Latest revision as of 17:43, 19 September 2015

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    It's late afternoon in downtown Mitakihara. The P.M. Minimart stands on the corner of a side-street- not one of the busy main streets, so it doesn't see the volume of foot traffick one of the big chain convinience store out there might see, but close enough that it's not too far off of the beaten path. It's a small store, but it seems to have everything- cramped aisles full of food and drink, snacks, and various toiletries and sundries.

    Kyouko is working. She's almost always working, because she really has no life OTHER than working. She used to be a magical girl, full-time, but now that she can't do that anymore she doesn't have anything else to fill in the void- so she works. The old lady who runs the store seems more than happy to let her.

    The redhead is behind the counter, wearing her organge P.M. Mart apron over her clothes, leaning her elbows on the surface and idly staring off into space. She's chewing gum, the soft crack every now and again as she catches it between her teeth the only sound- the after-work rush hasn't started yet, so the store is pretty much dead.

Kazue Yamamoto has posed:
    The doors to the store slide open as a girl of similar age to Kyouko enters and begins perusing the store for a snack after another hard day's work scouting for witches, unbeknownst to the other Puella Magi of the area. Kazue is exhausted after her adrenaline-fueled encounter with the peppermint Witch, and she has begun to lose that zealous enthusiasm that so successfully located her last target. After about two minutes browsing the seemingly endless choices of snacks in the aisle, Kazue decides to just take a random pack of Poky and get going before it gets late again.

    "Congratulations on defeating your first Witch!" a familiar voice suddenly chimes in, and after a quick yelp of surprise due to this strange being once again assaulting her mind with its sickengly cute voice, Kazue turns to see Kyubey trotting towards her without a sound. Kazue averts her gaze and immediately hurries down the empty aisle and into Kyouko's view as she places the Pocky onto the counter and waits for it to get checked out with a straight face.

    Kyubey hops onto the counter and looks to the redhead on the other side.
"Hello, Kyouko-chan, I see you have been doing well without your ability to transform! I hope you don't mind, but I was able to find a... Replacement, so you don't have to worry about any Witches interrupting you as you try to undo the damage done to your Soul Gem."
Kazue is now standing in front of the counter with her right hand firmly holding the pack of Pocky and exposing the silver ring she has on her thumb. Her look of fake disinterest has become a wide-eyed stare as she glances at Kyubey and Kyouko as the wish-granter reveals some confusing information.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Welcome to the P.M." Kyouko chimes out the rote greeting drilled into her by the store's elderly manager. Her eyes idly track the girl, whom she doesn't recognize, as she heads down one of the aisles.. dismissing her as just another customer, and really not paying that much attention.

    That is, until Kazue returns to the counter.. and Kyubey hops up onto the counter and addresses her. She scowls at the little rat.. shooting him a glare that says, 'not now, Kyubey', but since he hasn't actually spoken to Kazue in her hearing, Kyouko doesn't at first realize the other girl can see him too.

    Therefore, not wanting to look like an insane person, she doesn't answer Kyubey, but instead turns to Kazue, forcing a smile. "Just the Pocky then?" Of course, as she does so, she catches the look on the other girl's face.. and pust two and two together. "Ah dammit.."

    She now does turn to Kyubey. "Look, Kyubey, I've got enough trouble without you traipsing in here and bringing new Puella to my doorstep, alright? Just leave me alone."

    She then grabs the pocky and rings it up. As she does, Kyubey says, "I really don't know how you managed to crack your Soul Gem in the first place, Kyouko Sakura. They shouldn't be that easy to break. Perhaps yours was.. defective?"

    At that, Kyouko snarls, baring her one little fang, and sways at Kyubey, causing him to leap off the counter and disappear. At this point, she glances back to Kazue. "That'll be 300 yen." She sighs softly. "And forget what that little rat said, okay? I'm retired, I don't want any trouble."

Kazue Yamamoto has posed:
    "Wait, you're a... but yo-..." Kazue stops mid sentence, and grabs her wallet. Placing the money on the counter, Kazue quickly returns to her questioning with a bit more coherence this time.
    "Okay, so I just want to know... What Kyubey is talking about? First I find out there's other magical girls, doing what you'd actually EXPECT a magical girl to do, but now I've finally found a magical girl like me, but you're... retired? Don't you have to keep hunting Witches or you're gem gets tainted and you... Die, or something? And... what's it mean when your Soul Gem gets cracked?!" Kazue is definitely going overboard with the questions, and Kyubey seems to be looking expectantly at Kyouko from behind Kazue as if to ask, 'Do you want me to explain all this?'

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko frowns as she scaps up the money the other girl places on the counter, ringing up the purchase and dropping it into the register before slamming it closed again.

    "Look, I said don't worry about it, okay?" She says, as Kazue bombards her with questions. "It's complicated. And don't listen to what the rat tells you." She gestures at Kyubey, who looks totally unapologetic. "There's plenty of other Puella in this town, no matter what he wants to tell you. Not that I'd go around announcing what you are to everybody you meet, cause not all of 'em are friendly." Hell, six months ago Kyouko wouldn't have been friendly, either. She was in the habit of trying to drive other Puella out of her territory, usually with violence.

    "Like I said, I'm retired. As far as I know, nobody ever cracked their Soul Gem before I managed to do it, so I don't think you have to worry about it. There were.. circumstances. Circumstances you're not likely to repeat."

    She shoots the other girl a stern look, still frowning. "I'm trying to put all that behind me, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't interrogate me about my past in public." She gives Kyubey another look as if to say "this is all your fault" to which he simply swishes his tail.

Kazue Yamamoto has posed:
    Kazue is sobered by Kyouko's stern words, realizing she may have been introduced to the world of the Puella Magi by the wrong girl. She pockets her snack for later and takes out the Peppermint Witch's Grief Seed, eyeing it carefully as she rolls it around between her index finger and her thumb. Kyubey perks up at the sight of it.

     "Alright, I guess there's a side to this I haven't been told." Kazue sees Kyouko's sincerity with the trust that she knows the real threat of these monsters. "Before I go, just... What are these things I'm fighting? I kept feeling this sense of hopelessness whenever I was near this thing. Like I'd never be happy again. I didn't see it happen, but I know those things aren't afraid to kill innocent people. I need answers, and I want the truth." She looks up to Kyouko, expecting the worst. She knew she couldn't simply dismiss those screams of terror in the labyrinth, now that she has a witness to the real destructive potential of a Witch. She has many questions, but right now, she needs to know about her enemy.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko sighs softly as she listens to Kazue.. eyeing the grief seed she toys with. "Look kid, I don't know the answers. They're Witches, okay? They hurt people and they bring depair wherever they go, and yadda yadda." She waves her hand as if to say 'and so on and so on'.

    "I don't know what they really are- does it even matter? They show up, and if ya don't kill 'em they'll kill people and they'll make more of themselves." That's really all Kyouko knows- unlike Homura, she's never found out the secret behind the origins of Witches.

    "But take some advice from me," she leans her elbow on the counter, still frowning, though its more of a pensive expression than a displeased one. "There's plenty of Puella, and other types of magical whatevers in this city, all of whom'll try to kill a Witch if they see one. What you need to worry about, is those." She points her finger at the Grief Seed. "Hunt enough Witches to keep yourself alive. If you can do that, you can consider yourself a success."

    She sighs, then straightens up. "I gotta go stock some shelves. I'd say be careful, but since you already Wished, it's a bit late for that." She flashes a half-smile to Kazue. "I'll see ya around, kid." And she turns to walk back behind the counter.

Kazue Yamamoto has posed:
    "Thanks..." Kazue says, as she clutches the Grief Seed and takes out a pocky from the pack with her other hand. She decides not to introduce herself to the retired Puella Magi, respecting the girl's desire to be left out of magical business, and proceeds silently out of the store.

     Kazue walks down the empty street with one hand holding a Pocky and the other almost crushing the Grief Seed. She stares at the evening sky as the sun's last rays squeeze through the skyscrapers before night fall. Gnawing passively on her snack, Kazue considers what she's learned from this little encounter:

    Firstly, everything suspicious she felt in Kyubey was for good reason. Secondly, her enemy is one of many, and they will kill innocents if they aren't defeated. Thir-

    "I would appreciate it if you let go of that Grief Seed." Kyubey says, tailing behind the pondering Puella. With an exasperated sigh, Kazue lobs the seed far behind her and continues on her way. The wish-granter makes a small huff as it scampers down the road jumps into the air to catch the Seed with the strange orifice that opens up on it's back. "I will be checking on your progress later," The beast says, before disappearing some nearby bushes. Must've gotten the message when Kazue threw him out the window in their last meeting.

    Kazue resumes her musings as she proceeds back home. Kyubey can't be trusted and Witches can kill people. But, she's not alone in fighting them. Kazue is determined to keep her friends close as she struggles through this new world she's been dragged into.