Take Nagisa shopping
"We will go to the mall," Yuki agrees.
A cheerful "Yay!" is Nagisa's response, followed by her glomping onto Yuki. She takes Yuki's hand and starts pulling her along.
"Come on, come on! Let me show you all my favourite places!"
Yuki lets herself be pulled. She could resist, even against the prodigious strength Nagisa has as a magical girl. But there is no reason to. If anything, her enthusiasm is endearing.
Nagisa babbles for a while as they walk. She is clearly adept at filling the air with chatter, from school, over tv shows and homework, all the way to what her various friends did recently. She seems happy enough to talk, so Yuki simply listens.
After a few minutes however, Nagisa pauses and looks back to Yuki. "Say, what was that thing you did with miss Oriko? The one where she suddenly had these cool ear covers? Can I have those, too?"
Yuki blinks. She did not take particular notice of any such thing, so she can only shrug. "Are you sure it was me doing it?" she asks back curiously.
Nagisa nods.
"Definitely. I could feel the same witch-y feeling from them, just a lot weaker."
"I was meaning to ask about that as well," Kyubey adds. The bunnycat sits on top of a wall they were passing. "Good morning, Yuki. Nagisa."
The two echo their greeting and Nagisa opens her arms for Kyubey to jump into. She squeezes them against her chest with a happy smile. Meanwhile, Yuki glances between the two as the question percolates through her mind.
"That might have been my gift," she reasons, which makes both of them look her way. "I never really noticed it before, but I definitely gave it in the past." Although she can not quite recall what happened with the holders. "Abnormalities, which is what I am, Nagisa, can give these gifts to people they like. They are made from our essence, or soul if you will, so it stands to reason that they create the same emission to your senses."
"I see. What is the purpose of these gifts?"
"It differs," Yuki explains as they walk. With the crowds slowly growing denser, she throws out her hand with viridian glow to cast her now favourite spell. "I don't rightly know what mine does, but these gifts generally bolster the holder's attributes. Strength, retention, and overall running speed are all among the things they can improve. It depends on the Abnormality, though the more dangerous ones were observed to give stronger boosts."
Nagisa makes a curious noise, though her gaze swivels around with some worry. "Should you cast magic where people can see?" she asks timidly. "We shouldn't involve those innocent people, right?"
"The spell I cast makes them ignore us unless we do something particularly eye-catching. We can talk freely and no one will bother us."
"Oh. That sounds useful."
"It is," Kyubey agrees. They lean into Nagisa's hand as she keeps petting them, but their gaze never leaves Yuki. "I will keep an eye on Oriko to determine which of her attributes have improved. Although I notice a change in your speech pattern, Yuki. You previously did not use contractions, yet began using them over the last few days. Is there a reason for that?"
"Have I? I didn't notice."
Yuki pauses right after saying it. She usually tries to speak as clearly as possible, avoiding any and all contractions. But now they slip in and somehow feel right.
"Huh."
"Is that a bad thing?" Nagisa asks into the contemplative silence.
Kyubey offers something akin to a shrug, or as best as they can in her arms. "I don't know. The sudden change was notable enough to point out. Seeing that it surprises Yuki as well, I figure that it may relate to her nature as an Abnormality. Witches are still poorly understood, so being able to observe a related existence for a prolonged time may yield some insights."
"Hm. I don't know, it's just the way she speaks. I do not speak like I did when I was younger, either."
"That is a valid point to make, Nagisa. Do consider, though: Abnormalities are not human. From what Yuki told me before, they are not born and raised like humans. Considering their adjacency to Witches, I assume that they come into being fully formed. Is that correct, Yuki?"
"It is," the Abnormality in question confirms. "I don't know any details, though. The only time I ever saw the Extraction Department was during my own birth. And I would prefer to never go there again."
The stark and unnatural shadows down there still haunt Yuki. She can not help but shudder at the eery glow of Binah's eyes. Even as a box-shaped machine, she somehow managed to be menacing.
Despite Yuki's discomfort however, Nagisa jumps onto her words with unbound curiousity: "Is it that bad a place? Are there evil people in there? Wait, if it's a department, does that mean someone made you?"
Yuki nods slowly. She can tell that Nagisa and Kyubey hang on her lips now. On a whim, she turns around to face them, walking backward with even steps.
"In a sense, yes. Lobotomy Corporation shut down since that time, but they made us. And while I wouldn't call Binah evil, she is certainly not a good person. I barely remember her, to be quite honest; my first hours were a blur. She spoke of drawing from a well. I think I was lifted up by a bucket, too."
Yuki frowns, trying to scrape anything useful from her memory. She went from standing in the liquefied ashes of her world, to being manifested in the depths of the earth. Then all her perception ceased for an unspecified amount of time, until she woke up in a containment unit.
"You will have to ask Binah herself if you ever get the chance."
"Aww, now I'm curious. But you said she isn't nice at all, do you think she will be mean to us?"
Yuki shrugs ever so faintly. "I can't rightly say. But I think she will be polite, if nothing else."
"I am also curious about her. Is it possible to meet her if we ever find out how to travel to your world?"
"Hm? Your world? You aren't from here, miss Yuki?"
"I am not. And while it is possible to meet Binah in such a case, it depends on whether the Library still stands. It was under assault on the day I was transposed."
Yuki does not say that she thinks everyone is likely dead. But there is hardly another conclusion; most librarians fell by the time she breathed her last. Although hope rests on the Red Mist, who was still standing at that time. So was Binah, for that matter.
Nagisa hums in thought. She lets Kyubey climb onto her shoulder for now and speeds up to keep pace with Yuki.
"I don't like libraries much, but I hope your friends are alright," she says gently. "But it sounds incredible, being from another world. What's it like?"
Truthfully, Yuki does not know much. She only learned bits and pieces from what the agents at Lobotomy Corporation talked about. Plus memories from Roland, of which every single one is tinged in horror, rage, and blood. The few sweet memories of his that she held have long since crumbled, like ash after a wildfire.
"It's brutal," she ends up saying. "Far more so than Japan. Perhaps far more so than any corner of this world, but I can't judge that accurately. Tragedy is commonplace, kindness a rarity. No one in the City dreams anymore."
"Oh."
Nagisa grows quiet over that for a while. Her brow creases into a minute frown, somewhat out of place on her youthful face. It only lifts once they step into the mall.
"What about outside of that city?" she asks. "What about other cities?"
Yuki shakes her head gently. "There is only the one. Outside are the Ruins and the Outskirts, desolate wastelands full of monsters."
Another "Oh" comes from Nagisa, but she somehow stops herself from frowning. She looks around and claps her cheeks with determination.
"Enough talking about sad things. Let's go, miss Yuki! This way!"
She grabs Yuki's hand again and starts tugging. Halfway toward a nearby bakery however, Nagisa slows. Her quick pace turns into a walk, then to a full stop.
And without another word, she changes her destination.
Their first actual stop is the food court. And despite how much she seemed to like sweets, Nagisa ends up picking a balanced meal. Her expression is oddly blank, though Yuki does not mind.
They eat in silence, with Kyubey sprawled over Yuki's lap now. The bunnycat receives absent pets while Yuki studies her current charge. Nagisa halts occasionally, especially with the greens, but she never lowers her chopsticks or spits anything out. The worst she does is making faces while chewing something she dislikes.
"Is there a reason you eat the foods you dislike?" Yuki asks eventually. She feels curious despite herself. She knows not to be picky, but she also knows most people avoid such foods.
For her part, Nagisa makes a bit of a face. She does not meet Yuki's eyes, either.
"Mom always said I can only have sweets after proper food. And she said to eat my greens. Auntie lets me have whatever I want, and miss Oriko is nice like that, too. So I need to watch out for it myself now."
Yuki almost misses the implication. Only that singular tear Nagisa quickly wipes away tells her what the actual issue is.
"My condolences. You're a strong girl, Nagisa."
She smiles softly at that. Her "Thank you" is barely audible before she goes back to her food. Not a crumb remains by the end, regardless of her very visible feelings about it.
"It's fine, I think. We had a final cake together, and it was the best one ever. Mom was really happy."
She rubs the ring on her middle finger as she says it. Then she heaves a little sigh.
"I just miss her so much, is all."
While Yuki can not empathise, she does know the longing Nagisa must feel. That heart-wrenching desire to see again the person one lost. She never felt it herself, but the pitch-black pit in her chest convulses with this exact emotion.
In the end, she stands. This time it is her turn to tug Nagisa along.
"Let's have some sweets now."
It is not an immediate change, but her charge does perk up again while they tour the bakeries and pastry shops. Nagisa loves all things sugary, but her absolute favourite is cheesecake. Yuki likes the slice she has as well, much like all the other things they buy.
After three hours and half the budget Oriko laid out, the two decide to call it quits. Each one carries a small bag of sweets in her arm, mostly things Nagisa insisted Yuki try despite the fact they were both full. Even Kyubey got the occasional snack and hangs on Nagisa's shoulder, seemingly too lazy to sit properly.
"What a haul!" Nagisa cheers, hugging her bag to her chest. Her elation makes the moment it stops all the more apparent, a giggle halfway aborted into a curious noise.
Yuki follows the girl's curious look. The two of them sat down in the lobby area, so they have a perfect view of the entrance. Through which a group of people troops just then. Front but not quite center is Mami Tomoe, already looking their way.
The blonde's expression turns from cool to confused when she spots Nagisa, though.
With her are Sayaka Miki and Madoka Kaname, which is expected. Less so is Junko Kaname. All three of them are unaware yet, their attention dispersed by the notice-me-not charm.
"That blonde miss is a magical girl," Nagisa says curiously. "Do you know her, miss Yuki?"
"Yes. There might be a fight."
"Oh. Is she bad?"
"Mutual dislike doesn't make her a bad person. She just annoys me."
So saying, Yuki considers her options for a moment. She can walk away, keep sitting here and let Mami decide what to do, or approach her. Walking will just delay the problem again, which Yuki decides is a bad idea. And under that premise, giving Mami the initiative is a suboptimal play.
Her decision thus made, Yuki stands and dispells her charm. Nagisa hurries to follow her stride, curious and quiet.
Mami says something to her entourage, whose gazes all swivel toward Yuki. Sayaka scowls, Madoka blinks in surprise, and Junko smirks.
"Mami," Yuki greets blankly, which prompts the blonde to twitch for some reason. "Madoka. Sayaka. Junko."
Madoka seems taken aback and Sayaka annoyed, but Junko's good mood only grows. Especially when her daughter looks back at her curiously. She waves with cheer.
"Hey there, Yuki. Sorry I couldn't drop by the last week, work kept me plenty busy."
"You know her, Mama?"
A startled "Wait, what?" follows from Sayaka, who whirls to look at Junko as well. Mami gives nothing away, though. Junko just seems more amused.
"How about we go somewhere we don't block traffic, hm?"
Nobody has any objections to that, although the human girls all walk on eggshells. Only Nagisa is exempt, more curious than anything. Junko cheerfully leads the way until they find a less crowded spot, where she turns to face Yuki properly.
"Now, who's your little friend?"
Nagisa startles forward, a big smile already in place. She bows deeply at the whole group. "Ah, I'm Nagisa Momoe, a sixth year at Mitakihara Elementary. It's nice to meet you all."
Junko offers her a kind smile and returns a shallower bow. "My, and how polite. I am Junko Kaname. This here is my daughter Madoka, and her friends Mami and Sayaka."
The girls each offer their own bows, befuddled by the situation. They still wear their school uniforms despite it being a Sunday, Yuki notices.
"Nagisa is also a magical girl," she adds for Junko's information.
Her saying so causes Madoka and Sayaka to let out startled gasps, though. Mami's eyes narrow, then the expression fades into a polite smile. "Please, now is not the time for jokes like these," she answers pleasantly.
The blank look Yuki throws her yields no response.
"Yeah, it's kind of silly" Sayaka agrees at once. Then she looks to Junko in curiousity, though also trying to change the subject: "By the way, how do you know her, auntie?"
"Oh, we met a little while ago," Junko answers airily. Her lips quirk up as she glances around the agitated children; even Nagisa clammed up once Yuki brought up magical girls, her cheeks pink and her gaze on the floor.
"You're collectively awful liars, by the way. And Yuki, I was meaning to bring that up in a less confrontational manner."
Her implied chastisement rolls over Yuki without any effect. "I thought you already talked to your daughter?"
"Not yet," Junko admits with a glance to the surprised Madoka, "but I guess now's as good a time as any."
"W-Wait, so the reason you wanted to meet miss Mami was...."
"Yep, exactly."
Junko leans against the wall, lazily crossing her arms. The gesture does not quite suit her sweater and floral patterned skirt, but she clearly does not care. Her gaze wanders from Madoka over Sayaka to Mami, who grew a little more stiff.
"Now then, I guess I should cut to the chase. Mami, dear, I hear that you scouted my daughter recently."
Mami nods. "That is correct. Miss Kaname, erm, your daughter seems quite suited to becoming a magical girl."
Yuki looks back to Madoka, who smiles shily over the praise. The girl is timid and reluctant to act, so Yuki can not fathom how that makes for a good fighter. Then again, Madoka has the potential to be powerful. Skill can follow, but growing power is much more difficult.
Junko, unaware of these thoughts, offers an understanding hum.
"So I heard. Though I think you understand why I'm hesitant at the thought of seeing my oldest into battle, no?"
"Of course. But I can assure you that your daughter will be perfectly safe with me, Mrs. Kaname," Mami offers in turn, then hesitates. "Should she decide to form the contract, that is. May I presume you are aware of the specifics?"
"I heard the broad strokes," Junko confirms. "You each get one wish in exchange for fighting these monsters. But what I don't understand is how the candidates are picked. Is it random chance? Some particular quality? Like, for example, you and Madoka don't seem all that similar. I heard that it's tied to emotion, but that is too vague for my liking."
Mami hesitates at that. Madoka does too, as does Sayaka.
Yuki could insert herself into the conversation here, but she knows little more than them. Kyubey talked about emotional strength before, but not how such a thing is measured. Or how it can be that Madoka of all people has so much potential.
However, Nagisa raises her hand with a smile. "It's power, Mrs. Kaname!" she offers helpfully. When all eyes turn to her, she explains eagerly: "I don't know how it works, but my senior talked about it a little. The more power you have, the bigger the wish you can make. I only have a little power, my two seniors have more. And this girl has thiiis much!"
She makes as big a circle as she can with her arms for emphasis. Her explanation seems to confuse Madoka and Sayaka, though.
"Really?" Madoka asks, sounding like she can hardly believe it herself. Then her gaze slips to Nagisa's companion. "I guess miss Yuki said I have some sort of aura, but I didn't really understand what that meant. Um, could you tell us?"
Yuki's brow arches faintly. She is tempted to pull down her blindfold, just so she can give Mami a proper stare. After deciding against it, she nods.
"I'm surprised nobody told you yet. Neither Mami nor Homura did?"
The pinkette slowly shakes her head.
"I see. Whatever it is exactly, there is a palpable aura of power circulating around you. I could sense it the moment I got close. Seeing that Nagisa can sense it too, I reckon that Mami can as well. The same should be true for Homura."
Madoka looks at her in surprise, then to Mami. "Is that true, miss Mami? Why didn't you say before?"
"My apologies."
Mami inclines her head, not quite bowing as she says it. "It is true that you have a great amount of potential, but I dislike reducing candidates to that alone. I also did not want you to pressure yourself into anything with that knowledge, miss Kaname."
"Oh. I see, thank you very much for looking out for me."
Madoka is back to smiling, clearly relieved. Her best friend seems befuddled by the entire thing while her mother appears thoughtful.
"So what I'm hearing is that my Madoka somehow has a great deal of power," she muses. "So it makes sense to want to recruit her. I'm still hung up on why it has to be girls as young as you, or even younger," she adds with a glance to Nagisa, "instead of adults. But I doubt you would know the answer, Mami."
After musing on the subject a moment longer, Junko turns to her daughter. "Is this something you want to do, Madoka?"
Madoka hesitates.
"I'd like to be a magical girl," she admits, awkwardly playing with her thumbs. "But I don't know what to wish for. And Witches are kind of scary, too. But if I really have that much power, that means I finally found something I'm good at, right?"
Yuki's eyes narrow at that. Madoka's low self-esteem is no secret. But it seems this aims toward her being caught by a desire to make herself useful.
"You seek a meaning to your own existence."
Her words are realisation and judgement in equal measure. They startle Madoka, make Sayaka bristle, and make Junko hum in understanding.
"Is that wrong?" Madoka asks back. Rather than indignant or upset, she just sounds worried. "If there's something I'm really good at, then I should do it, shouldn't I? And if I'd have a lot of power as a magical girl, then shouldn't I become one?"
For her part, Yuki can only shake her head.
"There are many reasons to become a magical girl in this world," she starts. "But this is not one. How do you affirm meaning to your own existence on power that another must realise?"
She motions for Kyubey, whose head tilts her way. They stand on Nagisa's shoulder, overlooking the situation carefully.
Madoka deflates somewhat.
Admittedly, Yuki has ulterior motives in her rhetoric. She knows that Madoka might be too powerful to contract safely, thanks to Oriko. So leaving out the other side of the argument makes sense here; meaning can be affirmed through choosing a role, though one should never stake their live on it unless they are certain. Madoka is clearly not.
"Hey, leave her alone!"
And now Sayaka interposes herself with a mighty scowl. "You're just trying to discourage her 'cause she'd beat you without even trying! You're sounding like that transfer student right now, I bet you're working with her!"
"I have to concur with miss Miki," Mami notes politely. "In my experience, many seek to maintain their own superiority by denying another their chance to shine. Miss Akemi appears much the same, considering her constant attempts to discourage miss Kaname."
That makes no sense to Yuki. She understands the reasoning and that there are such people, but it is utterly alien to her.
More than that, she has trouble believing that those two misunderstand Homura to such an extent. If she really goes out of her way to warn Madoka away from contracting, then she must care. Because Yuki remembers that cool look in Homura's eyes, the minute tension to her every action. If she only cared about stopping a competitor, then Madoka would be long dead.
"I think," Nagisa chimes in with a frown of her own, "that this is bullying."
She points at Sayaka as she says it, making the blunette sputter. "Miss Yuki hasn't done anything at all to you, she's just giving your friend advice. Stop being mean to her!"
"What do you mean, she hasn't done anything? If anything, she's bullying Madoka!"
"Is not!"
Nagisa crosses her arms, pouting more than frowning now. "Miss Yuki is a nice person," she declares. "And she's right, too! You don't just become a magical girl because it's cool, you only make your wish if you really, really want something. Something you can't get any other way."
She pauses there, rubbing her forehead. "I guess I did wish for cake," she admits, "but the important was that I could eat it with my Mom. You, miss Madoka, do you have anything like that you really want?"
She points at the startled pinkette, who stutters out a "N-No" with wide eyes. Nagisa nods decisively.
"See? Then don't."
Silence engulfs the group afterward. Junko looks at Nagisa with newfound respect. Sayaka fumes silently and Mami's expression could be made of stone. Only Madoka herself remains conflicted.
At the end, Junko gently claps her hands. With everyone's attention back on her, she speaks up.
"I see that this is a difficult subject and there are a lot of strong feelings involved. So how about we drop it for now. Big decisions shouldn't be made without ample time to think them over. There was something else I wanted to ask about, actually. A favour."
She glances between the magical girls, local and foreign.
"I want to see one of those Witch things."
A beat.
Mami is first to respond, suddenly visibly worried: "With all due respect, that is quite the dangerous request, Mrs. Kaname."
Junko arches a brow at her. "Too dangerous for me, but not for Madoka?"
"That is a fair point," Mami admits, though she makes a face as if she bit into something sour. "I am confident in my abilities to protect civilians. However, the only reason I take the risk with your daughter and miss Miki is that they can become magical girls if need be. You do not have that additional safety net."
"Oh, that's easy!" Nagisa pipes up with renewed cheer. She waves her hand. "I'm coming along, too! And maybe I can bring my seniors, too!"
Mami seems even less enthused about that. Junko notices as well, though a sly smile quickly forms on her face.
"Well, it seems there are a few people who wouldn't mind escorting me. Would you oppose a bigger group, Mami?"
For a moment, Yuki thinks the blonde will decline. But after another glance thrown to her own potential juniors, she nods. Something unspoken happened just now, perhaps a social pressure of some sort. Yuki can not tell the specifics.
"Very well. Although I need to prepare accordingly, so we can not do it today."
"Oh, that's fine. I have Friday off, we can do it then."
When Mami simply inclines her head, Junko looks to Yuki with interest. "What about you?"
Now Mami looks positively ill. Sayaka seems ready to argue again, too.
Truthfully, Yuki does not like the idea of being around those two for any prolonged amount of time. She already has to swallow her anger over their behaviour. But at the same time, staying away is a loss of control over the situation she is unsure she can afford. Not to mention the extra protection.
Although she could ask someone else to join in, come to think of it.
[] Agree
weight: x0.75
[] Decline
weight: x1
We have a six-hour moratorium. Please do not vote for six hours!
