To make people actually remember, here's it once for posterity: Minako is nonbinary and uses they/them. This message will be pinned so you people stop getting it wrong and pissing me off. If you get it wrong in the future I'm going to be much less nice, considering you have to scroll past it just to read the quest.
[X] Get the team's opinion. Do NOT make a snap decision in the middle of enemy territory.
[X] Keep searching. There's gotta be an easier way to find information.
A/N: Apologies for the lateness on this update! I've been involved in the Ring Of Power and it's been eating up a lot of my free time as of late haha.
[X] Get the team's opinion. Do NOT make a snap decision in the middle of enemy territory.
[X] Keep searching. There's gotta be an easier way to find information.
You take a deep breath. "Yeah, let's put a pin in that. I don't want to rush right in there just yet. Who fucking knows how heavily they defended themselves."
Erika nods. "They...actually are. They're super heavily-guarded."
"And I checked. There ain't no way that would have worked out."
You don't actually know if he checked those particular timelines where you actually did seek out Rin, buuuuuuut you're still pretty set with your decision. You and the rest of the group walk around the building, careful not to look too organized. You keep close, while Erika and Ume walk past a coffee shop. Ume immediately gets in line, while Erika pulls open a magazine to read.
Yuki keeps close before turning into a broken-in bookshop, while you slip into a cafe and get yourself a scone.
You take a breath after a few minutes of waiting in a line, everyone separated just ever so slightly. 'Any takers?'
'I did another scan and we do actually have someone nearby. There's a red-brick apartment building just a couple of blocks south. Inside is someone with a icosahedron.'
You blink midway through biting your bland, poorly-cooked scone. '...the fuck is an icosahedron?'
'The seed teleporter.' Yuki says. 'Also for future reference, icosahedrons are twenty-sided prisms.'
'Oh, so nerd shit. Gotcha.' You take another bite.
'Haha, fuck you.'
You snort despite yourself. 'Okay so we got that, icosahedron nearby, anyone using it?'
Erika continues. 'Yes. There's an adult magi. And there's...' Another pause. 'Well there's a girl with a bucket hat.'
'A bucket hat?'
'She's deep underground. Directly below us, just far enough. So what we know is that Rin is hiding girls underground.'
You take another bite, before sipping some coffee. 'So what, Rin has a secret fucking lair?'
'Sort of. More like she used some abandoned tunnels underneath, from back when these buildings were supposed to be part of the Kasamino Beautification Commission.'
You nod. 'Oh yeah, they were bought out by the same company a few years back.'
'And that company collapsed. However they left some convenient tunnels underneath the city. Deep, deep underground probably a bit too deep.'
'It's probably what sank them,' Yuki interjects. 'They got a little ambitious with their horrific underground tunnel network for murderers.'
'Huh.' You snort. 'So that might be another reason why they weren't easy to spot. Underground tunnel network, tight information control, and memory manipulation.'
'I did see one way we could go in, but it involves going into a manhole and accessing it through the sewe-'
You grimace. 'Ew, no. Fuck that. Is there a drainage system? Mitakihara got a drainage network put in place after Walpurgisnacht. It's not gonna help with a superwitch, but people thought the city was flooded. It wouldn't surprise me if Kasamino did the same.'
'Yeah, Kasamino has a drainage system' Erika pauses. 'It's massive. There are some ways in through there that take advantage of the underground network, and there are a number of pipes and exits.'
'And the kicker. Is there dirt?'
'Oh, yes. There is information down here by the boatload. There's mostly servers but there is the occasional physical file.'
You wonder about why Rin would keep her information underground, next to a drainage system. You do think that she'd probably have severely waterproofed the place but that still begs the question of whether or not the risk is worth it. 'Do you think those are the backups?'
'Probably. If they're that close to the water, Rin probably has a main server in the building. So perhaps everything underground is meant for safekeeping.'
You find it hard to hide your feral grin. 'She's not expecting someone to actually break in from below.' You take another bite out of your scone, a sip of your drink, and take a step out of the coffee shop. 'Nearest entrance into the drainage network?'
'The central canal.'
You hope it's where you remember it being. You used that place to relax, to hang out and plan and talk. It was basically your home when you lived in town, whenever the hotel staff caught wind of you or the ATMs started noticing your face. In a way it's a little fitting that you have to go back there to protect the life you have now.
It's a ten-minute-walk eastwards from where you're at now. There were plenty of service entrances but you know that taking the time to open up a manhole would just raise way too much suspicion way too quickly, and water draining doesn't leave much room for human exploration, at least, not until you hit the main systems.
Sure enough, when you reach the bridge, you can see it. Big, beige, and ugly as sin. The yawning chasm of the canal stretches two-hundred meters across the center of Kasamino, like a big ugly gash in the middle of a big ugly city. Two massive concrete walls and a bone-dry concrete floor, with a thin trickle of water from the last time Kasamino had rain. There is a tent city living in the shadow of the bridge, away from prying eyes and surrounded by graffiti.
You pass a mural on your way down that reads "Eat The Rich", before you slide your hand across the wall to slow your fall. You're careful to avoid touching any of the art; you've always had a soft spot for well-placed graffiti, and when you hit the ground it's with a graceful tap rather than the hard crashes of yesteryear.
The magi behind you touchdown just a few seconds after you, before Erika nods. "So when i scanned, the pathway was just north of us..."
"You mean the Gapway Tunnel?" You point forwards. "Christ, this place hasn't changed at all. It's like they put a tent city here just for me." You take a look at the people living in the shadow; boxes and tarps and pieces of debris. You wonder how long it'll be before Kasamino cops start tearing down the place.
You feel kind of weird about the fact that your wife's a cop, too. But then again, Mitakihara's police force had a lot of cleaning up to do after Walpurgisnacht.
You take a few steps forwards. "Yeah this is one of the bigger tunnels running through the city." You point to an ugly metal protrusion in the wall; about the size and width of a city bus. "I jumped up here and used it to steal food from the supermarket. By the time they saw me stealing their shit I was long gone. Good to see it's still here and fuckin' hideous."
You take a few steps ahead. "So...who's ready to go spelunking?"
[=]
Your name is Sayaka. And right now you're sitting on top of a building. Your patrol ended a while ago, and Kyouko said she wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Your hand taps against your wrist, as you stare over the city, wishing that your mom's apartment was facing Kasamino.
As though to reply, you hear the door behind you slide open. Your mother walks right in, with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. "I'm glad you visited me again. I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon."
"Well, you know." You take a breath. "Magi problems."
"Magi problems." She replies. She gives you a side-glance. "...is it involving your child?"
"No, not this time." You sigh. "It's not even about my wife...well it's partially about my wife. But in this case it's all just...overwhelming. Just a little bit."
She nods and sips her drink. She raises a hand. "Should I get you a-"
"I'd love a cup, yeah."
She nods and moves back to get you a cup and some boiling water. You stare out to the skyline, before you take a long, deep breath.
And then you see a pair of hands at the edge of the patio. Suddenly, your child pulls their head up over the ledge, one hand on the end, the other on their cheek as they try to rest casually at the ledge.
"Hi, mom!"
You almost fall backwards out of your chair. "Fuck me running-!"
They pull themself over the ledge. "I didn't think you were gonna be that shocked. Did mama ever do that to you before?"
"Yes, but it's been years." You sigh. "And apologies for the language."
"Mom, I know how to say 'fuck'."
They take way, way too much after their mama.
And you, honestly.
They take on you way too much.
Just as you muse on it, you hear your own mother enter the balcony, with a cup of tea and a saucer. She blinks. "Oh, Minako! Didn't think you were gonna be here today."
"Hi grandmiki!"
You snort. Your wife suggested that nickname. You didn't know if your mom was going to like it.
But then you hear her laugh, and it's immediately clear that Miho loves it. That, or she just loves her grandchild. It's probably both.
You're lucky to have her as your mom.
[] Keep the conversation light. Your child and your mother's here, and you don't get to meet your mom as often as you used to anymore.
[] Talk about handling magi children with your mom...even though your child is right here.
Why, back in Sayaka's days, this sort of anti-dramatic shit wouldn't happen. Not with Walpurgisnacht around. You'd always get an appropriate vista while heroically brooding back then, during her big play. Rin just isn't the same, you know?
Is Rin trying to turn Oriko into Dinah Alcott? I know if I was a ruthless jackass, and I had a precog, I would keep them absolutely secret and dependent on me.
Is Rin trying to turn Oriko into Dinah Alcott? I know if I was a ruthless jackass, and I had a precog, I would keep them absolutely secret and dependent on me.
I'm torn between keeping things light and having a conversation about raising Magi children... Actually, you know what? I think this will make for a good bonding moment between three generations of the Miki family. Let's touch on raising Magi children.
[X] Talk about handling magi children with your mom...even though your child is right here.
Saya: See? How am I supposed to prepare for an adorable entrance like that?
Mina: Mom stahp.
Miho: Oh, you get used to it. Though nothing about having a Magi kid is as tough as having her poor, innocent girlfriend live with you.
Mina: Innocent? Mama?
Saya: Mom no
Miho: Oh, does Mina not know about the roses?
Saya: Mom NO
Mina: *listens intently as their parents' dignity is shredded*
[X] Talk about handling magi children with your mom...even though your child is right here.
You lean your head against your hand. "So, what was it like raising a magi."
"I mean, what's there to say that I didn't say before-" she pauses, then she notices Minako, still sitting on the ledge. "Oooh...oh right, we have an audience."
"You knew mom was a magi?"
"She figured it out less than a month after I started being a magi." You sigh. "Since...was it thirteen or fourteen?"
"Fourteen." Miho nods. "I remember it vividly."
"Mm." You sigh. "It was also when your mama and I started dating, too."
Minako seems to be listening intently. Surprisingly, they aren't making any kind of grossed-out noise. Then again, they are in a relationship now. You've seen them kiss their girlfriend. "I keep forgetting you were that young..."
"Well, we met partially because we were both magi. It was kind of a big reason we got together as quickly as we did." You scratch your chin. "Our relationship wasn't exactly the healthiest when we were kids..."
"You were inseparable," your mom interrupts. "You cuddled for days at a time and after Walpurgisnacht you kept on cuddling. Until you had your first big fight. I remember that, too."
"Oh yeah, our first breakup. That was fun. And really dumb. I don't even really remember what it was over?"
Your mom laughs. "It was over the roses!"
"Roses? I thought that was in the first month-"
"Oh, no, not that rose incident. I mean the one where Kyouko got you a red and blue rose and..."
"Oohh...and I was tired and thought it was...something else. God that was stupid."
"Rose incident?" Minako looks between the two of you.
"We'll tell you when you're older," your mom says, bluntly.
Minako narrows their eyes. "I know what sex is-"
"It wasn't about that." You press your fingers against your temple. "It was about how she fucked up something the previous week and she gave me that rose and I told her 'that won't cut it this time' and I don't even know why I was mad."
"You were mad because you had-"
"Some growing up to do, yeah." You roll your shoulders. "It was just...it was a time. That whole thing was a time. Being a magi just meant things were more intense when I was young."
"You tried being too grown up when you didn't know how."
You purse your lips. "It...that's it, actually. I grew up too fast. I was forced to be an adult, thought I could handle a long-term girlfriend when I was dealing with my own shit. I over-relied on Kyouko and I thought one of us was gonna witch out."
Your mom smiles. "But you didn't."
"No. We didn't. And then a few years later, we got married. Permanently. That's kind of one of the things. It's awful. It gets really distressing and dark but..."
"It's just a part, right?"
You turn to MInako. "Yeah. Like that."
They grin, obviously proud of themself for guessing at what you were gonna say. And honestly, you're pretty alright with that. You were expecting to embarrass your kid. Have some fun.
But they're a bit more mature. Still a child, but they're growing.
And it's more than you could have ever asked for.
[=]
Your name is Kyouko, and you and the others are currently creeping into a waterway that's probably too small for five adults. You keep a faint light ahead; you've all transformed and you're using the light from your soul gem to illuminate the way. You take a deep breath.
"Fucking A." You take a glance back. "Erika, you see anything?"
"A few magi in the facility. There's a number of them who are shockingly young and one who..." A pause.
"One who...?"
"There's one of them who's taller than Akane."
Well, that's terrifying. "Is she built?"
"No. Gangly. Lanky. I got a look at her enough to see that her proportions are kind of wrong; she's standing at ten feet tall but she's...limbs? Her limbs are too long."
That's...okay that's somehow even worse. "Think she wished to be tall?"
"No fucking clue," Yuki mutters. "Also, the next ten minutes are clear. There's nothing in this tunnel, just a lot of dripping water." He runs his hand along the wall; it's a ribbed piece of material, metallic and glimmering courtesy of the coating layered on the surface to keep it from rusting to pieces. Then he blinks. "The hell?"
"What?" You glance back. "Something seem off?"
He presses his hand into the wall. "This...ain't a normal surface."
It's not. When he presses his hand further into the wall, a chunk of it moves with him. It softly deforms, just enough to leave an imprint of his hand for a second before he lets go. It slowly smooths back out to match the rest of the surface.
"It looks like we ain't the only ones to see that exit," you mutter. It's then that you hear something. There is the vague sound of footsteps from behind the surface as someone approaches the wall. Your eyes widen. 'Anyone else-?'
'Yeah, we heard that!' Everyone moves right behind you as you place a single spear upright. You twist your hand and the weapon duplicates into a disk. A snap of your fingers and there is an illusion; from your side, the spears glow a bright red with a fuzzy vision of what's on the other side. On the other end, a perfect representation of the tunnel going further down.
As far as you are concerned, you're invisible until someone presses against the surface. The sponge-wall ripples as it pulls itself open. Two magi, one of them an orange-haired woman in a wide-brimmed hat, the other a purple-haired girl with a fez, step outside.
The orange-haired one is speaking. "-of her twin's body. Rin has been feeding her long enough. She's a drain on her resources and it's getting in the wa-"
"Lady Rin still loves her sister. It would be absolutely abhorrent to just ditch her like that!"
"So? It would hardly be the worst we've done. It's about efficiency. We need to tighten things up before facing the Mitakihara gang. What did Oriko say about it?"
"She predicted the fight would be long and difficult. We already knew as much going in."
"Well, yeah. But her predictions have been getting..." The sound trails off as the pair get further down and the footsteps get quieter. The sponge-wall begins to close as they get further and further away.
You take a quick look around before you pull the wall of spears open. Yuki's eyes widen as he glances your way and Ume trails right behind your back. "It'll last you long enough for us to get in and see what we can get. If we can rob 'em of this 'Oriko' person..."
"Think she's a soothsayer?" Erika asks.
"Yeah. I think she's a major resource. Not the biggest one, but working without a frame of reference for how the future will go will be kind of a big fuckin' deal." The spears open up just enough for you to squeeze out. "I can handle myself inside."
"I'll stay here," Erika whispers as Yuki glances between you.
"This is super fucking risky, Kyou."
"Yeah. I know," you mutter before Ume moves to follow you.
"I'll help you out."
You nod, and the both of you slip right through the opening in the pipe. The limit of your magic is just a little over a hundred meters; any further than that and your illusions fall apart. So you're hoping this complex stays within that hundred meter range.
The sponge-hole closes behind the both of you as you slide inside The tunnel is cramped, unbelievably so. It's barely big enough to fit one person, let alone two adults. But thankfully, it only stretches about five meters ahead before you pull yourself through.
The room it leads to is a janitor's closet. It looks disused; dust covers the shelves of cleaning supplies and cobwebs run their way across the ceiling, stretching across the corners. This place hasn't been used for a long, long while.
'What are we looking at?' you ask Erika.
A second passes. Then she answers back. 'Nobody's in the hallway out from the closet. The facility is only about fifty meters across. We're relatively safe here.'
'Great.' You peek your head out of the closet. And sure enough...
This is OOC, but Oriko is bullshit and if we can get her on our side- for whatever value 'our side' is worth- well, that's a good thing, without a doubt.
"Some growing up to do, yeah." You roll your shoulders. "It was just...it was a time. That whole thing was a time. Being a magi just meant things were more intense when I was young."
You know, cool as savestate power might be, you got to appreciate how much it must suck to repeat things again and again until you get the desired outcome, for real. Like having twenty five hours days. Or more.
