Scene #2453: Sparks Fly

Owner	Pose
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite - the silver haired glasses wearing person who is probably neither Heavenly nor even a King (except in his own mind) - was out still trying to safely test the nature of the powers he could call on with what was basically a carefully modified storage device. Shields, he could make a few of, but attacking was... still leaving much to be desired. But there was a small, imp-like youma that had been lurking in an alleyway and stalking a child that seemed to be a more appropriate test subject. Probably a free-roaming youma, something that had slithered across from the Dusk Zone. Hiddenite had been chasing it now, down alleyways in the suburban Juuban Ward, throwing admittedly unimpressive looking lime green blasts at it as he did so. As Riventon he could have dealt with it very easily, but that wasn't the purpose of being out today. "You can't just slither onto this side and threaten children, you little shadow!" he yelled. And as luck would have it, he cornered the thing and blasted it, likely back to the Dusk Zone finally, just as the world started to shimmer and shudder - because he'd wandered right into the path of a Witch's labynrth. The world changed around him rapidly, reflecting in his glasses as it warped into what seemed like a giant, cartoonish circuit board; electrical impulses running along paths in bright sparks and dangerous waves, with barrel-like capacitors on spindly wire legs stomping around, some generally towards him. However, to complicate things... he wasn't going to end up here alone, not for long enough to unhenshin and rehenshin safely...
Sayaka Miki	"Found it!", Sayaka speeds ahead as soon as the world starts warping around her, dodging and cutting and punching through familiars as needed. This Labyrinth... It really reminded her a lot of the one from Kirsten, her first Witch, the one she got stuck into with Hinoiri, as well as the first Witch she was able to put into stasis in her Labyrinth. Curious how things work sometimes. But something like this would have had to happen eventually. "Hey, Ula, do you think we are ever going to stumble on a Witch with a similar Labyrinth to the one we first met in?", Sayaka asks the fairy, punching a capacitor right into another one. "Could happen, why?" the mermaid clings to her shirt tightly when Sayaka makes a sharp turn. "Just reminds me of my first Witch", the bluenette replies, fast approaching someone who definitely wasn't a familiar. A victim of the Witch? Nope. "Oh, Hiddenite-san", she stops in recognition, tossing a sword at those familiar in the area. "Looking for the Witch too?"
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite is just about to drop his henshin and hide behind a rather large - well, it was probably supposed to be inspired by some sort of circuit board part, but at this point it was warped and jumbled - when a certain blue haired Cure arrives. He tries to slowly back away and hide anyuways, but she calls him out. He curses under his breath and the adpots a more positive demeanor right after. "Sharpsong-san, right?" He asks, trying to not grit his teeth. "No, I don't know where we are now!" he says. "I was chasing a monster that decided to bother some kid and suddenly, well. I'm here. What's going on?" he asks, just before a spark of electrical energy, rolling along one of the pathways in the green circuit-board floor, roars towards him and he's pushed to scramble away from it with a startled noise before it roars past, an electrical impulse on its way along the board. "And how do we get out?"
Sayaka Miki	"That's me. Hello, Hiddenite-san", she comments. "Never been in a Witch Labyrinth?", Sayaka's eyes widen surprised. It has really been a while she has found anyone unaware. She had assumed that by now, everyone was not only aware about Witches, but also about where they came from as well. And this probably means that he got caught in it instead. "Don't worry about it, this is normal stuff", she reassures him, easily assuming his confusion to be genuine. "We could try looking for an exit, but usually the best way to get out of a Labyrinth is to slay the Witch at its center. We usually never do the former, since Witches are a threat that must be removed when you meet one. They are responsible for a lot of otherwise unexplained, incidents, disappearances and suicides." That is certainly a way to put a damper on the mood, but she remembers how last time went, and she can already feel Ula is watching the scene with renewed interest, so she should make it clear she is here for business and nothing more. "But Sharpsong is used to them, she could probably find her way through one with her eyes closed", Ula comments right after. An extreme exaggeration if there ever was one. "Good enough to go at it by herself, but never lower your guard, or they can and will jump on you", the bluenette scowls lightly at the mermaid.
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite blinks. "I... really don't think this is normal." he protests. No, not even for Riventon. Witch Labynrths are another whole level of weird even when you're used to Weird Magic Stuff like working for Obsidian. Of course as Riventon he's been in some, alongside Mami or Melona, but they never really become 'normal'. "I haven't been doing the whole magic hero thing very long." Technically on some levels true depending on what your perspective of her is. "...well if that's the case though we can't leave it around to cause trouble, can we." He knows they can't. Ugh. Riventon could just sizzle a hole from here to the center of the Labynrth probably, but Hiddenite? Not so much. Not the boy with a hopped up Storage Device that spent half of its power REMOVING dark energy from his blasts. Then he turns and looks. "I don't think whatever those are want us to go any further, though." he says, pointing out the rising tide of... two... four... six... eight... that's a lot of Familiars. "Please don't close your eyes. One I don't want you to get hurt, and two, they are very pretty." He says before firing a few of those green blasts towards a familiar... that mostly looks mildly annoyed, at least in the sense that a walking capacitor without a face can look annoyed. He looks at his hand like it betrayed him, as they continue to stomp forward.
Sayaka Miki	Look at what you did, Ula. Sayaka would be tempted to tell her, or at the very least relay through telepathy, but she doesn't have that as a Pretty Cure, and the Cure Line isn't quite the same thing. If she didn't know by the surprised-yet-amused expression on the fairy's face, she would have thought she set that up intentionally. And Hiddenite really didn't seem like he was going to give up on trying to compliment him. Didn't he want not to go against Blue? What happened to that? Sayaka bites her lips, looking at him somewhat bashfully. Even if said compliment is a typical one, it's kind of hard to deal with it when told with such a straight face. The fact said face is handsome doesn't help matters. "I can see you are not worried about the Witch at least, but I don't intend to let you get hurt anyway", she looks towards the familiars. Maybe if she doesn't acknowledge it happened, he will drop the subject. Even if half of her thinks he may have gotten the reply he wanted from her face. "Don't worry", she tells him once she sees the result of Hiddenite's blasts. "Take all the time you need to get the hang of it, I will cover for us", she remarks, spinning the dial on the Love PreBrace. "Pretty Cure Sharpsong Legato!" Tendrils of water escape from the azure sphere that appears in mid air, tying together four of the closest capacitors, leaving the Pretty Cure to slash through them with a lunge.
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite probably would have done this without Ula's urging. Even Riventon's nice to the people on his side. There's just more people on one side than the other, and he's ran into Sharpsong twice now. And she's very striking. As the familiars discover when her tendrils of water bind them up for a slash. "Who said I wasn't worried about the witch? What witch? Like a wicked witch? Broomstick?" He asks. He's at least doing a good job for now of mentally separating his awareness of what he's supposed to know and what he does. That'll surely last forever. Mindless though they are, the familiars keep coming after there's four less of them. Off the edge of the circuit board, however, something lumbers forward surprisingly quickly, and Hiddenite is... not good at blasting, clearly at all, but he's fast - and as bronze-colored familiar more like an inductor shimmies off the board and surges a blast of energy at Sayaka from her blind spot, he moves to interpose. "Sharpsong-chan! Behind!" he says, putting up a green shield that's faceted like a gem. Unfortunantly he's also not as strong as he expects in this front either, and the blast of energy is soaked by the shield for a momnet - before it goes through it and into him, and onward onto Sayaka. Maybe he didn't do more than give her a warning and an extra moment to react before he's thrown backwards. He skids slightly along the ground as the familar's attention is turned towards him and it starts to clearly store up more energy. "hate witches..." he mumbles as he tried to get himself steady.
Sayaka Miki	"Try not to think about witches on a broomstick. Or the Witches 5, if you have met them. This is neither. It's hard to explain... Think about a kid's drawing that came to life and that may come close. But not all Witches have that kind of look. They are all weird. Unnatural." But it is obvious why knowing what made them. Just as she has finished dealing with the unlucky quartet, she is about to turn around when her unexpected companion shields her from the attack for that moment. Even as the blast courses through her, the bluenette grits her teeth and does her best to bear it, leaping at Hiddenite to catch him before he hits the ground. "See, they can and will jump on you", she repeats, adding right after. "And even experience sometimes isn't good enough to cover things like these. Thanks for shielding me", she looks at him, thinking that was a really close one. As much as she appreciates not getting hurt, this wasn't what she was thinking of. If anything, between the two of them, it's better if she gets hurt instead. Less wounds to account on in the long term, thanks to her renegeration. "How are you? Got everything in order still?"
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite looks up at Sayaka as she catches him before he can slam into what he can only presume is some sort of annoying solid witch-made plastic. "Oh, see? Now we're even." he says. "I may have gotten better of the deal though so maybe not." he adds with a smirk. "But no I'm fine just a little singed. I can't just stand around and let you do everything." He protests. "You're already protecting me and the little mermaid here both, I can't just stand around." Then he pauses. "Do you want me to take her so you don't have to guard her and yourself?" he offers. "Sorry I just... I have to do something to help." There's only a few familairs now, at least, and after Sayaka dispatches them it'll be back to walking the labyrinth, looking for the next part of the maze or the exit/Witch.
Sayaka Miki	Sharpsong gets stuck between wanting to talk about this, but he is getting a lot of her focus when she really should be focusing on getting them out of there. "You got hurt. That has got to be more important than getting caught in my arms", she replies, trying to keep her head clear and focused. She gets it, Hiddenite is not going to give up. Just a second. One second, and she will be back to talk with him. Just one second. "Pretty Cure Spinny Mirror Change!", she exclaims, taking out the Rowan Strathspey PreCards, and once again changing form, into a blue and red dress with decorations styled after small red berries. "Basso Continuo!", the bluenette claps her hands, starting to dance around the Labyrinth, carried by the magic of the PreCards, her "partners" 5 watersprouts that move in synchrony with her, each of them sweeping the floor with the familiars. While her first dance form takes care of them, she looks back to Riventon. "Hiddenite-san, let's be honest here. You are interested in me, and probably would like to get a date, or you wouldn't be trying to shower me in compliments. I don't know what I would have done if we had met when I wasn't under Blue, but I have made it clear I cannot reciprocate you. Why not try with someone who might actually be open to dating you? That will go better than just me."
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite pauses and looks at her, slowly clasping his hands behind his back and looking around for any familiars she hadn't cleared out with her Basso Continuo. Finding none, he takes a large breath. "Well, of course I'm interested, that's because I have eyes." he says, directly. "And in my defense it's not hard for me to go out and get in a fight with a monster - it IS Tokyo - but being caught by a pretty girl happens less often." he protests. "...But I'm sorry if my compliments have made you uncomfortable, I can focus on the whole monsters and witches thing if you'd rather. I do have the ability to focus on more than one thing at a time though. I didn't get so caught up in watching you I couldn't help you - as little help as it was." he admits, begrudgingly, rubbing his shoulder where he got hit. "...I'm sorry, if you're really not interested I really should shut up." he says, looking down and away from her. "Don't want to get a reputation for not being able to take a hint or anything." he adds, realizing this would be bad both in a general sense and for the whole 'Hiddenite not immediately making mahou wary of him' plan. "My apologies." he says, clasping his hands and bowing forward a bit. "I clearly misunderstood some things."
Sayaka Miki	Sayaka winces when the boy seems to take it pretty badly. She was trying to drop this on him gently, but apparently it wasn't gently enough. And she doesn't feel comfortable admitting that she doesn't disdain at all his compliments, because that would only serve to give him hopes that will lead nowhere. How does she do this? Right now, the only one she has around for support is Ula, and their views on Blue's restriction is too different for anything productive to come out of a talk with the fairy. "Hiddenite-san, I do not have anything against you. I ask that you please believe me on that, because it's really important right now. I have tried not to make things hard, but you are actually good at compliments, so you probably picked up on some mixed messages from me, and there is also the fact Ula would rather help you than agree with Blue's rule." Why that is, when due to her love life she had to go on power saving mode just to avoid Witching out a second time, she will never understand. Blue is being far from unresonable. "But that's what it is, regardless of my personal feelings on the matter, I cannot date you. That's just the one thing Blue has asked me, and he is letting me actually do a positive contribution saving people, but.." Ula slaps her hands together, and the sounds echoes through the Labyrinth interrupting Sayaka. "Sharpsong, if you still had those problems, I am sure that right now, you wouldn't be feeling a lot better. If you were on board with Blue's rule, you wouldn't constantly bring him up as the justification for your behaviour. You would just tell him you aren't interested. So go on. Do that now. Tell him that." Silence falls from Sayaka in response to Ula's challenge.
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite pauses. "I don't think you have to have anything against me to say no, Sharpsong-san." he says, blinking a bit, like the idea the two are connected is a bit alien to him. "You have you reasons, even if you don't seem to fully agree with them?" he offers. Ula's challenge is offered, and Sharpsong is quiet, and Hiddenite is too, leading to an akward moment where only the crackles of electricity around them fill the air as Ula looks at Sharpsong as does Hiddenite. Finally he breaks the silence by taking a big breath. "Listen, Sharpsong-san. I don't know what the right thing to say myself is. I don't want you to think I back down too easily ''or'' chase too hard. But if you truly can't, then you can't, and I'm not going to try to push you." he says. "I only say those things because - well, one, I do think they're true, and two, you react in a way that seemed to indicate you at least enjoyed the compliments. Seeing the way you react to them felt good." he admits. But if they're bringing you trouble, in your heart or in your relationship with Blue or anywhere else - well, that's the opposite of what I want to do." he says. "I like seeing you react in a good way, not a bad one." He takes a step closer but turns to look at Ula. "Her being interested or not doesn't really matter if she doesn't want me to pursue her." he says, calmly. "Then I just won't." he says, lifting his hands up and then dropping them. "I'll try to keep a lid on my compliments. We have a witch to get rid of anyways, right?" he says, clearly a little disappointed, but trying to adjust his focus. "We gotta get out of here no matter what anyways."
Sayaka Miki	"Blue's rule exists because he thinks that the risk of love turning bad is too much to consider. He is completely blind to what happens if a person starts pushing down their own feelings", she shakes her head." Which to her, it's a particularly egregious mistake, considering that Sayaka had tried to do that to herself once already. "If she had the peace of mind to tell you she isn't interested, then that would be it, but Blue's rule just piles up more stress on her", Ula tells Hiddenite and then she turns to Sayaka. "Have you been thinking about it before the other day?" The Pretty Cure sighs. She cannot deny Ula has a point, but she has accepted Blue's condition herself. Is it really right to go back on her word just like that? "I... Ok, I was hiding behind Blue. To myself as well. I am actually interested in seeing how a date with you would go. I like you enough to want to try, but I am not sure how I should move with him. He only means well, and he is the one that actually let me help me people when I thought I would never be able to", she explains.
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite has a lot to take in now. Thankfully, either the local familiars have all been dispatched or just not wandered across them and they've managed to stay clear of the sparks. The atmosphere of the Labrynth isn't the most condusive to this, but on the other hand it's certainly quite private. "I understand wanting to help people when you're not able to, at least." he says, quietly. "The whole reason Hiddenite exists is that desire." he adds. He probably says too much though and wonders how little he can get away with explaining that further. "I didn't mean to cause trouble by driving a wedge between you and your... patron?" He half-asks. He's not sure if patron is the right word, but mascot clearly wouldn't be. Boss didn't seem right, either. "Just you know, when I looked down at you - when I carried you out of the way of that blast... well - it was like. Wow." he says, his face turning red just a little himself. "Just wow." "And I wouldn't want thew girl who made me say that to myself on looking at her... to slip through my fingers if there's a chance." he says. "So like. A date? I'd... like that. I don't know if... what we'd do about henshin, though. I don't know that... I'm still trying to work out who I am in henshin and... maybe not ready to connect who I am and who I am? Oh no, that makes no sense... I mean, I guess I would just look a little weird in henshin..." he says, now a bit like the dog that caught the car and trying to process both catching it and where to go from here.
Sayaka Miki	Funny how all familiars just went away. They are just having a lucky break. Or maybe her watersprouts had scared them that much. Though she has actually trouble believing that. Since when has a Witch's Familiar been scared? Did he go through a similar experience? Sayaka just ponders when he shares a bit about himself. Certainly not an experience with Kyubey, as Madoka is the only one able to undo his contracts, and she hasn't mentioned doing it to anyone else, much less a boy. The first case of Kyubey making a contract with a boy would be notable. "Well, since we are being completely honest with each other. You looked cool then. Not that you don't now! You do now as well!", she gives an embarassed laugh. Anyway, a date. A date specifically against Blue's wishes. A date with someone that isn't comfortable staying out of henshin. Is she up for trying that? Well, she doesn't know. She will deal with the consequences as they come. "Yes, a date sounds fine. I guess we should exchange numbers? Mine is XXX-XXXXXXX. And staying in henshin is ok. I understand wanting some privacy."
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite is actually keeping awareness for any familiars that might break up their conversation, and he has to assume Sharpsong is too - but he's a little distracted because she called him cool and deep down Riventon - Takashi - and now Hiddenite; well, who doesn't like being told they're cool? Riventon never gets that. And by a pretty girl! She can probably see his brain slowing to halt and then needing to reboot in a manner of speaking. Is this okay, though? Isn't this henshin just to protect people when he can't act as Riventon? Wasn't all of this just practice and reputation building? He's not really one of these sparkles or anything... "Yeah... yeah we should. Exchange. Numbers." he says haltingly, maybe a little bit less smooth than he has been now that everything's directly in front of him and happening, Very Happening. He pulls his phone out, puts her number in, gives her his - he can't not now, but he does regret not having a Hiddenite Number - he gives her his Civilian number. "It's not about privacy it's about... I have... people I need to protect. From the consequences. I don't have any reason not to trust you., either!" he says, hurridly. "Just... people that are precious to me, family, that I need to keep safe and... I wasn't expecting to run into you and all again so soon. Then have us go on a date. NOT THAT I WANT THAT TO NOT HAPPEN." he clarifies loudly. Then looks around. And puts his phone back in his pocket. "Right. Before the date uh. The monster witch." he suggests.
Sayaka Miki	She is not really sure what her own brain is doing either, so let's Hiddenite take his time while she keeps an eye on her surroundings, because of course, they are still in Witch territory. Kind of weird thing, to start dating in Witch territory. She will have to tell Madoka that later. Kirsten II is probably going to get a special place among the saved Witches. Sayaka puts Hiddenite's own number in and nods at his explanation with a calm smile. Or at least the intent is for it to be reassuring. Both her heart and brain are in such disarray that it probably still comes across as a little nervous. She immediately adds Riventon's own number to the Cure Line. She can add it to her normal phone later. "I wasn't expecting any of this either. And I am sure Ula is quite happy about it happening, right?", she gives the mermaid a side glance. "Better than you continuing to torment yourself, yup", she nods jovially, which makes Sayaka exhale at her complete calm. "I understand the situation with your family. And if one day you need help, and feel like sharing with me wouldn't put then in more danger, I want to help. But first Witch, then date, then everything else", she turns smiling towards the heart of the Labyrinth.
Takashi Agera	Hiddenite can't help but smile despite himself. Complicated? Yes. Probably going to be trouble down the line? Yes. Weird place to start? Yes. Nobody he can really talk to about this? Yes. But also you know. Date with Cure Sharpsong. Date with a pretty girl. Date with a cool girl in a cape! So he's kind of humming happily to himself as they move forward. "You know, when you cleared out all of those familiars, you were pretty cool yourself." he notes. Even if it's the kind of thing that would annoy him to no end if those were HIS youma. But they aren't and Riventon's problems can't be Hiddenite's problems, after all. "In a way this is sort of like a magical youma-punching fighting date on its own, right? This Witch isn't going to stand a chance. But you'll have to tell me what sort of food you like. And what sort of things you like to do. Movies? Music?" It's not a far walk for them to reach the Witch now, a jumble of electrical components with soldiering irons for arms. "That's...a thing." Hiddenite notes, his hands glowing green. "I'll try to keep any electricity off you and you can go be badass? I'd attack it but I think I'd just annoy it, too..."
Sayaka Miki	"Thanks, that's one of the two dance Styles I have", she replies, paying attention to her surroundings now they have started moving again. The dance style Riventon saw is the only one with offensive uses, so she would have never used the other one in that situation, though. "It's also one of the weird things about being one of Blue's Pretty Cures. It comes with ''many'' minor transformations." "I am a pianist", Sayaka tells him when her hobbies are asked about. Though, between her name and the fortissimo hairpin in her hair. Some musical background was a given. "I can show you the movies I like personally if you want. My parents bought me some CDs", she tells him. Slowly starting to become a rarity nowadays, but so could be said about her collecting physical music. When they are at the Witch, soon enough there are all sorts of attacks converging on her, including Rondo con Toccata towards the end.