"We can take it," you say. "Together." You shoot Mami a broad grin.
An answering smile. "Together."
You glance back at the still distant Witch, MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN's feet shifting idly to crush one of the few Familiars remaining. Well, what you
see is a tremendous cloud of noxious black smoke rolling across the landscape.
You can fix that.
You will MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN forward. The ground trembles under the thunder of two steps of footsteps, yours, and the Witch's. You pick up speed, keeping the cockpit steady but for the tremors reverberating up the body of your mecha with each footfall slamming into the ground. Mami laughs in startled delight from the chair next to yours.
Despite that, though, the muskets bristling from the form of MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN remain steady, hammering out shots and falling away to make way for new ones in a rapidfire, cracking rhythm. Musketballs lance out, punching into the distant cloud of smoke to no discernable effect.
"Sabrina!" Mami call as you guide the mecha forward.
"Yes?" you ask, sparing her a glance.
"Give me the shoulders!" Mami says.
"What?"
"Mecha Godzilla has shoulder cannons!" Mami answers.
"Oh!" You shoot her a bright smile, finding a delighted, answering grin coming right back at you. An effort of will, and two holes yawn in the floor, openings to tubes threading through MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN's body to its shoulders. Without hesitation, Mami snaps her hands out, ribbons unfurling in golden blossoms.
You glance at the roiling bank of smoke. Close enough.
MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN's jaw yawns open. And it
roars.
Thunder
shatters the air. A blast, a pure concussive shockwave, tears through the air and slams into the bank of smoke.
The concealing black smoke rips off the form beneath. A nightmarish shape, plunges out of the smoke, six spikes of legs in harsh angles supporting a high stepping, arachnoid body, built along the same slender, serrated lines. Vicious, predatory mandibles hang from its head, jagged, and angular, perfect for ripping and tearing. The entire Witch seems to be roughly hewn of wood, scorched black. Trailing, bright coloured ribbons stream back, mingling with eddying wisps of noxious smoke.
You slam into it, bowling it over backwards. Mandibles, titanic and vicious, scissor past your cockpit. You grin, and MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN lunges and
bites. Charcoaled wood crunches under your own jaws. The Witch screams, and scuttles back with surprising speed, ribbons waving with the motion. Smoke eddys around its nightmarish form.
"Ready!" Mami says, at your side.
A quick glance. Two
enormous cannons gleam on MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN's shoulders. They're easily double the size of Mami's normal Tiro Finales, filigreed and ornate. You eye the Witch. It's fast and nimble for something that size.
You shoot Mami an exhilarated grin. "Let me pin it first."
Mami nods, returning the grin with one just as eager.
At your will, MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN pounds forward, stocky legs kicking hard. You swing to the side, and the tail whips in a tight circle to smash into the nightmare bulk of the Witch. It accepts the blow and lunges at your torso, mandibles snapping.
You can't grapple - arms too short. But MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN has teeth.
Tremendous jaws bite into the wooden flesh of the Witch, cleaving and rending.
The Witch
screams, ripping wood and crunching charcoal accompanying the sound.
You gesture, and MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN leans back. One stocky leg rockets up to slam into the Witch with monstrous force. The kick bowls it over backwards, and you storm forward. One foot, clawed and powerful, slams down onto its body. MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN leans forward, leering down at its pinned foe.
"Mam-"
"
TIRO! FINALE!" Mami
yells.
Thunder.
The cannons kick against MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN's shoulder. Two titanic shots slam into the Witch, and charcoaled wood
shatters. Splinters fly, pinging off the cockpit and scattering across the landscape.
Your mecha's foot
crunches through suddenly frangible wood, ploughing into the ground with an enormous jolt.
You
feel the Witch die, quivering tendrils of magic beginning to fade.
You grin at Mami. "Job's done!"
Mami
laughs, clear as a ringing bell. "Yes, it is!"
MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN kneels as the Barrier wavers like a mirage in a breeze, and the cockpit opens, letting in the still scorching air of the Barrier. You hop out, turning to offer Mami a hand. She accepts it with a smile, and the two of you step out.
An effort of will dissolves the construct -you don't exactly want to drop a five story tall mecha Godzilla into the middle of an apartment block- and you hang on to the Grief amidst the malestrom of the dissolving Barrier.
Bubbling laughter, and Mami wraps you in a delighted hug as the two of you are unceremoniously returned to reality in another corridor of the same apartment block. The Grief Seed pings to the floor at the far end of the corridor. "T-that, that was
amazing, Sabrina!" Mami gasps from in between giggles.
"Yeah, that was fun," you agree happily.
The giggles slowly taper off, and Mami pulls back, still smiling broadly. "But don't forget, Sabrina, that Witches can be very dangerous," she admonishes, trying to be serious. She can't supress the smile quirking the corners of her lips, though.
"Yeah, I know," you say soberly. "But... it worked out, in the end, right?"
Mami giggles again. "It did!"
You hug her again. "Glad you had fun," you say.
"I did!" Mami says.
"I didn't get to use the eyelasers, though," you note.
Mami pats you on the back. "There'll be other opportunities," she says.
"True," you agree. You're... probably going to give most of that Grief to Kyuubey soon, though, considering the sheer
bulk of it.
You separate from Mami, and trot down the corridor to pick up the Grief Seed, pushing aside the spheres of Grief packing said corridor. Footsteps behind you, as Mami follows you closely.
You turn to Mami, smiling, and firmly press the Grief Seed into her hand. "This is yours, Mami," you say.
"You did most of the work," Mami demurs, pushing the Grief Seed back to you.
"I don't need it, Mami," you say. "Really, you should have it."
"Neither do I," she says, smiling warmly at you. "But... thank you." She accepts the Seed, slipping it away somewhere in her costume.
You smile, nodding. "Shall we continue on, then?"
"Yes, we should," Mami says. "Clock's ticking, and it's getting late."
"Let's go, then," you say, starting for the stairwell.
The two of you are soon hopping along the rooftops again, leaping across the canyons of the urban cityscape and looking down at all the people, the cars, travelling the roads. The cool, crisp night air comes as a welcome relief after the burning air of the Witch's Barrier, and you follow Mami on the patrol route.
The patrol continues without further incident, and you eventually arrive home, making your way from the roof down to Mami's apartment. You step in, calling out a cheerful, "I'm home!"
"Welcome home," Mami says, following you in.
You flop over on the sofa, dropping your bag on the floor and patting the dust off your blouse and skirt. "Whoo," you say. "That was good fun."
"It was," Mami agrees, settling down beside you to nestle into your side. "Mecha Godzilla! And Gurren Laggan!" She giggles again. "How did you even
think of that one?"
You shrug. "I have
no idea," you admit, reaching an arm out for the television remote. Finding it obdurately out of your grasp, and unwilling to stir from your current position, you will a few Grief marbles to grab the remote for you instead. Remote in hand, you click the television on. "And it's MECHA GUREN ZILLA LAGANN," you correct her.
"Oh,
Sabrina," Mami says, a familiar, fond tone in her voice.
"... local politician Rokuro Himura proposes plan to revitalized Mitakihara's ailing industrial district..."
You chuckle. "Well, it worked!" you say. "And don't think I didn't notice the Tiro Finales, Mami!"
"Well, I can't really make them that big, normally," Mami says, smiling.
"... weather for tomorrow looks cloudy over most of Mitakihara..."
"Ah, I see," you say. "And that reminds me. Cleansing?"
Mami nods, idly holding up her hand. A small twist of will sets Grief streaming free from both your Soul Gems, collapsing into marbles that slide into your bag without fuss. That done, you drag the bag over to the shelf by the marbles inside it.
"... in sports, local basketball team..."
"Say, Mami?" you ask.
"Mmm?" She tilts her head slightly to look up at you with half lidded golden eyes, a contented smile on her face.
"Could you help me with enchantment, some time?" you ask. "I'm not really making much progress by myself."
"Of course, Sabrina," Mami agrees, reaching up to pat your shoulder. "When would be good?"
"Eh," you shrug. "Maybe one of these days?"
"... the time now is eleven o'clock..."
Mami stirs, and sits upright, stretching. "Would you like to use the shower first, Sabrina?" she asks.
"Nah, you can go ahead," you say, likewise stretching. "I'll be right here when you're done, OK?"
Mami nods. "OK," she says, and walks to the shower.
You smile to yourself in contentment, contemplating what comes next. Bed, of course, and things... things need to change, you feel. Simply make it casual, make it a matter of course, you think?
The door clicks open behind you, and you turn. Her eyes are a touch anxious, but she relaxes when she sees you, and you smile at her. "Your turn," she says, raising the towel in her hands to dry her hair.
"Alright," you say, smiling as you walk past her.
It doesn't take too long for you to finish your shower, and the two of you head to the bedroom. "Mami?" you ask, tone slow and cautious.
"Yes, Sabrina?" she asks, looking curiously at you.
"I... Mami, it's a little silly, with the mattress and all," you say. "Do you mind if I, you know..." you trail off, and wave at the bed.
"I- eh? You m-mean-" Mami stutter, blushing. "Bed?"
"Yeah," you say. "Do you mind?"
"N-no, n-not at all," Mami says, blushing.
"Alright, then," you say, bending down to pull your pillow and blanket off the mattress. "We'll put this away tomorrow?"
"A-alright," Mami says, standing stock still and watching you lean the mattress against the wall.
You sit on the bed, and pat the space beside you. Hesitantly, Mami walks over and sits down. You manuveur to the other side of the bed, and lie down. The mattress beside you dimples as Mami also lies down, and moving slowly and tentatively, Mami wraps an arm around you.
"Good night, Mami," you say, reaching an arm up to pat Mami's.
"... good night, Sabrina," Mami says, arm tightening around you.
As you drift off to sleep, Mami cuddled into your side, a single thought drifts across your mind.
Madokami forbid Oriko
or Kirika finding out about this. You'd never hear the end of it.
[] Write-in
=====
The railgun didn't happen because, well... this flowed better? *shrug*
And here ends Book two, chapter two: Interloper.