Welcome to Gaia! ::

Flynn shook his head as he sat down next to Naomi, refusing her offer of money. "It's on me," he told her. "Once you're old enough to go to the bar, you'll get a lot of that," he teased. He watched her eat before turning back to the sky as he continued eating his own chips. She seemed to enjoy his selection which was good. In retrospect he probably should have asked her what kind she wanted. Fortunately he seemed to have gotten lucky. He nodded as he heard her explain how she felt about her living situation. "I'd say you're right," he agreed. He looked over at her when she mentioned that she wanted to practice more. That was fast. She seemed to recover quickly once she got something in her stomach. He had just finished his chips and began eating his cookie. "Sure, just let me finish really quick," he told her. He began eating his cookie in the same slow, methodical manner. "What do you mean by something weird?" He asked curiously. The entire situation with the cannon was weird, but he had a feeling she was talking about something else. "Sit and focus? Was it something that had to do with our wavelengths syncing?" He hadn't felt anything, but then again he had been completely focused on shutting down the cannon. Maybe Naomi was sharper than he had given her credit for? Not that he had thought her dim-witted in the first place.

"Sorry," replied Flynn with an apologetic smile. "I was focused on not getting nailed by that killer cannon." He nodded at her next comment. "It's always weird your first time," he told her. "I guess it depends on who you're resonating with, but most people find it weird. Some find it painful even." He hadn't and he assumed Naomi hadn't either. He turned slowly to face her as she scooched over to him, a questioning look in his eyes. "Yeah, that's an extremely helpful ability to have. I can tell you that from experience," he assured her. There were plenty of times when the situation in missions he had been on changed rapidly. Sometimes you'd be ambushed or you'd have to wield your Weapon sooner than expected, and the several crucial seconds between when the Weapon started transforming and when the Meister could actually wield that Weapon could make or break a fight. Flynn had seen it. He let her take his hands and remained silent, allowing her to concentrate. He watched as she transformed. Suddenly one arm became heavier than the other and Flynn knew immediately that the transformation hadn't been completely successful. As if audibly confirming his assessment, a loud clank of metal rang out across the roof. He looked down at the left gauntlet lying on the ground next to him as he flexed his right gauentleted hand open and closed. "Pretty good for a second try," he told her sincerely. Not to mention she had an unusual circumstance in that her Weapon form split her into two pieces. Most Weapons didn't have to deal with that issue. He reached down and picked up the left gauntlet carefully strapping it on so as to avoid cutting himself in the process. Once he had finished he slowly stood up, looking down at the gauntlets as he calmly focused on resonating with her. "Okay, what now?" He asked, wondering what it was Naomi wanted to show him. She had said "something" had happened though he still wasn't sure what. He silently admonished himself as he waited: he should have been paying more attention to her during the battle. It was important to know what your Weapon was doing and thinking even in the midst of a pitched fight and with the surprise of the X-Blaster 3000 or whatever he had been thrown slightly off-balance.

Flynn watched, his eyes widening as tiny flakes of metal began forming from the ends of the gauntlets and making their way up his arms. The sensation of metal slowly overtaking you and not knowing when it was going to stop was somewhat alarming and Flynn's soul wavelength flickered slightly before stabilizing again. The metal flakes blended together in one long gauntlet as they traveled up his arms and over his shoulders. This was a very unusual feature for a Weapon. Flynn had heard of it but never seen it himself, much less wielded a Weapon that could do such a thing. The flakes traveled around his shoulders and down his chest as he felt himself resonating more and more with Naomi. He could feel their soul wavelengths flowing smoothly together as the progression of the metal finally stopped, leaving Flynn with most of his upper body encased in armor. He looked down and thumped his chest a few times with his closed fist, feeling the reassuring clang of solid metal on solid metal. "Wow. Looks like we've stumbled upon quite the talent here," he told Naomi, genuinely impressed. "This will definitely come in handy during battle. Especially if we can learn to form it faster." He thought over the possibilities for a moment before giving Naomi a smile. "Well done," he told her. "You definitely have a lot of potential. If we can master handling each others wavelengths I think we'll become a force to be reckoned with." It was no empty praise: Flynn was becoming more and more convinced that his partner could be a fearsome Weapon if wielded appropriately. A dark thought crossed his mind for a moment before he shook it away. This time it would be different. He wasn't losing another partner.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Flynn told Naomi as she starting going further. "It'll get better with practice. We have plenty of time." Understandably she wanted to push her own limits and Flynn had to admit he was curious as well. He felt a little strange as the metal moved downwards to his knees. Technically Naomi was covering him all over. He mentally shook the thought from his head. Focus he told himself. She had almost fully encased him when her power suddenly snapped backwards and in a flash of light she changed from her Weapon form back to her human form. Flynn couldn't say he wasn't surprised, but he couldn't say he was shocked either. Pushing yourself too hard could cause a sudden burnout like that. He had considered the possibility that she would have a burnout when she started pushing herself so far and so he reacted quickly, reaching out and scooping her out of the air. He held her in his arms against his chest as he looked down at her. "Easy there," he said, a touch of concern in his voice as he leaned her against him. "We'll have plenty of time later," he repeated with a light chuckle. He was about to say something else when suddenly the black digital watch he was wearing began beeping loudly. A sudden dark look came over his face as he heard the noise. "One moment," he told her, his tone more serious. He shifted her slightly and held out his arms so he could reach his watch. He then pressed a button on the side of the watch and a small computer chip looking device slid out. Flynn pulled the chip all the way out and dropped it on the ground, stepping on it and crushing it with his heel as if he were stamping out a used cigarette, eliciting a slight crunching noise as the device was crushed. Then something strange happened. Flynn's soul suddenly flickered as if it were a TV with bad reception. He quickly reached down and pulled another chip from his pocket and slipped it into the watch. As the *click* of the device setting into place was heard, his soul returned to normal. He shifted back and leaned her against him again. "Sorry about that," he told her, his smile returning as if nothing had happened. "I definitely think we can use that ability to create a full suit of armor. You were practically there already. We'll have to be a little more careful when we do it though." He gave her a nod, genuinely proud of how they had done today and how dedicated she seemed to be to becoming a better Weapon. She was definitely a go-getter type. He was looking forward to this new partnership.

Flynn was about to agree with Naomi's wish that her new ability didn't take up so much energy when her stomach rumbled, cutting him off. "The transformation is supposed to burn off quite a few calories. If you think about it, you're wildly rearranging your entire body multiple times. That's got to use some energy. Add on top of that the fact that your new ability is still doing that even further and I can see how your hunger would make sense." He thought for a moment about her request and then nodded. They had just eaten but it was a light snack and they'd just undergone a pretty difficult transformation. Flynn was sure he had had at least several hours worth of power left in the last watch battery he had but their training and experimental games had drained it within 30 minutes or so. That alone was enough to let him know that they'd expended some serious energy. "Well, is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" He asked, thinking of different places to eat around Death City. They could always go back to the Death Diner though he didn't have any idea what kind of food Naomi was in the mood for. He didn't much care personally. He wasn't too hungry at the moment but it was around dinner time so eating now would be perfectly normal for him. He looked down at Naomi again. "And do you have enough energy to walk, or do I need to carry you there?" He asked teasingly. He didn't mind holding her in his arms; she certainly wasn't heavy and he had enough strength for it. Besides, there was something about the soft and slender girl in his arms that gave him a warm sensation inside. He gave her a smile as he asked the question to ensure she knew he wasn't annoyed with the current situation.

Flynn thought for a moment as he heard Naomi's suggestion. "Sounds good to me," he replied. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been there, though it was when he was brand new so it had been several years. "I remember it's a pretty casual place so there's no need to be nervous." He gave her a reassuring smile as he began walking towards the door back down into the school. He shifted slightly as he felt her soft legs wiggling against his arms. He let out a short breath and shook his head to clear it. Don't be stupid, you just met each other he thought to himself as he did so. "Yeah, alright," he replied. He leaned to the side slightly and slid the door open, walking down the stairs slowly. He didn't seem to have any problems carrying her, even down the stairs. This was both due to her lightweight and his stamina. Flynn looked down at her as he continued down the stairs. "So, you like our princess/chauffeur relationship so far?" He teased again with a small smile. "I think our wavelengths sync pretty well; you seem to be the outgoing type while I'm a bit more laid back. You'd think at first that would clash, but many times those traits compliment each other," he told her. "Juuust don't expect me to carry you around all the time."

Flynn shook his head good-naturedly as he heard Naomi's response. He looked down at her again when she asked what the difference was between laid back and outgoing. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Well, outgoing is someone who's more bouncy and excitable. Like saaaaay, you for example. While someone laid back is someone calmer and less prone to um...you know what, never mind," he ended finally, a teasing smile still on his face. He finished walking down the steps. "Hardy har," he replied to her play on words with exaggerated sarcasm. He chuckled when he heard her final statement. "Of course. We're partners. We look out for each other. I've got your back, don't worry. And don't get your hopes up on carrying me; I'm betting I have a lot more stamina than you. Should be able to last longer at any physical activity." He looked down at her again as they reached the door to the school. "Ready to go?" He asked. He had carried her the extra distance to the door of the school, not really minding at all. He grinned suddenly and bent down slightly. "Ugh, you're getting kind of heavy....don't think I can hold you - oops!" With that he stood straight and hefted his arms up, tossing her about a foot in the air before catching her in his arms again the same way he had been holding her before. "Ah, there we go. That was a close one!" He told her teasingly. He wasn't really sure why the idea had struck him but it was too tempting to pass up. A lightweight like her, he could toss her up a little without much trouble and the cheeky girl was asking for it.

Flynn laughed as he saw and heard Naomi's reaction to his little surprise. He kept grinning as she punched him lightly, though his smile faded slightly when he heard her mention that she was surprised she hadn't transformed. Not that he was upset by it or anything, he just realized he hadn't considered that possibility. He remembered the incident in the cafe where Naomi had plunged her clawed hands straight through the table and mentally winced. A reenactment of that on his torso would have had a less than desirable outcome. Outwardly he breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness I didn't have to throw you across the room," he replied, grinning again. "I imagine that would have been a pretty traumatic experience for you." He rolled his muscles from his shoulders down through his arms for effect, causing Naomi to go up and then down slightly. "Pretty sure I could make that shot." He pushed open the door of the school slightly, exposing them both to the sunlight. "I think your claws are a bit bigger than a cat's," he told her as he leaned halfway in the door with her. He admitted a part of him didn't want to let her go. He wanted to feel the girl in his arms for a while yet, but they couldn't very well walk down the street like this without getting some bizarre looks. "Though I suppose that would explain why you want to go to a milk bar? Should I ask for a glass of milk for me and a saucer for you?"