955/New Years Makeup

New Years Makeup
Date of Scene:	01 January 2024
Location:	Yumegahama Aquarium and Marine Center
Synopsis:	Hinoiri grabs Sayaka and Klarissa for a new years date... and ends up sharing her true nature. The twins learn just how broken Hinoiri actually is. Can broken people fix each other without destroying the world? Maybe. We'll find out. (Song warning: Sedgeie ready as I'll ever be parody)
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Sayaka Miki

---

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara had discovered that christmas is apparently a time of... romance! Couples getting together, being cutesy, etc. And she... was out of town. On a trip. And hadn't realized that. And hadn't apologized.

Apology? Ha! She had nothing to apologize for. After all, she wasn't... really... dating Double Trouble. Double Trouble just kind of... liked her. And was a future consort. And assistant. And that was all. Yup. So it wasn't technically cheating and she didn't have to feel bad. Nope. Not at all. The guilt totally did not gnaw at her and remind her of all the times she'd failed at lessons like kindness and honesty and...

The important thing was that she wasn't doing this because she felt bad. She was doing this because she'd not been here and so on New Years day she came and knocked on their door and... "Grab your coat, we're going on a date," she told the pair of them.

Where to was a surprise. But not the biggest surprise since they'd had to take public transit and it likely wasn't too long before the pair realized... they were going to the Aquarium! Also, the twins had got matching scarves(Blue, with lil mermaids and starfish on them) for new years and a stuffed starfish(both of which were dropped off upon arrival). The stuffed starfish could pull its legs off and they re-attached with velcro. It was a silly, but cute gift.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
New Year's Eve is an occasion of festivities, and so school is naturally closed. With that notion comes a day free from school, and likely staying up late to wait for the New Year. Sayaka, Klarissa and Ula probably spent it with Madoka, or other friends in case she was busy with Homura, not they knew the two harbored feelings for each other. The twins would have been much more insistent about getting acquainted with Homura if that were the case. She popped out of nowhere already, what kind of person she is? In their presence so far she has been quite aloof.

Though, spending the night in merriment and celebrations meant Sayaka had to come to an agreement with Klarissa: since the latter had chosen to go along with that, Sayaka in exchange would have followed Klarissa's timetable when it came to patrolling. And well, there was lots of trying to compromise and barter and haggle, and in the end the two of them spared as much time as possible to patrol, only having a brief pause after the party, eating as they walked (not that they had much need of food with how much was going around earlier).

When Hinoiri had knocked, the three of them had just come back, which probably showed up on their face. However her presence was enough to instill new vigour in the twins, and Sayaka had grinned widely over the unexpected return and surprise date. Lots of thanks had been given over her thoughtful gifts, and they got themselves ready as quickly as possible to go along with her.

"So, how was your trip? Everything by the book?" Sayaka asks while Klarissa is poking and prodding the starfish. She hadn't thought Hinoiri would have taken that nickname so seriously, but it's sort of right. She wouldn't be bothered if Hinoiri were still regarding them as a singular entity. It would explain why she wanted to be with both of them instead of just Sayaka.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara would... likely have been annoyed that the two were patrolling that much and running about all day. Buuuut... She didn't know. And frankly, as things went? Sayaka was dealing with it well enough that Hinoiri didn't have a lot of room to complain or get grouchy. It wouldn't stop her, but it possibly should.

"Yeah, trip went well. I guess last time we talked about it and I kind of just... got sidelined, huh? But... yeah. It went pretty great. Also, I found out christmas was... is kind of a romantic thing here? Where I come from, we actually didn't have a christmas. It was hearth's warming and kind of a... family thing. Not a romantic thing. That's hearts and... well, that's not important."

"What is important, is that instead today we're going to have a nice day out. I figure an aquarium is a pretty cool thing... even if your world doesn't have leviathans or any magical fish..."

She'd guide the pair in, after paying for the three of them of course. And she definitely did see Klarissa as Sayaka's other half. In the end... the pair were a package deal. And she wasn't going to ignore that side of her, no matter what.

"How was your time without me? Do anything fun or wild?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"It's pretty big as a romantic thing", Sayaka confirms as Hinoiri pays for their entrance. Hinoiri had a trip to go on, and so the two of them had accepted romantic Christmas things wouldn't have had the time to happen. Besides, Hinoiri did say something about not being human, which likely meant she was magic, and she probably hadn't wanted to talk about her magic for the same reason she didn't want to talk about her villainous career, so it was very already very likely she just couldn't have known.

One thing Klarissa and her agreed on regardin Hinoiri's true form is that it was tied to her love for speed and the rushing air, so they agreed she had to be some kind of winged animal. And birds love singing, so that checks out too.

Sayaka had suggested a gryphon, while Klarissa a roc, both birds of legends, the debate just focusing on whether she had 2 or 4 legs, with Sayaka being in the latter camp since she just couldn't imagine Hinoiri sitting in a tree. She just didn't get that vibe.

Once they are far enough from the cash register, Sayaka tells Hinoiri "It's ok, we understood you couldn't have known. Regarding what we did, we went to a New Year party and we also spent a lot of time discussing what is your real form. I'm team Gryphon, while Klarissa is team Roc. Besides that, we rested, ate and went on hunting." Klarissa comments "Gryphons are stupid, I don't see you as some sort of haphazard mix." They don't comment anything further on Hinoiri's trip due to the likelihood it involved some of the activities their girlfriend would have stayed silent about.

When Hinoiri brings up the notion of magical fish, Ula speaks up. "I may not be a fish, but I am a magical inhabitant of the seas that's built for swimming like on", she says, moving around her tail from her position on Sayaka's hand for extra emphasis.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara couldn't help it. She tried, desperately, to suppress the urge to laugh when they told her their 'teams'. She failed. "Bwa ha ha ha ha. Nope. Hee. No wings... well, yet. Think... more magical in nature. Some of the other students at the school were gryphons, though. Not nearly as good, but you know. And Roc's are... ohhh, I'm not sure what they're like here. But where I'm from they're basically giant eagles. That eat dragons. I'm a vegetarian, so wouldn't work. Four legs, though. Didn't have fingers, so let me tell you. THAT has been a fun thing to learn."

She gave the pair of them a little squeeze. "I hope you two had some fun as well. All work and no play isn't good when all stressed out."

She then glanced to Ula and... "Huh. So I know most the people here can't see you. Can the fish? Like... if you went into the tanks, would most of them not even see you? Or would they try to eat you?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Well, of course, they didn't have fingers where she came from. Regardless of Hinoiri's true form, that much was a given. And yet they had been so focused on bringing clarity to the mystery of Hinoiri's true form, that they didn't think of what adapting to a human form would have been like for her. Klarissa takes a look at said fingers before going back to Hinoiri's face. "Was it hard? Adapting to a human form. I don't know if there are others magic beings passing for humans around, so you must have dealt with it on your own. Are there?"

Sayaka is more focused on Hinoiri's diet. Good thing she brought it up on her own before they had the unfortunate idea to try and cook her something. They definitely would have tried for Christmas, for example. That's a bullet dodged. "Rocs are oversized eagles, but I don't think they eat dragons here. Probably because they are hard to find, if they even exist. So about you, vegetarian, four legs, but no wings, and you probably have magic, so... a unicorn?"

"Fish do see us, but they can sense we have magic, so they typically give us ample space. Of course, they don't know my magic isn't good for anything offensive, but avoiding us is by now an ingrained response, so I get by just fine", Ula explains.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a shrug. "I'm not entirely sure. I... haven't met anyone who's situation is the same as mine. Most people seem to keep most of their forms when they come over here. One kind of.... shrunk a bunch, but other than that they were the same. It... was... miserable. I still mess up my fingers all the time. Going from four limbs to... four limbs, with ten lil nobbly bits at the end of two of them that I need to constantly manage was rough. Especially since I've always like... used magic for more precise work. I didn't have magic at first, either. Running on all fours, not understanding how anything worked, the fact my world is more 'magic' and like... we don't have cell phones or anything like that. So it has been... a journey."

"... I play a lot of phone games. Those help me figure out my fingers. Walking on two legs still feels weird. I like running, at least... Why I like the motorcycle. It makes me feel like I'm galloping again. On all fours and... it's nice. And ding ding ding, unicorn! Very good guess," Hinoiri said, ruffling Sayaka's hair. "Unicorn, priz..." Then stopped. "But yeah. Unicorn. One of the most gifted seen in millenia."

She glanced towards Ula and cocked an eye. "Really? They can sense that? I wonder if that's why most animals don't like me. Then again, I've never been good with pets. Heh."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
With the confirmation Hinoiri gives about actually having magic even now, that it's not something she has to recover to deal with that Tyrant of hers, and moreover being a prime example for her kind at that, an insidious thought crawls into the bluenettes' heads. Back when they met the TV Witch, was she ever in danger? Was it a ruse? Did Hinoiri somehow know about them, well, her actually, and wanted a magical girl close by for her own ends? She did say dating was meant to be a learning experience. Not for learning love then, but for studying a magical girl close by?

No, that can't be it, can it? They can't believe Hinoiri too would be like Kyubey. She sounds too sincere, but so did Kyubey. But Hinoiri hates him as well, and she spontaneously gave away some info, instead of waiting for it to be asked. It doesn't matter if she wanted to be sincere or it was guilt pushing her in that direction, either way she had a conscience, unlike that white rat.

In fact sometimes she was painfully sincere: she did straight up say to Daifuku what she had for them wasn't love. Maybe care and affection, if that, but not love. The two girls exchange a wistful expression, having followed parallel lines of thought, but neither of them wants to bring it up yet.

"So, one of them shrunk? What is it like for them?" Sayaka talks, her voice just the tiniest bit shaky. "And I am sorry to hear it was so rough for you adapting, good thing you had cellphones to help you along. You must have been a quick learner."

"Yes, they can sense that, and it has saved my life on more than one occasion", Ula confirms. "I can't strike back with magic, nor do I have the mass advantage of the largest of my kinds. About that, some mermaid populations are roughly human-sized. They aren't all like me."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Yeah, I've always picked up things quickly. It was... rough, for a while. Figuring out how everything worked. Didn't have a cell phone at first until Obsidian found me, though. Helped me. Before that, it was... rougher. I'm just grateful I uhhh... managed to not make too much of a flank of myself when I first arrived."

"... I had this whole scheme in mind to get started, it was so stupid in retrospect, but I think I was mostly just mad and grouchy that I was even here and lashing out a bit. Fortunately, I got over it and have been settling. I may not... like all of it, but there's some positive things here."

"... I'm not sure how he's handling it, though. Being shrunk. He seemed pretty cool with it, though. Likes apples. So... they go further, I guess."

"Kyubey was actually one of the first people I met. Fortunately, even I knew better than to make a deal with some guy who offers me 'power for service'. Err, no offense," Hinoiri said quickly. Unfortunately, she didn't know the thoughts that had been going through her little starfishes heads, so she couldn't clarify any of them...

However, she did glance down at Ula. "So... you're not like... friends with Yellow Voice? The lil mermaid princess? Wanna talk about an ear wyrm, every time she does that song I just, guhhhh. It sticks in your ears for *hours*."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
That checks out. Being put in an embarassing situation without your knowing, with a reputation that sticks to you and makes you not able to be taken seriously in the best case scenario is a situation anybody would want to avoid. "How are things at Obsidian? In tv shows, movies and other stories, these dens of evil are typically cutthroat worlds in which you can barely trust your own shadow", Klarissa ponders in a not as happy mood. Should they trust their own shadow?

I was mostly just mad and grouchy that I was even here

"Are you homesick?" Sayaka asks, mostly as a way to get Hinoiri to express her feelings, since she expects yes as an answer. If she is even being sincere at all, repeats that doubt. "An avid apple eater, hmm? At that size, your fellow certainly has lots to eat."

Klarissa shakes her head. "Don't worry about it. We wanted to help people, and both the wish he give and the tasks he required of us was a way to achieve exactly that, so it's not an issue if you have different priorities, though. His trickery, though? That's something I will never forgive him, nor anyone who is after us to manipulate us. But we have you here thankfully." And yes, the last one was something she said to prod the ground around them. Sayaka just does an imperceptible nod at that. It's not something she likes, but both of them want to trust in Hinoiri, and that's a way to put those doubts to rest without making a big deal about it.

Ula's face shines with recognition when Hinoiri mentions Yellow Pearl Voice. "Oh, you know her? That's awesome. I mean, our kinds don't interact all that much, but we know them by fame mostly and the few times we crossed paths, all of them were really kind, if kind of detached in one case and a bit bold in another."

"Who is this Yellow Voice, Hinoiri? A friend of yours? Or someone from our side?" Sayaka asks, curious.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small shrug. "Eh. Bit wild at times. Apparently some stuff went down when I was out of town. Not sure what it's about. I'm not really... a part of their inner circle, though. Any of them. It's more like... a trading grounds, I suppose. I gave them stuff when I arrived, they helped me get my bearings. I sometimes do more trades with them. But... some of them are utter psychos. Some idiots. Lots of normal people. Quite a few broken. Like, seriously. That Adora-chick? Her girlfriend is there. And as bad as Adora is? Catra is juuuuuust as bad. She's just a tiny bit more subtle." Pause. "Very tiny bit. Like. INCREDIBLY tiny bit."

"... Sometimes... people are just people, I guess. It might be easier if everyone there was a mustache twirling, evil laughing psychopath. But... a lot of them aren't. Some of them are even likeable. It's... weird."

Hinoiri stopped to look at the penguins when they passed. "Homesick... that's... that's a toughy. I guess... but... I don't know. Five or six months ago... I thought that would be my home forever. I thought... I thought I was where I belonged. I thought I'd forever be Sora's prized pupil. I thought... I thought I'd work hard enough and eventually..." Eventually things would get better. things would be hopeful. She'd... "It was the only world I ever knew and I thought it was where I belonged. But I hadn't realized just how... deep... it all ran. How vile it could be."

"... I hadn't realized who Sora was..." Hinoiri whispered.

"... I miss it. I miss my home. But... I'm not wanted there anymore. I'm not welcome. I'm the bad guy, to most people. But you know what? I'm fine with that. I'm used to being... seen as wrong. As bad. I'm used to being looked down on. Mocked. In the end, I'll prove my worth and I don't need anyone else to care."

She gripped the railing, her fingers digging into it while she stared intently at the penguins. Jsut because she had to look at something.

"... You shouldn't be thankful for that," Hinoiri mumbled. "You do deserve someone better. I've lied to you, a lot. I'll probably keep lying to you. This... entire thing? We have? It wasn't... supposed... to be serious. I'm a liar. I'm your enemy. Even if I'm not out to manipulate you, it doesn't make me any better. At least, not in this world."

"... Even if we're not enemies now, we'll be enemies when we're doing magic. So... don't... be thankful for me. You deserve better. Both of you."

Slowly, her hands slipped away from the railing. "Right, enough of that. This is a date, so, what kind of animals do you want to see? And Yellow Voice is a mermaid princess. Her friend's a real bitch, though. Put her in a big fish bowl. She's... pretty nice, I guess. Yellow, I mean. Definitely on your side. Her friend... not so much. It's complicated. But then, what in life isn't?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Hmm, a magical girl with a girlfriend at Obsidian. Where have Sayaka and Klarissa heard this before? Oh, right. Well, not that she knows Adora that much. Though, the mention of Adora brings back some memories and it's Sayaka talking. "Oh, I think I know who you meant by tiny horse. I glanced at him once while I was chatting with Adora. I never caught his name though. His mane's colours are a bit like your hair's, actually", she observes.

And then there is all those matters about her homesickness and not being wanted there anymore. The natural response to which is of course a double hug. "I don't think you should do all that, Hinoiri. It's going to be hard, but I think it would be better to you if you cut this villainy thing out. Do you listen to yourself? You don't need to prove anything to anyone. I don't know what's your alias, but I am sure Hinoiri Kirara is loved as she is. If you don't want to quit doing what you do because of people you are harming, do it for yourself. Because you too are hurting, and I can't bear to see you like that. Even if you don't love me, even if it wasn't supposed to be serious, I love you. Please, don't let yourself go like this." Both of them are a bit tearful over that. They are genuinely in love with Hinoiri and being told her perspective on their relationship hurts.

They pass their sleeve over their eyes and answer Hinoiri. "I assume Yellow Voice has a human form like you, right? Can she turn back, or is she stuck too?" About their animal, Sayaka replies with manta rays, and Klarissa penguins.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded. "Yeah. Swiftwind. He's magnificent. He said we're friends!" Hinoiri said with... actually a lot more excitement than she uhhhh... might have been expected.

But well... hearing Sayaka talk.... she just sighed. Double Trouble said it. Now even Sayaka said it.

"Maybe you're right," Hinoiri said softly, leaning into the hug. "Maybe... this is the wrong path."

"Maybe I should just abandon my world, leave a tyrant in charge, after all, they all think she's *sooooo* perfect, right? And maybe I should just abandon literally *everything* I've worked for. All that pain, suffering, all of those sleepless nights, the tears, the abandoned opportunities, all of it, every single bit of it... jsut poof. All meaningless. Is that what you'd like? Would that make you *happy*?" she asked Sayaka and Klarisa.

"I just give up, abandon it all? Accept what happened to me? That I forsake my destiny?" She tried to pull out of the hug and turn to them.

"I've been hurting my whole life and if I give up now, when I'm so *close*, do you really think that will make it *better*? Do you think *that* will somehow save me? Do you want to know what I've done? I've hurt. I've mangled. I've almost died. I've endured. I've suffered. I've fought. Do I want to be the bad guy? No. Who does? But I can *handle* it. I'm probably not a good bad guy. But you know who I am? I'm Sunbreaker. The most competent, the most ruthless, the most *capable* member in that entire organization. Obsidian *needs* me more than I will *ever* need it. And I am going to get what I have *fought* for and I am going to return home *triumphant*. I am going to reveal to *everyone* what Sora is and there is nothing anyone, anywhere, in *any* world can do to stop me."

"... You might be okay with me tossing away my entire life, the reason I exist... but I will *not* do that. Even for you. I've come too far, I am too close. And... eventually? Maybe you'll thank me. When I leave, Obsidian will be so much weaker for it. Because I am the only one they have who can actually get the job done because so many of them are useless. So you're welcome."

"And you know what? When that time comes? When you see what I've done? When I've got all of Kirakirafantastica in the palm of my hooves, wheneveryone finally sees I'm not her reject, that I matter, maybe I'll bring you over. Maybe I'll fix your little gemstone problem. Because when I have the power I'll have? Even that shouldn't be beyond my reach. Nothing will be. So just... stop trying to make me stop being me. I refuse to let my whole life have been a sora-damned WASTE!" she yelled, unable to stop herself from yelling then.

Only to cringe when people stare. Red covers her cheeks and she turns away, grabbing each of their hands and just... drags them off.

Ironically... not near the manta rays OR the penguins. She just went down the first tunnel they passed and... towards the polar bears. Oh well.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Come on, you big doofus", Klarissa exclaims angrily back as Hinoiri tells her how she sees her proposal and reveals her magical identity. "Is that how you think people back in your world will be thankful for your help? A tyrant being deposed just to have another one take her place? You aren't helping your case at all. So what if you are the most brilliant villain ever? You are also someone that would be more at peace putting her brilliancy somewhere else!"

She scowls, but neither Hinoiri's words nor her being Sunbreaker make either twin undo the hug. "She is right, Hinoiri! All you have done has only led to people being hurt, and you aren't any better for it. Maybe closer to your goal, but also closer to clinging to your idiocy! Please, Hinoiri, try fighting with us for a change. You haven't tried that, have you? We have plenty capable people to aid you, and I think you will be happier doing that. You will certainly feel more fulfilled if you put your abilities to good use in a scenario where noone is fighting you, and trying to undo what you do. You are only spiraling further down into your role as a bad guy!"

"You already matter as you are, that's what you don't see! If you went missing tomorrow, I am sure a lot of people at Radiant Heart would be up in arms about it. And I am not something for you to fix just so you can put a checkmark on it! I want you to be all right too, and frankly, what use is there for me to be fine if you have turned yourself into a wreck along the way? I'm not that valuable!" exclaims Klarissa, turning everyone's focus to her. It's probably a good thing Hinoiri is dragging them away.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara grit her teeth. On some level, she knew Klarissa was right. She knew Sayaka was right. And... and it was better if she abandoned it. If she just tossed it aside. If she gave up. If she just...

Let herself be.

But she couldn't. Even if it was smart. Even if it was right. Even if... "None of you can help me," Hinoiri said softly. "What I need, none of you can give me. I have... to do this. It's the only way. Sayaka... Klarisa... you've got this whole vision of justice thing. This... this need to help people. Protect people. It's great. I love that about you. You're good at it."

"But that's not me. I'm not a protector. I'm a dethroner. I'm the student nobody wanted. I'm she who will break the sun. My destiny, my role... isn't... like yours. I'm not like you. So.... if you can't.... if you can't stop this..."

"... I won't stop you from being you. So please... stop... trying to stop me from being me. I... I... it's not about you! It's not about how valuable you are, it's about how valuable I am!" she yelled, tearing herself away from both of them and glaring. "I don't exist, don't you get that? There are two pasts for me. Two histories."

"I was created for this, born into existence to dethrone Sora..."

"Or my parents were so ashamed of me, that they tossed me aside and left me to die. You get so mad, so upset about your phylactory, that you're a 'rock'. But you know what? There's value in that. You make it sound like the only thing that matters is the body that holds your soul. But your soul matters, and mine has *always* been worth nothing. Yours is good and kind. You made a wish to save someone else. To rescue someone else from suffering. To protect others. The only way for me... the only path for me is to achieve my destiny. Otherwise I am *meaningless*."

And then, there it was... the music in the background. Starting again. Once more...

And Hinoiri began to sing. "Believe me I know... I've sunk pretty low... but whatever I'll do they deserve it." Hinoiri turned and started to walk down the tunnel, away from her.

"I'm the bad guy? That's fine. It's no fault of mine and some justice at last will be served..." Her right hand crackled for a moment with dark energy.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
And there she goes, stuck on her own mindset, unable and unwilling to break away from her own idea of destiny. Because, that's what it has to be, right? "She has chosen this path to make up for everything she went through, and has convinced herself this is her destiny", Sayaka murmurs, only Ula and Klarissa hearing them in response.

The koi mermaid just takes a look at the bluenettes and calls out their names. That Sayaka and Klarissa knew Hinoiri had been a villain doesn't matter, it must have happened just last time when she was asked to walk out. And Hinoiri had called herself Sunbreaker in front of her. "Please, don't chase after her", she asks, the bluenettes all too ready to do that. Letting things go is not a particular quality of theirs.

"She is in no position to hear you out. Let's just follow her from afar in case she tries to hurt someone, but otherwise, we need to give her time to calm herself down", is the best course of action according to Ula.

"Have you really not seen her?" Sayaka scowls. "She is going to hurt herself! Do you think we can just leave her like that, when she tries to help us out of our own pitfalls? We need to tell others, maybe Daifuku..."

"No!", exclaims Klarissa. "Have you forgotten her request? She doesn't want others to know about her identity. And with her reputation, she will start a fight if she feels cornered. She is not us, who would just feel unworthy and try to flee. We are the only ones responsible for her, no matter what. So we need to get there now, and find a way to help her!"

Sayaka bites back. "Like what, further arguing and maybe escalating things to a fight? She may have had some sort of humanitarian aid with helping us two, if that actually was her intention, but she doesn't really love either of us. We have nothing to convince her to go back with us!"

"Enough, you two!" Ula shouts. "She is just going further away, so since you are just going to keep discussing, let me do things here. Please, Sayaka, Klarissa, I know it's a lot, but just avoiding she harms people it's the best thing for now. Trust me on this, and let's reflect along the way."

The bluenettes stare at each other before sighing at the same time. It is true she is still walking, and maybe they do need the time to think. "Fine by me", Sayaka says to the other two. "I don't see any other choice", Klarissa replies for her part. That's what they will do, stalking their girlfriend. Such a great New Year date.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara kept walking, but Klarissa... was right. If they told everyone, if everyone knew, and fought her...

She would fight. She'd escalate. Because she didn't know how to de-escalate. She couldn't... not. When you spent so long pushing harder and harder, never taking your foot off the gas pedal no matter how tight the corner, you forgot that there were brakes.

"Now it's time to step up or it's time to back down..." She turned to the three girls, her eyes narrowed. "And there's only one answer for meeee! And I'll stand up and fight because I KNOW that I'm right! And I'm ready, I'm ready, I'M READY! Ready as I'll ever be!"

She waved a hand towards the glass of the polar bear pen. No dark energy escaped, though. But the hall had cleared. Or maybe it had been empty all along. There was a light over the glass... Then images appeared. Just for a moment. Of a small unicorn. Herself. Her and Sora. There was never any words from it, though. But it showed herself. The unicorn she was, working, toiling. Studying. As the alicorn looked on. Ignored her. No matter how much she tried to get her attention...

Until the mirror appeared. The mirror bearing her reflection as an alicorn.

"And now it's time to rise up or it's time to stand down, and the answer is easy to see! And I swear, though I'm flawed I'll no more be ignored! Cause I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready! Ready as I'll ever be!"

Then, she started to walk towards the pair of them. She reached out a hand, no. Both hands. To take one of each of theirs. "I... never wanted to do this... but I'll do it if it guarantees... that she will hear me..." Tears were on the edges of her eyes. Almost pleading with the pair. To see her. To hear her. To understand WHY she had to do this.

"Someday they'll thank me..." Her hands shaking, now. "Else I'll have no home or family..."

She stared at them, so intently it made her eyes hurt. "The lines in the sand and my moments at hand... I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready... Ready as I'll ever be..."

The music began to drift away. And it was, alas... likely clear to them, now. Hinoiri... wasn't nearly the strong, confident, arrogant person she pretended to be. She was hurt. Broken. Desperate... to be seen. Perhaps she was talented. Skilled. But it wasn't enough. She had something she had to prove. And she would destroy herself before she'd give up on it. Her own feelings of value, of self worth, in a way? Mirrored Sayaka's. Seeking that same validation... some way to prove her own worth. Her own value. That her soul was worthy of existing.

And this was the only way she saw to achieve it.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Yes, all three of them now see the Hinoiri that hid behind Hinoiri Kirara and Sunbreaker alike. That compelling need is something that they have seen themselves, experienced themselves for the bluenettes, even if their directions are quite different. Just replace 'caring about others and wanting to do the right thing' with 'gaining Sora's approval, by any means'. And they can't really blame Hinoiri for it, with the larger than life role Sora has taken in her world.

"Kirarafantasica, was it? That's the name you used for your world. I don't know why it bears your surname, but we already recognise you as you are, destiny or no destiny. Without you, we would both be gone, a mist in a frigid wind that blew us away uncaringly. We will be there to stop you from hurting anyone else and yourself, but that's our duty to ensure our happiness. I am speaking for both of us when I say you are free to burn us to a crisp" Klarissa says, not even a single doubt about that. They are after all the same person, even if some different aspects have been distributed and realigned.

"If I fail, you can hold me accountable for it, in front of anyone that you feel right about. That will be well deserved, because your achievements can stand on their own, even with all the misdeeds you had to commit." She gives her hand over to Hinoiri. "I want you to finish going through this date. Will you?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara shook her head. "No. I... it means... Kirakirafantastica. Sparkle sparkle fantastic. It was the place when the ponies found a new land, the sparkles from their magic was said to light the night for a whole month. A land that was fantastic, where they could be safe and together in harmony. My name... I... don't know why my name is like that. It's... not the same, though. Kirara, shimmer. I'm named after the shimmering of the setting sun..."

"... I don't know why. It... was really the only thing I knew when they found me. Perhaps it was a sign towards my destiny. I was to be Sora's setting sun. I... don't think she realized until it was near the end, though."

"... I don't want you gone," Hinoiri said after a few moments. "I... don't know if I'm... really able to love someone else. I don't know... if I'm capable of it."

"But I don't want you to be lost. I think this world is better with you in it, Sayaka, Klarissa. I... I don't know much in this world. I don't understand it. But... there's some things I like. And you're one of them. It's why I don't want you to go. It's... why I can't really hold it against you when you try to stab me or anything. You have your goals, you follow the path you feel is right for you... just like I have to follow the one for me..."

"And I would rather you follow the path you believe is right for you, one that will make you happy and make you have what you want and desire, even if it meant you had to fight me again and again. Than if you were to forsake who you are, but stand besides me in my battle. So don't ever let some magical rat make you believe you are less valuable because of it."

"... I'll burn you, I'll hurt you. But I'll never kill you or anyone else. And if I ever really try to... you'll stop me. And that's just where we'll stand. Because you and I both have what make us... us. And it doesn't matter if we're a unicorn, a human or a phylactory. It's who we are. And I want you to be the best you you can be. Even if that means we fight from time to time."

Then, finally, she pulled away, then pulled out a coin and flipped it into the air. "So... heads, mantas. Tails, penguins."

Catching it and laying it out on her palm... covering it with the back of her hand...

And then showing it to her.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
There really is some irony in their situation with how they are trying to convince each other of their respective self-worth and everyone is too set in their ways to consider that would be right despite nominally accepting the helping hand that is extended to them.

For now, the best they can do is be there for for the other(s), and catch them before something bad happens to them. They ought to fix things soon somehow, even if the light at end of the tunnel looks so far away. It means a lot to Klarissa and Sayaka that they get to have their loved ones, even if she happen to be Sunbreaker, even if they bluenettes are doing thei best to ruin Hinoiri's effort. It's a really weird relationship the one they have.

"I will probably end hurting you too, that's what you have to focus on, because that's something we will need to deal with. But thanks for doing all this for me. If you want someone to recognise weakness, you are still yourself, and shimmering in the night sky is not a bad accomplishment at all."

So, even if the last inscription turns to be cruel, it's an aspect of Hinoiri that the twins are willing to fight over, even with all the incidents along the way. In the meantime, the coin has landed on heads, and they can still find a brief pause right, at least under the New Year?