2222/Mahou 101: Pretty Cure Series (more!)

Mahou 101: Pretty Cure Series (more!)
Date of Scene:	13 January 2025
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	A further history of Pretty Cure is delved into, a good read! There's faeries and dragons! Entrapta also might be a bit light on sense.
Cast of Characters:	Mie Kitamura, 281

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Mie Kitamura has posed:
    One would think that the winged approach from a being as large as a dragon would generate more noise, but its near-silent approach is what makes it easy to snatch Entrapta off the street and into the air. There must have been some kind of magic involved that shrouded its presence to the mundane people of Tokyo since nobody batted an eye at its approach and departure. The Dragon had heard that Entrapta was a princess and following its instinct it had sought out the inventor to abscond with her to her lair in the Dark World.

    The flight to the Dark World itself doesn't take too long. Once high enough in the air the world around them blurs and is replaced by a desolate landscape with black rocky terrain and blood-red skies. From there, they soar for a few miles until they reach a rocky pillar that stretches into the sky, with a cave carved out near the top.

    Once inside its lair, The Dragon gently places Entrapta down on the floor, handling her with much greater care than one might expect from a ferocious beast such as it. Once satisfied that its charge is safe, it goes to the mouth of the cave and curls up to protect its hoard.

    The lair itself is... kind of cozy, actually. Off to one side, you have a bed of gold as one might expect from a dragon, but on the other, it seems well-furnished for guests. There are a couple of comfortable-looking wingback chairs facing a fireplace that has a cozy fire in it, a tea trolly that's filled with treats and warm tea, and a few bookshelves filled with a variety of books, most don't look like they've come from Earth, but there's a few paperbacks crammed in between the heaver looking tomes.

    "Make yourself comfortable," The Dragon rumbles. "It will be a while before your absence is noted and your rescue will come."

Entrapta (281) has posed:
Ah yes. One of those scenes, where a person is talking to another person, and they turn away due to a noise. And when they turn back, the first person is gone and they're standing there wondering where they went. Well, the girl was a bit odd to start with, they probably went for takoyaki or something.

In reality, the purple haired girl was having eyes-wide paryxysms of excitement as she is flown, flown! Through the air, without a hovercraft of any sort! Her goggles did something, keeping her eyes open the entire time so she could see it all! And there was so much to see!

She gasps as the landscape changes, and as they come in to land. Lots of gasping, you have no idea. Then she's placed...somewhere. A very interesting somewhere, indeed! Hands at her sides, the girl looks left. Then right. Then raises her hands to lift her goggles.

Where she starts looking left and right again. Just to make sure that the first time was accurate.

Blinking, she hears the large beasty type thing talk, and...pauses. Then she says, "Oh, nobody's going to come rescue me. Where are we? This is amazing, can I touch things? You're very tall."

A half-heartbeat later she's up close to the dragon, with...a measuring tape. To check height. Oh yes, she's petrified with terror. You can tell by the way she gets closer to danger with the opposite of hesitation.

Mie Kitamura has posed:
    This... was not the reaction that The Dragon had expected from its captive. Usually, they cower in fear and have to be assured that they're not going to be eaten, but this one? This one is measuring its enormous bulk. Its body is easily the size of an elephant, but its long tail and neck give it a more sinuous presence.

    The questions cause it to blink in confusion. "They're not?" it asks worriedly. What the heck is it going to do with a Princess who isn't going to get rescued? Shaking its great head, it composes itself. "Regardless, we are in the Dark World, the place where Emperor Pierot is imprisoned and all the happily-never-afters reside." It hesitates again before adding, "You may touch things."

Entrapta (281) has posed:
The eyes of the 'princess' in question widen. "Oh, thank you! A lot of people don't like it when I touch things, I have no idea why." She backs off from the dragon, then does a quick scan of the library, eyes blazing past the book titles. She looks under the wingback chairs, yes under them, then pokes a metal probe of some type into the fire.

Then she's back, and touching the horde as she makes humming sounds. Well, you did say that she could touch things!

"So, what is the dark world? I assume that's not just a title, and there is some kind of reason for the name. I'm studying a lot of magic but I haven't seen any that would transport us like you just did. Your scales seem to be some form of iridescent alloy, do you know what they're made out of? I don't know if you're alive or not, but there is clearly magic involved and that seems to be restricted to living beings. So far."

Holding up something gold, she peers at it through a lens of some sort, as she babbles. Well, not babbles, she's clearly analyzing things. Intelligent? Seems like, but not normal.

Mie Kitamura has posed:
The Dragon watches Entrapta explore its lair with amusement but seems to bristle when she starts handling its hoard. It slowly relaxes, however, when it realizes that its 'guest' doesn't seem all that interested in stealing any of it, rather she just wants to analyze it.

Then comes the questions, and it answers the best it can, trying to keep up. "As I said, the Dark World is where all the Bad Ends wind up. Most stories do not have a bad ending so this realm is quite barren, as you see. I have a connection to this realm which allows me to return easily."

The next questions catch it off-guard though. "I, er, yes, I'm alive," it rumbles. It looks down at itself and raises a forelimb to study the light glinting off of it. "They're scales," it says, not really knowing how to answer. "They're just... scales. Whatever scales are made out of."

Entrapta (281) has posed:
Getting up close to look at the scale that the Dragon is looking at, the purple princess is WAY too close, but she's looking at the scale and used the dragon's distraction to get there. But for all that, she's just ...looking?

"If you ever shed them, I could analyze one for you and tell you all kinds of things about your structure then, it'd be very interesting and possibly helpful in the long run for your health and structure overall!" She smiles, then backs off without the slightest worry about being that close to a dragon's teeth. And she was. Close to them.

"Well," she says then, sitting down in the chair, and flips her hair out of her face. "Since you brought it up, I don't know what you're talking about when you mention stories and bad ends. If you could tell me more, I think I'd be able to better handle what you're trying to discuss. Since we're here, anyway."

She pauses, then looks around. "I think I've already looked at everything in the room, so we'd need to find something to do one way or the other. I've never seen a creature like yourself before, we don't have any like you back home. And why would anyone care about me being rescued?"

SO much to cover, all at once. And at least one mental flipflop, she's tracking the whole situation but she is NOT keeping it all in line and easy to follow!

Mie Kitamura has posed:
The Dragon doesn't seem bothered by Entrapta's closeness, mostly because it doesn't view her as a threat, nor a tasty snack. "I don't think I've ever shed a scale," it admits, clearly never having thought about this before. "Perhaps they disappear if they do? I don't know." It glances back at its scales, then back at Entrapta. "You may touch it if you like."

"Ah. Well," it says after a pause. "Have you ever wondered where stories come from? Where they go once they're told? There is a place that is a mirror of the Dark World called Marchenland, and it is the place of fairy tales. Every story comes from there, and every story returns. I am The Dragon. When you hear a tale about a dragon kidnapping a princess, or laying waste to a village, they are talking about me."

"It is populated by fairies which are insufferable little nuisances," The Dragon growls. "They are the 'good' parts of fairy tales. Sometimes they escape to bring their 'goodness' to children, to empower them to fight monsters like me. Pretty Cures, they call them," it says disdainfully.

It looks somewhat confused, however. "You do not have dragons where you come from?" it asks. "All cultures here have stories of dragons. I take it you are not of Earth, then." And as for why people should care for her? "Because you are a Princess," it replies helpfully, as if that's all the answer you need.

Entrapta (281) has posed:
The girl looks left, then touches herself on the tip of her nose with a finger. Then she looks to her left again. It's like she's not even listening, but instead fiddling around, or fidgeting.

Then suddenly she goes, "Ah!" She tries to spin her chair around, then makes a pouting sound for a moment when she realizes that it does not spin. Or move, or do anything other than support princesses.

"Do you have any evidence to support what you're saying? Because that suggests a layer of reality that goes well beyond what I've experienced so far! I'm entirely willing to speculate that it may be true, given that I've experienced a huge array of changes in the complex nature of reality since coming to this universe, but there should be some level of effect that's visible for someone to actually measure if they were willing to look!"

She barely pauses to breathe, before continuing with, "I've never heard of a dragon before. But I have heard of Pretty Cures! Is this related to their history? That's very helpful for my research actually since the investigation I've done so far had very few actual data points on which to track, they mostly showed me their powers but the environment around which they developed would be very helpful knowledge!"

Then, almost as a sidenote, she adds, "Who's a princess?" Pause, as if she's processing. "Oh THAT! I was never really a princess, but that's what they called me when I ran Dryl. That's my city, but real princesses have ties to magic. At least they did on my world. I'm a bit closer to a hired engineer, they gave a bit too much authority to."

Mie Kitamura has posed:
Scaled brows furrow in confusion. "I... er... aren't I proof enough?" it asks. "Most people would be quaking in their boots would they come across a dragon. As they should." It looks utterly baffled which is a stark contrast to its menacing demeanor. "What kind of proof do you require?"

It settles back in when the conversation turns to something less confusing. "I do not know the history of the Pretty Cures," it admits. "I know that fairies grant them devices that give them the power to transform into a mighty foe. I have noticed that some of them use... trinkets. Tchotchkes, to alter their power in some way."

"The ones I have noticed are the Cure Decors," The Dragon further explains. "Little tokens filled with power that we can use to bring about the Worst Ending to the world. The Pretty Cures collect them to keep them out of our hands, though I suspect they may serve other purposes, too."

"Not... a Princess?" The Dragon visibly deflates in disappointment. "Oh. Well. I best return you, then."

Entrapta (281) has posed:
"Oh I believe in you. If you say that you're a dragon, then you are likely to be correct," the girl says as she pulls out a pencil and some paper and starts..writing or sketching, or both. "The idea of stories being inspired by and returning to an actual physical location belies the definition of the terms, but as I said," she says, pausing to look up, "I'm open to being convinced."

She nods as the conversation continues, though she has this weird tendency to let people finish talking before answering. Which makes it if anything a bit harder to follow. "So Pretty Cures gain their power from faieries, who deliver them like some form of planned system to create heroes for their own needs. Hm. Well, that does explain a few things that didn't completely add up, that's very helpful!"

Then she smiles. "Oh, no. I'm in no hurry to leave, you clearly have a lot of information that I could use! Is there any way I could stay a while longer, and interview you for my projects? I wouldn't mind if I could take some samples as well, while I'm here. Maybe see these Decors you speak of, or at least get some readings off of them."

She looks around, as if gauging space in the area. "I could set up some equipment, if you have anything I could work with. Wouldn't be too intrusive, and I was thinking perhaps you could show me how to do some of your dragon magic? I really would be very grateful, wouldn't take more than a few hours.

She rubs her head, thinking about time and what she might need brought in. "Can you bring anyone else? I have things back home I might need to go get, to do a proper scan of your work. It's for science!" Why be afraid of a dragon? Dragons should be afraid of me.

Mie Kitamura has posed:
"It is very metaphorical," The Dragon adds helpfully. "I do not know how to convince you save by taking you to Marchenland itself. That I will not do," it says firmly. "You will have to find a fairy to bring you there."

It gets a thoughtful look, however, as Entrapta sums up her conclusions. "I am not sure if it is the fairies themselves that power the Pretty Cures. I find it more likely it is the devices they bestow upon the children they choose." It shakes its great head in mild confusion. "Why they always choose children, I cannot fathom."

And then Entrapta starts rapid-firing about samples and, for all intents and purposes moving in. "I... Wait... Hold on... Er..." Its protests don't seem to deter the inventor from going full SCIENCE! on it, however.

Rearing back it all but bellows, "Now see here!" Ruby eyes narrow as she answers each question as fast as they are asked. "You may stay, but only for a few hours, you may take some samples, I do not have any Decors, you may not set up any equipment, I have no magic beyond my very existence, I will not bring anyone else, and when I take you back you will not be returning!"

Entrapta (281) has posed:
Blink. Entrapta pauses, then looks up at the Dragon. "But I thought we were friends," she says, actually losing track of the science for a moment. "This is what my friends do, with me. I was trying to help."

She looks confused, and forlorn. Then looks at her pad and paper. "I can't do much for you without more gear, and I didn't want this all to be about what I wanted." She looks back up, then adds, "You seemed to need something, and I wanted to find out what."

"So I could help." She's just very, very bad at explaining, I guess.

Mie Kitamura has posed:
Entrapta's comment hits The Dragon like a slap in the snout. "Friend?" it asks hesitantly, its head dipping down so it's closer to Entrapta's level. "You thought... we were friends?" It sounds more confused than anything else. Like why would somebody befriend a dragon knowingly? "I've... I've never had a friend before," it admits.

"Nobody has tried to help me before," it says quietly. "I have been vilified, and none thought to ask about my wants and needs." It considers Entrapta with red eyes that seem more sad than anything else. "Perhaps you can stay a while," it concludes.

Entrapta (281) has posed:
The girl doesn't pull away. There is no fear, literally no fear at all. Self-preservation only comes into play if you think that you're in danger. Maybe she's broken, or she has no concept of what a dragon really is. Or maybe she's just not wired the same as us. But it seems to be true.

"Well, yeah. You were answering my questions, so you were being friendly. I'm not sure how being friends works, but it's something I'm starting to learn. But the first step seems to be knowing more about each other."

She pats the dragon on the snout, just once. Physical contact, not her forte but an attempt was made. "Do you want to talk about it? Because I've got time. And I'm actually curious, I want to know."

Tell me everything. It's not just a philosophy, it's a statement of love. I care enough to ask. Share with me? Entrapta, different but here to do what she can. Even for the bad endings.