811/Calling in the guns

Calling in the guns
Date of Scene:	27 November 2023
Location:	Yumegahama Ward
Synopsis:	Ula comes to Hinoiri for some help with Sayaka. She... is not actually that effective. So instead she calls in the ultimate weapon for good... Sparkle skirts. She fails to learn any lessons from this. At all. But at least between Daifuku and Usagi, the blue puella is getting some help she needs.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Sayaka Miki, Chiyo Sakai

---

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was laying on the loveseat in her apartment, window open, sunglasses on, very gentle music playing from the mp3 speaker. Verrrry gentle.

She had such a hangover. Witch energy, not even once. Ow. Fortunately, she'd had a kirakirafantasica remedy for this. Well, sure, it was for over eating donuts, but... same thing, really. It made her feel less of a headache, less queezy, but the apartment smelt like someone had let off fireworks in it, the scent of smoke in the air.

Still, was better than the misery that was the hangover of witch energy. So long as she had no drama, everything would be okay. And luckily, Double Trouble was currently out. Yayyyy!

Sayaka Miki has posed:
It's a good thing the window is open, because the next second, Ula comes in rapidly, face clearly anxious. She has been making covertly making her way to Hinoiri's dorm room as fast as trying to stay hidden allowed her, but she doesn't want to waste any second more than necessary, so a student may have seen her. Whoops, at least that yellow-haired girl isn't going to remember her, right?

"Hinoiri, we need to talk about Sayaka", the koi mermaid says as soon as she enters the resting girl's field of view. "She is only really focusing on patrolling recently, only taking care of herself the minimum she needs not to crash down. I can motivate her sometimes, but that too doesn't work perfectly. Can you do something too, please?" Ula pleads frantically.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a groan and slowly opened her eyes and stared at the mermaid. Was Sayaka here? Had she let her in? Cra-- Wait. No. The window. She slowly picked herself up and reached out to take her drink of dark red liquid. Sloooooowly drinking it as she tried to digest the words.

Sayaka was overdoing it? Huh. Well, when last she saw Sharpsong her girlfriend HAD been trying to murderize her, but that wasn't her fault. She didn't know that Hinoiri was Sunbreaker. Could have happened to anybody, to be fair. Barely worth noting, frankly.

But she'd also been a bit... over... intense. And while Hinoiri had been busy not trying to get murdered by Sailor Waterboard at the time, it had been oddly noticeable.

She took another sip. "So... she's doing the magical girl patrol thing, huh? What's wrong with--" Then stopped. "Ah crap. She's doing the same thing her friend is, Madoka, isn't she? Gosh darn Cerberus in a handbag," she muttered, taking another sip. "Hm. She's going to class at least. Has she been skipping her clubs? Is she going to bed on time each night?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Ula blinks as she watches Hinoiri drink the red liquid. Is that wine? Well, the air doesn't smell like alcohol, so maybe not? "Are you feeling ill?" the mini mermaid hazards a guess as she looks at Hinoiri's constitution. She came here because she thought Hinoiri could help, not to discover she is under the weather.

"It's ok, I will think of something" she preemptively adds, not wanting to aggravate Hinoiri. Still she can't just leave without giving her some answers after barging in like that. "She isn't going to her clubs. As soon as the lessons are over, she gets something to eat and drink on the way, then she is straight out of the school's gate."

She looks at the window, her thoughts still about getting out. But not yet. "She takes care of her Soul Gem, but more not to be left without magic: for the rest, she is dealing with everything, from random Youma to familiars to Witches. She is careful not to approach a risk zone, though. As for her sleep, she sleeps like 4 hours per night."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "A lil bit. It's an old home remedy, I'd offer some but it's pretty foul. Works wonders on the headache, though," she muttered before taking another drink. "Consistency of runny pudding, though."

She listened and the more she heard, the more annoyed annoyed she got. "I swear... great, going to add kidnapping my girlfriend to the things I need to do today. Come on, Ula," Hinoiri said before downing the rest of the liquid, shuddering, then reaching out to snag the mermaid, tucking her under an arm. Then heading out the door, locking behind herself.

"Do you know where she is now? How long has she been doing this for? I hope not for long, since I thought you were supposed to be keeping an eye on her. What's the point of having one of you running around in her room if you can't keep her out of trouble? Do you know why she's overpushing herself? Oh, why even ask. I know why. Because she's an idiot who can't understand the notion of setting managable work life balances.""

It was a bit harsh, but Hinoiri was likely just a bit.... unwell.

... She was also a little worried about Sayaka, making her a liiiiiittle more curt.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
The koi mermaid yelps as she is uncerimoniously grabbed by Hinoiri while the yellow-and-red-haired girl closes the dorm room behind herself. To make matters worse, she is stuck right under her arm, squirming as she is pressed against her body. "I c-can move by myself!" she protests, trying in vain to get out.

"She has been doing this for about a week now", Ula starts explained while not letting up her efforts any. "I think she was patrolling somewhere in Yumegahama ward today. I didn't follow her as usual, because I thought you could do something about it."

She gets defensive when Hinoiri says she should have kept an eye on her. "I have been trying to, but even when I think I finally got her to unwind, something happens that ruins my effort. Like that concert she had preordered a ticket for months ago. Sayaka had been about to give up on it, but I had convinced her to go anyway. And then Sunbreaker pops in with a plan of her own and all my efforts get ruined."

She sighs as she is still pushing against Hinoiri's arm. "She has muttered something about Kyubey having tricked her well this time when I asked her what was going on, but she has refused to say a word more than that."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced down at the tucked fairy. "What? If you're being carried people will think you're a stuffy. If you follow me, people will think you're a weird bird or something and who knows what trouble that'll cause," Hinoiri snapped.

"Gotcha, Yumegahama ward. If I get you close enough, can you sense her? Cause, you know. Not magic. Uggggggh. I need to like. Get more magic friends. I'd text Madoka, but she's not exactly... you know. Any better. Stupid workaholics," Hinoiri said as if she totally wasn't one. She did, however, cringe at the mention of the concert. Ah. Preordered tickets. That explained it. well, it wasn't HER fault. If Sayaka had told her she was going to be there, she totally owuldn't have attacked it...

... Or would have at least tried to lure her off, first.

"Great. Kyubey again. You know, Sayaka made that wish. She didn't have to. She keeps talking about how the rat tricked her, but as far as I know he hasn't. She wished for her friend to be healed, her friend was healed. She has to fight witches. Frankly, the way she's going out all warrior of justice I still don't get why she's so pissy about it."

... Of course, once they were outside it was *cold*. Like a brisk slap to the face and Hinoiri shivered, hugging the little mermaid to her chest. "Guhhhhh.... couldn't she go through this in the summer? I swear..." She missed having fur, as she stomped off towards the parking lot. If there weren't any issues... ".... Is there like.... a little fairy helmet or something you can summon for yourself? Because I'm not sue you'll be able to float after me with the bike and all."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Well, at least, actually carry me then, I don't want to be trapped under your arm. Seriously, how would you feel if someone tied you like salami and dragged you around?" Ula keeps protesting.

"Well, yes, I can somewhat sense magic, and I know hers well enough to distinguish it from other kinds, but getting me close is important." She stares at Hinoiri. "Honestly, you should have gotten magic friends way before that, as soon as Hematite started having a beef with you. For your own safety, at least."

"How can you get so little about your own girlfriend, let alone having this lack of sympathy towards her with everything else you have gotten about her? Not to mention how you have cringed when I talked about the concert." the koi mermaid stares intently at Hinoiri. "Despite Kyubey's conniving and secretive behaviour, she cares too much to let things be as they are. Really, do you know nothing about the lies he fed her with lies for months?"

Ula's disapproval is evident in her tone. "Let me explain then. Sayaka made that wish to do what she thought was right, but that doesn't suddenly negate Kyubey's reproachable behaviour towards her, nor the fact he still isn't upfront about things."

And then she gets hugged to Hinoiri's chest. Freedom from her arm at last. And it does make her look more like a plushie from non-magical people's perspective, so she doesn't get why Hinoiri hadn't done this since the start. "That's a no, sorry", Ula denies having a special helmet for herself. "But I can cling to you, or crawl into one of your pockets, or similar things."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a shrug. "I don't know. Sorry, I guess. And... he doesn't have a beef with me. I have a beef with him. I doubt he even remembers me, I was just another faceless victim to him."

The bitterness in her tone was clear. There was more t othat story, but she wasn't going to spill it. She'd be surprised if Hematite even remembered her.... But she did hope that some day he realized it wa sher who made the fake gems. Ha! He'd be so pissed.

"It's not a lack of sympathy. I'm grateful to her, really. I'm just annoyed, okay? This whole thing is stupid. She saved my life and then she gets so surprised that I'd be grateful. She acts like I'm the only one doing anything in this relationship, even though she's doing plenty. She's a self sacrificing idiot and it's frustrating. She's going to get herself killed and it's not like she'll even listen to me when I tell her to knock that off. A part of me wonders if this is even worth the trouble."

"So Kyubey is a conniving jerk. She still made the wish to him. The situation sucked, she wanted to help someone elsde. But throwing a childish tantrum and getting herself killed isn't going to help anyone, least of all herself. I'm starting to see why Madoka and her are friends. That pink haired brat is the same way. 'Oh, I've been on patrols all the time'. You know, just because you have magic doesn't mean EVERY single thing in the world is your problem to deal with. Maybe some rest would do you good and oh my... did I just say that? I must be feeling sicker than I thought." Pause. "Do as I say, not as I do," she told Ula.

She then unlocked and yanked out her helmet, sliding it on. Closing the helmet case before sliding on the bike. "Right. Hold on tight, hang out in my pocket if you have to. Let me know if we get close."

And they were OFF! She practically spun out, burning rubber on the way before peeling out of the parking lot in the way she always did.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
If there is one thing Ula is regretting now is not having any access to some sort of magic that would isolate her from her surroundings. Hinoiri is... definitely a driver. It's somewhat better when she manages to reach her pocket the slow way, holding onto the shirt hard until she has reached her sanctuary. Though, fitting in is yet another complication, as the high speed isn't exactly helpful in dragging herself in those small confines.

"Sayaka means well when she asks about Hematite, Hinoiri", the mermaid starts speaking from the pocket. "You don't have to give up your secrets, but if you want help over being safe from this Hematite, she would be first in line in giving you a hand. And keep in mind I am suggesting you this despite how I am against Sayaka working herself in this manner."

"Yes, she is really difficult to deal with sometimes, and it's all the worse when you know she is like that exactly because she means well." She doesn't really have to add much more than that to the subject. "But that's why we are here, to find a why to make it stick. And I am sure it will mean something special to her that you are coming all the way for her.

"If it matters, she wasn't throwing tantrums about him, until a week ago. She was just staying away from him as much as she could." Ula's blue eyes close as she ponders the events. "I don't know what changed, but I think it's some even more serious this time."

"Do you want me to drag you to bed too?" Ula offers seriously when Hinoiri reveals she suffers from the same issue. "I don't mind doing that." Ironically she would just be perpetuating this chain of workaholism.

After a while, Ula starts perceiving something. "At the next bend, go left!" And she continues giving instructions, so on and so forth, until they actually reach the bluenette, still in her school uniform, Soul Gem on her palm.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Yeah, I know she'll be the first in line. That's the PROBLEM. She wants to be the first in line to solving EVERY issue. Delegation is key. That's why concerts have singers and SUPPORT staff. You don't have the person singing show tunes setting up the damned lights, you have people for that. If you try to do everything, all the time, by yourself, you won't have the energy left to do what actually matters."

"I don't need her to protect me. I don't need anybody to protect me. I've been taking care of myself since I was a... since I was a kid. I don't need a guardian. All I wanted was a girlfriend to learn about this. She seemed fun, okay? And, you know what? I kind of liked paying her back for saving my life. Not exactly a lot of people lining up for that. But if she's going to burn herself to ash trying to fight every stupid monster in this city, she's going to get herself killed or worse."

With every word the anger became more and more clear in her voice.

She didn't even SLOW DOWN when she took the turn. "I get to bed when I need to sleep! So no, I don't."

Eventually, she skidded to a stop in front of Sayaka. She just... stopped. And glared.

The fact she was wearing a helmet meant the glare was likely ineffective.

Hinoiri was trying to gather herself, trying to come up with the proper response, trying to keep calm and--

"Sayaka, what the hell?"

Or she could just do that.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"You don't need a guardian? Hinoiri, you have no magic. Against Hematite, you are likely as good as a sheet of paper in the wind." Hinoiri can probably feel little taps of Ula's tail against her leg as the mermaid builds up frustration. "Really, please, can you at least listen to reason? There is nothing you can do, so just stay safe."

When they reach Sayaka and the motorcycle stops, Ula drags herself out of Hinoiri's pocket super fast before she can move even just a little. She doesn't know what's like to be pressed against a moving leg and she has no interest in finding out, before moving to the side, letting Hinoiri try her hand at this.

The bluenette for her part blinks once or twice as she sees Hinoiri approach, before scowling at Hinoiri's "greeting". "What are you doing here? I thought you would still be wandering around the school grounds at this time." Her eyes narrow when she sees Ula. "Again, Ula? Why do you want to get in my way so much lately? "First you warn Sunbreaker about my attack, then this. What's next, are you going to invite Kyubey in my room?"

"You know what I am doing, I only warned her about what's going on, or at least what I know. If Hinoiri is here, it's because she too thinks you are going too far", Ula informs her.

"Is that so, Hinoiri? Well, I am just on patrol as usual, so you have got nothing to worry about", Sayaka comments, starting to walk away.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara just groaned. "I don't need a guardian because I don't get involved with that stuff. I dislike Hematite, I'm not picking a fight with him. I only need a guardian if I'm putting myself in danger. Which I'm not."

Once Ula was out of her pocket, she climbed off the motorcycle and just took her time, fuming silently while she locked up the helmet. She then moved over to Sayaka and.... "Okay, fine. Let's turn this around. Why aren't YOU at school? Don't you have clubs? And before you ask, I'm taking a day off." Well, she was wearing sunglasses.

"Ula tells me you've been skipping your clubs, patrolling all night, running around and fighting every youma, witch and gremlin you can get your hands on. What's going on? Is this because of that Madoka girl, she's running around all day doing constant patrols, so now you've decided you need to, too? And don't give your little muppet grief over this, I'm here because I decided you were worth it, she didn't even ask me. I just dragged her along because I can't exactly track you down when you're running about. Not magical and all."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"I do have clubs, but not for much longer", Sayaka replies, stopping her stride. "It's only a temporary arrangement until I finish filling in the documents to get myself off their lists. I am doing a little bit of it everyday."

She turns around to look at Hinoiri. "Besides, we can have more time for our dates without the clubs getting in their way. That's a positive arrangement for you too. It all works out, see?" Not that she deserves to enjoy them though.

"Madoka has nothing to do with this. It's just this is my purpose now. So, I don't have any need for concerts, or clubs. I just need to keep myself in working condition and stay well-rested. Even the strongest sword shatters if it's not oiled and allowed a moment to breathe, after all", she repeats Chrono's words, their meaning distorted. "So, I will keep track of Grief Seeds, rest and eat enough, and that's that."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara just stared at her. Just. Just stared. Her mouth falling open. She started to say something. Then stopped. Then started. Then... stopped. Finally, she took a long, slow breath. Okay. Right. How to... do... any of this. "What. The hell. I... don't know if you heard... literally any of what you just said. But wow. I just... wow. First of all, you're a person, not a sword. Second of all, what does any of that have to do with anything? Your 'purpose' is to hunt witches now? That's not a purpose. You're not a super hero. You're a magical girl. Hunting monsters shouldn't be the goal. It's the thing you do on the WAY to your goal. Where did... ANY of this come from? You sound like..."

She just kind of flung her arms up in the air. "I don't know WHAT you sound like, but it's NOT healthy! How is any of this 'positive' for ANYONE?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka bites her lip mournfully. It was too hopeful for Hinoiri to understand without the bluenette having to reveal everything. She is going to have to explain now, and it's going to be the end of their relationship. It was a dear part of her, and now it's leaving her too.

As she has these thoughts, the darkness that's filling 1/3 of her Soul Gem bubbles slightly. "I am neither a sword, nor a person. Do you think you are looking at me, Hinoiri?" Sayaka asks, her tone taking on a harsh quality. "Because you aren't. I am right here, on the palm of this hand", she says, extending the Soul Gem towards her.

"That's nonsense, Sayaka", Ula exclaims perturbed. "That's just the source of your powers." The tiny mermaid turns towards Hinoiri. "Do you make any sense of it? She can't really have started identifying herself by her powers, can she?"

"As for how this is positive, since Kyubey has reduced me to a rock, then things are much simpler. A rock doesn't need entertainment. So it absolving its function is in fact positive for everyone", she continues undeterred by Ula's question.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara just blinked. And stared. And looked down at the rock. Then up at her. Then she sighed and just... double face palmed. Both palms. To her face. And paced back and forth for a few moments, trying to clear her head. Trying to... Nope. There was no processing that.

"Okay, let's... let's try and make any sense. At all. Of this. What do you mean Kyubey reduced you to a 'rock'? Wait. Right. I think I've got it." She then stepped forward. She grabbed Sayaka's wrist... and yanked her forward. Into her. An arm wrapping around her...

And then she pinched her butt. Hard. "Nope. Definitely feels pretty soft to me. I think you'll need to work out a bit more before you can say you're a 'rock'." Of all the jerkish ways to say it...

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Hey, Hinoiri!", Sayaka snaps at both the pinch by itself and the location. "Really, what did you do that for? I am not joking." Is this really the moment to act so jokingly. And why did she have to be so crass at it? It's hard to tell whether Sayaka's face is burning red due to embarassment or anger.

"This is the truth", she says, after taking a second to collect myself with a few deep breaths. "I saw a fellow Puella collapse after the Soul Gem was taken far away from there. The same is going to happen to me if over a distance of 100 meters."

She smiles ruefully at Hinoiri and Ula alike. "Do you get it now? When I say this rock is me, I mean it. And Kyubey confirmed it. As part of the contract, he transfers your soul from your body and puts it into a Soul Gem."

"The Sayaka Miki you see talking to you is just a dead body piloted by a rock." Her smile doesn't falter for a second despite it not reaching her eyes.

Ula brings her hands to her mouth, exclaiming "Sayaka, that's horrible." She then floats up to her and hugs her arm. "You don't have to talk that way just because of what Kyubey did. You still matter."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara looked down at her. And looked... shocked. Then... confused. Then just... she sighed. And pinched her butt a second time. "Okay. Goooonna be honest. I recently got my soul shot out of my body and had to like... get it put back in by some of the magical girls."

She finally let Sayaka go and then... Reached out to take her wrist and look at the rock. "So... it's like a phlactory? I... guess that's cool? And stuff? But that doesn't explain ANY of this behavior or..." She let her go and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No. No. YOU are obviously upset about this. I, admittedly... think you're making too much of a deal about this. I pinched your butt. More importantly, your red cheeks and the angry look you gave me tells me that you did, in fact, feel it. And honestly? Saying it like that?"

She took out her phone and started texting... someone? "You make it sound like everyone is a 'dead body piloted by a heart' or something. You're a living body with a phlactory, that's pretty neat. But, good to know. Don't let your gem stone go more than 100 meters from you."

"... Either way, I'm not feeling the best and... you? You need some sparkle chipper brightness in your life right now. And I... am really not the best at that. And I don't know enough about the magical stuff to know how much of it is make believe and how much of it is normal."

"Also, I'm guessing you're like... what. Ten, twenty seconds from doing something dumb like going 'You can't understand!' and then running off while I yell at you 'Nooo, Sayaka, come back, we'll figure this out together!' right? Cause you're deeeeefinitely doing the whole 'I'm going to study so hard for this exam I pass out in a pile of cupcakes and cough up energy drinks for a month' smile thing."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka just stands there when Hinoiri anticipates her, giving her a hard glare over being pinched a second time. Yes, she was about to do it, at least in part, but now that her girlfriend slipped the rug from below her feet, she is left motionless.

"Well then, so what!?" she reacts in anger at that. "Are you seriously comparing having a heart to your whole being being stolen from you and extracted? Don't you get it? If you hug me, or giving me a kiss, or yes, even pinch me", she scowls hard at that, "I may feel those, but only because I do need to move this body around somehow, but it's not me!"

"If I gave you the Soul Gem, you could actually say I am with you everywhere despite people being unable to understand it! I am literally a filthy dead body. Do you really want to deal with something like that?"

"Who are you texting now?" she asks still mad, crossing her arms.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small shrug. "I mean, yeah? I didn't want it getting shot out of me. You don't want this, I get your upset. But honestly? You can keep saying that, but I don't see the difference. You feel it, you see it, oh thank goodness she is, you act like it. Right. You see things, feel things, act on things, look the same, act the same, all of that. So I really don't see a big difference. You're still you."

She cocked an eye at the 'with me everywhere' thing. "I mean. I guess that's kind of cute? Are you aware when that happens? Cause it might be a bit weird having to hold the gem up at movies and stuff."

You text Usagi: Usagi. Usaaaagi. You there, girl? I need you or someone like you. You're like, the perkiest perky perk perk smiles and happy girl I know and I really need some help with that.

A text from Usagi: Hey Hinoiri-chan!!! I'm always around to help with spreading smiles, what's going on?

You text Usagi: Okay. Right. So. This is going to sound weird. And I don't even know if you can read this or not. But, are you by any chance... magic?

You text Usagi: ... Were you able to see my last text? It uhhh... may have been a bit jumbled, phone acting up and all.

A text from Usagi: magic? haha what's magic?

A text from Usagi: okay that was playing too dumb huh? okay. what's going on, hinoiri-chan?

ou text Usagi: Yeah... okay. So. I'm not magic but I kind of have picked up on some things here and there, you know? And I'm dating this nice blue haired girl who saved me from dying to a witch. Songblade or something. Not sure I should give her civilian name. She's one of the puellas, witch hunters. But apparently there's a whole thing with them and I think the girl needs some like. Major comfort. From someone who can do the magic AND be a like. Support chain because she's talking about herself like she's not a person anymore and like she's just a blade because apparently the magic thing makes her have a phlactory or I don't know but to her it's a pretty big deal and I am so NOT the best person for this. I have half a mind to cold clock her with my helmet, tie her up and drag her to a resort or something for a weekend so she can get a massage but that's probably NOT the right solution right now.

A text from Usagi: oh NO this is the soul thing isn't it?

A text from Usagi: I know a puella, she told me about this, and yeah okay, that does not sound like a good reaction at all, hinoiri-chan!!! i mean. your idea has merit!

A text from Usagi: but it probably won't help in the longrun! i don't know if i can fix that. but i can definitely give her a hug and talk to her about being magic and how it kind of really sucks sometimes but also she's totally still a real person and not a blade!

You text Usagi: Oh, so knocking her out with a concussion won't hurt her much? Cause like. I'll totally do that. I just don't want to really hurt her. But I also don't know if I can follow her if she runs off. We're in Yumegahama ward. Can you like... contact... whatever magical sparkly girls you girls have as a support and send them here? Cause like... Really outside my depth here. I think she's the only actual magical girl I'm in real contact with.

You text Sailor Moon: ... Thanks. By the way. For answering. It means a lot to me. I know it was kind of a shot in the dark but well... you seemed to perky and sparkly to not be one of them. But, listen. I know you girls keep your identities hidden and all that stuff so like... just send someone to get her, or something. I won't ask any questions and I'll assume they're not you. Or I can be gone when they get here so I don't have any link if you'd prefer.

A text from Sailor Moon: i mean i dont know that you should actually knock her unconscious, that might cause some trust issues? but like her feeling this way is really not good... i can reach out to some people i know, and i'll see if anyone is free tonight to help!

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
You text Sailor Moon: Thanks. So uhhh. if another puella told you... is this a big deal? Like... should I be more freaked out by this?

A text from Sailor Moon: well, she told me because she says i'm good with people and she's not freaked out but she said everyone else was

A text from Sailor Moon: my friend guardian daifuku is coming. she makes magic snacks that heal and also she has a big hammer, so if there's any fighting with monsters, she can help AND heal.

Hinoiri sighed and glanced up. "Now, as for all of this?" she asked, motioning to her in a circular gesture before poking her forehead. "No, I don't. I don't even know where to begin with the whole... you freaking out and panicking and getting all upset and treating yourself like a weapon."

"Also, stop calling yourself a filthy dead body. You're not filthy or dead. We wouldn't be talking now if you were. Second of all, if anyone wants to give me grief about what my girlfriend is then they're either really stupid and pretty brave, or really, really stupid. Third of all? I'm texting backup. Because you're magic and can do the whole bounding from rooftop to rooftop thing which, frankly, I can't. So if you decide to throw a tantrum and run into a witch's labyrinth, me running after you will likely just get both of us killed. But you need some magic help so I'm reaching out for what I hope is magic support."

She glanced back at the phone. "But yeah. Totally called it. That girl is WAY too perky to not have some magic in her. She's probably like. Ruffles the pink. Ohhhh. Or maybe she's that Hope girl. No. She'd definitely be something bunny themed. Is there a magical bunny girl? I should make a chart. I don't run into that many of them, though, so it's hard to really... get a concise list of them. You're magic, do you have a magic people list somewhere?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka is conflicted. She just doesn't get it. What does she have to do to make Hinoiri understand that she no longer has any right to enjoy their relationship together? The fact she is trying so hard at making her feel appreciated only makes her feel worse. She is dragging Hinoiri to something she shouldn't be part of. Please, just stop. Just stop, okay? She doesn't need this, she can't be like that anymore. She shouldn't have been for a while now, from the moment she took up the contract and defeated the television witch.

And yet, she wants to reach the hand her girlfriend is extending her so much. This is the contradictory pull she is under. She almost misses the fact someone is coming. "You contacted someone else!?" a look of terror appearing on her face. "No, they shouldn't have known about me, they shouldn't have!" Her fight or flight instict is now all the way to flight as she transform in a blue flash. In a second she is about to jump away.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
And yet someone does know. Or at least knows to expect a distraught Magical Girl along with her non-magical girlfriend. That was the most that Guardian Daifuku was given for information as she had raced to prepare and head to the location given by Usagi. It doesn't take her long to get there. Just in time it would seem as the Puella is about to take off.

The pink and white kimono-clad mahou lands, purple hair bouncing in curls around her face. The entire outfit was made of colors that would resemble odango: Pink, white, a flash of green. She even wore a half-apron over her kimono skirt. And the overly large hammer she carries is a wooden Kine used for pounding mochi, only much larger. Much more combat-capable.

"Don't go!" She calls out with worry filling her voice. "Running doesn't solve anything, and running from the people that care about you only hurts them, too!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded. "Yes, I did. Magic people, since I'm not--"

And there Sayaka went. Right on time. Planning to leap away. "Sayaka Miki!" she snapped, in a startling, impressively *teacher* like voice. Or annoyed parent. "Sit down this moment," she snapped. "You, young lady, are behaving like a spoiled, troubled, immature child. Which I know you're not. If anything you're too sacrificing. So you are going to sit down or I'm going straight to Madoka about this," she said in a... well. Very scolding tone.

"Don't think I won't track you down if you try running off. Just because I can't keep up on foot with magic crud doesn't mean I won't find you later. If you're going to do stupid, reckless things where you overdo it and push yourself far too hard, you shouldn't have accepted being my girlfriend." She slid her phone into her pocket and...

... So Usagi's magical girl form was the purple haired girl who threw her fire back at her. Good timing, too. Hopefully between the two of them they could get her to... not run off and do something dumb.

If they couldn't, well, she'd let Daifuku chase her down and head to Sayaka's room to wait. She glanced to Daifuku again, though. "Thanks for coming at such short notice, by the way. She's uhhhh.... likely going to be trouble and yell about how she's not worth it. Don't buy it, she's awesome and a real sweetheart who's way too focused on burning herself out to actually notice how good she actually is."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka freezes when her name is called in such an imperative tone. That wouldn't actually get her to stay once she recovers from the surprise, but the mention of Madoka being involved in this does. She is in particular the last person she wants to deal with right now. Not that she has been avoiding her or anything, she has been putting up as much of a normal front as possible, but she would have to explain her everything and she doesn't want to open that box yet.

"Alright, I will stay", she turns around to face the two. "And you shouldn't listen to Hinoiri", Sayaka tells Daifuku. "She is being much more generous than she ought to, and doesn't realise it. She is willing to accept even the stone of a girlfriend she has."

"I don't want to hurt her", Sayaka shakes her head, a hint of tears in her eyes. "But she is going to get herself hurt if she sticks with me. She is too kind, and shouldn't have to do any of that."

"So, what's your plan to make me see the light of my self-worth?" the Sharpsong Puella replies as she stares down at the two of them.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Kind? Hinoiri? Daifuku glances toward the girl a moment uncertainly as she's given that description. THAT didn't really sound like the Hinoiri she'd run into a few times in the past. Then again, maybe that really did mean they were in love. That could always change a person. None of this is said aloud though she does try to offer Hinoiri a reassuring smile when she talks about Sayaka.

It's Sayaka's challenging tone that draws her attention back fully to the other. A single deep breath is taken, and she reaches back to withdraw---A rather fancy, expensive thermos. "First, it's cold out. Being cold never makes anyone feel better. Let's have some hot cocoa to warm up while we talk," she suggests. The thermos itself is offered out to Hinoiri with a nod as if she were saying 'go ahead' to do the pouring. Likely Sayaka would take it if she offered, after all.

"Do you think Hinoiri is a complete idiot?"

The question is posed looking straight at Sayaka waiting for an answer. "Like, really, completely, utterly stupid?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara rolled her eyes and took the thermos, pouring one out and... "Take it," she ordered, holding it out to Sayaka. "And I'm really NOT kind. I.... you know what? We're going to table that for later. You, on the other hand, are going to sit down, drink your cocoa and let the sparkly girl help you." She poured a second cup and gave it to Ula. It wasn't very full. Cause tiny mermaid. Then gave a third to Daifuku and a fourth for herself.

"Also, I'm so making you make this up to me later. My head is pounding way to hard for me to be chasing you all over the city over having a phlactory." Pause. "Oh, right. Daifuku, right? Not sure if my contact told you, but my girlfriend here has a phlactory and now she's deciding to be stupid and try and get herself killed because she's apparently decided it makes her not a person anymore. I pinched her ass, she jumped and blushed, so my conclusion on this is she's making it a bunch of hogwash, but I'm not letting her run of and get herself killed because frankly I'm kind of fond of her and I don't want her lighting herself on fire because she's decided to push herself too hard."

Pause.

"Oh, and there's a pink haired girl, possibly, who's likely doing the same thing. Her friend. Both of them are doing the whole 'But I need to save everrrrrryone' thing because they think they're the only magical girls running around in this cold trying to save people and are too busy trying to save everyone else they can't spend TWO SECONDS to think about THEMSELVES. You're not a ROCK, Sayaka! Right now you don't EVEN rock and normally you do so that's REALLY miffying!"

... Definitely kind. Much kindness. Wow.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka does take the offered cocoa and so does Ula, although it takes a bit of effort for the tiny mermaid to use the cup.

"I don't think Hinoiri is stupid, of course!" Sayaka reacts vehemently. "Why should I? She is very far from the definition of stupid."

"I have been not trying to get myself killed, I actually avoided that. All I have been doing is keeping myself from things I no longer have the right to enjoy."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Guardian Daifuku watches as the cocoa is sipped and listens to the tirade from Hinoiri. That was most definitely not nice. It was however concerned, and worried, and perhaps a bit frantic. Hopefully the cocoa would calm Hinoiri down some as well.

When Sayaka responds a little breath is let out. "There. Right there," she remarks lifting a hand to gesture at the Puella. "That reaction. You care about her, you don't think she's stupid. That's your truth right there. Not the doubt about yourself or what you're now going through."

It was her turn to frown a bit. The inside of one cheek is sucked in, and bitten down on, chewing a moment as she gathers her thoughts properly. "I know... I know that witches have lost all hope, and either live in states of fear or hate until they finally turn into whatever it is they turn into. I know *your* kind of magical girl fights against that. So whatever crazy thought you have about 'not having a right to enjoy things'? That's going to make it all the harder for you to survive if you keep fighting Witches."

"And," Daifuku adds looking over toward Hinoiri now with a softer smile. "It's quite clear that you both want to fight for one another. So if you can't fight for yourself for awhile, fight for her. Because as you said, Hinoiri isn't stupid. Only someone stupid would fall for someone who isn't worth it. Which means, you are worth it---You're just doubting yourself because you're scared."

"We all get scared. That's when we *need* each other more than ever. When we need the people who care for us more than ever."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Damn right I'm not stupid. But then I'm out here in the cold and sick so maybe I'm kind of stupid," Hinoiri muttered, before taking another drink of the cocoa. "If anyone's stupid it's the girl talking about herself as if she doesn't enjoy having fun. Sayaka, even if you're not trying to get yourself physically dead, you're certainly trying to kill yourself emotionally and I'm not putting up with that. You saved my life and are apparently my good luck charm, considering I won those stupid miracle pops when you were with me so I'm not going to watch you start treating yourself like an object." Another sip of the cocoa.

Then she choked on it, having to reach up and pound on her chest a bit, hacking and coughing. "W-wait, what?" she asked, her cheeks bright red. "H-hey. I'm not saying I've fallen in love with anyone. We're dating. We're figuring each other out, all of that. I'm not doing the, I'm not falling in love with anyone. I'm just not, you know? Okay with her being like this. I just don't think it's a good enough reason to break up and I'm certainly not going to let *my* girlfriend start treating herself like this. Just because I can't run around in a sparkly skirt and leap from rooftop to rooftop giving people free cable doesn't mean I won't smack you upside the head if you're going to be an idiot. Baka." Another sip.

"That's right, I've seen the memes about ninjas. I thought it was funny. So sue me. And like... is there a protection plan for magical girls? Because I'll be honest. This is outside of my league and I'm pretty sure I'll just make it worse if I try to talk her out of it. She needs some of the like.... super sparkly girls. The ones who are all 'hope' and 'love' and 'gonna believe everything will turn out okay because reasons!'" Sip. "You know. The pointlessly optimistic ones. I don't do that well. But I can at least tell she needs some of it. Also, reminds me..." She reached into her pockets and... pulled out like five miracle pops, holding them out. "Want some? I have *so many* of these things now."

Well, at least she knew she wasn't good at this.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
When addressed in those terms, Sayaka didn't actually have a counter. She knows Witches are the despair that opposes the hope of magic users, that's like Witch Fighting 101.

So, she can't actually refute Daifuku. But still... "I mean, look at me!", Sayaka insists, holding the Soul Gem to Daifuku. "Am I right to continue having a relationship with Hinoiri when I am like this? Her wanting to be with me regardless doesn't make her stupid, it makes her the same kind of self-sacrificial she criticizes in me."

Is she scared? Sayaka bites her lips when she runs that question in her mind. She can't be, she has to put up a brave front. She takes a sip of cocoa before speaking again.

"I am sorry, Hinoiri, I am not being fair to you", she fakes a smile to Hinoiri. "Let's just forget this day, ok?"

When Hinoiri mentions not being in love with Sayaka... Well, let's just say the tomatoes got nothing on the bluenette's face at that moment.

"That doesn't sound bad", Sayaka goes along with Hinoiri's proposal all the while taking a miracle pop and nibbling on it. "But we can skip that. The problem is already solved."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara rolled her eyes and finished off the last of her cocoa. Oh, if she was going to break up with Sayaka it was NOT going to be for this reason. Heck, if anyone was the bad guy in this relationship it was her. She was the one who was kind of cheating on Sayaka maybe a little bit and... okay, right. She didn't have time now for guilt. Or ever, really, but especially not now.

She wasn't buying that smile for a second. She just gave Sayaka a flat look before sighing and shaking her head. "Please. Just... get her help. She's good. Kind of dense. But good. She... deserves it." She then turned. "I'm heading home to get some rest and hoping this headache goes away. Sayaka, I'll be checking up on you later. Ula, keep an eye on her. And I'll be checking with Ula to make sure that you're not ditching the help you need."

Of course, once Daifuku took Sayaka away... she'd climb on her bike and begin the drive home. Uggggggh. Stupid Kyubey.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai watches the two a moment longer as they work out some issues. A deep breath is drawn, and she purses her lips together while making a decision. "You should go rest. You don't look well," she offers to Hinoiri with a small smile. Before Sayaka can head off though she turns back toward her adding, "Please, come with me for awhile. We can talk and you can rest as well. I know a shop near here that has good sweets and it's better than being out in the cold."