Start of #Magicalgirls buffer: Sun Mar 06 16:49:20 2011 [12:58:54] * Demotafk (demota@c-71-202-41-240.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) has joined #Magicalgirls [13:01:11] * Yon is now known as Suzu [13:03:59] * Demotafk (demota@c-71-202-41-240.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) Quit (Quit: ) [13:06:46] (So, I guess for a setup, maybe Suzu told Emily what Saede told her, and Emily calls them both out to a game center near the school or something?) [13:06:54] (Hold on, switching computers) [13:07:00] * Emily is now known as Charles [13:07:12] ( Whta bout Natsumi? ) [13:07:31] (Sounds good to me) [13:07:50] (Waiting on Session Start) [13:08:16] * Emily (Charles.Bo@173.209.100.123) has joined #MagicalGirls [13:08:50] (I dunno if Emily knows Natsumi's number, but maybe she's already there or something?) [13:08:55] ( Yeah, sure ) [13:09:19] [In the afternoon, Emily called Suzu and Saede to meet at a game center] [13:09:43] [Let's say it's Arino Games CX.] [13:09:51] [Session Start] [13:10:55] * Saede arrives first. It isn't one of her regular haunts, so she decides to come early, just to size the place up and maybe try some of the machines. [13:11:21] * Saede is tapping on the windows of one of the crane games, appearing thoughtful. [13:12:34] * Suzu arrives a bit later, and takes a look around. "Huh. Not really the sort of place I'd expect Emily to go." [13:13:17] * Natsumi is already there, at one of the game machines. "C'mon... Fu... Rin... Ka... Zan..." [13:13:34] * Saede does not appear to notice Suzu arrive. She seems to be testing the machine's heft. [13:16:44] * Emily is in a distant corner of the game center, feeding coins into an ancient coin-operated mechanical gypsy, which seems to be designed after a horrible charicature of a taoist fortune teller. [13:22:45] * Saede brings her heel down on the machine. There is a metallic rattle, and a stuffed frog falls down the chute. As Saede picks it up, she finally sees Suzu coming in. [13:23:02] Oh. Yo. Natsumi's here. Your lady friend's over there [13:26:04] * Suzu glares at Saede. "She is not-whatever, fine." [13:26:31] * Emily looks up and waves, taking a handful of fortunes from the machine's recepticle. "Good afternoon, Suzu. And good afternoon, misses... Oh dear, I've forgotten both your last names." [13:26:34] * Saede titters to herself as she follows, frog in tow. [13:27:21] * Saede waves dismissively. "Not important. I kind of prefer it that way sometimes." [13:29:23] * Natsumi look over at the mention of her name. "Hey! Good to see you. What brings you here?" [13:33:45] We were trying to follow up on the woman we met yesterday. Ms... Oh, dear. I do have a problem with Japanese last names, it seems. [13:34:07] Ms. Yamasaki. [13:35:23] Up until now, we've largely been flying blind, with limited support from Schroedinger. We entered into a deal with him without full knowledge of what it entailed, and I believe that we might be able to more fully understand our situation and what it entails. [13:35:24] Oh, her? Yeah, she seems pretty stand-up, but also plenty weird. [13:36:14] I wanted to look into her and her family, but turns out Saede beat me to it. [13:36:50] * Saede bites on her new frog, talking through it. "Emily wants to go see. She thinks we might turn something more up." [13:37:37] * Saede cocks her head towards Emily. "Where ya wanna start?" [13:39:36] There are a few possible options. We could try to find out more from her sister. Or from her. [13:39:49] Well.. what'd you find, exactly? [13:41:39] * Saede ticks it off on her fingers. "The girl we saved from the van is an only child. Chidori isn't actually a student here, or anyone in the city. But we can use her email and phone number." [13:42:59] I know the way to her 'place'. We could take the train, or your fancy car, or whatever, and maybe we can try her phone on the way [13:43:15] Chat her up. See if she doesn't give anything away [13:45:52] ( Cancel that address thing ) [13:46:26] I'm just not sure what to SAY to her. "Hi, we spied on your sister and we don't think you're being entirely honest with us." [13:47:23] * Saede shrugs as she sits on a nearby machine's panel. "Just ask her for tips and stuff. How to use our powers, whatever. We might pick up pointers." [13:48:31] Honestly? I want to find out more about what we are, exactly. [13:49:04] I'm not fully convinced that what we're using is magic. But if it is, I've never seen it without costs before. [13:49:12] And if anyone knows what they are, she will. [13:51:40] * Saede throws her head back, looking at the ceiling. "Why? People go their whole lives without understanding what they use." [13:51:47] But, hey, no harm in asking her, right? [13:53:01] * Suzu folds her arms. "I'm just worried. It seems like something bad happened to her, and I don't know if it's a natural consequence of what we're doing, or if it's something she did wrong. Whatever it is, I don't want it to happen to us too." [13:54:34] * Emily nods. "Exactly. People do a lot of foolish things, and I do not wish to pay a cost I'm not prepared to just because an extrachronal entity told us that it was inevitable that we'd accept its deal." [13:54:53] Well... she herself said this was alright... didn't she? [13:55:19] Maybe she's just being extra cryptic as a hazing thing. [13:55:19] If you want to go your whole life without understanding this, you're welcome to. Suzu and I shall find out. [13:55:36] * Emily nods. "It's possible." [13:55:37] * Natsumi frowns. "Well, I"d rather know." [13:56:00] She also said she couldn't save her sister, even though she was right there. Plus there's something weird going on with the fact that she doesn't, well, seem to exist. [13:57:08] Wait, what do you mean, doesn't seem to exist? [13:57:18] Well, her 'sister' is an only child. [13:57:25] And has a different family name. [13:57:48] Weird... [13:58:15] And no records of where she lives or anything. [13:58:31] I dunno, maybe she's from another timeline or something crazy like that. [13:59:08] It's possible. And if that's true, I'd like to find out how to avoud getting stuck in a foreign timeline. [14:00:05] Well, maybe we can ask Schroedinger about it. You know, if he didn't already tell us in a week and doesn't feel like pre-explaining himself. [14:00:34] * Saede continues looking at the ceiling, chewing on her frog, looking thoughtful. [14:02:12] * Emily shrugs. "I don't know if I trust Schroedinger. He hasn't lied to us so far, but that's just about the lowest common denominator for a handler." [14:04:42] He certainly isn't telling us everything. [14:05:33] Even if Chidori is lying to us, Schroedinger didn't tell us she was out there. [14:05:57] Come to think of it, he really didn't say much about that whole incident. [14:06:31] The more sources we have, the better we can handle our responsibilities. There's no harm in asking Chidori for advice. [14:06:57] Yeah. She seems approachable. Kinda. [14:10:15] Well then, I think it might be time to schedule a meeting. [14:11:49] Hmmm. Just you, or did you want backup? [14:12:19] Frankly? I think we've all got something to learn from Chidori. She's been in this longer than we have, after all. [14:13:30] * Emily reaches into her satchel and pulls out a folded-up device. As she flips it open, it becomes apparent that it's a phone handset made of brass, wood, leather, and silver. She pulls the antenna from the top and punches in Chidori's number [14:13:53] * Saede shrugs. "We'll have to go see her in untime then. If she couldn't save her sister then, maybe it just means she can't come to us in normal time." [14:15:36] * The phone is picked up practically in an instant. Chidori's voice replies. "Hello?" [14:17:53] Ms. Yamasaki, I'm Emily Chamberlain, one of Schroedinger's operatives that you met yesterday. I was wondering if you had the time to meet with my associates and I. I [14:18:06] 'd really appreciate a veteran's perspective as to what we do. [14:19:27] I've got nothing but time. [14:21:11] * Emily laughs. "Very well. Where should we meet you?" [14:24:49] The beaches of Hokkaido were lovely last summer. But I assume that, even if you don't tire, you haven't spent enough "time" outside yet. [14:25:23] The short and aggressive one would probably lose her patience. [14:25:47] So how about I meet you at the arcade, five seconds from "now"? [14:29:29] ...Yes, that should be acceptable. [14:29:32] * Emily pauses. [14:29:44] Which short and aggressive one? [14:30:07] Nevermind. I suppose I'll see you soon. [14:30:10] I was thinking of Suzu. [14:30:17] Aah, I see. [14:30:30] Well, I'll see you soon. Or shortly in the past. [14:30:49] * Emily pauses. "Set your watches for... Twenty seconds ago." [14:30:57] * Natsumi sets her watch. [14:31:22] * Emily sets her watch and clicks it, stepping out of time. [14:31:53] * Suzu frowns, clicking her watch. [14:31:54] * Saede idly picks the watch out of her jeans pocket, flips it open and sets it. [14:35:52] * You step out of time in a bright flash, finding yourselves in the arcade again, but now in costume. Chidori appears in her white long-coat outfit, leaning against a wall. She's looking around the corner and apparently waving to someone, and there's a brief flash of light, before she turns her attention to you. [14:37:28] *Saede's eyes narrow, but she says nothing. [14:37:31] * Emily nods at Chidori. "Ms. Yamasaki, that was prompt. Did you have a guest?" [14:38:08] Briefly. There was a runaway. [14:39:44] You'll have to excuse me yet. I've not been in this game long enough to pick up the jargon. [14:40:36] So how come we have to meet you like this, anyway? [14:40:36] Well, ever had a moment in your life where you were really dreading something, and you wanted to do something, anything, to delay it? [14:42:06] Or wanted just a little more time to work on something? [14:42:50] Of course. [14:43:52] Well, Arcade Gamer Fubuki over there was about to get a vaccine when she wanted to put it off. [14:44:26] She's really scared of her needles. [14:45:22] It's always dumb stuff like that. [14:45:46] So you're saying that if someone wants to badly enough, they can stop time for a while? [14:45:50] And end up here? [14:46:01] It's just one button click away. [14:46:26] *"Huh," Saede says, and falls silent. [14:46:59] Fascinating. How many of us are there, anyways? [14:47:48] Honestly? We're practiclaly infinite in number. [14:49:32] Well, of course. I guess the right question is how many are native to any given timeframe and location. [14:51:02] I'm not sure. If you're talking about today, in this timeline, in this moment, in this country, I think there are at least fifty groups operating in Japan, with a few powerful enough to act on their own. [14:51:43] * Suzu stares. "That many?" [14:52:22] * Saede snorts, amused. "Well, don't that make us feel all special." [14:53:28] So how are we chosen exactly. Or is it like pulling straws from a haystack [14:55:08] Schrodinger has a thing for little girls. I'm not sure. He doesn't see time as a past-to-future progression. My best guess is that he saw you did well in the future, so he decided to approach you for help. [14:55:33] That way, he knows who would already say yes. [14:56:03] Mmmmppffff [14:56:13] * Saede laughs through her mask. "AHAHAHAHA!" [14:56:30] * Saede shakes her head and turns away. "I knew it. The game is rigged." [14:57:06] * Saede chuckles some more, but manages to quiet down after a moment, merely snickering and muttering to herself. [14:57:10] On the upside, it's possible that it means it's rigged in our favor. [14:57:31] Maybe. But surely in his [14:57:42] * Saede almost goes into another fit but remains still [14:57:49] * Suzu frowns. "You still haven't answered my question. How come we have to meet you here?" [14:59:33] Well, you're the investigators. If I outright told you, then you'd miss out on a good training opportunity. One that existence doesn't depend on you getting right the first time. [15:01:03] So what you're saying is... you're not going to tell us. [15:03:07] * Emily frowns. [15:03:49] Well, if that's the way it's going to be...we already did some investigating. Your 'sister' is an only child, and doesn't even have the same name. As far as we can tell, you don't actually exist. So, you're from another timeline? The future? Or did you just..remove yourself from real time somehow? [15:04:34] * She shakes her head. "You're already making one of the newbie mistakes." [15:04:54] I think what my friends here also really want to know is whether it's a side effect or symptom of something they'd rather avoid [15:07:58] * Emily nods. "Quite so. I'm not sure this is magic, but I'd like to know if there's a cost I might pay from this. My family is... rather important to me." [15:08:20] It's nothing you need to worry about. Assuming it's a weird side effect or symptom is that same newbie mistake. If you see an oddity, look for a simpler explanation before you say "Magic did this" [15:10:37] I see. [15:10:41] * Saede shrugs. "It would be nice to know how to read the cards we've been dealt." [15:11:48] Well, it seems to me that if Schroedinger's observed our futures and causes can come after effects, then whether or not we can read them is ultimately pointless. [15:13:02] Maybe, but the hand isn't over for Schroedinger. One thing is plainly clear. [15:13:39] He doesn't know how it ends yet. The whole thing. [15:14:25] * Saede tilts her head back again, a finger tracing over her weapon. "Sorry, Em. Even if things are written out somewhere, I like my free will." [15:14:57] He may know whether I'll eventually say yes or no, but not what I feel or think about it [15:14:59] I'm sure you do. Personally, I'm partial to unicorns. [15:15:37] I believe you can see the parallel I'm drawing here. [15:16:07] I'm not. [15:17:09] * Saede grins widely underneath her mask, but says nothing. [15:17:51] Observation collapses a possibility into a fact. It's how the magic I was taught works. If our futures have already been observed, that means that our futures have been determined without our input. [15:18:27] Free will is a nice idea, but I'm not sure that it's applicable to our situation until the period that's been observed ends. [15:21:45] I've never been any good at philosophy anyway [15:21:46] That went...right over my head, but okay. [15:21:50] * Saede looks at Chidori. [15:22:33] So was there anything more? What did Shroe-Shroe have in mind for his legions of girls who have already agreed to his plans, aside from running minor errands [15:22:52] He needs an infinite army to fight an infinite foe. [15:23:11] * Saede is given pause. "Oh." [15:23:59] Unfortunately, I don't know if it's a fight he can win. [15:24:39] * Emily takes a peppermint from her satchel. "That's a good thing, comparatively speaking." [15:25:08] I'll take a fight that we don't know we can win over a fight we've already lost in the future. [15:26:02] * Demotafk (demota@c-71-202-41-240.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) has joined #MagicalGirls [15:26:36] Now that's a good way of looking at it. [15:28:13] So if we don't know if we can win... we also don't know if we can lose! [15:28:18] * Natsumi starts to smile. [15:28:50] So what's YOUR martial record, Sarge? [15:29:04] * Emily grins. "Exactly. If we're going to win this war, we'll need to organize. We'll need to understand ourselves and our enemies. We might need to understand Schroedinger as well. It's a good thing we've got all the time in the world." [15:29:58] * Suzu still looks a bit dissatisfied. "I guess so." [15:30:51] Me? A little over 600 fights when I was more active. And about three dozen solo kills. [15:31:43] * Saede whistles. "Not bad. Something to shoot for." [15:32:05] I guess I'm still in. But maybe you already knew I was going to say that [15:32:37] By the way. You were more curious about me, right? I said I wouldn't tell you outright, but I wouldn't mind guiding you a little. [15:32:52] * Emily shrugs. "If we can change things, maybe we can escape from the hoary spectre of predestination. That's enough for me." [15:33:14] * Emily nods. "I should like that very much, yes. The more information we have, the better we can fight." [15:33:30] * Suzu tilts her head to the side. "So you're not actively fighting, but you still make sure people aren't running away outside of time?" [15:34:43] I fight when I see them, and I help runaways when I see them, but I don't usually get outright assignments anymore. [15:35:46] As for help, I won't give answers, but I'll give you questions. Things you should learn to ask yourself. [15:36:26] "How do I know this girl doesn't exist?" [15:36:50] (I CUT MYSELF TO KNOW THAT I EXIST) [15:36:56] (CRAAAWLING IIIN MY SKIIIN) [15:37:30] That's an interesting way of phrasing it. [15:38:18] We can't prove you don't exist. Though I suppose there are ways of reconsiling your apparent nonexistance with your presence here. [15:38:55] How did you come to that conclusion in the first place? [15:40:33] You aren't present in public records. Your sister has a different name than you do. Only we can reach you via the means you've provided. [15:40:50] Of course, I could say all of those things about people I know who aren't involved in this. [15:41:21] It seems relatively likely that you've created a false identity and estranged yourself from your family to protect yourself. Or them. [15:42:57] Which public records did you check? [15:43:49] * Emily looks to Saede. [15:45:26] * Saede shrugs. "You know, the usual stuff. School directories. City directories. Phone books. All that, and some that you can't really get to unless you take 'special measures'." [15:46:11] One school directory, and one city directory. [15:46:49] Hey, Himeko tries *very* hard [15:46:53] But not that hard [15:48:12] Well, I suppose she'll have to try harder if we want to unravel this mystery. [15:53:44] * She nods. [15:57:43] So where will your investigation look next? [15:58:25] Good question. Not like I've ever done this sort of thing before. [15:59:44] I suppose we'll need to investigate other directories. Other towns. Perhaps look into your family history, if that doesn't pan out. [16:00:03] * Saede yawns. "Welp, it's not like my guys can go in and out of time or anything, or in and out of other cities. I guess I'm on my own for this one." [16:03:31] * Emily nods. "And I probably shouldn't be asking my handler for mission-irrelevant information. It looks like this might be a learning experience." [16:05:27] I'm kinda surprised you're so okay with us snooping around in your business like this. [16:07:31] It was a long time ago. [16:09:44] I suppose we should take that as a clue. [16:10:45] * Chidori blinks, then pauses a moment. "I suppose you could. I was thinking about... Well, I don't really like to talk about it." [16:12:22] * Emily nods. "Perhaps in time. I'd like to keep this contact up. If we're in a war, then we need to present a unified front." [16:16:18] Oh, there was one thing you should know about the use of the watches. When you leave, why don't you try stepping outside before returning to linear time? [16:16:41] Well, that's fine I guess. But if you WANT us to investigate you, we're probably gonna find out what happened...eventually. [16:17:43] * Emily nods. "You've got a deal." She pauses. "I think we've found out just about all we will for now. Do you ladies think we should leave?" [16:17:58] I think I'm about done with this, yeah. [16:18:08] Sure [16:22:31] Alright. I guess we'll...see you around? [16:23:21] * Emily nods. "It was a pleasure talking with you, Ms. Yamasaki." As she heads for the door, she offers Suzu the mint she's been twiddling with for the latter half of the conversation. "There's a fascinating carousel on the roof. Would you care to visit it after we return to linear time?" [16:24:04] * Saede puts a hand to her mask and titters. [16:24:39] Dunno what's so special about those. [16:26:41] Um. [16:26:49] Workmanship. Everything here is so damned ugly and loud. It's refreshing to see more refined entertainment from a more civilized age. [16:27:11] * Emily quietly pockets the handful of fortunes she got from the mechanical taoist. [16:29:07] I guess they look nice? [16:29:21] I, um, sure. I guess. [16:29:28] * Suzu GLARES at Saede, reddening. [16:31:20] * Saede throws an arm around Natsumi, leading her outside. "Come on, Natsumi-chan. Philistines like us wouldn't understand~" [16:33:39] Hands off my wallet. [16:34:14] * Emily frowns, somewhat confused. "I do not understand what's so amusing about two young ladies enjoying each others' company." She heads outside. [16:34:16] (Hahaha) [16:37:32] * Suzu follows Emily, still glaring over her shoulder at Saede. [16:37:52] * Natsumi heads out the door. [16:38:00] * Chidori walks off. [16:41:01] So now we click back to our time? [16:41:58] I suppose so. [16:42:25] * Natsumi pushes the button and vanishes in a flash. [16:42:47] * Emily presses the button as well [16:43:10] * Saede yawns and toggles her watch and disappears. [16:43:19] * Suzu deactivates her watch after she gets outside. [16:43:44] * When you return, you find you're back in the exact spots and positions you were in before you left. [16:44:06] Huh. That's convenient. [16:44:46] Maybe. But I'm hungry now [16:44:55] * Saede stretches. "Anyone up for a bite?" [16:45:18] Steak? [16:45:39] * Saede licks her lips. [16:46:02] * Demotafk (demota@c-71-202-41-240.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) Quit (Quit: ) [16:48:35] * Darkheart (Darkheart@fl-67-235-219-180.dhcp.embarqhsd.net) has joined #MagicalGirls [16:48:48] [Session End] [16:49:03] * Suzu is now known as Yon [16:49:10] * Saede is now known as Mads End of #Magicalgirls buffer Sun Mar 06 16:49:20 2011