Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

[Firnagzen]

Your head swims as you fade in and out of darkness. You retch miserably, bringing up nothing but bile as you struggle to recall-

You almost black out again, but a small hand stops you from tipping over. Weakly, you struggle to a kneeling position, meeting the horrified eyes of a girl who'd been passing by.

The girl has pink hair and eyes, and a soft, round face now scrunched into a worried look. She's wearing the uniform of a local school here: a cream coloured blouse trimmed out in black and red, with a bright red bow and black and white striped skirt. Near full leg stockings, or are those socks? Her name, even if you've never spoken to her before, is Kaname Madoka.

At Madoka's side is her blue haired, blue eyed friend: Miki Sayaka. She's dressed in the same uniform as Madoka, and flinching back from you a little: a little more cautious and a little more suspicious of you.

And riding on Madoka's shoulder... A little cat like creature that is very obviously not a cat. White fur with pink markings, weird appendages coming out of the ears and those odd gold hoops... Kyuubey, the Incubator.

You shake your head, trying to regain some control.

"-really out of it! What do we do?" Madoka's exclaiming.

"If you make a contract with me, you could heal her!" Kyuubey finishes in its syrupy sweet voice. You can hear it, you realize.

You can hear it, you realize. You can see it.

Your hand shoots out and snatches the little alien off Madoka's shoulder. Madoka flinches, and at her side, Sayaka bristles defensively, one hand coming up before halting, in an aborted attempt to ward you off.

"That..." You cough, before rasping out, "That won't be necessary."

Holding Kyuubey by the neck, you bring it to eye level. "Kyuubey. What is my potential?" you rasp, trying to focus on its face.

Kyuubey stares at you, its unblinking red gaze seeming to get larger and larger and swallowing up the world and
GM's note: No. I did not.
You retch again. Madoka's rubbing your back soothingly -when did she get there?- What were you doin- Right, Kyuubey. Wish. "Kyuubey? My potential?" you prompt again.

The alien is silent for a minute as Madoka reaches forward with a handkerchief to wipe your face. Glancing at her, you can nearly see the golden eyes framed with flowing pink hair... You blink when Kyuubey replies, and the image is gone. "I can't tell. Your soul is... strange." Its telepathic voice is monotone as it always is, but tinged with what you think is faint confusion.

"Do I have the potential to become a Puella Magi?" you demand sharply.

"It is possible... but it may be risky for you," the Incubator informs you reluctantly, tail lashing vigorously.

You chuckle dryly. "I'm pretty sure I'm dying, here." As if on cue, you retch again, and this time, the bile comes out tinged red. You vaguely hear Madoka whimpering.

[] Make a wish.

Logo courtesy of defenestrator

Hello, SV. So it seems that I've decided to throw my hat into the ring and trying a out a Quest.
There's a saying. Villains act, heroes react.
We have here a tabula rasa, a blank slate of a character for SV to control as you will. I invite you to use as much meta-knowledge and reasoning as you like; I will be treating her as an avatar of SV as guided by the votes and a mind state as given by the thread, in any case.
I've always hated that saying.
So. Fair warning. This is not going to be an easy Quest. Oriko is going to be a primary antagonist, for starters, and, well-

Well. Let's just say you'll find out as it goes, eh?

Fair's fair, though. Make a wish. I'll let nearly anything pass, save anything story ending: No pre- or post- cognition for you, no immunity thereof, no "I wish to always succeed", no "I wish for Oriko to drop dead", no Path to Victory for you. Just about anything else is fair game, though! You can wish to 'never become a Witch', or to be able to turn Witches back into puella magi, and so forth, though! Oh, but no multi-clause lawyer wishes.

So make a wish, SV. Make a wish, and let's get this rolling.

(This would be a picture of Oriko, but I can't find one with her doing the Gendo pose. Which vaguely disappoints me, but she's not that popular, I guess. Shame. while I have one now thanks to the amazing @Krekian, I'm leaving Gendo!Mami here for historical purposes.)

 

[Firnagzen]

It takes you a moment to decide on your Wish, what you are willing to sell your soul for. Things like being able to control Witches, summoning unspeakable horrors from beyond the veil of reality, and so forth flash across your mind, before you settle on one. Despite your slumped over position against the wall, you lean forward, staring at Kyuubey. "I wish to control grief! My own! That of others! The grief of the Witches! All of it!"

Twinned sharp inhales from the two girls by your side, and the beginnings of a confused, "Wha-"

"I see," the Incubator says, without inflection. Its eyes begin to glow, becoming little novas of light, and it stretches its ear appendages towards, into you. Dimly, you can hear Madoka and Sayaka, watching on in awe, gasp.

"Contract successful. Your soul has successfully reduced entropy."

A wave of pain explodes outwards from your chest, suffusing every fiber of your being. Your jaw clenches to bite back a scream, as Kyuubey slowly withdraws a brilliantly shining white gem that floats aloft before you. Without prompting, you reach out with one hand and grasp it, clutching it tightly to yourself.

A deep breath.

And again.

Your free hand reaches out, and you flex it, the lack of pain that had been a constant since you awoke is an almost euphoric drug in and of itself. A smile comes to your face unbidden, and you rise smoothly to your feet, feeling better than you have for as long as you can remember. Not that that's terribly long, of course.

The two girls, after a moment of hesitation, stand, too. Madoka smiles at you, but her smile is now tinged with a little worry, and what you think is trepidation. Sayaka's frowning at you, still suspicious and still wary of you. Kyuubey winds through their feet like the cat that it imitates, tail lashing furiously.

[] Introduce yourself
-[] Write-in name.
-[] Choose a tone. (Cool, friendly, cheerful, etc.)
-[] Choose how much to reveal. (IE. Do you know their names, etc.)

[] Leave
-[] Goodbyes?
-[] Write-in name.
-[] Choose a tone. (Cool, friendly, cheerful, etc.)
-[] Choose how much to reveal. (IE. Do you know their names, etc.)

[] Write-in action
-[] Write-in name.
-[] Choose a tone. (Cool, friendly, cheerful, etc.)
-[] Choose how much to reveal. (IE. Do you know their names, etc.)

=====​

Do you want to be mysterious know-it-all? Do you want to be the cheerful, unflappable authority figure? Do you want to be the renegade bitch? Or someone else? None of these are binding for the future, just how do you want to present yourself to the girls right now.No, there's no real significance to the examples. They're just examples.

 

[Firnagzen]

You dismiss your soul gem in a flash of white light, and smile brightly at the two girls who had inadvertently saved your life simply by being in the right place at the right time. "Hello," you begin. "My name is... i- my name..."

Your eyes widen a little when you realize you're not sure what your name is, and it takes you a moment to recall. "My name is Sabrina," you realize. And then, a little more firmly, you add, "Yes. I'm Sabrina. I... I can't remember much more than that, though... I'm glad you two came along when you did, so thank you- Um. I don't know your names?"

"A-ah," Madoka says, her smile growing more genuine. "I'm Kaname Madoka."

"I'm Miki Sayaka," Sayaka adds. She's still tense, but relaxed a bit when you introduced yourself.

"Then thank you, Madoka, Sayaka, and I'm pleased to meet you," you say, bowing your head a little to them. "I... I don't know why, or how, I'm here, but if there's any way I can help you in the future..."

"Hey, we didn't do anything," Sayaka points out, indicating the little alien now sitting on the floor and fixing you with its glassy, red-eyed gaze. Madoka nods vigorously in agreement. "Kyuubey here did all the hard work!"

"I suppose he-" it, you mentally correct, "-did." You grace the Incubator with a nod that could be interpreted as thanks, and it jumps to its feet, seemingly begging to be carried. You're somewhat reluctant to do so, but thankfully, Madoka responds to this, bending down to pick it up and cradle it like the cat it appears to be.

Despite yourself, you have to admit that it looks exceedingly cute like that.

"Hey, Sabrina," Sayaka begins. "That wish you made... makes it sounds like you knew about magical girls before this, and you knew Kyuubey by name. Maybe you came here to meet the local magical girl? Tomoe Mami? Does the name sound familiar?"

"Um," Madoka begins, ducking her head a little when you turn an inquisitive look on her. "O-or maybe Akemi Homura? She just transferred in, maybe you knew her before?"

Sayaka frowns sourly. "Or her, yeah. I don't like her. But maybe we should bring you to see her? Or Mami?"

[] ???

=====​

I will tend to rephrase dialogues, unless an exact quotation is necessary.

 

[Firnagzen]

The decision is swift and easy. Meet she-who-is-probably-murderface, highly suspicious and hostile, or the nice, easygoing, and pleasant puella magi? No choice at all, really.

"I..." you frown, as though trying to remember. "I guess I should go to meet this Tomoe Mami...?"

Madoka smiles brightly, as does Sayaka. "We'll bring you to see her. We're on our way there, anyway," offers the bluenette.

"Thank you," you respond gratefully. You're not sure how to get around Mitakihara, or even where Mami -or Homura- lives.

"Um," Madoka injects, digging around in her school bag. "M-maybe you should try to clean up a bit before we go, Sabrina?" Finally locating what she'd been looking for, she withdraws a small packet of wet tissues and proffers it to you.

You look down at your bile and vomit covered shirt, and feel rather sheepish. Despite the contract having cured your ills, the results hadn't gone away. "Y-yeah. That's a good idea, thanks, Madoka."

After a few moments of fussing and cleaning, the three of you step out of the alleyway, Kyuubey riding high on Madoka's shoulder. Even though you couldn't clean off everything, and there's still a faint, acrid odour of vomit following you, you do feel better simply for not having a crusty, stiff shirt. You'll probably need to find a change of clothes later, though.

"So..." Sayaka begins, drawing the syllable out. "For a foreigner, you speak excellent Japanese."

"I... yes, yes, I do," you answer, frowning. "I... I'm honestly not sure why, though." You probe your memories, trying to remember anything. You remember

"I... I don't remember," you finally confess. Madoka frowns unhappily, laying a hand on your shoulder in comfort-she has to reach up a little to do that. Sayaka looks discomfited too, glancing away.

After a moment of walking in awkward silence, you clear your throat and ask, "So, how long have you known Tomoe Mami?"

Sayaka brightens a little, and responds, "Oh, we just met her yesterday, when she saved us fro... from a Witch."

"Oh," you reply noncommittally. Behind your neutral expression, your mind whirls, putting things together. So it's early, very early, in the timeline. "I guess it's really a good thing that you met her, huh? Otherwise I guess I wouldn't be here." You huff out a gentle laugh. Madoka looks like she's going to say something, but you continue, "So what about this Akemi Homura? Why don't you like her, Sayaka?"

Sayaka grimaces. "Eh... she's weird. She just transferred in, and then yesterday, before Mami saved us, Akemi was attacking Kyuubey." She pauses to rub Kyuubey on the head, to which it arches its back like a cat and hops daintily over to Sayaka's shoulders. "You know, maybe she was trying to get us attacked by the Witch! That's why we got caught, you know!"

"I don't think she's that bad, Sayaka," Madoka says in response. "I- I think she's just trying to help, too, she just picked the wrong way to do it. And throwing that fire extinguisher at her might have been a bit too much, you know!"

As they fall into friendly bickering, you frown to yourself, thinking. You made a Wish with the Incubator. What you think is a good Wish. With Wishes come powers, though, and what are yours?

The moment the question crosses your mind, you know. But more pertinently, you can sense what seems to be an abyssal, yawning pit of Grief not terribly far from you, perhaps a hundred meters at most. And you can, just as well, sense a small wellspring of Grief and other moving towards the black hole of Grief.

[] Stay the course. Go to see Mami.
[] Investigate.
[] ???

=====​

You'll find out more about your powers when you either a) go into combat, or b) go for practice. Be assured, though, that your powers are both useful and powerful; see above, regarding my statements that I'll not screw you guys on the Wish.

 

[Firnagzen]

You halt abruptly in your tracks. "Sabrina? What's wrong?" Madoka asks.

"There's a Witch, about a hundred meters in that direction. I think it's a Witch, anyway," you say slowly, garnering curious looks from the girls and another glassy-eyed stare from Kyuubey. "And... something else, movin- wait."

The second signature, the smaller one, moves closer to the first, enormous presence before disappearing from your perception even as your try to focus your senses towards discerning more. The titanic mass of Grief, by contrast, remains stationary, broadcasting its malignant presence across your senses.

"The other one just disappeared," you say. "I- I don't even know what it is. Was."

Sayaka and Madoka exchange alarmed glances, and Sayaka responds to you first. "Maybe it's someone who was Kissed by a Witch?" she offers. "You should go after her!"

Kyuubey, however, interjects. "I don't understand how your powers work, but it's possible that the second presence you sensed was a magical girl? Either the irregular or Tomoe Mami?"

You suck in a breath at that reminder. "Madoka, Sayaka, maybe you should call Mami and check with her? How far are we from her home?"

"Y-yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Sayaka says, hand slipping into her bag. She withdraws her handphone and rapidly dials a number.

"We're not far from Mami's house," Madoka offers as Sayaka makes the call. "I- maybe- you shouldn't go alone, Sabrina! You haven't even been a magical girl for an hour!" She wrings her hands, clearly distraught.

"Mami's coming," Sayaka says, putting away the phone. "She says she'll be here in a few minutes. Maybe we should go check it out first?"

You nod, firmly. "We'll go and look at it, but we won't get too near to it, ok? I'm inexperienced, and I wouldn't want you two getting in harm's way."

"Yeah!" Sayaka agrees enthusiastically, Madoka nodding her agreement.

You lead the way, probing with your senses. The second signature doesn't reappear, nor does the first move from where you'd initially sensed it.

The source comes into view as you round a corner. Glowing in the middle of an alleyway is a peculiarly geometric slit in reality, and you don't need Madoka's quiet gasp to identify it as the entrance to a Witch's labyrinth. The second signature is nowhere to be found; whatever, or whoever it is, must have gone inside.

[] Wait for Mami to arrive
[] Go in
- [] Bring Madoka and Sayaka with you
- [] Leave Madoka and Sayaka to wait for Mami
[] ???

=====​

Tee hee.

 

[Firnagzen]

You hiss softly at the sight of the entrance to the Witch labyrinth, considering. You could go in and meet whoever, whatever had gone inside, or you could wait for backup from your nominal senior. After some minor debate, you decide to wait. Madoka and Sayaka, taking their cues from you, similarly stop, a healthy distance away from the barrier.

"Sayaka, you said that Mami's on her way, correct?" you ask. At her answering nod, you continue, "Ok. I think I'll wait for her, then. I'm not confident of handling myself alone, yet."

Madoka smiles encouragingly at you, while Sayaka looks a little unhappy with that. She probably wants you to go charging in, but it's only simple logic that you, without knowing your own powers, should have time to at least try to figure out what you can do before going alone, right? She eventually nods in acceptance, though, and casually leans against the wall.
Tick, tock.
It's hardly a minute later when you sense another presence, another small wellspring of Grief and other, encroach on your senses. This one's moving impressively fast, at some distance up above the ground level - Mami, you surmise.

Your guess is confirmed when, moments later, a yellow thunderbolt crashes to a landing before you, golden ribbons dispelling in a burst of light to reveal the proud figure of Mami, resplendent in her puella magi uniform. The ringlets of her hair flap from the momentum of her landing, her beret staying implausibly attached to her head despite the violence of her maneuvers.

"Madoka, Sayaka, Kyuubey, hello," she greets her juniors, before turning her half-lidded gaze and a pleasant smile on you. "And you must be Sabrina?"

[] Write-in conversational direction
-[] Choose a tone. (Cool, friendly, cheerful, etc.)
-[] Choose how much to reveal. (IE. Do you know Mami, etc.)

=====​

So, then. Do you pretend to know her? How do you want to interact? Again, this isn't binding, just how you interact with Mami for now.

 

[Firnagzen]

"I am," you respond to Mami, a worried frown creasing your face. "Nice to meet you, but um, I'm new to being a puella magi, but part of my powers lets me sense other puella magi- I'm pretty sure someone just entered the barrier."

Mami blinks in surprise, but her smile quickly returns. "Ah, is that so? I only know about one other puella magi in Mitakihara City right now. Kyuubey?" She shoots a glance at Kyuubey, still perched on Sayaka's shoulder.

Kyuubey perks up, and hops nimbly across to Mami. "There are no new magical girls in Mitakihara other than Sabrina," it replies.

Mami nods, her smile taking on a slightly harder edge. "In that case, we shouldn't interfere. I already met her yesterday, and we had... a difference in opinion."

"Yeah!" Sayaka agrees vehemently, though Madoka shrinks a little on herself. "She was trying to kill Kyuubey!"

"Hm," you say, noncommittally. "I never met her, but I guess I'll defer to the senior puella magi here."

Mami smiles brightly at you, and offers you a hand. "I'm Tomoe Mami. I'm pleased to meet you."

You smile in response, worries quelled under her gentle demeanour. "I'm Sabrina. I'm sorry, I d-don't remember my last name. Nice to meet you, too."

The blonde's eyebrows raise slightly in surprise. "Ah? How did that happen?"

"Well, the first thing I can remember is lying in an alleyway, choking on my own vomit," you reply with a grimace. "I was very lucky that Madoka and Sayaka came by, along with Kyuubey, or else I would probably have died."

"And then she made the most amazing Wish!" Sayaka exclaims.

"Sayaka!" Mami rebukes sharply. "Wishes should be kept private."

"A-ah. Sorry, Sabrina," Sayaka says, looking contrite. Madoka pats her on the shoulder.

"It's ok, Sayaka," you tell her. "No harm done. But... yes. I don't remember much, but I recognized Kyuubey, and I seem to know about the puella magi system, and I made a Wish. Madoka and Sayaka suggested that since I knew about puella magi, maybe I came here to meet either you or Akemi Homura?"

"I see," Mami replies. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember meeting you before, and I'm sure I would have. Perha-"

The distortion in reality ripples in your senses, and you turn sharply to look at it. You're just in time to feel the barrier swirl and dwindle down to a single point, just as it fades to nothing before your eyes. She's dressed in a simple white and grey dress, with an abbreviated purple mantle around her shoulders.

The single point is a Grief Seed clutched in the hands of a violet eyed girl with long, flowing black hair that parts impossibly into two halves midway down her back despite being bereft of any visible support.

Akemi Homura.

She's staring at you, eyes slightly widened in surprise.

[] Write-in
-[] Choose a tone. (Cool, friendly, cheerful, etc.)
-[] Choose how much to reveal.

=====​

Yeah, while Mami is very formal in Japanese, I'm not going to use the -san for everything, and Miss whoever just doesn't sound right.

Also, Kyuubey doesn't lie. It's a matter of perspective.

Doesn't have to be a conversation, but I expect you guys to choose a tone and stuff if it's relevant.

 

[Firnagzen]

The tableau holds in silence for a long moment: Mami with a disapproving frown, Sayaka standing just in front of Madoka, one hand out as it to shield Madoka. Homura's gaze shifts from you, to Madoka, to Mami, and then back.

Silence, save the background murmurings of the city continuing on its course.

You clear your throat, breaking the quiet. "Hi!" you say brightly. Homura's gaze snaps to you, pinning you under her violet eyes. Privately, you can believe that she's been fighting this same fight for years, for more than a decade. You can believe that she's seen it all, lost it all, and then come back for another round.

Outwardly, you show nothing of your thoughts, continuing blithely, "I'm Sabrina. I... don't think we've met before. You're Akemi Homura, correct?"

Homura doesn't react, apart from a faint frown creasing her forehead. Mami, by contrast, steps forward, putting a warning hand on your shoulder. "Sabrina, I don't think-"

"Yes, I am," Homura interrupts, gaze still fixed on you. She doesn't smile, exactly, but her frown smooths out, giving her a neutral if not friendly expression, and her lips curl in the semblance of a smile. "Sabrina, may I have a word with you?"

[] Write-in
-[] Choose a tone.
-[] Choose how much to reveal.

=====​

As always, tone and stuff. Write in a few points you'd like covered in any ensuing conversation.

Also, Homura can smile. I was rewatching Episode 2 to check some stuff, and she smiles apologetically when she turns down two of her classmates.

 

[Firnagzen]

You make a snap decision, despite a few doubts. "Yes, you may."

Mami's hand tightens for a moment on your shoulder. "Sabrina-"

You half turn, and smile at her. "Thank you Mami, but I'll be alri- I'll be careful. I'll shout if I need help, ok?"

Neither Mami nor Sayaka look happy with this decision, Sayaka in particular looking like she's bitten into a lemon. Madoka, by contrast, seems to have shrunken in on herself even more. Her gaze darts between you, Mami and Homura, while wringing her hand anxiously. "I- I'm sure Homura won't do anything to you, Sabrina."

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Homura soften for a moment, her almost-smile becoming more natural.

"Hmph," is Sayaka's contribution, along with a continued glare at Homura. "I don't like it."

Mami's gentle smile looks strained, but she nods in acceptance. "Stay safe, Sabrina."

You roll your eyes at them. "She's right there, you know," you say, trying to inject a little humour to the situation. It falls flat, though, and Homura doesn't even react to it, so you just shake your head and walk over to her.

The violet eyed girl simply pivots and walks around the corner while pocketing the Grief Seed, with you following obligingly. You stay close to her, in hopes that if she attempts to attack you, you'll be able to subdue her for long enough to grab hold of her, and not get killed.

Homura faces you again when the two of you are out of earshot of the others. You can't help but quail a little -just a little- under her searching gaze. She doesn't seem to be inclined towards making a move for her weapons, though, and so you simply wait for her to say something.

Anything.

Just as you're about to crack and break the silence yourself, she finally deflates a little, relenting and glancing to the side. "Why are you here?"

You take a shuddering breath. "I- I want to not die. I want to solve the Grief problem for puella magi, or at least as far as I can," you say slowly, but with increasing confidence.

Her head tilts slightly. "Explain."

"My Wish was to be able to control Grief," you half-explain. That you are able to is an explanation without a motivation, but you hope she'll accept it.

"I... see," Homura murmurs neutrally. "Then you knew a magical girl before you contracted. Who?"

You grimace. "I- I don't know. I can't remember anything from a little while before Madoka and Sayaka found me," you admit uneasily. You find yourself brushing your shoulder length hair nervously.

"Walpurgisnacht is coming," Homura says, abruptly. "Do you know what that is?"

[] Write-in
-[] Choose a tone.
-[] Choose how much to reveal.

=====​

Just as well Madoka spoke up for you, really. Well, she spoke up for Homura, but y'know, same difference! Might have gone a little worse if she hadn't.

 

[Firnagzen]

"I, I- The stage-constructing witch (alias: Walpurgis Night/real name: unknown); her nature is helplessness. She symbolizes the fool who continuously spins in circles. The witch's mysteries have been handed down through the course of history; her appellation is 'Walpurgis Night.' She will continue to rotate aimlessly throughout the world until she completely changes the whole of this age into a drama. When the doll's usual upside-down position reaches the top part of the witch, she completely roils the civilization on the ground in a flash through her gale-like flight," you intone, as if reading off a book. The punctuation, the parentheses, are practically audible.

Homura actually blinks in surprise, head jerking backwards slightly.

A long, awkward pause ensues.

"I... I'm not sure how I know that," you say, finally. You brush your hair back again, and continue, "I- yes. Yes, I know of Walpurgisnacht, and what it can and will do."

"I have only been able to find out what I know about Walpurgisnacht through extensive research," Homura pronounces, now glaring at you with... what? Anger? Curiosity? "I am interested to know how you know that."

"I'm sorry, I do-"

"Yes, so you've said." Homura's lips flatten out as she clearly puts this tidbit aside for now. "You know what I mean when I say that it will be coming to this city in about a month."

"It will threaten everyone here, and probably destroy the city," you say, gesturing around you.

"Yes. Will you be around?"

You exhale slowly before answering. "Yes. Yes, I will."

"Good. Then, given that you don't remember anything, do you have anywhere to stay?"

You raise an eyebrow at what seems to be distinctly uncharacteristic concern from Akemi 'Murderface' Homura, but you answer warily, "No, I do not."

"There is enough room in my apartment to provide lodgings," Homura states. The unspoken offer is clear enough.

[] Write-in
- [] You'll be returning to the others next update. Write-in conversational direction.

=====​

I took the liberty of answering 'yes, you'll be staying' in the interests of not having a mostly pointless vote, since I doubt anyone actually intends to skip out on Brazilian nut.

Oh, and by the way, regarding meta-knowledge?

I'm a great believer in the butterfly effect. An action now will have consequences later... As an example, Sayaka might not happen upon Charlotte's Grief Seed at the hospital because she might not go to visit Kywjibo at exactly the right time.