[X] Tell Archer to keep standing watch, but to use his best judgement for if Hitomi or Bazett get into danger
-[X] Head on over to the general area and be ready to time-stop in order to extract Hitomi and/or Bazett. Calmly telepathically communicate with Hitomi, asking her to not react outwardly to your communication, as to why she's investigating the Church on her own, alone. Inform her of your currently in-progress operation with the foreigner, Bazett, and of Archer's presence to make sure things go smoothly. If she seems like she's not being manipulated by whatever magic is being used to control the Church's followers allow her to choose whether to extract herself or not. If she does seem to be manipulated, disregard the prior communications above and immediately extract her with time-stop, ideally when Father Zetsubou and Sister Kibou aren't looking at her.
And here we thought Hitomi was the responsible one (putting aside the possibility she's being controlled by whatever entity is doing all this).
[X] Tell Archer to keep standing watch, but to use his best judgement for if Hitomi or Bazett get into danger
-[X] Head on over to the general area and be ready to time-stop in order to extract Hitomi and/or Bazett. Calmly telepathically communicate with Hitomi, asking her to not react outwardly to your communication, as to why she's investigating the Church on her own, alone. Inform her of your currently in-progress operation with the foreigner, Bazett, and of Archer's presence to make sure things go smoothly. If she seems like she's not being manipulated by whatever magic is being used to control the Church's followers allow her to choose whether to extract herself or not. If she does seem to be manipulated, disregard the prior communications above and immediately extract her with time-stop, ideally when Father Zetsubou and Sister Kibou aren't looking at her.
[X] Tell Archer to keep standing watch, but to use his best judgement for if Hitomi or Bazett get into danger
-[X] Head on over to the general area and be ready to time-stop in order to extract Hitomi and/or Bazett. Calmly telepathically communicate with Hitomi, asking her to not react outwardly to your communication, as to why she's investigating the Church on her own, alone. Inform her of your currently in-progress operation with the foreigner, Bazett, and of Archer's presence to make sure things go smoothly. If she seems like she's not being manipulated by whatever magic is being used to control the Church's followers allow her to choose whether to extract herself or not. If she does seem to be manipulated, disregard the prior communications above and immediately extract her with time-stop, ideally when Father Zetsubou and Sister Kibou aren't looking at her.
Honestly, it's not Bazett that I'm worried about. She's one of the strongest combat magi alive, after all. I am sort of worried that she'll try to kill Hitomi or erase her memories, though.
The practice arrow falls from your hand as Archer informs you that Hitomi has just decided to stoop to Sayaka-levels of stupid by investigating the 'Church' on her own. Its frozen head shatters on impact with the floor, sending shards of ice scattering in all directions. You'll make Archer clean that up when he gets back, but right now...
"Just keep standing watch for right now, but keep your eyes peeled for danger and if it looks like Hitomi or McRemitz-san need to be extracted you have my permission to do so."
"And you, master? What are you going to do about this?"
And here you thought Hitomi was the responsible one... "I'm going to talk with Hitomi and see what possessed her to do something this stupid." You hope that what possessed her is just a figure of speech; if whatever the 'Black Mountain' is supposed to be has gotten a hold on Hitomi's mind as well, that would be bad. Worst-case scenario would be her death acting as the impetus for either Madoka or Sayaka to contract in order to bring her back. "With any luck, that'll just be a figure of speech."
The warehouse being used as the 'Church' is almost an hour's walk away from your apartment. Were you to start walking right now, by the time you arrive you may already be too late. Fortunately, you don't have to make that entire walk in real time. As soon as your conversation with Archer is over, the light of your Soul Gem flares to life, melting your uniform away in a peal of amethyst flame as your puella magi battle costume materializes on your body.
From there, continuously activating and deactivating your timestop while in a full sprint allows you to reach the warehouse farm where the "Church' is located. You'll keep your distance, hiding in the shadows unless Archer gives the signal that something is wrong, and take up a position on the rooftop of one of the less-dilapidated warehouses. This whole warehouse farm is in repulsive condition; peeling and chemical-stained paint, bare rusting metal, warped sheet-metal roofs, and cracked asphalt as far as the eye can see.
You had heard once that the warehouse farm hadn't bee in use for three years; but looking at it now, you can't say whether its dilapidated condition is due to the disuse, or if the dilapidation was what spurred its abandonment.
At first, you are tempted to change back into your regular clothes and use your phone to call Hitomi, but a thought stops you. While calling Hitomi would be more comfortable to her, it's also much more likely to draw attention to her being there, and if anyone overhears her conversation and learns that you know that something is amiss, that could be game over right then and there. While you've never intruded into her mind with a telepathic communication before, the situation calls for the breaching of that boundary line and the breaching of Hitomi's comfort level.
"Hitomi, this is Homura. Don't react. Act naturally."
"... Brothers and sisters, I wish to welcome you all, returning members of the flock and new faithful alike, to our humble place of worship. Our Righteous Sister has seen fit once again to bless us with a most beautiful night on which to host our blessed prayers to Her, and..."
With no chairs in sight, the congregation of the 'Church' was standing-room only. That was fine with Bazett, but as she looked around the room, she spotted a few faces that didn't exactly look to be the picture of comfort at the idea of standing for the entire sermon. One young girl in particular, the one with wavy emerald locks who looked to be about Akemi's age, caught Bazett's eye, but not because she looked ill at ease at the thought of standing for God-only-knows how long these sermons lasted.
"... And so it was that Sister Kibou received a vision on Monday night, instructing her to paint for us the new murals you see here on the walls today. And blessed is she who in her heart and mind our Righteous Sister has already found purchase..."
No, Bazett noticed something else on that young girl's face; a sort of furtive look in her eyes, as though she was thinking of something she knew she ought not to be thinking about in church. 'Maybe she has a thing for Father Zetsubou?' Bazett thought, making a mental note to check the girl's hands for either Command Seals or a silver ring whenever the chance presented itself. Given her age, it wasn't hard for Bazett to at least consider the possibility of this girl being the missing fifth master.
".... Brothers and sisters, all are we in the grace of Our Righteous Sister who have come in attendance here tonight, for we are those who have accepted Our Righteous Sister in our hearts, and thus shall She reciprocate our love for Her..."
"... Akemi-san? What are you doing inside of my head"
"It's something that everyone like me is able to do. Now, listen, I need to know what you're doing by showing up at the Church by yourself."
"I was hoping that if I attended one of the Church's sermons I might be able to find out more information that could be of use to you."
"While I appreciate that you were willing to help, I already have Archer, as well as the foreign magic investigator I spoke of earlier, helping to gather information for me."
"I see. Do you want me to leave, then, if my being here is putting either myself or your investigation in jeopardy? There doesn't seem to be anything worth reporting on so far. Father Despair - that's the name of the man running the Church, if you didn't already know - is just... Going on and on about a bunch of nonsense. Maybe I just don't understand because I'm not religious, but it feels like he's trying to talk about, well, nothing, in the most roundabout and verbose way he can think of."
Hitomi's cadence and her choice of words is very much her own. From the sound of things, you're pretty sure that she isn't currently under the control of the 'Black Mountain'. That's a relief.
"I don't believe I would be able to help make things any clearer for you. My experiences with religion are minimal and probably unhelpful to you. At any rate, I would prefer it if you left sooner rather than later, but I can't force you to do anything. However, you should know that my investigation has turned up some rather... Disturbing information about what's to come from this 'Church', and if you stay, you should be prepared to ward off foreign mental interference."
"... You mean like yourself, Akemi-san? Not that I'm doubting that you are, well, you; but don't you think that if something were to try and invade my mind it would do so using the voice of one of my friends?"
Huh. That isn't even something you had considered, but Hitomi does have a point. From her perspective, what's the difference between what you're doing to her now and what the "Black Mountain' might do to her later tonight? Well for one, you're pretty sure that if you were the 'Black Mountain' you wouldn't be trying to warn Hitomi. And secondly... "Don't you think that if I were trying to take control of your mind, that I'd be using the voice of Madoka, Sayaka, or one of your parents? Comparatively speaking, I would imgine that one of them would have a higher chance of success than I would."
"Perhaps, but maybe because I'm more familiar with them, I would also have an easier time picking up on them not being real. On the other hand, having only known you a short while, it would be harder for me to tell if you weren't you."
"... I suppose I can't argue with that."
"Now, do you think you could call me? In light of what you've said I think I'd like to go home, and it would be easier to pretend that I've received an urgent call from home if I've actually been called."
"Yes, I can do that." Your mental link with Hitomi is severed, and you retreat from your rooftop position and return to the ground. Your battle costume burns away and your regular clothes are returned to you, with your phone still inside your pocket precisely where you had left it. You have a voicemail message from Mikuni Oriko, dated five minutes ago. Your hand hesitates as you dial Hitomi's number- It could be something important. But if it were something important, she could have messaged you telepathically.
Unless the one calling you was Kure Kirika.
Hitomi is in sight only two minutes after your 'call' to her goes through. She waves as she catches sight of you, saying "Well, I can't say I was expecting you to pick me up," as she joins you. "Not that I'll be the one to complain about your gentlemanly behaviour, mind you."
"I'm just glad to see that you're safe."
Regarding Mikuni Oriko's voicemail message, do you
[ ] Listen to Mikuni Oriko's voicemail message
-[ ] If it's something important, what do you do? (write-in)
-[ ] If it's not important, what do you do? (write-in)
[ ] Ping Mikuni Oriko and ask her what she needed
-[ ] If it's something important, what do you do? (write-in)
-[ ] If it's not important, what do you do? (write-in)
[ ] Ignore the voicemail message; if it's something important, she'll try contacting you again
Regarding Hitomi, do you
[ ] Walk her home
[ ] Invite her to spend the night
[ ] Let her walk home on her own; you'll stay here and investigate further
When everything else is taken care of,
If you left with Hitomi
-[ ] Stay home and continue practicing
-[ ] Come back and investigate further
-[ ] Head out into town and hunt a witch
--[ ] Ask one of your allies to join you (which one?)
--[ ] Where do you go to hunt?
If you stayed at the warehouse
-[ ] Investigate further
-[ ] Head out into town and hunt a witch
--[ ] Ask one of your allies to join you (which one?)
--[ ] Where do you go to hunt?
[X] No
[X] Tell Hitomi you would prefer she extract herself in a nondescript way (such as needing to use the bathroom or faking a family emergency with her phone), but if she stays she best be prepared and be aware enough to fight off any alien influence in her mind, considering this may be a way for them to get people in the Black Mountain's field of influence in this world to indoctrinate them.
[X] No
[X] Tell Hitomi you would prefer she extract herself in a nondescript way (such as needing to use the bathroom or faking a family emergency with her phone), but if she stays she best be prepared and be aware enough to fight off any alien influence in her mind, considering this may be a way for them to get people in the Black Mountain's field of influence in this world to indoctrinate them.
[X] No
[X] Tell Hitomi you would prefer she extract herself in a nondescript way (such as needing to use the bathroom or faking a family emergency with her phone), but if she stays she best be prepared and be aware enough to fight off any alien influence in her mind, considering this may be a way for them to get people in the Black Mountain's field of influence in this world to indoctrinate them.
Well, as before I had a hard time trying to turn the results of the previous vote into something of a satisfactory length, not helped at all by the new update having removed the word count function on posts for whatever asinine reason.
So, as before, I've amended what I wrote onto the end of the old post along with new vote options, and voting will proceed from there. This time though, I've included a big beefy chunk of votable things for us to do, so hopefully next post I'll be able to actually make something satisfactory and not just a typed appendix to the previous post.
[x] Listen to Mikuni Oriko's voicemail message
-[x] If it's something important, what do you do? (write-in)
--[x] Drop everything and call Oriko back.
-[x] If it's not important, what do you do? (write-in)
--[x] It no mind and continue with the rest of the vote.
[x] Walk her home
-[x] Stay home and continue practicing
[X] Listen to Mikuni Oriko's voicemail message
-[X] If it's something important, what do you do?
--[X] Regardless of if it came from Mikini Oriko or Kure Kirika call her back
-[X] If it's not important, what do you do?
--[X] File it away for later and continue with the vote
[X] Walk her home
-[X] Go home and continue practicing Isa
[X] Listen to Mikuni Oriko's voicemail message
-[X] If it's something important, what do you do?
--[X] Regardless of if it came from Mikini Oriko or Kure Kirika call her back
-[X] If it's not important, what do you do?
--[X] File it away for later and continue with the vote
[X] Walk her home
-[X] Go home and continue practicing Isa
[X] Listen to Mikuni Oriko's voicemail message
-[X] If it's something important, what do you do?
--[X] Regardless of if it came from Mikini Oriko or Kure Kirika call her back
-[X] If it's not important, what do you do?
--[X] File it away for later and continue with the vote
[X] Walk her home
-[X] Go home and continue practicing Isa
[X] Listen to Mikuni Oriko's voicemail message
-[X] If it's something important, what do you do?
--[X] Regardless of if it came from Mikini Oriko or Kure Kirika call her back
-[X] If it's not important, what do you do?
--[X] File it away for later and continue with the vote
[X] Walk her home
-[X] Go home and continue practicing Isa
Random thought, but I'm guessing Hitomi probably has the highest chance of having latent Magic Circuits within the group, narratively speaking. Why? Well, currently Hitomi is currently the only one in the group that the Incubator probably won't even bother with, so Hitomi can't even sacrifice herself for the power to help her friends, and she's obviously taking more and more initiative when it comes to that. Not to mention that Hitomi comes from a well-off family that may or may not have Magi heritage (since apparently Magi families are usually well-off due to Magecraft and hypnosis), and she's certainly bright enough and has a good type of mind-set to become a good Magus.
Random thought, but I'm guessing Hitomi probably has the highest chance of having latent Magic Circuits within the group, narratively speaking. Why? Well, currently Hitomi is currently the only one in the group that the Incubator probably won't even bother with, so Hitomi can't even sacrifice herself for the power to help her friends, and she's obviously taking more and more initiative when it comes to that. Not to mention that Hitomi comes from a well-off family that may or may not have Magi heritage (since apparently Magi families are usually well-off due to Magecraft and hypnosis), and she's certainly bright enough and has a good type of mind-set to become a good Magus.
I'm not going to say whether she does or doesn't, or what my plans for her both now and in the sequel may be; but mathematically, what are the odds that she could spontaneously have 1st generation magic circuits? And don't take this as a tacit admission of my plans; I ask because I honestly don't know what the odds are of circuits spontaneously appearing where no prior mage blood exists in a lineage.
I'm not going to say whether she does or doesn't, or what my plans for her both now and in the sequel may be; but mathematically, what are the odds that she could spontaneously have 1st generation magic circuits? And don't take this as a tacit admission of my plans; I ask because I honestly don't know what the odds are of circuits spontaneously appearing where no prior mage blood exists in a lineage.
Probably pretty good. The original, biological purpose of Magic Circuits is to allow a person to regulate the amount of prana in their soul by bleeding off excess prana into the environment if they have too much or absorb it from the environment if they have too little. Mages just jury-rig additional uses on top of that through their magic. Learning to open your Magic Circuits is like gaining the ability to consciously control your ability to sweat.
Of course, the quality, quantity, and affinity of those Magic Circuits can significantly vary from person to person- this is why you can have things like magi with top-tier Magecraft skills but no ability to become a Master, or people whose potential for conventional Magecraft is garbage but have a high degree of affinity for becoming a Master.
[X] Listen to Mikuni Oriko's voicemail message
-[X] If it's something important, what do you do?
--[X] Regardless of if it came from Mikini Oriko or Kure Kirika call her back
-[X] If it's not important, what do you do?
--[X] File it away for later and continue with the vote
[X] Walk her home
-[X] Go home and continue practicing Isa
"Not that I'll be the one to complain about your gentlemanly behaviour, mind you."
"I'm just glad to see that you're safe." With confirmation of Hitomi's safe departure from the 'Church', you feel the time has come to approach the next matter on your agenda. "If you'll excuse me, I need to check a message on my phone."
"Of course, Akemi-san; do whatever you have to." With Hitomi's permission, you tap the icon displaying your unheard voicemail message. Well, time to see what she has to say.
"Damnit Akemi, you can't just go and do something like that!"
You instantly wish that you hadn't the second you hear Kure Kirika's voice yelling at you about absolutely nothing. "Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have you constantly stopping and starting time when I'm trying to-"
There's a shuffling noise in the background as a second voice joins in. "Kirika, stop!" Oh, good, the sensible – did you just call Mikuni Oriko sensible? – one has come to put a stop to Kure Kirika's stupidity. "I'm sure Akemi-san had a good reason. Besides, there's no way she could have known! There's no reason for you to yell at her!"
"But Oriko~o, she-"
"No buts, dearest. Especially not yours with that attitude."
You hear a sudden gasp, accompanied moments later by the sound of the phone falling to the ground. Either the fall damaged the speakers, or it fell underneath one of the seats in their living room, because you hear a muffled "… I'm sorry," come from Kure Kirika. Unlike the fake apologies you've heard Kure Kirika give when forced, this one sounds genuine, no doubt a product of the person to whom she is apologizing.
"If you're really sorry, you can apologize to Akemi-san when you see her at school tomorrow." The rest of the message after that is muffled, thankfully, because what remains to be heard alternates between sugary-sweet lovers' talk and the sound of very loud kisses.
You doubt either of them is even aware that their message is still recording through all of this.
You close your phone, wishing you could go back in time and stop yourself from listening to that message in the first place. Beside you, Hitomi's face is scarlet and she's desperately trying to tear her eyes away from your phone, and failing hard. "Was that… ?"
"Yes." Only once you've put your phone away do Hitomi's eyes return to a position other than 'locked on your phone in complete and utter shock'. "That was the pair that Sayaka is upset with. Their relationship is… More visible than the people who have to view it would like it to be."
"You'll have to forgive me, Akemi-san. All my life I've believed that love should be between a man and a woman. I'm still getting used to the fact that one of my best friends is dating another girl; I never thought that I'd hear the sounds of two girls kissing so…" Hitomi brings a hand up, furiously fanning her face in a desperate attempt to dislodge the bright red painted on her flushed cheeks. "Passionately."
"It is my greatest hope that Madoka and I are never as embarrassing with our relationship as Mikuni Oriko and Kure Kirika are with theirs." That's a lie.
Your greatest hope is simply for Madoka to survive this month without contracting.
"… Still, I suppose I should at least be happy for them. I don't know enough to speak about them as people, but at least they sound as though they're satisfied with their relationship."
You don't care about Kamijou Kyousuke; having played his part in Sayaka's Fate, there is little else of value that his story can add to your own. But the boy matters to the person walking beside you – someone you claim to think of as a friend – and so you ask "Speaking of being satisfied with their relationship, how are things going with you and Kamijou Kyousuke? I see you helping him in the halls on occasion, but I rarely see or hear about the two of you being together as a couple."
Hitomi sighs, staring at you with a wistful expression. "I wish I could say that things were satisfactory between us, I really do. And, I completely understand how, between physical therapy, catching up on his schoolwork, and his violin lessons, he wouldn't have much time to spend with me. But that doesn't change the fact that I still wish we could spend more time together than we do. I don't want to believe that I've made a mistake in taking Kamijou-kun away from Sayaka-san, but… Given the same circumstances, do you think she would be any happier than I am?"
[ ] "Yes"
[ ] "No"
[ ] "I can't say"
"… I see. Thank you for being honest with me, Akemi-san."
The rest of your walk back to Hitomi's house is spent in silence, neither of you able to bring to words a topic on which the other can speak. You wave goodbye to Hitomi at the front door, parting ways with a "Thank you again, Akemi-san. I'll be sure to be more careful next time I go out to investigate on my own" from Hitomi, accompanied by the concerned stares of her mother and father as they watch you walk away. You can only imagine the thoughts going through their head as you return to your apartment.
Amy is waiting by the door for you as you let yourself in. You crouch down, scratching behind her ears until she's had her fill of your touch and runs off. "Have there been any changes to the situation at the 'Church'?" you ask Archer as you settle in to the living room.
"Fortunately, everything looks normal from the outside. I can't speak for what's going on inside, but the warehouse hasn't exploded or had anything else traumatic happen, so I'm going to assume that things are on the better side."
"Good. I'll be practicing for the rest of the night. Keep me informed if anything happens."
By now the hour has grown late; you wonder how much more practice you will be able to get in before your mind or your body decide that enough is enough. But no matter how much or how little you are able to get done, every bit counts towards your ultimate goal. And with outstretched hand you whisper "Trace on," Projecting the arrows onto which your practice will overlay the icy effects of Isa. You've made progress, but you still have a long way to go.
"Damnit Akemi, you can't just go and do something like that!"
You instantly wish that you hadn't the second you hear Kure Kirika's voice yelling at you about absolutely nothing. "Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have you constantly stopping and starting time when I'm trying to-"
Probably pretty good. The original, biological purpose of Magic Circuits is to allow a person to regulate the amount of prana in their soul by bleeding off excess prana into the environment if they have too much or absorb it from the environment if they have too little. Mages just jury-rig additional uses on top of that through their magic. Learning to open your Magic Circuits is like gaining the ability to consciously control your ability to sweat.
Well.... not really. The Magic Circuit system was originally actualized into existence by King Soloman sometime during his reign, it being the only true miracle he accomplished as to not frighten or corrupt the people. This system served to allow Magecraft to be preformed by the hands of the common man that previously belonged only to those with connections to a deity.
The way Magic Circuits work is by converting one's Life Force into magical energy in order to facilitate this (obviously in a non-harmful way aside from over-heating the body). They do this by using your Od (which every person has a certain amount of regardless of being able to perform Magecraft/Magic, and it regenerates overtime) and mixing it with the Mana in the air in order to produce Prana within the Magic Circuits (where it's presumably stored), which can then be used to perform mysteries. That's the stuff that's usually referred to in the VNs when they talk about "units of Magical Energy", and when used they'll regenerate overtime by mixing more of one's Od and the ambient Mana in the air. People don't produce Prana unless their Magic Circuits are opened (or you pull a Emiya Shirou and produce artificial Magic Circuits using your nerves to produce and store Prana for future use, though those Nerve Ciruits are more like non-rechargeable batteries). Exceptions are the people who could generate and use Prana, such as demigods, blessed people, or Magical Creatures, all of whom don't rely on Soloman's system.
Of course, the quality, quantity, and affinity of those Magic Circuits can significantly vary from person to person- this is why you can have things like magi with top-tier Magecraft skills but no ability to become a Master, or people whose potential for conventional Magecraft is garbage but have a high degree of affinity for becoming a Master.
Well, technically as long as your properly connected with your Servant and supplying them some Prana with open Magic Circuits, any Master should be fine, as the Grail does most of the heavy lifting (obviously exceptions like this war's Berserker exist regardless). In the Quality/Quantity/Affinity case, specifically those who come from Magi families or are descended from blessed people or magically strong people will have larger quantities of Magic Circuits, like how Rin has 40 natural ones compared to the average (successful) Magus' ~20 Magic Circuits. The Quality varies a lot in the Nasuverse, but usually Magi families who take care of their descendants and themselves magically will have better Circuits, and the ones that spontaneously mutate in a person (such as first-gen Magi or people like Kotomine Kirei) are usually of a good quality at least. Elements and Origins don't affect how good a Master is, as all a Master has to do is produce and provide some Prana to their Servants to keep them up and running and performing their own type of Magecraft to supplement.
I'm not going to say whether she does or doesn't, or what my plans for her both now and in the sequel may be; but mathematically, what are the odds that she could spontaneously have 1st generation magic circuits? And don't take this as a tacit admission of my plans; I ask because I honestly don't know what the odds are of circuits spontaneously appearing where no prior mage blood exists in a lineage.
The real answer to this is "when the plot demands it". In universe, however, it's up to the metaphysical D20 roll to see if a random chump has enough Magic Circuits to perform Magecraft to a decent degree. A whole lot of people in the Nasuverse world have some Magic Circuits, though it's usually a very low amount like 1-5 with not-so-great Quality, kinda like Matou Shinji. Since Mystery is disappearing in the world less and less people are "mutating" more Magic Circuits, and while we don't have a specific statistic for how many people are born in a year capable of performing Magecraft first-gen, it's reasonable to assume it's pretty rare, like less than 1 in 100-1000 people at least.
==Ninja'd by an update ==
[X] "No"
Homura's already seen it play out, and whenever Sayaka and Kamijou get together after Sayaka's wish heals him she still Witches out.
After just a few days of practice, you've finally grown accustomed to waking up to the frost and the cold that comes with practicing the rune of ice. You rise, trying to rub a bit of warmth into your cheeks as you attempt to forget the images you saw in your dream last night. This time, there was no redheaded boy, nor vision of Madoka from a previous timeline. This time, you saw Archer as he appears before you, terminating an endless procession of faceless men with a cold and ruthless efficiency you've never seen him display before. Their weapons, clothes, and surroundings varied with each passing kill, and as each one was struck down, you could see - not with your eyes, but with your heart - the image of a sword being planted into an endless hill of blades.
"To be honest, I was never really much of a hero," You think back to the words he spoke, that night at Tomoe-san's apartment. "I did my best to stay true to a heroic ideal, but all I ever did was kill. I told myself that I was doing it to ensure that the lives of the many could be spared through the death of the few, but after awhile, I stopped believing even that."
This time, you don't wonder who your servant is. This time, you wonder how many people he has had to kill, if the image you saw in your heart means what you think it does.
With the scent of breakfast wafting in from the kitchen, you take a moment to survey the results of your practice before heading to the kitchen to eat.
[ ] imbue your arrows with a moderate freezing ability.
[ ] drain small amounts of energy from an object.
[ ] induce a ten-second stasis in small objects.
Sitting down to a full helping of -in a surprising turn of events, actual Japanese food this time - grilled fish and rice, you realize that, due to factors beyond your control, this will be the first of Archer's cooking that you will have eaten in several days. After having subsisted on the bare minimum you required to get by in previous timelines, the loss of such a small comfort as good food is suddenly made all the more striking to you. You had missed eating Archer's cooking.
"Everything went well last night, I take it?"
"Yeah. McRemitz is convinced that there's something really fishy about that Sister Hope, but based on the lack of a Soul Gem ring from her description, I'm confident that she's not a newly-emergent puella magi that you'll have to deal with. However, she could still be a run of the mill mage, controlled by the 'Black Mountain', or any number of other things that would make her give off that fishy aura McRemitz reported. I think we should definitely keep an eye on her in the future."
"I'll have to remember that." But when will you find the time to do that?
Conversation at the breakfast table is sparse after that exchange, and after you've eaten, showered, and dressed, it is once more time to face the world, your friends, and school.
And a Madoka who you know wants to kiss you. That's going to be hell on your ability to concentrate.
"Homura-chan!" And there she is, right as you were thinking about her. "Good morning!"
Before you have a chance to speak, Madoka's arms are wrapped tightly around your waist. She's so warm. Madoka is always so warm. "Good morning to you too, Madoka."
Do you
[ ] Talk
-[ ] to Madoka
--[ ] Wait for Sayaka and Hitomi to join you before saying anything
-[ ] to Sayaka
-[ ] to Hitomi
--[ ] About what? (write-in)
[ ] Don't talk
-[ ] unless someone else talks to you
[ ] Don't look at Madoka's lips
-[ ] But what if Madoka tries to talk to you?
[ ] Other (write-in)
BONUS
[ ] How do you plan to deliver yesterday's CDs to Mikuni Oriko without alerting Kure Kirika?
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Major objectives:
Homura
-Grow your social capital with Kaname Madoka, Miki Sayaka, Shizuki Hitomi, Tomoe Mami, and Sakura Kyouko
-Cultivate your alliance with Mikuni Oriko and Kure Kirika
-Track down and eliminate the servant Assassin before it can cause further harm
-Investigate the "Church of the Righteous Sister" and prevent the catastrophe of the "black mountain" from occurring
-Further your knowledge of rune magic and practice your chosen rune(s)
-Prevent Kaname Madoka and Miki Sayaka from contracting and becoming puella magi
-Defeat the witch known as Walpurgisnacht
Archer
-Investigate, identify, and prevent the occurrence of the event that caused a fundamental force of this universe to be twice overwritten
-Protect your master from harm in this unusually dangerous loop
-Further your master's skills in magecraft, now that she has mastered the fundamentals of Projection
-Aid your master in coordinating her allies so that they stand a better chance of defeating Assassin, as well as any other threats that may appear
[X] imbue your arrows with a moderate freezing ability.
[X] Talk
-[X] to Madoka
--[X] Wait for Sayaka and Hitomi to join you before saying anything
---[X] About everyone's favorite foods
[X] Try not to look at Madoka's lips, but fail
-[X] But what if Madoka tries to talk to you?
--[X] Gaze into her eyes instead
[X] How do you plan to deliver yesterday's CDs to Mikuni Oriko without alerting Kure Kirika?
-[X] Telepathically communicate with Mikuni Oriko and ask her when and where she wants you to hand the CDs off to her
Ah, yes, the bane of voters everywhere... the recurring "[] Wat talk 'bout" vote. Food's at least relevant since Homura can have Archer prepare their favorites if Homura ever has to ask them for a favor of some kind.
EDIT: did in fact forget to insert the portion of the vote as to what Homura improved. Fixed.
EDIT2: Ended up changing the Great Akemi-heist to a more modest "ask Mikuni where and when to drop off the CDs", as per NMS' vote
[X] How do you plan to deliver yesterday's CDs to Mikuni Oriko without alerting Kure Kirika?
-[X] Sometime during class take a bathroom break, time-stop, and drop off the goods in a place where Mikuni Oriko wants you to, after telepathically informing her of your plan
Not saying whether you should nix the idea or not - that's on you to decide - but she will definitely notice if we're stopping time in the middle of the day for no apparent reason. She won't know what we're doing, but she'll know we're doing something.
EDIT: Oh, and don't forget to vote on what we got from our practice. That's important. If we don't vote on results we don't get results.
Not saying whether you should nix the idea or not - that's on you to decide - but she will definitely notice if we're stopping time in the middle of the day for no apparent reason. She won't know what we're doing, but she'll know we're doing something.
I'm well aware, but Homura doesn't like her atm and she probably isn't going to stop using the ability she's relied on for years due to the temporary discomfort/annoyance of Kirika. Worst case Homura says she forgot something at her apartment that she needs for school, she's probably used it for pettier things in past timelines anyways ¯\(ツ)/¯ . On an unrelated note, here are some affection ratings for the Servants, as they're people (and sometimes love interests cough F/SN cough) too.
[8] Archer (though Archer is hiding things from her, she still trusts in him and is very grateful for the support he's given her in this timeline. Will be increased once Archer stops hiding semi-pertinent things from her)
[5.5] Lancer (doesn't really know her, aside that they were on opposite ends of the battlefield, though it doesn't appear that Lancer means any ill-will to Homura and co as it stands, and Homura probably doesn't blame her for following Mikuni's orders. Is grateful for the instruction on how to use Runes.)
[5] Rider (chill guy, too chill to talk to Homura)
[6] Caster (very grateful for Caster's aid, but doesn't really know him all that well. Regardless, he's an incredible asset to the team, even if he appears to like to have the group figure things out on their own when he thinks they can)
[1] Assassin (a Monster, worse than most Witches in her propensity to hunt and kill innocents)
[3] Berserker (Kirika's mad dog, Homura treats Berserker like a dangerous beast not to be messed with unless absolutely necessary, though is currently on their side as long as Kirika can reign him in. Will change if Berserker regains his mental faculties and becomes more like the Lancelot she heard about from Archer)
Other chars:
[1] The Incubator (did you expect any different?)
[5.5] Caren Ortensia (school nurse, knows of the Moonlit world, only somewhat helpful, but a decent excuse to cut class if need be)
[5 -> 6] Bazett Fraga McRemitz (mostly cordial between them now, and she's aiding them when really she doesn't have to. Bit nosey at time, but helpful to the group as of late. Still somewhat suspicious of her intentions though)
[6] The Archery Club (nice enough people, welcoming if a little ambitious to work their way up in the world. Cordial/friendly)
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