726/Sunbreaker's Day Out

Sunbreaker's Day Out
Date of Scene:	08 November 2023
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	In the middle of a rainy day, Sunbreaker decides to try out a new spell on the sparkle skirts... it... doesn't go to plan. Between Yellow Pearl Voice, Madoka and the Red Princess, they manage to put a stop to it.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Runealy Waldia, Madoka Kaname, Coco Kiumi

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
It was a cold, wet day. Not the best kind of day for adventuring. For fighting. Not even for walking. It was a cold, muggy day. With the rain pounding down so hard it drenched people within moments.

In summarization, it sucked.

So it likely wasn't the best feeling when suddenly many of them would feel the sensation of dark energy being used. Spreading out in an expanding ring, then disappearing for a few moments. Before, finally, a steady stream of dark energy began to radiate out, fuelling off that dark, miserable experience of those who were outside in this weather, only making matters worse and making them drop to the ground. Sunbreaker was... sitting under an umbrella and a beach chair, lounging on it with one of her dark gem mini-towers behind her, sucking in the dark energy.

Her eel was resting on the chair besides her, while she occasionally pet it on the head in an almost affectionate manner.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune had avoided the worst of the weather by staying indoors, but 'indoors' is relative when you live in a broken-down theme park with poor insulation and several leaks. It was still an awful day outside, and she was reluctant to go out into it.

Then the 'feeling' rippled through the city, and she shook in place. "Hn? A demon? No... this is something else."

Whatever it is, it's enough to make Rune transform into full magical dress and begin a series of boosted leaps across the city to head toward the sensation. She's tense, narrowed in sharp focus as she tries to see who or what is causing this. Every leap lets her see one more new person felled by the dark energy - she can only hope they're 'merely' unconscious.

She is, in any case, making no effort to hide; it will be easy to spot Rune in the distance each time she briefly takes to the air.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's wearing a bright yellow raincoat, because visibility trumps fashion in rainy weather. She manages to look cute in it anyways. She's also holding up a white umbrella which two of her minidokas, Brai and Medo, are huddling under.

    "Don't spend too much time in the rain, Madoka-chan!" warns Medo, the nurse hat wearing Chara. "You'll catch a cold!"

    Brai questions, "Is that even real? I thought that was just a story."

    "Of course it's real!" flails Medo.

    Madoka's soft voice chimes in. "Okay, okay, settle down you two. We'll get home soon, okay?"

    Even though she says that, something stirs in the distance. Madoka feels it, as do her two Chara. Brai speaks up first, "It's in that direction."

    Medo, ever eager, shouts, "Chara Change! Become a person who cures this strange malady!"

    Madoka's half henshin happens, and the nurse's hat appears on her head. Brai and Medo cling to Madoka's pigtails almost immediately. Almost against her will, she's super hopping through the rain... up until a bad jump makes her almost slip. "Oh geeze," says the Bearer. "Maybe this isn't a good idea in this weather..."

    Brai comments, "Just be careful. Look for dry spots to land on."

    This wasn't a delay that Madoka expected to deal with, but it'll take her a moment to reach the source of the drain.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
This is a terrible weather for a mermaid to go outside. It was raining. And not even any kind of rain, but a rain that seemed like it was trying to empty all the celestial reserves up there. She really shouldn't go outside, it would be madness.

And yet outside she is, bundled tightly under her umbrella as much as she can, knuckles as white as chalk, anxiety up to eleven, wondering if any moment was the moment when a teardrop would have fallen on her pearl.

Still she doesn't really have any choice, she has to reach the shop. And it's not like she can just go there transformed and use her normal name at the same time. Of all the occasions she would have to run out of essentials at...

That is when she perceives the dark energy that spreads from Sunbreaker's mini-tower. Yeah, that would give her an excuse to transform. Next problem is to find a place that's both concealed and protected by the rain, but no garbage bins inside that are also covered. So she runs around everywhere, still avoiding her locket getting drenched, until she finds a café, which lets her run into a bathroom stall.

Outside of it comes Yellow Pearl Voice, and she flies as fast as she can inside her Live Stage to where Sunbreaker is.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker really didn't like this. She wasn't the biggest fan of nasty weather to begin with. But frankly, it was making it hard for her to be sure that the sparkle skirts were even coming. Did rain disrupt their ability to sense her? Was rain their weakness? GASP! If none of them showed, it would be the perfect way for her to learn their true weakness. How to properly defeat them.

Attack them in the rain. The ideal solution. If no magical girls appeared then there would be nobody to try and stop her. It--

Oh, wait, there was one. Sunbreaker squinted through the rain at the leaping figure. Someone... red. They were red. Someone red.

"Hey! You! Which of the sparkle skirts are you supposed to be?" she asked, yelling out to the red princess. "I'm over here, on the roof, if we're going to do this! You can just go home, though, if you want! I won't be insulted, this weather sucks!"

Meanwhile, her eel slid down, phasing through the roof... the trap now set... Which of the magical girls would trigger it, though...

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune notices the other pink-haired girl in the distance, and changes the path of her leaps to pursue Madoka. After a while, she is able to catch up and land nearby. "You sensed it as well, then? This... vileness? I would accompany you, and together find our common foe!" Hoping that Madoka knows her way around Tokyo better than Rune herself does, the alien princess will follow along.

The tower makes a decent hint on where to go, though.

Then once they're closer, Rune finds someone yelling at her. "That voice...?" She looks toward it, the figure too far away for her to really make out details. IT takes a lot of shouting, a forceful effort, for her voice to carry far enough to reach Sunbreaker: "Do what, precisely? Is this weather your fell handiwork?"

Her boots' wings continue to pulse with blue-silver light, each flash of energy matching one large jump after another that brings her closer to Sunbreaker's roof.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka spots the glowing tower, the umbrella and the beach chair. So that's where it's coming from. She also spots the Red Princess and Yellow Pearl Voice approaching the same spot as she is. Well, at least she's headed in the right direction.

    When the Red Princess gets closer, Madoka spares only a short smile as most of her focus is on traversal. "I did. I think it's this way, right?"

    Brai peeks out from behind Madoka's pigtail at the Red Princess, but Medo gives her a bright smile and a tiny wave.

    One final hop places her on the same rooftop as Sunbreaker, and Madoka walks towards her as a bow appears in her hands. Her mind flashes back to her fight with Riventon the other day, and she decides not to get too close to the constantly-on-fire Sunbreaker.

    Hey wait, wasn't she there too? Oh, actually no. That was an impersonator. Madoka wonders for a moment if this is the fake again, but isn't sure how to ask without giving it away. She takes a step closer, possibly into a trap.

    "Are you here all by yourself?" she asks, not knowing if this is the Sunbreaker from the observatory or the 'Sunbreaker' from the attempted heart theft.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
If the rain wasn't annoying enough... Then what Coco sees when she reaches the focal point of the dark energy is surprising. Shocking, even. She is under an umbrella, on a beach chair... In this weather. Really, she only needs a swimsuit to go with it to up the insanity. "What are you supposed to be doing?" she asks, completely unsure how to react.

There are also Madoka and the Red Princess there, confronting Sunbreaker. And Madoka seems to be holding a conversation with her. Why? "Madoka, be careful, we don't know what her dark tower is going to do this time around. I can get you up here in my Live Stage if you want to." Not like it would be the first time. And this time she has the advantage of being able to provide Madoka her own.

"You can come here too", Coco yells to Runealy. It's not like she is only going to extend the offer to Madoka.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a low groan. "Do I LOOK like a pegasus to you?" she asked. Well, snapped. "No. I don't adjust the weather, yet. And trust me, if I DID? I wouldn't be making it this... misery," she said, motioning up above. "Unfortunately, I had... well, I got a bit bogged down with a small project last week, now I've got HR breathing down my back and, well..." She shook her head.

"Right, don't know why I'm telling you this. I--"

She got to her feet and stepped out from the umbrella right then and... sizzled. In the rain. She then sighed. "Okay, seriously. How do you people OPERATE without having something to SET the WEATHER for you? This is SO obnoxious!" she yelled. "And yes, I'm by myself! Well. For now. And you!" she yelled, pointing a finger at Coco.

"Listen here, mermaid! I may need to ask you some questions later! But not today because this weather sucks! UGH! My hair is a mess..."

Sizzle sizzle sizzle.

"Well, ha!" and then she threw a ball of fire! It... fizzled. She blinked before face palming. "Okay, you know what? I'm switching it up today. You lot can choose. Ice. Lightning. Telekinesis. You have ten seconds to discuss it amongst yourselves before I choose for you. Got it? Good. One. Two. Three."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune makes a silent note to ask about Medo and Brai later - she saw them, and had blinked in surprised, but now did not seem like the time to discuss them.

Then Sunbreaker confronts her. "I have scant idea what 'HR' is, nor what television is used to influence the weather." Rune is simply at a loss to make anything of that line of discussion.

Coco offers room on the Live Stage, and the princess starts to make a sharp, indignant answer: "I cannot, must not, and shall not rel-- hnn?!" Fire interrupts her mid-sentence.

Fire that fails to go very far. It nonetheless reminds Rune of her last encounter with Sunbreaker, eyes snapping wide with worry. Then Sunbreaker offers an odd choice and begins counting. 'Three.' Rune's gaze narrows in focus, as her boot-wings light up once more to hurl her backwards and aside - heading toward the Live Stage despite her comments.

As she descends, Rune aims her staff at Sunbreaker. "...There!" Apparently planning to interrupt the count, the princess launches an emerald orb at Sunbreaker - one that aims to 'explode' into emerald sparkles if it makes impact!

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka shakes her head to Coco and says, "Um... not right now, though I might change my mind in a minute." The Chara Bearer watches Sunbreaker express annoyance and have difficulty with using her powers in the weather. With a half-hearted smile she says, "You know, we don't have to do this today. You can just go home. It's okay to take rainy days off. I'm sure your friends will understand."

    From somewhere unseen, a tiny Gretchen-like voice starts laughing. A lot. If one had time to look, they might notice the barrier to a small not-quite-Labyrinth nearby.

    The Red Princess interrupts the count, and Madoka's first instinct is to take a quick step back to avoid the splash damage. Seeing as the fights about to start, Madoka closes her umbrella and says to her two tiny Chara, "Why don't you go hide in Coco's bubble? Today is going to be rough."

    Her two minidokas obey and start flying towards Coco's Live Stage, hands wrapped over the tops of their heads in a vain attempt to keep the rain off.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Ask me questions? About what? You being a winged horse?" Coco repeats. Really, she wouldn't think that's as big a deal. Why should it matter if she is actually a horse? It's not like her being a mermaid would change things that much if it didn't make her unsuited for moving on land or if it didn't compromise her with the whole seafoam deal. Sunbreaker would even get both to fly and run in her natural form. Though without fingers...

Runealy meanwhile completely refuses her offer. "What's wrong with that? It's not the first time I carry people around", Coco informs her, a bit bruised over the indignated response.

At the same time Madoka sends her two Chara over to Coco's Live Stage and the mermaid takes her first notice of the two mini Madokas. "Welcome... in?" she says uncertaintly. "What are you two supposed to be?"

And counting to ten is honestly a terrible choice on Sunbreaker's side. Really, who is going to stay still when told 'You are going to be attacked?' Nobody that's who.

"Ever Blue: Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!" she declares, the Live Stage promptly beginning to produce the relevant soundtrack.

The mermaid princess sings softly of the feeling she gets that on the other side of the seven seas, someone is crying, squeezing her heart and causing her loneliness. But she embraces the guidance of the stars in her heart, the destiny of the ever blue sparkle of the ocean she loves calling to her and letting her gather the power to protect the future in her hands.

As the melody expresses her feelings of cherishment towards her friends and the mysterious blueness of the ocean, prettier than heaven, she sings for the purification of darkness and the disappearance of evil.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Four, Fiv--" Aaaaand then she was attacked. Her hand whipped out and te orb stopped a foot or so in front of her. "Really? Here I am, offering you--"

Then the orb exploded. In her face. She hacked and coughed, shaking her head. "The sparkles, they burn! Ugh! I HATE sparkles!" Sunbreaker yelled. "Why is it WHENEVER I show you lot ANY courtesy you always make me regret it? And I don't HAVE any friends! I don't DO friendship, you pink haired llama!" Sunbreaker yelled in annoyance, finally getting the green sparkles off.

And then SINGING! Why was it ALWAYS singing with these people?! Sure, she liked singing too but this girl's singing gave her a headache! "FINE! You want to play that? We'll do ALL THREE!"

She flicked out her hand and there was a... grinding sound from below. Moments before a trash can flew up and tried to crash down on Runealy's head. She then flicked out her left hand, forming three spikes of ice which ALL flew straight at Madoka... then turned to Coco and held both hands together. A bolt of lightning shot out from them!

... But, after the bolt left, Sunbreaker was left sizzling, her hair on end and slightly singed. "Right. Lightning. Rain. Hate this place."

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune lands on the Live Stage as Coco's performance begins. The song, up to a point, mellows the princess out. This time, her tone is much more level as she answers: "Ask me anew after the battle, and I will hold myself to account for what I said just now."

Sunbreaker berates her, and Rune's voice becomes sharply angry again. "A plainer, more welcome courtesy would be to commit no assault! I... hn?" She looks around, trying to place the strange metallic banging noise. It's bouncing around too much for her to easily figure out where it is, and she's looking in the wrong direction at first when the trash can flies toward Rune.

She spots it out of the corner of her eye a split second too late, only able to begin a pivot-step away from it to avoid being fully hit by it. The very edge of the trash can still strikes her in the side of the jaw at high speed, leaving both the garbage and the princess to tumble to the floor of the Live Stage in a heap. "Using refuse to strike refuse... fitting." Rune uses the word for garbage, not for declining something.

Rune spins on a knee and hip to stand up, and she looks aside to see what happened to Madoka - then to Coco, in sequence.

Even as she does so, Rune aims her staff at Sunbreaker again and launches another orb; this one breaks apart in mid-air, sending a wide spray of green sparkles!

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    As Madoka's Chara get close to Coco's Live Stage, Brai speaks up first. "We're Chara! We represent Madoka's dreams of who she wants to be."

    Medo waves at Coco and adds, "Hiii~! I hope you don't mind us hiding from the rain here.

    They are, for their part, mostly well behaved. For the moment. The bratty X-Chara is still hiding somewhere, kept safe from the rain by her own pocket dimension.

    As the spikes of ice fly out, Madoka yelps and takes a short hop back. At the peak of her jump, in one quick fluid motion, she nocks and releases a pink arrow that splits into three, intercepting the three ice spikes and either shattering them or knocking them off course.

    "Still not too late to go home!" calls out Madoka as she lands on a nearby roof. Even as she speaks, she's already nocking another arrow, releasing it as one single pink bolt that flies towards Sunbreaker. Madoka didn't even aim it properly, but it doesn't matter because the arrow course-corrects on its own.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Ask her again? Ok, but why? She really would love to know that now, with how puzzling it is, but they have a fight going on, so it does make sense to wait for after it's over.

There is also lightning heading for her, which she should actually worry about more than confusion over Runealy's behaviour. Her purifying song allows her to call out one more Live Stage, tossing it an the lightning attack to intercept it. That should be enough, right? Now, what is her purification doing to the tower?

"Typically if you threaten someone, the person is going to act on that threat, Sunbreaker. If you want to be courteous, then you can avoid attacking and talk over things with us. We would love to have to avoid repeating this whole thing everytime your clock tells you it's time to harm people." Coco says for a moment in between the song.

When the Charas explain what they are, she remembers the encounter she had with Brai at her tent. "Oh, right you were with the Tarots. Sorry, I have been really anxious due to the rain, and blanked out on that. Not like they know why she is anxious. "Still, I would have let you in anyway, even if you representing Madoka's dream wasn't absolutely precious." Really, she is still smiling joyously at them before going back to sing with how heartwarming it is.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a shrug. "Well, you lot came to me to assault me, it's not like I'm going to just stand here and let you sparkle sparkle glow at me!" she yelled. She managed to even get a moment of glee when the trash can hit the girl. Ahhhh. While it wasn't really magic at that point, it was nice visual. AND THEN SHE'S GETTING SHOT AT AGAIN! With sparkles AND arrows!

"Stupid Sparkle Skirts! HEY! YOU! SPARKLER AND PINKY! KNOCK THAT OFF!" As if that would work.

Meanwhile, her lightning got blocked, instead blowing up a stage and... ugh. All in all this was just not going well! At least a stage wasn't forming around her!

She lifted her arms and the water around her gathered, swirling up to cocoon her in a barrier of ice. It exploded a moment later from the sparkling and arrowing assault. But a moment later she was coughing and glaring at them.

"There's no REASON to talk to any of you! You're all just going to get in my way regardless. None of you could help me... well."

"I guess one of you could," she said with a smirk.

It was then that something black and magical would zip out from under the roof Madoka just landed on... And try to enter her. Well, actually it was going to TRY and enter her henshin and possess outwards from there.

But Madoka didn't HAVE a henshin shield like the other girls... so instead, the darkness would go into her directly if she didn't avoid it... The dark energy mixing with her own magic, twisting it in a vile mockery. Well... tried.

Oh dear.

"Say hello to my newest experiment. How about you lot... fight amongst yourselves now?"

On the positive side of things? The tower behind her? It... wasn't looking so good. The purifying song making cracks form along it.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune silently makes note of what Brai said; that certainly fills in a lot of blanks about Madoka! Yet for each question this answers, Yellow Pearl Voice has raised new ones when confronting Sunbreaker. "What? A clock compels these assaults?!" This is strange, and Rune takes the news more or less literally.

Then Sunbreaker makes an accusation that confuses her. Even as the tower begins to crack - which makes Rune reluctant to leave the Live Stage - the princess has to ask: "Have you attempted parley, then? Surely one among 'us lot' would meet you in kind! I..."

Rune cuts off mid-sentence as darkness tries to encroach Madoka. "What?!" She stares at Madoka with wide eyes, not immediately sure what to do or what is happening. For all of Rune's talk about not hesitating, she does plenty of it right now and makes no move to attack anyone.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's eyes first go wide, and then they go blank before turning dark. Her soul, naturally, rejects darkness on its own. It's one of the reasons why Gretchen is the way that she is. Even at her absolute worst, at her most violent and cruel, all she ever wanted to do was remove misfortune from the world. It takes her pure, sweet heart a moment to fully process the distortion it's suddenly being infused with.

    Her mouth hangs open as her head rolls back, staring up at the rain. So many tiny droplets, falling down from the sky and hitting the ground with a splash before being erased from existence. A short, tragic life... but it's not as bad as all that, right? That water will evaporate, rise up into the sky and become a new cloud, with new rain drops. In that way, the rain never truly dies.

    Madoka likes thinking about it that way. She smiles, widely. Too widely. Her eyes are still blank as she grins at the Red Princess and Coco. With a loud shout, she declares, "EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY!!"

    Madoka's branch bow vanishes, and she starts singing and skipping around. She spins in place and spreads her arms out wide, having the time of her life. She... lacks the musicality that Yellow Pearl Voice's voice has, but no one can say she isn't singing with all of her heart.

    Brai suddenly mumbles, loud enough for Coco to hear. "Oh no. She's singing in the rain."

    The Chara Bearer jumps back over to Sunbreaker's roof, lands a couple feet in front of her and leans close with her hands behind her back. "Don't worry about it! Everything will be fine! It's all gonna be okay!"

    Gretchen finally makes her appearance, hovering in the rain with no coat or umbrella. She shouts in a tiny voice. "Hey! What the cuddle did you do to my Bearer! Put her back!" Raising a tiny accusatory finger, she declares, "No one messes with her head but me!"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"No, I didn't mean that the clock compels her, just that she follows the same rhythm every time and expects things to change", Coco tries explaining to Runealy.

If she actually wants to continue trying to explain it to Runealy, that changes when dark energy starts entering Madoka, and she starts creepily jumping, singing and dancing around with surprising glee.

"Really, Sunbreaker?" Coco says pointing out at Madoka. "This is what I mean. You were there with Usagi! You even got hit by her attack, and turned back into a plushie of your winged horse self! Do you not learn!? One would think you could understand there are things that are better not to touch. You not only lack compassion for other people, you also lack any sense of self-preservation. I don't know how Obsidian is still standing to this day with people like you in it!"

And Gretchen appears too. "And who are you supposed to be now?" She turns to Brai and Medo. "She is not like you, right? I mean, she looks more... corrupted... than you two."

Coco floats down to Madoka in her Live Stage. "Madoka, you do recognise that Sunbreaker has done something she shouldn't have done to you, right? Please stay still and let us help you go back to normal." Hey, maybe she can be reasoned with enough, right? After her hopeful attempt, Coco goes back to singing, keeping the purification going on.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker chuckled when Madoka was taken over. Perfect. Just as she planned. HA! She knew she'd figure out the spell, it...

... Everything will be okay. "... Wait, what?" she asked.

Madoka... Madoka was singing. And dancing. In the rain. Not like she did. Or like Yellow Voice did. "What... what are you doing?" she asked.

THEN SHE LANDED ON THE ROOF BY SUNBREAKER! The dark general took a small step back. "Okay... you're... kind of... weirding me out a bit here. Uhhhh... go..." Then trailed off.

She stared at Gretchen. "It's a... simple... minor... alteration spell. She'll be fine... uhhhh... soon. Probably." Okay, now she admittedly looked unsure. "... It... isn't supposed to.... work like this, though. It's supposed to possess her henshin, spread through her magic. It--"

Then there was a crash behind her and the tower collapsed, making her cringe. "W-well, no matter! Pink girl, attack them now! This is your battle!"

... This was going to go well. Or not.

"I don't need self preservation if there's nothing I need to preserve!" she snapped at Yellow Voice.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune was not sure what to expect when Sunbreaker tried to turn them against one another. Yet hesitating proves to be a good choice this time, as the princess blinks when Madoka shouts a joyful message.

Then disarms herself.

Then begins literally singing and dancing in the middle of a fight, while Gretchen appears to yell about the situation. "What manner of...? I... this is...?" Rune simply has no coherent words for what's going on.

Her gaze snaps sideways, fixing on Yellow Pearl Voice and finally finding something to say: "Do you have any reckoning of this? She sings as you do, mid-battle, yet I cannot imagine why. If nothing else, you know far more than I of this 'Obsidian' and what motives drive the foe standing before us."

Sunbreaker tries to get Madoka to attack them, but the other pink-haired girl simply stays on the stage. Her staff is still in hand, but aimed at nobody even as the tower begins to fall. Instead, Sunbreaker says something very interesting and Rune more or less repeats it in a questioning tone: "Naught to preserve...?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Brai and Medo look at Gretchen. Medo hides behind Brai and says, "Is that Gretchen-chan? I've never seen her before, but I remember hearing her yelling while I was in my egg."

    Brai nods, and answers both Yellow Pearl and her fellow Chara. "That's Gretchen, our Bearer's X-Chara. She... means well, in her own way, but... someone unknown person corrupted her."

    Gretchen glances in Brai's direction, as if she heard her despite the distance and the rain, before turning back to yell more at Sunbreaker while flailing her tiny arms. "You silly-headed dummy!"

    Madoka tilts her head at Sunbreaker as she gives her a command. "Fight? But I don't wanna. It's raining! My cute little Chara will get wet. Poor little Gretchen-chan doesn't even have a raincoat."

    The X-Chara shoots back, "I don't need a raincoat! I need to float in the rain and brood dramatically." As if she isn't way too cutesy to pull that off.

    Madoka smiles brightly and says, "But that's fine, too! We can all dry off later, and then we can get ice cream!" Focusing on Sunbreaker, she asks, "Do you want ice cream? Let's go get ice cream!"

    Madoka tries to grab the general's hand and, if successful, tries to drag her away to the nearest ice cream shop. Or any other capitalist establishment that looks fun.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Oh, so you don't need to preserve your life, then?" Coco looks sarcastically at Sunbreaker. "Then by all means, go ahead, create a horse-eating youma or something of that kind." She sighs. "Listen, Sunbreaker, either you start learning, or you are seriously going to do something fatally stupid one day. Please, consider it", she says sincerely.

"I actually have a stage beyond this one to knock my abilities up a considerable notch", Coco starts explaining to the trio of (X-)Charas. "I am gonna do that to see anyway to check if that changes anything with Madoka, but it could help you too, Gretchen, since you might feel better if purified of what that person did to you."

The mermaid princess raises her arm, the bracelet on her wrist shining with white light as a halo of yellow light moves downwards from the mermaid princess's head: her clothes become more elaborate as it does so, gaining a flowing bow on her back and parallel frills on her blouse. "For my second and last piece: The Tale of the Seven Seas ~Pearls of Mermaid~: Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!" Coco sings of embracing a dream: the journey to find the story that leads all lives to paradise, a treasure that is surely shimmering beyond the seven seas.

The magical song spreads its splendor with renewed intensity, bringing more vigour and energy than ever to those who lost them, repelling evil with all its might. The words of the mermaid princess call back to a lute, whose melody that resounded at dawn was similar to a sweet lullaby from her hometown. The enchanted melody shows everyone's hearts the peace the mermaid princesses wish to protect with their songs, a beautiful paradise when nobody has to hurt.

Answering her call, a Live Stage forms around Madoka (leaving Sunbreaker just out of the border) trying to seal her in while her purification goes on.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker was... was not prepared for any of this. "S-shut up, your rotten future omellete," she snapped at Gretchen. This wasn't... okay, this was REALLY getting weird.

And then Madoka had her hands. "W-what? No! I don't want ice cream! I'm, I'm gathering energy here, I don't, hey, you can't, you can't kidnap me! You're supposed to be one of my minions! Now! Obey me! Obey meeeee!" Sunbreaker yelled, her face red as her newest minion was just... kidnapping her! "Heel! Cease! Stop! Okay this is just getting silly! ENOUGH!" she yelled.

Then there was a BUBBLE over Madoka. Sunbreaker yanked her hands back, leaping away when the orb of purifying light came up. She lightly hissed. "OKAY! FINE! ENOUGH! OUT!" she yelled.

The eel FLED Madoka's body, sizzling in the light and returning to Sunbreaker's arm. She let out a sigh of relief before glaring at them.

"This whole thing was a wash. YOU!" she yelled, pointing at Madoka. "You are WEIRD! I do not want ice cream with you!" Then to gretchen. "You are weirder and you're lucky I don't chuck you off a wall, Humpty Dumpty." Then to Red princess. "I am calling YOU Little Sparkle from now on!"

then, finally, to Yellow princess. "You! Considering your little fish bowl under the sea, you have NO RIGHT to talk to me about ANYTHING even APPROACHING self preservation! How about YOU try learning how useless your so called 'friendships' actually are?!"

Then, in a flurry of dark magic... she disappeared.

Angry, fuming and soaking wet.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"This makes scant little sense," Rune marvels at what's going on with Madoka and Sunbreaker, posture slouching forward some from sheer surprise. As far as she can tell, this fight is over; Coco is singing, Sunbreaker isn't meaningfully attacking with much more than words, and Madoka's idea of fighting seems to be taking people out to have fun.

"Address me as you wish," is all Rune can manage to say in response to Sunbreaker's new name for her, blinking at what just happened with the eel.

With Sunbreaker gone, she looks to Coco, Madoka, then Madoka's various Chara companions. "Are... all of you well, I trust? Or at least largely unharmed?" Her tone is hesitant, still very confused.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Gretchen calms down for a moment when Coco mentions purification, then frowns. "If it were that simple I'd have just annoyed some magical girl until she zapped me. If I get purified now, either I would go back to my egg or Madoka would..." She cuts herself off, considers things for a moment, and then dives back into her Labyrinth. When people start talking about purifying her, that's when she starts thinking of leaving. Her little pocket dimension almost completely vanishes. It's hard to tell if it's really gone or if it's just very well hidden.

    "Come back!" calls out the too-wide smiling Madoka. "Gretchen-chan, don't you want ice cream?!"

    Distracted as she is by trying to get her X-Chara to play with her, Madoka Kaname is completely caught unaware by the Live Stage forming around her. She floats in the bubble of white as the melody carries away her subverted darkness. It takes a moment for her to return to her senses, but as the eel flees from her the life returns to her eyes.

    Her smile is replaced with a concerned frown, and then her eyes narrow into an expression of disappointment. "What... what happened to me?" She turns her frown to Sunbreaker as she floats within the purification bubble. The Chara Bearer doesn't respond, but the apparently-still-here-actually X-Chara shoots back, "At least I'm not a silly-headed dummy like you!"

    The Live Stage fades, and Madoka lands on the rooftop. Sunbreaker flees with her minions, and Madoka stares at the spot where she used to be for a contemplative moment before opening her umbrella back up and turning to her two friends. "I'm fine now," she calls out. "Thank you both. I think she tried to youmafy me, but it didn't work. Maybe it's because I don't have a full henshin yet."

    Brai asides to the Red Princess, "We're fine. I'm not sensing any more darkness within my Bearer."

    Madoka holds up her hand, and after a moment Brai and Medo leave YPV's side to go rejoin their Bearer. Gretchen remains either hidden or absent. She's probably sneaking away now that the trouble is over.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco didn't expect Sunbreaker to actually learn anything, but still, to see her remain fixed on her position is actually a disappointment. Hopefully she will be able to come around one day.

Onto more pressing matters. "Just like Brai hinted at, Sunbreaker tried to infect you with dark energy, and you started doing weird things, acting unusually happy, trying to have ice cream with people, things like it. Luckily, my Super Idol stage was strong enough to remove any trace of it", Coco explains to Madoka.

"How do you feel now? Any ache or weird thing that shouldn't be there?" Just because she said that, doesn't mean there couldn't be some aftereffects.

"What was it about your reluctance to enter the Live Stage?" Coco asks Runealy after checking that Madoka is fine. She doesn't comment on the rudeness of her X-Chara. At least for now.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
With the Live Stage gone, Rune's boot-wings pulse to slow her fall and allow a gentler landing near Madoka. "'Youmafy'? Is that... no, I suppose it is more widespread a practice than I realized. I am glad you are well," Then Rune nods over to Brai, "And my thanks for that assurance. Forgive me, I do not believe we have met before...?"

She then looks to Yellow Pearl Voice, confused. "That is the 'darkness' within her? Seeking to share joy with others? How strange. And... yes, I said I would hold myself to account. Therefore..."

She stows her staff inside the bow of her dress, with the weapon impossibly fitting in - and vanishing into - the 'container' despite being bigger than it. Then she speaks again, in a fairly calm tone: "My reluctance is due to no fault of yours. Put plainly, if I am to prove myself equal to the tasks before me... to the rank and title I claim... then I should be the one to assist others and not rely on their aid. That I used your Stage is a mark against me... but thank you for the aid, nonetheless."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka checks over herself for a moment after YPV asks, looking over her arms and brushing off her raincoat. Her little Chara circle around her, checking spots like her back that the pink-haired girl can't easily see. "I mean... I feel alright. I don't think that's ever happened to me before. The eel thing left me, so maybe that was it?"

    Medo floats up to Madoka's face and suddenly shoves a thermometer into her mouth before she can protest. Then the tiny medic chara puts the back of her hand on Madoka's forehead while holding a tiny stopwatch in her hand. The pinkette, for her part, quietly waits as her Chara takes her temperature.

    Brai, the twin braided minidoka Chara, crosses her arms as she turns to the Red Princess. "My name is Brai, my medic friend here is Medo, and the gothy one is named Gretchen. Medo and I tend to hang out with Madoka, but Gretchen comes by every so often."

    Brai considers the Red Princess's words with a frown, and then considers them. "That's a high standard you're holding yourself to. To carry all of your burdens on your own... it's a lonely path to take. No one would think less of you for accepting help from others, but this isn't the first time I've heard someone wish they could handle things on their own." After a moment's consideration, she asks, "Is there a reason why independence matters so much to you?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
That was indeed a sad path, one she honestly can't comprehend. As mermaid princesses, Aqua Regina calls them to unite their forces together to fight evil, so to hear that someone is called to stand alone as part of their station... She can't help but feel downcast about that. "It's not my place to say anything about it, just like Brai said, if you need to hear it, there is nothing wrong with getting help from others, because that doesn't diminish your own strength any."

Enough preaching for now. "I am glad that was the start and the end of it, Madoka" Coco tells her. "Do you perhaps know any reason why it reacted so weirdly with you? Or at least any of your Charas do?" she asks uncertaintly, turning to Brai and Medo.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
The Red Princess says, "Brai. Medo." Rune nods to each of them. "Gretchen," Who does not get a nod on account of apparently no longer being here. "A pleasure to meet you. Especially a healer," Rune gives a slight smile to Medo.

Then politeness fades from the alien princess, replaced by quiet seriousness. " And you..." Another nod to Brai, "...you speak rightly, save for one detail; this is no matter of independence. There is a task before me that I, and only I, am to undertake. Others cannot and must not aid me in it. Pride alone does not compel me to say this... there is a compelling need."

She reiterates this to Yellow Pearl Voice, tone level and calm: "This truly is a case where cooperation, where a circle of shields, is unacceptable. Nonetheless... your Stage is intriguing.""

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Medo pulls the thermometer out of Madoka's mouth and checks it, then says, "Welp, looks good to me."

    Madoka smiles brightly and then thinks out loud, "Wait... what does taking my temperature have to do with anything?"

    Brai keeps talking to Yellow Pearl, with her hands clasped behind her back. "Well, if I were to make a guess, I'd say that the thing which got emphasized most was Madoka-chan's optimism. Her hopeful outlook for the future, so to speak. The darkness probably twisted that to such a point that Madoka forgot that she was in the middle of a fight. It also seemed like the fiery lady didn't really have control over our Bearer. If I were to guess, it was a failed experiment, with Madoka-chan as the test subject."

    Considering the words of the Red Princess, Brai scratches her chin. "Very well. If that's the path you must walk, I wont fault you."

    Madoka finally has a chance to speak, and adds, "I guess you haven't really changed much since the last time we spoke, Red Princess. I wish I could say I found something that would help, but I haven't even figured out my own powers yet. Honestly, I shouldn't have let myself caught off guard like that."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I hope your task is successful, and you get the result you expect out of it", Coco wishes Runealy. It would be terrible doing all that effort only to be disappointed.

"Brai, Medo, thank you a lot for checking Madoka was safe." It feels weird saying that to aspects of Madoka, though. They probably have the most reason to worry over her.

"And thanks a lot for being here together with me today", she addresses Madoka and Runealy. "We will see each other at school, I guess." At least, Madoka does know her human identity.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"An experiment?!" Rune's eyes go wide, the question asked with a breathy gasp. "Treating people with such callous disregard, as a means to an end... how cruel!" Her head shakes, hair swishing. She calms down when the topic returns to herself, gaze lidding but not fully closing as she faces Brai. "Fault will not be necessary in any case; I shall be my own most sincere and truthful critic."

Then Madoka's words seem to cut deep; Rune actually flinches and takes a step back upon hearing them. This is an unusual reaction, given Madoka didn't say anything even remotely mean or hurtful. "Scant little change? You speak rightly... yet change and improvement are what I seek more than all else. It has already been made clear to me that I cannot have it from Kyubey. However, as for you...?"

She gives a slight nod to Madoka. "Your being caught off guard in this 'experiment' is no mark against you. Rather, it seems you at your most exaggerated and cruel will give us neither the false nor true fight. Indeed, you offered no battle at all; that is no small virtue!"

Then her attention turns to Yellow Pearl Voice. "I, also, hope I succeed. It is not what I expect, but it is what I strive for. Regardless... I am glad you were here today, giving the true fight. If you are departing, then be well! I wish you well in your studies."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka makes sure that both of her non-corrupted Chara are with her, and then looks at roughly where Gretchen was. She's probably not around anymore, and if she wanted to talk to them she'd speak up. Instead of worrying about that, Madoka smiles to Yellow Pearl and says, "Mhm! I'll see you around! Thanks for looking after my Chara for me."

    Madoka blinks at Rune's reaction. She didn't mean for that to hurt. "Have you tried getting someone to train you? That doesn't always help for magical girls, but even if your powers don't change you can always learn to use them more effectively. Maybe if you had someone to push you..."

    She scratches the back of her head, and then looks away with a frown. Then she closes her eyes and shakes her head. "I appreciate what you mean to say, but there's no excuse for even the slightest imperfection. I need to be untouchable. Being able to beat street youma and average Witches isn't enough. If I can't even beat someone like Riventon..." She trails off, then shakes her head. "Still, that's something I'm working on."

    Brai interjects, "You might've done better if you had henshin armor."

    Madoka shakes her head again. "I can't make excuses like that, either." After a pause, she nods to Rune and says, "I'll see you around. Good luck. I hope everything works out for you in the end."