"Homura?" you call, reaching out towars her. She flinches, and almost pulls away, before stopping at the last moment. "Wait a moment?"
She nods, giving you a curious look.
"Mami, could Homura stay the night, maybe?" you ask.
Mami smiles, golden eyes warm. "That should be fine," she says. "We would be glad to have you stay over, Homura."
The time traveller looks away for a second, and then back at you. "Thank you for the offer," she says quietly, the harsh lines easing out of her face as her expression softens.
"Well. Maybe another time?" you suggest, taking the implict 'no' for what it is. "And... would you like a cleansing before you go?"
"That would be nice," she says quietly, raising her hand towards you in response. A crook of your finger, and Grief drifts free of the shining silvery ring, streaming through the air to form a little halo around your finger. Not too much of it, and a thought sends it pouring out of the window and up to the roof to join the primary mass.
You smile at Homura, rising and joining her at the door. Mami follows you, just a step behind. "Good night, Homura. We'll see you tomorrow?"
She nods again. "Good night."
"Good night, Homura," Mami adds, smiling.
Homura turns and heads out of the door, her oddly bifurcated mane of black hair swishing through the air behind her. You close and lock the door before turning just in time for Mami to engulf you in a hug.
You hug her back just as tightly, resting your cheek against her hair.
Seconds tick by and run into minutes. The tension, already ebbing from your form, drains away entirely. Another day has passed, and nothing awful has happened.
Yet, some traitorously pessimistic part of your mind whispers, but you ruthless squash that down.
Mami stirs, and you release her from the hug. She smiles up at you, expression content.
You return the smile. "We should probably get ready for bed," you say.
"We should..." Mami agrees, making no move towards actually doing so.
You laugh, and nudge her lightly towards the bedroom. She laughs, too, and walks in the indicated direction while you seat yourself on the sofa, wearily closing your eyes. It's been a long day, Mumi-hugs notwithstanding.
Footsteps. You open your eyes to see Mami carrying a change of clothing, paused at the bathroom door and watching you. Still not quite over that, then. You give her a smile, and wave at the couch.
She smiles back, and shuts the bathroom door behind her.
Eventually, you and Mami head off to bed, with only a little hesitance as she lies down next to you. "Good night, Sabrina," she whispers, dappled moonlight casting a gentle glow on her.
"Good night, Mami," you say, closing your eyes.
You're asleep almost immediately.
=====
You wake up, sweaty and uneasy. A lingering feeling of... oddness... settles in on you, and you can't shake the feeling that you've forgotten something.
You stare at the ceiling. Mami's form is still tucked into your side, her breathing slow and even in peaceful sleep, arm draped around you.
Well, things to do, a new day to face.
Moving slowly and carefully, you ease Mami's arm off you. Her sleeping face scrunches up a little, groping for you, and you regretfully replace yourself with a pillow before heading off to the bathroom.
When you step out of the bathroom a few minutes later, you find Mami sitting up on the bed, golden hair a ruffled, curly mess. She's awake enough to give you a sleepy smile, blearily rubbing at her eyes.
"Good morning, Mami," you say, smiling back at her.
"Good morning, Sabrina," she replies, standing and stretching wearily. She walks over to you, stopping before you and looking up at you hopefully.
"I'll be in the kitchen, OK?" you say, obliging her silent request and wrapping her in a hug.
"OK," she says, clinging to you for a moment before separating and heading for the bathroom.
A few minutes later finds you humming to yourself in the kitchen as you start the rice boiling. "One day, one step, three steps in thre- hi, Mami," you say, noticing Mami stepping in, her hair redone in her familiar curls.
"Hi, Sabrina," she says, beaming at you. "What are you making?"
"I was thinking omelettes on rice?" you suggest, indicating the eggs sitting on the table while busying yourself with chopping up vegetables for lunch.
"Ah, that sounds good," Mami says, locating a bowl and cracking the eggs into them.
Breakfast and lunch fill the small apartment with savoury, mouthwatering scents and vapours amidst good-natured contention for kitchen space. When you're done, you sit down with Mami at the table, tea and meaty omelettes on rice arrayed out before you. Bowls of miso soup rounds out the meal.
You flash a smile across the table to Mami as you start to dig in. "
Goooood morning, Mitakihara!" you call cheerfully, reaching out to your friends. Mami, of course, and Homura, and Madoka, and Sayaka, and Hitomi.
You're greeted by a flurry of 'good mornings'. Hitomi's the last to respond.
"
Good morning," Hitomi replies slowly. "
Do you do this every morning, Sabrina?"
"
Yes, I do!" you say as you lop off a piece of omelette with your fork. "
I like checking in on my friends, and 's a good wakeup call for sleepyheads like Sayaka. Isn't that right?"
"
Yeah, yeah," Sayaka grumbles, sounding unusually subdued. There's no energy to the complaint. "
Laugh it up."
Before you can respond, Madoka does, piping up anxiously. "
Sayaka? Are you OK?"
"
Yeah... yeah, I'm OK," the bleunette replies.
... she doesn't
sound it. You raise an eyebrow at Mami, who looks just as baffled as you are.
The telepathic conversation stalls out for a bit.
"
Ah! Sayaka, Homura, don't forget, we need to bring the newspaper print outs today," Madoka says.
"
Yes," Homura agrees.
"
Ah. Yeah, got them," Sayaka says.
"
Shall I be seeing you on the way to school today?" Hitomi asks.
"
Yeah," you say. "
That's a granted."
"
Very well," Hitomi says. "
I need to prepare for school, so see you soon, then."
"
See you!" you say. This is taken as a cue for everyone to leave the conversation, busying themselves with their own preparations for school.
"Sayaka seems worried about something," Mami notes, looking down at her half finished breakfast.
"Yeah," you agree. "She was a bit last night too, wasn't she?"
Mami shakes her head, unsure.
You sigh. "Well, we'll talk to her later." A thought strikes you, and you reach out for Homura again as you return to eating. "
Hey, Homura?"
"
Yes?" the time traveller replies immediately.
"
About what we talked about yesterday, when do you think we should start our search?" you ask. You hope that she'll take the hunt - you don't really want to mention Sasa Yuuki over telepathy where unwelcome bunnycats might be listening in.
Homura doesn't respond immediately, presumably taking a moment to recall what you mean. "
After lunch, or after school?" she suggests, at length.
"
Alright, that works," you say, sipping at your miso soup. "
We'll figure it out a little closer in?"
"
Agreed," Homura says.
"
Alright. Um... I need to check in on Oriko today, too. I want to know if she's figured out anything about the clear seeds, and... I've got some questions for her, too," you say.
There's another long pause before Homura replies. "
I see."
"
Yeah," you say lamely, and the conversation peters out again while you busy yourself eating. "
So, um. Is that OK?"
"
... yes, it's fine," Homura replies.
"
OK. See you soon, then," you say.
"
See you," Homura replies.
By this time, Mami's finishing her breakfast, and you hurry to catch up. After doing the dishes, Mami disappears back into the bedroom to prepare for school, and you wait for her. You're soon leaving the apartment, your slingbag slung over your shoulder, Grief and lunchbox and
obrez safely hidden inside.
The two of you start towards school, enjoying the early morning air. Mami's a warm presence walking close at your side, brushing against you every so often.
Two... well, four more people to check in on. "
Masami, Hiroko?"
"
Hmmmfzzlrm?" Masami replies.
... well. It's not like they keep regular hours. They don't go to school, after all.
Masami seems to wake up a little more. "
... Sabrina?"
"
Good morning," you say.
"
What kind of hour do you call this?" she complains, mental voice fuzzy and still evidently half asleep.
"
... um. Sorry. Didn't occur to me," you say, feeling sheepish.
"
Too early to yell at you. What do you want?" she demands grumpily.
"
... well um, could I drop in on you later? Just want to talk to you about something that came up," you say, thinking of Megane. Talking them into this is going to be a right pain, you suspect. "
If, or when it's convenient."
"
... whatever, so long as it's after ten," Masami grumps back at you. "
Good night." She slams the connection shut.
...
Prooooobably a good idea not to bother Kyouko. She'll be asleep, too.
You halt midstep, a presence impinging on the edges of your senses. Mami stops too, glancing at you. The sparse crowds part and flow around the two of you on the pavement, a few dirty looks coming your way for stopping in the middle of the pavement.
"Magical girl," you murmur. The presence is standing still, on the same path that you'll be taking to school. "On the way to school?"
Mami seems to sharpen, her posture straightening subtly. "Hostile?"
"I don't know. She's just waiting, it looks like?" you say.
Mami nods slowly. "What do you think we should do?"
[] Write-in
=====
Two down.
