[X] Back to Mitakihara
- [X] Invite Yuki along to claim a random building
-- [X] Warehouse-kun!
- [X] Do not invite Yuki along for lunch. We'll see her later
"Then let's go," you say, beaming.
You feel lighter as Mami stands gracefully and twirls to offer you a hand up, the weight of that penultimate secret lifted from your shoulders and replaced with the comfort of knowing, knowing that Mami has your back. Fully, and wholeheartedly.
You let the privacy construct unravel - you'd considered hanging on to it just in case, but you have enough enchanted Grief to make another if you need to, so there's no real point. And you find yourself smiling goofily at Mami, holding her hand still as reality floods back in, the low hum and groans of a living building and a city beyond filling your ears once more.
"Oh, done talkin'?" Kirika cracks open the teddy-bear-print door, one citrine eye and a segment of her fanged grin visible in the gap. "The sulky girl and her daughter's back."
"Never call Yuma that in front of Kyouko," you say. "... and don't call Kyouko that either, if you value your kneecaps."
"Eh, I can take her," Kirika says. "She's too wound up in her own head to fight properly. But c'mon, everyone's gone up to the roof already."
You give Kirika a dubious look. She's probably right about Kyouko being too stuck in her own head, and Kirika might be a monster in melee, but so is Kyouko. And Kyouko's experienced in a way most magical girls aren't, having carved herself a life alone with nothing but her spear and sheer, bloody-minded force of will.
Mami chuckles softly as Kirika grins and bounces away.
"Shall we?" she says.
"Yeah," you say. "Time to head back home."
Mami's smile widens, and she goes up on her toes to press a kiss to your cheek. And without giving you a moment to recover, she takes your hand and tugs you out of the room, heading for the stairs. Her grin, glimpsed in little glances back, does little to quell the helpless delight driving your own giggles.
As you step out onto the roof, squinting against the midday sun even as a pleasantly cool breeze winds its way past you, ruffling your coat. You find, as promised, everyone gathered on the roof - Kirika draped over Oriko, Kyouko slouched against the wall of the stairwell with Yuma beside her, both sharing a bag of chips. And Kazumi's perched on top of a humming air conditioner vent, conversing with Yuki and taking advantage of the additional height to keep Niko from escaping with one hand stroking through her hair.
Kyouko flicks a glance over to you, then away.
Niko's sleepy, lazily satisfied eyes settle upon you as the stairwell door swings shut behind you and she brightens, murmuring something to Kazumi, who pats her hair one more time before allowing the blonde to duck away from her hand to march over.
"So, the Gems," she says briskly, combing her hands through her hair. "I've got a good idea of what needs to be done now, and scratch the thing about maybe needing a strong healer. I need one, or you're getting a revive rate of about one girl every two weeks, and that's if I can dedicate all my time to it. And I'd need a Clear Seed to dedicate to the girl being revived if I'm doing it manually."
"Strong healer, got it," you say, nodding. "I'll find us one, then."
"Cool," Niko says, and props her fists on her hips. "Don't keep me waiting for too long, I want to see how this works."
"Will do," you say. "And, uh, I really didn't expect you to be able to figure it out this quickly."
"Oh, I haven't," Niko says airily. "I'll still need a couple days. I've got a good idea of the actual mechanics involved, but I need to actually confirm it all."
"... ah. That makes more sense," you say. "OK! Let me know if you hit any snags or anything, I'll be happy to hop on over. And on that note, uh... Miss Tsuruya? Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all," Yuki says, looking up. "We were just discussing a potential visit later; I would like to speak further with Miss Wakaba."
"Huh," you say. Right, yeah, they've got that whole probably-playful rivalry going, with Mirai having allowed Yuki to lay a claim to the teddy bear museum that is their home. "Well, if you're sure-" You wait for Yuki to nod before continuing. "-then I just wanted to double-check that you're good to come over to Mitakihara to lay a temporary claim on a building, right? I've got a place in mind - it's not exactly a home, but it'll do until Homura and Hitomi can get the house?"
"I was under the impression that Miss Shizuki would be expediting the process so I could claim the house this evening," Yuki says, frowning lightly. "A matter of crossed purposes, I suppose. But I have no objection - I'll simply take a lighter hold, and it would save us a trip later this evening."
"Great," you say. "In that case, Miss Kanna-"
"Oh, come on, Niko-san will do," Niko interjects.
"Right, yeah - if you hit any snags or whatever, let me know," you say. "I'll be happy to come over, and if Miss Tsuruya's willing to lend her aid, it won't be a problem."
"Cool!" Niko says. "See ya around, then!"
And with that last bit of discussion done, you exchange goodbyes with everyone- "Umika says bye and thanks but she's going to be screaming into her pillow for a bit" -and then you're abruptly in Fukushima, courtesy of Yuki's magic. And with a tiny effort of will, you get everyone airborne, cradled safely within the confines of your flight disc and soaring into the clear blue sky with the sun beating down from above.
Mami snuggles happily into your side, Oriko and Kirika behind you, and Kyouko seated in the back as Yuma hangs over the edge, taking in the view and the rush of the wind. Yuki asked for a seat in the rear but seems little interested in actually sitting down for the moment, joining Yuma in enjoying the blurring landscape and roaring winds, albeit with considerably more dignity.
"So, Mami-sempai, Sabrina," Kazumi's voice speaks into your mind as the sprawl of Fukushima gives way to the rolling checkboards of fields. "I spoke to Kyouko, and I promised I wouldn't tell you what we talked about."
"I did expect as much," Mami says. She doesn't stir, perfectly comfortable with your cheek leaned against the crown of your head, but you can feel the wave of tension thrumming through her body.
"She's hurting," Kazumi says bluntly. "There's things that past me and current her share in common, Mami. And it's been a long time for her, you know?"
"It has been," Mami agrees gravely. "But I don't know what to do about it, either."
"I don't know either, her situation... isn't the same as mine," Kazumi says. "I helped her where I could, and I think I did get through to her a bit, but she's been stewing on this for a while. So I thought you should know, if you didn't already."
"Thank you," Mami says. "We had an idea, but the reminder was definitely welcome. We'll work on it."
"That's all I wanted!" Kazumi says, cheer returning. "I'll see you later~"
You sigh lightly as Kazumi breaks the mental connection, leaving the two of you in a contemplative silence.
It's not like Kyouko hasn't been on your thoughts, what with her circling resentment and that mysterious request to go talk to Kazumi. She's been doing better, you think, and trying to reach out more, but you're... worried. You're worried that you're just not the right person to help Kyouko, for many reasons.
Because you are Mami's replacement for Kyouko, in her eyes. And that's not true in anything more than the superficial sense, because you can't replace people like that. Kyouko herself should know - Yuma isn't a replacement for Momo. She might have picked Yuma up because she reminded her of Momo, but Yuma's her own person, and you're certain Kyouko knows that.
And you're pretty sure, at this point, that Kyouko has a crush on Mami. To your surprise, the though doesn't leave you particularly jealous - rather, it leaves you worried. Because that on top of everything else Kyouko's feeling only leaves her issues more complicated. The mix of guilt and awful self-esteem and potentially romantic feelings and everything else is a volatile mix.
"... we're... going to have to talk about Kyouko, later," you murmur to Mami.
"We are," she agrees, her mental voice soft but warm, even with the worry underlying her tone.
"We'll figure out how to tackle it," you promise. "And we'll do it together, just like everything else. Kyouko's your friend -our friend- and she's worth that."
"I know," Mami says, but even so, that tension ebbs.
The rain's finally let up fully by the time you make it back to Mitakihara, the sullen clouds having finally broken up at some point since you left, and the city practically sparkles beneath the midday sun as you cruise in to drop off Oriko and Kirika at their mansion. Oriko offers you a contented smile and a stately nod as she takes Kirika's hand, stepping off the flight platform.
You return the nod, remembering her pronouncement even as you all exchange goodbyes. She wants to live, and you're going to do everything you can to make sure she does. They deserve their happy ending, too.
"Kyouko, Yuma, d'you want me to drop you off somewhere?" you ask as the Kures wave you off. "You're welcome to come along if you want, of course."
Kyouko grunts.
"Drop us off at the mall," she says, then adds, grudgingly, "Please."
"Sure," you say, smiling.
And so you drop Kyouko and Yuma off, Yuma giving you a big smile as she waves enthusiastically enough to make her hair bounce. The platform you shrink down, since it's just you, Mami, and Yuki now, the latter taking in Mitakihara with a practiced, interested eye as you glide past.
"Mitakihara is a beautiful city," she notes.
"It's home," Mami says, smiling.
Yuki laughs softly.
"I suppose that's all we can ask for," she says.
You soar out westwards, swinging past the bustling, glittering heart of Mitakihara's central business district, past the towering spire of the DBJ building and onwards to the old industrial district. Soon, you're descending towards a familiar, battered old warehouse, surrounded by that same rusting chainlink fence.
"... oh, this must be Warehouse-kun," Mami says, smiling as she accepts your hand to step off the flight platform, her shoes scraping on the sandy floor. She cranes her head back, taking in the dilapidated old building, and smiles.
"Sayaka told you, didn't she?" you grumble.
"No comment!" Mami says brightly.
Yuki huffs out an amused laugh as she hops down behind Mami, her cloak fluttering and settling about her.
"Old and abandoned," she observes, padding over to the main door and looking around. "The walls are rusting, and so is the roof. No furniture, of course, or even a proper floor inside... but it's whole. A leak or two in the roof, a draft through the doors." She smiles. "It'll do."
Gently, she nudges the doors shut, the hinges groaning, before placing her hands against both halves and closing her eyes.
Her magic is a slow, tectonic thing, spreading like the slow seep of magma across the ground. Grinding and warm and longing and ponderous, the steady bedrock of looking forward to going home at the end of the day. Comforting and somehow achingly yearning, pouring through the doors and suffusing the entire building. There's no grand crescendo or blaze or light, simply a sense of completion, of satisfaction as her claim fills the warehouse.
Yuki takes a breath, and opens her eyes, smiling distantly.
"If we wish to keep using this location for much longer, we should so some maintenance. Patch up the ceilings, perhaps re-do the floor and bring in some furniture," she says. "But for now, this will suffice."
"Thank you, Miss Tsuruya," you say, smiling. "Hopefully we'll have news for you this evening."
"Indeed," Yuki says with a measured nod. "I'll see you later, then."
"Until next time!" Mami says.
You watch as Yuki steps forward into Warehouse-kun... and simply vanishes between one step and the other, a rush of magic and the faintest puff of cooler air all there is to mark her vanishing from Mitakihara.
You laugh abruptly.
"I can't say I expected Miss Tsuruya to be quite this gung-ho about our alliance, about Constellation," you say. "But here we are. I'm honestly glad I invited her to it, really."
"I would say that she always seemed the ambitious sort, but lacked a good way to truly expend that ambitiousness. Mercenary work can only go so far, with magical girls being what they are," Mami says, squeezing your arm lightly and smiling at you. "They were surviving, but not more than that. But you, Miss Vee, gave her an outlet and a goal for that ambition, not to mention the surety of a Clear Seed. Why wouldn't she be enthusiastic about it? Also."
Mami gives you an amused grin.
"Wasn't she the one to propose it?" she asks.
"... well, you know what I mean," you say, beaming at Mami. Struck by a sudden impulse, you lean down to press a kiss to her cheek, then straighten up again. "Now, we've made good time so we'll be a little early, but shall we head to lunch?"
"We shall!" Mami says happily.
[x] Lunch!
- [x] Talk about the Soujus
-- [] Any particular approach?
-- [x] Talk about housing their victims
- [] Other discussion topics?
-- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Also, I basically never do this, but I'm going to endorse this analysis here as being quite accurate to Kyouko in PMAS. It's about time Sabrina got a clue about Kyouko, really.
Also, yes, I'm going to lock in the Soujus as a discussion topic - mainly because Sayaka's reaction to the sheer violence was something Madoka and Hitomi (and Homura) both witnessed, plus, Mami rushing out of class as she did would be school gossip, so it's kind of inevitable. You can write in any specific approach for the topic if you want to hit some specific notes, of course.
[x] Lunch!
- [x] Talk about the Soujus
-- [x] They think you're an angel, which makes them very receptive to anything you tell them, but it feels gross to take advantage of. Maybe people who they don't worship should take the lead on this pretty please.
-- [x] Talk about housing their victims
--- [x] Hitomi, don't you dare buy each of them a luxury apartment.
--- [x] Since most of them presumably had lives that they'd like to get back to, depending on the rate that Niko can recover them we might be able to put them up in our or Asunaro's guest rooms while they work out how to do that.
---- [x] For the ones that stick around, now's the perfect time to get started on the Best Exotic Mamigold Hotel. You've been thinking of asking the Sendai University Group's plant girl to grow a Telvanni apartment building.
Lunch!
You get airborne once more, all your responsibilities for the morning cleared. From the industrial district to Mitakihara Middle School isn't a long flight, and you'll be there soon, but for now, you simply enjoy the warmth of the sun and the clear skies in the wake of the rain.
You're looking forward to this, you find - it hasn't been all that long since you last saw the rest of your friends, but it sure feels like it after the morning you've had. There's the tiniest bit of trepidation lurking in your stomach about having to explain things, with Sayaka's very visible reaction, but that is worth the effort. For Madoka, for Hitomi, for Sayaka herself, and for Homura. You'll work it out.
And of course, you'll have Mami with you. Some part of you still can't believe that you've told her. That she all but figured it out before you told her, and just needed you to confirm it. The second-to-last of your great secrets, and she took it in stride, and she's with you. To call it a relief would be a colossal understatement.
Mami, seeming to sense your attention, squeezes your arm and smiles at you, golden eyes warm even as the wind tugs at her hair. You smile back, relaxing and enjoying the time spent together, and all too soon, you're descending towards the familiar rooftop of Mitakihara, all towering spire and buttressed pillars and the odd bench or two.
"Ahh," Mami says as she steps off the flight platform, offering you a mischievous grin and a hand down. "You know, I think this is the first time I've come to school this way?"
"... well, usually you're already in school," you say, laughing and accepting the hand as you let the flight platform dissolve beneath your feet. Which is, of course, when Mami springs her trap, pulling you into a hug.
"True," Mami says softly even as you lean happily into the hug. "I'll... be back to school tomorrow, I suppose. I know it's important."
"Normality is important," you say. "It's what we're fighting for, yeah? Not just for us, but for our friends, and... for everyone."
"It is," Mami says. "But I don't want to..." She puffs out a breath, warm against your shoulder. "Sometimes, it feels like a waste of time. I know it's important to have that knowledge and friendships and connections and such, but it feels like this is so much more important. School is important, but so is what we're doing. And... with the way Constellation is shaping up, it doesn't feel as if having a diploma would be important."
"I suppose I'm a bit of a hypocrite, since, well, I'm not in school," you say. "Even if I have all that knowledge. But by the same token, I do know all that stuff, and I'm just... not normal, am I?" You huff in amusement, pulling back far enough to smile at Mami. "Sometimes I think it'd be nice to go to school, hang out with you and everyone else. The grass is greener and all, I suppose."
"I'm sorry," Mami whispers, drawing you back into the hug.
"I'm not upset or anything," you say. "Just kind of thinking out loud. I'm in a position to be outside of school, to do everything that needs doing. And I'm OK with that. I'd love to have your help, but... school isn't something you'll have the opportunity to come back to. Don't be so quick to set aside having an ordinary life, you know?"
"I suppose so," Mami says. "I just... want to be with you, Sabrina."
You lean your head against hers, feeling her nestling into your arms.
"You are," you murmur. "You are, in every way that matters. Just because we'd have to separate for a few hours doesn't mean we're apart."
"I know," she says.
"How about this," you say. "Stick with it for a month or so? If you feel really strongly about it, we can figure things out, but... that's my suggestion for now?"
"Until Walpurgisnacht?" Mami asks softly.
"Yeah," you say. "Until Walpurgisnacht."
"I suppose that makes sense," Mami agrees. You can feel her smile, her lips moving against your skin. "Alright. But if I do leave school, you can still teach me, right?"
"I'll steal the curriculum and teach you from that," you agree cheerfully. "Exams and all."
She laughs, tightening her hug around you, and that's how you stay until you hear familiar voices echoing up the stairwell. Mami steps back at you, smiling, and detransforms, leaving her back in her school uniform once more as she pulls out her lunchbox, and you do likewise.
Sayaka's the first up the stairs today, Madoka following with a faintly worried look that turns into a relieved smile as she spots you and Mami. Hitomi likewise smiles as she steps out onto the sunlit roof, relaxing, and Homura, the last to emerge, scans both you and Mami before nodding, her relief much better hidden but very much still there.
"Hey, everyone," you say, waving them over to the sun-warm benches. "Sorry for making you guys worry."
"That's not what you should be sorry for," Sayaka grumbles as she plops down on a bench opposite to you. "What you should be sorry for is making everyone think that I'm having really bad period cramps."
You wince.
"... yeah, OK, I am sorry for that," you say. You bite your tongue, trying to resist the urge to ask her whether she is alright after that whole mess with the Soujus. You're not sure she'd appreciate it right now, even if she seems to be doing better.
"I see that look," Sayaka says, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine."
"Well... good," you say, letting out a breath and smiling at the rest of your friends. "Anyway. Hi, everyone. How were classes?"
"Hi Sabrina, hi Mami!" Madoka says as she sits down next to Sayaka, Homura settling in by her other side. "Classes were good! Um, mostly. Are you alright? Sabrina, Mami?"
"We're fine," you say, smiling. "We'd kind of expected this, and we had to, ah, be a bit more forceful in the fight because of some weird power interactions, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. Frankly, it's more the aftermath that's a bit of a problem. Should I be worried about that 'mostly'?"
"Miss Saotome's weekend date was rather disastrous, by the sounds of it," Hitomi supplies, settling in to the last seat, on the other side of Mami from you. "But really, sometimes I wonder if the complaining is just a ritual she enjoys. She always wraps it up within five minutes, and then it's back to teaching."
Madoka nods vigorously.
"I still say she's cursed," Sayaka says. "I mean, magic exists, curses must exist too. And if there's ever anyone who was cursed, it's Miss Saotome. Mami, curses are real, right?"
"Unfortunately," Mami agrees gravely. "But I have, in the past, checked whether Miss Saotome might be cursed. She... does not seem to be, apart from the ordinary sense of the word."
"Maybe some more subtle magic," Sayaka muses. "Some kind of fate magic, maybe... what are you doing?"
"Hm?" you say, looking up. Sayaka stares as you crack your orange open and tip the flesh out. "Here, Mami, let me get yours for you too."
Mami hands you the orange from her lunch, hiding a smile for some reason as you tap the orange firmly against the bench to crack it, then dig your thumbs into the rind and pry it the rest of the way open to pour the orange yolk out onto the lunch box lid serving as a plate.
"What?" you ask innocently, grinning at your friends while returning the invisible fog of Grief particles back to your hammerspace. For no reason at all, everyone's staring at you. "Never seen someone peel an orange before?"
"Oh, Sabrina." Mami giggles fondly, bumping her shoulder against yours.
"Oh, yeah!" you say. You tap the peeled oranges with a finger, and let them fall apart into neat slices.
"... anyway," Sayaka says loudly after a moment. "Some kind of subtle fate magic to curse Miss Saotome. Maybe from a jilted ex?"
"Do you think so?" Madoka says. "Maybe she's just, um, really bad at choosing her dates?"
"Empirically speaking, she most certainly is," Hitomi observes drily. "Her run of bad luck is difficult to credit as being merely luck. But I doubt she'd have offended anyone badly enough to be cursed."
"Bah, where's the fun in that?" Sayaka says, grinning and shooting finger-guns at Madoka. "Maybe we should find an excuse to give Miss Saotome an anti-magic enchantment of some kind, just in case. Pretend it's a good luck charm, it won't be the first she's gotten."
You snicker.
"I mean, I could get you one if you really want. We could get her actual good luck charms too, I think, if Miss Saito is willing," you say. You tap your chin. "Actually, I kind of feel like I should get some to hand out anyway. They're potentially useful things, if a bit troublesome to maintain?"
You all tuck into lunch, conversation in a lull as everyone takes the edge off their hunger.
"The tofu looks good, Homura." Madoka's the first to break the silence, peeking over Homura's shoulder at her lunch. "Did you make that yourself?"
"... yes," Homura murmurs. "It's nothing complicated, just packaged sauce with tofu." She hesitates. "Do you want some?"
"I'd like that, thank you!" Madoka says happily. "Here, I'll swap you a sausage for it."
She transfers over a little octopus-sausage, one with little sesame seeds stuck on for eyes, and grabs a chunk of tofu in return. Homura, uncertain, just holds her lunchbox open for Madoka to do as she will, and stares at the sausage as Madoka sits back.
You catch Mami's eye. She meets your hidden smile with one of her own, the tiniest hint of amusement crinkling the skin around her eyes, and then proceeds to steal a piece of beef from your lunch.
"Yours tastes better," she informs you.
"Nuh-uh," you say, your own chopsticks darting to claim a piece of roasted leek from her lunch in retaliation. "Yours does."
"Dorks," Sayaka grumbles, rolling her eyes.
Hitomi chuckles softly.
"How did things go with, ah, the Soujus?" she asks, broaching the elephant in the room. "Madoka and I heard some from Sayaka, in addition to your updates, but little further of the aftermath."
"Ah, yeah," you say, after swallowing. "The Soujus. We took them down, yeah, and it... took more force than I'd have liked. Then I talked to them, of course, and they're... a bit disjointed from reality, to put it mildly. They were stealing Soul Gems because they believed they were saving them. It's like, mm, kidnapping people and putting them in medical comas to save them from hunger."
"That's horrible!" Madoka says.
"Yeah, well... I'm... about ninety per-cent certain it's because their Wishes messed with their heads," you say with a grimace. "From what I gathered, they were pressured to make their Wishes in pretty awful circumstances, and." You sigh. "You get what you Wish for, not what you want."
You wave your chopsticks in the air, bulling onwards to cut through the gloom threatening to choke the life out of the conversation.
"Anyway, we're working on it," you say. "They're, uh... rooming with Miss Saito and Miss Watanabe for now in that apartment Hitomi got for us. We'll be talking to them more, but... man. Um."
Mami giggles abruptly.
"Um?" Hitomi prompts, leaning forward to give you a quizzical look from Mami's other side.
"They... seem to think of me as some kind of angel?" you say awkwardly, trying not to squirm under everyone's eyes. "In the, uh, literal sent-by-god divine messenger sort of sense. Because of my magic. It's... um. It's definitely a thing. On the one hand, it makes them super receptive to anything I tell them, but just... ick, no."
"... that's... good?" Madoka ventures, blinking at you with big, confused eyes.
"It's definitely the most of all time," you say. "Just. The most. Full stop."
You stuff some rice into your mouth rather than continue down that line of thought.
"We'll help them," Mami says. She barely manages to hide her amusement as she nudges you. "But maybe we'll have someone else take the lead on them? We do still need to hire a therapist somehow."
"Honestly, yeah," you say. You also carefully do not focus on Homura as you seize on the redirection like a lifeline. Nor Sayaka. "We really do need to hire a good therapist and-or pyschiatrist. Or psychologist. Or counsellor. Or three. And... huh, right, Miss Nakano did say she'd be able to set us up with initial contacts, at least."
You check in your pocket - still got that business card she gave you.
"Nakano Corporation's primary focus is construction, is it not?" Hitomi asks.
"Well, yeah," you say. "But apparently they do have some contacts, and it's probably better than cold-calling random healthcare agencies. Or even individuals."
"That's true..." Madoka muses, tapping her chin with the back of her chopsticks. "I think papa mentioned one of his friends is a psychiatrist. I could ask papa for more info?"
"That sounds like a good start," Hitomi says. "I... would imagine that therapists are more likely to be used to receiving unsolicited, irregular calls? Due to the nature of their profession? But I do agree that having a more personalized approach might be better. I shall ask my parents if they might be able to help, though I rather doubt it."
"That would actually be wonderful, both of you," you say. "I have to admit, I don't know how effective... I mean, the Soujus are probably an entire medical study in and of themselves, but. Yeah. This would be something to figure out together. And... well, there's the Soujus, and then their kidnap-ees. I don't think we can possibly drop that kind of workload on one person."
"Jeeze, yeah," Sayaka says. "How many of them are there?"
"Too many," you say. "Seventeen magical girls."
"That's definitely too many for one person to handle!" Madoka says, nodding.
"Yeah... well, in any case, Miss Niko will be helping them regrow their bodies," you say. "Ah, that's Kanna Niko, from Asunaro? And we still need to find a strong healer to work with her for the process, but really, the key thing I was getting at is that her estimate was 'more than a day, less than a week' per girl."
"Mm..." Madoka says, pulling out her phone and typing away as Sayaka peeks over her shoulder.
"Average caseload for a therapist is... thirty clients per week, give or take?" Sayaka reads out.
"Mmhm!" Madoka agrees. "But I suppose it's not likely that a therapist we find will have a totally clear schedule."
"Considering that they've been effectively kidnapped, would they want to stick around for something like this, though?" Hitomi asks.
"Teleporting," Sayaka points out. "I mean, we're reading them in on magic, right, Sabrina?"
"I would think so, yeah? No way they can do their jobs properly otherwise," you say. "So yeah, teleport commute might work, especially if Miss Tsuruya is amenable. If not... maybe we can recruit or hire someone?"
"Or I can copy a teleport power, maybe?" Sayaka says. "I know Miss Asami has a lightning teleport, but that one's really short-ranged."
"Oi," you say, pointing your chopsticks at her. "You're on leave."
"I know, I know," Sayaka says, rolling her eyes. "But this isn't... y'know, stressful. Picking up new powers to play with is fun."
"That's how they all think," you say ominously. "Rest is rest, Sayaka."
"Anyway." Sayaka ignores you, turning back to Madoka. "Teleporting could be a solution. Do we know where they're all from, anyway?"
"Not yet - the Soujus might know, but honestly, I figure we'll ask the girls themselves when the time comes," you say. "See what they want to do, since I don't think we can assume they'd all want to go back to their homes. Still, if they do, we'll provide transport and whatever support they need to get their feet back under them."
"And if they want to stay?" Hitomi asks.
"Hitomi, don't you dare," you say. "I- listen, I really appreciate how much you've helped, but I can't possibly expect you to buy or rent them all luxury apartments or some such."
"... well, it would be reasonably doable," Hitomi says, looking wounded. She smiles slightly. "It's sort of exciting, really."
"It's just- well. Look, I want to approach that sort of thing properly, we can't rely on being able to sneak this sort of thing under official notice forever," you say. "The powers that be will notice eventually, and bureaucracy is one enemy even I'm going to balk at tackling head on, y'know?"
"I'm sure it's not that bad!" Madoka says, but she doesn't sound sure.
"Maybe, but... I was also sort of thinking that I want to make progress on the Mamigold Hotel," you say.
"Mami...gold?" Hitomi says.
"Marigold," Homura mutters in English, refusing to meet your eyes.
Sayaka slaps her forehead.
"Oh, I get it," Madoka says, her giggles joining Mami's.
"It's a perfectly cromulent name, and no, I am not taking criticism on it," you say. "But yeah. Maybe I can get, uh, Miss Suzuki from Sendai to grow a giant plant building or something? Well, heck, I can probably build one myself."
"Permits won't be easy to come by," Hitomi muses. "I hesitate to suggest a nominal rival of mine, but perhaps under Miss Nakano's auspices? The... exotic nature of the construction might be a problem, since typical construction works do require that you submit a plan for approval. And an entire building is not, I would think, the sort of thing that you might readily hide from official attention."
"Mmm, true," you say. "Maybe a commission to Miss Inoue to hack the relevant agencies?"
"Perhaps, but I believe that human attention might still prove troublesome," Hitomi says. "As you said, bureaucracy is a mighty foe."
"Yeah... it's sort of troublesome," you grumble. "We've got the beginnings of solutions for all these logistics things, but putting them into action is a little trickier with all the practical problems that need solving."
"We'll figure something out!" Madoka says, looking determined. "There are people who need help, after all."
You grin at her.
"Yeah," you say. "It's all about the people."
[] Any other important topics to hit during lunch?
[] After lunch...
- [] Ask if Sayaka wants to talk about the incident
- [] Find Kyouko and Yuma again
-- [] Continue the hunt
-- [] Something else?
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
With credit to @Celti for the thing with the orange!
[X] During Lunch:
-[X] Update the others on our itinerary.
--[X] When I leave here, I'm going to visit the Iowa group leader
---[X] I want to know what she has to say before our meeting with Shin this evening to explain what happened to him and Nagisa.
--[X] After I'll get the cake we promised to bring to the meeting with the Kagoshima group tomorrow at 4
--[X] I'll find Kyoko and Yuma after that
---[X] Homura, do you think your hacker friend could sort out the paperwork to get Yuma into school? I'll float the idea to Kyoko and Yuma if so.
-[X] Make some calls
--[X] Ask if Rin is willing to help Niko with the Soujus victims
--[X] Contact the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and schedule a meeting for tomorrow
---[X] Decide whether to meet them on the way to the Kagoshima group meeting or on the way back.
[X] After Lunch
-[X] Planned timestop talk
--[X] Resist the urge to apologize again, Sabrina. I believe in you.
--[X] With Homura adding and dropping people as needed while we discuss what we can and should tell Madoka
---[X] Proposal: Bring Hitomi in on the Witchbomb since she's in no danger from it.
----[X] Tell Hitomi before moving on to other proposals if agreed to.
---[X] Proposal: We offer to tell Madoka everything if and only if the alternative is her making a contract in ignorance
----[X] Cosmic truths, personal traumas, things that aren't our story to tell, everything.
----[X] Obviously, this doesn't preclude us telling her other stuff if we're all agreed. This is about agreeing how to handle an emergency.
----[X] I think that's what we'd all do if we encountered that as an emergency. I want to make it explicit among us
----[X] I want us to tell Madoka that's how we feel about it.
---[X] Proposal: We tell Madoka about the risk that she specifically could/would end the world if she makes a contract
----[X] Madoka is a selfless person and would likely respond more strongly to a threat to others than if the threat was "just" to her own safety.
----[X] We can say it's because her potential is higher than Kyubey's system can safely handle if we're not comfortable telling her about Witches.
-----[X] Also, Kyubey knows and doesn't care because Madoka's contract would meet his quota for earth so he can write the planet off
---[X] Does anyone have any other ideas or thoughts?
--[X] With Madoka
---[X] Follow through with what we agreed on in the previous step.
---[X] Ask Madoka how she's feeling because we haven't had much chance to talk
----[X] Don't interupt. Listen.
The conversation lapses for a few minutes as everyone returns to eating properly, and to your surprise, it's Homura who next breaks the silence, neatly setting her chopsticks down on her lunchbox with a precise click that somehow draws your attention, amethyst eyes meeting yours steadily.
"Are the Soujus safe?" Homura murmurs quietly.
There's a slight edge to her words, the faintest emphasis on the last word of her question. And you get it: not safe as in protected from danger, but safe as in whether those glowing green rocks are radioactive or not. Safe, as in whether she should tolerate their continued existence in Mitakihara.
Safe, as in whether it's safe to allow them to exist even remotely near Madoka.
"... I think so," you say, nodding slowly. "I... as much as I am uncomfortable with the whole... angel thing, they do seem to genuinely mean it. So they'll listen to me."
Homura nods, apparently satisfied, and picks her chopsticks back up.
"Oh, also, Homura - we can talk after lunch, right?" you ask.
She nods again, and you beam at her.
"By the by," Hitomi asks after another moment of quiet eating. "On the subject of the Soujus, what are we doing with the Soujus? I believe you said they were staying with Miss Watanabe and Miss Saito?"
"Oh, yeah, they volunteered to take them in," you say with a wince. "It's... the Soujus are apparently completely happy to just stay as Soul Gems, so they're not taking extra room or anything, and... I think they'll be on their best behaviour because of, er, their attitude towards me. Though the specifics of that 'best behaviour' might need, uh, guidance. So I'd say that situation is stable, and I'll... step in if Miss Saito and Miss Watanabe can't handle it, I guess?"
"That seems appropriate, yes," Hitomi agrees.
"Does it really make you that uncomfortable?" Madoka asks curiously.
"It's..." you stuff some rice into your mouth, buying some time to think as you chew and swallow. "Look, I'm a really weird magical girl. But I'm just me. Calling me an angel is... it's putting me in a position I never earned, you know? A religious figure is... something distant, something you hold up in your mind and, and worship. I'm not. I'm here, with you and everyone else, fighting together for the same things."
Mami bumps her shoulder against yours, pressing closer to your side.
"That's rather Abrahamic-centric of you, Sabrina," Hitomi comments, amusement in her expression as she wags a finger at you. "I would contrast Shintoism, or indeed animistic religions in general, in terms of how, ah, interactive one might be, though I do suppose the concept of angels is mostly a Christian thing. So I'll concede the point."
You grin at her, amused. You were a little worried that she'd taken that jab about the luxury apartments to heart, but... no, there's no hesitance or dismay in her expression. It was just good-natured teasing, and she took it in the spirit it was intended - just as you'll take this teasing in the spirit it was intended.
"'sides, angels are the ones empowered to go out and do stuff, aren't they?" Sayaka notes. "So it's OK, no?"
"Ennnh," you say. "I'll grant both of you the argument, but just... it makes me uncomfortable. Rationally it's just neutral at most, some good things about it, some bad things, but just..." You wave your hand vaguely. "Bleh."
"And there's nothing wrong with that!" Madoka says, twintails bouncing with her vigorous nod. "If they make you uncomfortable, then you don't need to address them personally! You don't have to do everything yourself, right?"
"Agreed," Mami says lightly. "Really, we have friends, and an entire alliance. Don't hoard all of the tough jobs for yourself, Sabrina."
"Right," you say, beaming at your friends. "I'm still gonna keep an eye on the situation and see if I do need to step in, and figure out where we can get all the resources we need, but... yeah. Thank you, everyone."
Sayaka snickers.
"Feels like we really do need that health care professional on board," she notes.
"Yeah... I might have to trouble you for that introduction sooner rather than later, Madoka," you say, sighing lightly.
"I'll be sure to ask papa," Madoka says. "And I'm sure he'll be happy to help."
"Thanks, Madoka," you say, beaming at her. "Can't help but feel that a personal connection might make this sort of thing easier to read in, but anyway, yeah."
You shake your head.
"Anyway!" you say. "Enough of that for now. What's your classes looking like this afternoon?"
"Literature, then PE at the end of the day!" Madoka says.
"PE at the end of the day," Hitomi echoes with an aggrieved sigh.
"I would presume you're still on light exercise, Hitomi?" Mami asks.
"I am," Hitomi says. "Which, I would argue, makes it worse - it's boring and tiresome."
"Ah, I see," Mami says, nodding and pursing her lips. "That's unfortunate."
"It is what it is, I suppose," Hitomi says. She shakes her head, then smiles. "I'd take it over actually having a still-healing wrist."
Mami chuckles, nodding again in agreement.
"If I recall correctly, you should be covering Lain in literature at about this time, right?" she asks.
"Yeah!" Madoka agrees. "It's rather bleak, but I can see why people hold it in such high esteem."
"Lain, as in Serial Experiments Lain?" you ask curiously.
"That's the one!" Madoka says. "It's classified as modern literature. What about you, Mami? What classes do you have after lunc-" Madoka blinks. "Oh, you'll be accompanying Sabrina still after lunch, Mami?"
"Definitely!" Mami says happily, nudging you in the side. "So what will we be doing after lunch, Sabrina?"
"Oh, yeah, I was wanting to update you guys on my plans for the day, yeah. Just to keep everyone in the loop," you say, smiling. "So, uh... right. Couple of things. I'll visiting the Kagoshima group tomorrow afternoon, and they wanted me to get a cake from some cafe in Shinmachi? So I'll be popping over, and if anyone knows that cafe and wants something from there I can pick it up?"
"Never heard of that place," Sayaka offers. "We don't really go down there all that often."
"I'd rather have something Mami baked," Madoka says. "Or you, Sabrina! Both of you are so good at baking... ooh. You should have a cook-off with my papa sometime."
You grin, and exchange a look with Mami, who snickers as she elbows you.
"We'll take that challenge anytime," you say. "But uh... yeah, I'm also going to pop off to Fukushima at some point to talk to the leader of the Iowa group."
"Captain, surely," Sayaka says.
"Captai... I guess?" you say. "I mean, I see your point, but it's not a proper maritime vessel, is it?"
"It is a ship, is it not?" Hitomi says thoughtfully, popping a grape into her mouth. "One of the most famous ships of the modern day, really. So I would tend to agree with Sayaka."
"It was magic," Homura mutters, the words almost seeming to be dragged out of her against her will.
"Yeah!" Madoka says, nodding vigorously. "It wasn't the real Iowa, right? Unless..."
"... as far as I know, it's just a magical construct that was, admittedly, modelled after the actual Iowa," you say. "I don't think she stole the actual Iowa and animated with magic or something like that. I think."
"But it was fully functional! I bet if you put it into the water it would float and, y'know, do all the proper boat-y things," Sayaka says, waggling her hands demonstratively as she warms up to the topic. "And that girl was in charge of it, so she's the captain. QED."
"OK, OK." You snap your fingers. "I have an argument to make but before we get into it properly, last thing on my after-lunch agenda is that I'm planning to go hunt down Kyouko and Yuma, and I bring that up because: does anyone want me to bring anything up with them or whatever? Looking at you, Sayaka."
"Uhhhh," Sayaka says. "No, I don't think so? Buy them a couple of anpan on me, I guess?"
"Sure, I can do that," you say, nodding. "Also, while we're on the subject, Mami, Sayaka, do you think Kyouko would want Yuma in school? I think Yuma would like to, and we've got the resources to make it happen, between Miss Inoue and our own resources. So... yeah."
"Inoue?" Hitomi asks.
"Magical girl hacker in Ishinomaki, I think I've mentioned her before? She got me my passport and official papers, so getting Yuma into school should be trivial," you say. And Yuuki's also how Homura got Walpurgisnacht into the forecast as a storm, you don't say out loud. "So. I... I just don't get Kyouko that well."
Sayaka makes a long, wordless noise of vague thoughtfulness, tugging on a lock of her hair.
"I dunno," she admits. "Like, listen, she talks a big talk about practical learning 'on the streets' and all, but that's all talk. She doesn't believe herself half the time."
"I think it's worth making the offer," Mami says, then chuckles softly. "She's not actually going to stab you, Sabrina. Especially not over an offer of help made in earnest."
"I don't know," you say doubtfully. "For the record, I don't think she'd actually stab me, but I seem to particularly annoy her, so I'm a little leery of being the one to ask."
"Trust me, Sabrina," Mami says, patting your hand gently. "And besides, I'll be there with you."
"Always," you say, smiling. You take a deep breath. "Alright. Now, back to the actual important topics at hand, look, Sayaka. She's not, as far as we know, a part of any form of uniformed service with an official rank system to hold said rank absent of an actual command. Yeah? And since we took her ship, one of us gets to be the captain now."
You snap your fingers, focusing for a moment and letting your costume twist to add a cap to your head, flat-topped in white and trimmed in gold, with a short, black brim pulled over your eyes.
"But you don't have a ship, either," Sayaka points out, setting her lunchbox aside. "Also, gimme that."
"Well, if that counts, neither does Parró, so she's not a captain now is she?" you say with a grin, leaning back and out of the way of Sayaka's grabbing hand.
"Did she ever formally surrender?" Hitomi asks.
You're too busy trying to fend off Sayaka's flailing arms without leaving your seat beside Mami to respond.
"Not that I recall," Mami says thoughtfully. "As such... right of conquest, perhaps?"
"I'm not sure that applies here, you don't claim a title directly by conquest, and we didn't claim the property in question," Madoka says, giving you a doubtful look while ignoring the way you have your hand on Sayaka's face, relying on your superior reach to keep her away.
"So we're in agreement, then!" you say around Sayaka. "Not captain."
"Aha," Sayaka proclaims triumphantly, one foot planted on the bench to give her just enough reach to snatch the cap from your head. She backs off and grins, settling the cap on her head at a jaunty angle. "Who's the captain now?"
"No one is, we just went over this," Hitomi says reprovingly. "Do try to keep up, Sayaka."
[X] After Lunch
-[X] Planned timestop talk --[X] Resist the urge to apologize again
-- [] Propose to bring Hitomi in on the Witchbomb
-- [] Propose a contingency to tell Madoka everything in the event of her being about to make a contract
-- [] Propose to now tell Madoka that she might end the world if she contracts
--- [] How do you address Homura's fear?
[x] Make some calls
-[X] Ask if Rin is willing to help Niko with the Soujus victims
-[X] Contact the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and schedule a meeting for tomorrow
--[X] Decide whether to meet them on the way to the Kagoshima group meeting or on the way back.
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
-[X] Make some calls
--[X] Ask if Rin is willing to help Niko with the Soujus victims
--[X] Contact the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and schedule a meeting for tomorrow
---[X] Decide whether to meet them on the way to the Kagoshima group meeting or on the way back.
[X] After Lunch
-[X] Planned timestop talk
--[X] Resist the urge to apologize again, Sabrina. I believe in you.
--[X] With Homura adding and dropping people as needed while we discuss what we can and should tell Madoka
---[X] Proposal: Bring Hitomi in on the Witchbomb since she's in no danger from it.
----[X] Tell Hitomi before moving on to other proposals if agreed to.
---[X] Proposal: We offer to tell Madoka everything if and only if the alternative is her making a contract in ignorance
----[X] Cosmic truths, personal traumas, things that aren't our story to tell, everything.
----[X] Obviously, this doesn't preclude us telling her other stuff if we're all agreed. This is about agreeing how to handle an emergency.
----[X] I think that's what we'd all do if we encountered that as an emergency. I want to make it explicit among us
----[X] I want us to tell Madoka that's how we feel about it.
---[X] Proposal: We tell Madoka about the risk that she specifically could/would end the world if she makes a contract
----[X] Madoka is a selfless person and would likely respond more strongly to a threat to others than if the threat was "just" to her own safety.
----[X] We can say it's because her potential is higher than Kyubey's system can safely handle if we're not comfortable telling her about Witches.
-----[X] Also, Kyubey knows and doesn't care because Madoka's contract would meet his quota for earth so he can write the planet off
---[X] Does anyone have any other ideas or thoughts?
--[X] With Madoka
---[X] Follow through with what we agreed on in the previous step.
---[X] Ask Madoka how she's feeling because we haven't had much chance to talk
----[X] Don't interupt. Listen.
=====
Bah, apologies for the late update and the relative brevity. The timestop talk should happen next post, and it's gonna be a big one, but this vote is for two things: first, to make sure that I've understood what was intended, as per the new vote, and second, to offer any specific proposition to address Homura's concerns. She is not rational about Madoka's safety, or the possibility of her contracting. I can autopilot Sabrina talking to Homura about it, but if you have any specific suggestions, now's the time.
Also, I'm bad about enforcing the word count limits, but seriously, this is a bit much.
[X] After Lunch
-[X] Planned timestop talk --[X] Resist the urge to apologize again --- [X] It's okay, Sabrina. We'll keep working on it together.
-- [X] Propose to bring Hitomi in on the Witchbomb
-- [X] Propose a contingency to tell Madoka everything in the event of her being about to make a contract
-- [X] Propose to now tell Madoka that she might end the world if she contracts
--- [X] How do you address Homura's fear?
---- [X] Ask if Homura has tried telling Madoka about this before. We think she hasn't, but we should confirm.
---- [X] Homura understands Madoka is a selfless person. Risks to herself will be less motivating to Madoka than risks to other people would be.
---- [X] We don't have to reveal the witchbomb to tell her this is a risk and can instead explain this as the Madoka specific risk it is.
---- [X] We don't have to reveal the loops if Homura's not ready to talk about that, and we can say it's from Sabrina's metaknowledge.
[x] Make some calls
-[X] Ask if Rin is willing to help Niko with the Soujus victims
-[X] Contact the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and schedule a meeting for tomorrow
--[X] Decide whether to meet them on the way to the Kagoshima group meeting or on the way back.
The rest of lunch passes with happy chatter and teasing, back and forth. Even Homura contributes form time to time, dry remarks thrown in when you least expect it. And even as your lunchboxes sit empty beside you, all six of you linger, reluctant to move on even as the resumption of classes draws closer.
You keep an eye on Sayaka, of course, and she... seems alright, for most part. From time to time, her eyes flicker out towards the skyline, then to you, then away, and you're adroit enough that you manage to avoid her catching you observing her. But her cheer doesn't falter, her smile undimmed. Not unaffected, then, but getting over it, which you'll take as a good thing.
Ultimately, though, Hitomi stands, brushing her skirt down.
"We really should be going," she says regretfully. "We'll be late for classes otherwise."
"Alright, alright," you say, smiling and shaking your head as everyone rises to their feet. "Sorry for keeping you guys. Uh, Homura, could we have a moment to talk before you head off?"
Homura nods silently.
"Great," you say, smiling. "Well... enjoy literature, everyone. And PE. See you after school?"
"Yeah!" Madoka says happily. "I want to see the place Hitomi and Homura are getting! See you after school!"
"Ah!" Mami blinks, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a familiar keyring of multicoloured jewels. Sayaka's copied powers, that were with her clone. "Before I forget, Sayaka, here you go."
"Oh, I completely forgot about those," Sayaka says, beckoning for the ring and catching it easily from Mami's underhand throw. "Thanks! Would've been embarassing if I went into a fight without these..."
"Which you wouldn't, because you're on leave," Mami says, raising an amused eyebrow. "Right?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka says, waving it off. "Anyway. Later, Mami, Sabrina! C'mon, Madoka, Hitomi, let's go, we can't blink right to the classroom if we need to."
"Until later!" Mami offers, and turns to you as Sayaka links her arms with Madoka and Hitomi's, half-dragging them off to the stairs. She tilts her head slightly, and you nod, so she squeezes your hand slightly, and releases you with a smile and a soft sigh.
"I won't be long," you say, winking at her, and turning to Homura.
A transformation, a blaze of purple light, and that jarring stutter-stop.
Equally familiar is the way the endless greys leach away the vibrant colours of the world and the way your heartbeat echoes in your ears, the warmth of the sun now a distant memory as the perpetual chill returns. Mami's form stands utterly motionless, the smile still lingering on her face. But all this is... familiar, and welcoming, in some ways. You get how Homura found it a comforting refuge, her sanctum against the world.
Homura's hand is warm on your wrist even as amethyst eyes seek yours. She holds your gaze, as if searching for something.
You exhale heavily, the cheer falling away under the weight of her regard.
"I'm sorry," you say. "I didn't mean for... I didn't want it to affect Madoka. I didn't think that Sayaka would react like that."
Homura stares at you without responding for a long, long moment, then she shakes her head slowly.
"Are you alright?" she asks.
You blink at her, flummoxed.
"After dealing with the Soujus," Homura clarifies. "And the fight."
"I..." You swallow, remembering the feeling of flesh parting beneath your blades. It's nothing new to you, not at this point, but it's still less than pleasant. "Yeah. I am. Things could have gone better, and I could have done better but... I'm alright."
"OK," Homura says.
"Are you?" you ask gently.
Another long silence, as Homura gathers her thoughts. Her gaze drifts from you, intense stare fixing on the stairwell past your shoulder, where Madoka had disappeared into.
"Reminded of the past," she says quietly. "The look on Sayaka's face..."
"... ah," you say. "I'm sorry."
She shakes her head again.
"It's past," she says, and this time, it's her turn to exhale heavily. "Madoka was worried. She always is."
"Yeah," you say with a sigh. "I... again, Homura, I'm sorry."
Once more, Homura shakes her head, a look of frustration flickering across her face. But not at you, you can tell that much. At herself, as she hunts for the words she lost somewhere along the way.
"It was different," she says finally. "Madoka was worried, after. But it was... focused, on helping Sayaka." A minute frown furrows her brow. "Purposeful. She didn't know the details, but she knew what she was doing."
"Madoka has always been gentle," you say. "But never soft. She has a spine of steel under there, but... you don't need me to tell you that."
"She hasn't been like that," Homura whispers. "Not for a long time. Except..."
"Ah," you whisper, your heart breaking as you understand. "I'm going to hug you, alright?"
Homura doesn't object as you gently pull her into your embrace, but she sags against you, arms rising to hug you back fiercely.
Madoka believes in acting to do good. From helping a cat, to helping a friend, to helping the world. And it's that exact impulse that drives her to make her Wish, every time. It's that exact impulse that Kyuubey preys on. And it's that exact impulse that first saw Madoka extend a hand in friendship to a lost, lonely girl on that first day, so very long ago.
You wonder, briefly, what would Madoka do in a world without magic. Become a paralegal to champion a cause, perhaps. But this is not that world, and... Madoka finds purpose in being a magical girl. But the road that her purpose leads her down is, seemingly, an inevitable one. Over and over again, Homura has thrown herself in the way to protect her, and over and over again, Madoka's drive led her onwards.
But today, Homura saw that side of Madoka again. Not as a magical girl, but alongside one.
You can't even begin to imagine the storm of emotion Homura's been bottling up. Confusion, and fear, and worry, and maybe, just maybe, hope. All bottled up, tamped down, and locked so deep even you didn't have any idea until Homura told you.
You find yourself at a loss for words, so you simply hold Homura, for the moment, and hope that she can find some comfort, something to steady herself in your presence. It takes her a while before she pulls herself together and she steps back, her hand still on your wrist.
"It's a good thing?" Homura murmurs, her words inflected as half question, half trying to convince herself.
"I think so," you say. "I think it's a good start, to have Madoka having something to do that's not being a magical girl. I know you don't like the idea of Madoka coming into contact with magical girl life, but... I think it's good for her to find something adjacent to it."
"That's... good," she says.
Conversation lapses, and you hold your tongue. You hardly begrudge Homura the time to think, after all, especially when it's over something like this. You watch her, and let her think, your breaths and your own heartbeat the only sound accompanying you. Finally, she nods, and refocuses on you.
"... you had something else?" she asks quietly.
"Yeah," you say, rubbing your nose and smiling. "D'you want to sit back down? These might take a little longer to discuss."
Homura nods, and heads back to the bench she'd been sharing with Madoka and Hitomi. You follow obligingly, shifting to make contact with a small bead of Grief pressed against the back of her right hand, just to make things a little easier.
"Alright," you say, glancing at Mami's frozen form. You quash the urge to ask Homura for permission to bring Mami into timestop as well, but... no. Not with the topic you're about to broach. Instead, you raise three fingers. "I have three suggestions to make. But they're suggestions, OK? I won't do anything if you forbid it."
Homura nods once again, bracing herself.
"Number one," you say, folding down your thumb. "I propose that we tell Hitomi about the origin of Witches. I think..." You frown. "I think, of all our friends, she's best able to handle the secret, and keep it a secret?"
"... she is," Homura murmurs after a moment. "She's been... reliable, before."
"Oh?" you ask, blinking. "I don't think I know about this one."
Homura shrugs with one shoulder.
"She's... been in the wrong place before, to see... things happening," she says. "And she tries to help, sometimes. Successfully helps." Her lips twist into a grimace, hesitant. "Why?"
"Why tell Hitomi?" you ask. You hum for a moment. "I think it'd help to have one more person aware of the nature of Witches. If someone else finds out by accident, she could be one more voice helping to calm things down, instead of being shocked and scared. Hitomi, in particular, isn't directly affected by it."
"She would... behave differently, if she knew," Homura says quietly. "Madoka would notice."
"That's possible, yeah," you say. "Though I think Hitomi could conceal it, if we asked her to?"
"I don't know," Homura says. "I... don't have any strong objections to telling Hitomi." She grimaces. "I leave this to your judgement. What was your next proposal?"
You blink, mildly startled. That had hardly been difficult at all. But then again, Hitomi's always been sensible, and that counts for a lot, you think. Still, you're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so it's on to the next one.
"I... want to establish a contingency," you say, sighing. "It's something that I had assumed I would do, in the worst case scenario, but... I want your permission for it, Homura."
"What is it?" Homura asks, her expression going blank.
You half turn to meet her gaze properly, unflinching.
"I hope that it won't come up, and I will do everything in my power to prevent it from coming to pass, but if... if." You take her hands, squeezing gently. "If it should come to pass that Madoka is on the verge of making a Wish, I want to tell her everything, so that..." You swallow. "So that she knows the costs."
You feel it, as Homura's breath catches in her throat, her expression crumpling. You squeeze her hands gently.
"I will do everything I can to prevent it from coming to that point," you murmur. "I promise, Homura. But I want to have every possible contingency against it, and with your permission, this... this would be the last one. Madoka's smart. And she cares. You know that. And if Madoka understood, truly understood, I think it would change her decision."
She nods jerkily, or maybe she simply bows her head, looking down at your hands. Whether in agreement with your words, or your proposal, you don't know, but you don't press. Not now. Instead, you simply squeeze gently, reminding her that you're here. She's not alone in this struggle.
"OK," Homura whispers at last, her voice ragged and breathing short, despite not having done anything. "OK."
"Thank you, Homura," you murmur.
[X] Propose to now tell Madoka that she might end the world if she contracts
- [X] How do you address Homura's fear?
-- [X] Ask if Homura has tried telling Madoka about this before. We think she hasn't, but we should confirm.
-- [X] Homura understands Madoka is a selfless person. Risks to herself will be less motivating to Madoka than risks to other people would be.
-- [X] We don't have to reveal the witchbomb to tell her this is a risk and can instead explain this as the Madoka specific risk it is.
-- [X] We don't have to reveal the loops if Homura's not ready to talk about that, and we can say it's from Sabrina's metaknowledge.
[x] Make some calls
-[X] Ask if Rin is willing to help Niko with the Soujus victims
-[X] Contact the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and schedule a meeting for tomorrow
--[X] Decide whether to meet them on the way to the Kagoshima group meeting or on the way back.
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Apologies for taking so long on this one. Homura's a difficult character at the best of times, and it took a fair bit for me to figure out her reactions. But I've got it going now, so second part should follow this weekend.
[X] Propose to now tell Madoka that she might end the world if she contracts
- [X] How do you address Homura's fear?
-- [X] Ask if Homura has tried telling Madoka about this before. We think she hasn't, but we should confirm.
-- [X] Homura understands Madoka is a selfless person. Risks to herself will be less motivating to Madoka than risks to other people would be.
-- [X] We don't have to reveal the witchbomb to tell her this is a risk and can instead explain this as the Madoka specific risk it is.
-- [X] We don't have to reveal the loops if Homura's not ready to talk about that, and we can say it's from Sabrina's metaknowledge.
[x] Make some calls
-[X] Ask if Rin is willing to help Niko with the Soujus victims
-[X] Contact the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and schedule a meeting for tomorrow
--[X] Decide whether to meet them on the way to the Kagoshima group meeting or on the way back.
You let Homura gather herself, keeping your hands on hers even as the silence spreads. It's no small thing that she just granted you, and you're about to ask of her something greater still. But even so, you feel somewhat relieved, a burden lightened.
Madoka believes in her friends. You know that to be true: even above her own drive to make something of her life, even with the burden of knowing exactly how she might be able to make a difference, she's willing to let her friends handle things, if they ask. She's willing to wait, as long as someone else is doing something.
As long as you stand, as long as Homura, and Mami, and Sayaka are around, you don't think it'll come to Madoka making a Wish. As you promised Homura, you'll do everything you can to prevent it. But if.
If.
If it should come to that, you now have one more thing to try. To let Madoka know what it would cost, to know how much Homura loves her and how much it would hurt her. Madoka would listen, you know that she will. You don't know how those cards would fall, how things would have played out and what Madoka would decide... but it's one more card for you to play.
But that's for later. For now, you keep your attention on Homura, squeezing her hands gently to remind her that she is not alone. You'll shoulder everything you can for her, but only she can fight the battles in her mind.
"Do you think..." Homura's voice falters halfway through her sentence, her jaw clenching shut as she shakes her head wordlessly. But you know what she wanted to ask, anyway. It's written in the tense set of her shoulders, the way her eyes dart from you, to the stairwell, to her hands in yours, imperceptibly shaking.
"Honestly, I can't tell you for absolutely sure," you admit. "I can't see the future, you know? But I am going to do everything I possibly can to prevent her from being in a situation where she feels like she has to make a Wish. And it's not like we're doing it alone, right? We have our friends to help us too. They don't understand everything that's at stake, but they know enough to agree that Wishes come with some... hefty downsides."
Homura nods jerkily, and you hold your tongue, letting her absorb that. Rather than break the silence, you motion gently towards her Soul Gem with a thumb, and at her nod, wipe away the gathering Grief, her shoulders relaxing almost imperceptibly. It takes her a few minutes before she lifts her eyes to meet yours again.
"... did you have something else in mind?" she asks quietly.
"Yeah," you say. "It's... this one's a bit more of an ask, but as before: it won't happen without your permission. OK?"
You hold her gaze until she nods. Because you don't want to pressure Homura into this: you're asking for her permission, not trying to browbeat her into agreeing with you. Maybe you're being too cautious, too tentative, maybe you're belabouring the point too much, but it's Homura. Sayaka called her your best friend, and she's not really wrong, is she?
"Alright," you say, blowing out a breath. "I... I want to ask for your permission to tell Madoka, now, that if she contracts, she might end the world."
A sharp breath.
"No," Homura blurts, her hands clamping down on yours with bruising force, her face freezing like graven stone. "I- no."
Snap decision. You race through your logic in your mind, thoughts cascading through your mind: that perhaps Homura hadn't tried it before. That it would stay Madoka's hand. It certainly is a strong argument against Madoka contracting, and one that she would heed. After all, she's always been willing to sacrifice herself on behalf of others; the thought of hurting so, so many, even beyond Homura, would definitely bump the idea of contracting far, far down the list of things Madoka's willing to commit to. You wouldn't even have to reveal anything of Homura's loops to do so. You could play it off as your own weird knowledge, and Madoka would accept that.
It's not good enough.
Not in the face of that stricken look. Not in the face of Homura crumbling like this. Not in the face of planting a foot square in the middle of Homura's fears and trauma, of that single worst case scenario Homura fears above all.
Because trauma isn't rational.
And all you have are rational arguments.
"Then I won't," you say simply. "I wanted your permission, Homura, and you're not ok with it, so I won't."
Perhaps you pushed too far, too hard, too fast. Perhaps having Homura dwell on the worst case scenarios, having Homura have to consider a case where Madoka might Wish and then Witch out was a step too far. Perhaps if you'd given Homura more time, perhaps if there was anything better you could reassure her with. Platitudes that it won't come to that, that you're making progress now, can only go so far against seeing Madoka fall over, and over, and over again.
"Homura, I'm going to hug you, alright?" you say, and wait for her that jerky nod before pulling her into a gentle hug. She keeps one hand on yours, your bones creaking under the force of her grip even as she hangs limply in your arms, but that's fine. You keep an eye on her Soul Gem, of course, tracking the ooze of Grief.
The thing is...
The thing is, this might be the closest Homura's been with Madoka ever since that fateful third loop. Rationally, you're only asking to tell Madoka something. But irrationally, you think, is that Homura remembers what happened, and she's just... unable to entertain the idea at all. Even if you don't get it, you get it.
There might be a better way to approach this topic, but not now. Not today.
What's important now is that you make sure Homura's OK. So you stay like that, rubbing her back gently, and biting back your impulse to apologise. You can't claim that you're perfect, nowhere close, especially not now, but you can be here for her, and not blather on while she's trying to recover her equilibrium. Hopefully that's enough.
"It's not gonna happen," you murmur. You're not sure whether you're talking about Madoka contracting, or about Madoka Witching out, or just about telling her, or maybe some combination of all three, but you mean it, nevertheless.
Homura takes a long, shuddering breath, and nods, easing back from you.
"Take your time," you encourage gently, smiling at her. "I'm here, and we're in no rush, yeah?"
"I'm- fine," she mutters, head down. "I- I believe you."
"Thank you," you say. She hasn't released you from that death grip, but you ignore that to settle your free hand over hers and squeeze gently. "I'm sorry to have caused you pain, Homura."
She shakes her head wordlessly, rejecting your apology.
"Your happiness and health matters too," you say quietly. "It matters to Madoka. You know that that's true. It matters to me, it matters to Mami, to Sayaka, to Hitomi. You matter. I... have my reasons, for asking what I did, and... maybe we can talk about it another time, if you feel up to it, but you matter, Homura. I'm sorry for hurting you."
Homura swallows. Then, slowly, she nods.
You'll take that as progress. You let the conversation lapse once more, not feeling the need to fill the air, and you simply watch as Homura regathers herself in the greyed-out hues of her timestop over the next few minutes. The tension ebbs, but it never quite leaves the set of her shoulders, nor the lines around her eyes, but her breathing steadies, and her gaze rises to meet yours again, her jaw setting as if bracing for something.
"What's next?" she asks quietly.
"That's it," you say, smiling. "That's all I wanted to ask, this time 'round."
You had notions of telling Hitomi now about the true origin of Witches, and you still sort of want to, but you don't want to stress Homura out more. You'll find some time to catch Hitomi for it later, perhaps this evening. And honestly, telling Hitomi that and then packing her off to class seems like a bit of a dick move.
Homura gives you a long, long look, studying your expression, then nods once more.
"OK," she murmurs. "Thank you."
"Though, er, there is one thing," you say, smiling sheepishly, and continue before she can do more than begin to brace herself. "Er. Could you let go of my hand?"
Homura twitches, her eyes snapping to your hand, and convulsively lets go. You wince as the blood floods back into your fingers, flexing them as your bones pop.
"... sorry," Homura mutters, ducking her head.
"It was my fault in the first place," you say. But when you clap her gently on the shoulder, it's with your other hand. "How are you feeling, Homura?"
"Tired," she says.
"Yeah, that's... yeah," you say, sighing. Emotionally wrung out, not that Homura thinks of it in those terms. "Take your time."
She grimaces and shakes her head, looking away from you, and over to Mami's frozen form, her gaze linger for a long moment.
"You've changed a lot," she murmurs quietly. "It's... good. Things are improving. But..."
"The uncertainty?" you ask.
She nods.
"Welcome to the club," you say with a crooked grin. "I worry too, a lot. I'm doing the best I can with what I've got, and I focus on what's important. Our friends, and on our goals. That's all any of us can do, I reckon. I..." You smile, shaking your head. "It's not like I've got all the answers or anything. I've got a different perspective, and, well, the magic to back it up. And those are advantages, but only that. Not an I-win button or anything of the sort."
"... good," Homura says. Somehow, she seems relieved by the answer, some of the tension dissipating from her shoulders. "I'm... glad you're here."
"I'm glad I'm here too," you say, your smile becoming more natural. "Thank you, Homura, and... well, I can't promise I'm perfect. But I'll keep doing my best."
Another measured nod, and Homura takes a deep breath, rising to her feet.
"I should get back to Madoka," she says.
"You're sure you'll be OK?" you ask, scrutinizing her as you likewise stand.
"Yes," she says.
"Then see you later, Homura," you say, smiling and deliberately stepping back, letting your nanofog drift out of contact with Hom-
-ura.
You exhale into the roar of the city, all the louder for its abrupt return. The midday sun blazes overhead, warmth beating down upon you to rival the dazzling smile Mami greets you with, and you beam back at her.
"How did it go?" she asks.
"Mixed, but generally good, I'd say," you answer, opening your arms. "Some things to follow up on later, but that's par for the course."
"Mmmhm," Mami agrees, smiling as she steps over to accept your wordless invitation and burrows into your arms. "So, what's next, Sabrina?"
[x] Make some calls
-[X] Ask if Rin is willing to help Niko with the Soujus victims
-[X] Contact the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and schedule a meeting for tomorrow
--[X] Decide whether to meet them on the way to the Kagoshima group meeting or on the way back.
[] Track down Kyouko and Yuma
- [] Continue the hunt
- [] Something else?
[] SCIENCE!
- [] What?
[] Something else...
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
So I'm hoping to cover the calls in the next update and move on to the next thing, but we all know how I am with that. We'll see.
[X] Make some calls
-[X] Ask if Rin is willing to help Niko with the Soujus victims
--[X] Offer financial compensation?
-[X] Contact the Murasaki Shrine Maidens and schedule a meeting for tomorrow
--[X] Consult Yuki, should we ask to claim a building now or later? Also, the omiki thing
--[X] Ask if there are any other groups they're acquainted with that might want to join the meeting
--[X] Decide whether to meet them on the way to the Kagoshima group meeting or on the way back.
[X] Make some purchases
-[X] Get the cake for Kagoshima
-[X] Snacks and drinks for the upcoming trips
-[X] Picture frames to bring home and a camera
-[X] A gift for Nagisa and Mr Momoe?
-[X] A perch for Mugin
[X] Visit the Iowa group leader
[X] While we're there, we should chat with Yuki if she's available
-[X] Pick Yuki's brain about how to build our eventual moon colony (our ulterior motives may involve dates with Mami on the moon)
-[X] H-hugs?
[X] Track down Kyouko and Yuma
-[X] Figure out whether Kyouko and Yuma want Yuma to go to school
--[X] Offer some alternatives if traditional schooling doesn't appeal: we could also try online or home schooling
-[X] Either way, introduce Kyouko to our hackerguca so she can deal with Yuma's legal guardianship
"What's next is that I need to make some calls," you say with a rueful grin buried in her hair. "And also some shopping, then heading to Fukushima."
"That sounds good," Mami says, sighing happily into your shoulder. "I have to say, this isn't particularly discouraging me from taking up a life of delinquency."
"Mami..." you say fondly.
"I know, I know," she says. "I wouldn't, really. But... spending time with you like this is just wonderful. And!" She steps back to beam at you. "Even if I were to drop out of school, I'm certain you wouldn't let me fall behind on my education."
"I wouldn't," you say. "But it's not just abou-"
"I know, I know, socialization with my peers is important," Mami says, her grin widening as she cuts you off, and reaches up to cup your cheek. "We did cover the theory of education in civics classes. I'm not really planning on dropping out, but I can't help but resent it a little, now that I know there's something greater I could be doing."
"That's more than reasonable," you say. "But consider, on the other hand, that Mr. Truancy Officer would hunt me down if you dropped out of school, you know?"
You fake a shiver, even as Mami giggles, silvery peals of laughter ringing out past the sun-drenched rooftop.
"Well, you are a bad influence," Mami says. "But speaking of Mr. Truancy Officer, let's not linger too long, hm? They do do sweeps after classes begin, after all."
"Ah, yeah," you say, looking around. With your friends gone, it feels oddly empty here, and even the sound of students talking and playing is long gone by now - and it'd take better hearing than yours to hear the various classes starting up once more. "Alright. Let's go, then!"
You offer a hand to Mami, wings of Grief unfurling from your back. She beams at you, accepting your hand, and you tug her lightly into the air, a powerful wingbeat lofting you both towards the skies. You're cheating outrageously, of course, nanofog settling around Mami so that you aren't just yanking her entire body weight up by one arm, but... it's still magic. More than that, it's magical, in a sense beyond the purely obvious.
Mami laughs in breathless delight as you pull her into the skies, trusting you utterly not to drop her. And sure, falling from this height wouldn't faze her in the slightest, not with her own magic and ingenuity and bottomless bag of tricks. But in the gold of her eyes, sparkling with pure joy, you also see her utter trust that it won't ever become necessary even as you rise above the roofs of Mitakihara, the skyscrapers glittering under the afternoon sun. You grin at Mami and bank to the side, soaring north.
"Oh!" you call. A twist of thought and nanofog carries the words to Mami, ensuring she can hear you. "Mami, so... quick shopping stop, then dropping off back home, then heading back out? Need to pick up a cake, and I'd rather have that in the fridge until tomorrow."
"Pick up a cake?" Mami sounds vaguely offended by the notion.
"Ah, yeah, for the Kagoshima group? I mentioned that over lunch, right?" you say, glancing down at her.
"Oh, right," Mami says, looking sheepish. "Ah, yes, I remember. I suppose I can't begrudge them having their preferences."
You laugh.
"Mami, you're an amazing cook and baker, and I'd prefer something you made every time," you tell her. "But you know how it is with café culture."
"I know, I know," Mami huffs. "I was just surprised and forgot about it, that's all."
"Perfectly understandable," you say solemnly. "Anyway. I figure that I'll make some telepathic calls while we shop, since I-"
You slam to a halt midair, a sliver of your attention bringing Mami to a much gentler standstill beside you as you freeze, wings outstretched.
"... Sabrina?" Mami asks, pulling herself up so that she's eye level with you, arm looped around your shoulders.
"... I'm an idiot," you grumble. "Or, well, overthinking it. Or underthinking it, I don't know. I forgot I've never spoken to- wait, no, I have a solution. OK."
Mami frowns lightly, tilting her head, and then laughs.
"Ah. You mentioned them earlier, so... were the Murasaki shrine maidens some of the people you wanted to call?" she asks, smiling.
"And I just remembered that I've never actually been in contact with them before, yes," you grumble. "But then I also remembered that I do actually have a solution. It's a really good thing we met Nadia way back then; I'll have to ask her to help facilitate."
"Dear, silly Sabrina," Mami says, giggling fondly and reaching up to pat you on the head. "Who else will you be calling?"
You laugh, shaking yourself and resume your flight with a powerful sweep of your wings, Mami now tucked against your shoulder instead of at the end of your outstretched hand.
"Uhm," you say. "Miss Mori, from the Sendai girls, to see whether we can hire her to help with the revival project. I figure I can afford to pay her for it. And maybe Miss Tsuruya, but I suppose we'll be seeing her in person shortly anyway, so nevermind."
"I can get in contact with Miss Mori while you speak to Miss Bennouna and the Murasaki girls?" Mami offers.
You blink.
"That would actually be really nice, yeah," you say, beaming at her.
"And..." Mami worries at her lower lip for a moment. "I'm not sure whether you've considered this, Sabrina, but Yuma is a very powerful healer. She might be able to contribute to the healing project too, in lieu of or in addition to Miss Mori?"
"I... huh," you say, blinking. "No, that hadn't occurred to me, actually. I... mm."
"It would be good for Yuma to contribute, I feel. And... you mentioned, earlier, potentially offering to help Yuma get into school." Mami hesitates, a flicker of pain crossing her face. "I... can't say I know what Kyouko feels about school, at this point - I do think it's worth making the offer, but I'm not sure she would be willing to let Yuma go."
You try to hug her close, gently pulling her in, only for her to shake her head slightly and smiling slightly. You answer her smile with one of her own and let her, because she wants to finish her thought. Because she's no shrinking violet, no coward.
"But if she does want Yuma to go to school, I think she'd... hate it even more if it were a favour you handed to her, just like that," Mami says. "I... don't know her as well as I used to, but I think I'm right on this much, at least, and Yuma will follow her lead."
"Ah," you say, cottoning on. "And you think that making it a trade might make it go down easier. I see what you mean, but Kyouko..."
"Agreed," Mami says, with a soft sigh that she abandons in favour of a smile and pulling herself properly into your arms.
"... I think I'd also want to put other forms of schooling on the table for Kyouko and Yuma," you note. "I mean, online courses, for one. I think it'd be better for them both to actually make friends with people their own age and who aren't magical girls, but... honestly, education is in and of itself kind of important."
"Mmm," Mami agrees.
You grump to yourself. It's elegant in its simplicity: debt, instead of charity, secure Yuma's help for the project in return for getting her back in school, and maybe, just maybe, earn a little credit with Kyouko. Because she's in no way stupid enough to miss the radical departure from your usual behaviour for what it really is: a way to let her save some of her pride. Of course, she might take offense at you specifically going out of your way to let her save her pride, paradox that she is.
Not to mention that the whole discussion does leave hanging the question of whether Yuma would want to go to school, or whether Kyouko would let her out of her sight, and you can't really predict either of those without talking to them.
Mami's a solid presence against you, half tucked under your coat and a source of radiating warmth that sinks into you in defiance of the rushing wind as you both work through the same lines of thought. Not an uncomfortable silence by any means, just a preoccupied one, the grand, sweeping vista of Mitakihara a breathtaking backdrop as you think, and soar onwards.
Eventually, you come in for a landing, flaring your wings and gliding gracefully to a halt atop a rooftop in the Shinmachi district - you'll find your way to the bakery on foot, you figure. Mami lingers in your embrace for a moment longer before stepping back, turning to pace over to the edge of the roof and peer at the streets below, teeming with cars and people even now, just past lunchtime.
"And now," Mami declares with overwrought, melodramatic dismay, half turning so that she cuts a silhouette in profile against the skyline of Mitakihara and pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. "To search for a café. A specific café. To buy cakes from them. The indignity, Sabrina. The dishonour."
"They don't know the glory of your cooking, Mami," you say gravely. "They know not the insult they give."
Mami wails, and lets herself tip over the edge to plummet to the ground below. You huff fondly and follow, leaping down to the alleyway to join Mami - just in time to see her costume dissolve in a blaze of light, leaving her in her school uniform as she detransforms, resplendently bright against the dirt of the alleyway.
"Oh, hi, Sabrina!" she says brightly. "Fancy seeing you here."
You laugh, stepping forward to link your arm through hers.
"Hello to you too," you say, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Will your school uniform be a problem?"
"It might," Mami says, beaming at you despite her words. "I do have an excuse slip from school, but officially, I'm supposed to be resting."
"Disguise, maybe?" you suggest, but Mami shakes her head.
"Anyone our age and not in school at this time would be under suspicion," Mami says, smiling at you. "Conversely, I would say that said suspicion is alleviated for you both because of your bearing and because you look obviously foreign, Sabrina. I believe that as long as I stay near you, I won't be bothered."
"Ah, I see," you say, grinning. "I'm your shield against being accused of being a delinquent."
"Exactly so," Mami says gravely. "Now, let's get this over quickly. Better to rip the bandage off, after all."
You snicker, but acquiesce, and together, you head out of the alley, merging into the foot traffic, and as expected, the two of you get more than a few curious looks as you walk onwards. You do make quite the odd pair, you suppose, especially with Mami in her school uniform, but no one approaches you, and you manage to locate the café, and...
It occupies two whole storefronts, polished glass and white-painted wood and burnished brass forming a strong first impression, along with the refrigerated display cases full of cakes and pastries, and even at this hour, it fairly throngs with people, some just ogling the display pieces, some sitting down to eat. You suppose you can see why someone who'd only been here once might have fond memories of it, especially as you're assaulted by the deliciously fragrant scent of baking confectionaries as you head in.
Mami's feigned disinterest and wounded pride melts away in a matter of moments. She's indisputably a talented baker, your own biases aside, but even Mami herself winds up admitting that these people are talented professionals, mounds of confectionaries of a dozen different traditions and styles, from frosted cakes to decorated buns to adorable little hamster pastries you'd feel bad about eating.
Of course, you're not just browsing - as you debate criticisms and merits of various pastries with Mami, you reach out mentally to Nadia.
"Miss Bennouna? Do you have a moment to speak?" you venture in her native Darija.
"Miss Sabrina!" is the cheerful response. "It's good to hear from you! How have you been?"
"We've been quite well, how about you?" you say, blinking as you inspect a cake for possible fondant contamination.
"Good, good! Give my best to Miss Tomoe," Nadia says neutrally. "Ah, and the Clear Seed you provided me with has been working just fine! I even used it to help a girl down on her luck yesterday, fimti?"
"Ah!" you say, a smile rising unbidden to your face. "I'm glad. Will she be alright?"
"I do hope so," Nadia says. "My Korean is not the best, and I dislike relying on my translation enchantments for something like this, but I brought her to her friends, fimti?"
"... Korean?" you say, blinking in surprise. "Weren't you headed to China?"
"I go where the wind takes me!" Nadia says cheerfully. "So, I changed course from Hokkaido and for now, I am in Korea. Besides, Korea is on the way to China."
"... fair enough," you say.
"So, did you need to ask me something?" Nadia asks.
"Ah, yeah, sorry," you say. "Would you be able to put me in contact with the Murasaki Shrine Maidens?"
"This is about meeting them?" Nadia asks.
"Yeah, you piqued my interest, and I have need of a strong healer for a project anyway, so it seemed a good time," you explain.
"Certainly I can," Nadia says. "Though it's not necessary, I will say? They welcome visitors."
"Ah," you say. "That's kind of unusual, but anyway, I'd feel better if I did check in with them first."
"Understandable. Alright, one moment," Nadia says, falling silent.
You sneak a smile at Mami - between the two of you, you've decided to select a variety of small pastries rather than one big one, since you're not aware of any specific requests. And so you have a tray, both you and Mami picking out choice selections and loading them up.
You feel the telepathic connection shift, a new mental presence joining yours.
"Miss Koyanagi, this is Vee Sabrina of Mitakihara," Nadia says in her accented Japanese. "Miss Sabrina, this is Koyanagi Saki."
"A pleasure, Miss Vee," Saki says, her voice a low, reserved contralto. "We've heard good things of you."
"Really?" you say, surprised. "I hadn't expected word to spread that far yet."
"The magical girl grapevine is efficient," Nadia says gravely. "But I shall leave you to it. Goodbye!"
"Safe travels!" you tell her.
"Be well," Saki says, her attention returning to you as Nadia drops out. "How may I help you, Miss Vee?"
"Well, I realize that it's rather short notice, but I was hoping to drop by for a visit in person tomorrow," you say. "I hope that wouldn't be an imposition?"
"Murasaki shrine is open at all times, Miss Vee," Saki says, gentle amusement colouring her tone. "It is our duty. Magical girls are welcome too, as long as you abide by the peace."
"Ah, that's a relief," you say. "Are there any better or worse times?"
"We aren't hosting any ceremonies beyond the routine tomorrow, so no," Saki says. "Thank you for the consideration, but truly, any time is acceptable."
"In that case, I'll most likely drop by mid-afternoon? There's a possibility of later afternoon, depending on how things go elsewhere," you say, because it's just polite. Even if any time is acceptable, some times are preferred, and scheduling ahead just seems the right thing to do.
"Then we will look forward to seeing you," Saki says. "Until we meet in person, then?"
"Until tomorrow!" you say.
And that ends the call, as you turn your attention to Mami - she still has that slightly distant look on her face that tells you she's also holding her own telepathic conversation, presumably with Rin. You take that opportunity to pay for the tray of cakes, the cashier cheerfully providing you with an insulated box and a slab of dry ice to keep the cake chilled when you mention you'll be bringing them cross-country.
You'll be sticking it in the fridge back home rather than heading to Kyoto right this moment, of course, making that dry ice unnecessary, but by the time it comes up, they're already halfway through packing it up. So you just thank him, and head out of the shop, box balanced carefully on one arm with a bit of Grief to make doubly sure.
"Miss Mori's willing to work with us," Mami reports as you step outside. "She did sound a little reluctant to work on something experimental, but money is money, I suppose."
"Ah, hrm," you say, frowning thoughtfully. "Might be a bit of a personality clash, then, given Niko's... everything. Nadia sends her regards, by the way."
"Kazumi would try to keep the peace, but..." Mami grins ruefully. "I think she should be a second choice."
"Fair enough," you say. "So... Yuma, and-or the Murasaki shrine maidens, if they're willing."
"That sounds like a plan," Mami says, and beams. "Now, did you mention that you had more shopping in mind?"
"Just some bits and bobs and snacks, and maybe groceries?" you say. "Just... while we're out here, you know."
"I'm not going to complain in the slightest," Mami says, amused. "Lead on, Sabrina."
[x] Heading out to speak to the Iowa girls
- [] Do you have any specific talking points?
- [] Any specific approach to start with?
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
[X] Make some purchases
-[X] Get the cake for Kagoshima
-[X] Snacks and drinks for the upcoming trips
-[X] Picture frames to bring home and a camera
-[X] A gift for Nagisa and Mr Momoe?
-[X] A perch for Mugin
[X] Visit the Iowa group leader
[X] While we're there, we should chat with Yuki if she's available
-[X] Pick Yuki's brain about how to build our eventual moon colony (our ulterior motives may involve dates with Mami on the moon)
-[X] H-hugs?
=====
So! Let's get back to it. The next update will bring you through the rest of the shopping trip and off to Fukushima. As a reminder, since it's been a while: the leader of the Iowa group, one First-Name-Unknown Parró, asked to speak to you. You turned her down on your first trip through Fukushima, but decided to speak to her after lunch, which would be now. You don't know why she wants to speak to you, but if you've got any specific approach you want to take with her, now's the time to set the opening act.
[x] gib dino
[X] Parro is almost certainly doing this meeting in bad faith, aiming to exploit your "naivete". It seems very unlikely that she's had any kind of genuine change of heart so quickly.
-[X] Nonetheless, you'll meet with her - more to establish a precedent for prisoner's rights than for her own sake.
-[X] Take precautions - create a grief body to pilot for the conversation, leave your soul gem out of Parro's vicinity.
[X] During the talk:
-[X] You're trying to set things up to a point where a semi-functioning legal system can exist.
--[X] Once it does, her and her colleagues will go through it. You're aiming for rehabilitative justice.
-[X] We are hearing her out as a courtesy, and she should not waste our time.
--[X] Anything she wants to say to us any time soon, should be said now, because she likely won't get another chance before her trial. You are busy.
[X] Don't leave without talking to Yuki about setting up the Warehouse-kun science lab and stopping by to talk to Anri.
-[X] Subjects for Anri: De-witching progress, Yuuri's Grief Seed, Body Manufacture, Evil Nuts Asunaro Almonds.
It's a short roofhop from there to the shopping center, the pastries carefully enfolded in Grief and tucked away in hammerspace for safekeeping. You have your mental shopping list, of course, but you're not in any particular hurry at the moment - other than checking in with Yuki and Parro and Anri, you're waiting for school to end.
You also need to track down Kyouko and Yuma, to see how they're doing and to bring up the idea of getting Yuma enrolled in school, but that's something you can't rush. You've been giving Kyouko the space she needs to decompress, you hope - you get the impression she's been pushing herself, and you don't want to add to that. At the very least, you'll probably see them tonight.
So for now: shopping!
Mami takes your hand as you head into the hubbub of Shimachi shopping center, your step purposeful. It's crowded even at this hour, the customers shading towards the older, a gamut of humanity from university students and older. Not to say that you and Mami are totally out of place, of course, here and there, you see a few middle-schoolers, loners and pack hunters both, so you don't get as many odd looks as you did while on the streets.
Your first stop is the department store, Mami giving you a curious look as you make for it.
"Picture frames!" you say. "And maybe a camera? It'd be nice to have a record of our shenanigans."
"That sounds... wonderful, Sabrina," Mami says. There's a hitch in her voice, her eyes wide and terribly vulnerable.
You squeeze her hand gently. You get it.
Still, she recovers soon enough, the two of you spending more than a few minutes lingering by the display racks of photo frames as you both try to figure out which ones would look better at home. Ultimately, you load five of them into your shopping basket, resolving to come back for more when you fill them up.
"There's a photography shop on the other side of the shopping centre," Mami observes as you look over the rather paltry selection of cameras available.
"... yeah, let's make a stop there instead," you agree, shaking your head and starting off towards the counter. "I'm not getting disposable cameras."
"Your phone does have a camera, you know," Mami says, amused as she hooks her arm through yours.
"Bah, phone cameras," you grumble, wrinkling your nose.
"Oh?" Mami asks, amused grin now joined by an amused eyebrow.
"The quality isn't there yet, unless you pay way, way more than I would have been willing to ask you to pay," you say, and fake a shiver. "Also, printing digital photos sucks, especially if you want to do it yourself. Quality photo printers are just... way too expensive."
"Alright, alright," she says, giggling fondly. "I suppose that makes sense."
"Damn right it does," you say, beaming back at her. "Oh, and before I forget, I want to get a perch for Mugin."
"Maybe a nestbox as well?" Mami suggests. "And... mm, I think we might want a few new towels while we're here, actually. Since Kyouko and Yuma are staying with us."
"Good idea," you agree.
You settle into a comfortable rhythm with Mami, picking up the odds and ends that make a household work with ease. You don't need shampoo, but you might as well pick it up while you're here. Body wash, too, and as Mami grabs the herbal scented brand Kyouko apparently prefers, she offers to let you have one you don't have to share with her. But truth be told, you sort of like it, so Mami just gets an extra large instead with a blushing smile.
You do grab that perch, of course, and the supermarket's your next stop, grabbing groceries and snacks for the trips ahead. The groceries you'll drop off back home before heading out, you figure, and if not, it'll all keep in hammerspace. You also pick up a good-sized wedge of nice parmesan and some mandarins for Mr Momoe and Nagisa - the latter isn't exactly a conventional gift, but you're sure Nagisa at least will enjoy it.
And your last stop is the photography shop, Mami insisting on getting a decent, mid-range camera -"If we're going to be taking pictures to put up at home, it'll be worth it!"- and you can't really find a reason to argue against her. You also pick up chemicals for developing film, as well as photo paper and fixing chemicals for enlarging the negatives to actual photos, the store proprietor seeming to assume you're doing it for a school photography club when you inform him you don't need the actual equipment, just the chemicals.
You're planning to cheat outrageously with Grief and hammerspace, of course. Who needs a darkroom when you have a perfectly good void tucked away within your soul?
Just as you're about to leave the shopping center, however, that one plush toy shop catches your eye again, and you come to a halt, staring at that same giant brontosaurus plush in the display window. It stares back at you with fathomless eyes of featureless black void, the pastel green of its plush exterior promising untold softness.
Mami tracks your gaze to the plushie, and giggles. Both your hands are full of bags -which you're going to tuck away into hammerspace as soon as you're not in sight of so many people- so she bumps your shoulder instead, a smile dancing on her lips.
"Are you sure, Sabrina~?" she asks, voice lilting playfully as she echoes the very same question she'd asked the last time you were here.
"... no, I'm not," you say, not looking away from the plush. It's strangely compelling, for some reason.
"Well, I still wouldn't mind buying it for you," she says. She lowers her voice, a slight blush stealing across her face. "But it might be a bit of a tight fit on the bed."
"Yeah, that's true..." you say.
"But it could sit in the bedroom, anyway," Mami says encouragingly. "And it does look nice."
"... do you really think it's OK?" you say.
"Of course it is," Mami says, her voice strengthening. "We do have more than enough to afford it, even leaving aside the funds you acquired."
"Mm..." you say.
Mami shifts the groceries to one hand, ignoring the way the bags bulge out in excess of what an ordinary schoolgirl should be able to carry on one arm, and gently rests her freed hand on your upper arm.
"What's wrong, Sabrina?" she asks softly.
"Well... aside from a weird feeling of impending doom about the plush, which I think has no actual basis in reality, it feels... weird spending so much money on something like this," you admit. "Which probably isn't rational, but you know."
Mami frowns slightly, her fingers stroking gently against your arm.
"Are you sure about the feeling of impending doom?" she asks.
"... I'm reasonably sure, but do tell me if you spot a particularly fluffy dragon-girl with a scythe?" you say hesitantly. "Or a giant spider? Or if Kirika tries to steal the plush?"
"I've always thought that a tarantula might make a nice pet," Mami says lightly, squeezing your arm. "I'll keep an eye out. But if you're sure about that, then..."
She thrusts her other hand at you, raising an imperious eyebrow until you accept the rest of the groceries. The plastic bags creak awkwardly as you squeeze them into your own overladen grip, and then you watch as she marches into the shop and begins a conversation with the cashier.
A few minutes later, Mami marches back out of the store, dinosaur plushie tucked under her arm and a smile on her face.
"There we go," Mami says happily, beaming at you. "Now let's go drop all this back home."
You can't help but laugh, helplessly fond and grateful and vaguely guilty, all at once. Mami studies your face for a moment, then smiles.
"It's my right to spoil you silly, Sabrina," she says. "Even if you're reluctant to do nice things for yourself. It's the least you deserve. Alright?"
"... alright," you say, ducking your head with a blush. There's something nice about how matter-of-fact Mami makes it.
For some reason, though, Mami winds up carrying the plushie in her arms all the way home, sneaking the occasional, smugly amused look at you, even after you make it out of to the rooftops and banish all the shopping bags into hammerspace. Still, that leaves you free to wrap your arms around Mami's shoulders you fly the both of you home to tidy away all your purchases, the dino taking pride of place in the center of your bedroom, there to await until you return properly. With that done, you prepare to head out, only for a familiar caw to interrupt you.
You blink in surprise as Mugin soars in through the open window, settling on Mami's shoulder.
"... well," Mami says, stifling a giggle. "We did just get him a new perch."
"That's true!" you say, stepping back in to the living room and patting the perch, pulling out a bit of birdseed with your free hand. "Here, Mugin? Sorry, we're heading out again soon, but at least you've got this nice perch?"
You spend a minute coaxing the crow off Mami's shoulder and over to the perch, set up so he doesn't have to claw over the sofa. And while you're at it, you make a little nest for him out of a basket and a spare handtowel, set on the mended glass of the table. But just as you turn to unlock the door, Mugin scrambles after you, claws clattering over the flaw and squawking frantically.
"We're going out, Mugin," you say.
"Brawwwwk," Mugin says reproachfully.
You exchange a look with Mami.
"... I don't see why not?" Mami says. "We'll have to keep an eye out and make sure he doesn't get lost, is all."
"Well, I suppose we don't want him to get too lonely," you muse, bending down to offer him your hand, and snickering as he proceeds to flutter up to your shoulder instead. "How about it, Mugin? Trip to Fukushima?"
"Caw," Mugin says, butting his head against yours.
"I can't argue with that," Mami says gravely, giving you an amused look. "And I suppose it can't do any harm, can it?"
"I suppose not," you say, smiling. "Alright, let's go, Mugin."
Once more unto the rooftops of Mitakihara - and this time, you take flight, Mami's ribbon wings blossoming in bright mirror of yours and lent a touch of propulsion from you. Mugin settles gamely into flight at your other wingtip after a moment of confusion that's evident even in avian body language. You savour the trip across Mitakihara, the city glittering under the early afternoon sun and Mami at your side as you make your way west once more.
Still, it's not a long flight, and your boots are all too soon scraping over the sandy yard in front of Warehouse-kun, Mugin gliding in for a landing on your proffered arm, then scrambling up to your shoulder.
"Beam us up, Scotty!" you say cheerfully to Yuki as you step into the confines of the warehouse, including Mami in the telepathic call.
Her answering sigh comes through loud and clear, tinged with amusement, even as you feel her attention settle upon you, the sense of her magic awakening from the structure around you.
"Good afternoon, Miss Sabrina," she says drily. "Miss Tomoe. The two of you, and... a bird?"
"Congratulations!" you say brightly. "And yes, Mugin wanted to come along. I think he's tired of us disappearing on him for half the day. Don't worry, he's house-trained."
"Ah, your pet," Yuki says. "Brace yourselves, please."
She gives you a moment to do so, and with that jarring, gut-churning tearaway of reality, your surroundings are abruptly different. Bare metal girders and walls are replaced with pastel-green wallpaper, thin light filtering through grimy ceiling windows with warm afternoon sunlight through lovingly cleaned floor-to-ceiling windows, and bare ground with a furnished living room. A different one from the one you'd seen last time, even.
Mugin startles, feathers ruffling up as he caws in surprise. You reach up to soothe him with one hand, stroking his back gently.
Yuki stands before you, head tilted back to meet your eyes a faint smile on her face, and sprawled out on the sofa behind her is Shinobu's bulky form. Shinobu raises a hand, waving at you with a friendly smile, then returns her attention to the television, which is playing an anime you don't recognize. Some shounen, by the looks of it?
"Hello again, Miss Sabrina, Miss Tomoe," Yuki says, nodding at you.
"Hey!" you say, smiling. "Hope we're not interrupting?"
"Not at all," Yuki says.
"But I do owe Yuki a thousand yen now," Shinobu adds. "My guess was Anywhere Door."
"... whoops?" you say.
"'Beam me up, Scotty', is rather more distinctive of the sort of general... action," Yuki says, amused. "Besides, Miss Sabrina seems the sort."
"I am something a nerd, yes," you say cheerfully. "Anyway, I won't interrupt you for too long, hopefully, so..."
"I'll show you the way," Yuki says, inclining her head. "Miss Tomoe, will you be accompanying Miss Sabrina?"
"Mm... I believe not," Mami says, sending you a swift smile. "I apologize for imposing on your hospitality, but I hope you understand that I thought it best that I be nearby while Sabrina speaks to our prisoners, just in case."
"Eminently sensible," Yuki agrees. "And it is no imposition at all."
"Er... actually, it'll be the both of us," you say. "I'm not intending to go in there in person, just in case it's a trap or some kind of trick."
"Oh?" Mami says.
"I'm going to go in there with, uh, a proxy body," you say. "So, uh, I second Mami's apology for intruding on your rest time, Miss Tsuruya, Miss Nanami."
"Nonsense," Yuki says. "If anything, you're doing us a favour - Parró has refused to speak to me any further than requesting a meeting with you, and frankly, it would set my mind at ease to know a little more of who I'm playing warden to. So please, take all the precautions you like - I do not believe she will do anything, but it doesn't hurt to be sure."
"... yeah, that's... fair," you say. "So, er, I just need a place to sit."
"Feel free!" Shinobu says, waving to the vacant sofa seats. "We were just watching stuff, anyway. D'you like Justice Psi?"
"I've never watched it before," you admit, glancing at Mami.
"Oh, you're missing out," Shinobu says cheerfully. "Anyway, sit, sit!"
You share a quiet smile with Mami as you sit down, that twist of relief and gratitude in her eyes a balm to you as Mami coaxes Mugin down off your shoulder to sit on the sofa and you focus inwards - you're not going to create a proper remote body which just... works, like your chibi body, so this requires a little more thought than simply letting your magic guide your hand.
This will be more of art than science.
You let the polite chatter and the semi-formal rituals of hospitality and the sensation of Mami's arm around your waist wash over you as you focus, thinking, and visualizing yourself. A frown creeps across your face, as you set to the work of imagining every single feature of an entire human body from the ground up. The one good thing, you register in some remote corner of your brain, is that your costume covers most of your skin, so you don't have to deal with much subsurface scattering and skin translucency. Getting your face right, though... you sort of wish you had a mirror right this moment, but tracing your skin with nanofog will have to do.
Grief pools on the floor behind the sofa, built up layer by painstaking layer. Boots, pants, your legs and pelvis and torso just so, your arms, your coat, ugh, shoulders are such bizarrely complex joints, then... your face, and your hair. Eyes. Your Soul Gem badge deliberately left empty, just a gold setting without the Gem. Both to make a point, and because you know there's a depth, a weight to real Soul Gems you can't possibly imitate. Color it all with subwavelength nanostructured Grief, tune the translucency...
You let out a breath, and you make your proxy do the same. Breathing, heartbeat... all things to keep in mind, because you're running it all manually. Ugh. The only reason you're not just using a Witchy proxy is because you want to actually talk to Parró, not spook her by sitting an apparent Witch down in front of her.
"Well?" you make your proxy say.
The conversation dies. Mami glances backwards... and flinches.
It's enough to make you open your eyes, looking to Mami with concern. You find her looking at your proxy with a distinctly unnerved on her face, her gaze darting back to you and relaxing. You take her hand, smiling despite the concentration you're focusing on actually keeping the proxy animated.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see Yuki get to her feet and walk over to inspect your proxy closely, and you turn its head to track her, smiling with its lips and raising its eyebrows as she circles it.
"Braawk," Mugin says, apparently unimpressed with your feat of self-duplication.
"It's, ah, a bit uncanny," Mami says, determinedly keeping her attention on you. "It looks like you, but I can tell it's not."
"Ah," you say. "But... it looks properly human? I'm not using, y'know, Witchy magic."
You hop your proxy lightly on its feet, wagging its head from side-to-side as you check whether the physics on the hair and flesh look right.
Mami blinks, her eyes tracking your proxy for a second.
"I, ah- I think so?" Mami says. "Yes, I think it looks alright."
"I'm inclined to agree," Yuki says, stepping back. "Perfectly life-like, and unless someone somehow knows you far better than Parró might, they'd have no reason to think anything amiss."
Shinobu snickers.
"More literal bodybuilding than I like to do," she observes, raising a lazy thumbs up. "But it looks good to me."
"Great," you say, smiling. "Then this'll do."
"Could you show me the way, Miss Tsuruya?" you have your proxy ask.
"Of course," Yuki says. "This way, if you please."
You settle back on the sofa, nestling into Mami's hug. Mami squeezes you gently in turn, some tension leaving her body as you walk the proxy out of the room, following Yuki.
"I've got this, Mami," you tell her, your eyes squeezed shut. "And really, it's just to be safe."
"I know," she says back. "It's just, ah... weird."
"Well, you know how it is. Every magical girl anime has a doppelganger episode," Shinobu says, nodding sagely. "Just so happens that the script got flipped this time."
You snicker, and let that conversation fade away as you turn your focus to your proxy, making sure that the gait feels right, the arms swing properly, that the eyes track around, and every damn individual strand of hair... it's actually not that bad, now that you've got the hang of it. You'd probably have had an easier time of it if you didn't try and figure it all out on the spot, really, but still - you feel like you should probably do Parró the courtesy of giving her most of your attention.
"By the way, Miss Tsuruya," you say through your proxy. "It occurs to me to ask - is there anything else you can tell me?"
"She has been a... model prisoner," Yuki allows. "And she seems glad that the rest of her group have been treated well - I do allow them to mingle. It would be cruel not to."
"Yeah, I agree," you say, rubbing your chin, and sigh. "Well. If it isn't too much more of an imposition, I might want to speak to Miss Airi as well afterwards - I feel like she'd want updates. I'll see how it goes."
"Of course," Yuki says. "Up the stairs here."
Yuki leads you up the stairs, the diminutive girl taking two steps at a time, and brings you to yet another of the nondescript office doors. If it weren't for her leading you, you could easily get lost in her building, which you suspect might very well be the point.
"Just through this door," Yuki says, pulling said door open to expose an empty void. She purses her lips. "If you need your puppet extracted in a hurry, or some such, please just let me know."
"I will," you say, nodding. "Thank you."
You take a deep, bracing breath, one you mirror with your real body, and step the proxy into the void, the surface rippling like the surface of a still pond, and with that jarring sense of discontinuity, you're within.
The room looks similar to Anri's - a perfectly pleasant bedroom, or perhaps a hotel room, with flower-patterned wallpaper, a comfortable-looking bed with rumpled sheets, a small table, and curtains half-open to a view over Fukushima city. There's a closed door which leads, presumably, to the bathroom, and a bookshelf stocked with a few books in English.
"Ah, my illustrious captor makes an appearance!"
The girl -young woman, really- springs to her feet and sweeps into a florid bow, miming taking her non-existent hat off.
This is the first time you've seen Parró properly since her capture. Older than you, with lime-green, gradient-shaded hair cut short and a wiry, whipcord-thin figure, currently dressed in a plain black blouse and skirt. She doesn't look like she's changed much, physically, but then, it's only been a few days.
You don't miss the way her eyes linger on your lack of Soul Gem for a heartbeat as she straightens up.
"But I forget my manners! Angela Parró, at your service, Miss Sabrina Vee!" she continues smoothly in English, bright and chipper.
... the last time you'd been face-to-face with her, that flinty obsidian gaze had been filled with hate and fury. Understandable, given the circumstances of her crushing defeat and capture at your hands. Significantly less so in the face of the murders she'd committed to get to where she was this day.
Oh, you still don't know for sure whether she killed anyone personally, whether she's smashed Soul Gems or cut throats. You're certain she has, but you have no evidence beyond gut feeling.
And that matters not at all.
Because what you know she has done is rob and pressure and starve. A death of a thousand cuts, of the kind inflicted by the worst of humanity. The type that they don't even have to look at, the type that someone can pretend happened 'of natural causes' as they ignore the events that led to those causes, inflicted over and over again - what she'd been intending to do in Myanmar, that you'd stopped her from.
You sigh lightly.
"What do you want, Miss Parró?" you ask, responding in English.
"Well... I wanted to apologise, first of all. I'm really sorry about attacking your friends in Myanmar. It wasn't personal, and... we didn't know," she says. "And I wanted to look you in the eye. I've heard you're quite the hero. Not that you didn't put up quite the show when we fought, but I wanted to take your measure in a friendlier scenario."
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
[X] During the talk:
-[X] You're trying to set things up to a point where a semi-functioning legal system can exist.
--[X] Once it does, her and her colleagues will go through it. You're aiming for rehabilitative justice.
-[X] We are hearing her out as a courtesy, and she should not waste our time.
--[X] Anything she wants to say to us any time soon, should be said now, because she likely won't get another chance before her trial. You are busy.
[X] Don't leave without talking to Yuki about setting up the Warehouse-kun science lab and stopping by to talk to Anri.
-[X] Subjects for Anri: De-witching progress, Yuuri's Grief Seed, Body Manufacture, Evil Nuts Asunaro Almonds.
=====
Good grief, this update wound up being bigger than the usual, so I decided to break it here. Anyway! Vote isn't really necessary, but it's an opportunity to refine your approach if you so choose!
I should be updating again this weekend, but expect no update for the week after (29th/30th of June).
[x] Interesting. You mind telling me what you think happened? I'll tell you my perspective after.
[X] During the talk:
-[X] You're trying to set things up to a point where a semi-functioning legal system can exist.
--[X] Once it does, her and her colleagues will go through it. You're aiming for rehabilitative justice.
-[X] We are hearing her out as a courtesy, and she should not waste our time.
--[X] Anything she wants to say to us any time soon, should be said now, because she likely won't get another chance before her trial. You are busy.
[X] Don't leave without talking to Yuki about setting up the Warehouse-kun science lab and stopping by to talk to Anri.
-[X] Subjects for Anri: De-witching progress, Yuuri's Grief Seed, Body Manufacture, Evil Nuts Asunaro Almonds.
Ta Kaung Chien and her sisters, over in Myanmar, weren't your friends - maybe not at the time, or maybe just not your friends at all. You'd come in to their lives at one heck of a low point, and you'd saved them, then you'd let them be. You stand by that decision, still - sometimes, you're not the right person to help. Sometimes, the best way to help someone is to let them have their space. They had each other, and you were an intruder at best.
Still, that's besides the point. They weren't your friends at the time, and you stepped in because it was the right thing to do.
You let yourself grimace with your real face, leaning into Mami's side, even as you keep your proxy's face smiling pleasantly, neutral and inoffensive.
And... surely Parró knows that. They'd been doing their homework, after all, spying on you from afar and drawing your attention. It's possible that they just didn't find out as much as you thought they did that much, and made a few guesses. The speed of your response, and your instant presence in Myanmar certainly could look like personal investment, but it's equally possible that she's perfectly aware, and working some ploy.
Or being magically influenced, some especially paranoid part of you whispers.
Or she's trying to flirt flatter her way into your good graces, some even more paranoid part of you adds. But then again, that's just another possible ploy she could be running.
You give her a neutral, noncommittal smile, gesturing at the little study desk in the room. Just the one chair, but that's not a problem.
"Why don't we sit down?" you suggest. "I think we've got a number of things to sort through."
Parró nods, that chipper smile unwavering on her face. She looks a little strained, at best, which... is evidence for nothing much more than being stressed. Which, regardless of what might be running through her mind, is pretty much the only reasonable reaction. You'd be more suspicious if someone speaking to their captor wasn't stressed.
"So," you say as you seat yourself opposite her, folding Grief out of thin air to sit on. "Miss Parró. Would you mind telling me what you think happened? I'll tell you my perspective after that."
"Of course, of course," she says, her voice still that same easy drawl. "Well, there we were, me and my girls, hanging out after another hunt. Now, we'd heard rumours of your deeds, and we were interested in recruiting your fine self, so I had Amy take a look at your town while we had the time."
"Uh huh," you say neutrally, gesturing for her to continue. After a 'hunt', she says. Euphemism or just bald-faced lie, and neither option you find palatable. "And why were you in Myanmar for your hunt specifically?"
"Because I have a ship," Parró says. "Traveling is what I do. And isn't my Iowa beautiful?"
"It's a lovely ship, yes," you say neutrally. There's a glimmer of real pride in the way she says that, a look of genuine joy you don't think is faked.
"And then..." Parró snaps her fingers. "There you were, right on top of us! Flattened us in seconds, which let me tell you, is no small feat. We're all veterans." She laughs lightly. "And... I gotta apologize for trying to grab them as hostages. And for my actions when you captured us. It's not like we knew much what was going to happen, you know? Desperation."
"You tried to kill Ta Kaung Chien out of desperation?" you ask mildly. You remember, of course. Taking hostages as a desperate last ploy, gun to their Gems. Maybe they'd been bluffing.
Maybe.
"Is that her name?" Parró asks. "I'm bad with these foreign names."
Somehow, you doubt it.
"Mmm," you say neutrally. "Well. From my point of view, I'd heard you and your gang were nasty pieces of work. And we found you lording it over the local girls, who were half-starved and badly traumatized. I don't suppose you know anything about that?"
You stare at her in silence, your proxy unblinking.
"Ah, fuck this," she mutters, smile and drawl both draining away. The expression she levels at you is one of flat calculation, her eyes flickering momentarily to the empty Soul Gem mount on your proxy's chest. "Guess we're both sick of the foreplay. What do you want?"
"Honestly, I should be asking you that," you say evenly, not letting the sudden change of gears faze you. "You're the one who wanted to see me, no? So I'm here as a courtesy to you, and I'd appreciate you not wasting any more of my time."
Parró flattens her lips together.
"Well, forgive me for wanting to talk to someone actually in charge instead of a lackey," Parró says.
"You're very wrong about that, but frankly, it's besides the point. If you really want, it's something that I don't mind telling you about later," you say, sighing. "But you know what, you still haven't answered the question. What do you want?"
"Hah." Her laugh is dry and unamused. "As if that's not obvious. I want my freedom back. And I'm wanting to know what it'll take to buy it."
You purse your lips, giving her a long, long look. One of the few girls you've met who's taller than you, but not by much - and with the way she leans forward in her chair, elbows braced on the table, you don't have to tilt your head back to meet her gaze. There is, perhaps, a hint of unease beneath that confidence.
"I... look. Do you even know why we stopped you?" you ask.
"Is this about your friends there in Myanmar?" Parró asks. "I'll apologise for that. I'll apologise to them, too, if that's what you want."
"They're not my friends," you say softly. "I didn't know them at all before you scryed on us."
"Huh. Really playing into that white knight rep of yours, then. Good schtick, not my thing," she says, raising an eyebrow, then shaking her head. "Well, whatever. I applaud playing hardball, but let's not kid ourselves here. You need me. You need my girls."
"Do I?" you say.
"Now who's wasting time?" Parró asks, rolling her eyes. "No way in hell anybody bothers keeping girls they beat alive unless there's a reason for it. Which... let me guess. You need kneebreakers. We go kick some faces in, and then you swoop in and rescue them? Classic two-person scam."
"No, not at all," you say. "I'm not running any kind of scam. The reason I stopped you is because fucking hell you needed to be stopped."
You glare at her, and something in your gaze makes her rock back, just a little bit.
"I just..." you gesture at yourself, a rough jab to the chest. "Seriously, the answer's right in front of you. I'm hearing you out because I think hearing you out would be the right thing to do. I stopped you because taking people hostage and grinding them to death isn't right."
Parró gives you a heavy, lidded look.
"And what do you want me to do?" she asks. "Kiss your feet for your great and glorious generosity? Praise the sun shining out of your ass? Because let me tell you, Sabrina, the real world doesn't work like that."
"Man, I kind of hate that phrase," you say with a snort, and spread your arms. "'The real world'. I mean, is this not the real world?"
Some extremely pedantic part of yourself feels the urge to point out that this room, within the aegis of Yuki's power, might not in fact be the real world, but that's entirely besides the point.
"You've got the upper hand for now, girl. But that's not going to last forever," Parró says, her expression dark. "It's about leverage and control. You got the drop on us, but that's not going to last forever. You need a stick to your carrot if you're gonna build your new world order."
"... really?" you say, raising an eyebrow. "I mean. The carrot is free cleansing. The stick is... not having free cleansing. It's not that complicated."
"Ah, sure, you'll starve people to death," Parró says, snorting. "That's why you're keeping us alive. And so generous! I don't think my Soul Gem's been so consistently clean in months. Your new world order'll run nicely right up until you run into someone big enough to just take what you've got and ignore you."
"Mm," you say. "Not entirely wrong in generalities, but your assumptions are just wrong. But frankly, I doubt you're actually interested in debating policy with me. And I... have no interest in this frankly boring social Darwinist bullshit."
You exhale sharply, interlacing your proxy's fingers on the table before you.
"So. Here's what's going to happen," you say. "My friends and I are working on getting an actual functional legal system going. It might take some time, but once we're done, you and your team are going through it. Don't worry for your lives, though. I don't believe in the death penalty, and we're aiming for rehabilitative justice, not punitive."
"A legal system?" Parró stares at you for a long, long moment, then begins to laugh. Derisive, ugly peals of laughter that end with tears in her eyes and her fist pounding against the table, leaving cracks in the wood.
You would be insulted, but well. You are proposing something essentially unheard of. And more than that...
You don't actually have to convince her of anything here and now, do you? The proof is in the pudding, after all, and ultimately... ultimately, you might still play some active part in rehabilitating them. And then again, maybe not. You'll definitely need a mental health professional or two on the job, and it might be best to be on hand for at least the initial meetings, just in case.
Fix everything, Madoka had Wished. And you will. But do you have to do anything now?
You find yourself smiling. It's... actually sort of refreshing. You don't have to try and convert her to your side, seemingly unrepentant as she is. Which you suppose, on an intellectual level, you sort of understand. They did what they had to, to survive, and the human mind is quick to wallpaper over little things like that. Nobody likes thinking too hard about the unpleasant deeds they've hardened themselves against, after all.
Still.
Thoughts for later. Do you really have to anything right now?
You continue to smile as her laughter fades away, unease creeping in at your lack of concern. Even so, she grins at you.
"The world doesn't work like that for us, girl," she says. "And all I gotta do is wait until things fall apart, until your guard slips, and I'll be out again. And you better watch your back when that day comes."
[] Nah. You don't have to do anything right now. Go talk to Anri.
[] Actually...
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
So! Reminder that I won't be updating this coming weekend. Next update will be the week after, hopefully!
[X] Nah. You don't have to do anything right now. Go talk to Anri.
You find your mood... undaunted, in the wake of Parró's laughter and condescension. It's not that you don't care about her, because you do want to help her. You do want to help her see a better way, a better future. To give her hope.
But you don't feel the pressure to do so right this instant. It's not like she's sobbing in your arms, on the verge of a breakdown, after all - you can sense her Soul Gem, tucked away and hidden by virtue of Yuki's magic, and she's nowhere near anything you'd consider distressed. She's angry, yes. Worried, yes. But distressed? No.
Caught up in her own interests, her own perspective, her own justifications, and unwilling to let go of any of them lest her worldview crumble and leave her with nothing. Most people are similar, you suppose, but the mindset of a raider isn't something you can tolerate.
And you're working on it. You have plans in motion. Longer term than anything you usually do, but then again, you've only had a few weeks on this world, the first few of which were frantically stabilizing things. Now, you have actual plans, friends working with you, people who believe in your cause. So you're not abandoning Parró or her gang, just... acknowledging that she's a longer term issue.
And that's fine.
You don't have to solve everything now now now.
Parró's ugly smirk slips as you stand, carefully pushing the chair back.
"There's... a whole lot of things I could say to you," you admit. "But I... I'll let my actions speak for themselves."
"Wait-" Parró begins, but you cut her off with a sharp gesture.
You smile, gentle but unyielding.
"Things can be better, Miss Parró," you say. "And they will be. I hope you'll see that someday soon, and... in the meantime, I'm expecting to be pretty busy. If you've got anything substantial to tell me, I might take a message. So. Until next time, then."
You let your proxy dissolve, faux-flesh melting into Grief and sloughing off, layer after layer discolouring into abyssal purple and vanishing, slipping away through the vents. And if you take the slightest bit of guilty pleasure in watching the way Parró jerks in shock, well... you're allowed to be a little petty, leaving your Grief eyeballs and a ghostly impression of a grin the last thing to unravel.
"How did it go, Sabrina?" Mami asks, noticing your attention as she somehow always does.
"Caw," Mugin adds, hopping over from the back of the sofa to your shoulder and trying to preen your hair.
"A bit of a waste of time, but also a bit of an epiphany for me?" you say. You roll your shoulders, careful not to dislodge Mugin, and settle back into the softness of the sofa. "So that's nice. Careful, Mugin, I don't actually have feathers."
"Oh?" Mami asks, pressing a cup of tea into your hands.
"Yeah... ah, before I explain, were you listening in, Miss Tsuruya?" you ask Yuki, smiling quickly at Mami as you take a sip.
She shakes her head, tugging lightly on her...
Huh. You've never seen her hair out of that tight ponytail before. But now she has it loose and splayed out over Shinobu's lap in an enormous purple sheet, the much larger girl slowly weaving it into a braid with delicate, careful fingers. Even so, Yuki's eyes are fixed on you, alert and watchful.
"Merely the lightest touch of attention to ensure nothing was amiss, Miss Vee," Yuki says. "It seemed to be the thing to do."
"Right, yeah," you say. "So... frankly, she's kind of an ass. Just... completely unrepentant, and trying to convince me something about how it's a nasty world out there and about us needing her services in a good cop, bad cop way or something, otherwise there's no reason to keep her alive."
"That has the ring of something she convinced herself of," Yuki observes.
"Agreed," Mami says, sighing lightly. "I've certainly heard... things in that spirit, before."
"Because if she's wrong about that, then the things she's done using that justification were also wrong," you say with a sigh echoing Mami's. "Yeah. It's not that I don't understand it, I just think it's... sad, really. It's what I want to fight, but still."
"We'll get there someday, Sabrina," Mami promises, her hand closing on yours and squeezing gently.
"We will," you say, squeezing back and turning face Yuki. "I'm sorry, but I'll be asking you to hold onto her longer."
"I expected as much," Yuki says, managing to look unruffled and dignified even with her hair spread out in a giant purple curtain, slowly being incorporated into a french braid. "It would be... quite the miracle if you'd managed to work out something within the span of a conversation."
"I feel like I should be able to, sometimes," you grumble. "But anyway. We're working on getting mental health professionals and all, so... I hope it won't be too much of an imposition."
"As we've discussed before, 'warden' is not a position I want to occupy long term, but long as progress is being made, I am satisfied," Yuki says, nodding. "So no, Miss Vee, it's no imposition."
"OK, good," you say. "Please do let me know if it starts to wear on you, though, I'll figure something out."
"I shall," Yuki says.
"What was that epiphany you mentioned, Sabrina?" Mami asks, gently leaning her weight against your shoulder.
"Oh, well... just that I don't have to tilt at every problem placed in front of me until I grind it down to rubble based on sheer attrition," you say. "And... I suppose that attitude has its point for some situations I've encountered, but I can't help but feel like there have been, ah, situations where that wasn't the right response."
"Persistence and tenacity can be useful traits," Mami offers, her eyes seeking yours.
You smile back at her reassuringly.
"It can," you say. "And I'm not abandoning that attitude, and I'm definitely not giving up in any way. Just... it's just a reminder that sometimes, I do have to take a step back from the immediate problem."
"I suppose that is a good lesson," Mami says, chuckling softly.
"I would tend to agree," Yuki says gravely.
Shinobu snickers.
"Can't imagine why you'd say that, Yuki," she says.
"Shush, Shinobu," Yuki says. "Now, Miss Vee, did you still want to speak to Miss Airi? Will you be taking your, ah, Grief body?"
"Yes and... yes," you say, after a thoughtful sip of tea. "How has she been, by the way?"
"Quiet," Yuki says after a moment of consideration. "She requested a laptop, which I felt reasonable to grant, especially considering that as far as we know, she has no allies who might feel beholden to come and rescue her. Beyond that, she has been focused on her own issues - she's shown no inclination to try to escape or do us harm."
"Right, that's good," you say, nodding gratefully at Yuki. Deftly done, talking around the fact that Anri's 'own issues' would happen to be Yuuri's Clear Seed, left with her.
"She hasn't been eating terribly well," Yuki notes. "But I've had a difficult time getting a list of foods she might prefer out of her."
"Alright, that's... yeah, alright," you say. "I'll see what I can figure out?"
"That would be appreciated," Yuki says, inclining her head.
With your curiosity satisfied, you take a minute to form a proxy body once more - with your Soul Gem, this time. The proxy forms much faster this time, now that you've got it down, Grief seeming to spin out of thin air behind you in successive layers. Except...
"The Soul Gem doesn't look right, Sabrina." Mami nudges you in the side.
"... yeah, I see it," you say, half-twisted around the sofa to squint at the faux Soul Gem.
It glitters in the light, the gold frame affixed on 'your' lapel as it should be, and the silvery-white of 'your' Soul Gem built of layers of carefully nanostructured Grief. It looks like a perfectly ordinary gem, albeit of a colour no mundane gem is. But that's all it is: a perfectly ordinary gem. There's just something missing from it, some vital lustre that you have no idea how to replicate.
"... hm," you say. "I... guess I'll go without. Hopefully Miss Airi won't take that amiss."
With that decided, you settle back into Mami's side, leaning against her and tuning the conversation out as it returns to more mundane topics - Mami and Shinobu swapping baking tips, of all things, while Yuki looks patiently amused, submitting her hair once more to Shinobu's ministrations.
It's another short trip down the corridors, the door swinging open ahead of your hand once more in an odd wave of deja vu, and you step through that little dislocation and into Anri's room. It looks much the same as it did previously: a discarded pile of clothes, now pushed into the corner, and rumpled bedsheets on that bed you can see past the little study table, which is admittedly new, along with a little potted fern sitting by the window.
Anri herself, in all her twin-tailed glory, is sitting at the laptop, clicking desultorily away with Yuuri's Clear Seed cradled in her left hand. She's sitting on that same plush chair you'd noticed last time, now pulled up to the table, half-slouched into the cushion. Her eyes flick up to you as you step into the room, staring blankly at you for a moment before her brain engages.
"Oh. You," she says dully.
"Good afternoon, Miss Airi," you say, toeing off your boots and pulling off a bit of Grief to sit on. "How are you?"
She sighs.
"Still stuck in here, as you can see," she says drily. "What do you want?"
Argh. I hate to do this, but this is yet another update cut short - my energy is rapidly running out, and I don't want to leave PMAS dry for three weeks. That said, this is an opportunity to refine your approach and topics, if you decide to, if not, I'll just take the original ideas and run with it.
"I..." You dither for a moment. You could go into all the update stuff you had on your mind, to keep her up to speed on what's happening in Asunaro and to ask her if she's managed anything with the original Yuuri's Clear Seed.
You toss all that out. For the moment, at least, that isn't important.
"I want to know how you're doing," you say, smile unwavering. You look at her, really look, and... she looks listless, if you had to describe her in a word. One hand still resting on the mouse, the other curled on the desk, her shoulders slack and expression bored.
Pile of clothes in the corner, and now that you're looking, fresh clothes hanging over the headboard of her bed, half-unfolded from what must have been a careless toss. No plates, empty, filled, or in-between, nor anything outright dirty in the room, either, which you can probably chalk up to Yuki being fastidious about that.
Listless.
"I heard you weren't eating well," you say before she can snark at you again. "What kind of foods do you prefer?"
Anri gives you a disbelieving look.
"It's a small thing," you say. "If it would make you feel better, then I'm more than willing to see what I can do."
Anger flickers across her face as she swells up, as if preparing for a rant... and then abruptly deflates, her gaze skittering off and down to the floor as the energy drains out of her.
"I've had a lot of time to think," she mutters sullenly.
... you suppose she would, yeah. Your gaze flickers to the computer - that's not a difficult connection to make either. Something to get out of her head, to distract herself from her thoughts. As vices go, it's... not too bad, you think, and it's certainly not as self-destructive as things could be.
Then again.
You carefully don't look at her left hand, curled loosely around the Clear Seed you'd left with her. Yuuri's Clear Seed, the soul of the girl she loves. And you don't know whether that's a romantic love or not, but you're comfortable saying that Wishing to become someone else after learning of their death is something in the same ballpark - and any additional details aren't yours to dig up. Not like this.
But with that Clear Seed held close...
Well.
You'd... thought that leaving it with her like that would be a good thing, especially since she would have the time to channel magic and hopefully make tangible progress, but now you find a kernel of worry working its way into your mind. And it's not like you can expect to just ask to take it away from her, either.
"... yeah, I guess so," you say. "I... maybe it rings hollow, considering I'm the one who put you here, but... I'm sorry. I wish things could have gone differently. I really do."
"Don't we all," Airi says, her eyes lowered to the Clear Seed cradled in her hand. She sighs. "Seriously, what do you want?"
"I mean, I'm here to check in on you and see how you're doing," you say. "And again, I know it might ring hollow coming from me, but I really want to know how you're doing."
"And I'm sure you can guess," Airi says, waving grandly at the confines of the room with her free hand. "It's a lovely cage."
"That's more than reasonable," you say, grimacing.
Ultimately, though... she stole a Clear Seed. And yes, maybe she thought it was Yuuri's Grief Seed, but you were clear to yourself, and to everyone else: Clear Seeds are dangerous, in the wrong hands. Unlimited magic is something you have to be careful of handing out, and knowing what Airi planned and could have done with that Clear Seed, you couldn't just let her go.
More than that, you feel like you can't just let it go. You can't just let her go. You believe in rehabilitative justice, yes, and you're still shaping out what you want that to look like. You want to get people counselling, to help people. But at the same time, you can't let people take Clear Seeds, not when you'd simply give them out if asked, not when you'd fully expect to kick off wars over them if taking them by force were on the table.
"I... is there anything I can do?" you say instead.
Her gaze snaps back to yours again, locking eyes with you as she thrusts the Seed at you.
"You tell me," she hisses. "Is there anything you can do?"
"Let's find out," you say.
You reach out to touch a finger against the Clear Seed - you don't think you can take it away from her, not with the desperate hunger on her face. You don't need to touch the Seed, either, but a gesture to show you're actually doing something, and to help you focus as you finally all your attention to fall from Airi and down to the Clear Seed of Asuka Yuuri.
Of Arzt Kochen.
You exhale.
It's not like you weren't aware of its presence, but your initial impression hadn't been promising. It looked and felt much like any other Clear Seed, that same glassy crystal in its cage of intricately detailed metal. But now you turn your attention fully towards it, examining it with your senses, both physical and magical.
There's Grief, of course, that ever-present trickle constantly seeping into every Clear Seed, but there isn't even enough to cloud the crystal yet. And at the same time, it mingles with the soft radiance of hope, of magic that hums of better days, of joy, of love. Of overwhelming delight of wobbly first steps in another's arms, of shared meals, of a spoon, traded as a good luck charm.
You turn your mind's eye away from that. It's voyeuristic, in a way, despite the fact that you know your friends' stories in equally intimate detail. Even Airi's and Yuuri's stories, once-upon-a-nevers you're not quite sure apply exactly: sourceless knowledge you've never been able to place your finger on, bubbling up from deep within you... but experiencing it like this is different, and uncomfortable.
You turn your attention to the abyssal speck of darkness at the core of the Clear Seed. To what you think of as Arzt Kochen itself, herself, the never-ending despair of a Witch mired in its own grief.
Arzt Kochen pulses beneath your gaze.
It's nothing physical, not at all. But there's something impinging faintly against what you vaguely think of as your soul-sense, a sense of attention turned your way, weak and hazy and distant, maddened and mourning and thrashing, scattered and shattered and splintered, a dizzying series of impressions ripping through your mind... and gone again. It's not the simmering despair of Hildegarde, that time you'd tried to reach out to it.
But you're not sure what this is, either.
[] What do you tell Airi?
[] Attempt to use telepathy on Arzt Kochen
[] Ask Airi to attempt telepathy on Arzt Kochen
[] Some specific experiment to try?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Alright. I'm sorry this update took so long - the week before, I had a nasty bout of stomach flu across the entire weekend and part of the week, and then that left me playing catchup last week on everything I didn't manage to. Life is life, I suppose.
But still, we're back! I'll try and keep the momentum going (he says, having said that a dozen times before >_>).
[X] "Good news! Looks like you're making progress."
-[X] Tell Anri what we sense about Arzt Kochen aside from us seeing details of her happy memories.
-[X] If Anri wants to attempt telepathy herself, spot her.
And inhale.
Just a bare handful of seconds to find that...
Well.
You don't really know, not for sure.
Just a bare handful of seconds to find that there's something in there. You're hesitant to say someone, when even thinking the name Arzt Kochen slides ghostly, sepulchral fingers down the back of your spine. But there is something in there, something sufficiently awake and aware enough to turn its attention upon you, albeit barely so. And...
You have hope.
You have hope that a Witch may be turned back into the girl she used to be. Just as you can feel Dedolere lurking at the bottom of your own soul, so too was Arzt Kochen part of Yuuri's. Maybe, just maybe, there's something there. Everything could be fixed, after all, and that's perhaps a paltry thread to hang your hopes on, but then again, Madoka made that Wish. And you believe in Madoka.
"Well?" Anri demands, impatient despite the scant few seconds you spent observing and thinking.
"Good news," you say. "It looks like you're making progress."
You see hope flare in her eyes, but then it dies again, just as quickly.
"But not enough," she concludes, her fingers curling around the Clear Seed possessively, pulling it away from you once more.
"I... sort of," you say, scrubbing your hand through your hair. "So... please remember that this is as experimental for me as it is for you. For the whole world, because I doubt anyone's been in a position to try something like this before. We're breaking new ground, and I can only speak in guesses at best."
"You still really like the sound of your own voice," Airi mutters, but the way she darts looks at the Clear Seed, then you, gives lie to her apparent indifference.
"You're not exactly giving me a lot to work with," you say mildly, then wave it off. "And it's important to qualify all this as... it's a good sign, a very good one, but I don't know for sure. I'm hopeful, but I don't know for sure."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Airi says, scowling. "What's happening? I- can we get Yuuri back?"
You get the distinct impression that your warnings are going in one ear and out the other, but... there's only so far you can push the matter. You've been promising her the revival of her loved one she thought dead, and there's only so much caution you can put in front of that.
You really, really hope your plan works out, because you suspect she might just shatter if it doesn't. And perhaps your first Witch revival should have been a less emotionally fraught one, but at the same time, some part of you rather suspects that if it works, it'll only work because of Airi's emotional investment.
You chose, long ago, to put this in Airi's hands. Here and now, you choose to leave it in her hands. If she continues to press forward, and you think she will, then you'll help her. But you won't push her. You'll be facilitator and backup and safety net, but you won't be the one leading the charge on this, because Yuuri is Airi's. So you'll make sure she goes into this with open eyes, but you'll let her go into this.
"Your magic's definitely having an effect," you say. "I can definitely sense it in the Clear Seed, and it's not dissipating or anything, as far as I can tell - the Seed is hanging on to it. And..." You take a breath. You really, really hope that she doesn't take the wrong message from this. "The Clear Seed is aware. Whoever's or whatever's in there is fragmented, and hurt badly. Enough so that I can't tell you anything more precise, but... it's aware enough to notice me looking."
"Yuu- she's hurting?" Airi blurts, her fingers tightening around the Clear Seed, then relaxing spasmodically. "I- is it- how do you know?"
You grimace.
"I have a bit of soul-sense I've learned to use," you say. "And I can only describe it by analogy, but you know how you get impressions of the person via telepathy? Facial expressions, their mood, that kind of thing? It's on a similar wavelength - I can feel that something's broken, that the mind is scattered and hurting."
"So Yuuri-"
You hold up your hand with a sharp gesture, and for a wonder, Airi actually lets you speak.
"Witches are in agony, Miss Anri," you say crisply. "Clear Seeds are sleeping. And whoever's in the Clear Seed is neither. Something's different - it's awake, and it's hurting, but it's healing. I feel confident in saying that what you've done has helped it, but anything more specific than that, I don't know."
"I want-" Airi swallows, her throat bobbing. "I- can I talk to her?"
You sigh, leaning back in your Grief chair. You give Airi a long look, at the desperation drawing lines on her face, of the Grief seeping slowly into her Soul Gem.
"It's... not impossible. I'm willing to help you, if you're sure," you allow slowly. "There's a couple of problems, though, and the first is that regular telepathy goes through Kyuubey."
Airi flinches back, her expression collapsing into a frown... and then she nods, expression still stuck in that fierce grimace. No surprise to her, then, just one she hadn't thought of, and it's a problem that she's not going to fight you on. But still, her fingers are clutched tight around the stem of Arzt Kochen's Clear Seed, and you can see the mulish set to her jaw as she opens her mouth again to speak, so you continue.
"The solution to that is also a problem in and of itself," you say. "The only other way I can think of, and that I can teach, would be for you to try and make soul contact - knowingly trying to mingle your soul. And that's dangerous, because you're vulnerable to-"
"Yuuri would never hurt me!" Airi snaps, half-rising to her feet, only for her thighs to jar the table and bounce the laptop into the air.
You catch it with Grief, freezing it midair, then pick it up with your hands, shut the lid, and set it aside gently as Airi collapses back into her own seat, slumping bonelessly as the energy drains away.
"She wouldn't," you agree gently. You're not going to touch the possibility that it might not be Yuuri in there. "If she were in her right mind. What if she couldn't tell if it was you? What if one of the things that's... broken is her perception?"
"She- she would know if it were me," Airi says, her eyes dropping to the Clear Seed in her hand. There's no conviction in her voice even as she insists, "She would. She would hear my voice."
"I never knew Yuuri, but... I believe you," you say. "So. If you're sure you want to try, I don't mind helping you make the attempt? I'll be here to spot you, just in case."
"I..." Airi swallows, staring down at the Clear Seed with desperate hunger on her face. "I-"
You watch as she wrestles with herself, her eyes darting from the Clear Seed, to you, to the wall, her gaze blind as she thinks furiously. And ultimately, she makes an agonized noise, collapsing back in her chair, free arm hanging loosely - and that Clear Seed cradled to her chest.
You want to say something, but you bite your tongue instead. You decided to let her choose, so you'll let her choose.
And ultimately, she slumps in place like a puppet with its strings cut, all her fire gone in an instant even as her Soul Gem seethes with Grief. A simple thought drains it away, condensed and shunted into hammerspace without ceremony.
"It's not enough," Airi whispers, her eyes squeezed shut and Clear Seed still curled close to her chest, clutched in both hands. "I don't- I don't know, it isn't enough. It never works out, it never does."
Silent tears trickle down her face.
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Ugh, that took longer than I'd hoped for, I'm sorry.
Anyway. I'll also say that Airi's going to reject any attempts at physical comfort - so if you want Sabrina to go for it, be sure to account for that.
[X] "Anri, it hasn't even been a week."
-[X] She's regrowing an entire person. This was never going to be quick and easy. This much progress this soon is way more than you were expecting.
--[X] She doesn't have to do this alone. We can figure out how to let everyone else who loved Yuuri contribute.
--[X] There's an entire world full of magical girls and just people who are good at stuff. If she thinks she needs anything, someone with a particular power or expertise or anything, she just has to ask and you'll find someone who fits the bill.
-[X] This will work out, one way or another. You won't allow anything else, and you don't think Anri will either.
You get it.
It's not even that complicated, if you're being honest with yourself. Frustration builds all too easily, especially when you're confronted with the seeming lack of progress daily. Airi just has to trust you, because she can't sense what you can, and you're not even sure she fully believes you, that something is happening.
You're trying to give her hope, but her own doubts are clawing at her, trying to drag her down. You can hardly blame her for it, can you?
But you're trying to help her, nevertheless. She hasn't even done that much, all things considered. Once upon a never, she would have ruined the Pleiades Saints and created a composite Witch to further her demented revenge - but that's a ocne upon a never that you've thoroughly derailed. Here...
She stole a Clear Seed.
That much, you definitively know she did, and it's something you've committed to being firm about.
Even so, you want to help her. Rehabilitative, not punitive, after all. And beyond that, she's another scared, lonely magical girl driven to the brink by the whole rotten system orchestrated by the Incubators. She deserves help, just as much as Parro and her gang do - it's just that you're here, and you think you can help Airi.
"Miss Anri," you say gently. "It hasn't even been a week."
Airi jolts back in her chair and raises a look of absolute fury towards you, rage blazing in her eyes.
"Maybe for you," she hisses, a sneer twisting her face. "For me, it's been seventeen days and sixteen hours since I lost my Yuuri. You've never lost anything in your life, have you? You have no idea what it's like!"
"You're right," you say steadily. "I haven't."
"Then shut up!" she snarls. "You don't know what- what this pain is like!"
You purse your lips, biting back irritation, because she's right. For all that you know what she means, you don't get it. You've never lost anyone, and if you have it your way, you never will. Having Mami teetering on the edge, in those early days, was bad enough.
She's beginning to tear up, swiping furiously at dark gold eyes as anger collapses into grief, her Soul Gem seething with darkness that you refuse to allow to accumulate. And you know she'll refuse physical contact, but you can't help but move forward, abandoning your chair to kneel down beside her as she buries her face in her hands.
You don't say anything. You don't know her well enough, you're not close enough to her to offer anything more than platitudes.
But the least you can do is be here, to watch over her.
And so you bite your tongue and stay silent, kneeling beside Airi as muffled sobs shake her body, ugly and heaving and choked back as she tries to hide it in the palm of one hand, her other hand curled tightly around that Clear Seed. Her Soul Gem at least, you can manage, draining away her Grief as fast it forms.
Eventually, her tears run dry, her body slumped in place, and you wordlessly offer her a tissue, plucked from the box on her desk with a mote of Grief. She snatches it from your hand, wiping furiously.
"You're right," you say softly. "I can't imagine the pain you're in, and I'm so, so sorry. But... what I meant to say is that you've made amazing progress in an extraordinarily short amount of time. You're helping to bring someone back to life, Miss Anri - you're helping to regrow an entire person. That's... it was never going to be quick and easy. If I could just snap my fingers and make it so, I would, but even this is far more than I expected."
"That's what you're saying, but I don't know- I can't see, I don't know this isn't just- just some waste of time," Airi chokes out. "It isn't fair, this shouldn't- it shouldn't be like this!"
"... would it help? If you could sense what I'm sensing?" you ask slowly.
The glare Airi gives you is one of vitriol fit to strip the paint from the walls, as if you'd asked the stupidest question in the world. Which... OK, having some form of concrete proof, some visual indicator of progress is an obvious thing to want, but at the same time, it's a look into how much the Clear Seed might not be awakening. You had to be sure.
You sit back on your haunches, thinking. You'd been considering an offer to get her whatever she'd need to help with this, anyway, and this is something she wants, evidently.
"I could also try and share my soul-sense with you," you say slowly. "But it'd require leaning into my Grief manipulation, which is going to feel very, ah, Witchy, and I'm not sure it's actually possible."
"I- no," Airi says, grimacing and shaking her head, her hand shaking slightly as she pulls the Clear Seed closer to herself.
"Then I'll see what I can do," you say. "I don't think I can teach you my soul-sense. It's too intrinsic, too tied up with my Wish magic, but there's an entire world full of magical girls out there, after all. Somewhere out there, there's a girl with a soul-sense that can be shared, or taught. I'll find her for you. How's that?"
Or maybe you can enchant up some kind of visualizer that she can have, or something along those lines.
And an entire cadre of therapists, you think to yourself. Hopefully Madoka's family friend can help, but he definitely can't do it alone - the Iowa girls are going to be a full caseload right there, not to mention his own patients which he presumably can't just drop.
"Just go away, Vee," Airi says, her voice tired and empty. Even her hair seems to hang limp, somehow, all the energy drained away. "I'll keep at it. Come back if you've got good news for me."
You exhale slowly.
"I... alright," you say, standing. "I'm sorry. For what it's worth... this will work out, one way or another. I won't allow anything else."
She turns her head away from you, refusing to say anything more.
[] There's nothing more you can do here. Back to the others.
- [] Further business with Yuki right now?
- [] Say your farewells and head home
- [] Something else?
[] Try one last time
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Again, I'm so sorry I had to delay this update. Hopefully the next one will be sooner. >_>
Also, just for the record - the third line of the winning vote,
--[X] She doesn't have to do this alone. We can figure out how to let everyone else who loved Yuuri contribute.
[X] There's nothing more you can do here. Back to the others.
-[X] To Yuki and Mami
--[X] In the short term this is something you'd like to run by Oriko. If her power can she what's inside the clear seed, figuring out how to fit that in enchanted goggles would be the quickest way to let Anri judge her own progress.
---[X] And maybe Akane? Her perspective on reality is pretty unique.
--[X] Bring up non-incubator telepathy
---[X] Anything Niko found out yet? Possible ideas for experimentation?
- [X] Say your farewells and head home
You try to hide your grimace as you head for the door, taking one last look around the messy room and Airi's slumped form in the chair before gently shutting it behind you. It's hard not to feel like you'd failed here today, but only time can tell, here. Only rarely does progress ever come as a giant leap, after all, and you hope that Airi will believe that.
You want to say something, but... you're tired, too.
Still, you linger for long enough to make sure that the Grief in her Soul Gem has tapered back to a more normal rate before leaving properly. You can sense that Airi's thrown herself back on the bed and curled herself around the Clear Seed, cradled close to herself. But her Soul Gem's holding steady, that torrent of grief tapered off.
That much, you want to be sure of. As much as she wants you to leave, that is the bare minimum you're willing to allow.
It will have to do for now.
The same lesson as for Parró, then: sometimes, you need to take a step back, and see if someone else can help. You're the face of Airi's imprisonment, the face of her thwarted revenge. For all that you'd promised her the return of her friend, it's hard to get past that simple fact, you suppose, but... you do trust that she'll keep trying. You have to believe that much, as poorly as it sits in your stomach.
You let your feet guide your proxy down the corridors of Yuki's building, footfalls silent on the carpet and observing the way magic courses through the walls, warping the space as you make your way back to that little living room.
"-there's an excellent ryokan on the outskirts of Fukushima, we've been there a couple times-" Shinobu's voice cuts off as you push the door open. "Ah, Miss Vee, welcome... back?"
Her eyes dart to your actual body, cuddled up to Mami's side still. You crack open an eye to glance at her, then shut it firmly.
"Mamiiiiiii," you moan, glancing around the room before shambling your Grief-body over to the sofa and flopping down in Mami's arms, half-kneeling on the floor in front of her.
"That bad?" she asks, amusement warring with concern in her voice as she closes the embrace around both of you, patting your head gently.
You make a muffled, wordless noise.
"You'll figure it out, Sabrina," Mami says warmly. "I know you will."
You hear the flutter of wings, Mugin settling on your Grief-body's shoulder shoulder and butting his head against yours with a soft chirrup.
"How did it go?" Yuki asks. She's still sitting opposite of Mami, half-turned to the side to allow Shinobu to tend to her hair. You can imagine her levelling a curious look at you, completely ignoring the indignity of her friend reconstructing her hairstyle - apparently, the French braid wasn't fancy enough, and Yuki's curtain of deep purple hair is slowly transforming into a complex, multi-layered braid.
"... in objective terms, not great," you admit. The topic probably deserves a bit more attention than words mumbled with your face mashed against Mami, so you reluctantly let the Grief body dissolve, and retrieve your Soul Gem as you half-roll, half-flop over beside her to face Yuki. "In subjective terms... honestly, it's a mixed bag."
Mami curls her arm around your waist, squeezing you gently.
"Do elaborate?" Yuki says.
"She's not in a great place, emotionally, given everything that she's been through, not the least part of which is that she's, well. Imprisoned," you say, and slow as you carefully pick your next words. Mami's right here by you, after all. "And she can't see the progress she's made on the project I gave her, either, which probably doesn't help."
Mugin caws in complaint before settling onto the sofa beside you, and you automatically scratch behind his head with your free hand.
"Sounds like she's depressed," Shinobu observes.
"Mm," Yuki says, frowning. "Which would ordinarily be a death sentence for any of us, so I hadn't considered it, but... I had noticed that she required more frequent cleansings. That would explain the lack of appetite, too."
"Yeah..." you say with a sigh. "She's not spiralling, but..." You grimace. "I don't know how to deal with her, if I'm being honest, and I'm not sure I'm the right person to talk to her."
Mami shifts to rub your back gently, offering silent reassurance.
"And it circles back around to us needing therapists on staff," Yuki says, shaking her head and wincing as Shinobu holds her firmly in place. "I see."
"Yeah," you say.
"Sounds like she needs more social interaction," Shinobu observes. "Letting her have an internet connection probably helped, but as cute as yours is, Yuki, she might appreciate seeing another face. I don't mind trying."
"Maybe," Yuki allows. "What do you think, Miss Sabrina?"
"If you're willing, and if Miss Nanami's willing, it could help?" you say, nodding at Shinobu. "I... do be careful, though. I don't know whether she's in any sort of mental position to actually try anything, but her magic and her abilities give her the potential to be dangerous if she wanted to try."
Yuki inclines her head slightly.
"Of course," she says. "We will be careful, but she's our responsibility now, after all."
You blow out a breath, letting it puff your cheeks out.
"Yeah, I guess," you say. "I'm... sorry to put all this on you."
"It's natural to run into problems you can't tackle," Yuki says, waving her hand dismissively. "That's why you joined a coalition, no? Sometimes you fail, and others pick you up."
"I suppose," you say unhappily. "Thanks, Miss Tsuruya."
"I have a question?" Mami says, still rubbing your back gently.
"Mm?" you say, managing a smile for her.
"You said that she couldn't see the progress she was making?" Mami asks curiously.
"Oh. Yeah, I'm having her work on a project with a Clear Seed," you say, once again picking your words carefully. "But she, uh, doesn't have the sense for Grief, or the magic that I do."
"Ah," Mami says, nodding. "Maybe that could be taught?"
"Yeah, I discussed this briefly with her, actually," you say. "Unfortunately, given Sayaka's reaction to my magic, I don't think I can teach or share my form of magic-sensing, but... maybe Oriko, or Miss Toshimichi, or... well, I don't know. There's got to be a magical girl out there with suitable magic senses we can enchant into goggles or something."
Mami nods.
"That does make sense," she agrees. "Did you tell her you'd try?"
"... yeah, but I think I'd worn out my welcome at that point," you say, grimacing. "I told her, but I don't think she heard me, you know?"
"I'll bring it up," Shinobu volunteers.
"Thanks, Miss Nanami," you say, nodding at her.
"Then that sounds like a plan," Yuki says.
"Oh, while I'm here, and speaking of magical projects," you say, seizing on another topic to distract Mami away from the specifics of the project that Anri's working on that involves a Clear Seed. "I'm also reminded that we really need to set up non-Incubator telepathy. Less eavesdropping, more good-er."
Yuki snorts indelicately.
"I see your point," she says drily. "But it remains that that's no small task to even approach."
"Oh, yeah, absolutely," you agree. "But a secure means of communication is just important. I've got several avenues to explore, not the least of which is Mami, of course."
"Me?" Mami asks, blinking. "Oh, my magic?"
"Your magic," you confirm, smiling warmly. "Maybe it could be the basis of a new form of telepathy? We'll have to find some time to experiment."
Mami beams.
"I'd love to," she says happily.
You grin back at her, and turn back to Yuki and Shinobu.
"But yes, the reason I brought it up now is that I was wondering whether you've encountered any magical girls whose magic might work towards this?" you say.
"Not that I can think of, I'm afraid," Yuki says after a moment of consideration. "I'll notify you if I do encounter any."
"Keep an eye out for penguin-themed magical girls," you say, nodding wisely.
Yuki purses her lips, giving you a look which says that she refuses to take the bait. You grin, pour yourself a fresh cup of tea, and take a smug sip. From there, conversation slips to lighter topics -apparently Mami had been asking about good spots to visit around Fukushima- and you spend perhaps twenty minutes chatting lightly before it's time to go.
Yuki, her hair now in a complex, multilayered braid cascading down her back, sees you off.
"Until later," she says gravely.
"This evening, all going well! I'll let you know if Homura and Hitomi manage to lock down that apartment today," you say, grinning cheerfully. "Thanks for putting up with us, and thanks for the lift back."
"It's no problem at all," Yuki says, raising a hand, the magic twisting around her fingertips.
One jolting discontinuity in the world later, you're stepping back out into the afternoon sunshine, sandy floor of Warehouse-kun scraping beneath your boots. Mami takes your hand, fingers slipping through yours to squeeze gently as Mugin takes flight with a raucous caw.
"What now, Sabrina?" she asks, smiling slightly. "School will be letting out soon, and I believe that Kyouko and Sayaka had one of their training sessions scheduled after school? Though... I'm not sure if that's still on."
[] Suggest that Mami join Sayaka and Kyouko for practice
[] Tag along for the Sayaka-Kyouko training
- [] Anything to focus on?
[] Hang out with Madoka, Homura, and Hitomi
- [] Suggest an activity?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Feels good to get this one out on the mark. Hopefully I can keep it going!
[X] Kyoko might appreciate hanging out with Mami without you. You have been kind of monopolizing Mami. Ganging up on Sayaka might be fun?
-[X] If Mami doesn't go for it, honestly you're not sure what to do between now and dinner.
--[X] You have some half-formed ideas about throwing Mami's connection magic at the telepathy wall and seeing if anything sticks.
--[X] You and Mami could have a quiet afternoon together.
---[X] Photography date?
--[X] You could check with your other friends to see if they're up for hanging out.
--[X] You could fly to the Yamato shipwreck and retrieve it for Yuki to refurbish and install Sasami on the bow.
[X] If Mami wants to train Sayaka with Kyoko, hang out with your other friends.
You hum thoughtfully, absently rubbing your thumb over the back of Mami's knuckles as you consider. The afternoon sun is a pleasant warmth above you, but not any more so than Mami's hand in yours, the scent of her shampoo and soap lingering even beneath the rust and must of the decaying old industrial district. A cool breeze rattles the fence.
"Well... I'll let you pick, Mami. The first option..." You beam at Mami. "I genuinely don't have any big ideas to push for right now. We could have a quiet afternoon together. Maybe spend some time experimenting with our magic - I did mention the idea with telepathy. Maybe we can go diving or something? Silly things like that."
"That all sounds amazing, Sabrina," she says, giving you an absolutely dazzling smile. "But what's the other option?"
"If Kyouko and Sayaka are doing their training, you could tag along with them?" you say. "I've been monopolizing you quite a bit, after all. Ganging up on Sayaka might be fun?"
"... just me?" Mami asks slowly, her hand tightening on yours.
"Yeah," you say. "It's not that I don't want you around or anything, Mami, never that. I'd spend every minute with you if I could, but... I think it might be better for the two of you if you did."
Mami's quiet for a moment, her grip almost painful as her fingers squeeze tight around yours.
"It's your choice, Mami," you say warmly. On an impulse, you lift her hand to your lips and press a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "I would be very happy to spend the rest of the afternoon with you, you know? Just... I'm offering the option."
Mami lets out a breath, slow and shaky.
"I... I think... you said we need to talk about Kyouko at some point," she says tentatively. "And I think that time has come?"
"I-" You blink, then smile gently at her. "If you want to?"
Mami laughs softly.
"We have a little time before school lets out," she says. "And, ah... it's an excuse for me to delay making a decision, but I really would like to hear your thoughts about Kyouko too, Sabrina. I can make a more informed opinion after hearing you out?"
"Sure," you say, smiling and pressing another kiss to Mami's knuckles. "I'm always, always happy to spend more time with you, Mami. But we should relocate somewhere nicer for this talk, I think. Home, or do you know a nice café that won't kick us out for skipping school?"
"I'm not sure, I'm afraid. I've never been out of school at this time before this," Mami says, giving you a reproachful look. "You've led me astray with your delinquent ways, Miss Vee."
You laugh, squeezing her hand.
"Let's head home, then," you say. "Your excuse slip might keep you out of trouble, but we probably shouldn't risk it."
"... actually, I have a better idea?" Mami says.
"Oh?" you ask.
"We've been there before," Mami says, smiling. "Get us airborne, Sabrina? All these warehouses are hardly fun to roofhop over..."
"Gladly," you say, returning the smile as your wings bloom from your shoulders. A thought is all it takes for Grief fog to billow around Mami, buoying her invisibly up into the air as you both rise into the sky, the fabric of your wings cutting a nightmare swathe through the afternoon sky.
"That way!" Mami says, pointing towards the city center with her free hand, and you laugh.
"Oh, I see," you say as you take off in that direction, Mami curled happily into your side.
A few minutes later, you're settling down on the antenna spars of the DBJ antenna spire, the sun-warmed steel rattling faintly under your combined weight. The wind is unsurprisingly strong up here, tugging at your coat and your hair as you lean back, looking out at your home. Mitakihara spreads out beneath your dangling feet, the heat haze warping the view of the city as you soak in the familiar, distant sound of vehicles and construction and people and life.
Equally familiar is the presence at your side, Mami leaning against you with a happy sigh, her hand cradled in both of yours on your lap. You both
enjoy the peace for a moment, but just a moment, both of you aware of the time ticking by.
"Alright," Mami says without lifting her head from your shoulder, her eyes closed. "Tell me?"
"Well... I'll begin with why I think it might be good for you and Kyouko to spend more time together," you say. "And frankly, it's because of me. Because the two of you had your own dynamic back then, and I'm the newcomer. I'm an intruder on that dynamic."
Mami doesn't respond for a moment, clearly thinking it over.
"That's true," she says. "But... we'd never be able to recapture that dynamic, because circumstances have changed. We're different people now, and... even if you're not there, you're still a part of my life now, Sabrina. That's not changing. And you're a part of Kyouko's life, too - the only reason she's back here is because you reached out to her, and brought her back."
"I... yeah," you agree. "Also true. But it's..."
"One thing at a time?" Mami suggests.
"One thing at a time," you agree. "I think she's uncomfortable at least in part because she feels she doesn't know you anymore. And... it seems like you feel the same about her."
"I wouldn't go that far, but... I can't really argue with that," Mami says. "It does feel like the Kyouko I knew... she was always brash and headstrong, but she was never quite so angry. Except... except at our last confrontation."
You squeeze her hand lightly between yours, Mami sighing lightly and nestling into your side in response.
"I can't take too much credit for this, though," you say softly. "It's largely Sayaka's idea. At this point... she has the best rapport with Kyouko, to be honest."
"Mm," Mami says. "Which is good. I'm glad they're friends."
"Yeah. Mostly, though..." You sigh. "Mostly, I think Kyouko's just uncertain. And because she's uncertain, she's lashing out. I think that re-establishing your dynamic, or figuring out where you stand now, would settle things out."
"Things will never go back to how they were," Mami says with quiet certainty. "I don't disagree with the general idea, neither do I disagree with your or Sayaka's evaluation of the situation, but..."
"It's not so simple?" you finish ruefully.
"It's not that simple," Mami echoes. "And it wouldn't be me spending time with Kyouko, either. It would be the two of us, Sayaka, and Yuma."
"But it could be a start," you say. "Towards finding a new baseline. Keeping things simple, while excluding the most, ah, disruptive variable."
"Mm..." Mami says, sighing.
"I know it's not an easy decision," you murmur, squeezing her hand gently. "But... yeah."
You feel Mami nod, her head moving against your shoulder as you both look out across the city. You'd naturally sat down facing south - south, towards Mitakihara Middle School, though you can't see it at the moment, with all the buildings in the way. Even so, you find your attention drawn that way, staring through the intervening skyscrapers to where the rest of your friends are.
Homura and Madoka and Sayaka and Hitomi, finishing their school day. Somewhere out there is Kyouko, and with her, Yuma, perhaps hunting more Witches still.
There's nothing pressing waiting for your attention. You'd had a busy, eventful morning, and a couple of things lined up for later, but there's no immediate pressure on you right this moment. It's nice.
"I... think I want to stay with you," Mami murmurs, sounding guilty and very small. "I'm not going to put off talking to Kyouko, but I don't want to jump into a big thing like that, not after this morning. Is... is that alright? It's... not too selfish?"
"That's absolutely alright, Mami," you say warmly, squeezing her hand gently between both of yours. "We'll check in on our friends when school lets out, see if Sayaka's going for the training, and then presumably this evening we'll link back up with Homura and Hitomi and probably Madoka, to go meet Yuki and sort things out there. Does that all sound OK?"
"It- does," Mami says, her voice catching slightly as tension bleeds out of her frame. You smooth your fingers gently along the back of her hand and her forearm, massaging gently. "It's- yes, that sounds good."
"Then that's what we'll do," you say. "Though speaking of what we'll do... photography date? Do some experimenting with our magic? We could see if our friends want to hang out? Sayaka'll be occupied with training, but the others aren't, so maybe we could tag along with them. Diving in the South China Sea?"
Mami blinks.
"The South China Sea?" she asks, giving you a dubious but amused look.
"Yup," you say. "Thirty-degrees-twenty-two-minutes north, one-hundred-twenty-eight-degrees-oh-four-minutes east, to be precise."
"That's terribly specific," Mami observes, then blinks, her head tilting in thought. "Wait, I think... South China Sea. Quite a bit to the south west of Kyuushu, I think?" She pauses. "I might be off the mark from history class, but... the Yamato? Really?"
"The Yamato!" you confirm, giving Mami a brilliant grin. "We can raise it, repair it, and give it to Miss Tsuruya as a gift, and she can stick Miss Koizumi on the prow."
Mami groans, then starts giggling.
"Oh, Sabrina," she says. "This is about Miss Parró's Iowa, isn't it?"
"It's not not about the Iowa," you say primly. "And besides, Space Battleship Yamato is an absolute classic."
"Mm..." Mami tries to look serious, but the giggles rapidly crack her expression and she slumps against your shoulder, laughter bubbling from deep within. "Oh, Sabrina."
"It's a perfectly valid idea!" you defend yourself, grinning.
"Perhaps," Mami says. "But I think we've dropped enough oddities on Miss Tsuruya's lap today, and we should refrain from adding more. Perhaps tomorrow, hm? And..." Her smile widens, golden eyes peeking up at you. "Diving sounds like it might be fun, but not today, either. I'd like all our friends to be able to come for that. What did you have in mind, when you mentioned experimenting with our magic?"
"Ah, remember what I mentioned earlier? I have some vague notions that it might be possible to figure out some form of telepathy using your magic, rather than relying on the Incubators," you say. "Or... I could do with another session of enchanting practice, or whatever you feel like, really."
"That's certainly a possibility," Mami says thoughtfully, and smiles at you, bumping her shoulder against yours. "Any time spent with you is a joy, Sabrina."
"I'm glad," you say, smiling. "Also, now that I'm reminded of photography, actually..."
A thought retrieves your newly-purchased camera from hammerspace, floating it out in front of you as Mami happily pulls your arm around her shoulder, beaming. You feel your own grin widening, and with the wind at your back, you click the button down with a sharp, satisfying snap.
"I want another picture when we can bring all our friends up here," Mami decides.
"Even Madoka and Hitomi?" you say with a grin as you tuck the camera back away into storage. You'll develop the picture later - it's an actual film camera, after all. You could snip out the specific frame and stitch the rest of the roll together, but it'd be mildly annoying.
"Hmm..." Mami considers the matter. "That is something of a sticking point. Do you know if they're scared of heights?"
You laugh.
"I have no idea. We'll figure it out, and if not... a group picture with all of us is definitely something we want," you say. "Gotta make enough copies for everyone too, of course."
Especially for Homura, you can't help but think.
The look Mami gives you suggests that she knows the direction of your thoughts, and her smile softens as she shifts her hand to interlace her fingers with yours. She gets it, after all, you know she does.
"Agreed," she says, smiling softly. "Shall we start heading to school? We can think about it on the way there."
"Would you want to hang out with Madoka and Homura and Hitomi?" you ask as you get to your feet. "I don't mind, either way. I... in principle, I don't mind joining Sayaka, Kyouko, and Yuma for training, either, if you want to go for that. I just think it might, well, annoy Kyouko."
Mami looks thoughtful as you both hop off the antenna spar, hand-in-hand. The metal creaks as it's relieved of your weight, and you spare a moment of thought to check it, a blizzard of Grief nanoparticles sleeting past steel to check for fractures and weaknesses in the mountings. You'd feel guilty if you'd caused it extra damage, after all, what with using it as a perch - but thankfully, you don't find anything unusual.
"Kyouko really doesn't hate you as much as you seem to think, you know?" she says. "It's... important for you to work out things between the two of you, too."
"I..." You sigh, raking your free hand through your hair. "It's funny, Yuma said something very similar to me, too. I don't really think she hates me, though I do play that up for the fun of it. I just... it's more that I don't really know how to relate to her, nor she to me, I think. I know what's up with her, sort of, but I don't really know how to talk to her."
Mami nods as the two of you take a long step off the edge of the building, transitioning to a smooth glide as you spread your wings, Mami's ribbon wings blossoming as a bright mirror to the nightmare darkness of your own.
"I think, in turn, you need to interact with her more, too," Mami offers, continuing just as smoothly in telepathy. "The hunt this morning was a good start, I think? Before it was interrupted, anyway. Maybe you should set it up as a recurring thing?"
"That's an idea," you say thoughtfully. "We'll run out of Witches eventually, but that's not a bad thing... maybe coordinate with Miss Watanabe and Miss Saito. Kasamino needs looking after, too, for all that there's less Witches there."
"That's true," Mami says. "But, ah... do you understand what I was trying to say?"
"There's no silver bullet to befriending Kyouko, yeah," you say with a sigh, snatched away by the wind. "I just need to spend time with her."
"Just as I do, too," Mami says. "Just... I do want a quiet day."
"Nothing wrong with that," you say. "Even if this one started a little too exciting."
Mami chuckles, beaming at you from across the spans of your wings. The conversation lapses, both of you content and happy as you soar above the skyscrapers of Mitakihara, riding thermals and the chill wind and an outrageous dollop of cheating with magic. All too soon, you're descending back towards the ground, landing on a rooftop and dropping back to ground level.
You make your way through the park before Mitakihara, the lush greenery offering relief from the afternoon sun. You're a little late to catch the end of classes, judging by the students already making their way out of the school gates, the air filled with chatter and relief.
"Yoohoo! Mami, Sabrina!"
You look up to spot Sayaka waving energetically, at the head of the group of your friends - Madoka and Hitomi evidently conversing about something, Homura hovering half a step behind and to Madoka's left.
"Was wondering where you were," Sayaka says by way of greeting as both of you make your way over.
"Huge airspace jam, birds were backed up all the way to the junction, you know how it is," you say solemnly.
"Ah, probably just picking up their chicks from the kindergarten down the street!" Madoka says brightly, looking up from her conversation.
"Probably, yeah," you say, nodding. "Bad planning on our part. Hey, everyone!"
"Hi!" Madoka says happily.
"So! Sayaka, quick question before I get too sidetracked, do you still have training with Kyouko today?" you say.
"Uhhhh," Sayaka says, scratching her hair. "I think so. I didn't talk to Kyouko 'bout calling it off, and I know I'm on 'vacation', but... eh, training is training. I don't really want to slack off on it."
You give her a considering look. She seems to have recovered well from this morning - or rather, she seems to have recovered from her abrupt introduction to how bloody magical girl violence can get, and she's looking at you without any trepidation. You'll take that as a good sign for her recovery, you think, though you should probably do a proper check-in with her at some point.
"Alright," you say, nodding. "Mami and I won't be joining you for that, today, but if anything comes up, give us a shout, yeah?"
"It's just training," Sayaka says, nodding. "But sure."
"Will you be coming with us while we wait for the paperwork, then?" Hitomi asks. "I admit, we don't have many concrete plans, but Madoka, Homura and I were considering going to a cafe while we wait - the order has already been put in, so it's just a matter of time."
[] [activity] Hang out with Madoka, Homura, and Hitomi
[] [activity] Not too late to opt-in to training with Kyouko, Sayaka, and Yuma
[] [activity] Spend time with just Mami
- [] [activity] Write-in any new ideas
[] [activity] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
I took the liberty of letting Sabrina explain her thoughts on Kyouko - it's been in her thoughts already, and I didn't want to make a new vote for it. >_>
That said!
I'm hoping to actually finish the day within the next two or three or four posts or so. I believe that almost everything significant Sabrina wanted to accomplish today has been done, barring Yuki's claim and telling Shin about magic, and I don't have anything planned for today, either, and the day has lasted too damn long. It's partly my fault, given my atrocious rate of updates, but I'm trying to deal with it.
So I'm taking an informal poll on that, too, and for the first time I'll be using the task feature I wrote years ago (). So:
[] [day] Timeskip through most of it
[] [day] No, there's still something else
Do feel free, if there's something else. I'll keep an eye on things.
[x] [activity] Spend time with just Mami
[x] [day] Don't timeskip dinner with Shin, the rest is fine
"... let me know when you've figured out the house?" you say after a moment of thought. "Sorry, we've got plans this afternoons."
"Plans, eh?" Sayaka asks, grinning. "Not coming for training with me 'n Kyouko, not hanging out with everyone else..."
You find your cheeks reddening as her gaze slides from you to Mami, but Mami stands firm, her smile ever so slightly smug as she takes your elbow firmly and pulls you closer. Madoka beams at you, clasping her hands together.
"That's great!" she says happily. "You've all been so busy all the time."
"Ehhhhh," you say. "I'm not sure that's true, but a break does seem to be in order. But still, do call us if anything comes up, yeah? You especially, Sayaka."
Sayaka rolls her eyes.
"It's just training with Kyouko," she says.
"Two of the biggest troublemakers in this city, together in one spot?" you say, smirking at her. "I'm just glad Yuma's there to supervise."
"It's a good thing Mami's there to supervise the biggest troublemaker in the city, then."
It takes you a moment to register who, exactly, just said that. Scratch that, it takes everyone a moment to register who said that, disbelieving eyes turning to Homura - who looks back at you with a nearly blank expression and the tiniest curl of a smile on her lips.
You grin as Sayaka doubles over, cackling, Mami and Madoka's giggles ringing out clear and loud while Hitomi tries to hide her own laughter with a hand over her mouth. Futilely, at that.
"G-good one, Homura!" Madoka manages to wheeze out, beaming at her and patting her shoulder.
Homura's smile widens just that little bit, her chin tilting up in faint pride as she catches your eye and offers an infinitesimal nod - all the more expressive for her usual blankness. She's in a good mood right now, and you find yourself happy for her. Homura deserves happiness, after all.
"It is a good thing I have Mami to look after me," you offer after a moment, grinning at Homura, then Mami. "So you know what? Yeah, I resemble that remark."
"Sweetness overload," Sayaka says, still snickering even as she shakes her head. "Anyway, we've all got our stuff to do today, so let's get moving? You guys are still hanging out at Hitomi's place until everything gets sorted?"
"Mmh!" Madoka says, obligingly turning to follow Sayaka. "Closest to the real estate office! Then after that we'll be heading to my place, since the house Hitomi and Homura are getting is closer to mine!"
"My parents are quite interested to see where this project goes," Hitomi notes as she follows along. The six of you form into a loose group, threading through the crowds of students. "I was thinking that at some later point, I might arrange for them to take a trip to Fukushima, just to satisfy part of that curiosity?"
She tilts her head in your direction, a raised eyebrow turning a statement into half a declaration of intent, half a request for permission. But really, you hardly feel like you're in a position where she needs to ask you for that, so you simply wave it off.
"Yeah, that sounds like it might be fun," you say. "Just ask Miss Tsuruya? I doubt she's going to charge for it unless we start abusing it or something."
"Excellent," Hitomi says, flashing a brief smile. "I'll ask her later, then."
"Oh, speaking of bad segues!" You take a few long, hopping steps forward, getting ahead of the group as a space opens up in the crowd. A quick sleight of hand brings out your camera, holding it up in front of you with one hand, facing back at everyone. "Cheese, everyone!"
Five seconds for everyone to react: just enough time for Sayaka to yoink Madoka into a hug, for Hitomi to sidestep Sayaka's other grabbing arm with what you can only describe as commendable speed, and for Sayaka to retarget to a startled Homura. Enough time for Mami to catch up with you in three quick steps, looping her arm around your waist, and for Hitomi to step back in and throw up bunny ears behind Sayaka's head.
You snap the photo, grinning beatifically into the camera alongside Mami, alongside everyone else. It's a pity your other friends aren't here - Kyouko and Yuma nor Oriko and Kirika or Yuki or Kazumi, but you'll get them eventually. One day, you hope, you can get everyone in one picture at the same time.
Everyone relaxes back into giggles, and light chatter resumes. It's not a long walk to the bus stop, wending past the burbling little stream and shaded greenery, everyone relaxed and in no hurry to split up until the bus actually arrives for Homura, Madoka, and Hitomi to head off. A round of cheerful farewells, and Sayaka takes off too, heading off to meet up with Kyouko and Yuma for their training.
And that just leaves you and Mami, sharing a smile by the bus stop as the crowd drifts by - students, mostly, and not just from Mitakihara Middle School either, as other schools let out. Even so, you focus on Mami, and way the warmth in her eyes all but outshines the sun.
"Say, Sabrina?" she says after a moment. "Ah... do you have any ideas for what we can do this afternoon? I did have an idea."
"Not really," you admit ruefully. You do still have notions of a moon picnic, but that feels like more of a special occasion thing, really. "Are you sure you don't want to go diving?"
"Why don't we just take a walk around Mitakihara?" she asks, smiling warmly. "We could maybe cheat a little if we want, but we could just... walk around, and see the sights?"
"... you know what? That sounds wonderful," you say, beaming at her. "I mean honestly, despite everything, I feel like I don't really know Mitakihara all that well. Flying over it all, or roofhopping, is one thing, but... I don't really know Mitakihara, sometimes."
Mami beams right back at you.
"Then let's do it," she says happily.
And that's how the rest of the afternoon passes, hand in hand with Mami as you wander aimlessly along the streets of Mitakihara. It's a beautiful city - you'd known that, of course. It's your home, the buildings and the roads and the people. Vehicles roar by on the roads as you meander, and somewhere beneath your feet, the train rumbles by. Far above, you spot a plane, glinting in the afternoon sun.
Somewhere out there, Homura and Madoka and Hitomi are hanging out, somewhere out there, Sayaka and Kyouko and Yuma are sparring. Somewhere out there, Noriko and Akemi are hopefully figuring out coexistence with the Soujus. Somewhere out there, Kirika's probably shitposting with Oriko looking on fondly. And somewhere out there, Masami and Hiroko might be riding herd on Megane.
Your friends and your duty, those you've helped and those you wanted to help. You spare a moment to wonder about Megane - it's been a while since you'd actually thought about that dragging, frustrating argument and how you'd had to let someone else handle her. You hope she's doing well, now - it might be time to check in properly.
And still...
Somewhere out there is Nagisa, living her life as a normal girl. Not a magical girl, and never to be, if you have anything to say about it.
You spare a few minutes to confirm the dinner appointment tonight with her uncle, Mami ducking aside as you make the call, and then as you finish the call, rewarding you with a bite of freshly-made mochi bought from a nearby store.
Mitakihara is a new city as far as cities go, just a few decades. Mitakihara and its sister city of Kasamino, just across the river. You briefly wonder about whatever weird historical and toponymical schism had caused them to be considered two cities instead of just one big city. They're even different administrative zones, according to what Madoka and Hitomi had mentioned. Two different small towns that hit a big economic boom at the same time, you gather, Mami explains when you ask, but she has no idea why they're separate cities, and you both consider the possibility that Wishes were involved.
But you digress: you'd considered the relative ages of the cities before, especially on your trips to Tokyo or Fukushima or further. Mitakihara is new, just a few years off its big industrial boom, and it shows in the construction, all the roads and the buildings laid out to a plan instead of the more organic, winding paths that you associate with cities that developed over time.
Then again, not so different are the shopfronts lining the buildings, bright, cheerful lights enticing in customers, the food stalls wafting delicious fragrances at everyone in spite of the hour: some more cramped than others, some modern in style and others more traditional, but all of them teeming with people and activity and life.
The two of you wander into a music store, joining the small crowd of teenagers listening to samples and browsing the shelves. Most of them look like they're around your age, students escaped from their schools and club activities to wander the city much as you are. Snippets of conversation float past: homework, gossip, life. But neither you nor Mami linger for too long, continuing on your way.
You thread your way through the crowds. It's an awkward moment in time, the end of school, but not the end of the workday. School uniforms dominate the streets, Mitakihara Middle, Shirome Middle, Mitakihara High and many others - the latter of which you recognise only because of the similarities to the familiar Mitakihara Middle School, and others that Mami points out. Not to say that there are only students out and about, of course, plenty of older folks bustling about.
Mitakihara provides sights aplenty. Not just the new and modern, with glittering skyscrapers and shopping malls and libraries and museums and parks and public services and everything else you'd expect of a twenty-first century city, but here and there, you spot nods to the traditional. A temple here, a shrine, there - you and Mami stop there for a moment to look around and offer a prayer at the latter. It's tiny and unattended, barely more than the shrine itself and a little tori gate tucked away between two buildings, but it's clean and well-kept, so someone must be looking after it.
Less pleasant is the Witch barrier you and Mami both sense, near one of the downtown shopping centers. And you might be on your rest period, but all it takes is a look at Mami to confirm that the two of you are in accord: you're magical girls, and you have a duty.
Mami in motion is breathtaking, a shining star amidst the gloom of the cavern that is the Witch's Barrier. Together, you streak through the Barrier, flowing around each other's movements, attacking and defending to the rhythm of a song only the two of you can hear, sweeping aside the rocky Familiars before crushing the batlike Witch itself.
All told, the argument over who should keep the Grief Seed lasts longer than the hunt itself did. Ultimately, Mami accepts it only on the condition that you'll ask if you wind up having a need for it, which you promise you will.
As the afternoon wraps up, you find yourself perched on the soft grass atop a hill, flowers blooming in carefully tended beds all around you. It's not terribly crowded, just a few other groups here at this time of the day, their conversations a distant burble as you gaze out at the sweeping vista of Mitakihara. The skyline is one you've wheeled past so many times, of course, borne on your wings of abyssal nightmare, but it's different, looking at it like this.
Mami sighs happily, tucked under your arm.
"I needed this," she murmurs.
"Funny, that's what I was thinking," you say, lightly amused.
"Mmm... maybe for different reasons, but we both did," she says, smiling and shifting just far enough to brush a kiss against your cheek. "It's been... wonderful, just having a proper amount of time to be normal."
"Similar reasons, then, but either way, absolutely agreed," you say before your smile turns teasing. "Does school not count?"
"You're not there, so it doesn't," Mami says simply, like it's a fact of life. "Besides, it's school."
You laugh, even as your cheeks tinge red. "I guess I can't argue with that."
"Good!" Mami says, leaning her weight against you.
You smile, and luxuriate in the quiet peace.
[] How do you approach telling Momoe Shin?
- [] How in-depth do you go?
[] Have Nagisa around?
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Ugh. I'm sorry this took so long - truth be told, I'm not really satified with this update. Maybe it's the fact that this is the first 'proper' timeskip I've written for PMAS?
Might come back and edit this later, but if I delayed any longer, I'd never get this out.
Anyway! The key points to tell Shin, about magic being real, about Kyuubey preying on vulnerable girls, is a given. How much detail do you go into, about Witches, Grief Seeds, Clear Seeds, and so on?
d
[X] How do you approach telling Momoe Shin?
- [X] Magic is real.
- [X] Aliens are real and they're douchebags
- [X] Aliens give girls wishes to make them magical girls
- [X] Magic comes from the soul, and creates Grief there. Feeling bad also creates Grief. Grief causes feeling bad.
-- [X] Grief can be removed with grief seeds or Sabrina
-- [X] Grief seeds can be acquired by hunting witches or robbing other magical girls
- [X] On Saturday, we noticed the world's most notorious raiders spying on us, and had a small window to follow their magic back and arrest them
- [X] We took the opportunity to form Constellation
[X] Don't have Nagisa around. A lot of this is really heavy, and the light parts risk painting Shin into a corner by telling Nagisa that her big sis is a superhero.
You watch the city go by, the sound of children playing and distant conversations a muted buzz. Ultimately, though, as the sun dips towards the horizon, Mami's the one to break the silence, taking a deep breath and lifting her head off your side.
"Mm... if we don't want to rush, for dinner with Mr. Momoe, we should probably leave now," she says, peering up at you.
"Probably," you agree, and watch as Mami rises gracefully to her feet, offering you a hand and a brilliant smile.
With plenty of time before the dinner, there's no time to rush back, and so you take your time to walk, taking in the sights as Mitakihara shades towards evening, crowds of people filling out the streets as the end of the workday starts to hit. You can all but feel the city come alive, with the lights slowly starting to turn on as the sunset sky lights up with brilliant oranges and reds and pinks.
You take a moment to check in with your friends - they're apparently still sorting out the paperwork, and are expecting to get it done later in the evening, and Madoka's happy to inform you that they've already updated Yuki, too, so that she isn't kept waiting, and that Sayaka's convinced Kyouko and Yuma to join them for dinner. Which is definitely a surprise, but you're not complaining at all.
Still, you make it home, you and Mami getting changed. Back into that same vest suit, since it's the only formal outfit that you own - though it's definitely served you well so far, you feel. Deep, navy blue vest with white, vertical pinstripes, and a collared shirt of pale lavender and matching, narrow-cut trousers.
"You look wonderful, Sabrina," Mami says, looking you up and down as you emerge from the bedroom. "Absolutely dashing."
"Dashing, am I?" you ask, beaming at her. She's dressed in a lovely, pale pink dress, cinched in at the waist and accentuated with a dark emerald shawl - not quite matching your colours, but adjacent.
"You really, really are," Mami says in an utterly fond tone, before her voice turns amused. "When you're not being a colossal dork, to borrow Sayaka's words."
"But you like that too," you say happily, offering your arm as you start to head out. You hesitate for a moment, then tuck the parmesan and mandarins you'd bought for the Momoes into hammerspace.
Mami laughs.
"I do," she admits, her smile mirroring yours. "It's... really, really nice, to not have to be at my best, every single moment."
You grin at her as you head out. By mutual, silent agreement, the two of you take to the rooftops for this last leg of the journey. This time, you're headed for a sushi restaurant downtown, at Shin's suggestion, and when you arrive, you're shown to a private room rather than being seated at the sushi bar along with the other restaurants. It's a very traditional-looking establishment, low table with cushions laid upon tatami mats and screen walls, muted illumination shining from discreetly hidden LED lights.
Nagisa's uncle is already there, kneeling on a cushion at the table and waiting for you - a slender, middle-aged man with snow-white hair the exact same shade as Nagisa's, dressed in slightly rumpled business casual with steady brown eyes giving the two of you curious looks as you step into the room.
"Good evening, Mr. Momoe," you say, bowing politely, Mami echoing you.
Shin chuckles, shaking his head.
"No need for that, Miss Vee, Miss Tomoe," he says with a genial smile. "I admit, I was put out about Nagisa being left with your friends, but I can hardly complain that those friends were untrustworthy, either."
"Even so, I want to make amends and explain the reason," you say. "Especially as those reasons might also pertain to Nagisa, too."
"Is that so?" Shin asks, his eyes sharpening. "I'll be glad to hear those reasons, but really, amends aren't necessary."
"Allow us to pay for dinner, at least?" you say, smiling.
"No," he says, frowning. "No, I'm afraid not." He softens it with a smile. "I'm sure you're sincere about making amends, but I don't think my pride can afford letting two teenagers pay for me. Half. And please, sit down."
"... half, then," you say, bobbing your head as you take a seat, Mami gracefully folding onto the cushion beside you.
He laughs.
"You don't need to make it sound like such an imposition to not pay the whole bill, Miss Vee," he says, pouring tea for the both of you. "But come, let's not talk about such serious matters just yet. Let's make our orders, and discuss after we eat."
"That sounds good," you say, taking an offered menu and scanning through it. It's sparse, but you expected nothing less of a more traditionally styled sushi place - you take what the chef offers, and consider yourself lucky if you get any choices at all.
Then again, this isn't quite as fancy as a full-on omakase experience, both you and Mami taking a moment to decide on some relatively simple courses, as does Shin. A button summons the waitress, who takes the order and departs.
"How has school been?" Shin asks curiously. "You're enrolled in... Mitakihara Middle School, as I recall? The same with Miss Kaname?"
"Ah, I am, yes," Mami says, smiling. "One year ahead of them. But Sabrina isn't."
"I'm not in school at all," you say, and grin sheepishly. "I've got all the knowledge and the papers to prove it-" eliding exactly where and how you got those papers, of course, "-and a lot of things to do outside of school, so yeah."
"Ah, I see," Shin says, blinking. "I think you must have told me that at some point, but it slipped my mind. That said, Miss Tomoe, there's a strong chance Nagisa will be studying there in a few years, too, and I would value an insider's opinion on it, if you don't mind? Do you like the school?"
"I've certainly had no complaints about the instruction," Mami says with a smile. "I suppose I don't have much to contrast it against, but my experience with the teachers has universally been positive - they're both supportive and well-versed in the material."
Dinner turns out to be excellent, freshly made sushi served by the wooden platter, with chunks of whole wasabi root arriving with little graters to garnish to taste. Nothing newfangled or adventurous, no rolls or anything, just fresh fish of various kinds on vinegared rice, but delicately flavoured and delicious, paired with fresh, hot tea.
Ultimately, dinner winds down, the last piece of sushi -the choicest, fattiest bit of tuna belly- going to you and Mami at Shin's insistence. And OK, sushi is supposed to be eaten in a single bite, not split in half, but neither you nor Mami are willing to take it from each other, and the sushi chef isn't here to threaten you with knives for the heresy.
"So," Shin says, surveying the two of you with an indulgent smile as you wash the sushi down with another sip of tea. "What did you want to talk about, Miss Vee?"
You exchange a look with Mami, then focus fully on Shin. Nagisa's uncle. His eyes are sharp and focused despite the bags, evidence of lost sleep over the past few weeks. Stress from work, or grief, or sorting things out for Nagisa?
Either way, this is important.
"Well... what I'm going to say may sound incredible, but I have proof, here and now," you say. You take a deep breath, your expression serious. "Magic is real."
Shin blinks, then starts to smile, disbelieving.
"What do you mean?" he asks, amused.
You shake your head, smiling in turn.
"Let me prove it," you say. You snap your fingers, and let the mandarins and Parmesan drop onto the table in front of Shin, pulled from hammerspace with a flex of thought.
"Wh-" Shin jolts on the cushion, staring at the bag.
"A gift for you and Nagisa," you offer. "I'm sure she'll like the cheese, at least."
Shin examines the contents of the bag, giving you a quizzical look.
"That was a very impressive trick, Miss Vee, but... magic?" he asks, the indulgent amusement fading, but that same disbelief colouring his tone.
"Magic, in the vein of magical girls, yes," you say gently. "I... take a napkin and tear it into pieces, if you please?"
You make no motion towards the napkin dispenser, instead laying your hands flat on the table, as does Mami, showing that you're not pulling any trick. Shin, moving slowly, as if hypnotized, grabs a napkin, and shreds it with a few quick tugs.
"As you requested, Miss Ve-"
He stares as the pieces rise into the air and reassemble back into a single sheet. Nanofog is all but invisible, after all, and it doesn't take much effort for you to weave cellulose fibers back together, straightening out the napkin back into a pristine whole.
"I, uh," he says, taking the repaired napkin with shaking fingers and examining it. "Are you a spirit?"
"Just a flesh and blood girl, I'm afraid," you say. "Just one who can use magic. Mami, too."
"Why haven't I- how is this a secret?" he asks, expression strained as he smooths the napkin out with trembling motions.
"There are vested interests keeping magic a secret so it can be exploited towards their own ends," you say, your smile fading.
For some reason, that seems to ground Shin, a thin, mirthless smile finding its way to his face.
"Of course there are," he says. "Governments and power. Of course. I... the Imperial Family? Are you- am I- do we have to worry about things like that? The PSIA?"
You blink, thrown for a loop by the logical leap made. You see his point, you suppose, and given what Toshimichi Akane claims, it's not even a far-fetched idea that the Imperial Family would be dabbling in magic. Nor would it be any great stretch to think that Japan's internal security and intelligence agency would be involved in it, either.
"Not from any authorities, no," you say evenly. "Government or otherwise."
Shin's eyes narrow.
"But there is someone exploiting magic," he says.
"Unfortunately, yes," you say with a sigh, and grimace. You don't know Shin well, but he seems like the kind of person who would prefer blunt, unvarnished truth to anything else. "They're called Incubators. You can... consider them malevolent spirits, but honestly, they're not from this world. They're aliens, and they're douchebags."
Shin's eyebrows shoot right up, even as Mami stifles a startled giggle at your phrasing.
"Aliens," he says, skepticism creeping back into his tone. "Of course."
Which... you can't really blame him for. It's a lot to pile on at once.
"Like I said, you might as well consider them malevolent spirits," you say evenly. "It comes close to what they do, anyway. They catalyze Wishes for girls, and in turn, they... harvest magic from our souls. They steal power from us at the moment of our becoming magical girls, and over time after that."
Shin presses his lips together, staring at you for a long, long moment.
"... girls, you say?" he asks. "Magical girls."
"The fantasy sold to unsuspecting girls is indeed that of magical girls," Mami says. "It's a seductive one, with TV shows and movies and manga alike pushing the narrative. It's... one that took me in, and it took Sabrina to break me out of it."
She shoots you a warm smile, taking your hand beneath the table.
"Nagisa," Shin says.
"The Incubators would have grabbed her within days, I'm all but certain," you say quietly. It's the logical connection to make, you suppose, but you're impressed he made that conclusion so quickly. "She has the potential, and the... signs were there. And I wasn't about to let the Incubators claim another victim."
Shin rocks back on the cushion, pressing a fist to his mouth as his frown deepens.
"Shit," he concludes, eventually.
"Yeah," you agree with a sigh. "I... there's more, but... do you need to take a moment to think it through?"
"No," Shin says, shaking his head. "I need to know. What do these... Incubators look like? How do I keep them away from Nagisa?"
"They look like this, except white-coloured, with red eyes," you say, shaping an Incubator out of Grief on the table with a wave of your hand. "And..." You sigh. "They are very careful, and... well, they can be invisible. Keep an eye out for them, but... I think the best way is to keep an eye on Nagisa. I'll always look out for her, but I can't be there for her all the time. Warn her of strangers, and ask her to come to you if there's anything unusual."
An unhappy look flickers across Shin's face, dismay and simmering anger.
"Then... another related question," Shin says, his expression grim and focused. "What is magic? What can magic do? You were using... some kind of telekinesis, Miss Vee? Is it something that can be learned?"
"As far as I know, it can't be learned, or granted to anyone if they don't already have the potential. That first question is, uh." You wave a hand vaguely. "It's difficult to answer, and I'll come back to it in a moment, but as to the rest of the questions... magic is an intensely personal thing, and basically every single magical girl expresses it differently. I don't actually have telekinesis - I have control over a substance called Grief, which I can divide so finely it's invisible to the naked eye. Like fog, essentially."
You demonstrate with an apple-sized blob of Grief pulled out of hammerspace, splitting it over and over into smaller and smaller spheres until it just disappears from view.
"And Miss Tomoe?" Shin asks.
"Ribbons," she says, smiling and splaying her free hand out, ribbons dancing between her fingers before twisting into a flintlock pistol in her hands.
"Which Mami has taken to an absurd level of control and capability," you say, smiling proudly as Mami holds the pistol out to him. "But I've seen other magical girls with superspeed, control over elements, teleporting, cloning, power copying... as I said, basically everyone manifests their magic differently."
"And all of this is somehow kept secret," Shin says. He nearly drops the flintlock as he receives it from Mami, distractedly running his fingers over it while giving you a skeptical look.
"The Incubators work overtime to make sure it never makes it to public awareness," you say, grimacing. "I don't suppose you heard about that 'gas explosion' in Sendai a couple weeks back?"
Shin frowns, then nods.
"That was a fight between magical girls," you say. "I... Mami and I were there to try and help, and I like to think the only reason it wasn't worse was because we were able to end it quickly and to help out in the aftermath."
"I see," Shin says, setting Mami's flintlock down on the cluttered table with a click and rubbing his forehead. "I'm sorry, Miss Vee, it's not that I don't trust you, but this is a lot to take in."
"I'm sorry," you say. "I would have broken it more gently, but things came to a head, and... yeah."
Shin barks out a short, unhappy laugh.
"That magic is real is... a wonder. To see proof of it with my own two eyes is a gift," he says. "That it's being exploited by malevolent beings, that my niece is actively being targeted... I don't think there's any way you could have softened that blow. Rather, I appreciate that you're not dressing it up in fancy words and platitudes."
That's something, at least. You bite your tongue for the moment, letting Shin work through his thoughts, Mami a comforting, ever-present warmth at your side. Seeming to sense your thoughts, she takes your hand once more, stroking her thumb gently over your skin. Shin takes a convulsive gulp of tea, and focuses back on you.
"... so, why did you have to leave so abruptly?" Shin says at length. "I assume it was some specific situation that arose because of magic, but you said it wasn't the Incubators."
"You... may have wondered why magical girls would be fighting each other," you say slowly. "And the answer is that being a magical girl has a cost. Magic... magic is the ability to express our wills upon the world, of bringing our souls to bear against reality. The cost to doing so is to have Grief within our souls, more and more - and the term is literal. To have Grief in our soul is to feel bad, to feel bad is to have yet more pouring into our souls."
"... the same Grief you control?" Shin asks, giving you a sharp look.
"The same," you say. "I became a magical girl with full knowledge of what it is to be one, and the costs thereof... and my magic is unique in that it lets me limitlessly remove Grief from my own soul, and that of anyone, and congeal it in physical form."
"And for everyone else?" Shin asks neutrally.
"Monsters called Witches," you say. "We're obliged to kill them for their Grief Seeds, which we use to cleanse our souls."
"Ah," Shin says, closing his eyes once more. "Fighting for, for basic sustenance. Among teenagers. And no one's doing anything about it. No one even knows."
"Sabrina is," Mami says.
"We are," you say, shooting her a quick smile. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves a little. The reason we had to leave in a hurry was because we noticed, ah, the most notorious raider group in the world spying on us, and we had a very small window of opportunity to trace them back and arrest them."
"'Arrest'?" Shin asks.
"There's no governing body of magical girls," you say, and grin. "As you said, no-one's doing anything about it, and I find that unacceptable. We spotted these raiders, and we were in a position to intervene. And we... by 'we', I'm referring to myself, Mami, and some friends of ours from across Japan, we've agreed to band together to form an... organization of sorts dedicated to mutual aid, and to change the world for the better."
Shin stares at you, unreadable emotion in his eyes, and sighs.
"Miss Vee, how old are you?" he asks.
"Sixteen," you say, deciding to skip over the weirdness with your own age. "I know. But someone has to do something. I'm in a position to actually drive some actual change."
"I don't disagree, but you're sixteen, Miss Vee," he says, shifting uncomfortably on his cushion. "I can only commend your willingness to step up, but you shouldn't have to do this."
"And teenagers shouldn't be forced into fighting for their lives on a daily basis," you say. "I can do something about that - and I have a duty to. And so I shall."
Shin sighs again, then drains his teacup and pours himself a refill.
"If nothing else, I can only admire your conviction," he says heavily. "And offer my thanks for your work to spare Nagisa from being drawn into this. Are there any other adults in the know about this?"
"There are," you say.
He hesitates.
"The Kanames?" he asks tentatively.
"Not yet. I do plan to tell them, but not yet," you say, and then it's your turn to hesitate. It's not like this is a personal secret of any sort, after all. "It's the Shizukis; their daughter is a friend of ours. You've met her briefly - she has green hair?"
"Ah. That's something, at least," he says, frowning off into the distance. "Well. I suppose I am reassured of your reasons for having to leave Nagisa with Miss Kaname and your other friends, and I am glad that you trust me with those secrets. Thank you."
"Do I hear a 'but'?" you venture carefully.
"No," he says. "Bluntly, Nagisa looks up to you, and I think you're a positive influence on her, even beyond your desire to keep the Incubators away from her. That said, you've given me a lot to think about. I... assume that revealing this secret to others will be fraught?"
"It's... probably, yeah," you say with a sigh. "The Incubators tend to leave direct relations alone, but go one step removed from that, and..." You snap your fingers. "Also, in the event that you see any girls with a ring and fingernail mark like this? They're almost certainly a magical girl."
You hold up your left hand, as does Mami, so he can see.
"I will let you know if I do," he says, nodding. "I need to digest all these revelations. Was there anything else?"
[] No, that's it
[] Yes, actually...
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Fun fact! If the wasabi isn't grated in front of you from the actual root, it's probably not actually wasabi - the stuff loses flavour fast, so the paste you get out of tubes is mostly horseradish with green food colouring.
Anyway. I'm sorry this update took so long. Just one thing after another, really, but at least it's a decently-sized update?
[X] Give advice on how to avoid getting attacked by a Witch and what to do if he encounters a Witch kissed group.
[X] There's a kaiju-witch scheduled in Mitakihara on the 30th. We're gonna kill it, but it'll do a lot of damage first, so be ready to evacuate for that.
-[X] We asked Nakano Mika to help fix the city afterwards, which we understand has affected his workload. Sorry.
[X] The Incubators prefer to target girls who are alone, feel use- or helpless or have suffered great loss. From what you've seen he's already done a good job making Nagisa a less appealing target, even unknowingly.
[X] Yeah, the food at Shion's Cafe was pretty good.
You frown thoughtfully. Walpurgisnacht is something he should know about, all things considered - it is a lot to pile on his shoulders, but frankly, it's something everyone should know about. And with the topic of Kyuubey's machinations fresh on your mind, you can't help but feel a little squirm of paranoia worm itself in.
"Two... two and a half things," you say, after a bracing sip of tea.
"Oh?" Shin says, inclining his head slightly.
"Number one - all things going well, it won't ever come up, but on the topic of Witches," you say, biting your lip. "What I... kind of glossed over is that Witches do attack ordinary humans. "
Shin closes his eyes for a brief moment.
"Of course they do," he says. "What are the signs?"
"Watch for people acting strangely," you say. "They're attracted to despair, and they frequently in turn induce despair in others. They can also lure people with a sort of mind control we call Witch's kisses - if you see people dazed, walking unsteadily and trying to harm themselves or others, or to try and grab people, that sort of thing... leave immediately. The same, if terrain starts to distort unnaturally around you. Run, in that case. Call me, if you can. I'll be there."
"Common sense, I suppose, now that I know such a... threat exists," Shin says wryly. "I wonder if this is how our ancestors felt, when there were big animals that might actually catch us?" He shakes his head. "That's existentially terrifying, but I'll keep your warning in mind, thank you."
"Yeah... I'm sorry," you say with a sigh. "And on the note of existential terror, there's... let's call it a chaser."
"Might as well hear it all out in one go," Shin says. "But I really do hope that's the last of it."
"It's the last of the bad news, yes. There's a kaiju-Witch that we're expecting to show up in Mitakihara on the thirtieth," you say. You meet his eyes steadily, holding his gaze with your own, because as much as anything, you want him to believe. "We're going to handle it. We're going to kill it, but it is coming. There will be warnings - we've arranged for meteorological agencies to predict a superstorm formation in advance to evacuate the city, but we're expecting substantial damage."
Shin swallows, his throat bobbing, and reaches for his teacup before draining it in one pull.
"We already have plans in motion for it, Mr. Momoe," Mami says, reassuring and confident. "It's a powerful Witch, but we're going to defeat it. Mitakihara is our home, after all."
"Is there anything else that can be done?" Shin asks weakly. "Can the military do anything?"
You shake your head, trying to chase off images of timelines past. Of tankers full of fuel, thrown in the smiling face of a monstrous foe. Of mortar barrages, pre-sighted in timestop and raining down in a single thunderous blast. Of missiles, of a stadium filled with explosives. Of a seemingly invulnerable Witch, laughing through it all.
"It's very, very resistant against mundane firepower," you say quietly. "It has to be magic - it has to be us. But we're not standing against it alone. We're building alliances across Japan, and hopefully the world."
"It's good to know it's not just the two of you," Shin concedes. "I'm sure you're capable, but..."
"I get it," you say. "And, uh... mixed news? So, uh... one of those allies we've been making is with Nakano Mika. Yes, that Nakano."
"... oh, son of a bitch," Shin blurts, then looks embarrassed. "Pardon my language."
"I've heard worse," you say, even as Mami giggles.
"That explains it," he says, eyes narrowing as he stares off at a distant point, lips moving silently for a moment. "Mitakihara's not quite a saturated market, but we were surprised to see Nakano Corp make such aggressive moves out of the blue... ah. Rebuilding?"
"Exactly," you say, smiling. "We're planning for this."
"You're teenagers, you shouldn't have to," Shin says. He sighs and rubs his forehead. "I'm glad you've got your plans for all this, but it hardly sits well with me that you have to face some sort of city-destroying monster, on top of fighting similar monsters every day."
He hesitates.
"I mean no offense, but do you have any adults helping out at all? I don't doubt your competence, Miss Vee, Miss Tomoe, but experience is nothing to be dismissed or neglected," he says.
"Only somewhat," you say, grimacing and shifting your weight on the cushion. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind getting more on board with the Constellation - we're actively looking for some therapists, for example, and for that matter, I wouldn't mind finding consultants on organization and disaster relief, that sort of thing."
"But I don't think we would accept any adults in a supervising role," Mami adds quietly. "No one who hasn't experienced the things we have."
You nod silently. You're not sure you totally agree with that particular argument, even if it's from Mami, but you do agree that magical girls would be deeply unlikely to accept outside leadership... and you're not even a fan of authority in the first place.
"I suppose not," Shin says, and sighs, sitting back with a contemplative look. He doesn't look happy about it, but he seems to realize that this is a difficult line to push. "... so, Nakano Mika? I don't recognize the name, but by inference, Nakano's daughter?"
"Heiress presumptive of Nakano Corp, yeah," you say. "She was one of our friends and allies who intervened against those raiders I mentioned, and she signed up with Constellation, too."
"Huh." Shin sits back, scratching his cheek as he stares off at the wall again. "It's the ones you'd never expect, I suppose. Magic."
"Magic itself is a wondrous thing," Mami says quietly. "The feeling of your own magic answering your call, of the freedom it brings and the joy of pushing yourself in ways you could never have imagined... it's impossible to describe. It's just that we were sold on false pretenses, with the costs hidden from us."
It's your turn to take Mami's hand, squeezing gently.
"I believe you, Miss Tomoe," Shin says with a strained smile. "Even for me, just hearing about it, and seeing some of what you can do it's... a whole new world that just opened up. It reminds me of my childhood dreams. But as you say, it's the circumstances surrounding it."
"Speaking of childhood dreams and mediocre segues and ending things on a good note, I had one last thing to note," you say. "Keeping Nagisa out of the Incubators' clutches."
Shin's gaze sharpens, his attention focusing on you.
"The Incubators tend to target girls who are alone, feel useless, or helpless, or have suffered great loss. The emotionally vulnerable, in other words," you say, and flash a smile. "But from what I see, you don't have to worry about that with Nagisa. Just... you've made her feel loved, I think, and that alone has worked out to make Nagisa a far, far less appealing target."
"I couldn't do anything less. She's family," Shin says, expression even. "I..."
He frowns, and shakes his head as if trying to abort that thought.
"I couldn't do anything less, either." You echo, in answer to the question he didn't ask. You didn't befriend Nagisa just because you wanted to stave off her becoming a Witch. You can't say it wasn't part of the reason, but it certainly wasn't the only reason. "I saw a kid in distress, and... I couldn't not want to help."
Shin gives you a chagrinned look, even as Mami chuckles, cupping your hand in both of hers.
"There's no need to be so blunt, Sabrina," she says.
"... well, it's true," you grumble. "Besides, my weapon is a hammer, and I'm a rude, noisy foreigner who doesn't know any better. It's thematically appropriate for me to be blunt."
"Your Japanese is better than just about anyone I know, local or not," Shin says drily. "Dare I ask about this hammer?"
"Oh, I've got a magical weapon - most magical girls do," you say, raising your free hand and summoning your hammer.
Shin jolts a little, presumably at the casual display of magic, then gives it a long look, examining the filigreed, silvery metal.
"... it's not blunt at all," he observes. "It has spikes."
"What? No, it-"
This time, it's your turn to give your hammer a long look - specifically at the head of your weapon, with its wickedly curved armour-piercing spike on one end... and the blunt end, with its little armour-piercing clawed head. You stare at it for a moment, rotating it this way and that to observe the way light catches on the facets of the striking surface. Mami dissolves into giggles next to you, trying to hide it behind her teacup.
"... thematically appropriate," you insist, dismissing your hammer because the demonstration is over, and definitely not to prevent further examination of the evidence. "It's still a hammer. Big, blunt-force swings, not surgical precision."
"As you say, Miss Vee," Shin says, amused.
"But yes. Moving on," you say. "Yes. That, at last, is the last of the bombshells I had to drop on you."
"Thank god," Shin says mildly. "I don't think my old man heart could have taken much more."
You eyeball him. He can't possibly be older than his early forties, you're pretty sure.
"In the vein of good news, magical healing is a learnable skill for all magical girls!" Mami says brightly. "Sabrina and I are quite practiced at it, too."
You snicker, even if Shin's giving Mami an unimpressed look.
"I'll keep that in mind, too," he says, his voice bone dry. He leans forward across the table, offering his hand. "That said... thank you both, Miss Vee, Miss Tomoe. For trusting me with this grand secret, and for caring about Nagisa, and for the warnings."
You shake firmly, rising to a kneel to meet him halfway.
"It's only right," you say. "And... I consider Nagisa a friend, now." It would be presumptous to call her the little sister you never had, but it does feel like it, sometimes. "So... I really couldn't do anything less."
"That's nothing to dismiss," Shin says. "There are far too many who would look at the right thing to do and to choose the easy thing to do. Or the profitable thing to do." He snorts. "But let's set that aside. I think a round of dessert is in order after all that, don't you?"
"That would be lovely, Mr. Momoe," Mami says, answering for you.
It's not exactly the traditional accompaniment to a sushi dinner, but sometimes tradition must bow to the modern, and it turns out that the sushi restaurant offers some very nice chilled mochi. Shin snacks silently on the mochi after they arrive, lost in thought, and you and Mami choose to do likewise, giving him time to think.
Finally, he stirs himself with another distant smile.
"Forgive me," he says. "I have a lot to think about."
"Considering it was me who gave you all that to think about, I can hardly complain," you say.
"That said, I should be going," he says. "Would you like to come and visit? I'm sure Nagisa would be delighted."
"Unfortunately, we can't - we're meeting other friends later," you say. "Do give her my best wishes, though? And the parmesan. Oh! And I nearly forgot - the food at Shion cafe was excellent. I'd recommend it."
Shin snorts.
"Ah, I actually had forgotten about that," he says amiably. "Thank you for the recommendation, then, I'll try that out. And I'm sure Nagisa will love the cheese - it's a good thing she has a growing metabolism."
He heaves himself to his feet, and you likewise follow. You split the bill with Shin, the older man grumbling about the whole affair, but you're insistent. This is to make amends, and after dropping all that on his lap, you feel mildly guilty about the whole thing. Finally, with that settled, you part ways, Shin heading for his car.
"I think that went well," you tell Mami.
Stepping back out into the city proper is all but a shock to the senses, after the warm, cosy lighting of the restaurant. A chill steals through the air, the remnants of the rain making one last grasp at relevance, and the streets throng with crowds and buzzing chatter. Night has fallen properly now, the skies dark and the moon slowing creeping up across the velvet darkness.
"I think so too," Mami says. She swings your joined hands back and forth, smiling as you stroll along the roads, and sighs happily. "Today has been wonderful."
You chuckle softly.
"Yeah, it has been," you agree softly. "Long day, but it's been good."
"Ah, but we shouldn't be so quick to eulogize it," Mami says, smiling cheekily at you. "We still have our business with Miss Tsuruya - and with Homura and Hitomi."
"True, true," you say, beaming at her. "Let's go!"
You turn your attention to considering tomorrow - your afternoon will be pretty full, what with heading all the way to the southern tip of Japan to meet the nyantokanyaru IRC folks. You hope that that goes well, since Homura mentioned they'd be good to have for Walpurgisnacht. And you'll have to wedge in a stop at Kyoto either before or after that, too.
And for the rest of the week... you'd promised Kazue Fukui, from the Tome group a face-to-face meeting at some point this week. A friend and former teammate of Chouko's, and you do rather hope their rekindled friendship is going well. It'd be deeply awkward if not, really. And a tentative meeting with the Myanmar girls on Thursday you'll definitely need to confirm, to check on in the aftermath of the Iowa girls. And...
Ah, yes.
Meeting Tsubaki Mikoto all the way north in Hokkaido, that same night. One of the oldest magical girls you know of, at the ripe old age of twenty.
But then again, all of that is putting the cart before the horse. It does rather leave your coming morning rather free, you suppose.
[] What are your morning plans?
- [] More Witch hunting with Kyouko and Yuma (and Sayaka?)
- [] Go visiting somewhere?
-- [] Masami, Hiroko, and Megane
-- [] Noriko, Akemi, and the Soujus
-- [] Sendai
-- [] Ishinomaki
- [] Something else?
-- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Slightly later (in the week, anyway) update today, but hey.
So! I'm hoping to cover the rest of the night and the next morning in the next update, so do vote accordingly!
[x] What are your morning plans?
- [x] Go visiting somewhere?
-- [x] Noriko, Akemi, and the Soujus
You make it over to Madoka's place at a stroll, content and warm with Mami at your side, despite the chill steadily creeping into the air. The weather forecast predicted unseasonal snowfall tomorrow, if you recall correctly, though you're not sure that's still true given the way the Iowa girls were messing with the weather.
In some ways, unseasonal snowfall might be a good thing - it'd lend additional credence to warnings of other unseasonal weather, like, say, a monstrous superstorm arriving with very little warning.
The windows of the Kaname residence glow with light, an almost palpable sense of cheer radiating into the dark of the night. It's a quiet neighbourhood at this hour, lush greenery transformed into soft, waving shadows by the glow of the street lights and moon.
Madoka's the one to greet you at the door, beaming happily with Tatsuya toddling along at her feet.
"Hi Mami, hi Sabrina!" she says cheerfully, taking a smooth half-step back and expertly scooping Tatsuya up in a side-long carry before he can escape, grunting slightly with the effort. "Good timing!"
"Hi Madoka, hi Tatsuya," you say, returning the smile and carefully ruffling Tatsuya's sparse, dark pink hair. You give him a solemn look. "Tatsuya, I must tender my most sincere apologies to you. The last time we met, I referred to you as a baby. I have since concluded that this was in error, and I apologise from the bottom of my heart for not referring to you as a toddler, as I should have."
Tatsuya stares at you with big, uncomprehending eyes as you bow.
"Um?" he says.
You lean slightly towards Madoka even as Mami muffles her laughter into her hand.
"He is, like, four years old, right?" you stage-whisper to her.
"Just three years old!" Madoka whispers back, giggling. "But he's tall for his age. Come in, come in, Hitomi says it'll be soon and they were thinking of calling you, but you're here a little early. So come in, it's a homework party!"
"Huh, must be your father's fault he's so big," you say, snickering as you shuck your shoes and step in after Madoka.
"Ah, that reminds me that I'll have to do catchup, too, since I wasn't in school today," Mami says ruefully as she follows, swinging the door shut behind her.
"I hope it isn't too bad..." Madoka says as she lets Tatsuya down. He immediately toddles over to you and latches on to your leg, staring up at you in undisguised fascination. "If it's anything like taking a sick day, catching back up with everyone else is always the worst part."
"I'm sure it won't be," Mami says. "And besides, I have Sabrina to help!"
"That's right, you get to monopolize Sabrina," Madoka says, giggling.
"I do indeed," Mami says gravely.
"I, of course, am an entirely neutral party and have no opinion on the matter," you say loftily, reaching down to ruffle Tatsuya's hair again. "What about you, Tatsuya? What do you think?"
"You're like papa!" he says, holding his hands out to you. "Up, please?"
"Sure, sure," you say with a laugh, and bend down to scoop him up into a side-long carry.
"Ah, he likes you." Madoka beams. "C'mon, let's go!"
You share a smile with Mami as you follow Madoka, Tatsuya happily snuggled into the crook of your arm. Madoka heads up the stairs, to the room you recognise as hers, side-stepping around a new chair in the corridor -plain, lacquered wood, but expertly carved- and pulling the door open.
"Hey, everyone," you say cheerfully as you breeze into the room. "Did you know that the word 'rosette', which in English is a French-derived word that could be used to refer to reddish or pinkish shades of hair, also refers to a kind of sausage?" You beam at everyone, especially Madoka. "I'm definitely not imagining you with, like, charcuterie in place of your ribbons, by the way."
"I like sausage!" Tatsuya contributes.
"... so, logarithms, inverse trigonometry, algebraic functions, regular trigonometry, and exponentials last of all?" Hitomi says over Kyouko's muttered 'Jesus Christ,' turning deliberately away from you to face Homura.
Homura nods at you in acknowledgement, then turns to focus on the homework sheets.
"It's a guideline, not a hard rule," Homura murmurs. "And even then, it can be complicated. Look at the next question."
"Oh, I know this one!" Madoka says brightly, lowering her hands from her hair and skipping over to grab her pen. "v is one, and arctan is u!"
"Is one an algebraic function?" Sayaka muses. "I mean, x to zero is one, right?"
"Bah, no-one appreciates my genius," you say, sniffing haughtily. "Also, yes, constants are formally zeroth order polynomials."
"I appreciate you," Mami says, patting your shoulder.
"Bah, I say," you grumble as you carefully let Tatsuya down and settle in for the homework session.
It's a little odd to have Kyouko and Yuma here at all - by all accounts, Sayaka wrangled them into showing up with the promise of food, the stack of takeout boxes in the corner testifying to the noble sacrifices of the meals in question. That they're still here is probably testament to Kyouko being bored, but... you're hopeful that it means she's a little more amenable to being social.
And certainly she's content to laze about and throw out the occasional jibe, despite mostly focused on sucking down an ice-pop and the manga she'd produced from somewhere - Yuma flopped on Madoka's bed with an earlier issue of the same series. You don't recognise it, but she and Yuma seem to enjoy it, so it's not like you're going to argue with that. Given the situation, you consider raising that idea of getting Yuma enrolled in school, but... it doesn't seem like the right time to press Kyouko on the matter.
You're happy enough to spend your time helping out with homework, chatting with everyone, and helping Mami catch up on the day she missed. Tatsuya dozes off on your lap at some point, apparently unbothered by the noise and rampant math occurring all around him.
But all good things must come to an end, and in this case, it's interrupted by Hitomi's phone lighting up with a cheerful, tinkling ringtone. She steps out into the corridor to answer it, and when she returns, it's with a firm nod and a slight smile as she catches your and Homura's eyes.
The four of you -Homura, Hitomi, Mami, you- promise to return soon, Madoka gently lifting Tatsuya off you and making you promise to come back soon. And so you head out into the night to meet a harried-looking man who brushes off your apologies with a confused look and a rejoinder that he's being paid overtime for the rush job. Hitomi gives you a sheepish smile when you look at her, and notes that her father helped pull some strings, and you choose not to think about the fact that strings pulled or not, there's apparently little fuss in handing over a house to a teenager.
Homura signs the paperwork with a steady hand and a cramped scrawl of her name.
Yuki meets you and Mami at Warehouse-kun, declining a flight from you, instead choosing to take in the view of Mitakihara at night: a breathtaking web of light and life, woven together by human hands and spirit, and the three of you rejoin Homura and Hitomi before the house, just a few streets over from Madoka's.
It's a sleek, modern building -made with modern materials and standards, apparently- and smaller than the Kaname family home, of course, but it still has a generous, inexplicable garden and patio space. Two stories tall, a grand floor-to-ceiling window 'round the side... entirely dark, for the moment, the utilities not yet set up.
"A lovely place," Yuki says. "Miss Akemi, seeing as the building is yours, would you care to do the honors and to go in first?"
"Does it matter?" Homura asks, looking down at the keys in her hand.
"My magic works best on homes," Yuki says. "If you would care to live here, that would be even better, but I understand that this is a means to an end. Even so, small gestures help - I could have taken claim of this house even before you signed for it, but this is easier and stronger."
"We might turn this into a way station of sorts, I think?" you note, glancing at Homura for permission. She just seems pensive, motioning for you to continue. "We don't have any particular plans nailed down yet."
"I'm aware," Yuki says, flashing a sharp little grin to take the sting out of it. "A waystation... a transitory home, a transitory transport hub. It does feel right."
"I do like the idea of Mitakihara becoming a hub of international magical girl travel," Mami says. "Well... it feels like it already is, some days! But I think that's a topic for another day."
"I still have homework to do," Hitomi notes mournfully. "And don't you dare apologize, Sabrina. This is a worthy cause, and it isn't even remotely you driving all this to happen, or even at this hour."
You shut your mouth with a click.
"You can be terribly predictable sometimes, Sabrina," Mami says, her words bolstered by a firm nod from Hitomi.
Homura snorts softly and strides forward. A jingle of the keys, and the door swings open to reveal the darkness beyond - right up until Homura produces a flashlight and continues onwards, shoes discarded.
"Tadaima," she murmurs. I'm home.
"Okaeri," you respond as you follow her in. Welcome back.
It doesn't take much longer to resolve the business of joining the house to Yuki's network. Cold and empty the house might be, but you do have hopes that it won't always be, and judging by the satisfied smile on Yuki's face as she sinks her magic into the walls and ground and space of the house, it will suffice. Hitomi hangs back and watches with a curious eye, observing the glow of purple limning the house with faint awe and sharp interest.
Still, that's all there is to it, Yuki noting that her she'll revoke her claim on Warehouse-kun and departing with a wave over her shoulder as she vanishes through the doorway. Literally so, disappearing between one step and the next with a pulse of her magic.
"Do you think it'll work?" Homura asks, amethyst eyes on you. But there's something about the way she asked, the set of her jaw and the tension in her shoulders that tells you that the question runs deeper than her words.
Do you think that putting something like this, so close to Madoka, was the right choice? True, it would mean that emergency reinforcements for Madoka would always be close at hand, beyond Homura herself or anyone she can wrangle. But it means trusting another magical girl, it means putting magic near Madoka.
"I think so," you say, and grin. "And even if it doesn't, I'll make sure it will."
"As Sayaka is not here, I feel it is my solemn duty to take up her exhortations in her stead," Hitomi says, raising an eyebrow before she smirks. "Lighten up, you two. Homura, I know it's a lot of money, but you certainly didn't seem to care up until now. If it doesn't work out, I'll help with figuring out what next, too. Maybe renting?"
Homura shrugs.
"You know how it is with realizations setting in only after you commit to a course," Mami chides gently. "Besides, I think we'd all like for this little project to work out."
She gives Homura a meaningful look.
"True, true," Hitomi says. "Shall we head back to Madoka's? I still have a bit of homework I'd like to tackle before we head home for the night."
"Yeah," you say. "Let's go."
Homura is the last to leave, giving the empty house a long, lingering look before moving to catch up. You offer her a smile as she joins the group, and she nods slightly. Worried, but for the moment, satisfied.
The rest of the night passes uneventfully, Tomohisa stopping by with snacks midway through the little homework party. You wind up running late enough that Madoka offers to let everyone sleep over, but ultimately, no one takes her up on that offer, lured away by the siren song of your own beds, and Madoka sees you all off with a smile.
It's late by the time you and Mami make it home, Kyouko and Yuma in tow - Yuma yawning widely and leaning against Kyouko.
"Long day," you say, yawning yourself.
"It does feel like it's been a long day," Mami agrees, sighing happily and stretching. "But a good one. Kyouko, would you and Yuma like to shower first?"
"... you first," Kyouko grumbles, and turns a scowl on you. "In return, you don't wake us up in the morning."
"I make no promises if the smell of food wakes you up," you say with a grin. "But yeah, thank you. Ah... I won't be joining you for hunting Witches tomorrow morning, but maybe later?"
"Tell me 'bout whatever and we'll see," Kyouko says, rolling her eyes and ushering Yuma off to the guest room.
You exchange a helpless glance with Mami, who shakes her head slightly. Best not to press right now, and you've already discussed ideas for how to work things out. Best to leave it be for the moment.
By the time you and Mami have taken your showers, dried off your hair -with a trick of magic Mami shows you- and bedded down for the night, you're stifling yawns of your own. It's not that late by any grand standard, but it sure feels like it's been a long day, and you're grateful for the rest. You're asleep moments after your head hits the pillow, Mami curled up in your arms.
=====
You awaken to a chill in the air and the alarm in your ears, for once. You almost start reaching out to silence the noise before realizing that it would let the cold air into the nice warm cocoon of blankets, so instead, you smack the button down with just a bit of Grief. You take a moment to luxuriate in the warmth and of Mami's arms around you, but a discontent murmur against the back of your neck tells you that Mami's waking up too.
"Time t' get up?" Mami mumbles.
"A few more minutes," you tell her.
Mami makes another wordless, grumbling noise and tightens her embrace.
It's chilly today - not quite the snowfall promised, you think, but definitely unseasonably cold. You lie there for a few minutes longer before sighing and reluctantly starting to sit up.
"Cold," Mami whines, latching stubbornly onto you to try and retain the heat.
"It is, rather," you say. "But we've got to get up now to make breakfast."
"Do we really have to?" she mumbles.
"'fraid so," you say mournfully. "Wish we could just stay here the whole day, but..."
Mami sighs, eyes still firmly shut as she curls herself tighter around you in an attempt to prevent you from escaping the bed. Sadly, you have to harden your heart and gently chivvy her out of bed and off to the bathroom to ready herself for the day.
By the time Mami emerges, significantly less dishevelled, you already have breakfast started - a corn potage in the pressure cooker, rice in the cooker, and eggs being whisked for omelettes enough to add to lunch. An incongruous mix of food, maybe, but you think Mami would enjoy it, and there's nothing that says a breakfast has to be thematically aligned. And some warm soup against the chilly day sounds perfect.
"'morning, Mami," you say cheerfully.
Mami smiles sleepily and shambles towards you, only stopping when she butts her face against your back and wraps her arms around your waist.
"Good-" you feel her crack a yawn, "-morning, Sabrina. I don't understand how you're always so awake."
"Magic," you say solemnly.
"Must be," she mumbles into your back.
With Mami there, it's your turn to go wash up, and she gives you an amused look when you return - commentary about the mismatched breakfast, but then again, she started frying some fish to go with it, so really, who can say? Either way, it's a good breakfast, your telepathic call full of the usual grousing and morning cheer.
Kyouko and Yuma are still asleep by the time you and Mami head out for the day, to your surprise - you'd half expected the smell of food to wake them up again, but then again, you can respect a determination to sleep in. Still, whenever they do wake up, they've got a big half-pot of soup and fish and omelettes waiting for them. You even remember to collect the cake for Kagoshima girls, storing it in your hammerspace.
The day is beautifully crisp, the chill hanging off the wind and dew and swirling with the wind, and yet, a brilliantly blue sky stretches overhead, the sun just barely beginning to peak over distant buildings. Light jackets and coats abound, the people of Mitakihara undaunted by the cold snap. It's just another Tuesday, after all, unusual weather or not.
"Good morniiiing!"
You're greeted by cheerful calls as you make it to the park in front of Mitakihara Middle School. Madoka and Hitomi have their uniform coats on, but both Homura and Sayaka seem to have decided to eschew them, Sayaka waving enthusiastically at you as she always does.
"'morning, everyone!" you say, beaming at everyone. "Hope you all managed to sleep OK?"
"Ahh, it's fine, I've stayed up later," Sayaka says, rolling her eyes. "'sides, we cleared our homework. That makes it productive."
"Unlike staying up to play video games, you mean?" Madoka snickers, giving Sayaka an impish look.
Sayaka gives her a betrayed look.
"Call of Duty?" you ask idly, a vague memory tickling your mind, of Sayaka identifying one of Homura's shotguns with rather specific terminology.
"... no," Sayaka says rather unconvincingly, looking away.
"Hmm," you say, narrowing your eyes. Sayaka refuses to meet your gaze. "Well, we should get some multiplayer games to play sometimes... Hitomi, do you play, actually?"
"The occasional single player game," Hitomi says. "But I've never touched competitive games, no. What about you, Homura?"
"... I've never tried," she admits quietly.
"Well, we can't have that," Sayaka says. "Bet you'd be great at FPSes or something... well, actually, maybe you'd enjoy something calmer? Hm..."
Homura blinks at her, then you, carefully hidden bafflement on her face. You grin back and shrug slightly - Sayaka means well, after all.
"There are plenty of co-op games releasing, too," Mami contributes with a smile. "We can definitely find something that will suit all of our tastes, I imagine."
"It's settled, then," you say cheerfully. "We'll figure out something that works for all of us... no, wait, we need to figure out what Homura likes, first."
"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Madoka says, clapping her hands. "Oooh, maybe Homura would like Pokemon?"
"It's mostly single-player, though, and I'm not playing competitive against Hitomi," Sayaka grumbles. "Never again."
"It was an aesthetically appropriate team," Hitomi says smugly, turning her nose up.
"Rayquaza," Sayaka says simply.
"Aesthetically appropriate," Hitomi repeats, raising a hand to pat her hair.
"A life orb Rayquaza!" Sayaka complains. "And a tyranitar."
"It could have been worse," Madoka says philosophically. "She could have, ah... what was it? The training for stats?"
"EV training?" you offer.
"Yes, exactly!" Madoka says. "Could have been worse, Hitomi could have EV-trained it!"
You snicker, and nudge Homura.
"Hey, Homura, had a thought - you have a smartphone, right?" you ask, even as Madoka, Sayaka, and Hitomi slip into an easy rhythm of banter and teasing.
"I do, yes," Homura says. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, I was thinking that I might make us a game of some kind if we can't agree on one," you say. "Something we would all like."
"If you say so," Homura says. "You're visiting Kagoshima today, correct?"
"Yeah, in the afternoon," you say. "I'll do my best to get them on board, but did you have anything specific in mind?"
Homura hesitates, then shakes her head.
"You'll probably have an easier time recruiting them," she murmurs.
"I won't let you down," you promise.
The six of you fall into an easy, ambling rhythm, meanderingly slowly towards the school, wending past dew-studded greenery alongside all the other students drifting in the same direction in herds and cliques. You're just one of many, friendly teasing and gossip and complaining about school abounding, and it's achingly normal, not a hint of magic coming up.
Finally, it's time for them to head in, and for you to head off. You say your farewells, sharing a hug with Mami. You're graced with a kiss on your cheek, as has become tradition, and then she's off, glancing back at you every few steps. A familiar ritual, at this point, but one that still pulls at you - it will take time for Mami to set aside her fear of abandonment. But she'll have that time, you've long since promised yourself.
You find the truancy officer eyeing you as Mami vanishes beyond the school doors.
"Miss Tomoe's on my list to watch for today," he says gruffly. "She was sick yesterday?"
"She wasn't feeling well, yeah," you say. "But she's feeling much better now."
"I'm glad to hear that," he says. He gives you a long look, then nods. "Best wishes to her, then."
"I'll pass them on," you say, and grin cheekily. "See you tomorrow!"
He nods at you, and you head out. It's only a few minutes before you leave the school behind, a telepathic call reaching ahead of you to check whether the formerly-Shiogama girls are alright with you visiting - and they are, so you take to the rooftops. It's not a long trip across the city before you're dropping down to the apartment, letting yourself into the building via the rooftop access.
"Our angel!" the Souju's twinned voices ring out in your mind well below you actually reach their shared apartment. "What is your wish?"
[] How do you want to approach the Soujus?
- [] Try to dissuade them from calling you an angel
- [] Try not to show your discomfort with it
[] You're here to check in on the living situation with the Shiogama girls and the Soujus, are you after anything specific?
- [] Also, the Soujus shared a technique for handling Grief. Investigate it more
- [] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
Gaaah, I hate to have left the update this late, but here we go, at least?
Also, so - according to official material Tatsuya's four years old. But as @Godwinson pointed out to me, he's depicted younger than that in the anime, just in terms of what we see on screen, and I was treating him as being younger the last time we saw him here, so... yep. Splitting the difference.
Also also, you know what? It's been a dang long time coming, and it feels good to say this again: thus ends Hazard Course, and thus begins a new chapter: Riding Shotgun!
[X] How do you want to approach the Soujus?
-[X] Try to dissuade them from calling you an angel
--[X] Tell them that you'll discuss the accuracy and theology(?) of that later, but that for now you're just asking them to not call you that sort of thing because it makes you uncomfortable. You've got all this power and responsibility, sure, but you prefer to think of yourself as a fellow magical girl first and foremost. Even if they think it's being disrespectful, you'd consider it a personal kindness if they were to be disrespectful like that.
[X] You're here to check in on the living situation with the Shiogama girls and the Soujus, are you after anything specific?
-[X] Also, the Soujus shared a technique for handling Grief. Investigate it more
-[X] Make sure that there's not been too much friction between the Soujus and Noriko, and that immediate needs are handled and any medium-term concerns can be brought up.
"Good morning to you too, Miss Ayase, Miss Luca," you respond evenly, despite the squirm of discomfort and vague annoyance. It's not like you have the right to be annoyed about it yet - you're uncomfortable, yes, but it's not like you've properly asked them to stop yet. That'll be something to do today.
"Good morning!" they respond, that familiar bright, feverish intensity burning in their voices.
"I'll be there in a moment, OK?" you say, tamping down on your reaction as you make your way down the steps. "Then we'll figure things out."
"Of course," they respond.
You take the stairs two at a time, a quick, bouncy pace, and you arrive at the apartment just in time for one of Noriko's bodies to pull it open.
"Good morning!" she says with a quick smile. "Miss... ah, the Soujus told us you were here."
"Good morning!" you respond, smiling easily. "I hope I'm not keeping you from breakfast or anything?"
"No, no, we woke up earlier and ate," Noriko says, waving it off. "Ah... before we go in..." She lowers her voice, bracing one hand against the doorframe to lean forward. "They seem to have concluded that Akemi and I are your followers in some way, and we haven't done too much to dissuade them of that? And it's not totally inaccurate, so..."
"... if it works, I suppose," you say dubiously. It's just as well you'd only planned to ask the Soujus to stop calling you an angel, for now. "Though, er, you know that I'm not-"
"-not an angel?" Noriko says, a smirk flickering across her face. "Weeellll... I don't know about that, considering your magic and all."
You roll your eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," you say. "But no, I mean that I'm not demanding obedience or supplication from you or anything like that."
"Ah," Noriko says. Her expression turns serious, yellow eyes meeting yours. "Yeah, that we do know. We're here because you gave us an escape when we had a dire need for it, and you asked for very little in exchange. It was an easy choice to make." She snorts softly, wonderingly, and shrugs. "But at this point... we're happy to be here."
"I'm glad to hear it," you say, smiling.
"Anyway," Noriko says, rolling her eyes and stepping aside. "Come in, come in."
"Thank you," you say.
You head in to the apartment - it's changed a little since the last time you were here, with a rug, two near chairs, and a few potted plants making their appearances, as well as a poster hanging on the wall, of an idol group you don't recognise. Akemi greets you with a smile, and by the sounds of it, Noriko's other body is in the kitchen. As for the Soujus...
You know where they are, of course, their Soul Gems bright in your minds' eye, but it takes a second for your physical eyes to acknowledge that they are, in fact, sitting slightly apart in a cat-patterned bowl on the coffee table. An admittedly cute cat-patterned bowl, but that just makes it even more incongruous. At the same time, you can sense the antimagic enchants from Kirika - it seems Akemi and Noriko are each carrying one, ready for emergencies. Smart.
"'morning, Miss Saito, Miss Ayase, Miss Luca," you greet as you step into the room. "I hope everyone's well?"
"Good morning!" Akemi says brightly, waving you towards one of the seats. "We're well, thank you for asking, and the Soujus have been model guests, given the circumstances. Ah... roommates?"
"I can certainly imagine worse," Noriko says as she steps past you.
"Of course we were!" the Soujus say indignantly. "We'd never be rude guests!"
"I'm glad to hear it," you say, smiling and allowing yourself to be ushered into a kneeling seat at the coffee table. "Honestly, that's one of the reasons that I'm here today - I wanted to make sure that you're settling in alright, and to check if there's anything you need?"
Noriko and Akemi shake their heads in answer to your questioning look.
"As Akemi said, the Soujus haven't been any trouble at all," Noriko says, giving the Soul Gems an awkward look. "Quiet for most part, and... well, they don't have to eat or anything."
"Almost too quiet," Akemi says, blushing slightly.
"If you're going to do that sort of thing, you should do it in private!" the Soujus protest.
Akemi clears her throat delicately.
"Yes, that was our fault, we're, ah, not used to having such quiet roommates," she says. "Um. Well, they don't even need to use the toilet or anything, and they're mostly content to do their own thing, so... apart from cleansing and, ah, that one incident there hasn't been any trouble at all since yesterday."
"Your Clear Seed is a marvel," the Soujus add. "And you give it so freely."
"... Ah, and yes, we've had a little difficulty understanding them when they speak at the same time like that," Akemi notes. "But we discussed it with them, and they were kind enough to try and remember to take turn when talking to us." She smiles fondly at Noriko. "I mean, even Noriko has four sets of ears, but only one soul."
"Sorry!" the Soujus say, almost sheepish as their voices slow down, one speaking before the other. "Our angel understands us, but we know that not everyone can. We're trying to remember not to!"
"It's quite alright," Akemi says, smiling slightly. "There's, ah, always growing pains with new roommates, I suppose?
"It's a learning experience!" the Soujus chirp. "And we're happy to make accomodations for our sister-followers."
"Yes, just so," Akemi says, giving you an awkward look.
"Oh, before I forget, there's something on my mind I'd like to talk about before you leave, Miss Sabrina?" Akemi says, her eyes flickering briefly to the cat bowl containing their Soul Gems. "Not related, so it can wait until later."
"Ah, sure?" you say, blinking, then purse your lips briefly. This is probably as good a segue as you're going to get. "Though uh... I'm very sorry, given that this is your home, but I hope it would be OK if I have a private word with Miss Ayase and Miss Luca for a moment?"
Noriko and Akemi exchange a quick look, and Noriko gives you a nod as she stands.
"We'll be in the kitchen," Akemi says. "Can we offer you some tea?"
"... thank you, but no," you say, smiling sheepishly at her. "I know it's just proper hospitality, and I appreciate it, but I have drunk so much tea these past few days I'm expecting my back teeth to float away, and I'm expecting to drink more today. I like tea well enough, but like..." You wobble your hand. "Y'know. Also, that phrase is mostly a Southern US thing, I think, and I have no idea why I said it. It's usually about needing the toilet, even, and I don't. Hm. Never mind, let's just forget the last thirty seconds."
You scratch your head, bewildered, as Akemi chuckles.
"It's evocative," she says cheerfully as she stands. "So definitely no tea, then."
"Did we do something wrong?" the Soujus ask, their voices small as Noriko and Akemi leave the room.
You're... not going to get into the whole kidnapping thing right this moment. That one's a gigantic can of worms big enough that you'd have to consider walking without rhythm. For now, you're just taking aim at a much more modest goal, you hope. But even through the trepidation creeping into their mental presence, you can still feel that dancing, fervent spark of hunger. Hunger like a flame, a yawning void: and not one that's pointed at you. Something, someone superficially like you, perhaps, a devotion to their own warped vision of salvation.
"I have a request for you," you say, rather than any of that.
"Yes, anything!" they say, that trepidation turning to instant, fawning glee. Maybe it's your imagination, but even their Soul Gems glow a little brighter, their magic pulsing eagerly.
"Alright. Well... I would like to request that you not call me an angel, or anything along thise lines?" you say, and hold up your hands. "We... can discuss the accuracy of that later, but for now, I'm just asking you not to call me that sort of thing because it makes me uncomfortable."
The Soujus don't respond immediately, the glow of their Soul Gems a dull throb. You can feel the magic flowing between their Soul Gems, a flurry of conversation you're not privy to, and rather than interrupt, you simply fold your hands on your lap and wait. To anyone else, you wouldn't consider this a big ask. To the girls with their minds warped by their Wishes, who near-worship you, or at least the idea of you...
You don't know.
You keep your magic poised at the back of your mind, ready to reach out. You're reasonably confident it won't come to a fight, but you can't help but be a little paranoid: and more importantly, this is not your home. This is Noriko and Akemi's home, and you absolutely will not allow their place to be messed up if it turns out that you misread the situation.
"But you are," they ask sullenly.
"I don't..." You trail off with a sigh. "That sort of phrasing makes me uncomfortable. I don't like being put above others like that - I've got all this power and the responsibility that comes with it, but I prefer to be just a fellow magical girl, first and foremost."
"But you're more than that," they say, indignation and that impassioned fervour burning in their mental voices as their words spill and twine and tumble over each other, reverberating in your mind. "We knew, we knew it from the moment we were in your presence. We understand that you wish to hide it from others, but we know. We beg your understanding, our angel, but we don't believe it right for us to be so casual."
"I..." You hide your grimace, and tamp down the urge to rub your face. The most you allow yourself is to lean back in the sofa, staring down at the pair of Soul Gems glowing softly in the morning light.
There's something about the way their conviction rings in their voices that makes you bite back your instinctive denial. It's not that you entirely disagree with their perspective: you have power unheard of, and a colossal pileup of circumstantial evidence that's difficult to dismiss, and you will reluctantly concede that you do also have the attitude to match, in many ways. You do want to save people, after all.
So they're not really wrong. Entirely the opposite, even, they're most likely right - in broad strokes. You're all but certain you were created by Madoka's Wish, after all. But all those ephitets that hang uneasily upon you, and the idea of being divine and of being above others like that... there's just something about the whole construct that sits poorly.
But your mind keeps circling back to the way they say it. That ardent belief. You suspect it's something too deeply enmeshed with the Soujus' worldview: you fit, exactly, that slot in their beliefs. You can't win this fight without getting through that same worldview that led them to conclude that kidnapping magical girls from their bodies was saving them, and that's not a fight you're willing to take on. Not right now.
"I would take it as a personal favour," you say softly. One last try. "I... appreciate that you think that that sort of, ah, respect is my due, but at the same time it makes me genuinely uncomfortable to be called an angel, or anything like that."
There's another long silence, as the Soujus presumably debate between themselves.
"We don't think we can," they say at last, their mental voices small. "It's no less than is your due, Lady Vee, and we can't not. We apologize."
Well.
You tried.
And it's useful to know that to them, the idea of you is more important than you. Maybe it's a result of the warping of their mindsets from their Wish, but even so. It's important to know.
"... alright, fine," you concede. "But please don't try and convince others to take up that terminology. And no scripture!"
"Thank you for clemency," they say, sounding relieved. "We will hold our tongues - your work speaks for itself."
"That... will suffice," you say, trying not to sigh. At least they're not insistent on proselytizing about it. Or continuing on their self-appointed mission of 'salvation'.
Feeling eyes on you, and realizing that the noise from the kitchen has died down, you glance over to find Akemi peeking out, and you nod slightly. You're done with the private conversation, as much as it was.
"Ah..." the Soujus venture, uncertainty creeping into their voices. If they had a body or two, you could imagine them poking their fingers nervously together. "May we ask a question, o angel?"
You nod, then remember that they can't really see.
"Go on?" you say.
"The souls that we saved," they ask. "How are they?"
"They're well. I've left them in the care of a trusted friend of mine," you say, and because you suspect you know what they're going to ask next, you continue, "She has a Clear Seed which she will use to keep them cleansed."
"It's good they're being taken care of," they say, that sharp-edged, fawning cheer seeping back into their mental voices. "Thank you for helping."
"I'm always glad to help," you say firmly, covering the squirm of unease - their idea of helping is very different from yours, after all. You nod at Akemi and Noriko as they return, the latter offering you a brief smile with one of her bodies as they settle back down on the sofa.
"Welcome back!" the Soujus chirp, all evidence of the previous dismay and concern completely gone.
"Er, thanks," Noriko says. "So, were there any other concerns, Miss Vee?"
"Not really any concerns, no," you say. "But ah... OK, so, I came here to check if there were any problems settling in. With that sorted out, if it wouldn't be an imposition on your time, I was thinking we could spend a little time investigating the Soujus' Grief removal technique?"
"Ah, there's no need to worry about taking our time," Noriko says, shaking her head. "The most we were thinking of doing this morning was to go out hunting - but we can do that at any time, anyway."
Akemi snorts.
"And Miss Sakura's haunting the rooftops the whole day, anyway," she says.
"... You ran into Kyouko?" you say, blinking.
"Yeah, couple days ago. And Miss Chitose too," Akemi says. "It's always safer to hunt with numbers, so we mutually agreed that the next time we were out on a hunt we should see if the others were around."
"Yeah, it's always good to hunt with numbers on your side," you agree. Good to know that Kyouko's reaching out, too. "Well. If you're sure I'm not taking up too much of your time, then?"
"We're sure," Noriko says.
"And we're happy to help!" the Soujus say. "Anything for our angel."
"Right, well... I was thinking that we could start with a demonstration, maybe, so we're all on the same page?" you say. "Miss Ayase, Miss Luca? And... mm, well... ideally, this technique is something everyone can learn. So... Miss Watanabe, Miss Saito, if you could take a look too? I'd value a second opinion on it."
"Of course!" the Soujus chirp. "It's nothing compared to your power, o angel, but it's a more humble technique, perhaps better suited for more humble souls."
"That's... the idea, yeah," you say, a little awkwardly. "Though honestly, I'm really, really curious to see how it works."
"We're beginning!" the Soujus say.
Curiosity overrides wariness as the Soujus get to work, and all three of you lean forward, watching. Noriko and Akemi lack your sense of Grief, but even so, you hope they can feel the weft of magic flowing between the Soujus' Soul Gems, cycling in a tight, closed loop until it almost locks in place. To your senses...
The Soujus aren't carrying much Grief in their Soul Gems, having clearly been cleansed recently - possibly just before you'd arrived. Sparkling and shiny, even, and you can imagine they'd requested it to look their best for you. But that's a thought for another time: more relevantly, there is no amount of Grief too little for you to sense, and you can feel tiny wisps of already minuscule traces of Grief peeled away and dragged along by the flow of magic, a willing give and take of Grief transferred between Soul Gems.
And you watch with interest as they turn the flow into a circulation, the wisps of Grief flowing in a loop, tugged along by the flow of magic, and... you watch as slowly, agonizingly slowly, shreds of Grief simply drift free, shaken free. It's a delicate, painstaking dance executed by two souls in perfect synchronization, sleight of hand played with the universe.
You watch even as an indefinable sense of sourness burns through you.
You watch as the freed Grief tries to clump back up. Some of it rejoins the flow, and some of it drifts back to their Soul Gems. But it's overall a net reduction - a glacial, finnicky process built on the perfect synchronization of two souls. And it doesn't really handle the Grief, simply releasing it into the environment to merge with the ambient background, but...
You just witnessed Grief being removed from Soul Gems. Not transferred to another, not by Wish magic, and not by you.
By ordinary magic, if such a thing exists.
By a technique that might be learnable.
And yet... your excitement is gone.
"We are done!" the Soujus say. "We... hope it meets your expectations?"
"That... that's a hell of a technique?" Akemi says. "I... I'm not the most magically astute girl out there, but I reckon I'm far from the worst. Noriko, too. And I have no idea how I'd even start pulling something like that off."
"Oh, that's an- that's an easy fix," the Soujus say dismissively. "The more Soul Gems in the loop, the easier it becomes."
"Ah," Akemi says, looking more thoughtful.
It feels like you're burning. Not in any tangible way, physical or magical. But it burns.
It's everything you've been hoping for, after everything. A way to give cleansing to other people, without them having to depend on you. A way to replace Clear Seeds. It's fussy and slow and presumably needs considerable training, but it works.
So why does it burn like this, now that you have it in front of you, that you've seen it happen instead of just hearing about it?
It's a good thing that someone managed to figure out something like this, even if it's a demanding difficult technique to pull off. Something that you can spread to the world, something that people can learn and distribute. It's not gonna be easy. The Soujus might be a unique case, but the technique itself isn't so complicated that you can imagine that it's entirely unique.
A denial claws at your throat, fighting to be set free.
It's something that must have been invented before, by others, and... lost. Forgotten. Suppressed. Suppressed by a certain alien rat. Distributing this technique is something that threatens the Incubator's profit margins, and that will make it a fight, but it's something that doesn't depend on your Wish.
Something that doesn't depend on your Wish.
"Our angel?" the Soujus prompt, their mental voices subdued.
You blink, shaking yourself. Right. You haven't responded.
"Sorry, sorry," you say, grimacing as you hastily assemble an excuse. "It's just... I got stuck thinking through the implications. It's... maybe I should have put up a privacy sphere for this. It's dangerous, because it's a threat to a certain something's bottomline, you know? And it might intervene if we try to teach this more widely."
"Disruptive but also easily disruptible," Noriko says thoughtfully. "And it seems fussy enough to actually pull off that convincing people to not use it might not be that hard. I mean, yeah, it's a good backup technique, but... Miss Ayase, Miss Luca, your Soul Gems weren't even that dirty, were they?"
"No, but it is easier with more Soul Gems," they say. "Besides, any amount of effort is worth it, to cleanse the filth blackening the shine of our Souls."
"I'm not saying it is, but it does mean that other means might seem more worth it," Noriko says.
"It has never spoken against us, but it's inevitable that the work of salvation will not go unopposed," the Soujus add. "We believe you will overcome, o angel!"
"It's never that easy, is it?" you say, sighing and raking both hands through your hair. "Sorry, give me a moment to think. And... don't worry about trespassing on my domain, or anything like that. It's a good thing that techniques for cleansing don't only depend on me."
And even as the lie rolls off your tongue, it burns.
Is it just that it comes from the Soujus? That they, who keep calling you an angel and put you up on that pedestal to all but worship as a divine figure, who kidnapped and disembodied so many people, were the ones to figure it out? Maybe that's part of it, that of all people, it had to be them. That if they have a point about this, genuine insight into your... domain, in their words, then what else might they right about? But it's not the whole of the reason, you don't think.
You glare at a potted plant that has done nothing to earn your ire.
Well.
Feelings aren't rational, you know that.
"I think... I think I need more time to figure this one out," you say, biting your lip as you frantically try to cudgel your thoughts in order. "So we keep this under wraps for the moment, if that's OK with you? And I'll keep thinking about it. But if you figure out a good way to sort this out, let me know, how's that?"
"That sounds reasonable," Akemi says with a measured nod.
"As our angel commands!" the Soujus say cheerfully.
"... and if a certain rat comes sniffing around, you let me know, alright?" you add after a moment. "I... mm. This and the eventual telepathy project... ugh, I'll figure out something. I will."
"If you say so," Akemi says, levelling a doubled, dubious look at you. "I mean, it's not like chasing it off is hard."
"I mean, yeah, but it always comes back, doesn't it?" you say, meeting first her yellow eyes, then the green ones. "But yeah, OK, let me rephrase - let me know if it starts harassing you and you need help getting it to go away? I can try running interference or something."
Akemi nods, satisfied.
"We'll be grateful for your help!" the Soujus add. "Thank you for your consideration, o angel!"
You bite back the flare of annoyance at that, and nod instead.
"Alright. Well... that was about all I wanted to know today, so... I should probably head out. And ugh, I don't want to nag," you say, pulling a face. "But yeah. Any troubles, rat-related or otherwise, let me know, please?"
"We shall," Akemi says. She gives you a level look, the dark pink of her eyes serious. "Miss Vee. You've given us so much just for us to be able to find our feet, and we have. We can hold our own, and this is a small thing for us to handle, by comparison."
"... well, good," you say, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry."
"We appreciate it," Akemi says, sitting forward. "But it sounds like you're headed out?"
"Yeah, I've got some thinking to do, and I don't want to impose while I do that."
"You wouldn't be, but if you're sure-" Akemi waits for your nod befoe continuing, "-then let me see you out."
"Until next time, o angel!" the Soujus call. Their Soul Gems buzz a little in the bowl, Akemi giving them a careful look, but they don't stir any further than that.
Akemi leaves her girlfriend behind to follow you out, waiting politely as you put your boots back on before speaking.
"So, our guests," she says in a quiet voice.
"Yeah?" you say.
"They're well behaved, and I have no complaints about them," she says, the dark pink of her eyes intense beneath her fringe as she focuses on you. "They even seem happy."
"... sounds like there's a but coming?" you prompt.
"Mm," Akemi says, giving you a serious look. "It's not going to last forever. I don't know exactly how long they're willing to wait, but they've been talking about your grand mission and plans and all. More importantly, they talk like they expect to be given a part in it, some mission of their own, which they want to prepare for. They've convinced themselves of it. You get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah. Yeah, alright, I hear what you're saying," you say, frowning. "Uh. Right. I am working on figuring out mental health specialists for us, but... if it gets to a critical point, let me know?"
Akemi snorts.
"Yeah, duh," she says, rolling her eyes. "I'm letting you know of a potential future problem because we're not planning on running into it facefirst."
"You wouldn't believe how many people I know who would. Myself included, sometimes," you grumble. "But alright. Thanks for keeping me in the loop. See you around?"
"Mmh," Akemi says. "Pulling our weight is the least we can do, with what you've given us. See you around."
You smile as the door closes, and only as you turn away do you let it fade. Thankfully, none of them seem to have cottoned on to your discomfort. You head for the roof, then take flight, soaring up over the rooftops of Mitakihara as you try to clear your head.
The mid-morning sun blazes bright and cheerful in the clear blue skies, illuminating a bustling Mitakihara in a gentle radiance. Even with the students in their schools and officeworkers at their offices, the streets throng with activity, of construction, of transport, of people living their lives. It's enough to buoy your mood even as you climb into the skies and they dwindle away to tiny specks amongst the great monoliths of the buildings.
Ugh.
Emotions aren't rational, you know that much. There doesn't need to be a good reason for the Soujus' cleansing technique to burn in your gut like this, but you'd rather think there should be a reason for it. And it can't be just the fact that it's cleansing that doesn't involve your Wish, didn't involve you. It's a good thing, dammit. It is.
You stew on it, banking slowly -and unnecessarily- on the thermals rising high over Mitakihara. But your thoughts go nowhere, circling those same concerns round and around, until you're finally startled from your funk by the feel of a telepathic connection being made.
"Oi. I can see you flapping about up there," Kyouko thinks at you, dry and drawling. "Got a tough Witch here, come earn your keep."
[x] Go help Kyouko and Yuma
- [] Strike up a conversation about...
-- [] The Soujus
-- [] Kyouko's thoughts about...
--- [] Mami
--- [] Sabrina
--- [] Sayaka
--- [] Someone/something else?
- [] Continue hunting with her afterwards
[] Write-in (word count limit: 150 words)
=====
And here, finally, we are. I am so, so sorry this one took so long - something about being on vacation just completely drained me of energy for the first while, and it took me a while to get the momentum for writing back. But we're back, with the first update of the year, and it's a big one! Hopefully I can keep this momentum going.
Do feel free to speculate on Sabrina's thoughts there too! She's gonna be thinking about it throughout her hunting with Kyouko.
