Puella Magi Adfligo Systema - Story only

[Firnagzen]

... Ah, what are you doing. Why antagonise the truancy officer? It's not like he's hurting you - and he's just doing his job. Making sure your peers go to school and all.

It's not his fault you're weird.

You break off your staring contest, and dip your head in a half nod, half bow.

Reluctantly, he nods back.

Just as you're about to offer him a sheepish grin and a shrug, the bell rings. Your attention snaps to the school building, and you push your senses out, hunting for your friends.

You find Mami's unmistakeable presence instantly. She speeds down the corridors, breaking into a sprint moments later and then taking the stairs down three at a time.

Your arms are already rising by the time she bursts out through the front door, and you grab Mami in a tight hug that lifts her off her feet. Laughing exuberantly, you spin her in a circle before setting her down. "Hi, Mami," you say, pulling back just far enough to beam at her.

Her face is a little flushed as she beams back at you. "Hi, Sabrina," she says. "I- I t-tried not to call you so much." She worries at her lip a little. "Is that OK?"

... huh. So she did, didn't she?

You shake your head, giving her a warm smile. "Mami, you didn't have to do that," you say softly. "I don't mind at all, you know?"

"I- I know," she says, looking down. "I know."

"Hey, Sabrina! Hey, Mami!" You look up to see Sayaka waving enthusiastically, and Madoka frozen halfway to reaching out to stop her. Hitomi's also reaching for Sayaka, working hand frozen midair and eyes wide. Homura trails a step behind Madoka, expression unamused.

You step back a little from Mami to face your friends. Just a little, so that you're side by side, but still close enough to keep one arm around Mami. "Hey, everyone," you call back, waving. You're tempted to give them hugs, and... maybe you should, but you hold off on it for now. Hm. You haven't hugged Hitomi nor Madoka at all yet.

Maybe later.

For now, hugs from and for Mami take priority.

"Hi, Sabrina," Madoka says, smiling. You exchange greetings with everyone and start to head down the street, waving the truancy officer goodbye with a cheeky grin.

"What was that?" Sayaka asks, giving you a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I think I've come to an understanding with Mr. Truancy Officer back there," you say with an easy smirk. "I mean, not that he was really giving me any trouble, but..."

Sayaka snorts. "You do kinda stick out," she agrees.

You shrug. "It's not like it's my fault," you say. "Anyway. What's everyone doing this afternoon?"

"Training!" Sayaka shoots back, bouncing on her toes. "Hope you haven't forgotten that, Sabrina-sempai, Mami-sempai!"

You snort. "'course not," you say, bumping Mami with your hip. She gives you a bright smile. "Hitomi, Madoka? Homura?"

"I'm expected home," Hitomi says. "But I finally managed to convince my parents that I don't need to be ferried from school, so I can take my time. I was... wondering if I could watch?"

"Good to hear," you say. "And I don't mind. Mami? Sayaka? Madoka?"

Sayaka shrugs. "Sure, why not?"

"I have no objections," Mami agrees. "The more, the merrier."

"I have errands to run," Homura says. You catch her eye, and she nods infinitesimally. "They can't wait."

"Aw, shame," Sayaka says. "Madoka?"

"Ah... I could watch? If that's alright?" Madoka asks.

"Sounds good to me," you say with a smile. Mami nods in agreement.

Sayaka flashes a grin. "Sure. You'll get to see me be awesome!"

You can't help but notice the frown on Homura's face. Taking a quick step forward, you cut in with, "Don't count on it, Sayaka~"

Simultaneously, you reach out to Homura. "I'll keep an eye on her."

She snorts, spring in her step undiminished by either your admonition or the two schoolbags she's carrying. "We'll see!"

Homura's head turns slightly, and her eyes catch yours for a long moment before she nods.

You flash a quick smile back.

"Soooo, the same junkyard?" Sayaka asks, bouncing ahead of your little group.

You shrug. "Mami?"

"Yes, I think so," she responds, golden curls bobbing with her nod of approval. "It's a good training area."

"Onwards, then!" You jab a finger at the air, beaming.

And onwards you go. Homura splits off as you approach the junkyard, waving a stiffly polite goodbye to everyone and giving you one last meaningful look.

You wave her off. You know.

"So!" you say as you help Hitomi over a fallen metal pipe. "What's on the schedule today, Mami?"

She smiles, warm and pleased. In her element. "I thought that maybe I'd spar with Sayaka first, today," she says. "Nothing too strenuous. Then I think we'll have time to explore her copying powers a little, but we're going to hunt a Witch after this, right?"

"Yup!" you confirm. "So... Maybe an hour, or two here, then the hunt?"

"Oh, oh!" Sayaka waves her hand in the air, as if in class instead of standing in a loose circle with everyone. "How long will the hunt be?"

"The search for a Witch is usually the longest part of the hunt," Mami says. "It might be anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. Though of course, with Sabrina to help us, it won't take nearly as long. Defeating the Witch and its Familiars will be perhaps half an hour, depending on the size of the Barrier."

Sayaka wilts a little, before perking up. She raises a clenched fist. "'course! We'll just finish it quickly, then!" she declares.

Mami chuckles. "Don't get overconfident, Sayaka," she admonished. She takes a step back and transforms.

You grin, tugging Madoka and Hitomi backwards and out of harm's way. "C'mon," you say. "This is gonna be good."

A cerulean blaze of light follows, leaving Sayaka in her outfit, too. She grins confidently, brandishing a sword in each hand.

"Hey, wait, wait!" you call. A flicker of will brings Grief sweeping in, streaming away from the spheres to form three chairs. You take a moment to add arm and backrests, contoured for proper lumbar support and everything. Each one floats half a meter above the ground - one each for Madoka, Hitomi, and yourself.

Madoka eyes the chair with an eager look, hopping onto it and reclining against the back with a happy sigh. "This is a nice chair," she says.

Hitomi gives Madoka's blissful expression a dubious look before seating herself.

"Alright," you say, flopping onto your own and flashing Mami and Sayaka a thumbs up. "We're good."

"... Really?" Sayaka asks.

You shrug. "What, do you see anywhere better to sit?" You gesture around at the junkyard, full of rusting hulks of cars and sand crusty with oil.

Mami shakes her head, giving you a fond smile. "Oh, Sabrina."

[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

-[X] Time for Seyiku training! Again, let Mami take the lead. If and only if they bring up having Sayaka copy your powers, agree to do so after a warning to be careful - otherwise don't bring it up.
-[X] Once Mami feels satisfied with the progress for today, go hunt a witch with Sayaka.

=====​

Really, the important thing to vote for here is to decide who you cheer for.

 

[Firnagzen]

You reach a hand out, gathering Grief for a moment... and you let it die out, tapping your chin. You're tempted to form a microphone and start yelling out commentary, but that might be a bit too silly.

The Grief disperses.

You'll cheer normally.

"Can we staaaaaart yet?" Sayaka asks, bouncing on her toes.

"Madoka? Hitomi?" you ask. Rubbing your chin as you ruminate a little, you reach out telepathically. "Hey, Mami?"

"Yes, Sabrina?" she asks as your friends indicate their assent.

"Alright, then!" you call, beaming at Mami and Sayaka. "On go." To Mami, you add, "I'll cheer mostly for Sayaka, if that's OK? I know you'll win, and she's inexperienced and could use the extra confidence..."

Mami flashes you a smile. "I understand, Sabrina," she responds. "Thank you for telling me."

"Thank you." You smile back, and raise your hand high above your head with three fingers extended. "Three!" you bark, lowering a finger with the count. "Two! One! Go!"

Sayaka explodes into motion with a yell. She darts straight at Mami, both swords swinging overhead.

Mami sidesteps.

Her movement is so smooth you barely even register it. She twirls and kicks. One foot lashes out to smash aside Sayaka's sword as the bluenette squawks in outrage.

Hitomi claps, as if she's watching some sport. Which, in a way, she is. Madoka just watches looking torn between excitement and worry.

"Don't just rush in, Sayaka," Mami admonishes, smiling gently and pressing her palms together. She separates them to reveal a gleaming musket.

"Right," Sayaka says, setting her jaw raising her swords again.

"Come on, Sayaka!" you cheer.

Sayaka nods, and darts forward again. Booted feet pelt across the sand, feinting left-

-and darting right. Mami's musket is already swinging across. Sayaka slams one sword into the musket, knocking the muzzle upwards.

You barely notice her depress the trigger.

The sword bucks, and the blade rockets off. Mami's musket goes flying, torn out of her hands.

Sayaka drops the hilt, and her hand snakes out.

It just brushes against the bare skin above Mami's elbow. You can feel the spark of magic when Sayaka snatches for the power.

Mami leaps back, laughing. "Well done, Sayaka! That was an excellent feint."

You whoop joins Madoka's and Hitomi's cheers. "Whoo! Go Sayaka!"

Sayaka grins, flexing her fingers. Ribbons slash at Mami, evaded in a graceful pirouette.

Mami finishes the spin with a musket levelled. Just in time - Sayaka charges hard on the heels of the string ribbons.

The musket booms. Sayaka's forced to skitter aside, the missed shot kicking up dust behind her.

"Come on, Sayaka!" you call. "You mustn't run away!"

She throws you a dirty look before bounding straight up into the air. Her cape swirls and snaps behind her as she soars. She yells, drawing back her remaining sword in a two handed swing.

Mami already has a new musket into her shoulder. One eye squeezes shut as she aims at Sayaka's descending form. The shot cracks out.

At the mercy of gravity, Sayaka doesn't -can't- evade.

The musket ball explodes into ribbons. Shining gold lashes out at Sayaka, seeking to twist and entangle.

With a desperate cry, Sayaka throws her hand out. White ribbons explode forth to clash against Mami's ribbons. Sayaka kicks off the air and backflips away.

It's Mami's turn to bolt for Sayaka, all grace and pure, clean élan. She tosses her musket aside, producing two new ones with an elegant flourish. One to each hand. She fires without breaking steps, twin cracks ringing out.

Sayaka yelps, stumbling. She slashes desperately, sparks flying from the single hit. The other ball bursts into golden ribbons.

You lean forward in your chair, anticipatory despite yourself, and-

Swords.

Shining steel slashes out, a thicket of gold-hilted weaponry stabbing out of the ground. Sayaka yells wordlessly, hand thrust towards the sky as the ribbons break on her defense.

Mami's not even in front of the blades any more. In a mirror of Sayaka, she's descending from above, muskets in either hand.

She doesn't fire. You're not sure they're new muskets - you didn't see her make them. You catch the smile and the wink she throws your way just before impact.

Sword raised in desperate block collides with descending musket, the chime of steel on steel ringing out. Sayaka barely manages to block the twin strikes, with both hands on the hilt of her sword. Mami swings one musket away, remaining musket locked at full extension, holding effortlessly against Sayaka's sword.

Sayaka makes a frantic noise, trying to disengage, but it's too late - Mami hooks her leg out from under her, and then the musket explodes into ribbon that hoist Sayaka into the air, upside down.

"Whoo!" Your cheer joins Madoka's and Hitomi's as you leap to your feet. You bounce over and sweep Mami into a hug, laughing. "That was amazing, Mami, Sayaka!"

"Thank you, Sabrina," Mami says, beaming at you.

Sayaka, trussed and slowly twisting back and forth, makes a face. "Thanks, I think?"

"No, really," you say, beaming at her. "I mean hell, you held out longer than you did against me."

"That was an impressive show, Sayaka," Hitomi offers, walking closer. She gives Sayaka's dangling cape a thoughtful look, pinching the fabric between her fingers and rubbing them lightly.

"It was amazing!" Madoka squeals, clutching both her hands together. "Both of you were moving so fast!"

Mami shifts in your arms. You ease back a little so that she can face Sayaka properly, your hand sliding naturally to her waist. She smiles at Sayaka. "Considering that that was only your second fight, Sayaka, that was excellent," she says. "The wall of blades-" she waves at the swords still protruding from the ground, "-surprised me."

"Thanks!" Sayaka says. "I didn't really think about it, though, I just- I just did it."

"Oh, and speaking of!" you say, beaming at Mami. "That trick with the muskets! How did you just-" you mime holding it out, like Mami did. "And then-"

Mami giggles. "It's a little trick, really," she says. "There's a way of... infusing magic into whatever you're holding to make it stop. I must remember to teach you both. And Sayaka, you'll find that we magical girls tend to have a..." her face scrunches a little as she hunts for the correct word.

"Set of instincts?" you supply.

"Right!" Mami says, tilting her head towards you. "You have good instincts, Sayaka. Of course, they'll only take you so far until you have to start experimenting."

Sayaka nods eagerly, absorbing the instruction. "Of course," she says.

"Alright," Mami says. "You copied my powers, was it any different from last time?"

You smile. And now Mami hits her stride. In the meantime, though, you have something you need to do now that you're not on the literal edge of your seat. "Hey, Oriko? Kirika?"

"Heya~" Kirika responds. "Keep it down, Oriko's napping."

Sayaka shakes her head, finally. "It felt the same, honestly."

Mami nods. "Alright," she says, frowning thoughtfully. "Keep a note of it." She pauses. "Since we were on the subject of instincts, Sayaka, you don't know how to make muskets like mine, right?"

"Ah, right," you say to Kirika alone, shifting mental gears. "You doing OK?"

Sayaka shakes her head in response. "Nope. Should I?"

"Eh," Kirika says. You can hear the grimace in her voice. "Worried. Whatcha need?"

You hide the grimace, a tiny pang of guilt spiking at you. "Well. Just a little thing - if you have the time, try and find a Kuroki Matsuko on the Internet? I tried, but I didn't have the time to finish it."

Mami chuckles. "No, but it would be awfully convenient," she says.

Sayaka shakes her head with a snicker. "I suppose it would!"

Madoka nudges your side, pointing back at the chairs. You nod, smiling at her, and both of them meander back to sit down.

"Yeah, I can do that," Kirika responds, mental voice brightening a little. "That's easy."

"Cool," you say. "Let me know?"

Mami tilts her head up to smile at you. "Anyway, Sabrina, I think it's time for the next step, and have Sayaka try to copy your powers? If that's alright?"

"Yeah," Kirika agrees. "When'll you be coming by next?"

[] Write-in

=====​

Wheeee!

 

[Firnagzen]

"Tomorrow, probably," you respond to Kirika. "Maybe in the morning, but I don't know yet."

Simultaneously, you beam at Mami. "Of course. Hm..."

"OK," Kirika agrees. "Tomorrow. You in a rush about that Kuroki girl, by the way?"

Mami raises her eyebrows at you, smiling. "Hm?"

"Sooner is better than later, but..." you consider for a moment. "In your time."

You give Mami a smile. "Nah, just thinking a bit - my powers are a bit... weird," you say. "They might be dangerous?"

"Gotcha," Kirika responds. "Later, Sabrina."

"Later, Kirika," you say, closing the connection.

You turn your attention back to Sayaka, who quirks an upside down eyebrow at you. "Well, you use them, dontcha?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" you ask, faking offense.

"Nothing, nothing~" Sayaka says, grinning at you.

You poke her in the shoulder with your free hand, setting her spinning on the ribbon.

"Hey!" she complains.

Mami giggles, nestling into your side. She peeks up at you for a moment, golden eyes bright with mischief, and winks, gaze flickering to the side for a second before raising her eyebrows in silent question. You nod fractionally, a tiny smirk lifting the corner of your mouth - the game is on.

A look of consternation flashes across Sayaka's face, melting into realisation and then resignation.

"Your power is quite unusual, Sabrina," Mami agrees. "Do you have any recommendations?"

"Yeah," you say. You're tempted to move all the Grief away - if nothing else, there are items inside that you absolute do not want seeing the light of day. You have an entire laundry list of things you want to caution Sayaka about, like about Soul Gems and how you shouldn't move Grief too fast and not to try and fight your control...

You exhale. "Let me know if you feel overwhelmed by anything, and don't hesitate to ask questions."

Sayaka's currently facing away from you. She wriggles a bit, managing to twirl around to nail you with a disbelieving look.

"What?" you ask her.

"I figured you'd have this long list of dos and don'ts," she says.

You shrug. "Sorry to disappoint," you say. "But, like... I have no idea how our powers will interact. None at all. Sooooo. One thing, though."

A mental tug brings your Grief sailing in to the junkyard, hundreds of mottled, deep purple spheres. Some are larger than the others, some smaller. Several stop right in front of you, joined by a particularly lumpy one that drifts from your ever present sling bag.

"These... Try not to touch these bits of Grief?" you ask, making sure Sayaka's facing you. "I've got things in here I'd rather not show off or drop."

Heh. That's an understatement, when yakuza gold and weapons are the least of your concerns. Homura's notebook of Witches is, needless to say something that has seen daylight exactly once, and you mean to keep it that way.

"Right," Sayaka says, vigorous nods sending her drifting to face away.

"Alright, then," you say. "I don't think I've got anything else, so..." You move your Grief out of the way and extend a hand towards Sayaka, smiling. "Ready to give it a shot?"

"Excuse me." You turn to see Hitomi sitting primly in her chair, one hand raised as if she's waiting for a teacher to call on her in class.

"Yes, Hitomi?" Mami asks, tilting her head quizzically to the side. Knowing her as well as you do, you can see the tiny, mischievous smirk curling her lips.

"Um..." Hitomi falters, daunted for a second by Mami's impeccable calm. "Is no one going to mention the fact that Sayaka's still hanging upside down?"

You tilt your head in mirror of Mami's, turning back to inspect Sayaka, and the way she's still hoisted in the air by golden ribbons around one ankle. Her skirt drapes oddly, and both her arms and cape dangle loosely over-under her head.

"Why, so she is," you say, as if only just realising this.

Sayaka sighs, palming her face. "Dammit, Hitomi," she says. "Don't encourage them."

Hitomi wrinkles her brow as Madoka giggles, covering her mouth. "But..."

"I said don't encourage them," Sayaka grumbles. "Besides, this isn't actually too bad."

Mami's giggles join yours, leaning against you for support. She waves a hand, shimmering gold infusing the ribbons. They writhe to life, and set Sayaka down.

Sayaka pats herself down, dusting away the sand with more grumbling. "We gonna do this?"

"Yeah," you say, extending your hand to her. You brace yourself. "Let's try it."

Mami nods, giving Sayaka an encouraging smile.

The bluenette grabs your hand in hers. "Jeeze, what's with all the ceremony, anyway? I-" She frowns, and releases your hand before stripping her glove off and trying again. "... eh?"

"Sayaka?" you ask, stiffening. Alarm kindles within your mind - but she doesn't sound like she's in pain or unable to control it or anything. She just sounds confused.

"No, wait," she says, frowning.

Observing her in your Grief senses, you can see the coiled fire of her magic curling down her arm. Leashed cerulean power pours down her fingers to wind around yours.

Yep, seems normal to you.

"... uh," Sayaka says. "I don't... you don't seem to have powers?"

You blink. "Eh?"

"No, wait- no that's not it," Sayaka mutters distractedly, frowning. "What the hell, Sabrina?"

"Um... Have you released my powers yet, Sayaka?" Mami asks, taking a step forward.

"Ah, yeah, good idea," Sayaka mutters. Paying attention, you can see the way her power unfurls, smoothing out as she makes an effort. She bites her lip. "... No, still nothing."

"... Maybe there's a refractory period of some kind?" you suggest, pursing your lips.

"No," Sayaka says, shaking her head. Her eyes widen. "I- um, I don't know how I know that."

"Hmm," Mami says. A baffled frown furrows her brow. "Madoka, could you come over here a moment?"

"Ah, yes!" Madoka hops to her feet and hurries over. Hitomi stands, too, smoothing her skirts down and proceeding over to observe the hubbub.

"Sayaka, try copying from Madoka?" Mami suggests. "Since she isn't a magical girl at all."

"Right," Sayaka says, releasing your hand to grab Madoka's. Her frown deepens. "It's... not the same."

"Really now?" you ask. "How come?"

"It's, uh," Sayaka frowns. "It's like..." She gestures at Madoka. "I get nothing from Madoka, and it's a, a, known nothing. Like a zero. From you I get... like... 'none applicable'. An imaginary number, like, right angles to everything else."

"That's strange," Mami says, frowning.

[] Write-in

=====​

Well that's odd, isn't it?

 

[Firnagzen]

Your frown can only deepen. You give some consideration to giving Madoka a hug, but really, you don't need to hammer on that now. Madoka doesn't even seem to take it as anything more than a joke, anyway.

"That's..." you shake your head. "That's really weird."

"You don't say," Sayaka grumbles. "I was looking forward to trying out your powers, too."

You worry at your lower lip for a bit, your mind churning with hypotheses and explanations. You...

For once, you're actually pretty sure what the problem is. You've only really got two plausible candidates, and they aren't even mutually exclusive explanations. Fixing the problem, insofar as there's anything to fix, is another matter, but you're reasonably sure you know what went wrong.

Refreshing, if anticlimactic.

"Kyuubey did say that there was something strange about my potential when I contracted," you say slowly, sliding your arm around Mami's waist to pull her into a hug. "Right? Sayaka, Madoka?"

Sayaka blinks and snaps her fingers. "Yeah! I remember that," she says. "He actually sounded confused."

Madoka nods emphatically. "Do you think that could be it, Sabrina?"

"Yeah, it makes sense," Sayaka nods, looking thoughtful. "Like, magic comes from our potentials, right?"

"It does," Mami agrees.

"There are magical girls from outside Japan, right?" Hitomi asks. "That... might be a silly question, but I would like to be clear?"

"Of course there are," Mami answers, nodding. "I know a few."

Sayaka claps. "Oh! Maybe we'll get to meet them sometime!"

"In point of fact," Mami says. "One will be travelling to Mitakihara... was it the day after, Sabrina?"

"Sunday," you confirm. "Nadia Bennouna -her surname's Bennouna, by the way- is travelling here, but Mami knows more than I do."

"Ah, not that much," Mami demurs with a little smile. "She's a travelling magical girl, she travels to cities around the world to carry news."

Hitomi tilts her head. "Don't you have..." she taps the side of her head.

"Yes, but you can't communicate with people you haven't met in person before," Mami explains. "Think of her more as a travelling newspaper salesman than a mail service, though I do believe she does that too."

"Mmm," Hitomi says, nodding thoughtfully. "That makes sense."

"Yeah!" Sayaka agrees. "We're all going to meet her, right?"

Mami shrugs. "I don't see why not. Why did you ask about foreign magical girls, Hitomi?"

"Just... making sure," the greenette says, seeming a bit embarrassed. "Sabrina isn't from Japan, so I wanted to check whether that could be it."

You chuckle. "No, that's not it. At least I hope not," you say. "Also, um, on the subject - the other hypothesis I have is that I specifically Wished for this power, and that changes things? Though I feel like we need a bigger sample size to work with to confirm this, either way."

Mami nods thoughtfully. "Do you think Homura would volunteer?"

"Maybe," you say. "Though I suspect she might also be a... special case? What I'd like to do is contacting some of the magical girls I've met and seeing if she can try on them. Like maybe going with us to Sendai this Sunday?"

"That's a good idea," Mami agrees with a nod.

You sigh, rolling your shoulders. "Anyway. Since that's out for now... what's next, Mami?"

Mami tugs thoughtfully on one of her hair-drills. "I was going to guide Sayaka through exploring her power for about half an hour before we went to try hunting a Witch," she says. "As it is... Sayaka, I feel that you're ready to go on a Witch hunt with us - Sabrina and I can catch any mistakes you might make, and I'd like to see how you fare against a real Witch. Sabrina, what do you think?"

"I'm up for that," you say with a nod. "I don't think Madoka and Hitomi should come with us for that, though." You give them an apologetic look. "We'll need to watch Sayaka's performance, and it'd be dangerous."

"Hey, Madoka and I got to go with Mami!" Sayaka protests.

"No, Sabrina's right," Mami says. "It's easier to protect people who are trying to stay back than to watch for someone who's in the middle of things. And... this is your first hunt, Sayaka. Maybe next time?"

Sayaka deflates.

Madoka, on the other hand, smiles, wide and guileless. "I understand," she says.

"As do I," Hitomi says, nodding. "I shall head to the hospital, then, to visit Kyousuke."

"Ah!" Sayaka says. "I'll be headed there after the hunt, too! Uh-" Her eyes dart over to you and Mami. "If there's nothing after the hunt?"

You shrug, deferring to Mami, who shakes her head. "No," she says. "There shouldn't be anything else."

"Ah... then I'll go to the hospital too," Madoka offers. "We can all meet up afterwards? And, um, Sayaka, we have that assignment from Miss Saotome to do..."

"Sounds good to me," Sayaka says. "And that assignment isn't due for a week!"

Mami rubs her gloved hands together. "Why don't we walk you to the hospital, and then start our hunt from there?" she suggests.

Madoka brightens. "That sounds great!"

"Yeah," Sayaka agrees. "C'mon, let's go!" She drops her arms around Madoka and Hitomi's shoulders and starts towing them out of the junkyard.

"Don't forget to detransform!" you call, shaking your head as you do just that. You slant a lazy grin towards Mami as she, too, detransforms. "That girl."

Mami giggles. "She's eager."

"Mmmhm," you agree, sparing an effort of will to dissolve the Grief chairs and sort away all the Grief into your usual drifting planetarium of spheres.

Bumping your shoulder against Mami's, you meander after the trio. It's... comfortable. You've really lucked out with your friendships, in many ways. You put in a good deal of effort, but there was a decent helping of good luck, too. Some part of you is paranoid, but hey, it's not like you're going to betray yourself or something, right?

Then again, what if you pranked yourself. That's... something that might happen. Like putting rocks in your shoes before you go to sleep, to give yourself a 'damn you past me' moment in the morning if you forget. You could say you're training yourself to have a better memory.

Eh, that's kind of silly.

Eventually, you all reach the hospital and bid farewell to Madoka and Hitomi for now. Sayaka turns to you, beaming. "What now?"

"Rooftops?" you ask Mami.

"Mmmhm!" she agrees, leading the way down an alley. "Sayaka, follow our lead, OK? You should be able to do this." You transform, and follow Mami in wall-hopping up to the roof of the apartment block.

Mami peeks her head over the side. "Come on up, Sayaka! You can do this!"

Sayaka follows with only a moment of hesitation. Cracks of shattering concrete drift up to you, followed by a muffled yelp of surprise.

Mami grins at you, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I don't do that anymore," you say as Sayaka crests the roof. She stumbles and slumps into a seated position, cape draping over her shoulders. "Thanks to the tip you gave me!"

"What tip," Sayaka grumbles. "You just left me behind!"

"It's not something we can really teach," you offer. "You have to learn by doing. Or more like find the instincts within yourself."

"I suppose we could have carried you up," Mami offers with an amused smile. "Ribbons, or Sabrina's powers."

"No thanks," Sayaka complains. She pushes herself to her feet, energy returning. "Anyway, where to now?"

"Hmm..." Mami says, considering the skyline. "We should do the hospital route, since we're here."

"Works for me," you agree. "Take the lead, Mami!"

She beams at you, brilliant and warm, and does just that.

Sayaka proves a quick study in roofhopping, bounding lightly from building to building. She soars, cape fluttering lightly -heroically- after her as she leaps, dashing and bold in contrast to Mami's elegance and your own pragmatic and vaguely parkour-like style.

Crack.

... not so much the not-breaking-rooftops part, though.

It doesn't take you long to find a Witch, your Grief senses letting you home in on it. You find yourself crouching atop what seems to be a theater, modern but as yet unopened. The Barrier hangs in the air, drifting slowly away.

[] Write-in

=====​

You know the drill!

 

[Firnagzen]

You take half a step back and sweep into a grand bow. "Dame Miki, Lady Tomoe," you say in English before switching back to Japanese. "By your leave."

"Dame?" Sayaka asks, raising her eyebrows at you.

"The female equivalent of 'Sir'," you explain. "It's how you address a female knight."

Mami giggles. "Lady Tomoe?"

"Hey, if the shoe fits, it fits," you offer, grinning at her. "Though... Hm. I think proper heraldic order would have been Lady then Dame."

Mami shakes her head, smiling fondly. "Sayaka, you can you take the lead," she says. "I'll keep an eye on you. Sabrina-"

"I'll follow behind," you say with a smile. "Today, I'll be your bodyguard. You concentrate on Sayaka, and I'll back you up, yeah?"

Mami beams. "Just what I was thinking," she agrees. "Sayaka? Are you ready?"

The bluenette reaches under her Cape to withdraw a pair of swords, evening light gleaming off the faint curve of the blades. She grins confidently. "Yeah, I'm good," she declares.

You draw your own hammer from beneath your coat, pulling it out as if you had been wearing it on your waist. Grief folds around you, dozens, hundreds of spheres drifting in lazy orbits. You smile at Mami, waiting for her to give the go ahead.

"Then..." Mami indicates the entrance to the Barrier.

Sayaka nods, hands tightening on the grips of her swords. She springs for the glowing rip in reality, and vanishes through.

Mami throws you a warm smile before following.

You leap after them, bracing for that familiar moment of disorientation-

-and the revulsion. You blow out a sharp, hard breath, steadying yourself. A gloved hand touches your shoulder, Mami giving you a warm smile.

"You OK, Sabrina?" Sayaka asks, swords out and staring around.

"Yeah," you say, eyes following hers. "Witch barriers... Well, my powers let me see Grief, and all this is Grief."

Motes of dust dance in the gloomy twilight of the Barrier. Polished wood forms the floor, scuffed as if by the passage of hundreds of feet. Heavy, musty curtains of what would have once been rich crimson hang from far above. Thick ropes of what looks like hemp dangle alongside the curtains, tangling and snarling together into a thick web as they disappear into the darkness.

There's a faint starkness to the hanging fixtures, as if there's something wrong with the way light falls on them. Their outlines are a little too sharp, too well defined.

"Looks... spooky," Sayaka opines, her voice still bright and undeterred.

Mami looks around warily. "Witch Barriers usually do," she notes. "So, Sayaka, where do you think we should go? It's OK to be wrong about this - the sense of direction in Barriers takes time to develop."

"Uhhhhh," Sayaka says, furrowing her brow in thought. "When you ask it like that, I, uh, I guess it's not like straight ahead or something. Down, maybe? Through the floor?"

That's not right, you feel, but you hold your tongue. A shake of Mami's head vindicates your gut feeling, though. "Up," Mami says, pointing.

"Figures," Sayaka says, rolling her eyes.

"Good guess, though," Mami says with a smile. "I've encountered Barriers where I did have to go down."

Sayaka grumbles inaudible, craning her head back to look up. "So we climb the ropes? Suppose it's a good thing Madoka and Hitomi didn't come..."

"Not necessarily," Mami says. "Do you have a way to travel upwards? If not, I'll let you copy my ribbon powers again - we should have done that first."

"No, I-" Sayaka frowns. "I- do?" Azure light blazes beneath her feet, lifting her into the air as if on an invisible platform. Cerulean lines streak into stylized images that trail away behind her: an armoured knight, crossed swords, a winged angel, a windmill, a mermaid... The images reel away as Sayaka rockets upwards.

Mami flashes you a smile. "Wait, Sayaka!" she calls after the bluenette. Hm. Azuretop? "Don't get too far ahead!" She leaps after Sayaka, a golden ribbon lashing from her hand to hoist her upwards and onwards.

You huff an amused laugh, craning your head back to watch their progress, wings blooming from your back. You leap to join them, spiralling upwards amongst the tangled ropes on wings of corruption. Mami swings arm over arm, ribbons snapping outwards to hoist her up.

"There!" Sayaka yells, pointing out. You follow her pointing sword, and spot a rabbit.

It's just a rabbit, with the fluffiest white fur, clinging incongruously to a rope. Huge, obsidian black eyes blink at you, before the rabbit darts away, seeming to flow from rope to rope in stuttering motions, like frames skipping in an animation.

The distinctive boom of Mami's musket rings out, a streak of fire blasting the Familiar apart in a puff of fur. "It's a Familiar, Sayaka," Mami chides. "Don't hesitate!"

"Right," Sayaka says, grimacing to herself. "Sorry. It was just... all fuzzy and cute, you know?"

Mami shakes her head, managing to give Sayaka a chiding look despite hanging from a ribbon. "False exteriors," she says. "Make no mistakes, even something like that can prey on people."

You drift beside them silently on slow, lazy wingbeats, the muffling curtains swallowing up most of the sound.

A gust of chill wind sets the motes of dust twirling in the air. The ropes flutter, rippling in the twilight darkness of the Barrier.

"Uh-" Sayaka says. "That way?" She points along the direction where the wind had come from.

Mami nods, smiling. "Lead the way, Sayaka."

Sayaka nods. "Right!" she says, skating forward on her drifting banner of light, afterimages fading in her wake. Mami follows, readied muskets hanging about her with muskets out like a deadly ballerina's skirt. You trail in their wake, Grief coiling around you at the ready.

You notice the moving speck... specks before Sayaka does, though probably not before Mami does. Like Mami, though, you don't say anything. Instead, you keep an eye on the oncoming horde, distant, and only really visible as tiny white motes causing the ropes and curtains ahead of you to sway.

To Sayaka's credit, it only takes her a moment longer to notice it, but by this time the Familiars have multiplied into an oncoming blizzard of white, leaping from rope to rope. "Ah! There!" Sayaka gestures with her sword, pointing out the things - and this time she doesn't hesitate.

With a sharp bang, the blade of her sword launches outwards, severing a rope and sending a group of Familiars plunging to the distant floor below. The expended hilt joins it moments later, and Sayaka leaps forward with a yell, both hands on the hilt of her sword.

Her first swing bisects two rabbits, the Familiars exploding into puffs of fur.

The ring of muskets around Mami's waist thunder, spinning like a buzzsaw. Rippling shots slash through the crowd of Familiars, spent rifles dissolving and reforming as they pass the firing arc.

You hold back, and you hold station. It's Sayaka's show, and Mami's. But that doesn't mean you aren't going to be prepared. Blades formed out of midnight dark purple Grief slide through the air, ready to swoop in on moment's notice.

Admittedly, you're not really sure it would be useful, given that, well, Mami's Mami. With her head in the game, she's... Well, Mami is kind of a Big Deal.

Ah well. Better prepared than not.

Sayaka butchers her way through the oncoming flood of rabbits, the trailing banner of light skimming through the air effortlessly. Mami's only a step behind, muskets cracking to clean up the Familiars out of her immediate range-

One darts past the pair, and a Grief blade immediately hammers it into halves. But it's only the first, the little fluffy things spilling past Sayaka and Mami and they're not attacking, they're just in the way and you make the connection in your head-

"They're fleeing," you say, half to yourself, and then you reach out mentally to Mami. "They're running away from something."

"They are," she murmurs back, swinging like a trapeze artist on her ribbons. Musket fire rakes the crowds of Familiars, every shot unerring. You can't help but notice the way her shots flicker past Sayaka, catching Familiars that the azuretop doesn't even seem to notice. "I don't think Sayaka has realised. Be ready?"

"I will," you agree, eyeing Sayaka who's still slashing away at the horde of Familiars with more enthusiasm than finesse. Some things don't change, you suppose.

You extend your awareness, every shard of your Grief a glowing beacon in your mind against the scurrying, cloying mental stench of Grief that is not yours. A bare sliver of attention directs each blade, slicing through the churning froth of Familiars spilling over the tangling cerulean and gold.

Abruptly, bright light glares down upon you.

When the Witch arrives, it rips through the crowding Familiars. A huge, nightmare rendition of a spider, jagged black chitin drawn in sharp, vicious angles. Huge mandibles the size of your you gnash on an eyeless face, and limbs serrated in ways no real spider's legs are carve right into the rabbit-like Familiars.

This time, blood flies.

Mami's already swinging clear, yelling a warning to Sayaka, but Sayaka-

-Sayaka charges with sword raised high.

A limb flicks out and smashes into Sayaka.

She goes tumbling out of the air. Her glowing banner of light vanishes.

"Sayaka!" You fold your wings and you dive, Grief reaching out ahead of you but golden ribbons are already on the way and-

Vibrant blue flares bright. Sayaka's tumble rights itself, and she throws herself back up.

"Wait," Mami's voice murmurs in your mind. And you do.

The Witch rears up, its legs reversing with sickening crunches of breaking chitin. It twists, back rotating into view to display a massive white mask drawn into a perpetual scream. And it lunges, moving faster than anything its size has any right to, silver-tipped legs slicing at Sayaka.

Vibrant blue light leaves afterimages as she soars for the Witch with a wordless cry. Her sword lengthens, doubling- tripling- quadrupling as she swings, howling. Musket fire hammers aside limbs, opening a path for Sayaka to dart in.

She swings with reckless abandon, throwing her entire body into it. Her sword cleaves right through the Witch, sending limbs tumbling to the distant ground.

Not all of them. Just three.

Hooked legs claw at Sayaka, and she can't get away-

You're there to meet it.

Your wings and arms are thrown wide, a wall of Grief slamming into existence in front of you. The Witch bounces off with a horrid crunching noise, hooked limbs hooking onto the ropes as it hauls itself up the curtains. Musket fire rains upon it. Ichor splatters over the shield-

-and Sayaka isn't behind you any more, glowing banner marking her streaking path. She dives at the Witch again, sword swinging overhead.

She smashes the sword right through the mask. Bright steel plunges into bone white chitin, sending cracks spiralling through the mask. She springs away, leaving the sword there.

Another sword flashes into Sayaka's hands, and she sweeps forward in another burst of light.

You dart after her, sharp strokes of your wings lending you speed. Grief rakes the back of the Witch, carving gashes and trenches. You could kill it -Mami could kill it- but this is Sayaka's moment. The Witch shivers, utterly silent but for the shifting of broken chitin as it ascends limb over limb on the ropes.

"No you don't!" Sayaka yells, sword swinging wildly. She hammers off another limb with a stroke.

The Witch teeters-

-and it falls.

It flails wildly, tearing gashes from the curtains as it tumbles.

And it impacts the ground with a massive crack, mask shattered.

Sayaka follows it, cape billowing after her. She hits sword first and drives it home, slamming right to the hilt with a massive crack. Her cloak settles slowly around her.

You can feel the Witch give, something breaking. The Barrier's already starting to dissolve, the too-sharp edges of the curtains starting to waver as you and Mami move to join Sayaka.

[] Write-in

=====​

This Witch I dedicate to @NormalSightMan's nightmare.

 

[Firnagzen]

You swoop down on Sayaka as the Barrier dissolves. Mami lands gracefully beside you a moment later.

The familiar ping of a Grief Seed forming is a welcome sound to your ears - it's something you can give Sayaka, something that's provably hers. The noise startles Sayaka, though, and she flinches, leaping back with her sword at the ready.

She lowers her sword, grinning sheepishly at you and Mami as she notices the Grief Seed. Beneath her feet, the corpse of the Witch fades, dissolving into Grief that swirls into the bottomless whirlpool that is the forming Seed.

That's the second spider Witch you've fought, isn't it? You feel vaguely guilty, memories of elsewhere and elsewhen reminding you of another Witch named Rochelle, a friendly, sapient one. That definitely wasn't Rochelle, though. Rochelle isn't a chitinous black horror.

You shake those thoughts away as the Barrier fades back into the real world. You find yourself standing atop what looks like an office building, surrounded by humming air conditioner compressors.

"Congratulations, Sayaka!" you say, offering her a high five. Sayaka returns the high five, proud grin stretching her face.

"That was a rush!" she declares, beaming.

"You too, Mami," you say, beaming at her, and switch to telepathy to add, "I saw you protecting Sayaka. You're the best."

Faint pink tinges Mami's cheeks. "Ah, well, it was just another hunt," she says, smiling back.

"Anyway, let's get going!" Sayaka says, bouncing happily on her toes. "I wanna go to the hospital and see Kyousuke!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" you ask, taking a few steps over to the Grief Seed and scooping it up.

"Oh, right!" Sayaka says. "How are we going to split this?"

"Well," you say, catching Mami's eye and giving her a quick smile before turning back to Sayaka. "We have plenty, and... hey. This is your first hunt and kill, so!" You present the Seed to her. "Here, Sayaka. You've earned it."

"Ooooh," Sayaka says, holding both hands out with palms cupped together. You drop it into her palms, and she closes her hand tightly over it, eyes all but shining. "My first Grief Seed!"

"Go ahead and use it?" you suggest, simultaneously reaching out to Mami. "We'll need to go over her performance later, but let her have her moment?"

"Mm," Mami agrees, watching at Sayaka touches the Grief Seed to her Soul Gem. "She was far too reckless."

"Whoa," Sayaka says, wide-eyed as she watches the Grief flow away from her Soul Gem, leaving it gleaming clean. "That's really cool."

"What, and my powers aren't?" you ask. A wave of Grief follows a wave of your hand, pulling the Grief out of your own and Mami's Soul Gems. Mami takes a quick look at her Soul Gem and beams at you.

"Yeah they are," Sayaka says. She doesn't even bother looking up, though, in favour of staring at the way the Grief Seed balances on its point. "But this is something I did."

You exchange a look with Mami, who shakes her head and moves over to stand beside you, arms held a little open. You huff in amusement and pull her into a sidelong hug. "I'll have to be gentle when criticising her," Mami muses.

"If anyone can make it work, it's you," you say, giving her an encouraging squeeze. "There's something I want to do first, though, if you don't mind?"

"Of course not," she says.

"Hey, Sayaka," you call, finally getting the bleunette's attention. "Can I ask for a favour from you?"

"Eh? Yeah, of course!" Sayaka says, brightening. "What do you need?"

"Well - OK, so, I've been doing some experiments on Grief Seeds, yeah?" you say. "Among other things, I've been trying to figure out what happens to Grief Seeds when I remove the Grief from them."

You tuck a stray lock of hair behind your hair, thinking. "Well, not exactly true," you correct yourself. "Or rather, I know what happens short term. They pretty much go completely clear and you can keep on cleansing with them, but I dunno what happens long term. Can I test it on your Grief Seed, and then you can keep on using it?"

"Um," she says, thinking for a moment. "Yeah." She nods slowly to herself. Focusing on you, she nods again, this time more decisively. "I'll do it. Though, uh, you're sure it's safe?"

"Mine's been fine so far," you say, patting down your pockets. "Uh, Mami, do you mind?" She frees herself from your side, giving you room to root around the other half of your pockets and produce Hildegarde's Seed. You hold it out to Sayaka. "See?"

"Huh," Sayaka says, holding up her own, balanced on the tip of her finger. Where the Grief Seed she'd just claimed is obsidian black, Hildegarde is glassy clear. Absently, you check on Hildegarde.

Quiet, sleeping still.

Hm.

"Yeah, alright," Sayaka says, offering her Grief Seed. "Go ahead."

You smile at her, tucking away Hildegard and taking hers. "Thanks, Sayaka."

She returns the smile. "So how does it work?"

"Well," you say. "Let me work my magic." You exhale, taking a moment to center yourself - and then you delve into the Grief Seed. Its name reverberates in your mind, the knowledge sinking in.

Decima.

You start hauling the Grief out, ropy streamers filling the air. Sayaka watches in fascination as the Grief condenses into solid particles. You can only imagine what it looks like from her point of view: yourself with bent head over the Grief Seed. Surrounding you would be billowing clouds that shade from complete invisibility into a rippling disc of fractal cloud. Tiny spheres accrete out of the disc, the blobs building in size before drifting off to the side.

It takes you a good ten minutes to finish. A orbiting solar system of Grief spheres swirl around you, bumping gently against each other. You eye the Grief for a moment - combined with all the Grief you already had, you now have a lot of it. You don't exactly have trouble controlling it all, but all told, you've got what amounts to a bus-sized group of eye-rending spheres following you around.

It might be perfectly controllable, but it's also getting somewhat more difficult to move about inconspicuously.

Eh, a problem for later.

You turn back to Sayaka, grinning. "Here you are!" you say, holding the clear Seed out to her. You take the opportunity to shape instruments from Grief, and the moment Sayaka reaches for Seed, you belt out an iconic tune familiar to virtually everyone who grew up in this generation.

Sayaka jumps, before groaning and slapping her hand over her face. "Really, Sabrina?" She swipes the Seed from your hand.

"What, didn't you play Zelda?" you ask, grinning cheekily at her.

"That's not the point!" Sayaka complains.

"Sure it is," you say. "Don't you think so, Mami?"

Mami giggles, patting your elbow. "Which one was your favourite?"

"Ahhh, hard to say." You consider it for a while. Majora's mask is probably something you should never mention around Homura, if nothing else. "Shall we walk and talk, by the way? We're going to the hospital, right?" You glance at Mami for confirmation.

Mami nods, flashing you a quick smile.

"Yeah!" Sayaka says, pumping her gloved fist. "Let's go!" She bounces off the edge of the roof, utterly fearless, though she doesn't land quite... smoothly. When the three of you leave the alley, you leave behind more broken concrete.

At least it's not your fault, any more, and this time, Sayaka remembers to detransform before bouncing out onto the street. You follow more sedately, Mami at your side. You nudge her gently, tilting your head at Sayaka.

Mami catches your meaning and straightens, taking a few steps forward to catch up with Sayaka. You flank Sayaka on the other side.

"Sayaka," Mami says. "We'll discuss your performance in the fight on the way to the hospital, if that's alright with you?"

"Huh?" Sayaka says, cocking her head. "Oh, right. Gotcha."

"First of all," Mami responds, her tone light, but firm. "Well done on your first Witch fight, Sayaka! I've known girls who didn't conduct themselves as well."

"Thanks!" Sayaka beams.

"That said," Mami continues. "You were far too reckless, Sayaka."

"I..." Sayaka's face falls a little. "Go on?"

Mami shakes her head. "What do you think you did wrong?"

The three of you are silent for a while as Sayaka walks on, clearly reviewing the fight in her head. "I... rushed in?"

"Do you remember when I told you that you should copy my powers?" Mami asks gently.

Sayaka's expression twitches, chagrin washing across her face. "Ah," she says. "I... got too caught up in my powers and forgot to do that?"

"You did," Mami agrees. There's no accusation in her voice, just simple statement of fact, and the warm smile on her face takes any sting out of it. "You rushed in too much, Sayaka."

"Can you think of other ways in which you were too impulsive?" you supply, earning a smile from Mami.

"Uhh," Sayaka says. "With the Witch? Maybe?" It's pretty clear she's guessing, from the confusion in her eyes. A bit of tunnel vision.

"That's one," Mami agrees. "You didn't check whether the Witch could attack you before attacking."

"But it... didn't..." Sayaka says, trailing off in realisation. Her shoulders slump. "Oh."

Mami taps Sayaka on the forehead with one finger. "Sayaka, you did amazingly today," she says firmly. "You handled yourself very well for a new magical girl, and you shouldn't be down on yourself. We're not telling you why you're bad. We're teaching you how to improve. Right, Sabrina?"

"Yup," you agree. "It's just something to learn. Overall... Your only real sin was that you were too eager, and you focused too much on a small area. Like with the Familiars, you were only able to attack the ones directly in front of you, but others were still getting away, and could attack you from other sides."

"The same was true with the way you faced the Witch," Mami adds. "You weren't afraid, and that was good. But you didn't check whether its limbs were free to attack you."

Sayaka nods slowly. "So I should have... baited it?"

Mami nods. "That's one tactic," she acknowledges. "Or for example, if you'd copied my power, you could have tied the Witch up."

"Ah," Sayaka says. "I see..."

The rest of your walk to the hospital is similarly filled with discussions of strategy and tactics against Witches, Mami recounting and explaining possible ways to fight them.

You listen, absorbing it with a careful ear and contributing where you can. You find yourself thinking about Homura along the way - she's presumably messing around with the the meteorological agency's computer right about now. You rather hope it's going well.

Homura... Homura deserves to have good things happen to her. She needs hugs and everything. She came from a Catholic school. She's said as much, elsewhere and elsewhen, and here in Japan, that's as good as a euphemism for being from an orphanage.

Not all orphanages in Japan are Catholic run, but many are.

You sigh to yourself, earning you a concerned look from Mami. You shake your head, smiling at her. You're fine.

You also have a question for Sayaka. "Hey, Sayaka?" you inject into a lull in the conversation. "Are you inviting Kwijibo for the picnic tomorrow?"

Sayaka blinks at you, jolted from whatever train of thought she had. "... Kwijibo?"

You blink right back at her. "... uh. Slip of the tongue?" you supply weakly. "I mean Kyousuke?"

"... er," Sayaka says. Her train of thought seems to have not only stalled, but also derailed rather spectacularly.

Mami starts giggling, falling a step back to cross behind Sayaka and grab your arm in a hug.

"... um. I guess?" Sayaka says. "How do you even get 'Kwijibo' from 'Kyousuke'?"

Mami giggles harder as the three of you step into the lift up to Kwijibo- uh, Kyousuke's room. Outside, out of sight, you guide your Grief to a hiding place on a hospital roof. At this point, you're all but certain it's noticeable. An entire planetary system's worth of objects made of Grief -including the Kuiper, Trojan, and Oort cloud bodies- is not exactly inconspicuous.

Ah, well. Kyuubey's problem.

Sayaka rockets out of the elevator door the moment it opens. Not literally, but she does make a beeline for Kwijibo's room. You and Mami follow more sedately, hearing voices echo from the room.

You find Sayaka dragging a chair over to Kwijibo's bed, the other one already occupied by Hitomi. Madoka's sitting by the wall, a happy smile on her face, and to your surprise, Homura's there too. Violet eyes meet yours for a moment, and she nods slightly.

[] Write-in

=====​

Yes, the winning vote literally said Kwijibo. The next vote will take you past the hospital vote to dinner, most likely, so vote accordingly!

 

[Firnagzen]

You give Homura a quick smile. "Evening!" you call, raising your hand in a cheerful wave. "How's everyone?"

"Hello, Mami, Sabrina," Hitomi says, giving you a polite smile. Kyousuke essays a little wave with his good hand, looking faintly surprised at the influx of girls into his hospital room. Well. He'll live; it's not like it's the first time this has happened to him.

"Hi!" Madoka says, a bright, hopeful smile shining on her face. "Did... did things go well?"

"They went great!" Sayaka says, flexing one arm. "The Witch was no match for I, Dame Miki and her trusty companions!"

"Dame Miki?" Madoka asks.

"A female knight," Kwijibo says, smiling a little. "Right?"

"That's right!" Sayaka says, giving him a bright smile. She props her chin on her hands, eagerly watching Kwijibo. "How did you know?"

The grey haired boy shrugs. "I don't have much to do apart from reading," he says. "Though thanks to you... all of you... that's changed."

"What are the doctors saying?" Hitomi asks, leaning forward a little.

You shuffle along the side of the room, Mami following you. There's an amused look in her eye as she watches the byplay. She sinks into a chair, looking up at you and patting the chair beside her in clear invitation. You take a seat - it's the last seat in the room, anyway, leaving you between Homura and Mami.

"It's a miracle," Kwijibo says simply. The smile lights up his entire face, eyes distant.

"That's wonderful, Kyousuke!" Sayaka enthuses. Hitomi smiles, leaning back.

"Yeah," Kyousuke says. "It is."

You can't help but roll your eyes a little, relaxing on the chair. You let your head thump against the wall behind you. "Hey, Homura?" you ask, tilting your gaze a little to your left. "Do you need a cleanse?"

She nods, Soul Gem appearing on her palm with a shimmer of violet light. You take note of the churning Grief bubbling just beneath the surface. A twitch of your will rips free a river of Grief, mottled patterns twisting through the air. It gets a sharp look from Sayaka, who relaxes when she sees it's you.

Mami just smiles, leaning her head against your shoulder.

Homura nods. "Thank you."

"No problem," you say. "Everything went well?"

She nods again.

Excellent. You'd guessed as much from her tiny confirming nod earlier, but it's good to be sure. Your course is locked for Walpurgisnacht, then. The people living here will be safe, evacuated to shelters ahead of time. Hopefully, Madoka will go with them, safely out of the way for the big battle.

You snort softly. And maybe Kyuubey will decide it means peace and goodwill to all meguca and start giving away Grief Seeds.

"... so then I cut its legs off!" Sayaka's saying, gesticulating wildly with both hands as you shake yourself from your reverie and tune back into the conversation.

"Oh my," Hitomi says, covering her mouth with her hand. "Weren't you afraid, Sayaka?"

"Hah, no!" Sayaka declares proudly, raising her chin. "It's my duty now!"

"No, I mean I thought you were afraid of spiders," Hitomi says, a teasing smile on her face. "You were complaining about a spider in the shower this morning!"

"Eeeeeeeeh," Sayaka says, scrunching up her face. "That's behind me now! Anyway, Kyousuke, we're having a picnic tomorrow, do you think they will let you out for that?" She glances obliquely at you for confirmation, and you nod in agreement.

"Huh?" Kyousuke asks, blinking at Sayaka. "Oh, um... "Where is it? And when? Um, I can ask..."

"You could bring your violin!" Hitomi proposes.

Kwijibo sits straight up, grey eyes all but lighting up. "That's a great idea," he agrees. "I'll see what the doctors say."

"Hey, speaking of the picnic and bad segues," you pipe up. "Sorry, don't mean to interrupt, but while I remember to ask - Sayaka, what's your schedule look like tomorrow? Other than the picnic?"

"Hmm..." Sayaka says. "I've got homework to do, but not much? Why?"

"Oh, well, I was wondering if you wanted to do more training in the morning?" You turn to Mami. "We'll have time to prepare for the picnic after lunch, right?"

Mami brightens. "That sounds great!" she says. "We'll have plenty of time, yes. Um... We're going shopping today, right?"

"Yeah, I thought so. Maybe before we have dinner?" you suggest.

"We should have plenty of time!" Mami says.

"Yeah," Sayaka agrees. "I can make tomorrow morning!"

"Don't forget your homework, Sayaka," Hitomi says.

"Ah... We could do it together at my place tonight?" Madoka offers. "Homura, Hitomi, you could come too!"

Before Homura can respond, you take the opportunity to jab her in the ribs with your elbow. It doesn't go unnoticed, either, Hitomi catching your gaze. You shrug, smirking.

"I'll go," Homura acquiesces, giving you a Look you can see in the corner of your eye. You transfer your smirk to her.

"That's all settled then," you say, blithely satisfied. You turn back to Mami. "By the way, Mami, I'll want to try a few things about my own powers tomorrow, if that's OK? And... I'd like you to be my spotter, if you want to?"

"Of course, Sabrina," she says, giving you a warm smile. "Anything. Though..."

"Mmm?" you ask, tilting your head.

"No... just that we need to leave a bit early to go shopping," she says. "It's almost five."

You glance at the clock. "Ah, so it is. Bah, where's the time gone?"

"Basking in my awesomeness?" Sayaka asks, grinning at you.

"You can go bask someone else in your awesomeness," you shoot back, lurching to your feet. You smile at everyone. "I guess Mami and I shall make an early move, then. Shall we?" You offer her your hand.

She accepts it, letting you pull her to feet. "Excuse us, everyone," she says, picking up her school bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Oh, before you go," Hitomi says. "We never did settle it - the picnic is tomorrow evening, correct? Four-thirty, Gokai Park?"

"It is," you agree, glancing at Kwijibo. "There you go."

Violin-boy nods sharply. "I'll ask. Hopefully they'll let me out..."

"Then... see you tomorrow," Hitomi says, nodding at you. You exchange farewells with everyone else and head out. You'd meant to try and hug Madoka and or Hitomi, to fulfill your hug quota, but... eh, you'd have had to go out of the way.

Mami touches your arm, peeking up at you. You laugh and offer her your arm, which she promptly hugs.

"So where should we go, anyway?" you ask.

"Mmm?" Mami asks, humming.

"Oh, I was just wondering if we needed to get anything special?" you say.

"Hmm..." Mami says, releasing your arm to rummage in her bag. "I made a shopping list. We should be able to get everything at the supermarket!"

"Works for me," you say. "To the supermarket, then! The one near our place? Shall we take a bus?"

Mami nods. "Yes, and yes," she says, flashing you a smile as you turn towards the hospital's bus stop.

You don't have to wait too long for the bus, spending the ride with Mami dozing happily against your shoulder. There's no surprise visit from a certain silver haired seer this time, not that you were really expecting one. She had damned well better be resting at home. You get off a stop earlier, walking to the supermarket to shop for all the things you'll need.

"... Sabrina, is that niboshi? And a... laser pointer?" Mami asks, looking at you from the vegetables she's examining.

"Yep," you confirm, showing her the little package of Japanese sardines and the toy. "We still have gas cartridges for that portable stove at home, right?"

Mami nods. "Do you have something in mind?"

"Yup," you say, grinning. "But not for the picnic. Maybe Sunday?"

"Alright," Mami responds, smiling back. "Help me find a fresh carton of eggs?"

"Sure," you say, and meander off to do just that.

The rest of your shopping trip passes without incident, and you head home with both hands full of grocery bags. You're glad for your magical girl strength - you probably wouldn't be able to carry half this much without it.

"Oh, I hope this picnic will go well," Mami frets, a worried frown creasing her brow.

"I'm sure it will, Mami," you reassure her. "Hmm... We'll be baking a cake for tomorrow, yes? What else shall we make? I'm kind of thinking I want to make a curry."

"Curry?" Mami asks, turning the corner. "That's an unusual choice. Um... I was thinking some gyoza, onigiri, some mochi... Bamboo shoots, maybe? Some steamed tofu might be nice."

"Egg rolls, dango?" you suggest. "And yeah, I was thinking of trying out an Indian curry, just for comparison. We have the spices for it. Cross the street?"

"Ah!" Mami says, nodding and stopping at the traffic light. "I was wondering what you wanted the turmeric for. And yes, those sound like great ideas."

"Yup," you agree. "Japanese curry is great, but variety is the spice of life and all that, right?" The light turns green, so you pace across the road. Interestingly enough, you can't help but notice that you're not getting as many stares. Or rather, people notice the shopping bags and seem to shrug it off.

Of course, it's early, and the crowds aren't terribly thick yet. You head home, making your way up the lift and kicking your shoes off. Padding inside, you drop the bags on the kitchen counter and start tidying up the groceries, Mami joining you.

"Hm..." you say, unearthing a package of nice, fatty pork belly. "If we start marinating this tonight, we can prepare chashu tomorrow, bring some for the picnic, and keep enough for the rest of the week?"

"Good idea," Mami agrees, shuttling to the fridge with an armful of food to put away. "What shall we have for dinner... Does udon sound good to you?"

"Yeah," you agreed, hunting for the udon you'd bought. "Mirin, mirin, where's the mirin..."

"Here," Mami says, producing the bottle of Japanese cooking wine. She smiles warmly at you, and you can't help but smile back, savouring the tranquil domesticity while it lasts.

[] Write-in

=====​

Well, you know what's coming next. Vote accordingly~

 

[Firnagzen]

You hum, stomach twisting a little. You're doing it. You're going to do it. You're going to come clean to Mami.

And you're going to pray that she doesn't push you away.

She... she's become important to you.

And you're not sure she would survive if she did.

Not for a magical girl, when your very life is tied to your emotions.

"Sabrina?" Mami prompts, nudging your side. "Are you alright?"

You exhale. "Yeah," you say, voice steady. You smile at her. "Yeah, just lost in thought."

It's true enough.

And you can finish dinner without the pall of this hanging over your head.

You can manage a perfect dinner.

"Alright," Mami says, smiling back at you. "Shall we finish packing up, and then have dinner?"

"Yeah," you agree, squaring your shoulders. "Here!" You fish a mixing bowl from the cupboard, passing it to Mami with a warm smile. Turning back to the table, you start sorting out the groceries based on where they'll go. You take a few minutes to pack it all away neatly.

Mami beams at you as you start off with the last load, this time of flour and other dried items bound for the cupboard.

You can't help but beam right back, doing a little twirl past her.

Mami giggles, dipping into a bow to you before she places the pot on the stove.

It's not really an act. You're... tamping down on your unease, but it's comforting to just slip into your routine. Gentle teasing, and light humour.

It's comfortable, and it's comforting.

Mami almost dances past you, light on her feet as she opens up the packets of udon. And you smile, sliding past her in perfect synchronisation to start chopping up some chicken.

You can almost quell the squirming in your stomach, the tinge of fear that you might lose it all.

You finish chopping the chicken just in time to slip it into the pot of broth right after a dash of seasoning added by Mami. She gives you a smile, sliding aside just enough to give you a bit of space to stir, her arm brushing lightly against yours.

"Kombu stock?" you ask, peering at the colour of the broth. A nice, light kelp stock would make perfect sense, and it certainly smells like it.

"Mmmhm!" Mami agrees, taking over the stirring again. "Would you check the noodles? I think this can simmer for a few minutes and we'll be ready to eat."

"Of course," you agree. Having set that out, you check the noodles, boiling merrily away in the pot. Finding them to your satisfaction, you drain the water into the sink and portion it out. Mami adds the broth, and you rummage for some dried seaweed for garnish.

"And there we are!" you say, beaming at Mami as you snatch the bowls away from her to bring to the table.

Mami giggles, perfectly accustomed to the little game. She collects utensils for the meal and while you slice up some watermelon for dessert, setting it aside for now and sitting across the table from her. She gives you a warm, pleased smile.

You return the smile, joining in the traditional 'itadakimasu', and dig in. You don't talk much over dinner, but it's comfortable, loud slurps of noodle filling the kitchen. You finish the dinner with the watermelon, forks clinking together as the two of you jostle to let the other person have more.

Finally, you lean back in your chair, Mami mirroring you with a soft smile. "That was good," she says.

"Yeah," you agree, swallowing a little. "It was."

Mami notices, of course. A worried look flashes across her face. "Sabrina? Is something wrong?"

"I..." you start, meeting her eyes. "Mami, do you remember when I said there were things I wanted to... think through? Before telling you?"

Mami nods slowly. "I- you don't have to tell me, Sabrina, if you don't want to," she says, shrinking a little. "I- you don't have to."

There's still time to go back. Just clam up. Mami gave you an out.

Your hopes on the line.

She deserves to know.

And you don't want it hanging between you.

Slowly, ever so slowly, you shake your head. You feel like you're ringing a death knell. "No," you murmur. "You deserve to know, Mami."

Her shoulders slump. "Do... do you want to move to the sofa? It- it'd be more comfortable."

"That's fine," you agree. "I'm fine with that. I, I- can I make some privacy constructs? It- it's private and I'd rather... nobody listen in."

Mami nods jerkily, pushing the chair back. She reaches for her bowl, and you jump to your feet to help her, shuffling over to the sink. You wash the dishes with Mami, drying them and putting them in the cupboard without exchanging another word. Perhaps you take a little longer than you normally would.

Finally, you migrate over to the sofa. Mami curls into your side, anxious and fretful. You summon a blob of Grief through the window and bow your head over it, infusing your will upon the material. Interdiction. Make private my conversation with Mami, that none, not even the Incubators, may know of it.

When your vision clears, you're holding a shimmering, white band, set with a single golden jewel in the center. It's mounted on a small stand, and since that seems to be what it's for, you place it on the table, knowing that your conversation will be safe from prying ears and eyes and any other eavesdropping alike.

Mami watches, silent and curled up on your shoulder as the silence stretches out.

When you can't take it any more, you begin. "I... I'm sure you've noticed already, Mami, but... the things I know aren't normal. I know about magical girls in general, and the system, and all the languages I can speak. Amnesia doesn't work like that."

"M-maybe it's just magic or something, maybe you- I- a magical girl attacked you?" Mami says, shaking her head. "I- I don't care a-about that, Sabrina."

You exhale. "I know," you murmur. "I don't know, either. I can't tell you how I know, because I don't know." And it's true. You... don't know. "But it's more than that. I know more than that."

Mami's grip tightens on your arm. She doesn't say anything.

Neither do you look at her. Instead, you forge on. "When I woke up in that alley, I knew things." You lick your lips. "About a small number of people. Homura, Madoka, Sayaka. And other things. Other people." Mami's fingers tighten, digging into your arm. "All of whom, all of which matter and are. Worth talking about."

Why is it so hard to spit it out?

You steel yourself. "I knew about you," you whisper.

Mami makes a tiny, choked noise. Her white-knuckled grip on your arm doesn't slacken.

"I, I-" you stutter. "I knew about you, I- I didn't know you. And not everything, I, I-"

"Y-you-" Mami shakes her head, tears squeezing from the corner of her eyes. "N-no, no, n-not you too-"

"No," you whisper. "No, I-" You reach up, closing your hand around hers.

She's shivering. Her hand is icy cold, fingers biting into your forearm.

"I'm not," you whisper. "I'm not. I- I didn't know you. I didn't- I'm not like it. I had no idea about you, I had no idea you could cook everything under the sun I didn't know you were in the archery club I didn't know you liked to play video games." You're babbling at this point. You force yourself to take a shaky breath. "I didn't know we'd get along so well. I- I didn't know we could be friends."

"F-friends," Mami whispers. Tears streak down her face, her breath stuttering gasps in her throat. "I-I- S-sabrina- you- K-kyub- I-"

Her Soul Gem. You can feel it, throbbing as it fills. Grief surges, closing on the halfway mark.

Way too close for comfort.

You raise your hand, cupping it gently over Mami's. She flinches, hand shaking.

You pull your hand free, dragging a river of Grief free.

Mami makes another choked, terrified noise.

Golden light blossoms. You flinch, and something slams into your side and then you're falling-

By the time you hit the floor, you're bound securely in a cocoon of golden ribbons. Your arms are clamped to your side, and Mami-

Mami stumbles to her feet. She's transformed and swaying, eyes wide enough to show the whites all around. Manic and staring and terrified.

Her hands are empty.

She manages a step away. Toward the window. Her eyes don't leave yours.

And she stops, rocking in place. She falls.

A wailing sob. On her hands and knees, she scrabbles back to you, grabbing you roughly with shivering hands. She pulls you close, hugging you like a giant bolster.

"W-why," she whispers, shaking you roughly. "Why? W-why- y-you- why?"

[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

---[x] And, well, some of what we knew about her was private. We knew the circumstances of her wish, though not the exact wording. We knew that she needed a friend... Which was why when she offered to let us live with her, we accepted.
[x] Let her react to that.
[x] If she's willing to let you keep speaking, explain why you didn't tell her earlier. At first, it was because you were still getting a grip on the situation after you woke up in an alley, and that... well, it's just so fantastical. Then there were days when there was just no time, and she was so hurt after she found out Kyubey had been lying to her that we couldn't stomach the idea of potentially making things worse. And it was easy to let it just stay untold, because in the end, when QB was out of the way and we could have made time to tell her, the real reason why you allowed hourself to put it off was because you were afraid that if you told her, she wouldn't want you to stay. And... you didn't want to leave. You wanted to stay. You want to stay.
[x] Head low, self recriminatory. You still should have told her earlier.
-[x] If it feels appropriate, inform her that we haven't stayed with her because she needs a friend, we've stayed with her because in the course of getting to really know her, we've found that she is everything we could ever want in a friend and more. And because she needs a friend, of course, that too.

=====​

Here ends Book 2, Chapter 7: Anomalous Materials. The next chapter, On a Rail, begins with the next update. Could have been worse; coulda been Resonance Cascade.

 

[Firnagzen]

"I-" you lock up for a moment, indecisive and terrified. You don't know what to say. You don't know what to do.

You just-

Mami wails, burying her face in your chest, shaking as she clings tightly to you. "S-sabrina- p-please-"

You just want everyone to be happy. You want Mami to be happy.

A thousand different responses go out the window. You vacillate on your responses, running them through your mind one after another. You come up with a hundred clever answers.

"S-sabrina-" Mami chokes out, giving you a little shake.

Nothing glib to fix this.

You swallow hard.

"I was scared," you whisper, so softly you have no idea if Mami can hear you. Louder, then. "I just- I was scared."

Mami stills, completely and utterly. Her ragged breathing drops to a slow roll.

"I wanted to help," you repeat, squeezing your eyes shut. "I didn't... I didn't know what to do, at first. But I- you needed a friend. I wanted to be that friend. I- I didn't have anything more than that in my mind at the time, just-"

You're crying, too.

You can feel the tears, slow and hot as they course down your cheeks to meet the rising pain clawing from your stomach.

You never wanted to hurt Mami. You knew this would. But it's something you had to do. She had to know. It wasn't right and you want to apologise for hurting her but you had to but it's not about you.

You choke off that train of thought, feeling Mami curl up, practically on your chest. Silent, helpless sobs shake her body.

"I was scared," you whisper. "I wasn't sure what to do and I- I just couldn't find a way to spit it out." You slump, letting your head thump back against the carpet because really, what changed?

You feel Mami's head move, a slow shake.

About right. She might not be answering you, but she might as well be. Nothing at all. Nothing changed. You didn't know how best to say it when you started this and you still don't know how to say it. You just had to do it.

"A-at first I was just trying to keep this away from Kyuubey," you say. The way Mami's arms tighten around you and her fingers dig into your back through the ribbons are enough to know she's listening, at least. "It- after it was gone, I, I- y-you were so hurt t-that I couldn't bear to put you through that again."

Mami makes a tiny, whimpering noise, shivering and curled up, making herself as small as she can.

The best you can do is to lean forward a little and try to brush your face against the top of her head. It's the closest you can get to hugging her without breaking the ribbons. Even that little gesture draws a shuddering sob from Mami.

You swallow, throat thick. Good intentions that pave the way to hell and all. "I-" You shudder. You can feel the Grief bubbling up in your Soul Gem, a rising mire to match the churning confusion in your gut.

But the floodgates are open now, metaphorically and perhaps just slightly less than literally with the tears you can feel squeezing between your eyelids. You clear your nose with a rough snort and you forge onwards.

"E-even then. Even then you meant s-so much to me," you whisper, almost choking on the words. Fresh tears well up, burning in your eyes. "I c-couldn't- bear to hurt you. I j-just-"

You shake your head. You... You need to clean your Soul Gem. It's not exactly dangerous yet, but still. You're going around in circles. A twist of your will pulls free Grief, sharp and acidic to your mind's eye as it infiltrates between the golden ribbons tying up your hand.

Golden eyes, reddened and puffy from the tears still streaking down her face, twitch open, sightless tracking the cloud drifting out the window. She makes a tiny, worried little whine, arms tightening yet more around you.

"I c-couldn't not tell you." Your voice cracks. "It- it's so much worse not telling you. I-I- can't keep something t-this important from you any longer. I care about you, I care about you so much and I want to stay at your side a-and just-"

You force yourself to look Mami in the eyes. Bound up as you are, Mami lying on your chest as she is, you have to tilt your head up in a rather uncomfortable position. But you do it. You meet her eyes squarely. "I'm sorry, Mami," you whisper. "I'm sorry. I-I had to be h-honest with you and I n-never wanted to hurt you. I'm so, so sorry, Mami."

"S-sabrina," Mami whispers, curling her arms yet tighter around you, enough that you actually feel the strain. Tears soak through the ribbons, through your blouse. "I-I- please- promise me- p-promise me- you mean it. I-I- please- I have n-nothing l-left, I- p-promise me."

"I mean it, Mami," you whisper past the lump in your throat. "I promise. I, I'm so sorry for all the p-pain. I mean it, I-"

The ribbons fall away, and Mami throws her arms around you with a sharp wail. Your arms come up instinctively, wrapping behind her back and pulling her close to you. One hand goes behind her head, cradling her gently as she sobs into your shoulder. Tears and mucus soak your shirt and skin.

Your own tears join hers.

"I'm s-sorry," you whisper brokenly. "I'm so, so s-sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I'm sorry."

[] Write-in

=====​

Here we go.

 

[Firnagzen]

Mami...

Mami bawls. Broken, heaving sobs shake her, the emotions too much, too conflicted to contain.

You hold her close. Where her shivering ends and your trembling begins you can't tell, but somehow- somehow, you knew how close you came to losing her. It's not the end of this talk, not by a long shot. But you'd passed a dark, dark place.

With Mami curled up against you, you cry ugly, inelegant tears that streak down your face to mix in your hair. Relief, despair, hope and fear. It's going to be OK, despite your mistakes. It's going to work out. You'll make it so. You have to. And you're not done.

You stroke her back in slow, rhythmic circles, one hand nestling on the nape of her neck, fingers brushing against her hair. The least you can do is offer her comfort, to remind her that you're here. You remain here.

It takes a while for Mami's sobs to die down to slow, ragged breathing. You're still lying flat on your back, with Mami flopped bonelessly on your chest. Your shoulder and shirt are soaked with tears and snot, both Mami's and your own.

"Mami," you murmur.

She stirs a little, clutching at you.

"I'm going to cleanse our Soul Gems, alright?" you ask.

She nods weakly.

"Alright," you say. You don't move your hands - you don't need to, really. It just helps, a kind of mnemonic to cue your powers. But here and now, you'd rather continue to hug Mami. And so you flex your will, pulling free the Grief in both her Soul Gem and yours.

Wispy Grief swells and billows, twisting eddies of shifting despair given form. You crush it into marbles instantly, rather than move it out of the room and then compact it as you'd normally do. It's a tradeoff between visibility and, ah, detectability.

But for now, you'd rather just get it out of the way in both senses of the word, for Mami's sake. Probably something she appreciates, from the way she sighs and relaxes against you as the Grief fades from her senses and you banish the marbles out the window.

"I just wanted you to be happy. It's..." You sigh. "I still do. That... that was true from the very beginning, and... I just want you to be happy."

"I-I-" Mami shakes her head, and presses herself against you.

"Mami?" you prompt.

"I-" she shakes her head again. "Sorry."

"No," you say gently. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Mami."

She sniffles. "A-alright. S-sor-" She stops, and swallows convulsively.

You sigh. "I... I should finish telling you everything. If that's OK?"

Mami hesitates, before nodding slowly.

"OK," you say, letting out a breath. "I... when I woke up in that alleyway, I... knew things about you and the others." You can feel the way Mami tenses up in your arms and you hate it but you need to see this through or everything will have been for naught. "It was like I'd read a story about everyone, or watched an anime, or something. Bits and pieces, at a remove."

"I didn't know anything about myself, but I knew enough about all of you that I wanted to help you." Mami makes a tiny, whimpering noise, and nestles closer to you, head tucked under your chin. You tighten your hug around her. I'm here. "I... I knew you were lonely, and I wanted to make it so you weren't lonely any more. I wanted to make you happy, but..."

You take another deep, shuddering breath. "I didn't expect you to make me so happy." A faint noise indicates that Mami's listening, at least. "And you do. I enjoy doing things with you, talking with you... you make every day brighter." Just the simple joy of getting to hug her is something you look forward to, all the time. "I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose you."

You raise your head to look her in the eye, finding golden eyes reddened with tears - but wide and startled as she looks back at you. "I-if you're not asking me to leave, Mami, I can promise, I can swear, that I won't leave you. I- my life would be so very much darker without your presence in it."

"I-I-" Mami shakes her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "S-sabrina, I- I c-could never ask you to l-leave, I-" Fresh tears leak from the corners of her eyes. "I- y-you're right, I, I- I'm so lonely, I-"

You give her a reassuring squeeze. "Then I'm not going anywhere, Mami," you say, trying to keep your voice firm. As much as you can when your own voice isn't in the best shape. "I-" Your voice cracks. "I promise."

Mami nods weakly. You can feel fresh tears staining your shirt, though.

"A-and." You swallow, choking back fresh tears of your own. "I- I won't keep things from you any longer. I, that's why I decided to share everything with you the moment I realised how much you meant to me, it's just... just that some things hurt."

"I, I-" Mami stutters.

You swallow, stroking the back of her head slowly. "I'm here, Mami. I- I'm still here."

"I-" Mami shivers. "I k-know."

You let her have a moment to cool down. For yourself to cool down, for the tears and the coiling pit of pain in your chest to settle.

"I..." You start again, licking dry, cracked lips. "I, it. N-now that I've gotten the, the courage to tell you this... the rest of it. Not all of it is good, not all of it is happy and some of it is... personal."

You fumble for the words. "N-not mine to share, I, I'd want to ask other people to share. But. That was my secret, I, it's the one about me. I don't- the rest of it isn't about me. Isn't about you. None of it changes how I feel about you."

"Y-you don't have to," Mami whispers, shaking her head. "S-sabrina, I, I- a-as l-long as you're h-here, I, I don't care."

"I want to," you respond, quiet and firm. "I, I want to be honest and open with you, Mami. You mean too much to me for me not to."

Mami shakes her head in mute disagreement.

You hug her.

Interminable minutes pass.

You could look at the clock, but you don't want to. You don't want to take your attention off Mami right now.

You just keep holding her, stroking her back in the same slow, steady rhythm.

"Mami?" You break the silence eventually. You're... not really sure how long it's been. Half an hour? An hour?

She stirs a little.

"Do you want to clean up a bit?" you ask. "Maybe make some tea?"

She shakes her head. "N-no," she whispers. "Stay."

[] Write-in

=====​

Oh.

 

[Firnagzen]

You exhale.

It's all she wants. Something so heartbreakingly simple... Well. It is simple.

You stay.

It's nice to have a simple decision every now and then, you suppose.

Some of the tension bleeds out of Mami's shoulders when you make no move to get up. With a quiet sigh, she nestles against you, eyes drifting shut. She doesn't even seem to mind the way your hair and shirt are both crusty messes. Hers too, since she's lying on top of you, but mostly you.

Ah, well.

You wrap your arm around her a little tighter, continuing to stroke her back slowly with your other hand. Slow, rhythmic, as much to comfort her as to give yourself something to focus on.

"Mami?" you whisper. Soft and gentle. "Do you want me to get rid of the privacy construct? I... I guess we're done talking about all this stuff tonight."

"Y-yes," she murmurs, shifting a little. Her hair tickles the bottom of your chin.

"OK," you agree, and dismiss the construct. Once again, you crush the Grief into tiny marbles as fast as you can, the sensation blipping in and out of existence almost faster than is noticeable.

"Mmm." Mami sighs, and relaxes.

It's nice, you guess. You wish circumstances weren't so... dire, but you can't deny that you truly do enjoy having Mami here with you.

Are you manipulative?

You think a lot. You analyse and you plot before you act. When you act with foreknowledge... Is that being manipulative? From a lot of points of view, it is. But then, from another point of view... cajoling someone to do something based on what you know of them is pretty much everything that social interaction is.

Ah, well. Stupid question, you suppose. Next question...

Are the two of you in a relationship?

That's a stupid question, too. Of course you are.

Not necessarily in the hands-clasped-over cheeks sense. You don't know about that. But you care about Mami. She's nearly always at the forefront of your mind. How often do you choose to do something, or not do something specifically for her sake?

Which, you suppose, answers your earlier question. As you said. You want to be there for her. You like giving her hugs, you like spending time with her. You want her to make her happy, and she makes you happy. Not much of an epiphany, really, but putting it in words is nice. You care about her.

It is that simple. Not easy, but simple.

Mami stirs a little. "Sabrina?"

"Yes, Mami?" you give her a soft, warm smile.

"I-" she tries to smile back, but the expression falters. "I'd l-like t-to clean up. S-shower. But I d-don't w-want to- S-sabrina, you'll stay?"

"I'll stay," you say, smiling firmly, even though you quail a little inside. You're not sure you're entirely willing to be literally in the shower with Mami. Especially not with Mami in the state she is. "I promised."

Mami bites her lip. "S-sorry. I, I could-" She looks away. "Sorry."

"No," you say, smiling at her and tightening your arms. "You have nothing to apologise for. Is there something on your mind?"

"I..." Mami raises her hand, a twist of yellow extending between her fingers. She swallows, tremulously meeting your eyes. "I-if- t-that's alright?"

You smile, and wordlessly offer your wrist. It might be a bit of an imposition, but, well... she can impose on you. It's nothing less than she deserves.

Mami ties the ribbon around your wrist manually, looping it once, then twice, and pulling it into a simple bow. "I-is this alright?" she asks, voice tiny.

"It is, Mami," you say, as soft and gentle as you can, before you pull her into another hug. She's shaking. "Mami, I'm not going anywhere."

"A-alright," she whispers, ducking her head. "Sorry."

"You wanted to wash up, right?" you ask, giving her an encouraging smile. "I'll wait outside the bathroom, and I'll have the ribbon on."

"A-alright," she repeats, tears starting to gather at the corners of her eyes again.

Madokami on high, but it hurts to see her like this.

You hug her close for a few minutes, until the shaking subsides.

"S-sorry," she mutters, wiping at her eyes.

"None," you repeat.

She nods jerkily, slowly levering herself upright, straddling you. "I-"

You sit up, pulling her onto your lap, and then gently guide her to stand with you. "OK?"

Mami nods again, wobbling a little.

Taking that as a small sign of progress, you guide her gently to the bathroom. You don't leave her for a bit, helping her to wash her face. Just a soft cloth and careful wiping. She then insists on helping you to clean up, to which you acquiesce.

Well, maybe insist is too strong a word, but in her state of mind, anything she wants at all...

"OK," you say, giving Mami another smile. "Change of clothes?"

She nods, glancing at the folded pajamas in her hands.

"Good," you say, holding up the wrist with the ribbon tied around it, leading to Mami's wrist. It's a little cumbersome, really. "I'll be outside, OK?"

"A-alright," Mami says.

You give her one last smile, and retreat to lean against the closed door. You'll shower next, and then... probably go to sleep.

And so you do. Mami latches onto you the moment she emerges from the bathroom, having barely bothered to dry herself off. After calming her down again, you shower, and then you help Mami with her hair. And finally, you head to the bed.

"S-sorry," Mami whispers, curled up on her side. "F-for being all... this."

You hug her firmly from behind. "Mami, no," you whisper. "I understand. I really do. And I don't blame you."

She shakes her head, but doesn't say anything. Her breathing evens out eventually.

Asleep, then.

"T-thank you, Sabrina," she whispers, so quietly you almost miss it.

... or not.

"Thank you, Mami," you murmur back. "Thank you for accepting me. Goodnight."

It takes a while, but you finally drift off with arms wrapped around Mami, and her hair tickling your nose.

[] Write-in

=====​

Next morning...

 

[Firnagzen]

You wake.

It's still dark. Silvery light from a waxing moon dapples the room.

Mami's shaking in your arms. She'd turned over at some point during the night without leaving the protective circle of your embrace. An unhappy frown mars her face, faint moonlight highlighting tears squeezing through closed eyes.

"Oh, Mami," you whisper. She's asleep still, you judge, considering that she doesn't even react to that. You tighten your arms around her, pulling her snug against yourself.

She makes a tiny whimpering noise, burrowing against you - but the unhappy grimace smooths out a little as she clings to you with desperate, unconscious strength.

You smooth her hair, freed from its usual drills for sleep, and brush away her tears with a gentle thumb. That's what you can do for her. You can be there for her, and you will be. But the healing is for herself to do, her own demons to face down.

Exhaling softly, you lift your head a little to glance at the clock, little glowing hands on bright. A little past four AM.

You'll wait for Mami to wake. And you'll keep hugging her, of course, not that that is an imposition.

Her breathing eases out to an even tempo.

Your mind drifts, winding through ideas for what to do for breakfast. Remote operated maid-self to cook for both of you, maybe? Then you could do breakfast in bed. You're not getting out of bed without Mami, after all.

Hm.

You do have a superb awareness of where the Grief is relative to yourself. Proprioception, the term is, and you have... essentially absolute proprioception with regards to your Grief. It's how you guide it when you can't see it, after all - the Grief doesn't so much as crash into things as it does flow around obstacles.

Like poured sand grains, except dark purple with deeply unsettling fractal patterns. And also spheres much much larger than sand grains.

Hm. The problem is that even if you know where your Grief is, you don't know where everything else is. Which means you'd have to be able to see. You could... maybe theoretically rig up something with Grief. Arrays of ultra-sensitive photokinetic cantilevers or something, in a very crude mechanical pinhole camera.

... eh, too much trouble. And too untested.

It's too early in the morning, and more importantly, too early in Mami's morning for Science.

You smile faintly to yourself, cuddling a little closer to Mami. It's... nice, you're perfectly happy to admit. Just being here, with her. You settle in to wait.

It's an hour, maybe a bit less, before Mami starts to stir. You blink awake from your half doze. Mami's eyes flicker, soft gold staring muzzily at you.

You smile at her, and a few moments of blinking incomprehension later, she responds with a tentative, sleepy smile. She yawns hugely, and then her eyes flutter closed again.

...

Well, you know Mami's not a morning person, anyway.

It takes a good fifteen minutes for Mami to wake up properly. You smile at her again as she opens her eyes, keeping her firmly ensconced in your arms.

Emotions wash across her face. Fear, surprise, relief. "G-good morning, Sabrina," she whispers. "W-what time is it?"

"Good morning, Mami," you respond. "Um... Maybe about five thirty?"

"Oh," she says, lowering her eyes. "Sorry for wakin-"

You press a gentle finger to her lips, smiling. "No," you say.

She nods, golden eyes worried.

"Mami, I don't mind," you murmur. "I really, truly don't. I enjoy being here with you. I enjoy giving you hugs, and I enjoy spending time with you."

Mami nods again, slower, but a little more firmly.

"Good," you say, withdrawing your hand and patting her cheek. "Now, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Um..." she says, biting her lip. "I... Anything you'd like, Sabrina."

"Oh, but we can't have that!" you say, beaming at her. "You see, I want you to have what you want for breakfast!" You tap her on the nose, still beaming. "I'm not going to let you, Tomoe Mami, stand in the way of Tomoe Mami Enjoying Her Breakfast to the Utmost Extent!" You take care to pronounce the capital letters.

Mami stares at you. She blinks, and then a giggle escapes her. She looks startled for a moment, and then starts giggling helplessly.

You smile, hugging her. "If you don't tell me," you threaten. "I'll tickle the information out of you!" Your hand drops to her waist, poking experimentally.

"Noooo," Mami whines, squirming away from your questing fingers.

"But I must know~" you say, starting to tickle her in earnest. There isn't anywhere she can escape to on the tiny one person bed, and you reduce her to a flailing, breathless mess within a few minutes before letting up.

"Now, tell me!" you demand, sitting up and giving her a fond smile. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Still panting from the laughter, Mami sits up and promptly burrows into your side. She peeks up at you with a worried, hopeful look. The edge fades a little when you drape your arm around her and pull her a little closer.

"Um..." she says, nestling a little closer. "I really don't mind. Anything you'd like, Sabrina."

"Mami," you say gently. "It would really mean the world to me if I could make you happy. Just seeing you enjoy something is enough for me to enjoy it."

She meets your eyes for a long moment, soft gold against sky blue. "Then..." she says at last. "Um... Are you very hungry, Sabrina?"

"No, not really, why?" you say, giving her a pleased smile.

"Well..." Mami temporises for a moment. "Maybe we could bake something? W-we're going to bake for the picnic anyway, right, and we could have a few cookies before if you're too hungry but-"

You press your finger to her lips again and smile. "Yes," you say. "That sounds amazing, Mami."

"A-alright," she says, ducking her head. "Umm... I was thinking maybe some scones? That should be quick?"

"That would be great," you agree, shifting to swing your feet over the edge of the bed. Mami follows, shuffling along to stay beside you. "We have jam and... hm, we have cream, don't we?" You hop to your feet, stretching luxuriously with both arms over your head.

"We do," Mami agrees, standing too. "We need it for the cake."

"Perfect, then," you say, giving her a smile. Linking your arm with hers, you head for the bathroom. You wait outside with a ribbon around your wrist while Mami performs her morning ablutions, and then it's your turn.

You emerge from the bathroom to find Mami waiting with anxious eyes, enfolding her in a reassuring hug before towing her to the kitchen. You start rummaging in the cupboards. "The normal flour, right?" you ask. "Not high protein?"

"Ah, yes," Mami says, giving you a quick smile as she withdraws mixing bowls from another cupboard.

"Mmm~" you hum as you lay out the ingredients on the table. Flour, baking powder, sugar, joined by milk and butter and buttermilk freshly drawn from the fridge by Mami. You bump your hip against her, flashing her a playful smirk.

Mami ducks her head, smiling at you. You step back to let her start measuring out the flour - she'd have a better sense of what's needed, after all. She takes the invitation, twirling past you in what's almost half a dance step. You complete the almost-a-dance with a turn in the opposite direction, digging into the fridge to withdraw the carton of eggs.

Speaking of dancing... "Say, Mami?" you ask, cracking the eggs into a bowl. "How do you feel about some musical accompaniment?"

"Um... That would be nice," she agrees. "I like that song you made for me?"

You didn't really make it, but you might as well have, here and now. You remembered it. Good enough, really. Solid Grief flows in through the window - no need for Witchy Grief here, and no need to make Mami uncomfortable with it.

You strum a note, and then start the music. You go from there, the two of you falling into an easy, comfortable rhythm. You take the time to reassure her that you're there. A touch to the elbow, a bump against her hip...

Eventually, you sit down opposite from Mami. It's barely six, the kitchen filled with deliciously fragrant smiles of baking. Fresh scones sit in front of you, jam, cream, and honey off to the side. A steaming cup of tea accompanies each of your plates.

You beam at Mami. "These look amazing," you compliment.

Mami waves it off, smiling. "It's as much your work as mine, Sabrina."

You shake your head, disagreeing, but you don't say that. "Anyway, let's eat!" Mami adds a modest amount of honey and cream to a scone, before biting in with a happy noise.

"I used to do this..." Her expression falters for a moment. "For myself. I- it's much nicer, having someone to share these with."

You take a bite of your own scone and smile warmly at her. "Yeah," you agree. "Sharing fresh baked breakfast with you is wonderful."

You briefly consider waking everyone up with your usual 'Good morning Mitakihara!', but it's six on a Saturday morning. Sayaka might actually kill you for that. Still, you've got half an hour before the cake is done, and maybe another half an hour of pre-cooking preparation before you're free to head out for the day.

[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

-[X] During breakfast, do your "Good Morning Mitakihara" thing.
--[X] If scheduled cooking/baking time permits, confirm morning training with Sayaka. Keep the session relatively short.
[X] After breakfast, contact Nagisa's uncle and extend her an official invitation.

=====​

In fairness, you did sleep at like eight thirty the night before.

 

[Firnagzen]

You take another bite of the scone, making a happy noise. Freshly baked scone, literally right out of the oven and still steaming. All but perfect.

You find Mami watching you with a smile. An answering smile, warm and contented, rises to your lips.

"It really is wonderful, you know," you murmur, lowering the scone a little. "Just... Your cooking, and you." You shake your head, smiling a little. "I wouldn't change it for the world."

Heh. What could have been, way back then. You might have chosen to go with Homura, and things would have been different. Would you still have become such close friends with Mami? You have no idea, and you're not absolutely sure you like the notion.

Mami blushes a little, putting the scone down and fiddling with it. "T-thank you, Sabrina."

"No need to thank me for telling the truth, Mami," you say, reaching across the table to pat her hand. "I mean it. Every word of it."

"I..." Mami looks up, meeting your eyes for a moment before glancing down at the scone again. "So do I, Sabrina. Thank you for s-staying."

"I did promise," you say, nudging her to turn her hand over so that you're palm to palm. "Now, shall we finish up? While the scones are still hot?"

"Ah... Yes," Mami says, ducking her head and smiling little.

You eat in a comfortable silence, the Grief instruments long stowed. Between the two of you, you demolish the pile of freshly baked pastries, just in time for the baking timer to let out a cheerful ding.

You hop to your feet. Mami's already headed to the oven, so you grab the breakfast utensils, moving them to the sink and hurrying after her. You get there just in time for Mami to pull open the oven door, releasing a huge cloud of fragrant steam.

Mami sighs happily as she withdraws a baking pan from the oven with gleaming golden oven mitts, bringing it over to the counter. Grief flows in the window as you follow her example with oven mitts, and you hurry after her to grab the second one. She flashes you a smile as she passes you on the way to grab the third and last one.

Hey, when you're baking for friends, why not go fancy with a nice, three layered cake?

"Ah, where's the cream?" Mami asks, looking around.

"Got it," you say, dismissing your oven mitts out of the window and grabbing the cream. "Anyway, Mami," you say as you start laying out the rest of the ingredients for the frosting. "I was thinking we could plan out the morning while we do this?"

"Umm..." Mami spreads the cake tins out on the cooling rack. "These will need fifteen minutes to cool, so..."

"Ooh, right," you say, walking to stand beside her and hug her around the waist. You're careful not to disturb her fussing with the cakes. "Anyway, so... Today, first thing is the cooking, of course. We finish the baking and cooking now, right?"

"We can make most of the preparations now," Mami notes. "But, um, we'll need two hours, uh, one hour before the picnic itself for more cooking? U-uh," she starts to worry at her lower lip with one hand, tugging anxiously at it. "M-maybe we could try and do more now, but-"

"That's fine," you say with a smile. "Mami, I didn't mean it that way." You capture her hand, bringing it away from her mouth and down to her waist. "It's fine."

"A-alright," Mami agrees.

You hug her for a little while longer, nestling your chin comfortably in the crook of her neck. She calms down slowly, the tension bleeding out of her frame as she nestles back against you.

"S-so, um." She interrupts the silence. "What else do we need to do?"

"Hm," you say thoughtfully. "Well, let's see. Training for Sayaka; I mentioned that yesterday. Training and or Experimenting time for me, with you. We should probably check in with everyone too, make sure they're coming. And Nagisa's uncle, too. Hmm... I kind of want to check in on Oriko and Kirika, too, see what Oriko's condition is like and whether they're behaving. Maybe bring them some pastries?"

"Um..." Mami says. "How long will you want to visit our... prisoners?"

"Half an hour?" you say, frowning. "Maybe?"

"W-well, we should have plenty of time?" Mami says. "We do what we can of the cooking and baking now, then we can spend an hour or two working on your powers? And then we can call everyone, and tell Sayaka to come over for a while, and then just after that, we check on Mikuni?"

Your eyes flare wide at the mention of Sayaka, alarm bells going off inside your head. Now that you think about it - you didn't tell her about the interaction between the clear Seed and normal ones. And she does have both of them and-

"Sabrina? Sabrina, what's wrong?" Mami asks.

"No, I-" you start to breathe fast and hard. A tightly wound frisson of fear trickles down your back. "I didn't warn Sayaka about clear Seeds, remember when I nearly hatched a Grief Seed on me? I, I what if it already hatched on Sayaka-"

"I-I-" Mami stutters. Your panic is infectious, her eyes widening as she stiffens in your arms. "I- she would have called us if something happened, right?"

"Except we went to sleep early, I-" you shake your head, bile surging in your throat. "But Homura was there, she would have taken care of it, Sayaka would be- I have to warn her-" You switch to telepathy. "Sayaka. Sayaka!"

She doesn't respond immediately. Your heart lurches in your chest as Mami turns to hug you tightly. "I'm sure she's fine," she mumbles. "They would have called us otherwise."

"I-" you clamp down on the initial panic and force yourself to think. Surely Sayaka would have contacted you, if not her, then Madoka or Homura. And Homura was there, of course, and she would have taken care of any Witch that so much as dared to exist near Madoka.

"What do you want." Sayaka's sleepy, grumpy voice echoes inside your head. "It's six thirty on a Saturday."

You relax, slumping forward against Mami in sheer relief. "She's OK," you mumble to her. She nods, tucking her head under your chin and tightening the hug.

"Oh, I-" you say, shaking yourself. "The clear Seed I gave you - Uh. I forgot to tell you something very important - do not put the clear Seed and a normal Grief Seed together."

"... I'm going back to sleep," Sayaka growls at you.

"I-" You need to explain to her why, but she cuts you off.

"Goodnight, Sabrina," she grunts, and cuts you off.

You sag against Mami. "W-well. She's fine," you say, voice shaky with relief.

"That's good," Mami says.

You let a shuddering breath out, and just... relax for a minute. When you start contemplating serenading Mami again with the full lyrics of Mirai, you shake yourself. Not...

Not... yet?

A thought for later.

"A-anyway," you say, clearing your throat. "Is there anything you want to do today, Mami? Our schedule is... reasonably clear, today. And, um... I've kind of messed up your studies last week. Is there anything you have to do from school?"

Mami shifts to look at you, lips parting slightly. "A-ah," she says after a moment of thought. "Um. I just want to spend time with you, so... anything is alright. Though... I do have some homework, if we have time tonight? After the picnic?"

[] Write-in

=====​

Well, you did kind of panic.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Of course, Mami," you agree, tightening your hug around her. "I'd like that - and I'm always happy to help. School matters, and there should always be room for the things that matter to you."

"Alright," she says, fingers reaching out for the cake tins. "Umm... I need to release the cakes now."

"Go ahead," you say. "Hmm... Your plan from, uh, before I panicked seems great. I don't see any issues with it, so... Let's do that."

You finally release Mami from the hug, instead shuffling around beside her and grabbing a cake tin of your own. You run a blunt knife around the edge of the tin and invert it over some waxed paper, depositing a perfectly golden-brown layer of cake - and by the time you're done, Mami's already finished the other two layers.

You both reach for the cream at the same time. You smile, and step back, letting Mami take the lead. Sadly, you only have one set of equipment for that, but on the other hand, you can start in on the rest of the pastries.

"Hmm," you hum. "Sayaka sounded... kind of upset I woke her up early. I'll have to make it up to her somehow."

"Ah... You could bake her something?" Mami suggests, whipping the icing with a brisk hand. "Though I'm sure she wasn't really upset."

"Oh, that's a good idea," you say. An idea strikes you. "Do you think something coffee flavoured would be too mean?"

Mami takes a moment to get it. She giggles when she does, clear and tinkling. "No," she says. "But we don't have any coffee. We could go and buy some?"

You consider that, heart soaring at hearing her laugh. "Nah, we don't have the time. Do we have any raspberry jam?"

"We do," Mami says. "We just bought the jar yesterday, remember?"

"Excellent," you say, rubbing your hands together. "Now, we have cream cheese and honey too, and hmm... Nah, I think I won't make something personalised for everyone. Ruins the apology if I do that, though... What if Sayaka gets an extra one?"

Mami pauses in her icing, giving you a puzzled look.

"Cupcakes!" you declare happily as you walk over to the fridge. "Cupcakes for everyone, and they're easy enough that we can bake them alongside the cooking we need to do now."

"No, not that," Mami says. "T-though that's a great idea! Just, um, raspberry jam, cream cheese, and honey? Um, sorry, I'm sure you have some idea-"

You set the jars down and poke Mami's nose, stopping her apology in its tracks. "Not all together, Mami," you say. "I was thinking we could make personalised cupcakes for everyone, in the end."

"Oh," Mami says, looking down.

You nudge her in the side. "None of that," you say, giving her a warm smile. "Now, what else do we have to prepare?"

"Well," Mami says, a slight, worried edge on her smile. You wouldn't even know it's there if you weren't looking. "We should cut and season all the meat and fish that we'll be cooking later. Um, you wanted to prepare Indian curry, right? Does that need any preparation?"

"Yeah, it would be best if we could season the meat earlier, too," you agree.

And so you do. The cake turns out perfect -how else could it be, with Mami at the helm?- and it's joined by scores of cookies and cupcakes, mostly done by your hand. At first, anyway. The kitchens fills with the delicious scents of baking confectionery as Mami finishes up with the cake and joins you. The two of you work with smooth synchronisation and utter comfort with each other's presence, movements all but choreographed. The pre-cooking preparation is squared away too, seasoned meats and prepared spices tucked away in the refrigerator.

You step away from the counter, rolling your neck and beaming at Mami. You grab a cupcake hidden away in a corner and present it to Mami - the first one you'd decorated. It's covered with smooth ripples of honey frosting, and you might have used a touch of Grief to steady your hands just so. You'd considered adding two little twists to represent her hair drills, but that's a little too... on the nose, so to speak.

"Here you are," you declare happily, beaming at Mami. "This one's for you, Mami."

"A-ah-" Mami blinks in surprise, and then beams at you, wobbly but pleased. "Thank you, Sabrina!" She takes the cupcake, cradling it between both her hands like something precious.

You smile, wiping away a bit of sweat and pulling her into a sidelong hug. "Anyway, we'll pack all of this up, and then head out to the junkyard?"

Mami nods, carefully putting her cupcake down and leaning into the hug. "Alright," she agrees, carefully inspecting the piles of baked goods arrayed over the counter. "We can cover most of these and leave them to cool outside, but the cake needs to go in the refrigerator."

You beam at Mami. "Sounds good," you say, searching for the net cover. "Hm... Do you think we should invite Homura along? We could have Sayaka try and copy her power."

Mami hums. "The more the merrier," she agrees, starting to arrange the cookies and cupcakes neatly. She sets the cupcake you made for her off to one side with reverent care.

"Mmm. Oh, here it is," you say, finally locating the cover. You leave it on the counter beside Mami, ready for use. "Hmm... So, Mami, I was thinking, one of my biggest limitations is my range, right?"

Mami hesitates before nodding. "Right?"

"I wanted to test a few things to see how various effects behave near the edge of my range, to see if I can cheat and make constructs that can go beyond that range," you explain, shuffling over to the sink and washing your hands. You take care to scrub the flour out from under your Grief ring.

"Ah, I see," Mami says, brightening at the topic. She unfurls the net cover with an elegant flourish, throwing it over the baked goods. "So... like throwing things? Or a gun?"

You swallow an amused snort. You should have expected that Mami would jump to that conclusion, given her... obvious propensities. "Well, that's one thing," you agree, gesturing towards the kitchen door. "Like, if I throw something using Grief, will it keep going? And, say, light, or sound. Or what if I made light or sound? If a glowing construct can be seen from outside my range, then I can make a laser beam, right?"

Mami nods as she follows you to the bedroom where you grab some clothes. "Magic may not always make sense," she notes, following suit. "But it's worth trying!"

You nod. "I know," you agree, offering your arm for her to ribbon. "And, say, if maybe I can't make a laser beam directly - what if I used that laser pointer with Grief batteries?"

Mami tilts her head, considering that. "We'll find out," she says, smiling a little.

You pull her into a hug. "'course," you say. "And I can't do it without you. I need a spotter, after all, so I waited until I could do it with you."

"Thank you." Mami burrows into the hug.

You hold her for a few minutes before pulling back a little. "Shall we?"

"Mmmn," she agrees, heading into the bathroom.

"Say, Mami," you call through the door, leaning against it from the outside. "I just thought of something, since you brought up guns - how did you practice the... really destructive attacks? Like Tiro Finale? I've had some idea, but the collateral damage..."

"Oh," Mami responds, accompanied by the rustling of cloth. "Sometimes, I'd head to the outskirts of the city, where there's not many people. Or else I'd fire it straight into the ground if it wasn't too destructive, or use a Witch Barrier if the Familiars weren't very aggressive."

A few minutes later, both of you have changed - once into casual wear, and once again to your puella magi costumes. You're bounding over the rooftops, headed for the customary junkyard. The morning dawns clear, the sun beginning it's trek up the sky at a bright and early seven.

Hm. Warehouse-kun's probably getting a little lonely, but the junkyard is Mami's spot.

[] Write-in

=====​

Science time!

 

[Firnagzen]

Ah, well, the junkyard it is. It is Mami's spot, after all, and you're with Mami right now.

You let Mami take half a step of lead, bounding after her with what's becoming practiced ease. You're getting much better at this - though your roof hopping still is still rather more parkour than Mami's pure, flowing élan. You roll, and you vault, and you somehow get where you're going without a single strand of hair out of place nor picking up a single speck of dirt, but there's not one trace of elegance to it.

Eh.

It works.

You arc into the junkyard, soles slewing to a halt on the sandy ground. Mami barely raises any dust at all, primly patting her skirt down.

When she looks up, seeking your presence, you give her a warm smile. "Ready to begin?" you ask.

"Mmmhm," she agrees, taking a step closer to you, close enough that her hip bumps against yours.

With a laugh, you pull her into a hug. "Alright, then," you say. "I think... well, as I said, I want to figure out ways in which I could perhaps extend my range."

Mami nods, her hairdrills bobbing against your shoulder. It tickles a little. "What do you need me to do?"

"Well," you say. "Could you move to the other side of the junkyard? You'll need to be on the edge of my control range, and keep an eye on what happens. I'll stay in contact by telepathy, alright?"

Mami nods. "Alright," she agrees. You give her another quick squeeze before releasing her from the hug, and she backs off, walking to the other end of the long, sandy yard. She has to weave around a few rusting old cars and refrigerators, but she manages to keep in line of sight.

You roll your neck, sending a handful of marbles to bob along beside Mami, hunting for the edge of your range. "There," you murmur into her mind as you stop the marbles at the very borderline. "That's my limit."

"Alright." Mami nods, stopping and turning to face you. You give her a wave, which she returns happily.

By the looks of it, she's inspecting the Grief marbles rather curiously, poking at them with a finger.

"Mami," you warn. "I'm going to make some light. Tell me if you see it?" At Mami's assent, you do just that, an exhale and a touch of mental focus bringing forth gentle illumination from one of the Grief marbles. You can see the little floating sphere light up from where you are, soft light visible even against the rising sun.

"I can see it, Mami confirms.

Your eyebrows shoot up, a smile splitting your face. If light is visible, then coherent light is - and that means lasers. Interesting.

"Sabrina?" Mami calls into your mind, worried concern in her mental voice.

... You're vibrating. All but vibrating with excitement, making a high pitched 'eeeeeeeee' that Mami can probably hear.

"Sorry," you respond. "Just excited. OK, um, next test. You need polarised safety goggles of some kind, and we need physical shields. Um, I'd make you goggles, um, full face masks would be better, but you're out of range. Damn, I didn't think about that, I didn't reall-"

"It's alright, Sabrina," Mami says. Squinting at her, you notice her reaching behind her and producing a pair of sunglasses, unfurling them with a snap and putting them on.

"... why do you have sunglasses?" you ask.

Mami shrugs. "Sunglasses are useful."

"... but sunglasses are not protection," you say. "Hm... Since I want to try and laser something, Mami, why don't you come back here? We can both hunker down behind a shield or something."

"Alright," Mami agrees, hurrying over. She immediately tucks herself against your side. "S-sorry."

You wrap your arms around her. "Nothing to apologise for," you say. "See, I'm going to try and weaponise it next, so I'd feel better if you were safe with me."

"O-oh," Mami says. She hesitates for a long moment, before finally adding, "Thank you."

You poke her on the nose. "You're important to me," you tell her. "Never forget that."

"A-alright," she says.

You take a breath. "Anyway. Let's get behind some cover, and..." you squint down 'range'. "I'll try making an infrared beam and destroy that, uh... I think that's an old engine block over there?"

Mami squints, too. Or at least you think she does. She's still wearing the sunglasses. "Alright. We need to take cover, right?"

"Yup," you agree. "Uhh... around the back here." You tow Mami behind a large pile of random scrap metal and mouldering old tires. Grief forms a small seat, just large enough for both you and Mami to sit on - out of line of sight of the target. More Grief forms matte, non-specular walls, since reflections from high intensity light can blind just as well.

Mami sits beside you, tucking her head on your shoulder.

"OK, here we go," you mutter, mostly to yourself. "Test two: high intensity infrared light, focused into a beam." You bite your lip, considering. "Collimated, coherent light, emitted from Grief marble."

An exhale. You focus. Collimated, coherent light... you can do that. In your mind's eye and that odd other sense, you can feel the light drawing across the surface of the sphere like a shutter closing, until there's only a pencil thick beam left that hazes towards the invisible spectra of infrared.

The air heats. Even from this far away, you can feel the thermal bloom slicing through the morning chill. A sharp hiss heralds an acrid, burning smell making its way through the air to you.

... Success?

You kill the beam and dissolve the bunker, poking your head up around the rusting steel. Mami stands too, peering at the...

... well...

It's not an engine block. Not any more.

Nor is the sandy ground strictly speaking ground any more.

The pile of slag that used to be an engine block is still glowing. Faint pings reach you from the cooling metal - and sparkly, glassy bits of ground.

You stare, a wide, wide grin splitting your face. "Yessssss," you hiss.

Mami beams at you. "That's amazing, Sabrina!"

You grin right back at her, all but bouncing on your feet. "Yeah, it is! I think..." You hurry over to examine the puddle of cooling metal. "It's definitely outside my range."

Mami smiles at you, though there's a little edge of worry to it.

You pull her into a hug. "Hm..."

"Sabrina?" Mami asks, looking up at you.

"No, just thinking," you say. "I can't move Grief out of my range, but... this worked?"

Mami chews on her lip for a moment. "I... This is a guess, Sabrina, but I think that, um, strictly non-magical effects can exit your range. But maybe magical ones can't?" She hesitates for a while longer, something clearly on the tip of her tongue.

"Mami?" you prompt.

"No, no, I-" she turns a hopeful gaze on you. "Would you consider giving the laser a name? If you use it?"

You laugh. "Of course," you say. "Do you have something in mind?"

"Um..." Mami says, brightening. "Um. What's Italian for 'light'? Lux?"

"'Luce', I think," you say.

Mami nods. "What about... 'Luce Finale'?" she suggests, accompanying it with a blinding, hopeful smile.

You can't help but smile back."'Final light'?" you ask. "I don't think it's that... imposing."

"Attack names need to be impressive!" Mami says with an adamant shake of her head. "And they need to be grand! They need to have gravitas and they should be imposing!" And then her sudden conviction melts away, leaving an uncertain, worried girl in its wake. "U-um. If that's alright?"

[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[x] Create your grief orchestra near the edge of your range. Ask Mami if she can hear it.
[x] Physically toss something with grief past the edge of your range. See if it behaves normally.
[x] Regroup, and ask Mami on her thoughts on how the effects behaved. See if she has any suggestions or insights - both in terms of what the underlying principles might be, and in how the observed behaviors can be made useful.

=====​

You'll get one more science/practice update before it's a reasonable time to start calling people. Like Sayaka.

 

[Firnagzen]

You like it when she talks like that. She was passionate and happy and confident, a far cry from the Mami you know and more like the Mami she wants to be.

You... you do like it, and you open your mouth to say so-

And you choke yourself off, fighting back the blush that's already making its way onto your face. Too soon. Too soon, when just last night she was sobbing into your arms because she was terrified you'd leave her. She... Whatever her feelings towards you, you don't want to pressure her.

Not that way, not in a way that could be taken as flirting.

"Sabrina?" Mami asks, peering up at you in concern.

You shake your head, grin blossoming on your face. It's genuine, no matter the direction of your thoughts, for all that you were going to do something probably ill-advised.

You're happy, even for that tiny flash of conviction.

"You're right, of course!" you say, beaming at her. "If my attacks don't have fantastic names, then why bother? I might as well be one of those poor, sad people who don't name their attacks at all!"

"Um..." Mami looks at you, pursing her lips. "But you don't name your attacks, Sabrina." Something like horror flashes across her face, her eyes widening as her expression crumples. "S-sorry, I-" She reaches for you, faltering mid-way. "I, sorry, I'm sorry-"

Your stomach plummets.

"No." You pull her into a hug, holding her close. "No, Mami. You're fine. It was just a joke, and I'm not offended. I'm not leaving you."

Mami shakes her head wordlessly, stiff as a board in your arms.

And this is why you're so reluctant to do... anything. You bite back a sigh.

First and foremost, she's your friend.

You stroke her back in slow, soothing circles as her shivering slows down. You repeat your reassurances, crooning into her ears, calming her down. Hopefully.

"S-sorry," Mami whispers, finally wrapping her arms around you. "I just-"

"I get it," you whisper. She's afraid. You form a seat out of inert Grief, sitting and pulling her down beside you without breaking the hug. "But here I am, and here I remain, yeah?"

You pull back far enough to cup her face with one hand, giving her a smile. "I'm not going anywhere. But... Mami, I liked it when you started lecturing me. I like it when you sass me back. OK? Leaving you over that is the last thing I would do."

Heh.

Not that way, not in a way that could be taken as flirting.

Mami nods weakly. Her hair brushes against your hand, featherlight touches. "A-alright," she whispers, exhaling shakily.

"Good," you say, smiling and pulling your hand back. "Now, may I clean your Soul Gem, Mami?" At her nod, you do just that, a flex of your willpower siphoning off the Grief and crushing it down immediately.

"OK," you say, giving Mami a quick squeeze to reassure her. "Yes, I'm one of those poor, sad people who don't name their attacks - my words, not yours. So it's a good thing I have dear Mami to help me with it, right?"

She nods, and if her smile's a little strained... Well, that's neither here nor there.

"Now, the problem is that I want to make sure that my attacks are worthy of the awesome names that you come up with for them," you say, ruffling her hair. Your other arm stays firmly around her waist, a constant reminder of your presence. "I... Well, I dunno. Is this really on par with something like Tiro Finale?"

Mami leans into your hand. "Um..." she says, giving the still glowing puddle of slag a look.

You run a quick calculation or two in your mind, considering how much energy your laser put out. It's substantial, to say the least.

Heh. Eat your heart out, Ramiel girl. What was her name again? Koizumi Sasami, right. Then again, she wasn't actually firing lasers, was she? You could see her beams. Your beams probably aren't visible save by the thermal bloom and subsequent re-radiation on visible wavelengths.

... And of course, your beams are utterly lethal. Starlight Breakers they're not.

"I... I suppose not," Mami says, finally. "You could still give it a name! How about, um..."

"How about 'Luce Eterna'? Light eternal," you suggest, smiling. "I'll save Luce Finale for something that fits the name."

"Ah," Mami says. "I like that name. I was going to suggest 'Prima Luce', but that's good!"

"Hmm... 'First Light'?" you ask. "I like it. Uh... I'll think over it for a bit?"

Mami's smile is wobbly, but genuine. "Alright," she says softly, leaning against your side.

"Good," you say. "Also, Mami, did I zone out at all while doing that?"

"Um... you were sort of focused for a second or two," Mami mumbles, burying her face against your shoulder. "But I don't believe you zoned out."

... huh. Interesting. It seems like this was... mundane enough to not warrant you going into a full trance?

Or something of the sort.

You grin. "Then I'd consider that way more successful than anticipated, It... well, I had more planned, but hey, that makes the other stuff unnecessary," you say. You turn a bright smile on Mami. "Well, I guess I should have asked you back home, but hey - are there any old projects that you might have had? With your ribbons, or something?"

Mami blinks. "Oh- I have some ideas, but wouldn't you rather work on your own ideas?" she says.

"Nah," you say, with a shake of your head. "I had more ideas, as I said, but well... frankly, what I just discovered makes it all obsolete." You fiddle with a few stray strands of hair, tucking it back behind your ear. "So... yeah. We have a little time to burn, right? And I'm not implying you couldn't do it yourself, but I'd just like to help and-"

You shake your head. "Sorry, I'm, babbling again, aren't I. I'm just excited, really."

Mami smiles a little. Stronger, more genuine. "W-well, I... did have some ideas. Um... I never did manage to make myself fly properly with my ribbons, and, um, I've been working on and off about a way being in more than one place at a time?"

... Does she mean what you think she means?

"Go on?" you prompt with a smile.

"Ah..." Mami says, straightening up a little. "The biggest problem with flying was that it was always a bit too expensive, and I could never really visualise a way to make the wings work."

You snicker, and wiggle your fingers at her in a vaguely magical gesture. "Well~"

Mami smiles, dipping her head in acknowledgement.

"How about the other thing?" you ask. "Being in more than one place at a time? Actually, I remember you doing things in the kitchen from another room entirely, is it like that?"

"Um..." Mami says. "Maybe I could show you?"

"Sure," you say, beaming at her. You hop to your feet, offering Mami a hand and pulling her up to stand beside you.

"This will take a minute or two," Mami says. She takes a deep breath and holds out a hand, palm down. She frowns sharply in concentration, a veritable waterfall of golden ribbons starting to spill from the end of her sleeve. They practically shimmer, even to the naked eye.

Hm. Mami did say it would take a minute or two. You keep an eye on Mami, and her Soul Gem, simultaneously reaching out for Homura with your mind. "Hey, Homura," you say.

"Good morning, Sabrina," Homura responds, all but instantly. "Is something wrong?"

"'morning, Homura, and no, not at all," you say, eyeing the ribbons pooling and twisting at Mami's feet. "Just saying good morning to my friend! How was last night?"

"Last night was... fine," Homura allows, a faint hint of warmth creeping into her voice. "Madoka is safe."

"Great," you say. "And you?"

"I am doing fine," she says after a moment of hesitation.

"Good," you say, watching with interest as the ribbons surge upwards, beginning to take shape. "Say, Mami and I are testing our powers now, particularly, ah, destructive attacks. If you want to, you can join us, or Sayaka when she comes along in a while?"

There's a long pause, of Homura clearly thinking it over. "I do not want Miki Sayaka to copy my powers."

You're about to respond when Mami finishes her work, the shapeless mass of ribbons coalescing into...

Bright, blonde drill hair, that same corset and perfectly ruffled dress and huge, adorable golden eyes and-

Barely past your knee.

Mami's made a tiny, chibi version of herself.

The real Mami's still frowning in concentration as the tiny doppelganger raises its equally tiny arm to wave at you. "This is what I've managed to do so far," she says through the mini-Mami. "I've had difficulty making the clone any larger; the ribbons destabilise if I lose concentration."

[] GLOMP
[] Write-in

=====​

Gaslighting is an ugly, ugly thing. Also, do remember to get back to the name for the laser attack.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-" your squeal shades into the inaudible as you dive at Mami, sweeping up the mini-Mami into your arms and then the real Mami in one giant tackle hug. So cute so cute it's a tiny squishable huggable mumi not that the real one isn't squishable and huggable but this one is so tiny and so cute-

You crush both the Mamis in a gigantic bearhug. Mami laughs and hugs you back, swept up in your delight - and a tinier pair of arms hug you around your torso, too. You pick them both up and swing them around in a circle, squealing all the way.

"So cute so cute-"

You're babbling and somewhere in the back of your mind you remember Homura but there are more important things to consider right now. "SorryHomuthemostadorablethingishappeningrightnowtalkinaminuteortwobyeeee-"

You ignore the confused, "OK?" in favour of babbling at Mami. "How does- wow, just wow- can you see through it? How autonomous is it? Are you concentrating on the external appearance and-"

"Sabrina!" Mami laughs breathlessly, patting your hands. "I can't answer if you don't let me!"

"-how did you do this wonderful thing?" you run out of steam, still cuddling both Mamis close.

Mami's blushing, a bright, pleased rosy hue. "Um... Yes, I can see through it. It's not very autonomous, I can make it move like I can, but it can't make decisions on its own."

"Do you have to control every movement?" you ask, squeezing both Mamis.

"No," Mami says, shaking her head. "There's a... it's like my powers, I know how to drive it, does that make sense? It's more like playing a video game than walking it around myself, and I have to concentrate a bit on it to animate it." The chibi Mami wiggles in your arms, patting your face. "Like that!" she says, giggling.

"It makes sense, yes, and that is so cool," you enthuse. You pinch the chibi-mumi's cheek gently and squeal at the adorable little pouty face.

Mami pouts at you, too. "Sabrina, I can feel that..." she protests half-heartedly.

"Well," you say, abandoning the pinching to cuddle both of them again. "So cooooooool so cuuuuute-"

Both Mamis giggle, and nestle into your hug. "Um..." Mami mumbles into your shoulder. "I was actually trying to make a full-sized clone of myself, a while ago. I never managed to make a stable one, but I could consistently make a chibi-me work."

"Huh, that's pretty cool," you say, grinning brightly. "What else can you do with the chibi? You can see and feel through it, right?"

"Ah, the chibi-me can actually fight quite well? But it's a bit... limited," Mami says. "I don't really use it for much."

"But it's so cuuuuuute," you say, beaming at her. "You're awesome."

Mami blushes. "Thank you, Sabrina, but... I'm really not."

"Yes you are," you say, still beaming at her. "Look at this! Look at you! You're awesome, Mami."

"A-ah... thank you, Sabrina," Mami says, glancing down.

"That's better," you say, releasing the hug and carefully setting the chibi-mumi down. It -she? It is Mami, after all- blinks up at you, the blush and smile on her face mirroring Mami's.

"Anyway," you say, rubbing your hands together. "Before I forget or get distracted again, Mami - I think I'll use your name for the laser. It's my first one, so 'First Light' works quite well!" You can't help but wonder if that niggling little feeling in the back of your head that says Mami even named her kicks -Flawless Leg of Gold!- is true.

Mami beams at you, clasping her hands together. "A-ah, thank you!" she says.

"No, thank you," you say, smiling right back. "Hmm... Honestly, the problem with Prima Luce is that I... really don't know how safe it is. Or, well, it's an attack, it's not meant to be safe, but it should be safe to use, you know? I'm not sure that it is. We have to shield ourselves to use it."

Mami nods seriously. "When I was beginning to experiment with it, my muskets frequently burst on firing."

You wince. "Hope you didn't get hurt?" you ask. At the same time, you reach out for Homura, since you're no longer squealing over the chibi-Mami which is so cute. You reach down and pick it up again, cuddling it like a teddy bear. "Sorry 'bout that, Homura, Mami just showed me she can use ribbons to make a chibi-doll of herself and it's the cutest thing."

Mami shakes her head, smiling. "I took safety precautions, too," she says.

"... I see," Homura responds in a tone that clearly says she doesn't.

"You'll get it if you see it. And you will, if you come along? I'd like it if you and Sayaka got along better, and just being present would help. You don't have to let Sayaka copy your power if you don't want to," you tell Homura, while giving Mami a smile.

You put the chibi down again, and watch as it pads -as Mami makes it pad- off to look at the still cooling puddle of metal. You drape your arms around Mami from behind, the chibi stumbling for a moment as her concentration's interrupted by the surprise hug.

"So, Mami," you say. "Do you have any ideas for improving Prima Luce?"

Mami chews her lip. "It's a laser, right?" she asks. "Ow, hot- Um. Is there a way you could project the heat and the, um, glare in one direction? Maybe with a barrel of some kind?"

Homura projects a mental sigh at you. "I'll be there."

You shake your head in response to Mami, grimacing. "Not exactly," you say. The chibi-Mami pokes gingerly at the fragments of glass surrounding the melted engine block. "The problem is that the air is heating up and re-radiating the light, so it goes in all directions, including back towards us even if I'm shooting it purely forward."

Speaking of shooting, an idea occurs to you. "Actually, Homura, are you any good with paintball guns? Or airsoft? Anything non-lethal. I think Sayaka could use some experience for when an enemy simply doesn't let her close to melee. Neither Mami nor I are really good for that."

Mami nods slowly. "Ah, that could be a problem..." she says. "You could always use it when we have a bunker, right? Like what you made with Grief for Sendai?"

"I have airsoft guns," Homura agrees. Maybe it's your imagination, but her voice seems a little more interested.

You should probably not be encouraging Homura to shoot Sayaka, but then again, there's harmless catharsis, right?

... Right?

"Great," you say. "You can come along whenever, alright?"

You tuck your chin on Mami's shoulder. "Ooh, you're right," you agree. "That would work! Would be nice to be able to deploy it normally, though."

Mami nods. "Then either you need to make it safe for us, or we need a signal to know when you're going to use it," she says. A teasing smile appears on her face. "Such as shouting its name."

"That's true," you say. "Is that why Tiro Finale has a name?"

Mami shakes her head. "No, it has a name because names are important."

You laugh, hugging her tighter. "Right, of course." You pause. "Hey, there's an idea," you say. "If I figure out a combination attack with you, we can call that something-Finale!"

"Oooh," Mami says, eyes almost sparkling at the idea. "That would be great! Hm... I wonder what we can do for that?"

"Hm, I wonder if I can reinforce the Tiro Finale cannon?" you say speculatively. "Is durability a problem with it?"

Mami shakes her head, her hair drills tickling your nose. "Not anymore," she says. "But..." she chews her lip for a moment. "Do you think you could handle a firing mechanism?"

"Probably?" you say.

"Fully automatic?" she hazards.

"... Probably?" you say, a slow grin starting to break out on your face. "Mami, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"... Probably?" Mami says, imitating your inflection, right down to the pause.

You laugh, and poke her cheek with one finger. "Repeating Tiro Finale?"

She nods. "Mmmhm!"

"That is the second best idea," you declare. "The best one being the chibi-Mami, of course."

Mami nods solemnly. "I'm glad you think so, Sabrina," she intones, just as grave.

You manage to hold it for a minute before dissolving into giggles, releasing Mami so you can laugh.

Mami starts to giggle, too, as the miniature her pads up with something shiny in her hands, which she holds up to, well, herself. Mami takes the thing, tucking it into her pockets.

"H-hey," you manage. "Should I try making a chibi too?"

Mami pauses, her eyes going wide. She starts nodding vigorously. "Yes!" she manages. "Yes, you should!"

[] Write-in

=====​

Next vote will be Good morning Mitakihara, as well as Homura arriving - please write-in for those!

 

[Firnagzen]

You huff in amusement, arms still draped around Mami from behind. She bumps her head gently against your cheek. The smile on your face matches hers, really.

"So, a chibi-me," you muse. "Iiiiiit might be kind of Witchy."

Mami's smile fades for a moment, but only a moment. "It's alright, Sabrina," she reassures you. "I'm getting used to it. It's... if I concentrate on how it feels, I know it's you, not a Witch, so it's alright."

A tiny pair of arms hug you around your calf. You giggle, releasing Mami for a moment to pick up the chibi and put it on your head. It wobbles a little before managing to balance properly, both arms stuck out to help.

Mami giggles as you pull her back into a hug. From the feel of the shifting weight on your head, the chibi her is looking around. "It's so high up here~" she observes.

You snort in amusement. "Well, here we go," you breathe. "Unleash... the chibi." Your eyes fall shut, half meditative as you reach for your power.

What you want is... simple. A miniature version of yourself. You think of Mami's chibi, an adorable little version of her, possibly the predecessor to her full body duplicate. Your power stretches, moulding and twisting and sculpting a whirlpool of Grief.

You open your eyes.

You open two sets of eyes, even as the sensation of Witch, Witch, Witch! presses on your mind. And you look at Mami from two points of view - one barely knee high, and another at the usual height. An identical smile spreads across both your faces.

Mami blinks down at you, eyes going huge.

And then she squeals, and reaches for you, two giant arms sweeping down from the sky to grab you even as you laugh and release Mami from your own hug so that she can grab you and cuddle you to herself.

"So cuuuuuuuuuteeeeeee!" Mami squeals, delightedly squeezing the life out of you. The miniature you. It's a good thing that you -well, your chibi- doesn't actually need to breathe. Instead, you bump your tiny head under her chin.

You laugh, throwing your arms around both Mami and yourself, the Mami on your head pitching forward with to hug your head from the top. You -the chibi you- squirm out of Mami's hug and clamber onto her head, opening your arms to the chibi-Mami in invitation.

Mami blinks at you in surprise, turning in your arms to face you, and then she laughs. The chibi-her throws her arms around you too.

"Oh, Sabrina," Mami gasps through her chibi, grin wide on her flushed face. "That's amazing."

"No," you respond in the same way, grinning at her. You kick your feet gently, trousered legs ruffling Mami's hair. "You know what's amazing? You did it all the hard way. I have to cheat, and I just copied what you did."

Mami shakes her head in quiet disagreement, nearly dislodging you from your perch atop her head. So you naturally take the opportunity to cling tighter to her chibi, giggling happily. And just to be fair, you hug Mami closer, too.

A quiet cough interrupts you.

You twitch, arms tightening around Mami as you flinch from the sudden presence beside you.

Homura raises one eyebrow at you.

You cough, and point to your head. "Chibis."

"... I see," Homura says.

"... they're cute?" Mami offers, looking a little sheepish.

Homura gives the chibi Mami balancing on your head a considering look. "... I see," she says.

You cough awkwardly. "Anyway, yes," you say, releasing Mami and stepping back. You keep ahold of chibi-Mami, though, making yourself comfortable on Mami's head and cuddling her chibi. "So, uh, I was going to say before I got distracted, that Homura was coming. But, uh." You rub your nose with an abashed grin at Mami. "You can see that."

Homura sighs, eyeing the chibis with a curious eye. She steps closer to Mami, poking your face with a finger. You swat her hand away with one stubby arm. "Hey, I can feel that."

Mami shakes her head, smiling. "I won't complain," she says, happily nuzzling against you with her chibi.

"How far can the chibis go from you?" Homura asks, meeting your eyes.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure mine's subject to the same hundred meter limit," you admit. "Mami?"

"I haven't tested that properly, but I easily made it a kilometer last time I used the chibi to scout?" Mami offers. "I just have to keep extending the ribbon."

Homura nods, settling back. "I see. When is Miki Sayaka coming?"

"I'll be, um, calling her in a bit," you say. "Though I wanted to discuss what we could train her on first?" That's not the only thing you want to do, but you'd missed your opportunity to greet Homura as a pair of chibis tinkering on a giant automaton. Then again, the option to do that to Sayaka's still open.

Homura nods slowly in agreement. "You said we were going to work on ranged training for Miki Sayaka," she notes.

"Right," you agree. "She was too eager to rush into melee yesterday. And with you here, we could do a two on two, and cover some teamwork too? What do you think, Mami? Homura?"

"That sounds good," Mami says, flashing you a smile.

Homura nods, face impassive.

You grin. "Then it's time to wake everyone up," you declare, and extend your telepathy. "Goooooood morning, Mitakihara!"

"Your radio station stinks!" Sayaka responds immediately. Homura visibly bites back a sigh, stalking over to a somewhat less rusty car. After giving the hood a prim once-over, she sits down clearly willing to wait.

"Sayaka!" Madoka says reprovingly.

"I'm entitled to be grumpy about being woken up at six on a Saturday," Sayaka says.

Mami smiles, patting you on the shoulder. Her chibi, still perched on top of her head, gives you a hug. "Sabrina's very sorry about it," she says. "She worked very hard to make cupcakes to apologise!"

You give your bag a surreptitious pat to make sure the cupcakes are still safe within. Thankfully, they are.

"I did," you affirm.

A lazy yawn filters into the chat. "Good morning, everyone," Hitomi says. She sounds sleepily rumpled, somehow.

"Good morning, Hitomi!" Madoka says.

"Ah, right, 'morning, everyone," you add, to a chorus of hasty greetings from your friends. Even Sayaka.

Heh.

Ingrained manners.

"Everyone good for the picnic, by the way?" you ask. "And Sayaka, you're good for the training?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka grumbles. "Eating breakfast right now."

"Cool," you say. Listening with half a metaphysical ear to the morning chatter, you open up a channel to Sayaka. "Hey, Sayaka, sorry about the early wakeup. I just kind of screwed up and panicked a bit."

Sayaka groans. "Yeah, yeah, I'm just grouchy," she grumps back at you.

"Yeah, but uh, just to make sure - Clear Seeds can dump the Grief inside them into normal ones on contact," you explain. "And, uh, that's not normally an issue, but a normal Grief Seed can overfill and rehatch the Witch. I'm very, very, very sorry about not mentioning it earlier."

Sayaka's silent for a moment. "Ugh, fine, I see why you were worried," she says.

Mami's chibi tugs your sleeve, pointing at the ground, and hops off Mami's head. You leap after her, landing carefully on your stubby little feet and following the miniature -Mamiature? Nah, too awkward- over to your own legs. The chibi sits down and hugs your calf. You promptly hug the mini-Mami from behind.

"Yeah," you say. "So, yeah. Sorry."

"Meh," she says. "Let me sleep in tomorrow and we're good."

"Heh, right," you say. "Anyway, see you soon?"

She makes an inarticulate noise, and dips back into the main conversation. "Madoka, are we meeting up for homework before the meeting?"

"Ah, yes," Madoka agrees.

You flash a smile at Mami, still only half paying attention to Mami. "Hey, Mami? I need to make a phone call - see if we can invite Nagisa along as well?"

Mami tilts her head, smiling at you. "Alright," she says.

You pull your phone out of your pocket, taking a step away and dialling Shin's number. Mami's chibi follows you, still hugging your calf, and of course, you follow.

"Hello, this is Momoe Shin." Nagisa's uncle picks up a few minutes later.

"Good morning, Mr. Momoe," you say. "This is Sabrina."

"Ah, Sabrina!" the man responds. "How can I help you today?"

"Well, I was wondering if Nagisa could come to the picnic later today," you say.

"Hm... Ah, yes, you mentioned it," the man says. "Who's going? Where and when is it?"

"Uh, my friends - you met us all the other day, right? Myself, Mami, Madoka, Homura, Sayaka, Hitomi," you say. Mami catches your eye and gives you an encouraging smile. "Possibly Kyousuke as well - he's a friend of ours. We're going to that big park, Gokai Park? Four thirty today."

"Hmm..." Shin says. "I'm double-check with Nagisa, though I'm sure she'd be happy to. I'll message you later?"

"Sounds good," you agree, watching as Mami approaches Homura and seems to ask her a question. "Thank you!"

"No problem, Sabrina," the man says, a hint of warmth in his voice. "You were a friend to Nagisa when she needed it."

"I was glad to," you say.

"Nevertheless," he says. "Is there anything else?"

"Nah, that's it," you say. "Later!"

"Goodbye, Sabrina," Shin responds, and hangs up.

You glance down at the mini-Mami, reaching down to ruffle her hair, and then pick her up. You scramble up your arms, so that you're cradling yourself and the chibi-Mami in your arms as you rejoin Homura and Mami.

Homura has what looks like an old revolver laid out on the hood of the car, half disassembled as she shows Mami the insides.

Mami looks up at your approach, beaming at you. "Hi," she says.

"Hi!" you respond. "What's happening?"

"Ah... well, I was thinking, it might be easier for you to replicate the mechanism if you had something to work off?" Mami says, pointing at the disassembled gun. "Do you think a revolver would work? Or would something automatic work better?"

"Eh... I think I could work with a recoil mechanism," you say. "Like an M1911 or similar. But I think that at the kind of masses we're working with, something like naval artillery might be best."

There's an interested gleam in Mami's eyes. "Battleship artillery?"

"Yeah, a powered loader," you say.

Homura frowns. "Before that," she says. "We are doing teamwork practice, right? Two versus two?"

"Yep, that's what I was thinking," you agree.

She nods. "I volunteer to team up with Mami."

[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[x] Offer to try working on a tandem attack with Mami. Start by seeing if you can cooperate to make a automatic firing mechanism compatible with Mami's muskets. Look into what she actually uses for propellant, and how she wants to feed the ammunition.
-[x] If it works, try with a scale model of Tiro Finale, to work out placement of various components, before scaling it up to full Tiro Finale size. Keep in mind the fine control you have over grief, and abuse it liberally to avoid issues common to big guns.
-[x] Confer with Mami on other possible things that can be improved with a combination design. Applying additional electromagnetic acceleration, maybe, if she can make her projectiles conductive, or with a conductive sabot?
--[x] If you do fire it, aim downward, because the ground is pretty much the only backstop that can withstand this thing. Take appropriate safety precautions.
--[x] Let Mami name it.

=====​

OK, so, actually working on the cannon is getting pushed back to the next update. Sayaka'll be arriving soon, too, so vote accordingly.

 

[Firnagzen]

You blink with both sets of eyes. "Uh... Hm," you say, giving Mami a look, trying to gauge her response. "I'd be OK with that if you are, Mami?"

Mami bites her lip, glancing at you.

You give her a smile, even though some part of you is internally cringing about how hard this is going to be.

On you, and Sayaka, of course. Two primarily melee fighters against the two most gifted ranged specialists in... probably all of Japan, at the very least. And since it's a spar, you wouldn't be using your Grief much. How did you put it to yourself earlier? Team Oh God They're Gonna Shoot Us versus Team Oh Yes We're Gonna Shoot You?

Yeah, sounds about right.

Mami takes a shaky breath. "Well, it's just training," she says, seemingly to draw strength from your approval. "I'm sure it'll be alright."

Somehow, you have a feeling she'll be going after Sayaka for the most part. Which, unfortunately leaves Homura for you. Then again, Homura does seem rather interested in shooting Sayaka a bit, too. Which you've already gone over and rationalised as harmless catharsis for her.

...

Right?

Right.

... Which leaves both Mami and Homura targeting Sayaka.

Really, you might as well tell Sayaka to draw their attention, and make it a self-executing plan.

You smile at her, shifting your arms so that you can scramble to the floor and scamper over to Mami. "That's settled, then. Though, uh, if that round goes as quickly as I expect it will, maybe we can shuffle the teams for the next go around?"

You put your arms up, opening them to Mami, who can't help but laugh and pick you up to hug. Of course, you've got Mami's chibi still safely cuddled to your chest like a teddy bear. You grin at her. "I mean, Grief lets me take hits, but I need the training too. Better to never be hit than to have to defend against it, right?"

Mami smiles back at you, seemingly soothed. "Alright," she agrees. "Good idea, Sabrina. Um... We're working on the combination attack while waiting, right?"

You grin. "Oh yes," you say, walking over to Mami. "I thought of a name for it, too. How does 'Cannone de Picchio' sound? Woodpecker cannon."

Mami mouths the words to herself for a moment. She brightens. "I like it!" she says. "Oooh, it's not that easy to shout in the heat of the battle, either, so we'll need to practice it. After all, it's a combination attack, and we'll both need to shout it clearly-"

"Maybe it would be better to actually attempt the attack first?" Homura suggests, one eyebrow raised. Despite her words, though, there's no real admonishment in her tone.

Mami huffs, affronted. "Names are important!" she says, turning to Homura. "Nevertheless..." She shakes her head. "You're right, Homura, we only have until Sayaka gets her."

You beam. "Let's get started, then," you say.

Homura reassembles the revolver, and produces a more modern pistol from her shield instead. A Desert Eagle, to be precise. She lays out a small cloth on the hood of the car and disassembles the hand cannon with swift surety, snapping the pins out and setting the parts down with a click.

Both you and Mami watch with bright eyed interest as she explains the pieces - you know what they are and how it works, granted, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting or relevant to listen to Homura's curt, matter of fact voice dissecting the inner workings of the gun.

"Hey, Mami, do you actually use propellant for your Tiro Finale?" you ask as the mini lecture comes to an end.

"Yes and... no," Mami says, carefully setting you down on the hood of the car. You take the opportunity to inspect the disassembled Desert Eagle from a much closer vantage point. "I make the propellant out of ribbons. I coil up a lot of very small ribbons, like so-" she holds up her free hand, a tiny knot of gold forming. It's no larger than a grain of sand. "And then..."

The knot... explodes, tiny, tiny flakes of golden ribbon bursting into the air with enough force to shove Mami's hand down. Mami shakes her gloved hand out like she's been stung, giving you a rueful smile.

"... Huh," you say, blinking. "That's seriously cool. Why do you need the flintlocks and hammer, then?" You frown, imagining the firing mechanisms of her muskets and cannon.

"Oh," Mami says, colouring a touch and twining her finger through one of her hair drills. "I find it helps me visualise properly. And, well... itlooksbetter."

You chuckle. "As good a reason as any," you say. Finished with your examination of Homura's gun, you scamper back over to yourself. On a whim, you stick your arms out like an airplane as you run across the hood of the car.

Mami ducks her head, smiling shyly at you. "Do you think you can make the mechanism?" she asks.

"I think so," you agree, setting the chibi-Mami down so that you free your hands. Of course, that lets you immediately pull her into another hug. "I can start with a revolver, maybe?"

Mami nods in approval, watching you with interest.

You exhale, and call Grief to your hand. You notice Homura watching intently, eyes on her hand as you dissolve the Grief into deep purple wisps and reform it, piece by piece into a somewhat oversized revolver mechanism. With a trigger, even if you don't really need it. As Mami says, it looks better.

And besides, Mami needs the trigger.

Without saying a word, Mami reaches over to cover the mechanism with her hand. Ribbons twist and writhe between your palms, spiralling and snapping into shape as the barrel and stock in her signature filigreed style.

"All yours," you murmur, grinning at Mami.

She smiles back, taking the- well, it's a proper rifle now, isn't it? Mami's muskets, despite the name, have always been rifled, and this is technically a revolver rifle. You can feel the Grief inside, inert and solid, but in this case, you don't need anything more.

"I think this works," she says, flipping the cylinder out and checking that it's loaded before raising it to her shoulder. She keeps the muzzle pointed down 'range', aimed at a pile of junk and very definitively away from you and Homura. "I'll try a few test shots, alright?"

"Go for it," you say, giving her a thumbs up. Homura nods.

She shoulders the rifle firmly, tightening her grip on it. A single exhale, and she tightens her finger on the trigger. The rifle booms, and a shot slams into the hood of a car. It punches clear through the metal. You can feel the mechanism as Mami works the trigger, shots hammering home with unerring accuracy - and you can feel Mami forming new ammunition within the chambers as it spins.

After about fifteen shots, Mami lowers the rifle, smiling in satisfaction. "I'd say that's a success!" she declares, holding the weapon out to you.

"It is!" you agree, bouncing on your toes as you take the gun. Homura peers at the rifle, interested.

Mami pauses, frowning. "How am I supposed to fan the hammer if I'm using both hands to hold it?" she muses.

"Simple," you say. "That's my part."

"Ah, right!" Mami agrees. "That would take a lot of practice to get in sync, though!"

"True," you allow, setting the rifle aside for now. "Um... I suppose this really was the simplest one we could have started with, after all. We could try the naval artillery version next? Or do we want to try the full sized one first?"

Mami sets the rifle down on the hood of the car. "I think we should keep the full sized version for when we figure out the mechanics," she says.

"OK," you say, holding your hand out and summoning a new blob of Grief. "Naval artillery version, then!"

You take a moment to concentrate and shape the Grief. In some ways, this one's a lot simpler than the revolver mechanism - you don't need to worry about precision meshing of gears and levers and whatnot. Just breechblock and chamber seal and sliding arms for the ammo you don't even need motors for. Pure Grief actuation.

Mami watches as the mechanism takes shape, pressing her hand over yours once more to form another rifle. This one has a more... conventional looking clip protruding from the bottom of the rifle, hewn from Grief. You purse your lips, and add your own decorations to it in imitation of Mami's signature style.

"Of course," you note. "This is fully automatic, and there's no need to fan the hammer. Even though that's seriously cool."

Mami giggles, taking the newly formed weapon in hand. "That's true," she agrees, already turning towards the much abused target.

"May I try the other gun?" Homura asks, gesturing at said rifle.

"Ah?" Mami glances at Homura, then you. At your nod of affirmation, she beams at Homura. "Of course, Homura! Let me load that for you..." She flicks her hand, palm out, at the gun.

Homura picks the rifle, weighing it in her hands as she steps up beside Mami. Without any ceremony, without even shouldering it, she empties the cylinder. The long thunderclap echoes around the junkyard as Homura lowers the gun, almost looking smug.

Mami giggles. "That's one way to do it," she agrees, raising her own rifle. She tightens her finger on the trigger, the first shot slamming down range. It o la takes a sliver of attention for you to actuate the mechanisms, slamming the breech block open just in time to snatch a new round into place and reseal the chamber, over and over and over and-

You can't help but notice the muzzle climb, the way Mami's unused to dealing with the recoil of automatic fire, but that's OK- you already have Grief right there, and a touch of will steadies the rifle, halting its upward pivot.

The noise is less a thunderclap and more a buzzsaw going into steel. Homura takes a step back.

When Mami finally releases the trigger, she's beaming from ear to ear. She rounds on you. "That was perfect, was it hard on you, Sabrina? I know you were handling the loading, and I was pushing as hard as I could to make more ammo, but you didn't say anything-"

You catch her hands, laughing. "I'm fine, that wasn't any trouble at all!" you say. "That was completely manageable. Were there any problems on your end? I noticed the muzzle climb, so I was steadying that out, I hope I didn't throw off your aim?"

Mami shakes her head. "No, I- this is only an intermediate step, I don't think I'd use this for something this small, but I think that the Cannone di Picchio will definitely need the steadying, we don't want that to go off target, right?"

You nod, and you're just about to reply when you feel a presence entering your detection range. "Yes, definitely!" you say. "And uh, Sayaka's here."

Mami giggles, adrenaline evidently still running high as she lets the rifle hang loosely at her side. "Oh, that was amazing!" she laughs.

Homura nods slowly, eyes distant. "This seems useful, especially if full sized," she notes.

"It does!" Mami agrees. "I bet this could annihilate even the biggest Witch. Maybe even-" She pauses, frowning. "Maybe even Walpurgisnacht."

"We'll have the opportunity to test that out," you agree. "Assuming we don't come up with something even better in the meantime." You can't help but think of an elsewhere and an elsewhen, where Mami made what was not... Well, she'd called it 'Tiro Finale', but you can't help but wonder if 'Nucleare Finale' wouldn't have been more accurate.

"Good morning, everyone!" Sayaka's voice rings out, bright and clear. The bleunette herself skids to a landing moments later, cape swirling around her as her boots scraping over the sandy ground. "Something feels kind of-"

Her words choke to a halt, one hand rising to point at you, still hugging the chibi-Mami. Her mouth gapes open, and you give her a cheerful wave with one stubby little arm.

"Chibis." All she manages is one strangled word.

You exchange a look with Mami, and then Homura, and start giggling. "Yes, chibis," you agree.

"Chibis!" the chibi-Mami agrees, nodding enthusiastically.

"... Chibis," Homura agrees, tone flat and almost monotone.

Sayaka makes another strangled noise. She throws her hands up. "God, fine, chibis. What next?"

"Training?" you offer. "Homura called dibs on Mami, so we'll be doing that for the first round, I suppose. Dodge training."

Sayaka wrinkles her nose, hands twitching a little as her eyes dart back to the chibis. "Figured you'd have called dibs on Mami."

"Homura was faster," you say, gamely fighting off a blush. You shrug instead. "Besides, it's only training, and only for a round."

"Riiiight," Sayaka says. "This is going to suck. Uh, I should copy someone's powers first, right?"

"Right!" Mami agrees, taking a step forward, which serves to distract Sayaka from the way Homura takes an almost imperceptible step backwards. Sayaka clasps Mami's hand for a moment, grimacing in concentration before nodding.

"OK!" you declare. "I suppose we might as well just jump straight into things? Cleansing first?"

Mami nods, giving you a smile and walking over towards you. "We'll be doing a free form spar," she says. "The boundaries are the inner fence of the junkyard, so feel free to take cover if necessary." She gives Sayaka a meaningful look. "Weapons only, minimal magic."

"Actually, I was thinking we could allow some magic?" you ask. "I've noticed Sayaka has this little... airstep, and I'd like to use my wings for manuverability. Not the full sized wings, of course."

"Ah... That sounds like a good idea, Sabrina," mami says, ducking her head. She presses against your side with a hopeful look on her face, and you oblige her with a quick hug.

"Hmm... One last thing," you say. "Homura, Sayaka, you OK with Mami and I leaving the chibis up?"

Sayaka shrugs, giving the chibis another look. "Sure," she says, trying for nonchalant but not quite succeeding.

Homura nods. "I'm alright with that," she says.

"Excellent," you say, separating from Mami's side and moving over to Sayaka. "We ready?"

"No," Sayaka says, and turns to you. "Is there a plan?" she hisses, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

-[x] Try and make sure Sayaka doesn't repeat the same mistakes Mami identified yesterday: In particular, tunnel vision and not considering approaches before taking them. Don't judge Sayaka, though - you're not infallible either, and there's things for you to improve on as well.
--[x] Within the rules of the spar, take it as seriously as possible - you'll need to if you want to have the slightest chance of success against Mami and Homura, and this is a learning experience for you too.
[x] After the spar, unwind and be a bit silly. Show Sayaka that you discovered yesterday that puella magi can shift outfits when they want to - kinda like how she recreated her cape, but on a bigger scale.
-[x] Cosplay as Shinki from Touhou, complete with wings.
--[x] If anyone specifically asks about the costume, tell them it's an obscure Touhou character.

=====​

Doooooooooooooooooodge!

 

[Firnagzen]

"Well, uh-" you blink. A plan, a plan, you do need a plan and you weren't thinking about it. You mean, you're probably going to lose, since you're being limited out of your most potent fighting abilities. Your eyes dart around the junkyard, taking in the flat, sandy ground, and untidy rows of rusting cars and discarded machinery.

"Uh-" Your eyes flick back to Homura and Mami. "What counts as an 'out' for this match? Or are we going to count how many hits we take and total the score at the end?"

Mami purses her lips. "We'll be going with a score system," she says, nodding. "Or... Mmm, a score system, but every melee hit counts as ten - often enough, one good hit will be sufficient."

Privately, you think that one good ranged hit from Mami in particular would put most out of commission, as she's frequently demonstrated. Mami catches your eye, tilting her head a little and winking before flicking her gaze at Sayaka.

You nod, smiling back.

You'd probably be lucky to land one hit, anyway.

"Wait, you're going to be shooting us?" Sayaka asks, looking faintly worried.

"Airsoft," Homura says, dipping behind her shield and producing an... alarmingly realistic Desert Eagle.

Really, what is it about that gun that makes it so popular?

Homura catches your look and works the release, popping the magazine out and holding it for you to see that yes, that really is just an airsoft gun. Not actual bullets.

Mami beams at you for a moment, before it melts into uncertainty. "You're- you're alright with that, right, Sabrina?"

You smile warmly at her, taking a moment to cuddle the chibi-Mami for emphasis. "Yes," you say. "I am. I- Mami, it's good to see you confident and taking charge. So..." You offer her an upraised palm for a high five. "Let's all have a good spar?"

Mami nods, and answers the high five. "A-alright," she says. "We'll start ten meters apart?"

"Give us a few minutes to plan," you respond, flashing her a smile as you start taking a few steps back. "We'll signal when ready."

You're already drawing in Grief for the wings that unfurl from your back, midnight purple and roiling. Sayaka paces at your side, summoning a sword in her other hand. The early morning sun is just warm enough to be pleasant, light glinting from the surfaces of the hammer you pull from beneath your coat.

Mami gives you one last smile, before turning to face away. Homura follows suit a split second later, airsoft gun hanging loosely at her side.

You grab Sayaka by the cape and tug her behind another rusting car. She squawks and follows.

"Right, so," you start. "Do you think you can make a shield? You've got that whole knight motif going on, after all. Or, like - do you have any instincts for ranged defense that came with your contract?"

Sayaka grimaces. "Uh..." she grimaces. "I can try a shield?" She sets one of her swords down and holds her hand out, frowning. "I just have to want it, right?"

"Yeah, that's what seems to work for me," you agree. "Honestly, we're probably not going to win. But the point is for us to learn and to try new things, yeah?" You pitch your voice a little louder, making sure it carries. "Besides, they'll be using non-lethal projectiles, which'll sting, but we're not going to get hurt terribly much."

Sayaka nods, still frowning at her hand in concentration.

"OK, so, uh," you say. "Yes. You should have some kind of instincts for defense, becoming a magical girl seems to come with a nice package of them. I mean, I could be wrong, but that's what it seems like to me. It might not be a shield, it might be, like, slicing bullets out of the air or something, I don't know. Uh, for my part - well, when Mami fights, she can tell when attacks are coming without even looking. It's really cool, and I want to try it. No idea whether I can emulate it, though."

"No, no, I think I-" Sayaka's magic sparks blue, and a large kite shield materialises in a shimmering display of light. "Got it!" she says triumphantly, looking up at you. "Uh, I dunno about losing, but we're gonna try, right?"

"Oh, yes, we're gonna try," you grin, giving the shield a look. Blue and white, with a twisting border around its side. "Stay low, stay behind cover. Mami and Homura are probably the two most gifted marksmen in... probably all of Japan, at least."

She grins back. "Gotcha. I don't think I can do the bullet slice thing, but I can try it, maybe. I have a shield, though! Do we split up?"

You nod. "I'm volunteering as bait - as I said, I want to try the prediction thing."

"I'll try and... flank them, then," Sayaka says.

"Homura's somewhat weaker than Mami in melee, I think," you note. "If we can isolate either of them and both of us go after one, then we have a good chance at winning." You shift to telepathy. "Let me know if you spot an opportunity."

"Gotcha," Sayaka says, flashing you a confident grin and offering a gloved fist.

You fistbump her back. "Good luck."

"Same," Sayaka says.

You poke your head out from behind the car. "We're ready, Mami, Homura!" you call. "On go?"

Well.

"On go!" Mami calls back, turning to smile at you. Homura's violet eyes meet yours for a moment. "Three!"

You're a mage who's agreed to not fight with your magic.

"Two!" You add your voice to Mami's.

Eh. It's just a spar.

"One!" Sayaka grins in anticipation.

How bad could it be?

"Go!"

You bolt straight ahead. Distantly glimpsed is Homura, already breaking left. Mami's nowhere to be seen, with either set of eyes.

Though you probably shouldn't surprise her with surprise chibi hugs. That would be cheating. Instead, you just maintain the loose hug around the chibi Mami.

Sayaka's gone, dashing around an old refrigerator.

You can sense them, all of them. Glowing maelstroms of magic in motion. Mami's going high on her ribbon trapeze.

You jolt to a halt and throw yourself backwards. The wings bleed momentum as you yank yourself into the air.

A shot throws up puffs of dirt where'd you'd almost stepped.

Homura's swinging around. "Sayaka, your right!"

And then you're forced to dodge forwards, throwing yourself to the ground. You land on your shoulder and roll as shots crack down around you.

Mami is above you. You don't need to look.

You chance a quick one, anyway.

You spot her. She arcs lazily through the air, haloed against the morning sun. The light glints off her hair and highlights her flaring skirt.

Her musket's aimed right at you.

You drop to the ground. You land on your knees. To the side-

A tug of will on your wings hurls you to the left.

You can fly. She can't. Not yet.

Your feet scrape on sand. You let momentum coil you into a crouch. A powerful kick, and you're airborne.

Mami spots you. The spent musket's already falling away, a new one snapping into your hands. Already aimed at you.

Too far.

Split second's decision.

You could throw your hammer. You could dodge-

She fires.

You feel the impact against your left shoulder, a light tap. The musket ball explodes into clinging ribbons that stick in a tiny splash of yellow.

You're still soaring straight at her.

And now you're close enough. You swing your hammer in a flashing arc. Mami counters with her musket. Sparks fly from clashing metal.

Impossibly, Mami doesn't get thrown away. She twists and grabs the haft of your hammer with one hand.

You let her snatch it away, another one forming.

A swing and a hooking motion. You lock hammer against musket and yank. The musket goes flying, but it's already expended and Mami's already swinging a new one around-

You can fly. She can't.

You jolt away from her, wings flaring. Her muzzle tracks you, but you're too close, too fast, and now you get behind her as she falls. Her legs tuck in and she twirls to bring the musket to bear with one hand, but you're already swinging at her as she fires.

Sayaka's under fire from Homura. You can sense her ducking and weaving, Homura in relentless pursuit.

A twitch of your hammer smashes the barrel aside. Just in time for the ball to whizz past your ear.

You're grinning in exhilaration as you dive for Mami.

So is she, a bright, exhilarated smile on her face.

... she also has a fresh musket in her free hand.

You can't dodge... but she doesn't fire.

She winks at you, and tilts it away.

... oh, Mami.

You take the moment's reprieve to dart away. You cast an eye back to make sure she lands safely. She does, dropping into a smooth crouch as you dive for cover behind another rusting car.

Sweeping deeper into the confines of the junkyard, you keep a mental eye on Mami - she stands there for a moment, before breaking into a sprint. She's not after you.

"Sabrina!" Sayaka's voice. "Homura's alone, after me!"

You know that, but then again, you cheat. "Not for long," you snap back. "Mami's incoming."

"Right!" Sayaka responds.

You kick into the air, skimming close to the ground, so close you can smell the acrid tang of caked in oil and rust. You have to, or risk getting shot.

Around the next bend. Sayaka's holding still in your Grief sense, Homura a flitting, darting presence.

Tch.

You drop into a snap turn, reorienting on Homura, tracking her form. Around that corner in three, two, one-

You hurl yourself forward, hammer drawn back.

Trailing hair in a billowing, black banner, Homura emerges. Amethyst eyes widen in surprise at your presence and the muzzle of her gun snaps up-

That's fine.

You swing. Not at her, but at the ground. The spike drives home, slingshotting you into a pivot turn with enough gees to set your coat snapping out straight.

Just enough for Homura's shot to miss you. She hits your coat, but not you.

You hurl yourself into a power slide on the coarse sand. Both your legs drive upwards into a rising kick that meets only air as Homura's suddenly gone in a flash of purple-

Her airstep.

Which buys her enough time to nail you with a clean shot to your stomach.

Which- "Ow!" you complain even as you flip yourself into the air.

Homura doesn't respond, holding her gun up. A moment's grace period to you, apparently.

Behind you.

"Down!" Sayaka barks. You're already jerking to the side.

Just in time for a sharp bang to reach your ears. Sayaka's blade launches past you. Homura dodges easily, gun cracking with two snap shots that hammer home in the swirling white cloth of Sayaka's cape-

Which flutters harmlessly to the ground.

On your left.

Your instincts scream at you, and you obey with a twist to the side.

Not fast enough.

A shot tags your side, a splash of yellow ribbon. And then Sayaka's there with her shield, shots crashing against the metal.

You grin, and skim to the side, wings flared wide.

Homura. Shots hammer down on you. Two hit your back, others zinging by - you need cover, now-

An old metal table serves. You skid under it, inverting yourself, and you kick. The table goes flying. End over end, and your aim is good.

Homura skitters aside, pistol raised and still firing. Behind you, Sayaka charges Mami.

Your hammer swings up. You have a vague notion of deflecting bullets but you don't think you can succeed but what you do manage to do is hurl yourself at Homura. Her aim's off by a fraction thanks to the table, and- isn't she out of rounds yet? No, wait, airsoft-

She tags you again in your side.

The sound of clashing steel and Sayaka's grunts behind you. The roar of Mami's muskets boom in riposte.

And-

You catch the way Homura's hands blur and the spike of magic.

She's using her timestop to reload.

You're all but on top of her now, though-

You plow into her, hammer a gleaming arc. You pull the strike at the last moment, stopping just short of her side.

You grin at her. Point to you.

She catches your eyes. Her hands shift minutely, and she vanishes.

Reappearing a meter to your left, Homura gives you what you feel is a rather unfairly pointed look. You know it's a spar and you're both pulling your hits and abilities.

She seems to get the general drift, jerking her chin in Sayaka's general direction.

"I know," you say, rolling your eyes. You can sense Mami and Sayaka clashing. Sayaka's being driven back, and probably getting shot a lot, too.

You take off running. Homura's... well, she did shoot you in the back there, but hey, all's fair, right?

You hurtle towards Sayaka and Mami. This close, you can hear the ring of metal on metal, and the thunder of Mami's muskets. Planting your hand onto the roof of a car, you flip over the car and slam an axe kick-

A shot catches you in the leg. You go tumbling to the side with an undignified squawk.

"Sabrina!" Sayaka manages, before she's forced to dodge another fusillade of shots. The melee rolls away from you.

You're up and running in moments, surging forward to avoid a hail of shots from Homura. Mami snaps a shot at you even as she presses the attack against Sayaka with shot and musket. She's trying to keep you and Sayaka apart.

The shot forces you to skid to the side to avoid it. Your wings take you into the air, dodging Homura's shots by a hair.

A snap roll to the side gets you out of the way of another booming retort from Mami's muskets. Homura behind you in a flare of magic.

"Sayaka!" you call. "Gonna set up a shot for you! Homura behind me!"

Without waiting for a response you dive. You pour on every scrap of speed you can dredge out. Ahead of you, Mami duels against Sayaka, musket against sword - and then Sayaka sets her teeth and slams her shield into the ground.

Anvil to your hammer.

Mami's eyes widen, musket whirling on you. She tags you, but-

You crash into Mami, dropping your hammer in favour of tackling her. You go tumbling to the ground.

Sayaka yells and charges through the vacated space. Right at Homura. Her sword's a shining blur as she swings at the time traveller who's abruptly five meters to the right, pistol already levelled at a head of blue hair-

You're pinning Mami to the ground, and you can't get there in time, but then again-

"That's enough!" Mami calls.

Sayaka sags immediately, lowering her shield and letting the sword drop with a clang. Homura pulls her gun up and away with only a moments' hesitation.

Mami grins up at you.

You sit back on your haunches, and then hop to your feet before offering her your hand. She accepts it, so you pull her to her feet, and into a hug. She laughs, even as she nestles into your arms with a happy sigh.

"Good spar, everyone!" you say.

"Good spar," Mami agrees, raising her head and stepping back a little without releasing you from the hug.

"Says you," Sayaka grumbles, her tone belying the bright, exhilarated smirk on her face. "That was fun."

"Did you manage to land any hits?" you ask.

Sayaka gives you a sour look. "Nope. Got shot..." She frowns. "Seven times. Mostly by Homura." She jerks a thumb at the girl in question who...

Well, if you didn't know any better, you'd say Homura preens in her own quiet way.

... yeah, no, you're just being silly.

"Eight," you offer. "But I managed to tag Homura once, but then again, she was holding herself back, too."

"So were you," Mami points out.

"And so were you," you counter, poking her nose. Which reminds you of something. "Oh, by the way, I'm going to dissolve the chibi me, OK?"

Mami pouts. "Alright," she says. "I'll dissolve mine, too."

Sayaka makes a face. "Well, uh-"

"Mmm, Sayaka?" you ask. It was making her feel uncomfortable thanks to the constant Witchiness, you suppose.

She shrugs. "Nah. 's just that it's cute but it's weird to say that, since it's you."

You snort. "Well, that's the idea," you agree.

Mami tightens her arms around you. "It is cute," she says. "You can make it again later?"

"Not for the picnic," you say, pulling a face. You twist your will, dissolving your second body - and you're back to one set of sensations. "We're inviting Nagisa, remember?"

"Ah, that's a good point," Mami agrees. "That's a shame."

Sayaka snorts. "Madoka would probably actually get diabetes from the cute," she says.

You snicker. "Could be, could be," you agree.

Mami smiles at you. "What next, Sabrina?" she asks. "We still have time."

[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] If/when the teams change up, try to avoid engaging Sayaka -- this is about dealing with ranged opponents. In actual combat situations it's unlikely that any melee-based meguca besides Kirika is going to pose a threat to you.
[X] After the spar, while everyone is cooling down, dissolve the chibi -- it's really not accomplishing anything except to make people feel witchy noises at this point, and you certainly won't be taking something like that to the picnic where Nagisa would see it -- and hug Mami. Thank her for helping you practice. Thank Homura too, and Sayaka. Ask how Sayaka feels/felt about what she accomplished/did in the spar, try to give feedback (especially praise wherever possible).

=====​

Holy shit, this update would not stop growing.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Another round after a short rest?" you say, smiling around at your friends. "Also, dibs on Mami!"

Mami makes a pleased little noise and nestles into the hug. Homura, by contrast, snorts softly, eyeing Sayaka.

"Sounds good!" Sayaka agrees, smirking at you. She doesn't seem to have picked up on Homura's snort. She pauses, plucking at a splash of yellow on her skirt. "Uh..."

Mami snaps her fingers, and the clinging bits of ribbon melt away from both you and Sayaka.

You unlatch from Mami, twisting from side to side to work out some kinks from your back. "Also, I'm thinking that after this, we do one more match with Homura and I against Mami and Sayaka? That way we'll have tried every possible combination."

Homura nods in agreement, eyeing you for a moment, then Sayaka.

Speaking of whom... You walk over to Sayaka, offering her a grin and a hand. "Oh, and before we do anything else... Thank you, Sayaka," you say. "For being such a good teammate. Excellent teamwork and communication, and you set up some nice attacks, too."

"Thanks!" Sayaka says, face lighting up with a smile as she takes your hand. "You too."

"So..." you turn to Mami and Homura with a grin. "Our dear sempais, how did we do?"

Mami straightens, taking a breath. The effort to try and look serious is somewhat ruined by the pleased smile on her face, though. "I agree with your assessment, Sabrina," she says, nodding at you. "You and Sayaka worked well together. Though... You were both too reckless."

You nod. "I took a few shots I should have been able to avoid, a little too greedy in trying to close. In my defense, I was also trying to learn to do that..." You purse your lips. "You know how you're almost prescient in combat, Mami? I've seen you make shots before the target was even in sight. I was trying to learn that."

"Can't you sense us all, Sabrina?" Mami asks. "You don't need to predict when you can do that."

"Sure, but I have a range limit on my sensing," you say. "I might get sniped from outside that."

Mami, and perhaps not so surprisingly, Homura both nod. "That makes sense," Mami agrees slowly. "Still, if we're all together..."

You flash her a smile. "Yeah. It works best if you're around to cover my back."

Mami returns the smile, and turns to Sayaka. "Sayaka, you were too dependent on the shield," she says. "You shouldn't be trying to block the shots - in other circumstances, I could have used something bigger."

Loud, mechanical clacks draw your attention away, to Homura, who-

To Homura, who-

Well, of course she has a Barret. An M82 sniper rifle, to be precise, probably one of the most iconic sniper rifles in the world. Of course. The JSDF does use them, of course. Their special forces, at any rate. She effortlessly balances one-point-four meters of sleek, matte black steel and plastic on her hip, managing to look smug without changing her expression a single iota.

"... or that?" Sayaka manages weakly.

"... or something like that," Mami agrees. "The shield is an excellent supplement to your defense, Sayaka, but it shouldn't be the entirety of your defense, unless it can do something more than simply block."

Homura nods, and makes the rifle vanish.

Sayaka bites her lip, frowning in thought. "I..." she motions at Homura. "I'm not sure that gun could have gone through the shield, actually. It... feels like it's proof against something like that."

"I don't have to shoot the shield," Homura says in a cool, even tone. "If I hit you in the arm..." She trails off, giving Sayaka a meaningful look.

... Sayaka and limb loss. Heh.

"Point taken," Sayaka says, going a tad green.

"Actually, Homura," you say, waving your hand to get their attention. "You have a shield, too. Any tips to give?"

Homura glances down at her tiny buckler. "Different kinds of shield," she points out, raising it in front of her. "Mine facilitates my magic." A flare of purple light swirls around her, outlining the shape of a half dome.

"Huh, cool," Sayaka says, squinting at the shield.

"You're too stationary," Homura continues, as if she hadn't been interrupted. You barely note her hand's movement before she flickers, and-

The air shatters under the sound of a half dozen shots cleaving through the air, bracketing Sayaka. They hammer past her, bullets crashing into the car behind her.

The bleunette's eyes go wide and shocked.

"If you don't keep moving, it becomes easy to set up attacks," Homura continues, raising her hand to her hair. She hooks her fingers through the lustrous black strands, sending them flowing outwards like a midnight dark waterfall with a single, effortless flick of her hand that draws the eye to the silky-

You wrench your gaze away, sidling over to Mami instead. Madokami damn Homura's hair. Then again, Madokami would probably be the last goddess to damn Homura's hair.

Sayaka makes a strangled noise.

Mami frowns, shaking her head. "That was too harsh, Homura," she says. She softens as you bump against her side, leaning her shoulder against yours.

Homura shrugs. "Lessons tend to be," she says.

Sayaka rolls her eyes. "I get it. Really I do. You could have just told me, Homura." She glances at her shield, shaking it thoughtfully.

Homura shrugs again.

"Anyway..." you say, taking a half step forward. "Mami, I've been meaning to ask-" You indicate Sayaka with a hand. "Magical weapons and outfits and so on, right? If we want to change or make stuff, is it just a matter of willpower, or...?"

Mami smiles. "Usually, yes," she says. "You simply have to visualise what you need, in my experience. Within reason. There are certain limitations that can only be overcome by experimentation, and sometimes there are hard limits and, ah, mental blocks. But enough time and experience..." She motions at Homura, who nods.

"Hm," you say. "I've noticed that I can reshape my outfit with a bit of concentration, and obviously Sayaka has her shield. By the way, seat, everyone? While we discuss?" Your spare a moment of thought to shape Grief into some simple benches for everyone.

"Right!" Mami agrees, smiling. She checks the bench behind her and sits, patting the seat behind her and glancing at you. "However, I've found that the further you deviate from the, ah, existing theme, the less... instinctual it becomes to use."

"So my sword can shoot its blade, but I shouldn't try and make... I dunno, a grenade launcher?" Sayaka says, giving her sword a speculative look. She plunks herself down on the bench, kicking out her feet.

"Right," Mami agrees, leaning against your side as you sit beside her. "You're lucky, because you have a ranged and a melee option to expand on."

"Hmm... So I probably don't have a ranged option," you say, summoning a fresh hammer and laying it across your lap to inspect closely. It's just solid forged metal, gleaming and elaborately engraved. You absently trace a few of the lines with a finger.

Mami bites her lip. "Maybe you do?" she says, expression falling. "It's not impossible! But you might have a harder time learning to use it, that's all-"

You laugh. "It's alright, Mami," you say. "It's what I have my Grief for, and it's what I have you and Homura and Sayaka for, right?"

Sayaka grins at you. "Damn straight."

Mami colours a little, but manages to smile.

"Hey, on the up side," you say, pointing a finger gun at Sayaka. "You could probably stab your blade into something and then make it explode. Would be useful against bigger Witches, I imagine."

Sayaka frowns. "Hmm... you're probably right," she says, eyeing her sword.

"Most likely," Homura agrees, violet eyes meeting yours for a moment before glancing at Sayaka.

"Hng," Sayaka says. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. Proooobably not gonna test it in a spar, though."

"Yeah," you agree. "That's probably a good idea."

"Probably," Mami agrees, tone laced heavily with irony. "I think we can start on the next spar now that everyone's rested up a bit?"

Sayaka kicks her legs out and bounces to her feet. "I'm good for it!"

Homura rises, too, eyeing Sayaka.

"I'm good," you agree. "If there's nothing else that I need to pay attention to before the next round? Oh, and cleansing, of course."

Mami shakes her head. "No," she says, smiling at you. "That's it."

You rub your hands together, dissolving the benches and raising a hand. "Gems, everyone, for cleansing!"

With that done, you and Mami pull back a few steps. "I'll try and ambush Sayaka a few times," you murmur to Mami.

She nods. "Good idea," she says, throwing a look over her shoulder at Sayaka and Homura. "Let me know, and I'll distract Homura when you're doing that."

"Gotcha," you say. "I'm going to keep trying to learn that prescience trick, if you think that's OK?"

"Go ahead," she responds. "Though... I have to admit, it took me a very long time to learn it, myself."

"Fair enough," you respond. "Start the match?"

Mami smiles, and does just that. You give her one last fleeting grin, and then you're both focusing on the spar. You go after Sayaka - there's no point in fighting Homura when your particular weakness is melee.

The thunder of Mami's muskets and the soft chatter of Homura's airsoft guns is the backdrop as you clash with Sayaka. The first time, she doesn't notice you coming. A quick word to Mami as you close in, and her attempt at Mami's back is neatly ended by two bracketing shots from Mami and a tackle from you. You get in a neat, pulled strike at her head before backing off.

Of course, in melee, without the element of surprise, you're rather hard pressed, especially when Homura manages to spare a couple of shots to help Sayaka. Every swing of Sayaka's swords drives you back, until you finally disengage and go airborne.

You take the opportunity to coordinate with Mami and divebomb Homura. A fusillade of shots pins the time traveller in place for a moment just as you swoop from above to tag her.

Your next clash isn't nearly as swift - the surprise has Sayaka on the back foot for a second, but she keeps you grounded and manages to drive you away from Mami's supporting fire. Despite your training, you're still not terribly good at melee, and you end that clash with Sayaka's blade menacing your face. And then Mami's on top of you, and you're both charging at Homura in smooth tandem.

And so it goes. This time, you and Mami manage a win, by a bare point. Mostly through Mami's efforts, really. After a short rest, you start in on the final match for now, with the remaining matchup.

You turn your grin on Mami and Sayaka. "Last match," you say. "Let's have a good one."

Mami beams at you, watching as you and Homura back off.

This time, Sayaka manages to ambush you. Well, not so much an ambush as Mami raining down shots that sizzle past you while Sayaka leaps from behind a stack of old cars. You knew she was there, but she still manages to get to you, and then she's raining a flurry of chops and slashes on you.

Sayaka stays on you. Homura's only able to spare so much help - and Mami keeps her busy. No matter how you juke or disengage, Sayaka's on your tail in seconds. Even hooking her leg from under her and tackling her to the ground -you'll take that as a point, thank you very much- doesn't buy you much breathing room. She's on her feet in seconds and following you into the air in a burst of cerulean light.

The spar draws to a close with you being threatened once more by Sayaka's sword to your jugular. She drops the sword at Mami's call, stepping back and stretching.

"Good one!" she says happily.

You snort. "Sure, I got harassed halfway across Japan by you."

She shrugs, holding her hand out to you. "Hey, it's, uh, melee training for you, right?"

You roll your eyes, but you shake her hand. "How about you, Mami, Homura?"

"It was a good match," Mami agrees, offering her hand to Homura.

The time traveller doesn't hesitate, taking the proffered hand and shaking it firmly. "Good match."

You flop onto a flash-formed Grief bench, shaping ones for everyone. "Mnrghl," you grumble, stretching out. You're not tired, precisely. You're not sure you really get tired any more. Or at least, not very easily. Nevertheless, you feel the exertion, somehow, just enough feedback to know that you have been using your muscles.

Mami sits next to you and leans against you with a happy sigh.

Sayaka flops on a bench, and Homura sits primly on her own.

"Anyway," you say. "Sparring match aside, there's a few things I wanna bring up. First - Mami and I are heading out of town for a bit tomorrow to talk to a few groups of magical girls."

"Ishinomaki?" Homura asks, eyes sharp.

"Ishinomaki, Sendai, maybe Tokyo? What's-her-name-Ueda was supposed to get back to us, but she hasn't yet. Or was I supposed to get back to her? I think she was supposed to get back to me," you say, running your fingers through your hair. "But yeah. Sayaka, if you want, you could come along - I can check if they'd let you practice your power."

Sayaka scratches her head. "That sounds... cool. How long would you be headed out?"

[] Write-in

=====​

There is a separate thread debating Sabrina's last name. I'm mildly perplexed that it exists, but @LostDeviljho asked me to make a note of it.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Uh..." you glance at Mami. "Four or five hours?"

Mami shakes her head, equally unsure. "It depends, really? I'm afraid I don't know them."

"Probably four or five hours, then," you say with a shrug. You raise your eyebrows at Sayaka. "We can always drop you back home if we do head to Tokyo?"

Sayaka scrunches up her face in thought. "Sounds good to me," she says. "Is- Homura, are you coming?" She turns to address Homura properly.

Homura shakes her head.

"Hng," Sayaka grunts. "Yeah, I'm good for it. Oughta be interesting."

"Probably," you agree. "Anyway, I've got one last thing to show you guys before I head off; I've got a new attack that, uh, has some potential for collateral."

"... Collateral?" Sayaka asks, raising her eyebrows.

Homura leans away from you, just the tiniest bit.

"I see that, Homura, and I'm insulted!" you say, waving a playful finger at her. "Though, uh, that said, if I'm showing you guys, we should probably get under cover."

Mami pats your shoulder. In retaliation, you tug on one of her hair drills.

"So... We gonna do this?" Sayaka asks.

You make a vague grumbling noise. "Yeah, yeah, I'll show you all how awesome it is. You better be grateful," you say, and stick your tongue out at her before hopping off the bench.

Guiding everyone behind a sturdy looking pile of junk, you set up the blast shields again to block reflections. "See that old car over there?" you say, pointing. "I'm gonna do a magic trick and make it vanish."

"Uh huh," Sayaka says, hunkering down beside Homura, who's giving the blast shields a dubious look.

Mami cuddles against you as you crouch.

"So... I call this Prima Luce," you say. A touch of will draws in Grief marbles, and you twist with your mind like so.

Light blooms, pure and elemental. Invisible light that barely dips into the infrared spectrum, but you can feel the way the Grief shapes light from nothing.

The air heats, moisture sucked out of it. Sayaka takes a shocked gasp as if the breath were driven out of her lungs, but she has the good sense to stay down.

And then heartbeats later, it's over. The scorching heat is gone from the air, and you dissolve the blast shields.

Levering yourself to your feet, you eye the molten puddle, red-hot and shimmering with residual heat. It clinks faintly as the extremities start to cool.

"So... yeah," you say, gesturing lamely at the former car. "That's Prima Luce. First Light."

Sayaka winces, rubbing her nose. "Holy crap, Sabrina," she says.

You huff an amused sigh. "The reason I wanted to show you is that, well, those Grief shields and stuff I used weren't just there for show," you say. "It's not a magic laser, it's a real one. Atmospheric diffraction and specular reflections are actually issues, and it can blind. If I ever have to use this in combat, well, yeah. I just wanted you guys to know just in case that happens, you know?"

"Holy crap, Sabrina," Sayaka repeats, shaking her head. "What are you planning on using this on, a tank?"

"Or maybe a Witch," you say. "Which... One moment, Sayaka?" You raise a finger, and reach out by telepathy. "Mami, Homura, I want to tell Sayaka about Walpurgisnacht right now, if you're both OK with that?"

"That's a good idea, Sabrina," Mami agrees.

Homura falls silent, her jaw tightening for a bit.

Sayaka glances between the three of you, fidgeting uncomfortably. "... Something up, guys?"

"Yeah, just hold up a minute, Sayaka?" you ask, giving her a smile. "Just a quick discussion." You return your attention to Homura.

She nods sharply. Reluctant, from the way her jaw tightens, but... It's permission.

You exhale. "Right," you say. "Let's all... Take a seat?" You reform the little benches again, calling a blob of Grief to your hand. "And... I'm going to make a privacy field. It's gonna be a bit Witchy."

With affirmations from everyone and a faintly worried look from Sayaka, you build the exclusion field. It takes the form, once more, of a green circlet with a golden jewel set in the middle, sitting on a little pedestal.

Sayaka winces as the sensation pulses out. "So what's with all the hush-hush stuff?"

"Walpurgisnacht," you say. "Homura, Mami? Do you want to take the lead on this one?"

Mami gives you an uncertain look before straightening from your side and launching into her explanation. "Walpurgisnacht is the Queen of Witches," she says. "It... It's a gigantic, very powerful Witch."

Sayaka puts it together all but immediately. "And it's coming to Mitakihara," she guesses.

Two slow nods, you and Mami all but moving in synchronisation. Homura remains impassive, though you can't help but notice the way her knuckles whiten on the edge of the bench.

"Thirtieth of April," you say. "The night of Walpurgis. It's a German festival."

"Well, shit," Sayaka hisses between her teeth. "So... what, it's going to... pull everyone into its Barrier?"

"It doesn't have a Barrier," Homura says. She isn't looking at you, nor at Sayaka. Not at anyone, really. "It manifests in the real world. When it does... it will destroy Mitakihara."

Sayaka pales. "I... I see," she says. "And we're..." Something seems to click inside her mind, cerulean blue eyes snapping to Homura. "That's why you're here, aren't you? You're here to fight it."

You can feel the pressure Homura puts on the bench as her hands tighten.

"In a manner of speaking," you answer for Homura.

Sayaka squeezes her eyes shut, rubbing at them with her gloved knuckles. "You should have said so," she mutters. "We're going to fight it?"

Mami nods firmly. "Walpurgisnacht is a threat to everyone in this city," she says. "Of course we're going to fight it."

"Alright," Sayaka says, opening her eyes. "What do we have to do?" She manages a grin at Homura. "Orders, Captain Ahab?"

...

She's not completely wrong. She has the good sense to not ask Homura what she lost, in any case.

"Be nice, Sayaka," Mami chides. "We train. We need to gather resources, Grief Seeds... Sabrina's working on getting us allies, too."

"And Homura hacked the local meteorological service," you add. "She tweaked their models a little bit so that they're going to wind up predicting a freak supercell storm on the day and evacuate the city."

Homura nods jerkily. "Walpurgisnacht is..." She grimaces, violet eyes cutting into you. "Kyuubey can't hear us, right?"

"Nothing at all," you confirm, gesturing at your Grief construct. "This is absolute."

She lets out a quiet breath, regarding Mami, then Sayaka. "Walpurgisnacht is overwhelmingly powerful. It's been hit with... battleship weapons before. It didn't die."

"Then we've got to hit it harder than that," Sayaka says, clenching a fist.

Homura doesn't say anything more, jaw tightening.

"Right, right," Sayaka says, gaze flickering over to you. "A giant Witch that wants to destroy the city... perfect for a magical girl show, eh?"

You snort, and straighten. "Well. Yeah. That's what I wanted to tell you," you glance at Homura, slightly worried, but she visibly pulls herself together, expression smoothing back into unruffled imperturbability. Mami tucks herself into your side.

"Oh, and one more thing," you say, patting your bag and pulling out the carefully preserved tupperware. "Here, I made you an apology muffin for waking you up this morning."

Sayaka raises her eyebrows, seizing the box eagerly. "Thanks! You know I wasn't really that upset, right?"

You shrug. "You're not complaining," you counter with a smirk.

"No, I'm not," Sayaka says, grinning as she holds the box up to the light. "Mami helped, right?"

"Yup," you confirm, nudging Mami in the side. She smiles at you.

A wave of your hand dissolves the privacy construct. You grin around at everyone as the tension ebbs from the air. "Anyway... Anyone want a lift anywhere?"

"Eh?" Sayaka asks, blinking. She cottons on a moment later. "Oh, you're offering to fly us? Nah, I'm good."

"That won't be necessary," Homura murmurs. You throw her an amused look. She gives you a flat stare in response and appears to choose to ignore you, raising her nose into the air. Just a bit.

Sayaka hops to her feet. "Well, I'm headed home for now!" she says, exaggeratedly casual. "Probably to the hospital after that!"

Mami giggles, leaning comfortably into your side. "I suppose we should head home, too?" she asks.

"Yeah," you agree. "See you two at the picnic later?"

"See you later," Homura agrees. She rises to her feet, expression calm and placid once more.

"Oh, Sayaka!" you call after the bleunette as she bounces out of the junkyard. "Hey, is Kwyjibo -uh, Kyousuke- bringing his violin?"

"Err... probably, why?" Sayaka responds.

"Ah, nothing, just a thought," you say. "I mean, he's good!"

"Yup!" Sayaka says. "Later!"

You smile at Mami, starting to head out of the junkyard, Homura trailing behind you.

[] Write-in

=====​

Lunch, food preparation to go!

 

[Firnagzen]

You, Mami, and Homura amble along the streets, relaxed and at ease.

...

Well, you amble, setting an easy pace. Mami sticks close to your side, happily bumping her hip against yours every now and then. You smile at her.

Homura trails a step behind. She... well, she definitely doesn't amble. She strides, if anything, head held high and back rigid.

Eventually, of course, your paths diverge. "I'll be going this way," Homura murmurs as you approach a junction. You can't help but note that that direction would be towards Madoka's place, not hers.

"Later, Homura," you say, giving her a smile.

Mami waves. "See you later!"

Homura nods, departing across the road at her steady, measured stride.

Mami shakes her head, smiling softly at you. "She's going to Madoka's place, isn't she?" she murmurs.

You shrug. "Probably, yeah," you agree.

"Is she...?" Mami asks, trailing off meaningfully as the light turns and you cross the street.

You shrug again. "I don't think so," you say. "But I think she could be."

Mami tugs thoughtfully at one of her hair drills. "I see," she says.

You reach over and tug on the other, pulling it straight and letting it go. "Boing!"

Mami giggles, smacking playfully at your hand.

You grin at her. "Though really, I'm surprised and quite happy that Sayaka thinks better of Homura now," you say. The Captain Ahab thing was perhaps a little too on the nose, though, in some ways. How does she even know that particular bit of literature?

... Right, Mitakihara Middle School Syllabus. It deserves the capital letter.

"I was quite suspicious of Homura, too," Mami admits. "I should have known better."

You sigh, rolling your shoulders and tilting your head back to squint at the sun. You could check your phone, but that would mean you have to dig it out of your pocket. "Do you think we still have time to check in on the Mikunis?" you ask. "We could fly if necessary."

Mami's mouth twists a little. "Ah... we have time, yes," she agrees.

You give her a soft smile. "I'll be with you, of course," you tell her, sliding your arm around her waist and pulling her into a sidelong hug. "Just checking in with them, OK?"

"Alright," Mami says, managing to smile back at you. "I still... don't trust them, but I trust you, Sabrina. Though..."

You smile at her, tightening the hug a little as you direct your footsteps down a quiet alleyway. "Yes?"

"The Mikunis?" Mami asks.

"They're practically married," you say with a shrug. "Besides, imagine Kirika's face. Heck, imagine Oriko's face."

Mami gives this a moment of consideration as the two of you wallhop up the sides of the buildings. "... true," she concedes as you crest the rooftop in easy synchronisation.

"Anyway," you say, raising your hand and summoning Grief to form a platform. "We'll fly home really quick, grab a few cupcakes, and then head to their place?"

"No- ah, yes, I-" Mami's face twists. "Um, sorry."

"No," you say, smiling at her. "Don't apologise. What's up, Mami?"

"Um..." Mami says, raising her hands a little towards you. "Could you... carry me? As you fly?"

You blink. "... with my wings, you mean?"

Mami nods, giving you a nervous smile. "I'd like to see them a bit closer," she says. "Um. If that's alright? Sorry."

"No, no, I'd be happy to," you say, beaming at her as you step forward. "Er..." You bend over, looping one arm behind her knees and the other behind her back to scoop her into a princess carry. "Is this OK?"

Mami blushes a little. "Um... Yes," she says, shifting to get comfortable.

"Right. Right!" you say, wings blooming from your shoulders as you melt away Grief spheres. Mami squirms, craning her neck to get a better look at the twisting, fractal membrane slicing across the sky.

She blinks and looks away a moment later, smiling at you.

"Here we go, then," you say, crouching slightly and leaping for the sky, Mami held securely in your arms. She peeks over your shoulder, watching the wings with obvious interest.

"They don't really lift you, right?" she queries a few minutes into the flight.

"Not really," you admit over the thundering wingbeats. "They do, especially when I catch an updraft or something, but mostly, it's Grief manipulation."

"I see," Mami says, eyes bright.

The rest of your flight back home passes in silence, Mami watching with an eager gleam in her eyes. You do a quick check with Kirika as you swing by the kitchen and grab a few cupcakes before heading out again, Mami once more a comfortable weight in your arms as you head for the Mikuni residence.

Of course, your arrival isn't exactly inconspicuous, what with the wings and all. Kirika's pulling the glass door open by the time you set Mami on her feet, flashing you a grin and a thumbs up.

"Hey, Sabrina, hey, Mami," Kirika calls. She isn't quite her usual self, but she's a lot more energetic than the last time you'd seen her. "How're you doing?"

"Not bad," you say, deciding not to mention the picnic. "We brought fresh cupcakes!"

Kirika grins. "Didja bake them yourself?" she asks.

"Well, baked them with Mami," you say, nudging the blonde in question.

"Nice," Kirika says, flashing you another thumbs up. "Come in?" She turns away from you and starts to walk into the house.

"Is Miss Mikuni alright?" Mami asks, a touch hesitantly. "She isn't out to greet us."

Kirika's shoulders sag a little. "She tells me she's fine," she says. "I... I remember your advice, Sabrina, and I've been trying. Oriko... however much I love her, she's too stubborn for her own good."

You sigh, taking a few steps forward to clasp Kirika's shoulder. Wiry muscle tenses like steel cable under your hand for a moment before she relaxes. "We'll figure out something," you murmur.

"C'mon in," Kirika says, pulling free of your hand.

You follow, exchanging a look with Mami. Kirika leads you up to Oriko's room, pushing the door open.

"Hey, Oriko," you greet.

"Hello, Sabrina. Miss Tomoe," the silver-haired girl greets. She looks impeccably groomed despite her silken nightgown, hair falling over her shoulders in perfect waves. Kirika pads across the room, silently sliding into the bed and wrapping her arms around the Oriko. "I apologise that I can't offer refreshments right now. Hi, dear."

"That's quite alright, Miss Mikuni," Mami demurs, perfectly polite as you approach the bed. "We won't be staying long."

"Yeah," you say, rummaging in your bag and retrieving the box. "We brought cupcakes, by the way. How are you holding up?"

"I can't see the future any more," Oriko states, utterly bland. She takes the box with steady hands, setting it on the bedside table. "My thanks."

You drop into a chair. "I'm sorry," you say. "I- we'll figure something out. We've got a soulguca coming in-" out of the corner of your eye, you can see Kirika mouthing the word 'soulguca' to herself, "-soon, right? Hopefully she can do anything, an-"

Oriko waves her hand, cutting you off. There's a manic little edge in her smile, carefully suppressed emotion. "It's quite alright," she says. "I'm still alive."

"Oriko..." Kirika whispers, worry clear in her orange eyes.

Your lips twist. "Oriko? I haven't given up on you," you say. Mami sits beside you and cuddles into your side. "Maybe you've given up on yourself, but I haven't. And frankly, I'm here to fix things."

The seer doesn't say anything, holding your gaze steadily.

You blink first, looking away and sighing. "I... look, Oriko, I really haven't given up on you. I'm glad you're still fine - say, are you still in pain?"

"Faint twinges," Oriko says, raising her hand to display her fingers bare of rings. "However, I feel like that might be because dear Kirika doesn't trust me to get out of bed." She gives Kirika a teasing little smile, expression softening. She inclines her head towards Mami. "Once again, thank you, Miss Tomoe, for your help with the enchantment."

"I was pleased to help," Mami says, nodding slowly.

Oriko turns her attention to you. "I will keep for another few days, I'm sure," she says. "You have things to attend to, today?"

"Well... yeah," you say, feeling a faint twinge of guilt.

"Then we shan't keep you," she says with a faint smile. "I'm grateful for your visit, and the cupcakes."

You sigh, letting your shoulders slump. You're not really sure what to make of Oriko right now, but that's... as polite a 'please go away' as you've ever heard.

Ah, well.

"Hey, Kirika?" you ask. "Um... well, I guess I'm headed off now, but before I head off, did you manage to find anything about that girl?"

Kirika sighs, rubbing her eyes. "Missing as of three days ago, April the fifth. Last seen leaving her school." She cracks a wry grin as she rummages through the clutter on the bedside table. "Never thought I'd be doxxing someone for good reasons," she says, offering you a printout.

You snort. "Well, things happen," you say. Glancing over the paper, you find a series of notes on the girl - nothing terribly interesting there. The last thing, at the bottom of the page, is a little missing persons article. "Damn," you mutter. "Well, something else to look into."

"You kinda go looking for things to stick your nose into," Kirika points out, smirking at you.

"Eh," you say. "'s a fair cop. Thanks, Kirika."

You briefly consider asking her to be your bestbuddy, but the atmosphere isn't quite lighthearted enough for you to do that. Admittedly, you can't shake the mental image of yourself with a curly little mustache either, but that's neither here nor there.

Mami tugs a little on your arm, and you turn to give her a smile. "Anyway, I guess we'll be going now," you offer, turning the smile on the couple. "See you soon, Oriko, Kirika."

"See ya," Kirika says, sliding out of the bed.

"Nah, we can see ourselves out," you say, waving her back. "I won't break anything!"

Oriko rolls her eyes. "See you, Sabrina, Miss Tomoe."

Your goodbyes said, you leave the mansion through the glass door, carefully sliding it shut behind you. "Ah... shall I carry you again, Mami?"

She shakes herself, smiling up at you. "Yes. I have an idea~"

"Oh?" you ask, bending over to pick her up.

"I'll show you," she says, nestling into your arms. "Soon!"

You snicker. "Alright," you agree, crouching a little and leaping for the skies.

You head home, wind in your hair and Mami in your arms. As you soar past the central business district, still gaining height, Mami stirs a little.

"Sabrina?" she murmurs into your mind.

"Mm?" you say.

"Let me go," she says.

"What? No!" you tighten your arms around her.

"I won't be hurt," she says. She reaches up to cup your face, golden eyes glowing with utter trust. "And you'll catch me if I don't succeed."

"I-" Your breath hitches in your throat. "OK."

In the face of that kind of sheer, absolute trust, what can you do?

You trust her, and you loosen your grip around her.

Mami smiles, her hand slipping from your face as she turns to face down, face down to the onrushing ground so far below. She's a magical girl and she'd survive any impact but you're already folding your wings behind her and diving to follow as she spreads her arms and legs into a skydiver's freefalling position.

Golden light blazes, a webwork of ribbons lashing across the sky as they coil and they weave. Seconds later, they snap into shape.

Wings.

Wings that clearly draw from yours. The same predatory, swept back shape, the same high arching curve. Sans the eye-straining affront against all that is good and right that makes up the fabric of your wings, of course. Mami's wings are woven of soft, golden fabric that shimmers faintly under the sun.

Mami's fall jolts to a halt as she wobbles, arms and legs spread wide to steady her flight.

You laugh, long and loud as you swoop down in front of Mami, settling into an aerodynamically impossible backstroke so that you're face to face with her. "You're amazing."

Mami blushes brightly. "It's nothing special," she says. "I just copied your wings, and I can't really fly. This is just a glider."

"And you did it with one good look at my wings," you say. "Don't be ridiculous. You're awesome, Mami, and that's final." You reach out and tap her nose. "Also, you're it." Folding one wing, you roll down and away from Mami, snapping your wings out to level into a swift flight lancing across the skyline.

Mami chases you all the way back home, her laughter mingling with yours in the clear blue sky. She's not a very good flyer, to be honest, but you let her catch you as you approach the apartment, turning at the last moment to let her crash against your chest. You flutter to the roof of the building with Mami safely captured in a hug, still laughing.

"You're the best," you tell her as you dissolve your wings, letting the Grief wisp away into the inert little spheres for storage.

Mami shakes her head. "No, you are," she says happily as she starts off down the stairs.

"No you," you say, sticking your tongue out at her.

With that absolutely mature and eloquent response under your belt, you march past her, nose held high as you head back home with Mami.

[] Write-in

=====​

OK, so honestly, I'm breaking the update here because it's getting too long. The next update will be cooking and lunch, which you'll finish up at about 2:30 or so, leaving a bit of time for one last activity before the picnic.

 

[Firnagzen]

You hum cheerfully as you unlock the door, bumping it open and shucking your shoes. Mami follows you into the apartment, stretching happily with both arms over her head. There's still a contented smile on her face, traces of pleased laughter in the creases around her eyes that look simply beautiful on her.

"Lunch?" you ask, giving her a soft smile. "Lunch."

It's nice to see her happy. Your nebulously defined status with Mami or not, it's simply enough to see her in a good mood.

"And cooking," Mami chimes in, bumping her shoulder against yours as she moves towards the kitchen.

"Yup," you agree, following. First things first; the things that need to come out of the refrigerator to warm up. You start pulling out clingwrapped dishes of seasoned meat and other things that need to defrost, like the butter.

Mami fussed with the steamer, rinsing it out and then filling it with water. "Are you alright with steamed rice and fish for lunch, Sabrina?" she asks. "We can just throw it all in here and steam it while we cook."

"Fine by me," you agree, giving her a grin. "Throw some greens and stuff in there, too?"

Mami huffs, mock offended. "Of course I will, Sabrina. What do you take me for?"

You flash her a grin as you start laying out the spices. You might be collaborating with Mami on everything else, but the curry is your idea. Actual, heavily-spiced-but-not-necessarily-spicy Indian style curry, not the sweet Japanese kind. Not that that's bad, it's just... Different.

Your hand hovers over the fresh chilli. Just a few of them, you think, to give it a bit of bite. You pick out a few, and set aside the chilli powder to bring along just in case anyone fancies burning their tongue off.

Hmm...

Mami starts laying out ingredients too, bumping her hip against yours. You smile at her, looping a companionable arm around her waist as she fusses with some utensils.

"Cream?" you ask.

"Cream stew," Mami confirms. "Homura did like it, after all."

"Good idea," you agree, smiling. "Right..." You rub your hands together, and reach for the knife. "... Actually, what do we want to chop up before I start on the chilli?"

Mami smiles, and starts pushing ingredients towards you - carrots, cabbage, potato... The list goes on with little murmurs of discussion over the cooking. The chillis go last, and then you're stepping past Mami to start the stove up while Mami turns to start the deep fryer.

Between the two of you, the kitchen is soon filled with the deliciously savoury smells of cooking food, pots simmering on the stove with fragrant steam wafting forth. Mami fusses with the fryer, expertly adding crumbed chicken without a single splatter. You work at a pan, laying out dumplings before adding water and covering them to steam-fry to a nice golden brown.

On the kitchen table behind you lies freshly steamed mochi dough - they just needed a minute or two to cool down. Mami gets there first, though, and grabs the roller and the dough, flashing you a smile.

You return the smile and twirl past her to check on the steamer with your actual lunch in it. Flicking a glance at the various pots on the stove, you grin at Mami. "Lunch in five?" you ask.

Mami smiles. "Help me with the mochi?"

"Of course," you say, hurrying over and grabbed the discs of dough Mami stamps out to wrap up sweet red bean paste. You make short work of that, producing a neat pile of the little sweet dumplings, and then between Mami and yourself, you dust off the table so that you can lay out your lunch.

Smiling at Mami over the simple, lightly seasoned steamed fish and rice and vegetables, you dig in to your lunch. You only have a few minutes before it's time to be busy with cooking again, after all.

"Say, Sabrina?" Mami asks, between dainty bites. "What was that printout you asked Miss Kure for?"

"Oh," you say. Well. There's a matter of some contention with yourself, isn't it? You've been dickering over whether you should spend some time to do something with that information or not. "Uh, I had Kirika do some research for me, because she has a lot of time spare to spend on the Internet and all, yeah?"

Mami nods, scarfing down some fish.

"There's a magical girl named Kuroki who hasn't been seen in the last few days," you explain. "And, uh-"

Mami smiles at you. "You want to look for her?"

"I'm not going anywhere," you say, reaching across the table to cover her hand. "I might want to spare a bit of time to try some Grief devices to see if I can locate her later, but I'm going nowhere. I'm here, Mami, and this -you- are important to me." You sigh. "She's been missing for a few days. An hour or two won't make much of a difference."

"Ah," Mami says, shoulders relaxing... you'd say she relaxes imperceptibly, but you know her, and you know where to look for that cord of tension and the worried little crease between her eyebrows that eases away. She turns her hand over, palm to palm against yours, and curls her fingers against yours. "S-sorry."

"No," you say firmly. "Never."

Mami smiles at you, a little shaky.

You smile at her, leaving your hand right there as you return to eating your lunch. The silence is... comfortable, and after a moment, Mami follows suit.

And then it's time to return to cooking again. You check on the curry -simmering nicely- while Mami stands next to you, sauteeing some onions. She gives the curry a dubious look as you add the coconut milk. "Isn't that a bit too spicy, Sabrina?"

"Nah," you say, scooping up a spoonful to offer to Mami.

She blows on it to cool it down before daintily sipping it up. Surprise flickers across her face, and she smiles. "That's good!"

You grin at her. "I should hope so," you say. "The coconut milk helps a lot."

Mami smiles back.

"Anyway," you say as you poke at the potato. Needs to soften more, you judge. "I'm... kind of worried about Oriko."

"Oh?" Mami says cautiously, turning away from the stove.

"Yeah," you sigh, eyeing the onions and stirring them. "She's..." You break off with an inarticulate, annoyed sound. "She's depressed, giving up on living, and the confinement is making it worse." To be honest, the way she's acting, you'd guess that the only reason she hasn't Witched out is because of Kirika and the Clear Seed you'd given them.

Speaking of, you do need to check that the next time you go over.

"I... I can see that," Mami agrees, dusting the inside of a tupperware with cornstarch and starting to lay out the mochi inside.

"I'm... well, I can't lift the house arrest, but I kind of want to let them out of the house now and then," you say.

"Homura... Homura seems to dislike them a lot," Mami ventures, still boxing up the mochi.

"Yeah," you say. "I... convincing Sayaka and Homura is probably going to be... horribly hard. And I don't really... doing it behind their backs would be a violation of their trust."

Mami nods. "You'll do the right thing," she says, smiling at you. "I believe in you."

You smile at her. "Thanks, Mami."

"Of course, Sabrina," she says, finishing up the boxing. She returns to the stove, and you yield the onions to her, instead attending to the steamer - freed of your lunch, it's now loaded with little cups of egg. Chawanmushi, some nice, savoury egg custard.

"Few more minutes," you decide, getting a nod of agreement from Mami. "Also, um, Mami."

"Mmm?" she glances over at you.

"About Kuroki..." you start. "I was thinking about enlisting help from nearby meguca, like... Masami, or Kyouko."

"... oh," Mami says, head dipping. She continues stirring the onions in silence.

"If you're OK with that?" you ask anxiously, moving over to encircle your arms around her waist from behind. "I- I'm asking you, Mami. I can pay them for it, too, so it's just... asking them to help, right?"

Mami nods. "I- a-alright," she says, swallowing and leaning into your hug. She takes a shaky breath, visibly forcing herself to relax. "Alright."

"Hey," you say, bumping your head against hers lightly. "You're fine. And I'm here, Mami. Here to stay."

"R-right," she says, steadying a little.

You hold her for a while, until you're forced to abandon the hug and stir the curry. Even so, her mood seems to improve as she shakes it off.

Old, old hurts that never really go away.

Eventually, the cooking winds down, Mami finally cheering up a little, as you playfully feed her one of the freshly made mochi. All the food is nicely packed, filling two baskets to the bursting.

You return to the couch to just sit and rest for a moment, Mami curling up in your arms.

[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

-[X] And about Enchantment: It's easier to make an Enchantment if it's related to oneself's power, right? Should we try to make an Enchantment that controls Grief, or maybe one that cleanses Soul Gems?
--[X] If it's OK, dedicate the time until the picnic to practicing whichever enchantment Mami recommends.

=====​

Cutting the vote here to allow for a decision on what to do next. It's now about two hours before the picnic, enough time for one more thing done.

 

[Firnagzen]

It's nice, having Mami cosy and comfortable in your arms. You hold her for a while, leaning your head against hers. Her hair tickles your cheek, the soft fragrance of her shampoo and ever-present scent of tea filling your nostrils. You wish...

Heh.

You wish you could just rest like this for a bit and forget everything. You're realistic enough to say that you'd only want to rest for a bit - you'd go stir crazy soon enough. But it's nice, it really is, just cuddling with Mami.

Ah, well.

Things to do.

"Mami?" you murmur.

"Mmm?" she asks, tucking her head against your shoulder.

"I'm going to start trying things out, alright?" you suggest. "Gonna try making a Grief book, first. I might go into a trance, and it's probably going to feel Witchy."

"Alright," she responds, sliding an arm behind your back so that she can hug you around the waist.

You hold your hand out, summoning a blob of Grief from the mass you've left brooding on the roof. It bumps into the glass of the window, and you stop the motion before it breaks the glass. Instead, you pout and send a few marbles sailing from your bag to undo the latch.

Mami watches the entire affair, tucked comfortably into your side, and she giggles as the blob of Grief finally slaps into your hand. She pats you comfortingly on the shoulder.

With Grief in hand, you focus. Your attention sharpens on the blob of Grief, will and need moulding and shaping it. You need Kuroki's contact information. Will and need and control and a touch of fiat.

By my will be done.

A single card forms in your hand - not so much a book as a faux-business card of finely pressed linen paper, smooth and glossy to the touch. It sings of Witch in your mind, but that's alright. Printed across it in gold-embossed words are a single phone number and a name.

Mami stirs, lifting her head a little from your shoulder to peer curiously at the card. "Is that it?" she asks.

"Yup," you agree, sighing. You can't help but wonder if it would have been better to check Homura's book of Witches - you'd be able to check the worst case scenario, too. But then, you can't leave Mami right now, and you can't let her see the book, either.

"Isn't that a good thing, Sabrina?" Mami asks, her gaze flicking up to you.

"Yeah, but... I mean, if she's been missing for four days, I can't imagine no one's tried calling her yet," you say. Nevertheless, you grab your phone from your bag with a few marbles of Grief.

You set the card down on your lap -you only have the one free hand, since not hugging Mami is obviously not an option- and snatch the phone from the air, eyeing the charge. It's been a few days since you've charged it; probably time to charge it again. Later, though.

You flip it open and dial.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable." An automated message is the only response you get.

You scowl.

"Nothing?" Mami asks, her mouth tugging into a disappointed expression.

"Nope," you agree, heaving a sigh. "It was a long shot, anyway."

Mami sighs too, burrowing her head against your shoulder. "What's next?"

"Next I check in with Ishinomaki," you say. "Confirm that they're good for tomorrow, and to see if... Well, they have a girl who does tech, right? Magical hacking and so on. Maybe she could try and track the phone or something."

Mami nods. "That's a good idea," she agrees. "There are a few tracker specialist magical girls out there, but they're rare, and I don't know where any are." She wrinkles her nose. "There was a girl with dogs passing through Mitakihara once, but she didn't keep in touch."

Her expression falls a little at the memory.

You hug her tight, setting your phone down so you can wrap both arms around her. You don't say anything - you don't need to say anything.

She relaxes, cuddling closer.

You... Well, what you said earlier holds true. You wish you could just hold her and forget about the world.

But the world spins on.

Still, you can stay like this for a bit.

Mami stirs a few minutes later, peeking up at you. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, no," you say, hugging her again. "Nothing to be sorry for."

She shakes her head, clearly disagreeing. "You were saying?"

"Uh... Right," you say. "I was gonna ask if they could help me with, um, getting a legal identity?"

"... oh?" Mami asks.

You grimace. "I... well, the information I woke up with could only have come from magic of some kind, I... think. I don't think I have an actual identity to uncover."

"Oh," Mami says, golden eyes flicking up to meet your gaze. "I..." she bites her lip. "I see."

"Yeah," you say. "Might as well prepare for that eventuality, I figure."

Mami nods. "Alright," she says, smiling softly at you and letting her head droop back to lean on your shoulder.

"OK," you say. "I'm gonna make the call now."

You reach out by telepathy, reaching out for Inoue Yuuki, the tech-guca of the Ishinomaki group. "Hello, Miss Inoue?"

"Who is this, can you call my sister instead, busy-" the girl's breathless voice fills your head.

You blink. "Uh, it's Sabrina, and OK," you respond. You're immediately met with the connection slamming shut.

... OK then.

Inoue Yuuna instead, then. "Hello, Miss Inoue? This is Sabrina," you say cautiously. Mami's eyes drift open, looking at you with slightly raised eyebrows.

"... ah, yes, Miss Sabrina," the girl responds, sounding equally cautious. "How can I help you?"

"Uh, first, is your sister OK? She cut me off when I tried to call her," you ask. You give Mami a reassuring smile.

You can feel the eyeroll in response. "She's gaming. DotA earlier, think she's playing League now."

"Oh, I see." Never get between a gamer and their games, right. "In any case - I plan on making my cleansing trip tomorrow, if that's acceptable to you? I'll be coming by to cleanse your Soul Gems and refresh used Grief Seeds."

There's a long pause before she responds. "You were serious about that?" Yuuna says, finally.

"Yup," you confirm. Mami tucks herself a little closer against your side with a pleased little sigh.

"Very well," Yuuna responds. "When will you be arriving?"

"Most likely in the late morning, if not afternoon," you say. "I'm sorry, I can't give anything more precise than that - I'm juggling a few other things on my schedule."

"I understand," Yuuna says. "I shall tell the others to keep their schedules free."

"Right. One more thing... I want to commission your sister for two things, but I'm not sure what she's capable of?" you ask.

"Ah, familiar territory," Yuuna says. "What do you require?"

"Well, do you know if she can track a phone from her phone number?" you ask.

"Ah. Yes, she can do that," Yuuna says. "I take it this is partial payment for the cleansing?"

"I- well, no, that's free of charge," you say. "But I'd take it as a favour. The number is..." You read it off the little card.

"Noted," Yuuna says, voice guarded. "I'll tell Yuuki. What was the other thing?"

"Well... I was wondering if she can do anything like create a legal identity?" you ask.

"I... have no idea," Yuuna admits. "I can check with her. Later. Why do you need it?"

"I, uh, don't have one. And I'd appreciate it," you say. "In that case, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Presumably so," Yuuna responds, and ends the call.

You smile at Mami. "Well, that's done," you say. "Seems like they'd be happy to help."

"That's good," Mami says, beaming up at you.

"Next up is... Sendai and the University group," you say. "You know, is there more than one University group? I mean there's, for example, Tokyo University, right?"

Mami shrugs. "Yes, but the group at Sendai University got the name first," she says.

"Fair enough," you say. "Anyway..." You reach out by telepathy, first to Chouko - the leader of the University group. The one who could fly really well. She seems pleasantly surprised, confirming that there haven't been any problems, and again confirming that you're good to visit tomorrow. You follow that up with a call to Mori Rin. The girl seems to be firmly emplaced as the leader of the Sendai group now, speaking more easily for all of them as she finalises your cleansing trip tomorrow.

And finally, Tokyo. You only had the one contact with them, Ueda Noa, the representative of North Tokyo, who Akiko had tried to hire as a mercenary. "Hello, Miss Ueda? This is Sabrina, we met during that fiasco in Sendai?"

It takes a moment for her to respond. "Miss Sabrina?"

"That's me," you confirm.

"Ah. Yes. I take it this is about your offer?" Noa says.

"Yup," you agree.

"How do I put this..." She sounds kind of guilty.

"Just tell me?" you prompt.

"Ah, well, there is no unified front," she admits. "The Council generally agrees that they want to engage your, ah, services, but they can't agree on an order or a way in which to do so. Um, the Meiji group rejects your offering entirely."

"... um," you say. "I do intend to do it for free, you did mention that, right?" At the same time, you nudge Mami. "Hey, um, Mami? What's the Council? Tokyo Council, maybe?"

"Politics," Noa says, sounding wretchedly guilty.

"Um?" Mami asks. "The Council is a... um, Tokyo is just so big that all the magical girl groups agreed that they should have some kind of way to peacefully negotiate. The Council is just, um, something like the United Nations?"

"Gotcha, thanks," you say, smiling at Mami. To Noa, you respond with a neutral, "I see. Anything I can do?"

"Unless you plan on making a personal intervention, I don't think so," Noa says.

"Right, right. Thanks for the info," you say, ending that call.

"Why do you ask, Sabrina?" Mami asks.

You pull a face. "Nah, apparently Tokyo can't decide whether they actually want my help or something," you say. "Because apparently the Council is being political about it."

"Oh," Mami says. "I should have expected that, I suppose. I've heard... stories about them."

You shake your head. "Ah, well," you say, hugging her close. "It's fine. Maybe I'll do something about that at some point, but up until then... well."

And finally, a call to Masami and Hiroko. "Hey, Masami? Hiroko?"

"Hey, Sabrina," Masami responds, sounding entirely too cheerful. "How's tricks?"

... should you be suspicious?

"I think I should be asking you that," you say. "How's Megane?"

"Oh, just fine," Masami responds. "Right, Hiroko?"

Hiroko's only response is an aggrieved sigh and a long-suffering "Masami..."

Masami only laughs. "Ono's shaping up," she says. "Slowly."

"You broke her wrist!" Hiroko squawks in outrage.

"By accident!" Masami counters, like it's a... discussion they've already had. "And she learned to heal out of it, right?"

"God, you've gotten meaner," Hiroko says.

Masami snorts. "You were cheering me on."

"That- that doesn't count!" Hiroko says.

"Ahem," you say, interrupting rather pointedly. "Good to hear things are going... OK. Hey, I might need a favour from you girls at some point, to help to find someone? Not at the moment, I'm following up on some other things at the moment, but I'll be happy to pay you for it if I need your help?"

"We'd be happy to," Hiroko says. "Right, Masami?"

"Right, right," Masami says. "Yeah, let us know. We can bring Ono along, too!"

"That's the idea," you allow, and exchange a few more pleasantries before ending the call. You relax against the sofa -and Mami- with a satisfied little noise. That's all done, then, and with about half an hour to spare before the picnic. Which means it's time to go, really.

[] Write-in

=====​

Do you remember the days before smartphones, when phones could last for days without being charged?