1934/But where has the magic gone

But where has the magic gone
Date of Scene:	09 September 2024
Location:	Club Building
Synopsis:	Sayaka and Madoka are invited to Hinoiri's little testing area to run some experiments, while Naru takes notes of her own. The four of them proceed to come up with a few theories and compare the different styles of magic and what they all mean...
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Naru Osaka

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Madoka and Sayaka had both been through QUITE a shift in their magical signatures, or at least in most cases. So it was only natural that Hinoiri wanted to run some tests. She was getting better at detecting this stuff and with help from the sparkles, well... Why wouldn't she try to learn all she could?

So when she found out Gretchen was no more and Sayaka was fixed... A feat even Hinoiri had been incapable of doing.

So it was likely unsurprising when Hinoiri had sent out a request for the two of them to come to the music room to run some tests, if they'd be so kind? And that Osaka-san would like to join them for the examination. All kinds of devices were attached to the microphones, but there were a few other devices as well. Minor sensors and the like... And Naru had been sent a message of when to show up. Hinoiri was sitting by the work stations, making sure everything was properly aligned and registering correctly. Well, she knew it wouldn't react to non-magic... because she'd tested it on herself. Without her toys.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Alas, Gretchen is no more, in the same way that one could argue that Hematite and Sunbreaker no longer exist.

    Kamiko is still around though, and while she may be a bit less demanding and lowkey depressed she's still very opinionated. She's also still really close to Rens and Tia, since the three of them turned into bad eggs out of loyalty to each other just as much due to the natural dark energy that comes with being an X-Egg.

    So the moment Rens heard the words 'tests' and 'science' she was already tugging on Madoka's sleeve to go along with it, and of course Kamiko came along too out of support for her sister and former partner-in-crime. Plus the goddess Chara still kinda considered Hinoiri a friend somewhat?

    Thus it was that Madoka showed up to the club room turned magical lab with Kamiko and Rens floating over each of her shoulders. The Chara Bearer is smiling brightly as she enters the room, knocking on the frame to announce her presence. "Hey~! Is it safe to come in?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
It is true all the magic Sayaka has around her these days is Ula herself, who isn't even particularly magical herself. That, and the potential to regain it again according to Madoka. She isn't particularly surprised Hinoiri has caught on so fast. She is in all likelihood the second best non-Puella to catch onto these things behind Madoka herself, considering how much time they had spent together. Not that she would tell Hinoiri that. She doesn't want to feed her competitive spirit any further, and not with Madoka of all people.

She is interested enough in taking a stock of the situation as is, anyway. 'Has she never made any tests on Ula for her low magic?' she wonders, looking at the small fairy hanging around on her shoulder. "I wonder why she never tried to study the Scroll", the mascot says, clearly having followed a similar thought process. "We were a handful back then, I am not surprised", Sayaka exclaims.

"Hey, Madoka!", Sayaka happily raises her hand, bringing it closer for a high five. "Scientist Hinoiri has invited you too", she exclaims in a jesting tone, before likewise knocking on the door and greeting their host. "Hi, Hinoiri, how are you?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
The smell of coffee often preceeds Naru, and this is no exception. She's brought a coffee up from the cafeteria and a snack. Enough snacks, to be fair, for everyone. Nothing fancy, just little nibbles of fruit and pastries to take the edge off when one meets between meals.

"Afternoon everyone." Naru doesn't hesitate about poking her head into the club room. "I wasn't sure about beverages, so I just grabbed some cold ones." Other than her own hot coffee of course. Juices and iced coffees accompany the food.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glanced over to Madoka before giving a nod. "Mmmm hm. Nothing here bites except me, and only if you deserve it." That. That was debateable. "Thanks for agreeing to this. If you'd come inside?"

While she hadn't told Sayaka she saw it... she had been there to watch Sayaka be cured. As Equivalence. Though, Hinoiri had mysteriously disappeared... Odd, apparently she had gotten out somehow. Leh gasp. Hopefully nobody looked too closely and considering how much was going on at the time, nobody noticing made sense. Probably another sparkle had gotten her out or something.

Either way, now she was fiddling with different nobs and dials. And she would take an iced coffee. "That was some good thinking, Osaka-san. I really should have thought of that. Magic usage does use a lot of calories."

"Sayaka, would you go to the microphone and sing a few lines? I'd like to measure the difference between your current and past musical arcane signature. It's Yellow Pearl's Song again. Madoka, once she finishes would you be able to henshin with Gre-- errrrr..." She... actually hadn't met Gretchen's replacement yet. "Your... purified... chara?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka cheerfully high fives Sayaka and giggles. "That's right. I guess she can't help but be curious..."

    Kamiko looks at the food, then glances at Rens who says, "Ah, you brought refreshments. How courteous."

    Kamiko adds, "My relationship with food as changed a bit but I appreciate it all the same."

    Madoka, with a wry smile, says, "Right, because you aren't stress eating anymore."

    Madoka hadn't really been all that worried about Hinoiri, since she was pretty sure that Gretchen would've kept her relatively safe or at least forced her out of harm's way. The Veil probably stopped her from questioning too closely what happened at that moment. When invited inside, Doka and the two minidokas enter. Rens hovers around the instruments from a distance, careful to stay politely out of the way. Kamiko settles on Madoka's shoulder.

    The goddess chara raises an eyebrow. "You want to see Hope Concept up close? That's not really an easy form for Madoka-chan to stay in."

    Madoka says, "It's okay as long as I don't do anything too ridiculous." As if having one's own personal pocket dimension wasn't ridiculous in of itself. After waiting for Sayaka to do her part, she finger pets Kamiko's head before making the hand unlocking gesture. "My Heart: Unlock!"

    There's a brilliant flash of light as a feeling of hope, faith and optimism settles over the area. At first Madoka is nowhere to be found, but after a moment Hope Concept starts to rematerialize. First her wings fade into existence, then her excessively long locks of pink hair, then the edges of her dress, and then the rest of her.

    Her feet float a few inches off the ground as she cants her head to the side and smiles. "Whenever you're ready~!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Afternoon, Naru-san, nicely thought", Sayaka greets her when she too makes her way in. Had she gone through any changes in magic too?, Sayaka questions to herself, even if she doesn't ask of course. She is going to steer clear of the subject unless Naru brings it up herself. "I am pretty sure she still likes having it brought to her", the bluenette casually mentions over Kamiko's considerations.

When the unicorn brings up her request, Sayaka nods slowly as she casts a glance at the mic. She had felt a bit nervous when Hinoiri brought it up she wanted to sing. Sure, she had explained the deal about this mermaid that hired her, and Ula had been there to back her up on this girl's reasons, but that wasn't really her problem. Singing had never been her forte, as anyone who would have thought to ask her knew. She wasn't bad at it, but it never went further than banality.

Still she has gotten used to the idea by now, plenty of time for it to settle, but this would have the first time she sang in front of even more people. "I got it", she clears her throat nervously, approaching the mic, looking asquint first at Naru, then Madoka. "Don't stress yourself", she lightly worries over Madoka at Kamiko's apprehension before she starts singing.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I figured out that calorie thing pretty quick." Naru confirms with a wry little smile to Hinoiri as she sets down the refreshments.

She settles into a desk with a pastry, her coffee and her hardcover notebook with a favourite pen. Clearly, Naru plans to largely watch and take her own notes. She watches Madoka with her bevvy of charas and shift into the Hope Concept form of herself, noting something down in her book.

Naru's expression is sympathetic as Sayaka approaches the mic slowly. "Just pretend I'm not here." She tries to reassure. "I promise that you're a better singer than I am."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara took another small drink of the iced coffee as she listened to Sayaka sing. She gave a light hmmm, tapping on a few buttons and printing a few charts that, likely, meant little sense to anyone else. She then pulled out a clipboard and pen, writing a few notes. "Yeah, definitely had an impact. Your magic while singing wasn't always the strongest anyway, but it's not there at all. The fact you haven't faded likely means there is some magic still there, though. But I can't say what kind. It is, feasibly, possible that you could use Kyubey again... but I'd advise against it and likely slap you if you even tried. Even if you're not a puella now, there's a lot of different types of magic out there now and you're almost guaranteed to be compatible with some of it. There's no telling what yet, though..." she mumbled.

"Madoka, if you would try next?"

Of course, when Hope Concept appeared... Hinoiri did what needed to be done. She flipped out a pair of sunglasses and slid them on. Well, she'd been the student of Sora, after all. If there was one thing she knew, it was to keep sunglasses nearby at all times. "Go right ahead. Nice lightshow, by the way. And... this was the power that allowed you to save witches and Sayaka? Sayaka, the person you made the wish about? Has the wish reverted, or is it still the same for them?"

Of course, while Madoka sang... Hinoiri did something else for the other charas around... pulling out a few mini wax colas, offering them to the charas. She'd offer Kamiko one as well, once Madoka's tests were done. She had a fridge full of them, after all. She had to do SOMETHING with them...

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Hope Concept listens as Hinoiri talks about Sayaka's magic. While it's true that by saving her, Madoka has put her at risk of fading, but she was fairly certain that her childhood friend still had time. "The kind of potential that Kyubey looks for isn't always compatible with other magical types... but I'm sure you can find something else. I'd share mine but I don't really know how, or if it's really possible." She then shakes her head, and her pink hair seems to float slowly around as if gravity wasn't really affecting it. "I wouldn't recommend Kyubey either, but I have a feeling you already know that. He might not want to deal with you anymore, but I can't really say. I've never seen someone stop being a Puella Magi before..."

    "... but yes, this is the power of Hope Concept. The wish should not have reverted. After all, Sayaka-chan did pay the price, even if she was something of a special case. As for any other outstanding karmic backlash..." Concept tilts her head and visibly feels a bit awkward, "... don't worry about it! It'll be fine."

    When it's her turn to sing, Madoka floats rather than walks over to the microphone. She reaches out for it and... her hand passes right through it. She tries a second time, and a third, before giggling sheepishly. "S-sorry... sometimes I forget to be corporeal when I'm like this." The fourth time, she manages to grab the mic and holds it with both hands, slightly worried that she might drop it. Gosh, maybe it'd be better to simply leave it on the stand?!

    When Hope Concept sings, her voice is impressive in a way that isn't quite... human. She sings like an angel, or rather... she sings like a host of angels, as if she has multiple voices at once. Her 'main' voice is singing the actual words, but the rest of her voices are singing the instruments a capella.

    As for Rens, she is enjoying a wax cola and looking at Hinoiri's data. The actual charts don't really make sense to her at all, but she's still fascinated by the process. When Hope finishes her song, she reverts back to normal and Kamiko pops out of her, joining her sister in drinking wax colas.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"Thank you, Naru-san", Sayaka nods slowly at her encouragement before the bluenette's focus centers on her singing. She has to just do as Naru is saying, nothing else.

When her singing stops, a frown forms on Sayaka's face at the mention of Kyubey. "I don't really want anything to do with Kyubey. The whole reason I have asked Madoka to undo my contract was because I am not really all that good at helping people in it, and I have to find a better way. After Paris I realised just how limiting it is to have magic that depletes itself fast based on your emotions", she says.

"I am good now, but I don't want to go through that again. Either I find this other way to help people, or I fade. I haven't been wasting time though, Cure Daybreak is going to introduce me to Blue, and see if I have the potential. He is a god of Earth, seems", she says, helping herself to one of the juices. "She told me about the Phantom Empire and what Blue's Pretty Cures do, and I am really considering it", she smiles at the redhead.

"Kyousuke is still the same, his hand hasn't changed", she replies to Hinoiri after a sip. "He is going on another concert, while Hitomi is still attached to him. I am trying to help her, especially after what happened with Hawkmoth, but I am going slowly, I don't want to to ruin things more", she says, almost lost in thought.

"That was really good, Hope", Sayaka says marveled, even if she can't help but find the chorus of instruments a bit unsettling. She would probably do great if she could just sing with her main voice, the bluenette thinks.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Kyubey seems to be an exception to most of the rules." Naru notes thougthfully. "And it stands to reason that the power it grants is also going to play by different rules." She has a few more notes in her notebook, sipping from her coffee before going back to writing.

There's a soft 'hmmph' from Naru as she listens, takes notes, and listens some more. Her expression is surprised at the chorus coming from Hope Concept but she doesnt' comment directly. Just more notes.

There's more than enough snacks for everyone, and indeed, enough for Naru herself to reach for a wrapped cake and drag it closer to herself, trying oh so very hard not to make too much noise wiht the wrapper. Even if she does wait until no one's actively singing when she opens it.

"There are a lot of options when you come down to it." Naru agrees with a nod. "I know I found that the ones that weren't right didn't FEEL right, as hard as that was to articulate at the time."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara cocked an eye when Hope just... went through the microphone. Well. That was... definitely something she was going to take notes of. Hope Concept was giving her quite a bit of information to work with and cementing some views she, admittedly, already knew.

Magic on this world was BS.

But the choir singing was... creepy. Fascinating, but creepy. She'd only seen something like that once before and it hadn't been quite the same.

More information was gathered, at least.

"It's kind of interesting," Hinoiri said. "In a lot of ways, the puella magi have the same issue dark energy does. Namely, your emotional state ties into it so heavily. I think all magic is, though. I've noticed that the more emotional the sparkles get, the often more powerful they become. But puella magi seem to have the same issue in that if they get too far, they turn into monsters." Just like dark energy did to her.

"... I've never met this Blue, I hope he can help," Hinoiri said softly. And there was just this tiny little pang. Why... hadn't anyone tried to introduce her to him? Then again, she'd been on the side of the Phantom Empire not too long ago. Maybe he didn't want to meet with her.

... Maybe that was for the best. After all, Sora messed her up badly. And this 'Blue' probably didn't want to risk talking with a former ally of Phantom and the others.

"I will say that Witch magic is definitely different from most sparkle magic and dark energy. A third, if chaotic, type of magic. It's likely why Kyubey's magic seems to weird to many of the other types. Chaos magic, in a way. We had something akin to that back home, though it was rarely used. Most found it to be... dangerous."

"... Granted, back home MOST magic used here would have been viewed as 'chaos' magic."

"But that is correct. There are a lot of magic types and different ones work for different people. Some people can only use one type, some are aligned with planets, some can use devices, some can use multiple types. So just because one thing doesn't work doesn't mean another won't. You're a good person, Sayaka, so there's likely plenty of different types of magic that would happy to be wielded by you."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is cheerfully playing with her fairies, seemingly unaware of how disturbing or strange her singing was. Or maybe she's actually perfectly aware and just doesn't care anymore. Kamiko is finally happy after all this time. All of her Chara are, relatively speaking, even if seven dreams is still a lot to keep track of.

    "Emotions play a lot into it. Maybe that's why it's so hard to maintain Hope Concept outside of critical moments. It felt so easy in the first few minutes but after that it's like..." She taps her chin for a moment, before saying, "It's like leaving a really loud fan on after you're done using it. You're willing to put up with the noise when you need the fan, but when you're done you want it to be quiet again."

    She considers further, "As for Blue... I feel like I've heard that name before... or have I? I don't think I've ever met him. Maybe?"

    Kamiko, who is currently sharing a tiny cake with Rens, chimes in, "We really need to get your memories sorted out. Especially now that dark energy isn't messing with the process."

    Madoka ehehs and wrings her hands for a moment. Then she says, "Witch magic is really weird. It's not quite dark energy, but it very much comes from the heart. I'm not really sure I could explain it in terms that really make sense, sorry."

    Rens joins in with, "Chaos magic seems like an apt comparison. It gives you what you want, or something close to that, but at a price you can't necessarily choose or predict."

    Madoka shrugs while sipping on a juice box. "It kinda makes me wonder where the line is between our magic and dark energy. It has such a corrupting influence, and a lot of times it seems to come from an external source, like stealing it from others."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
Dark Energy and Puella magic... She never actually connected the two but it made all too much sense with the issue she had with it. It's really not any good with helping people, at least for her, with the time she either was in trouble for her Soul Gem, or the recent she had to conserve power to avoid falling in that same situation. "I didn't really have a problem with that, I learned how to manage it, but I have never really been in a situation to consider how fast magic can disperse in some situations."

She takes another sip. "I feel much better now that's behind me, and Hope gave me the opportunity to find much better systems. I am feeling confident in meeting Blue, and even if he feels he can't help me, I am sure he can send me in the right direction."

he almost coughs on her juice when Hinoiri brings up her world's chaos magic. "Your home has the magic Kyubey fosters naturally? You never told me that", Sayaka exclaims, eyes slightly wider. "You always only spoke of Sora. Why didn't you bring that up sooner? Does it need any help?" Not that she can provide it right now. Though, the reassurance Hinoiri gives her does seem to have a positive effect. "I didn't really find a good one last time, but I was probably was too focused on the wish for Kyousuke. Daybreak thinks being a Pretty Cure is for me, especially after knowing of Cure Euterpe."

Sayaka crosses her arms when Madoka tries to recall Blue. "He is apparently the sort of guy you would never know he is a god. Daybreak said he dresses normally and doesn't seem exceptional in any way." Ula nods in agreement. "I wouldn't call someone who prefers talking through mirrors, but he doesn't really dresses luxuriously or asks for shrine maidens. Even the wish he grants doesn't actually come from him directly."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"There's always a line." Naru considers. "The extra ooomph from emotional only goes so far and then past it lies trouble. Just that line seems to differ depending on what emotions are getting tapped into. I can't speak for puella magic." She gestures towards Sayaka. "That is not something one can just test out for a spin, so I've no personal experience with how that feels." She considers Madoka's question. "I dont find them to be on a spectrum, personally. They feel connected.. related, but not one to the other. Possibly my own bias."

Naru considers a moment and then nods. "I like the idea of Light and Dark and Chaos." She makes a few more notes. "Although there's a lot of variation amongst light side magic."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded along. Well, it seems the others were keeping up with her, mostly. "A really loud fan, yes, I like that analogy. It was whenever the sparkles got more... emotionally invested that they were at their most dangerous. The highs seemed to amplify your power, while the lows reduced it."

She shook her head. "No, witch magic isn't back home. Nothing like that is back home. In fact, dark energy isn't there either. I took Riventon over there once and well, he was entirely changed. It's just... similiar. I've... used witch's magic before, not... good... at all. Very miserable. Heck of a hangover. Don't recommend it, ever."

"... Makes you strong, though. But there's no telling if you'll make things better, or worse. I... tried to use it a few times. Ended up singing a dozen different songs and then summoned Captain Crunch's armada. Regretted it after."

"But no, witch magic isn't from back home. Even chaos magic is rare. There are legends of an ancient spirit that could control it, but they were just legends. It just stems from the Realm of Chaos and... weird. So very weird."

"But there's a lot of variation amongst dark magic as well. There were singers, for example. Also device wielders, like Riventon. A few who didn't seem to use it at all, but were almost as strong. Catra's power was... in the burgeoning side when I trained her. The DG girls were just dark energy but it had to be amplified through the reactor. There's actually a lot of crossover between light and dark magic, like they're all connected. Possibly a similiar base, applied through a different filter, as it were. Light or Dark magic."

"Witch's magic is the one that is just... wild. But even that seems to stem somewhat from the wish. Sadly, I was never able to do much research on it and... aside from trying to find a way to... fix it..." Her eyes glanced to Sayaka for a moment before returning back to her notes. "I didn't... have much desire to do much research on how it functioned. Aside from eating a witch's familiar that one time." Pause. "Well... I did... distill the energy once, break it up into fragments to try and acclimate my body to it. That was... mildly... effective... but not at all comfortable."

... How was this girl still alive?

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka listens to the description of Blue; exclaims, "Oh!" at the mention of Cure Euterpe, as if she had just remembered; and then looks awkward at the mention of shrine maidens. With a very flat-lipped expression, Madoka mentions, "Y-yeah... Honestly having shrine maidens would be a little weird."

    Would there be a shrine to Madokami? Who would go to it? The disturbing scene on the beach is something she'd like to avoid, honestly.

    Crossing her arms and taking a seat at a desk, Madoka leans back into her chair and looks up at the ceiling. "My relationship with Witch magic, and how it interacts with my powers, is a bit different. I'm not trying to wield it like you would dark energy. It's more like..." She taps her chin for a moment. "... like I'm doing the opposite of what Kyubey does. Putting the soul back where it belongs." She glances over to Sayaka. "Those other two Witches had lost their original bodies, so I had to make new ones from scratch. I'm not even sure I got it right because I didn't even have a trace of their DNA. I just kinda made them the way they remembered each other looking. I'm kinda grateful you had kept yours, Saya-chan. At least I didn't have to do all that again."

    Kamiko adds, "I mean, to be fair, we had pretty significant help in that moment."

    Madoka crosses her arms. "Granted... those two Witches... their Familiars still hang out in Kamiko's Paradise. I don't think they're harmful or anything, but it seems like when I took their Witchiness away a part of it stayed with me."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"When you are at your worst, all that's on your mind is lashing out and creating as much misery as the one you are feeling. That wasn't just while I was Oktavia, but even before that, I was relentless in chasing down evil", Sayaka informs Naru. "It's supposed to be some kind of balance for the good you did to Kyubey", she adds with disdain. "He is just a jerk throughout. There is no real reason saving people from danger shouldn't already be an act of balance."

She is relieved to hear that Chaos magic is rare, even if she is now saying the bases are actually different. She would have quite a lot of words about how much she made her worry in vain for her world. And even more for the description of her experiments. "Had I known this is you were killing yourself back in Obsidian, I would have stopped you for your own sake", Sayaka stares at Hinoiri.

"When you say highs, you mean those situations when one of us gets hurt? I understand sparing nothing in wanting to protect a friend in danger. I am not sure if I could ever forgive myself for not doing enough", Sayaka replies.

"You would make for a good goddess though", Sayaka snorts amused by the thoughts of Madoka having her own shrine maidens. "You did something huge for Masako and Basu, they would be incredibly grateful if they could remember at least. Maybe they still have a nebulous impression of you to worship", Sayaka points out. Ok, she is a bit amused at the concept.

"I had the luck of being split in half when I witched out. If you had become Hope Concept then, you could have probably stuck my purified half inside my other body", she reflects. That she would be very glad of, she doesn't really like the thought of Madoka running herself ragged. The thought of the absorbed familiar makes her change train of thought. "Did you get something from my Labyrinth too?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It sounds entirely wrong to say that I am disappointed I never got to get a feel for witch magic, because it sounds like I probably would not have enjoyed the experience. Nor likely survived the experience." Naru looks between Hinoiri and Madoka thoughtfully. "Creating a whole new body is.. exceptional." She comments thoughtfully.

"I mean.. that's not SO far off from my experiences in weidling dark magic." Naru replies to Sayaka with a little bob of her head. "More overwhelming, I suspect. Although I didn't have dark magic for long." Naru doesn't actually look at Hinoiri at that, it's just a thing that happened. Right? Right.

"I agree that they're linked, and the filter theory has merit." Naru nods to Hinoiri nod, letting that concept wriggle around in her thoughts. "Light and dark that is. I think the source also has an effect. Moon magic and Device magic have quite a different feel to me, even if they are both light side."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Breaking the rules of that magic in its own way. Granted, breaking the rules seems to be what most of the magic here does. It... really is a weird world sometimes. Magic just doesn't seem to follow any rhyme or reason that I've been able to parse out. Sure, back home our magic was... sometimes a bit weird. But there were rules and laws that it had to follow. Nothing that broke it. Yet here it seems three or four rules of magic are broken by breakfast."

"... The fact you were able to make new bodies and all... well... I was working with some in Easter who were trying to find ways to do the same. Since if Mami ever... well... we didn't want to lose her. Not everyone gets a 'fair' magical power, as it were. So we wanted to fix that." She then paused. "Just be careful around Riventon. Once he finds out, he's likely going to want to figure out *how* you do it and since Mami is part of his department, well... he can be protective of what he considers 'his'."

She then smiled to Sayaka. "You couldn't have stopped me, Sayaka. Nobody could. I... I didn't realize how dark it would go. Even now I don't... if the world wouldn't be put in danger? I'd likely turn to dark energy again. Rather than being powerless. But... if my choices are die or blow up the world? I'd rather do the former. I lost my grounding, though, so that's... kind of my choices now. And yeah. When you girls get really happy, or really want to save those near you, your powers seem to get amplified. Determination to put me in the ground, basically."

"... But you can't stop someone with dark magic just by beating them up or taking the dark magic out of them. You need to remove the underlying root of it. Otherwise they'll find their way back to it." She reached up and rubbed her necklace. "In my case? I realized I'd blow up the world if I did. I can't control it and I will NOT become Sunset of Sora again. Now, people who have it forcefully put into them? Removing it works fine. And there are people who can use it without going mad, so the power itself isn't innately terrible. It's just... very hard to control. Very dangerous. Nothing like witch magic. If light magic is a gentle pond, then dark energy is a swamp. Witch magic is a raging tsunami. All of them may have uses, but the latter two have a lot more risks involved."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Thinking back to Masako and Basu, Madoka frowns thoughtfully. "I mean... they've already forgotten. I could have made it so that they lasted a bit longer, but... I could tell in their hearts they were just done with magic. I think on some level they have a vague idea that someone helped them out of a bad situation, but I'm not sure what the Veil has turned that memory into. A part of me thinks that the less involved they are with me, the better."

    When Mami is mentioned a wave of sadness washes Madoka's face as she thinks back to all the times when something bad did happen to her. After a moment she reminds herself that in this timeline, everything turned out okay so far. "Mami-san already knows. She was there. Whether or not she'd tell anyone else in Obsidian."

    Wait a minute. Does that mean that Mami is dating both Riventon and Takashi? Madoka never would've guessed.

    "Riventon at least seems to have some kind of moral limits... though, as long as he's playing with dark energy those lines might always get pushed back."

    Kamiko settles on Madoka's shoulder and starts commenting. "For me, it was two things at first. I had the dark energy that Easter put into me and my own intrinsic darkness as an X-Chara. Then Doka-chan purified me once, but that only got rid of the first category. Now, I don't really have access to dark energy at all. If I ever got corrupted again it'd probably be short lived since Doka-chan could just purify me."

    Madoka seems like she wants to comment at first, but she notices that Kamiko's ridiculously long flowing hair is slowly tangling itself around her. She looks down and starts to slowly extract herself only to get confused by what she's seeing. "Kamiko-chan... where does your hair end?"

    "It doesn't."

    Madoka tilts her head and chides, "If you actually had infinite hair it would fill the room..."

    Kamiko shakes her head, "My hair is not limited by your ideas regarding three dimensional space."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"You had dark magic?" Sayaka asks with a perplexed expression on her face. She would have thought something like that would have been more disastrous and attention-grabbing, like when it happened to Adora. Though... "How long ago was it exactly?"

She dislikes being powerless that much... Sora really did a number on her. Sayaka would suggest her to go seek someone like Blue too, but they probably wouldn't give her powers considering they adhere to way different standards than before. She should probably keep her distance from them for now. There really is no point in doing something that would only disrupt her choices until she has decided to actually fight for what is right.

"I remember when Riventon rescued you", Sayaka brings up when his limits get brought up. "But even with that I wouldn't let him raise a finger on Madoka. His morals aren't really that important if he doesn't listen to them", she communicates with resolve. Which is kind of what Hinoiri was taking about just seconds earlier.

"I don't really think Mami-san would put you in danger. Even that seems a bit too much for her", Sayaka turns to Madoka. "She doesn't really dislike you. If it were me, she would likely turn me over to Obsidian before breakfast is over." She didn't really do much for Mami to have a good opinion of her.

Naru Osaka has posed:
The comment from Hinoiri makes Naru laugh. "Three impossible things before breakfast really does sum up the magic around here."

"No.. if beating dark magic out of people worked, it would have been a lot easier to deal with the boys. Not that they were easy to beat by any stretch." Naru muses thoughtfully and then finally shrugs. "It got beat out of me, but that was a different scenario." She looks over to Sayaka and mmmms softly. "Only briefly. The first time I got kidnapped. Soo.. uhh.. about a year ago now? Gosh, its really been that long."

Naru nods to Madoka. "Riventon has some lines even he's not willing to cross. He's a fascinating conversationalist, once you accept his biases and work with them."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Yeah. But well... Riventon is also kind of an idiot sometimes. I used to joke he was this world's version of me." Pause. "Err, ignore that idiot comment. What I mean is he's very talented and understands a lot of the ways magic does, even when self taught. But he's also the kind of person who sees everyone in his department as 'his'. Mami, Catra, Takashi, that one girl I never met, La Crema. So while I think he'd be capable of finding ways to help them... I think he's willing to cross a lot of lines that he really shouldn't in order to do it. Lines they wouldn't be grateful to."

"... But hey, he hasn't tried to stab me. So... I'll give him some credit for that."

She took notes about Kamiko, nodding along as she goes. "Interesting. Does your magic alter your hair? Back home hair magic was incredibly difficult to do. I don't know why, it was just really difficult."

She did cringe at the mention of kidnapping Naru. "Yeah, uhhhh... I... in fact I haven't said it in a while... I really AM sorry about that. I was just... not in a good place. I'm much better now, honest."

Not that she could be in a worse place now. Emotionally.

"... But hey, you uhhh... are doing better now, too. So... progress?" she said sheepishly.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    At the mention of Mami putting Madoka in danger, the pink girl has a difficult to read expression for a moment. She wishes that she could trust Mami completely, but...

    "Well... who knows, now that she's with Obsidian? She might have told one of her boyfriends and they both seem like the science type. I just hope no one gets the bright idea of trying to steal Kamiko." Madoka frowns for a moment. "Gretchen was able to defend herself, especially once she went off the deep end, but Kamiko isn't really at full power without me."

    The divine chara frowns. That was not her proudest moment. One could argue that Kamiko won in that she got everything she actually wanted: She and her sisters got accepted by Madoka, she found a way to save Witches, and she actually does have her own Paradise now even if no one's in it except a select few visitors. At the same time she did kinda prove to herself that eating all the darkness she could wasn't really the wisest choice, nor was she nearly as kind as she thought she was under its influence.

    Well, at least Kamiko can understand how Hinoiri feels.

    Kamiko forgets about that as she considers how to answer Hinoiri's question. "Well... it's like... I mean I am magic so yes? I think it's like... a manifestation of my power that it's as long as it is. Honestly I wouldn't actually try to trace where my locks go. You might end up in my Labyrinth or something if you tried." After all, that hair has to go somewhere. "I wonder if it's still proper to call it a Labyrinth. It doesn't really behave like one anymore."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
"That was you?", Sayaka frowns when Hinoiri reveals herself. "What were you trying to do at the time? I don't really see why Naru of all people?" she asks, not really seeing what filling her to the brim with dark energy would accomplish. And that fact Naru brings it up so nonchalantly, like she is talking about an old adventure... That's probably the scariest thing there.

"I can't do much, but if things develop in a way I can help, I will always be there to help with anything that threatens Kamiko or any of your Charas", the bluenette promises.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Everyone is kind of an idiot sometimes." Naru points out to Hinoiri. "It's part of existing. Occupational hazard and all of that." She flickers a smile and shakes her head. "It's in the past, and it's done and gone. I've moved past it, you get to move past it as well." Naru nods to Sayaka and gives a little shrug. "Trying to help me find my magic. A little premature, apparently, and the wrong flavour."

Naru quirks a rueful smile. "Progress. Although in some ways, it does feel like two steps forward and three steps back. I understood my path before, and now I get to be ignorant on so many levels all over again."

There's a closing of Naru's notebook and she tucks it away, having finished her coffee ages ago, even if she hadn't really noticed it going away. "Thank you all for letting me barge in and listen. I should get going."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times, opening her mouth. "Wait, boyfriends? I think she's just dating Takashi. If she was dating a second boy I'm pretty sure Takashi would find a way to like... make them disappear." Pause. "Or, well, likely break up with her. He's just as jealous as Riventon. And I wouldn't recommend anyone tries dating THAT pile of issues in a human-shaped package... But maybe. I hope she doesn't tell Takashi. If she told Takashi then he'd likely need to tell others and it'd be a whole... thing."

She then gives Sayaka a feeble grin. "I... uhhh... I was doing an experiment. And, while I was *right* in the end, it was still... not the best move. At all. Correct hypothesis, incorrect methodology to test. Wouldn't do it again. I was right, though..." She then glanced at the notes and wrote a few more things down. "I usually am... anyway, I need to go ahead and work on all of this information, process it, compare. You're welcome to stick around if you like, but it's pretty nerdy and you're free to go. Thank you."

She then paused and glanced to the little nerdy chara. "And if you want to stay around and watch, I'll drop you off with Madoka after, that sound fair?" Well, that way she didn't make the pinkette and bluenette stand around and watch her run all her tests and math things!