Evening - Monday, January 17th, 2011
You sigh. Loudly. "Fiiiine," you say, slumping forward with your arms dangling limply. You also make a sort of 'blehh' noise, just to be sure Maiko understands how you feel about the evening.
...she rolls her eyes at you. Jerk.
"Oh, wait," you say, straightening up and looking at your phone. "I'm at least gonna ask the Nerima girl to meet me after school tomorrow. Maiko, would you please invade that team's privacy via spookybook tonight?" You give Maiko your best puppy dog eyes. "You definitely should. It will be my reward for being a responsible and mature young woman and going to bed at a reasonable hour after doing my homework."
"Please note that your last two statements have, in fact, reduced my desire to perform the research in question by a measurable quantity," Maiko says. "But, yes. Contact me when your classes are over and I'll provide the details." Maiko seems to emphasize the 'when classes are over' part for some mysterious reason that is and always will be beyond your understanding, alas.
You send the message and put your phone away. "Okay! Let's head back," you say, then cross your arms. "But we are totally doing it like proper magical girls this time, okay?"
Maiko snickers. "Roof-hopping it is." She rolls her shoulders as her weird creepy shadowy wing-scarf-cape unfurls, then does a quick hop so she can hover in midair again. "...for you two, at least."
You stick your tongue out at her. "Showoff."
"Y'know, that armor Himari makes seems pretty neat," you say as the three of you make your way back toward central Nagamioka.
"Oh?" Maiko says. "She'd be thrilled to tell you about it, if that's what you're wondering." Maiko snorts. "Bragging about herself is one of Himari's favorite activities. Second only to fawning over her girlfriend, I expect."
You grin. "They're adorable together, aren't they?"
"For the first few minutes, perhaps," Maiko says. "It gets tiresome rather quickly."
Minami snickers. "Riajuu should just explode, huh?"
Maiko just grumbles to herself rather than deigning to reply.
"But no," you say. "It just made me think about armor in general, which made me think about how magical girls are pretty durable even without any sort of protective gear, which may or may not have made me get distracted thinking about Koharu's costume, and anyway the point is I was wondering about ways to protect Soul Gems."
"I'm not sure I quite follow that chain of logic toward the end," Maiko says.
"Maybe she was trying to figure out where Koharu's Soul Gem is," Minami says.
"...it's not like there's many places it could be hidden," you mutter.
Maiko hums thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's on her face," she says. "Yui definitely wouldn't think to look there."
"What? ...h-hey!" you sputter indignantly, face flushing.
Minami bursts out laughing.
Maiko snickers. "For the record, Koharu's Soul Gem is an earring," she says. "Just so you know."
You grumble. "
Anyway. It's one thing for Koharu, or the two of you. But I'm kinda, y'know, wearing a big glowing target front and center," you say. "Is there any way to protect or disguise my Soul Gem? Like armor, or a decoy, or some sort of sneaky magic like Minami's stealth?"
"It's... not out of the question," Maiko says. "Soul Gems are fairly durable in their own right, and creating armor strong enough to make a difference is not easy. Hiding one is even harder, as magical girls can generally sense the presence of a Soul Gem. Not as accurately as your own magic perception, but enough to notice something is suspicious about a fake gem."
"So that's a no, then?"
"I suppose I can look through my older work and the stuff in Momoko's basement to see if there's anything helpful," Maiko says. "Though honestly, talking to Himari about armor might be the best option."
"We can do that tomorrow, maybe?" you say. "Or sometime this week at least. I guess? Somewhere in between all the other things we need to be doing, at any rate. Sigh."
"Oh yeah, I meant to ask," Minami says a bit later. "Any immediate assignments for me, commander?"
"Hm. You should continue investigating the persons of interest located in Yoshikawa and Kawaguchi wards. If possible, establish and confirm their identities and then engage Class 2 surveillance protocols," you say. "Uh, that means use your magic spy satellite."
Minami grins. "I see. Invisible spy-sat, got it."
"If you can find their names tonight and can spy on them from your apartment or at school that'd be convenient," you say.
"Oh. I'm... not sure if my spy satellite can reach that far, now that you mention it," Minami says.
"If you can't, then we'll look into it tomorrow, I guess? ...ugh, tomorrow this, tomorrow that. We have so much stuff to do," you grumble. "So much, Maiko. Like, imagine lots of stuff and that's almost as much as we have to do, except with more stuff on top of that. So much stuff, like, wow."
"Duly noted," Maiko says. "Also, I suspect I've guessed where you're going with this."
"Okay, sure. So, you said you don't need sleep anymore, right?"
"Except when necessary to restore my wish magic," Maiko replies. "Forgoing sleep is something all magical girls are capable of, but few actually do."
"Why not?" Minami asks. "I know there's more to it than just not sleeping, but..."
"Technically, simply not sleeping
is an option," Maiko says, shifting into her 'I know lots of things and now I will inform you of them' tone of voice. "The mental symptoms of long-term sleep deprivation do not apply to magical girls, and the physical effects will be neutralized by passive healing magic. You will, however, still feel severe fatigue and various minor symptoms."
"That doesn't sound very fun. Or helpful," you say.
"It's not, except in emergencies," Maiko says. "Learning to eliminate the need for sleep is difficult to accomplish, and even more difficult to teach."
"And that's why most magical girls never learn?" you ask.
Maiko waves a hand. "Somewhat. Apart from the difficulty, and leaving aside the fact that some girls--Rio Higashiyama, for instance--seem to enjoy sleeping for its own sake, fully eliminating the need for sleep requires a degree of dissociation between mind and body that most magical girls are not comfortable with," Maiko says. She rubs the bridge of her nose. "Unfortunately, I rather doubt we have time for a full lecture on the practical applications of Cartesian dualism tonight."
"Uh, okay," you say. "I... think you lost me there?"
"Our souls are separate from our bodies now," Minami says quietly. "She means actually... accepting that, not just acknowledging it. Right?"
"Yes," Maiko says.
"Why would my soul need to sleep, though?" you ask.
"It doesn't," Maiko says. "That is, in fact, the key point. Your brain needs sleep, your mind does not."
"So... I'd need to learn how to think with my soul instead of my brain?" you ask. "How would that even work?"
"That's not-- ugh," Maiko sighs. "My apologies. I'm not certain how best to explain this." She pauses for few moments to think. "I suppose you could say that a soul is the shadow a mind casts upon the immaterial," Maiko says slowly. "Contrary to many popular conceptions of the matter, the two are intrinsically tied. A thinking being without a soul is not merely impossible, but a contradiction in terms. It is possible to 'think with your soul', as you put it, because the 'act of thinking' itself is what your soul
is."
Minami looks fascinated. "So if a brain is a computer, a soul is like a program running on it?"
Maiko waves a hand. "Yes and no," she says. "That analogy is misleading in multiple ways, but not entirely wrong. It would be more accurate to compare a soul to the process of running the program, which would equate the program itself to your personality and memories."
Minami keeps pestering Maiko with questions about souls. You probably should pay attention, but the answers mostly boil down to 'no, it doesn't work like in that anime either' which you obviously ignore on general principle. Instead, you tap your chin and think about your magic sight.
"Hey, Maiko," you say. "Souls are super unique to each individual, right?"
"Ah, yes?" Maiko says. "That's kind of what being an individual means."
"No, I mean... are they, I dunno, personalized? Like obviously specific to that one person?"
"I'm... afraid I don't understand what you're asking," Maiko says.
"Okay, uh... first of all, I'm assuming souls are basically made out of magic, yeah?"
"That's corre--" Maiko cuts herself off. "Oh. Of course. You can see souls directly. Interesting."
"Yep! And they're super complicated and really neat to look at," you say. "It's hard to examine regular people because the magic is all diffuse and wrapped up inside their body, but Soul Gems are just kinda, you know, right there. I haven't really thought about it much, but I can identify magical girls just from seeing what their souls look like. Something about it is, I dunno, more unique than merely 'unique'?" You wave your hands around helplessly, not sure how to explain. "I feel like if I could somehow put into words how someone's soul looks to me, I'd be able to to perfectly describe who they really are, not just... uh. Who... they are." You sigh. "Ugh, I'm making even less sense than usual, sorry."
Maiko doesn't respond immediately, and you shoot her a questioning glance.
"Ah, no," she says. "I-- well, believe it or not, I think I understand exactly what you mean."
You blink. "Eh?"
Maiko gives you a faint smile, yet you somehow think it might be the most sincere smile you've seen on her face. "You can't put it into words because you don't have the right kind of words to use," she says, then summons her grimoire and flips it open to a page covered in dense lines of those strange curling runes. "I do, and I'm reasonably certain that you were attempting to describe the notion of metaphysical identity that is what lets me access someone's information directly."
"That's why you need to see the Soul Gem, right?" you ask. "Otherwise you have to... do whatever it is you do to search through the book instead."
Maiko nods. "Precisely."
You hesitate for a moment.
"It seems like you can do the same thing with those symbols on the entrance to a Witch barrier," you say.
"...yes," Maiko says.
"Witches have souls, don't they?"
"They are living creatures," Maiko says neutrally.
...you don't really have much else to say there, you suppose. Maiko
did describe Witches as being sad creatures shaped by suffering, or something like that, but you hadn't really considered the implication that the Witches might be
experiencing all that suffering themselves rather than just being drawn to it.
In any case, Maiko clearly doesn't want to talk about it, so you let the subject drop.
"So, uh, back to the question of sleep," you say. "I really super seriously could use more time in the day. How would I start learning this whole 'not sleeping' trick? Does it take a long time or lots of practice? Is it something I could pick up slowly or is it an all-or-nothing deal?"
"Fully eliminating the need for sleep is, strictly speaking, a combination of two distinct tricks," Maiko says, sounding relieved by the change of topic. "One is learning to remain conscious and coherent without relying on a physical body."
"Like... being
just a Soul Gem?" you ask, shuddering slightly. "Creepy. I guess it makes sense that it's possible, but... ugh."
"Yes. I myself am fully capable of doing so, and am even able to make limited use of my wish magic in that state," Maiko says. "I am reasonably certain that Naoko Fujita is also capable of acting without a body, which is why I stored her Soul Gem in a stasis field that ensures she remains unconscious."
Minami cuts in at that point. "Wouldn't it be good to learn that anyway?" she asks. "Like, as a surprise backup plan if an enemy disconnects you, or something?"
"Perhaps," Maiko says. "Or rather, yes. You are correct, but situations in which it would help are rare."
Minami nods, apparently still thinking it over.
"The other technique involved is to selectively sever parts of the link between body and soul, while remaining connected to the body otherwise," Maiko says. "Specifically, severing the aspect that allows the state of your physical body to interfere with your cognitive processes while retaining the ability to use the brain as a substrate for those processes. Disabling the brain entirely is easier, but causes a noticeable increase in baseline magic use." She pauses, then continues in an amused tone. "I feel I should also note that this will render psychoactive drugs entirely ineffective, in the unlikely event of that being relevant to either of you."
"That includes caffeine, right?" Minami says. "Oh, but I guess that wouldn't really matter anymore, hm. Is that why Yumi can't get drunk?"
Maiko groans. "I don't believe Kaga has full control. Most magical girls pick this up subconsciously within a year or two, to a limited degree, primarily to block out pain in combat. Also, she's a terrible role model, I hope you realize that."
Minami snickers. "Of course."
"In any case, both of these techniques require a shift in mindset to use effectively," Maiko says. "Ultimately, it's a matter of viewing your body as something external, rather than an integral part of your self, and incorporating that view into your self image."
"Okay, cool," you say. "No problem. So, uh... how do I do that?"
"I am aware of multiple approaches," Maiko says. "Simply staying awake and attempting to resist the fatigue until you spontaneously dissociate is the simplest route, and one that gives a direct path to the goal of eliminating sleep. Unfortunately, doing this can take weeks and you would be largely incapacitated for the duration, with a possible recovery period afterward in the event of losing other aspects of the connection," Maiko says, then clears her throat awkwardly. "The worst case I'm aware of was a girl who, ah, accidentally shut off her senses of equilibrium and proprioception and was unable to walk or stand up unaided for over two weeks."
"Ugh. Not gonna happen," you say. "Also, that last bit sounds super awkward and embarrassing."
"I imagine it does."
"Like, really super extra mega awkward like whoa," you continue.
"...yes."
"Seriously, that would be so embarrassing that--"
"
Yui."
You giggle.
Maiko gives a pained sigh. "Another option is deep meditation on a regular basis to reach and maintain the right kind of dissociative state," she says.
"Ah," you say, nodding sagely, "a 'mediate under a waterfall until reaching enlightenment' sort of thing."
Maiko pauses briefly, then chuckles. "I'm told that is, in fact, a viable approach," she says. "I don't expect that taking longer showers each morning is an effective substitute, however."
You pout.
"In any case, though meditation lacks the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation, it can take months before success is attained. You're welcome to try, but don't expect quick results."
"Hm, nah. I am pretty sure I'd get distracted and forget about the whole thing in, like, a week tops," you say. "As a mature and responsible young woman, I clearly have enough self-awareness to be aware of my tendency to act like myself."
"Is that so," Maiko says dryly.
You nod sagely. "It totally is."
"The final option," Maiko says, "and the one I would recommend, is to practice easier techniques, such as the pain reduction I mentioned earlier, and not attempt to eliminate sleep until you've attained sufficient skill to simply do so at will."
"I am noticing a distinct lack of a quick-and-easy immediate option with no downsides here," you say.
"I am aware, yes," Maiko says.
You sigh. So much for that.
Maiko clears her throat. "Incidentally," she says, "you do realize that physical exhaustion is a condition that can be 'healed' by magic, right?"
"...eh?"
"It's far too costly for sustained use," she says, "but if you need to go without sleep for a few days in a crisis, it's not difficult to do."
You blink. "Oh, uh. Okay then."
"If you can't figure out how to heal yourself, I can do it for you," Maiko says. "Furthermore, according to my grimoire Tomo's healing magic can also clear mental and physical fatigue."
"...good to know."
Late Evening - Monday, January 17th, 2011
After returning home and finishing your homework, your thoughts return to the whole 'sleep' thing. Since you're starting to feel tired, you spend a few minutes sort of... poking at your magic. Metaphorically poking it. Or perhaps metaphysically? Meta-ph-something-ly, you're sure.
By looking carefully at the magic connecting the gem to your body you... think you can understand what Maiko meant about selectively severing parts of the connection? You have no idea how to actually do so, though, and even if you did you certainly wouldn't try it now. You also try to figure out the 'healing' trick, and end up spending a small amount of magic to do... something. Whatever it was, it makes you feel sort of pleasantly refreshed, but no less sleepy than you were before. Oh well.
Yui's Corruption: 3,110 / 10,000
Honestly, you're not sure what you'd even do all night if you didn't sleep. You'd run out of both homework and unread manga rather quickly, and it's not like you'd risk going out at night when your parents expect you to be in bed.
Also, you're still waiting for that tropical beach dream you've been wanting. Seriously, it's been like,
days. Your subconscious really needs to get with the program.
In any case, you detransform and climb into bed.
Morning - Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
You wake up the next morning, your head filled with rapidly fading memories of a dream that... you
guess you're glad you won't remember? Otherwise you're, uh, not sure you could talk to Koharu without dying of embarrassment. Or Sayuki. Sleeping at night does have its benefits, you suppose.
Ahem.
...yeah, enough of that. You need to get to school.
Morning Classes - Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
You take a moment between classes to check an easy-yet-somewhat-urgent item off your list.
HQ, this is Field Commander Aikawa. Come in, HQ.
I can't be HQ if I'm not at Momoko's house, Minami replies.
That's not how it works.
Oh, right, you reply.
Uh, what was it, then?
...I can't remember?
Okay, just so you know, I am crossing my arms and frowning at you in disapproval, you say.
In the middle of the classroom?
Yes! Well, no. I am crossing my arms in my heart, you say.
Or something like that? I'm not sure what that means, actually. It made sense in my head before I thought it, which I just realized is a really confusing thing to say. Well, think. Think-say? Something like that. You pause as Minami laughs.
Man, I need to ask Asami how she sends, like, images and hand gestures over brainmail sometime. Oh, and I think you were a Special Agent now.
Roger that, Minami responds.
What can I do for you, Field Commander?
I need to talk to Rio's group, you say,
and I'd rather use MinamiNet than call them on the Kyubeyphone.
Oh, she says.
Go ahead. As long as it's someone I've met or spoken with telepathically it's all but automatic. Might be a short delay the first time? That's it, though.
Ah! That's great, thanks!
Ah... no problem, Minami replies, sounding faintly embarrassed.
Special Agent Motome, out.
You pause for a moment to properly appreciate the cuteness of Minami being embarrassed by praise, then reach out to Rio's group.
Hey, Rio! Wake up!
Nggwha? comes the reply.
Yui? Howdja know I wa' sleep'n?
Wow, that was a dumb question, Kiyomi says cheerfully.
Hi Yui! What was that radio crackle thing about? Are we secret agents now?
You hear a pained sigh from Fuuka in response.
Well, kind of? you reply.
You guys know the whole brainmail thing is all done by Kyubey relaying messages, right? My friend Minami, who totally is
a secret agent by the way, made a contract the other day and now she can relay brain-messages too.
And no doubt listen in on the conversations, Fuuka replies.
You'd prefer Kyubey listening in? you say.
...point taken, Fuuka says.
Now, may I ask why you felt it necessary to--hm. Wait one moment, please.
You wait for a few moments, wondering what Fuuka is--
Ghh--ow! Augh, what was that
for?
You were falling asleep again, Higashiyama, Fuuka replies.
Our illustrious host has business with us, it seems, so kindly pay attention.
--ah. You suppose you should have expected that.
Fine, fine. Ow. Rio sighs.
What did you need, Yui?
Well, partly I just wanted to check in with you guys, you say.
Ah, yes, Fuuka says.
You requested twice-weekly meetings, I believe.
Yep! But also I, uh, kinda still owe you guys a bunch of Grief Seeds?
...yes, that is correct, Fuuka says slowly.
Ha! Fuuka had this whole rant planned out because she thought you forgot, Kiyomi says.
Now she's all disappointed.
Oh. Well... sorry, I guess?
She had cue cards and everything! Kiyomi says.
Ooh, let me see if I can find them.
Don't you dare, Kiyomi! Fuuka all but shrieks in reply.
...um, we don't really have any plans today, Rio says, straining to be heard over Kiyomi's laughter.
Just come by our house when you have time, okay?
W-wait! Fuuka says, sounding harried.
That's--
It's fine, it's fine! Rio says, interrupting Fuuka.
Bye, Yui!
The connection ends abruptly. ...well, that was a thing.
You know, I'm starting to suspect veteran magical girls are all crazy, Minami abruptly says.
I don't think that's... you trail off, thinking over the veteran magical girls you've met.
Actually, no, I take that back. Definitely crazy.
Lunchtime - Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
During lunch, you get a text message from the Nerima girl, agreeing to meet you after school. You send a quick reply saying you'll be there as soon as you can, but noting that it's a fair distance from your school.
After School - Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
The instant classes are over you brainmail Maiko.
~pin pon pan pon~ you intone cheerfully, in time with the school bell.
She sighs.
And a heartfelt sigh to you too, Maiko! you say as you hustle out of the classroom.
Well? You got the scoop? The low-down? The deets? Gimme, gimme.
I have the 'deets', yes, she replies.
I also have a good guess what the girl who contacted you wants to talk about and why. When are you meeting her?
As soon as I can get there, you say. You catch Natsuki giving you a weird look as you hurry past, but she shrugs and goes on her way.
Very well, Maiko says.
What's the plan?
Ask Maiko for information:
[] Concentrate on the girl you're meeting, keep working on that reputation of being impossibly well-informed
[] An overview of the group members, their personalities, and whatever Maiko has on their internal dynamics. Being well-informed is one thing, being a stalker is another.
[] An overview of the group's threat in combat and anything Maiko has on their neighbors. You're pretty sure you're meeting someone to talk about the group's social dynamics, so let that conversation happen naturally.
[] (write-in?)
Go alone or with allies?
[] Ask Minami to accompany you...
- [] Out of sight, using her stealth if necessary
- [] In the open as an escort/bodyguard/whatever. She was in the fight with Chizuka, so she's technically already involved.
[] Ask Maiko to tag along at a distance, like usual.
[] Ask someone else? (write-in who and what they'll be doing)
How to approach the Nerima girl?
[] With flair and force--try not to threaten her directly, but present yourself as the combat powerhouse you are.
[] With love and justice! Play up the 'classic magical girl' routine; they already know how powerful you can be.
[] With subtlety--detransform a short distance away and approach on foot. It's just a casual chat, not a meeting between warriors.
Well, that turned out way longer than anticipated.
Given how long that took, I'm going to just repost my earlier list of "things currently on Yui's plate to deal with" with one addition that Nevill reminded me of:
- What the deal is with Tomo's identity
- What the deal is with Asami's potential and weird magic stuff
- What to do with
Sleeping Beauty the psycho in the fridge Naoko
- Getting Chou to monitor Nagamioka and/or platonically seducing her via plant puns
- The slow-motion catastrophe that is Shinobu's life
- The fast-motion catastrophe that is Himari's decision-making skills
- Continuing the process of integrating your allies and semi-allies into a single team
- On-going efforts to convince Maiko to have a social life
- Figuring out what effect Minami's wish had on Natsuki's situation
- Giving Rio's group the Grief Seeds you owe them
- Hunting Witches, that's also still a thing
- The whole situation with the stealthguca causing trouble in Adachi ward
- Finding the meguca with weird calligraphy magic
- Investigating some incidents that sound like either a hostile meguca or a really weird Witch
- Finding a couple local girls that might have contracted and, if so, reaching out to them
- Attending the social event Yui's father is hosting on (I think?) Friday
Also! For anyone who missed it the first time, I've abandoned the idea of updating the data post with character profiles and such in favor of putting the info in a wiki! You can find it here. Right now there's very little content, but I'll be correcting that gradually over time. Feel free to jump in and help! Also, let me know anything in the Wiki doesn't work properly.
