1182/A Weird Storage Request

A Weird Storage Request
Date of Scene:	25 February 2024
Location:	Mitakihara Ward
Synopsis:	A fortuitous encounters leads to Sayaka getting to know the professional behaviour of the Puella Magi known as Misery Melon, and gives the bluenette a chance to make a weird request, an important development on the way to save those that are victims of injustice.
Cast of Characters:	Melona Mizu, Sayaka Miki

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Melona Mizu has posed:
     For someone who largely keeps to herself, Melona Mizu is ... surprisingly easy to find most of the time. She has a fairly consistent pattern, tending to stay close to the academy and frequently can be spotted just hanging out on top of random buildings nearby it. Which is where she was right now.

Sitting on the edge of a short little mom and pop store, her legs hanging over the edge with a small package of rice balls sitting on the ledge next to her. The pink-haired girl who looked strikingly similar to a certain other Puella was presently just... enjoying a rice ball, taking small bites out of the fish-and-cream-cheese filled treat.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka is out patrolling, as always accompanied by Ula, currently sitting on her shoulder. She has her Soul Gem out, waiting out for any reaction that would tell her about a Witch or Familiar, but with currently no luck today. That's not a big problem, though, she can wait for now, even if she has to be back to the school by a certain time. Besides her prowling, her thoughts are mostly focused on the Eclipse Zones opened up by Sunbreaker. There really was no way around there, Hinoiri got them good this time, with not a single weak point.

She glances up for a few seconds, wanting to check how far away the sunset is when she notices another Puella, busy hanging on a rooftop. The bluenette remembers her, how could she forget the weird resemblance to her own best friend? But this chance meeting proves fortuitous because it aligns with her current goals, since this Puella was there for her Witching out (well her half's Witching out).

In a blue flash, Sayaka transforms and joins her up on the rooftop when the pinkette is eating with the typical enhanced prowess of their henshins. "Hey there, having a nice lunch?" the bluenette breaks the ice, flashing Melona a smile.

Melona Mizu has posed:
     Melona had been largely just. People watching while eating. So when Sayaka walked by, she had noticed her. The girl's red eyes following Sayaka idly just because she recognized her. Also because blue hair is interesting so it drew her eyes to her regardless of recognition. Deep in her own thoughts, she didn't really register until Sayaka transformed and jumped up to be next to her that she realized the other girl had spotted her and was moving over towards her.

The pink-haired girl turned her head towards Sayaka. "Ja. The onigiri from this store is good." She responds relatively simply, taking another one out of the package, holding it up vaguely in Sayaka's direction with one hand, while taking another bite of her own. "You seem well. Everything continues to go well, I take it." She says towards her, her tone reasonably friendly, but in that more... professional friendliness way.

There's a short pause from her, her head turned just enough for one eye to look towards Sayaka. "I did not stray into your hunting grounds accidentally, did I?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Maybe I should try them out them one of these days" Sayaka replies in response to the observation Melona has made of the the food she is eating, just in time for the other girl to offer her one. "Oh, thank you", Sayaka says, accepting the offer and politely taking a bite before resuming talking. "You hit the bullseye, you!" Sayaka grins after tasting the onigiri. She is glad they get to start with being friendly, even if Sayaka's friendliness is much more easygoing compared to Melona's professional one. "I go by Sharpsong like this, by the way. What can I call you by?" Sayaka asks next.

Melona's professional demeanor becomes slightly clearer the next seconds. Stray into her hunting grounds? What a weird question to ask that is from Sayaka's point of view. Despite living in Mitakihara ever since she has memories, there really is nothing that says she ought to put her own name on it. "There is enough youma to go around for everyone, I don't really stake any claims here", she remarks.

And then she decides to start addressing why she came here. "You were there when we discovered the truth behind Kyubey's machinations, right? At the train station with the mermaid witch that was my half?"

Melona Mizu has posed:
     "I need to find a better name for like this. I only have the name That One gave me." Melona responds. "I have not figured anything else out just yet. For now I suppose I'll stay Misery Melon." The girl says with a helpless shrug. It felt reasonable to call her that half the time anyway.

It's what she was after all.

"Sharpsong is much better." She adds. She takes another bite from her onigir, finishing it off and licking her fingers clean, before turning to face Sayaka more directly, legs tucking under her in a somewhat cross-legged manner. "I see. ... Japan seems to be weird about that. Or maybe it is just Tokyo. Normally Puella do not Hunt together. But here it seems to be common. Very strange." She says, her gaze on Sayaka's face, roughly.

But never meeting her eyes.

"Ja. I was there when the witch ... returned to you? It was a sight. I am unsurprised that our Wishes end with something like that. The Cost of a Wish is high. Especially when you are dealing with a Faerie like Kyubey." Melona says, her eyes half-lidded. It was more lazy than tired. "Did you need something? You do not owe me anything, if you believe so. I was simply Hunting and happened to fall upon your situation."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
A slight frown appers on Sayaka's face as she ponders the name Melona has given her. Was she really that unhappy in her life that not even her wish could help her? Or did she use it for someone else's benefit like Sayaka did? And who was That One? Kyubey? But she had no problem naming him after that. "Hey, Melon", Sayaka starts speaking (it felt a tad mean to call her Misery even if she was asked to), "want to hunt together one of these days? Or maybe do you have some pastimes?" She is trying to prod the ground around her, see what Melona's boundaries are. Mostly, she wants to see if she can help without actually pushing the matter. She has learnt the effects of that from herself.

"I don't believe, it is strange", Sayaka says. "Tokyo is vast, there is lots of grounds to cover, to defeat all the various youma polluting the city. Isn't it better to do that together with other people, rather than by themselves? Witches are problematic enough without adding infighting to the list. And especially spending time with friends makes the burden lighter", she gives out some reasons.

And then she addresses the events at the station. "That time was a big inspiration to me. Besides pointing out my own shortcoming, it proved that even a being as treacherous as Kyubey doesn't have an absolute reach over things. That's why I have been looking for a way to store Grief Seeds without them getting unstable, to stop playing into his game, and hope that when one day we find a way to turn witches back to magical girls, those Grief Seeds can be saved too. It happened once, why not again?" She gives Melona a hopeful smile.

"And I actually have one. So, I am here to ask your cooperation. Please give me your used up Grief Seeds instead of to Kyubey. To save the magical girls that succumbed to despair despite only wanting hope."

Melona Mizu has posed:
    "If we encounter a witch alongside each other, I do not mind fighting alongside you." Melona responds relatively simply. "I am regularly found in the blacksmithing club at school. Fixing things. If you need anything fixed, I am pretty good at it. My powers make it easier to figure out how to fix things." She was still holding that relatively polite, more professional tone even after the revelation of the hunting grounds overlap being nonexistent.

The talk of the Youma gets a slight tilt of Melona's head. "I did not mean Youma. Simply Witches. Since we have to fight over who gets control over the Grief Seed at the end of any shared fight, it makes teamwork actively detrimental. And yet somehow they make it work. Those others who do not have to worry about purifying their magic with a grief seed, it makes sense for them to fight together."

Spending time with friends makes the burden lighter. Melona's gaze shifts away from Sayaka again at that point. SImply not looking at her anymore, but she was still listening to her. "...Does he actually do anything with the grief seeds? I was under the impression when he took hold of the grief seeds it was as a means to destroy them before they turned into a Witch once more, nothing more?" She muses out loud, the girl pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping both arms around them, resting her cheek on her knees, eyes mostly closed as she thinks on that.

"...Hm." She quietly thinks on the request. "...You have a way to store them without them getting unstable already? Because until you do, that is a massive liability to simply give them to you. The best case scenerio being they return to being witches and eat you, and then we have a sudden Witch outbreak that might be difficult to handle if ten or twenty suddenly awakened at once. It is likely such an event would be particularly bad." She lifts her head again, looking directly at Sayaka. "I don't personally care who gets the grief seeds, but I am not so malicious to willingly hand you your death."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Well, Sayaka doesn't really have any way to get use out of blacksmithing services, what with making swords again and again being part of her shtick alongside the super regeneration, but still there is no need to appear impolite here since Melona went out of her way to offer. And that could be a way to get to chat with her, if Sayaka finds her in the mood. "Sure, thanks a lot, Melon. I will be sure to go to you if I need it, that sounds really helpful." Well, maybe she can find some everyday objects a blacksmith can make or repair.

"We actually share Grief Seeds", Sayaka comments over the matter of the limited resources. "Everyone gets topped up after the fight and one takes the Grief Seed with what's left of it. Less magic spent against the witch thanks to the greater numbers and everyone gets refreshed. It's pretty efficient if you form a group of friend."

Sayaka hesitates there. She doesn't actually know what Kyubey does with Grief Seeds, she only has theories. "On that regard, I only know that he talks of our wishes exceeding entropy when we make them. If he wants to collect Grief Seeds for the impurities they collect from us and us the Witches, that could be a reason for the current system and why he is keeping silent. That's all I have. But that doesn't matter, because I don't want the Grief Seeds to be destroyed. I want them to be saved. And so, I can't turn them over to Kyubey."

And Sayaka nods. "I do have a way. I tested it out even. I kept a Grief Seed in the Labyrinth of my Witch form and nothing has happened to it. It has been there for days. Still the same."

Melona Mizu has posed:
     "...Oh. ...In spite of it being called 'blacksmithing' club. ...It's more or less closer to a 'handiman' club. ...We don't just do blacksmithing. ...Kind of a little bit of everything. ...Some of us even do electronics, but I don't understand those very well myself." Melona adds, with regards to the blacksmithing club. Yep. She's shilling her club. Even if she mostly is just that weird girl doing her own thing in the corner most of the time.

"Mm. I see. ...That makes sense, I suppose. I did not do much hunting before coming to Tokyo, in all honesty. But that explanation does make logical sense. The reduced energy of multiple versus one witch. Less energy wasted on fighting familiars because someone can focus on managing those. Hm." Melona muses to herself.

The talk of saving the grief seeds gets a vague nod from Melona, though it might be a bit harder to properly see due to her current semi-balled-up position. Not necessarily uncomfortable, so much as just a lazy position to be in. "Fair, I suppose. In light of recent knowledge. Before it was simply a side-product of defeating witches that let us continue fighting. Now it is a person. I understand your desire to help them." She lifts her head, shifting into a stand with a looong stretch. "I do not presently have any grief seeds."

"...But if you think you have a better use for them, I do not mind giving them to you if you are available. If I am unable to find or contact you for too long, however, I will give them to Kyubey for my own safety." The last part is not said unkindly, even if perhaps a bit selfish. "...Unlike you, he seems able to be wherever he is needed at any time. It's the biggest reason I think he is a Faerie." Frankly she was surprised he wasn't here, but maybe he was and just thought it was an interesting twist to his game? Hm.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
That clarification is much appreciated, and Sayaka nods alongside as she speaks. "I can see why you go around offering your help, then, Melon! I will be sure to take that into account if something breaks. I am sure you will be a lifesaver!" Of course, not literally since they are talking about Witch fights.

And Sayaka waits as Melona ponders the usefulness of group fights, and the importance of saving the people that succumbed to despair and became Witches. It's already a great step forward that all that is being considered, and it gives the bluenette much more of an assured smile. They can really do this, setup their own independence from Kyubey and potentially save them!

Though, she is internally surprised when Melona mentions turning them over to Kyubey if she is not around for too long, even if the material they are handling is quite dangerous. "Grief Seeds are unsafe, yes, but, you see, you have seen in my normal guise at the fight. That's me, Sayaka Miki, and I am at school everyday, so I doubt it is going to be a problem. I live in the dorms even. My number is XXXXXXXXXX. Just send me a text and I will be right over." She hopes this will actually convince Melona to give up on Kyubey."

But the fact she has already obtained her partial cooperation is important still, and Sayaka gets up, with an offer in mind. "Want to go eat something. My treat, as thanks for your time."

Melona Mizu has posed:
     Definitely unlikely she'll be a lifesaver. Her powers weren't exactly the sort that did such a thing, the best she could do is be an aggressor/distraction for enemies. But that's unimportant. "...Unlikely, but it's good to have things working properly regardless." Melona responds, her tone pretty amused at that.

"I see. Then I suppose it's unlikely I'll be unable to find you, then. Unless something happens and I am too far away or something. I am not saying I will go out of my way to avoid doing it ever. Simply that if it's not feasible for whatever reason, much like I don't particularly care to hand you your death. I do not care to carry my own death. Experiencing that once is enough for me. I am not particularly looking to experience it again."

The offer of food gets a bit of a Look from Melona. She gives a soft exhale at that. "I will accept it. I will tell you the same thing I told Mami when she made similar offers, however." She turns to fully face Sayaka, looking straight towards her face, seemingly intent to meet her eyes. Her tone is a bit more serious, less of the professional politeness, though not a threat. "I mean no offense by this. I do not think poorly of you."

"I have no interest in making friends with anyone."

She lifts a hand to rub her face. "That out of the way, lead the way to ... wherever you have in mind."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka has really pushed enough she realises, and that's what Melona finds herself comfortable conceding, so that's quite better than what she would have considered a possibility. They don't actually hold the same belief in how things should go, but it's almost guaranteed. "Thank you Melon, I really appreciate your help."

This is the big victory she sought, and now Sayaka is grinning with very evident happiness, relieved at the thought they don't have to consign them to whatever Kyubey's fate has in store for them anymore. Things are changing, and for the better this time.

A surprised look appears on Sayaka's face as Melona having met Mami. It has been a while since they saw each other after Riventon was being aided in studying witches by Norie and Mami herself, and she doesn't know how she is doing now, or even if she knows of what transpired with Oktavia. "Mami-san asked you then same thing? But ok, I will keep that in mind, Melon. Let's go then. I will offer you some Takoyaki."