511/Sayaka, Sis Puella Magica!

Sayaka, Sis Puella Magica!
Date of Scene:	08 July 2023
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	While on her way to visiting Kyousuke at the hospital, Sayaka makes an unfortunate encounter with an out of control machine. Luckily for her, Sailor Mars and Mallory are there to help her out of this bind! Oh, and she meets a white cat saying she too can be a magical girl and become a heroine of justice!
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Amanda Faust, Rei Hino

---

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Sayaka, still in school uniform after leaving the premises of Radiant Heart, is heading towards the hospital where Kyousuke is being kept at when her attention is caught by a caught by a huge box advertising the reproduction of just about any historical or cultural piece.

The first thought that goes through the bluenette's head is checking out if there is something nice she can get Kyousuke, approaching the huge neon red box (hard to miss, really), which had a dispenser on the left side and a door to come in on the right side. Presumably the selector is in there?

Sayaka makes her way in, putting her school bag outside the booth. It looks rather cramped in there. 'Hmm', she muses selecting the list of classical music pieces and scrolling through it. 'Yes, I think he will like this one', she decides, putting her finger on "Overture: Der Freischütz". There is a few seconds of tremors as the machine extracts the selection with a loud thud. 'That was odd', Sayaka thinks before she starts making her way outside.

"Please, dear client, spare a few minutes for your questionnaire", comes out a voice, making the student freeze in surprise. 'Alright then', the bluenette makes her way back to the screen, completing all of the questions in record time. No sooner than she makes her way to the door, the dispassionate voice rings out once more: "Please, dear client, spare a few minutes for your questionnaire". "What do you mean, a few minutes? I already did that!" Sayaka is quick to retort, going outside and putting her hand inside the dispenser.

"What is this doing here?" she thinks, feeling a gun alongside a music player with the overture on it. "Shoot, it's already so late!?", she shouts, noticing the time. "Kyousuke will be waiting for me!", she starts hurrying. A loud clank is heard from the machine as the unemotional "Please, dear client, spare a few minutes for your questionnaire" rings out, way louder than before, but the bluenette is paying it no attention.

The machine clearly doesn't regard that positively, as it starts turning into some sort of multiarmed crane with saws at its end. "Please, dear client, spare a few minutes for your questionnaire", it says again in a much lower tone than before. In the transformation, the gun has fallen out of the machine, landing 1 meter away from it.

"The heck is that!?" Sayaka shouts, her first instinct to dive for the gun, but barely avoiding a saw aiming down at her.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Mallory Faust is walking home from work. The foreigner's head of messy white hair sticks out above the locals; 5'8" may be average height for an American man, but it's tall here, a fact that makes the bespectacled man feel all the more self-conscious as he thinks he sees people looking his way.

    He hunches over a little and walks slightly faster, hands in his jacket pockets, as if he'll stick out less this way. He's got a big comfy green jacket over T-shirt and slacks; the Academy's dress code is a little more lax for IT staff. Thank goodness for that, he *hates* suits and ties.

    The sound of machinery brings him back to here and now from whatever thoughts he's lost in. He looks over and...

    hat vending machine is growing arms and attacking one of the students! He glances around... "Is someone filming a movie...?" But he doesn't *see* anyone with a camera, even their phone out... and the machine doesn't look like a cardboard prop, or even well-made painted foam cosplay prop. Actually, it seems unlikely that all the machinery needed to swing those arms is actually even present *in* the arms, what the hell?

    "Young miss, are you alright?!" He calls out. And if Sayaka *doesn't* look like an amateur actress annoyed that someone's ruining the shoot, he springs into action:

    Mallory takes a few steps back, and then runs forward, jumping to body check the machine from the side in hopes of tilting it over from an impact with... well, okay, he can't mass more than 100 kg in heavy clothes soaking wet, but it's got to be considerably more than that girl, right? "What IS this thing?!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
The machine barely trembles at Mallory's impact against it: it instead swings one of its arms towards the new arrival, barely missing the hair. "I don't know what is going on!" Sayaka shouts towards Mallory as she too barely avoids one of its arms.

"I was trying to get this track out of the machine", she says, showing the adult the music player she is still holding. "Then that cranky machine starts talking about a questionnaire, which I fill in, but then it does so again, and when I ignore it, it turns into that thing!" she finishes explaining, pointing at the robot for emphasis.

Meanwhile, a white critter with beady red eyes is watching the scene from above a nearby rail, waiting for his chance to jump in and talk with the two when the saws aren't swinging at them.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    And it's *still* asking her to fill out the questionnaire?! "It really is terrible how bad programmers are these days... but why does it have *saws*?! Y'know, *there's* a concept for an anime. The malfunctioning robots or Boomers or whatever aren't due to a virus, or dark magic, just shoddy programming by corporations that cut quality control for more profits..."

    "That still doesn't explain the saws though!" Ducking the blades, he grabs the gun, but... Look, there weren't killer machines until a moment ago. Maybe this is a space gun that will destroy city blocks. You don't know!

    "Uhh... does it have a way to walk? Maybe we can just back away from it enough... Hey, machine! Um... Command override! Shut down! Debug mode! Override code alpha! Control-alt-delete! Enter maintenance mode! Commence emergency shutdown!" He throws verbal commands at the wall to see what sticks.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Rei Hino has, as long as she can remember, been more aware of her environment than most others. She has been able to warn someone before an accident, tell a disaster was coming beforehand and make preparations, sense immediate danger and avoid it, as well as detect... Things. She had called them akuma up until recently. She still does, but she also knows them by another name now too. Youma.

    So when she senses evil, she directs her attention towards it. Narrows her eyes, and then heads for the nearest alleyway, alcove, or other hidden place. "Mars Power, Make Up!"

    Moments later, there's a blur of red and white, trailed by a streak of black, leaping across the rooftops, and heading for the source of the evil presence. Hopefully, she'll make it in time!

Sayaka Miki has posed:
The killing saws don't show any sign of having recognised those commands, nor do they care about one of the two being now armed. Instead they keep on with their swinging menace, barely giving the two of them any rest. With the number of close calls they are getting now, they could build a statue.

"Come on, I compiled your questionnaire, you big pile of junk!" Sayaka vents her frustration at the machine, who doesn't show any sign of relenting, even sprouting legs and beginning to walk towards them when the two try getting away from it.

"Quit. it. you. big. useless. scrap", Sayaka says, puntuating each word with a kick, for all the good it does her, since nothing actually changed in the robot and she has to avoid another saw as reward.

"Try using that gun!", she exhorts Mallory, when she notices the weapon is no longer on the floor, but rather in Mallory's hands.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    It grew *legs*?! "Oh, COME ON!" he shouts. He glances over the gun for anything that looks like an obvious safety switch, takes a couple more steps back, and takes aim, trying to use any iron sights present on the gun before putting his finger on the trigger and firing downward at the lower parts of the machine!

Rei Hino has posed:
    A series of ofuda fly out of nowhere, creating a line of spiritually-charged mini-barriers between the monster and the victims. If it doesn't back off, it may find itself being sizzled with the power of a true shrine priestess!
    "Hold it right there!" a female voice calls out suddenly. There, up on the rooftop! Silhouetted against the summer sky! "How dare you intrude upon the personal space of these civilians? Nobody likes having some jerk interrupting their day, and people don't like filling out surveys even more!" Leaping down, and landing safely, from that height -- in heels no less -- the serafuku'd girl poses as she points at the saw-blade-wielding youma. "I am Sailor Mars! In the name of love and passion, I'll chastise you!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Mallory's aim strikes true, the bullet perfectly oriented on the legs, or at least It would if one of the saws didn't parry it and send it flying away, maybe to Mallory's dismay. The bullet surely is, because as soon as it's sent away it reverts its course, going back to hit one of the legs, which the machine is now forced to drag inertly alongside the functioning ones.

The saws move again towards the two people, but this time they are stopped by Sailor Mars' ofuda barriers.

In response, the machine turns around, dragging itself closer to the warrior of the red planet, fully intent on getting her into the range of its saws. So intent in fact, that it adapts to this new situation too, the crane arms magically extending towards Sailor Mars.

Meanwhile, back with Sayaka and Mallory, the white critter has jumped off the rail it was waiting on and has started walking towards the two of them, his tail swirling behind him.

"Hello, Sayaka and Mallory", a voice is heard from the direction of the white critter. "I feel in you the potential of magic. I'd like you two to make a contract with me and become magical girls!" the critter says(?), his mouth not actually moving, but locked into a smile.

"You can talk!? And magical girls?" asks Sayaka, puzzled by this new development, looking at the critter in shock.

"Of course, and magical girls just like the girl who saved you there." replies the critter in his ever-cheery tone. "If you two take up the contract, you will gain powers and will get to make a wish!"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "...Did it just *parry my bullet*?! What is this, Sword Art Online?? *Did the buzzsaw-wielding robot just parry my bullet*. Does that sound insane, miss? Is this all really happening???"

    And then there's... Sailor Mars.

    Mallory mutters, "Anime is real and it's *magical girls*. Why couldn't it be mecha... wait, shit. Bystanders in mecha shows *die*. At least civilians in magical girl shows tend to survive... which is good for us, I guess."

    Oh hey, the machine actually TURNED ITS BACK ON THEM. Mallory shoots it in the back repeatedly until parried, or he runs out of bullets.

    And then *jumps* as a voice in his head says his name. He turns and looks at... Kyubey.

    "Oh my god we really are in a magical girl anime. But wh... why me?! I'm a *guy*..." Because that sure stopped Valkyrie Yuuki and countless others, right?

    Furthermore, a *real magical girl* and a *student from the school* are right there and what would they think if he said he was okay with becoming a magical girl? Come on, he'd be *laughingstock* if it ever got out.

    "What... just what kind of story are we in?"

Rei Hino has posed:
    Sailor Mars isn't very combat experienced yet, but practically bends over backwards as the crane arms reach for her, with a very startled look on her face, like, 'oh my gosh those almost got me'. Thank goodness for henshin physical enhancements. Skipping backwards when she gets the chance, and clearing room, she says, "Not even going to respond, huh?" Well, at least the two civilians are being guided away from the danger by what looks like to be a Moon Cat like Luna--No, wait. It's something else. What is that?? Unimportant right now, that's what!

    "Um, do any of you know what this thing is exactly!?" she calls out, trying to slap an ofuda onto a reaching arm to attempt to paralyze it.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Badly programmed!" shouts Mallory. That isn't really any help, though.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"It did happen", Sayaka replies, more focused on the critter standing in front of them than what Mallory is doing with the gun.

"How do you know my - our - names, and who are you anyhow?" Sayaka asks the white critter rather directly, giving Mallory a side glance in the meantime.

"You have the potential to become magical girls", is the only explanation he gives. "And my name is Kyubey", he introduces himself still smiling.

When Mallory unleashes the remaining 6 bullets on the robot, the 7th shines a dark grey as all of them penetrate the metal chassis of the machine, a foreboding feeling floating like mist in the air, a sensation that this will cost him his life.

This incredibly slows down the saws, who still try to hit Sailor Mars despite the huge loss in speed. Sayaka shakes her head at the question from the soldier of Mars. "It jumped at me after it tried to make me fill a questionnaire again!"

"This is no story, Mallory", Kyubey replies in the meanwhile, turning his beady red eyes towards his interlocutor. "If you two accept, in exchange for the hope you gained you will have to fight against the curses of this world."

"Curses?" repeats Sayaka. "Beings called witches that hide themselves in barriers, attract people and kill them."

'Sort of like the monster that magical girl saved me from...' Sayaka thinks, turning for a moment towards Sailor Mars, looking at her valiant figure fighting against the monster.

'That is the right thing to do, isn't it? And Kyubey mentioned a wish too, didn't he? Lots of things I could ask for...' Sayaka reflects all the various possibilities appearing in her mind, on one side, brash fervor running through her mind, on the other uncertainty.

"Hey, Kyubey, can I really be like her?" she asks, looking at Sailor Mars.

"Of course!", he replies, jumping on her shoulder, perceiving he would have an easier time with her than with Mallory for now."I know just the people that will help you decide, leave the introductions to me!" he looks at Sayaka intently.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Mallory has an intense sense of foreboding. Is it because he knows how things ended for La Pucelle? And the gun is empty. Mallory tries to pull the slide back and verify the chamber is empty (heaven forbid that be a hangfire) before attempting to wipe his prints off it with his jacket sleeve.

    "Of *course* I want to fight evil... but... uh... as a magical girl? How does that even work?" He can practically feel the disgust that must be radiating off of Sayaka and Sailor Mars. Change the subject, Mallory!

    He looks back to Mars. "This thing is out of bullets! Don't you have some kind of magical attack?"

Rei Hino has posed:
    Saws slash and buzz, trying to cut Mars up. She manages to evade each time, just barely, though does get a cut on her right bicep. It seems shallow though, even if painful. She winces, and the bullets fired by Mallory (where did he get a gun anyway!?) slam into the robotic akuma multiple times, weakening and slowing it. Sailor Mars then calls out, "That's enough!" If no one knows what this thing is or where it came from, it's still a threat to innocent people. It can't be allowed to keep existing! Clasping her hands together in front of herself, and closing her eyes briefly while she concentrates, Sailor Mars gathers enormous magical power -- the mana of the entire planet of Mars, there for her to take from, even if she is only using a tiny fraction of it -- and with a yell, unleashes a swirling fireball! "Fire Soul!"

    The ofuda barriers should keep any splash damage from affecting Sayaka, Mallory, or Kyubey, thankfully. But it won't last much longer. Hopefully immolating the youma will be enough to stop it... Because, she doesn't really have any other attacks.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Kyubey doesn't really reply to Mallory's question, turning to look at the doubter intensely. "I will be there when you will decide things differently." And that's that as far as he is concerned.

Sailor Mars seems to be having a similar thought for the machine's continued existence judging by the irritation she expresses. The attack turns the machine to cinders, and with it the empty gun goes too, dissolved as if It never existed.

"Thank you for saving me", Sayaka realises she should say to Mallory, before turning towards Sailor Mars and shouting the same thing to her. "I have really got to go, I should have been somewhere else a while ago", the bluenette says, Kyubey still perched on her shoulder.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    What on Earth could THAT mean, Kyubey?

    Mallory stares in awe as a real live Magical Girl uses a real live magical attack on a real live monster, and the gun he's cleaning his prints off dissolves. Honestly that's quite a relief, now that his prints are on it he was kinda worried. He does *not* want to get in trouble with the Japanese police!

> Thank you for saving me.
    Mallory rubs the back of his head, "Look, I couldn't just stand by, you know?" And then he turns to Sailor Mars and bows. "Thank you, for saving us both!"

    And then the schoolgirl is running off, and he takes a few steps after her, and then realizes the optics of being a creepy foreign guy following a teenage girl, and stops.

    ...Why was he even following her, anyway? Just because she's a student at the school he works at? That doesn't make sense. No, there was... right, she was having some kind of trouble with a vending machine, and... he helped with his technical knowledge, somehow. Wait, did she actually remember to take whatever it was? Maybe that's why he was going to follow her. But he's not holding anything in his hands or pockets that came from a nearby vending machine. A quick check to see if any nearby machines have forgotten items left in them also turns up empty. He must've misremembered, now he feels kind of silly.

    Welp, better head home. Time to relax and watch some anime or something.

Rei Hino has posed:
    Well, that was easy. Usually Sailor Moon is needed to finish them off. Maybe Sailor Mars has gotten stronger? Pleased with herself, she waves to the girl who thanks her, about to make sure she and her companions are unharmed, but then the bluenette is running off. Oh, huh. Okay! That makes sense! Getting held up at gun-point by an overly aggressive census taker can eat up a lot of one's time.

    "You're welcome!" she calls back, both to Sayaka and Mallory. Then she gives a cheeky two-finger salute, grins, and runs off as well, speed-jumping down the street and out of sight in a blur.