SayakaQuest: Trauma is a Thing

[TheOneMoiderah]

[X] Sleep here.

You could go ahead and try figuring out more of your powers. After all, you're in a fight for you life! Who knows when your last day might be...

...

Screw that. You fall backwards, flat on your back with your eyes to the ceiling. You take a deep breath and sigh as you stare, before you roll close to Madoka's bed. "...'Night, Madoka." You murmur, before you fall asleep.

When you wake up in the morning, it's not because of any alarms. It's because someone forgot where you were and they decided to try getting off of the bed. You're woken up by a foot to the stomach. "Oh my gosh!" Madoka shouts as soon as you gasp in pain. "Are you okay?!"

"Never...better..." You say through a pained breath. Well, you're awake now so that's a thing.

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Get ready for school.

[] Get dressed.

[] Wait a second...

[] Isn't your stuff back at your own apartment?

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

[x] Hurry home.
[x] Get cleaned up.

You get up, and you're not even dressed in your school uniform. You're still in a t-shirt and jeans. At least it's early enough so that you can easily run home...ish.

"Gotta get home!" You shout to Madoka. "I'll try getting to school, okay?"

Madoka nods, as you rush out the door with your hair in a mess, your hairclip on Madoka's floor, and your clothes so badly wrinkled that you're certain that the creases have creases.

You blow through the city at high speeds without any conscious thought of how fast you're going. Without so much as a second thought, you leap over fences, run up walls and scramble over barriers on your way back home. When you reach your apartment, you do a ten-foot drop from a brick wall to the ground, where you roll and rush into your apartment complex. You run up the stairs, get to your apartment, get your keycard scanned, throw open the door, rush by your mother (who, dressed in a bathrobe and holding a steaming cup of Black Death Coffee, promptly says "Welcome back, sunshine." You reply with a rushed "Thanksmomgottadostuffnowkaythanksbye."), get to your room, slide it open, slam it closed, turn on your shower, get washed, get dressed and wa-bam, you're ready for school...

...And then you promptly double over out of exhaustion. You aren't on your knees, but you can feel the effects of your run. Perhaps you should have done more jogging. Like, even more than you already do at school.

Actually, now that you think about it, you moved a lot faster than you thought that you would. And when you check the time, you realize that it only took you fifteen minutes to do all of that. "...How far away from Madoka's home am I?" You murmur. That's something to figure out; you just did mad parkour and a high-speed dash without even realizing that you did it.

Must be a magical girl thing.

[x] If there's no time to get to school after you're done that, make an excuse and skip.

You walk outside of your room dressed and with your laptop bag in tow. You sigh as you walk downstairs, still somewhat winded from the run you just did. You look at your clock and...yeah, you're actually perfectly clear to go to school.

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Get to school.
-[] Actually pay attention in class.
-[] Grill Homura for info.
-[] Talk to Madoka.

[] Skip school.

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

[x] Get to school.

You wave goodbye to your mom and start heading over to the school. You can see Hitomi and Madoka talking in the distance, before you wave at them. "Hey!" You shout. "Sorry for being late! Had to run home and do things!"

Madoka stares. "You ran awfully fast."

"I just got ready quickly." You say. "Nothin' to it!" Except for the, you know, superhuman parkour.

You all chat about absolutely nothing in particular before, eventually, you reach the classroom. Kazuko walks in, tired, as she starts immediately rambling about bad boyfriends.

...This is going to be a fun class.

[x] Question Homura, but take pains to be polite about it.
- [x] Try and get useful advice regarding magic or witches.
- [x] Ask her what she knows about Kyubey.

You see her in the front of the class...so you decide to try something.

'Pssst...'

She doesn't respond, though she does seem to flinch slightly.

'Homura. Hey.'

'What do you want?' Even through the mental link, you just feel a chill go down your spine. It's another good reason why you don't like her. There's just something so very...off about her. About everything surrounding her.

'I...well...I'm sorry.'

'You're what, now?'

'Sorry.' You sigh. 'I blamed you for Mami's death. And it was uncalled for, honestly.'

She pauses. '...Apology accepted. But that isn't the reason why you wanted to talk to me, is it?'

You blink. She caught on quickly. 'I need two things. One: I need some...advice.'

'Advice?' She seems inquisitive.

'I...not to say I'm not confident in my own powers but...uh...I'm still new to this whole "magical girl" thing.' You sigh. 'Do you have anything useful regarding magic or witches?'

'Run, save, avoid.'

'...Huh?'

'Three simple things. Run from things that look too powerful. Save your grief seeds. Stockpile them and use as little energy as possible. And avoid other magical girls. Always avoid other magical girls.'

You frown. '...Not all of them are as nice as Mami, are they?'

'Some of them are among the worst humanity has to offer. The pressure of death changed them. Some of them become ruthless. Some of them are selfish. Some...' She pauses, and lets the thought linger.

'...Okay.' You look at the desk in front of you. Your laptop's out, and on the screen is a sheet of unfinished notes. But right now? You have something to talk about that's very relevant to your current situation. 'What about Kyubey?'

'Kyubey? What about Kyubey?' Again, through the link, you feel something. She's tensing up at the mentioning of his name.

'I asked him about the average life expectancy of a magical girl the other day.' You say. 'Do you think he might be hiding anything else?'

She tenses up further. 'I...he...yes.'

That's the first time she's ever hesitated to say anything. '...Are you willing to tell me?'

'You will have to figure that out on your own, Sayaka Miki.'

You make a face. 'Fine.'

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Keep talking to Homura.
-[] Energy saving.
-[] What the heck is a Soul Gem?

[] Actually listen to class.

[] Wait until lunch.

[] Talk to Madoka.

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

[x] Keep talking to Homura.
-[x] Energy saving. What happens if you don't have enough grief seeds?

'Okay...so what about energy saving? What happens if we don't have enough grief seeds?'

She pauses. '...You run out of power.'

'Oh. Oh is that it?' You blink. '...Actually, when I used it the yesterday...I actually immediately felt better. I acted horribly to Madoka but when I used a Grief Seed I immediately stopped treating her so badly. Is this...related to something?' You already have an idea, but you really don't want that to be true. It can't possibly be true, right?

'...It is.' Homura says. 'Whatever you do...never run out of Grief Seeds. That is my only advice.' She doesn't say any more.

And it's then that the bell rings. You, Madoka and Hitomi go up to the rooftop, and you can see Homura sitting alone, keeping an eye on all of you. She seems to have this cold glare...though when you look at it closely, it doesn't seem outright antagonistic, though there is plenty of spite in her look. Instead...you can pick up a hint of sadness. She seems pained, now that you actually see it.

...

That would explain a lot of things.

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Talk to...
-[] Hitomi.
-[] Madoka.
-[] Homura.

[] Check your lunch.

[] Look around for a plush toy Kyubey.

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

OOC: Tell me, how does it feel to be playing a ticking time bomb? One whose psychological state, when it initially starts to crumble, gets exponentially worse when her worldview is shattered and all that she hopes for is completely lost?

And no.

Puella Magi are not telepathic. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[X] Check your lunch.

You decide to check your...

...

Oh crap, you forgot to grab lunch. "Oh, come on!"

"Did you forget your lunch, Sayaka?" Hitomi asks.

"Yeah! I was in such a rush this morning that I forgot to get it." You sigh. "Augh! I really needed that!" Just as you complain, your stomach growls, and you hold your stomach in pain. "Nnnnnrnggh. I was hungry, too."

"You can have a rice ball that my mom packed." Madoka says, as she raises it.

In no time flat, you grab the ball, shove it into your mouth, and grin like a moron. "Thanks, Madoka!"

She smiles. "Anything to help, Sayaka!"

[X] Talk to...
-[X] Hitomi.

You actually didn't talk to her after the...debacle two days ago.

"So, Hitomi?" You look at her. "You alright?"

"Yes, Sayaka." She says, simply. "I'm fine." She smiles. "Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

"Well...I...uh..." Can't exactly tell her about that. "Are you gonna be doing anything over the next few days?" Real smooth, Sayaka. Liquid smooth.

"Not really." She says. "Why, do you have plans?"
"Hah!" You grin like a moron. "No!"

She sighs, before she puts on a nice smile. "I didn't think you did."

-[X] Madoka.

You poke Madoka's shoulder. "Hey. Heeeeeey."

She turns her head towards you. "Do you want more food?" Madoka asks with an innocent, blank stare on her face.

You blink. "Actually, I'm good for now, but thanks."

She shrugs. "Alright."

-[X] Homura.

'...I see you there.'

'I wasn't trying to hide.' Homura says. 'I was trying to keep my presence as minimal as possible.'

'Well, huh.' Sayaka looked at her. 'Say...you don't look alright.'

'I'm fine.' Homura says quickly. 'But let's cut to the chase. Why are you talking to me?'

'We need to talk. Away from the school. After school. Perhaps somewhere where Kyubey can't hear.' You frown. 'He's hiding something and I don't like it.'

'That's interesting that you would say that.' A third party says. And immediately, you recognize the voice.

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Look for Kyubey.

[] Ignore him.

[] Talk to...
-[] Hitomi.
-[] Homura.
-[] Madoka.

[] Talk about...
-[] Meguca.
-[] Soul Gems.
-[] Kyousuke.
-[] The Event a few days ago.
-[] Write-in.

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

[x] Politely greet Kyubey! Then otherwise ignore it.

'Kyubey.' You say.

'Sayaka.' It says back.

You see it sitting on top of the fence, and you can visibly see Homura getting angry. She doesn't move, but she turns one of the worst glares that she can possibly muster towards it.

You're beginning to see why she was trying to shoot it about a week ago. You really, really don't like the fact that it's hiding things.

[x] Make a note that telepathic communication is being monitored.

...Noted. You probably shouldn't have tried contacting Homura in class. The little furry thing is watching.

'I heard your questions, and I do recommend that you follow her advice.' Kyubey says.

You're so so tempted to say something, but you manage to avoid it. You take a deep breath and start talking to Madoka and Hitomi.

[x] Make small talk with Hitomi and Madoka for the rest of lunch.

Hitomi doesn't seem all that worse for wear, so you decide to start talking to her. "Anything happen recently?" You ask.

"Nothing much, honestly." Hitomi says. "I mean...I woke up somewhere on Saturday and the police picked me up. I don't even remember how I got there."

"Are you alright?" You try sounding surprised and, somehow, you pull it off.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" She says with a wave of the hand. "Several other people were there, too...but there was an open window with a spilled bucket. They say that if it was kept inside, it would have killed all of us." She frowns. "Honestly, I don't know what happened, but...that worries me." She sighs. "So...anything happen to you?"

Well, I became a magical girl and fought a giant scissor-thingy. "Not much. Just went to the mall with Madoka." You smile. "We talked a little about stuff and just had fun! Kinda wish you had gone with us, though."

Hitomi nods. "Hm."

For the rest of lunch, you all wind up talking about random things. Eventually you're brought back down to the classroom, and it's back to more lessons that, frankly, middle schoolers probably shouldn't be taking yet.

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Skip to the end of school.

[] Skip to the meeting with Homura.

[] Talk to...
-[] Madoka.
-[] Homura.

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

[x] Skip to the end of school.

School passes by with little incident. And by that, you mean that you were totally bored. By the end of it, you're certain and your brain's about to leak out of your ears because of how bored you were.

...Then again, you probably should have studied.

All things said and done, though, you leave the school, and it's then that Homura meets you mid-walk. She taps you on the shoulder. "You wanted to meet?" She asks.

You blink. "Where at?"

"That depends. There are several places to go."

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Have the meeting...
-[] Close to the school.
-[] Under the freeway.
-[] At the junkyard.
-[] In the middle of the industrial district.
-[] Close to the shopping district.

[] Cancel it.

[] Talk to Homura about...
-[] Conservation.
-[] Energy.
-[] Witches.
-[] Other magical girls.

[] Train with Homura.

[] Try to be friends with Homura.

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

[X] Have the meeting...
-[X] Close to the shopping district.

"How 'bout the shopping district?"

Homura frowns. "Shouldn't we be looking for somewhere private? In case you want to practice."

"Well, we're not practicing yet." You say. "And if anything, I just want to get to know you at least a little better."

Homura crosses her arms. "If you say. But if there is going to be another meeting, then we will need to find a location that's secluded."

You roll your eyes. "Okay, okay. But right now, I kinda wanna just go there because we can relax."

You both take a train to the shopping district. When you're there, it's pretty crowded. But you should be able to manage talking to Homura just fine. What's the worst that could happen? A large number of things, actually.

[X] Talk to Homura about...
-[X] Conservation.

"So...uh..." You look at her. "Any good movies out?"

"No." She says.

"What, you don't like any?"

"I don't have time to watch films." She says.

You blink. "Music?"

She murmurs something lowly.

"Hm?"

"...Grindcore."

"...What."

"Like...uh...Pig Destroyer."* She says the last bit quietly.

"That can't be a real band."

"Technically they're deathgrind."

You furrow your eyebrows and pinch the bridge of your nose. "Just...stop. I'm sorry I asked."

"It's okay to dislike my taste in music."

"What the heck."

"You're allowed to swear, you know."

"You can stop now."

-[X] Other magical girls.

"So why can't I meet other magical girls at all?"

"Because again, the vast majority of them have lost either their minds or any sense of morality." She says, frankly. "There was one girl named 'Kimiko'. She was a complete psychopath. She had no problems with outright releasing familiars inside of school classrooms."

You gasp in horror. "Oh my god."

"I only knew it because I went to the classroom after it had done its work. There was nothing left but a few bloodstains and the occasional shredded uniform."

You feel a little sick at the mere mentioning of it. "It...you saw this?"

"It was..." She pauses, as though she's thinking. "It was at my last school. Before I transferred."

You take a deep breath. "Just...wow. I can't believe that."

"Grief Seeds or powerful draws." Homura says. "If a magical girl loses theirs..." She trails off again. You really want her to finish that sentence...and yet at the same time, you really, really don't.

-[X] Dealing with the 'mood swings'.

"As for the mood swings..." You look at her again. "How do I avoid doing that again?"

"Use the grief seeds." Homura says, simply.

"What if I don't have any?" You say. "I only have one on my person and the other one's back at home."

"Then you need to find more." Homura says.

"What about anti-depressants or something? Maybe I could take something to try and suppress it?"

"There is no suppressing these...mood swings when they involve the soul gem." She says. "Just. Get. Grief. Seeds."

[X] Try to be friends with Homura.

You take a deep breath. "So...let's try this again. There has to be some kind of common ground, right?" You say.

"Why are you trying to be nice to me?" Homura says, flatly. "Is it because you don't want to be fighting me?"

"It's because I feel like we got off on the wrong foot." You say. "Really. Because it feels...well...like you have a reason to be angry at Kyubey. Especially given how he's been hiding secrets." You look at her. "You tried shooting him before because you didn't want us to become magical girls. Is it because you knew exactly what it entailed?"

She pauses. You can see something break for just a second, and she looks at you. "Yes."

You smile. "Then maybe you're nowhere near as bad as I thought you were. In some ways...you kinda remind me of Mami. Except a lot more gruff and cynical. Lighten up!" You punch her elbow, and she seems to flinch at the contact. She rubs her arm, and looks completely unamused.

"How can I be compared to...her." She says it forcefully.

"Because really? Your heart's in the right place." You say. "I mean, the risk of dying! You don't want anyone else suffering like that, right? That's gotta count for something!" You smile awkwardly. You're really hoping this at least patches some things. Also, you're kinda being nice just to be nice. Not because you really think it.
Homura blushes slightly, before she shakes her head. The blush is gone quickly, and she replies. "I'm nowhere near as naive."

You're growing a little annoyed. "Okay, maybe you aren't." You glare at the mentioning of "naivety". "But you still go for the right thing."

"Right thing?" She repeats. "I'm not doing it for any 'greater good'. I don't care about the 'right thing'." She says coldly.

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] "Then what do you care for?"

[] Don't pry further.

[] Keep trying to be friends.

[] Ask questions involving.
-[] Kyubey.
-[] Greef sids.
-[] Sool jims.
-[] Deathgrind.
-[] Light topics.
-[] Write-in.

*Yes, this is a real band.

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

[X] Don't pry further.

She obviously does care further. You can feel that. At least, you're hoping that's the case. Maybe she's keeping you alive for her own purposes?

...Maybe this is just like one of those shows that you watched with Madoka. Where she's the mysterious ice queen that has a heart of gold and doesn't want to admit it!

You smile at that. "Whatever you say."

[X] Keep trying to be friends.

"Have any other friends?"

"No. Not enough time."

"Hobbies?"

"No. I have better things to do."

"Favorite websites?"

"No. Again, the internet is for information only."

"Favorite shows?"

"No."

"Favorite subjects?"

"They've all started blending together into a big ball of nothing."

"Uh...plans?"

"One."

"Oh? And what plan is that?"

"Surviving. And..." She mumbles something.

Good god, this girl's gloomy. "...You need to go out more."

"There's no nee-"

"Nonsense! Have some fun for once!" You say. "What, it's not like the world's gonna end if you don't have a bit of fun!"

She's quiet all of a sudden. Very quiet.

[X] Ask questions involving.
-[X] Greef sids.

"So...how many do you have?"

She's still quiet.

"...Come on, Homura." You say.

She takes a deep breath. She recovers from that statement that you just made. "I'm not going to let you have any of them." She says.

"I didn't think so." You say back. "But that's not why I'm asking."

"...Fifteen."

"Hm?"

"Fifteen." She says. "I'm stockpiling them for something later." She sighs. "I used to have more."

You nod. "...Oh." You tilt your head. "How the heck did you get that many?"

"Simple. I go out and I kill them." She says. "The same way most magical girls do it."

-[X] Deathgrind.

"...Also, Deathgrind?"

"Deathgrind." She says. "I just like the way it sounds."

"I don't! It sounds like...like garbage to me!"

She just sighs. "To each their own."

-[X] Light topics.

"You seriously can't just be focusing on the fight all of the time!" You say. "Come on! There has to be something that you enjoy." You smile. "So...what is it? Spill!"

"It really is just that." She says. "There isn't much to my life."

You groan. "Oh come on! Lighten up! It's no wonder we thought you were so cold! It's because you just can't lighten up!" You grin.

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Go to...
-[] Video game store.
-[] Nearby arcade.
-[] TOYS.
-[] Furniture store.
-[] Your own home.
-[] Homura's home.

[] Leave Homura.

 

[TheOneMoiderah]

[x] I have an idea. I'll listen to your "grindcore," without any complaint, for half an hour, and then we'll go get ice cream. Deal?

You sigh. "You know what? I'll listen to your grindcore without any complaint for half an hour, and then we can go get ice cream. Deal?"

She shrugs. "I haven't had ice cream in a long time." She says.

"Alright. I'll pay." You say. "...Do you have an iPod or something?"

She brings it out. You grab it and the earbuds, and you shove them in your ear.

...

Thirty minutes later, and you swear that you wish that you could stop hearing. You hated it. You fucking hated it. It is nothing like the smooth orchestral tunes that you are so used to, or the smooth, frictionless jazz that you so commonly enjoy. You really, really want to do something else now.

"...You didn't enjoy it?"

You shake your head. "I...uh...no. No I didn't."

She sighs. "You at least tried to listen, so perhaps that counts as something."

"...Ice cream." You say. "We're g-gonna get ice cream now." You walk as stiffly as possible to the nearest ice cream shop, which, thankfully, has pretty much every flavor imaginable. You buy yourself and Homura a cone; some white chocolate for yourself and a strawberry cone for her (she requested it). You take it, and you both start talking.

"I didn't think you would enjoy it." She says. "I'm surprised that you didn't complain once."

"W-well..." You give her a smile. "I told you I wouldn't!" You grin like a moron.

...She just frowns and looks at her cone, before she takes a bite out of it.

[OPTION SELECT]​

[] Smalltalk.

[] Just enjoy the ice cream.

[] Serious topics.

[] Stay here.

[] Go...
-[] Home.
-[] To the HomuHome.
-[] Video game store.
-[] Nearby arcade.
-[] TOYS.
-[] Furniture store.
-[] Alone.
-[] With Homura.