Confringentur, Mk.2; a Madoka Magica / Fate/Stay Night crossover
- Thread starter SVS
- Start date
- Crossover
[x] Enetious
Day 34 Chapter 8
- Location
- Around here
[X] Ask your muggle friends/girlfriend if they want to join in on the meeting as well, considering Rin's gotten Magecraft material for Hitomi and Sayaka and the fact that Rin wants to meet Hitomi
[X] Get through the rest of the school day and meet everyone back at your apartment; inform Assassin of this beforehand, partly so she isn't left out of things and partly to make sure nobody is poisoned while the meeting is going on
The day ends with little fanfare; class passes to class, and before you know it the day has ended. You don't have archery club today, but you know that Madoka has one of her clubs today; so as much as you would like to walk home with her to have a brief few moments more of serenity before having to face the music that is Tohsaka Rin, you know you cannot.
You can, however, "I was wondering if the two of you would like to join the rest of us in tonight's meeting," you ask of Sayaka and Hitomi. "Archer tells me that she's brought the introductory supplies he needs to get you both going-" and to Hitomi you turn, adding "-and according to him Tohsaka would like to meet you. You don't have to join us, obviously, but I figured I might as well ask anyway."
Hitomi nods, saying "Yes, I suppose I can make the time to join you and the others this afternoon. I suppose meeting someone like Tohsaka would be a wonderful learning opportunity for me."
But Sayaka's "I don't know," doesn't sound as confident as Hitomi. "Kyouko's gonna be there, right?"
"Yes, though I can't say when she'll be arriving. Is that a problem?"
"Well..." Sayaka scratches the back of her head, saying "I don't know if I should be seeing her before our date. Bad luck and all that, you know?"
"Sayaka-chan, just relax," Madoka says as she passes you and the others with a smile on her way to her club. "Everything is going to be fine. You and Kyouko-chan are going to have a great time tonight."
And then, a thought! "You can join us too if you'd like," you say to your girlfriend as she heads towards the door. "I know you've got your club tonight, but we're probably going to be held up waiting for Mikuni Oriko to come down from Shirome, so by the time you're done with your club we might be ready for you to join us."
Madoka is already smiling, but she does her best to give you an even wider smile as she says "Maybe. I might be busy later tonight doing family stuff, but if I'm free I'll text you, okay?"
"Okay." As Madoka exists the classroom, you and the others follow suit; but where Madoka turns one way, you lead Sayaka and Hitomi in another direction. Hitomi has already secured her place in your apartment tonight, and while Sayaka is hesitant to join you, she'll still have time to think about her response on the walk over; so now you just have to collect the last two members of tonight's meeting that are waiting for you.
Tomoe-san and Kure Kirika are already waiting for you at the front gate, and upon catching sight of you they both give a polite wave. It's exactly like meeting them in the morning, except now you're doing so as you leave, rather than as you arrive. Only now, "Is Kaname-san not walking home with you all today?" the pair will be joining you as you walk home. You think. For all you know, Kure Kirika might decide to wait at the train station for the entire duration of Mikuni Oriko's trip down.
You shake your head in response to Tomoe-san's question, saying "She has one of her clubs today."
"So, hey..." Sayaka speaks hesitantly, unable to meet her eyes to Tomoe-san's as she asks "When's Kyouko gonna be joining us?"
"Sakura-san will be taking the train up from my apartment to the station near Akemi-san's apartment," Tomoe-san responds. "If you'll give me a moment-" she takes her phone out of her pocket, presumably to check her messages, as she says to Sayaka once she's put it away "She says she should be arriving at Akemi-san's apartment around the time time that we are. I assume you want to see her before your date tonight?" Sayaka nods, but she's too sheepish to respond. "I understand. I'm sure Sakura-san will appreciate seeing you too."
"Hey, relax will ya?" Kure Kirika says, approaching Sayaka, a move which causes the already-nervous girl to tense up like a spring. "Look, I know how terrifying your first date can be; I mean, look at me- I'm basically a gutter rat that somehow managed to snag a ten-ten rich girl; you think I wasn't freaking out like all hell at my first date? But I sucked my fears up, gave Oriko nothing but my best face, and look at us now!"
"Yeah, but..." Sayaka faces away from Kure Kirika, unwilling to look her in the eye as she says, assumedly quite reluctantly, "You two are, like, perfect for each other though. But Kyouko and I... We just can't help but turn every little thing into a fight."
"So then don't do that!" Kure Kirika shakes her head; she does have the most experienced relationship from which to draw advice to give to Sayaka, so the fact that she's stepped up and is at least trying to be helpful is a positive; but you can tell she'd rather not have to be the one doing this. "If she says something stupid, don't rise to her stupidity. Just laugh it off, kiss her, and move on with your life."
She shakes her head again, and in a moment of rare vulnerability continues her lecture by saying "Oriko and I... Sure, we might look like we're perfect for each other, but for a long time I was really scared that she'd get tired of me and leave. I mean, she's so smart, and beautiful; she's got her whole life ahead of her to do whatever she wants. Then look at me- My grades are terrible and I only just barely look less like a boy than you do." You aren't sure about that. Looking between Sayaka and Kure Kirika, despite their short hair they both have distinctly feminine curves - not that you're looking - and you can't imagine anyone being stupid enough to confuse either of them for a boy. "Hell, more than once some idiot's come up to Oriko and said 'Your boyfriend is really cute', or something dumb like that. She'd always correct them, but every time it happened I'd always find myself wondering if maybe Oriko wouldn't be happier with a boy than she was with me."
"Yeah, but..."
It's at this point you decide to tune out Sayaka's constant hesitations, and instead focus on something of greater importance. "Assassin, I'll be having guests tonight. I don't want to make you feel left out, but at the same time I don't want you to accidentally poison anybody. You don't have to disappear if you don't want to, but I would ask you to be mindful of your surroundings."
"Of course, master. I shall ensure that no harm comes to your guests on my account."
"Thank you; that's all I ask."
"Yeah, but..." You sigh; it seems even after you've diverted your mind elsewhere there is no escaping the Sayaka. Fortunately, as your party draws near to your apartment, a solution to the problem facing your ears comes into view. Kure Kirika grabs Sayaka by her shoulders, amid her cries of "Hey! Let go of me! What do you think you're doing?" and without a word deposits her right in front of Kyouko, who is patiently waiting by your apartment. "Uh... Hey, Kyouko," Sayaka says, her voice still the hesitant and nervous mess it's been for the entire walk home. "I, uh... I'm looking forward to tonight."
"Yeah," Kyouko says, cocking an eye to Kure Kirika, as if to ask her what that was all about. "I can tell from how excited ya were ta see me."
"Why you-"
Sayaka's attempted fume is cut off prematurely when Kure Kirika says "What the Blueberry means to say is, 'shut up and kiss me before I say something stupid'." Kyouko, whom you're sure had been preparing a retort as soon as Sayaka's mouth opened, shrugs, and leans in to give Sayaka a quick peck on the lips. "There," Kure Kirika says, turning her head back and forth between Sayaka and Kyouko. "All better now? You two are gonna be fine tonight; so stop stressing."
"Well, there's no turning back now," you say to the five girls that have assembled at your front door. "Tohsaka Rin is inside, waiting for us." Your eyes dart to Sayaka, then to Hitomi, and you say "If either of you want out, now's your last change. Otherwise, let's do this." Neither of them have any objections, and when silence is the answer you receive, you reach for the key and unlock the front door, leading your party inside where Tohsaka Rin is waiting.
"Well, now that the gang's all here, [ ] What do you have to say for yourselves?"
[X] Get through the rest of the school day and meet everyone back at your apartment; inform Assassin of this beforehand, partly so she isn't left out of things and partly to make sure nobody is poisoned while the meeting is going on
The day ends with little fanfare; class passes to class, and before you know it the day has ended. You don't have archery club today, but you know that Madoka has one of her clubs today; so as much as you would like to walk home with her to have a brief few moments more of serenity before having to face the music that is Tohsaka Rin, you know you cannot.
You can, however, "I was wondering if the two of you would like to join the rest of us in tonight's meeting," you ask of Sayaka and Hitomi. "Archer tells me that she's brought the introductory supplies he needs to get you both going-" and to Hitomi you turn, adding "-and according to him Tohsaka would like to meet you. You don't have to join us, obviously, but I figured I might as well ask anyway."
Hitomi nods, saying "Yes, I suppose I can make the time to join you and the others this afternoon. I suppose meeting someone like Tohsaka would be a wonderful learning opportunity for me."
But Sayaka's "I don't know," doesn't sound as confident as Hitomi. "Kyouko's gonna be there, right?"
"Yes, though I can't say when she'll be arriving. Is that a problem?"
"Well..." Sayaka scratches the back of her head, saying "I don't know if I should be seeing her before our date. Bad luck and all that, you know?"
"Sayaka-chan, just relax," Madoka says as she passes you and the others with a smile on her way to her club. "Everything is going to be fine. You and Kyouko-chan are going to have a great time tonight."
And then, a thought! "You can join us too if you'd like," you say to your girlfriend as she heads towards the door. "I know you've got your club tonight, but we're probably going to be held up waiting for Mikuni Oriko to come down from Shirome, so by the time you're done with your club we might be ready for you to join us."
Madoka is already smiling, but she does her best to give you an even wider smile as she says "Maybe. I might be busy later tonight doing family stuff, but if I'm free I'll text you, okay?"
"Okay." As Madoka exists the classroom, you and the others follow suit; but where Madoka turns one way, you lead Sayaka and Hitomi in another direction. Hitomi has already secured her place in your apartment tonight, and while Sayaka is hesitant to join you, she'll still have time to think about her response on the walk over; so now you just have to collect the last two members of tonight's meeting that are waiting for you.
Tomoe-san and Kure Kirika are already waiting for you at the front gate, and upon catching sight of you they both give a polite wave. It's exactly like meeting them in the morning, except now you're doing so as you leave, rather than as you arrive. Only now, "Is Kaname-san not walking home with you all today?" the pair will be joining you as you walk home. You think. For all you know, Kure Kirika might decide to wait at the train station for the entire duration of Mikuni Oriko's trip down.
You shake your head in response to Tomoe-san's question, saying "She has one of her clubs today."
"So, hey..." Sayaka speaks hesitantly, unable to meet her eyes to Tomoe-san's as she asks "When's Kyouko gonna be joining us?"
"Sakura-san will be taking the train up from my apartment to the station near Akemi-san's apartment," Tomoe-san responds. "If you'll give me a moment-" she takes her phone out of her pocket, presumably to check her messages, as she says to Sayaka once she's put it away "She says she should be arriving at Akemi-san's apartment around the time time that we are. I assume you want to see her before your date tonight?" Sayaka nods, but she's too sheepish to respond. "I understand. I'm sure Sakura-san will appreciate seeing you too."
"Hey, relax will ya?" Kure Kirika says, approaching Sayaka, a move which causes the already-nervous girl to tense up like a spring. "Look, I know how terrifying your first date can be; I mean, look at me- I'm basically a gutter rat that somehow managed to snag a ten-ten rich girl; you think I wasn't freaking out like all hell at my first date? But I sucked my fears up, gave Oriko nothing but my best face, and look at us now!"
"Yeah, but..." Sayaka faces away from Kure Kirika, unwilling to look her in the eye as she says, assumedly quite reluctantly, "You two are, like, perfect for each other though. But Kyouko and I... We just can't help but turn every little thing into a fight."
"So then don't do that!" Kure Kirika shakes her head; she does have the most experienced relationship from which to draw advice to give to Sayaka, so the fact that she's stepped up and is at least trying to be helpful is a positive; but you can tell she'd rather not have to be the one doing this. "If she says something stupid, don't rise to her stupidity. Just laugh it off, kiss her, and move on with your life."
She shakes her head again, and in a moment of rare vulnerability continues her lecture by saying "Oriko and I... Sure, we might look like we're perfect for each other, but for a long time I was really scared that she'd get tired of me and leave. I mean, she's so smart, and beautiful; she's got her whole life ahead of her to do whatever she wants. Then look at me- My grades are terrible and I only just barely look less like a boy than you do." You aren't sure about that. Looking between Sayaka and Kure Kirika, despite their short hair they both have distinctly feminine curves - not that you're looking - and you can't imagine anyone being stupid enough to confuse either of them for a boy. "Hell, more than once some idiot's come up to Oriko and said 'Your boyfriend is really cute', or something dumb like that. She'd always correct them, but every time it happened I'd always find myself wondering if maybe Oriko wouldn't be happier with a boy than she was with me."
"Yeah, but..."
It's at this point you decide to tune out Sayaka's constant hesitations, and instead focus on something of greater importance. "Assassin, I'll be having guests tonight. I don't want to make you feel left out, but at the same time I don't want you to accidentally poison anybody. You don't have to disappear if you don't want to, but I would ask you to be mindful of your surroundings."
"Of course, master. I shall ensure that no harm comes to your guests on my account."
"Thank you; that's all I ask."
"Yeah, but..." You sigh; it seems even after you've diverted your mind elsewhere there is no escaping the Sayaka. Fortunately, as your party draws near to your apartment, a solution to the problem facing your ears comes into view. Kure Kirika grabs Sayaka by her shoulders, amid her cries of "Hey! Let go of me! What do you think you're doing?" and without a word deposits her right in front of Kyouko, who is patiently waiting by your apartment. "Uh... Hey, Kyouko," Sayaka says, her voice still the hesitant and nervous mess it's been for the entire walk home. "I, uh... I'm looking forward to tonight."
"Yeah," Kyouko says, cocking an eye to Kure Kirika, as if to ask her what that was all about. "I can tell from how excited ya were ta see me."
"Why you-"
Sayaka's attempted fume is cut off prematurely when Kure Kirika says "What the Blueberry means to say is, 'shut up and kiss me before I say something stupid'." Kyouko, whom you're sure had been preparing a retort as soon as Sayaka's mouth opened, shrugs, and leans in to give Sayaka a quick peck on the lips. "There," Kure Kirika says, turning her head back and forth between Sayaka and Kyouko. "All better now? You two are gonna be fine tonight; so stop stressing."
"Well, there's no turning back now," you say to the five girls that have assembled at your front door. "Tohsaka Rin is inside, waiting for us." Your eyes dart to Sayaka, then to Hitomi, and you say "If either of you want out, now's your last change. Otherwise, let's do this." Neither of them have any objections, and when silence is the answer you receive, you reach for the key and unlock the front door, leading your party inside where Tohsaka Rin is waiting.
"Well, now that the gang's all here, [ ] What do you have to say for yourselves?"
- Location
- United States
[X] Quickly send off a text to McRemitz-san inviting her over to your apartment to join in on your meeting with Tohsaka Rin, if she's available
[X] What do you have to say for yourselves?
-[X] "That depends on what you're referring to."
--[X] "If you're referring to the fact that you're preventing Mitakihara from being wiped off the map, then you have all of my gratitude and appreciation. It saves us the trouble of defending our city, citizens, and our friends and families from harm by this mysterious Mages Association, and I assure you it would be far too much trouble for the Mages Association to attempt to do so in the first place. Just ask McRemitz-san."
--[X] "If you're referring to the massacre, there wasn't much more we could have done without knowing what we do now, and it certainly didn't help that Elsa Maria no-selled precognitive abilities. If we didn't take the steps that we had, it's entirely possible that the Mages Association wouldn't have needed to wipe out Mitakihara to begin with as Mitakihara and it's denizens would have been destroyed and killed by Elsa Maria's familiars."
--[X] "If you're referring to the trade of beginner Magecraft learning material for the Grief Seed I supplied to Archer, then you have my thanks. I'll admit that I don't know much about your system, so it's really nice to know that we have someone as knowledgeable as you and who Archer trusts helping us."
[X] What do you have to say for yourselves?
-[X] "That depends on what you're referring to."
--[X] "If you're referring to the fact that you're preventing Mitakihara from being wiped off the map, then you have all of my gratitude and appreciation. It saves us the trouble of defending our city, citizens, and our friends and families from harm by this mysterious Mages Association, and I assure you it would be far too much trouble for the Mages Association to attempt to do so in the first place. Just ask McRemitz-san."
--[X] "If you're referring to the massacre, there wasn't much more we could have done without knowing what we do now, and it certainly didn't help that Elsa Maria no-selled precognitive abilities. If we didn't take the steps that we had, it's entirely possible that the Mages Association wouldn't have needed to wipe out Mitakihara to begin with as Mitakihara and it's denizens would have been destroyed and killed by Elsa Maria's familiars."
--[X] "If you're referring to the trade of beginner Magecraft learning material for the Grief Seed I supplied to Archer, then you have my thanks. I'll admit that I don't know much about your system, so it's really nice to know that we have someone as knowledgeable as you and who Archer trusts helping us."
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- Location
- United States
SVS, give us our mini-omake. /s
- Location
- The End of Glory
- Location
- Around here
No.SVS, give us our mini-omake. /s
Day 34 Chapter 9
- Location
- Around here
[X] Enetious
"Well, there's no turning back now," you say to the five girls that have assembled at your front door. "Tohsaka Rin is inside, waiting for us." Your eyes dart to Sayaka, then to Hitomi, and you say "If either of you want out, now's your last change. Otherwise, let's do this." Neither of them have any objections, and when silence is the answer you receive, you reach for the key and unlock the front door, leading your party inside where Tohsaka Rin is waiting.
Every girl accompanying you today has been inside your apartment before, but as you track each of their faces as they take their shoes off at the foyer, you can see them sensing the air differently today; it's not just the presence of an important and powerful outsider who may be the only thing holding back a foreign invasion from wiping this city out; there's something else.
"Hey, so queick question," Sayaka says, as you catch her eyes dance in the direction of a shadow moving towards the other end of the hall. "What was that I just saw moving over there?"
"That was probably Assassin," you say. Sayaka and Hitomi tense; you've told them about your Assassin before, but this will be the first time either of them will have seen her, even in passing. "She won't go out of her way to hurt you, but her touch is poisonous, so I advise everyone to be careful." Hopefully, the goodwill you've built up with Assassin will keep your friends safe from her touch. Still, extra precautions woulnd't hurt anyone. "Archer, do you think you can make some of those rings for my friends? I've told both them and Assassin to be careful around each other, but I'd still like to be extra-careful if I can."
"Who's in the party today?"
"Currently? Everyone but Madoka and Mikuni Oriko. The latter will be joining us in an hour, while the former may or may not be joining us at all."
"Got it. Seven Toadstone Rings, coming up."
Shoes and their introduction to Assassin out of the way, you lead your party into the living room, where you find the woman whom you presume to be Tohsaka Rin waiting for your arrival. The first thing you notice is that she's fairly young- By your guess, she's probably no older than twenty-four. If you took all the time you've spent repeating this loop, would that make you older than her? Second, is that she's wearing the exact same dark red silk shirt that Archer always wears, but instead of pants she wears a black skirt and black thigh-high stockings. Her eyes are bright blue like Sayaka's, and her hair is free-flowing, long dark-chocolate locks like Kure Minako's. She hardly looks like the consummate professional and experienced mage you had always imaged her to be; but then, you imagine that you don't much look like your life experiences are properly reflected either.
Tohsaka Rin stands, counting off you and your guests with her fingers, "One, two, three, four, five, six," saying once she's finished "Alright, five masters and one first-generation." Her mouth hangs open after that, as though she were about to say something else; but she stops, instead saying "Wait a minute, that can't be right." She crouches down, unzipping her rolling tote to grab for a briefcase, and the files contained within it. She leafs through the many pieces of paper inside, and briefly you catch glimpses of headshots - yours, Tomoe-san's, and Kure Kirika's - that you recognize as the same headshots that would be on your student ID photos. Then, as quickly as the storm of papers had come, it stops, and Tohsaka, papers still haphazardly stacked in her hands says "Mikuni's a tall, busty white-haired girl." Her ocean-blue eyes dart from Sayaka to Hitomi, and she asks them "Alright, so which one of you is the first-generation, and which one of you do I need to kill?"
Hitomi steps forward, saying "I'm the first-generation mage, ah, Tohsaka-san, was it?" Tohsaka Rin nods, and Hitomi continues, saying "But, you don't need to kill Miki-san."
"Ugh, fine; I'll just erase her memories a little bit."
Now, it's Sayaka's turn to step forward and stand up for herself, saying "So, hey, I get that you have to, you know, keep your magic a secret from everyone else, but it's cool. I already knew about this stuff from before you got here. So, you think you could maybe, you know, not do that?"
"That one's Miki Sayaka," Archer says, stepping up to stop his former master from doing something stupid. "She doesn't have any magic circuits, but since all her friends are involved in this, one way or another, I offered to teach her some introductory Formalcraft and Mystic Code creation theory. Some of those books you brought were for her benefit as well as Shizuki's."
"Ugh, fine." Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes, returning to her seat on your couch as she says "She can stay. But don't think for a second that the Association will tolerate it if she starts blabbing about what she's learned to anyone within earshot."
"Hey will you just relax already?" Sayaka says, finally letting the day's frustrations show in her voice as she says "Homura's already explained the kind of crap this city's in because of your 'Association'-" enclosing the word in exaggerated air-quotes "-I can appreciate what you're doing to keep us all safe here, but you really need to cut it with that attitude problem of yours."
You have a bad feeling about what Sayaka has just said. "Listen, kid- You think you appreciate what I'm doing here, and then tell me to cut it with my attitude? You don't know the half of it. You think I'm bad, but just you wait- Even the second-nicest mage after me wouldn't hesitate to turn your head into a pink smear just for knowing that magecraft exists. So if you really appreciate what I'm sticking my neck out to do for this city, then shut it and be grateful that I'm even doing it in the first place."
"Okay Rin, I think she gets the message," Archer says, once again stepping in as Tohsaka Rin takes several deep breaths, hopefully to calm herself after that outburst. To Sayaka Archer turns next, saying "And you- Don't be antagonistic. The world of mages is nothing like what you've experienced with your friends, so for your own sake I'd advise you not to hold them to the same standards. You'll only end up making yourself angry."
Sayaka looks offended as she slinks back to Kyouko's side, but the person who looks more offended than her is Hitomi. Archer did warn her, you recall, that to be a mage is to walk with death, but until now she's never had the chance to meet with an actual representative from that world before; and it doesn't look as though she likes what she's seen.
"So, disregarding that little outburst," Tohsaka Rin says, once more counting off on her fingers the number of guests you've brought with you "And discounting Mikuni, apparently- Seriously, where is she?"
"Oriko doesn't go to the same school as the rest of us," Kure Kirika says. "She's coming from Shirome, the next city northwest of Mitakihara. It usually takes her about an hour to get from the school in Shirome down to the nearest station."
"Great." Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes at Kure Kirika's words. "So we're still waiting on someone before we can get started." She pulls back, taking several deep breaths as she says "Calm down, Rin. It's just an hour; you've still got time. You don't need to rush or stress these girls out any more than you've already done."
[ ] What do you talk about in the time it will take Mikuni Oriko to arrive in Mitakihara?
[ ] Once Mikuni Oriko arrives, what do you (or Archer) say to convince Tohsaka Rin that you have things under control?
-[ ] You do have things under control, right?
[ ] Is there anything else you need or want to address while everyone is here?
[ ] When do you want to address this thing with Asako Koito?
"Well, there's no turning back now," you say to the five girls that have assembled at your front door. "Tohsaka Rin is inside, waiting for us." Your eyes dart to Sayaka, then to Hitomi, and you say "If either of you want out, now's your last change. Otherwise, let's do this." Neither of them have any objections, and when silence is the answer you receive, you reach for the key and unlock the front door, leading your party inside where Tohsaka Rin is waiting.
Every girl accompanying you today has been inside your apartment before, but as you track each of their faces as they take their shoes off at the foyer, you can see them sensing the air differently today; it's not just the presence of an important and powerful outsider who may be the only thing holding back a foreign invasion from wiping this city out; there's something else.
"Hey, so queick question," Sayaka says, as you catch her eyes dance in the direction of a shadow moving towards the other end of the hall. "What was that I just saw moving over there?"
"That was probably Assassin," you say. Sayaka and Hitomi tense; you've told them about your Assassin before, but this will be the first time either of them will have seen her, even in passing. "She won't go out of her way to hurt you, but her touch is poisonous, so I advise everyone to be careful." Hopefully, the goodwill you've built up with Assassin will keep your friends safe from her touch. Still, extra precautions woulnd't hurt anyone. "Archer, do you think you can make some of those rings for my friends? I've told both them and Assassin to be careful around each other, but I'd still like to be extra-careful if I can."
"Who's in the party today?"
"Currently? Everyone but Madoka and Mikuni Oriko. The latter will be joining us in an hour, while the former may or may not be joining us at all."
"Got it. Seven Toadstone Rings, coming up."
Shoes and their introduction to Assassin out of the way, you lead your party into the living room, where you find the woman whom you presume to be Tohsaka Rin waiting for your arrival. The first thing you notice is that she's fairly young- By your guess, she's probably no older than twenty-four. If you took all the time you've spent repeating this loop, would that make you older than her? Second, is that she's wearing the exact same dark red silk shirt that Archer always wears, but instead of pants she wears a black skirt and black thigh-high stockings. Her eyes are bright blue like Sayaka's, and her hair is free-flowing, long dark-chocolate locks like Kure Minako's. She hardly looks like the consummate professional and experienced mage you had always imaged her to be; but then, you imagine that you don't much look like your life experiences are properly reflected either.
Tohsaka Rin stands, counting off you and your guests with her fingers, "One, two, three, four, five, six," saying once she's finished "Alright, five masters and one first-generation." Her mouth hangs open after that, as though she were about to say something else; but she stops, instead saying "Wait a minute, that can't be right." She crouches down, unzipping her rolling tote to grab for a briefcase, and the files contained within it. She leafs through the many pieces of paper inside, and briefly you catch glimpses of headshots - yours, Tomoe-san's, and Kure Kirika's - that you recognize as the same headshots that would be on your student ID photos. Then, as quickly as the storm of papers had come, it stops, and Tohsaka, papers still haphazardly stacked in her hands says "Mikuni's a tall, busty white-haired girl." Her ocean-blue eyes dart from Sayaka to Hitomi, and she asks them "Alright, so which one of you is the first-generation, and which one of you do I need to kill?"
Hitomi steps forward, saying "I'm the first-generation mage, ah, Tohsaka-san, was it?" Tohsaka Rin nods, and Hitomi continues, saying "But, you don't need to kill Miki-san."
"Ugh, fine; I'll just erase her memories a little bit."
Now, it's Sayaka's turn to step forward and stand up for herself, saying "So, hey, I get that you have to, you know, keep your magic a secret from everyone else, but it's cool. I already knew about this stuff from before you got here. So, you think you could maybe, you know, not do that?"
"That one's Miki Sayaka," Archer says, stepping up to stop his former master from doing something stupid. "She doesn't have any magic circuits, but since all her friends are involved in this, one way or another, I offered to teach her some introductory Formalcraft and Mystic Code creation theory. Some of those books you brought were for her benefit as well as Shizuki's."
"Ugh, fine." Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes, returning to her seat on your couch as she says "She can stay. But don't think for a second that the Association will tolerate it if she starts blabbing about what she's learned to anyone within earshot."
"Hey will you just relax already?" Sayaka says, finally letting the day's frustrations show in her voice as she says "Homura's already explained the kind of crap this city's in because of your 'Association'-" enclosing the word in exaggerated air-quotes "-I can appreciate what you're doing to keep us all safe here, but you really need to cut it with that attitude problem of yours."
You have a bad feeling about what Sayaka has just said. "Listen, kid- You think you appreciate what I'm doing here, and then tell me to cut it with my attitude? You don't know the half of it. You think I'm bad, but just you wait- Even the second-nicest mage after me wouldn't hesitate to turn your head into a pink smear just for knowing that magecraft exists. So if you really appreciate what I'm sticking my neck out to do for this city, then shut it and be grateful that I'm even doing it in the first place."
"Okay Rin, I think she gets the message," Archer says, once again stepping in as Tohsaka Rin takes several deep breaths, hopefully to calm herself after that outburst. To Sayaka Archer turns next, saying "And you- Don't be antagonistic. The world of mages is nothing like what you've experienced with your friends, so for your own sake I'd advise you not to hold them to the same standards. You'll only end up making yourself angry."
Sayaka looks offended as she slinks back to Kyouko's side, but the person who looks more offended than her is Hitomi. Archer did warn her, you recall, that to be a mage is to walk with death, but until now she's never had the chance to meet with an actual representative from that world before; and it doesn't look as though she likes what she's seen.
"So, disregarding that little outburst," Tohsaka Rin says, once more counting off on her fingers the number of guests you've brought with you "And discounting Mikuni, apparently- Seriously, where is she?"
"Oriko doesn't go to the same school as the rest of us," Kure Kirika says. "She's coming from Shirome, the next city northwest of Mitakihara. It usually takes her about an hour to get from the school in Shirome down to the nearest station."
"Great." Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes at Kure Kirika's words. "So we're still waiting on someone before we can get started." She pulls back, taking several deep breaths as she says "Calm down, Rin. It's just an hour; you've still got time. You don't need to rush or stress these girls out any more than you've already done."
[ ] What do you talk about in the time it will take Mikuni Oriko to arrive in Mitakihara?
[ ] Once Mikuni Oriko arrives, what do you (or Archer) say to convince Tohsaka Rin that you have things under control?
-[ ] You do have things under control, right?
[ ] Is there anything else you need or want to address while everyone is here?
[ ] When do you want to address this thing with Asako Koito?
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- Location
- Around here
Okay, so we're kind of breaking at a weird point here and not actually addressing the response in the previous vote, but in my defense I for whatever reason decided to end the last post with the implication of Oriko having already joined us, but when I went to this post to write up what happens in between I realized there'd still be the better part of an hour to kill, so here we are. I'll be covering our response in the previous vote either in the next post, or immediately at the start of the post after that.
[X] NMS+100
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- Location
- The End of Glory
[X] NMS
- Location
- Around here
To everyone that's already voted, I went ahead and added in some addition questions we'll want to think about.
- Location
- United States
[X] NMS+100
-[X] Prepare tea and snacks with Archer
--[X] Look, just because we're going to be discussing the fate of the entire city doesn't mean you get to be a bad host
--[X] (Archer) Disseminate the toadstone rings while you and Homura are doing this
-[X] What do you talk about in the time it will take Mikuni Oriko to arrive in Mitakihara?
--[X] Introduce yourselves properly once everyone is seated; name, interests, favorite foods, etc., and ask Tohsaka Rin the same
---[X] This includes Archer and Assassin
--[X] Play around with your magic 'totally just technology' holographic screens and show Tohsaka Rin what Elsa Maria and her familiars looked like while you were battling them, along with what Labyrinths and other Witches you've fought look like in case she ever encounters a Witch
---[X] Rin tries to move and take control of your holographic screens, but fails, catastrophically
----[X] Is one of the projectors smoking?
-[X] Once Mikuni Oriko arrives, what do you (or Archer) say to convince Tohsaka Rin that you have things under control?
--[X] Layout your forces, which include a precognitive and Gilgamesh the Wondrous 'Read The Truth of the World' Caster, along with you who can stop time, not to mention how powerful Servants like Achilles, Brynhildr, and Lancelot are outside of extenuating circumstances
---[X] For anything you need to deal with that's less curbstomp-necessary and more covert, you have True Assassin, who has an insanely high ranked Presence Concealment skill and whose best suited to killing just about anything conventionally alive
--[X] Quite honestly, it's doubtful that this Association of hers would have been able to contain and eliminate Elsa Maria and her literal flood of inviolable familiars before she spread across at least a good portion of the country, you're just lucky you made it to ground zero and contained it all in Archer's Reality Marble before her and her familiars could spread; you did the best you could in those circumstances
---[X] Remind her that even if the Association managed to kill Elsa Maria in this scenario - despite the fact that she tanked who knows how many high-level and esoteric Noble Phantasms - there's no way the they could have killed every single malleable familiar once they've spread before even just one could consume enough Humans to spawn another Elsa Maria, as killing the Witch doesn't kill the familiars
----[X] (Archer) Vouch for Homura; despite the similarities between a Dead Apostle scenario and Elsa Maria's familiars, her familiars are a thousand times worse than any ghoul a Dead Apostle could make, and there's no way the Association would've made it in time before Elsa Maria's familiars feasted on all of the Humans in Mitakihara and potentially spawned more of her
--[X] You do have things under control, right?
---[X] Yes, everything is under control, everything is just fine
-[X] Is there anything else you need or want to address while everyone is here?
--[X] Contemplate if you should tell everyone about your time looping next time you meet up, or when Tohsaka Rin leaves, but then remember that you should probably tell Madoka first and foremost before telling anyone else
-[X] When do you want to address this thing with Asako Koito?
--[X] After the meeting with Tohsaka Rin is over, but before any of your friends and allies leave
Don't forget to have Homura text Bazett.
EDIT: Specified that Archer and Assassin are partaking in the introductions, in case you didn't take my "everyone" literally. Why Archer? Well, it just so happens that he's had some major life changes since he last saw Rin, in comparison to his other Servant self.
-[X] Prepare tea and snacks with Archer
--[X] Look, just because we're going to be discussing the fate of the entire city doesn't mean you get to be a bad host
--[X] (Archer) Disseminate the toadstone rings while you and Homura are doing this
-[X] What do you talk about in the time it will take Mikuni Oriko to arrive in Mitakihara?
--[X] Introduce yourselves properly once everyone is seated; name, interests, favorite foods, etc., and ask Tohsaka Rin the same
---[X] This includes Archer and Assassin
--[X] Play around with your magic 'totally just technology' holographic screens and show Tohsaka Rin what Elsa Maria and her familiars looked like while you were battling them, along with what Labyrinths and other Witches you've fought look like in case she ever encounters a Witch
---[X] Rin tries to move and take control of your holographic screens, but fails, catastrophically
----[X] Is one of the projectors smoking?
-[X] Once Mikuni Oriko arrives, what do you (or Archer) say to convince Tohsaka Rin that you have things under control?
--[X] Layout your forces, which include a precognitive and Gilgamesh the Wondrous 'Read The Truth of the World' Caster, along with you who can stop time, not to mention how powerful Servants like Achilles, Brynhildr, and Lancelot are outside of extenuating circumstances
---[X] For anything you need to deal with that's less curbstomp-necessary and more covert, you have True Assassin, who has an insanely high ranked Presence Concealment skill and whose best suited to killing just about anything conventionally alive
--[X] Quite honestly, it's doubtful that this Association of hers would have been able to contain and eliminate Elsa Maria and her literal flood of inviolable familiars before she spread across at least a good portion of the country, you're just lucky you made it to ground zero and contained it all in Archer's Reality Marble before her and her familiars could spread; you did the best you could in those circumstances
---[X] Remind her that even if the Association managed to kill Elsa Maria in this scenario - despite the fact that she tanked who knows how many high-level and esoteric Noble Phantasms - there's no way the they could have killed every single malleable familiar once they've spread before even just one could consume enough Humans to spawn another Elsa Maria, as killing the Witch doesn't kill the familiars
----[X] (Archer) Vouch for Homura; despite the similarities between a Dead Apostle scenario and Elsa Maria's familiars, her familiars are a thousand times worse than any ghoul a Dead Apostle could make, and there's no way the Association would've made it in time before Elsa Maria's familiars feasted on all of the Humans in Mitakihara and potentially spawned more of her
--[X] You do have things under control, right?
---[X] Yes, everything is under control, everything is just fine
-[X] Is there anything else you need or want to address while everyone is here?
--[X] Contemplate if you should tell everyone about your time looping next time you meet up, or when Tohsaka Rin leaves, but then remember that you should probably tell Madoka first and foremost before telling anyone else
-[X] When do you want to address this thing with Asako Koito?
--[X] After the meeting with Tohsaka Rin is over, but before any of your friends and allies leave
Don't forget to have Homura text Bazett.
Nu, bad NMS, not in front of the strange lady.
EDIT: Specified that Archer and Assassin are partaking in the introductions, in case you didn't take my "everyone" literally. Why Archer? Well, it just so happens that he's had some major life changes since he last saw Rin, in comparison to his other Servant self.
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Altria_Pendragon
(Verified - SG-i13 Rhongomyniad)
- Location
- World's End Pillar
[x] NMS+100
That's a *lot.* Guess that'll fill the time until Oriko, at least.
That's a *lot.* Guess that'll fill the time until Oriko, at least.
- Location
- Around here
It definitely is. I may end up splitting it into two posts over the course of tonight and tomorrow, depending.
- Location
- The End of Glory
[x] NMS+100
Day 34 Chapter 10
- Location
- Around here
[X] NMS+100
"Great." Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes at the announcement that Mikuni Oriko will still be the better part of an hour late to the meeting. "So we're still waiting on someone before we can get started." She pulls back, taking several deep breaths as she says "Calm down, Rin. It's just an hour; you've still got time. You don't need to rush or stress these girls out any more than you've already done."
"Well, while we're waiting I can prepare some tea and snacks for everybody," Archer says. Despite the stressful atmosphere present on all fronts of your living room, the promise of refreshments is one nobody is willing to turn down, and so your servant ducks out, heading to the kitchen to make everyone something to snack on while they wait. Five minutes later, Archer returns from the kitchen with tea, cookies, and "Here," he says, handing out a Toadstone Ring with each cup of tea or cookie. "Put that on; it'll keep you safe from Assassin's poison."
"Perhaps it would be a good idea for us all to introduce ourselves to Tohsaka-san?" Tomoe-san suggests. Based on facial responses, reception among your group is mixed, especially among the less trusting or more cautious members of your assembly, including Sayaka, Kyouko and Kure Kirika, but Tomoe-san presses on, saying "I understand that Tohsaka-san is here on a mission, but perhaps it might help our cause a bit more if she were to see us as individuals, rather than as names on her information printouts; and for us to see her the same way were she to reciprocate. Plus, once Mikuni-san arrives, we'll be able to start that much sooner because she'll only need to introduce herself to you, rather than having to go through all of us after an already long wait."
"Well, I guess if nobody else has any better ideas," Tohsaka Rin says, after waiting for several seconds without anyone else offering an alternative means of passing the time. "Lay it on me, girls. Who are you, and why should I be sticking my neck out for you?" Aside from the obvious reason, that a good person wouldn't stand by and let some nebulous 'Association come in and wipe an entire city full of innocent people off the map? Tohsaka Rin starts with you, saying "Alright Akemi, since you're the one that reads like she's in charge here, why don't you start?"
"Very well," you say, taking center stage of everyone's attention. This reminds you an awful lot of that Sunday, not too long ago, when you were first giving Mikuni Oriko and Kure Kirika the chance to introduce themselves to the team. "My name is Akemi Homura; I'm fourteen, and I enjoy spending time with my girlfriend, who isn't here right now, though she is also aware of the existence of magic. I don't particularly have much in the way of hobbies, though recently I have been trying to expand my horizons with the help of my friends..."
"... And hopefully that about covers everything to do with Oriko as well," Kure Kirika says, closing off a round of introductions from you and each of your friends and allies. "I love Oriko. Oriko's my everything, and without Oriko I'd be nothing."
After you, your group went in turns, and one by one each of your friends and allies introduce themselves to Tohsaka Rin. You even managed to convince Assassin to say a little about herself; well, for as little as she was willing to say, that is. Still, it's better than nothing, you think to yourself, as Archer's turn to speak rolls around. "Hi," he says; your surrogate father needs little introduction, but for his former master's sake you encouraged him to speak anyways. After all, he's certainly had to have changed from when she knew him. "Name's Archer; most of you already know me. I like to cook; I clean, do the dishes, repair broken appliances, and as my name suggests, I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow." Tohsaka Rin gives Archer a look, as if to say "Get on with it." Archer smiles, and he wraps an arm around your shoulder as the biggest change from when his former master knew him comes to light. "I'm very proud to call Homura here my daughter, in spirit if neither in blood nor legal document." Thumbing over to Kure Kirika, Archer adds "And this one's mom has the hots for me. I'm not actually sure how I feel about that right now, but it's something different about me since we last saw each other, so I figured I'd let you know anyway."
Tohsaka Rin smiles, saying "Well, it guess you've done a bit more growing up than I thought when we spoke on the phone the other day. I'm glad for you, Archer."
Just then, as the metaphorical turn counter ticks over to Tohsaka Rin, you hear a knock at your front door. "I"m sorry if I've held you and the others up, Akemi-san." It's Mikuni Oriko. The hour has passed, much quicker than you expected it would have, and you let your final guest in. You've received no text from Madoka, but with your last member in place, there is one other person whom you've considered inviting to this meeting; and as you check your phone one final time, you send her your message.
<Homura: McRemitz-san, Tohsaka Rin is in the city, and is currently having a sitdown with my allies and I. If you wanted to join us, I'm sure you would be more than welcome to.>
You assume that McRemitz-san is currently out continuing her - albeit fruitless - investigative work, so you'll await her response. Until then, you lead Mikuni Oriko into the living room. Tohsaka Rin takes one look at her, mutters to herself "Tall, busty, white hair; yup, that's Mikuni" and as Mikuni Oriko takes her seat, Tohsaka Rin says "Well, now that the gang's all here, what do you have to say for yourselves?"
It feels like you've been waiting all afternoon to say this to your guest."That depends on what you're referring to."
"The witch, obviously. Archer gave me a brief overview of what happened, but you'll forgive me for not taking at face value everything he says." She does have a point; if you didn't know Archer any better, you'd probably have a much more difficult time telling when hes being serious from when he's joking. "No, I want to hear it from you girls. What happened Friday night, and why does it have the Association so spooked?"
You snap your fingers, projecting several images of Elsa Maria, the Black Mountain, and the serpentine familiars across your various monitors. "If you're referring to the massacre, there wasn't much more we could have done without knowing what we do now, and it certainly didn't help that the witch did everything in its power to evade detection for as long as possible." Whatever Tohsaka Rin believed coming into this meeting, from the look on her face you can safely say that she wasn't expecting what you've shown her. The Black Mountain, perhaps; the Statue of Liberty appearing and then instantly vanishing seems to be the only consistently and accurately reported part of Friday's 'incident'. "If we hadn't taken the steps that we had, it's entirely possible that the Mages Association wouldn't have needed to wipe out Mitakihara to begin with, as it's likely that Mitakihara and its denizens would have been destroyed and killed by the witch's familiars."
"Big deal," Tohsaka Rin says; the look on her face betrays the nonchalance of her tone. "There are plenty of mages within the Association that could have taken that thing and its army of overgrown snakes. I mean, a few girls and their servants managed to do it, so it should be a piece of cake for a couple of experienced mages to handle."
You return fire with a look and say, not to Tohsaka Rin, but to your allies "Would everyone like to tell Tohsaka Rin who our servants are? Just so she has an idea of the strength of our team, that is."
"Gilgamesh."
"Achilles."
"Bryhildr."
"Lancelot."
"And for everything that needs a more subtle touch, we have Assassin," you say, rounding off your team's roster. "And despite that, despite the powerful personalities at our disposal, despite getting help from McRemitz-san and her own Lancer servant, we still only just barely managed to defeat the witch. It managed to tank Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm, and had Archer not drawn the witch inside his Reality Marble, its familiars would have also been completely intangible to all our attacks. I know you want to think highly of your colleagues and their abilities, but trust me when I say this, Tohsaka Rin- I'm incredibly doubtful that any mage in your Association could have defeated the witch in time to stop the ocean of familiars from spreading; if they could even have defeated it at all. To make matters worse, even if by some miracle your Association mages managed to defeat the witch with the ease that several high-powered servants could not, killing the witch doesn't automatically kill the familiars. If enough of them were left alive, there's a high chance that they could continue to eat, grow, and eventually another witch would be born. Then the cycle would repeat anew with even more casualties.
"I know what you're probably thinking right now," Archer says, pulling Tohsaka Rin's attention away from your monitors, which she stares at with a dumbstruck expression on her face as you speak. "But trust me, the similarities between this and a Dead Apostle scenario are few and far between. For one, the situation on the ground, especially with those familiars and their intangibility, would be a thousand times worse for anyone going into the fight who isn't prepared and properly equipped to deal with the situation. Even the strongest ghouls that a DA could make wouldn't hold a candle to those snakes, and given that it took you all weekend to get the memo that something seriously wrong was going on, how likely do you think it would be that competent Association mages would have made it in time to deal with the situation before the entire city was devoured and potentially another witch was spawned?"
Tohsaka Rin continues to stare into empty space as she listens to every word you and Archer say to her. When she manages to pull herself back together, the first thing she asks is "... Are you sure you've got everything under control around here? Because from the way this thing sounds, you don't."
You and Archer say, almost in sync with one another, "Yes; we've got this under control. Everything is just fine."
"Well... You've both certainly given me... A lot to think about." Tohsaka Rin's eyes wander, passing over each of your friends and allies in turn, and she says "You know, the rest of your team's been awfully quiet ever since you started talking. You mind if I, oh, I don't know, had a chance to talk to each of them individually? You know, just to hear things in their own words?"
While you don't have a problem with that, and from the look on her face neither does Tomoe-san; Kyouko, on the other hand, "Yeah, so if we're doing this, can I go first? 'Cuz I've got a date in..." She checks the time on her phone, saying "Not a whole lotta time, actually; and I'd really like ta not be late."
Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes, saying "Ugh, fine," before standing up, and with a gesture to join her she says "Come on, let's talk in the kitchen," but not before, as her fingers bounce over the heads of your allies and she mumbles to herself, she says "Okay, so after Sakura, I want... Kure, Tomoe, Mikuni, in that order." Kure Kirika gives Tohsaka Rin a sour look, as though the thought of being separated from Mikuni Oriko after she's only just arrived is the worst pain she could possibly endure, but she remains silent as Tohsaka Rin and Kyouko head out of the living room to talk in private.
As the pair talk, and everyone else sits in either quiet contemplation or quiet conversation, you have one thought on your mind that, for whatever reason, you can't seem to shake. Madoka still doesn't know the truth about your time-looping. You wonder when, if at all, a good time to tell her would be.
[ ] Wat do?
"Great." Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes at the announcement that Mikuni Oriko will still be the better part of an hour late to the meeting. "So we're still waiting on someone before we can get started." She pulls back, taking several deep breaths as she says "Calm down, Rin. It's just an hour; you've still got time. You don't need to rush or stress these girls out any more than you've already done."
"Well, while we're waiting I can prepare some tea and snacks for everybody," Archer says. Despite the stressful atmosphere present on all fronts of your living room, the promise of refreshments is one nobody is willing to turn down, and so your servant ducks out, heading to the kitchen to make everyone something to snack on while they wait. Five minutes later, Archer returns from the kitchen with tea, cookies, and "Here," he says, handing out a Toadstone Ring with each cup of tea or cookie. "Put that on; it'll keep you safe from Assassin's poison."
"Perhaps it would be a good idea for us all to introduce ourselves to Tohsaka-san?" Tomoe-san suggests. Based on facial responses, reception among your group is mixed, especially among the less trusting or more cautious members of your assembly, including Sayaka, Kyouko and Kure Kirika, but Tomoe-san presses on, saying "I understand that Tohsaka-san is here on a mission, but perhaps it might help our cause a bit more if she were to see us as individuals, rather than as names on her information printouts; and for us to see her the same way were she to reciprocate. Plus, once Mikuni-san arrives, we'll be able to start that much sooner because she'll only need to introduce herself to you, rather than having to go through all of us after an already long wait."
"Well, I guess if nobody else has any better ideas," Tohsaka Rin says, after waiting for several seconds without anyone else offering an alternative means of passing the time. "Lay it on me, girls. Who are you, and why should I be sticking my neck out for you?" Aside from the obvious reason, that a good person wouldn't stand by and let some nebulous 'Association come in and wipe an entire city full of innocent people off the map? Tohsaka Rin starts with you, saying "Alright Akemi, since you're the one that reads like she's in charge here, why don't you start?"
"Very well," you say, taking center stage of everyone's attention. This reminds you an awful lot of that Sunday, not too long ago, when you were first giving Mikuni Oriko and Kure Kirika the chance to introduce themselves to the team. "My name is Akemi Homura; I'm fourteen, and I enjoy spending time with my girlfriend, who isn't here right now, though she is also aware of the existence of magic. I don't particularly have much in the way of hobbies, though recently I have been trying to expand my horizons with the help of my friends..."
"... And hopefully that about covers everything to do with Oriko as well," Kure Kirika says, closing off a round of introductions from you and each of your friends and allies. "I love Oriko. Oriko's my everything, and without Oriko I'd be nothing."
After you, your group went in turns, and one by one each of your friends and allies introduce themselves to Tohsaka Rin. You even managed to convince Assassin to say a little about herself; well, for as little as she was willing to say, that is. Still, it's better than nothing, you think to yourself, as Archer's turn to speak rolls around. "Hi," he says; your surrogate father needs little introduction, but for his former master's sake you encouraged him to speak anyways. After all, he's certainly had to have changed from when she knew him. "Name's Archer; most of you already know me. I like to cook; I clean, do the dishes, repair broken appliances, and as my name suggests, I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow." Tohsaka Rin gives Archer a look, as if to say "Get on with it." Archer smiles, and he wraps an arm around your shoulder as the biggest change from when his former master knew him comes to light. "I'm very proud to call Homura here my daughter, in spirit if neither in blood nor legal document." Thumbing over to Kure Kirika, Archer adds "And this one's mom has the hots for me. I'm not actually sure how I feel about that right now, but it's something different about me since we last saw each other, so I figured I'd let you know anyway."
Tohsaka Rin smiles, saying "Well, it guess you've done a bit more growing up than I thought when we spoke on the phone the other day. I'm glad for you, Archer."
Just then, as the metaphorical turn counter ticks over to Tohsaka Rin, you hear a knock at your front door. "I"m sorry if I've held you and the others up, Akemi-san." It's Mikuni Oriko. The hour has passed, much quicker than you expected it would have, and you let your final guest in. You've received no text from Madoka, but with your last member in place, there is one other person whom you've considered inviting to this meeting; and as you check your phone one final time, you send her your message.
<Homura: McRemitz-san, Tohsaka Rin is in the city, and is currently having a sitdown with my allies and I. If you wanted to join us, I'm sure you would be more than welcome to.>
You assume that McRemitz-san is currently out continuing her - albeit fruitless - investigative work, so you'll await her response. Until then, you lead Mikuni Oriko into the living room. Tohsaka Rin takes one look at her, mutters to herself "Tall, busty, white hair; yup, that's Mikuni" and as Mikuni Oriko takes her seat, Tohsaka Rin says "Well, now that the gang's all here, what do you have to say for yourselves?"
It feels like you've been waiting all afternoon to say this to your guest."That depends on what you're referring to."
"The witch, obviously. Archer gave me a brief overview of what happened, but you'll forgive me for not taking at face value everything he says." She does have a point; if you didn't know Archer any better, you'd probably have a much more difficult time telling when hes being serious from when he's joking. "No, I want to hear it from you girls. What happened Friday night, and why does it have the Association so spooked?"
You snap your fingers, projecting several images of Elsa Maria, the Black Mountain, and the serpentine familiars across your various monitors. "If you're referring to the massacre, there wasn't much more we could have done without knowing what we do now, and it certainly didn't help that the witch did everything in its power to evade detection for as long as possible." Whatever Tohsaka Rin believed coming into this meeting, from the look on her face you can safely say that she wasn't expecting what you've shown her. The Black Mountain, perhaps; the Statue of Liberty appearing and then instantly vanishing seems to be the only consistently and accurately reported part of Friday's 'incident'. "If we hadn't taken the steps that we had, it's entirely possible that the Mages Association wouldn't have needed to wipe out Mitakihara to begin with, as it's likely that Mitakihara and its denizens would have been destroyed and killed by the witch's familiars."
"Big deal," Tohsaka Rin says; the look on her face betrays the nonchalance of her tone. "There are plenty of mages within the Association that could have taken that thing and its army of overgrown snakes. I mean, a few girls and their servants managed to do it, so it should be a piece of cake for a couple of experienced mages to handle."
You return fire with a look and say, not to Tohsaka Rin, but to your allies "Would everyone like to tell Tohsaka Rin who our servants are? Just so she has an idea of the strength of our team, that is."
"Gilgamesh."
"Achilles."
"Bryhildr."
"Lancelot."
"And for everything that needs a more subtle touch, we have Assassin," you say, rounding off your team's roster. "And despite that, despite the powerful personalities at our disposal, despite getting help from McRemitz-san and her own Lancer servant, we still only just barely managed to defeat the witch. It managed to tank Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm, and had Archer not drawn the witch inside his Reality Marble, its familiars would have also been completely intangible to all our attacks. I know you want to think highly of your colleagues and their abilities, but trust me when I say this, Tohsaka Rin- I'm incredibly doubtful that any mage in your Association could have defeated the witch in time to stop the ocean of familiars from spreading; if they could even have defeated it at all. To make matters worse, even if by some miracle your Association mages managed to defeat the witch with the ease that several high-powered servants could not, killing the witch doesn't automatically kill the familiars. If enough of them were left alive, there's a high chance that they could continue to eat, grow, and eventually another witch would be born. Then the cycle would repeat anew with even more casualties.
"I know what you're probably thinking right now," Archer says, pulling Tohsaka Rin's attention away from your monitors, which she stares at with a dumbstruck expression on her face as you speak. "But trust me, the similarities between this and a Dead Apostle scenario are few and far between. For one, the situation on the ground, especially with those familiars and their intangibility, would be a thousand times worse for anyone going into the fight who isn't prepared and properly equipped to deal with the situation. Even the strongest ghouls that a DA could make wouldn't hold a candle to those snakes, and given that it took you all weekend to get the memo that something seriously wrong was going on, how likely do you think it would be that competent Association mages would have made it in time to deal with the situation before the entire city was devoured and potentially another witch was spawned?"
Tohsaka Rin continues to stare into empty space as she listens to every word you and Archer say to her. When she manages to pull herself back together, the first thing she asks is "... Are you sure you've got everything under control around here? Because from the way this thing sounds, you don't."
You and Archer say, almost in sync with one another, "Yes; we've got this under control. Everything is just fine."
"Well... You've both certainly given me... A lot to think about." Tohsaka Rin's eyes wander, passing over each of your friends and allies in turn, and she says "You know, the rest of your team's been awfully quiet ever since you started talking. You mind if I, oh, I don't know, had a chance to talk to each of them individually? You know, just to hear things in their own words?"
While you don't have a problem with that, and from the look on her face neither does Tomoe-san; Kyouko, on the other hand, "Yeah, so if we're doing this, can I go first? 'Cuz I've got a date in..." She checks the time on her phone, saying "Not a whole lotta time, actually; and I'd really like ta not be late."
Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes, saying "Ugh, fine," before standing up, and with a gesture to join her she says "Come on, let's talk in the kitchen," but not before, as her fingers bounce over the heads of your allies and she mumbles to herself, she says "Okay, so after Sakura, I want... Kure, Tomoe, Mikuni, in that order." Kure Kirika gives Tohsaka Rin a sour look, as though the thought of being separated from Mikuni Oriko after she's only just arrived is the worst pain she could possibly endure, but she remains silent as Tohsaka Rin and Kyouko head out of the living room to talk in private.
As the pair talk, and everyone else sits in either quiet contemplation or quiet conversation, you have one thought on your mind that, for whatever reason, you can't seem to shake. Madoka still doesn't know the truth about your time-looping. You wonder when, if at all, a good time to tell her would be.
[ ] Wat do?
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- Location
- United States
[X] Plan Oh Boy Here We Go Again
-[X] Exchange phone numbers with Tohsaka Rin before she leaves
--[X] Answer any additional questions or queries she may have, and make sure to remind her to avoid any Labyrinths at all costs while she's in Mitakihara - at least when she's without backup - for her own safety, as it'd be just your luck for her to run into one with a Witch that's able to negate whatever powers she may have the moment she leaves your apartment
-[X] When Tohsaka Rin's leaving, have everyone sans Kyoko and Sayaka stay behind to talk about what they should do with Koito, before she Witches out and kills the people she calls her friends out of pettiness and spite; be sure give Sayaka a thumbs up and tell her "Good luck" while she's on her way out
--[X] Either they have to convince her somehow to cleanse her Soul Gem (which may be doable if she becomes more aware of the fact that her Witching out would kill her friends), find a way to forcibly cleanse her Soul Gem (and surely there must be a way to force her Soul Gem's transformation in order to cleanse it, right?), or you have to fully believe in Koito's offer that she'll relent if Oriko does as she says
---[X] You're partial to either the first or second options, the second being a good back-up plan; maybe Tomoe-san could ask Caster if there's a way to "activate"/transform Koito's Soul Gem back into its natural state so that you could retrieve it in time-stop and forcibly cleanse it if things go awry
----[X] While Tomoe-san's communing with Caster, ask Oriko if she could use her precognition to check how much time they may or may not have remaining before something bad happens to Koito and co
---[X] Call a vote on what they think they should do, and when they should do it
----[X] You're fine with doing it at any time, but the sooner the better
-[X] Exchange phone numbers with Tohsaka Rin before she leaves
--[X] Answer any additional questions or queries she may have, and make sure to remind her to avoid any Labyrinths at all costs while she's in Mitakihara - at least when she's without backup - for her own safety, as it'd be just your luck for her to run into one with a Witch that's able to negate whatever powers she may have the moment she leaves your apartment
-[X] When Tohsaka Rin's leaving, have everyone sans Kyoko and Sayaka stay behind to talk about what they should do with Koito, before she Witches out and kills the people she calls her friends out of pettiness and spite; be sure give Sayaka a thumbs up and tell her "Good luck" while she's on her way out
--[X] Either they have to convince her somehow to cleanse her Soul Gem (which may be doable if she becomes more aware of the fact that her Witching out would kill her friends), find a way to forcibly cleanse her Soul Gem (and surely there must be a way to force her Soul Gem's transformation in order to cleanse it, right?), or you have to fully believe in Koito's offer that she'll relent if Oriko does as she says
---[X] You're partial to either the first or second options, the second being a good back-up plan; maybe Tomoe-san could ask Caster if there's a way to "activate"/transform Koito's Soul Gem back into its natural state so that you could retrieve it in time-stop and forcibly cleanse it if things go awry
----[X] While Tomoe-san's communing with Caster, ask Oriko if she could use her precognition to check how much time they may or may not have remaining before something bad happens to Koito and co
---[X] Call a vote on what they think they should do, and when they should do it
----[X] You're fine with doing it at any time, but the sooner the better
[X] Plan Oh Boy Here We Go Again