Could you, in turn, please acknowledge why I might at least instinctively flinch at something resembling "merchants will always betray you, it's in their nature, there's no point making even short-term deals with those foreigners, just reform your team's old religion and kill them all as soon as you get the chance" being presented as a moral message?
[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 head out to the Yamato shipwreck and grab it for Yuki? 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 yours 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 creaking 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.
). So: