Puella Magi Adfligo Systema - Story only

[Firnagzen]

You pout for a bit, considering what Homura told you about the Tokyo Council. If anything, you're... disappointed. You were hoping that they'd be amenable to being helped. Surely people would like that, but no: crab bucket mentality is out in full force, apparently.

A single crab in a bucket can crawl out, provided the sides aren't too high. But put a few crabs in the bucket, and none of them will ever get out, because they're all trying to climb on top of each other, pulling each other down.

... Of course, Homura doesn't have the greatest social skills in the world. Kneecaps are a privilege, not a right and all that, eh? She's probably right: it would be easier to shoot them. But it might not be more effective to do so.

Ultimately, that's a problem for later.

"Sabrina?" Homura prompts.

"Nah, just thinking," you say. "It'd be great to get the Tokyo Council on my side, but I think that would be an uphill battle."

Homura nods again.

"Feh," you grumble. "Shame I don't know anything about them. It'd make life so much easier... On the other hand, I'm happy with what I do know." You smile at Homura.

"It is useful," she agrees.

"No, not just that," you say, shaking your head. "I know a lot of things, but... the most important things are what helped me make friends, right?"

"It is... good to know you," Homura allows, eyes flicking awkwardly away from you.

You laugh, and pat her shoulder with your free hand. "Yeah, it's good to know you too, Homura. Mind you... My knowledge isn't all-encompassing, and it's... weird, sometimes. I know bits and pieces of knowledge, scattered all over the world and history. I know things that happened here, in France, things that never were, and I know a few dozen random languages and odd skills and..."

Homura glances back at you, sidelong. "You read Wikipedia in your spare time?" she asks, voice utterly dry.

You blink, startled, before laughing. "What free time?"

She shrugs.

"But... yeah," you say. "It's just... well, some of it is timelines that couldn't have happened. Like... I don't know. There should have been a tsunami to follow the whole mess in Ishinomaki. And, well, I don't know. I know stuff about events in France of six centuries ago."

You grin crookedly at Homura. "Do you know, I'm not the first white-haired, probably-European Grief mage?" you say. "There was one in France, named Corbeau. She transferred Grief into other people's Gems, and she was a nasty piece of work in general."

Homura grimaces, something dark flickering across her face. "You're not like her. I met a girl like that once..." She trails off, shaking her head. "Osaka."

"Huh, interesting. But... nah, I'm not too worried about that," you say. "Just amused by the coincidence, you know? But... yeah. My point is that my knowledge is weird, I suppose."

"It's accurate enough," Homura murmurs.

"I haven't been let down on anything crucial yet," you concede. "And hey. I'm here. I know what's been happening around here."

"Are there many divergences from what you know?" she asks, voice quiet.

"Eh," you say, waggling your hand. "Yes, and no. We're blazing a new path here, in many ways - as far as I know, I'm entirely new." You quirk an eyebrow at her, and she nods in response to the unspoken question. "That said... no. The knowledge I have matches up very well for you and Mami and Madoka and Sayaka even Oriko and Kirika. The whole mess in Asunaro is essentially the first time that what I know has really slipped up."

"They created something that blocked out the existence of the Incubator, correct?" Homura asks, frowning slightly. "Could it be something like that, affecting your knowledge?"

"I... don't think so," you say. "It's possible, but truthfully, I'd personally chalk it up to Asunaro being weird."

"It sounds like it," Homura agrees, pursing her lips.

"Bleh," you say, leaning back and hooking your arm over the bench. You sigh, tilting your head up to look at the sky, shaded a dark grey by Homura's timestop. There's no sound of insects, the distant rumble of the city frozen out, but it's... peaceful, in a rather oppressive way.

You think about Walpurgisnacht, and you think about Homura's loops. With every turn of Homura's shield, time reverses, and Madoka's potential increases, the very fate of an entire universe twined to her life. And with every passing repetition, she becomes that much more of a target for Kyuubey.

Another sword, hanging over your head. This one, the Incubator could bring down on Homura. You know what would happen, once upon a never: Homura, defeated once more by Walpurgisnacht who would have taken her best shots and ignored them. And Homura would despair.

Oriko warned you once of dire imprecations, should Homura find out.

You can't quite understand. Perhaps it's because you're not Homura. You don't have the crushing weight of endless defeats on your hands. For Homura, perhaps, the will to continue comes from the belief that it wasn't all for naught. That she could someday make it right, and it'd all be worth it. Hope that one day she could fulfill her promise to Madoka.

Without that hope, replaced with despair and a surety that the only thing she could do was make it worse...

But you're here.

You don't want to take away from what Homura's done. The bad, yes. You will help her bear the burdens. You won't take away what good she's accomplished, but in a way, you are part of the good she's accomplished.

"Hey, Homura?" you say, breaking the comfortable, contemplative silence.

Her gaze flickers over to you.

"Thanks for helping me be here," you say, smiling faintly at her. "I rather like existing."

Her head tilts fractionally to the side.

"You know, if you hadn't looped, and Madoka hadn't made her Wish, I wouldn't be here?" you half-explain, half-ask.

"You're... welcome?" Homura says, head tilting in the other direction.

You giggle. "I suppose that makes you and Madoka my mothers. Mado-kaa-san has a certain ring to it, don't you think?"

Homura's expression freezes.

"Um... Homura?" you prompt. No response.

... You're not absolutely sure she's breathing. True, you don't actually need to, but still.

She finally thaws, moments later. "You are- welcome," she repeats mechanically.

You laugh, relaxing as you pat her hand. "It's a joke," you say. "Technically true, I guess."

"I would- I am glad you exist, too," Homura mutters, amethyst eyes unable to meet yours.

"I really do owe my existence to you and Madoka, I think," you say, shaking your head. "Just... I don't know. I'm completely new, aren't I?"

Homura nods.

"Then yeah," you say, sighing. "Say, Homura? If you don't mind my asking - do you know what Madoka's Wish was, exactly?"

Her expression falls, a little. You're still holding her wrist, and perhaps if you weren't, you wouldn't have noticed the way her hand twitches in that abortive little gesture.

"'I Wish that everything could be fixed!'" Homura says.

"Ah. I see," you say, squeezing her wrist a little. "I- I know it must be hard for you, but... thank you. It could be helpful, in the future."

It gives you hope, really. It's such a Madoka thing to Wish for, and if she Wished for it, then you don't doubt that it can be done. By hook or by crook. On the other hand, it occurs to you that if you are the result of Madoka's Wish, then you technically just asked about your own conception. Eugh.

You shake your head, chasing that thought from your mind. "You know, Homura..." you begin, and promptly trail off as you think about how to phrase this.

"What is it?" she mutters, still looking away. Her eyes roam the grey-hued garden, lingering on the uprooted rose bush for a second before flickering away.

"When this is all over, when Walpurgisnacht has fallen," you say, putting gentle emphasis on the 'when'. "I think Madoka would swear off making a Wish for your sake if she knew about the loops."

For the second time in a few minutes, Homura freezes, breath catching in the back of her throat. She's so still she might as well have been caught in her own timestop, if it weren't for the fact that she isn't trapped in monochrome shades of grey.

"I know," you say quietly. "But we are going to beat Walpurgisnacht, and whatever comes after... If Madoka has her friends safe, including you, Homura, and if she knew the effort and sacrifice it's taken to get you here today? She'll respect that. She's like that, you know?"

"I-" Homura's jaw clenches, voice tight with restrained emotion. "I don't want her near this. She asked me to keep her away from being a magical girl, she needs to be protected from this."

Voting opens Jul 4, 2017 at 4:00 PM
[] Write-in what to say to Homura
[] Dinner time with Mami
- [] Drop Homura off somewhere
- [X] Be sappy and affectionate
[] Continue through rest of night
- [] Anything specific to do?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Homura is not good with these 'feeling' things.

 

[Firnagzen]

"I know," you say softly, reaching across to try and pull her into a hug.

She resists you, body stiff and unyielding. "She asked me to keep her away from this," she whispers again, shoulders shaking under your touch.

"I know, Homura," you say, moving your hand away from her shoulder. Instead, you shuffle a little closer, and raise it in front of her, fingers spread. She doesn't want a hug, but this is the next best thing, you hope. "Homura, I'm going to cleanse your Soul Gem, alright?"

She doesn't respond, head bowed low. You move slow and careful as you touch your finger to her Soul Gem, drawing forth an ugly, billowing streak of Grief. You wrap it around you in a bilious streamer before crushing it down and sending it sailing away.

"Homura," you murmur quietly. "I know. And I understand."

She shakes her head with a sharp, convulsive jerk. "How can you?" she whispers. There's no... despair in her voice. She isn't anguished about it, nor conflicted. What there is is a bleak, open acceptance.

"Homura?" you say, gentle and warm. "Look at me?"

Faded violet eyes flicker up to meet your gaze for a second before faltering, looking away. Looking past you, at Mami. "You- you should go."

"No," you say. "No, I don't think so. Homura, I know what happened. I know what Madoka asked you to do, all of it. I understand, Homura."

You remember, all right. The end of a loop... The end of Homura's third loop. They beat Walpurgisnacht, true enough, and there the two of them were. Homura and Madoka. They'd won, together, but the fight took everything they had. Their Soul Gems were full.

And Madoka had one Grief Seed left. Just one - Sayaka's Grief Seed. And she used it on Homura, and asked Homura to save her. To stop her from becoming a magical girl...

And to stop her from becoming a Witch.

Homura obliged.

"Then you should know why we can't tell Madoka," she says, hands clenching into fists. You can feel the way the tendons in her wrist pull tight, wire-taut and too prominent under her skin.

"I..." you stumble, lost for words. You scrabble for familiar ground. Arguing Homura down -arguing anyone down- from a position doesn't really come easy to you. It's always a fight, perhaps one you're sometimes too eager to engage in, but it's always something you have to devote thought and time to. "Back up a bit. Homura? I... I don't know what exactly you think of yourself, but you are not unforgivable. Alright? Listen to me. I just- listen-"

You wait until she looks up at you before continuing. "I forgive you. I'm not the one you want to hear it from. I know." You shrug, a little sheepishly. "I said it before, but... You'll hear it from Madoka one day. I know you will. And it's probably getting old by now, but we are going to win this."

Homura slumps, head dipping towards the ground so that the black curtain of her hair hides her face.

"Madoka's smart," you murmur, thinking about how against all odds, she found a way to beat the system, once upon a never. And it worked for an eon, worked for the age of a universe, until it was brought down by the meddling of the Incubators and the heartbreak of one lost, lonely girl who accepted that she could be the devil.

Here's one more try, then. You don't know how it works - you don't know why Madoka Wished differently. Madoka is smart, and a Wish so oddly vague strikes you as running against the grain. And look where that got everyone: phenomenal cosmic power in the hands of, well, you.

"She's smarter than just about anyone gives her credit for," you muse, shaking off the self-deprecation. "Even herself. I suppose that's my point, though. She's smart, and she has a big heart. I know she asked you to keep her from being tricked, and I agree. She shouldn't be tricked, and she shouldn't have to make a Wish."

Homura makes a quiet, broken noise, arm jerking under your fingers.

"For that reason, though, I don't think she'll make a Wish," you say. "I remember things that never happened, but I know that they could." You grin, faint and wry. "Madoka is Madoka is Madoka, right? I know of times that never happened, and she didn't Wish because there was no need to. Because she, too, understood."

"What other times?" Homura whispers, lifting her eyes to meet yours.

You bite your lip, realising the landmine you stepped on. Times that never happened, indeed: When Homura won. Something vague, then.

"When there's still hope left. I..." you say, breaking off with a sigh. "I know I've said it a lot, but I truly believe we're going to win. There is hope, Homura. Walpurgisnacht, enemy magical girls, whatever else might be coming: they can hurt us. We'll have to fight. But they'll beat us over my dead body. And maybe not even that, huh?" You tap your finger against your Soul Gem, smiling faintly.

Homura sighs, head dipping once more as her tightly clenched fists relax. "I don't want to tell her," she whispers.

And that, perhaps, is a more compelling reason not to tell Madoka. It isn't reasoned in the slightest, but... you can understand not wanting to bring it up. Guilt, awful, awful memories.

"Alright," you say. You're trying to be better about not forcing your will on others, right? "May I cleanse your Soul Gem again?"

"That... isn't necessary," she says, but rolls her hand over so that the bright amethyst of her Soul Gem faces you. She's right - there isn't that much Grief, but you wipe it away regardless.

"I won't push, if you don't want to," you say, smiling at her. "I know you've tried, in loops past, to tell others about it. I understand how hard it is, because of everything you've gone through. But Homura?"

You try to pull her into a hug, and this time she allows it, dangling limply in the circle of your arms. "You're not alone any more. Please remember that. I won't tell Madoka if you don't want me to. I promise. But if you do want to, I can help you with it."

"Please," she whispers.

"I promise not to tell Madoka if you don't want me to," you murmur. "Unless I truly, truly see no way out."

Homura nods jerkily, and sags against your shoulder.

Voting opens Jul 9, 2017 at 4:00 AM
[] Continue talking
- [] What about?
[] Dinner time with Mami
- [] Drop Homura off somewhere
- [X] Be sappy and affectionate
[] Continue through rest of night
- [] Anything specific to do?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Homura remains not very good at this "feelings" thing.

 

[Firnagzen]

Homura doesn't say anything more, leaning her weight against you. You're fine with that - you're happy to hold the silence and let her regain her composure. You can't help but fret a little, second-guessing your own decisions. Should you have pressed the issue a little harder? Perhaps, but...

Homura needed the reassurance. She needed to know that she had support. She's not guilty, you think. She's accepted that she's done terrible things, perhaps a bit too well. After all, it's only that acceptance that she can and has done terrible things that would let her tear Madoka from the Law of Cycles for her own selfish reasons, isn't it?

She needs to know that you have her back.

You let Homura recover, the long, muffled silence of the timestop stretching out. It's a little oppressive, and you can hear your own breathing and the rush of blood through your veins. It's almost, but not quite, soothing, the absolute deadening of sound.

Still, you're doing this for your friend. For Homura. You're frankly amazed and more than glad that she's willing to be vulnerable like this around you. True, you're in the safety of her timestop, but the simple fact that she's willing to show weakness around you is... humbling.

Homura pulls back after only a minute, implacable mask once more in place.

You smile at her. Even keeping in mind that she deserves your support, it doesn't mean you can't or even shouldn't try and push, a little. It's important.

"Better?" you ask.

She hesitates, and nods.

"Alright," you say, leaning back on the bench and smiling at Mami's frozen form, just around the bush. She can't see it, but still. "That said... Homura? Hear me out?"

Faded violet eyes flick over to yours.

"Madoka asked you not to let Kyuubey trick her," you say, meeting her gaze steadily. "And I agree. Nobody should ever be tricked into this life. For all that I make it look awesome, it's harsh, it's unforgiving, and it sucks. But... keeping someone informed is the best way to prevent them from being tricked."

"You still think Madoka should be told about the loops," Homura says, voice and expression flat.

"I do," you say. "I think it will help, and I think Madoka would respect your sacrifices enough to not make a Wish. And I think she deserves to know."

A frown creases Homura's forehead, and she hunches her shoulders, obviously thinking. "I... disagree," she says, picking her words slowly and carefully. "Maybe... if we destroy Walpurgisnacht... I will consider it."

"I won't force you," you say, beaming at her. It's more of a concession than you'd ever expected. "But... thank you, Homura."

"Beat Walpurgisnacht first," she grunts, standing.

"One miracle at a time, eh?" You stand with her, of course - you do need to have your hand on her wrist so that you don't get frozen out of time stop.

"Is there anything else?" she asks, reaching for the rim of her shield.

"Well... get back to me with a time for that shopping trip, and that science session, yeah?" you say, smiling at her. "And hey. Homura? If you ever have any issues, I'm always happy to talk or be a shoulder to lean on. Or even if you just want to hang out, I'd love to."

"Do you like climbing trees?" she asks, utterly toneless.

You blink, and laugh. "Just ask Madoka if you can come in," you say. "She won't mind, I can guarantee you that."

Homura shrugs again, and grabs the rim of her shield. Gears hum in the inner mechanisms, and the world comes back to life with a gasp. Sound crashes back down upon you, loud after the endless silence of timestop.

Colour floods back into Mami's body, greyscale bleeding back into vibrant life. You release Homura's hand and step forward as Mami looks around for you. Your arms are already rising when she spots you, and she practically flies into the hug.

"Hey, Mami," you say, smiling at her.

The worry lines around her eyes ease as Mami nestles against your chest. "Welcome back," she murmurs.

"Hey, I was gone for no time at all!" you say, hugging her tighter.

"I know." She sighs in contentment and cuddles closer.

"Anyway, Homura, can I offer you a lift somewhere?" you ask, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"That won't be necessary," she says, tapping the edge of her shield.

"Alright," you say. "Take care of yourself, alright? See you later!"

"See you," Homura echoes.

"Bye!" Mami says, lifting her hand to wave.

Homura reaches for her shield, and between one heartbeat and the next, she vanishes, nothing left behind to give any trace of her presence at all.

"So, where are we going?" you ask, separating from the hug so that you can actually walk towards your Grief platform, still hovering obediently over the hole in the ground.

"Ah, downtown," Mami says. "There's a nice cafe downtown I like to go to sometimes? Um, if you still want to..."

"Sounds good to me," you say, smiling as you nudge your groceries out of the way and sit on the platform, smoothing your slacks down. You blink down at them, confused for a second - were you wearing these earlier today, or were you wearing a skirt?

... eh, nah, you'd changed in the morning. Right. Mami distracts you by curling up beside you and smiling at you.

"All ready?" you ask.

"I am," she says, claiming your arm to hug.

"Right, here we go!" you say, and the platform leaps skyward, soaring upwards in a smooth arc. The Mikuni mansion recedes behind you, lights glowing cheerfully from the windows as you ascend, surrounded by spheres of Grief almost too dark to see against the night sky.

You do a quick mental inventory - Yakuza gold and cash in the various storage spheres, the obrez you'd gotten from Homura, and most importantly, Homura's notebook of Witches.

"Downtown where?" you ask as you skim towards the forest of skyscrapers. You can pick out individual skyscrapers even at this distance, highlighted from below by a wash of glowing streetlights and pinpointed from above by the blinking strobes of aircraft warning lights.

"Mmnm," Mami says, and sits up to point. "Over there. Suzu Cafe."

"Gotcha," you say, steering in the indicated direction. Dinner with Mami at a nice cafe... wait.

... is this a date?

Your thoughts spill over each other. Did Mami just -well, not just, a while ago, but still- ask you out for dinner? Well-

She technically did, but did she mean it like that?

No, wait, if she did that means she stole a march on you, you were going to take her to Italy for a dinner date, and that would have been- well-

You're damned glad it's dark right now because good grief your face must be red right now even your ears are burning is this a date and did you just miss that you aren't even dressed nicely just wearing what you've been wearing all day wait Mami knows that you've been together the entire day and-

... maybe not a date? Or maybe just a very casual one? There are images in your mind you can't help but imagine but- ack.

Mami perks up, releasing your arm so that she can peer over the edge of the Grief platform. "Oh, we overshot a bit, Sabrina," she says, returning to cuddle against your side.

"Oh, OK," you say. You're very proud that you managed to say that normally and thank Madokami it's dark. And again for the fact that magical girls don't have advanced hearing or else Mami would hear your heart buzzing like a hummingbird in your chest.

You slow the platform subtly as you do a U-turn, and you take the opportunity to force yourself to calm down. Maybe it is a date. Maybe it isn't. But Mami clearly isn't expecting anything grand out of it, and what's the difference if it is? The two of you are together, regardless. A more precise word for what you are is something you can figure out over time.

You blow out a slow, careful breath as you land the platform. Date or not, you're going to enjoy your time with Mami. You always do, anyway.

You stand, smiling at Mami and offering her your hand. She takes it, letting you help her off the platform, which you 'park' in a corner of the roof, along with all the other Grief. You consider for a second before packing it all around the groceries, keeping it safe and protected from the elements. You pocket a bit of money from a Grief sphere, too.

Mami beams at you, and the both of you hop over the edge of the roof to land into the alleyway below. You stroll out of the alleyway, hand in hand.

You spot the cafe across the street, a tasteful sign glowing bright against encroaching evening. Through the glass frontage, you can see a cosy, pleasant-looking dining areas - wooden flooring, and various tables scattered around western style with padded chairs.

You hum cheerfully as you cross the road towards the cafe - happily, there's no queue outside, so you manage to grab a nice table that's out of the way. It is a nice cafe, not too crowded, but not so empty as to suggest that it's unpopular, either. You panic briefly over whether you should be pulling out the chair for Mami to sit, but she doesn't seem to expect you to, seating herself and giving you a warm smile.

You duck your head, giving her a bashful grin before claiming the seat opposite her. A smartly dressed waiter comes by with a cheerful welcome and menus for the both of you.

"What would you recommend, Mami?" you ask, flipping open the leaflet, but smiling at Mami instead of actually reading it.

"Oh!" Mami says, blinking in startled surprise. "Um... well, I really like their desserts here, but um, those are for dessert. How hungry are you?"

"Not that hungry," you say, smiling. "I could eat, though."

"Ah... do you like steak?" Mami asks. "Their steak was good, when I tried it."

You check the menu, which is written in both Japanese and English. "Oh, filet mignon," you say with some surprise. "Not too pricey, too... I could go for that!"

"I'll have the poached salmon," Mami decides. "And, um... strawberry sorbet for dessert."

"Oooh, good point," you say. "Recommend me something?"

"Hmm... the peach tart?" Mami suggests.

"Mm, nah," you say, shaking your head and smiling at Mami. "I bet you could make one that's much better than anything I could get here."

"I'm not that good," she says, cheeks reddening.

"I beg to differ!" you say, beaming at her.

Mami ducks her head, embarrassed - but there's a pleased smile on her face to complement the blush. "Um... maybe the lava cake? I don't know how to make that."

"Sounds good to me," you say. "We can share!"

"Alright," Mami says, smiling softly at you. She flags down a waiter, and you make your orders - he manages to sell you on upgrading your meals with a soup, too.

"Why Italy, anyway?" you ask, leaning back and smiling at Mami.

"Eh?" Mami asks, giving you a curious look for the non-sequitur.

You duck your head, flushing a little. "Um, I mean... you seem to really like Italy, and... I was wondering why?"

"Oh!" Mami says with an understanding nod. Her smile fades a little, turning melancholy. "Well... I went there when I was younger, with my parents."

"Ah," you say. Dammit, abort abort abort! "I'm... I'm sorry."

"No, no," Mami says, smiling at you. She reaches across the table to put her hand on top of yours, warm and reassuring. "I'm fine. But I always did love Italy, ever since then. It was beautiful."

"Where did you go?" you ask, turning your hand over so that you can interlace your fingers.

"It was a business trip," Mami offers. "So we were in Florence for a few days. The city is amazing. We went on vacation after papa's business was done, so we toured the city a bit. We saw the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore!"

"That must have been amazing," you say, beaming at Mami.

"It was," Mami agrees, eyes misty with memory. "You could see almost the entire city from the top of it."

You stroke your thumb over the back of her palm, waiting for her to continue.

"We flew to Rome, after that," Mami says, after a minute. "Which was... it's amazing, what they built, and what lasted through time, you know? The food was wonderful, too, though I don't like olives that much."

"Italian food, hm? We should try cooking more of that at home," you say with a laugh.

"I'd like that," Mami agrees with a smile.

You're interrupted by the waiter, bearing two steaming bowls. "Excuse me, ladies, your appetizers..."

You're presented with a fragrant, perfectly clear bowl of consomme - the same for Mami. You beam at her, picking your spoon up, and the next few minutes are occupied by the gentle clinking of spoons against ceramic as you savour the broth.

"Was that the end of the trip?" you ask Mami, smiling at her as you set the spoon down beside your finished soup.

"Oh, no," Mami says, shaking her head. "We went down to... ah, what was it called... Positano. Do you know it?"

You frown in thought. "Amalfi coast? With the cliffside town?"

"That's the place," Mami says, smiling. "It was just as spectacular, and the beach was beautiful. We rented a small chalet and spent a few days there, before flying back home."

You shake your head, smiling. "That sounds absolutely wonderful," you say. A few mental notes to be made for taking Mami to Italy right there, though - you weren't quite expecting her to have been there before.

"It was," Mami agrees. "Have you... oh." She shakes her head as if to clear a thought from her mind. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go some day, Sabrina?"

"Germany, maybe," you say with an amused smile. "Though... Mmm, I can't say there's any place on the list in particular? Travelling the world would be amazing, though, and better if you're there with me."

Mami smiles, soft and warm. "I'd love that."

"It might be a working vacation, though," you admit, rubbing your nose. "I'm not... good at leaving aside people who need help."

"That's fine," Mami says. "You wouldn't be you if you did."

"Thanks, Mami," you say, smiling. "One day, then. Hopefully soon!"

"Hopefully!" Mami agrees. "Do you have any plans for the future, beyond helping magical girls?"

You dart a quick, furtive look around, and beckon Mami forward a little. "Does getting Homura and Madoka together count?" you whisper.

Mami laughs, bright and startled. "Yes, that counts," she agrees. "Do you really think Homura's interested, though? I don't really know what she's thinking, most of the time."

"Eh," you say, waving your hand. "I'm half joking, to be honest. I'm..." you purse your lips. "I'm not sure Homura's really emotionally equipped for it, in the short term. Long term... Maybe."

"Makes sense," Mami agrees, smiling. "What else?"

"Hmm..." You purse your lips, considering Mami's question. Truth be told, you don't really have goals outside of helping your friends, helping your Mami, and just helping magical girls in general. As you said, even if you go travelling to see the world, you'd be doing that to help magical girls along the way.

"I'd... kind of like to find out where I come from," you say hesitantly. You have guesses, but nothing definite. "It's nothing very urgent, I suppose, because I'm happy right here where I am, but it would be nice to know." You beam at Mami. "And I'd like to take you along with me if I do."

"Oh," Mami says, smiling warmly at you. "I- I'd like that."

"But... yeah," you say. "Other than that... maybe found a company or something to help magical girls? I bet, as many teleporters, travelling and healing powers as there seem to be, we could make a pretty good profit, and then use that money to reach out to magical girls who don't have support, you know?"

"That's a very you thing," Mami says with a warm smile. "Is this on top of or instead of your magical girl hostel idea?"

You laugh. "I have no idea! Maybe on top of - need to figure out income for that, after all." You continue by telepathy. "Can't rob yakuza for all our expenses, after all. They'd run out eventually."

Mami giggles fondly, covering her mouth with her hand. Your main courses arrive, and you tuck in happily. "Swap you some salmon?" you offer, slicing out a piece of beef - nice and pink, not too overdone and perfectly tender.

"Of course," Mami agrees, cutting a generous piece of salmon off for you. You frown playfully at her, and offer her more of the beef. She huffs, faking offense, but accepts the trade.

"Mm," you hum as you fork up a bit of the salmon. It's perfect, creamy and just a bit tangy and all but melting in your mouth. "What about you, Mami? Anything you'd like to do in the future?"

"I don't have any definite ideas. Being a magical girl takes up most of the time I'm not in school, you know?" Mami admits, shaking her head. You give her an encouraging smile, and she continues, emboldened. "I've thought about joining a shooting team before! But I think that would be cheating..."

"Do you think there are other magical girls in national teams or something?" you muse. "I mean, I can't imagine someone hasn't done it before."

"There absolutely are! I think," Mami says, waving her fork at you. "I watch the Olympics and try to spot the magical girls. I can never be quite sure, though..."

You laugh, delighted. "Ooh, we've got to do that some time," you say. "Anything else?"

"Well... it's a bit embarrassing, but..." It's Mami's turn to lower her voice. "I've thought about going into singing."

"Not as an idol, I hope," you say, making a face. "That industry's absolutely toxic."

"... it is?" Mami says, tilting her head.

"Yeah, it's kind of exploitative, isn't it? The girls are basically used, paraded on show, and then when they burn out, they're tossed aside," you explain. "Plus there's always pressure, pressure, pressure on them."

"Oh," Mami says, shaking her head. "Um, I think that's out of date, Sabrina. It... was like that before, but there's was a big reform a... decade ago? The industry's changed since then."

"... huh," you say, blinking. "Oh. That makes sense, I guess."

Mami shrugs, reaching across the table to pat your hand. "We can't all know everything."

"I wanna try, though!" you say, sticking your tongue out at her. "Well... if you want to do that, you'd be amazing, I'm sure. But I've never heard you sing properly!"

"I could sing for you some time," Mami says, blushing. "Though..." She shakes her head. "Honestly... I was thinking of doing it because I was lonely."

The smile she directs at you is radiant. "I'm... not lonely any more."

What can you say to that? You reach across the table, met halfway by her hand to intertwine your fingers. You hold that for a few minutes, smiling back at her before murmuring, "We should probably eat before the food gets cold."

Mami nods, the simple happiness on her face unfading as she returns to her salmon.

You make a mental note to keep an eye on Mami the next time you fight a Witch - or anything, really. Because as giddily joyful as you are, that's a worrying line to hear from Mami.

You chat over dinner, rambling from topic to topic, until finally you're done, the plates cleared away and replaced with dessert now reduced to plates of crumbs. You'd shared with Mami, and she with you, of course, laughing and talking and simply enjoying the time spent together.

"Bleh," you say, kicking your feet out under the table. "I suppose we should go now."

Mami giggles. "I suppose so!" she says, looking around for a waiter.

"Ah, I'll pay!" you say, managing to catch the eye of the waiter and waving him over before Mami does.

Mami pouts at you as you count out the notes to pay for the meal, but cheers up when you stand and offer her your arm. She takes it, looping her hand through your elbow as you leave the cafe, satisfied.

"Shall we head home now?" Mami asks, smiling at you as you step into the street.

Voting opens Jul 13, 2017 at 10:00 PM
[] Head home
[] Witch hunt
[] Something else?
[] Help Mami with homework
- [] Enchantment practice
-- [] Write in direction
[] Next day...
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

That was fun to write.

 

[Firnagzen]

You smile right back at Mami, putting your hand on top of the one she looped through your elbow. That was a date, wasn't it? Without really thinking about it, you lean in, and brush your lips over her cheek.

Mami's face lights up with a bright, luminescent blush, her lips parting in surprise.

"Let's," you manage, beaming back at Mami with reddened cheeks. It's a good thing you didn't plan on saying anything more, because you're not absolutely sure you could have managed it.

Her expression softens into something warm and adoring, and she presses closer to you. "Let's," she agrees quietly.

Home. Home is where the heart is, and, well, you know where yours lies. You can't help the slightly guilty little squirm in your stomach that says you shouldn't. Not when Mami still isn't really recovered. You don't want to take advantage of her state, and... you don't want to worsen her dependency on you.

Still...

You look at Mami as you walk along the street. She's happy. And she's happy because she's with you. How much would it hurt her, if you pulled back? If you stopped being as affectionate with her?

Too much.

In an ideal world, you'd take it slow, for all that you don't want to. She has friends, and she has support. You still plan on encouraging her to rekindle her friendship with Kyouko, and she has Homura and Sayaka and Madoka and even Hitomi. It's not the ideal world, but it isn't an awful state, either.

Seeming to sense your gaze, Mami turns, a smile already on her face. "Something on your mind?"

"I'm lucky to have you," you say, smiling at her. The fact is that you don't want to pull back. Beyond the fact that it would hurt her, it would hurt you. You like Mami, simple as that.

"Sabrina..." she protests half-heartedly, blushing red once again.

"No, really, I am," you insist, smiling. A thought occurs to you as you turn off the main street and down a quiet alleyway. "Though, well - wings or platform?"

"I thought we were taking the platform because it was easier to carry the groceries that way?" Mami asks.

You blink, and then laugh ruefully. "Yeah, you're right," you agree. "I just thought that it's nice to fly home together."

"But we will be," Mami says, smiling at you and releasing your elbow so that she can reach up and tap your nose. "Just not with wings."

"Fair enough!" you agree with a laugh. You look at the brick wall, running sheer up to the roof where you can feel your Grief waiting. You take a step back and bound straight at the wall, clearing a full storey from a standing start and scaling the walls knowing without looking that Mami's right behind you.

You don't even raise dust from the grungy brick wall as you crest the top of the building, flipping to land in a smooth crouch. Mami hops up beside you, already turning towards you. You take her arm, and lead her over to the platform, already waiting with your groceries.

With Mami curled happily into your side, you take once more to the sky. It's well and truly night now, stars starting to twinkle overhead, and the moon just starting to rise. Below, the heated orange glow of the city reaches heavenward, the churn of people and endless thunder of cars merging into seamless rivers of light and distant noise.

It's almost peaceful, from up here. One week over, and... one week closer to Walpurgisnacht. But for now, it's peaceful up here, so you simply soak in the silence and the warmth of Mami cuddled into your side, her wind-tossed hair tickling your arm.

You arrive at Mami's apartment block all too soon, splitting the groceries and dissolving the platform behind you as you head downstairs. The Grief you tuck away as a neat stack of spheres in the corner of the roof.

One of these days, a maintenance worker or someone is going to stumble across the Grief and be very confused. If it hasn't happened yet, even.

"You have homework to do, right?" you inquire as Mami shifts her groceries to one hand and unlocks the door.

"I do!" Mami agrees, toeing her shoes off and stepping inside.

You follow her in, exhaling softly and feeling a weight slide off your shoulders as you look around the familiar, comforting room. "I'm home," you murmur.

"Welcome home," Mami answers, smiling at you. "Shall we get these groceries unpacked?"

"Yup," you agree, following her into the kitchen. The two of you take fifteen minutes to do just that, tidying away the groceries into the cupboards and refrigerator both.

"So Mami," you say, smiling at her as you move smoothly past her, bound for the fridge with the packets of chicken.

"Mmm?" she asks, returning the smile.

"Well done for beating me to the punch on the date?" you say, voice cracking on the last word.

Mami's movements still as her cheeks burn a bright, fiery crimson. "T-thank you?"

"I enjoyed it a lot," you say, putting the chicken away and crossing the kitchen to wrap your arms around her. "But next time, I wanna pick the place."

"A-alright," she squeaks, winding her arms around your waist and smiling at you happier than you've ever seen her through her bright, bright blush. She ducks her head a second later, burying her face in your shoulder.

That's... that, then. You put an official word on it.

You hug her tight, bright joy bubbling in your chest, before pulling back. You brush hair out of her eyes, unable to keep the goofy, happy smile off your face.

"We should get back to unpacking," you murmur.

Mami shakes her head in denial, and cuddles closer once more. You laugh.

It's a few more minutes before you actually do get back to work, finishing the unpacking and moving to the living room. Mami collects her homework from her bag and lays it out on the crazed glass of Table-chan. You flop over on the sofa behind her, thinking about what to do.

"Mami?" you murmur. "May I borrow your phone?"

She looks up from her textbook -English- and leans back against the seat of the sofa, head resting against your torso. "Of course? What do you need it for?"

"Oh, I want to look up some things on the Internet, but my phone can't access it, and your computer is too far," you explain.

"Oh. Why don't you use my laptop instead?" Mami asks.

"... You have a laptop?" you say, blinking in surprise.

"Um... Yes?" Mami says. "Almost everyone at Mitakihara Middle School does. It's... Um, not a requirement, but highly recommended? Some classes have interactive parts on our laptops."

"Oh," you say, reaching down to run your fingers through her hair. "That's really neat! I didn't know that."

"Mmm," she says, leaning into your hand. "You can borrow my laptop! It's in my school bag."

You miss her hair gently for a bit more before actually getting up and locating her laptop. Nothing fancy, but nothing too shabby, either. You settle beside Mami, claiming a space to her left as you have room enough for the laptop.

You hit Wikipedia, of course, looking first for a map. The route to Asunaro, first of all, and you find Mami looking over your shoulder with a touch of worry in her eyes.

"Making sure I know the way," you tell Mami with a smile. "It'd be pretty embarrassing to get lost on the way there."

Mami giggles, tension bleeding away. "Oh, Sabrina," she says, giving you a fond look.

Akita Prefecture, as Oriko said way back then, so that's a straight shot north west from here. It's big enough that you can recognise it from the air, you suspect, but just to be sure, you start looking up landmarks.

Japan looks oddly crowded on the map, more cities than there ought to be. There's less farmland than you'd expect, and out of curiosity, you follow that thread of thought. It looks like hydroponics cultivation is far more commonplace than you remember, which would explain how the country supplies itself. Japan's a net exporter of high-tech goods, as expected.

You follow that thread of thought, searching for a world map. Arab Spring happened -is happening- and you know that it started with the Tusinian Revolution. It happened, and things spun out of control, as you remember.

The world doesn't look too different. There are more people, and more events, than you remember, but the broad strokes remain. The major countries all exist with the more or less the same borders from your memory, though you're not quite sure about the Caucasus region.

Which is... strange. Shouldn't the effect of magical girls be more potent? More visible? You'd almost have expected extra wars, or perhaps a lack thereof from the effect of Wishes. But then...

You know Cleopatra was a magical girl - in and of itself strange, but she was one of the magical girls Madokami collected. And you know Jeanne d'Arc was a magical girl, too. There must, then, have been some degree of convergence to history, perhaps the effect of the Incubators concealing things and smoothing out the bigger ripples.

It doesn't fully make sense, and you suspect only one being would give you the kind of answers you want on that, but talking to Kyuubey about another world you remember? You've seen what lies down that path.

... well, maybe two beings. Madokami might know, but you can't exactly talk to her. Maybe she'd answer prayers from you?

Hmm. You don't see anything major that might trip you up. The Olympics still happen, the Allies still won the Second World War and precipitated right into the Cold war, but were still responsible for Japan's post-war economic boom. China's Great Leap Forward happened... essentially as expected.

You sigh, closing the browser tab... tabs. Since when were there that many?

Mami looks up from her homework, concerned, and you smile at her, pushing the laptop away and shuffling closer so you can wrap your arms around her waist and rest your chin on her shoulder. "How's the homework going?"

"It's going well!" Mami says, leaning her head against yours. "I'm writing an essay."

"Oh?" you say, peeking at the essay. Indeed, she is, writing in English that you judge to be excellent. "Oh, very nice!"

"Do you think so?" Mami asks. "Um... could you help me proofread it later?"

"Absolutely," you say, smiling at her. "I'd have offered if you hadn't asked."

"Alright," Mami says, returning the smile. "Thank you, Sabrina."

"Anything for you," you say, shaking your head and sitting up. "I'll let you get back to it."

She turns back to her homework, and you shuffle about to get comfortable - you don't want to disturb her work, but you kind of want to cuddle, too. You're going to practice your enchantment right now, you think, and... maybe you're not going to force anything this time. It seems like most magical girls get some kind of enchantment that comes intuitively to them, and why should you be different.

That does rather elide the fact that you aren't most magical girls, but you're giving yourself a mental pep-talk here.

Of course, you realise that you don't have anything to practice on.

"... Mami?" you ask, tilting your head back to look at her.

"Mm?" she asks, setting her pen down and smiling at you.

"Uh... do you have anything I could practice enchantment on?" you ask.

"Oh, um..." Mami looks around the room. "Ah, I know." She holds up a hand, a ribbon snaking away out of sight around the door and returning with a particularly tacky porcelain doll.

You laugh, smiling at her. "You know I'm probably going to wind up breaking it, right?"

"I won this at a fair a while ago," Mami explains "I didn't have the heart to throw it away, so I put it at the back of the cupboard. Might as well put it to use, right?"

"Works for me," you say. "Thanks, Mami."

"Anything for you, Sabrina," Mami says, echoing your earlier words with a fond smile as she picks up her pen once more.

The scratching of her pen is a gentle accompaniment as you exhale and let the thoughts fall away from your mind. You don't want for anything, not right now. No pressing need to create anything, or even try to produce the barrier enchantment or anything, so you just feel the tingle of magic in your body. You guide it out your fingers, into the little porcelain doll held in your hand, and let it take what shape it might.

It... diffuses, for lack of a better word, thinning throughout the ceramic like a drop of ink dropped in water.

You tentatively push more magic into it, trying to see if you can saturate it without breaking it like that cup all the way back then. It seems like not forcing it works, but the magic doesn't really seem to do much other than clinging to the porcelain like a fiery cloud.

"Mm... Sabrina?" Mami asks.

"Yep?" you ask, setting the doll dow-

You don't set the doll down. It sticks to your hand, brittle ceramic suddenly mutable under your fingers. "Huh."

"Hmm?" Mami asks.

You peer down at the ceramic figure, squeezing - and it oozes between your fingers like soft clay, black dress and cheery face smearing.

"Oh!" Mami claps, looking delighted. "Did you manage to enchant it? What does it do?"

"I... don't know," you admit, scratching your head. "I just pushed magic into it without trying to force it - I thought that might do something. And, uh, I guess it has?"

Mami reaches around you to poke at the mess of porcelain - and to your faint surprise, it doesn't yield under her fingers. "It seems like you made it mouldable, but only to you?"

"It... seems so?" you say, squishing the thing so that it smears like plasticine. It doesn't really stick to your fingers like plasticine or wet clay would, rather, it feels like well-made dough, moulding and flattening under your hands as you roll it into a ball. "Huh."

"That's interesting," Mami says, giving the formerly-a-doll a perplexed look.

"Yeah," you say. "I'll experiment with this more another time. What do you need?"

"Oh, I've finished my essay!" Mami says, holding it up for you to see. "Could you help me read it?"

"Of course," you say, taking it and smiling.

Mami beams at you, and turns to her bag, collecting another worksheet from it - geography, it looks like.

You start to skim the essay, snagging a pencil from Mami so you can highlight corrections that need to be made. Not that there are many! Mami's grammar isn't quite perfect, but it's not bad either. You add suggestions for rephrasing, and vocabulary, too.

A thought occurs to you as you edit the text, and reach out by telepathy. "Hey, Kyouko?"

"Yo." The drawled response comes a few minutes later. "'sup, 'brina?"

"Hey Kyouko," you say. "How's things going?"

"Weekends 're always troublesome. Too many people. 'bout to go for a hunt with Yuma," Kyouko says. "Hard finding Witches. Why?"

"Just checking in on you, really," you say, underlining a spelling mistake. But then, 'occasion' is a silly word, anyway. "But uh, we're a go for training Sayaka. You free tomorrow morning to talk shop? Payment and scheduling and whatever?"

"Eh, sure," Kyouko agrees. "Not before nine."

"Hm... oughta be fine," you agree. Might be cutting it a bit fine - you need to go to Kasamino and back. Time to test whether you can in fact go supersonic, you suppose.

"Yep," Kyouko drawls. "Anything else?"

"Nah, that's it," you say. "Later! All the best with your hunt."

"Mmmrm," Kyouko grunts, ending the call.

You finish reading Mami's essay, and nudge her. "Here, Mami," you say with a smile. "It's great."

"Really?" she asks, beaming at you.

"Some grammar and vocabulary issues, but I didn't see anything wrong with the argument or structure," you affirm, wrapping an arm around her waist and hugging her.

"Thank you," she says, smiling at you.

"Anytime," you say, squeezing her gently. She cuddles against you with a happy sigh, leaning against you.

The rest of the evening passes in much the same vein - Mami does her homework with you helping, and you fiddle with the apparently-enchanted former doll. It's now just a rather messy blob, hard to the touch of anyone else but you. When the magic runs out, it firms up once more, even to you, regaining the smooth sheen of porcelain but not its initial shape.

You can't make heads nor tails of it.

"I'm done!" Mami says at last, setting her pen down with a sharp click and smiling at you.

"Yay!" you cheer. "Well done, Mami."

She smiles. "It's just homework," she demurs.

"Even so~" you say cheerfully. "Also, I had a thought, before we get ready for bed?"

"Mmm?" Mami asks.

"Well... what are we going to do with the incoming magical girls? We don't have anywhere for them to live," you say.

Mami purses her lips. "It's a problem, I agree. We don't have enough room here. Would Homura have any room at her apartment?"

"Maybe. One or two magical girls over there," you agree. Homura has room, but you have no idea if she'd be willing to share. "I was thinking we could use Oriko's refurbished warehouse."

"It's not a long term solution, but it works for the time being," Mami agrees, frowning. "We do need to think of something... Maybe we could start that hotel you mentioned!"

You giggle. "Maybe! Let's see, we could ask Madoka's mother for help. Call it a business venture, right? And maybe we could get investment from the Shizukis..."

You chat happily with Mami as you wind down for bed, taking turns to shower, brush your teeth, and change to pajamas. Mami's brushing her hair when you emerge from the bathroom, looking absolutely radiant.

You beam at her as she stands, and pad over to the bedroom. Your bedroom, really. Mami lies down, leaving you with plenty of room, and immediately cuddles up when you flop down beside her.

"Goodnight, Mami," you whisper, pulling the covers up over you.

"Good night, Sabrina," she says.

You close your eyes, warm and content as you drift off.

Voting opens Jul 17, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] Wake up...
- [] Before Mami
- [] After Mami
[] Breakfast, get ready for Mami to go to school
[] Radio Mitakihara Mornings
- [] Any points to hit?
[] Get ribbon from Mami to experiment with
[] After seeing Mami to school...
- [] Science session
- [] Witch hunt
- [] Go see Kyouko
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

OK, so: on the subject of combining Mami's ribbons with Sabrina's magic? There is something to it, and that's why I left it out of this update - I'm trying to keep things moving. Bring it up again sometime soon, tomorrow morning works.

Also, finally, here ends Book 2, chapter 8: A Red Letter Day.

 

[Firnagzen]

Consciousness filters in slowly, trickling back in in drips and drabs. You're cocooned in delicious warmth, and there are a pair of arms wrapped possessively around your waist. Mami. Recollection of yesterday is quicker to come, like a thunderbolt striking and bringing with it simple joy.

Your eyes drift open, to be greeted by Mami's peacefully sleeping face, just centimeters away from yours. Her breath mingles with yours, tickling your skin.

You can't help the guilty squirm that's always at the back of your mind, that Mami isn't really fully well and you don't want to take advantage of her for your own selfish reasons, but... you've gone over that already with yourself, around and around and still-

You're here. And this is fine. It's not perfect, but it's wonderful. You smile at Mami, admiring how she manages to look effortlessly radiant, with her hair messy from sleep and illuminated by just the streetlight shining in through the window.

The joy is enough to buoy you out of the bed, except that you have a plan this morning that begins with stealing Mami's alarm clock with a few marbles of Grief you guide in from your bag out in the living room. You float it carefully over to where your arms are wound around Mami, and flick the alarm off before carefully setting it back on the bedside table.

Phase one, complete: Mami is dear to you, and she's amazing in so many ways, but she is not a morning person. She's not waking up until much later.

Phase two, then. You need more Grief, but that's easy enough to solve. You already have Grief migrating down from the roof, along the exterior of the building - and you skid a few Grief marbles along the wall until you find the window, and its latch.

You focus for a few minutes as you mould the Grief thoughtfully. You could make a chibi you, or you could make an army of chibi yous, or you could make a full sized version of yourself. The problem with that, though, is that you aren't absolutely sure the sensation of Witch won't wake Mami. She might be used to it, but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

Hmm.

Alright, then. You'll fall back on the same trick you used yesterday: a carefully balanced array of arrays of nanoscale cantilevers sensitive enough to feel the dance of photons. It's not sight; it's not wired into your visual cortex. It's more like someone drawing on your skin with a million tiny little pins, each one a photon twanging a tiny, tiny bar of Grief.

It's not much harder to shrink the arrays a little so you can see in the visual spectrum. Without active Grief, you don't have the carefully designed lensing arrays, but you make do with parallel constructs in the same way a long baseline radio telescope array might work. Besides, this gets you stereoscopic sight, which is useful.

Manipulating kitchen equipment is much easier. Grief forms a perfect actuator, of course. You can lift pans and keep them absolutely steady, for one, and tossing a pancake with mechanical precision shouldn't be too hard. You'll put that to the test in a bit. First, you have to actually make the pancakes.

You set about doing just that - a dozen different things happening at once as you fill the rice cooker, grab some breaded chicken from the fridge, start whisking up some vinaigrette for salad, clean out the strawberries, crack eggs into a mixing bowl for the batter... There's a minor jam at the sink as you try to clean too many dishes at once, the clatter of colliding plates making you wince even from here.

Nothing broken, thankfully.

Breakfast takes twenty minutes to prepare, with a basic lunch on the way. You're certain Mami will want to cook something special to swap with the Asunaro girls, so you've just prepared some fried chicken, rice, and salad - a nice, simple baseline.

And still plenty early for you to have a nice, leisurely breakfast in bed, and for Mami to cook. Perfect. You take a moment to set it all up on a Grief tray, and hover the platform over to the door, just out of sight.

"Mami?" you murmur, smiling and worming one hand free of the covers to pat Mami's cheek. "Mami, time to wake up."

"Mmm?" she mumbles, face scrunching up adorably as she nuzzles against your hand. "Mmmmm."

You giggle, patting her cheek a little more firmly. "Mami, it's time to wake up. Breakfast is ready."

"Mmmmmn," she hums, a gentle smile rising to her face. Her eyes flicker open a few seconds later, sleep-befuddled gold meeting your gaze. "Breakfast?"

"Good morning, Mami," you say, smiling warmly at her.

"Good-" she's interrupted by a huge yawn. "Good morning, Sabrina. You- you prepared breakfast?"

"Yup," you say, beaming.

"You shouldn't have," she says, giving you a soft, fondly exasperated smile as she starts to sit up.

"Nuh-uh," you say, tightening your arm around her waist and stopping her from getting up. "I should have. Stay."

"Mm?" Mami says, twisting to look at her clock. "Oh, it's still early..."

"Yeah, I thought you might want to make something special for lunch," you say with a smile. "But no, stay here."

The puzzled look on her face is chased away by the arrival of your breakfast tray - heaps of pancakes, with fresh fruit and honey and butter and cream, and freshly steeped tea.

"Oh, Sabrina," Mami says, beaming at you. "It looks wonderful. You really shouldn't have."

"Should and did," you say, grinning right back as you float the tray over.

Mami beams at you, and then blushes. "Um... I do need to get up," she says, with a meaningful glance at the wall.

You give her a quizzical look before it clicks. "Ah, right. Now that you mention it, I need to go, too... OK, breakfast in bed is postponed for fifteen minutes."

She huffs a laugh, and hops off the bed as you move your breakfast clear and cover it to keep it warm.

When you exit the bathroom, you find Mami in the kitchen, fussing with a pot. She gives you a quick, slightly guilty smile, stirring more.

You laugh, and walk over to hug her from behind. "Cooking for lunch?"

"I wanted to get an early start," she defends half-heartedly, uncertainty flickering across her face. "Is- is that OK? I don't... the breakfast in bed is wonderful, Sabrina, and I don't want to waste it, and I'm looking forward to it, but I just need a little bit more time to cook. I- I'm sorry."

"I get it," you say with a reassuring smile as you tuck your chin on her shoulder. "I get it, Mami, you don't have to justify yourself. What are we cooking?"

"Ribollita," Mami says, biting her lip. "It's- it's alright? Really?"

"Yes, really," you say with a warm smile. "It's OK, Mami. I understand."

"Alright," she whispers, leaning into your embrace.

You hug her close for a few minutes before speaking again. Ribollita... a rich stew of vegetables and meat, thickened with bread. And it's nice and simple, too. "What do we need to do next?"

"Um... just to add the beans and herbs," Mami says, indicating the small bowl of beans, already washed and ready. "Then we need to reduce it for a bit."

"Well, we can eat breakfast in bed while it reduces, right?" you say, tightening your hug around her. "It'll be fine."

"Alright," Mami repeats, relaxing. "Then- I'll add it in?"

"Yeah," you say, releasing Mami to let her work. She gives you a wan smile, which you return warm and pleased as she stirs the pot and adds the next round of ingredients, reducing the heat.

"All done?" you say, smiling at her and wrapping your arm around her waist. "Shall we have breakfast?"

"I'd like that," she murmurs.

"Then let's," you say, tugging her back towards the bedroom, where breakfast is waiting. You beam at Mami as you tug her back onto the bed, and she curls up beside you with a quiet noise. You sit side by side, arranging the pillows to get more comfortable.

... the bed's a little cramped to be eating breakfast side by side on, if you're honest. Regardless, you float the breakfast tray over, beaming at Mami.

"Dig in," you say with a smile, and uncover your breakfast. It's still warm, a gust of lovely sweet fragrance wafting invitingly towards you. "Itadakimasu!"

Mami echoes you, and with your encouraging smile, reaches for the fork to grab some pancakes. She slices off a small piece, drizzling it with butter and honey before popping it into her mouth. You watch as she chews, irrationally anxious. You've made pancakes before, but this has to be perfect.

"It's wonderful," she says, beaming at you.

"Good," you say, a broad smile breaking out on your face as the tension vanishes from your shoulders. You help yourself to more pancakes, and start in on your own breakfast.

Truth be told, you think the pancakes are a little soggy from the wait, but you're not going to say anything about that. You finish breakfast, Mami giving you a bright smile as you stand and head to the kitchen to clean up the dishes and finish the ribollita.

You take a moment to reach out by telepathy as you cook, mental call going out across Mitakihara. "Goooood morning Mitakihara!"

"You're late today," Sayaka says, sounding amused.

"Eh," you say. "Waking you up early was funny once or twice, but I don't want to actually deprive you of sleep when you need it. Good morning!"

"Hmph," Sayaka says. "I'm still angry at you about the whole Oriko thing."

"Good morning, Sabrina! How are you?" Madoka says cheerfully.

"Good morning," Homura murmurs, Hitomi chiming in last. You make some small talk, checking that everyone's doing alright this morning - Sayaka seems uncertain as to whether to be thankful for the few minute's extra sleep, or to tease you over being late. You fill everyone in about your expected lunch guests from Asunaro, to which Madoka frets over not having known in advance.

After that, it's time to pack and be ready to leave for the day. You and Mami take turns to change - you put on a blouse and a pair of pants. You are going to Asunaro, after all, so you have to be appropriately equipped to blow their minds with proper clothes.

You grin brightly at Mami as you step out of the bedroom. She smiles back, radiantly pleased.

"Oh, by the way, Mami, can I get some ribbon from you?" you say as you reach for your bag, slinging it over your shoulder. You'd meant to do some testing yesterday, but you didn't have the time for it.

"Mm? Of course," Mami says, pressing her thumb and middle finger together before pulling them apart to reveal the bright glint of her ribbons. "How much do you need?"

"Uhh," you say. "Maybe a few meters?"

"Alright," Mami says, offering the ribbon to you, still held taut between her two fingers. "Pull!"

You grin at her, and do just that - you hook a finger through the middle and start pulling. It unspools as if drawn from some invisible reel, Mami's smile widening as you laugh in delight.

"Alright, that's enough," you say, grinning at Mami. With a twist of her wrist, she detaches the ribbon from her fingers, leaving you with a small pile of golden ribbon pooled around your feet. You start stuffing it into your bag. "Thanks!"

"Of course, Sabrina," she says.

And then you're headed out. You're carrying the stew, poured carefully into a large Tupperware and wrapped carefully with a thermal bag to keep it warm.

"You're sure you can leave it at school?" you ask Mami, indicating the plastic container. "I can carry it with some Grief, no problem."

"It'll be fine," Mami says, beaming at you. "I'll just leave it in my locker."

"Alright," you say, walking closer and bumping your shoulder against hers - you'd hold her hand, but both of yours are currently full with carrying the stew.

You're joined by your friends along the way, making your way to school in a chattering little mob. You don't let Homura drift quietly at the edge of the group, either - you and Mami exchange a sly grin and work in tandem to corral her towards the center of the group where Madoka's walking.

"And here we are," you say finally, nodding at the truancy officer, the same one as always. Does Mitakihara Middle School only have the one? Maybe they work in shifts or something. "Have a good day in school, everyone! Don't forget our guests later, yeah~?"

"'course not!" Sayaka says, grinning and flashing you an energetic thumbs up. "We'll make a good impression, I bet! Though, right - Sabrina, you said you wanted to talk to me at some point, right?"

"Oh, yeah," you say, scowling. "Yeah, I'd nearly forgotten, thanks for the reminder. Uh... I'll catch up with you at some point."

Homura nods, amethyst eyes fixing on yours for a long, long second before she nods and half-turns towards the school gates. You all exchange goodbyes, except for Mami, who hums quietly, waiting for the others to trickle off towards the building.

She approaches you as Sayaka leads the sedate charge on Mitakihara Middle School. There's a warm smile on her face as she takes the container from you, and then she hesitates.

"See you later, Mami," you say. "Lunchtime."

"See you," she echoes, taking a reluctant step back, eyes still fixed on you.

You smile at her. "I promise."

"Alright," she whispers, finally turning to head towards the gates. You wait until she disappears into the building with one last lingering look back at you.

With another polite nod for the truancy officer, you head off. You have science to do, and Mami's ex-student to kidnap. To which end, you set an alarm on your phone for an hour from now - that should leave you a reasonable amount of time for you to drop by Kasamino, and then head to Asunaro and back.

For now, you turn down an alleyway. You'll head over to Warehouse-kun for a science session.

Hm. If you're with Mami now, that means Warehouse-kun is unattached, you suppose. Maybe you'll ship him with Table-chan or something.

... nah, that's silly.

You nearly trip over Kyuubey as you crest the roof from your wall-hopping. Instead you flinch, and stumble over to the side.

"What do you want?" you snap at the little alien perching on the edge of the roof.

The Incubator stares at you with unblinking red eyes. "Sabrina, your chosen method of travel is unsubtle. Recent times have resulted in a disproportionate amount of effort expended in maintaining the secrecy of magic."

"Uh huh," you say, frowning. Euphemistic references towards mind-wipes, of course, which you're not quite happy with. "Why do you bring this up?"

"I would like to introduce you to a puella magi versed in stealth," Kyuubey says, tail flicking slowly as it hops up on an air conditioning vent so that it's nearly eye level with you. "And I'd like you to acquire a stealth enchantment from her. This benefits both of us."

"Sayaka has stealth, too," you point out, staring at Kyuubey. That's... well, it could be trying to backstab you, but this is explicitly an offer for you.

"She needs to go to school," Kyuubey says. "Additionally, she's inexperienced with enchantment, and won't be able to make you a stealth device."

"Uh... huh," you say. "Or I could ask Yuko, over in Sendai."

"She has not experimented with enchantment," Kyuubey answers, pausing for a second. "This is to our mutual benefit."

Voting opens Jul 22, 2017 at 1:00 PM
[] Talk to Kyuubey
- [] About?
- [] Agree with its offer
- [] Disagree
[] Head to Warehouse-kun for Science
- [] Experiment on the ribbon
- [] One more avenue of research
[] Head to Kasamino
- [] Talk to Kyouko about?
- [] What do you offer as payment
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

And here begins Book 2, chapter 9: "We Don't Go To Ravenholm Asunaro..."

 

[Firnagzen]

What does Kyuubey want? The million dollar question, and one that leaves you scrambling for answers. You can construct easy scenarios in which Kyuubey wins. What if it expects you to deny the offer, and the girl in question Witches out for lack of Grief Seeds? It'd be an easy way to smear your name.

Or what if the girl is willing and ready and waiting to attack you? Any threat you can see or sense coming, you can overcome, but magical stealth strong enough to evade your Grief sense is one of the things that might threaten you. It'd be unprecedented, though, on many levels; that Kyuubey would set up such an ambush, and that something could evade your senses like that.

"What's her name?" you ask, tone guarded. "Would she happen to be Kuroki Matsuko, by any chance?"

"Kuroki Matsuko is too new a magical girl to have developed strong enchantment without guidance," Kyuubey's head tilts to the side as it speaks. "You are travelling to Asunaro, are you not?"

"I am," you agree. "Right, first of all, I'm going to come back to Kuroki, but before that, tell me more about this girl you want me to meet. What's her name, what is she like, what specifically does she do, is she low on Grief Seeds, where is she, that kind of thing."

"Her name is Hideyoshi Nao," Kyuubey says. "She isn't in any pressing need of Grief Seeds, though like most she'd be more comfortable with a larger buffer of Seeds. I believe you would consider her to be a pleasant, if shy girl."

Not in any need of Grief Seeds, so that defuses some of your paranoia: it'd have been well within what you imagine to be its remit to set you up for apparently rejecting a cry for help. You pull your phone from your pocket and check the time as you listen carefully, soaking in Kyuubey's words. Clock's a-ticking. You hold up a hand, and Kyuubey pauses obligingly, tail flicking.

"OK, so, I'm not done talking to you yet," you say, frowning at Kyuubey. "But I do have places to be. Would you like to follow me out to the industrial district? I'm going to experiment with my powers, and you can observe. If you help, I'll... work on making my Grief invisible."

You kind of assume that barring doing your experiments in an interdiction bubble, the Incubator will be watching, anyway.

"That's acceptable," Kyuubey says, standing and rearing up on its hind legs. You sigh, and pick it up by the scruff of its neck as you summon Grief to yourself. Undoubtedly, you could simply let it perch on your shoulder, but you don't like the little alien.

"Go on, about this Hideyoshi Nao?" you say as you spare a sliver of focus to build a Grief platform for yourself.

"She is in Kamaishi City," Kyuubey explains. "Further north along the coast. It would be a detour for you on the way to Asunaro, should you so choose."

"I see," you say as you hop onto the platform and sit down, putting Kyuubey down beside you. "Would she be in any trouble if I don't travel there within the day or so? I'm fairly busy today."

"She would not," Kyuubey says, turning a circle and tucking its tail up to form a fluffy little circle. "She is not involved in any particular conflict save against Witches, nor does she have any Grief Seed issues, as I already said."

"Hmm," you muse as you lift the platform off, vectoring eastward. You squint backwards at the mass of Grief following behind you, and experimentally send it upwards above you so that it's less visible from the ground. "Her powers?"

"Invisibility," Kyuubey answers. "She is able to make herself undetectable by any means utilising the electromagnetic spectrum, including radar and lidar."

"Huh," you say, switching to telepathy to be heard over the rushing wind. The air is cool and beautifully crisp this early in the morning, and you breathe deep. "Do lasers just pass right through her?"

"Yes, they do," Kyuubey confirms.

"That's cool," you say. "Would she have any reason to come into conflict with myself, or my friends?"

"Unless you deviate significantly from your behaviour to date, no," Kyuubey says.

"Right. That's good," you say, frowning out over the cityscape. The industrial district's coming up fast. "Will she have moved on to a different location or something that'd put her beyond my reach if I don't go today?"

"No," Kyuubey responds.

"So there are no time-critical issues that might occur?" you ask, tilting the platform forward a little as you dive for the warehouse.

"There are," Kyuubey says. "If you should delay for long enough, she may die of old age."

You give the alien a baleful stare. Is it joking? It can't be joking, it doesn't know how to joke. Then again, it might, if only from reading joke books. The mental image is disconcerting, to say the least.

"We are approaching the ground rather quickly," Kyuubey helpfully reminds you.

You sigh in annoyance and pull up, coasting to a smooth halt over Warehouse-kun. "I know."

Putting one hand on the side of your flight platform, you vault over and drop the few meters to the ground. Other hand holding your sling bag in place, you land on the sandy ground with a scrape.

Kyuubey leaps after you, limbs spread like a squirrel that forgot it wasn't a flying squirrel. In defiance of any good sense, it lands on its feet beside you, unblinking red eyes staring up at you.

"So I gotta ask," you say as you disassemble the platform with a wave of your hand, reclaiming the Grief and compressing it into spheres you bring down to eye level, an orbiting solar system of spheres. And more to come, as you draw the main bulk of your Grief towards yourself. "Were you trying to make a joke there?"

"Yes," Kyuubey responds. "Humour is useful for defusing tension."

You groan, palming your face.

"I'm aware that saying so frequently defeats the point of the joke," Kyuubey supplies. "But it had already failed, had it not?"

"I give up," you mutter, combing your hair back into some semblance of order with your fingers. "Now, first thing I want to test is the precise limits of my range. Are you capable of making precision distance measurements?"

"Certainly," Kyuubey says.

"Alrighty, then... let me see," you say, looking for something clean to sit down on. With the warehouse in the state it is, though, you can't see anything that isn't rusty or overgrown with weeds, so you instead craft a seat made out of Grief to perch on. Humming quietly to yourself, you detach your Soul Gem from your collar, and hold it at arm's length from yourself.

"Hokay. I'll be right here, and as you can see, I'm holding my Soul Gem out. I'd like to know whether my radius of control is centered on my body or my Soul Gem," you say. With a bit of Grief, you grab Kyuubey by the scruff of its neck, lifting it into the air. "Will you help me by making measurements?"

"Certainly," Kyuubey repeats, and with that, you send it rocketing out of sight, dangling from the Grief. It makes for a pleasantly comical sight, the little white alien fluffball simply zipping away as if on an invisible wire.

You halt your Grief right at the very edge of your sphere of influence. "Alright. That's the limit of my range, in the direction of my Soul Gem. I'm going to describe a circle now."

"Proceed," Kyuubey says. You do just that, swinging Kyuubey around in a wide circle. There are a few buildings away, and you guide the Incubator around the buildings - you are trying to get help from it, after all. Does no good to splatter it over the wall right this moment.

You complete the circle, and bring the Incubator back. "Well?"

"Your range is centerd on your Soul Gem," it says. "The deviations from circularity of the path I travelled were not significant on a nanometer scale, allowing for vertical motion."

"Huh," you say. "Right. Good to know. Not unexpected, but good to know. Right. Next test, I'm going to see how finely I can disperse my Grief. That should be good right? Because I might still have my wings or my platform, but at least I don't have that following me around." You gesture at the giant pile of basketball-sized spheres sitting at the corner of the warehouse where you'd stacked them.

"Yes, that would be good," Kyuubey agrees.

You nod, and exhale, focusing on the spheres. All you want to do is to... dissolve it. You don't want Grief gas. You want tiny, tiny nanoparticles of Grief, as small as you can make them, so small they're invisible to the naked eye, so small that you can turn it into an invisible fog spread out over the entire volume of your control radius.

The spheres crumble. Not all of them. You aren't so foolish as to forget about the items you've stored away in there, and especially not right in front of Kyuubey - but you break up everything else, dividing them again and again into finer and finer pieces. Centimeters, then millimeters, then micrometers... nanometers.

You shouldn't be surprised at how you're able to render the pile of Grief spheres into dense, smoky purple fog. And it's dense by definition - you haven't spread it out. You correct that with a wave of your hand, setting it all billowing into invisibility as you set it all flowing away.

And with the dispersal comes awareness in almost impossible fidelity. You'd always been able to sense Grief with absolute precision, and this is no different. But you can feel everything around you with a billion questing fingers, the walls, the roofs, the weeds, the movement of the wind, the cars disturbing your fog of Grief particles, the...

You blush, and pull the Grief away from the human beings you sense within your sphere of awareness - the few workers still in the area.

Well then.

You stand, looking around to see... nothing, really. You don't see anything out of the ordinary, though you can vaguely feel the Grief all round you with 'just' your puella magi senses, a vague sensation you can't pin down. About what you'd expected.

"Well then," you say, cocking a challenging eyebrow at Kyuubey. "How's that?"

"Helpful," Kyuubey states, tail lashing as it stares around it. "Reducing your aerial shadow to just yourself and your conveyance reduces the likelihood of your being sighted to approximately a quarter of its original probability."

"Great," you say, reaching into your pocket for the ribbon Mami had gifted you. "Now, I'm going to do one last test."

Kyuubeys gives you a look clearly meant to be inquisitive, but you don't deign to answer it - this is a test with Mami's powers. And it might be irrational, but you feel somehow possessive of that, whatever the result might be.

With a flick of your wrist, you unfurl the ribbon to its full length, and catch the free end with bits of Grief coalesced instantly out of seemingly thin air. You grin.

You could get used to having a utility fog.

You spend a moment to tie a small rock to the free end of the ribbon, before setting it sailing out and away from you. You don't need a continuous connection from yourself all the way out to extend your range, right? All you'd need, logically, is to have the ribbon extending out of the sphere of your control... which you accomplish with the rock as a counterweight and a quick swing.

There. Now you have the ribbon crossing the border of your zone of control, lying on the roof of what you suspect is a factory. And so all you have to do is to try and channel your magic into it, right?

You exhale, and you push. You visualize your magic flowing down the ribbon, brilliant fire connected by Mami's magic, and carefully, carefully, you slide a tiny marble of Grief along the ribbon until it exits your sphere of control, still intact. Still under control.

"Sabrina?" Mami's voice sounds inside your mind.

You jerk, reacting to the urgency in her tone, and you release the magic instantly. She sounds almost strangled, voice hitched. "Mami? What's wrong?"

"Are- did you do something? Something felt- really weird," Mami says.

Crap.

"Um, I did, I'm sorry, Mami," you say, glaring at Kyuubey. You know it's listening in. "Are you OK?"

"I'm- I'm fine," Mami says. "That just- felt really strange. Intrusive."

Voting opens Jul 26, 2017 at 1:00 PM
[] What do you say to Mami?
[] One more thing before you need to go to Kasamino
- [] Go to school and find Mami - maybe she could excuse herself to go to the nurse?
- [] Try again, this time with Mami fore-warned
[] Go to Kasamino early
- [] To do...
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

I'd say that was a productive session.

 

[Firnagzen]

"I'm sorry!" you say, fretting at your lip. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise that would work like that. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Mami says. She does sound like she's recovering from the surprise. "I'm fine, Sabrina, really. It was just- unexpected, and a bit weird. Though... It almost felt like you were here with me."

"I-" you shake your head. "Still, I'm sorry. At least I should have warned you or something before trying that."

"It's alright, Sabrina," Mami says, warm smile evident in her voice. Even with just the sensation transmitted over telepathy, you can't help but relax. "Did the test succeed, whatever it was?"

"It did, actually!" you say. "Um, I'm not disturbing your class, right?"

"No, no, it's a reading period right now," Mami responds.

"Ah, OK," you say. "Um, well, you know how I have that pesky range limit, right? I was thinking I could try maybe channelling my magic through your ribbons."

You can't help the blood rising to your face to stain your cheeks red. You'd intermingled bits of your soul with Mami's for a few seconds there.

"Oh. Oh!" You get the distinct impression of Mami's dawning understanding and ferocious blush, even over the telepathic link - she probably felt yours leaking over, too.

You cough, trying to fight the reddening on your cheeks. To no real avail, either. You do direct a glare at Kyuubey, though, flapping your hands at it in a gesture for it to stop staring. Not that it does you any good - it keeps its unblinking gaze on you.

"S-so, um, yeah," you manage. "Yeah. Um... Are you OK?"

"Ah, yes, I'm fine," Mami says. You can still hear the blush in her mental voice. "I'm- I'm glad it went well."

"Well, uh," you twiddle your fingers. "Uh... if you're alright with it, maybe we could try the experiment again later today? If you don't mind? I'm... hopeful about extending my range, with your help."

"Um- I'd be happy too!" Mami says, and you can feel the radiant smile from all the way over here.

"Alright," you say, smiling affectionately in return. "I'll let you get back to classes, and I'll see you soon, then."

"See you soon," Mami echoes.

You're smiling as you end the call, but the expression sours in a second as you meet Kyuubey's unblinking red stare. Madokami above, but it's... it's likeable, for what it is. For all your paranoia, it knows how to ingratiate itself. Then again, it's been dealing with humans for millennia. It's long since figured out the levers that make people tick.

Ah, well. You'll deal.

You hop to your feet, twisting from side to side and bouncing on your toes. "So, Kyuubey," you say. "Something you mentioned earlier struck me. Can magical girls die of biological old age? And we can heal telomere damage and other age-related problems?"

"Yes, to both," Kyuubey says. "It is possible for it to never occur to a magical girl that the damage of time can be healed."

"Ah," you say, rubbing your chin. "And Hideyoshi isn't old, right? I just wanna be sure."

"She isn't," Kyuubey agrees, rising to its feet and slinking towards you.

"Right," you say, pursing your lips. You stoop to grab the alien by the scruff of its neck and move it before it can get to you - it's not a cat, and it does not get to pretend to be an affectionate cat with you. You put it down firmly, away from you atop a crumbling brick divider, and step back to prop your fists on your hips.

"Right then," you say. "Can you put me in telepathic contact with Kuroki Matsuko and Hideyoshi Nao?"

"I possess the capability to do so," Kyuubeys responds. "But I will not."

"Why?" you ask, scowling at the Incubator.

"If I did that, then high demand magical girls would be inundated," Kyuubey says. "I think you would consider that a favourable outcome, but most don't."

And of course it prevents girls from easily reaching out for help. It lets people like Akiko gouge for using powers, because that's the only game in town. Artificial scarcity of the worst kind.

Damn.

"Right," you say. You can't stop the displeasure from leaking into your tone. "And you won't make an exception for me?"

"No," Kyuubey says, tail lashing slowly.

"Feh," you grunt in annoyance. Dammit, but that would have been too easy, wouldn't it? Then again... "But you're willing to advise me to go and see Miss Hideyoshi?"

"Yes," it says. "The situations are not comparable."

You grimace in annoyance. Damned rat. You'd argue, but you see no real point in it - you doubt you're going to change its mind like this, not without a long, protracted argument at the very least. Of course, there's about a snowball's chance in hell of it even happening even with said argument.

You sigh, putting the matter aside as you dig in your pocket to find your phone again, flipping it open to check the time. You can squeeze in a little more experimentation before heading to Kasamino, you decide. And it'd be more productive than talking to Kyuubey any more.

You stalk away from the little Incubator, moving to the opposite side of the yard as you extend your senses. Your Grief utility fog is definitely there, a faint sense of pressure on your senses, but you suspect it's something that can be gotten used to. You'll check with Kyouko when you get to Kasamino, first of all, and you'll need to give some consideration to whether you really want it to be your first impression to the Asunaro girls.

On the other hand, you can store a lot of Grief in the... In the cloud. Literal cloud storage. You flex your mind, dividing the Grief further. From microns, you split them down into nanometre scale particles, and with that kind of scale you have enough storage in the cloud for a fair number of Clear Seeds before you have to worry about hitting the limits.

You fold your legs and sit back on not-so-empty air, Grief condensing instantly to support you. Oh, you could definitely get used to this. Now...

Can you produce heat? Grief answers an effort of will, vibrating particles sizzling through the air to strike molecules. The air around your upraised hand noticeably warms, and you still the Grief before it reaches dangerous levels. Easy enough, given that thermal energy is little more than the motion of atoms and molecules.

Electricity and gravity are a different matter. You frown at the Grief you can't see, scowling across the yard. Kyuubey appears to have scampered off somewhere, and good riddance to it, really. You... suppose you could try and manipulate individual electrons to create current, theoretically, but electrons aren't really proper, solid things. Quantum physics and all.

You spend a few minutes attempting to corral electrons to create current, gazing outward with your powers rather than seeing the sandy ground in front of you. To no real avail. You're not sure whether you're actually doing anything, even, rather than just moving Grief nanoparticles around.

Gravity is right out. You simply don't have the mass to do it.

Two more quick tests, then, the first being...

You stand, reaching under your coat and 'withdrawing' one of your warhammers. You toss it in one hand, letting it wheel a full circle before catching it by the handle and flipping it into the air. It soars straight up, spinning end over end, and you shade your eyes against the sun as you follow it.

Of course, you don't actually have to see it when you can feel it with the nano particles of Grief, and if you can feel it, then you can catch it.

A twist of will, and Grief bands blossom out of the air in an instant, locking the hammer in place. It hangs high in the air, suspended by manacles of deep purple, and you grin.

Anyone who enters your zone of control is now even more screwed than before. Not that they weren't previously, of course, but hey.

You check your phone again. Time to go, you reckon.

"Kyuubey, you still around?" you call, looking around.

"Yes," it responds in its childlike voice. You sense its body appear out of thin air by the Grief nanoparticles displaced - behind you. You're already turning to face it. No Batman arrival for it!

"Right," you say. "I'm heading to Kasamino. For now, I'm going to see whether I can do visual camouflage of my flying platform below, can you verify it for me?"

"Certainly," Kyuubey says. You've already turned away from it, drawing in Grief from the cloud. You build your mobile oppression fortress, but you don't leave it the deep, rippling purple of Grief. You build layers of tiny, tiny scales, drawing inspiration from nature: Butterfly wings aren't actually coloured. There's no pigment in them, but they're beautifully colourful anyway because millions of years of evolution has resulted in nanoscale structures reflecting light into interferometric patterns that create brilliant colours.

Your Grief shades from its natural mottled purple to a deep red, then orange and yellow and green and finally blue as you fine tune it. You squint up at the sky, trying to match the colour.

"Vary the primary branches up by twenty-seven nanometers," Kyuubey suggests, eyes gleaming as it prowls around you. "Double the length of the trunks to present better radar absorption."

You follow the advice, and nod in satisfaction as the colour shifts to a perfect sky-blue. If Kyuubey's good for something...

"Cool. Thanks, Kyuubey. See you whenever," you say, brushing past it and striding for the platform. You're already scaling over your remaining Grief spheres, the stuff that you're using to carry cargo and therefore isn't in the cloud. Does no good to colour your Mobile Oppression Fortress if you're still being chased by a swarm of Grief blobs, right?

You take right off into the sky without a backward look, soaring into a beautifully clear blue expanse. Kyuubey is a bother to talk to because you have to be mindful of everything you say, every single word. Up here... well, Kyuubey could probably follow you if it had a mind to, but for now, it's peaceful.

Arrowing out across the river, you soak in the breathtaking view. Sunlight glitters off the river, the white v-shape of a boat's wake cutting across the water as you sweep past the bridge. Once, you jumped the river - you'd had to. Now, you fly.

"Hey, Kyouko!" you reach out via telepathy. "I'm on my way over right now. Where shall I meet you?"

"Mmmrfzlckff."

You blink, and check your phone again for the time. A minute past nine. Well... she doesn't go to school, you suppose, so there's that.

"... Yuma?" you try instead.

"Good morning, Sabrina," Yuma whispers to you. "Big sis is still asleep."

"Yeah, I figured," you say. "Hmm. Where are you?"

"We're at Conrad Hotel," Yuma whispers. "Twenty-eighth floor. Yuma will try to wake big sis?"

"Hunh," you say. "Right. No rush on the waking. I... guess I'll head on over."

You do more than that - you stop by a cafe, one with the shortest queue you could find to pick up take-away breakfast. Conrad Hotel is easy enough to find from the giant sign, and once you get in range, you home right in on their Soul Gem presences. By the time you're tapping on the window, Kyouko's sitting up on the bed and rubbing her eyes.

Her hair is impressively dishevelled, strands and tufts sticking out at odd angles.

Yuma notices you first, bouncing off the bed with a cheerful smile for you as she unlocks the window to let you into the opulently furnished room. Probably a five-star hotel, if you're any judge. Kyouko gives you a baleful, sleep-addled glare before wordlessly stalking over to the bathroom. She pauses at the door, turning to frown at you.

"Are y' doing anything weird with your powers?" she asks, perplexity evident in her furrowed brow.

"Uh... a little, yeah," you say. "I've dispersed my Grief into the air rather than carry it around with me. I wanted to ask, actually, Kyouko, Yuma - is it noticeable? Or offputting?"

"It's kinda there," Kyouko says. "Like someone on the opposite side o' the room farted. Hardly notice it, but the stink is there."

She slams the bathroom door behind her, and you hear running water in the sink a few minutes later.

You laugh, and put the takeaway on the table. "'morning, Yuma," you say. "What do you think?"

"Good morning! Um... Yuma wouldn't have noticed if Sabrina didn't point it out," Yuma says, giving you a shy smile. Her eyes dart towards the steaming box.

You wave her towards the table. "Go ahead," you say, grinning. "How are you?"

"Yuma is hungry!" the green haired girl squeaks as she hurries over to the table, pulling the box open to discover western-style breakfast: lots of eggs, bread, butter, bacon and sausages.

"Yeah, I'd imagine," you say, watching as she pulls a paper plate out of the box and piles it high. "All good on Grief Seeds?"

Yuma goes quiet, her busy fork stilling. "Yuma thinks you should ask big sis."

"Alright," you say, hiding your grimace. A bit of a rhetorical question, given that you can sense both her and Kyouko's Soul Gems, but you'd wanted to make conversation. And the answer to that is that no, not really. They're both clean, ish, but they don't have any Grief Seeds to spare, either.

You watch as Yuma starts to eat, the shadow that fell over her face dissipating as she digs in with happy noises.

"So," you say, grinning. "How was the meeting with Sayaka yesterday? Uh, Miss Miki."

"Miss Miki seems like a nice person!" Yuma says around a mouthful of bacon. "She was very angry at first, but big sis talked to her and then they sparred!" She leans in to confide in you. "She lost, of course."

You snort. "Well, yeah, your big sis has been a magical girl for years. Sayaka's been a magical girl for days."

Yuma nods enthusiastically, messy hair flopping everywhere. "Miss Miki was very worried about Yuma! She wanted to know whether big sis was taking care of Yuma."

"Yeah, she's a good person," you agree. "Did Kyouko and Sayaka get along?"

"Yuma thinks so!" Yuma says. "Miss Miki was suspicious, but big sis insulted you and then-" Her eyes go huge, and she clamps her jaw shut.

"... I suppose I deserve that," you say with an amused and not terribly graceful snort. You can laugh at yourself, at least.

Kyouko chooses this moment to emerge from the bathroom, her hair still hanging loose but considerably tidier than it was earlier. Her eyes zero in on the food like heatseeking missiles. "Hey!"

"I got more than enough," you say, rolling your eyes. "Yuma hasn't even hit half of it yet."

Kyouko gives you a half-hearted glare and hurries over to the table to load up her own plate. "Thought I said not before nine."

You arch an eyebrow and point at the digital clock on the dresser, displaying the time prominently at nine twenty-two.

Kyouko scowls at you and digs into the food.

Voting opens Jul 29, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] Sayaka's lessons
- [] Scheduling
-- [] Telepathy Sayaka for schedule
-- [] In the evenings
-- [] Daily
-- [] Weekends
- [] Payment
-- [] Clear Seed
-- [] Cleansings
-- [] Cash
-- [] Gold
- [] Shipping
[] Anything else to talk to Kyouko about?
[] Keep the utility fog, or get rid of it?
[] Head to Asunaro
- [] How do you present yourself?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

The next update will probably bring you to Asunaro.

 

[Firnagzen]

You sit back and let Kyouko and Yuma eat. You're not... you're in a rush, but not that much of a rush that you can't let them have a bit of time. In the meantime, you frown, considering your cloud storage solution.

Kyouko compared it to a fart. Even if Yuma hadn't noticed it herself, it's not exactly the most flattering comparison you could have gotten. Vague and hard to place, but pervasive and present. And you imagine most veteran magical girls would be able to pick up on that, and probably react in the same way.

Not exactly the best first impression you could make, if Kyouko didn't just choose her words to annoy you. Which, to be fair, she might have.

Still, you have a bit of time right now, so you pull your utility Grief fog back into spheres for the most part. You leave some hanging in the air, spaced out far enough to act as tripwires against Kyuubey or other teleporters. Or even stealth powers - hard to avoid particles smaller than air molecules. The rest you condense back into spheres, and a bit of focus has the dark, mottled purple scabbing over with nanoscopic scales shading light to blue.

"Sabrina, aren't you eating?" Yuma asks, blinking big, soulful eyes at you.

"Nah, I ate already," you say, smiling at her. Absently, you double-check their Soul Gems, and their Grief Seeds. The latter of which they have none of.

Interestingly, you can also sense the glowing fire of an enchantment hanging on the door. Probably something Kyouko put up to avoid the cleaners coming in and asking awkward questions.

"So..." you say carefully. "Can I cleanse your Soul Gems? How are you girls doing for Grief Seeds?"

Kyouko snorts, stuffing more bacon into her mouth. Something annoyed sparks in her eyes, and she bites off the next mouthful with perhaps more force than necessary.

"Whaddya think?" she snaps.

"Sparse hunting?" you say, and sigh. "OK. I'll cut the speeches this time, because I'm actually on a schedule this morning. Kyouko, Yuma, I know Witches are scarce in Kasamino."

"Gee, thanks," Kyouko mutters. "I'd never have noticed."

"Yeah, well... look. I'm gonna emphasize that I'm not the final word on this, but I'm going to offer to let you hunt in Mitakihara. Maybe around the old industrial district or so," you say. Conveniently, not too far from the Sakura church, either. You hold up your hand. "There are too many Witches in Mitakihara right now."

Kyouko's fork hits the table hard enough to make Yuma jump - it'd be a slam if the fork had been made of anything but plastic. "Fuck you, we don't need charity."

"I'm not doing charity here," you say, unmoved. You meet her angry red gaze calmly. "Listen. Walpurgisnacht is coming. The Queen of Witches. I'm pretty sure that Witches are actually moving to Mitakihara because of that."

It might even be true. You've never confirmed it, but there are so many factors that it remains a viable hypothesis. More importantly, you don't want to bring up the fact that Witches come from magical girls, and Kyouko chasing magical girls from her territory means that there are no new Witches.

"Yeah?" Kyouko snorts. "Well, I'm not taking that bait."

"It's not bait," you say, rolling your eyes. "I mean it. We seriously do have more Witches than we can hunt right now, and they're hurting people."

Kyouko scowls, returning to her breakfast. She stabs at a sausage with more force than is strictly required.

You sigh. Prickly, tsundere redheads.

"Can I cleanse your Soul Gems?" you ask again. This time, Yuma makes a timid noise and offers up her Gem to you, balanced on the cupped palms of her hands. Kyouko's eyes linger on that and soften, and she looks away before producing her own Gem.

You cleanse them both, just to be sure. Neither of them are really swimming in Grief, but neither of them were absolutely clean, either.

"Alright," you say. "I suppose you don't want the hunting, but the offer remains. I'd have a condition for you, mind - I want all the Familiars exterminated, if you hunt in Mitakihara. And as I said, I'd have to confirm it."

"You can say her name," Kyouko snaps.

"Yes, I'd have to confirm it with Mami," you say. "And with Homura, probably. That said, fine. If you don't want to, then again, I'm going to ask if you want a Clear Seed? I've given out a fair few of them for testing, as it is. No ill effects so far."

"It's been what, a few days?" Kyouko snorts. "No thanks."

Madokami save you from stubborn, prideful meguca. She has a point just this once, you suppose, but still. She just has to make it hard for you to help.

"Fine," you grunt. "Then I'm gonna ask you to hang on to your Grief Seeds after you use them. I come by here every other day or so, and I can refresh your Grief Seeds. Is that fine with you? I mean, waste not, want not. You can keep recycling your Grief Seeds rather than wasting them."

Yuma's eye dart to Kyouko, silently begging. The redhead sighs, raking her hands through her voluminous ponytail. "Fine. Don't give Grief Seeds to Kyuubey, hang on to them, got it. Aren't you going to pay me for training your girl Sayaka?"

"Well, I was intending to make the hunting partial payment," you say, folding your arms and leaning back. "But if you don't want that...?"

"Nope," Kyouko says, popping the syllable.

"Well. She's got school, so I figure the evenings, maybe," you say. "Hold up, mind if I pull her in with telepathy?"

Kyouko waves a dismissive hand at you, returning to her breakfast.

"Hey Sayaka, you got a moment?" you say, reaching out mentally for your blue-haired friend. "Sorry about the time, but I'm talking to Kyouko right now to arrange a schedule for your training."

"Uhh... sure," Sayaka says, sounding a little distracted.

"Cool," you say, and extend the telepathy to include Kyouko. "Right, so now that we're all here, when would be good for everyone?"

"I'm free every day," Kyouko drawls. "Not like I got anythin' to hold me up."

"Uh, I've got class?" Sayaka says.

You purse your lips in consideration - Sayaka sounds busy, which means you should probably rush this along a bit for her sake.

"How about every other evening?" you say. "Monday, Saturday, Friday? Do you have evening plans, Sayaka?"

"Um, going to the hospital," Sayaka says. "How long will we be training?"

"You need to be home for dinner, right?" you say. "Do you have club activities?"

"Nah," Sayaka says.

"So, after you finish school to around dinner time?" you say. "And we'll try Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings for now?"

"Sure," Sayaka mutters distractedly.

Faded red eyes regard you warily for a second before Kyouko responds. "Sure, I'm good with that," she drawls. "After Sabrina here settles payment."

"Right. I'll work it out with her and let you know, Sayaka," you say. "And I'll let you get back to class."

"Mhm," the bleunette agrees, and you end the call.

"Shoulda settled that before y' came here, eh?" Kyouko says.

"Probably," you agree. "I'm good at short term and long term plans. Middle term... well, I tend to forget what I was doing. Like I asked Sayaka for a raincheck on a talk, but I've kind of forgotten what I wanted to talk to her about."

You shrug as Kyouko gives you an unamused look.

"Anyway. Pay. Yes?" you say.

"Yep," Kyouko says, setting down her fork and leaning back in her chair. She grins challengingly as you, fang poking out. "Impress me."

You do a bit of quick mental math, tallying how much money you'd stolen from the Yakuza. The good thing about cash is that it's fairly compact, so you have quite a bit. Not quite infinite, but more than enough. You want to keep a reserve of actual cash for your own expenses, but you're more than willing to pay her in gold, if... well, that's a good point.

"Question," you say, raising a finger. "Do you know how or where to fence gold bullion?"

Kyouko tilts her head to the side. "I might know a guy, yeah," she allows, eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Six thousand yen and twenty grams of gold per hour," you say. "I'll cover any Grief costs you expend over the time, too. And cleanse Yuma, of course."

"Fuck off," Kyouko says, eyes going wide.

"Eh, it's about the same pay scale that a highly skilled consultant would get," you say. "I think. I'm not hundred percent up to date on payscales. Either way, you qualify, so..."

Kyouko scowls at you. "I get the Grief cleaning anyway," she says with a challenging tilt of her head. "Sweeten the deal."

"Cut me some slack, Kyouko," you say. "Seven thousand plus the gold and the cleansing and don't forget that I'm refreshing your Grief Seeds too. If you want me to have a Grief Seed for you every session, I can't promise that because hello, like I said, busy. I can make the offer for hunting again, though."

Kyouko rolls her eyes. "Too fucking nice," she mutters. "Fine, I'll take the gold and the cash."

"Cool," you say. You start to get up before sitting back down again, a thought occurring to you. "So actually, I have one more thing to offer - are you interested in an introduction to a magical girl who does hacking? She can do bank and government records."

"Yeah?" Kyouko says, eyes narrowing.

"You're not dumb," you say, meeting her gaze squarely. You continue in telepathy. "Your family's church. Yuma's mother is still her legal guardian, I'm betting. Things need fixing."

"Fine." For once, Kyouko looks away.

"Mmm," you agree. "It opens up doors. Do you want to be put in contact? I'll cover payment for her."

Her lips flatten out, pensive and thoughtful. "I need to think about it."

"Alright," you say, checking your phone for the time. "I need to head off now, but keep it in mind."

And you have something you have to check up on, too. The Sakura Church was scheduled to be demolished by the Nakano corporation. And it just so happens that you recently met one Nakano Mika.

It might be coincidence, of course - Nakano's a common enough surname, but it'd take you just a few minutes to chase up on that by telepathy. The next time you see Kyouko would be this evening for training, and if there's anything, you can let her know.

Kyouko blows out an explosive breath, looking at the pile of scrambled eggs on her plate. She shovels it into her mouth in one go, barely chewing before swallowing and hopping to her feet. Yuma follows suit, looking nervously at her adopted big sister.

The redhead scowls at you. "So... later today, right?"

"Yep," you agree. "I'll work out a meeting spot and let you know."

"You do that," Kyouko drawls.

"Right. See you!" you say, heading over to the window, already collecting Grief to build a flight platform. You wave a goodbye to Yuma, who beams at you as you soar off - up, up, and away.

You take the time to shape your Grief platform as you rise above the glittering city. You might as well eke every bit of efficiency you can out of this, and reduce the sonic boom from your passage. To that end, you shape a pointed nose cone out of the platform, layering the entire structure in the radar-retardant, sky-blue camouflage scales. A few minutes' of focus turns the front transparent, so you can see ahead of you.

You'll need to dismiss that when you actually get to Asunaro, of course, but you wouldn't be making the final transit at speed, anyway.

You exhale, sitting cross legged in your hopefully-supersonic Mobile Oppression Fortress. You glance behind you as you leave the northern edge of Kasamino behind you, suburban sprawl fading into patchwork quilts of farmland, and you push.

The acceleration is brutal, like a giant wound up and slugged you with a giant-sized pillow.

You peel yourself off the back of your flying platform, lying down on the floor so that you can watch the ground roll by. You leave Kasamino and Mitakihara behind, glittering steel skyscrapers fading into grey blurs on the horizon.

Off to Asunaro. You can't help the touch of dread that pools in your stomach. A strange place it is, really, one that trips all your paranoia. But there are so many shiny things, and most important of all, Mami's friend.

Not to say that the other things that might come out of it aren't important. The science, for one. Like de-Witching, the anti-Kyuubey Barrier, fake Incubators...

You can't help your mind drifting back to Kyuubey, either. You consider it for a second, considering how it was able to observe your nanoscale constructions in apparently enough detail to give advice. Possibly it has some remarkably advanced sensor apparatus in its body.

Huh.

It occurs to you that those golden hoops on Kyuubey's ears vanish when the body is destroyed. Which perhaps suggests that those hoops are actually important. Maybe they're the sensor arrays, or some kind of remote antenna or something - but they do seem to conveniently disappear.

There's a thought. You put it aside for now, though. You haven't really planned for anything during the trip, but you can take a few minutes to check in with Nakano Mika.

"Hello, Miss Mika?" you reach out by telepathy.

"Hello! Miss Sabrina, right?" the girl's cheerful voice responds moments later.

You breathe out a sigh of relief - you're glad you didn't interrupt her in the middle of something. You seem to have a bad habit of doing that.

"Yup," you confirm. "Just checking in, is the Clear Seed working out for you? Have you tested it yet? And, uh, I have a more personal question, too."

"Oh, yeah! It works exactly as advertised," Mika responds. "Well, I haven't tested it for hundreds of years yet, but it works so far! And I've put it away nice and safe."

"Ah, good," you say, smiling despite yourself. Irrepressibly cheerful, she is.

"What was your other question?" Mika asks.

"Uh, so if you don't mind my asking - are you related to the Nakano Corporation?" you ask.

"Oh, yeah. My grandfather owns it," she says. "Why?"

"Hm..." you say. "Is it alright if I don't answer that right away? It's nothing bad, per se, I just need to think about a course of action."

"Oh, pssht, don't worry 'bout upsetting me," Mika says. "You've got to actually work to do that."

"... right," you say, raising an eyebrow at the indifferent landscape rolling past. A split second later, you're deprived even of that simple pleasure as you hit a cloud bank. "Still, by that token, do you mind if I don't say?"

"Oh, sure," Mika says. "But now I'm gonna be curious about it."

She manages to pout at you by telepathy. Somehow.

"I'll get back to you on it," you decide. "Sorry, I really do need to think it over a bit. Thanks for answering, though!"

"No problem. Thanks for the Clear Seed!" she says, and ends the call.

You hum quietly to yourself, thinking it over. OK, so that's a lever you can work in. Maybe you should present the choice to Kyouko, though really, if Kyouko chooses to work with Yuuki, knowing Mika and indirectly hurting her family company sits a little ill with you.

Hm.

Thoughts for later.

You gaze out of the window. Ahead of you lies farmland and villages and towns, and looming ahead are the mountain ranges that form the spine of Japan.

Winter it isn't, and these mountains aren't tall enough to be capped with snow. Rolling slopes covered in pure, verdant green is all you can see from this distance, though that will change as you get close, you're sure. It's a breathtaking sight, regardless.

... you wish Mami were here to see this with you. She'd love it, you're sure.

On the other hand, there's no reason you can't chat with her right now.

"Hey, Mami," you murmur. "Are you busy?"

"Ah!" Mami says, mental voice bright. "No, not too busy. How are you, Sabrina?"

"I'm doing fine!" you say. "I'm heading across to Asunaro right now. I wish you were here with me, the scenery is beautiful."

"I wish I could be there too," Mami says, soft and warm. "But it's good to hear from you."

"Yeah," you agree. "It's always good to talk to you."

Mami makes a pleased noise.

"How's class?" you ask.

"Ah, the reading period is over, and it's English now," she explains. "We're just doing worksheets."

"Oof, I'm glad I don't have to do those," you say with a grin. "Need help?"

You spend a while just chatting with Mami, helping her with her work. It's not cheating if she isn't doing any tests or quizzes, right?

Eventually, though, you're approaching Asunaro. You can't help but fret a little as you reach out by telepathy for Michiru. What could have gone wrong in the meantime?

"Hello, Miss Kazusa?" you say, casting the telepathic call out.

"Hello! Miss Sabrina?" Michiru responds.

"Ah, hello!" you say. "How are you?"

"I'm good! Excited to meet Mami again. I made a parfait! I hope it'll keep..." she says.

"Do you have an ice box for it?" you ask, starting to decelerate as the city resolves from a blur to actual buildings.

"Oh, an ice box!" Michiru says. "That's a great ide- waa!"

"... Miss Kazusa?" you say.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Michiru responds. "Um, here's Umika!"

"... hi," a new voice says. Misaki Umika, then.

"Hi," you say. "... uh. Is Miss Kazusa alright?"

"She's just fine," Umika says, a note of amusement in her voice. "What did you say to her?"

"Apparently she made a parfait to bring to Mitakihara?" you say. "I suggested she should get an ice box for it."

"That would explain why she's emptying the ice out of the freezer," Umika agrees. "I'm Misaki Umika."

"I'm Sabrina," you say. "Uh, no last name. Pleased to meet you!"

"Good to meet you too," Umika agrees. "Are you arriving here soon?"

"Yup. Where should I pick you up?" you say.

"Um... do you have Google Maps?" Umika asks.

"No, unfortunately," you say.

"Hm. How are you arriving? Teleporting, or flying, or... something else?" Umika asks.

"I'm flying in - I'll be flying you back. You, Miss Kazusa, and Miss Maki, right?" you ask.

"Correct," Umika says. "Um... landmark... there is a big radio tower near the southeastern side of the city. Could you meet us at the top of the tower?"

"Works for me!" you say.

Voting opens Aug 1, 2017 at 1:00 PM
[] Present yourself as you actually are: cheerful dweeb who wants to help but can back that attitude up.
[] What do you talk about on the way back?
[] Lunch-time: Any points to hit?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Now arriving at: Asunaro City.

 

[Firnagzen]

The 'big radio tower'. You spot it easily, even from a distance - a huge, circular building that soars far above the other structures around it. It's vaguely reminiscent of the Tokyo Skytree, actually. Probably a deliberate copy thereof, really. If Tokyo doesn't have something even more neofuturistically ostentatious, anyway.

You divert towards it, slowing even more. You dismiss the transparent windshield too, and you doublecheck that your Grief utility fog has been reduced to near-imperceptible levels. You want to make a good impression, after all!

Of course, with the Pleaides Saints all bunched up nicely on top of the tower, this would be the best time for Plan Caw, Caw. You could just swoop down and... collect Michiru and Umika and Kaoru.

Alas, that would probably give entirely the wrong idea. As would flying in upside-down. The only person who would get it is Homura, and she would be deeply disapproving were she here.

You arrive at the tower before they do, alighting gently amongst the forest of metallic spars. You try not to disturb them - as it is, you're probably causing all sorts of horrible cell phone coverage issues just by being here amongst the antennas.

Just as well you didn't do the flying-upside-down thing. They aren't even here yet, probably because Michiru got delayed.

Heh. It makes sense, but magical girls do tend to gravitate to high places. Scaling tall buildings comes naturally to you, and you get a commanding view of the surrounding area. It just comes with the territory, you suppose. Good thing that Asunaro isn't more gothic, or you'd be wrestling the urge to start monologing about dead parents while perching on a gargoyle. Your probably-parents aren't even dead!

On the other hand, the thing to do would technically be to start ranting about love and friendship and hope, you suppose. You are a magical girl, after all.

You take a moment to guide little specks of Grief to the edge of your coat as stare out over the city. For all your fretting over Asunaro, it's still just a city, not that much different from Mitakihara. The radio tower you're currently roosting on seems to be solidly within the housing district - there's a shopping centre at the base of the tower, surrounded by squat apartment blocks.

You have to wonder if it's the same shopping centre where the events you hope you've derailed start. Ah, well. It's irrelevant, especially now: you can sense three magical girls, approaching on foot. In an elevator, judging by the way they're moving straight up the tower at a perfectly steady velocity.

Their Soul Gems... ooh, yeah, they're having Witch shortage issues, alright. Kazusa's Soul Gem is rather uncomfortably full, to your Grief senses. Not so much Umika, nor Kaoru.

Hmm. Just three? There should be seven of them.

They emerge a few minutes later on the roof of the building. In the lead is a slender, black haired girl. She looks about the roof in what she probably imagines is a surreptitious way, the effect completely ruined by the vibrant red and white dress she's wearing. She's cradling a box carefully in her arms as she glances around, short bob-cut hair flopping in the breeze.

Kazusa Michiru, nicknamed Kazumi. The girl whose Witching Out sets the entire chain of dominoes toppling. Following her is an orange.

OK, fine, that's a bit mean, but the girl following Michiru has orange hair and orange eyes and a nice, white blouse... with an orange skirt. There's such a thing as colour coordination, but damn, girl. She bounces forward to walk beside Michiru, showing off muscled calves.

That would be Maki Kaoru, then. Good girl, all around. Soccer player, and unless you remember wrongly, she made her Wish to help other girls who were hurt.

Check, check...

"Hey, up here!" you call. Putting one hand on the spar of the antenna mast, you vault down towards them as the last member of their party emerges from the stairwell.

... and check. It's a nice blouse and skirt combo complimented by the dark tights she wears underneath, you'll grant. But you'll also grant the critical lack of pants.

Misaki Umika, dark blue hair that hangs down to her back. The rich one of their team. Blue eyes framed by her bangs are the first to find you, her face lighting up with a pleasant smile.

"Oh! Hi, Miss Sabrina!" Michiru says, greeting you with a bright smile. "Ah- I should shake hands, but- Kaoru, take this!"

She shoves the icebox into Kaoru's arms and advances on you, arm outstretched. You meet her halfway, shaking her hand firmly.

"Good to finally meet you," you say, smiling. "I'm Sabrina - um, Sabrina Vee, I suppose. Vee Sabrina, since we're in Japan, but the surname is a work in progress. Still getting used to ti!"

"Kazusa Michiru!" Michiru says, pumping your hand rather more enthusiastically than is necessary before letting go. "But everyone calls me Kazumi, so you should too!"

"Sure, Kazumi-sempai," you say, grinning back at her.

"Oh~!" the black haired girl says, spinning to beam at her friends. "Hear that? Kazumi-sempai. Why don't you call me that?"

"You aren't a sempai of anyone," Umika says, reaching up to flick Kazumi on the side of her head. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Vee."

"No no no, don't call me Miss Vee," you protest. "Just Sabrina will do. You're Misaki Umika, right?"

"You can call me Umika," she says with a nod. "And this meathead is Maki Kaoru."

"Hey!" Kaoru protests, kicking Umika's ankle.

"Nice to meet you all," you say, smiling. "Say, uh, aren't there seven of you?"

"Oh, Saki and Mirai and Satomi and Niko aren't here right now," Michiru says with a bright smile. She reclaims the ice box from Kaoru, fussing with it. "Um... you can meet them later!"

"Oh, hm... well, actually, I was kind of hoping to do something, here" you say. "Um, Kazumi, have you told your friends about my powers?"

"Nope~?" Michiru says, giving you a curious look.

"I control Grief," you say, spreading your arms wide. Your Grief spheres answer the call, bobbing down into view with the nanoscale camouflage peels back and dissolves to reveal their deep, mottled purple colour. With a thought, you start flapping the end of your coat in a suitably dramatic faux wind, and pull the Grief spheres into the points of a geodesic sphere that orbits lazily about you.

A moment of pause for effect...

"And yes, that includes cleansing Soul Gems," you say, grinning.

Umika's and Kaoru's eyes are very, very wide.

"You can cleanse Soul Gems?" Umika breathes.

"Yup," you say cheerfully, and hold your hand out as you let the spheres drop with a thud. "May I demonstrate?"

"Ahh... Kaoru!" Michiru says, nudging the other girl with her elbow. "You go!"

Hmm. She's hiding the status of her Soul Gem, isn't she?

Kaoru produces her Soul Gem, holding it cupped in the palms of her hands and giving you a look of mild trepidation. There's a thin, filmy layer of Grief churns under its surface, just enough to be noticeable. Moving slowly, you make a little pinching motion with two fingers and tug with both your hand and your mind.

Grief wisps forth, filling the air like a noxious banner that you crush into two little marbles.

"Wow," Kaoru breathes, eyes practically shining as she beholds her Soul Gem.

"That's amazing, Miss Vee," Umika says. There's reverence in her voice. "It's- it's a true cleansing? The Grief isn't just moved elsewhere?"

"Technically it is," you say, smiling and holding up a finger. You set the two marbles orbiting above the tip of your finger. "Right here. And what did I say about calling me Sabrina?"

"Right," Umika says, nodding. "Sorry, Sabrina."

Michiru beams at you, starting to bounce on her toes before remembering her precious cargo and forcing herself to stop. "Mami's so lucky."

"Nah," you say. You shake your head, smiling softly. "If anything, I'm the lucky one for her taking me in."

"Ah, speaking of! Shall we get going?" Michiru asks, perking up.

"Well, as I was saying, I actually wanted to do something before I go," you say. "I was thinking I could offer cleanses to everyone who's staying behind, too? For free? And, um, I can refresh Grief Seeds that have been used to brand new or better, actually."

"Oh, that would be wonderful," Kazumi says, beaming. "Um, let me call Niko! I think Saki and Mirai are busy..."

"Sure," you say, smiling cheerfully. Niko... Kanna Niko, the tech-head of their team. Of course, you'd have to keep an eye out for Hijiri Kanna. "Are you sure you don't want to bring everyone over, even if they're busy?"

"Oh, it should be fine," Kazumi says. "We're coming back soon anyway, aren't we?"

"Fair enough," you agree. You slip your hands into your pockets, rocking back and forth on your feet as you wait.

"Um, Sabrina? What did you mean by making a Grief Seed better?" Kaoru asks, giving you a curious look.

"Aha, yes," you say. You were hoping someone would ask. There was just no good segue for it. You pat down your pockets and locate Hildegarde, holding the Grief Seed up by its point. "This is what I call a Clear Seed. It's what happens when I take a regular Grief Seed and empty out all the Grief."

"Cool!" Michiru says, shifting her icebox to her hip and leaning closer to examine the Seed. "What does it do?"

"Same as a Grief Seed, really," you say. "You can cleanse with it, just that, uh..." You summon a marble to float in front of you at eye level. "This is about a day's worth? And, well-"

You gesture grandly, the Grief spheres leaping once more into the air. "This is about half of what a Clear Seed can take."

"You'll get along well with Niko," Umika murmurs, eyes wide with awe.

"Well." You shrug, smiling. "The point really is that if you want one, and if you have a spare Grief Seed, I can make you girls one right now. It'll last... Uh. A while."

"Really? You'd do that?" Michiru squeals. She starts forward before forcing herself to stop, eyes darting to her cargo. "Umika- hug her!"

"Kaoru, you do it," Umika snaps, tucking her hands behind herself and taking a step backward.

"Nuh-uh," Kaoru says. "My hugs are for Kazumi."

You blink, and laugh. "No need. I'm here to help," you say. You'd be insulted by your apparent lack of huggability, but you prefer hugs from Mami, and she doesn't have any complaints. "Niko's bringing Grief Seeds, right? I can make one for you, if you like."

"Yes, please! If you don't mind," Umika says.

You sense two presences approaching, one lagging behind the other. The slower one pauses and breaks off as the one in the lead approaches the tower - and she doesn't take the elevator, either.

"Oh, I think that's Niko," you say, turning to peer over the mess of antenna spars. You spot what looks like a splash of teal blue, standing out stark and bright against the dizzying crisscross of roads far below.

"That's her!" Michiru says, poking her head out besides yours. "NIKOOOO! UP HERE!"

... you don't think Niko can actually hear her.

Nevertheless, the girl arrives a few minutes later, what looks like a hangglider folding tidily into her backpack as she lands smoothly on her feet. Her puella magi costume is the same teal green, consisting mainly of a jacket that ends mid-thigh and leaves her legs bare. You feel kind of offended, really. Aviator goggles ride high on her leather helmet, offsetting the warmth in her blue eyes as she greets Kazumi.

"And this is Sabrina!" Kazumi says, turning towards you. "She's Tomoe Mami's friend, and she's here to help!"

"That's me," you say, swallowing a snicker. That really does about sum you up nicely. "I can cleanse Grief Seeds, and I can..."

You repeat your spiel, and provide the usual warning that Clear Seeds and regular Grief Seeds don't mix.

"That's fascinating," Niko says, leaning in close. "Can I see the Clear Seed? Yes- just hold it up, thank you."

You oblige, and watch in faint bemusement as she pulls out her smartphone and starts poking away at the screen.

"... can I see what you're doing?" you ask.

"Hmm?" she asks, fumbling in her pocket. She pulls out one of the normal Grief Seeds you sense on her, and holds it up beside the Clear Seed.

You twitch, moving it a little further away just to be sure, and you shuffle around so you can peek over her shoulder. Her phone screen displays...

Well, it's something, that's for sure. You can't make out the mess of glyphs and graphs.

"It's no use," Umika says, shaking her head. "Ask her later."

"Well, actually-" You check the time on your phone. "Um, OK, if you want a Clear Seed, I need to start now. We're on a schedule to meet up with Mami for lunch."

You could rush, but that'd probably ruin Michiru's parfait.

"Niko..." Kaoru pats the blonde on the shoulder. "Can you give us a Grief Seed?"

The blonde doesn't seem to notice that, either, muttering quietly to herself. And so Kaoru starts poking through Niko's pockets, finding a Grief Seed eventually. "Here we are!"

"I'll definitely want to ask later," you muse as you take the Grief Seed. "Give me a bit."

You focus, and you start drawing Grief forth from the Seed. The Pleiades watch with mingled awe and interest, especially on Niko's part - she seems to be taking notes now, thumbs practically blurring over the touchscreen of her phone. The Grief you yank free you immediately compress into spheres, scaling them over with the same sky-blue anti-radar camoflage.

And when you're done, you present the Clear Seed to the Pleiades. Niko snatches it immediately, eyes intent.

You can't help but laugh, though you were hoping to get Michiru to use it. Perhaps you should try and ask her alone, later. Regardless, it is time to go, so you start reforming your Mobile Oppression Fortress.

"All aboard Mitakihara Meguca Airlines Flight 004 to Mitakihara," you say cheerfully as you step up on to the platform. You've even added proper seats this time - hard Grief, but as ergonomic as you can make them, in a row of three with one more in front for yourself. No transparent windshield either; you don't want to freak them out too much. Layered shutters of Grief will let you see out the sides without letting in too much wind, anyway.

Michiru clambers eagerly on board, taking the middle seat and looking around for a place to put her cargo down. You obligingly form a little holder under her seat, exactly right to hold the icebox snugly.

"Come on up!" she calls to her friends, and Umika and Kaoru scramble on board. You blink as you notice Niko starting to follow too, still muttering absentmindedly to herself.

She's stopped by Kaoru's hand planted squarely on her face. "No, Niko," she says firmly. "You take the Clear Seed that Sabrina has given to us, and you go home, alright? Don't let it touch other Grief Seeds, either."

"Mmhm," Niko says, turning away from the platform. Instead, she wanders to the far edge of the roof, walking right off without seeming to notice the actual drop.

"... should we be concerned?" you venture, eyeing the spot where she'd dropped off.

"No, she gets like that when she has something interesting to focus on," Umika says with a sigh. "She'll make it home safe enough, if only because all her equipment is there, but she might not leave for a few days."

"Uh... huh," you say. You can sense that she's flying, at least, instead of, well, falling. That's something.

"It's normal!" Michiru says brightly.

"Right," you say, only slightly reassured. You settle into your chair and grin at the Pleiades Saints. "Anyway, um... right. Yes. Welcome aboard Mitakihara Meguca Airlines flight 004. Please keep hands and other extremities inside the vehicle at all times."

"That's for rollercoasters!" Kaoru points out.

"Well, it's my vehicle, so there," you say, grinning. "Anyway. Here we go!"

You lift off gently from the roof to the whoops of Kaoru and Michiru, who cheer and peek eagerly out of the shuttered windows as you rise above the city.

"Hey, Mami?" You reach out across the distance for that familiar presence.

"Yes, Sabrina? Is everything alright?" Mami responds.

"Yeah," you say, unable to help the gentle smile that comes to your face just from hearing her voice. "It's all good - I'm on the way back with Michiru and her friends now."

"Ah," Mami says. "Do you-"

"She's looking forward to meeting you again," you reassure her. "I'll be back soon, alright?"

"Alright," Mami says, and you can feel her smile.

"See you soon," you murmur.

"Alright," Mami says again. "See you soon."

"This is so cool!" Michiru squeals, staring out the windows with wide eyes.

"Thank you," you say, beaming at her. "Really, I was very lucky. Both with my powers, and with Mami."

"I'll say," Umika notes drily.

You laugh, and kick your feet against the floor to spin your chair around and face them. You're accelerating slowly but steadily, and you'll start decelerating at the halfway point. Just enough time to make it back for lunch, by your reckoning.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any in-flight refreshments," you say with a grin. "And I suppose Michiru's icebox is for dessert after lunch?"

"Call me Kazumi!" Michiru protests. "And duh it's for after lunch."

"Fair enough," you say. "So how did you girls meet, anyway?"

"Oh! Well, there was a Witch-" Kazumi starts to explain their story. She'd been a magical girl before the rest of the Saints, and she'd actually saved them from Witches. Not all at once, contrary to what you remember, and without that bizarre, out of character testing you remember she'd put them through.

But she'd saved them, one after another.

You let the conversation flow, applauding Kazumi's heroics. Umika and Kaoru seem to thoroughly agree with the sentiment, heaping the black haired girl with praise she seems reluctant to accept.

As you chat, though, you feel another telepathic link snap up.

"Sabrina?" Nadia's accented voice sounds in your head.

"Ah, Nadia? How goes it?" you ask, even as you ask Kazumi about her cooking.

"It goes well," Nadia says. "The Shiogama girls, they have agreed that they will travel to Mitakihara. I will bring them there, we will arrive tomorrow morning. Is that good?"

"Hm, I could probably give you a lift, if you want?" you respond.

"There is no need. We can travel, fimti?" Nadia says.

Hm. That could be a bit of a problem. Considering that Kazumi asked whether the city could support more magical girls, you're pretty sure the Asunaro girls intend to stay a day or two, or at the very least the night. Which could clash with a few things, like Sayaka's training, experimenting with Mami's powers, and, of course, integrating the Shiogama girls into your team.

Voting opens Aug 4, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] Confirm the Asunaro girl's stay
[] Write-in an alternative
[] Continue with vote in abeyance
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[] Segue into explaining your overall goals, so you don't have to do it over lunch. Don't hog too much of the conversation, let Kazuza and co. steer the topic as well.
[] Over lunch:
-[] Help do introductions.
-[] Make sure that Mami is okay.
-[] Keep Homura from drifting away from the group.
-[] Ask if Umika's 『 S T A N D 』 is 『 Heaven's Door 』.
-[] And tell them about Cannone Picchio.

=====​

A little bit of a clash. You can choose to work around it, of course.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Hm... hold that thought for a second?" you say to Nadia.

"Say, uh, quick question," you say out loud - you should probably confirm. "You girls are gonna stay at least the night, right? Any idea how long you would like to stay?"

Umika and Kaoru look to Kazumi, who worries at her lip. "Um... how long can we stay?" she asks.

Hm. You did intend to travel to Asunaro with Mami after their visit.

"Honestly, I think both Mami and I are fine with you staying as long as you like," you say, shrugging. "So... up to you?"

"Maybe... maybe two or three days?" Kazumi suggests. "Then you can come over to Asunaro!"

"Sounds good to me," you say. A bit of a clash there. Tricky, tricky, but something to work out you guess. You include Mami into the telepathic conversation. "Hey, Mami?"

"Mm, Sabrina?" Mami asks. You can feel the warm smile on her face.

"I've got Nadia here - she says she's sending the Shiogama girls to us tomorrow. Do you think that's OK?" you ask. "They'll be here tomorrow morning."

"Oh, I see," Mami says. "I'll be at school, but you can meet them first?"

"That's what I was thinking. Maybe show them around Mitakihara a bit, until you finish school?" you agree. "Nadia, do you have a more specific time?"

"Ten o'clock," Nadia says. "We will be moving by train."

"That sounds good to me, Sabrina," Mami says.

"Alright," you say. "Thanks! To the both of you. Let me know tomorrow, Nadia?"

"I will. We will be there!" Nadia says cheerfully, and exits the telepathic call.

"We're on our way back, Mami," you say. "We'll make it back."

"Alright," Mami says. "I... thank you, Sabrina."

"I'm glad to," you say. "See you soon, Mami."

You return to the conversation, apologising for the diversion and chatting amiably with them. You take a few minutes to divert into your goals, too: you want to help. Kazumi nods eagerly in agreement.

"Just like Mami!" Kazumi opines, eyes shining.

"Thanks," you say with a grin. "I... Mami believes that we, as magical girls, have a duty to help people. We have to kill Witches and Familiars, because they can't, and because they'd be in danger if we didn't. But well... there's nobody but ourselves to help each other, right?"

Kazumi nods enthusiastically.

"I'm starting small," you say. "I want to make Mami happy, I want to make my friends happy. But... As arrogant as it sounds, I can do so much more. I can help magical girls everywhere."

You shrug, a little sheepish and a little self-conscious. Kazumi's grinning unabashedly, though.

"I think that's a wonderful goal," she says. "Don't you, Umika, Kaoru?"

"I see where you get it from," Umika says. She tilts her head back so that her windswept fringe is out of her face, and quirks an eyebrow at Kazumi.

Kazumi pouts, and both you and Umika laugh, Kaoru joining in with a boisterous smack on Kazumi's shoulder.

"By the way, Kazumi," you murmur into the girl's mind as the trio bicker good-naturedly with each other. "I can't help but notice your Soul Gem's a bit full."

"No it isn't-" she denies reflexively, eyes widening. She covers up her surprise by poking Kaoru in the stomach.

"Let me cleanse your Gem?" you ask. She's trying to hide it from her friends, because that's the kind of person she is. Others before herself. "Please? Besides, you owe me a hug, right? Let me do this for you? I can do it without your friends noticing if you just let your hand hang down by the chair."

"I- don't tell them?" Kazumi pleads, a touch of anxiety in her voice.

"Alright," you say.

She lets her hand dangle, and you nod quietly to yourself as you start to siphon the Grief off in as thin a stream as you can make, immediately merging it into the fabric of your flying platform as it comes free. Slow and steady, so that Umika and Kaoru don't notice it.

"Thank you," Kazumi breathes into your mind. She doesn't show a whit of the relief she must feel as you drain the accumulated despair from her Soul Gem.

"So Umika, I understand that you write?" you ask, smiling at the dark blue-haired girl.

Umika nods, and immediately starts bemoaning the state of the publishing industry - from Kaoru and Kazumi's reactions, this is a familiar refrain. You listen with interest, interjecting where you can from what you know of publishing, and you reach out for Oriko in yet another telepathic call.

"Say, Oriko?" you say. "Do you have a moment?"

"Yes, I am free," she responds. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, not at all," you say. "Come on, I don't only call you when something's wrong."

"Nevertheless, it's a valid question where you are involved," Oriko says, tone utterly dry.

"Hrmph," you say. You hope she can feel your mental glare. "I just wanted a bit of advice, and maybe permission. Nadia's sending two girls over from Shiogama, because their team is broken and they're unable to sustain themselves. But we don't have a place for them to stay, and I was thinking I could house them at the warehouse unless you have a better suggestion?"

"I have no objections to that," Oriko says. "I have no further use for the place, after all. Perhaps a hotel would be a good temporary option, additionally?"

"I don't have any ID for it," you say. The warehouse would be a good option, but for the fact that it's way out in the industrial district. The remoteness of the location is in some ways a boon - it'd make comings and goings for them easier, but it is in the old industrial district. For all that Oriko had the warehouse nicely furnished, it isn't the best place.

"Do you not?" Oriko sounds faintly surprised. "I see. Kirika does, if you would like to request her help."

"... should I ask why she has one?" you venture.

"She had it before she met me," Oriko says, voice turning fond. "I gather that she found it useful at times."

"Noooot gonna ask then," you say. "Thanks for the advice and the permission!"

"You are welcome," Oriko says, and ends the call.

The rest of the trip is spent in amiable chatter, Kazumi perking up even more as you finish the cleansing. With the halfway mark passed, you start to slow - the fastest way of travelling a straight line distance is to accelerate all the way to the halfway mark, and then decelerate past that point. And eventually, the familiar skyline of Mitakihara City starts to loom on the horizon. You check your phone - you'll make it with about ten minutes to spare. Excellent.

"It's good to get home after being away, isn't it?" Kazumi says.

"Hm?" you say, glancing back at her.

She shakes her head, smiling. "Just the way you looked at the city."

You don't have anything to say to that, so instead, you start pointing out landmarks as they come into view. Soon and yet not soon enough, you reach the grand cathedral rooftop of Mitakihara Middle School.

The Asunaro trio take it in stride as you land on the roof, though you take a moment to caution them that while your little lunchgroup are usually the only people to come up here, this is a school and you're not actually supposed to be here. Kazumi nods solemnly.

The school bell rings. Sudden activity explodes from beneath you as class ends, and you can just hear the 'Stand! Bow! Sit!' routines, repeated dozens of times over. And then there's noise and movement, and you can feel Mami's presence, glowing warm and bright as she pelts up the stairs three at a time.

She bursts onto the roof. Her eyes find you first, and then Kazumi, and she stops, deer in headlights.

Kazumi, on the other hand, has no such hangups. She bounces forward happily, reaching out to grab Mami's hand in both of hers. "Mami! I'm so happy to see you again!" she squeals. "It's been a long time, how are you? You look great-"

You're not any further behind. Kazumi babbles a mile a minute, but you step around her so that you can touch Mami's shoulder lightly. Golden eyes starting to tear up find yours, and you smile encouragingly at her.

Kaoru catches up with Kazumi, tugging her back gently. "You're overwhelming her."

"Oh- right," Kazumi says, blinking and stepping back.

"I- I'm happy to see you too," Mami says, venturing a smile at Kazumi. "It has been a while."

"It has!" Kazumi agrees, shining up with a smile. She doesn't seem to notice -or chooses not to comment on- the way Mami's eyes are suspiciously shiny.

Mami swallows, swaying as she stares at you - and you nod, smiling encouragingly at her. She shakes her head and steps forward, arms rising a little.

You answer the silent request and pull her into a tight, tight hug. You can feel the way she trembles as she buries her face in your shoulder. You can hear -and sense- your other friends coming up the stairs, and you're blocking the stairwell, but you don't care. You spot them out of the corner of your eye, only for them to halt with Madoka's tugging on Sayaka and Homura's sleeves.

Behind you, Kazumi's stepped back with her friends, giving you room.

"It's good to be back," you murmur to her.

"Thank you," she whispers into your shoulder.

She doesn't let go of you, but she does ease back enough so that she can keep one arm around you, but still face the Asunaro trio. "I'm sorry about that," she says. "I'm just- overwhelmed is one way to put it."

"No, no," Kazumi says, shaking her head and beaming. "I understand!"

Umika and Kaoru nod, echoing the sentiment. Sayaka chooses this moment to emerge from the stairwell, blinking in the sunlight and grinning at the new arrivals. "Hello!"

"Hi!" Kazumi says, bouncing forward. "You must be another of Mami's students!"

"Yep," Sayaka agrees, sticking her hand out to shake. "Miki Sayaka, nice to meet you, uh, Kazusa-sempai?"

"Yes!" Kazumi crows, preening as she shakes Sayaka's hand. She gives her friends a triumphant look. "See? I'm a sempai."

"You're really not," Kaoru says, reaching over to muss Kazumi's hair.

Homura and Madoka are the next to walk out on the roof, followed by Hitomi.

"Hello, Miss Kazusa," Madoka says, bowing. "It's very nice to meet you."

You snicker as you watch Kazumi introduce herself - it would probably be polite to help, but Kazumi seems to have it well in hand. And besides, you're more concerned about Mami.

"Are you alright, Mami?" you murmur to her.

"I- I think I am," Mami says, smiling back at you. "I just- I can't explain how- I never thought I'd see her again, and just-" She fumbles for words, before shaking her head and beams at you through teary eyes. "Thank you, Sabrina."

"Talk to her?" you encourage. "When you're ready."

Mami nods, taking a deep breath and rejoining the main group. Kazumi's finished introducing herself and her friends with aggressive enthusiasm, practically vibrating in place at meeting so many people. Even Homura has reluctantly introduced herself.

"How have you been, Kazusa-san?" Mami asks.

"You can call me Kazumi, you know!" Kazumi pouts. "I've been good! Mami, these are my good friends and team mates, Umika and Kaoru. We're all part of a big team, the Pleiades Saints!"

"It's good to meet you," Mami says, nodding.

"It's good to finally meet you, Miss Tomoe," Umika says, bowing deeply. "We've heard a lot about you from Kazumi."

"Yeah!" Kaoru agrees. "From what she says, you're really good!"

"Mami's more than just good," you say, and smile at Mami. "She's amazing. Though, uh, we should start eating? We're on the school timetable here!"

With a chorus of agreement, you all settle down on the benches. Everyone starts producing their lunches, even the Asunaro girls. Mami opens the still-warm container of ribollita, the rich scent of the stew more than enough to make your stomach grumble.

"Aaaa!" Kazumi squawks, sitting bolt upright. "Where's my parfait?"

"You left it on my flying platform," you say, grinning at her. "I've got it, here. It's dessert, anyway!" You float the icebox over, held securely with Grief as Mami starts to dole out the stew.

"Homura, take more," you say, smiling at your friend. "Madoka, make sure she eats up?"

Homura blinks at you slowly, but complies, holding her lunchbox out for Mami to spoon more over.

The next few minutes are hungry and busy as everyone digs in. Mami's ribollita gets praise, and Kazumi devours another two helpings of it. You lean companionably against Mami's side as you eat, sneaking warm smiles at her.

"How did you meet your team?" Kazumi asks, glancing at Mami as she savours another mouthful of stew.

"Ah, well... it was really Sabrina's doing," Mami says. "She... Well, she didn't have anywhere to stay at first, so I let her stay with me. She encouraged Homura to work with us, and she was friends with Sayaka and Madoka and Hitomi."

"Hey, we were your friends too!" Sayaka objects, waving her chopsticks at Mami. "Right, Madoka? Hitomi?"

"We were and are," Hitomi affirms with an amused smile, taking a dainty bite of rice.

Mami smiles, ducking her head. "So it was natural that Sayaka joined us when she became a magical girl, too."

"Not like I'd go anywhere else," Sayaka snorts.

"All I did was make sure we were all friends," you demur. "Everything else came naturally."

"That's an excellent place to start from!" Kazumi declares with a firm nod.

"We weren't friends at the beginning..." Kaoru protests, nudging her in the side.

"But we are now~" Kazumi grins.

Kaoru pokes Kazumi in the cheek. "We are, but we weren't at the beginning."

"Fine, fine," Kazumi says, shaking her head. "It is a good thing, though." She flashes you a thumbs up.

"I like to think so," you say, grinning around at your friends. "Right, guys?"

"Did you run off and clone yourself and make yourself black-haired?" Sayaka asks, giving you an accusing look. "I'm the one with the clone powers here, you know."

"You have clone powers?" Hitomi asks, giving her a look of mild, understated surprise.

"Copied them off a girl in Ishinomaki, yeah," Sayaka says with a grin.

"Nah, I'm not a clone," Kazumi says.

"Maybe you're the clone, Sabrina," Kaoru says.

"Hah, well, I did wake up in an alleyway with no memory," you say, rolling your eyes. "Better than waking up in a suitcase, I suppose."

"Is that something that has happened before?" Hitomi enquires.

"Nah, but it could," you say, snorting.

"That seems unlikely," Homura says mildly, only half-heartedly trying to fend off Madoka giving her some grapes.

"Would you even fit inside a suitcase?" Madoka asks, beaming at you.

Appraising looks are directed your way.

"Perhaps a very large suitcase," Umika suggests. "I've seen some big ones at the airport."

"Why are we discussing putting me in a suitcase?" you ask.

"I wouldn't mind carrying you around with me," Mami says, giving you a warm smile.

"Baaah," you grumble, and steal a piece of chicken out of her lunchbox. Sure, you both have the same fried chicken, but it's the principle of the thing.

"You have copying powers too?" Kazumi asks, giving Sayaka a curious look.

"Yup!" Sayaka says, and digs in her pocket before pulling out a large keychain full of tabs, each one mounted with a power gem. "Each of these is a power I copied!"

"Oh, that's cool," you say, leaning forward to peer at the wheel. "When did you make that?"

"I got papa to help!" Sayaka says, beaming. "It's just sheet plastic, really. See, like this, they're all accessible quickly. And there's enough empty spots if I get more powers, though I might just make another one. Um... I was wondering, Mami, if you could help me enchant it to make it more durable?"

"Certainly!" Mami says with a smile. "That's excellent thinking, Sayaka."

"Yeah, it's a great idea," you say. "Keep all your powers to hand rather than risk dropping them, right?"

"Yep," Sayaka says, spinning the keychain on a finger and almost preening under the attention.

"Do you wanna copy my powers?" Kazumi asks, bouncing on her seat. "I've got copying powers, too! Maybe I can try copying yours!"

"Eh?" Sayaka asks, raising an eyebrow. "How would that... work?"

"I dunno!" Kazumi says, leaning forward and motioning for Sayaka's hand. "We should find out!"

"... Mami? What do you think?" you say, giving her a perplexed glance. Sure, 'FOR SCIENCE' is one thing, but then again, infinite recursions are probably bad.

"It should be fine?" Mami says. "I think?"

Sayaka reaches out to grab Kazumi's hand. You feel the spark of magic from both of them, and Sayaka settles back, working her jaw thoughtfully. "You make... copies of effects?" she asks.

"I do!" Kazumi says, beaming. "I learned Mami's guns from her!"

"They're muskets," Mami says primly.

"Rifled percussion lock muskets," you add.

"Oh, I see how it is," Kazumi says, smirking at the two of you. "No wonder you get along~"

"Hey, it's true," you say, bumping your shoulder against Mami's and giggling. A thought strikes you. "Oh, hey, before I forget - um Kazumi, Umika, Kaoru, after lunch I'll have to go sort out some housing matters. I'm sorry I can't give you my full attention, but..." You shake your head. "Timing, you know?"

"No, no! We're guests here," Kazumi says, beaming. "It's fine!"

"Well - do you want to tag along, or would you rather do something else while I sort it out quickly?" you ask.

"Tagging along is fine with me," Kazumi says. "Umika, Kaoru?"

They nod in agreement.

"Housing issues, Sabrina?" Hitomi enquires. "Anything I can help with?"

"Eh - we've got two more out-of-town magical girls travelling here," you say, scratching at the back of your neck. "Need to figure out where they live, since Mami's spare bedroom is going to be occupied. Um, sorry Kazumi, I should have mentioned this earlier."

"No, not at all," she says, shaking her head.

Hitomi makes a thoughtful noise. "If you do need help, I could probably ask my parents," she says. "Friend of a friend."

You beam at her. "Thanks, Hitomi. I appreciate it."

Conversation lapses, falling into a comfortable silence as you eat.

"Ooh, hey, Kazumi-" you say, a thought occurring to you. "Speaking of Mami's muskets, you know Mami's Tiro Finale?"

"Mm, yeah!" Kazumi says, brightening. "I make sure all our attacks are named now, Mami! There's Limit Esterni and Capitano Potenza and Carcere Pausa and Tocco del Male and- mmph!"

Umika covers Kazumi's mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry, she gets like this about attack names," she says.

You glance at Mami, grinning, and speak at the same time she does. "Names are important!"

"Oh, god," Kaoru says, burying her face in her hands. "It's infectious."

"You know," Sayaka says, making a thoughtful expression. "Homura doesn't have any named attacks yet."

"No." Homura glares at the bleunette.

You purse your lips, considering.

"No." Homura repeats, with more emphasis and a glare at you.

"I didn't say anything!" you protest.

Homura sniffs, glare intensifying.

"Oh, fine," you say, and grin at Kazumi, waving your chopsticks at her. "Also, I was gonna say - Mami has a new attack even bigger than Tiro Finale! It's called Cannone Picchio!"

"We have a new attack," Mami says, giving you a fond smile.

"Oh, a combination attack!" Kazumi says. If she bounces any harder, the lunchbox is gonna fall off her lap. "That's wonderful!"

Mami blushes. "Well- it's fun to do, but we haven't really tested it properly yet."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get to try it out soon!" Kazumi says, bouncing. "Do you think we can all go on a Witch hunt tonight?"

"That would be good, yes," Mami says with a smile. "Sabrina? Homura, Sayaka? What do you think?"

"I'm good for it!" Sayaka says, brightening. "It'd be good to test out my new powers."

"I will try to make time," Homura murmurs quietly.

Voting opens Aug 9, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] Hunting tonight
- [] Yes, definitely!
- [] No
-- [] Why?
[X] Dessert? Dessert.
[] After lunch...
- [] Settling housing for the Shiogama girls
-- [] Kirika's ID
-- [] Warehouse
-- [] Something else?
- [] What's next?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

So, if anyone's wondering - my free time appears to have suddenly vanished due to Path of Exile's huge expansion finally releasing. Whoops.

 

[Firnagzen]

You blink at Homura, and grin. Was that a joke? Homura telling jokes. Homura telling jokes.

... at least you think that was a joke.

"So that's settled then," you say. "We're going hunting tonight!"

"Woo!" Sayaka cheers, pumping her fist in the air.

"Group hunt!" Kazumi agrees.

You laugh, grinning at the sheer exuberance in the air. "By the way, everyone's finished eating, right?"

You survey the chorus of affirmations, and then turn to Kazumi. "Then I think it's time for dessert."

"Oh! Yes!" Kazumi says, reaching under the bench for the precious icebox. She flips the top open to reveal the parfait, delicate layers of cream and frothed egg and fruit all folded together with a careful touch and still perfectly chilled.

"That looks amazing, Miss Kazusa," Mami says softly, leaning forward to look. You smile warm and gentle at Mami, taking her hand and intertwining your fingers.

"It looks excellent," Hitomi says, nodding. "If it tastes as good as it looks, Miss Kazusa, you could have a future in cooking."

"Yeah, it looks good!" Sayaka agrees. "Right, Homura? C'mon, even you gotta admit it looks good."

Homura looks faintly annoyed at being put on the spot, and shrugs indifferently. "It looks good."

"Hah, see!" Sayaka crows.

Kazumi grins bashfully as she readies a large spoon to divvy out the parfait. "Thanks, everyone."

Mami's served first, then you, but you wait for everyone to have some before digging in.

The parfait is amazing. It's creamy and sweet and cold and melts on your tongue, peaches and strawberries and berries just slightly tart to cut through the sugar. You all take a few minutes to savour it, the cool dessert the perfect rejoinder to cap off the meal after the glorious ribollita Mami cooked.

You'll have to try making some with Mami after Kazumi heads back to Asunaro.

"Say, Hitomi?" you ask slowly as you savour another spoonful of parfait.

"Mmm?" the verdette asks, glancing at you.

"Is that offer about the housing still open?" you ask. You're loathe to impose, but she did offer. If she's sure, and she's willing to help, it'd be so much of a help - not just for the Shiogama girls, but also to demonstrate to Madoka that you don't have to be a magical girl to do good things, too.

"Of course," Hitomi says, sitting up. "Do you know how long they'll be staying? I assume they can't pay rent at the moment."

... Put like that, it does sound rather bad.

"Yeah, you're right, you remember-" Hitomi wasn't there for that meeting, you remember belatedly. "Right, I forgot. Um... Right, we met with a travelling magical girl from out of town. She mentioned that there was a group that needed a place to go, so we suggested that they could move here."

Hitomi nods, frowning thoughtfully. "I see," she says, and reaches for her phone to tap out a message.

"If it helps, I can pay rent on their behalf," you say. "For at least the short term. It's the... you know, needing paperwork to rent a house bit that's giving me issues."

"Ah, hm," Hitomi says absently, fingers moving busily - by the looks of it, she just deleted half the message she typed. "That makes things a lot easier, actually. When do they arrive again?"

"Uh, tomorrow," you say, rubbing your nose.

"Ah, that's tricky..." Hitomi muses. "Is a serviced apartment alright? I can explain to my parents that friends of a friend are in town unexpectedly, which is quite close to being true, right?"

"Should be more than fine," you agree, blinking. "But only if it isn't too much trouble."

"Not at all," Hitomi says, smiling faintly. "Glad to help!"

You beam at her. "Thanks, Hitomi. I appreciate it - if there's anything I can do in return, let me know? And, uh, let me know how much it costs? Is paying by cash OK?"

"That goes for me, too," Mami says. "Don't hesitate to let us know."

You bump your shoulder against Mami, sharing a warm smile.

"Alright," Hitomi says. "Do you have an email address? I'll forward it to you. Cash should be fine, but you won't be paying it to me - you'd pay it to the building administration. Or... the girls from Shiogama will."

"Ah, I gotcha," you say, nodding. "Uh. I don't have an email, no."

"Send it to mine," Mami offers.

Hitomi flashes you an amused, faint smile. "I'll do that, then."

With that settled, Hitomi returns to her dessert.

You beam at Mami, wrapping your arm around her waist. She sighs happily, and cuddles closer. The sun is just warm enough to be comfortable without being hot, and you're pleasantly full from that delicious lunch, and you have Mami at your side. You're... allowed to be happy.

You'll have to interrupt it eventually, but you can spare a few minutes to soak it in - just about everyone's in some state of food coma, anyway. Even Homura seems less dour than usual, and just satisfied.

"That was super delicious," Madoka says, leaning back on the bench. "Thank you, Mami and Kazumi!"

"Yeah, thank you!" Sayaka echoes, setting off a chain of heartfelt praise and thanks.

"Ah... Sabrina helped too," Mami says, blushing and shaking her head.

"Not that much," you say, smiling at Mami.

"Mami's a fantastic cook!" Kazumi says, beaming.

"See? Everyone agrees," you say.

"Thanks, everyone," Mami says. She leans against you with a quiet, happy sigh.

"Say, Mami?" you murmur telepathically as Sayaka strikes up a conversation complaining about Miss Saotome moving around homework submission dates or something.

"Mmm?" Mami asks, tilting her head so she can look at you.

"Um... I didn't quite think things through, and I scheduled Sayaka's training for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday," you say. Well, you did, but you thought that Sayaka probably wouldn't want to do Saturday training sessions. "Um. Do you think I should reschedule?"

You can feel the jolt of tension that runs through Mami's body.

"I- w-whatever you think seems better," she manages.

You hug Mami a little tighter, and she presses close with a little noise. "No, Mami. What would be better is you being happy."

"I don't- I don't know, Sabrina," Mami whispers. "I- I don't."

Out of the corner of your eye, you watch Madoka nudge Sayaka and Homura. Sayaka nudges Hitomi as they all fall silent. Kazumi seems to have noticed, too.

These are your friends, but perhaps you should have done this more discreetly. Well. Too late for that. You needed to talk to everyone after talking to Mami, but...

"Just-" Mami swallows, hunching her shoulders. Trying to make herself look smaller. "Just make the decision."

"Would it be alright if I accompanied Sayaka for the training?" you ask gently. "Kazumi and everyone else will still be around."

"That's- that's fine," Mami says, swallowing.

You exhale, and look around. "Guys, could you give us some privacy?"

"Of course!" Sayaka says, jerking to her feet with alacrity. "We- we should probably get going, anyway. The bell will ring soon."

"Yeah!" Madoka says, tucking her lunch box away and hopping off the bench. "Um, goodbye Kazumi, Umika, Kaoru! It was very nice meeting you!"

Hitomi and Homura rise more sedately, and you all exchange farewells. Madoka gives you a quick, anxious smile before hurrying off with her friends.

Kazumi smiles at you, dimples showing. "We'll go explore a bit," she says.

Mami makes a little noise, curling on herself as the Asunaro girls leap off the rooftop for the next building over. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be," you say, turning so you can hug her properly. "Mami, I... I'm not you. I don't understand what it feels like. I know what happened, but I can only guess what it feels like. But... I'm here for you. Alright?"

"I know," Mami whispers, nestling into your arms. "I- I'm sorry, anyway."

"Then I'm sorry, too," you whisper. "I'm sorry I have to bring up these painful things. I don't want to leave you out of these, I don't want to take control of your life." More than you already have, anyway.

"I trust you, Sabrina," Mami whispers.

"I know," you say, burying your nose in her hair. "But it's not right for me to dictate everything for you. It's not right for me to make decisions about your relationships, past and present, or your friends. I won't do that. I won't... I won't stifle you like that."

"I'm sorry," Mami says, shaking her head with the barest movement side to side.

You fall silent for a while, letting Mami recover her composure. You find yourself stroking her back slowly, rubbing soothing, absent-minded circles around the tense muscles between her shoulders.

The school bell rings. Mami stiffens in your arms, but doesn't pull away.

"Mami?" you prompt gently. With the school bell already rung, she'd be late to class, but still probably get off with nothing but a reprimand.

"I don't..." Mami looks up at you, golden eyes wide and worried. "I don't want to go. I want to s-stay. With you. T-then later you can bring Sayaka to see K-Kyouko. Is- is that alright?"

"What about school?" you ask.

"It- it's fine," Mami says, shaking her head. "Just, it's just one day and I want..." Her shoulders slump. "I j-just want to spend time with y-you. And Miss K-Kazusa."

Voting opens Aug 14, 2017 at 11:00 AM
[] Mami...
- [] Of course she can come
- [] School is important
[] What will you be doing?
- [] Ask the Pleiades about the meguca you felt trailing after Nico earlier
- [] Tour town and go shopping. Buy Mami a dress
- [] Offer Kazumi a demo of your powers to copy
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Apologies for the late update - busy weekend (and no, it wasn't all Path of Exile, I swear).

 

[Firnagzen]

"Of course it's alright," you say, smiling at Mami.

And it is. There are caveats and little niggling worries that worm at the back of your mind, of course there are. What if this becomes a habit? What if this affects Mami's standing in the school, what if the teachers -or that truancy officer- come asking around?

Those aren't important. They aren't relevant. Mami wants to skip school to hang out because an old friend, one she never thought she'd see again, came back. It's a blow struck against her loneliness - you'd do everything for Mami, and you do, but it's simply different. And the reminder of Kyouko, another friend who left her? You can't blame her.

There must be a way for Mami to sort out leaving the school early today. She has perfect attendance, that you know of. Part of her perfect magical girl image. She must be able to beg off for a day, as unimpressed as the teachers might be.

You don't want Mami to ruin her life because of you.

And she won't. You're sure of that. You'll fight for Mami, and you'll fight for Mami. If she wants to do this, here and now, you're not going to reject her.

And more importantly...

You don't care about Mami because of her perfect school attendance record. You don't care about Mami for her perfect magical image. You've seen her feet of clay, and you care about Mami because she's Mami.

You want Mami to know that.

"Of course it's OK," you repeat, tightening your arms around Mami and pulling her properly into the hug. "I always love spending time with you. This is no different."

She sags against you, body going limp.

"It- it's alright?" Mami whispers, burrowing deeper into your hug.

"It is," you affirm. "Do you need to tell your teacher? That you're not feeling well, or something?"

"I should," Mami whispers. "I- I'll tell them I'm not feeling well."

"That works," you say, smiling at Mami. She can't see it, but you smile at her nevertheless. "I'll wait for you at the front gate?"

Mami hesitates, curling up against your chest. She's practically sitting on your lap by now, but you hardly mind.

"I'm here, Mami," you murmur, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere. I- I'd offer to go to the front desk with you, but I think they might be suspicious."

"Alright," Mami whispers. "You'll be outside the school?"

"I promise," you say.

"Alright," she repeats. You can feel her swallow, before she uncurls, and stands. "Sorr-" she bites her lip.

You smile at her properly. What was it Kirika had said? Love her. Be there for her, be patient.

You can do that. Mami's healing, and it's slow, but you're willing to wait for her.

Mami gives you a wobbly smile as you collect her lunchboxes and your own. You tuck them into your bag, and give her a quick smile. "I'll hang on to these."

She swallows, and nods jerkily before taking a step back, eyes not leaving yours. "A-alright."

"I'll be outside the school," you say, still smiling. "I promise, Mami."

Mami nods, taking another hesitant step back. You force yourself to stay where you are, even though you want to just rush forward and sweep her into your arms, to reassure her that everything will be fine.

She's strong. She doesn't know it, but she is. She'll be fine - and you'll help her.

Finally, Mami reaches the stairwell and turns away to descend, step by step. You wait until she's completely out of sight, and sigh, letting yourself slump.

Just for a moment before you straighten. One long hop, arching over backwards, has you sailing over the fences around the rooftop. You land with an adroit twist, shoes scraping lightly over the pavement, and hurry around the back of the building to the front, where you wait for Mami. You toy with Mami's ribbon, still in your pocket.

But no. Mami doesn't need it. She's stronger than that.

You don't have long to wait, either. Barely ten minutes pass before you feel Mami descending the stairs. She's escorted out by a familiar face - that truancy officer you see every morning. Mami spots you immediately, and you can tell that the only thing that's stopping her from sprinting to you is the presence of the man at her side.

You suppose that if they needed any justification beyond Mami's own say-so to let her out, they'd have to look no further than her expression, the worry etched into her face. She lights up when you smile at her.

They walk over, the truancy officer giving you a sharp once-over. "Take care of her," he says gruffly.

You open your arms, raising them towards Mami. She crashes into your hug an instant later, arms winding tight around you.

"I will," you tell the truancy officer. He nods, and turns to head back in to the school.

You bury your face in Mami's hair. "Here we are," you murmur. "I'm here, right?"

"You are," Mami whispers, pulling back a little so that she can meet your eyes. "It's alright? Really?"

"Yeah," you say, smiling at her. "It's not like I care about you because of your school attendance, right?"

"No, that's not..." Mami bites her lip, looking down. "That's not it."

"Mami, it's OK. It really is," you say. You know what she means. "It is. I care about you because you're you. I don't care that you need a day off, and it makes me happy that you want to spend time with me - and with Kazumi!"

Mami nods jerkily, burrowing into your hug again. "W-where are they?"

"Up there," you say. You'd point, but both your hands are occupied with hugging Mami right now. On the third, non-existent hand, you can sense the Asunaro trio watching from the rooftop of the next building over.

"Oh," Mami says.

"Shall I call them over?" you ask.

"Y-yes," Mami says, straightening, but not pulling away.

"OK," you agree, and reach out telepathically as you guide Mami away from the school, walking slowly. "Hey, girls, you can come on over now."

"Oh! Sorry, Miss Sabrina," Kazumi says, sounding only a little bit abashed. "Is Mami OK?"

"Yeah," you say, certainty lacing your tone. You won't allow anything else. "She'll be fine."

"Good!" Kazumi says. You can feel the three of them moving, plummeting down the side of the building and walking over to join you.

"Hey girls, just an update - Mami's fine," you say, speaking to your friends, who must be in class now. Madoka and Homura and Sayaka and Hitomi. "She's, um, taking the rest of the day off from school."

"Oh, that's a relief!" Madoka says.

"What happened?" Sayaka asks. "Um... If you don't mind my asking?"

"Sayaka," Hitomi says reprovingly.

"No, it's fine," you say. By this time, Kazumi and her friends are just rounding the corner, hand raised in a cheery wave. "Just... a bad memory."

"I see," Homura murmurs. Of all your friends, she probably does see the best.

"Well, enjoy yourselves then!" Sayaka says. "Meanwhile, we have class..."

"Have fun!" you say. "Later!"

You exchange goodbyes with your friends, and greetings with the Asunaro girls. Mami doesn't separate from you, shifting just enough so that she can give them a wobbly smile as you congregate into a loose circle.

"So what are we gonna do?" Kazumi asks, bouncing lightly on her toes.

"Hm... Mami?" you ask, smiling down at the head of golden hair tucked against your shoulder. "Any ideas? I was going to suggest shopping or karaoke or doing some experimenting with our powers-" you cock an eyebrow at the Asunaro girls, questioning, "-or hanging out at home and watching a movie or cooking or something, but do you have any ideas?"

"We could go sightseeing?" Mami hazards.

"You know, I've never actually had the opportunity to have a... I dunno, look at the sights of Mitakihara," you muse.

"I have an idea!" Kazumi says, sticking her hand up.

"What is it?" Mami asks, turning curious eyes to her.

"I heard Mitakihara has a really big shopping centre!" Kazumi says. "It's famous! How far is it from here?"

"Ten minutes?" Mami hazards, frowning. "If we roofhop there."

"No, no," Kazumi says, flapping her hands. "What if we walked there? And if there are any sights along the way we can go and see them? This way we can do sightseeing and shopping!"

"Oh, that's a good idea," you say, smiling.

"Yeah!" Umika agrees, patting her friend's shoulder. "What do you think, Miss Tomoe?"

"Sounds good to me," Mami says. "I don't know how good a tour guide I'll make, though..."

"You'll be great," you say, and tighten your hug reassuringly. "Besides, it's more about hanging out as we walk, right?"

"Right," Mami agrees, relaxing against you.

Kazumi beams at you, still bouncing on her toes. "Kaoru? Umika?"

"Sounds good to me," Kaoru says. Her smile is just a bit strained as she adds, "Uh, I'd rather not do karaoke. I can't sing well."

"Nonsense!" Kazumi declares, looping her arm around the orange-haired girl's neck. "Your voice is beautiful, Kaoru! Right, Umika?"

"You have a beautiful singing voice, Kaoru," Umika agrees, standing placidly on Kazumi's other side. "I still don't understand why you're embarrassed by it. I, on the other hand-"

"Oh no you don't, you don't get to throw me under the bus and then squeak out," Kaoru says, flailing and reaching for the blue haired girl. "If I'm doing this, then so are you."

"Well, we may not do karaoke, anyway," you say, smiling at their antics.

"Aww," Kazumi says, pouting exaggeratedly. "Anyway, let's go!"

"Yup," you say, nudging Mami. You separate from the hug, but you find your hand trailing naturally down her arm to find her hand. "Shall we?"

Mami squeezes your interlaced fingers, finally starting to relax. "Let's," she agrees, starting down the street.

You smile, falling into a comfortable rhythm at Mami's side.

"Mitakihara is huge," Kaoru says, beaming around as she bounces along in your wake.

"It is!" you agree. "I forget sometimes."

"Mitakihara is a new city," Kazumi says. "Right, Mami?"

"Mm," Mami agrees. "It's only... fifty years old?"

"Huh," you say. "It definitely feels new. Apart from the old industrial district, but that's not really old, just, mm, abandoned."

"The industrial district has been in decline since... Well, before we were born," Mami says, shaking her head. "I don't remember a time when it wasn't like that."

"That's where we hunted when I was here!" Kazumi pipes up. "Right, Mami?"

"It is!" Mami agrees. "There tend to be quite a few Witches there, and..." Her smile dims a little. "It tends to be where people... in trouble go."

"Yeah..." Kazumi says, shoulders slumping.

"Witches are attracted to despair," Umika offers with a sigh.

"Mm," you agree. Not quite the full story, but it's true enough. Time for a transparent change of topic. "There's a big power plant there, right? I've passed it a few times."

"Oh, I remember it! It has these big, biiiiig chimneys," Kazumi says, grinning at Umika and Kaoru. "We used it as a landmark, because you can see it from forever away!"

"There is," Mami says, wrinkling her nose. "I think it's operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company?"

You shrug, smiling. "Cool."

"What's that building?" Kazumi asks as the five of you round a corner. She points past you at the now visible downtown skyline, all glittering towers of glass and steel and concrete - and she's pointing specifically at the tallest spire, one that soars far above its neighbours in angular, tapering steps.

"It's the DBJ building," Mami says. "Development Bank of Japan? I think it's their new headquarters, actually."

"Ooh," you say. You recognise the building, of course. You'd been to the top of it with Mami before. "I didn't know that."

Mami gives you a warm smile, finally starting to relax properly as you walk onwards. It's a leisurely stroll, a touch too warm thanks to the midday sun, but none of you are complaining. Kazumi's more than happy to bounce questions off you and Mami, chattering eagerly about Mitakihara and your friends. Umika and Kaoru are comparatively quiet, injecting comments from time to time.

You let Mami answer wherever she feels comfortable. It's good for her confidence, and she relaxes more as you approach the big shopping centre.

"That's a really pretty bridge," you observe idly as you look at the pedestrian bridge over the road, with its looping, helical spars twisting around the walkway.

Mami giggles, leaning against you as you stroll over the bridge. "I... suppose it is! I've gotten used to it."

"Bet it looks really pretty at night," Kaoru offers, pointing at the lights inset on the decorative beams.

"Probably does," you say, tapping your chin thoughtfully. "I'm pretty sure I've passed this at night before, but well, not on the ground level."

"You spend a lot of time doing magical girl things, right?" Kazumi asks, waving a reproving finger at you. "You should learn to relax!"

"You're one to talk," Umika mutters half-heartedly.

"We're on vacation now, right?" Kazumi says, sticking her tongue out at the blue-haired girl.

You laugh as you watch their antics, exchanging a smile with Mami as you stroll towards the shopping centre.

"Are we after anything in particular?" you ask. "Toiletries and changes of clothing and all that?"

"Oh!" Kazumi says, eyes going huge. "I completely forgot to pack that!"

"I've got it," Umika says, off-handedly.

You cast a questioning look at the girl - who rather distinctly isn't carrying any bags or anything that might be bulky enough to have changes of clothing in it. She doesn't notice the look, occupied instead with being glomped by a squealing Kazumi.

"Was she this much of a ditz when you last met?" you murmur to Mami.

"She was," Mami says, giggling and shaking her head.

"Windowshopping?" Kaoru suggests, watching her friends with a fondly amused look.

"Yup," you say, tapping your chin. You want to buy a dress for Mami, really. Maybe one for yourself, something nice-casual, since you don't actually have one. Hm. Something to keep an eye out for.

Your first stop, though, is to pick up a milkshake - one apiece for all of you, apart from Kaoru, who opts for pearl tea. You pick up a nice strawberry shake, which has fresh strawberries blended in, even. Then you're off, Kazumi staring around the grand shopping centre with bright-eyed interest as you shop.

You stop outside a clothing shop, humming quietly as you eye the selection.

"Do you want to go in?" Mami asks, smiling at you.

"Yep," you say, beaming at her. "Guys, do you mind?"

"Clothes shopping?" Umika asks, grinning at you. "You must be joking."

She's the first into the store, Umika and Kazumi hot on your heels. You follow, snickering, and smiling at Mami.

"Do you need more clothes?" she asks you.

"Nope," you say, smiling at her. "I was thinking, well, I saw some dresses that might suit you."

Mami's eyes go very wide. A furious blush stains her cheeks, and she opens her mouth for a second before closing it. "I- alright," she manages, hand tightening on yours.

You grin, just a little red yourself. Just a little. "Shall we~?"

"Y-yes," Mami says.

You lead the way over to the racks of dresses - there are a few that caught your eye, even from outside the window. Nothing in yellow. Colour matching is certainly a thing, but Mami has blonde hair and golden eyes, and that'd just drown her in too much yellow. Even her costume has yellow as highlights, not a primary colour.

You can hear Kazumi squeeing over clothes in another corner of the store as you pick out a few patterned dresses, mostly in pastel colours. The green one or the pink one, perhaps.

"You should get one for yourself too," Mami hazards, following you with dresses piled on her arms.

"Mami first," you say, smiling softly at her and adding a nice, cream-coloured dress with petal patterning. "Give these a try?"

"Alright," Mami says, returning the smile. You walk over to the dressing rooms, finding Kaoru already there and waiting for her friends to change.

"Heya," you say, flopping down onto the bench beside her. Mami smiles at you, and retreats into the dressing room.

"Heya!" the orange-haired girl says, smirking at you.

"Hm..." you say, tapping your chin. "So, I have a question - I can sense magical girls. Uh, when Miss Kanna was coming over earlier, there was another magical girl following her. Do you know who that might be?"

Kaoru cocks her head, and shrugs. "Probably Mirai," she says. "She's the one who always worries about Niko."

"Why didn't she come up, then?" you ask.

"Probably 'cuz Kazumi didn't ask her too," Kaoru says, and she grins at you. "Look, you know the way everyone in your group looks up to your Mami, right?"

"Yeah?" you say.

"We're the same with Kazumi," she says. She looks like she's about to continue, but that's exactly when there's a swish of curtains and Kazumi flounces out of the dressing room. She's wearing a crimson dress with puffy sleeves and a scandalously short hemline that makes Kaoru's face flame the colour of said dress.

You laugh over her spluttering, and Umika pokes her head out of the cubicle to see what the fuss is about. She goggles at Kazumi, blushing red before retreating back behind the curtains.

... hm. You feel vaguely guilty now. You're somewhat in violation of your resolve to show the Asunaro girls -Asunarites?- the glory of pants. On the other hand-

Mami emerges, eyes hunting for you. She's wearing the green dress that falls to mid-calf, a deep green patterned densely with white flowers, and sleeveless to show off her arms.

You beam at her. "It looks wonderful, Mami," you say. "Turn around?"

"Thank you, Sabrina." Mami beams at you and twirls, pausing midway to look askance at Kazumi. "Miss Kazusa, that's a bit... short."

"It's great?" Kazumi pouts.

"Yeah, I agree," you say. "Uh, with Mami."

"Fiiiiiiine," Kazumi says, flouncing back into the dressing room.

You shake your head, and smile at Mami. "The dress looks good, but try the rest?"

"Mmhm!" Mami agrees happily.

Kaoru laughs, reclining on the bench. "So, yeah," she says. "I wouldn't worry about it."

Voting opens Aug 19, 2017 at 11:00 AM
[] Worry anyway
- [] Ask more?
[] Finish shopping
[] You have about one more hour before school ends
- [] What next?
- [] What do you decide for Sayaka's training session?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

With thanks to @Choo Choo for helping me with fashion!

 

[Firnagzen]

"OK," you say, relaxing against the bench. You're still worried about Hijiri Kanna, but it seems like Niko having a minder isn't out of the ordinary, given how out of it she appears to be.

Heh.

Mami emerges again, wearing another sleeveless dress cinched in at the waist to accentuate her figure - this one a nice pink, with dark grey washing in floral whorls across it. She meets your eyes, smiling in anxious question.

You huff, and smile at her. "Mami, you look wonderful. You'd look wonderful wearing a potato sack," you say, and tap your chin. "Turn around?"

Mami blushes, and obliges.

"Not this dress, I think," you decide. "Looks good, but I think there's better."

"The green one was nice," Kaoru offers.

"Yup," you say, and smirk. "Kazumi's choice was a bit scandalous, though. I mean, have you people heard of pants?"

You gesture down at yourself, just as the dressing room curtain swishes open again and Kazumi emerges, this time wearing a strapped, burgundy red dress cut mid-thigh. You take that in in the corner of your vision, and wave her over.

"Hey Kazumi, come over here for a moment?" You might have let your allegiance to rightful and proper lower garments slip for a bit, but no more. You hop to your feet, waiting to make sure Kazumi and Kaoru finish. "Mami, I'll be right back - not leaving the store, but I need to pick out a few suggestions for Kazumi!"

"Um, alright?" Mami calls back, sounding confused.

The store attendants give you tolerant looks as you tug Kazumi over the pants section, Kaoru following with curiosity in her gaze.

"These are pants," you explain with a grand gesture at the racks. "They're like skirts, or the bottom bits of dresses. You should try them!"

Kaoru exchanges a baffled look with Kazumi, who mouths something back at her. The orange-haired girl takes off.

"Hey," you say, grinning at her back. "C'mon, they're not that scary, right?"

"We... we know what pants are, Sabrina," Kazumi says.

"Not judging from your costumes!" you say as you start rummaging through the racks. "Hm, skinny jeans. You might look good in these, so... Hrm..." You squint at her, trying to estimate her size before snagging one off the rack and dropping it in her arms. "Try this. You might like it!"

"Uh huh," Kazumi says, starting to grin. "Tell me more about these... 'pants'."

"Well, imagine a skirt," you say, continuing to sort through the clothing on display. You can feel Kaoru approaching too, with Mami and Umika in tow. "Except you have two of them, one for each leg. Hi, Mami!"

You turn, and beam at her. She's wearing another of the dresses, this one cream with dark green and splashes of red to form floral patterns and flaring out into a wide skirt. She has an amused look on her face as she approaches, and your smile only widens.

"But wouldn't they only cover your legs?" Kazumi asks. "Hi, Mami! Sabrina's telling me about these mysterious things called pants."

"No, you see, pants have a top part too, see?" you say, holding up a pair of shorts for Kazumi to see.

"Oh, Sabrina." Mami shakes her head, fondly exasperated.

"Dress." You point first at Kazumi, then Kaoru, and finally Umika. "Skirt. Skirt."

Kazumi grins, pointing at Mami. "Skirt."

"Yes, but Mami's perfect, pants or no," you say, waving a dismissive hand. You point at yourself. "Pants."

"She has a point," Kaoru murmurs to Umika. "Our magical girl uniforms are all skirts."

"So are everyone else's!" Umika retorts.

You toss a pair of jeans at her, grinning. She catches it, rolling her eyes.

"Such wondrous creations," Kazumi marvels, plucking them from Umika's hands and holding them up to examine.

Mami laughs, shaking her head. There's a bit of a blush on her face, and the look she gives you is utterly warm and adoring.

"I think I might try for a pair of jeans too," you say, smiling back. "And I saw a nice dress I want to try, too."

"Hah!" Kaoru says, pointing an accusing finger at you.

"What? I wear pants most of my time," you say, sticking your tongue out at her in an absolutely stunning display of class and maturity. "Even my magical girl costume has pants. As any sensible costume should have."

"Mami's costume doesn't have pants either," Kazumi points out.

"Yes, but as I said, Mami's perfect," you say. "Speaking of which, that dress is lovely, Mami. Maybe?"

"There are still a few more to try," she says, blush reigniting. You laugh, beaming at her.

"True enough!" you agree. "I wanna try some clothes on-" for you "-too. Kazumi, really, do try the skinny jeans? I think they'd suit you."

The black-haired girl throws you a sloppy salute and heads back to the dressing room, friends in tow. "Will do!"

You smile at Mami, patting her arm. You want to hug her, but she's wearing the dress, and you also don't want the attendants to fuss at you for wrinkling the merchandise.

"I'll be right over as soon as I pick out a few things, alright?" you tell her.

"Can I help you choose?" Mami asks. The blush still hasn't faded.

"Of course," you say, smiling. "Maybe change out first?"

Mami glances down at herself. "Ah, good point. I'll be just a moment, is that alright?"

"Always," you say. "I'll be over here, alright?"

"Alright," Mami says, and heads off to change.

You take the quiet moment to reach out telepathically. Blue and red... "Hey Sayaka, hey Kyouko."

"Hi, Sabrina! And Kyouko?" Sayaka says.

"Yo," Kyouko drawls. "Th' hell do you want?"

"Training for Sayaka," you say. "Are you good for it? And you, Sayaka? After school today?"

"Ah... yeah, it's an hour or so, right?" Sayaka asks. "That works for me. Where are we meeting?"

"Industrial district here? There's a junkyard, or a warehouse area we can use. Or somewhere over in Kasamino?" you ask.

"Yeah, 'm good for it," Kyouko says, voice sounding oddly hitched. "I know a spot."

"Alright. All settled, then," you say. "See you both later!"

By the time Mami returns, back in her school uniform, you're rummaging through the dresses. You pull her into a hug, smiling.

"You're not done trying out new dresses~" you say. "But help me pick out something you'd like to see me in?"

"Mmmm," Mami agrees, nestling into the hug.

"I think I like this dark blue one," you say, huffing fondly and gently guiding Mami to turn around so that she can see.

She leans back against you, warm and comfortable. "I think you'd look good in anything," she says.

"But not as good as you," you say. "So I need the help."

"Lies," she says, reaching up to pat your cheek.

In the end, you do manage to pick out a handful of dresses, and retreat to the changing rooms to try them on. You meet Kazumi going the other way, practically strutting as she drags Umika and Kaoru to get skinny jeans.

You can't help but laugh in triumph, beaming at Mami before heading in to change, as does she.

Mami's waiting with eager eyes when you emerge in a dress of deep, shimmering blue velvet with sleeves up to your forearms and a pleated that falls to a modest midthigh. She clasps her hands in front of her, smile widening.

"What do you think?" you ask, twirling with your hands out and skirt flaring a little.

"You look lovely, Sabrina," she says warmly.

"Thank you, Mami," you say. "But the dress?"

"It's a wonderful dress," she agrees. "I... I think it might be the best, really."

"We'll see," you say, touching her lightly on the elbow and smiling. Kazumi waves as she passes you on a beeline for the changing room behind you, Umika and Kaoru both with armfuls of clothing. "Now come on, there's a few more dresses I want to see you try on, and there's more for you to see me in, right?"

Mami nods.

In the end, you do get that velvet dress, with both Mami and the Asunaro girls' approval. Mami gets a cream-coloured dress with a narrow, hip-hugging skirt and floral patterns of deep grey, one part of an absolutely fabulous outfit you can see perfectly in your minds' eye. She needs sunglasses, which she has at home, and a nice capelet to complete the look, so you note that down for later.

Kaoru leaves with a dress -burnt yellow, with not a scrap of orange to be seen, thank goodness- while Umika decides that nothing really suits her. And Kazumi... Kazumi gets skinny jeans. You'll count it, and Mami's agreement that it works for Kazumi, as a victory.

You're all in high spirits as you walk out of the store, chatting amiably. It's time to head back to school - and that reminds you of something. You wave to catch everyone's attention, Umika pausing her diatribe against publishers in general.

"Sorry, hold that thought for a second, Umika? Uh- we should probably not go right up to the school gate," you note as you stroll along the street, bag of clothing on one arm and Mami on the other.

"Oh?" It clicks for Mami a second later. "Oh."

You smile at her, bumping your shoulder gently against hers. "No. You needed a break, and there's no shame in that."

"I needed..." Mami shakes her head wordlessly, and nestles against you.

"Hey. I had fun," you say, smiling at her. "And there's more to come, right girls?"

"Right!" Kazumi agrees enthusiastically.

"Hmm..." you say, rubbing your chin. The shopping bag bumps awkwardly against your chest. "So, I was thinking- well, I should wait until everyone shows up, so we can all talk it over."

Umika picks up her rant right from where she left off, and you head to school. You wait a block over from the school, to avoid any awkward questions from the teachers or other authority figures. Your friends find you in short order, exchanging greetings. And you take a moment to propose something that's been percolating in the back of your mind for a while.

"Karaoke, anyone?" you say with a grin. "Later this evening?"

"Oh, I've never been before..." Hitomi says, perking up with interest.

"Hmm..." Sayaka scowls, making a face. "I was kind of hoping to get a visit in for Kyousuke, actually. You guys go ahead?"

"I don't know if I can really sing..." Madoka says, looking down.

"Nonsense!" Kazumi declares. "Karaoke isn't about singing well, it's about enthusiasm! Right, Umika, Kaoru?"

"Kazumi can't sing," Kaoru adds in a stage-whisper, earning her a betrayed look.

Homura looks almost terrified, from the way her face is set. And it only worsens when Madoka turns big, soulful eyes on her.

Violet eyes turn to you, a faint plea for help buried deep in the cracks in her poker face, and you just smirk back at her. You can see the wheels turning inside her head, and you know that she knows that you know that she's heard your arguments before, and you'll be willing to trot them out on a moment's notice.

Homura caves without a single word spoken. It's almost unfair, with both you and Madoka ganging up on her like this.

"I'll go, if we're doing it," she mutters.

"Huh, really? Wouldn't have pegged you for the karaoke type," Sayaka says. "Mami, Sabrina, we're still doing the hunt tonight, right? Um, Kazumi?"

"Eh? Oh, I suppose so..." Mami says. She'd huddled against your side, fretting anxiously with the handle of her bag.

"Yeah, unless something's come up, Sayaka?" you say.

"Nah, I should be good for it," Sayaka says. "Homework will be a bit of a bother..."

"Ah, we could study together?" Madoka says. "Homura too?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me!" Sayaka says.

Kazumi wrinkles her nose. "Ew, homework."

You turn your attention to Mami with a warm smile, wrapping your arms around her.

"Hey," you murmur in a low voice. "I promise I'll be back, safe and sound. Sayaka too."

"Alright," Mami whispers.

And- you've done this before, but not in front of everyone, but now's the best time for it, so-

You lean forward and kiss Mami on the cheek, quick and fleeting and just the barest brush of your lips over skin that's suddenly flaring as red as your own cheeks are.

"See you later, Mami." You just manage to keep a level tone and spin, ignoring the cheers -from Kazumi and company- and stares -from Hitomi and Homura and Madoka and Sayaka- and you grab Sayaka by the wrist and drag her away from the group. "C'mon time to go for training Sayaka."

Sayaka's laughing as she stumbles after you.

Voting opens Aug 22, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[X] On the way, remind Sayaka to not ask about Kyouko's powers
[] Write-in suggestions for Sayaka to use
[] After meeting up with Kyouko...
- [] Anything to talk to Kyouko or Yuma about?
- [] Let Kyouko take charge
- [] Offer to spar?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

I left out asking for Homura to talk later on purpose, by the by. Sayaka's still waiting for that raincheck on a conversation.

 

[Firnagzen]

You drag Sayaka into an alleyway before letting go of her hand so that you can transform. Without looking back, you leap straight for the roof.

Your blush is already fading. You're not ashamed of you and Mami - why the hell should you be? On the other hand, you can't believe you just did that in front of everyone. Sayaka's slow to follow, so you take a moment to squat down and cover your mouth to muffle your squeal.

You barely notice Sayaka landing on the roof. Her peals of laughter sound loud and clear, and she pats you on the shoulder.

"If it's any consolation, everybody already knew," Sayaka says.

You straighten, smoothing your coat down. "Yeah, I guess we haven't been the most subtle, huh?"

"Subtle as a hammer to the head," Sayaka says with a snort.

"Yeah, that's me," you concede. You half turn away, flicking your hand out grandly in a gesture that calls Grief towards you in sweeping sheets of mottled, rippling purple.

"Still freaky," Sayaka says.

"Excuse you," you say, rolling your eyes as you start to build a flying platform. "I thought it was cool?"

"Cool and freaky," Sayaka says. She hums quietly as she waits, grabbing the edge of her cape and waggling it so that it flutters in the breeze winding its way between the apartment blocks.

"Anyway," you say, rolling your neck and clapping as the platform finishes, just a thin disc with raised edges. "I'm not quite sure I mentioned this to you before, but Kyouko's powers are a sore spot for her. Don't copy them unless she tells you to, yeah?"

"Yep," Sayaka says, vaulting onto the platform. "Did I ever thank you for arranging the training sessions, by the way? 'cuz, well, thanks."

"You're welcome," you say, grinning at her as you hop up, lifting off the rooftop in the same motion.

She sighs, kicking her feet up onto the raised edge and flopping over backwards to lie down. "Bah. Still feels kind of lame, gotta say," she muses.

"Eh?" you say, glancing at her. You steer your flying platform out of the way of a particularly tall apartment block as you soar east.

"I mean, I-" she shifts to telepathy, to be heard over the wind. "I Wished to be useful to you guys. I... I still owe you a debt, even with the thing with Mikuni."

"You really don't," you say with a sigh. "I respect that you think so, but not in my eyes. Also, do you mind if I make a windshield so we can speak normally? It'll be Witchy."

"Go for it," Sayaka says, sticking a gloved thumb up for you.

You take a few minutes of focus, and a sheet of Grief to form the windshield. You're approaching the old industrial district by this point, an ugly brown and grey smudge on the eastern end of Mitakihara.

"The hell you aren't 'useful', anyway," you say, making air quotes with your fingers. "I mean, you're my friend. That's plenty. You don't have to fight like Mami or Homura to be 'useful', because that's not why you're my friend. You just have to be you."

"And you're getting me fighting lessons because...?" Sayaka says.

"Because sad as it seems, it's something we as magical girls need to know," you say with a sigh. "You don't need it to be some nebulous definition of 'useful', but in the long run, it's a valuable skill to have."

"Uh huh," Sayaka says, making a face.

"Yeah," you say, heaving another sigh. "Sad fact of life. I hope we'll always be fighting together, but just in case we get separated, I want you to be as capable as you can be."

"Right," Sayaka agrees. "Still... I wanna help you guys."

"You do," you say, smiling at her. "And trust me, Walpurgisnacht is gonna be an all-hands-on-deck situation."

"Heh," Sayaka says with a quiet chuckle.

Conversation lapses into quiet contemplation. You take the moment to tap Kyouko on the metaphorical telepathic shoulder. "Hey, Kyouko?"

"Yo," the redhead drawls. "You here yet?"

"Coming over, yeah," you say. "Where do we meet you?"

"North-west of the city, there's a big nature reserve-ish place," Kyouko says. "Edges on the river. You're flying your girl in, right?"

"Yep, flying her in, and she's your girl for now," you respond. You can't resist... encouraging certain lines of thoughts. You won't force anything, but hey.

"Whatever," Kyouko says. "And you've got my payment with you?"

"Yeah," you say, squinting along the river as you turn north to follow it. Sunlight glints off the waves, dazzling in the afternoon. "By the way, uh, pure gold rings would be better than gold bars, right? They'd be plain rings, no marks, but probably easier to sell?"

There's a moment's pause, and then-

"Oh, fuck you," Kyouko grunts, sounding almost amused. "Why the fuck am I even surprised any more. Yeah, gold rings are easier."

"Cool," you say. "Be there in a bit."

"Yep," Kyouko drawls, and ends the call.

You nod to yourself, and grin at Sayaka. "By the way," you say, holding your hand out as a Grief sphere zips past to dispense a bar of gold. "Speaking of training and power and all that, I've got an idea."

"Yeah?" Sayaka says. "Is that gold?"

"Yeah, payment for Kyouko," you say, folding Grief over your hands thoughtfully. It only takes a bit of thought to form a simple ring mould. Which... hm. It occurs to you that a single twenty gram bar of gold isn't actually a lot of gold. "Right, so, power enhancing magical girls out there."

Sayaka tilts her head just far enough off the floor of the platform so that she can squint dubiously at you. "I copy their powers and enhance them, then they enhance me, and round and round? Does that work?"

"I don't know!" you say cheerfully. You can make one ring with a single twenty gram bar, so you do just that. "But it's worth a try, right? Then we can have the Sayaka singularity. Sayaingularity? Sayingularity?"

Sayaka snickers. "That's not a word. And someone's got to have tried it before, right?"

"Yeah, but someone isn't you," you say. You spot a huge patch of greenery further up the river, surrounded by buildings, but itself untouched by constructions. It's a good few square kilometres across - must be the nature reserve Kyouko mentioned. "Also, enhanced learning powers."

"Ooh, yeah, I thought about that one before, actually," Sayaka says, snapping her fingers. "Like, I've got all these powers, but I don't have any mastery over them. And actually, I was kind of thinking about Kazumi's power - if she copies effects, can I, uh, channel her power through another power? Like, Mami's guns are made of ribbons, right? I'm thinking I could try copying them via Kazumi's copying power, channelled through my copy of Mami's ribbons."

"You know, I hadn't even thought about that," you admit, blinking and laughing. "Nicely done, Sayaka. Can you combine your powers like that? If you can, you're even more OP than I thought you were."

"I don't know," Sayaka says, kicking her feet out and popping into an upright sitting position. "I wanna find out, though. I figure that's what training's for, right?"

"Yup. By the way, catch," you say, lobbing Sayaka the ring. She snags it from the air, holding it in front of her eye.

"Cool," she says. "Why the ring?"

"Well, it's payment for Kyouko," you say, locking eyes with Sayaka. "I don't know if it's come up, but she doesn't exactly have a... financially stable background right now. Gold rings are, mm, fungible. That doesn't mean that fungus grows on them, by the way."

"The hell does that even..." Sayaka trails off, frowning. "Oh, dammit, that's a pun in English, isn't it? Fu... Fungible. Fungus."

"Yep, it is," you say, grinning shamelessly at Sayaka. You're impressed as ever at the education Mitakihara Middle school provides, of course.

"Yo, that's you up there, right?" Kyouko drawls into your mind.

... Something about that phrasing and the anticipatory edge in her voice...

"Probably?" you say, leaning over the edge to check that you're at the nature reserve. You scan the sprawling tree canopy below with a slow grin beginning to tug at your lips. "I don't see you."

"Drop her," Kyouko purrs.

"Sabrina?" Sayaka seems to have noticed the growing smirk on your face.

"Sorry, Sayaka," you say, and drop the floor out beneath her.

The last you see of Sayaka are outraged blue eyes glaring at you as gravity snatches at her.

Your laughter rings out as you dissolve the rest of your platform, Grief flowing away and leaving you with just a thin seat to perch on, affording you an excellent view of the rolling expanse of nature reserve below. You can see Sayaka below you, cape billowing behind her like a white streak as she kicks off empty air in a brilliant spark of blue.

And then-

You spot Kyouko just a second before impact. The clatter of chains chases her through the sky, enormous, segmented spear lashing out beneath her as she rides it up.

Sayaka turns. Too little, too late. Kyouko smashes into her in a brutal shoulder check.

You wince as you watch Sayaka go tumbling. Kyouko's giant spear dissipates in a cloud, but not before the redhead uses it to slingshot upwards, above Sayaka.

You can hear Sayaka's angry squawking from up here. You lean forward, propping your arms on your little floating seat as the glint of metal catches your eye. Sayaka's swords boom as blades slash towards Kyouko, handles discarded to fall below her.

Crimson and gold and steely silver sing in the air. Kyouko has a new spear already, sharp motions batting projectiles out of the air. Exactly what Sayaka wanted. You can see her hand dive under her cloak-

And she stops midair.

She stops falling, and her feet plant firm on nothing at all tens of metres above the treeline.

Not that it matters to Kyouko. Red hair streams in the afternoon sun as she drops an axe kick on Sayaka's head in a single motion. Sayaka staggers, jolted out of her stance. Kyouko follows up with a complicated motion that pivots her midair around Sayaka's head and stomps her boot in Sayaka's face.

You can vaguely hear yelling from up here. Something pithy about fancy powers.

Sayaka flails and plummets. Kyouko sticks close, spear exploding into segments that lash around Sayaka's waist, and-

Sayaka grabs the chain. She yells and hauls on it, blue light flashing beneath her feet. Kyouko goes tumbling, for once, to meet Sayaka's fist coming the other way.

Kyouko's thrown back, but she still has the spear. It cracks like a whip, slamming Sayaka towards the ground below.

They disappear beneath the treeline, sending leaves and birds flying.

And you can't help but laugh as you start to descend to follow the action. They can't be that hard to follow.

"Sabrina?" Yuma's voice pipes up.

"Hey Yuma! You doing alright?" It takes you a moment to spot her - green hair and a green costume camouflage her very well against green leaves. She's waving at you, perched incongruously atop a tree.

"Yes! Um, could Sabrina give Yuma a lift?" Yuma asks, beaming at you.

You laugh, already drifting towards her. "Of course."

Reaching her, you extend your little floating Grief bench for her to hop on beside you. She offers you the paper bag she's clutching. "Um... Dango?"

"Don't mind if I do," you say, selecting one of the skewers poking out of the bag. "Thanks! Now, I think they went that way..."

You set your platform zipping in the direction of the fighting, weaving carefully around the taller trees and snacking on one of the sweet dumplings.

You hear them before you see them, and then-

Kyouko goes sailing past you, not of her own volition. She regains control, managing a mid-air flip to land on a tree branch and level a glare at you. "Th' hell have you been doing with her?"

"She's a power copier," you say with a shrug. "I got her powers to copy."

"Fucking hel-" her eyes widen, and she slides out of the way before the tree snakes to life with grasping tendrils.

You hear Sayaka cackling from somewhere. You can't see her, though.

"Plant control!" she yells triumphantly.

Huh.

And then there's a whipcrack of noise, and you see something invisible plough a furrow through the undergrowth.

"Don't tell me where you are if you're invisible, dumbass!" Kyouko roars, vaulting towards the trench Sayaka dug with her body.

Silence - but you can see the undergrowth dimpling as Sayaka makes good her escape.

The hair rises on the back of your neck. Static.

You can feel the flare of magic, but Kyouko can't. Seems like she notices it anyway. Her boots scrape across the loam, and she whirls on the spot.

Thunder.

The bolt is huge enough to spark fires and shake loose branches from the trees. Bright enough for you to see the shadow of Kyouko's spear, planted at an angle.

It takes a second before it clicks. Kyouko used her spear to catch the lightning and ground it out while she leapt away, leaving nothing but a charred spear. You'd have lost track of her if you didn't have your Grief senses. You lean forward on the bench, watching as she slinks through the undergrowth in total silence, spear at her back.

"Sayaka's sneaking up on Kyouko," you murmur to Yuma, who nods, watching solemnly as she nibbles a dango off a new skewer and kicks her legs idly.

Kyouko whirls, spear shattering into segments. She lashes out blindly, slamming a blow into thin air, and-

She catches Sayaka. The spear wraps around Sayaka, binding her arms to her sides. Kyouko snarls, and cracks the chained spear like a whip, and Sayaka gets spiked into the ground.

By the time Sayaka pushes herself up, she's got a reformed spear pointing right at her.

"You're done," Kyouko purrs, grinning. "Y' gotta stop attacking from behind me when you're invisible. Makes you predictable."

Sayaka shimmers into view, dirtied and bruised, but grinning. "What the heck was that?"

"Skill, princess," Kyouko snorts, unwrapping Sayaka with enough force to send her sprawling. The spear snaps back into shape, and she thumps the butt against the ground. "Yuma?"

"Here!" the green haired girl calls, and hops off your little spectator's bench. She lands softly right next to Kyouko as you start to drift down next to them.

"Hey Sayaka," you call. "Good show!"

"Not good enough," Sayaka grouses as she sits up. Emerald light flares and washes over her, wiping away the bruises and the little cuts. "Ahh. Thanks, Yuma. Also, I hate you, Sabrina."

"Hey, it's for your own good. Cleansing, everyone?" you say, dropping the last few meters to the ground and raising your hand in an open offer.

Sayaka rolls her eyes, detaching her Soul Gem from its position on her belly and holding it up for you. Yuma presents her Soul Gem too, bouncing happily.

Kyouko snorts, resting her spear across her neck and hooking her arms over the shaft to bare the Soul Gem worn on the collar of her costume. "Go on, then."

You do just that, pulling free rippling clouds of Grief with just a thought. You take a moment to cleanse your own Soul Gem too, wiping it free of corruption before beaming at everyone.

"So what's next, Sakura-sempai?" Sayaka asks, using the break to pop out power gems - the ones she'd used during the fight.

"OK first, f-" Kyouko snorts, choking herself off and glancing at Yuma. She flicks her attention back to Sayaka, watching her motions with an evaluating look. "No. Don't call me that. I just wanted an idea of how much you slipped. We're gonna do no-power sparring in here."

"Also, I should put out the fires," you note, eyeing the smouldering embers from the lightning strike, still visible through the trees.

"You do that," Kyouko says with a snort as she snags a skewer of dango from Yuma.

"So how's it going to go?" you ask as you pad over in the direction of the lightning-struck trees. A wave of Grief sweeps out ahead of you, smothering the fires and breaking up the coals to cool off. "Just sparring?"

"Nah," Kyouko says. "Blue, choose one power, and stick with it."

"Uhh," Sayaka says, scratching her head.

"Not invisibility?" you request. "I like seeing what's happening."

"Fine, not that it helped me much, anyway," Sayaka says, shooting you an aggrieved look. She thumbs through her gem-keychain thoughtfully. "I'll take... This one." She taps one of them decisively, the little crystal fading away.

Heh. Not telling Kyouko what it is. Smart.

"Cool," Kyouko says. "Those gems are your stored powers, right?"

"Yep," Sayaka says proudly, holding the dangling tabs up before tucking it back under her cloak.

"Then your goal is t' swap to another power," Kyouko says, unslinging her spear from around her shoulders. There's the barest flash of a feral grin before she takes off, spear lancing straight for Sayaka.

Your friend squawks, sword flashing into existence. Steel rings against steel, clashing over and over as Sayaka parries a lightning-fast fusillade of jabs. Kyouko flows under her guard, one hand streaking out. Her palm slams into Sayaka's hand over her wrist, and Sayaka's sword goes flying.

Sayaka's jaw sets, and her hand reverses direction. Her white-gloved fist plows into Kyouko's stomach, breath driven out of her lungs in an explosive gasp you can hear from over here.

Sayaka leaps back, hand diving under her cloak.

Too slow.

Kyouko rolls with the punch. She drops into a handspring and kick that catches the edge of Sayaka's cape with a foot and she twists to yank Sayaka into a stumble and then Kyouko has her spear swinging like an axe at Sayaka's head-

Metal crashes against dirt that boils up to shield Sayaka. Brown loam flows around the spear to lock it in place- Kyouko tugs once, and abandons it to duck away from Sayaka's kick. Sayaka leaps to her feet. Dirt swarms around her, bright grin behind her levelled sword.

Blade-shot booms out. The hilt goes flying, and Sayaka spins, cape fluttering. Swords stab into the ground around her in an arc, only for twirling kicks to flick the swords into her hands for a rolling thunder of shots.

Kyouko doesn't flinch. She slides through the hail as if it isn't even there. Effortless dodges and lazy parries smash blades out of the air, missed shots sending shuddering vibrations through the trees, bark and leaves flying.

Sayaka backs up a step- and vanishes, sinking into the ground without a trace.

Instantaneous reaction from Kyouko. She leaps, spear slicing into the ground beneath her as she launches herself into the trees.

Paper rustles beside you. You grope for more dango from the offered bag with a mumbled 'thanks', eyes still fixed on the action.

Sayaka explodes from the ground in a spray of dirt, pillar of soil punching into the air. Her legs coil, and she leaps off the rising column, sword in either hand. Kyouko's spear flicks out, the sound of clashing metal ringing out and leaving Sayaka rather plummeting before she slams swords into the tree trunk to halt her fall.

"Do you think we should remind her she's supposed to be trying to switch her powers?" you murmur to Yuma as Sayaka flips around the sword handles to land atop them in a crouch.

"Yuma thinks it's a better lesson if we don't," she responds as Kyouko dives for Sayaka.

"Good point," you say, snickering.

There's a chime of steel, a pure note singing out as Kyouko's spear shears right through Sayaka's swords. Sayaka plummets for all of a split second before Kyouko staples her to the tree with a spear through the cape.

A flash of a grin, and the cape breaks away. "Not pulling that on me again!" she crows, new sword forming in her hand as she drops.

Kyouko snorts, balanced on the shaft of her spear. "Gotcha cloak anyway," she taunts, crouching. "And y' haven't even gotten close."

Sayaka's eyes widen. Her hand darts for the power gems dangling from her side-

Kyouko flips and pushes off the spear haft in an instant. She slams down beside Sayaka, elbow lashing out. Sayaka breaks off, retreating a step. A new spear flicks out, hooking behind Sayaka's knee, and-

Sayaka twirls, brilliant blue sparking under her feet. One leg rises in a vicious kick, only for Kyouko to duck it and invert her spear. Point down on the ground, butt tucked under Sayaka's ankle in a motion almost too fast for you to follow.

Angry squawking follows as the spear extends, catapulting Sayaka off her feet. And when she lands, Kyouko's there with spear whirling for her neck.

Sayaka freezes, unable to get a sword up in time.

Kyouko rests the head of the spear on Sayaka's shoulder. "And what have we learned?" she drawls.

"Don't forget what I was supposed to do?" Sayaka grumbles, shoving Kyouko's spear aside and pushing herself to her feet.

"That too, I guess," Kyouko snorts. "More like powers or not, I'm the baddest bitch here."

Sayaka rolls her eyes. "Sure."

"You're too eager," Kyouko says with a scowl. "You leave openings a kilometre wide."

"How am I too eager?" Sayaka asks. "You're the one who always attacks first."

"Yeah, 'cuz I always wanted to rile you up," Kyouko says.

You snicker quietly to yourself, forming another Grief bench. Yuma hops up with a little smile, offering you more dango.

"Nah, I'm good," you say, only partially listening to Kyouko's extensive list of criticisms for Sayaka. "Oh, here, let me give you this, for your big sis. Hey Kyouko!"

"What?" Kyouko snaps, glancing over.

"I'm gonna give Yuma the cash, OK?" you say, waving a Grief sphere over that dispenses a neat stack of notes into your hand. "Seven thousand, as agreed on - oh, and Sayaka, pass her the ring?"

"Right!" Sayaka says, frowning as she pokes at her skirt. "Uhh, do I have pockets in this thing? Where did my pockets go- ah, found it."

She drops the ring into Kyouko's outstretched hand.

"Pure gold, by the way," you call as you count out the money and pass it to Yuma. She counts out loud, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Huh," Kyouko says, pocketing the ring. "Cool. Yuma, make sure that's correct!"

"OK, big sis!" Yuma calls, beaming.

"C'mon, Kyouko, I'm not gonna underpay you," you say, rolling your eyes. The only response you get is a mono-shouldered shrug, Kyouko ignoring you as she returns to lecturing Sayaka.

"All correct?" you ask, grinning at Yuma. She looks so solemn about it.

"It's correct!" Yuma announces, and turns big, soulful eyes to you. "Thank you, Sabrina."

"It's only fair," you say, shaking your head. There's another clang of metal and - yep, Kyouko and Sayaka are off again. "Kyouko's offering a service, and it's only right that I pay for it."

Yuma beams happily at you. "Thank you, Sabrina," she says. "Big sis worries a lot about money. She thinks I don't know."

You nod, smile fading. Yeah, she would, wouldn't she? She has to take care of Yuma now, not just herself. Hopefully this helps.

You hum quietly to yourself, contemplative. Kyouko's running short on Witches. She can't be actively Familiar farming, then, and you'd like to think better of her than that. She does talk tough, but in the end... she's something of a softy. She'd probably gut you for saying so, but you don't think she's a bad person.

"We should follow them!" Yuma pipes up.

"Yeah, that's fair," you agree. You can hear the fight dopplering away amongst the trees, yelling and clashing of metal and squawking of birds disturbed by their passage. You set your platform zipping after them, weaving amongst the trees.

Kyouko hasn't been in the best mood recently, either, judging from the Grief Seed she expended. At least Yuma has one with her today, though, half-filled.

Hmm...

Speaking of Kyouko's mood, you kind of left Nakano Mika hanging, last time. Now's as good a time as any to get back to her - and so you do, keeping an eye on the brawl between Sayaka and Kyouko.

"Hello, Miss Nakano?" The telepathic connection snaps up, strong and firm.

"Hey, Miss Sabrina!" the girl responds.

"Heya! Sorry I left you hanging," you say. "Had to decide what to say."

"Yep? Figured it out?" Mika says.

"Yeah," you say, exhaling and accepting a skewer of dango from Yuma. "OK, so, did you ever hear about a case of one Pastor Sakura, a few years back? It would have been in the news, I think."

"Kiiinda? The name sounds familiar, but that's it," Mika responds.

"Hrm. Well, the news would have reported... OK, I apologise in advance, this isn't going to be the most pleasant subject," you say slowly. "Are you alright with that?"

Mika's sigh is audible. "I'm fine. Go on."

"The news would have reported a murder-suicide by Pastor Sakura, of his family," you say. There's no way to soften that news, is there?

"And let me guess, the youngest child of the family, a daughter, was never found," Mika says, tone somber and devoid of her usual cheer.

"Oldest of two," you say. "But yes."

"Yeah," Mika says. "You see that pattern around."

"In apparently unrelated news, the Nakano Corporation acquired deed to the land and intends to demolish the church to make way for new construction," you continue.

"Ah." You can heat the understanding in her tone.

"Yeah. I- listen, I'm sorry for bothering you," you say. "I... I don't know what I expect you to do, to be honest, I don't know what you can do. Just... I feel like I need to tell you about this? Since you're related to the company?"

"I get it, yep," Mika says with a sigh. "Tell me more?"

"Well, Sakura Kyouko's my friend," you say. "Heh. Even if she'd probably never admit that. She has mixed feelings about the whole thing, since, well... yeah. Her father. She's got a lot of memories associated with the place, good and bad, and I don't think she even knows what she wants, precisely."

"Yeah, that's understandable," Mika agrees.

"And... truth be told, I'm telling you because you're the closest person I know to the... other side of the equation? If that makes sense?" you say. "I'm not expecting you to stop it or anything. I don't know your position in the company, if you even have one, or anything really. But..."

"Nah, I gotcha," Mika says. "Your friend doesn't know what she wants either, huh?"

"Doubt it," you say. You can't help a wince as Kyouko cracks Sayaka under the jaw with the butt of her spear, somehow launching her upwards. "She's prickly. I... I don't know. Maybe if you could find the development plans or something? Only if it isn't too much trouble."

"Hey, you gave me a Clear Seed," Mika says. "I can do that for you. Actually, do you think putting me in contact with her could help? I figure we can work something out, maybe."

"I was going to ask if you were willing, actually," you admit, relieved. Sayaka stabilises on a pillar of dirt that roars up to her from the forest ground, only to be dragged off by chains around her ankle.

"Yup," Mika says. "Willing!"

Oh, thank goodness. Reasonable people make you so happy.

"Alright," you say. "Thank you. Seriously, thank you, Mika, for being reasonable."

"No problem!" Mika says. "Like I said, you gave me a Clear Seed. Least I could do."

"Still. Thank you," you say. "I'll put you in contact sometime, alright? Possibly later today, actually."

"That's fine," Mika says. "See you 'round!"

"See ya," you say, hastily signing off just in time to see Sayaka flare lightning and miss Kyouko, igniting patches of underbrush again.

You'll put that out in a moment.

"Hah! I did it!" Sayaka crows happily from her perch on a boulder.

"Yeah, after how long?" Kyouko says, rolling her eyes. "If your power is to switch powers, and it takes you... what? Ten minutes? To do it? Then what good are you?"

"It wasn't ten minutes," Sayaka says, pouting.

"Whatever," Kyouko says. "You took too long."

"Yeah, well, you're a specialist in melee, how was I supposed to do anything?" Sayaka says.

"I was goin' easy on ya," Kyouko says. "But fine. 'brina, since you're here, you're up."

"What? Hey!" Sayaka says.

"Unless you wanna fight Yuma?" Kyouko drawls. "I got a point to prove here."

"Don't I get a say in this?" you ask, raising your eyebrow.

"Not 'less you want your girl here to fight Yuma," Kyouko says. Yuma turns big, wobbly eyes on you.

... you're pretty sure this is a con.

"Fine," you grump. "So it's my turn to spar with Sayaka? You remember I'm not very good at melee, right?"

"Yep, and that's perfect," Kyouko says, grinning and leaning on her spear. "Honestly, wouldn't be fair with me and Yuma."

"What am I supposed to do against both of you?" Sayaka asks, frowning.

"Same deal," Kyouko explains, and points at you. "You try and stop her from switching powers." She points at Sayaka. "You try and hit me."

"Uh-huh," you say, scratching your head. "Do I use my Grief?"

"Nah. Stick with melee," Kyouko says. "Only thing I'm gonna do is dodge."

Voting opens Aug 27, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] Fight...
- [] Full force
- [] Average
- [] Soft-ball it
[] After training...
- [] Bring up the Nakano thing
- [x] Head back
- [] Karaoke!
- [] Something else?
- [] Write-in song suggestions (I'm bad with these)
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Translation convention only applies until it's funnier that it doesn't.

Also, please keep song suggestions as links, not embeds. Spare a thought for mobile users.

 

[Firnagzen]

You close your eyes for a second, and then blow out a sharp breath before opening them again.

"Then I am going to fight full force," you declare, and grin at Sayaka. "I'm not gonna come close to winning otherwise, and I'm... probably not going to win anyway."

Sayaka chuckles, rubbing nervously at the back of her hair. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah, I think so," you say, exhaling and reaching under your coat to pull out a hammer. "I doubt I'll hit you, but eh... I can pull my strikes, I think."

Something pricks at your shoulder, and you jump, twisting around to spot Kyouko poking you with her spear.

"You better be trying," she grumbles.

"Yeah, yeah," you say. "Your cloak's still missing, Sayaka."

"Eh? Oh!" Sayaka tilts her head to stare at her shoulder. Pure white cloth shimmers into place, extending from thin air with a faint blue glow. She grins at you, pulling a sword out from under her reformed cape and sweeping it up into a fencer's salute.

"Drama queens," Kyouko mutters, not so softly that you can't hear it, and not so softly that you'd think you weren't supposed to hear it.

"I resemble that remark," you say mildly.

Kyouko rolls her eyes. "Yuma, you good?"

"I'm good, big sis!" Yuma says. She waves her mace-scepter-thing, emerald green light washing over Sayaka, and then Kyouko. The younger girl beams and plops down on a nearby tree trunk, kicking her legs and savouring another skewer from her bag.

"When you're ready, princess," Kyouko says, hooking her spear behind her shoulders once more and snagging some dango from Yuma. "Both of ya."

"Right," you say, nodding and turning your attention to Sayaka. "Um-"

Sayaka moves.

You nearly trip over your feet trying to catch her. You just manage to swing your hammer out left in her way but she just goes over and there's a sharp boom of bladeshot echoing over your head and Sayaka's foot on your left shoulder as she prepares to spring over you-

"Oi, are you even trying?"

-but you're not taking that. You drop your shoulder. She's already pushing off, and she goes off balance. Just for a split second, just enough for you to grab her by the ankle and whip her into the ground-

And try to whip her into the ground. She twists and lashes at your face with her other foot. You let go. You have to. Lightning wreathes the fist lashing at your face, crackling far too close to you. You duck that, weaving to her left, and as she follows, you sweep your hammer out, a swift, underhand swing.

Steel chimes against steel, your hammer parried by a freshly summoned sword. Sayaka grins at you, bright and exhilarated - she's holding you back with one arm, and hard enough to make you strain. Fine. You spin away, darting around her. The sudden loss of resistance makes her stumble, and you drive your elbow into the back of her head.

Sayaka barely notices it, springing forward for Kyouko - who isn't even behind you any more. She's perched on a tree branch, glaring down at you. Sayaka isn't aiming for her. She just needs space. Her hand's already diving for her hip, and you're already diving for her.

You sweep her legs out from beneath her. She goes down with an oof, flailing her sword at you. You slap the flat of her blade, batting it away and stomping your foot on it as you scramble to your feet. She tugs, and then abandons it for a new one. But you're already up with hammer swinging down at her.

She gets her sword up the barest sliver of a second before you pull the strike. Teeth bared, she shoves against you, and twists her entire body into a scissoring sweep with her legs. Your turn to go tumbling to the floor. Sayaka rolls aside, sword flicking out.

You flinch from the sharp steel menacing your face. She doesn't even come close, though, roll carrying her away. Too far away. She has room to maneuver, and that gives her the choice between going for a new power or for going after Kyouko. You hurl your hammer at her, an ungainly toss.

It's enough. Sayaka's forced to sidestep, and even if her hand's going to her hip, that's enough time for you to lurch to your feet and barrel into her. Your shoulder check misses. That's fine. All you need to do is pressure her. Keep her attention on you, keep her from switching powers. Keep her from attacking Kyouko.

Sayaka slashes at you. A step back buys you a heartbeat of space, time enough for you to draw a fresh hammer for a desperate parry. Her sword blurs, every blow powerful enough to bend your arms behind the block. You lurch backwards, every step a hazard since you can't spare a glance backwards and you can't use your Grief and-

Your feet hit roots, and your back hits a tree trunk. Sayaka grins bright and fierce as she slams another strike at you with both hands. The sound of your parry echoes off the trees. Creaking above you is Kyouko, leaping to the tree you're backed up against. Sayaka leans forward, pressing her advantage, and you strain to hold her back.

The pressure lessens- her hand. She reaches for the dangling ring of power gems, but that's a mistake, it's all you needed to push off and forward and knee her in the gut. The breath leaves her in an explosive gasp, and she stumbles backwards, sword sweeping up with electricity crackling along the blade and reflected in blue eyes.

You have a heartbeat to make a decision. Sayaka swings, lightning sizzling from her blade. Kyouko's trick. A half-turning strike embeds your hammer into the tree and you leap awa-

Too late, too slow. White fire sears a choked scream from your throat, and you land badly. Your leg spasms and nearly collapses under you, unable to support your weight.

"Sabrina!" Sayaka's eyes are wide with horror, the sword falling from slack fingers.

You force yourself to stay standing, magic flooding down your leg to reinforce it and suppress the pain.

"I'm fine," you bite out. You can smell your leg, faintly. "I'm- fine."

"Sabrina!" This time it's Yuma, bounding over the leafy undergrowth. She holds her scepter up high, bright emerald light flashing out to bathe your body in a warm, soothing sensation that washes away the dull ache of suppressed pain.

More rustling is Kyouko leaping down from the tree, boots crunching into the forest floor debris.

"That was pathetic," Kyouko snaps. "Both of you."

"Well excuse me for being a squishy caster," you say, rolling your eyes. "I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for asking. And thank you for the heal, Yuma."

"The fff-" Kyouko grimaces, swallowing the expletive. "What does that mean? Never mind. Thanks for making my point, anyway."

"What point?" Sayaka asks, scowling. "That I can hurt someone?"

"No," Kyouko snaps. "That you have trouble with more than one goal at a time."

Sayaka's scowl deepens.

"Like I said earlier - your power is to switch powers," Kyouko says, slipping a hand into the pocket of her costume and somehow pulling a perfectly intact cookie out. She bites into it with a crunch. "But you can't. You couldn't handle another goal on top of that, either. 'part from that first shot you took at me, you didn't even try."

"... Fine," Sayaka says, grudging acknowledgement in her features. "What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Of course, if you're fighting in a group, it'd be easier," you supply.

"Yeah, fighting in a group," Kyouko snorts. "And that happens all the time, because Witches and other magical girls fight fair. No, princess, y' gotta practice. You need to have those powers of yours instantly to hand."

"Right. No fighting fair," Sayaka says, expression setting hard.

"And one more thing I noticed," Kyouko says, polishing off the cookie. "You're very reactive in your fighting. 's not a bad thing, but it's not a good thing either. It's a thing."

"... Uh?" Sayaka says. "What do you mean?"

"I fight one way, 'brina there fights another," Kyouko says, shrugging. "You react. You fight like whoever you're fighting. The only time you fight like you're your own thing is when you're messing around with your powers."

"Well, like you said," Sayaka says, grimacing again. "My power is to be able to copy and use powers. Of course I fight best when I can use them."

"Uh huh," Kyouko says, glancing sidelong at you. "Remind me what she's here to learn again? Never mind, I already know." She matches scowl for scowl. "Y' want to learn to fight or no? You gotta know what you can do. You fight reactively? Sure, whatever. Not what I'd do, but whatever. You need to learn to fight well enough to be able to switch your powers."

"Hey, Kyouko," you say, raising a finger. "Uh, lemme clarify something for you? Sayaka can actually hold multiple powers at once for extended periods, it's just a drain on her Soul Gem."

"Which means you don't hold any powers normally, right?" Kyouko directs the question at Sayaka.

"Well... yeah," Sayaka concedes.

"There you go," Kyouko says with a snort.

You nod, sidling over to Yuma as Kyouko continues to dispense criticism and advice. "Was she like this when training you?"

"Nuh-uh," Yuma says, shaking her head. "She just taught Yuma how to fight properly!"

"Huh," you say, rubbing your chin. "Well then."

"Um... Is your leg OK?" Yuma blinks up at you.

"Yeah," you say, beaming at her. "Thanks for the heal, Yuma."

"And begin," Kyouko barks.

There's another sharp clang of metal, and they're sparring again. Sayaka's strike rings off Kyouko's spear before being forced back by a flurry of jabs. You watch, chatting quietly with Yuma. The fighting is much less... vicious now, a lot slower with Kyouko snapping admonishments at Sayaka every few exchanges.

You know, you can't help but muse on what Kyouko said. Sayaka's power is to switch powers, yes, and she can't if she's being pressed in melee. Doesn't that apply to Homura, too? You know that Homura needs to turn her shield to activate her timestop, and you remember with memories-that-aren't that she can be taken out with ambush, or with melee. You kind of wonder if it'd be worth it to get Homura to try improving her melee, too.

Then again, you have doubts about your ability to convince Homura to come along. She's like a cat, that girl. Hmm. You also have vague mental images of Homura as a catgirl, somehow. You're not sure why.

Eventually, they wind down. Sayaka's panting, leaning on her sword for support, whereas Kyouko looks fresh and completely unruffled. You're pretty sure that magic is involved there.

"... anyway, I think time's up," Kyouko says, propping her spear against her shoulder. "'brina, I think you owe me something."

"Yep," you say, checking your phone for the time. "Right, so... I've given Yuma the money. You've got the ring, yeah? It's twenty grams of pure gold, so..." You wrinkle your nose. "Should be a bit above ninety thousand yen in terms of raw gold value, but I don't know how you'd sell it off."

"Ninety thousand..." Sayaka's eyebrows go up.

"Right," Kyouko says. "And the other part of my payment?"

"Cleansing, yup," you say, smiling. "Soul Gems, Grief Seeds?"

Yuma beams, and pulls out the Grief Seed you can sense with her, holding her Soul Gem out with her other hand. Kyouko, on the other hand, just tips her head back so that you have a clearer line of sight to her Soul Gem.

A wave of your hand and a touch of will draws forth rippling clouds Grief. Not just from Kyouko and Yuma and the Grief Seed, but Sayaka and yourself, too. It's always good to stay clean, after all. You exhale, a clench of your fist imploding Grief into marbles.

"There," you murmur, smiling. "The Grief Seed is fresh, now - do remember to hang on to it."

"Yeah, yeah," Kyouko says, waving a dismissive hand. "Got it the first time."

"Are we headed back, Sabrina?" Sayaka asks, dismissing her sword.

"Yep," you confirm. "Uh, gimme a sec? And then I might need a word with Kyouko."

"Uh, sure," Sayaka agrees, plonking herself down on a convenient root with a sigh.

Dusky red eyes flicker over to you, quizzical and annoyed. "Yeah?"

"Telepathy," you say, grinning, and reach out for Mika. "Hey, Miss Nakano?"

"Heya! Hope you're not expecting me to have gotten the plans or anything yet. 'asn't even been an hour... right, fine, just over an hour," Mika responds, amiably amused.

"Nah, but are you free to talk to Kyouko right now? Sakura Kyouko," you say.

"Oh, oh gosh, um, sure," Mika says. "Sooner than I expected! Sure."

"You sure?" you ask skeptically.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Mika responds. "Put me through."

"Alright, one moment," you say, and meet Kyouko's eyes. You beckon, picking your way between the trees. She follows, boots clomping through the undergrowth.

"What is it?" she asks, glaring at you.

"Kyouko, I recently met a magical girl in Ishinomaki, Nakano Mika," you say, and wait a heartbeat for that to sink in. "Yeah. She's related to the Nakano corporation, but she's not in the line of decisionmaking. She's willing to talk to you, do you want to talk to her?"

You watch her expression freeze, setting hard.

"Fuck," she hisses under her breath. Yuma peers around the trees, peeking at her in worry. She pads over to throw her arms around Kyouko's waist in a hug. "The fuck do you expect me to do?"

"I don't know what you want," you say, folding your arms. "But she's friendly, and she's willing to talk. I don't know what she can do, either, but she's a closer link. Are you willing to talk to her?"

Kyouko slams a fist against a tree, hissing out a breath. "Fine. Put me through."

"Alright," you say, checking her Soul Gem. She's fine there. Angrier than she is upset, you suspect. "I'll put you through, and I'll leave you to it."

"Right," she grits out. "Later."

"Oh," Yuma says. "Um... see you later?"

"I'm just... putting Kyouko in touch with someone it would be helpful for her to know." You smile at Yuma, ruffling her hair gently as you reach out to connect Kyouko and Mika. "Hey, Miss Nakano? Here's Kyouko. Sakura Kyouko, Nakano Mika, Mika Nakano, Sakura Kyouko. I'll leave you two to it."

You drop from the connection, smiling and nodding at Kyouko. You... you'd love to stay and listen in, and maybe moderate the conversation, but this is between them. You've been trying not to micromanage so much, so you'll let go. You can check in on Kyouko and Mika later, anyway.

"Right. See you later. Thank you for agreeing to the training, Kyouko," you say, waving. Yuma waves back as you head over to where Sayaka's waiting, Grief already sweeping in from the canopy to build a flight platform. "Good training?"

"Yeah," Sayaka mutters, flopping back on the Grief as soon as there's enough to flop on. "Ow. Kinda sore."

"I'm not surprised," you say, smirking at her. "Though as magical girls, I'm not absolutely sure we have to feel tired..."

Sayaka shrugs, relaxing and spreading out as you add more surface area to the platform. You snicker quietly, and you're airborne a few minutes later, Sayaka still sprawled out behind you.

"Sorry about the whole... lightning thing earlier, by the way," Sayaka says, sitting up.

"Don't worry about it," you say, shaking your head. "I was too slow, and hey, Yuma healed me right up."

"Still," Sayaka says, shaking her head. "I- agh, I should have copied her power. Next time."

"Damn," you say, snapping your fingers. "I thought of that, too, but I forgot to remind you. You'll have plenty of time for it, anyway, and hey. We're not gonna get into a big fight before Wednesday, anyway."

"Jinx," Sayaka says, lifting an arm to point at you.

You laugh, and let the conversation lapse as you soar back towards Mitakihara. Towards Mami. Towards your friends, and probably towards karaoke.

... can you even sing? You're not terribly sure.

You know how to sing, but you're not actually certain you can sing. You'll get to find out, though!

"Hey, Sabrina?" Sayaka murmurs quietly.

"Yep?" you ask, tilting your head back to glance at Sayaka.

"Was Kyouko right?" she asks.

"About?" you ask.

"She... I dunno," Sayaka says. "I know you said that fighting isn't everything, but... ugh. I made my Wish so I could stand with you, you know?"

Voting opens Aug 31, 2017 at 6:00 AM
[] What to say to Sayaka?
[] Back at Mitakihara...
- [] How do you greet Mami?
- [] What do you tell them about the training session?
- [] Karaoke? Karaoke.
[] What comes after?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Ah, insecurity. It's almost a running theme. Also, no, nothing will be on fire yet when you get back.

 

[Firnagzen]

"You are standing with me, with us," you say, tilting your head to grin at her.

"Doesn't feel like it," Sayaka mutters.

You purse your lips, grin fading. "Look, clarify for me: what do you mean about Kyouko being right? Do you mean that she was right about you not being able to switch powers properly?"

Sayaka shrugs. "I... I suppose," she says. "It makes me feel like I'm... a burden, you know? I can't fight... I can't do anything without having someone there to babysit me."

"You've been a magical girl for less time than I have. Yeah, you need support. That's in no way a mark against you," you say, shaking your head. "And Mami and Homura, well... You're comparing yourself to some of the best magical girls on the planet. They're possibly among the best to have ever lived. And Sayaka?"

You wait for her to look at you before continuing. "It's only a matter of practice before you match up. Yes, I won't deny, you need practice and support right now. But that's because your power needs time to ramp up. You need the experience, and you need to gather powers and experiment. Once you do..."

A rueful shake of your hand. "Sayaka, with your Wish, I expect you to exceed me someday. Someday soon, really."

"Yeah, right," Sayaka says, shaking her head.

You shrug, glancing ahead to check that you aren't about to swerve into any buildings. "I mean... Just look at the powers you already have. Do you want to join the police force? At this point, if you picked up a teleport power, you could be anywhere in the world with a platoon of clones. You could be the police. All of them, all the time."

"That sounds stupid," Sayaka says, wrinkling her nose.

"I'm completely serious about it," you say. "I've told you before. I want to help magical girls everywhere. Everywhere. You have an idea of the kind of fighting that happens - don't you think that being able to intervene would be amazing?"

Sayaka's quiet.

"You don't have to do that if you don't want to, of course. Being a hero isn't just about fighting," you say. "Let me see. You have flight. Add in wind powers or water powers -and we know where we can get that- and you could probably control the weather. Hell, I'm sure there must be magical girls out there with weather control already. We'll get you those powers eventually. You want to stop a hurricane in its tracks, you want to save thousands of lives? You can do it. Magic is versatile and amazingly powerful. You've got capabilities that can only grow, Sayaka, and honestly, you're on the road to godhood. Or at the very least an angel, one of those scary types that have to say 'Fear not' when they show up."

Sayaka snorts, but there's an amused little quirk of her lips now. "You're overselling it."

"I mean it," you say, and chuckle. "Being able to control the weather would be enough to get you worshipped, even now."

"... Fine," Sayaka says, shaking her head.

You sigh, rubbing at your face. "I get where you're coming from," you say. "It seems... too far off in the future, yeah?"

"Just a bit," Sayaka says.

"I mean it, regardless," you say. "I mean... like I said, being a hero isn't just about fighting, no matter what stories and manga and anime might tell you. Being a magical girl isn't just about fighting. It's about people. With your powers, you can do disaster recovery, healing... whatever you want."

"I guess," Sayaka says half-heartedly. "It's just... hard to believe."

You tip your head back, looking contemplatively at the clouds scudding across the sky. "Actually, you know what? Kyouko was right - when you're using your powers is exactly when you're, mm, when you shine. Kyouko's training is making sure that you get that opportunity."

"You really think I can do it?" Sayaka asks, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chest.

"Depends on what 'it' is," you say.

Sayaka makes an annoyed sound. "Become... become someone who isn't a burden, I suppose."

"Nah," you say. "Can't become something you already are. You're no more a burden for needing training or help to realise your potential than for... I dunno, needing to go to school. It's pretty much the same thing. You need training and practice and experience, and there's no shame in lacking any of that."

Sayaka blows out a gusty breath. "OK, then," she says. "I'll... try and believe it."

You grin at her. "Well, you know, we're going on a Witch hunt later, right? You've got all your powers - why not show off a bit, cut loose. See what you can do by combining them, or something. And don't forget that idea you had earlier, trying to use Kazumi's power as a shortcut."

"Oh, yeah," Sayaka says, brightening a bit. "I forgot about that. Do you think it'll work?"

"No way to know until you try it," you say. "Also, for the record, I do absolutely trust you. You've impressed Mami, I know that much, and I also know that Kyouko's a hundred and ten percent tsundere."

Sayaka barks out a startled laugh. "Eeeh?"

You wink at her. "Ask Yuma sometime."

... You hope you haven't set Sayaka up to be murdered by Kyouko for that comment.

Eh. Yuma'll heal her.

"I'm being set up, aren't I?" Sayaka asks flatly.

"Speaking of set ups, that reminds me," you say. "All joking aside? I'm pretty sure this is the first time Kyouko's actually, y'know, had a job, part-time as it is. I'm almost certain she's being harder on you because of that."

"I guess," Sayaka agrees, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking away.

Voting opens Jul 2, 2017 at 10:00 PM
[] What do you say?
[] Karaoke time!
[] Write-in (word count limit: 200 words)

=====​

Have a half-update. Addresses some concerns, and applies amalgamated votes.

 

[Firnagzen]

You huff quietly, looking thoughtfully out at the grey and brown smudges of the industrial district below you. This isn't working. You don't think anything you said is untrue. You do think Sayaka's going to scale to be someone very scary one day. But it's not concrete enough for Sayaka, not right now.

You take a brief moment to wonder how much of that Sayaka picked up, unconsciously, from Kyousuke. Kyousuke, who defines himself entirely by his music, and here, Sayaka, trying to define herself entirely by her work. But then, if Sayaka needs something concrete to focus on, something she can do now...

"How about I put it this way?" you say slowly, slowing the platform and turning to face Sayaka properly. "You are a godsend."

Sayaka's gaze flickers over to you. "Mm?"

"I mean, look, I don't like to think of people, of my friends, in terms of what they can do for me," you say. "But if you want to talk about being useful, or not, you already are. Even in Witch hunts and such, you're not exactly a slacker, but you help."

"What do you mean?" Sayaka asks.

"I kind of throw you at new magical girls I come across. I don't know if you've noticed, and to be honest, it's not really something I mean to do," you say. "It just... well, it fits you. And... OK, lemme back up and start explaining from the top because I've made a mess of this explanation."

"... sure?" Sayaka says, looking at you with some perplexity.

"I am friendly, but overbearing as hell," you say. "I know. I try not to do it, but well, it's a tendency I have to watch. Mami is Mami, and Mami is awesome, so she's good with new people, but she keeps new people at a remove. You are naturally friendly, and you just... set them at ease."

"I... guess?" Sayaka says.

"Yeah," you say, nodding. "And, look. I don't consciously do it, but when it comes to meeting new magical girls, you're basically the perfect person to set them at ease, to work them into things, yeah?"

"I suppose," Sayaka says. "I guess I can see that."

"I mean, I guess what I'm saying here is: your powers are amazing, they'll get more amazing, but they're not what makes you amazing," you say, shrugging. "But I dunno. If you want a concrete example right now, look at Kyouko."

"... Yeah?" Sayaka says, frowning.

"In broad strokes? I already told you about her financial issues, but she's also got Grief Seed supply issues. Hunting's getting pretty scarce in Kasamino," you say. "And I'm pretty sure you've noticed she doesn't want to accept help. She's got... mm, issues that aren't mine to elaborate on."

"And you wanna throw me at the problem?" Sayaka asks, frowning.

"No. I want you to be yourself," you say. "Pushing her too hard is a dead guaranteed way of pushing her away. Just... the lessons are good for you, and I'm hoping that you'll be her friend, too. I'm not... I don't think I'm the right person for the job."

"Just be myself," Sayaka echoes. "I... guess I can do that."

"Yeah, duh," you say, sticking your tongue out at Sayaka. "There's one person I'd nominate for the job of being Miki Sayaka, and that person is Miki Sayaka."

"Jerk," Sayaka says, picking at her pockets and finding a bit of lint to throw at you. "You're terrible."

"Well, maybe sometimes," you say. "Seriously, though. Miki Sayaka is a good person to be."

"Yeah, I guess," Sayaka says, blowing out a breath. "Thanks, Sabrina."

You grin at her, turning to face forward again and juking around a smokestack. "Anytime. Also, if you need... I dunno, a direction to take your powers in, maybe work on mastering the clones first? They're probably the greatest force multiplier you can bring to bear, and I wasn't really kidding about the Sayaka police thing. Or the angel thing, really. Mikiel has a nice ring to it, I reckon."

Sayaka hums quietly, falling silent again. You glance back at her, but she just looks contemplative now, rather than sulking. You'll take it. Instead, you take a moment to check in with Homura where they are - you'd check with Mami, but you'd also like to give her a pleasant surprise.

Sayaka breaks the silence again. "You..."

"Yes, Sayaka, I really do think you're not a burden," you say, smiling at her. "You're my friend. You're good, and you're going to be great. And I think you can do it."

"Thanks," she says, clear blue eyes cutting to yours. "But, uh...I guess I was thinking it, but... that wasn't what I wanted to say. Um, well. Different topic, but we're going back right now, so I won't get the chance to ask you later?"

"Oh?" you ask, quirking your eyebrow at her.

She licks her lips. "So, um, how did you confess to Mami?"

"Ah," you say, more as filler than anything. This would be about Kyousuke, wouldn't it? "Truthfully, I... I never did, not properly in words? I care about her, and I spent most of my time with her whenever I can. She brightens my life just by being her, and I try to do the same for her. I... well, I care about her. I've told her that, over and over, but I suppose I haven't confessed."

Sayaka snorts, eyeing you for a second longer. "You two are sickeningly sweet, and no help at all."

You purse your lips. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I... I'll think about it," Sayaka says.

"Alright," you say, clapping her on the shoulder. "Hugs?"

Sayaka snorts, grinning at you. "Hey, I'm your ex waifu, what would Mami think?"

She opens her arms anyway, and you give her a hug.

"You're pretty awesome," you say firmly. "Don't forget that."

The rest of the trip back you spend in a comfortable silence. You're headed for the park, where you find your friends sitting on benches next to a pond, feeding ducks.

You sneak up on Mami. Her bench is shared with Kazumi, Umika, and Kaoru, but that's fine. That's enough room for you to sneak up on her, covering her eyes from behind and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"Hi," you breathe. "Guess who?"

"Sabrina," Mami breathes, melting back against you. You can feel the tightly corded tension in her body softening as you shift to hug her properly, arms around her waist. She leans her head against your collarbone, eyes sliding shut with a contented sigh.

"Oh my God, you two," Sayaka mutters, wandering past you to sit on the other bench, squeezing in beside Homura. Madoka beams at her, handing over a handful of breadcrumbs to toss into the pond.

"Hey, Mami," you whisper. "How are you?"

"Better now," she murmurs, eyes fluttering open to stare at you.

"Did you have fun?" you ask, addressing the question to Kazumi and her friends as much as you do Mami.

"It- it was good to catch up," Mami agrees.

"Yeah," Kazumi agrees, beaming at Mami, and then you. "How was your, er, your errand?"

"Good!" you say, tightening your arms around Mami. "Anyway, are we good for karaoke? Then we can do dinner, a Witch hunt, and uh... I guess we split up for the night after that?"

Hitomi looks up. "I am expected home for dinner," she says.

"Ah, me too," Madoka says.

"Hmm," you say, nestling your chin on Mami's shoulder. You have to kneel on the grass behind the bench to do that, but Mami is comfy. "Sayaka?"

"Uh... I think my parents want me home for dinner too," Sayaka says.

"Oh," you say, rubbing your nose. "Dang, that messes up the timetable."

"Not really," Sayaka says. "Um, we can do karaoke now, and then we split up for dinner? I can leave after dinner to meet up with you guys for a Witch Hunt, and then head over to Madoka's place with Homura for our homework study session?"

"Ah, that's a good idea, Sayaka!" Madoka says, beaming.

"Perhaps at my house instead for homework?" Hitomi volunteers, tossing the last handful of breadcrumbs for the ducks and dusting her hands off.

"Oh, I'd like that!" Madoka says.

Sayaka scratches her head, glancing at the Asunaro trio. "Eh... sorry about abandoning you so quickly, though..."

"No, no!" Kazumi says, flapping her hands in anxious denial. "We understand!"

"So I guess you'll be stuck with us for the rest of the night," you say. "Do you have anything to do tonight, after the hunting?"

"Um... I have some homework, but it's not immediately due," Mami admits, giving you a soft smile. "But you can help me with it, so it's alright."

"OK," you agree, returning the smile. "Now, onwards to karaoke!"

You slant a grin at Homura, who looks faintly terrified at the prospect. It's nothing really noticeable to anyone who doesn't know her, but it's there, written in the set of her eyes and her jaw. You think Madoka has noticed, though, judging from the way she sits, slanted just a little towards Homura. It'll be good for Homura to get out of her comfort zone and live a little, you think, but you don't want to push her too much.

You give Mami a quick smile and hug as you and your group of friends gather yourselves to start walking to start walking out of the park. Mami turns, giving you a curious look, and you incline your head just a hair in Homura's direction. She nods, taking your hand and following as you drift across the group.

"You alright?" you murmur to Homura, just out of earshot of Madoka. She's chatting with Sayaka, anyway. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I'm fine," Homura says, voice tight and controlled.

"I'd say to relax, but..." you shake your head, smiling. "No. Instead... I'll say thank you, Homura, for agreeing to come along. I know you didn't have to. But it makes me happy, that you're willing to try. Madoka too, I think."

Homura nods, a tiny dip of her head. You let it go, drifting back.

Mami bumps her shoulder against you, a warm smile on her lips, and you squeeze her hand lightly. There's a touch of strain around her eyes, but it's ebbing fast.

Kazumi drifts over to talk to you and Mami, while Kaoru wanders over to Sayaka to talk about sports - you hear brief snatches of conversation about the finer points of softball versus soccer, of all things. Misaki, on the other hand, has joined Hitomi in a conversation about classical literature.

Eventually, you make it to a karaoke parlour near the big downtown shopping center. Hitomi insists on paying for it. You pick up a big jar of lemonade to share with everyone, and you all pile into the karaoke room with soft, padded seats arranged in a U-shape around a central table, all facing a big, brightly lit screen.

You squeeze in beside Sayaka, Mami on your right, and Kazumi on her right. Madoka sits beside Sayaka, then Homura, then Hitomi.

Sayaka grins at everyone, holding up a mike in either hand. "Who's first?"

"Me!" Kazumi says, beckoning for the microphone.

"I'll take the other," Umika says, taking the other and brushing hair out of her eyes with a resigned look.

"Whoo!" Kazumi cheers, reaching for the tablet that controls the playthrough. "How do I work this thing... Aha. Yep. Umika, what shall we sing?"

"Uhhh," Umika says, peering over Kazumi's shoulder as she scrolls through the list. "Uhm. No."

"Yes," Kazumi says, grinning, and taps the song firmly.

"Oh, no," Umika says, but raises her mike nevertheless as the first strums of electric guitar roar through the speakers.

Kazumi starts to sing. She's not... tone deaf, and she's enthusiastic, and she's definitely having fun. You'll allow that much.

Anything else... well, she's enthusiastic.

Kaoru, ignored prophet that she is, grins around the table as she watches everyone else. Still, she's the first to start clapping as the song winds to its end, grinning brightly at Kazumi. Umika flushes as you all join in the applause, and holds the mike out for anyone else to take.

"I'll go next," Hitomi volunteers. "Is there anything less, ah, energetic?"

"Yup!" Kazumi says, paging through the tablet. You're not sure why she's apparently been appointed song chooser, but you'll roll with it. "Got one!"

"Hmm," Hitomi says, eyeing the screen as the first strains of synthesizer filter in. "Is this another Vocaloid song?"

"Yup!" Kazumi says cheerfully. "I really like 'em! Mostly Niko's fault..."

Kaoru snorts. "No, it's your fault Niko likes Vocaloid songs."

"Nyeh," Kazumi says, sticking her tongue out at Kaoru, but quiets down as the song proper starts.

Hitomi's singing is... awkward. She's clearly had some training in it, but she's obviously unfamiliar with the song. She's enjoying it, though, swaying with the music.

"Again!" she demands as the song ends to applause from all of you.

And so you settle into it - her second round is much better with some familiarity under her belt, and Sayaka goes after her, grabbing the tablet from Kazumi and belting out some energetic pop song you don't really recognise. She's surprisingly good, and you grin at her as she finishes and Kaoru takes the next song. As promised, Kaoru does have an excellent voice.

"I'll take one," Mami says, holding her hand out for the tablet. She tabs through the lists quickly before finding what she's looking for. She flashes you a warm smile as the slow piano starts.

Your eyes go wide. You recognise the song, of course, slow and gentle as Mami croons the lyrics with her eyes half-lidded and warm. She doesn't look at you. She doesn't need to, swaying slowly.

Voting opens Sep 5, 2017 at 10:02 AM
[] Song for duet
[] Confirm after-karaoke plans
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

OK, look. I know this feels a bit filler-ish, but I have no idea what works as a duet song, so I'm gonna say: Give me one, please. It doesn't have to be in Japanese, but I would prefer something from 2011.

 

[Firnagzen]

Mami's song comes to an end, her eyes fluttering shut as she holds the last note. Nobody seems to be breathing, all eyes on Mami as she finishes. You let out a quiet sigh, and reach out to take her hand under the table.

"Did anyone ever tell you you have an amazing singing voice?" Sayaka breathes into the awed silence, eyes wide. She starts clapping enthusiastically, joined an instant later by Madoka and Kazumi and Hitomi and everyone else.

Except you, because you're holding Mami's hand between both of yours, fingers interlaced.

"I... I had a fascination with being an idol when I was younger," Mami admits. "That changed, of course, but..."

"Your voice is gorgeous, Mami," you say warmly, squeezing her hand. She blushes, eyes fluttering as she leans against your side.

A poke at your side is Sayaka handing you the other mike, giving you an expectant smirk.

You'll take that challenge.

You grab the mike, setting it down in front of you so that you can grab the tablet in turn, scrolling through the lists to choose your own song. Yeah, you've got a song to live up to. You don't know if you can sing, but Madokami damn you if you aren't going to try - for Mami's sake, if nothing else.

You could play something with instruments formed of Grief. Play a song that doesn't exist yet. You could. But you won't, because what would be the point? You're here to enjoy yourself, to spend time with your friends. You could do it for Mami - she'd love it. She'd love something you did for her. But you can do that later, in private. Here and now, you're with friends. You don't want to show off with your powers.

You make your choice, and pick up the mike as the song starts to roll from the speakers, upbeat and cheerful. You squeeze Mami's hand, smiling gently at her, and then you start to sing.

You know the words. You don't have to look at the screen, so you let your eyes drift closed. You stop worrying about whether you can sing -turns out you can- and just do it. Enthusiasm, yes, but...

This is for Mami.

When the song ends, your eyes open to golden ones, centimeters away from yours, glowing with simple adoration. You smile back at Mami, all but humbled by the sheer depth of emotion. A faint touch is Mami closing her free hand on top of yours.

"My god, you two," Sayaka mutters. "Madoka, look at them. Or maybe don't..."

And that ruins the spell. Mami's face flames red, even as everyone starts to clap. You grin at Mami, squeezing her hand gently as Kazumi elbows you in the side. Mami giggles nervously, and squirms a little closer so that she can hide her face against your shoulder. You laugh, wrapping an arm around her.

Even Hitomi's beaming, even if she isn't applauding - she can't, not with her wrist still in a cast. Everyone else. Including Homura, but that might be owed to a helpful nudge from Madoka. She looks faintly amused, though, so you'll take that as an overall win.

"My turn!" Kazumi says, grabbing the mike and tablet control from you. "English songs, English songs... Ah, I know! Kaoru, Umika, sing with me!"

You laugh, sliding the other mike across the table to them as Kazumi starts humming along with the music. Kaoru makes a rather put-upon face, but obligingly provides the wordless backup chorus, Umika leaning closer so they can both sing into the microphone.

Kazumi's... enthusiasm hasn't ebbed, certainly. Oddly enough, she sings somewhat better in English than in Japanese.

You start serving up lemonade as you listen, sliding glasses of lemonade across the table to everyone before claiming one for yourself. You're getting thirsty, anyway.

Sayaka takes the next song, another English one since it's apparently English song hour now. You can't help but twitch and give her slightly perplexed looks at her song choice. Heaven is a Place on Earth, indeed.

Sayaka belts it out with a considerable amount of energy. You... were kind of sort of mostly joking before, but she is giving a suspicious number of hints about angels and heaven and whatnot.

... If she's been an angel of the Law of Cycles this entire time you're going to murder her.

... She can't be.

... Right?

... You're going to kill her if she is. She'd be an angel, anyway, she can take it.

You nod firmly to yourself and turn your attention to more pleasant things, like cuddling Mami. She gives you a concerned look. You shake your head, smiling - it's nothing important now. Instead, you pull her closer, starting to bob your head to the rhythm of the music. Mami giggles faintly, swaying along with you.

Madoka takes the next song, shy and a little timid, but there's nothing wrong with her singing, certainly.

"Homura? Would you like to sing a song?" you ask as Madoka's song ends. You continue in telepathy. "You don't have to, if you don't want to."

Homura takes a convulsive swallow of lemonade. "I'd rather not," she mumbles.

"Aw," Sayaka says, halfway through passing the mike.

"That's fine," you say, smiling. "It's good that you're here, anyway!"

"I think you'd sound really good!" Kazumi notes, perking up. "You have a beautiful voice."

Homura shrugs. Kazumi pouts, but subsides to a consoling pat from Kaoru.

The rest of the karaoke session rolls on. Not to be outdone by Kazumi, you sing a duet with Mami, both of you with your mikes and swaying to the rhythm. You almost feel inadequate next to Mami's singing, truth be told. She's amazing.

Eventually, though, it's time to go. You knock back the last of your lemonade, beaming around at everyone as you all get up and start stretching.

"Thanks for coming, everyone," you say. "I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, me too!" Sayaka cheers, to an enthusiastic round of agreement from everyone. Mami takes your hand, squeezing gently.

You grin at her, and then Homura. You reach out by telepathy as everyone starts to file out of the room - Homura's sticking close to Madoka. "Hey, Homura? Thank you for coming. You didn't have to."

"It was... good to hang out," Homura says, soft and uncertain, almost vulnerable.

You grin at her again, and nod as you all head out of the karaoke parlour and out of the shopping centre, into the fresh evening air. The drone of the city fills your ears, rumbling herds of pedestrians and cars thronging the streets under sunlight shading rapidly towards orange.

"So I guess this is where we all split up?" you ask.

"Yup!" Sayaka says. "We're still on for the Witch hunt after dinner? And homework after that?"

You glance at Mami and Kazumi, receiving nods in return. "Yup! Madoka, Hitomi?"

"Ah, yes! Definitely! Um... If Hitomi is fine with it?" Madoka asks. "Um, Homura, are you coming?"

"If it's OK," Homura murmurs.

"Of course!" Hitomi says, smiling. "I'll see you all after dinner."

"Ah, are you taking the bus?" Sayaka asks. "I'll come with you."

"Sayaka, you really don't have to," Hitomi says, making a face.

"It's no problem," Sayaka insists. "We don't live that far apart anyway, now."

Hitomi sighs, not protesting any further.

"Shall we get going?" you suggest, waving down the road.

You bid Homura and Madoka farewell for now -they're headed in the other direction- and start heading home with Kazumi and her friends in tow. Hitomi and Sayaka are headed in the same direction for now, too, which... gives you an opportunity. You give Mami a quick smile, letting her hand go and murmuring a warm, "I'll be back."

You drift across the group over to Sayaka. "So I had a thought," you say, pitching your voice low so as not to draw attention.

"Mm?" Sayaka says, grunting as she hefts the two schoolbags higher on her shoulder.

"Well..." you suck in a breath, and grin at her. Might as well channel Kirika for this one - you're not sure anyone you know has her beat for romantic advice. Maybe Madoka's parents. "This is advice I got from someone. Confessing takes courage, no matter what kind of personality you have. In the end, it's really just down to being brave and doing it."

Sayaka flushes a deep crimson red, ducking her face to hide it. You glance at Mami and Hitomi and the Asunaro girls - Mami glances over, beaming at you, but no one seems to notice Sayaka's reaction. You angle your body a little so that she's harder to spot, anyway. Your height has its uses, sometimes.

"I-" Sayaka squeaks.

You snicker. "Weren't you going to see Kwijibo today, anyway?"

"I-" Sayaka manages to turn a little redder. "I was thinking about it but I got nervous."

"Hah," you say, swallowing a giggle. "Honestly, given that it's him... you might as well be extra-blunt and just ask him out on a date."

Sayaka makes a weird, choked noise, and shakes her head.

"Not gonna force you into it," you say, clapping her shoulder. "But do think about it."

You stick with Sayaka for a few more minutes, giving her time for her blush to fade before returning to Mami's side and taking her hand. She interlaces her fingers with you, turning to give you a warm smile.

The walk home is spent in chatter, Hitomi and Sayaka stopping at a bus stop. You could take to the rooftops after that, but you don't - you just walk, and talk, weaving through the noisy crowds. Mami's almost glowing, happy and content as you finally make it back.

You unlock the door, removing your shoes as you step inside. "I'm home," you murmur.

"Welcome home," Mami answers, beaming at you as she follows you in. "Please, come in! Make yourselves at home."

"Ah, it's just like I remember!" Kazumi says, looking around the maisonette. "Oh! That rug is new!"

Mami smiles, shaking her head. "I haven't changed much," she says. "Um, you'll be staying in the guest room for now, if that's alright?"

Kazumi's eyebrow goes up. "There's still just the one guest room, right?"

Her question is followed by Umika and Kaoru's eyebrows going up, too.

"Yup," you confirm, looping your arm through Mami's elbow.

"I see!" Kazumi says brightly.

"Ah- we should start cooking dinner!" Mami says, tugging you towards the kitchen.

"I'll help~!" Kazumi says.

"No, no, we wouldn't feel comfortable letting you help," you say, waving your hands. "You're our guests, after all!"

"Aw," Kazumi pouts. "Mami?"

"Sabrina's right," Mami says, blush fading as she smiles. "You're our guests."

Voting opens Sep 10, 2017 at 9:00 AM
[] Dinner
- [] Anything particular conversation points to hit?
[] Witch hunt
- [] Do you show off?
- [] Combo attacks?
- [] Anything specific for Sayaka?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

A much shorter day today! (In terms of update count, anyway )

 

[Firnagzen]

... so you're a hypocrite, then.

You follow Mami into the kitchen, snorting to yourself in amusement. Mami turns curious eyes on you, and you shake your head.

"I'm a hypocrite," you say cheerfully. "Remember when I insisted on helping to cook despite being a guest here?"

"That's true!" Mami says, giving you a fond look. She taps you on the nose. "Bad Sabrina."

You laugh, tilting your head back so that you can brush a kiss against Mami's finger. She blushes bright red, eyes going warm and soft and adoring as she presses closer to you. You loop your arm around her waist and pull her close, beaming. "So, what shall we cook?"

Mami makes a squeaking, embarrassed noise, and shakes herself. "Umm, hm," she says, glancing at the clock. "We should try and hurry dinner so that we can meet up for the Witch hunt after this, so something simple."

"Omu rice?" you suggest. "I'd say pasta, but we already did Italian this afternoon."

"Ah, that's a good idea," Mami says. She's still grinning brightly at you, cheeks red. "We can make some croquettes to go with it! And some miso soup."

"Works for me!" you say, releasing Mami and rubbing your hands together. Omelette rice. "I'll get the eggs. Minced chicken?"

"Something more flavourful, I think. Pork?" Mami says, walking over to the rice cooker. "Vegetable croquettes?"

"Pork it is! We have cabbage and carrot and stuff," you say, pulling the refrigerator open and starting to unload ingredients onto the table.

Mami beams at you, filling the rice cooker with washed rice and reaching past you to grab a packet of pork mince. You toe the fridge shut with your foot, and pass her the sesame oil and soy sauce for seasoning.

You twirl past Mami to retrieve potatoes from the cupboard. You'll need to peel these, but you're in a bit of a rush, and totally not being lazy, so you flash Mami a smile as nudge the window open to pull some Grief in. "I'm going to... save us a bit of effort."

"That's cheating," Mami huffs, but she beams at you.

It only takes you a minute to shred the skin from the potatoes with a cloud of microscopically sharp blades. Magic is such bullshit, but it has its uses sometimes. Speaking of which, that gives you an idea - you can afford to show off a little. You set the potatoes to boil on the stove and give Mami a quick smile.

"Hey, girls?" you say, poking your head out of the kitchen door. "Are you girls OK if I do something with Grief? It'll, uh, it'll feel kind of like a Witch. Unfortunate side-effect, really."

"Uh?" Kazumi asks. She's sitting on the couch, watching some gameshow on television. Umika and Kaoru sit on either side of her, leaning against her shoulder. "Uh... I guess? Kaoru? Umika?"

"What do you mean, it'll feel like a Witch?" Umika asks.

"Just that," you say, rubbing your nose. "Um, well, Grief that we generate when using magic is the same stuff that makes up Witches and Witch Barriers. It's kind of why Grief Seeds can cleanse our Soul Gems, I think. Like calls to like. So I can manipulate regular Grief, but if I do anything fancy with it, it feels the same."

"Oh," Umika says. "Well... sure?"

"Kaoru?" you ask.

"I'm fine if everyone else is!" Kaoru says, raising an eyebrow at Kazumi, who grins back. "... and uh, if I don't have to eat it."

"No, no, not at all," you say, waving your hands placatingly. "You don't have to eat it."

"Then I'm fine!" Kaoru grins.

"Alright, thanks!" you say, and return to the kitchen.

Mami smiles at you as she whisks eggs in a bowl. "What do you have in mind, Sabrina?"

"Setting the table in style," you say, grinning at her as you add a pinch of salt to the boiling potatoes. "Watch the potatoes for me a bit?"

"Of course," Mami says warmly.

You give her a quick hug, and retreat to lean against the wall so you're out of the way. You're already drawing more Grief through the window, just enough to mould into a little knee-high blob. You've already done this before, of course, so you close your eyes and focus along familiar shapes.

When you open your eyes, the kitchen is starting to fill with deliciously savoury scents. Mami's browning the pork mince in a pan, and you're riding on Mami's shoulder. You beam at her, walking over to give her a hug from behind.

"Hi," Mami says, turning the heat down so that she can squirm around in your hug. "Um, I grabbed your chibi before you were done with it, is that alright?"

You giggle, and squirm about on her shoulder so you can pull one of her hair drills around you like a giant, flaxen scarf. "That's perfectly fine."

Mami relaxes into your hug, tucking her head against your shoulder. "We should continue cooking."

"Mmm," you say, tightening your hug. You hop off Mami's shoulder and onto the kitchen counter, striding across it and leaning over so you can root around the top drawer for cutlery. "Hug first."

"Hey, feet off the table!" Mami says, faking annoyance.

"Well, they're clean," you offer, grinning at her. "I'll set the table."

"Sounds good to me," Mami agrees with a warm smile.

You release her from your hug, and join her at the kitchen counter - the potatoes are about done, so you grab the potato masher and the colander. Mami nods thoughtfully, turning on the deep fryer to warm up. You send her a grateful grin, draining the potatoes and toddling out of the kitchen with fistfuls of cutlery in either hand.

You're met with three curious, wary gazes outside. Kazumi's eyes go very, very wide as she rises from the couch, walking purposefully over to you. She picks you up, holding you in front of her at arm's length.

"I'm... setting the table?" you say, waving the cutlery at her. You grin at Mami in the kitchen, and she giggles, still keeping an eye on the pan.

Kazumi nods, walking to the kitchen while still holding you. "Mami, Sabrina?" she says solemnly. "Bad news, I'm sorry, but I'm keeping this."

You can hear a muffled "Kazumi no," from the living room. Mami giggles.

"I need to set the table!" you protest, waving your stubby hands at her.

"Plus, uh, it'll kind of dissolve back into Grief if it leaves my control radius," you add, grinning over your shoulder at her as you start chopping up vegetables to mix into the mashed potatoes. "Sorry, Kazumi."

"Aw," she says, drooping and carefully setting you down. "But the chibi-you is so cute!"

"Actually, I was gonna suggest you could try copying it, and make a chibi-Kazumi," you say. "Mami can make one too!"

"I'm focusing on cooking right now," Mami protests. She pointedly does not look at Kazumi, who's making the biggest, most woebegone puppy-dog eyes at her.

"Maybe later?" you say, snickering as you mix the croquette mixture up nicely and start forming it into little patties. "Also, let me set the table?"

"Eh? Oh, yes!" Kazumi says, carrying you back out of the kitchen. She carefully sets you down at the table, and watches as you start laying out cutlery for dinner. "You can see through that thing?"

"Hey, 'that thing' is me," you call from the kitchen. You smirk up at Kazumi - even standing on the table, you have to tilt your head back quite a bit. "But yes, I can see and hear through this body."

"Cool," Kazumi says. "Umika, Kaoru, look!"

Kaoru's flopped over on the couch, head resting where Kazumi was sitting before and legs hanging over the side. "Yes, Kazumi, we see," she says, smiling. "Yes, Sabrina's chibi is very cute. Right, Umika?"

"Right!" Umika says, pushing the glasses up her nose.

You giggle as you finish up with the cutlery and hop off the table. "C'mon, don't you like the idea of having a chibi-Kazumi or two to cuddle? Kazumi, do you want to try copying this?"

"Yup!" Kazumi agrees, bouncing on her toes. She holds her hand out towards you, drifting sparkles of crimson light gathering under her open palm. "Scongiuro copione!"

You fold your arms as the light surges forth to engulf you, limning you in bright, glowing fire before fading. You hold still for it, and grin at Kazumi. "Well?"

Kazumi blinks, shaking her head like she'd gotten smacked between the eyes. "Whoa."

You raise your eyebrows at her. "OK there?"

"Yup!" Kazumi says, scrunching her eyebrows. "Your power is weird. I think I can make the chibi, though..."

She frowns, holding her hand out. "... hey, wait, did you name this?"

"Not an attack!" you say, raising a finger. In the kitchen, Mami elbows you in the side, and you grin playfully back at her. "So no, no name."

"Hmph," Kazumi says, but quiets down and frowns in concentration. A black blob appears in front of her, inflating rapidly like a balloon. With a sharp pop, colours bloom across the surface in ripples, life surging through the figure. "Whoa!"

The mini-Kazumi opens her eyes, staring up at Kazumi. "Cool," they say in unison. "Umika, pick me up!"

Kazumi's copy isn't Witchy, which you could have expected. She's not making her chibi the same way you are, after all.

"Oh dear," Umika murmurs, but obliges, leaning forward to scoop the mini-Kazumi off the floor and plop her down on her lap to cuddle. Kaoru pouts, but that vanishes when Kazumi flops down beside them.

"This is so cool," Kazumi says, heads turning every which way. "I can see through two sets of eyes?"

"Yup!" you confirm, grinning. "Anyway, I'm gonna get the plates. Have fun!"

Mami beams at you, bumping her shoulder against you. You grin back, starting to fry up the croquettes even as you toddle back into the kitchen. Mami hands you a stack of plates, leaning down to muss your hair.

... when you get back outside, you can't help but notice that there are five Kazumis now. Umika and Kaoru have two apiece, cuddled like teddy bears.

"This is a fantastic trick, Sabrina!" Kazumi says happily.

"I'm glad you enjoy it!" you say neutrally, hopping up to a chair, and then the table to set the plates out. You better not have unleashed a plague of Kazumis upon the world by accident. If you have, you're gonna go and give Oriko a good shaking for not warning you about it. In specific terms. 'A plague of Kazumis.'

It doesn't take too much longer before dinner's ready to serve. You do just that with the help of your extra body, Kazumi and her friends hurrying over eagerly to lend their hands.

A big pile of freshly deep-fried croquettes sits in the middle of the table, and everyone's seated with a serving of omelette-wrapped rice and a bowl of miso soup in front of them. You chorus out an "Itadakimasu," and dig in.

"It's delicious!" Kaoru squeals after the first bite.

"I can see why Kazumi always spoke fondly of your cooking, Mami," Umika says, leaning forward.

"Sabrina helped a lot!" Mami says, blushing.

"Nah, you did almost everything for the omu rice," you say, smiling warmly at her as you take a bite. "It is delicious."

"Thank you, Sabrina," Mami says. "Thank you, everyone."

"By the way, Mami, um... what happened with the coffee table?" Kazumi asks, pointing over her shoulder.

"Oh," you say, laughing. "Table-kun, uh, had an accident."

You tell them the story, glossing over the whys of Sayaka breaking the table, but the story of mending Table-kun gets starry eyes from Kazumi, and Umika tapping out notes on her phone.

Dinner winds past with light chatter, bantering back and forth about the day. Kazumi regales you with stories of the earlier days of the Pleiades Saints' earlier days, and the more embarrassing stories in their past. Eventually, though, dinner is finished, and this time, Kazumi, her friends, and the squad of mini Kazumis absolutely insist on cleaning up. This time, you give in, and retreat to the couch, Mami cuddled up against your side.

"Mmm," you hum quietly. "Mami? Do you mind if we did a bit of testing while they're washing up?"

"Hmm, Sabrina?" Mami asks, snuggling closer to you. You'd dismissed your chibi before dinner, her duty done.

"I wanna test the range extension again," you say, tucking your arm around her. "If you're willing?"

"Oh," Mami says, blushing. "Um, alright. Um..."

Without disentangling herself from your side, she holds her hand straight out, flipping it so that a wheel of ribbon extends from her hand, unspooling across the floor. It rolls up the wall, and out the window.

"Um, a hundred meters, right? Um... let's go to the end of the street, then..." Mami muses.

"Yeah," you say, wincing at a particularly loud clatter from the kitchen. "That should be more than far enough. Tell me when you're ready."

"We're OK!" Kazumi calls from the kitchen. "The plates are fine too!"

"Ready," Mami says, smiling and offering you the end of the ribbon.

"Alright," you say, covering her hand with yours. You cleanse her Soul Gem, drawing forth wisps of Grief to condense into a little marble. Enough for you to work with, and so you just... push your magic into Mami's ribbon.

"Oh-" Mami makes a strangled noise, stiffening in your arms. Your magic surges along the ribbon, flooding down the side of the building and streaking along the pavement, all the way down to end of the street.

"Are you OK, Mami?" you ask, concerned. "I can stop if you want."

"I- yeah, I'm alright, it's just-" Mami shakes her head, blushing. "It's very- hard to ignore. It's a sensation of you, just- crowding out everything."

"Ah... OK," you say, frowning. You'll make this quick, then - you send your Grief marble gliding along the ribbon, sailing out of the window. Mami kept her ribbon to patches of shadow beside the pavement to avoid notice, and you do the same.

The marble slides along the ribbon, making contact - and it reaches the end of the ribbon. More than a hundred meters away from you.

Voting opens Sep 13, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] How do you react?
[] Witch hunt!
- [] Any particular points to hit?
- [] Vote in abeyance
[] After the hunt
- [] Ask if you could join the homework session?
- [] Back home
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] Witch Hunt
-[X] Ask Sayaka if she feels confident in her Clone Power to scout ahead. That should become standard practice, to be honest.
-[X] Play support and battlefield control. Pay attention to the Pleiades' styles.
-[X] Clear the Seed and give it to the Pleiades.

=====​

Ugh, update got away from me - I'd meant to cover the Witch hunt this one, but the update just got longer and longer. Well, action next update, then!

 

[Firnagzen]

Bright, raw triumph surges. More than a hundred meters away from you, which means you've broken your limit. With Mami's help, because of course - and right on the heels of triumph comes worry and concern. This- this isn't hurting Mami, right? It wouldn't be worth it if it hurts he-

"I'm alright, Sabrina," Mami whispers, reaching up to touch your cheek. "I, um- it's just..."

She shakes her head. You cover her hand with yours, squeezing gently. "Tell me to stop you if you're uncomfortable."

"I will," Mami says. Her smile is a little dazed, but warm and pleased.

"OK, so..." you murmur, half under your breath and half to Mami - she deserves to know what you're doing. "I managed to get a Grief marble beyond my range. Thanks to you, dear Mami." You flash a quick smile at her and continue. "Now, that's with the marble in contact with the ribbon, using it as a direct conduit for my magic. Can I then move the marble away?"

Mami cuddles closer, burrowing against your side.

"Right, let's try that..." you mutter, and lift the Grief sphere awa-

It dissolves, instantly. You can feel that odd sense of coalescence you did once before, but... it goes nowhere, the Grief dissipating seconds later.

"Hm," you say, frowning. "So it seems like your ribbons act as direct conduits for my magic, but don't actually project beyond the physical surface. I lose control of the Grief the instant it loses physical contact. OK. That's a limitation, and it's... acceptable. A bigger problem is... how are you, Mami? Is it very distracting?"

"Um..." Mami smiles, and blushes. Just a bit. "It- it is. I don't think... I don't think I can concentrate on anything if this is, um, happening?"

"Right," you say. You can't help blushing yourself. You also can't help but notice that all noise from the kitchen has ceased. "That means... unless I can mitigate that somehow, then it means this isn't something we can use in combat or anything. I mean, a cuddly Mami isn't something I'm ever going to complain about, but distracting you in combat..."

Mami nods, blush deepening.

"Maybe... hmm. Maybe if you tried pushing your magic into the ribbon alongside mine?" you suggest. "Maybe it could... dilute the sensation?"

"Um," Mami says, raising her hand. The one with ribbon wound around her finger. She frowns, gathering magic, and you can feel it flooding down the ribbon.

"It... doesn't feel any different," Mami reports.

"Yeah," you agree, feeling faintly disappointed.

"Maybe, um," Mami says. "The ribbon is mine, and my magic is mine so it's mine and mine and it makes no difference but, um, yours and mine..." Mami trails off into incoherency, shaking her head.

You giggle, and release your magic, pulling back from her ribbon.

"That makes sense, I think," you say, cuddling Mami a little closer. She makes a little noise, melting against you. "So it doesn't dilute the effect, as I'd hoped. I mean, you're already using your magic to animate the ribbon... I suppose I might get the same thing if you put your magic into my Grief constructs or something."

Mami snuggles into your arms with a contented sigh. "Maybe."

"Mmm. Limitations, I guess - could be useful in a pinch," you murmur. "Hm. I... I guess we're done now? I don't have any more ideas, unless you do."

"Mmmnm," Mami hums quietly.

"How did it feel?" you ask, curious. "Uncomfortable?"

"No, just..." Mami shakes her head. "I can't really describe it. It was just you. I could feel you, and a bit of your emotions."

"Oh," you say. "Umm... Maybe you could show me?" You raise your hand, summoning a fresh marble of Grief from your bag, sitting on the shelf across the room. You offer it to Mami, smiling.

"Alright." Mami blushes, taking the marble from you. She beams at you, focusing her magic into the little sphere an-

Oh.

So that's how it feels.

It's Mami, saturating the world around you. Every good memory you've shared with her, every bad memory muted by the simple closeness the both of you enjoy. You can feel the faint terror of abandonment buried not so deep, and you can feel her adoration, the simple devotion to you. It calls to mind Mami, the hugs you share and the times she cried on your shoulder.

"Oh," you find yourself mouthing.

Mami blushes. "Um. That's how it feels, yes."

You squeeze her hand, humbled by the depth of her feelings for you. "Thank you, Mami," you whisper.

"No," Mami says, curling up against your side. She looks up at you with sparkling golden eyes. "I just... Thank you, Sabrina. Thank you, thank you."

She releases the magic, the sensation dissipating in an instant. You bite back a disappointed whine at the loss of the... the utter intimacy the magic brought.

"Anything for you," you murmur, returning her smile as you hug her tighter. "And... hey. This is something. We could change the world with this."

Mami beams at you.

"We can do it together," you say, taking her hand and interlacing your fingers. Your grin widens, concern bleeding into simple triumph. "We can change the world. I don't... of course this needs work and iteration, but this is where we begin, right?"

"Right," Mami agrees. Your excitement is contagious, or so it seems, delight sparking to life it Mami's eyes.

The suspiciously quiet kitchen suddenly re-erupts into noise, the Asunaro trip piling back out into the living room. Kazumi is smirking, bright and catlike. She flops over on the far end of the couch, arms looped around Umika and Kaoru's waists to tug them down with her.

"What's going on?" Kazumi asks cheerfully.

"Oh, just plans to topple global social order and replace it with a glorious future," you say happily.

"Sounds troublesome," Kaoru opines.

"Oh, sure, it probably is," you agree. "Why should that stop us, though?"

"Sounds good to me," Kazumi says. "Count me in!"

"That reminds me, can I borrow Miss Kanna for Science sometime?" you ask. "Also, Mami - enchantment. Do you think maybe it could work, to enchant my range?"

"I... mm, I don't know," Mami admits. "I'm not... sure what a... a magic conduit enchantment would be like. I suppose it's possible, but I don't know how to start."

"Yeah, that makes sense," you say, rubbing your nose thoughtfully.

"Niko would probably be thrilled to meet you," Umika says drily. "Properly, I mean. I don't know if you could work with her, but stranger things have happened. Granted, they're generally her fault."

"She gets, um, very focused on her ideas," Kaoru offers. "Mostly she works alone, unless she needs a guinea pig."

"Ah. I see, I guess," you say, shaking your head. "Well, it'd be fun to talk to her, anyway. You guys do... combination attacks and stuff, right?"

"Yup, we do!" Kazumi confirms. "We train for it!"

"Hey, Sabrina?" Sayaka's voice sounds inside your head. "I've finished dinner, shall I come over right now?"

"One sec," you respond, and speak out loud. "Hey guys, are we all good to head over for the Witch hunt now?"

After a chorus of affirmations, you let Sayaka know, and then you let Homura know too, just for good measure. Ten minutes later, Mami, the Asunaro girls, and you are all gathered on the roof, waiting for the rest of your friends to show up.

You're all transformed, Kazumi in her ridiculous costume - a far-too-skimpy affair dominated by her gigantic curly-pointed witch's hat and billowing cape that does nothing to hide her miniskirt. Then there's Kaoru, with her orange-and-white soccer jersey costume, along with what you'd call hotpants. And Umika's perhaps the most modest of them all, with something styled vaguely after a nun's habit.

Also, she has glasses in her costume, glinting under the white hood of her habit. Which is odd, because she doesn't wear glasses normally. Perhaps she uses contacts?

You sense Homura before you see her. Despite the white blouse of her puella magi costume, she manages to move so smoothly through the night you almost don't manage to spot her. She practically glides the last hop, landing smoothly on the roof, hand reaching up to hook into the luxurious, raven-black strands of her hai-

You turn away and hug Mami instead. She giggles, hugging you back, and over her shoulder, you have a perfect view of the way Kazumi's face morphs from a welcoming smile into open-mouthed awe. Umika and Kaoru aren't far behind, either.

"Hey, Homura," you say as you separate from the hug. You keep an arm resting on the curve of Mami's waist, grinning at Homura. Friend she might be, but her hair is a bloody mesmeric hazard. "Glad you could make it!"

"Can I touch your hair?" To your faint surprise, this comes from Umika. She pushes the glasses of her costume up, lenses catching the light for a moment.

Homura blinks very slowly and takes a step away, sidling towards your side of the roof.

Umika pouts.

"What about me?" Kazumi asks, raising a hand and waggling her fingers in the general direction of Homura's hair.

"... Kazumi, Umika, you're scaring her," Kaoru says.

"Er, right!" Kazumi says, fluffing her hair sheepishly. "Er, sorry about that!"

"It's fine," Homura mutters, walking over to stand beside you. "Is Sayaka here yet?"

You watch her face twitch as the question passes her lips. You're about to tease her when you spot a streak of glowing cerulean blue over the city, a trailing comet tail of light sailing towards you.

"Hey, Sayaka!" you call, raising your hand.

"Hey, everyone," Sayaka calls. You all exchange greetings, Homura sidling inconspicuously behind you.

"Alright," Mami says at length. She claps gloved hands together. "We have enough people to spread out to search for Witches."

"Gotcha!" Kazumi says, throwing a sloppy salute.

"We all know each other's powers, right?" you ask.

"Yup!" Sayaka confirms, followed by a round of agreement around your loose circle of friends. The Asunaro girls shared their powers over lunch, of course, Kazumi with her 'fake' copies, Umika with her True Writing spells, and Kaoru with her relatively mundane heavy bruiser skillset. Of course, even that 'relatively mundane' power set includes being able to mould her body somewhat.

"Also, Sayaka," you say. "Do you think you can scout with clones? In and out of the Barrier?"

The bleunette brightens, hand diving for her belt. "Oooh. I can try!" she says. "C'mon, let's go!"

You snort, cracking your knuckles and glancing around at everyone. "The Witch won't even know what hit it. But yes, let's roll out."

"That's why we have attack names!" Kazumi says, already headed for the edge of the roof with her friends in tow. "So that everyone knows!"

You blink.

Huh.

You turn to Mami, faintly baffled as you wind up for a leap at the next building. "Is that why we call out attack names?"

"No," Mami murmurs back, bounding across the chasm between buildings. "Attack names are important because it's so much cooler that way!"

"Fair enough!" you agree. Behind you, you can sense Sayaka and Homura bounding away on parallel paths. All seven of you spread out in a loose line, skimming across the rooftops of Mitakihara. Well, there are seven of you at first, then eight, then nine, then ten.

"Found one!" Sayaka calls. "Over here!"

You spot the flash of blue light on the top of a skyscraper, and change directions to join her. It's one of Sayaka's clones, it turns out, the real one joining you seconds later with a proud grin. Mami touches down beside you, and you beam at her as she approaches to take your hand.

The Asunaro girls arrive a moment later, and Homura rounds out the group.

"Inside the building," Homura mutters, frowning faintly.

"Yeah," you say. "Guess we take the stairs down?"

"Mmmh!" Kazumi agrees, wandering over to the door and jiggling the doorknob. "Huh, locked."

"Let me," Umika says, opening her book of magic. You can't help but shy away a little from it, recalling its memory editing powers, but... Here and now, she's your friend. She scribbles in the book for a second, and flips it to expose the pages to the lock. "Sbloccare!"

The door clicks, and swings open with absolutely no fuss.

You can't help but grin at the way Kazumi glomps Umika, squealing in delight. It takes a few moments before you're all ready to head in, hurrying down the stairs single file.

It's an office building, musty and quiet with all the lights out. After all, it's well past office hours. Except... as you pause at a lobby, you spot a lone cubicle, light still on but vacated. The Barrier entrance is just one floor down.

"Uh oh," you mutter.

Mami nods, face setting grimly. "Someone needs out help," she barks, iron leaching into her voice. "Pick up the pace!"

And that's all that's needed to galvanize all of you. Footsteps echo up and down the stairwell from seven girls taking the steps two or three at a time, piling none-too-gently through the lobby and bursting into what seems to be a cafeteria, and a glowing Barrier entrance.

Mami's the first in, musket singing to life in both hands, and you're right on her heels. You brace yourself for the familiar, disorienting jolt as you enter the Barrier, for the skin-crawling sense of wrongness that is Grief that isn't yours.

Kazumi follows in seconds later, giant cross-staff held ready. Light sparks oddly from it, distorted reflections glinting from a matte surface. There's no trace of amusement on her face this once, scanning sharply about the Barrier.

And what a Barrier it is: carpeted floor in horrible, institutional bluish-red. Around you soar monoliths of some light brown material, built up in staggered tiers that disappear high up into the foggy ceiling. There's a heavy stench of smoke, noxious and cloying, and there's a wailing tone that saws through the air in a constant, grating tone.

"What is that noise?" Sayaka complains, the last to enter the Barrier behind Homura, Umika, and Kaoru.

"The Witch is up," Kazumi murmurs.

"No," Homura disagrees. "Through."

"Homura's right," Mami says. "Sayaka, fan out your clones, go up high and look for the victims?"

"Got it," Sayaka says, flicking her cloak. The flutter of the white cloth divides into four, Sayakas flowing from the cloth to dart off in different directions.

And then-

The nearest building shudders and rips. It's cardboard, corrugated strips tearing through ahead of the advance of something humanoid and titanic. Ragged yellow hair sways from a ghastly white head, ragged grin leering down at you as enormous, puffy legs stomp across the landscape towards you.

Not the Witch, for all its size. It's nearly three stories tall.

Mami shoulders her musket in a single fluid motion, the shot booming out to tear a ragged hole in the doll-Familiar's chest. Ribbons explode from the hole, whipping out to bind its arms together.

With a yell, Sayaka's darting forward to weave between its legs, swords in either hand flashing to tear gashes in its feet. You gather Grief to yourself, enough to saturate the very air with tiny, nanoscopic spheres-

"Palla!" The shout comes from behind you. "Di! Cannone!"

The air splits with a crash, blazing streak of orange roaring over your head to slam into the doll's head, which explodes into fluff.

You glance back at Kaoru, who shrugs, bouncing another ball of light from one foot to another.

"Was that-" Sayaka starts, only to be cut off by more ripping noises. "Right. Biiiig Familiars."

"Split up!" Mami calls, whipping her hat off her head to summon more muskets. "Three of them! Sayaka, are you still looking?"

"Um- yeah!" Sayaka calls, glancing at Homura.

You fall in with Mami, snatching up one of her muskets and grinning at her. The answering grin is bright, even tinged with worry. There's a life on the line here, at least one - but you'll take it together. You're already moulding Grief under your hand, the musket sliding apart to receive the new mechanisms.

"Full auto," you say, tossing the musket back to Mami. "All yours, Mami."

The crack of gunfire behind you is Kazumi, the black haired girl's legs planted in a firing stance as she raises imitations of Mami's muskets. Mami, on the other hand, already has your modified musket shouldered.

Booming thunder rolls across the Barrier as more Familiars join the fight, duller booms of explosives. Homura. Sayaka's frowning, clearly concentrating as she hangs back with her swords hammering out a rapid tattoo of fired blades.

You have your hammer ready, but Mami's doing most of the work, so-

"I'll go up high!" you say, crouching and leaping. Wings bloom from your shoulder, nightmarish fabric bleeding across the dull, smokey atmosphere to loft you up - but not too high.

"Sabrina!" Sayaka calls. "Do you see the fires?"

"Fires?" You spot them, distant glows of dull red. "Yeah- I see them!"

"That way?" Sayaka says.

"Got to be," you respond. You're uncontested in the air for now - none of the Familiars can reach you up here, above the cardboard buildings. But now-

You dive. "That way!" you call, pointing.

"Got it!" Umika barks, spinning and scribbling in her book. "Incendiare!"

Blue-hot fire roars from her book, slamming into the buildings with enough force to shred the walls. A Familiar, caught in the beam of kinetic fire, makes a gurgling noise and topples with a hole burnt through it.

"Let's go!" Mami barks, leading the way with your modified musket in hand. A new one flashes into existence midstep, and she swings it in an off-handed golfclub swing that smashes into the fallen Familiar's head. She squeezes the trigger, blasting it apart like overripe fruit.

"I've got the rear!" you say. An effort of will is all that it takes for blades to bleed out of Grief-saturated air, thousands of blades per Familiar flowing through them into shredded thread and fluff.

You can sense it all, you can sense everyone, the way Sayaka bounds in Mami's wake, Homura's tight, economical movements, Kazumi's erratic hops and Kaoru's careful sprint. Umika all but glides, her grace the barest shadow of Mami's pure, dance-like advance, every shot a step and every step a shot.

You keep an eye on her, of course. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.

With seven of you, you tear through the Barrier. The hordes of titanic Familiars lend you no pause. The only obstacle they present are their equally giant corpses, things to be leapt over or sidestepped. In Sayaka's case, something to be shouldered through in a bright flash of light that is Nadia's juggernaut power.

"There!" Kazumi calls.

You follow her pointing arm, Mami's ribbons already lashing out ahead of you to snatch at a woman in business-wear slumped in a cage suspended over smouldering coals.

"I've got her!" you call to Mami, and she nods, relinquishing her ribbons. The woman is trapped, and you can handle that easier than Mami's ribbons can - blades melt out of the Grief fog, hammering through the bars of the cage. More Grief moulds into bonds around her limbs and torso to prevent her from struggling.

You're at the lip of what would have once been a great fire, a clearing and crater scorched in the middle of the cardboard city. Cages of painted wood hang suspended over the yawning abyss below you, and you all take a moment to catch your breath. You bring the woman over, holding her suspended and bound still.

"She's fine," Homura diagnoses with a careful look. "Witch kiss."

"Then we need to find the Witch," Sayaka says, jaw setting in determination. "Let me get my clon-"

The screeching of that omnipresent tone warbles into a screeching pitch. Something lurches from the pit, ash shedding in waves as it claws up the sides. Something cloth-like, a cloak shrouding an invisible form with too many legs. The grimy white cloak bunches above an unseen head that swings from side to side, hunting for you, and then-

A grenade takes it in the hood, detonating with a dull whump somehow absorbed by the cloth. You throw Homura a glance as she leaps back, the only answer you get a flat look.

"Good one!" Sayaka calls. She scowls down at the climbing Witch and plants her feet, lightning crackling from shoulder to shoulder in a coruscating shroud. She raises her arm and yells wordlessly, a bolt of brilliant white splitting the air to slam into the Witch with concussive force and tearing it free from the pit's edge.

Your hand snaps forward, a gesture slamming solidifed Grief into it from below to launch it high. You can feel it, invisible but insectile and febrile and too many legs twitching with the lightning strike. More Grief surges out to immobilize it, but you're just a hair too slow-

"Episodio Incrocio!" Light blazes from the three Saints, glowing from the joined hands in lashing binds to immobilize it.

"Tiro! Finale!" Mami's cry rings loud, the cannonshot even louder. The Witch shatters, filthy cloth dissolving into threads that scatter over you.

And that's it.

Silence falls, the wailing alarm finally silenced - and the Barrier goes, swirling into a hungry abyss of a whirlpool that drains into the Grief Seed. Reality everts, and you find yourselves standing in a loose circle around an indoor lobby. The Seed lands on the floor before you with a ping.

You gently set the Witch-kissed woman down, but she's no longer Witch-kissed. She's safe, if unconscious, and you spare a moment to check her vitals even as you pull your Grief fog back into solid spheres.

Kazumi's the first to start giggling, delighted laughter filling the emptiness of the after-hours office building. And that sets you all off, except Homura - but even Homura seems to lighten up a bit, perpetual glare easing.

"That was amazing!" Kazumi squeals, grabbing her two friends' hands and bouncing in place.

"It was!" Mami agrees. "I think we all worked well together."

"You think so?" Sayaka asks.

"Yeah," you agree. "Nice work with the clones, Sayaka, and the lightning at the end there."

Voting opens Sep 17, 2017 at 1:00 PM
[] To whom should the Grief Seed go?
[] Confirm asking to join the homework session
- [] What would you like to do there?
- [] What about the Pleiades Saints?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

To be clear? It's intimate, and it's distracting, but there's nothing sexual about it. Mind out of the gutter, thank you - they are minors.

Also, I'm cutting the update here partially for input and partially because I need to sleep.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Thanks, Sabrina!" Sayaka says, beaming at you. You offer your fist, and she bumps it, grinning.

"Um, who's taking the Grief Seed?" Kazumi asks, waving at it.

"I think you should have it," Mami says, smiling. "If we're all in agreement? Sabrina, Sayaka? Homura?"

"Yup!" Sayaka says, flashing a thumbs up. "Not like we need it!"

"I'm fine with that," Homura says.

"I'm not!" you say, stooping to pick up the Seed. You flash a bright grin at the Asunaro girls before they can say anything, and continue. "I'm gonna make it a Clear Seed first. You've got seven girls. I mean, one Clear Seed will keep you all going for a long time, but it'd be easier if you had two to share around, yeah?"

Kazumi blinks, and then beams. "Um- thank you, Sabrina!" she says. "But only if it isn't too much trouble."

"It's not," you say, holding the Seed up. "This won't take me long - oh, cleanses for everyone, first?"

"Yup," Sayaka says, reaching for the Soul Gem on her midriff.

A round of cleansing and a few minutes' focus later, you have a Clear Seed and another heaping mass of Grief. You present the Clear Seed to Kazumi, grinning broadly - though you can't quite suppress a bit of unease that you might actually have to write off that first Clear Seed as taken by Hijiri Kanna.

You can't say whether she's already an antagonist yet. She doesn't really lose it, according to your memories, until she finds out that she's a clone.

You shake those thoughts free as Kazumi takes the Grief Seed from you, and grin at her. "Here you go!"

"Thank you, Sabrina!" Kazumi says, eyes shining as she takes it.

"If nothing else, it would, ah, resolve the issue of Niko holding the other one hostage for her experiments," Umika says drily.

Mami beams proudly at you, and you reclaim her hand, interlacing your fingers together.

Sayaka snickers, twisting from side to side to stretch her spine. "Anyway, I should get going. Homework session! Homura, you coming?"

"Yes," Homura murmurs, turning to follow.

"... actually," you say. "Sayaka, do you think Hitomi would mind if we all tagged along?"

"Eh?" Sayaka says, blinking. "Uhh... I could ask, why?"

"I just thought it'd be nice if we could all hang out for that," you say, shrugging. A thought occurs to you, and you make a sheepish face before turning to Kazumi. "Though, um... well, I don't know if it'd do much for you. Sorry, I didn't think of that."

The black hair girl flashes you a grin. "That's fine!" she says brightly. "We could go explore Mitakihara... it's beautiful at night. Or we could go hunting! Three of us will be fine."

"Hitomi says it's OK!" Sayaka says, waving her phone. "Um, Kazumi, Umika, Kaoru, you're welcome too, if you want!"

"Oh," Kazumi says, brightening. "I'd love to! Kaoru? Umika?"

"I don't mind!" Kaoru says, flashing a thumbs up.

Umika smiles faintly. "Well, I haven't been to school in a while, but it would be nice to hang out."

You grin, bouncing on your toes. "Are we all good, then? Oh, wait - we should make sure the, um, victim will be alright."

You check again that the Witch Kiss has faded and return her to her cubicle, carefully arranging her as if she'd fallen asleep. By some unspoken agreement, you decide not to call Kyuubey. The little white rat will show up if it feels it needs to, after all.

It's a raucously cheerful group that heads off into the night, high on the success of an easy victory and the fact that you'd done good. Even Homura seems to be in a lighter mood than she usually is.

"By the way, Sayaka," you speak over telepathy. "Good work back there."

"Yeah!" Kazumi chimes in. "We got there in the nick of time. Who knows what would have happened if we were slower?"

"Agreed," Mami says. "Well done, Sayaka! Speaking of, I saw you learned some new tricks, Kazumi?"

"Mmmhm!" Kazumi says. "I haven't been slacking off!"

You arrive at Hitomi's place in short order, all in good spirits. You think it's Hitomi's place, anyway, it's where Sayaka brought you.

... you feel kind of underdressed, in just a blouse and pants. This place is fancy. Hitomi, apparently, lives in an apartment building, but it's no mere apartment building, it's a Luxury Apartment Building. Carefully manicured greenery lines the sidewalks, tall hedges that muffle out the noise - and it's a little ways away from the city so it's quieter, but not so much so that it'd be inconvenient. A big glass door leads into a grand, marble-floored atrium lit by tasteful chandeliers.

... definitely underdressed.

"Yep," Sayaka says, popping the syllable. "I know, right?"

"Your friend is kind of scary," Kaoru breathes, eyes wide.

Sayaka snorts, starting up the path. "C'mon, let's go! I actually have homework to do, you know."

It turns out that Hitomi lives at the penthouse suite, because of course she does. The perfectly coiffed receptionist nods at Sayaka, apparently recognising her on sight, and makes a note on the computer before waving you towards the elevator, which is utterly silent and so smooth that you wouldn't have noticed the motion without the masses of Grief you have outside as reference points.

Homura takes it all in stride, standing in the middle of the elevator watching the numbers go by. Mami seems unruffled, though that might be more from the fact that she's cuddled happily against your side. Kazumi seems to have arrived at the same solution, huddled in the corner with her friends.

The door slides open with a cheerful ding, opening into a large, well-lit room. The walls are wood panelling and faux-paper patterning, with a little raised step in front of you with a few shoes lined up neatly against it. Seconds later, the wood-and-glass door swings open to reveal Hitomi, Madoka peeking around her shoulder.

"Hello, everyone!" Hitomi says, beaming. "Thank you for coming!"

"No, thank you for having us!" Kazumi says, beaming right back at her. "We're grateful for your hospitality even though we only met today."

"Indeed," Umika agrees, nodding.

"Yes, thank you for inviting us, especially on such short notice," Mami says with a warm smile. "Hello, Madoka."

"Ah, it's nothing. We're all just here to do homework and hang out, right?" Hitomi says with a shake of her head and a smile. "Come in, everyone!"

You all remove your shoes, leaving them behind as you exchange greetings and enter the apartment. Homura drifts over to hover near Madoka, who beams happily at her.

You can't help but stare through the floor-to-ceiling window dominating their living room, all of Mitakihara laid out at your feet. Of course, it's not that different a view from times you're flying or roofhopping, but it's an entirely different experience, framed in carefully modernized Japanese aesthetic.

"Ah, welcome to our home!" a new voice says.

You turn to spot an older version of Hitomi. Well, not quite. Hitomi's cheekbones probably came from her father. Hitomi's mother -and it must be- has hair a vibrant, bright green, pulled into a loose ponytail over one shoulder. Crow's feet around her eyes lend her an air of maturity and sharp, no-nonsense intelligence.

"Ah, mama!" Hitomi says, smiling and hurrying over. "These are my friends. You know Sayaka, this is Akemi Homura, one of our classmates. This is Tomoe Mami, my upperclassman, and Sabrina, her friend. And this is Kazusa Michiru, Misaki Umika, and Maki Kaoru, they're friends of Mami from out of town. Everyone, this is my mother, Shizuki Haruka."

"It's good to meet all of you," Hitomi's mother says. "Welcome! It's good to see that Hitomi's making new friends. Did you meet from school?"

Mami bows politely, and you follow belatedly. "Hitomi and I did, Mrs Shizuki," she says, taking your hand. "I'm afraid I'm imposing, Mrs Shizuki, for bringing my friends along."

"If anything, it's my fault," you say, smiling at Mami, then Mrs Shizuki. "It was my idea that we could all join this little study session. Thank you for extending the hospitality of your home to us, Mrs Shizuki!"

Her eyes flicker to your hands for the barest second before returning to your face. "It's no problem, Miss Sabrina, Miss Tomoe. You are all welcome here. Any friends of Hitomi are friends of ours."

Hm. You can't help but notice that look she gave you, nor the way she glances at the Asunaro girls.

... perhaps Hitomi came by that 'Girls can't love girls!' from somewhere.

Mrs Shizuki steps back, still smiling - and it's not like there's any trace of hostility on her face, either. "Don't let me keep you! Feel free to ask for any snacks or drinks if you like."

"Mama, isn't papa going to say hello?" Hitomi asks, blinking.

"Ah, later," Mrs Shizuki says. "He had to take an urgent call."

"Oh," Hitomi says, nodding. "I didn't realise. Thank you, mama! Um, this way, everyone." She turns and heads for the stairs in the corner of the living room.

Penthouse apartment, of course. Granted, Mami's apartment is a maisonette with two floors, but it takes an entirely different meaning when it's a full three stories, all lined with a dizzying glass window. You make your way across the soft rugs and up the stairs, still hand in hand with Mami.

"Ah... Miss Sabrina? Miss Tomoe? Could I have a word?" Mrs Shizuki calls.

... um.

"Of course, Mrs Shizuki," Mami says, pausing on the staircase and looking politely inquisitive.

You echo Mami's agreement, pausing and letting the others pass you on the stairs before descending back to the living room. You can't help but fidget a little, uncomfortable as Hitomi peeks over the railing before shrugging and heading into her room with everyone else. The door shutting feels oddly final.

"Please, sit down," Mrs Shizuki says, waving at the sofa. She waits until you do so before sitting herself, folding her legs primly.

"What did you want to speak about, Mrs Shizuki?" Mami asks. You can't help but admire her poise, though the way she squeezes your hand belies her perfect calm.

"I must first apologise in advance if this sounds strange," Mrs Shizuki says, smiling in a rather self-deprecating way. "I wasn't quite sure with Sayaka, but I think, on seeing all of you, that I'm right."

... um.

"Yes, Mrs Shizuki?" Mami asks, unruffled calm still firmly in place.

"You're all magical girls, aren't you?" Mrs Shizuki asks. "Oh, don't look so surprised. I was a teenager once too, you know."

Voting opens Sep 19, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] ????
- [] ????
-- [] ????!
[] Vote in abeyance
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

-[X] Ask Homura to pull you, Mami, and Madoka into a private conversation as soon as it's convenient.
-[X] Whenever she does, bring up metabombing Sayaka and Hitomi. You'd rather not keep hiding things for long...
[X] Homework session.
-[X] Help Mami with her homework.
-[X] Get Homura to help the others.
-[X] Ask Umika about her writing.
-[x] If Hitomi's parents aren't around, talk to Kazumi and suggest idea's about her 'grief' manipulation. (To be done out doors obviously)

=====​

 

[Firnagzen]

What.

What.

Error 404, cannot brain this turn of events. Your face is probably doing something extremely complicated and definitionally non-Euclidean right now.

Your mind is afire trying to process this and you're pretty sure your jaw hit the floor somewhere. Mami's just as surprised as you are, her hand tightening convulsively. Her hand, with her Soul Gem ring. That's probably why she was looking - how she knew.

On the one hand it's convenient if she knows. Fantastic, even, it makes life so much easier for you, but what if she didn't? What if she's using it as a euphemism somehow? It wouldn't be entirely out of the question for it to be slang of some kind, you suppose. Especially given how often you've considered the correlation between gayness and magical girl-ness. Jokingly, but still.

That doesn't make sense. She knows, she has to know. You should- you should express your condolences. She... she knew a magical girl when she was a teenager? And that magical girl is probably dead by now, considering the mortality rate. Is she going to warn you off talking to Hitomi?

She's worried enough to pull you aside. It's a valid concern. She isn't angry, she doesn't look angry in that righteous, fiercely protective way you might expect of a parent. She just looks like... probably exactly what she is, a slightly tired, business-like parent asking after her daughter's friends.

Should you offer condolences? If she knew a magical girl, with the past tense and all it implies, then it might be good. But what if she doesn't?

You could... you could hedge your bets, try and offer something non-committal, but you might annoy her with your playing dumb. She knows.

She knows. How does she know?

Mami gathers herself to speak, straightening beside you and closing her mouth with a click - but before she does, Mrs Shizuki laughs.

"Oh, the looks on your faces," she says, shaking her head with a smile. "I suppose I should explain."

"T-that-" you start, and cough, clearing your throat. "That would be appreciated, Mrs Shizuki."

"I knew a magical girl when I was a teenager, as you might guess," Mrs Shizuki says. "We were classmates in middle school, and we met when... Well, really, I stumbled over her when she was sneaking away to fight a... Witch, I think they were called? It's been a long time. Tsuchiya Ritsuko was her name - she could conjure water."

She shrugs daintily. "I followed her, naturally - I didn't know what I was in for at the time. I received an enormous scolding from her when she spotted me, but she let me follow her on the hunt. We became friends from that point on," Mrs Shizuki continues. "Sadly, I had to move a year later, at the end of middle school, and we lost contact. And her... Kyuubey, I believe his name was, never deigned to reveal himself to me."

Voting opens Sep 20, 2017 at 4:00 AM
[] Discuss
[] Vote in abeyance
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

-[X] Ask Homura to pull you, Mami, and Madoka into a private conversation as soon as it's convenient.
-[X] Whenever she does, bring up metabombing Sayaka and Hitomi. You'd rather not keep hiding things for long...
[X] Homework session.
-[X] Help Mami with her homework.
-[X] Get Homura to help the others.
-[X] Ask Umika about her writing.
-[x] If Hitomi's parents aren't around, talk to Kazumi and suggest idea's about her 'grief' manipulation. (To be done out doors obviously)

=====​

Have a short update to clarify some things.

 

[Firnagzen]

You gape. That's really the only word for it - you gape at her, mouth hanging open as your brain races to catch up. But then, you already kind of have plans in your head, thoughts crystallising into chains of logic and arguments. What to tell her, for, against, but you know what?

This is a good thing.

An adult who's... somewhat in on it. You're kind of curious as to how she managed to avoid being mindwiped -the best explanation you've got is that Ritsuko asked Kyuubey not to- but she's an adult who seems sympathetic, and she has a tie to you, if indirectly. This is a good thing.

You blow out a breath, and squeeze Mami's hand. You draw comfort from the contact, and nod at Mrs Shizuki.

"I see," you say. "She sounds like she was a good friend."

"She was," Mrs Shizuki says with a faint smile. "I wish I hadn't lost contact with her, but these things happen. Regardless... Seeing Sayaka reminded me of the, ah, Soul Gems? That's what the ring is, right? And the fingernail mark?"

You rub your thumb against said mark. "Yes to the former. I admit, I'm actually uncertain what the mark is... Mami, do you have any idea?"

She glances down at her own hand, fingers interlaced with yours. "I never thought about it!" she admits with a laugh. "It's... just a pattern. All magical girls have it."

"I see!" Mrs Shizuki says. "Just to be sure, Hitomi isn't a magical girl, right?"

And there you are: that's probably what she was worried about. This you can readily answer, rather than worry about whether to tell her about the Witch bomb and other such nasties. You can keep this light, and you don't want to upset Mami. You kind of want to recruit Mrs Shizuki to your cause, but perhaps not yet.

"She is not," Mami answers for you. "She's a good friend, but she does not have the potential to become a magical girl."

"I think I was told that, too," Mrs Shizuki says, sounding faintly amused. Something about her posture seems to ease, her shoulders squaring. "Being the friend of a magical girl -but never actually a magical girl- seems to run in the family. Maybe I should ask my mother... Regardless, I mean no offense, but I am glad my daughter isn't a magical girl."

"None taken," you say, straightening. "I agree, Mrs Shizuki. Being a magical girl isn't the fantastic life media makes it out to be. We have to fight for our lives, constantly." You pause, chewing your lip thoughtfully. "To pre-empt a question, we do not bring Hitomi on our hunts, either."

"Against Witches," Mrs Shizuki says, completing the sentence. "I'm glad. To acquire... Grief Seeds?"

"Yes," you say, holding up your hand and letting your Soul Gem shimmer into its egg form. Mrs Shizuki leans forward, staring at the blatant display of magic. "This is my Soul Gem... Actually, Mrs Shizuki, would you like to bring your husband over?"

The older woman purses her lips, wrinkles crinkling. "Not now, we can't interrupt his call. However, I would appreciate your assistance at a later time to help me explain."

"Does he know anything about magic?" you ask, dismissing your Soul Gem.

"Not at all," Mrs Shizuki says, smiling faintly. "Truthfully speaking, until recently, I had completely forgotten it."

"Really?" you say, eyebrows arching. "Um, sorry - I don't mean to be rude."

"No offense taken," Mrs Shizuki reassures you. "I had forgotten. It's been a long time."

You exhale, nodding. "You said your friend let you tag along on hunts, right? How much do you remember of those?"

"I remember them being terrifyingly strange," Mrs Shizuki admits. "Eldritch might be the best word. They were monsters, simply, that preyed on people, and magical girls fought to protect people. It's noble."

"And Witches drop Grief Seeds," you say. "We need the Grief Seeds to cleanse our Soul Gem, wiping away the corruption we build up from using magic."

"I see," Mrs Shizuki says, frowning. "Not entirely altruistic, then."

"No," Mami says, sharp steel lacing her voice. "We fight to keep people safe. Many magical girls do not, and they are wrong."

Mrs Shizuki's eyes flick from you to Mami, and she hesitates for a moment before inclining her head. "I understand. I apologise for any offense I may have caused."

Mami nods regally. You squeeze her hand, sneaking a smile at her.

"Am I right to imagine it like being a firefighter or maybe... perhaps a soldier?" Mrs Shizuki asks. "There is pay, of sorts, but to those who truly belong in the role, the pay isn't the primary reason to do it."

"That's a reasonable analogy," Mami agrees. "Grief Seeds are a necessity, but they are not why we fight."

"A necessity..." Mrs Shizuki muses. "You use them to cleanse your Soul Gems. Your magic runs out if they fill up, right?"

"No," Mami says, pressing her lips together. "Yes. I... Sabrina?"

"The term Soul Gem is unfortunately literal," you say crisply. You cover Mami's hand with yours, trying to convey as much reassurance as you can. "Kyuubey is a disingenuous obfuscator who does not tell prospective magical girls about that."

Mrs Shizuki's eyes go wide, hand rising to cover her mouth. "I- I see. I-" she swallows. "I see. So all of you..."

You nod, releasing Mami's hand so you can wrap your arms around her, propriety be damned. She burrows into your side, and you hug her tight. You don't get it, you admit. It's a cultural thing, but the soul is held in rather more reverence than you yourself accord it. Your Soul is safe, and in your possession. It feels sufficient to you, but not to others.

"Well," Mrs Shizuki says, visibly gathering herself. "I see. I am... doubly glad that Hitomi is not a magical girl, I suppose."

You can't exactly blame her for that, can you?

Silence falls for a few minutes before she shakes her head. "I apologise," she says. "I'm being a terrible host."

"No, no, not at all," you say. "It was my fault for bringing this up."

"I disagree," Mrs Shizuki says, smiling faintly. "And as your host, my word is law."

"... that's not how it works," you say, recognising the attempt at lightening the mood. "Mami, is that how it works?"

"It is if Mrs Shizuki says it is," Mami answers, managing a giggle despite herself. She tightens her grip around your arm.

"Bah, fine," you say, shaking your head. "Mrs Shizuki, if I may ask, what did you hope to find out by pulling us aside?"

"Truthfully, I was indulging my curiosity," she says. "Magic is... I had almost dismissed those memories as youthful fantasies, you know? It's so unbelievable. But then, seeing the ring on Sayaka, and then my daughter's friends..."

She glances at you, eyes piercing. "Kamijou Kyousuke's miraculous recovery wasn't simply a miracle, was it?"

"Oh no, it absolutely was," you say, smiling. "Magic does make miracles come true. It comes with a steep cost, granted."

"Magic exists," Mrs Shizuki murmurs, almost to herself. "Huh. Are there magical girls in, ah, business?"

"That is an excellent question," you say. "I feel like there should be, but I don't know. Mami?"

She shakes her head. "If there are, they keep it quiet," Mami says. "Magic... magic is a secret, after all."

"That makes sense, I suppose. Though I suspect savvy magical girls could make a killing out there," Mrs Shizuki agrees, standing and extending a hand. "Thank you for indulging an old lady's curiosity. I'll ask my daughter to pass a message sometime, possibly this weekend? Fujio -my husband- deserves to know."

You stand too, shaking her hand and smiling. "I'd be happy to."

"I'm glad my daughter has the opportunity to know you, Miss Sabrina, Miss Tomoe," Mrs Shizuki says. "Even learning that magic has its darker side, it wouldn't do for her life to be absent some wonder. I don't think I could have asked for someone better to introduce her. You've given me plenty to think about, and between you and me, healing young Kamijou has made my daughter very happy."

She winks, and you laugh. "She's a good friend, too," you say. "Truthfully, having, ah, mundane friends helps to ground us, I feel."

"Thank you for saying so, Mrs Shizuki," Mami says, dipping her head. She doesn't separate from your side, tucked snugly under your arm. "But I concur with Sabrina. Your daughter has been a good friend to us."

"Oh, flatter her to her face," the older woman says, waving. She seems amused, if pensive thanks to the revelations. "Go join your friends, I'll have the maid bring up some snacks."

"Alright, thank you!" you say. "Oh, one last thing. Would you mind if I told Hitomi that you know?"

Mrs Shizuki makes a face, but nods. "I won't ask you to keep it from her. I'll tell her later, regardless."

"Alright!" you say, smiling at Mami. She manages a warm smile for you, and cuddles up against your side as you make your way up the stairs.

When you make it to Hitomi's room after an arduous trek across carpeted luxury, you're greeted with a thrown paper ball to the face.

"Sayaka!" Madoka scolds.

Your friends are all splayed out on the floor, lying about in a loose ring. Even Hitomi's flopped down, notes, worksheets and pencilcase laid out neatly in front of her. Sayaka's propped up on a pile of pillows and tearing off more paper to ball up, grinning up at you.

Hitomi's room is gigantic. Her four-poster, canopied bed doesn't even take up most of the room, a dresser in the corner and a shelf of books in the other, lining the lavender floral print of the walls. She also has a shelf of soft toys, and grand curtains drawn over what must be a commanding view of the city through the windows.

"Hey, everyone!" you say, beaming as you bat away the next projectile. Mami giggles as you all exchange greetings.

"So what did Hitomi's mom want?" Sayaka asks, scooting aside to make room for you and Mami between herself and Kazumi.

"Ah. Well, Hitomi, it turns out your mother knows about magical girls," you say.

The room goes dead silent. You savour it, soaking in the baffled stares. Even Homura looks flummoxed. She looks especially flummoxed, eyes fixed on you as you lie down next to Sayaka, Mami immediately following suit and snuggling up against your side.

You steal a pillow from the pile Sayaka's using to prop herself up.

"What," Hitomi says, finally.

Mami giggles.

"You heard me," you say, beaming from ear to ear.

"What," Hitomi repeats.

"When she was our age, she knew a magical girl named Tsuchiya Ritsuko," you say. "But she was never a potential herself, so..."

"What," Hitomi repeats yet again.

"I know, it's a horrible thought, isn't it," you say, letting the smile disappear from your face. "Teenagers eventually grow into adults. We're like, some kind of larval form for them."

Sayaka groans, and buries her face in the stack of pillows.

"I mean, just imagine, some day we're going to be the ones sitting down to... I don't know, what is adulting? Filling out a stack of tax forms?" you muse, and fake a shiver. "Ew."

Kazumi giggles.

"Oh my god stop," Sayaka complains. "Madoka, make her stop."

You laugh cheerfully. "But yeah, that's what she wanted to talk to us about," you say, and worm your left arm about so you can raise your hand. "She recognised our fingernail marks and the ring."

"I... see," Hitomi says, blinking.

"You know, she said that a lot, too," you say, snickering. "Also, don't you blame her for not telling you. She barely remembered Miss Tsuchiya, since they lost contact after a year and that was... what, thirty years ago?"

"Ah," Hitomi says, pursing her lips. "I... I should talk to her later."

"Yup!" you say, beaming. "I told her the basics."

"I can't deal with this," Sayaka groans into the pillows. "I'm gonna do some homework. Sabrina, Mami says you're good with math, help me with this." She shoves her worksheet at you.

"Hm... this is just differentiation," you say. "Pencil? Thanks. You'll want to express the root like this, and then use the chain rule..."

Beside you, Mami squirms about, pulling her homework from her bag, too. She doesn't stray far, just enough to get a little elbow room for her to write, and you drape a fond arm around her shoulders as she works.

"Say, Umika, what can you tell me about your book, anyway?" you ask, smiling. "I'll pick up a copy when it comes out!"

"Which one? Sky of Seven Stars?" Umika says.

"Yup," you confirm.

"Well..."

It turns out that the story is a post-apocalyptic story, for some reason, centering around a girl who travels across the land with her companions, righting wrongs. Conversation segues from there, flowing into discussion of the plot, other stories, postcolonial and postmodern narratives... Kazumi and Kaoru interject, as do Hitomi and Madoka and Mami. Evidently literary critique is also something covered at Mitakihara.

Because of course it is.

You roll over at some point, elbows sore from supporting your weight. Of course, this puts you in the perfect position to toy with Mami's hair, walking your fingers through golden locks. She blushes, but doesn't object in the slightest.

You reach out to Homura, telepathically, and link Mami and Madoka in too for good measure. "Hey, Homura? Madoka, Mami? If we all have a moment, could we have a private conversation? All four of us?"

"Now?" Homura asks. You can feel her gaze on you, from across the circle.

"Um... is something happening?" Madoka asks. "Um... I suppose I'm free! Let me finish this question..."

"Of course, Sabrina," Mami agrees. "Ah, now? Or later?"

Voting opens Sep 23, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] Now, or later?
- [] Ask about metabombing Sayaka and Hitomi
- [] Any points to hit?
- [] How and when do you want to do it?
[] Find out the status of Tsuchiya Ritsuko from Kyuubey, later.
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

No, system breaking wasn't brought up. The conversation simply didn't go that way, and there'll be opportunity later to bring it up. Like when Hitommy decides to have her husband read in too, so that I don't have to repeat the explanation twice.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Now's good," you confirm.

Homura nods faintly and stands, murmuring something about needing to go to the toilet before excusing herself from the room.

Now that you think about it, you're not sure if Homura can summon her shield without transforming. Admittedly, even if she could, it wouldn't help to hide it here - it's her shield, and not exactly the most inconspicuous thing in the world. So it makes sense that she would step out of the room to use her timest-

-op.

Ah. Well. Speak of the devil.

... unfortunate phrasing aside.

You don't think that Homura's the devil, anyway.

Homura's kneeling beside you, a hand on your shoulder sufficient to draw you into a world of endless silence and deadened colour. Madoka's clinging to Homura's sleeve, eyes wide, and of course, you have your hand stroking slowly through Mami's hair.

Mami takes a breath and sits up, drawing ribbon to loop from herself, to Homura, to Madoka. You smile at her, wrapping your arm around her waist and pulling her hip-top-hip.

"Thanks, Homura," you say, motioning for everyone to sit down. "Thanks for... well, thanks for coming, Madoka."

"It's fine," Homura murmurs. Madoka nods in agreement, fidgeting anxiously with the ribbon attached to her waist. "What's happening?"

"I want to tell Sayaka and Hitomi about my knowledge," you say. "They're my friends, and they deserve to know."

"Ah," Madoka says, and nods vigorously enough to set her twintails flying. "That's a good idea! I thought she knew already..."

Mami smiles warmly at you. "I agree," she murmurs.

And Homura rounds out the agreement with a small nod.

"Oh," you say, blinking. "Uhhh. I hadn't expected, uh, unanimous agreement."

Mami giggles, joined by Madoka. The laughter is welcome in the timestop, bright, vibrant life that's swallowed by the endless silence, but something that brightens the mood regardless.

"I think it's good to be open with everyone!" Madoka says, nodding determinedly.

"I wouldn't not support you, Sabrina," Mami says fondly. She reaches up to toy with your ear, tracing a featherlight touch along the shell.

Homura shrugs again. "Now?" she asks.

"... I suppose so?" you say, leaning against Mami's touch. You're not sure what to do when you don't have to face some kind of resistance to you wanting to Do Things. It's like bracing against the wind only for it to vanish on you. "Um, or maybe after we finish all our homework?"

"We can continue our homework later," Mami says with a nod. "No time like the present... admittedly, there is no time at the present."

You can't help the snicker, grinning sidelong at Homura. Her expression isn't quite blank: unimpressed, but ever so slightly amused at the joke, though some of that you'll attribute to Madoka's adorable giggles. You're getting better at understanding Homu-ese, you think.

"Um... I was thinking we should tell the Pleiades too, at some point in the future," you add, just as Homura starts to rise to her feet.

She frowns. "Do you trust them?" she asks.

"I trust Kazumi," Mami says.

"You don't know the others," Homura responds, but she isn't looking at you. Her gaze bores into yours, intent and sharp.

"That's true," Mami says. "But Kazumi trusts them, and that has to count for something."

You rub your nose, thinking. Homura's expecting an answer from you. "I think so," you say with a heavy sigh. "I mean, I... I guess I'm not saying we tell them now. We should get to know them better - get to know all of them. But I think they have the right attitude, you know? And they deserve to know too, considering I know about them."

"I think that's very fair," Mami agrees with a smile.

Homura nods once, sharp and jerky. "More information first."

"OK, then," you say, relieved. "It's settled. Um, now for Sayaka and Hitomi."

"I'll get them," Mami says, raising her free hand. She flicks it in a smooth motion that sends ribbons sailing in a lazy ballistic arc towards where Sayaka and Hitomi are lying. Perfect shots, of course, colour bleeding into your friends at the touch.

Hitomi sucks in a shocked breath, lurching up into a half-kneel. "What-"

"It's alright!" Madoka's there, a calming hand on Hitomi's shoulder.

"What's going on?" Sayaka asks, similarly pushing herself upright. Her eyes flick from side to side, taking in the colour-leached world of Homura's timestop.

"Ah, this is Homura's power!" Madoka says. "Um..."

"Timestop," Homura murmurs quietly. "Time is frozen, apart from what I touch." She lifts her arm, ribbon trailing from her wrist.

"I... see," Hitomi says, giving Umika's frozen body an uncomfortable look. Her gaze shifts to stare around at the frozen emptiness of her room, colours bleached to cold grey, and she plucks at the ribbon looped around her wrist. "It's... a little strange. Ah, no offense intended."

"Yeah," Sayaka agrees, squinting uncomfortably around.

"It's one of the strongest powers in existence," you say, defensive on Homura's behalf. "It stops time. Or maybe it just makes us move infinitely fast, I'm not sure. Same difference, really. Theory of relativity and all... actually I'm not sure if that applies here."

You shake your head, clearing those thoughts aside. Homura gives you a bemused look, but you press on. "Anyway. The more important point is, we can speak privately here, even from Kyuubey, and there are things I... I feel I should tell you."

"Oh," Sayaka says. "What about?"

Like how you might actually be an angel of Madokami, you don't say. Of course, you'd swear she's dropping hints, but each and every one of them are equally explicable as simple coincidence and Sayaka being Sayaka.

"About... Well, about myself," is what you say instead, hugging Mami a little closer and drawing strength from the contact. "Yeah, I know it sounds egotistical. But... OK, look, I'm weird."

"You only just noticed?" Sayaka says, smirk flickering across her face.

"Sabrina's not weird," Mami protests. "You're not weird, Sabrina."

"I'm quirky," you say, grinning. "Really, though... There are legitimately some strange things about me. You remember how you met me, yeah?"

"You threw up on me in that alley," Sayaka says.

"I didn't throw up on you," you say. "Close thing, but I didn't actually do it. The point is, I woke up without any memory of a past. But that doesn't mean I didn't know anything when I woke up."

"Yeah," Sayaka says, frowning. "You knew about magical girls, and Kyuubey, and stuff."

"Exactly," you say, glancing at Hitomi to see how she's taking it in. You're not sure she ever heard this part of your story, really, unless perhaps Madoka and Sayaka told her. She seems to be taking it alright, however, expression careful as she absorbs the information.

You nod slowly to yourself and continue. "The thing is, that's... not the only thing I knew when I woke up," you say, and take a deep breath. "I knew about you. I knew about Mami, and Homura, and Madoka... I- I knew about you."

Sayaka rocks back on her heels, frowning.

"What do you mean?" Hitomi asks. Her expression is carefully neutral, blank enough that you can't really read her.

"I knew facts about you," you say. "The same way I knew about magical girls, when I first woke up. I didn't know you as people, as friends, I just knew you like I'd read about you somehow."

"Ah," Hitomi says, pursing her lips. She shrugs daintily after a moment of thought. "Is that all?"

"... what do you mean, 'is that all'?" you splutter.

"What am I supposed to say to that revelation?" Hitomi says with another shrug. "You're too earnest to lie to us, and you're too you to be malicious. And... Madoka, Homura, and Mami already know, I presume, and we're all still here."

Mami giggles, leaning against you.

"Ugh," Sayaka grumbles, and deflates. "Yeah, you know what? Hitomi's right. I've got nothing to say except why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"I wanted to," you say honestly. "I just... never found the right time for it. It just never felt like the right time, so I just... did it."

"There's never a perfect time to do something," Hitomi says philosophically. "There are certainly bad times, but there will never be a perfect time to do something."

Sayaka sighs, and slumps over into her pile of pillows. "Yeah, see," she says. "Someone else, I'd be angry with. Suspicious. You could have manipulated us. On the other hand, you're you."

"You're not mad at all?" you ask. You'd half expected that.

"I... I don't know," Sayaka admits. "I'm kind of... I don't know, weirded out, I guess. It's not the weirdest thing, coming from you, but it is pretty strange, you know?"

"I can understand that," you say. "Hitomi?"

"It changes nothing," Hitomi declares. "As long as you haven't been trying to manipulate us."

"If I had, I wouldn't admit it, right?" you say, shaking your head. "But... no. I suppose that's all I can say. I haven't. I want to be your friends, and I want everyone to be happy."

"Good enough," Hitomi says, nodding. "Now, can I get back to my homework? I really do need to finish it tonight."

"Technically you could just finish it all in timestop," you say, and grin at her. "It's timestop."

Hitomi wrinkles her nose. "No thank you."

"Sayaka? Are you alright?" Madoka prompts, giving her friend an anxious look.

"I suppose so," Sayaka says, blowing out a hard breath and meeting your eyes. "I don't believe you're some kind of master manipulator or anything, so... yeah. I believe you. I... kinda want to know what you knew about me, though."

"Headstrong, stubborn and sometimes too righteous for your own good," you say with a faint smile. "But also loyal, fiercely righteous, and a good person."

"So... when you say you know I'll become a great magical girl, and you send me out for training..." Sayaka ventures.

"Funnily enough, I don't know how things go when you Wish for copying powers," you admit, ignoring the way Homura twitches. "I know how it goes when you get healing powers, though!"

"Healing powers?" Sayaka asks, frowning for a second before realising. "Oh. I see."

"You are a great magical girl, anyway," you say, leaning forward a little to flick her forehead. "I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka says, burrowing back into her stack of pillows. "Can we go back to normal now? It's so quiet here."

"Well... one more thing?" you say. "Um, well. As I said earlier, I don't want Kyuubey learning about this, so... could you do me a favour and not bring it up outside of timestop or one of my privacy bubbles? Um, I figure I can get you and Kazumi to learn how to make them, too."

"Duh," Sayaka says. "Who'd I talk about it to, anyway?"

"Likewise," Hitomi agrees. "I can keep a secret."

"Alright, then," you say.

"Places, everybody," Mami says, smiling and lying down next to you, as she was before. "Otherwise it'll be rather strange."

"Uhh," Sayaka says, trying to arrange herself properly. "OK."

Homura sighs, looking put upon, but stands and walks over to nudge Sayaka's pose. Hitomi manages herself, and Madoka hurries back to where she'd been lying down. It only takes a few minutes, and then Mami disconnects the ribbons from Homura to return you to normal time.

The rest of the evening flies by. The Asunaro trio don't seem to have noticed your extra-temporal jaunt, and they seem perfectly happy to luxuriate in the downtime. They're practically on vacation - which in retrospect is probably exactly why they're so happy to simply relax. You chat with them as time rolls by, and you help out with homework in between cuddling Mami.

Eventually, it's about time to leave. You can't resist bringing the topic back to Hitomi's mother, though, because seriously, that's thrown you for a loop. An adult who knows about magical girls.

"You know," you say, half draped over Mami, who's lying facedown on some pillows. "Speaking of strange, I'm still weirded out by Mrs Shizuki knowing about magic."

"I need to talk to her," Hitomi agrees with a quiet chuckle. "I had no idea."

"Yeah," Sayaka muses. "I kinda wanna tell mama and papa, but..."

"It's scary?" Madoka suggests, gathering the notes she has strewn everywhere. "I'm not a magical girl, but it's still a big secret."

"Pretty much that," Sayaka agrees, and waves a sheet of paper which you'd used to scribble notes on to help explain. "By the way, Sabrina, can I keep these?"

"Uh, sure, Sayaka. Also, I kind of want to bring everyone in eventually," you say. "Mrs Shizuki, maybe... she's going to tell your dad too, Hitomi. Not yet, but..."

"Oh," Hitomi says, pursing her lips. "I see. What does she know?"

"The basics," you say. "Magic, magical girls, hunting Witches for Grief Seeds, and Soul Gems."

"Ah, I see," Hitomi says, nodding as she stands and carries her neatly stacked homework over to her desk. "Thank you."

"I'm kind of hoping to broach the topic of meguca and business somehow," you say. "Magical girl hotel and therapy!"

Sayaka snickers. "Yeah, sounds about right for you," she agrees.

"I like the idea!" Kaoru volunteers. "I dunno, I wouldn't mind having somewhere nice to stay where I can just kick back."

"Our house isn't enough?" Umika says, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Kaoru says, poking her in the side. "You know, for vacations and stuff."

"Knowing my mother, she doubtless wants to hire magical girls, too," Hitomi muses.

"Yeah, she actually asked me about that," you admit. "Wanted to know if there were magical girls in business. We'd bring, well, unique abilities to the table."

"It does seem like a good idea when put that way," Mami says. "I wonder if anyone ever Wished for accounting powers? Umm, Sabrina, could you help me get my bag?"

"Sure," you say, smiling at her and sending Grief drifting out to collect said schoolbag.

"Ew," Kazumi says. "That's way too responsible."

"I mean, with seven -eight?- billion people on the planet, some girl, somewhere, must have Wished for it," you say.

"I'm with Kazumi," Sayaka says. "Ew."

"Accountant-guca is out there somewhere," you say, shaking your fist at the sky. "Also, considering we just spent the entire evening in a group homework session, I don't know if you have any grounds to talk about being too responsible."

Kazumi raises a finger, mouth opening, before shutting it with a click and lowering the finger. "Dammit."

"You don't even have to do this homework," Sayaka says, scowling. "That makes you even more responsible."

"Miss Responsibility, that's me!" Kazumi says, grinning and flashing a thumbs-up. Umika snorts, patting Kazumi's head.

You roll off Mami's back and stand, twisting from side to side to work the kinks out of your spine. Mami stands too, beaming at you and cuddling against your side.

"Thank you for having us over, Hitomi," Mami says.

"Yeah, thanks, Hitomi," you agree, smiling. That sets off a round of thanks as you make your way over to the exit. Mrs Shizuki hears the commotion, it seems, because she comes over to say her goodbyes, too. Sadly, Hitomi's father is apparently still busy. You can hear vaguely angry tones coming through the wall.

Mrs Shizuki notices your concerned look, it seems. "The company is having trouble with a client," she notes. "Nothing to worry about."

"Ah," you say, nodding. "Thank you for having us over, Mrs Shizuki."

"No, thank you for bringing a little wonder back into my life," Mrs Shizuki says with a hint of a smile.

Voting opens Sep 28, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] Any parting words?
[] Anything to talk to your friends about as you leave?
[] Any last events to hit before turning in?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

It's 10:30PM, thereabouts. There's time for one last thing if it's short, but Madoka and Sayaka need to head home.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Only a little?" you say, grinning. You gesture at your friends. "We're magical girls, we do more than just a little wonder."

"I don't know," Hitomi says thoughtfully. "Mama has a point. Just a little bit, not too much. What do you think, Madoka?"

"Umm..." Madoka ducks her head.

Mrs Shizuki laughs, amused. "By the way, Miss Sabrina, what is that other ring you have? The dark purple one?"

"Huh?" you glance down at your hand, and spot the Grief ring. You wiggle your fingers. "Oh. Oh! This is just something I made with my powers, I was testing something. I'd kind of forgotten I was wearing it, really."

"Ah, I see," Mrs Shizuki says with a nod. "I was wondering if it was some other aspect of being a magical girl."

Mami claims your hand, twining her fingers with yours, and you smile at her before returning your attention to Mrs Shizuki. "Only insofar as it's an aspect of my magic I wanted to test," you say. A thought strikes you. "Ah, if I may... what does your company do?"

"Finance!" Sayaka pipes up. "Right?"

"Indeed," Mrs Shizuki says. "We do finance and technology investment, for most part. It's why we came to Mitakihara, really."

"Ah, I see!" you say, tapping your chin thoughtfully.

"Why do you ask?" Mrs Shizuki says.

"Thinking of how magical girls can contribute," you say, grinning. You already have ideas - your particular brand of magic is particularly suited to tech applications. Truly pure silicon and instant prototyping fabrication is probably the least you can do. "Magic is magic, but money is money."

You consider showing off, but... you're all putting on your shoes, and it's literally on their doorstep. This isn't the time - perhaps when you're bringing Mr Shizuki in on the realities.

"Very true," Mrs Shizuki says, laughing. "Now, I won't keep you girls - Madoka, I'm sure your parents must be expecting you?"

As Madoka answers, you catch the look Sayaka's giving you. You wink back at Sayaka as you all exchange goodbyes, and head for the lift. Hitomi waves at you, a smile on her face.

"What was that about?" Sayaka asks as the lift door slides open, and you step in.

"Well, if we're gonna get an influx of meguca, we are going to need more funds than I have," you say. "The yakuza probably aren't a renewable source, after all. And besides, we as magical girls can probably do ridiculous things that nobody else can."

"It's always a good idea to invest in renewable resources," Mami says with a solemn nod. "I did a presentation on renewable energy last month!"

"Makes sense, I guess," Sayaka agrees. She sighs and locks her fingers behind her head, elbows stuck out. "God, I think I've been more responsible today than I have the entire week. I blame... hmm... I blame Homura."

"Hey, Homura did nothing wrong," you say, grinning.

"Chosen purely at random, I assure you," Sayaka snorts. The lift door dings open, and you all head out. Kazumi and her friends take the lead, chattering happily as they ogle the sights of Mitakihara City at night.

You can only hope to have a fraction of the simple wonder Kazumi brings to everything she does, irrepressibly optimistic and cheerful. You can see how the entire Asunaro group came to adore her, really. You can see how they sought to bring her back, too: the self-same devotion Homura has to Madoka, expressed... differently.

Speaking of Homura... She's quiet, trailing along beside Madoka. You squeeze Mami's hand and start drifting across the group to approach your friend. Mami sticks by your side, of course, a comfortable, familiar presence.

"Doing alright, Homura?" you ask, slanting your friend a smile.

Her eyes flick over to you, blank and... uncertain. "I suppose so."

"Oh?" you say, smiling encouragingly at her.

"I've..." she shakes her head, midnight black hair swaying. "I haven't gotten to do this in a long time."

You clap her gently on the shoulder. "You'll get to do it more."

"Today was good," Mami says, nodding in firm agreement.

"We should do more study sessions," you say. "Though speaking of studying, Homura - I was thinking, we should try an enchantment study session sometime!"

"Enchantment study?" Sayaka perks up, leaning behind Madoka to glance at you. "Ooh, I want to learn that trick Mami used to make the bat."

"I'd be happy to teach that," Mami agrees with a smile. "It might be fun, if we could get everyone together for it!"

"The problem is when," you say. "I mean, you have school. I was going to suggest timestop, but..."

"Eugh," Sayaka says, shuddering theatrically. "Nah."

"Weekends, maybe?" Mami suggests. "Or... mm, Tuesdays and Thursdays, after school?"

"Oh, that could work!" you say. "Sayaka, Homura? What do you think?"

Sayaka makes a mournful face. "My free time... If I'd known how much time being a magical girl takes up..."

"I'm willing to participate," Homura murmurs. A tiny frown creases her eyebrows. "The Shiogama girls are coming tomorrow."

"Yeah, good point," you agree. "We can pencil it in for Tuesdays and Thursdays in general, and adjust tomorrow as necessary?"

"Sounds good!" Sayaka says.

Mami beams, squeezing your hand. "Then it's settled."

Homura nods, and falls silent. Pensive. Madoka seems to notice that all but immediately, giving Homura a questioning look. You can't help but notice the way Homura softens, ever so very slightly, and she nods.

You smile faintly to yourself, taking a step forward to join Kazumi and her friends. Mami follows, of course, and you strike up an easy conversation with them. Behind you, you can hear Sayaka chatting with Madoka.

"Miss Sabrina?" It takes you a second to identify the voice - Inoue Yuuki, the technomage from Ishinomaki.

"Miss Inoue?" you respond. "Hi, what's up?"

"Just letting you know that your ID has been fabricated," Yuuki says. "I'll need an address to have it sent to?"

"Oh wow, that was fast," you say, blinking in surprise. "I'm impressed!"

"Thank you," Yuuki says. You can practically hear her preening. "Your address?"

"Uhh," you say, and rattle off Mami's address.

"Cool. Expect government mail within three to four days," Yuuki says. "Have fun!"

"Thanks!" you say. Mami gives you a questioning look as you end the call, and you smile at her. "My ID's done. It'll be mailed to me, apparently."

"You don't have ID?" Umika asks curiously as you stop at a traffic light.

"Nope," you say. "I woke up in an alleyway with memory loss. Then Madoka and Sayaka found me, followed by Homura and Mami. One thing led to another, and here we are - though I still don't have any memory of what might have happened before. Light just turned green, by the way."

"That's terrible!" Umika says, eyes going wide. She does start crossing the road, though. "You don't remember anything at all?"

"No," you admit. You're not entirely sure you have a before, but that's not exactly something for easy conversation. Not that the current topic is, but there's no need to weigh it down even more.

Umika makes a thoughtful noise, frowning. "You know, I could try and jog your memory," she volunteers. "I've got some mind tricks. Only if you want!"

You manage to suppress your flinch. Having her root around your mind is not the most pleasant thought. "I'll keep it in mind," you say diplomatically. "I've got some leads I want to chase down first, though."

"Ah, that makes sense," Umika says, nodding. "Let me know if you want my help!"

"Will do," you agree. You weren't lying, either. It's an idea that just occurred to you, but it still counts: you hadn't woken up naked, after all. You'd been wearing clothes, and those clothes had pockets which, presumably, had contents... Which have to be around somewhere. You'll check later.

You amble on, letting Sayaka and Madoka and Homura take the lead now - they know where they're going better than you do, after all. And you reach it before too long, Sayaka stopping.

"This is where I split off!" she declares, waving down the street at a rather upscale apartment building. "Madoka, you're taking the bus from there, right?"

"I am!" Madoka says, nodding. 'There', it would seem, is the bus stop down the street in the same direction.

"Cool," Sayaka says. "Then... see you all!"

You grin at her, and open your arms. "Goodnight hug?"

"Eh?" Sayaka says, frowning at you in bafflement. Her arms rise a little, probably out of instinct - and that's her mistake.

You pounce, sweeping her into a hug, looping an arm around Madoka for good measure. Mami's only a second slower, wrapping her arms around you from behind.

"Group hug!" Kazumi declares, and you can feel another arm go around you - and then more, as Umika and Kaoru join in.

You grin at Homura, standing off to the side. "C'mon, Homura. Group hug!"

Madoka manages to wiggle free just enough to give Homura a pleading look.

Homura sighs, walking closer, but she hesitates, stopping short of the hug pile. Instead, she hesitantly reaches forward, fingers brushing against Madoka's arm - and she stops.

Ah.

Well.

You squirm free, the hugpile separating a moment later. You beam at Homura - that wasn't a hug, but it was something. She tried; she didn't run away.

"Well," you say, brushing over the awkwardness. "I guess this is goodnight, then. Homura, you're going with Madoka?"

Homura nods.

"Alright," Sayaka says, eyes lingering on Homura for a second. "So, yeah. Goodnight!"

One last wave, and she's headed off down the street. You exchange your goodbyes, and Madoka and Homura follow, headed for the bus stop.

You turn, and smile at the remaining group. "Well, my fellow truants," you say. "Shall we head home?"

"Excuse me," Kazumi says, in a manner you'd call diffident if it weren't for the impish grin on her face. "The Mami I knew wasn't a truant."

"Are you implying I'm a bad influence on her?" you say, faking outrage as you grab Mami's hand possessively.

"Maybe~" Kazumi says, still grinning.

"Sabrina is a good influence on me," Mami says, squeezing your hand lightly.

"That's what someone would say if they were under a bad influence~!" Kaoru says.

Mami pouts.

You laugh, giving Mami a fond smile as you start to head home. The conversation is easy and teasing and comfortable, Mami all but radiantly happy. You get home soon enough, and flop over on the couch, insisting that the Asunaro girls shower first. They're your guests, after all.

You're a happy, relaxed puddled on the sofa, Mami cuddled up against your side. Umika and Kazumi are both freshly showered, leaning against each other and dozing on the other sofa as they wait for their hair to dry. "Say, Mami?"

"Mm?" she asks without opening her eyes.

"How does your magic work, anyway?" you ask. "It's... connections, right?"

"Mmm," she agrees.

"Can you see connections between people?" you ask.

"Not really," she says, snuggling closer into your side. "But I have a good feel for them, I guess. It's good for enchantment, too."

"Oh?" you prompt.

"I didn't really realise it at first," she says. "So I learned enchantment the hard way, but I realised that I could project my magic and... connect it in more easily."

"Huh," you say. "You mean you use it to anchor your enchantments?"

"No," Mami says, frowning without opening her eyes. She looks absolutely adorable like that, and you can't resist the urge to smooth your palm gently over her forehead. "Mmmnm. I... connect the concepts together. Does that make sense?"

"Kind of," you agree. You're about to continue when the bathroom door swings open and Kaoru emerges, damp and towelling her hair.

"Who's next?" she calls.

You smile at Mami, cupping her cheek. "Mami?"

She pouts, but opens her eyes to meet yours. "My turn?"

"Your turn," you confirm, smiling at her.

"Alright," she sighs, sitting up slowly and stretching before getting up and heading for the shower.

You take the opportunity to put that idea you had to work - you hop to your feet, murmuring apologies to the pile of Asunaro girls on the sofa, and hunt down that set of clothes you'd been wearing on the first day. You find it folded neatly, tucked away in the cupboard by Mami when you'd last done the laundry.

You shake it out, checking through all the pockets... but there's nothing. Not even lint. You resolve to ask Mami when she comes out of the shower - and you do just that when she emerges. But not before sweeping her up into a big hug, of course.

Eventually, you've taken your shower, and you're all headed for bed. You ask Mami, of course, but it turns out there's nothing. Not even an empty wallet or anything. You wave goodnight to the Asunaro girls, and they all head into the guest room, giggling and happy. No objections to the rather cramped quarters, it seems.

Not like you're complaining about the bed you share with Mami, either. It's not exactly roomy, but it is cosy, Mami burrowing into your arms with a happy sigh. Golden eyes blink up at you, warm and pleased and shining under the scant light shining in through the windows.

"Goodnight, Mami," you whisper.

"Goodnight, Sabrina," she murmurs back, smiling. She lets her eyes drift closed, nuzzling a little closer against you.

You close your eyes, and let sleep take you.

=====​

You're awoken by banging at the door. Your eyes fly open, and you bolt upright on your bed, Mami making a startled noise.

"Sabrina? Mami?" Kazumi calls through the door.

"What is it?" you scramble out of bed, yanking the door open to a dishevelled, panicked looking Kazumi. Umika and Kaoru are just behind her, neither of them in any better state.

"Um- sorry to disturb you but apparently Niko was attacked," Kazumi babbles. "Uh, her lab was broken into, someone stole her things-"

Voting opens Oct 1, 2017 at 12:00 PM
[] Write-in (word count limit: 200 words)

=====​

Uh oh.