838/Meeting Notes: Sunbreaker

Meeting Notes: Sunbreaker
Date of Scene:	01 December 2023
Location:	Obsidian Tower - Human Resources
Synopsis:	Sunbreaker's been involved in yet another incident with a fellow Obsidian employee. This time, she's sent to speak with Obsidian's assistant director of HR, Fuyuko Yuuhi... who doesnn't seem particularly interested in castigating her for it.
Cast of Characters:	Fuyuko Yuuhi, Hinoiri Kirara

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Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
Human Resources takes up an entire floor of Obsidian Tower, but not a particularly high up one. The sixth floor is in that sweet spot where the mundane and the mystic can still meet, where ordinary employees working ordinary hours and requesting ordinary paychecks - and paystub corrections - can cross paths with the extraordinary employees that Fuyuko Yuuhi actually cares about snaring.

Her office is an ordinary enough office - fairly large with a view of Mitakihara's skyline, with a heavy-looking wooden desk atop which sat both a desktop computer connect to three monitors and a large potted plant with pale leaves, behind which sat a comfortable-looking rolling chair. In front of the desk was an equally comfortable looking, non-rolling chair, the better to ensure guests couldn't just roll themselves out the door. Bookshelves line one wall, with options ranging from professional development texts and workbooks for self-improvement to novels and CDs, and the other wall features a large white board and an equally large corkboard; the corkboard features a number of human resource reminders.

Her office is also the last office in the Human Resources Divisions location; the actual Director's Office doesn't appear to exist... on this floor, anyway.

Fuyuko is working at her computer, but her door is open, inviting the unwary and the watchful alike to step on in.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker had caused.... issues. Had a few, here or there. Was a bit of a trouble maker.

But she also got results. A lot more results than she should have, as a one person department. Or a freelancer. She had worked with other departments, proved herself again and again, had displayed MORE than adequate talents.

But, apparently, she'd been 'advised' to go see HR. Especially after submitting her new project request. Meh. She hadn't done much of... Oh. Right. She supposed Hematite's little sister had gotten in the crossfire...

But, not her fault, she didn't KNOW she was an employee. Or his little sister. For all her problems, she wouldn't attack someone's little sister like that to get to them. She'd attack their little sister because they were a valid target, it wouldn't be personal.

She knocked on the door. Fuyuko, huh? "Hey. I'm Sunbreaker. Apparently they wanted me to come and chat with one of you HR workers and whatnot. I guess due to incidents or whatever," Sunbreaker said with a shrug.

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
Sunbreaker is a name Fuyuko has heard more than once. She's caused some trouble here and there (and there, and there, and nearly everywhere...), but has produced enough results to maintain a steady stream of opportunities and the occasional indulgence. Her latest plan, on the other hand, has been causing some trouble...

Most recently with a much more senior brat than her.

"Incidents or whatever," Fuyuko echoes, looking the girl up and down. "That's one way to describe it. Come in, Sunbreaker; feel free to shut the door behind you, and tell me about these incidents from your perspective."

She's seen the complaint on file. But let's hear it from the horse's mouth.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker slid into a seat across from the girl, crossing her arms. "Yeah... yeah. Apparently I youma-fied Hematite's little sister. But I didn't know she was her little sister, she just happened to be the one who ate the dark energy fries. Then he attacked me like some kind of psychopath," she said, rolling her eyes.

"So yeah, we fought a bit, I won, then once he was done attacking me, I drained the energy out of the kid. He was the one taking it personally, not me. I didn't do anything wrong in the slightest. And no, I'm not sorry about it."

"If he wanted her to be off limits, he should have posted pictures all over the place with her face. I don't have time to run a background check on everyone I temporarily youma-fy in order to drain energy. Frankly, he over reacted. All of it wears off once the sparkle skirts come and purify it anyway. There's never any lasting harm."

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
"Interesting take on the situation," Fuyuko says dryly, leaning back in her chair. She takes in Sunbreaker's casual demeanor, her callous disregard - whether it was real or a mask didn't particularly matter at the moment - and decides on a tactic.

"What was the point of your exercise? What did you hope to achieve and what did you actually achieve? How have you benefited from the course of action you've chosen to followw through on?"

There's no judgement in her face, nor in her tone. Fuyuko Yuuhi is twenty-three, her shoulder length black hair falling straight as bone, her dark eyes focused on Sunbreaker. In her corporate-professional attire, she looks every bit the paperpusher, but of course, she's in the know. So she's clearly not just a paperpusher, but what else is she? That's for her to know, and Sunbreaker to blithely ignore, in all likelihood. She's presenting as the very picture of a self-absorbed genius, too fragile to admit her faults.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker sighed and crossed her arms, glancing at the girl. "The intent was to gather energy. Considering that she decided to turn into.... I don't even know what kind of B grade horror movie BS was going on down there, I didn't gather any energy. Instead I got dark energy."

She then leaned back, arms behind her head and sighed. "But, I learned some things. Namely about Hematite. None of your business what they are, you can ask him. I came up with some ideas, learned some things. A failure is only a true failure if you learned nothing from it, every failure is but a step on the path to total, final, success. I hear what the people here say about me," she said, holding up her fingers and examining the fingertips. "People don't think I learn. That I'm reckless. But I'm a lot quicker study than most give me credit for. The difference between me and most these losers? They're too scared of looking weak to take risks. They'd rather succeed in mediocrity than risk failing spectacularly."

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
"You did learn something, but did you learn the right something? Only you can decide. Well, you, and the mandated trainings you're going to have to complete on experimental protocols, target selection, and avoiding assassination in the workplace, each of which will have end of training tests you'll have to pass to receive additional research funds."

This too, is delivered dryly. Fuyuko minimizes the windows on one of her screens, deciding that this meeting deserves a larger portion of her attention. "You've heard some of what people say about you - office gossip can be a poisonous thing, can't it? It's true that some find you reckless, and many feel you're utterly incapable of displaying common sense, but it's undeniable that you're unafraid to fail spectacularly in the pursuit of success."

That was a number of casually callous things to say. Fuyuko barely gives Sunbreaker a chance to react, transitioning directly. "Let's engage in an intellectual endeavor, shall we? Do you have things you considers yours? Research tools, prized possessions, pets, people, anything that makes you feel - protective. Possessive, maybe?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker just stared at her with a flat, unamused look. "Uh huh," she said. Yeah, as if she cared. If there was one thing she was good at, it was tests. And in her mind, she was good at everything.

She gave a shrug though, at Fuyuko's comments. "Meh. I've been underestimated my whole life. Why should this world be any different? People rarely see what's in front of them until it's too late. If even then. I don't do this for them, I certainly don't do it for you. And, in the end?"

She gave a small shrug. "I'll die, which means I was wrong all along and it hardly matters. Or I'll succeed, and it won't matter what anybody else thinks about me. As for things that are mine..."

It took her only a few seconds to think of something. Her book, from her mentor. Her necklace, from her childhood. Double Trouble, her future consort. Maybe... some of her friends. A bit. "Nothing that really comes to mind. Most my stuff was left back in my home world, not a lot here for me to get attached to once I've ditched everything I ever knew."

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
Now that was an interesting perspective. "You do it for yourself, which is the only reasonable thing to do, but acting on impulse alone can get you into trouble in the workplace. Now, as a freelancer, I'm sure you don't particularly care about the rules and structures here; you're probably always at least partially prepared for the day you'll decide to strike out on your own again, and I don't begrudge that. However, the purpose of avoiding trouble is to avoid setbacks to your own personal goals, not just avoiding the displeasure of your corporate overlord."

She does not correct herself by saying supervisor. They both know where they work.

If she believes that Sunbreaker has nothing she considers hers, to be possessive or protective of, she doesn't indicate it. "You're paid too well to not have a few belongings; take yourself on a shopping trip sometime. But, as you are demonstatively capable of learning, allow me to enlighten you on one thing: selecting your targets with care will allow you to achieve your goals. Randomly selecting a victim is fine when you're engaging in some smash-and-grab, but youma-fying someone without a bit of observation is a good way to get yourself in trouble. It was Hematite who put that rose through your hand, wasn't it?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker wasn't realllllly listening. She nodded along in the way a student often did when they were being lectured by instructors...

However, the comment on Hematite made her eyes narrow.

"Yes, he did. Apparently Naru was his girlfriend or something and he took it personally. And this WAS effectively a 'smash and grab'. I see people do it all the time. They run in, send a youma, get some energy and go. That's all I was doing. Well, and testing a spell or two. Simple, easy, clean. Barely worth noticing. At least, until Hematite decided to get involved. He's... stronger than he looks. But his roses worked on me once, they won't a second time."

"... I have a lot of things. But none of it matters. It's just stuff. One day, I'll leave it all behind when I ascend. By which point you lot better hope you've gotten all you need out of me because you'll be getting nothing else."

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
"So do you have a plan for not getting stabbed a second time, or are you just confident in your ability to dodge this time?" It's a seemingly honestly question, Fuyuko even widening her eyes innocently. She drops the look after a moment, straightening in her chair. "Look, Sunbreaker, you've clearly got brains and ambition to spare - so what's getting in the way of your self-control?"

A different tactic; she's not going for an ego stroke, but rather, appealing bluntly to the mind Sunbreaker clearly values, hoping to get her engaging, rather than feeling lectured.

"Your ascension being a literal state, rather than a philosophical or mental state? For clarity's sake."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a nod. "Of course I do. It even worked. He wasn't able to get the drop on me the second time, after all. The first time I thought we were allies. He used that to strike me and, frankly? Probably my own fault in a way. I trusted the people here to not stab me if I was helping them. Lesson learned. It won't happen again."

"And yes, my ascension is a literal thing. It's... something my species can go through. I'm figuring it out. I've managed to do a kind of... partial version already. It just hasn't been working entirely right yet. I'll figure it out, so don't worry about it. It's not something a..." She trailed off. "Human...? Needs to worry about."

"... I have plenty of self control. You know how you can tell? I haven't killed any of those sparkle skirts. Only beaten them."

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
"Good job," she honestly means that, "That's an important lesson you'll learn more about in your Avoiding Assination in the Workplace training." Unfortunately, it seems that wasn't a joke! The trainings are indeed required.

"You did learn from that; you can trust your colleagues only when your goals aligned and you haven't trespassed against them. Unfortunately, as you've discovered, being secretive is a common characteristic around here - you're not always going to know who's a precious possession belonging to one of your colleagues before you make a move. Your colleagues are about as likely to share the names and faces of who's precious to them as you are."

Given that Sunbreaker was barely willing to admit she owned things, let alone found someone hers, she might relate to the concept.

"You know what? I'll give you that. It's easy for a fire to burn recklessly, and it's respectable that you've avoided accidentally killing a civilian." A pause. "I think we can both acknowledge you haven't killed any of the other side because you don't want to. It would be a failure on your part if you killed any of them, and you hate to fail."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker cocked an eye and gave a nod. "Yeah. Sometimes I forget that, frankly, most of you people are reckless. I use fire and may do some silly things. But I at least keep myself in control. I do what I want. Sure, sometimes the results are something I don't expect. But at least the application is under my control."

"The people here just get emotional and upset and do stupid stuff because they lose it in that moment. I've never done that because I know what my goals are."

She snapped her fingers, forming a bit of flame in her hands. "I choose fire because I am she who will break the sun. I will burn so, so much hotter. But I am not *weaker* than these flames. I do not *submit* to them. They submit to *me.* If I wanted to kill these girls, if I wanted to destroy them? They'd be dead. There'd be little any of them could do to stop me."

"But I want to win. I will rise above on my own power. More than that, I will prove I am superior. One doesn't become stronger by taking the easy path. Any idiot can kill someone. But me? I want them to get stronger. So I can beat them again. And again. And again. Each time I will grow stronger. I will get a little stronger. A little closer to my goal. They will be the rungs of the ladder I climb to where I belong. I've only been here a few months and I've already achieved more than some of your entire departments. Because I refuse to wallow in mediocrity. One day, I'll leave your world and I guarantee. None of them will *ever* forget my name."

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
"Frankly, I think you're underestimating your own recklessness," Fuyuko says wryly, "But unfortunately for both of us, I might actually like you. You've got the opposite of a good head on your shoulders, and yet you understand what's important: using your power for your own ends, at your own pace, and doing only what you're willing to do."

Balance probably couldn't have asked for a better warrior for the Dark Side if he wished one up himself. It was almost sickening. It was entirely amusing.

"You want to be the best you can be, so you're willing to put off short-term gratification in favor of long-term success. Now if you got a little better at picking your targets, you'd be set for success without all these pesky little setbacks."

Like meetings with HR, retraining, and revenge plots.

"You wanted to collect energy. You want to figure out the secret of ascension. And ultimately, you want to be on top. Am I getting all that right?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a shrug. "Eh. Possibly. I've just always preferred a more hands on approach. My mentor used to say I was too reckless sometimes too. Yet she always looooooved it whenever I did something that made her look like a brilliant teacher," Sunbreaker said dismissively.

"I know what I'm doing is dangerous. Dark energy hurts, it tears you apart. I'm treading in waters that literally nobody else has ever touched. If I poke and prod and take my sweet time trying to make sure nothing goes wrong, it'll take decades to get where I need to be. And that's not even counting the whole veil thing. Gag me with a spoon," she said, rolling her eyes.

"And yes, more or less. Though I've probably figured out the secret to ascension already. But it's going to require resources, testing, experiments. Like my little towers. You know how many of those have been destroyed during the testing process?" pause. "Actually, a lot fewer than I would have expected. This isn't my world, though. I mean... you're all... cute. The whole 'Oh noooo. Magic. It's so neeeeeew.' But frankly? My world was devoted to magic. I grew up drowning in it. There's a... few standouts, but I'm not really interested in being the 'top' here. That's just... the stepping stones on my way. It's kind of like being the top team in the junior leagues, honestly. While I'm shooting for the majors."

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
"Magic has existed on this world for as long as life has," Fuyuko says with an idle shrug. She doesn't actually know this, but she knows damn well that magic goes back centuries, at minimum, and she doubts it started when her defunct origin did. "But you're correct in that the study of it is a do-it-yourself project."

So Sunbreaker has teacher issues, in addition to a superiority complex. Either too lacking in self-awareness to grasp that she was, herself, an overly-emotional being who lashed out when upset, or delusional enough to think she was actually a cool-headed tacticion.

"The thing that's actually causing you trouble isn't your studies, it's the fact that this city has an abundance of mahou ready and waiting to fight you for harming their city. And unlike some of your peers, you're not having the best time of making allies, so you're stuck dealing with them alone, while you try your out your different strategies. But somehow I doubt you'll take a training about cooperation to heart."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker blinked and then sighed. For the first time, that confidence wavered. And her gaze shifted. "... Actually... if anything I'd say I'm making too many..." she mumbled. Once again she found her mind flashing to Double Trouble. To Sayaka. To... Sailor Moon. One who accepted her, one who rescued her... one who saved her even when all she did was cause pain.

This world was so bleak and desolate and... hollow. It felt hollow. Yet... why was it here she was finding what she could never find in a world that these people would have considered a fairy tale?

"... I don't need anyone else, though. I'm fine. I'm powerful. I work with plenty of other departments, when they have something of value to offer me. But I don't depend on them. And, to be honest? I usually work alone because I choose to work alone." And there it was, that confidence. All over again.

"Most people just hold me back or get in my way. They... let me down. If I lean on them, then everything falls apart. At least if I do everything myself, the only thing that has to improve in the end is me. It's not like I can just make them be better when they have no desire to. Better to just use them for the background stuff that doesn't matter as much."

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
Oh?

Now that was interesting. Sunbreaker was already finding herself allies? That didn't really match up with what she'd heard about her at all.

It wasn't a bad thing, for someone here on her side to have a friend, but it wasn't the best thing, either; she should probably keep an eye on that. Eh. Rather than touch on that mote of weakness, she nods along to the pep talk Sunbreaker is giving herself. "Working alone has it's advantages, that's true. You can set your own pace, rely entirely on your own abilities, and be confident that all of your success is your own. And as a freelancer who can consult with the other offices, I'm sure you're able to tag in with the teams that interest you and walk away when the work is done. It's a good strategy, given your preference for not making attachments." There's a faint ping as a notification sounds on Fuyuko's computer, and she glances at the second monitor for a moment, a briew frown crossing her face.

"Well, your take on these incidents has certainly been interesting, Sunbreaker. For now, I'm formally advising that you stay away from the members of Beryl Holdings, complete your assigned trainings, and prepare the preliminary report for your findings. Hematite's younger sister, I'm sure, was not the first of your efforts at this experiment, and your results will go a long way towards mediating the impact of your choices."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker was definitely not going to turn out to backfire against all of them one day when her having bonds, friends, connections, all played out. Because she was Sunbreaker. Confident, arrogant, powerful, cocky. What were the chances she'd ever find something she wanted more?

"Exactly. As I've said, there are a few standouts I can... let do some things. Work alongside. And a few here who are... *utterly useless*," she muttered bitterly. "But I'm well aware of my worth. And I know even if I do make a few mistakes, tartarus..."

"Even if I burned this entire building to the ground, whatever I created in that inferno would be worth so, so, *so* much more than the totality of everything lost."

"As for Beryl's holdings? I have no intentions of going anywhere near them. Their boss is creepy, their second in command is erratic and I half expect the entire division to implode before long. Not even in a good way. Likely to go out with a whimper. Like a collapsing piece of clay, rather than a glorious, breathtaking super nova."

She stretched out a little, the flames around her body growing while she made a low murmur. "Mmmmmmm. Am I free to go, then?"

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
"No one will ever accuse you of lacking confidence."

It's not admiring - it's also not disapproving, simply a neutral observation as far as Fuyuko is concerned. She pauses, then reaches into her desk drawer, withdrawing a pen with the Human Resources Divison logo and her business line. She offers it lightly, "You're free to go.Take this; a pen's always useful, and with the way your track record is going, I'm sure there will be a reason you'll need to call me sooner rather than later."

If Sunbreaker doesn't take the pen, it will be placed on the desk, beside a miniature guillotine lurking in the shadow of the potted plant.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a small chuckle and shrugged. "Yeah. I've gotten that a lot." She took the pen, spinning it in her fingers for a moment. Just... just something she'd seen a certain nurse do a few times. She didn't do it nearly as gracefully, in fact she nearly DROPPED it, having to snag it out of the air with her other hand.

"So, what, if I need help I just click this three times and you'll just pop up to hand me some HR forms?" she asked with a snort. "Or are you going to pop up the moment another one of them sparkle skirts decide to murder me? You know, as much as they talk about being all love and kindness and helping people.... they're the ones I always see escalating things." She got to her feet.

"The only real difference, I think? We're honest about it. They all say we go too far, we're dangerous... but the moment what they want requires them to be just as dangerous, they don't hesitate. They'll go even further."

"See yah, Yuuhi," she said, turning to walk away, giving a small wave as she walked away.

Fuyuko Yuuhi has posed:
"Oh... something like that. Why don't you give it a try?" She could tell her, but where's the fun in that? "The thing about the good guys is that sense of moral superiority means they'll almost always think it's time to intervene. And well, they're not necessarily wrong - we're more likely to hurt the poor innocent mundanes than they are. But it's not like any of that matters, right? All that matters is you sticking to your guns. Let them keep that, so long as you get yours."

And she returns to her work, opening up the emails that have arrived during this little chat.

"Don't forget those trainings, Sunbreaker. I look forward to seeing that report of yours."