“Human Resources” Shouldn’t Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 143 - If You Can Really Go On

For some time, it's quiet. You're not certain exactly how long. The only sounds are the lilac-colored waves beating against the sand and the anxious crackling noise emitted by the flames licking within Kyoko's body. Nobody speaks. Nobody moves. You're not sure if anyone even breathes. In the wake of your failure, the world is still.

"Is everyone alright?" Your voice is firm and clinical, allowing care and concern to bleed into your words in careful measure.

Kyoko is the first to answer. She sounds exhausted, bereft of the brash confidence that characterized her better moments. "All good here. I can't feel the damage, so I'm pretty sure it's superficial. Homura's good too."

"I'm-" Sayaka begins before cutting herself off. "I can't move my arm or my leg. It's not healing, but it doesn't hurt and it's not getting worse either." A note of defeat carries in her words as she describes her injuries. Her voice is distant, more a mechanical reaction to your command than a true response.

"I… I am unharmed." Hitomi manages to stammer, still breathless. That only leaves…

"Mami?" you call.

Your eldest daughter startles, the far-away look in her eyes exchanged first for shock, then embarrassment, and then settling to forlorn. "Oh! Yes, I'm… I am unhurt as well. It's only that…"

Sayaka finally shakes free of her disbelief. "We've gotta go after them! We can't let that Abnormality hurt Madoka!"

Kyoko scoffs, emitting a tiny spout of fire. "Are you crazy? In case you forgot already, that thing just walked in here and grabbed Madoka out of nowhere. Do you really think running after her's gonna do anything except get you killed?"

"Even so…" Mami begins. "I cannot in good conscience allow a friend to remain in a monster's clutches. We must go after her." Her shock pushed aside, Mami stands resolute on the empty beach. Confident, even. Even after all she's learned, even after all that's happened, how can she not be? Your daughter didn't act as a Magical Girl on a whim. To face overwhelming odds and protect the innocent is the mission she chose to devote her life to. When asked to do not just that, but to save a friend, what else could she do?

""Yeah! We just need to find where that thing took Madoka. Then we can save her!" Sayaka agrees, buoyed by the assurance of her senior. Unfortunately, it falls on you to curtail that confidence.

"No. We can't do that."

"What do you mean, we can't? There's gotta be some way to track her, right?" Sayaka asks, taken aback. She doesn't understand quite what you mean.

"Finding her is a simple enough deduction. The Adult Who Tells Lies is a naturally sedentary Abnormality who only leaves her territory when absolutely necessary. She's taken Madoka to the Emerald City, where all her defenses are already set up. Once there, pinpointing her location should be easy. But we can't go after her now."

Sayaka stares at you wide-eyed. "Why not?"

You sigh. It never feels right to make these decisions, but when there are no right choices the only option is to select the least wrong one. Waiting is most logical the course of action, even if it feels awful. "Look at yourself. You can't fight like this, Homura's in literal pieces, and you're all running mostly on adrenaline right now. If we try to follow Madoka now, we won't save anybody. We need to regroup and make a plan. There's too much at stake to head forward without everything we have"

Sayaka and Mami recoil from your verdict, expressions battling between refusal and acceptance. You hear shifting in the sand behind you. Homura, with her one remaining arm, has propped herself into a position to face you.

"Madoka's life is in danger. We cannot afford to wait."

"We can't afford not to." you counter bluntly. "You're not immortal. In the state you're in, you would only get yourself killed."

"If Madoka is safe, I would accept that outcome." Homura answers without hesitation or emotion, just stating a simple fact. She would suffer to save Madoka. She would die to save Madoka. That's all that matters to her.

"I cannot, however. We will save Madoka, not simply trade her life for another." Mami answers, sounding calm and clear in spite of her trembling hands.

"But how?" Kyoko stresses, sending a flicker of heat across the empty shore. "That Abnormality's supposed to be Aleph-class, right? I've seen what one of those-" Her voice catches. "Those things can do. And you wanna walk right into its home base?"

"Kyoko's point is correct." you affirm sternly. "In our current states, it wouldn't be possible to rescue Madoka. We must properly prepare ourselves for the battle ahead if we want to be sure to save her."

You are careful not to raise your voice, but it projects across the small beach nonetheless with a force more typically used in tighter, more insulated halls. This isn't defeat, you remind yourself. It is a setback, one that can be recovered from. With that in mind, you school your language accordingly. It would not do to make an already-grim situation any more depressing.

"What do we need to do?" Mami asks, calm composure struggling against her desire for an answer, for something she can do.

"First," you say, demanding attention as you would from your agents in their departments, "is to ensure the situation doesn't get any worse. Argalia, Leonie? Gather up anyone else who might be targeted and send them to the Library. We can't allow the Wizard any more leverage."

"If I may suggest, wouldn't you be better at such a task? I can imagine certain… factors, if you will, complicating the negotiations." Argalia muses. Even if he's one of the more humanoid Distortions, he's still far more frightening-looking than you. And on top of that, neither Madoka's nor Hitomi's parents have so much as heard about him and his association with you up until now. A fair point, you admit, though not worth readjusting plans for.

"It's a probable thing, but I trust that you can work around it. I have other business to attend to," you proceed, noting Mami and Sayaka's rapt attention to your words. Neither has dismissed their transformation, instead standing ready at attention with weapons in hand. "Specifically recovery. Everyone here is also headed into the Library for healing and so we can discuss the sensitive details of the plan without being overheard."

"So you've actually got a way for us to fight that monster?" Kyoko says, tilting her head in lieu of raising an eyebrow that she no longer has. Despite the front of skepticism, the swell of flame beneath her skin gives away her anticipation rather blatantly.

"To put it simply, yes. Some adjustment will be necessary in light of new information and recent events, but yes." This is only a setback, and one you can correct for. It is not an unsalvageable situation. If it was, then you wouldn't be able to do anything regardless. Your ability to correct such things is gone now, leaving only a single path: forward. You can still salvage this.

"How long will it be until we can act?" Homura asks, still leaning on her remaining arm. You step across the sands past Kyoko to where she's lying and lift her off the ground, careful to avoid spilling any more of the fine purple sand that has already pooled around her body. You don't think losing it does any actual harm considering how unconcerned Homura is, but it's better safe than sorry. It's not as though she's a very good judge of what does and doesn't hurt her.

"It won't be long." you assure as you carry the mangled Distortion back towards the rest of the children in one arm and rifle through your coat with the other. "Having said that, we should still hurry and get going. Madoka won't wait for us forever."

Hitomi looks as though she's about to say something, but she's interrupted by Argalia clapping a free hand in her shoulder.

"Indeed, haste is no small matter. With that in mind, I must bid you all good luck until we meet again. Come along now!" he says cheerfully before half-dragging Hitomi through another Route. You all stare at the open door in space for a moment before Sayaka shudders, then speaks.

"That guy still creep me out, even if he's helping us. Can we really count on him for this?"

You wave a hand dismissively. "He'll stay in line as long as we have mutual goals. Saving Madoka is necessary to maintain our alliance, and it's contrary to the Adult's objectives. While I wouldn't trust Argalia fully, we can rely on him to do a good job."

Sayaka grumbles in answer. "…it just doesn't feel right. Are you sure Madoka's gonna be alright while we're preparing?"

Sayaka's question, innocuous as it was, hangs upon the conversation with all the ominousness of a raised guillotine. Mami's resolute smile dims and Kyoko's light flickers. Homura doesn't react at all, as you've come to expect. You raise your voice back to a solid announcement and call against the foreboding words.

"She was captured alive. There's no reason to go through the effort if you don't plan on keeping someone alive." you assure. From a logical perspective, it's simple to conclude that Madoka will be alive when you arrive to rescue her. There are fates worse than death, of course, but bringing that up now would do nothing but drag morale down further. "But as I've said, we shouldn't take any longer than is necessary. It's time to go."

Everything is still under control.

—————————

Upon entering the Library, you are immediately struck by a Yuma-sized missile throwing itself around you with such force and vigor that you nearly drop Homura, who is still held in a sort of half-piggyback carry.

"Yuma was so worried about everyone!"

As you disentangle your youngest from your legs with your one free arm, you see your sister scanning the group out of the corner of your eye. You're a sorry-looking bunch, standing battered and wounded in the soft warm glow of the Library's halls. Homura is hanging off your body by her one remaining limb. Sayaka steps with a limp, dragging her petrified leg with each step. Mami's assuring smile is thin and brittle, and traces of black are crawling across the surface of her Soul Gem. Kyoko hasn't left her Distorted form, remaining a looming mountain of molten glass radiating a somber, lonely heat. Reviewing the facts, you're only more certain of your decision to wait to begin the rescue. In this state, none of you would have left the Emerald City.

You can only try and ready yourselves for now. Hopefully, it will be enough to carry you forward.

…But looking at the facts, it seems more and more unlikely that you will manage to proceed without making sacrifices.

———————————————

In the Library…
[] Homura Akemi…
-[] …finds the weekly book club.
-[] …talks with her aunt's not-boyfriend.
-[] …wanders to the lowest floor.
[] Sayaka Miki…
-[] …ends up in a room filled with clocks.
-[] …stumbles into the tail-end of a math lesson.
-[] …is hoping to get in some last-minute training.
[] Kyoko Sakura…
-[] …learns how confusing her new mother's family tree is.
-[] …wants to know who's been teaching Sayaka how to fight.
-[] …finds somebody interested in Distortions.
[] Mami Tomoe…
-[] …runs into a familiar face in the lounge.
-[] …has a chat with another yellow-clad child.
-[] …nearly trips over a man asleep on the floor.

———————————————

Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

Don't worry, X will pick up Magic Bullet in a future chapter before the raid on the Emerald City. Unless you'd rather she didn't for some reason.

Many of you have already seen this vote, but it's staying open for a short while longer. Take the time you need to make a wise decision. Or at least a fun one, since that's mostly what these votes are for.

 

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 144 - I Won't Let You Keep Doing This

"How quickly will this procedure be completed?" Homura asks robotically from her place on the operating table in the Floor of Geography. The cool marble-colored platform stands stark against the uncomfortably large pile of fine purple sand that has leaked out of Homura's broken body. Homura, of course, is completely unbothered by this fact or the general state of her injuries beyond how they relate to saving Madoka.

"It should be a few minutes at most. Angela could do it faster, but she's seeing to Sayaka right now. It's the most efficient way to do it." you explain. Apparently whatever spell the Adult Who Tells Lies used against Sayaka that crystallized her arm and leg did damage on a very deep level, and you'd have needed to use Lobotomy to fix it. That sort of usage would take a toll you can't afford right now, so you left the job to your sister. Meanwhile, you have an excuse to give Homura a talking to.

"While I've got you here, I'd like to ask a favor from you." you begin. Homura nods for you to continue as you pull over a large microscope you made from the ambient Light in your floor in preparation and start looking over Homura's wounds.

"While we're in the Emerald City, I want you to look out for yourself." you ask. Homura's eternally-unchanging face stares up at you from the operating table, somehow appearing confused. Your attention is mostly in the tiny runes carved into the skin around Homura's injuries. You're not knowledgeable enough about the Adult's specific form of magic to tell exactly what they do, but running Lamp over them tells you they're screwing with time somehow and where to break them to safely make them stop working.

"I will not act recklessly. I know better than to take unnecessary risks." Homura says. You resist the urge to roll your eyes as you take a scalpel to the symbols scrawled onto the inside of Homura's chest and begin scraping them away.

"I have a feeling you and I have different definitions of 'unnecessary risk'. I've seen your memories, you aren't hiding anything from me." you deadpan.

"I was less emotionally stable in the past. I won't make the same mistakes I have in the past." Homura defends. While you do have to admit that she's right as far as emotional stability, having a stable emotional state and a good one are two wholly separate things. And stable as it might be, the clockwork girl's state of mind right now is perhaps the furthest thing from healthy.

"So you wouldn't have dragged yourself into the Emerald City to rescue Madoka and gotten yourself killed?" you ask pointedly as you scrape away the last rune in Homura's chest and move down to her legs.

"There was a possibility, however small, that I would have succeeded in rescuing Madoka. The risk was acceptable in exchange for that chance." Homura explains. This time, you do roll your eyes.

"I'm not sure if 'small' and 'risk' are really the words you're looking for. You would've died, and I can't imagine how you would've accomplished anything in doing it. But that's still not the point." A harsh edge enters your voice as you get to work on the symbols scrawled into the stump of Homura's left leg. Still level and not raised, but undeniably sterner. You can hardly help but notice you've slipped into the tone you used when disciplining a coworker. Typically an agent, though even some of the Sephirot needed a firm touch every once in a while. Children, clearly, are the same way.

"I don't understand." Homura says simply, and for that moment you can almost imagine she's a normal child. You set down your tools and meet her gaze.

"The point," you say, letting your voice soften, "is that you were going to do something you knew was going to get you killed. That's not okay. What Mami said earlier about not trading lives was right. When we save Madoka, it's not going to be because somebody else died in her place."

"If I must die to save Madoka, I will accept that path. I am not the only one defending her anymore." Homura answers, a tremor inexplicably making its way into her voice. "You alone would be acceptable, but Tomoe Mami and Miki Sayaka would doubtless assist as they are. Sakura Kyoko would follow out if a desire to remain with her new family. That is an adequate defense."

You close your eyes and breathe deeply, letting the swell of emotions that bubbles up inside you drain away and return to calm. "You might be willing to accept that, but I'm not, and I don't think anyone else would either. Madoka definitely wouldn't. Just… keep in mind that whatever you think about yourself, there are people that care about you here." You lean down, placing yourself closer to the mechanical Distortion's eye level, and rest a hand on her shoulder. Homura stares forward, pointedly ignoring you for what feels like an eternity before finally turning her head to meet your eyes. "When you get yourself hurt, it hurts the people who care about you. So for right now, I want you to promise me that you aren't going to die when we're in the Emerald City."

Homura nods obediently. "I promise to avoid death if at all possible while-"

"No," you interrupt, your voice once again steeled. "Not 'if at all possible'. Just promise me that you'll stay alive. I don't accept anything less than survival from anyone under my care. So no matter what happens, I won't let you die. Got that?"

For a moment that stretches on beyond its time, you and Homura remain alone in the silence of the Floor of Geography. There is no life in its sterile, marbled halls. Only the distant presence of Abnormalities and the quiet clicks of Homura's internal structures. Slowly, you withdraw your hand from Homura's shoulder. Maybe that was too much.

Just before you pick back up your tools, a voice pierces the quiet.

"I promise."

—————————

Kyoko didn't really know where she was going.

The blue-haired lady who'd been there when Kyoko had woken up (apparently she was X's sister, which made her Kyoko's new aunt) had taken her aside and done some weird magic Kyoko didn't recognize to get her looking like a regular person again. She had explained a bunch of stuff about "circumventing limitations by implying the shape for the self" and "activating a preexisting restriction to repress the alternative shape" and all that, and Kyoko had tried to pay attention and understand what she meant but in the end couldn't make any sense of it and just gave up. When Angela let her go, Kyoko had started down one of the staircases that connected the Library's different Floors. But after walking for who knows how long, she hadn't found anyone she knew.

Kyoko poked her head into another room, this one painted in bright gold. Sunlight inexplicably streamed through a massive glass window overlooking something too distant to make out, fully illuminating the various book-covered tables and desks set about the cavernous room in an organized fashion. Sorting through the books was a blonde girl about Kyoko's age, maybe a little older, wearing a yellow suit like the ones the Librarians had. Maybe one of the other Magical Girls who had been freed along with Kyoko had wanted to try one on? There wasn't much feedback from the others that… that thing had taken while they were all stuck together, just vague impressions of people. Maybe there had been some way for them to reach out to each other, but Kyoko never found it. She had been-

-twisting and stretching, tearing apart at the seams and pulling back together again over and over and over not stopping always deeper and further and creeping through thoughts and memories and taking taking taking-

-distracted. Yeah, distracted. That was a good word. Nice and free of implications.

Anyways, that other Magical Girl looked pretty at home here, so maybe she'd know where Kyoko could find somebody else. Or at least direct her to somebody who could.

"Hey! Know where I can find who's in charge here?" Kyoko yelled. The Magical Girl looked up from her books, annoyed. She scanned the room for a moment before her eyes fell on Kyoko, and the irritation faded to something more like pity. A breath passed silently, and Kyoko squirmed uncomfortably. She'd never liked the feeling of being pitied before, and she liked it even less now. It was always either some snob looking down on her or someone offering sympathy over something that was Kyoko's fault.

"Oh. You're Kyoko, right? If you're looking for the person in charge of this Floor, that's me. I'm Tiphereth." the girl said, still looking a bit disgruntled from being interrupted.

Kyoko felt another squirm of discomfort. Having a stranger not just know who she was, but call her by her first name felt weird. That discomfort was quickly swallowed by a different emotion, though.

"Wait, you're one of the Sephirot? I thought you were a Magical Girl!"

"Former Sephirah, but yeah, I was. What made you think I was a Magical Girl? It's not like I'm dressed for the part." Tiphereth half-complained.

Kyoko stares at the girl, incredulous. She couldn't be serious, right? "But weren't the Sephirot all X's coworkers? You don't even look as old as me."

Mami and Yuma might've jumped onto calling X "mom" about as fast as Kyoko expected, but personally she wasn't quite ready for that. She appreciated having a place to stay, and there was definitely something nice about being part of a family again, but that was a bit quick for her preferences. The flicker of guilt that came with the lack of gratitude wasn't great, but Kyoko could manage.

"I'm not a kid! I'm older than X is, for that matter! And I'm definitely older than you!" Tiphereth shouted suddenly, not at all looking more mature as far as Kyoko would say.

"How're you supposed to be older than X? She's basically twice your size!"

"I'm older, she just started with an older body! If anything, I'm the oldest out of all of us!"

"I don't know what any of that means!" Kyoko wasn't sure how this had escalated into a shouting match, but she wasn't going to back down now.

"I'm the oldest sibling!" Tiphereth yelled before seeming to realize what she'd said a moment after and pulling back. The indignant fire that had possessed her a moment earlier was replaced by a sort of sheepishness that also did the yellow-clad girl no favors in looking grown-up as far as Kyoko was concerned.

"So let me get this straight," Kyoko said, lowering her voice back to an appropriate level in reply. "Are you a Sephirot, or are you somebody's sister?"

Tiphereth sighed deeply. "I was just thinking about something stupid that X said last time we talked. I was the Sephirah of the Central Command Team back in Lobotomy Corporation, and as far as X's concerned we're sisters because the guy who made her took care of me and Enoch for a while. But you can just ignore that part. That guy wasn't a father to anybody as far as I'm concerned."

That answered at least some questions Kyoko had. Angela and X looked different, but they did share the same basic body structure even if X was a head taller and had twice the muscle mass of her sister. But Tiphereth looked nothing like either of them. The rest of the explanation had been confusing at best, but that last part Kyoko could understand clearly enough. Her father had been a kind man, but there had always been little moments where he slipped. All things considered, she was pretty lucky to have had the family she did. Before she ruined it, of course. Screwed everything up by making a stupid, stupid deal messing with things she had no idea about and-

"Hey! Quit zoning out in the middle of a conversation! It's rude!"

The sudden shout jolted Kyoko from her spiral, returning her attention to the once-again irritated girl standing in front of her. Kyoko shook her head, forcing away the last few whispers like traces of smoke, and tried to fall back into the same mood she'd been in moments before.

"Right, yeah, I'm paying attention. You were saying about X's dad being awful, I think?" It wasn't the most articulate distraction, but the other girl took a moment to acknowledge the change in topic and accepted it with all the grace Kyoko could have expected.

"If you really wanna hear somebody complain about Ayin, talk to Angela. She could go at it for hours if she really wanted to." Tiphereth said. "I guess I don't have a lot to say about him or Carmen. They weren't the best parents in the world, and I was never really that friendly with either of them, but they took care of me and Enoch well enough."

There was that name again, Enoch. Kyoko'd never heard it before, though it sounded like they were another kid that X's parents had taken in. Between their conspicuous absence and the weight that Kyoko felt every time Tiphereth used the name, she could put two and two together.

Instead of setting off that landmine, Kyoko decided to push the main issue further. With everything else that was going on in her life, there was something refreshing about the simplicity of it. "So they adopted you sometime after they had X and Angela?"

"No!" Tiphereth denied, the irritated glare she was giving Kyoko declaring that she both knew what the Distortion was going for but also couldn't be bothered not to go for it anyways. "X and Angela weren't born in the first place. That's why they look older."

It was Kyoko's turn to stare in incredulity. Weren't born? Sure, Kyoko knew that X was actually some kind of terrifying eldritch creature. But she'd also said that was a thing that happened to her, and that she'd been a regular human before then.

Recognizing Kyoko's confusion and her sudden position of informational superiority, Tiphereth grinned. "Oh? Didn't you know? Carmen and Ayin were both scientists. X and Angela were made, not born. Ayin made them to fulfill certain roles in the Facility, and when that was done everyone just kinda kept going."

Kyoko could barely process what was being said. Made? The way Tiphereth said it so casually made it sound like it was no big deal, like anyone could just create life however they wanted. But somehow, under everything, the question that made its way past Kyoko's lips was "Isn't this all really personal stuff?"

Tiphereth paused to consider for a moment, then shrugged. "X is pretty relaxed about this sort of thing. She would've just told you if you asked, and I could handle a bit of flak from her if it came down to it. I was usually the one criticizing her mistakes, so it'd be a nice change of pace. As for Angela? I think she's just used to everybody already knowing."

Seeing Kyoko's still-confused expression, Tiphereth elaborated.

"She hasn't really gotten to know that many people. It's pretty much just us Librarians, X, and the new Magical Girls now. Of the above groups, two were there for just about her whole life and the third are a bunch of kids she barely talks to. Maybe she'd make a fuss about this, but I don't think she'll actually care that much."

Kyoko could understand that, at least. "She's the youngest, isn't she?" That kind of mindset wasn't new to Kyoko, who'd been an older sister before. But of course, nothing was ever that simple.

"Actually, X is the youngest. Angela's in the middle."

"Then why does she act like that?"

"It's a combination of a lot of things." Tiphereth deadpanned. "Now stay where you are, I'm going to get a board so I can explain this properly."

———————————————

Just pick one.

In the Library…
[] Homura Akemi…
-[] …finds the weekly book club.
-[] …talks with her aunt's not-boyfriend.
-[] …wanders to the lowest floor.
[] Sayaka Miki…
-[] …ends up in a room filled with clocks.
-[] …stumbles into the tail-end of a math lesson.
-[] …is hoping to get in some last-minute training.
[] Mami Tomoe…
-[] …runs into a familiar face in the lounge.
-[] …nearly trips over a man asleep on the floor.

———————————————

Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

Haha! Nobody expects a chapter of characters actually just talking to each other! Though the subjects might tend towards the grim, this and the next will mostly just be a moment of rest before the next big finish.

 

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 145 - There's Nobody To Blame This Time

Your old office was functional above all else. The walls were plain grey metal, cold and unyielding to the touch. A single door opened in plain view of the sparsely-decorated desk that sat in the center, occasionally covered by mountains of paperwork that you would quickly clear away and have sent off. The only real furnishing of note was your computers and the massive nine-paneled observation screen that dominated the wall opposite your seat. Through it, you watched the Facility. Your kingdom, for what it was, a labyrinth of steel and circuitry made to house monsters that defied reality.

The office of the Floor of Geography is similar, and yet different. The walls at first appear a plain, slate-grey that imitates the lifeless metal of your old domain, but a closer look at the marbled surfaces shows the same delicate, swirling patterns that fill everything in the Library scribed into it. Your sister's apparent aesthetic sense is ever-present, adding little flourishes and decorations to your sparse furnishings. The screens that once occupied one wall have erupted into a blooming mass of shining glass, filling nearly half the room and jutting out at bizarre angles. Through them, you see all of Library. Tiphereth, gesturing wildly at a whiteboard filled with neat text too small to possibly be legible in front of Kyoko. Sayaka, pacing endlessly back and forth in the entry. Roland, staring awkwardly at Homura standing stock still in a hallway. Your Agents, now Librarians, milling about through the boundless halls of your sister's EGO. Everything laid bare before you once again.

The screen are blank now, and you sit with your back to them to face the entrance to your office. Across your desk are two people, a woman and a man both the same age that you appear, with dull pink hair. The man is strained, his polite and friendly expression worn and nearly devoid of warmth. Not by willing coldness, but because that warmth is being slowly strangled by fear. Beside him, the woman is tired. She sits straight and at attention, ready for business in spite of her casual dress, but there are little signs of discomfort already having themselves known. Her hair was clearly done in haste, and she moved with hesitation as she lowers the now-empty cup of coffee you summoned.

"Again, I must apologize sincerely for this turn of events. Containing and managing Abnormalities is my responsibility above anyone else's, and that one has been able to cause such damage is a failing in my part." you say. Having to report your failure to somebody else is uncomfortable. It's not as if it never happened before, but it was only in the earlier iterations that you ever kept attempts that suffered this much. If something unavoidable did occur past then, entreating the respective parties for forgiveness was never pleasant.

At least the Kanames are taking things much better than the average person would. Screaming and crying would've been a reasonable response, and dealing with that would have been exceedingly awkward for all parties involved.

"But you're certain Madoka isn't hurt?" Tomohisa asks. Your first thought is to lie outright. Considering the obviousness of the truth, it would be more a gesture of comfort than a real deception. On the other hand, the Kanames are peers of a sort and as such deserve full clarity of information. Anything less would be an insult.

"I can guarantee that she is alive. It would be illogical to go through the difficultly of capturing a person only to kill them. You will see her again, if that I can be sure." you say. You're admittedly unsure if stark professionalism is the right tone to be taking, but you also feel that a more emotive response would seem insincere to people you have only spoken to once before now. This isn't about you or your feelings anyways.

"I see." Junko answers as her husband leans back, not at all relaxed by your answer. "May I ask a question?"

"Of course. I will answer to the best of my ability."

"Was Madoka taken-" Junko's voice hitches on that word. "-because she chose to get involved?" She breathes a slow, shallow breath. "If she hadn't joined in, would she still be safe?"

You don't answer right away. But the answer is certain from the start. "I don't believe so. Madoka was kidnapped due to her incredibly high natural potential for magic. No course of action would have changed that." That leaves out Homura's part in things, but you can only say so much right now. As entitled to the truth as the Kanames are, you don't know that Homura would have wanted them to know everything.

But there's more to this question than just that.

"You didn't make the wrong decision." you say quietly. Junko holds back a sob, almost too short to notice. Her husband leans into her. "It wasn't a mistake to let her go. She would've fought to do something regardless, and it was better for her to be prepared than not. It was the right choice."

It's a meager assurance, you know. But you can't offer anything more.

Nothing more than quiet, and the belief that it wasn't a mistake.

—————————

Roland stared at the girl in front of him.

And it really was a girl, too. A kid, that is. Roland had met young fighters before, but you couldn't legally become a Fixer until you were of age and most important Syndicates respected that limit for the most part. Even with that unspoken agreement, there were always those who chose to break the trend. Whether out of a need for fresh fodder, some specific requirements, or simple malice, children somehow found their way into battlefields anyways. It wasn't often they looked so like soldiers, though.

The way the kid was staring at him was just… well, calling it creepy felt rude but it was at least unsettling. Nobody so small should look so detached from everything. He's known in advance that Angela's new sister had some kids who wound up Distortions, but knowing it and seeing it up close were two totally different things.

"Hello." the child said, her voice stilted and abrupt.

"Uh, hey. How's it going?" Roland replied, trying for a casual smile and probably failing to conceal his less pleasant feelings. The kid didn't deserve any flak for what happened to her, and Roland would probably die of shame if X didn't kill him first if he made his discomfort her problem.

"I am uncertain." she said in that same robotic tone. Roland winced.

"Well, what exactly isn't making sense?" That was a good place to start most of the time.

"The current course of action is logical. It has been clearly explained that gathering our strength and planning the assault on the Emerald City is the most effective course of action to rescuing Madoka." the girl recites. Roland nods and gestures for her to continue. He doesn't know exactly what's going on over where Angela's sister lives, but he had enough details to put it together. "There is no course of action more advantageous than waiting at the moment. Despite this, it still feels insufficient."

Yikes. How was he supposed to deal with that? Roland could barely sift through his own emotional baggage. If the planner over there really thought that regrouping was the best choice, Roland wouldn't contest them. Assaulting an entrenched enemy wasn't the sort of thing you do lightly no matter what the stakes. But dealing with feelings of inadequacy? Angelica had always been much better with all the feelings stuff than him. Her and Astolfo. And Olivier. And pretty much all the Sephirah. Point being, it wasn't his strong suit.

"If you're already doing what you're supposed to, what else really is there?" Roland said. The kid looked at him, and despite the fact that her face hadn't moved an inch even to speak since they met he could still get the sense that she wasn't very impressed with his reasoning. "Look, you trust the people in charge of the whole plan you've got going on?"

"Yes." Homura said curtly. Wow, not even a little hesitation either.

"Then just trust that whatever they decided, it's gonna be okay." Roland assured, finally managing to find something he could say with confidence. Once you find somebody you can believe in that much, sometimes you're just going to have to follow where they go whether you can see it or not. "If they were certain of the course, and you're sure you can walk along with them, then that's just what you've gotta do. Especially when you're not sure yourself where to go next."

The pair stared at one another for what felt like forever in the brightly-lit hallway. Eventually, the girl turned her head down.

"I still can't stop thinking about it." She definitely didn't sound like it, but between the words and the body language Roland was pretty sure the kid was embarrassed. Guess he really was just awful with kids. Maybe another angle would work better?

"Well, maybe a distraction would help?"

"What do you propose?" Homura asked.

"How about…" Roland scrambled for a proper distraction. This kid was basically a Fixer, and a veteran one at that. What did he usually talk about with his colleagues? Not much, in the end. Roland had never been a social butterfly either, that was more Angelica. Even then, she tended to default to… "weapons? I know you're a fighter, what're you carrying?"

The Distortion paused, and for a second Roland thought he had pushed into personal territory too fast. He almost panicked when the girl reached back behind herself and somehow pulled out a shotgun nearly half her size. Fortunately, it wasn't being pointed at him.

Hesitatingly accepting the offered firearm, Roland looked the weapon over. He couldn't tell the manufacturer, obviously. It was both an item from another world and something a Distortion summoned out of thin air. Despite that, he could still make out the basics. "Seems pretty impressive. By the look of it, if I saw somebody carrying this around back home, I'd think they had a Wing backing them. This is for tagging small targets?" With a shotgun, it's either that or taking a chunk out of somebody up close, and the way this one's made it didn't look like the pellets would be tightly-packed enough for that.

Homura nodded, and when Roland blinked the gun disappeared. Before she could reach for another, Roland interrupted.

"Hey, how many of those do you have?"

"There is no set number. When I require a weapon, it is provided." she answered calmly, to Roland's surprise. He had thought it was something like the Gloves of the Black Silence. But she could just make whatever she wanted?

"That's pretty impressive. Got anything for close range?"

"I can only create firearms and explosives." Homura lists off. Roland nodded. He could work with that. A flash of silver, and a gleaming silver rifle sat in his hands. Let's see if he could remember everything Angelica had said…

"Right. I've never been much for guns myself, but…"

And for a little while, the two of them talked without a care for anything else.

———————————————

In the Library…
[] X…
-[] …visits the Black Forest .
-[] …consults WhiteNight for guidance.
-[] …speaks with CENSORED seeking answers.
-[] …reunites with Nothing There.
[] Sayaka Miki…
-[] …ends up in a room filled with clocks.
-[] …stumbles into the tail-end of a math lesson.
-[] …is hoping to get in some last-minute training.
[] Mami Tomoe…
-[] …runs into a familiar face in the lounge.
-[] …nearly trips over a man asleep on the floor.

———————————————

Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

Not much to say here.

 

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 146 - Standing In The Kingdom Of God

"Are you really sure about this?"

"If anything goes wrong, you can just pull me out, right Angela?" you reply. Honestly, you're not entirely certain what you're about to do is a good idea. There are many, many ways things could go sideways fast, and relying on your sister to cut it off before any lasting damage is done isn't as much of an assurance as you'd prefer to have. On the other hand, there's only so many options. The kids are still recuperating, and Argalia is taking longer than expected to find Sayaka's parents. They're still within the allowed timeframe you had established, but if he hasn't found them by the time you're done here you're going to go back and see what's going on.

"Because I seem to remember you telling me you had a plan to confront another Aleph-class Abnormality before, and that ended with you nearly cut in half and only surviving through blind luck." Angela recalls, voice dripping with doubt.

"I'll have you know it was my improvisational ability and Mami and Kyoko's trauma-bonding that allowed me to survive, not luck." you say half-joking. All things considered, you came out of that fight far better than you had any right to. No casualties, every hostage rescued, and Kyoko on a steady path to recovery. Not to mention all the information you've been able to gather since then on Distortions. You can only hope the upcoming raid goes anywhere near as well.

"Your mind is made up." Angela resigns, closing her eyes and sighing. You nod.

"At the moment, I can estimate victory will be achieved, if at all, with a maximum of two casualties." Your voice is almost a whisper. It's not bad, all things considered. Far lower than most would even begin to hope for. But for you, it's unacceptable. Angela knows that better than anyone.

"And how is this going to help?" your sister asks.

"The most problematic uncontrolled variable is my potential incapacitation due to my form corroding. Correcting that will improve chances."

Understanding flashes in Angela's eyes. "I see. Then you're here because…"

"Got it in one." you say as you shoot her a grin. "Just send me in, and we can get this over and done with."

"Just to remind you, I still think this is a stupid idea." Angela says offhandedly as she raises a hand. The floating bits of Light that fill the Library are whipped into a swirl, surrounding you in a stork of gleaming gold.

"Only if it doesn't work. If it does, it's daring."

The moment before you vanish, you catch sight of Angela pinching the bridge of her nose, just barely failing to cover her smile.

—————————

When you arrive in the Abnormality's environment, the change in atmosphere is immediate. There's no fanfare, nothing to announce your presence. You aren't struck by the pressure that comes with entering the domain of the strongest Abnormality to ever exist. It just… there. The air is warm, invitingly so even, but stings as if it were freezing. The ground beneath your feet is nothing but an expanse of pristine white clouds that stretches on as far as the eye can see, blending with the empty sky. A band of golden light, more brilliant than the rising sun, forms a horizon that divides the lands above and below. In the distance, you can see thorny bushes sprouting from the endless cloudscape. They blend into the land, their color not differing a single shade from the bright, pure white that dominates the scene.

You blink and look down at yourself. In one moment, you are you. An ordinary if tall woman with long red hair, wearing a fancy purple jacket to match Angela's own dress over your plain black shirt and pants. A regular person, if the sort who stands out in a crowd. But in the same moment, standing in the same place, you are you. The real you, the you hiding behind a facade of humanity. A towering beast of artificial flesh, armored in a gleaming shell and clawing at the ground with your many limbs. Gazing without eyes at a landscape that dares to be foreign, to not be yours. You blink, and that vision is gone, but you can still feel it beneath your skin. The boundary keeping you restrained is… not thinner, but different. Like the light beating down from above is shining through your body, revealing the silhouette of what sleeps underneath.

You take a step forward, noting the strange double-sensation of both versions of you moving at once with a detached curiosity. It's disconcerting, yes, but that feeling is pushed away in favor of those less distracting. You need focus right now. Another step, and the discomfort is already gone. How pleasant.

It's after not a minute of walking through the pristine void of white that surround you when you decide that whatever you're doing right now isn't working. When you arrived in Censored's habitat, you'd been attacked immediately and that was with an Abnormality that had been oddly friendly to you and Angela. Schadenfreude had ambushed you straight away, if only to be taken down almost immediately after. WhiteNight isn't what you'd call aggressive, but they definitely weren't the sort to just… vanish like this. It was the opposite, really. Absurd as it feels to say about the strongest thing you ever had to deal with, but WhiteNight was the neediest Abnormality in your facility by a long shot. They demanded constant attention, and would both noisily and painfully express their displeasure if that attention wasn't good enough. For them to respond to somebody, to you in particular, walking into their personal heaven by not showing up at all?

This is either a test of some sort, or a personal slight against you. Either way, you don't have time for it.

"WhiteNight. I have a question that only you can answer."

Before the sound of the name can even begin to fade from the air, it arrives. The peculiar heatless warmth, the feeling like sparks dancing through the air, is gone. In its place is an overwhelming radiance, pressing blindingly into your skin in the same way staring into the sun would sear your eyes. Your head tilts up, following the source of the not-light.

The once-empty sky is now filled. Six massive wings, each formed of feathers so purely white that they practically lose all texture and depth to become nothing but shapes, unfurl and cover the sky. They cast no shadows, not when light infinitely brighter than a star could ever hope to be blazes from their surface. Dancing between them are bright beams of red, eternally expanding rings connected by thick crimson streams all emerging from the same center.

The form at the middle, where the midday sun would sit in the sky, is almost beyond description. There is a head, that much you can tell, with skin completely bleached and devoid of color. Though just as pristine and radiant as its wings, the pallor of the Abnormality's body is… wrong somehow. It feels sickly, like whatever hues should have existed had been washed out so long ago as to not leave a single trace. A golden necklace, closer in make to a shackle or collar than anything else, separates the head from a shriveled and curled lower body. The thing has no limbs, no hair, no marks of any kind on its body. It has no features at all, save two pools of blazing red light set into the place a face should be to serve as eyes. A halo of golden leaves slowly rotates above the creature's head, glistening with its own light that mimics the idea of reflection but is untouched by the crimson glow surrounding it. A sign of royalty, though such a monster has no need for it. Not when its very being bends existence under its weight.

The world around you hasn't dimmed. If anything, the presence of the ruling Abnormality has illuminated the empty cloudscape more than before. And yet, it still feels duller simply by proximity to the majesty that is WhiteNight. You can feel gravity tugging against your body; trying to drag you up towards the center of the universe. Divinity demands submission, and there is no higher divinity than the creature hovering above you. It is only natural for the world to bend a knee.

Instead, you lower your head and stare straight forward. You won't be craning your neck for this whole conversation. The thing standing before you might be a God, but it is before you. And in the face of all that you are and all you have been, a God is nothing but another creature to place in a box.

Or, in this specific scenario, a peer of yours. And if the sudden appearance of your true form here is any indication, that relationship goes two ways. WhiteNight sees you as another Abnormality, not a human.

"Oh good. I was beginning to think you weren't going to speak with me." you say, silencing any more deferential words. To place yourself below the other Abnormality right now would be to consign yourself it its will. You must maintain complete control over the interaction, and that means framing it in the way that most benefits you.

"Why hast thou sought me, Shaper of Man?". There is no booming voice, no resounding speech echoing from on high. The Abnormality does not speak at all. Its words are simply there, an irrefutable truth that you can simply know.

"It's just as I said. There's something I need you to tell me. Something nobody else can offer me." you answer. Your voice, in contrast, hangs in the air. You aren't any louder or more forceful than you are in any conversation, but the confidence in your words is unmistakable. The knowledge that whatever it is you say must be the absolute truth. And the truth is… you need help.

"What knowledge could thou possibly require? Ye, whose world is understanding?" WhiteNight demands. Put from that perspective, you suppose it would be a bit embarrassing. Fortunately, you're not ashamed to ask for help.

"I suppose you could think of it as a practical matter, if that makes sense to you. I know what I want and that it's possible for those of our… station, let's put it, but the actual ability eludes me." you say. Your real body twitches, a small flutter running through our layers of wings before they settle back around your body like a coat. The small movement flushes away the nearby clouds, revealing what appears to be a thicker, more solid cloud layer underneath in a rough circle around you.

WhiteNight remains in its place in the sky, almost unmoving. With every small shift of its wings or flickering of the light surrounding it, waves of force crash through the air and stir the empty heavens around you. You stand even more still, not daring to do much as breathe before a decision has been confirmed. After what feels like an eternity, you get your answer.

"Very well. Ask of me what thou wilt, and I shall answer thee."

Internally, you let loose a massive sigh of relief. You were confident in your predictions of WhiteNight's behavior, enough to do this at all, but that secures it. Externally, one of your antennae twitches. It feels natural, having all these extra parts. You're going to need a moment to adjust when you go back.

"Thank you. I'm here because I need to know how to seal myself. It's an ability common to Abnormalities of our stature, and you're the best at it as far as I've seen, but unfortunately as you can see I find myself stuck with half-measures." you explain, holding your voice even. WhiteNight's corona of light flares for a moment at the word "seal", but settles just as quickly as you elaborate. Their wings curl clockwise in a gesture vaguely reminiscent of tilting one's head.

"Truly? If the subject is sealing, then there could be no greater expert than thine self. Or hast thou forgotten the ages that we have spent beneath thine watch already?"

You shake your head. "That's not quite what I meant. I was more referring to the Plague Doctor."

WhiteNight pauses, then leans its body down towards you.

"Elaborate, Well-Maker."

"Of every Abnormality, you've succeeded more than any other in limiting your own form. You were able to practically transform yourself into another Abnormality entirely." You feel a note of desperation trickling into your voice and let it be. You should be desperate right now. WhiteNight believes itself benevolent, and won't reject somebody in need. There's nobody to pretend for here. You can honestly, freely admit that you need help. "I need to be able to do the same. There's no one else I can ask."

WhiteNight draws back, the rings of red light held around them shrinking slightly like a camera lens shifting into focus.

"It appears thou holdst a misconception, Alchemist. That which I am cannot be changed. Mine own glory arrives in its time, and awaits until I am called upon. There is no reduction of all that is me, much as there can be no reduction of that which is thee."

"That can't be right." you contradict immediately. "For one thing, I am reduced right now. I just can't make it stick. And for second, you've been the Plague Doctor more than once. An Abnormality can't change what it is, but you were able to consistently disguise what you would be. There must be more to it than that."

Silence fills the heavens, and for a moment you consider if you were too assertive. You're already performing a careful balancing act, trying to fall into neither the category of supplicant nor challenger to the Pinnacle of the Soul. Countermanding their explanation, even keeping your tone neutral, may have been a step too far.

But WhiteNight leans back and emits a high-pitched ringing noise you somehow understand as laughter.

"Is that thine truth, Bearer of Understanding?"

Well, you were certainly a bit more confident about what you had said before you were laughed at by Basically God, but yes.

"If those words are thine decision, then they must be so. We higher beings are rulership inherent. Nonetheless, my claimed transformation is no matter of will nor capacity. I am always, and always will I be. If I must wait for my loyal followers to call upon me, then so I shall. If I am called for, then I shall appear."

You school your expression, but bite into the back of your lip in consternation at the total lack of progress. Your other form does not move, refusing to surrender an emotion you would rather conceal. It's not done so easily, though. You'll just have to pursue a different avenue.

"The perhaps could you describe the feeling of waiting? If I knew more I would undoubtedly be able to improve my own efforts." you say. The confidence in your words this time is more hope than certainty. You need an answer, not necessarily the answer, but just something to carry you long enough to complete your remaining tasks.

"It is waiting. Resting. The liminal state. Tell me, Sculptor of Potential, what rest dost thou take? Whose call dost thee await?"

A dozen different answers spring forth in your mind, each one churning with meaning, but none leave your lips. Instead, a question in reply echoes through the empty heavens.

"You are being awfully helpful, you know?"

"What else could I do, when faced with a lost soul? I offer my guidance to all who wander aimlessly in search of light, without malice or resentment. That is what it means to be above all else. Such is the definition of mine divinity" WhiteNight answers without a hint of pride. It is said like one might explain that grass is green or the sky is blue; something so obvious it defied a need for explanation. No matter who they are, when somebody needs help, WhiteNight will answer them.

The answer that most would receive would be a fate worse than death. But with your unique circumstances and careful consideration, you've managed to find a different sort of aid entirely from the demiurge.

"Though thou were our jailer, thou too were prisoner alongside us. And though my offers of freedom were rejected, I had heard thine prayers for release. And now we stand liberated, and at last I may offer thou guidance unhindered."

Your thoughts drift back to the early days of the Facility, when you still begged and pleaded for an end to everything you saw. The memories are brief, only lasting in anything more than a passing moment for the first ten years. You outgrew such behavior quickly when you saw it would get you nothing. Could you really have been heard all that time ago?

You shake your head, dismissing the memories. You didn't need any higher power to save you back then, but you did have people at your side. So maybe somebody did hear you after all. "It's a little late to be calling back to those times now, isn't it? Besides, I'm actually rather happy with how everything's turned out. I did my job and I got everything I could've hoped for."

"The past is devoid while we stand in the present." WhiteNight affirms with another flutter of its wings. "Go now, and do so with mine blessing."

Your breath tightens with that last word, and you reach inward for whatever defenses you can muster. This is the last moment at which things could go wrong. But nothing happens. No tainted gifts are bestowed upon you, and no divine flames to scour you from existence. You have your answer and your freedom.

Without another word, you nod politely and turn to go. There is still one other visit you must make before beginning the final preparations.

One more precaution you must take in the face of the inevitable judgement.

———————————————

In the Library…
[] Sayaka Miki…
-[] …ends up in a room filled with clocks.
-[] …stumbles into the tail-end of a math lesson.
-[] …is hoping to get in some last-minute training.
[] Mami Tomoe…
-[] …runs into a familiar face in the lounge.
-[] …nearly trips over a man asleep on the floor.
-[] …drops in for a spot of tea.

———————————————

Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

And I return at last, with triumph! Apologies for the long delay, I had finals and then got very, very, horribly sick the exact day it started. I'm not all the way better yet, but I was good enough to publish this on-schedule.

I don't do old English and didn't want to delay this chapter any more picking out the specific correct words, so I just went with what sounded right to me. If the improper usage bothers you, just blame it on the City's language being different.

On the subject of WhiteNight, X's plan here was basically to use what they know about WN's behavior and personality to not get attacked. WN is acting so peaceful because, while technically a peer power-wise and remaining aware of that fact, X came to WN asking for help and admitting that they have knowledge X doesn't. It's more a junior-senior relationship than anything else.

Vote actions for both Mami and Sayaka, and we're getting going soon.

 

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 147 - It's Time To Move On

Mami wasn't quite sure how she had ended up in her current situation. After arriving at the Library, she and the other girls had slowly dispersed from the atrium for one reason or another until only Mami was left. She felt awkward, sitting alone in her pajamas in the expensive-looking room.

The Library felt more like a classy hotel than its namesake, really. It was strange to think that the whole place technically belonged to someone Mami was related to. Angela might not have been very close to Mami and was hardly as affectionate as X was, but Mami knew her better than she had any of her other aunts or uncles. Her father had no siblings, and her mother hadn't been on speaking terms with the rest of her family. None of them had asked after her when her parents passed.

Mami shook her head and stood up. Now was clearly not the best time to be sitting alone with her thoughts. Kyoko, X, and Yuma were all in the upper floors, weren't they? Mami considered for a moment calling out to see if anyone was nearby, but the idea felt rather undignified. The Library was quiet, and breaking that silence felt wrong somehow. You were supposed to stay silent in libraries, after all.

Still in her sleepwear, Mami stood up and made her way to the stairway. It felt a little silly, but she hadn't had time to retrieve her change of clothes and remaining transformed only for the uniform would be a waste of magic. While Mami didn't need to worry quite as much about optimizing her magic usage now with the sudden surplus of Grief Seeds she had thanks to her family, it was still a good idea to remain conscientious.

Mami blinked, realizing she'd somehow come to a hallway at the end of the stairway. Not only was it a hallway that seemed to come out of nowhere, but looking back the stairs behind her trailer up despite the fact that she had been ascending the steps the entire time. As a veteran Magical Girl Mami was no stranger to nonsensical geometry, but here it felt different. Maybe it was just knowing that the Library was part of somebody she knew and enjoyed speaking with, but the shifting architecture felt less like a way to try and trip her up and more like guidance.

Decision made, Mami opened the door and stepped through only to almost immediately trip and barely catch herself. The room she had been directed to was a stark departure from the hallway before it. While the Library at least appeared to be made of some sort of wood, this room seemed to have been carved straight out of the inside of a tree! Branches, roots, and knots of wood were all visible throughout the room, anchoring the shelves of books and occasional desk or chair to the floor. Beyond that, the room appeared to be rather in a state of disarray. Books were piled seemingly at random in unsteady-looking stacks, some of which were already on the verge of tipping over.

Mami righted herself mid-fall just as the object beneath her feet began to move, revealing it to not be another misplaced stack of books but in fact an entire person. The man slowly drew himself from the floor, dusting off the dark green suit that marked him as one of the Patron Librarians and pulling his emerald hair back into a messy ponytail that hung down past his shoulders. As he rose to his feet, Mami noticed the smell of alcohol in the air.

"Agh, sorry about that." the man said, words slightly unsteady. "Didn't know there were gonna be guests over today. If I had, maybe I would've…"

The man stared down at himself with something between disappointment and disgust, and it was only the need to maintain proper manners that prevented Mami from rushing forward to give the man a hug. He really looked like he could use it.

Before Mami could think of what to say, the man gathered himself and spoke again. "Well, it is what it is. My name's Netzach, and I'm in charge of the Floor of Art here. Sorry about all the mess."

"Tomoe Mami. I am a Magical Girl and X's daughter. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mami returned the greeting, bowing to the man. He was one of X's coworkers, and for as little as she spoke of them it was always with glowing praise. The man in front of her seemed supremely tired and not quite what Mami had imagined, but she had apparently caught him at quite a bad time.

"Same here. I'd normally offer you a drink, but I'm pretty sure if I did that Manager would make my life hell for it. Or at least get Angela to do it." Netzach said, chuckling at his own joke before starting towards the nearest table. "Tea, maybe? Or coffee?"

"Tea would be fine. And I'm sure you don't have to worry about mom, she's not a vengeful sort of person." Mami answered. Netzach let out a bark of laughter before quickly composing himself.

"Sure, you can say that. He… er, she was always really results-oriented. Holding grudges isn't constructive, yeah, but you should've seen the look in her eye when one of the agents was in trouble." Netzach recalled as he reached for a nearby cabinet, sorting through several very expensive-looking bottles before finally finding a battered box sitting in the back.

"Let's see here…" After staring at the back of the box for a somewhat awkward length of time, Netzach placed it back in the cabinet and snapped his fingers. The sound echoed thunderously through the room, and with it two cups of steaming tea appeared on the table.

Mami blinked in confusion. "If you don't mind me asking, what was the point of the box?"

"Making things out of Light isn't easy. I was just checking to make sure I had the ingredients right." Netzach explained. Satisfied, Mami took her seat across from the Patron Librarian.

"So what brings you down here? It's really awkward to get surprise visitors so often." Netzach said after taking his own seat. He slouched in his chair, seeing to Mami like somebody ducking down to avoid being noticed.

"I was looking for my mom, but I appear to have gotten turned around in my way up." Mami explained. The tea was still just a bit too hot to drink, though that didn't appear to dissuade the Librarian.

"You're out of luck there." he replied. "If she were done with whatever she's doing, we'd all be called back by now. Angela made an announcement to the Librarians. Not sure why we're all being called up, though. None of us can actually do anything from here."

"I see." Mami adjusted her teacup. Still too hot to drink.

A lull settled over the conversation. It would be rude to just leave now. Mami supposed that the best thing to do was just wait here. At least until the tea had cooled.

"Hey," Netzach began, "wanna hear some fun stories about the Manager?" A casual enthusiasm entered the man's expression, and his posture straightened. Not to something healthy, but he at least looked more relaxed than morose now. A part of Mami refused immediately. X hadn't gone in to much detail about her past, and that was her choice. Besides, it was a little early to be prying into things like that, wasn't it? She didn't want to drive a wedge between her and the person who had offered her everything over something so little. But a more prominent, hopefully rational part of Mami's mind took the lead. X had always been open to questions if anyone asked, and it wasn't as though Mami had gone looking for things she was keeping secret. If one of her old friends thought it was okay, who was Mami to disagree?

Recognizing her curiosity, Netzach continued. "Believe it or not, but we used to be drinking buddies! Well, I did most of the drinking. The Manager was just there to make sure I was responsible and all that. You'd probably be better off asking your mom about that, though. I, uh, don't remember most of it as well as they probably do."

Netzach laughed, as did Mami. It was only polite, and she could easily picture her mother as a designated driver or similar role. Further, the idea of her ever getting drunk just seemed impossible. It didn't align with the image of the careful, immovable woman Mami knew.

"Let's see… there was the party after the first successful extraction of Twilight." Netzach recalled. "You already know how EGO works, right?" Mami nodded, and the Librarian of Art let out a heavy sigh. "Great. I'm gonna be honest, I was not looking forward to explaining that. Anyways, since picking that thing up was a big achievement and we did it without any casualties, I wanted to throw a little party. Give the employees some time to bask in their success, y'know?"

"That makes sense. It's important to celebrate your accomplishments." Mami agreed. Really, she almost didn't want to interrupt at all. Netzach had started leaning forward in his seat, his voice losing the hollow note that had marked his exhaustion as he spoke.

"Right, so we sent it through the Welfare Department, and to everyone's surprise Angela actually approved it. 'Course, since everyone had work the next day it had to be a subdued thing, but getting anything at all felt like a small miracle."

Netzach suddenly straightened, stifling a laugh before attempting and failing to compose himself. Mami felt herself leaning forward in her seat, eager to hear what had sparked enthusiasm in the melancholic man.

"The Manager still wanted to do a proper celebration, so she brought out some of the EGO gear we already had and cranked up the deterrence so people could wear 'em as regular costumes." Netzach said.

Mami frowned. "Isn't EGO gear supposed to be armor and weapons? I can't imagine that would make for a comfortable atmosphere." Then again, she could definitely imagine wearing her Magical Girl uniform to a party. She didn't own much in the way of formal clothes, and despite being used mainly for combat her outfit was exactly the sort of proper and elegant uniform she liked.

"I guess, but it didn't come up at the time. Besides, most agents got pretty attached to their EGO gear. I never used any myself, but I can see why people want that sort of power."

"I suppose I can understand that to a degree. There is an undeniable allure to finding powers beyond what one is capable of, though I feel it should generally be used more responsibly." Mami said. She knew a few Magical Girls who had Contracted just for the powers associated, not any of the other benefits Kyubey offered alongside them. From a certain point of view Sayaka could even be counted among them, though Miss Miki's aims had hardly been so selfish.

Maybe Mami would've been among them, if she had been given the same choice. Even knowing all that she did now, she did still want to be a Magical Girl. Fighting monsters and saving lives… it was the kind of thing every child wished for at least once.

"I, uh, think your tea's cooled off enough now." Netzach said, pulling Mami away from her thoughts. She let out a small "oh!" and put the cup to her lips. It was still a little hot, and perhaps not made perfectly, but not bad for somebody who had admitted to lacking experience. "Now where was I again..?"

"You were talking about wearing EGO gear for costumes."

"Yeah, that's right. Anyway, the Manager normally didn't do much as touch EGO gear, but they weren't any rules against it. So when we all stopped by for daily check-ins, the Manager was-" Netzach's ability to restrain his laughter finally failed him, and a sputtering giggle spilled from the man's mouth. "Well, he was wearing the gear from one of the Magical Girl Abnormalities. Didn't comment on it at all, didn't act the slightest bit different, but it was a real shock for all of us."

Mami's mind immediately jumped to picturing her mother in a Magical Girl uniform. It fit perfectly, of course. She had taken X as another Magical Girl when they first met, even. Mami couldn't understand exactly why the Librarian found it so funny. Maybe she was missing something? And furthermore…

"Did you say he? I feel like I've heard someone mention something about that…"

Netzach stared blankly at the veteran Magical Girl before shaking his head in refusal. "Nope. I'm way too sober to explain all that to one of the Manager's kids."

"Explain what?"

"Ask your mother. Or the Director. Just not me."

—————————

It's not long before you find what you're looking for, nor is it particularly difficult. The empty sheets of pure white clouds gradually give way to roughly-hewn earth as you approach your destination. Eventually, the uneven ground rises up from the sea of clouds and up into a small cliff. There's no sense of grandiosity, staring at the small outcropping that rises to barely your height at its peak. The rock is weathered and worn down, shedding small bits of gravel in still air even now. A few tufts of grass have forced their way from the dirt near the base. It looks even plainer in contrast to the pristine landscape surrounding it, the shining clouds and marble-white bushes of thorns.

You smirk to yourself. How fitting, considering the contrast between the respective owners of said territories.

The Abnormality you seek sits unmoving at the cliff's peak. A plain cross shape made of thick iron bars, visibly worn and weathered by the ages. Considering how long it's actually been, it's endured rather well. Sitting at the cross' center, pierced horizontally and vertically by the iron bars, is a massive skull greater in length and width than you are tall. A crown of dry brown thorns has been woven around the top of its head, pulled tight enough to dig into the bone ever so slightly. Like the cross, the skull carries marks of age. Small scratches and scrapes, dents and divots your extensive medical knowledge identifies as wounds that must have been inflicted at a young age, when the bone was still soft.

A part of you wants to comb over these new details for as long as you can spare. To explore the new level of detail you have access to, that you could never have over your screens. You do have some time, and your kids could honestly use the rest before you drag them into a battlefield.

…but no, this isn't the time to be getting nostalgic. Not even with the first Abnormality you ever managed. As always, your work must come first.

You wonder if WhiteNight knows you're here. They might've been amicable to you, but the conflict between them and the Abnormality before you would almost certainly have carried over into a personal distaste. Not to mention how WhiteNight would take to somebody infringing on their perceived station.

At least Angela had the sense to keep the two in separate residences. The alternative probably would've been a constant war between the pair, and that would've been a problem on multiple levels.

Your approach ends with you standing a couple of meters away from One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds. The Abnormality remains motionless in response, though you feel as though it's appraising you with those empty eyes.

You slowly lower yourself to sitting position. Not kneeling, though. It'd feel strange, performing a supposed act of submission after all the effort you went through to present yourself as WhiteNight's equal.

Your thoughts drift back to the divine Abnormality's words. That they heard your prayers back in the Facility. If you had known back then, would it really have made any difference? You certainly couldn't have accepted any salvation that creature offered. Even if you had, all that would have resulted in was another reset to the scenario. In the end, you still had to follow through on your own. Any interference in the script would've prevented you from reaching the ideal conclusion.

But even if that conclusion was reached eventually, that doesn't erase the price it came with.

"Alright, let's get this over with. I've only got a couple minutes before I need to get back, and there's a lot to cover." you announce more to yourself than anyone else. Your sole companion in this place is silent. You suppose that's as good a cue as any to begin.

"Starting off, murder by negligence. One hundred eighty-seven thousand, six hundred and two counts. First, Alyssa Ritmore. Class I Agent of the Control Team. Eaten during the first Amber Dusk."

As you speak, you think you spot a glimmer of light somewhere in the depths of the Abnormality's eyes. That's one done, then.

You have a long ways to go.

———————————————

Sayaka's Parents…
[] Delay the rescue and search for them.
[] Proceed regardless and hope to find them along the way.

———————————————

Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

Sayaka chapter is still coming, but seeing as the next vote concerns her I decided to move it back a chapter to keep all Sayaka-related content centralized.

 

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 148 - No More Hesitation

"Can we go inside now? Yuma wants to meet Miss Sayaka's teacher!"

Sayaka's hand had stopped barely a millimeter above the handle to the door into the Floor fo Language. X's sister had dropped her off out here at Sayaka's request after finishing her surgery, but that felt like she's ago. Since then, she'd just been standing at the door, not going in. Even the sudden appearance of Yuma hadn't managed to spur her into going further than reaching for the doorknob.

Maybe it was just some lingering shock from the operation earlier. Sayaka had only been half-conscious for the end of it and slept through the rest, but just the idea of somebody poking around inside her soul made her shudder. Souls weren't meant to be something you could break open and pick things out of, right? Though it definitely beat the alternative. It was much creepier having things growing in your soul that weren't supposed to be there than having somebody cut those things out of your soul. Sayaka's hadn't been able to silence the few creeping thoughts that her Soul Gem's name was more literal than she had thought at first and that she'd literally been turned into a rock despite X's more reasonable explanations, but the idea of rocks cropping up in her soul was definitely worse. She hadn't even noticed at the time, but after the operation she could actually feel the places where it had been. Not any physical feeling, just a distant awareness of something having been pushed out of its proper place slowly returning to where it should've been all along.

And that wasn't even getting into how it had happened. If she was being honest with herself, Sayaka had been useless that whole fight. When the Abnormality had first shown up in her house, she'd still been scrambling to even react when everyone else had been fighting for their lives. When the time has come to retreat, she'd gotten taken out in one shot and had to watch while Madoka was taken right in front of her while she just sat there and couldn't do anything and-

-and that wasn't a helpful thought. So Sayaka had headed off to train more, because she didn't want to be useless like that again, but thinking realistically the amount of training she could get in before the time for the rescue wasn't going to let her stand up to monsters like that. Really, Sayaka was beginning to wonder if any amount of training would ever let her fight something like that, but that wasn't a helpful thought either. She was getting better, just not fast enough for what was happening right now.

"Come in! Yuma wants to see!"

Sayaka's hand slowly withdrew from the door. "Sorry, I'm not really up for training right now. You can go in yourself, though." Normally leaving a little kid wandering around would be irresponsible, but the Library was full of responsible adults and despite all the fire the Floor of Language was actually pretty safe.

Yuma spent a second staring at Sayaka and pouting before shrugging, accepting the older girl's verdict, and then pushing past her to open the door herself. Sayaka braced against the wave of heat that immediately flushed through the open door. The elegant decorated hall of the Library abruptly transitioned to the cobbled metal of the Floor of Language on the other side. Before Yuma could actually run off, Sayaka spotted a Librarian with curly green hair on one of the catwalks above.

"Hey! Can we talk? I need somebody to look after Yuma!"

"Huh? It's okay, Yuma will be fine alone." the little girl protested, seeming confused that Sayaka was flagging down a supervisor for her. True, she hadn't been planning on going out of her way, but if somebody was right there..? Well, it was worth the effort to make sure somebody was at least keeping an eye on the kid. And looking at the Floor of Language again, Sayaka was admittedly having second thoughts about letting Yuma run around on her own.

The Librarian stopped and waved back to Sayaka before leaping from the catwalk down to the floor. Sayaka was momentarily overcome with awe at the acrobatic feat before remembering that she could easily do the same thing.

"What's all this about?" The Librarian asked.

"I need somebody to look after Yuma. She probably shouldn't be wandering around here on her own, and I don't think I'm gonna be staying here for too long." Sayaka explained.

The Librarian nodded. "I think I can handle that. Say, are either of you one of the Manager's kids?"

"That's Yuma! X is Yuma's mom." the greenette proudly declared, having already forgotten her earlier reluctance.

"Oh? What's that like? They were my boss, you know." the Librarian asked, kneeling down to meet the small child's eye level. At the same time, they shot an assured glance towards Sayaka.

"I'm gonna go, but be nice for the Librarian, alright?" Sayaka announced.

"Okay. Bye Miss Sayaka!"

And with the echoes of cheerful conversation behind her, Sayaka made her way back through the Library.

—————————

"So you don't know where X is?" Sayaka asked. The short, purple-haired Patron Librarian had been extremely patient with her, but she was interrupting something.

"You would have better luck asking the Director. She is the one keeping an eye on everything that goes on here." Yesod said, resigned. "The Manager prefers moving about the Library to remaining in the Floor of Geography, and as such you will have little luck in tracking them down."

"Okay." Sayaka said. It didn't feel like an adequate response. "Sorry for wasting your time, I guess. And interrupting… whatever's going on here."

It looked a bit like a classroom, actually. Tables and chairs had been set out in an orderly fashion throughout the neat room, all facing a large blackboard with a projector mounted nearby. Kids, probably Magical Girls, were gradually trickling out of the room. A few of them were carrying thin booklets with them.

Yesod shook his head. "You have no reason to apologize; class was nearing its end and the majority of the children's attention was exhausted."

"Wait, is this really a classroom? Why?" Sayaka asked. Was this guy actually a teacher? He didn't really look like it with the whole Patron Librarian getup, but there wasn't anyone else around who could've been teaching just now. Besides, Sayaka had some odd teachers herself. Compared to Miss Saotome, he would be downright conventional.

"Of a sort." Yesod answered, suddenly sounding exhausted. "Some of the Magical Girls the Manager brought in were years behind on their schooling. Since the goal is to help them return to society eventually, it only made sense to try and close that gap."

Sayaka nodded. "I guess that makes sense. What were you up to today?"

"Simple mathematics. The children are at various levels of education, so accommodating all of them is difficult. In the end," Yesod stepped back and began gathering papers off of his desk. "I decided it was better to prepare a lesson that everyone would be able to understand. Even the children already familiar with the material will benefit from a refresher course."

"Sounds about right." Sayaka affirmed. This was starting to seem like a lot to go through for what, seven, eight people, judging by the number of chairs? It struck Sayaka as heroic, even if the word generally brought about more glorious images. Maybe not the same kind of heroic as X or Mami or Gebura, but definitely worth admiring.

"Sooo…" Sayaka had some time to spend, apparently. Asking Angela was right out; she'd left to help X with something after finishing with Sayaka. That meant all that was left was to wait for X to come back and give the signal. "What was X like back when you were working together?"

The question just sort of slipped out. Sayaka hadn't really been meaning to ask, but she was curious. Yesod paused, considering the question.

"Well, it's nothing I could describe easily. The Manager and I didn't always agree, but they were undoubtedly the only person capable of leading the corporation."

Sayaka nodded. "She's definitely something special. I wanna be like that someday."

Yesod raised an eyebrow. "What, specifically, is it that you find desirable? For all my feelings regarding the Manager, envy is hardly a prominent one."

"Isn't it obvious? She's the strongest person I've ever met. I wish I were like that."

Yesod as silent for a moment. Something glimmered in his eyes, and he set aside the papers in his hands. "I suppose that is fair. But that strength was often tested. The Manager's responsibility was to make the most painful decisions for the rest of us. And I do not believe she would wish that on any of us."

Sayaka wavered. Right, she already knew that. Being a Magical Girl, being a hero, all of it… it was a responsibility. It wouldn't always be fun, it wouldn't always be easy, and there wouldn't always be a clear way forward. That was one of the first things X and Mami had explained to her, before she Contracted.

But she had Contracted, even knowing all that. Because Sayaka wanted to make a difference however she could. How could she call herself a good person if she didn't at least try and help?

"Maybe, but I still want to do something. If I were stronger, I could at least share a little bit of that burden, right?"

"In the end," Yesod began. His voice had become slightly hollower.
"the Manager was forced to proceed with the final phases of the plan alone. Though myself and the other Patron Librarians has resolved to stand by them, we could not support them when they needed it most."

Sayaka froze, enraptured by the Patron Librarian's story.

"I'm not unhappy with the end result," he continued. "but I still feel a sense that I failed in one of my responsibilities. And now we are confined to the Library, unable to do anything once again."

The frustration in the man's voice was palpable, like a sudden weight pressing down on the room. Sayaka almost took a step back, but just as quickly as it appeared the feeling was gone. Yesod closed his eyes and shook his head lightly.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to get caught up in memories. While they might seem immovable, I know for a fact that the Manager is as human as the rest of us. As much as it pains me to ask this of a child, I do hope you look out for them. My Manager doesn't deserve to have to weather everything on their own."

In the silence that followed, nobody spoke. Sayaka could only nod in affirmation. If it was something she could do, then she wouldn't hesitate.

It was only a moment later that Sayaka's conversation partner vanished in a sudden flash of light. After getting over the initial surprise, Sayaka was forced to wait through a longer, more awkward quiet. At least it had happened when it did and not any earlier. That would've been significantly more awkward.

When Yesod returned, it was with a grim look in his eye.

"The Manager has returned from their last scouting session, and they're calling everyone available to their office to plan."

That was it, then. Time to go.

———————————————

Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

Apologies for chopping this chapter up further, but it keeps getting longer! Also blame UT Yellow for coming out recently. That has contributed to the delays as well.

 

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 149 - I'm Calling Your Names

Though you can't see it from the warehouse where your equipment has been set up, the sun has begun to dip in the sky. The bright light it casts down on the city doesn't make its way in, leaving no hint of the world outside. It's a bit nostalgic, to once again be surrounded by machinery and separated from the sun.

Your mother, Carmen, had loved the sunlight. The City has only sparse spots of nature, and they are all kept penned and controlled by the groups that own them. It's not too different from Mitakihara, really. It may not be the City, but it is still a city. It wouldn't be hard to find a spot of untamed nature, if you particularly cared to. It would be a short walk at most. But at the same time, you don't really care to. Ayin never shared Carmen's affection to nature. He only ever cared about spending time with her. When she died, he couldn't so much as bear sunlight. Fortunately, you haven't inherited that particular tendency. Instead, you just… watch the world. Note the state of the sky, memorize the scenes that should probably spark some emotion beyond mild appreciation in you. You remember the first time you saw the sun with your own eyes. It's not a special memory.

You dismiss the sudden bout of introspection. This is hardly your Facility; it's an empty building Kyubey bought for you so you could build things without being interrupted. Currently, all it does is house you, the Incubator, and Argalia as you review the situation at hand.

"I went through some effort to track them, but Miss Miki's parents have totally disappeared. Unfortunate it may be, there really is only one clear explanation." Argalia's voice is like a melody even through the telepathic network. Though it doesn't find its way into his tone, there's a certain sharpness to his cyclopian gaze when he glances over at Kyubey's puppet body sitting in the opposite end of the room.

You resist the urge to sigh. It's exactly the answer you were expecting, but you had hoped that maybe there wouldn't be any further complications added to the situation. On the other hand, your current plans don't need to change at all to accommodate additional hostages. It would've been short-sighted not to expect something like that, considering who you're up against. Predictions aside, though, there's still room for a little more possible clarity here.

"Have you heard anything about that, Isabeau? I'm not sure how much fanfare the Adult would put up around hostage-taking, but if it was anything of importance I would assume she'd have said something to you."

Your final conversation partner's heavy laughter seems to echo in the dimly-lit room, despite the impossibility of such a thing. "I believe you're overestimating our relationship. Sadly, our mutual friend doesn't see fit to inform me of anything that doesn't directly affect me."

Unfortunate, but that was about what you expected. "I'm not sure if I can call them a 'mutual friend' at this point. After what happened today, there's no chance I'm simply going to let the Adult Who Tells Lies be. Which brings us to the most important question at hand..." You pause for dramatic effect. Drawing people's attention was more your mother's forte than your father's, but learning how to work a crowd in your lifetime was inevitable. Not to the level of anyone else in the room, but you have other levers to work with besides sheer charisma. "Where will you stand in the coming conflict, Isabeau? Even if they haven't been as courteous as they maybe should've been, they did bring you back from the dead. If you feel that demands some loyalty in exchange, I would be understanding."

Isabeau's decision, whatever it is, will decide how the upcoming assault will be structured. The best case scenario would be for her to agree to work alongside you. You're open to suggestions on how to improve your plans, especially from somebody living in the place you're planning to attack. More than that, the impression Isabeau have when you met in person was… intense. Between that and the Adult tolerating her not as a subordinate but a partner? Even if she can't fight on the level of an Aleph-Class, she's at least stronger than you or any of your allies individually. She could draw the Abnormality's eyes away from Madoka for long enough to sneak in and spring her from her imprisonment.

Even if you can't convince her to work with you, simply guaranteeing her neutrality is enough. With what her children want from you, you have the leverage necessary to get what you need from them without ever involving the former Queen of France. As long as you're not asking them to actively oppose their mother's will, what you'll be requesting should be entirely reasonable compared to what they're asking of you. There is always the possibility that Isabeau stands with the Adult, yes, but…

"Loyalty?" Isabeau laughs. "It earned goodwill, nothing more. And I feel that goodwill has been thoroughly spent by now, wouldn't you agree?"

That was never really on the table. One conversation with Isabeau was enough to tell you that.

"Will you be assisting us, then, Miss Isabeau? Your help would be much appreciated." Argalia proposes.

"That depends on what you mean by assisting. I wouldn't be opposed to ensuring my displeasure is made perfectly clear by way of a little friendly cooperation." Isabeau says. "But first, I would prefer to know where we all expect to be standing afterwards."

You toy with the trigger of your new rifle, Magic Bullet. A cold azure glow burns just under the timeworn wooden frame, pressing itself against the weapon's walls to meet your touch. Another tool added to your arsenal, another weight in the scale. "You already know my plans. I have children to look after. They can all probably take care of themselves, but I'd rather make sure before I leave."

It's not the Queen who responds to your answer, but Argalia. The Color Fixer leans forward, eye focused into a single wispy point as he stares at you. There's no hostility to the movement, but an intensity is present all the same. "And after that? Children grow up quickly, or so I'm told."

Realistically, you know you won't have much time left after that. Two years is a long time, but for a lifespan? It doesn't leave a whole lot of room. You'd also like to spend as much of it as you can with your children. Adopting them wasn't a whim, and you refuse to falter in your commitment. A good parent should at least be present for their child while they're growing, and independent they might be all of your kids still have growing to do. Aside from keeping an eye on them? "Some loosed Abnormalities still need to return to containment. That is my responsibility as Manager. After that, I owe my sister some favors. That means plenty of work back home. Around here, I don't expect to have much free time. My expertise is always needed someplace or another."

Your work is never over. That rule, above all else, dictates your life. At first, it was simple. You only had the Facility, and you did your job until it was over and accepted the ending that came after. But now? The whole world- not just one, but two, and who knows how many more in the future- are available to you. You have two years, and a responsibility to do what you can with them.

"I presume Argalia will be on the hunt for more new Distortions?"

The Color Fixer nods, then vocalizes his agreement. You're not sure how you feel about that. Having Argalia around has been stressful but helpful, and your stress would not be reduced by him having left your area of influence. Once he's left, you would- well, you were going to say you would have trouble finding him again, but that's not true in the slightest. Emotion sense-guided tracking aside, Argalia wants something from you. Even if he leaves, you can expect him to keep in touch.

"Excellent. That only leaves one. What will you do, Incubator?"

Kyubey's proxy body is statue-like. Only their tail, cooling back and forth like an inverted pendulum, indicates the creature is alive in any sense of the word. "We'll continue as normal. Once the Abnormality is no longer a potential problem for our operations on Earth, what else is there to do?"

Isabeau's laughter again fills the telepathy channels. "I meant about me. You interfered with my rule last time. Do you plan on repeating that little scuffle?"

"No. Circumstances have changed since then, and modifications have been made to the Incubator Network to remove any unacceptable breaches. You aren't an issue anymore."

As Kyubey speaks, they turn their head to face you. Just like the Adult Who Tells Lies, Isabeau de Bavière is too big a threat for you to leave alone, and they know this. Why would the Incubators have to act when somebody else is there to clean up their messes for them?

That implication is lost on Isabeau, whose smile you can picture perfectly just by the tone of her voice. "Then I have no objections. Let us rejoice at a prosperous partnership for the future!" Left unsaid is that if the once-Queen of France feels you are no better a partner than the Wizard was, your temporary alliance will end the same way theirs did. That's fine with you. Every good manager aspires to keep everyone happy.

"Glad to have you with us. This is what I have planned so far…"

—————————

The Library is undoubtedly cozier than the empty warehouse your recent meeting was held. The warm light floating through the air illuminates furnishings carved with an impossible care and precision. In spite of this, the atmosphere feels like a dark, heavy cloud filling the room. Mami sits calmly beside Kyoko, who makes no effort to conceal her nervous energy. She frowns as she shifts back and forth in her seat, tapping against the lacquered wood surface of the table. You can feel a thick haze of heat rolling off her body even through the newly-refreshed disguise. Mami is far less visibly disconcerted, but the constant shifting of her posture and occasional toying with the fringes of her clothing give her away. Sayaka is off the the left, already in her Magical Girl uniform. Her hand keeps drifting towards her sword before drawing back into a poor imitation of Mami's own posture. Between them is Homura, unaffected as always. Angela hasn't bothered restoring her disguise. Unlike Kyoko, Homura has never had trouble controlling it, but the damage she received earlier was enough for the jury-rigged spell to fall apart.

Standing at the edges of the room are three people you hadn't expected. Gebura leans against a wall, the last gasps of a cigarette on her breath, flanked by Malkuth and Hod. The three exchange a series of looks with Angela, who stands slightly behind you, before abruptly cutting off.

"And where are Yuma and the Shizuki family?" you ask.

"Yuma is currently with the Librarians of the Floor of Language, while the Shizukis are enjoying Chesed's hospitality along with two of the Magical Girls." Angela reports. You dismiss another sudden flash of nostalgia.

"I trust everyone's had time to rest and ready themselves?" you ask. A round of affirmations of various levels of confidence answer your. Unideal, but you don't have the time to wait for everyone to be completely ready.

"And not that I'm opposed to your company, but Malkuth, Hod, why are you here? Gebura I can see having a few words to put it, but you…" you lean back in your seat. "This isn't usually your scene."

Hod is the first to answer you. The short brunette's voice is steadier than you're used to from her. Even with everything going on, it makes you smile. They've all grown so much.

"We don't have much to do in the Library anyways. If there's anything we can do to help, I want to be here."

"It feels like we haven't done enough to help. After everything that happened back in the Corporation, we deserve to be able to rely on each other moving forward." Malkuth adds. There's a fire in her voice, calm as she is now. The feeling of warmth inside you grows.

"Speak for yourselves. I've had plenty of extra work thanks to you." Angela complains without any real heat. You stifle a laugh and move on.

"Yes, I'll be sure to pay you back. But all that aside, I'm afraid I have to deliver some bad news first. Based on Argalia's investigation, it appears likely Sayaka's parents have been kidnapped by the Adult."

The words are barely out of your mouth when Sayaka erupts. Her hand darts for her sword for a moment before she realizes the futility of the action. Absent a real target, the Magical Girl's hands crash against the table. It creaks pitifully under the force of the impact. Mami reflexives reaches out to her, mouth open, but no words come forth.

"We've gotta do something? Do you know where they are? I-"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Kyoko interrupts, a sharp spike in temperature punctuating her speech. Sayaka freezes, anger withheld as the air cools. "X has a plan, and she wouldn't just leave them. But you can't run off like an idiot or you'll just make things worse."

"Kyoko…" Mami's voice trails off as she winced at her sister's harsh words. Sayaka's fists tighten, but she looks away from the other children and breathes deeply. Gebura steps forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright to feel like this." the legendary Fixer says plainly. "But you've gotta channel those feelings. Don't let 'em be used against you. Besides, your friend was right about one thing. You've already got a plan, right Manager?"

"I had already accounted for the possibility of additional hostages and planned around it. Your parents will be safe, Sayaka. I can promise you that."

Sayaka struggles to say something, then releases a heavy sigh and collapses onto the already-abused table. The energy that had filled her evaporates in an instant. When she speaks, her voice is weak and unsteady. "Right, I… yeah. You'll fix this. Everything's gonna be fine."

"Maybe we should get to that plan?" Malkuth proposes, shifting uncomfortably from side to side and eying the collapsed Sayaka.

"Of course. To put it simply, the rescue effort will rely on Homura's abilities. With the power to manipulate time, combing the Emerald City and extracting any hostages will be drastically easier."

"Not to poke holes, but we saw what happened when Homura tried to do that earlier today. And it didn't go all that hot." Kyoko chimes in. Homura herself remains silent, only glancing over at the other Distortion before returning her attention to you.

"I know, and I've accounted for this. Our first objective in this attack won't be pursuing any of our real objectives, but destroying the countermeasures placed in the Emerald City that prevent Homura's large-scale time manipulation." You've stood up by now, and your voice has taken the same authoritative, professional tone normally reserved for announcing orders. "As checked by multiple outside sources, including a Magical Girl previously employed by the Adult who has chosen to rebel," you continue, proceeding past the confusion and curiosity sparked by your offhand mention of Isabeau. You'll save speaking more about her for later in the explanation. "there are only a few markers placed throughout the Emerald City that serve this purpose. Four, to be precise, since the magic that establishes them is far more complicated than the spell that was applied directly to Homura, and creating too many would've risked damage to the Emerald City. These markers have all been placed in the highest-security locations possible."

"So we get rid of all of those, and then we can save everyone?" Sayaka says. You nod sternly.

"Yes, but we will need to be careful. Once one goes down, the Adult will quickly realize our goal. If that happens, there's nothing stopping her from either replacing the missing markers or implementing a new defense that will be less easily disrupted. If that happens, we'll have to retreat and identify a new angle of attack." Everyone knows what that would mean: more time for Madoka and the Mikis to be held captive. More time spent at the Adult Who Tells Lies' mercy.

Unacceptable.

"If I may ask, what will we do about the Abnormality themself? We-" Mami cuts herself off. "We were not able to confront them even without the disadvantage of fighting on enemy terrain."

Again, you nod. "That will rely mostly on the dissenting Magical Girls. Due to certain unique circumstances, they will be able to hold the Adult long enough for us to work. Once Madoka and Sayaka's parents are out along with any other innocents, we will be able to reinforce them." It's really closer to letting Isabeau and the Adult fight and then tackling whoever wins, but that will require a little more explanation. If that fails, there's always to option of challenging the Adult's trials explicitly. Rigged as they may be, you believe in your children. The Wizard's Trials have been beaten before, and overcoming them again may be enough to claim victory from the jaws of defeat.

You've prepared as best you could. You have planned, and you have worked, and you have fought. And soon, you will know whether or not you have made a mistake.

"Here's what I have so far. If you have a suggestion, don't hesitate to make it known."

———————————————

The Assault On The Emerald City
Organize yourself, Argalia, Homura, Kyoko, Mami, Sayaka, and Leonie into teams to attack the four markers. All four markers must be destroyed at the same time, so four teams are a must. Format all plans as plans for simplicity's sake.

-[] The Rumor Mill
"This place is the source of a good chunk of the Adult's forces, not to mention where she cloned the Reverb Ensemble from. Most of those copies are already dead now, and the remainder are scattered across the Emerald City, but we can expect at least one here. Plus, it's a location actively worked by some of the Adult's Magical Girl forces."
-[] The Observation Tower
"This place isn't actively staffed by people, but one of the Magical Girls I've contacted checks up on it occasionally. It's crawling with Puppets and special Familiars disguised as Magical Girls, plus there's no nearby entry point. Expect a long trip with plenty of traps and disadvantageous battlefield conditions."
-[] The Wizard's Court
"The dead center of the Emerald City and the Wizard's main workshop. We've got no solid information on this place's defenses, but it's the Adult Who Tells Lies' seat of power. It'll be a reflection of the Abnormality herself- full of tricks and traps meant to hurt you in the worst ways possible. But at the same time, getting in there would give a chance to sabotage her work."
-[] The Black Forest
"The territory of another Abnormality sharing space with the Emerald City. The Adult's failed a few pushes here and eventually gave up on extracting them. As for the Abnormality that lives there… my only advice would normally be to keep as wide a distance as you can, but that's not going to be an option. Whoever steps into that forest will have no choice but to face judgement for their sins."

———————————————

Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

You finally got that gun you wanted! There you go, my gift to you!

Format votes as so:
[] Title
-[] Location A
—[] Team A
-[] Location B
—[] Team B
-[] Location C
—[] Team C
-[] Location D
—[] Team D

But on a more serious note, it's been a while since this Quest started. This is our second year together, and I never even thought I'd last one. Human Resources has been the highest-rated PM Quest on the site for a while now, and is currently the second most watched Madoka Magica Quest that's still actively updated, only behind Adfligo Systema. When I first started this, I never thought people would care about what I wrote, much less to this degree. I know that if it weren't for all of you, I wouldn't have found the strength to keep this story going. You all have brought me so much joy and happiness, and I can only hope that I've been able to give at least a little of that back to you.

Thanks you all for everything, from the bottom of my heart. I hope you all have a lovely Winter.

 

[Lepidoptera]

You've all been good this Winter, so enjoy a joyous second chapter on this fine and unholy night.

"Human Resources" Shouldn't Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest

 

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 150 - Tie The Knot

Holding Leonie's tiny form in one hand, you stare at the border of Kamihama. There's no clear delineation to where the Emerald City begins. Just empty streets choked by a foreboding feeling in the air. As you gaze further down into the city, the remaining lights become scarcer and more faint. A few block in, and a darkness too thick for you to see through has gathered. The total silence, devoid of any sounds one would associate with developed civilization, form an eerie atmosphere. Under the eyes of less natural senses, it's quite the opposite. Layers upon layers of glittering crystal divide the Abnormality's territory from the outside world and promise some horrible fate worse than death to anyone who wanders in unaware. You already knew this yesterday. Now, having witnessed the Adult's abilities firsthand, you can't help but feel a creeping nervousness crawling on your spine. The modified Grief Seeds you created days ago should be enough to get the children in, but to avoid tipping your hand you haven't had the chance to actually test it.

It would feel better if you using one yourself, but Leonie's powers are a better entry than the Kamihama border's natural passages. It will require a series of complicated Routes to pass through the layers of shielding that encloses the Emerald City, but Leonie has confidence in her ability to do what she is asked. You had enjoyed being able to shoulder more risk yourself, but the plans drawn up this time will simply not allow for it. Leonie's Routes cannot intrude into the Emerald City without her there to correct them, and all attacks going through at once is key to the plan's success.

It's not as if this is the most dangerous part of the mission. Within the Emerald City's walls, there will undoubtedly be horrors unlike anything the children have seen before. The remaining copies of the Ensemble are classed in the range of He and Waw as individuals, and despite the information that Angela and your coworkers were able to share there is no amount of planning that can eliminate all risks in a battle. The Emerald City itself was built by a megalomaniacal sadist, and its defenses will undoubtedly reflect that. The Adult's working conditions alone created one Distortion, and you have already accepted the possibility that whatever traps and tricks she has prepared will create another.

The children may be asked to kill.

Incapacitating a Magical Girl is easy enough as long as their Soul Gem can be taken from their body. Stated so plainly, it seems like a small hurdle. But it is also a fact known to every person in the conflict. The circumstances won't guarantee a chance to safely disarm your opponents at every opportunity. If it comes down to it… you hope your children prioritize themselves. There's no more room for hesitating at this point.

A wave of your hand parts the air beside you, creating a temporary gap that you step through in the same movement. Leonie's powers unfurl within the momentary vacuum, letting you vanish from the world in an instant. You don't pay much attention to the colorful vistas emerging around you, only the sequence of passages leading to your destination. Even at the corners of your awareness, you can see the ways the Emerald City's defenses press against Leonie's Routes. The skies, normally brilliant or peaceful, are gloomy and thick with heavy black clouds. The colors feel less soft and more muted. Every one of Leonie's Routes that you saw before felt comfortable. They were calming, beautiful scenes that people would want to seek out. But that peace is soured now, transformed into foreboding vistas that mirror your destination.

"Leonie, will you be able to keep going? We have more time than the other groups."

"I'm fine. I can keep going." Leonie answers politely. The rhythmic clicks that form her voice sound sharper cutting through the total silence.

"Are you sure? It'll do us all no good if you strain yourself excessively." you ask again. You feel something between frustration and sadness that everyone around you lacks a proper sense of self-preservation. If only they could have more regard for their own health.

"This happened before when we were leaving. It's not a problem, I can get us to the destination." Leonie insists. You relent and let some of the tension drain from your body. You don't think Leonie even has the capacity for deception, so it's safe to take her word for it for now.

With those words still hanging in the air, you proceed. It's mere moments later that you exit the last Route and emerge inside the Emerald City. But your destination isn't just the Emerald City.

Thick, pitch-black grass covers the ground completely. It blends with the roots of the trees, practically melting seamlessly into them. Each tree is without branches or leaves, just extending up into the sky forever like a shadowy spear driven into the earth. The dark landscape becomes a silhouette against the dusty, sunless orange sky. All around you, the air is still and slow. A faint, thick warmth clings to you, giving the uncomfortable impression of somebody having been standing right next to you only a moment ago.

A breeze blows silently through the trees, somehow brushing against your body from every direction at once. It feels like something alive, something clawing at your body searching for weaknesses. In this ancient place, you are not safe.

You take a few steps forward, resting your hand against an object blending into the trees. A roughly-carved wooden pole, rising a little under twice your height. Where the trees are bare, the pole has a single "branch" near its top. A plain-looking rope has been tied into a noose, swaying gently in a faint wind.

This one is unoccupied, to your relief. You'd seen enough of your agents raised on these gallows to recognize them and their maker in sight. The sound of the stands raising, the straining of wood and rope against gravity before the inevitable snap, plays in your mind as you brush your fingers against the worn wooden surface. You have to wonder how this one was raised. The third Guardian of the Black Forest creates these gallows as part of its executions. They only appear when a person's soul is sentenced to death, and by the time they appear the target is already dead.

You have no doubt, something died here. Whatever it was, it didn't leave behind a body. Your first instinct is to investigate. You have the necessary tools to search for traces, and knowing what sort of creatures exist here would help with the assault. But right now, you simply don't have the time. You need to find and destroy the marker as quickly as you can. If you're lucky, you won't even have to meet the last Bird.

You reach down to your ankle and tighten the small gold ribbon tied there, feeling its tug against your skin. If Mami's enchantments are holding, that should point you towards the marker's location. The Black Forest would never have been allowed to remain no matter how difficult it is to excise if it had grown too large, so you only have a small fraction of the Emerald City to travel through. At this rate, you'll be able to just leave a Soldier behind at the marker and move on to reinforce one of the other groups.

Reaching out past the Black Forest's boundaries and into the Emerald City, you feel for your allies' emotions. The children save for Homura are unsettled, and Argalia is unaffected. All of them have arrived successfully. You breathe a sigh of relief and stand up. Even if you have time to spare, you don't gain anything by waiting here.

Your eyes travel upward, immediately snapping to attention at the new presence in the Forest. A part of you is reeling, wondering how they moved so quickly and so quietly. Another is sifting through your reserve of weaponry, recalling whatever weaknesses you can possibly exploit. In the end, both are silenced. Panicking does no good, and you aren't here for a fight right now. But you very well might have to, and you have no assurance that you'll be the one to claim victory.

Not staring down the Judge of the Black Forest.

———————————————

Porccubus's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

 

[Lepidoptera]

Chapter 151 - We Can Do This, Can't We?

Passing through the borders of Kamihama and into the Emerald City felt horrible. The streets had begun to stretch and twist minutes ago, the buildings to either side warping along with them and fusing into solid walls of vaguely-recollected shapes. It brought to mind one of the many Barriers Mami had traversed in her time as a Magical Girl, but every Barrier had a distinct sense of surreality to it. They were so clearly unnatural that it often dulled the shock of whatever bizarre scenery they featured, letting her more easily separate them from the world she knew. This was different. The feeling of distance, of not being quite real was still there, but some traces of reality still stubbornly clung to the scenery. This was not simply some unnatural other world. Rather, the world had been warped and made unnatural. Mami could see the signs, marks on the concrete and glass as it strained against the way it was being twisted. Try as she might, but Mami could not help but have her mind drift to the question of what that same force might do to her.

Worse was the presence in the air. For the last week, maybe since X had found her, Mami had been able to feel the Grief creeping up her Soul Gem more acutely. She had always been aware of it, any Magical Girl of sufficient experience could measure their remaining store of magic, but even before learning what Grief really was she could feel it like never before. If not consciously, then at least subconsciously. She could pick out the thoughts that didn't feel like hers, the feelings that worked their way into her brain against her will. Why didn't Kyoko come back in her own if she really wanted to see you? they would ask. Is Homura still upset about how confrontational you were when you first met? How well do Sayaka and Madoka really know you?

When was the last time X told you she loved you?

Mami took those thoughts and pushed them aside. They were hers, yes, but not worth giving mind to. Whispers could be quieted easily enough. Now, there was something in the air screaming at her. Everyone will leave you. it roared. You will die alone. The unseen force was thick and heavy, and just the slightest bit warm and wet and yet rough and dry. It shifted and pressed against Mami's body as she continued forward, pulling the heat from her skin with every step. She wanted to run, to push through this horrible feeling as quickly as possible and be done with it, but years of experience against bizarre and hostile environments told her that rushing forward would only have the feeling push back even harder. Despite her efforts to turn her attention to something, anything else, Mami's mind somehow managed to catch on the passing thought that this was probably close to what it felt like to be eaten.

At least Homura was there. Mami was unsure how much of her own discomfort was visible, but the other veteran's pace had not slowed since the pair began their entry. It was odd to think that, in some forgotten time, she has taught the other veteran along with Sayaka and Madoka. The idea seemed so bizarre. Madoka was not a Magical Girl and would never need to become one, Mami's occasional offers of guidance or advice to Sayaka hardly counted as training, and the image Mami had made of Homura hardly allowed for the thought that she had ever been an inexperienced rookie. Even now, she didn't so much as flinch under the weight of the Emerald City's first line of defenses.

On the other hand, Homura had looked nearly as stoic in the fight against Nothing There a week ago. She has stood strong in the face of that monster toying with her, with all of them, right up until the last moment. Mami and the others had watched, horrified, as that mask cracked and shattered in front of everyone.

"Are you feeling all right?" Mami was surprised by how calm she sounded.

"I'm fine." Homura said. "This is bearable."

Mami hummed to herself. That was good to hear. Still, she had no way of actually telling if Homura was being honest.

"We're going to save her. Whatever challenges we have to face in there, we'll be able to overcome it together." Mami assured. Homura didn't respond, continuing her solemn march forward. The silence stretched long enough to spur Mami to speak again, hoping to ease the tension her partner was clearly feeling, but before she could open her mouth the sorrowful whispers filling the air vanished with a final shriek and the pair were left standing inside the Emerald City.

If the entrance had felt reminiscent of a Witch's Barrier, the Emerald City itself was practically indistinguishable from one. And just like the entrance, it lacked the dreamlike veneer that normally separated Barriers from reality. Mami and Homura stood atop an ornate balcony carved of pitch-black stone glittering with green crystal flecks. Larger emerald growths encrusted the building, tracing down to a street below that more resembled a hallway than an actual street. Above, a decorated palace wall took the place of a ceiling, complete with black glass windows and large crystalline statues depicting all manner of fantastical creature. Looking further, the structure only spiraled further. Buildings jutted out at impossible angles, fusing together seamlessly and yet remaining jarringly disconnected. Through a gap in the ceiling, Mami could see a dull green sky dotted with lines of black. They reminded her of constellations, only lacking any sort of shape or organization to bind them together. Focusing her gaze, she saw that it wasn't a sky at all. It was just more of the city, the black lines being the color of the street floor standing out against the gleaming emerald buildings that surrounded them.

While Mami had stood by, taking in the sight, Homura had already taken two steps forward before pausing and noticing her companion's distraction. The mechanical girl didn't turn back to address Mami, merely pausing in place with one hand on the balcony.

"We need to keep moving." Homura said, jolting Mami from her staring. The older Magical Girl felt shame and embarrassment color her face in equal measure before calling back her focus and answering her partner.

Together, the pair leapt over the railing and down into the Emerald City.

—————————

Even though Mami and Homura had only been working their way through the Emerald City for a handful of minutes, it felt as if it had been hours. Half of that was the constant stream of Familiars and other unknown creatures that steadily flooded in from every direction. Their numbers were small enough that Mami and Homura could fend them off without much effort, even if some were capable of a few tricks, but they ensured neither Magical Girl could relax for even a moment. The occasional larger, more organized group is more challenging. Even in Barriers with multiple types of Familiar, Mami isn't used to facing such a variety of opponents all at once. She was equally unused to enemies that cover for each other's weaknesses and attack in organized, intelligent formations. It wasn't totally unseen for Barriers to have structured defenses, and the Witches that had been appearing recently were more developed than average, but this level of coordination went far beyond that. Mami could hardly recall the last time she'd been challenged in such a manner. Her abilities lended themselves very well to destroying large swaths of enemies without difficulty.

Between her own capabilities and Homura's assistance, the Emerald City's defenders were unable to make much headway in spite of their tactics. The other girl may have been deprived of her ability to stop time, but she was still a veteran Magical Girl with more experience than Mami could ever truly know. She had no trouble carrying her weight.

What proved just as much of a hindrance were the traps. Invisible tripwires that sliced through anything they touched but could be walked through by the Emerald City's residents without a care, pitfalls appearing out of nowhere and threatening to vanish after swallowing their prey, and tiny symbols that exploded like land mines were just some of the defenses that had been set up. The runes in particular were tricky- not only was Mami certain that getting caught in one would do something much worse than just physical harm, but they were placed viciously. Her ribbons had initially seemed perfect for detonating the mines in advance, but that had been proven false after she had nearly been caught in a second set of mines that hadn't been set off. Homura had been the one to pull Mami out of danger, surprising her by reversing her usual technique and accelerating time around herself and Mami enough for them to clear the detonation. The pair had watched the writhing not-light of the explosion lash out and then quickly fade, dulled to a muted shade by the effects of Homura's Magic. Neither girl had spoken since they arrived.

It was some time after that the pair turned a corner, weapons drawn and eyes scanning the surroundings, only for them to stumble on a shocking sight. Propped against a corner, sword in hand, and breathing heavily, was Sayaka. Though her body was free of injuries, her hair had become matted to her face with sweat and her costume was torn and dirtied. Neither were something that could happen to a Magical Girl not nearing the limits of their abilities.

While Mami's first impulse was to rush forward to help, Homura was faster.

"Why are you here? You and Kyoko are meant to be in another part of the city." the mechanical girl said plainly, her tone not reflecting the accusation in her words. Sayaka couldn't respond immediately, waiting for her breath to slow and level out before she answered.

"We got separated. This place is built like a maze of some kind. I'm starting to think this was all a trap."

As the bluenette rose to her feet, shaking hands bracing against her sword, Mami and Homura exchanged a look.

"We can still regroup." Mami assured. "Do you have your ribbons?"

"My what?" Sayaka asked reflexively. True enough, neither of the ribbons Mami had crafted for her earlier that day were present.

Mami and Homura shared another glance, not concerned this time but resigned. The pair nodded to each other and, as one, opened fire on the person in front of them.

Mami's bullet struck her target's chest, erupting into a spray of ribbons that cocooned the person in an instant. Mami forced herself not to flinch at the sheer confusion and disbelief in her target's eyes. Fighting monsters was one thing, but fighting people was another entirely. There was no satisfaction to be had in forcing another Magical Girl to scamper away, wounded and desperate. There was no triumph in hurting somebody. It was just a necessity, and a particularly cruel one at times. And here, it was even more cruel than usual.

Homura had not been so conservative. A glowing violet bolt pierced the target's Soul Gem with practiced ease, reducing it to a fine mist of glittering blue. The girl in front of them barely had time to react, her face falling from relief to shock. A single moment of sheer and unchecked fear arose as the girl recognized what had happened just before the light in her eyes faded and she slumped stiffly backward, motionless.

The body say there for a single, horrible moment. Mami couldn't breathe. She couldn't look away. She could only stare desperately until the corpse finally relented and broke. Thin cyan lines spiderwebbed across their skin, spreading further and further until finally snapping and dismissing the entire thing into a haze of crystalline shards. Even the blood sprayed against the black stone walls behind her dissolved into glassy light.

Finally, Mami breathed a sigh of relief. It was a fake after all. X had warned the group in advance about the possibility of fake Magical Girls, but knowing it and seeing it were too wholly different things. The fake Sayaka had felt off in a way she just couldn't place at first, but after confirming that this person really wasn't Sayaka she had felt safe to open fire. Maybe not to kill or even wound, but at least disable.

The feeling of Homura shaking Mami's shoulder alerted her to the fact that she had been staring at the spot the fake Sayaka had laid for longer than she should've.

"Was it really the right decision to be so merciless?" Mami asked Homura. The other girl didn't so much as blink.

"Every second we delay, Madoka is out at risk. Distractions can't be afforded." the clockwork girl answered flatly. Mami opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't find a way to refute her partner's logic. Not that she agreed with it, but there was a certain simplicity to Homura's answer that made it hard to unravel. Madoka was in danger, so anything that got closer to freeing her was the right choice.

"I suppose you're correct. Let's keep going." Mami conceded. But even as she did, she couldn't get the image of Sayaka's lifeless eyes staring up at her out of her head.

———————————————

Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED

Need I say anything more?