Confringentur 2; a Madoka Magica / Fate/Stay Night sequel

SVS · Jan 5, 2021

[X] Plan Diplomacy (With Extra Contingency Plan)

For several moments time seems to stand still, and no one moves. Wakaba Mirai clutches the handle of her sword tightly, her eyes blazing as her gaze flits from Kyouko, to Archer, to you. For one brief moment, it appears that she might provoke Archer to strike, until twin shapes of gold appear, surrounding her; it's Saber and Assassin. Saber has drawn both of his swords; and Assassin, sensing the mood, you're sure, has conjured the specters of swords from a ring of Tiwaz runes above her head. You catch the fingers of Wakaba Mirai's hand slack in their grip, and at last she relents.

"All right, I get it," she says. "I wasn't planning on this turning into a fight to start with, so I'm fine withdrawing since I'm clearly outnumbered. Come on Rider, let's get out of here."

This doesn't sit right with you. Letting Wakaba Mirai go now, when Archer has her all but dead to rights and when Rider, Saber, and Assassin are nearby to deal with the enemy Rider swiftly, seems foolish. But if you attack and kill her now, you might lose the chance to obtain valuable information about the enemy. There has to be some kind of catch to all of this. "Oriko, I have Wakaba Mirai cornered. Sayaka and Hitomi are a safe distance away, but I need to know this isn't just a diversion so another Saint can take them out while we're occupied here."

"Give me just a moment and I'll see what I can."

You'll give Oriko the moment she needs. Instead, as the enemy Rider moves to join his master, you'll take the time to accomplish something else of importance; checking out the enemy servant with your master's vision. You've been operating under the assumption that his identity is that of Ramesses II, so it's time to see how wrong you really are.

Strength - C
Endurance - C
Agility - B
Mana - A
Luck - A+
Noble Phantasm - EX

Divinity - B
Magic Resistance - B
Riding - A+

Charisma - B
Golden Rule - EX
Imperial Privilege - A
Protection of the Sun God - A+

Ramesseum Tentyris: The Shining Great Temple Complex - EX
Taking the form of the The Great Temple Complex, the might of the Pharaoh Ramesses II is embodied in his strongest Noble Phantasm. It is the manifestation of how the glorious Pharaoh contains within his body the various Egyptian gods, thus it contains a number of mystics. It appears as a giant complex consisting spanning a great many temples and corridors, and the central pyramid, the Ramesseum Great Temple Complex, acts as the main temple and throne room. Housed within the complex are a number of powerful spells, boons for the self and for allies and curses for enemies, and all manner of phantasmal beasts from ancient Egypt prowl the complex as its guardians.

In addition, the temple's main form of attack is the Dendera Electric Bulb, a high-power wave-motion cannon capable of destroying enemy fortifications from afar. Though the Dendera Electric Bulb contains its own power supply, Rider can pour his own mana into the weapon to increase its power.

Mandjet: The Solar Boat of Millions of Years - A+
The Pharaoh Ramesses, regarded as the scion of Ra on earth, is using as his own the solar barque used by Ra during his journey across the day-time sky. Embodying the might of the sun, the Mandjet is capable of burning everything in its path with its powerful solar beams. It can also fly, naturally.

Abu el-Hol Sphinx: The Lion-Bodied Beast of the Hot Sand - A
The strongest divine beast to originate in ancient Egypt, the Great Sphinx of Giza, rendered in living flesh and stone, is summoned to the aid of the pharaohs of Egypt.

Your look into the enemy Rider confirms the team's suspicions. Ramesses II has, all things considered, fairly average physical parameters. Then you see the rest of his stats. You had been overwhelmed upon seeing Sigurd, but Ramesses II is in an entirely other category. His Luck stat, the ranks of his skills, and his Noble Phantasms are enough to put him in a class of his own.

"Akemi-san, there doesn't appear to be anyone heaing for MIki-san and Shizuki-san. They should be safe, as long as Wakaba-san doesn't try to go after them."

"Good." You needed the good news after seeing the kind of servant Wakaba Mirai has at her disposal. No wonder she was so arrogant. As much as you want the chance to remove her and Ramesses form the War as soon as possible - immediately would be preferred, naturally - looking at her servant you feel just enough doubt in your heart as to your ability to do so. "Alright," you say to her. "If you'll answer some questions for us, we'll call this win ours and let you withdraw for now."

"Are you serious?"

Similar cries of contrition go up from Saber, Assassin, and especially Kyouko, but you insist. "You saw the enemy's Rider's stats, didn't you?" you ask him. "I don't think taking him down will be easy, even if it's three-on-one. As much as I hate to say it, it's in our better interest to let her go." Your response is as much directed to Kyouko as it is to Archer. You know she must want to finish the fight her opponent started, but you also know she must have seen the enemy Rider's stats.

Wakaba Mirai shrugs. "I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter, do I?" The roll of her eyes tells you all you need to know. She's just as confident in her servant's abilities as you are. "Go ahead, ask me anything."

"Why are you girls so interested in fighting us?"

"Anything but that."

You're going to treat anything that is a direct answer as Wakaba Mirai rejecting your offer to let her go. "Is there a reason you don't want to answer that?" However, you aren't above letting something go if forcing it gives you a chance for a more direct answer.

"What's the point in stating the obvious? You girls should know what you've done."

"I think the fact that I'm asking is indication enough that we don't know what we've done."

"So you're not the one I should be talking to, then." Wakaba MIrai is wearing your patience thin. "Bring out the person responsible for bypassing the Incubator's system, then. Maybe she will know what I'm talking about." But maybe you should keep giving her chances. She did give you something quite useful to work with just now.

"That would be me, actually," you say. Wakaba Mirai gives you a dirty look. "If your side was interested in finding a way around giving your Grief Seeds to the Incubator, we would have listened if you hadn't attacked us. Maybe we can still be persuaded to come to an arrangement if you'll agree to cease hostilities."

"Oh yeah, like that's a smart idea. Just hand our Soul Gems over to you girls, why don't we? As soon as we do, Mikuni will just tear them apart to find out how we tick."

"That's rich, coming from your side," you say. Infuriating, but you are getting somewhere; aren't you? You have, as far as you can tell, narrowed the enemy's reasons for fighting you down to two major articles; a way to bypass the Incubator's system, and an apparent grievance against Mikuni Oriko. You want to shake your head. Even after this much time has passed, Oriko is still suffering for her mistakes back then. The same mistake these girls have made, allegedly. "Hijiri Kanna told us what you've been up to."

"Did she now? I always told Niko her little pet project would come back to bite us in the ass one day."

"We're getting off topic," you say, hoping to get a clearer picture of things. "I've appreciated the information you've given me, but I'm afraid I have to insist on a direct answer this time. Why is your side fixated on attacking mine?"

"It's really quite simple, isn't it?" Clearly not, or you wouldn't be having this conversation. "You, specifically, are the one responsible for finding a workaround to the Incubator's system. That makes you directly responsible for the damage those fake witches have done to Asunaro; and since we're in need of Soul Gems, it only makes sense to use yours! That way, we keep our city safe and we get more material for Niko to work with! Two birds with one stone!" So many parts of Wakaba Mirai's response stick out at you, that you barely have time to react when she declares "Rider! Use your Noble Phantasm and get us out of here!"

"As you wish, my master." Rider raises his crook towards the sky, and he bellows out "Come to me, O boat of millions of years! Mandjet!"

Archer looses his arrows on Wakaba Mirai, but his volley is blocked by the arrival of a great vessel. Made of wood and decorated with gold and blue and red, the massive ship weathers the storm of Archer's arrows, which bounce off its sturdy hull. Archer disappears from your field of view, and you can feel the pull of his mana as he makes for a better sniping spot several kilometers away, but by the time he gets into position it may already be too late. The ship - it definitely is a ship, but clearly it isn't meant for the water - lifts up into the sky, raining down brilliant lances of sunlight as Wakaba Mirai and her servant make their escape. Assassin looses her swords, and off in the distance you an see a burning black sword racing towards the vessel. The swords make contact, but the ship is stronger, and soon Wakaba Mirai, her servant Rider, and their flying ship, are out of range.

You don't know how long it takes for your mind to stop racing; maybe it's still racing when Kyouko approaches, asking "So, like, what the fuck was that?"

[ ] What the fuck was that?

SVS · Jan 6, 2021

[X] Plan Holy Ra What Was That!?

You don't know how long it takes for your mind to stop racing; maybe it's still racing when Kyouko approaches, asking "So, like, what the fuck was that?"

What the fuck was that? "I really don't know," you say. "The enemy Rider being ridiculously overpowered, apparently."

"Yeah, tell me about it." When the coast appears to be as clear as it'll ever be, you and Kyouko let your battle costumes slough off, returning you to your usualy school uniforms. "Fucking Christ, Spooky, that Rider'a theirs is really something else, ain't he? I mean, I'm sure you saw all the ridiculous bullshit he was packing, right?"

You nod your head. "Yeah," you say. A part of you wonders why Kyouko or Kirika never bothered to look at the enemy Rider two nights ago; you silence that part of you when you remind yourself that they probably didn't have time to be looking in his direction back then. "We should tell the others what we're up against."

Yeah." Seeing that their parts have been played, Saber and Assassin vanish, leaving only Archer and Rider. "Speaking of, d'you have any clue what the fuck that bitch was talking about back there? Something about you being responsible fer the damage witches have been doing ta their city? Izzat right?"

"I wouldn't know anything about it. As far as I was aware, we've managed to stop those fake witches before they could leave Mitakihara, so if Asunaro is having problems with them then I don't think it's any of our faults." That isn't entirely true. You never did find out where all the Grief goes after Archer and Lancer are through cleaning your Grief Seeds. For all you know, that could be responsible. "Archer, are you absolutely sure that the way we've been disposing of our Grief through that short sword of yours is safe? Is there any chance, any at all, that Wakaba Mirai's accusations have any truth to them?"

"As far as I'm aware, yes, it should be a completely safe method for disposing of Grief," Archer says. "However, I can check with Caster later tonight if you absolutely need to be certain."

"Please." After leaving Archer to check in with Caster, you then take up the arduous task of informing the others as to what just happened. "Girls, I've got some bad news. Kyouko and I just had an encounter with Wakaba Mirai, where we got a good look at her Rider servant. It's... It's bad."

You pass the information gleaned from your master's vision along to the others, to predictable results. "And this is the servant who has a class advantage over Caster," Tomoe-san says. "This is not good. I hope we can come up with a way to defeat him. I'll speak with Caster to see if he has any ideas."

"And I'll speak with Lancer," Oriko says. "I relayed the enemy Rider's description to her, and she said he sounds familiar to the Rider servant from her War. I'll see if I can get something useful out of her."

"Please. While I have you," you say to Oriko, "Can we talk about Hitomi? I want to discuss whether there's a way we can improve her ability to supply Saber with mana, and I know you might be able to help me with that."

"Of course. I can be at your apartment in about an hour and a half, if you would like to speak in person."

You'll look forward to seeing Oriko in an hour and a half, then. You sigh; you ducked out of archery practice to deal with this, so if you went back now you probably would only catch the tail end of practice. Maybe you could walk Madoka home from her club if you made it in time; but other than that your options to fill the time are limited. "We should go catch up with Sayaka and Hitomi," you say to Kyouko. "I got the okay for their safety awhile back, but we should still go check on them, just to make sure."

"Yeah." You don't know how she does it, but Kyouko manages to track the pair down in no time at all. In hindsight, she was probably communicating with Sayaka via telepathy. "S'up?" she asks, waving the pair down as soon as she spots them. "You doing okay?"

Sayaka shakes as she nods her head. "That was one of them, wasn't it?" she asks; Kyouko nods. "She summoned... Freaking teddy bears from nothing. Man, if Madoka had been here... How do you girls even do half of the crap that you do?"

"Fucking magic; how's it s'pposed ta work?" Kyouko pats her girlfriend on the shoulder before pulling her into an embrace. You don't offer the same affection to Hitomi, but you have no problem offering her a helping hand. "Half'a the shit we deal with wouldn't make sense if ya were on every drug all at once." Hitomi casts a disapproving eye towards Kyouko for that remark, but Kyouko doesn't seem to care. "Anyway, we managed ta chase her off. You and Seaweed should be safe."

You could hardly call the results of that battle a 'chasing off'. Wakaba Mirai retreated, but she could have just as easily continued fighting, had she been in the mood. Still, you don't want to scare Sayaka if she doesn't need to be. "Kyouko, you should take Sayaka home. I'll take Hitomi; there's something I'd like to talk to her about."

"Way ahead of ya." Kyouko wraps her arm around Sayaka's shoulder. "Come on Blueberry, let's finish our homework real quick so I can whoop yer ass in Mario Kart."

"In your dreams."

"Your dreams, maybe. In my dreams, Blueberry, yer naked."

The pair walk off, leaving a horrified Hitomi no recourse but to stare in disbelief at Kyouko's indescretion. It takes several moments before Hitomi finds it in her to compose herself. "Well, I believe that's the first time Sakura-san has ever admitted... That." Apparently, she's still a little off despite her best efforts. "Anyway, you wanted to speak with me about something, Akemi-san?"

"In about an hour and a half, Oriko is going to be meeting me so we can discuss ways to increase your output of mana. I was wondering if you would be able to join us?"

"Perhaps when we all meet up later tonight. I'd love to stay and discuss magecraft with you two, but I should head home to work on my schoolwork first. I apologise."

"No, it's fine. As long as we're able to talk about this before the next time we have to fight those girls." You walk Hitomi the rest of the way home, and you have an hour and a half before Oriko arrives to talk magic with you. Hopefully you can manage to have a productive conversation.

"... So, the theory isn't perfect, but I think if we were to use your Inguz rune, we could find a way to, how did you put it; 'hold hands' with Shizuki-san's magic circuits." You nod; 'hold hands' was indeed the way you described that particular ability of your Inguz rune. "That would allow you to use your mana to help support Shizuki-san."

You and Oriko are seated around the table in your living room, where the two of you have been going back and forth on ways to make the load borne by Hitomi easier. "But what about the additional strain that would put on my own magic circuits?" you ask. "If my magic circuits are already supporting Archer and myself, how easy is it going to be for me to also help Hitomi support Saber?"

"If one of you were willing, perhaps I could use Othala to give one of you an artificial magic crest? That might make the burden easier, but I would have to give some thought as to how best to construct the crest so as to get the most out of it."

"Well, it's something to consider, at any rate. I'm sure either Archer or Tohsaka-san could also help us brainstorm; and we should also ask Hitomi when we see her later tonight. For all we know, she might be working on a solution of her own that we're unaware of." *Ding dong* You look up from the work you and Oriko are doing as the sound of the doorbell reaches your ears. "Archer, can you get the door?"

Your father brokers no complaint as he makes for the door. You hear it opening, and shortly after you hear the sound of Minako's voice saying "Look who I ran into at the train station."

You can feel the impact of someone crashing into Archer, before you hear Kirika's voice saying "Missed you, daddy," as you poke your head out of the living room. "So, what's for dinner? It's salmon, right?"

"You've seen me every night this week," Archer says, offering only token resistance as Kirika hugs him. "Of course dinner is salmon; you asked for it, remember? I picked up some really good salmon a little after lunch."

Kirika gives Archer one final squeeze before she breaks, taking a moment to hang up her dark blue school uniform jacket and take her shoes off before she and Minako make their entrance in full. "Hey Homura," Kirika says, waving to you as she loosens the red tie around her neck, before greeting you with a hug as she asks "So... About that pink bitch's Rider; it's pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah, it's pretty bad," you say. Gesturing in the direction of the living room, you add "Come on in, Oriko and I were in the process of-"

"Oriko's here?" Kirika's eyes light up as soon as she hears her lover's name, and she races into the living room. You follow closely behind, but in the few seconds that pass between when Kirika enters the living room and when you do, she has already locked lips with Oriko. Your eyes are drawn - uncomfortably so - to the motion of their tongues which are so obvious inside their mouths as they kiss; are you just noticing it now, given what you and she talked about earlier, or is she making it intentionally obvious on purpose? "You see that?" Kirika asks you as she and Oriko break their kiss. "I hope you did; 'cause that is how you kiss your girlfriend."

She was doing it intentionally, then.

Before you can comment on Kirika's aggressive display of affection, you are interrupted for a second time. "Ah, Oriko, you're here. Are you staying for dinner?" Minako asks, as she joins her daughter and you in the living room. "I think we've got enough to make something for you, if you wanted."

"Please please please stay for dinner!" Kirika begs.

Can Oriko stay for dinner?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Over dinner, do you
[ ] Talk
-[ ] to Archer
-[ ] to Minako
-[ ] to Amy
-[ ] to Kirika
-[ ] to Oriko (only if Oriko is staying for dinner)
--[ ] About what? (write-in)

SVS · Jan 7, 2021

Thursday, 7 January, 2021.

A hazy, white sun broke through the window of the darkened bedroom, stirring twenty-three-year-old Akemi Homura to wake. As she pulled herself up into a seated position, another body stirred beside her; her wife of nearly three years, twenty-four-year-old Kaname Madoka. Her pink eyes opened, and their eyes met. "Morning, sleepyhead," Homura said, leaning down to kiss her wife good morning. "Did you sleep well?"

Madoka nodded, the movement of her head rustling her pink locks against the pillow. "What about you, Homura-chan?"

"Of course I did." Homura glanced over to the clock on the bedside table, grinning as she read the early hour. "You know, we've still got some time before we have to get ready, if you wanted to..."

"Didn't you get your fill last night?" Madoka asked.

Homura leaned in once more, eliciting a giggle from Madoka as she nibbled on her wife's ear. "I can't help it; you're just so delicious. I'm going to eat you whole one of these days, Madoka." As Homura spoke, her hand slid under the covers, fingers tracing the smooth-shaven contours of her wife's lower parts. "But for now, there's only one part of you I'm interested in eating…"

Madoka giggled again. "When did you get to be such a tease, Homura-chan?" she asked. "You were never this bold when we were younger."

"That's not a 'no' I'm hearing…"

Forty-five minutes later, a fevered knocking at the bedroom door disrupted the pair. "Bigger Big Sis, Auntie Madoka, wake up! Dad's making breakfast!"

The pair hastily threw on their pajamas, and Homura opened the door to greet the interloper. You wouldn't have guessed it by looking at him, but the five-year-old boy standing in her doorway was, in fact, the son of her father, even though the two looked almost nothing alike. "Morning, Kerry," she said to the boy.

Five-year-old Emiya Kiritsugu, son of Homura's adopted parents Emiya Shirou and Emiya Minako - formerly Kure Minako, and the mother of Homura's older sister - pouted as he stared up at the younger of his two older sisters. "You two were doing grown-up stuff again, weren't you?"

Homura didn't acknowledge her younger brother's accusation, because it was entirely true. But poking her head out of the bedroom beside Homura was Madoka, who greeted the boy with a cheerful "Good morning, Kerry-chan."

The boy, already thoroughly tired of standing around while his sister and sister-in-law did grown-up stuff, huffed, raising his voice as he said "Come on already! Dad's making pancakes and mom said I can't eat until you two get up."

Homura and Madoka did as the boy instructed, following him into the kitchen where Homura's parents were already settled in, a stack of pancakes piled high on the kitchen table. "Good morning, sleepyheads," Homura's father - Emiya Shirou, though better known by the moniker of 'Archer' to those who knew him - said. "Hope you two worked up an appetite, because I think I made a bit too many." Archer's words didn't fail to elicit a blush from the pair.

When Homura and Madoka had gotten married, Archer and Minako had moved into the upstairs apartment in order to give the newlyweds their space. That didn't stop the family from coming together for meals each day, and breakfast, as cooked by Archer, was no exception today. "I hope we weren't too loud," Homura said. Though that would be fitting payback, now that Homura thought about it.

"You were fine," Archer said. "No louder than I'm sure Minako and I were when you were younger."

Everyone settled down into breakfast after that; the pancakes were delicious, as to be expected of their creator. "So Madoka," Minako said. "Remind me again what your friends are up to these day? I haven't seen Hitomi in years; are you girls still friends?"

"Mhm, me and Hitomi-chan are still friends," Madoka said. "She's still studying magecraft in London. She was taking winter courses, last I heard, and I think she said she's got… One year left?" Madoka looked to Homura for confirmation; Homura nodded her head. "She's going for her Master's, and hopefully she'll be able to come home by summer of next year so she can get married."

"She must be so lonely, spending so much time in a foreign country by herself," Minako said. "I hope she's managed to adjust."

"I'm sure she's fine," Homura said. "We've been speaking regularly, and from the sound of things HItomi's managed to make friends with a few of her classmates and most of her flatmates. Besides, even if she hadn't, Hitomi's a strong girl. I'm sure she would have been fine no matter what."

Minako nodded. "I'm sure you've already told me, but what field is Hitomi getting her Master's in again? It must have slipped my mind the last time you old me."

"Material Transmutations and Alchemy. She's studying under a professor by the name of Musik, if I'm not mistaken. I believe that was the name Hitomi gave me."

"She's certainly an ambitious one, that girl," Archer said. "Tohsaka trained her well. What about you two? You've only got two months left before you're both done, right?"

Madoka nods enthusiastically. "Mhm! I can't wait to go out and find a job once I'm done with school." Turning to Homura, Madoka added "You're so lucky, Homura-chan. You've got a job lined up with mama right out of school."

"And then you'll be working alongside me," Minako said. "Man, I just hope nobody accuses Junko-san of nepotism, putting us both to work under her like this."

"What about Tomoe?" Archer asked. "Is she still having trouble finding a nice man to settle down with?"

"Unfortunately," Madoka said. "I really thought her last boyfriend was going to be the one, too." Madoka shook her head. "I just don't get it. Tomoe-san is one of the nicest girls I know. She's smart, and kind, and she's really pretty, so why can't she find a guy who's good enough to marry?"

"Who knows?" Minako asked. Turning to Archer she said "It took me seven years to find this handsome stud; maybe she just needs a bit more time."

"Still, it is unfair that she's the only one out of all her friends to be single," Archer said. "Even Sayaka and Kyouko have had better luck than her; and they fight all the time." Archer turned to both Madoka and Homura, asking either of them "How many times have they broken up and gotten back together over the stupidest things? I think I lost count after their tenth breakup."

"Your count isn't too far off, then," Homura said. "I think they're on breakup number fifteen. I'm sure they'll be back together in a week or two once they've had time to clear their heads and admit that whoever was wrong was wrong."

The youngest at the table rolled his eyes, declaring "Your friends are bo~ring. I want to see Little Big Sis and Auntie Oriko again! Why'd they gotta live so far away?"

"Shirome's only an hour away," Minako said. "We can visit Kirika and Oriko any time you'd like."

"Yeah, but an hour's like, forever away!"

"Maybe we'll invite them over for dinner during the weekend," Archer said, rustling his son's hair and causing the boy to huff in frustration. "I'm sure they'd love to see you again."

"Speaking of Kirika, she was planning on going back to school in March, wasn't she?" Homura asked. "At least, that was what she told me the last time we spoke. Did she mention anything about it to either of you?"

Minako shook her head. "No, she hadn't mentioned anything to me. Maybe it's something she only decided on recently?" Homura shrugged. "Did she say what she wanted to go back to school for?"

"I believe she said she wanted to be an, um, relationship counselor." Homura cast a careful eye towards her younger brother. His presence was the only thing keeping Homura from being more adult with her description of her older sister's plans. "So I imagine she'll be looking into psychology courses. Personally, I think she's better suited to that than she was to her first choice."

"And is Oriko still studying law, or did she decide to change course as well?" Homura nodded. "That's good," Minako said. "I think she'll do a great job."

"I suppose after what her father did, becoming a criminal prosecutor was the only thing she could think of to redeem her family's name," Archer said. "Personally, between going to law school or seminary school, I think she made the right choice. We could all do with a few less Yakuza in this country."

*Mew*

The final member of the Akemi-and-others household made her presence known. Amy was getting on in years, but somehow still seemed as spry as she had always been. "Did we forget to put breakfast out for you, Amy?" Madoka asked, leaning down to scratch behind the cat's ears. "I'm sorry. I'll get you something right away." Excusing herself from the table, Madoka made for the pantry and fished out some food for Amy, which she poured out along with some fresh water in Amy's two bowls. "There you go, Amy, eat up."

Breakfast conversation to follow was light; Minako's work and what Homura could expect one she was done with school; Madoka's own plans; whether little Kerry was looking forward to attending school in March. When breakfast concluded, Homura was the first to excuse herself from the kitchen table. "I'll help dad with the dishes as soon as I've showered and changed," she said.

With the smell of breakfast behind her, Homura sauntered off to the bathroom to take her shower. Ten years. Ten years ago, Homura would never have imagined that she would be fortunate enough to spend the rest of her life surrounded by people she loved. She had a family again; a father and a mother, things she hadn't had in so long it hurt to think about how much their absence didn't hurt. She had an older sister, and a sister-in-law. She had a younger brother; for years, Kirika had been her Big Sis; now, it was her turn to be the Big Sis to someone else. She had a wife; Madoka was such an amazing girl; and now, Madoka was hers, as sure as the sun rising in the east.

"It was all worth it," Homura said to herself, sighing contentedly as the warm water struck her body. "It was all worth it, if it means I get to wake up each morning and see Madoka's smiling face. Thank you. I don't know who's listening, but whoever you are; thank you."

SVS · Jan 7, 2021

[X] Plan Fish And Souls

Before you can comment on the aggressive display of affection which Kirika has subjected you to viewing, you are interrupted for a second time. "Ah, Oriko, you're here. Are you staying for dinner?" Minako asks, as she joins her daughter and you in the living room. "I think we've got enough to make something for you, if you wanted."

"Please please please stay for dinner!" Kirika begs.

Oriko looks to Minako, then to Kirika, and then to you. You nod; if she wants to stay for dinner, you would have no complaints. "Oh, I suppose I can stay for dinner," she says, seeing that all are accepting of her presence. "I hate to impose on Archer by asking him to make a vegetarian dish on my behalf, but if everyone is fine with having me, then I suppose I won't complain."

"Oh, nonsense," Archer says as he pokes his head into the living room. "I had a feeling you might be staying for dinner, so I had plans to make a few more vegetarian dishes just for you. Are gyoza okay?"

"Gyoza would be lovely, Archer."

Ten minutes later, gyoza is just one of the many dishes Archer has prepared. You see the aforementioned gyoza, sautéed shimeji mushrooms, an omellete with chopped peppers; and of course, the salmon and mushrooms baked in foil. With a call of "Alright everyone, dinner's on!" the kitchen is filled. Archer takes a seat beside Minako, and you take what could reasonably be called the 'head' of the table so Kirika can sit next to Oriko. "Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu!"

Oriko takes a few moments longer to say grace over her gyoza, breaking to reach for the mushrooms and a slice of the omellete to add to her plate. "Everything looks wonderful as always, Archer, thank you very much."

"Not a problem," Archer says. "It's the least I could do to accommodate one of my future daughters-in-law."

"Hey, Kirika," you say, catching your sister's attention before she's able to lose it watching Oriko eat. "So, earlier today, Madoka asked if she could wear my Soul Gem for a bit, and I said yes. I was wondering, is that something you and Oriko have ever done before?"

"Oh yeah, all the time," Kirika replies. "It's really hot, isn't it?"

So maybe it wasn't just you, if Kirika gets hot whenever she lets Oriko wear her Soul Gem. "Yeah," you say, nodding your head. "Everyone kept asking me if I was feeling alright; and I admit, it was a lot warmer than I expected, so-"

"No, no, I meant like hot hot. You know, intimate, sexy, that sort of thing. When Oriko and I do it, it's like we're hugging each other's souls, and it's super hot. What are you talking about?"

"Well, I thought you meant hot literally. As in, temperature-wise. When I let Madoka wear my Soul Gem, I felt really hot." You look over to Archer, and to Oriko; if anyone would know why you felt that way, it would be one of those two. "Is that normal?"

"I'm not entirely sure if that's a normal reaction just between two puella magi," Archer says, his eyes darting between Oriko and Kirika. "But for you, you basically let a walking leyline wear your soul. It wouldn't really surprise me if the exposure was what caused your magic circuits to feel like they were overheating."

"Wait a second..." Minako speaks up, looking at you with an uncomfortable gaze. "So, you let Madoka... Wear your soul?" As soon as she says that, it's as if something clicks in her mind, and her eyes immediately shoot to Oriko and Kirika as well; "And you two have done that regularly as well? Am I the only one who thinks this all sounds kind of... Weird?"

"Eh-heh, yeah." You sheepishly laugh at Minako's accusation. "Now that you say it like that, it does sound kind of strange, doesn't it?" Minako nods, and you have to admit, if you were in her shoes and had only a passing at best knowledge of what magic is like, then you would also find things like wearing your soul to be a little unusual. But, to change topics to something more pleasant, you ask Minako "So, you'll be done with your first year of university in March, right? Do you know how well you're doing?"

"I've been doing better," Minako says. "When I started, it was really difficult readjusting to being back in school while also juggling working for Junko-san, but I'd like to think I've managed to get into the swing of things It's really fun, actually, when the workload on both ends isn't overwhelming." Minako leans in to Archer, smiling for him as she adds "Of course, I'm so glad I've got a supportive boyfriend and two great daughters; it really makes everything I'm doing feel worthwhile."

You nod. "We're all happy to see you moving up in the world," you say to Minako. "Who knows? Maybe one day, you'll be in Junko-san's position, giving some down-on-their-luck single mother the chance they need to get a leg up." Minako smiles at your words; and while you've got family on your mind... You turn to Oriko next, and ask her "Speaking of family, what are your relatives in Italy like? You've only ever given us little tidbits; I'm sure we'd all like to hear more about them."

"Well, where should I begin?" Oriko asks. "There's my great-aunt Sophia, she's Caren-san's grandmother. There's my aunt Maria and my uncle Antonio; they're not really my aunt and uncle, of course, but it's easier to call them that than to call them my whatever-cousin-however-many-times-removed. They're the ones who raised Caren-san after her mother died. They've also got two adorable little boys of their own."

"They're a lot of fun!" Kirika chimes in. "When I went with Oriko last summer, playing with them made me really want to have kids with Oriko one day."

Oriko nods. "I thought they wouldn't approve of my relationship with Kirika, since Caren-san told me they're all very devout, but they had no problems with her at all. They're really all very nice people."

"What sort of things do you do when you go to visit them?"

"It depends. During the week, I'll help them with shopping, or working in the garden, cooking lunch and dinner, or taking care of the kids if Maria or Antonio need a break. Sometimes we'll go into town and just go sightseeing." Oriko's eyes light up as she speaks about her family and her time in Italy. "Florence is such a beautiful city, you know, and there's so much to do I think I'd still be finding new things even if I spent the rest of my life there."

"We saw a painting of a naked lady in a museum!" Kirika exclaims. "I think Oriko has bigger boobs than she did, though."

Oriko laughs, saying "That was Botticelli's Birth of Venus. We saw it when we visited the Uffizi Gallery." Another smile, before Oriko's voice takes on a more solemn tone, and she said "Then, every Sunday morning, we'll all get up and go to church together. When we get home, Aunt Maria and I always make a big lunch for everyone, and we take the rest of the day off to spend time with one another."

"It sounds like you really enjoy the time you spend in Italy," you say. "Have you ever considered moving there to live with them permanently?"

"I've thought about it," Oriko replies. "Since my grandmother was an Italian national, I should be able to easily get Italian citizenship. But I don't know if I'd want to leave everything else behind and run off to Italy to live with family I only see twice a year. I love them, dearly, but I've got too many roots already settled here in Japan, and pulling them all up would be quite difficult." Oriko smiles, adding "But I think I might consider purchasing a little summer home in Italy when I'm older; somewhere romantic Kirika and I could run away to if we ever wanted to get away from it all for a few weeks."

*Mew*

Even though Amy has dinner and water sitting in her bowls, it clearly isn't enough, not when the scent of Archer's cooking is there to tempt her. "Oh, all right," you say. You tear off a bit of fish with your chopsticks, making sure not to pass along any of the onion the fish was cooked with as you give the small treat to Amy. "But only because you're such a good girl, understand?" Without complaint, Amy takes the fish from you, and both you and she return to your dinners.

Light conversation over dinner continues, until Kirika decides to ruin everything by asking "Hey mom, can I get my lip pierced?"

"Absolutely not," Minako says, shutting down Kirika's attempt to be rebellious before an attempt can even be made. "Why would you even ask that?"

"What about my tongue? Nobody would see it, and-"

"-And when you chipped your tooth it would cost us a fortune in dental bills." Again, Minako shuts Kirika down. "One of my coworker's sons chipped their tooth on his girlfriend's tongue piercing, and it cost them almost three-hundred-thousand Yen to fix. That money is supposed to be going towards your education, not yours or Oriko's dental bills."

"Then what about my bellybutton? Nobody would see it except for me and Oriko, and it wouldn't cause you to spend a fortune getting my teeth fixed if something happened. Or what about my-"

"Absolutely not." Minako shakes her head, sighing deeply as she says to Kirika "Why don't you just tell me what it is you actually want, instead of trying to haggle me down from something you know I'll just say no to?"

You can see the look of defeat on Kirika's face as Minako figures out her plan. She reaches a hand up to her ear, running her fingers along the upper edge as she says "My ears. I want to get the kind that clamp around the ear, right here at the top."

"It's my fault, Minako-san," Oriko says. "We were watching a movie the other night, and one of the actresses had her ears pierced like that. I said to Kirika I thought she might look cute with something similar, but I really didn't think she would take me seriously."

"Of course I'd take you seriously!" Kirika says. "If you think there's something I'd look cute in, then I've gotta get it!" Your sister makes the biggest puppy-dog eyes you think you've ever seen a human capable of making, and she asks Minako "Can I get my ears pierced? Ple~ase?"

"Absolutely not," Minako says for a third time. So, even after being haggled down from lip, tongue, bellybutton, and whatever else Kirika would have tried asking for, Minako still says no. "Your father and I have spent enough money on you already. We bought you that really nice jacket for your birthday, and that was only a week ago. I know we've got it better than we used to, but we're not made of money, you know. I can't afford to be buying you jewellery on top of everything else." Kirika deflates, appearing as defeated as Oriko looked when Nurse Ortensia refuted her the previous night. "I'm sorry, I know you want to look cute for your girlfriend, but I'm trying to save our money so you've got enough to go to a decent university."

Do you
[ ] Agree with Minako's decision
[ ] Try to convince Minako to change her mind
-[ ] Actually, you want to get your ears pierced too

[ ] After dinner, what needs to be discussed
-[ ] with Hitomi
-[ ] with Tomoe-san
-[ ] with Kyouko
-[ ] with Oriko
-[ ] with Kirika
-[ ] with Nurse Ortensia
--[ ] About what? (write-in)

[ ] Other (write-in)

[Archer] Do you
[ ] Agree with Minako's decision
[ ] Try to convince Minako to change her mind

[ ] After dinner, what needs to be discussed
-[ ] with Saber
-[ ] with Lancer
-[ ] with Rider
-[ ] with Caster
-[ ] with Assassin
-[ ] with Berserker
--[ ] About what? (write-in)

[ ] Other (write-in)

SVS · Jan 8, 2021

[X] Plan This Is A Briefing, Not A Get-together

Your sister makes the biggest puppy-dog eyes you think you've ever seen a human capable of making, and she asks Minako "Can I get my ears pierced? Ple~ase?"

"Absolutely not," Minako says for a third time. So, even after being haggled down from lip, tongue, bellybutton, and whatever else Kirika would have tried asking for, Minako still says no. "Your father and I have spent enough money on you already. We bought you that really nice jacket for your birthday, and that was only a week ago. I know we've got it better than we used to, but we're not made of money, you know. I can't afford to be buying you jewellery on top of everything else." Kirika deflates, appearing as defeated as Oriko looked when Nurse Ortensia refuted her the previous night. "I'm sorry, I know you want to look cute for your girlfriend, but I'm trying to save our money so you've got enough to go to a decent university."

Your eyes dart to Archer, to see whether he agrees with Minako or attempts to override her; no discernible reaction from dad, then. "I agree with mom," you say. "With the way our bodies regenerate, do you even know how your ears would react to being pierced? It's just a tiny pinprick; for all you know, your ears might regenerate before you even have a chance to enjoy how cute you look, and then it would just be a waste of money."

"So, if I can prove that my ears won't regenerate, will you change your mind and help me convince mom?"

"I'm not saying that." If Kirika is able to provide proof, would it be hypocritical of you to support Minako not wanting Kirika to get her ears pierced, while also considering getting your own ears pierced? If you're thinking of getting them pierced because Madoka thought you would look good, is that any different from what Kirika is doing? Well, you and your Big Sis are very much alike when it comes to your feelings for your respective girlfriends, after all.

Kirika pouts, and you wonder if you have to spend the weekend hiding all the safety pins and thumbtacks you can find, to keep her from hurting herself in an attempt to 'prove' something to you. Hopefully your Big Sis is smarter than that.

All the while Oriko sits beside her girlfriend, awkwardly picking at her food while she tries to pretend this conversation isn't happening.

"Earlier today, I let everyone know that the enemy Rider was bad news. Well, I'm here to let you all know that it's worse, arguably, than what I told you."

Late into the evening, the seven masters of Mitakihara convene, once again in the Tomoe apartment. Hopefully this will be one of the last nights that Tomoe-san has to host everyone, but the alternative is moving seven people more than an hour's distance to the Mikuni mansion in Shirome. With Oriko already in Mitakihara, it only makes sense to host everyone here, even if Tomoe-san must be at her wit's end having to host everyone for so many nights in a row.

Kyouko nods with your words, adding "Guy's pretty fucking insane, actually. He's got this huge flying boat that shoots lasers and shit. All our attacks just bounced right off the side of the fucking thing."

"And more than that, even. His physical parameters aren't much to speak of; he's a slightly bulkier version of our Caster, if I had to make the comparison, but it's his skills and Noble Phantasms that terrify me. First-" You look to Kyouko, before letting your eyes wander to the rest of the team. "The enemy Rider has a decent rank in Divinity, meaning he's able to harm our Rider. It would have been nice if his invulnerability could carry us to victory against the enemy faction, but with both the enemy Saber and Rider servants being able to harm him, I don't see that happening. He also has an EX-ranked skill; again, similar to Caster. I don't know what power or ability that skill gives him, but it's something whose power level we should be aware of. Then, there are his Noble Phantasms..."

The others, minus Kyouko, are all staring at you with rapt attention. Kyouko, having seen the same servant as you through her own master's vision, instead chooses to stuff her face with snacks while all eyes are watching you and not the snacks in question. "He has three; the first, as Kyouko mentioned, is a flying boat. It's ranked as an A+ Noble Phantasm, so I imagine nothing but our strongest armaments will do more than scratch the finish. He has the ability to summon a sphinx, though he didn't use this when we fought. His third Noble Phantasm is the one that frightens me the most."

You try your best to outline the massive temple complex described as an EX-ranked Noble Phantasm by your master's vision; but to be honest, there's so much you have trouble making your description anywhere near concise. What do they want from you? It's a massive temple complex, stuffed to bursting with curses, what might be the world of magecraft's equivalent to witches, and a powerful laser cannon that sends eerily familiar chills up your spine. What if it's like the beam weapon fired by Walpurgisnacht?

"I am not looking forward to having to deal with the enemy Rider's temple complex," you say as you finish describing the behemoth Noble Phantasm as best you can. "Frankly, I don't even know how we would go about defeating it if the enemy were to use it against us, and thinking about it inspires no confidence in me. It inspires even less confidence in me knowing that the enemy servant most comparable to our Caster in terms of power and versatility has a class advantage over him."

"It's not as if we're entirely out of options," Archer says. "I've got at least one idea for how we can put a nail in the enemy Rider's coffin. Granted, it would probably be a good idea to see if there's anything he can do to get out of anti-divine traps once we see how his kit works in practice, but we're not completely lost."

"Indeed," Caster says. "Though pitting me against a servant of comparable might is disadvantageous when that servant is advantaged over my own class, I as well have a weapon at my disposal which might work to ensnare the enemy Rider. If he can be contained, then we can pierce him and kill him easily."

"That's assuming he doesn't have any way of pulling a fast one on us," Archer says. "At any rate, it'll be smarter to see what he's able to do when he goes all-out so we can get a better picture of what we can do to him."

"If I might offer a suggestion-" Well, this is news to you; Lancer is speaking up. "I have encountered before the Rider servant which haunts you. To defeat him was no easy task in my War. It took no fewer than three servants, myself included, and required the aid of one who you-" Lancer looks to Archer; why? "-must know well. The Caster servant of my War was the same man whose sword you use to aid our masters in refreshing their Grief Seeds. In the battle against that Rider, I used a brilliant red stone which Caster had created in order to neutralise the the temple's curses. Perhaps this is another approach for us to consider?"

"Sorry, I'm just having trouble comprehending what you just said," Archer says to Lancer. "You're telling me, that not only was the Caster of your War the Paracelsus, but he also gave you a Philosopher's Stone to use against the same enemy Rider we're all now freaking out over. "Lancer nods her head. "Forgive me for being incredulous. That's just a bit too perfect to be coincidental."

"Speaking of that sword, Wakaba Mirai named me as the reason the Saints have chosen to fight us," you say, to the surprise of everyone except the people who had been there earlier in the day. "Specifically, she claims that my use of Inguz to facilitate our re-use of Grief Seeds was responsible for Asunaro also falling victim to attacks by fake witches. Archer assures me that our method for refreshing Grief Seeds is safe, so I was hoping to receive confirmation of that." You look to Caster, hoping he might be able to confirm.

"Well?" Archer asks of Caster. "I'm pretty sure the way we do it shouldn't be spawning any fake witches, but if anyone could tell us otherwise, it'd be you."

Caster nods, taking a few moments to contemplate before returning to reality and saying "While your chosen method for disposing of Grief is a sound one, the accusations of Wakaba Mirai are not without their own validity." What? That doesn't make sense; Caster just said your method was safe. "Asunaro has suffered damages by our fake witches. They first appeared in Asunaro a day after they first appeared in Mitakihara, but their appearances have ceased as of four nights ago."

"That doesn't make any sense," Oriko says. "We know those witches are coming from the place where Walpurgisnacht's Grief Seed fell, and we haven't been letting them leave the city."

"I do not contest your ability to prevent them from leaving Mitakihara," Caster says to Oriko. "But the fact remains that those witches have attacked Asunaro previously."

Mikuni Oriko nods her head; she'll have to take Caster's word for it. As for you, [ ] What does this new information mean, and [ ] What do you plan to do with it?

SVS · Jan 9, 2021

[X] Plan Kyouko's Adventure In Asunaro

Caster has just provided your team with some interesting information. Previously, you had been under the assumption that no fake witches had been able to leave Mitakihara, courtesy of your team providing excellent interference before they could make any headway into their escape. But what Caster has just said is the exact opposite; that fake witches have attacked other cities; Asunaro in this case, granting validity to Wakaba Mirai's earlier accusations.

"That doesn't make any sense," Oriko says. "We know those witches are coming from the place where Walpurgisnacht's Grief Seed fell, and we haven't been letting them leave the city."

"I do not contest your ability to prevent them from leaving Mitakihara," Caster says to Oriko. "But the fact remains that those witches have attacked Asunaro previously."

Mikuni Oriko nods her head; she'll have to take Caster's word for it. As for you, what does this new information mean, and what do you plan to do with it? "Clearly, there's more going on here than we first understood," you say, after giving Caster's information a moment to sink in. Before, all you had to go on was that fake witches were originating from the place where Walpurgisnacht's Grief Seed fell; but if that isn't the case, and they're coming from somewhere within Asunaro as well, then what does that mean for you?

"Is it possible that someone is using these witches to deliberately antagonise the Saints?" Tomoe-san asks. "If their complaint against us is that we're allegedly at fault for creating those witches, perhaps they've been misled in an attempt to bring them into conflict with us. But who would do something like that?"

"The Incubator," you suggest. "As far as we know, the Incubator has been operating out of Asunaro since Walpurgisnacht. It's possible the Incubator is using the Saints to remove us from the equation as a form of payback for bypassing its system."

"Pink Bitch did mention us being able ta bypass bunnycat's system as one'a her complaints," Kyouko shimes in. "Makes as much sense as anything else that he's using'em ta take us out over screwing him over."

Tomoe-san shakes her head. "That doesn't make any sense," she says. "I remember when it was just Kyubey and I, and it never seemed capable of expressing any sort of emotion, let alone resentment. I know it seems uncharacteristic of me to, well, defend Kyubey, and I wouldn't doubt it if he were manipulating those girls, but I don't believe he's doing it out of resentment towards us. If that is what's happening, he must see some greater value in using the Saints to remove us than something as petty as that."

"Kaname-san, then," Oriko says. You know Oriko is better than that, but hearing her bring up Madoka's name in a conversation revolving around the Incubator and its schemes is enough to send a chill down your spine. "If the Incubator can get the Saints to make enough trouble for us, possibly seriously injuring or even killing one or more of us, then it would be that much easier for it to persuade Kaname-san into making a contract."

"We need to figure out what's going on in Asunaro," you say, not looking forward to the prospect of always having to look over Madoka's shoulders for that scheming white rat. "If it's the Incubator using the Saints, the Saints using the Incubator, or whatever else might be going on, we need to know about it." That isn't all you need to do, is it? Why are there a million things you want to do tonight? "We also need to finish that conversation we were having earlier about how we can improve Hitomi's ability to supply mana to Saber."

At this, Hitomi's interest is piqued. "You and Mikuni-san were working on something to help me?" she asks. "Would you mind filling me in? I've actually been thinking about how I might go about doing just that, though I haven't gotten started."

"I was thinking we could use Akemi-san's Inguz rune to have you 'hold hands' with her magic circuits, as it were, allowing you to access her mana in addition to your own."

"But wouldn't that just increase the strain being put on Akemi-san?"

"Akemi-san has the same concern, so I then suggested that we might use my Othala rune to make an artificial magic crest to help ease the burden. It's not a perfect plan, but-"

"But it won't work." The three of you look up as Archer interrupts. "While I'm sure you could use Othala to create a pretty robust magic crest, it would still require magic circuits from a compatible donor." Archer glances form you to Hitomi, then back to you; "And something tells me you two wouldn't be compatible in that way. A better idea, using the same foundation as what you girls have already been working on, would be to use Othala to create an empty magic crest, fill that crest with Inguz, and prime it in such a way that it's only been used when Shizuki actively wants to use it. If you did it right, you could probably find a way to divide the load among several of you, so that it's not just Homura being drawn from."

You aren't the expert on magecraft. You'll have to take Archer's word that that's how the combination of Inguz and Othala would work. "We can discuss this more once we've got everything else squared away that we need to get to tonight." Turning to Oriko, you say to her "We also need to get started on building that base. Did you remember to bring those blueprints you talked about?"

"I did." Clearing some space on Tomoe-san's table, Oriko carefully unfolds the large piece of paper she had stuffed inside her notebook. "I don't particularly need this at the moment, so I'm fine with letting the construction team take it off my hands for as long as they need."

"Good," Tomoe-san says. She folds up the blueprints and hands them to Caster, saying "Take Lancer and Assassin to the location we agreed on and get started as soon as you can."

Oriko nods, giving Lancer permission to follow those orders. Assassin, predictably, is less cooperative, until Archer takes the time to remind her of what's at stake. "We all need to be performing at our best," he says, danging a newly-Projected copy of his short sword in front of Assassin. "That means I want you to have this because I know it'll be useful to you, but I also want you helping with the base construction because it's something the entire team needs." Much to Assassin's delight, Archer hands the blade over to her, adding "I'll le tyou have this, since it's just as much a necessity as a reward at this point. But if I find out you haven't been doing your part, I won't hesitate to make it go away. Understand?"

Assassin, who moments earlier had been looking like a giddy schoolgirl as she received Archer's promised weapon, requires less than a second to go from sweet to sour, rolling her eyes as Archer threatens her new blade. "How little you trust me, Hispanian," she says. "I am many things, but dishonest is not one of them. I will uphold my end of the bargain." Her eyes flicker with the rage simmering just below the surface, and she adds "If for no other reason than to spite my master for sticking me in this worthless vessel, I will show her that she has not crippled me quite as much as she thinks."

"Any reason's good enough if it'll get you to cooperate."

Assassin huffs, but she does as she is told and heads out with Lancer and Caster. Hopefully her shiny new toy keeps her complacent long enough to actually get some work done on that base. "As for you," you say to Archer. "I want you to take a small party into Asunaro; see if you can spot anything unusual, like possible places where fake witches might be spawning."

"I'll need one of those fake Grief Seeds, first off." You don't particularly ask why as you hand one off to Archer. You're sure he has his reasons. "Next, I'm going to need... Sakura, you and Rider are with me."

"Why's it gotta be me?" Kyouko asks. "I already fought that Pink Bitch; ain't I already done enough fer one day?"

"Maybe, but having Rider means we'll make good travel time, and I'm sure he'd rather have you with him than one of the other girls. Plus, I think the others are all going to be occupied." There's you, Hitomi, and Oriko; you'll be working on magecraft and on getting Hitomi up to par. There's Tomoe-san and Nurse Ortensia; they'll probably be going along with their servants to oversee construction, at least for a little while. "Besides Kirika, everyone else is going to be occupied, and-" Archer looks to Kirika. "-no offense, kid, but you aren't exactly who I'd want to take into enemy territory for a scouting mission."

Kirika huffs, only calmed down by Oriko's touch. She rolls her eyes, saying "Ugh, fine, see if I care..."

Before Archer heads out, taking Rider and Kyouko with him, he drops off two large spears at the door; a red one which is familiar to you, and a gold one which isn't. "Shizuki; make sure Saber doesn't forget these on his way out. They're his spears. I'm sure he'll appreciate having a wider variety of familiar weapons at his disposal."

"Oh course," Hitomi says. "Thank you, Archer. I hope it isn't too much trouble."

"None at all," Archer says. "You girls have fun studying. Hopefully by the time we come back from Asunaro someone will have heard from Rin about when she'll be arriving." Hitomi nods; she's looking forward to Tohsaka-san's arrival as much as you are. Though for entirely different reasons. "Oh, and Homura- Don't forget to have that chat with Hijiri Kanna if you get the chance. Something tells me Minako's going to give the police a holler about their 'missing girl' if we don't bring home some answers."

"Understood," you silently reply. "I'll make the time to speak with her once I'm confident Oriko and Hitomi have things under wraps without me." You switch to speech for a moment, just as Archer, Kyouko, and Rider are leaving. "Stay safe, Archer; that's an order. We don't know what you're going to run into out there."

"Understood, master."

[ ] Wat do?

SVS · Jan 10, 2021

[X] Stay back; you don't know those other girls.
-[X] Continue to use the Cap of Invisibility and trail them to see where they're heading.
--[X] If by chance they're enemy Masters and their Servants appear, have Kyouko use Master's Vision on them.

So far, you might be inclined to call your hunting party a failure. You took one of those fake Grief Seeds - and frankly, Rin cannot get here soon enough, because the team needs to know what these things really are, and fast - to act as a scent for Hrunting to follow, but the damn thing must be broken, because every time you try to press your party further into Asunaro, it tries to lead you back to Mitakihara. "What the hell's wrong with you?" you ask, seriously contemplating percussive therapy as a solution to your problem.

"Guess yer sword's got a pretty shitty nose."

"I'll say. It's usually not like this." Times like this almost make you wish you could talk to your swords; at least then you might be able to figure out what the hell is wrong with Hrunting right now. You're in Asunaro, trying to find the source of Asunaro's fake witch infestation, and the damn thing keeps trying to lead you back to Mitakihara. Even though you know that shouln't be possible.

"Maybe we should just call it a night?" Rider asks. "If we haven't found anything, and your sword keeps wanting us to head back home, maybe that's a sign from the gods that we're not meant to find anything out here tonight."

"Your gods are nothing but trouble, anyway," you say. "I'd tell them to kiss a part of me even Minako won't, but I think that might be offensive."

"To the gods?"

"No, to the part of me they'll be kissing." That gets a laugh out of Rider, but he quickly remembers to tone it down, and the three of you once more move from rooftop to rooftop in relative quiet. You're all moving under cover of Hades' Cap of Invisibility, and it wouldn't do to be discovered because you couldn't stop laughing. "But in all seriousness, this is getting annoying." You're just about to call it quits for the night and issue the order to head back, when; "Is that..." Your eyes, accurate out to four kilometers, can hardly believe what you're seeing.

You've never seen her in her puella magi attire before, but there's no mistaking it; underneath that incredibly revealing black costume is a frock of short black hair and strawberry-coloured eyes you don't think you could forget. If nothing else, you're glad to see that she's managed to survive in spite of everything; and she's even made a couple of friend as well. The two girls beside her are both clad in white, contrary to her primarily black attire; one with long blue hair whose gown is adorned with red and gold; the other with short orange hair whose sporty and revealing costume is equally as orange as it is white. The trio of girls have stopped on a roof a few blocks form your position - are they also out hunting for witches? - and appear to be taking orders from the blue-haired girl. "... Kazusa Michiru?"

"Who?"

It's difficult to tell if you've turned to face her, but given the sound of her voice you do your best to turn in the direction you think Sakura is facing. "Kazusa Michiru. She's a puella magi I ran into about a year and a half ago when I went into Asunaro to find out where the Incubator had ran off to. I'm glad to see she's managed to stay safe while all this business with the Saints was going on."

"So, why don't you go down and say hi to her?"

"Because." You don't like this. You were glad to see Kazusa Michiru had managed to make some friends at first, but the longer you stare at the pair, the more something just doesn't sit right with you. Here are three girls, out for a hunt in territory controlled by a team of psychopathic puella magi hunters. "I don't know those other girls. If it were just Kazusa by herself, I'd have no problem going down to say hi, but those other two have me concerned."

"Maybe we should follow them?" Rider suggests. "I'm guessing they're also out hunting for witches, so since your sword is busted maybe if we follow them they'll lead us to where we want to be heading?"

You nod; "Following them isn't that bad of an idea, actually." Now, let's see where those girls take you...

"I just need to speak with Tomoe-san for a few minutes. I'll be right back."

Once you're confident that Oriko and Hitomi have things under control, you excuse yourself from the table. Your eyes wander to Kirika, lounging on the plush couch as she watches her lover like a beloved television show; and to Nurse Ortensia, occupying her time with what appears to be one of Assassin's equestrian magazines. "I'm surprised you didn't go with the build team," you say as you pass her. "I guess you might have been less bored that way."

"The less time Assassin and I spend around one another, the better."

"I'm sure you could fix that, you know." Nurse Ortensia idly nods her head. "Archer and I didn't fully trust one another when he first appeared, but look at us now. Oriko and I used to be mortal enemies; now she's practically my sister-in-law. You just have to be willing to reach her, and I'm sure eventually she'll come around to you." You say that, but you aren't sure if you believe in Nurse Ortensia's inner goodness the same as Oriko does.

You'll leave it at that, as you approach the kitchen where Tomoe-san is waiting for you. "Thank you for coming, Akemi-san," she says. "I already asked Hijiri-san some questions about that missing persons report earlier in the day, but I suppose it won't hurt if you ask her again now."

You nod. "What sort of answers did she give you?" you ask. "Nurse Ortensia told me that homunculi - most homunculi, at least - have very basic personalities, and she insinuated that Kanna Niko may not have done the best job putting her together." Tomoe-san nods solemnly at your words. "I don't know if that's true or not. Her behaviour and lack of useful information about our enemies makes sense if we consider the limitations of her creation, but I want to make sure we aren't offending her by treating her any differently."

"I agree completely. Just because she wasn't born doesn't mean we should treat her as any less of a person." Having said that, Tomoe-san leads you out of the kitchen, up the stairs to the second floor of her apartment, and into the guest bedroom where Hijiri Kanna is waiting. "Hijiri-san, I know I already asked you some questions earlier this morning, but would it be okay if Akemi-san were to ask you some questions as well?"

"Is that okay with you?" you ask Hijiri Kanna. "I don't want to force you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. I just want to get to the bottom of this."

"It's fine," Hijiri Kanna says. "I suppose you would have found out the truth sooner or later." Hijiri Kanna motions for you to take a chair, which you do as she sits down on the guest room bed. "So, what would you like to know?"

"You take the seat offered to you, and you say to Hijiri Kanna "Let's start with an easy one. What can you tell me about the missing persons report that was put out for you? Are those people really your family members, or have the Saints altered their memories?"

"The short answer is, I don't know." An unhelpful answer right off the bat, then. "The longer answer is... Well, it's complicated. I told Tomoe-san the same thing when she asked me this morning."

You look to Tomoe-san for confirmation; she nods her head. "Then, what did you tell Tomoe-san this morning?"

"That I don't know." This is going to get annoying real fast, if this is the only answer she can give you. "I know it sounds like I'm just taking you for a ride, but it's the truth. I have conflicting memories about who and what I am, that I don't know how to answer your questions."

You sigh; you'll get through this, one way or another. You smile for Hijiri Kanna, hoping to appear as non-threatening as possible. "I assume you told Tomoe-san the same thing, then?" Hijiri Kanna nods. "Then, can you tell me what you told her?"

Hijiri Kanna nods; or, maybe you shouldn't call her that. "The truth is, I don't know who Hijiri Kanna actually is. I bear her name, and her memories, but they... They aren't mine. Or, maybe they are, I don't know. I have memories belonging to Hijiri Kanna, but I don't know if they belong to me, or to a Hijiri Kanna that isn't me." Hijiri Kanna's hand clenches into a fist as she speaks, releasing as she breathes in-between her words. "Those people in the newspaper... I have memories of them, but it's like I'm watching those memories as an outside observer. They think I'm their daughter, but the truth is, I don't know. I don't know if I'm Hijiri Kanna, or if Hijiri Kanna is someone else whose name and memories I've been given."

That is not the answer you had been expecting. "You told us before that Kanna Niko created you in her image. Was that true? Does Kanna Niko have anything to do with that family?"

"I don't know, not really." There it is! You notice it again, the clenching and releasing of Hijiri Kanna's hand into a fist as she speaks and breathes. "I have memories of being created by a person who looks like me. I also have memories of Hijiri Kanna growing up as a child. I don't know which ones are real, and which ones are manufactured by the person who created me. I presume it was Kanna Niko, but I don't even know if that's her real name, either. For all I know, either one of us could be the real Hijiri Kanna, and either one of us could be the artificial human. But if I'm the fake, and Kanna Niko is the real Hijiri Kanna, then I'm a poor copy of the person Hijiri Kanna believes she should have been."

Again, you look to Tomoe-san, hoping for confirmation. She nods her head, saying "Hijiri-san's answers have been consistent with what she told me so far."

You think you can rule out the Saints having tampered with the Hijiri family's memories. Given this information, it's much more likely that the memories of Hijiri Kanna herself have been tampered with; whichever Hijiri Kanna is the real Hijiri Kanna, that is. You'll need time; time to give this information the appropriate consideration it is due, and time to figure out where to go from here. For now, all you can say Hijiri Kanna is "I guess the situation is a bit more complicated than we thought. We can continue to keep you safe from the Saints for as long as it takes you to figure out who you are, but we don't want to make you feel like a prisoner while you're here. If there's anything you want from us while you're here, just let us know and we'll try to help you."

"I want to know who I am," Hijiri Kanna says;" And I want to kill the person who made me this way."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important." That would be Archer; just in time to distract you from the unsettling change in Hijiri Kanna's demeanour. "But I think I know who the enemy's last last master is."

[ ] Wat do?

SVS · Jan 10, 2021

[X] Enetious

"I guess the situation is a bit more complicated than we thought," is about all you can think to say to Hijiri Kanna, in light of what she's just told you. "We can continue to keep you safe from the Saints for as long as it takes you to figure out who you are, but we don't want to make you feel like a prisoner while you're here. If there's anything you want from us while you're here, just let us know and we'll try to help you."

"I want to know who I am," Hijiri Kanna says;" And I want to kill the person who made me this way."

If you thought Hijiri Kanna's response before was unexpected... "Why? Why do you want to kill the person who made you?" you ask her. "That seem s a little extreme, wanting to kill someone for giving you a chance at life."

"A life I didn't ask for. A life that was forced on me, and that continues to torment me with memories that aren't mine." The normally dull, detached tone in Hijiri Kanna's voice shifts, ever so slightly; now, you can hear a hint of emotion - of anger - in her voice, that hadn't been there before. "Yes, I suppose I should be grateful for that."

"I know you feel like she forced that life on you, but you don't have to live that life anymore if you don't want to."

"It won't matter," Hijiri Kanna says. "No matter what life I lead, as long as there's two of me how can I be sure if I'm the real Hijiri Kanna, or if I'm the fake? Will that life belong to me, or would everything I've done up to that point have been her life instead? That's why she has to die. As long as there's two Hijiri Kanna, I'll always be unsure of who I am; but if I'm the only one left, Fate will have declared me to be Hijiri Kanna, and I'll finally be able to rest easy."

"We could help with that, you know. We have a specialist coming very soon; she could help, I'm sure." You don't know for a fact if Tohsaka-san could help Hijiri Kanna with her memory problems, but you are confident. You remember how McRemitz-san was able to erase Alina Gray's memories of the time she spent possessed by the witch Elsa Maria; if McRemitz-san could do that, then you're confident Tohsaka-san could do the same. "I'm just offering, if that's something you think could help you. I don't want to force you to make a decision."

"No!" That's the first time you've ever heard Hijiri Kanna raise her voice. Granted, you've only known her for a few days, and she's hardly spoken at all since you met her, but the change is startling all the same. "I've had enough of people thinking they can decide my memories for me!" Her hand clenches again into a fist, releasing only after several deep breaths. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have yelled at you like that," she says. "I know you were only offering because you thought it would help me. But I don't want that kind of help."

And yet, she thinks killing the other Hijiri Kanna would be easier than accepting Tohsaka-san's help.

You look to Tomoe-san, and she looks to you. Neither of you are sure how to proceed from here. You doubt Tomoe-san made it this far when she and Hijiri Kanna spoke in the morning. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important." That would be Archer; just in time to distract you from the unsettling change in Hijiri Kanna's demeanour. "But I think I know who the enemy's last last master is."

"You should know by now not to tease me like that. Come on, out with it. What have you learned?"

"Well, you see..."

"Hey, how do we know these girls are really out hunting fer witches in the first place?"

You aren't entirely sure how long it's been since you, Rider, and Sakura laid eyes on Kazusa Michiru and her friends, nor are you sure how long you've been following them for; at least a half hour, if not more. "We don't," you say. "At least, not really. But if we know Asunaro's been having problems with those fake witches, then it makes sense that they'd be out here attempting to track them down as well."

"Yeah, but they ain't like regular witches," Sakura says. "If they were hunting down regular witches, I could understand them going 'round in circles like this, trying ta find a labyrinth. But those fake witches, they're big fuckers; you know that, Redman. If one'a them were here, we'd know about it just the same as they would, 'cause there'd be no way to miss the racket it'd be causing."

"Then, what are you thinking?" Rider asks. "If they're not out here hunting for witches, what are they out here for?"

"Us."

You didn't notice it at first, but there is a pattern to the route the trio of puella magi have been leading you on; and true to Sakura's complaint, it is in a circle. A circle with Angelica Bears at its center. "They're on patrol, but they aren't patrolling for witches. They're patrolling for intruders. For us. Maybe not us specifically - I doubt any of them know that we're here - but they're patrolling for any of us who might have been stupid enough to try bringing the fight to them."

Oh, gods above. That means Kazusa Michiru is one of them. That sweet, innocent girl you met a year and a half ago is a member of the enemy faction. She's likely to be a master as well, you think. So which class of servant did they give her? Lancer, Caster, and Berserker; those are the three classes whose masters you aren't aware of. Which one does Kazusa Michiru have? You have to let Homura know. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important, but I think I know who the enemy's last last master is."

"You should know by now not to tease me like that. Come on, out with it. What have you learned?"

"Well, you see..." No, you see. The enemy Archer, to be precise. She's perched on top of Angelica Bears, bow drawn back as she surveys the city with a determined scowl on her face. She's five-hundred meters away, if not more, and despite the distance between you and she you can hear the sound of her bowstring straining from the tension of her draw. Her emerald eyes pierce the darkness, her cats' ears twitching for the sounds of intruders, and for a brief moment her gaze settles on you, as if she can see you through Hades' Cap of Invisibility. Then her gaze passes, and it's as though you can breathe again. "... Their seventh master is Kazusa Michiru, the girl I met in Asunaro a year and a half ago."

"I see. [ ] What does that mean for us?"

Do you
[ ] Head back to Mitakihara and report your findings
[ ] Stay
-[ ] and keep watch for a little longer
-[ ] and approach Kazusa Michiru for answers
--[ ] What do you want to know? (write-in)
-[ ] and engage the enemy masters and servants in battle
--[ ] After requesting and waiting for backup to arrive
--[ ] Attack immediately; don't wait for backup
[ ] Other (write-in)

[Homura] Wat do?

SVS · Jan 11, 2021

[X] Plan They're Just More Golden Apples

"... Their seventh master is Kazusa Michiru, the girl I met in Asunaro a year and a half ago."

"I see. What does that mean for us?"

"I wish I could tell you," is what you're forced to say to Homura. Because you don't know what it means that Kazusa Michiru is one of the enemy masters. "Have Tomoe check in with Caster, if you can. He gave me a rather ominous statement on her fate the last time I was in Asunaro, so I'd like to hear from him how Kazusa Michiru could still be alive and well; and on the enemy faction, no less. If she were going to die, dying at the hands of those girls would at least have made sense. But instead, she's working with them. I can't tell you what it means that she's one of them, not until I've heard from Caster."

"Understood. What are you doing now? Are you still watching them?"

"They've gone and headed back to base by now, I'd imagine. I've got my eyes on the enemy Archer, and I think I can take her out from this position."

"Are you sure?"

You draw your bow, reading a certain special arrow just for the enemy Archer. "I'm pretty confident, yes."

"That doesn't sound like a guarantee."

"Well, I have seen people dodge supposedly undodgeable attacks before, so there's no guarantee I can give that I'll take her out." This arrow might be a little different from most; even if Atalanta can dodge it, even if she can shoot it out of the sky, it will still hit her. Oh, and something something, being apple-related makes it an extra-special blow against Atalanta in particular; can't forget that juicy little bonus. "But as I said, I'm pretty confident."

"I'll hold you to your word, then. Make sure you come back alive."

"Will do." You let your daughter go, and say to Rider as you line up your shot. "Be ready to get us out of here as soon as I've loosed. Whether I hit her or not, we need to be prepared to move out before they can counter-attack us."

"Right."

While you take the time to line up your shot, Rider prepares to call for his chariot, and Sakura braces herself for exit. Under your breath, just as you bring your target into your sights, you mutter "Well, Atalanta, let's see how you like this apple. Apfel Schiessen!" Atalanta's ears twitch, alerting her to the sound of your loosed arrow. Immediately she spins around, leaping to the rooftop across the street as she blankets the skyline with a wave of her own loosed arrows. One of her arrows strikes yours, knocking it off course; but of course, that isn't the end of the tale. "Zweite Schiessen!" The end of her tale, maybe. Heh, her 'tail'. She was good; too good if she could knock the unavoidable first arrow off its course, but there's no way she could survive the second shot. It's dead-on, piercing her straight through the chest. "Now, let's get out of here before reinforcements arrive!"

As Rider whistles for his chariot, you watch as Atalanta's eyes lose their luster, and thin tendrils of blue snake their way across her chest. Neither you nor he have time to spare for sentimentality, and in a flash of emerald lightning your scouting party is homeward bound.

"Did you see the body?"

"I saw the second arrow pierce her spiritual core."

In the time it takes for Archer to return home with news of the enemy Archer's defeat, Nurse Ortensia has already retired for the night. Oriko and Hitomi are working on the creation of an artificial magic crest using Oriko's Othala rune, a project which you had been assisting with up until recently. Tomoe-san is in the kitchen, preparing another round of snacks for those who remain. "Come on, dad, don't you know anything? If you didn't see the body, that means they're not dead;" and Kirika is busy haranguing Archer over his recent exploits. "You could at least have stuck around long enough to make sure she was dead."

"A shot through the heart is fatal to a human without immediate medical attention," Archer states; as though he has personal experience with the matter. Knowing what he's been through, he probably does. "The same applies to servants as well, but a punctured spiritual core is going to be harder to patch up than a punctured heart. Even if Atalanta survives, having her out of commission while she's recovering means we won't have to worry about her sniping us every time we fight one or more of the Saints."

"Yeah, and who do they have on their team?" Kirika asks, hands on her hips. "A lady doctor, that's who. Should'a killed that one first, if you had the chance."

"If I had the chance to take out the enemy's Assassin servant, I would have done so." Archer crosses his arms over his chest, and stares down at Kirika in a very authoritative, fatherly manner. "Look, I get that you're concerned. But if anyone is in a position to be lecturing me, it's not you, young lady."

Kirika pouts, just barely muttering a "yes, daddy," under her breath as she returns to Oriko's side.

"While I agree with Kirika, I'm not going to yell at you if it turns out the enemy Archer isn't dead," you say. "I trust you wouldn't have taken the shot if you weren't confident in your ability; and even in the worst case, you've bought us some time where we don't have to worry about the enemy's Archer. That's going to be invaluable if we want to use you against either Sigurd or Ramesses." Then, there's the best-case scenario; "And if she's dead?"

"Then that's one point for us, but I imagine the enemy will be coming to even the score soon enough."

And your base is nowhere near to completion yet. "Is it possible we've just put ourselves in a situation where the best-case scenario is worse for us than the worst-case one?"

"That would just be our luck, wouldn't it?" You and Archer share a laugh at that; neither of you have particularly good luck to be in the situations you've found yourselves in in the past. When you and your father are able to stop laughing, he asks "What did Caster have to say about my inquiry?"

"Kazusa Michiru is dead," Tomoe-san says. "I spoke with Caster, as per Akemi-san's request, and he informed me that she had... Turned, a few months into the new year." Silence falls on the Tomoe living room. You never met Kazusa Michiru - and aside from Archer, nobody in this room or on your team met her - but you know she wouldn't have deserved that fate. Maybe if you had tried to reach out to her after Walpurgisnacht... If you had just let her know about your alternative method for managing Grief... "Whoever that girl is you ran into... They might look like Kazusa Michiru, but Caster assures me, Archer; it isn't her."

[Homura] Wat do?
[Archer] Wat do?

SVS · Jan 12, 2021

[X] Plan It's Getting Late

"Whoever that girl is you ran into... They might look like Kazusa Michiru, but Caster assures me, Archer; it isn't her."

From the sound of it, it would appear that Archer encountered a ghost tonight. That's not too far out of the realm of possibility, considering what he is, but Tomoe-san's response is all the same a shocking one for Archer to hear. "I know what I saw," he says. "That was definitely Kazusa Michiru."

"I don't doubt that it looked like her, Archer," Tomoe-san reiterates. "But Caster assures me, and I can assure you, that whoever you saw was not Kazusa Michiru. Girls like us don't come back from... That."

"Is it possible that the girl you encountered was another homunculus?" you ask. "We know the Kanna Niko is capable of making homunculi, so is it possible she's also responsible for making the Kazusa Michiru lookalike?"

"It is possible, though I wouldn't be able to tell for sure without interacting with her first," Archer says. "Alternatively..." An unsettled look falls on Archer's face as he says "During one of my Wars, there was a mage who was able to maintain the integrity of a defeated servant's body so he could puppet it. If the Saints were able to keep Kazusa Michiru's body preserved after she turned, it's possible they've found a way to puppet her the same way. I don't know if 'she' would be able to maintain a servant in that state, but there's a chance they found something out during one of their experiments."

Now you understand the look on Archer's face, because you too feel unsettled by what he's said. As you look around the room, you find that each of your teammates have come away equally as unsettled by the possibility. "I suppose it would be possible," Oriko says. "Lancer told me that Sigurd knows the runes, so if he were to teach one of them how to use the Inguz rune, it's possible that they could be funneling their mana into the puppet to keep it moving like a real person. In theory, if whichever one of them were doing this had a large enough reserve of mana, they could also potentially have enough on hand to fuel a servant. I don't know how powerful of a servant they could maintain, but it's at least theoretically possible, based on the notes I've collected."

"Actually, now that I've taken out the enemy's Archer, it would be possible for them to puppet her body as well," Archer adds. Looking to Tomoe-san, he asks "Can you run all of this by Caster? If it's possible for him to See what they're up to, I'd like to know what we're dealing with in terms of Kazusa Michiru and Atalanta."

"I will see if I can get an answer out of him, then," Tomoe-san says. "I can't guarantee anything, of course. I shouldn't have to keep reminding you of how good their protection against his Sight seems to be."

You'll leave Tomoe-san alone while she negotiates with Caster for the information Archer has requested, and you're about to head back to work with Oriko and Hitomi when Archer stops you. "While we were in Asunaro, Hrunting kept acting up," he says. "Every time we'd try to make a push deeper into Asunaro, it would tell us to head back to Mitakihara."

"What does that mean?" you ask.

"I wish I knew," Archer says. "It might mean that the source of Asunaro's fake witches is here in Mitakihara. I can't say more than that at the moment, and I'm not even sure how that would work, since you girls have been doing such a good job of keeping them contained."

"Maybe someone is smuggling them into Asunaro without our knowledge?"

"Can they do that?"

"I don't know. I also don't know who might be responsible for doing that, if I'm right." Discounting the members of your team, you can think of one person who would have a motive to send fake witches against the Saints. But you don't even have proof that Hijiri Kanna knows what a witch is; and even if she did, that by itself isn't enough to incriminate her. It could have been anyone with a grudge against those girl, a friend or relative of one of the girls they targeted, perhaps.

"I could go out and investigate, if you'd like." Archer looks over at Kyouko, saying to her "You and Rider are welcome to come, if you'd like to see things through."

"Ain't I done enough already fer one day?" Kyouko asks. Her shoes are already thrown to the side and her butt is firmly fixed to Caster's plush couch where she reclines. "I fought that Pink Bitch, and I already went out with ya once today. I ain't yer errand boy, Redman, least not without the right payment. Why not make someone else get off their asses? You've got two kids, ain't ya? Tell one'a them ta get out there and search with ya, or yer taking away their videogames. 'S how Sayaka's mom gets me ta do stuff."

"I suppose we can search tomorrow," you say. "Hearing from Tohsaka-san might even give us a better idea of where we should be looking."

Archer nods, saying "That's not a bad idea." You and Archer both notice Oriko and Hitomi, seated at Tomoe-san's table, waving for you to rejoin them. Then you both see Tomoe-san returning from the kitchen, making for Archer. "You should probably get back to work," he says. "I imagine Shizuki won't be willing to stay out much later, so we'll have to be leaving for home, soon."

"Right."

You take your leave of Archer, and head back to the table to work with Oriko and Hitomi on creating a fake magic crest. With your back turned to their conversation, you hear Tomoe-san say to Archer "Well, Caster was unable to tell me anything of the enemy Archer's fate. If she's alive, the Saints will have her under lock and key until she's ready to return to the fight, I'm afraid. He was able to tell me something about Kazusa Michiru, however..."

You and Oriko were unable to present a completed example to Hitomi of how her fake magic crest would function before tiredness came over her, signalling that it was time to leave. You wonder how your team's fighting capabilities will be affected by the inclusion of someone like her, who can be taken by tiredness and fatigue. You hope it won't too severely hamper your ability to fight as a unit.

The apartment is dark when your party of three returns home; it must be late enough that Minako has gone to sleep, or else she's waiting in her bedroom for Archer to return. You shudder, hoping you won't have to hear them again tonight. Whether mom is awake or not, she did leave a note for you in the kitchen table. "Tohsaka got in about an hour or so after you all left. She was really tired from her trip, so I let her crash upstairs. She didn't say whether someone should wake her tomorrow morning or not, so I'll let you and Archer decide what's best to to do about her in the morning. Love you!

-Mom."

You smile, passing the note off to Archer and Kirika so they can read it as well. "I suppose that answers that question," you say to Archer. "Should we wake her, or let her sleep in tomorrow morning?"

"We should let her sleep in," Archer says. "She's come a long way to see us, so it's only polite we let her rest before handing our work off to her. She's also just a late sleeper in general, so..." Archer clears his throat, saying after which "I'll go get Kirika's bed set up. You two girls can have the run of the place, just remember to be quiet in case Minako's asleep."

"We'll be quiet," Kirika says. She says that, but her eyes are already drawn towards the Wii set up in the living room. "Promise."

"I'm sure you will, pumpkin." Archer smiles, hugging both you and Kirika. "You two have fun, but don't stay up too late. Minako's probably going to want us all to do something together as a family, and I don't want you girls being too tired to join us."

"We'll be fine, dad," you say, trying your best to shoo Archer off so you can spend time with your sister. Granted, you get to see your sister every night, but you want to spend time with her as Kirika, your Big Sis; not as Kirika, your friend and ally. "We don't get tired, remember?"

"I know. But I'd feel like a pretty lousy father if I didn't worry about you two, even when I know I don't need to." Having said his piece, Archer departs for the closet in the hallway, leaving you and Kirika free reign over the living room. Because she spends most of the week with Oriko, you don't have another permanent bed or bedroom for her, so she's taken to alternating between sleeping on the couch or, more recently, sleeping in your room on a temporary bed otherwise stored in the hallway closet. So while Archer gets Kirika's bed set up, you and she prepare to enjoy some quality sister-sister bonding time.

You're both settled in nice and comfortable on the couch by the time Archer finishes. It's just you and Kirika now. "Alright, sis, are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Kirika hits the power button on the Wii, and the familiar melody of your mutual favourite game for the platform echoes in your ears. Saturday may be over; but Saturday night has just started.

Day 4 Complete

Confringentur 2; a Madoka Magica / Fate/Stay Night sequel

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