Scene #2530: It's KiraKiraFantastica, Emi Hoshino!

Owner	Pose
Emi Hoshino	"So they want to talk to me, huh? All right." While Emi can not say she was necessarily enthusiastic to go talk to more authority figures -- she's a delinquent, okay? -- with how happy Hinoiri has been about how everything shook out for herself upon her return to -- Emi can scarcely even think the name 'KiraKiraFantastica' without a full-bodied cringe -- that she can hardly refuse the offer. Of course, she makes sure to take some time to pretty up, first. As Hinoiri knows by now, Emi spends a lot of time on her look. A lot of time. Getting that level of Goth 'just so' takes effort, and she's very serious about it. And so it was she emerged and went to the portal with her. For a girl who has visited countless other worlds in dreams, she initially had considerable trepidation about this... which is probably funny to anyone who knows that. Of course, she can't just unplug from the dream, in this case. Emi, however, does her best to keep a brave, casual face about the whole thing. Just going across a portal into another world to have a word with some high muckity muck ... ponies. No big deal. She can do this. Led through the portal, Emi Hoshino isn't sure what she expected. A room with a lovely view of a garden with a pleasant looking sofa was certainly not it. It feels very familiar, for a place she expected a much odder vista from. She takes a step forward. One step. One foot. Then her other foot. And yet, she does not move. She just feels oddly stretched. A look of confusion splays across a face now equine in nature, framed by a mane of thick black-purple-pink hair. It is very long. Very. Her mismatched eyes slowly cross. Then close. The look upon her face goes through several permutations. Confusion first, yes, then dawning realization, and then a look of sheer, exhausted resignation. "Oh no," she utters, "Oh no no," she repeats. There is a bit of a stumble. Had she not stopped to think about what her limbs were doing, she surely would've fared better, but it's like trying not to think of an elephant when someone says the word. She can't do it. She nearly faceplants immediately, snout first into the ground. "I am never going to hear the end of this," she whines. It would, at least, seem some aspects of her sense of style did translate over as part of her pony-sona. Her coat black is the deepest, richest of blacks, with her tail a sparkling, multicolored affair of black, purple and pink not unlike her mane. The patterns of her coat given hints of stars in an almost-shimmer. Yes, she sparkles. There are SPARKLES. And there is Emi. Who looks for all the world like she'd rather be facing a nightmare -- the worst nightmare. ALL the nightmares, all at the same time than ... this. "I'm a pony, aren't I," she finally says, very quietly.
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara glanced back at her and then? Then she did the worst possible thing. She didn't laugh. She didn't smile. She didn't giggle. Or squeal. Or sqwee. Or eeeee. Or chortle. Or wheeze or anything like that. She didn't do ANY of the above... She just looked over at her and... "Yeah, pony. Why, what else were you hoping? Dragon? Sorry, those are pretty rare. I know one guy who's a kirin, but most of you guys tend to be ponies. Don't worry, you'll fit right in, you're plenty cute," she said, just smiling at her, entirely clueless to how much she was likely making this worse. Not teasing. Not laughing. Complete indifference. As if this... this TRAVESTY inflicted on Emi... was entirely normal. MUNDANE. As if Emi being a cute widdle adowable pony of fwuffy poofy mane was entirely NORMAL and something that could, and would, be seen every day. And to her? It was. "Runa is likely waiting for us. It's..." She glanced out at the garden. "Hmmmm. A few hours before sundown, so she should be up by now." she started towards the door, giving a smile and a wave to the guard as they passed... another pony. Oh gosh, there were WITNESSES.
Emi Hoshino	Of course. She's a unicorn. How could Emi forget? Still, it's endlessly horrifying to poor Emi and she is fortunately glad there are no mirrors around for her to see her Adorably Goth Pony self. She can already sense the cringe she'd manage if she did. "R-right," she mumbles. It takes her a little longer to get her fe--... hooves. They're hooves. It takes her a little while to get her hooves under her properly. She's thinking about it too much, about the mechanics of moving and not falling on her face instead of relying on her pony-given instincts. She feels completely ridiculous in the meantime, but it isn't too long* before she's able to join her. There are people. PEOPLE SEEING THIS. PONIES. She wants to scream but she manages to keep it within. "I didn't ... I know I knew this but I didn't really think about ... I ... oh I just need to shut up."
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara glanced over and just smiled at her. "It's okay. When I first started walking around as a human I freaked out a lot too, but like... you get used to it. And don't worry, after an hour or two you'll get used to it. You just need to relax and just trot along, instincts take care of the rest. And well, as a pony? You have a lot shorter distance to fall than you do as a human," she said, grinning. She trotted through the halls happily, nodding to guards as they passed, some of who waved at her. "You're not scared, are you? I know meeting a ruler of another country can be quite intimidating and all. For what it's worth? She's really nice... Mostly."
Emi Hoshino	"I'm not scared!" She's totally scared. "Just meeting a foreign dignitary -- a ruler even -- and I'm just a normal Japanese girl from Kyoto." ...says Emi as she trots along after Hinoiri as a pony in another dimension. Very normal indeed. "I'll take your word for it on the niceness, though!" She mumbles, following her through the halls. The sound of hooves -- her own hooves -- is making her eyes cross as she tries not to dwell on it.
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara shook her head. "No you're not. You're a magical girl from Kyoto, and my friend. That already puts you outside of normal girls in japan on two marks. And, for what it's worth? She's got a weird barometer for 'normal'." "She apparently went nuts and was locked away in the moon for like, a thousand years because she tried to cover the world in eternal darkness because ponies didn't appreciate the sun and yeaaaah. So we've kind of bonded over that, me eating the sun, her blocking it out, having to get stopped, it's been a whole... thing. We had cookies. They weren't good."
Emi Hoshino	"Normal!" counters Emi with faux-humility. And then there's an explanation about eating suns, blocking suns, being locked away for a millennium. Just normal mahou things. ".. r-right," she stutters, none of this helping ease her nerves about the meeting. And she perks at the mention of cookies but they weren't good so she just deflates a little. "I have so many questions about how any of this works and I am just not going to dwell on any of them."
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara gave a shrug. "Usually poorly, for what it's worth. Like... when you eat the sun? A LOT of people take offense to that. Same about blocking it out. Like, it's just rude, first of all. And sure, I was intending to become the new sun and all, but like... that was NOT a long term solution. That was a 'I am currently upset and throwing a tantrum' solution, at best. So like... for obvious reasons, it wasn't... helping matters," Hinoiri said, with a sigh. "Ahhhh, here we are," she said, before coming to a great door and opening it to reveal... A library. The biggest library Emi had likely ever seen. ... Likely literally. The kind of library that seemed to go on forever, that seemed to go on so far and so long it warped time and space a the farthest reaches, where ponies tied themselves to ropes to climb down into the deepest of rows, to gather books of the most forbidden of tomes.... And where Runa, the much, much larger alicorn was standing, awaiting them. In a sweatervest. "AH! YOU MUST BE EMI! HINOIRI KIRARA'S FRIEND I TAKE IT?!" she asked. Hinoiri cringed, closing her eyes. "Y-your highness... the... voice... you're doing it again. "A-ah, right... my apologies. I am Sovereign Runa. Ruler of the Night and guardian of Kirakirafantastica's dreams."
Emi Hoshino	Now, Emi has seen some libraries that seem endless before. Been in a few even. Those have exclusively belonged to the dream world, where plenty of spaces stretch on forever and ever. This one, it seems, has the benefit of being actually real and she has no idea how to take that. Her neck is craning all around and as she listens to Hinoiri and finds herself lost in the sight. And then there's a pony. In a sweatervest, no less. "Sovereign Runa," she replies, ducking her head and bending in a sort of bow. It's the very polite thing to do. Common courtesy. "Oneiric Guardian Emi, at your service." Her voice might be squeaking.
Hinoiri Kirara	The ruler of the night gave a bow of her own, albeit a smaller one, one of politeness, rather than one given from royalty to anything considered a equal of any sort. She then lifted her head once more and cocked her head to the side. "I heard that you encountered those creatures that attacked my ponies, those 'salarymen', as Hinoiri called them? And that she encountered them as well? Could you tell me more of them? I would like to know more, if they intend to launch more assaults on our home."
Emi Hoshino	There's a subtle deeper bow of her head when Runa brings up the Salarymen. As Hinoiri knows, Emi has a -- let's say -- overdeveloped sense of responsibility. "First," she begins, "Please accept my deepest apologies for their appearance. Her eyes droop down towards the ground. "They're a ... pervasive infection of the dreamscape from where I come from, and they saw fit to use Hinoiri as a bridge to --" a beat "KiraKirafantastica," she continues. To her credit she was able to say it without cringing in front of royalty. This was considerable effort for her, and it's primarily thanks to the terror-induced by 'sun-blocking pony royalty'... ... and not wanting to embarrass her friend with her behavior. "I think you were more than able to dissuade them from further 'expansion' attempts at least for now, but it's quite likely that they'll try again someday in the future through more subtle means."
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod and dipped back a little, motioning Emi towards some seats, while Runa walked off, heading towards them as well. Runa's seat was... considerably larger. As she was. But when Emi sat down, she might notice.... HINOIRI WAS GONE! AHHHHHH! "I see. Well then, I imagine the two of us may meet from time to time," Runa said. "Where Hinoiri's dreams intersect, from one world to the next, they will likely attempt to cross over. I will keep my eyes on those boundaries, and should they show again, I will not hesitate to expel them with force. However, if they do show any additional plans, I trust I can depend on you to alert me to their plans, should you uncover them?" Runa asked, her gaze turning on Emi then. "Now, tell me, Emi... I must tell you... I must admit... there was an ulterior motive for inviting you here..." she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Hinoiri tells me you see yourself as quite the wild miscreant, as it were..." ... Oh no... Where was sheeeeeee?
Emi Hoshino	Oh. No. Oh. NO. Emi freezes in place, eyes darting from side to side, like a wild animal searching for exit strategies from any given situation at the time. "I'm... an occasional delinquent, yes," she manages to answer. She had something to say about the Salarymen more but really her attention is completely caught by the mention of ulterior motives and mischief in royal eyes. Oh NO.
Hinoiri Kirara	And then, well... Runa's eyes glimmered with glee and she leaned in. "Well, I've heard all about Hinoiri's escapades and since hearing about the troubles, the dangers and the chaos of the world of humans, I've longed to know more. So, please. I want to know all about it. Tell me, what is the most scandelous, delinquetous thing you have done?" she asked. Staring at her with the eyes of... ... The kind of eyes you'd expect from the local 'good girl who went to sunday school and came from a good family', but wanted to hang out at the delinquent's table... oh dear. Meanwhile, Hinoiri was getting some snacks from the kitchen for everyone, figuring the two could just talk things out and all, it'd be fine and do them some good!
Emi Hoshino	Oh no. Big bad oh no. Emi has been asked what the worst thing she's ever done was. The most delinquent thing, at any rate, and she isn't sure how to answer the question, so she makes the natural choice. She stalls. "W-well, there's just so much, you know, because I'm all super delinquent-ish and stuff. I'm sure it's nothing compared to the troubles you've had here, princ... your royal highness?" She's stalling, yep, but not because she can't think of things she's done. There are a goodly number of those, even taking into account that any number of them are actually her playing magical girl without a henshin. Rather, she's not sure which of those things will be the best to disclose and there's the risk of an internati--...interdimensional incident if she gets it wrong. ... at least, these are the visions of the events playing out behind Emi's wide, mismatched eyes as she stares at Runa. EMI, HOW COULD YOU RUIN RELATIONS WITH KIRAKIRAFANTASTICA BY INTRODUCING THE CONCEPT OF 'GRAFFITI' TO IT. There is somewhere the sound of screaming. Should she tell them about how Bliss-Chan convinced her parents that she was on drugs? Would this be introducing concepts of drug use here?! Her breathing starts to quicken. Eyes fill with panic, and all Rune has done has been super nice to her. That somehow makes her feel EVEN WORSE. "I SET A BUILDING ON FIRE!" ...way to go, Emi.
Hinoiri Kirara	Runa was peering at her with excited eyes, waiting with delight, wondering what kind of wondrous, delightful mischief this friend of Hinoiri's mush have gotten up to! Surely it would be wild and scandelous and! ... And... And... "Set... a building on fire? That's all?" Runa asked, cocking her head to the side. "Oh... dear. Ummmm... I do hope nopony was hurt," she said. "Is... that rare for humans? Huh.... by the stories that Hinoiri mentioned, I imagined humans did that quite often, she'd done things like that quite often... then again, perhaps that was just her... I do wonder if she is a bad influence on you humans..." Runa mumbled softly. Meanwhile, Hinoiri had the tray ready now and was trotting back. Snacks ready. She hoped they were getting along well. They were going to be delighted. Alas, poor Emi. Here, delinquents did things like... necromancy, or summoned ancient evils, or broke dark, forbidden rituals and summoned ancient evils... a bit of arson was hardly the same. "Sadly, in my days, our school system wasn't exactly... developed yet, eh heh. I had a... personal tutor, at the time."
Emi Hoshino	That's ... that's all? Emi is about to say something more, at first, but then she's left staring at Runa with eyes as confused as they were anxious moments before. "I... I see," she mumbles after a moment, "See, I don't know what to tell you about that. Hinoiri's not a bad influence, though. She a good friend and she saved me at least once." At least. Not ognna put a number on it, really. What are the odds she'd even be standing here? She didn't think she'd be standing anywhere within a year of all this starting, and now she's here on all four hooves (what!) talking to a magical pony sovereign. She purses her lips. "I think Hinoiri may have a somewhat skewed perspective of humanity on account of the kind of people we both associate with! Not that we don't set things on fire a lot. Our lives, each other, the planet," she muses.
Hinoiri Kirara	"I see, I see. Yes, arson is quite common here, as well. Though, in a school for ponies learning about magic, such accidents are expected," Runa said cheerfully. Then the door opened and Hinoiri trotted in. "I got snacks!" she said, trotting in and placing the tray down on the little table. Small little pastries, and a teapot, with tea! She started pouring. "So, how goes the discussion? I hope nopony has been banished yet?" Runa, at least, gave a light laugh. "Not yet, but the night is young. She's been telling me of some of her exploits. Setting things on fire, as it were." "Yeah, I've been making sure she doesn't smoke anymore, nasty habit, that. Especially when she has magical girl things to do. Emi, I'd start with the pastries, or a book. Telekinesis can be a bit difficult to get a hang of at first, but it'll make sense before long. Use your hooves or I can feed you, if you need me to," Hinoiri offered with a smile. "The Salarymen?" "It seems they may be trying to sneak in through your dreams, I'll need to keep my eye on the connections when you come here, and those closest to you," Runa said. "But I don't imagine they'll pose much threat with the way dark energy struggles here."
Emi Hoshino	"Y--yes. The smoking. Definitely not doing that anymore. She threatens me with violence and disappointment." Emi nods her head over at Hinoiri. "I've already been banished once. Twice would be too much for anyone." She squints at HInoiri, though, "... telekinesis? Wait, what? Are you saying I can make things FLOAT with my MIND here too?" She pauses, then remembers tot talk about the reason she was called here: the Salarymen. "That was the original idea it seems. Given the lack of ... capitalism here, I think they may find it more difficult, but I wouldn't bet against them trying to find some greedy people to make contact with. 'Good business is where you find it'."
Hinoiri Kirara	"Violence?" Runa asked, cocking an eye at Hinoiri. Hinoiri eeped and squirmed a little, giving a little squeak and quickly looking away. "Yeah, uhhhh. Telekinesis. Magic with your horn and all. And we have capitalism, kind of. I mean, you buy things with bits, gold coins, all the time. Lots of them. What did you think the horn on your forehead was for, if not for telekinesis?" she asked, cocking an eye. "Does it only work with the greedy?" Runa asked.
Emi Hoshino	"I have a horn?!" says Emi. How would she even KNOW? Her eyes cross. Oh no! OH NO! She's flailing a little over this when Runa helpfully provides her a lifeline. "I wouldn't say 'only'. Like, if they figure out a way in to someone it's because they figured out how to weaponize something they want against them. They weaponize people's ambition, mostly. At home, it isn't really the greedy they feast on, though they do some of that too, it's ambition, and will, drive they hunger for, and then they weaponize those traits to exploit them until the person -- or pony -- is just left... empty. They're the engine that chews everyone up and spits them out a shallow husk of themselves. The very best, hardest workers who really want to be there and to take pride in their efforts. But they'll make deals with the greedy if they can. Offer them their dreams in exchange for services performed. That's probably the bigger threat here -- the willing participant who can act as their eyes and ears, or hands."
Hinoiri Kirara	"I see... I will keep that in mind... we've had such threats before, but they usually operate more openly... Outside of dreams... to do it through dreams.... this could be a new threat, I will keep it in mind..." Runa mumbled before taking one of the pastries. "Thank you for meeting with me," Runa said before getting to her hooves and taking a drink of tea. "I should get going, though. The moon will rise soon and I have to begin work then. Hinoiri, it was a pleasure to see you again. Emi, I hope to see you again one day," she said before starting to leave. Hinoiri, then, turned to Emi and... "Sooooo... You're in my home now. What do yah wanna do and or see while you're here? I figure visiting and all."
Emi Hoshino	"I'm sure you will," says Emi as Runa prepares to depart. "You know, I've never met anyone else who can work in dreams. If it's possible to cross worlds through the dreamscape, maybe we can keep each other informed that way," she's musing about the possibility, "Anyway, yeah! Sure! Uhm, nice meeting you! Maybe come visit Radiant Heart someday!" Oh no Emi what are you doing. She turns her eyes back on Hinorii, all wide. "Okay so FIRST we're gonna talk about telekinesis because I wanna learn how to float things with my MIND." She moves up to Hinoiri and pauses, then bumps into her with her flank. "...and I don't say this often, so listen up." "...thank you."
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times. And then... well... Well... slowly... a grin formed on her lips. As that warmth spread through her heart. Ahhhhh. She loved hearing thank yous. And welllllllll... Helping a friend? Those always felt good. "Heeeeee. You're welcome. We'll start with telekinesis, just get you some basics. Then? We can get some spell books about dream theory. Cause we DO have magic for that, you know. We could do a little dream diving about it... if you're interesting," she said, grinning wide. Ahhhhh, such a nerd.
Emi Hoshino	"... at least I won't have a problem falling asleep. I can still do that just fine. Wait, do you fall asleep standing up or something?!' Emi has no idea about pony-anything, really, and seeing Hinoiri like this just feels weird to her. She rests her head on her a moment, then says, "...sounds.... okay. Yeah. Okay. Let's do that. I wonder if I'll be able to see what the dreamscape here is like..." Another world's dreamscape is definitely a matter of professional interest.
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times and cocked an eye. "I actually meant like... getting some books on the matter," she said with a light giggle. "Not actually falling asleep. Your magic might not work the same here, I don't know if it would really... do the same thing here. Or if you could. And now, we usually sleep laying down. I mean... I guess some could, but it'd be a bit uncomfortable. We like to lay down and relax when we sleep. Like most people." She then picked up a pastry, tossing it in her mouth, before picking up one of the books. "Okay, so, we'll start small. Focous on this book and imagine holding it with your magic. Just... imagine it. Imagine it floating there... in front of you. As if held by an invisible force." Like it literally was right now."
Emi Hoshino	"... you know, you're right maybe it won't!" Now Emi's even more curious about it... ... but first things first. There's a book, and she's focused on it. And she imagines holding it with her magic. Just ... imagines it. Floating. It takes a moment, sure, but Emi is quite able to do this without struggling too hard over it. She's got lots of experience with imagining a thing into being, after all. The book floats and Emi squeals. She actually SQUEALS. The book hits the ground with a thud thereafter.
Hinoiri Kirara	Hinoiri Kirara gave a small grin and then picked up the book again, this time in her hoof, holding it up once more. "Again. Don't worry, we have plenty of time. It shouldn't take too long, then we can get started on some of the more advanced things," she said... It wouldn't take too long at all. And, well... In the end? It would be a fun little adventure for the other girl. Experiencing magic OUTSIDE of dreams, for once. Even if it WAS in pony form.