You gotta fight for your right to party.

[hostage]

Who: OPEN TO EVERYBODY!!! Even if you don't know who Jesse is. Word-of-mouth invitation.
When: Noon 'til evening sirens of Wednesday, July 4
Where: The beach!
Summary: An excuse to party and set off fireworks.
Warnings: Put 'em in your subject lines.
Notes: Meme-style! Tag in, tag around, have fun and whatever... yo.


The setup is probably more elaborate than anticipated. Jesse's paying for it all out-of-pocket, but as he has a drug dealer's income, he's splurged on all the best stuff.

The food includes everything that everyone suggested on his post. Hotdogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, pizza, chips, cookies, cake... There's an open bar for all the alcoholic drinks and a table with coolers for all the rest.

The music is selected by your host, Jesse, who's also the main DJ for the event. That guarantees a selection of varying quality that focuses heavily on hip-hop, rap, and dubstep. It's not always kid-friendly, but it's good for dancing.

General entertainment comes in the form of swimming, beach volleyball, a bonfire as the sun begins to set (including s'mores!), and a huge fireworks display just before sirens.

Security is being handled by Jesse's goons. You didn't think he'd host a Newcomer party without them, right? They're armed and much stronger than he is, so don't mess. A few healers are also on hand for first-aid.

Transportation back to the Tower Apartments via shuttle is also provided at the end of the night. (He really splurged.)

Party hard!!!

Comments

[inkyubeytor]

I do, yes. Hello Nill! It's not every day I have the chance to speak with a telepath.

_{[Ohhhh scratches behind the ears - they're great. He flicks his tail in enjoyment.]}

Are you enjoying yourself? People usually enjoy the beach, don't they?

[reassures]

I've never spoken with one before.

[Not until now, at least. Sure, she used her abilities for a lot of nonverbal communication (for obvious reasons), but only with a select number of people. Doing things this way was... strange.]

It's a nice day out.

[But her legs are still full of bruises from the hunt, her face covered in makeup to hide the one there, and her wings are missing some feathers. Despite her best efforts, she still looks kinda beat up.]

Why are you here?

[inkyubeytor]

Do you like swimming? Some people do. I don't though. Drowning isn't very pleasant.

_{[He settled himself in her lap even more then as he focused on her fingers, enjoying the sensation. If he could purr, he would. Instead, he looked up at her, beady red eyes blinking slowly.]}

I wanted to know if you had a wish.

[reassures]

The ocean is nice. I can't swim very well, though.

[Nill doesn't stop, and keeps scratching him behind the ears, even as she closes her eyes. The last time Nill had spoken to Kyubey, she hadn't known what to wish for at all. Now, a million different things come to mind, along with a million memories of pain and loss and loneliness; and most importantly, white hot anger burning in her inside her, enough to scorch the beating heart right out of her chest.

Nill isn't stupid, though. Nothing is free, and she knows there's a catch to this magical girl thing. She just hasn't figured out what it is-- not yet.]

What if a magical girl doesn't fight witches? How do you know they'll keep up their end of the bargain?

[inkyubeytor]

When a person becomes a Puella Magi, they are given a Soul Gem. This gem is the source of their power and in essence the embodiment of their contracted self. By using magic and their power, over time the Soul Gem will become dirtied and must be cleansed. Witches who are killed drop what is called a Grief Seed. A Puella Magi must use a Grief Seed to cleanse their gem or find another means of doing so.

If they don't fight Witches, they not only put others at risk by letting Witches run astray, but they also put themselves at risk of attracting Witches with a very dirty Soul Gem, for Witches are attracted to concentrated negativity.

Essentially, if they do not uphold their end of the contract, it's their own life they're destroying. It's in the best interest of everyone involved that it's upheld. So long as one keeps their Soul Gem clean there's no need for worry at all.

[reassures]

[Nill doesn't try to communicate with Kyubey at all for a moment, weighing that information carefully. Witches drop Grief Seeds, and they're attracted to negativity. But to call it the embodiment of the contracted self, or to say that it becomes dirty...]

Why is it called a Soul Gem?

[It doesn't sound safe at all.]

[inkyubeytor]

It's called a Soul Gem because it becomes the container for a person's essence. This is done simply for the fact that fighting anything is dangerous and in general, the human body is a weak thing. This allows the body to take damage that would normally cripple a person. If a Puella Magi's body is harmed, it can be healed relatively easy with magic this way.

It still belongs to you and only you. I don't want it nor would I ever take it.

[reassures]

[So that was it. It wasn't just some special title-- it was literally a gem to house the soul of the Puella Magi that formed the contract.]

Can they be destroyed?

[inkyubeytor]

Everything can be destroyed, Nill.

[reassures]

[This doesn't seem to surprise her a great deal.]

Does it need to be destroyed with something specific? What happens if it gets too dirty?

[inkyubeytor]

If the force exerted on it is great enough, it can shatter. They are rather durable, however. I would not suggest throwing them around though - that would be rather idiotic.

_{[He pauses, stretching out a bit.]}

What happens when a person becomes corrupt? They become ill, whether it be physically or mentally. Depending on the severity of it, they can die. It's no different from normal humans though, to be honest. People dirty themselves day after day and with no means of cleansing themselves either. Puella Magi can simply see this decay for themselves and reverse it.

In a way they're better off really, even though the task they have is a dangerous one.

[reassures]

But doesn't that mean they can also easily kill themselves if they don't hunt witches?

[Actually, Nill expects that's exactly what happens, so she doesn't give him time to respond before she's asking another question. She's desperate, but she isn't stupid. There are too many people to think about to let herself do anything truly stupid.]

What's the relationship between a magical girl and a witch?

[It seems like there are a lot of odd parallels to witches. They're monsters, apparently, but while magical girls have soul gems they have grief seeds; and while magical girls can purify their gems, they can also get dirty and full of negativity. So wouldn't that mean they were filled with grief?]

What happens to you if you're already full of blackness when you get your soul gem?

[inkyubeytor]

Puella Magi hunt Witches. Witches hunt humans who are in despair.

As for the state of one's soul before they contract - the Soul Gem would, of course, be clean initially. If someone has suffered before they contract, it simply means they'll be a stronger Puella Magi compared to their fellow Puella Magi.

_{[There was the flick of an ear as he pressed his front paws gently into her thigh.]}

You're worried about the state of your soul, aren't you?

_{[It was rather obvious, really.]}

[reassures]

[There are images there, though. Little flashes of girls crying and in pain, and then of these giant, horrible things, and Nill knows there's more to it than that. That he's not telling her something. But she doesn't like to pry in someone else's head..]

I want to know everything about Witches and Puella Magi. Even what you aren't telling me. [Even so-- it doesn't mean she won't.

She pauses a little though, and finally looks down at Kyubey again, where previously she'd just been staring out at the ocean. For once she doesn't try to smile.]

The worlds are full of darkness, and no matter what I do or where I hide, it always finds me again. It consumes everything, and it will never let me go.

I can't do something like this if I'd only die a moment later.

[inkyubeytor]

I can't tell you everything. Only Puella Magi can know everything.

_{[And he won't. In fact, he puts it out of mind, out of reach. She can try to pry, but she'll see nothing now. Nothing except a pit of darkness and the occasional thought of how great a Happy Meal would be right now.]}

You wouldn't die a moment later. _{[That's something he's certain of, almost entirely. Homura had carried despair and darkness in her heart countless times, as had the other girls. The only one who had succumbed to it entirely had been Sayaka, but even then circumstances had been different.]}

I wouldn't let you.

<sub>[And that's true, for the most part. As long as one made an effort, at least here in Siren's Pull, Kyubey would try to ensure they didn't spiral into a despair so deep they'd never be able to escape it. He'd saved Ahiru from the guilt during the plague, cleansing her gem himself, along with Larry's. In a closed off Universe like Siren's Pull, keeping your Puella Magi alive was important. His tactics had definitely changed since arriving.

One had to adapt to survive, after all.]</sub>

You don't have to make a wish now, Nill. You can make a wish whenever you feel it's time to do so. I'm not allowed to pressure you into such a decision - you have to want it yourself.

[reassures]

Don't I have a right to know before I agree to become one?

[She supposes she should thank him for being so considerate, but she doesn't want to. For all her listening, she's felt so little emotional response from Kyubey that she's honestly not sure he ever cares all that much, and it's a little disturbing.]

I can't make the wish right now anyway.

[She had to talk to at least one person about it first.]

[inkyubeytor]

I've told you more than girls usually hear before they contract, simply because they don't ask. I've no problem telling you more, but I don't think now is the time for that.

_{[He curls a bit on her lap, tucking his front paws under himself.]}

I understand. Like I said, there's no pressure to.

[reassures]

It would be stupid of me not to ask.

[She is, however, at least appreciative of the fact that he doesn't seem interested in pressuring her. Nill strokes the top of his head lightly with her fingers.]

Thank you.

...Could you tell me another time? If you don't want to do it here because it's not very private, that's fine.

[inkyubeytor]

_{[The strokes to the top of his head are wonderful. Kyubey may not understand human emotions and have a limited range of his own, but he could enjoy himself in his own way. This was certainly one way of doing so.]}

I could, yes. Another time. If you promised not to tell anyone else.

[reassures]

I won't tell anyone.

[As much as she'd like to, it was information she needed. She couldn't risk not having it.]