Update 27 - Strategist
Mortifer
Embrace your inner lunatic. Fun times guaranteed.
- Location
- Under a rock.
[X] ...She'd need allies or power to work against Yggdrasil. If she had a chance to start gathering them now, then she may as well take them.
"That one."
Madoka nodded in Kyubey's direction as she approached the apartment, and came to a stop as she moved to knock on the door.
Before her hand could touch the wood of the entrance, the door swung open, and Tomoe Mami stood on the other side with a smile.
"Good afternoon, Kaname." Tomoe nodded. "Please, come in."
The pink-haired girl did so, looking around Tomoe's apartment in the process.
...It was a nice place, if rather empty. Clean, but plain. A triangular glass table was rested over a carpet in front of the couch, and there was a few Grief Seeds resting on the table, darkened to a rather frightening degree.
"I'm afraid I've had to go through a lot of these." Tomoe noted to Kyubey. "The worse of Miss Miki's wounds have been healed, but there's a lot of smaller fractures that could have been problems if left unchecked, and I wanted to wait until you were here before I looked for them again. In case I need to cleanse my Soul Gem and overfill one of the Seeds."
"Thank you, Mami." Kyubey noted. "There's something else I need to check for a moment, however. Would you mind speaking with Miss Kaname for a while?"
"Not at all." Tomoe replied, smiling. "Assuming you want to talk, Kaname? Or would you rather just see your friend?"
"...I'd like to see Sayaka, yes." Madoka admitted. "I'll have a few questions for her. But perhaps we should talk, first."
Kyubey leapt up to the window, and stepped out side of it. Tomoe waved to it for a moment, before turning back to Madoka.
"What is it?" Tomoe asked. "Oh, and do you want any tea? I could make you a cup, if you wanted."
"I'm hoping I don't need to be here that long, sorry." Madoka replied. "And... We shouldn't waste time, Tomoe. Yggdrasil's Armoured Riders are holding my friend captive. Forgive me if I seem impatient with the niceties."
Tomoe sighed, as she looked away for a moment.
"...I understand what you mean." She replied. "So we're going straight to business, then?"
Madoka nodded.
Maybe it would have been more fair to Sayaka to have the discussion while she was in the room, but...
Well, Madoka didn't know what was going on with Sayaka right now, and she wanted to make this decision herself first. If Sayaka wanted to join Madoka in this, Madoka would be willing to take her. If Sayaka wanted Madoka to sit out and be safe, Madoka wanted to be sure in her convictions enough to stand up and fight for Homura's sake anyway.
Maybe she was being rude, but right now, Madoka just wanted to figure out how to save her friend.
"I was talking with Kyubey." Tomoe noted. "He told me everything. To think the Armoured Riders would have that kind of technology at their disposal..."
Tomoe sighed, as she moved to sit on the couch. Madoka followed her, but stood at the side of it, rather than taking a seat.
"I'll be frank." Tomoe stated. "With what Yggdrasil is doing, there's no way I'm going to sit out these proceedings. I intend to save any Magical Girls Yggdrasil have in their possession. The rest of Danza, however..."
Tomoe sighed. "Nagisa is too young for this. It's bad enough that she has to fight Witches. People are another thing entirely. Even discounting the moral difference, people are smart, and this 'Duke' knows where to target a Magical Girl to eliminate quickly. She's already been through enough. I don't want her mixed up in a fight against Yggdrasil."
Madoka nodded, and didn't interrupt, allowing the Magical Girl to continue.
"Hana, meanwhile, is..."
Tomoe struggled with her words for a moment, before speaking again.
"...Difficult." She decided on, eventually. "I don't want to talk about her behind her back, but I doubt she will want anything to do with any of the Yggdrasil mess."
"...I get that." Madoka replied. "It's... Big. And it's hardly safe. If she wanted to stay out of danger, I wouldn't blame her."
Tomoe looked like she was going to say something, but thought better of it.
"But as it is, I'm starting from scratch." Madoka continued. "I need to save Homura, but right now, even with my Driver and Strawberry, I'm not strong enough. Sayaka might be willing to help me, but any help is appreciated. If you're willing to help me save her..."
"I am." Tomoe nodded. "And... You're still inexperienced in battle, aren't you? I'd be willing to teach you, if I can spare the Grief Seeds."
Madoka smiled. "It's a deal then."
She extended her hand, and Tomoe took it. They shook, and Mami smiled again.
"It's a pleasure, Kaname Madoka." Tomoe nodded. "Can I call you Madoka?"
"If you want to." The pink-haired girl answered.
"In that case, please call me Mami." The blonde continued.
The two girls sat in silence for a moment, before a sound at the window alerted them to Kyubey's return.
"I see that the two of you are getting along well." Kyubey noted. "And the two of you intend to work together? Splendid."
There wasn't much time to waste, Madoka thought to herself. It was getting late, and Madoka hadn't seen Sayaka yet. So she may as well get right to the point.
"We should meet another time, to properly get to know each other." Madoka noted. "For now, though... Kyubey? Do you know anyone else, who would be willing to fight against Yggdrasil?"
The white-furred creature took a moment to consider the question, licking a paw as it did so.
"A few." Kyubey replied. "Recruiting them may be an issue, however. There is a Magical Girl not far from here who might be willing to fight Yggdrasil if she received some form of benefit from it, but she will not even negotiate if she is aware of Mami's role in the proceedings."
The blonde Magical Girl stiffened at that comment, and looked away. Madoka looked at her for a moment, considering if she should say something, but decided against it. She had something she needed to focus on, for now.
"There is one Magical Girl specifically who might be willing to work with you." Kyubey continued. "But her agenda is a mystery. Her father was a politician who opposed Yggdrasil's variety of funded projects, and the news station that initially reported the scandal that led to him stepping down and hanging himself is owned by a man with Yggdrasil connections. She is a smart enough girl to consider that there might have been a connection."
...Was Kyubey implying what Madoka thought he was? If Yggdrasil had organised a politicians disgrace just for opposing them, and had people in the media capable of that kind of pull...
"I'd like to talk with her, if you could get me in contact." Madoka stated, trying to ignore the thought for now. "Other than that..."
Madoka took a moment to consider her plan, before she explained it. Homura hadn't trusted Kyubey, but right now, working with it and Mami was all Madoka could do, and hiding things wouldn't help, in that regard.
"...Homura had said I should try to gather Lockseeds." Madoka decided, eventually. "I still have my Lock Vehicle, so I could get back into the forest. But after what happened, I'm not sure if it's safe. Who knows if Duke and Zangetsu would be waiting?"
"Mami is a skilled Magical Girl." Kyubey suggested. "If you took her with you-"
"Kyubey." Madoka steeled her voice slightly, as she spoke. "You told me it was theoretically possible that Yggdrasil could replicate Homura's magic. Her power was stopping time."
Madoka let the silence hang in the air for a moment after saying that. For a moment, she considered if it was a mistake to reveal that. Mami needed to know, at least, in cast Yggdrasil managed it, but now someone Homura didn't trust knew something about her magic.
"I can see your concern." Kyubey noted. "Mami, perhaps we should consider hiding your Soul Gem when you go into battle. Give it to someone else to pocket, while you fight."
"I'll... Keep that in mind." Mami replied, looking kind of pale.
"That said, it would take time for Yggdrasil to develop the technology to that level." Kyubey replied. "I am unsure of how long, but for a few days at least, it should be safe for a Magical Girl to enter the forest. But I take it you had a backup plan, at least?"
Madoka nodded. "It's... Not very productive, but there's the obvious method of gaining Lockseeds. The Inves game. Lockseed Dealer Sid should be stepping it up with the quality of Lockseeds, now that me and Baron both have a Driver. If I can win some of those fights..."
"Then you could end up getting a few higher-quality Lockseeds fairly easily..." Mami mused.
"I would like to try to talk a few of the Beat Riders into helping." Madoka explained. "But... Well, I don't think any of them will believe me."
Madoka had a hard enough time convincing Sayaka to trust Homura. How was she ever going to convince a bunch of older teenagers with a reason to dislike Madoka that they had bigger things to worry about?
"...There is an exception to that, though." Madoka kept talking. "One Beat Rider who saw everything in the forest. Kumon Kaito."
Madoka sighed as she spoke, but continued on. "He was there in the forest when Zangetsu appeared. He should have a Lock Vehicle. He's not a Magical Girl, and Yggdrasil knows where he got his Driver. It didn't sound like they were taking him in when I was in the forest, though I could be wrong-"
"You are not." Kyubey interrupted. "I have sighted Kumon Kaito since the two of you disappeared into Helheim forest. He is alive, and retains his Lockseeds."
"In that case, he has a reason to hate Zangetsu." Madoka continued. "He said a lot about strength, and being weak, when I was fighting him. And then Zangetsu didn't even need to try to beat him. He's probably shaken. He'll want to strike back. It... Might be possible, to convince him."
"I see." Kyubey mused.
"That's... Possible, I suppose." Mami interrupted. "I wouldn't know where to begin with someone like him, though. I haven't heard much about his philosophy in-depth, but he doesn't seem like the kind of person I would be able to get along with."
Madoka sighed, and rested against the couch for a moment.
"Perhaps the two of you should give this a rest, for now." Kyubey mused. "I believe that we have enough to work with for now, at least. If you gather Lockseeds tomorrow, and then meet with either the Magical Girl I can contact or the Armoured Rider you're aware of, then you will have made more progress on gathering a force necessary to save Miss Akemi."
It paused for a moment, before turning to Madoka.
"Oh, and please keep in mind." Kyubey continued. "If you should need it, I am capable of granting you a Wish and making you a Magical Girl. Keep in mind that the technology that Duke has makes having a Soul Gem a risk, but don't forget that if something seems too hard, I can grant a Wish to fix that. For instance, if you are unsure of your ability to convince Kumon Kaito to help you, I have granted wishes in the past that can make it easier for people to do what you ask."
"...I would not recommend making a wish like that." Mami stated under her breath, looking to the side. "I'd consider you wish very carefully, if you decided to make one."
Madoka nodded, not really wanting to think about it right now.
"I'll keep it in mind." She replied. "...Do you mind if I see Sayaka, now?"
"That's not a problem." Mami replied, gesturing out of the room. "She's resting in my room right now, it's the most comfortable place. She might be a little sore still, but for the most part, as long as she doesn't move around too much, she should be fine."
Mami looked towards the Grief Seeds on the table, then at Madoka again.
"Do you mind if I heal her while you talk?" Mami asked. "Or would you rather talk to her in private?"
[X] Sayaka's wellbeing was more important than some privacy. Talk with Mami in the room.
[X] Madoka wouldn't take too long, and Sayaka was apparently fine. The two of them talk alone.
"That one."
Madoka nodded in Kyubey's direction as she approached the apartment, and came to a stop as she moved to knock on the door.
Before her hand could touch the wood of the entrance, the door swung open, and Tomoe Mami stood on the other side with a smile.
"Good afternoon, Kaname." Tomoe nodded. "Please, come in."
The pink-haired girl did so, looking around Tomoe's apartment in the process.
...It was a nice place, if rather empty. Clean, but plain. A triangular glass table was rested over a carpet in front of the couch, and there was a few Grief Seeds resting on the table, darkened to a rather frightening degree.
"I'm afraid I've had to go through a lot of these." Tomoe noted to Kyubey. "The worse of Miss Miki's wounds have been healed, but there's a lot of smaller fractures that could have been problems if left unchecked, and I wanted to wait until you were here before I looked for them again. In case I need to cleanse my Soul Gem and overfill one of the Seeds."
"Thank you, Mami." Kyubey noted. "There's something else I need to check for a moment, however. Would you mind speaking with Miss Kaname for a while?"
"Not at all." Tomoe replied, smiling. "Assuming you want to talk, Kaname? Or would you rather just see your friend?"
"...I'd like to see Sayaka, yes." Madoka admitted. "I'll have a few questions for her. But perhaps we should talk, first."
Kyubey leapt up to the window, and stepped out side of it. Tomoe waved to it for a moment, before turning back to Madoka.
"What is it?" Tomoe asked. "Oh, and do you want any tea? I could make you a cup, if you wanted."
"I'm hoping I don't need to be here that long, sorry." Madoka replied. "And... We shouldn't waste time, Tomoe. Yggdrasil's Armoured Riders are holding my friend captive. Forgive me if I seem impatient with the niceties."
Tomoe sighed, as she looked away for a moment.
"...I understand what you mean." She replied. "So we're going straight to business, then?"
Madoka nodded.
Maybe it would have been more fair to Sayaka to have the discussion while she was in the room, but...
Well, Madoka didn't know what was going on with Sayaka right now, and she wanted to make this decision herself first. If Sayaka wanted to join Madoka in this, Madoka would be willing to take her. If Sayaka wanted Madoka to sit out and be safe, Madoka wanted to be sure in her convictions enough to stand up and fight for Homura's sake anyway.
Maybe she was being rude, but right now, Madoka just wanted to figure out how to save her friend.
"I was talking with Kyubey." Tomoe noted. "He told me everything. To think the Armoured Riders would have that kind of technology at their disposal..."
Tomoe sighed, as she moved to sit on the couch. Madoka followed her, but stood at the side of it, rather than taking a seat.
"I'll be frank." Tomoe stated. "With what Yggdrasil is doing, there's no way I'm going to sit out these proceedings. I intend to save any Magical Girls Yggdrasil have in their possession. The rest of Danza, however..."
Tomoe sighed. "Nagisa is too young for this. It's bad enough that she has to fight Witches. People are another thing entirely. Even discounting the moral difference, people are smart, and this 'Duke' knows where to target a Magical Girl to eliminate quickly. She's already been through enough. I don't want her mixed up in a fight against Yggdrasil."
Madoka nodded, and didn't interrupt, allowing the Magical Girl to continue.
"Hana, meanwhile, is..."
Tomoe struggled with her words for a moment, before speaking again.
"...Difficult." She decided on, eventually. "I don't want to talk about her behind her back, but I doubt she will want anything to do with any of the Yggdrasil mess."
"...I get that." Madoka replied. "It's... Big. And it's hardly safe. If she wanted to stay out of danger, I wouldn't blame her."
Tomoe looked like she was going to say something, but thought better of it.
"But as it is, I'm starting from scratch." Madoka continued. "I need to save Homura, but right now, even with my Driver and Strawberry, I'm not strong enough. Sayaka might be willing to help me, but any help is appreciated. If you're willing to help me save her..."
"I am." Tomoe nodded. "And... You're still inexperienced in battle, aren't you? I'd be willing to teach you, if I can spare the Grief Seeds."
Madoka smiled. "It's a deal then."
She extended her hand, and Tomoe took it. They shook, and Mami smiled again.
"It's a pleasure, Kaname Madoka." Tomoe nodded. "Can I call you Madoka?"
"If you want to." The pink-haired girl answered.
"In that case, please call me Mami." The blonde continued.
The two girls sat in silence for a moment, before a sound at the window alerted them to Kyubey's return.
"I see that the two of you are getting along well." Kyubey noted. "And the two of you intend to work together? Splendid."
There wasn't much time to waste, Madoka thought to herself. It was getting late, and Madoka hadn't seen Sayaka yet. So she may as well get right to the point.
"We should meet another time, to properly get to know each other." Madoka noted. "For now, though... Kyubey? Do you know anyone else, who would be willing to fight against Yggdrasil?"
The white-furred creature took a moment to consider the question, licking a paw as it did so.
"A few." Kyubey replied. "Recruiting them may be an issue, however. There is a Magical Girl not far from here who might be willing to fight Yggdrasil if she received some form of benefit from it, but she will not even negotiate if she is aware of Mami's role in the proceedings."
The blonde Magical Girl stiffened at that comment, and looked away. Madoka looked at her for a moment, considering if she should say something, but decided against it. She had something she needed to focus on, for now.
"There is one Magical Girl specifically who might be willing to work with you." Kyubey continued. "But her agenda is a mystery. Her father was a politician who opposed Yggdrasil's variety of funded projects, and the news station that initially reported the scandal that led to him stepping down and hanging himself is owned by a man with Yggdrasil connections. She is a smart enough girl to consider that there might have been a connection."
...Was Kyubey implying what Madoka thought he was? If Yggdrasil had organised a politicians disgrace just for opposing them, and had people in the media capable of that kind of pull...
"I'd like to talk with her, if you could get me in contact." Madoka stated, trying to ignore the thought for now. "Other than that..."
Madoka took a moment to consider her plan, before she explained it. Homura hadn't trusted Kyubey, but right now, working with it and Mami was all Madoka could do, and hiding things wouldn't help, in that regard.
"...Homura had said I should try to gather Lockseeds." Madoka decided, eventually. "I still have my Lock Vehicle, so I could get back into the forest. But after what happened, I'm not sure if it's safe. Who knows if Duke and Zangetsu would be waiting?"
"Mami is a skilled Magical Girl." Kyubey suggested. "If you took her with you-"
"Kyubey." Madoka steeled her voice slightly, as she spoke. "You told me it was theoretically possible that Yggdrasil could replicate Homura's magic. Her power was stopping time."
Madoka let the silence hang in the air for a moment after saying that. For a moment, she considered if it was a mistake to reveal that. Mami needed to know, at least, in cast Yggdrasil managed it, but now someone Homura didn't trust knew something about her magic.
"I can see your concern." Kyubey noted. "Mami, perhaps we should consider hiding your Soul Gem when you go into battle. Give it to someone else to pocket, while you fight."
"I'll... Keep that in mind." Mami replied, looking kind of pale.
"That said, it would take time for Yggdrasil to develop the technology to that level." Kyubey replied. "I am unsure of how long, but for a few days at least, it should be safe for a Magical Girl to enter the forest. But I take it you had a backup plan, at least?"
Madoka nodded. "It's... Not very productive, but there's the obvious method of gaining Lockseeds. The Inves game. Lockseed Dealer Sid should be stepping it up with the quality of Lockseeds, now that me and Baron both have a Driver. If I can win some of those fights..."
"Then you could end up getting a few higher-quality Lockseeds fairly easily..." Mami mused.
"I would like to try to talk a few of the Beat Riders into helping." Madoka explained. "But... Well, I don't think any of them will believe me."
Madoka had a hard enough time convincing Sayaka to trust Homura. How was she ever going to convince a bunch of older teenagers with a reason to dislike Madoka that they had bigger things to worry about?
"...There is an exception to that, though." Madoka kept talking. "One Beat Rider who saw everything in the forest. Kumon Kaito."
Madoka sighed as she spoke, but continued on. "He was there in the forest when Zangetsu appeared. He should have a Lock Vehicle. He's not a Magical Girl, and Yggdrasil knows where he got his Driver. It didn't sound like they were taking him in when I was in the forest, though I could be wrong-"
"You are not." Kyubey interrupted. "I have sighted Kumon Kaito since the two of you disappeared into Helheim forest. He is alive, and retains his Lockseeds."
"In that case, he has a reason to hate Zangetsu." Madoka continued. "He said a lot about strength, and being weak, when I was fighting him. And then Zangetsu didn't even need to try to beat him. He's probably shaken. He'll want to strike back. It... Might be possible, to convince him."
"I see." Kyubey mused.
"That's... Possible, I suppose." Mami interrupted. "I wouldn't know where to begin with someone like him, though. I haven't heard much about his philosophy in-depth, but he doesn't seem like the kind of person I would be able to get along with."
Madoka sighed, and rested against the couch for a moment.
"Perhaps the two of you should give this a rest, for now." Kyubey mused. "I believe that we have enough to work with for now, at least. If you gather Lockseeds tomorrow, and then meet with either the Magical Girl I can contact or the Armoured Rider you're aware of, then you will have made more progress on gathering a force necessary to save Miss Akemi."
It paused for a moment, before turning to Madoka.
"Oh, and please keep in mind." Kyubey continued. "If you should need it, I am capable of granting you a Wish and making you a Magical Girl. Keep in mind that the technology that Duke has makes having a Soul Gem a risk, but don't forget that if something seems too hard, I can grant a Wish to fix that. For instance, if you are unsure of your ability to convince Kumon Kaito to help you, I have granted wishes in the past that can make it easier for people to do what you ask."
"...I would not recommend making a wish like that." Mami stated under her breath, looking to the side. "I'd consider you wish very carefully, if you decided to make one."
Madoka nodded, not really wanting to think about it right now.
"I'll keep it in mind." She replied. "...Do you mind if I see Sayaka, now?"
"That's not a problem." Mami replied, gesturing out of the room. "She's resting in my room right now, it's the most comfortable place. She might be a little sore still, but for the most part, as long as she doesn't move around too much, she should be fine."
Mami looked towards the Grief Seeds on the table, then at Madoka again.
"Do you mind if I heal her while you talk?" Mami asked. "Or would you rather talk to her in private?"
[X] Sayaka's wellbeing was more important than some privacy. Talk with Mami in the room.
[X] Madoka wouldn't take too long, and Sayaka was apparently fine. The two of them talk alone.
