From the outside, the art museum still seemed to be fairly normal, discounting the significant police presence. One would probably assume there was a mundane crime occurring rather than a magically corrupted human rampaging around inside and turning people into living art pieces. But it was the latter that was happening and that was why a magical girl was arriving on the scene.
Katya was a little irritated to be called out for such an easy battle; likely, any of the other girls could have done it well enough, being that it was a single Corrupt Being who didn’t even, apparently, make active minions. Usually magical girl teams were in multiples in case they had to deal with both the Corrupt Being and their summoned or converted minions and solo villains were generally easier to handle. Katya had better things to do than handle small fry, but she was the girl nearest the scene when the call had gone out - which was why she was now wandering through the halls, waiting to be inevitably accosted by the villain of the day.
The museum was kinda creepy, in the way that many inanimate-focused villains’ lairs tended to become. It was difficult to tell which pieces were art that was supposed to be present and which were transformed people; was that statue of a screaming woman some artist’s statement, or a woman petrified before she could escape? Was that painting of a family actually a painting, or had a family been sucked into a landscape? Katya, being a girl of nearly comical wealth, was accustomed to being surrounded by art at home. But that didn’t make those thoughts less unsettling.
It had been nearly fifteen minutes, and there wasn’t a sign of the villain. Katya sighed loudly with frustration, and came to a decision. Why was she skulking around like this would be some big threat? The Corrupt Being was on their own and even if they were personally tough, they’d not be a match for an experienced magical girl without someone to hold them down for transformation. “I know you’re watching!” she shouted, as loud as she could. “I know you’re around here somewhere! You’re not a subtle type so stop trying to be, come out and face me you coward!”
For a bit there was no apparent change, but just as Katya was going to start walking again - maybe she hadn’t been heard, museums like this could be mazes even before they were magically warped - when there was a chuckle from around the corner, and a man walked around it. The Corrupt Being was overdressed for the occasion with an expensive looking suit, a matching top hat, and a fancy silver cane to contrast his shining gold skin. “Good show, good show!” The villain said, clapping slowly as the type seemed honor bound to do, “I can’t say I was expecting you to realize I was watching you, let alone challenge me directly. You are quite a brave girl, aren’t you? Excellent, excellent, I need a few brave types for the collection. All the people here when I ascended were quite cowardly, you know.”
“Most people are.” Katya agreed, extending a hand and forming her whip into her hand, “And it would seem you are an exception, being brave enough to give me a straight fight.” The whip cracked out as the magical girl readied herself for combat.
“I can hardly respond otherwise to such a challenge.” The villain said, “Call me The Gentleman, if you please. You are a beauty, my dear; might I ask your name before we do battle?” The Corrupt Being said as he raised his cane as if it were a sword.
“Katya.” the magical girl said simply, before dashing forward. The whip cracked through the air and curled around the cane, but The Gentleman kept his grip and followed as she cracked it back; rather than be disarmed, he was pulled into an attack, forcing Katya to dodge and release the whip’s hold on the cane.
“A beautiful name for a beautiful young woman,” The Gentleman said as the two reversed positions, “Why don’t we stop fighting, and instead you submit? You’d be perfect in gold, and your beauty would be preserved forever~!” The tone was as amiable as if he’d asked to share a lunch, rather than to just lie down and be turned into a statue.
“Ha! As if I’d fall so easily!” Katya nearly laughed, but she was focused on the fight. Another crack of the whip, this one managing to score a hit, tearing into the suit arm a little bit.
“Oh, it’s hardly a fall, it’s an elevation! It would be such a shame to see beauty tarnished - I am a preserver, not a destroyer!” The Gentleman seemed more offended at that implication than at the injury, which he shrugged off as if it didn’t happen. He closed the distance, and landed a crack on Katya’s side; it knocked the breath out of her but the magical barrier kept her on her feet easily enough. She retaliated with a quick lash of the whip, retreating as she landed another hit.
“Whatever you say - why don’t you surrender, hm? While we’re on the subject!” she shouted, sending the whip cracking forth. This time, it wrapped around the man’s top hat. Not the target, but fair enough. She tugged it back, and the hat went flying towards her. She was getting ready to catch it, maybe say something insulting, when she noticed just a second too late the gold dust flying out of it as it spun.
A plume of dust shot out of the hat as it hit the ground, flying directly into Katya. She was left coughing and sputtering, wondering what kind of dust it was, as the Gentleman came close. “Well, that’s that,” he said as he picked up the hat and replaced it on his head, dusting it off a little.
When Katya opened her eyes, they were a molten gold color rather than her natural blue. “...Yeah, guess it is.” she said dreamily. Even through the hypnosis that wound around her mind tightly, she was irritated at herself for being taken down by such a simple ploy. “A gold statue, was it?” She said, already feeling the excitement at the prospect. Irritating, but she would not act like a blithering idiot as she changed. She would be a very mature statue.
“That it was. If you’ll allow me, Katya, I’ll just-” The Gentleman was gathering the magic, but interrupted by a waggling finger in his face.
“Hold on a minute. I’m going to be a beautiful statue, and I have to pose appropriately.” Katya tut-tutted, “Even made of solid gold, I can’t well be beautiful in such a dumb pose.”
The Gentleman blinked. “...You are under my control, yes?”
Katya nodded. “Completely, and if you want you can probably just change me anyway, but which one of us is going to be made of metal in a minute? I simply will not be looking like one of those fools caught in the middle of an action.”
Not getting any more lip from the man, Katya thought about what kind of pose she wanted. Shaking off a little dust, she decided she’d go out with a bang; she’d be the statue that everyone looks at for hours, not one that you look at for ten seconds on your way through the exhibit. Nodding to herself, she tried out a few. The traditional haughty noblewoman laughing pose, then she tried to go for a few kinds of mid-whip action poses, then a few different sexy poses. The Gentleman was getting exasperated, but she was having fun making him suffer for his art. Finally, she assumed the pose she’d want. She leaned forward with a vicious grin, allowing the prospective viewer a very nice view of her chest, while at the same time having one leg forward to show off her sharp heel.
“Yes, finally!” The Gentleman said, activating the magic before Katya could change her mind. It started from her face, freezing her expression in that sexy, challenging smirk as the gold crawled across her face and froze her expertly styled hair. The metal crept down from there, her body as unmoving as if it was already a statue. Her shoulders, her arms, her chest became gold. As it went, her clothing fused to her body - after all, it was a part of the statue she was becoming, all one single piece. It crept down her thighs and finally to her shoes, freezing the sharp heels in metal.
Katya, internally, was in bliss as she froze. At first the layer was just the outer skin, but she felt intense pleasure as her insides followed suite - by the time the Gentleman came over and tapped her unmoving face a few times, a metallic sound ringing through the hall, there wasn’t even a bit of human left in her; she was a statue through and through, a solid chunk of gold hewn into the shape of a beautiful girl whose name it had already forgotten. Whatever she had once been, what she was now was beautiful.
The Corrupt Being hefted his prize up and brought her to the display room, giving her a prominent position front and center, fastening her to the ground so she wouldn’t tip. Among the stone and silver of the other statues, the golden girl stood out dramatically. She reveled in the feeling as her mind slowed. The statue desired nothing but to be admired - both by the Gentleman and his incoming guests.