Scene #6534: Magical Girl Interrogation

Owner	Pose
Homura Akemi	MIURA HASE (that's weeb name order) has been in Paladin custody for a few weeks now. Saying that you're cutting it close is a big understatement, and it's likely she wouldn't have made it through the rest of the day. Past a point, keeping her happy, well fed and in a great environment could only do so much - the mana tax simply for existing was going to take its toll sooner or later. The easiest part, really, was telling her parents she was chosen to study abroad for a couple of weeks, and pulling some strings to make it believable. Or something along those lines. Getting them involved would probably be really bad. Still wearing pajamas, slumped down onto the table of the makeshift house, the green-haired girl looks like she's just shy of bawling. With the arrival of Eryl, Homura and 17, she pokes her head up just barely. "I'm sorry I've been such a burden..." she says, before lowering her head into her arms again. "I really thought it was for the better... and they were so convincing, and... " Cults.jpg Homura makes an awkward shift towards Eryl. "I-If we wait any longer, we... we should get ready to fight, and..." Homura's AMAZING PEOPLE SKILLS immediatly set Hase off, like a fountain. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I was such an idiot!" Better let the professionals handle this, not Homura.
Android 17	Seventeen arrives with the group as expected because he's not going to rock this boat, especially when things are uh...just barely resolved. Also because he's actually trying to help and not trying to be like Goku and just arrange a fight. Coming down immediately has the girl seemingly beside herself with regret. Of course, Homura is the /best/ at social situations uh...makes things somewhat worse. He raises a hand at her, "And we'll deal with that if it comes. It's not very likely they're going to be able to pull a resource game and win with the Paladins. She's about as safe here as she's going to get outside of one of their bases," Seventeen says, mostly looking for the Grandmaster to back that line of reasoning up, and to ease the worries of Miura. "Shhh, it's alright. You're not the only one that has been duped before. It's not good to think about what has happened. That doesn't fix anything, what does help is walking forward and deciding what you're going to do. It's a bit overwhelming right now, I understand that," Seventeen says, with a soft smile. "By the way, I don't think we've properly been introduced. I'm Android 17. No it's not my real name, no I'm not actually an android I'm more like a Cyborg, the man who created me was kiiiiiinda dumb." A beat, "And I mean very dumb." he says with a wry grin. "Right now I think it's best to focus on getting better."
Eryl Fairfax	Eryl stands poised in the living room, a pleasant smile on his face as he ruminates on how to go about this. Should he bring in Sada Onoue? Right now, he's leaning 'no.' Too many risks, too many variables. Is a Grief Seed a full cleanse, or only partial? If the latter, he'd rather not heap stress upon her after purging it. Ultimately, it all boils down to 'not right now, test and see.' And test he needs to do, as the girl starts breaking down a little. "Miura Hase," he says, using the full name to grab her attention. "Your only crime was wanting a group of others like you to rely on, and a cause you could believe in. Every single person wants that. You've made no mistakes, and done little wrong. And the things you did do wrong are forgiven. Look." He produces the Grief Seed from within his cloak and offers it with an outstretched hand. "Homura Akemi here surrendered this Grief Seed after we brought down the Witch it came from. If she hated you for partaking in the attack on her, would she do that?" This is not true at all, Eryl just grabbed it before any argument could be made (not that Homura would argue). But he needs to toss her a lifeline. He also tosses Homura a side-eye, as if to say, 'don't contradict me.'
Homura Akemi	Homura is not good at social cues but can still grasp the harsh stare of a Grandmaster going 'play along'. That is to say she kind of stiffens and shuts up, which is no doubt for everyone's benefit. Hase looks at the Grief Seed, then at Homura, then at the others. "R... Really?" It calms her down. She reaches out with her hand, and the ring around a finger shines bright green, shifting into the shape of an egg-sized green jewel contained in a ornate golden cage and base of sorts. Or, well, it's a bit green, sure. It's mostly a lot of black and dark green. Bubbles of pitch black taint move around inside the crystal like agitated water, but there's so much of it that it'd be more accurate to say the green parts are the bubbles being sloshed around in the black slurry. "T-Thanks... but what about the other one you captured? If you don't see to her, you'll have a Witch on your hands either way... it'd be best if we only used half each, right?" Oh, so she knows about Witches. Sure makes it easier. She looks at the party, reminded by 17 to actually introduce herself. "I'm Miura Hase. I don't have anything cool to add to that though." Kinda hard to one-up being a cyborg, and there's basically TWO in the room.
Android 17	Seventeen lets Eryl field the questions about the other magical girl, he doesn't know where she is or the deets on that. Also, probably better for the guy actually in charge to actually answer questions like that, just in case he doesn't wanna let anything slip to someone who might just end up walking back. Seventeen watches the egg-like object as it seems to return to a better color. Well, that's a load off, and she is showing concern for the other girl. Well, it's glad that making you a magical girl doesn't make you immediately go for the option that best helps you. More or less... "Well good to meet you Miura. Also, I think being a magical girl is plenty cool, but like being a cyborg it has it's ups and downs I imagine."
Eryl Fairfax	Eryl smiles and shakes his head at Hase. "No, use the whole thing. We have her in slightly stricter security than you, since she wasn't as close. We keep her under observation, and tranquillize her if it seems like she might be getting into a state that would bring about more corruption." That's kind of an awful thing to say and do, but Eryl says it with the perfectly remorseful expression on his face. "It's not ideal. But it's the best we can do right now." He resets to a smile. "But, really. Use the whole thing, it's fine. We want you to be better, so you can go back to your normal life." Establish rapport, give her something, make her trust them. The ideal set-up for getting the most truthful answers from her. "So, about that day... now that you're in a better state of mind, could you explain what happened to you? Was something, or someone, forcing you to overload on magic?" As he asks this, he produces a bakery-bought box of doughnuts and begins passing them around. Perfect for a friendly interrogation!
Touta Konoe	"Hold up!" A voice rises from the back of the room. A spikey black-haired boy whose entire fashion sense screamed black across the board, the only non-black clothing he seemed to have was the red t-shirt underneath the black jacket he was wearing. Despite this he seemed pretty cheery as he brought attention to himself. "Hi, sorry I'm late Grandmaster. I had a bit of trouble coming in...Huh, I don't think I was in this base when you guys had me..." Did he just mention he's been detained by Paladins at one point as well? Maybe... The thought quickly vanishes though as he starts walking towards Miura, upon closer inspection he's probably around the same age as the girl. Or at least the closest in comparison to many of the others in the room. "You're Miura-san right? Sorry to shout like that, my name's Konoe Touta, nice meeting you. Anyway, I know you guys were about to use that Grief Seed but I wanted to know if it was alright with you guys if I tried something? I can't guarantee anything but I think if this works we might be able to get rid of all that black stuff in your Soul Gem without wasting the Grief Seed." The young man doesn't have to put on any facades as he greets the Mahou Shoujo, he's genuinely pleased to meet her. What's more, he seems completely serious staring Miura dead in the eye as he brings his proposal to the table.
Homura Akemi	"Yeah... but it's not like we can just quit," Hase responds to 17. "I think... it was kind of worth it, anyway." 'Kind of'. Homura makes an uncomfortable noise at the notion. Since Eryl gives the go-ahead, Hase places her Soul Gem on the table, next to the Grief Seed. The Grief Seed seems to act like a magnet, sucking out the darkness in the Soul Gem like it's a physical, cloudy substance, which disappears into the Grief Seed's already pitch black core. It stops abruptly when Touta comes in and requests to use the Grief Seed - Hase, reluctantly, pulls her Soul Gem away, now a bit greener and brighter, looking at Eryl for approval. She also uses the opportunity to answer his questions. "I don't know. It's like someone else told me that was the best way to distract you and get rid of our footprints and I just... obeyed without thinking," she responds.
Android 17	"Yeah, neither of us can quit," Seventeen says, but doesn't dwell on it. "Well, only you can really determine if it's worth it or not. Gotta find that reason why you walk forward every day. Also, remember when you get tripped, get back up." "So...would you do that right this second if anyone just...asked you?" he asks her. "I mean, we're not and you totally shouldn't," He clarifies. This was starting to sound very suspicious, especially with how...robotic they were being. The cyborg also gives Touta a look. Not a bad one but more like a 'this shit again?' or 'dude, you're going to explode one of these days'.
Eryl Fairfax	Eryl begins rubbing his chin as Hase explains what happened. Someone just told her to do it, and she obeyed without questioning it? That may mean the Wings are capable of mentally manipulating their ranks. And are clearly not afraid of turning their own into suicide bombers to deal with problems. With this confirmed, they've moved well up on Eryl's list of priorities. "Thank you Hase. Now, if you could-" Touta comes in and interjects, saying he wants to try something. Eryl nods after a moment's thought. It was clear during the Witch fight that his power interacted strangely with Witches. Maybe it would do something similar to magical girls? "All right. But if you feel as if it's hurting you in any way, speak up and we'll stop." "Now, as I was about to ask. I believe you when you say that the Wings of Magius didn't tell you much about where they might be located. But could you tell me how they came to recruit you? Spare no detail, every little bit helps.
Homura Akemi	"N-No! Of course not!" Hase replies to 17. The thought seems horrifying, for very obvious reasons. Then to Eryl: "Well... it's... I'd just found out about the... Witch... thing," she says, clearly avoiding spelling it out. Maybe it's not a great memory. "One of the White Feathers showed up to help me fight the Witch, and then she said she was working for people who are trying to stop that from happening. It wasn't a lot to go off of, but I wanted to believe that so much then and there that..." Well, really, that speaks for itself. "That's how they recruit. They look for magical girls who learned the truth, and they try to give them something to believe in so they don't tip over." From her tone, she's clearly not sure how to think of it. It's shady, but isn't it helping people? "The White Feather we're working under... not the one with the mirrors, another one, she uses... orbs, like diamonds. She can predict the future. She uses it to help find new recruits, but in this case... she said we needed to kill that one," she motions for Homura, who flinches behind Eryl, "To prevent something awful."
Touta Konoe	Touta can't really say he can blame Seventeen for that look. It's true that his experiences with Witches have been unique. But it was exactly those unique experiences that made him want to try even more and for that reason he gives a smile back to Seventeen to at least try to reassure that Touta felt comfortable with the risks. Now, as Eryl gives him the confirmation and the warning he nods. "Got it." From there he reaches into his pocket and pulls out what would probably appear to Miura at first as some sort of oversized bracelet. Unfortunately as it began to expand out she would realize it was much more silly than that. It was a hula-hoop, to which Touta promptly was positioning around himself. He waits for Eryl to finish his line of questioning before speaking to Miura. No reason to overwhelm her after all, but figured he should probably give his own warning as well. But first...He looked at the appearence of the Grief Seed and the Soul Gem. He wanted to see at what capacity they were filled if at all before starting. He could only really call this a success if he was able to filter the Soul Gem without the Grief Seed being altered. "Alright Miura-san, so all I want you to do is just do what you normally do to cleanse your Soul Gem. There shouldn't be anything crazy for you to worry about, but if something feels weird or wrong and I'll stop alright?" If Miura was alright with that, he'd start preparing himself by begin to spin the hoop around his body. It might have seemed ridiculous but it was necessary for what he was about to attempt. Previously, Touta had tried to filter Homura's Soul Gem directly. The end result ended up being that while they were able to notice something was occurring within the gem, it was impossible to pull out the...Whatever it was inside her Soul Gem without putting her Soul Gem at risk. So this time, Touta had come up with another approach to attempt. Rather than try to forcibly suck the corruption or whatever it was out, what if he was able to take it in while it was leaving natural? Looking at the interaction between the Grief Seed and the Soul Gem the prior moment gave him a some hope. The Grief Seed pulled in what was inside of the Soul Gem naturally which had been one of the bigger issues last time. If he could just intercept it as it traveled to the Grief Seed then he could consider this a success. It wouldn't be a fix all solution but it would be a major step of progression. At least that's what Touta would like to think. "Here we go..." A bead of sweat runs down Touta's face as he allows the Grief Seed to do what it does naturally as he steadily waited for whatever it was to leave the Soul Gem. The moment he see it get close to half the distance between the two, he place his left hand in between and begin trying to absorb it using his own magic. All he could do from that point on is hope...
Android 17	Seventeen just shook his head and shrugged, he couldn't stop someone so determined. At the end of the day, Seventeen was more about the free will and choices someone made than rather the idea was good or not. It might be a terrible idea, but it was his decision to make. "I believe you, but you know...had to be sure. And yes, we know about what happens. Though I found out about it right at the eleventh-hour so...good that the Grandmaster here was pretty cool at the moment and managed to reach you." He looks towards Homura who hides behind Eryl, thinking about this for a moment. "Huh, I've only seen her do good things, and make reckless decisions to help people. From where I am standing, that White Feather has not so great credibility. Then again, still might be worth confronting her ourselves." Seventeen returns to watch Touta, incase something goes wrong.
Homura Akemi	Hase nods and puts the Soul Gem and Grief Seed close again. The transfer resumes, black, wispy smog flowing out of the Soul Gem and towards the Grief Seed. As the taint leaves the Soul Gem and it slowly becomes brighter and brighter, the green finally starting to shine through the darkness, the flowing taint seems to deviate from its trajectory... but not entirely. The end result is that some of the emotional strain (and energy! it's energy!) flows directly into Touta, but most of it still goes into the Grief Seed's black core, which looks and feels no different for it. There's not enough to really get a good read on it - but it's concentrated emotions and magical energy, that's for sure. Mostly the negative ones. The ones Hase has been feeling for the last several weeks, but without any names or faces attached. Sadness and regret, mostly. For a first attempt, it's probably not a bad result. The only odd thing is that it's energy. But don't the Puella describe black Soul Gems as a lack of it? Empty mana reservoirs? Maybe it's a different kind of energy. Whatever it is, they clearly can't use it at all, and it being in their Soul Gems takes up space that's toxic for them. With Hase's gem now sparkling green, truly worthy of being called a magical girl accessory, she smiles to 17. "It's fine. You're right not to trust me after what I did. I don't know what her motives are. I don't even know who she is," she gestures again at Homura. "And bad stuff... it could mean anything. Maybe they're worried she's gathering people. Now you're all going to get on the Wings' case, aren't you?" She picks up the Grief Seed, inspecting it. "I think it might have a bit left to it, if you get it to that other girl. After that... we need to call Kyubey to get rid of it, or it'll hatch into a Witch again."
Eryl Fairfax	So, the nature of Witches is not fully revealed to magical girls? That's such a glaring oversight that it almost seems deliberate. Is the process of becoming one natural, or is someone there to tell them the details? Eryl muses on this as Touta does his stuff. Ahh, so he absorbs some of the taint into himself before it goes into the Seed, essentially prolonging its use. And it seems to work as well, she got a full cleanse from that! Eryl pats Touta on the shoulder. "That was a brilliant idea. Well done." Hase mentions Kyubey. "Oh, are they the ones who grant magical girls their powers?" he asks, almost nonchalantly. If so, he's going to have words with them. But, the Wings first. He takes the Seed with a smile. "I'll give it to her then. She will be key to my plan to find the Wings, so keeping her in top form is a priority." He looks to everyone assembled. "I assume you all would like to know, so I'll tell you. We are going to let Sada Onoue escape her confinement." He lets that hang for a moment. "We'll gradually lower the guard, and instruct the staff to 'make mistakes,' while ensuring the site is well-stocked with medics and supplies should she hurt anyone on the way out. We'll put an obvious tracker on her so she can discard it and think she has escaped clean, while stationing Paladin trackers around the location to follow her. Ideally, she will lead us to a Wings of Magius hideout that we can raid." He turns, in an overly dramatic fashion, and shows everyone his back. "They hope they offer should not be necessary. Magical girls should be told all the risks of their duty. And even if their motives are good, the Paladins will not forgive any organisation that views a person's life as 'inconvenient.' Nor one that would throw the lives of their members away so callously."
Android 17	"Not so much as mistrusting you, but knowledge like that is...heavy," he says, dismissing a memory of his own before looking back towards her. There is a focused presence to him, looking at her firmly. "Though, let's be realistic now...they know you know about them. They are likely to come after you." He says. "So I guess I'll have to provide you a way to contact me. I am sure the Grandmaster will want to keep you safe, and how he goes about that is between you two. Just know I'm just a Park Ranger who likes to stick his nose where it doesn't belong." Towards Touta he nods, well...whatever he did was apparently good. He really can't detect the magic, or really tell what happened beyond what Eryl said. "Well, as long as you uh...enjoy sucking in stuff like that. Though it doesn't solve the problem all together...but it is at least a start." Though the Grandmaster makes another declaration and puts forward his plan. The Android looks thoughtful for a moment and then nods. "Well, we are doing a lot of agreeing on something lately. I can't speak for everyone in the Watch, as I am not an important member, but I don't much like people who do crap like this." "So I'm in for helping if you're up for it."
Homura Akemi	"Yeah... Kyubey grants us a wish, in exchange for fighting Witches. Then he gets rid of the Grief Seeds for us," Hase says, with obvious disdain in her voice. Homura actually pipes up, for a change. "He... he doesn't... lie, really, i-it's more like... if you don't ask... he won't tell. It's for the best, most... most magical girls can't handle learning the truth. If they already contracted, it's really... really better they don't learn," Homura says, because it's probably self-explaining that revealing to little girls they're going to turn into monsters and also they've been murdering other little girls is uh... Sure is a thing. To drop in a lap. Any lap. Nevermind the other details. "At least he's harmless," Hase says. "And we did get our wish... I guess I can't complain about that. I get to be a hero AND I got a wish," Hase forces herself to say. Homura makes a sad noise. Turning to look at 17, Hase nods. "It's a risk... if they do I'll make sure to call you. I hope they won't. It's pretty risky to go after someone openly. Going after her, it wasn't really smart to begin with," she comments, on the matter of Homura.
Touta Konoe	By the time the process is done Touta's got a few more beads of sweat dripping about than when he started. He really never considered this dangerous but he had been making a point to ensure that he was being as careful as he could just in case. He wasn't a scientist, a doctor, or a magi so it's not like he knew what was going to occur when all was said and done. "Don't have to tell me twice. Still...That's all huh? Sorry Miura-san guess this wasn't as impressive as I maded sound to be. I wonder if..." He starts mumbling to himself in such a quite voice its hard to make out what he's saying out this point maybe Seventeen could with his cyborg enhancements but it'd probably sound real out of context with all the magic lingo. Overall, it's a lot less than he wanted but better than he expected. At the very least he can say he has a better idea of what was going on in the Soul Gem now in comparison to before, and how it might relate to the Witches' Grief Seeds. Both definitely had a root in negative emotions, though unlike in Witches it was definitely less concentrated, probably the reason he didn't feel any sort of emotional burden this time around in comparison to when he had taken in magic from Karin's Grief Seed. He quickly breaks out of his quite contemplation though when Eryl pats him on the back. Touta jumps for a moment blinking his eyes a few times before looking back up a bit more composed. "Oh uh...It was nothing. It only managed to peel off a bit. If I was a bit better maybe I could get more of it next time but it's like Seventeen said, it's a start..." He begins flexing that same hand with a discontent look upon his face. Though that discontent is short lived when he hears another familiar name. "Wait...Kyubey?" Why does that voice ring a bell to him? Was that another of Karin's memories maybe? He honestly can't remember off the top of his head but now that he heard the name it was starting to itch at him a bit. He can't recall off the top of his head, but if they were the one helping make mahou shoujo then they'd also probably have an idea of what this energy was and maybe some way to make it easier to absorb. Still it was easy to read that it was urking him not being able to put a name to a face. Putting that thought to the side, Touta listens as Eryl unveils his new plan. A plan to have that other girl lure the group to the Wings group. To which as he listens to the details he can't help but wipe the sweat from his brow. "Man, you guys really are thorough. Makes me glad I didn't try escaping when you guys held me up the last time...Either way if you guys are still willing to have me, I'd want to tag along still as well. Hope it's not too much trouble."
Android 17	Seventeen's face does not give up any bit of wincing at the harmless thing Hase says, or the wish and superhero bit. There is a lot to unpack in that statement and probably left for better minds than his own to do so. He takes a steadying breath and turns towards Hase when she indicates she will keep in touch. "And I'll be in town from time to time...someone needs training," he says, but doesn't indicate who that someone is. Yes, it's you Homura. It is you. Specifically you. "But we can talk later. That was some heavy stuff to have put on you but..." he pauses. "How did you find out about the witch thing?" he asks Hase.
Eryl Fairfax	"It is good of you to want to help people," Eryl says to Hase. "And I'm sure the appeal of a wish is great. But asking people to risk their lives and not tell them all the facts as to what those risks are is a cruel thing to do." Eryl almost wants to say that it almost seems deliberate, given what he knows. Magical girls become Witches, demanding more magical girls to deal with Witches who then become Witches themselves. But he doesn't raise this, for two reasons. One, he can't perceive why anyone would want this system. Two, it would be a whole new layer of revelation if he's right, which is not what the two magical girls here need. "Seventenn is right, however. Your safety is paramount," he says to Hase, and to Homura too. "We've told your family that you were invited to study overseas, but when you're ready you can go home and say you were homesick, or whatever excuse you like. We'll supply you documents to support it. We can assign you some security as well, in case the Wings do come for you. Either of you." He looks to the android for a long moment as he volunteers his support. "We would appreciate all the help we can get, as long as we can be assured that measures will be... even-handed. Our foes are likely to be indoctrinated adolescents, after all." Essentially, 'don't bring the madmen along.' He looks to Touta next. "You have proven yourself invaluable in these matters, Konoe. I would have asked you to come if you hadn't volunteered." But 17 asks a good question. "I'd like to know also. How did you find out? Same to you, Akemi."
Homura Akemi	"I was out hunting... found a magical girl who needed my help defeating a bunch of runaway Familiars. She used up all her magic during the fight though and..." And, well, yeah. That ties into what she said earlier. Then she was saved by the Wings. Homura, meanwhile, uncomfortably recalls that moment. First time she tried to divine someone's alternate history. Wasn't anyone meaningful, either. Just another magical girl. She saw the obvious. Never tried using that ability on herself, after that. "I-It's... complicated," she says. "I can... I can look at people and see things. About them. And I saw t-that." It's a good thing she has something worth living for! Made tanking that a lot easier. Hase then nods to Eryl's offer. "That's fine. Thanks, mister Fairfax. Security'll help me sleep. I don't want to involve my parents in this, it's bad enough normal people can't see or fight Witches... imagine if they knew about them." Sometimes a masquerade isn't about keeping the powerful in control, it's just about avoiding mass panic.