2279/Mahou 101: Kyubey

Mahou 101: Kyubey
Date of Scene:	30 January 2025
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Entrapta interviews Kyubey. IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE THAT KIND OF A CONVERSATION! But, here we are.
Cast of Characters:	281, Amanda Faust, Kyubey
Tinyplot:	Mahou 101

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Entrapta (281) has posed:
It is a MESS in here. Entrapta's dorm room is, to put it mildly, filling up with electronics. So much stuff that if you didn't know what was where, you'd have trouble finding a place to rest.

Entrapta has no such problem, having put all of the devices, pieces of things, and parts in each specific place. It's her room, and it is to her plan. Everything that isn't blinking electronically could be if plugged in. Everything that is magical...isn't here.

People come into this room, so she's still not able to do her magic research here. Generally. I mean, she still does, but it's better hidden away.

"I'm not having much luck with recreating the Curse magic wavelength," the girl says into her recorder. "Yet. I'll beat this soon, there's so much still to learn."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    The Incubator has observed Enissa; he observes every student with magical potential, or who seem relevant to manipulating one or understanding their reactions. He's not everywhere observing everyone all at once, but until everyone returns to their dorms for the night there is almost always a pair of beady red eyes watching from a shadow or a rooftop, or even just out in the open where people other than the target are likely to see him -- it's not like nonmagic folks can see him, anyway.

    He has overheard from other humans about Enissa's use of the vents, and checked their status while Enissa was out of her room.

    << Enissa von Trapp. >> The voice is heard in the head without going through the years, and sounds like a very young boy. Or perhaps how one would expect a small, talking magical animal to sound. Although it's telepathy, as long as one of them can see the other and Kyubey wishes it, there is a sense of direction to it, so that it might not even be noticed as telepathy at first.

    After announcing his presence, Kyubey opens the vent and hops out, finding a bit of open floor or bed to perch on, sitting with hindlegs bent and forelegs extended like a cat. Red eyes. A small white body reminiscent of a cat's, with a white fox tail, ears like a cat's but also beneath them what look like long lop ears with rings around them, and... a face that looks more like that of some plushie than any animal similar to the rest of its traits, as there is no nose or muzzle protrusion. There are little red markings on the ears and an egg-shaped outline marked on its back.

    << You are friends with many magical girls. What if I told you you could become a magical girl yourself, and join them by their sides? >>

Entrapta (281) has posed:
No sparks fly from the weld that Entrapta is working on; not all welds are hot like that. This one is sauder and a lower level of heat, to not damage the delicate circuit board that she's building. Yes, building. She's hit that level.

The use of her name doesn't get a response. To be fair, she doesn't think of herself by that name. But the arrival of a magical creature certainly does, as she lifts her gaze to look the little animal in the eyes. She peers at it for a good few seconds, then goes back to welding. "One moment, this needs to be finished while it's hot."

She is actually not freaking out? Well, that's ...a reaction. But a moment later she shuts off her saudering iron and sets it aside. It would have given Kyubey plenty of time to see her work. If he's interested at all.

"Hello. Do I know you?" she asks, removing her goggles. "I don't think I do, I'd remember someone like yourself. And what are you talking about?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kyubey cocks its head to the side slightly at Entrapta's request to wait. It is... unusual that someone is doing something that can't be interrupted for a visit from a magical creature promising to make their dreams come true, but understandable.

    When she stares at him, he rights his head and stares back for a second or two, then breaks eye contact to scratch at his ear with a hind leg like a dog.

    He sits up straight and swishes his tail when adressed. << I am Kyubey. If you make a contract with me, you can become a magical girl. >>

Entrapta (281) has posed:
Enissa raises her eyebrows. She reaches up and rubs over her own right eyebrow with a fingertip, eye closing in thought, then she reaches over and gets a pencil and some paper.

"I'm going to need more information. How exactly does that work?" she asks, clearly not warned against this whole sitation but also clearly not leaping up and shouting a positive response.

"That's a lot to unpack you just said right there." She quickly types something onto a computer keyboard, then returns to her pencil. "Seriously, how does it work? Tell me everything."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kyubey stares for a second. They almost never ask questions like this. Well, Amanda did, when he tried speaking to her at the apartment. She would say things like 'give me time to think about it' and then forget because of the veil. But persistantly contacting her again during magical events worked on the second try. That is fine. Potential contractees rarely agree right away, unless he catches them in truly desperate circumstances, like Mami.

    Kyubey cleans his paw with his tongue. << It works like this: You make a wish, and I will create for you a Soul Gem that allows you to use magic, and to transform into a Puella Magi, a Magical Girl. Your wish will be granted, and in return, you will fight monsters called Witches. As Magical Girls shine hope, so Witches spread despair. You have seen how most humans of this world are defenseless against monsters, unable to remember them. Witches hide away so that humans cannot even see their figures until it is too late. They plant seeds of calamity in the human heart -- anxiety, hatred, rage, suspicion -- and have claimed many lives already. >>

    Kyubey swishes his tail and cocks his head to one side, smiling. ^w^ .<< Your friends protect people from monsters like this all the time. Don't you want to help them? >>

Entrapta (281) has posed:
Enissa frowns at the little thing. She looks to one side, at her computer, but doesn't go to it. She does puff our her cheeks for a moment, then puts down her pencil.

"Look. Kyubey, right?" She lets him/her/it make whatever affirmative it might make, then continues with her own words. "I'm assuming that you're used to dealing with girls who don't know things. But I'm not asking how the fighting works."

She leans over, then slides Kyubey something. It's a sheet of paper with a detailed graph of how Senshi magic resonates, on an atomic level, including numbers which may or may not cover the paper. Small sketches of side-offshoots, and theories about historical alterations that occurred while the girls were offline. It is -detailed-, and on a level of magical understanding that should not exist.

"So. What I'm asking is, how does it work? What are you using to make the effects happen? What is a wish, really, and what will it cause to happen? Is there a standing wave of energy? Are we talking about something that has side effects, and if so, what?"

She doesn't pause, going right into another group of questions. "What level of connection do you have to it, and how do you personally function in regards to your magic? What effect does fighting witches actually have, and what kind of effects should I expect upon win or lose situations? Can you give me numbers and data? Or am I going to have to figure that out on my own too?"

Yikes.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kyubey persistantly uses 'Boku' to refer to himself, so seems to be a he/him, or at least to prefer affecting such for interactions with humans. It's not like the neutral 'watashi' and neopronouns weren't an option if he preferred; though perhaps speaking about himself in the third person or saying 'kyubu wa' were determined to be too cute for the targets he usually interacts with.

    The Incubator looks at the paper. He cannot feel surprise in the way humans do, but the information is viewed swiftly.

    And then he looks back at Entrapta for a moment. << These are notes on the magic of the Sailor Senshi? It's nothing like any magic I am familiar with! This is truly amazing! >>

    << I am more of an operator or technician than a magical physicist. If I have offered someone a contract, and someone knowingly consents to the contract by making a wish that can be granted, the rest is automatic. I cannot wield the magic of a Puella Magi myself, nor do I understand the fine details of how it works -- I could not build a device or describe a process that replicates such magic, and that is impossible anyway, as it must be wielded by a person. >>

    Kyubey scratches his cheek with a hindpaw. << Killing Witches leaves behind their grief seed, which Puella Magi use to recharge their soul gem. If you lose a fight with a Witch, it will almost certainly kill you. >> He turns in a little circle like a cat getting comfortable, and lies down. << What parts of this do you expect can be expressed in numbers? Numbers are not where the power of Puella Magi comes from; it comes from their Soul Gems. >>

Entrapta (281) has posed:
The girl, if a girl she is after that subtle but powerful response, puts the paper away without any real worry. She's memorized it anyway, the paper has no real value to her specifically. "Just gathering relevant information, I don't prejudge what will and won't be expressed in numbers," she says to the little guy. "There's always math involved in any process, you just sometimes don't know the type of math yet. Or it hasn't been invented."

Hard to argue with that. "So you really don't understand most of what you do. That puts you on the same level as half the magical girls themselves," she says. It sounds slightly tired, as if she's had this problem many times. "And as to helping them fight, I AM helping them fight. Just on a different level, they all have their heads in the battle. I'm doing the harder work of figuring out why it's all a problem in the first place."

She spins around, coming back to the front and stopping her chair. Swivel chairs, so good for someone twitchy. "The thing is, Kyubey, I'm kind of annoyed at what you're doing right now. You could, if I wished for it, have me learn everything I'm researching. I get that. Tell me, do you know the problem with shortcuts?"

She looks at him, then says, "Shortcuts mean that you skip steps, and that leads to a much worse understanding of the whole situation. It loses vital inspirational moments, and you actually lose in your search for knowledge, even if you gain what you were initially after. Does that make sense?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kyubey does not deny that such a wish could be granted. Nor does he point out that the knowledge doesn't mean being able to use it.

    Entrapta attempts to chastise Kyubey for offering shortcuts.

    He briefly cocks his head to one side, then stands and looks straight at her. << Humanity depends on shortcuts. You did not make the fabric of the clothes you are wearing. You did not make that paper, or pencil, or that system of writing. You did not build this building, nor heat it. You did not fetch your water from a river nor cook your food -- and if you did cook your food, you did not hunt, kill, and butcher it or plant and harvest it. >>

    << You did not store the energy of sunlight in chemical bonds, a form you need that energy to be in and that you use with every breath and heartbeat. >> Kyubey's tail swishes. << I did not invent the magic I use. The civilization hosting you would not exist without the use of machines which use energy sourced from petrochemical and nuclear fuels to enable global transfer or good and information. No human made those materials. No one human made those machines, but many use and benefit from them. Your entire existence is shortcuts. This is the state of all beings. Who do you know who lives on only unrefined sunlight? >> Kyubey swishes its tail again.

Entrapta (281) has posed:
And at that, Entrapta smiles.

"Good points, good points," she says. She's not unwilling to look at evidence, it seems. And she isn't denying reality. A good step forward. "I mean, I'm not remotely human, but they do host me just as they're hosting you."

Still, she hasn't approached the contract yet. So I suppose it had to come to that eventually. "I've found the math though. You were saying that it doesn't apply to this situation." Pausing, she corrects herself. "No, your exact words were, Numbers are not where the power of Puella Magi comes from. I offer math to refute your statement, you are lying to me sir."

She turns her computer to show the screen. On it there is an in-out graph. Wish goes in here. Puella comes out here. Kyubey and his own civilization simply exists here. Power levels are ungauged, question marks.

"The energy needed to start the chain is missing. Tell me where that comes from?"

And, in the bottom corner of the screen is a small text conversation. Enissa: 'Kyubey, please advise' Rashmi: 'Do not enter into a contract. It knows how to lie by omission.'

And yet, with her friends literally coaching her not to, she's still here. Still talking.

"Math never lies. Systems are not closed. Tell me the rest of it."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kyubey stares back. << There has been a translation error. When you flip a lightswitch, the energy to flip the switch comes from you, but the energy that makes the light does not. >>

    << The process is begun by... this does not translate, but "magic", of the sort you think I can explain, is close enough. Numbers are involved. I do not know how to teach this process to a human, or an Etherian, but it might be possible for you to replicate by other means. This is only flipping the switch! >> Kyubey walks over to and hops up on her desk, lifting a paw to indicate something else going in other than the Wish.

    He turns to sit in front of her. It does not escape his notice that she is in communication with others and probably knows certain truths already. His tail swishes. << But what makes the light glow... What makes their soul gem shine... that power comes from emotion. And I do not know how it works, only that it does. The emotional energy of a magical girl far outweighs all the energy that has been put into them; This defies all other laws of physics that I know of -- it is remarkable! But also, I cannot do it myself or teach you how to replicate it. As far as I know, only Puella Magi can use this power.>>

Entrapta (281) has posed:
There's no response after Kyubey has talked. Entrapta just taps her fingers on her teeth, thinking all of her thoughts. There's clearly more to learn here, more to the story. But she knows that she won't learn it all now.

Kyubey doesn't know everything. That's fine, neither does she.

Kyubey isn't volunteering everything. She's not the right person to figure out why, that means being able to ask the right questions. And she's not ...able. There are places that she can't go, and things she can't understand.

Her friends don't want her doing this. That's also fine. She's here for science. And besides, she's been scanning Kyubey since he walked into her air ducts.

"You've probably figured out that I'm here for the science, Kyubey. You also know that I won't be making a contract, right? So why are you still here? I can't be worth your time."

Can I?

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kyubey is silent for a moment. << The option is open to you. People sometimes change their minds. Do Etherians? >>

    Kyubey hops back to her bed, turns to face her. << You are unlikely to contract. But your study of multiple types of "magic" is unprecedented. If you learn what you hoped that I knew, who knows what will become possible? Perhaps you can change the world more than a wish% on your own, Entrapta. >>

    << You are studying the many types of magic in use on this planet. Do you know why Sailor Senshi or other magical girls can use magic and you cannot? >>

Entrapta (281) has posed:
They do. Etherians change their minds. Entrapta definitely does, "Given enough evidence. I do." She admits it, she won't lie to the truth.

Then, she gives her last answer before this ends. Because the one thing she is, is a scientist.

"I have some theories."

And that will have to be enough. For now, because her alerts tell her that Rashmi has just entered the building, and their time is short. Kyubey can see it, she's got this place wired. And because it's the truth.

"It was nice meeting you, Kyubey. Weird, but nice."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Kyubey does not know what it is to feel that it is nice meeting someone. But someone studying magic does present an opportunity, and it may be in his interest to maintain a positive relation with her.

    << You wanted knowledge. I cannot give you the complete understanding you desire, nor how Puella Magi function, but I can tell you this: >>

    << Magic users who do not depend on technology are of a different nature than those who cannot use magic. To turn someone who cannot use magic into a Puella Magi, their nature is changed, but it is not the same every time. The Wish is a vital part of the process; It shapes them, and their nature shapes their powers. >>

    A tail flicks. Red eyes stare into Entrapta's. << It may be that my understanding is wrong. But if it is not, then perhaps you should research this: Where is the Wish of a Sailor Senshi, a Pretty Cure, a Device User? If you find out anything, Entrapta, I would like to know. >>

     And then he bounds across the bed and over to the vent -- Rashmi arrives just in time to see the Incubator's hindquarters and tail disappearing into the wall, the vent dropping closed behind him.