I hope that we can still be friends.” She finally said, awkwardly scratching her shoulder. “But can I ask one question? Did… does the fact that I’m not… human have anything to do with your feelings?”
Mystic Radiance frowned for a moment, processing the question. "Not being human? What? No! That has nothing to do with it. Why would that matter? GAIA isn't human and that hasn't mattered to Sir Elle. Um, maybe," Mystic Radiance leaned forward, not sure that this was the time for a joke but making one anyway to try and cut the tension, "maybe the secret is finding a partner who is scary."
Not expecting such a response, Sami let out a snort before continuing with laughter. “Do you really think Sir Elle is scary?” As she continued to laugh, she decided to keep to herself that she thought that Mystic Radiance was certainly scary during that tournament.
“Have you met them???” Mystic Radiance picked up her spoon and gestured with it, “They’re beyond intimidating. I saw them come out of a portal covered in blood. None of it was theirs.” She had picked the wrong line of conversation for keeping things light. “But um, yeah. I’d like to stay friends with you. Will you need, like, space for a little while?”
Calming down from her laughter, Sami shook her head as she picked her spoon back up. “I think I’ll be fine. The ‘being a robot’ thing was really my biggest worry to be honest. Besides,” she said as she dug her spoon deep into her ice cream with a big grin, “We still have to finish this.”
“The real crime would be letting it melt,” Mystic Radiance agreed.
Category:Scenes