1946/Ocean Witch Dive

Ocean Witch Dive
Date of Scene:	14 September 2024
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	On a day trip to Odaiba, Madoka, Laura, Amy, and Usagi come across signs of a Witch! Can they put an end to the Witch of Devouring's suffering?
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Madoka Kaname, Amanda Faust, Laura La Mer

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Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Odaiba, being both a manmade island and a popular entertainment district among Tokyoites and tourists alike, has some pretty fantastic beaches, and though Summer vacation may be over, the summer weather - both heat and humidity wise - sure isn't! The trip isn't even that long, only about forty minutes at the longer end, no matter whether you took the train or the water bus.

That's one reason Usagi Tsukino, along with a variety of her fellow students, had decided to take the opportunity for a day trip, a mixed group of girls from various years all boarding the train from Juuban Station to Odaiba Station, sharing snacks and chatting about how they were handling being back to school.

Probably the most excited thing to happen on the trip from Juuban to Odaiba Beach was there stop at DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, if only because of the huge (HUGE!) life-size Unicorn Gundam that stood watch there! The group had planned ahead, and arrived just in time to witness one of the transformation shows.

"Ah, it's even bigger than it looked in all the pictures," Usagi cheers, as the Gundam's armor shifts, red lights come on to give the white armor a fierce new look, and the unicorn horn splits as the face plate opens, completing the warrior form transformation. The epic battle music only adds to how cool the whole thing in.

It's only a short show, though, and after a few excellent group photos, the group hops back on the train, arriving at a stop not far from Odaiba Beach. They'll just have to walk a few minutes, and then they'll be able to run out into the sand and sea. Already the air is full of that salty sea-scent, and the sun beams bright overhead. It's not quite noon.

Usagi grins as they all stretch after the train ride, stretching her arms over her head. She's got a beach bag thrown over her shoulder, and is wearing an orange sun dress with a denim vest, a pair of sunglasses resting atop her head.
"Alright! Let's hit the beach, everyone, this is going to be great!" She declares excitedly, pointing down the road. There's a sign directing visitors towards the beach, and confirming that it would only take them a few minutes to reach it.

"Yes, yes, Tsukino-chan is right," one of the other girls along for the trip agrees. Kotono Sarashina had helped organize today's day trip, and the pretty girl with long ash-blond hair decorated with two ribbons, and despite her calm exterior, is just as excited as the others to be here. "Everyone, let's all stay together until we've found a place to lay our towels and things. Once we're all sorted, we'll be able to enjoy the day! I'll keep holding onto the cooler; we've got enough snacks and drinks to keep us going all day!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka was all too happy to take a day trip to the beach, and of course a couple of her fairies are here with her. Tia has mostly been quiet with her arms crossed and looking out the window during the train ride, sipping from a tiny tea cup. Kamiko, having developed a fascination with Gundam during her time as a Witch Chara, just had to come by to where the transforming Unicorn Gundam display was. The fairy of redemption had spent the whole train ride telling Madoka far more information than she ever wanted to know about the Universal Century timeline, with all of the excitement of a hyperactive child.

    She even brought a couple of her gunpla which, if asked, she'll state intends to shove through a portal and does not in fact expect Madoka to carry around for her all day.

    So of course when it was time to take a picture of them in front of the transforming Gundam, Kamiko and Tia where there hovering around their Chara Bearer, the former being very excited to be here.

    After the photoshoot, Madoka asked Kamiko, "I mean... couldn't you have come here at any time?"

    Kamiko shrugs. "Yeah but it's different if I'm here with people."

    Back on the train shortly after, Tia is scratching her chin while looking at Madoka. When the Bearer asks what's on her Chara's mind, the fancy fairy says, "Chin up. Straighten out your back. Relax your shoulders. No, not like that. Hold on, let me fix your ribbons." Then she spends a few minutes fussing over Madoka's hair while the pink girl patiently and somewhat awkwardly waits.

    Finally they are off the bus, and despite the differences being almost imperceivable Madoka's hair does look extra nice today. Her outfit is also a bit different from her usual summer attire, being a pink and white floral print sundress and a clean white hat with a pink kerchief tied around it. Her white bag with polished brass-colored latches hangs off of her shoulder and rests at her side. It's overall a slight step above what others might have seen her in before, no doubt thanks to Tia's input.

    Madoka is all bright smiles as she skips ahead to catch up with Usagi, Kotono and the others; only to slow down a bit after Tia clears her throat. With a bit more reservation, but still very clearly happy to be here, the pink girl says, "Right. Let's all stay close." She then turns towards the rest of the group and takes a headcount, just in case.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    A day trip with a bunch of her fellow teenage girls! Amy's gone with a red T-shirt and her uniform skirt, and has packed a messenger bag with a water bottle, sandwich, wallet, and such. Sometimes she forgets herself and it all feels natural and normal, although now and then some conversation topic reminds her that she's a magical girl, or had a different upbringing than everyone here, and she wonders if she really belongs.

    But everyone can appreciate a GUNDAM! "Wooow, so that's how big it would be in real life? Like, I knew, I've read the stats on wikis, but... It's another thing to see it!"

    She is actually surprised that so many people on the trip are excited about it, though! "I thought most girls weren't into giant robots," she comments, although she then immediately looks like she's reconsidering the basis of that assumption. Ultimately, she's just happy to geek out with more folks over giant robots! She may also teach them the "Chicks Dig Giant Robots" song after the show.

    A show which she knows the meaning of. She jokes, "It's a good thing none of us are Newtypes... I wonder why they picked Unicorn in particular to build life-size after the original RX-78?"

    But then she has souvenier photos. Of herself, smiling, surrounded by other smiling people, in front of a cool giant robot... she might finally change her phone background to one of them!

    "Thank you so much, for organizing this trip and inviting me." Amy smiles, "It really has been a nice day." She bows to Usagi and Kotono, before gathering up and continuing on with the group.

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura would have never said no when it came to a field trip with friends with lots of fun activities, even if the situation with Usagi was more along the line of acquaintances for now than any actual friendship. But hey, that's an occasion for it to change, maybe? There are certainly a lot of things to do on this trip, and she should probably count herself lucky that her "camera" doesn't need batteries or any sort of recharging.

"You mean to tell me this is an actual artificial island?", she said shocked when she was first informed of their destination. She wasn't even aware something like that was possible, even more so since it apparently still had vegetation and everything. How did humans even manage to carry out such a colossal project?

That wasn't a question she could casually ask without going into a lot more things, but then again that wasn't needed to get access to the history of the island. "I have to say, this is ingenious in all sort of ways", she had mentioned on the train, nose deep in a booklet about the artificial island.

"This was really amazing", Laura says, having taken no shortage of bubble photos on the way here. "Are we going swimming after we have found a place?", she asks Usagi.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Once they arrive in Odaiba, Laura is shocked about the artificial island, which Usagi can't blame her for - Odaiba certainly doesn't look artificial! "Yeah, it is! Isn't it cool? I don't really know a lot about the history, but that's why it's got this shape, because it's a manmade island."

Once they're at the transformation show - "Who doesn't like Gundam? It's so cool! Especially when it lights up!" This is from Usagi, though a couple of the other girls pipe up in agreement, and of course, Kamiko (to those with a magical eye), is certainly excited.

And finally, when they arrive at the beach, Usagi is all smiles. "We're definitely going to go swimming! Pools are great, but what can beat the ocean! I didn't go to the beach nearly enough before we had to go back to class, so now we're going to live it up!"

She raises her arm high, striking a pose, before giggling and continuing on with the rest of the group as they get started. When Amy thanks her and Kotono, she smiles brightly. "Of course, it's a great way to have fun, you know?"

Kotono smiles too, looking a little flustered but also pleased to be acknowledged. "Thank you, Faust-chan. It really did seem that summer just wasn't long enough, so why not have fun together?"

It only takes a few minutes to reach the beach, but when they get there, the group as a whole is halted by a gathered crowd at the beach's entrance. With a little shuffling, they're able to break through, only to see -

"Hey, wait, why's the ocean all roped off?!" Usagi stares with appalled horror at the sight before them - the beautiful beach, with the distant sight of Minato Ward and Tokyo, blocked off by cones and plastic barriers set about five meters from the shoreline. Police offers in uniform are standing by the barrier, trying to ward off a group of people who seem intent of trudging right past the barriers.

"I'm not sure," Kotono says, worrying at her lip, "But those people sure seem unhappy about it. I didn't see anything about this on the news..."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka Kaname is mostly relaxed. She would be completely chill if not for the fact that Tia is here trying to instill in her some flavor of propriety, which is kind of hard to maintain when one regularly involves themselves with the sick and wounded. Yet even with no less than seven Chara to appease, Madoka remains optimistic that she can make it work.

    Somehow.

    Kamiko is mostly satisfied now that she has seen the Unicorn Gundam transformation and has also gotten some pictures taken, but she's still hanging out with Madoka just in case something bad happens. As they often do.

    Madoka is a bit hesitant at first when she notices the crowd in front of the barrier. After pushing through, which is a bit easier when you are small and can squeeze into tight spaces, she arrives where the police are and notices that something is off about this. "Is the beach closed? It looks fine..." she says, as she looks past them at the sand and water beyond.

    "How unruly," notes Tia. "Have not they heard of a line? Surely the authorities must have some reason..."

    Kamiko blurts out, "It's a Witch. I can feel her nearby." The fairy of endless hair turns to Madoka, then glances to Usagi and then Amy. "You feel it too, right Amy-chan? She's nearby... I can faintly make out her energy..."

    Madoka turns to Kamiko and says, "Hey... let me see!"

    The small goddess declares, "Chara Change!" and, while the full henshin sequence does not happen, Madoka's hair does get slightly longer and her eyes turn golden. Most non-magicals might not even notice that anything's changed, but those with the sight can tell that her eyes have a slight glow to them.

    "I can feel it, too," says the Bearer. "Kamiko-chan, Tia-chan, stay close to me."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    (If swimming was planned, Amy has instead brought her backpack, a MOLLE assault pack in desert camo with US on the back pocket in faded black letters. She can barely cram a towel and swimsuit in there with the other stuff.)

    Beach! Swimming! Just as she's relaxing getting comfortable having a normal day like a normal girl...

    Police here. What happened? And then she senses something familiar, and she remembers her first Witch, and the Witch Jaidyn, both attracting police investigations to their location... Amy crouches down and takes off her pack, getting a sip from her water bottle and also discreetly changing her soul gem to egg form and tracking... Yeah... it's a Witch... damn it.

    She stands back up, and nods at Madoka if their eyes meet, making her way to Usagi to try and whisper, 'It's a Witch. I'm guessing we'll find the police are investigating suicides, if we ask. Or... maybe they wouldn't tell us that.' She'll motion for Laura to come closer and whisper the same to her if she looks curious.
    Amy doesn't transform just yet, but figures the Magicals here today will all be finding an excuse to get out of sight and transform shortly, and she'll do so with everyone else.

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura has definitely got to agree on the island's coolness, and it is evident to anyone she has been having fun all day long! "Thank you for organising this trip, Usagi-san, it's amazing", she smiles brightly to the other girl.

When Usagi does mention that they are in fact going swimming, there is clear hesitation on Laura's face as she is torn by a serious dilemma: she really can only swim as a mermaid. Would she try to do that as a human she would sink faster than a stone. She isn't in danger of drowning at least, but there is no way she can admit to something so shameful.

And besides, she really agrees with Usagi there! The ocean is great, and not even the fiercest storm could stop her from swimming in it. "Madoka-chan, Amy-chan, Usagi-san, do you mind if I go swimming on my own?", Laura clears her throat with a veil of embarassment to get the three's attention. They can certainly come if they want, but not with anyone else.

Of course, when they get there, they find that the ocean is cordoned off! "What!?", she exclaims irritated. "That's unfair, why is it we can't swim when the sea is so beautiful!?" Madoka mentioning a Witch leaves Laura perplexed. "A Witch? Like the Witch of Delays?" she asks unaware.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
One of the police officers near the less unruly crowd overhears Madoka's initial query (though not the rest, thanks to a sudden shout from one of those trying to push through), and turns to the small group. "Ah, I was really hoping those guys would have calmed down by one," she's an older woman, looking gruff but concerned. "You kids should find somewhere else to play. You see, crowds of people like that lot keep coming and trying to walk themselves into the ocean, and the police haven't always been able to stop them. This isn't the kind of thing you all should be witnessing."

Kotono and several of the other students go deathly pale, looking at the sight of the crowd pushing back against the officers with horrified eyes. "R-right," Kotono says quickly, "E-everyone, maybe we really should look for something else to do -"

As the civilians among the small group begin discussing alternate options, Usagi hears Amy's whisper and grimaces, nodding.

"That's no good - we're going to have to sneak off to take care of this then... Ah, La Mer-chan, a Witch is a type of enemy, though one we've learned new ways to defeat. They can sorta brainwash people, to make them try to hurt themselves so they can... I don't know why they do it, actually? But that's what they do. All those people fighting the police officers must be effected."

Just then, a man approaches at a dead run, having made it through the crowd at the entrance to the beach. As he passes by, the girls will be able to see a Witch's Kiss on the side of his neck. The police officer who was talking to them hurriedly tries to intercept, and Usagi whips around, "Kotono-chan, why don't you get to the front and lead everyone away? I'll stay at the back, to make sure we don't get separated!"

"Right - right, that's a good idea. Okay everyone, please follow me -"

Sorry, Kotono-chan, but this group of four will be splintering off from here. With the rest of their classmates heading away, Usagi turns to the other girls. "Let's find a spot to transform, and find the entrance to the Witch's labyrinth!"

Luckily, there are some large signs, lifeguard towers, and even stylishly placed rock outcroppings for them to hide behind (if they're bothering to hide). Whether it's Amy or Chara-Changed Madoka who finds it first, they'll realize that the entrance to the Witch's labyrinth is actually some distance from the shore, out at sea. They're going to have to wade out until the water is at their busts to reach it.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    While Madoka would certainly be understanding of Laura's situation, without knowing the details she just assumes that the mermaid wants to swim in her natural form or something. She'd probably empathize with her not knowing how to swim with different legs, and the frustration that comes with that when you're used to having a tail.

    All the same, going alone in a group trip is usually a quick way to get lost, and while Madoka's certain that Laura could take care of herself she'd have no idea how to convince the mundanes of that.

    Sadly, there's no time to get into that. "I mean... I'm sure you'd be fine, but it's not worth worrying about if they don't let us in."

    Madoka frowns as Amy confirms her feelings. Not that she expected anything different, but... if Amy didn't also sense it then Madoka would have to doubt herself. She breathes in, breathes out, and with that breath goes all of her expectations of having a relaxing day today.

    A magical girl is always on call.

    Tia floats before Laura (at a comfortable distance, she's not flying in Laura's face) and says, "Nuh-uh. This kind of Witch is totally different than the Witch of Delays. This is the kind of monster that will take lives, mundane or magical. All those people walking into the sea? I bet it's her doing."

    Kamiko explains in a bit more detail, adding to what Usagi and Tia said, "They feed off of the energy they get by killing, and use that to grow stronger and also propagate. When one shows up, it's an emergency. It's one of the things I was trying to find an answer to when I was an X-Chara."

    Madoka glances between Kamiko and Tia, whispering, "I'm going to need you both. Kamiko, I'll have to save you for the end. Tia, you're with me for now."

    The Bearer and two minidokas follow after her, finding a set of rocks to hide behind. A few moments later, Hope Blossom emerges, her pink hair down and suddenly more wavey. She has a parasol in her hands, opened and hiding her face from the sun. She makes her way towards the Labyrinth, with Kamiko at her side guiding the way.

    She twirls her parasol as she waits at the shoreline. The water wraps around her ankles for a moment and retreats. She frowns as she considers just how far out the actual Labyrinth is. "Well... this one way to hide." Her parasol vanishes in a burst of pink sparkles, and she wades into the water until she's in deep enough to start swimming. She, at least, has no issue using her legs.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Oof. Yeah, best to get the girls out of here before they end up Witch-kissed too. Amy transforms out of sight, but soon finds herself standing at the edge of the water. Aw, fudge.

    <<Guys?>> Amy calls out, and then follows that with a mental sigh. Wherever he is, Kyubey doesn't comment or show himself, though. <<The Witch is out in the water. It feels close, like we can swim there, but... Laura, can you help move us closer one at a time? Madoka, guide her there, then she can get Usagi. I'll bring up the rear.>>

    Amy keeps an eye out at shore, checking for any complications arising like one of them entering the Labyrinth before the rest, or meddling police coming to interfere.

Laura La Mer has posed:
So it's basically something completely unrelated from the Witch? That reassures Laura somewhat, but still, she has plenty to say about this Witch putting people in danger when they are supposed to be having fun! "I see, lead the way then! Teaching this Witch a lesson will free them, right?", she points to the crowd of people pressing against the police.

"I shouldn't have expected anything less from someone so cruel", Laura scoffs when she gets told Witches kill to propagate. She thinks the Witch of Delays is just as bad because living a life without your dreams and motivation is just too cruel to consider, but this is not the Evils Olympics, no need to pit them against each other.

"Of course, I can!", she smiles, giving Amy a thumbs up and walking as far into the sea as her legs take care. Once there, she turns back into a mermaid, staying there in wait of her passengers, floating on the surface of the water on her stomach. "Hop on, I can lead you there", she gives an encouragement if needed. She really just needs to follow Madoka, right?

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
After ducking behind a sign, Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon, and with a grimace, follows Amy and Madoka towards the water.

"No wonder people are throwing themselves at the sea... doesn't this Witch know how inconvenient this is? This outfit was not made for water!" Despite that, she is wading in, and thankfully the police officers are so busy with the crowd they haven't noticed the four girls in apparent cosplay.

Wading into the water in boots and a miniskirt is not fun, at all, but it's the only way to do it, right? She mutters to herself, grumbling, "At least I know how to doggy paddle..."

Luckily, before she has to? There's a mermaid (a real mermaid! Another one!) offering her a ride, and shocker, that mermaid is - Laura?!

"Oh man!!! La Mer-chan, your tail is so pretty!! Thank you for giving me a ride, I really only know how to doggy paddle and that probably would have taken a long time!!"

With that, Sailor Moon carefully clamors onto her back. Some of the grimness inherent in facing a Witch is worn away by the majesty of riding a mermaid.

Once they're all out far enough, the Labyrinth's entrance is easy enough to find, and before long, one after the other, they'll be entering. "Here goes..."

The first thing they become of aware of when they enter the Witch's Labyrinth is the cold, wet, pressure that utterly sounds them, and the darkness, too. They're surrounded by water that doesn't feel right at all, clinging like oil and weighing them down. Hair doesn't float, but is instead plastered to skin and clothing, if long enough to reach, and clothing clings uncomfortably too.

There's the pressure and sensation of water all around, but it doesn't sting their eyes or enter their mouths and nose - despite what it feels like, they can breathe normally, without inhaling any of the gross water. And, in usual Labyrinth defiance of logic, they aren't floating around or swimming, either. They're standing, with feet oriented towards the ground, and they're still able to walk around normally.

"This is so, so, so gross," Sailor Moon grimaces, shivering uncomfortably as her skirt plasters itself to her thighs. "It's bad enough for Labyrinths to be scary, do they have to be gross too?"

Looking around, they'll see that they seem to be in an underwater clearing, with towering forests of seaweed reaching overhead, tendrils floating about with malicious intent. If they get to close, they snake close, aiming to grip and tangle. Overhead, there's an enormous bed of what appears to be coral made out of lego bricks just - floating, unanchored, at least a hundred meters overhead. If anyone tries to move towards it they'll find that they can walk up, as though the water were stairs, though they'll pitch and wobble from the unsteady surface tension.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    As Madoka reaches the entrance of the Labyrinth, she sets her feet down in order to wait. This ends up putting the water at nearly chest level on average, though the motion of the waves means that it can go from bellybutton level to neck level in a moment. Kamiko, naturally, can just hover above the water with no issue, and she turns around and waits for the others to catch up via Mermaid Express. When they're all together, Madoka says, "Are we ready? Let's go in. Remember to be careful and don't underestimate anything!"

    When the group finally goes in, the first thing she notices is just how gross the water is. Kamiko, post-purification, may have been able to master the art of clean water and food within her own world, but this Witch probably isn't concerned with that.

    At least they can walk around, even if it feels like they're walking underwater.

    "I don't know, but I don't think I've ever seen a Labyrinth that was anywhere close to clean or sterile," says Madoka. "Kamiko's Paradise aside, that is..."

    Her Parasol appears in her hands again, this time closed. When one of the tendrils gets too close she bats it away. "Shoo! Go away!"

    As she finally manages to get a chance to look up, she blinks. "Are those... lego bricks?" She starts trying to get closer, and ends up... walking up water stairs instead of swimming? Even knowing as well as she does that Labyrinths make no sense whatsoever, her mind still boggles at this.

    Kamiko, for her part, is clinging to the back of Hope Blossom's shoulder. She doesn't know how physics work here but she doesn't want to get separated from her Bearer.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Unless Laura can carry all of them at once, Amy waits and then just transforms again and flies right out there just as Laura and the others are reaching the Labyrinth.

    Okay, the labyrinth kind of feels like it's underwater, but also isn't. Amy takes a breath. "It's like when you're underwater in a dream, except that it... feels grosser, ugh." Being slightly armored up doesn't change that her outfit's underlayer is a bodysuit which is wet and clinging everywhere, or that the skirt plasters weirdly against her thighs. At least the chest and skirt armor keep her hair off parts of her back.

    "Eugh..." Amy comments, reflexively trying to pull her bodysuit away from her chest but she can't because the armor's in the way. A swimsuit is one thing in the water, but wet fabric clinging there on dry land is one of the top new grossest feelings she's discovered this past year.

    Scary is bad enough. Why gross too? "I mean... I guess it's probably based... somehow, on something about us, right? Like, Sharpsong's was in a concert hall... Maybe this girl hated the water? Or loved being in it and being a Witch has inverted it... Boy I hate to think what mine would be like..."

    She walks on with the others, "Reminds me a bit of the painting, except we didn't become mermaids this time."

    When she sees the kelp attack, she warns, "Careful! I don't exactly have a cuttitng weapon! ...Wait, do my weapons even work here?" She test-fires some gyrojet bullets and a rocket launcher -- sans explosion, she doesn't want to attract too much attention -- into the distance, just to check how projectiles behave.

    Sooner or later she tries to swim up, forgetting she can't, and instead finds herself... walking on water? "Oh that is weird. Nnngh... No, that's gonna take too long -- oh wait, Witch geometry." Amy turns to Madoka, Can... Kamiko tell which way the Witch is?"

Laura La Mer has posed:
Usagi may or may not see it from her position on Laura's back, but when she gets complimented on the prettiness of her tail, she gets the biggest smile on her face. Compliments always feel nice, especially ones in relation to the real her. "I know, right!?", she exclaims cheerfully to Usagi. "It is pretty, thank you, Usagi-san", she adds the thanks just as enthusiastically as she wait for Usagi to climb on.

"Enjoy the trip!", the mermaid tells her, kicking her tail and starting to swim in the direction of the Labyrinth's entrance. Usagi will find that it is a pleasant trip, and that Laura is really attentive at making sure she is comfortable for the duration of it.

When they get inside the Labyrinth, Laura's feelings are just as disgusted as everyone else. "What is this?" she frowns as the hair starts clinging to her, and she feels so out of tune with the environment. It's completely different from anything she has felt before when swimming. She can't even appreciate the silver lining of being able to breathe and talk, since those are things she could already do.

"Are all of these Witches like this?", she asks trying her best to ignore the way the water feels, staying close to the other girls instead of going ahead. She looks grimly at the tendrils of seaweed, doing her best to stay away from here. "This really does not feel like the water of someone who enjoys swimming", Laura says in response to what Amy brought up. "If I could trade her for the Witch of Delays, I would. Her mansion is so much more pleasant than this, and the water is still pure there", she laments.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Whoa," Sailor Moon calls out, as Laura swims off, at excellent speed. "That was amazing!"

Once they're inside the Labyrinth though, there's a lot less to smile about. "This is the Witch's Labyrinth - it's like, a space outside of space that they live in and control. Why it's so gross... I don't know. I wish it wasn't... at least we're all the way out in the ocean outside of here..."

Maybe the swim back to shore will clean all of this gross water off of them.

As long as they stay away, the tendrils of seaweed don't grab them - and luckily, nothing comes out to attack in response to Amy's test firing, with the four of them able to ascend without much interference -

Well, at first, anyway.

"That sounds so much nicer, at least the water would be clean. I mean, I know Labyrinth's are weird... but this is so weird. Walking up water, lego coral, I mean what's ne-EEEEK!"

She shouldn't have tempted fate! A large shape darts between the girls as they climb, and Sailor Moon shrieks as she falls through the water step, scrambling at the water to keep from walling all the way down. Unintuitively, her hands are able to claw at more wobbling, watery steps, and she catches herself.

The thing that attacked is an enormous yellow eel, and it's like watching something out a stop motion product brought to like, the claymotion creature swimming around and trying to strike at them. When it opens it's mouth, it reveals fangs made of ships' propellers, whirring loudly as it tries to chomp on Amy.

That whirring noise might just be some sort of communication, because in a moment, another appears, descending from the lego coral bed, this one green and red, charging right for Hope Blossom and Kamiko.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Are all Witches like this? "Yes and no. Each one is different, but they're all weird." Amy replies.

    They're going... up? It seems they've ended up going up. "It looks like a long way, but remember, space here is distorted." Annoyance settles in Amy's stomach, though. She has no idea what factor decides when they ultimately end up in the Witch's Lair, is it the Witch herself? Could a Witch simply decide to never let them get closer?

    Eel. Stop-motion propeller eel. Amy blinks. You never get entirely used to your perception being messed with that way. It always feels weird. "That's not the Witch!" Amy alerts, pre-empting the possible question from Laura. "There were no boss titles!" What?

    Amy is standing on the steps, launcher out, taking aim when the eel turns and comes for her. Of course, an open mouth full of 'teeth' facing you can only mean one thing:

    Shoot the weak point for massive damage!

    So she does, firing and immediately flying backward away from it. "Stupid monster. I can fly! Yeah, come and get me!" She fires at it again if that didn't finish it, or at one of the others. "Hey! C'mon, don't you want a hot and spicy meal?"

    She can fly, so it's better the eels chase her -- as long as this fight doesn't turn into a minutes-long protracted battle, she can spare the magic for it right now!

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I can tell you she's probably in here somewhere!" says Kamiko to Amy. "Sorry, but once we enter the Labyrinth, I no longer have the ability to dominate the area. It's not my world and it's not neutral ground, either."

    Madoka answers Laura's question with, "More or less. They're all different and scary and weird in their own ways, but if you see enough of them you'll notice certain patterns. This is a place born out of despair and the corrosion of a soul. Nothing here is going to be clean or pleasant, even if it reflects something that they once enjoyed."

    Kamiko chimes in, saying, "If we ever find a Labyrinth that isn't gross, other than mine, I'd take that as a cause to worry even more. Don't eat anything you find in such a place."

    Something swims between them, meaning it goes behind Hope Blossom, and as she feels the wake of its movement through the water she turns around. "Familiar! Be careful, everyone!" she warns again, because while Madoka telling people to take care may sound like a broken record, one really can't say it enough.

    When she hears a second set of propellers coming from a different angle, and sees the red and green eel coming straight for her, she decides for the moment to stand her ground. "Another one, coming in!" she warns.

    She shifts her grip on the parasol and holds it at the midpoint, and in a flash of pink magic it turns into a version her branchbow covered in ornate and intricate runic patterns. The runes glow as she pulls back, forming an arrow-shaped bolt of pink magical energy. Following video game logic she unloads into the claymations creature's mouth, shooting arrow after arrow until the thing gets close enough to be uncomfortable. Then Madoka falls backwards off the watery staircase, tumbles out of the way, and lands on a step that appears right beneath her. Kamiko, meanwhile, is clinging to her Bearer for dear life because whatever happens... she will share Blossom's fate.

Laura La Mer has posed:
"It's ok", Laura tells Usagi over their shared sense of discomfort. "The sooner we finish with this Witch, the sooner we are out of here!" It's really evident that those words are also for herself, especially since while she can still swim in this oily water, her tail is interacting weirdly with the same physics that allows the others to climb-swim. At least it's not to the point of it being a problem, she can find comfort in that. She just has to ignore how grainy it feels.

Though Usagi is also having her own problems with those same physics, and she almost falls before she catches herself. "Are you all right!?" Laura shouts, eyes wide open from the scare that gave her. A similar concern is given to Madoka over her own fall.

The thorough explanation from Madoka and Kamiko over the nature of Labyrinths continues and the mermaid can only nod at how knowledgeable they are. Were it any other subject matter, she would be in awe, honestly. "I will keep all of that in mind", she frowns as she elaborates the information given. "Whose soul is that, though?" she asks after a second of hesitation. She is not going to like where this is going, is she?

Though, for now, they have other matters to tackle too, with those eels coming at them. "The fight is here, then. "The Shimmering Ocean! Cure La Mer!!", she exclaims as she transforms. A pity she doesn't bring an actual shimmering ocean with herself.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The yellow eel that dove for Amy screeches as it's mouth is fired upon. Video game logic is sometimes just regular logic, after all: if the enemy offers a vulnerable spot, fire upon it! And there's nothing more vulnerable than a mouth. Propeller teeth are shattered and broken by the shots taken, the whirring coming to a stuttering halt, and the eel's mouth snaps shut in an attempt to defend the rest of it's teeth.

As Amy flies off, the eel chases her, quickly keeping pace, before striking forward, making to coil around her.

"I'm okay," Sailor Moon calls as that's happening, and swings up and back to her feet, spreading her arms to catch her balance, and scowls at the scene. "It just knocked me off balance. Hey, you freaky eels, leave my friends alone!"

The eels do not listen.

The dual colored one that went after Hope Blossom is struck immediately with that arrow shaped bolt of energy, and then the follow ups, each striking a weak spot. It shrieks, but the dedicated fire tears through it's head, leaving the Claymation body to wriggle in glitchy, spasmatic motions as it sinks to the bottom of the ocean.

More eels dive towards the group, and Sailor Moon grabs her tiara, hurling it forward as a circlet of energy.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

It manages to lop off the end of one of the approaching eels, though that doesn't stop them from coming.

"It's always with the familiars," she groans, scrambling up the watery steps with pinwheeling arms. "Should we keep trying to take them down, or try to rush past them?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Whose soul is it? Oh geeze, that's a question with a hefty answer. "It's... complicated," says Hope Blossom. She's in the heat of battle, so she neither the time to mince words or to go into details. "It depends on if this is an original or a descendant. If it's a descendant, then honestly I'm not sure it actually has a soul of its own. It'd be more like a youma."

    Hope Blossom trails off as more eels come in, and she maintains her fire by carefully picking her shots. The odd water makes her want to stay rooted in one spot at first, but eventually she realizes that she can probably leap to higher steps in order to avoid the eels and also make progress.

    Kamiko actually continues the explanation while Madoka fights, "... but if it's an original, then this used to be a person. A magical girl." Of course, she also gets cut off because it's a fight and there is a lot of motion.

    Hearing Moon's question, Madoka considers out loud while keeping up her arrow fire. "If we rush ahead we might get into trouble..." Pause to shoot. "... but if these things keep appearing they might overwhelm us..." Pause. Shoot. "I don't know how many Familiars there are, but..." Another shot. "I'm somewhat in favor of rushing ahead, unless someone has a better idea."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Haha, that's right!" Amy taunts as it gives chase as planned! When it closes its mouth, she switches from HE to HEAT rounds and keeps shooting, until it catches her. "Ack! No, nononono! It's grabbed me!" <<It's grabbed me!>> she adds over the telepathic link, in case they can't hear her.

    Grappled by hands or tendrils she can shoot the main body of is bad enough, but this whole thing is body and it's all around her! If it chomps off part of her like this... bad things could happen.

    If no one's got a good way to retrieve her, she settles conjuring HEAT minimissiles that fly around and try to strike the eel's body from angles so that they won't blow THROUGH her...

    She's fine with rushing ahead if they can manage it, though! Maybe with her flight and Laura's swimming? If she can swim here?

Laura La Mer has posed:
Once Laura's transformation is complete, her first priority is dealing with the eels, because she definitely shares the same sentiment Usagi does, because she moves towards one of the eels, a jump and a kick to the familiar's side. "I really couldn't agree more!", the Pretty Cure yells after her command to the eldritch claymation. They really look as disgusting as the rest of this place. Why clay too? First legos, now this...

"It feels like somebody took Elda's dream place, and distorted it", she murmurs discontent. The shrimp kid certainly would have been at home with lego-stairs and corals plus eels made of clay.

"I am going to follow your cue on this!", Cure La Mer tells Sailor Moon. Had she been alone, she would have prioritised heading to the root of the issue is the best approach, but the other three have the experience here.

This may either be a youma... Or a person... A magical girl, to boot... "Kamiko-san" Laura blurts out, shaken at the revealed information. "You said you were trying to fix this. Isn't purification enough? Why can't we just purify this girl?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"If we run ahead, we might run into the Witch - if it's even as easy as her being up there with the legos - but yeah, it just looks like more and more of these things are coming for us!"

The tiara is grabbed as Amy's shout comes through, and Sailor Moon turns and launches it right at the one holding Amy - it cuts apart and lets her go, pieces drifting.

"And the just had to be grabby... no handses," lame.

Amy's minimissiles aren't put to waste though, taking out another of the eels that's swarming, even as Madoka keeps taking others down.

But as it turns out, it doesn't matter whether they rush forward or stay still - because when reinforcements for this next wave of eels arrive, they come with a strange shape swimming with them, a bloated figure with a head in the shape of an old-fashioned diving helmet and a body like a knotted mess of cables, six eel bodies emerging from it's middle. It's arms and legs are covered over in barnacles and float limply, the knotted mass of eels causing the body to move in shudders and jolts.

Unlike the familiar eels, these move like ceramic sculptures coming to life, their mouths full of needle-like teeth. Each moves independently, lashing out at the girls with lunges as they attempt to tear them apart.

A boss title becomes visible, her name, in Witch Runes, reading, MACRINA SCYLLA.

Does it even need to be said? Witches are so weird.

"I guess destroying her familiars made her come out to us - La Mer-chan, that thing is the Witch, and purification doesn't work on them! Unfortunately, they're not... possessed, full of Dark Energy, or controlled... Everyone, let's do our best!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "As Moon-chan said," explains Kamiko, "What we're fighting isn't dark energy. It's something primal and chaotic. Even if I can free her soul, I can't guarantee that she'll still be alive. Sometimes all we can do is put them to rest."

    Hope Concept adds to her Chara's explanation, "It's very common for the person's body to be lost when they transform into a Witch. The Labyrinth itself can erase it, or it can be damaged or destroyed. Creating a new one isn't easy and it's not something that can be taken for granted."

    Kamiko adds, "That's why, if one of your friends turns into a Witch, it's very important to get the body out of the Labyrinth. Makes it a lot more possible to bring them back to life. Blossom and I are the only ones who can make it right, so you'll have to tell us about it, too."

    They are pointedly avoiding saying that this happens to Puella Magi. Amy can drop that particular bomb if she wants to, or it can wait until the combat is over.

    As the Witch approaches, Kamiko reads the runes out loud for the benefit of everyone who can't read them yet, "Macrina Scylla."

    "Well, Kamiko-chan?" asks Madoka, "Is this a real person? Can we save them?"

    Kamiko floats away from Madoka and begins to glow with pearlescent rainbow-white light, as the tiny fairy reaches out telepathically to sense the fallen soul of the Witch. "Let me see... Keep them off me while I try to reach out."

    Madoka glances to the others and nocks another arrow before saying, "Either way, we'll need to fight her." Dropping to one knee and holding her bow horizontal, she rests on top of the watery stairs as the Witch approaches. "Don't hold back! We can still try to reach her through her Grief Seed if we have to." Though the way she says that implies that it's best as a last resort.

    The ceramic eel diver helmet Witch approaches, and while Madoka is normally agile she still has to protect Kamiko. She fires and fires and fires, and each arrow explodes like pink fireworks. Some of them turn into fog to obscure the Witch's view. Others turn into needles to try and try to act like armor piercing rounds.

    When those ceramic eel heads get too close and start lashing out at her, the branchbow turns back into a parasol and Madoka wields it like a rapier, trying to keep them at bay. Behind her, Kamiko works, doing her best to understand the nature of the Witch.

Laura La Mer has posed:
She is being told purification doesn't work, and Sailor Moon rules out all the possible cases and solutions. She isn't sure what to be more horrified by, the fact that there is nothing they can do to save her, or how beyond recognition and creepy this magical girl looks now. "If she isn't controlled or changed by dark energy, then what did this?" she tries to understand this illogical situation. She doesn't particularly notice or care the Witch's boss introduction.

She said she would follow their cue, and apparently that involves destroying this Witch. "I see..." she shakes her head. "Ok, this is all foolish, but you aren't any happy about this either, right?" she reasons. "We are doing this for the people in danger, and for the person she was, right?" She can get behind that logic, and she has to do something.

She has no idea what Hope Blossom is talking about with this sudden Grief Seed deal, but she feels a bit better that dealing with this Witch isn't the end. "I will keep the body safe, and talk to you right away if I see something like this happen", she promises, before rushing towards the lego coral and breaking a big chunk off of it. "Ah!", she shouts, kicking it at the Witch.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Thanks!" Amy shouts, relieved to be un-coiled.

    When they see the mass of things approaching, Amy doesn't wait: She summons a giant cannon and starts laying a couple of artillery shots into the giant cloud of eels, her soul gem growing just slightly darker.

    Can they be purified? "It's a different kind of existence. A Witch is like... a naked soul, warping reality around it. If you even could purify it..." She shakes her head. "I don't know what it could turn into, but certainly not back into a person."

    She flies over to Kamiko and Madoka to help guard them, not even having to stop as missile racks appear all over her body and fire like something out of Macross, dozens of mini-missiles homing in on the Witch from all angles!

    But it's getting close. Too close! "MADOKA!" She screams as she flies in, holding her hand out... towards the ceramic eels.

    It's the DG Girl-killer attack again, a grid of shaped charge detonations going off in front of her to pierce into the Witch.

    If they get a look at the gem on the back of her other hand, it's already more than one-third dark. She's burning through magic rapidly now...

    It's not that Amy has no concern for saving the Witch, but... When Laura asks about their feelings, she shouts back, "First priority is the people who are still alive! It's no good if we lose someone trying to save the Witch, and Witches can take a lot of punishment!" Less loudly but no more urgently she asks, now that she's close to Kamiko, "How is it looking? If she is a former human... what do we need to do for you to capture her?"

    As for letting things slip... she did make a comment about not wanting to see what her own Labyrinth would be like, earlier.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Moon Tiara Action!"

The spinning tiara strikes one of the eel heads, cracking it. Chips of ceramic float through the sea floor, and the eel screeches in fury, lunging at Sailor Moon, who half runs, half doggy paddles away with a shout of fright.

Amy's attacks, being more at a distance, and larger in number, manage to do yet more - three of the eel heads crack, and the Witch herself seems to writhe in fury, helmeted head bobbing about like a limp apple. Two of them team up against Amy, twining around each other and trying to dive around her back as she unloads her deadly finisher -

Which completely shatters one of the six heads, causing the body to sag limply to the ground.

"I can promise that no one is happy about this," Sailor Moon calls out grimly, readying her tiara again - it's her only attack that's effective against a Witch. "We'll try and explain more when we're through with this thing, Amy just got in a great shot but that must have taken a lot of magic- uh oh-"

The destruction of an entire portion of it's body isn't what causes the greatest reaction. No, it's Laura breaking the lego coral that causes the Witch to scream, the sound echoing through the filthy water, it's bulbous, barnacle covered limbs flailing as though she were a wacky waving inflatable arm tube at a cheapskate car lot.

Witches cannot communicate, and don't have human thoughts anymore, but that scream, that flail, have an undeniably obvious meaning:

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO BUILD THAT HOW DARE YOU HOW DARE YOU I'LL KILL YOU

Of course, it's easy to get the impression of that last bit, because all five remaining eel heads - including the one that had been sparring with Madoka's rapier-umbrella - jerk their creaking, cracking bodies at Laura, mouths open, aiming to swallow and rend and tear and DEVOUR -

"Laura-chan, get out of there!!! Moon Tiara Action!"

One of the heads is shattered, but the other four are still attacking -

But at least this will have given Gretchen a great sense of the Witch. Because to be so angry, so protective over it's creations, it is a true Witch - one that was born from a magical girl, with a love for creating. And breaking her creation has sent her into a frenzy, which is also leaving her open for attacks.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Kamiko focuses hard, closing her eyes, putting all of her energy into her senses. Trusting in Madoka and Amy to keep her safe, to keep the Witch off of her, while she does the kind of thing that only she can do.

    When the lego coral breaks, her eyes open. That is not the senseless rage and bloodlust of a Familiar-turned-Witch. That's the rage and fear of a real person trying desperately to hold onto whatever it was that still matters to them.

    "It's real!" she shouts so loudly that her voice squeaks. "That's a real person!"

    Hope Blossom's entire expression tightens at the news. So, it has been decided. Whether or not this girl can be revived remains to be seen, but at worst they can at least spare her the nightmare that is a Witch's existence. "We keep fighting," she answers Amy. "When she's weak, I'll henshin with Kamiko and try to reach her. Be careful how much magic you use until then. Depending on how things end, we might have an empty Grief Seed, or weird little cube things, or... I don't really know what. We wont know until it happens."

    She turns her gaze upwards at the Lego coral and Laura next to it, before saying to Amy and glancing at her Soul Gem, "I have one half of a spare, worst case. I'm sorry, I should've said something ahead of time."

    Now that Kamiko's done, Madoka grabs her and puts the fairy on her shoulder, then starts jumping from watery staircase to staircase, rising higher and higher. While the Witch focuses on Laura, Madoka fires arrows into... whatever the closest approximation it has to a back is. Some of the arrows don't actually home in on the Witch, and instead curve around to attack the Legos. That's on purpose, because if it starts to chase after Blossom then maybe Cure La Mer will regain some breathing room.

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura understands very little of what a Labyrinth is, and that was even truer before she got to know of Witches being people. There are all sorts of things she is still taking in. "I know that, I said it too", she shouts back to Amy, focusing more on the fight now, than actually talking about things. It's also why she understands this isn't really the time for answers, and she shouldn't asks questions at this moment.

Laura may be able to understand sea creatures, but sadly for her, that doesn't to Witches even if it could be argued she counts as one. Not that she actually needs it, the heads violently showing their teeth to rend and devour is universal. She doesn't really like the confirmation of the Witch being a real person, but taking care of things is something that comes later.

The Pretty Cure takes out pen and Mermaid Aqua Pact, stirring the latter with the former, causing water to gather and move in a pattern of recurve spinning lines as it concentrates inside the Mermaid Aqua Pact. "Pretty Cure Swirling La Mer Stream!", she shouts, a huge rotating beam of water erupting out of the Pact as she points the pen at the head of the Witch.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Laura said she'd keep the body safe if she sees someone Witch? Huh. Amy does have to wonder if having a body ready would help. Something to ask Kamiko after this...

    Unloading a quarter of her soul gem on the Witch alone has seriously hurt it, but it's not done yet, and she flinches at the feeling of rage on display; Just a little, she feels bad for the part of the Witch that can still feel something so human as being mad that people broke her lego build.

    And now it's raging, and going for Laura!

    Conserve magic? "It's a bit late for that!" But, now she's standing still on the water and can conserve power from not flying, and shots from the giant cannon aren't actually as much as an entire finisher. She just fires a 10cm-wide steel ball at high velocity to knock the Witch back and maybe crack or finish breaking an eel head.

    And then Madoka distracts it, and as soon as Laura's out of immediate danger she switches back to her basic over-the-shoulder launcher, and it does seem that her soul gem isn't darkening at noticeable speed anymore. Standing on the water while the Witch attacks others, she doesn't even have to spend magic on flight!

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
So this Witch is a real girl, then, one that maybe - they can save, and if not, at least put to rest. Sailor Moon launches herself through the water, heading towards Laura as fast as she can to help her create space.

Madoka clearly has the same ideas - her arrows pepper the Witch's back, landing in the tangled net of eels that is it's body, but it continually focuses on Laura, rather than turning around, which is a problem -

Though, Laura is doing badly on her own - her powerful attack does an excellent job of swirling away the four eels still attacking her - in fact, one of them is hit with enough force that it snaps back and collides with the Witch's head, shattering the eel head and cracking the glass of its diving helmet.

"Sailor Moon Kick!" is what Sailor Moon launches at one of the remaining heads, and she lands near Laura, stumbling a little as she rebalances on the watery steps.

"That was a really great attack," she says, "You okay? It didn't look like it got you, that's good!"

And then Madoka attacks the legos, and it screams in rage once more, flailing wildly, lunging for the pink-haired Chara Bearer. The three remaining heads all lash out wildly, the cracked helmet flailing on the noodly neck.

"Laura, Amy, let's hit her with everything we've got while Madoka-chan is distracting her!"

Maybe it didn't need to be said - because Amy's steel ball and many shots fired plunge through the Witch's body, cracking the many knotted eel-bodies. It's fracturing, cracking, but still writhing in rage towards Madoka.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

The shining tiara flies freely, striking the cracked glass. Water floods into the interior of the Witch's head. This doesn't stop it. But it does... keep going.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    So... this is the moment. The Witch is headed straight for Madoka and everyone else is unloading on her. Sensing that the Witch may be on her last legs, Hope Blossom calls out, "Kamiko-chan, now!" She makes the unlocking hand gesture while staring the Witch down while shouting, "MY HEART: UNLOCK!"

    And then she vanishes.

    As in, she stops existing, and for a moment one might wonder if she was ever actually there to begin with or if Madoka's whole life was just a shared hallucination, but then you feel her.

    Her presence fills the Labyrinth, spreading an aura of Hope. Not only of the concept of hope itself, but also Madoka's personality and kindness and optimism. She is, both at once, simultaneously gone and very much here.

    Then she manifests, becoming real, appearing before her friends in radiant light. Her arms are spread wide as she welcomes the Witch. "It's okay!" she promises. "We're here for you. We can make this alright!"

    "You don't have to suffer anymore, and you don't have to hurt anyone anymore!"

    A light starts glowing from within her, and its warmth seems to fill the entire space, and as the Witch starts to chase after her it becomes increasingly clear that while Madoka may be present she's not particularly limited to a single point in space. She's all over, leading the Witch to chase a girl who is constantly floating just out of her reach.

    Hope Concept stretches out her hands, trying to reach past the Witch's hostile exterior and to the lost soul underneath, but doing so leaves her vulnerable, gets her closer to the Witch, and if one knows Madoka well enough they might suspect that the reason for her fearlessness isn't that she's actually invincible, but that she either trusts her friends to have her back or she's willing to take a hit in order to save someone else.

    This is, after all, Madoka in her most absolute form.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Hit it with everything we've got! "Am I conserving magic, or not?! If I hit it with everything, you'll have to fight another Witch!" Amy knows that's not what Sailor Moon meant, but she's a little annoyed that she can't gauge how much to use from that. She keeps firing explosive shells while saying that, though, then focuses, bracing herself to support the weight of the over-ten-foot-long cannon, and hears -- her magic protects her ears somehow, or maybe she just keeps insta-regenerating her eardrums -- Madoka call out the My Heart Unlock, and then just sort of. Stares, dazed, at where Madoka just was. Why does it suddenly feel like she imagined her friend? She can't have, Madoka has to be real, right?! Because she--

    And then Madoka Is, once more.

    Amy just kind of stares for a few seconds, before it becomes clear that... they still need to break the Witch?

    Amy lets out a breath. "Please, be at peace soon." she mutters, and fires a heavy iron ball to try and break the Witch's current form more.

    And then she remembers, and starts chasing after Madoka herself, focusing on the Witch, trying to feel if her own magic can help somehow...

Laura La Mer has posed:
"Thank you!", Cure La Mer exclaims to Sailor Moon and Hope Blossom for their attacks holding back the ferocious heads too, that really was a vehement assault on part of the Witch. She isn't actually sure if that is supposed to say something about how long she has been corrupted, or it would have been the same way had they met her right at the start. Right, that is another question: can Kamiko tell for how long she has been like this for? It's the least useful question on her list though, by far.

Hit her with everything she has got? She kinda just did, but she has more than enough in her to do it again! "Got it! Pretty Cure Swirling La Mer Stream!", she confirms and shouts again, repeating the whole procedure as yet another huge rotating column of water sparkles and rushes to hit Scylla right away.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon rolls her eyes, a little, because this kind of feels pedantic, but - "Fine, hit her with some really strong so we can - oh, well."

The pause, is because Hope Blossom calls out - and then Hope Blossom is gone. There is no Hope Blossom, there is no fourth magical girl, there's just the warm sense of hope and optimism and -

OF COURSE THERE'S A FOURTH MAGICAL GIRl! It's just that, sometimes, like now - she's not quite, a girl.

It cannot be that unnerving when Usagi goes princess. She's pretty sure. But she still smiles - it's impossible to not feel at peace, with Hope Blossom reaching out, distracting the Witch.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

To deflect and crash away one of those eel heads as it nearly reaches Hope Concept. Amy's steel ball slams into a flailing limb, and the Witch rocks, drifting. Cure La Mer's whirling tide once more smashes through the eel heads -

Finally, it's too much. Finally, the Witch's energy is weak, her despair great but her rage low, and Hope Concept has reached out, Hope Concept has offered, and the soul that had been reaches back.

The Witch's body fades away, unraveling into nothing. A grief seed slowly sinks towards Amy, while the image of a girl - a Puella Magi - appears in front of Hope Concept. She looks like she had been tall in life, her lavender hair is pulled up in a high ponytail, her costume looking akin to a ballerinas, a pale leotard with a pale blue tutu, and pale blue knee-length gloves.

She's crying, but her eyes are grateful.

"Thank you," she says, and then disappears. The Labyrinth begins to fade, too.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The Soul is reached, and it's a bittersweet ending. Hope Concept wished she could do more, wished that she could give her a life back, or make things right.

    Yet some things cannot be undone, and the means by which Kyubey grants Wishes leaves very little to chance and everything to fate.

    "I know that you deserved better than this, but it's the best that I can do. Please, go in peace, and may your next life be filled with joy," is Hope's parting words to the ghost of the girl. Wherever she is, wherever people go after this, Concept wishes her well.

    However, this form is exhausting, and spending too much time in it might mean not being able to save the next Witch who comes along, so Hope Concept once again vanishes while Hope Blossom and Kamiko fade back into existence.

    Of course there's a Doka here. There has always been a Doka. Why would there ever not be a Doka?

    Hope Blossom clutches her left arm and starts wavering. It's probably a good thing that by the time she falls over, there's a large body of water for her to flop into. She floats on her back, eyes up, feeling melancholy.

    "That's how it is, most of the time. Something like that. Sayaka, Basu, Masako... they were the exceptions." She lets out a sigh and says, "That right there is why it's important to keep the body around. Gives me a vessel to put the soul back into. That alone doesn't really guarantee anything, but it helps their chances."

    Kamiko, also, seems tired. Her eggshell forms around her, and drops into Madoka's waiting hands. The little goddess fairy is taking a nap now.

Laura La Mer has posed:
Was that her? Did Laura just see a literal ghost of a girl appearing out of nowhere to the equally ghostly Madoka? She can only look on as she sees the soul disappear, the feeling of hope that Madoka is representing replacing the wistful sadness that she would have felt at being only able to do that for her.

Then the Labyrinth disappears, and they are left to drop in the ocean, the real one, with its embrace gentle and welcoming to Laura after everything that has gone over. "What has just happened?" Laura asks Hope Concept, not over the ghost of the girl that Madoka just saved, but how evanescent and divine Madoka had felt.

"You are not about to disappear on us, right?", she asks with mild concern. She knows what she saw, and at least she sure seems to be right there. Just in case though, she reaches over to touch her friend's arm. Just in case, and certainly glad that Madoka still feels solid to her. "You did a good thing, even if those three girls were an exception", she tells her friend. What happened there, she doesn't know, but she doesn't care any about it right now.

"I am sure that other girl is really happy you were there for her, and you showed her there was to hope for, that she wasn't stuck like that", she tries to reassure her. "How about I take care of bringing you back to the beach?" she offers the tired Chara Bearer, letting her transformation fade into a mermaid once more.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    The Witch breaks apart, but this time...

    Is that... did Hope Concept bring her back?

    But... then she's gone, and there's the grief seed, and Amy snatches it and puts it away, bracing for the return to the ocean. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more..."

    Okay, super mode armor is not convenient for swimming in. She's covered in pink sparkles as the outfit shifts, and then vanishes from her arms and legs, leaving her in a white, black and red one-piece that's close enough to a swimsuit.

    "Thank you for trying. I..." Ah, but the fairy is tired. "...Later, I'd like to talk about combining powers like we did before. I wonder if maybe that would make it possible?"

    What happened? Amy floats, treading water, and takes a deep breath. "The Labyrinth disappears when the Witch is gone."

    She'd like to give her friends hugs, but that might be difficult in the water. She starts swimming back to the beach, doing a backstroke and spinning around every now and then to check her progress.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The ghost of a girl long gone appears, and Sailor Moon scrubs at her cheek, pre-emptively wiping away tears. It's still a miracle, after all. It's still a blessing, to be able to do this much.

But it's also...

The return to the ocean is good, at least, as a distraction from that sorrow. Floating on the water, not far from Hope Blossom and Kamiko, Sailor Moon looks up at the clear blue sky, and says, "At least she's at peace, now. That's more than we used to be sure of."

At least, at least, at least.

It's hard to accept, when they've done more, but - Amy wonders if they could have given energy, but Usagi... wonders. Maybe. Maybe sharing energy would have worked. Maybe it would have taken more than they had. Transformed, the Silver Crystal isn't around her neck, but in her Crescent Wand. She summons it, looking at the jewel with its faint, barely visible glow.

It still hasn't properly recovered from Paris.

"Yeah, let Laura-chan take you back." It's hard to get through a fight and keep a distance, isn't it? Laura-chan it is. "Amy-chan and I can make it back, my feet still touch the ground!"

Amy's already swimming ahead, after all. Usagi follows after, walking instead of swimming, because she doesn't know how well doggy paddling in knee high boots will go.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Hope Blossom is very much real in the moment, even if sometimes her existence is a matter of debate. Holding Kamiko's egg in her hands, she smiles softly, then turns towards Laura. The mermaid offers her a ride back, and for the moment Madoka is sorely tempted to accept.

    "If it's not too much trouble," she says. She also glances towards Sailor Moon, wondering if she might want the help back to shore more, but when she suggests that Blossom take her help instead...

    Hope reaches out towards Laura to accept her help and says, "Thanks." The tone of her voice is influenced as much by tiredness as she is the somberness of the moment. The girl seemed happy enough. Then again, Madoka wasn't sure she'd ever get used to it.

    On the subject of combining powers, her eyes glance towards Sailor Moon and the Silver Crystal. Then she glances back at Amy. "I mean... sometimes that can work, but sometimes it won't. It's... based upon a set of rules that my goddess form can understand but my mortal brain can't. Which also means that I can't really explain how it works, either. It's something to do with Contract magic, but also has to do with fate, karma, attachment, and things that I'm not sure there are even human words for. I'm sorry if that doesn't help."

    She tries to paddle her feet a little bit, but she is tired and even at full energy levels she likely wouldn't ever come close to what a mermaid could do.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy resumes treading water to nod in response to Hope Blossom's explanation (or... non-explanation) of The Rules. "It's fine. I figure it's pretty complicated, but... if we can do it sometimes, I am of course happy to help."

Laura La Mer has posed:
"I can take you back too", Laura offers Usagi. "Just let me take Blossom first , the. I will be back here for you, and for Amy too", she offers, to complete the set, she may as well do it for everyone, no? "I really don't mind", she clarifies, in case any of them are feeling reluctant about it after the fight.

It's a bit tricky, but Laura manages to get Madoka onto her back even in this current arrangement, and she hopes she felt right there. "Ok, then, we are off to shore to shore now", she smiles, kicking off and being just as careful as she was on the way here.

"Were you really a goddess there?", Laura has to ask, still not really sure what actually went on there, especially given the fact one seems to hold more knowledge than the other one. She stays out of the conversation of combining powers, she really only has the one attack anyway, and they are likely talking about mixing something else together. The jewel Usagi has is certainly pretty, and probably more than that?

"How long do you need to rest after something like that?", she inquires to Madoka. "If you prefer, I have a home right here with me you can use. It's probably comfier than the train? And Kururun is there to pet and hug!" That was very comforting, oftentimes, Laura found.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I'm okay," Usagi confirms, and swims back to shore with the rest. By the time they're there, she's tucked away her Crescent Wand into nothingness. The people who had been struggling at the beach are standing with the officers in confusion, far up the shore, clearly no longer trying to reach the water...

"I could honestly really use those snacks Kotono-chan brought," she says mournfully.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy sees Sailor Moon walking, remembers the water isn't actually that deep, and feels a bit silly. Still, she looks sympathetically at Soggy Moon. "Right, I forget other magical girls can't change their clothes like this. Ugh. That's... probably pretty uncomfortable, huh. At least when you change back you'll instantly be in dry clothes, right?" Once Usagi starts swimming, she does too.

    By the time they're back at the beach and Usagi is wishing for snacks, Amy opines in the same tune, "I'd honestly really like a Kururun to pet and hug, too. I didn't get a cuddly familiar, just a scheming space alien."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka waits until they reach shore and gets out of the water before she drops henshin, because her bag with the spare set of clothes was a part of what she was wearing before she transformed. It wouldn't do much good to get everything she brought soaking wet.

    "Thanks, but I think I'll be fine if I just sit still a minute," she answers Laura. "It was only one of them this time, so I think I can handle it."

    Tia floats around Madoka and looks at her sister fairy's egg. "I see that Kamiko, on the other hand, might need a bit more rest."

    Madoka says, "Sure, but she also has her own little world to retreat to, and besides. I think she wants to stay out here with us. Even if she's a bit sleepy."

    To Amy, she says, "Well, you could always get a cat I suppose. They might not be able to talk and solve crimes, though."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Beat.

    "...I don't think Kururun does those things, either."
TEN ELEVEN

Laura La Mer has posed:
"Have you tried giving him a few kicks instead?", Laura says to Amy. "I only have the one myself, everyone else in Grand Ocean... is probably not available right now", she also replies with just a little bit of hesitation.

Madoka preferring to just sit still for a minute gets a smile from Laura. "Ok! Don't hesitate in change your mind later on, but it's a good thing you aren't feeling that drained." Supposing Madoka isn't telling her that just not to be a burden.

"I have snack myself. Nothing savory though, just some sweets from Grand Ocean", Laura offers.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"We really don't, but at least I my other clothes should be dry once I transform... even if my hair probably won't be. It's really cool that you can do that, though. I mean, I guess I could with my Disguise Pen? But that probably wouldn't save my hair when I dropped the look... I should test that some time."

And, lo and behold, the second they reach the shore, Soggy Moon scrambles up the shore and drops henshin, leaving Usagi Tsukino sitting on the sand in her ordinary clothes, dry except for her long hair, which is soaking into her back. She pulls out her beach towel and drapes it over her shoulders before starting to ring out her twin tails.

There's a lot of twin tails to ring out.

"You know, I don't know how Luna would feel about being called a familiar? She usually prefers advisor... she is a lot nicer than Kyubey, though. And more helpful in general." Could Kyubey backflip useful gadgets into existence? She's pretty sure he can't!

"Aaaah, Laura-chan, you have snacks? Would you share?" She is receiving the biggest, wobbliest puppy dog eyes.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    As talk turns towards snacks, Kamiko's egg cracks open and she peeks out. "Can I have a snack?" she asks. Madoka almost snorts, but then imagines Tia getting into a fuss about that, so she giggles instead. As the divine fairy floats out of her egg, she reveals, "I have snacks too, actually. These don't have anything weird growing on them, either."

    Tia looks up wistfully, "I suppose I wouldn't mind a refreshment. Normally I'd prefer tea, but this is hardly the appropriate clime."

Laura La Mer has posed:
Apparently, them not being savory isn't an issue, and Laura does smirk a bit at the big wobbly eyes pleading to her. Seriously, what are those? She didn't expect something like that! "Just a moment", she smiles, taking out the Aqua Pot and jumping into it, returning outside in a matter of a minute with a shell basket full of all sorts of sweets.

"The Queen had them made, help yourselves", she explains, before setting the shell container onto the ground, before the subjects turn to Kyubey and who is more useful than him. "With how much of a jerk I have been told he is, the bar is on the ground", she replies to Usagi. Laura really doesn't know the true extent of it.

"Kururun does talk in her own way, and she probably is smart enough to solve crimes", she says with hesitation. The former is a matter of understanding her, which is something that took Laura a while too, the latter... she has never actually tried to have Kururun solve one.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy slumps her shoulders. "Honestly I don't see any point in kicking Kyubey. I don't think he feels pain, and... I don't really want to inflict suffering? I just wish only girls who would still take his deal became Puella Magi, and that they all knew so everybody can be prepared to take down their friends' Witches before they can snare any victims."

    Amy starts wringing out her own very long hair, (presently in twintails, they and the barettes came with the last costume change and she didn't dismiss them) then stops and blinks. "Wait. Why doesn't that happen? Like... if they ran out of magic while fighting, their other magical girl friends would have witnessed it, right? And word would spread... Or," she enumerates more somberly, "they'd die to the Witch and there'd be a lot more unexplained deaths of teenage girls and boys..."

    Beat.

    "...Oh my gosh do all Puella Magi outside Radiant Heart fight alone all the time?! Are they just taking on Witches and youma solo until they die?! Dammit, Kyubey..." She holds a hand to her forehead and sighs. "But... the two we saved were from Radiant Heart... how did they never make any magical girl or boy friends...?"

    She happily *will* try some snacks, though.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Ahhh, these snacks are so cute! And I would be honored to share any snacks Kamiko-chan wants to share. I brought juices, just in case anyone ran out, I can share those?"

That last bit is specifically as a consolation to Tia, though of course she has enough for the small group of them.

"I can't believe the queen made you snacks, Laura-chan. That's so nice of her." A pink snack and a green on are taken, and promptly popped into her mouth, and she sighs blissfully over how amazing the taste is. "Ahhh, these are so nice! There's nothing better after a fight than a snack..."

Meanwhile, Amy is working her way through an issue, and Usagi contemplates this, and then nods, "I mean, that sounds right? I know a Puella who hunts by herself, and V-chan did all of her work by herself, as Sailor V, for like a whole year, so.... it must not be that unheard of? And... I guess it makes sense. If you only get one grief seed, but just about everyone needs one, it's hard to share with a whole group."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka and her fairies avail themselves of the offered sweet snacks. As Amy wonders out loud about the fate of other Puella Magi, Kamiko actually has a few answers for her after downing one of the treats.

    "Honestly, the Puella in Tokyo are lucky to have the support network that they do. It's rare for a single city to have this many magicals, let alone Puella Magi, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were more we haven't met yet. Fighting Witches solo isn't really that uncommon, and in less magically active places a powerful Puella Magi can probably handle 9 out of 10 Witches all by herself. It's the 10th one she has to worry about."

    She waggles her tiny index finger. "A lot of Puella Magi are also very territorial. That doesn't really fly here because there are too many magicals working together for any single one to claim the four wards area as their sole domain, but in other places trust is a rare commodity."

    Madoka tilts her head to the side. "I mean... you've all met Homura-chan maybe once or twice, right? She tends to keep to herself, but she's still active out there. Just maybe not in places we frequent."

    Kamiko opens a tiny portal, and for once it doesn't really look at all like the Labyrinth portals she used to open. It's more like several concentric circles of white lace and frilly designs. Out from it she produces several cold tubes of frozen fruit juice. Otter pops, basically. She passes them around to whomever wants one. They are, for the record, actually perfectly normal snacks. They are even normal-sized, as silly as it looks for a tiny fairy to eat human snacks.

    Tia responds to Usagi by tapping her chin. "I suppose I could try drinking juice from a teacup." Because apparently that's a requirement. (No it isn't.)

Laura La Mer has posed:
With snacks and juices being set out, Laura shifts to her human guise and joins everyone else on the beach. "She really is nice!" she beams over the qualities of the Queen. "Everyone loves her, and even now, she always checks up on me and makes sure I am missing nothing", she vehemently agrees. "I will be sure to tell her you like them, and when Grand Ocean is back to normal, I can show you around! It's an amazing place, I am sure you will like it!"

A brief pause when Amy talks about she doesn't want him to suffer, just having people know about Witches. "Is Kyubey related to Witches somehow?" she furrows her brow, before Madoka chimes in and brings up some more facts of her own, including someone named Homura she in fact hasn't met.

"What is this about them fighting solo and dying? Trust being a rare commodity? Can someone explain?" she asks, as her expression switches to one that is really confused. She really isn't sure anymore about what they are discussing. She does take a fruit juice, as puzzled as she is.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy nods at the explanations. "So Witches elsewhere are less powerful?" Amy frowns. "...But wait, for there to be ten times as many Witches as Puella Magi, that means..."

    She doesn't need to say what it means out loud.

    "...Unless there's some Witch out there with the quirk of making tons of familiars that grow quickly..." She sighs. "Or worse," She holds her hand to her head,

    What do you know about Arcanos?

    It's incredibly powerful, but do you know what's funny? Unlike most Magicos, it's not sapient. It just creates Magicos the same way an insect builds a complex hive out of instinct. In a way that's worse than the evil overlord we were expecting. That thing is like something out of a Lovecraft novel, or a force of nature. You can't negotiate with it and you can never know what it will do next.

    Something discussed in a game comes back to Amy's mind. "...Well, I guess it'd be the same thing, but just... this idea that, there might be something out there that we haven't seen, making tons of Familiars..." She sighs. "I guess that's less bad than something happening to so many Puella Magi, but..." She shakes her head.

    Then throws her hands in the air. "The alternative is also awful! If it isn't Witches, what's getting them? Is something hunting them that's just avoiding the Four Wards?!"

    ...Freeze pops? "Oh man, yes." Amy happily takes one.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Alright! Here, I've got some pineapple juices and some strawberry juices. They should still be cold, I had them in the freezer before we got on the train!" And indeed, when she digs the juices out of her bags, each is still quite cold, fairly frosty, in fact.

As Kamiko passes around frozen fruit juices, Usagi hums a little in delight and immediately gets to giving herself brainfreeze snacking on one. And Kamiko has explanations, which are sad, but make sense.

"Okay, so, Kyubey is the one who gives Puella Magi their powers. If they have the like, karmic power for it, then his deal will grant the not-so-lucky person he's picked a wish, and then they're a Puella Magi, which is a type of Magical Girl, like Amy-chan. If they ever run out of magic, or like, get super depressed, their magic gem will run out of power, and they could die, and -"

And they just need to come out with it, because Laura saw.

"And if they don't die but it gets all dark, they become a Witch. Like that girl we saw, at the end. Not all the Witches are magical girls - some of them are Familiars, like those eels we fought, but a lot of them are, and... Puella need to hunt Witches to keep their magic, because Witches drop an item called Grief Seeds, that will purify their magic gems."

"We've been... slowly putting pieces together, since last year, and recently, Madoka-chan and Kamiko-chan were able to work together and help Witches become ordinary girls - or, at least, move on, like we saw."

"...I think it makes sense. Kyubey's been around a long time, from what he said, so he's probably made lots of contracts, right? And then, inevitably, those people die, or they become Witches, and so he's looking for more. But like, we're the first big generation, maybe ever. Inai-san told me when she was a kid, all of Tokyo - not just the four wards area, all of the wards - was just like, less than fifteen mahou."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Kamiko nods along as Usagi explains the full deal and gives Laura the rundown on Hating Kyubey 101. Madoka holds up a little juice box so that Tia can sip from it while saying, "That's about right. Kyubey makes contracts like that, and he never tells these girls that they could turn into Witches if they run out of magic or their Soul Gem gets too dark. Apparently, by doing this, he can harvest a type of energy that allows him to break the laws of thermodynamics and push back the heat death of the universe."

    Kamiko says, "He's been around for longer than recorded human history, and has basically been manipulating our species since... I don't really know how long. Less than 14,000 years, we're pretty sure of that, but probably not much less." Then the divine fairy eats another treat and chews it while Tia talks.

    The fancy fairy pulls away from her straw to say. "Essentially... a lot of human progress can be attributed to his Wishes. At the same time... he extracts a dire price in exchange for them. Kamiko and Madoka can help to reduce the cruelty of that cost, but they haven't been active for very long."

    Madoka nods and adds, "Which means that Kyubey has had plenty of time to cause way more Witches than we'll ever run out of in the world."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy blinks as Usagi mentions something she hadn't been thinking about. "Wait, getting super depressed does it?" She thinks back to Klarissa...

    And sort of... slumps slightly, again. "So... I literally have to not get too sad or I become a monster? That's... geeze..."

    After the bit about if Puella die or not, Amy raises a hand and explains, "Uh, it's magically expensive but we can regenerate. Remember, this is a puppet, the real me is--" And she points to her soul gem, which has presently ended up just below her collar as a decoration on the suit. The top almost-half of it is filled with dark, smoky corruption -- the rest is a deep ruby red.

    Amy lets her belt pouches reappear and retrieves the grief seed, holding it to the gem, so Laura can see how the corruption flows from her soul gem into the grief seed, until it fully shines nice and ruby red again.

    She takes a breath and lets it out. "...Anyway, the body will regenerate as long as there's magic. So unless the soul gem is destroyed -- they're tougher than they look, but not invulnerable -- we'll have to spend magic to regenerate the body, until we run out, and then," she waves a hand out towards the water, "Witch."

    She looks at Usagi and shakes her head. "That doesn't work, though! If there weren't a lot of magical girls until now, then how would there be so many Witches? What killed them, if they weren't originally outnumbered by Witches?"

    Amy blinks as realization hits her.

    "Oh shit, maybe there weren't. We need to ask Tomoe-san and the others who've been around longer... But remember? When I became a Puella Magic, it was over two weeks before a Witch finally showed up around here..."

    Wait, the realizations aren't over. Amy turns and stares at Kamiko. "...What. What do you mean human progress can be traced to Witches? Like what?"

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura listens intently to Usagi's explanation, her face darkening more and more as it progresses. She is frankly not sure about how to react to any of it, it all seems just... a lot. Had she not been told Kyubey really isn't a nice person, then she would now be questioning how could someone do this, but her thoughts right now can't help must focus how nasty he must really be.

"You are telling me he sets up this elaborate scheme where people buy and get stuck into his plots, and that's it, he doesn't have the slightest respect for the people he hires? Granting magic isn't supposed to be like this" she grimaces. She just can't accept someone recruiting people to fight evil, and it being all just one big scam.

The mermaid doesn't know what to feel more, indignation stemming from how she she herself has always been open about it, or that the consequences are this dire. "He is a monster", she condemns him, even if such statement is hardly outside of the more. "Kicking him is really just merciful, he should be imprisoned somewhere forever."

She thinks back to Miho, who has apparently met him, and turned him down, and she has never been gladder something was already taking up her potential. "You are doing something really important", she tells Madoka. "I don't know how, but if you ever need any assistance, I am doing anything I can, just ask."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"That's how it seemed for Sharp-chan," Usagi says, with an awkward glance at Madoka, because she knows the two of them are close. "With Klarissa, I mean. She was really... really down, and then..."

Well, Witch.

"Well, all of us can kind of heal faster, I mean, not like what Kamen-kun does, but faster, but... I don't know if every Puella can heal up really good. I mean..." Kyouko sure hadn't seemed like she could, but maybe she was just... really out of energy, that day? Maybe...

Amy's revealed the secret of the Soul Gem, so Usagi didn't have to. She appreciates that, because she didn't want to give away someone else's important secrets! Not more than it had too.

"I mean, Familiar's can become Witches," she says, "And Kyubey can find girls, and he can grant them Wishes, and then they become Witches unless they die. If they don't die, they either Faded, or became a Witch. And I mean... lots of things can kill people?"

She would think they both know that, by now, as grim as it sounds. "And dying, probably, is enough to make someone Witch, if it's not really quick. So that probably doesn't help, but, I'm pretty positive Inai-sensei and them were outnumbered in their time. It sounds like they did as much fighting as we do, but with a lot less people to help with it all." % Which frankly, sounds absolutely awful to her, no thanks.

"That's pretty much it," she confirms to Laura, "He's a monster, who thinks its all okay, just because he's making the universe last longer. But he doesn't have, emotions, he says - I think he's full of it - but... it really shouldn't be like that. But I don't know anyone else who's giving away magic, or Wishes, and for some people, his deal would probably even be okay, if he just told them."

But then, Kamiko drops that little bomb, and Amy is shocked, Usagi is too. "Huh? Our human progress?"

Hey, wait, go back to that.

"Yeah, what Amy said, go back!"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka glances between Usagi and Amy as the two of them press for more details. She actually answers Laura first. "Well, I mean... you did help today! I suppose... if you ever come across a Grief Seed you can give it to me and I'll free the soul inside. If there is one." She points at the seed that Amy just used. "We kind of already know this because Familiar-born Witches also drop Grief Seeds, but apparently freeing the soul inside doesn't usually render the Grief Seed unusable."

    Kamiko has to actually swallow her snack before answering, because that is not an explanation she can give with a full mouth. "Well, keep in mind that when I talk about wishes influencing human progress, I refer to the world after the fall of the Silver Millenium. However, a lot of influential women in history have, allegedly, at some point been Puella Magi. Allegedly."

    Madoka clears her throat. "We say 'influential' but... not every one who is influential becomes famous, you know? Also apparently it's really hard to track which ones were historically important because of the way the Veil works. We have some hints due to things that Kyubey has said. I kinda wish we had thought to ask some of the souls we saved, because I get the feeling that some of them might know."

    Kamiko shakes her head. "I don't know if that's true, actually. Being a Witch distorts your mind a lot. We wouldn't really be able to trust their testimony even if we heard it."

    Tia chimes in after finishing off her juice box. "Every time a girl makes a Contract that results in a wish, something good happens. They aren't trading their souls for nothing. Sometimes that means that a wounded musician who is unable to perform his art suddenly gets to contribute his talents to society. Other times it means that someone makes an incredible breakthrough. Sometimes a small changes in fate and destiny can lead to a butterfly effect with unknowable consequences, and other times a wish can cause a very direct and immediate change on the course of history."

    Madoka says, "Kyubey claims that if it weren't for him, we'd still probably be living in caves. I'm..." she glances towards Usagi, "... not entirely sure I believe that, but I think it's fair to say that he's at least accelerated human progress. Or actually, his clients have."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Some people would be okay with it, if he'd just told them. Amy nods in agreement.

    And she listens to the explanations that come from Madoka and her fairies with interest.

    They'd be living in caves? Another conversation from an alternate timeline?, Amy wonders.

    "So... like... That boy Sharpsong saved might become a world-famous musician who inspires countless others? And like. Someone wishing to cure their sick relative might actually result in a medical breakthrough?"

    ...Geeze, (Ma)Doc(a), this is heavy.

    And then Amy realizes what else that means. "So I really could've... wished for something for the betterment of others," She holds a hand to her head, "and achieved something... and I didn't because I was scared and in a hurry and expected that wishing for anything big was more likely to get Monkey's Paw'd..."

    "...I mean, still living in caves..." Her brain is still trying to wrap around that. "Like, the mammoths die off and some little cave girl coulda said 'I wish my clan weren't starving to death' and suddenly people have agriculture...? That couldn't... really be how it works, right...?"

Laura La Mer has posed:
"I can't believe someone who would feel nothing would do all of this. Regardless of his lies, how could he even get people to trust him if he is just cold and detached", Laura reasons, turning from Usagi to Amy. "What happened with you? Was there nothing that would look odd about Kyubey?"

She is also admittedly feeling a bit guilty on behalf of Grand Ocean. "We don't have wishes to grand, but I am giving out magic" Laura tells Usagi, taking a Tropical Pact out of the Aqua Pot in response to her statement. "That was the first thing I was told to do as soon as we knew that the Witch of Delays had started setting her aims onto the human lands. Should we have intervened sooner?" she asks shaken.

Could they have saved all sorts of people from this Kyubey had they been aware of it? She really wants to go back and check Grand Ocean's history, but she isn't sure if she can find the answers in there.

And really, Laura doesn't really know the first thing about human civilisation, she has been really learning of it these days. Just Odaiba itself is something she has never imagined humans could do, not to mention all that is up with phones, transportation and everything. She has really been enjoying discovering all the ways they have made up for their inherent lack of magic mirrors, portals and all various ways, but she isn't sure what Kyubey's claim would entail.

"What's your human progress like? I know now you guys can do all sort of things, but how has that changed? Does what Kyubey attributes to his work actually hold up?" the mermaid considers their shock as she finally takes a sip out of the juice.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"You're giving out magic? Huh... well..." Usagi considers, and then, slowly... "I know a girl, who would be really interested. If you wanted, I could introduce you, though, she can be kind of... hard to deal with."

Still, Hinoiri could at least try out, right?

Then, Kamiko and Madoka share what they meanm and....

"Well, he thinks highly of himself, huh?" Usagi does not look impressed. "Endychan's kingdom was definitely out of caves. They were behind us, sure, but not anything close to that. Old timey, but not caverns. If humans could do it once, humans could do it again. But maybe he helped speed something up, from Wishes..."

She really couldn't say.

"I mean, I'm not super good at history, but we've grown a lot! Still, there's so much history, that it could... I guess, fit in somewhere..."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I can't say for sure if that's what happened," says Madoka, regarding Amy's example, "but I'm pretty sure that it's possible. Again, the Veil makes magical history... complicated. People do have natural talents and abilities outside of whatever Kyubey's wishes have affected, but... yeah."

    Kamiko adds, "I think accelerated is the key word here. It probably would've taken a lot longer to get as far as we have."

    Madoka glances towards Amy and shakes her head. "Even though that's true, you shouldn't worry about that. Sometimes people make wishes that don't have a clear benefit to society, but even so you've saved a lot of lives just by being a Puella Magi. One can wish purely to save her own life and then turn around and dedicate herself to fighting monsters. Either way, I wouldn't feel too bad about that if I were you. When it comes to Wishes... there can often be an 'equal but opposite' reaction."

    To Laura, she says, "Well, a lot of human scientists work very hard to advance our understanding of the universe, which leads to new technology and new medicines. We also, over time, have... learned to treat each other a bit better, and that's a form of progress too."

    Madoka suspects she knows who Usagi is talking about, and immediately starts imagining Hinoiri as a seahorse.

Laura La Mer has posed:
"I would be glad to get to know her, thanks for telling me", Laura tells Usagi. "I have been looking anywhere for someone compatible with the Tropical Pacts, but no success so far. I don't know if it's the fact they aren't able to resonate with me or another requirement", Laura considers out loud. "We could talk about it more later when we are back at Radiant Heart, what do you think, Usagi-san? Even if she is like that, I do want to give it a try."

For now though, they should at least focus on enjoying the rest of their vacation here, despite the unpleasant revelations. She has got a lot to think about here, no less about the explanation of human progress Madoka has mentioned.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "He doesn't just show up and go," and she affects a robotic monotone, "Hello. I am Kyuboid, of the planet Zarnax. It has been determined that the universe will last 0.00000000001% longer if you become a magical girl in return for a wish."

    Amy shakes her head. "He shows up like any other mascot, or fairy, or what-have-you, all -- Hi! If you form a contract with me and become a magical girl, you can wish for anything your heart desires!" or something like that."

    As for Laura's other claim... "You're not giving out magic to everyone, though." Amy points out to Laura. "You're searching for people who have the... what was it... Sunshine...? Tropical Sunshine...? Inside of them. So not everybody."

    What is human progress like? "I don't know what we're comparing it too. Hell, I never would have expected even...six? Or seven? years ago that I could run an AI that dreams up professional-looking images -- at a glance anyway -- on my computer. Hell, I didn't expect us to all have general-purpose computers in our pockets connected to the internet all the time. They don't even have that in Star Trek. They have teleporters and warp drives but they don't have smart phones."

    Still, generative AI probably isn't the result of a Wish, Amy thinks. If nothing else, she has a suspicion of what it mostly gets used for, and that is another driver of technological progress that can account for anything that helps make and distribute media, after all...

    Amy shakes her head. "Those don't seem like they could be a wish though, right? Like... is any kid really gonna wish for a cool do-everything pocket device yeah okay nevermind, I wanted brain-interface VR games even as a kid even if it probably wouldn't have been my first wish, I guess over enough people it could happen..."

    Amy shakes her head. Onto other things... she looks at Madoka and nods, "That's true." She looks to Laura to explain, "I witnessed a magical girl battle. Sailor V, Cure Tide, Cure Wukong, and that ninja guy were there, as was Scorn, and she was winning. And like. I've lived my whole life knowing magic's not real, but always kinda wished it was, right, and then here it is, this is it, and Kyubey's there saying, form a contract with me and become a magical girl, and that if I don't I'll forget all this."

    She holds her hands out, palms up and out. "And like, come on. Imagine you've gone through life like that, and... like you never expected you'd be a magical girl, maybe in your wildest dreams secretly an alien your parents adopted or your family are secretly witches or something who would tell you on some significant birthday but all of those have come and gone, and hasn't he got the wrong person, but this is it."

    Amy looks into Laura's eyes seriously. "This might be your one chance to get involved with magic, with a life so much cooler than anything you've had, how could you not take it?"

    She shakes her head again. "I suspected it wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows. There would probably be drama and death. But I'd rather get to know about magic than live another five or six decades of boring existence. So I was sold on becoming a magical girl from the start. No matter how awkward it would be."

    "Anyway, the youma had like. Sucked up everyone but Sailor V like a vaccuum, and she was about to surrender to try and save them, so I didn't have time, and the next day I got invited to Radiant Heart and got dragged to the dance and met Hannah and here we are."

    Beat.

    "...You know, I guess... maybe that kinda is the thing. I'm good friends with at least three princesses, and my involvement with Hannah alone might nudge things one way or another that will change the fate of an entire planet, and from there, who knows. Butterfly effect, like you said." She nods to the others.

    Amy looks down at the sand and scratches her head, smiling a little dopily. "Damn. I never thought about it that way. That's pretty cool."

Laura La Mer has posed:
"A heart of sunshine, and they have to resonate with us mermaids", she reminds Amy. "And yes, that is what I have just told telling Usagi, I do have to follow certain indications for the Tropical Pact to be awakened. It's not all that different from what she said earlier about Kyubey seeking those with the potential. Still, I have been looking really hard for those who can do it, and I intend to keep trying." It's really not that easy with school taking up a substantial part of her time, and now that she is a Pretty Cure herself taking up even more of her time.

"I agree with Usagi then", Laura asserts after listening to Amy's summary. "He is either just trying to make himself look more rational, or whatever, or he just doesn't realise it." She shakes her head in disapproval. "This is all so complicated." She is glad they have what Odaiba offers still to lessen the grim impact of today's events.