Puella Magi Megami Tensei

[X] Plan war plan, v2

"...The Disciples' primary goal is Kohaku Hino." You announce to everyone, eliciting stares from your companions. "She is currently being guarded by Virtue at my apartment. According to her, they believe she will mother their Messiah, and up until recently, Saburo Okane was supposed to be the father."

"Wait, that crazy bastard?!" Kyoko nearly falls out of her chair, "I wouldn't trust him to care for a fuckin' plant, let alone a baby!"

"That wasn't exactly on him, as he was being controlled by the cult." You clarify, "Speaking of which, I lifted it with a Patra."

"Patra?" Homura asks, taking a mental note, "I see. Go on?"

You nod, "I recommend we get in contact with Hitonari, and try to hire Vergil... and Dante, if we can get the Disciples into an area where collateral damage doesn't matter. Oh, Uncle Raido, Dante was the guy I fought in the warehouse, and Vergil is the one in blue. Vergil is much faster, and can open portals out of thin air! Just ask Homura!" You hear Homura sigh in frustration as you continue, "We should also call everyone we don't want in this, like Madoka, Sayaka, Oriko, Yuma, Nagisa--?"

"Mami should go with them, if only for protection." Homura interrupts, "It would put my mind at ease if we kept them somewhere far away from the battlefield. Or, we could split them into groups, with Kyoko guarding one and Mami watching the other."

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?!" Kyoko growls.

"Of course." Homura states. "Unless you have a better idea?"

"I do." You say, "Whatever group Oriko's in, I'm sure Kirika would be happy to help them."

Homura blinks, "...Ah. I suppose that would work."

"Oh, White Hair's galpal. Forgot about her." Kyoko shrugs, "Works for me."

"I'm sure Mami could make some nasty traps as well." Homura gets a specific glint in her eye, "Fixing her ribbons into razor wire could be a horrible surprise should someone try to break in..."

"And if the Fairy Village has completed their migration, we could stash Kohaku there." You suggest, "But, then again..." You droop, "...The fae in mythology are fair, but they've had to move an entire village. It doesn't sit right with me to ask something of them so soon after that."

"If you need another option," Raido interjects, "I could get you some building plans, or some sewer maps. You never know what secret outcroppings get hidden over time."

"I mean, unless we have a safehouse with anti-scrying measures somewhere outside of the city?" You hazard, not expecting any answer, "We could sneak out our non-combatant allies, but pretend Kohaku is still right here."

"As good of an idea as that is..." Grandpa grimaces, "...We've only got a few days at most. That ain't enough time to organize multiple people's living accomodations. Not to mention that these Disciples might have a scout or two. If we start moving people too quickly..."

"We have to set something up here." Raido cuts Grandpa off, eliciting a glare from the older man, "But we'll need a location that's defendable. I'll look at some city records, and let you all know if I find any--"

"I know of a place." Homura interrupts, "In the industrial district, there is an old factory with a basement. There are plenty of places to hide, sleep, store supplies, and anything else one would need. It's practically a bunker."

"Can you take me there?" Raido asks, "I can get started on some of the more... arcane defenses."

Grandpa scoffs, "You mean your demons can start. You don't have a magic bone in your body."

Raido actually chuckles at this. "Like you have any room to talk. Mom was always the magically inclined one."

"He's got me there..." Grandpa grumbles playfully.

"What about if they slip past us?" You ask, resting your arm on the table, "Like, we're busy fighting a Fiend, or Asura!"

"That's assuming they haven't already arrived." Grandpa replies, "Be they Fiends, or Asura, or even those Disciples."

Raido sighs, "We'll deal with it. Now, we just need to discreetly gather supplies..."

"And I know just who to talk to!" You grin, "There's a tiny shop in my apartment complex called Jack Bros. General Store, and they sell all kinds of healing items! They could even have things to help lessen the effects of Dark magic, or cure brainwashing!"

Kazuya nods, "They might not have the supply to accommodate everyone coming in all at once, but it's still a good place to begin your search."

"There's one last factor I'd like to make known." Homura suddenly says, causing all eyes to drift to her, "Kyubey will try to Contract as many girls as he can. That may mean more Witches will be drawn to the area."

"Just what we needed." Kyoko snarks in a quiet frustration.

"That could complicate matters." Raido says plainly, "Thank you for the heads up. Does anyone have any other warnings?"

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I know it's labelled as Apocrypha as of now, and what I've written in there will (for the most part) not become canon, but...

Yuki Konishi. The one that, while he may not be against you, is your opposite. It could be fun to write a character like that, but I wanted my readerbase's input.

Should Yuki Konishi be canon?

[X] "Eris exists!"

"Other than the reminder that we have no idea where Eris and the crazy Magical Girl Serial Killer are..." You shake your head, "...Nothing else comes to mind."

"Okay. Ms. Akemi, let's get started on securing that factory you mentioned." Raido motions Homura to follow him.

Homura doesn't exactly look thrilled, but she does get up to follow Raido. She flips her hair as she exits.

Arisu, still holding Homura's notebook, looks a little worried now.

"Eh, she'll be back for it later." Kyoko says, "I might just go hunting later..." She walks down to the living room, thinking aloud.

Kazuya shifts awkwardly, the silence of the room now deafening to him.

"Well, then..." You begin, unsure of Raido's quick exit, "...Grandpa, this over here is Arisu."

Grandpa looks across the table at the girl, before getting up and walking over to her.

"Well, hello there, Ms. Arisu." He extends his hand.

Arisu just stares at it for a moment, before returning the handshake.

"...Not a talker, eh?" Grandpa smiles warmly, "Raido was quite the same when he was your age!"

Arisu places the notebook onto the table, and begins writing...

I cannot speak.

"Oh." Grandpa instantly looks a little remorseful, "Er, sorry about that, then."

You couldn't have known.

"So, how do you feel about staying here for a little while?" Grandpa asks, "We've certainly got enough room!"

Arisu looks surprised for a moment.

That is kind of you, but I don't want to intrude.

"Bah, you aren't intruding on anything!" Grandpa puts his hand on her shoulder, "Let's go pick a room for ya!"

With that, both Grandpa and Arisu head into a different part of the house.

You sigh. Everyone here seems to work really quickly.

You exit the dining room, followed closely by Kazuya and Cerberus. Grandma is sitting on the couch, quietly watching the weather report. It seems Kyoko has gone off on her own for now.

Kazuya sits down in a rocking chair, Cerberus laying his head in his lap. Kazuya wordlessly begins petting his snout.

You sit next to Grandma, a few lingering questions still on your mind. You'd like to ask Raido or Grandpa how to...

...Didn't Raido say something about Grandma being the "magically inclined" one? Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Hey, Grandma?" You ask, getting her attention, "How do I recognize magically induced mind control?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Grandma smiles, "You just have to know how to look!"

"How to look...?"

"How do I explain...?" Grandma snaps her fingers, "Oh! I know! Watch this!" She points her palm to Cerberus...

(GRANDMA: MARIN KARIN)

...Who trots over to her, with a glazed look in his eye.

"Now, try unfocusing your eyes." She suggests.

You attempt...

(INT ROLL: 17+8)

...What in the...?!

You blink in surprise, only to find that what you saw while your vision was blurred is, in fact, still visible. There are tiny hearts floating up from Cerberus' head.

Grandma smiles at you, "Oh, good! You see them! You're a natural, Yumi! Now that you're properly attuned, you should be able to simply look at someone and tell if they're under a trance!"

"Please give me my demon back." Kazuya says calmly.

"Sorry, I was just demonstrating."

(GRANDMA: PATRA)

Cerberus backs away from your grandmother. "Master Kazuya, this lady intimidates me."

"Me too, buddy." He quietly replies as Cerberus quickly retreats to his master's side.

...Oh.

"...So, um..." You find it quite difficult to move on from that, "...Should I worry about any of my friends being...?"

"Unless they're commonly fighting demons or other undesirables, then no."

"These guys don't know what you look like anyhow," Kazuya adds, "Let alone who your friends are. It's incredibly unlikely that they're being controlled."

"And besides, I would have seen it." Grandma grins, "You don't need to worry for now."

"Thanks." You smile back, "That's pretty reassuring. Anyways, I... I had a dream recently. Mom was there."

Grandma wraps her arm around you. "Are you okay, Yumi?"

"She said..." You take a moment to recall her message, "...She told me to tell you something. It's under the bed. She didn't elaborate on that."

"I'll look later, okay?" Grandma holds you tighter, "Just tell me if you want to talk about it."

"...I will." You quietly reply, simply allowing yourself to be hugged.

It's nice. Just like you remembered it.

After a moment, you dig out your phone and find that picture of you. "Hey, do you happen to know anything about this?" You hold the phone on a way so Grandma can see it, too.

Grandma looks confused as soon as she looks at it, "I'm... sorry, Yumi, but no. That scarf looks nice on you, though."

"Huh?"

"Oh, nevermind. I doubt Haruki knows anything either, but it can't hurt to ask." Grandma shrugs, looking back to the TV. "Oh, drat, a cold front..."

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