Puella Magi Adfligo Systema - Story only

[Firnagzen]

Just as you're about to reconfigure the chairs back into the neat rows for flight, Homura stirs, amethyst eyes flickering about the group. You pause, smiling at her and waiting patiently for her to speak.

"Sabrina, Miss Nakano," she says. "How much effort would it be to place a third flight platform ahead of us?"

"Uh... virtually none on my part, and I can cover any costs in Grief if it's a problem, Miss Nakano?" you say, glancing to the wind mage.

"I can do it as long as it's not too far ahead, sure," Mika says. "Already handling the bear platform. Why?"

"Advance warning," Homura says, gaze shifting over to Sayaka. "A clone with the vision power."

Sayaka stares at Homura for a second, and then slams the palm of her hand into her forehead hard enough to knock her head back. "Ow. Can't believe I didn't think of that."

Kyouko crunches a mouthful of potato chips, obnoxiously and pointedly loud.

"... That's genius," you say, resisting the urge to face-palm yourself. Sayaka put enough force into hers to cover your share, anyway. "Heck, I can't believe that didn't occur to me, either."

Yuki chuckles quietly.

"And therein lies the value of allies, no?" she says, smirking faintly.

"Yeah, but I should have thought of it," Sayaka grumps as she sorts through her chain of powers. "Got it. Ready when you are, Sabrina."

You put the clone onto its own platform, bubbling it down through the floor and guiding it out front. Sayaka gives you a thumbsup as you feel the winds pick up around Mika, twisting to suit the new configuration - and speaking of configurations, it's time to shift the chairs back into flight position.

"I wanna spinny chair!" Kirika demands as the chairs shuffle around.

"Ooooh, that's an option?" Kazumi says. "I wanna spinny chair too!"

"... you know what, sure," you say. You make sure to add frictionless bearings, too, and proceed to ignore the twin 'wheeeee's coming from behind you.

Mami squeezes your hand gently, giving you a warm, reassuring smile. You grin back at her, and nod in answer to her unspoken question - yeah, you do feel better about this, now. You're still worried, but that's part and parcel of the entire affair. You tilt your head slightly, directing a questioning look her way. She purses her lips slightly, evidently considering it before smiling a little wider and tipping her chin a hair to the side, indicating the rest of your friends behind you, and then tucking her head against your shoulder with a content little sigh.

You huff quietly, amused. Mami's a bit worried, but not that worried - not with the support of everyone, and not with you here. In retrospect, you really should have expected that response.

"Alright. Seatbelts, everyone!" you call happily.

"What seatbelts?" Kaoru asks.

"Metaphorical seatbelts, though I can actualize them if you want," you offer.

"Do we need them?" Sasami asks, archly amused.

"Dun- actually, yes," you say. "No violent stops, unless there's a surprise mountain that I don't want to demolish or something, but we're going to be accelerating and decelerating hard for the entire journey, so we'll need something to keep us in our seats."

"Mountain demolitions don't sound too likely," Sasami says after a moment, apparently having given the notion sober and entirely serious consideration. "So I think I'm good with the lack of seatbelts."

Three-point seatbelts, still. Simple enough to add, even if not everyone deigns to put them on at the moment, then they can't say you didn't warn them.

"Alright. Here we go, everyone!" you say.

And you're off. Acceleration slams you back into your seats, the somewhat-exorable forces of physics taking over. You ignore, of course, the surprised squeaking noise that is Kirika being dumped onto Oriko's seat by virtue of a rotating chair, not putting on her seatbelt, and the acceleration - you could have prevented that, but why would you? You're not even sure Kirika or Oriko would thank you if you had.

Of course, you're all magical girls. Acceleration, once you get used to it, is just one more law of physics to treat as a polite, if insistent suggestion. Well, sort of, anyway. You can move, but you're always conscious of the enormous force pressing you back.

It makes sense, you suppose. Given the sheer variety of Witch barriers, you wouldn't be surprised at all by one that played with gravity or such - and superhuman strength is part and parcel of being a magical girl, anyway. That said, with little to discuss, you opt to just wrap your arm around Mami and relax for the moment.

The shortest distance between two points would be a straight line, but since you have little interest in tunnelling through the horizon -no surprise mountain demolitions!- the shortest distance is the curve of the planet. But then, the shortest distance isn't the shortest time to travel when you can accelerate the whole way, and so: brachistochrone curve.

The temperature plunges as you soar through the skies, so you seal the flight platform the rest of the way up and start vibrating the walls to heat the air. You don't seal up Mika's window, of course, but then, you need the ventilation, and she seems to enjoy the freezing cold anyway. On the other hand, Kazumi uses the cold as an excuse to snuggle closer to Umika and Kaoru, and nudge Mirai into flopping across their laps. So too does Yuma cuddle closer to Kyouko, nervous and fidgety.

You arc over Japan, and then across the sea. It's a beautifully clear day, this far out, the seas a frozen glitter rolling past - glittering not because of the ripple of waves, but because of your speed as you blur past. Ships and fishing boats dot the endless expanse in distant specks and rippling wakes of white, almost invisible from above.

You're high enough to see the horizon curve away, any detail that you might spot hazing away into the fuzz of distance and greys of timestop. There's the Russian coast, and there's an uncertain smudge that might be a certain naval base, and there's the Korean peninsula.

Mami stirs a little, tilting her head back to peer up at your face.

"Mm?" you hum.

"It's been a long time since I've been this far from home," Mami says, after a moment. Speaking isn't easy, against the crush of acceleration, but it's manageable - and Mami pitches her voice just loud enough for you to hear, her breath tickling your cheeks. "It's beautiful, from up here."

"Really?" you say, blinking.

"Which?" Mami says, a hint of a smile playing about her lips.

"Both?" you say.

"Well... both are true," Mami says. She giggles softly. "But... I haven't left Mitakihara much, especially not... since I became a magical girl."

"That's clearly not acceptable," you say with a faint smile. "Happily, it's something that I can change." You've definitely thought about bringing Mami somewhere nice - Paris, say. Or the Moon.

Mami smiles, and returns to leaning against you.

Korea gets left behind, in favour of more seas, and then... China. Vast farms, vast cities, vast forests. Nanjing rivals Mitakihara, perhaps even eclipses it in size, glittering skyscrapers that are mere specks that you have to strain to pick out from this high up. Clouds scud past in great, drifting packs, rain here, clear skies there... it all blurs together.

Homura's been holding up without visible signs of strain, the Grief trickling into her Soul Gem at a steady rate. You owe her a hug later, at the very least - she might claim she's doing this for pragmatic reasons, but those reasons include the fact that you asked for help. You owe her the biggest hug.

"Turnaround point, everyone!" you warn. "If you're not wearing the seatbelts, then now's the time - or hold onto someone who is, or we're going to have to do some rearrangement of seats."

Turnaround. Deceleration tries to throw you forward now as you blast over inland China. More cities, more fields, endless roads and railways and rivers streaking across the landscape, rolling hills turning into vast mountain ranges. Snow-capped peaks far to your right, the eastern edge of the Himalayan uplift... you're pretty sure you're over Yunnan proper, now, approaching the border.

Mami nudges your elbow gently, pointing just a hair to the right. You smile, and redirect your flightpath ever so slightly in that direction, a slow banking turn until Mami nods firmly. A minor course correction, all things considered, but then, you're still a few hundred kilometers out, you think.

It doesn't feel like a few hundred kilometers is a long distance. Not at all. Your nerves ratchet tighter as you continue to slow, despite everything rational telling you that even if Kyuubey had blabbed about Homura's power, even if the Iowa girls had known you'd be coming, even if they had the appropriate power to set up a trap, even if they had the sheer range to set up a trap ranging hundreds of kilometers, Sayaka would spot it well in advance.

You flick a glance back. Determined gazes meet yours, your friends and allies -well, really, if they came all this way out here because of you, you pretty much consider them all friends- coming alert. No words need to be spoken, not now.

Sayaka nods at you, expression sharply focused and intent. She's on the lookout, and she's not taking it lightly, either.

Mami draws your attention with another gentle nudge for another course correction, and you face forward again.

"It is Mandalay," you murmur.

"I think I see it," Sayaka says, voice tight. "I think I se-"

"Sayaka?" you say sharply. You can feel the electric tension that jolts around the platform - if you weren't all alert and focused before, you are now.

"I see it," she says. "They're just outside the city."

"Wait, you see them?" you say. "What's 'it'?"

"A big antimagic... cloud?" Sayaka says. "It's gotta be them, right? I'm not seeing anything else."

"Gotta be," you say. "Bearing?"

"Few more degrees to the right," Sayaka says. "Other side of the city from us."

"Got it," you say, adjusting as appropriate.

Mandalay isn't the vast, sprawling metropolis of Mitakihara, but it isn't exactly shabby, either, a respectable city spread across the bank of Irawaddy River. Steady gridlines and densely packed buildings spill across the landscape, testament to the booming growth, new construction stretching for the skies above.

You pay little attention to that, straining your eyes and senses.

Of course, Sayaka's the first to really see it. To see it, her clone in the outrider platform picking it out in the distance. You hear her inhale sharply... and then Mami mirrors it, sitting bolt upright.

Exclamations and swearing, as realization flashes between your friends. You slew the platform to a halt, a hundred kilometers distant, and stare.

"That antimagic bubble will prove a problem," Yuki observes. "Miss Vee?"

She's standing now, peering over the heads of the others.

"Do you remember when we first discussed the Iowa group?" she says, tone even and unruffled, as if commenting on the weather.

"Yea-" You blink as you recall your exact words. "... ah."

"'Gunboat diplomacy', you said," Yuki says.

"... I swear I had no idea," you say. "I mean, it was a guess, but it was too damn stupid to really consider as a viable guess."

"What it is, in retrospect, is a truly wretched pun, and you should be ashamed of yourself," Yuki says.

"... yeah, OK, fair enough," you say, staring at the replica of the USS Iowa, BB-61, floating over the city. Frozen and lifeless much like anything else in Homura's timestop, but disappointingly enough, not a hallucination.

Dammit.

[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Magical girls have better eyesight than baseline human. Direct any visual acuity issues at that, if you please.

Having Oriko and Sayaka attempt to scry will be an automatic action, but this is the point to add on any additional info-gathering suggestions, and any preliminary plans of attack.

 

[Firnagzen]

"I'm going to steal that ship," you decide after a moment of silence, each of you taking the time to contemplate the fell and terrible specter of a flying ship from afar.

A particularly dumb one, too. You glance from the ship to the city, trying to estimate distances and firing angles. And at a rough guess, even from their current position just outside the city, it looks like they'd have to at the very least roll over to the side to fire at the city, which... you assume they've done, judging by what you've heard about them taking hostages and destroying buildings.

"Would you consider sharing?" Yuki asks lightly. "I feel like ships are sufficiently building-like to be affected by my power."

"Speaking of buildings, are we... are we seeing any damage in the city?" you murmur. "They do that, right?"

"Perhaps not, if the local girls surrendered quickly," Mami says, turning her eyes to look.

You bite your lip as you survey Mandalay from afar. With the buildings crowding together, you can't see anything that looks out of place - not at this distance, at any rate, and you're not getting up close and personal without performing your due diligence in recon first. Not with your friends at stake.

"I believe I'll start scrying," Oriko says, returning to her seat.

"Mm..." you frown slightly, considering the situation. You're still a good distance away from the city, off to its north-east - just past a hundred kilometers away from the skyscrapers of the city center. A river slips past the city to its west, north-to-south, the curls of frozen waves snapshot in hues of grey, and there you see the gentle rise of Mandalay hill.

The Iowa hovers above the river, just outside the borders of the city proper. Which is one upside, you suppose - if they're over the river, you don't have to worry about them crashing into anything on the way down, if down they are going.

"We need to know if they have any hostages on board," you say. "Oriko, Sayaka, Umika, anything you can find out I'd be deeply grateful for. And... mm. Actually, ah, before you start - everyone?"

You turn a slow circle, meeting the eyes of your friends. A few encouraging smiles here and there, a few looks of calm consideration. Open excitement for a few: Sayaka and Kazumi and Kirika and Mika. They're all looking to you for guidance. You worry that you might not live up to that, but that's fine. You have that most powerful tool at your side: delegation.

"Alright," you say. "I... again, I'll defer to anyone more experienced than myself, but as I see it: our first concern is hostages, yeah? If we can confirm that they don't have any, then we can, uh, have our way with the ship. The second consideration would be collateral damage."

Honestly, you sort of want to just take the Iowa group and... push them somewhere else.

"Then we need to know where they are," Mami says, nodding.

"Does your compass tell you whether the scryer is, um, on the ship or in the city?" you ask.

"We're far enough out that it's difficult to say," Mami says, frowning. "I think she's on the ship."

"Right," you say.

"The disposition of their forces is the first thing to be determined, then," Yuki says. "Which falls to Miss Mikuni, Miss Miki, and... Miss Misaki."

Her words trail off as she pivots on her heels to level an accusing eyebrow at you.

"I, uh," you say. Madokami above, you can feel the stares on you from everyone else. "I swear I didn't plan that. I wish I could say I did, because that is fantastically alliterative, but I didn't."

"Your unconscious mind is a rogue punster," Kirika says, grinning. "I approve."

Sasami flashes you a tentative, discreet thumbs-up, out of line-of-sight of Yuki.

"What about the civilians?" Sayaka asks.

"That's a problem too," you say. "I- OK, you know what? Why are we all standing? Sit down, sit down."

You reconfigure all the seats into a neat circle once more, and while you're at it, you dissolve the walls surrounding the flight platform so you have a clear view of the landscape all around. Gentle swells of hills and the untidy checker of farmland abound, sewn together with the thread of roads.

"Not that I mind, and not that they're uncomfortable," Moe asks, "But I do wonder why no two of these chairs match? Loveseats for the lovebirds, sure, but..." She motions towards the rocking chair she's sitting on, and then at the pilot's seat Yuki claimed.

"Eh..." You shrug. "Variety is the spice of life?"

"I suppose," Moe says dubiously. Shadows lick up and down her chair, wispy darkness simmering in what might be jittery energy and anticipation.

"Let's get to business," Yuki says, leaning forward slightly.

"Right, yes," you say, taking a breath. "So. We have a preeeeetty clear identification of whoever was scrying to be the Iowa group. I think we're all agreed that we're willing to make a first strike here?"

"A clear identification?" Noriko asks blankly. "How so?"

"Eh?" you say, blinking. "I mean, that's the USS Iowa. Iowa group. I... really can't see it being anyone else?"

"Oh," Noriko says, turning to stare at the floating ship. "Right, sorry. I don't know boats. Yeah, I guess that makes sense then."

"Yeah... I forget not everyone's as critically nerdy as I am," you mutter, rubbing your nose sheepishly. Mami giggles quietly, patting your shoulder gently. "Alright. So... are we all good with this?"

You watch, taking in the wave of nods and agreements, and Kyouko's grumbled, "We better be fighting something today."

You feel an odd mix of worry and anticipation and gladness swelling within you. Anticipation, because in some ways, you're looking forward to the fight. Guilt chases on the heels of that - guilt for being excited for a fight, one that might be life and death. Worry, because you're going into a fight, and gladness, because you're not going into it alone. You have friends at your back.

"It's not like there are very many innocent interpretations of them being here, huh," Sayaka says, her eyes flicking over to the city again.

"Alright. Then... our primary concerns: our safety, safety of civilians and potential hostages," you say. "So I see two broad lines of attack here. One: if we can figure out some way to fight their antimagic, and if we can determine that they're all aboard, we can ourselves board and fight. Or maybe we can disable the ship from beyond time stop, especially if we can determine that they're not all on board."

"Can we force them to move elsewhere?" Kazumi asks. "So we don't have to fight them near a city?"

"I... don't know," you admit. "And I don't know if we can do it fast enough to prevent them from getting shots off first."

"Changing the battleground isn't a bad idea," Mami says, nodding at Kazumi. "We could also consider luring them elsewhere, but that would lose us the advantage of initiative and Homura's timestop."

"And if they have hostages..." Mirai worries at a chunk of her lavender hair, gnawing at it until Kaoru, sitting beside her, firmly removes it from her mouth.

"So that would be the first and most important thing to determine: the disposition of their forces," Yuki says.

You nod slightly, conceding the point.

"And any further details about the battleship in the room," you say, frowning. A tiny effort of will and imagination has Grief coalescing in the middle of the circle of your friends, shaping bulkheads and the imposing lines of a hull and the castle of the Iowa's superstructure. A petite one-to-hundred scale makes it just under three meters long, large enough to pick out detail, and large enough to look down the yawning depths of the triple gun turrets if you chose. "OK. I'm making this a map of sorts to help with planning... Oriko, Sayaka, Umika, if you let me know what's where, I can update this."

Umika nods silently, pushing her half-spectacle-monocle up her nose as she flips her book open, producing a pen with a quick flourish.

"That's remarkably helpful," Oriko says. Her eyes slide over to Sayaka, their gazes locking for a second.

Sayaka frowns, raising an eyebrow.

"I've found it considerably easier to scry something that I'm more familiar with," Oriko explains after a moment. "Having a model will help us both in our attempts."

"Ah," Sayaka says, scowling ferociously at the model of the Iowa.

"Assuming that the interior is accurate to the actual Iowa, anyway," you say with a sigh. "I mean, my model is accurate to what I know of the actual ship, BB-61, but whether theirs is an accurate replica or not... Well, help me keep an eye out for that?"

"I'll do that," Sayaka says. Her scowl deepens, and she glares at Oriko. "How are we supposed to get through that antimagic? You were the one who wanted us to be closer to it."

"Their antimagic doesn't seem to be as comprehensive as Kirika's," Oriko says. "I wasn't able to probe past it at a distance, but now that we're closer, I have every reason to believe that by focusing my search area, I can find a way through."

"That's my Oriko," Kirika says proudly.

"Kure's antimagic is pulsed," Sayaka observes. "I take it this one isn't, or we caught them at a bad time."

"It seems to be continuous but not as comprehensive," Oriko says with a shrug.

"Hey, uh... I don't think it would, but be sure not to somehow bring them into the timestop, yeah?" you say. "Or, like, pull back if you do so by accident."

You flash Homura a concerned look. She's been holding up perfectly well so far, but you can't help but worry about her, with the way her shoulders ratchet tighter and tighter. She hasn't raised a single word of protest so far, but... you can't help remember her concerns when this all began, and worry.

"In what way is it not as comprehensive?" Kazumi asks, pursing her lips. "Can we punch through it? 'cuz that sounds like the answer to all our problems."

"I'm not sure how to express it," Oriko says. "It's... leaky on certain... wavelengths?"

"I believe I can answer that," Mami says slowly. "It feels, in retrospect, as if the antimagic shield they have is one that blocks hostile effects more than anything else."

"That's kind of unfortunate," you say. "I suppose it means we'll have a harder time hitting them."

"Hey, I've got a question," Mika says.

"Yes?" you ask. You keep an eye on Oriko as she closes her eyes, her magic gathering within her. You're not the only one either, Homura's eyes boring into her, mirrored by Sayaka's cerulean blue - the latter glancing your way as she seems to notice your attention.

"They've definitely got some kind of illusion or perception filter or something going on, right?" Mika says.

"Either that, or they're relying on Kyuubey covering up for them," you say, turning your attention fully to Mika.

"Miss Nakano has a point," Homura murmurs, frowning deeply. "I've never heard of... this."

You nod slowly, absorbing that. If she had, she'd have tried recruiting them, you imagine - fruitlessly, perhaps, but she would have tried. And... well, you trust Homura. Of course you do. And more to the point, you trust that if she'd heard of them before, and their powers, she'd have mentioned something prior to all this.

"And neither have I," Yuki says. "So we know the powers of perhaps four of their roster."

"The ship, their antimagic, their mindfucker, their scryer, who might also be a weather mage?" Akemi says, counting them off on her fingers.

"Their antimagic and their, ah, mindfucker are the same person," Umika says, staring at her book, open in her lap. A faint glow spills from the pages, lighting her face from beneath as she looks up. "So that's three."

"Then I've found those three, I suspect," Oriko says, opening her eyes. "They're on the... bridge, I believe?"

"Point 'em out for me," you say, detaching the forecastle from the model and floating it over to Oriko. "In here?"

"They are," Oriko affirms, reaching out to tap the model with her finger. "There. All three of them standing together. I haven't found any of the others."

"Crew quarters, maybe?" Sayaka says. "Do you know where those are, Sabrina?"

"Uh... I mean, the Iowa's big enough to have multiple, distributed throughout the entire ship," you say. A thought 'explodes' your model into sections, the hull lifting off and sections separating from each other. A particular row of them, spanning the entire ship, you point out to Sayaka. "So as far as I know, all of these are crew quarters."

"A lot of ground to cover," Sayaka mutters. "I'll start with the ones nearer to the bridge, I guess."

"Miss Mikuni," Mami says. "Can you tell if the three on the bridge have reacted in any way to our activity prior to entering Homura's timestop?"

"Oh, yes," Oriko says, nodding. "They seem to be... having an argument between two of them. One of them I presume to be the ship owner, given her attire-" and you take that as a cue to add a pirate hat to one of the models, "-and the other their weather mage, again, given her costume. The third looks annoyed with all the noise."

"Their antimage," you mutter. "Alright, that's good. No hostages or prisoners there?"

"Not that I can see," Oriko says, shaking her head. "I shall continue to search."

"Hey, uh, Sayaka," you say. "While you're at it, can you check the middle turret, see if it's functioning?"

"Sure?" Sayaka says.

"The actual Iowa had that turret blow up," you explain. "It was never actually repaired before it was decommissioned, so it was just a dummy turret and like... I'm kind of assuming that the damn thing is actually a threat, turrets and all. If all of them are functional, then that's important to know."

"That's a safe assumption," Kyouko mutters. "Assume the fucking worst."

"Given the track record of the Iowa group, I would presume that the ship poses a threat, yes," Yuki says. "The threat of force aside, I mean."

"Hostages, I think," Sayaka says, her eyes springing open. "Uh- sorry, haven't forgotten about the turret thing, but I wanted to check the crew quarters quickly. They're... gimme that section there- no, not that one, that on- oh forget it."

Sayaka hops to her feet, rather than try to point out which of the many exploded ship-segments you have. She stabs a finger at the one all the way to the stern, furthest away from the bridge.

"There," she says. "There's a dead zone here. A different kind of antimagic in this room, it feels like. One girl who I think was on guard, another girl... here, two floors down, who looks like she's running towards them. Both of 'em are magical girls, obviously."

"Fantastic work," you say, marking out the rooms and the newly discovered girls. "Any guesses as to their powers from their costumes?"

"Search me," Sayaka says with a shrug as she returns to her seat. "Uh... Miss Umika?"

"I'll try," Umika says, scribbling furiously in her book.

"Speaking of their antimagic..." Kazumi says, sticking her hand up, simultaneously elbowing Mirai.

"I wanna test my bears against it," Mirai says. "If it's like Mami-sempai said, then my bears might work pretty well."

"I think we need a more generalized way of bypassing their antimagic," Mami says. "Having the bears would be helpful, certainly, but we can't rely solely on them to do all the work, especially not against experienced magical girls."

"Right... that's a good segue, anyway," you say. "Antimagic. That's a problem."

"Miss Kure, do you think you can counter their antimagic?"

"Dunno," Kirika says, scratching her hair. "Can't say for sure without trying it out."

"I can fix that!" Kazumi says brightly. "Well, I can try. I can just copy their antimagic and let you test against that!"

"Cool," Kirika says, scowling. "Honestly, get me close to her and I can shut down the entire thing, probably."

"Think you can shut the entire ship down?" Kaoru asks.

"No idea!" Kirika says cheerfully. "Miss Kazumi? Think ya can whip up a copy for me to test on?"

"Uh..." Kazumi frowns and stands, gently displacing Kaoru and Umika from around her, before pacing to the edge of the platform, all eyes following her. She squints at the distant battleship, holding one hand out as if to shade her eyes. "Nnnnnno, I don't think I can copy that. That ship's..."

"It's her 'weapon', isn't it," you sigh. "I get a hammer, and she gets an entire damn ship."

"Think so. Or her specific Wish-thingy," Kazumi says with a shrug. "I mean, Wishes are these... fuzzy, wobbly things anyway. Feels like... not magic magic, but more like..." Kazumi makes a vague gesture with her hands. "Yeah. Point is, doesn't feel like I can copy the ship, but I can copy the antimagic field they've got. Which I'll do now."

"U-um... does that mean she can make more ships?" Yuma asks, looking deeply concerned, and really, can you blame her?

"... So we need to plan a way to potentially take out multiple battleships," you say.

"We should make our own," Sayaka grumbles.

"Don't tempt me," you mutter. "I really want to make a Montana in response. That's, uh, the planned successor to the Iowa that was never built, for everyone who isn't a ship nerd."

"I vote for the Yamato," Kirika chirps.

"Oi, Miss Kirika, sec over here? Wanna try this out?" Kazumi asks, waving her hand. "I've got their antimagic copied, let's try yours against theirs."

"Lemme give you a side platform to test it on?" you offer, a walkway already growing from the side of the disc. "And, uh, Mirai-"

"Yup!" Mirai says. You're already bringing her bears to bear, swinging that extra platform up into place at the end of the walkway.

"Cool!" Kazumi says, bouncing off. "Don't mind us~"

You do mind them, of course, if only to keep an eye out for Homura's peace of mind - her eyes track Kirika like turrets locked onto a target as Kirika bestows a quick kiss upon Oriko and hops to her feet to follow Kazumi.

"Something like this ship can't be cheap," Yuki notes after a moment. "Even if the Iowa-girl Wished for the ship, and she probably did, I doubt that she..." Yuki trails off, emerald-green eyes narrowing in thought. "Perhaps we're overthinking this. Can we just board and capture them one-by-one?"

The nauseating sensation of antimagic distracts you for a moment, your eyes flickering to Kazumi and Kirika standing at the end of the walkway. Kazumi's grinning brightly, magic hazing around her, and Kirika's evidently testing her own magic out, judging by the pulses that tug uncomfortably at your mind.

"That does rather depend on whether we can operate through the antimagic field," Mami muses, nudging her shoulder gently against yours. "And more importantly, can we capture them without connecting the rest of them to the timestop?"

"And uh... is it possible that they have a power amplifier, or a Grief controller or some other way to offset costs?" you venture.

It occurs to you that you wanted to do some tests with the antimagic, and it just so happens that you have a convenient means of doing so right here. All you have to do is to spare a fraction of your attention and a bit of Grief for the testing. Entirely doable.

"It's possible," Mami says, worrying at her lower lip. "Likely, even."

"Mrg. Sayaka, Oriko - are you still looking for the Iowa girls?" you ask, skimming bits of Grief into the boundary of the field Kazumi has up, an action you regret almost immediately as nausea roils through your stomach.

Mami glances to you, golden eyes widening with concern.

"Just testing something," you mutter to her. She nods slightly, and shifts so that you can lean against her without it being too obvious.

But-

The important thing is, despite the nausea that lances through you and threatens your lunch into making a reappearance, you didn't lose control of your Grief. Some precision in control, perhaps, but it's not Kirika's antimagic. And speaking of which, you can feel Kirika gathering her power once more, so you pull your Grief back fully.

Homura seems to have noticed your moment of weakness too, a concerned look darting your way.

"I am," Oriko answers, rubbing her forehead. "It seems they're all on the ship, or rather, I'm not seeing any evidence of them being in the city."

"Yeah..." Sayaka mutters distractedly.

"Then... can you see if they're connected in any way?" you ask, raising your wrist demonstratively, Mami's ribbon glowing gold even in the unearthly half-light of the time stop.

"Hol' up," Kyouko grunts, stirring and glaring at Sayaka. "A different kind of antimagic, you said. Izzit that the Iowa girls have a second antimagic girl that they're using to lock down their prisoners, or did they grab some hostages who're taking advantage and making a move?"

"Er," Sayaka says. "I don't know."

"An excellent point," Mami says with a smile for Kyouko, but her attention remains focused mainly on the ship - the crew quarters Sayaka pointed out. "That does rather change the complexion of things."

"Actually..." Yuki mutters. "Is it really a concern if they can make another ship or ten? We have enough heavy hitters here that we should be able to destroy them outright, and if they're newly created, then there will be no one aboard. And in fact, if they're simply conjurations, then we have less fear of them hitting something on the way down. The danger is in our opponents, not the Iowa."

"Barring teleports," Homura points out.

"Newly created ships will be empty barring teleporters, yes," Yuki agrees. "Miss Misaki, can you tell us anything there?"

"No teleporters in the area," Umika says. "There is a healer, but I'm not sure whose side she's on."

"Gotta be with the Iowa girls, right?" Kaoru says, brushing orange hair from her eyes. "They can't have lasted this long without one."

"Miss Misaki, can you determine all the powers in the area?" Mika asks.

"It's not so easy," Umika says, shaking her head. "But that's what I've been trying to do, yeah."

"Given that large portions of the ship are empty, can we just blast it?" Sasami suggests. "Break it into pieces... and you can catch the pieces if they fall, Miss Vee?"

"Yeah, that's possible," you say. "The problem is if they can just reform it, and if we're sure they won't take action against their hostages or the city."

"Speaking of, there are three antimagic users in the area," Umika says, her pen stilling on the page. "Miss Kure, then... well, two more. One of them also has perception effects of some kind, and the last one is unknown."

"That's a good start, so thank you. Uh... can you get a count of how many magical girls there are here, actually?" you say.

Umika shakes her head, looking apologetic. "My magic is kind of unreliable for this kind of thing," she says.

"That's fine - anything you can find out is helpful," you say, blowing out a breath that puffs your cheeks out. "Gah."

"Gah yourself," Kazumi says as she trots back, Mirai and Kirika in tow. "Good news, bad news?"

"Bad news first, if you please," Yuki says.

"Bad news is that my magic doesn't work great against the antimagic field," Kirika says, pouting grumpily as she throws herself at Oriko, the seer catching her in her arms. Kirika squirms around on Oriko's lap, turning to face everyone. "Good news is that I can definitely make it fizzle if I hit her. An' before you ask, I can't snipe from that far out. I'd need to be closer."

"The other good news is that my beautiful bears are unaffected!" Mirai says brightly.

"Completely so?" Mami asks.

"Not completely," Mirai says. "I need to focus more on controlling them. The antimagic feels more like, er, turbulence. Or interference, or something like that."

"Really now?" Yuki says, looking up with sharp interest in her eyes. "That bodes well for us."

"My Grief control works too, but it, uh, makes me nauseous," you say. "Something I can get a hang of, but not something I want to fight through."

"If I may," Oriko says, opening her eyes once more. "I haven't seen anything to indicate that they might be linked together, but I believe I've found another two of their number. They are below the bridge, and if you could-" Seeing as Oriko is trapped by Kirika, you obligingly bring the model closer to her, "-thank you. Here, and here. One of them is turning towards the rear, apparently in the direction of their... prisoners? And one towards the bridge."

Yuki frowns sharply and nods. "That does lend credence to Miss Sakura's idea that their prisoners might be staging a breakout."

"Haven't really found any, um, normal humans on board either," Sayaka says.

"We should board the ship," Homura murmurs.

"I'm inclined to agree," Mami says, nodding. "If they're breaking out, then we should be helping them."

"Split our forces, maybe," Mika offers. "Half of us keep watch for any nasty surprises, half to sneak in?"

"Maybe," you say, considering the model of the ship.

[] Go in under the cover of timestop
- [] To rescue the prisoners - they need the help
- [] To capture the Iowa girls - neutralize the threat
[] Assault externally - a distraction for the escapees and neutralization the threat
[] Write-in any details

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] Discuss presumed enemy powers and come up with counters.
-[X] Weather control. Homura's timestop and Mika probably both counter.
-[X] Could one of the Iowa Crew be a power amplifier, to explain all this?
-[X] Are there gaps in Iowa's powers they would need to fill in order to safely operate as they do?
-[X] If battleship artillery counts, everything you've seen from the Iowa Crew displays a capacity for extreme range; That could make fighting from afar tricky.
[X] You have a mass of enchanted grief that can make any one tool.
-[X] If you can't disable the antimagic field by other means, or need really heavy armor, you might try copying a certain witch's ability to just no sell everything.

=====​

Honestly, this update fought me tooth and nail, and I'm not really happy with it still. Way too meander-y, if you ask me, but here it is. I might tighten it up at a later point.

 

[Firnagzen]

You transfer your gaze from the model, with its clearly delineated targets, to the real thing, trapped in time like a bug in amber as you think furiously, thoughts sleeting through your mind in not-so-orderly chains. You have enough information to plan an attack, and just enough wisdom to recognise that it will go wrong. Contingencies are the name of the game here.

You're not the only one staring in that direction. That ship, possibly that city, is going to turn into a battlefield. And the chaos of a battle isn't something you can tame. No matter how much you plan, no matter how much firepower you bring...

You're afraid, and you're not the only one.

Kazumi, her knee bouncing with the tapping of her feet, Umika and Kaoru and Mirai clutched close to her. They, in turn, huddle closer, but they're all alert and thoughtful, tension thrumming in their postures despite, or maybe because, of each other's presence.

Dusky red eyes flick your way for a second as you look over at Kyouko, and she looks away deliberately, biting into what looks like toffee - something sticky that stretches as she savages it. Yuma's sitting upright, bright green eyes darting uncertainly around the circle of people, nervous and fidgety.

Kirika, of course, you find curled around Oriko, who still has her eyes shut. You can feel the slow throb of her magic, slow pulses surging and ebbing as she continues to scry into the distance. You're not at all surprised to notice that they're holding hands, of course.

Yuki looks composed, both hands folded demurely on her lap. Then again, she's done this before: of your entire coalition here, she and her girls are probably the most experienced with this specific kind of fight. You're not sure even Homura's faced open combat with this kind of numbers before. Mika, perhaps.

And speaking of Mika, she's given up on sitting and decided to stand instead, hands braced on the back of her chair. She looks a little twitchy, a gentle breeze ruffling her robes and hair as she stands still - a nervous tic, if you're any judge. You owe her an apology later, you think. She really doesn't like the timestop and the lack of the free-flowing wind.

Homura shows nothing. A blank expression, sharp eyes and a poker face unreadable to almost anyone else. The slightest hint of strain, perhaps, and the endless trickle of Grief into her Soul Gem - something you've been keeping a careful eye on this entire time. She glances your way for a moment, holding your gaze before nodding slightly.

You'll take that as a sign of approval, then.

Sayaka's on her feet and pacing now, thumbs hooked into the belt of her costume as she tries to wear a hole in the floor of the flight platform. Her cloak waves in the still air too, a dramatic flutter flowing smoothly through the air in her wake. The jerk.

"Sit down, Blue," Kyouko grouses. "Your typewriter impression isn't doing anyone any good."

"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka grumbles back, legs folding as she drops back into her seat like a puppet with its strings cut.

Mami sits at your side, unruffled and placid, that familiar, gentle smile on her face as she considers the ship in the distance. If she's worried about the fight to come, she shows it not at all, projecting confidence and warm reassurance... right up until she looks over, and smiles at you, relaxing against you.

"I think I've got the beginnings of a plan," you say, finally breaking the... not quite silence, not with the music going in the background still, but nobody's been talking. "Again - everyone, feel free to call me out if anything seems dumb with the plan, and um... Sayaka, Oriko, Miss Umika, can I prevail on you to continue checking? Make sure we haven't missed anyone in the boat or on the ground, and if possible to know their powers?"

"Can do!" Sayaka says.

"I may not succeed," Umika warns, pushing her half-spectacles-monocle up her face, and no wonder because it's half a pair of spectacles and clearly wouldn't stay up properly. "As I mentioned, my magic isn't really intended to do this kind of thing."

"Anything you can tell us will be helpful, Umi," Kazumi says, looping an arm around her waist and snuggling closer, chin resting on her shoulder. Umika nods, and returns to her book.

"Agreed," Yuki says, nodding and then turning her attention to you. "You said you had an idea, Miss Vee?"

"Yeah. Miss Nakano has the right idea - we want to hit multiple objectives simultaneously, but I think we want four teams, not two," you say. "I'll call them Teams Aleph, Two, C, and Delta."

You can see Homura giving you a dubious look out of the corner of your eye, but the giggles that race around the group -the war room sans room- are worth it, you think. There's a time and place for seriousness, and there's a time and place for humour, and it's worth lightening the mood a little right now.

"Dibs on Delta team!" Sayaka says.

"Dibs on- dangit," Kirika says, scowling. They lock eyes, glaring.

"I-" You raise a finger, and then lower it, shaking your head. "Actually, you know what? I was planning on putting the two of you on the same team anyway, so, sure, you're both on Delta Team and before you start complaining, let me explain."

"Yeah, fine," Sayaka grumbles, folding her arms and glaring daggers at Kirika.

And so you stand, and you start explaining. Little figurines standing for each of your friends and allies are added to the model of Iowa, aiding in the explanation. It's a straightforward enough plan, you think, and flexible enough to handle a changing battlefield. Simple, too, because simplicity counts when you're trying to coordinate eighteen magical girls.

"I'm not sure I like the idea of splitting up our groups," Kazumi says slowly, after you finish explaining. "I can see the sense of why you want people where they are, but our strength is in the bonds with each other, right?"

"Right!" Kaoru says loyally.

You sigh heavily as you return to your seat beside Mami, finding her hand almost immediately sneaking over to find yours. She leans into your side, a thread of anxious tension wound tight in her form as you intertwine your fingers with hers, trying to offer what reassurance you can. Her palm is warm against yours, even through the leather of her half-gloves.

"Yeah, it's not completely ideal," you admit, grimacing. "As I said, I'm open to suggestions."

Yuki taps a finger to her chin, thoughtful. "I think Miss Vee has the right of it, actually," she says. "Miss Akemi's power is one of our biggest advantages, and we ought to be leveraging it for our initial setup - and there's no reason we can't link up and regroup, should the fight continue."

"I gotta work with them?" Sayaka says, glaring at Kirika. "I mean, I've got Kure's antimagic, just send one of us."

"No. It's smart," Homura says, looking at Sayaka for a moment until the bleunette notices, tilting her head quizzically. Homura sighs slightly, and switches her attention to yours. "We can talk privately before combat starts, right? Sayaka and I."

"Uh... yeah, sure? I can make a separate platform, so you're out of earshot," you say, blinking. You feel like you've missed something, but Homura just nods with what might be approval on her face.

"I wanna moment with Oriko, too," Kirika says, folding her arms and scowling. The effect's rather ruined by the way she's curled up under Oriko's arm, of course.

"Speaking of pre-battle preparations, Miss Vee, I'd like to call in our previous arrangement, and claim a property somewhere in the city first," Yuki says.

"Sure and sure, if everyone's alright with diverting for a bit?" you say, glancing around the circle. "Though, uh, Miss Tsuruya, we can always do it afterwards, of course."

"It would be to our collective benefit to do so before we begin," Yuki says, smiling faintly. "It would serve as a place for us to fall back to - all the way to Fukushima, if necessary, as well as being a hardpoint that we can pivot around if they force us to the ground."

Kyouko snorts quietly, rolling her eyes, and really, you can't blame her. Or Yuki. From the outside, it looks like transparent manipulation: Yuki gets something she wants, and yet, it's eminently practical: a fallback point is absolutely worthwhile to establish, let alone what she can offer from having one ready.

Win-win.

"Yeah, it makes sense," you say. "Again, if everyone's alright with diverting for a bit?"

"Sure, whatever," Kyouko grumbles. "Can we get to the fighting already?"

"I... think so?" you say, looking around the group. "I'll give everyone a few minutes in privacy to talk, then we shuffle around for our team assignments. Yeah?"

A chorus of agreements and nods, the tension in the air suddenly ramping up. You manage a brief smile for everyone, and then start splitting off smaller, individual platforms for quiet conversations - apart from Mika, who elects to go for a flight instead, wrapping herself in wind and soaring in a broad loop.

"It's a good plan," Mami murmurs quietly to you as she wraps her arms around you in a crushing hug. "And we're supporting each other, so that's good."

"But it's scary," you murmur quietly as you close your arms around her, letting the confidence fall away, here and now, with just the two of you. The worry gnaws at you: your friends are here because of you. You're leading them into a fight, with every advantage you can leverage to your side, but a fight nevertheless.

"It is," Mami murmurs, nestling against you. "I..." She exhales slowly, the warmth of her breath soaking through the thick layers of your costume to pool against your skin. "Mm." She pulls back and smiles at you, soft and radiant. "I trust you, Sabrina. So I know we'll get through this alright."

"Thank you," you murmur. You hope she's right.

She brushes a gentle kiss against your cheek, going on her tiptoes to do so, and then settles back down, turning her attention to the ship in the distance. She exhales, and her smile turns hard.

"If they think they're taking you away from me, they're wrong," she says, steel in her voice. "And if they think they're taking another innocent, well... we're here to show them just how wrong they are, aren't we?"

"We are," you say. "Mami, do you have a spare Grief Seed? Let me clear one for you, just in case. Iowa's a big ship, and we might be separated. Plus, it'll be good for emergency first aid?"

"I..." Mami closes her hand over yours, squeezing gently. "I won't need it. Not as long as you're here."

"You won't, all going well," you say, nodding firmly. "But it would make me feel better if you had it, just in case? And as I said - emergency first aid. Kazumi didn't bring their Clear Seed, for example, and maybe if you want to go really big with the Tiro Finales."

"Well... alright," Mami says, squeezing your hand. "But I'll give it back after the battle."

"Yep," you say, grinning easily at her.

And from there, it's just waiting. Rearrangement. You drift the entire conglomeration of floating platforms down closer to the ground as you clear out Suleika for Mami, picking out a likely-looking building out of the monotone greys of timestop - and by likely, you mean unoccupied. An old office building, built by someone with an excess of optimism and a lack of common sense, if you're any judge.

Their loss is Yuki's gain, it seems, as you deposit the diminutive girl at the crumbling atrium, flanked by Moe and Sasami. Broken glass and peeling paint abound, grass and other weeds swarming over sand and soil piled up over years of neglect, but Yuki doesn't seem to mind it at all, her eyes closing as her magic seeps into the air.

Sayaka and Homura signal for a return, Homura giving you a slight nod with unreadable violet eyes as you guide their platform back. Sayaka seems more settled now, crackling her knuckles and spinning off a clone.

Kyouko's the next to return, scowl pulling her face into an angry lopside. She touches Yuma gently on the shoulder, and the smaller girl waits as Kyouko stomps up to you, glaring.

"Yuma better not fucking get hurt," she growls at you.

"I promise I'll do my best to keep her safe," you say evenly. "But since you trained her, she can definitely kick my ass in a melee. I don't think she needs my protection."

Kyouko glowers at you, then Mami, jaw tightening.

"Fine," she grunts, turning away. "Yuma, c'mon. Few more tips for ya."

And more snacks, too, you can't help but notice, as she shares a chocolate bar from somewhere in her bottomless pockets.

You can feel the shudder in the air as Yuki works her magic, colour creeping up the dilapidated facade of the building. More to your concern, you can feel the Grief trickling into Homura's Soul Gem surge with the strain of supporting the building on top of everything else in her timestop.

She waves you off before you can say anything, jaw tight with tension - but she manages a single tense nod for you, amethyst eyes all but glowing in the unearthly half-light of her timestop. She's got this.

You flash her a smile, and not-so-subtly shuffle you and Mami to stand a little closer to her. Not offering her physical support, not exactly, but... being there for her.

Yuki nods, and steps back. The office building doesn't look any different, not from the outside, but you can feel the magic thrumming through it now - and the moment Yuki releases her magic, Homura's timestop takes hold once more, like creeping frost in fast forward.

Homura's shoulders sag as the strain is released, as Yuki returns, satisfied half-smirk on her face. She nods at you and Homura in turn, tucking her arms behind her back under her cloak.

A few more quick tests as the others return from their quiet conversations, last minute things that everyone wants to be sure of. Kazumi takes the lead here, offering her copy of the antimagic field for experimentation - Noriko and Akemi, in particular, are interested in testing their powers.

The answer, it turns out, is yes* and yes respectively, but you assign a mental asterisk to the former as you watch from the sidelines. Noriko seems to have... similar issues to you, albeit substantially lesser - a headache, or so she tells you, instead of the nausea that roils through you. Akemi, on the other hand, has little issue, evidenced by the flipping of a small handful of coins.

A few quick swings with Noriko's scimitars solves a question you'd had nagging at the back of your mind, too. Weapons aren't a problem.

Another few more quick tests, and... there's little else you can put off, now. Oriko hasn't found anything yet, nor Sayaka, so your plans are as good as they're going to get. Umika hasn't either, though she does suggest that that you should expect something unusual, as far as powers go.

"So much for boredom," you say lightly, cheerfully. You stand, drawing everyone's attention to you. "Like I said, I'd really hoped to be able to send everyone home bored and annoyed, but... ah, well. So I'll just say thank you, everyone, for coming. We'll make it through this just fine." You grin confidently. "So. Let's get this done."

"Hear, hear!" Mika says.

"We are the hammer!" Mirai cries, thrusting one fist skyward.

"... Grey Knights?" Sayaka asks. "Really?"

"Hey, I don't play 'em, but it works," Mirai says, nodding at you.

You snort, amusement tugging your grin into something more natural. "Which reminds me of an important lapse. We never did name our coalition, but at this point... after the battle, yeah? After all-"

"-names are important!" Kazumi completes for you, sliding a look Mami's way for approval.

Mami chuckles lightly. "Names are important, so let's all think of one to share after we finish the fight," she says. "Now, as Sabrina said - let's get this done."

You're the first up. Time and space, opportunity and positioning. The keys to a battle, and here, your role is to chivvy the teams together, and to shift them on individual platforms.

Team Aleph takes to the skies, positioned on a platform high above the central superstructure of Iowa, far above the radar spars and in perfect position to rain down devastation. They are, literally, the overwatch team. Oriko, for the literal aspect of watching out for danger and calling out shots. Mami provides firepower from above, with Mika and Homura being your quick and quickest response forces.

Mika assures you that she can keep everyone aloft, if it should come to that - and you know that Mami can glide, while Homura has her air-step, and Oriko... well, Oriko sounds a little dubious, but concedes that she could conjure enough of her ivy spheres to keep herself airborne in an emergency.

As you send them aloft, Mami's already aiming and firing, golden blasts thundering across the surreal monochrome of timestop and shaking your bones with the shockwave. Turrets, radar, antenna, anti-air emplacements... you don't know how exactly they work under the Iowa girl's powers, but you want to deny her even the sliver of advantage. Mami targets them all, her voice ringing out clear and loud in tandem with streaking golden meteors that lance forward and freeze mid-air, captured in timestop.

Aleph for alpha. Alpha strike.

You stay with them for the moment for easier coordination. You'll be moving soon enough to your own task.

Finally, Mami nods, turning to you.

"Everyone's in place," you murmur. "Homura, on your signal."

She nods tightly. Homura raises her free hand, the shotgun rising to the sky. She exhales once, slowly, amethyst eyes hard, and fires.

Your move.

Your move, as an explosion of sparks detonates overhead. You're not sure where Homura got Dragon's Breath rounds, but that's a thought for later. Much later.

Team Delta. Iowa's antimagic feeds back to you as nausea, and a lack of fine control, but you can ignore both when all you need is to slam insertion pods home. Massive, car-sized cylinders, solid bulk for protection and acceleration bracing.

Homura cranks her shield.

Colour returns to the world. Sound hammers your ears. The soundscape of a city below you, the roar of cars and people and life.

Mika leaps skyward with a joyous cry, the winds roaring around her in a living tornado.

The crash of exploding glass and shriek of metal crumpling like a tin can crushed by an angry god, and you imagine the scene in your mind's eye. The bridge of the USS Iowa, with its occupants. There are three girls there - the 'captain', the weather-seer, and their anti-mage.

Their argument ends with flying glass and carnage as your insertion pods -drop pods, to borrow a term- come to a halt. Kyouko leads with a shout and a blur of crimson, Mirai's bears shaking the deck with their footsteps as they back up the girl who might just be one of the finest melee fighters alive. Kaoru takes the flank, her soccerball a deadly thing of ricochets and unrelenting force.

Mami's barrage lands. Explosions erupt as Mami thrusts a hand skyward with a cry, magic flaring bright in empowered detonations that tear into the Iowa.

Kirika, Sayaka, and Kazumi charge in on the melee squad's heels. Anti-anti-magic to catch the Iowa girls in a crossfire - their goal is the Iowa's own antimage.

And there your imagination fails. You don't know what's happening there. But there-

The antimagic flickers, fades, and dies. You squeeze Mami's hand again. You leap, and you soar. Your wings form instantly, nightmare cutting across the sky. A declaration, a warning, a distraction.

You are here.

The reaction is instantaneous. Tracers stitch rivers of fire towards you, airbursts and puffs of smoke shaking the air. Reformed turrets? Mami reacts instantly, golden shots lancing for the ship - and it becomes a duel. Anything that comes near you, anything that comes near Mami's platform, you swat out of the air as Mami hunts the turrets down.

Yuki's your second wave. A second insertion pod, landing between the Iowa's two great smokestacks, amidst the towering castle of its superstructure. They smash down with enough force to crumple metal, Yuki and Moe and Sasami spilling out in perfect formation. Light and shadow in tandem, and-

Something's wrong.

Light blazes, the searing beam of Sasami's flaring across the decks and across the horizon. A magical girl there -where did she come from?- engaging the Fukushima girls.

"We've got this," Yuki snaps into your mind, tight and controlled. "Plan continues."

She thought she could take over the Iowa. And that's where you put her - in position with her friends to watch her back, to pit her will against its summoner for control. She's the best kind of distraction: The kind that is a threat.

Just like you.

You tear the Iowa in half.

No grand gestures, no showmanship. You tear the ship in two, taking the rear-most turret with you, and catch it as it begins to fall. The third and last drop pod screams in for a landing. You're hard on its heels.

You break your fall with Grief. The impact sends steel spalling off the deck, a shockwave you ruthlessly bend to your will with a flood of Grief. Both Norikos leap from the drop pod, doubly twinned scimitars flashing in the afternoon light. Akemi and Yuma race to follow, staff and mace ready.

You nod to them, and take off at a sprint.

Grief rips a hole open in the deck ahead of you, a staircase forming under your feet as you leap into the dim red of emergency lighting. Grief surges out ahead of you as you peel the rear half of the Iowa open. More Grief forms a solid plug ahead of you as you charge, shield and offense all in one as you rip holes through the deck to allow your charge. Movement-

"Behind!" Akemi barks.

Sparks fly, shining silver. Noriko's there, two bodies flowing with supernatural coordination, two sets of scimitars moving in hypnotic patterns that are fast and slow all at once, overlapping, endless circles. And her opponent is-

-gone.

And then you feel the blast that shivers through the air. Iowa's main guns speak, the turrets not so much moving as snapping between states - broken, whole, aimed.

At Mami.

Your heart seizes within your chest, but this-

This is something you can handle, even from here as you reach out with Grief. A shell. Three shells, sixteen inch shells that push well past a ton each ripple firing in blasts that shake through the afternoon in resonant booms, shockwaves alone near enough to sweep you from your feet even through the broken decks.

You catch them. And you're not alone in the effort, the howl of winds swirling tight around the shells. You sense the intent and you gladly take the aid - and Mika shears the rounds into pieces with blades of wind that scorch, phantom heat and biting cold you feel through your Grief.

"Miss Tsuruya!" Oriko barks over telepathy.

"I'm trying!" Yuki snarls back. "I don't have control yet!"

"Three additional enemies," Oriko snaps. "Stealth specialist. They can teleport in the shi- Sabrina!"

You sense it at the same moment, a disturbance in your fog of Grief.

Yuma's there with a cry and an overhead strike that trails green in the dim light. The crunch of bone under a mace, the impression of a girl -poncho, turquoise, long white hair- and a scream, and-

She's gone.

More importantly, you don't detect anyone in your half of the ship, either, and it's-

It's disintegrating, faux steel bleeding out of reality from beneath your feet.

"Oriko! Where are the hostages?" you demand.

"Working on it!" she yells back.

"They got away!" Sayaka snarls over telepathy. "Anti-mage secured, other two are gone!"

[x] Continue the battle
[] Guess where they've gone
[] Write-in any specific tactics

=====​

I'm deeply sorry for how long this update took - it's suffered a fair bit of rewriting and such. No vote is necessary at this point, but can possibly improve things.

 

[Firnagzen]

The half -third, if you're being pedantic- of Iowa you took is falling out of the sky. More importantly, it's empty but for you and your squad.

Fine. Time to relocate.

"We're moving!" you snap at your friends. Yuma, Noriko, Akemi. They close around you, Grief blossoming in a solid disc beneath your feet.

More Grief surrounds you, floods the ship segment. The rear end of the Iowa - propulsion, one turret, just about fifteen thousand tons of faux-steel and mass. It's already disintegrating, metal stretching thin over the fabric of space and time. You're not sure if it'll be fully gone by the time it hits the ground, but then, you're not going to let it be a problem.

A billion, trillion specks of Grief sharpen to impossible edges for an instant.

You leave confetti drifting in the wind behind you as you lift skyward. Perhaps that hurt the Iowa girl, perhaps it didn't, but that's not your concern for the moment.

The ship's reforming, armour and steel shimmering into place as a ghost-form.

Both forward turrets reform, in that same camera-shutter stutter. A tripled roll of thunder, the shockwave shuddering through the air in the wake of the fore turret ripple-firing.

There, and away.

Some instinct has you turning your head away. Light blooms bright and pure, a solid beam of light that lances out from within the Iowa and over the horizon. Sasami, then, still fighting. Inside the ship, judging from the way the blast cored a turret from the underside before it got to fire.

Mami meets the shells in flight with her own, golden thunderbolts crashing down from above in an explosion of ribbon. The indigo flare of magic you think is Umika's joins the gold, detonating the shots and containing the blast. And if Mami's got the shells handled, then it's your turn to do something about the turret.

You surge towards the ship, Grief disc bucking beneath your feet. Your nanofog too boils forward, and you rip the turret from the ship, for all the good that it'll do, and-

"We're going to the main half of the ship," you yell over the roar of the wind, switching mental channels for a moment. "Miss Akiyama! Is there anything happening in Mitakihara?"

"All clear," Atsuko drawls.

Yuma's eyes snap up at your words, her attention torn away from the cloud of shredded remains - which are increasingly translucent, as if some essence is being leeched away. But that's a thought for slightly later. Here and now, you give Yuma a firm nod and an approving grin, because she's done amazing so far.

And it seems to help a little, the nervous jitter of her fingers along the haft of her mace easing a little. Noriko and Akemi catch your eye too, both of them looking anxious, but ready. Akemi offers you a measured, steady nod in turn - they're ready to head back into the fray.

You exhale, and face forward once more as you vector towards the bulk of the ship.

If Oriko's right -if they have a stealth specialist- then you might find them the brute-force way. Check first. Nanofog pours through the corridors of the ship, slashing past bulkheads and pipes and maintenance spaces. The layout feels... familiar to you. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know that inch for inch, it's a perfect replica of the Iowa.

In layout, at least.

"They've disengaged," Yuki's voice is crisp and unruffled. "No casualties on either side so far. Encountered one girl with super-strength and flight, another with some kind of... mixture of powers, fire, ice, illusions, that sort of thing. Someone else is teleporting them within the ship, seems similar to my own powers."

"Right," you say, vectoring towards the main bulk of the ship. You glance up to Mami, still on her platform and still duelling with the Iowa - but it seems that she's weathered it well, as outgoing fire from the ship slackens. "Do you think you can try to take over the ship?"

"Returning to the attempt," Yuki says.

"Alright. Sayaka, Kyouko?" you say, shifting mental gears.

"Hit and run," Sayaka says. "Teleporting in for a few hits, then teleporting out."

"Change the game!" Kazumi calls. "They have too much power in here. We're gonna get outta here - we've got one of their girls!"

"Good call," you say. "I'll come in for a-"

Ripples pushing through your Grief.

"Incoming!" you bark out loud. Grief shimmers out ahead of you, disc congealing out of thin air to shield you. A feint, you realise a heartbeat later as three girls soar over the disc, one touching down briefly on the very edge.

Very much her mistake. Grief surges up around the girl, a flood of dark purple. The poncho girl from earlier, her face pulling into a glare as she tries to leap back, but it's rather too late because her foot's already bound in place but-

One of the girls plunges right for you, a blur of white silhouetted against the ocean-grey of Iowa. Grief. More Grief ahead to you as Noriko moves to intercept in a blur of metal, whirling sheets of shining silver that mean nothing as the white-clad girl ploughs right through. The blades bounce, shallow lacerations as Noriko savages at her and-

The air congeals around her, Grief forming around her body in layers of fractal patterns, but-

The breath whooshes from your lungs as you're hurled backwards by two fists driving right into your solar plexus. Grief wasn't enough to stop her, the girl -white and gold and a cape, discount Power Girl, knockoff of a knockoff- bulling right through with a flare of magic and brute force, forcing Yuma to dive aside.

You ignore the pain, pushing it aside. You might have a few broken ribs.

"Sabrina!" Mami's concern bleeds through her mental voice, her barrage halting momentarily.

"I've- we've got this, Mami," you respond to her, and switch mental tracks. "Aleph - find them! Use Homura's power if necessary!"

You do have this. The girl knocked you off the platform, but that's fine. She's a flyer, but so are you.

"They're inside the ship," Oriko snaps. "Under the big tower, behind a lot of armour. Not sure about the hostages. Their stealth is blurring everything."

"One of them's a... power enhancer," Umika adds, her mental voice clipped and strained. "Wasn't sure until now."

You borrow a trick from Mami, and tear the girl away with Grief. Grief, Grief, more Grief, wrapped around her body and hauling her away from you. Akemi and Noriko are embroiled in their own fight, the other two girls piling into them. Your wings explode from your back once more to keep you aloft and now-

Now you're on the offense. Grief blades slash through the air, impossibly sharp and just managing to draw blood, but that's enough to distract her for a split second, and-

-your mind is inhumanly capable of multitasking, more blades finding targets in the other two girls. Wizard-girl and poncho-girl, you mentally tag them just from their attire, and they have far less luck against your blades, Yuma and Noriko and Akemi pressing advantage. You can afford them more, with the platform sliding under their feet to offer them purchase while you try to drop the floor out from beneath the attackers-

-but then not-Power Girl is diving right at you through the storm of blades, snarling as she pushes through with raw ferocity and magic. Blades flatten against her skin, a creeping growth of nightmare purple surging over her body to bind and trap and hold her, her magic surging incandescent as she fights back.

Her struggles slow and still as you accrete more Grief around her, burying her in a van-sized lump.

The fight's not over yet. You leave her behind, piling on more Grief, as you dive right for the fight still ongoing. The two attackers are holding their own despite Yuma and Noriko and Akemi and you, your blades and mace bouncing off shimmering fields of force and replied to with blasts of flame or ice or dodged with perfect, precise little slips.

Blood flows freely from a number of wounds, and wizard-girl's picked up a broken arm that doesn't seem to have slowed her down as she flicks a blast of rainbow light in your direction, forcing you to dodge. They're standing on air now, hounded by your allies as you streak towards them. They can fly, evidently, and-

"Heads up," Kyouko drawls.

You spot it.

And then you apply a pair of angry bears to them. Neither of them are expecting you to slam two bears on them, razor-sharp claws flashing in the light and-

-you slam face-first into a steel wall.

You reorient in a heartbeat, which is a good thing, because there is a pistol to the back of your head. Grief in the works, gumming up the barrel and the mechanism -not a real pistol, magic- but it fires anyway. You catch the bullet with Grief, shredding it. More Grief. You smash the pistol aside as you whirl, hammer flashing to your hand and nanofog boiling around your attacker.

Admiral's uniform, pristine black. Gold buttons and gold braid and a hat and another pistol already rising towards you, green eyes cold.

Attackers.

Hand-in-hand, the other girl in a green bodysuit, face set in a rictus of concentration-

-and they're gone.

"Sabrina!" Mami's voice sounds once more inside your head, panic and terror blending together.

"I'm fine, Mami, I- what's happening?" you say, dropping into a wary crouch as you look around. You're in a... dining hall, you think? What might have been a dining hall. Long tables and benches of drab institutional beige, steel bulkheads. Your nanofog says you haven't moved, but you're somehow inside the Iowa.

"The ship's on top of you!" Mami says. She's not that far away from you, or rather, she's within your range still, and you can offer her comfort, with Grief coalescing around her shoulders and squeezing gently. The closest thing you can deliver to a hug at range.

Your mind races. You haven't been moved. You can sense your friends - Noriko and Akemi and Yuma not that far away from you, through the bulkheads. They're fighting.

"Got our friends," Mika grunts. "Where do we want 'em?"

The entire Iowa reoriented on top of you, you realize. There one moment and here this instance - the same stop-motion of the turrets firing. Which means Sayaka, Kyouko, the others must have been left with the deck suddenly vanished from beneath their feet as the Iowa was no longer there.

"Can you break out, Sabrina?" Mami asks.

"Now, now," a silken voice issues over the speakers. "Before you do anything hasty, Miss Vee -that is you, correct?- you should think about what we might do to your friends."

But you-

-you know where your friends and allies are. You can sense them, Mami and Homura and Oriko and Umika still high in the air, Yuki dropping to the foredeck with a murderous look on her face and her team behind her. Sayaka and Kyouko and Yuma and Noriko and Akemi and everyone else-

-the hostages.

Oriko couldn't find them, but-

"Oriko," you snap. "How deep inside the ship are they? Same place?" You shift mental gears. "Sayaka? You girls clear?"

You know where the citadel is, you think. Which means you can break it.

"Yes, the same place-" Oriko responds, her voice tight and pinched. "I can guide Miss Koizumi on target if you need a breakout."

"We're clear!" Sayaka calls. "We've got you, coordinating with Mami, just a moment-"

[X] Continue the battle
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Ugh. Honestly, I'd wanted to end the primary combat scene this update, but my muse struggled a bit, and I'm breaking this into, hopefully, one more post. As before, no vote is necessary at this point, but can possibly improve things.

 

[Firnagzen]

Your expression tightens, and you still for a moment. Mostly an act, but not just an act- you can feel the wave of anger and concern that races through you. You're not willing to accept a threat to the hostages.

You take a second to orient.

Your friends are safe, for the most part. Mami and the rest of Team Aleph are still on overwatch, Mika flitting around with Delta Team and the bears in tow. Sayaka's taken flight on her own, Kirika's making for the platform with Mami, that's fine. Yuki and her squad are on the deck, and they seem to be safe for the moment, though you can feel the seethe of Grief in Yuki's Soul Gem as she burns magic. That's fine - they're within your range, and you can keep everyone cleansed.

Yuma, Noriko, Akemi - your squad. They're fine, albeit separated from you. Fighting still, and they're being harassed by the... the wizard girl, you mentally tag her. There one second and gone the next, just enough to force your friends back to back to defend themselves. You'll get to that in a moment.

Where are the rest of the enemy? Discount Power Girl remains locked down in a giant blob of Grief, struggling still. You give her enough room to breathe but not enough to gain leverage - she might not need it, but it feels polite. Their antimage has been dropped off with Aleph, and you can sense Mami's ribbons binding her down - or, no, not quite Mami's ribbons. Sayaka's copy of them, alongside the sizzle of what must be Umika's magic.

Fine, and good.

The rest of the Iowa group, then. With a moment to breathe, you can place them now, the presence of their Soul Gems and their Grief burning bright in your mind's eye. Their hostages, too, now that they're not buried behind the nauseating crawl of antimagic.

Good. You know where they are, and that means you can act. You'd been relying on Oriko, for her overview of the battlefield and her insight to call out patterns and to coordinate, but now you're in the perfect position to act.

A second to orient, you'd told yourself. That second is up, and it's time to put thought to action. Your Grief surges, stirring in anticipation to match the anger on your face, and the worry that's only half feigned. You make a show of the anger, letting Grief darken the air around you and stir your coat as you clench your fists, buying yourself a couple seconds more to arrange things with your friends.

The simmering fury that pulls your face into a grimace is only mostly for show. An unmistakable threat has been presented to the hostages, and you will not let that stand. You've been holding back, keeping to the niceties of not dismembering or Gem-snatching. Not all of your friends know about the truth of Soul Gems, but if it's between that and lives on the line...

"Hold up for a moment, everyone," you snap over telepathy, telepathy flowing at the speed of thought. "Yuma, Miss Saito, Miss Watanabe, I'll be with you in a sec, everyone else - they don't have me locked down, and I'll break out in a moment, and I'm gonna see if I can shut down their teleportation. Miss Tsuruya, I'm going to break the ship, I think. It's too much of an advantage for them."

"Agreed," Yuki says, annoyed frustration bleeding into her mental voice. "The captain has been resisting my attempts very well."

"Are you sure, Sabrina?" Mami asks you. You can hear the worry in her tone, and it instantly brings you up short.

"I'm sure, Mami," you tell her and her alone. "I'll be out soon, um, I have a plan to share with everyone." With the same mental breath, you continue on the general channel. "On that note, there's a girl with a green bodysuit, I'm pretty sure she's a power enhancer," you say - you'd thought she might be a teleporter, but after a moment's thought, power enhancement makes more sense. "And she's boosting the captain. Keep an eye out."

"We saw her earlier," Sayaka says. "She was with the captain, and I think she linked up with their flier for a bit.

"Right... We know where the hostages are," you say. "I'm going to break the ship and try something to limit their mobility in a moment. It's gonna feel Witchy, but it will be my work. Yuma, Miss Watanabe, Miss Saito, I'll link up with you when that's done. Uh... Sayaka, Miss Tsuruya, Kazumi, can we focus on freeing the hostages? I'll extract my team, get out, get an overview, and join you as soon as possible."

"Got it," Sayaka grunts. "Miss Nakano, can you get us in position?"

"With pleasure," Mika says.

"What do you mean by breaking the ship?" Akemi asks, her mental voice tight and strained.

"I'm going to tear it apart and see if I can keep them from reforming it," you say. "I have zero interest in playing their game. Don't worry about footing, I'll keep that handled."

"When you're ready, Miss Vee," Yuki says, tone even once more.

Grief, Grief, and more Grief. You're giving the Iowa girls Grief, hah. But still, you have more at your disposal, the air around you thickening yet more until it's a visible haze of deep, unsettling purple, a roiling fog bank that surges and eddies around you. More crystallizes around you, plates forming armour that... you didn't really feel was necessary, but the twinge of your broken ribs suggests that it might be a good backup to have.

Eh, not like it slows you down, anyway.

But that's not where the majority of your Grief goes. Even as you focus a fraction of your intention on shaping the Grief you'd enchanted, you guide still more until it pervades the ship, an invisible, cloying cloud that billows and permeates every square millimeter, every square nanometer of the Iowa. As far as you can reach, anyway, the bow- and sternmost bits are just out of reach.

"Well, Miss Vee?" That voice crackles over the speakers again. "Would you like to talk?"

Talk, hah. Even now you can feel your friends being harassed. Two magical girls now, a new one teleporting in - or perhaps three, really, given how much they lean on the teleportation for effect the hit and run.

Well, you're going to put a stop to that. You reach mentally for the enchanted Grief, as mutable and fickle as reality itself to the touch of magic. You hold your intent for a fragment of time, just a moment between seconds, and you brand your will upon the world.

"On zero, everyone," you murmur.

You wait for the confirmations as your eyes slide shut, and for the countdown to end. A sliver of attention focuses on shaping the enchanted Grief along semi-familiar and yet different patterns. Interdiction. Control. Not that different, the forms sliding into place. Distant for now, leashed by your will and held in hammerspace, but unmistakable and ready.

You'd debated starting this whole thing with a show of force, and there remains... value in the idea of intimidation.

"I suppose I never did open with a statement of intent," you murmur. Your voice doesn't issue from your mouth, instead vibrating from the very walls of the ship. "Surrender."

"Zero," you whisper to your friends. They explode into motion, and so do you.

The first thing you do is to drop the anchor - and anchor it is, because what else would it be? Nothing changes, to your eye or anyone elses', but you can feel it, an oppressive pressure that blankets the world and screams at the back of your mind of Wiiiitch.

Distantly, you can sense one of the Iowa girls fall to her knees, clutching her head and dragging another down with her.

Your smile contains no humour at all. You can sense your friends moving: with a bit of luck, you'd timed it well enough to trap both their attackers with Yuma and Noriko and Akemi. Yuma, who is definitely Kyouko's student, proceeds to revoke wizard-girl's kneecap privileges as Noriko turns on the other. You sense Sayaka diving in for the attack, the rest of her squad in tow and Mika at their backs.

And so, with Grief already in place, it's time to do your part.

You unmake the Iowa. Every bolt, every weld, every rivet. Every press-fitted plate, every armour segment, every pipe and wire and gear and fixture from radar mast to keel. The turrets rise from their well with a groan, the shells and propellant set aside. It's almost musical, a cascade of twangs and groans as you forcibly part metal from metal, lifting each section free until the ship resembles a diagram from a child's how-it-works book, exploded into nice, tidy segments for easy labelling.

The citadel, especially. The heavy armour means very little to you as you part the walls and open it to the skies beyond, the flinches of the girls within obvious in your senses. You hope that the Iowa girls don't do anything stupid before you shut them down.

Sunlight filters in from the gaps, fresh air and warm sun mingling with the smell of oil and metal.

At the back of your mind, you track your friends. Kyouko's whoop cuts through the shriek of disassembly as she dives through what used to be the command tower of the Iowa. Deck plates slide apart at your behest, enough traction for her to ping-pong off the walls on her way down, her spear flicking out to redirect her path. Sayaka plunges after her, the rest of their squad following.

Yuma's arm is broken - shattered. Wizard-girl finds herself trapped, mired in grief as you lock her down. Akemi's magic blazes bright around her, but her partner-

The floor goes out from under her, taken apart by your Grief. She scrabbles for footing, bouncing off thin air to grapple at a Noriko with a dagger. The other Noriko swings, and you understand. Some kind of rebound, or backlash magic, and despite Noriko's shimmering bladework, she's forced to retreat as cuts open up on her arms and torso, but then Akemi strides forward, footing certain on Grief plates you form ahead of her.

You unfurl Grief around her, because you don't need to be there to act. Yuma's already healed up, the glow of her magic lighting up in your mind's eye as she extends it to Noriko, too. And then Homura's there.

Without hesitation, she puts two shots into the attacker's torso, and a third into her arm, smashing aside the dagger. It buys Akemi time to gather magic, and when her magic flares to life, a deep, rosy hue that glows through the gaps in the disassembled bulkheads, the girl crumples.

What-

You don't understand what Akemi just did, but you'll take it. You wrap the fallen Iowa girl in yet more Grief, piling on layer after layer to immobilize her along with her partner.

"Let's get out of here!" you bark.

"She's tough - it won't hold her for long!" Akemi snaps.

"I'll get her to Kirika," you respond. "C'mon!" And to Homura, you add, "Thanks, Homura. That could have turned out badly."

You're already rocketing upwards, wings unfurling once more. Homura and Yuma and Noriko and Akemi rise with you, borne on discs of Grief as you punch up through the decks, and in your wake, you drag three blobs of Grief. Three of the Iowa girls, freshly captured, to join the first - their antimage.

Mami soars to meet you on golden wings.

The rest of the Iowa girls-

Six of them. Just six left, just past half their number. They'd retreated to the citadel, the deepest, most heavily armoured part of the ship, pulling the hostages with them, but now, what used to be a dense, armoured warren of rooms is now an open plain, deck shattered and bulkheads rent. The hostages -the locals- seem... dazed. Fear gnaws at you for a split second, swept away by the realization that you can sense their Soul Gems. They're alive.

Your lips peel off your teeth as you feel the captain's magic surging, just enough to keep a deck beneath their feet and a weapon to her hand to face your friends. Greeny -their power enhancer- blazes in your mind's eye, a nova of unrelenting power as they turn to face your friends dropping from above.

Kyouko leads the charge with a yell and the streaking jabs of her spear, Sayaka a flowing shadow at her side with sabers. Kazumi has rifles reminiscent of Mami's, conjured from the air and already roaring out shots.

That poncho girl's there to meet them, her magic sparking turquoise. Emerald twines through her magic, stoking it ever higher, and-

Kazumi's shots miss.

Kyouko's strikes go wide.

Sayaka gets a backhand. You catch her with Grief, offering footing and support as her hand dives beneath her cloak.

Two of the Iowa girls blink out of existence. You suck in a breath, eyes widening. You'd disabled their teleportation, so it shouldn't be possible.

No.

Her Soul Gem. You can sense it blazing bright, still right there in the middle of your accreting Grief, but-

"Stealth!" you warn. "Two of them, I don't have enough Grief in the area so watch out!"

Priorities. You need to get the hostages out of there, and you need to protect them- you flood them with grief, dense enough to shield them and to snatch them from behind the Iowa girls.

The captain levels her pistol at the hostages-

You slam her aim away, and-

Sayaka lashes out with a yell-

Her finger tightens, and the blast-

Grief. More Grief, stolen from other tasks and congealing out of the air around the pistol, around her hand-

You focus the blast away, a burning column of magic and force that shudders through the afternoon air, a visible shockwave pulsing through the air and incinerating a hole through the side of the disassembled Iowa. The Iowa's own main guns, condensed down into a pistol that sears shadows through the disassembled plates, and-

Moe's there. Speed in shadow, striking at the captain with a flipping, rising kick that connects under her chin. Kyouko leaps into the fray with a yell, then pushes off to dodge jagged shards of ice slashing past her from thin air. Moe folds around what must be an invisible kick.

The captain lands, blood flowing freely from her mangled wrist -there's nothing left of her hand- for just a second before it reforms. The other Iowa girl. A healer, it transpires, but then Sayaka's on her with a battlecry and lightning crackling in her veins.

"I require a backstop," Sasami murmurs into your mind.

"On it!" you bark back. More Grief to the task, as you estimate angles and positions. A solid block, fuzzing darker than black to soak up Sasami's laser, on the opposite side of the Iowa from her, and barely a heartbeat after you finish it, Sasami fires.

A second sun scorches through the sky, an incandescent bar that sears into your retinas and leaves you blinking away afterimages.

Yuki drops through the hole as the Iowa girls reel, Mirai, and the bears slamming down after her. Kaoru plummets with a yell, driving into a descending kick that seems to connect with nothing at all and slamming something into the deck.

In the same instant, Yuki pivots and draws a nodachi taller than she is from beneath her cloak, the curved blade carving through the air and stilling, a mirror of Kyouko's blade, seemingly trapping nothing between them.

The two girls shimmer into visibility. Yuki has her blade right under the chin of one of the girls, and you can sense her swallowing as she carefully raises her hands in an unmistakable gesture of surrender.

Mirai's bears storm forward with growls rattling low in their throats, but too little, too late, as the nauseating grease of antimagic floods from Sayaka, smothering the battlefield.

Movement stills, and slowly, finally, the Iowa's captain raises her hands in surrender.

You exhale, and take stock.

[x] Hug Mami
[x] Heals and cleanses
[] Check on the hostages first, leave the Iowa girls to your friends
- [] What do you say to them?
[] Interrogate the Iowa girls first
- [] What do you ask?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

I am really, really sorry for how long this update took. Hopefully, it'll be the last one to be delayed this much.

Two minor details that didn't quite fit the flow: Mika's caught the two far ends of the Iowa that you aren't supporting, and Mami's still flying to meet you. That last segment of combat took place over maybe thirty seconds, and her flight isn't that fast!

She'll catch up in a bit.

Now, with that aside, I want to bring up something ahead of time.

The next logical thing that's going to come up, inevitably, is discussing what to do with the Iowa girls after interrogating them. And it's probably something that might spark some disagreement. But... look.

2020 has not been a kind year. The world's kind of horrible. Don't add to that. So even if you disagree with your fellow questers, just remember that there's another person behind that screen. Be kind to each other.

 

[Firnagzen]

You stare down at the Iowa as the battlefield falls silent, the low rumble of the city reasserting itself, even this high up. You can see Mandalay and the landscape through the sections of the ship, floating plates of metal held aloft by will and Grief. Mika's still airborne amidst a great, roaring gale that's holding up the two furthest ends of the Iowa.

Well, formerly furthest. She's brought them together, probably for ease of handling. Seeming to notice your look, she offers you a jaunty salute, silhouetted against the sun.

The city seems curiously unbothered, all things considered. No sirens or anything. You're pretty sure that their antimage had been keeping up some kind of perception filter to hide their activities -and to keep specifics of those activities from leaking to prospective targets- but without that field up... You're going to point a mental finger at Kyuubey.

The hostages. You've got all three of them on a platform of Grief, floating free to the side of the Iowa. You'll need to get to them in a moment, but for now, they all seem dazed, barely stirring. You've got a moment, you hope, and one of the things you need to do is to figure out what the Iowa girls did to them. They'd been staging their own breakout attempt with their own antimagic, and then... nothing.

Three prisoners, mired in massive, lumpy blobs of Grief. All three have gone still, their struggles stilled for now, and for that, you clear their faces so they can see. You keep plenty of Grief nearby as nanofog, though, ready to slam down on a moment's notice. You... rather hope that they're not claustrophobic.

None of them look like they're having a breakdown, though all three seem rather concerned. And scared.

You also hope that knockoff Power Girl doesn't have laser vision. You wouldn't be entirely surprised, though, so just to be sure, you thicken the concentration of Grief around her face.

Rising with you into the sky are Noriko, Akemi, Yuma... and Homura, the latter of whom you're a tad worried about. Homura didn't hesitate to put shots into that girl with the backlash power, but when that means that she'd taken those same shots in return, well. You can't help but worry.

Thankfully, Yuma's seen to the injuries at least, and you'll have to thank her for that later.

The rest of Iowa... their antimage, the first to be taken out, remains lying on the platform currently occupied by Oriko and Kirika - Mami and Homura having both left it. Umika too, leaping off towards the Iowa to join the other Pleiades. You're not sure what Umika did to the antimage, and you're... a touch concerned, now that you take a closer inspection - even her Soul Gem's quiescent.

And then there's the captain and her entourage, deep within the bowels of the Iowa. Layers and layers of bulkheads and armour and individual components floating free obscure them from your view, but with the simple saturation of Grief in the area, that's not exactly a problem to you.

You can't see 'em, not from your vantage point, but you sure as hell can sense them. Sense her in particular, a dull, simmering throb of power smoldering against your senses. The floor beneath them is still held by her power, straining against the weight of your Witch-construct.

She turned her weapons on her hostages the moment the fight turned for the worse against her. You're not inclined to let that slide.

Neither is Sayaka, from the looks of it. She's forced the surrendered girls down to their knees, binding them with ribbons, while the rest of your friends guard them. They've got it well in hand for now, you think, though you worry about whether the Iowa girls are spiteful enough to try their hands at sabotage.

"Miss Tsuruya," you say. "I'll be there in a moment, but can you make sure that they're not in a position to, ah, disclose certain facts about magical girls?"

"Certainly," Yuki says.

Mami crashes into you, arms going around you in a tight, tight hug as her ribbons wings dissolve.

"Hey, Mami," you say, hugging her back and shifting to support her weight. You dispel your armour of Grief too, the better to soak in her familiar, comforting presence.

"Sabrina," she whispers, burying her face in your chest.

"I'm fine," you murmur. "I'm fine, see?"

Mami stiffens slightly, head popping up to stare at your face, and her grip on you shifts so that she can probe at your ribs with gentle, infinitely careful fingers. You hold still, wincing - not from pain, but from guilt.

"... Sabrina," she says.

"Erm. Right," you say. You'd broken your ribs while getting punched, and suppressed the pain, and then completely forgotten it. It's not like a few ribs are a big deal, right? "I, uh, forgot?"

"I..." Mami says unhappily, leaning back so that she can wind her arms around your neck instead. "Let's get you to Yuma?"

"In a moment," you say, smiling softly at her. "I... ribs aside, Mami, I am fine. I'm here with you, aren't I?"

Mami reaches up, cupping your face gently and inspecting you carefully, before softening into a smile and holding you close to lean her forehead against yours.

"You were pretty cool out there, Sabrina," Mami says.

"Oh psht, you're telling me that?" you say, snorting as a grin splits your lips. "You took on one of the biggest of the big gun battleships to exist and you won."

"I couldn't have done it without your support," Mami says, smiling. "Besides, they were fighting at a disadvantage, thanks to Homura's help."

"Nope, I don't accept that," you say, winking at Mami. "You're awesome, and that's final."

Mami laughs, leaning into your arms. "I... well, as much as I would prefer to stay like this forever, we're... on a schedule, aren't we?"

"Yeah," you admit. "That we are. Alright, mm." You flick your eyes out to catch Homura's eye, starting to descend towards the Iowa once more. You should probably look them in the eye, at least.

"How's it looking, everyone?" you say, reaching out telepathically.

"We're goooood," Kirika says. Your eyes flick over to Oriko and Kirika's platform, where they're curled up together while keeping a wary eye on their prisoner.

"One moment..." Sayaka mutters. "Sabrina, you can disable the... whatchamacallit, the thingy you've got preventing 'em from tweaking the ship, right? Uh, not right away, but when we need to? Captain here says she can't dismiss the ship unless we do that."

"Yes please," Mika says cheerfully. "I've got the bits you dropped here, Miss Sabrina, but I don't wanna hold onto them forever."

"If they move wrong, we gut 'em," Kyouko drawls.

"But before it comes to that, I'll secure them in the building I claimed here," Yuki adds, mental voice sharp.

"Yeah, of course I can," you say, frowning slightly. "That makes sense, since I was trying to lock down her manipulation of the ship. You're sure you can suppress their magic, Miss Tsuruya? I won't be able to reform the interdictor quickly; I only had so much enchanted Grief at hand."

"I can't suppress their magic - I'll need help for that, or rely on force of arms. But within my domain, I can certainly prevent her from manifesting the Iowa," Yuki says. "I wasn't able to take over their ship, but that was a misunderstanding of the nature of her powers."

"OK, that should be fine, then," you say. "I... mm. Hm. OK, first, Mika, I can take the bow and stern bits of the Iowa, just drop them on top of the pile. Second, I think what we need to do is split up - hostage party and, uh, interrogation party. Miss Tsuruya, can I trouble you to take the lead on the latter?"

"... certainly," Yuki says, sounding surprised.

"I need to be on the hostage party," you say, semi-apologetic. "And I need to stay here to keep the Iowa up, in any case, and I can speak... well, whatever they speak, most likely Burmese? I guess they might speak English, but that's not quite likely? Er. On that note, you do speak English, Miss Tsuruya?"

"Of course. Can I request some additional manpower?" Yuki says. "Do you have any particular notable points for me to check on, other than finding out about their previous target and any possible stragglers?"

"You speak fucking Burmese?" Kyouko asks.

"Pretty sure, yeah," you say as you drift down beside the Iowa's hull, laying a hand against the scorch marks from Sasami's laser blasts. They're still warm to the touch. "Uhm. Homura, Sayaka, uh... Kirika, Oriko, Miss Watanabe, Miss Saito? Can I trouble you girls to help Miss Tsuruya with interrogating the Iowa girls? And everyone else with me for checking up on the local girls?"

You speak to Yuki alone at the same time, hurried, parallel conversation to save time. "Why, how, where, what, when. Why did they do what they did, how -by which I mean their powersets, which Sayaka will be able to help with- and if... if there are any survivors in their last few raiding locations."

"Understood," Yuki says. "Eminently reasonable."

"I'll go with 'em," Umika volunteers. "I can help lock them down, and I can check if they're telling the truth. It'll make up for my not contributing much to the fight."

"Me too!" Mirai says. "I'll help with transport and keeping them under guard."

"Umi, that's not true and you know it," Kazumi says.

"I can contribute more there, Kazumi," Umika says fondly. "And I'll be back as soon as we're done, right?"

"And, ah... if Miss Misaki and Miss Wakaba are going to help there, perhaps Akemi and I could stay behind and help with talking to the girls we'd helped?" Noriko ventures. "I... I think we could help offer some perspective."

"Uh..." you say. Dammit. You'd picked out those of your friends who happen to know about the Witchbomb, but that leaves you without a good excuse to offer.

"If you're worried about certain facts, I can handle that," Yuki mutters to you privately.

"Hrm. Should be fine, then," you say, in response to Yuki as much as to Umika and Mirai. Mami smiles quizzically at you, but you just smile back, and shake your head, shrugging before responding to Yuki. "Right. Mirai, and Umika don't know, everyone else going with you does."

"Understood," Yuki says.

As you speak, you draw Homura's -and Noriko, Akemi, and Yuma's- platform alongside yours, along with Oriko and Kirika's. And the hostages too, geeeently bringing them alongside you. Mika touches down a moment later, waving.

"Hey," you say, easing back from the hug with Mami so you can face them, beaming. "You did great out there, and..." You squint at Homura, noting the bloodstained holes in her costume - two in her torso, and one messily truncated sleeve. Underneath that is just pale, unblemished skin, courtesy of Yuma, but even so.

"You all alright?" you say, looking from face to face. Noriko took hits, you know that much, and Akemi might have too. "All of you?"

"I hardly did anything during the battle itself," Oriko says, shaking her head.

Homura nods at you, steady and measured. She looks... relieved, really, the slightest bit of tension eased from her shoulders, but you can't help but notice the way she angles herself to watch Oriko and Kirika, still ready to spring into action if need be.

You smile at her, trying to convey gratitude and gladness to her.

"We're fine," Akemi says, nodding and smiling at Yuma. "Miss Chitose healed us up nicely."

"Yuma is OK!" Yuma says, bouncing happily on her toes.

"Speaking of, Miss Chitose, could you heal Sabrina, please?" Mami says.

"Ah! Yes!" Yuma says, sticking a hand out towards you. Emerald light floods out, coolness settling into your skin and leaving you feeling lighter. Refreshed, even, and as you ease back on the pain suppression, you find that your breathing comes clear and smooth, not even the slightest twinge of pain or aches left.

"Thank you, Yuma," you say, smiling.

Yuma nods, looking determined. "Miss Homura took some really nasty hits too!" she says. "But she saved us."

"I'm glad," you say, nodding. "Er, not about Homura taking the hits."

"I'd have gotten that girl eventually," Noriko grumbles, rubbing her four forearms.

"I'm happy to help!" Yuma says happily, pulling a Grief Seed out of her pocket to cleanse with, then offering it up to you - you've been actively draining everyone's Soul Gems except Kyouko and Yuma's, out of deference to Kyouko's preferences.

Akemi chuckles quietly, eyeing the exchange.

"I have to say," Akemi notes. "I could get used to fighting without having to worry about my Soul Gem." Her smile falters a little as she finishes the sentence, Noriko taking her hand.

"It's what I'm here for," you say. "Alright, so... let's not keep everyone waiting. The local girls..."

You bring the last platform alongside as you speak, and you hurry over to check on them, guilt and worry now gnawing at your gut. They're not unconscious, you can tell that much by the movement of their magic, and yet-

They haven't moved.

The local girls lay eerily still on the platform, their eyes open and staring at you as Mami hurries up beside you. Akemi grabs Noriko's wrist, pulling her back and muttering something like 'don't crowd them' in her ear.

They look like sisters, the three of them. Darker skin and long, straight hair in shades of deep blue, greasy and unkempt as if they hadn't had the opportunity to wash in a while - one of them looks like she might have worn them as braids before their captivity. Three sets of wide, terrified eyes staring up at you in mingled fear and hope, and at a guess, two of them are around your age and the last might be thirteen or fourteen.

"Uh-" you switch to burmese, kneeling carefully beside the youngest one. "I'm Sabrina Vee, I'm here to help. Can you understand me?"

Three sets of eyes widen, and three terrified voices burst into your head.

"Please don't hurt us-"

"We can't move-"

"Please, we can't do anythin-"

"Easy, easy," you say, even as you check their Soul Gems, cleansing them once more just to be absolutely sure. The rate of buildup... isn't exactly reassuring. "You're safe now. I promise. We've taken down the Iowa girls, and we'll get you out of this soon. Do you know what they did to you?"

"We don't know, it was the red one, she- she did something to us and we all just fell over-"

You bite your lip thoughtfully, and switch back to Japanese. "Mami? Yuma? Is there anything wrong with them?"

"It's nothing magical," Mami says, shaking her head.

"Yuma can't tell," Yuma says, worried frown crossing her brow. She kneels down too, taking one of the girls' hands and patting it gently, emerald magic flickering around her.

"We'll figure it out," you promise as gently as you can.

"Sabrina, we're ready to get out of here," Sayaka mutters to you. "Can you open it up?"

"I... yeah, sure, let's figure that out," you say, grimacing. You speak out loud once more in burmese. "Uh- we're going to finish sorting out the Iowa girls, alright? And I'll get them to tell us what they did to you."

You shuffle everyone around, and then you shuffle the Iowa sections around to open a path to the interior. Plates unfurl like a flower, bulkheads and armour pieces alike forced to lie flat against each other to form a metal-lined tunnel leading into the core of the ship.

The procession that makes its way out to join you is an odd one: Sayaka in the lead, along with Kaoru. Six Iowa girls, shuffling single file while flanked by the heavy, stomping tread of Mirai's bears. Another Sayaka follows immediately behind with Kyouko at her side - Kyouko with spear slung over her shoulder and irritated scowl carved into her face, and then Kazumi and Umika and Mirai and Yuki and Sasami and Moe.

More than the physical threat, though, is the fact that Sayaka's holding their Soul Gems, a grim look on her face.

You get your chance to look over the Iowa girls for the first time.

Their captain takes the lead, hard-eyed and unbowed as she strides forward. Her costume is an admiral's uniform in stark black, as you'd noticed before - when she'd tried to shoot you, that is. Gold braid and trimming and a pair of white gloves add splashes of colour, and a peaked cap with empty Soul Gem mounting on the badge completes the look, pristine and crisp even in defeat.

She's older than you, you think, maybe eighteen or so. And she's taller than you, too, so when she stops in front of you, she's looking down at you. Glaring. Glaring, with sharp, obsidian black eyes and simmering fury written in the lines around her eyes and the set of her jaw. You match her gaze evenly, and you find your own anger rising to meet hers, your own measure of wrath. She'd turned her weapons on the helpless - and she's gotten where she is today by killing. Her and the rest of her crew.

"You know what? I don't have time for a pissing contest," you say, not looking away. "What did you do to them?"

Holding your gaze still, she hawks, and spits.

It doesn't get very far, of course. Even if it weren't for Mami at your side, or Sayaka's saber rising in your defense, or any of the anger that flashes across the circle of your friends-

You catch the glob of spit mid-air with Grief, and sigh, leaving it hovering in the air in front of her.

"Really?" you say in English, squeezing Mami's wrist gently and waving everyone else off. Your tone remains mild and almost pleasant, holding none of the anger you feel. "Let me ask you again. What did you do to the girls you'd captured?"

"Figure it out yourself," she drawls. You can't place her accent -American, certainly- but it's definitely the voice on the speakers, in the ship. And you can tell she's trying to match your genial tone, but not quite managing it, the tremolo of anger lurking in her voice. "Get on with it."

"I... fine," you say, and switch back to Japanese as your frown deepens. "Miss Tsuruya, they're yours. Ah, you'll need help getting everyone back down to the surface-"

"I've got it," Sayaka says, voice tight with anger as she flicks her hand, conjuring a copy of one of your Grief platforms.

"Alright," you say. "And uh, the others..."

The one in red, you'd been told. You spot her at the back of the line, the shortest of their number, with a slender, almost waifish build. Their healer, you're pretty sure, her costume a deep burgundy thing, sleeveless vest and shirt and what you're pretty sure is called a rider's skirt.

You frown at her as you finnagle the transfer of the other four Iowa girls, taking extra care with Power Girl - but with Sayaka keeping her antimagic up and the rest of your group looming, she doesn't make any trouble, quietly filing up along with the rest. A moment later, and they head off, descending towards the city below.

You keep a sharp eye on them as they descend, your nanofog thick around Sayaka's platform as they descend past your range. You're still holding up the fragments of the Iowa, of course, and you hope that Yuki does manage to get the captain to dismiss it soon. And a name out of all of them, you can't just keep nicknaming them.

"Sabrina..." Mami murmurs, laying a hand on your arm.

"That was pretty cool," Kyouko admits grudgingly, one hand firmly on Yuma's shoulder, reassuring the younger girl that they're both fine. "Catchin' the spit outta midair, I mean."

"I..." you shake your head, closing your eyes. "Ugh. What was the point? Nevermind. I've got more important things to handle now."

[x] Vote in abeyance
[] Write-in

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] Talk to the ex-hostages
-[X] Be gentle with them - they've gone through some trauma. Detransform if you think it'll help. Apologize for the witchyness.
-[X] Explain who you all are. Make sure they're okay, and offer any help they might need, both immediate healing/cleansing and more long term aid.
-[X] Ask if they're willing to talk about themselves and what happened, including whether the lost anyone.
-[X] Offer partially/fully cleared seeds (their preference) to help them get back on their feet if they want it.
[X] Let Madoka and Hitomi know that the dangerous part of things has wrapped up.
-[X] Contact Nadia, let her know that Iowa's down and make sure you didn't miss any members.

=====​

Bah. Had to break this to update in a reasonable timeframe, unfortunately, however, this is an opportunity to fine-tune your approach if necessary. (Feel free to guess at what was done to the local girls - it'll get figured out soon enough, but hey, Sabrina can guess it too!)

 

[Firnagzen]

Mami wraps her arm around your waist, insistently butting her head under your chin and curling close. You exhale slowly, listening to the sounds of the wind curling past and the distant cacophony of the city as you wrap your arm around her.

"I'm OK," you mutter, and then, louder, "I'm OK. Just... ugh. Why are people like this?"

"People're people, princess," Kyouko grunts. You hear plastic crinkling as she unwraps something. "And people really suck."

Your nose is assaulted by the smell of peppermint, and you open your eyes to find Kyouko waving a packet of mints at you. You sigh, nod your thanks at her, and collect a few to share with Mami.

"Alright. Forget about them, they're Miss Tsuruya's responsibility for the moment," you say, poking the sweet into your cheek so you can speak clearly. You shake your head, returning to what's important, and you return to their sides. Mami separates from you to kneel beside one of them, gently taking her wrist to check her pulse. Gently, you prop them all up into inclined sitting positions with Grief.

"I spoke to the Iowa girls." You speak in Burmese, the rapid, tonal syllables rolling easily off your tongue as you look around, meeting the trio of local's eyes in turn. "I... well, they weren't cooperative, but we're going to get to the bottom of this. You're going to be ok."

"Thank you," one of them whispers to you. "Thank you. We... we thought we were dead."

"You're not," you say firmly. "And... I'm sorry. I don't think we've introduced ourselves. I'm Sabrina Vee, this is Mami Tomoe..." You go around the circle of your friends, indicating and introducing everyone in turn. Kyouko, Yuma, Mika, Kazumi, and Kaoru, the latter frowning at the Burmese girls with a preoccupied look.

"We're from Japan, but we're here to help," you finish. "May I know your names?"

"I'm Ta Kaung Chien," the girl in the middle says. She's a lean looking girl, whipcord strength and long blue hair that reaches to her midback - the oldest of the group, you think, the darker skin of her face perhaps a bit more weathered than her probable sisters'.

"I'm Pa Kaung Min," the girl on her left says. The youngest of the trio, slender like the others, but with perhaps more muscle and a more generous figure.

"And I'm Cho Kaung Sa," the last girl adds. Somewhere in between, you suspect, perhaps about your age, with her hair in the messy remains of a pair of braids.

"Alright... well, it's good to meet you, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances," you say with a slight wince. "We'll get you out of this. I... are there any friends or relatives you need us to look in on?"

You get silence in response, and that is its own answer. You can feel your stomach sinking, met with more anger.

"I... I'm sorry for your loss," you say. Mami touches your elbow gently, warm concern on her face as you look over. You force yourself to relax, and focus on the here and now.

The burmese girls are holding up, and you're going to help them. That's what's important. Keeping their Soul Gems clean is trivial, and so you focus on that as you rack your brain trying to figure it out. The red one... their healer must have done something, but you're not sure what. Yuma's healing didn't get it, so what does that leave?

"Mami, you're sure it's not a magical effect?" Kazumi asks.

"It isn't a persistent magical effect, no," Mami says with a shake of her head. "And there... doesn't seem to be anything obviously wrong with them."

"Should've kept Umi up here," Kazumi grumbles. "I bet she'd figure this out in a second."

"Ah... I think I have an idea, actually?" Kaoru ventures, stepping forward and joining you in kneeling beside Ta Kaung Chien. "Um, may I use my magic on them?"

You translate for her, and get slightly nervous agreement from the trio. Kaoru nods, offering up a smile, and rests her hand gently on the girl's forehead, frowning as she gathers her magic.

"Yuma," Kaoru murmurs as she works. "How does your magic work?"

"My magic heals people!" Yuma says. "Uhm... Yuma just thinks, and the magic works by itself?"

"Right..." Kaoru says. "OK, thank you."

Kazumi joins Kaoru, bending their heads together in quiet, murmured conversation.

"We're ready for you to release the anchor, Miss Vee," Yuki murmurs into your mind.

"Gotcha," you say, frowning slightly in thought. You lean over the edge of your flight platform, peering at the city below, and more specifically, at Yuki's claimed office complex. You shift mental gears to address all of your friends. "Everyone, I'm releasing the interdiction so the Iowa captain can dismiss the ship. Miss Tsuruya has them secured, but let's all keep an eye out."

You sweep your eyes about the platform, looking to each of your friends. Mika grins and takes to the skies again, the winds roaring to life around her and snatching at her robes as she soars towards the disassembled bulk of the Iowa.

"On zero. Three, two, one- zero."

You unravel the Grief construct with a thought, tense and alert. And yet, a moment later, you watch as the Iowa starts to wink out of existence, part after part, plate by plate and bolt by bolt from keel to antennas. You can't help but worry a little, that they might attempt an attack from within whatever holding measures Yuki applied... but then, you trust her competence.

"She says it's done," Yuki says to you. "Can you confirm?"

"I confirm," you say, sweeping nanofog through the volume previously occupied by the Iowa. "It's gone."

"Hm. Good, then," Yuki says. "I suppose they must, with their Soul Gems in our possession."

"Right. We're working on it, but if you can find out how they paralyzed the local girls, it could be helpful?" you say. "And Sayaka, it was Red - grab a copy of her powers as soon as possible and maybe tag Umika to see if you can figure anything out?"

"I was planning on it, yes," Yuki responds. "I'll update you when I've made progress."

"Gotcha," Sayaka says.

You debate asking her to tell them that you didn't capture them just to execute them, that she should keep them separate from each other and unable to coordinate a story, to drill for information, but-

The heck with it.

Yuki probably knows what she's doing better than you do, and she can do it without your micromanaging. You've got other things to handle.

"Madoka, Hitomi?" you call, watching as Mika lands back on your platform. She looks to Kyouko, inquisitive look on her face, but Kyouko just shakes her head slightly and glances over to you.

"Oi, Sabrina," Kyouko drawls. "We need to have a talk."

A talk... ah, yes. Nakano Mika, of Nakano Corporation. About the Sakura church, you suppose - you can't think of anything else, in any case.

"Yuma too?" you ask.

"Y' need her here, dontcha?" Kyouko says, ruffling Yuma's hair.

"Sabrina!" Madoka says, anxious and concerned. "Is everyone OK?"

"We're all OK!" you respond, trying to infuse reassurance and calm into your voice. "Nobody was hurt - well, none of us, anyway. The fighting and the dangerous parts are over, we're just making sure the locals are OK and finishing up before coming back. How are you? And Nagisa?"

You nod at Kyouko, acknowledging the implicit request for an excuse. "Yeah, most likely," you say. "We need her healing. Alright, off you go, then..."

With a thought, you bubble off a small platform for Kyouko and Mika, sending it drifting off for their conversation.

"We're OK too," Madoka says. "Ah... Nagisa's a little disappointed that you had to leave, but she's still enjoying herself. Did you know that there's a cheese store at Shimachi?"

"... oh, no," you say solemnly.

Madoka giggles in response.

"Will you be back soon?" Hitomi asks. "Shall I cancel the message?"

You bite your lip thoughtfully. "I... how much longer do we have?"

A pause, presumably as Hitomi checks your phone.

"Ten minutes before it auto-sends," Hitomi says.

"Iiiii will update you as soon as possible," you say. "I mean, now that we've finished up the fight, we should have a... relatively finite time to get back."

"I'll keep an eye on the clock then," Hitomi says. "Good luck?"

"Yeah, thanks," you say, slightly distracted as a thought occurs to you. If Kaoru's idea doesn't pan out, you may have a solution to help the local girls here. You sit down yourself, crossing your legs, and then blink as you realise you don't have anything to work with.

"What is it, Sabrina?" Mami asks, smiling at you as she joins you.

"Enchanting," you say. "Um... do you have something I could enchant?"

"Mmm..." Mami says, humming. A twist of her hand disgorges a teacup into her hand from thin air - empty, this time. "Will this do?"

"Yes, but you probably won't get it back?" you say.

"That's fine," Mami says, chuckling quietly. "We have more back home, anyway, and I never did get around to refilling this."

She holds it out, dangling it by the handle from her finger... along with the Clear Seed you'd given her, held in the palm of her hand. When you blink at it, she gives you a sunny, warm smile, just a hint of a worried edge. You smile, closing your hand over hers.

"You're silly," you murmur.

"For you, Sabrina?" she murmurs back. "I am."

"We shouldn't keep them waiting," you say, smiling and taking both. "But... believe me, Mami. That's not something you have to worry about."

"Even so," Mami says.

And there's nothing you can say to that. So instead, you pocket the Clear Seed, and turn your attention to the teacup, splitting it along its rim to form several large rings. You take a moment to polish the rings, and pass one back to Mami before you settle back in to enchanting.

And even as you focus on channeling your magic, you have enough time for another telepathic conversation.

"Nadia? Do you have a moment?" you call in darija.

"Sabrina?" Nadia's voice immediately brightens. "What news do you have for me on this fine day?"

"Well... we took down Iowa," you say. "They were scrying us, so we, uh, paid them a visit."

Silence.

"Nadia?" you ask.

"Apologies, Sabrina," Nadia says, mental voice bubbling with laughter. "I had to, ah, calm myself."

"... I guess," you say. "So, uh, yeah. We're probably going to imprison them, but I wanted to check with you - how many of them are they, as of your latest info on them?"

"Nine of them, I'd heard," Nadia says. "As of three months ago."

"... huh," you say. "We fought ten."

"I suppose they've recruited since then," Nadia says with an audible shrug.

"Yeah, that's true," you agree, frowning thoughtfully. You do rather wonder whether all of those girls are there willingly, but that's something that you've left to Yuki to find out, you suppose. "Alright. If you're after any details, we can talk later, if not, uh... do you know anything about the team in Mandalay?"

"Nothing recent," Nadia says. "You've moved ahead of me, I haven't been there in a year. The last I heard, the team there fell apart about seven months ago."

"Ah, right," you say. "I... don't think that's the same team here now, but thanks."

"I'll come through there soon enough," Nadia says, sounding deeply amused. "But you'll know more than I do until then."

"Gotcha, gotcha," you say. "Alright, thanks. Uh... anything else?"

"No, thank you for the update," Nadia says, and ends the call.

A relatively new team, and all sisters, at that. And then Iowa dropped in on their heads. You can't help but suspect that Kyuubey's had a hand in their shenanigans, and you can't help but feel like this sort of casual cruelty is right up its alley.

It turns out that the Iowa group did have a clairvoyant, but a seemingly limited one. Mitakihara's a long way to travel for their next target, and yet, this entire mess was precipitated by their actions. True, word of you might have already made it to their ears, but you might also guess at expedited news.

Hah. You're building alliances in response, so joke's on it.

"I think I've figured it out," Kaoru mutters. "Yuma, I might need you to help me fix this."

"Good work, Kaoru!" Kazumi cheers, rocking back on her heels with a bright grin.

Kaoru glances up at you, normally-cheery face solemn and twisted in concentration.

"Their nerves are all messed up," Kaoru says. "She's... made it so that they think they're in a natural state, but they're not. Like, you know how nerve damage doesn't heal naturally most of the time? Like that, sort of, but..." Kaoru flutters her free hand. "I think that's why Yuma's magic didn't get it, at first."

She grimaces, the orange glow of her magic flickering around her fingers. "I can't heal as quick as a full healer can, so I think I can undo what she did, but Yuma, you're going to have to follow up quickly to heal them properly, OK?"

"You're sure?" you say.

"Reasonably sure, yeah," Kaoru says.

"I'll check with them, then," you say, and shuffle over to the girls, looking each of them in the eye as you translate Kaoru's words.

"Try it on me," Ta Kaung Chien says immediately.

"No!" Pa Kaung Min says. "You can't do that, we already-"

"Try it on me," Ta Kaung Chien demands. The eldest of the sisters.

You bite your lip, looking to Kaoru. "You're... sure about it?"

"As sure as I can be," Kaoru says, nodding firmly.

"Right," you say, shifting to burmese and gently cutting across the argument. "Everyone, please, uh- Kaoru knows what she's doing. Plus we have Yuma here, who's a dedicated healer, and we can bring in another healer if we need."

They're quiet for a moment before Ta Kaung Chien speaks again, insistent.

"Let me go first," she whispers. "Please. Let me do this."

You nod slowly.

"Kaoru?" you murmur. "This is Ta Kaung Chien. She's volunteered to try this first."

"... oh, really," Kaoru grumps. "This isn't some super-experimental technique- I mean it is, but I'm sure." She walks around, taking the girl's hand. "Yuma, are you ready?"

"Yuma's ready!" Yuma says.

"Then here we go," Kaoru says, gathering her magic.

A flare of orange light, then green, and...

Ta Kaung Chien bolts upright, slapping at her arms and whimpering as she curls on her side.

"That hurts-" Her eyes widen. "O-oh! I-" She uncurls slightly, staring at her hands, then at her sisters, then Kaoru. "I'm OK, I'm- T-thank you. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Kaoru says, guessing correctly even through the language barrier. "Yuma, ready for the others?"

"Yeah!" Yuma says.

You can only watch, smiling, as Kaoru and Yuma repeat the process for the other two, both of them working together easily. And you watch as three bodies go from lying as still as corpses to a crying, hugging pile of intermingled relief and sorrow.

"Let's give them a moment," you suggest quietly, nudging your friends back. "And probably get out of the sky, too."

"Yeah," Kazumi murmurs, tugging Kaoru back. "Good work, Kaoru."

"And you too, Yuma," you say, giving her a smile as you retreat to the far end of the Grief platform. Slowly, you start lowering the disc, descending towards Yuki's claimed building below.

"Sabrina?" Hitomi murmurs. "You've got just over a minute to decide. Cancel, yes or no?"

[] Cancel the message, commit to heading back as soon as possible
[] Leave it be - regrettably, this might take some time
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[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] Explain who you all are. Make sure they're okay, and offer any help they might need, both immediate healing/cleansing and more long term aid.
-[X] Ask if they're willing to talk about themselves and what happened, including whether the lost anyone.
-[X] Offer partially/fully cleared seeds (their preference) to help them get back on their feet if they want it.

=====​

I decided to drop Nadia's 'fimti' thing, since you were speaking in darija. Consider it translation convention.

Incidentally, I think I got the locals' names right, but if anyone has a correction to offer, I'll happily take it.

 

[Firnagzen]

"I..." You take a second to think about it. You'd dearly love to be back in Mitakihara, be back to hang out with your friends, with your adopted little sister. To relax with Mami, and everyone else. To not let Shin down, because he trusted you, because you don't want to betray that trust.

But...

You look at the scared, crying girls in front of you, and at the bland grey office building Yuki claimed - where Yuki has the Iowa girls imprisoned. You bite your lip, thinking as you all start to descend down towards the rooftop.

You have a responsibility to see this through. But you also have a responsibility to Nagisa, to Shin, who entrusted her to your care. Which means...

You bite back a sigh. Which means it's time to shovel more responsibility onto your plate.

"Cancel it," you say. "But... edit it for me?"

"Mmm?" Hitomi says. "How do you..."

"I've got it," Madoka says.

"Thank you," Hitomi says, sheepishness seeping into her mental voice. "I haven't used this kind of phone for, um, a while."

Dammit, you'd never even gotten to finish your shopping trip. You'd been intending to get an actual smartphone instead of the flip phone... well, at least you got the suit. The very nice suit, if you do say so yourself, and Mami definitely agrees, so that's what counts.

"I've got it!" Madoka says brightly. "Did you say you wanted the message edited, Sabrina?"

"Yeah, uh..." you think for a moment on the phrasing. "An apology, I think. Something like... 'I'm sorry, I really didn't expect this. My calendar is a mess right now, but could we speak about what happened sometime soon?'."

"The original message already had an apology! Multiple apologies, actually..." Madoka says. "I'll, um, leave that one out?"

"You're thinking of telling him," Hitomi observes. "Like my parents."

"Yeah and yeah," you say. "Then... when you've got that composed, send it?"

"OK!" Madoka says.

"And Madoka, Hitomi?" you say. "Thank you. Seriously. If you two weren't here for me... I would be in big trouble."

"It's the least we could do," Hitomi says.

"Yeah! I'm glad we could help," Madoka says happily. "And Nagisa's really adorable, too."

"Well, again, thank you," you say. "And I'll see you again soon."

"Hang in there!" Madoka says encouragingly.

"Good luck," Hitomi says.

You sigh as the telepathic call ends, and close your eyes for a second. You exhale slowly, and take stock once more: Mami, tucked firmly under your arm. The warm, humid breeze that sets your hair fluttering, and the warmth of the sun blazing down upon you. You can hear quiet conversation that you deliberately tune out: Kyouko and Mika, away on their own platform, the trio of Burmese girls you'd helped out. Kazumi and Kaoru standing to the side, the former with a proud smile and the latter with a sheepishly pleased look, and Yuma, having been drawn into their wake, fidgeting in embarrassment from effusive praise.

Roof-level's approaching fast, too, and you'll get solid ground under your feet for what feels like the first time in ages. You keep your eye on the trio of local girls as you descend, and you keep an eye on their Soul Gems, draining them periodically.

"What's happening, Sabrina?" Mami asks with a smile.

"Confirmed the message sent to Mr. Momoe," you say. "With an addendum that maybe we should catch up to talk about what called me away."

"Ah," Mami says, chewing on her lower lip as she thinks about it. "Ah, I see. I can't say I wouldn't prefer to be back in Mitakihara, shopping with our friends, but... some things are more important."

"Yeah," you say. "We have a responsibility."

Mami smiles at you, leaning her weight into your side as you hit the roof at a smooth deceleration, Grief dissolving from beneath your boots to be replaced by solid concrete. Kyouko and Mika -who you're determinedly not paying attention to still because if your friend wants privacy she gets privacy- you leave on the far side of the roof, behind the stairwell and well out of earshot.

You lean against the parapet. It's different from Mitakihara, not quite the same urban metropolis of your home, but the texture of the sounds, the smells, feels familiar enough to be comforting.

"Hey, Yuma, Kaoru?" you say after a moment of quiet contemplation, turning to your friends. "You both did amazing back there. Thank you."

"Hah, I definitely couldn't have done it without the squirt," Kaoru says. "She's a better healer than I am."

"Yuma is not a squirt!" Yuma protests.

"Yes, you are," Kyouko says, sauntering over to ruffle Yuma's hair. Yuma makes a pleased noise and leans into the hug. "What's happening?"

Mika follows, enigmatically unruffled smile on her face and hands tucked behind her back.

"Between her and Kaoru, they managed to heal the local girls," you say. "It was something to do with their nerves, apparently."

"Yeah?" Kyouko drawls. There's something sharp about her gaze, some purpose that had been missing earlier, subsumed in the fires of that simmering anger that seems to be banked. For now.

"Yuma didn't notice it," Yuma says, looking down.

"We'll work on it, squirt," Kyouko says. "Can't rely on your powers to do all the work."

"She did great," Kazumi says sharply. "Right, Kaoru?"

"Right!" Kaoru says, nodding firmly. "Like I said. I couldn't have done it without her helping me."

"Yeah, yeah," Kyouko grumbles, retrieving a bag of chips that's way too big to fit in her pockets and yet emerges from said pocket without protest. She tears it open with a crinkle of plastic and offers some to Yuma. "Back off, sparky."

"Don't fight our friends, big sis," Yuma says, tugging at Kyouko's costume.

"I'm not fightin' em," Kyouko says, popping a chip into her mouth and crunching down loudly. "Ain't that right?"

Kazumi rolls her eyes, metaphorical light bulb going off over her head as she relaxes. Kyouko's eyes narrow slightly. Someone's stomach gurgles.

All eyes track across the rooftop to the local girls. One of them -Cho Kaung Sa, the one who had her hair in braids- blushes red through the drying tear tracks, ducking her head slightly.

"Sorry," she mumbles in burmese, and switches to heavily accented english. "Sorry?"

Kyouko looks down at the bag of chips in her hand, looks at the girls, and sighs heavily before hauling out a package from behind her back and lobbing it gently in their general direction. You get a glimpse of the brightly-coloured label as Ta Kaung Chien catches the package. Muesli bars.

"Not one fucking word," Kyouko says, jabbing a finger at you. "An' you're replacing that for me."

You shrug, grinning at her and mime zipping your mouth shut. Mami beams happily at Kyouko, who folds her arms and pointedly turns away from all of you. Kazumi sidles over to you, a question in her bright crimson eyes.

"The answer is yes, but if she ever hears the t-word she will stab you," you whisper before she can get a word off. "So don't."

"Ah," Kazumi says, nodding thoughtfully. "That does make sense."

Ta Kaung Chien, too, walks over, one of the muesli bars held loosely in her hand. Her head's held high despite the drying teartracks on her face, despite the dirt encrusted in her clothes and smeared in her hair. You turn to face her properly as she approaches, Mami straightening and turning to face her too.

"Are you in charge?" she asks in burmese.

"I... suppose I am," you say, waggling your hand slightly. "Yeah." You smile at her, and her sisters, who are hanging back. "How are you doing?"

"Better," Ta Kaung Chien says. "We... want to thank you for your help." She bows. "Is there anything we can do in return?"

You exhale, and smile at her. "Well. We're here because we wanted to help, so really, I should be asking you that," you say. "We're not going to coerce you into anything, and nor do we hold you in any debt to be repaid or anything. So... you're free to go at any time."

"Oh," Ta Kaung Chien says, blinking.

"I should offer an explanation, I suppose," you say, rubbing your nose. "As I mentioned, we're from Japan. Mitakihara City. We, uh, noticed them scrying on us ahead of time, and... well, knowing their reputation, we figured we'd be targets soon, so we decided to deal with it first, and help whoever they were currently targeting."

"Oh," Ta Kaung Chien says again. "That... was lucky for us, I suppose."

"Easy, Sabrina," Mami murmurs. "Maybe make it brief for them? They need time, and space, and I think they'd rather have us out of their hair sooner rather than later."

You shoot the other two sisters a look, the way they lean against each other for support, and the way Ta Kaung Chien's holding herself together with little more than stubborn pride.

"I..." you smile softly, and shake your head. "Alright. I'll just go through several things quickly, and we'll be out of here, if that's alright with you?"

"We mean no offense," Ta Kaung Chien says, shaking her head. "We're not... really in a state to have visitors."

"None taken. I understand," you say. You take a deep breath. "OK. First, do you need anything? Food, shelter, money, cleansing? I can offer all that, with no conditions, and no time limit."

"I, ah... we would like our Grief Seeds back," Ta Kaung Chien says. "The invaders took them, and they made us hunt for them. They haven't used them all."

"You have a place to stay?" you press gently. You simultaneously relay the request to Yuki, who answers with a terse affirmative. "Funds to tide you over? And... I can definitely top up the Seeds, or better, if you want. My powers let me make it so that Grief Seeds last much, much longer, among other things."

"We do," Ta Kaung Chien replies, tipping her chin up defiantly.

You bite your lip slightly, fighting the urge to exchange a look with Mami. You don't want to press the issue, not under the circumstances, but you don't want to leave them bereft of support, either - and they're strangers. Could she be refusing out of pure, stubborn pride and ill-placed independence? You hope not, but you're not sure.

"It doesn't cost me anything, if you want it," you try again. "And in turn, I won't ask anything from you for it."

Ta Kaung Chien shakes her head. "Thank you, but... we just need time."

"Oi. 'brina," Kyouko grunts. She levels a glare at you, eyes hooded despite her lazy slouch against the parapet. "Don't harass them. If they don't want whatever, they don't. Also, you're predictable."

You close your eyes briefly, and nod.

"If you ever change your mind, the offer remains open indefinitely," you say, smiling. "There's just one last matter, then... this building we're on." You tap on the concrete roof with your foot. "One of my friends claimed it with her powers, and she controls it now. Among other things, this lets us teleport to and fro her other claims, back in Japan. Is that OK with you?"

"We..." Ta Kaung Chien glances down. "... yeah. That would be nice. I think we'd love to have you over to talk, but... later."

"Sending the Grief Seeds up now," Yuki murmurs to you. "The Iowa girls were carrying them."

Simultaneously, the floor beside your foot moulds upwards, dirty concrete flowing like water until it forms a little pedestal. Seventeen Grief Seeds rest upon the pedestal, sunlight glinting off the silver filigree where it doesn't sink into abyssal blackness.

"Thanks," you tell Yuki.

Ta Kaung Chien blinks, eyes wide. "Uh... we didn't have this many before they attacked," she says.

"TKC," Cho Kaung Sa hisses - her younger sister.

"We had six," Ta Kaung Chien says firmly. "I'm not sure which ones, though."

"Take a few more?" you say, offering a smile. "For... you know. Everything."

"I... suppose," Ta Kaung Chien says, not making a move towards the Grief Seeds.

You grab nine of them and offer them to the bleunette, and she does take them, at least.

"Thank you," she says again. "I... I'm not sure we can ever repay you, but thank you."

"We came here to help," you say. "As long as we did, then... that's all I can ask."

[] Try and persuade them to take a little more help.
[] They're grieving still. You can follow up later.
- [] It's time to check in on your prisoners
-- [] Write-in your approach (word count limit: 150 words)

=====

Incidentally, if you're wondering - Burmese names have no concept of first/last/middle names. They just have one name, and the names aren't separable into parts.

 

[Firnagzen]

You hesitate for a long moment, taking in the Mandalay team's faces, their expressions and the pained slump of their shoulders. They lost someone, that much is clear. They're tired. They're hurting, and... they're overwhelmed. They made their own escape attempt the moment you'd struck, and they'd been put down with ruthless finality.

You...

Hah. You're not even sure who they lost. A teammate? Friends? Family?

You don't know, but they're hurting. That much you can tell, and you're not going to ask. Maybe if you had just a bit more rapport with them, maybe if Mami knew the language to help smooth things over with her easy poise and smooth, unruffled calm. Maybe if they'd volunteered it. Maybe, maybe, maybe, but not now. Not today.

See?

Sometimes you can be tactful.

"Alright," you say, holding your hands up. "We'll leave you alone, but we'll be just a call away, if something comes up. Would... would it be OK if we visited again next week? Maybe Friday or Thursday?"

"We'd like that, I think," Ta Kaung Chien says, flashing a wan smile. "We'll be able to give a better welcome then."

"Well," you say, a note of humour entering your voice. "We're here without an invitation, so..." You chuckle, and shake your head.

"You saved us," Ta Kaung Chien says, shaking her head.

"I wish I could have been here earlier," you say, and hold up both hands. "But... we'll leave you be for now. Until next time?"

"... yeah. Until next time," Ta Kaung Chien says.

You flash them a brief smile and retreat towards the stairwell, your friends falling in step with you a moment later. The Burmese girls take to the rooftops as you leave, leaping towards the next building, and heading away from Yuki's building.

Mami's hand finds yours.

"Oh, suck it up, you sad sack," Kyouko grouses from behind you, her voice echoing up and down the stairs as you round the corner at the landing. "You're not even saying anything and you're making it all emo in here."

She vaults the railing to land in front of you, sneer on her face.

"Lemme guess, they didn't fall over themselves professing immediate friendship?" Kyouko says. "And you're sad because you wanted to stuff them full of Grief Seeds and money?"

"Kyouko..." Mami says.

"Big sis, be nice," Yuma says.

"I'm plenty nice," Kyouko says. "And I'm right. Aren't I?"

"I mean... yeah. I guess it wasn't that hard to infer," you say, shrugging. "It feels wrong to just step away from this."

"Oh my god," Kyouko mutters, shaking her head. "Mami-sempai, why don't you tell your girl there about people dealing with shit differently?"

"Sabrina wants to help," Mami says. She smiles, unbothered. "I can't say I can fault her for that."

Kyouko rolls her eyes, and jabs at your chest with one finger. "People. Deal. With. Shit. Differently."

"I know that," you say, annoyance creeping in. "I know that, Kyouko. Heck, you're Exhibit A, Kyouko, so I damn well know that. And I know that they're grieving. They lost someone. That's why I backed off. That doesn't stop me from wanting to do more."

"You saved their lives," Kyouko grunts. "Dragged a small army here to do that. You think they don't know that?"

You sigh, rolling your shoulders. Yuma frets quietly, fingers fidgeting over each other. Kazumi's watching silently, and so is Kaoru, an identical, curious tilt to both their heads. And... so is Mika, with that enigmatic expression on her face as she leans against the stair railing.

"What's your point, Kyouko?" you ask.

"I'm sick of seeing you sulking around," Kyouko says, the dusky crimson of her eyes drilling into yours. "That's all."

"... riiight," you say, considering the tense set of her shoulders. "Well, I wasn't really sulking. I was gonna go talk to Miss Tsuruya, so..."

"Sure you weren't," Kyouko says, voice laced with sarcasm, and steps out of your way with a florid, overdone bow.

"And I believe I should take that as my cue." Yuki's voice emerges from the wall, followed by the girl herself. "I've moved everyone back to Fukushima, the new prisoners included. Shall I bring us all there?"

"Yeah," you say, nodding. "Sounds good."

"Then everyone, please brace yourself," Yuki says. You feel her power flicker bright, the floor seeming to yawn away from you as the surroundings distort. And with a shuddering jolt, a discontinuity, you are suddenly elsewhere.

The musty gloom of the stairwell is gone, replaced with crisp afternoon sunlight and lemon-ish air freshener, the sunlight filtering through the great glass windows of... what probably used to be an open office floor, now converted into a sunroom of sorts. Squashy sofas and beanbags litter the carpeted floor, colour-coordinated in dark greens and blues that match the not-quite familiar vista beyond the windows of Fukushima and Mount Shinobu.

Shinobu-the-girl-and-totally-not-related-to-the-mountain-honest waves without getting up from her bean bag, her eyes closed and brows furrowed in concentration - and she has a brick held in her other hand, her magic twining slowly through the block of clay. Enchantment, though you can't tell what of.

"Kazumi!" Mirai bounces from a sofa, the massive lavender floof of her hair wobbling as she pounces on Kazumi. "What took you so long?"

You spot Akemi and Noriko too, the two of them occupying another sofa. They offer you tired smiles.

"Welcome to Fukushima," Yuki says, smiling faintly. "I have the prisoners secured at a lower level, but whoever wants to rest, feel free to rest here."

"Great, thanks," Kyouko grunts, and throws herself at one of the beanbags, face-first. She lands with a muffled floomph and stays there, crimson ponytail strewn all over her back.

"I believe I'll take a rest too," Mika says, flopping gracelessly into one of the many sofas strewn around, then rolling over to watch Shinobu's enchantment with bright-eyed interest.

You eye her thoughtfully as Yuma wanders over, and promptly gets dragged down onto the same beanbag. That entire interaction earlier had been odd. Uncharacteristic, almost. And... coming on the heels of that talk with Mika. Mami takes your arm, offering you a warm smile as she leans her head against your shoulder.

"Where's Umi?" Kazumi asks, looking around.

"Working with Miss Oriko," Mirai mumbles, having successfully entrapped Kazumi's arm and nuzzling shamelessly against it. "Got her truth-finding thing. My bears are still down there, too. Oh!" She pulls back to blink huge, pink eyes at you. "Umika said she wanted to talk to you an' Miss Tsuruya later, Miss Sabrina."

"Uh? Gotcha," you say. "I mean, I'll be headed down soon enough. Um..."

Mami doesn't let go of your arm, making her position on the matter obvious. Which means you do need to be careful with secrets, but -Yuki catches your eye and nods slightly- it shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright. Where to, Miss Tsuruya?" you say.

"This way," she says.

She leads the way out of the office area and up a flight of stairs that brings you down to what seems to be an observation deck of sorts. It brings to mind the grand atrium of some hotel or something, all burnished brass and wood and marble, with a balcony overlooking the reception area. Except... well, except that the reception floor fades to deep shadow that almost seems to drink in light, save for rectangular cut-outs of light, laid out in neat grids. And in each cut-out, you can see into what are obviously the rooms of each magical girl under Yuki's guard, one girl per room.

You recognise the Iowa girls, of course, all ten of them, and... there's Anri, curled up on her bed with the faint twinkle of a Clear Seed cradled in her hand. Arzt Kochen, the Witch of Asuka Yuuri.

... and Sayaka, who is very busily wrecking her room with lightning and writhing overgrowth and the crimson sheen of Nadia's power and goodness knows what else, a veritable storm of power surging around her and setting her hair and cape both adrift.

And you're not alone on the observation deck. Umika and Oriko lean against the railing with their heads bent over the former's book, muttered conversation passing between them, while Kirika loiters nearby, looking vaguely bored. Homura stands off to the side, observing with unyielding intensity. Sasami and Moe have pulled up some chairs, and both of them have Nintendo 3DSes out.

"I decided that some reconfiguring was in order," Yuki observes, a note of pride in her voice. "These are... one way screens, in essence."

"Very impressive," you say, and you mean it. "Hey everyone."

"'sup?" Kirika says, waving.

Homura nods slightly at you.

"So, what've we got?" you say, joining them at the railing and peering down at the Iowa girls. Most of them seem angry, pacing furiously or worrying at something or another, but none of them have weapons out. Their captain stands stock still as if trying to muster her magic, but from your vantage point, you can see a chain wrapped around her ankle - one of the antimagic enchantments, you're sure.

Even so, that's... worrying.

Yuki doesn't seem to be concerned, though, so you'll trust her, you guess.

"Names, and their powers - Miss Miki has their powers copied," Oriko says. "I'm attempting to trace their path, but it's... difficult going, and they're unsurprisingly uncooperative on that matter."

Yuki snorts quietly.

"One of them said 'I have the right to remain silent'," she notes, indicating one of the cells, and you squint. The one you've been calling knock-off Power Girl. "Her."

"OK, so I've got comments on that, but first, I gotta ask - why is Sayaka in there?" you say, peering down at her.

"I requested her aid in probing the defenses," Yuki says, nodding at the rooms. "Each of those rooms is held in a discontinuous space, isolated as well as I can manage. The only way in or out is some form of dimensional power that operates on the same wavelength as mine."

"... right, yeah. Good point. And you work impressively fast, I have to say," you say. "Are you sure it's sufficient, though?"

"It's not," Yuki says. "Which is why I hold their Soul Gems in separate chambers, just barely on the cusp of the maximum range. Additionally - I had been considering the idea for a while."

"Ah," you say, and nod. "That makes sense, yeah."

"These aren't to be permanent holdings, correct?" Yuki asks, eyeing you carefully.

"Until I can figure out how to rehabilitate them," you say with a sigh. "Days, weeks, months, perhaps, but definitely not years. Not long term. I need to find... I dunno. Therapists. Specialists who've studied this sort of thing, who I can read in and throw at the problem."

Yuki nods sharply.

"Acceptable," she says.

And in that you read a statement, too, that she isn't willing to become a permanent jailer. Which is entirely reasonable, you feel, and it's not like you weren't already making plans and connections in that direction. Dinner with the Shizukis is just the start, as is reading Shin in to all this.

"Miss Sabrina, Miss Tsuruya, can I have a word?" Umika says. She's abandoned Oriko to join your conversation, book held closed at her side.

"Of course," you say. "Mirai mentioned you wanted a word. Do we need privacy?"

"Ah..." Umika glances at Mami, and shakes her head. "No, this is fine. It's just... there's an alternative, I suppose."

"Oh?" you say cautiously.

"Tocco del Male," Umika says, and you force yourself not to shiver. You recognise that name. "It's an... attack, I suppose, that I've been working on. Takes too long to set up to really be useful that way, though. It's half enchantment, half spell. It knocks magical girls out, puts them in... stasis. We could keep them like that."

Mami's hand tightens on your arm, fingers digging in slightly, while Yuki frowns thoughtfully.

"That could be a potent backup plan," Yuki says after a moment. "A backup, if they prove too difficult to hold as is."

"Mm," Umika says, pushing her hand through her fringe. "Well... I wanted to bring it up, I suppose."

"And it could be useful," Yuki says. "Thank you."

"You are a seriously terrifying person, and I'm glad you're on our side," you inform Umika, managing a slight grin. "Yeah. It's a good backup option, so thank you."

"Yep," Umika says, nodding, and retreating.

"Do you want to speak to any of the prisoners?" Yuki asks, turning to you once more. "I've... spoken to them, but they weren't very talkative. They might respond better to you."

[] Speak to one of them
- [] Write-in who and how
[] Just stick with what's been gathered so far
[x] Vote in abeyance

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] Check in on the prisoners.
-[X] Find out what all their names and powers are, and Yuki's read on their personalities.
--[X] Mention that according to Nadia, one of them must be a sub-3 month experience new hire? Any indication on which one?
[X] In the next sections, be very clear that you're *still* not interested in pressuring anyone to do anything they don't want to do.
[X] Thank everyone very much for their contributions. That went incredibly well, and you hope that you can all work together more in the future.
-[X] Touch on the existing level of alliances and agreements that exist. It's not made itself extremely apparent yet, but a group with infinite magic can apply different magics to each others' non-combat goals, or go about developing new abilities. Exchange of ideas and powers could quickly become a Big Deal.
--[X] If naming comes up, propose "Mahou Shoujo Kyoukai".
[X] If Kazumi and Yuki are on-board, extend an invitation to Mika to attend the Tokyo meeting with us as a partner in our coalition.
-[X] Ask Kazumi and Mika if they're interested in letting Yuki set up a node near them - Mitakihara's getting one, and near-instant transport would make future collaboration much easier.

=====​

Apologies for the weird breaking point - this post kind of got away from me. (And the vote is huge, anyway.)

 

[Firnagzen]

"Er. Well, why don't you tell me?" you say. "And uh... what have you found out so far? The only interactions I've had with them so far was being punched by her-" You point helpfully at Power Girl, "-and, you know, generally being knocked around."

"She's an option, certainly," Yuki says. "She's the chattiest. Their... captain, of course, since she's placed to negotiate. We all saw that... display up there, but she might perhaps be more receptive to talking now that we've put her in what is clearly a prison? Perhaps their clairvoyant, the one who was scrying through the storm."

"What makes you say tha..." You frown thoughtfully, thinking about the argument that the captain had apparently been having. "Ah. She's the newest member, right? Also, you should have told her that they're being held under international piracy laws."

"I'm not certain on that," Yuki says, and then pauses slightly. "On either count. But I can see the argument for pirate law, and she did try and disavow loyalty to the rest of the crew, so there are divisions that you might be able to exploit."

"Mmmrm. I was thinking that, yeah, but lemme, uh, think about it," you say, walking back over to the railing and leaning against it as you stare down into the viewing 'screens' showing your prisoners. Mami sticks to your side, still holding your arm, and Yuki joins you at the balcony edge. Homura steps up on Mami's other side, expression remote and blank.

You consider the deep shadow of the floor below, which you're pretty sure is some kind of bizarre spatial warping courtesy of Yuki's power - and the same effect used to construct the impossible windows of light. One-way mirrors built of curved space-time and magic.

Sayaka, of course, merry grin of pure exhilaration and adrenaline on her face as she continues to cut loose, her fingers working over her array of power jewels as she trades them around for different combinations, and Clear Seed in hand and ready to cleanse herself. You approve, both of Sayaka taking precautions and of Yuki putting her defenses to the test.

Your gaze shifts to the captain. She's still standing in the middle of her room, still in her costume with her fists clenched. Still trying to glare holes in the wall. You can't help but feel a little unease, but then... Yuki doesn't seem to be concerned.

"Parró," Yuki says, following your gaze. "Though I'm... not certain whether that's her first name or last name? It's what Amy-" Yuki points at the weather girl, "-called her. Also, I think she dyes her hair, if it's relevant."

"Probably not, but how do you even know that?" you say, filing those names away.

"Blonde roots," Yuki says, shrugging slightly. "Dark blonde."

"Huh," you say, eyeing Parró's apparently-dyed vibrant green hair. "Fair enough. Also, I think Parró's a surname, but I can't be certain."

You pause slightly, scowling. "Did you manage to get any more information from them, actually?"

"Your questions?" Yuki closes her eyes, sighing. "Very little, I'm afraid. They seem... if not loyal to Parró, then to the group itself, and 'not snitching', to quote them."

"Who said that?" you ask.

"Her," Yuki says, pointing at the girl you'd mentally tagged 'wizard girl' during the fight. And really, just from her costume, you have to reaffirm that decision: floor-length robes of deep, shimmery blue. With stars, even, slowly drifting over the fabric of her costume, just to complete the look, and long, brown hair that falls to her mid-back. "She said her name was Sylune."

Mami blinks, head tilting quizzically. "Um..."

"Yeah, you're right, Mami," you grumble, pinching your nose. She'd thrown spells around, you remember, fire and lightning and whatnot. You're pretty sure she threw a discount brand prismatic spray at some point or another. "That is definitely a DnD reference."

"Not exactly surprising," Yuki says, pursing her lips. "As to the rest of their questions... they seem either completely uncaring or entirely clueless, with regards to their last victims." A dark look flickers across Yuki's face. "Judging from their behaviour, though, I think it unlikely."

"What do you mean?" Mami asks.

"Amy was quite happy to tell me about their methods," Yuki says, her expression grim. "That is to say, they force the girls of territories they occupy to hunt or steal for them, keeping the others as hostages. And they're forced to hunt until they don't come back."

"I concur," Oriko says quietly. She appears to have drifted over, eavesdropping on the conversation. "Neither Miss Misaki nor I have been able to find any... survivors, other than those we already rescued in Mandalay."

You press your lips together, biting back anything you might say and tamping down the surge of utter fury that roars through you at the thought.

"How can they live with themselves like that?" Mami whispers. Her hand tightens on your arm, and you reach up with your opposing hand to close your hand over hers. She clings to you, interlacing your fingers together with almost painful force.

"They don't have to worry for themselves," Homura murmurs, her face like graven stone. "They don't have to worry about starving. It's simple, for them."

"They're monsters," Mami whispers.

You make a quiet noise of agreement, and after a moment, close your eyes. You exhale slowly, imagining your anger leaving along with it, though if you're honest, the best you can do is to push the simmering fury aside. These people are monsters, and... quite frankly, every bit more you hear just makes it worse. But still.

You're going to make the try. Hah, they can be a warmup for Rionna. One day, even as much as you shy away from thinking about her too much, because every magical girl deserves the attempt.

You sigh again, and straighten.

"Right," you say. Your teeth might be gritted. A bit. You force yourself to relax again. "How about their antimagic mage, Miss Tsuruya? I... well, I don't think she even saw me at all. She might react better to me talking to her, and..."

You gesture down at one of the window, through which you can see a girl with uncomfortably pale-ish pink hair twisted into a topknot. It's almost the same colour as her skin, and she has eyes of bright violet. More interestingly, she's perhaps the quietest of the lot, untransformed and sitting cross-legged on the bed. A manacle is clasped around her ankle - antimagic, you assume.

"That's her, right?" you say. "She seems calm, at least."

"Olivia Smith," Yuki says promptly. "She was cooperative, but didn't divulge much information other than her name. Miss Miki discovered that her magic isn't antimagic, per se, but it's a... generalized disruptor, which she was extending to disrupt perceptions in some way. It's a complicated power, apparently, and Miss Miki hadn't finished figuring it out yet. Talking to her..." Yuki considers the notion before shrugging. "Perhaps? As I said, she was cooperative but quiet."

"Mm," you say, frowning. "Thaaaat's a terrifying power, I've got to say."

"What about her?" Mami says, pointing. "She seems quiet, too."

"Poncho girl?" you ask, peering along Mami's finger. That girl in the banded, turqoise poncho, with long, wavy white hair, who... well, you recall her dodging both Kazumi and Kyouko in the melee, and she'd gotten a good hit on Sayaka, too.

"Probability manipulation," Yuki says. "Her name is Lana, and other than that, she was as tight-lipped as the rest." Yuki pauses. "She called Miss Miki a... slur, when she went over to copy her powers."

"Ugh," you say. "Figures."

"Not quite probability manipulation," Oriko says, shaking her head slightly. You glance over, giving her a 'go on' sort of gesture. "I suspect Miss Miki would have a better idea now, after trying the powers a bit, but... Miss Saito has luck powers, does she not? This... Lana appears to have some kind of fairly subtle directional warping, or something akin to that."

"Mm. Thanks, Oriko," you say, frowning. "But... they're all like that, huh? They don't want to talk."

"Mental influence?" Homura asks quietly.

"Doubtful, after the antimagic," Yuki says. "But not impossible."

"Personal loyalty, then, as you said," Mami says with a sigh. She looks down at the shadowed pit, with its cutouts of light. "I would concur with Miss Tsuruya's assessment, I think - if any of them are likely to divulge anything, then it would be the one who already showed signs of fracturing from the group."

"I'll talk to her, then," you say. "But first..."

You straighten from the railing and turn to Mami, taking her hand gently so that you can remove your Soul Gem from its setting and press it into her palm. The gem is body-heat warm, the hard edges and facet cuts a contrast against the softness of Mami's skin.

"Sabrina?" Mami asks, her eyes going to hers.

"Hold this for me while I go talk to her, will you?" you say, smiling. There are so many things you could say here, but... really, you don't need to. You trust her. You trust her with your life, with your self.

Homura's gaze flickers over to you, a hint of amusement entering her expression before she returns to staring down at the prisoners once more.

"... alright," Mami says, squeezing your hand -and your Soul Gem- gently. "But be careful, alright?"

"I will," you say. "Miss Tsuruya, uh, how do I get down there?"

"Certainly," Yuki says, and the railing warps ahead of you, shifting into a narrow staircase that descends downwards into the shadow.

"Thanks," you say, and head down. The darkness fades away as you approach, resolving into a perfectly ordinary door set in a perfectly ordinary wall that's seemingly made of drywall. And yet, probing said drywall with Grief results in the Grief curving back towards you, odd, curved geometries that give you slight twinges of a headache.

Right next to the door is one of Mirai's bears, head swivelling to track you with lambent eyes as you approach. You wave cheerily, then knock, wait a moment, and enter, noting that the stairs behind you seem to have faded back into impenetrable shadow once more. Yuki taking no chances - not that you can blame her.

The room is unremarkable, the same room you saw from above, reminiscent of a nice hotel room. You imagine that Mami and Homura and Oriko and Yuki are watching from above, from the 'ceiling', and very determinedly do not glance upwards. You don't want to give that tidbit away if Yuki hasn't already.

You seem to have caught Amy mid-pace. She's a solidly built young woman - light-skinned and older than you, at a glance, with what you can only describe as fluorescent orange hair done up in a long braid. She's transformed still, a glittering vest over a sea-green tunic and boots that go all the way up her thighs. Storm-grey eyes swing around to find you.

"Y-you must be Sabrina!" she says, stuttering a little. Her English is... somewhat accented. You want to say French, but you're not entirely sure.

"That's me," you say, nodding. You keep your tone measured and steady, and nanofog fills the room, checking for trickery. "And you're Amy, correct?"

"Amy Allais," she says, nodding vigorously. "I'm- I'm not really with them!"

"Uh-huh?" you say.

"Yeah," Amy says, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward slightly. "I've only been with them for not even a year, I had a useful power so they let me stay with them. I could be useful to you, too!"

"Uh," you say, taken mildly off-guard. You weren't quite expecting the charm offensive, such as it is.

That said...

Not even a year. Maybe ten, eleven months - if she was honest. She's not the rookie on the team, then, which means she's been raiding with the Iowa girls for a while. The one to feed them information, given her powers, the one to feed them targets.

"Uh. Well, for now, I'd just like to talk?" you say.

"... sure, we're talking" Amy says, suddenly guarded. "What about?"

"Well, I'd like to know about why you were spying on us in Mitakihara?" you say, deliberately hooking your thumbs into the pockets of your coat - a relaxed, casual sort of posture.

"Oh. That. Parró wanted to recruit you," Amy says, shrugging.

"Is that so?" you ask.

"Y-yeah, I had to do what they wanted me to," Amy says. "They wanted me to find-" Her eyes widen, and she presses her lips together.

"Yes?" you say neutrally.

"I don't want to talk about it," Amy says. "What's going to happen to me? I can definitely be of use! Finding Witches, or finding your enemies, or whatever."

"We haven't decided yet," you say honestly. "But I'm not going to have any of you killed - I don't kill people. I'm here to help people, and that includes all of you."

"Ah, thank you!" she says, taking a step closer and smiling brightly. "It's- it's good to know that you're merciful. More than I can say for her."

"Oh?" you say.

"Yeah, she was completely ruthless with the girls we captured, you know?" Amy says. "If they messed up at all they'd be punished."

"Right," you say, tamping down on your anger. You control yourself, forcing yourself to stay relaxed and open. Friendly. You're just here to gather information, not condemn her for blithe, callous apathy for others.

"Your power's really cool," Amy says, rocking back and forth on her heels. "We've all heard about you!"

"Where from, actually?" you say, blinking. Because that reminds you of your speculation that they'd heard from Kyuubey about you.

"Eh... grapevine," Amy says, shrugging. "I'm not sure specifically where we got word of you, actually! But it was all we were talking about for a while, once the rumour got around. If we could get you on our side, we'd be set for life! And now that I've met you, I can see why."

"Er, right," you say, blinking. There's a lot she's not telling you, you can tell that much. And yet she is happily chatty, which you suppose is a plus, but you feel oddly uncomfortable for some reason. "What did the grapevine say?"

"Oh, you know, super-strong girl popped up, with the ability to cleanse Soul Gems for real," Amy says. "In Japan, for some reason, and apparently she was pretty inexperienced."

That's... deeply suspicious, honestly, and if that's the whole of what they knew. It sounds exactly like what an Incubator might inform others of. And you're not entirely sure whether Amy's being completely honest with you, either, but if she is, that tidbit alone is a lot to consider.

"Well, uh... thank you for talking to me," you say slowly. There might be more that you can or should ask, but... you came here to establish a rapport. You're not here to sit in judgement, you're here to help, and right now, you have enough.

"Come back soon!" Amy says brightly.

You sidle out of the room, nanofog swirling around you to check for any particular trickery, and exchange a look with Mirai's bear. It glowers at you, jaws leering wide in what would be a grin on a face without kitchen knife sized teeth.

Mami pounces the moment you return to the observation deck, tugging your arm around her shoulders and curling into your side. For some reason, Oriko's regarding you with amusement on her face, and Umika's vanished - probably heading up to join Kazumi. Sayaka, on the other hand, has returned to the observation deck, bouncing energetically on her toes.

"Hi," you say, hugging Mami back and pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Are you alright?"

"I don't like her," Mami declares.

"Mmm," you say, frowning. "Can't blame you. She's... well, she's acting nice, but she's been running with the rest of the gang for nearly a year, if she's to be believed. She's complicit in what they've done, at the very least."

"She was flirting with you," Homura observes, her tone bone dry.

"... She was?" you say. "... Oh. I suppose she was." You make a face. "Ugh. No." You smile at Mami, squeezing her gently under your arm. "I suppose that explains why I got... kind of uncomfortable with her."

Mami makes a quiet, pleased noise and nestles against you, relaxing slightly.

"What do you think?" Yuki asks, giving you a level, appraising look. "Ah, yes. And before I forget again, I wanted to ask about the disposition of the rest of the Grief Seeds we claimed from the Iowa group. I was considering splitting them between our groups, unless you have any objection?"

[] Decide on a group announcement to the Iowa crew
[x] Vote in abeyance
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] In the next sections, be very clear that you're *still* not interested in pressuring anyone to do anything they don't want to do.
[X] Thank everyone very much for their contributions. That went incredibly well, and you hope that you can all work together more in the future.
-[X] Touch on the existing level of alliances and agreements that exist. It's not made itself extremely apparent yet, but a group with infinite magic can apply different magics to each others' non-combat goals, or go about developing new abilities. Exchange of ideas and powers could quickly become a Big Deal.
[X] If Kazumi and Yuki are on-board, extend an invitation to Mika to attend the Tokyo meeting with us as a partner in our coalition.
-[X] Ask Kazumi and Mika if they're interested in letting Yuki set up a node near them - Mitakihara's getting one, and near-instant transport would make future collaboration much easier.

=====​

Also, if you're wondering about Parró's dyed hair, it is entirely an appearance joke. I'll leave you to figure out what it is.

There's additionally four more Iowa crew girls who I haven't named yet, but I'll trickle in their names with the next update so as to not overload.

 

[Firnagzen]

"Yeah, an even distribution of Seeds sounds about right," you say. You briefly consider turning down a share of Grief Seeds for yourself, since you don't need them, but... that's not true. You don't need them on a day-to-day basis, but they're things you use to trade, to make Clear Seeds, to experiment upon.

"I'll pass them out before everyone leaves, then," Yuki says with a sharp, decisive nod.

"The only caveat I have is that I'd prefer that they not end up with Kyuubey, but..." you frown. "That's something I'll bring up later."

You purse your lips, bracing yourself on one arm against the railing as you stare down at the windows into the holding cells, glowing bright against the impossible shadows. You look at the girls you'd captured. Raiders. Murderers. Knowingly complicit, at the very least.

People.

"Penny for your thoughts, Sabrina?" Mami asks, her fingers trailing slowly over the back of your hand.

"They're monsters," you say, echoing Mami's earlier words. "They're also just... girls who were tossed into the same situation we all were. Also, the more I think about Amy down there, the more creeped out I get."

"Are they?" Sayaka asks, stepping up to join you at the railing, to Homura's right. "I mean, they were, but... they made their choices. And they chose to get their imperialist murderhobo hats on."

"They did," you say. "And that's why they're all stuck in here, now. But still. They started out in the same shitty system that we did, and... they deserve rehabilitation, not execution."

"I mean... I don't disagree, I guess," Sayaka says, shrugging. "It just feels a bit weird. They've gotten... we don't even know how many people killed! Maybe Miss Bennouna knows. And we're still giving them second chances. It doesn't feel like justice to lock them up in cushy cells and put them through therapy and stuff."

Sayaka holds up both hands to forestall your reply.

"I know, I know, punitive measures aren't necessarily justice. We covered a bit of jurisprudence a while ago and those essays are still stuck in my mind," she says. She sucks in a breath between her teeth, and when she speaks again, she does so with the air of quoting a lesson. "Criminals, even murderers, are people. Because that's how human rights work."

"Exactly," you say. "I honestly wouldn't be opposed to..." You trail off, frowning. "OK, first of all, speaking of other magical girls in general, I sort of want to find a magical girl who can do the penance stare. Second of all, on top of the therapists and various specialists and all, we should probably think about grabbing a few legal scholars."

"Are we setting up a government, Sabrina?" Mami asks, faintly amused.

"I mean, a legal system, maybe," you say.

"I bet Hitomi can grab us a few lawyers at least," Sayaka says with a snort. "Or, like... there's a whole world out there, I bet we can find a magical girl lawyer somewhere. And, uh, penance stare? Like that uh..."

"Ghost Rider comics, yeah," you say. "I mean, making people experience what they did to others probably comes decently close to justice, though if we do find one I'll want to think about it a bit more before actually doing it. Maybe throw a few philosophers and legal theorists into a mosh pit for a while."

"... Yeah, point," Sayaka says. She brightens. "Also, I'd get to copy that."

"Speaking of copying and powers, Sayaka," Mami says with a smile. "Did you have fun?"

"Oh yes," Sayaka says, her eyes gleaming. She points down at the test room, which is currently an utterly wrecked mess stripped down to the concrete of the walls and the floor. Everything from the furniture to the fixtures is torn to shreds, or a molten puddle. "Feels good to cut loose. Speaking of which, Miss Tsuruya, I'm really impressed with your magic."

"It was difficult keeping up with your destruction," Yuki says, nodding respectfully. "I could feel the draw, and you would have torn your way out without my active intervention, I suspect. It was a good test."

Sayaka grins proudly, earning her a sidelong look from Homura. When Homura looks your way, you just smirk at her, raising an eyebrow.

Mami leans into your side, radiating amusement.

"Alright," you say, levity fading after a moment. "Miss Tsuruya? Can I make an announcement that will be heard by all of them?"

"Easily done," Yuki says, gesturing. The railing in front of you twists unsettlingly, brass flowing like water to form a tube with a cone on it.

"... A speaking tube?" you say, thoughts jolted from their rather gloomy track.

Yuki shrugs.

"Would you prefer a microphone?" Yuki says. "The form doesn't actually matter, after all."

"Nah, this is fine," you say, frowning in contemplation as you mentally assemble a statement. "I... Mm."

You look for a button to press, shrug, and lean a little closer to the tube, trusting Yuki to handle the volume and such for you.

"Good afternoon, Iowa," you say in English, and watch as the prisoners' heads jerk up at the sound. Parró, in particular, obsidian black eyes drilling into the ceiling as if trying to burn through Yuki's interdiction. "I am Sabrina Vee. I'm here to help. I'm here to help everyone. And... you're under arrest for your misdeeds."

You watch the reactions. Parró doesn't flinch, glaring into the ceiling still with that same simmering anger. Amy bites her lip, twisting her fingers against each other before crossing her arms across her chest in a worried sort of half-hug. Not-Power Girl flips her middle finger at the ceiling, apparently launching a tirade at the ceiling that you should probably be grateful you can't hear.

And so on, and so forth. A few protests. Anger. Acceptance, or perhaps just seeming acceptance.

"You're under arrest for your misdeeds," you say again. You keep your voice steady, but firm. "And you will remain as such until I and my allies are satisfied that you will no longer continue to be threats to others. If you want to talk about it at any time, I'm open to it. Send me a message via Miss Tsuruya. If you have any messages you want to send to your families, I can forward them."

"Miss Allais claims she wants to talk," Yuki murmurs, indicating the room where Amy seems to be saying something. "I'll talk to her in person later, see if she has anything different to say."

You nod your thanks to her, your gaze sweeping across the rest of the rooms, and with nothing out of the ordinary, you continue.

"I have unlimited magic," you say quietly. "And so I have unlimited time. I'll be waiting."

"You should tell 'em that being under arrest means that they'll be cared for," Sayaka mutters. "Part of the... social contract."

"Any enemies they've made," Homura murmurs.

"No harm will be brought against you, and you will be cared for. Anything else is up for negotiation," you say, nodding slightly at your friends but keeping your attention focused on the Iowa girls. "If you've made enemies, and they come after you, then I will defend you." Probably by talking to them: if they were wronged by the Iowa girls, you can only imagine they have legitimate grievances. "Though frankly, I'd appreciate a warning, if you're expecting that."

Mami nods approvingly, and you grin at her, waiting for a moment to see if there's any takers.

"If there's nothing, then... until next time, I suppose," you say, wincing slightly at how lame that speech ended.

Yuki nods at you, green eyes flicking up to your face and then the prisoners.

"I think that will help," she murmurs. "We'll see."

"Let me know if anything comes up?" you say. "And... again, Miss Tsuruya, thanks. I know this probably wasn't what you had in mind when this whole thing started, and I'm really grateful you're willing to take up this role."

Yuki smiles.

"It's an apt role for me," she says. "A shift from what I do, but apt nevertheless. And yet the reasons for this are more noble than most we've fought for, and the reasons I had for joining your cause remain. But the thanks are appreciated."

"Mm," you agree, rubbing your chin thoughtfully. "Maybe... hm. No, but OK, first, before I forget - there's a couple of the Iowa crew who I don't know the powers and names of yet. Uh. Miss Tsuruya?"

"Krystal," Yuki says, pointing at the girl in the green bodysuit.

"Their power enhancer, correct?" Mami says, leaning forward with a pensive look.

"Yep!" Sayaka says. "Looking forward to fiddling with that one properly, I gotta say."

"Mmm," you agree, eyeing the girl. She's flopped over on the bed, unheeding of the way the sheets catch on the armoured plates of her costume, arms splayed and staring blankly at the ceiling. And yet it feels like she might have seen you, the reddish-orange of her eyes seeming to meet yours for a moment.

"Sarah, who you're familiar with," Yuki says, shifting to point at not-Power Girl.

"Ah. Finally a name," you say. "I've been calling her Power Girl."

"Another western comic book reference, eh?" Sayaka asks.

"I mean, I've got 'em on the mind because... well, magical girls, superheroes, same difference," you say. "Besides, look at her. She definitely had it in mind when she made her Wish - she's basically a walking copyright infringement! Right down to the... you know." You gesture vaguely at her own chest.

"And her power matches too," Sayaka concedes. "It's nice to have a flying brick package, I have to say."

"Don't rely on it too much," Mami says with a hint of a smile. "Predictability and overreliance on brute force are easy to exploit."

"Blaaaaaaaagh but it's fun," Sayaka complains, and grins. "I know, I know. I'll try not to."

You snicker, grinning at Sayaka, and motion to Yuki to continue.

"Their healer is named Catherine," Yuki says, pointing.

Your scowl at the girl in question, but you just nod and gesture to Yuki to continue again. Locking conscious people into their own bodies is effective but terrifying, as far as capabilities go, and if you visit her, you'll probably be giving yourself the post-Anri treatment: a full deep cleansing with Grief.

"Stealth and... some kind of revenge power," Sayaka supplies, pointing at the last two girls. "Need more experimentation with that one."

You slide a glance Homura's way, but she either doesn't notice that or ignores it. She might not think much of having bullet holes blown through herself, but you do, dammit.

"Hilda and Linnea, respectively," Yuki adds.

Hilda, the stealth girl, is rather incongruously dressed in something... vaguely roman legionnaire-inspired, all banded, shiny armour that's rather form-fitting. No helmet, and the shock of brilliant red hair really doesn't suggest stealth in the slightest, but magic is magic, you suppose.

Linnea, darker skinned than the rest of her crew, is very goth. Gothic, even. Sheer, flowing cloth and black lace and a veiled hat and black gloves, a single bright splash of colour being what you presume is the mounting for her Soul Gem - a ribbon bow around her upper arm, flashing as she fidgets with her glove.

"Alright," you say, committing names and faces and powers to memory. Witch names too, sepulchral voices whispering in your ear of despair and endings. "Got it. Thanks, Miss Tsuruya."

"Of course," Yuki says, nodding.

You smile, and push yourself off the railing, turning your attention away at last as you stretch.

"Alright," you say. "Alright."

"Alright?" Mami asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"Alright!" you declare cheerfully. "Next thing on the menu."

"There's a menu now?" Sayaka asks.

"Yes there is!" you say. "And today, we dine in a meeting room, if Miss Tsuruya wouldn't mind hosting us?"

"What's this about, Sabrina?" Oriko asks. She seems to have noticed your movement away from the railing, but otherwise hasn't deigned to cease her cuddling with Kirika, which you can't blame her for, you suppose.

"Sabrina wants to start a government," Mami supplies helpfully.

"I do no- well, OK, I sort of do, but I'm going to start small," you say. "And I want to talk to everyone about it."

You feel a brief pang, worrying about Nagisa, but... this is important, too. You want to strike while the iron's hot, and you trust Madoka and Hitomi. You trust them to take care of Nagisa, and you'll definitely make time for her later, too. And read Shin in.

"I wanna be the vizier," Kirika says, sticking her hand up.

"It'd be a lot of work, dear," Oriko says fondly. "Viziers did most of the day to day running of a country. And if you want to be an evil vizier, you'd have to look stylishly evil all the time."

"I don't wanna be the vizier," Kirika says in exactly the same tone.

Yuki chuckles. "I can certainly manage a big meeting room. In fact, we might as well use one of the existing ones."

She claps her hands, and there you are.

There everyone is.

You find yourself at the head of an oblong table, positioned just in front of a particularly plush-looking office chair. Carpeted floors in a tastefully understated pattern, a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling window that looks out over Fukushima city proper, a small drinks station at the side of the room... Mami on your left, Homura on your right, and Sayaka on Mami's left.

Eighteen magical girls in total, arranged around the long table. Everyone who came with you, plus Shinobu.

Kyouko's still on the beanbag. In fact, it doesn't look like she's moved since you last saw her, facedown with her hair splayed everywhere and Yuma burrowed in beside her. As you watch, she makes a grumbly noise and worms deeper into the beanbag.

... hang on, there were eighteen of you in Mandalay, plus Shinobu, sitting next to Yuki, so-

"Hi, everyone," you say, scooting the chair a bit to your right so that you're not directly at the head of the table. "So, uh, before we begin, where's Miss Nakano?"

"She went for a flight!" Kazumi says. "Said she had a lot of nervous energy to burn off. But I let her know we're, uh, having a meeting, and she's-"

Tap, tap.

Yuki flicks a finger at the window, glass melting away to let a fashionably windswept Mika into the room.

"Heya!" she says, plopping her down into one of the chairs at the far end of the table. "Company meeting? Smells like a company meeting."

"Well, we're not a company yet," you say, grinning a little. "Or anything other than a loose alliance."

"I'm in!" Kazumi says, waving frantically.

"... I, uh, appreciate that, but let me make my pitch first?" you say, wincing. You glance Kyouko's way, and conclude that she's probably listening, but you're not completely sure. She definitely hasn't moved.

Moe snickers, muffling it behind her hand.

"Well. We did something pretty damn cool today," you say, taking that as your cue to begin. "We took down one of the worst gangs roaming the planet. And, well, thank you. Each and every one of you, just... thank you for coming when I asked."

"Hey, you started it," Mika says, grinning. "Anyone who gives me free stuff gets to call me up for help."

"Hear, hear," Kazumi says.

"We couldn't do anything less," Akemi says.

"Be that as it may, thank you all," you say. "But... y'know, just. Generally, we did a hell of a lot today by working together. We've got effectively infinite magic available to us now, and... I mean, look, we've only begun to see what we can do by cooperating."

"If I may interrupt, Sabrina?" Oriko says, raising a finger. You motion towards her, and she continues in an utterly dry tone. "I don't think anyone here needs much convincing."

"We fought together," Kazumi says, stretching her arms out. "We did it for a good reason, and we saved people."

"And my own rather disappointing display aside, we did it well," Yuki says, nodding. "If your suggestion is of a more formal alliance, Miss Vee? I'm all for it. A company... would be a harder sell."

"An alliance, yeah," you say. "Not just to fight, but. What can we do outside of combat, working together? We've got some of the most ridiculously versatile powers in Japan together under one roof, right here, right now. What can we do? I honestly don't know! And I'd love to find out. Swap ideas, swap powers, whatever. Hell, if we can figure out some service or goods we can sell, maybe we can start a company."

"Cure cancer?" Umika offers.

"I- eh?" you say.

"I think we could cure cancer," Umika says, pushing her glasses up her nose. "It's not like it's a really major thing, but I believe we could do it."

"Not a major thing-" you pinch your nose. "Curing cancer."

You get a few quizzical looks from your friends around the table.

"It's not like cancer is really a major problem, statistically speaking," Umika says with a shrug. "But I know Niko had some thoughts on it that never panned out because of opportunity and access to healers. After Kaoru and Miss Chitose worked together, though..."

"I... you know what? Sure," you say, gesturing weakly. "Yeah. There's an example. Curing cancer. We can put it on our agenda. And that's my point - we're all friends, new and old, but... we all have goals, and we can only benefit by supporting each other."

"Where do I sign up?" Kazumi asks, grinning. "Like I said, I'm in."

"As am I," Yuki says. "It sounds like an excellent step to take."

"Mm..." Mika hums thoughtfully. "You know what? I'm in. It sounds like fun, and safety is no small thing to turn down. Goals..."

She smiles, and stands.

"I'm not sure if everyone here's made the connection, but I'm Nakano Mika. Yes, that Nakano," she says, nodding slightly in Kyouko's direction. "One day, I'll inherit the corporation. Well, probably. We don't really do dynasties, so I'll have to prove myself, but I've got a good leg up. Nepotism, eh?"

She shrugs.

"I've gotten off track," Mika says. "My point is: I'm happy to throw in with all of you. You seem to be good people, and Miss Vee gave me a Clear Seed, so that kind of biases me. And if you'll help me, then Nakano Corporation will one day stand with you."

"Are we planning corporate takeover now?" Sayaka asks, her eyes gleaming.

"Entirely aboveboard, I assure you," Mika says with an easy grin.

"... what the hell, Hitomi would kill us for not agreeing," Sayaka says, tipping you a nod.

"I think it's a good idea," Mami says with a smile.

"Heck yeah!" Kazumi crows.

You smile at your friends, and catch Homura's eye. She shrugs minutely, the barest rise and fall of her shoulders.

"Well. Miss Tsuruya? Oriko, Kyouko, Miss Akemi?" you prompt.

"I'm not sure what we can contribute, but if you'll have us, we're more than happy to join the alliance," Akemi says.

"We'd be happy to have you," you say firmly.

"I really see no reason not to," Yuki says with a laugh. "I'll admit, I had no idea what I was getting into when I first proposed a mutual defense pact, but... this isn't unwelcome. We're in."

"As are we," Oriko says, smiling.

"Kyouko?" Sayaka asks, leaning over to prod the redhead in her side.

"Grmph," Kyouko says, finally levering herself upright from the beanbag. She shoots you a glare before you can say anything. "Yeah, I've been listening. I'm in too."

"... really?" The incredulity slips out of your mouth before you can clamp down on it.

"Piss off," Kyouko grunts, and flops back down - but at least she's facing the table this time. All scowly and folded arms and all, but she's paying attention.

[] Any stipulations to add, points to raise?
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
[x] Vote in abeyance

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] If Kazumi and Yuki are on-board, extend an invitation to Mika to attend the Tokyo meeting with us as a partner in our coalition.
-[X] Ask Kazumi and Mika if they're interested in letting Yuki set up a node near them - Mitakihara's getting one, and near-instant transport would make future collaboration much easier.
[X] Discuss possible names for the coalition. Make your own suggestions.

=====​

Apologies for the somewhat late update!

 

[Firnagzen]

You take a breath and, slowly, start to grin. An alliance, a formal one. Or formal enough, anyway: at the core of it, you all started out as friends, and friends you remain, just with some responsibilities tacked on top. Even Kyouko's on board, and entirely without fuss from her end.

"Then... I guess we're all more or less agreed, then," you say, looking around the table. Your friends, your allies. "We're in this together."

"We need a name," Mami declares, to Kazumi and Mirai's enthusiastic 'Hear, hear!'.

"Agreed!" you say happily, flashing her a bright grin. "So that's something to think about. I was thinking we'd leave it to the end of the meeting, or maybe even next time we meet, so everyone can think about it a bit?"

Mika nods solemnly.

"A name is important," she says. "We're an alliance, but we need a common banner to rally around. A name is a starting point."

"Yep," you say. "So... think about it, everyone? And we can discuss it later."

"What else have we got on the 'agenda'?" Moe asks drily. "Solving world hunger?"

"First of all, I'm surprised someone hasn't made a Wish about that yet, second of all, don't you air quote at me," you say, grinning at her. "I bet we could, if we put our minds to it, and it sure as hell is a worthy goal."

"I've got plant powers," Sayaka muses. "I could maybe engineer something... mm, the problem is distribution, right? Immediate localization of production..."

"If you think about it, ending world hunger already is one of our goals," Oriko says, nodding in your direction. "The difference is in what kind of hunger to be eliminated."

"Fine, fine, we can add world hunger to the list of problems to be solved," you say, grinning. "I mean, honestly, it's a pretty good goal, and it makes a better segue into my next point: we have rapid transport, and effectively unlimited magic to spend. Curing cancer and fixing world hunger might honestly be just the start of what we can do together, but... there's so much we can do."

"You certainly don't want for ambition, Miss Vee," Yuki observes, but the sharp smirk and glowing interest in her eyes belies the jab.

"As I said, we can start with taking over the family company," Mika says, grinning.

You snort.

"Why should I dream small?" you ask, spreading your arms. Mami sways out of the way, an amused smile on her face. "But anyway, to drag this back to my point: we can accomplish a lot if we put our minds to it, and we should like... actually formalize something towards that end, if we're all for it. Maybe not this meeting, but we can think about it and talk about it next meeting?"

"One goal per person?" Akemi suggests.

"Or something like that," you say. "And... mm. So, I suppose one of the things we should think about is a broad... charter? A mission statement?"

"It sounds like you have something in mind?" Umika asks.

"Yeah, I do," you say, leaning forward in your chair. "Building on what I just said, well... mutual aid. To each of us, from each of us, to help everyone accomplish their goals, and beyond that, to help all magi survive and prosper, to use magic to help humanity at large. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like what we already agreed to," Noriko says. Akemi elbows her. "Perhaps a bit broader than initially mentioned?"

"It does," Mika says. "But that's how formalizing something works! I'm all for it."

"Yeah, mm. We don't have to formalize a real written charter just yet, but I think it's something we should start thinking about?" you say. "Mutual defense within the limits of our abilities, and decent behaviour, that kind of thing. And like... our overarching goal is to help. But only to what each person can do."

You wave your hand vaguely.

"Like... the United Nations feeds hungry children, but it doesn't ask 'em to memorize and forward the United Nations Charter or whatever," you say. "By analogy. We help those who need it. And if you can't give anything back, that's fine. We're just gonna ask you to be a decent person. Right?"

Sayaka laughs shakily.

"Hey, can I say something?" she asks.

"Go ahead?" you say.

"I..." Sayaka starts, then closes her mouth. After a moment, she pushes her chair back and stands. "OK, like. This feels big. I mean, magical girl United Nations! Just think about it, it's something that could change the world, and we're going to make it real. We're all just teenagers mostly but why shouldn't we dream big? This all sounded better in my head and I didn't think of a conclusion, but... yeah! That's what I wanted to say."

She drops back into her chair.

"We've all been focused on survival, for so long," Akemi murmurs. "We don't. Not any more."

"Indeed, Miss Saito," Mami says, smiling. "I think we're all broadly in agreement, then?"

You beam, bright and wide as the agreements roll in.

"Thanks, everyone," you say. "I... you know what? One day, ten years down the line, twenty years, we're gonna look back on this moment and laugh, because we didn't have any idea what we were doing. We don't even have anything properly written up yet, even."

"I can help there!" Mika says. "I mean, I've got the experience. But as Miss Akemi says, let's not borrow trouble for now."

"And we can consult Hitomi and Madoka too," you add quietly. Sayaka and Mami nod, while Homura gives you a searching, thoughtful look.

"Ah, yes," Yuki says. "If we may pivot to another topic - Miss Vee, Miss Akemi, you were working on acquiring a building which I could take possession of in Mitakihara, correct? First of all, I'd like to enquire if there's been any progress on that front, and second of all, I'd like to extend the offer to everyone else. As you've all seen today, among other things, I can transport myself and others between buildings under my power, and it would be beneficial to everyone if I were to establish footholds in your cities."

"Hah, I was going to bring that up soonish, actually," you say, rubbing your nose, then looking to Homura. You'd left it in her hands, after all. "Uhm. So, yeah, Homura?"

"I'm working on it with Hitomi," Homura says, brows knitting slightly as she sits forward. "The district is high value, and acquiring a house there is harder."

"Noted," Yuki says, nodding. A thoughtful frown flickers across her face, and she raps on the table, jugs of water and glasses sliding into existence before you. "That said, Miss Akemi - note that it can be as small as a shed or something similar, if all that's required is a staging area."

You pour yourself and Mami glasses of water, tipping it to Yuki in vague salute and thanks as you sit back to let people think and discuss.

"So you're saying that with Miss Tsuruya's magic, we're going to set up fast travel?" Kazumi says, lurching upright with a bright gleam in her eye - she'd discovered at some point how to recline her chair. "Because I am here for that."

"And here, and there, and everywhere," Sasami says.

"Not the museum," Mirai says.

"Our apartment?" Kazumi says. She scrubs a hand through her hair, leaving it in even more of a mess than yours is.

"My magic is all or nothing," Yuki says, pursing her lips. "I can't claim a single apartment out of an entire building, and I assume you aren't alone in that building - as I mentioned, however, even a small shed or some such would work, provided it's not currently in use by anyone?"

"Oh! Sure, could do," Kazumi says, grinning. "Later today?"

"Certainly," Yuki says, nodding. "We don't have anything else slated today other than this discussion, and retrieving Atsuko, of course."

"Who's getting kind of bored," Moe notes.

You cough.

"Sorry 'bout that," you say. "Er. Pass on my apologies, I mean?"

"Eh, guard duty's guard duty," Moe says, flapping a hand at you. "She gets it, we get it, and you said you wanted us to be bored, anyway."

"Hm!" Kazumi says. "How 'bout this - later, we head off to Mitakihara with you, pick up, er, Miss Atsuko, and I fly me and Umi and Kaoru and Mirai back home, along with Miss Tsuruya and Miss Atsuko? Then I'll find us a building and make us a link that Miss Tsuruya can use to get back here."

That is an excellent plan, actually, one that saves you a round trip. Two, even. But it's one that's not your decision to make, so you hold your hands up and motion towards Yuki to let her respond.

"I would be amenable," Yuki agrees. "With the only concern being that Miss Nakano might have a building to be claimed too, so perhaps a diversion might be in order?"

"Mm... would absolutely be nice, but not necessary today?" Mika says. She considers it for a matter, then nods decisively. "If anything urgent comes up, I can just fly in. Not a problem for now."

"Then I'm entirely amenable to accompanying you to Asunaro and making a claim there, Miss Michiru," Yuki says. She smiles slightly as she pours herself a glass of water. "It would be nice to see Asunaro, in any case. Additionally - Miss Akemi, Miss Vee, I understand that you have reasons for wanting me to claim a specific building, but there's no reason I can't have more than one claim in Mitakihara? It's your choice, of course."

"Uh..." you scratch your head, exchanging a look with Mami, Sayaka, and Homura. "I guess it never occurred to us -not to me, anyway- that it was an option on the table. Then again, I suppose the last time we were discussing the matter was when we were still kind of new to our alliance?"

"True enough," Yuki says. She waves a hand dismissively. "In any case, it's an option on the table."

"Gotcha. We'll discuss it and get back to you later," you say. "And uh... OK, speaking of your power, and buildings in general, and to be absolutely clear I'm only about half joking here, would you consider a moon base?"

Yuki tilts her head to the side, absolutely nonplussed.

"I'm..." You wave your hands vaguely skyward. "Look, I can definitely get us there. We don't actually need to breathe, but we can crib something from NASA designs or something. If I can fab up some kind of structure, I can tow it up there, too, maybe assemble it in place. We can put it on the far side of the moon and bury it under the regolith, nobody'll notice it. It's... not impossible?"

"I, ah," Yuki says. "I've never thought about it before. I... have no idea? The distance might be too great?"

She doesn't sound certain at all, a far cry from her usual self-assurance, but there's a gleam of interest in her eyes and a slowly growing smile on her face.

"... but I would love to make the attempt," she finishes.

"We'll pencil it in, then!" you say.

Mika raises a hand.

"Hey, unrelated question," Mika says. "I suppose I should have asked this one earlier, but in joining this alliance, am I making additional enemies? I wouldn't say it changes my decision, but I'd rather not be blindsided."

"Ah, yes," Yuki says, clasping her hands on the table in front of her. "I'll give the same answer as I did the last time - I don't foresee it becoming an issue from my end. We always made it a policy to keep our jobs... clean, as much as possible. We made mistakes, of course, Sendai, for example. That said, I can't think of anyone who would be willing to attack us."

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Kyouko giving Yuki a thoughtful, dubious look. You can't quite blame her for the doubt, either - it's a thought that's been niggling at the back of your mind. Of everyone here, Yuki's group is perhaps the one with the most exposure working with other groups around Japan, for better or for worse, and yes, she'd given that same spiel when you had asked that question too, but it might be worth looking into at some point to preempt problems.

But that's a thought for later, and for private discussions, perhaps.

"Nothing from our end!" Kazumi chirps. "We've kept to ourselves."

"Nor from us," Akemi says. "We... we weren't really notable, either."

"And as for us..." you wince. "I mean. Why are we here again?"

"For the same reason that I keep my Clear Seed hidden and safe?" Mika says with a grin. "Nah, I expected that much. Cool! I'm fine with all that."

"Ah, yes, uh. On that note - Miss Nakano, we'll be meeting with the Tokyo Council tomorrow," you say. "Completely optional, but if you want to come along?"

"Right, them," Kazumi says. "They're snooty."

"Snooty, and one of the biggest group of magical girls in Japan," Mika points out, frowning thoughtfully. "I'd love to be there."

"Fantastic," you say gravely. You take a breath, closing your eyes to think for a second, and then nod. "Alright. Unless anyone else has any other matters, then I think that brings us to the last issue for today's impromptu first executive meeting - what is this the First Executive Meeting of?"

"The Constellation!" Kazumi says immediately, slamming her hands on the table.

"Mages' Association!" Sayaka adds.

"The Spanish Inquisition," Kirika says, also contributing her own table slam with an excited gleam in her eyes. "Iowa sure as hell didn't expect us!"

"Spain is literally on the other side of the planet," Sasami mutters.

"So it's even more unexpected!" Kirika crows happily.

"Mami's Exceptionally Grand and Ultra Cool Alliance," you suggest. In English, of course. "MEGUCA for short."

"Sabrina," Mami says, putting her hand on your face.

"'Sabrina' doesn't sound like a good name for an organization," Noriko observes. "No offense."

"None taken," you mumble, your voice muffled by Mami's hand.

"Hope Foundation?" Kaoru offers.

"I think that's already taken," Mirai says. "I mean, it's gotta be."

"I would suggest something that avoids direct reference to magic in the name?" Mika says. "For subtlety value, and... future-proofing, it would be easier to do business business if we have a legit name we can register as a company. 'course, we could just have a fake name for that."

"I suppose that rules out Mahoukyoukai," you say, pouting.

"I do actually like 'Hope Foundation'," Yuki muses. "Hope Coalition? Hope Federation?" She shakes her head, frowning.

Sayaka snickers.

"Hey, don't you have a business card already?" she says, nudging Mami. "Sabrina made one, right? 'White Ribbon'. That could work too - it's super innocuous."

You smile, sitting back and letting the discussion wash over you. Mami removes her hand from your face and leans against you, her eyes sparkling as she listens, too.

[] Meeting wrap-up
- [] Any last points to raise?
[] Heading back to Mitakihara!
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

So! Apologies once more for the weird break point, but I wanted to update today rather than tomorrow.

Also, this is the point to throw out all the name suggestions - I'll be taking some for general suggestions from the others. (There are two hard problems in programming...)

 

[Firnagzen]

You lean back, chair creaking slightly behind you as it reclines backwards, and you just... let the discussion wash over you for the moment. Peace amidst chaos, of a sort - it's a welcome chaos, of a lighthearted decision and a rousing debate. An important decision, but a lighthearted one nevertheless.

"-Starlight Coalition!"

"Not bad, but if we're going for star themeing I do think I prefer Constellation," Sasami opines.

"Do we want to be Googleable?" Noriko asks. "If yes, it can't be too generic."

"We have international ambitions, and not just in magical girl society, don't we?" Mika asks. "If yes, then we want to be Googleable."

"Fondazione della speranza?" Mami offers. "It's, um, Italian for Hope Foundation."

Mami all but glows with happiness, gesturing with her free hand even as her opposite hand remains interlaced with yours. Golden eyes flicker over to you, delight dancing in her gaze. You beam back at her, brushing your thumb over the back of her hand.

"Possible..." Yuki muses. "But we are based in Japan, or at least we started here. Our name should... if not reflect that, then not mislead?"

"Hm..." Mami nods thoughtfully. "True enough."

"I still think 'White Ribbon' would be good," Sayaka says, pouting.

"Too much of an injoke," you say, and grin at Sayaka. "As much as I appreciate the support, it's probably not a good name for the whole organization. How about... Morning Rescue?"

"... What, like the drink?" Kaoru says, tilting her head.

"Copyright issues," Kazumi points out. "But I kind of like the general idea?"

"Dawn's Salvation," Umika suggests. "Dawn's Light? Dawn's Hope... Hah, Morningstar."

"Ew, veto on Morningstar," Sayaka says, cringing a little. "Bad implications."

That earns her a sidelong look from you, one that she either doesn't notice or chooses to ignore. But really, she's not wrong, suspiciously angel-related comments aside.

"Brighter Dawn Foundation," you offer. "... Hah, Brighter Future Society."

"Spectrum?" Homura ventures quietly.

You shoot her an encouraging grin.

"Because of our Soul Gem colours?" Sayaka asks, tapping her chin. "I kind of like it. Uh... Spectrum Corporation, Spectrum Foundation, Spectrum Association. Spectrum Union?"

"Grief-B-Gone!" Kirika declares happily.

"That might make a better mission statement than a name, dear," Oriko says fondly.

"Yeah, it kind of is our mission statement, eh?" you say, grinning. "Hmm... Seeds of Hope? Or... mm, maybe not - sounds kind of like an agricultural company to outsiders. Hrm."

"There's a certain elegance in something that becomes immediately obvious only to those who are aware of magic," Yuki says, propping her chin on her fist. "In particular if the listener has heard of your Clear Seeds, which is not an unreasonable assumption."

"Actually, on reflection, sounding like an agricultural company might be a feature, not a bug," you say, brushing hair out of your eyes and frowning. "I mean, sustainability is our goal, after all, just not in the way people would expect. It gives the right impression, maybe?"

"Sounds too bloody twee," Kyouko grumbles, and you blink in surprise.

Not because you'd forgotten her angry, brooding presence, but because she's... actually engaging. And she hasn't actually been snacking this entire time, either, and now that you think about it, she's just been sitting there. Not sulking, just watching, and listening silently.

Which actually bothers you a little, because you're not entirely sure what changed. She'd given you that odd lecture earlier, too, which...

Well, she was trying to tell you something, that much you're sure of. The surface level of people dealing with things differently, obviously. You're not that dumb. But you should probably think more about what else she was saying, and what prompted that? What changed? It certainly wasn't just bringing her along for a good brawl, though burning off some of her resentment probably helped.

You file those thoughts away for now, because the conversation's moved on with the general consensus that there's potential in 'Seeds of Hope' but it might be relegated to a secondary consideration.

"... uh, since we're all throwing out ideas, Time Space Administration Bureau?" Shinobu ventures.

"I thought you said you didn't like that show," Yuki says, raising an eyebrow at Shinobu.

"I don't! I always felt like it didn't do enough to earn its emotional payoffs," Shinobu says, folding her arms.

The sheer intimidation factor of bulging muscle -biceps the size of Yuki's entire head- seems to bounce off Yuki, who simply smirks and arches an eyebrow at Shinobu. She's used to it, you suppose, and Shinobu definitely doesn't mean it as such.

"... but it might make a good name," Shinobu finishes lamely, ducking her head. "But, uh, now that I think about it, I guess it's not really fitting. Nevermind."

Yuki pats her arm gently, smiling.

"Negentropy?" you say, picking up the slack for the slightly awkward silence. "Negentropy Union? Negentropy United?"

"Whassat mean?" Kazumi asks.

"Negative entropy, or so I presume," Umika says. "Based on that thing Kyu... based on what it says sometimes, correct?"

"Yeah, exactly," you say, bouncing on your chair. "Magic is negentropy, we bring forth magic from our souls and with it energy. Liiike, you know, uh, more than half of us can kick off of thin air or do reactionless flight or straight up conjure light or matter or whatever from literally nothing? Negentropy."

"Too obscure, perhaps," Mika says. "I don't hate the idea, but... needs too much explanation. We need common appeal, so in the same vein... Infinity Foundation, or something of the like?"

And on the conversation goes, suggestions ranging from Starlight Brigade to The Coven to Mages Without Borders lobbed and shot down. Yuki provides refills of water, while you discreetly check the time - this is an entirely worthwhile endeavour, and one that will change the world, but you'd love to be able to get back in time to see Nagisa off if nothing else.

"You know," Mami muses, finally. "I think, of all the names we've suggested, I keep coming back to Constellation. It's simple and evocative, of the radiance of our Soul Gems and the hope we want to bring, and the fact that the same stars shine over the whole world."

"And the idea that we unite to form a greater whole is entirely implicit in the name," you say thoughtfully. "And it's innocuous enough too. It's... not the most exciting name we could choose, I suppose. Do you think it's too plain, maybe? People'll think we're an astronomy company or something."

Kazumi beams across the table.

"I do agree," Yuki says. "Though I would regard the plainness as a feature of the name. It's innocuous enough that we can discuss it freely."

"Hey, there's worse things to be associated with than space!" Kirika says.

"Not just Constellation," Sayaka murmurs thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "We'll be The Constellation."

"I like it," Mika says. "Bold symbology, while being... tastefully understated. I could see it as the name of a proper company, but it's just dramatic enough to be cool."

"There's an air of the mythic to it," Noriko says. "All the stars in the night sky, the guiding lights of humanity..."

"... you know what? I can definitely live with that. 'Hope Foundation' could be a runner up, but... yeah. The Constellation. Uh..." You purse your lips, looking around the table. "OK, look, maybe in the future we'll want to have formal voting and all that, probably ranked voting or something like that? But just for now, for something like this, shall we just try for a unanimous decision?"

"That sounds reasonable," Oriko says, nodding. "Besides, we are the... founding members, are we not? We should be unanimous on the name and goals of our organization, if nothing else."

Murmurs of agreement around the table. You grin, and nudge Mami, giving her an encouraging look. She rises to her feet.

"Alright!" Mami says, standing with back straight and the gleam of eager anticipation in her eyes. "All in favour of calling ourselves The Constellation?"

"Aye!" The call goes around the table, Kazumi's hand shooting up the quickest, followed by Kaoru and Umika and Mirai and Kirika... even Homura raises her hand, murmuring quiet assent. And finally-

Kyouko rolls her eyes, and grudgingly raises her hand.

"Then it's unanimous!" Mami says happily. "Henceforth, we shall be known as The Constellation!"

"Woo!" Kirika cheers, bouncing to her feet.

"Woo!" Yuma echoes.

"May we accomplish all we set out to do," Yuki murmurs like a benediction. And heck, maybe it is.

You find yourself grinning as you push your chair back and hop lightly to your feet, joining Mami.

"Tomorrow, Tokyo, the day after, Japan!" you declare. "And let's pencil in the world for Monday."

"Yeah! World domination!" Kazumi crows, pumping her fists in the air.

"World domination?" you say, infusing polite disdain to your voice and the furrow of a raised brow. "Oh no, my good lady, we are going for world optimization. World domination isn't good enough for us."

"Ah, of course," Kazumi says, nodding solemnly. "My mistake."

"However!" You clap your hands together, smiling. "I think that brings us to the end of our first meeting, unless there's any other business?"

"What, no party?" Mika asks.

"... hm," you say, drawn up short and blinking. "I, uh, didn't even think about that."

"Ennnh," Kirika says, stretching. "A party'd be nice, but..."

"I can respect that," Mika says. "Was mostly a joke, anyway."

"Maybe next time?" you offer.

"Sounds like a plan, then," Mika says, interlacing her fingers and inverting them in a stretch. "I should probably get back home, anyway."

"Alright! Then thank you, Miss Tsuruya, for hosting," you say with a warm smile. "And thank you, everyone, for being here, and coming when I called."

"It was very much my pleasure, Miss Vee," Yuki says, also getting up - and that seems to be the cue for everyone to stand, stretching or shaking themselves out. "So, I'll be accompanying you as far as Mitakihara, and from there joining Miss Kazusa to Asunaro, correct?"

"That's the plan, unless... Homura? Miss Nakano? Any changes of plans on your end?" you say.

"None from me," Homura says, with a slight shake of her head.

"Nah, I'm fine for the moment," Mika says. "But I'll figure out something soonish, yeah."

"Same," you say, nodding. "OK! Let's head up to the- roof, yes, thank you, Miss Tsuruya."

You tilt your face back to the sun, revelling briefly in the warmth and the simple joy of having taken a concrete step forward. And now, if you're lucky, if you rush, you'll be back in time to hang out with Nagisa for just a little while longer. And perhaps it's time to talk to Homura, and it's time to think about Kyouko.

The rush of wind fills your hair as you take to the skies, the Mobile Oppression Fortress formed around you and your friends. The Constellation. It is a little plain, perhaps, not exactly exciting, but when it lends itself to turns of phrases like 'the stars fell upon Iowa', you can't really complain that much.

Telepathy to let Madoka and Hitomi know you're heading back, and you're sure that Yuki, small and quiet and ever-watchful is in contact with Atsuko too.

Homura, sitting on your left, clears her throat slightly and turns to Sayaka with a raised eyebrow. You give her a curious look, leaning back so that Mami can see too.

"'Imperialist'?" Homura says, just loud enough to be heard over the passage of the wind.

"Eh?" Sayaka says, blinking. "Oh, you mean what I said about the Iowa gang? I mean, it sort of fits."

"No empire, no imperialism," Homura points out.

"I... hm, yeah, imperialism has a certain political aspect to it," Sayaka says, frowning. "Definitely not colonialism either. I suppose raiding or murderhoboing is the most accurate description."

"Capitalist slavers?" you offer. "Or, well... I mean, look, if we want a description, 'raiders' is probably the most accurate. If we're looking for a historical analogue, well, Vikings."

"Shut up, Sabrina," Sayaka says. "You started this. 'Gunboat diplomacy' my fine ass, it's put imperialism on my brain."

"I'm afraid I'm not following, Sayaka," Mami says, blinking at Sayaka with innocent curiosity. "Your... posterior put imperialism on your brain?"

Sayaka stares at Mami for a long moment in silence, and then transfers her incandescently accusatory glare to you. Then she sticks her nose in the air and pointedly turns away, folding her arms with a huff.

Mami giggles, snuggling into your side. You beam at her, leaning over to press a kiss against her cheek.

"You did great today, Mami," you say.

"So did you," Mami says.

You chuckle quietly, and relax as she wraps an arm around you. Your other friends chatter away quietly behind you as Japan unspools beneath you, the familiar greens and greys and browns of fields and mountains and towns a vast tapestry stitched together by roads and traffic. Fukushima's long gone over the horizon, and you'll soon be home.

Home to Mitakihara, and home in time to catch Nagisa, if barely. Four o'clock pickup, Shin had said. You owe him an explanation, too, but perhaps after dinner with the Shizukis.

And sure enough, you spot the great, glittering spires of Mitakihara. Still shrouded by rain - now less a dense curtain, and more a shimmering veil dancing in the afternoon sun. Grief fog billows up ahead and above of you, nudging aside raindrops with careful precision so that none of you get wet.

Atsuko's lounging on the roof of Shimachi Mall, a lounge-chair made of dull metal and shade of steel.

"Hey, Yuki," Atsuko calls in all her untied-laces-glory as you drift in for a landing. She turns to you, expression firming up into professional blankness. "No news to report, Miss Vee. Trailed your friends for a while, but didn't pick up a single damn thing."

"Er, sorry bout that," you say. With a thought, you dissolve your flight platform as everyone steps off, milling about the roof with quiet conversation. It smells of rain here, ozone and something earthy, the concrete of the roof slick under your boots.

"It happens," Atsuko says, rolling her eyes. "I just drew the short straw this time, and you gotta guard your flanks just to be sure."

"Well then... instead, let me say thank you," you say, smiling.

"No prob," Atsuko says, waving and wandering off to join Yuki.

"We'll head off!" Kazumi says, waving. She's already frowning, shadows gathering in her hand and flowing forth to form her copy of your flight platform. "Everyone's expecting us back home. But we gotta hang out properly sometime, yeah? Maybe after Tokyo tomorrow?"

"Speaking of Tokyo," Yuki says. "When will you pick us up?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," you say. "The meeting's at two, so... pickup at one thirty, something like that? Since you're setting up the link for Asunaro?"

"Certainly," Yuki says. "Let me know."

"Can do," you say, smiling. "And again, thank you."

Yuki waves it off.

"Er, Miss Akiyama," Sayaka says, trying to catch the other girl's attention discreetly.

"Yes, Miss Miki?" Atsuko asks, obligingly stepping closer to listen.

"Your shoelaces," Sayaka says.

Atsuko blinks, and then belly-laughs. "Oh. No, they're just like that. If I tie them up-"

She loops it into a quick butterfly knot, raises her foot, shakes once, and the laces unravel instantly.

"Oh," Sayaka says, then shrugs. "Eh, it makes sense that it doesn't make sense."

"That's kind of cool," Kazumi says. "What happens if you put a safety pin in?"

"Boing," Atsuko says, shrugging.

"Cool!" Kazumi says. "Anyway, all aboard to Asunaro!"

[x] Get back to Nagisa
[] Anything to say to anyone before they head off?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

And that's that little excursion wrapped up!

 

[Firnagzen]

"Alright!" you say, waving at Kazumi and her friends as they load up on the flight platform, before Kazumi apparently has a brainwave and chases everyone off again. Mirai's bears stomp up and promptly lie down, turning themselves giant mattresses for the Asunaro girls to rest on.

"See ya!" Kazumi says, bouncing back onto the copied flight platform. "We've gotta today this again sometime, and I don't mean tomorrow! I mean, like, without all the politics or fighting. Just hanging out!"

"That sounds like fun," Mami says, smiling. "But I don't know. Fighting for justice isn't such a bad thing, is it?"

"It definitely isn't!" Kazumi says happily as she sprawls out across her friends' laps, Kaoru and Umika and Mirai looking fondly tolerant. "Still, it'll be nice to hang out without the trouble sometime."

"It would!" you say with a smile. "One day soon when we're not all revving up to save the world."

"Sooner than that, even," Sayaka says, elbowing you. "There's a lot of world to save."

"Count me in on that too, sometime," Mika says, green eyes dancing. "Not like travel isn't cheap now, anyway."

"Sooner than that," you amend, stepping back and waving. "Have a safe trip! One last cleansing for the road?"

"I'm good," Kazumi says cheerfully, rolling over and propping her chin on her hands to peer down at you. "Clear Seed back home, anyway."

"On that note," Yuki says, raising a finger and stepping between all of you. "Before we leave, one last matter: the Grief Seeds we took from the Iowa group. I believe we should distribute them evenly among our groups?"

"I assumed we were going to just leave them to you, actually," Mika says with a shrug. "Since you need to take care of the prisoners."

"I certainly wouldn't object to the notion, but we all took part in the fight, and it seems only right to share the spoils, such as it is," Yuki says. She reaches into the depths of her cloak, withdrawing a double handful of Grief Seeds.

Eleven Grief Seeds balance on her hands, gleaming under the sullen light filtering through the rainstorm. Eighteen magical girls, four or five or six or seven teams depending on how you count it, which makes distribution a little tricky. Yuki seems to have the same issue too, hesitating slightly as her gaze roams around the group.

"Ah..." Mami clears her throat, stepping forward. "Three for you, Miss Tsuruya, since you'll get the most immediate utility out of them, if only for the prisoners. Two for Miss Nakano, since you'll have to fly back to Ishinomaki by yourself, and three for Kazumi, for the same reason, albeit a longer distance?"

Kyouko eyes Mami, the crimson of her eyes intent.

"And three for your group?" Yuki says, raising an eyebrow. "It hardly seems a fair distribution, by number of magical girls."

You clear your throat.

Mami's smile turns just the slightest bit smug.

"A fair point," Yuki allows.

"We'll just take two," Kazumi says firmly. "Clear Seed back home, and flying's plenty safe. And yes, we're sure. Right, girls?"

"Right!" Mirai says, underscored by the low rumble of the bear she's reclining on.

"Very well, then," Yuki says, and starts handing out Seeds. "Two for you, two for you, four for you-" Mami receives them with a gracious smile as Yuki continues, "-leaving three for me. There."

"Minor note?" you say. "Ah... I think I've mentioned this to most of everyone here, but since we're officially an alliance and everything - if it isn't too much trouble, could you, ah, try not to use up the Grief Seeds all the way, if you use them? Fill them up to ninety percent or so, hang on to 'em, and I can refresh them for you."

Every last Grief Seed you can prevent Kyuubey from taking is, you hope, a magical girl you might one day save.

"Can do!" Kazumi says, offering a sloppy salute.

"Mmh," Mika agrees, nodding thoughtfully as she slips the Grief Seeds into the sleeves of her robe.

"Then that's the last matter I wanted to handle before we left," Yuki says. "Shall we, Atsuko?"

"Uh, sure," Atsuko says, blinking.

Yuki joins Kazumi's group on the flight platform, primly taking a seat on one of the chairs instead of on a bear, and waves Atsuko up with her - who in turn dithers for a second before hesitantly seating herself on one of the giant bears.

You snicker quietly to yourself, smiling at Mami as she leans into your side.

"Alright! Now departing to Asunaro, please ensure all your hands, legs, and assorted appendages are within the vehicle," Kazumi declares happily. "Catch you around, everyone!"

A chorus of farewells chases her as Kazumi lifts off, the flight platform wobbling a little as she evidently learns to compensate for the weight, and then they're off.

"I'll take my leave too," Mika says, nodding. She strides to the edge of the roof and turns back to face you all. "Good luck on your endeavours."

"Thanks," you say. "See you!"

"See ya!" Mika sweeps into a theatrical bow, and without straightening, allows herself to fall backwards, the roar of winds bearing her skywards an instant later, leaving just you and your friends on the roof: Kyouko and Yuma, Noriko and Akemi and Noriko, Oriko and Kirika, Sayaka and Homura and Mami and you.

"Yep, we're heading off too," Kyouko grunts. "Good fight, call me if you've got more. We've still got Witches to hunt."

"Ah, before you go," Mami says, smiling as she holds out a Grief Seed. "Take it, Kyouko, you've definitely earned at least one."

"... Fine, whatever," Kyouko says, swiping it from Mami's hand. She looks like she's chewing on something unpleasant for a second before spitting a grudging, "Thanks."

"You earned it," you say firmly, echoing Mami's words. You meet Kyouko's gaze, holding it for a second, and then turn to look at Yuma. "You too, Yuma - without your help, we couldn't have helped the locals. I only wish we could give you more, but well... I'm around, and I'm still happy to refresh your Grief Seeds, yeah?"

"Um- you're welcome!" Yuma says, with a tentatively pleased smile. "Yuma- I was glad to help!"

"You sure you don't want to come hang out with us?" Sayaka says, propping her fist on her hip. "We don't mind, y'know?"

"Things to do, Witches to hunt," Kyouko grumbles, pulling a chocolate bar from her pocket, which she snaps in two and passes half to Yuma. "See ya 'round."

She turns, and leaps off towards the next building in a flurry of red. Yuma waves shyly and follows.

"Hmph," Sayaka grumbles, folding her arms and frowning off in the direction Kyouko left.

"We'll head home as well," Noriko says. "It's been a long day, and it feels much longer."

"No offense, Miss Akemi, but your magic is, ah, as terrifying as it is powerful," Akemi says. "I won't deny it gave us an enormous advantage today, but..."

Homura shrugs slightly, and you exchange farewells. And that leaves you with Mami, Homura, Sayaka, and... Oriko, and Kirika. You can tell Homura's getting a little antsy, as is Sayaka. Truth be told, so are you. You're eager to get back to Nagisa, too.

The moment stretches out, the silence broken by the incessant drumming of the rain.

"We should take our leave, too," Oriko says, and hesitates. "We might not head directly back home, if that's alright with you? I'd like to do some shopping, too, but not here. We're still wearing the trackers."

You bite your lip. You want to give them permission, but it's not really your permission to give, so you just glance from Sayaka to Homura, wordlessly leaving the decision in their hands.

Homura nods, once, tightly.

"You were- helpful today," she says through clenched jaws.

"It's not a reward," Sayaka says. She turns a scowl and folded arms on Oriko and Kirika. "That's not how it works. It's trust. We're extending you some. Don't abuse it."

"We won't!" Kirika says. "I promise!"

"Make sure you don't," Sayaka says. "Go, before we change our minds."

"See you," you offer, subdued.

"See ya!" Kirika says, all but dragging Oriko away with a bright grin on her face, undampened by the rain.

"And then there were four," Sayaka says, detransforming in a flash of cerulean blue. She turns a grin on you. "Man, that feels like it took forever. Shall we get back to Madoka and Hitomi? Or..." She frowns. "Well, I mean, I'm still there with them, so I'll excuse myself to the toilet and swap out."

"Sounds like a plan, Sayaka, and it feels like I've been waiting forever," you say. "Let's go!"

Mami takes your hand as you make for the stairs, Homura lingering a step behind you with a distant look in her eyes before shaking herself and following as Sayaka splits off to take a different path.

"Thank you," Homura mutters quietly.

"Hm?" you say, blinking back at her. Your footsteps slow as you half-twist to look at her quizzically.

"For..." Homura trails off, and shrugs helplessly. "The... the Kures. For splitting them up. Minimizing harm."

"Ah," you say. "Well... anytime, Homura." You grin at her. "You're my friend, Homura. If it's for making you just the slightest bit more comfortable... well, yeah."

"Thank you," Homura says again, with slightly more emphasis on the words.

You grin, clap her shoulder gently, and start back down the stairs. "Let's get back to our friends, OK?"

And so you do, plunging once more into the dull roar of the crowd and the press of people. You ping Hitomi and Madoka for their location, of course, rather than try to fumble through the crowd - you could probably just saturate the entire shopping centre with nanofog and locate them by brute force, but why would you bother when you can just ask?

As you make your way through the crowd, though, you have another quick conversation to sort out.

"Hey, Masami, Hiroko?" you say. "Situation has been handled, you can, uh, stand down now."

"Right," Masami responds. "Good. What happened?"

"It was the Iowa Group," you say. "That said, now that we've fought them, I'm not sure that they're actually from Iowa. They had an Iowa. As in, the battleship USS Iowa."

"Oh. Well." Masami seems... mildly flummoxed by that little tidbit.

"We're sorry we couldn't come along and help," Hiroko says, smoothly stepping in to fill the conversational gap. "And not just because we'd both have loved to see that. But... you understand, I hope."

Because... well, you've reunited Mami with Kazumi and Kyouko, but you haven't even begun to help Masami and Mami mend bridges. No way in hell would Masami have volunteered to step into that pit of worms, and there's no way you'd have let Mami open that can of vipers either, even if Masami had been willing. Not without warning, not just before going into a fight.

"Yeah," you say. "For what it's worth, I'm grateful we had you back in Mitakihara, just in case."

"It's not like we would've run off," Masami says with a snort. "This is our home. Anyway, uh... good work, and thank you for handling it?"

"I didn't do it alone, but you're welcome," you say.

"Sure," Masami says.

"Anyway, that's what I wanted to let you know about, so... later," you say, and end the call. Just in time, because-

"Big sis!" Nagisa crashes into your knees, arms locking around your legs.

"Hey, Nagisa," you say, stooping down and ruffling her hair. "Sorry I had to rush off."

"Welcome back, everyone!" Madoka says, beaming at you as she hurries over, Hitomi alongside. You'd found them sitting near the fountain, the centerpiece of the shopping centre with water cascading from sculpted marble in burbling splashes. Homura sidles over to Madoka's side, glancing about carefully.

"Oh hey, welcome back!" Sayaka says, jogging over from a different direction.

"It- it's OK, big sis," Nagisa says.

"I wish I'd done better," you say softly. Mami touches your elbow gently, her other hand taking yours and squeezing.

"But you're back now!" Nagisa says, beaming.

"That we are," you say. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah! Madoka and Hitomi are really nice!" Nagisa says.

"And how much cheese have they bribed you with?" you tease.

"Not enough," Nagisa says without a single iota of hesitation. "There is never enough cheese."

"None at all, actually," Hitomi says with a smile. "Nagisa was perfectly behaved."

"But I missed you, big sis!" Nagisa says, still wrapped around your legs.

You huff out a laugh and haul Nagisa up into a hug, resting her weight comfortably on your hip. Mami giggles, smiling at you and reaching out to ruffle Nagisa's hair too.

"You know what? It's good to be back," you say. "And we've got about ten minutes before your uncle gets back, so where do you want to go, Nagisa? Also, hey everyone. I'm really sorry I had to run off. And don't tell me it's OK, because even if something came out, I shouldn't have."

"Well... don't worry about it," Madoka says, offering up an impish, cheeky grin.

"I want to just stay here at the fountain," Nagisa says. "Walking around too much!"

"That's fine," you say, smiling.

And so you just hang out, chatting idly - about school, about her home life, and Nagisa doesn't ask you about what you'd run off to. And then it's time to escort Nagisa back out to the meeting point, tucking her back into the protection of her raincoat and covering her with overlapped umbrellas. The rain's dwindled to a fuzzy drizzle by the time you poke your head out, but still!

The streets, still slick with rain, throng with the noise of conversation and cars as you make your way to the pickup area. Rows of cars line up in patient queues, people crowding about as they await their rides, wardens ushering cars and passengers alike with careful precision and calm order.

Shin looks rather surprised to see you when he pulls up at the pickup point, exactly on the dot of four o'clock, and you immediately dip into a bow.

"I'm very sorry I had to leave midway," you blurt. "I wanted to stay, and I wanted to hang out with Nagisa, but I... I completely failed to consider that I was effectively on call for some responsibilities I couldn't ignore. I apologise for not considering it and discussing it with you ahead of time."

Shin sighs quietly. For a moment, he looks every bit the worn Japanese businessman he is, older than his years. Younger than the pure white of his hair might suggest, but then again, hair colour is no indicator of age.

"I'm a little disappointed, but I entirely understand the feeling," he says. "After all, part of the reason Nagisa was with you today was because I had responsibilities I couldn't ignore, and by happy coincidence, you were available. I can't say you didn't make adequate arrangements in turn, though."

He smiles at you, taking the sting out of the reprimand.

"But big sis came back!" Nagisa says, hugging you. You smile at her, ignoring the way she presses drops of rain into your leg.

"I shouldn't have left in the first place," you say.

"Still, I'm grateful to you, Miss Sabrina, and to you two, Miss Kaname and Miss Shizuki," Shin says with a nod. "But I have to ask, in view of the future: what happened?"

"That is a bit of a can of worms," you admit. "It's not that I'm unwilling to discuss it, it's just that it's a long explanation." And one you hope that Kyuubey won't wipe from his mind.

You can feel curious eyes on you - Sayaka and Homura and, yes, Nagisa. Mami doesn't blink, though, simply backing you up with a confident smile instead.

"Can you sum it up?" Shin asks, arching an eyebrow. Flecked-gold eyes search yours, coolly assessing, and you can't help but approve: even if he's judging you, it's because he cares about his niece.

"I can't," you say. You don't look away, trying to project sincerity and an unwillingness to yield on the matter in your expression and your voice. "It's not something that can or should be summed up quickly."

"I see," Shin says. He's the first to break the staredown, glancing from you to Nagisa - and then he softens, shaking her head. "Then I suppose we'll have to have a conversation sometime. Would Monday dinner suit you?"

"Tentatively, yes?" you say, frowning as you internally review your calendar. You don't think you've got anything scheduled for Monday, barring the training with Kyouko and Sayaka... which, come to think of it, will probably be a mass training session, now. And Oriko had predicted the Soujos to arrive within the week, too. You nod decisively. "Monday dinner should be fine. Would it be alright if I confirmed it closer in?"

After telling the Shizukis, hah. And at this point, you're on course for telling the Kanames too, really, and... huh, you should double-check with Sayaka, too, and you should probably follow up.

"Uncle Shin, big sis, don't fight," Nagisa says, tugging timidly at your hands.

"We're not fighting, Nagisa," Shin says. "We're just discussing future plans."

"Yeah," you say, smiling at Nagisa. "I have to be responsible for my mistakes, you know? And not planning ahead was my mistake - even if I did manage to fix things up by leaving you with Madoka and Hitomi and Sayaka, I shouldn't have had to. So we're gonna figure things out so I don't have to do that in the future, hopefully."

"Oh," Nagisa says. "Alright. I'll still get to hang out with you, right?"

"Yup," you say. You glance at Shin - he nods slightly, so you continue. "After I have that discussion with your Uncle, but that's probably Monday, so it won't be too long, OK?"

"OK!" Nagisa says, relaxing with a smile.

"Then... until next time, OK?" you say.

"OK!" Nagisa says, beaming. "Bye-bye, everyone! Thank you for letting me come along today!"

"Monday dinner," Shin says. "We'll confirm it on the day itself? And again, thank you, everyone, for helping out today. I appreciate it."

"Definitely," you say as everyone starts to exchange farewells.

Shin nods, and gets back into the car, smiling tolerantly as Nagisa lingers before letting herself in. You wave as they drive off, shepherded away by the wardens, and you relax, smiling at your friends.

"I'm proud of you, Sabrina," Mami says, bringing your hand up to press a gentle kiss to your knuckles.

You blush.

"W-what for?" you ask. You also ignore Sayaka's muttered 'Get a room' with with what you choose to describe as stately dignity.

"For handling that conversation with Mr. Momoe well," Mami says. "I daresay your demeanour did a lot to convince him to take it on your word alone."

"Oh," you say. "You think so?"

"I do," Mami says, smiling warmly. "What next?"

"Well-" You turn to your friends. "Are we still on for that study session? If yes, I'll want to make a quiiick stop to pick up something that I didn't get the opportunity to earlier, and then we're good to go on that?"

"Heck yes," Sayaka groans, shoulders immediately slumping as she tips forward to bury her face on Madoka's shoulder, the very picture of abject despair. "I neeeeeed the help. You're my only hope. Well, you and Homura and Mami."

"The help would be thoroughly appreciated," Hitomi says. "But don't forget the dinner tonight, Sabrina."

"Oh, I haven't," you say. "In that case, let's get going."

[x] Vote in abeyance
[] What else do you want to do during the study session?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] Purchase a smartphone.
[X] Work on mind protecting enchantments during the homework session, and covertly book a restaurant for tomorrow's date.
-[X] Mention that you urgently need to break off and discuss something privately with Mami and Homura -- within the next few hours, even though you're expecting you'll have to use timestop to make that work. This is going to have been a long day, but it is going to have been so worth it.

=====

So, the next vote will take you to the study session. Now would be a possible time for a discussion with Homura - if not, the update will take you through the preparing for dinner with the Shizukis.

 

[Firnagzen]

A quick stop to pick up something you'd missed the opportunity to, you'd said. Fortunately, the short queues smooth your way, and Mami slides in to pay with an insistent nudge and a sweet smile, just for you, that has your defenses and feeble protests crumbling all but instantly.

The largest amount of time was spent on arguing over which phone to get, of course, but you cut it off early and concede in the interests of time. You've spent so much of your friends' time today, and you need to pay it back somehow - helping with Madoka and Sayaka and Hitomi's homework seems like the least you can do.

Homura too, but not because she needs help with her homework. Rather, you're going to give her the opportunity to hang out. And since you know she knows the schoolwork, she can help out too.

You're tempted for some reason by the giant plush brontosaurus -the same one that caught your eye way back then- you see in the window, and you could buy it, but... nah. Maybe next time, when you're not rushing off to help your friends. Besides, something tells you it'd just be trouble, anyway.

And so you find yourself headed back home, after a bit of discussion. You take a bus, for obvious pink- and green-haired reasons. It's not a long trip, and you chat happily with your friends until you get home - and Sayaka meets you there, having broken off to fetch her homework from, well, home.

"I'm home," you murmur as you shuck your shoes and head in to home.

"Welcome home," Mami says. The smile she shoots you is nothing short of dazzling, and she laughs when you snatch away her discarded shoes to arrange neatly alongside yours with a bit of Grief.

"Dorks," Sayaka says accusingly, a tiny grin curling the side of her mouth.

"Sa-ba-ka," you counter in exactly the same tone.

"You know, Sayaka," Madoka says, visibly trying to swallow a giggle. "You were telling Mami and Sabrina to get a room, earlier. But... they already have a few, don't they?"

Madoka gestures airily at the familiar walls of the apartment you share with Mami, her expression and posture utterly innocent right down to the smile and the slight, inquisitive tilt of her head.

Sayaka sighs loudly and breezes past you with nose tipped upwards.

Hitomi giggles, politely covering her mouth.

"Oh, do come in, everyone," Mami says. There's the slightest tinge of red to her cheeks, one that you find utterly adorable, and you can't help but lean over to brush a kiss against her cheek. Which definitely improves the colour, so that's nice.

"Everyone, why don't you get set up?" Mami says, clearing her throat. "I'll get us some refreshments."

"And I'll, uh, help everyone get set up?" you say.

Mami flashes you a swift smile, already heading for the kitchen.

"Alright, then!" you say. "Homework out, everyone, uh. Madoka, Hitomi, you can leave the shopping bags here, and... hmm. Homura, how confident do you feel about the schoolwork?"

"Reasonably?" Homura ventures cautiously, like she's expecting a trap.

"Great, you can help out too," you say with a grin. "Good, good..."

You all arrange yourself around Table-kun. There's not quite enough room to fit everyone - not if everyone wants to have room to really write, so you add some flat planes of Grief. You did get around to figuring out Grief hair extensions, and really, Grief table expansions are just a logical... extension of the concept. Right?

There's a little shuffling around, Sayaka taking up the shortest side of the expanded Table-kun while Hitomi and Madoka and Homura take up another side.

"So, what's on the docket for homework?" you ask. "I see... math, biology and, uh... is that music?"

"Music theory. We have an essay to do on it, and it's not my strongest subject," Hitomi says with a sigh. "I know Sayaka and Madoka already started theirs, and I'm fairly confident for my math. Less so my music theory, so I'd appreciate a second opinion."

"Yeah, skimmed and did what I could first, and y'know, I still don't get that," Sayaka says. "Haven't you been having piano lessons since you were, like, two months old?"

"Playing music is nowhere near music theory, Sayaka," Hitomi says. "You know that."

"I do, but... y'know," Sayaka says, shrugging demonstratively.

Hitomi shrugs back.

"Anyway, math... huh, number theory," you say, squinting at Sayaka's upside-down paper. Upside-down to you, anyway, right-side-up to her. "Huh, number theory before calculus? Mami-" You shoot Mami a smile as she returns from the kitchen with a tray of cookies and tea, "-weren't you doing integration by parts recently?"

"I was, why?" she asks, setting the tray down on the table. "Ah, number theory. It only makes sense, really, but I don't recall enjoying it." She wrinkles her nose as she settles down beside you. "Still, I can help with that, too!"

You beam proudly at Mami.

"Thank goodness," Sayaka says, shaking her head. "Took a crack at this already, like I said, but some of it is tough."

"Well, let's get into it," you say, smiling. "And... Madoka... oh, I see. Krebs cycle?"

Madoka makes a whiny, distressed noise and flops across the table.

"It's all so complicated," she complains. "Fumarate is combined with water via fumarase to form malic acid. Malic acid is acted on by... something. Dehydrogenase? To form..." She makes another annoyed sound.

"Malate dehydrogenase, I believe. Do you have to memorize it, or...?" you say.

Madoka shakes her head without lifting it from the table, grabbing the worksheet and brandishing it with angry impunity. "I started on it too, but I'm a bit stuck on this part. I need to calculate ATP production and energy efficiency, and show my work."

"Ah, that's not so bad," you say, taking the worksheet and looking at it. You nod thoughtfully, and then catch Homura's eye with a slight grin. "OK. Homura, you know this material too, right?"

Homura nods wordlessly.

"OK!" you say, clapping your hands together. "Homura, can you help Madoka with her homework? And Mami, you help Sayaka, then I'll work with Hitomi and bounce between the groups if you need help?"

"I can do that," Mami says with a smile. "Alright, Sayaka, let me see your worksheet..."

Homura blinks slowly, and then once again when Madoka turns to her with a pleading look on her face. But then, she gives in all but instantly, and starts to explain the concepts in a quiet, even tone, helping Madoka out with the chemical formulae.

Meanwhile, you turn your attention to Hitomi's paper.

"I'll need to leave slightly earlier," she notes as you skim the essay topic and her notes, written in an elegant, flowing hand. "To prepare for dinner."

"Yeah, of course," you say. Which reminds you that you still need to have that talk with Homura - sometime tonight. Before or after dinner, but before is almost certainly going to be a timestop thing.

... Then again, it's timestop or privacy field, one of two. You're not letting the Incubators in on this conversation, oh no.

But for now, you have much simpler issues to engage with, namely to help Hitomi lay out an overview of harmonization and reharmonization of musical chords in an essay. Which, of course, doesn't take up all of your attention, so you discreetly retrieve a gold bar, Grief-pressing it into simple hair clips.

You're visiting Tokyo tomorrow. And given that you have what you'd consider well-informed suspicions about their memory modification, it behooves you to prepare appropriately - and that means mind-protection enchantments.

You can split your focus enough to comment cogently and help out with your friends' homework - your actual hands might be busy with the enchantment, but there's nothing preventing you from grabbing a pencil with Grief to scribble with.

Mami leans against your shoulder when she's not helping Sayaka, humming quietly and sneaking you little smiles with a glow of pure, elemental joy in her eyes, a look that makes you feel warm and pleased. You like seeing Mami happy, and you like being able to bring her that joy. It's the least you can do for her, when she's done so much for you.

"What are you thinking about, Sabrina?" Mami murmurs into your mind during a lull, the scratching of pens the only sound in the room as your friends toil industriously at their homework.

"How do you know I'm not just focusing on my enchantment?" you tease, smiling at her.

"I know you, Sabrina," Mami says simply.

"I... well, I can't argue with that," you say, your cheeks heating a little. "I was thinking that I started out wanting to simply help you not be so lonely. I wanted to help you be happy, and that was... kind of condescending, I suppose, because it was a problem I had to fix, you know? But I don't think that's really true anymore."

"Mm?" Mami says. Her eyes almost glow gold in the warm light of your apartment, looking up at you with an expression that's affectionate and almost coy.

"Somewhere along the way, it turned into wanting to be the one to make you happy," you say. "So that's... yeah."

"You do, Sabrina," Mami whispers. "I can only hope that I bring you as much joy as you've brought to my life."

"Believe me, Mami, you do," you say. "You do."

"Ah... Sabrina?" Madoka asks. "Um... could I get some help here?"

"I'm having trouble explaining the enzyme complex," Homura says quietly, her brow knotted in faint consternation. She looks up at you with the slightest hint of pleading in her eyes. "I have little experience teaching."

"Ah... you've been doing a great job, Homura!" Madoka says. "It's just, um, a lot to take in."

"A diagram might work better," Mami suggests, looking up. "You could borrow my laptop, since I take it that you left yours at home?"

"Actually, lemme just..." A slight frown, a bit more Grief, and you form a full model of the enzyme complex that facilitates the Krebs cycle. Well, part of the cycle. You flash Mami a quick grin before getting up and shuffling around the table to join Madoka and Homura - all the better to help explain, both you and Homura pointing out the relevant sections of protein.

Madoka nods along with the explanation, pink eyes bright with enthusiasm as you explain.

And with that explanation done, it's time to help Hitomi out again with some fact-checking and a few bars played on Grief instruments, and then it's time to nudge your head against Mami's while she works on her own english homework, and then it's off to huddling with Mami and Sayaka over math and dredging up the finer intricacies of prime numbers.

You also take the time to mull over where you might book a restaurant, but there's no way you can do it subtly right now. You make a mental note to do it later.

Tapping at the window - and that turns out to be Mugin, pecking inquisitively at the glass.

"We really should invest in a perch," Mami muses as you let the crow in. "Since we appear to have been adopted."

"I should make one, just gotta remember to actually do it," you say. "By the way, Sayaka, could you explain the concept of house training to Mugin here? He's been well-behaved enough, but y'know. Just in case."

"Sure, sure," Sayaka says, already pulling out some birdseed.

An hour flies by, and then two, and everyone's gotten over the worst parts of their homework, and you've cranked out a small pile of enchanted hairclips. Which is good, because that's when Hitomi, apparently satisfied with her progress, sets her pen down with a decisive click.

"Time?" you say.

"I'll need the time to get home and prepare," Hitomi says, nodding regally as she starts packing away her homework. She smiles. "Thank you for all the help, Sabrina, Mami."

"Yeah! Thank you too, Homura!" Madoka says happily. "I've made a lot of progress today, and it's all thanks to you."

"Uuugh yeah, you three are lifesavers," Sayaka groans, slumping forward. "I need to manage my time better too, I guess. Maybe I'll start using clones for homework. Can I do that? I think I can do that."

"I'm almost jealous," Mami says with a light smile dancing on her lips. "That would have been extraordinarily useful before."

"Before?" Sayaka asks. She raises her voice slightly as Mugin starts to caw and flutter about, excited with the sudden flurry of motion in the room.

"Well, I have Sabrina to help me now," Mami says. Her smile widens a hair, just a hint of a smidgen of a touch of smugness radiating from her expression.

Sayaka snorts.

"Aaaanyway," she says. "Thanks, all three of you."

"Of course," you say. "I mean, it's kind of my fault you're having to do other stuff as well, right?"

"Like I wouldn't have been out shopping even if I weren't a magical girl," Sayaka says with a roll of her eyes. "It's Saturday. By which I mean just accept the thanks."

"Well..." You exchange a look with Mami. "You're very welcome, then, and- anytime!"

"Yep, yep," Sayaka says. "I'll get going - you've got a dinner to go to. Hope that goes well, yeah?"

"Yeah," you say, making a face. "Hm. Do any of you need a lift home? Hitomi especially? I can fly everyone home and be back."

"I'll be fine - I have plenty of time to get home and prepare," Hitomi says. "I have a pickup, anyway." She waves her phone meaningfully at you. "In fact - Madoka, Sayaka, Homura, can I offer you lifts?"

"Um..." Madoka fidgets. "That would be nice?"

"Nah, I'm good," Sayaka says. "I'll just roofhop."

"To echo Mami, I'm almost jealous," Hitomi says with a slight smile. "Homura?"

"That won't be necessary," Homura says, shaking her head.

"It won't be any trouble, but if you're sure," Hitomi says with a smile. "Shall we, then?"

"We'll see you out," you say, standing - and so you do, waving your friends off with farewells.

"Hey, Homura?" you say, including Mami in the conversation as you close the door. "Um... there's stuff to talk about, after dinner or so? It might be a long-ish talk."

"Understood," Homura responds. "I will be near Madoka's."

"Gotcha, we'll come find you," you say. Mami gives you a curious look as you end the mental call.

"I'll tell you about it later?" you say. "Not- not because I don't want to tell you, mind you, but because... well, we've got to get ready."

Mami laughs, warm and rich and utterly trusting.

"Alright," she says. "Then let's get ready."

[] What do you want to cover with the Shizukis?
- [] Write-in

=====​

So! The next update will be the dinner with Hitomi and her parents. To remind everyone, just in case: Hitomi's mother, Shizuki Haruka, knew a magical girl when she was much younger. She only knows the bare basics, and lost contact with the girl in question (Tsuchiya Ritsuko) after a while. Her husband is completely unaware, and the meeting is at Haruka's request, to inform him.

On a related note, because I have no fashion sense at all, I'm taking suggestions for what Mami might wear to the dinner.

Further note: I may retroactively put in a chapter break around here. Need to think that over.

 

[Firnagzen]

A quick shower, trading places with Mami and cheating outrageously with Grief to dry your hair off. Some light makeup, with what you'd bought earlier, and then the part you've actually been looking forward to - changing into the suit! You're not exactly vain, but it's a nice suit. And even if you're not one for preening much, but you do rather like the professional air it gives you.

Sure, Hitomi said that you didn't have to, but...

Honestly, you want to. And maybe you'll look like an overdressed dork, but that's on you. You're entirely willing to accept that. And outside all but the strictest of social gatherings you can reasonably dress up a rung - or down a rung, but that's not relevant right now. So there.

You take a moment to admire yourself in the mirror, and, well, you're still not vain, but it really is a nice suit, in your opinion. A nice, deep navy blue vest with vertical pinstripes, over a collared shirt in pale lavender. Narrow-cut trousers of a matching blue completes the look.

And now that you're looking at yourself, you take another moment to attempt to comb your hair, first with your fingers, then with a comb stolen from Mami's dresser, then with Grief.

Mami finds you attempting to glare a hole in the mirror and your completely untamed hair.

"Gel, maybe?" you mutter as Mami approaches with a curious look, your frown slipping enough to give her a warm, if distracted smile. "Or... I could use Grief to hold it in place on a longer-term basis."

She slips an arm around your waist, nestling against your back while one hand reaches up to smooth away the scowl from your face. Her hair's still damp and cool and hanging loose from the shower, a little chilly where it brushes against your neck.

Grief, then. Nanofog is such useful stuff, and it takes just a bit of effort to settle enough along every strand to start trying to neaten your hair out, but then you're not sure how to hold it. Straight out like this? Probably not, that doesn't look quite right. A little wavy? Perhaps, but it makes you look a little like Hitomi...

"I think your hair looks just fine the way it normally is," Mami says, reaching up to run her fingers through your hair. "On you, it looks, mm, artistically tousled. It's very much your look, and you look good, Sabrina."

"Well... I'm trying to go for a more professional look," you say, softening into the hug and removing your nanofog. And maybe your cheeks are a bit red, but who's counting. "But thank you."

"That does explain the suit, even though Hitomi said it wasn't necessary," Mami says, amusement lilting in her voice.

You snicker.

"Hey, I already justified it to myself - it's perfectly acceptable to overdress a bit," you say. "And I'm sure Hitomi's parents would accept that. And I want to make it a... I want to come off as more professional, ish? Because trying to emphasize that we... more or less know what we're doing is kind of important. Um. Am I making sense?"

"I think so," Mami says, now toying with your hair, curling a lock around her finger. "But it sounds like you have a plan?"

"Somewhat, yeah, I... It's not that I wouldn't appreciate more help or anything, and it's not that I want to sugarcoat the horrible things that are happening, but I want them to..." You trail off, searching for the right words. "I want them to have some confidence. Reassurance. That things might be bad, but we're working on making it better, and that we can and will make it better. And so I'm trying for a more professional look because confidence starts from first impressions. Does that make more sense?"

"It does," Mami says. She straightens your suit firmly, smiling. "It makes perfect sense. You look wonderful, Sabrina, don't worry about it. Now, let me finish getting changed, we're running out of time."

"I figure we'll be roof hopping or flying there, since it'll be quicker, but yep!" you say, beaming at her and stepping out to the living room. Mugin squawks happily and flutters around your feet as you emerge, apparently sharing the excitement.

And while you're waiting for that, you've got a quick call to make, because something doesn't match up.

"Heyyy, Homura?" you say, reaching out with telepathy. "You're coming for the dinner with the Shizukis, right?"

"... oh." Homura sounds utterly nonplussed, and just the slightest bit sheepish. "I... am?"

"Yes, you are. Hitomi agreed, remember?" you say firmly. "Sorry, I should have reminded you earlier, but it just occurred to me."

Homura makes a vaguely agreeing noise and ends the call. You snicker to yourself, nodding in satisfaction - you'd almost forgotten yourself, but something about Homura saying that she'd be at Madoka's twigged your memory. And good thing, too.

A few minutes later, Mami emerges from the bedroom, smiling as she meets your eyes. She's dressed, if not to match you, then to complement you in a dress of pale lavender in much the same shade - modest but elegant, cut to mid-calf with a bit of a V-neck and short, ruffled sleeves. Floral patterns swirl across the dress, white and pink breaking up what would otherwise be utter monotony. And speaking of floral pattern, the familiar plastic flower hairbands that hold her distinctive drills in place have been replaced with something that looks like gold. A little purse completes the look.

"You- you look lovely, Mami," you murmur, breath catching in the back of your throat.

"Thank you, Sabrina," Mami says. Her cheeks tint pink as she offers her arm to you. "Shall we get going?"

"Yeah," you say softly. You dip into a sweeping curtsy that's only sarcastic because you're not wearing a skirt, prompting giggles and a warm, utterly fond look from Mami. You grin, and take her arm as you head out, leaving a window open for Mugin, since he doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and you can probably trust him.

It's almost a pity that you have to transform when you reach the roof, but really, you don't want to get your nice clothes dirtied or damaged before you even arrive at the restaurant.

Night's fallen properly now, velvet darkness settling across Mitakihara with the glow of streetlights and headlights and the churning life of the city blazing in defiance. And with the night comes chill, the temperature plummeting in the wake of the rain earlier, the fresh air crisp and cold against your face as you bound onwards.

Homura's waiting for you when you arrive, a pool of watchful stillness amidst the darkness of the roof. You're in the heart of the business district, here, not that far from the DBJ tower, a slender spire standing tall even amongst its fellow skyscrapers. Homura swivels to track your arrival, her head tilting in silent question.

"Homura," Mami says with a welcoming smile. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Hey, hey," you say. "And yeah, definitely - thanks for coming." You rub your hands together in eager anticipation. "OK, OK. So, we wanna impress the Shizukis - at Mrs Shizuki's request, we're here to bring her husband in, and... well, they're going to have a lot of questions."

"Shall we leave the questions to you, Sabrina?" Mami asks.

"The opposite!" you say. "We're a team, right? And I kind of wish Sayaka was here, too, then we'd have the whole team here... I should have asked, I suppose, but too late for that. Anyway. You two have years of experience, and I... honestly? I want them to know the unvarnished truth. How bad it can get."

You exhale slowly, closing your eyes for a brief moment. When you open them again, you meet Homura's gaze, steady and serious.

"We're here to change things. To fix everything for the better," you say. "And it starts small. But they ought to know where we're starting from."

"We can do that," Mami says, tucking her hand in the crook of your elbow. "But I think... mm. I don't think we should lie, but I think we may want to ease them into it."

"I'll follow your lead," Homura says. She looks a little uncomfortable, but at the same time... she looks determined, her expression steady and laser-focused.

"Sounds like a plan, then," you say, checking the time on your shiny new phone. Which reminds you that you need to configure it, though of course you've got Mami's number. And your friends', of course.

And so it's off the roof, down the side of the building, and de-transforming. As it transpires, Homura's wearing a simple but nice dress of a deep grey, diagonal lines in white forming a sharp contrast and cinched in at the waist in a way that accentuates her slender figure. A touch plain, perhaps, but entirely serviceable and in keeping with her style, you think.

Homura looks slight askance at you.

"I didn't buy a suit to not wear it," you respond with a grin. "And as I said to Mami - nothing wrong with overdressing a bit!"

Homura nods blankly.

"Now, onwards!" you say, gesturing grandly.

It's a nice restaurant. Nice enough to have a dedicated maître d' out front, but not so nice that you or Mami or Homura look out of place, and nice enough to have a fantastic view out of the grand windows that take the place of walls. Muted conversation between soberly dressed businessmen and women and just a few families here and there fills the air, the calm, unhurried discussion broken only at the brisk, professional direction of the waiters and waitresses.

Western-styled furnishings to suit what smells distinctly like Western-styled food - not that the tasteful sign out front wasn't a hint, of course. You can smell steak, that's for sure.

You're directed to a private room off to the side, the waiter withdrawing to leave you alone with the Shizukis.

Shizuki Haruka rises to greet you as the door closes, the crow's feet around her eyes crinkling into her smile.

"Miss Sabrina, Miss Tomoe, Miss Akemi," she says warmly. Hitomi's mother looks like an older version of Hitomi, a little plump but aging with perfect grace that you'd probably be envious of, under different circumstances. Vibrant green hair cascades down her shoulders, shifting as she offers a hand. "Thank you for coming today."

"Thank you for having us," you respond with a matching smile and a firm shake.

"This is my husband, Shizuki Ichiro," Haruka says, shifting aside to let him step forward. Like his wife, he looks like he's in his late thirties, heavier-set and aging well. His hair is a steely grey, not of age but of natural colouration, and despite the bemused wrinkle to his brow, he smiles at you.

"And dear, this is Miss Sabrina, Tomoe Mami, and Akemi Homura," Haruka continues, before turning to you. "And of course, you know my daughter."

"Rather," Hitomi adds drily, waving at you.

"It's a pleasure, I'm sure," Ichiro says. His voice is a pleasant baritone, smooth and obviously trained. "We've met briefly, haven't we?"

"Very briefly," you say with a smile. When he was dropping Hitomi off, as you recall, and just the once - you hadn't actually met him when you were over at Hitomi's place due to work on his part.

"Well, this promises to be an interesting evening," Ichiro says, smiling at Haruka. "I must admit, dear, I have no idea what might be so important to discuss."

"You'll see," Haruka says, and winks at you. "Please, take a seat, everyone."

"Ah, I do see," Ichiro says, affably indulgent. "I'm being ganged up on. Well, by all means, then - and of course, you are our guests. Feel free to order as you like."

Mami beats you to the punch, pulling the chair out for you before you can even reach for hers. You laugh, smiling fondly at her as you take a seat, and Mami's smile warms you all the way down to your toes as you inspect the menu.

"I did tell you that it wasn't that formal an event, didn't I?" Hitomi says, leaning over slightly and giving you a deeply amused look.

"Well, first of all, it's a nice suit!" you say, grinning back. "And second of all, you're not exactly dressing down either."

"Of course it is. I did help pick it out," Hitomi says, sniffing haughtily. She does look quite nice in her green and white dress, a ruby bracelet lending a splash of variation. Nowhere near as nice as Mami, of course. "As to your second point - I had a... let's call it a hunch."

Mami stifles a giggle, taking your hand. "You are a tad predictable, Sabrina," she says.

"I mean, I suppose I am," you say, shrugging. "Anyway, ah... what would you recommend off the menu?"

"Their beef is excellent, if that's to your liking," Ichiro offers. "It's not to mine today, I fear, but as my wife will gladly inform you-"

"They work some kind of absolute black magic with their steaks," Haruka cuts in smoothly. "Even their strip steak is superb, but if you're interested at all, I insist that you try the tenderloin or ribeye."

"Mama loves this restaurant," Hitomi adds in a stage whisper. "I will be having the glazed salmon, I think. Their pasta is good too."

You take a few minutes to decide, ultimately settling on a lasagna, which Mami happily seconds. Homura does hesitantly go for the T-bone steak, to Haruka's firm approval. The waiter is summoned to take your orders -with some appetizers on top at Ichiro's insistence- and departs quietly.

[] Continue as planned
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Argh. Apologies once again for breaking in a weird spot - I actually have a section more written, but frankly, I need to sleep and breaking there would have been ever weirder. And if I don't update today I wouldn't be updating until next week. Consider this a moment to refine your approach if you want, but it's not needed.

 

[Firnagzen]

"So, Hitomi," you say, a teasing grin on your face. "What happened to 'not even going to a restaurant', anyway?"

You gesture at the room - the rather fancy private room at that, all lacquered hardwoods and polished brass and ambiguously, vaguely old-west decor. There's even a hatstand by the door, slightly out of place against the discreet LED lighting and the general lack of hats. Perhaps if Mami had had her beret on.

"Oh, that would be my fault," Ichiro says genially, before Hitomi can respond. "And my dear wife's too, technically. She wanted to keep it a mystery what this discussion might be about, just insisted that it was an important business talk. Of course, I feel much better having business discussions in a more formal location."

"And you wanted to come here again," Haruka says, deeply amused.

"And I wanted to come here again. I do so rarely have the opportunity to, since work usually demands more... formal destinations," Ichiro agrees readily. "And I remain deeply intrigued over this mysterious discussion brought before me! It's not every day that a few of my daughter's friends come to me with information of... how did you put it, Haruka? Genuinely paradigm-shifting importance?"

"I stand by what I said," Haruka says staunchly.

"I can't wait, then," Ichiro says. "Though perhaps we should wait until the appetizers, at least. They won't be long."

You take a brief moment to mourn for the loss of the perfect segue Haruka had provided earlier. Mami seems to notice, quirking a look of mild concern in your direction, to which you respond with a swift smile, reaching out to take her hand.

"Then we shall wait," you say. "It's... maybe something better to talk about when we're not all hungry, anyway."

"There's a lesson to be learned here," Ichiro says, nodding thoughtfully. "Sometimes, what seems to be a stroke of genius manuveuring, whether in business or in life, might just be because someone did what they wanted. Not everything is a masterstroke of planning, and not everything needs to be a masterstroke of planning."

"Papa..." Hitomi says.

"It's true," Ichiro saying with a blithe smile.

And it's just then that the room door slides open, and a waiter arrives with appetizers - baskets of onion rings and chicken wings and, incongruously, chawanmushi, steamed egg custard in little pots. Jugs of iced water, too. You help yourself to a little of everything, enjoying the savory crunch of deep fried food, and you make sure that Homura gets some, too.

"These are good," Mami says, smiling as she bites delicately into her second onion ring. "If I'm not careful, I could wind up being full before the main course arrives."

"That would be a pity," Ichiro says. "Because Haruka's right about the chefs here being excellent, even if you're not having the steak!"

... Well, that's as good an opening as you're going to get.

"Speaking of Mrs Shizuki being right," you say. "It's not the only thing that she was right about."

"Oh, she's usually right. And I don't mean that as hyperbole," Ichiro says, casting a warm look at Haruka, who in turn offers a demurely smug smile. He sits up straight, clasping his hands in front of him and facing you squarely - no trace of mockery in his expression or pose, just honest curiosity leavened with a touch of bafflement. "So. What do you have for me, Miss Sabrina?"

You flick your eyes to the door, checking that it's shut before closing.

"Magic is real," you say simply. You let Grief unfurl around your free hand, darkness boiling into existence seeming from thin air. You draw from your nanofog, imploding it around a thousand nucleation sites like a thousand stars forming from the void.

Ichiro jolts, eyes going wide... and then he stills, gaze flickering about the room as if looking for hidden machinery. Or cameras. He glances at Haruka for a moment too, but his wife's expression remains unperturbed.

And then you pick up every single plate and utensil on the table, swinging them in gentle arcs around the table as you clean them off. Each item traces a different path, a dazzling display with a dozen intersections as cutlery swings over and past and around each other in orbits that would be impossible with mere wires. Finally, everything cleaned and having completing at least one lap around the room, you gently replace it all back to where you'd taken it from.

Ichiro lets out a slow, carefully controlled breath, raising his glass of water with a hand that shakes slightly to take a sip.

Hitomi, unperturbed, snacks daintily on another chicken wing with a thoughtful air, her eyes on her father.

"... Very well, then," Ichiro says, glancing once more at his wife, who nods firmly. "I trust Haruka, and so I'll do us all the courtesy of skipping over my initial skepticism."

He pinches the bridge of his noise, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them and looking at you.

"I assume that the three of you young ladies are... magicians, mages, wizards, witches, priestesses, or whatever the term might be?" he says.

"Magical girls," you supply smoothly, ignoring Homura's slight twitch. "We are, yes."

"Witches are what we fight," Mami adds.

"Ah. Magical girls, then. And you, Hitomi?" Ichiro asks, turning his attention to his daughter.

"Not at all, papa," Hitomi says. "I'm told I have no potential for it."

"Ah," Ichiro says. He frowns in consideration. "I'm... sorry?"

"There are costs to magic," Hitomi says, shaking her head. "It's a good thing I'm not, I suppose."

"Fighting witches would be part of it?" Ichiro asks. He holds up a hand before you can answer, pinching the bridge of his nose again with a pained look.

"Slow down, hon," Haruka says. "I'm sure you have a thousand questions."

"How do you know about it?" Ichiro asks, eyes still closed.

"I knew a magical girl, when I was their age," Haruka says. She shrugs gracefully. "Sadly, we lost contact, but... seeing Hitomi's friends reminded me about her."

"Ah, I see," Ichiro says, opening his eyes once more. "What kind of... magic do you do? Miss Sabrina can control that... dark matter, it seems, and has some kind of telekinesis? Is that something you can all do?"

"It's not telekinesis, actually. It's the same stuff, just divided down into particles so small you can't see them with your naked eye," you say with a smile, carefully eliding what that stuff actually is for the moment. Heavy topics later. "My powers are actually kind of unique, as far as we know. But I can control it at a distance, yes."

You form up a larger sphere and let it drift across the table to Ichiro, who peers at it with interest, pressing his palm against it and pushing. His eyebrows arch with surprise when it doesn't yield in the slightest, hovering stationary in the air.

"Very interesting," he says. "What about you, Miss Tomoe, Miss Akemi?"

"I have ribbon magic," Mami says with a smile, holding up one hand and unspooling golden ribbon between her fingers. "I can form it into various shapes, such as..." The ribbon twists and turns on itself, forming into an elegant model of the entire building you're currently in.

Mami flicks a swift glance at Homura before continuing, almost imperceptible.

"Magical girls have an immensely varied and personalized set of powers. I would go so far as to say that magic is almost uniquely individual, but there are some patterns," she says. "Some do indeed have telekinesis, though even then, the expression varies from force-fields to, well, invisible force. Others are teleporters, and elemental controllers are fairly common - fire, wind, water, and so forth. Item creation is a fairly common power, as are illusions. Some control giant teddy bears, and others still are clairvoyant."

You help yourself to a pot of chawanmushi as you listen - unfitting match for the restaurant though they might be, they are quite good, smooth and silky and savoury.

"Giant teddy bears?" Haruka asks.

"One of our friends," Mami says with a smile. "She truly loves her collection, so..."

"I suppose that makes sense," Haruka says, chuckling quietly.

"Did you say that some can create items out of thin air?" Ichiro asks, raising a quizzical eyebrow and glancing at his daughter, then back to Mami. "I assume there must be some substantial effort involved, or the markets would have crashed. Every market, forever. And... clairvoyance, you said?"

"The daughter of Mikuni Hisaomi, actually," you say, your spoon pausing. "You, ah, may have heard of him?"

"Oh. Senator Mikuni," Ichiro says, frowning. "That was a bad business." He sighs. "Clairvoyance would be terribly useful in my line of work, though I admit it sounds rather unethical to use it that way. There are magical girls... working, I assume? In, ah, normal lines of work, that is."

"Do you know, I asked the same thing?" Haruka says, smiling. "Great minds think alike."

Ichiro grins at his wife.

"Well, ah, there's a non-zero number, yes," you say. "Case in point, just earlier today, we, ah, formalized an alliance, to which Nakano Mika is a part of."

"The name sounds familiar," Ichiro says, rubbing his chin. "But I can't quite place it?"

"Nakano Corporation?" Haruka asks. Her eyes narrow. "Is that related to their recent activities in Mitakihara?"

"Yeee-eees," you say. "At least partially? She did us a favour?"

"Oho. Very interesting," Haruka says. "I haven't heard much about her, but I suppose that should change."

"She intends to take over the company," you offer.

"And she certainly doesn't want for ambition, I see," Ichiro observes, and chuckles. "I would say we should reach out to her, but that would be something for a year or two down the road, I suppose."

"I think she'd appreciate that," you say.

"I think..." Ichiro turns to Mami. "Miss Tomoe, you mentioned fighting witches?"

Mami nods, her back straightening as the topics turn more serious. You can feel your own smile slip.

"It's one of the prices of magic," she says gravely. "We need Grief Seeds to live, and we can only obtain them by killing monsters called Witches."

"I remember a few, from back then," Haruka says. "They're... strange. Terrifying, eldritch monstrosities."

"So, a fight for survival," Ichiro says, lips compressing together. "Aren't there any adults or something in charge of this? Surely you shouldn't have to do this."

"Unfortunately, no," you say, exhaling and setting your spoon down, the egg custard suddenly ash on your tongue. "I should warn you. Some of the topics along this line of discussion are substantially darker than might be good, ah, dinner topics, I suppose. I... we are perfectly willing to answer, to be clear, but..."

"Oh, the main courses will be a while," Ichiro says. His eyes are hard now, and you're all but certain he's beginning to make some pertinent guesses.

"Alright," you say, grimacing. Professional. You're trying to keep this a professional talk. "Then this, as I said, is where things get darker - there are precious few adult magical girls, because very few of us make it there. We're forced to hunt, to fight, for things we need to survive. Not only that - left unchecked, Witches prey on people."

"Mm," Ichiro says. His eyes narrow, thoughts disappearing behind a thoughtful mask.

"Mrs Shizuki likened it to being a firefighter the last time we discussed it. We fight not only to survive, but also to save people. Unfortunately..." Mami sighs, shoulders slumping a little. "Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way. Territorial fights are common."

"There are only so many Witches appearing within a territory," Homura whispers, ghost-quiet and solemn. She sets the onion ring she'd been nibbling on down to face Ichiro, violet eyes hard. "And we need them to survive."

"I've been a magical girl for years," Mami says. "And I've seen more than a few... invaders, who wanted to chase me out of this city. I've had to fight. I never killed anyone, but..." She shakes her head.

"Yeah," you say, sighing and squeezing Mami's hand in yours. "I mentioned the alliance with Miss Nakano, right? We've formed a larger conglomerate, with magical girls from Asunaro and Fukushima - we call ourselves the Constellation, and I like to think we've got some of the most experienced and versatile magical girls in all of Japan under one banner." You manage a smile. "We've got Mami, after all, and Homura."

"Why hasn't that happened before?" Ichiro asks. "How long has... magic been around?"

"Since we lived in caves, if you listen to..." you say. You take a sip of water, marshalling your thoughts before deciding to commit to it. "And therein lies the real reason, I suppose. You know how magical girls in shows always have some kind of cute animal mascot that grants them their power?"

"Not really, but I take your point?" Ichiro says. "I suppose Sailor Moon has her cat, yes."

"Like that, yeah. Ours is a creature called Kyuubey, from a... species who call themselves the Incubators," you say, your jaw tensing slightly. "It's... from the outside, it's this cute, cuddly creature. It is not. Its appearance is something to be used. It... catalyzes our power, turns us into magical girls, and then it uses- it exploits us. It's to its interest that we can't organize effectively, and that's why no real large scale organizations exist."

"Ah. It's a familiar enough concept, unfortunately," Ichiro says, gaze sharpening. "To use an analogy: you have a union-busting CEO, correct? It doesn't want organization, because smaller, isolated groups are easier to dictate terms to and exploit, correct?"

"That's one way to put it. People have died for it. So very many people," you growl, and oh, it is a growl.

Union-busting. Cold, and clinical, and entirely fitting and yet totally insufficient for what the Incubators have done. How many deaths can you lay at its feet throughout history, you wonder? When you know what it's done to your friends, to people you barely know? To everyone on this planet, past and present?

Entropy. Pfeh. One day you're going to crack that secret, and then you'll see.

Homura's staring at you, and so is Haruka. Ichiro regards you with a calm, assessing expression, and so too is Hitomi. She comes by her reserve honestly, you suppose.

Hah. Where's that 'good actress' gone now? You close your eyes for a moment, reining the dull, throbbing seethe of anger back, and exhale. You feel... comfortable, you suppose. Among friends. Comfortable enough to let your walls down a little, but...

Calm. Professional.

Mami's hand in yours is a stabilizing presence. A familiar warmth.

"I apologise," you say. "'Union busting' isn't wrong, I suppose. But... people die to what it does."

"No, I apologise," Ichiro says, shaking his head. "I made a comparison that was offensive, and even if I wasn't aware it would, it hurt you. For that, I apologise."

"I... well, thank you," you say. "And there is, ah, one last aspect to this, but it's..." You grimace unhappily. You remember when you'd told Mami about Soul Gems, when you'd told Madoka and Sayaka and Hitomi about them. "It's a deeply uncomfortable and unpleasant one. If you'd rather hear it later, or another time entirely, that's fine."

Mami stiffens slightly beside you as she guesses at the topic. And now it's your turn to offer her what comfort you can, stroking your thumb slowly against the back of her hand.

"If you're comfortable with it, I think we'd rather hear it now," Ichiro says after exchanging a long, wordless look with Haruka. He offers a faint smile. "If nothing else, some good food and dessert after this might help settle our moods."

"Alright, then," you say. You hold your left hand out, your Soul Gem shimmering into view - that familiar egg-shaped crystal of purest white, embraced in golden filigree. "As I mentioned, Kyuubey catalyzes our powers, turns us into magical girls. This is part of it - this is my Soul Gem. The term is literal, and it is my life."

"We had no idea, at the time," Haruka says, her voice cold and pained. "If... if Ritsuko ever knew, she never said."

"She may not have known, the entire time you knew her," you say. "The Incubator actively suppresses information. All the better to sucker young girls into this." You close your eyes briefly. "As young as eight."

"God help us," Ichiro murmurs, fervent and utterly sickened. "And they've potentially been doing this for thousands of years. Across the world? What's its goal?"

"As far as I know, yes," you say. Mami's hand is tight on yours, a crushing, white-knuckled grip. You squeeze back, trying to offer comfort, and she seems to draw strength from it, straightening a little. "And as to the other question... Used Grief Seeds are the magical equivalent of enriched nuclear material. They're incredibly useful to them."

And if there's still a thread of anger seeping into your voice, well, you don't exactly enjoy the thought of being harvested.

"But we're fighting to make things better," Mami says. "Sabrina's magic is unique, for a start. It lets us sidestep the need for Grief Seeds, and we've been making allies."

"The most pertinent concern, then, is that this Kyuubey seems to have both means and motive to break up a movement such as yours," Ichiro says, eyes narrowing. "Why hasn't he?"

"I don't know," you answer honestly. "One of my guesses is that it's waiting for the best time to destabilize things, or perhaps it's just playing the long game and working from the shadows, or similar. I'm... almost certain that it's directing hostile magical girls against us."

"I see," Ichiro says, dragging a shaky hand down his face. "Alright. I begin to see the shape of things, I think."

"I apologize, sincerely, for bringing the mood down," you say.

"It's hardly your fault. And I was the one who agreed to speak on heavier subjects," Ichiro says. "That said, I think it would be prudent to put a pause on these discussions for the moment... I think Haruka and I need a moment to absorb all this."

"Of course," you say, nodding. "Well... thank you for listening, then."

"Nonsense," he says firmly. "When something this momentous falls into my lap, listening is the least I can do - and you gave me fair warning that heavy topics would be discussed."

A button-press summons the waiter, and a few murmured words has him returning swiftly with a steaming pot of tea with accompanying cups. Ceylon black tea, fragrant and soothing, which Ichiro allows to steep for a minute before pouring for everyone.

He drains his first cup as if wishing he had something with a bit more alcohol content, Haruka gently touching his arm in quiet support. They're taking it well, you think, or as well as you could have hoped for under the circumstances. Frankly, you'd been expecting a bit more resistance from the start, as opposed to the unflinching acceptance you've seen so far.

Then again, they're both high-powered executives of some kind, though you admit you're still not exactly sure of the specifics there. They're probably used to high-stress situations and revelations, if not exactly to this magnitude. And neither of them would lack for vision or ambition, to reach the positions they have.

You take your time, sipping yours slowly as Mami shuffles her chair over to lean against your side. You savour the rich smokiness of the tea, slipping your arm around Mami as she sips at her own.

"So, the Constellation?" Hitomi asks lightly, leaning towards you from Homura's other side and arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, ah..." Your eyes widen a little, dismay sinking in. "We were discussing the matter of our alliance, and we needed a name."

"I'm almost insulted that you didn't invite Madoka or myself," Hitomi says, arching her eyebrows. "I'd have loved to pitch in."

"Ah... I'm really sorry about that," you say, grimacing. "It was kind of an ad-hoc thing, and we were just discussing on the spot. I should have thought of it, and I didn't. I'm sorry."

Hitomi snickers genteelly, waving you off.

"I'm just teasing," Hitomi says, shaking her head. "Constellation's a fine name, though I'm sure I could have thought of something better."

"Oh?" you say. "It's not too late to change the name, I think."

"Well, not right this moment," Hitomi amends. "But in general!"

"So... you are involved in this, Hitomi?" Ichiro asks, looking up.

"Nowhere near the actual magic or violence, but yes," your friend says, glancing at you questioningly. You motion towards her with a smile - it's her story to tell, and her parents. "I'm a... political and economic advisor, I suppose would be the best term? Madoka too."

"And she's been invaluable in the role," you add.

"Good, good," Ichiro says, nodding. Unspoken is the quiet relief on his face, that his daughter isn't in harm's way, as he turns his attention back to you. "You've been speaking of alliance and politics?"

"Ah, yeah," you say, taking that as an invitation to expand on a somewhat lighter topic. "A few of us can fly, and at the core of it, we're banding together to... try and improve the lives of magical girls, and for mutual defense. My personal vision is to expand the organization globally and use that influence to help magical girls everywhere, but we haven't properly codified the Constellation's mission statement yet. I mean, we only named it today, even. There's a lot to do, and I don't just mean in putting together an organization."

"You should do that soon," Haruka observes. She looks a little calmer, her back straight and face less ghastly-pale. "I assume that you're all broadly aligned in goals, but a mission statement isn't just a nice corporate slogan, you know? It's a guiding principle."

"We do intend on getting it done soon, yeah, but our organization is very new," you say. You debate on elaborating on the circumstances, that you were taking the opportunity of coming off an easy victory to cement something greater, but... perhaps not. You're trying to keep the tone lighter for now.

"Good!" Haruka says. She's trying to force levity, you can tell that much, but like her husband, she's less than pleased with the revelations. "Hitomi, if you're going to advise them, then you'd better remember all your lessons, alright?"

"Yes, mama," Hitomi says with a faint smile.

"I admit, I'm not happy about the existence of all this," Ichiro says, his voice tight. "None of this is right - you are, no offense intended, children. You shouldn't be saddled with life and death responsibilities, and my first instinct is that you need experienced leadership-" he holds up both hands in a gesture of surrender "-but I sincerely doubt that it would be appreciated from an outsider. That line of thinking never ends well, and I would be out of my depth in any case."

You take another sip of tea, using the time to marshal your thoughts.

"There is... one more externality to the situation," you say quietly, frowning. "One of the other major reasons that no general knowledge of magic exists is that the Incubators have their tentacles in... many aspects of the world, and that influence is used to suppress and cover up anything related."

"I had surmised as much," Ichiro says. "And it must be a truly effective cover-up, or we would know it already."

"Exactly," you say, nodding and choosing to elide the details for now. Memory modification isn't exactly a casual topic, after all.

Ichiro sighs, sitting back. He looks at once gloomy and furious, anger simmering behind an air of vague disillusionment with the world at large. Haruka isn't in much better state, deep in thought as she nibbles at a pot of chawanmushi with distracted, mechanical movements.

You can't exactly blame them, when you've dropped this much bad news on them.

"And despite all that, we're changing things," you say, trying to project confidence, and conviction, and control in your voice. "There's a lot to do. A lot of hurt to mend. But we've gotten started on it - my friends and I. The Constellation, and all the magical girls I've already reached out to."

"There's hope despite everything against us," Mami adds softly. "Things have begun to change, and we're pulling together resources and people in a way that have seldom been seen. Sabrina's powers are unique, and they let us avoid one of the most fundamental issues: she makes it so that we don't have to fight over Grief Seeds."

Homura nods silently.

"I can see how that would help," Haruka says, stirring. "You must have people flocking to you."

"Not quite yet," you say. "I've only been really active for a few weeks. That said, we've already welcomed two... refugees, I suppose? to Mitakihara." You flick your gaze to Hitomi, who nods. "Hitomi was a lot of help there, actually - if she asked you about housing lately, it was for them."

"Ah, the rental?" Haruka asks. "I did wonder. Is that second house you're after for incoming refugees as well, Hitomi?"

You try not to look too startled at the cavalier acceptance, but then again, the Shizukis seem to all trust each other very much.

"Yes, it was," Hitomi says, smiling slightly. "But the second house is for a project Homura and I are working on for the Constellation."

"Oh?" Ichiro says. "This sounds interesting."

Hitomi shrugs, looking to Homura.

"One of our associates can teleport between buildings," Homura says, after a slightly awkward pause. "We want to set up a node in Mitakihara."

"Ah, that sounds useful in more ways than one," Ichiro says. "How far does the... network span?"

"Not far," Homura says. "Within Japan."

"Well... she has one node in Myanmar as of today," you say. "The magical girl in question Tsuruya Yuki, from Fukushima, and her magic is to claim and control buildings - and one of the conditions for her joining us is that wherever we went, she would want to try and claim a building - which, really, is to everyone's benefit, since we'd get instant transport and all."

"She sounds like an interesting person," Ichiro says, and raises an eyebrow. "Additionally... you were in Myanmar today? That must be a twelve hour flight?"

"I can fly fast, and carry people with me," you say with a slight grin. "And we teleported back for the return leg, so it wasn't as long as you might expect."

"That sounds terribly convenient," Ichiro says. His tone turns lighter. "I don't suppose you offer courier services?"

You snicker. Somehow, that sounds like a familiar idea. Not a bad one, really, and he might have meant it as a joke, but you've got a serious answer for that, too.

"I mean, in an emergency, sure, but I have too much to do to stick to a regular schedule," you say. You grin, and hold your hands out as if weighing things. "Saving the world is a busy job and all. And if you're asking about Miss Tsuruya... I don't know. If you're serious about it, I could put you in touch?"

"I was joking, but the more I think about it, it doesn't sound like a bad idea. The reverse applies too: if you want to set up a shipping business, do let me know," Ichiro says, rubbing his chin. "Or indeed, Miss Tsuruya."

"Thank you for the offer!" you say with a grin. You've got a few ideas to make money yourself, but being able to hand one to Yuki might be nice, too. "In all honesty, we might want to set up some business ventures at some point. Funding... isn't exactly in ready supply for us magical girls - some of us have powers we can parley into making money, but people are, ah, suspicious of the source, you know? Not unreasonably so, but still."

"I can certainly understand that. If you do have any serious thoughts in that direction, you can always pass Hitomi a message," Ichiro says. He grins proudly. "She can advise you on creating a propsal, too."

Hitomi ducks her head a little, smiling slightly.

The conversation lapses once more, everyone chewing over the situation - but at least the quiet isn't as uncomfortable now. Just as well, perhaps, because that's when a polite knock at the door heralds the arrival of your food.

You smile, thanking the waiter as he sets your meals down. Lasagna for you and Mami, steak for Homura and Haruka, salmon for Hitomi, and roast chicken for Ichiro.

Which reminds you that Homura had a steak for lunch too. By her own choice, even, just as this was. Which suggests, of course, that you've found another type of meal you can bribe lure use to fatten Homura up, because she is still too damned skinny, in your opinion.

... Hrm.

Now that you think about it, you're not sure you like that phrasing, even if it's just in the sanctity of your mind. Sure, you mean it as a joke, but fattening up is what you do to livestock. The Incubators think of you as livestock, and, well... you're supposed to do better. To be better. And you mean it well - you don't like how unhealthily thin Homura is. She's definitely underweight. And you want her to eat better, and maybe she can handle any issues with magic, but at the core of it, you want her to treat herself better.

So you'll stick with 'bribe'. That sounds better. Coopting the tools of the bourgeoise is good praxis, probably. Definitely. Almost certainly.

You've found something new that you can bribe Homura with.

Excellent.

[] What else do you want to cover?
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Topics not explicitly covered

[X] Grief accumulation and the need for grief seeds -- death upon the gem filling.
[X] Incubators and the Masquerade
-[X] The masquerade isolates magical girls from their peers and prevents any systemic change.

=====​

Whew. Finally. It's been a brutal couple days at work, and this was a monster of a chapter, but finally!

 

[Firnagzen]

You all dine in thoughtful quiet, offering a few compliments to the food and watching in amusement as Ichiro steals a few pieces of steak off Haruka's plate. Haruka seems fondly exasperated, apparently having expected that. You all take a few moments to relax after finishing your meals, sitting back and digesting both the food and the revelations of the day.

It's nice to sit back and relax, even with everything.

Hitomi draws Homura into a quiet conversation about property values with an offhanded, "Since we were on the subject of housing..."

They make a rather odd duo. You listen with a fragment of your attention as they converse, Hitomi elegantly formal and Homura so reserved, so tightly wound. You've wormed your way into Homura's good graces, and you've learned to read her, but that's you. And yet it seems to work out, Homura adding a few murmured contributions every now and then, but mostly listening to Hitomi.

Heh.

Hitomi has as much steel in her as Madoka does. She expresses it differently, of course. Calm, unflappable, and imperturbable, but not uncaring. Unperturbed by the revelations, unperturbed by the worst of the world. Sensible. And you can see where she got it from, too.

The elder Shizukis look deep in thought, both of them silent and exchanging looks every now and then. You'd almost accuse them of having telepathy themselves, with the way their gazes seem to lock onto each other's without the need for anything so trivial as speaking, but well...

You feel Mami's eyes tracking over to you, and you turn your attention to her. Golden eyes crinkle into a warm, private smile, the one that's yours and yours alone, and you soften, some of that ever-ratcheting tension bleeding away. She tilts her head in a silent question, and you smile in response, gently taking her hand once more.

"A question, if I may," Ichiro says at last, stirring. "Two questions, even. First of all, would you like dessert?"

"Dessert would be nice, if it isn't too much trouble?" you say, glancing to Mami and Homura for confirmation.

"Dessert it is, then," Ichiro says. The waiter is summoned to bring the menus back, and you inspect it before deciding on a caramel lava cake to share with Mami. Orders made, you settle back around the table.

"So, ah... Mr Shizuki, you mentioned having two questions?" you say as the door slides shut behind the departing waiter.

"I did," Ichiro says, steepling his fingers in front of his face. Haruka notices, and gently pushes his hands down with a reproving look, and Ichiro, for his part, continues speaking as if uninterrupted. "You mentioned fighting monsters called Witches. What are they like, in your words?"

"No two of them are alike," Mami says, after looking to you for a moment. "Ah... mostly, but I'll get to that in a moment. They're monsters that live in what we call Barriers, or Labyrinths - pocket spaces where they control much of the environment, which are often extremely bizarre. And they have minions called Familiars, usually."

"I see," Ichiro says, his expression inscrutable. "What do they do?"

"Ah, as I said, no two Witches are alike, but the common thread is that they prey on humans," Mami says with a wince. "They can influence people, lure them in... and I suspect that more than half of mostly unexplained deaths are because of Witches."

"Kyuubey covers them up," Homura adds tonelessly. "Gas explosions. Suicides. Disappearances."

Ichiro's eyes narrow.

"I see," he says. "That makes a sad amount of sense, but - Incubators aside. Can ordinary humans fight Witches with our weapons?"

"I... that's a tricky question," you say, determinedly not looking at Homura. "Many Witches can be hurt and indeed killed by conventional munitions - bullets, grenades, bombs. But there are enough that can't, and you... can't really tell ahead of time. And there's the issue of getting to them. As far as I know, magic is the only way to access a Witch's Barrier."

"As well as issues of physical capability," Mami adds. "Witches are immensely fast, tough, and large. We magical girls are equally as fast and tough, and... ordinary humans aren't."

"Mmm," Ichiro says. His frown deepens, cutting a craggy trench in his forehead. He sighs, the exhale puffing out his cheeks. "Again, I mean no offense, but you are children. Teenagers. I have no doubt you're competent and capable of fighting, but you shouldn't have to."

"Speaking of fighting Witches," you say slowly. "There's a fairly important matter to bring up. In just over a week, on the night of April 30th, a massive Witch known as Walpurgisnacht is going to arrive."

"Oh?" Ichiro says, raising an eyebrow. "I take it it's no ordinary Witch, or you wouldn't be raising the matter."

You flick your eyes to Homura, checking to see if she might want to take over - but it doesn't seem like she does, so you continue.

"It's not," you say, grimacing. "It may very well be one of the strongest Witches on the planet, and it is going to do... ruinous damage to the city if left unchecked. We have plans in place to handle it, but we're..." You wince. "We're expecting damage comparable to a hurricane, to put it mildly."

"We've faced hurricanes before," Ichiro says, his expression smoothing out into that calculating mask once more. "But I get the feeling that this will be worse?"

"Quite possibly. It's..." You dither for a second.

Maybe you're coming off as a bit intense, a bit melodramatic, but you need them to believe this, too. Hitomi's parents have been accepting of everything, but you need them to believe that this is happening.

A giant Witch out to destroy the city?

A bunch of teenagers out to defend said city?

It's a hard sell, for all their amiable acceptance. And, hah, you are going for a hard sell, you suppose. You don't want the elder Shizukis to panic, but they are adults. They can take some blunt truth in how bad it can get.

Perhaps an overt display of magic to underscore the point. Presentation. A flick of your hand, Grief flowing together over the table to form a model of Walpurgisnacht in deep, fractal purple, hovering over the center of the table. Another swift glance at Homura, checking that she's alright with this - and it seems she is, so you continue.

"That's Walpurgisnacht. The queen of Witches," you murmur. "And to scale..."

More Grief sprouts up, blossoming together to build a familiar skyline, the elder Shizukis watching in rapt fascination as the shape of Mitakihara's commercial district flows together.

"And this is what Walpurgisnacht can do in just a few minutes. What she does, within a few seconds of arrival." You clench your fist, and shatter the city. Buildings torn apart, knocked over as if by a giant's kick. Rubble raining down to the table's surface, other chunks rising into the air to form a parody of a halo around your model Walpurgisnacht as she floats serenely past the destruction.

Homura stares, her expression pinched. Not afraid. Not angry. Just tired.

"We're going to fight it, and we're going to limit the damage it can do, but it's impossible to predict how events will work out," you say quietly, your eyes returning to the devastation. The damage unwinds itself, rubble leaping into the sky to rebuild the city. "We are going to fight. This is not going to happen. Not if we have anything to say about it."

Because this, too, you need them to believe. That the worst case won't come to pass, that people are preparing to stand in its way.

"We've been arranging for allies to help fight," you say, filling the silence. "Maybe more magical girls than have ever been in one place before. We're co-opting the meteorology bureau to issue evacuation orders. One of the things we've discussed with Miss Nakano is to help with rebuilding afterwards, too. Forewarned is forearmed, after all, and we are going to ensure that Walpurgisnacht will be beaten soundly and that the city will recover."

Ichiro lets out a shaky breath after a moment, closing his eyes. He raises a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, evidently thinking hard.

"I suppose you've considered attempting to intercept this Walpurgisnacht before it arrives in the city?" he asks without lowering his hand.

"We have, and... the thing is, well... we have information about Walpurgisnacht, but it's fragmented at best," you say, grimacing. "As best as I can tell? Walpurgisnacht doesn't really... come from anywhere. It just shows up wherever it chooses to."

"As if by magic," Haruka says with a pained sigh, one that matches her husband's.

"Just so," you admit. "We might be able to push it somewhere else after it manifests, but I don't think we can prevent it from manifesting here. We're going to fight it. We're going to win, and everyone will damned well live. But I don't know how much of the city we can definitively protect."

Maybe all of it. Maybe not. You certainly intend to try. But you want the elder Shizukis to understand how badly it could go.

"What do you expect us to do?" Ichiro asks. He folds his hands on the table, full attention on you.

"To protect that which you hold dear," you say bluntly. You look to Hitomi, then back to Ichiro, and Haruka. "Your family, your friends. If you can, get your company ready for a disaster. I don't... look, we're not on good terms with Kyuubey, but I'm... also not sure we're on bad terms with it, either. I don't understand its current goals, and I'm getting off track."

You wave your hands, trying to stem the tide of a thousand thoughts at once. Because you don't understand why Kyuubey has been as lax as it seems to have been with you. Maybe it's using you, pointing you at people it'd rather have taken off the board - like the Iowa Group. Maybe it's just sitting back and watching and waiting and gathering information to crack you like an egg. And that's still off-track. And needlessly defeatist.

"My point is that I'm telling you this because you deserve to know. Everyone in this city deserves to know," you say. "And I would be shouting it from the rooftops if I thought it would work. But I don't know how far Kyuubey's permissivity will stretch before it starts clamping down. So... yeah."

"I see," Ichiro says.

"Papa..." Hitomi says, sipping calmly at her cup of tea. "You should already know she's not like that by now." The look she shoots you over the rim of her cup is nothing less than smug. "What you see is what you get."

"I know, sweetheart," Ichiro says.

"... hey," you say. You vaguely feel like you should be insulted, but you're also pretty sure Hitomi was defending you.

"What help can we offer?" Haruka asks.

"I... Short term?" You scowl, running your hand through your hair, thinking. "Having Miss Nakano's help will be great for rebuilding, but... frankly, what we need is the Disaster Management Bureau. But now that I've said it out loud, I'm not sure how we can do it."

Ichiro arches an eyebrow. "You've mentioned co-opting the meteorological department. When do you intend to do it?"

"Uh." You catch Homura's eye, because she was the one handling that.

"Already done," Homura murmurs. "A modification to their weather prediction models that leads to them discovering a supercell formation."

Ichiro leans back in his chair.

"I'm sure I don't know anything about any potentially illegal events that may or may not have taken place," he says drily. "Do you know when they'll put out an announcement?"

"Two days before," Homura says.

"Not early enough," Ichiro says crisply. "Can you make it earlier?"

"Yes," Homura says, blinking slowly. "I'll have to confer with the... specialist who worked with me."

"Remind me about that if you need help, Homura," you say. She'd commissioned the original set of instructions from Inoue Yuuki, as you recall.

"Good," Ichiro says, nodding. "I don't have any particular dealings or connections with the DMB, but their knowing about this in advance will help greatly in preparing the immediate disaster response." He smiles. "We'll ask around, but I'm uncertain of achieving anything in such a short time frame."

"No, that- that was already helpful," you say, shaking your head. "Somehow, that just, er, never occurred to me. That to give the government an actual early warning would also be giving the bureaucracy time to react."

"Well, a different perspective can certainly shed new light on matters," Ichiro says with a laugh.

"Speaking of, I don't suppose you mind if I keep leaning on Hitomi for advice on this kind of thing? And Madoka, too," you say, and turn your attention directly to your friend, smiling. "I mean, not that you aren't already a huge help, Hitomi."

"You hardly need my permission to ask Hitomi for help," Ichiro says, waving it off. "But in my personal, and completely unbiased opinion, you should definitely be listening to my daughter more."

Hitomi snickers, covering her mouth politely and preening just the tiniest bit.

"As I said, I'm glad to be part of this," she says. "Of something grand like this. But no offense meant - I'll leave the fighting to you."

"Well... fair enough," you say, beaming. "I mean, that's probably the smarter thing to do, honestly. And... mm. Mr. Shizuki, I, we-"

You gesture at yourself.

"As you said, Mr. Shizuki, I am a teenager," you say, gathering your scattered thoughts. "In the medium term, government officials, companies, colleges and the like are all entities we're probably going to want to get into contact with, but they're not going to take me seriously - which, as an aside, I do sincerely appreciate that you're giving me your time and attention."

"I am in the habit of trusting my wife and daughter," Ichiro says drily, a tiny smirk dancing on his lips. "That said: if you need recommendations and introductions, I think we'd both be happy to help make them where we can? You understand that I won't be speaking as a representative of the company, of course."

"Of course," you agree, and blink. "Ah. On that note, a slight diversion - what does your company do?"

"Hm?" Ichiro says, blinking at Hitomi.

"I'm not in the habit of discussing business with my friends, papa," Hitomi says.

"Really?" Ichiro's eyebrows arch. "It seems to me that you have been discussing business with them."

"You know what I mean, papa," Hitomi says.

Ichiro laughs.

"Indeed," he says, turning to you. "Well, my lovely wife here is the CFO of Maeba Holdings, and I'm the director of HR. We're an investment firm, with a primary focus on technology and development, and real estate."

"Ah!" you say. A smile hides your surprise - you're not quite sure what you were expecting, but you don't think Chief Financial Officer and Director of HR was quite it. And real estate and technology seem to be a bit disparate, but you can see how they might synergize. "I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

"The direct assistance we can offer on behalf of Maeba would be limited, but we'd both be happy to offer our personal assistance," Ichiro says. "And if you should decide to start a business related to our areas of interest, I can certainly help arrange a meeting."

"That would be a lot of help," you say with a smile, thinking about it. You are going to need money, and a good deal of it, too. And as is, this is a huge boost to what you might be able to do, even leaving Mika aside.

A discreet knock at the door is the waiter returning with desserts, so you shut up for the moment and dig in, savouring the sticky-savory-sweet warmth of a lava cake, the better for being shared with Mami. Homura nibbles quietly at her lemon sherbert, looking... not exactly discontent.

You nudge her gently, offering a reassuring smile. This meeting is going well - extraordinarily well, in your opinion. It's another step forward, bringing in Hitomi's parents, and you hope that Homura can see that, too. And hopefully they can help when the time comes to tell Madoka and Sayaka's parents. You'd been considering bringing that up, but... perhaps not today.

Homura stares at you for a moment, amethyst eyes distant, and she nods. Just the tiniest fraction of a centimeter, before she returns to her sherbert. She gets it, you hope.

"There is... one more thing I can think of that would be an enormous help," you say after a few minutes. "And I realise it might be out of your direct field of expertise or relevance, but... therapists."

"Therapists?" Ichiro arches an eyebrow at you. "Ah. I think I understand."

"In general, maybe, but..." You tap your ring, which you'd returned your Soul Gem to. "The cost of using magic is Grief. Which is very, very literal - as we use magic, we get more tired, more sad, more depressed. It reinforces negative emotions, and a bad breakdown..."

You mime a steep slope with your free hand, and sliding down it. Mami's claimed your free hand once more, her expression grim.

"That's horrible," Haruka murmurs, echoing her earlier words.

"I see," Ichiro says. "And that's what you use Grief Seeds for - to absorb that build up?"

"Yeah. It is. On both accounts. Therapy has a certain... stigma, but the fact is that we're dealing with teenagers who have gone through a lot of trauma, and are in literal, immediate danger from it," you say, setting down your spoon. "So we need every bit of help we can get."

"A tricky request, to be sure," Ichiro says, stroking a non-existent beard. "You need, in effect, therapists skilled in dealing with... child soldiers, in essence, and you need ones open-minded enough that they can be brought in on the secret, or they won't be sufficiently informed to deal with the issues."

"Not all of the... problematic experiences are from the fighting, per se, but yeah," you say, sighing. "Therapists. I'd like to make it an... in-house thing, eventually, with people on-call, but for now I'd settle for having therapists available at all."

"I suppose much of this hinges on the forbearance of the Incubator," Ichiro muses. "From what you tell me, it might not be happy about you trying something like that. But if it's as simple as getting a foot in the door, again, Haruka and I would be happy to see about setting up some meetings, but we have no particular pull in the field, or even any detailed knowledge."

"I'm aware of that," you say, nodding. "The alternative, booking an appointment and then trying to explain my pitch to them during said appointment..." You make a face. "Lying to get your foot in the door is nooooot exactly a good start to a working relationship at all."

"Of course," Ichiro says. He gives you a considering look. "Well... I can't commit to anything, other than an offer to keep an eye out and the standing offer to help make introductions? And possibly guidance on organizing and human resource management, if you need that."

"That's more than plenty," you say. "Thank you. I'll probably take you up on that offer at some point? And, ugh, I need to... well. Hitomi, we might be making Monday a working lunch of sorts."

"You know where to find me," Hitomi says loftily.

"... do you go to Mitakihara Middle School, Miss Sabrina?" Ichiro asks, looking curious.

"I go there for lunch?" you offer, sneaking Mami a smile. She giggles quietly.

"Ah, which school do you go to, then?" Ichiro asks. "... hang on, do you sneak out of school for lunch? I suppose flying must be useful."

"Er, well. None," you say, shuffling in your seat. "I'm not technically a delinquent, but only because I'm not registered for a school at all?"

Ichiro blinks, evidently surprised, then focuses.

"Education is important, Miss Sabrina," he says. "I won't deny that what you're doing is important, but an education would... hmm." He trails off, looking thoughtful. "Maybe... no."

"Sabrina seems to know everything, anyway," Hitomi says, delicately spooning more pannacotta into her mouth. "She helps us with our homework, and if there's something that stumps her, we certainly haven't found it yet."

"Is that so?" Ichiro asks. He smiles slightly. "I was going to say that education isn't just about knowledge, but about the opportunities that arise from the credentials, but much of what you do is off the grid, is it not?"

"It is," you say.

"And I won't probe any more into certain legally ambiguous areas," he continues, dark eyes almost seeming to dance.

"In any case, Sabrina has me," Mami says, smiling. "Anything she might be interested in, I am entirely happy to support."

"That's certainly fair," Ichiro says.

The rest of dessert is finished with lighter conversation, about school, about the elder Shizukis themselves - you learn, for example, that they'd met when they were working for rival companies, and that Ichiro had nobly recused himself when Haruka jumped ship, avoiding her for months on end until Haruka, determined and ambitious and determined, found herself a promotion or three and hunted him down.

And as you finish and prepare to leave, Ichiro stands, extending his hand towards you.

"Thank you for an illuminating dinner, Miss Sabrina," he says. "It was most certainly a pleasure."

[] Any last things to say to the Shizukis?
[] Anything else to say to Homura before she leaves for the night?
[] What do you do for the rest of the night?
- [] Just relax!
- [x] Book that restaurant for a date tomorrow
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====

And that brings the dinner to an end!

 

[Firnagzen]

"The pleasure was all mine," you say, beaming as you shake Ichiro's hand.

And really, it was. You weren't quite expecting it to go badly - you trust Hitomi, and by extension, you trust her parents. But you weren't quite expecting unflinching acceptance and acknowledgement, either, and yet, here you stand, having solidified a tentative understanding with them.

... ugh.

You really hope Kyuubey doesn't decide to... interfere. It's been pretty good about not doing that, all things considered, but all the better for it to swoop in and mess things up for you, right? That's probably your best guess for what it might be up to: fomenting discord while looking for the best time and place to strike.

"Thank you for hearing us out," Mami says with a smile, shaking Ichiro's hand as he transfers his attention to her, then Homura.

"I wish you the best on your endeavours, all of you. Please do ask for help if you need it," he says, then blinks and pulls out his wallet. From the wallet he produces two business cards - one for Homura, and one for you. Not for Mami, but then, you're pretty sure that you've been... unabashedly with Mami.

"... thank you," Homura says quietly.

Ichiro nods.

"You carry a heavy burden," he says solemnly. "And you're friends of my daughter. I think it's the least I can offer."

"And for my part, I thank you for coming today," Haruka says, stepping forward. "I could have told Ichiro myself, but it wouldn't have had the same impact, and I couldn't have conveyed the immensity of the... everything, either. Thank you."

"The more people in the know, the better," Mami says firmly. "And as your husband said, we are Hitomi's friends."

Hitomi chuckles quietly, smiling at you.

"I'm not going to thank you," she says. "But I'll see you soon. Stay safe, alright?"

"How much trouble could we possibly get into?" you say, smiling innocently.

Hitomi gives you an unamused look.

Mami giggles as she takes your arm, the Shizukis heading out of the room with you in tow. With the bill already paid, there's nothing stopping you from stepping into the chill of the evening, the rainstorm having stolen the heat from the air and leaving your breath fogging in little wisps. Well, a bit, anyway. Pedestrians throng the streets, chatter overshadowed by the rumble of cars.

You use it as an excuse to cuddle Mami a little closer, even as you bid farewell to the Shizukis and turn your mind to the next matter.

You... you need to talk to Homura.

You carefully don't look at your friend -one step behind you, expression blank as she follows you through the crowd- as thoughts sleet through your mind. It's something you've been turning over in the back of your mind: Homura doesn't think she deserves to be happy. And since when were you ever the type of person to simply let something like that go?

It's going to be a big, possibly painful conversation, but it's a necessary one, you think.

Alright.

"Hey, Homura, Mami - is it OK if we don't split up for the night just yet? I'd like to talk about some stuff first, Homura," you say, breaking the comfortable silence.

Mami glances towards you, eyes questioning, and you offer her a swift, reassuring grin and the slightest tilt of your head towards Homura. She blinks, golden eyes thoughtful, before nodding an infinitesimal fraction of an inch in agreement.

"Certainly," Homura says. She doesn't sound certain, exactly.

"It's nothing bad," you say bracingly, and nudge her so that she's walking alongside you. You beam at her. "It's... stuff for the future, I suppose is a good way to say it?"

"OK," Homura says, then nods firmly. "Yes."

"Mind if we hang out at your place instead? I, uh..." you glance at Mami. "Do you think Kyouko and Yuma will be back yet? It might be a bit, um, awkward to talk with them there."

"Mm..." Mami hums thoughtfully. "Probably?"

"Yeah, I thought so," you say, and make a face. "Would it be alright if we hung out at your place instead, Homura?"

"Actually, I may have a better idea?" Mami says, a tiny smile dancing on her lips.

"Oh?" you say.

"I do," Mami says, nodding firmly.

You exchange a look with Homura. She raises an eyebrow at you, expression otherwise blank, as if to say that you're the expert. Which is entirely fair, really, and so, finding yourself hoisted upon your own petard, you smile at Mami.

"Well, lead on, then," you say, smiling at her. You have to admit you're a little disappointed in not getting to see Homura's apartment outside of timestop -you haven't been there since forever, and definitely not since you'd figured out nanofog- but when Mami smiles at you with that look in her eye that says trust me, well.

Kirika was right, you're kind of a wimp.

... but you really want to check that pendulum out. And maybe take a ride on it, if it's an actual physical thing. You're not convinced, either way. Maybe you should make an excuse specifically to visit Homura's home soon.

Huh.

Does Homura even consider it her home, or just somewhere she sleeps? You're not entirely sure how much time she actually spends in it, come to that. Now that you think about it, she probably doesn't. Not much. Which is something else that you're... if not quite addressing today, well, it's related. She deserves to be happy, and she deserves to have a home, and friends, and everything. Admittedly, that apartment might not be home for her, but she deserves one, wherever it may be.

Your thoughts are possibly meandering a bit, much like Mami isn't. She's taken charge with aplomb, leading you and Homura down a quiet alleyway and up across the rooftops with quick, purposeful steps, and ah, you have an inkling of where she's taking you now.

"I can fly us there?" you tell her as you bound after her.

"Let's get there the normal way," she says, shooting you a quick smile with the wind in her hair and a glint in her eye. She doesn't know what you're planning -not like you'd spoken of the idea out loud to anyone yet- but you think she's guessed at some of it because that's just how she is.

You speed across the city, bounding steps and tucked-in rolls and firmly on Mami's tail. The buildings grow taller, glass and steel replacing brick and mortar as you head towards the heart of Mitakihara, the city aglow with light that blazes defiance against the night. One building in particular stands out: not, perhaps, the tallest building in Mitakihara, but definitely one of the tallest, and the most distinct.

Homura falters for a second as she seems to cotton on too, but follows you gamely up to the spire of the DBJ building.

"We're here," Mami declares a touch needlessly, but there's a pleased smile on her face as she surveys the city. "I take it you've been here before, Homura?"

Rather than answer, Homura slides bonelessly into a half-seated, half-slumped position, leaning against the central antenna spire of the DBJ tower. She closes her eyes, thumping her head lightly against the steel spar, shivering the few remaining raindrops off the antenna dishes and cables.

You flop down beside her, the grating of the platform a little rough, a little uncomfortable beneath you, but somehow, with Mitakihara sprawled out past your dangling feet, with Homura at your left and Mami settling in on your other side, it feels right.

"When you feel ready, Homura," Mami says softly.

Homura nods, her eyes remaining closed. You can't help but fret a little - with how much Homura tries hides any signs of weakness, it's outright strange for her to be showing her exhaustion right now, but... you can understand a bit of it, you suppose. You can only imagine part of the significance of this place, for her. And she trusts you, you think. You and Mami. Trusts you enough to let her guard down a bit.

You spend a few moments in silence, before amethyst eyes flicker open in the corner of your vision, filled with purpose and unyielding intent once more. She reaches for her shield, and a stuttered instant later, Mami's unwinding ribbon to link the three of you together once more.

"We did used to come here," Homura murmurs quietly, staring out over the frozen city. "After hunts."

"I thought so," Mami says, leaning back against one of the supporting struts. There's just enough room on the platform for her to kick her feet over the edge, dangling idly, Homura matching her.

"Kyouko loved sitting on that dish over there," Homura continues in the same low, grave-whisper tone. "You always told her it would spoil the reception."

"I did," Mami says, nostalgia and old regret in her voice as she tracks the antenna dish in question. "Well... she's back, now, thanks to Sabrina."

You wrap your arm around Mami's shoulder, and she burrows into your side with a pleased, quiet sigh.

"What did you want to talk about?" Homura asks after a moment of not quite uncomfortable, frozen silence.

"Let me start by saying that Homura, if at any point, you want me to stop, if you want space to think, if you want to interject - tell me," you say, meeting her eyes squarely. "I know I can be a bit much at the best of times, and this is... this is something that I feel strongly about, you know? So I might be, um, even more me than usual. And Mami, you're here too. You're a part of this conversation too, OK?"

And heck, Mami's already helped you set the stage perfectly for the conversation, working off little more than a few hints and her own intuition. You can't help but feel so very grateful to have someone like her in your life.

"I will," Homura says. She sounds like she means it, too, so you continue.

"Well... the heart of it, the starting point, is that I want you to be happy," you say. Your smile turns a little sheepish. "Which I know sounds really obvious, but that's where things start. And I think I can speak for Mami when I say that it's something we both want, for you to be happy. Having you around makes us happy, too."

Because...

Heh.

Saving one lost, scared girl. Saving the world. What's the difference, really?

It starts with one.

"You're our friend, Homura," Mami adds. "We... we may have fought, other times. But I'm me, not those, those other mes. I care about you, and if those other mes had known, they would too."

"And so do I," you add. "So... that's where we're starting from. You know that, right?"

"Yes," Homura says, her voice bleak and quiet and a little bit hesitant. "I know."

"Good," you say warmly. "So..."

You kick your feet, looking at the stars above, one arm still around Mami's shoulders and the other propping you up. Homura tracks your gaze to stare up at the night sky.

"I... well. I mean this in the gentlest way, but..." you trail off for a moment, uncertain. But you need Homura to understand where you're coming from, for all this. "While we want you to be happy, you don't think you deserve to be happy, do you?"

Silence. You tip your head to the side, looking at Homura with a raised eyebrow, and it's a long, long moment before she speaks again.

"It's irrelevant," she whispers. "As long as Madoka's safe."

"Well, see, that's a problem," you say, smiling at her to take the sting out of it. Gently, you reach out to put your hand over hers. "I don't accept that. Because if that's true, then it's... it's not enough for us to want you to be happy. You have to believe you deserve it, too, or..."

Her hand is tiny, and cold, and unmoving beneath yours. You'd say you take a moment to check her Soul Gem, but you don't, not really. You can sense the Grief in it, knowledge at the back of your mind like how the temperature's a little chilly. She's fine for now.

"I mean, if you don't believe it, it's not gonna work, right?" you continue, waving listlessly at the world before you. "It just... it doesn't. And even if you try, it's... I mean, forcing yourself to be happy doesn't work, does it? And I can't... I can't accept the alternative."

Homura shrugs fractionally, more of a tired slump than anything.

You snort in response, closing your eyes and hooking your free arm on the nearest antenna spar so you can lean on it.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to just... trample over you," you say. "It's not like I'm trying to force you to be happy. Well, in a way, um, I am, I suppose. But um, in a good way, I hope? I want you to be happy, which I suppose, um..."

"We do want you to be happy, Homura," Mami supplies, visibly fighting back a gigglefit as you trail off sheepishly. "Sabrina's right. You deserve it."

"And just to go back slightly, I want you to believe it, too," you add, shaking off your momentary confusion. "I want us all together, ten years down the line, twenty, thirty, all friends, all happy still. But it's something I can only help you towards, because if I try to, to, convince you to be happy, and you just go along with it, one day it'll all come crashing down."

"If Madoka's still safe, then that... that's enough," Homura murmurs. "I..."

"Mm?" You smile at Homura, waiting for her to continue.

"It doesn't matter," Homura whispers. "I just want Madoka to be safe. Whatever it takes."

"She will be," you say. "And you Wished for her, Homura. That's no small thing. You Wished to become strong enough to protect her, and you... Wishes come true. Your Wish can come true. It will come true. You will become someone strong enough to protect Madoka, and you will do it. And maybe you feel that you don't deserve happiness, but that's something that can change. By your own standards, not just mine, or Mami's. You just have to be willing to want it."

"It's irrelevant," Homura says. Amethyst eyes cut towards you, lost and scared for a second before she subsumes it beneath her expressionless mask. "It's not so easy."

"Happiness isn't easy," Mami says gently. "But do you want it, Homura? Because we can help with that."

Homura looks away, face as frozen as the world beyond.

You smile at Mami, lifting your arm from her shoulders so you can stand, and then step off into thin air, supported upon Grief, and you drop to both knees in front of Homura, so that you're looking up at her. Mami seems to sense your intention, shuffling so that she's sitting beside Homura now.

"Can I tell you a story, Homura?" you say softly. You were going to wait for an opening, but... you know Homura. She won't, maybe can't say it out loud, but you know you're not imagining the way she clings to your words, her eyes snapping back to track your movements the moment you stood, desperate for reassurance. A desperate hunger for answers.

"There was a girl who walked into a classroom at school," you murmur. "I'm sure you know her story. But let's talk about a different part of it."

You take a breath, still smiling. Reassuring, gentle, warm. Because you know that things might hurt, but that's the way an intervention goes, isn't it? And this is an intervention.

"She found she was different," you murmur quietly, your mind providing you with a highlight reel of Homura's first days at school. "She couldn't keep up, she didn't know what everyone else seemed to. But she was smart and determined. So very, very determined. So she practiced. She put blood and sweat and tears into it, into learning things she'd never known before. And it was worth it. She excelled."

Homura watches you with laser-sharp intent, her expression tired as you dredge up history long gone.

"She practiced everything that made people look at her different for not knowing," you add softly. You reach out to take Homura's hand, small and thin and cold. Mami adds her own a moment later, squeezing gently. "And nothing else. No one told her about the intangible things. The things that everyone needs, but few teach. And when she found that she needed them, she couldn't do it. And so she wrongly thought of herself as a failure. A..."

You hesitate for a second.

"...good-for-nothing," you finish, echoing an epithet from another time, another reality. Homura's darkest thoughts, the ones that whisper in the darkness of her soul. The despair at the end of everything. You force back the sneer at the thought - Homura would definitely misinterpret it. "That she was someone already broken before life found her."

"But that's not true," Mami whispers, a deadly quiet counterpoint to your words.

And when you look up again, you imagine your eyes must be blazing. Because Mami's right. Because that's not how things are. Homura's the opposite of a good-for-nothing. That's not how things will unfurl. You won't let it.

Homura wavers, unable to meet your gaze. You can feel the trembling in her hand, though, even as she stares out over the city.

"It's not true," you say. "You're not broken. You're not good-for-nothing. You just had no one to tell you: social skills are skills. They're something that can be learned, practiced, and sharpened. I..." You trail off, and laugh. "Heck, I didn't even have the thought until last night, when I was talking to Mami. They are skills, Homura. And they're something you can learn."

"I know that," Homura whispers. "I've tried. It- it doesn't work for me. Not like you or Mami or Madoka."

"How did you try, Homura?" Mami asks.

Homura shrugs again, another tired slump.

"Guides on the Internet," she mumbles. "Books."

"Ah," Mami murmurs. Her eyes flicker to you, and you reassure her with a swift smile. "Sabrina's right. It's a skill that can be learned, but... to learn to interact with people, you have to practice with people. I know it might have been hard, but... we'd be happy to teach you."

"And it's not just that," you say. "It's about..." You smile, briefly. "It's not a concept that comes up much in common conversation, but skills break down... a lot further than you think. Like, running is a skill, right? Everyone knows how to run, but not everyone knows how to run well, even beyond physical ability. You've got to get your limbs moving just right, and get your breaths synced up."

You hold out your hand, as if trying to balance the skyline of Mitakihara on the palm of your hand.

"What about walking?" you say. "Everyone knows how to walk, but people hurt really badly? They wind up having to relearn how to walk. It's another skill. And... talking to people? Understanding people? How to predict and plan? We can teach you that."

"It doesn't work," Homura whispers. "It's all- it's too much. I don't- I just want to protect Madoka. I-"

She breaks off, mutely shaking her head. Her eyes are dry, but the exhausted slump of her shoulders and the tense wavering of her lip tells of how tired of all this she is.

"Tell me how," she whispers.

[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

I took some fair liberties with the vote, to get it to flow well, and a chunk of it didn't make it into the update. This is a breakpoint to course-correct as necessary (or to proceed, otherwise).

 

[Firnagzen]

"Homura, look at me?" Mami murmurs. She waits until Homura looks at her, and then she smiles, comforting and gentle. "Homura, I think I can safely speak for both Sabrina and myself when I say that we both know how important Madoka is to you. Sabrina even more so than myself."

Honey-gold eyes flick your way for a second in silent prompt, and you nod firmly but hold your tongue - Mami has something in mind, and you trust her.

"So I can once again speak for both Sabrina and myself when I say that we're not going to tell you what to do," Mami says softly. "We're not going to take over from you, Homura. You gave your Wish for Madoka, and you will fulfill it. We'll be right behind you, showing you how it might be done, but it's your Wish. Your Soul."

... ah.

You get it.

"Yeah, definitely," you say. Your voice is firm and steady and, you hope, assuring. "I- you know what I like to say, right? I'm here to help, Homura. But helping isn't- it isn't doing it instead of you. OK?"

Homura closes her eyes, shoulders trembling. You squeeze Homura's hand in yours, Mami adding her own gentle reassurance, and you can't help but be just a little scared. You worry for Homura. You want her to succeed, but you can't take over for her, either. It goes hand in hand with wanting her to be happy - how can she be happy if you've taken away her heart's desire?

"OK," Homura whispers with eyes still squeezed shut. "OK. I- please. Tell... teach me."

"Are you sure, Homura?" Mami says. Her voice lightens deliberately. "We have all the time in the world, after all. How are you feeling?"

"Yeah," you agree. "I can cleanse you whenever you need. Speaking of..." You trail off with a questioning tone, and wait for Homura to make a noise of assent before you cleanse her Soul Gem.

"I-" Homura looks at you, then at Mami, then out at the city, nervous, jittery glances. "I'm OK."

"A-" Mami seems to think better of what she was going to say, and changes tactics. "Well... Sabrina, do you need to take a moment to figure out a lesson plan?"

"It could help, yeah," you say, humming. You swing yourself back onto the platform, hand on rough steel and legs dangling off the edge once more, positioned on Homura's other side. She's stuck between you and Mami, who shoots you a swift smile over Homura's bowed head.

The smile is for you, but the note of worry creasing Mami's forehead is for Homura. You need to be careful, Mami says to you in that one look. This might help, but the ice you tread upon is thin and creaking a little.

You nod back at her, returning the smile, and quirk an eyebrow in return. How's she handling the silence of the time stop? It's not Mami's first time in here any more, but you remember she was particularly discomfited by it. Mami tips her head towards Homura, smiling still, and shrugs with one shoulder - she's dealing with it, and will continue to deal with it for Homura's sake.

You nod, and rest your hand lightly on Homura's shoulder. Your friend -your best friend- twitches under the touch before relaxing just a fraction, the cable-taut tension of her muscles easing as she slumps.

"Do you feel up to continuing?" you ask gently.

"Please," Homura says, her voice perhaps a touch more resolute.

"Alright," you say, squeezing her shoulder gently before standing, stepping off once more into thin air. You spread your arms wide, encompassing the time-stopped world at large. "Well. Welcome to How To Learn 101 - I'm Sabrina Vee, and I'll be your professor today."

You smile at Homura, because this might be something important for her to hear, to learn, but you... you don't want the atmosphere to be too heavy either. You want Homura to learn, and you don't want her to be too scared, either.

"So..." you say, starting to pace back and forth on instantly-formed platforms. "The first step to mastering a skill is recognizing that they are comprised of smaller components. And I know that might seem obvious, but it bears repeating. Then after understanding each of those parts, you can put them together to make a greater whole."

You shrug lightly, lifting one foot off its Grief platform and flexing said foot.

"To go back to, well, walking, first you've got to know how to control your muscles. Then you've got to be able to balance, then you've got to be able to coordinate your arms and leg and all that," you say. "And then you get good enough at walking, then running, that you don't even have to think about the basic things any more, yeah?"

Homura nods, her head tracking your movement as if on a swivel, drinking in the words.

"Reading books wasn't a bad idea," you say, nodding at her. "But even then, it's... look, books are written with unspoken biases and assumptions. And generally? The big assumption is that you have some 'basic' level of skill already... which might not apply, if someone's spent, oh, a few formative years confined to bed rest."

You exhale, stopping to give Homura a solemn, serious look.

"None of that is your fault," you say. "It wasn't in any way your fault that you were deprived of opportunities almost everyone else has, and it certainly isn't something that can't be remedied. If someone spends a few years in a coma and wakes up to find that they don't know how to walk anymore, we don't give up on them, we teach them how to walk again from the very basics. To extend the metaphor, that person buying a book on 'How to run' and it not helping isn't their failure."

Grief shimmers behind you to form a solid plane hanging mid-air, like a blackboard. Or more accurately, given what you intend - a screen. A skip, a step as you twist and flop back down next to Homura, the platform and the antenna spars reverberating with the impact of your body.

"So. Class is now in session," you say. "And I'll be teaching by case study. In this case, your first meeting with Madoka in this timeline, if that's alright? I'll play it out for all three of us to see, and I'll break it down for you?"

Homura nods once more, with her brow knitted into a frown of intense concentration as she glares into the screen as if attempting to divine its secrets by force of will alone.

"So we'll go over it play-by-play," you say, your eyes flickering over to Mami, who catches your attention and nods in approval. "I'll be pointing out what you're doing, the kind of effects it's having, and how you might conduct yourself in the future. With that in mind-"

You close your eyes, visualizing the scene, and hit your mental 'play' button. Distortions wash across the Grief screen, millions of protrusions forming to refract the unearthly half-light of the timestop into vibrant colour, the image warping before snapping into crisp focus.

Together with Mami and Homura herself, you watch as Homura chases Kyuubey through the dilapidated remains of what must have been a parking lot for cars and bikes alike, thick with dust and strewn with old bicycles. Rust coats exposed metal, discarded crates and mouldering equipment stacked haphazardly against the walls, all illuminated by dim, weak light. Homura's footsteps ring loud, flickering blasts of purple chasing the Incubator.

Your attention flicks to Mami. She seems alright, admittedly, watching with her lips pressed together in a thin line, and you can guess at her thoughts, from the look on her face. It doesn't take a genius, after all, in light of what she knows now about Kyuubey. She's dissecting its manipulations... and contrasting it to how she herself had been duped into feeding into it.

And then comes Madoka, sprinting in just to see Kyuubey tumble out of a hatch in the ceiling, injured and panting. Some chain clatters down after it, Madoka's panting and the rattle of metal the only sound until Homura's footsteps join in. You can feel Homura tensing as she watches herself speak, trying to convince Madoka to step aside... and when that didn't work, she strode towards Madoka, who in turn cradles the Incubator against herself, trying to protect it.

"Madoka was afraid of you," you say softly, pausing the playback. "Even before you spoke there, she was afraid. Do you see how she flinched?"

"I know," Homura whispers. "I know. I wanted-" She shakes her head, lips sealing shut as she turns away from the screen.

"Hey," you murmur. "Homura, it's OK. What are you thinking?"

You bite back on the impulse to hug Homura for the moment, as much as you'd like to. You ache to comfort her, but she needs to work through this - and she looks like she is, her jaw tense. Maybe you should get a pillow.

You shake off the thought as Homura starts to speak at last.

"I wanted to scare her," Homura whispers. "I can't- it hurt her, I know it did, but. Scaring her worked. Show her the bad things about magical girls, and she wouldn't Wish until she was pushed."

She takes a shuddering, shaky breath.

"It's- it's the closest thing that's come to working," she says, her voice low and choked and pained. "Scare her. Make her hate me, hate magical girls. I- I can't be charming like you. She- Sayaka called me cool yesterday. Madoka is- Madoka."

The last word is less a name and more a prayer, uttered in fervence and attempting to encapsulate...

Well, you can guess.

Attempting to encapsulate everything to do with Madoka's current circumstances: read in on the secrets, participating, and yet happy and smiling and a friend to Homura, despite everything she's done. A complete reversal of everything she'd tried to accomplish, and yet the better for it.

"Teach me that," Homura whispers. "Please."

[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Was the scene in full anime?
The real question, of course, is whether it was subbed or not.
Perhaps. You can't prove nothin'.

Also: First of all, apologies for the late update. It's been a... it's been a good few days. Second of all, a lot of the original vote didn't get used, but that's because Homura decided to take off in a different direction.

 

[Firnagzen]

Well, there goes your train of thought, doesn't it? You'd been sort of leaning into the whole issue with Homura not understanding how to social, nor how to learn how to be social, but she's torpedoed that with just a few words - with just as much precision as she shoots.

There are... a lot of things to address here, and you're not entirely sure where to star-

"There are... a lot of things to address here," you say slowly, before the silence stretches out too far. Before Homura can think better of her question, of her plea. "But the first thing is that... Sayaka called you cool, yes, and I didn't make her do that. I didn't make her do that. You did, Homura, because you are cool. I-"

Homura opens her mouth to speak, and you cut her off with a quick shake of your head and a smile.

"I mean it, Homura," you say. "I- well, c'mon, you know Sayaka. She's stubborn and proud and principled. If she says something, it's because she believes it. You know that, right?"

"She's never done that before," Homura whispers, low, quiet and perhaps just a bit pained in the way she hunches down ever so slightly on herself. "She- she's never liked me. She's always been suspicious of me."

You exhale slowly, tipping your head back and looking at the night sky, frozen in hues of monochrome, taking a moment to gather your skittering thoughts. You can feel Mami's eyes on you, and your gazes lock for a second - you nod slightly. You've got this.

You think.

"You know what I did do, Homura?" you murmur quietly, sitting down so that you're eye-level with her. You can hardly remain standing when you'd been about to critique Homura's first impression to Madoka: towering over Madoka, intimidating her with height alone. So you bring yourself down, perching on a tiny platform of Grief to hover before Homura and Mami. Your smile remains in place, gentle and -you hope- reassuring.

"I made it so that you and Sayaka could exist in the same space without her being at your throat all the time," you say. "And that is something I can teach you, but... that's really all I did. I opened the possibility up, and Sayaka considering you cool, considering you a friend? That's between you and her. It's because you are cool, and you are worth befriending."

"I'm no-"

Mami cuts Homura off with a ruthless 'tut'.

"You are, Homura," you say, shooting Mami a swift smile.

"Perhaps you don't feel like it," Mami says. "I understand how you feel, Homura. I haven't been in quite the same situation you have before, Homura, but I understand the feeling."

That gets a twitch out of Homura. Her expression flickers to confusion, eyes darting up to Mami's face for a moment.

"I... I pretended to be the perfect sempai," Mami says softly. "Partially because... because it encouraged me to, but also because I was lonely. If I were just good enough, then my friends wouldn't abandon me, right? So I put on a facade. If I could seem cool enough, then people would want to stay, but there was always worry. That it was fake, that people would know it was fake, and..."

The smile Mami graces you with is nothing short of dazzling.

"I don't... I don't have to worry about that now, but I truly do understand what it feels like to not... not see yourself as others see you," she says. "And I understand that our circumstances are quite, quite different. But I hope you can believe that you're not alone."

"And... well, on that same note, Homura," you say, deciding to pick up the thread from Mami. "You say that I'm charming, but half the time, I feel like I'm a failure there too, you know? I can get it right some of the time, but it feels like I'm cheating because I know enough about people to, to manipulate them. So believe me, I get it too."

Homura shakes her head mutely.

"'But it's different for me'," Mami murmurs. "'But they're succeeding, and I'm not'. Right, Homura?"

She doesn't answer, simply hunching her shoulders in on herself, head bowing low.

"Wrong," you say. "Homura, I..."

You wave your hands.

"There's a lot to cover here. I'm not saying I won't teach you or that I can't teach you," you say. "I'm saying that you've got some... gah, some advantages that are beneficial, that have already been the cause of beneficial outcomes. Yes, the circumstances are different, but it was because of circumstances-" You weigh something invisible in one hand "-and the traits that you possess-" another invisible weight in your other hand "-that resulted in the outcomes we're seeing. Does that make sense?"

Homura stills for a moment. Then she nods.

"And taking that as given, I can teach you to leverage your advantages better, and how the circumstances can come up," you say. "And I think that's what you want, right?"

Another measured nod, less certain than the last.

"But there's something to address before that. It's... I'm a little stuck on the word 'charming'?" you say, air-quoting the word. "Because I'm... not charming."

"Yes, you are," Mami says. A tiny smile curls her lips, humour dancing in her eyes. "You are very charming, Sabrina."

"Well, I know you think so, but that does kind of feed into my point," you say, returning Mami's smile. "'Charming' is a bit of a nebulous thing. And. Most importantly: it's not a catch-all thing. It's a trap I'm prone to falling into, too: social interactions are very much not a one-size-fits-all thing. Do you get that, Homura?"

"No," Homura says.

"Well... do you think I'm charming?" you ask Homura. "I promise I'm going somewhere with this."

"I suppose?" Homura says hesitantly.

"Am I? To you?" you press gently, leaning forward a little. "I mean... I promise you won't hurt my ego."

Hesitantly, Homura shakes her head, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

"I'm a little intense, right? A little controlling sometimes. I keep pushing you, and sometimes I'm kind of weird, right? Like now, or our very first conversation, way back then," you say. "Sometimes I mess up, and I mess up hard. Maybe other annoyances too. Right?" Taking Homura's silence as answer enough by itself, you grin. "I'm a little self-aware. Sometimes. The point is: despite all that, you... I like to think you trust me? You consider me a friend?"

This time, Homura's nod is sure and firm, and oh you can't help the smile on your face.

"That's my point," you say. "'Charming' isn't a one size fits all. Mami thinks I am, you don't. And... that's a mistake I'm prone to making too, like I said: social situations aren't a problem in want of a solution. They're interactions, give and take, and everyone reacts differently, and that's fine."

You thump your fist to your chest for emphasis, and grin.

"So that's my first lesson, I suppose," you say. "What works for me doesn't necessarily work for you. What works to convince Sayaka might not work on Madoka. I am a hammer. When all I've got is a hammer, well..."

Mami nods in agreement.

"Perhaps some examples to help Homura understand better, Sabrina?" she says.

"I was thinking that, yeah," you say with a smile. "But... Homura? Are we making sense? Are you following OK?"

"I... think so," Homura says hesitantly. "Approaches have to be tailored."

Mami hums thoughtfully, drawing the attention of both you and Homura.

"Have you ever heard the advice 'just be yourself'?" Mami says. At Homura's nod, Mami continues. "There's a lot of truth to it, as trite as it sounds. It's not wrong to say that talking to different people requires different approaches, but you mustn't let it become false. You shouldn't, for example, try to be Sabrina."

"Yeah. It's the little things you do that helped Sayaka get to like you, not to mention Madoka and Hitomi," you say. "Like when you joke around - did I ever tell you that you're actually really funny when you want to be? You're fantastic at the dry, deadpan delivery, and it works very well for you."

Mami's nodding in agreement. "Not only that, you've fought side by side with us, and allowed us to make earnest connections to you," she says. "Speaking for myself, Homura, I'm truly grateful and humbled that you've shared your story with me, and that you're comfortable enough to have this conversation we're having right now. And... in turn, I've been sharing my personal anecdotes and fears to help you. Does that make sense?"

"It... it does," Homura says, her eyes darting from you to Mami.

"Sayaka and Madoka would do no less, I believe," you say, and hold up a hand. "I know you're against sharing your story with Madoka, and I'm not asking you to right now. I'm saying that people generally reciprocate. One person has to let their guard down first, and others, recognizing that, will in turn let their guards down too. That's the general idea of how you start building a rapport, and then trust, and friendship. Make sense?"

Homura exhales, her expression hungry and almost painfully eager. She's hanging on to your every word, drinking it all in, and for a fraction of a second, you can see the timid, scared girl she used to be, before the wheels of time ground her down. She wants to learn, she wants to understand.

She nods silently.

"Would you like a moment to think over what we've said?" Mami offers. "Do you have any questions?"

The silence of the timestop stretches out for a moment, Homura's brow furrowing in intense concentration. You take the moment to stand and stretch, catching Mami's eye for a moment - another lightning fast exchange of glances, confirming that the both of you are feeling good about this. You think you're on the right track.

"You... you said I had advantages," Homura says, finally.

"Ah," you say, and grin as you plop back down into a seated position. "Well, the first and foremost is that you are cool. You've got that whole cool, reserved mien that's backed up by sheer competence. You're a veteran magical girl with years of experience behind you, and it shows, you know? Even to people who aren't fighters. Plus, your sense of humour is absolutely superb, and you care."

"And by most objective measures, you're very pretty," Mami says, smiling slightly. "I'm rather biased-" a swift smile your way "-but I believe that most would agree."

"And your hair," you say. "I... Homura, I know I've commented on your hair before, but your hair."

"It is very nice hair," Mami says with a smile.

Homura absorbs that, raising her hand to her hair and fidget with a lock of the silken strands, rubbing them between two fingers.

"How..." Homura licks her lips. "How does it all... work?"

"Ah..." you exchange another look with Mami. "Maybe an example. Mami, Homura, do you remember when we were hunting Oriko in timestop?"

"Ah, yes," Mami says. "I remember."

"And... Homura, do you remember how Mami's opinion effectively did a complete reversal over the course of that?" you continue, transferring your attention to Homura.

"Yes," Homura says.

"Well, why do you think that is?" you say, smiling.

"Because..." If the frown on Homura's brow were any deeper, it'd split right through her skull. "Because I was fighting with her?"

"That's part of it," Mami says, smiling. "Even if we had separate reasons for going after her, the fact that we were fighting as a unified front, towards the same goal, did a lot to help earn my trust. And... you were comfortable enough to fall asleep in my living room. I... I know now that it was in part because it was familiar surroundings for you, but at the time, the fact that you felt safe enough to show vulnerability around me did a lot to ease my concerns."

"Oh," Homura says. She swallows, looking from Mami, to you, and back. "OK."

"Mm... unrelated to that hunt," Mami says, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if you've noticed it yourself, Homura, but when you fight, you have a tendency to support other people when they need it - covering their backs from unexpected attackers and clearing space for them to breathe. I'm sure it's something that Sayaka must have noticed, too, and that's something that would have helped."

Homura nods again.

"Take a moment to process it," you say encouragingly. "Alright?"

You take a moment to cleanse Homura's Soul Gem, as well as your own, and Mami's. Mami smiles at you, reaching out to take your hand, and you hop across the platform to join her and wrap her in a hug as Homura thinks, staring out over the frozen skyline of Mitakihara.

Mami leans against you with a pleased sigh, burrowing contentedly under your arm.

After a few minutes of silence, Homura finally breaks the quiet.

"How does it all come together?" she asks quietly. "I... my, my advantages. And circumstances."

[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

Amalgamated votes for this update.

 

[Firnagzen]

You blink in confusion for a moment, trying to parse that. How does it all come together? Then your brain kicks into gear.

It's...

Well, you know that Homura likes the concrete. Perhaps you might attribute that to her experiences and lack thereof, and to your thoughts that no one ever really taught her the best ways to learn. Perhaps you might want to ground the notions you're introducing in the same way, but...

Homura asked you a question because she wants to learn. Because she wants to understand. And she learns best, does best with clear-cut steps and verifiable results.

You can work with that, you think.

"You've already started," you say. You don't move from your spot, shoulder-to-shoulder with Mami, Homura on her far side. "How it all comes together is..."

You chuff out an amused breath, and raise a hand to wave at Mitakihara: frozen in time stop, but Mitakihara nevertheless. Your home, your friends.

"I mean, people are behaving differently towards you, right?" you say. "And as I mentioned - that's because of what you are doing. So that's where it all begins: just being willing to try is a start. Because people... as a general rule, people have empathy for other people. If someone else is hurt, you want to help them, right?"

"It's not too hard to see if someone's trying to make overtures of friendship," Mami adds. "And in having empathy, if you see someone else who's reaching out, you're inclined to give them a chance yourself. I imagine... I imagine other mes must have tried."

Homura nods.

"Yeah," you say, tilting your head to slant a grin towards Homura. Give her some examples, something concrete she can hold on to. "So, to ground this hypothetical in reality: how things have changed this time is that you're actively fighting with us, and people know what you're fighting for. That's big, in and of itself. It changed the context of why you were acting so standoffish: without context, you would have come across as callous and kind of scary, now it's... part of your history. You've been fighting and suffering so long that it's become a, a defense mechanism, but you're still trying."

"It's part of what led to Sayaka calling you cool," Mami says, smiling slightly. "Because someone who's experienced and worn down by those same experiences but still determined, still fighting for the good of others is worthy of respect and admiration. She... I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see it, to understand, had you not been willing to show us."

"Context is a good word," you say. Suddenly, you're feeling a bit too restless to just stay seated, and you hop to your feet, standing on thin air once more as you pace back and forth on thin air.

"Context is the real difference," you say, gesturing emphatically at Homura. "You've been trying for years to scare Madoka off this life, and I understand that." You fix Homura with your gaze, solemn and serious and hoping that she gets it. "But without the context of knowing why you would want to do that, people viewed you with suspicion. It meant that everyone saw your actions in the most negative light."

You forcibly rein your words in, take a breath, and turn to face Homura squarely, smiling gently at her.

"Are we making sense so far, Homura?" you ask. You need to make sure you're not just metaphorically running off without her, after all.

"I... think so," Homura says. Her brows are still drawn together into that frown of concentration as she soaks it all in, hands fidgeting on her lap and amethyst eyes dark as she considers the matter.

"It's something that would have fed into itself, too," Mami says, sighing. "Someone who already had misgivings would naturally see any further actions in an unfavourable light. And I... imagine that I would have contributed, too. If you had rebuffed my overtures towards friendship, I... would have eventually viewed you with suspicion or hostility, and tried to drive you out. I'm sorry."

"It's..." Homura's brow knits a little further, uncertainty and discomfort in equal measure mixing in with intense thought. "It wasn't your fault?"

"It certainly wasn't yours, either," Mami says. "But thank you, Homura." She smiles. "And I... I hadn't intended for this, but if I may use this interaction as an example, did you notice what you did there?"

Homura tilts her head, uncomprehending.

"You showed empathy," Mami says, clasping her hands together and giving Homura a thoughtful look. "You weren't certain of the right thing to say, right?"

A nod, Homura's expression now tinged with a trace of worry - worry that she did the wrong thing.

"But even then, you tried to say something to ease my concerns," Mami says, smiling now. "You tried to reduce the guilt that I felt."

"I... did?" Homura says, her tone less questioning and more that of someone probing carefully at thin ice. "I..."

"You did," Mami says firmly. "And it worked, because I felt better for the reassurance. You might not have the, ah, experience, or vocabulary that others have to express it sometimes, but even making the attempt to reach out to others is valuable."

"Completely agreed," you say, beaming at Mami and Homura both. You're thoroughly glad you asked for Mami to be here. "The attempt alone is worth a lot, and that you're less experienced, less certain, doesn't make it any lesser. In some ways, the opposite - to go back to what we were talking about earlier, context. Even if someone doesn't know your history, they... guess. They can see that you're trying, they guess at some of your history, and draw their own conclusions. And by analogy, it's like seeing, say, a firefighter out there with a limp but still trying to help."

You find yourself leaning forward, gesticulating emphatically. Because this is important, this is how Homura is, and you... as much as you want her to learn, you want her to believe. That's every bit as important. But you also need to not scare Homura, so you force yourself calm down again, and not loom over Homura.

"Does that make sense?" you add in a softer tone. "I know I've been asking that a lot, but it... it's important that I'm not just rambling to myself, it's important that you're following. So please, please speak up if even the smallest thing doesn't make sense?"

And it definitely feels like you've been rambling a little. Which is... not, on reflection, a bad thing. You'd come into this conversation with an intention to teach, but frankly, it's more important for Homura to learn - and part of that is adapting on the fly. So you've taken Homura's questions and followed them, allowing her to dictate the pace. That's a good way to do it, you think.

"It's not an imposition to ask questions," Mami says. "It is, in fact, expected of a learning process."

You beam at Mami once more, reaching out to take her hand. She shoots you a swift smile, and returns her attention to Homura, whose brow has, to your faint surprise, smoothed out.

"No," she says quietly. "It makes sense."

"That's-" The twist of relief unspooling in your chest isn't quite a surprise, but it's welcome nevertheless. Something in the way Homura says it lets you believe it - that she's begun to understand, that something of what you're saying is making an impact, and you're glad. "That's good."

Mami squeezes your hand lightly.

"So, ah," you say. "On a slight tangent, Homura, a bit of advice?"

Homura's attention snaps to you, laser-focused once more.

"If someone asks you a question, it's perfectly OK to... to use your experiences as a reason to not answer. It's OK to say that it's too painful or uncomfortable for you," you say slowly. "It's OK to admit that there are things you won't, or don't want to talk about. That's not weakness to admit, and if someone respects you, they'll back off. Especially people like Sayaka and Madoka, who have some of the context. Do you follow?"

"It's a good thing," Mami murmurs. "It lets them know that there are topics that they shouldn't press, and because they respect you, they would be more inclined to leave the topics alone entirely. They might come to Sabrina or me, if it isn't a private matter, and..." Mami smiles. "We know enough to redirect them, or assuage their concerns."

Homura nods slowly, her expression clearing like it's a revelation. And perhaps it is, the traces of relief leaking into her expression and her posture a welcome sight.

"And to return to the original topic- well, originalish topic, how it all comes together is that... you're already in a position whereby if you make overtures of friendship, people will at the very least be inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt," you say. "Explaining things, getting them to trust you, that kind of thing... it all fits under the same umbrella."

"It never..." Homura exhales. "It never worked before. I tried to... to tell people."

You turn to face her squarely, considering. She doesn't look upset, per se, just... baffled. And she's alluded to the question before, too.

"I was going to address that, actually," you say. "The short answer is circumstances - circumstances are different now. You are different now. You have information and advantages now that you didn't, that if you choose to employ it, you could reach out to just about anyone who's not immediately hostile to you. With or without my help."

"All you have to do is try," Mami takes up the thread of conversation. "Not everyone is immediately friendly, no. And unfortunately, not everyone acts in good faith. But our little circle of friends, for example - you, me, Sabrina, Sayaka, Hitomi, Madoka? And... most people?" Mami chuckles lightly. "If they see you reaching out, whatever the cause, whatever the manner, they will respond in kind."

"And there's... something related there that I want to address," you add, your tone gentling. "You've fought for a long time, Homura, and you've... encountered endless hardships. Much of it with trying to convince people of what you're saying, and I know you've had difficulty there. But things are different now, right?"

You wait until she nods. Not as reluctant as before, more certain, more steady. Because you're saying nothing that she can't see as true, or so you hope.

"You are different now, as I said," you continue. "And I have every confidence that if you should run into some situation where I'm not around to help -which isn't completely unlikely, since, well, you know how I keep running around- that you can talk things out with people. It might not be easy - but you're not useless. OK?"

Homura's gaze locks with yours, and you know she hears what you're not saying. You're not going to let this loop fail. You're not. But if.

If.

She'll be going forward armed with more knowledge, more understanding than she's ever had.

"There's a concept called learned helplessness," you add. "It's exactly what it sounds like: experience after experience 'teaching' you the same thing, that you can't succeed on this one thing. Well: we have evidence that it's not true. And the best way to overcome that is to just... let yourself relax. Laugh, and smile, and joke when you can, where you can. It's like recovering from an injury, learning how to walk again."

And there you fall silent, letting Homura digest that. Because therein lies your reassurance and an implicit course of action you suggest for her: for her to let her walls down. She's already starting to, and you're asking her to take the leap of faith. Perhaps you've given her enough reasons, laid out the costs and benefits and fallbacks sufficiently clearly, but ultimately, the choice is hers.

She's been willing to try this much. She has been trying. You're not sure how much of it is conscious, but now, you've laid it all out before her.

Finally, slowly, Homura nods.

[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

You know, I'm really glad on an OoC level that you guys decided to bring Mami along for this conversation, for many reasons - not least of which being that writing Sabrina ranting at Homura for several updates is both difficult to write and is boring to read.

 

[Firnagzen]

The smile that spreads across your face is slow and wide enough that someone could probably make a pretty good go at knocking the top of your head off. Then you shake yourself, and wipe it off your face so that you don't scare Homura too much.

It might not be what you'd come into this meaning intending to teach Homura -you're not even entirely sure whether you were on the right track with that any more- but you've convinced Homura to try. And as you told her not five minutes ago - that's enough. And even should the worst case scenario should come to pass, well, you hope you've given her enough reassurance.

It won't, of course. You're here to help. But fear isn't rational. Offering Homura a lifeline, offering her a way to hedge her bets against the ever-present fear of but what if is more than worth the effort. And heck, it's not like you don't understand wanting to protect yourself and your friends against the neverending what ifs of the world.

"Good," you say. You force yourself to not dance with absolute glee, rocking back on your heels and just smiling - at Homura, at Mami. "I'm glad."

"Do remember to take it at your own pace, Homura," Mami cautions gently. "It does no good rushing into it."

Homura nods once more, still silent and thoughtful and thinking, expression just a little strained.

You catch Mami's eye, quirking an eyebrow and raising both hands slightly. She raises her eyebrows right back at you, her expression quizzical as she tilts her head just a fraction towards Homura. You grin, and nod, and grin a little wider as Mami's eyebrows contrive to climb a little further. She nods slowly, gracing you with a tiny, secret smile.

"Homura?" you say. "Would it be OK if I gave you a hug? Would you feel better for it?"

Homura's eyes flicker from you to Mami, a tiny crease on her brow. She nods, uncertainly at first, then seems to find resolve from within herself to nod once again, more firmly this time.

Mami moves at the same time as you do, and you both engulf Homura in a hug. She stiffens for a second before she realizes what's happening, making a confused noise.

"We're your friends, Homura," you murmur. "We want you to be happy."

"And we'll help you in your goals," Mami promises. "That's what friends are for."

"... Thank you," Homura mumbles, leaning into the hug after a long pause. She doesn't hug back, stiff and awkward, but neither does she pull away, either. And maybe your position's a little uncomfortable, balanced on Grief platforms and leaning forward so you can wrap your arms around Mami and Homura, but...

Eh.

A bit of discomfort is an utter pittance of a price to pay.

None of you speak for a moment, the slight creak of the metal platform under Mami and Homura's weights the only sound to accompany your breathing. Mami feels a little tense under your arms, uncomfortable still in the timestop, but she's hiding it well for Homura's sake.

You're really, really glad to have Mami by your side. Not just here and now, but... in general. And it's not like you don't already have plans to take her out for dinner tomorrow, but... you want to do nice things for her. It's that simple.

Hah.

Still, that's for later. You have more things to sort out before then.

Homura stirs a little, and so you release her from the hug, still smiling as you swing yourself over to sit on the platform once more, by Mami's other side. Mami nestles against your side with a happy sigh, tucking herself under your arm. Her hand finds yours, fingers intertwining.

"There's... two more things that I'd like to raise before we head off tonight, if that's OK with you, Mami, Homura?" you say. "They're... well, they're just as serious as the other stuff we've been talking about, but uh... different serious. I... we could talk about it another time, if you don't feel up to it right now, but since the three of us are here...?"

Homura makes a noise of vague agreement.

"I would be alright with it either way," Mami says, despite the tension in her shoulders, and you smile at her.

"There's not too much to it, just... Walpurgisnacht," you say, and that has Homura jolting upright. "So... this is slightly speculation, but only slightly."

You bite your lip, thinking, then nod decisively.

"Homura, do you recall how I described it, the first time we spoke?" you say.

"The Stage-constructing Witch," Homura murmurs. And if her voice is quiet, her eyes are sharp and alert, once more back on familiar ground.

"Yeah," you say, nodding in agreement. "That epithet is... kind of literal, as far as I know, and... I'm going to caution, again, that this is somewhat speculative. I'm willing to stake a lot on this, and I have been, with all the preparations I've been making, but it doesn't mean that we shouldn't prepare alternatives."

"Understood," Homura says. Mami's pulled herself upright, peering at you with curiosity.

"So: stage constructing Witch," you say. "And that's literal, insofar as Walpurgisnacht runs on drama. On, on narrative terms. And that's why it's so strong, that's why Madoka's the person who can defeat it. The... the self-sacrificing, pure-hearted heroine is... well, it's a powerful story, isn't it?"

"Are you sure?" Homura says. There's a tremor in her voice, a crackle of worry in her posture and a tightening of her brow.

"Not completely," you say, shaking your head as you reach across Mami and beckon for Homura's hand. Wordlessly, she presents the back of her hand to you, and you drain her Soul Gem as you continue. Mami's too, just to be sure. "But if I'm right on that front, then we are going to beat Walpurgisnacht this time. Because we're going to, uh, metaphorically change the genre - switch it up from tragedy."

You grin at Homura, kicking your feet and letting the Grief swirl in a theatrical spiral before you, thick and viscous and syrupy as you 'drain' it away into hammerspace.

"And following that logic, just... working on the problems you've had will help," you say, and hold your hand up. "I'm not staking everything on it, and we're still going to recruit more allies and more firepower and everything to our side, but - I genuinely think this has a good chance of helping. The hero fighting to improve herself and overcome past difficulties and all."

Homura looks askance at you, expression tightening, and you can guess at her thoughts - she's not a hero, she's a failure, and... Wonder of wonders, you watch her swallow those thoughts, violet eyes hooded by her brows but nevertheless relaxing by the tiniest fraction.

"Witches do often have themes," Mami muses thoughtfully. "And sometimes playing along is the best way to defeat them, but it's rare that a Witch can't be overcome by force. A story-based theme doesn't sound too unlikely."

"Mm," you say, leaning forward and propping your elbows on your knees and your chin on your hands - at least in part so you can watch Homura out of the corner of your eye. "Part of it is Walpurgisnacht's seeming invincibility schtick. I think... well. Homura, you'd have better knowledge than I do - it's nearly invulnerable to mundane weaponry, right?"

"Not completely," Homura says. "Enough force can push it around. Superficial damage." She exhales slowly, shaking her head, and when she speaks again, it's through a clenched jaw. "I've only seen Madoka hurt it seriously. You've... damaged it before, Mami."

"But not enough, I imagine," Mami says. She nods slowly. "It adds credence to Sabrina's theory."

"I'd say it's a hypothesis," you correct. "I've got... some knowledge supporting it, but it's something I haven't really tested properly, and it's not exactly something that's easy to test anyway. So. Hypothesis, not theory, albeit one I think is reasonably well founded, but still not something to totally rely on. So it's... one of our prongs of attack."

"Hypothesis, then," Mami says, accepting that. "Perhaps there's a magical girl out there with a similar kind of power, too, that we can recruit."

"It's more data," Homura says. "Thank you." After a pause, she hesitantly adds, "It's good that it's not the... core of your strategy."

"'course," you say, grinning. "I know I goof off a lot, but hey. I don't goof off on the important things."

"Yes," Homura agrees.

"It's part of your charm, Sabrina," Mami says, slipping her hand into your elbow. You cover her hand with yours and beam at her, but just for a moment as your mind turns to the last thing you want to raise for now.

"So, I said two things," you say. "Walpurgisnacht was the first, and the second..."

"Kyuubey?" Mami guesses, her expression hardening.

"Yeah," you say, squeezing her hand as you exhale a slow, drawn-out sigh. "So. You know how it always tells the truth?"

"Yes?" Homura says and there you go, that's why you wanted to bring this up before more damage is done.

"Well... doesn't it?" you say.

"... No?" Homura says, now hesitant and unsure. "I've never caught it in a lie."

You nod.

"That's an important distinction, don't you think? Just because it doesn't lie doesn't mean it always tells the truth," you say. "And yes, there is a pretty important difference. I..." You search for an example, but many of the ones you could use are off the table, given that Mami doesn't know the secret of Witches. "I, um, Mami, would you mind if I used an example from a... a private moment a while ago?"

Golden eyes lock onto yours, uncomprehending for a second before widening a hair in realization. She nods slowly, but something in the set of her shoulders and the twixt of her lips has you shutting up before you say anything. The silence stretches out, a looking between the two of you in confusion.

"I... this was a while ago, as Sabrina said," Mami murmurs at last, her back straight and head held high, gaze fixed on the skyline beyond. As steady as her voice and bearing are, though, her fingers are tight around yours. "Sabrina was comforting me. Kyuubey showed up, and said that Sabrina was an excellent actress."

A steady undercurrent of raw fury simmers beneath Mami's calm voice as she speaks.

"It was telling the truth, I think," Mami says. "Sabrina is an excellent actress. But in the moment, I was afraid that Sabrina was acting, only pretending to care about me. That she wasn't truly my friend. Kyuubey didn't say anything untrue, but still it lied to me."

"Kyuubey uses its 'truths' to mislead and to hurt," you say. You're proud of how even your voice is, really. And if Mami's grip on your hand is enough to make your bones creak, well, it's only fair to return the favour. "And we frankly have no guarantee that it only tells the truth - it's useful to have a reputation for it, and even more useful to be able to break that when the situation aligns perfectly."

You look at Homura. "The right word to the right person at the right time, that's all it takes," you say. "It uses its words to hurt. To kill. What I've just told you about Walpurgisnacht, for example - it could have told you that and implied that you would never beat it."

"It's an enemy," Homura says, deadly soft and dangerous. "It's always been the enemy."

She doesn't look upset. Not really. Nor does she seem worried or dismayed or anything at all, but then her response is reason enough: she's always considered Kyuubey an enemy. This just makes another avenue for her to be wary of.

"It's an enemy," Mami echoes quietly. You close your other hand over Mami's, running your thumb gently over the delicate skin between her knuckles.

"And we treat it as such," you finish. "Words included."

Homura shrugs, a sort of vague tilt of her shoulder that's mostly agreement and very slightly tinged with the tiniest smidgen of a soupcon of reproachful 'I was going to anyway'.

"Strength in numbers," you add. "One of its key tactics is to isolate people, and use that to pick them apart. If something comes up, if it starts telling you things... reach out. Treat it as hostile action, because Kyuubey is willing to kill us with its words, and... strength in numbers the best remedy to that."

Homura nods sharply, eyes flickering to Mami.

"I will," Mami says quietly. She exhales. "We should tell Sayaka about this too, soon."

"Definitely," you agree. "Heck, Madoka and Hitomi too - they need to know to be wary of Kyuubey, if it wasn't already abundantly obvious."

Homura's lips thin, but after a moment, she nods. Because this is something she can see the value of, or so you hope. Anything to push Madoka further from the Incubator. She nods again, sharper this time.

"Then... with that out of the way, that's pretty much the last of what I had to say," you say. "Thanks for being here, and... thanks for listening, Homura, Mami. Is there anything you wanna talk about before we head off?"

"No," Homura says, shaking her head. "Thank you."

Mami shakes her head too.

[x] Hug Mami
[x] Confirm Grief Seed clearing with Ishinomaki for the morning
[x] Check with the University Group about the Tome group
[x] Book restaurant for dinner tomorrow
[] Turn in for the night
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

=====​

So, a slightly early break because there's housekeeping for Sabrina to sort out before sleeping, but other than that, the next update will probably bring you to Sunday!

 

[Firnagzen]

"Then that's that," you say. You huff out a relieved sigh and beam at Homura and Mami. "One more time, then: thanks for listening, Homura. And thank you for being here, Mami."

You're a little worried that Homura isn't taking the warning about Kyuubey seriously enough, but really... she already considered the little white rat an enemy. Your warning, to her, is one more weapon uncovered in its arsenal, and a contingency to counter that weapon which she's accepted and agreed to. That's all it is, and that's all it needs to be - to Homura.

Mami, on the other hand...

"... Thank you for teaching me," Homura says, rising gracefully to her feet, her heels scraping on the steel grating of the platform and sending reverberations up the frozen antenna. She reaches for her shield, giving you a questioning look.

You nod, and Homura allows time to resume.

Mami flinches as noise and sound and colour rushes over you, dulled greys bleeding into velvet darkness studded and streaked with light: endless threads of cars and people and life in the city laid out at your feet, the sounds of Mitakihara a distant roar to drown out the twinkle of the stars in the heavens. The air feels fresher, a breeze curling past your face and ruffling your hair as if grateful to be released from the tyranny of time stop.

Raindrops shiver from the antennas above, shaken loose by vibrations now free to propagate through the steel structure, chilly droplets that you bat out of the air before they can soak your hair and your clothes. Mami sighs, golden eyes flicking up for a second before curling a little closer under your arm, her grip still crushing on yours.

You squeeze her gently around her shoulders, and as you begin to get to your feet, she immediately tightens her hand on yours and you sit back - but for all that, her expression remains calm, even relieved to be out of Homura's timestop. She's not trembling, not quite, but she is tense.

Homura stands stock-still for a moment, expression distant, before unfreezing and blinking at you.

"You're going to Ishinomaki tomorrow," she asks, without making it a question.

"Yep," you say. "Why?"

"May I come along?" Homura asks. "I want to consult with Miss Inoue." She pauses, then adds, "Weather-related."

"Uh, sure," you say. You give her a quizzical frown - the only thing you can really think of in conjunction with Inoue Yuuki and the weather is the meteorological institute hack so that they'll 'find' Walpurgisnacht as a supercell storm, but she already did that. "I'll come get you in the morning. Speaking of, do you wanna stay over tonight? Well, uh, I'd have to check if Kyouko's there already, but if not...?"

Homura shakes her head.

"Not tonight," she says.

"Fair enough," you say. "Our door's always open, anyway. So... goodnight, and see you tomorrow!"

"... goodnight," Homura says, nodding at the two of you, then dropping off the side of the building with a long step. You track her as she turns her fall into a leap, pushing off the side of the building, and then as she disappears beyond your range - but only with a tiny fraction of your consciousness, turning your attention to Mami instead.

"I-" Mami shivers, looking up at you and smiling. Wobbly, but true. "I'm alright."

"Are you sure, Mami?" you murmur, peering worriedly at her. She hasn't let go of your hand yet. Not that you'd want her to, of course.

"I'm-" Mami takes a deep breath, and nods. "I am. I am alright, I'm just..."

She trails off, her expression steady and fixed on your face, before shivering and shifting closer to tuck her head under your chin, finally releasing your hand so that she can wrap her arms around you in a hug that has your breath whooshing from your lungs.

... well, honestly, you're mystified, and concerned, just a bit. You believe her if she says she's alright, but if Mami wants hugs, then Mami gets hugs. You close your arms around her. She sways, and nuzzles closer still, making a soft, incomprehensible noise.

"S-so," Mami mumbles into the fabric of your coat after a while. "Why anime?"

You blink at her, and then giggle.

"Why not anime?" you say, rubbing her back gently.

"Mmm... I'm not the biggest fan of shounen," Mami murmurs. "But it sounds like it might be good for Homura."

"I can't quite imagine Homura as a shounen character," you observe.

"Mm. Maybe not," Mami says. She finally releases her death grip on you, one hand freed to toy with your hair. "... sorry."

"What on earth for?" you say, smiling and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "Are you alright?"

"I am," she says, her voice stronger. "I'm just... that was a lot, Sabrina. I know... I know about Homura, but hearing it all like that put it in... contrast, I suppose."

"Ah," you say, and it's your turn to squeeze her in a tight hug. "For what it's worth, thank you."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else for the world, Sabrina," Mami says.

Looking at yourself, examining yourself and realizing that elsewhere, elsewhen, you would have been an enemy to your friend, realizing that you would have fought and realizing that you had died elsewhere... well. That can't have been easy, can it?

There was an elsewhen -the majority, even- where you never existed, where all the changes you've made never existed. It's something you shrugged off, but Mami has had it shoved in her face, stark and bleak and painful that things could have gone so very, very differently. And she took a look at herself, soul-deep, all the ugly truths and possibilities... and came away with an honest answer.

And she smiled, nevertheless, for Homura's sake.

You hug Mami a little tighter still. She says she's alright, and you believe her, but the least she deserves is a hug, and you hope that some of your gratitude and adoration and utter, absolute respect is getting through to her. You are so, so glad for Mami, and not just for her help today, and you hope she knows that.

"The least I can say is thank you," you say, smiling. "You do so much to help, Mami, and you mean so much to me."

"Then I'll say thank you for being you," Mami says softly. "And you can't reject that. Let's just stay like this for a while longer?"

"As long as you want," you say, tilting your head back to rest on the metal of the antenna spars. Mami nestles comfortably under your arm with a pleased sigh, so you'll take that as general agreeability with the notion. She did suggest it, after all.

It's peaceful up here, comfortable in a way that timestop wasn't quite. You're less susceptible to it than most, you suspect, and... ah, another thing Mami endured for Homura's sake. The endless, hungry silence of the timestop, the yawning abyss that drank down every scrap of sound and asked for more. Here and now, the heartbeat of the city is a low thrum at the edge of your perception, humming onwards.

You can't help but start toying with Mami's hair after a few minutes, curling strands around your finger and teasing them into smaller ringlets to match her trademark drills. By the time Mami stirs again, you've turned her entire fringe into a sheet of dangling curls.

... which you admit isn't the most fashionable look, but Mami can make anything look good.

Golden eyes flicker open, Mami tilting her head back to look at you, and you don't need a word to understand her. She smiles, standing without letting go of your hand, and tugs you to your feet and away. Away from the antenna spar, away from the DBJ building, away from the heart of the city.

Home.

The apartment's empty when you get there, Kyouko evidently having not returned yet from her hunting and... perhaps not necessarily brooding, but probably some brooding. She'd seemed more cheerful after helping kick down Iowa's door, but she'd still ditched you to go hunt Witches with Yuma. That's fair enough, you suppose - as you'd said to Homura, your intensity and energy might not be the easiest thing for everyone to swallow.

And whatever's been annoying her, too. Mami reckons that it's just that she's not used to all the changes, but you can't help but worry. It's in your nature, after all.

Mami hums quietly, her hand still in yours as she tows you over to the sofa and tugging you down insistently - not that she did have to insist. And you stay like that for a while, simply luxuriating in being home and in each other's presence.

There's a flutter of wings, and Mugin pokes his head in through the open window, cawing cheerfully at you as he hops over.

Mami giggles, cautiously reaching out to scratch Mugin on the head. The crow caws happily, bumping its head against Mami's hand, and she smiles, delighted.

"It seems we really have been adopted," Mami observes as Mugin loses interest and hops off to explore the apartment some more.

"Apparently so," you say, amused.

"Ah, well," Mami says, stretching luxuriously. "I do still have some homework to finish up, so... if you don't mind, Sabrina?"

"Not at all," you say, beaming, and just to punctuate your assertion, you grab Mami's schoolbag for her, swinging it over with a bit of Grief. "Do you mind if I use your laptop?"

"Go ahead," Mami says with a smile.

It takes a bit of squirming around to get comfortable while leaving Mami able to write out her homework, but with a bit of Grief to form a floating desk in front of her, both of you can stay cuddled up on the sofa while Mami does her homework, and you skim over the Internet. You make a booking at the nicest restaurant you can find - and the nicest one that doesn't need a credit card. You could borrow Mami's, but you want it to be a surprise!

With that done, you shuffle around so you can prop your chin on Mami's shoulder and watch as she works on her homework, neat handwriting flowing across the page. Back to science homework this time, it seems - chemistry.

Ultimately, you disengage, and check on the mind-protection enchantments you'd made - little hairclips of solid gold, cold-forged and enchanted with your best guess defence against Tokyo's memory-tweaking. You might be immune yourself, but your friends and allies aren't.

You make a few more, just in case.

And speaking of your friends and allies, there's a few quick conversations that you should probably be checking off before you head to sleep tonight, too.

"Hey, Sayaka, Kyouko, we're still on fo-"

"Hunting. Busy. Later," Kyouko cuts you off with short, clipped grunts and drops off the call.

"... what's her problem?" Sayaka mutters.

"... well, I suppose she is hunting," you say, finishing the last enchantment and dropping them into a cloth bag, to be tucked into your hammerspace. "Um."

"I guess," Sayaka says. "So what was this about?"

"Well, I was gonna say that we're still on for the training on Monday, right? And I was thinking we might want to do a big cleanup of Mitakihara - I'm worried 'bout the number of Witches that we're not hunting," you say. "And you can bring yourself too without being a delinquent and all."

"I'm down, but we should probably check with Kyouko when she's not hunting," Sayaka says. "Sounds like a good idea, either way."

"Mmmrm," you say. "Well. See you tomorrow?"

"Yep yep," Sayaka says. "Lookin' forward to that for sure!"

"Great," you say. "Then... 'night!"

"'night!" Sayaka says, and signs off the call.

"Is everything alright?" Mami asks, her eyes flicking up to you and pen slowing.

"Yeah," you say, smiling back at Mami and shuffling over to drape your arm over her shoulder. "Just sorting out scheduling stuff - didn't go too well, Kyouko's in the middle of hunting Witches, so she blew me off."

"Ah," Mami says, considering. "She's probably just venting."

"I figured," you say. "How's the homework going?"

"I could use a second look, if you don't mind?" Mami says. "And... mmm, maybe we should take our showers early. I certainly wouldn't mind sleeping a little early today - this day's been longer than expected."

"I'll say," you agree with a little laugh, taking the worksheet from Mami. "Go, shower - I'll look over this in the meantime, then you can edit it when you're done?"

"Alright," Mami says, tilting her head back to press a kiss to your cheek. "Thank you, Sabrina."

You laugh, and fail to not blush, but you can't deny the smile on your face as you watch Mami all but dance to the bathroom, turning to wave at you before shutting the door.

Your attention turns towards the homework, going over the chemical formulae carefully. Organic chemistry - messy, but useful, you suppose. Still, checking over Mami's work only takes a fraction of your attention, and you have more scheduling stuff to sort out.

"Miss Inoue? Do you have a moment?" you reach out, mental connection stretching across the Japanese coastline to Ishinomaki.

"Ah, Miss Sabrina! Can I help you? Have you had any trouble with the credentials?" Yuuki says.

"Nope, they seem to be perfect," you say. "And again, thank you."

"They shouldn't seem to be perfect, they should be perfect," Yuuki says dismissively. "Though I suppose you wouldn't be able to tell if you're not me."

"Well, I haven't had any issues with the ID in use, and it matches Mami's right down to the watermark, so really, I have no complaint," you say. She probably didn't intend that to be quite so cutting - she's right, you suppose. Without hooking into the national databases, it's not like you'd be able to tell if it matches up.

... you probably could, if you really wanted to, but that's effort.

"Good, good," Yuuki says. "So, why the call? Ah, about tomorrow?"

"About tomorrow, yeah," you say. "Is the morning good for a cleansing trip?"

"How early we talking? We'll be free, mostly," Yuuki says. "You need us all to gather up, or...?"

"Probably ten or eleven?" you say.

"That early? It's Sunday," Yuuki says. "But sure."

"Afternoon's taken, sorry," you say.

"Yeah, well," Yuuki says. "Sure, ten or eleven. Call ahead."

"Will do," you say. "By the way, before you go - detailed discussions are for tomorrow, but generally speaking, do you do longer term retainers? I might want to have your services available on some kind of indefinite agreement or such."

"Uh. I haven't before, but like... it's not like my plate's packed with stuff to do," Yuuki says. "So... sure, depending on the work."

"Alright, great," you say. "See you tomorrow, then - we can hash that out in detail tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow," Yuuki agrees, and ends the call.

You nod thoughtfully. Not like you were expecting her to turn you down or anything, really, considering that you're offering free cleansing - but it's only polite to confirm your plans.

... speaking of confirming your plans, you'd asked Chouko over in Sendai to see about introducing you to the Tome group, on the basis of one of their members having left for the latter. More specifically, you'd asked yesterday, and Chouko had said something about getting in touch by the end of the day, but... she hasn't.

You'll leave it for one more day, you think. You get the impression that there was some bad blood between them, or old regrets, or something that ran rather deeper than things first appeared. It's entirely possible that Chouko chickened out rather than poke at an old wound, but you think you can give her a bit more time.

It's the weekend, anyway.

Mami emerges from the shower, hair still damp and smelling of soap and shampoo and eyes snapping over to you - but she seems more relaxed than she's ever been, smiling and hurrying over to claim more cuddles, heedless of that fact that you haven't showered.

"My turn to shower," you say, disentangling yourself. And now it's your turn to press a kiss to Mami's cheek before darting for the shower.

When you emerge, you find Mami curled up on the sofa, homework tucked away and television on, her eyes flicking up to you and crinkling into a soft smile as you join her.

"Anything good on?" you ask.

"Just the news," Mami says, leaning her head on your shoulder and dampening the oversized shirt you're wearing instead of proper pajamas. "Might rain tomorrow again. Maybe we should pull out the kotatsu, if the weather's gonna stay this cool."

"Mm," you hum. "Maybe. But if we did, we'd never leave the apartment."

"Would that be so bad?" Mami asks.

"Not if you're here," you say, smiling.

"Then it's settled," Mami declares. "We'll pull out the kotatsu, and stay here forever more."

You chuckle quietly, wrapping an arm around Mami's waist and cuddling closer, Mami in turn tracing her hand slowly through your hair. You stay like that, content and pleased with the world, and let the news roll into some gameshow or another. Mugin departs out of the window at some point, most likely in search of somewhere to sleep. There are probably things that you could do, but... you deserve a bit of peace, too.

"Time to go to bed, I think," Mami announces eventually. "My hair's dried out enough."

And so you do, switching off the lights and curling up with Mami. It might be time to get a bigger bed, perhaps, but... eh. This is cozy.

"I... I was hoping Kyouko would be back before we headed to sleep," Mami murmurs sleepily, her eyes already fluttering shut as you pull the blankets up. "But I'm sure she will be eventually."

"Yeah," you agree, sighing as you wiggle to get comfy. "She's around, I'm sure."

"Kyouko's... stubborn," Mami says, a smile curling her lips.

"Half-feral alley cat," you say with a laugh. "But we'll win her over eventually."

"We will," Mami agrees sleepily. "Goodnight, Sabrina."

[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[x] Check with the University Group about the Tome group.

=====​

So, apologies: I've decided, OoC, to push the checkin with the University Group back a bit. It's something that requires at least an update for a back-and-forth, and it's been a long day.

Still. It's been a really long day, and we finally draw it to a close. Here ends Lowlife! With the next update, we begin a new chapter at last: Power Up.

 

[Firnagzen]

For once, you don't quite sleep the night through. Some preternatural instinct has you swimming towards awareness, and you take stock, cracking one eye open. Nothing out of the ordinary, the sliver of moonlight peeking through the drawn curtains just enough for you to see by. Mami's still curled against your back, arm around your waist and breaths puffing against the back of your neck in the steady, even cadence of deep slumber.

... ah.

It takes you a moment to place the disturbance - two magical presences, now having clambered into the room next door, presumably via the window. You take a deep breath, and check.

Ophelia. Airmed.

The names speak themselves into the depths of your mind, primal resonances you recognise, bone-deep and unmistakable. A relief, then, despite the rather morbid source. Kyouko and Yuma are fine, and they've returned from their hunt unharmed and with two more Grief Seeds.

You settle back onto the bed, chasing away the grave-cold whispers with the reminder of Mami's warmth at your back as you drift back off to sleep.

=====​

When you awaken, it's to sunlight casting a sharp ray through the curtains, and a finger tracing slowly over the back of your hand.

"Good morning, Sabrina," Mami murmurs.

"Good morning," you say, rolling over.

"Did I wake you?" she asks. She's sleep-soft and tousled and smiling nevertheless.

"Nah, the sun did," you say, smothering a yawn. "And it's about time to wake up, anyway."

"Mm. It got me first," Mami says.

"Accursed sun," you say with perfect, solemn seriousness. "One day the hateful daystar will too be defeated, for having the temerity to disturb Tomoe Mami."

"I feel like that might cause a few problems," Mami says, appearing to give the notion equally serious consideration.

"Bah, details," you say, smiling.

Mami giggles, and disentangles herself to sit up and stretch.

"Ah, well," Mami says. "Ah... since we're both up, could I-"

You obligingly make way for her to hop off the bed, whereupon she makes a beeline right for the bathroom. You chuckle and stretch yourself - it is, in fact, morning, you suppose. There's plenty to do today.

Absently, you check on Kyouko and Yuma, who appear to both be dead asleep still. And that's fine too - they had a longer day than you did, what with hunting Witches deep into the night. You can afford to let them sleep in, and maybe wake them up for breakfast.

And so the kitchen is where Mami finds you when she emerges from the bathroom, dithering over breakfast options.

"What do you think, Mami?" you ask, tilting your head to smile at Mami as she walks up behind you and wraps her arms around your waist. "Waffles, porridge, pancakes, rice and miso, toast, or..."

"Hm... porridge for breakfast?" Mami mumbles against your back, sounding a little dubious.

"Chinese style, not okayu," you say with a huffing laugh.

"Maybe..." Mami says thoughtfully. "But I think... we're looking at a long day ahead of us, aren't we? Let's start it with rice and miso and... mm, maybe some fried pork to give us energy."

"Alright, that sounds good," you say.

Mami releases you from the hug, her voice turning teasing. "I'll get it started then, while you go wash up."

"Ah, so that's your cunning plan," you say, grinning at Mami.

"Go brush your teeth, Sabrina," Mami says, wagging an admonishing finger at you. "And maybe I'll leave something for you to do when you finish."

"Fine, fine," you say, laughing, and proceed to do just that.

By the time you do finish with your morning ablutions, you find Mami in the midst of slicing up some pork, the rice cooker already building up a merry head of steam. It's your turn to not-so-surreptitiously sneak up behind Mami to ambush her with a hug, dropping a gentle kiss amidst still-tousled hair.

"Welcome back, Sabrina," Mami murmurs, leaning back against you and tilting her head back so she can look at you, eyes dancing. Even without looking, her hands move with utter certainty, neatly slicing the pork without hesitation. "See? There's plenty left to do."

"Cheeky," you say, laughing and poking her cheek with a finger. "Le'see... ginger marinade?"

"I thought so too," Mami agrees happily.

"I'll get started on that, then," you say, wandering over to the fridge. Fresh ginger, of course, garlic, honey in the cupboards... you start sorting through the ingredients in the fridge, and as you return to the counter with an armful, a thought occurs to you. "Oh, Mami - I suppose you're aware, but Kyouko and Yuma came back. Sometime last night."

"I noticed!" Mami says, nodding. "Mm... I suppose we'll wake her up after breakfast is done."

"Or even let her sleep in," you agree.

"We'll see!" Mami says. "Chances are she'll smell the food cooking and wake up anyway."

"That... sounds completely like her, yeah," you say with a laugh. "We'll see, then."

You busy yourself with mixing up the sauce, bobbing an easy half step to let Mami grab the salt, offering her a swift grin as she passes you the sliced pork before you can ask for it... you find yourself humming as you cook, no particular turn but one that Mami matches cheerfully as you share tiny smiles over the cookware.

In the midst of boiling water, your eye catches on the microwave, and you pause for a long moment, considering.

"No, Sabrina," Mami says, nudging you with her hip.

"... fair enough, the joke's played out, anyway," you say. "Well, maybe to horrify Oriko, because that was funny."

"And we aren't having tea this morning, anyway," Mami says decisively. "Not with miso soup - that's just too much fluid. Speaking of, could you pass me the seaweed?"

"Of course," you say, smiling at Mami.

To your mild surprise, Kyouko hasn't woken up by the time you and Mami are sitting down with breakfast. Mami catches your eye, seeming to sense your thoughts, and shrugs - might as well leave her to sleep.

You snicker.

"Honestly, I worry that if I try and wake her up I'll just get a spear to the face, anyway," you say, grinning across the table at Mami.

"She's not that bad," Mami says. "But we might as well let her sleep in. She's not coming with us to Ishinomaki, is she?"

"I mean, if she wants to, I'd be happy to bring her along, but... It's not really her thing, is it?" you say, shrugging. "Ditto for Tokyo."

Mami nods thoughtfully.

"I don't think she'd be interested, but we should ask her when she wakes up," she says. "Ah, well. Itadakimasu!"

You echo her, and dig into breakfast. Rice and miso soup are the inevitable staples, of course, with some pickled plums and the sweet, ginger-glazed fried pork to add some more substance, with servings set aside for Kyouko and Yuma. And of course, since it's your usual morning ritual, and since you've spent enough time cooking that you can reasonably expect your friends to be awake:

"GoooOOOD morning Mitakihara!" you crow over telepathy. Across the table, Mami giggles into her bowl of rice.

You don't include Oriko and Kirika, even though you do consider them friends now, Oriko's Oriko-ing aside. You do give it a moment of serious thought, but frankly, it's something you'd definitely want to clear with Homura and Sayaka first.

"Why are we friends again," Sayaka says, grumpy. "Be glad I was already getting up."

"Good morning!" Madoka says happily. "One moment, it's time to wake mama too."

"Ugh, morning people," Sayaka grumbles.

"Good morning, everyone," Hitomi says. "How is everyone?"

"... good morning," Homura adds quietly.

"Good morning," Mami echoes, shooting you a smile over a dainty spoonful of soup. "We're all quite well, I believe."

"Oh?" Hitomi says.

"I'm uncertain about Sayaka," Mami says, winking at you.

"You know, I remember the early days," you observe out loud. "You could barely wake up."

"I would have been up, but not... awake, you know? But now, I've slept better than I have in years, so why wouldn't I be?" Mami says, offering you a warm smile. "And with you there... well, I have more reason to want to wake up early."

"... Fair enough," you say, blushing because gosh, you still have no idea how to respond to that.

Mami giggles softly.

"So. Tokyo today in the afternoon," Sayaka says. "I'm... looking forward to it?"

"You don't sound very sure," Hitomi teases.

"'cuz I'm not," Sayaka says. You can imagine the face she's making right now, sour and pouty. "I dunno. I'm looking forward to meeting them, but I'm not looking forward to the politics, I suppose. That's your thing, and Madoka's."

"Yeah, kinda there with you, Sayaka," you say. "I really, really hope they're people we can work with."

"I'm sure they'll be nice people!" Madoka says. "And ah... Even if you have to deal with politics, we can help, right Hitomi?"

"I'm hoping to help," Hitomi says, archly amused. "I'm not a magical girl, but this is... exciting, to say the least."

You snicker, grinning at Mami as you take a bite of the fried pork.

"Fair enough," you say. "I might want to have you guys on call later, actually, like we did for the negotiations with Miss Tsuruya. It'd be helpful to have someone experienced on the line to advise me, but... we'll see how things look later, and if it's practical. And only if you guys can spare the time later."

"I'll help however I can!" Madoka promises.

"As Sabrina said, it depends on the situation later," Mami says. "But if it should come to politics, we know where to turn to for help!"

"OK!" Madoka says happily.

"Oh, before I forget - Sayaka, could I borrow a clone of yours?" you say. "Cleansing trip to Ishinomaki."

"Uhh, sure... Does it have to be a clone?" Sayaka asks. "It doesn't, right?"

"Sayaka, don't you still have homework to do?" Hitomi asks.

"I'll have a clone do my homework instead, then I can go for the trip!" Sayaka says.

"I mean, sure, but... isn't the clone, y'know, still you? It's still you doing the homework," you say dubiously.

"Sure, but at least it's not me me doing it," Sayaka says, shrug audible in her mental voice. "'sides, uh, I got the clone power from one of the Ishinomaki girls. Bet she'd recognise it."

"Well, if you're sure," you say, still dubious. You exchange a look with Mami, who in turn shrugs, giving you an amused smile. "We're headed out after breakfast, so... You know where to find us."

"Yup, yup, I'll be there," Sayaka says cheerfully.

And with that settled, the conversation lightens to happy chatter as you make your way through a leisurely breakfast. Half-way through, the gdoor to the guest room opens, and a zombie shambles out, red hair a poofy, disheveled mess and a smaller green lump attached to her leg.

"F'd," the zombie demands, dragging a chair out and sitting with a thump. The smaller lump clambers up to curl up on her lap.

"I'll get it," you say before Mami can, bustling off to collect the breakfast you'd set aside earlier.

Kyouko grazes her way through breakfast, still blearily asleep and still able to shovel food into the bottomless pit evidently taking the place of her stomach, and Yuma's barely a step behind her, having migrated to a seat -and servings- of her own. It's probably a good thing you made extra.

Still, that leaves you time to chat with your friends, Mami abandoning the far side of the table in favour of a seat next to you so that she can cuddle up under your arm as you relax. You don't quite have to go yet, and you're waiting for Sayaka and Homura, anyway.

You take a bit of time to poke at your phone, too, poking through the app store for an IRC client. It's not like there are many good options, sadly - the problem is that the entire protocol is built on the fundamental assumption of a continuous connection, which mobile phones are terrible at maintaining. Still, you pick the least bad seeming client and add nyantokanyaru and milesgloriosus too.

With Mami propping her head against your arm so she can cast a curious eye on your phone, you take a glance through the app store for anything else that might seem useful, and grab whatsapp while you're at it - Kurenai mentioned that her group used it, after all. Maybe you can grab her contact, since you're almost certainly going to run into her later today.

"Mrrg." Having polished her plate clean Kyouko seems to finally be waking up, pushing back her dishes and casting a baleful eye upon your phone.

"Good morning to you too," you say cheerily, giving her a grin.

"Good-" Yuma interrupts herself with a massive, jaw-cracking yawn. "Good morning."

"Did the hunts go well?" Mami asks, smiling.

"Mrmph. Well 'nuff," Kyouko grumbles. "Walpurgisnacht attracting Witches... pfeh."

"Hey, speaking of, I was thinking of doing a big hunt Monday," you say, and smile apologetically at Mami. "Probably during school hours, sorry, but... it needs doing, and soon."

Mami's smile slips a little, but she nods, cuddling closer to you. You tighten your arm around her.

"Yeah?" Kyouko says. Her gaze sharpens, eyes narrowing as she glances between you and Mami.

"I wanted to invite you? You and Sayaka, if she can spare herself," you say.

"I should work on my clones too," Mami murmurs quietly, half to herself.

Kyouko shrugs.

"Not like Yuma 'n I need the help," she drawls. "But sure, you and Wondergirl can come along too."

"Great," you say. "We'll sort that out later, then. For now, weeeee are going to Ishinomaki for a cleansing trip. Do you want to come along?"

"Ishinomaki?" Kyouko says, wrinkling her nose. "Why the heck?"

"Cleansing trip, like I said," you say with a shrug. "Y'know. Offering to cleanse them and such?"

"Oh," Kyouko says, scowling. "Right. Girl scout, you are. You have fun with that."

"You sure? It wouldn't be an imposition to have you along," you say.

"Psh, nah, we're gonna make ourselves comfy right here," Kyouko says, slouching in the chair as if to prove the point. "... leave the dishes, I'll do 'em."

"Yuma will help!" Yuma declares.

Mami beams. Kyouko, in turn, scowls and looks away, and you hide your smile.

Still, that is your cue to start getting ready to leave - changing into something more presentable, just in case you have to detransform. And in this case, 'something more presentable' happens to be the suit. Sure, you haven't washed it, but then, you've only worn it for one dinner. Just a few hours. It's still perfectly fine, and Mami likes the suit. So there.

Mami takes your arm as you emerge, smiling at you. She's in a nice, formal-ish dress to match your suit, but only for a few moments - you'll be transforming soon, anyway.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Kyouko?" Mami offers.

"Yep," Kyouko says, popping the 'p'. "Shoo, go do your charity mission."

[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)

Spoiler: Vote in abeyance

[X] Meet with Homura and a Sayaklone, and head over to Ishinomaki.
-[x] Ask Homura if she wants to come to Tokyo.
[x] During the trip:
-[X] Check with the University Group about the Tome group.
-[x] Try to schedule a meeting in Hozuki with Tsubaki Mikoto for Thursday or Friday.
-[x] Contact everyone who's planning on coming on the Constellation delegation to Tokyo, and make sure they're all ready to meet up in Fukushima by 1 PM, so you can pick them up and fly over to Tokyo by 2 PM.
--[x] While contacting Asunaro, let Niko know that there's something you'd like to discuss with her where a certain cabbit can't overhear it. (Dewitching talk + Niko's help re-embodying the Souju's victims)

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Bah. Apologies for the weird break point, but I'm fading fast and I wanted to get this update out before I slept. The next update should come earlier, but I can't promise.