764/Hey, RIBBONS!

Hey, RIBBONS!
Date of Scene:	15 November 2023
Location:	Mitakihara Ward
Synopsis:	Hinoiri ambushes and interrogates Madoka, over a motorcycle ride... she also gives her a miracle pop. Terrible advice is then given and ignored, Madoka instead opting to follow worse advice.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Hinoiri Kirara

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Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's just after Radiant Heart lets out for the day, and Madoka Kaname is walking from the campus to the hospital. Her two Chara, Brai and Medo, are sitting on her shoulders and napping against her pigtails. Gretchen is, once again, absent.

    Naturally she's still in her RHA uniform, carrying her bag in front of her with both hands, looking maybe a bit tired. It's only been a short time since she got her full henshin, and while normally this would mean that she'd be hunting Witches and patrolling extra hard, the fact is that she had to Chara Change with Gretchen at one point and that... took a lot out of her.

    Yet, despite this, she's going to the hospital anyways. There's no reason not to. Volunteer work isn't that hard, so long as Medo doesn't get overly enthusiastic about 'helping' when she really shouldn't.

    Madoka closes her eyes and lets out a yawn, softly stifling it so as to not disturb her sleeping minidokas. It's been a weird week so far. Then again, since becoming aware of magic, has her life ever really been normal?

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was... not in the best of moods. Her experiences recently were less than pleasant. Sure, she'd won candy. A lot of candy. A LOT of candy... But something about it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Ah. Yes. Having Hematite show up. Having to cower from him. Not to mention.... Sayaka just calling her out on her lies. Which, okay, she WAS lying to Sayaka a lot. Lies of omission, yes. But there were a lot of lies. She wasn't anywhere near the goody girl she pretended to be....

Exhibit a: She was riding a motorcycle through the city, which she REALLY wasn't at all supposed to be able to do. Sure, she had a license... but she'd lied about her age to get it. On the upside, Sayaka either didn't know or didn't care about that.

As she was driving, on the side of the road she saw a pink haired girl walking and... well... She suddenly pulled over, to the side, besides her.

"Hey, Ribbons," she called out. "You got a second? I'd like to have a little chat."

She then glanced to her and the road, before smirking behind her helmet. "Tell you what. Climb on, I'll give you a lift to where you're going and we can chat on the way. You're the girl who swung by after Sayaka-chan dealt with that uhhhh... issue the other day, right?"

... In her defense, the school had a LOT of pink haired girls and she wasn't entirely certain this WAS the right one.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka glances off to the side as she hears a motorcycle nearby. That alone isn't that strange. She's on a sidewalk next to a road. What's a little unusual is the motorcyclist pulling over and calling her by the name 'ribbons'. Madoka is pretty sure that (A) she has never been called that before in her life and (B) that she's the only one with ribbons in her hair right now. Looking over at the source, she notices Hinoiri.

    ... Huh.

    "That's right. You were there, too. Sorry I showed up late back then."

    When offered a ride, Madoka looks one way down the sidewalk and then the other, unsure for a moment, but then nods and walks closer. "Um. Alright. I volunteer at Mitakihara General after school, so that's where I was going."

    She hops into the back of the motorcycle, behind Hinoiri, and asks, "What did you want to talk about?"

    Madoka's Chara remain mostly undisturbed, resting on her shoulder, though Brai's eye cracks open slightly to study Hinoiri. What's this about, the tiny minidoka wonders.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gnodded and, well, reached back into the helmet holder, opening it for a second to take out the spare helmet and... "Here, safety first," she said. "Hold on, I wouldn't want you falling off. Magic or not, it'd still probably hurt."

Once the other girl was secure, she'd take off. And apparently Hinoiri was someone who took 'speed limits' as 'speed suggestions'. And she rarely, if ever, took other people's suggestions. "So. When I was talking with Sayaka-recently, oh. Right. I guess I should ask. You and her close? Like... I know you're friends. Are you best friends?"

Once she got an answer on that, she nodded. "Good. So, when we were out last, we went to this sweet shop that was doing a whole special on these silver suckers, based on some viral video. Frankly, I think the guy who did them was kiiiiind of a donkey's fl-- a jackass. But Sayaka-chan got reallllly bent out of shape about it. I didn't wanna talk about it. But then, she said if I didn't? She was gonna go to her 'best friend' who 'knew things' to find out what my issue with him is. So, I wanna know. You stalking me or something? Why does she think you'll know all my little secrets?"

She paused for a moment after that. "I was one of the people caught in one of his little 'attacks', by the way. And yeah, I remember it. Not his biggest fan. I think that's fair, though."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Safety first is something that Madoka believes in, so she puts on the spare helmet and holds onto Hinoiri. Somehow, her two Chara have tiny helmets too and are now fully awake and holding onto Madoka's pigtails. The clinging, both from Madoka and her Chara, gets a bit tighter when the trio start seeing just how Hinoiri regards things like 'laws'. What the hey?! Didn't she say 'safety first'?!

    Then again, it's not as if Hinoiri is the only person in the universe who speeds. Madoka probably has a stricter standard of 'safety' than most.

    So then why does she pick fights without a henshin?! Look, don't ask. Very few people's moral standards really make sense if you examine them too closely.

    When asked about her friendship with Sayaka, Madoka smiles brightly. "Sure! We've known each other since forever. Of course we're best friends."

    When she listens to the rest of the story, at first she's a bit perplexed, but then she realizes that they're talking about the Clock App guy and suddenly she glances worriedly off the side. "I mean... I didn't think he was that bad of a guy." As she hears more and more of the story, she gets even more confused.

    "Huh? Stalking you? I-I just hunt Witches, most of the time. I don't really know that guy or what his deal is, and I know even less about you." After taking a pause to consider, Madoka adds, "I already knew things when Sayaka-chan was just starting, so maybe she just thinks that I'll know things?"

    Oh geeze. What has Madoka gotten herself into? She doesn't know anything about this. Attacks? The only thing she knows about Hematite attacking people is that one time Gretchen was flailing wildly about Emus.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara would approve of the charas wearing helmets, at least. Likely wouldn't approve of the rest of it. The confirmation, fortunately, calmed her nerves slightly. "Meh. Maybe he's not to the right people. But he really rubs me the wrong way. Probably easier to deal with him when you've got magic, though."

She did a turn WAY too fast, getting a few angry yells from another driver. Son of a...

"Right. So she just kind of assumes you'll know a bunch of things about me, then? Like, I'm gonna be honest. I'm still figuring out this whole 'dating' thing and Sayaka-chan seems like a real sweet girl. But I like my privacy. If I don't like someone, I'd like to think it's MY right to tell people who and why. So just don't go prying into my business, okay?"

They were... actually almost to the hospital. Once again, Hinoiri managed to outrace the maps app. Ha, suck it!

"So... these witches. The one that attacked us. It seemed very... nasty. Just how much trouble is Sayaka-chan in, with what she's doing? Like... how deadly are these witch things? Cause I don't know if you've noticed but well... girl has some really weird ideas. I mean, I'm not gonna tell you what they are, isn't my place to say. But you know. I'm a bit worried about her. She saved my life and all."

Speaking of saving lives, it was then that Hinoiri skidded to a stop in front of the hospital. SERIOUSLY. This was probably a record for her unless she used magic sometimes... possibly even then.

On the downside, it might take her a bit to regain the use of her 'legs'.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka grits her teeth the whole way. Oh geeze. Mama and Papa never drive like this! She glances back at the angry driver in horror. Oh god. Good thing she's wearing a helmet. How can Hinoiri stand to drive like this?!

    Madoka doesn't really judge Hinoiri one way or another on her opinions of Hematite. It's not as if she really knows the guy well enough to vouch for his character, though... there was that time in the tarot booth. If he has a bad side, Madoka just hasn't seen it.

    "So you're the one dating Sayaka-chan?!" Madoka is suddenly grateful that Sayaka has such a good healing factor. Well, the bluenette did mention something like that. It takes Madoka a moment to process the reality of that before she even thinks about what to say about Witches.

    "I mean... it's not uncommon for them to kill. They don't just hurt non-magicals either. A lot of very competent, strong willed magicals have died in a Witch's Labyrinth. They aren't something that you can take lightly."

    When they arrive at the hospital, Madoka realizes just how tightly she's been holding on. If she was tired before, now she's exhausted. Her little Chara try to help her stay on her feet as she gets off, but... they're little fairy things. What could they possibly do? Madoka wobbles for a moment. Brai and Medo panic as they try to keep her stable.

    "I mean... I wasn't really trying to pry into people's business. I really don't know much about you. I guess you don't have to say why you don't like him if you don't want to, but he's never been mean to me." Intimidating and weird, because of the dark magic, but not actually mean.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a nod. "Yeah. She uhhhh... told you about me, right? Or... what?" If she hadn't told her best friend... well... maybe the girl was embarrassed by her. Heh. Wouldn't that be a hoot? She'd keep secrets like this, but her reasons for disliking Hematite? That had to be known.

"... So she's in a lot of danger every time she goes into one of those labyrinths, isn't she?" Hinoiri asked. "You know, maybe you should work on your timing. Last time you arrived late, it might have gotten me killed. Next time? It'll likely get her killed. She's the one going into these things, choosing to fight them," she snapped, actually sounding mad. As if she was blaming Madoka for it.

She tore off her helmet and glared back at the girl when she got off and... then... "You okay? You know, if you need to have a doctor look at you this bad, maybe you should have talked to the nurse. She's pretty good." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a... pair of miracle suckers. Offering one to her. "Here. In case your blood sugar is low. And... yeah. I'm not surprised. I'm still pretty new in town. There's really not a lot to know about me at this time. But I really don't like people jamming their noses into my business like that. Everyone has things they don't want to talk about." She took the one off her own, stuffing it into her mouth.

"... Sayaka's sweet. Got that whole 'kindness and giving up pieces of herself for those she cares about' thing down. But she's really going to end up hurt in one of those witch's labyrinths before long. She's your best friend, maybe try and keep a better eye on her before that happens. She deserves some good friends who have her back and, unlike you, I can't do the whole... magic swords thingy she does. Well, yet. I remember this stuff, so chances are I'll get some magic thing before long."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "She did tell me," clarifies Madoka. "I just hadn't quite connected the dots until now. I think I only met you once before?"

    Then Hinoiri snaps at Madoka, and she glances off to the side with a frown. She doesn't really think it's fair to blame her when she's going out every night, doing her best to...

    No, if she was really doing her best, she'd henshin with Gretchen. No matter what the personal cost was. It makes her sad to think that way, but... it's not wrong, is it?

    Madoka takes the offered sucker and says, "Eheh... I'll be fine. I'm just not used to motorcycles I guess." Madoka is way too nice to tell the girl that she drives like a madwoman. Not unless something forces a confrontation, anyways.

    She does actually agree on the privacy note. "I mean... if privacy didn't matter, then so many of us wouldn't have secret identities, right? I think maybe this is just a misunderstanding. I wouldn't have any reason to investigate every person I come across, let alone the time. And..."

    Madoka glances off to the side and starts rubbing her left arm instead. She hasn't eaten the sucker yet. It's still wrapped and in her hands. "... You don't need to remind me to worry about my friends. I worry all the time, and I know I'm not the only one either. That's why I hunt as often as I do, even if I don't need the Grief Seeds."

    After a moment, she adds, "... but I guess I can understand your feelings, since it's not something you can do on your own. At least not yet."

    Medo floats around the lollipop and views it suspiciously, fussing over its nutritional content. Madoka notices this and quietly unwraps it and sticks it in her mouth. Medo and Madoka each like to think they're the 'mom' in this situation. Both of them are wrong.

    She takes the sucker out of her mouth to say, "Well... thanks for the lift. I hope everything works out between you and Sayaka-chan. You're right to say that she's a sweetheart. She's someone who really cares about people."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara really wasn't the kind of person who should be giving advice to these girls. At least, not now. She was more the kind of girl who should...

Okay, it wasn't polite to say the kind of girl she SHOULD be right now, but she really wasn't the best one to give someone advice. "Really? They're pretty sweet. Probably one of the few things I really like about this place," she said before wrapping hers back up in the cover and sliding it back into her pocket, saving it for later. She wasn't gonna drive with one in her mouth.

"Thanks for this talk, ribbons. Hope you don't mind if I call you that. I've never been the best with names unless..." She trailed off. "Oh yeah. Hinoiri Kirara, in case you forgot. Keep yourself out of trouble and all that, and try and keep an eye on her. She's going to burn herself out at this rate. Can you believe she saved my life and she thought it didn't warrant some kind of gift? I swear some people. Nothing wrong with getting something nice when you help someone. Especially when not everybody can," Hinoiri muttered, looking annoyed again.

"... Don't burn yourself out on this stuff, though. If you're like her? Not every little thing is going to be your responsibility to fix. And if you both try fighting every threat that comes your way? You're not going to be in any state to help the people you actually care about."

"If Sayaka died because you were too tired from your other hunts to be there when she needed you, you mgiht be a good hunter. But you'd be a real shitty friend. Same goes for her. See yah," she said before sliding the helmet on and then taking off, spinning around and driving off...

Once again getting yelled at by another driver. Eesh. How had she not died yet?

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I mean... I guess I don't mind." is her opinion about the nickname. "I'm Madoka Kaname, though my friends usually call me by my first name."

    Madoka blinks at what Hinoiri says. Sayaka saving someone and not expecting a gift in return sounds... normal to her? It's weird that it doesn't make sense to Hinoiri. Then again, she seems like she's not from around here. Maybe her cultural values are different. It's one thing to give freely of your own generosity, but if one was worried about being taken advantage of then it might not actually be good to act that way. At least, that's the kind of excuse that Madoka thinks of to make for her.

    "I... don't really know if I can afford to stop," says Madoka, "and just because I don't know a person that doesn't mean I don't care about them. Our world is full of people who help out strangers, and we're all better off for it."

    Madoka does have to think about what Hinoiri says though. Does she agree with it? If she spends too much time on lesser enemies, will she be unable to fight the battles that really matter?

    No, she can't afford to think that way. It's because she doesn't have the same restrictions as Puella Magi that she's obligated to go as hard as she can. It's because of what she knows that she can't stop. This isn't the kind of failure she can just walk away from. If she fails, then Akemi-sensei will hold her back another year.

    Really, Madoka would be grateful if that was the only price of failure.