279/Finally, Someone Who Knows About Magic!

Finally, Someone Who Knows About Magic!
Date of Scene:	22 August 2023
Location:	Sports Pavilion
Synopsis:	Amanda finally gets the chance to follow up on Hannah's advice to talk to Kyouka Inai.
Cast of Characters:	Amanda Faust, Kyouka Inai

---

Amanda Faust has posed:
                                ~~ Weeks ago ~~                                
    "Mein engel, have you met with frau Kyouka Inai, the guidance counselor? Because bluntly mein darling, while she is very much common clay of the earth, that sort of advice might well benefit you. Und frankly I have not the ken upon your manners to help walk you through your beating, confused little heart in that manner. She is rough but wise und subtle in her way. Talk to her. Please. She can help." Encourages Hannah, belatedly realizing that Amy may well benefit from the /other/ help Kyouka can offer.

    Amy is surprised at the suggestion. "My kouhai?? But... I... magic? Magical girls? I turned into a girl? It sounds craz... okay, I guess I explained to you. B-but what if... they take me out of school? Put me all alone? O-or, what if they can't remember the magic stuff? What if, what if they think I'm a pervert? There's so much that could go wrong telling anyone this..." She clings to Hannah, trying to calm herself down.

    The young woman openly laughs at the suggestion of Amy being kicked out. "You underestimate the good frau's talents! Remember that you were delivered an invitation to the Academy, yes? I do not think they would so cavalierly punt you on the rump when they seem to know more about you than you currently do." Comes Hannah pointedly, bluntly giving her that logical connection. Right to the skull, as a Steiner does.

                                  ~~ Later ~~                                  
    Amy gratefully hugs the bags of *necessary personal supplies* to herself, but she does wonder something about what's going on. "Thank you so much, Nurse Meiou...! I'll uh... I'll do better in the future! Um... this isn't really related to anything, but... who actually decides on, and sends, well, the invites to the school?"

    Nurse Meiou gives Amy a bit of a searching look, then sighs and shakes her head, "I'm afraid the only person who knows the parameters for that is the Headmistress herself, and she's notoriously uncommunicative about her methods."

                                   ~~ Now ~~                                    
    Amy approaches Inai-sensei's door, but hesitates with her hand inches from the knob (or just outside, if it's open.) She's still... worried. So much could go wrong, and saying 'but I got an invite! Someone *must* know something!' isn't any sort of magical shield. This could all end, and that thought *terrifies* her, even though she knows it's kind of what *should* happen, as she's living a lie right now.

    Amy takes a breath. Okay, okay, worst case, she gets thrown out but, Hannah's a *space princess* and can probably sort something out for her, plus there's her own savings, while she works out some way to make money through the internet, She'll... manage, although she'd miss the academy... but...

    Amy brightens a bit at a realization. A lot of her friends... aren't just *school* friends anymore. They're comrades who've fought deadly *battles* together. She'll still see them, and even if the situation is weird, there's a bond there, right? Amanda Faust smiles. She could... she could live with that.

    Whether Inai-sensei does the 'I know you're there, you can come in' thing and makes her jump or not, Amy steps through the door.

    The student glancing around the guidance counselor's office is a tiny redhead, barely 150cm if that, curious red eyes taking everything in like a rabbit making sure the area is free of predators. She's wearing a red T-shirt, black slacks, and sneakers, with a large field jacket tied around her waist. Her eyes finally settle on Kyouka. Geeze all the adults are so much *bigger* now. "Um. Hi. Inai-s-sem--" no wait she's not just 'older' than 'you' she's *staff* and you're a *student* "--sensei." She smiles awkwardly and holds out a hand to shake.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy adds, "...Hannah suggested I see you. Ah, Steiner-san I mean. Said you might be able to help with... *unusual* situations..." Well, she's certainly jumpy and anxious about *something*.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    It's actually lucky that Kyouka is even in her office today... it's summer break after all, and while that certainly doesn't stop her from spending time at school, it does make it less of a sure thing that she'll just be chilling in the administrative office. It would have been somewhat anticlimactic for Amy to stress so much over this visit only to find the place vacant when she finally opened the door.

    However lucky does seem to be on her side, at least in this matter, because Inai-sensei is indeed in her office. She's seated in the big padded office chair behind her desk, the swivel tilted back at a jaunty angle and one leg crossed over the other, her booted foot dangling in the air as she leafs through some kind of booklet- a closer glance would reveal it to be the catalogue of classes for the upcoming semester.

    When the door opens, she glances up, ash-grey eyes studying the girl who enters with an inquisitive look. She doesn't seem bothered by the interruption, more just that she wasn't particularly expecting it. When the girl approaches and offers her hand, Kyouka rises, giving a bit of a lopsided smile as she shakes. "Well. If Ms. Steiner passed the word to you, then perhaps I am. She has a good head for pushing people in the right direction." She leans one elbow on the desk, peering at the girl. "And... you are? Sorry, I don't exactly have all the student's names and faces memorized. There are thousands of you, you know."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Man, now Amy kind of wants one of those chairs for her dorm room. Two even, Mio should get a comfy chair too!

> And... you are?
    I'm Faust-san! Although it's not like we interacted much...

    But instead of voicing her thoughts, Amy answers, "Ah... I'm Amy--Amanda Faust." She unzips a pocket on her messenger bag and pulls out the envelope addressed to her (actually, *is* it addressed? Or just her name?) and the folded invitation inside, as if that proves her identity somehow and isn't just a piece of paper. Still, she handles it carefully, trying not to carelessly bend or crumple it. She carefully takes out the paper and unfolds it, showing that it's an invitation naming her. "I'm, uh, a ninth-year" god that feels weird to say "here at Radiant Heart Academy... And um... what do you know about magic? Be... because... This letter was... there's no way it... it's *impossible*. *No one* knew I was there but it was in the mailbox. And had my name on it. A name... no one should..." she hesitates, watching Inai-san's face carefully.

    She really should've like, planned a speech or something...

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    It's just an office chair! You can get them anywhere. Although they are pretty pricey. One of the benefits of being an employee is not having to buy your own chair. When the girl does introduce herself, Kyouka quirks a brow, inquisitive, though the name alone means nothing to her. She watches as Amanda produces the invitation, and she does seem to recognize it- maybe not that specific invitation, but she clearly knows what it is and what it signifies.

    At the question about what she knows about magic, the guidance counselor gives a little laugh, leaning back in her chair again. "Knowing about magic is kind of my job, you know. I'm not a real guidance counselor. Well, not the kind who deals with career options and behavioral problems, anyway. I'm here to serve the subset of students who got invitations like yours," She nods her head towards it sitting on the desk. "And help them figure out what it is they should be doing."

    "As for how you got the invitation.. well, that I'm not so sure about." She shrugs. "I don't have control of who gets invited to the school, I'm just an employee. And I'm not privy to the Headmistress' tactics. But the fact that you got one means you belong here." She draws in a quick breath through her nose, as if sniffing the air. "Mmhmm. And I can smell magic on you. So clearly she was right."

Amanda Faust has posed:
> Knowing about magic is kind of my job.
    This *could* be an adult humoring the chuuni kids...

> I'm not a real guidance counselor.
    ...THIS not so much. Amy's eyes widen, as she honestly didn't know, even if Inai-sensei *did* know about magic, how she would show that.

    The redhead lets out the rest of her breath. "Oh my gods. I was *so nervous*. I was worried I might sound like an insane chuuni kid... wait, what?" She holds up a forearm and sniffs it, then sniffs at her hair and hahahahehehe it smells sweet, and it took her *days* to figure out that girls just smell like that sometimes and as embarassing as it is to only learn that by turning into one, it also kind of makes her feel really special that-- oh hey get out of this train of thought you're talking to the *adult that knows about magic*--

    Amy 's distracted, smiling face suddenly blushes and looks up at Inai and asks, with innocent curiousity, "What does magic smell like?" Beat. "Waaaait, is that just a thing you *say* to mess with kids? If the letter's already proof, then you'd always be right telling them they're magical anyway-- wait, so only magical girls get these letters?!"

    Amy stares at the letter, reading it again, as if it might contain some clue.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka smirks at the comment about chuuni kids. "Oh, don't worry about that. You're just in the unenviable position to finally be figuring out that the insane chuuni kids were the ones who had it right all along." She pauses, considering her words, and then shrugs. "Well, some of them anyway." She's not about to claim every raving lunatic is secretly in the know, just that you shouldn't automatically dismiss what someone says because it sounds utterly fantastical.

    At the question about magic smells, she rolls her eyes, more at herself then at Amy. "It's not actually a smell. It's just a magic sense.. it's behaves differently for different people, but for me it's like smelling. People who are magical smell like magic. But asking me what it smells like is like asking someone what apples smell like. It just smells like magic. I can't really describe it, so you'll have to trust me on that one. And no, I'm not messing with you.. but it is a pretty unique ability. Not many people can do it. So you probably want to hang onto the letter in case you need to prove it to anyone else."

    "Not that you should have to, now that you're here." She adds, with a shrug.

Amanda Faust has posed:
> You're just in the unenviable position to finally be figuring out that the insane chuuni kids were the ones who had it right all along.
    O_O "Wait, WERE THEY?!"

> Well, some of them.
    Amy relaxes a bit.

    Upon the repeated affirmation that the letter is proof, she folds it up and holds it close to her chest, then puts it neatly back in the envelope and the envelope back in her bag. Which she sets down on whatever chair students usually sit in in here.

    "You know, I *was* wondering, how on Earth people resolve this situation. Two sane people who know magic is real but aren't sure if the other does... have to keep hinting, but only saying things they could play off as a joke... I didn't know the letter was proof, I guess that helps a lot, but..."

    She turns to Kyouka, smiling. ^_^ "Your 'I'm not a real guidance counselor, I'm here to help magical girls!' explanation is one I'd have never thought of, good job! Although I guess that, like, *is* your job," she starts pacing, "to know what to say to girls in this position..."

    Amy glances at Inai-san again. "How long has this been going on, anyway? I was here for *years* and I had no idea. And you were hired--" she stops pacing. "--as a magical... girl... guidance... counselor..." She rubs her head. "Even the staff don't know... except some *do*. Are there... are there many of us in on it? Like sort of a secret magic department disguised as, like, the guidance counselor, the P.E. teacher, whatever...?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka shrugs again at the question of exactly how long this was going on. If she has any questions about the 'here for years' comment she doesn't appear to show it, maybe just thinking the girl misspoke, or meant being in Tokyo for years or something. Either way, she responds with, "Not long, I don't think, but I really can't answer that question for you with any confidence. I only got hired like... three months ago?"

    "I can tell you that the situation has fundamentally changed in the past two years. The number of people with magic, and youma and other magical creatures too, has begun to skyrocket. And that started two years ago. I dunno what caused it, but I'm doing research to try and figure it out. Either way, I'm pretty sure this," A vague gesture at the school, "This initiative to gather magical people at this school, can't go back farther than that, because prior to that there wouldn't have been a reason to."

    She shakes her head, vaugely amused. "But that's the best answer I can give you. I'm just a cog in this machine, I'm not the one who designed it and I'm not the one driving it. I was given a job to do and I'll do it. But I'm not the one making the plans, I'm afraid. The Headmistress doesn't share her secrets with the likes of me."

Amanda Faust has posed:
> I only got hired like... three months ago?
    Amy slumps a bit. "Yeah, I know."

    She turns and listens attentively. "Well. I guess then. That instead of wasting your time, I should get to, ah 'helping me figure out what I should be doing.'

    She smiles, then turns and paces, gesticulating as she talks. "But do we start with the 'A fluffy white creature granted me a wish and charged me to hunt Witches' part, or the 'my past life has been completely ended and some records of me are ceasing to exist' part? Actually I guess the latter might play into your research, if it can tell you anything about how magic works."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka shakes her head a little bit, with a small smile. "Well, I appreciate the offer, but I know all about Kyubey and Wishes and how Puella magic works.. well," She pauses, adding, "'All about' might be a stretch, but suffice it to say I've met Puella before, and spoken to Kyubey, and I know the deal. That isn't the part that requires research. The part that I'm interested in is why did everything go into overdrive two years ago. What happened then that's made it all accelerate?" SHe shrugs. "Kyubey wasn't any help in answering that, but I get the impression he isn't much help in general, when it comes to actually answering questions."

    "As for what you should be doing, you can start with you should be attending my Self-Defense Classes." She reaches into her desk and pulls out a business card. On the front it has her info over an embossed RHA logo, but on the back she writes with a pen, "Wednesdays, 3:30pm, Sports Pavilion" and then pushes it across the desk. "THere's the normal class at 3:30, but afterwards there's the more.. informal magic version. Where I try and teach you kids how to fight monsters and not die."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy quickly taps something into her phone, then looks up. "Self-Defense classes? Amy takes the card. "Oh, *sweet*. That'll be *super useful!*" She looks up at Kyouka, slightly haunted. "Have you *been* in a Witch Labyrinth? It's seriously fucked up." Her phone makes the power rangers communicator sound. Like the one from a season 30 years ago. She looks down at it. "Oh good, you know Hannah's a magic space princess. ...Wow my life is weird now." She smiles up at Kyouka. "But the good kinda weird? Aside from monsters trying to kill me. But yeah, knowing what I'm doing more would help a *lot*, having a magic weapon is pretty useful, but... it doesn't solve everything, you know? And it costs magic to use..."

    She takes a breath and lets it out, looking thoughtful. "Well. I don't remember anything in particular happening two years ago. I more meant, whether the peculiarities of what happened to my life would tell you anything new about magic."

    She paces, waving her arms wildly. "No one here at school even remembers me! Not even my coworkers!"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka nods her head to the comment about Hannah, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, I know a little about a lot without knowing a lot about anything in particular, when it comes to the students." She says, with a bit of a crooked smile. "I have my own areas of expertise, but like I said, I've only been here for a few months. Long enough to get to know some people a little. Not long enough to get to know them well, most of them.

    At the comment about not being remembered, she quirks a brow. "Well, I thought you just got an invite to the school, so why would anyone remember you? Although, I guess if you Wished for something that would make people forget, something like that could happen.."

Amanda Faust has posed:
> If you Wished for something that would make people forget,
    Amy blushes. Admitting the wish itself could be awkward, but, "No, I don't see how that could be the cause of it. I figured if anything it's probably related to the whole... people forget magic thing? My internet accounts all still work, but stuff involving anyone who knew me personally..." she starts to wander around the room. "My old school account still worked for like a couple weeks, I'm *guessing* someone had cause to notice it, like, say, running payroll for an employee who *doesn't exist*, went 'who the fuck is Mallory Faust?' and when it got noticed it got deactivated. I wonder if anyone is checking the logs and thinks I'm a hacker for trying to get in with it?" She holds a finger to her chin, then shakes her head. "No, everyone forgets this stuff, right. Probably *no one's* checked it because *no one's* thought about it. But I came prepared for this too."

    She takes the jacket off her waist. It is *way* too big for her. From the pocket she pulls an envelope, this one a blank unused one from which she pulls out old drivers' license, staff ID, and Mallory Faust's final paycheck. From the IDs, the resting bitchface of a thirty-five-year-old -- oh, according to the birthday he'd be thirty-six now -- bespectacled American man with white hair stares out at Inai-san.

    "I was *in here*. I *set up your computer*. That's basically the *only* extended interaction we had beside like 'hi, how are you' 'good thanks' and such in the halls or the staff lounge, so like... maybe you *don't* remember me, but the rest of the *IT department*? Like I've asked staff if they remember Mallory Faust, and described myself, and they said no."

    She glances down at the IDs. "Eugh, I was always so ugly..." He doesn't look ugly. She looks up at Kyouka to watch her reaction. "Y'know, it's weird. I've seen this magic effect thing from all angles now. Seen someone *else* not recognize someone in magical girl mode that they know. Seen people not recognize *me*. Watched them suddenly *get it* when I transform. And then when Hannah told me who her magical girl name was -- who I'd *fought alongside*, it just suddenly... like I don't know how to describe it, but I guess you've surely experienced it by now? It's *weird*."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    As an afterthought, Amy adds, "Wait, does this happen all the time? I only actually know who a few of us are, are a *lot* of us former adults, or..." Somehow, she winces as she can't bring herself to say it.

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka listens with some interest to this tale.. piecing it together, and when she glances down at the staff ID which has been placed on the desk, she does recognize the face of the person there- vaugely. Somebody she'd met once or twice, but never really thought much about. She doesn't seem shocked or scandalized by this, but rather considers it thoughtfully, while leaning back in her chair again and crossing her legs.

    "So you used to be somebody else, and you made a Wish who turned you into.. who you are now." A vague gesture at the teenage girl standing in front of her. "I mean, it seems simple enough to me. If you wish to be somebody different, then the person you used to be doesn't exist anymore. How can they? You can't be two people at the same time. It's an either/or proposition. It might seem weird to you that becoming someone new would erase the you that existed before completely, but to me it seems to follow the logic. Wishes are powerful. It's not so much a transformation as a... restructuring of reality. You can't have overlaps. That would weaken the fundamental stucture. And trust me, nobody wants that."

    The other stuff, she can speak more to. "The effect you're talking about is called the Veil. It protects magic and magical people from being noticed or remembered by mundane people, and it keeps secret IDs separate from your civilian ID. I don't know if the Veil has a source or a reason, but it's always been that way. Still, that shouldn't cause people to forget past-you, because past-you wasn't magical."

    At the last question, she just shrugs. "Not to my knowledge. But Wishes can do pretty much anything, so it's not like I don't believe you. I suppose it could happen again, or maybe has before, if other people wished for something similar, but I don't know of any. Still, I've only met a handful of Puella."

Amanda Faust has posed:
> And you made a Wish who turned you into--
    "Uhhhhh..." Amy looks away awkwardly. "Uh, I... I didn't wish to be someone else, exactly."

    Although, the more she thinks about it... Mallory Faust could never be cute, could he?

    "B-but... becoming a magical girl was part of the package, you know?"

    Shit, maybe the wish *was* necessary to save him from the fate of being Mallory Faust in a magical girl outfit, a mental image that her brain immediately pushes away and buries.

    "I guess... maybe that... no, Kyubey definitely used the words 'become a magical girl' and such. But my Wish... I guess it was about what *kind* of magical girl... oh no, maybe I *did* erase myself...?"

> No one wants to see the fundamental structure of reality weakened.
    "Why? Is there something Outside that would -- ohhhhh that's kinda what Witches are, huh." She has *theories* about Witches.

    She gathers up the Proof and tucks it away again. "S-still. ...Maybe it's because like, wondering why I disappeared and stuff would lead to magic being found out? So it's less... 'effort', or energy used, for the veil to work this way, than to have people keep going 'hey, what happened to that guy' over and over..."

    She falls silent as she looks at the floor for a moment. "Is it... it's... is it really not a problem that I... That I'm really an adult, and, and everything? I swear I'm not doing anything weird, just... trying to live my life and help people..."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka just shrugs her shoulders again. She, at least, seems remarkably unbothered by the situation, although to say it isn't her life that's disappearing, or previous life at any rate, might explain why it's less of a crisis in her eyes. "I honestly don't know. I'm not a philosopher, or a big brain science type." She leans on her desk, elbow supporting her arm. "I'm a fighter, hired to teach newbies how to fight. I been around the block a few times, I know a thing or two about magic, but I don't have the specific answers you're looking for. You could try asking Meiou-san, the nurse, or hell the Headmistress herself, though she doesn't like answering questions any more than Kyubey does. But for deep knowledgey answers about why your Wish might have done this or what the Veil is doing or why, I am decidedly not your gal. Sorry if that's not a helpful answer."

    She shrugs her shoulders again at Amy's final question, turning to face her and resting both elbows on the desk, hands linked in front of her. "Hun, let me be perfectly straight with you." She says,her grey eyes more like steel than ash as she leans slightly forward over the desk, her expression serious. "I don't care if you're an adult in teenager's body, a teenager in an adult's body, a boy or a girl, a talking animal, a robot, an alien, or anything else. All that matters to me is if you can fight, and if you're willing to do so." She unfolds her hands to jerk a thumb back at the window behind her. "Something is going on out there. Monster attacks are up. Magic is going crazy. I've been told by a source that I trust that we're approaching a... crux. A crisis point. I don't know what it is yet, but I'm trying to find out before the ticking time bomb actually goes off. I don't know why the Headmistress is gathering magical people here, but the fact that she hired me is a clue. She needs me to teach ya'll to fight quickly, instead of just leaving you to learn on your own, the way we did it back in my day. That suggests to me that we don't have infinite time."

    "So, as far as I'm concerned, no, it's not a problem. You're a magical girl, now, no matter what you were before. And we need those, it seems. And that's good enough for me."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy lifts her gaze to meet the counselor's, red eyes looking the scared rabbit's again. Most of the words are neutral to scary (albeit world-is-ending-or-something scary rather than people-are-judging-you scary. Although--

> You're a magical girl now, no matter what you were before.
    That brings her smile back and seems to lift her mood. She salutes. "You can count on me!"

    "...Like, I got this was gonna be dangerous when I signed up. I'm so glad someone knows what we're doing, though, it's been rough having no... organization, or information, sometimes, you know? ...I guess you do. 'Back in your day', you were -- are a magical girl, huh?"

    She blinks. "Wait, how come we never see any adult magical girls?" her face pales a bit. "Do we all... die with the costume on? N-not that that deters me, I know what I signed up for and I stand by it. I want to help people. E-even if only for so long."

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    At least that question is one that Kyouka has an answer to. She shrugs her shoulders as she leans back in her chair again, seeming more relaxed now that she's delivered the message of doom and gloom. "Some do die. It's dangerous out there. But not most. Most people lose their magic when they turn 18, or sometime shortly thereafter. Its called the Fade. I dunno what causes that either, seems to just be a property of the universe or something. Magic is a young person's game, for the most part."

    "As for me, well, I found a loophole." She gives a bit of a lopsided grin. "It's not a perfect loophole. I can't really fight anymore, not like I used to. But I get to stay part of the magical world, and I can still see through the Veil, and I can help you kids figure it out. So it's not the worst deal."
        "Come to the self-defense classes. Make some connections. Going it alone is never smart. I can't promise you all the info, it's not like we have briefings or whatever. But it definitely pays to have backup."

Amanda Faust has posed:
> Most people lose their magic when they turn 18,
    "But... but I'm thirty-six." Amy blinks, dumbfounded.

> Going it alone is never smart.
    "Oh yeah, I know. Fortunately I've never been a lone responder..." she slumps a bit, "...And the others are too heroic to turn back when I warn them about Witch Labyrinths, but if they didn't I probably wouldn't make it alone. Getting through those when I'm not lucky enough to have a more experienced Puella Magi around has been *luck*, and I'm really hoping I can learn more from experienced Witch hunters before I run out of that..."

    Come to self-defense classes? Amy smiles, "I will! Thanks Inai-san!" She holds out a hand to shake. "It really... talking to you and knowing about this club really... makes me feel a little less isolated in all this, you know? Knowing there's someone who... someone with like..." She gestures vaguely to indicate 'the school'. "Like it's not just a bunch of kids -- and one adult turned into a kid -- with no one else even *knowing*, ya know?"

    Beat.

    "...Hey do you know what the hell the Forces of Darkness actually *want* or are they all a divided mess or do we just not know?"

Kyouka Inai has posed:
    Kyouka shakes the hand again as it's offered, commenting, "I think your clock probably got reset. Physical age counts more than mental for.. some reason I don't understand." A shrug. "Again.. not an expert on the technicalities."

    As she releases the girl's hand and sits back in her chair, she quirks a brow at the question about the forces of darkness. "Usually personal power, on some level. Infinite magic, rule the world, that kind of thing. But specifically, what's going on this time? I don't know. Again, trying to find out. But it's not easy."

    She grins. "So if you hear anything, let me know, okay?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Will do! We're all in this together! They've never been forthcoming, unfortunately, when I ask. That or just 'raaar, I spread misery and despair!' Thanks again."

    Amy bows, then sort of awkwardly extends it into a curtsey, only she's in slacks so that doesn't really work either, so slightly awkwardly she stands and grabs her bag to head out.