478/Saa Ohayou, Kyubey.

Saa Ohayou, Kyubey.
Date of Scene:	21 October 2015
Location:	Mitakihara - Mitakihara General
Synopsis:	Kyubey drops by to visit Madoka while she's in the hospital. Hannah, in the same hospital room, overhears and gets involved in the conversation.
Thanks to:	Thanks to Mint for playing as Kyubey!
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Hannah Sharpe, 37

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Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's morning, the day after Homura came to visit Madoka and Hannah in the hospital and find out what happened at Infinity a few days prior. She'd had a lot of trouble getting to sleep that night, just like every one she'd spent as a patient in the hospital, but when she did sleep she had wonderful dreams of being healthy and vigorous, going to school and having fun with her Hitomi and Sayaka, attending study group with Hannah and Mamoru and only being a minor inconvenience.

    When she finally does begin to awaken she stirs slowly, curling in the hospital bed and squeezing the teddy bear her parents brought for her to her chest. Something isn't quite right- she usually hugs onto her much larger fluffy pink bunny, and the pillow isn't near as soft as she remembers. She yawns a little and keeps her eyes shut like the natural sleepyhead she is, aware of the odd rustle of the sheets. A bit of light hits her face from the outside window and she shifts unfomfortably.

    No, that's not right at all- when she's on her left side her back should be to the window, not her face. It's enough to jog her memories. She's not at home. She's still in the hospital, and Hannah is sharing a room with her, maybe still asleep. She didn't go to school yesterday, or the day before. So those brief happy memories were...

    "A dream..?" she murmurs, stretching a little and yawning before slowly blinking her eyes open.

Kyubey (37) has posed:
The brightness from the window is suddenly dimmed. It is dimmed because a small, white, furry creature with bright red eyes has moved between the window and Madoka - it's Kyubey, who is leaning a bit sideways off a small table in the room.

"Oh! Good morning, Madoka Kaname!" he 'says' cheerily. "I was wondering when you'd wake up. I've been waiting here a while. I wanted to talk to you."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's eyes blink open much quicker when the distinctive voice is heard, along with the red eye'd stare that at this range seems to take up her entire vision. "Kyubey..?"

    She rolls from her side and pushes with her arm, sitting up in bed. The blankets fall a little, showing the sterile and bland hospital gown that she's wearing. "Good morning, Kyubey." she responds politely before reaching up to rub her eyes one at a time, lifting her stuffed animal and setting up at the head of the bed, next to her pillow.

    "You did?" She's about to ask why when the primary topic of their previous conversations come back to her. "Is this about what happened at the gym?" Another pause and she remember the conversation last night that she had with Homura. "My friends don't like you very much. They told me not to believe anything you said."

    Speaking of... she turns her head to look around the room, over towards Hannah's bed. Is she asleep? Awake? Out for a walk?

Kyubey (37) has posed:
Kyubey leans over. "Your friends..." he 'says' for a moment, considering. "...might not have your best interests at heart. Or the interests of the world, in your case." he adds, pacing around the little table. "After all... if you were a Puella Magi during the attack at the gym, you would've been able to help in a different way - one that involved less sudden fire."

Kyubey stretches out and then lies down for a moment, tail flicking in the air. "I think that would've been a better outcome than what happened, and you wouldn't be in the hospital, either."

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Hannah Sharpe, as it turns out, is a very light sleeper. Sensitive ears can be a pain like that! But in this case, the sudden voice, and then a mental ping from Raging Tempest has Hannah playing at being asleep. Her chest rises and falls easily, and she curls up in her 'sleep' into a ball. Facing away from the duo!

Raging Tempest, in coin form, starts recording as she listens to this 'Kyubey'. She's never heard the voice before. But remembering Homura's words and that lovely video her security cameras took so long ago, two and two are coming together.

Her only regret is that she can't sneak away to henshin and then grab the little white jerk as she listens to him manipulate her friend.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    That response gets a half quizzical look from Madoka, "Homura-chan cares about me, when she heard what happened she was really scared, I could see it in her eyes. And usually it's very hard to tell anything about what she's feeling." Kind of like Kyubey himself, she thinks to herself. "So even if she didn't have my best interests in mind, she's worried about my safety."

    This explanation on some level shows just how slow Madoka is to realize how dire Homura's warnings are; rather than immediately get upset that Kyubey would try to get her to doubt her friends she accepts his argument as sincere and engages it.

    Her eyes turn to Hannah again as she rustles in her sleep, acutely unaware of any magical of the magical scanning that might be going on. She takes the curling up and sleepiness at face value, a look of sympathy on her face as she sees that IV streaming line up from where her friend's arm must be.

    As for the comment about being having magical powers at the gym she looks down, "I know." It gnaws at her. "I've told myself that many times. If I was strong like the others," by which she means Magical Girls, in general, "I wouldn't have been in as much danger. And I could have kept many more people safe."

    A soft sigh, and she wishes she had kept her stuffed animal in her lap to hug on again. "Only... it would probably be the same way if I hadn't done anything at all. Those other girls, they were more than strong enough to beat it without me. Even if I meant well I only made things worse."

Kyubey (37) has posed:
Kyubey hops up - and onto Madoka's bed. He looks straight at her. Like he's looking into her. "You know, Madoka Kaname, that if you were there, as a Puella Magi, transformed - that nobody would've needed to be hurt? You could've put everyone of them to shame, all at the same time. You have enormous magical potential, and you could be the strongest magical girl in all of Tokyo - in all the world." he says.

Then, he looks at Madoka and says plainly. "This isn't just about the gym. Something's coming - something big - a threat of dangerous proportions. I don't know much about it, but I can tell you it's going to really challenge the magical girls here, if what I've seen and what I think turns out to be true. The difference between victory and defeat may be a razor's edge. But if you joined the fight against it, as a Puella Magi, it would be no contest."

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
For the record, that IV like that pinches like nobody's business. Luckily, Hannah's a tough girl, and the juicy amount of information being dropped has hannah inwardly salivating.

Even as part of her veins turn to ice. The little rat is using Madoka's insecurities and a looming threat to push her into becoming a magical girl.

Now she knows why Homura hates him so much. She's growing into her own for the little jerk.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Ehh?" comes the predictable skeptical response. "Maybe one more magical girl would have made a difference, but I don't know about being able to keep anyone from getting hurt at all." Then the comment about her potential and she's giving yet another skeptical look to Kyubey. How could she possibly have that kind of power? Of anyone she knows and compares herself to she has the least skill, the least potential, the least talent.

    True, there are many things she's learned to do that can help. She can give encouragement, she can cheer people up, she can help comfort them when they're feeling bad or when they're injured. But how can someone who created such a disaster without even having magical powers, who did exactly the wrong thing, be the strongest?

    "Whenever bad things happen in front of me, I always want to be able to help. I do stupid things that put me in danger without thinking first, and this last time I even put everyone else in danger too." She takes in a deep breath and then lets it out slowly, before turning her kind, gentle eyes towards Kyubey. "I want to help people when they need it. I want to keep them safe when they're in danger, but there's so little I can actually do. It isn't nothing, but..."

    She sifts a little in her seat, leaning towards Kyubey and moving a hand slightly closer to him, "Is that really true? That if I was a magical girl I would be strong enough to stop a threat large enough to be a danger to all the others?"

Kyubey (37) has posed:
"Madoka Kaname - you would be the most powerful Puella Magi I have ever contracted with. Not only could I grant you any wish you desired as part of the contract, but the power you would wield - destroying a monster like the one at the gym would be utterly trivial for you." he says, clearly.

Then he turns, and looks over at the huddled Hannah Sharpe. "You can feel it too, can't you, Hannah Sharpe? The incredible power she possesses, the strength she could wield? It must be obvious - there's no way you could ignore that, with all of your equipment. "Much stronger than Kyouko Sakura, right?"

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Hannah lets out a sigh, and she sits back up, rubbing her arm.

"I really am bad at subtle. Ahh, well." An easy smile.

"It's hard to miss." A 'look' to Madoka and a smirk.

"You're not exactly subtle either I'm afraid, Madoka."

Hannah crosses her legs and gives a mocking bow.

"But where /are/ my manners. Let's do this right. Hannah Sharpe, Miss White, and mage. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mister White Rat. Do you prefer Kyubey, Kyub? Coobie?" Now she's just screwing with him.

A sigh. "Well, I don't think he's exactly wrong Madoka. Your magical output alone could run one hundred of my labs. Maybe more than that." A shrug.

"But, isn't it strange how he pushes you to become one? Giving you all the positives? How much has he told you about the downsides of being a Puella Magi, Madoka? You're a good kid, you really are. But you're young and naieve." Arms cross.

"I'll admit, I'm biased. I have my own reasons for you to not accept his deal. And he's not entirely wrong about me. My methods aren't what most people would think of as good. But, I do have you interests in mind."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka nods softly to his response. This is the sort of thing she thinks Homura meant- the kind of thing that would be so enticing. The kind of thing she would want to hear; that there really is something special about her after all. Something like that, though, is incredibly hard for her to believe.

    She's about to respond when Kyubey speaks to someone other than herself, someone she thought was asleep. "Eh? Hannah-chan, you were awake?" she asks, looking over in her direction. She freezes a little in place when her friend confirms Kyubey's words, with her own twist and warnings to them. "Magical output? ...labs?" She can guess at the meaning of the first, but has no point of reference for the latter. Labs to her are tasks in chemistry class where she tries not to spill caustic materials on herself.

    "I suppose it is, but he's told me his job is to get girls to contract with him and become Puella Magi. Homura-chan said she was going to tell me about Puella Magi, but she hasn't gotten the chance." Her head tilts a little at Hannah's last comments, "Why are you biased? I don't think wanting the best for someone is a bad thing, Hannah-chan. Last night you said you wanted to find a way to help Puella Magi. If you're worried for me because of the downsides, I don't think that's bias at all."

    It is, however, something to think about. Madoka's eyebrows come together a little as she tries to think- luckily her head is a lot more clear after last night's sleep. "Kyubey, a friend once told me," she's not naming names here on purpose, but perhaps Kyubey was hidden away somewhere while she talked with Mamoru on Infinity's rooftop, "that the kind of 'Wish' you offer has some kind of price. That the energy to create them has to come from somewhere, that it can't just be brought into existence on it's own. So... what is the price of the Wishes you grant? Where do you get the magic to grant them?"

Kyubey (37) has posed:
Kyubey turns first, to Hannah Sharpe. "My name is Kyubey. Just Kyubey." he adds. "And I wonder what your own reasons might be, Hannah Sharpe? I imagine some form of them come from your employee, Homura Akemi. But you're also friends with - allies with - a person who tried to kidnap Madoka Kaname. A Mister Black. And of course, you've had interactions with Kyouko Sakura - who also tried to kidnap Madoka Kaname. It does bring into question your definition of her interests." He knows the nature of those interactions, and while he knows Kyouko and Hannah are anything but allies, he also presumes she wouldn't want the actual nature of their interactions known to Madoka.

Only now does he turn to Madoka. "Yes, you're wise to consider her biases - and Homura Akemi's as well. There's no doubt there's more than it seems." he adds. "And of course there is a price. As I said. When you become a Puella Magi, you are duty bound to hunt witches - to defeat and destroy them wherever they lurk. It is, in fact, a life of battle. But that also makes it a life as a magical girl - protecting the innocent from dark forces." Even this he can put a pretty bow around. "And the magic comes from within you. That's why the strength of a wish can vary from person to person - and why I am sure that you, Madoka Kaname, could achieve any wish you seek."

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
"Light sleeper." She explains to Madoka with a wink.

As for the labs and her biases?

"I'll explain later, Madoka. I don't really trust your little friend here." Comes Hannah bluntly, as ever.

Then Madoka asks a question that has Hannah's eyes lighting up with pure greed. A smile comes to her face as she 'stares' in Kyubey's direction.

A chuckle to Kyubey. "I'm sure you do, Kyubey. I'm sure you do. But you're smart. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually." She's almost civil in tone despite wanting to rip those ears off.

Her smile only flickers downward for a moment.

"I can't /wait/ to find out how you learned all that. Heh. True. Black-san is an ally of mine, but these kinds of conflicts happen. Homura and Black-san both know where I stand on that. I have my reasons to protect Madoka, simple as that." she deliberately dodges the Kyouko question.

A laugh. "A life chained to battle, and no way out. Hey, Madoka. Have you ever asked him why he wants you to become a magical girl so bad? And has he mentioned that little bit about, oh, I don't know, dieing when you use up all of your magic in a soul gem as a Puella Magi?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is the type of person to always look for the best in others. She doesn't focus on the bad things they've done, or the flaws in their characters. You could call her incredibly naive as Hannah did, but you could also call her hopelessly optimistic. Both are correct, apt descriptors. This makes it easy for her to be blindsided when those flaws she so often overlooks become glaringly obvious and in her face.

    She shrinks back a little. From Kyubey, from Hannah- it isn't very obvious which. "You're allies with the man who tried to kidnap me?" she asks with extreme shock. It doesn't make sense to her, how a friend of hers could be so connected to someone as clearly rotten as that; trying to kidnap her on the street and threatening to kill children who stood up for her. Magical children, yes, but children still. The truly jarring thing is that Hannah accepts it, and seems to almost laugh it off.

    Madoka needs times to consider this, and absorb it, but right now she doesn't have it. It's rattled her though, visibly so, so that when Hannah turns the tables on Kyubey she shakes her head quickly, eyes squeezed shut. "Stop it! Stop fighting! Both of you!" After a few moments she recovers a bit of her composure, and when she opens her eyes back up there's tears in the corners of them. "I don't want this! You two don't have to keep attacking each other just to try and convince me. You both have reasons for wanting me to do one thing or another, but that's no reason to try and turn me against the other."

    She takes in a slow, deep breath and then lets it out in the same manner, steadying herself. "We can talk about this, and we can be nice about it. Just... no more fighting. ...please?"

Kyubey (37) has posed:
Kyubey turns to Hannah. This next comment is meant only for her, and doesn't come to Madoka. Individual telepathy to magical people - especially non Puella - is rare for the White Rat. "Hannah Sharpe, I assure you, I can hear you just as well anywhere else you go, as right here."

Then he comments to everyone again about the risks Hannah elucidated on. "Well, That's true, but Madoka would be so strong I fail to see many situations where she would be put at risk of running out of that magic. I didn't bring it up because it would be a tiny possibility." A battle with Walpurgisnacht being one of those situations, of course. "And, in truth, I don't think you're weighting what Madoka Kaname herself wants enough. I had given her some space to decide if this is what she truly wanted. But her actions at your little fight, and in other circumstances, show me quite clearly that not only would she be an amazing, powerful magical girl, the strongest Puella Magi - but that's what she wants to do. She might even find it hard to admit, but actions like that speak. Most people would've run, if they were able to." Then, he goes for the low blow. "People die every day - you risk death walking across a street or driving a car. But some of them die to monsters like the one you two just encountered. With Madoka Kaname's strength protecting them - they'd be less likely to suffer that fate." And far, far more likely to die to Madoka's insanely powerful Witch, but Kyubey isn't getting into that. "Of course there are risks. But there were risks in your actions at the gym, and you'd be far less at risk as the strongest magical girl than you were when you burnt down the gym trying to help."

Then he pauses. "I'm sorry, Madoka. I don't mean to cause you distress." This is, legitimately true. Causing her distress might be an unfortunate side effect, but he MEANS to get her to contract with him. "I just wanted to give you another chance, after your actions at the gym. I was hoping you might have been ready." He shakes his head softly. This causes his ears to shake, too.

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Hannah sighs. "Like I said, Madoka, my methods aren't always the best. Neither are my allies."

And then Kyubey speaks to her head, and it all clicks. Shock plays out on her face...and then a wide, wide smile.

"...Mind reader? Telepathy? You really are full of surprises. I'm impressed."

This creature is dangerous. The thought of taking him apart to figure out his abilities is strong in her head.

"No, you sidestepped the question. You speak like a conman, Kyubey. What's your game? What are you getting out of all of this?" She asks, but then Madoka has had enough. She actually winces.

"I guess I am being rude. Sorry, Madoka."

A sigh. "You see, Madoka, I absolutely can't let you form a contract with this creature. Because, despite what he says, it will definitely get you killed. I've seen a dead Puella. I have a few ideas of how they tick. I like you, I like your parents, and I like Homura. So, don't do it. I know you want to help, and all of that temptation. But I have no intention of seeing a friend die." She says to the girl directly.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's an undeniable truth- from the moment Madoka learned of Hannah's magical alter ego she had been forthright and honest about doing things that people disliked her for, and that some of these were large enough it could put her life at risk were they to put her Miss White's and Hannah's names together in their minds.

    And then there's Kyubey, who delicately tip-toes around the negatives of his own intended dealings. On the other hand his offer is undeniably tempting; a wish granted seemingly from the power of her own heart, and the ability to protect those she cares about and those she needs. High emotions like this usually work in Kyubey's favor since they can cloud rationality, but right this moment there is no great urgency or need, despite his dire portents of things to come.

    Madoka always was better at comprehending things right in front of her than esoteric concepts and future unknowns.

    A pair of apologies, and she calms down significantly. First she looks over to Hannah, "I appreciate that, Hannah-chan. I don't want you to die either. Or Homura-chan, or Sayaka-chan, or anybody. But so many of you already put your lives in danger every day, and all I can do is hope you survive." She looks down into her lap, "I've already seen you put in the hospital three times since I met you, Hannah-chan. It must be so hard for you..." It hurts her, physically, to see her friends like this, and it's become so common.

    Afterwards she looks over to Kyubey, "No. I've been thinking about it, but I'm not ready. Not right now. I'm sorry." She does actually feel a little bad for letting him down, so vast is her capacity for empathy. She shakes her head a little and reaches over tugging her teddy bear back into her lap. "I need time to think. I'm going to try to sleep a little longer, okay?"

Kyubey (37) has posed:
Kyubey nods a bit. "Well, I will admit usually it doesn't take girls very long at all to make a wish... but if you need more time you need more time. There are other girls in Tokyo who can make wishes - none as strong as you, but others - and maybe they'll be enough."

"But if you ever do decide, I'll always be around for you, Madoka Kaname!" Kyubey hops down off the bed, and walks under it. And then he's gone (even Hannah's device will report this and be unable to track anything other than him vanishing.)