Chapter 82 - Resolution and Return
You allow yourself a small smile as your daughter embraces her long-lost sister. For all that's happened recently, this is a victory. A flawed victory, an incredibly flawed victory, but it is a victory nonetheless. A family has been reunited. No harm has been done that cannot later be undone. Everyone is alive. You've had far worse victories in the past.
Slowly, hesitantly, Mami pulls back to lock eyes with Kyoko. Though her eyes are misty, you can't see a hint of tension or fakeness in the radiant smile that crosses her face. It's an expression Kyoko mirrors, although even a less observant person would be able to see the worry and pain that taints her joy. It's a reminder, and an uncomfortable one at that, that this success is only a small one. There will be more battles to fight, and they will not be won with anything as simple as extensive research or esoteric abilities.
"Let's go home." Mami says to her sister. "The apartment only has two rooms, and Yuma's already using the guest room, but X says she doesn't need to sleep and I have some sleepover equipment I never got to use so you can sleep in my room if…" Her words remain clear and even despite slowly dissolving into rambling to cover half-choked sobs. Kyoko winces at the offer.
"I- I can't take your room. It's yours. I've been sleeping on a floor for years now, I can handle it for a few more-"
"No," Mami interrupts calmly if a bit more sharply than normal, "that only means that you are in more need of proper rest. I am completely able to go without some comforts for your sake."
"Just say yes," you advise the red-haired girl before she can continue to protest. "she's not gonna budge on this point. Hell, it took me ages to convince her that I don't need a room despite the fact that I don't sleep, and I'm pretty sure she still feels guilty about it."
Mami pouts. "I just think that with everything you've done for me, you deserve something in return. It's only polite."
"That may be true," you say with a smile, "but that's talking about favors between acquaintances or whatnot. Family doesn't keep score like that."
You notice Angela and Gebura discussing something quietly off to the side, Roland occasionally interjecting but generally seeming out of the loop with whatever topic they've chosen. It's unlikely to be something they can't tell you, but you could certainly see Gebura objecting to bringing up certain topics with kids around and Angela's been significantly more empathetic than she used to be as of late.
You clap your hands together, cutting off the chatter between the reunited Magical Girls. "I believe the two of you should continue this conversation at home." you announce, laying a bit of extra emphasis on the last word. "I'm sure the two of you have a lot to catch up on, so I'll leave you to it for a bit while I discuss some things with my sister."
"Ah, that-" the words seem stuck in Mami's throat. "That would be nice. Kyoko?" The other girl says nothing but nods, and the pair vanish in another flash of light.
"So," you begin, pointing your still-clasped hands towards your sister, "what is it you were talking about?"
Roland jumps slightly at your address, but the other two have no such reaction. Even his startle seems… manufactured, a false show of vulnerability that might not even be consciously done.
"We were just talking 'bout this whole parenting thing you've got going on." Gebura answers with a small smile. "Lookin' back on things, I can kinda see how you wound up like this. You did get along with Tiphereth a lot better near the end."
"Indeed, you do seem to be well-suited to caring for children. Perhaps that's why you were able to connect more easily with the Sephirah." Angela says, although despite the clear mockery her tone is more joking than malicious. Gebura hardly reacts, only taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
"On the topic of things I am and am not, going into combat was never really my thing." you interject, turning your focus to the legendary Color Fixer. "Considering the similarities, I was wondering if you'd be able to spare the time to teach me how to actually fight?"
"Sure, I can give you some pointers. Not like we've got a lot to do here waiting for Angela to fix things. Roland might have some advice too, since you both have a pretty large arsenal from what I've heard. Gonna be a bit weird fighting a doppelgänger and all that, but I can manage."
"Right." you wince slightly. You hadn't expected to ever see your coworkers again when you made your body, assuming them either dead with you or otherwise unreachable. It's a rare time when you felt joy in being wrong about something, but it also means you never prepared for this conversation.
Fortunately, you have plenty of ways to delay that particular awkward discussion as long as necessary.
"Well, if that matter is settled, I have one last thing to run by all of you. A while back, I found a Distortion in the other world. I didn't know what it was at the time, just thought it was some sort of weird shark monster somebody dreamed up, but looking back it was almost certainly a Distortion. There was no way for whoever it was to be exposed to the Light as far as I know."
"Hold on," Roland interrupts. "Shark monster? Can we get a full description?"
You rattle off everything you'd observed about the anomaly you had seen nearly two weeks ago. Larger than a person, durable skin, obsession with food and eating, far too many mouthes. With each detail, Angela's eyes narrow further.
"Greta. It appears you have encountered a Distortion we already know of." Angela says grimly.
"That can't be right, though." Roland counters. "She's supposed to be dead. Hod did a real number on her, too."
You file away that particular bit of information for later and make an attempt to clarify the situation. You can already feel the tension bearing down on the room, making it feel small and claustrophobic. "It wasn't an actual Distortion, just a replica somebody made with magic. Still, that would imply that whoever made it saw this 'Greta' before she died despite living in an entirely separate universe."
"Whatever the case is, it's gonna be a problem." Geburah says. "Because Greta was part of the Reverberation Ensemble. And if whoever made that copy you're talking about saw her, there's a very real possibility that they got the rest of them as well."
The Ensemble.
You've only heard occasional mentions of them, usually involving Angela complaining about or insulting them or their leader in some way. From what you know, they were a gang of Distortions led by a Color Fixer who went off the rails trying to pull an Adam and turn all of humanity into monsters. They had all been released along with the rest of Angela's guests, only to charge right back into the Library and get killed in an all-out battle. Outside of one of their members being responsible for the disguises Homura and Kyoko are currently using, you don't know much more about them. At the time, it hadn't seemed pertinent.
"I'll have a report put together for you on the remaining members," Angela says, sounding at once very like her old self and yet so different. There's a familiar rhythm to her words, a polite and profession pattern that she falls into as easily as breathing when needed. And yet, the emotion in her voice is no longer buried. You can clearly hear the exasperation in each breath, much like yourself when a day's end has been long since overdue. "It'll be along with the records of the missing abnormalities."
Another threat to handle. Still within the range of your capabilities, but all this work piling up is somewhat daunting.
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Attend to the Magical Girls in the Library?
[] Yes, go see them
-[] What to say? (Write-in)
[] No, go home
[] Write-in
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Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
This chapter feels a bit off to me, but the winning vote this time was kind of all over the place and I had trouble linking things together. Anything not included may still happen, so don't worry too much about that. It's been a bit difficult recently, but everything should be returning to normal soon.