912/Seattle Street Strikers

Seattle Street Strikers
Date of Scene:	21 December 2023
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	Sunbreaker and Mami hunt a witch together and discuss a few things... And yes. Sunbreaker thought Riventon was hot once... once. She fails to notice the issue.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Mami Tomoe

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker was doing more research! Since, well... they had a puella magi, so why not? It had been simple, at least. 'Hey, wanna track a witch so I can research it?' She'd invited Dee, but the girl was drowning in stuffies and a little busy, so maybe later.

So the pair were now off, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, on the hunt for a Seattle Witch. Acting as the Seattle Street-Strikers, if you would. No, she didn't call them that, that'd be dumb.

"So, how are you handling the whole... phylactory thing?" Sunbreaker asked, glancing over towards the puella sniper. "You seem to be handling it better than Sayaka, at least. Speaking of... Riventon made sure you knew that nobody is to know who I am, correct? Inside OR outside of Obsidian?"

Mami Tomoe has posed:
It's a bit different tracking a witch when she's already henshin'd. It's a feather and hat-pin instead of an egg she holds in her hand, the yellow crystal in the center glowing all the same. It's still a bit faint, but she's definitely found something. It's just still a bit distant, and she doesn't know this city at all.

"He didn't. He just wanted to make sure I knew you were, in fact, pretty smart, lest I get ideas from my first impression," she says with a giggle. Sunbreaker had made quite the first impression on the last witch hunt Mami took her on. "I do hope you've learned your lesson."

She leaps from one roof to the next, every leap a jete. It's like she's dancing along the roofline. She looks back over her shoulder and says, "Miki-san doesn't handle anything well. That girl has issues. Sometimes I wish Kyubey didn't offer contracts to people, and she's one of them."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker cocked an eye. "Really? I guess I'll need to have a chat with him about this later. It's very important that my henshin identity stays separate from my mundane identity. Especially from Sayaka. As for the rest, well..."

"She really, really doesn't," Sunbreaker said, rolling her eyes. "Girl is a bucking mess. Has a martyr complex big enough to lift as a second moon and this whole 'I've got a phylactory' thing has only set it into excessive levels. Her and I are... kind of... dating," Sunbreaker said. "If not obvious, she has no idea who I am. So, if you're handling it much better, this whole phylactory thing isn't a 'human' thing, it's more of a 'Sayaka' thing, right?"

"... He did let you know that I'm *not* a human, at least? Or did he leave that part out as well?"

Mami Tomoe has posed:
"Honestly, he probably forgot to mention it because you don't really come up in conversation," Mami says with a dismissing wave. "I wouldn't worry yourself about it." She has this reassuring tone that makes it sound like she's being nice. But is she?

"He said you were from another dimension, and that your dimension is ridiculous," Mami answers. "I'm not human any more either, though, so who am I to judge?" So that is how she's taking it.

But what she is going to judge is Sunbreaker's taste in girls. "So you're dating Miki-san, but she doesn't know you're Sunbreaker? That is not going to end well, you know," she says. The reason she and Takashi are going to end well is that she didn't have the same hangups as Sayaka. She's got no problem joining Obsidian. "She attacked me just because I don't hate Kyubey. She attacked Riventon just because he was there."

She and Takashi were not going to end well. Everybody knew that, but they were in denial.

"Your secret is safe with me. Don't worry," Mami says, but then pauses. "But if you're dating Miki-san, why'd you bring that other girl with you on the trip?"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker shook her head. "No, I am going to worry about it. Riventon vouched for you, that was the only reason I let him invite you on this mission. If he didn't *tell* you how important that is for you to *keep it quiet*, it means I can't depend on him for *other* things. Something like this had *best* come up in conversations."

"And frankly, if you ask me? Your dimension is ridiculous. No dragons, no griffins. The planet orbits the sun, no sovereign who raises and lowers the sun and moon. I'm a human, here. I'm a unicorn. And I'm reduced to... this," she said, motioning to herself.

"And no, it's a disaster waiting to happen. It wasn't meant to go on this long. We were experimenting. She saved my life when I was, well.... a civilian. I've almost ended it a few times, but then things just kept happening and, frankly? I swear every time I see her she's one step closer to ending herself. I know it sounds silly, her and I are on entirely opposite sides, but well... she saved my life. I want to repay that and at least make her better off before I get going."

... As for the last comment, well... "Yeah. She's... complicated. Not human either. She's... kind of an assistant of sorts." There was just a hint of red to her cheeks. "... Very strange. Talented. Very good at what she does. But... strange. There's an old saying where I'm from. You can't skip a weeks rain without catching up with a monsoon." ... What? "Everything hit at once and we haven't had a chance to sort it out. But one day I'll be leaving this world and she'll likely be coming with me. Sayaka won't. Buck, Sayaka will likely never even know where I left to. Just... left."

"... Did she really attack you just because you like kyubey, though? Ugh. Girl really is off balance. Madoka better actually be taking care of her or I might have to slap her again."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Puella Magi Mami laughs. "Oh, I think you misunderstood me," she says. "I just mean he might not have thought I was a risk to reveal your secret identity because there is absolutely no reason for me to ever discuss you with anyone but him. Like I said, you don't come up in conversations, so it's not really a big risk that you'll be revealed."

She sounds so nice when she's being a bitch.

"At least you know she's a powder keg," is all Mami has to say to all that, except to explain, "Yes. She said she needed to 'teach me a lesson' as if someone who'd had a contract for two weeks had anything to teach me." She giggles at the thought, and the memory of her just walking away.

Mami pauses, looking down at her hairpin. It's getting brighter. They're getting closer to the witch.

"But it sounds like you actually care about her," she says, actually sounding nice now. A bit of flush in her cheeks. She knows the feeling, after all. But the way Sunbreaker is talking, it sounds so wholesome. "It sounds really sweet."

"Must be a complicated life, being a unicorn."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker managed to relax, just a hint, at that. "Oh! Then that's good. So long as it doesn't come up in idle conversation there shouldn't be any problems. Welcome to the team."

... She didn't even sound annoyed or anything. Did the whole implied comment fly over her head? Or maybe she just had a lot on her mind... Yeah, it was the second. She might catch on eventually.

"Sayaka is... complicated. She doesn't seem it, at first. She seems like an idiot. A complete obnoxious, self destructive idiot. She means well, at least. Is trying her best. But she's also reckless, hard headed, sees everything in black and white and is, all around, just a mess. Seriously. As far as she knew she saved my life and then she spent like... our first date telling me how I don't owe her anything for it. She's so set on 'earning' everything, but then refuses to put any value in the things she actually does. She's going to get herself killed at this rate. I'm hoping the sparkle skirts can at least fix... some of this before I get back."

"Some magic stuff ended up splitting her into TWO separate people, can you believe that? One of them is all edgy and self destructive and I about tossed in this little swimming pool. The other is just a sweety and kind of adorable. Just... it's... It's not like I really care about her? I'm grateful, I guess. But it's a lot like seeing a rabbit with a hurt paw. You can't just leave it there in the middle of the road to get run over, you splint its leg and feed it some cabbage. But then in the middle of that some jerk came up behind it and hit it with a brick and I'm just trying to stop her from keeling over."

She lifted a hand to her forehead. Even though they were approaching a witch... she seemed... to not really be focusing on that. "And... yeah. Unicorn life... is weird. There's still so much I don't understand. A few months ago I thought the idea of humans were hilarious. Walking on two legs STILL freaks me out sometimes. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to resist going down on all fours and booking it. Not even counting the way magic works here. Riventon ended up coming with me to my dimension recently, when I went to... commondeer some things. Him and Dee. He was..."

And there it was. She stopped and glanced to Mami. "Hey. You actually are human. And yeah, I know, phylactory, you can do the whole 'not human' thing all you want, but I'm a unicorn even if I'm in the body of a human. You *understand* humans. That's what I'm curious about. Is... Riventon... exotic? Or... legendary? Mythical in some way? Like... I know he's capable. But I didn't think he was actually special." WOW.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Puella Magi Mami looks down at her hair pin, it's pulsing slowly. They're closer, but it really doesn't sound like Sunbreaker's head is in the game. She looks at the pin for a moment longer and then puts it back up into her hair, holding her hat in place.

"I absolutely can leave it there in the middle of the road. It's called triage," Mami says, matter-of-factly. "It's not as if my just splinting its leg is going to help it survive, and I can't take in every injured rabbit I come across. Sometimes you've got to do what's right for you."

But then, after that coldhearted sentiment, she smiles and says more sweetly. "But it sounds like you might actually have some real feelings for her. I don't think you want to hurt her, so you might want to figure that out."

The rooftop they've stopped on just happens to have a rooftop garden, and it just happens to have a bench. It's Seattle, they're like that. Mami walks over to the bench and sits down. "As for Riventon, well, obviously he's special. He's my boyfriend. Do you think I would ostracize myself and join Obsidian for some normal boy? He said you were smart, Sunbreaker."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker blinked a few times. "Is... is that how you people do things here? Back home, generally we took care of the animals. Then again, I think the animals back home were a lot smarter than the ones here. That was before you even considered things like... well. Your world is just weird, I guess."

Sunbreaker stared out over the edge of the roof. "... I never wanted to hurt anybody. It was never my goal. But every time I try to not, things just go worse. I show restraint, then get punished for it. People only seem to learn if you *make* them learn. But no. I know I don't want to hurt her. If things go right? I'll leave this world exactly as I found it. A mess. But not a worse mess..."

"... I never wanted to come here... but if this is the only way forward, then it's what I'll do."

She glanced back towards her. "Not what I mean. Of course he's special to you. But I mean... actually special. When he came to my world, he and Dee were changed into things that... well. I don't even know *what* Dee was. Riventon, though? He turned into something we called a 'Kirin'. I'd heard of them, but they were borderline myths. I'd never even seen one. Incredibly rare. Avoided pony-kind. Yet, he was one."

"... Then he erupted and coated himself in fire. Like I do here. It made me think more. He's not like most of the people here. He made his magic. It wasn't gifted to him. He didn't have to make a sacrifice. He didn't ask for a wish. He made the device he wields. He's an artificer. In a world *without* magic."

"... I'm wondering if he's not from this world at all. That he might be like me. From another world... even if he doesn't realize it."

"... Nevermind. Sorry, let's keep going. It's probably just a nonsensical thought. I'm sure it's nothing."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
This time Mami doesn't bother to correct Sunbreaker's misunderstanding. It's none of the girl's business just how Riventon is special. What really bugs Mami, though is that, "You sure seem to have spent quite a bit of time thinking about my boyfriend."

Though honestly, it does sound pretty cool, and it makes total sense, knowing what she knows. "So tell me something. You said he coated himself in fire, but was he hot as a Kirin?"

She sounds so genuine asking a question that's so dangerous to answer.

"You never set out to hurt people. You just hurt them because they get in your way. You hurt them because what you want is more important to you. You don't want to hurt them but you do' it," she says. The tone in her voice makes it unclear if she's talking about Sunbreaker or herself.

"Thing is, Sunbreaker, if you care about these people. If you really don't want to hurt them. What you have to ask yourself is if what you actually want is worth hurting people to get, because it sounds like that's what it takes."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker glanced to Mami for a moment. "Hm? Not any more than I spend thinking about other magical people. But it wouldn't be worth talking with you about most of them, you wouldn't understand most of the theories. And yeah, he was pretty hot. Which, admittedly, is still something I'm struggling to understand here. Back home it was easy. 'Oh, that horn? Hot. The feathers in the wings? Hot. That color tone? Very hot.' But here? You all look so much alike, then there's the whole clothing thing you all have to wear *constantly*. Finding a proper baseline is confusing to pick up on top of everything else."

"... And yeah. I'll hurt and break every one of them if I have to. They're all standing i nthe way of my destiny and I won't allow them to keep doing it. I've been trying to take them out of the equation, but well... its been less than successful... so far. But I'm sure I'll figure out how to fully drain someone's power before long."

That wasn't ominous or anything.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
About three seconds in to her explanation, Mami realized this girl was no threat. She couldn't possibly be a threat. She was just as messed up as Sayaka, and just as clueless about it. But then there's a thought.

"Well if you'll hurt and break every one of them, then don't break up with Sayaka Miki," she says, before turning to look at Sunbreaker with a smile. "Not until you figure out how to drain her power, at least. Because you have stumbled into the perfect situation, and you'd have to be a fool to throw it away."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker blinked a few times and then glanced to her. "You mean use my relationship as a means to hurt her? No. That'd be meaningless."

"Hurting them, breaking them isn't the goal. The goal is being better. It's about becoming strong enough to run all of them over if they standing in my way. There's no shortcuts. There's no special angles to come at it. I can't trick them, I can't trap them. I intend to *topple a god*. Or, at least, that's how those of your world would see it."

"I have to come at her with *everything I have*. If I have to *cheat* in order to take down one of your sparkle skirts, then I'm not ready. I have to be strong. I have to be *constantly strong*. Not short term. Not for a single battle. I need to become strong enough that you're all meaningless to me."

There was a soft, annoyed sigh. "Worse... I've *done it* now. But it doesn't *work* right. I can achieve that power... but then I lose control. Power that can't be controlled is just as useless as a victory earned by cheating."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Puella Magi Mami is a strategist and a tactician. It is clear to her that Sunbreaker is not very strong in either of those areas. She joined Obsidian, and so that means Sunbreaker's on her team, in the broader sense, and so she feels almost obligated to help the girl out. But also, she really dislikes Sayaka.

"Girl, you're never going to get what you want with an attitude like that," she says, with just a bit of an edge. "First, I would think that someone who does fire magic would understand that if you go too hard for too long, you burn out. You can't be strong all the time. That's a losing strategy. Sometimes you have to conserve your strength and be clever instead."

"You accidentally created the perfect situation to perfect your technique. You have a sparkleskirt who trusts you and is vulnerable with you. Why waste all that energy and magic on fighting when you can get the same result at so much less personal risk? It's foolish to throw this away."

She stands up off the bench, and then walks to the edge of the roof, calling back over her shoulder. "You're just as reckless and stubborn as she is. Lose that sense of honor if you want to achieve your destiny. It's what's holding you back, not the sparkleskirts."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a small nod. "Oh, I know. That's not what I mean when I say 'strong all the time'. Right. I keep forgetting you people don't really think like a unicorn. Right. How to put this in a way you could understand? Hmmm... Ah. Okay. If my goal is to defeat a god... if I have the power to rewrite reality, but I can only do it for a few minutes, or when I'm accessing some specific tool, or it costs me my mind in the process? It's not enough. I'm going against someone who literally raises and lowers the sun and moon. The amount of power she wields makes even your strongest sparkle skirt look like a child."

"Fighting isn't the point. In fact, soon? Assuming my research is correct? Fighting won't even be necessary soon. Project Eclipse will make those fights in the past just that. The past. There's really nothing to be gained by breaking Sayaka, if I felt inclined to. It'd just remove her from the fight. While I'm sure you haven't noticed, that'd likely just release her power in some stupid way and then two more magical girls will pop up in her place."

"... It's not honor, though. I don't have honor. What I have are limits. There are lines I can't, won't, cross. I require power to achieve my goals. But some things about myself must remain... pure, as it were. Or it won't matter if I can wipe out this world with a snap of my fingers, they'll be forever impossible for me."

"... Now come on, let's go get this witch. It's time for another experiment. I should be ready this time, if my hypothesis is correct."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
"Honor. Purity. Call it what you want. Those limits are what are keeping you from your destiny, Sunbreaker. Do you think your opponent got her power by letting herself be bound by limits? You're never going to get what you want if you're not willing to do what it takes to get it," Mami says. Then she hops up onto the edge of the wall and does a pirouette. "Was she the one who told you that you had to stay pure?"

She looks at Sunbreaker for a moment and then shrugs. "Don't do anything stupid this time?"

Then she turns and shoots off a ribbon toward the taller building across the way, swinging from it like some sort of superhero as she heads off in the direction she's pretty sure the witch is in.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker gave a soft sigh and followed after the other girl. And... well....

She was beginning to see there was a lot in common with Mami and Sayaka as well.

'At any cost'.

She wondered if Mami truly believed that, or if that was what she was using to justify her work with Obsidian. Yes, Sunbreaker knew being a part of Obsidian made her one of the bad guys. But you know what? Sometimes good people HAD to do bad things. It didn't mean they WANTED to. They just... had to.

But if you didn't have limits, didn't have lines you wouldn't cross? Then you'd end up becoming something entirely different from what you started. What was the point of achieving infinite power if you became someone you despised?

This was why SHE was right, why she was better. Smarter. Why only SHE could do what had to be done. And none of them could see that, but one day they'd understand why they should all just kneel to her and accept that she was right, they were wrong.

She didn't care if they called what she did 'stupid'. She'd spent her entire life being judged wrong. What did it matter if it was this world, or the last? She'd come out on top and it'd be too late then for any of them to matter.