Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
Bonus points in that Maria is also a popular Italian name that Miami might totally choose in character
Mami Souls: Prepare to Waifu (PMMM / Dark Souls)
- Thread starter Laurelin
- Start date
- Crossover
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Laurelin
Ain't got nothing better.
- Location
- Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone
Would that mean the firekeeper's waifu will be named Tsubasa?
I'm probably a big dumdum but I didn't get that reference. :x
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Symphogear. Maria was a villain in season 2. In later seasons she does pop music collaborations with Tsubasa.
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Watch Symphogear. First season is shaky towards the beginningish-middle but manages to hold itself together long enough to work out on the good side. Second season onwards are pure kickass.
You forgot to mention all the other shiptease.
I could have proposed Kanade, but she's [EARLY EPISODE SPOILER], or Chris, but she doesn't get remotely as much shiptease as Tsubasa/Maria.
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Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
I didn't either. I just typed "Maria and Tsubasa" into google, saw it was a Symphogear reference, and gave it all my yes. I know it's a great show due to internet osmosis, I simply haven't gotten further than the first few episodes myself.
Icipall
Don't worry, we can fanfix that!
- Location
- Cold snow fields of Finland
The stuff we learn through Internet and popculture osmosis is terrifying.
Laurelin
Ain't got nothing better.
- Location
- Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone
Heck, this whole quest is a result of internet osmosis...
SaltyWaffles
I am dissapoint, son
- Pronouns
- He/Him
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Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
This is cute, moar cute please.
Laurelin
Ain't got nothing better.
- Location
- Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone
Incidentally, there was a certain line in the last update of which I thought, even as I was writing it, "god people are so going to quote this out of context", yet looking back now I realise that didn't happen. I'm wondering now if that's because I have a mature audience who are above reaching for the low-hanging fruit, or because it was so subtle it went by unnoticed. 🤔
- Location
- Middle Europe
or you are so immature that you expected others to be on similar level
Laurelin
Ain't got nothing better.
- Location
- Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone
or you are so immature that you expected others to be on similar level
I am offended you think so little of me, good sir! I merely seek to appease to a wide audience!
Icipall
Don't worry, we can fanfix that!
- Location
- Cold snow fields of Finland
Subtle, because otherwise I would have pointed it out, either shouting
or
Moving Forward - 2
Laurelin
Ain't got nothing better.
- Location
- Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone
---
~ Mami Souls: Prepare to Waifu ~
---
~ Mami Souls: Prepare to Waifu ~
---
I'm not going to waste all of you wonderfully patient people's time making hollow excuses for why this update take so long. Instead, I'm just going to let you get straight on with reading this surprise update, my Christmas gift to you all, and hope you enjoy it.
---
Moving Forward - 2The speed with which you flee to your room would have been impressive even as a Magical Girl, let alone as an ordinary human. Not that you really pay much attention to this phenomenal feat, occupied as you are with putting a wall and a closed door between your undressed state and your guests. Only once you're safely in your room do you relax a little, leaning back against the door and closing your eye whilst letting out the deepest of sigh. You haven't been in such an embarrassing situation since that time you managed to glue yourself to a chair as a child.
Slowly you slide down the door and sink to the floor, feeling completely exhausted both mentally and physically. When you set out to confront Sayaka and Madoka earlier today, you didn't expect the rest of your morning to turn out so… chaotic. Emotional and possibly painful, yes, but the sheer roller coaster of madness that has been your day so far defies all belief. The last time a day left you so utterly spent was… well, the day before yesterday when you died and came back to life, admittedly, but before that it was probably when Kyoko and you violently parted ways, or even further back, to when you first became a Magical Girl.
Clutching your knees to your chest, you release another sigh and quietly reflect on your day thus far. Talking to Madoka and Sayaka, Akemi Homura invading your home, the truth behind Soul Gems, Kyubey being shredded to ribbons by Snuggly and revealing his true nature in the process, your brief return to the old shrine, testing out the gifts handed out by your adorable bird girl, turning into a strange hybrid of man and dragon, being held at gunpoint by Akemi Homura for the second time today, and finally, having your naked self displayed for all your guests to see when you turned back into a human.
In hindsight, it's truly insane how all of that took place in the span of a few hours. A normal person could fill a whole week with what you just went through in a single morning! So it is that you don't really feel bad about simply sitting there on the floor for a while, catching your breath, even though you have guests waiting for your return in the next room. Given everything that happened, you doubt they'd begrudge you just a small moment of peace.
After a while, however, it starts to get rather chilly in your birthday suit, so you reluctantly climb to your feet and shuffle to your drawer in order to replace the clothes you lost. Since you forgot to bring your Firekeeper regalia with you in your flight, you have no choice but to put on some of your normal clothes over your fresh underwear, but honestly you don't feel too broken up about that.
You could do with a little 'normal' right now.
Once you're fully dressed again, you're ready to return to the others. In all honesty, you still feel a bit embarrassed at the thought of facing them all again so soon after the accidental showing you gave them, but leaving them by themselves would be rude and that's simply unacceptable. Tomoe Mami is many things, but a poor host is not one of them. So, after taking a deep breath, you open the door and leave your room.
Several heads turn in your direction as soon as you enter. Akemi Homura is still in her spot next to the door to the hall, while her classmates have retaken their place on your couch. Snuggly is standing next to Madoka, the latter having apparently been in the process of trying to explain something to the former, only to get interrupted when the door opened.
In a demonstration of impressive willpower, you manage to not look away with flaming cheeks under their combined stares and instead give them your best apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting."
Madoka returns your smile with a shy one of her own. "It's okay, Mami-san. Are you feeling alright?"
You nod. "I'm fine, Kaname-san. A little tired, perhaps, but fine. Thank you."
The pinkette's smile brightens as her expression turns into one of relief. "I'm glad to hear it."
As you pass by your table, you notice your Firekeeper regalia lying in a neatly folded pile on top. Someone evidently must have picked them up from the floor, alongside the chair you knocked over, which is now standing back upright and in its proper place. It's a small gesture, perhaps, but you're grateful for the consideration it shows nonetheless.
It's not exactly the only example of things to be grateful for this morning, either. Madoka and Sayaka being willing to hear you out is another one, as is them watching over you while you were unconscious and even going so far as to chase Kyubey out of your home. It's strange to have other people be genuinely concerned for your well being again after being alone for so long; strange, but not at all unwelcome.
There's also a certain little crow and all the many things she's done to help you, including putting herself between an armed, tense Magical Girl and yourself. While you'll definitely have words with her about putting herself into danger like that, you can't deny that the fact that she was willing to do it for your sake makes you, well, happy.
The least you can do is thank them for it.
"Kaname-san, Miki-san," you begin, causing the girls in question to look up at you curiously from their spot on your couch. "I want to thank you for what you did to diffuse the situation a moment ago. Given the state I was in, the state we were all in, I don't think things would have gone so well if you hadn't spoken up for me when I couldn't do so myself. Even though you didn't know if I was still myself, you still stood up for me and for that, I'm really, really grateful."
Madoka smiles and shakes her head. "You don't have to thank us for that, Mami-san."
"Yeah," Sayaka agrees. "What else were we supposed to do? Just stand there and watch you get shot at for no reason?" She scoffs and crosses her arms, casting a brief, dirty glance in Homura's direction. "Not on my watch."
As usual, the room's sole Magical Girl does not respond to the jab, which is probably for the best.
"Nevertheless, you both have my thanks," you repeat, before turning towards the little crow at Madoka's side. "As do you, little one." Carefully, you reach out and pat Snuggly softly on the head, earning yourself a few content chirps and happy coos in the process. "That was a really brave thing you did, standing up for me like that."
It was also really dangerous and more than a bit reckless, but you let that slide for now. There'll be plenty of time to educate her about firearms and the danger they pose later.
Snuggly giggles happily, then wraps her wings around your waist and hugs you tight. "I protect Mami bird!" she declares proudly, her expression adorably fierce and her huge eyes filled with determination.
"Indeed you did," you nod, hugging her back to cover up the fact that you're barely keeping your composure in the face of so much lovable cuteness. A brief glance at the couch reveals that you're not the only one with that problem. "I couldn't wish for a more stalwart protector than you."
She puffs up her tiny chest with pride. "Yes, yes, I protect stale ward and Mami bird!" A brief pause, followed by a tilt of her head and an owlish blink. "What stale ward?"
That does it. The last of your resistance now thoroughly shattered, you can no longer hold back the laughter that spills from your lips and fills the room. Madoka and Sayaka soon follow, their cries of merriment joining in with yours and continuing on for a long time, leaving behind a confused little crow and one exasperated Magical Girl.
By Snuggly's round and adorable cheeks, did you ever need that.
---
It takes a while for the laughter to die down and even longer until the three of you have all caught your breath, but eventually the room goes quiet again, though the atmosphere now feels a lot more cosy and relaxed than before. You've rejoined your new friends around the coffee table, seated once more on your comfy pillow, with Snuggly at your side.
The little crow had been pouting earlier, thinking you were all laughing at her, but quickly returned to her normal chirpy self once you assured her this wasn't the case and also explained what 'stalwart' actually meant. Now she is contently curled up on the carpet against you, her head resting in your lap, occasionally letting out soft, happy coos and chirps as you gently run your fingers through her hair.
It's a truly wondrous, peaceful moment after one heck of a hectic morning. Even Homura doesn't seem to be scowling as hard anymore, though she has yet to rejoin the rest of you around the table, opting instead to get further acquainted with your wall. You're fine with that, though; it's certainly preferable to her and Sayaka glaring daggers at each other the whole time.
Smiling, you look down at the little girl in your lap and gently scratch behind one of her ears, much to her audible delight. Madoka and Sayaka quietly observe from their seat on your couch, the tender scene bringing smiles to their faces as well.
Eventually, Madoka speaks up. "Mami-san, are you sure you're feeling alright?" She glances briefly at the Dragon Stone on the table, then back at you. Clearly, she's worried about the potential negative side effects of your brief time spent as a humanoid dragon.
"It's very kind of you to be concerned, Kaname-san, but truly, I feel fine." You lift your eyes and meet her worried pink ones. "I did feel somewhat exhausted earlier, I suspect due to having used up all my magic to sustain the transformation, but it's already fading. After some rest, I'm confident I'll be back to normal."
Though the concern in her expression doesn't fade entirely, the pinkette does seem to be put at ease by your words. "I'm glad to hear it," she says, looking and sounding relieved, after which she falls silent again.
Next to her, Sayaka fidgets in her seat, looking like she's being torn between decorum and her insatiable curiosity. After a brief but fierce battle, the latter emerges victorious. "So, ehm, Mami-san, what was it like?"
"Sayaka-chan!" Madoka exclaims, glaring admonishingly at her best friend.
"It's alright, Kaname-san! I don't mind talking about it," you quickly interject to nip another argument in the bud. When she glances at you in concern and confusion, you hurry on to explain. "I was taken aback by the suddenness of what happened, yes, and admittedly I panicked at first not knowing if the change could be reversed or not, but the transformation itself wasn't painful. I was shocked more than harmed by the experience and certainly not traumatised." You give her a rueful smile. "I'm not that fragile."
The pinkette casts down her eyes as her cheeks turn red. "Ah, I'm… I'm sorry," she stammers, now obviously flustered. "I d-didn't mean…"
"It's fine," you assure her, shaking your head and smiling at her kindly. "I know you didn't mean any offence and were merely looking out for my well being. Which I appreciate, Kaname-san, truly, I do."
Madoka slowly nods in understanding. "Al… alright…"
With that matter cleared up, your attention shifts towards Sayaka. "As for your question, Miki-san…" Crossing your arms, you stare up at the ceiling thoughtfully as you contemplate what answer to give her. You're aware that she's asked you the same thing before, but that was while you were still transformed and had to communicate via writing, incapable as you were of proper articulation.
"It's hard to put into words, because it's really the kind of thing you can only truly understand by experiencing it yourself." Your brow furrows into a thoughtful frown as you try to recall the utterly alien sensations you experienced whilst in the humanoid dragon – you're just going to call it dragonoid for short from now on – form. "As I wrote down earlier, it certainly wasn't at all like how it was to be a Magical Girl, but I realise that probably doesn't tell you much as well, since you both don't know what that's like either."
You pause for a moment, casting a brief but intrigued glance at the Dragon Stone sitting all innocuous on your coffee table.
"To be completely honest, I was too overwhelmed by it all to truly think about what it was like. Being all panicky because I didn't know if the change was permanent or not also didn't really help." You offer Sayaka an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Miki-san, I fear I'd have to try it again in a much calmer state of mind to give you a better answer than 'it was really, really weird'."
Madoka looks at you in surprise. "You'd really consider doing it again, Mami-san?"
At her side, Sayaka looks predictably excited by the idea.
"I'm not adverse to the possibility," you admit, though you feel a bit self-conscious doing so. A result of the Stone and its power being responsible for putting you on full naked display in front of your guests and friends, no doubt. "I-I mean, now that I know that the transformation isn't permanent, I can't deny being somewhat intrigued as to what capabilities it offers, as well as how it achieves them. The inner workings of magic have always been of interest to me, beyond just what I needed to know to fight Witches. I suppose you could say it's, ah, professional curiosity?"
Your answer seems to mollify Madoka somewhat, but she definitely isn't as won over by the prospect as Sayaka or even you seem to be.
"Come on, Mado-chan!" the bluenette exclaims upon seeing her friend's reluctance. "It's a magic that can turn you into a dragon, without even having to deal with the lying rat! You can't tell me that doesn't make you at least a little bit curious or excited?"
"W-well, true, it does…" the pinkette admits, bashfully poking her index fingers together. "B-but I don't want Mami-san to get hurt in order to learn more!"
"If it's any consolation, Kaname-san, I have no intention of doing any further testing right now. Not only would it most likely be a fruitless endeavour, having just burned through my magic reserves, but I think I've had more than enough excitement to last me for the rest of the day." You give the pair a wry smile. "As do you, I suspect."
Even Sayaka can't deny that much, despite her eagerness to learn more.
"Still, do give me some credit, please. I do have experience when it comes to trying out and working with new forms of magic. Admittedly, not this kind of magic in particular, but even so, I do know how to look out for my own safety."
As long as you're not trying to show off in front of your prospective students at least, a dark part of you whispers in the back of your mind, making you wince and the scar around your neck to ache.
To your relief, neither of your new friends seem to have noticed.
The same can't be said of Homura, however.
"Are you sure this would be wise?" she asks, arms crossed as she leans against the wall and looks at you coolly from underneath an inquisitively raised eyebrow. "You only just managed to break out of the Magical Girl life. Are you that eager to go back to it?"
A reasonable question, but born from a misunderstanding of your intent.
"I'm not planning to go out and fight Witches again, if that's what you're asking, Akemi-san. It would be foolish to the extreme to do so with what we currently know of this Dragon Stone's power." About as foolish as showing off whilst fighting a Witch, probably, but no need to bring that up again. "Unless and until I know exactly what this transformation power is capable of, I will not set a foot in any Labyrinth. It goes without saying that you should do the same, Kaname-san, Miki-san," you pause to give a stern look to the two girls in question, before turning back to the room's sole Magical Girl. "As I said, it's merely academic curiosity, nothing else."
Homura inclines her head, satisfied with your answer. "As you were, then."
Sayaka looks at her oddly, not with the usual disdain reserved for her quiet classmate, but more like something the Magical Girl said made her think. Crossing her arms, she stares at the Dragon Stone with a contemplative frown on her face for a moment, before finally turning her gaze to you.
"Do you think it's possible, Mami-san? To fight Witches in that form, I mean."
"I honestly can't answer that, Miki-san. It's impossible to tell, given how we know next to nothing about what it's capable of. It could very well be, but even if that's the case, there's also the factor of time to consider."
The bluenette tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"The transformation requires magic to sustain. Once it has burned through the user's reserves, it reverses them back to normal," you explain patiently. "Now, think back to a moment ago while I was transformed. How much time did I actually spend in that form? I admit that I was too preoccupied to keep track myself, but in hindsight, it really wasn't that long, was it?"
Sayaka scratches the back of her head. "Ah, about ten minutes?" she ventures, glancing sideways at her best friend for confirmation.
"Closer to five, I think," Madoka says, sounding unsure herself.
"Seven minutes and thirty six seconds."
"Thank you, Akemi-san."
The fact that the Magical Girl was able to time the length of your transformation somehow in between all the threatening and holding you at gunpoint doesn't even come as a surprise anymore. You simply accept that she did, refusing to be bothered by such minor details as to how and instead opting to refocus your attention on Sayaka.
"As you can hear, seven and a half minutes isn't very long at all, Miki-san. While I'm fairly confident I could defeat most Witches in such a limited amount of time with my former powers, I wouldn't risk it with an unknown set of abilities. Especially not when I'm rendered defenceless once the time runs out."
What you don't say is that even if you were confident in this new Dragonoid's form ability to take down a Witch before you run out of magic, you're still not sure if you actually would. Given what happened the last time you faced a Witch, you simply don't feel ready to do so again.
A not insignificant part of you doubts if you ever will.
"I understand," Sayaka nods, oblivious to your mental bout of cowardice. She looks at you hopefully. "But, you're still okay with trying out what that form can do, right? For science, I mean, not fighting!"
Madoka giggles, failing to mask her mirth behind with her hands. You are similarly unsuccessful in suppressing a chuckle of your own, though it really couldn't be helped; Sayaka's innocent eagerness to learn more of magic is simply too endearing. It reminds you of some of your former students when they had only just started out and the life of a Magical Girl had yet to lose its wondrous lustre for them.
That those moments never lasted and inevitably ended in tears is something you deliberately choose not to remember right now. Instead, you opt to respond to the bluenette's question.
"Of course. Though, as I said before, not today."
Sayaka gives another nod, accepting that answer without complaint. "How about tomorrow, after school?" she suggests, her enthusiasm not in the least bit diminished.
Madoka shakes her head and puts a hand on her friend's arm. "Sayaka-chan, be more patient," she chides gently. "Mami-san probably needs some time to take care of more pressing matters first. She only just came back, after all."
"Oh, right." Awkwardly scratching the back of her head, the bluenette then gives you an apologetic look. "Sorry."
"It's fine. Apologizing and coming clean to you both was actually my most immediate and pressing concern, since every moment I left you in the dark about my return leaving you hurting longer... Compared to that, the rest of the fallout of my, ah, unplanned 'absence' will be much easier to take care of." You pause, realising that that's not entirely true. "W-well, admittedly there's one other matter that's been giving me some trouble..."
The two friends share a glance.
"What would that be, Mami-san?" Madoka asks.
"It actually somewhat ties into Miki-san's suggestion," you reply, with a brief look in the bluenette's direction. "I want and need to start attending school again as soon as possible, but I'm having some trouble thinking of a believable way to explain why I was suddenly absent for a whole week."
A soft 'ah' passes from Madoka's lips and she nods in understanding.
Sayaka leans back on her hands and looks at you in confusion. "Can't you just say you were sick?"
You shake your head. "So sick I couldn't even call the school to let them know I wouldn't be coming, or couldn't open the door when one of my classmates inevitably came to bring me my homework and their copied notes? I don't think they'd believe that, especially without any note from a doctor or medicine prescription."
"Ah, yeah, good point," she admits, a bit of embarrassment creeping into her voice for not having thought of that herself.
"What if you said you had to leave Mitakihara for a week?" Madoka hesitantly suggests.
As you carefully consider the idea, your idle hands busy themselves with giving Snuggly, who's still contently curled up against you, gentle pats on the head. "That could work," you muse, distractedly twirling one of the crow girl's sooth black locks around your finger. "But what could've kept me so occupied that I didn't even once think to call the school?"
To this, the pinkette has no answer and neither does her best friend, or you for that matter.
A contemplative silence falls as the three of you all try to come up with a satisfying solution to your conundrum, only to be thwarted every time by the simple question of 'but why didn't you call'. You honestly had no idea coming up with good excuses to skip school had been rendered this difficult simply through cell phones existing. It must have been so much easier for your parents back in their days of pay phones and land lines.
After a few minutes have gone by with nothing to show for your combined efforts, Madoka turns to the sole person in the room whose input hasn't been heard yet.
"Ah, Homura-chan, do you have any ideas?"
The Magical Girl blinks and raises one eyebrow at her sudden inclusion in the conversation.
"Family emergency?" she suggests, disinterestedly flipping a hand through her hair.
Despite her best efforts, Sayaka fails to suppress a disdainful sneer. "Very funny, transfer student. You know Mami-san doesn't-"
"Actually," you interrupt, Homura's careless suggestion gifting you with a sudden flash of inspiration. "I might be able to work with that."
Madoka and Sayaka both look at you in surprise and confusion.
"It's true that I have no direct relatives anymore, but there is my extended family via my parents," you explain, expression souring as you think of your distant aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time in years. "I could say an emergency came up regarding my inheritance that called me out of town and that, in the chaos and panic of having my livelihood rendered uncertain, it completely slipped my mind to let anyone know. I could even spin it that the reason none of my relatives informed the school was out of pettiness for failing to secure any part of my share. It wouldn't even really be a lie."
That last bit is growled softly under your breath.
Sitting up a bit straighter, Madoka claps her hands together excitedly. "And since it's such a private family matter, your teachers will probably refrain from prying any further!"
"Most likely, yes," you nod in agreement, a smile on your lips as it all comes together. "Then it's just a matter of sticking to my story and diligently working to catch up so my grades don't suffer as a result of my absence, so things will soon be forgotten. Yes, this could work!" Pleased, you turn your head and give a grateful look to the one who inspired this idea. "Thank you for your help, Akemi-san."
The Magical Girl shrugs. "My pleasure," she mutters dryly, her expression becoming a tad nonplussed when Madoka thanks her as well.
Sayaka looks a bit sour because of who ended up solving your problem, but to her credit she refrains from remarking upon it, opting to address you instead. "Y'know, now that you've got your story, you could go back with us today if you wanted to, Mami-san."
You consider it for a moment, then dismiss the idea with a shake of your head. "While it'd be lovely to get it out of the way so things could go back to normal, I think it's better I wait until tomorrow. I haven't prepared any of my books and school equipment, for starters, plus I have Snuggly to consider. I can't bring her with me, so I have to make sure she'll be fine by herself while I'm away, which will require that she knows some things I haven't gotten around to explaining to her yet."
"Oh." The bluenette glances at the little girl in your lap, like she almost forgot she was there, and nods in understanding. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
That's when, either by pure coincidence or because she heard her name, Snuggly tugs at your sleeve.
"Mami bird, I hunger!"
Blinking, you look down at the young crow, then up at the clock, almost doing a double take when you notice that it's almost one hour in the afternoon.
"Ah, it seems with everything that happened I lost track of the time." You treat the feathered sweetheart to a loving pat on the head and your most sincere and apologetic smile. "I'm very sorry about that, little one. I'll go fix that right away, is that okay with you?"
Snuggly perks up from your lap immediately, eagerly flapping her wings. "Yes, yes, more Mami bird food!"
Chuckling softly, you give her another pat on the head, then climb to your feet. "Kaname-san, Miki-san, may I invite you to join us for dinner?" you ask, turning towards the two girls in question.
Madoka looks a bit taken aback by the offer. "We wouldn't want to impose on you like that, Mami-san. You already treated us to tea twice."
"You wouldn't be imposing at all," you assure her kindly. "It's a bit sudden, I admit, but I'm not so unprepared that I couldn't cater to guests." It just means you'll have to go shopping for groceries again sooner than expected, but of course you don't say that out loud. That would be improper of you as their host.
"S-still, it wouldn't feel right, after everything you had to go through this morning," the pinkette insists. Then, upon realising that her refusal might make her come across as rude, she hurriedly adds: "Ah, but our lunchboxes are in our schoolbags, we can sit together while eating those, right, Sayaka-chan?"
Her pink eyes plead her best friend to back her up, which she does with a nod and a smile.
"Sure, that sounds cool."
Seeing no reason to argue, you accept their proposal. "Very well, but I insist that you let me provide you with something to drink, at least."
Neither of them have any objection to this, leaving you with just one last thing to take care of.
You turn towards Homura, still keeping vigilant watch besides the door to the hall. While you'd be very much justified in not extending an invitation towards her, given she did break into your home and held you at gunpoint twice this morning alone, you do have to admit that you still owe her for saving Madoka and Sayaka's lives and taking care of Kyubey for you after Snuggly introduced him to her feet. The least you can do is extend her the common courtesy all guests are due – even if she did let herself in.
"Akemi-san, you're welcome to join us, if you wish, provided I can count on there being no more firearms being drawn or threats at my person being made?"
The Magical Girl stares at you for a moment, then quietly nods.
Satisfied, you nod back and then turn around towards your other guests - your friends – again, gesturing for them to follow you.
"This way then, everyone."
As you walk towards the kitchen, you realise you'll have to move over some chairs in order for everyone to have a seat at the table. You can't quite recall the last time this happened, but the fact that it does now brings a happy smile to your face.
Considering the reward of eating with friends, that little bit of extra work is really more than worth the paltry effort.
---
AN: You have no idea how happy and relieved I am that I was able to finish this update in time for Christmas and the end of the year. For once, I actually managed to hit a deadline I set for myself, hurray! I can only hope you all enjoyed it sufficiently enough that it makes up for the long wait. I really have no excuse. I'm truly blessed to have such a patient audience.
There's what I feel is an important vote to decide on in the post below, so make sure to check that out. All that's left now is to wish everyone a merry Christmas, or, if you don't celebrate that, happy holidays! May this time of year be everything you want it to be.
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Character sheet
Tomoe Mami
Notable details:
- Burn scars on the palms of both hands from when she accepted a piece of the Flame. Currently serving as vital mental support to remind her she is not entirely alone.
- Visible and ugly scar circling the entirety of her neck she received from dying. A cause of severe trauma for Mami, the mere sight of it is painful and unsettling for her.
Inventory:
- Firekeeper Set
- Dragon Torso Stone
Tomoe Mami
Notable details:
- Burn scars on the palms of both hands from when she accepted a piece of the Flame. Currently serving as vital mental support to remind her she is not entirely alone.
- Visible and ugly scar circling the entirety of her neck she received from dying. A cause of severe trauma for Mami, the mere sight of it is painful and unsettling for her.
Inventory:
- Firekeeper Set
- Dragon Torso Stone
Vote 16 - A Christmas vote
Laurelin
Ain't got nothing better.
- Location
- Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone
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~ Is the day over yet? Results ~
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~ Is the day over yet? Results ~
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Pretty clear winning vote again this time around. Seems the vast majority of you were in favour of plan 'Matters in Order'. I hope you were satisfied with the way I wrote it.
Final vote tally:
[X] Plan Matters in Order-[X] Thank Snuggly and others for standing up to you.
-[X] Take a note of what it felt like to be dragon, especially the feeling when you reverted, and approximate time you stayed in the form for future reference.
-[X] Discuss going back to school and sorting out your absence.
--[X] Propose a story that there was a sudden family emergency regarding your inheritance that forced you to leave Mitakihara for a moment and in the chaos you first didn't have time and then simply forgot to inform the school. Inheritance issues would also explain why the relatives didn't say anything about your whereabouts, you can probably spin it as them being petty for not managing to gain anything from her share.
---[X] Ask if Madoka, Sayaka or Homura have anything to add to help your story, or whether they'd suggest something else; consider whether we're ready to go today. If we are, do so
No. of votes: 10
tapkomet , Icipall , Aigloss , Xorn15 , Firebear , Cryos , obssesednuker , tygerbright , Nawaf , Billthesomething
[X] Ask Homura if she just so happens to have a big basket for pets. If not, present her with enough money and ask if she could buy the basket as a favor to you and Snuggly; hopefully, the simplicity of the request will coerce her to accept and the favor will strengthen the bonds between you.
No. of votes: 1
Blastmodious
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~ A Christmas vote ~
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So, now that Mami has taken care of her most pressing regrets concerning Madoka and Sayaka, recovered enough from the lich and Kyubey bomb to keep functioning, and finally settled on an excuse to explain her absence from school, this morning is all but wrapped up, I'd say. The matter you'll be deciding on this time is where we go from here.~ A Christmas vote ~
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One of the things I absolutely want to accomplish in the coming year is to finally implement the second decision you've ever voted on, namely, bringing Priscilla into the story. It's taken this long both because I'm a terrible, procrastinating updater, but also because everything that happened during the 'Spectres' arc simply needed to happen. They were all things Mami had to adress and come to terms with, before overloading her plate with another waifu to take care of, one that brings a sizable (hah!) problem with her to boot.
I do have a general outline in my head of how to best introduce the fluffy tail to the story. With the morning of Mami's second day coming to a close (it only took nine freaking updates and roughly 81k words to do so), we're now at a point where we can speed things along a bit, if you so wish. Keep in mind that Mami has had quite a morning and enough excitement to last her for the day. She's not going to be very willing to get up to more shenanigans like her impromptu brief Dragonoid transformation. Not today at least.
So, the choices then, are to:
Vote for fast forwarding a bit to after school of the next day, in which case Mami will spend the next update having a peaceful afternoon and a quiet evening, then go to school the following day. The next vote will then decide on what you will do after school: spend time with your friends, test out the Dragon Stone like Sayaka suggested, etc. As a result this update would be a bit more summary in nature, as opposed to the detailed, in-depth nature of the story so far, speeding things along a bit towards Priscilla's introduction.
Or, alternatively, you can chose to keep going as normal, continuing the current day and giving you basic carte blanche as to how Mami spends her afternoon and/or evening, with the caveat that she'll refuse to get up to any magic shenanigans. This most likely means Priscilla will take a bit longer to appear first.
Me personally, I do lean a bit more towards the first option, but I want to make it clear that I am fine with either choice. You are the players of this quest, you make the decisions and I carry them out. So please, don't feel like you need to go along with my personal preference for my sake, vote for what you want to read. The second option could very well lead to story possibilities I hadn't even considered yet. It's up to you.
I hope I didn't make this sound too confusing; if I didn't make things clear enough, please do ask for further clarification in the comments. With that said, I've rambled on long enough, let's vote!
[ Vote: Mami ]
[ ] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
[ ] Free choice option: keep going as we were, deciding on how Mami spends the rest of her afternoon and evening. She will refuse to do anything that has any risk of more 'excitement' attached to it, however.
- [ ] Include how Mami will spend her time
Take your time to decide. Happy Holidays! 🎅
- Location
- United States
[X] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
Don't worry about how long it took, life happens to everyone.
Don't worry about how long it took, life happens to everyone.
Spectral Waltz
Scatterbrained Writer
- Location
- Walking the Endless Corridors
[x] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
- Location
- Florida
[X] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
MHEmpire
A Little Atypical
- Location
- San Diego, CA, USA
- Pronouns
- She/Her
IT LIVES!
Also:
[x] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
Also:
[x] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
Xanothos
"Fate is not a cage except for those who fear it."
- Location
- The Space Between Words
So glad to see this back! May you have a lovely holiday filled with softs and warms, silkies and smooths, pickle-pees and pumparums.
[X] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
[X] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
Icipall
Don't worry, we can fanfix that!
- Location
- Cold snow fields of Finland
Sounds like a cute accident.
I doubt she ever had such a shenanigans filled a day even as a magical girl.
The bird is now a cat.
Ah, she understands the dangers of mimics. Good.
Trauma is not easy to deal with.
Exactly.
The best lies are those wrapped in truth.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
[X] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
An unexpected Christmas present, but a welcome one nonetheless!
Feels like nothing important happened this chapter, but I'm really glad to finally end the day. (It's been a long day!)
[X] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
Honestly, I see very few reasons to write out the school parts. Not just now, but in the future as well, I think school has little place in the story beyond being that event that eats up the protagonist's time and where interactions with other characters may happen after. To help with pacing, I think places and events like this in which little happens can be throw out so we can get to more interesting parts faster. But hey, that's just my opinion.
It's totally unrelated to my burning desire to see Priscilla, yes, of course. Obviously.
In other, unrelated news, I hope we meet Priscilla after school.
And it's nice to see you again Laurelin!
Editto: oh yeah, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! <3
Feels like nothing important happened this chapter, but I'm really glad to finally end the day. (It's been a long day!)
[X] Summarise option: Mami's guests return to school after dinner and she spends the rest of the day in peace and quiet with Snuggly, then attends school herself the following day. The next vote will then place you after the end of classes, letting you decide how to spend your after school hours.
Honestly, I see very few reasons to write out the school parts. Not just now, but in the future as well, I think school has little place in the story beyond being that event that eats up the protagonist's time and where interactions with other characters may happen after. To help with pacing, I think places and events like this in which little happens can be throw out so we can get to more interesting parts faster. But hey, that's just my opinion.
It's totally unrelated to my burning desire to see Priscilla, yes, of course. Obviously.
In other, unrelated news, I hope we meet Priscilla after school.
And it's nice to see you again Laurelin!
Editto: oh yeah, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! <3
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