You lean back on the sofa, staring blankly up at the ceiling as your brain fills up with thoughts and plans and guesses, debating furiously with yourself on the merits of interfering or not... but really, at this point, you're committed to it. Your mind wanders off to committing horrific acts of science before you hastily quash that line of thought as unproductive for now, and return to the topic at hand.
"OK," you say, after what feels like an eternity of mental debate and back and forth arguments. You sit up again, and Mami shifts so that she can still lean up against your side. "OK, so, here's the plan."
"Mami, I... we're heading over to Ishinomaki," you tell her, and then glancing around at everyone. "Things haven't truly escalated yet, so we can still nip this in the bud - but only if we act
now." Mami nods against your shoulder - not really agreement, you don't think, but willing to go along.
Your gaze settles on the seer and her girlfriend, and you brace yourself - this next sentence isn't going to go down well. "Kirika, I'd like you along on this trip."
Mami jerks, looking up at you. "Sabrina, you can't be seri-"
Oriko frowns heavily. "With her leg as it is-"
Kirika, by contrast, looks first interested, and then glances at Oriko and shrinks a little.
Homura...
looks at you, that silent stare conveying better than words could her doubts.
You wave your hands frantically, and Mami and Oriko stop talking, looking first at each other, then you.
"Kirika, your antimagic is too useful to ignore in a meguca on meguca fight," you tell her. "And... if you come along, we can heal your leg, just in case." Simultaneously, you telepath a message to Homura and Mami, "
She's insurance, too, a hostage. Kind of. Oriko hopefully won't walk us into a trap if we have Kirika with us, right?"
Kirika looks at Oriko, obviously engaged in their own telepathic conversation.
Homura's lips press together. "
We're keeping them under house arrest because they can't hunt for themselves."
Mami chimes in, with, "
She... are you sure that's wise, Sabrina?"
"
We took them down once," you say resolutely. "
We can do it again. And besides - Oriko is afraid
of my... threats," you finish with a grimace at the unhappy memory. "
And... Homura, I doubt you want
to go, and I really want a trump card if we're going to wade into a war."
The time traveller grimaces.
"We'll go," Kirika says brightly, giving you a happy grin. "Oriko thinks we'll help."
Oriko looks... somewhat unhappy, a faint crease on her brow, but smiles at Kirika. "I won't be going, dear," she says gently.
Kirika instantly deflates, directing an utterly woebegone look at the seer. "But-"
Oriko puts her hand to Kirika's lips, and then slides it across, stroking the girl's cheek. "I'll be fine for a while, Kirika," she says with a smile. "Go," she instructs simply.
Kirika blinks rapidly, eyes tearing up. "A-are you sure, Oriko?"
"Yes," the seer smiles.
"OK, then," Kirika agrees finally. She looks up at you and takes a deep breath, eyes now determined. "Yeah, I'm going. Uhh... question."
"Hmm?" you raise your eyebrows at her.
"'Meguca'?" she asks.
You flush slightly. "Uh... just a word for magical girls. 'Magical girls', 'meguca'?" you finish in English. Homura very slowly brings her hand to her face, hiding her expression.
Kirika flashes you a grin. "I like it!" Oriko mirrors Homura's pained look.
...
"Right," you say, and turn to Homura. "Homura... We'll be gone for a while, so... keep an eye on Madoka and Sayaka, OK? I don't trust Kyuubey not to make a move while we're gone." Telepathically, you add. "
And they don't know about the lich thing."
Homura blinks slowly. "Of course," she says. You get the distinct impression that a lesser person would be rolling her eyes right about now. "Rl
ich thing?" she asks telepathically, slurring the 'l-' phenome a little.
"We'll keep in touch by telepathy, yeah?" you nod. Internally frowning at yourself at the rather silly mistake, you continue. "
Oh, uh. English word, but what I mean is the Soul Gem thing, you know?"
Homura nods silently.
"Alright, then," you say, standing. "Kirika, we'll heal you on the way over, or maybe if it takes longer, when we find Rin?"
"OK," Kirika shrugs indifferently as Oriko helps her to her feet. "Who's Rin?"
"Oh. The healer with the Sendai group," you tell her.
"OK," she shrugs again.
"Sabrina, may I request a cleansing of my Soul Gem, and that you leave me a Grief Seed?" Oriko asks, looking at you.
"Ah, yes," you agree. "Yeah, you'll need that... Homura, your Soul Gem, too?" You reach into your pocket, pulling out Gwen's Grief Seed and leaving it on the table, simultaneously cleansing their Soul Gems. You carefully check Hildegarde's seed, still in your opposite pocket.
The seer inspects her Soul Gem, and nods, satisfied. "Please give us a moment," Oriko says, rising alongside Kirika. You stand, turning to hold a hand out to Mami. She accepts it with a little smile, and doesn't let go even after you pull her to her feet. The three of you walk outside the room, heading over to the backyard, Homura giving you an inscrutable gaze as you do so.
You can sense Oriko and Kirika moving closer to each other, before you deliberately stop looking with your Grief senses.
The three of you look at each other in silence, tired amethyst eyes in particular boring into you. "Come back safe," she says, eventually.
"I
damned well intend to," you say seriously. "I'm not done here.
You stay safe too, OK?"
Mami smiles, a little. "Yes, stay safe, Homura."
Homura nods sharply.
You turn away slightly, and build a large... well, carpet, out of Grief as Oriko and Kirika exit the house. Oriko's long silvery hair is slightly mussed, and Kirika's step is light, even on her crutches. You raise an eyebrow at the black haired girl, and citrine eyes crinkle into an embarassed grin and a small blush.
"Take care of her," Oriko says, studying you carefully.
You snort. "Yeah," you say. "As I said - I damned well intend to get back safe and intact."
"See you, Oriko," Kirika says, her hand lingering on Oriko's as they step apart.
"See you, Homura," you say, looking at the time traveller.
She nods sharply again, amethyst eyes not leaving yours. "By- No. See you soon, Sabrina, Mami."
"See you, Homura," Mami echoes.
Your goodbyes said, the three of you load onto the carpet, Kirika carefully putting the crutches and a plastic bag you didn't notice earlier down beside her on the carpet, stretching her splinted leg straight out on the carpet.
"Some food and drink," Oriko notes, when she sees you looking at the bag. "Enough for lunch."
"Right, thanks," you nod at her, as you raise the carpet slightly. "Wish us luck!"
The five of you look at each other in silence. Trepidation and tension fills the air, Homura giving you a sharp nod, Mami sitting close to you with one hand around your waist, all your goodbyes said... You nod, and raise the carpet into the air, beginning to head east.
The first part of the flight is spent in silence, the three of you lost in your own thoughts as the wind rushes part you, cutting across Mitakihara City. "
So..." you send a message to Mami, using telepathy rather than shout over the rushing wind - you're not sure
exactly how fast you're going, but it's
fast. "
I just realized something."
"
What is it, Sabrina?" she asks, turning to give your a little smile, squinting against the wind.
"
...I just realized I don't know where Ishinomaki is," you admit.
"
Oh, Sabrina," she closes her eyes, but the smile becomes more genuine, if amused, as her hand around your waist squeezes you lightly. "
North east, Sabrina. A little more north than east."
"
Right," you adjust your course slightly, banking lightly. You scoot around to face Kirika, who's looking inquisitively at you, both legs poking straight out on the carpet.
"
We should start on your leg," you send to her, letting Mami in, too.
"
Yeah!" Kirika agrees enthusiastically. "
Not being able to move properly sucks."
"
Alright, then," you say, summoning the glow of healing magic to your hands. Mami reluctantly releases you, the golden radiance of her magic rising to her hands, too. You bring your hand to Kirika's knee, letting the healing magic sink in.
"
I'm still not sure... I-I- of course, your-" Mami begins, before cutting herself off. "
I'm sorry."
"
Don't apologize for that," you say gently. "
But... we kind of need her for the fights." You'd really messed up her knee, you note.
Mami just sighs. "
Y-you're right... It's just..."
"
I know, and I understand," you say gently.
Mami falls silent, and the two of you continue to heal Kirika's knee.
"
Hey, Homura?" you reach out again.
"
Sabrina?" Homura sounds surprised to hear from you so soon.
"
What did you mean, when you said that the Sendai girls aren't totally blameless?" you ask.
Homura doesn't respond immediately. "
You should have asked before you left," she says tonelessly. "
They were... not gentle about their... operations."
"
Right. Anything more you can say?" you ask.
"
You've met their healer and teleporter, and Hamasaki?" she asks.
"
Yeah," you confirm. Rin, Sakura, and Akiko.
"
Their last two members are Tanaka Tamiko and Minami Yumi," Homura says. "
Force fields, and gravity respectively."
"
Hmm, thanks," you say. You switch over to talking to Mami. "
Mami?"
"
Yes, Sabrina?" the blonde looks inquisitively at you.
"
What do you know about the University Group?" you ask. "
What are they like, their powers, reputation and so on?"
"
Oh," Mami says. "
Well, from what I heard, there's six of them, but I've only met two, Ayano Chika and Umeko Yuko, when they came to recruit me. They seemed... nice enough. Nervous, though, maybe they were afraid of being found out?"
"
Or maybe of being in the presence of the illustrious Tomoe Mami?" you smile at her and bump her shoulder lightly with yours, still keeping your hands steady on Kirika's knee.
"
Ahhh... I don't think so," Mami responds. Nevertheless, she smiles a little in response. "
Their powers... I've heard one of them can turn invisible. Uhh... one of them can fly, another has plant powers?" She shrugs lightly.
"
Hmm..." you say. "
Last thing... do you think any of them would listen to you?"
Mami sighs, the sound lost over the rushing wind. "
I don't know... That was... late last year? December... And they wanted to recruit me because I was a powerful magical girl..." Her eyes hold distant, remembered pain.
"
Oh, Mami..." you stop healing, instead drawing Mami into a hug. She accepts it, hugging you back tightly. Kirika looks at the two of you curiously, but doesn't comment, instead scratching at her side.
Mami pulls away after a while. "
That's... really all I know. Sorry I couldn't help more."
"
No, don't apologize," you admonish her, patting her lightly on the shoulder. "
That's plenty."
The healing doesn't take
too long, to your surprise - all the tissue and bone is still present, albeit... mangled. A few cleanses later, Kirika's knee is fully healed, and at her request, you widened the platform a little so that she could stand and walk around, working the kinks out of her knee seemingly without any fear of the precipitous drop towards the suburbs below.
"
Hey, Sabrina?" Kirika says tentatively, on a private connection to you.
"
Yes?" you raise an eyebrow at the berserker.
"
My ojou's better than yours," she says seriously.
"
No she's not," you say absently. "
And Mami's not my
ojou."
"
... haaaaah, I don't believe you," she says firmly. "
If you love her, you should be honest about it! But confessions are scaaaaaary! Do you need help?"
"
No, I'm good," you say, and deflect the topic. "
How's that single bed working out for you?"
No response. You glance back to see Kirika doing an
excellent impression of a tomato, and probably releasing that high pitched kettle-like noise to boot, even if you can't hear it over the rushing wind. You grin to yourself, and face forward again, letting Mami tuck herself against you a little tighter.
A while later, the sun racing towards its zenith above you, Kirika's voice sounds in your head again, bright and cheerful. "
Are we there yet?"
Dammit.
[] Write-in
=====
The next update will bring you to Ishinomaki unless, iunmo, you go 'let's not go to Ishinomaki. 'Tis a silly place' or something. What do you want to do there? Something to discuss during the flight?
You have two thousand and forty eight Grief marbles, and two Grief Seeds in your pockets.
