2114/Feeling Blue

Feeling Blue
Date of Scene:	28 November 2024
Location:	Plot Room 2
Synopsis:	Hinoiri and Sayaka go to meet with Blue... and find out if she's eligible to be a pretty cure. It turns out she's not, but not for the reasons she'd expect. Love... isn't the answer?
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Sayaka Miki, 6

---

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was a good friend of Sayaka's, so it was only natural that the bluenette would offer her a chance to meet Blue, the granter of her powers. After all, she was a girl who wanted, and needed, power. In some ways. So why not invite her to meet the guy who gives her power?

Hinoiri had agreed to be on her best behavior and not go all angry 'rawr!' on him, and to behave... And now? She was waiting by the mirror, rocking back and forth as they waited for his invite/arrival. It was really hard to say which...

Sayaka Miki has posed:
As far as Sayaka is aware, Hinoiri immediately fled after transforming for the first time into Cure Sharpsong, but just that was more than enough to share everything about her new patron, that also granted Ula a bit of the magic involved to create the PreCards.

Having explained to her friend who they were about to meet and the importance of staying calm, the bluenette had led her to a deserted club room already furnished with a full size mirror, much like Mio did, and after closing the door, she knocks three times on the reflective surface, taking a few steps back after calling his name.

She had been a bit nervous on the way there, though that had gone away in time for his entrance. That was the first time she would meet Blue after becoming a Precure, though the knowledge of the god's serene personality, a fact that Ula hasn't hesitated to remind her of even if it wasn't really necessary, helped. "Blue-san, I am Sayaka. I have a friend with me", she faces the mirror.

Blue (6) has posed:
    The mirror shimmers, glows, and then stops reflecting the room behind the girls, instead opening into a strange expanse where other mirrors can be seen floating.

    People have a lot of things in mind when they're told they're going to meet a god, a diety, a kami. Often the expectations are something extreme; someone who you can easily tell is powerful, inhuman, high in authority, judging, or commanding.

    The person who steps through the mirror is not what any of those people expect.

    Blue is by all accounts a (rather handsome in a bishonen way) tall, pale human man of late 20s age, with the most notable feature beyond his sky blue hair and eyes being a questionable sense of fashion; the button-down shirt he wears has a rather dramatic collar and is one button short, and the sleeves end in large, flowy cuffs, sky blue dress pants with a belt, and white dress shoes. Like he can't decide between being too casual or not.

    At least his plausible divinity (or some form of magic) is helped by the fact that he smiles and takes a step out of the mirror, into the club room. But he doesn't entirely step out of it, just one foot. "Miki-san, it's good to see you. You've been doing well - I've been so proud of you, and it's good to get a chance to tell you that directly. And as for the friend you've brought, I'm familiar with her as well." He doesn't say this as though it's a bad thing, and his smile moves from Sayaka to Hinoiri and is no less kind and calm. "Perhaps, I could impose upon you to follow me through?" he says, looking around at the room. "I suspect this conversation will be easier had in the Cross Mirror Room." he says, reaching out with his hand. "Just watch your step, the mirror isn't level with the floor on either side."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara took a deep breath when the mirror shimmered. Here it goes... here it... oh. Okay. That was... not what she expected. She expected a radiance to match with Sora's.

Instead she got... a guy... who couldn't fix his shirt. Her eyes wandering to that last button. She almost said something... but then bit her tongue.

Right. This was just his 'human' form. Things like 'fingers' and stuff were probably something he struggled with. Like she had, when she first came through her mirror.

"Thank you, Blue-san," Hinoiri said, bowing her head politely. "That, uhhhh, sounds fine. Thank you."

She'd let Sayaka go first, before following after her. And then letting out a soft gasp when she looked around the great blue room, filled with such magic and mirrors. "Wow... heh. You know, this is kind of... interest... wait. I came into this world through a mirror. Was that one of YOUR mirrors?!" she asked, staring at Blue. "Do... do you have a mirror to Kirakirafantastica?!" she asked. After all, there were a LOT of mirrors here, she only had to guess. "A-are... are you like... a god of mirrors?" She was, a little bit, distracted by that. "Oh, and, um, thank you, sir, for taking a human form to meet with us, but you really didn't have to go to such trouble, you could take whatever form is most comfortable for you."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
He has been keeping tabs on her? Sayaka thinks at first, not expecting that type of affirmation, though it makes sense that he would want to know when the Phantom Empire is being kept at bay. It kinda is what he expects them. "Thank you, Blue-san", Sayaka smiles at him, bowing her head slightly in greeting of the man.

Him knowing Hinoiri is far less a surprise. She hadn't exactly kept her identity a secret, with that writing in the sky. "No introductions then", she replies, peeking at the place where Blue came from. Does he spends a lot of the time there? He must have a home, no? "I guess we have a lot to talk about", Sayaka nods at his invitation. "I know Ula does", she grins her fairy.

"That is new, I can be surprised about it", the fairy bumps slightly into Sayaka's shoulder for the tease. Nevermind that she would have liked to introduce it herself after they had gotten in there.

When Sayaka steps inside, her gaze moves through all the mirrors. Being a god of them like Hinoiri suggests wouldn't be surprising, even if it's a fixation he and the Phantom Empire seems to share. Though, thinking he is a god of Earth, Sayaka would bet on Blue looking like this naturally. "Why say that, Hinoiri?" she asks.

Blue (6) has posed:
    Blue looks at Hinoiri curiously. "Change... form?" he asks. "No, this is who I am. I am a spirit of the life of this earth, a defender of humanity, and so I am human in form." he explains, casually. "I am not a kami of mirrors, but... mirrors have always had an innate magic within them. An ability to show us ourselves, to show things we cannot see on our own, even if they are part of us. To show a reflection of the world. Mirrors hold so much magic; the Phantom Empire uses that for evil, but others - including some of the Pretty Cures, including one of the Sailor Senshi, just off the top of my head - use them for good as well."

    He shakes his head at Hinoiri's question. "Not all magic mirrors belong to me, or even belong to this world. My own awareness and power begins and ends with Earth - and the Blue Sky Kingdom."

    "All of these other worlds, they aren't mine to watch. Perhaps they have their own kami who keeps watch as I do." he says. "And yes, this is where I spend much of my time." he adds.

    The mirrors in the room are mostly empty, reflecting only the room back in a hall-of-mirrors effect, though occasionally one will shimmer and come to life; generally giving a fixed viewpoint on a magical girl stomping on a youma. One mirror seems to be permananetly 'on' to a view of Obsidian Tower. Another mirror seems to be locked 'on' watching the Radiant Heart Academy's sprawling campus from a high vantage point.

    "Of course, the power of the Earth - and the responsibility for its protection - is a thing which is spread far and wide, which encompasses much. But, I do what I can with what I have."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times, glancing between Sayaka and then Blue. Then... "Well... I mean... I figured it was the buttons, you know? When I first came here it took me days to properly understand how fingers worked and buttoning things, well, that felt like it took forever to get them through the hole properly and so I just... thought... oh. A-and... and that's a choice, then? Errr, s-sorry. I ummmm... wow... errr... m-my bad. Errr.... eh... heh heh..." she said nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

Right. Foot, meet mouth.

"R-right. Yes. Err. Nice... nice mirrors you have here. So, ummmm... I'm... guessing... if you know about me... you know I have a kind of... history. But that I am trying to do better. To be better. And... Sayaka mentioned... maybe I'd be eligible to try to be like her. A cure. I mean, I know more about magic than probably anyone in this world, so I'm sure I'd be pretty useful. And while I've had a few slip ups, I've.... been lucky to have great friends to help me see the correct path."

Just trying to sell herself a little bit...

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Blue's speech actually made a surprisingly amount of sense, even if she has never seen the Sailor Senshi use mirrors before. She should probably ask Usagi.

But that is kinda how the Pretty Change Mirror works, then? Things make more sense now. It's not merely a magic item that changes you "So, the PreCards are my reflection, when I use them", the bluenette speaks. She never really stopped to think about it, yet in hindsight it feels fairly obvious.

"Hinoiri", Sayaka mutters under her breath when the unicorn explains herself. Though she is smiling a little bit too. If nothing else, it would be very silly to find out who is a magical creature that way.

"Blue-san", Sayaka addresses the god. "I brought Hinoiri here because she is trying hard to turn over a new leaf, and they have never gone back to being Sunbreaker for evil", she says, any further thought stopping there as she realises an important fact.

Hinoiri had kept hidden her relationship with Double Trouble, so Sayaka wouldn't have been aware about how this wouldn't have been right for her at all. She gives the other girl a hesitant look.

Ula takes advantage of the moment of silence to speak up herself. "Blue-san, I appreciate being useful to Sayaka now, but is it really necessary to sneeze every time new PreCards appear?" Not the only thought she has about that power, but the one that involves Blue.

Blue (6) has posed:
    Blue nodded at Hinoiri. "Yes, I've... seen some of the steps you've taken on the path you're walking. I think you've come very far on your journey, but that doesn't mean that you don't still have very far to go - just that the journey itself is long." he says.

    "I think it is a great thing that you have realized the path you were on was not going to bring you or anyone else happiness, and that you are striving to take a new path." he says, throwing his arms out wide and smiling. But then his smile falters and his hands drop.

    "From the standpoint of protecting this Earth I think you would make a marvelous Pretty Cure, but... there are a few... issues... which stand between you and becoming one, preventing you from benifiting from my power." he says. "And while it's more than one thing, really, the most pressing is..."

    He takes a long pause. "Pretty Cures who gain their powers from me must not fall in love. And your heart is already at that point, isn't it?" he asks, looking at her. "So since you would be in violation of this rule the moment you recieved your Change Mirror - well, there's nothing for it." he says. He turns around, shoulders a bit hunched, hands at his sides, back to the girls. "A Pretty Cure in love is just too dangerous." he says, shaking his head.

    And then after the silence, Ula's question can be answered. He looks back over his shoulder with a smile. "...I though the sneezing was rather cute. Happy-chu and all... so adorable. I suppose it's not strictly neccessary, if you'd rather not, Ula."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times, opening her mouth, then closing it. The cards were a reflection of Sayaka? Well, they must be some pretty awesome cards, then. But it was nice to hear that Sayaka still believed in her so much. She gave the other girl a small smile. And even snickered a little at the sneezing bit. Well... okay, that was kind of cute, she hoped the sneezing didn't have to entirely stop. But hey, Ula was adorable, sue her.

And well... it was a long journey. One she was traveling well, she thought. But then he said what blocked her way. And the smile vanished. "Wait, what? Pretty cures can't... have love? You're messing with me, right? I... what? Yeah, I love Double Trouble, but how is that supposed to... I thought you sparkles were supposed to be all about love? How can you say you can't protect the world and be in love? Look at Sailor Moon! Her love only ever seems to make her stronger! Heck, even Sayaka, I've never met anyone with as loving a heart as her! How can you possibly call THAT dangerous?! When I went bad, the love and care was the thing that made it so hard to stay on that path, the thing that saved me when I fell! How can you call it a BAD thing?!"

And there she was, starting to get heated.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Adorable? The card sneezing is adorable? Ula stares at Blue as if he had just announced mermaids were all migrating out of the sea. "Do you see it that way too?", the koi mermaid asks to Sayaka, who flashes her a grin. "I mean, it is rather adorable", she can't help but reply.

Ula sighs, pondering whether to ask Hinoiri too before deciding that no, better not to get told yes a third time. "I didn't know I could stop it whenever. I will think about it", she decides. It's not really all that long, is it? And Sayaka fights a lot of things besides Terribads.

And then the temperature starts rising. "Hinoiri", Sayaka says her name flatly, in a reminder of what she had promised. Even if there would have been worse thing to get angry over. "Can you really say Blue is wrong. There were a lot of other problems involved, but maybe you would have managed to stop me from becoming a Witch if Kyousuke hadn't been involved at the start."

She reaches for the redhead's arm. "Besides, he is not asking to stop me from loving my friends, or my family. Just romantic love. And I think he has a point there", she looks at her face, trying to see if she is going to calm down. "I don't think I would have suggested it to you if I knew you had already found someone else."

Blue (6) has posed:
    Blue turns back around on his heel. "Well, I suppose it should have been clear from 'fall in love' - but I really do just mean romantic love. Pretty Cures gain love from so many places. Friends, family, allies. The love of this wonderful Earth. The love of happiness and joy, and not wanting to see it fade." he explains. He nods at Sayaka as she says pretty much the same thing. "And it's not forever, just as long as she is a Pretty Cure." he says. "One day, when she's no longer a Pretty Cure, she will find her romantic love, and I hope she can find another person who is worthy of what a great person she is." he says.

    "And there's nothing wrong with you being in love, Kirara-san. It's likely good for you. It's just that romantic love, especially at your age, can lead to so many problems." he says. And then one of the mirrors floats in behind him, shimmers, and replays the attack on Double Trouble, specifically the part where she took off her geode. "Romantic Love has already caused you difficulty, hasn't it?" he asks. Then the mirror behind him swaps with another mirror. That mirror shows Takashi and Mami Tomoe on a date. "Romantic Love can lead people into situations that they never would have participated in..." he says, as the mirror shifts to show Mami's empowered Tiro Finale shot and Chrono needing to cover for his mother. "Romantic love can be a source of great power, but it can also be a source of great inner turmoil. Mix that with magic, and you can run into all sorts of problem."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced back towards Sayaka. Right. She said she'd try to not get heated. To not get angry. She took a slow, deep breath. "Right. Okay, romantic love. But... I'm sure there's some kind of... romantic love. Dee's one of my grounds, one of the reasons I'm still able to accept all of... this," she said, motioning around herself. "Who helps me stop myself from taking the geode off and..."

Then she reached up and gripped her geode, then glancing back to Sayaka. Oh, she was torn. She wanted to take a swing at Blue, admittedly. She really, really did. But well... with Sayaka holding her other arm... Nope. She wasn't going to break it...

"It wasn't... romantic love that sent me down the path to Sunbreaker or Sunset of Sora," she finally said. "You're right, love can cause so much turmoil. Because it's *caring* that deeply for someone else. Romantic love isn't the only one that can be dangerous, Blue-san," she said, keeping her voice level.

"But it was also love that saved me when I went there. Love was so much stronger than that pain and hurt I felt. Love might have destroyed me, but it was also what saved me. And romantic love was a part of that. But... I understand." She took a slow, deep breath before giving a smile to Sayaka. "Thank you, Sayaka. And he's right. You are, one day, going to find someone who loves you just as much as a wonderful person like you deserves. But... he's also right in that. I could never accept... giving up love like that, for power. If I was... I'd never have been able to come back." She then, politely, turned towards Blue and gave him a small bow. "Thank you, for meeting with me and... everything. And for helping Sayaka. I... may not agree with most of what you said. But... I can at least agree that Sayaka is great. Thanks... ummmm... for meeting with me."

"... I still think you're wrong, though..." she grumbled. "... But I probably shouldn't be asking for power from someone who I think is that wrong. So... thanks." Well, she was TRYING to be restrained and controlled. For Sayaka's sake.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka frowns when Blue shows a repeat of Double Trouble's audition to support his point. The bluenette doesn't Hinoiri all that much given she is keeping a hold of herself, but him bringing that up is not really something he should have said. She thought he had a point at first, but not if he comes at it from that direction.

"Blaming that on romantic love is unfair", she starts chastising the god. "Wouldn't have she done the same if someone else she cared about were in danger?", Sayaka asks him, her voice assuming a displeased tone.

"I think you have a point when it comes to being heartbroken, but with that", she points to the replaying mirror, "you may as well say we should never care about anyone ever. If Hinoiri had magical powers that didn't use dark energy, would you still have said that was a difficulty?", she asks pointedly.

She doesn't really make a comment on her finding someone else to love in the future. That is so far away even if it does come true. She thinks she should keep focusing on the present and fighting for what she holds dear.

Blue (6) has posed:
    Blue shook his head. "She might have, she might not have. Kiarara-san has seen many of her friends in trouble, and yet never resorted to that until it was that specific person, that most special of people to her." he says.

    And he looked over to Hinoiri and locked eyes with her. "It would be interesting if our friend here did have magical powers that weren't dark energy - it's a good question if she would have used those or still gone straight to the power source that was the strongest and easiest for her to tap into at that moment." he says, still remaining calm.

    "You're not wrong, Miki-san. Several kinds of love and attachment can drive people to do things they wouldn't otherwise. But I couldn't ever ask everyone to detach from everything and become a heartless soldier. That wouldn't be right, that wouldn't be good, and they wouldn't be able to harness their emotions to even become Pretty Cure in the first place." he agrees. "But, there is one type of close personal connection that I have witnessed bring someone down to ruin more than any others; the most volatile, dangerous connection, the one most responsible for those who would have been good to fall to the other side through jealousy, despair, or heartache. And that is the romantic connection, which is why I ask my Pretty Cures to avoid it for the time they are fighting." he says.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced away. "I... I wouldn't... I couldn't... if something had happened to Dee..."

She closed her eyes. "I couldn't... risk... fine. I see your point. I understand. If... if something had happened to Double Trouble, then yes. I likely would have done some terrible things. So I can't handle it. If that's... what you're afraid of... then in my case? You're probably right. When it comes to Double Trouble, there's likely no line I won't cross to keep them safe. Even if... even if I promise I won't. So... you're probably right..."

Did... did he know? Did he know that she had... stolen things? And she reached up and nervously grabbed her arm, holding onto something she could, as her own doubts and worries began to swirl around her.

"I... think I'd like to go now, please. How do I get out of here?"

... Maybe he was right. Maybe her love for Dee made her a danger. But... right now? It often felt like it was the only thing she had to ground her. If she lost Dee... She then glanced to Sayaka. Her best friend. Would she have taken off the geode for her? Maybe... She had... so few grounds in this world. Could she lose all of them? could... she...

"... Did someone you love break your heart once then, Blue-san?" she asked, glancing back at him. "... Did that turn you to almost doing something you regretted?" she asked. One last question before she goes.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"I don't think you are that wrong about wanting to avoid a heartache, but you are wrong about using the bad types of love to doubt love as a whole. People can be jealous about anything, just like losing a loved one causes despair regardless of who that loved one is", she reiterates.

She doesn't want to think about something happening to her family, but she cannot not think of it either. That kinda goes along with the despair Blue is implying. Though, she hopes she wouldn't end up being a figurative monster. Becoming it one time for real was enough.

She stares between Hinoiri and Blue when the latter locks eyes with the former. Why is he being so weird towards Hinoiri over the powers she has available? Why is Hinoiri grabbing her arm like that too?

Hinoiri raises an interesting question when Blue admits to it being something he has witnessed. Was he lying then? Did he "witness" himself do it? Or did he witness the one he was in love with doing those things? "Did something happen then?", she echoes Hinoiri.

Blue (6) has posed:
    Blue sighs. "I've been around for hundreds of years. I've seen so much. I don't want to break anyone's hope." he says, still trying to be soft and calm with his tone, but there's just a hint of frustration, or something more, in his voice.

    The two girls keep pressing, and eventually he sighs. "A long time ago, one of my most promising pretty cures, one of the most powerful, fell in love with someone who... who she felt didn't love her back enough. The heartache ate at her, and ate, and eventually she became a monster herself." he explains. "And of course through these mirrors I've seen much. I won't deny that it can be a powerful source of good. But I've also seen it turn the strongest girls I've known to other purposes. And... I don't want to have to put down one another one of my own." he says, after a moment. "After all the time watching, I have a pretty good idea of where the greater danger lies, and it's the one thing I've chosen to temporarily ask my Pretty Cures to avoid, for the duration of their service."

    "Ah, to leave? You can just step out the mirror directly behind you. Make sure you focus on where you want to go, though. If your mind thinks of too many places it might spit you out at one of them at random." he notes.

    "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help to you, Hinoiri. But I still think you have a bright future, not a dark one."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara let out a slow gasp before nodding. Oh. Ohhhh. That was a reason. Her eyes glanced, just a moment, towards Sayaka. She thought about the time she thought it might be the very last time she ever saw the girl. When she witched out and...

"I can see why you wouldn't want to ever do that again. That... that would be soul crushing... but I don't think trying to force that door closed will do much good. The heart wants what it wants and you can't stop it, if the time comes. But I do hope you never have to do... that again. I hope whatever jerk ended up hurting the girl that much, though, got what they deserved. If she was that good and promising a precure? She was probably... a really good person. She probably deserved better... I hope... she gets better."

Once again her eyes flickering towards Sayaka, before she turned away to go through the mirror, then paused. "Okay, but seriously. Is... is the button just... no. Nevermind. Thanks, I wish you the best, Blue-san. And... I really hope it is."

She'd then step out from the mirror, returning back to...

Ah crud. Her mind wandered. She was at the korma's restroom. Welp, that at least wouldn't be a long walk home.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka squints her eyes at Blue. If his story isn't really suspicious, she doesn't know what it is. Maybe she is turning it into too much of a drama recital, but it seems she is getting to work for all the suspicious types, even if Blue at least seems to be well-intentioned, unlike Kyubey.

"I hope you offered all the solace you could to that Pretty Cure", Sayaka comments when Hinoiri advises against keeping that door forcefully closed. She probably really needed it, even just going by her own experience.

It is not really her business to ask what part Blue had to play in that story, as much as she feels she probably should. 'This is not like hiding Witches', Sayaka tells herself, watching Hinoiri walk away into the mirror. "I am going too. Thank you for accepting to talk with us, Blue, and I guess you will see me around", she nods towards the mirror.

Once that is done, she walks away with Ula, finding herself in the school club room again. Where has Hinoiri gone? Hopefully she isn't going to have to track her down.

Blue (6) has posed:
    "Only when you fight." Blue says, after a moment. "I wouldn't want to make it weird." in terms of watching people.

    "I'm always happy to talk, Miki-san. Please, feel free to knock if you need me again." he says as the girls leave.

    He watches the mirror they stepped out of for a time, until he moves his way to a bench in the room and sits down on it, reaching under it to pull out a small box, which he holds in his hand and contemplates, silently, quietly.